This column will be devoted to public griping and praising. I want to give people a chance to vent (without libeling or defaming, of course) about neighborhood problems and triumphs. Perhaps, in this public way, we can find redress from our many expert neighbors. I think we should put it all out there and let others have a chance to answer or argue or correct or praise us. I am no expert on anything but language (and even there Rob Latousek will be able to trump me in any matter dealing with Greek or Latin and several others could probably take me in a fair game of sentence diagramming.) But even if you only have problems with dangling participles or your infinitive has split and can't be located, write in. We'll run it up the flagpole and see if we can mix you a metaphor that salutes. I will start the sourdough bubbling with the following:

The Case of the Obnoxious Personhole Cover


Exaggerating our existing and perennial problem of traffic noise on Gorham Street (and, I understand, on the corner of N. Baldwin and N. Brearly too) are the loose "manhole" or utility covers which make the sound of cymbals when cars cross them at high speeds. I notice this most at 2-3:00 am or so when cars are really speeding and so infrequent that we can nearly get back to sleep before the next rockets go off. What can we do about this unnecessary noise pollution? Knit comforters for them? Install rubber "O"-rings or gaskets? Anybody else bothered? Sound off in Ledditorials.

- Gay Davidson-Zielske

(Ledditorials should be sent to [email protected], which is I, Gay Davidson-Zielske, or to Ledditorial, c/o TLNA, PO Box 703, Madison, WI 53701. Ledditorials are subject to judicious editing to serve the needs of brevity.)


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