Greensboro Daily Photo

One of my favorite local blogs is Greensboro Daily Photo, published by an unnamed "husband and wife team." They have an eye for capturing Greensboro in interesting photographs, like this one from today (below). Speaking of photographs, does anybody know who shot the framed photos of Greensboro that adorn the interior of the Golden Corral at the Target Shopping Center? They are stunning but unsigned.

"I don’t think we did our due diligence, and I don’t want that to ever happen again."

Thus says Greensboro City Council representative Trudy Wade regarding the confusion of the bonds for a proposed downtown hotel and other projects.

Good.

Now, about avoiding something like that happening again. Who says and on what authority that the City is not financially responsible for the bonds? I've been paying pretty close attention and, while I may have missed something, all I hear are "answers" that seem to skirt the issue:

• "Private investors will take the risk."
• "The project owners will be responsible for the financial obligations of the bonds"
• "A bank will underwrite the bonds with a letter of credit"

Fine.

What I have not yet heard anybody say is:

"Even if the project completely fails, the owners go bankrupt and the the bank that issues the letter of credit folds, there is absolutely no way, under any circumstances, ever, that the City of Greensboro will have any financial obligations because of these bonds. Never, ever, no way. Period."

If Wade or other council members are truly interested in avoiding another fumble, they should see if they can find someone who will say that, otherwise, there is another hoodwink in the making.

The Greensboro Four: If Not Us, Who?

"50 years after launching the historic lunch counter sitins in Greensboro, NC, the remaining Greensboro Four speak at the AFL-CIO MLK Observance weekend in Greensboro, January 14-18, 2010."

Around Downtown in 80 Minutes: Broken rules

This sounds like fun. Somebody didn't think through the rules though.

Promotions for the contest say the winners of this scavenger hunt-like race will be "The first 3 teams back to Triad Stage with the most points." Consider the following in order of their finish and points earned:

• 1st back: 1 point, 2 minutes
  
• 2nd back: 4 points, 5 minutes
  
• 3rd back: 2 points, 10 minutes
  
• 4th back: 190 points, 20 minutes
  
• 5th back: 2,000 points, 40 minutes
  
• 6th back: 480,000,000 points, 80 minutes
  

Who are the three winners? Well, the first 3 teams back with the most points are the teams with 1, 4 and 2 points respectively. The other teams, even though they have more points cannot win because they are not, per the rules, among the first three teams back.

So any team that goes out and gets at least one point and manages to be among the first 3 teams to returns wins! I'm doubt that was the organizers' intentions. Like I said, not well thought out.

Even more confusing is the fine print in the detailed "rules and regulations." It says, "The team to return to the Triad Stage lobby before 8:20 pm with the best time and most points will be named the winner." Good luck determining that in a fair way without further clarification. To see what I mean, look at the top six finishers above again. Which one has the "best time and most points?" Like I said, not well thought out.

Greensboro. What's there to love?

I whine and complain and criticize and worry myself that I'm on my way to becoming a master curmudgeon. But then my heart wells up with love for this place and I'm alright. What inspired today's moment of pride? The wonderful diversity of Greensboro, starkly illustrated by the videos seen on Greensboro101.

• Union workers volunteering in celebration of Martin Luther King, Jr. Day
• Hootin' and hollerin' at the Monster Truck Jam (including a really impressive lady getting shot out of a cannon)
• Green Queen Bingo
• A band performing Christian metal hardcore music 
• Greensboro Opera Company in public schools 

Not seen in "the news"

I did not see this in (or on) "the news."

"TWU joins unions from around the country for a community service project in Greensboro, NC at the AFL CIO MLK Holiday Observance."

 

You will respect mah authoriteh

The News & Record's John Robinson on from what authority City Council gets advice:

"I wish our elected officials would use the School of Government rather than the League of Municipalities, which seems more interested in protecting officials than the public."

News & Record editor on blogs: "There’s some amount of reporting that they do but not a whole lot on the things we care about."

UNC Journalism masters candidate Michelle Cerulli sent me her case study on media in Greensboro today. She had interviewed me for it last December. She also talked to Ed Cone, Lex Alexander, local media "consumers" and the (Greensboro, NC) News & Record's editor John Robinson.

Without delving into much statistical or empirical data, Cerulli still puts together a well-rounded picture of the local media scene by letting the people involved speak for themselves. It is not going to be eye-opening to people who are already engaged with local media, professionally or as bloggers, but it is an interesting look at the forest that we don't always see for our focus on the trees.

As part of her study, Cerulli takes a look at the roles various local media fill. She quotes Robinson as saying this about blogs:

“There’s some amount of reporting that they do but not a whole lot on the things we care about..."

"Some" and "a whole lot" are open to interpretation, so is "care about" too, I suppose, but I found it rather ironic that I was reading that on the same day that Ed Cone was  writing this on his blog:

"I understand that it's Monday of a long weekend, and that the N&R's Sunday staffing makes a skeleton crew look bloated, but even so I was surprised to find not a single word in the paper or online about the confusion within the Melvin building over what exactly the City Council has or has not approved in terms of a bond issue for a new downtown hotel."

In the News & Record's absence, Ed provides his original blog-only reporting on the issue.

N&R letter writer not up to speed

The (Greensboro, NC) News & Record has a letter today from Larry Morse of Greensboro in which the writer expresses his dislike for Mayor Bill Knight's decision to move the period for speakers from the floor from near the beginning of City Council meetings to near the end. Morse laments:

"What sense can it possibly make for council members to hear constituents’ concerns on a matter that they have already voted on?[sic]"

Indeed. Were More's premise correct, that would be nonsensical. He is not up to speed on the facts, however. The speakers from the floor period is for commentary from citizens on matters NOT on the council agenda. For any matter on which the council will take a vote there will still be a period of public comment before each agenda item. Morse's worries are unfounded.

The matter of convenience still remains. Accommodating speakers from the floor later in the evening is more convenient for some. It was more convenient for others at the beginning of the meeting.  Some Solomonic wisdom might have council return to a previous practice of short periods of speakers at the beginning and at the end of meetings.

Elaine Marshall, step off!

I do not know how you acquired my email address, but I did not ask to receive your campaign spam. Step off!

Water authority all wet

It's good that we have an abundance of water secured for the future. It's bad that the Piedmont Triad Regional Water Authority is making claims on its web site that it does not have the documentation to substantiate.

Great Expectorations

"Perhaps it is the consumption that has disquieted my spirit. My lungs crackle like the fire at Mr. Hirum’s store, and my nose runs like Reddies Creek after a strong spring storm. It has left me quite without strength, dearest diary, notwithstanding the large amounts of morsels I have consumed, particularly of the frozen, sweetened cream extracted from a cow."

Margaret's running diary takes a Nyquil-induced Dickensian turn.

Just like real life

Last night at Ham's Lakeside*.



[*Although they have a domain name, hamsrestaurants.com, it is hard to understand why Ham's does not have a working web site. Click on "call me" to the right if you need a professionally designed site, Mr. Ham.]

City priorities

There are a few things pertaining to public health and safety that we generally agree are paramount responsibilities of municipal government. One of these, certainly, is keeping roads in decent condition. Ryan Shell finds Greensboro coming up short at one intersection and demonstrates with compelling video. His written update on the status of repairs is informative too.

No blogging for Mayor Knight

After his election, I sent the following to Greensboro Mayor Bill Knight:

"You were a great blogger before you entered politics -- interesting, poignant, dignified and informative. Why not start again?"

A few days ago, Mayor Knight sent this reply:

"After discussion with the League, city attorney, and others I've decided not to blog as the potential for problems is magnified."

Can they do that? Probably not.

The new Greensboro Coliseum blog requires an email address in order to comment. They promise, "The content of this field is kept private and will not be shown publicly."

It may not be shown publicly, but I doubt if they can promise that it will be kept private. I am pretty sure that state public records law does not extend any confidentiality protections to this kind of information and that it would have to be made public on request.

Peeving Las Vegas

Former Guilford County resident and blogger Eric Huey, previous author of Guilford School Watch, has landed on his feet in Las Vegas where he is now writing the Clark County School Watch.

Is News & Record opinion author just a guy who lives in Greensboro?

The (Greensboro, NC) News & Record publishes an anti-health care reform opinion piece today by one Russ Cummings. Is Russ Cummings just a guy who "lives in Greensboro," as the opinion page editor simply identifies him, or is he the Sales and Special Projects Manager of a company that serves the health care industry?

Situational Ethics

If you are going to delete comments from your blog because a commenter whines that he does not want people to know the real identity behind his obnoxious online persona, you might want to make sure that you, yourself, have not previously identified him -- with his picture!

UPDATE: Subsequent to this post, Guarino has removed, without comment, Bob Grenier's name from the post pictured below.
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What the hell? Does the News & Record believe in faeries too?

The (Greensboro, NC) News & Record's Amanda Lehmert has an article today in which she identifies an interview subject as "a psychic." Not a "so called psychic," a "self-proclaimed psychic" or a "psychic performer," but "a psychic" -- an identifier as definitive as "professor" describes other subjects in the article.

What the hell?

Although critics bemoan the News & Record's propensity to include fiction in its reporting, this accommodation takes it to new heights. I am looking forward to the following headlines:

• "Wizard says swim center to bring economic magic"
• "Faeries support proposed tree ordinance"
• "Time traveler says Greensboro destined for greatness"
• "Reincarnated Joe Bryan wants his money back"

Sheesh!