Loving The Penguin
People in the know loved The Penguin long before "Happy Feet."
The greasy spoon (and glass) in Plaza Midwood has a loyal following.
For a history lesson on one of the people behind a Charlotte landmark, see an obituary of Jim Ballentine at charlotte.com
For a look at the Penguin's brand and sign, see this.

Artists in the 'hood
New links here for artists in the 'hood. Inspired by a conversation at the grocery, and talk previously of profiling artists in the printed neighborhood newsletter.
I know there are more of you; if you're ready to go public, post your links in comments.

DSL or wireless in the 'hood
Some neighbors on the Merry Oaks Google group had questions about cable and DSL access.
Two notes:
1. Lots of political attention nationally has been on providing rural high-speed access, but the flip side could be reliable convenient urban access in not-so-wealthy areas, just where students need it most;
2. David Mildenberg of the Charlotte Business Journal seems to follow news about this issue closely.

Some background links:
A wireless alternative? Mildenberg in the Business Journal in November 2006
An alternative involving Duke Power
Rivalries, from Mildenberg
Taking care of suburban institutions
Access nationally, with diversity implications. Go to "Research and reports" on the right and click on "Are We Really A Nation Online?" for an in-depth .pdf document.