I saw it again today and was tempted to follow the subject of my ire, wait for my moment, and then lay the driver out in front of God and everybody, "What in the hell are you doing?  You are driving Guilford County's future around in the back of this bus.  Get that damn phone out of your ear... hang up and drive."

It is not a rare occurence, I see it all the time - and you will too now that I have brought it to your attention.  My 10 year-old son reports that his school bus driver talks constantly on her cell phone while driving.  It's like... that's what they are supposed to be doing instead of paying attention.

A couple of years ago, I was on a bus field trip to Old Salem.  The bus driver talked on her phone the whole way over.  When we arrived at our destination we had to wait about fifteen minutes before unloading.  Being a typical bunch of antsie 8 year-olds, they got a little noisy during the wait.  After the chatter built a bit, the bus driver stood up and shouted at the kids (and me), "That's enough, I can't even hear myself talk on the phone... now sit down and I don't want to hear a sound out of any of you until you are off my bus."  She sat back down in her throne and continued her innane conversation for all to hear... and I did as I was told... along with the 40 kids... for about a minute.  Then my gander got up, and I went over to the bus driver and quietly, but forcefully, asked her to hang up so I could have a word.  I told her, in no uncertain terms, what I thought of her priorities.  I then turned to the kids and told them that they may talk quietly until it was time to go.

If the Guilford County School system has a policy prohibiting their bus drivers from talking on their cell phones while driving my and your kids around, it is not being enforced... by anyone.  And I mean it is not enforced at all from my observations. 

If GCS doesn't have such a basic, good sense policy - the likes of which is the law of the land for all drivers in many locales - then one should be formulated now.  Someone's going to get hurt.

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John Robinson on Jay Rosen's post and a glimpse of where the N&R might be headed:  "...All of the recent discussion about aggregated content -- what Greensboro101 is doing -- is where we're going, too. Roch just beat us. But there's plenty of room.... Man, it's an exciting time to be in journalism."

And in a comment to JR's post, we find that Peg from Pegasus News (which Rosen cites and you should read about)  is looking to Greensboro's own Rhino for "a lot of inspiration" and then this, "Did I mention that I'm from Greensboro, too? Must be something in the water"

Man, its an exciting time to be a Greensboro webblogger, too.

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I had to come back in to say that when I mentioned the Rhino in the above post, it was the first time I had done so in I don't know when - and it got me to thinking...  here it is Thursday and I haven't yet read last week's edition of Greensboro's primary alt-weekly. 

For years I would be standing at the Rhino's front door on Elm street waiting for their white distribution van to make their first drop at 7:30a or so, but over the past months I have been picking up a copy on Sunday or later.

I have always looked to the Hammer brothers for my alternative local news but not so much anymore.  I guess its because I'm getting that brand of news fix through local blogs and other online sources and so have weaned myself off of the rush to the Rhino.  Add to that the fact that by the time the Rhino is posted online four days after it hits the streets - any links I might make to the paper's content would have future rot.

The Rhino needs to get with the program... yesterday.  I know their online efforts are considered a 'loss leader' for them but it doesn't have to be that way.  Roch, John Hammer needs you.

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