| SWOYAMBHU: A BUDDHIST DISNEYLAND
The now "historic" Teen Kune crossing, just beyond new Baneshwor, though centrally located, lies virtually neglected and uncared for after being haphazardly made up for the Eleventh SAARC Summit held in Kathmandu to remotely resemble a desert oasis of sorts with even a few palm trees implanted overnight. Today, the "oasis" has dried up and lies in a pathetic state, a haven for squatters and demonstrators. Thanks to the stubborn stand and difference of opinion said to have cropped up between then Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba and Mayor Sthapit. The disagreement was said to be over whether a giant statue of legendary Manjushree, the founder of Kathmandu Valley, or that of the Buddha, the apostle of peace and non-violence should occupy the strategic Teen Kune crossing. Actually, either would have been equally appropriate and eye-catching, though an image of the Bodhisatva Manjushree could have been a better choice considering the site, place and the spirit behind the ill-fated project.
Premier Tech Introduces Warranty Program
Premier Tech Biotechnologies, a business unit of Premier Tech, is launching its MYKE PRO Landscape Warranty Program. Bolstered by the success of its Warranty Programs in garden centers, the MYKE team is introducing a new MYKE PRO Landscape Warranty Program designed specially for professional landscapers. The 2-year warranty program on plants used in residential landscaping projects is designed for suppliers and landscape contractors. The MYKE PRO LANDSCAPE product includes all the advantages of mycorrhizae, which improve the survival rate of plants and help achieve expected results quicker. With this product, the professional landscaper's service offers and customer satisfaction improve and the cost of replacing plants is substantially reduced, helping the landscaper to improve profit margins, the company says.
Planners mixed on new Wal-Mart
The Jefferson Parish Planning Advisory Board on Thursday rejected Wal-Mart's parking, landscaping and signage plans for a Supercenter the company wants to build at the Kenner-Metairie line, but it approved redrawn lot lines on the site, sending a mixed report on the controversial development to the Parish Council next week. Attorneys for Wal-Mart and A-1 Appliance and Electronics, which has a store in the mostly vacant shopping center where Wal-Mart wants to build, heralded the project as a restoration of a derelict property. Neighbors, however, called it an assault on nearby residential areas. And parish planners said they could not endorse the specifics of the plan, particularly a lack of required parking spaces. Jefferson Planning Director Ed Durabb said the design falls 64 spaces short of parish codes, even after squeezing out some of the required landscaping to make more room for parking.
A County of Ostriches
Fairfax County is engulfed in serious and life-threatening wildlife issues. Overabundant deer (over 400/sq. mile in certain areas) cause hundreds of auto accidents (many fatal) while spreading Lyme Disease and denuding gardens and landscaping. Canada geese crowd every wet spot, park, schoolyard and waterway, spreading disease and pollution and even attacking springtime workers on lunch breaks and unwary children. Abundant coyotes and raccoons and foxes course through yards, threatening rabies and injury to children and adults raised on Disney anthropomorphisms. So what is the response of one of the richest ($5.8 billion annual budget!) counties in the United States?
They "want an additional $138,099" "to hire a second assistant wildlife biologist" "tasked with helping residents co-exist safely with wildlife" and "community outreach" and "representing the Animal Services Division at community' meetings." We are told the current bureaucrat "can hardly find time to oversee all wildlife programs, including deer and waterfowl management, as well as return the more than 20 calls he gets from citizens every day." Shades of "the kids are all flunking so let's pay the teachers more." Is it still OK to invoke divine help?
This problem has been festering and growing for years right under the noses of county bureaucrats and taxpayers.
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