The Members Project

American Express is giving cardmembers the opportunity to decide how to spend its money on a worthy cause (up to $5 million).

$1 will be donated by AMEX on behalf of each cardmember simply by registering at the Members Project site (free).

You then can vote for your project choice from the top 5 finalists (all ideas have been submitted by other cardmembers). My choice is shown below.

Raleigh Named "Fast City"!

Raleigh was just named by Fast Company as a Fast City...one of "30 urban centers that are shaping our future".

FC says:

"This region wrote the original recipe for high-tech clusters: Start with careful planning, add a warm business climate, and top with a high quality of life. But don't forget the brains. Three big universities fuel innovation in biotech, pharma, and computer science."

Stop I-40 Crossover Accidents in Wake County

As many of you know, my friend and colleague George Smith was killed on June 4 when a vehicle crossed over the unprotected median of I-40 in Wake County.

Last week, a similar crossover accident occurred - less than 5 miles from the original scene, also on the westbound lanes of I-40.

Please sign the petition below urging the North Carolina Department of Transportation to take immediate action and install a median barrier!

Sign Petition

Raleigh: Third Hottest Job Market in USA

Raleigh was recently designated as the third hottest job market in the USA by Business 2.0...Charlotte was fourth.

From Business 2.0's Raleigh Ranking:

"Raleigh-Durham remains America's top region for tech workers--and is expected to keep expanding faster than other tech hubs like Boston, San Francisco, and Seattle. Last year the metro matched the job-creation record it set in 2000 by adding 38,000 new positions. "This year is going to come in almost as high," predicts Wachovia senior economist Mark Vitner. Like Washington, Raleigh-Durham has a large public-sector base that helps protect it from economic slumps. But its economy is more diverse than Washington's, with expansion in pharmaceutical manufacturing, biotech, and financial services. Raleigh's cost advantages keep drawing more top employers. This fall Fidelity Investments will open a $100 million tech center that will add 2,000 jobs, and Silicon Valley-based Network Appliance is expanding its operations division here. "Raleigh is cheaper," Vitner says, "and has one of the most highly educated workforces in the country."

Business 2.0 - America's Hottest Jobs