Category: News

I’m back with another “Top something something” list. What, you’d rather I write about me?

Nationwide Homes Network just released their Top 100 Places to Live for 2005 list:

Residents, past or former, nominate their cities for possessing such qualities as a place’s serenity, beauty, low crime rates, safety for children, employment opportunties and cultural activities.

Inclusion in the top 100 gives “communities a sense of pride and accomplishment,” says Steve Nickerson, CEO and President of HomeRoute.

Sorry, Sacramento didn’t make the cut. We are obviously not a community with a sense of pride and accomplishment. But hey, Roseville made it, so we kinda got that going for us.

But then again, given the qualities that this list supposedly uses as criteria, how did Vacaville make this list?

Here’s a recent blurb from the Bee with the information they’re likely leaving out included:

Two Sacramento Hooters restaurants received bomb threats in letters sent via the U.S. Postal Service last week, Sacramento Police Sgt. Terrell Marshall said.

Continue reading “Is silicone flammable?”

At what point does a crime become a hate crime?

This is the question I find myself asking, after hearing the story of the attack at the mosque on Fourth and V streets by one Ms. Cynthia Sunshine:

Police responded to the mosque at Fourth and V streets Monday, and found a copy of the Koran tossed on floor. A fire extinguisher had also been sprayed inside the building, creating a smoky haze. Neighboring homes and businesses had to be evacuated while hazmat crews determined what was causing the haze… Sunshine was booked into the Sacramento County Jail on charges of burglary and vandalism.

The target for Ms. Sunshine’s attack as well as the disrespect she exhibited with the Koran indicates something much more than simply burglary and vandalism. This is a hate crime, plain and simple, and her charges and punishment should reflect her actions. It’s unacceptable that the Islamic community be targeted in the way that they have been. Perhaps in the eyes of the law, this incident at the mosque will qualify, as it should. It’ll be interesting to see what actually happens, and if the law will actually stand up for justice.

The Sac Bee again shocks us all with the revelation that some teenagers are ocassionally “high,” in a feature piece on training school workers to recognize stoners, drunks, pill-poppers, and other losers among their students.

If “Jeannine” shows up at the high school dance with dilated pupils and can’t stop rubbing the frills of her blouse, Steve McPherson will be ready.

Unfortunately, what they don’t tell you is if “Jeannine” is wearing a “blouse” to her dance, you’ve time-traveled back to the 50’s, and Ecstasy doesn’t exist.

CoolDMZ Editorial Note: Don’t do drugs.

Speaking of the Bee, is it just me or is Backseat Driver a really good newspaper column? It says something about Sacramento that you can focus on transportation and yet somehow touch on all aspects of Sac life. Kudos to Tony Bizjak.

It seems as though 2006 is treating the Sacramento area quite well. The city of Davis has just been named the best “Small Town” for cycling by Bicycling Magazine’s Rankings of America’s Best Cycling Cities.

Naturally this makes sense. It’s too bad though, that given how good Davis is for cycling, that we’re so bad at driving.

So, it turns out, that not only is Sac one of the fittest cities in the US, but also one of the best cities in which to have a baby, according to the most recent issue of Fit Pregnancy magazine:

Fit Pregnancy set out to determine what makes a city great for pregnant women, new parents and babies, and to commend cities that provide a safe and healthy environment to have a baby. The magazine examined 47 criteria, including fertility services, maternal and infant health risk, access to hospitals and doctors, safety, affordability, stroller friendliness and birthing options.

Did Fit Pregnancy survey the Chernenko’s, per chance?