ELAINE R. CLISHAM

Once more, a national chain sucks up a local organization’s business, and the neighborhood’s soul. Hate to see this.

John Mangin in National Review Online, discussing the state of affordable housing policy in New Jersey.

The Watershed Post on Twitter during #wjchat.

In which I resign myself to the reality that local newspapers are not interested in understanding any of the tools that would help make them indispensable partners to their downtown merchants, and suggest that local BIDs could take on that role.

Beautiful magazine.

Some key things that have helped to make Google successful:

1. All questions are fair game, including those about product development or corporate strategy;
2. Creativity is encouraged, both inside and outside the office;
3. Flexibility is key.

Reasons include the lack of commitment to, or willingness to invest in, innovative solutions to the decline of traditional revenue streams. Instead, newspapers seem perfectly willing to sacrifice online growth in favor of protecting declining print revenues.

I would add to the list the industry’s famous unwillingness to share, and its insistence on a completely custom solution for everything rather than being willing to standardize anything.

I hung in there for a long time too, even working while I was at the American Press Institute on a white paper (PDF) focused on finding an industry-wide digital classified solution. The reaction from the industry was that no one was interested in giving up any individual ground in order to move forward together. I can completely understand why start-ups wouldn’t want to target an industry with that mindset.

And old phone booth, repurposed as a neighborhood book exchange. (by photojennic)

Ugh. Makes me crazy. Hilarious, except when it isn’t.

Newspaper romantics everywhere, including me, will appreciate this newsprint-scented candle. How sweet.

THIS is cool: The blog Greater Greater Washington has built a very simple interactive map that allows you to propose your own redistricting plan. (Anyone can play — you don’t have to be a DC resident.) Another place where newspapers are missing the boat.

Pitiful but true — FactFinder2 is awful. Cubit’s your place for Census data.

Public Citizen on the lack of merit in the lawsuit filed against the Washington City Paper by the racially-offensively-named team’s owner, for this delightfully snarky takedown. Part of the suit claims the accompanying graphic is anti-Semitic, which apparently he thinks should be illegal. But calling your team the Redskins? That’s protected.

The always-insightful Jacqui Banaszynski, at a conference of Knight-chair journalism professors focused on teaching journalism in the digital age. She is so right.

Thanks to my friend and fellow singer Anne Hall for this priceless bit of baseball hilarity.

We already have a multi-state E-ZPass for cars. But why should they get all the good stuff first? I want an E-ZPass for transit.

Had a lovely conversation with a real estate investor about whether a pawn shop should rent one of his retail spaces. Come on over and let me know what you think.

In which Diane Ravitch makes the same point today that I made yesterday.

Question for all y’all Tumblr geeks: What’s the benefit of following someone’s tumblr vs. subscribing to its RSS feed? (Be nice; I’m new here.) Thanks!

The goings-on in Wisconsin have sparked some lively conversations, and even a blog post.