Re: [Mpls] Leaf Blower action meeting post

2005-01-06 Thread Dorothy Titus
As a user of an electric leaf blower, I want to say that I use one for the following reasons: 1. My yard is heavily shaded by trees (so I have a lot of leaves). The grass under trees is fragile. A leaf blower will remove the leaves and leave the grass. Raking takes much of the grass along

Re: [Mpls] Mpls Somali activist found guilty of immigration fraud

2005-01-09 Thread Dorothy Titus
I find it fascinating that the government wants to work hard to deport Omar Jamal who, by all accounts, is an excellent citizen who contributes a lot to his community. At the same time, there is a move on the government's part to create ways for Mexican citizens to stay here who are here

Re: [Mpls] Closures

2005-01-17 Thread Dorothy Titus
It was announced on Friday, I think, that many of the cold weather activities were cancelled because it was bitterly cold. I heard on the news that Theodore Wirth Park had closed down its activities because it was deemed too cold for people to be out sledding and tubing in sub-zero weather.

Re: [Mpls] Politicking and the NRP

2005-01-23 Thread Dorothy Titus
are the ones who have the option of being part of the decision. The system isn't perfect. We need to work on more citizen participation. But I don't think the solution is to dismantle a system that gives the neighborhoods a voice. When people care enough, they get involved. Dorothy Titus

RE: [Mpls] RE: Rybak Mailing, Political Junkies

2005-01-24 Thread Dorothy Titus
and opportunity to determine if indeed his actions were incorrect. Then he can be judged by his response to that. Dorothy Titus, Jordan neighborhood REMINDERS: 1. Be civil! Please read the NEW RULES at http://www.e-democracy.org/rules. If you think a member is in violation, contact the list

RE: [Mpls] Doug Grow's Mythology

2005-02-14 Thread Dorothy Titus
Allen Graetz wrote: I wish this were the case. BUt even this is based upon the assumption that any of these children that move to a better school have parents that are involved enough in their lives to make that happen. And unfortunately in some of the neighborhoods where this occurs, there

RE: [Mpls] Time to demolish NRP

2005-02-17 Thread Dorothy Titus
with NRP dollars have given us a way to take control of our future and work together to make it bright. Have we made mistakes? Of course, but none that would overshadow the achievements. For Jordan, NRP has been an outstanding success. Dorothy Titus Jordan neighborhood REMINDERS: 1. Be civil

RE: [Mpls] A Real Minneapolis Problem

2005-02-22 Thread Dorothy Titus
I agree with you, Michael. My car was totaled just four weeks ago by an egregious red light runner. It was in rush hour traffic at 5:30 p.m. I was traveling west on W. Broadway and intended to make a left turn onto Lyndale (to go south). It was obvious there was no way to get across the

[Mpls] A Resolution for Caucuses and Conventions

2005-02-24 Thread Dorothy Titus
Are you all aware that NRP funding ends in 2009? That there are no plans to fund neighborhood redevelopment, revitalization after that? Are you aware that the people we elect this fall to the City Council and the Mayor's office will be the primary group that has a chance to change that?

Re: [Mpls] Stormwatergate

2005-03-02 Thread Dorothy Titus
On Mar 2, 2005, at 10:39 PM, David Brauer wrote: Notwithstanding Jim's water-bill situation, the city said late last year that the average homeowner would pay $1.11 less each month with the new storm water charge. ~~ I have to side with Jim. I got my notice this week, too, and if the

Re: [Mpls] Equality for the Northside is a Joke!

2005-03-06 Thread Dorothy Titus
I wish to weigh in on the issue of what North Minneapolis does and does not get from the rest of the city. What we do NOT get is empowerment. Has anyone paid attention to the recent redistricting? Ward 5 was stripped of its share of downtown and the warehouse district, the two parts of the

[Mpls] A Story of Courage and Service

2005-03-06 Thread Dorothy Titus
In so much of the recent communications about the double homicide here in North Minneapolis (it happened just a block-and-a-half up the street from my house), I have read the hue and cry about what the city can and cannot do and what the city should and should not do and the questions about

[Mpls] Police Numbers

2005-03-07 Thread Dorothy Titus
I had the interesting experience of doing a ride-along with a police officer last Thursday. It was an eye opening experience. The calls for the 4th Precinct were constant. A few weeks ago, one officer said this precinct is down 40 officers over the past few years. He said that this is an

[Mpls] Stepped up Police Presence

2005-03-08 Thread Dorothy Titus
I hear JSK about his concerns that we will become a police state. Is it better to become a gang state? It may sound excessive to have police checking in with people who seem to be doing innocuous things, but I remember the police reports from two summers ago when they began patrolling on

Re: [Mpls] A Story of Courage and Service

2005-03-08 Thread Dorothy Titus
For Vanessa, No, I'm not running for office. I was not trying to single her out as someone with super human abilities. I was filled with admiration for her and how she is handling this tragedy, and I wanted both to put a human face on the tragedy and, hopefully, light a bit of a fire under

[Mpls] Taking Care of the Least

2005-03-10 Thread Dorothy Titus
I think that sometimes officials make decisions in an attempt to be fair or at least to keep their constituents quiet. A case in point is the recent proposal on the CDBG target map. Did any of you notice what was recommended? The basic requirement is, if I remember it correctly, that the

RE: [Mpls] A little media disagreement

2005-04-15 Thread Dorothy Titus
The stormwater rate is multipled by the number of ESUs (estimated stormwater units) that the property has been assigned. So it most definitely IS possible to have a $37 bump up in fees. In my case, my water bill was $34 a month. The city guessed that I had 2.38 ESUs (it's actually 1.17). They

RE: [Mpls] A little media disagreement

2005-04-15 Thread Dorothy Titus
-Original Message- From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] On Behalf Of David Brauer Sent: Friday, April 15, 2005 3:21 PM To: mpls@mnforum.org Subject: Re: [Mpls] A little media disagreement On Apr 15, 2005, at 3:01 PM, Dorothy Titus wrote: The stormwater rate is multipled

RE: [Mpls] Stormwatergate, con't.-The Fraud and Denial Continues

2005-04-22 Thread Dorothy Titus
I would like to tell you my experience with the city on this. I posted here right after my first bill about the fact that my water bill went up by $20+, a 60% increase. I called the city and, after some discussion, discovered that my home was shown as a duplex, something that hasn't been true

Re: [Mpls] Doug Grow

2005-05-01 Thread Dorothy Titus
Tim Connolly wrote: I'm shocked, shocked not to see any defense of the Mayor after he was skewered by Doug Grow. I guess most people on this list plan to hold their noses when they pull the lever. Or do we think the Mayor is truthful when he sidesteps the issue. Say what you will about the stadium

RE: [Mpls] Urban Legends

2005-05-26 Thread Dorothy Titus
Jeanne Massey wrote: By the 2020s, baby boomleters (kids of baby boomers) will be having kids and likely buying homes in big numbers (though not as big as in their parents' generation), filling in some (but not likely all) those homes built for their parents' generation. Not quite accurate.

RE: [Mpls] Shoefiti

2005-06-28 Thread Dorothy Titus
In response to Ed Kohler's post on trying to get Xcel to remove the shoes hanging over power lines: We have lots of those on the northside, too. My suggested solution is not to take the shoes down but for all of us to visit the thrift stores, buy pairs of shoes, tie the laces together and to

RE: [Mpls] Please: Think (chatter) Globally/Antipathy and snipe-ing, Dennis

2005-06-28 Thread Dorothy Titus
Dyna said: Agreed, it should not be the job of government to provide corporate welfare to bail out businesses that make dumb investments. In the instant case, Ms. LaVanier paid $400,000 in March 2004 for a building with a taxable market value of $284,000. This is a 8 unit building in a

RE: [Mpls] Redistricting... taking downtown away Money, Power, Respect

2005-07-10 Thread Dorothy Titus
Mark, There are many ways the money in a ward benefits the citizens. City Councilpersons have the ability and obligation to look out for their constituents. When Cub came to the Northside, a lot of people talked to them about how important it was that jobs be made available to Northside

RE: [Mpls] Surviving and Deffending Myself against the Local Drug Dealers on 6th St 23rd Av N

2005-07-12 Thread Dorothy Titus
While I liked the noble sentiments of Jim Graham, the situation in some areas of Northside are beyond what a noble man can handle. As a member of a Northside neighborhood organization, it feels important that I be aware of what's happening up here, so I occasionally take these little side

[Mpls] Press Release for Feeding the Least, Increasing the Peace

2005-08-24 Thread Dorothy Titus
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Partnering. to Increase Community Health MINNEAPOLIS, MN - 2nd Annual Feeding the Least.Increasing the Peace - Community Health Awareness Event, August 27, 2005 (10am - 6pm) at Cub Foods, 701 West Broadway, in conjunction with the 1st Anniversary Celebration for Cub

RE: [Mpls] PROGESS ON THE EFFORT FOR MORE NORTHSIDE JOBS

2005-08-29 Thread Dorothy Titus
Shawn, I attended the Northside Job Connection first anniversary celebration and had an opportunity to talk with some of its participants. My impression is that this is a truly innovative and solid program. Rather than referring their clients to other agencies for some or all of their needs,

RE: [Mpls] Attempts to use NRP for political gain - an integritydeficiency

2005-09-09 Thread Dorothy Titus
Thank you, Barb Lickness, for your comments on this. I live in the Jordan neighborhood and I have worked for the neighborhood organization for the past nine months. Prior to that, I was moved to volunteer as a board member which, I guess, would count as citizen participation. For four years, I

Re: [MPLS] Lots of information on the upcoming Park Board races

2005-10-22 Thread Dorothy Titus
I have read some of the posts about the Park Board's purchase of the new headquarters on West River Road in the Hawthorne neighborhood. I can understand some of the objections. However, on a purely personal and feeling-level, I must say that I really like having it here on the Northside. We

Re: [Mpls] Justice Du Jour

2005-11-04 Thread Dorothy Titus
Mark said: A large metro area needs user-friendly, cost-effective public transit, but to assign the word 'justice' to that goal is a very big stretch. It implies that that public transit is an entitlement, and the tax base (collective) needs to accomodate the needs in the name of 'justice'.

Re: [Mpls] aol

2005-12-05 Thread Dorothy Titus
I must correct a number of errors in Mr. Halfhill's post about aol. I lived and worked in that area for 35 years. First, Dulles and Langley are 10-15 miles apart. Second, Langley does not provide a residence to the thousands of CIA employees. Most of them cannot afford to live in the area

Re: [Mpls] Progressive taxes: Income vs Wealth

2005-12-07 Thread Dorothy Titus
Last Sunday, Greg Cavanagh had an opinion piece, Why punish the rich for good choices? in the Star Tribune. I was outraged at the way he ascribed all good attributes to the wealthy and all negative ones to the poor. I wrote the following piece in response, which was not published. It bears