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Web apps are web sites that are made with open and common components of web design (HTML5, CSS3 and Javascript) to deliver an internet experience to users that is more like that of interacting with an application or program than what we have commonly experienced when visiting web pages through the years. In fact, the whole notion of "pages" generally takes a back seat in a web app to the experience of interacting with screens or portions of screens.
Web apps are not Android apps, iPhone apps or Window's apps that are created specifically for those operating systems and are capable of utilizing some features of mobile devices that web apps cannot (yet) such as the accelerometer (the thing that is aware of the orentation and movement of your phone). Web apps do have an advantage for developers/designers though in that they can run on multiple platforms and devices — a build once/run anywhere method of development that has obvious advantages of its own. While web apps rely on a device's web browser to function and actually reside at an address on the web, they can be added to a phone's desktop with an icon so that users can launch them directly, just like other apps.
Project Greene River, my redevelopment of Greensboro 101, entails making the site into a web app, essentially. I'll have more about my thinking on the ergonomics and user experience in another post, but I've been doing a lot of thinking about what it is Greensboro 101 can do and should do for users and how its current design has grown stale and deficient in meeting those goals.
I have no firm launch date yet, but it won't be long.
30 Kasım 2012 Cuma
Wired in with some Argentinian new new age
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One of my favorite scenes from The Social Network is when screwed over co-founder of Facebook Eduardo Saverin (Andrew Garfield) storms into the office looking for Mark Zuckerberg (Jesse Eisenberg) who is working on his laptop with headphones on, oblivious to outside distraction, and Sean Parker (Justin Timberlake) tries to wave off the charging Saverin with "He's wired in. He's wired in."
I find that certain aspects of web development take enormous amounts of concentration for me. Coding doesn't come easy or naturally. It helps to get wired in -- headphones on with the right kind of music: no words, nothing too sleepy or frenetic. I like psy trance, down tempo, classical and new age.
I've found a great streaming new age station out of Argentina: Cienradios.com, which you can listen to here. It stretches the boundaries of traditional new age, yet retains that meditative and spiritual essence that is the hallmark of new age. It's not predominately South American, as far as I can tell, but it offers a broader mix than I'm familiar with from U.S. new age stations. Flavors of jazz, spacey and the occasional electric guitar join the familiar lush hypnotics. I find it great for getting wired in.
Here's the scene from The Social Network:
I find that certain aspects of web development take enormous amounts of concentration for me. Coding doesn't come easy or naturally. It helps to get wired in -- headphones on with the right kind of music: no words, nothing too sleepy or frenetic. I like psy trance, down tempo, classical and new age.
I've found a great streaming new age station out of Argentina: Cienradios.com, which you can listen to here. It stretches the boundaries of traditional new age, yet retains that meditative and spiritual essence that is the hallmark of new age. It's not predominately South American, as far as I can tell, but it offers a broader mix than I'm familiar with from U.S. new age stations. Flavors of jazz, spacey and the occasional electric guitar join the familiar lush hypnotics. I find it great for getting wired in.
Here's the scene from The Social Network:
A win for digital due process
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It's just one step, but an important one for bringing law enforcement in the digital age back in line with the Fourth Amendment.
In a win for privacy advocates, the Senate Judiciary Committee approved legislation on Thursday designed to strengthen electronic privacy protections.
Most notably, the bill-called the Leahy Electronic Communications Privacy Act Amendment-requires a search warrant before law enforcement can review emails or other electronic communications.
Tchaikovsky's 'In Memoriam'
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There's always something more lurking beneath the surface. There must be some reason, other than me being emotionally unstable, that I cry every time I see The Nutcracker. Those vertiginous harp cadenzas, the longing sigh of Clara's pas de deux with Hans-Peter and the brooding B minor in the cellos during the Waltz of the Flowers get me every time. But Tchaikovsky initially loathed the idea of the ballet and found it impossible to commit any musical thoughts to paper. But something radically changed and, like The Queen of Spades and the 'Pathétique' Symphony, the shadow of death hangs over the score. While it's important not to forget the surface, Tchaikovsky's soaring melodies demand further attention.
It's the basis of my article in the Review section of today's Guardian. You can read it on page 15 of the review section. Or you can click here to read it online.
There's always something more lurking beneath the surface. There must be some reason, other than me being emotionally unstable, that I cry every time I see The Nutcracker. Those vertiginous harp cadenzas, the longing sigh of Clara's pas de deux with Hans-Peter and the brooding B minor in the cellos during the Waltz of the Flowers get me every time. But Tchaikovsky initially loathed the idea of the ballet and found it impossible to commit any musical thoughts to paper. But something radically changed and, like The Queen of Spades and the 'Pathétique' Symphony, the shadow of death hangs over the score. While it's important not to forget the surface, Tchaikovsky's soaring melodies demand further attention. It's the basis of my article in the Review section of today's Guardian. You can read it on page 15 of the review section. Or you can click here to read it online.
Greensboro accepting resumes to fill Wade's vacant council seat
To contact us Click HERE
Conservative District 5 Councilwoman Trudy Wade has been elected to NC Senate District 27, defeating Democrat Myra Slone, and now Greensboro City Council will appoint a replacement for 2013. The details are below, and you can read our suggestions for the seat in the next issue of YES! Weekly.Press release:The City of Greensboro is now accepting resumes from candidates who wish to be considered for the soon-to-be vacant District 5 City Council seat. Council is accepting applications through December 10 for the position that will be vacated by Councilmember Trudy Wade, who was elected to the NC Senate on November 6.
29 Kasım 2012 Perşembe
Tchaikovsky's 'In Memoriam'
To contact us Click HERE
There's always something more lurking beneath the surface. There must be some reason, other than me being emotionally unstable, that I cry every time I see The Nutcracker. Those vertiginous harp cadenzas, the longing sigh of Clara's pas de deux with Hans-Peter and the brooding B minor in the cellos during the Waltz of the Flowers get me every time. But Tchaikovsky initially loathed the idea of the ballet and found it impossible to commit any musical thoughts to paper. But something radically changed and, like The Queen of Spades and the 'Pathétique' Symphony, the shadow of death hangs over the score. While it's important not to forget the surface, Tchaikovsky's soaring melodies demand further attention.
It's the basis of my article in the Review section of today's Guardian. You can read it on page 15 of the review section. Or you can click here to read it online.
There's always something more lurking beneath the surface. There must be some reason, other than me being emotionally unstable, that I cry every time I see The Nutcracker. Those vertiginous harp cadenzas, the longing sigh of Clara's pas de deux with Hans-Peter and the brooding B minor in the cellos during the Waltz of the Flowers get me every time. But Tchaikovsky initially loathed the idea of the ballet and found it impossible to commit any musical thoughts to paper. But something radically changed and, like The Queen of Spades and the 'Pathétique' Symphony, the shadow of death hangs over the score. While it's important not to forget the surface, Tchaikovsky's soaring melodies demand further attention. It's the basis of my article in the Review section of today's Guardian. You can read it on page 15 of the review section. Or you can click here to read it online.
Greensboro accepting resumes to fill Wade's vacant council seat
To contact us Click HERE
Conservative District 5 Councilwoman Trudy Wade has been elected to NC Senate District 27, defeating Democrat Myra Slone, and now Greensboro City Council will appoint a replacement for 2013. The details are below, and you can read our suggestions for the seat in the next issue of YES! Weekly.Press release:The City of Greensboro is now accepting resumes from candidates who wish to be considered for the soon-to-be vacant District 5 City Council seat. Council is accepting applications through December 10 for the position that will be vacated by Councilmember Trudy Wade, who was elected to the NC Senate on November 6.
28 Kasım 2012 Çarşamba
Tchaikovsky's 'In Memoriam'
To contact us Click HERE
There's always something more lurking beneath the surface. There must be some reason, other than me being emotionally unstable, that I cry every time I see The Nutcracker. Those vertiginous harp cadenzas, the longing sigh of Clara's pas de deux with Hans-Peter and the brooding B minor in the cellos during the Waltz of the Flowers get me every time. But Tchaikovsky initially loathed the idea of the ballet and found it impossible to commit any musical thoughts to paper. But something radically changed and, like The Queen of Spades and the 'Pathétique' Symphony, the shadow of death hangs over the score. While it's important not to forget the surface, Tchaikovsky's soaring melodies demand further attention.
It's the basis of my article in the Review section of today's Guardian. You can read it on page 15 of the review section. Or you can click here to read it online.
There's always something more lurking beneath the surface. There must be some reason, other than me being emotionally unstable, that I cry every time I see The Nutcracker. Those vertiginous harp cadenzas, the longing sigh of Clara's pas de deux with Hans-Peter and the brooding B minor in the cellos during the Waltz of the Flowers get me every time. But Tchaikovsky initially loathed the idea of the ballet and found it impossible to commit any musical thoughts to paper. But something radically changed and, like The Queen of Spades and the 'Pathétique' Symphony, the shadow of death hangs over the score. While it's important not to forget the surface, Tchaikovsky's soaring melodies demand further attention. It's the basis of my article in the Review section of today's Guardian. You can read it on page 15 of the review section. Or you can click here to read it online.
Why is the News & Record not on Greensboro 101?
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You may have noticed that the News & Record's blogs and news feeds have disappeared from Greensboro 101. Their new site design broke the connections from which Greensboro 101 collected their excerpts and I don't see any updated links to replace them. I've emailed the editors and publisher to inquire about new links and hope to hear back soon.
In the mean time, I've added local TV stations WGHP and News14. These feeds are less than ideal because their "Greensboro" excerpts include stories from well outside this area, but they are still mostly local. WFMY does not provide a feed that does not also include world news and is not included for that reason.
In the mean time, I've added local TV stations WGHP and News14. These feeds are less than ideal because their "Greensboro" excerpts include stories from well outside this area, but they are still mostly local. WFMY does not provide a feed that does not also include world news and is not included for that reason.
Greensboro accepting resumes to fill Wade's vacant council seat
To contact us Click HERE
Conservative District 5 Councilwoman Trudy Wade has been elected to NC Senate District 27, defeating Democrat Myra Slone, and now Greensboro City Council will appoint a replacement for 2013. The details are below, and you can read our suggestions for the seat in the next issue of YES! Weekly.Press release:The City of Greensboro is now accepting resumes from candidates who wish to be considered for the soon-to-be vacant District 5 City Council seat. Council is accepting applications through December 10 for the position that will be vacated by Councilmember Trudy Wade, who was elected to the NC Senate on November 6.
27 Kasım 2012 Salı
Tchaikovsky's 'In Memoriam'
To contact us Click HERE
There's always something more lurking beneath the surface. There must be some reason, other than me being emotionally unstable, that I cry every time I see The Nutcracker. Those vertiginous harp cadenzas, the longing sigh of Clara's pas de deux with Hans-Peter and the brooding B minor in the cellos during the Waltz of the Flowers get me every time. But Tchaikovsky initially loathed the idea of the ballet and found it impossible to commit any musical thoughts to paper. But something radically changed and, like The Queen of Spades and the 'Pathétique' Symphony, the shadow of death hangs over the score. While it's important not to forget the surface, Tchaikovsky's soaring melodies demand further attention.
It's the basis of my article in the Review section of today's Guardian. You can read it on page 15 of the review section. Or you can click here to read it online.
There's always something more lurking beneath the surface. There must be some reason, other than me being emotionally unstable, that I cry every time I see The Nutcracker. Those vertiginous harp cadenzas, the longing sigh of Clara's pas de deux with Hans-Peter and the brooding B minor in the cellos during the Waltz of the Flowers get me every time. But Tchaikovsky initially loathed the idea of the ballet and found it impossible to commit any musical thoughts to paper. But something radically changed and, like The Queen of Spades and the 'Pathétique' Symphony, the shadow of death hangs over the score. While it's important not to forget the surface, Tchaikovsky's soaring melodies demand further attention. It's the basis of my article in the Review section of today's Guardian. You can read it on page 15 of the review section. Or you can click here to read it online.
Greensboro accepting resumes to fill Wade's vacant council seat
To contact us Click HERE
Conservative District 5 Councilwoman Trudy Wade has been elected to NC Senate District 27, defeating Democrat Myra Slone, and now Greensboro City Council will appoint a replacement for 2013. The details are below, and you can read our suggestions for the seat in the next issue of YES! Weekly.Press release:The City of Greensboro is now accepting resumes from candidates who wish to be considered for the soon-to-be vacant District 5 City Council seat. Council is accepting applications through December 10 for the position that will be vacated by Councilmember Trudy Wade, who was elected to the NC Senate on November 6.
PHOTO: Sarah Efird wins mac & cheese fest
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We didn't have space to run this in this week's food and drink issue, but here it is for all you foodies:
The Old Winston Social Club held its second annual Mac and Cheese Fest on Nov. 17. The brainchild of owner Dane Peterson, the festival is not only free, but all of the entries are open for consumption after the judges are finished.
Sarah Efird, who moved to Winston-Salem from Texas, won first place with her dish consisting of seven kinds of peppers — both roasted and raw — and five kinds of cheese. Efird didn't enter last year's competition but walks to the social club frequently and decided to participate when she saw a sign for the fest.
She topped Eric O'Brien (second place), Matt Montanya (third place) and eight other contestants whose dishes included everything from seafood to bacon.
Above: Efird with her winning dish after attendees made several passes through it.
(photo and story by Eric Ginsburg)
How's Greensboro doing on transparency and access? A great idea.
To contact us Click HERE
GREENSBORO, NC -- I was speaking to Jeff Martin today and he had a great idea. Every Friday, the City of Greensboro Manager Denise Turner-Roth publishes Items for Your Information (IFYI), in which she provides followups to and information about current City issues. It's a great resource. A regular section of the IFYI is Call Center Feedback, that reports on citizen questions, compliments and complaints as handled by the call center.
Jeff thought it would be of great interest, and I agree, to have a weekly summary of the requests for public records and their disposition. If there was a report every week of the requests received, closed and remaining open, everybody—citizens, representatives and staff—could then see on an ongoing basis how transparent and responsive our government is.
I've requested such a weekly summary before, and the City's public information request tracking (PIRT) system is able to spit them out with ease. Here's a sample of what the PIRT system can generate and that could be included in the City Manager's weekly IFYI:
UPDATE: This blogger has created a timeline of the City's responses to records requests over a recent 45 day period from PIRT information.
Jeff thought it would be of great interest, and I agree, to have a weekly summary of the requests for public records and their disposition. If there was a report every week of the requests received, closed and remaining open, everybody—citizens, representatives and staff—could then see on an ongoing basis how transparent and responsive our government is.
I've requested such a weekly summary before, and the City's public information request tracking (PIRT) system is able to spit them out with ease. Here's a sample of what the PIRT system can generate and that could be included in the City Manager's weekly IFYI:
UPDATE: This blogger has created a timeline of the City's responses to records requests over a recent 45 day period from PIRT information.
26 Kasım 2012 Pazartesi
How's Greensboro doing on transparency and access? A great idea.
To contact us Click HERE
GREENSBORO, NC -- I was speaking to Jeff Martin today and he had a great idea. Every Friday, the City of Greensboro Manager Denise Turner-Roth publishes Items for Your Information (IFYI), in which she provides followups to and information about current City issues. It's a great resource. A regular section of the IFYI is Call Center Feedback, that reports on citizen questions, compliments and complaints as handled by the call center.
Jeff thought it would be of great interest, and I agree, to have a weekly summary of the requests for public records and their disposition. If there was a report every week of the requests received, closed and remaining open, everybody—citizens, representatives and staff—could then see on an ongoing basis how transparent and responsive our government is.
I've requested such a weekly summary before, and the City's public information request tracking (PIRT) system is able to spit them out with ease. Here's a sample of what the PIRT system can generate and that could be included in the City Manager's weekly IFYI:
UPDATE: This blogger has created a timeline of the City's responses to records requests over a recent 45 day period from PIRT information.
Jeff thought it would be of great interest, and I agree, to have a weekly summary of the requests for public records and their disposition. If there was a report every week of the requests received, closed and remaining open, everybody—citizens, representatives and staff—could then see on an ongoing basis how transparent and responsive our government is.
I've requested such a weekly summary before, and the City's public information request tracking (PIRT) system is able to spit them out with ease. Here's a sample of what the PIRT system can generate and that could be included in the City Manager's weekly IFYI:
UPDATE: This blogger has created a timeline of the City's responses to records requests over a recent 45 day period from PIRT information.
Tchaikovsky's 'In Memoriam'
To contact us Click HERE
There's always something more lurking beneath the surface. There must be some reason, other than me being emotionally unstable, that I cry every time I see The Nutcracker. Those vertiginous harp cadenzas, the longing sigh of Clara's pas de deux with Hans-Peter and the brooding B minor in the cellos during the Waltz of the Flowers get me every time. But Tchaikovsky initially loathed the idea of the ballet and found it impossible to commit any musical thoughts to paper. But something radically changed and, like The Queen of Spades and the 'Pathétique' Symphony, the shadow of death hangs over the score. While it's important not to forget the surface, Tchaikovsky's soaring melodies demand further attention.
It's the basis of my article in the Review section of today's Guardian. You can read it on page 15 of the review section. Or you can click here to read it online.
There's always something more lurking beneath the surface. There must be some reason, other than me being emotionally unstable, that I cry every time I see The Nutcracker. Those vertiginous harp cadenzas, the longing sigh of Clara's pas de deux with Hans-Peter and the brooding B minor in the cellos during the Waltz of the Flowers get me every time. But Tchaikovsky initially loathed the idea of the ballet and found it impossible to commit any musical thoughts to paper. But something radically changed and, like The Queen of Spades and the 'Pathétique' Symphony, the shadow of death hangs over the score. While it's important not to forget the surface, Tchaikovsky's soaring melodies demand further attention. It's the basis of my article in the Review section of today's Guardian. You can read it on page 15 of the review section. Or you can click here to read it online.
Greensboro accepting resumes to fill Wade's vacant council seat
To contact us Click HERE
Conservative District 5 Councilwoman Trudy Wade has been elected to NC Senate District 27, defeating Democrat Myra Slone, and now Greensboro City Council will appoint a replacement for 2013. The details are below, and you can read our suggestions for the seat in the next issue of YES! Weekly.Press release:The City of Greensboro is now accepting resumes from candidates who wish to be considered for the soon-to-be vacant District 5 City Council seat. Council is accepting applications through December 10 for the position that will be vacated by Councilmember Trudy Wade, who was elected to the NC Senate on November 6.
25 Kasım 2012 Pazar
How's Greensboro doing on transparency and access? A great idea.
To contact us Click HERE
GREENSBORO, NC -- I was speaking to Jeff Martin today and he had a great idea. Every Friday, the City of Greensboro Manager Denise Turner-Roth publishes Items for Your Information (IFYI), in which she provides followups to and information about current City issues. It's a great resource. A regular section of the IFYI is Call Center Feedback, that reports on citizen questions, compliments and complaints as handled by the call center.
Jeff thought it would be of great interest, and I agree, to have a weekly summary of the requests for public records and their disposition. If there was a report every week of the requests received, closed and remaining open, everybody—citizens, representatives and staff—could then see on an ongoing basis how transparent and responsive our government is.
I've requested such a weekly summary before, and the City's public information request tracking (PIRT) system is able to spit them out with ease. Here's a sample of what the PIRT system can generate and that could be included in the City Manager's weekly IFYI:
UPDATE: This blogger has created a timeline of the City's responses to records requests over a recent 45 day period from PIRT information.
Jeff thought it would be of great interest, and I agree, to have a weekly summary of the requests for public records and their disposition. If there was a report every week of the requests received, closed and remaining open, everybody—citizens, representatives and staff—could then see on an ongoing basis how transparent and responsive our government is.
I've requested such a weekly summary before, and the City's public information request tracking (PIRT) system is able to spit them out with ease. Here's a sample of what the PIRT system can generate and that could be included in the City Manager's weekly IFYI:
UPDATE: This blogger has created a timeline of the City's responses to records requests over a recent 45 day period from PIRT information.
Greensboro accepting resumes to fill Wade's vacant council seat
To contact us Click HERE
Conservative District 5 Councilwoman Trudy Wade has been elected to NC Senate District 27, defeating Democrat Myra Slone, and now Greensboro City Council will appoint a replacement for 2013. The details are below, and you can read our suggestions for the seat in the next issue of YES! Weekly.Press release:The City of Greensboro is now accepting resumes from candidates who wish to be considered for the soon-to-be vacant District 5 City Council seat. Council is accepting applications through December 10 for the position that will be vacated by Councilmember Trudy Wade, who was elected to the NC Senate on November 6.
Tchaikovsky's 'In Memoriam'
To contact us Click HERE
There's always something more lurking beneath the surface. There must be some reason, other than me being emotionally unstable, that I cry every time I see The Nutcracker. Those vertiginous harp cadenzas, the longing sigh of Clara's pas de deux with Hans-Peter and the brooding B minor in the cellos during the Waltz of the Flowers get me every time. But Tchaikovsky initially loathed the idea of the ballet and found it impossible to commit any musical thoughts to paper. But something radically changed and, like The Queen of Spades and the 'Pathétique' Symphony, the shadow of death hangs over the score. While it's important not to forget the surface, Tchaikovsky's soaring melodies demand further attention.
It's the basis of my article in the Review section of today's Guardian. You can read it on page 15 of the review section. Or you can click here to read it online.
There's always something more lurking beneath the surface. There must be some reason, other than me being emotionally unstable, that I cry every time I see The Nutcracker. Those vertiginous harp cadenzas, the longing sigh of Clara's pas de deux with Hans-Peter and the brooding B minor in the cellos during the Waltz of the Flowers get me every time. But Tchaikovsky initially loathed the idea of the ballet and found it impossible to commit any musical thoughts to paper. But something radically changed and, like The Queen of Spades and the 'Pathétique' Symphony, the shadow of death hangs over the score. While it's important not to forget the surface, Tchaikovsky's soaring melodies demand further attention. It's the basis of my article in the Review section of today's Guardian. You can read it on page 15 of the review section. Or you can click here to read it online.
24 Kasım 2012 Cumartesi
Tchaikovsky's 'In Memoriam'
To contact us Click HERE
There's always something more lurking beneath the surface. There must be some reason, other than me being emotionally unstable, that I cry every time I see The Nutcracker. Those vertiginous harp cadenzas, the longing sigh of Clara's pas de deux with Hans-Peter and the brooding B minor in the cellos during the Waltz of the Flowers get me every time. But Tchaikovsky initially loathed the idea of the ballet and found it impossible to commit any musical thoughts to paper. But something radically changed and, like The Queen of Spades and the 'Pathétique' Symphony, the shadow of death hangs over the score. While it's important not to forget the surface, Tchaikovsky's soaring melodies demand further attention.
It's the basis of my article in the Review section of today's Guardian. You can read it on page 15 of the review section. Or you can click here to read it online.
There's always something more lurking beneath the surface. There must be some reason, other than me being emotionally unstable, that I cry every time I see The Nutcracker. Those vertiginous harp cadenzas, the longing sigh of Clara's pas de deux with Hans-Peter and the brooding B minor in the cellos during the Waltz of the Flowers get me every time. But Tchaikovsky initially loathed the idea of the ballet and found it impossible to commit any musical thoughts to paper. But something radically changed and, like The Queen of Spades and the 'Pathétique' Symphony, the shadow of death hangs over the score. While it's important not to forget the surface, Tchaikovsky's soaring melodies demand further attention. It's the basis of my article in the Review section of today's Guardian. You can read it on page 15 of the review section. Or you can click here to read it online.
How's Greensboro doing on transparency and access? A great idea.
To contact us Click HERE
GREENSBORO, NC -- I was speaking to Jeff Martin today and he had a great idea. Every Friday, the City of Greensboro Manager Denise Turner-Roth publishes Items for Your Information (IFYI), in which she provides followups to and information about current City issues. It's a great resource. A regular section of the IFYI is Call Center Feedback, that reports on citizen questions, compliments and complaints as handled by the call center.
Jeff thought it would be of great interest, and I agree, to have a weekly summary of the requests for public records and their disposition. If there was a report every week of the requests received, closed and remaining open, everybody—citizens, representatives and staff—could then see on an ongoing basis how transparent and responsive our government is.
I've requested such a weekly summary before, and the City's public information request tracking (PIRT) system is able to spit them out with ease. Here's a sample of what the PIRT system can generate and that could be included in the City Manager's weekly IFYI:
UPDATE: This blogger has created a timeline of the City's responses to records requests over a recent 45 day period from PIRT information.
Jeff thought it would be of great interest, and I agree, to have a weekly summary of the requests for public records and their disposition. If there was a report every week of the requests received, closed and remaining open, everybody—citizens, representatives and staff—could then see on an ongoing basis how transparent and responsive our government is.
I've requested such a weekly summary before, and the City's public information request tracking (PIRT) system is able to spit them out with ease. Here's a sample of what the PIRT system can generate and that could be included in the City Manager's weekly IFYI:
UPDATE: This blogger has created a timeline of the City's responses to records requests over a recent 45 day period from PIRT information.
Greensboro accepting resumes to fill Wade's vacant council seat
To contact us Click HERE
Conservative District 5 Councilwoman Trudy Wade has been elected to NC Senate District 27, defeating Democrat Myra Slone, and now Greensboro City Council will appoint a replacement for 2013. The details are below, and you can read our suggestions for the seat in the next issue of YES! Weekly.Press release:The City of Greensboro is now accepting resumes from candidates who wish to be considered for the soon-to-be vacant District 5 City Council seat. Council is accepting applications through December 10 for the position that will be vacated by Councilmember Trudy Wade, who was elected to the NC Senate on November 6.
23 Kasım 2012 Cuma
Tchaikovsky's 'In Memoriam'
To contact us Click HERE
There's always something more lurking beneath the surface. There must be some reason, other than me being emotionally unstable, that I cry every time I see The Nutcracker. Those vertiginous harp cadenzas, the longing sigh of Clara's pas de deux with Hans-Peter and the brooding B minor in the cellos during the Waltz of the Flowers get me every time. But Tchaikovsky initially loathed the idea of the ballet and found it impossible to commit any musical thoughts to paper. But something radically changed and, like The Queen of Spades and the 'Pathétique' Symphony, the shadow of death hangs over the score. While it's important not to forget the surface, Tchaikovsky's soaring melodies demand further attention.
It's the basis of my article in the Review section of today's Guardian. You can read it on page 15 of the review section. Or you can click here to read it online.
There's always something more lurking beneath the surface. There must be some reason, other than me being emotionally unstable, that I cry every time I see The Nutcracker. Those vertiginous harp cadenzas, the longing sigh of Clara's pas de deux with Hans-Peter and the brooding B minor in the cellos during the Waltz of the Flowers get me every time. But Tchaikovsky initially loathed the idea of the ballet and found it impossible to commit any musical thoughts to paper. But something radically changed and, like The Queen of Spades and the 'Pathétique' Symphony, the shadow of death hangs over the score. While it's important not to forget the surface, Tchaikovsky's soaring melodies demand further attention. It's the basis of my article in the Review section of today's Guardian. You can read it on page 15 of the review section. Or you can click here to read it online.
How's Greensboro doing on transparency and access? A great idea.
To contact us Click HERE
GREENSBORO, NC -- I was speaking to Jeff Martin today and he had a great idea. Every Friday, the City of Greensboro Manager Denise Turner-Roth publishes Items for Your Information (IFYI), in which she provides followups to and information about current City issues. It's a great resource. A regular section of the IFYI is Call Center Feedback, that reports on citizen questions, compliments and complaints as handled by the call center.
Jeff thought it would be of great interest, and I agree, to have a weekly summary of the requests for public records and their disposition. If there was a report every week of the requests received, closed and remaining open, everybody—citizens, representatives and staff—could then see on an ongoing basis how transparent and responsive our government is.
I've requested such a weekly summary before, and the City's public information request tracking (PIRT) system is able to spit them out with ease. Here's a sample of what the PIRT system can generate and that could be included in the City Manager's weekly IFYI:
UPDATE: This blogger has created a timeline of the City's responses to records requests over a recent 45 day period from PIRT information.
Jeff thought it would be of great interest, and I agree, to have a weekly summary of the requests for public records and their disposition. If there was a report every week of the requests received, closed and remaining open, everybody—citizens, representatives and staff—could then see on an ongoing basis how transparent and responsive our government is.
I've requested such a weekly summary before, and the City's public information request tracking (PIRT) system is able to spit them out with ease. Here's a sample of what the PIRT system can generate and that could be included in the City Manager's weekly IFYI:
UPDATE: This blogger has created a timeline of the City's responses to records requests over a recent 45 day period from PIRT information.
Greensboro accepting resumes to fill Wade's vacant council seat
To contact us Click HERE
Conservative District 5 Councilwoman Trudy Wade has been elected to NC Senate District 27, defeating Democrat Myra Slone, and now Greensboro City Council will appoint a replacement for 2013. The details are below, and you can read our suggestions for the seat in the next issue of YES! Weekly.Press release:The City of Greensboro is now accepting resumes from candidates who wish to be considered for the soon-to-be vacant District 5 City Council seat. Council is accepting applications through December 10 for the position that will be vacated by Councilmember Trudy Wade, who was elected to the NC Senate on November 6.
22 Kasım 2012 Perşembe
Tchaikovsky's 'In Memoriam'
To contact us Click HERE
There's always something more lurking beneath the surface. There must be some reason, other than me being emotionally unstable, that I cry every time I see The Nutcracker. Those vertiginous harp cadenzas, the longing sigh of Clara's pas de deux with Hans-Peter and the brooding B minor in the cellos during the Waltz of the Flowers get me every time. But Tchaikovsky initially loathed the idea of the ballet and found it impossible to commit any musical thoughts to paper. But something radically changed and, like The Queen of Spades and the 'Pathétique' Symphony, the shadow of death hangs over the score. While it's important not to forget the surface, Tchaikovsky's soaring melodies demand further attention.
It's the basis of my article in the Review section of today's Guardian. You can read it on page 15 of the review section. Or you can click here to read it online.
There's always something more lurking beneath the surface. There must be some reason, other than me being emotionally unstable, that I cry every time I see The Nutcracker. Those vertiginous harp cadenzas, the longing sigh of Clara's pas de deux with Hans-Peter and the brooding B minor in the cellos during the Waltz of the Flowers get me every time. But Tchaikovsky initially loathed the idea of the ballet and found it impossible to commit any musical thoughts to paper. But something radically changed and, like The Queen of Spades and the 'Pathétique' Symphony, the shadow of death hangs over the score. While it's important not to forget the surface, Tchaikovsky's soaring melodies demand further attention. It's the basis of my article in the Review section of today's Guardian. You can read it on page 15 of the review section. Or you can click here to read it online.
How's Greensboro doing on transparency and access? A great idea.
To contact us Click HERE
GREENSBORO, NC -- I was speaking to Jeff Martin today and he had a great idea. Every Friday, the City of Greensboro Manager Denise Turner-Roth publishes Items for Your Information (IFYI), in which she provides followups to and information about current City issues. It's a great resource. A regular section of the IFYI is Call Center Feedback, that reports on citizen questions, compliments and complaints as handled by the call center.
Jeff thought it would be of great interest, and I agree, to have a weekly summary of the requests for public records and their disposition. If there was a report every week of the requests received, closed and remaining open, everybody—citizens, representatives and staff—could then see on an ongoing basis how transparent and responsive our government is.
I've requested such a weekly summary before, and the City's public information request tracking (PIRT) system is able to spit them out with ease. Here's a sample of what the PIRT system can generate and that could be included in the City Manager's weekly IFYI:
UPDATE: This blogger has created a timeline of the City's responses to records requests over a recent 45 day period from PIRT information.
Jeff thought it would be of great interest, and I agree, to have a weekly summary of the requests for public records and their disposition. If there was a report every week of the requests received, closed and remaining open, everybody—citizens, representatives and staff—could then see on an ongoing basis how transparent and responsive our government is.
I've requested such a weekly summary before, and the City's public information request tracking (PIRT) system is able to spit them out with ease. Here's a sample of what the PIRT system can generate and that could be included in the City Manager's weekly IFYI:
UPDATE: This blogger has created a timeline of the City's responses to records requests over a recent 45 day period from PIRT information.
Greensboro accepting resumes to fill Wade's vacant council seat
To contact us Click HERE
Conservative District 5 Councilwoman Trudy Wade has been elected to NC Senate District 27, defeating Democrat Myra Slone, and now Greensboro City Council will appoint a replacement for 2013. The details are below, and you can read our suggestions for the seat in the next issue of YES! Weekly.Press release:The City of Greensboro is now accepting resumes from candidates who wish to be considered for the soon-to-be vacant District 5 City Council seat. Council is accepting applications through December 10 for the position that will be vacated by Councilmember Trudy Wade, who was elected to the NC Senate on November 6.
Day 21: Jury still out in Latin Kings racketeering trial
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Jurors in the Latin Kings racketeering case had yet to reach a verdict when the judge excused them for lunch at 1 p.m. today in the third full day of deliberations.
The jury foreperson sent a note to US District Court James A. Beaty Jr. shortly before noon indicating that they had not been able to reach a verdict. The judge called them in and instructed them to continue to try to reach a unanimous verdict, noting that the government has spent significant “time, money and resources” on the case, and that if they failed to come back with a verdict the case would have to be retried.
The judge also told the jurors that if that were to happen, it is unlikely the evidence would be presented more clearly and that a more competent jury would be assembled.
The six defense lawyers filed objections to the jury receiving further instructions, which the judge overruled.
Latin King leader Jorge Cornell guilty on three counts of racketeering
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Supporters of the Latin Kings wait outside the Forsyth County Detention Center to greet Samuel Velasquez, who was one of three defendants acquitted of racketeering charges. (photo by Chad Nance)
A jury of 12 in Winston-Salem has convicted North Carolina Latin Kings leader Jorge Cornell of three counts of criminal racketeering, while convicting two other defendants of a single count.
The jury of eight women and four men (eight white and four black) found Cornell’s brother, Russell Kilfoil, guilty of one count of conspiracy to commit racketeering, along with Ernesto Wilson, a defendant who was never a Latin King but whom the government argued was an associate in fact with the enterprise.
Three other defendants, Randolph Kilfoil, Samuel Velasquez and Irvin Vasquez, were found not guilty.
Cornell faces a sentence of life imprisonment because of the convictions on the additional counts, respectively aiding and abetting assault with a dangerous weapon and knowingly carrying a firearm during a violent crime in aid of racketeering.
The two additional counts both relate to a shooting at Maplewoods Apartments in Greensboro in April 2008 in which constructio workers Rogelio Lopez was shot in the chest with birdshot. Marcelo Ysrael Perez, a defendant who pleaded guilty and agreed to cooperate with the government, admitted that he was the shooter.
Michael Patrick, Cornell's court-appointed lawyer, argued during the trial that Cornell had been nowhere near the scene of the crime and had nothing to do with it.
The jury attributed a single act of attempted murder, a single act of conspiracy to commit murder, multiple acts of robberies, a single act of interference with interstate commerce and multiple acts of bank fraud to Cornell, Russell Kilfoil and Ernesto Wilson, while finding that the defendants did not engage in arson, extortion or narcotics trafficking. The attempted murder and conspiracy to commit murder elements both relate to the Maplewood Apartments shooting, as all other evidence of murder was suppressed during the trial.
Curtis Holmes, Wilson’s court-appointed lawyer, questioned how the jury could have found that his client was responsible for attempted murder, conspiracy to commit murder and bank fraud when the only evidence presented by the government during the trial had to do with his alleged participation in robberies.
US District Court Judge James A. Beaty responded that Wilson was alleged to have committed more than two robberies, and that the jury evidently determined that they were guilty of all acts committed as part of the enterprise. The judge had declined to clarify a question from the jury on that matter during deliberations, but indicated to counsel outside of the jury's presence that he took the same view of the law.
None of the supporters were in the courtroom when the clerk read the verdict, although two or three have waited in the café on the fourth floor of the federal building throughout the week. Cornell did not react when the verdict was read, but he scanned the gallery as if looking for supporters before he was taken into custody.
The judge excused the three defendants who were acquitted. Two, Randolph Kilfoil and Vasquez are currently serving time for other crimes. Velasquez was released from the Forsyth County Detention Center in an emotional reunion with his family, supporter Saralee Gallien said.
Four supporters were holding a banner on North Main Street when the verdict came down. When informed of the three guilty counts against Cornell, supporter Daniel Stainkamp wept and embraced a friend.
As a small crowd gathered outside the Forsyth County Detention Center to await Velasquez’s release, Gallien said that Cornell wants to appeal the verdict.
Visibly upset at the verdict, some of the supporters yelled at the jurors as they emerged from the federal building parking garage in a van and berated television reporters, calling them “vultures” because cameramen tried to film them while they were crying.
Prosecutor Leshia Lee-Dixon declined to comment after the verdict was handed down.
Chad Nance contributed reporting for this story.
21 Kasım 2012 Çarşamba
Tchaikovsky's 'In Memoriam'
To contact us Click HERE
There's always something more lurking beneath the surface. There must be some reason, other than me being emotionally unstable, that I cry every time I see The Nutcracker. Those vertiginous harp cadenzas, the longing sigh of Clara's pas de deux with Hans-Peter and the brooding B minor in the cellos during the Waltz of the Flowers get me every time. But Tchaikovsky initially loathed the idea of the ballet and found it impossible to commit any musical thoughts to paper. But something radically changed and, like The Queen of Spades and the 'Pathétique' Symphony, the shadow of death hangs over the score. While it's important not to forget the surface, Tchaikovsky's soaring melodies demand further attention.
It's the basis of my article in the Review section of today's Guardian. You can read it on page 15 of the review section. Or you can click here to read it online.
There's always something more lurking beneath the surface. There must be some reason, other than me being emotionally unstable, that I cry every time I see The Nutcracker. Those vertiginous harp cadenzas, the longing sigh of Clara's pas de deux with Hans-Peter and the brooding B minor in the cellos during the Waltz of the Flowers get me every time. But Tchaikovsky initially loathed the idea of the ballet and found it impossible to commit any musical thoughts to paper. But something radically changed and, like The Queen of Spades and the 'Pathétique' Symphony, the shadow of death hangs over the score. While it's important not to forget the surface, Tchaikovsky's soaring melodies demand further attention. It's the basis of my article in the Review section of today's Guardian. You can read it on page 15 of the review section. Or you can click here to read it online.
How's Greensboro doing on transparency and access? A great idea.
To contact us Click HERE
GREENSBORO, NC -- I was speaking to Jeff Martin today and he had a great idea. Every Friday, the City of Greensboro Manager Denise Turner-Roth publishes Items for Your Information (IFYI), in which she provides followups to and information about current City issues. It's a great resource. A regular section of the IFYI is Call Center Feedback, that reports on citizen questions, compliments and complaints as handled by the call center.
Jeff thought it would be of great interest, and I agree, to have a weekly summary of the requests for public records and their disposition. If there was a report every week of the requests received, closed and remaining open, everybody—citizens, representatives and staff—could then see on an ongoing basis how transparent and responsive our government is.
I've requested such a weekly summary before, and the City's public information request tracking (PIRT) system is able to spit them out with ease. Here's a sample of what the PIRT system can generate and that could be included in the City Manager's weekly IFYI:
UPDATE: This blogger has created a timeline of the City's responses to records requests over a recent 45 day period from PIRT information.
Jeff thought it would be of great interest, and I agree, to have a weekly summary of the requests for public records and their disposition. If there was a report every week of the requests received, closed and remaining open, everybody—citizens, representatives and staff—could then see on an ongoing basis how transparent and responsive our government is.
I've requested such a weekly summary before, and the City's public information request tracking (PIRT) system is able to spit them out with ease. Here's a sample of what the PIRT system can generate and that could be included in the City Manager's weekly IFYI:
UPDATE: This blogger has created a timeline of the City's responses to records requests over a recent 45 day period from PIRT information.
Greensboro accepting resumes to fill Wade's vacant council seat
To contact us Click HERE
Conservative District 5 Councilwoman Trudy Wade has been elected to NC Senate District 27, defeating Democrat Myra Slone, and now Greensboro City Council will appoint a replacement for 2013. The details are below, and you can read our suggestions for the seat in the next issue of YES! Weekly.Press release:The City of Greensboro is now accepting resumes from candidates who wish to be considered for the soon-to-be vacant District 5 City Council seat. Council is accepting applications through December 10 for the position that will be vacated by Councilmember Trudy Wade, who was elected to the NC Senate on November 6.
Day 20: Still no verdict in Latin Kings racketeering trial
To contact us Click HERE
Twelve jurors have yet to render a verdict in the Latin Kings federal racketeering case, and were excused for lunch in the second full day of deliberations. They return at 1:45 p.m.
The jury began the day at 9 a.m. by watching a video made by Eric Ginsburg to document an incident in August 2009 when defendant Jorge Cornell was arrested by members of the Greensboro Police Department gang enforcement unit while campaigning for city council.
Before lunch, the jurors asked for clarification on whether the government’s burden of proof rests on establishing that each defendant participated in two racketeering acts or whether they merely agreed to participate in a racketeering enterprise in which two racketeering acts were committed.
US District Judge James A. Beaty told counsel for the government and defendants that “the court cannot provide the answer for the ultimate decision they must make,” and instead opted to read jury instructions for the racketeering count to the jury again.
The judge ruled that the jury may consider a Wal-Mart robbery as a racketeering act in support of the Latin Kings enterprise even though defendant Randolph Kilfoil already served a state sentence for the crime. He said that evidence that defendant Jorge Cornell used an EBT food stamps card that belonged to someone else does not rise to a racketeering act.
UPDATE, 5:37 p.m.: Judge Beaty excused jurors for the day, bringing to a close a second full day of deliberations without a verdict.
20 Kasım 2012 Salı
Dispatch from inside the bubble: Tim Duncan on the impossibility of reality
To contact us Click HERE
Greensboro Guardian columnist Tim Duncan prior to the election, in predicting defeat for President Obama:
Information that backs up one's wishes but doesn't match reality is not pretty solid data. It's the opposite. Fool's gold. Yet, this is where Duncan plants his flag: Those polls that were wrong—those that predicted a Romney win—were reallyright and those that made accurate predictions were wrong.
To explain the incongruity between the information he really, really, really wanted to believe and reality, Duncan reaches the only possible conclusion: the election was a fraud and "Obama is not legitimately the President of the United States."
Welcome to the inside-out reality of life inside the Bubble.
Ensconced in his womb of denial, Duncan finds himself exactly where he predicted "frenetic and desperate" Democrats would be after the election, using bad polling data to justify claims of fraud. Pathetic (and frenetic and desperate).
Life in the Bubble goes beyond just being wrong a lot about a lot of things, however. It fosters a threat to American ideals. With an incomplete and inaccurate view of the world, it's easy to suppose there are two kinds of people, "us" and "them." Failing to grasp the empirical truths of the world, it's easy to remain blind to the mockery made of self-determination and to the footnotes appended to "all men are created equal" that result too often from the opinions of those immersed in intentional ignorance.
America needs better. However many good ideas one political party may have, America depends on a vigorous competition of ideas. That cannot happen if one side is sliding into intellectual atrophy. Republicans have four years to realign their party. There are steps they can take to have broader demographic appeal, but none of them will work if they continue to accommodate stupidity. They should issue an ultimatum: Think or leave.
-------------
Related: The right wing Bubble is not an abstraction. It is manifested clearly and forcefully in the conservative media. Conor Friedersdorf of the Atlantic does an excellent job of explaining in How Conservative Media Lost to the MSM and Failed the Rank and File. An excerpt:
These polls [those showing an Obama lead] also serve another purpose — which is to support the meme-in-waiting among those on the Left that Romney "stole" the election.Greensboro Guardian columnist Tim Duncan after the reelection of President Obama:
Make no mistake – this election was defrauded, and stolen, by the Democrats on a massive scale.How does Duncan know this? Because of the polls that showed Romney with a lead. His predictions could not have been wrong, he says. They were actually, he says, based on "pretty solid" data—those being the inaccurate polls.
Information that backs up one's wishes but doesn't match reality is not pretty solid data. It's the opposite. Fool's gold. Yet, this is where Duncan plants his flag: Those polls that were wrong—those that predicted a Romney win—were reallyright and those that made accurate predictions were wrong.
To explain the incongruity between the information he really, really, really wanted to believe and reality, Duncan reaches the only possible conclusion: the election was a fraud and "Obama is not legitimately the President of the United States."
Welcome to the inside-out reality of life inside the Bubble.
Ensconced in his womb of denial, Duncan finds himself exactly where he predicted "frenetic and desperate" Democrats would be after the election, using bad polling data to justify claims of fraud. Pathetic (and frenetic and desperate).
Life in the Bubble goes beyond just being wrong a lot about a lot of things, however. It fosters a threat to American ideals. With an incomplete and inaccurate view of the world, it's easy to suppose there are two kinds of people, "us" and "them." Failing to grasp the empirical truths of the world, it's easy to remain blind to the mockery made of self-determination and to the footnotes appended to "all men are created equal" that result too often from the opinions of those immersed in intentional ignorance.
America needs better. However many good ideas one political party may have, America depends on a vigorous competition of ideas. That cannot happen if one side is sliding into intellectual atrophy. Republicans have four years to realign their party. There are steps they can take to have broader demographic appeal, but none of them will work if they continue to accommodate stupidity. They should issue an ultimatum: Think or leave.
-------------
Related: The right wing Bubble is not an abstraction. It is manifested clearly and forcefully in the conservative media. Conor Friedersdorf of the Atlantic does an excellent job of explaining in How Conservative Media Lost to the MSM and Failed the Rank and File. An excerpt:
It is easy to close oneself off inside a conservative echo chamber. And right-leaning outlets like Fox News and Rush Limbaugh's show are far more intellectually closed than CNN or public radio. If you're a rank-and-file conservative, you're probably ready to acknowledge that ideologically friendly media didn't accurately inform you about Election 2012. Some pundits engaged in wishful thinking; others feigned confidence in hopes that it would be a self-fulfilling prophecy; still others decided it was smart to keep telling right-leaning audiences what they wanted to hear.
But guess what?
You haven't just been misinformed about the horse race. Since the very beginning of the election cycle, conservative media has been failing you. With a few exceptions, they haven't tried to rigorously tell you the truth, or even to bring you intellectually honest opinion. What they've done instead helps to explain why the right failed to triumph in a very winnable election.
Tchaikovsky's 'In Memoriam'
To contact us Click HERE
There's always something more lurking beneath the surface. There must be some reason, other than me being emotionally unstable, that I cry every time I see The Nutcracker. Those vertiginous harp cadenzas, the longing sigh of Clara's pas de deux with Hans-Peter and the brooding B minor in the cellos during the Waltz of the Flowers get me every time. But Tchaikovsky initially loathed the idea of the ballet and found it impossible to commit any musical thoughts to paper. But something radically changed and, like The Queen of Spades and the 'Pathétique' Symphony, the shadow of death hangs over the score. While it's important not to forget the surface, Tchaikovsky's soaring melodies demand further attention.
It's the basis of my article in the Review section of today's Guardian. You can read it on page 15 of the review section. Or you can click here to read it online.
There's always something more lurking beneath the surface. There must be some reason, other than me being emotionally unstable, that I cry every time I see The Nutcracker. Those vertiginous harp cadenzas, the longing sigh of Clara's pas de deux with Hans-Peter and the brooding B minor in the cellos during the Waltz of the Flowers get me every time. But Tchaikovsky initially loathed the idea of the ballet and found it impossible to commit any musical thoughts to paper. But something radically changed and, like The Queen of Spades and the 'Pathétique' Symphony, the shadow of death hangs over the score. While it's important not to forget the surface, Tchaikovsky's soaring melodies demand further attention. It's the basis of my article in the Review section of today's Guardian. You can read it on page 15 of the review section. Or you can click here to read it online.
Little: Burke and Adams 'went south on us' on justice for Kalvin Michael Smith
To contact us Click HERE
You have to wonder whether North Ward Councilwoman Denise D. Adams will face a challenge from the left during her reelection bid for Winston-Salem City Council next year.
The matter of the Winston-Salem City Council’s closed-session decision to August to not file a “friend of the court” brief requesting that a federal judge grant Kalvin Michael Smith a new trial was raised during a community forum at the Carter G. Woodson School on Saturday that was part of the National Alumni Association of the Black Panther Party.
Smith was convicted in the 1990s of brutally beating Jill Marker, an employee of the Silk Plant Forest store. Many people consider Smith’s case to be a wrongful conviction because the primary witness was unreliable and inconsistent, the brain-damaged victim was inappropriately interviewed and significant leads were not pursued. Former FBI Assistant Director Christopher Swecker said the original investigation “was seriously flawed and woefully incomplete” and a citizens review committee empaneled by the city council found “no credible evidence that Kalvin Michael Smith was at the scene” of the crime on the night of the attack.
The community forum was moderated by Larry Little, a former city councilman and former leader of the Winston-Salem Black Panther Party, and Darryl Hunt, who was wrongfully convicted of the murder of newspaper copy editor Deborah Sykes and later exonerated after spending more than 19 years in prison.
NC Rep. Earline Parmon asked the panelists to explain why “the city decided not to recognize the legal injustice that we’re trying to clean up?”
Little noted that the council initially appeared to be headed in the direction of officially declaring for the judge’s benefit that the investigation was flawed and the verdict questionable, but then “all of a sudden they backed off.”
During a meeting of the public safety committee of the council, five members – a majority – indicated they supported some type of official action to right the injustice, including East Ward Councilman Derwin Montgomery, Southeast Ward Councilman James Taylor, Mayor Pro Tem Vivian Burke, North Ward Councilwoman Denise D. Adams and South Ward Councilwoman Molly Leight.
Montgomery and Taylor stood firm, but when council went into close session to make a decision the majority eroded, with Adams, Burke and Leight peeling off.
Little singled out the two black members of council who switched sides in his comments, while sparing Leight.
“I have to tell you that Vivian Burke and DD Adams went south on us and refused to support the motion for appropriate relief,” Little said. “DD is walking away from these social justice issues, and has for a while. She won’t say it, but I’m telling you, DD – you don’t know what Vivian’s doing – but DD is running from her – she thinks her white constituents don’t want her on these type of issues.”
Little quickly added that “there are a number of white people you can see here who stand for justice,” likely referring to Kim Porter, Will Cox and their two daughters, who are active with Occupy Winston-Salem.
"She said in the meeting: 'Yes, we got to to do something. We got to do something. We got to do something,'" Little recalled. "And then it came to the vote, and she and Vivian backed off and did a 180-degree turn. And so you have to just look at it for what it is."
Adams won the North Ward seat in 2009 after Nelson Malloy, also an alum of the Winston-Salem Black Panther Party, announced his retirement.
Adams said after the council’s decision that the city has demonstrated its commitment by establishing the Silk Plant Forest Citizens Committee, a move that was taken before she was elected to council.
 |
| Larry Little, Earline Parmon, Augustus Dark and Darryl Hunt (l-r) |
The matter of the Winston-Salem City Council’s closed-session decision to August to not file a “friend of the court” brief requesting that a federal judge grant Kalvin Michael Smith a new trial was raised during a community forum at the Carter G. Woodson School on Saturday that was part of the National Alumni Association of the Black Panther Party.
Smith was convicted in the 1990s of brutally beating Jill Marker, an employee of the Silk Plant Forest store. Many people consider Smith’s case to be a wrongful conviction because the primary witness was unreliable and inconsistent, the brain-damaged victim was inappropriately interviewed and significant leads were not pursued. Former FBI Assistant Director Christopher Swecker said the original investigation “was seriously flawed and woefully incomplete” and a citizens review committee empaneled by the city council found “no credible evidence that Kalvin Michael Smith was at the scene” of the crime on the night of the attack.
The community forum was moderated by Larry Little, a former city councilman and former leader of the Winston-Salem Black Panther Party, and Darryl Hunt, who was wrongfully convicted of the murder of newspaper copy editor Deborah Sykes and later exonerated after spending more than 19 years in prison.
NC Rep. Earline Parmon asked the panelists to explain why “the city decided not to recognize the legal injustice that we’re trying to clean up?”
Little noted that the council initially appeared to be headed in the direction of officially declaring for the judge’s benefit that the investigation was flawed and the verdict questionable, but then “all of a sudden they backed off.”
During a meeting of the public safety committee of the council, five members – a majority – indicated they supported some type of official action to right the injustice, including East Ward Councilman Derwin Montgomery, Southeast Ward Councilman James Taylor, Mayor Pro Tem Vivian Burke, North Ward Councilwoman Denise D. Adams and South Ward Councilwoman Molly Leight.
Montgomery and Taylor stood firm, but when council went into close session to make a decision the majority eroded, with Adams, Burke and Leight peeling off.
Little singled out the two black members of council who switched sides in his comments, while sparing Leight.
“I have to tell you that Vivian Burke and DD Adams went south on us and refused to support the motion for appropriate relief,” Little said. “DD is walking away from these social justice issues, and has for a while. She won’t say it, but I’m telling you, DD – you don’t know what Vivian’s doing – but DD is running from her – she thinks her white constituents don’t want her on these type of issues.”
Little quickly added that “there are a number of white people you can see here who stand for justice,” likely referring to Kim Porter, Will Cox and their two daughters, who are active with Occupy Winston-Salem.
"She said in the meeting: 'Yes, we got to to do something. We got to do something. We got to do something,'" Little recalled. "And then it came to the vote, and she and Vivian backed off and did a 180-degree turn. And so you have to just look at it for what it is."
Adams won the North Ward seat in 2009 after Nelson Malloy, also an alum of the Winston-Salem Black Panther Party, announced his retirement.
Adams said after the council’s decision that the city has demonstrated its commitment by establishing the Silk Plant Forest Citizens Committee, a move that was taken before she was elected to council.
Greensboro accepting resumes to fill Wade's vacant council seat
To contact us Click HERE
Conservative District 5 Councilwoman Trudy Wade has been elected to NC Senate District 27, defeating Democrat Myra Slone, and now Greensboro City Council will appoint a replacement for 2013. The details are below, and you can read our suggestions for the seat in the next issue of YES! Weekly.Press release:The City of Greensboro is now accepting resumes from candidates who wish to be considered for the soon-to-be vacant District 5 City Council seat. Council is accepting applications through December 10 for the position that will be vacated by Councilmember Trudy Wade, who was elected to the NC Senate on November 6.
Day 19: No verdict in Latin Kings trial
To contact us Click HERE
Supporters of six defendants in the Latin Kings racketeering trial held banners outside the federal building in Winston-Salem today. (photo by Eric Ginsburg)
US District Court Judge James A. Beaty Jr. excused a 12-member jury for the day in the Latin Kings racketeering trial in Winston-Salem.
Jury deliberations began on the afternoon of Nov. 16 for about an hour before the judge excused them for the weekend, and then continued for eight hours today. Beaty told the 12 jurors that considering the length of the trial it was not out of the ordinary that they have not reached a verdict. He reminded them that they have a duty to continue deliberating until they reach a verdict, that the verdict must be unanimous and that each must decide the case for themselves but only after listening to each other.
The jurors have requested the opportunity to review evidence, including a video of defendant Jorge Cornell’s arrest outside of Natty Greene’s in August 2009, rosters, financial information for a house owned by the grandmother of a Latin King that burned down, and mug shots.
Beaty told prosecutors to be ready to show the video at 9 a.m. tomorrow morning in court.
About a dozen people demonstrated in support of the six defendants outside of the federal building in the afternoon, holding aloft banners that read, “RICO is bullshit” and “Stop state repression; free the ALKQN.”
Winston-Salem police showed up on the scene and told the supporters to stop drumming, but otherwise allowed the demonstration to continue.
Eric Ginsburg contributed reporting to this article.
19 Kasım 2012 Pazartesi
How's Greensboro doing on transparency and access? A great idea.
To contact us Click HERE
GREENSBORO, NC -- I was speaking to Jeff Martin today and he had a great idea. Every Friday, the City of Greensboro Manager Denise Turner-Roth publishes Items for Your Information (IFYI), in which she provides followups to and information about current City issues. It's a great resource. A regular section of the IFYI is Call Center Feedback, that reports on citizen questions, compliments and complaints as handled by the call center.
Jeff thought it would be of great interest, and I agree, to have a weekly summary of the requests for public records and their disposition. If there was a report every week of the requests received, closed and remaining open, everybody—citizens, representatives and staff—could then see on an ongoing basis how transparent and responsive our government is.
I've requested such a weekly summary before, and the City's public information request tracking (PIRT) system is able to spit them out with ease. Here's a sample of what the PIRT system can generate and that could be included in the City Manager's weekly IFYI:
UPDATE: This blogger has created a timeline of the City's responses to records requests over a recent 45 day period from PIRT information.
Jeff thought it would be of great interest, and I agree, to have a weekly summary of the requests for public records and their disposition. If there was a report every week of the requests received, closed and remaining open, everybody—citizens, representatives and staff—could then see on an ongoing basis how transparent and responsive our government is.
I've requested such a weekly summary before, and the City's public information request tracking (PIRT) system is able to spit them out with ease. Here's a sample of what the PIRT system can generate and that could be included in the City Manager's weekly IFYI:
UPDATE: This blogger has created a timeline of the City's responses to records requests over a recent 45 day period from PIRT information.
Tchaikovsky's 'In Memoriam'
To contact us Click HERE
There's always something more lurking beneath the surface. There must be some reason, other than me being emotionally unstable, that I cry every time I see The Nutcracker. Those vertiginous harp cadenzas, the longing sigh of Clara's pas de deux with Hans-Peter and the brooding B minor in the cellos during the Waltz of the Flowers get me every time. But Tchaikovsky initially loathed the idea of the ballet and found it impossible to commit any musical thoughts to paper. But something radically changed and, like The Queen of Spades and the 'Pathétique' Symphony, the shadow of death hangs over the score. While it's important not to forget the surface, Tchaikovsky's soaring melodies demand further attention.
It's the basis of my article in the Review section of today's Guardian. You can read it on page 15 of the review section. Or you can click here to read it online.
There's always something more lurking beneath the surface. There must be some reason, other than me being emotionally unstable, that I cry every time I see The Nutcracker. Those vertiginous harp cadenzas, the longing sigh of Clara's pas de deux with Hans-Peter and the brooding B minor in the cellos during the Waltz of the Flowers get me every time. But Tchaikovsky initially loathed the idea of the ballet and found it impossible to commit any musical thoughts to paper. But something radically changed and, like The Queen of Spades and the 'Pathétique' Symphony, the shadow of death hangs over the score. While it's important not to forget the surface, Tchaikovsky's soaring melodies demand further attention. It's the basis of my article in the Review section of today's Guardian. You can read it on page 15 of the review section. Or you can click here to read it online.
Little: Burke and Adams 'went south on us' on justice for Kalvin Michael Smith
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You have to wonder whether North Ward Councilwoman Denise D. Adams will face a challenge from the left during her reelection bid for Winston-Salem City Council next year.
The matter of the Winston-Salem City Council’s closed-session decision to August to not file a “friend of the court” brief requesting that a federal judge grant Kalvin Michael Smith a new trial was raised during a community forum at the Carter G. Woodson School on Saturday that was part of the National Alumni Association of the Black Panther Party.
Smith was convicted in the 1990s of brutally beating Jill Marker, an employee of the Silk Plant Forest store. Many people consider Smith’s case to be a wrongful conviction because the primary witness was unreliable and inconsistent, the brain-damaged victim was inappropriately interviewed and significant leads were not pursued. Former FBI Assistant Director Christopher Swecker said the original investigation “was seriously flawed and woefully incomplete” and a citizens review committee empaneled by the city council found “no credible evidence that Kalvin Michael Smith was at the scene” of the crime on the night of the attack.
The community forum was moderated by Larry Little, a former city councilman and former leader of the Winston-Salem Black Panther Party, and Darryl Hunt, who was wrongfully convicted of the murder of newspaper copy editor Deborah Sykes and later exonerated after spending more than 19 years in prison.
NC Rep. Earline Parmon asked the panelists to explain why “the city decided not to recognize the legal injustice that we’re trying to clean up?”
Little noted that the council initially appeared to be headed in the direction of officially declaring for the judge’s benefit that the investigation was flawed and the verdict questionable, but then “all of a sudden they backed off.”
During a meeting of the public safety committee of the council, five members – a majority – indicated they supported some type of official action to right the injustice, including East Ward Councilman Derwin Montgomery, Southeast Ward Councilman James Taylor, Mayor Pro Tem Vivian Burke, North Ward Councilwoman Denise D. Adams and South Ward Councilwoman Molly Leight.
Montgomery and Taylor stood firm, but when council went into close session to make a decision the majority eroded, with Adams, Burke and Leight peeling off.
Little singled out the two black members of council who switched sides in his comments, while sparing Leight.
“I have to tell you that Vivian Burke and DD Adams went south on us and refused to support the motion for appropriate relief,” Little said. “DD is walking away from these social justice issues, and has for a while. She won’t say it, but I’m telling you, DD – you don’t know what Vivian’s doing – but DD is running from her – she thinks her white constituents don’t want her on these type of issues.”
Little quickly added that “there are a number of white people you can see here who stand for justice,” likely referring to Kim Porter, Will Cox and their two daughters, who are active with Occupy Winston-Salem.
"She said in the meeting: 'Yes, we got to to do something. We got to do something. We got to do something,'" Little recalled. "And then it came to the vote, and she and Vivian backed off and did a 180-degree turn. And so you have to just look at it for what it is."
Adams won the North Ward seat in 2009 after Nelson Malloy, also an alum of the Winston-Salem Black Panther Party, announced his retirement.
Adams said after the council’s decision that the city has demonstrated its commitment by establishing the Silk Plant Forest Citizens Committee, a move that was taken before she was elected to council.
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| Larry Little, Earline Parmon, Augustus Dark and Darryl Hunt (l-r) |
The matter of the Winston-Salem City Council’s closed-session decision to August to not file a “friend of the court” brief requesting that a federal judge grant Kalvin Michael Smith a new trial was raised during a community forum at the Carter G. Woodson School on Saturday that was part of the National Alumni Association of the Black Panther Party.
Smith was convicted in the 1990s of brutally beating Jill Marker, an employee of the Silk Plant Forest store. Many people consider Smith’s case to be a wrongful conviction because the primary witness was unreliable and inconsistent, the brain-damaged victim was inappropriately interviewed and significant leads were not pursued. Former FBI Assistant Director Christopher Swecker said the original investigation “was seriously flawed and woefully incomplete” and a citizens review committee empaneled by the city council found “no credible evidence that Kalvin Michael Smith was at the scene” of the crime on the night of the attack.
The community forum was moderated by Larry Little, a former city councilman and former leader of the Winston-Salem Black Panther Party, and Darryl Hunt, who was wrongfully convicted of the murder of newspaper copy editor Deborah Sykes and later exonerated after spending more than 19 years in prison.
NC Rep. Earline Parmon asked the panelists to explain why “the city decided not to recognize the legal injustice that we’re trying to clean up?”
Little noted that the council initially appeared to be headed in the direction of officially declaring for the judge’s benefit that the investigation was flawed and the verdict questionable, but then “all of a sudden they backed off.”
During a meeting of the public safety committee of the council, five members – a majority – indicated they supported some type of official action to right the injustice, including East Ward Councilman Derwin Montgomery, Southeast Ward Councilman James Taylor, Mayor Pro Tem Vivian Burke, North Ward Councilwoman Denise D. Adams and South Ward Councilwoman Molly Leight.
Montgomery and Taylor stood firm, but when council went into close session to make a decision the majority eroded, with Adams, Burke and Leight peeling off.
Little singled out the two black members of council who switched sides in his comments, while sparing Leight.
“I have to tell you that Vivian Burke and DD Adams went south on us and refused to support the motion for appropriate relief,” Little said. “DD is walking away from these social justice issues, and has for a while. She won’t say it, but I’m telling you, DD – you don’t know what Vivian’s doing – but DD is running from her – she thinks her white constituents don’t want her on these type of issues.”
Little quickly added that “there are a number of white people you can see here who stand for justice,” likely referring to Kim Porter, Will Cox and their two daughters, who are active with Occupy Winston-Salem.
"She said in the meeting: 'Yes, we got to to do something. We got to do something. We got to do something,'" Little recalled. "And then it came to the vote, and she and Vivian backed off and did a 180-degree turn. And so you have to just look at it for what it is."
Adams won the North Ward seat in 2009 after Nelson Malloy, also an alum of the Winston-Salem Black Panther Party, announced his retirement.
Adams said after the council’s decision that the city has demonstrated its commitment by establishing the Silk Plant Forest Citizens Committee, a move that was taken before she was elected to council.
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