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Another time I was walking along State Street near Washington Park. This man was walking to an address on State Street, but he was very confused because State Street seemed to end. “Go over to Western Avenue, go two blocks, turn right a block, and you’ll find State Street starts again.”

Wha?

Albany is an old city. Its roots run back to a voyage by Henry Hudson in 1609. It was incorporated in 1686. Thus, a lot of the streets are not exactly parallel.
For instance, start at the bottom of the hill at State Street and Broadway. Get to the top of the hill, pass to the right of the Capitol (where the traffic pattern suggests) and suddenly, you’re on Washington Avenue. Where did State Street go? To the left of the Capitol on a one-way street, going the way opposite the numbering.

OK. Get to Lark Street. The bulk of the traffic seems to be going at 1 o’clock, and that continues to be Route 5. But that’s not Washington Avenue, that’s Central Avenue. No, stay straight in one of the worst-designed intersections in any city. Go about three blocks to the firehouse. Go straight and you’re suddenly on Western Avenue. Where did Washington Avenue go? You should have veered right.

In the opposite direction, Western and Madison Avenue do a divergence, with Route 20 suddenly moving from the former to the latter. New Scotland Avenue is an interesting street that is perpendicular to Madison Avenue at one point, and parallel a few blocks later.

The situation is made worse by development over the years. The creation of the Empire State Plaza, Washington Park, Albany High School at its current location, and the UAlbany uptown campus mean that there are MANY streets that start and stop and start again. An example: Hudson Avenue. It starts at Broadway and ends with the Empire State Plaza, built in the 1960s. It starts again on the other side of the plaza and ends at the park. There’s another segment between the high school and Allen Street. Thee are lots of examples of that. One would think this must be a police/fire department nightmare.

Subsequently, I found that practically EVERYONE I read was doing the SAME THING. But I decided to post it anyway because NONE OF THEM GRADUATED IN 1971.

I decided to * the ones I like, # the ones I hate and italicize my favorite. Do nothing to the ones I don’t remember (or don’t care about). Just to be contrary, and because the page is bolded already.

Chirpy Chirpy Cheep Cheep by Mac and Katie Kissoon? How DID I miss that song?

Top 100 Hits of 1971 / Top 100 Songs of 1971
1. Joy To The World, Three Dog Night (overplayed)
2*. Maggie May / (Find A) Reason To Believe, Rod Stewart
3*. It’s Too Late / I Feel The Earth Move, Carole King
4. One Bad Apple, Osmonds
5*. How Can You Mend A Broken Heart, Bee Gees
6. Indian Reservation, Raiders
7#. Go Away Little Girl, Donny Osmond
8. Take Me Home, Country Roads, John Denver
9*. Just My Imagination (Running Away With Me), Temptations
10. Knock Three Times, Dawn
11*. Me And Bobby McGee, Janis Joplin
12*. Tired Of Being Alone, Al Green
13*. Want Ads, Honey Cone
14*. Smiling Faces Sometimes, Undisputed Truth
15. Treat Her Like A Lady, Cornelius Brothers and Sister Rose
16*. You’ve Got A Friend, James Taylor
17*. Mr. Big Stuff, Jean Knight
18*. Brown Sugar, Rolling Stones
19*. Do You Know What I Mean, Lee Michaels
20. The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down, Joan Baez
21*. What’s Going On, Marvin Gaye
22*. Uncle Albert-Admiral Halsey, Paul McCartney
23*. Ain’t No Sunshine, Bill Withers
24*. Signs, Five Man Electrical Band
25. She’s A Lady, Tom Jones
26*. Superstar, Murray Head and The Trinidad Singers
27. I Found Someone Of My Own, Free Movement
28. Amos Moses, Jerry Reed
29*. Temptation Eyes, The Grass Roots
30. Superstar, Carpenters
31*. My Sweet Lord / Isn’t It A Pity, George Harrison
32. Sweet And Innocent, Donny Osmond
33. Put Your Hand In The Hand, Ocean
34. Chick-a-boom, Daddy Dewdrop
35*. For All We Know, Carpenters
36. Help Me Make It Through The Night, Sammi Smith
37*. Rainy Days And Mondays, Carpenters
38*. If You Could Read My Mind, Gordon Lightfoot
39*. Gypsy, Tramps And Thieves, Cher
40*. Never Can Say Goodbye, Jackson 5
41. Rose Garden, Lynn Anderson
42. Don’t Pull Your Love, Hamilton, Joe Frank and Reynolds
43*. It Don’t Come Easy, Ringo Starr
44. Mr. Bojangles, Nitty Gritty Dirt Band
45. I Love You For All Seasons, Fuzz
46*. Whatcha See Is Whatcha Get, Dramatics
47*. That’s The Way I’ve Always Heard It Should Be, Carly Simon
48*. If You Really Love Me, Stevie Wonder
49*. Spanish Harlem, Aretha Franklin
50. I Don’t Know How To Love Him, Helen Reddy
51. Yo-yo, Osmonds
52*. Bridge Over Troubled Water, Aretha Franklin
53. Doesn’t Somebody Want To Be Wanted, Partridge Family
54*. Draggin’ The Line, Tommy James
55*. Proud Mary, Ike and Tina Turner
56*. Beginnings / Colour My World, Chicago (more for Beginnings)
57. Stay Awhile, Bells
58*. Sweet City Woman, Stampeders
59. Me And You And A Dog Named Boo, Lobo
60. Another Day / Oh Woman, Oh Why, Paul McCartney
61. If, Bread
62*. Mercy Mercy Me (The Ecology), Marvin Gaye
63*. One Toke Over The Line, Brewer and Shipley
64. She’s Not Just Another Woman, 8th Day
65. Bring The Boys Home, Freda Payne
66*. I Just Want To Celebrate, Rare Earth
67. Never Ending Song Of Love, Delaney and Bonnie and Friends
68. Easy Loving, Freddy Hart
69*. Liar, Three Dog Night
70. Stick-up, Honey Cone
71. Chirpy Chirpy Cheep Cheep, Mac and Katie Kissoon
72. Love Story (Where Do I Begin), Andy Williams
73*. Wild World, Cat Stevens
74. When You’re Hot, You’re Hot, Jerry Reed
75*. Funky Nassau, Beginning Of The End
76. If Not For You, Olivia Newton-John
77*. Groove Me, King Floyd
78#. Watching Scotty Grow, Bobby Goldsboro
79*. Woodstock, Matthews’ Southern Comfort
80*. Amazing Grace, Judy Collins
81*. I Hear You Knocking, Dave Edmunds
82*. Lonely Days, Bee Gees
83*. Here Comes That Rainy Day Feeling Again, Fortunes
84*. Won’t Get Fooled Again, Who
85. Trapped By A Thing Called Love, Denise Lasalle
86*. Mama’s Pearl, Jackson 5
87. Timothy, Buoys
88. I Woke Up In Love This Morning, Partridge Family
89*. Theme From “Shaft”, Isaac Hayes
90*. If I Were Your Woman, Gladys Knight and The Pips
91*. I Am…I Said, Neil Diamond
92*. Wedding Song (There Is Love), Paul Stookey
93. Don’t Knock My Love, Pt. 1, Wilson Pickett
94*. Love Her Madly, The Doors
95*. Here Comes The Sun, Richie Havens
96. Sweet Mary, Wadsworth Mansion
97. Right On The Tip Of My Tongue, Brenda and The Tabulations
98*. One Less Bell To Answer, Fifth Dimension
99*. Riders On The Storm, The Doors
100. It’s Impossible, Perry Como

So, here’s one of those blogaround things:

Try it.

You Are(that is to say, I am) 28 Years Old – wow, what a way to lose 24 years! Must be from having a kid.

Under 12: You are a kid at heart. You still have an optimistic life view – and you look at the world with awe.

13-19: You are a teenager at heart. You question authority and are still trying to find your place in this world.

20-29: You are a twentysomething at heart. You feel excited about what’s to come… love, work, and new experiences.

30-39: You are a thirtysomething at heart. You’ve had a taste of success and true love, but you want more!

The Last Time America Lost a City. First a little historical perspective.

Man-Made Mistakes Increase Devastation Of ‘Natural’ Disasters. This Wall Street Journal piece makes it clear that the hurricane was YOUR fault.

Bush’s Role in the New Orleans Disaster. When W said to the FEMA head, “Brownie, you’re doing a fantastic job,” I did want to gag. I suspect that Greg wanted to gag, too.

And speaking of FEMA, Gotta love a site called Crooks and Liars, as it featurers the FEMA Rap for Kids, complete with music:
Disaster . . . it can happen anywhere,
But we’ve got a few tips, so you can be prepared
For floods, tornadoes, or even a ‘quake,
You’ve got to be ready – so your heart don’t break.

People helping people is what we do
And FEMA is there to help see you through
When disaster strikes, we are at our best
But we’re ready all the time, ’cause disasters don’t rest.

20 Mind-Numbingly Stupid Quotes About Hurricane Katrina And Its Aftermath, only five of which are by W (and one by his mother)

How New Orleans Was Lost
Toxic Shocker. Nuff said.

W doesn’t fare too well in this piece, either.

Construction and real estate implications in New Orleans

The NRA wants to you to eat out for a good cause; that’s the National RESTAURANT Association, BTW. NRA’s Dine for America event to help hurricane victims.

But there are sharks, or rather phishing out there, operating in the alleged name of Katrina victims. See also this article.