On the George Washington Breathing Project: Good Steam Versus Bad Steam Edition (Includes Roundup!)
In which The Gay Recluse rather quickly dies of lung cancer.
Some winter mornings, we wake up and consider the rooftops of Washington Heights, where — thanks to the sumptuous pre-war architecture, the expansive breadth of the Hudson and the gentle rise of the Palisades — we are charmed by the wisps of steam that trail from the chimneys; there’s something surprisingly bucolic about the scene, as if we were watching a village in the Bavarian Alps and not the most densely populated neighborhood in the country.
And then we see this (from 38 Fort Washington Avenue, not that they’re the only offender) and remember that we live in a city that cares nothing about its poor.
There is, however, some solace to be found in the idea that nothing we can do will ever change this, and our only hope is to escape.
The oily black smoke of 100-year-old boilers disperses daily across the rooftops in Washington Heights, heedless of those who suffer from pneumonia, asthma and tuberculosis. Officials and politicians? Not even footnotes in this story, which is about the aggregation of capital and the relentless rise of the metropolis.
The Wahi Lung Cancer & Asthma Roundup!
April 11, 2008 (Special Investigative Report)
Filed under: Architecture, Capitalism, GWB Project, Health, Pessimism, Politicians, Science, Technology, Washington Heights | 1 Comment
Tags: Asthma, Boilers, Ghettos, Lung Cancer, Slumlords, Smoke
The Gay Recluse 
This would appear to be a record of abuses which could easily be sent to politicians and action groups. I am sure you have done this, right?? What has transpired? Why the inaction? Just more of politics-as-usual?
Sorry for all the questions. You may have answered some or all in previous blogs. But this one does seem to contain quite a record for posterity (should any posterity still be alive to use or see it in years to come….