Monday, October 17, 2005

Oh boy oh boy oh boy. Sorry. I'm just excited. Ol' Roy is cookin' with gas. 6:44:13 PM   permalink   comment []

Ross Myers has an interesting post about Greensboro's blog community, and the fact that it has yet to have a real economic impact on the city. No doubt, whatever leadership we have shown around here is as a user community. That's something Chris Nolan nailed in her eWeek column about Greensboro. As users, we've shown time and again that we're ahead of the curve -- from the original Piedmont Blog Conference, to Greensboro 101 and our blogging elected officials and our bloggy newspaper to ConvergeSouth. But are there business opportunities that we've missed? Should we be creating progamming jobs and other high-tech employment? Are there VC dollars that need to be flowing our way? As I said in a comment at Ross's site, I've been thinking about that a lot recently. I'm a user. I'm a writer. I'm not a businessman or an economic developer. But it would be a shame for Greensboro to miss an opportunity...if the opportunity is really there. I am pretty well plugged-in to the business and finance establishment around here. I'm listening. Definitely worth discussing. (link via GiT -- good comment discussion there, too.) 6:40:10 PM   permalink   comment []

Metro, Boulot, Dodo. Colloquial French phrase describing the workday routine: Subway, Job, Sleep. It's been that kind of day, even if GSO lacks a Metro, and it's still too early for sleep... 6:20:54 PM   permalink   comment []

David Boyd reviews the recently-rediscovered Monk/Coltrane recording from Carnegie Hall, 1957. "What are the odds of North Carolina being able to claim these two giants as its own? The Wright Brothers are important and all, but do you think we could maybe get Monk and Trane on a special issue license plate or something." Seriously. The Wrights were from Ohio. Nothing wrong with that, like Brad Krantz they came to NC from the Buckeye State to do their best work. But how cool would we be if our license plates had Monk and Coltrane on them? (Answer: very cool.) 11:12:07 AM   permalink   comment []

Yet more ConvergeSouth coverage, from Billy and Bora. Which reminds me that I also need to thank Walker Sanders and his crew at the Community Foundation, who helped us put this thing together on the fly. 11:05:53 AM   permalink   comment []

Hoggard is fact-checking Kindley. Compare the Greensboro City Council to the Guilford County board of commissioners in terms of both functionality and civility. Now, remind me why we want partisan city elections? 11:00:07 AM   permalink   comment []

DarkTimes: Herbert says, Get it Together, Democrats. "Democrats should think twice before getting all giddy about the problems caving in on the Republicans and the prospects of regaining control of Congress in next year's elections. "For one thing, the Democrats' own house is hardly in order. While recent polls have shown growing disenchantment with President Bush and the G.O.P., there's no evidence that voters have suddenly become thrilled with the Democrats." Kicker: "Competence is essential, but it's not enough. The great voices of history have always been the voices of optimism and hope." Krugman: The Big Squeeze is the headline, and the squeeze isn't just on workers, but on the idea of free trade itself. "If Delphi slashes wages and defaults on its pension obligations, the rest of the auto industry may well be tempted - or forced - to do the same. And that will mark the end of the era in which ordinary working Americans could be part of the middle class." Kicker: "What if neither education nor health care reform is enough to end the wage squeeze? That's the possibility that makes free-trade liberals like me very nervous, because at that point protectionism enters the picture. When corporate executives say that they have to cut wages to meet foreign competition, workers have every right to ask why we don't cut the foreign competition instead. "I hope we don't have to go there. But denial is not an option. America's working middle class has been eroding for a generation, and it may be about to wash away completely. Something must be done." Emphasis mine. Wow. 8:34:18 AM   permalink   comment []

John Edwards kicks off a college tour today in Chapel Hill...the event includes some facetime with local bloggers. 8:28:03 AM   permalink   comment []

Now I lay me down to sleep, I pray the Lord my votes to keep: A mayoral candidate in Glen Alpine, NC, is being challenged on the grounds that he doesn't live within the town limits. According to the Morganton News Herald, Tim Suttles says his house is right on the town line, and his bedroom is on the side that makes him a legitimate candidate...The Burke County Board of Elections is supposed to rule on the issue today. 8:23:57 AM   permalink   comment []