Apartment Choice

get elephant's newsletter We gardeners often talk about what plants we would like to grow. Rarely we ask, “What can the garden grow in us?” I began my journey of learning to grow food as a broke post college graduate at the onset of the Great Recession. At the time, I viewed the garden purely as an object to help me save money by growing my own food. Little did I know the garden would grow in me. It is kind of a miracle to plant a seed under dirt. First, you see nothing. And if you are like me, you experience a sense of worry, until one lucky morning, you go outside and see that a baby plant has emerged. Just as the seed has transformed into a plant, there is also an inner transformation that happens through gardening. First, there was not much edible food growing in my garden. My carrot seeds never sprouted, my leafy greens were feeding more aphids and slugs than me, and my blueberry plant caught a disease. Needless to say, I did not save money. But the idea of gardening was s...

“Nocturne,” a podcast that’s “peering into the dusty corners of the night,” as its tagline tells us, is hosted and produced by the independent Bay Area producer Vanessa Lowe . Lowe co-created the show with her husband, Kent Sparling , who works in film sound and who composes much of the show’s evocative music. Episodes begin with the chirping of crickets, the hooting of an owl, and a bit of music by Sparling that makes you want to wander out into a shadowy wood and explore. The show has a nocturnal mood, atmospheric and occasionally mysterious, that feels just right between the hours of eleven and deepest dark. Lowe has described the show as “essay radio”; most episodes tell stories. She plays with form from episode to episode. A few are impressionistic, like “ A Catalogue of Nights ,” featuring recordings of night sounds from across the world. Some are rather funny, like “(This Is Not) A Love Song ,” about people’s love for and loathing of mockingbirds. We hear intensive longer storie...

LEWISTON — The city is seeking a large federal grant that would address housing and other issues in the poorest areas of downtown Lewiston , and neighborhood advocates say the funds could go a long way toward implementing goals they've had for years.  If successful in its bid, Lewiston could receive $1.3 million from the U.S. Department of Housing & Urban Development and what's known as a  Choice Neighborhood Planning and Action Grant. The city council approved the application last week, and will commit $237,500 in local Community Development Block Grant funds during implementation if the grant is successful.  The city hopes the funding can lead to long-term changes in the downtown neighborhood , where nearly half of residents live below the federal poverty level . According to 2015 census figures, the median family incomes in downtown census tracts 201 and 203, are $12,417 and $16,047, respectively.  The main purpose of the funds is to plan and execute major housing...

The struggles of the impoverished are well documented. But how about the unique pain and struggle associated with being wealthy in New York City? In her research for “ Uneasy Street : The Anxieties of Affluence” ( Princeton University Press , out Sept. 5), Rachel Sherman interviewed 50 New York-area parents of young children, whose household incomes ranged from $250,000 to $10 million and with assets totaling up to $50 million. These locals live pampered lives — with multiple high-end properties, teams of household employees and frequent, lavish vacations — but still, they do impressive mental gymnastics to avoid identifying themselves as truly rich. For instance: Helen, a stay-at-home mom with an annual family income of $2 million, describes herself as “in the middle, in the sense that there are so many people with so much money. They have private planes. They have drivers. They have all these things.” This kind of creative (and self-serving) logic is prevalent among Sherman’s su...

An aerial view of Manchester. Juan Parras gives one hell of a tour of Houston’s east side. He’s charming and funny. Wearing a beret, he strikes an old-world look, like he might lead you to a cafe on a plaza. He doesn’t charge a fee for his services. After all, you’re on a “toxic tour,” and Parras is on a mission. Parras grew up in 1950s West Texas . He remembers segregated schools, the restaurants that wouldn’t serve him, the unpaved roads, and the people who lived closest to the local refinery . Those experiences led him to a career as a social justice advocate . The resident of Houston’s heavily industrial east side has worked in a city housing department , for a union, for a law clinic, and on a campaign that stopped a PVC factory from being built in Louisiana’s “Cancer Alley.” For the last decade, he has served as executive director of Texas Environmental Justice Advocacy Services (better known as t.e.j.a.s.). Part of his work is leading tours past the heaping piles of scrap met...

New York City’s SoHo (shorthand for South of Houston Street) is synonymous with shopping thanks to its mix of major chains — Uniqlo, H&M, Victoria’s Secret —and high-end brands such as Marc Jacobs and Prada. But as one of Manhattan’s best-known neighborhoods, there’s also world-class food, drink and art as long as you know where to look. So check some of the best things to do: Where to eat and drink For breakfast, the single best place in SoHo is Balthazar, a French-style bistro where New York’s captains of industry have long come to make deals over freshly made croissants . Park on one of the red leather couches with coffee and the newspaper while keeping one eye on the room — you never know which A-lister might slide into the booth next to you. The line between SoHo and Little Italy is blurry, so take advantage of the neighborhood’s walkability with a visit to Lombardi’s, widely considered the first pizzeria in the United States. This sit-down establishment has been serving up w...

SUBHEAD: The Texas capital plan for sustainability does not include some minority neighborhoods. By Raj Mankad on 15 August 2017 for Grist - (https://grist.org/article/the-newer-greener-houston-isnt-for-everybody/) Image above: In some cases, little more than a fence separates Manchester homes from neighboring fossil fuel industry . Photo by Paul Hester. From original article. Juan Parras gives one hell of a tour of Houston’s east side. He’s charming and funny. Wearing a beret, he strikes an old-world look, like he might lead you to a cafe on a plaza. He doesn’t charge a fee for his services. After all, you’re on a “toxic tour,” and Parras is on a mission. Parras grew up in 1950s West Texas . He remembers segregated schools, the restaurants that wouldn’t serve him, the unpaved roads, and the people who lived closest to the local refinery. Those experiences led him to a career as a social justice advocate . The resident of Houston’s heavily industrial east side has worked in a ci...