Dining Out For Life Today

If you’re like us, dining out is a rare treat. If so, make it count and go out for breakfast, lunch and/or dinner today:

Raise your fork on Thursday, April 24th and take part in the 21st annual Dining Out For Life©!

Dining Out for Life© is an international event that has raised over $4.27 million nationally in 2013 to provide vital services to people living with HIV/AIDS. In 2013, the St. Louis community raised over $260,000 to help Saint Louis Effort for AIDS provide education on the prevention of HIV/AIDS and comprehensive support services for those affected by the disease.

Grab your family and friends and make plans to dine out for breakfast, lunch, dinner, coffee, cocktails and more at any of our participating Dining Out For Life© restaurants where at least 25% of your check will be donated to support the work of Saint Louis Effort for AIDS.

This incredibly important event that not only helps nourish our community…but also the soul. If you are not able to join us but would like to contribute, click to donate now! (Dining Out For Life St. Louis)

You can view the list of participating restaurants here, all are donating at least 25%. Reservations are recommend because this event is so popular, we have dinner reservations at a place donating 50%. So please make plans with friends, order appetizers & dessert so lots of money can be raised today.

— Steve Patterson

Rain Gardens Are Great, Except When Blocked By Excessive Mulch

Rain gardens are an environmentally-friendly way to handle water runoff, rain water runs into an area where it gets absorbed into the soil. Well, assuming the water doesn’t get blocked.

The newly rebuilt North Tucker Boulevard has numerous rain gardens, but unfortunately many are like the one shown above — not able to function as designed because too much mulch blocks the water.

— Steve Patterson

Rethinking the North Grand Corridor for Jobs, Economic Opportunity

Grand Boulevard is one of, if not the most, important north-south streets in St. Louis. It connects north & south St. Louis to the east-west central corridor.  It carries our busiest MetroBus route, the #70.

After visiting the soon-to-close Schnucks at Grand & Kossuth last week it occurred to me the North Grand corridor could benefit from some comprehensive planning to bring needed jobs, housing, retail, etc to north St. Louis. This post isn’t a comprehensive solution it’s an introduction to the idea of concentrating efforts in a linear fashion along Grand north of Delmar.

POSITIVES:

1. Despite massive population loss in the city, especially north city, the areas near Grand remain populated, in-part because of the #70 MetroBus route.
2. The #70 MetroBus route will get five (5) higher-capacity articulated vehicles starting in June, by the end of summer all 12 will be articulated.
3. Vacant land ready to build on.

NEGATIVES

1. Few major institutions to help build support
2. Numerous problems: crime, poverty, unemployment, aging infrastructure & building stock
3. Lack of hope

We could list more negatives, as well as positives. In fact, taking stock of the area is a good first step.

Bringing real jobs to this area won’t be easy. I don’t think we should just sit back and watch as jobs and people continue to leave the area. This is a chance to do some grassroots planning.  Done right North Grand can have a more prosperous future.

 — Steve Patterson

Poll: View on the Origin and Development of Human Beings

Millions have been tuning in Sunday evenings to see COSMOS: A Spacetime Odyssey on Fox, Mondays on National Geographic. Since the March 9th debut the show some have been upset by the presentation of evolution rather than creation.

The Cosmos reboot was fairly generous as far as leaving room for religious interpretation goes. But apparently, one Fox affiliate station in Oklahoma City decided there was still just a little too much science talk for their liking, so they cut out the 15-second mention of evolution. (Gizmodo)  

That Fox station says the 15-second cut of evolution from the first episode was an “accident.” Right. The poll this week is from a 2012 Gallop poll, here’s a look at the question and answers:

Which of the following comes closest to your view on the origin and development of human beings?

• Human beings have developed over millions of years from less advanced forms of life, but God guided this process
• Human beings have developed over millions of years from less advanced forms of life, but God had no part in this process
• God created human beings pretty much in their present form at one time in the last 10,000 years or so

The poll is in the right sidebar, the answers will be presented in a random order to each viewer.

— Steve Patterson

No Longer Car-Free

Two years ago I sold the 2004 Toyota Corolla I bought after my stroke, switching to transit for all my trips. I’ve saved tons of money, reduced my carbon footprint, learned how to get around the city by public transit, and had fun doing it.

In February last year my then boyfriend, now fiancé, moved in with me. We became a one-car couple, sort of. We never added me to his insurance policy, so I haven’t driven his car. Though I still take public transit, mostly MetroBus, there are many times he’d drive us places (store, dinner, etc). This week we bought a newer car together; we’re both on the loan, the registration, and insurance. He’ll be the primary driver since he works 5-7 days per week, but I’ll likely drive when we go places together.

Finding a car we liked that was eligible for a loan through our credit union wasn’t easy, they required it to be 2007 or newer or the interest rate would be substantially higher. They also wouldn’t lend on a car with more than 100,000 miles. We wanted a Honda or Toyota, but didn’t want to spend more than $9,000. With 90,000 miles, our Honda Civic EX met everyone’s criteria.

You’ll still see me riding MetroBus, but not as often.

— Steve Patterson