"Ansel Adams Photo Dispute Has a Reversal" - NYTimes.com

Since we have local involvement in this - Jesse KALISHER - keeping up to date is probably a good idea!

Create a real Chapelboroham?

Recently, French President Nicholas SARKOZY announced the consolidation of many local government structures. The result may be a more streamlined bureaucracy at the local level.

Imagine for a moment that Pittsboro, Hillsborough, Carrboro, Chapel Hill and Durham were all working together as one entity to serve the entire population. Imagine that we established uniformly superb schools throughout the area and that everything from food to transportation was better served in order to cover all needs and interests.

My impression is that competition over sales tax revenues, ego and a number of other factors really mess up the potential that we might otherwise realize and enjoy.

Fore example, imagine a Chapelboroham plan to offer buses and other coordinated transportation options for those wanting to make a shopping trip to COSTCO in Durham....instead of fighting over who gets the next "warehouse". It seems to me that it makes most sense to put it along 15-510 south of Chapel Hill, well-positioned so as to offer people here a chance to use it.

"California Set To Ban Plastic Grocery Bags" - NPR

And in Chapelboroham?

"A Bike Boom Backlash" - NYTimes.com

KrispyKreme again

For anyone interested, and I hope that's lots of people, here is the nutritional informatoin for what I am told is the full menu at KrispyKreme. Look at it carefully and you will see that a woman can eat almost any one of the items and with that alone, reach the maximum sugar intake recommended by the American Heart Association. A man can indulge about 1.5 or 2 of most things before reaching the parallel limit. I don't expect the cashier at KrispyKreme to be pointing this out to many customers.

"House Tour - Garrison, N.Y." - NYTimes.com

Note the taxes on this house compared to what we pay in Chapel Hill!

KrispyKreme

Governmental Chapel Hill and others seem to have turned out for the opening of the new store in Chapel Hill. If you go to the KrispyKreme website, you will find no nutritional information there on any of their products. I called their corporate office and was told that it would be there "soon". Right. As bad as it is to have the temptation for many of a KrispyKreme in Chapel Hill, I think it's extraordinary bad judgment on the part of our elected people not to be demanding that this be changed on their site and asking them to post it in the store. When I called the store, I was told that they keep it behind the register. If we care about obesity and all of the overweight people among us, we should be urging KrispyKreme to put this information in FRONT of each purchase.

Tolerance in Chapelboroham

Isn't time for a review of how everyone feels in Chapelboroham about tolerating and embracing people whose beliefs are different than our own? Where is the reporter or news organization engaged in reporting that story? It will be too late if we have to wait until someone does something that causes most of us to recoil in horror. Let's understand better, now, what if any problems we have, make sure we know the history, and recommit ourselves to accepting and embracing everyone and everyone's feelings and beliefs about anything religious....or racial.

"Leaving Your Hometown Pharmacist" - Well Blog - NYTimes.com

And in Chapelboroham?

O2 Fitness Clubs

"BBC News - Mexico City bans free plastic bags"

Why aren't we trying to lead on this matter, too? Does it require a law to get to the same place?

NC sweet potatoes - Kroger

I went to Kroger today - the one near Home Depot off 15-501 and wanted to buy some sweet potatoes. Their origin was not indicated so I asked the manager. "USA" was his response. I asked him why they did not carry NC sweet potatoes. He says only what "they" send him. I find that whole picture very disappointing. I bought none.

Sam's Club

Although, I am not a Sam's Club member, I took advantage of their no-member access a week or so ago, just to see what they now offer. I bought a flat of 8 or so peaches that looked good. They were awful. I took the box back today, was offered no apology, was told I should have brought the rotten fruit back with me, but they refunded my money. I told them I sure wasn't going to join after that experience, and the woman at customer relations offered no argument in response!

"Les discriminations se banalisent à l'école, selon un rapport confidentiel" - LeMonde.fr

How are we doing in Chapelboroham on this...in our schools?

"New York Study of Pedestrian Victims Leads to Unexpected Conclusions" - NYTimes.com

What do we know about this in Chapelboroham?

In Health Shift, More Patients Get Pharmacist’s Appointment - NYTimes.com

Is this happening in Chapelboroham?

Aveda Institutes North Carolina, Aveda Beauty Cosmetology School North Carolina, Aveda Institute Chapel Hill, Cosmetology School Chapel HIll. Beauty College North Carolina, Aveda North Carolina, Aveda Chapel Hill

"Produce by ‘Prescription’ Seeks to Address Childhood Obesity" - NYTimes.com

What an opportunity for Chapelboroham!

Glen Lennox

I took one of our cars in for some attention at the BP station at Glen Lennox today. It occurred to me that they, too, may be feeling the effect of the oil spill in the Gulf?

In any case, it was nice to see that Studio 91 is open there, and that they have replaced the disintegrating sidewalk, curb and concrete gutter in front of the bus stop. That's the one that collected a small lake of water that a bus could easily share with anyone waiting at the stop. Now the owners of the apartment complex there can move to replace their brick wall that could replace the pools of water sitting on the sidewalk if they don't act pretty soon. I was also reminded however how loud the noise level is there - just the ambient noise of the cars and trucks, and buses. It's surprising to me that this is not mentioned more often. Once I got on the bus to return to Southern Village, I was reminded how cold Chapel Hill Transit seems to keep its buses. Why?

Case stories?

I wonder if anyone is collecting the stories of businesses and initiatives in Chapelboroham so we can all learn from others who precede us? This would be a lot more informal than a "case" study, but would give us the basic story elements of what someone did, how, and what is happening or has happened.

BP Station Owners Face Long Road to Recovery - NYTimes.com

How are the local BP stations faring?

Chef advisory council?

Why don't we create an advisory group for Chapelboroham made up of chefs cooking in the area? The role of the group would be to advise and comment across the board from infants and schools to supermarkets and restaurants on how we can all eat better in every respect.

Durham Performing Arts Center

My wife and I have been out of town for a while, and only recenlty realized that Norah JONES would be performing tomorrow at the Durham Performing Arts Center. Expecting few tickets, if any, to remain, we decided to check.

I went to the website, and found her concert without too much trouble, but waited, unsuccessfully, for 10 minutes for the interactive seating chart to load. It did not. I then rummaged around on the site, and found the main contact number. We are closed, I was told, and unless you know the "extension of the person", etc., you are out of luck. I left a message for the special events manager as that is the mailbox to which I wound up being delivered. I said that this was not a good way to run things, and that the phone to call if a problem with the interactive "beta" ought to be rea clear. So back to the site I went, and found yet another page that gave me a number to call for tickets and finally reached a person after several press ones and twos, etc. He said that the interactive feature probably was not working because they are sold out.

I asked him why the site did not simply say this up front, and I got a tortured response that surely did not satisfy me.

Some customer interrelationships can be addressed so unbelievably well with just a little simple use of the English language to explain what's happening and if it does not happen, what's next. Why is that so often so hard?

Public Affairs : AA insurance highlights problem of pedestrian and jogger distraction - The AA

We all need to pay more attention more of the time!

"Delhi Police Use Facebook to Track Scofflaw Drivers" - NYTimes.com

Given all of the silly and often ludicrous things that wind up on Facebook, here is one that really makes sense. Peer pressure may be the best enforcer of all. Imagine such a service in Chapel Hill! We all represent one another when we are on the road and there is no reason that each of us should not be able to help the police identify people who are breaking the law and risking our safety and their own. No?

www.WHEC.com - "Study: 9 out of 10 teens admit being distracted while driving"

So, when does Chapel Hill ban the use of electronic devices by anyone driving a motor vehicle here?

Glen Lennox BP - Chapel Hill

My wife had taken our Honda Accord into a full service station recently and was told that the oil was overfull and that this posed a risk of damage. I took it back to Glen Lennox BP where the oild had last been changed and was told by a mechanic there that while there was more oil than there should be, this posed no risk. I told him that they had to assume responsibility for any damage and he said that they would. It sounded as though they put the 4 quarts of new oil in each time and do not check the level after doing so.
I bought gas there, too, and although I spoke with two people working there, neither said thank you for the business I had just given them at the pump.

Whole Foods - Chapel Hill

When I looked for apricots at Whote Foods, one of the people in the fresh froduce section told me that they have had problems getting apricots and had none oat this time. He said they might get more tomorrow or in coming days, but he was not sure. He also said that their apricots normally come from New York and California; he does not believe that any are grown in NC. This either suggests that we in the US are practically devoid of apricot trees, or that there is an opportunity not fully developed here, or that this 5 year old map is wrong!

Trader Joe's - Chapel Hill

I found today that they do not print their telephone number on the cash register receipt. When I called, the woman who answered said she would check on it.

When I got hom and opened the 2 pound box of apricots that I bought for about 4.50, I found that nearly half of the apricots where either soft or had significant soft spots. When I called, the same woman said she would have someone check all of the remaining boxes on display, and told me that I did not need to bring the apricots back in with me in order to get a refund.