Great, no pressure

So I'm giving a talk next month in Kentucky.  Nothing too out of the ordinary there, right? Lots of PR folks give lots of presentations in lots of places.

Except this talk is called "What Women Want" and I'm supposed to go on local radio next week to talk about it. So I'm doing exhaustive research on the topic, using the most sophisticated tools and approaching the most credible sources.  Here's a glimpse of the sheer genius I've unearthed:

Make sure you tune in to the live online stream on May 3 at 1pm...  And may @almightygod have mercy on my soul. 

Who doesn't like movies?

I have a piece in Business Lexington today that focuses on a new film festival sponsored by the Patterson School of Diplomacy and International Commerce and Search for Common Ground. I think it's a great partnership and will provide some valuable perspectives on resolving conflict. It's also nice to see the Patterson School doing something for people in Lexington.

My pal Rob Farley let me know about it. The films are all outstanding. Here's the schedule:

• September 24: Osama: Emily Beaulieu
• October 1: Encounter Point
• October 8: Beyond Belief
• October 29: Bam 6.6
• November 5: Bridge over the Wadi
• November 12: My Home, Your War
• December 3: The Band’s Visit

Is It "Greenwashing," Or Is It Just Bad Measurement?

Jonathan Gitlin, via Twitter, made sure I saw a new report from the Brookings Institution called Shrinking the Carbon Footprint of Metropolitan America. It was front-page news here in Lexington, with a bold headline screaming "Lexington Tops List of Enemies to the Environment: Carbon Footprint is Largest in Nation."

To be honest, it didn't surprise me that much. For starters, the bulk of Lexington's (very cheap) electricity comes from coal in nearby counties. For decades the city let developers plow up horse farms to build strip malls. There's so much sprawl, spread out all over the city, that people have to drive everywhere. It's been incredibly difficult to develop a real downtown. Despite the efforts of groups like Bluegrass Tomorrow and Bluegrass Conservancy, Lexington has already sacrificed so much of what made it truly unique in favor of retail chains (some of which are now declaring bankruptcy) and "mcmansion" housing units we simply don't need.

But Jonathan's note reminded me of another headline that was in the Herald-Leader not too long ago - Lexington Makes Top 25 In Green Cities Ranking.

The article cited a survey from Popular Science Magazine and gave a quote from it: "Lexingtonians recycle everything from surplus electronics to scrap metal."

So which is it? Does my family live in a swillish cesspool of carbon emissions, or in a forward-thinking recycler's paradise?

Apparently both.

So what would happen if the mayor had a press conference and said Lexington is a tall glass of awesome when it comes to the environment, and Popular Science Magazine backs him up? I'm guessing three things. First, developers would see that as permission to keep building. Second, sustainability advocates would be apoplectic. Finally, those advocates would be marginalized by the populace because more building means more jobs and the industry has the PR cover it needs.

So it occurs to me that we need a standard measurement tool to know what's green and what's not, for a variety of reasons. I know measurement is KD Paine's specialty, but I'm not sure she's up on environmental assessment.

What say the sustainability folks? What's the best measurement here?

It's amazing when your state becomes relevant...

...to a presidential primary.

The podcast for the Lexington Forum event can be found here. (the panel discussion starts 20 minutes into the podcast.) Listening to it I think I came off as an Obama supporter; that really wasn't my intent since I haven't declared support for anyone. I do think his success is the reason we're having important discussions about politics and social media, however.

I thought Ryan Alessi and Scott Jennings were smart and I'm very pleased that we didn't descend into the arguing you hear on the talking head shows on cable tv. It was an inherently "political" discussion, but we spent a significant amount of time talking about the impact blogs social media has had on the election and the tensions between online and traditional media. I even let a sarcastic crack out about bloggers being "basement-dwelling, pajama wearing, cheetoh-eating folks who rant" - but remember, I'm a blogger too, and I did it really to note the irony of how to this day these stereotypes exist and yet we gain influence daily. Honestly, all in good fun - no hatemail, please... ;)

Scott Jennings (former deputy political director in the WH under Karl Rove) made some comments I found interesting - he essentially thought that blogs and social media really aren't that relevant in Kentucky. Listen to the podcast to get his thoughts directly, but basically he thinks that blogs talk only to "the base" and very few people actually pay attention to them in the state. He did, however, volunteer the "Macaca Moment" as an example of why they have to be taken seriously.

Hey may be right - Kentucky is one state where change comes much more slowly than elsewhere - though I tend to think that the online channel's influence is increasing, even here in the Bluegrass State. The state has its share of political bloggers, and they're honing their craft. I think when Mark Nickolas left (and took Bluegrass Report with him) the state lost its major online political hub, and no one blog is filling the void, at least on the left.

Ryan Alessi (Political Reporter for the Lexington Herald-Leader) discussed how Sen. Obama's "bitter" remarks were actually first reported by a blogger, and how blogs are now attending the same conferences and events he is. Ryan is one of those guys who still sees himself as a mainstream media guy, but he's young and he gets it.

Again, the panel discussion starts about 20 minutes into the podcast, but if you live locally I think the brief remarks by Mayor Jim Newberry before our panel were important - he's focusing on STEM education, and I personally think his idea is critical for Lexington's long-term success.

Thank You, Senator Clinton, For Winning Pennsylvania

This will make the May 1 Lexington Forum panel on which I'll be discussing the Presidential Election considerably more interesting.

I'd like to obviously talk about the impact that social media has had on the election so far and if I can, I'll live-tweet...

My Conversation with Facebook

Rather than insert a bunch of new commentary on Facebook's banning of a breastfeeding pic while allowing 350 pro-anorexia groups at this point, I think I'll just print the emails to and from Facebook verbatim. I will keep the name of the person I corresponded with confidential, and I should stress that the person was prompt, professional, and courteous.

For background, I've written about this here, here, and here. My wife discussed some of the scientific data on "pro-ana" sites and offered some really helpful advice here.

So here goes, the email I sent at 8:02am Wednesday:

Hello -

I'm David Wescott and I'm a member of Facebook. I write a column for Business Lexington called "Living Locally, Working Globally." I also write a blog called " It's Not a Lecture." The Lexington, KY network on Facebook is rather robust, as you may know. You may also know that last month a local Applebee's forced a woman out of their restaurant because she was breastfeeding. This sparked a national protest and it continues to be a topic of discussion on the national level.

I was surprised to read reports in the Canadian media that Facebook had banned a member because she had posted pictures of herself breastfeeding her child. I noticed a newsworthy disconnect when I also learned via BBC and Canadian media sites that Facebook has roughly 350 "pro-ana" groups not only condoning anorexia but suggesting ways for people (young girls suffer from anorexia disproportionately) to continue to starve themselves. Recent research published in the International Journal of Eating Disorders found that visiting "pro-ana" websites made women feel
negative emotions and have poor social self-esteem. I am not aware of any scientific data that suggests looking at pictures of breastfeeding women elicits similar emotions or responses.

I have written about this disconnect on my blog and I'm planning to write a column on the free speech implications - specifically how a social networking site would clamp down on speech and activity on the issue of breastfeeding but not on "pro-anorexia" groups. I want to give you an opportunity to respond - explain your policy, perhaps give some background on the situation that I may be missing. I am aware that there are many pro-breastfeeding groups on Facebook. I am also aware of a new protest group with several thousand members.

I would appreciate a statement or comment from you regarding this specific speech issue and the apparent disconnect here. Please email me at [email address] by Thursday, 5pm ET with any statement or relevant details, or feel free to call me at [cellphone]. Thanks much.

Here's what I got back:

Hi David,

Facebook does allow mothers to upload and share photos of themselves breastfeeding their babies, and those photos remain available on Facebook as long as they follow the site’s Terms of Use. Photos containing a fully exposed breast do violate those Terms and could be removed. Facebook’s Terms of Use can be found here: http://facebook.com/terms.php

Please attribute this statement to Facebook or a Facebook spokesperson.

Thanks,

[name]

So I wrote back:

Thanks [name] - I appreciate the quick response.

Did the specific case reported in the Edmonton media last week involve a case that violated this policy?

And do you have any statement regarding "pro-ana" groups on Facebook?

I also called at this point asking for clarification on the Edmonton case, and I was referred to the earlier email. I think this is because Facebook's privacy policy probably prevents them from discussing issues regarding a specific member, which I totally understand and respect. Within a few minutes I received this:

Hi David,

Facebook supports the free flow of information, and groups provide a forum for discussing important issues. Many Facebook groups relate to controversial topics; this alone is not a reason to disable a group. Facebook considers whether the content on wall posts and discussion boards of groups offer opinions on both sides of the issue. In cases where content is reported and found to violate the site’s Terms of Use, Facebook will remove it.

Please attribute to Facebook or a Facebook spokesperson.

I think I'll just open it up here at this point for discussion, and then I may add some thoughts of my own later. And I do plan on writing a column about this. But I thought it was important and fair to get Facebook's comments out there, verbatim, in public - and I pledge to pass on anything else they send me.

Congratulations are in order

Kudos to Sharon Tessandori, proprietor of Barefoot Works Yoga - Lexington's only eco-friendly vinyasa yoga studio.

Sharon's been in business for a full year now. Anyone who knows anything about entrepreneurship and starting a small business knows that's no simple feat. Yoga was a much tougher sell in Lexington a year ago than it is now, and I think Sharon had something to do with that. My wife teaches yoga there occasionally, and we've had the chance to get to know her and Andy, and they're great.

So congratulations and best wishes for many more successful years.

BREAKING: Rich People Buying Fast Horses

Watch live here, Sept. 10 to 25 (no sales on the 14th.) Real Player required.

There are a pair of 747's parked on the tarmac of Blue Grass Airport.

That can only mean one thing: the September yearling sale at Keeneland, and Sheikh Mohammed is in town, essentially deciding which of the best horses he'll take and which he's willing to let the folks at Coolmore have.

It's a bit of a spectacle, but the city gets to demonstrate that it's a bit more global than people realize.