Greenville Off-Topic

[Greenville]

I can't tell you how excited I am each week when the new Journal comes out. Like clockwork, I get home from a day of studying, go out for the weekly Thursday night outing with friends to get Mexican food, and come home to eagerly check this site to see what is in the week's Journal TBA section (much thanks to those who post it for us out-of-towners!).

I NEVER look forward to the Greenville News like that. I read the G-News hoping to see something interesting related to business or economic development, but knowing I probably won't. However, I KNOW I will find at least several such stories or tidbits in the Journal.

The two obviously cater to different markets and different interests, but I don't want the Journal to change. Becoming a daily paper would compromise what makes it great.

[Spartan]

I try to read both publications on a regular basis, although sometimes I miss.

As I recall, the GNews had the first story that told us who Pogo was and the scope of the project. Whether the Journal had a small item mentioning a Project Pogo before that or not, I don't recall.

You mention the latest edition of the Journal and the story on the bell ornament at RiverPlace. No, I did not see this in the GNews, so give the Journal credit for that.

However, what I did see in today's GNews was a big story on the City Hall project that named the developers involved and gave lots of detail. The Journal had a story, too, but all it said was they didn't have any new information.

I also saw in the latest Journal a story about Orders Distributing being sold, which I had learned days ago from the GNews. Also, the Journal routinely turns what have been big news stories during the week into little news briefs, if they've been in the GNews already, which they usually have.

I saw a story in the GNews about Carl Flesher of BMW taking a job with the Commerce Department. Didn't see hide nor hare of that in the Journal. I remember a story in the GNews about local gas stations getting busted for price gouging. Don't remember that in the Journal. I could go on and on.

No one likes their local daily newspaper, but the truth is, the local daily is always the community's news engine, whether the community likes its ownership or not. There's a lot to be said for the Journal, and they are to be commended for giving Greenville an additional source of news. But it strikes me that a lot of times in these forums, the Journal is always praised and the News always derided. That, when most of the news that's discussed in these forums comes from the News!

I'm just trying to be honest. Facts is facts.

The Journal consistantly has news that caters to our interests here (its true for its Spartanburg and Anderson editions as well). They talk about interesting things that are happening in the community. Obviously the regular papers do too, but the Journal seems to accomplish it in a better way. For example, they take the time to highlight certain projects or plans with a feature article when the regular papers only have an article in section C (or whatever). I doubt they would ever contend with the Greenville News as a daily paper. It would be cool though.

[LuvSC]

The Journal consistantly has news that caters to our interests here (its true for its Spartanburg and Anderson editions as well). They talk about interesting things that are happening in the community. Obviously the regular papers do too, but the Journal seems to accomplish it in a better way. For example, they take the time to highlight certain projects or plans with a feature article when the regular papers only have an article in section C (or whatever). I doubt they would ever contend with the Greenville News as a daily paper. It would be cool though.

I agree that one of the values a publication like the Journal can bring -- and often does -- is to take something that's been reported by daily media such as the Greenville News or Channel 4 and to develop it further, put it in context, do a more thorough analysis.

[Fiddlestix]

I'll give you another example of a weekly beating the News and that was Wednesday's cover story for the News about Southside being rated the 34th best high school in the nation by Newsweek. The Beat, the alternative-weekly the News keeps trying to put out of business, had that story in its edition that came out on Tuesday.

It's not every week that that happens, but considering the weeklies aren't even trying to scoop the News, the number of times it does happen is ridiculous.

As for the Journal expounding on news that the News and WYFF first cover, I think that's a bit condescending to the Journal and unfairly kind to the News. First of all, given constraints of time and a graphically-intensive medium, WYFF is very constrained in terms of content, so it hardly sets the agenda for what's "in the news." And there are plenty of stories that the News doesn't report or sits on until they see that other publications (the State, the Journal, and even the Beat and weekly conservative bugle, the Times-Examiner) are moving on them. In other words, the News is every bit as reactive to the weeklies as you're suggesting the weeklies react to them. Considering it's the only daily for the state's largest city, the News blows chow when it comes to being driven to fully reporting news and ferreting out stories.

Here's just an example: When they covered the sale of the city's last trailer park a couple weeks ago they didn't mention that it was owned, at least in part and perhaps indirectly through a company, by Bob Jones dean Bob Taylor, a County Councilman. I'm not sure that there's any conspiratorial point there, but that's relevant information that they (ahem) missed. And when Taylor's son-in-law ran for office did they mention that in their coverage of the campaign? No. The first mention of it that appeared was when their reporter went to cover candidates waiting for returns to come in. The day after the election we learned that Bob Taylor waited for the results with his son-in-law. Isn't that relevant information? No, they weren't "scooped," but I'm not looking to the Journal for that sort of basic news. That's not its mission. The Journal is not in any way, shape or form geared for investigative journalism -- not that identifying family connections of candidates should be regarded as "investigative" in the real world.

On another point mentioned earlier in this thread: the Journal would have a big problem going subscription-only at this point. It has the contract for public notices -- a huge source of revenue for them -- and pulling the free distribution to selected neighborhoods would seriously imperil their ability to retain that contract because they wouldn't reach enough people. Plus it would cut deeply into their advertising rate cards as fewer people would bother to pay for it. (As it stands you've got to wonder how many people subject to foreclosure notices and the like are in their distribution network. It's not like the Journal has much, if any, appeal to residents of, say, Nicholtown or Berea or other non-suburban readership groups that aren't seeking personal affirmation of upscale lifestyles.)

The free distribution is one factor that keeps them heavily stuck on happy-clappy cheerleading coverage of news. They have James Dobson's column stuck in there because it gets them pick-ups from the majority community. They can't really get controversial and still have enough people continue to pick it up, even for free. They're not ever going to do an in-depth look at anything too controversial. But when they do cover items in-depth it's because they've made the independent decision to do so. The idea that the Journal assigns stories based on what the News and WYFF see as "hot" stories is utterly laughable. Especially when you consider the deadlines that a weekly works on, there are very many stories the Journal covers that -- based on deadlines -- they are ahead of the News on even if on Friday or Thursday it appears to be a "tie."

Considering its mission as a daily newspaper, the News is a shameful publication where the sales and advertising side of the house drives the newsroom decisionmaking, even if it's just a mindset and there are no "smoking gun" memos to prove the point. Their reliance on wire-service stories (which they sometimes repeat on successive days and even within the same edition) is annoying, particularly when they are from in-state -- even though, to their credit they do less of that than most other Gannett-owned news-dailies. The fact that it's even debatable that the Journal, as a largely fluffy, upbeat weekly, could replace the News as a source for news information about Greenville speaks volumes as to just how far the wheels have come off.

Anyway, what I'm basically saying is: God help us if the weekly publications take their cues from the News.

[GvilleSC]

I went downtown tonight and... WOW! is all that I can say. PEOPLE EVERYWHERE! The Westend was packed with people from the ballpark to Falls Park. I could not believe my eyes! On up to North Main... People everywhere! Tables at the sidewalk cafes were FULL and people waiting to be seated stood in lines... Traffic was heavy (both pedestrian and vehicle). It made me realize how much I love this place!

Ahh, anyway, just thought I'd share

[g-man430]

The main cover story of the latest issue of PGA Partners Magazine features a story about Jay Haas and it talks a little bit about Greenville in the article too. I couldn't find the story online, but here is what the cover looks like: http://www.partnersclubonline.com/

Edited May 7, 2006 by g-man430

[Fiddlestix]

Monopoly is coming out with a "Here and Now" edition with up-to-date landmarks that fill the properties on the classic board. Through May 12, you can vote for your favorite places. There are 22 cities with 3 landmarks each. You can vote 22 times, 1 landmark (out of 3) per city.

Frankly, I think the selections are lousy.

Still, I voted and that means I can't go back and even see the miserable choices people are left to sift through. Otherwise I'd post the options here to save you the trouble and hassle of the obnoxious pop-up message after each vote is cast. (Yes, I endured that annoying guy 22 times and I was prepared to do it 22 more times to post the choices here because I love y'all so much!)

Alas, I'm frozen out from even looking at the choices, so I'll give you the link (you have to navigate away from this page to the actual voting page): http://www.hasbro.com/monopoly/

Remember, you don't get just one vote. You get one vote per city (a fact I don't think they spelled out...at least not clearly enough to penetrate my cerebellum).

[GvilleSC]

I didn't realize this, but it really doesn't surprise me at all-- but I found out yesterday that Hollywood Twenty is the highest grossing theater in South Carolina!

[Fiddlestix]

Monopoly is coming out with a "Here and Now" edition with up-to-date landmarks that fill the properties on the classic board. Through May 12, you can vote for your favorite places. There are 22 cities with 3 landmarks each. You can vote 22 times, 1 landmark (out of 3) per city.

Here are the locations you can vote on. Consider this post as Exhibit A for the case that this version of Monopoly is destined to be dippy (my votes in italics):

HONOLULU: Diamond Head, Kalakaua Avenue, Waikiki Beach

SEATTLE: Puget Sound, Pioneer Square, Pike Place Market

SAN FRANCISCO: Golden Gate Bridge, Lombard Street, Fisherman's Wharf

LOS ANGELES: Rodeo Drive, Sunset Boulevard, Hollywood

LAS VEGAS: Las Vegas Blvd., Tropicana Blvd., Hoover Dam

PHOENIX: Copper Square, Camelback Mountain, Desert Botanical Gardens

DENVER: Red Rock Amphitheater, Larimer Square, LoDo

DALLAS: Texas Stadium, Fair Park, Dallas Arboretum

HOUSTON: Johnson Space Center, Kemah Boardwalk, Museum District

NEW ORLEANS: Bourbon Street, French Quarter, Garden District

ORLANDO: International Drive, DisneyWorld, Church Street Station

MIAMI: South Beach, Little Havana, Coconut Grove

ATLANTA: Peachtree St., Centennial Olympic Park, Stone Mountain

NASHVILLE: Grand Ole Opry, Country Music Hall of Fame, Music Row

WASHINGTON, DC: Washington Monument, Lincoln Memorial, White House

PHILADELPHIA: Liberty Bell, Independence Hall, Ben Franklin Parkway

NEW YORK CITY: Times Square, Central Park, Broadway

BOSTON: Beacon Hill, The Freedom Trail, Fenway Park

CLEVELAND: Northcoast Harbor, Euclid Harbor, Jacobs Field

CHICAGO: Michigan Avenue, Navy Pier, Wrigley Field

ST. LOUIS: Gateway Arch, Delmar Boulevard, Laclede's Landing

MINNEAPOLIS: Stone Arch Bridge, Mall of America, Summit Avenue

Some observations...

* I'm pretty well-traveled and above-average in my geography IQ, but some of these choices -- actually many of them -- have me scratching my head, thinking, "WTF!?!?"

* I think one stadium is enough.

* Washington has so many places to choose from but one choice should have been The Mall, especially for Monopoly which typically uses spaces that accommodate multiple properties (basically streets in the classic version of the game). If they can have the Liberty Bell AND Independence Hall for Philadephia, they could have The Mall for Washington.

* There was a thread elsewhere on UP (now closed because the Charlotte-based moderator didn't like the direction it was going) where members were asked to vote on which city is more interesting, Dallas or Charlotte. Based on the Monopoly choices, I'm going to have to reconsider my vote!

* They can't think of anything but music for Nashville, but they left off the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame for Cleveland?

* Orlando is a no-brainer unless you get anal and insist on actual streets where you can develop property. But that attitude leaves you wanting in Houston where the Johnson Space Center, already a stretch, is the only viable option of the three.

* And if you're going to go with gawdy and banal in the form of the Mall of America, why wouldn't you put the MetroDome for Minneapolis.

[Fiddlestix]

Okay...nobody's interested in the Monopoly contest, eh? (Last day to vote for those just coming to this...see above.)

How about this for off-off-topic? What's the one superpower you would choose to have if you could choose to have it?

Here's the most comprehensive list I found with superpowers you can choose from. (Lycanthrope means "werewolf," if you need to look it up as I did. I've already got a lock on the "Odor-generation" superpower and I'm sure my loved ones would love to acquire another superpower to eliminate it. But this is about adding superpowers, not taking them away. And you have to choose a power to suit yourself. No choosing for others, otherwise my wife would be here voting for "Empathy," which is clearly one of those unattainable, must-suspend-disbelief superpowers...at least for guys.)

MY CHOICE: Gravity control. That way I can eat all I want and won't tip the scales by being overweight. Right? Eternal Health, not listed, would also be cool. No seatbelts or helmets!

A: Adhesion

Amphibious

Animal control

Animate/control the dead

Autonomic function control

B: Body duplication

Body transformation

Bullet-proof

C: Chemical control

Clairvoyance

Cold generation

Computer hacking

Cosmic awareness

D: Danger sense

Dark generation/control

Density control

Deus ex machina

Direct computer interface

E: Earthquake generation

Earth/rock control

Elasticity

Electrical generation/control

Electromagnetism

Empathy

Encyclopedic knowledge

Energy absorption

Energy blasts

Energy manipulation

Enhanced agility

Enhanced common sense

Enhanced senses

Enhanced senses

Escape artist

Explodes

Extra appendage(s)

Extra-dimensional travel

Extreme popularity

F: Flame generation/control

Flight Flight Flight

Force blasts

Force field generation

Friction manipulation

G: Gadget creation

Glows in the dark

Growth

Gravity control

H: Heat generation

Heat vision

Hold breath indefinitely

Hypnosis

I: Ice generation

Illusion casting

Image projection

Immortality

Incomprehensibility

Incredible balance

Insect control

Instant language understanding

Intangibility

Intuition

Invisibility

Invulnerability Invulnerability Invulnerability

J: Juggling

L: Laser vision

Light generation/control

Luck

Lycanthrope

M: Machine control

Magic spell casting

Magnetism

Martial arts mastery

Matter consumption

Microscopic vision

Mind control

Mind-numbing beauty/ugliness

Molecular control

O: Odor generation

Omni directional sight

Omnipotence

Omniscience

P: Perfect pitch

Photographic memory

Plant control

Poison resistance

Power mimicry

Precognition

Prehensile tail

Psychic

Pyrokinesis

R: Radar sense

Radiation generation/control

Regeneration

Reinforced skeleton

S: Seventh sense

Shape-shifting

Sharp shooting

Shrinking

Smoke generation/control

Sound generation/control

Speed reading

Super breath

Super hearing

Super intelligence

Super jumping

Super loud voice

Super speed

Super spelling

Super strength Super strength Super strength

Super ventriloquism

Super-human hand-eye coordination

Super-human stamina

Super-human throwing accuracy

Super-human weight-guessing accuracy

T: Telekinesis

Telepathy

Teleportation

Telescopic vision

Time manipulation

Time travel

W: Water control

Weapon mastery

Weather control

Weather prediction

U: Unaided outer space travel

X: X-ray vision

EDIT: Saw a spelling error....making me a prime candidate to snatch up the "Super Spelling" power!

Edited May 12, 2006 by Fiddlestix

[Fiddlestix]

I don't think there's a more fitting location for this, but I'd like to "advertise" a thread I started on the main UP pages for urban design. It's a "chain thread" where replies keep adding urban features to collaborate on the creation of a theoretically perfect city.

http://www.urbanplanet.org/forums/index.ph...ndpost&p=424778

You can choose most anything...as long as it's consistent with previous replies. So there's a premium on getting in early.

Already someone has put in an 8-lane superhighway through the town, so time is short!

Edited May 12, 2006 by Fiddlestix

[g-man430]

It looks like a wooden frame for a sign is now up at the Villagio Verde site.

Edited May 13, 2006 by g-man430

[goodbye]

That sounds interesting. I'll try to get by there later today to see if anything is up yet.

[g-man430]

Is there a sign on the wooden frame yet?

[goodbye]

Just the same old plywood used to hold the previous Villagio Verde signs. I really hope to see a similar sign go back up. This project really needs to happen in Greenville, and this location is too perfect not to be built here, IMO.

[gs3]

Great news for anyone that owns ScanSource stock! This company continues to be a shining star for Greenville.

http://today.reuters.com/investing/finance...PLIT-URGENT.XML

[Chickenwing]

Having the stock split doesn't really mean anything. A shareholder's stake in the company will remain the same. It's more of a psychological game than anything.

[jfl25]

You are correct about stock splitting but I think that you are also wrong, when the stock splits it brings the cost back down so more people invest driving the companys profits back up and making the person whos stock split more money. I quess it's a perception thing many people will not buy high cosing stock no matter how good it's doing, but when the price is lower people tend to buy more.

Edited May 16, 2006 by jfl25

[gs3]

You are correct about stock splitting but I think that you are also wrong, when the stock splits it brings the cost back down so more people invest driving the companys profits back up and making the person whos stock split more money.

Exactly. I had a college professor that got me interested in investing with Procter & Gamble, as they had a direct investment program where you could invest without a broker. The only stipulation was that the minimum investment be 100.00 or more at a time. You could add to the investment account as many times a year as you wanted. I started saving money in college and investing whenever I could part with 100 (as being a blue chip it was relatively safe). I've continued throughout my adult life with this P&G account and the stock has split multiple times over the years (always when it got in the 95 to 120 range.....droping to the 40 to 60 range, then starting it's climb back up). A few splits and you're well ahead of where you started.

[Chickenwing]

Exactly, its a psychological thing only. The valuation of the company doesn't change. It's price/earnings doesn't change.

Smoke and mirrors.

[GvilleSC]

When it splits you're getting double the amount of shares. Yes, you still have the same percentage overall, but you're doubling what you're making when the price goes up from that point on. It is a good thing. Instead of making a quarter on 23 shares, you're making a quarter on 46 shares.

[whitehourseview]

Just in case anyone is interested, and I know all of y'all are, the group 13 Stories, who performs that obnoxious Ford Mustang commercial will be at the Gathering Spot this Friday night.

Just in case you wanted to know....

[Spartan]

I feel really bad for that group. They got some fantastic publicity, but I dont think anyone actually likes them.

[Chickenwing]

When it splits you're getting double the amount of shares. Yes, you still have the same percentage overall, but you're doubling what you're making when the price goes up from that point on. It is a good thing. Instead of making a quarter on 23 shares, you're making a quarter on 46 shares.

And if the stock drops a quarter, you just doubled your losses?

Yes, it can be good for someone who has stock in the company, and it is usually an indicator of a stock that is performing well.

The split brings the stock price down so new people who are scared to spend $100 on a share will get in at $50, or even $51 or $52. Yes, that can help the person who has already invested, but its helping the investor by enticing people who have absolutely no idea how to value a stock. They have no idea that 100 shares of $50 split stock is more diluted than it was when it was 100 shares $100. They are actually buying LESS of the company than before.

It is still just psychology.

Not saying anyone is perfect, but there has to be a reason that Berkshire Hathaway doesn't split their stock.

I am reminded of a story my dad tells. He used to work in a grocery store, and in the bakery department, they sold pies. These particular pies were regularly priced at $.25. However, they would put them on "Special" from time to time at "3 for $1.00". He said when they were on "special", they would sell more than double the amount at the regular price. Just a little psychology.

[gs3]

I am reminded of a story my dad tells. He used to work in a grocery store, and in the bakery department, they sold pies. These particular pies were regularly priced at $.25. However, they would put them on "Special" from time to time at "3 for $1.00". He said when they were on "special", they would sell more than double the amount at the regular price. Just a little psychology.

Like that!