Duane Gran’s log of thoughts

Today I will be giving a presentation to The Virginia Local Government Web Alliance on using XML technology. My aim will be to talk more about the “why” of XML rather than the “how”, but I’ll naturally include discussion on the “why not” since there are many reasons to not use XML. My experience lately is peppered with exposure to document-based markup in literary projects, but I hope to be able to give the audience an idea where XML adds value. In particular I aim to show how exposing data in XML enables serendipitous data reuse. Governments should embrace open content and transparency. Sharing data in an open and documented format is an important step in that direction.

Today, October 30th, we celebrate UN Day to commemorate the founding of the United Nations on October 24th 1945. Rotary International has a rich history in the founding and support of the United Nations, so the issue is dear to my heart.

These days it is fashionable to critique the UN for its failings, particularly with respect to the oil for food program in Iraq, but I believe the organization holds the promise for promoting diplomacy. Rather than taking the cynical view I believe the UN should undergo continual reformation to meet the challenges of our age in order to avoid the 20th century warfare. This requires nations to submit a modicum of sovereign will in exchange for lasting peace — a good bargain for all concerned.

On that note, the Miller Center forum is hosting Ambassador William H. Luers, President of the United Nations Associations of the United States of America. He will discuss the relationship between the United Nations and the United States in the aftermath of 9/11. The event is sponsored in conjunction with the The Blue Ridge chapter of UNA-USA. If you are in the Charlottesville area it is well worth your time to attend.

This evening I will be a guest on WINA 1070 AM from 5 to 5:30pm on Coy Barefoot’s popular “Charlottesville Right Now” program. I will be joined by guests from Kiwanis and the Lion’s Club to talk about the impact of service groups, such as Rotary, in our local community and abroad. My points will largely echo previous comments I’ve written but I hope to expand a little on specific philanthropy efforts. For my far flung readers (all three of you) I suspect the show will be cataloged via podcast in the next few days.

Update: (16 Oct 2006) The audio is available, courtesy of the Charlottesville Podcasting Network.

I have steered clear of making any statements about the political race for the Virginia Senate seat, which pits challenger James Webb against incumbent Senator George Allen. However, I’m puzzled by the behavior of local GOP staffers in yesterday’s brief visit in Charlottesville by the Senator. A Daily Progress article says:

Albemarle GOP Chairman Keith Drake positioned himself in front of a Webb staffer tracking Wednesday’s event with a digital camera so that she could not get unobstructed images of Allen talking.

When the woman, who gave her first name as Joan and said she lived in Vienna, tried to hold her camera over Drake’s head, the Allen supporter turned and thrust his camera in front of hers, repeatedly blocking her view.

I have no position on personality issues which hound the incumbent, other than to say that it is bad press to appear like you have henchmen guarding you from the appearance of accountability. Every politician has to assume that their words will be heard and parsed. Given enough time on tape everyone will gaffe, but worse than indiscretion on tape may be the appearance that party loyalists are desperate to block video coverage of the Senator’s statements.

None of this should reflect poorly on the Senator, but I would think party loyalists in Albemarle County would rethink their strategy.

Update: A Hook article sheds some more light on the matter. According to Drake, who blocked the camera, Joan was being disrespectful at the event. If that is the case, then both sides need to raise the standards on decorum at these events.

This week I had the opportunity to learn more about three charities in the Central Virginia area. Sometimes I hear people express doubt about philanthropy trustworthiness, which often culminates in an excuse to not contribute. An ounce of graft in one charity tarnishes the many but there are so many worthwhile endeavors that desperately need support. The following three are about as genuine as they come and I’m glad to have learned more about them.

1. Habitat for Humanity — I had the opportunity to hear Tim Bowring, the Director of Resource Development, speak to the Charlottesville Rotary Club on Tuesday. They work with donors and volunteers to create affordable housing so that firefighters, teachers and other professionals can live in the communities they serve. It is simply intractable for someone who earns 45k per year to own a 300k home, but they are able to keep the costs under 200k. Of note, in their ten year history in the Charlottesville area they have not had one person default on a home loan.
2. Boys and Girls Club — On several occasions I’ve spoken with Tim Sinatra, the Director, about the good work they are doing for over 900 youth in the area. Juvinile related crimes are double between the hours of 3pm and 8pm. Their four facilities provide a constructive alternative for troubled youth and may well represent the soundest investment you can make in the community.
3. Bridge Ministry — I attended a benefit banquet on Thursday evening and was touched by the compassion of this ministry. They provide a year-long program for men who are incarcerated and want to rebuild their lives. They form partnerships with the private sector for job placement. Their recidivism rate is 15%, which is a remarkable achievement. A Daily Progress article summarizes some key points from the banquet.

It’s easy to become cynical about service organizations but there are too many people hurting and suffering for this to be an excuse to stay on the sidelines. Whether you commit time, talent or treasure I hope that people in our community get involved.

The Cavalier Daily, a newspaper for students at The University of Virginia, explains its editorial position for filing a lawsuit challenging the constitutionality of the Virginia Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control’s regulations on alcohol advertising. They are joined by the Virginia Tech Collegiate Times. College papers in Virginia are prohibited from advertising alcohol, presumably since the demographic is decidedly tilted toward those who are legally prevented from imbibing.

Is this a matter of free speech or one of fees and revenue? Alcohol is already a well regulated commodity and restrictions on advertising are well established in print, radio and television. Let’s consider for a moment who wins and who loses in this scenario.

I remember vividly each year arriving back on campus at my alma mater, Ball State University, to a barrage of alcohol advertising in our student paper*. In fact, one could see prominent “welcome back BSU students” signs at the local brewery’s and liquor stores. Students were regarded as a cash cow for booze purchases and the paper gladly accepted advertising revenue. Who won? The purveyors and the newspaper, but it is the student body who lost.

This isn’t to say that they had no hand in the matter. I personally contributed my (albeit small) part to the alcohol economy during college, but what is the logic of directing ads to a group that by and large is legally forbidden to purchase or consume the product? The logic, if it dare be called such, is that students will skirt the law and advertiser and newspaper alike can look the other way.

The paper offers the following defense:

By fighting for commercial speech we are defending the democratic principles of a free press and seeking to secure the paper on firmer financial ground.

Aside from the misnomer about commercial speech, their allegedly principled objection is belied by the monetary aim.

* Note: I was a columnist for the Ball State Daily News and made my disagreement with the editorial decision to accept alcohol advertising known.

Everything old is new again, or so it would seem. A new trend, called cohousing, aims to build communities with the intent of sharing resources and building a sense of community. In contrast to various made-up neighborhoods with kitsch names (olde pointe, anyone?), these communities aim to bring together people who wish to participate in the raising of children and making of meals. The movement is away from my yard to our yard, and I think it sounds fabulous.

It is like a commune without excessive communalism and you don’t need to change your religion. As it happens, a cohousing community is in the planning stages for Charlottesville. Community and true sprited neighborliness. What a novel concept.

Update (9 June 2006): A Mothering Magazine article features a first hand account of establishing a cohousing community and the benefits conferred. I find it particularly interesting how no developer is involved in the process and the community directs the construction.

Today, while attempting to pay a property tax bill online with Albemarle County, I noticed that they have a “convenience fee”, amounting to 3% of the bill. I’m not sure what is convenient about this, but the page cites Virginia Code 2.2-614.1 as justification for the charge.

I mailed them a check. Sure, it is less convenient, but I hardly feel motivated to pay for the privilege of paying property taxes.

Waldo asked me to host this week’s roundup of interesting local writing in what has become known as the C’ville Blog Carnival. For the uninitiated, a blog carnival is sort of traveling showcase but without the requisite carnies. Next week’s collection will be compiled and hosted by Jim Duncan.

Speaking of Jim, he wrote this week about the various policies surrounding connected communities in central Virginia and Trish writes about the propensity of developers to burn organic refuge when clearing space.

In political news, the big fuss around town is the May 2 elections, with voter guides from Charlottesville Tomorrow and The Daily Progress (by way of cvillenews). Additionally, Brian Wheeler’s Charlottesville Tomorrow has a podcast of 4th City Council Candidate Forum. If local politics aren’t your thing, The Hook notes that Cindy Sheehan will be coming to town, but I expect that it won’t please our more conservative bloggers like Whitney Blake, who has been recognized for sowing “chaos, dissent, and apathy.”

Social justice made big news with the Living Wage campaign at UVa, but David Swanson puts it into larger perspective. C’ville News covered the unveiling of the free speech monument while also stimulating a pretty good discussion on the site. Who needs chalk? We have weblogs.

Too much time on your hands? Sean Tubbs would like a volunteer to help with our local podcasting network and Jennifer suspects that The Paramount will need volunteers next year.

Local cartoonist (comic-maker?) Jen Sorensen has taken up the issue of food safety laws in her latest strip.

In school news, School Matters discusses the value of teenagers serving on school boards and Dean Jeannine talks about the implications of a myspace.com account in the admissions process.

Finally, if you enjoyed not paying extra for the bandwidth used in this posting (which is made with 100% recycled zeros and ones) you may wish to follow the advice of Bleeding Edge Tech and try to save the internet.

That’s all folks. I’m just one fellow surveying the local scene, but if something notable was left out please leave a comment with a link for others. If my cheeky way of writing upset anyone, no offense was intended.

Jaun Cole has launched The Global Americana Institute, an ambitious project to coordinate the translation and dissemination of classic American thought, such as the writings of Paine, Jefferson and Franklin. Cole’s announcement of the initiative reveals that America’s founding principles aren’t communicated in Middle Eastern languages. Occasionally they are studied at Universities in English, but the knowledge of American ideals remain a sort of dark net. Naturally, misinformation and mythology consume the darkness.

Cole goes further to challenge municipalities and historical societies to join the effort. In particular, he speaks to my community:

What about Virginia and especially Charlottesville? Don’t they want Thomas Jefferson available in Arabic? Can anyone there help with putting us in touch with funders?

I don’t have a definitive answer, but if someone connected with Monticello is reading, maybe we can put our heads together on this (my contact info). I’m sure we can forge a public-private partnership to raise funds for the translation.

The University of Virginia is in many respects a Southern institution, but a Cavalier Daily article explores the two sides to the debate.

There is little doubt that on the surface, the University boasts those stereotypical elements of Southern culture — a large proportion of the student body combines the words “you” and “all” to manufacture the quintessential “y’all,” seersucker pants are a positive fashion statement and the Confederacy’s capital, Richmond, is merely 70 miles away. A closer look shows, however, that the “Southernness” of the University has various interpretations by the members of the student body and the faculty.

At issue is also the matter of what constitutes being Southern. In my mind, I see three distinct Southern attributes:

1. Manners - Southern folk are just plain nice and civil to one another. Young women are called “miss” and a hat tip is still to be found.
2. Clothing - More gentlemen wear hats in the south, but also bow ties and the clothing is generally more sensible, although the casual trend of the 90s still affects much of the area.
3. Food - No where else can you find grits, and I would dare say that barbecue isn’t barbecue unless it is in the south.

But, it is Virginia still Southern? Not so much as South Carolina or the deep south, and I would safely write off most of Northern Virginia as yankee territory, but I believe Charlottesville and the University are indeed Southern. And that is a good thing, as I see it.

A Richmond Times Dispatch article raises the oft-heard objection to rail service:

In its 34-year history, Amtrak has never turned a profit. It has debt of more than $3.5 billion and its operating loss for 2005 topped $550 million.

Curiously, when is the last time you heard someone exasperated over our non-profitable interstate highway system? In the last 25 years of transportation funding (1977 - 2001) , the federal government spent $782 billion on transportation, 48.4% of which went to highways, 22.4% to air, 12.3% to ports, 12.1% to transit, and only 4% to rail. Rail is the only modality held to the profit standard.

What most people intuitively realize is that all modes are profitable to society. Consider for a moment that the Virginia Railway Express eliminates one lane of traffic on Interstate-66 during rush hour. It is largely believed that gas taxes don’t account for the wear imposed by semi trucks on Interstate highways, but we presume that rapid and convenient transport of goods is a net benefit for society. Examples abound for qualitative value for all modes of transportation.

Why then, does Amtrak repeatedly get held to a means test? The short answer is that it is politically expedient, but this warrants more explanation:

• Rail closure affects the non-affluent
• The poor, to their disadvantage, generally don’t have the means or will to make their interests heard to Congress
• Even worse, the poor tend to not vote

While not exactly class-warfare, attempts to close rail service, under the auspices of cost-saving, is dishonest and is predicated on the appearance that no one cares about rail. I, and others, intend to counter both misconceptions.

Today I had the opportunity to volunteer for the Charlottesville-Albemarle Technical Education Center to discuss various aspects of my career in Information Technology to 10th graders. It was great fun, but for kicks I thought I might as well write up what I shared. In this way I’ll suspend one of my rules about not blogging directly about my work.

A key theme, or take away, was that I never could have predicted my current life and profession sixteen years ago when I was in 10th grade. Way back in 1990 the Soviet Union was still a country, I was a 10th grader and dinosaurs roamed the earth, or so it would seem. When I wasn’t looking, I became old. My job today didn’t exist then, and I’m certain that today’s 10th grader is best served by looking for “upwind”, as Paul Graham states it. Some knowledge and experience opens more doors than others.

The work I do as a Project Manager is mostly as a translator. Professors speculate about how software could provide new insights into electronic-based literature and I mediate these explanations into software development lingo. In truth, the developers and professors work closely together, but I take on the role of the least specialized person in the room to ask pointed questions which make me confident in producing the right software. I also maintain the schedule, but like all good things, it is collaborative. Requirements come from professors, time commitments to deliver come from developers and I try to assure that it all makes sense.

Frankly, some days I think I suck at it and other days it flows. Sometimes I’m overwhelmed and sometimes I feel like a third wheel, as if everyone but me has something useful to do. Such is the nature of being “overhead”, but it is truly the most interesting work I’ve ever done and I’m amazed that I get paid to have this much fun.

That aside, I shared some worthwhile life-lessons with the crowd:

• Pick your friends, don’t let them pick you. Your social network is a powerful force to uplift or pull you down, but the former tends to only happen if you are willing to shake off some steerage. Cruel, but true. I firmly believe that many social ills could be eliminated if people rebuffed social parasites — those people who seek out the lonely, insecure and needy to fulfill their selfish intentions.
• Write. Get a blog, write a letter to the editor and generally volunteer to write at any opportunity you get.
• A college education is a door pass, in many respects, but learning is a life-long pursuit.
• When life pushes you around, push back. Don’t presume that anything is non-negotiable, the price is final or a variety of other tactics which encourage you to react with emotions instead of intellect.
• Sell yourself. Most jobs are not advertised, as such. The first people to know about an opportunity are the ones who have made worthwhile business deals in the past.
• If the above sounds like a catch-22, the good news is that older people genuinely want to help younger people who have their heads on straight. Ask someone 20 years your senior for advice or to watch out for an opportunity and they will likely lend a hand if they sense that you won’t embarrass them.
• Distrust the crowd a little. I’m reminded of a story about Rockefeller, who in roaring 20’s was making small-talk with an elevator operator about investing and was shocked to find that he held the same securities. He promptly sold his holdings and averted a good portion of the 1929 crash. I don’t mean to impugn the judgement of the common man, but it is not possible (for very long, at least) to do common things and get uncommon results.

Anyhow, that is the measure of my wisdom for today’s youth. I can’t really say what someone should do to have a fulfilling career 15 years from today, but I can say with confidence what they shouldn’t do. Trite as it may sound: Don’t do drugs, stay in school, don’t rush into marriage and family and it just might work out well in the end.

Fontana residents blast Pantops development

A roomful of angry Fontana neighborhood residents lambasted a proposed housing development at Tuesday’s meeting of the Albemarle County Planning Commission, arguing that through traffic could endanger their children who are used to quiet, rural streets.

I was at the above mentioned meeting and spoke to the Commission about my concerns, but the linked article paints something a black and white picture of the situation. Albemarle County, like many growing areas of the country, is wrestling with how to maintain its rural character while accommodating growth. To that end, the neighborhood model is the cornerstone of the master plan, which designates an urban ring around Charlottesville and is projected to keep 95% of the county rural.

The neighborhood model is a positive move, and among its various provisions requires that subdivisions interconnect, thereby decreasing the load of traffic on the main arteries. So far so good, except that my subdivision, Fontana, was permitted to have rural roads which are rather narrow and lack sidewalks.

The article implies that residents, like myself, are opposed to new developments in the area. On the contrary, the developer is ambivalent about interconnectivity and the County is trying to reconcile its master plan with Fontana.

In my testimony to the Commission, I explained my endorsement of the neighborhood model in concept; however, I believe it is predicated on the assumption that compatible neighborhoods are interconnected. To that end, I believe there are two primary solutions:

1. Don’t make a connector road between Fontana and new developments
2. Sharpen our pencils and raise the funds between the developers and the County to upgrade the Fontana roads, including sidewalks

The article didn’t catch much of this nuance, and I realize this issue is of interest only to a few hundred people, but there it is.

Last night I attended the ASAP meeting and was encouraged by some common ground between rail and slow growth advocates. In truth, “slow growth” may be a mischaracterization of the goals of ASAP, but I believe it encompasses the general concern about unchecked development in our rural community. See my previous notes about the issue for some background on my position. While I’m a member of C’ville Rail I don’t speak for the group in any official way. This is my personal summary of events and I’m sure others in attendance may have a different perspective.

I expected some friction but I’m pleased to say that some common ground emerged on the matter of transportation choices and priorities for activism.

Rail is something to be rediscovered, as Charlottesville used to have a wealth of choices for its citizens. As late as 1956 there were 22 passenger rail trips per day between Washington DC and Charlottesville. Today there are 2, serviced by Amtrak, and the service is unreliable to the extent that Amtrak willingly suggests that you not use the service if you really need to arrive at your destination. While we have invested in private transportation and roads over the past 50 years we have let our rail infrastructure fall apart. This leaves many people with fewer choices today than in previous years.

But is this a choice that encourages sprawl and turns Charlottesville into a bedroom community? Opinions varied at the meeting, but a vocal majority seemed to believe that this wasn’t the case for two reasons:

1. Bedroom communities seem to emerge out of a desire for affordable housing, as commuters move further outward from a metropolitan area. Charlottesville is expensive to live and it seems inconceivable that masses of people would opt to live here over more affordable communities closer to DC.
2. Charlottesville lacks professional employment opportunities to fulfill its present workforce, who commute occasionally to Washington. Rail service would make life more convenient for existing commuters, but it’s a stretch to claim that masses would move to Charlottesville when the commute time by rail would be 2.5 hours. The benefit serves those who are here, but it doesn’t seem attractive enough to draw newcomers.

Beyond the issue of choice, I think ASAP may see pragmatic reasons to not oppose rail in Charlottesville. There are higher priorities for activism, such as various connector roads and bypass proposals. Connections between rail and sprawl are tenuous, but are well established with other modes of transport. While I don’t sense that ASAP endorses intercity rail for Charlottesville, I believe the majority won’t oppose it.

This Thursday evening, February 16th, at 7:30 pm there will be a meeting of the Advocates for a Sustainable Albemarle Population concerning a proposal to bring commuter rail to Charlottesville. The meeting will take place at the Westminster Presbyterian Church in the Library.

At issue will be how commuter rail and sustainable growth can work together, if at all. I’m of the view (as a member of C’ville Rail) that rail transportation tends to encourage density and discourages sprawl. The counter argument is that rail can turn Charlottesville into a bedroom community for commuters to Washington DC, as has been done to communities within a 50 mile perimeter of the DC-Metro area.

The discussion should be interesting, as I find myself solidly in the anti-sprawl and pro-rail camps. I expect to emerge with a view of the middle ground or cognitive dissonance.

Today I made an unpleasant pilgrimage to the Department of Motor Vehicles. Days like this put a strain on my otherwise statist views, so pardon me as a I drift into some knee jerk Libertarian thoughts. I’m sure I’ll wake up tomorrow convinced that I love Big Brother and I’ll get back to thinking about how nice it would be for government to administer something or other.

Anyhow, while sitting among a throng of at least 50 people waited on by two tellers I had some time to reflect on the process. While I firmly believe the state has the right to impose auto taxes and set policy, for the sake all that is good in life I don’t see why they are in the business of administering it in a customer-facing situation. I offer up a similar scenario for comparison: auto emission testing.

In Virginia, everyone who operates an automobile is required to prove the it doesn’t belch out an extraordinary amount of pollution, unless of course, one drives an SUV in which case mere tonnage puts it in the same class with a MACK truck or a CAT back-hoe — but I digress. There are standards and penalties, typical government stuff. In my former home of Washington DC you had to go to one government operated inspection site which took the better part of the morning to complete. In Virginia you go to nearly any service station and combine the routine task with an oil change, often getting the service at no charge.

As I waited this morning it crossed my mind that we could do this with automobile registration and all manner of basic tasks performed by the DMV in the private sector. The private sector is great when it comes to dealing directly with the public and the government is suited for setting broad policy. Let’s open up automotive bureaucracy to private competition. I suspect the results would be encouraging.

The National Low Income Housing Coalition has put together its 2005 survey results. The study helps put some numbers on what is meant by affordable dwelling. In particular, it addresses the affordability of renting, which is often overshadowed by concerns about affordable housing. The results for Albemarle County and the City of Charlottesville, where I live in Virginia, are interesting. The survey offers the following summary concerning Virginia:

In Virginia, the Fair Market Rent (FMR) for a two-bedroom apartment is $852. In order to afford this level of rent and utilities, without paying more than 30% of income on housing, a household must earn $2,842 monthly or $34,099 annually. Assuming a 40-hour work week, 52 weeks per year, this level of income translates into a Housing Wage of $16.39.

The rate for Charlottesville is $14.63. While not insurmountable, it is a wage that isn’t often found at employers such as walmart. What then of those who earn the minimum wage? The survey continues:

In Virginia, a minimum wage worker earns an hourly wage of $5.15. In order to afford the FMR for a two-bedroom apartment, a minimum wage earner must work 127 hours per week, 52 weeks per year. Or, a household must include 3.2 minimum wage earner(s) working 40 hours per week year-round in order to make the two bedroom FMR affordable.

This is sobering, and not just as a matter of social justice, but also in terms of the rental business. It is hard to offer affordable rent rates given current home prices. Of larger concern is the tendency of rents to increase along with interest rates. Solutions to the problem evade me, but my gut instinct says that reliable public transportation evens the playing field for property values, and consequently rents.

Warner proposes funds for UVa centers

With 38 days left in office and a growing budget surplus, Warner said state contributions to university research will be matched by at least $299 million in private and university-raised funds and “will serve as an economic engine throughout our state and will help improve the lives of our people.”

It is nice to see the governor reversing 15 years of stagnation in public funding for research.

Update (13-Dec-05): Following on the heals of the good news, the Ivy Foundation has pledged 45 million to the Virginia Health System. Details are in a Daily Progress article.

It isn’t often that a movie premier comes to Charlottesville, but this Saturday evening The Confederate States of America will be shown. It is a what-if style documentary about modern America, supposing that the South had won the war among the states. The topic is quite sensitive, but I hope that level heads prevail.

Most likely the film is already sold out, so my waffling may have made the decision whether to nor to attend the event. I hope it raises some good topics for discussion, but I’ll keep my predictions to myself until I’ve had a chance to see it.

Update: (10/4/05) The link above goes to a perplexing parody site called eslave. If you click through anywhere you will go to the actual movie website.