Wednesday, March 14, 2007
"Edwards goes carbon neutral" - Gristmill
See reference to one quarter of EDWARDS' campaign headquarters staff (in Southern Village) walking to work. I wonder if the carbon neutral pledge applies to his 4+ million dollar house as well?
Tree mulching
What is the best - most recommended - way in which to mulch around all our trees in Southern Village between sidewalks and curbs? Surely, some approaches must be better for the trees than others. What are the approaches that we should all be encouraged to adopt?
Sunday, February 04, 2007
Our "neighbor", John EDWARDS
Today's Chapel Hill News carries an opinion column by one of the Chapel Hill (NC) Town Council members, Laurin EASTHOM. In it, she attempts to respond to an article in the (Raleigh) News & Observer about US Presidential candidate John EDWARDS. Ms EASTHOM contends that we should ignore EDWARDS' new, very large house here in Chapel Hill and the report by the N&O that EDWARDS does not say hello to a local business owner across the street from the new home - that has the highest assessed value of any home here in Orange County. She says that we should look to other wealthy US presidents and all the good works they have done for the poor, starting with Franklin ROOSEVELT.
I am afraid that she misses the point. It's a question of judgment.
Mr. EDWARDS keeps exercising very bad judgment as he demonstrated on Meet the Press today. While he says now that his vote for the Iraq "war" was wrong, he continues to say that he would have voted for the action even today if the "war" had been managed better. He simply does not have the knowledge of other countries and cultures, and especially the Middle East to be President, in my view. Further on that point, he said that he ignored evidence to the contrary on Weapons of Mass Destruction at the time. The judgment that he made at the time of that vote, the time that it took him to admit he made a mistake (more than two years) and the judgment he still applies in saying better management would have resulted in him still voting the way he did all say to me that he does not have what it takes to by my President. This all comes in the wake of a couple of things. One was the visit here last week of some people from Northern Europe who had never been to NC previously. They were struck by the absence of poverty. It also comes in the wake of a rough calculation that what the President is asking for Iraq and Afghanistan over the next two years amounts to about 10,000 USD for each citizen of those countries. If not 10,000, then it is a very healthy sum. And this comes along with a story in the same Chapel Hill News, adjacent to Ms. EASTHOM's piece that talks about the trials and tribulations of a small family restaurant (average meal $7, the N&O reports) only a few miles from Mr. EDWARDS' new home. The story reports that the restaurant "more times than not, ...is operating at a loss". Mr. EDWARDS and Ms. EASTHOM both know that all politics are local. Walt's Grill is about as local as it gets for both of them. Finally, on top of all that is an invitation to a fund raiser for EDWARDS at the home of D.R. BRYAN, the developer of Southern Village. The invitation seems to be looking for contributions at the levels of $500 and $1,000. Where will that money go? Much of it will probably go for EDWARDS' staff and more fund-raising. Ms. EASTHOM says we should look not at EDWARDS' house, but at what he has "done in his work,is currently doing in his campaign, and will continue to do for all Americans as he proactively tackles the complexity of poverty in America". Ok, so let's see what John EDWARDS has done in Chapel Hill, with his neighbors and others to deal with the poverty here that our European visitors did not see. He may have done a lot, and many of us would like to know so we can appreciative. I hope he will share this with us. In the meantime, imagine what might happen if he took all the money donated for the lunch on 9 Feb and created a fund that turned the contributions into meal tickets redeemable at Walt's for those in our town and county for whom an occasional free lunch might make a huge difference. That would give the so-far missing strength to Ms. EASTHOM's words about "actions" that her words now lack. And, most important, it would wind up being one of the actions to put on Mr. EDWARDS' "very good judgment" list. He needs all he can find.
I am afraid that she misses the point. It's a question of judgment.
Mr. EDWARDS keeps exercising very bad judgment as he demonstrated on Meet the Press today. While he says now that his vote for the Iraq "war" was wrong, he continues to say that he would have voted for the action even today if the "war" had been managed better. He simply does not have the knowledge of other countries and cultures, and especially the Middle East to be President, in my view. Further on that point, he said that he ignored evidence to the contrary on Weapons of Mass Destruction at the time. The judgment that he made at the time of that vote, the time that it took him to admit he made a mistake (more than two years) and the judgment he still applies in saying better management would have resulted in him still voting the way he did all say to me that he does not have what it takes to by my President. This all comes in the wake of a couple of things. One was the visit here last week of some people from Northern Europe who had never been to NC previously. They were struck by the absence of poverty. It also comes in the wake of a rough calculation that what the President is asking for Iraq and Afghanistan over the next two years amounts to about 10,000 USD for each citizen of those countries. If not 10,000, then it is a very healthy sum. And this comes along with a story in the same Chapel Hill News, adjacent to Ms. EASTHOM's piece that talks about the trials and tribulations of a small family restaurant (average meal $7, the N&O reports) only a few miles from Mr. EDWARDS' new home. The story reports that the restaurant "more times than not, ...is operating at a loss". Mr. EDWARDS and Ms. EASTHOM both know that all politics are local. Walt's Grill is about as local as it gets for both of them. Finally, on top of all that is an invitation to a fund raiser for EDWARDS at the home of D.R. BRYAN, the developer of Southern Village. The invitation seems to be looking for contributions at the levels of $500 and $1,000. Where will that money go? Much of it will probably go for EDWARDS' staff and more fund-raising. Ms. EASTHOM says we should look not at EDWARDS' house, but at what he has "done in his work,is currently doing in his campaign, and will continue to do for all Americans as he proactively tackles the complexity of poverty in America". Ok, so let's see what John EDWARDS has done in Chapel Hill, with his neighbors and others to deal with the poverty here that our European visitors did not see. He may have done a lot, and many of us would like to know so we can appreciative. I hope he will share this with us. In the meantime, imagine what might happen if he took all the money donated for the lunch on 9 Feb and created a fund that turned the contributions into meal tickets redeemable at Walt's for those in our town and county for whom an occasional free lunch might make a huge difference. That would give the so-far missing strength to Ms. EASTHOM's words about "actions" that her words now lack. And, most important, it would wind up being one of the actions to put on Mr. EDWARDS' "very good judgment" list. He needs all he can find.
Thursday, December 14, 2006
Superb program - Market Street Books
Excellent program this evening at Market Street Books!
"7 p.m. We're celebrating Southern culture in our favorite way: with an evening of books and food. Marcie Cohen Ferris and Bill Smith will discuss and sign their popular cookbooks, Matzoh Ball Gumbo: Culinary Tales of the Jewish South, and Seasoned in the South: Recipes from Crook's Corner and from Home, and chef (and contributor to Cornbread Nation 3) Sheri Castle will prepare samples from both books. Both cookbooks were on the New York Times list for best of last year."
"7 p.m. We're celebrating Southern culture in our favorite way: with an evening of books and food. Marcie Cohen Ferris and Bill Smith will discuss and sign their popular cookbooks, Matzoh Ball Gumbo: Culinary Tales of the Jewish South, and Seasoned in the South: Recipes from Crook's Corner and from Home, and chef (and contributor to Cornbread Nation 3) Sheri Castle will prepare samples from both books. Both cookbooks were on the New York Times list for best of last year."
Saturday, December 09, 2006
Epicurean - News & Observer
Nice review of Citrus!
"In Chapel Hill, the breakfast offering at Citrus is, shall we say, a bit more sophisticated. Executive chef Marcos Lucera, who owns the restaurant with partner Tom Meier, whips up an eye-opening offering that includes chorizo con huevos, Cordon bleu omelet, banana and candied pecan pancakes with praline sauce, and a positively bistro-esque hash of fresh and smoked salmon. Coffee is freshly ground, and juices freshly squeezed.
The Citrus lunch menu is similarly impressive, with options including Scottish cold-smoked salmon salad, open-faced shrimp salad sandwich on toasted focaccia, and grilled beef tenderloin with horseradish mayo on demi-baguette. Lucera cleverly echoes the restaurant's name and cheery decor with a citrus theme recurring throughout the breakfast and lunch menus -- the orange custard batter in French toast, for instance, and a twist on the classic salade Nicoise featuring pan-seared scallops and a lemon-feta vinaigrette.
Citrus is open 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. daily. It's a little hard to find, in the residential section of Southern Village. But it's definitely worth seeking out."
"In Chapel Hill, the breakfast offering at Citrus is, shall we say, a bit more sophisticated. Executive chef Marcos Lucera, who owns the restaurant with partner Tom Meier, whips up an eye-opening offering that includes chorizo con huevos, Cordon bleu omelet, banana and candied pecan pancakes with praline sauce, and a positively bistro-esque hash of fresh and smoked salmon. Coffee is freshly ground, and juices freshly squeezed.
The Citrus lunch menu is similarly impressive, with options including Scottish cold-smoked salmon salad, open-faced shrimp salad sandwich on toasted focaccia, and grilled beef tenderloin with horseradish mayo on demi-baguette. Lucera cleverly echoes the restaurant's name and cheery decor with a citrus theme recurring throughout the breakfast and lunch menus -- the orange custard batter in French toast, for instance, and a twist on the classic salade Nicoise featuring pan-seared scallops and a lemon-feta vinaigrette.
Citrus is open 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. daily. It's a little hard to find, in the residential section of Southern Village. But it's definitely worth seeking out."
Epicurean - News & Observer
Nice review of Citrus!
"In Chapel Hill, the breakfast offering at Citrus is, shall we say, a bit more sophisticated. Executive chef Marcos Lucera, who owns the restaurant with partner Tom Meier, whips up an eye-opening offering that includes chorizo con huevos, Cordon bleu omelet, banana and candied pecan pancakes with praline sauce, and a positively bistro-esque hash of fresh and smoked salmon. Coffee is freshly ground, and juices freshly squeezed.
The Citrus lunch menu is similarly impressive, with options including Scottish cold-smoked salmon salad, open-faced shrimp salad sandwich on toasted focaccia, and grilled beef tenderloin with horseradish mayo on demi-baguette. Lucera cleverly echoes the restaurant's name and cheery decor with a citrus theme recurring throughout the breakfast and lunch menus -- the orange custard batter in French toast, for instance, and a twist on the classic salade Nicoise featuring pan-seared scallops and a lemon-feta vinaigrette.
Citrus is open 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. daily. It's a little hard to find, in the residential section of Southern Village. But it's definitely worth seeking out."
"In Chapel Hill, the breakfast offering at Citrus is, shall we say, a bit more sophisticated. Executive chef Marcos Lucera, who owns the restaurant with partner Tom Meier, whips up an eye-opening offering that includes chorizo con huevos, Cordon bleu omelet, banana and candied pecan pancakes with praline sauce, and a positively bistro-esque hash of fresh and smoked salmon. Coffee is freshly ground, and juices freshly squeezed.
The Citrus lunch menu is similarly impressive, with options including Scottish cold-smoked salmon salad, open-faced shrimp salad sandwich on toasted focaccia, and grilled beef tenderloin with horseradish mayo on demi-baguette. Lucera cleverly echoes the restaurant's name and cheery decor with a citrus theme recurring throughout the breakfast and lunch menus -- the orange custard batter in French toast, for instance, and a twist on the classic salade Nicoise featuring pan-seared scallops and a lemon-feta vinaigrette.
Citrus is open 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. daily. It's a little hard to find, in the residential section of Southern Village. But it's definitely worth seeking out."
Thursday, December 07, 2006
ShipOnSite people
The two men who run ShipOnSite are John and Mike. Their cute little dog is Winston.
Tuesday, December 05, 2006
"Realtime" Chapel Hill buses
This is a fabulous service. I have it linked to the V line, but you can pick any of the routes that serve Southern Village. Pick your stop and the software tells you when the next bus will be at that stop and the predicted times for the next several buses as well. The idea is that this insures that you will be able to time your trip to the bus stop knowing that the bus will be there at the time shown. This story on National Public Radio about a positive trend toward more people riding commuter buses reminded me to check the relatively new Chapel Hill "Realtime" service.
Citrus newspapers and magazines
Bravo to the Citrus owners for providing customers with a great selection of newspapers and magazines every day! They are on the table in the entrance hall so you cannot miss them.
Saturday, December 02, 2006
Citrus people
I had breakfast today at Citrus with some friends. The very nice person who waited on us was Amanda T.
Friday, December 01, 2006
Marrakesh people
I stopped in Marrakesh today and realized that I had not noted the names of the two owners. For those interested in associating names with faces in some of the local businesses, they are Redouane and Christine KHALDI.
Monday, November 20, 2006
"belonging the film"
Another new arrival in Southern Village. See the address here on Market Street.
Thursday, November 16, 2006
Tuesday, October 24, 2006
outside.in — 27516
This is a new site that allows you to focus on news and commentary from various website and blogs connected to a specific zip code. When you clik on the link it should take you to the page for 27516.
Thursday, September 21, 2006
10 year assessment?
Southern Village has been around now for about 10 years. Could you imagine an evening - say at the Lumina - devoted a review of those 10 years, and some discussion of where we might like to see the community and its environs go in the next 10 years? This is not a Home Owners Association kind of event - but rather a "community" review of where we've been, where we are, and what we see in the future. People from Dogwood Acres, UNC, Carrboro, etc. would be invited to join us. Any interest?
Weekend evening bus to Chapel Hill?
Why not explore with the Chapel Hill Transit people the idea of providing one or two buses each Friday and Saturday night from Southern Village to downtown Chapel Hill? Leave at 6 or 7, return at 10 or 11. That would allow people of all ages to enjoy downtown, not worry about having a glass of wine or two with dinner, and eliminate the parking challenge. Worth pursuing?
Tuesday, September 19, 2006
Thursday, September 14, 2006
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