What can you do to make your neighborhood bus stop—and consequently your neighborhood itself—a better place? Offer seating and shelter, for starters? Could a simple picnic table foster informal conversation by day and host the occasional neighborhood potluck by night? Maybe a mini-library or community bulletin or barter board to keep neighbors informed? How about…
What can you do to make your neighborhood bus stop—and consequently your neighborhood itself—a better place? Offer seating and shelter, for starters? Could a simple picnic table foster informal conversation by day and host the occasional neighborhood potluck by night? Maybe a mini-library or community bulletin or barter board to keep neighbors informed? How about croquet, checkers, or corn hole to invite interaction? A covered bike rack would be a great amenity and help extend transit access. What about providing simple ways for young and old to be more physically active while waiting for the bus with swings, tether ball, a climbing wall or tire drill? Better yet—why not collaborate with other neighbors to install these exercises as a fitness trail at several consecutive bus stops?
The quality and design of bus stops varies enormously, but all could benefit from a loving local touch. Urban locations are frequently blessed with well-lit shelters, seats, route information, and sidewalks. Still, the surreptitious addition of a stem flower vase (and a commitment to its replenishment) can work wonders at spreading smiles and building good neighborhood mojo.
Suburban bus stops provide the greatest opportunities for healthy and convivial improvement largely because the default condition is so unfriendly to begin with. They are often simply marked by a post in the ground with a sign of the local transit authority’s logo and a well-worn patch of ground. School bus stops are the least marked of all since their locations are subject to the most change. (One can also argue that school bus systems as a whole might be put to better use throughout the rest of the day in areas underserved for transit—but that’s another discussion).
It doesn’t take much to enhance a suburban bus stop. You can easily celebrate its overlooked role as both neighborhood gateway and communal gathering space. At the same time, you can make a modest difference in the lives of the growing number of transit-users in your neighborhood.
Choose your inspiration. Browse the many tactical urbanism strategies or spontaneous interventions or try something like recycling tires for physical activity. Keep it simple and welcoming. As the idea here is to promote good neighborliness, communal interaction, and public transit, it’s best to limit interventions to publicly-owned land or property owned in common by a household association. Sometimes, it’s best to ask forgiveness after the fact rather than to ask permission. In either case, be a good neighbor and adopt a bus stop.
Original bus stop swing photo courtesy of Bruno Taylor; second photo courtesy of the Edible Bus Stop; bus stop library photo courtesy of Flickr user Alun W.
Reddit user Girlfriendhatesmefor’s three-year-old pitbull, Otis, had recently become overprotective of his wife. So he asked the online community if they knew what might be wrong with the dog.
“A week or two ago, my wife got some sort of stomach bug,” the Reddit user wrote under the subreddit /r/dogs. “She was really nauseous and ill for about a week. Otis is very in tune with her emotions (we once got in a fight and she was upset, I swear he was staring daggers at me lol) and during this time didn’t even want to leave her to go on walks. We thought it was adorable!”
His wife soon felt better, butthe dog’s behavior didn’t change.
Girlfriendhatesmefor began to fear that Otis’ behavior may be an early sign of an aggression issue or an indication that the dog was hurt or sick.
So he threw a question out to fellow Reddit users: “Has anyone else’s dog suddenly developed attachment/aggression issues? Any and all advice appreciated, even if it’s that we’re being paranoid!”
The most popular response to his thread was by ZZBC.
Any chance your wife is pregnant?
ZZBC | Reddit
The potential news hit Girlfriendhatesmefor like a ton of bricks. A few days later, Girlfriendhatesmefor posted an update and ZZBC was right!
“The wifey is pregnant!” the father-to-be wrote. “Otis is still being overprotective but it all makes sense now! Thanks for all the advice and kind words! Sorry for the delayed reply, I didn’t check back until just now!”
Redditors responded with similar experiences.
Anecdotal I know but I swear my dog knew I was pregnant before I was. He was super clingy (more than normal) and was always resting his head on my belly.
realityisworse | Reddit
So why do dogs get overprotective when someone is pregnant?
Jeff Werber, PhD, president and chief veterinarian of the Century Veterinary Group in Los Angeles, told Health.com that “dogs can also smell the hormonal changes going on in a woman’s body at that time.” He added the dog may “not understand that this new scent of your skin and breath is caused by a developing baby, but they will know that something is different with you—which might cause them to be more curious or attentive.”
The big lesson here is to listen to your pets and to ask questions when their behavior abruptly changes. They may be trying to tell you something, and the news may be life-changing.
Throughout history, women have stood up and fought to break down barriers imposed on them from stereotypes and societal expectations. The trailblazers in these photos made history and redefined what a woman could be. In doing so, they paved the way for future generations to stand up and continue to fight for equality.
While conspiracy theories are not limited to any topic, there is one type of event that seems particularly likely to spark them: mass shootings, typically defined as attacks in which a shooter kills at least four other people.
When one person kills many others in a single incident, particularly when it seems random, people naturally seek out answers for why the tragedy happened. After all, if a mass shooting is random, anyone can be a target.
