Notes from the Reserve

40 Inspirational Moments

2008-12-16T21:18:00.001-05:00

Hat tip to David Weinberger.

Morning Edition on WOSU Radio

2008-12-13T08:17:00.001-05:00

A very nice TV spot promoting Morning Edition on WOSU FM.

Happy Thanksgiving

2008-11-26T08:40:00.001-05:00

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A Marker In The Life of Our Country

2008-11-05T13:51:00.000-05:00

I WANT MY MTV ... and a lot more!

2008-11-01T20:09:00.005-04:00

My friends at Jacobs Media have been talking for the last year about the idea of CVC (Control Variety Choice) and from my perspective MTV has nailed it with the new MTV Music site. I visited the site for the first time today wondering if it would really talk to me. It didn't take long to find a Jackson Browne video (below) that immediately answered that question affirmatively.

It got me thinking -- "Hello Public Radio and Television???? What about your music brands (Classical-Jazz-AAA), why shouldn't we be the place the find these videos on the web?"

NPR Music is a start but it's still primarily audio, we need to act as a system to secure the video that exists of these great and historic performances this is one I'm going to be pondering for a while as a search through the MTV video archives.

Jackson Browne |MTV Music

The Simpson Poke at Mad Men

2008-10-30T11:21:00.001-04:00

2008-10-27T07:38:00.001-04:00

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MSM: Looking for a Little Love

2008-10-12T19:31:00.009-04:00

The Washington Post's Dana Milbank is one of my favorite political reporters and has been producing some wonderful video work along with his reporting on the campaign trail. Here he is looking for some love for the Mainstream Media at a McCain-Palin rally in Pennsylvania. (Hat tip to Washington Post political blogger Chris Cillizza.)

Ohio 2.0 - Thought Leaders, Community Building and Inspiring Convervsation

2008-10-11T10:23:00.007-04:00

In August I wrote about the momentum that was building in Columbus around Social Media and the Tech sector

Another postiive notch to this momentum happened last night with a gathering called Ohio 2.0 held at the Polaris Hilton. The event was organized in Web 2.0 speed (four weeks) by Angela Siefer and Ben Blanquera and a team of great volunteers and sponsors.

The event was a showcase for inspiring presentations and conversations from Thought Leaders from Silicon Valley and Washington, DC.

The participants included Reid Hoffman, founder of LinkedIn, Judy Estrin, author of Closing the Innovation Gap: Reigniting the Spark of Creativity in a Global Economy and former CTO of Cisco, and Mike Nelson, who among his numerous credentials is the Chief Tech advisor to the Obama campaign.

Lara Kretler was live blogging much of the event and offered these excellent comments about the speakers:

From Judy Estrin-

Judy says the fundamentals of innovation are trying and testing, assessing and learning. It’s a messy, iterative process. You need to be willing to invest without knowing the outcome. And talent matters - a combination of skill, aptitude, passion and drive. Diverse perspectives are critical to innovation.

From Reid Hoffman-

Three things come together for innovation. First, the germ of an idea - which must then be refined through other people. This is why networks are so important - the application of expertise of those around you. The other two elements are capital and execution. The process of how you execute your ideas has to continually improve and adapt.

From Mike Nelson (talking about his role working with Obama)-

He’s here from Washington to listen to us. He wants to hear what we think about how technology can help create jobs and innovation for this country. He gave us his email address so we can contact him with ideas (email me if you want it) and says he will gladly share our suggestions with the Obama campaign.

My biggest, of many, takeaways from the evening were Judy's comments The Innovation Ecosystem (see the graphic) and her take on the Core Values of Innovation:

Questioning
Risk
Openness
Patience
Trust

Estrin explained that Innovation means having the capacity for change.

I hope to write more on Reid Hoffman and Mike Nelson in further posts, as well as touch on Craig Newmark's (Craig's List) appearance and several of the others who I had the opportunity to meet during this special evening.

Finally, if you're interested, I've posted a video from a talk that Judy Estrin gave to Google employees a couple of weeks ago if you're interested in hearing more from her.

Zadi on Twitter

2008-10-10T08:53:00.003-04:00

Anyone who knows me knows that I was an early adopter to Twitter and continue to be a cheerleader for the service. Zadi and the EPIC FU crew talk about the Twitterverse in their latest video and even I picked up on some new apps. Give is a view, it's worth the 10 minutes.

The Eastern Media Elite

2008-09-05T17:54:00.001-04:00

A Columbus Social Media Summer

2008-08-24T11:48:00.006-04:00

As the Summer of 2008 draws near its end, I can safely describe the last few months as A Columbus Social Media Summer.

The momentum started last year as WOSU started engaging the blog community in Columbus with the Social Media Cafe. This, of course, occurred following the great success of Columbus Underground in building a loyal community.

But it seems to have just exploded over the last few months with the community of individuals and organizations embracing the Social Media movement.

Perhaps is was the visit by Doc in May thanks to Resource Interactive that real kicked the momentum into high gear because that was followed by PodCamp Ohio, Tweetups, Meetups, and Startup Weekend Columbus (see the article below), and BarCampOhio. Comfest has embraced Social Media has have many in our local media --- particularly by our friends at NBC4 with its strong Twitter presence (of course WOSU has had a Twitter presence for more than a year!).

As we move from summer to fall, I expect the energy to continue to move forward quickly. This past week, my friend Andrew Miller put together a meeting to share his vision of Convergence Columbus that was embraced by many diverse sectors in the Columbus community.

It's examples like this, where one or two people come forward with an idea, that the power of social media takes hold. It was Alvin for StartUp Weekend, Angelo for PodCampOhio, and Andrew for Comfest.

I have come to appreciate living in an area where individuals - particularly individuals who do not necessarily sit in the traditional positions of power within the community - are able to bring about positive change that makes our region better better. This is what the power of social media is by giving influence to the individual, no matter who they are and where they come from if the idea they have resonates with others.

Here's hoping there's a lot more of this to come to Columbus in the coming months.

Columbus Monthly SWC 2008 article - Upload a Document to Scribd

Tim standing on the beach looking out at the Pacific

2008-08-05T22:11:00.002-04:00

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The Simpson Ride at Univeral Studios, Orlando

2008-07-16T14:56:00.013-04:00

This is basically an experiment of posting audio, text, photos and video into a single blog post. I know it's not that complex, but its through this multiple media experience that I think blogging is at its most powerful.

The mobile audio post above was recorded using Utterz while I was waiting in the queue at The Simpsons Ride at Universal Studios in Orlando, Florida. The $30 million ride officially opened on May 15th this year so it was very busy - even on a day when the park was not that crowded due to rain.

According to Wikipedia, the ride has been well received by fans after it opened. Seth Kubersky of Orlando Weekly described the ride as "a more than worthy successor" to Back to the Future: The Ride. Brady MacDonald of the Los Angeles Times described the ride as "visually stunning" and said it "truly delivers — with loads of in-jokes and satire for serious fanatics and tons of thrills and fun for casual fans." Elise Thompson of the LAist said "the ride is a total blast, with plenty of laughs as well as thrills."

Jay Cridlin of the St. Petersburg Times wrote that "the ride is packed with more original, funny material than you'd expect to see in a sitcom, much less a theme park." However, he admitted that the ride was "a little discombobulating".

The one millionth rider was hosted on the ride on July 14, 2008, two days before my visit. According to Universal this milestone was reached fast than any other attraction ever at the park.

The photos come from my Flickr account where you can see a few more photos from my afternoon at Universal. Finally, the YouTube video below is from the pre-show area prior to boarding the six minute ride (which I waited for about an hour to board). It includes all the safety warnings in a way The Simpsons could only offer.

Father's Day

2008-06-15T14:27:00.005-04:00

Today marks the seventh Father's Day since my Dad died on June 9, 2001. It also marks the 17th year that I've been a Father on Father's Day.

Can any Father not judge themselves against their own Father?

I never felt my Dad was one who ever felt put himself first when it came to our family. Of course I don't see my Mom as this way either so maybe it's a view that many children take of their parents if they've been lucky like me.

I worry though as to whether my own kids say the same about me.

I would like to hope so but have doubts as I see this trait as at least a partial failing of myself. Luckily I still have time to strengthen this quality in myself in the years ahead.

More than anything, my Dad was a man who believed in the Quality of his work. He was a bricklayer and the walls he built were symbolic of the man. A brick or block wall is more stable than any of kind of wall. It is dependable and modest. The wall may seem rough but if you rub your finger across the mortar joints you'll find a surprising smoothness that has a soft texture to it.

Since his death I often wonder how he would feel about the Post-9/11 world. He was an ardent Union man and Democrat who would have highly cynical of anything coming from the Bush Administration. I would expect to see him as angry as we all were after 9/11, but not blinded by the lines coming from Washington, DC in the aftermath of that tragic day. I could also envision his enthusiasm and hope if he were alive today in what Barack Obama has brought to the this year's election process.

The photo to the right was taken in January of 2000 and was probably one of the great moments for my family. My brother, J, and his family made up some reason to fly up from Dallas for a visit. The remaining three sons were already in the area and had planned a surprise 50th Anniversary Party for my Mom and Dad.

The photo was taken just as they had arrived at the party and you can see the look of surprise on their faces. The day was so very special to see my parents with friends and family celebrating this day.

The weekend also marked the one year birthday of our youngest daughter, Lindsey, bringing the circle together.

My Dad was 74 when he died. The same age his Father died.

There are probably many things I still don't know about the man.

He never really talked much about his time in the service (in was in Germany after the end of combat in WWII) other than he played a lot of football. He never talked much about the fact that he almost became an architect instead of a brickmason. Instead, like the many brick walls he built, he stood silent and strong.

At his viewing after he died it was interesting to talk with several people who described him as their best friend. It surprised me to hear this because I never observed him to have all that many close friends.

My Dad truly was a wall of depth with many textures.

A toast to Dad on this Father's Day and to my kids for giving me the opportunity to be their Father. Cheers!

Life and Music (and enjoying the dance)

2008-06-04T22:37:00.002-04:00

Hat tip to Euan for this one ...

It's About The Conversation

2008-05-29T11:51:00.006-04:00

Last week in Columbus, the Resource Interactive Client Symposium brought some of the most innovative and creative thinkers in the Live Web community together for a two-day discussion about the future of organizations in the social web.

Among the speakers were Doc Searls, Joseph Jaffe, and Duncan Watts. Jaffe's presentation is now posted on Slideshare and it's worth sharing.

While there may not be anything all that new for most geeks that follow the Cluetrain, the presentation reinforces some terrific points - among these is detailing when a "Conversation Isn't A Conversation At All."

Faking
Manipulating
Controlling
Dominating
Avoiding

When I look at this list, unfortunately I immediately think of traditional media (print and broadcast). I really don't watch much local news on television in large part because they really cover so little news. But also because of the manipulation that so often takes place.

The worst example of this are the short teases that may occur during a station break to promote the late news. I fully believe that an effective promo will keep an audience tuned in, but too many times the teasers used by local stations are used to manipulate (perhaps frighten) the viewer into staying tuned.

The same is true in many instances as to how commercial radio markets itself to its listeners. And I think public radio and television at times falls into this same trap through our on-air pledge drives.

We can all find examples of the other four non-conversations in traditional media:

From reality shows and showbiz news that are as far from reality on one can get (Faking)
The continued belief that journalism and content rights are still a one-way street (Controlling)
the unwillingness to accept the fact that the influence of bloggers and social media is reducing the impact that traditional media is having on our culture -- particularly youth culture (Dominating/Avoiding)

On Slide 44, Jaffe envisions that in 2012 Organizations will have conversation departments:

Level 1: Customers to Corporation
Level 2: Employees to Customers
Level 3: Customers to Customers
Companies will have a Chief Conversation Officer
Customer service will be the differentiator
All campaigns will have “commitment to conversation”

While Jaffe's focus is around marketing, this concept is fitting to how Public Media can evolve when you think about the loyalty that we already have for our product on our broadcast channels.

The opportunity is here but we have to open the door up to our audience and our employees to have the freedom to engage in conversations at all levels.

We have the content -- and its our charge now to take the community that love us in the broadcast space and connect with them on the Live Web. We need to give them the choice to easily find our content, to contribute to what we've created, to distribute what we've created, and to connect seamlessly with the worldwide community of individuals that share the belief in our mission.

We can no longer control the keys to the vehicle and keep our audience in the backseat. We're in an age that we can only take the commute together in a car pool with a shared responsibility to navigate and drive us to make our communities stronger. By giving up the keys, we empower our audience to share the ride together -- both in the content created and in paying for the ride.

I appreciate RI's willingness to blog about its meeting and provide these materials at no charge. They've gained by respect and loyalty by doing so offering a meaningful lesson to us all.

| View | Upload your own

2008-05-27T08:14:00.001-04:00

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The "R" still stands for Radio

2008-05-23T16:47:00.003-04:00

I'm so pleased to brag that NPR (that last letter stands for "Radio") now has a YouTube channel. Here's a recently posted video from their "In Character" series on Cookie Monster.

It's great to see us moving forward on a number of fronts on the Digital Media landscape.

Tonight's Social Media Cafe

2008-04-29T20:36:00.004-04:00

Columbus Social Media Cafe newcomers Ken and Elise talking about tonight's Social Media Cafe.

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A postscript: Ken and Elise owe their relationship to Social Media as they met through the Columbus Meet Up Flickr Group.

2008-04-25T07:53:00.001-04:00

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2008-04-17T08:51:00.001-04:00

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The Greatest Concert I've Ever Seen

2008-04-09T21:24:00.002-04:00

A couple of weeks ago I had a chance to see Bruce Springsteen for the first time, and I've spent a whole lot of time since then wondering why I had never taken the opportunity to see Bruce prior to this concert in Columbus.

It was, simply put, the greatest concert I've ever seen. It also helped clarify some important life lessons that maybe I've been missing as of late.

I've been searching for a further way to explain the feeling and energy that carried me through this concert, and I finally found it in a review by Gary Benz, who's review appeared in BlogCritics Magazine:

There was a stretch in Monday’s show, beginning with "Something in the Night" (a tour premiere) and culminating with "She’s the One," where I felt like this was absolutely the best concert I had ever seen. This particular grouping of songs, which also included "Because the Night," "Reason to Believe," and "You’ll Be Coming Down" (also a tour premiere), itself provided an effective mini-retrospective of Springsteen’s career. But the overarching message, delivered in note-perfect passion and urgency, was that anything worth doing is worth doing well. Another great life lesson.

Gary added, There’s something about 18,000 plus singing “because the night belongs to us” in unison that is life affirming.

And I felt the same exact way.

The concert has sparked an internal challenge for me to begin assessing and affirming some aspects of my life as I grow ever closer to the half century mark.

Since the concert, the Springsteen lyrics that keep playing over and over in my head are those from his song Into the Fire:

May your strength give us strength
May your faith give us faith
May your hope give us hope
May your love give us love

Strength
Faith
Hope
Love

Four essential ingredients to our lives. Four essential ingredients that should not and can not stand alone.

Benchmarking Columbus 2008

2008-04-02T16:08:00.004-04:00

Today at the Columbus Metropolitan Club, the presentation focused on the highlights from the Benchmarking Central Ohio 2008 report commissioned by the Columbus Partnership and undertaken by Community Research Partners.

The report assesses how the 8-county Columbus metropolitan area is doing, in comparison to 15 other metro areas, using a panel of 60 diverse indicators. The indicators focus on four broad areas—population vitality, economic strength, personal prosperity, and community well-being—each of which describes a facet of the community that contributes to economic competitiveness.

There's all sorts of information in the report, but a couple of things jump out at me:

1. Columbus ranked at the bottom (#16) in change in public transit usage and had a low ranking in the number of wi-fi hot spots (although in my travels Port Columbus is one of the few airports with free wi-fi).

2. We are ranked high (#4) in the number of Fortune 1,000 companies but last in the percent of very small businesses (fewer than 20 employees) and 13th in "births" of very small businesses.

3. Not surprisingly we do well in housing affordability, but, unfortunately, rank near the bottom in persons below the poverty level and persons receiving public assistance.

4. We are 2nd in library circulation but then ranked at the bottom in the number of arts establishments. This despite the fact that we are younger community in comparison with many of the cities we are benchmarking against.

The complete report has a wealth of interesting data that should help shape future planning to make Columbus a better place. Link here to download the entire report.

Power Philanthropy - Our Fundraising Future?

2008-03-27T15:38:00.005-04:00

Columbus Business First is reporting today the incredible success of the Columbus Foundation's first Power Philanthropy "Match Day" where a pool of money was put forth as match money encouraging individuals in the Columbus area to contribute to support one or more of the 350 non-profits listed on the Foundation's Power Philanthropy web site.

The event started at 3 p.m. on Thursday, March 6th and in just 44 minutes $550,000 was raised from individuals in the community to go with the $237,000 in matching funds. All in all, $805,000 was raised in a very short period of time.

When you consider that 238 local organizations received gifts during the event - averaging out to about $3,400 per organization. Some non-profits did better than others - one took in more than $14,000 in match dollars while five others received more than $5K in matches from the Foundation. While these numbers per organization are not transformational in that no organization will be probably not be able to start or sustain any new programming with what they've raised, I'm enthusiastic about the idea for a number of reasons:

New Donors. I'm guessing that the way this event was marketed brought many new donors to both the Foundation and the organizations they supported. And most likely, given the medium used of on-line giving, that many of these donors are younger than the traditional contributors to these organizations.
Leverage the Power of the Match. As we know in public radio, challenges and match dollars always seem to work well. This further reinforces the power of leverages dollars for more dollars. Also, by opening this up to so many organizations the donors making the challenge will have their dollars put to use in a variety of ways to help make our community be stronger. This would seem to bring a great benefit to deepen the interest and commitment of donors to the Foundation.
It's About The Community. Okay, so no single organization is going to be transformed from this one-time event, it's not really the point. The point is that this type of event brings our community together in a stronger and more meaningful way than a series of fundraising campaigns or special events by individual organizations. If one were consider pooling all of the dollars (and overhead expenses) put up for a lunch or dinner fundraising event in our community into a matching program like this the results could be enormous.

Could an idea like this work for Public Radio?

I think it could and here's why:

If you're traveling around the country this week and next, you'll no doubt find that most Public Radio stations are fundraising giving up an enormous amount of airtime asking for your support. Could a truly national campaign bring better results in a shorter period of time bringing less pain to our staff and more public service to our listeners?
Many stations are already pooling a huge amount of dollars in advance to use as on-air challenges during their drives. What if NPR would to also push out this idea to its 7 million monthly visitors to its web site as well as to those downloading Podcasts. Make it easy for people to contribute to the pool where all the money contributed would go to stations.
And for the reasons stated about about community, a campaign like this would strengthen the public radio brand across the country much more than week-long, in some cases badly executed, pledge drives.

Where to Start?

The place to start with this is probably not either the Spring or Fall membership drives as many stations have too much at stake to want to risk trying an untested idea during such a critical time. Instead, I suggest doing something in December after the Fall pledge season is over and make it a year-end gift event.

Utilize our air with spot promos, our email list, and our web site to push the idea out that at a certain time on a certain day public radio stations, networks, and listeners and banding together in special fundraising event.

Use the same concept as the Columbus Foundation's Power Philanthropy model where are listeners can easily search find the station(s) they wish to support. Plus, if they don't have a specific station to support give them the option to contribute to the match fund.

This isn't a revolutionary idea as we've been talking about this at different levels for a long time. However, having seen how this worked in Columbus without the power of the broadcasters megaphone behind it, I am confident it could be a start in helping to replace some of our dependence on traditional pledge drives.

What do you think?

Light/Commuter Rail in Columbus

2008-03-22T20:45:00.007-04:00

Light Rail in Columbus
Back in November, th0m posted the map above on the Columbus Underground site as a demonstration of what a light rail map for the Columbus area could look like if regional planners were to try to take on such an ambitious project.

As th0m notes, there are no routes to the northeast side of the metro leaving Westerville and New Albany out of the plan.

I also wonder, whether you like Easton or not, if it should be included in any rail plan solely on its growth not only as a retail hub but because of the number of corporate offices located there -- and given the Disney feel that you get from Easton, maybe a Disney-like Monorail is more appropriate. Probably running a branch from CMH would do the trick.

Commuter Rail In Columbus
To carry the idea further, Transportation Engineer John Wirtz proposed another map today on the Xing Columbus site that extends rail transportation into more a Commuter Rail system stretching out to Delaware in the north, Newark in the east, London to the west, and Athens to the southeast.

Being a suburbanite that drives to OSU every day, I would gladly trade the freedom of a car for the convenience and cost savings that would occur from a rail commute into Columbus.

For the most part, these maps utilize existing tracks that make the reality of this concept something within reason - albeit a significant community investment.

Put a coffee shop by the rail station in Powell and it would mean a painless and much more productive trip into the city each day.

It's now been several years and $2.00 more per gallon of gas that these ideas were first discussed and discarded. However, now, at this moment, there seems to be a growing need to renew the conversation on this issue with the combination of growing congestion on the freeways and the cost of filling up a tank of gas.

Streetcars Are The First Step
The first step seems to be to develop a Streetcar line that will initially run from the OSU campus down High Street to the Courthouse just north the 70/71. Mayor Coleman will detail the financing plan for the Streetcars at a meeting in the City Council Chambers on Thursday, March 27th at 6:00 pm.

Columbus Mayor Michael Coleman has been strong advocating for this idea for quite some time and spoke about it extensively at his State of the City speech earlier this month as well on WOSU 820's Open Line with Fred Andrle on Friday.

Hat tip to Walker for his strong advocacy and aggregation of information regarding this critical transportation issue.

Red Sky Morning on St. Patrick's Day

2008-03-17T08:17:00.002-04:00

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WKRP & A Love For Radio

2008-03-15T13:39:00.006-04:00

Maybe it makes me a dinosaur, but I still love radio.

I won't deny any of the transformational aspects that the web brings, nonetheless I still love the magic that can occur with great live radio.

Which brings me to WKRP in Cincinnati, the CBS comedy that ran from 1978 - 1982. The show originally aired primarily during my college years and, other than the lack of the announcers wearing headphones, it showed the communal life in a radio station from the mysterious evening DJ to the cool and inspiring PD to the plaid mismatched Account Exec. The WKRP Team, as dysfunctional as they are, is what makes this series memorable.

As a Radio Manager now for a pretty long time, the escapades of Arthur Carlson makes me shutter in denial. But as the clip below demonstrates, the show offered brilliant management advice.

Timing is just an essential element of most comedy and the scene is perfect in that sense. My only disappointment when seeing WKPR in reruns today is that much of the great music has been removed due to rights issues.

I'm certain that WKRP in Cincinnati inspired many others like me to explore a life in radio. Is there an equivalent today in the web world?

Twitter in Plain English

2008-03-13T11:01:00.003-04:00

Thanks to Lee and Sachi with The Common Craft Show for producing Twitter in Plain English.

Hat tip to Jake McGee.

Excerpt from On The Media

2008-03-10T21:40:00.001-04:00

A pretty good interview from this past weekend's On The Media on the recent leadership change at NPR.

2008-03-08T18:45:00.001-05:00

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Olentagy Levy Passes

2008-03-04T23:32:00.002-05:00

Congratulations to the voters in the Olentangy Schools for voting to pass the Levy and bond issue on the ballot on Tuesday!

The margin with a few more votes to count was a resounding 58% - 42% proving that the community want to ensure the quality of its schools.

In the other big race, it looks like Hillary Clinton will win the Ohio Primary over Barack Obama. Here's Clinton speaking to her supporters in Columbus.

2008-03-03T08:10:00.001-05:00

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Driving In Columbus

2008-02-27T16:55:00.002-05:00

This should probably be placed on the southbound route of State Road 315 in Columbus.

Simply Brilliant

2008-02-23T23:21:00.001-05:00

2008-02-23T19:16:00.001-05:00

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Olentangy Levy and Bond Issue

2008-02-23T11:04:00.004-05:00

This is my first comment on the upcoming levy and bond issue that residents in the Olentangy Local School District will vote either for or against on March 4th.

This morning's Dispatch featured a letter from former School Board member Wayne Jenkins supporting the passing of the tax increase.

Here's Mr. Jenkins' comments:

Olentangy Local School District has a combined 8.72-mill property-tax levy and bond issue on the ballot on March 4. I write in support of this issue. The last time Olentangy passed a levy, we were told it would provide funding for three years of operations. It instead has provided for four. Olentangy continues to be one of the fastest-growing districts in Ohio, and there's a reason for that. Olentangy is providing top-quality education at a lower cost than the other districts in our comparison group and even below the state average for all districts.
Olentangy added more than 1,200 students again in 2007, and yet our expenditure per pupil was $8,507. The state average is $9,586. The average of our comparison group, including Buckeye Valley, Big Walnut, Westerville, New Albany, Delaware and other school districts, is $10,424. This means Olentangy is spending nearly $2,000 less per pupil and yet providing the high-quality education that has earned the district the highest marks on the state's report card and provided tremendous improvement in academics, as measured by things like standardized test scores, Advanced Placement and honors curriculum, graduation and college-attendance rates, National Merit scholars and the like. This has been done with conscientious cost-cutting and prudent planning, and if you want to read about the millions of dollars the district has saved and other details of the upcoming issue, I urge you to visit www.olentangyforkids.org and see for yourself.

Whenever there is a levy on the ballot, people trot out all the usual allegations of teachers and administrators who are too numerous and overpaid. They allege the pay raises are too generous and the number of staff too numerous. However, if we're getting the top-quality educational experience Olentangy provides at a per-pupil cost that is substantially less than all the surrounding school systems and well below the state average, then that's the bottom line. The argument ends there.

We have come so far here in Olentangy, and we have so much to be proud of in our schools. Failure of the March 4 issue would erase many of our gains and would dramatically change, for the worse, the overall educational experience our children receive.

The district has exceeded expectations and has been a good steward of tax dollars. It deserves our support. Our children deserve our support. I ask district voters to join me in voting yes on March 4.

Are the OLSD schools perfect? Absolutely not.

I've also not really appreciated the Kill The Puppy approach taken by school administration and board should the levy not pass.

I would rather see a vision for continued improvement with our schools, drastically improved services for kids at risk, and a total review of a busing system that seems confusing and inefficient at best.

Nonetheless, supporting the levy and bond issue is the right thing to do for our kids and I'll encourage others to support the proposal on March 4th.

A Beautiful Sunrise on a Very Cold Day

2008-02-11T08:35:00.001-05:00

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8 Random Facts About Me

2008-02-09T18:39:00.000-05:00

Okay... so what if it's chain letter like - my random facts - tagged by Robert Paterson

Each player starts with eight random facts/habits about themselves.
People who are tagged need to write a post on their own blog (about their eight things) and post these rules.
At the end of your blog, you need to choose eight people to get tagged and list their names.
Don’t forget to leave them a comment telling them they’re tagged, and to read your blog (feel free to choose to ignore this)

I love sitting in the next room and quietly just listening to my kids
While I've been a suburbanite most of my life for various reasons ... at some point in time I really want to live and breath in the heart of a city
I could (and many times do) sit and watch college football all afternoon and into the evenings on Saturday in the fall
Mowing gives me a rhythm to life and a strange sense of peace
I often wonder how my dad would feel about the Post-9/11 world... he died in June of 2001
I would probably be 25 pounds lighter if I didn't consume any ice cream
My iPod is full of old country rock like Poco, Pure Prairie League, The Eagles, and Dan Fogelberg intermixed with Stravinsky, John Coltrane, and Elvis Costello
In college I once called NBC in New York collect saying I was Elliott Gould's brother asking to speak to Gilda Radner... she wasn't available so they accepted the charges and put me directly through to Lorne Michaels who actually took a message and had Gilda call me back in my dorm room. We had a nice conversation.

... and (drum roll please) my 8 victims are: Dina Mehta, Walker Evans, Jeff Johnson, Ashley Routson, Andrew Miller, David Kronke, Daniel Fox, and John Bracken.

The Four Agreements - Don Miguel Ruiz's Code for Life

2008-02-01T09:32:00.000-05:00

I like this...

agreement 1

Be impeccable with your word - Speak with integrity. Say only what you mean. Avoid using the word to speak against yourself or to gossip about others. Use the power of your word in the direction of truth and love.

agreement 2

Don’t take anything personally - Nothing others do is because of you. What others say and do is a projection of their own reality, their own dream. When you are immune to the opinions and actions of others, you won’t be the victim of needless suffering.

agreement 3

Don’t make assumptions - Find the courage to ask questions and to express what you really want. Communicate with others as clearly as you can to avoid misunderstandings, sadness and drama. With just this one agreement, you can completely transform your life.

agreement 4

Always do your best - Your best is going to change from moment to moment; it will be different when you are healthy as opposed to sick. Under any circumstance, simply do your best, and you will avoid self-judgment, self-abuse and regret.

Tonight's Columbus Social Media Cafe

2008-01-31T20:33:00.001-05:00

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A Week In The Life

2008-01-26T17:55:00.000-05:00

I really enjoy periods of time when I'm experiencing new ideas, people and places and the last week was a good one in that respect.

The week started by helping out a colleague in a PBS training project called the Corporate Support Performance Initiative (CSPI) that we hosted at WOSU@COSI. The training was very focused on positioning public television effectively to garner its share of corporate sponsorship dollars. This was one of the first PTV focused training sessions that I've been involved in. I liked the structure used that really focused on pushing the participants to use critical thinking skills as the building blocks to effective sales skills and knowledge as opposed to a series of powerpoint presentations and role playing that's usually found in such exercises.

This segued into the annual NETA Conference for public television that we hosted in Columbus. I attended several sessions and listened to the many challenges and opportunities PTV is facing in the near future -- the most urgent being the analog shut-off in February 2009.

Having been through so many public radio conferences it was refreshing to participate in a meeting where my knowledge canvas was pretty sparse and the 350 or so folks seemed to enjoy Columbus.

The last session I went to ended mid afternoon on Thursday leaving me with a choice of what to do next as I was coming back downtown for a Columbus Underground Happy Hour after work.

So rather than get the car out of the parking garage, drive back to work for a bit and then drive back downtown I chose instead to walk a few blocks to our great downtown Public Library and use its wireless Internet connection to take care of some emails, etc.

View Larger Map

Now I admit that on this particular day it was extremely cold outside, but, nonetheless, it was somewhat discouraging to me to how few people were out on the street during both my walk to the library (around 15:30) and then to the Tip Top Kitchen (around 18:00).

The walk to and from the library was uneventful but got me wondering why the city seemed to be desolate on a working day before the office workers head out for the day. I'm hoping that it was just the weather but it does worry me a little to see such little activity on the streets of the city during the day.

Luckily, it only took walking in to the Tip Top for the CU Happy Hour to realize that Columbus does have a pulse and its beating pretty strong. Now this was the first CU Happy Hour I've attended and I'm glad I did as the place was packed and a good time was had by all.

This varied sets of experiences -- probably fairly mundane to most -- is really what invigorates me to step out into more unfamiliar places and new challenges. I think back to my week in London and Paris 13 months ago as the last time I was truly able to step into an environment that's contrary to my fairly "normal" suburban public radio life.

Here's to stepping out and tasting something new.

2008-01-19T07:51:00.001-05:00

Mobile post sent by timjeby using Utterz. Replies. mp3

2008-01-15T08:10:00.001-05:00

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Steve Inskeep on WOSU Programming Changes

2008-01-07T15:59:00.001-05:00

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The Travels of an NPR Board Chair

2008-01-07T14:25:00.000-05:00

In November, my three years as Chair of the NPR Board came to an end. With it goes a considerable amount of time in airports and on planes -- probably close to 80,000 miles worth including countless trips between Columbus and Washington DC. With a hat tip to Johnnie for this web site, here's a look at some of my travels.

2007-12-31T19:24:00.001-05:00

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At COSI with the kids

2007-12-27T13:47:00.001-05:00

Mobile post sent by timjeby using Utterz. Replies. mp3

2007-12-24T12:34:00.001-05:00

Mobile post sent by timjeby using Utterz. Replies. mp3

2007-12-21T16:59:00.001-05:00

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Lindsey's Piano Recital 12-19-2007

2007-12-20T21:08:00.001-05:00

Okay... so I'm a proud dad!

The Greatest Song Ever Written About America

2007-12-19T23:01:00.000-05:00

2007-12-19T17:58:00.001-05:00

Mobile post sent by timjeby using Utterz. Replies. mp3

Utterz and Skype would be a awesome combination!

2007-12-15T09:48:00.001-05:00

Mobile post sent by timjeby using Utterz. Replies. mp3

2007-12-14T21:27:00.001-05:00

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Steriods in Baseball and off to the CMC Party

2007-12-13T17:00:00.001-05:00

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Olentangy School Board Election

2007-09-20T09:42:00.001-04:00

Below is the list of candidates who have filed for the upcoming Olentangy Local School District Board of Education election in November:

Olentangy Local School District - Full Term Beginning 01/01/08
Stacy Dunbar - 9298 Auburn Ct., Powell 43065
Scott D. Galloway, 8792 Sedona Dr., Lewis Center 43035
Mark William Iannotta - 5908 Shadow Creek Dr., Westerville 43082
Eric Kunar - 6599 Lilac Ln., Powell 43065
Erick Logan - 4082 East Bay Cir., Lewis Center 43035
Dimon McFerson, 2524 Deseret Dr., Powell 43065
Jennifer Smith - 5149 Polar Dr., Lewis Center 43035

Olentangy School District - Unexpired Term Ending 12/31/09
Julie Feasel, 7636 Holderman St., Lewis Center 43035

Scott Galloway is an incumbant who was appointed by the board in 2006. Dimon McFerson is a former member of the board who resigned due to health concerns last year. Mr. McFerson has continued to serve as a Trustee at Ohio State and is a former President of the Board of Education.

Jennifer Smith has been littering cars with her flyers since the beginning of the school year and has stated an anti-tax position in a recent letter to This Week newspaper. Stacy Dunbar works with Ashland, Inc. and has been a volunteer for Olentangy for Kids.

Mark William Iannotta is a Columbus lawyer.

I'll be adding more information on the candidates for this very important election throughout the fall so stay tuned.

Great Television (and Radio) Moments

2007-08-27T22:24:00.000-04:00

As God is my witness, I thought Turkeys could fly...

Those MAD MEN of 1960

2007-08-12T21:13:00.000-04:00

I have become a quick fan of the new series Mad Men on (of all things) AMC. If you haven't seen it, the show takes place circa 1960 and surrounds the work and lives of the people at a New York Ad Agency.

1960 is such an interesting place in our history and the plot through the first four episodes weaves this in effortlessly from the Agency taking on the Nixon campaign as a client to "the pill" to the suburban culture that was developing in the first 15 years after WWII.

The characters are complex and the writing so far has been exceptional. It's quickly become appointment viewing (Thursday at 10 PM to watch live or to TIVO).

Google Reader -"local-bloggers" via Tim

2007-08-09T21:48:00.000-04:00

I've started looking at some local bloggers that we might be able to connect through at WOSU. Here's a few that I've discovered:

Google Reader -"local-bloggers" via Tim

All my NPR Shows in One Place... cool!

2007-08-06T20:03:00.000-04:00

Add NPR to your page

A Toast to Harry Potter

2007-07-19T23:59:00.000-04:00

It's been quite interesting following the Harry hoopla over the last few months as the clock ticks to Saturday morning and the release of the final Harry Potter book.

As I've read accounts from fans, the one piece that touches me is how so many kids are reacting with a bittersweetness about the series coming to a close.

For myself and my family, I share the feeling.

My daughter Kelci starting reading the books in 3rd or 4th grade and has been a devoted fan over the last six or seven years. My middle daughter McKenzie has truly grown in her interest in the series in the last few years, and now, at age 11, is a total fan spending an incredible amount time researching Harry Potter listings in Wikipedia. She shocked us the other day by knowing various plot points in Book 6, which she hasn't read, through reading about it on that site.

And my youngest, Lindsey, has taken to the movies as well with amazing sensitivity for an eight year old and is just as interested in the outcome as well.

For me, it's a bit a of the passing through life with my children that I find comforting with the series.

Philosophically, we live in such a different world than we did when the first book was published in 1997.

I've been going back and reading early reviews of the first book as well as listening to a piece on NPR about the Sorcerer's Stone book. I love the line in the Margot Adler piece where she says that it's not the kind of book that you'd see on display in the window of a Barnes & Noble.

For our children particularly, I see a very different world in 2007 than it was in 1997.

I recall 1997 as a time of hope and promise and - perhaps through a combination of 9-11, war, deception, and the death a few years ago of my father - I worry of the debt and destruction that my kids will have to repair as they head to adulthood that we didn't have ten years ago.

But, maybe, just maybe, Harry, Ron, and Hermione will bring a little hope and optimism back in the final chapters of the new book.

On an evening in June, 2003, I took an 11 year old (daughter #1) to the Border's Books to pick up the fifth book in the series. She was so excited to dress up in her robe and buy the book at midnight.

Tomorrow night, I'll repeat the ordeal with daughter #2, who, like her older sister four years ago, will be going into 6th grade and wearing the same robe worn four years before.

I'll take the camera and get some photos of the fun, raise a glass of butterbeer, and Toast to Harry Potter... The Boy Who Lived.

I'm a "published" Photographer!

2007-07-19T00:31:00.000-04:00

Back in June, I received an e-mail from Luke Ritchie, the Managing Editor of the Schmap Worldwide Travel Guides.

According to its website, Schmap is a leading publisher of digital travel guides for 200 destinations throughout the United States, Europe, Canada, Australia and New Zealand. The innovative technology behind Schmap Guides is also used by clients, partners and bloggers to power schmapplets – a range of fully customizable map mashups and map widgets.

Luke informed me that I was on the short list for inclusion in the third edition of the Schmap Paris Guide from a photo that I posted on Flickr from my Paris trip back in December.

Well... last week Luke emailed me to let me know that I made the cut and my photo of Le Bosquet Cafe is included in the on-line guide to Paris under Bars & Clubs in the 7th arrondissement on Av Bosquet.

A copy of the map is below and you can link to get the full description. ...Just another reason to love Social Media... you never know when you're going to get "discovered".

We Can Still Celebrate America

2007-07-04T16:57:00.000-04:00

Andrew Sullivan has posted a number of different pieces today titled Things We Love About America. It's a collection that is worth savoring.

Among them is this from Walt Whitman:

I hear America singing, the varied carols I hear;

Those of mechanics—each one singing his, as it should be, blithe and strong;

The carpenter singing his, as he measures his plank or beam,

The mason singing his, as he makes ready for work, or leaves off work;

The boatman singing what belongs to him in his boat—the deckhand singing on the steamboat deck;

The shoemaker singing as he sits on his bench—the hatter singing as he stands;

The wood-cutter’s song—the ploughboy’s, on his way in the morning, or at the noon intermission, or at sundown;

The delicious singing of the mother — or of the young wife at work — or of the girl sewing or washing—Each singing what belongs to her, and to none else;

The day what belongs to the day—At night, the party of young fellows, robust, friendly,

Singing, with open mouths, their strong melodious songs.

Additional favorites are Marvin Gaye singing the National Anthem and Penn & Teller celebrating America with our flag.

Oh yes, and NPR offered its powerful reading of the Declaration of Independence this morning.

Statement of Special Counsel

2007-07-02T21:43:00.000-04:00

Patrick Fitzgerald was born into a working-class Irish American-Catholic family in Brooklyn in 1960 and grew up in the Flatbush neighborhood. His father (also named Patrick Fitzgerald) worked as a doorman in Manhattan. Fitzgerald attended Holy Cross grammar school, Our Lady Help of Christians grammar school, Regis High School, a prestigious Jesuit Catholic school in Manhattan, and received degrees in economics and mathematics from Amherst College before receiving his JD from Harvard Law School in 1985.

After practicing civil law, Fitzgerald became an Assistant United States Attorney in New York City in 1988. He handled drug-trafficking cases and in 1993 assisted in the prosecution of Mafia figure John Gotti, the boss of the Gambino crime family. In 1994, Fitzgerald became the prosecutor in the case against Sheikh Omar Abdel Rahman and 11 others charged in the 1993 World Trade Center bombing.

In 1996, Fitzgerald became the National Security Coordinator for the Office of the U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York. There, he served on a team of prosecutors investigating Osama bin Laden. He also served as chief counsel in prosecutions related to the 1998 U.S. embassy bombings in Kenya and Tanzania.

On September 1, 2001, Fitzgerald was nominated for the position of U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois on the recommendation of U.S. Senator Peter Fitzgerald (no relation), a Republican from Illinois. On October 24, 2001, the nomination was confirmed by the Senate.

STATEMENT OF SPECIAL COUNSEL

Statement of Special Counsel Patrick J. Fitzgerald regarding today's decision by President Bush to commute the 30-month prison sentence of I. Lewis "Scooter" Libby:

"We fully recognize that the Constitution provides that commutation decisions are a matter of presidential prerogative and we do not comment on the exercise of that prerogative.

We comment only on the statement in which the President termed the sentence imposed by the judge as "excessive." The sentence in this case was imposed pursuant to the laws governing sentencings which occur every day throughout this country. In this case, an experienced federal judge considered extensive argument from the parties and then imposed a sentence consistent with the applicable laws. It is fundamental to the rule of law that all citizens stand before the bar of justice as equals. That principle guided the judge during both the trial and the sentencing.

Although the President's decision eliminates Mr. Libby's sentence of imprisonment, Mr. Libby remains convicted by a jury of serious felonies, and we will continue to seek to preserve those convictions through the appeals process."

From the Federal Pardon Guidelines:

Sec. 1.3 Eligibility for filing petition for commutation of sentence.

No petition for commutation of sentence, including remission of fine, should be filed if other forms of judicial or administrative relief are available, except upon a showing of exceptional circumstances.

How to begin?

2007-06-27T07:26:00.000-04:00

I'm still exploring ideas of encouraging new thinking regarding the Enterprise at my organization and I really like the specific detail that has gone into this meme courtesy of Prakash Muralidharan. Is this the place to begin the conversation or is it the ending point?

The services 2.0 meme

Press Freedom in Russia

2007-06-25T17:04:00.000-04:00

To The blogger formerly known as Anonymous:

Civility is appreciated...

Over the course of writing I'll be sure to consider all things in the scope of my interests including media coverage and the like -- and will point to times when NPR, PBS and others have dropped the ball.

On the positive side, I would like to share this past weekend's edition of WNYC's On The Media that discussed the state of press freedom in Russia. It was a fascinating program.

A comment on the OTM web site from Irina Pecherskaya about says it all:

I have lived the first half of my life in the USSR and the second half in the USA. I am simply amazed at this show. For the whole hour there have been no statement, qualification, attitude or representation that I, as a "native", would find uninformed, missing the point or overlooking a subtlety of the modern life in Russia. I think your interview with Mamontov is simply a gem. Thank you, I learned something new about my country from your show. I am also very impressed by the choices of speakers - very broad spectrum and very representative. And the bards segment... all the right names were mentioned, including the modern reigning King of the Bards (isn't he a sweetheart?). Bravo!

Artist of the Week Elvis Costello

2007-06-24T19:43:00.001-04:00

Karra Barber on Autism After Childhood

2007-06-18T01:31:00.000-04:00

In today's San Francisco Chronicle, author Kerra Barber offered a very informative op-ed piece on the need for states to provide insurance for medical coverage for those diagnosed with autism specitrum disorders.

Two very interesting quotes from the piece:

Currently, 80 percent of autistic Americans are under age 18.

South Carolina is the only state in the country with an enforceable autism insurance initiative.

Ms. Barber also asks:

Who will be responsible for preparing our children to function in society? Are there life-skill programs or workability courses available to them in our community? Will they have the skills, abilities and resources to further their education if they so choose and are able? If not, will they be prepared and accepted into the workplace as productive and independent members of the community? And, of course, there is the million-dollar question, perhaps literally: Will they be ready and able to live independently?

The frightening part of this is that 80 percent of autistic Americans are under the age of 18. And with every 1 in 150 children diagnosed with the autistic disorder spectrum the societal impact could be enormous.

Parents of autistic children know that we won't live forever, all we're looking for (praying for) is a safety net to ensure that autistic children as they grow into adult hood will have the resources they need into the future.

Ms. Barber is also the author of "Living Your Best Life With Asperger's Syndrome."

The Break Up

2007-06-13T16:53:00.001-04:00

A great piece that is right on in the new relationship between the advertiser and the consumer. The shocker is at the end when you see who it's produced by...

Fox -Ooops-News

2007-06-06T20:48:00.000-04:00

Remember last fall when Fox News labeled disgraced REPUBLICAN Congressman Mark Foley a Democrat in a graphic... well this week the network dropped the ball again in a story about Louisiana Rep. William Jefferson's indictment. Fox broke the story about Jefferson and proceeded to run video footage featuring Michigan Congressman John Conyers, who happens to Chair the House Judiciary Committee, implying that Conyers was the one indicted.

Frank James from the Tribune tells the story.

Another pathetic journalistic example from the "Fair and Balanced" network.

The Car Talk SplashCast

2007-06-05T22:04:00.000-04:00

The Car Talk SplashCast

Acts of Leadership

2007-06-04T08:26:00.000-04:00

Johnnie Moore just posted a great link to a short blog piece from Phil Dourado who writes:

Acts of leadership like this one are in fact collaborations in which people take turns to lead. The myth of 'the leader' stops us recognizing this obvious truth. Stop viewing leadership through the lens of 'the leader'. Start thinking 'acts of leadership' rather than 'leader' and you are better equipped to help build an organization, team or unit full of acts of collaborative leadership

Some inspiring thoughts indeed.

A Little Levity for a Hot Day

2007-05-31T16:55:00.000-04:00

I just can't stop laughing at this...

The Immaculate Terminations

2007-05-27T09:45:00.000-04:00

The Daily Show offers a great analysis of the U.S. Attorney firing scandel:

It's All Politics from NPR

2007-05-26T12:09:00.000-04:00

I just found a new tool that allows me to post NPR podcasts on my blog. Here's a sample from the podcast It's All Politics featuring Ron Elving and David Greene (in for Ken Rudin).

Iraq - The Story on the Ground

2007-05-25T21:44:00.000-04:00

As the charade played out on Pennsylvania Avenue over funding the troops for the next few months, NPR offered some amazing reporting and stories from the ground in Iraq.

Last week, Anne Garrels provided a reasonably hopeful report on Members of the 12th Cavalry trying to heal the divisions between the Sunni and Shia.

Over the last two days on Morning Edition, two stories really brought the horror of what's happened in Baghdad since the Invasion. Yesterday, Anne Garells' piece on driving through Baghdad (i.e. A Hell of a Commute) described the scene: double the cars and no traffic lights four years after the invasion.

Then this morning, NPR employee Saleem Amer told the story of his family living in a Sunni-Shia neighborhood. Amer's story described how his family fears daily violence and gunfire, but lack any hope that moving anywhere else in Baghdad would improve their plight.

The description of wanting to stay in their home, in their city, in their country, in the face of the danger and dying caused me to stop and reflect on the anguish that's been caused by this war.

When you compare the sacrifice being made by these Iraqis (and our troops) with the senseless and pathetic wrangling occurring in Washington, DC, it is enough to make you follow the advice of Howard Beale and go to your window and shout "I'm Mad As Hell... And I'm Not Going to Take it Anymore!"

RadioLab - A New Voice for Public Radio

2007-05-21T22:33:00.000-04:00

I've become a huge fan of Radiolab from WNYC. Here's a sampling of the program from the 3rd season -- the program is called Placebo.

More on Class Size ...

2007-05-20T09:15:00.000-04:00

Mr. Fedako quickly offered his own opinion on the issue of class size by using the controversial research of Dr. Eric Hanushek to back up his theory.

As is the case with most issues such as this, Dr. Hanushek's research is countered by other research, such as the STAR Project Study from Princeton's Alan Krueger.

The Economic Policy Institutes's 2002 report The Class Size Debate took a look at both reports and offered some interesting analysis, writing:

Perhaps the most important of these is that both Hanushek and Krueger seem to agree that smaller class size can matter in some circumstances.

I'm claiming no specific expertise on the subject - other what I've learned through the personal experience with my kids is that they perform better in smaller class settings. This is particularly true given the special needs of our two younger children.

As the student population of the OLSD grows, the growth in the special needs and at risk student population will most likely grow at an even higher rate. Given the likelihood of this then it's within those areas where increased staffing will help the District continue to provide a high quality education for all of our kids.

Also, it seems to be evident that smaller class size are much more important in the early years of learning.

One of the other points it would be interesting to examine would be to benchmark the teacher-student ratio with our schools with other similar Districts in central Ohio.

Class Size and Great Teachers

2007-05-19T14:45:00.000-04:00

There is an interesting back and forth occurring between some comments written in the May 16, 2007 edition of the Olentangy Valley News by Jamie Stabl and former Olentangy School Board member Jim Fedako. My apologies for the last of a link to the newspaper as it has not posted the letter to the Editor on its website.

Fedako in his blog calls out the the newspaper comments attempting to justify his many attacks on the Board, Administration and teachers of OLSD on his blog. Fedako was a member of the School Board for several years before his resignation last fall.

As a watchdog, there's nothing wrong with the fact that Fedako is paying close attention to the how the School Board, Administrators, and teachers are performing. His narrow interests are his right (pun intended) to have -- however on several occasions he fails to recognize the importance in keeping class down which is one of the most attractive features of this growing district.

In one post, he writes:

Let's look at one item at the margin; the staff to pupil ratio. Looking at staffing practices from fiscal year 2004 to fiscal year 2006 reveals that the district had been hiring one new staff member per additional 10.6 students. Now look at the period covering fiscal year 2007 to fiscal year 2009 (forecasted), the district proposes to hire an additional staff member per additional 7.6 students; an almost 40% increase in this one statistic. Think about it; a 40% increase or an additional $3.5 million per year in expenditures and subsequent tax revenue needs. Incredible!

For a district to be able to reduce the teacher-student ratio should be applauded -- with the caveat that the results should be improved learning for our kids. That is an accountability issue for everyone. I attempted to point this out with a comment on his blog but he chose to not publish it (by the way, I did use my name on the comments as I believe strongly that anonymous comments lack some level of credibility).

In our case, I continue to applaud the teachers of our two children at Indian Springs. Just this morning our 2nd grader attended a special math tutoring session with her teacher and a few of her classmates. These Saturday morning sessions are way above the call of duty for a teacher and, as a parent, I greatly appreciate the extra effort in helping mold our children.

2007-05-12T18:05:00.000-04:00

I've been talking up the idea of Enterprise 2.0 within my work and elsewhere. Here's a great presentation that help demonstrate the idea.

Family Carnival at Olentangy Liberty

2007-05-06T22:37:00.000-04:00

Even though the weather didn't cooperate, the annual Spring Carnival for the Olentangy elementary schools at Liberty High School was great fun for the kids of all ages.

All three of the Eby children took part in the fun with the two youngest spending a couple of hours playing games and seeing friends, and the oldest volunteering for a few hours placing temporary tattoos on little ones.

For me, I had the fun of volunteering for two hours making cotton candy for a line of people that never seemed to get smaller. It was a (somewhat) sticky and enjoyable time volunteering with other parents.

I've heard that this may be the last year for the Carnival as the parent leaders have been having difficulty recruiting enough volunteers to work the event. Let's hope that folks step up to help support our schools.

Video will help the Radio Star

2007-05-04T22:38:00.000-04:00

Just back from an NPR Board meeting and one of the more exciting developments is the new work in video that NPR is focusing on... there's a lot more to come but here was a first very short venture into the video space last year with our Science Reporter David Kestenbaum.

The Colbert Report targets NPR!

2007-05-02T21:39:00.000-04:00

The Colbert Report goes after NPR... great stuff!

Student's Essay Results in Arrest

2007-05-02T20:46:00.000-04:00

Today on NPR's Day To Day there was a troubling story about a Chicago-area high school senior who recently wrote an essay with violent images that greatly disturbed his English teacher.

As NPR's web site tells the story:

The teacher informed school administrators, who informed police, and Lee was eventually arrested for disorderly conduct.

The action has prompted a local debate about whether officials are overreacting because of the mass shooting at Virginia Tech.

In addition to being arrested, the student was also discharged from his contract to join the Marines following his graduation.

The Chicago Sun-Times has the student's essay posted on its web site (Warning: It's not for the faint of heart).

The story provides for me further evidence of how difficult a job teaching is in this day and age.

During my short time on the school board and observing the dedication that my wife and I have seen from most of our children's teachers, I've had the admiration reinforced for people who have dedicated their lives to teaching.

It is by far one of the most difficult jobs to excel in day-in and day-out.

Bill Moyers and Jon Stewart

2007-04-28T14:00:00.000-04:00

Bill Moyers interview last Friday night on PBS (WOSU locally) with The Daily Show's Jon Stewart was outstanding.

Here is part one:

And here is part two:

Olentangy Liberty's latest edition of The Cannon

2007-04-20T21:20:00.000-04:00

Three cheers to the Olentangy Liberty High School student newspaper The Cannon on their latest edition. The paper used the power of satire to make a point on the recent controversy over articles published in the student papers at Liberty and Olentangy High Schools.

Hats off to the students, the faculty advisor, and the school administration for the courage to allow The Cannon to make a statement with satire. It really is about giving students the opportunity to develop their critical thinking skills -- and this was a great demonstration of what can happen if you allow it unfold.

And just for the heck of it, here's another great example from The Onion on one my favorite public radio shows.

Ability

2007-04-19T17:52:00.000-04:00

Given the anger expressed by some comments here lately, I suggest a powerful change of pace.

Thanks to Johnnie Moore for bringing this to my attention. Johnnie quotes Karl Fisch and I'll also follow that advice:

First, please download and watch this movie (18.4 MB, 11:36).
Then think about how often we stamp "can't" on somebody's forehead.

Squidoo's Banned Book Group

2007-04-18T14:21:00.000-04:00

Here's the beginning of a follow-up on banned books. This Squidoo group is a good resource for a reasoned discussion on the subject.

I Needed this Tonight

2007-04-17T21:28:00.000-04:00

Thanks to the web tool S tumbled Upon I just discovered a very funny video. Thanks SU... I needed this tonight.

Security in Olentangy Schools

2007-04-17T21:01:00.000-04:00

In light of the yesterday's events at Virgina Tech, I was pleased to see police checking cars this morning as they entered the parking lot and drop at Olentangy Liberty High School. It was a responsible decision to do this and the school and the police are to be commended for it.

However, I would encourage the District to take a more comprehensive look at security at each of our schools. The most worrysome aspect of this is the lack of controlled entry into the schools.

I would be willing to pay a little more in property taxes to have each schools' design changed so that entry into the school could take place only through the main office - which isn't the case right now with the schools that I've been in the District.

This was something the was done at the PHM schools in Indiana while we were there and, while it may have been a little inconvenient for visitors, it was a great improvement for safety inside the building.

Who's in Charge of OLSD Literature Review Process?

2007-04-13T17:40:00.000-04:00

On March 20th, the Olentangy Local School District approved its new policy on literature selections.

According to the school's press release on the policy:

...parents who request information on literature selection will receive a review document. On that review document, parents will find a summary of the selection, its connection with state, national or district standards, the instructional rationale, alternate recommended reading assignments and literary reviews. Most of the information populating the document is from third-party external sources and reviews such as the School Library Journal, Publisher’s Weekly or the National Secondary Library Association. Other information, such as the relationship to the district’s curriculum maps, will be linked to district resources.

As quickly as one can say Webster's Dictionary, this policy has been used by the School Administration to remove another important book that our high school aged kids should be given the opportunity to read and discuss in the classroom.

The book, Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chobsky, was removed from the Olentangy Liberty freshman reading list because it was "not an appropriate selection for school due to controversial nature of some the content."

According to an unnamed source close to the story, the decision to remove the book was based on a single complaint Barbara Reierson, who brought about the decision last summer to remove two books from the OLSD summer reading list.

If the school administration were abiding by its policy, it would have found that the School Library Journal has discussed the merits of this specific book. In an article about censorship, the SLJ writes that older students deserve to have access to (the book). If the novel is removed from the state’s high school libraries without a formal challenge, and without due process, then censorship has occurred. School administrators should be reminded of Island Trees Union School District No. 26 vs. Pico, a case in which the Supreme Court ruled that books could be removed from school libraries only if they were “educationally unsuitable.”

In its review of the book, the School Library Journal writes Charlie develops from an observant wallflower into his own man of action, and, with the help of a therapist, he begins to face the sexual abuse he had experienced as a child. This report on his life will engage teen readers for years to come."

As a parent, I want my child to understand these issues as teenagers as it will only make them a better adult in the years ahead. The lost opportunity to not have high school students discuss important topics like this leaves them to gossip about about whether Sanjaya is, or isn't any good for American Idol.

The decision to pull this book comes on the heels of a controversy over the two High School newspapers in the district. The most worrisome of quotes coming from the board member, Julie Wagner Feasel, who said "I am not in favor of censorship, but in journalism, you have to take into account your community standards, and it is all right for the students to learn that what is OK for publication in Berkeley, Calif., may not be OK in Holmes County, Ohio."

That's the kind of ridiculous comment that will chase away any creative and intelligent person or business from this district and the region. Imagine the reaction of someone from a high tech or research company researching the area and reading such a statement from one of our elected officials -- one would scratch the Columbus area off their short list pretty quickly. And besides, we're in Delaware County NOT Holmes County.

Such closed thinking is quite worrisome coupled with the influence of Ms. Reierson causes one to shutter more than a little bit.

How do we/How should we define ourselves?

2007-04-09T14:01:00.000-04:00

I had the pleasure of meeting blogger Dave Winer at the 2007 Public Media Conference in Boston back February. On Sunday, Dave offered some very interesting thoughts on our changing world as it relates to public radio -- in the context of Sam Zell's purchase of The Tribune Company.

In his post, Winer writes:

Before the Internet, I listened to KQED. That meant listening to shows I wasn't interested in, like Pacific Time or Latino USA. Now, after having lived in Seattle, Boston and Florida, I'm an NPR listener. I found shows on WBUR that KQED doesn't carry. My favorite show comes from WNYC. I'm a fan of DIane Rehm who does her work at WAMU, but I first heard her on WJCT. I still listen to Fresh Air from WHYY, but I only listen to the podcast, and only when the program interests me.

In a few years, the transition to the Internet will be so complete that the link between the call letters and a local area will be meaningless. The stations won't even broadcast. Then someone at NPR will swallow the hard truth that the distinctions mean so little to anyone outside their industry that they might as well just collapse it down and call the whole thing NPR.

How would those in the public radio community react to these comments?

Many would react in denial, that the world really isn't moving this way.

Some would react in fear, that this is a big conspiracy brought about by a few of the major players in public radio to go directly to the listener and by-pass the local stations.

And a few would react with a nod of the head and agree that this is the way the world is moving to and that we had better get off our tails and act now together to map our future. Not everyone is going to be willing or ready to work together in this leap of faith ... but unless we do, we're facing the same reality as the newspaper industry.

For those who see this new world and want to lead public radio forward, now is the time to step up, clear your throat, and voice your opinion loud and clear that it isn't 1988, or 1995 anymore. It's 2007 and we have the opportunity to grab this new world and make it ours or allow the new world to pass us by.

I'm ready to grab our piece -- I hope others are ready to step up as well.

Jaiku

2007-04-07T21:55:00.000-04:00

I just discovered a Twitter-like site that takes the Twitter concept much further by allowing members to import in blogs,photos, and (even) Twitter feeds into page.

It's call Jaiko and it's developed by a bunch of Fins in Helsinki -- it's pretty cool. The nice thing is that you can write your Twitter comment and it imports it right in.

The one thing that I do see a need for them to adjust is to set up a time zone option as it's showing me doing things tomorrow -- a bit of a time warp thing.

It's fun -- although the name isn't as much fun as Twitter!

More on the Public Radio Talent Quest

2007-03-28T23:10:00.001-04:00

We're pulling out the big guns for the Public Radio Talent Quest.

Keeping our Eye on the Ball

2007-03-13T21:47:00.000-04:00

Several public radio station leaders spent the day today discussing the merits, or rather the lack of merit, in NPR's renewed deal with Sirius Satellite Radio.

A few calmer voices were added to the mix but to spend a whole lot of time debating the issue is really taking our eye off the ball. This is not the discussion we need to be having.

Instead, we should be having a discussion regarding taking the work of the Digital Distribution Consortium Working Group from a White Paper to reality. Also, check our Jake's interview with Current and Dennis' blog post Calling The Question.

Instead of spending time rehashing Satellite Radio Strategy, we should be outraged by the decision by the Copyright Royalty Board regarding streaming rates that could result in a severe curtailing to any music streaming on the web and puts into question what will they do if we ever get to a discussion regarding Podcasting.

Rather than discussing the merits of XM or Sirius as friend of foe, wouldn't it be better time spent focusing on how to make your local station more relevant to your community?

We need to keep our eye on the ball or we'll strike out before the season even begins.

Go Cubs!

The British Are Coming

2007-03-09T16:17:00.000-05:00

A Spot of Bother

2007-03-05T22:16:00.000-05:00

Over the weekend I finished Mark Haddon's latest book A Spot of Bother, which was his follow up to the wonderful Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time.

In this book, Haddon tells the story of a British family of four, each going through altering life changes. While it took me about halfway into the book to fully understand where Haddon was headed, once you arrive it's a journey worth taking.

The 61 year-old lead character in the story is the most interesting -- observing his mental state dissolve in a variety of directions. His story in many ways is about how to maintain your sanity in your post-work life, which in the case of George Hall was an unsuccessful example.

I started this back in December on my flight to London and set it aside only coming back to it a few weeks ago. When I returned to the book in February is when the story started to take off so I'm wondering if its perhaps the dark humor of the story that didn't feel right around the holidays.

In any case, I appreciated the book more having been to London and knowing the geography of the place a little better.

Our public broadcasting friend Rick Steves talks a lot about how travel helps shape your world view -- I don't think I understood that until my trip to Europe.

Looking ahead to this year, they'll be some more miles ahead that should prove to further shape my view of our world. I'm hoping to further find my voice from these adventures.

The Public Radio Talent Quest

2007-03-04T19:45:00.000-05:00

One of the better ideas to come out of CPB in some time is the Public Radio Talent Quest.
This project will be fun to be a part of in large part due to the participants involved in this effort -- most notably the folks at PRX.

We are at critical point in our industry in bringing new voices to our air so the timing on this couldn't be better. I'm going into this with a really good attitude hopeful that something positive will come out of the effort.

The Bloggers at NPR

2007-02-16T08:29:00.001-05:00

NPR
Originally uploaded by Euan.

Yesterday and today several leading Social Media thinkers are at NPR helping us forge our future. I'm happy and excited about how this might help move us forward in a positive way.