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08-14-2009, 01:22 PM
I never understood why New Orleans had to be rebuilt. If not for Katrina, it would be on this list. Ironically (is that right, Linda), Katrina probably saved New Orleans. Natural progression would have it around the significance of Savannah in a few years.Originally Posted by PoliCon
08-14-2009, 01:29 PM
Do you mean is the use of "ironic" correct? Yes, that's definitely an example of irony. :)
08-14-2009, 01:31 PM
I wasn't sure if it was even a word. Sounded right, but not quite right.:D
08-14-2009, 01:36 PM
Yes. Take as an example, Alanis Morisette's song, "Ironic". Most of the situations in it are NOT examples of irony. :)
http://www.elyrics.net/read/a/alanis...ic-lyrics.html
08-14-2009, 01:41 PM
I knew the meaning of ironic, just wasn't sure about "ironically".
08-14-2009, 01:44 PM
NOLA lost it's significance when the steel belt turned to rust.
08-14-2009, 01:49 PM
That's why I bought a house in Warren and not in Detroit. The property taxes are half of Detroit's, plus the police come when you call them.
But I love Detroit, good and bad. There are still 800,000+ people living in Detroit, and at least 300,000 are probably children. Most are renters and have low-paying jobs (welfare in Michigan is only for those who can't work for medical or psychiatric reasons), and no real avenue to escape the city. The schools are terrible and have been for a couple of generations, at this point in time.
Yet there are some absolutely beautiful buildings in Detroit, some still intact. There is a history, beyond just that of the auto industry. It was the final stop on the Underground Railroad, and the fort on the river was an important one in the French and Indian War, and in the War of 1812.
When I was a kid in the late 60s, we visited family frequently in Detroit. I remember going to Belle Isle around 1968 or so, and riding a horse in a corral, and visiting the children's zoo that used to be there. I went to a circus at Cobo around the same time, and went to Tiger games throughout my youth. It's sad to see the decline over my lifetime, with that brief period in the 90s when things were looking up for a few years.
The old churches around the city and older suburbs are works of art, with amazing stained glass windows and real bells (not electronic bells, like in WMU's chapel). The church I was baptized in still stands, but it is empty. It's a classic Methodist church building, it was probably built in the teens or 20s. The Detroit Institute of the Arts houses a terrific collection, plus has a Diego Rivera mural that represents the Industry of the WWII era.
This weekend is the Woodward AVE Dream Cruise. I avoid it, to be honest (too much car exhaust and heat), but classic car fans flock from all over for it. Most of the cruise is in Oakland County, because Detroit has not found a way to really cash in on it. I think that shows exactly what some of the problems in Deroit are-people have not found a new way to make money since the auto slowdowns that began in the late 70s/early 80s. They can't even find a way to cash in on a big event that could easily be expanded to include the city.
But this is my city-I may not have been born and raised here, but I was baptized here and it's where God has called me to be and to work. I love it, it's the first big city I ever visited and the only I've ever lived in (Grand Rapids is now much bigger than it was in the 70s, when I was a kid). I see the old things I loved growing up (except Tiger Stadium, which is now finally down) and I can see so much potential for development and growth. I just don't see it happening without a drastic decrease in crime and a substantial improvement in the schools.
08-14-2009, 01:53 PM
08-14-2009, 01:58 PM
I know how you feel. I feel the same way about Pittsburgh. No matter where in the world I travel or how long I'm gone my heart still LEAPS when I come through the Fort Pitt tunnels and see down town. :)
08-14-2009, 02:00 PM
Don't you mean "dahntahn"? :p
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