On April 1, 2007, I wrote this column in the CHH on the Blue Ribbon Mentor-Advocate Program (BRMA).
Now, rather than being an observer of the program, I began my training program to become a mentor. The twelve hours of training is spread over three days. After we complete the training, we get matched with our mentee.
Based on what we did tonight, learning how to meet this critical community need is going to be fun and challenging. The other mentors who are training with me all seem committed to helping kids reach their full potential and advocate for them. It will great to join the established mentors in helping these young people achieve their goals.
Follow the journey here as I post my observations and impressions of the program!
Thursday, October 11, 2007
Wednesday, September 19, 2007
ELECTION FORUM SCHEDULE
There are two forums scheduled in October on back-to-back evenings.
The Chapel Hill town candidates forum is Oct. 9 at Hargraves center and the Carrboro candidates forum is Oct. 10 at town hall.
Both are sponsored by the Chamber, EmPOWERment, WCHL and CAN. WCHL will broadcast and have the podcast available for later listening on their site, http://www.wchl1360.com/
The Chapel Hill town candidates forum is Oct. 9 at Hargraves center and the Carrboro candidates forum is Oct. 10 at town hall.
Both are sponsored by the Chamber, EmPOWERment, WCHL and CAN. WCHL will broadcast and have the podcast available for later listening on their site, http://www.wchl1360.com/
Wednesday, September 12, 2007
NOTHING LIKE NEW YORK CITY!
Time in NYC is always interesting, to say the least, and even more so when your visit includes the September 11th ceremonies and activities. Just walking about, you experience the sights, sounds and smells that are what makes NYC what it is. And for better or worse, there's just nothing else like it!
On Saturday, there was a street market set up on 7th Avenue from 56th (Carnegie Hall) down to the Sheraton on 50th. There were food booths on all four corners of each block and you could buy all sorts of goods - five T's for $10, IPOD accessories, leather goods, sunglasses, rugs, jewelry, and on and on.
On Sunday we walked up Central Park West and right by the Trump Towers,
I noticed the New York Transit "Going Green" sign at the Columbus Circle station where the work is being done.
Down at the Fulton Market, the street performers are plentiful and one guy (in red tights)literally puts himself in a box - a small box!
In the subway ($2 per ride, 6 rides for $10) the stations have retained the public art of old and much of it has been restored. "Musicians" still perform in the cars and are met with the same NYC indifference. I think I saw two tourist give them some money.
Down in the Times Square area, the purse peddlers are on every corner and there is the occasional Rolex salesman. When it started raining (remember what that is?), the purses got covered and out came the selection of designer umbrellas. Ah, the practice of capitalism and entrepreneurship.
Of course, Times Square has gone Disney, and there are various characters who are in high demand for posing with you - for a fee, but the "Pope" was willing to pose for free! The area is pretty free of panhandlers - instead there are "organized" spare change jars where representatives of the various charities ask for contributions. It was very "low key," as were the others with "wares" to sell.
Only in New York City!
On Saturday, there was a street market set up on 7th Avenue from 56th (Carnegie Hall) down to the Sheraton on 50th. There were food booths on all four corners of each block and you could buy all sorts of goods - five T's for $10, IPOD accessories, leather goods, sunglasses, rugs, jewelry, and on and on.
On Sunday we walked up Central Park West and right by the Trump Towers,
I noticed the New York Transit "Going Green" sign at the Columbus Circle station where the work is being done.
Down at the Fulton Market, the street performers are plentiful and one guy (in red tights)literally puts himself in a box - a small box!
In the subway ($2 per ride, 6 rides for $10) the stations have retained the public art of old and much of it has been restored. "Musicians" still perform in the cars and are met with the same NYC indifference. I think I saw two tourist give them some money.
Down in the Times Square area, the purse peddlers are on every corner and there is the occasional Rolex salesman. When it started raining (remember what that is?), the purses got covered and out came the selection of designer umbrellas. Ah, the practice of capitalism and entrepreneurship.
Of course, Times Square has gone Disney, and there are various characters who are in high demand for posing with you - for a fee, but the "Pope" was willing to pose for free! The area is pretty free of panhandlers - instead there are "organized" spare change jars where representatives of the various charities ask for contributions. It was very "low key," as were the others with "wares" to sell.
Only in New York City!
Thursday, July 26, 2007
OUR GOOD OL' DMV
This morning was one of those interesting times when I got to do something that doesn’t roll around very often – I went to register our vehicles AND bring my blue lettered and numbered plates back to the DMV. Yes, my 1994-issued plates had been recalled. Recalled! Why? Because the DMV folks made a decision to make the letters and numbers red.
In case you missed it, here is what the DMV put out:
NORTH CAROLINA’S LICENSE PLATES GETTING A MAKEOVER;
In case you missed it, here is what the DMV put out:
NORTH CAROLINA’S LICENSE PLATES GETTING A MAKEOVER;
DMV REPLACING OLDER PLATES THIS SPRING
RALEIGH — North Carolina’s vehicle license plates will soon be getting a makeover by the North Carolina Division of Motor Vehicles. In April, DMV will begin replacing existing plates with an updated version. The oldest plates will be replaced first.
“Removing old plates from our roads will increase the safety and security of our drivers and
provide law enforcement agencies with an updated identification tool,” Commissioner of Motor Vehicles George Tatum said.
Tatum said that many of the 8.4 million vehicles operating in North Carolina carry license plates that are well over 20 years old. Their legibility and reflectivity have deteriorated, making identification difficult for law enforcement officers, he said.
DMV expects to replace more than 600,000 of the oldest plates during the first year of the program, with another 500,000 plates to be replaced in 2008. These plates have been identified by issue dates and sequence numbers. DMV will continue replacing older plates each year afterwards based on available funding. The division received about $1.2 million from the legislature in the 2006 session to begin making the change.
Owners with registrations identified for plate replacement will be notified with their renewal
notices. They will be automatically issued a new plate. Owners renewing registrations through the mail or via the Internet will be mailed a new plate and registration sticker. The cost of vehicle registration will remain the same.
The new standard plates for private automobiles will continue the “First in Flight” design, but will carry red letters and numbers rather than the blue letters and numbers now in use. Owners will be encouraged to take their old plates to license plate agencies for recycling, keeping them out of landfills.
RALEIGH — North Carolina’s vehicle license plates will soon be getting a makeover by the North Carolina Division of Motor Vehicles. In April, DMV will begin replacing existing plates with an updated version. The oldest plates will be replaced first.
“Removing old plates from our roads will increase the safety and security of our drivers and
provide law enforcement agencies with an updated identification tool,” Commissioner of Motor Vehicles George Tatum said.
Tatum said that many of the 8.4 million vehicles operating in North Carolina carry license plates that are well over 20 years old. Their legibility and reflectivity have deteriorated, making identification difficult for law enforcement officers, he said.
DMV expects to replace more than 600,000 of the oldest plates during the first year of the program, with another 500,000 plates to be replaced in 2008. These plates have been identified by issue dates and sequence numbers. DMV will continue replacing older plates each year afterwards based on available funding. The division received about $1.2 million from the legislature in the 2006 session to begin making the change.
Owners with registrations identified for plate replacement will be notified with their renewal
notices. They will be automatically issued a new plate. Owners renewing registrations through the mail or via the Internet will be mailed a new plate and registration sticker. The cost of vehicle registration will remain the same.
The new standard plates for private automobiles will continue the “First in Flight” design, but will carry red letters and numbers rather than the blue letters and numbers now in use. Owners will be encouraged to take their old plates to license plate agencies for recycling, keeping them out of landfills.
Well, just traveling around, it’s my opinion that it was easier to see the old blue letters and numbers than it is to see the red. I asked others if they had any reaction to the new color and all felt as I do, it’s just harder to see.
It’s worth noting that somebody at the DMV studied marketing because if you don’t want just any old letters and numbers, a few dollars more than the basic fee will get you a “Specialized” ($10) or “Personalized” plates ($30). In the specialized category, there are over 120 options, with military, collegiate, civic clubs, special interests, and stock car racing themes. And for the creative types, most of the specialized plates can also be personalized.
The personalized plates can have eight characters and some special characters may count as more or less than one character. Of course, the DMV won’t approve naughty words or other combinations that they deem unacceptable. On their web site, you can “test drive” your creativity to see if it’s available, then they will inform you if it's acceptable.
https://edmv-sp.dot.state.nc.us/sp/PersonalizePlate?serviceType=EXP
Well, after all these years knowing by heart the letters and numbers of our two plates , I will try to learn the new ones before they get recalled!
Wednesday, July 25, 2007
OBSERVATIONS FROM EUROPE (2007)
This summer we spent a couple of weeks in Europe and rather than a travel log, I want to mention a few things that struck me about some of the cities that we visited. To get off on the wrong foot, my clothes (in a suitcase) got to visit cities that I didn’t even get to visit, but after seven days, we were reunited. Of course, buying clothes was a hassle and our airline says that they only will reimburse 50% - that is yet to be seen!
The fist city was BERLIN. I have not been there since the wall came down, so flying into their airport was a first time experience. The last visit was on an Army train in total darkness. The first thing you notice is how clean the city is. Their tube and buses was easy to use and like other cities, they operated on the honor system. We never saw one inspector.
I particularly enjoyed our visit to their Holocaust memorial in tribute to Jewish victims. I was particularly impressed with the honest expression of sorrow. As you stroll through the blocks of various heights, the emotional reaction is amazing.
Another popular site is Checkpoint Charlie. There is a museum but there is also a series of outdoor panels that tell much of the post-WWII history involving a divided Berlin.
As Lutherans, we wanted to take the opportunity to visit Lutherstadt Wittenberg for the first time and see where Martin Luther lived and nailed the 95 Theses on the door of Schlosskirche in 1546 on All Saints’ eve. The door is now bronze, but the panels tell the story.
We left Berlin on the train. Not only was their central station amazing, but the train was on time, clean, and a real pleasure to be on. Here is how they keep their stations so clean – people seem to be willing to take the time to keep it clean and recycle what they can.
And as I said, the trains were all top shelf.. Here we are arriving in Antwerp. We also went over to Brussels, Delft, The Hague, and Rotterdam, then ended up in Amsterdam for a conference. One train was seven minutes late! Note on the picture the commitment to those with disabilities and those traveling with bikes.
AMSTERDAM was nowhere as clean as Berlin, by a huge margin. There were also more bikes in Amsterdam. We were told that the bike is primary transportation for 28% of the population. I saw one mom with a baby on her back, one child on the front and the third on the back. Talk about family transportation! They also provide places to store bikes.
The only problem that I had with the bicyclists was that even with the dedicated bike lanes, many also used the streets and the sidewalks and you had to dodge them constantly as you walked. They ride fast and are not concerned about pedestrians it seemed to me. Even the guidebook warned you to be on your guard!
Visiting a working windmill village of Zaandam was also a treat. Watching the miller turn the sails to get the windmill do what he wanted was impressive.
It was also clear that marketing to the tourist is worth the effort, even if Americans were taking a beating with the dollar at $1.37 against the Euro. That didn’t seem to stop all of the Americans I saw buying stuff.
Amsterdam is truly a “liberal” city and there were many, many, young folks taking advantage of what the city had to offer. In addition to café’s able to sell MJ, there were also these “ladies” sitting in these picture windows that had big red lights over them. The Bulldog seemed to be a popular café with locations various places.
As for the ladies, none seemed to want their pictures taken. From the picture below, you get an idea of what the red light district looked like.
When it was time to go home, we had to fly from Amsterdam to London, then change planes to get to RFK. Unfortunately, it was the day after the car bombs in England, so things didn’t work out for us very well, but that’s a story for another time.
The fist city was BERLIN. I have not been there since the wall came down, so flying into their airport was a first time experience. The last visit was on an Army train in total darkness. The first thing you notice is how clean the city is. Their tube and buses was easy to use and like other cities, they operated on the honor system. We never saw one inspector.
I particularly enjoyed our visit to their Holocaust memorial in tribute to Jewish victims. I was particularly impressed with the honest expression of sorrow. As you stroll through the blocks of various heights, the emotional reaction is amazing.
Another popular site is Checkpoint Charlie. There is a museum but there is also a series of outdoor panels that tell much of the post-WWII history involving a divided Berlin.
The Wall is on display all over the place. Pieces are part of postcards and other souvenirs so you have to wonder about authenticity. We took lots of pictures of various slabs and all were highly decorated with "art" on the side that faced the US Zone. There is graffiti everywhere in Berlin and the city is trying to remove it - good luck!
As Lutherans, we wanted to take the opportunity to visit Lutherstadt Wittenberg for the first time and see where Martin Luther lived and nailed the 95 Theses on the door of Schlosskirche in 1546 on All Saints’ eve. The door is now bronze, but the panels tell the story.
We left Berlin on the train. Not only was their central station amazing, but the train was on time, clean, and a real pleasure to be on. Here is how they keep their stations so clean – people seem to be willing to take the time to keep it clean and recycle what they can.
And as I said, the trains were all top shelf.. Here we are arriving in Antwerp. We also went over to Brussels, Delft, The Hague, and Rotterdam, then ended up in Amsterdam for a conference. One train was seven minutes late! Note on the picture the commitment to those with disabilities and those traveling with bikes.
AMSTERDAM was nowhere as clean as Berlin, by a huge margin. There were also more bikes in Amsterdam. We were told that the bike is primary transportation for 28% of the population. I saw one mom with a baby on her back, one child on the front and the third on the back. Talk about family transportation! They also provide places to store bikes.
The only problem that I had with the bicyclists was that even with the dedicated bike lanes, many also used the streets and the sidewalks and you had to dodge them constantly as you walked. They ride fast and are not concerned about pedestrians it seemed to me. Even the guidebook warned you to be on your guard!
Visiting a working windmill village of Zaandam was also a treat. Watching the miller turn the sails to get the windmill do what he wanted was impressive.
It was also clear that marketing to the tourist is worth the effort, even if Americans were taking a beating with the dollar at $1.37 against the Euro. That didn’t seem to stop all of the Americans I saw buying stuff.
Amsterdam is truly a “liberal” city and there were many, many, young folks taking advantage of what the city had to offer. In addition to café’s able to sell MJ, there were also these “ladies” sitting in these picture windows that had big red lights over them. The Bulldog seemed to be a popular café with locations various places.
As for the ladies, none seemed to want their pictures taken. From the picture below, you get an idea of what the red light district looked like.
When it was time to go home, we had to fly from Amsterdam to London, then change planes to get to RFK. Unfortunately, it was the day after the car bombs in England, so things didn’t work out for us very well, but that’s a story for another time.
Monday, June 4, 2007
SOME DRIVERS (WCHL Commentary)
I wonder about what it will really take for some of our local drivers to stop being selfish and care about the hazards that they create. True, some still run the red lights with impunity, but you should see the Seawell School Speedway in the early morning. Doing 60 or more on that road is insane, as the recent accident near the train track proves.
We also have drivers who must not remember much from the last time they studied for the DMV test. They drive in the rain without their lights on, and they don’t seem to understand the difference between solid and dotted yellow lines. Just watch what happens when the traffic going east on Estes backs up at the Franklin St. intersection and how people speed into the left turn lane starting back at Library Drive.
It would also be nice if some of our drivers remembered that when they do make that left turn, they are suppose to stay in the left lane. And how about visualizing using the turn signals activated by that stick on the left side of the steering column? It one can visualize using them, then one can easily advance to actually doing it. Not only does it help other drivers know what you intend to do, it also shows that you care about others.
Maybe we should require drivers to take the test every couple of years, but that won’t happen – it costs too much. But what do all of these accidents caused by uncaring drivers cost us?
We also have drivers who must not remember much from the last time they studied for the DMV test. They drive in the rain without their lights on, and they don’t seem to understand the difference between solid and dotted yellow lines. Just watch what happens when the traffic going east on Estes backs up at the Franklin St. intersection and how people speed into the left turn lane starting back at Library Drive.
It would also be nice if some of our drivers remembered that when they do make that left turn, they are suppose to stay in the left lane. And how about visualizing using the turn signals activated by that stick on the left side of the steering column? It one can visualize using them, then one can easily advance to actually doing it. Not only does it help other drivers know what you intend to do, it also shows that you care about others.
Maybe we should require drivers to take the test every couple of years, but that won’t happen – it costs too much. But what do all of these accidents caused by uncaring drivers cost us?
Sunday, June 3, 2007
The CHH Will Continue (For Now)
Editor Bob Ashley (click link) wrote in today’s Durham Herald-Sun that the Chapel Hill Herald will continue as a seven day a week newspaper.
I think that’s good news, but I do have concerns. Mr. Ashley uses the phrase “stay the course.” I hope that the Paxton management does not believe that nothing need to change with how they resource or support the CHH.
Chapel Hill needs more than one paper and I think the dedicated staff at the CHH produces a quality product – with the resources that they receive. Thus, it would be good to see several improvements by the Paxton management – to include delivering the paper with regularity!
I think that’s good news, but I do have concerns. Mr. Ashley uses the phrase “stay the course.” I hope that the Paxton management does not believe that nothing need to change with how they resource or support the CHH.
Chapel Hill needs more than one paper and I think the dedicated staff at the CHH produces a quality product – with the resources that they receive. Thus, it would be good to see several improvements by the Paxton management – to include delivering the paper with regularity!
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