April Confidential: #ComcastCaresDay

Posted on April 1, 2016


In the Confidential, ELGL co-founder Kent Wyatt makes local government great again by bring the latest news in government, pop culture, and sports.

April 30

#ComcastCaresDay?

Oh, the irony…Comcast Cares Day. I found out about the one day of the year when Comcast cares about people while I was online chatting with a Comcast agent about my Internet package.

On Thursday, I updated to the Blast Pro Internet package — what could be faster except possibly the Blast Turbo, Blast Rocket, Blast Lightning, etc. I was excited for this upgrade because it was the solution to fixing the technical issue with ELGL Live!.

Comcast was not as excited as they forgot to upgrade my service. It was noticeable that they forgot as I attempted to TCB (take care of business) his morning. Turns out, that despite asking about this at the time of the upgrade, my equipment is not capable of handling the Blast Pro. Was Comcast staff too busy planning for Comcast Cares Day?

On the brightside to make up for the miscue, I now will receive cable and internet for $50/month. Maybe. There is one catch. Comcast is mailing a new modem capable of handling the Blast. I offered to drop by their office to pick up the equipment, but to my dismay, this super-secret modem is unavailable at their office and must be mailed. I’d say there is 20% that I ever see this Blast-proof modem, and if I don’t it’s okay, because I know Comcast got caught up helping the community and forgot to fulfill my modem.

To celebrate #ComcastCares Day, here are a few of my favorite tweets.

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I should note that most of the tweets I cannot post. Terrorist groups have commandeered the hashtag with pictures of dead bodies and random body parts.

The media also picked up on the failure of #ComcastCaresDay – Comcast Cares Day trends on Twitter, not in a good way and #ComcastCaresDay on Twitter was probably a bad idea for Comcast.

 

Mama Said Knock You Out

A trip to Target equals another Saturday for the Wyatt family. While my daughters scoured the Barbie aisle, I found the perfect way to teach my kids about football and concussions. This item should be on every Christmas list.

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April 28

Libel?

What is ELGL’s reach? I think about that a lot. Some days I think it’s a couple of tables in the lunchroom while other days I think it’s the whole lunchroom. (Apologies for invoking thoughts of Sloppy Joes and hairnets)

When I woke up today and read my email from overnight, I was greeted by an email with the words “libel” and “defamatory matter.” A vendor taking issue about an article that one of their competitors had written for ELGL. (Sorry to disappoint, I am not naming the vendors involved in this spat.) The complainant was tossing around legal terms even though the complainant’s company was never mentioned by name. If you really want to know the article in question, read every ELGL article and look for the one with multiple comments from the same person who uses a different ID for each.

In an odd fashion, it’s situations like these which reinforce ELGL’s expanding impact on local government. Local government leaders, vendors, and journalists are paying attention to you and the content created by ELGL. You are beginning to take the driver’s seat in dictating the conversation in local government. A prime example is Maggie Pasqualone’s (Assistant Law Director, City of Kettering, Ohio) appeared that was published on ELGL and re-published on Route 50. (Note: Maggie’s article has a disclaimer which ELGL may re-purpose to avoid any future accusations of libel.) You can join the chorus of voices by signing up to write an ELGL article.

If you want to learn my take on disclaimers, listen to episode 9 of Pardon My Take – best podcast ever.

 

Run Forest Run

I love a good giraffe chase and you should to.

 

Hold Onto Your Seats…

I have a new favorite podcast – Longform. Start by listening to the episode with Nate Sliver. It’s the first in-depth interview that I’ve heard with him.

Longform Podcast #188: Nate Silver

Nate Silver is the founder of FiveThirtyEight and the author of The Signal and the Noise.

“I know in a perfectly rational world, if you make an 80/20 prediction, people should know that not only will this prediction not be right all the time, but you did something wrong if it’s never wrong. The 20% underdog should come through sometimes. People in sports understand that sometimes a 15 seed beats a 2 seed in the NCAA tournament. That’s much harder to explain to people in politics.”

The one thing I find troubling about podcasts is that seemingly every podcast is sponsored by some combination of Stamps.com or MailChimp. Are these the only two companies that know about podcasts. I can’t handle another Stamps.com plug.

 

Reading List

The Selling of Obama – The inside story of how a great communicator lost the narrative. Key takeaway:  “You’ve got to meet people where they are,” says White House political director David Simas.

Man throws birthday party for pothole, convinces city to repair road. Jackson, Mississippi resident Eddie Prosser was tired of the pothole that had graced his neighborhood for a year, unfixed. So he got the city’s attention — by throwing the pothole a birthday party.

Good Samaritans Saved a Jumper From I-205 On-RampPortland Parks Department worker among those who stopped to help

 

Undercover Lyft

“Oh sh#t!” – One of the many great reactions during Richard Sherman’s Undercover Lyft episode. Undercover Lyft driver Richard Sherman: ‘I’m the best driver in the game’

 

What?

Here’s a fun fact that leaves many unanswered questions.

 

April 24

Bow-wow-wow-yippee-yo-yippee-yay!

This Snoop Dogg And The Muppets Mashup Is Totally Dope.

 

The Roof, The Roof Is On Fire

I read a lot about attracting women police officers (probably since Tigard doesn’t have a fire department) but I rarely read about the need for women firefighters. The New York Times writes how fire departments are turning to women especially as volunteer firefighters.

On a related note, here’s a map of every place in the US that has ever had a woman in Congress.

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Purple Rain

Everyone is writing about Prince so a local government blogger can’t be left out. I was never a huge Prince fan. I think his passing is sad but, not unexpected, as much of the media is writing. Just a week ago, a flight carrying Prince had to make a premature landing to deal with Prince’s illness.

While Prince was odd especially when he changed his name to a symbol, he avoided the police blotter unlike Michael Jackson. This is worth a few points in the discussion on who was better MJ or Prince.

Extra props to Prince for writing his own songs and songs for other articles. At least a few songs on this list will surprise you – Prince penned and gave away songs to other artists including Madonna and Cyndi Lauper.

If I have to name a favorite Prince moment, this would be it.

Prince vs Charlie Murphy from American Booze on Vimeo.

My favorite band Pearl Jam paid homage to Prince at a show on April 21. It is pretty crazy the impact that Prince had on such a wide range of artists.

 

April 18

Good Job, Good Effort Award


Brian Southey, Village of Elk Grove, IL, takes home the 2nd “Good Job, Good Effort” award for managing our transition in membership software. (Learn more about the prestigious award under the April 6 blog entry.)

Behind the scenes, Brian has been working his tail off (not sure if I’m allowed to use stronger language) to ensure our 1,000 members and 50 organizational members don’t notice a thing. Your member experience will be improved because of the new software as you’ll be able to better connect with other members.

Brian has balanced the software transition with the daily work of following up on account inquiries from current members. And like the everyone on our leadership team, Brian is volunteering his time and getting paid in pride. For that, we give Brian a heartfelt – good job, good effort.

 

April 17

Saturday Night Special

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Last night we launched ELGL Live. I had the pleasure of interviewing Josh Dukelow and Jon Stehle who have run for local elected office. Jon is wrapping up his second campaign for city councilor in Fairfax, VA. (Fun Fact: I lived in Fairfax for most of my childhood during my dad’s time as Fairfax city manager. Surprisingly, the person who replaced my dad remains city manager 20 years later.)

ELGL Live will be turned into a GovLove podcast in the coming weeks. If you are like most of us and just cannot wait, you can check the recording for the next 24 hours on Periscope. The fun of broadcasting live on Periscope was the audience interaction. We had viewer questions from Knox County, OH, Rutherfordton, NC, Denver, CO, and more. We have 75 viewers tune into the live broadcast and 6 people have watched the replay.

I chose a nice red wine to drink during the interview while others like Erik Fabian (CPBB) choose a Milwaukee-based beer in honor of Wisconsin’s finest Josh Dukelow.

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Jon and Josh gave insight into the costs of running of a campaign, their celebrity look-alikes, a Donald Trump endorsement, and the role of city staff during a campaign. I think you’ll appreciate their comments on increasing diversity among candidates for elected office.

We’ll continue to use Periscope to give you the opportunity to interact with GovLove guests. We welcome your suggestions for future guests.

 

April 15

Jordan Rules

I am going to drop this graphic right here for those who have any doubt about the greatest basketball player ever.

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The Social Media Expert

Last time we learned about limiting our use of Caps Lock in our tweets. The National Weather Service took notice by quickly issuing this news – National Weather Service: Forecasts ‘Will Stop Yelling at You’. One down and a whole lot of local governments and professional associations left.

linkedin-profile-photo-example-bad-5Most of you (hopefully) won’t need today’s social media tip but my teddy bear and I wouldn’t be able to sleep if we didn’t remind you. This one involves your LinkedIn profile picture. It’s pretty simply – you should be the only one in your profile picture. No one wants to see your significant other, children, or pets.

Think you are in the clear? Before celebrating, make sure your LinkedIn picture does not include you holding a drink, was not taken at a bar/restaurant, and was not taken with you wearing a hat (unless you are a farmer, in that case, it’s okay and the reverse applies, you should be wearing a hat and a prominently displayed belt buckle).

I continue to debate with myself whether no LinkedIn picture is better than a LinkedIn picture with you and your wife. I may never finish this debate with myself.

April 13

#MambaDay

(Full disclosure: I am a Michael Jordan fan so I have a natural inclination to dislike Kobe.)

kobe_fanThe year of celebrating Kobe Bryant concludes tonight with his final home game. Kobe is a great basketball player but his life outside basketball is not worth celebrating. Perhaps I am senativie because I have two daughters but how can we celebrate an individual who was accused of sexual assault and settled the case with the following statement.

“First, I want to apologize directly to the young woman involved in this incident. I want to apologize to her for my behavior that night and for the consequences she has suffered in the past year. Although this year has been incredibly difficult for me personally, I can only imagine the pain she has had to endure. I also want to apologize to her parents and family members, and to my family and friends and supporters, and to the citizens of Eagle, Colorado.

 I also want to make it clear that I do not question the motives of this young woman. No money has been paid to this woman. She has agreed that this statement will not be used against me in the civil case. Although I truly believe this encounter between us was consensual, I recognize now that she did not and does not view this incident the same way I did. After months of reviewing discovery, listening to her attorney, and even her testimony in person, I now understand how she feels that she did not consent to this encounter.

 I issue this statement today fully aware that while one part of this case ends today, another remains. I understand that the civil case against me will go forward. That part of this case will be decided by and between the parties directly involved in the incident and will no longer be a financial or emotional drain on the citizens of the state of Colorado.”

Props to whomever wrote this statement. It’s as close to an admission of guilt as possible without going to jail. The only media outlet alluding to Kobe’s past is my mancrush Clay Travis – check out the podcast and article – Kobe Bryant’s Rape Case Reexamined.

Don’t think Kobe is being glorified?

Charles Barkley wears special ‘Mamba Day’ Barkleys to honor Kobe

Nike Athletes Salute Kobe Bryant

Mamba Day: Federer, Nadal, Serena pay tribute to Kobe Bryant

I had my doubts too until I cracked open Twitter and saw #MambaDay (note the cute the shoe following the hashtag). Yes, Twitter has created a personalized hashtag to honor Kobe. You and the rest of Kobe’s adoring fans can spend a few minutes tweeting about the greatness of Kobe and what a great human being he is. Perhaps, since Twitter wasn’t around in 2003, they forgot about Kobe’s words of wisdom – “I now understand how she feels that she did not consent to this encounter.”

 

April 10

New Feature: THE SOCIAL MEDIA EXPERT!?!?

During a social media webinar in 2013, Patrick Rollens (at the time Village of Oak Park, IL Social Media Coordinator) told us that there is no such thing as a social media expert. His point: social media is a new field and each of us is learning how to use it.

Fast forward to 2016, Patrick is the public information officer for the City of Corvallis, OR and I will attempt to disprove Patrick’s theory by making you a social media expert. This feature will showcase effective uses of social media and, maybe more importantly, ineffective uses of social media.

Let’s start with the wonderful world of Twitter. Tweet! Tweet! Here are two approaches – one by the Municipal Management Association of Northern California (MMANC) and another by the police departments of Cleburne, TX, Arlington, TX, and Tampa, FL. You judge which approach would be better for your organization.

Here are two recent tweets from MMANC:

 

You might be thinking, did the Caps Lock key get stuck? Why is this tweet yelling at me? If you were thinking this, you were right. Caps lock should be sparingly on Twitter (unless you are a Villanova fan whose team won the national championship with a crazy buzzer-beating three pointer.) The overuse of caps lock is confusing (how do we know what is really important) and causes headaches (at least for me).

The message of these tweets is unclear. Are they trying to convey how excited they are about CITY CLERKS? Is this a tweet only to be read by CITY CLERKS? Are CITY CLERKS being held hostage by a rogue local government group? Your tweets, whether personal or professional, should be similar to a sentence where a subject and verb are helpful to the reader.

Wild guess here – MMANC social media accounts are connected which means when a message is posted on Facebook, it is posted on Twitter. As pointed out in the #GSMCON2016, this is a big no-no. Take the time and effort to craft a message that is appropriate for the social media channel that you are using.

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I spent my Saturday night participating in the Arlington, TX PD, Cleburne, TX PD, and Tampa, FL PD #TweetAlong. (I know what you’re thinking – BEST. SATURDAY NIGHT. EVER) H/T to ELGL member Rob Severance for letting us know about the #TweetAlong. ELGL was well represented.

The trio of police departments took to social media to show their workload on a Saturday night. Twitter users from across the country learned about body cameras, tougher job – Police or Fire, and citizen academies.

The #TweetAlong was impactful on Saturday night and leaves a lasting impact through this Storify

 

New Feature: Shout Outs to Dad

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We can agree that being a dad is most difficult job in the world. Right, moms? When an athlete, celebrity, or anyone else accomplishes something, they gave a shout out to their mom and the Lord but often overlook the brilliance and influence of their dad. We’ll make up for this oversights by doing our own “shout outs to dad.”

This weekend, dads with daughters had their moment in the sun with this article – Dad and daughter relationships, as explained by 10 paintings. I love #10.

The dad bod is real. We can’t stop it but only hope to contain it. The dad bod got the best of this baseball player. Shout out to this dad and baseball player. Keep on, keepin’ on.

 

April 7

“I am not a sexist but….”

We’re back with two more examples of the gender discrimination permeating our society.

Let’s start with an example that was little to do with local government and is from my backyard, Lake Oswego, OR. Ride past a high school these days and you’ll be astounded by the incredible athletic facilities, many of which rival small colleges. You will find football teams playing on field turf (which is what NFL teams play on), baseball fields with new scoreboards and cool turf art, and weight rooms with the newest toys.

Once you’ve checked out those gems, dig deeper by looking at the softball field, women’s soccer field, and tennis courts. In Lake Oswego, OR, a few wise parents noticed the striking differences between the baseball field and softball field. Here’s what they found:

Photos provided to KATU News in the lawsuit document show the boys’ facilities have a turf field, stadium seating, a concession stand, a hitting barn, and a full locker room. Photos of the softball accommodations show a dirt field, metal bleachers, no concession stand, a net hanging inside the junior high gym that’s used for hitting practice, and a shared room for the girls to dress in.

The suit calls the field where the softball team plays a “below average junior high field” and it’s not even on their own campus. The suit claims the school district has failed to keep up the field at the junior high school, and that team members, their parents, and coaches regularly do routine maintenance work to keep it looking as good as possible.

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Notice any differences in the pictures? Listen, I understand that the softball and baseball fields won’t be exactly the same. School districts have schedules for replacing fields, dugouts, etc. I understand that maybe the baseball field was funded partially by donations. However, I cannot understand how the huge differences in field conditions was allowed to continue for so long. The LO parents were left with no choice but to air their grievances in the press and legal system. My guess is that the case is resolved quickly (in the next couple of weeks).

The larger question is what differences are allowed between men’s and women’s athletic facilities. It’s difficult for them to be exactly the same. When does it reach the point that legal action is necessary?

Moving on (we didn’t look very far or hard), a female firefighter in Tampa was fired after filing harassment lawsuit. (Yes, this does hit home for me since my wife filed a gender discrimination suit against her employer. She was not fired.)

“This would not have happened if she had kept her legs closed,” is one of the alleged statements made toward the female firefighter. Want more examples:

  • A captain told her that “no one would notice if we disappeared into the woods for 20 minutes,
  • “Women would be so much better if we could train them like dogs.”
  • She “looked good when she sweats.”

My hope is that none of the allegations are true. My brain tells me that at least some, if not all, are true. Fire stations, similar to police stations, have a reputation for being a boy’s club. I commend the firefighter for speaking out about what she believes happened. As I learned through my wife’s ordeal, gender discrimination is alive and well but many are not comfortable reporting it. A number of folks shared with me, during my wife’s ordeal, how they were discriminated against but felt reporting it would end their career in the professional.

 

Too Early?

It’s never too early to discuss college football. Nielsen provides a cool map highlighting clusters of college football fans.

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April 6

New Feature: Government Behaving Badly

I know, I know….you’re thinking this is going to be a long post. Government behaving badly – so many good (comedic) examples. Don’t worry we’ll only highlight the best of the best here. No minor league misbehaving here. You’ll get the most egregious examples of good at its worst.

Allow me to introduce Duncan Hunter, Republican from California, a.k.a. the Vaping Congressman. Why the Vaping Congressman? Here is Congressman Hunter showing off his vaping skills during a congressional hearing –

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Congressman Hunter’s skill set doesn’t stop at vaping. He’s an avid gamer whose habit is partially funded by the taxpayers.

The Federal Election Commission is questioning Rep. Duncan Hunter, R-Alpine, for his use of campaign funds to pay for video games on 68 separate occasions — something the congressman is attributing to a mistake by his son, followed by several unauthorized charges.

Unless he was purchasing multiple copies of Blades of Steel, Double Dribble, Mike Tyson’s Punch Out, and Tecmo Bowl, we should throw the book at the Congressman.

 

New Feature: Good Job, Good Effort

Certain things are stuck in my head, forever, forever ever. One is the clip of a youngster saying “good job, good effort” to Lebron James after a playoff loss. It’s a bold and somewhat surprising move by the kid. His simple acknowledgement of Lebron’s effort – good job, good effort – was probably drowned out by far more negative comments being screamed by adults. In this sea of angry humanity, the kid brought perspective by uttering “good job, good effort.”

As local government professionals, we may face a slew of negative, personal attacks hurled by the vocal minority. The silent majority – thanking us for a timely response to their phone call or showing appreciation for a sidewalk connection – keeps us going with the occasional good job, good effort.

In the feature, ELGL plays the role of the silent majority by handing out a “good job, good effort” to a local government professional impacting their community. Pam Weir is the first person to earn our collective salute. Congrats to Pam who will soon begin a new position at the City of Goodyear, AZ. (We expect frequent selfies from Christian Williams and Pam.)

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New Feature: Tweet(s) of the Day

Did you hear? We love Twitter. We love clever tweets. We love sarcastic tweets. We love tweets with gifs. We love it all. In this feature, we highlight the tweets that we love the best. Hang onto your mouse!

One of the newest members Rachel Kelly, City of Burlington, NC, shares her enthusiasm about joining ELGL. The only thing better would be a gif of Rachel humming along to the GovLove theme music. Show the love by following Rachel on Twitter.

I have erased Monday night from my mind except for this tweet that I saw before the beginning of the UNC vs. Villanova game. I’ve always expressed frustration (to myself) about how I can’t record council meetings on my DVR. (Do we live in a communist country? I can record the Home Shopping Network but not public access television. I have made a mental note to tell my kids that life is unfair.)

 

April 3

New Feature – “I’m Not a Racist/Sexist Because I Have a Friend Who Is (Insert Group Being Discriminated Against)

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Hat tip to Landon Donovan for providing the motivation for this new semi-regular feature. Landon is a unique individual as he has a twin sister which means he can be a full-time sexist because, you know, he has a sister. And, if has a Hispanic friend, he would then gain the power to be a full-time racist. What a life!

Landon’s comments about equal pay for soccer players provides the perfect example to launch our new feature. Here are the words of wisdom from Landon.

“Both #USMNT and #USWNT should be paid commensurate w/ the revenues they produce, not based upon what the other makes,” explaining, “I’m not for equal pay, I’m for fair pay. If #USWMT generate more revenue, they should be paid more…. This isn’t social work or a government job, it’s business. Sports is a business, people forget that.” Then, to prove his credentials, he mentioned, “I have a twin sister, I’m the furthest thing from sexist. Just trying to give people both sides.”

Landon’s unfortunate quote about the US Women’s soccer team reinforces our belief that discrimination is alive and well in 2016. Social media has been a powerful tool in bringing discrimination of all types to the spotlight.

I concur, somewhat, with those who argue that we too often label statements and actions as discrimination. For example, I am not a fan of women’s basketball and the WNBA. There, I said it. I don’t find it enjoyable to watch, and probably, would feel this way if my daughters played in the WNBA. Yes, I would attend their games and cheer for them but I wouldn’t suddenly wave the pom-pom that the WNBA is better than men’s basketball. I don’t think this makes me a sexist. (Although I should not serve as judge and juror on the case.) I enjoy women’s soccer and tennis more than the men’s equivalent. This doesn’t mean I am a feminist or hate males. My view of the topic is similar to the one shared on podcasts “Outkick the Show” and “Pardon My Take.

Enough about me, it’s time to focus on those who are fueling the flames of discrimination.

Tennis official steps down after sexist comments about women’s players

Raymond Moore, CEO of BNP Paribas Open, provides a text book example of touching ensuring a certain group realizes that you don’t like them and think they should be cleaning your dirty bathroom. (If you are wondering what “BNP Paribas” is, wonder no longer. I did the leg work for you by searching Wikipedia – NP Paribas (French pronunciation: ​[be ɛn pe paʁibɑ]) is a French multinational bank and financial services company with global headquarters in Paris)

I’ll spare you anymore suspense. Here’s what our anti-feminist Raymond had to say:

Moore came under fire for saying that Women’s Tennis Association players “ride on coattails of the men” and that they “don’t make any decisions and they are lucky.” He added, “If I was a lady player, I’d go down every night on my knees and thank God that Roger Federer and Rafa Nadal were born, because they have carried this sport.”

Moore went on to note that the WTA has “a handful of very attractive prospects.” He clarified to a reporter that he meant “physically attractive and competitively attractive. … They really have quite a few very, very attractive players.”

Moore’s strategy was successful if he was looking to get fired. So, if you don’t like your job and are looking for a way out and don’t mind being despised by half of the universe, try your hand a crafting a Raymond-like statement.

To you, the loyal readers, (there must be a few of you, right?) send me an email – kent@elgl.org – with articles that should be included in feature editions of this semi-regular feature. And remember, I have two daughters and a few black friends so you know what that means…

 

April 2

Raise Up

Let’s send good vibes to the Tar Heels by blaring “Raise Up” by Petey Pablo on our Sony Discman. Go ahead, turn it up loud, make your speakers crackle, and sing along.

(UPDATE: Petey gets a few negative points for his email address – q2626@outlook.com – which is including in his Twitter bio. He can’t afford a business email address or petey.pablo@outlook.com. The only saving grace is that he’s not rocking the AOL address.)

 

What other song names random cities in North Carolina. The answer: none! Petey explored ground that hasn’t been replicated by any other song. He’s a lyrical genius.

Most famous musician from Syracuse? Gary Holland – drummer and vocalist, Dokken, Great White, Blue Cheer. “Once Bitten, Twice Shy” by Great White was a decent song but failed to include lyrics about special districts, villages, towns, counties, or any other government body. Boo to Once Bitten; hooray for Raise Up. Go Heels!

 

Transaction Wire

Sapulpa to consider employment of Enid’s assistant city manager

Metro Council ratifies Riverwalk agreement

RIVERSIDE: City’s budget gap may lead to cuts

Fort Lauderdale becomes first city to test sign language translation software

Google Fiber takes more steps toward Portland service

The Economic Value of ‘Quiet Recreation’ on BLM Lands

 

Diversity Rankings

Start your day with ths infographic that breaks down the diversity (or lack of) in major cities. H/T to Richard Florida (not to be confused with Flo-Rida) for tweeting the rankings.

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One Final Ride

Here’s a good reminder of the dedication of most public servants.

Watch Police Sergeant Choke Up In Touching Final Sign-Off Call

Douglas Hogate Sr.’s dispatcher son gave the perfect ending to his 28-year career.

View post on imgur.com

“It is a great pleasure to announce that after 1800 hours on this date, after 28 years of service, my father, Salem City Police Sgt. Douglas Hogate Sr., badge No. 612, is retiring and giving his final Code 3,” Hogate Jr. says. “It is my honor […] to acknowledge this Code 3 to the greatest man I know.”

 

Let the Games Begin…

Michael Jordan has arrived in Houston to cheer on the Tar Heels. Age has not been kind.

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Ramble On

Palin Takes Swing at Beck in Rambling Speech at Wisconsin GOP Dinner

Sarah Palin took a swing at Glenn Beck Friday night, indirectly going after the radio host for visiting the Southern U.S. border in 2014 to deliver tractor-trailers full of food, water, teddy bears and soccer balls to underage refugees.

 

April 1

Let’s Rock

Our faithful readers know that we usually kick off by blaring “1st of the Month” by Bone Thugs N’ Harmony. We haven’t fallen out of love with Bones but this month Warren G kick starts your month.

‘Sesame Street’s Bert and Ernie are here to ‘Regulate’

 

Avatars Mount Up

Katie Walpole and I have entered into one of the biggest bets in gambling history. We are putting our Twitter avatars on the line for the UNC vs. Syracuse game. UNC wins and Katie is flying the Tar Heel colors for her avatar. Syracuse win and….well, let’s not talk about that.

 

 

Podcast Picks

The Axe Files remains on the top of my podcast list (despite the last episode being a dud) but Outkick the Show and Pardon My Take are creeping up the list. Both shows are focused on sports with a little politics tossed in.

On my slow run/walk today, I found myself laughing out loud while listening to the latest Pardon My Take episode. Yes, I’ve become the crazy person laughing and talking to myself as I walk/run on the sidewalk of a busy city street. I hope my crazy, sexy legs distracted motorists from my suspicious behavior.

 

Poll Results

The votes are in. Gabe Klein wears jean shorts, well maybe. You’ll have to listen to the latest GovLove podcast to hear the exclusive announcement that Gabe provided on the GovLove audience.

 

Pancaked

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