Hi!
I got blackballed today!
I posted a comment on a blog about the blogger administrator's opinion on Bibb's public schools. I told him his attitude towards supporting the schools was akin to the Alan Jackson song (lyrics if nothing else), "Prop me up 'side the jukebox when I die". He was in effect propping up dead schools. I then admonished him to think of his kids rather than the institution of public education. I capped it off by referring to the "dog excrement" sending their kids to school as being the big reason Bibb schools stink.
We do have bureaucrats and top-down management wreaking havoc on our schools. Not that they were perfect. My dad used to say that any white Chevrolet truck with a work body going somewhere slowly was a Bibb BOE truck. My mom said it took two people from BOE headquarters to run around a classroom with a Flit can to kill bugs.
If I stepped on the administrator's toes I must apologize but not because I was wrong.
KAT
Saturday, July 22, 2006
Friday, July 21, 2006
Mayor Cialis tells MHA board to resign
Hello
Mayor Ellis today told the Macon Housing Authority's board to resign. This request is in light of a federal report detailing improper spending.
So I wonder who among the mayor's friends frittered away the housing funds? I'm waiting for the MHA's members and Mr. Hiscox to tell us their side.
KAT
Mayor Ellis today told the Macon Housing Authority's board to resign. This request is in light of a federal report detailing improper spending.
So I wonder who among the mayor's friends frittered away the housing funds? I'm waiting for the MHA's members and Mr. Hiscox to tell us their side.
KAT
Wednesday, July 12, 2006
General Tso gets new brakes for real
07/12/06
I went to put in a new network card for a friend but the card didn't work. I had bought a card to install in her computer but I couldn't find it. I saw her new dog; it is sooo cute. It's an 8 month-old dachsund.
I went to get my hair cut and finally found a place after three tries. I cannot believe how poorly staffed some salons are! In Warner Robins I went to the second-hand office furniture store. They had some nice office chairs and a few tables but oddly enough the tables, as simple as they were, cost 99.00. I need a smaller table for the sewing room as well as a flippable ironing board.
Next I went to Home Decor. It is one of few businesses that keep the lights on at the Houston Mall. I would advise bulldozing all but the anchor stores and outparcels, putting the bricks and other items for sale on Ebay as keepsakes, and building a strip. This would entail a bit of capital though and I am sure the property makes a nice tax write-off.
At Home Decor I found $4.00 bath towels, some nice mats, and a sheet set for 13.00. I could go nuts with my money in that store. I also found old store racks and fire extinguishers from Wal-Mart. I might partake in one of the extinguishers for the house. I saw some hanging torso squares with female breasts along with some store mannequins.
I slept then changed the brake pads on the General Tso. I put a new retainer clip on the left side and compressed the piston with a C-clamp and a chisel laid flat. Even with this I had to do some tapping to slide the caliper on. I am sure a pro would not have to resort to tapping to force a caliper onto the rotor. I hate travel space and feeling a thunk when I brake slowly and hard. Possibly this is normal operation but I did see less of this happen thanks to the new pads.
I got Dad his medicine to calm him down and allow him to sleep.
I went to put in a new network card for a friend but the card didn't work. I had bought a card to install in her computer but I couldn't find it. I saw her new dog; it is sooo cute. It's an 8 month-old dachsund.
I went to get my hair cut and finally found a place after three tries. I cannot believe how poorly staffed some salons are! In Warner Robins I went to the second-hand office furniture store. They had some nice office chairs and a few tables but oddly enough the tables, as simple as they were, cost 99.00. I need a smaller table for the sewing room as well as a flippable ironing board.
Next I went to Home Decor. It is one of few businesses that keep the lights on at the Houston Mall. I would advise bulldozing all but the anchor stores and outparcels, putting the bricks and other items for sale on Ebay as keepsakes, and building a strip. This would entail a bit of capital though and I am sure the property makes a nice tax write-off.
At Home Decor I found $4.00 bath towels, some nice mats, and a sheet set for 13.00. I could go nuts with my money in that store. I also found old store racks and fire extinguishers from Wal-Mart. I might partake in one of the extinguishers for the house. I saw some hanging torso squares with female breasts along with some store mannequins.
I slept then changed the brake pads on the General Tso. I put a new retainer clip on the left side and compressed the piston with a C-clamp and a chisel laid flat. Even with this I had to do some tapping to slide the caliper on. I am sure a pro would not have to resort to tapping to force a caliper onto the rotor. I hate travel space and feeling a thunk when I brake slowly and hard. Possibly this is normal operation but I did see less of this happen thanks to the new pads.
I got Dad his medicine to calm him down and allow him to sleep.
The Dang Thing Works After All
Hello
I asked the local ambulance service about problems transmitting my dad's 12-lead EKG to the hospital.
It turns out the ambulance crew did get a link up to the hospital. I stand corrected. For those who don't have 12-lead EKG in your ambulances I advise it since a cardiologist, in some instances, can read your EKG on a Blackberry or other PDA even if you collapse near a turnip field. Automatic defibrillation should be in every place visited by tons of people along with staffers trained to use it.
Sunday, July 09, 2006
Robins AFB Strippers get automated
Hi!
On CNET's news page I saw a C-130 getting its paint stripped (Photo via CNET). An automatic machine cuts five days off the task of stripping the birds. The article did not mention Robins AFB by name but likely that is where the robot cranes work. NIST, a government agency, developed the Robo-Crane technology which includes an AMP (Aerial Multi-Axis Platform adapted for stripping. The operator is safely enclosed in a compartment. Previous painters had to don suits and deal with hazardous toxins. NIST's web page reports that two production units are being installed at Robins.
It's good to see Robins (if not by name) make it onto front-page geek news.
KAT
Thursday, July 06, 2006
Telegraph endorses Stebin, Ellis faves
07/06/06
Dad is doing fine; just hates being hogtied to a hospital bed by his condition.
I read the Telegraph's endorsements for City Council and State House 137. Some of the nominations make sense but I dislike something about Nancy White and Cynthia Knight, two candidates endorsed by Mayor C. Jack Ellis. Something must be cooking for Ellis to endorse these two.
I also refuse to comprehend how the Telegraph, given Becky Burgess and Allen Peake's reform attitudes, can endorse Stebin Horne. Actually I can; Stebin "kills" more babies than the leading candidate (booming tv ad voice). He is lenient on abortions compared to Allen Peake as per a pro-life group's survey. The Telegraph liberals ate this up.
My support is going with Allen Peake. The Mercer University School of Law has been a staffing firm for the Georgia House way too long. Not that we have had bad lawyers in there at all; Floyd Buford did a reasonable job and so have a token few others.
Becky Burgess has largely been working at Mercer since she received her law degree from there. She is the third banana of somethingorother at the Medical School. She wants to freeze property taxes prior to the sale of property. This means municipalities lose a windfall from companies who reform blighted property. So the knife cuts both ways. Becky also wants to consolidate Macon and Bibb so property owners outside the city limits won't be the rich uncle to the decaying city. I don't see how planning a consolidated government is in her hands; local leaders will have to concoct a charter.
The Peach Pundit says Stebin's mom handed out campaign buttons in one of the classes she was teaching.
As for Dale Washburn the citizens of Jones County weren't totally happy with him when he was their County Commissioner. He could be tempremental with Jones residents although there was the "free lunch" crowd of Macon refugees who have since become more bourgeois. At my store back in the Eighties one lady who had trouble getting a road paved advised her friends weres going to hold a motorcade protest on "Dale Washboard Road." His base, according to the PP, is largely confined to realtors.
Also I have a homework assignment for the readers! I remember Stebin Horne last year was reluctant to restrict the mayor's powers at one point because he disliked being too restrictive on the office of the mayor. This was on a certain issue which escapes me. Clue me in, please. I know Stebin did propose limiting the mayor's power on another issue to be frank with everyone.
Prediction; Aaron Bowers and possibly Cynthia Knight get on Council. And it's a runoff between Allen Peake and Becky Burgess. Becky advertises with the right words and Allen Peake appeals to the average person for what he's not- a lobbyist or lawyer. Anyone who runs restaurants and is a CPA earns their money and then some. If you don't think the restaurant business is hard just try my biscuits- with a good set of dentures.
KAT
Dad is doing fine; just hates being hogtied to a hospital bed by his condition.
I read the Telegraph's endorsements for City Council and State House 137. Some of the nominations make sense but I dislike something about Nancy White and Cynthia Knight, two candidates endorsed by Mayor C. Jack Ellis. Something must be cooking for Ellis to endorse these two.
I also refuse to comprehend how the Telegraph, given Becky Burgess and Allen Peake's reform attitudes, can endorse Stebin Horne. Actually I can; Stebin "kills" more babies than the leading candidate (booming tv ad voice). He is lenient on abortions compared to Allen Peake as per a pro-life group's survey. The Telegraph liberals ate this up.
My support is going with Allen Peake. The Mercer University School of Law has been a staffing firm for the Georgia House way too long. Not that we have had bad lawyers in there at all; Floyd Buford did a reasonable job and so have a token few others.
Becky Burgess has largely been working at Mercer since she received her law degree from there. She is the third banana of somethingorother at the Medical School. She wants to freeze property taxes prior to the sale of property. This means municipalities lose a windfall from companies who reform blighted property. So the knife cuts both ways. Becky also wants to consolidate Macon and Bibb so property owners outside the city limits won't be the rich uncle to the decaying city. I don't see how planning a consolidated government is in her hands; local leaders will have to concoct a charter.
The Peach Pundit says Stebin's mom handed out campaign buttons in one of the classes she was teaching.
As for Dale Washburn the citizens of Jones County weren't totally happy with him when he was their County Commissioner. He could be tempremental with Jones residents although there was the "free lunch" crowd of Macon refugees who have since become more bourgeois. At my store back in the Eighties one lady who had trouble getting a road paved advised her friends weres going to hold a motorcade protest on "Dale Washboard Road." His base, according to the PP, is largely confined to realtors.
Also I have a homework assignment for the readers! I remember Stebin Horne last year was reluctant to restrict the mayor's powers at one point because he disliked being too restrictive on the office of the mayor. This was on a certain issue which escapes me. Clue me in, please. I know Stebin did propose limiting the mayor's power on another issue to be frank with everyone.
Prediction; Aaron Bowers and possibly Cynthia Knight get on Council. And it's a runoff between Allen Peake and Becky Burgess. Becky advertises with the right words and Allen Peake appeals to the average person for what he's not- a lobbyist or lawyer. Anyone who runs restaurants and is a CPA earns their money and then some. If you don't think the restaurant business is hard just try my biscuits- with a good set of dentures.
KAT
Dad's brush with death
Early Thursday, July 6, 2006
Hello
This early Monday morning on July 2 my dad had his defibrillator go off 15x at our house at 1:45 or so in the morning. I was night fishing and returned home to see a red light flashing in my room's window. I knew there were no red lights on our house. I drove up and saw an ambulance. I slid beside it and saw my uncle there. He said Dad had his device go off 15 times and that he almost carried him to the ER. Mom fortunately dialed 911 and had an ambulance and fire engine en route. The medics called in to the Chest Pain Center and tried to transmit a 12-lead EKG but the transmission failed. One medic told me a cell phone was connected to a fax machine on the unit. I read about these units in a news story.
Dad was conscious the whole time and Mom said he told her he wasn't going to make it. I felt a combination of shock and sickness despite knowing about the pessimism Dad always feels. He had seen this and that relative die in the past few years and his sister died as a teenager. I felt guilty. I wondered if I was spending too much time on the computer, too much time playing with my airchecks, too much time hitting the singles web sites, or too much time sleeping. I come home tired from work partly from being upset at what is going on at home and what is going on at work.
I wheeled Mom in her borrowed wheelchair to the ER's front entrance as there was nobody to watch her at the front entrance. I went out the McDonald's door, to the ER's entrance, and then got a ride with a hospital cop. I drove up to the ER and took Mom home. Now I did break a rule; never let the gas go below 1/4 of a tank. We luckily made it to a station and gassed up. I had intended to go to work in the Honda but that was before I was greeted with the ambulance in the driveway.
Monday evening I visited Dad in the CVICU (Cardiovascular ICU). After work and eating at the McDonald's (cafeteria was closed) I went to the 2nd Floor CVICU (Cardiovascular ICU) where Dad was housed. Two of my sisters were in the waiting room. One was knitting. It was cold and they were covered in thin blankets. The hospital does visiting hours at the CVICU in 90 minute blocks. My middle sister came too.
Tuesday I cut grass and one sister helped with cutting what I missed. We watered the tomatoes and before long we felt we should rest before we both wound up in the ER ourselves. I rested and went up to the hospital.
Wednesday around 8 AM we took Mom up to the CVICU waiting room. Ms. D took us to the Heart Lab on the 2nd Floor. We waited for the ablation procedure on Dad's heart nodes to be finished. This would cause sections of the heart to not generate improper impulses to make the heart beat in V-tach. It was around 12:30 when this happened. I found out later when they withdrew Dad from the Lidocaine his machine zapped him 30 times until he was manually converted. Thus they were early with the procedure. The doctor did two of the nodes and had to let a third, slightly less serious node, be managed by medication. We saw Dad at the CVICU where he was returned.
We were tired and went to the Cracker Barrel to eat as one of us stayed behind with Dad. I had a large coffee and biscuit for breakfast so I was half-tired, half-tense. The service was horrible at the Eisenhower Parkway Cracker Barrel. It needed to be bulldozed and most of the staff machine-gunned as they ran from the falling ruins.
There was some loud two-year-old behind us screaming bloody murder. I almost told them to shut up. I got some rest then my uncle brought some stew and cornbread. I ate some chicken he brought two days ago and went to see Daddy. The nurse told us what went on with Daddy and the background behind the procedure. Dad seemed less groggy thank goodness.
I told him every night he was there I loved him as I left. I felt better about myself when doing this though we as a family don't get too sentimental with each other as a rule.
I dropped by Wal-Mart around 11:00 and got some supplies. I got small Diet Cokes so Dad would have it by Mom's bedside at all times and wouldn't have to deal with the big bottles.
I left and went to Wal-Mart to pick up some supplies along with Sean Hannity's book, "Deliver Us From Evil" as it was on sale.
Hello
This early Monday morning on July 2 my dad had his defibrillator go off 15x at our house at 1:45 or so in the morning. I was night fishing and returned home to see a red light flashing in my room's window. I knew there were no red lights on our house. I drove up and saw an ambulance. I slid beside it and saw my uncle there. He said Dad had his device go off 15 times and that he almost carried him to the ER. Mom fortunately dialed 911 and had an ambulance and fire engine en route. The medics called in to the Chest Pain Center and tried to transmit a 12-lead EKG but the transmission failed. One medic told me a cell phone was connected to a fax machine on the unit. I read about these units in a news story.
Dad was conscious the whole time and Mom said he told her he wasn't going to make it. I felt a combination of shock and sickness despite knowing about the pessimism Dad always feels. He had seen this and that relative die in the past few years and his sister died as a teenager. I felt guilty. I wondered if I was spending too much time on the computer, too much time playing with my airchecks, too much time hitting the singles web sites, or too much time sleeping. I come home tired from work partly from being upset at what is going on at home and what is going on at work.
I wheeled Mom in her borrowed wheelchair to the ER's front entrance as there was nobody to watch her at the front entrance. I went out the McDonald's door, to the ER's entrance, and then got a ride with a hospital cop. I drove up to the ER and took Mom home. Now I did break a rule; never let the gas go below 1/4 of a tank. We luckily made it to a station and gassed up. I had intended to go to work in the Honda but that was before I was greeted with the ambulance in the driveway.
Monday evening I visited Dad in the CVICU (Cardiovascular ICU). After work and eating at the McDonald's (cafeteria was closed) I went to the 2nd Floor CVICU (Cardiovascular ICU) where Dad was housed. Two of my sisters were in the waiting room. One was knitting. It was cold and they were covered in thin blankets. The hospital does visiting hours at the CVICU in 90 minute blocks. My middle sister came too.
Tuesday I cut grass and one sister helped with cutting what I missed. We watered the tomatoes and before long we felt we should rest before we both wound up in the ER ourselves. I rested and went up to the hospital.
Wednesday around 8 AM we took Mom up to the CVICU waiting room. Ms. D took us to the Heart Lab on the 2nd Floor. We waited for the ablation procedure on Dad's heart nodes to be finished. This would cause sections of the heart to not generate improper impulses to make the heart beat in V-tach. It was around 12:30 when this happened. I found out later when they withdrew Dad from the Lidocaine his machine zapped him 30 times until he was manually converted. Thus they were early with the procedure. The doctor did two of the nodes and had to let a third, slightly less serious node, be managed by medication. We saw Dad at the CVICU where he was returned.
We were tired and went to the Cracker Barrel to eat as one of us stayed behind with Dad. I had a large coffee and biscuit for breakfast so I was half-tired, half-tense. The service was horrible at the Eisenhower Parkway Cracker Barrel. It needed to be bulldozed and most of the staff machine-gunned as they ran from the falling ruins.
There was some loud two-year-old behind us screaming bloody murder. I almost told them to shut up. I got some rest then my uncle brought some stew and cornbread. I ate some chicken he brought two days ago and went to see Daddy. The nurse told us what went on with Daddy and the background behind the procedure. Dad seemed less groggy thank goodness.
I told him every night he was there I loved him as I left. I felt better about myself when doing this though we as a family don't get too sentimental with each other as a rule.
I dropped by Wal-Mart around 11:00 and got some supplies. I got small Diet Cokes so Dad would have it by Mom's bedside at all times and wouldn't have to deal with the big bottles.
I left and went to Wal-Mart to pick up some supplies along with Sean Hannity's book, "Deliver Us From Evil" as it was on sale.
Saturday, July 01, 2006
General Tso Brake Secrets and Flomax
07/01/06
Thursday I tried to put brake pads on the General Tso. I had pages printed from the Honda manual I downloaded which told me how to do the pads. Of course on part of another page I didn't have it advised me to move the piston. Thus when I had the 3/4 in pad and backings on each side of the rotors I was unable to get the piston (looks like a pipe) to fit around the pads. Another web site told me to remove the cap from the brake fluid.
I got a C-Clamp yesterday from Big Lots. It may not be big enough. I also need Honda-type brake fluid. The DOT3 probably isn't to specifications. I would have done the brakes last night but didn't feel like it. I am on Flomax nightly. I have considered a multivitamin 2x per day.
The Flomax may be doing odd things to my appetite and I am writing this at 15 minutes until 5AM. I got up at 1:30 and had two hot dogs and soup. I notice that even when awake at work I get dyslexic with my typing and I think it might be spilling over into my writing. I may see my general practitioner about my depressed state if things do not get better. There is a new medication out but it costs an arm and a leg. I may ask him about a few medications I have on a list underneath the mirror in my room.
Monday, June 26, 2006
General Tso gets new tire and brakes fixed
6/26/06
I took the General Tso to get the passenger's front tire replaced with a used tire at Economy Tire on Third Street. It cost around 28.00. I also purchased from Pep Boys 30.00 worth of brake pads and the adhesive and cleaner I would need to effect the repair. The car drives better. Of course this weekend it rained, even heavily sometimes. This put a damper on all but indoor work.
Speaking of the General Tso I got "The Damn Show" DVD off Ebay. It has too much of the male reproductive system and too little in the way of creativity but there were some moments- such as Willie the bum and "The Gooks of Hazzard" -that were so funny.
Monday (today) I went to the urologist. He gave me some medication to take for a month and then I would report back to him. I saw Denise's mom as I swung by the cafeteria after seeing the urologist in Coliseum Medical Center's C building . I didn't tell her who I was so she might think I'm a fruitcake stalker since I asked about Denise. She works at the hospital's front desk.
I went to the computer show in Perry this Sunday. I bought a 256mb memory wafer, some DVD blanks for 10.00, CD cases, a whole-band FM transmitter for the MP3 player, and CD sleeves for the store. Then I went home, played with my PC a little while, and took Donna to a movie. She apologized for telling me about a job opening on base; it seems she is liking her job less and less. Donna's been there for almost twenty years so she can't really jump into the private sector and lose her retirement benefits.
I have been uptight on the job and coming home tired. More and more I am getting tired. I have been doing more job searching. I have had a tense stomach this week; a few times I could take a dump on a screen door and not hit the wire for the most part. I have taken stock of my life and my attitude towards people and life in general; I don't like the way I feel. I feel so negative and unhappy.
I'll try this; I'll love people and stop myself when I think negative thoughts about them.
Monday, June 12, 2006
Denny's and Oversleep
I had a frustrating day at work on Saturday so I went to sleep. I got up, jumped in the Honda, and went to Denny's in Byron.
For those who don't know, Denny's in Byron started out in the late Eighties as a Shoney's. When Shoney's left most of Middle Georgia the facility became a Denny's. A few years ago it suffered from bad service and lukewarm coffee (Millstone tastes a bit like wee tee anyway). People had to wait at the front for minutes to get seated.
I was the last customer in all likelihood come the night Denny's closed. I heard the manager on duty say that afternoon they waved off someone coming to close the restaurant because of a lack of a court order. The next day I went by and found the place closed.
Today the facility is still a 4500 ft2 behemoth compared to the smaller Denny's such as the Locust Grove store. That means a bigger light bill and lots of rent to be recouped for a 24-hour operation.
Having said that the service needs improvement. I had to wait 15 or so minutes for my food despite there only being 7 other customers there at 11PM. My lukewarm wee-tee did not get refilled promptly. I thought to myself that the labor pool must be from Peach and Crawford counties (can we say redneck?).
I may not go back to Denny's; then again it may be closed down again by the time I change my mind.
For those who don't know, Denny's in Byron started out in the late Eighties as a Shoney's. When Shoney's left most of Middle Georgia the facility became a Denny's. A few years ago it suffered from bad service and lukewarm coffee (Millstone tastes a bit like wee tee anyway). People had to wait at the front for minutes to get seated.
I was the last customer in all likelihood come the night Denny's closed. I heard the manager on duty say that afternoon they waved off someone coming to close the restaurant because of a lack of a court order. The next day I went by and found the place closed.
Today the facility is still a 4500 ft2 behemoth compared to the smaller Denny's such as the Locust Grove store. That means a bigger light bill and lots of rent to be recouped for a 24-hour operation.
Having said that the service needs improvement. I had to wait 15 or so minutes for my food despite there only being 7 other customers there at 11PM. My lukewarm wee-tee did not get refilled promptly. I thought to myself that the labor pool must be from Peach and Crawford counties (can we say redneck?).
I may not go back to Denny's; then again it may be closed down again by the time I change my mind.
Saturday, June 10, 2006
General Tso gets new fan
Hello
I got the condenser fan for the Honda (General Tso). It was a used Acura fan which I had to remove from its mount and put onto the old shroud for the Honda. I installed it and works fine.
I am concerned about the brakes on the General. When I put on brakes I find they shake when doing all but sudden braking. I looked at the pads; they have 1/8 in left on them. Honda's service manual says .05 of an inch is serviceable (huh?). I priced some basic metallic pads at 20.00. Hopefully the debacle with the Corsica won't repeat itself (in which I could not get the wheel nuts off as they disintegrated when I used a non-metric wrench). I may just take it to my machinist and let him turn the rotors; they are ribbed for my displeasure. He can then do the pads. Then again 20.00 is so attractive for a car that will last a year or two.
Driving an Explorer makes for a heavy foot on the General. I wasn't doing that great with being attentive to the road so I had to hit the brakes hard at least twice. Needless to say I must be careful. I will say this; the General Tso is in for an oil change. I have the filter to do it with too.
My tooth still hurts upon waking but not to worry; Dr. Arnold the endodontist will have a whack at it come two Wednesdays from now. If he had looked at it to start with I would have had a happy tooth this January but the rear-view mirror offers the clearest view of events. I don't fault my dentist for trying but I would have given him three strikes if I weren't so nice.
I am still debating my educational options. I will likely get my Microsoft certs out of the way and learn MS Exchange Server. Of course I need to memorize my processors and sockets. Today I wasn't sure if one DDR2 stick were needed in a system.
The Letters to the Editor have come to a trickle since I've come home tired. When in good spirits I've been doing housework, chatting online, and making DVD's to play at work when time runs slowly. Tomorrow I don't expect too much slowness. I have a screen to change out for Wood Floor Man and a thorny reload that needs to go out at 2:00 for Ms. Nutty Professor. Thus I'll just bring the MP3 player.
I charged up the NiMH battery but it only lists a half-charge on the MP3's LCD. So I have another one charging; big deal. I did hear a WABC Rewound aircheck with a pretty mellow and happy 1973 song George Harrison did. It was one of those Peace and Love gooey things. The song stuck in my mind because even if he were speaking Greek the vocals and instrumentals sounded good. Agreed, George, but I'm still glad Zarqawi is room temperature.
Monday, June 05, 2006
Pat Topping Dances a Jig thanks to Uncle Sam
Hello
The 6/4 Telegraph tells us there is a rosy scenario for jobs in Middle Georgia. Robins AFB will have a slew of retirees very soon and Pat Topping of the Chamber of Commerce says it is worth several "Brown and Williamsons" in the number of jobs created by attrition.
Once again we see how this town relies too much on Robins AFB. What I would have done had I been Mr. Topping is to say, "Good but not great." We are relying on the federal government to prop up this rotting town and sluggish midstate as we have been for sixty years.
I remember a BRAC-related meeting in which George Israel said that people in the old days felt "to get on (get a job) at the base is to have arrived" Yes- arrived at a potential salary and workplace booby-trap.
Firstly, Robins AFB isn't quite likely to close. It may cut back some aspects but not close. Sadly jobs outside of Robins AFB are scarcer and scarcer. That is, unless you love working retail and getting yelled at on a daily basis as you have coworkers lacking your work ethic. Unfortunately the Greater Macon Chamber of Commerce is too lazy to get white-collar jobs into the midstate, let alone skilled blue-collar employment.
Here's how the "base" will be a lower-paid hell in which to work. With workers unable to find alternate employment and the prevailing local wage being lowered, Robins AFB's supervisors can treat workers like a dog and pay what they wish. And not always is the laggard working next to you going to get disciplined.
Just try to get a job at Robins AFB. It's who you know not what you know or can do. A Wal-Mart manager, when I put that down on a psychology exam when applying there, wondered if I ad worked at Robins. I am not jealous of Robins AFB's workers or their jobs. I know several people who prefer private enterprise and its more direct, if still flawed, results-oriented microeconomy.
I don't want to ruin a good Letter to the Editor so I'm shutting up.
The 6/4 Telegraph tells us there is a rosy scenario for jobs in Middle Georgia. Robins AFB will have a slew of retirees very soon and Pat Topping of the Chamber of Commerce says it is worth several "Brown and Williamsons" in the number of jobs created by attrition.
Once again we see how this town relies too much on Robins AFB. What I would have done had I been Mr. Topping is to say, "Good but not great." We are relying on the federal government to prop up this rotting town and sluggish midstate as we have been for sixty years.
I remember a BRAC-related meeting in which George Israel said that people in the old days felt "to get on (get a job) at the base is to have arrived" Yes- arrived at a potential salary and workplace booby-trap.
Firstly, Robins AFB isn't quite likely to close. It may cut back some aspects but not close. Sadly jobs outside of Robins AFB are scarcer and scarcer. That is, unless you love working retail and getting yelled at on a daily basis as you have coworkers lacking your work ethic. Unfortunately the Greater Macon Chamber of Commerce is too lazy to get white-collar jobs into the midstate, let alone skilled blue-collar employment.
Here's how the "base" will be a lower-paid hell in which to work. With workers unable to find alternate employment and the prevailing local wage being lowered, Robins AFB's supervisors can treat workers like a dog and pay what they wish. And not always is the laggard working next to you going to get disciplined.
Just try to get a job at Robins AFB. It's who you know not what you know or can do. A Wal-Mart manager, when I put that down on a psychology exam when applying there, wondered if I ad worked at Robins. I am not jealous of Robins AFB's workers or their jobs. I know several people who prefer private enterprise and its more direct, if still flawed, results-oriented microeconomy.
I don't want to ruin a good Letter to the Editor so I'm shutting up.
Wednesday, May 31, 2006
The Air Compressor PT 3 and General Tso
5/31/06
I'm hoping this June will mean working harder, having more fun, and sleeping less. I need to stop doing nonsense projects such as the media machine I am building and do more house-related work that needs to be done. I also need to enhance my career. All I do it seems is to come home from work tired. I am also afraid I make impulsive and rash decisions a little too much.
On Sunday I slept late and woke up just in time to see Donna. We went out to see X-Men 3 at the Galleria in Warner Robins and ate at the Cracker Barrel. At her house we sat and watched "Flip This House" in which Ginger bought properties more rotten and moldy than the chicken in my broken down fridge (another subject of this blog).
On Memorial Day I taped WABC's interned feed of its Rewound 2006 show. Johnny Donovan, who does voice-overs for Rush Limbaugh, was an air personality at WABC. Look up Musicradio77.com. WABC was to pop music what WSM was to country. I used a VCR and its audio-in jack to tape 2 hour segments of the show. Unfortunately the only VCR I had that lacked wow and flutter was an anti-theft VCR that only recorded 2, 12, and 24-hour segments (it was a time delay unit a motorcycle dealer threw out).
I ate with my mom and dad at home. We had grilled hamburgers and hot dogs. Sadly the refrigerator let the food get just as warm as the grill did. After I sunk 40.00 into a freezer fan several months ago it had to do this to me. I slept and had dinner with Mom and Dad at the Cracker Barrel. I picked out a fridge, got the model number (a white Frigidaire) and told Dad about it.
Tuesday was a normal day at work and it was relatively slow so I got a peek at some DVD movies on my laptop. I went home and rested. Afterwards I took most of the fridge's contents, put some in a cooler, and soe in a milk crate. I put what needed cooling- even what little the fridge afforded us- inside. The cooler and crate allow Dad and I to yank out everything come delivery day, which is June 1 (Thurs).
Today (Wed) I slept then went to Po Folks. The service seems to be deteriorating but the food is at least unchanged. I went home, played with my media machine computer, and went to Hillsboro Lake. I took my dad's Honda which is now a secondary car. I want to use it to save gas and to keep the car in running condition. I call it the General Tso. The reason for this name is that some Athens comedians did a "The Damn Show" DVD. Therein is a sketch in which "The Gooks of Hazzard" drive a Celica with a Japanese flag and 01 written in a Chinese font. They call it the "General Tso" and can run away from the sheriff as they have better gas mileage.
The lake is on the Jones/Jasper line and was drained a few years ago. The campsites were taken down by the US Forest Service and there are red flags within 12 feet of the lake's former rim. The beavers have tried to dam the lake so there is standing water. I ate some chicken I bought in Gray and walked around. I still have a little stamina left.
I am almost finished with my air compressor but it won't get above 40 PSI. I need compression washers that don't leak as badly.
I'm hoping this June will mean working harder, having more fun, and sleeping less. I need to stop doing nonsense projects such as the media machine I am building and do more house-related work that needs to be done. I also need to enhance my career. All I do it seems is to come home from work tired. I am also afraid I make impulsive and rash decisions a little too much.
On Sunday I slept late and woke up just in time to see Donna. We went out to see X-Men 3 at the Galleria in Warner Robins and ate at the Cracker Barrel. At her house we sat and watched "Flip This House" in which Ginger bought properties more rotten and moldy than the chicken in my broken down fridge (another subject of this blog).
On Memorial Day I taped WABC's interned feed of its Rewound 2006 show. Johnny Donovan, who does voice-overs for Rush Limbaugh, was an air personality at WABC. Look up Musicradio77.com. WABC was to pop music what WSM was to country. I used a VCR and its audio-in jack to tape 2 hour segments of the show. Unfortunately the only VCR I had that lacked wow and flutter was an anti-theft VCR that only recorded 2, 12, and 24-hour segments (it was a time delay unit a motorcycle dealer threw out).
I ate with my mom and dad at home. We had grilled hamburgers and hot dogs. Sadly the refrigerator let the food get just as warm as the grill did. After I sunk 40.00 into a freezer fan several months ago it had to do this to me. I slept and had dinner with Mom and Dad at the Cracker Barrel. I picked out a fridge, got the model number (a white Frigidaire) and told Dad about it.
Tuesday was a normal day at work and it was relatively slow so I got a peek at some DVD movies on my laptop. I went home and rested. Afterwards I took most of the fridge's contents, put some in a cooler, and soe in a milk crate. I put what needed cooling- even what little the fridge afforded us- inside. The cooler and crate allow Dad and I to yank out everything come delivery day, which is June 1 (Thurs).
Today (Wed) I slept then went to Po Folks. The service seems to be deteriorating but the food is at least unchanged. I went home, played with my media machine computer, and went to Hillsboro Lake. I took my dad's Honda which is now a secondary car. I want to use it to save gas and to keep the car in running condition. I call it the General Tso. The reason for this name is that some Athens comedians did a "The Damn Show" DVD. Therein is a sketch in which "The Gooks of Hazzard" drive a Celica with a Japanese flag and 01 written in a Chinese font. They call it the "General Tso" and can run away from the sheriff as they have better gas mileage.
The lake is on the Jones/Jasper line and was drained a few years ago. The campsites were taken down by the US Forest Service and there are red flags within 12 feet of the lake's former rim. The beavers have tried to dam the lake so there is standing water. I ate some chicken I bought in Gray and walked around. I still have a little stamina left.
I am almost finished with my air compressor but it won't get above 40 PSI. I need compression washers that don't leak as badly.
Mayor Cialis and his friends want to save Macon
In this Lorra Lypstick story Mayor Ellis outlined a few items to be dealt with at the Community Leadership Summit at the Douglass Theater. These included public safety, education and teen pregnancy. The mayor said our infrastructure and worker skills were up to snuff. He said there is much work to do to get Macon into the 21st Century.
I don't like to get personal with politicians but last year didn't someone get sued for child support that fit the name and description of the mayor? What message is this to send to our kids? How about showing up with liquor on your breath at a City Council meeting?
Education can't get far when the parents of Rutland High School students use filthy language at school officials who discipline their kids. I live in RHS's area and cannot believe these parents are of the same stock that have anchored this community. The point is that parents are the bulk of the problems we face with our schools in Bibb. There has been crass ineptitude exhibited by the Bibb County Board of Education for years and having crud for parents only added fuel to the fire.
And whom has sent good garbage trucks to Ghana and traveled there on our dime? Small wonder we can't buy decent fire engines and police cars. Not that all of this is the mayor's fault; it is natural that people in Macon have moved further and further outwards with their tax dollars. Macon's City Council let the mayor get away with overspending. They also managed to have a hotel built in the Coliseum parking lot. Yet everyone knows what has happened in the Finance Department.
Someone needs to press for consolidation- and only if the chief law enforcer is elected. We must also take over our schools and deal with unruly kids. Sharon Patterson has done what she can with whomever and whatever she has to deal with. Our local government needs to not sacrifice public safety to charities, festivals, and a wealthy hospital. We need to fix our infrastructure. Let's try not to destroy our neighborhoods but don't sacrifice safety (eg. Interstate 16 and 75 Project) to the environmentalists. If we have to move Interstate 16 to the foot of Eisenhower Parkway let's do it.
KAT
In this Lorra Lypstick story Mayor Ellis outlined a few items to be dealt with at the Community Leadership Summit at the Douglass Theater. These included public safety, education and teen pregnancy. The mayor said our infrastructure and worker skills were up to snuff. He said there is much work to do to get Macon into the 21st Century.
I don't like to get personal with politicians but last year didn't someone get sued for child support that fit the name and description of the mayor? What message is this to send to our kids? How about showing up with liquor on your breath at a City Council meeting?
Education can't get far when the parents of Rutland High School students use filthy language at school officials who discipline their kids. I live in RHS's area and cannot believe these parents are of the same stock that have anchored this community. The point is that parents are the bulk of the problems we face with our schools in Bibb. There has been crass ineptitude exhibited by the Bibb County Board of Education for years and having crud for parents only added fuel to the fire.
And whom has sent good garbage trucks to Ghana and traveled there on our dime? Small wonder we can't buy decent fire engines and police cars. Not that all of this is the mayor's fault; it is natural that people in Macon have moved further and further outwards with their tax dollars. Macon's City Council let the mayor get away with overspending. They also managed to have a hotel built in the Coliseum parking lot. Yet everyone knows what has happened in the Finance Department.
Someone needs to press for consolidation- and only if the chief law enforcer is elected. We must also take over our schools and deal with unruly kids. Sharon Patterson has done what she can with whomever and whatever she has to deal with. Our local government needs to not sacrifice public safety to charities, festivals, and a wealthy hospital. We need to fix our infrastructure. Let's try not to destroy our neighborhoods but don't sacrifice safety (eg. Interstate 16 and 75 Project) to the environmentalists. If we have to move Interstate 16 to the foot of Eisenhower Parkway let's do it.
KAT
Wednesday, May 24, 2006
Hello
Sheriff Jerry Modena, according to the 5/24 Telegraph, mentioned litigation against the Bibb County Commission for failing to give him money to buy adequate equipment and manpower. I cannot vouch for the legality of this though the sheriff's PIO, CPT David Davis, advised the law required the Commission adequately fund the BSO.
Joe Allen, commissioner for West Bibb, held up one finger according to a 5/23 Telegraph article. This meant the sheriff should cut his budget by one million dollars. Guess where we can get close to 975,000.00.
Who's the richest, most spoiled payee for county taxes? You guessed it; The Medical Center. They want 975,000.00 more for indigent care- never mind that they are a non-profit hospital that is supposed to sustain itself. Of course substaining itself is not having Carlyle Place and a doctor's office on every corner. MCCG let its Level One trauma center designation go down the drain for lack of money and they won't put a heliport up on their roof because of the sign proclaiming themselves as the king's castle (or Faulk's castle).
Jerry Modena, in short, is getting Faulked. Big time. The county should cut MCCG and the museums and recreational leagues in order to take care of priority one- protecting its citizens.
KAT
Sheriff Jerry Modena, according to the 5/24 Telegraph, mentioned litigation against the Bibb County Commission for failing to give him money to buy adequate equipment and manpower. I cannot vouch for the legality of this though the sheriff's PIO, CPT David Davis, advised the law required the Commission adequately fund the BSO.
Joe Allen, commissioner for West Bibb, held up one finger according to a 5/23 Telegraph article. This meant the sheriff should cut his budget by one million dollars. Guess where we can get close to 975,000.00.
Who's the richest, most spoiled payee for county taxes? You guessed it; The Medical Center. They want 975,000.00 more for indigent care- never mind that they are a non-profit hospital that is supposed to sustain itself. Of course substaining itself is not having Carlyle Place and a doctor's office on every corner. MCCG let its Level One trauma center designation go down the drain for lack of money and they won't put a heliport up on their roof because of the sign proclaiming themselves as the king's castle (or Faulk's castle).
Jerry Modena, in short, is getting Faulked. Big time. The county should cut MCCG and the museums and recreational leagues in order to take care of priority one- protecting its citizens.
KAT
Sunday, May 14, 2006
5/14/06 Pictures
One is of me in my protective gear prior to the last two sprays on the tank and frame. It isn't
NIOSH approved but it'll do for my purposes. The thing on my head is a Wal-Mart or Lowe's sack to keep my remaining hair from becoming red- and sticky.
The other is of the unit before its receiving the pump module. The coverings are for masking the wheels, regulator, and electrical hookups.
The other is of Sam the fluffy yellow cat. He needs to groom himself better but I help out with this when I can.
I fixed the battery door on the Photosmart 320 by taking a thumbscrew and cutting a hole in a 3.5 inch drive bay cover. It isn't tight so I may get a 1/16" thick metal tab and drill a hole for the thumbscrew. It seems the cameras, as good as they were, had the battery door tabs fracture off. You can find bunches of them like this on Ebay.
I had an enjoyable Mother's Day. Two of my sisters and my uncle came. I gave Mom a speakerphone. She needed a phone with a small handset to grip with her crippled hands. We had grilled hot dogs and hamburgers. Sadly they had gotten a little cold when removed from the grill but I loved them, especially the zingy flavorful hot dogs. We had mixed fruit and Vanilla pound cake for dessert.
One is of me in my protective gear prior to the last two sprays on the tank and frame. It isn't
NIOSH approved but it'll do for my purposes. The thing on my head is a Wal-Mart or Lowe's sack to keep my remaining hair from becoming red- and sticky.
The other is of the unit before its receiving the pump module. The coverings are for masking the wheels, regulator, and electrical hookups.
The other is of Sam the fluffy yellow cat. He needs to groom himself better but I help out with this when I can.
I fixed the battery door on the Photosmart 320 by taking a thumbscrew and cutting a hole in a 3.5 inch drive bay cover. It isn't tight so I may get a 1/16" thick metal tab and drill a hole for the thumbscrew. It seems the cameras, as good as they were, had the battery door tabs fracture off. You can find bunches of them like this on Ebay.
I had an enjoyable Mother's Day. Two of my sisters and my uncle came. I gave Mom a speakerphone. She needed a phone with a small handset to grip with her crippled hands. We had grilled hot dogs and hamburgers. Sadly they had gotten a little cold when removed from the grill but I loved them, especially the zingy flavorful hot dogs. We had mixed fruit and Vanilla pound cake for dessert.
Saturday, May 13, 2006
Hello
5/3/06
Air compressor, part II
A few weeks ago I assembled the air compressor on a bench with the motor and belt. I connected a two-conductor power cord and though it spat oil the device functioned fine. The next step was to take the board on which the apparatus lay and put it onto the frame.
I connected the 300PSI orange hose I got from Lowe's and powered the unit up. It did fine though once it reached 60PSI the machine's shaft and clutch assembly separated and the pulley span freely. I drilled a hole in the pulley and shaft assembly and inserted a 1/4 inch bolt. I tried the compressor again but it had trouble attaining 80PSI.
I at first thought the compressor itself was broken. I disassembled the head from the body and examined it. Nothing seemed out of the ordinary. That was my mistake. I had damaged the gasket. I took some silicone gasket sealant (comes in a tube for 4.00 or so) and did a half-hearted job of replicating the gasket according to the smudge pattern left after I cleaned the surface.
I then put the compressor onto the belt and bolted it to the frame. There was air coming out of the intake after powering on the unit. Also my coupling to the discharge hose needed tightening and a little teflon tape.
I was about to give up and went to an auto parts store and purchased some paper gasket material.
I decided to be a fair man and give the device one more chance. I did a much better job of placing the sealant onto the head and let it dry for a day or two as it was loosely nested upon the body of the compressor. The screws were tightened and I turned the machine on. It hit 80PSI though the unit's 1HP motor shuddered.
Of course all the compression is for naught if the tank leaks into the compressor and the still-loose fittings. The next step is a check valve. I tried the one that came with the Campbell-Hausfeld unit but it didn't seem to turn loose when air came from the compressor. It also warrants another chance. A visit to Tractor Supply turned up a check valve with a 25.00 price tag. The valve was too large. Prices on the Internet are much better.
I found a link to a stationary version of my unit. Click on http://home.san.rr.com/jerryswartz/AirCompressor/HomeBuiltAirCompressor.htm .
Darnit I wish I had tallied the costs of materials before I embarked on this project. I also wish that I had tried the sealant on the Campbell-Hausfeld pump/motor but I was in the "cut my losses" mood and subjected the unit to the trash way too soon. Next time I will leave the parts lay for a few days as my frustration bubbles away.
5/3/06
Air compressor, part II
A few weeks ago I assembled the air compressor on a bench with the motor and belt. I connected a two-conductor power cord and though it spat oil the device functioned fine. The next step was to take the board on which the apparatus lay and put it onto the frame.
I connected the 300PSI orange hose I got from Lowe's and powered the unit up. It did fine though once it reached 60PSI the machine's shaft and clutch assembly separated and the pulley span freely. I drilled a hole in the pulley and shaft assembly and inserted a 1/4 inch bolt. I tried the compressor again but it had trouble attaining 80PSI.
I at first thought the compressor itself was broken. I disassembled the head from the body and examined it. Nothing seemed out of the ordinary. That was my mistake. I had damaged the gasket. I took some silicone gasket sealant (comes in a tube for 4.00 or so) and did a half-hearted job of replicating the gasket according to the smudge pattern left after I cleaned the surface.
I then put the compressor onto the belt and bolted it to the frame. There was air coming out of the intake after powering on the unit. Also my coupling to the discharge hose needed tightening and a little teflon tape.
I was about to give up and went to an auto parts store and purchased some paper gasket material.
I decided to be a fair man and give the device one more chance. I did a much better job of placing the sealant onto the head and let it dry for a day or two as it was loosely nested upon the body of the compressor. The screws were tightened and I turned the machine on. It hit 80PSI though the unit's 1HP motor shuddered.
Of course all the compression is for naught if the tank leaks into the compressor and the still-loose fittings. The next step is a check valve. I tried the one that came with the Campbell-Hausfeld unit but it didn't seem to turn loose when air came from the compressor. It also warrants another chance. A visit to Tractor Supply turned up a check valve with a 25.00 price tag. The valve was too large. Prices on the Internet are much better.
I found a link to a stationary version of my unit. Click on http://home.san.rr.com/jerryswartz/AirCompressor/HomeBuiltAirCompressor.htm .
Darnit I wish I had tallied the costs of materials before I embarked on this project. I also wish that I had tried the sealant on the Campbell-Hausfeld pump/motor but I was in the "cut my losses" mood and subjected the unit to the trash way too soon. Next time I will leave the parts lay for a few days as my frustration bubbles away.
Saturday, April 15, 2006
Hello
I'm going to come off the soapbox and wander into my workshop. I really have other things supposedly more
important to do but this home project isn't without value.
Last fall my air compressor died. It was a 20 gallon, belt-driven unit with a one-piston pump and a 1hp motor. I bought it out of a surplus yard and paid 100.00 for it. This was in 1998. Of course air compressors have gone down in price.
I hated the idea of spending so much money. I also had a 13 gallon air brake tank someone gave my dad for use as an air tank. This translated into trips to the gas station for air as it leaked slowly. I dreamed for years of having an air compressor to inflate tires and perhaps operate air sprayers and other tools.
For 50.00 I could get an air pump and motor off Ebay. So all I had to do is buy a regulator and the framework and piping would not cost much. So I thought. I sanded the tank and flushed trash from it. Paint remover and a RotoZip's sander attachment took most of the tank down to bare metal. I had to use Liquid Wrench and elbow grease to pull out the plugs inserted over 30 years ago.
My secret to painting it was to hang it like an animal being skinned.
I painted the tank with primer and two coats of paint. I painted it red since I had that color available. I had fixed the PowerPainter so I was in good shape for doing this quickly.I almost had the compressor ready when I found a leak in the gasket of the pump. I was dumb enough to pull the piston out of the channel rather than remove the arm from the rocker. Thus I ruined the piston gasket. By this time I decided on either a new compressor or a belt-driven pump.
I saw several candidates for the pump on Ebay but they were either too costly or required a 5hp motor. New compressors ran 130.00 for units that would run my paint sprayer (yes I know about the Power Painter; I already had a spray gun). So I referred back to a Mother Earth News article from 1978 that the magazine graciously archived on their web site. I also read some web sites about off-road vehicle air compressors tethered to the drive belts on off-road trucks.
The heart of these units is a York vehicle air conditioner compressor.
Ford and Chrysler used these in the Sixties and Seventies for vehicle air conditioners. Gas- be it air or Freon- must be compressed to achieve its function. In air conditioners it is to create a cool coil for a fan to blow cool air. I found a York-type compressor from a late-Sixties model Mustang on Ebay. It was from somebody in Georgia so shipping wasn't too hideously expensive.There are two caveats to using such units. One is to have the clutch engaged at all times. Off-roaders have electrical connnections engage the clutch as if the air conditioning compressor were still compressing refrigerant. Another issue, especially important for painters, concerns lubrication. You can fill the compressor with 30W oil up to the shaft but some oil will emerge from the discharge.
I dealt with the clutch first. The clutch would have to be welded onto the pulley. With cast iron this is easier said than done. My machinist, a customer at my store, proposed another idea. He had milling equipment to take the lip of the shaft on the clutch assembly down to where no air gap existed between pulley and shaft. Visualize this; the clutch assembly has a shaft onto which the pulley slides and engages if there is electrical activity to grab the shaft. This slides onto a beveled shaft running the pistons on the compressor.
This wouldn't happen because the electrical connectors on the clutch were gone. So the machinist lathed the lip down to where tightening the clutch shaft onto the beveled inner shaft would eliminate movement. He said for me to try it out.
I went home that night and tried it. Voila! I turned the pulley and air came out. I had to modify my frame to hold the belt-driven assembly. The previous pump was a small motor and piston that lay at a slant. So I had to rebuild the frame. I had to drill- using a 1966 vintage drill- some large holes in an axle holders I fashioned. I need to make a few minor adjustments, find the axle I lost in the shop, and put the motor and compressor
mounts onto the unit before the frame is complete.
For my next trick I put one more coat of paint on the tank/frame assembly. There is a Square-D pressure switch I had left over from the previous completion of the task. It is still connected and plumbed. I have the regulator on the rear of the tank. The compressor will go on the front and the motor goes on the rear.
To be continued.
Wednesday, March 29, 2006
Gang Violence coming to South Bibb?
I read a WMAZ-TV story in which a gang consultant mentioned gang graffiti on a stop sign along Houston Road. Maybe it was put there by thugs to mark future territory. It makes me unhappy to see this and I hope we have the South Bibb ethic, handed down from generation to generation, which makes everyone make those who want to "trash up" the neighborhood very unwelcome.
I believe much of the gang activity in South Bibb will be bred in the new houses growing where soybeans once did. There is an apartment complex and trailer park between Hartley Bridge and Houston Road to provide fertile ground. I am hoping at some point in the future that a community meeting will bring up this issue.
Warner Robins likely has more of a gang issue than its spinmeister, Detective Karen Stokes of the local police, wants to tell us (per WMAZ TV reports last year). Let's not make the same mistake. Identifiy that the problem exists, and to what extent. Then freeze out the gang members and their permissive parents. It would not hurt for everyone who is compentent to handle a gun to own one- if nothing else for deterring a collateral effect from dope fiends who seek to harm property or person.
Given what happened to Deputy Joe Whitehead I do not see where the Bibb County Sheriff's Department will be leninet in the event of drug and gang apprehensions. They don't need to be. With using deadly force they should stop short of being judge, jury and executioner- but VERY short.
If this were 75 years ago the only gang members you would see in South Bibb would 1)have stripes where people in the neighborhood beat them or 2) be headed out on a wagon with their belongings.
I heard an elderly man tell me some 15 years ago of a crippled WWI vet who drank too much while his kids starved. The locals burned a cross on his front lawn. Yes, he was white. When this failed to modify his behavior they took a stick and beat his butt.
I will say this; if I move to another town with as much or more of a gang issue it will be where intellect and hard work rule whenever the gangs do not. If Middle Georgia does not deal with the issue and keeps on relying on Robins AFB to save its economic hide we will be a festering ulcer much like a dying Steel Belt town.
KAT
I read a WMAZ-TV story in which a gang consultant mentioned gang graffiti on a stop sign along Houston Road. Maybe it was put there by thugs to mark future territory. It makes me unhappy to see this and I hope we have the South Bibb ethic, handed down from generation to generation, which makes everyone make those who want to "trash up" the neighborhood very unwelcome.
I believe much of the gang activity in South Bibb will be bred in the new houses growing where soybeans once did. There is an apartment complex and trailer park between Hartley Bridge and Houston Road to provide fertile ground. I am hoping at some point in the future that a community meeting will bring up this issue.
Warner Robins likely has more of a gang issue than its spinmeister, Detective Karen Stokes of the local police, wants to tell us (per WMAZ TV reports last year). Let's not make the same mistake. Identifiy that the problem exists, and to what extent. Then freeze out the gang members and their permissive parents. It would not hurt for everyone who is compentent to handle a gun to own one- if nothing else for deterring a collateral effect from dope fiends who seek to harm property or person.
Given what happened to Deputy Joe Whitehead I do not see where the Bibb County Sheriff's Department will be leninet in the event of drug and gang apprehensions. They don't need to be. With using deadly force they should stop short of being judge, jury and executioner- but VERY short.
If this were 75 years ago the only gang members you would see in South Bibb would 1)have stripes where people in the neighborhood beat them or 2) be headed out on a wagon with their belongings.
I heard an elderly man tell me some 15 years ago of a crippled WWI vet who drank too much while his kids starved. The locals burned a cross on his front lawn. Yes, he was white. When this failed to modify his behavior they took a stick and beat his butt.
I will say this; if I move to another town with as much or more of a gang issue it will be where intellect and hard work rule whenever the gangs do not. If Middle Georgia does not deal with the issue and keeps on relying on Robins AFB to save its economic hide we will be a festering ulcer much like a dying Steel Belt town.
KAT
Sunday, March 26, 2006
03/26/06
I just got back from Charleston. The drive there is a seemingly goofy, down-and-up, path to Interstate 95 via Interstate 16. I went to see the old town though I couldn't buy a whole lot due to my slimline budget. I also have this darned cap on my tooth that precludes me from having sticky or hard candies.
Vacation started on my off day of Wednesday. I slept late like an idiot and woke up in time to take Sam, our newest acquistion to the feline fleet, in to the vet. He gave him a leukemia and rabies shot, prescribed antibiotics for a puncture wound to the ear, and told us to hustle back with him in three weeks for a leukemia shot and a test. Then he would be glad to have him neutered.
I packed and decided to do the darned rail for the hallway late at night. Mom encouraged me to go to bed. I woke up at 10 AM that Thursday and had lunch with Mom and Dad. At 1:00 I left for Charleston. I packed my rucksack for an overnight camping trip in case I went to the park in Aiken. I figured on returning that Sunday.
I drove along Interstate 16. At the old Nike site (missile base) in Jeffersonville I saw a water tower rise up. Its rusty, dark shell looked so much like a relic of the Cold War days. Yet I knew towers and ships made of steel look like a woman without makeup. The radar stands were gone and so was everything else but the metal ground-mounted water tank and generator building left from the Cold War. I regret having the base ripped down but historic preservation won't butter the bread that an industrial park will.
I drove on and made a wee-wee call in the woods near Dudley. I almost fell asleep several times until I got to Metter. I had the strongest stimulant you can get from outside a drugstore- Waffle House Coffee. I got gas and kept going. I turned north at Interstate 95 and went up 17 then back up 95 in a miscue at Hardeeville.
I made it to Charleston at 7 PM or so. I went to Blassinger's (or whatever) the barbecue place is on the Savannah Highway. I drove to the Days Inn off Johnnie Dodds Boulevard in Mount Pleasant. This was after I cursed the remaining skeleton of the old Ashley River bridge and said, "They finally tore the son of a XX down". I hated that bridge and Dad hated it even more; it was designed for Model T's and we had no such vehicle when we went to Patriot's Point in 1980 and 1988.
Next day: Market Street and the cold
Saturday; Yorktown, Laffey, Clamagore, and the cutter Ingham.
I just got back from Charleston. The drive there is a seemingly goofy, down-and-up, path to Interstate 95 via Interstate 16. I went to see the old town though I couldn't buy a whole lot due to my slimline budget. I also have this darned cap on my tooth that precludes me from having sticky or hard candies.
Vacation started on my off day of Wednesday. I slept late like an idiot and woke up in time to take Sam, our newest acquistion to the feline fleet, in to the vet. He gave him a leukemia and rabies shot, prescribed antibiotics for a puncture wound to the ear, and told us to hustle back with him in three weeks for a leukemia shot and a test. Then he would be glad to have him neutered.
I packed and decided to do the darned rail for the hallway late at night. Mom encouraged me to go to bed. I woke up at 10 AM that Thursday and had lunch with Mom and Dad. At 1:00 I left for Charleston. I packed my rucksack for an overnight camping trip in case I went to the park in Aiken. I figured on returning that Sunday.
I drove along Interstate 16. At the old Nike site (missile base) in Jeffersonville I saw a water tower rise up. Its rusty, dark shell looked so much like a relic of the Cold War days. Yet I knew towers and ships made of steel look like a woman without makeup. The radar stands were gone and so was everything else but the metal ground-mounted water tank and generator building left from the Cold War. I regret having the base ripped down but historic preservation won't butter the bread that an industrial park will.
I drove on and made a wee-wee call in the woods near Dudley. I almost fell asleep several times until I got to Metter. I had the strongest stimulant you can get from outside a drugstore- Waffle House Coffee. I got gas and kept going. I turned north at Interstate 95 and went up 17 then back up 95 in a miscue at Hardeeville.
I made it to Charleston at 7 PM or so. I went to Blassinger's (or whatever) the barbecue place is on the Savannah Highway. I drove to the Days Inn off Johnnie Dodds Boulevard in Mount Pleasant. This was after I cursed the remaining skeleton of the old Ashley River bridge and said, "They finally tore the son of a XX down". I hated that bridge and Dad hated it even more; it was designed for Model T's and we had no such vehicle when we went to Patriot's Point in 1980 and 1988.
Next day: Market Street and the cold
Saturday; Yorktown, Laffey, Clamagore, and the cutter Ingham.
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