Tuesday, December 1, 2009
Walk Carrboro
This site looks like it got out of the yard and remains a bit lost. Is anyone tending to it?
Sunday, November 29, 2009
Saturday, November 28, 2009
"La Provence (bien) vue par ses touristes" - La Provence
How can we make it easier for people of all kinds from residents to first-time visitors to tell us about their experience in Chapelboroham?
For example, my wife and I ate last evening at Mint in Chapel Hill with a friend/colleague from Bangladesh. How do we contribute our reactions to that evening to some better and useful understanding of how to make Chapelboroham even better? We need to come up with an organized and valuable way to do this.
Suppose we were each offered $2 for filling out a post-visit form with a limite of 12/year? And that we were given a reminder of this option at every place we might go from the botanical center to restaurants and gas stations and all manner of shops and services, including the universities?
For example, my wife and I ate last evening at Mint in Chapel Hill with a friend/colleague from Bangladesh. How do we contribute our reactions to that evening to some better and useful understanding of how to make Chapelboroham even better? We need to come up with an organized and valuable way to do this.
Suppose we were each offered $2 for filling out a post-visit form with a limite of 12/year? And that we were given a reminder of this option at every place we might go from the botanical center to restaurants and gas stations and all manner of shops and services, including the universities?
Tuesday, November 24, 2009
"N.C. ‘Creative Industry’ generates 290,000 jobs, $41 billion annually" - Report :: Editor’s Blog at Local Tech Wire
How much of this comes from Chapelboroham?
Saturday, November 21, 2009
Thursday, November 19, 2009
Thursday, November 5, 2009
"Abu Dhabi finalizes draft proposal to ban use of plastic bags" - Kippreport
Meanwhile, in Chapelboroham?
Wednesday, November 4, 2009
Tuesday, November 3, 2009
Commercial (and other) life along the bus lines
I was just reading a story about how here in Nice, where I am now, the city focused on ways to increase business for those shops along the relatively recently finished tram line. Those businesses suffered mightily during the tram construction, and have had a tough time coming back. Slowly, they are re-energizing themselves or transforming into new offerings.
One of the approaches that I have not seen tried in Chapel Hill and environs is to focus on ways in which businesses can be advanced that are along all of the bus routes. How, for example, can businesses at either end of the V line that connectes Southern Village and Meadowmont benefit from those buses? Are their promotions that could be devised? Is there information that could be disseminated? Are there stories that could be told? And it is not just at either end that's important. The same bus stops at Glen Lennox shopping center and runs through the UNC campus. What are the businesses and other offerings along the way that people with access to that route ought to consider.
The same is true for every other bus line in town.
And it applies to the buses of Triangle Transit as well that connect Chapel Hill to the rest of the Triangle.
One of the approaches that I have not seen tried in Chapel Hill and environs is to focus on ways in which businesses can be advanced that are along all of the bus routes. How, for example, can businesses at either end of the V line that connectes Southern Village and Meadowmont benefit from those buses? Are their promotions that could be devised? Is there information that could be disseminated? Are there stories that could be told? And it is not just at either end that's important. The same bus stops at Glen Lennox shopping center and runs through the UNC campus. What are the businesses and other offerings along the way that people with access to that route ought to consider.
The same is true for every other bus line in town.
And it applies to the buses of Triangle Transit as well that connect Chapel Hill to the rest of the Triangle.
Saturday, October 31, 2009
Saturday, October 17, 2009
"City Critic - Despite Poor Image, Pedicabs Are Clean Transportation" - NYTimes.com
What's the status of this service in Chapelboroham?
"North Carolinians Bridle Over Plan to Free Inmates" - NYTimes.com
Anyone of whom we should be aware on this list from Chapelborham?
Friday, October 16, 2009
Monday, October 5, 2009
Sunday, October 4, 2009
Saturday, October 3, 2009
"Crime in Wilmington a key issue in candidates’ debates" - StarNewsOnline.com | Star News | Wilmington, NC
Note the external links and how valuable they appear to be. Why not the same here in Chapelboroham?
Saturday, September 12, 2009
"Water Pollution" - The New York Times
A good interactice resource on who has incurred violations in this area.
Monday, August 31, 2009
"Garner Opens 4.2 Mile Loop Of Sidewalks" - Wake County - MyNC.com
Where is the Chapelboroham version of this?
"Safety Group Seeks Ban on Texting While Driving" - NYTimes.com
Bravo!
Why we have to wait weeks more before this is illegal in NC is a mystery to me.
Why we have to wait weeks more before this is illegal in NC is a mystery to me.
Thursday, August 27, 2009
"F.D.I.C. Says Banking Industry Lost $3.7 Billion" - NYTimes.com
I wonder which banks in Chapelboroham might be facing challenges beyond Harrington Bank?
Friday, August 21, 2009
Thursday, August 20, 2009
"A Surprise Increase in Jobless Claims" - NYTimes.com
See the reference to North Carolina. Are we all paying enough attention to this and looking for solutions ahead of problems?
Wednesday, August 19, 2009
"Paris Plans Zero-Emissions Car-Sharing" - Wheels Blog - NYTimes.com
And Chapelboroham is out ahead of this exactly how?
"Green Home Projects in a Down Economy" - Green Inc. Blog - NYTimes.com
What's been the impact on Chapelboroham?
Friday, August 14, 2009
"John Mackey: The Whole Foods Alternative to ObamaCare" - WSJ.com
I wonder if this reflects the views of the people who work at Whole Foods in Chapel Hill. We should ask them.
Thursday, August 13, 2009
"Montreal Exports its Bike-Sharing Program" - Green Inc. Blog - NYTimes.com
Given the increasing obesity of North Carolinians, might this not be an import worth considering?
Tuesday, August 11, 2009
NC poll
Do any of the Republicans who answered that they did not think or were not sure whether President OBAMA was born in the US, and did not think Hawaii is a state in the US, live in Chapelboroham? Scarily, I am afraid they do. There is no reason that we should not offer to help these poor souls. They surely need all that we can give.
Retirement options in Chapel Hill
I asked each of the main retirement communities in Chapel what is the average age of their newest residents. Here is the response:
Galloway Ridge – “low seventies”
Carol Woods – 73
Cedars – 74.5
Carolina Meadows - 80
Galloway Ridge – “low seventies”
Carol Woods – 73
Cedars – 74.5
Carolina Meadows - 80
"Trains and Vans May Beat Taxis to the Airport" - NYTimes.com
And in Chapelboroham, what's the trend?
Sunday, August 9, 2009
"News Site Keeps Focus on Town’s Recession" - NYTimes.com
Who is doing the best job of watching recession in Chapelboroham?
Thursday, August 6, 2009
Make the Varsity a non-profit theater? - chapelhillnews.com
See the third letter on this link advocating non-profit status for the Varsity so as to keep it operating.
I'd say it's a function of commitment; how many people are willing to put up money in the way that Weaver Street Market is organized to support a community movie theater? That's the real issue. There is no reason not to try!
In France, where I spend a lot of time, the city of Nice acquired a theater with many problems and has turned it into a quite successful operation. Instead of concentrating on two screens, tho, the Nice theater has about 6 smaller ones and perhaps 30 films shown over the course of each week.
I think other formulas need to be tried both in organizing the theater and in what and how films are shown. I do not know what the architectural considerations may be but perhaps the same idea would work even better in another space.
I'd say it's a function of commitment; how many people are willing to put up money in the way that Weaver Street Market is organized to support a community movie theater? That's the real issue. There is no reason not to try!
In France, where I spend a lot of time, the city of Nice acquired a theater with many problems and has turned it into a quite successful operation. Instead of concentrating on two screens, tho, the Nice theater has about 6 smaller ones and perhaps 30 films shown over the course of each week.
I think other formulas need to be tried both in organizing the theater and in what and how films are shown. I do not know what the architectural considerations may be but perhaps the same idea would work even better in another space.
Thursday, July 30, 2009
"Senator Foy?" - The Chapel Hill Magazine Blog
Hmmm. It's a good idea not to confuse happy-talk Chapel Hill Magazine with journalism. Note SHANNON's commitment to support FOY in the Senate race, should he enter it. At least we know where he stands, but I look forward to reading about the candidates elsewhere.
Wednesday, July 29, 2009
Tuesday, July 28, 2009
Tuesday, July 21, 2009
"Trash Stalking" - Freakonomics Blog - NYTimes.com
We should do this in Chapelboroham as well! Where, for sure, does it all go?
Thursday, July 16, 2009
Monday, July 6, 2009
Thursday, July 2, 2009
Sunday, June 21, 2009
Eco-Systèmes
France has set up a system to allow people to junk their old appliances in an orderly manner, not in a garbage can and on to landfill. The link here is to the map of the Nice region, where I live when not in Chapel Hill, and shows the many places where we can dump old appliances.
They are running full page newspaper advertisements in the local French newspaper promoting the service.
Where is the Chapelboroham version of this?
They are running full page newspaper advertisements in the local French newspaper promoting the service.
Where is the Chapelboroham version of this?
Wednesday, June 17, 2009
Monday, June 1, 2009
Chapel Hill Tranist - schedules posted!
It was nice to see the schedules for all the buses that stop at Glen Lennox posted on the wall of the shelter this morning. Previously, they left out the V route and perhaps others. They are all there now, it appears, and clearly presented. That's very helpful to customers.
Sunday, May 24, 2009
"Click and Save - Online Class Cuts Insurance Rates" - NYTimes.com
Is this available in Chapelboroham?
Wednesday, May 13, 2009
Tuesday, May 12, 2009
"Carless in America?" - Room for Debate Blog - NYTimes.com
I'll settle for Chapelboroham for starters!
"Advertising - As Storefronts Become Vacant, Ads Arrive" - NYTimes.com
We are likely to see more of this sort of thing here as more storefronts move toward vacancy, or at least so it seems. It presents an opportunity if the advertising is done well, is useful, and is maintained.
Monday, May 11, 2009
Wednesday, May 6, 2009
Sunday, May 3, 2009
Wednesday, April 22, 2009
Tuesday, April 21, 2009
Monday, April 20, 2009
Thursday, April 16, 2009
"Mall Operator General Growth Files for Bankruptcy Protection" - washingtonpost.com
This is the owner of Streets of Southpoint.
I hope someone will look into the financial health of other shopping malls and centers of all sizes in Chapelboroham.
I hope someone will look into the financial health of other shopping malls and centers of all sizes in Chapelboroham.
Wednesday, April 15, 2009
"U.S. Stymied as Guns Flow to Mexican Cartels" - NYTimes.com
Does anyone know if any guns purchased in Chapelboroham have been smuggled south to Mexico?
Monday, April 13, 2009
"Gun Sales: Will The "Loophole" Close?" - CBS News
What are the facts relating to this story in NC? Virginia shares a common border with NC. What is the impact? How do rules in NC compare? What are the trends? Who keeps track?
Saturday, April 11, 2009
"Downtown Tulsa Unlimited"
This is the site of the organization of the man picked to head the Chapel Hill downtown partnership. Let's hope he does not think that 2-1/2 month old - the most recent here - news is news. See this story about the selection.
"Wells Tower, Voice of the Luckless in ‘Everything Ravaged, Everything Burned’" - NYTimes.com
Another Chapelboroham-bred writer.
Friday, April 10, 2009
"Yelp Gives Small Businesses a Louder Voice" - Bits Blog - NYTimes.com
I think this is a great opportunity for Chapelboroham.
Thursday, April 9, 2009
Wednesday, April 8, 2009
"Student burned in Franklin Street bonfire" - WRAL.com
Here's how I see this one. The people who started the fires should be arrested and forced to pay for any damages and injuries that resulted. Those who acted negligently in getting too close to fires ought to be required to pay the full cost of their medical treatment; no insurance policy should cover such stupid conduct. If anyone was hurt as a result of behaving prudently, they, of course, deserve our support and insurance coverage. But I sense the people who were injured were behaving in a dumb manner, they should be required to pay the entire bill for their treatments - 100% - and if they want to sue the fire starters, that's their legal right to try.
Tuesday, April 7, 2009
Monday, April 6, 2009
"Journalism Bust, J-School Boom" - Forbes.com
At least one thing is "up" in Chapelboroham ... applications to the Journalism school at UNC, our only such school. Go figure......
Saturday, April 4, 2009
"‘Drive Carrboro’ group gets rolling"
With Carrboro open to all points of view, I am torn as to whether to assume this to be real or, my hope, to put it in the April Fool's file? Interestingly, there are no comments on the website about this article as I type this.
Friday, April 3, 2009
Newspapers
At a time when newspapers are facing such tough times, I was encouraged by my trip to Market Street in Southern Village today in order to replace a soggy copy of the Herald-Sun on my driveway. By the time I left the vending machines, I had picked up the News & Observer for 50 cents and the Herald-Sun replacement for 50 cents PLUS the Daily Tar Heel for free, the Independent for free, and the Carrboro Citizen for free.
When I got back home, I read them all 0r at least what we generally call "reading" when it comes to skimming around newspaper pages and stories. Do I feel like I got a dollar's worth out of all that? You bet!!! In fact, it probably was worth 2.50 for the lot to me, but if they had been priced that high, I probably would not have bought them all, and so I would not know what I missed.
There is something so valuable about the way in which newspaper pages are laid out and so far we have not come close to replicating that serendipiditious experience on a computer or other screen.
In any case, we are lucky to have all these "voices" and so many chances each and week to be informed about so many things, both in terms of news and in terms of commerce.
A large part of newspapers' challenge today is that they do a really poor job of telling the story of the personal value derived from each issue by readers.
Just think for a moment.... When was the last time you heard or read a newspaper telling you about the different yesterday's paper made in someone's life - from the simple choics of food on sale to some understanding of a global issue and all points inbetween?
When I got back home, I read them all 0r at least what we generally call "reading" when it comes to skimming around newspaper pages and stories. Do I feel like I got a dollar's worth out of all that? You bet!!! In fact, it probably was worth 2.50 for the lot to me, but if they had been priced that high, I probably would not have bought them all, and so I would not know what I missed.
There is something so valuable about the way in which newspaper pages are laid out and so far we have not come close to replicating that serendipiditious experience on a computer or other screen.
In any case, we are lucky to have all these "voices" and so many chances each and week to be informed about so many things, both in terms of news and in terms of commerce.
A large part of newspapers' challenge today is that they do a really poor job of telling the story of the personal value derived from each issue by readers.
Just think for a moment.... When was the last time you heard or read a newspaper telling you about the different yesterday's paper made in someone's life - from the simple choics of food on sale to some understanding of a global issue and all points inbetween?
Thursday, April 2, 2009
"Discover Things To Do" - MyNC.com
This appears to be a very good calendar. Type in your ZIP code to see events within whatever distance you specify.....
Carolina North for Dummies
As I read - or more accurately, skim - stories about Carolina North, I am imagining that there may be a few people who are giving this a fair amount of attention. That's not most people for sure!
What a great opportunity this presents to do two things.
One is to create a site called simply Carolina North for Dummies. It would have all of the basic stuff in it in a very simple and clear presentation.
Second would be to do with this a wiki application that would allow for it to be a work in progress. As new events or developments occur, they could simply be added either by anyone or, preferred, someone or some group of people charged with keeping it up to date.
Want to learn very simply what's hot and important with respect to Carolina North, here is the site to visit.......
What a great opportunity this presents to do two things.
One is to create a site called simply Carolina North for Dummies. It would have all of the basic stuff in it in a very simple and clear presentation.
Second would be to do with this a wiki application that would allow for it to be a work in progress. As new events or developments occur, they could simply be added either by anyone or, preferred, someone or some group of people charged with keeping it up to date.
Want to learn very simply what's hot and important with respect to Carolina North, here is the site to visit.......
Wednesday, April 1, 2009
"Le chômage à 8,5% en février monte encore dans la zone euro" - Le Point
In case anyone is paying attention, the Triangle and all of France are now at the same level of unemployments - about 8.5%.
"Triangle unemployment rises to 8.3 percent" - News & Observer
We need to work a lot harder than we are to focus on what 8.3% means to this community and develop more efforts to keep this number as low as possible while helping all of our friends and neighbors who are especially hard hit by this downturn. Does anyone think we are doing enough? I surely do not.
Thursday, March 26, 2009
Burying utility lines
Is this a very good time to be thinking about all the people who might be employed to bury some of our unsightly utility lines in Chapelboroham? Perhaps the lines do not need to go fully underground. Has anyone come up with a design that essentially puts the lines at ground level inside the kind of "pipe" that would provide easy utility access and perhaps serve as the base for a new somewhat elevated trail route in the area?
Buses on 15-501
It seems to me that a lot of us travel frequently in our cars on 15-501, especially for shopping. Why wouldn't it make sense to offer some bus options that would connect major population centers like Southern Village to all of the main shopping places along 15-501? Perhaps the bus would operate only on 15-501, back and forth between Southern Village at one end and the Home Depot/Walmart set of shops on the other?
"As it happened: The president's 'online town hall'" - The Oval: Tracking the Obama presidency
Couldn't/shouldn't we do one of these for Chapelboroham? I am not suggesting a local focus on the OBAMA presidency, but rather a local focus on what's on people's minds within our territory. It could be national or even international matters, but most likely is much more focused on what we need to be discussing about what's happening within a few miles of where we live and work.
Wednesday, March 25, 2009
"Laid-Off Architect Sells Advice For 5 Cents" - NPR
Who is doing the best job of approaching the economic crisis by adding one e-mail at a time, as this architect is doing?
Health in Chapelboroham
We all have an interest in a lot of health issues throughout our community. In some cases, it is for self-protection. In others, it is a question of seeking treatment for maladies that seem "to be going around" at any given time. Other times it may be an interest in knowing of a specialist who either comes to the area, or leaves.
Is there any website or service that attempts to use the power of the internet to help us do that?
Is there any website or service that attempts to use the power of the internet to help us do that?
"mexican drug cartel "north carolina"" - Google News
Here are the results of a search I just did on Google News. It's amazing to me that no major news organization inNorth Carolina appears here with a story that enlightens us in Chapelboroham or elsewhere in the state about what's behind those dots on the New York Times map on Sunday - showing significant Mexican drug cartel activity in several places around the state. At a time when we worry about the potential loss of newspapers and news media, sometimes you have to wonder what it is, exactly, that we are about to lose?
Tuesday, March 24, 2009
"N.C. Cancer Hospital Construction Progress"
Construction has not stopped, but you might wonder from this neglected feature.
This site seems to do a better job of reporting on the hospital and its construction progress.
This site seems to do a better job of reporting on the hospital and its construction progress.
"Welcome to Chapel Hill Wine Company"
It's always nice to see another new website enter the Chapelboroham market. I'll add some comments later....
Link to previous blog.....
I will try to transfer the posts on this blog to this location, but for the moment, I wanted to get started with this new name.
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