Work being done on a proposed energy conservation plan for Athens-Clarke County is proceeding well, according to one commissioner during a mayor and commission agenda setting meeting yesterday.
While some commissioners expressed concern, especially regarding costs that may potentially be imposed on residents, they were mostly optimistic about the plan. Among other objectives, it would seek to eliminate excess lighting in the county in an effort to reduce energy costs.
“This is an excellent strategy,” said 6th Commissioner Carl Jordan. “I appreciate the work that has gone into it.”
Mayor Heidi Davidson and the commissioners also discussed possible rate and procedure changes for the pickup of trash in the community. Whereas the county has previously offered backyard pickup of garbage in addition to curbside, changes may be in effect that would eliminate the backyard service.
3rd District Commissioner George Maxwell expressed unease with the proposal on the grounds that some elderly or disabled individuals may not have the ability to carry their garbage to the curb. He was assured that there would be a provision whereby those unable to do so could submit a short application for continued backyard pickup.
Commissioner David Lynn of the 5th District also commented on the service. “Athens must be the only community left that still picks up garbage in the backyard, but that’s no reason to do away with it,” he said.
Thursday, April 17, 2008
Monday, April 14, 2008
Dan Magill speaks to students
Dan Magill, the legendary University of Georgia tennis coach, sports promoter and World War II veteran, has done and seen many amazing things. Yet when questioned about his greatest accomplishment of all during an interview with journalism students at the university today, the 87-year-old responded, “Winning the hand of Rosemary, my wife.”
Magill, whose fame is well-known around the university’s city of Athens (his seat in the stadium’s press box reads simply, “Dan Magill–The Legend”), reminisced about many events throughout his illustrious life. One of his favorite memories, he claimed, was winning a bid to the 1941 Orange Bowl after triumphing over Auburn with a score of 7-0.
Another fond memory he recalled was during his time at boot camp in the United States Marine Cops, in which he listened outside of a window, in the freezing cold, to a drill sergeant’s radio broadcasting of the 1943 Rose Bowl, which Georgia also won.
Magill also spoke concerning whether or not other sports get the publicity they deserve at the college, where football is clearly dominant. “Football makes so much money that it really finances the others,” he said. “It certainly deserves the attention.”
Magill, whose fame is well-known around the university’s city of Athens (his seat in the stadium’s press box reads simply, “Dan Magill–The Legend”), reminisced about many events throughout his illustrious life. One of his favorite memories, he claimed, was winning a bid to the 1941 Orange Bowl after triumphing over Auburn with a score of 7-0.
Another fond memory he recalled was during his time at boot camp in the United States Marine Cops, in which he listened outside of a window, in the freezing cold, to a drill sergeant’s radio broadcasting of the 1943 Rose Bowl, which Georgia also won.
Magill also spoke concerning whether or not other sports get the publicity they deserve at the college, where football is clearly dominant. “Football makes so much money that it really finances the others,” he said. “It certainly deserves the attention.”
Monday, March 24, 2008
Sweetser: Managing Identities Online is Important
Creating and managing an online identity is extremely important, according to an assistant professor of public relations at the University of Georgia today in an interview with students.
Kaye Sweetser, whose research focuses primarily on the use of social media, claimed that individuals must not only take steps to control what people see on social networking sites, but also should create a professional online persona for potential employers to see.
“You need an online presence because whether you realize it or not, you already have one,” Sweetser said, referring to the broad use of the networking site Facebook by students. She encouraged the use of LinkedIn, a site Sweetser called “the professional Facebook.”
She also spoke of the growing importance of social media as a communication tool for political candidates. While it used to be a requisite for candidates to make appearances on late night talk show such as Jay Leno or David Letterman, it is now just as important to appear on social and viral websites, Sweetser asserted.
Sweetser claimed that Barack Obama has made the best use of such techniques, utilizing sites such as YouTube to amass what Sweetser called a “grassroots following” of young supporters. She also believes that neither John McCain nor Hillary Clinton have not made effective use of these tools.
“People want to see the candidate on a very personal level,” Sweetser said.
Kaye Sweetser, whose research focuses primarily on the use of social media, claimed that individuals must not only take steps to control what people see on social networking sites, but also should create a professional online persona for potential employers to see.
“You need an online presence because whether you realize it or not, you already have one,” Sweetser said, referring to the broad use of the networking site Facebook by students. She encouraged the use of LinkedIn, a site Sweetser called “the professional Facebook.”
She also spoke of the growing importance of social media as a communication tool for political candidates. While it used to be a requisite for candidates to make appearances on late night talk show such as Jay Leno or David Letterman, it is now just as important to appear on social and viral websites, Sweetser asserted.
Sweetser claimed that Barack Obama has made the best use of such techniques, utilizing sites such as YouTube to amass what Sweetser called a “grassroots following” of young supporters. She also believes that neither John McCain nor Hillary Clinton have not made effective use of these tools.
“People want to see the candidate on a very personal level,” Sweetser said.
Monday, March 17, 2008
U.S. reporting too simplified?
Media outlets in the U.S. tend to oversimplify the stories they report, according to a mass communication expert at the University of Georgia speaking to a group of journalism students today.
Dr. Tudor Vlad, who was a reporter in Romania during and after the fall of the communist regime in the country, spoke to the students on a variety of subjects including the far-reaching effects of U.S. media around the world.
“When you have 30 seconds on television, it is easiest to just find the good and bad guys and tell what’s going on,” he said.
Vlad used the example of the first few weeks of news coverage during the Iraq War, during which he claimed that the media put forth a consistent message of patriotism and unquestioning loyalty, and actually reminded him of communist propaganda. Instead of a government-enforced ideal, however, U.S. media is driven by ratings, Vlad asserted.
The oversimplification of such complicated issues as regional conflicts can have quite a damaging effect, Vlad said. When it happens, media organizations in other countries that base their news on U.S. reports have tend to compromise the accuracy of the information to an even greater degree, resulting in misinterpretation and confusion.
Although this type of reporting runs rampant, Vlad claims that solid, in-depth journalism still exists, though it may not be as easily accessible. “You have to dig a little deeper to find that type of reporting,” Vlad said.
Dr. Tudor Vlad, who was a reporter in Romania during and after the fall of the communist regime in the country, spoke to the students on a variety of subjects including the far-reaching effects of U.S. media around the world.
“When you have 30 seconds on television, it is easiest to just find the good and bad guys and tell what’s going on,” he said.
Vlad used the example of the first few weeks of news coverage during the Iraq War, during which he claimed that the media put forth a consistent message of patriotism and unquestioning loyalty, and actually reminded him of communist propaganda. Instead of a government-enforced ideal, however, U.S. media is driven by ratings, Vlad asserted.
The oversimplification of such complicated issues as regional conflicts can have quite a damaging effect, Vlad said. When it happens, media organizations in other countries that base their news on U.S. reports have tend to compromise the accuracy of the information to an even greater degree, resulting in misinterpretation and confusion.
Although this type of reporting runs rampant, Vlad claims that solid, in-depth journalism still exists, though it may not be as easily accessible. “You have to dig a little deeper to find that type of reporting,” Vlad said.
Monday, March 3, 2008
The Little Spud that Could
The once lowly potato plant has become an “icon of globalization,” according to a renowned expert on the economics of food industry speaking to a journalism class at Hometown University today.
Ezra Kuttner, who works in the College of Food, Agriculture, and Environmental Sciences at Ohio State University, spoke of the virtues of the tasty spud in a speech aptly titled, “In praise of the humble but world-changing potato plant.”
According to Kuttner, there are three important trends that potatoes have spurred: economic development, free trade, and globalization. From their origin in the mountains of Peru, to underpinning the England’s industrial revolution, the influence of the potato is ancient.
Since 2008 has been dubbed “the year of the potato,” there seems to be no better time to celebrate the impact of the world’s fourth largest food crop. Kuttner also applauded a recent book by John Reader entitled “Propitious Esculent: The Potato in World History,” which speaks of the ascension of the plant.
“Mashed, fried, boiled, and roast,” Kuttner proclaimed, “a humble tuber changed the world.”
Ezra Kuttner, who works in the College of Food, Agriculture, and Environmental Sciences at Ohio State University, spoke of the virtues of the tasty spud in a speech aptly titled, “In praise of the humble but world-changing potato plant.”
According to Kuttner, there are three important trends that potatoes have spurred: economic development, free trade, and globalization. From their origin in the mountains of Peru, to underpinning the England’s industrial revolution, the influence of the potato is ancient.
Since 2008 has been dubbed “the year of the potato,” there seems to be no better time to celebrate the impact of the world’s fourth largest food crop. Kuttner also applauded a recent book by John Reader entitled “Propitious Esculent: The Potato in World History,” which speaks of the ascension of the plant.
“Mashed, fried, boiled, and roast,” Kuttner proclaimed, “a humble tuber changed the world.”
Monday, February 18, 2008
AP Writer Visits UGA
Journalism is in the midst of drastic change, according to a national writer for the Associated Press, speaking at the University of Georgia Monday morning.
Erin McClam, who is an alumnus of the school, gave advice to students on how to write and report effectively, and spoke of the evolution the field has experienced in the past several years.
He referred to what he called the “explosion of the internet,” and the increasing demand from internet users for immediate news in the midst of the daytime.
“There is much more appetite for news during the work day,” he said.
In many cases, he noted, reporters must dictate story notes over the phone just moments after an event they are covering has occurred, in order for it to quickly be posted on the internet. Many web users have come to expect such immediacy, and bloggers sometimes respond just as quickly.
McClam also stressed the importance of observation, clarity, and flexibility. He encouraged the group of students to document their surroundings, and try to break out of their own writing methods. “You have to say to yourself, why not try this little snappy four-word lead?” he said.
Erin McClam, who is an alumnus of the school, gave advice to students on how to write and report effectively, and spoke of the evolution the field has experienced in the past several years.
He referred to what he called the “explosion of the internet,” and the increasing demand from internet users for immediate news in the midst of the daytime.
“There is much more appetite for news during the work day,” he said.
In many cases, he noted, reporters must dictate story notes over the phone just moments after an event they are covering has occurred, in order for it to quickly be posted on the internet. Many web users have come to expect such immediacy, and bloggers sometimes respond just as quickly.
McClam also stressed the importance of observation, clarity, and flexibility. He encouraged the group of students to document their surroundings, and try to break out of their own writing methods. “You have to say to yourself, why not try this little snappy four-word lead?” he said.
Monday, February 11, 2008
Hayes: it's an "exciting time"
Georgia local government authority Harry Hayes called this an "exciting time" in county government when he addressed a class of young journalism students at the University of Georgia Monday.
Hayes, project director of the Carl Vinson Institute of Government, spoke of the recent creation of new cities in the state. He cited four cities which have been created in the last three years alone: Sandy Springs, John’s Creek, Milton, and Chatahoochee Hills, all of which are located in Fulton County.
Hayes, project director of the Carl Vinson Institute of Government, spoke of the recent creation of new cities in the state. He cited four cities which have been created in the last three years alone: Sandy Springs, John’s Creek, Milton, and Chatahoochee Hills, all of which are located in Fulton County.
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