When filmmakers John Paget and Chris Elisara were looking for a location to shoot the pilot of their new web series on the strategic growth of American cities, they considered Atlanta the natural choice. It is history’s fastest expanding city, which in their series premiere—called Sprawlanta—they say would spread from coast to coast at the rate it has grown since its beginning. But they found that Atlanta was not only the poster child of suburban sprawl but also the site of one of the nation’s models of what is called “new urbanism.”  Glenwood Park, a development by Internet entrepreneur Charles Brewer on the Glenwood Avenue connector, provides an example of a  in-town location with wonderful places to live, work, shop, eat, and play within walking distance; a model of what  these fans of new urbanism say will create safer, more enjoyable, and healthier cities.

Sprawlanta

If you only read the newspapers and watched the TV news shows, you’d think that sexual abuse of children was limited to the Catholic church, and was worse now more than ever.  You’d be wrong, on both counts.  And The Anchoress notes something eye-opening.

In New York, Queens Assemblywoman Margaret Markey routinely presents a bill which seeks to open a year-long “window” into the statute of limitations on child sex-abuse cases, allowing victims whose cases may go back as far as 40 years to bring suit for damages.

Because the bill has -until now- always been limited by Markey to impact the churches, exclusively, it always either failed or been shelved. It is difficult to pass a bill that essentially finds some sexual abuse victims to be more worthy of redress than others.

Markey seems to have figured that out; her new bill includes suits against secular institutions, and the previously silent civil authorities, among others, are reeling.

Pointing fingers is so much easier than self-examination. But "credible allegations" of abuse dropped to 6 last year.  The public school system only wishes they had a record that good.

Good morning.

1. Greece. One view. Another. And one more.
2. An old soldier.
3. Of children’s and politician’s fantasies.
4. The CIA.
5. Contra Mayday ‘workers’ celebrations. Here and here.
6. Regarding the Southpark Islam/Mohammed kerfuffle.
7. Mr Obama.
8. Arizona and immigration.
9. A reading group to note.
10. Freedom of the press.
11. Zap.
12. Mr Obama’s Katrina moment.
13. Saint Ahmed.