Education Noir

I am a Buckeye.  Growing up, I can recall my parents reading the Columbus Dispatch and discussing the several interesting stories from the city and throughout the world.  Since living in Houston, I am beginning understand why the city newspaper is called the, “The Houston Comical.” (Its real name is the Chronicle.)  In the various cities I have visited and lived, I have begun to assess a city based on its local news and newspaper.  The Chronicle leaves much to be desired.  It has but one agenda: report scandalous news.  (The evening news is no different.)

Houston is a city with so much potential (you like how I have been trying to brainwash myself), but it seems that there are so many factors which force the city to reside in a state of perpetual mediocrity, drabness, and over-consumption. 

Any way, this rant is in response to the article claiming that Houston is one of America’s greenest cities.  (http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/front/4996103.html)  I can make several predictions to why this is an issue:  1) there is so much sprawl in Houston that you have to drive an hour-and-a-half to get beyond the sprawl (you’ll still be in Houston though, just not sprawl).  They want to paint a picture that sprawl is not a problem.  2) Austin, our capital, is one of the greenest cities in America; it has one of the best Universities in America and has a stable job market that IS NOT based on oil and energy.  3) The purchase of Lake Houston State Park has cost the city a fortune and they need Houstonians to spend more time (and gas and money) going to the park.

I miss Columbus.  While I can do away with the gray skies, there are so many public parks readily accessible to all types of communities throughout the city.  It amazes me that even in the lower income communities, there are parks that are accessible, maintained, and patrolled.  I also miss reading newspaper that has a higher lexile score than 700 and gives you a wide-breadth of the happenings of the community and world.  I miss getting good news with the bad news.  

A perfect morning:  Waking early to read the Dispatch and then taking a run from the Fishing Access to Antrim park.

Wheatley