Catching Up

But wouldn't swords be cooler?

The way I see it, Minnesota is only one step away from requiring every citizen to carry a gun and use it when provoked.

Some resident views from victoryland:

I'm watching my country being destroyed little by little: its holy places attacked, its people killing each other. . . . A great civilization of more than 7000 years is going to waste.

The thing is that Saddam has been replaced with another sort of dictatorship: the dictatorship of militias, street gangs, corrupt officials, fanatics, and terrorists. You are not free to contradict anyone you want. You have to tiptoe around any subject, so as not to say something you should not. The common joke in the Iraqi street is that at least Saddam was one obvious lunatic; now it is too hard to recognize and count them all.

I want the Americans to know that the situation is getting worse and worse.

Imagine that hurricane Katrina is to go on for ever and ever and ever, and yet you are expected to live and function in that exact state of destruction, death, looting, abduction, loss of your loved ones and lack of medical and general services. That is the closest parallel I can draw to help them understand the situation we are living or dying in.

Interesting . . . Yay! but they shouldn't just be for the wealthy, and if we stopped developing new sprawl all the time we wouldn't have to design them special but could all enjoy what's already there. Driving a bit to share with everyone seems worth the sacrifice, even though I've told my wife many times that when we buy our next house I would like easier access to things like this.

Trails are the No. 1 amenity potential homeowners cite when asked what they would like to see in a new community, ahead of public parks and outdoor pools, according to the National Association of Home Builders. Trails were cited by 57 percent of prospective buyers in a 2004 survey by the association. “All of the evidence we have suggests that demand for trails is increasing,” said Gopal Ahluwalia, the vice president for research at the builders’ group.

Regardless how deep into the wild a runner trudges, for many hitting dirt is the key to running at all. “If we had to get up every morning and battle on the streets, I just don’t think running would be as appealing,” Mr. Cubit said. “At least this way, the only thing you’re dodging is a bike. Maybe, where we live, a horse.”