This relatively brief story in the NYT about the uptick in commercial shipping on ye olde Erie has aroused a good deal of interest around the blogosphere. You can see some blogger reactions listed here, with a particularly informative post here. It’s part of a realization that you don’t necessarily need to build up a brand-new green-industrial complex in order to improve things and live more sustainably — nor does sustainable living mean “going primitive.” The modern Erie Canal is certainly not primitive, and needs no expensive reconstruction or reconfiguration (although it does need maintenance).

New York was shortsighted in throwing all of its effort into developing the Erie as a recreational waterway, although the two purposes don’t exclude each other. It’s terrible that the state does not have any budget to advertise the Canal’s commercial opportunities in a time when it’s five times cheaper to ship by canal than by truck.

Poor, poor Ruben Diaz: his fellow Gang of Four member, Hiram Monserrate, just said adios and made a deal.

As of right now, Espada is the GOP’s last best hope. Perhaps they’ll do a deal with him that enables him to be leader as long as they get a piece of the majority action. He has already expressed his interest in the position to the DN’s Juan Gonzalez.

Espada also said late last week that it was “highly unlikely” he and the other gang members would actually vote for a Republican for leader.

But Sen. Carl Kruger, the self-styled gang leader, didn’t rule it out while chatting with the Times’ Jeremy Peters.