| Cars out as London mayor clears way for Paris-style plage and cycle ...
Visitors to London may not find the streets paved with gold but they could certainly find that a lot more streets have been paved, under proposals for the tourist heart of the capital. Cars will be banned from some of London’s busiest streets as part of a bold plan to create continental-style boulevards devoted to pedestrians and cyclists. Ken Livingstone, the Mayor of London, plans to replicate Paris Plage, the beach created on a highway alongside the Seine each August, on the four-lane Victoria Embankment beside the Thames. He is also considering a ban on through traffic on a series of roads connecting London’s parks and main shopping areas, including Portland Place, which runs between Regent’s Park and Oxford Street. Speaking at Mayor’s Question Time at the London Assembly yesterday, Mr Livingstone said that he wanted to create attractive, tree-lined walkways in the style of Las Ramblas in Barcelona.
Sleepy Hollow Police Brutality Alleged
The FBI is investigating accusations of police brutality and misconduct in the historic village of Sleepy Hollow after officers used stun guns on a 16-year-old boy and another man on separate occasions, the mayor said Wednesday. The FBI notified the village about a month ago that it would investigate, Mayor Philip Zegarelli said. The bureau will have the village's "full cooperation," he said. Resident Mario Gomez said a detective who he believed was romantically involved with his 22-year-old daughter beat and shocked him with a stun gun during an argument in October 2006. Gomez, who was arrested and later released, has filed a federal lawsuit against the detective, the village and police officials, claiming his civil rights were violated. Police used a stun gun on Duanny Lara Mota, 16, in August after he cursed officers and ran from them after they ordered Mota to accompany them to police headquarters.
Win for Kwanzaa
Kwanzaa is a seven-day cultural event honoring black and African heritage. Evans said that based on the evidence presented, "it has not been shown to be a religious celebration." The Chancery court room was standing room only Wednesday morning, filled with members of the media, curious spectators and a handful of Kwanzaa supporters dressed in colorful African garb. Reaction was mixed. State Rep. G.A. Hardaway, D-Memphis, called it a case of the "Grinch stealing Kwanzaa." Memphis resident Ron Crook, who was in Chancery Court for other business, said the verdict could open doors for other spiritual organizations to come knocking for the right to host events. "It just becomes a big mess." he said. Representing Thomas, attorney Anthony Pietrangelo argued that allowing the celebration would be discriminatory, and in violation of the First Amendment, because the county attorney had denied Thomas the right to host a Christian party yet allowed the Kwanzaa event to take place.
Rome defeat could spell Frank Hadden's end
Even the calendar seems to have it in for Frank Hadden. As he considers what remains of the RBS Six Nations championship, the Scotland coach might have expected a more propitious schedule than the one that obliges him to take his side to Rome on the 15th of next month. Or, as the Eternal City's resident soothsayers are wont to call it, the Ides of March. Murphy's law inspires IrishIn pics: Wins for England, Wales and Ireland Brian Moore: Wales take top marksThe knives may not be out for him just yet, but a second successive Six Nations wooden spoon, especially one earned by a whitewash in the tournament, could make his position almost untenable. .
Clos Pepe, Chumash Casino win Green Awards
Old English Babydoll Southdown Sheep keep weeds down at Clos Pepe Vineyards and Estate Wines. Owls and hawks are encouraged to make their home at the vineyard by strategically placed nesting boxes and perches, so they can keep the rodent population in check. Beneficial insects also are released to reduce pests in the vineyard, located between Lompoc and Buellton. //Contributed .
On Movies: Austin fete braces for the Philadelphians
Yo, it's a Phillywood moment. In a couple of weeks, indie filmmakers from Philadelphia will be out in force - and out and about in Austin, Texas - at the 15th annual South by Southwest Film Festival. Running March 7 through 15 in front of the storied SXSW Music Festival, this year's screen program boasts hundreds of features and shorts, and more than a few prominent entries from the buzzing Philly scene. Anyone who has ambled around South Street, down the streets of Queen Village and the back alleys of Bella Vista, knows the work of Isaiah Zagar: His mosaics - mirror shards, broken china, clay figurines, wine bottles, tiles and bicycle wheels - adorn the exteriors of scores of houses and businesses, and his studio, on the 1000 block of South, has become a tourist destination. Jeremiah Zagar, Isaiah's son, has made a deeply personal documentary, In a Dream, about his father, his father's art, and his father's marriage to Julia Zagar.
An off-the-wall plan to fund sneakers store
So he kicked around some ideas with friends and decided to open a sneaker store at some yet-to-be-chosen location in Lexington. That's right, sneakers -- canvas tops, rubberish soles, long strings. Sneakers. Martin has "a passion" for the Converse brand, as the Herald-Leader's Mark Story reported in April. But he'll have all sorts of sneakers in his store. "Converse is my favorite sneakers," Martin says, "but I really enjoy all sneakers." All he needs is the loot, the bucks, the clams to make it happen. So he came up with the Name My Walls plan. The name of anyone who contributes $2 will be put on a wall at the store for the world to see forever. "I haven't decided if I will let them come in and sign it or if it will be painted on," Martin says.
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