New rules for Greensboro 101

Blogging in Greensboro has seen its ups and downs since Ed Cone and Tara Sue Grubb got it a local toehold. It appears to me, at least as seen in the aggregate as it appears at Greensboro 101, it has reached a low point.

Despite the recent appearance of some new quality blogs such as Avant Greensboro (and others) as well as the enduring presence of valued and respected old-timers, a new spirit of puerility, intentional obfuscation and dullness of mind had infested some of the blogs feeding Greensboro 101.

I have no interest in censoring, indeed no ability to censor, what people write on their blogs. I have, however, put seven years into Greensboro 101 and will not watch it deteriorate into a laughing stock polluted with nitwittedness.

Greensboro 101 has always had a few rules and guidelines, now I've added this:

Suitability. The sources for this site are curated for suitability at the sole discretion of the site's curator. Without regard to opinion or point of view, sources are expected to meet minimum standards of clarity and quality. The following will put a site at risk of being removed:

• Consistent inattention to the rudimentary fundamentals of written communication.
• Posts that consistently are composed entirely or almost entirely of content from other sources without adding additional information or commentary.
• Copying content from other sources without clearly identifying the copied portions and identifying their sources.
• Titles that misrepresent the content contained in the post.
• Repeat postings of previous posts.
• Formatting that is confusing.
• Incoherent palaver.

Study: North Carolina gets low grades for corruption risk

According to a study by the Center for Public Integrity and others, North Carolina gets a C- for corruption risk. Contributing to the low score are F's in public access to information, redistricting and state budget process and D's in legislative and judicial accountability.

Coming soon?

How long has that stupid "coming soon" button been on Greensboro 101 anyway?

Greensboro's abuse of state personnel records law

As Greensboro City Councilor Nancy Vaughan undertakes a sorely needed attempt to reign in the city of Greensboro legal staff's misuse of state personnel records law, I am reminded of one great example of the City's over-application of the law.

Here is a document that illustrates how Greensboro's legal staff will abuse the personnel records law to manipulate public opinion. These excerpts are from the document I received in response to a public records request for the results of an online survey asking the public what they want in a new police chief (this prior to the hiring of the current chief):

When it is convenient, the City legal staff maintains that any information it collects about an employee becomes part of that employee's personnel record and is, therefore, secret. Thus, as we see above, the mere writing of an employee's name, even a gender pronoun or a rank describing an employee, can be made secret by that standard.

That's ludicrous, of course. If such a standard were consistently applied, any building permit, bicycle registration or parking ticket with a city employee's name on it would be made secret.

Indeed, the City clearly inconsistently applies this "protection" and releases information it collects about employees when it suits their public relations purposes; when, for example, the City announces commendations, awards, achievements and employee activities, as they do regularly.

The city is capricious in the application of the personnel records law. Councilor Vaughan is right to ask the state attorney general to intervene, but I wonder if, ultimately, it won't fall on the state legislature to update the law so that there is no ambiguity about what is required of those responsible for allowing access to public records.

One thing is clear, Vaughan should not be alone in this fight. I hopefully look forward to other council members joining her in this push for greater transparency. "Transparency" was thrown around a lot by council candidates. Well, here is where the rubber meets the road, folks. Let's see who stands by their promises.

Boss Carroll and Greensboro's noise ordinance hullabaloo

Yes! Weekly, on the heels of their exposé of the public costs of defending lawsuits alleging discrimination in the Greensboro Police Department, uncovers records documenting the genesis of the recent downtown noise hullabaloo, including this gem from local developer, campaign contributor and downtown residential high-rise owner Roy Carroll to an assistant city manager:

"I would like for officers to be stationed in front of the [Green Street] club and monitor the noise for the next few Sunday nights."

Read all about it in "Carroll says jump, City springs into action." (some of the more interesting emails here.)

This is the kind of investigative reporting Greensboro sorely needs (the local daily, the News & Record, reported on the costs of the discrimination lawsuits yesterday, nearly six weeks after Yes! Weekly). Keep up the good work, guys.

American Pop Digital; legitimate or scam?

UPDATE: I received this from Live Nation:

"Looking at your e-mail I can confirm that americanpopdigital.com is not one of our partner sites. We suggest not clicking any of the links and deleting the e-mail."

[end update]
----------------
I received an email from someone identifying himself as Paul Graham a "senior account representative" with American Pop Digital Social Media Marketing. He said he was working on a promotion for his client, ticket vendor Live Nation, and wanted to know if I would like two free tickets to an upcoming (big name) concert to give away on Greensboro 101.

My initial response was, "sure," but then things got a little henky. Graham explained that I could conduct the contest however I wanted and that all I had to do was send the winner's full name, email and phone number to him and the tickets would be available for the winner to pick up at the box office will-call window.

But what if they weren't? What if I conducted a contest with the credibility and good name of Greensboro 101 behind it and there were no tickets? After all, I don't know this guy from Adam. So I asked Graham to mail me the tickets.

He said he couldn't do that and seemed flummoxed by my need for something more substantial than an email promise that hundred of dollars of tickets were at my disposal.

I asked if he could give me some kind of credible confirmation from Live Nation that there are indeed two tickets set aside for Greensboro 101.

I have not heard back. (see below)

Maybe Graham is legitimate and just hasn't given much thought to how to inspire confidence in a day of rip-offs and scams; or maybe the fact that the name of a "senior account representative" is nowhere to be found on his company's website (nor is Live Nation listed as a client) combined with his obtuse response to my concerns really are all I need to know.
--------
UPDATE II. Before bringing this blog post to Mr. Graham's attention, I received this from him:

"We have a marketing hold for tickets at the Greensboro Coliseum, so the tickets are for sure available even if the show sells out on Live Nation, however I don’t have any other way of proving that to you, other than by telling you."

City Councilor Vaughan's rebuttal on records denial

City Council Nancy Vaughan rebuts the City Attorney's opinion on personnel records:

"Since the statutes are silent on records such as: employee expense accounts, advanced training, certifications and commendations (just to name a few) doesn’t mean that those documents are not public records. I would argue that those documents should be in the public domain. How ironic is it that employee commendations are disallowed under the current reading of 160A-168 but employee disciplinary actions are public records under the current legislation?

"In January, I requested, and received, a listing of specialized training and certifications earned by Reserve Officers. I assume that that information is part of their personnel files. 160A-168 is silent on specialized training and certifications. Was the City in violation by divulging that information? I don’t think so. But a strict interpretation of 160A-168 may lead you to that conclusion."

Complete document.

Saving the ACC Hall of Champions

Don Moore of Greensboro Sports writes about the ACC Hall of Fame underporfming expectations. I'm not sure I agree with him about museums becoming a thing of the past with so much online—encyclopedias, yes (update: right on cue)—but great museums will always fascinate. Whether the ACCHOC can cut it in the real world, I don't know, but one thing I notice they lack that successful modern museums have is an online shop.

I know an online store is not the purpose of the ACCHOC and I know that with athletic leagues there are licensing hurdles, but surely the one and only official ACCHOC should be able to procure the rights to sell licensed souvenirs and memorabilia online. Heck, take it a step further and become the E-bay of ACC collectibles buying and selling for fans. The money will be rolling in.

I imagine the sale of Carolina #23 jerseys alone could erase the entire coliseum operating deficit.


Drop me a line, Matt.

WFMY: We right gooder

From stories on WFMY's website today, unedited.

"A Greensboro middle found a fun and maybe unique way to celebrate Pi Day" (source)

"Right now, people living in Guilford County are learning the new value of their homes. One of the most common ones people have is - how did the county determine the values?" (source)

"The rules of the NCAA Championship states that there can not be any commercial advertisement within the seating area..." (source)

"Winston-Salem Dash fans can help a charity and be part of the stadium's decor." (source)

"A sixth Grade math teacher will be pounded on Pi Day with Pies, six of them!" (source)

"Pi - the Greek letter ( ) which is the symbol for the ratio of the circumference of a circle to its diameter." (source)

Local paper cannot hire locally?

I got a call asking me to subscribe to the News & Record today. It was from Fair Lawn, NJ. Can't the local paper hire from within the community for this?

Time Warner Cable: gouging dipsticks

I hate Time Warner Cable. This week I got two pieces of mail from them, the first was from Mike Munley, President of Residential Services with a banner headline announcing:

"We're pleased to extend you [sic] additional savings."

Wow! That's great Mike, because as someone who is just waiting for this to come into production before I stop buying your TV service, it's smart of you to recognize that your basic cable subscribers might not be enamored with cable TV and are probably the least willing to accept a price increase.

The second piece of mail I got from Time Warner Cable was my bill. It turns out Mike's "additional savings" translated to a 48% increase, from $88 to $130.00

Thanks a lot, Mike. You suck.

Plagiarism at WFMY

Although this article on WFMY's website is identified as "Written by WFMY News 2," the highlighted portions are copied word-for-word from the original source.

Chapel Hill, NC-- North Carolina health officials have a better idea of who is affected most by cervical cancer cases.

UNC researchers examined data from the North Carolina Central Cancer Registry on all cervical cancer cases reported in the state from 1998 to 2007. In total, there were 3,652 cases of invasive cervical cancer and 1,208 deaths in that period.

The study found cervical cancer incidence and death rates varied greatly by county, with less affluent counties having higher rates. While most cases and deaths were among white women (65 percent and 64 percent, respectively), Hispanic women had the highest incidence rate. The rates for African American and white females were 10.6 cases per 100,000 women and 7.3 cases per 100,000 women, respectively.

"In general the rates of incidence and mortality in North Carolina are consistent with national averages," said Jennifer S. Smith, Ph.D., associate professor of epidemiology at the UNC Gillings School of Global Public Health and an author of the study published recently online in the journal Preventive Medicine. "However we do see pockets where the rates are among the highest for any of the 50 states. These are the areas where we need to focus our efforts to reduce, and ultimately eliminate, this highly preventable disease." 

A greater proportion of African American women died from cervical cancer than other races. Researchers believe the findings indicate that education, screening, and vaccination programs in those places could be particularly useful.

-- More than 45 percent of cervical cancer cases were in women aged 30-49, but more than half of the deaths occurred among women over age 50. Almost a third of the deaths were of women aged 70 and older.
-- The highest rates were seen in the least affluent counties (divided into three tiers of economic strength by the N.C. Department of Commerce; tier 1 = least prosperous, tier 3 = most prosperous). Overall, counties' incidence rates varied between 3.2 and 15.1 cases per 100,000 women. Mortality rates were from 0 to 8 deaths per 100,000 women. Ten counties (Anson, Chowan, Duplin, Halifax, Hoke, Lincoln, Randolph, Robeson, Sampson and Scotland) had both high incidence rates (more than 11 cases per 100,000 women) and mortality rates (more than 3 deaths per 100,000 women) of cervical cancer (click link to see related map). [sic]
-- No notable difference was found in the stage at which the cancer was diagnosed for women in rural areas compared to urban settings.
* Women with private insurance were more likely to be diagnosed at earlier, more treatable stages than women with no insurance or with government-sponsored insurance (Medicare, Medicaid, military benefits). There was no difference in stage of diagnosis between women with government-sponsored insurance and no insurance.

Researchers said the cancer registry data will help the state, initiate targeted and appropriate interventions. And is an important step toward eradicating cervical cancer in North Carolina. The analysis also can serve as a model for other states as they bolster the efforts to reduce or end this cancer across the nation." [sic]

WFMY: We right good

From today's stories on WFMY's website:

"It feels like we just changed time back one hour, to gain that fathom hour of sleep."

"In the bathroom there are cultured marble tops, solid wood cabinets and a fiberglass tube that will require very little maintenance."

"Now one vague message or threat can tie up all of an agencies school resource officers."

"The plans still have to be approved by the city and the Greensboro Historic Preservation Commission, but he hope to get started on the project within a year." 

"2012 will be the 13th time the Greensboro Coliseum host the NCAA tournament."

"The tradition known to many as 'Spring Forward, Fall Back' which notes the two seasons that time changes has arrived."

Dull? No way.

Rae Alton of Avant Greensboro reviewing a recent showing of the 1924 silent film The Passion of Joan of Arc accompanied by a new score by Richard Einhorn performed by musicians from UNCG, the Greensboro Youth Chorus and the Bel Canto Company at Aycock Auditorium:

"Those who think Greensboro is a dull town are just those who are failing [to pay] attention. Not every town, even those larger than us, has an arts community willing to explore the future by remixing classic forms."

videri quam esse

videri quam esse

It's Greensboro's motto, a flip of our state motto: To seem, rather than to be.

99 Blocks Magazine reports that the Performing Arts Center Task Force isn't waiting for the findings of its Feasibility Committee—the hired consultant for which has already concluded that it is his job to "plan a new arts facility in Greensboro in 80 days"—no, the "feasibility" was decided in advance and the task force is proceeding with putting the cart before the horse:

"With city leaders hastily planning a performing arts center for downtown, one of their challenges is to convince the community that it’s worth spending $30 million of the public’s money to build it.

"One way they’ll be doing that in the coming months is to form a speakers bureau that will fan out with power point presentations to civic groups around Greensboro."

Someday, maybe, we'll think enough or ourselves—of each other—to undertake deliberations of public projects like this without the pretense. Someday. Maybe.

Sublime: Hong Kong Phooey

An homage to a cultural icon of the 1970's combining punk, reggae... aw fughetaboutit. It's great!

But where does he stand on gay marriage?

There really are some closed-minded and fearful people out there. I saw this on Craigslist today under the title "BOBBY COFFER (EXTREME DANGER!!)."

Coffer is running for state senate—in my district, actually—and I know this must be authoritative because it was written in all caps and punctuated with multiple exclamation points. I'll bet whoever wrote it had to change his diaper when he was done.

IT REALLY SHOW'S WHAT STATE OUR COUNTRY IS IN WHEN YOU CAN HAVE A GUY LIKE .......... BOBBY R, COFFER.......... RUNNING FOR AN OFFICIAL STATE OFFICE , ESPECIALLY WHEN A GUY LIKE HIM HAS NO OFFICE EXPERIENCE WHAT SO EVER, AND WHO WAS KICKED OUT OF THE MILITARY , AND HAS A RELATIONSHIP WITH A BLACK WOMAN THAT IS HALF HIS AGE ((( WHILE HE IS A WHITE MAN )))

Boo!

In the interest of public trust

Without getting bogged down in the details, Ben Holder (AKA The Troublemaker) and City Councilor Nancy Vaughan make two important points about the city of Greensboro legal staff's tiresome propensity to throw up a "personnel record" roadblock to addressing a public matter that might be embarrassing or difficult for a city employee.

Nancy's point: It is a legitimate question of public safety how police officers can be expected to do their jobs when responding to calls involving possible wrongdoing at a facility operated by their commanding officer.

Ben's point: When in the public interest, city council may vote to release information the city legal staff puts out of public reach.

Rush's local advertisers

Balloon Juice has an excellent explanation of just why Rush Limbaugh's attack on college student Sandra Fluke was so despicable. It goes far beyond a couple of "bad" word choices. It was a determined effort to besmear a woman with outright lies and good old fashioned chauvinism  (HT: Lex)

"This wasn’t about poor word choice, this was about an all out vicious, factually empty, sustained assault on a young woman."

Yesterday, I spent an hour listening to Rush Limbaugh on his local station, 94.5 WPTI. Here are the local advertisers whose ads ran during that time:

• Financial advisers Wittenberg Priddy Blankenship (One of their two ads started with, "Are you a woman...?")
• Best Impressions Plastic Surgery
• Ram Jack
• Peter D'Arruda (Coach Pete's Financial Safari)

One million times faster than a bullet and caught on camera

What travels one million times faster than a bullet? A photon—light, in other words—and scientists at M.I.T. have built a device that can capture light in motion. The video below replays images recorded one trillion times per second; movies are shot at 24 frames per second, to give you a point of reference. What you will see is a pulse of laser light travel through a Coke bottle.

We all know that light travels, but we've never seen it traveling before, until now.




Volumetric Propagation: "The pulse of light is less than a millimeter long. Between each frame, the pulse travels less than half a millimeter. Light travels a foot in a nanosecond and the duration of travel through a one foot long bottle is barely one nanosecond (one billionth of a second)"

Autonomous cooperative flying robots (fuhreel)

Some things you just need to see for yourself, like autonomous (no human operator) and cooperative (aware of and working with each other) flying robots from the University of Pennsylvania GRASP Lab.

The first video is an amusing demonstration; the second shows more of the capabilities as well as explaining the science.

In fairness to Billy Yow

The voters will decide the significance of Guilford County Commissioner and sixth district congressional candidate Billy Yow's t-shirt episode, but, as is my practice here, I find it necessary to comment on yet another local media mistake, this one unfair to Yow.

In yesterday's story about BillyYow.com displaying the repugnant Yow inspired t-shirt, WGHP rolled video of Yow posing with the t-shirt. He is wearing a blue shirt while holding up the t-shirt, seemingly identical to the blue shirt he is wearing when shown speaking on camera. The impression created was that the video of Yow holding up the t-shirt is from the present.

It is not.

Prodded by a reader's comment, I checked with WGHP and they acknowledged that the video of Yow holding up the t-shirt was file footage from the spring of 2004. It was not identified as such in the report and that left this blogger with the impression that Yow was, even to this day, still proudly holding up that insipid t-shirt.

He was not.

I'm a pretty savvy and skeptical consumer of media. If this got past me, it probably created the same false impression with other viewers. The facts of the matter—the who, what and when—can speak for themselves; they don't need to be distorted and the file footage should have been identified as from the past. Not doing so created a false impression that, even if unintentional, was unfair to Yow.

(Thanks to Tony Wilkins who brought the discrepancy to my attention.)