Donna Riechmann, one of 13 at-large candidates for the Greensboro City Council, asked Allen Johnson about something I too had noticed about the News & Record's initial campaign coverage:
"I am wondering why you mention only three names in the at-large race. (Similarly, the July 22 front page article only mentioned 7 of the 13 contenders.) This gives the impression that "newcomers" are not newsworthy. How about equal press for all?" (fifth comment from the top)
Without using such terminology, Reichmann's calling the News & Record out for providing greater coverage to Greensboro's "Good Ol' Boy Network" than it's providing to candidates outside that circle.
Joel Landau, another at-large candidate, makes the same point.
Allen's response: "That was purely a space issue. We plan plenty of coverage of all of the candidates in the weeks to come, in the printed paper and on our Web site."
I believe Allen, and his point about space makes sense.
But intentionally or not, what's already happening is that presumed favorites are receiving preferential treatment.
Historically, the Good Ol' Boy Network is associated with white Southern men or WASPs (White Anglo-Saxon Protestants).
But times are changing.
Look at the three candidates that Allen mentioned:
Sandra Anderson-Groat (incumbent at-large council member), Robbie Perkins (former District 3 council member), and Mary Rakestraw (former Guilford County Commissioner).
Women are almost as likely (and sometimes more likely) to be a part of the new Good Ol' Network as men.
Though black elected officials in Greensboro/Guilford County are still more likely to be elected from districts, Yvonne Johnson has demonstrated that blacks can secure (and maintain) broader community support, earning herself a place in the Good Ol' Network.
Even officials elected by only a geographical segment of our community enjoy Good Ol' Network benefits.
While some of them might not be able to earn enough votes to be elected city- or county-wide, these officials tend to maintain an advantage as long as they run for re-election within their districts.
This much hasn't changed: it's easier to remain a member of the Good Ol' Network than to become a new member.
And while you might complain about the Network as an outsider, once you're in, you're probably not going to continue complaining about it.
I don't expect Anderson-Groat, Perkins, or Rakestraw to complain that other at-large candidates aren't receiving as much attention or coverage.
I am hoping that the News & Record and other local media bend over backwards to provide as much coverage as possible for all serious candidates among the 33 who filed.
Waiting for such coverage might not be in candidates' best interests, however, if they sincerely hope to be elected.
Automatically working against the odds, candidates who don't already belong to the Good Ol' Network ought to be investigating and pursuing all possible means of leveling the playing field.
Having lots of money to spend on publicity is one way to improve one's chances of being elected.
Short of spending lots of money, candidates really ought to consider setting up and using their own blogs to get their names, images, personalities, and messages out.
I'm still waiting and wondering if it's possible for someone outside the Network to use a blog to generate enough attention and interest to win an election.
Unless some of the "newcomer" candidates find and use special campaign tools, it won't be too hard to predict which individuals will find themselves sitting on the city council for the next two years.
Tuesday, July 31, 2007
Rumbling about Local Election Coverage
I agree with Roch and Joel: the News & Record, our local daily newspaper, needs to evaluate how it covers candidates for local offices.
Donna Riechmann expressed the same concern on Allen Johnson's "Thinking Out Loud" blog (scroll down to fifth comment).
I'd be willing to guess that other candidates--the "outsiders"--would agree.
Non-incumbents almost always start off at a disadvantage to incumbents.
The initial News & Record coverage only adds to that disadvantage.
On one hand, there are nods to how wonderful it is that there are 33 people interested in pursuing city council seats.
On the other hand, there are suggestions that that's too many individuals to cover and that the ones already presumed to be at the top merit greater coverage.
Most of the candidates only have two months to make themselves and their views known before the primary election (October 9).
There are only three months before the municipal elections will be held (November 6).
Sure, a lot of people don't pay attention to local elections and don't vote in them.
And some people will wait and start paying closer attention closer to the elections.
So automatically, candidates face an uphill battle: trying to capture the minds and the hearts of disinterested, easily distracted citizens.
I'm looking forward to the News & Record's coverage, as well as the coverage that will be provided by the Rhinoceros Times, Yes! Weekly, and local blogs.
In addition to the candidates themselves, I'm hoping that our local publications (in print and on-line) inspire greater interest, sooner rather than later.
One angle I've heard is that the abundance of candidates running might be related to the problems/scandals plaguing the City of Greensboro.
But so far, I don't think anyone can say for sure that that's true.
After the filing period ended, it would have been interesting for the first coverage of the complete list of candidates to have had a few quotes from the "new" candidates.
I may be wrong, but I don't think there were any quotes attributed to those lesser known candidates.
What made some of these people file for elected office for the first time?
Sure, we'll probably find out eventually.
But new candidates' motivations for running might have made for an interesting opening angle to the campaign coverage.
While I agree that it's interesting that Robbie Perkins is back in and that Trudy Wade and Mary Rakestraw are trying to make comebacks, I'm also very interested to find out about the other candidates, particularly the ones I've never heard about or who have never held elected office before.
John Robinson recently e-mailed some blogging politicians in an effort to solicit some feedback.
Maybe the News & Record could invite all the candidates to check out and take advantage of the News & Record's on-line and print offerings.
As someone who has promoted this area's blogging community, John might even suggest that candidates consider checking out some of the local blogs.
That might result in some of the candidates expressing themselves on local blogs or perhaps even starting their own blogs.
None of us know when the News & Record is planning to jump full-steam into its campaign coverage.
John seems to suggest later than sooner, which I hope is not the case.
We've already had presidential campaigns that have been underway for what seems like forever (with infinity stretching out ahead of us also).
A 2-3 month municipal campaign period is nothing by comparison.
Some of us are interested in coverage starting as soon as possible so that we can begin to learn more about the candidates and continue learning about them all the way to the primary and general elections.
We want to learn at least as much about new candidates as we'll read about candidates who already have better-established places in our minds.
The News & Record could encourage and promote greater and earlier interest through its campaign coverage.
I think that would serve a noble purpose for our community.
Donna Riechmann expressed the same concern on Allen Johnson's "Thinking Out Loud" blog (scroll down to fifth comment).
I'd be willing to guess that other candidates--the "outsiders"--would agree.
Non-incumbents almost always start off at a disadvantage to incumbents.
The initial News & Record coverage only adds to that disadvantage.
On one hand, there are nods to how wonderful it is that there are 33 people interested in pursuing city council seats.
On the other hand, there are suggestions that that's too many individuals to cover and that the ones already presumed to be at the top merit greater coverage.
Most of the candidates only have two months to make themselves and their views known before the primary election (October 9).
There are only three months before the municipal elections will be held (November 6).
Sure, a lot of people don't pay attention to local elections and don't vote in them.
And some people will wait and start paying closer attention closer to the elections.
So automatically, candidates face an uphill battle: trying to capture the minds and the hearts of disinterested, easily distracted citizens.
I'm looking forward to the News & Record's coverage, as well as the coverage that will be provided by the Rhinoceros Times, Yes! Weekly, and local blogs.
In addition to the candidates themselves, I'm hoping that our local publications (in print and on-line) inspire greater interest, sooner rather than later.
One angle I've heard is that the abundance of candidates running might be related to the problems/scandals plaguing the City of Greensboro.
But so far, I don't think anyone can say for sure that that's true.
After the filing period ended, it would have been interesting for the first coverage of the complete list of candidates to have had a few quotes from the "new" candidates.
I may be wrong, but I don't think there were any quotes attributed to those lesser known candidates.
What made some of these people file for elected office for the first time?
Sure, we'll probably find out eventually.
But new candidates' motivations for running might have made for an interesting opening angle to the campaign coverage.
While I agree that it's interesting that Robbie Perkins is back in and that Trudy Wade and Mary Rakestraw are trying to make comebacks, I'm also very interested to find out about the other candidates, particularly the ones I've never heard about or who have never held elected office before.
John Robinson recently e-mailed some blogging politicians in an effort to solicit some feedback.
Maybe the News & Record could invite all the candidates to check out and take advantage of the News & Record's on-line and print offerings.
As someone who has promoted this area's blogging community, John might even suggest that candidates consider checking out some of the local blogs.
That might result in some of the candidates expressing themselves on local blogs or perhaps even starting their own blogs.
None of us know when the News & Record is planning to jump full-steam into its campaign coverage.
John seems to suggest later than sooner, which I hope is not the case.
We've already had presidential campaigns that have been underway for what seems like forever (with infinity stretching out ahead of us also).
A 2-3 month municipal campaign period is nothing by comparison.
Some of us are interested in coverage starting as soon as possible so that we can begin to learn more about the candidates and continue learning about them all the way to the primary and general elections.
We want to learn at least as much about new candidates as we'll read about candidates who already have better-established places in our minds.
The News & Record could encourage and promote greater and earlier interest through its campaign coverage.
I think that would serve a noble purpose for our community.
Monday, July 30, 2007
A Struggling Cartoonist
When this cartoon first appeared over at Plead the First, several people noticed.
A few days later, a second cartoon drew my attention.
Adding a local political cartoonist was one of the best additions to the News & Record's editorial pages.
It had not made any sense that the daily newspaper for an area as material-rich as Greensboro/Guilford County hadn't had its own cartoonist to exploit and expose deserving individuals and incidents.
I definitely believe that certain individuals need to be challenged and that certain incidents need to be exposed.
A good cartoonist has a powerful tool (or weapon) at his disposal: the ability to draw images that, sometimes combined with just a few words, have the ability to challenge our thinking about and our understanding of the world around us.
A good writer or a good speaker also has the ability to affect our thinking and understanding, but the cartoonist's advantage is that he usually needs far less time and space to make his point.
At the same time, when he uses his tool/weapon to make strong points, a cartoonist almost always risks negatively affecting someone else's sensibilities.
It's also certainly possible that a person could be hurt by finding himself or a cherished value/issue "cartooned."
Another occupational hazard for the cartoonist is that viewers might misread or misinterpret his cartoon.
I lack the talents necessary to be a good cartoonist: being able to draw at least reasonably well, being able to capture issues and opinions succinctly, etc.
But I greatly admire the artform of cartooning.
I admire (and envy) cartoonists for what they are able to create and accomplish with their cartoons.
My respect and appreciation for Anthony as a cartoonist has only grown from reading his recent explanations and analysis of his own work.
It might be easy for some of us to picture critics (cartoonists/speakers/writers) as people who simply live to skewer others and skew issues.
It's therefore healthy for us to have a glimpse into critics' minds and hearts.
From his words, Anthony strikes me not only as a man of passion but also as a man of compassion.
He's not just sitting back, hoping to throw punches at people and issues for the fun of it.
There's a more sincere hope that we will be inspired to think more deeply about ourselves and about the issues surrounding us.
Inpsiring people to evaluate themselves and the world around them more deeply has always struck me as a noble cause.
Anthony thoughtfully analyzes the complexities of cartooning, specifically examining his recent experiences with two of his cartoons.
By exploring the complex, complicated nature of cartooning in an open forum, Anthony provides important insight and understanding for us all.
A few days later, a second cartoon drew my attention.
Adding a local political cartoonist was one of the best additions to the News & Record's editorial pages.
It had not made any sense that the daily newspaper for an area as material-rich as Greensboro/Guilford County hadn't had its own cartoonist to exploit and expose deserving individuals and incidents.
I definitely believe that certain individuals need to be challenged and that certain incidents need to be exposed.
A good cartoonist has a powerful tool (or weapon) at his disposal: the ability to draw images that, sometimes combined with just a few words, have the ability to challenge our thinking about and our understanding of the world around us.
A good writer or a good speaker also has the ability to affect our thinking and understanding, but the cartoonist's advantage is that he usually needs far less time and space to make his point.
At the same time, when he uses his tool/weapon to make strong points, a cartoonist almost always risks negatively affecting someone else's sensibilities.
It's also certainly possible that a person could be hurt by finding himself or a cherished value/issue "cartooned."
Another occupational hazard for the cartoonist is that viewers might misread or misinterpret his cartoon.
I lack the talents necessary to be a good cartoonist: being able to draw at least reasonably well, being able to capture issues and opinions succinctly, etc.
But I greatly admire the artform of cartooning.
I admire (and envy) cartoonists for what they are able to create and accomplish with their cartoons.
My respect and appreciation for Anthony as a cartoonist has only grown from reading his recent explanations and analysis of his own work.
It might be easy for some of us to picture critics (cartoonists/speakers/writers) as people who simply live to skewer others and skew issues.
It's therefore healthy for us to have a glimpse into critics' minds and hearts.
From his words, Anthony strikes me not only as a man of passion but also as a man of compassion.
He's not just sitting back, hoping to throw punches at people and issues for the fun of it.
There's a more sincere hope that we will be inspired to think more deeply about ourselves and about the issues surrounding us.
Inpsiring people to evaluate themselves and the world around them more deeply has always struck me as a noble cause.
Anthony thoughtfully analyzes the complexities of cartooning, specifically examining his recent experiences with two of his cartoons.
By exploring the complex, complicated nature of cartooning in an open forum, Anthony provides important insight and understanding for us all.
Taking a Punch for Corporal Punishment
I appreciated seeing a photograph of Alex Wall with this News & Record article about Anytown.
(I couldn't find Alex's photograph on-line--just the article--and I don't think he's mentioned in the article.)
I might have this wrong, but I believe Alex is the only student who has ever punched me during my 11 years of teaching.
I'm certain that only one student has ever punched me; I'm pretty certain that Alex was that student.
(During 11 years of teaching, I've now taught more than 1100 students, and that doesn't include other students I've gotten to know at my school but never taught. Needless to say, it's becoming harder to keep clear my memories of all those students.)
Don't worry about Alex punching me, though.
I asked for it.
Literally.
And though the punch didn't feel good, he didn't hurt me too badly. (The sting only lasted a couple of minutes, as I recall. I don't recall going home that evening and suffering any.)
Alex was a good student and a positive young man.
Back then, he was a pretty small guy with glasses.
I picked Alex to punch me because of his size; I didn't think he'd hurt me too badly.
After asking him to come to the front of the classroom, I gave him instructions along these lines: "I want you to hit me in the stomach with enough force for me to feel the punch but not enough to hurt me." (I'm paraphrasing, but I believe that's approximately what I said.)
I was trying to demonstrate something about corporal punishment, about how its use--for it to be considered acceptable and effective--needed to inflict a certain amount of pain without actually causing a child any permanent harm.
I wanted to demonstrate how hard it is for someone to measure how hard they hit someone--with just that perfect degree of intended force, not too hard and not too soft but just right.
(Kind of reminds me of Papa Bear, Mama Bear, and Baby Bear, of Goldilocks fame.)
At any rate, Alex took me up on the offer more than I intended and delivered a pretty hard blow.
He didn't knock the wind out of me or anything, but I definitely felt the punch.
But as indicated, I'd asked for it.
I was trying to use the demonstration to make a point about how hard it is to balance hitting a person hard enough to punish and deter without hitting hard enough to hurt a person permanently or seriously.
I'm not sure if I fully conveyed what I was trying to teach.
This incident occurred during my first few years of teaching, and it represented an attempt to capture my students' attention and make a point.
I think the demonstration achieved the first goal, of gettting my students' attention. (Imagine witnessing such a thing: someone providing another person an invitation to punch him in the stomach without fear of retribution.)
I'm not so sure that I got across the ultimate point I was trying to make.
I still am not generally a fan of corporal punishment, whether it's administered by parents, school administrators, or other adults.
A friend of mine in college said that's what was wrong of me: that my parents didn't beat me enough when I was growing up.
I preferred to believe that my parents did something right in raising me that made it generally unnecessary for them to spank me or use other forms of corporal punishment.
I might have earned a spanking or two that I didn't receive at home, but as far as I can remember, I never did anything at school that would have warranted a paddling. (And back then, corporal punishment was an option in the former Greensboro Public Schools.)
My parents never put it like this, but I grew up thinking it was almost a sin to cause problems or be disrespectful at school.
Knowing that I developed that philosophy about how I was supposed to act at school, I definitely feel inclined to give my parents considerable credit.
While I think student behavior is getting worse in our schools--in some cases, much worse--I prefer to think that we can come up with better options than corporal punishment.
Older and wiser, I won't be providing any future students a free punch for the sake of making a point or delivering a lesson.
(I couldn't find Alex's photograph on-line--just the article--and I don't think he's mentioned in the article.)
I might have this wrong, but I believe Alex is the only student who has ever punched me during my 11 years of teaching.
I'm certain that only one student has ever punched me; I'm pretty certain that Alex was that student.
(During 11 years of teaching, I've now taught more than 1100 students, and that doesn't include other students I've gotten to know at my school but never taught. Needless to say, it's becoming harder to keep clear my memories of all those students.)
Don't worry about Alex punching me, though.
I asked for it.
Literally.
And though the punch didn't feel good, he didn't hurt me too badly. (The sting only lasted a couple of minutes, as I recall. I don't recall going home that evening and suffering any.)
Alex was a good student and a positive young man.
Back then, he was a pretty small guy with glasses.
I picked Alex to punch me because of his size; I didn't think he'd hurt me too badly.
After asking him to come to the front of the classroom, I gave him instructions along these lines: "I want you to hit me in the stomach with enough force for me to feel the punch but not enough to hurt me." (I'm paraphrasing, but I believe that's approximately what I said.)
I was trying to demonstrate something about corporal punishment, about how its use--for it to be considered acceptable and effective--needed to inflict a certain amount of pain without actually causing a child any permanent harm.
I wanted to demonstrate how hard it is for someone to measure how hard they hit someone--with just that perfect degree of intended force, not too hard and not too soft but just right.
(Kind of reminds me of Papa Bear, Mama Bear, and Baby Bear, of Goldilocks fame.)
At any rate, Alex took me up on the offer more than I intended and delivered a pretty hard blow.
He didn't knock the wind out of me or anything, but I definitely felt the punch.
But as indicated, I'd asked for it.
I was trying to use the demonstration to make a point about how hard it is to balance hitting a person hard enough to punish and deter without hitting hard enough to hurt a person permanently or seriously.
I'm not sure if I fully conveyed what I was trying to teach.
This incident occurred during my first few years of teaching, and it represented an attempt to capture my students' attention and make a point.
I think the demonstration achieved the first goal, of gettting my students' attention. (Imagine witnessing such a thing: someone providing another person an invitation to punch him in the stomach without fear of retribution.)
I'm not so sure that I got across the ultimate point I was trying to make.
I still am not generally a fan of corporal punishment, whether it's administered by parents, school administrators, or other adults.
A friend of mine in college said that's what was wrong of me: that my parents didn't beat me enough when I was growing up.
I preferred to believe that my parents did something right in raising me that made it generally unnecessary for them to spank me or use other forms of corporal punishment.
I might have earned a spanking or two that I didn't receive at home, but as far as I can remember, I never did anything at school that would have warranted a paddling. (And back then, corporal punishment was an option in the former Greensboro Public Schools.)
My parents never put it like this, but I grew up thinking it was almost a sin to cause problems or be disrespectful at school.
Knowing that I developed that philosophy about how I was supposed to act at school, I definitely feel inclined to give my parents considerable credit.
While I think student behavior is getting worse in our schools--in some cases, much worse--I prefer to think that we can come up with better options than corporal punishment.
Older and wiser, I won't be providing any future students a free punch for the sake of making a point or delivering a lesson.
Admiring Anytown From Afar
I never attended Anytown.
I had some wonderful high school experiences, but that wasn't one of them.
I did, however, have friends who attended and had wonderful things to say about the program.
From everything I've ever read or heard about Anytown, it's the kind of program I would have chosen to attend--and would still choose to attend.
It's also a program I would highly recommend for high school students, simply based on everything I've ever heard about the experiences young people have at Anytown.
I appreciated reading Tina Firesheets's article about Anytown in Sunday's News & Record.
And I think it's cool that David Hoggard's daughter (Josie) just attended and apparently had an amazing Anytown experience, despite initially having only a luke-warm interest in attending.
What was also neat for me was reading about people I've known or heard of but haven't seen or heard about in awhile.
On the front page of the Life section is a photograph of Cassi Falls, whom I believe attended the middle school where I teach, even though she wasn't one of my students. I didn't know her when she was in the eighth-grade, but I was deeply impressed by a guest column she had printed in the News & Record while she was in high school.
Peter Amidon, whom I had heard had become a teacher at Greensboro Day School, was a leader of Youth Leadership Forum-Greensboro (YLF-G), a program of the Greensboro Youth Council (GYC). I met Peter through YLF-G/GYC, and even though I didn't know him well, I admired the impressive leadership and people skills he already possessed as a high school student. From the article, I learned that Peter now uses his talents at the Center for Creative Leadership.
Briefly mentioned in a section about Mike Warner, Patricia Allen is another person whose name I believe I recognize as someone I knew from my GYC days. She too was an all-around impressive individual who not only attended Anytown but also returned as one of its advisers and co-directors. Again, it's been several years since I've seen Patricia, but I have positive memories of her from when we were in high school.
Alex Wall is pictured for the article, with a brief caption. He's a former student of mine. Like Cassi Falls, Alex went through Southwest Guilford Middle and High Schools. I have positive memories of him from his eighth-grade year, and I later taught his sister. I'm pretty sure that Alex is the student I one day asked to punch me in front of his classmates. I had a reason for making such an odd request, and Alex obliged. The caption with his photograph indicates that Alex is playing with a friend's lavender piece. I'm a fan of purple hair, but it's not my hair piece he's playing with in the picture. I hope Alex, his sister, and his family are doing well.
Kris Britton is the last person whose name and face I recognized from the article. All too briefly, Kris served as the School Resource Officer at my school, during her tenure as a High Point Police Department officer. She was very well-respected, among our students and our staff. During the time that she was at our school, she helped lead a program similar to Anytown for a smaller group of our school's students. The program was held off-campus, and a few of our staff members were involved in it. While I was not there, I only heard the best of comments about the job that Kris did with the students. I believe the experience only lasted a day, but I know that the students involved in that program, just like the Anytown participants, were lucky to have had the opportunity to participate and benefit from what they learned. Kris is no longer a police officer and now teaches and coaches at Dudley High School. Kris obviously continues to put her many talents to good use; she is one of five finalists for Guilford County Schools Teacher of the Year. (Congratulations, Kris!)
Anytown participants are encouraged to go back into their communities and serve as delegates. They are encouraged to teach and spread the lessons they've learned and make an all-around positive difference.
In our world, there can never be enough programs like Anytown.
Thank you, Tina Firesheets, for writing such a good article.
Thank you, Jerry Wolford, for sharing such good photographs.
And thank you, Anytown leaders and participants, for all that you've done and are doing to help make our world a better place.
I had some wonderful high school experiences, but that wasn't one of them.
I did, however, have friends who attended and had wonderful things to say about the program.
From everything I've ever read or heard about Anytown, it's the kind of program I would have chosen to attend--and would still choose to attend.
It's also a program I would highly recommend for high school students, simply based on everything I've ever heard about the experiences young people have at Anytown.
I appreciated reading Tina Firesheets's article about Anytown in Sunday's News & Record.
And I think it's cool that David Hoggard's daughter (Josie) just attended and apparently had an amazing Anytown experience, despite initially having only a luke-warm interest in attending.
What was also neat for me was reading about people I've known or heard of but haven't seen or heard about in awhile.
On the front page of the Life section is a photograph of Cassi Falls, whom I believe attended the middle school where I teach, even though she wasn't one of my students. I didn't know her when she was in the eighth-grade, but I was deeply impressed by a guest column she had printed in the News & Record while she was in high school.
Peter Amidon, whom I had heard had become a teacher at Greensboro Day School, was a leader of Youth Leadership Forum-Greensboro (YLF-G), a program of the Greensboro Youth Council (GYC). I met Peter through YLF-G/GYC, and even though I didn't know him well, I admired the impressive leadership and people skills he already possessed as a high school student. From the article, I learned that Peter now uses his talents at the Center for Creative Leadership.
Briefly mentioned in a section about Mike Warner, Patricia Allen is another person whose name I believe I recognize as someone I knew from my GYC days. She too was an all-around impressive individual who not only attended Anytown but also returned as one of its advisers and co-directors. Again, it's been several years since I've seen Patricia, but I have positive memories of her from when we were in high school.
Alex Wall is pictured for the article, with a brief caption. He's a former student of mine. Like Cassi Falls, Alex went through Southwest Guilford Middle and High Schools. I have positive memories of him from his eighth-grade year, and I later taught his sister. I'm pretty sure that Alex is the student I one day asked to punch me in front of his classmates. I had a reason for making such an odd request, and Alex obliged. The caption with his photograph indicates that Alex is playing with a friend's lavender piece. I'm a fan of purple hair, but it's not my hair piece he's playing with in the picture. I hope Alex, his sister, and his family are doing well.
Kris Britton is the last person whose name and face I recognized from the article. All too briefly, Kris served as the School Resource Officer at my school, during her tenure as a High Point Police Department officer. She was very well-respected, among our students and our staff. During the time that she was at our school, she helped lead a program similar to Anytown for a smaller group of our school's students. The program was held off-campus, and a few of our staff members were involved in it. While I was not there, I only heard the best of comments about the job that Kris did with the students. I believe the experience only lasted a day, but I know that the students involved in that program, just like the Anytown participants, were lucky to have had the opportunity to participate and benefit from what they learned. Kris is no longer a police officer and now teaches and coaches at Dudley High School. Kris obviously continues to put her many talents to good use; she is one of five finalists for Guilford County Schools Teacher of the Year. (Congratulations, Kris!)
Anytown participants are encouraged to go back into their communities and serve as delegates. They are encouraged to teach and spread the lessons they've learned and make an all-around positive difference.
In our world, there can never be enough programs like Anytown.
Thank you, Tina Firesheets, for writing such a good article.
Thank you, Jerry Wolford, for sharing such good photographs.
And thank you, Anytown leaders and participants, for all that you've done and are doing to help make our world a better place.
Saturday, July 28, 2007
Terroristic Threats Fail To Deter Couple's Marriage Plans
"Isolated pockets of ugliness aside, the whirlwind of America's College Football Couple continues."
So wrote Chris Dufresne of the Los Angeles Times, describing how Boise State football player Ian Johnson and his bride-to-be, cheerleader Chrissy Popadics, have received about 30 threatening letters and phone calls regarding their planned marriage.
The threats remind us that some Americans--"the less educated, the less willing to change," as Johnson describes them--do not like the idea of a white person and a black person being together in an loving relationship.
When someone anonymously threatens you, you're left with a planted seed of mental fear that the person might be serious and might follow up on the threat.
It's an old way of trying to intimidate people into behaving the way you'd prefer them to act.
The threats have failed; Johnson and Popadics still plan to get married.
According to Dufresne, "Boise State has received permission from the NCAA under the 'special circumstances' clause to use school funds to pay for extra security at Johnson's wedding."
Interracial relationships and marriages are much more common today, and they are also much more accepted within our society.
Even if some people would never choose to enter such a relationship themselves, most of them probably also don't pass negative judgement against others who do.
I would guess that some of the people repulsed by seeing an interracial couple holding hands or kissing also wouldn't be inclined to do much more about it than maybe share their ugly thoughts with someone they trusted to share those thoughts.
Even then, I would assume that the average opponent of interracial relationships wouldn't go so far as to threaten or attack an interracial couple.
Though it's significant for anyone to receive 30 threats--imagine experiencing that yourself or imagine a loved one having to endure that--I regard those threats as far removed from mainstream America. (I hope I'm not being naive here.)
From Dufresne's article, it sounded like Johnson had a similar opinion about the threats.
Chances are that nothing will come of the threats.
It's just disgusting to know that some people out there feel like they have the right to threaten and try to intimidate other people.
The direct threats against Johnson and Popadics are just as bad as any threats Americans face from other terrorists.
It sounds like he's taking the threats in stride--as much so as possible--but while preparing for such a happy occasion as getting married, Johnson shouldn't have to worry in the back of his mind about someone wanting to harm or kill him and his wife-to-be.
Concerning racism, America's come a long, long way.
This story just reminds us that, despite such amazing progress, we still have a ways to go.
I wish Johnson and Popadics great success and phenomenal happiness in their marriage.
May the love they share be stronger than any hate they face, now or later.
So wrote Chris Dufresne of the Los Angeles Times, describing how Boise State football player Ian Johnson and his bride-to-be, cheerleader Chrissy Popadics, have received about 30 threatening letters and phone calls regarding their planned marriage.
The threats remind us that some Americans--"the less educated, the less willing to change," as Johnson describes them--do not like the idea of a white person and a black person being together in an loving relationship.
When someone anonymously threatens you, you're left with a planted seed of mental fear that the person might be serious and might follow up on the threat.
It's an old way of trying to intimidate people into behaving the way you'd prefer them to act.
The threats have failed; Johnson and Popadics still plan to get married.
According to Dufresne, "Boise State has received permission from the NCAA under the 'special circumstances' clause to use school funds to pay for extra security at Johnson's wedding."
Interracial relationships and marriages are much more common today, and they are also much more accepted within our society.
Even if some people would never choose to enter such a relationship themselves, most of them probably also don't pass negative judgement against others who do.
I would guess that some of the people repulsed by seeing an interracial couple holding hands or kissing also wouldn't be inclined to do much more about it than maybe share their ugly thoughts with someone they trusted to share those thoughts.
Even then, I would assume that the average opponent of interracial relationships wouldn't go so far as to threaten or attack an interracial couple.
Though it's significant for anyone to receive 30 threats--imagine experiencing that yourself or imagine a loved one having to endure that--I regard those threats as far removed from mainstream America. (I hope I'm not being naive here.)
From Dufresne's article, it sounded like Johnson had a similar opinion about the threats.
Chances are that nothing will come of the threats.
It's just disgusting to know that some people out there feel like they have the right to threaten and try to intimidate other people.
The direct threats against Johnson and Popadics are just as bad as any threats Americans face from other terrorists.
It sounds like he's taking the threats in stride--as much so as possible--but while preparing for such a happy occasion as getting married, Johnson shouldn't have to worry in the back of his mind about someone wanting to harm or kill him and his wife-to-be.
Concerning racism, America's come a long, long way.
This story just reminds us that, despite such amazing progress, we still have a ways to go.
I wish Johnson and Popadics great success and phenomenal happiness in their marriage.
May the love they share be stronger than any hate they face, now or later.
Irma's Mysterious, Quirky, and Fun!
Leslie Mizell, who has reviewed local plays for several years, drew my attention to "The Mystery of Irma Vep" with this review.
Though the Open Space Cafe Theatre opened in March and has featured four earlier plays, I was unfamiliar with it until reading Leslie's "Irma Vep" review.
A friend and I attended the July 27th show.
We had a very good time and thoroughly enjoyed the performances by Chadwick Hubbard and Joe Nierle.
The actors play eight different characters between them, including male and female roles.
The play is quirky and over the top.
But that only makes it more fun listening to and watching everything that goes on.
There's never a dull moment.
And lucky you: there are still five opportunities to see "Irma Vep" before the show closes:
1. Saturday, July 28, 2007 at 8:00 PM
2. Sunday, July 29, 2007 at 2:00 PM
3. Thursday, August 2, 2007 at 8:00 PM
4. Friday, August 3, 2007 at 8:00 PM
5. Saturday, August 4, 2007 at 8:00 PM
Tickets are $20.00 for adults, $17.00 for seniors and students.
Students can arrive 30 minutes before showtime and pay only $10.00 if there are still tickets left.
The theatre is located at 4609 W. Market Street, in Greensboro.
To reserve tickets, call 292-2285. If you get the answering machine, just leave a message, and someone will get back in touch with you. (It didn't take long at all for someone to call me back.)
You can arrive an hour before the show starts.
One added treat is that you can order dessert and drinks that you're allowed to take into the theatre and enjoy. (I didn't order any dessert tonight, but it wasn't because the desserts didn't look tempting!)
The theatre is small, which makes for a more intimate experience.
It's also a place where you can be casual and feel comfortable.
Everyone's seated at small tables that face an elevated stage.
Arriving early, I had fun looking at all the playbills on the walls, as well as some blown-up advertisements from the past.
I had a very good first experience at the Open Space Cafe Theatre, and I look forward to enjoying future performances there.
Though the Open Space Cafe Theatre opened in March and has featured four earlier plays, I was unfamiliar with it until reading Leslie's "Irma Vep" review.
A friend and I attended the July 27th show.
We had a very good time and thoroughly enjoyed the performances by Chadwick Hubbard and Joe Nierle.
The actors play eight different characters between them, including male and female roles.
The play is quirky and over the top.
But that only makes it more fun listening to and watching everything that goes on.
There's never a dull moment.
And lucky you: there are still five opportunities to see "Irma Vep" before the show closes:
1. Saturday, July 28, 2007 at 8:00 PM
2. Sunday, July 29, 2007 at 2:00 PM
3. Thursday, August 2, 2007 at 8:00 PM
4. Friday, August 3, 2007 at 8:00 PM
5. Saturday, August 4, 2007 at 8:00 PM
Tickets are $20.00 for adults, $17.00 for seniors and students.
Students can arrive 30 minutes before showtime and pay only $10.00 if there are still tickets left.
The theatre is located at 4609 W. Market Street, in Greensboro.
To reserve tickets, call 292-2285. If you get the answering machine, just leave a message, and someone will get back in touch with you. (It didn't take long at all for someone to call me back.)
You can arrive an hour before the show starts.
One added treat is that you can order dessert and drinks that you're allowed to take into the theatre and enjoy. (I didn't order any dessert tonight, but it wasn't because the desserts didn't look tempting!)
The theatre is small, which makes for a more intimate experience.
It's also a place where you can be casual and feel comfortable.
Everyone's seated at small tables that face an elevated stage.
Arriving early, I had fun looking at all the playbills on the walls, as well as some blown-up advertisements from the past.
I had a very good first experience at the Open Space Cafe Theatre, and I look forward to enjoying future performances there.
Friday, July 27, 2007
Cartoon Dialogue
When I saw this cartoon, I knew it would likely offend some people.
And that others would take delight in their interpretations of the cartoon.
Jean Rodenbough felt strongly enough about the cartoon to write a letter to the editor.
Anthony Piraino (the cartoonist) responded to Jean's letter.
Jean replied back.
Others shared their opinions also (Bishop, J.C. Burcham, the Liberal Conservative, R. Bennet, and the nitpicker, so far).
I appreciated reading the trail of thoughts on this subject.
And that others would take delight in their interpretations of the cartoon.
Jean Rodenbough felt strongly enough about the cartoon to write a letter to the editor.
Anthony Piraino (the cartoonist) responded to Jean's letter.
Jean replied back.
Others shared their opinions also (Bishop, J.C. Burcham, the Liberal Conservative, R. Bennet, and the nitpicker, so far).
I appreciated reading the trail of thoughts on this subject.
Thursday, July 26, 2007
What's on Pulpit Forum's Plate?
I'm not a member of the Pulpit Forum, so I only follow their efforts in the news.
But I wonder if these issues are receiving nearly as much attention from the Pulpit Forum as its efforts to keep Greensboro City Councilwoman T. Dianne Bellamy-Small from being recalled:
1) While it focuses on the recall election, has the Pulpit Forum's attention been diverted from Yvonne J. Johnson's mayoral candidacy?
Johnson has served on the Greensboro City Council since 1993, has demonstrated that an African-American candidate can receive city-wide support, and has the potential to become our city's first black mayor (as well as our city's second female mayor).
Since Keith Holliday, Grensboro's current mayor, is not running for reelection, Yvonne Johnson has a real shot at being elected to the position.
But in the election, Johnson faces Milton Kern, who could prove to be a formidable opponent.
Even though he has not held elected office, Kern has credentials that most first-time candidates lack, particuarly against an established politician.
I believe Kern will have at least a little bit of campaign money at his disposal.
Kern might also benefit from the City of Greensboro scandals that some voters might associate with Johnson (and the other 8 current city council members).
I just wonder: if the Pulpit Forum had to choose between these two council members (Bellamy-Small and Johnson), which one would members like to see represent our city at least two more years?
2) What leadership is the Pulpit Forum providing our entire community concerning the very serious problem of gangs?
I've missed any recently announced (or held) press conferences concerning the Pulpit Forum's efforts against gangs.
North Carolina state Rep. Alma Adams stated that the "[R]eal question is what's really the best way to stop [gang activity]."
Adams prefers that we focus more on preventing and less on punishing gang activity.
I would guess that many--maybe most or all--members of the Pulpit Forum agree with Adams.
Our schools and our community need some strategies and solutions.
What is the Pulpit Forum doing to help solve (and perhaps even lead efforts against) our city's increasing gang problem?
3) What more could the Pulpit Forum do to support the International Civil Rights Center and Museum?
In the fall of 2004, I excitedly began planning a field trip to this museum for my eighth-grade students.
That was the year that its opening was supposed to coincide with Triad Stage's "North Star."
I couldn't think of a better opportunity for my students than to see "North Star" AND the newly opened museum.
Needless to say, I discovered that the museum would not be opening that year.
(My students still benefited from witnessing one of the two most powerful and meaningful plays that I've ever taken students to see--the other being Triad Stage's "The Diary of Anne Frank".)
After announcing one or two later planned dates for it to open, museum organizers realized that there were obstacles that needed to be overcome and that it was better to discontinue getting the public's hopes up.
When will our community be able to reap the benefits of having the museum as a place for us to visit and invite others to visit?
What more could the Pulpit Forum be doing to help the museum move closer to becoming a reality?
4) What more could the Pulpit Forum do to help non-profit organizations that lost funding from the Guilford County Board of Commissioners?
It appears that efforts to convince this board to continue funding local nonprofits will not succeed.
What could the Pulpit Forum be doing to help these nonprofits find alternative sources for these lost funds?
5) Are there other problems and issues to which the Pulpit Forum might bring more attention and provide greater leadership?
As I indicated from the beginning, I don't have an internal view of the Pulpit Forum's efforts.
There is probably a lot of good work being done that goes unnoticed and unpublicized.
But when it schedules a press conference, an organization like the Pulpit Forum seems to be indicating to the community where its emphasis and greatest efforts are being placed.
Have I missed the Pulpit Forum's press conferences on the issues I've mentioned above?
Do Pulpit Forum members want our community to believe that Bellamy-Small deserves all this attention and support (from them and from recall organizers), compared to other issues and problems in our community that appear to be receiving less publicity?
Let us not forget these wise words from Sly and Family Stone:
But I wonder if these issues are receiving nearly as much attention from the Pulpit Forum as its efforts to keep Greensboro City Councilwoman T. Dianne Bellamy-Small from being recalled:
1) While it focuses on the recall election, has the Pulpit Forum's attention been diverted from Yvonne J. Johnson's mayoral candidacy?
Johnson has served on the Greensboro City Council since 1993, has demonstrated that an African-American candidate can receive city-wide support, and has the potential to become our city's first black mayor (as well as our city's second female mayor).
Since Keith Holliday, Grensboro's current mayor, is not running for reelection, Yvonne Johnson has a real shot at being elected to the position.
But in the election, Johnson faces Milton Kern, who could prove to be a formidable opponent.
Even though he has not held elected office, Kern has credentials that most first-time candidates lack, particuarly against an established politician.
I believe Kern will have at least a little bit of campaign money at his disposal.
Kern might also benefit from the City of Greensboro scandals that some voters might associate with Johnson (and the other 8 current city council members).
I just wonder: if the Pulpit Forum had to choose between these two council members (Bellamy-Small and Johnson), which one would members like to see represent our city at least two more years?
2) What leadership is the Pulpit Forum providing our entire community concerning the very serious problem of gangs?
I've missed any recently announced (or held) press conferences concerning the Pulpit Forum's efforts against gangs.
North Carolina state Rep. Alma Adams stated that the "[R]eal question is what's really the best way to stop [gang activity]."
Adams prefers that we focus more on preventing and less on punishing gang activity.
I would guess that many--maybe most or all--members of the Pulpit Forum agree with Adams.
Our schools and our community need some strategies and solutions.
What is the Pulpit Forum doing to help solve (and perhaps even lead efforts against) our city's increasing gang problem?
3) What more could the Pulpit Forum do to support the International Civil Rights Center and Museum?
In the fall of 2004, I excitedly began planning a field trip to this museum for my eighth-grade students.
That was the year that its opening was supposed to coincide with Triad Stage's "North Star."
I couldn't think of a better opportunity for my students than to see "North Star" AND the newly opened museum.
Needless to say, I discovered that the museum would not be opening that year.
(My students still benefited from witnessing one of the two most powerful and meaningful plays that I've ever taken students to see--the other being Triad Stage's "The Diary of Anne Frank".)
After announcing one or two later planned dates for it to open, museum organizers realized that there were obstacles that needed to be overcome and that it was better to discontinue getting the public's hopes up.
When will our community be able to reap the benefits of having the museum as a place for us to visit and invite others to visit?
What more could the Pulpit Forum be doing to help the museum move closer to becoming a reality?
4) What more could the Pulpit Forum do to help non-profit organizations that lost funding from the Guilford County Board of Commissioners?
It appears that efforts to convince this board to continue funding local nonprofits will not succeed.
What could the Pulpit Forum be doing to help these nonprofits find alternative sources for these lost funds?
5) Are there other problems and issues to which the Pulpit Forum might bring more attention and provide greater leadership?
As I indicated from the beginning, I don't have an internal view of the Pulpit Forum's efforts.
There is probably a lot of good work being done that goes unnoticed and unpublicized.
But when it schedules a press conference, an organization like the Pulpit Forum seems to be indicating to the community where its emphasis and greatest efforts are being placed.
Have I missed the Pulpit Forum's press conferences on the issues I've mentioned above?
Do Pulpit Forum members want our community to believe that Bellamy-Small deserves all this attention and support (from them and from recall organizers), compared to other issues and problems in our community that appear to be receiving less publicity?
Let us not forget these wise words from Sly and Family Stone:
Sometimes I'm right, and I can be wrong . . .
I am no better, and neither are you
We are the same, whatever we do
You love me, you hate me, you know me, and then
You can't figure out the bag I'm in
I am everyday people, yeah yeah
Bellamy-Small, Recall Effort Organizers, and Pulpit Forum Leaders Behave Irresponsibly
A post at the News & Record's Inside Scoop blog lets us know that the Pulpit Forum has a press conference planned for tomorrow (Friday, July 27th).
At that press conference, the Pulpit Forum will announce "its strategy for opposing the Aug. 21 recall election of Councilwoman T. Dianne Bellamy-Small."
Pulpit Forum Secretary Gregory Headen, pastor of Genesis Baptist Church, wrote, "The situation with T. Dianne Bellamy-Small is another glaring example in Greensboro of how those who speak out for the poor are demonized and marginalized by power."
T. Dianne Bellamy-Small, the recall-election organizers, and Pulpit Forum organizers all have some responsibility for the situation we now find ourselves in.
T. Dianne Bellamy-Small has had several incidents that have raised legitimate concerns about her fitness to serve as an elected official.
During the almost 20 years that I've paid attention to Guilford County's local politics, there have been others whose fitness for office has been at least equally questionable.
There are at least a few individuals who have done far more and far worse than Bellamy-Small to earn a recall effort against them.
Unless my memory's just not serving me well, I can't recall any other recall effort in Guilford County during the last 20 years.
There are even some prominent African-American leaders who have not been fans of how Bellamy-Small has handled herself as an elected official.
But instead of simply supporting an opponent, the recall organizers have foolishly created an unnecessary, inflammatory situation that has turned a vulnerable council member into a martyr for some citizens who otherwise might have also supported an opponent.
Recall organizers may ultimately ensure a Bellamy-Small victory rather than her defeat.
Now, the Pulpit Forum appears to be wasting precious time and energy supporting Bellamy-Small against the recall effort.
There are four other candidates for the District 1 seat on the Greensboro City Council, and any one of them might ultimately be a better representative than Bellamy-Small.
By working against the recall effort, the Pulpit Forum may convince enough voters not only to oppose the recall but also to support Bellamy-Small in the actual District 1 election.
Is the Pulpit Forum automatically planning to support Bellamy-Small's reelection efforts? (If not, why waste time fighting recall efforts against her?)
After working against the recall effort, would it be possible, should the Pulpit Forum end up liking one of the other candidates more, to make a sudden shift of support from Bellamy-Small to that opponent?
In other words, in responding to the recall effort, is the Pulpit Forum looking ahead to what happens after the recall election (just as recall organizers failed to look ahead to such a soon-to-come-anyway election)?
Most importantly, by so strongly working against the recall effort, is the Pulpit Forum allowing its attention to be diverted from more important, more deserving issues?
I think that last question's really worth considering and answering.
At that press conference, the Pulpit Forum will announce "its strategy for opposing the Aug. 21 recall election of Councilwoman T. Dianne Bellamy-Small."
Pulpit Forum Secretary Gregory Headen, pastor of Genesis Baptist Church, wrote, "The situation with T. Dianne Bellamy-Small is another glaring example in Greensboro of how those who speak out for the poor are demonized and marginalized by power."
T. Dianne Bellamy-Small, the recall-election organizers, and Pulpit Forum organizers all have some responsibility for the situation we now find ourselves in.
T. Dianne Bellamy-Small has had several incidents that have raised legitimate concerns about her fitness to serve as an elected official.
During the almost 20 years that I've paid attention to Guilford County's local politics, there have been others whose fitness for office has been at least equally questionable.
There are at least a few individuals who have done far more and far worse than Bellamy-Small to earn a recall effort against them.
Unless my memory's just not serving me well, I can't recall any other recall effort in Guilford County during the last 20 years.
There are even some prominent African-American leaders who have not been fans of how Bellamy-Small has handled herself as an elected official.
But instead of simply supporting an opponent, the recall organizers have foolishly created an unnecessary, inflammatory situation that has turned a vulnerable council member into a martyr for some citizens who otherwise might have also supported an opponent.
Recall organizers may ultimately ensure a Bellamy-Small victory rather than her defeat.
Now, the Pulpit Forum appears to be wasting precious time and energy supporting Bellamy-Small against the recall effort.
There are four other candidates for the District 1 seat on the Greensboro City Council, and any one of them might ultimately be a better representative than Bellamy-Small.
By working against the recall effort, the Pulpit Forum may convince enough voters not only to oppose the recall but also to support Bellamy-Small in the actual District 1 election.
Is the Pulpit Forum automatically planning to support Bellamy-Small's reelection efforts? (If not, why waste time fighting recall efforts against her?)
After working against the recall effort, would it be possible, should the Pulpit Forum end up liking one of the other candidates more, to make a sudden shift of support from Bellamy-Small to that opponent?
In other words, in responding to the recall effort, is the Pulpit Forum looking ahead to what happens after the recall election (just as recall organizers failed to look ahead to such a soon-to-come-anyway election)?
Most importantly, by so strongly working against the recall effort, is the Pulpit Forum allowing its attention to be diverted from more important, more deserving issues?
I think that last question's really worth considering and answering.
Carr Might Provide Real-Life Lesson Plans
Below are comments I posted on July 24th at 2:30 PM on the Chalkboard in response to "Carr wants to speak to students":
Without going into people's minds, we can only know what they choose to reveal.
But I would guess that Tolly Carr is struggling on two levels: 1) knowing that he was responsible for permanently ending a fellow human being's existence on earth and 2) knowing that he has done substantial, perhaps permanent, damage to an otherwise impressive career and reputation.
One of those struggles focuses more on the victim; the other internal struggle focuses more on himself.
I cannot imagine how horrible it must feel to know that you have taken someone else's life.
If I ever found myself in such a position, even in the very different case of self-defense, I think I would have a difficult time dealing with that and moving on. It would be that much worse of a feeling inside if it wasn't an arguably justified and necessary case of self-defense.
With cases of people drinking and driving, we more often end up with stories that do not result in someone dying.
But each and every single one of those incidents contributes to a more dangerous and even deadly environment for the rest of the population.
Carr deserves judgement in a courtroom, and we are all free to judge him in our minds as we most certainly have and will, but probably not one of us doesn't know, like, and support individuals who regularly do what Carr did: place themselves behind the steering wheel and venture out onto streets under the influence.
Some of us have probably done that ourselves and only been much more fortunate that we haven't found ourselves guilty of an accidental murder.
Through the normal teaching and learning process, I would guess that every single student is exposed to the idea that drinking and driving has the potential to have very negative consequences.
But since there is nothing out there that matters equally to everyone, there are countless individuals who ignore that message every day.
What I find profound, relevant, and intensely meaningful and important may mean less or even nothing to someone else.
But for some students, there is certainly the possibility that Carr's testimony might serve as a greater wake-up call.
As I believe has been suggested, parents should have the option for their own children not to be required to listen to Carr.
But for those who hear his message, maybe it will make a stronger impression than more traditional sources of the same messages about drinking and driving.
I don't know if I'm reading the situation correctly, but the fact that Carr is already serving jail time and that he plans to plead guilty may be signs that he wants to accept as much responsibility as possible for the crime he committed (short of taking his own life, which hopefully none of us would expect of him).
Not all criminals so willingly accept their fates; many fight and attempt to avoid punishment, even when they are fully guilty and know it.
The situtation is bad all the way around for everyone directly affected, and the best that we can hope is that people will learn the lessons that are available from the incident so that it might not happen again or at least as often.
Without going into people's minds, we can only know what they choose to reveal.
But I would guess that Tolly Carr is struggling on two levels: 1) knowing that he was responsible for permanently ending a fellow human being's existence on earth and 2) knowing that he has done substantial, perhaps permanent, damage to an otherwise impressive career and reputation.
One of those struggles focuses more on the victim; the other internal struggle focuses more on himself.
I cannot imagine how horrible it must feel to know that you have taken someone else's life.
If I ever found myself in such a position, even in the very different case of self-defense, I think I would have a difficult time dealing with that and moving on. It would be that much worse of a feeling inside if it wasn't an arguably justified and necessary case of self-defense.
With cases of people drinking and driving, we more often end up with stories that do not result in someone dying.
But each and every single one of those incidents contributes to a more dangerous and even deadly environment for the rest of the population.
Carr deserves judgement in a courtroom, and we are all free to judge him in our minds as we most certainly have and will, but probably not one of us doesn't know, like, and support individuals who regularly do what Carr did: place themselves behind the steering wheel and venture out onto streets under the influence.
Some of us have probably done that ourselves and only been much more fortunate that we haven't found ourselves guilty of an accidental murder.
Through the normal teaching and learning process, I would guess that every single student is exposed to the idea that drinking and driving has the potential to have very negative consequences.
But since there is nothing out there that matters equally to everyone, there are countless individuals who ignore that message every day.
What I find profound, relevant, and intensely meaningful and important may mean less or even nothing to someone else.
But for some students, there is certainly the possibility that Carr's testimony might serve as a greater wake-up call.
As I believe has been suggested, parents should have the option for their own children not to be required to listen to Carr.
But for those who hear his message, maybe it will make a stronger impression than more traditional sources of the same messages about drinking and driving.
I don't know if I'm reading the situation correctly, but the fact that Carr is already serving jail time and that he plans to plead guilty may be signs that he wants to accept as much responsibility as possible for the crime he committed (short of taking his own life, which hopefully none of us would expect of him).
Not all criminals so willingly accept their fates; many fight and attempt to avoid punishment, even when they are fully guilty and know it.
The situtation is bad all the way around for everyone directly affected, and the best that we can hope is that people will learn the lessons that are available from the incident so that it might not happen again or at least as often.
Schools Face Gangs and Other Negative Cultural Influences
On July 16th, I posted comments at 2:06 AM, in response to this July 12th Chalkboard post: "GCS convenes school climate task force".
(I mention the date and time that I posted since I couldn't figure out a way to provide a direct link to my comments.)
My thoughts are incomplete and go in some different directions. (I deleted a very small fraction of my original post because it drifted away from what I regard as more important points that I made. Otherwise, the comments are unedited.)
If you're interested in reading some other people's different views about the problems currently affecting our schools, the Chalkboard can provide some stimulating dialogue.
I'm very hopeful that the task force comes up with some viable solutions.
But well before the task force completes its task, individual schools and individual staff members will also be working to come up with positive approaches and strategies for addressing the problems with some students' behaviors, attitudes, and efforts.
At Southwest Guilford Middle School, this past school year, there were more students openly interested in gangs than I've been aware of during my previous 10 years teaching there.
Almost exclusively, those students were African Amercians, and more of them were male students than female students.
The sad thing is how that interest in gangs kept those students from focusing on learning because without the negative distraction of gang culture, those students had all the potential in the world to contribute to and benefit from academic culture.
These are not "dumb" individuals, but like whites who belonged to our country's most infamous gang, the KKK, modern-day students who embrace gang culture limit their own positive potential as human beings.
Adults in all roles--as parents, as teachers, as administrators, as law enforcement officers, and as community members--are working against a popular culture that too often glamorizes gang culture and other negative examples of human existence and interaction, including language, behavior, and attitudes.
I just found out about one of the most positive funerals ever, one held by the NAACP, to bury the "N"-word. Some younger African Americans have embraced that word, as well as derogatory words for women, and in so doing, have contributed to a negative culture for themselves.
Excuses have been made for such language and such attitudes, just as so many whites used to make excuses for embracing ugly and indefensible racial hatred.
While there are no doubt still whites who embrace ugly attitudes toward African Americans (and others), that no longer is a part of mainstream culture.
It is remarkable how much progress has been made among white behaviors and attitudes, particularly when you consider that it was not too far in the past when such changes must have seemed near impossible. How was that progress made? How were minds changed so radically? How can we ensure that modern-day progress is similarly made and that minds that need to be changed are?
Our American culture as a whole is guilty of not embracing edcuation as strongly as it should. That is true across racial categories.
Technology (video games, the internet, social networking programs such as MySpace, other communication opportunities, etc.) and popular culture (TV shows, music, etc.) provide distractions and negative influences that make it more challenging for adults to connect with young people.
There are students who arrive at school every day too tired to function adequately because they've stayed up the night before playing video games, communicating with friends, and doing everything but read, study, and engage themselves academically. (It'd be a beautiful thing if we could determine how to get more students to communicate with one another about their academics instead of communicating about some of the subjects they currently focus on.)
Some parents limit or even eliminate those distracting influences from their children's at-home time, but even that is not a guarantee of more positive results because some students simply become resentful and remain academically disengaged.
Another problem that is broader than the issue of gang culture is the way students treat each other. Too many students have only negative gossip to spread about one another and live to be involved in and instigate conflict among themselves.
As much of a problem as we have with some students disrespecting school staff members--(and these students are equal opportunity offenders; they disrespect adults who share their racial identity just as openly and quickly as they might do so toward a staff member of a different race)--there may be an even greater problem with how these students treat one another.
Interestingly, with peer treatment, students tend to interact more with their own race, so when conflicts exist, my observation has been that it is not usually across racial lines.
Our school made attempts this past year to respond to challenges we faced with some students' efforts, attitudes, and behaviors. Our staff members, under the leadership of our administrators, have done so ever since I've been there.
Years ago, when the problems with student behavior and attitudes were not so great, we chose to invest some of our school's money in security cameras. Those no doubt have deterred some students from causing problems and helped us catch some other students doing things they should not have been doing.
We've also implemented strategies designed to control and monitor student movement in our building. Some of those strategies have made a tremendous difference, even if more strategies and ideas are still needed.
This past year, we added the responsiblity of having staff members follow students between their core and encore classes, which is when they had longer distances to travel. We did so because some students were not doing what they were supposed to do during that travel time.
It often helped.
It's unfortunate that some of these steps are necessary, but without them, there is a far greater risk for chaos and disorder.
We also had staff members assigned as individual buddies to students identified as having had past problems with academics, behavior, and attitudes. That worked or failed on an individual basis, sometimes depending on how much individual time and effort staff members devoted to connecting one-on-one with those students, other times seeming not to matter when staff members tried their best to connect and reach out to these students.
Some staff members would go out of their way to spend quality time with these students and/or do special things for them, only to have some of them turn around almost literally the next second and do something to get themselves in trouble. That does not mean that the effort should not be there, only that the effort perhaps has to redoubled or that the approach has to be changed.
Teacher training matters, and providing as many strategies and ideas as possible for staff members to add to their tool box is important.
Maybe part of that training needs to be as intense as acting out worst-case scenerios and forcing teachers to demonstrate how they would respond, allowing constructive criticism and brainstorming sessions to take place afterwards.
I'm reminded of how civil rights activists planned to respond positively to the worst that white supremists might throw their way.
There were workshops during which fellow civil rights activists tested one another, hurling as much ugliness (including the "n"-word) as possible at one another so that they would be prepared not to lose their composure when faced with the very real ugliness thrown directly at them during sit-ins and other demonstrations for civil rights.
It wouldn't suprise me if it already exists, at least somewhere out there, but such hard-core training might better prepare school staff members and law enforcement officers not to react negatively when faced with students' negativity.
I vaguely remember Malcolm X writing of how a woman had responded negatively to him but how he had continued to come at her positively and how that gradually had changed her response to him.
That's easier said than done, of course.
Some of our elected officials remind us how much easier it is to respond negatively than positively when they perceive others to be coming at them negatively.
School staff members are no different.
When a human being approaches us negatively, it is our human instinct to respond negatively in kind return.
So what we are asking school staff members to do, in asking us to figure out better ways to respond to our students, is sometimes asking us to defy our human instincts, to avoid allowing ourselves to be drawn into negative responses to students' own negativity.
That's requesting a Herculean response, but perhaps that is part of what we must demand to diffuse problems and improve conditions.
Perhaps by training us to overcome our personalities and our instincts, we will prepare ourselves better for the challenge.
Middle schools, by the way, have a theoretical component that some seem to suggest is a brand-new idea: the notion of having each staff member assigned a small group of students with whom to connect.
It's called AA (Advisor/Advisee), but most often, it ends up being hardly different from homeroom.
How many middle schools effectively use AA?
At my school, I've never had fewer than 24 students in my AA and usually closer to 30.
Once you go above 10-15 students, the idea of connecting on a more personal, meaningful level becomes a far greater challenge.
Every year, though, I have typically gotten to know students in my AA better than I have other students on my team. During report card distribution, I see each of their collective grades and conduct marks and am able to provide reinforcement and encouragement for those students.
How much more could be done, however, if our AAs had only 10-15 students each?
What logistical arrangements would need to be done to set this up?
Are there any Guilford County middle schools that do have smaller AA sizes set up?
How do they do that, and how might the other middle schools imitate those arrangements?
(It sounds like a form of AA is being set up at Northern High School, from comments above.)
At the middle school level, we also have teams.
At Southwest, I know that many teams have made efforts to provide greater opportunities for their students.
My first two years at Southwest, not one eighth-grade team took any field trips, for instance.
At the end of my second year of teaching, a parent told me that she felt that we would have gotten more positive efforts, behaviors, and attitudes from our students if we would do more for them besides merely teach them (such as arranging field trips for them).
I took her comments to heart, and since then, field trips and other positive opportunties have been created for our students.
There are still students who do not change their efforts, attitudes, and behaviors, even knowing about those positive opportunities being made available for them.
But how many of the students who ultimately become positively engaged in our school environment might have chosen a more negative direction without those positive offerings?
It may be impossible to determine the answer, but the efforts must always be there.
(I mention the date and time that I posted since I couldn't figure out a way to provide a direct link to my comments.)
My thoughts are incomplete and go in some different directions. (I deleted a very small fraction of my original post because it drifted away from what I regard as more important points that I made. Otherwise, the comments are unedited.)
If you're interested in reading some other people's different views about the problems currently affecting our schools, the Chalkboard can provide some stimulating dialogue.
I'm very hopeful that the task force comes up with some viable solutions.
But well before the task force completes its task, individual schools and individual staff members will also be working to come up with positive approaches and strategies for addressing the problems with some students' behaviors, attitudes, and efforts.
Here are those comments I mentioned posting on the Chalkboard:
At Southwest Guilford Middle School, this past school year, there were more students openly interested in gangs than I've been aware of during my previous 10 years teaching there.
Almost exclusively, those students were African Amercians, and more of them were male students than female students.
The sad thing is how that interest in gangs kept those students from focusing on learning because without the negative distraction of gang culture, those students had all the potential in the world to contribute to and benefit from academic culture.
These are not "dumb" individuals, but like whites who belonged to our country's most infamous gang, the KKK, modern-day students who embrace gang culture limit their own positive potential as human beings.
Adults in all roles--as parents, as teachers, as administrators, as law enforcement officers, and as community members--are working against a popular culture that too often glamorizes gang culture and other negative examples of human existence and interaction, including language, behavior, and attitudes.
I just found out about one of the most positive funerals ever, one held by the NAACP, to bury the "N"-word. Some younger African Americans have embraced that word, as well as derogatory words for women, and in so doing, have contributed to a negative culture for themselves.
Excuses have been made for such language and such attitudes, just as so many whites used to make excuses for embracing ugly and indefensible racial hatred.
While there are no doubt still whites who embrace ugly attitudes toward African Americans (and others), that no longer is a part of mainstream culture.
It is remarkable how much progress has been made among white behaviors and attitudes, particularly when you consider that it was not too far in the past when such changes must have seemed near impossible. How was that progress made? How were minds changed so radically? How can we ensure that modern-day progress is similarly made and that minds that need to be changed are?
Our American culture as a whole is guilty of not embracing edcuation as strongly as it should. That is true across racial categories.
Technology (video games, the internet, social networking programs such as MySpace, other communication opportunities, etc.) and popular culture (TV shows, music, etc.) provide distractions and negative influences that make it more challenging for adults to connect with young people.
There are students who arrive at school every day too tired to function adequately because they've stayed up the night before playing video games, communicating with friends, and doing everything but read, study, and engage themselves academically. (It'd be a beautiful thing if we could determine how to get more students to communicate with one another about their academics instead of communicating about some of the subjects they currently focus on.)
Some parents limit or even eliminate those distracting influences from their children's at-home time, but even that is not a guarantee of more positive results because some students simply become resentful and remain academically disengaged.
Another problem that is broader than the issue of gang culture is the way students treat each other. Too many students have only negative gossip to spread about one another and live to be involved in and instigate conflict among themselves.
As much of a problem as we have with some students disrespecting school staff members--(and these students are equal opportunity offenders; they disrespect adults who share their racial identity just as openly and quickly as they might do so toward a staff member of a different race)--there may be an even greater problem with how these students treat one another.
Interestingly, with peer treatment, students tend to interact more with their own race, so when conflicts exist, my observation has been that it is not usually across racial lines.
Our school made attempts this past year to respond to challenges we faced with some students' efforts, attitudes, and behaviors. Our staff members, under the leadership of our administrators, have done so ever since I've been there.
Years ago, when the problems with student behavior and attitudes were not so great, we chose to invest some of our school's money in security cameras. Those no doubt have deterred some students from causing problems and helped us catch some other students doing things they should not have been doing.
We've also implemented strategies designed to control and monitor student movement in our building. Some of those strategies have made a tremendous difference, even if more strategies and ideas are still needed.
This past year, we added the responsiblity of having staff members follow students between their core and encore classes, which is when they had longer distances to travel. We did so because some students were not doing what they were supposed to do during that travel time.
It often helped.
It's unfortunate that some of these steps are necessary, but without them, there is a far greater risk for chaos and disorder.
We also had staff members assigned as individual buddies to students identified as having had past problems with academics, behavior, and attitudes. That worked or failed on an individual basis, sometimes depending on how much individual time and effort staff members devoted to connecting one-on-one with those students, other times seeming not to matter when staff members tried their best to connect and reach out to these students.
Some staff members would go out of their way to spend quality time with these students and/or do special things for them, only to have some of them turn around almost literally the next second and do something to get themselves in trouble. That does not mean that the effort should not be there, only that the effort perhaps has to redoubled or that the approach has to be changed.
Teacher training matters, and providing as many strategies and ideas as possible for staff members to add to their tool box is important.
Maybe part of that training needs to be as intense as acting out worst-case scenerios and forcing teachers to demonstrate how they would respond, allowing constructive criticism and brainstorming sessions to take place afterwards.
I'm reminded of how civil rights activists planned to respond positively to the worst that white supremists might throw their way.
There were workshops during which fellow civil rights activists tested one another, hurling as much ugliness (including the "n"-word) as possible at one another so that they would be prepared not to lose their composure when faced with the very real ugliness thrown directly at them during sit-ins and other demonstrations for civil rights.
It wouldn't suprise me if it already exists, at least somewhere out there, but such hard-core training might better prepare school staff members and law enforcement officers not to react negatively when faced with students' negativity.
I vaguely remember Malcolm X writing of how a woman had responded negatively to him but how he had continued to come at her positively and how that gradually had changed her response to him.
That's easier said than done, of course.
Some of our elected officials remind us how much easier it is to respond negatively than positively when they perceive others to be coming at them negatively.
School staff members are no different.
When a human being approaches us negatively, it is our human instinct to respond negatively in kind return.
So what we are asking school staff members to do, in asking us to figure out better ways to respond to our students, is sometimes asking us to defy our human instincts, to avoid allowing ourselves to be drawn into negative responses to students' own negativity.
That's requesting a Herculean response, but perhaps that is part of what we must demand to diffuse problems and improve conditions.
Perhaps by training us to overcome our personalities and our instincts, we will prepare ourselves better for the challenge.
Middle schools, by the way, have a theoretical component that some seem to suggest is a brand-new idea: the notion of having each staff member assigned a small group of students with whom to connect.
It's called AA (Advisor/Advisee), but most often, it ends up being hardly different from homeroom.
How many middle schools effectively use AA?
At my school, I've never had fewer than 24 students in my AA and usually closer to 30.
Once you go above 10-15 students, the idea of connecting on a more personal, meaningful level becomes a far greater challenge.
Every year, though, I have typically gotten to know students in my AA better than I have other students on my team. During report card distribution, I see each of their collective grades and conduct marks and am able to provide reinforcement and encouragement for those students.
How much more could be done, however, if our AAs had only 10-15 students each?
What logistical arrangements would need to be done to set this up?
Are there any Guilford County middle schools that do have smaller AA sizes set up?
How do they do that, and how might the other middle schools imitate those arrangements?
(It sounds like a form of AA is being set up at Northern High School, from comments above.)
At the middle school level, we also have teams.
At Southwest, I know that many teams have made efforts to provide greater opportunities for their students.
My first two years at Southwest, not one eighth-grade team took any field trips, for instance.
At the end of my second year of teaching, a parent told me that she felt that we would have gotten more positive efforts, behaviors, and attitudes from our students if we would do more for them besides merely teach them (such as arranging field trips for them).
I took her comments to heart, and since then, field trips and other positive opportunties have been created for our students.
There are still students who do not change their efforts, attitudes, and behaviors, even knowing about those positive opportunities being made available for them.
But how many of the students who ultimately become positively engaged in our school environment might have chosen a more negative direction without those positive offerings?
It may be impossible to determine the answer, but the efforts must always be there.
Duke Lacrosse Party and "The Player's Club"
My response to Edward Carmichael's letter to the editor, "Duke episode began with a raunchy party," which appeared in the Wednesday, July 25, 2007 News & Record:
The case of the Duke lacrosse players hiring two strippers and finding some of their team members accused of rape reminds me of a movie called "The Players Club."
I'm not sure that I would recommend the movie for its entertainment value, but it does provide insight into the unsavory types you might find associated with a strip club, from the owners to the strippers to the customers.
With parties for which strippers are hired, I guess you have a better chance of controlling who the other guests are.
I'm sure there is as much diversity among strippers as there is among the general population, just as that same amount of diversity exists among the customers who enable strippers.
Some strippers are probably wonderful people, and some of their customers are probably also wonderful people.
At the same time, no matter how confident a stripper is, I would guess that at least deep down, there are some psychological issues going on that are not always pleasant or positive.
The same speculation might be made about the men who choose to visit strip clubs or hire strippers.
I would guess that most strippers know that the men who take pleasure in viewing them also probably do not respect them on a very deep level.
That subconsciously at least might make strippers not feel too good about themselves, and it might make them resentful and even angry toward the men who pay to watch them.
I don't ignore that strippers choose to do what they do.
But I also don't pretend to know or understand what leads individual strippers to pursue such a calling.
The average woman doesn't suddenly find herself stripping to make money.
Stippers may have emotional and psychological issues, just as the rape accuser from the Duke case obviously did, and men who choose to put themselves close to such women may be taking a dangerous risk.
Likewise, under the influence of alcohol, which I assume is common at strip clubs and strip parties, the male viewers might not behave in the best ways possible either.
Some men probably drink a little more so that they don't have to worry about their conscience too much.
Some of these men may have questionable character to begin with. (Some would say their character is automatically in question for choosing to view strippers.)
When alcohol is involved, even the best of men are sometimes capable of the worst of thoughts and deeds.
"The Players Club" had an almost exclusively black cast.
The narrator was a stripper who (I believe) was trying to make money for school and to support her child. (It's been awhile since I've seen the movie; I might need to be corrected on some of the details.)
She has a younger, less mature female relative who also pursues stripping. This younger stripper is convinced to go to a private party at a hotel. She hasn't been hired to have sex and doesn't plan to, but a couple of men who know and dislike the woman convince another man that he's entitled to have his way with her in a room. And he does. Against her will.
We're all pretty certain now that that's not what took place at the lacrosse players' party.
But it wasn't beyond the realm of belief that men, particularly the kind who would hire a stripper in the first place and who were under the influence of alcohol, could be capable of such a thing.
Yes, drinking is common. And maybe the kinds of parties that these young men had are common also.
Maybe we should begin to question such things and ask ourselves if maybe we shouldn't begin trying to change such a culture for the better.
Where does such behavior lead?
Do these men go on to be the best of men in our society?
Do they later marry and cheat? (Are they capable of respecting some women fully while respecting other women not at all?)
Do they treat the women with whom they work with respect?
Do they go to church on Sundays and pretend to be good Christians?
Do they judge others while refusing to judge themselves?
If they met the strippers in a different setting, how would they view and treat them?
How would these men expect to be treated by people who know what they are up to? (Would you tell your girlfriend? Your wife? Your minister? Would you tell your parents? Maybe just your dad? Or would you confide in your mother also?)
The Duke lacrosse players ended up suffering more than they deserved.
But they placed themselves in a vulnerable position.
Unfortunately, many of the questions and issues that might have arisen without the rape charges will never be explored.
And without the rape charges, how would we have reacted, or would the story have even been exposed?
What can we still learn from the case?
And will we?
The case of the Duke lacrosse players hiring two strippers and finding some of their team members accused of rape reminds me of a movie called "The Players Club."
I'm not sure that I would recommend the movie for its entertainment value, but it does provide insight into the unsavory types you might find associated with a strip club, from the owners to the strippers to the customers.
With parties for which strippers are hired, I guess you have a better chance of controlling who the other guests are.
I'm sure there is as much diversity among strippers as there is among the general population, just as that same amount of diversity exists among the customers who enable strippers.
Some strippers are probably wonderful people, and some of their customers are probably also wonderful people.
At the same time, no matter how confident a stripper is, I would guess that at least deep down, there are some psychological issues going on that are not always pleasant or positive.
The same speculation might be made about the men who choose to visit strip clubs or hire strippers.
I would guess that most strippers know that the men who take pleasure in viewing them also probably do not respect them on a very deep level.
That subconsciously at least might make strippers not feel too good about themselves, and it might make them resentful and even angry toward the men who pay to watch them.
I don't ignore that strippers choose to do what they do.
But I also don't pretend to know or understand what leads individual strippers to pursue such a calling.
The average woman doesn't suddenly find herself stripping to make money.
Stippers may have emotional and psychological issues, just as the rape accuser from the Duke case obviously did, and men who choose to put themselves close to such women may be taking a dangerous risk.
Likewise, under the influence of alcohol, which I assume is common at strip clubs and strip parties, the male viewers might not behave in the best ways possible either.
Some men probably drink a little more so that they don't have to worry about their conscience too much.
Some of these men may have questionable character to begin with. (Some would say their character is automatically in question for choosing to view strippers.)
When alcohol is involved, even the best of men are sometimes capable of the worst of thoughts and deeds.
"The Players Club" had an almost exclusively black cast.
The narrator was a stripper who (I believe) was trying to make money for school and to support her child. (It's been awhile since I've seen the movie; I might need to be corrected on some of the details.)
She has a younger, less mature female relative who also pursues stripping. This younger stripper is convinced to go to a private party at a hotel. She hasn't been hired to have sex and doesn't plan to, but a couple of men who know and dislike the woman convince another man that he's entitled to have his way with her in a room. And he does. Against her will.
We're all pretty certain now that that's not what took place at the lacrosse players' party.
But it wasn't beyond the realm of belief that men, particularly the kind who would hire a stripper in the first place and who were under the influence of alcohol, could be capable of such a thing.
Yes, drinking is common. And maybe the kinds of parties that these young men had are common also.
Maybe we should begin to question such things and ask ourselves if maybe we shouldn't begin trying to change such a culture for the better.
Where does such behavior lead?
Do these men go on to be the best of men in our society?
Do they later marry and cheat? (Are they capable of respecting some women fully while respecting other women not at all?)
Do they treat the women with whom they work with respect?
Do they go to church on Sundays and pretend to be good Christians?
Do they judge others while refusing to judge themselves?
If they met the strippers in a different setting, how would they view and treat them?
How would these men expect to be treated by people who know what they are up to? (Would you tell your girlfriend? Your wife? Your minister? Would you tell your parents? Maybe just your dad? Or would you confide in your mother also?)
The Duke lacrosse players ended up suffering more than they deserved.
But they placed themselves in a vulnerable position.
Unfortunately, many of the questions and issues that might have arisen without the rape charges will never be explored.
And without the rape charges, how would we have reacted, or would the story have even been exposed?
What can we still learn from the case?
And will we?
Seymour's Purple Mind II: The Sequel Begins
Since I wrote my first letter to the editor as a high school student, the News & Record has served as a catalyst for much of my thinking about the world around me.
Knowing that not everyone is a fan of my hometown newspaper, I realize that some people will read that statement and feel sorry for me.
But from my perspective, I am thankful for and appreciative of all the information and ideas that I've gained from reading my local newspaper.
And understand that even though I agree with and support much of what is printed in the News & Record, I still regard myself as an independent, critical thinker.
I've already written too lengthy an introduction to my main point: I want to blame and thank both the News & Record and letter-to-the-editor writer Edward Carmichael of High Point for inspiring me to post a response, which has indirectly lead to me starting this sequel of a blog.
In trying to post my response, I almost lost it. ("It" referring to both my response and my cool.)
Very few things are as frustrating as taking the time to compose your thoughts and ideas, only to have them disappear.
I had successfully written some thoughts that had been swirling in my mind, and I felt that I had done a respectable job with the wording.
I wanted to publish my comments, but once I typed the key to post them on the News & Record's Letters to the Editor Blog, the comments seemed to disappear forever without successfully being posted.
I frantically went back, trying to retrieve the comments.
At first, I wasn't successful.
Finally, I found them.
I saved the comments elsewhere, and then tried to post again.
I still wasn't succesful.
Later, I used another computer, retrieved the saved comments, and then was able to post successfully.
The time I had taken to respond to Edward Carmichael's letter reminded me of what I liked about blogging when I first discovered the process: that I used blogging as motivation to read, think, and write more than usual.
And that I was able to record my thoughts, perhaps permanently (for better or worse, I know).
As I'm typing this, I've noticed a new blogger function. A quote bubble appears above the "SAVE NOW" button, and it reads: "Now Blogger saves your drafts automatically!"
Beside that same "SAVE NOW" button appears this notice: "Draft autosaved at 5:49 PM."
Certainly, a "new and improved" function, one custom-made for dummies who allow themselves to forget to save often as they type.
Knowing that not everyone is a fan of my hometown newspaper, I realize that some people will read that statement and feel sorry for me.
But from my perspective, I am thankful for and appreciative of all the information and ideas that I've gained from reading my local newspaper.
And understand that even though I agree with and support much of what is printed in the News & Record, I still regard myself as an independent, critical thinker.
I've already written too lengthy an introduction to my main point: I want to blame and thank both the News & Record and letter-to-the-editor writer Edward Carmichael of High Point for inspiring me to post a response, which has indirectly lead to me starting this sequel of a blog.
In trying to post my response, I almost lost it. ("It" referring to both my response and my cool.)
Very few things are as frustrating as taking the time to compose your thoughts and ideas, only to have them disappear.
I had successfully written some thoughts that had been swirling in my mind, and I felt that I had done a respectable job with the wording.
I wanted to publish my comments, but once I typed the key to post them on the News & Record's Letters to the Editor Blog, the comments seemed to disappear forever without successfully being posted.
I frantically went back, trying to retrieve the comments.
At first, I wasn't successful.
Finally, I found them.
I saved the comments elsewhere, and then tried to post again.
I still wasn't succesful.
Later, I used another computer, retrieved the saved comments, and then was able to post successfully.
The time I had taken to respond to Edward Carmichael's letter reminded me of what I liked about blogging when I first discovered the process: that I used blogging as motivation to read, think, and write more than usual.
And that I was able to record my thoughts, perhaps permanently (for better or worse, I know).
As I'm typing this, I've noticed a new blogger function. A quote bubble appears above the "SAVE NOW" button, and it reads: "Now Blogger saves your drafts automatically!"
Beside that same "SAVE NOW" button appears this notice: "Draft autosaved at 5:49 PM."
Certainly, a "new and improved" function, one custom-made for dummies who allow themselves to forget to save often as they type.
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