That long, long commute, and other topics

--Turns out the conservative business crowd has discovered, or may be discovering, the value of designing cities so people can choose to walk or bicycle as well as drive. We can only hope. The journal "The American: A Magazine of Ideas," published by the American Enterprise Institute, a think tank with a libertarian bent and close ties to the Bush administration, has in its April issue online such an article: "Walk This Way," by Brent M. Eastwood. Here's a link.

--And in keeping with that article, here's a lengthy but interesting look at the phenomenon of commuting from the New Yorker magazine online, "There and Back Again: The soul of the commuter," by writer Nick Paumgarten. One finding: Average travel time for Americans keeps going up. Pay special attention to the section about studies that show commuting by car makes people unhappy.

"The source of the unhappiness is not so much the commute itself as what it deprives you of," Paumgarten writes. "When you are commuting by car, you are not hanging out with the kids, sleeping with your spouse (or anyone else), playing soccer, watching soccer, coaching soccer, arguing about politics, praying in a church, or drinking in a bar. In short, you are not spending time with other people."

"... On the train or the bus, one can experience an illusion of fellowship, even if you disdain your fellow-passengers or are revolted by them. Perhaps there’s succor in inadvertent eye contact, the presence of a pretty woman, shared disgruntlement (over a delay or a spilled Pepsi), or the shuffle through the doors, which requires, on a subconscious level, an array of social compromises and collaborations."

It will make you think regardless of whether you think commuting is the last outpost of healthy American individualism or a scourge on the world or something between those two poles of opinion.

And a request from your humble blogmeistress: One of the people who sent me the link noted, "Would talk about it on your blog, but am too discouraged by the uncivil nature of remarks on both sides of issue. " We have a lively forum going, but the insults and meanness of a few drive away others who want to add their voices, too. Please be aware of that dynamic if you add comments. All opinions are welcome.

--Finally, North Carolina now has the not-so-happy distinction of one of our Tar Heel rivers making the 10 Ten Most Endangered Rivers, a list put out by American Rivers, a nonprofit group pushing for healthier rivers. The Neuse, which flows through the fast-growing Triangle area and then through hog-farm country, snags the non-honor. Here's a link to the press release. "... With more than a million people and two million hogs and woefully inadequate sewage treatment in place for both in the Neuse Basin, it is a river in deep trouble," says the announcement. If you're more interested, here's a link to the Raleigh News & Observer's article today. And here's a link to my Raleigh-based colleague Jack Betts' thoughts, on his blog, This Old State.