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10/28/1999

EAR PLUGS
Degenerate JH is feeding the rumor mill:
I saw a friend last night who works for Sembler (commercial real estate). According to her, Sembler has bought the entire block between Peachtree & Juniper and 10th & 13th, which includes the Cotton Club. It will all soon be leveled in preparation for the construction of a group of towers like those on the NE corner of Peachtree & 14th.


WILD WILD WORLD OF SPORTS
Tony Hawk may be retiring from competitive skateboarding. No, you
won't see any goofy Gretsky "Look back at a living legend" bullshit
show. No "Skateboarding team of the milinneum" nonesense. But anybody
that's ever put those four wheels to pavement and stood on that thin
piece of plywood should know the name.
Meanwhile, I'm beginning to think I and a few of my subscribers could
put a team together that would beat the Braves, followed by pounding
the Falcons on the same day, perhaps breaking a sweat to run out for
beers afterward.

BLASPHEMY
President Clinton is working toward protecting a bunch of our
National Forest land through altering U.S. Forest Service rules,
bypassing congress in a way similar to the route used by Teddy
Roosevelt to creat our National Parks.
Before you jump on the bandwagon and say our National Forests need
protection let me point out that the National Forests are NOT the
National Parks - they're separate areas set aside for separate
purposes.
However, it's widely known that National Forests are a big welfare
system for the timber industry. The government loses millions every
year on the sale of timber from the National Forest.
It has been said that without this government support of this
industry that paper and lumber prices would skyrocket.
But frankly I've been playing in and around these forests for years
and every time someone comes in and clearcuts a swath across my
playground I get a bit miffed. Outright pissed, in fact. To make
matters worse their "replanting" only "re" plants trees the logging
company finds most profitable. Everything is slowly being converting
into pine forest in North Georgia.
So I wouldn't mind paying a bit more for a 2x4 or a pack of paper.
And maybe the industry needs a kick in the ass to look into other
materials - possibly even (gasp) more recyling.
And in case you're living in your urban walled community and ignoring
the news, suburbia is rapidly eating up any undeveloped land out
there.
But wait, there's more.
Tried to visit a National Park lately? They're underfunded for
starters, visited beyond capacity all the time and no longer the
pristine playground Teddy set up.
So it seems the timber industry wants us to live in the suburbs,
cruise past their government-sponsored paper garden en route to the
line to get into the National Park!
Oh, I'm not done yet. The timber industry has the full support of the
administration of the very lands they rape and pillage - the Forest
Service!
In this week's Loafing Bob Lazemby, deputy director of the Georgia
Forestry Commision, is quoted as saying "Roads are part of the
long-term health of the forest. To tie these lands up and do nothing
with them is absolutely ridiculous."
Uh... HUH?
I gotta say I've been down hundreds of those roads and not one of
them is exactly helping the long term health of the area around it.
Aside from the obvious lack of vegetation on them, they cause
erosion. Worse, they allow easy visitation. Head down any one of
those roads today and you'll find abandoned tires, countless beer and
soda cans and bottles, and other trash. Toss in a few "sportsmen" and
the joint becomes more like the county dump than a forest.
And I'm curious how Mr. Lazemby thinks these forests survived before
we went in there with bulldozers and installed these valuable
lifelines.
Then there's the often cited argument that we need the roads to
prevent forest fires.
The ONLY reason we prevent forest fires is because it cuts into
timber industry profits.
Forests NEED an occasional burn-out. In fact, there are some species
of plants and animals that can only survive through periodic
wildfires.
So next time you feel like running out into the forest and driving a
few 6" nails into trees in order to jam the timber industry saws let
us know. We'll buy the nails.

BIG SCREEN
We caught Bring Out The Dead at the Drive In the other night. Despite
the slow pace (and the freezing air) the film is enjoyable. Like most
Scorsese work, it's more than a little over the top but definitely
worth seeing.

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