With the slogan “New England’s Rising Star” having been retired, the Star Shuttle — downtown’s free circulator bus — is seeking a new name.
After being invited to submit potential names, the field has been narrowed to five: Go Hart, Hartford D-A-S-H, The Hartford Hop, The Pulse, and The Hart Beat. You can cast your vote until August 10th at midnight. [UPDATE: Because of some, uh, discrepancies, people have been given another chance to vote; the deadline has been extended until 6pm on August 15th.]
The winning name will be announced during the week of August 20th.
Chris
Re-style it to resemble a boat. Ferry drunks between the clubs on Friday and Saturday night. Call it the “Douche Canoe”
Kerri Provost
If I were running this contest, you would’ve just won it.
Erik
like
Erik
Humph…I suggested the Hartford Hopper. Did they shorten my submission? 🙁
Kerri Provost
If you go to Hartford.com you can see the names of the people whose suggestions were selected. I don’t think they shortened it.
Erik
Oh, okay. I guess it wasn’t such an original name. I should have stuck with “Hooker Hopper” but, I just felt that people would get the wrong impression. Or my idea of getting rid of the bus system entirely, unearth Park River, and have a gondola system—supplemented by donkeys attach to dirigibles for express travel.
Kerri Provost
The latter would be like Hartford’s take on Providence’s Waterfire thing that everyone raves about. But, you know, more useful.
Erik
Yeah…like the Waterfire thing. And a Donkey Dirigible like this http://twitpic.com/ah326t
Tony C
I would vote for Douche Canoe, but I was scolded once by a feminist that said ‘douche bag’ was too gender specific. But Enema Boat doesn’t really do it for me…
Kerri Provost
Really? That doesn’t sound so much like a feminist as much as it does someone with a real humor deficiency.
Richard
I have to wonder what is the number of riders per year that take this bus? I see it going around and around daily and no one is on it. Maybe one or two people. Is the bus just one of those left over pipe dreams of the gangsters. It seems like a waste to me just another vehicle clogging up the place.
I have never understood what the big deal is the Providence water fire thing. How so many folks can get turned on by bowls of fire on the water is sure beyond me.
Any way in my good mood, I vote for Hooker Hopper and with another vote I vote for enema boat and will use my third vote for douche canoe. Now I don’t know what I will vote for with my other 16 votes.
Oh did New England’s Rising star fall or what? What are we now? Just another foolish group of folks lead around by big fat cats who convince us that we need what fat cats want and then take us for another ride because we don’t know how to rise up and say NO!! Meanwhile they laugh all the way to the bank and we think we have something in our pocket but instead of a great big smile its a turned down frown.
I say cancel the Star, hoppers, hipper, douche bags,go Hart, the dash, canoes, boats, pulse,hart beat and get out your walking shoes and walk. You will see more, and do more.
ah one last thing- Below is an e-mail I received. It is note worthy and would love to hear the comments.
“This is interesting, though. All of the finalists, except you, live out of Hartford. All of the finalists are white. Being conscious of systemic racism, I’m sure you noticed this glaring fact.
How was this contest disseminated into the community for widespread participation? Oh, that’s right. It was sent to all the white-owned media.”
Richard
I should say it is an e-mail in response to one of the finalists with reply all hit.
Kerri Provost
I’d disagree that the email in question was noteworthy at all. There are many ways to measure diversity and I think it’s awfully bold to assert knowledge of a person’s race/ethnicity by name alone.
Chris
“I’m not black like Barry White, I am white like Frank Black is”
Kerri Provost
1. Props for the Bloodhound Gang reference
2. This reminds me: the “research” being done on people is looking at their photos. This makes all kinds of assumptions. Someone’s race can not be determined just by looking at them. A person can be biracial or multiracial but assumed by others to be white (or another race). A person can be very light-skinned or dark-skinned in comparison with others of their race. Those who are making assertions of racism within this contest should know better than to make such guesses about others’ identities.