Wednesday, June 08, 2005

Condolences to Lex Alexander and his family on the death of Lex's dad, Hooper Alexander III. 10:40:19 PM   permalink   comment []

A Little Urbanity: Thinking outside the (big) box on Carolina Circle redevelopment. I wonder how many newspapers in the United States have regular coverage and criticism of development, neighborhood, and architecture issues on a par with what Wharton's blog provides Greensboro. My guess is, damn few. 3:56:32 PM   permalink   comment []

Via Glenn Reynolds, birthday wishes to Donald Duck. Other comic birthday news here. UPDATE: Nerd Up. Mr. Sun, I laughed so hard I could barely reveal your identity to the IRS. 3:47:47 PM   permalink   comment []

Mobuzz TV is vid-blogging for cell phones in English, Spanish, and French. (Thanks for the tip, Tom). 3:42:36 PM   permalink   comment []

When the facts don't align with your politics...change the facts. NYT: "A White House official who once led the oil industry's fight against limits on greenhouse gases has repeatedly edited government climate reports in ways that play down links between such emissions and global warming, according to internal documents." Reports Andrew Revkin in this morning's front-pager: "In handwritten notes on drafts of several reports issued in 2002 and 2003, the official, Philip A. Cooney, removed or adjusted descriptions of climate research that government scientists and their supervisors, including some senior Bush administration officials, had already approved... to produce an air of doubt about findings that most climate experts say are robust." 10:14:53 AM   permalink   comment []

Like a Springsteen lyric, this Jerry Wolford photo in the N&R hits the emotional heart of a big plant closing. Writer Sue Schultz delivers the news that 588 more furniture workers are losing their jobs. "Thomasville Furniture Industries...told its workers Tuesday afternoon that it's closing a 373,000-square-foot plant at 320 W. Main Street -- known as 'Plant A' -- and several smaller support plants by November... "...A once stable industry for Davidson County, nearly 2,000 furniture manufacturing jobs have been lost there since 2003." 9:48:03 AM   permalink   comment []

A curious headline on the N&R article about the incentives turnaround: "Linder changes mind on city aid."  I guess "Imminent defeat forces Linder to withdraw request" didn't fit. Whatever the impact of blogs on the process, blogging Council members definitely shifted the news cycle by reporting the story last night. On this major local story, the participants delivered the scoop. 9:42:06 AM   permalink   comment []

Chris Nolan: "There is something really interesting going on with the 9/11 Commission and its members' decision to stick with the group's mission despite its lack of official government funding...Imagine if the Warren Commission, called to investigate the Kennedy Assassination, had kept going because it's members thought its work was still undone." Read the whole thing. 8:44:28 AM   permalink   comment []

The Truth & Rec commission is interviewing mill workers this evening from 6:30 to 8 at the Glenwood Library Community Room (1901 West Florida Street). Executive director Jill Williams posts an invitation to "current and former mill workers who might help us learn more about labor conditions and labor organizing in Greensboro, or who would like to know more about our work, to join us for a conversation...Come to share your experiences and listen to others' stories." 8:23:35 AM   permalink   comment []

Did public discussion on local blogs help kill a proposed incentive deal before the Greensboro City Council? Hoggard thinks so. I think it's possible. I'd love to hear from Phillips, Carmany and Vaughan about the impact of direct communication from elected officials to the public...maybe they can interview some of their non-blogging colleagues for us. Something happened between the 7-2 closed-door vote for the $300,000 package and last night's withdrawal of the request in the face of a 6-3 vote against it. The willingness of Council members to shine a light on the process -- at a moment when the City is scrambling to avoid a tax increase -- could have had some impact, and certainly will in the future. 8:11:06 AM   permalink   comment []