Friday, April 29, 2005
Tuesday, April 26, 2005
The Lighter Side
Great Truths of Life
* Once over the hill, you pick up speed.
* I love cooking with wine. Sometimes I even put it in the food.
* If it weren't for STRESS I'd have no energy at all.
* Whatever hits the fan will not be evenly distributed.
* Some days are a total waste of makeup.
* If the shoe fits......buy it in every color.
* If you're too open-minded, your brains will fall out.
* Age is a very high price to pay for maturity.
* If you must choose between two evils, pick the one you've never tried before.
* My idea of housework is to sweep the room with a glance.
* If you look like your passport picture, you probably need the trip.
* Bills travel through the mail at twice the speed of checks.
* A conscience is what hurts when all your other parts feel so good.
* Experience is a wonderful thing. It enables you to recognize a mistake when you make it again.
(via a friend)
* Once over the hill, you pick up speed.
* I love cooking with wine. Sometimes I even put it in the food.
* If it weren't for STRESS I'd have no energy at all.
* Whatever hits the fan will not be evenly distributed.
* Some days are a total waste of makeup.
* If the shoe fits......buy it in every color.
* If you're too open-minded, your brains will fall out.
* Age is a very high price to pay for maturity.
* If you must choose between two evils, pick the one you've never tried before.
* My idea of housework is to sweep the room with a glance.
* If you look like your passport picture, you probably need the trip.
* Bills travel through the mail at twice the speed of checks.
* A conscience is what hurts when all your other parts feel so good.
* Experience is a wonderful thing. It enables you to recognize a mistake when you make it again.
(via a friend)
Sunday, April 24, 2005
GTRC and Finances
In the City Council meeting the other night when the Greensboro Truth and reconciliation Commission vote came up, Councilwoman Florence Gatten had some questions:
*Who's funding this?
*How much? $300,000.00?... $600,000,00?
*Who is the Andrus Family Fund?
*How is the money being spent?
*Who is profiting?
*Why is the money coming from out of state? Possibly as much as 80%.
*Why are no local foundations funding this?
*What exactly is restorative justice beyond technical jargon beloved of sociologists......?
*What is the rationale for expending vital resources in this cause
when there are so many worthy causes in our community that cry
out for funding and attention?
These unanswered questions was her reason for not supporting the Truth and reconciliation Commission.
Sandy Carmany also weighed in on her blog saying there was a " lack of trust in the process, and in the GTRC."
Then all the bloggers took to the cause with their takes on the whole thing.
While reading all of the blog posts and the comments, I did some follow up and found something a little disturbing to me.
In some comments, John D Young said you could go here to find the answers to the funding questions. I did, and the Andrus Family Fund name popped up along with lauding the Local Task Force and the college students giving thousands of hours of their time.
In this press release from the TRC they say that the Andrus Family Fund gave them a $60,000 grant, and that the JEHT Foundation also gave them a $75,000 grant.
I can't speak to the grant from JEHT, but while visiting the Andrus Family Fund website, this is what I found:
Beloved Community Center of Greensboro/Greensboro Justice Fund
417 Arlington Street
Greensboro, NC 27406
www.gjf.org
Grant Amount: $20,000 (3 months)
Purpose of Grant: To support the planning phase of a reconciliation process that would attempt to address the conflict in Greensboro surrounding the 1979 killing of five labor and civil rights demonstrators by Klu Klux Klansmen and American Nazi Party members.
Beloved Community Center of Greensboro/Greensboro Justice Fund
417 Arlington Street
Greensboro, NC 27406
http://www.gjf.org
Grant Amount: $330,000 (3 years)
Purpose of Grant: To support the establishment of a Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) that will attempt to address the conflict in Greensboro surrounding the 1979 killing of five labor and civil rights demonstrators by Ku Klux Klansmen and American Nazi Party members, and to work with community residents and stakeholders to implement the TRC's recommendations.
Just looking at the CTRC website, their address is 122 N. Elm St, Greensboro NC.
The Greensboro Justice Fund's address is P.O. Box 1594, Northampton MA. Don't really understand why a Greensboro Justice Fund is based in Massachusetts, but what the hell, there's a lot I don't understand about this whole mess.
WHY is the money going to an address on Arlington Street?
WHY did you need the City Council's endorsement to begin with? As Gate says "You don't need an endorsement to study history.
After you've heard two eyewitness accounts of an automobile accident, it makes you wonder about history.
WHY is there a discrepancy of $290,000 in the grant total? You say the grant was for $60,000 and their website clearly states that the grants were for a total of $350,000 over 3 years.
WHO is the Beloved Community Center? Since the grant money was paid to them and the Greensboro Justice Fund, do you just get $60,000 and they get the rest?
WHO is the Greensboro Justice Fund and why are they sharing (from MA) in the grant money from this "project"? (Maybe the GJF does some good in Greensboro. It said on their website that one of their "funding hero's" was Project Homestead. They gave them a grant to erect a small monument at the site of the Klan/Nazi shootings of which you are reconciling. Wonder if it ever got erected?)
I don't know for sure, but after reading an earlier post of Ed Cone's, it seems that Nelson Johnson may be the man behind Beloved Community Center, and holding your purse strings, and I know already that Dr. Marty Nathan is the force behind the Greensboro Justice Fund.
These two people, having been involved in the shootouts that you are investigating, with both being tied to the grant money that your "commission" was founded on, reeks of bias and will never be accepted by the majority of people in Greensboro.
You wouldn't send a fox to guard the henhouse, would you?
Maybe Councilwoman Gatten's questions and commentary weren't as far out of line as everyone thinks.
I wouldn't say you have been untruthful, but you haven't been as forthcoming as you need to be. If you want the endorsement of the people in Greensboro, "truth" and "transparency" would go a long way in achieving that goal.
Put it ALL out there and let us be the judge.
UPDATE: Chewie sets me straight in her comments to this post.
In comments to different posts about this, and at least one speaker from the floor in the Council meeting, everyone has said that the answers to Councilwoman Gatten's questions about finance are easy to find. All you have to do is look.
I have looked. At the GTRP, GTRC, and the Andrus Family Fund websites. Still haven't found anything about a $60,000 grant to GTRC, so, no, it's not easy to find the answers.
Just reinforces my stand on "truth" and "transparency".
*Who's funding this?
*How much? $300,000.00?... $600,000,00?
*Who is the Andrus Family Fund?
*How is the money being spent?
*Who is profiting?
*Why is the money coming from out of state? Possibly as much as 80%.
*Why are no local foundations funding this?
*What exactly is restorative justice beyond technical jargon beloved of sociologists......?
*What is the rationale for expending vital resources in this cause
when there are so many worthy causes in our community that cry
out for funding and attention?
These unanswered questions was her reason for not supporting the Truth and reconciliation Commission.
Sandy Carmany also weighed in on her blog saying there was a " lack of trust in the process, and in the GTRC."
Then all the bloggers took to the cause with their takes on the whole thing.
While reading all of the blog posts and the comments, I did some follow up and found something a little disturbing to me.
In some comments, John D Young said you could go here to find the answers to the funding questions. I did, and the Andrus Family Fund name popped up along with lauding the Local Task Force and the college students giving thousands of hours of their time.
In this press release from the TRC they say that the Andrus Family Fund gave them a $60,000 grant, and that the JEHT Foundation also gave them a $75,000 grant.
I can't speak to the grant from JEHT, but while visiting the Andrus Family Fund website, this is what I found:
Beloved Community Center of Greensboro/Greensboro Justice Fund
417 Arlington Street
Greensboro, NC 27406
www.gjf.org
Grant Amount: $20,000 (3 months)
Purpose of Grant: To support the planning phase of a reconciliation process that would attempt to address the conflict in Greensboro surrounding the 1979 killing of five labor and civil rights demonstrators by Klu Klux Klansmen and American Nazi Party members.
Beloved Community Center of Greensboro/Greensboro Justice Fund
417 Arlington Street
Greensboro, NC 27406
http://www.gjf.org
Grant Amount: $330,000 (3 years)
Purpose of Grant: To support the establishment of a Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) that will attempt to address the conflict in Greensboro surrounding the 1979 killing of five labor and civil rights demonstrators by Ku Klux Klansmen and American Nazi Party members, and to work with community residents and stakeholders to implement the TRC's recommendations.
Just looking at the CTRC website, their address is 122 N. Elm St, Greensboro NC.
The Greensboro Justice Fund's address is P.O. Box 1594, Northampton MA. Don't really understand why a Greensboro Justice Fund is based in Massachusetts, but what the hell, there's a lot I don't understand about this whole mess.
WHY is the money going to an address on Arlington Street?
WHY did you need the City Council's endorsement to begin with? As Gate says "You don't need an endorsement to study history.
After you've heard two eyewitness accounts of an automobile accident, it makes you wonder about history.
WHY is there a discrepancy of $290,000 in the grant total? You say the grant was for $60,000 and their website clearly states that the grants were for a total of $350,000 over 3 years.
WHO is the Beloved Community Center? Since the grant money was paid to them and the Greensboro Justice Fund, do you just get $60,000 and they get the rest?
WHO is the Greensboro Justice Fund and why are they sharing (from MA) in the grant money from this "project"? (Maybe the GJF does some good in Greensboro. It said on their website that one of their "funding hero's" was Project Homestead. They gave them a grant to erect a small monument at the site of the Klan/Nazi shootings of which you are reconciling. Wonder if it ever got erected?)
I don't know for sure, but after reading an earlier post of Ed Cone's, it seems that Nelson Johnson may be the man behind Beloved Community Center, and holding your purse strings, and I know already that Dr. Marty Nathan is the force behind the Greensboro Justice Fund.
These two people, having been involved in the shootouts that you are investigating, with both being tied to the grant money that your "commission" was founded on, reeks of bias and will never be accepted by the majority of people in Greensboro.
You wouldn't send a fox to guard the henhouse, would you?
Maybe Councilwoman Gatten's questions and commentary weren't as far out of line as everyone thinks.
I wouldn't say you have been untruthful, but you haven't been as forthcoming as you need to be. If you want the endorsement of the people in Greensboro, "truth" and "transparency" would go a long way in achieving that goal.
Put it ALL out there and let us be the judge.
UPDATE: Chewie sets me straight in her comments to this post.
In comments to different posts about this, and at least one speaker from the floor in the Council meeting, everyone has said that the answers to Councilwoman Gatten's questions about finance are easy to find. All you have to do is look.
I have looked. At the GTRP, GTRC, and the Andrus Family Fund websites. Still haven't found anything about a $60,000 grant to GTRC, so, no, it's not easy to find the answers.
Just reinforces my stand on "truth" and "transparency".
Friday, April 22, 2005
Perspective
The next time you hear a politician use the words "billion" casually, think about whether you want that politician spending your tax dollars. A billion is a difficult number to comprehend, but one advertising agency did a good job of putting that figure into perspective:
A billion seconds ago, it was 1959.
A billion minutes ago, Jesus was alive.
A billion hours ago, our ancestors were living in the Stone Age.
A billion dollars ago was only 8 hours and 20 minutes, at the rate Washington spends it.
(via a friend)
A billion seconds ago, it was 1959.
A billion minutes ago, Jesus was alive.
A billion hours ago, our ancestors were living in the Stone Age.
A billion dollars ago was only 8 hours and 20 minutes, at the rate Washington spends it.
(via a friend)
Wednesday, April 20, 2005
GTRC
The City Council voted last night on a resolution to endorse the work of the GTRC. The resolution, introduced by Councilwoman Claudette Burroughs-White, failed on a 6-3 vote along racial lines as had been predicted.
Is Councilwoman Burroughs-White the City Council's version of Skip Alston, by forcing a vote and playing the "race card".
Looks like it to me.
UPDATE: Roch corrects my post in his comment. Seems the resoultion voted on was one made by Councilman Robbie Perkins to "oppose" the TRC program.
Councilwoman Burroughs-White still "forced" a vote by introducing her resolution. Councilman Perkins offered his "substitute resolution", and Mayor Holliday couldn't get a motion to table (although he tried) so a vote was forced on the substitute motion. It passed 6-3.
Is Councilwoman Burroughs-White the City Council's version of Skip Alston, by forcing a vote and playing the "race card".
Looks like it to me.
UPDATE: Roch corrects my post in his comment. Seems the resoultion voted on was one made by Councilman Robbie Perkins to "oppose" the TRC program.
Councilwoman Burroughs-White still "forced" a vote by introducing her resolution. Councilman Perkins offered his "substitute resolution", and Mayor Holliday couldn't get a motion to table (although he tried) so a vote was forced on the substitute motion. It passed 6-3.
Saturday, April 16, 2005
Keepin' It Here
Looks like everyone is doing their part to ensure the Furniture Market stays in High Point.
The floodgates are about to be opened and the demise of High Point is about to begin.
The floodgates are about to be opened and the demise of High Point is about to begin.
Thursday, April 14, 2005
Turkeys
Turkeys in Da' Hood
Surprised to see wild turkeys standing by the side of the road about 100 yards from the house today.
Picture quality not worth a damn though.
Thinking of getting a new camera. Any suggestions on a good inexpensive one??
Monday, April 11, 2005
Black Thursday - Corporate Destruction
It's Monday and I should be at work.
I should be but I'm not because I got laid off on Thursday. Laid off with about 30 to 35% of the other employees I worked with. After 24 years with the same company, I am now going to be forced to "sign up" for un-employment for the first time in my 37 year's of working.
WHY??
"We're not making any money" they said.
I find that hard to believe considering that we worked 7 days a week, 24 hours a day, from October of 2003 through 2004. That's the most I have worked since I have been employed there. Almost 200 hours of overtime. (Just so you know, I didn't work straight through. We had 4 rotating shifts. We would work 7 days, then off 7 days.) 12 hour shifts.
The "family owned" business I worked for was bought out two years ago, by a $5 billion a year "corporation", which was our competitor.
That's when the trouble started.
They started making changes. They started having lay-offs every 6 months, and our 250 plus employees started dwindling fast. They kept telling me that my job was secure. We ARE going to sell your machine later but it WILL be replaced with a newer and more modern one, knowing they couldn't tell me the real truth because we were working 7 days a week and they needed me. Well, my machine, along with 3 others have been sold, and WILL be re-placed. In Hong Kong, El Salvador, or Mexico.
When we were bought out, the ONLY thing that changed was the MANAGEMENT. We still had the same people, the same accounts, and were working more than we ever have. How were we losing money? How did they run an $85 million company into the ground so fast? To me it's totally the managements fault. Bad news is, I'm the one in the un-employment line.
I guess the Six Sigma bullshit and the bulletin board about how much money we were saving was a "crock". It said we saved $3 million last year, you said we lost money. I guess the big "corporations" can make it say what they want to on paper to justify their means. Say they "project" to make $25 million and only make $22 million, that is a $3 million "loss" to them, even though the $22 million was more than they made last year.
Justify their means.
It cost me my job.
I believe it was the plan from the beginning so I probably should have expected it.
What better way to get rid of a competitor than to buy 'em up and shut 'em down.
Thanks ASSHOLES!
I should be but I'm not because I got laid off on Thursday. Laid off with about 30 to 35% of the other employees I worked with. After 24 years with the same company, I am now going to be forced to "sign up" for un-employment for the first time in my 37 year's of working.
WHY??
"We're not making any money" they said.
I find that hard to believe considering that we worked 7 days a week, 24 hours a day, from October of 2003 through 2004. That's the most I have worked since I have been employed there. Almost 200 hours of overtime. (Just so you know, I didn't work straight through. We had 4 rotating shifts. We would work 7 days, then off 7 days.) 12 hour shifts.
The "family owned" business I worked for was bought out two years ago, by a $5 billion a year "corporation", which was our competitor.
That's when the trouble started.
They started making changes. They started having lay-offs every 6 months, and our 250 plus employees started dwindling fast. They kept telling me that my job was secure. We ARE going to sell your machine later but it WILL be replaced with a newer and more modern one, knowing they couldn't tell me the real truth because we were working 7 days a week and they needed me. Well, my machine, along with 3 others have been sold, and WILL be re-placed. In Hong Kong, El Salvador, or Mexico.
When we were bought out, the ONLY thing that changed was the MANAGEMENT. We still had the same people, the same accounts, and were working more than we ever have. How were we losing money? How did they run an $85 million company into the ground so fast? To me it's totally the managements fault. Bad news is, I'm the one in the un-employment line.
I guess the Six Sigma bullshit and the bulletin board about how much money we were saving was a "crock". It said we saved $3 million last year, you said we lost money. I guess the big "corporations" can make it say what they want to on paper to justify their means. Say they "project" to make $25 million and only make $22 million, that is a $3 million "loss" to them, even though the $22 million was more than they made last year.
Justify their means.
It cost me my job.
I believe it was the plan from the beginning so I probably should have expected it.
What better way to get rid of a competitor than to buy 'em up and shut 'em down.
Thanks ASSHOLES!
Sunday, April 10, 2005
Friday, April 08, 2005
Jenks Crayton Suspended
If at first you don't succeed, try, try again.
Last night the Cuilford County Board of Commissioners voted, along party lines, to suspend Tax Director Jenks Crayton pending the outcome of a second state investigation.
The State Bureau of Investigation already cleared Crayton of any wrongdoing in the reappraisal of Republican Commissioner Steve Arnold's property. Arnold even said that the Board of Equalization and Review made the appraisal changes against the recommendation of Crayton's staff.
Commissioner Paul Gibson said "If he did nothing wrong, we should clear his name."
I agree, and in the "true spirit" of that statement, I vote that while the N. C. Department of Revenue is conducting their audit of Crayton, that they audit every single Commissioner on the board. Pull out all the stops and see what little tid-bits of sordid info we can come up with.
Maybe we can find out why Bruce Davis, while being a member of the board that sets property tax rates for the county, can't pay his on time like the majority of taxpayers in the county.
Maybe we can find out, once and for all, where the $1 million loan to the St. James apartments and managed by Skip Alston, went.
I wonder if the majority on the board would go for this?
Yes, this is Guilford County partisan politics at it's best. The Board members who called for the audit have the majority. Crayton works for the county at the will of the Commissioners. If YOU don't like what he is doing, FIRE him. Or can't the man who is pulling the strings get enough votes to do that?
The SBI's time has already been wasted and now you want to waste the time of the Dept. of Revenue.
Ouit your penny-anny crap and get on with the business of running this county and TRY to do some good.
UPDATE: This just posted. Seems Bruce Davis might have some tax and revaluation issues himself. Like I said, if the Dept. of Revenue is here doing an audit, why not audit every single commissioner on the board. Let's really see who has something to hide.
Last night the Cuilford County Board of Commissioners voted, along party lines, to suspend Tax Director Jenks Crayton pending the outcome of a second state investigation.
The State Bureau of Investigation already cleared Crayton of any wrongdoing in the reappraisal of Republican Commissioner Steve Arnold's property. Arnold even said that the Board of Equalization and Review made the appraisal changes against the recommendation of Crayton's staff.
Commissioner Paul Gibson said "If he did nothing wrong, we should clear his name."
I agree, and in the "true spirit" of that statement, I vote that while the N. C. Department of Revenue is conducting their audit of Crayton, that they audit every single Commissioner on the board. Pull out all the stops and see what little tid-bits of sordid info we can come up with.
Maybe we can find out why Bruce Davis, while being a member of the board that sets property tax rates for the county, can't pay his on time like the majority of taxpayers in the county.
Maybe we can find out, once and for all, where the $1 million loan to the St. James apartments and managed by Skip Alston, went.
I wonder if the majority on the board would go for this?
Yes, this is Guilford County partisan politics at it's best. The Board members who called for the audit have the majority. Crayton works for the county at the will of the Commissioners. If YOU don't like what he is doing, FIRE him. Or can't the man who is pulling the strings get enough votes to do that?
The SBI's time has already been wasted and now you want to waste the time of the Dept. of Revenue.
Ouit your penny-anny crap and get on with the business of running this county and TRY to do some good.
UPDATE: This just posted. Seems Bruce Davis might have some tax and revaluation issues himself. Like I said, if the Dept. of Revenue is here doing an audit, why not audit every single commissioner on the board. Let's really see who has something to hide.
Monday, April 04, 2005
Our Governor Is GAMBLING???
Our Governor is gambling.
Looks like he made a little wager on the game tonight. Problem is, I thought gambling was "illegal" in North Carolina sans the big Texas Hold'em poker bust at Ham's, and the canceling of the Bassett Texas Hold'em game with John Elway promoting their new gaming table for the furniture market. Although all the money was going to be donated to the American Cancer Society, a charity.
Bassett officials said "The law was the law."
Alan Fields, an ALE district assistant supervisor, said three conditions must be met for an activity to be classified as gambling: It must be a game of chance, involve something of value and include a prize.
So Governor, is pizza and barbecue not a prize or something of value?
I know the argument coming. It's not a game of chance.
A game of chance is a game whose outcome is strongly influenced by some randomizing device, and upon which contestants frequently wager money. (Our laws state something of value and a prize hence shutting down the Ham's game for a chance to win a trip.)
In ordinary language, the word random is used to express apparent lack of purpose or cause. This suggests that no matter what the cause of something, its nature is not only unknown but the consequences of its operation are also unknown.
What could be more "randomizing" than a basketball player? You never know who is going to show up. Jawad Williams, on Saturday night, played his best game since February. Sean May has been playing good lately, but who knows which Sean May will show up tonight? Same can be said for Deron Williams, Rashad McCants , Luther Head, and all the other players on the court.
Basketball not a game of chance and not gambling? If not, why do all the "bookies" get arrested for taking bets on basketball, football, baseball, etc. when our own Governor is making bets? Shouldn't the law be enforced equally, no matter who you are and what position you hold?
I know it should be and I also know it never will be.
Leave the little fish alone if you're not going to take the big ones.
IMHO, "what's good for the goose, is good for the gander."
Even if it's only a little "friendly" wager.
GO HEELS!!!
Looks like he made a little wager on the game tonight. Problem is, I thought gambling was "illegal" in North Carolina sans the big Texas Hold'em poker bust at Ham's, and the canceling of the Bassett Texas Hold'em game with John Elway promoting their new gaming table for the furniture market. Although all the money was going to be donated to the American Cancer Society, a charity.
Bassett officials said "The law was the law."
Alan Fields, an ALE district assistant supervisor, said three conditions must be met for an activity to be classified as gambling: It must be a game of chance, involve something of value and include a prize.
So Governor, is pizza and barbecue not a prize or something of value?
I know the argument coming. It's not a game of chance.
A game of chance is a game whose outcome is strongly influenced by some randomizing device, and upon which contestants frequently wager money. (Our laws state something of value and a prize hence shutting down the Ham's game for a chance to win a trip.)
In ordinary language, the word random is used to express apparent lack of purpose or cause. This suggests that no matter what the cause of something, its nature is not only unknown but the consequences of its operation are also unknown.
What could be more "randomizing" than a basketball player? You never know who is going to show up. Jawad Williams, on Saturday night, played his best game since February. Sean May has been playing good lately, but who knows which Sean May will show up tonight? Same can be said for Deron Williams, Rashad McCants , Luther Head, and all the other players on the court.
Basketball not a game of chance and not gambling? If not, why do all the "bookies" get arrested for taking bets on basketball, football, baseball, etc. when our own Governor is making bets? Shouldn't the law be enforced equally, no matter who you are and what position you hold?
I know it should be and I also know it never will be.
Leave the little fish alone if you're not going to take the big ones.
IMHO, "what's good for the goose, is good for the gander."
Even if it's only a little "friendly" wager.
GO HEELS!!!
Saturday, April 02, 2005
TESTING
Thunderstorm, Surfside Beach, July 2004
Just seeing if I can get this picture thing to work. LOL May take me a while too.
Friday, April 01, 2005
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