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September 18, 2007
New HyperLocal Blog
A well-known local activist has started a federation of Brainerd area neighborhood associations (and other collections, including local businesses, churches, and schools) called the Brainerd Unity Group, or BUG. (I'm guessing that this group is antithetical to council member Marti Rutherford's "super-association," but that's only a guess. Someone correct me if I'm wrong.)
More important to the topic here is that she has started a blog, called the BUG Blog, where concerned citizens in this area can read and comment on stories that are posted. As has been discussed many times on the internet, the format of a blog, even a group blog, is different than that of a moderated online forum: there is a single voice setting the direction of a conversation, but many voices are able to respond.
An announcement on the BUG Blog last night also caught my eye: a candidate forum for the Senate District 10 primary winners is scheduled (tentatively) for Thursday, October 11 at 6pm. I just don't know if I can make it, given our family schedule. (The wife is in grad school at UTC, and has all evening classes; we have one car, and she starts driving to school at around 6 on Thursdays; and I'm on Dad duty (gladly, let me add) during these classes.)
But here's what I will do: I will work as quickly as possible to try and arrange transportation and childcare so that I can attend this very important event. If there is one candidate forum I get to attend this whole special election cycle, I want it to be the one in my community.
Brainerd, for those who don't know, is a wonderfully diverse community; but unfortunately, the diverse groups haven't been able to work together as much as they have isolated themselves into hopeless little pockets of sameness. Here's hoping that this new Unity Group will achieve something better.
About Blogs , Community | By joe lance | 07:34 AM