Santorum’s sad campaign stop

I happened to be flipping through satellite channels yesterday morning when I came upon a feed from one of Rick Santorum’s campaign stops. I’m not sure where he was yesterday, but the video showed a room full of white people, which was my first clue I was looking at a Republican campaign stop.

The event was in a poorly-lit hotel ballroom. The advance people took the microphone and tried repeatedly to get the crowd fired up by chanting “we choose RED! we choose RED!” The crowd, however, was having none of it and the weak cheer died out after three rounds.

I turned off the audio at that point because I’d seen all I needed to see. The room was lifeless and Santorum did nothing for the room’s energy when he finally took the stage. I haven’t been following the Republican primaries very closely but if this is how Rick Santorum fires up his supporters he’s in a lot of trouble.

Introducing Little Raleigh Radio

Little Raleigh Radio


One of the initiatives that’s been taking up my Copious Free Time is helping start a low-power FM community radio station in Raleigh. A few months ago, a friend mentioned the Little Raleigh Radio (LRR) project and I became determined to help this project succeed.

I’ve been following low-power FM (LPFM) for quite some time so when I learned that the FCC’s window for granting new licenses may be opening again, I felt I had to help.
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Two years ago

Gerry Reid

Gerry Reid


It was two years ago today my close friend Gerry was severely injured in a wreck on I-40, passing away three days later. The days and weeks following the wreck were full of pain and tears though I managed to keep busy helping pull his friends together to celebrate his life.

Two weeks ago Kelly and I met with our financial advisor, who happens to have been a mutual friend of Gerry’s. Since Gerry’s death we trade hugs when we see each other, even two years later.

You gotta look out for those you love, and live life to the fullest. All we ever have is today.

Beware when it’s quiet

The problem with getting a lot of stuff done is that there’s often little time left to blog about all the stuff that’s getting done.

I’ve got a project at work I’m finishing up this week, after which I should have time to catch up on all the blog posts I’ve been meaning to write. Stay tuned!

WRAL interview about recycling theft

Renee Chou rummages through my recycling


WRAL’s Renee Chou came by the house this afternoon to do a story tonight on Raleigh’s proposed recycling theft ordinance. As far as interviews go I was a bit uncomfortable as I was seated and I’m not used to doing interviews that way. I was also uncomfortable with having the contents of my recycling bin displayed for all the world to see. Then again, watching Renee rummaging through my recycling bin reminded me that this ordinance will actually help protect everyone’s privacy by keeping people out of bins. That’s a good thing, I think.

As typical, I though of my best talking point after the interview concluded, and that’s this: just like when I put a letter in my mailbox I expect that a postal employee will collect it, when I put something in my recycling bin I expect the city’s recycling crew will collect it.

Look for the interview to air at 6 tonight.

Triangle Transit circulator buses

I’m not a huge fan of RTP but you have to admit that it’s a formidable economic engine and home to a large number of the area’s high-paying jobs. Try, though, to actually take mass transit to it. It can’t be done in any reasonable fashion.

I live near a bus line in Raleigh and would love to be able to hop a bus and take it into work. I can easily get to the Triangle Transit bus from Raleigh’s Moore Square Transit Station and from there out to Triangle Transit’s hub in RTP. From there, though, I’m on my own! Despite working in a large business park (Perimeter Park) with many companies nearby, I’m forced to walk over a mile from the nearest Triangle Transit stop near the Morrisville factory outlet mall.

This is where the Triangle Transit model falls down: there are no circulator buses which connect the various RTP office parks to the hub. Sure, if you’re a large employer like Cisco you can command your own circulator bus. The rest of us are destined to waste an hour or more each day, staring at taillights on I-40.

I’m curious why Triangle Transit doesn’t invest in more circulator buses instead of buying up land for a light-rail system that’s many years away. Yes, I’d love to ride the train into work, too, but why not first sell people on the practicality of mass transit by implementing a bus system that actually works?

Lining pockets

Last summer, I participated in a one-day community discussion facilitated by a local institution and including folks from all over the county. One of my fellow participants was a former politician of a fast-growing Wake County municipality.

As we were chatting about some subject (I don’t remember which), he nonchalantly mentioned how, while he was serving, he had learned of development plans for an area of town and had promptly bought up property there.

I nodded as he said that but internally I was shocked that this man would blatantly take advantage of his position for his own financial gain. He had no shame about it, either, which was what really stunned me. Hell, he seemed proud of it.

Looking back on that moment, I suppose I should not have been so surprised as I’m now convinced that these shenanigans take place more often than I first realized. Politicians have been lining their pockets for centuries and there’s no reason to think it will end anytime soon.

Raleigh might criminalize recycling thefts

The N&O’s Matt Garfield wrote up a story in the Midtown Raleigh News about the city’s response to recycling thefts. My blog got a shout out, too.

Mark Turner thought it was odd when a blue pickup truck stopped in his neighborhood one recent morning. A man hopped out, collected aluminum cans from a curbside recycling bin and continued down the street.

When Turner returned home later in the day, he spotted a man in a different truck doing the same thing.

The banditry was unusual for its brazenness. But city officials say recycling theft is becoming more common as marauders seek an easy, if time-consuming, way to make money.

via Raleigh might criminalize recycling thefts – News – MidtownRaleighNews.com.

Update 8:55 PM: My friend Mitchell in Santa Cruz, CA tells me the City of Santa Cruz has had a big problem with recycling theft. The city passed an ordinance similar to Raleigh’s proposed ordinance, making anything put in city bins city property and a misdemeanor to remove anything. Mitchell sent a link to a recent City of Santa Cruz newsletter which discusses the problem (PDF).

I think some of the dire warnings by the Santa Cruz police chief are way overblown (“gateway crime?” Come on.) but it is absolutely true that pilfering aluminum cans jeopardizes the entire recycling program.