How much do you know about trains?

Jim Kovalsky knows a great deal. I would call him an expert.

He is President of the Florida East Coast Railway Society and a former volunteer presenter with train crossing safety program Operation Life Saver.

Jim dispells myths, talks a little train history, and teaches me a few things about trains.

SHOW NOTES AND LINKS

Florida East Coast Railway Society 

Operation Life Saver

Tri-Rail

Brightline

May thoughts about Charlottesville

Vanity Fair Magazine recently made reference to New York's Trump Tower and Palm Beaches' Mar-a-Lago in the context of Trump's Bedminster New Jersey Golf Club as follows, "It isn't faux cosmopolitan, like Trump Tower, or a poor man’s version of the Mediterranean, like Mar-a-Lago.”

 Prompted by Vanity's Fair' assertion, The Palm Beach Post asked in its headline, "Is Vanity Fair right to trash Mar-a-Lago’s architectural style?"

 The Post went on to describe Trump's New Jersey Bedminster resort, Mar-a-Lago, and Palm Beach as follows, "Bedminster seems authentic while Palm Beach and Mar-a-Lago, in particular, are concocted pastiches of various Mediterranean architectural styles." 

After reading this I thought who better to ask if Mar-a-Lago is a concoted pastiche than Trump's Mar-a-Lago Architect Rick Gonzalez.

As to whether Palm Beach is a concocted pastiche....I leave that to you.

SHOW NOTES AND LINKS

Mar-a-Lago

Architect Rick Gonzalez

Palm Beach Post Article

I record City Voice from West Palm Beach, Florida.

In my hometown, our big heightened awareness and preparedness issue shows up during hurricane season. Even then, mostly only when a storm is imminent. 

North Korean ICBM missiles are a threat to hit the US Territory of Guam, our allies in Japan, South Korea, and possibly even the West Coast of The United States.

That threat has ratcheted up significantly over the last week. 

Guam is a relatively small community of about One hundred and sixty-thousand people on a small island in the Pacific Ocean.

How are the locals handling this threat? How would we handle this threat? How would you handle this threat?

The Conversation:

My conversation is with Dana Williams, Executive Editor of the Pacific Daily News in Guam. The "PDN" is Guam's newspaper.

SHOW NOTES and LINKS:

The Pacific Daily News

 

This week I was struck by the stark contrast between two completely different events.

Either event can or could have ended up turning into "Fire and Fury".

This is my point of view.

Did you know the City of West Palm Beach is not the "decider" on most issues that related to the Okeechobee Blvd. Corridor?

Who is and what can you do to support The City of West Palm Beach?

This weeks conversation:

Scott Kelly is the City of West Palm Beach Assitant City Administrator. He explains who is in charge of what, what's the latest on Okeechobee Blvd. traffic improvements, and what you can do to support improvements in West Palm Beach.

Scott Kelly talks about everything from trees to traffic.

Show Notes and Links:

Contact info for Palm Beach County Commissioners.

 

Ricky Aiken, Executive Director of Inner City Innovators grew up on the Tamarind Ave. Corridor in West Palm Beach.

He grew up tough. He grew up hopeless. That is until hope found him.

Ricky spent years figuring it out, being mentored, educating himself, and now he is back on Tamarind Ave. with a little hope.

This is my conversation with Ricky Aiken.

SHOW NOTES AND LINKS 

Inner City Innovators

Support Inner City Innovators

Andrew Gillum is the Democratic Mayor of Tallahassee.

Gillum is campaigning to be the Democratic nominee and hopes to be the next Governor of Florida.

I had the chance to meet him while he was speaking at a Chamber of Commerce of the Palm Beaches meeting.

This an opportunity for you meet him and hear where he stands on a variety of issues.

NOTES and LINKS from our conversation.  

Here is Andrew Gillum's campaign website

City of Tallahassee Mayor Andrew Gillum 

Campaign To Defend Local Solutions

 

 

Recently, I was watching "NBC Nightly News with Lester Holt" and I saw a segment on a company called Turo. Turo works in a similar way for cars that Airbnb does for houses. You can rent a car from high end to lower end for reasonable price. Or you can make your car available to "earn it's keep" when it's just sitting in the driveway costing you monthly money. 

My interest is also that America is very slowly shifting from an ownership to an access paradigm when it comes to cars. More and more people and choosing not own a car. Of course, this happens with much higher frequency where public transportation and walkable bikeable circumstances exist but it is happening.

The City Voice conversation this week is with Christin Di Scipio of Turo.

SHOW NOTES:

NBC Nightly News segment on Turo

Turo website

I recommend you go to your favorite "app store" and check out the Turo phone app. See what's available where you live.

 

In a recent West Palm Beach Mayor / City Commission workshop, Downtown Development Authority Executive Director Raphael Clemente started his presentation by asking the question, "What's wrong with Downtown".

We explore that question.

Show notes, links, and discussion points:

What makes a place "sticky"?

How is Subculture Coffee a good example of creating a "sense of place"?

Large deep storefronts present unique difficulties. Can alleys behind those spaces be part of the solution? 

The current master plan is based on assumptions that have changed. Is it time to revisit it?

One of our greatest assets is _______?

Video of Mayor / Commission Work Session.

Downtown Development Authority