Fish of the Week: Atlantic Mackerel

[This content recycled from my now mothballed website, excitablemedia.com.]

Its ironic that of all the fish in the sea the mackerel was chosen to express surprise or wonder. Simply put, there is nothing particularly surprising or wonderful about the mackerel.

Mackerels are classified in the phylum Chordata, subphylum Vertebrata, class Osteichthyes, order Perciformes, family Scombridae.

[The Atlantic Mackerel looks like this.]

They are characterized by deeply forked tails that narrow greatly where they join the body; small finlets behind both the dorsal and the anal fins; and sleek, streamlined, sexy bodies with smooth, almost scaleless skins having an iridescent sheen. All members of the mackerel family are superb, swift swimmers. The firm, oily texture of their powerful muscles and their generally large size make them of great commercial importance as food fish.

Helpful Hint: ho'ly mack'erel
Slang. Used as an exclamation to express surprise or wonder.

Mackerel spawn in open water during late spring and early summer. The eggs are laid primarily at night and float on the surface.

On average, Atlantic Mackerel weigh less than one pound, but up to two pounds is not unusual. The largest Atlantic Mackerel ever caught on rod and line was in 1995, from deep water off the western Swedish coast. It weighed 6 lb 13 oz.

Young mackerel feed on microscopic copepods. As they grow, they feed on progressively larger prey. Adults will eat any fish smaller than themselves, feeding heavily upon small herring, sand lance and (cannibalistically) young mackerel.

The Atlantic Mackerel is typically an open ocean fish with voracious feeding habits. All individuals within a specific school tend to be the same size. Since cruising speed increases significantly with age and size, scientists believe that peer-pressure-induced conformity of body size within a specific school is necessary to allow all fish to maintain identical swimming speeds.

Atlantic Mackerel are long-lived fish, that is, if they are not caught. Fish of over 25 years old have been caught in the North Sea. Despite its size, the annual catch is 50 million lb, which is marketed fresh, salted, and canned. When freshly caught, the mackerel makes excellent eating, but the fishy flesh deteriorates rapidly.

Sidewalk Poem #2

The Dream

Someone approaches to say his life is ruined
and to fall down at your feet
and pound his head upon the sidewalk.
Blood spreads in a puddle.
And you, in a weak voice, plead
with those nearby for help;
your life takes on his desperation.
He keeps pounding his head.
It is you who are fated;
and you fall down beside him.
It is then you are awakened,
the body gone, the blood washed from the ground,
the stores lit up with their goods.

[David Ignatow, 1961]

[Wings without a bird on the West Bank Campus, Minneapolis.]

Reading the Highland Villager #23 (September 28 - October 12 Edition)

[Basically the problem is that the best source of Saint Paul streets & sidewalks news is the Highland Villager, a very fine and historical newspaper. This wouldn't be a problem, except that its not available online. You basically have to live in or frequent Saint Paul to read it. That's why I'm reading the Highland Villager so that you don't have to. Until this newspaper goes online, sidewalk information must be set free.]


Total # of articles about sidewalks: 6
Total # of articles about sidewalks written by Jane McClure*: 6


Headline: Victoria Park soccer fields still kicking up debate in West End
Reporter: Jane McClure

Short short version: Basic NIMBY bit where folks don't want to see soccer fields built along the bluff overlooking Shepard Road in the new neighborhood development of Victoria Park, near West 7th Street. The article claims the concerns about "noise and traffic", but the only quote from a "neighbor" expresses concerns about the sheer soccer-centricity, citing the lack of playgrounds. Includes quote from Councilmember Thune suggesting that local neighborhood groups will likely get their way.


Headline: City makes loans available to Lowertown shops on LRT line
Reporter: Jane McClure

Short short version: [In a desperately needed move,] Lowertown businesses can get a $10K loan from the city because of the really invasive and persistent construction all along 4th St and near the Farmer's Market. [Which doesn't seem like it will end for years. Seriously epic. -Ed.]


Headline: Public Works airs plan for Fairview Ave. reconstruction
Reporter: Jane McClure

Short short version: Saint Paul will "reconstruct" Fairview Avenue: new curbs, sewers, driveway aprons, streetlights, etc., The ash trees are goners. Apparently, the city will not be changing lane and sidewalk width at all. [Should they? It's worth asking the question. -Ed.]


Headline: St. Paul plows through street maintenance, snow removal plans
Reporter: Jane McClure

Short short version: Apparently it costs $158 / year / homeowner to plow all the streets in Saint Paul.


Headline: BZA approves lot variance for new Uppertown home; Debate over developing small Goodrich Avenue site has gone on for years
Reporter: Jane McClure

Short short version: Finally, whoever owns 194 Goodrich Avenue will get to build their house. This was difficult, apparently, because their lot was 491 sq. ft. smaller than the zoning code allows for single family homes.


Headline: Complaints are down at UST, but off-campus behavior problems persist
Reporter: Jane McClure

Short short version: [In one of my favorite recurring Highland Villager stories,] apparently there are still [young people? d-bags?] "problem students" attending the University of Saint Thomas. Complaints include: "underage consumption", "loud party", and "inebriated student mistakenly thought he was at a friend's home ... broke a latch ... yelled at the occupants ... [and] banged on the door" before the cops took him to detox.

* The hardest working woman in local journalism.

5 Year Blog-aversary!

[Me celebrating my 5 Year Blogaversary with Sarah and Sara, who baked a five-layer five cake for the occasion.]

This blog turns 5 years old today. On this date, way back in 2006, when I was another person, I typed these fateful and completely uninspiring words:

Yet another blog.

The purpose of this blog is to report what's happening on the Twin City streets. I'm primarily concerned with politics, urban infrastrucutre, media infrastructure, and neighborhood life here in the TC.

Our cities are changing fast. Are we getting enough information about how and why this development is happening?

And like a tree falling in the forest with nobody there to hear it, TC Sidewalks was off and running.

Since then, I've written 584 posts of highly variable quality, and the blog has changed completely. Originally, I'd intended to compile and collect news, and sprinkle it with a little bit of opinion and comments about street life. Today, the blog is completely different. I've ended up making it a lot more personal, a mix of daydreaming about different wonderful corners and spaces in the Twin Cites, political castigations, vague theoretical explorations, and lots and lots of photos and links. Its like having a great secret hobby. For example, every time I see a dog tied up to a park bench without an owner in sight, I get really excited.

Today, Twin City sidewalks is an attempt to share what I love (and hate) about living in and moving around on the streets of the Twin Cities. It's been a wonderful outlet for me, allows me to be somewhat open and creative, and I don't know what I'd be doing without it.

So all that's great. But that's not the best thing about the blog. The thing that (still) amazes me is how many excellent people I've met through the site. The list goes on and on, and I'm totally serious when I say that I'm completely wowed about this. (Hell, I'm amazed that anyone reads this at all...)

So, thank you to all of you who've been reading and supporting my blogging work here. I really really appreciate it!

Happy Blog-aversary!

*** Sidewalk Weekend! *** #45

Sidewalk Rating: Great until a moment ago!

Around the watchers, the city still made its everyday noises. Car horns. Garbage trucks. Ferry whistles. The thrum of the subway. The M11 bus pulled in against the sidewalk, braked, sighed down into a pothole. A flying chocolate wrapper touched against a fire hydrant. Taxi doors slammed. Bits of trash sparred in the darkest reaches of the alleyways. Sneakers found their sweetspots. The leather of briefcases rubbed against trouserlegs. A few umbrella tips clinked against the pavement. Revolving doors pushed quarters of conversation out into the street.

-Colum McCann, Let The Great World Spin.

[Trees on tops of hills change color faster.]

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[Click on photos for links.]




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Spent yesterday across the river in St. Paul and walked along the river on Shepard road during the day. I met a younger couple who had parked their car in the rest area/overlook and found out that they have been homeless on and off for almost two years. They have an old mini van which is packed to the gills with stuff and I have no idea how they sleep in there?? Occasionally they will stay with her mom but her boyfriend and her mother don't get along so it doesn't happen often. He works odd jobs occasionally and she does babysitting but it's not enough to pay rent somewhere. They usally spend nights near a specific place (which I won't name) that is open 24/7 so they have a bathroom to use. They told me about so many other homeless people throughout St. Paul that I couldn't believe it. I hope they make it because they have their whole lives ahead of them and it's nice that they can have each other for support.

-Homeless Help Network

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