Lori Bush

Our weight

May 02

I think about it all the time. But this is the first time I’ve ever written about it. Ever.

It’s private, but you and I see it every day. It’s my struggle with weight.

I’d like to say that I’m fine with what I weigh; that it hasn’t stopped me from doing what I want to do, and be who I want to be. But that wouldn’t be true. And if I hope my blog is anything, it’s honest. So, here is the elephant in the room. It’s me. (Pun kinda intended.)

I’ve been bigger than I am now, and certainly smaller. I’ve been on every diet known to mankind. Cabbage soup? HCG? Weight Watchers? Nutri-system? Yes, all those and more. I was on my first diet at the age of 12. I can’t count how many I’ve been on since then. I KNOW what to eat, what not to eat, and how to lose weight. I’ve done it plenty of times.

Over the years and through it all, I’ve been lucky to have friends and family that continue to love and support me for who I am, not what I look like. Although my outside has been many sizes, my heart and soul continues to be as big as it can be, and I think that’s a good thing.

I AM active – which surprises many people. All my activity has probably kept me from having any weight related problems. I bike (averaging about 25 miles at a time, and even done a century!), walk (sometimes run), take dance classes, play volleyball (when I can), garden and more.

So, why am I writing this post?

I went to a screening of the “Weight of the Nation” documentary by HBO – put on by the Advocates for Health in Action (AHA) this week. We only watched the section on childhood obesity called “Children in Crisis” of the documentary – but the impact of the obesity epidemic on our children and our nation just hit home for me. (You can also watch the full documentary on their website at: http://theweightofthenation.hbo.com)

Here are some telling figures:

• Children that have a TV in their room are more likely to be obese

• 79 million Americans are pre-diabetic

• Half of obese teenage girls become extremely obese by their early 30’s

• In the US in 2010, over 63% of people are overweight or obese

• Twenty years ago, no state had an obesity rate above 15%. Today, more than two out of three states, 38 total, have obesity rates over 25%

Making a difference in Cary

Apr 22

There are so many wonderful features that make Cary great – our tree lined streets, the look-and-feel of our community, and all of the events that build community. But what really makes CARY great, are the people who live, work, play and raise families in this great Town.

What I’ve come to learn in my short time on council, is that our citizens aren’t just passionate contributors to our daily Town conversation; they put their heart, soul and free time to work to continue to make Cary the vibrant, amazing community that it is today.

John Kennedy famously said –

Ask not what your country can do for you, ask what you can do for your country.

Cary citizens have taken that to heart, right here in our own community.

Volunteers by the Numbers

Spruce, our volunteer-based program designed to connect citizens to beautification, litter reduction, and environmental service projects in our community has a number of activities going on all year. In fact, since today is Earth Day – you might want to check out some of those upcoming events and come out to Spring Daze in Bond Park, this Saturday, April 27th. You can also join the Spruce Facebook group to keep up on what’s next.

On Saturday, April 13th I joined almost 450 other volunteers for the Spring Litter Sweep across our town for several hours. Kids, seniors, boomers and families joined in to help make Cary “clean and forever green.” It was amazing to see people all across this community, getting together to pick up trash – and keep our community looking great. We owe a debt of gratitude to all those folks that gave their Saturday morning to this endeavor.

Diggin’ In

Mar 19

On Saturday, March 9th I attended a fantastic program called “Dig In” created by the Advocates for Health in Action (AHA). If you don’t know who AHA is – they work across our community to promote healthy eating and physical activity – or, as they say, finding ways to make the healthy choice the easy choice!

This seminar offered me an opportunity to combine some of my passions – environmental issues, healthy choices and fun. I had high expectations, and was not disappointed.

The main topic was “Weaving Edible Landscapes-Community Gardens and Urban Ag into the Fabric of our Community.” Given Cary’s recent ordinance change and allowance of Chickens and Beekeeping, I think it’s fair to say that our community is in line with some of the trends towards more locally grown food, and a new focus on nutrition.

It was nice to see that folks from both from the City of Raleigh and Town of Cary in attendance – specifically Emily Barrett, our Town’s sustainability manager. This trend and the topic of discussion really spoke to me. Not only as a council member, but also personally as I start the move away from processed foods, getting ready to plant my garden for the season, and finding ways to bring these lessons home to my family.

To get a taste of what has been done in England, check out this TED video (13 minutes – well worth it!) that was shared. It’s by Pam Warhurst – “How we can eat our landscapes.” She cofounded “Incredible Edible, an initiative in England that is dedicated to growing food locally by planting on unused land in the community.

Open Government and You

Mar 12

It’s nice to write about “Sunshine Week” when the sun is actually shining outside. I’m still waiting for that, right now.

Sunshine Week (March 10-16, 2013) is a national initiative with the goal to both celebrate and focus on government transparency, open government and improving your access to government information. The term “sunshine” comes from a quote from Justice Louis Brandeis (of Brandeis University fame) who, in 1913 wrote,

…sunlight is said to be the best of disinfectants.

At that time, we only had print media as a reliable way to reach large masses of people on a regular basis, and Justice Brandeis saw the press as potentially “the greatest agency of good government”–but only “if the people are sufficiently interested to desire it.”

By Mark Goodson Streeter in support of Sunshine Week

Speak Up about Downtown

Mar 07

You have probably noticed a great deal going on in Downtown Cary lately.

We have the installation of the two roundabouts, the restoration of “The Cary” Theatre, the restoration of the Jones-Foy House, and work going on to install a waterline.

Town of Cary Map (annotated)

But it’s time for you to weigh in, as well.

Downtown in Progress

Across from the Cary Arts center is what Town Council and Staff commonly refer to as the “Opportunity Site.” Last year the town held a charrette to brainstorm and create a framework regarding the area – to guide how that piece of property will develop.

There have been some great articles written about this effort – some of my favorite are by the Cary Citizen:

– Downtown Park Plans Move Forward (link)
– Ben Shivar: Past, Present, Future in Cary (link)

Our Cary Budget

Feb 26

“Tell me what you want…. what you really really want… “

Ok, I’m not gonna break into a the Spice Girls’ song (although I now have that song in my head.) But, it is the theme of this post.

I’ve said it before. Democracy is not a spectator sport. In order for me, your At-Large representative, to know what you want, you have to tell me. And I’m not talking about winning the lottery – but rather what you want the Town of Cary to do.

Sure, we ask for you opninion all the time – using tools like our biannual Survey, Public Speaks Out options at our Town Council Meetings, individual meetings and of course, we certainly ask you during election time. But we also look for your feedback on our Town Twitter feeds, ask for it through CaryTV and the YouTube channel, BUD, Facebook pages, and in our email. But sometimes, we are looking for your direct feedback about a particular issue or strategic plan – and that’s true now.

It’s budget season

From Town of Cary

Unlike the Federal Government – our Town budget MUST be balanced. This is a lengthy process – and generally starts many many months before it’s actually accepted by Council.

Our 2014 (yes, 2014) budget year identifies services and infrastructure projects to be undertaken by the Town from July 1, 2013 through June 30, 2014. And we are currently at the end of the MONTH LONG comment period, which ends on February 28th.

It’s important we hear from you

This is absolutely the time for you to make yourself heard. Read More…

Open Data coming to Cary

Feb 19

Yes, it’s time for another Technology Blog post.

(This is the moment when I know my mom is rolling her eyes – I can feel it.) But, there is a “method to my madness,” because, as Nicholas Negroponte says:

Collage by Will Lion

So, with this post I hope to give you an idea, even if it’s a glimpse, into what Open Data IS, and why it is so important for Cary. First, what is it?

What is Open Data?

Open Data is the act of making information that is collected during the course of normal Town operations (that doesn’t identify individuals or breach commercial sensitivity) available in a standardized way. The data that we are talking about here includes geographic information (greenways, roads, parks), public event schedules, and basic crime statistics. This is already public information, the act of making it OPEN and easily accessible in a standardized format allows users, developers, the Town itself, and the technology community to leverage and use this data in new and innovative ways. That can mean applications that increase citizen engagement, provide vital information to our citizens, and improve their quality of life. It can also mean ways to leverage the data to help us become a “smarter town”, by looking at ways to improve our processes and become more efficient. Without consistent streams of this data, few people will invest the time it takes to unlock the immense value hidden in the information that is collected every day by the Town.

What does that really mean to me?

It means that by making this information more easily accessible, cool people (and companies) can create awesome apps.

Let me give you an example. Check out RGreenway. (You can download the app for free from iTunes.

RGreenway is an iPhone app that came out of the CityCamp Raleigh event last year. (I was honored to participate in CityCamp with all of the fantastic citizen hackers out there.) Read More…

Apps for your Phone (FREE)

Jan 29

It’s a common question you hear… “So, what are your latest, favorite apps for your __________?” (Fill in the blank – iPhone, Android phone, iPad, Tablet…whatever.)

In fact, now that many of my fellow Councilmembers have tablets, I hear this question more and more. During our drive to the Cary Town Council retreat, Councilmember Jennifer Robinson and Mayor Pro Tem Gale Adcock and I started talking about this very subject. I offered to send them a “tip” or “App of the Week” as they get used to their new devices – and then realized I could do better than that, I have a blog!

As a “gadget girl” I tend to get the “What’s your favorite app?” question all the time. But more importantly, I ask it. Think about it. It’s probably why the “most popular” buttons (TOP APPS) on the iTunes store or Amazon (Customers who viewed THIS item also viewed…) are so prevalent. But I think it’s not that we want to know what other people HAVE, it’s that we want to find what might work for US. Make our lives a bit easier (if that’s possible), or help save us time, money or be more productive.

So, having said all that I thought I would highlight a few apps that I have, and use frequently. I will try to do this every month. (Gulp!) But, more importantly, I’d love to know what you use and love and can’t do without. (So please comment, or contact me!) I’ll start with my phone apps.

CardStar

From iTunes

I can remember the day I found this application. It was like a day of freedom.

Oh, wait, I have to tell you about it.

CardStar is a FREE application (for the iPhone and Android) that literally FREES YOU from those little key chain and wallet membership cards. You know the ones, they are hanging from your key chain and making your wallet bulge. You can put all of your loyalty cards (Harris Teeter, A.C. Moore, CVS, Panera Bread, etc.) into the application, and voila, they are gone from your keychain.

Deep Dive into Aquastar

Jan 28

One of the truly innovative and cost-saving projects that I’ve been privileged to learn about since I joined Town Council is Aquastar.

Aquastar is the name we use in Cary to refer to the advanced metering infrastructure (AMI) system for our water. The Aquastar program replaces what WAS the monthly manual reads of your water meter, with a wireless system that collects multiple remote meter reads every day. The technology used is often referred to as part of a Smart Grid infrastructure. The vendor of the system, Sensus (in Raleigh), worked closely with the town to find the right solution, while Johnson Controls developed and managed the project. (In what the Town Staff refers to as “The Cary Way.” I like that!)

(Here is the video that the Town used to share the process with all of us.)

Planning for the Future

Jan 23

Last week/weekend was my second Cary Town Council retreat. So, I guess that means I’m not a newbie anymore. Seems weird to say that.

This retreat felt a bit different than last time – a little more relaxed, with more deep dives into some of the specific issues headed our way rather quickly. Last year’s retreat was more of the strategic, longer term planning – where we made some decisions regarding our Bond referendum (now since passed), the Cary Community Plan (in full planning mode), and received more information regarding demographic trends impacting our community.

Our Town Council retreat (which is ANYTHING but a retreat, more like a MOVE FORWARD) includes Town Council members, a facilitator, the Cary Department Directors and Administration, Town Clerk and a few others. We generally arrive Thursday night, work all day on Friday and through about 3:30pm on Saturday. Read More…

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Cary Town Council, At-Large Representative