Three Letter Code

Sometimes reddit grabs some great toponymy pieces. This is one of those times.

Airports are often called by their Identifier Code, a 3-letter combination. Detroit Metro Airport is called DTW while Grand Rapids' Gerald R. Ford Int'l Airport is GRR. The codes stand somewhere betweeen close-approximations and cryptic jumbled signatures.

Read the full piece: Airport ABC's - an explination of airport identifier codes.

Fallout Shelter

The fallout shelter located below the main Lansing library rekindled my fascination with Cold War architecture and obsolete spaces.

Fallout shelters were once part of a larger network of "Civil Defense." Unlike Homeland Security, the CD services actually attempted to find ways to prepare and recover from emergency situations. The pressing matter of the day was nuclear attack from the Ruskies. American public buildings found innovative ways to integrate fallout shelters into their plans. Homeowners stocked their basements with the supplies necessary to survive a long period of nuclear fallout. If you're not lucky enough to live or work at a fallout shelter equipped building then you can look up the nearest one.

With the end of the Cold War and the declining threat of nuclear warfare, interest in fallout shelters plummeted. Most home shelters were turned into recreational spaces containing bars, exercise equipment, and sofas.

The fallout shelter is an example of a space created for survivability. It's political roots in the Cold War are undeniable, it is a unique and easily identifiable symbol of that conflict's legacy. In this War on Terror we are now immersed in there has been no equivalent. Americans have responded with magnetic ribbons and a few other gimmicks, but nothing to compare to the endurance of the fallout shelter.

The Kremlin is Huge.

Did you know that Vladamir Putin's favorite sport is Judo? He has written two books about it. You can buy one on Amazon.

What I really meant to write about was the enormous nature of Moscow's Kremlin. However, it is so big (68 acres) that I really don't know where to start. So let's go from the beginning

1. Kremlin is the Russian word for "fortress", "citadel", or "castle." Westerners typically associate it only with the Moscow Kremlin.

2. The Kremlin existed before the Communists. In fact, the site has been continuously fortified since the 11th century.

3. It was destroyed twice before the structure that currently inhabits the site was built. The first time it was raided by Mongols, then a fire burned most of the wooden fortress.

4. After the fall of the Byzantine Roman Empire, Ivan III thought that Russia would be the successor state, the "Third Rome." To display the might and wealth of Russia he commissioned a battalion of Italian architects to build up the walls, towers and cathedrals.

5. Yes, I said cathedrals. The Kremlin consists of churches, tombs, palaces, and an armory. This whole complex is synonymous with the Russian government. Thus, it's not surprising to learn that it's enclosed by a 9' thick wall.

Trailer on Pontoons

The correct term is Aqua Lodge but neighbors have dubbed them "house barges." The Richmond Times-Dispatch discloses the controversy about these vessels. While state authorities might note environmental concerns, the real heart of the issue can be summarized in this one line (from the Times-Dispatch).

Sarah Gormus, who lives across the creek from Bay Marine said, "It looks like a trailer park in the water."

Martha Urbanism

Her media empire is enormous, her fan-base is unimaginable, her image is spotless. This May you can live the Martha Stewart lifestyle in Central Florida.

Avellino, like it's predacessor in North Carolina, will combine community and branding in a new residential development.

The west Orange County homes will feature front porches, garages at the rear of the homes accessible by alleys, and smaller lots with community open spaces and sidewalks to encourage people to walk and mingle in the neighborhood.

Prices for the single-family homes are expected to start in the low $300,000s; town homes in the mid-$200,000s. They will range in size from 1,594 to 2,700 square feet, and all of the model homes will feature furniture and decor from Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia Inc.

Four other KB Home/Martha Stewart communities are planned -- a second one in Georgia, a second one in North Carolina and one each in Texas and California.

Can Martha beat the housing slump? Will the Martha and the Donald join forces to create an Apprentice-styled neighborhood? Wait and see.