I had just posted two new links of events occurring on Maui but I need to highlight a very specific situation happening right now.
Maui has another harbor, Ma'alaea, where a lot of two and three story boats are docked. They exist for tourists to go snorkeling and whale watching. They go on usually two cruises a day. Some go as far as the neighboring islands. These boats have the capacity to go to Lahaina and back probably 4 to 6 times. But instead of shipping over supplies to the local families who are trapped in West Maui, because the American Military won’t let them leave and won’t bring them supplies, these boats are taking tourists out to snorkel in Lahaina, right near the fire.
In contrast, people have created makeshift long boats and kanoes and piled supplies in them and are taking them out by jetskis to the private docks in Lahaina. These boats are 3 to 5 times smaller and can only bring in so many supplies at a time. People need to understand that the crisis does not stop with the fires. The humanitarian crisis starts and ends with the local people who are experiencing the parasite that is tourism. Write to the Governor of Hawai'i. Tell them that there needs to be changes to ecological laws. Tell them to crack down on tourism. Offer advice, ways to better the economy without tourism. Tell people to stop behaving like these tourists and money hungry business owners.
Every time someone well-meaning suggests I see a chiropractor for my migraines, I have this little moment of “ah, you’re new here. You weren’t here prior to 2018 when a chiropractor very gently adjusted my neck for my migraines, and I ended up having to get an emergency MRI because the ensuing symptoms were indicative of a brain bleed.”
It wasn’t a brain bleed. The muscles on the entire right side of my neck “just” tore (Spoiler there is nothing “just” about that kind of traumatic injury. I am still in physical rehab for it), and I couldn’t hold my head up, see straight, walk or do any of the things I’d previously taken for granted until several weeks later when the area finally started to heal.
This was before I knew I had Ehlers Danlos, btw. But this is true even for people who don’t have a connective tissue disorder: Don’t let chiropractors touch your neck.
There are a lot of vital nerves and blood vessels there, and even gentle adjustments of the area can have life-threatening consequences.
I know chiropractic care can be pain relieving–I still get it for my lower back and hips because I work with a chiropractor who knows about Ehlers Danlos Syndrome, and sometimes my hips need to be popped back in at short notice, and it’s easier to hop walk in and see her than wait for physical therapy–but it is a short-term relief that doesn’t actually correct why something is happening.
If you can afford it, physical therapy will likely help more in the long term. I know not everyone can afford it, and that’s why chiropractors have such a booming trade in the US, but please, I’m begging you, don’t get your neck adjusted.
The spinal cord specialist I saw after my injury told me the number one reason he used to see people for traumatic brain injuries was car wrecks, followed by other major roadside injuries. He said those numbers were still the highest, but after that, the majority of his patients were survivors of chiropractic injury.
Do Not Get Your Neck Adjusted.
It’s been over 5 years, and I still can’t move my neck properly on my right side. I still struggle to eat and drink because my muscles will randomly seize up. It feels like my skull no longer fits on top of my spine because of the scar tissue. Please. I just want people to be safe.
And if you are a chiropractor reading this and thinking, “Well, I’ve never injured anyone, skill issue.” No.You Have Gotten Lucky. Rethink how you apply your trade. Please, you can still help people while recommending safer options for specific body parts. Learn to do pressure point release and acupressure. Teach patients how to stretch and relax the area safely. Just fucking stop cracking people’s necks like pop rock candy.
My ideal street layout, wide sidewalk, wide bike lanes, and a 2 lane road that only allows streetcars on it. Yes I know this a bad drawing, I made it in a hurry
Are those (black circles w/ small things) supposed to be eg cafe chairs?
If so, they’re posing an accessibility issue due to blocking the sidewalks. Recommend your street layout allow for outdoor seating without blocking sidewalks.
Agreed. The foundation is sound, but there needs to be plenty of space to walk by seating without getting run over by a bike. Seating that hugs the walls of the nearby structure, and open storefronts that let people and services flow seamlessly between the commercial spaces and the sidewalks would be an improvement here.
I actually shrunk the seating to make there be more space for pedestrians
If the tracked area is for trams/streetcars only, may I recommend that you make it green track?
Not only does it add much needed greenery to public spaces, but it also reduces heat at street level, reduces the running noise of trams and dramatically improves water drainage at street level. It even goes as far as reducing the damage to the tracks caused by the material expanding and buckling in high heat by simply keeping the rails cooler and better displacing heat.
It doesn’t even have to be grass! Different species of plant, local species or hardier, low-maintenance species can be used, and furthermore, it tends to reduce maintenance costs of the tracks, as soil is easier to dig up than concrete or tarmac, and so the tracks can be accessed and worked on easier.
Obviously, if you want the street to be able to accept buses along with trams/streetcars, or other rubber-tyred vehicles, then a hard surface is necessary, but if it’s light rail only, then green track gets my vote.
Already made the edit, I hope you enjoy the green tracks and their flowers. This image is very green
Redoing the color of the bike path to make the street less fucking green
I love the idea of green tracks, but in this case they are not a good choice:
You still need the possibility for rubber based vehicles like Fire Cars or Ambulances to pass the streets.
You can’t just put them on tracks because they need to be as mobile as possible to allow maximum efficency.
Okay removing the grass due to firecodes
Urbanism pride flag lol
we still need green so maybe put flowerpots in the middle of the sidewalk? Like rectangular ones that only take up maybe a fifth of the sidewalk width, and their intermittent, maybe one between every other set of trees.
The street planters have come in
Honestly if you want some good green space you should consider bioswales between the bike facilities and the “street”, which would help replace some of the lost drainage/filtration function from de-greening the track
The bios have been swaled
ALT
@puddlebrigade Okay the tables have been moved and reduced to be more accessible and some planters have been moved
Imagine living on this street like you look out of the window and everything is slightly different from how it was yesterday because the god damn urbanists changed their mind again
It would seem that those closest to you meet their end not just during their relationship, but because of it.And as I sit here, I’m acutely aware there may be no one closer to you in the world right now than I.
What exactly are you saying? That I’ve somehow sought out my own tragedies?
A pattern is a pattern, and only a fool ignores one because he does not care for the implications.