The Southern Cross makes an appearance in Torrington

So I was driving down Elm Street today, when a peculiar sight caught my eye. There, in all it's socially-ambiguous splendor, was the Southern Cross - more popularly known as the Confederate Flag - blowing in the wind outside of someone's house.

There was a small group of people standing around, taking pictures. It looked like they were the neighbors of the 'flagee', perhaps as perplexed as I, making an effort to document the strange occasion.

Now, whatever, you know? There's some controversy over the Confederate flag, which needs no introduction, but I've got to wonder why people still fly it. Is it a pride thing, really? Or are you just trying to offer a big "fuck you" to those who may find it offensive?

It's hard to change long-held associations with something. I've heard the 'pride not prejudice' thing for a while, but no matter how you see it, the Confederate flag still reminds people of some seriously dark history in this country, as it will continue to for a long time.

But hey, some people worship the image of a horrific torture device as a symbol of salvation. If they can pull that around after 2,000 years, there's hope yet for the Southern Cross.

Ye Olde Factory Fire

So I was out of town during this factory fire down on Summer Street, and apparently it was a big one. No one knows what caused it; it was huge and fortunately no one was hurt (to my knowledge).

But apparently there are now concerns about the air quality in Torrington, as this building had a number of areas with asbestos contamination. Or at least a concern thereof. Mesothelioma Web has an article on it here:

Connecticut Factory Fire Raises Asbestos Concerns

I've never heard mention of this locally, either from locals or city officials. Asbestos is pretty nasty stuff, and I hope we can get some conclusive reassurance that this isn't something we have to worry about.

*Update: Officials say asbestos cleanup was successful, and air quality concerns are virtually non-existent.

Apparently, the present owner of the factory, Eric Chadwick, never bothered to install a working sprinkler, something he had been warned about taking care of since February. Did I mention he used to be Mayor of Torrington? What a fool.

Torrington Cash for Clunkers?

http://torringtoncashforclunkers.com/

Well, frankly, I don't know if this website is really the 'official' Torrington capacity for the popular Cash for Clunkers program, but it's worth checking out if you're curious about your eligibility.