Davenport All Ward Meeting

I attended the All Ward meeting last night at the Fairmount Library and figured I would post the information since not many attended.

There were about ten citizens there and several city employees. Aldermen Frink and Meyer, Chief Bladel and three others from the DPD.

The first subject, of course, was the cameras and current litigation. There were at least a couple supporters of the program and more vocal opposition. It was clear that Cheif Bladel wanted to move on quickly as this will be in litigation at the courts for the next 12-18 months. It's still pretty clear to me that this will be a subject of much discussion even while it goes to the Iowa Supreme court.

The next hour or so focused on crime, NETS, juvenile offenders and how the city plans to take a proactive position in improving our city. The city is proposing adding 1 sergeant and 1 social worker to the Juvenile division and 3 more personnel to the NETS program. Chief Bladel reported that some 28% of total arrests last year were juveniles, and a lot of them were repeat offenders. There needs to be more cooperation from the courts and follow up from the juvenile system to make sure these individuals get back in line or are incarcerated.

The Davenport City budget was discussed next. A lot of information in just the 30 minutes or so that were left in the meeting. I'll give a couple highlights, but you should go to the city web site to get more detailed and accurate information. They need to ratify the budget by March 15th so, if you want to weigh in, pay close attention to the meeting dates that will be announced soon.

The total budget for FY 2007 will be about $130 million. Most changes that were discussed were pretty straight forward and mostly focused on the changes in the DPD and NETS to combat crime. There is a proposal to possibly raise the rates for water consumption to save for the sewer expansion in West Davenport around 2009. The proposed rates haven't been raised for the last 15 years and the estimates given were an increase of about $1.33 per homeowner and $11 per business with high end water users much higher than that.

There was no discussion of The Freight House or other economic development. The meeting, at an hour and a half, was too short to cover more than what was already outlined.

In all Alderman Frink did a good job facilitating the meeting, Alderman Meyer pitched in some good information and Chief Bladel was full of information and statistics that show our priorities are in the right place, fighting crime. The debate on this might be centered around the strategy or the execution. Time will tell.

Use Language to Mainain a More Positive Attitude!

As a citizen of planet earth, it's sometimes hard to maintain a positive attitude. Did you know that, in all languages, there are more words to describe negative emotions than there are to describe positive emotions? The ratio is about 5:3 - meaning that for every 3 positive words you might hear, you'll hear 5 negative words. No wonder it seems like its an uphill battle for all but the most pragmatic optimists. You can read more here and here.

I've noticed that sometimes two people describe the same experience—positive or negative—in two completely different ways Maybe you talked about a “pretty” sunset while your spouse called the natural wonder “breathtaking.” Or perhaps one of your co-workers “needed clarity” after a meeting that left another “very frustrated.”

Imagine how your life would change if you were able to take all the negative emotions you ever felt and lower their intensity so they didn’t impact you as powerfully! Similarly, imagine what your life would be like if you could take your most positive emotions and multiply them tenfold.

Start by writing down three words that you use on an ongoing basis to intensify your negative feelings or emotions. Then, come up with alternative words or phrases that have a lower intensity.

EXAMPLES:

Old word: depressed

New words: a little down, frustrated

Old word: overwhelmed

New words: in demand, full of opportunities

Now, write down three words you use to describe your experiences in a positive way, and come up with three alternative words that amplify those positive feelings. Get a friend to ensure you follow through by having her pay attention and tell you, if necessary, something like, “Are you okay, or are you fantastic?”

EXAMPLES:

Old word: fine

New words: incredible, outrageous, outstanding

Old word: cute

New words: delicious, gorgeous, unbelievable

Here's a game you can play at work to get more of your team aware of avoiding negative language. Play 'Negative Language Bingo' and see how fast your employees start avoiding negative statements. Make up your own 'Positive Language Bingo' game to see how fast you can get those around you focused on the positive possibilities rather than just exclamations of how bad the problem is. Solution oriented not problem obsessed.

Commit to using a more positive vocabulary in 2007!

Netfilx or Blockbuster? He who innovates faster and better wins!

Netflix will begin offering some of its customers the ability to watch movies through their PC's via streaming video. This is not revolutionary but it does send a signal to others that there will be a steep entry price into the movie rental business and that those who choose to enter must be ready to change, innovate and move at the speed of the internet! More on the details here.

Netflix has been able to outpace some stiff competition. It was 2002 when Wal-Mart announced it would enter the online DVD rental business. They dropped that initiative in 2005 and now refer customers to Netflix. Last year Apple and Amazon announced they wanted to play in that same sandbox. Blockbuster made changes to their rental policy when they began giving its online subscribers the option of bypassing the mail and returning DVDs to a store so they can obtain another movie more quickly.

I'm sure the amount of customers willing to sit for hours and watch movies on their PC is currently a fairly small number. Considering the increasing convergence of media, PC, HDTV and high speed internet, those numbers will rise exponentially over the next few years. It wouldn't take much for those with a computer with TV out capability, broadband access, and an HDTV to take advantage of this innovation and be loyal to Netflix for some time to come.

Although their earnings went from $6.5 million in 2003 to an unofficial $44 million in 2006, the stock is down 40% in the last three years. Analysts say the competition in DVD and movie rentals is too strong for Netfilx to keep their 12% of the market. I say this is one step ahead for a market leader. They'll have to be planning their next innovation now so the competition keeps busy with this one.

The competition in this market will be good for consumers and will be a good show to watch in its own right. Grab the popcorn and smile!