NCBlogs

outside Cricket's Nest, 4401 Country ClubSo, listen, when I do have the bizarre accident that leads to my untimely demise? I want one of these for my headstone.

There was no way we were going to let a little drizzle keep us from coming out to see "B", aka Mike Bennett, play in tonight's Summer on Trade concert.

A WIRE STORY HAD this sentence today:

Igdalsky, and his brother Nick, is easing Pocono into an always-evolving modern day sports world.

I realize that the writer is thinking just of Igdalsky, but I'd have to use are instead of is. The two brothers make it plural.

FROM ANOTHER wire story:

Hull played a flawless third round, including give straight birdies to finish with a 66.

I'd think that was five, not give.

INTERNET LIBRARY: There are many libraries online, and I just found one of them -- the Internet Public Library. Check it out.

More later.

Too many laws, too many prisoners      http://www.economist.com/node/16636027 Never in the civilized world have so many been locked up for so little Jul 22nd 2010 | Spring, Texas THREE pickup trucks pulled up outside George Norris’s home in Spring, Texas. Six armed police in flak jackets jumped out. Thinking they must have come to the wrong [...]

Immediate Release 28 July 2010 Contact: Rev. Dr. William J. Barber, II, President, 919-394-8137 Mrs. Amina J. Turner, Exec Dir, 919-682-4700 Mr. Al McSurely, Esq., Communications Chair, 919-389-2905 OPENING STATEMENT FOR FORUM WITH "CONTROLLED CHOICE" SCHOOL EXPERT MICHAEL ALVES By Rev. Dr. William J. Barber, II, President. NC NAACP For more than 101 years, the [...]

See the interview with Michael Alves who was in town this week to do a presentation about controlled choice schools. See related: Wake County Public Schools Filed under: Debra Goldman Wake County Public Schools Board Vice Chair, John Tedesco Wake County Public Schools Board Member, Michael Alves, NAACP NC, NAACP Rev. Dr. William J. Barber [...]

My friend T-Square told me to go to Grady's Barbecue in Dudley, near Goldsboro. I was up for the scenic route home from the beach, so that's where I had lunch today. It was quite good. And it's pronounced to...

The following is a summary of the next chapter of my upcoming book.  Any resemblance to real persons and events is entirely coincidental.  The work is entirely fictional.

It had been a very hot summer in the Politically Virtuous City.  The  entire town knew that Chief Smellamy was retiring, and an extraordinary series of events was to lead up to the appointment of his successor.

The Sons of Sharpton had become extremely active.  They had, for the most part, withheld their vitriol toward the department for its activities during the time there was a black police chief.  However, with the prospect that a new chief must be recruited, they felt they had to ratchet up their activity.  They needed to protect the prerogatives and the ambitions of the black officers within the department, and if a white chief was appointed, they perceived it would be a major setback-- especially for those black officers already within the command structure.  But they also did not want a police department that was aggressive toward crime, because that would mean certain things within "the community".

They also were interested in creating pressure so the city would relent and settle with the forty black officers who had sued the city.  But they were intensely interested in influencing the process of appointing the new chief.

The symbolism associated with having a white chief was overwhelming to them.  The Sons of Sharpton had previously been treated sympathetically in the local media.

In any event, they orchestrate a series of protests against the city.  During one instance, some young people they had organized occupy the seats of city council members.  And then the ministers also get themselves arrested outside city hall. 

They had previously protested the mayor placing the "speakers from the floor" segment of city council meetings toward the end of the meetings, because this was the forum they used to make demands-- and they did not want to sit around through the entire meeting.  The city council had relented when they orchestrated protests against this policy.

But when the ministers get themselves arrested and have the young people occupy the chairs of council members, the city council reverses itself, institutes security measures and places the "speakers from the floor" segment back to the end of the meeting once again.

The Sons of Sharpton then submit a list of 97 questions regarding the police department's activities, and allege corruption in the department with respect to the manner in which minority officers are treated.  They make this assertion even though there is a black police chief and a black city manager.  In spite of all the trouble they had been stirring up, the city still works to answer their questions.

An awful incident takes place on the downtown streets of the city.  A group of political conservatives is demonstrating outside the office of a local politician.  A black activist drives up, confronts the demonstrators and slugs one of the participants.  The local magistrate's office incredibly charges the fellow who had been slugged.  And it is unclear how the machine DA's office would handle the case, but the man who was assaulted feels he cannot get justice in this particular city.

The city has a large arena, the operation of which is protected politically.  It sponsors annually a musical event that attracts tens of thousands of young black men and women to the city.  It is widely known that, during the aftermath, there will be much crime and disorder-- so much, in fact, that half the police department is required to work during that time frame.  Like clockwork, there are several shootings, and one young black man is killed, but the local political culture behaves as if nothing happened.  Local police officers are afraid to speak out about how bad the situation is.

The city manager appoints an interim police chief.  His name is Potts.  He had been one of the officers responsible for the insufficient effort when an inquiry was made into Dames Stinson's activities. 

Councilman Lobby begins making political overtures to the local African-American community because he is planning to run for mayor.  He plans to be the machine candidate, and to get the PAC endorsement.  He speaks in favor of racial set-asides, and feigns concern over public safety.  In response to the stated concerns of the Sons of Sharpton, he arranges with the city manager to have a "cultural audit" performed that examines the police department.  Recall that, years ago, Lobby had protected the corrupt housing non-profit that had been misusing city monies because of the political influence of its director.

Also recall attorney Fella, and his relationship as one of those representing that non-profit.  As it was getting ready to declare bankruptcy and close, he absconded away from its offices with some of its office equipment.  In any event, Fella had been charged in the check-kiting scandal with Dames Stinson's ex-wife.  Fella finally is brought to trial, and there is a hung jury.  It is unclear whether the machine DA will try the case again.

The city manager convenes a number of city bureaucrats to develop a new disciplinary policy for the police department.  It requires that serious discipline against any officer must be cleared with the city legal department and the city manager's office.  That assures there will be even less discipline than there had been previously.

The city manager begins recruiting for the new police chief.  He narrows down the list to a white male and a white woman.  There had been rumors that the powers-that-be wanted a female chief.  City residents are somewhat surprised, however, that there is no African-American who makes the final cut.  Over the last 25 years, the city had black police chiefs all but a couple of years.

The city manager had convened a set of panels to help him choose.  The panels included a member of the Sons of Sharpton and one other liberal minister; a couple of representatives from the machine DA's office; a couple of the black officers who were suing the city; the head of the police union; and Rob Dorgan, the assistant city manager who had reversed the decision to fire officer Quake.

Assistant Chief Con Dodgers had been the object of a sexual harrassment complaint.  The city finds, after an investigation, that he had been pursuing a young female police officer sexually.  The city manager suspends him for a few weeks, and then lightens the punishment under the threat of litigation.  Dodgers sues the city anyway.  He had been one of the forty officers who had previously sued the city, so this is his second suit even though he enjoys the rank of assistant chief.  He is allowed to retain his position.

Captain Merry also finds himself the object of disciplinary action.  Merry also had been one of the forty black officers who had sued the city.  It turns out that Merry had been helping younger black officers file grievances against the department, and then had thrown a hissy-fit or two when action on the grievances were not handled as he felt they should have been.  He is placed on administrative leave, and the Sons of Sharpton take up his cause.

Officer Quake had to appear before  a state board because of the drunken assault incident; and because he had appeared with a gang leader at a Sons of Sharpton press conference, criticizing the activities of the department.  The state board takes action against him.  The city manager reverses the previous decision by Rob Dorgan, and recommends him for termination.  The Sons of Sharpton, of course, are very unhappy with the situation.

When it becomes clear that the new police chief would be white, the Sons of Sharpton get with the media once again, and demand that the process be started over once again.

In spite of the demand, the city manager makes his selection.

The name of the new police chief is Killer. 

And it is unclear whether his appointment represents a new day in the Politically Virtuous City.

I have a poem, “Corn Ride,” in the new issue of Willows Wept Review.

It was the Spring of 1983 and I was bristling with failure. Having spent most of my Sophomore year lettering in Truancy, I found myself masterminding a cover-up and flinching every time the phone ring. How else was I going to support my lifestyle of academic leisure - than to deceive my parents into thinking I was doing okay in school - when in fact I was rarely ever there. Oh, I'd roll up in the morning with halfway good intentions, but it only took about three syllables to convince me my time would be far better spent tooling around town in search of intoxicants. More often than not, we found them. It was, after all, the early '80's and while my crowd wasn't yet part of the burgeoning yuppie class, we were already partying like rock stars. At least during school hours. Afterward, I'd slink back home or to my ratty fast food job, usually under the false pretense I'd just wrapped up a hard day of class. It was not so. Still, I'd erected one hell of a facade and I managed to hide behind it until late in the school year...

Then I got caught.

Let's just say my car was spotted out and about during school hours. I wasn't even in it that day, but the fact that a classmate was cruising the strip in it on a Tuesday afternoon was more than enough to tip off my poor Mother, a Godly woman who didn't deserve a reprobate for a son. A day or so later, the loudspeaker summoned me to the library. I walked in to find Mom sitting at the head of a long table with every teacher I had that year flanking her sides. A most painful intervention ensued, one ending not in rehab but the equally sobering news that I'd get another crack at tenth grade when I returned in the Fall to do it All. Over. Again. Now, I can't fully explain what I was trying to accomplish with my year of living dangerously, but repeating the sophomore experience wasn't it. Still, I left the library that day a broken soul, knowing that I - a kid with a reasonable intellect and a highly developed sense of self-doubt has just failed the tenth grade.

A word on failing the tenth grade: I don't care how clever, hip, insouciant or permanently stoned you happen to feel, getting 'held back' in high school will wreck your social standing and plunder your soul. Not that I didn't deserve it. I did. In the months that preceded my spectacular flame-out, I pioneered new methods in vagrancy, sloth and stupor. I no more should have been promoted a grade than the wino down the street, but unlike him, I still had my own teeth - if not a modicum of teenage ambition. So, I hunkered down...NOT. To be honest, I stayed pretty much the same - an occasionally clever young man who read every book he could find - minus the ones assigned him. Sure, I learned a thing or two about managing frivolity, but I remained a slacker with a massive vocabulary. A few years later, I wormed my way across the stage to pick up a diploma I'd just barely learned and fled the area. I'd like to say I never looked back, but you know me better than that. To this day, I dream of being in high school, lost in the hallways with no idea what grade I'm supposed to be in that day. Whenever I find myself slinging a lens around a classroom, I look past the pretty people and find some awkward soul to fill my screen. It may do them no good, but it makes me feel better...

So why am I telling YOU all this?

Well, in just a couple of days I'm attending a most unlikely event: Eastern Wayne High School's Class of 1985 25th Reunion. I do so as an expatriate of sorts, for if you'll do the math, you'll find I graduated a full year later. Still, the organizers of said reunion have graciously invited me - and after much consideration, I've decided to go. Why? To see some long lost friends, of course. I may have logged an extra year in high school, but many of the classmates I fell behind were souls I've known since kindergarten. Being the kind of guy who likes to drunk-dial old pals, this kind of commiseration is in my wheelhouse, so I'm putting my pride in a suit coat pocket and wading into the fray this Saturday night. Will there be some awkward moments? Perhaps - but truth be told, that second helping of Sophomore year made me who I am today and I'm not the least bit ashamed of what I did to get here. Sure, it helps that I get to squire around my pretty wife, but this particular evening will be about more than ego. It will be about reconnecting with characters from my past, catching up with folks who remember me only for my beat-up junker and flare for idiocy. Don't get me wrong: I make no excuses for my (lack of) high school performance and while teachers and classmates may be surprised to hear I'm semi-succesful despite myself, I'll try my best NOT to totally come off like George Costanza.

Wish me luck.

Taproot Radio News #233

Rotation #232, August 5, 2010
read: http://www.taprootradio.com
listen: http://www.loudcaster.com/channels/21-taproot-radio
live: Monday nights at 9pm eastern on WCOM: http://www.wcomfm.org

Howdy,


The August episode of the Taproot Radio podcast is out! Episode 13 features. blues guitarist Elvin Bishop, Blues pianist Ron Tanski, and roots singer/songwriter Les Sampou. There's some great stories in this month's podcast so check it out.

Brian Setzer has a new live CD out, Don't Mess With The Band.  Onthe one hand you can say there's not much new on this Live CD that you haven't heard before. On the other hand, it's a fantastic performance. So several tracks are going into rotation this week. Fellow WCOM DJ, Fred Wasser, pointed me to some very old school rockabilly covers from Sleepy LaBeef. (Wow, they don't make stage names like that anymore!). I've been enjoying his baritone covers of some early rockabilly and am putting several into rotation.

Added two videos from Elizabeth Cook into rotation this week, "Mama's Funeral," and "El Camino." Also added a video of "Worn Out Shoes" from Caleb Klauder's upcoming CD, Western Country

Roatation 233 on iTunes

(alphabetical by artist)
Pretty Girl From Cedar Lane / The Avett Brothers / Mignonette / 3:23
Angelita / The Backsliders / Southern Lines / 5:03
All My Love / Bettye LaVette / Interpretations: The British Rock Songbook / 4:11
Working Man / Bill Kirchen / Hammer of the Honky Tonk Gods / 2:55
Never Gonna Give You Up / The Black Keys / Brothers [+digital booklet] / 3:39
Heaven and Earth / Blitzen Trapper / Destroyer of the Void / 3:44
This Cat's on a Hot Tin Roof (Live) / Brian Setzer / Don't Mess With a Big Band (Live) / 2:53
My Time Is Gonna Come / Caleb Klauder / Western Country / 3:23
Here To Take My Rest / Choosy Beggars / See The Lovers Right On Time / 3:28
The Company Of Light / Chris Stamey / Fireworks / 4:08
Can't Keep Livin' / Cort Armstrong / Chicken Pickin' / 2:41
One of These Days (You're Gonna Realize) / D.B. Rielly / Love Potions and Snake Oil / 3:51
I Want Some More / The Del Moroccos / Blue Black Hair / 1:40
Sandwiches For The Road / Drive-By Truckers / Gangstabilly / 6:34
go Back / DuDroppers / The Fire And Fury Story (Disc 1) / 2:41
Red Dog Speaks / Elvin Bishop / Red Dog Speaks / 4:47
Juanita / The Flying Burrito Brothers / Sacred Hearts And Fallen Angels: The Gram Parsons Anthology (Disc 1) / 2:32
You're My Girl / Hacienda / Big Red And Barbacoa / 3:51
There's No Right, There's No Wrong / Handful Of Luvin' / Life In Between / 4:26
This Day Is Mine / Heavy Trash / Heavy Trash / 3:07
Old, Old River / Hooverville / Follow That Trail Of Dust Back Home / 3:00
Back Door Man / Howlin' Wolf / Blues Masters Vol. 6 - Blues Originals / 2:49
Knee Deep In The Blues / The International Submarine Band / Sacred Hearts And Fallen Angels: The Gram Parsons Anthology (Disc 1) / 1:57
Burnt Fields / J. Shogren / Bird Bones & Muscle / 2:59
I Want To Do Everything For You / Janiva Magness / The Devil Is An Angel Too / 3:28
Rock And Roll Music To The World / Jimmy LaFave / Favorites 1991-2001 / 3:34
Boogie Chillen / John Lee Hooker / House of Blues: Essential Blues (Disc 1) / 3:06
Soul Typecast / The Jon Spencer Blues Explosion / Extra Width / 6:07
Oil & Water / Les Sampou / Lonesomeville / 3:47
Fake Flowers / Margo Valiante / I Can't Pray / 3:57
Shop Around / The Miracles / Hitsville USA - The Motown Singles Collection 1959-1971 / 2:50
The Fool / Old 97's / Blame It On Gravity / 4:17
Gun Shy / Paul Westerberg / Folker / 3:14
Redwood Man / Peter Rudy / Mud Shack / 3:42
Tragedy / Peter Wolf / Midnight Souvenirs / 4:31
See My Jumper / R.L. Burnside / My Black Name A-Ringin' / 3:56
Gone To Bed / Riptones / Buckshot / 2:50
Lot To Love About You / Rob Stone / Back Around Here / 3:17
Big River / Rosie Flores / Dressed In Black: A Tribute To Johnny Cash / 2:37
Texas / Ruthie Dornfeld / Duets Abroad / 2:36
(If You Need the) 442 / Shinyribs / Well After Awhile / 3:19
You Can't Love 'Em All / Solomon Burke / If You Need Me - Rock 'n' Soul / 2:46
Bluebonnet Blue / Stone River Boys / Love On The Dial / 3:01
Help Me From My Brain / Th' Legendary Shack Shakers / Cockadoodledon't / 2:17
Play Something Sweet (Brickyard Blues) / Three Dog Night / The Best Of Three Dog Night / 4:52
Deep Ellum Blues / Tim Woods / The Blues Sessions / 3:30
Good Enough (Album Version) / Tom Petty / Mojo / 5:51
I'm Undecided / Toussaint McCall / Dave Godin's Deep Soul Treasures Volume 3 / 2:05
Bread / Water Tower Bucket Boys / Sole Kitchen / 3:40
Man With the Blues / Willie Nelson / Country Music / 2:23

Recent Adds

'49 Mercury Blues (Live) / Don't Mess With a Big Band (Live) / Brian Setzer / 3:29
The Dirty Boogie (Live) / Don't Mess With a Big Band (Live) / Brian Setzer / 3:15
This Cat's on a Hot Tin Roof (Live) / Don't Mess With a Big Band (Live) / Brian Setzer / 2:53
Fishnet Stockings (Live) / Don't Mess With a Big Band (Live) / Brian Setzer / 6:48
Jump, Jive, an' Wail (Live) / Don't Mess With a Big Band (Live) / Brian Setzer / 6:35
The House Is Rockin' (Live) / Don't Mess With a Big Band (Live) / Brian Setzer / 4:06
Tore Up / 2 of 12 / Greatest Hits / Sleepy LaBeef / 2:19
Susie Q / 3 of 12 / Greatest Hits / Sleepy LaBeef / 2:31
Rollin' in My Sweet Arms / 5 of 12 / Greatest Hits / Sleepy LaBeef / 2:39
kansas City / 10 of 12 / Greatest Hits / Sleepy LaBeef / 3:10
04 The Message / 7/31/2010 8:41 AM /  /  / Terry Dean / 4:29
Chevrolet /  /  / Ricky Fitzpatrick / 5:01
Old Mule / 7/31/2010 9:02 AM / Poet On The Run / Jimmy Pizzitola / 4:15

This song on iTunes

This song on iTunes

Accordingly you'll find plenty of it in the new local etsy love that went up this morning in the righthand column.Thank you for supporting local artisans!

Perhaps it's my blue-collar upbringing, or maybe it's my learned disdain for academia - but a recent study really chaps my batteries. Actually, the study has some merit, for in elucidating the obvious it finds that the newfangled crew of one (read:VJ) is capable of only pre-planned, simplistic mews coverage. That is true, to a point. For example, I shoot, write and edit TV news stories sans assistance every day - by choice. Such an arrangement affords me the kinf of freedom and autonomy most photogs can only dream of. I like it - a lot. Still, I'd be lying if I said I didn't want to voice my own reports again. Here's why I don't: The moment I go back on-air as a one-man-band, my bosses will throw me to the wolves, er, expect me to play full-on reporter.

No longer will I be able to waltz into the morning meeting and cherry-pick the the most visual story of the day. I'd be required to come up with lead stories, schmooze prickly contacts and cover city hall. Out with the biker club prayer breakfast. In with the heated city council meeting. No thanks, I've climbed the widow's porch solo as a younger man and while it's not beyond me, I simply garner no joy from standing by live outside the meth-lab. Sooo, I hide behind capable anchors with far smoother delivery than mine and foist actual happy news upon an unsuspecting public. It's a living...

And not a bad one, I might add. As practiced as I am in the art of whine, I truly dig what I do. Which is why I take such O-ffense at the study in question's other key assertion...

Another struggle for many VJs is the physical strain of working alone. “This is a craft that demands not only intellectual capacity but real physical stamina and a lot of people are not going to be able to do this simply because they haven‘t got the stamina,” one VJ says. ... The National Union of Journalists in England is starting to hear health complaints–such as exhaustion or back problems–from VJs who have been on the job a few years. There’s also the problem of doors. As mundane as they are, doors pose problems for VJs because their hands are nearly always full, and they have no partner. Getting through a door with the equipment, and protecting the equipment from being damaged by a slamming door, is a daily challenge. (One VJ reports a new appreciation for automatic doors!)

Don't get me wrong, humping gear up a courthouse's steps all by your lonesome CAN be a bitch. I do it every day. But photogs have been doing it daily since the first broadcast engineers traded a few horse blankets for an Indian-stitched test pattern. Try as I might, I cannot recall a single breathless study decrying the health risks suffered by generations of TV stevedores. And with good reason. See, even when the average news shooter schlepped 60 pounds of gear on his or her back, it just doesn't compare to actual backbreaking work like , say, appliance repair or ostrich farming. No matter how stridently I might disagree after a long shift of the one-eyed backpedal, electronic news-gathering is not the long haul some would have you believe.

Rather, it's a brisk run through someone else's reality - often followed by a stop at Starbucks for a Java Chip Frappuccino and a little handheld wi-fi. To compare carrying a fetus-cam around for an hour or two a day to actual labor does a great disservice to working folks everywhere and I want to do everything I can to distance myself from such self-serving horseshit. Am I being too sensitive? Probably, but when journalists of any stripe start complaining about their jobs being too physically strenuous, I'm more than a little sickened. Can field crews have a rough go of it once in awhile? Youbetcha. But can a lusty ingenue toting an eight pound camera compare to the many travails of a factory worker or traffic cop? Not on her worst day.

Now if you'll excuse me, I have a shelf full of self-serving trophies not to polish. I gotta tell you though: my back is killing me!

A good photog knows how to blend, how to become part of the backdrop, how to see and not be seen. That's why when the photog affectionately known as 'Chim-Chim' wades into the Madhouse that is Bowman Gray Stadium on race night, he does so in audacious, trademark style. A high-octane orange shirt, delightfully oversized rig and trousers so splashy they confuse airplane pilots splashing overhead. But I come not to mock the wily Amernick, but to praise him. See, he's a highly-seasoned shooter, a fierce competitor and a funny guy who really knows how to kill time at a crime scene. Who cares if his pretty new bride is dressing him in Garanimals? I don't but - but then again, I once wore faded jorts and a wrinkled hula-girl shirt to an autopsy presser. No wonder they didn't invite me back.

"Try a little harder for sales tax…Additional sales tax revenue could have helped pay the debt.The sales tax offers a good way to spread the burden more evenly…Commisioners can find good reasons to place another quarter–cent sales tax increaseon the November ballot.…A tax hike won’t sell itself.This time they’ll have to “Try of yeah, just a little bit harder.”"Not online propagandaGreensboro

Each age considers itself the pinnacle & final triumph above all eras that have gone before. In our time many believe that the human race has reached the ultimate in material and social development; others, that humanity shall march onward to achievements splendid beyond the imagination of this day, to new worlds of human wealth, power, life, and happiness. We choose, with the latter, to believe

The above image is a Wordle [website] of the text of Federalist No 1, written by Alexander Hamilton under the pseudonym Publius. The text is below for you to consider as President Obama, Progressives and other anti-Federalists work together to destroy the US Constitution that our Founding Fathers worked so hard to create.

• THE UTILITY OF THE UNION TO YOUR POLITICAL PROSPERITY
• THE INSUFFICIENCY OF THE PRESENT CONFEDERATION TO PRESERVE THAT UNION 
• THE NECESSITY OF A GOVERNMENT AT LEAST EQUALLY ENERGETIC WITH THE ONE PROPOSED, TO THE ATTAINMENT OF THIS OBJECT 
• THE CONFORMITY OF THE PROPOSED CONSTITUTION TO THE TRUE PRINCIPLES OF REPUBLICAN GOVERNMENT 
• ITS ANALOGY TO YOUR OWN STATE CONSTITUTION 
• and lastly, THE ADDITIONAL SECURITY WHICH ITS ADOPTION WILL AFFORD TO THE PRESERVATION OF THAT SPECIES OF GOVERNMENT, TO LIBERTY, AND TO PROPERTY.

Before heading off to the state Democratic Party Convention this weekend, an icon in the Wilson County Democratic Party, former Gov. Jim Hunt, said the party is sound and in good shape from Wilson County, to the state and all the way to Washington. Hunt made his comments one day after Gwen Wilkins, chairwoman of [...]

Last time, E. B. White took us on “The Road to Tomorrow” -past the chimney pots of Queens to the trylon and perisphere of the 1939 New York World’s Fair. Philip Liebson retraced that journey in “Transformations” :The Fair was set in what had previously been a marshland covered by mountains of ashes, with rat-infested garbage and debris with a perpetual fire wafting smoke eastward to the nearby

Who knew that there was a blog out there that declared "Notebook Addict of the Week" each week? Or that I would be selected for such an honor, based on an old blog post on my notebooks?Notebook Stories is a blog about notebooks. If you're into spirals, moleskines, or anything in between, check out this interesting blog on the humble notebook.

The law of the wild says kill only when you are hungry!!!

"These three cheetah brothers have been living together since they left their mother at about 18 months old,' he said. 'On the morning we saw them, they seemed not to be hungry, walking quickly but stopping sometimes to play together. 'At one point, they met a group of impala who ran away. But one youngster was not quick enough and the brothers caught it easily'".

These extraordinary scenes were the result. Can you believe they didn't kill him immediately?

My friend, blogger Katy Benningfield, is fearless. She was the only conservative in attendance at a march opposing the Arizona immigation law in Raleigh this week. She even wore a pro Arizona t-shirt she got at the Right Online conference over the weekend.

Read her blog post and watch the excellent video she got.

The oldest with part of his band, Doomz DayTo use the middle school mot o' the moment, tonight's performance was "epic", which is also the descriptor the oldest chose for the week of rock band camp that preceded it.Jackson's Music

Another milestone this morning. Zoe’s counts all went up today for the first time without any cell growth medication or transfusions. Her WBC went from 4.1 to 4.8, RBC was up, and platelets are finally stabilizing and going up on their own.

For quite some time, Zoe has been getting platelet transfusions to keep them up, though she hasn’t gotten one in about a week — they have continued to slowly drop. Her WBC count has also continued to drop on any day she has not gotten GCSF to promote growth, but as mentioned that also promotes bone pain and discomfort. She’s finally growing cells all by herself!

Our departure from the hospital continues to be postponed, mostly because of the continued spit-ups. They had hoped that would be over by now, and while no one is concerned, they say it just takes more time for some kids, they prefer to have her heal a little more before we leave and she’s off monitors completely.

Click for counts

• WBC: 4.9 (up from 4.1)
• Hemoglobin: 9.2 (up from 8.9)
• Platelets: 144 (up from 112)

The Dominican Republic is experiencing an outbreak of Dengue Fever. Thousands already sickened and 53 died from this disease. Dengue Fever is transmitted by mosquitoes.

Are you an alcohol drinker who drink regularly at least 10 drinks a month? If you answered yes, then you are less likely to develop rheumatoid arthritis (RA) according to a recent British study. The study found that non-alcohol drinkers are 4 times more likely to develop RA than those who drunk alcohol. Even when drinkers developed RA, their symptoms were much milder than those of non-drinkers. Of course, drinking alcohol can lead to liver damage or other serious illnesses.

Perhaps you would think that salmonella poisoning comes from eating bad food, but not from "frozen mice". Frozen mice sold as food for exotic pets poisoned recently 400 people due to salmonella infection, according to the health authorities in the US and Great Britain.

This blog has warned several months ago of the approach of Dengue Fever toward the USA. Many cases of this fever were reported earlier in South America and recently in the Caribbean Islands. The US Health Authorities are now reporting cases in Florida and Texas. This disease is manifested by severe bone pain, fever, rash, eye pain, and headaches. Currently, there is no treatment for Dengue Fever. In severe cases death may ensue.

The World Health Organization (WHO) recognizes "health" to be "...a state of complete physical, mental, and social well being, and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity."

To my knowledge and based on my own experience with Akki Dinia plant or the Japanese Plum tree, it can tolerate mild winter and hot summer. Mild winter means occasional snow with temperature not dipping below 0 degrees Celsius. Hot summers can be as high as 40 degrees Celsius.

Thanks to the 154 nonprofits who completed our recent survey about what should go on the webinar schedule. Here are the top three webinars you selected.

1. How to Create, Reuse, and Manage All of Your Content

This webinar has been scheduled for Thursday, November 4. Registration will open late August.

2. Rethinking Your Newsletter Strategy

This webinar will be held Thursday, September 9. Registration will open in two weeks.

3. Starting and Growing Word-of-Mouth Campaigns

I’m looking for a good guest speaker for this one, but it will mostly take place in October. Stay tuned!

The following people, randomly selected, won an a la carte pass to the webinar of their choice. Thanks for helping me with the schedule!

• Becky Rocker, Jewish Family Service Association
• Lee Ann Kolker, EMQ FamiliesFirst
• Alicia Searfoss, National Relief Charities
• Jerry Borton, Joni and Friends Greater Philadelphia
• Felice Mancini, Mr. Holland’s Opus Foundation
• Hamidah Glasgow, The Center for Fine Art Photography
• Lauren Maul, Gateway Greening
• Jennifer Milburn, Kentucky Waterways Alliance
• Vicki Testerman, Volunteers of America of Minnesota
• Amanda Lopez, Center for Spirituality at Work

P.S. Here’s what’s coming up on the webinar schedule . . .

August 11: Anatomy of a Nonprofit Video – How To Plan, Produce, and Promote Your Next Video (Featuring Michael Hoffman of See3)

August 19: Using Metaphors and Themes to Get Your Messages Across

August 26: Using Photos Effectively: From Cool Composition to Rock the Stock (Featuring Claire Meyerhoff)

September 1: Funny Ha Ha! Using Humor in Nonprofit Communications (Featuring Kerri Karvetski of Company K Media)

September 8: How to Be an Effective Spokesperson for Your Nonprofit (Featuring Thom Clark of Community Media Workshop)

Want a quick consult with Kivi Leroux Miller? All-Access Pass Holders to Nonprofit Marketing Guide can now reserve 30 minutes on Kivi’s calendar for only $75. Fast, affordable way to get answers and advice. Get the Details.

It's Miller time.

Although I live in NASCAR country I didn't grow up here, so a lot of it is kind of new to me.  Take the money involved; I've always realized that there's major money in racing, but until I read Mike Mullhern's post about a recent owner's meeting I didn't really realize exactly how much money is involved.  Check this out:

"And the owners really need to get together and agree to stop paying these drivers $10 million. We've got a good deal with our drivers....but we've had drivers come to use asking for $12 million to drive the car...

"These special pit crews are so costly – ours are earning more than the rest of the guys on the team who are working seven days a week. I understand pit stops are cool, but my gosh these special crews are prohibitively expensive. They make half-again as much as the regular crew guys.

"On top of that, the tire bill each weekend for each car is $30,000. They've got to get that down to $20,000.

"And the motor bill is $100,000 per car...and you've got to get that down to $60,000 or $70,000. And the only way to do that is to run fewer miles.

"Those $12,000 to $15,000 special high-pressure radiators – most teams tried them but got away from them. We use the standard $2,000 radiator...

"The money in these cars is in motors and tires. On each of our teams, there's $4.5 million a year in engines and tires that's just 'gone.' That's the problem."

Well, you can forget me complaining about my $95/tire special at Discount Tire.  Sheesh. 

For those wondering, that stands for Waxhaw Fiesta Band Members.

And why would she be seeking out Fiesta Band members? To tag along with her to the Charlotte Panthers training camp, of course. I'd like to score some footage of her loading the sombrero-clad folk into the back of the town van (there is a town van, right?), but unfortunately I'll be traveling.

Here's her post in full:

Hey Fiesta folk! I am going to the Panther's training camp tomorrow and would love to have some of you join me. Bring some Waxhaw Fiesta flavor... If interested, meet me at Main Street Grill around 8-8:15am tomorrow.

Since car honking probably won't follow the Fiesta Band to training camp, I propose they yell "Eyyy!" every time someone delivers a bone crunching hit.

I've been away for the past couple of weeks. Now I'm back. Caught this little beauty after and a sunset storm this week.

Which is BEYOND FANTASTIC. I don't even have to come back for six MONTHS.Really, did I ever think things would turn out differently? No, of course not, because you and I both know that I'm going to be taken out in a far more absurd manner. Like self-strangulation with a hula hoop at a yoga studio (headline suggestion: Tragedy on Trade!). Or loss of life whilst sewing the children's Halloween wear

Don’t forget that Flint Hill Vineyards will be here soon to offer FREE tasting of their awesome wines.    Anna Fields – “Rebel Debutante”  will be here this evening – she is a true free spirit.

Tomorrow Benny Parsons Winery and author James Howard will be here.  You don’t want to miss either of  these awesome events.

    See ya soon!

Wrightsville Beach, recently.

There was recently a Jobs Fair held in Franklin, NC that was poorly attended despite a high unemployment rate. I've heard that Congressman Shuler wonders why so few attended. I went to the Unemployment Office today to see how many people were there. The above photo shows a full parking lot. I sat across the road for an hour and a half this morning, and traffic was brisk, and the parking lot stayed nearly full the entire time as people cycled through, looking for work.


My answer to the Congressman is that perhaps very few even knew it was being held. I certainly didn't know about it until after the fact. Perhaps the next time you attempt something like this, a little advertising before hand would be wise. Perhaps in the Help Wanted in the classifieds or putting a notice up at the Unemployment Office.


Read the article in Macon County News regarding the jobs fair.


Also, read a Letter to the Editor regarding same.

The House was debating a bill last night that would provide up to $7.4 billion in health care aid to rescue and recovery workers who have faced health problems since their work in the wake of the September 11 attacks. The bill ultimately failed to get the needed two-thirds majority, 255-159.  This was largely due to Republicans, who support a $676 billion extension of tax cuts for the wealthy, but can't seem to cough up 1% of that to take care of workers who got sick at Ground Zero.

Rep. Anthony Weiner (D-NY) was not happy about it. Not one bit.

You must watch:

WSTA has teamed up with the W-S Section of the AIA to offer local design professionals a chance to develop a new sustainable bus shelter through a competition this fall. The design competition will correspond with the Go Expo, a new event organized by the City of Winston-Salem's Community Sustainable Program Committee. The committee's mission to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and improve the over-all quality of life in Winston-Salem is shared by WSTA. WSTA is currently in the process of replacing their entire fleet of buses with new hybrid-electric buses.

Click here to view more info and download registration form.

The Go Expo will be held on September 25 at the Benton Convention Center in downtown Winston-Salem. Visit www.goexpows.com for more info on this event.

Winston-Salem to get first vegetarian restaurant in September