16 JUN 05: BLACK, WHITE AND GRAY

News item: "I have not received one complaint about panhandlers." - Mayor Bob Poydasheff on WXTX News at Ten Wednesday....

"Say - are you willing to give a black man some help?"

These were the very first words a man said to me on Fourth Street Tuesday evening. When someone plays a "race card" like this right off the bat, you wonder how full his deck is.

"What difference was skin color make in whether I help you?" I asked in return. Sometimes it seems to make a difference at places like the House of Mercy, but not for me.

"I had one man tell me, 'We don't help black people,'" was the beggar's answer. I'll assume that man was passing through while heading to central Alabama -- but not Selma....

"I'm trying to get something to eat for me and my son," the beggar continued. "I live in Manchester." He had no money for food -- and at 8:00 at night, all the food pantries in Columbus are closed. They tend to keep hours worse than some exclusive salons.

Thankfully, this beggar was outside the Spectrum store on Fourth Street -- so I offered to go inside with him and buy something. Then came problem #1: where was his son? "He's in the car over there," he said pointing toward Villa Nova Beverages across Second Avenue. Don't you appreciate responsible fathers?

I should have made the beggar walk me to his car, because to save his son from possible heat exhaustion. But I'd come to Spectrum to break a five-dollar bill with a snack, so I decided to move things along. I tried to time this trip to avoid questionable people after dark -- but believe it or not, sometimes they show up early.

Problem #2: as I motioned the beggar toward the door of Spectrum, he said: "They don't want me going in there." Who doesn't? The store management? Or his bosses in some Booker T. Washington apartments organized crime ring?

I insisted the beggar join me inside to choose his food - so we entered together. The beggar started not with food, but with a bottle of SoBe. It was a bright yellow drink - so what flavor do they call that, Velveeta Lemon?

"I want a hot dog," the beggar continued. He was standing in the hot dog aisle, so I motioned for him to pick one - but then along came Problem #3. Her name was Bernadette.

"I told you after what happened last week -- you're not supposed to be in here!" From the tone of her voice, I quickly concluded they were not dating each other. Besides, she appeared to wear a Spectrum shirt.

"He's trying to get something to eat for himself and his son," I told Bernadette in an attempt to defend the beggar. "They're trying to get food, and he lives in Manchester."

"And you BELIEVED that?" If there's a civil suit coming against Michael Jackson, don't expect this woman to make the jury.

I didn't tell Bernadette I believed the beggar, because I honestly wasn't sure if he was telling the truth or bluffing. Aren't compassionate people supposed to err on the side of mercy in cases like this? Or should I have bought him a few beers -- you know, the poor man's truth serum?

"If I didn't believe him, I'd be profiling him. And that's wrong," I said as Bernadette turned away to return to the cash register. At least a few of us have been listening to local civil rights leaders -- even if it's only to avoid a boycott.

Now it was Bernadette's turn to be insistent. The beggar had to leave empty-handed -- and he didn't even have the hot dog in his hand yet. Sometimes it pays to grab your food and eat in a hurry.

The beggar quickly put the SoBe bottle away. Trouble was, he missed the SoBe case and placed it in a case with beer. How many guys would have wondered why Budweiser would have come out with a new sunlight yellow flavor....

"We should put things back where we found them," I told the beggar. Then I put the SoBe bottle in its proper place as we left. No, I didn't think at that moment to escort the man to his alleged car - and put HIM back where I should have found him.

The beggar walked away without asking me for anything more, and I walked inside Spectrum a second time. As I picked out two bags of M&M's (on special for 88 cents), Bernadette returned. Thankfully, she doesn't throw out customers on grounds of appearing gullibly stupid.

"I'm sorry I was so rude," Bernadette said, "but he's what you call a beggar. He walks around here." So maybe "Manchester" is what he calls the dog he sleeps with, in somebody's crawl space.

I paid for the candy, left Spectrum to walk home - and the beggar was nowhere to be found. Perhaps he moved the other direction on Fourth Street to Money Back, under the "alternate store rule."

This blog topic was planned well before Mayor Bob Poydasheff made his comment about panhandlers on the Wednesday night news. He added the problem "is minimal, IF it exists...." If anything, this reveals the mayor lives in an upscale part of town....

A quick check of the blog archives indicates I've encountered NINE different beggars in Columbus in the last nine months. So if Mayor Poydasheff calls this a "minimal," perhaps nonexistent problem -- well, will some police officer please tell him where he can read this online?

(That count does NOT include meetings with a beggar in Opelika, a questionable fund-raising drive in Phenix City and that homeless man holding the sign in Memphis. Maybe my blue wallet simply is too bright and eye-catching....)

They're talking in Atlanta about making the downtown area a "no panhandling zone." And compared to Atlanta, perhaps Columbus has a "minimal" problem with beggars. I kept a count in 1996 in metro Atlanta, and met ten beggars in 60 days.
Amazingly, not one of them wanted Olympic tickets.

E-MAIL UPDATE: Uh-oh - we received a message Wednesday with the headline "Proper JACKO Etiquette." At first we feared Mark Gallegos was suing us for Tuesday's comments about Michael Jackson - even though he was dismissed from the legal team months ago.

Thankfully, the e-mail did NOT threaten a lawsuit - not yet, at least:

Hey Richard,

Did you wear a single, white glove while you typed your Jacko blog about the self-proclaimed "King of Pop?"

Stuck in traffic in Birmingham!!!!

Oh dear - no, I didn't put on a white glove at the keyboard Monday night. In fact, I've been forgetting to take gloves with me into bookstores and libraries lately. After all, you never know when you might stumble upon a copy of the Koran.

This stuck-in-traffic writer (I'll assume this was written on a laptop while waiting at a stop light) raises an issue I forgot the other day. Had Michael Jackson been convicted, would he still have been the "King of Pop?" Or would Coca-Cola have reclaimed this title?

Quickly wrapping up other Wednesday items:

+ Financial reports released in Washington show Congressman Lynn Westmoreland owns more than 550 acres of land in Harris County, valued in the millions of dollars. Imagine if HE wanted to build a World Children's Center there....

+ A Columbus retirement complex displayed the art work of resident Celia Hurley. She just received a bachelor's degree in art from Columbus State University, at age 80! Too bad she focused on paintings, instead of giant statues....

+ The Rod Hood youth football camp began at McClung Memorial Stadium - and the big surprise guest was Philadelphia wide receiver Terrell Owens. This certainly was convenient. Owens was right down the street from Victory Drive, where countless women could recreate that scene with Nicolette Sheridan.

(Isn't Terrell Owens holding out for a better contract with the Philadelphia Eagles?! So how much did Rod Hood have to pay, to bring him to Columbus - not to mention the cost of improving his downtown hotel suite?)

+ Georgia's boxing champion Evander Holyfield became the second celebrity voted off "Dancing With the Stars" - which should end forevermore the lines about African-American men having a "natural gift" for such things.

Your PayPal donations can keep this blog ad-free and independent-minded. To make a donation, offer a story tip or comment on this blog, write me - but be warned, I may post a reply.

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© 2003-05 Richard Burkard, All Rights Reserved.

15 JUN 05: STATUE-ASK

Columbus Councilors offered their opinions Tuesday on a proposed three-story-tall statue, to stand in front of the public library. The officials were very diplomatic in their words - with none suggesting it really belonged in front of the city landfill.

Councilor Red McDaniel came the closest to verbally chopping down the proposed statue, saying it looked like a 30-foot-tall "piece of scrap." We're assuming he never attends any model rocket festivals....

Mayor Pro Tem Jack "I'm not the TV sports guy" Rodgers said it's nice to have art in the new Columbus Public Library. But he added, "discretion is the better part of valor." So if the statue was only 20 feet tall, he'd be for it?!

Skip Henderson spoke for several Columbus Councilors when he said public money should NOT be spent on the $250,000 statue without public input. But there's one big problem with this idea -- how to show a giant statue on talk radio stations.

Several Columbus Councilors suggested if the Library Board wants the giant statue that badly, it should obtain private funding for it. But hold on -- didn't we hear complaints about corporate sponsorships when the new library opened in January? The statue might wind up with a giant rotating Spectrum logo on top.

At least one local artist had a different complaint - that the library statue is the work of someone from outside Columbus. Don't you wonder if the complainer has been INSIDE the library? At least three or four of the CD's have music from other countries....

The proposed 30-foot-tall statue actually had supporters at Columbus Council Tuesday. Margaret Sullivan said it would succeed in "pulling people in like a motherly figure." Then let's put it at a more appropriate spot - in front of Bed, Bath and Beyond.

Library Board Chair Tom Wade heard the suggestions of Columbus Council, and said he'll ask the board to reconsider its plans. If the members revise the statue to 60 feet tall, I suppose the fight officially will be on.

In case you're confused, the library statue came before Columbus Council because the library was built with city sales tax money. City Manager Isaiah Hugley let the Council consider it, because he serves on the library board. But the library normally is overseen by the school board - and somewhere in all this, Sheriff Ralph Johnson MUST be to blame.

Someone gave me a unique suggestion for the Columbus Public Library Tuesday. He said residents should donate their own scrap items, and pile them up outside to build our own statue. But I think there's already a place in Columbus using that approach -- Golden Foundry downtown.

(Why didn't this man come up with that idea five years ago? We could have made one nice big statue from the remains of Columbus Square Mall.)

Several things may be overlooked in all this debate about a library statue -- such as the old Bradley Library. A stunning report last week showed its conversion into school district office space is costing at least four times over the estimated budget. Which "world-renowned artist" is designing those cubicles?

And while the library statue gained all the Columbus Council headlines Tuesday, a city budget quietly was approved for fiscal 2006. It leaves several police positions unfunded come July. But then again, most residents apparently won't mind if someone decides to steal that new statue....

E-MAIL UPDATE: The proposed library statue ignited a major investigation by the "City Columbus" web site. In recent days, Deborah Owens has sent us several messages about it - so many, in fact, that "IsOurCitySafe" seems to have been shocked into complete silence.

Deborah Owens started the latest run of e-mails with this one last week:

Richard;

Here is the legal opinion on the potential Conflict of Interest with Isaiah Hugely's Multi-faceted positions in the City government as City Manager, Library Board Member and Library Finance Board Member.

He is a stand up kind of guy. A real man, I'd say, because he just keeps on answering our questions...unlike the lily livered school board that is always on the run when you have a question. BTW, I have sent them many questions- many times and had ONE response. What total irresponsibility.

The voters will remember this.

Someone MUST run for School Board in every district...are you listening FOP?

Deb O

FOP? Now we need police officers on the Muscogee County School Board, too? I think I'd rather see them outside the schools, checking for weapons and drugs.

I'm going to assume it is NOT a good thing to be "lily livered" - although I suppose it might be a nice contrast to a cast-iron stomach.

And wait a minute -- what do you mean City Manager Isaiah Hugley is "a stand-up guy?" I've never seen him on stage on comedy night at The Loft....

Then Deborah Owens e-mailed local officials, with still more questions about the Muscogee County Library Board. We'll note only some of them:

Hello;

It has been very difficult to obtain information on the Library Board. Can you please help us understand what it is you do and how you do it?....

May I have the meeting schedule? Where are your meetings held? May I obtain minutes from your meetings?....

Would you be in favor of the Library Board being ADVISORY only?

Would you be in favor of the Library Board being ELECTED?

Thanking you in advance for your answers.

These questions are quite detailed, and could be quite revealing. If the Library Board is holding meetings at Barnes and Noble instead of a library, it would be troubling.

Imagine the thrill Columbus voters would have if Library Board positions were elected. It would be a lot like the races for Constable in Russell County - where I imagine the standard is first to vote for a name you know, and second to take a wild guess.

Oh yes, the "legal opinion" on City Manager Isaiah Hugley - Deborah Owens sent that to us later:

Isaiah and Jaimie,

I see no conflict with Isaiah serving on the library board and the City conducting the procurement process.

Isaiah has no financial interest in this sculpture, I assume.

Clifton

That's from City Attorney Clifton Fay - and I suppose the City Manager would have to avoid being an "investor" in the statue. But then, if wife Carolyn Hugley is writing an insurance policy for it....

Deborah Owens also e-mailed us the Muscogee County Library Board bylaws. Since they're posted at her web site, I'll let you read them there. Let's just say this -- you won't find them in the "page-turners" section of the public library's first floor.

Another e-mail listed nine Library Board members whose terms expire at the end of the year. One of them is City Manager Isaiah Hugley - and since we now know board members appoint replacements among themselves, Deputy City Manager Lisa Goodwin's resume may grow only longer.

Here's our most recent library letter -- not really addressed to us:

Hello, Library Board Members;....

Will you please provide me with the artist's rendering of the Sculpture, with rights to publish? Can you provide a statement on the true colors of the sculpture and the materials that will be used?....

Will you open up the Library Board Member Selection Process for public purview? Will you have public meetings to discuss the public's suggestions for new Library Board members? Will you accept resumes from interested parties?

The Muscogee County School Board has discussed possible future plans to develop the lands surrounding the Library as a "profit center" for the School Board. What is your position on the development of the Library's surrounding properties, owned by the Muscogee County School Board? Do you want to see residential and commercial developement, or do you prefer to see it used as a Community Services area, maintained for public use? I understand you have sent the School Board a position statement on the potential residential and commercial development of the property around the Library. Can you please provide me with your position letter to the School Board? Was your expressed position unanimous?

Thank You,

Deborah Owens

OK, I'm stumped by this one. Why does Deborah want to know the "true colors" of the proposed sculpture? Is she suspicious the artist has sex issues, and parts of it might be pink?

The land around the Columbus Public Library has been the topic of discussion, and not only because of the proposed statue. Should it have homes? Should it have shops? Shouldn't at least the Firestone shop on Macon Road open a gate for library visitors to drive in for repairs?

After all these questions about "accepting resumes from interested parties," it seems to me Deborah Owens needs to stop sounding like a telemarketer. Come on now - tell me why you want me to vote you onto the library board....

Enough of all these questions - let's look around for other issues and answers:

+ Ed DuBose of the NAACP presented the Talbot County School Board with a 400-name petition, calling for the firing of Superintendent Robert Patrick. Isn't this amazing? In only a few weeks in a small county, he almost matched the Rainbow/PUSH petition drive against Sheriff Ralph Johnson.

+ AFLAC executives went to Wall Street, and rang the opening bell at the New York Stock Exchange. Only duck dolls were on the balcony - which could mean the duck of commercial fame was having a secret rendezvous with Donald Trump's wife.

+ Ken Carter of the movie "Coach Carter" spoke at the annual "Celebration of Sports Excellence." The event was held at the RiverCenter's Bill Heard Theatre - where the only "sports" event of the year might occur when visiting performers play poker in a dressing room.

Your PayPal donations can keep this blog ad-free and independent-minded. To make a donation, offer a story tip or comment on this blog, write me - but be warned, I may post a reply.

If you quote from this in public somewhere, please be polite enough to let me know.

© 2003-05 Richard Burkard, All Rights Reserved.

14 JUN 05: JESUS JUICE IS JUST ALL RIGHT WITH ME

Yes, I know - our title is "The Blog of Columbus." But do you really think I can resist commenting on the end of The Trial Of The Century? Well, at least it is until Hillary Rodham Clinton becomes President, and House Republicans impeach her as well.

There actually are local things to consider about the Michael Jackson verdict. Someone told me Monday Jackson used to have relatives in Hatchechubbee, and he'd go shopping with them at Columbus Square Mall. This had to be a long time ago - because not many people remember when that mall had shoppers.

Did you see the videotape of Foxie 105 FM announcers dancing in the studio, after the Michael Jackson verdict was announced? It almost looked like they want to be on stage as part of "Victory Tour II."

WFXE-FM took phone calls as The Trial Of The Century ended. One woman admitted she felt very emotional after hearing the NOT guilty verdict. Why, she probably wishes Foxie 105 played "Heal the World" nonstop all day today.

(By the way, I guess the acquittal of Michael Jackson means "Family Day in the Park" is still on for this weekend. If the verdict had been guilty, attorney Joseph Wiley might have advised a cooling-off period.)

Unlike the O.J. Simpson case ten years ago, you cannot play a "race card" in the Michael Jackson verdict. Seven of the 12 jurors were white - just as some people say Jackson is.

Some people say all the legal challenges have left Michael Jackson at the brink of bankruptcy. But his acquittal Monday could change all that. Just wait until he comes out with his own line of "Jesus Juice."

I can only imagine the e-mail messages Michael Jackson received, after he returned to Neverland Ranch....

+ Dear Mike: Thanks for being such a legal pioneer. Signed, R. Kelly.

+ Dear M.J.: I knew you could do it. Signed, O.J. Simpson.

+ Dear Michael: Congratulations - but I don't think I'll need to be on your next tour after all. Thanks, Mariah Carey.

+ Yo, Jacko - Why didn't you cut a deal and go to prison like a man? Signed, Ludacris.

+ Dear Mr. Jackson: Could I please have your attorney's phone number? Regards, Russell Crowe.

E-MAIL UPDATE: Suddenly it seems everybody's getting into the blogging act....

Hey Burkard,

I've been enjoying your blog for a while now. You got a good tongue for words there neighbor.

I put up a link to your blog from mine. I live over in Buena Vista GA and have a blog called Bubbas Back Porch Blog.

Oh yeah... and I got a comment for you if you want to use it in your header there.... "Burkard ain't never wrote a blog that you couldn't read in church, or at a mullet supper." -- Bubba

Take care...

Bubba

Thanks for the note, Bubba. If you ever come to church with me, hopefully you won't mind if my formal friends call you Mr. Bubba.

To be honest, I've never read from my own blog at church. Some people in my home congregation might find out I've written about them, and start a movement to have me suspended. Why, they might even plant cigarettes under my car....

(A "mullet supper," hmmm? I'm not a native Southerner - so does that refer to a barbers' convention?)

Actually, I've known about Bubba's Back Porch Blog for awhile. I haven't mentioned it because I've been waiting for Bubba to post a big breaking Buena Vista news story -- you know, like pictures of cars running the traffic lights.

From the pictures I've seen at his web site, Bubba actually DOES keep the blog on his back porch. That's a good idea -- because you don't want that thing wandering out in the backyard and getting dirty.

Your PayPal donations can keep this blog ad-free and independent-minded. To make a donation, offer a story tip or comment on this blog, write me - but be warned, I may post a reply.

If you quote from this in public somewhere, please be polite enough to let me know.

© 2003-05 Richard Burkard, All Rights Reserved.

13 JUN 05: STREET PEDALERS

Sunday morning dawned with a large number of tents pitched in the south part of Columbus. The people inside the tents were from all age groups, and several wore colorful shirts. About the only thing missing was Roy Bourgeois, to lead a march on Fort Benning....

But this "tent city" was different. It was on the lawn between the Columbus Civic Center and Golden Park, and the people inside were bicycle riders ready to begin a statewide tour. C'mon now - did you REALLY think these people were camping out to buy Catfish baseball tickets?

Sunday was the opening day of BRAG: the Bike Ride Across Georgia. In response, much of Columbus did what I call (ahem) BOAST: "Barely Off their A**es to See Them."

A special Saturday night welcome concert and party was staged for the BRAG-gers on Broadway. Yet I saw some cyclists eating dinner inside Golden Park, under the grandstand. Does that mean hot dog pushcarts were banned from downtown?

The Columbus Sports Council hyped BRAG as a big event, after the city was dropped from this year's Tour de Georgia. OK, it brings in hundreds of thousands of dollars -- but c'mon now. This is like trading a NASCAR race for a road rally of antique cars.

This year's seven-day BRAG ride goes from Columbus to Jekyll Island. But instead of going directly down Highway 520, the route takes a "scenic route" through places such as Thomaston and Vidalia. Is there a hidden message here - such as avoiding Albany because police might look for handouts?

One of the BRAG-gers this year is former Muscogee County School Board member Owen Ditchfield. He's making the ride at age 66 -- so don't be surprised if a car trails his bike, advertising Depends or Geritol.

Owen Ditchfield claims when he was in college, he couldn't afford a car - so he rode a bicycle "even in the snow." I wonder if his children or grandchildren pay any attention to that, as they sit on couches playing X-Box games.

While bicycle riders gathered in South Commons over the weekend, the Columbus Trade Center hosted its first-ever "Georgia R.V. Show." It was quite a contrast - one mode of transportation for people who can afford two-dollar gasoline, the other for people who can't.

Let's pitch our tent right here, and catch up on other items from the weekend:

+ The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported AFLAC's pension plan is underfunded by more than 140 million dollars. This may explain why AFLAC employees build those Habitat for Humanity homes - they might need to live in them someday.

+ Tropical Storm Arlene came ashore in south Alabama, and brought occasional heavy rain to Columbus. This didn't stop one of my neighbors at the apartment complex -- who simply put on a bright orange shirt, and kept shooting BB's at birds in the courtyard.

+ Which K-92.7 FM announcer declared, "Starting Monday, we're going to hook up your Dad"? Isn't the African-American community trying to break bad stereotypes such as this?!

+ The "Morning of Praise" telecast on WRBL revealed Fourth Street Baptist Church is starting a small group ministry. But a section of the sermon Pastor J.H. Flakes openly asked to be edited from the videotape was left in - so I guess we know a few people who don't plan to participate....

+ Colorado beat Georgia in the Arena Bowl on a field goal at the final buzzer. Former Columbus Wardog Troy Bergeron had only three catches for 25 yards - so I'm still not sure if he'll make the cut, to appear at Rod Hood's football camp this week.

(The Arena Bowl champion Colorado Crush is owned by John Elway. So like the 1999 Super Bowl, he sticks it to Atlanta football fans again -- but at least nobody's mom is around to sell Chunky Soup.)

BURKARD'S BEST BETS: Gas for $1.97 a gallon at two Spectrums on Manchester Expressway.... six donuts for $1.20 at the Wal-Mart SuperCenter discount rack in the back.... and we still don't know how "really big" that cold drink is at Mugg's....

COMING SOON: The Blog is told to shut up.... and then we turn southwest....

Your PayPal donations can keep this blog ad-free and independent-minded. To make a donation, offer a story tip or comment on this blog, write me - but be warned, I may post a reply.

If you quote from this in public somewhere, please be polite enough to let me know.

© 2003-05 Richard Burkard, All Rights Reserved.

10 JUN 05: THE MIDNIGHT SPECIAL

The phone rang at 11:45 Wednesday night, as I prepared to start on Thursday's blog entry. Who could possibly call me at that hour? My family with disastrous news? My former dream date in San Francisco, telling me she's getting a divorce and all is forgiven?

But no, the caller was nothing like that. It was a man named Shanin who was selling something. He doesn't like being called a "telemarketer" - but when his thick accent disguises what he wants to be called, that title will have to do.

So why would a telemarketer call me at 11:45 p.m.? The answer requires me to go back almost two weeks. Shanin first called me a week ago Sunday, as I prepared for work. In fact, I was naked and about to turn on the water for a shower. There's a reason why my computer lacks a webcam....

Shanin was calling to offer me Earthlink Internet service. In fact, he was the second telemarketer to call me on a Sunday afternoon as I hurried to prepare for work -- as if some co-worker is telling them to call, so I show up late and get fired.

Shanin rambled on and on about how Earthlink service would come with so many special features -- only because of his thick (I think Scandinavian) accent, it was hard to understand some of them. For instance, it sounded like I'd get a walrus blocker....

Eventually Shanin paused to ask if I was listening, and I explained I needed to be at work in about 30 minutes. "Every minute you go on, the clock's ticking," I said. Not to mention the risk of someone knocking on my door, and finding me naked.

I suggested Shanin call back the next day with his Earthlink offer. "I can't do that. Tomorrow's a holiday...." namely Memorial Day.

"So? You're calling me on a Sunday, and many people consider that an off day." Not to mention a holiday weekend, when single guys like me were focusing more on Danica Patrick in the Indianapolis 500.

It reached the point where Shanin offered to call back in a few minutes, after I showered and brushed my teeth. To his credit, he called back 15 minutes later - and I put him on my speaker phone as I put on work clothes. But Shanin couldn't hear me, even though I was now comfortable with him seeing me.

Shanin did what so many telemarketers do nowadays -- repeatedly mention features of a program, but never ask directly if I want it. Even smooth-talking politicians realize you have to ask for people's votes....

The clock ticked ever closer to my scheduled work time, and finally Shanin asked if I had any questions about his Earthlink offer.

"I have questions, but I'm out of time, so I'll have to say no." If it took him ten minutes or more to describe a service, who knows how long it would take to sign up for it.

"I have to be at work in ten minutes," I told Shanin.

"Can I call you some other time?" he insisted. That's when I explained my current hours are 1:45 to 11:00 p.m. He could call during the morning, or late at night. But Shanin said he's not supposed to call late at night. Maybe if he sold online personal ads....

At six minutes before work time, we finally seemed to agree that Shanin would call me back between 10:00 a.m. and 12:00 noon on the day after Memorial Day. So I sat by the phone Tuesday, May 31 waiting for the call - and it never came. Now I think I know how Jennifer Aniston's felt lately.

But lo and behold, Shanin called back this past Wednesday night at 11:45. "I've been trying to reach you," he said. So why were the only messages on my answering machines from taped telemarketers, offering funeral plans?

"You work very long hours," Shanin said.

"Well, I told you I'm working from 1:45 to 11:00 Sunday through Thursdays...."

"Even Sundays?" Yes, like the first time you called me. Maybe that's why he doesn't call late at night - his brain cells die by ten.

"I'll only be two minutes," Shanin assured me.

"OK, two minutes. Go." Shanin needed this repeated - even though he sounded like he came from a part of the world where people use chess clocks often.

"You said you had questions about Earthlink...." Shanin recalled.

"Yes. After the first three months, how much?" Attractive early rates are a bit like buying a used car with a 30-day warranty.

"It's $6.95 for the first six months, then $21.95 a month after that...." My Internet provider beats that by two dollars - but then, it doesn't promise what sounded from this man like a sperm blocker.

Shanin again repeated the wonderful extras Earthlink would give me - then asked me for my main e-mail address. He was going to change that account, so all the e-mail would go to an Earthlink address. Why doesn't he just throw me in the back of the moving truck, while he's at it?

I objected to any e-mail address change -- but when he asked again, I spelled out the address. I had to go very slowly for him, somewhere between Teletubbies and Barney speed.

The CD to install Earthlink would reach me in three to seven days, Shanin promised. But I pointed out in all of this, he'd never asked The Question. "What? You want me to ask you questions?" No, I was in no mood to have a quiz show at this point.

"The Question," I finally spelled out to Shanin. "Whether I want it or not." His side of the line became quiet for several seconds, as if I disclosed to him every love affair he'd ever had.

"Isn't it only courteous to ask if someone wants what you're offering?" I asked him quietly. One of my nieces has a husband who sells cars for a living - but he doesn't pull cars into my driveway for on-the-spot test drives.

With stunned reluctance Shanin asked me if I want Earthlink service - and I said no. My I.S.P. was less expensive. "But you're getting all these other things, like call waiting...." Call waiting? When I'm online with dial-up now, all incoming calls have to wait.

I also explained I didn't want to go through the hassle of installing Earthlink on my computer, then uninstalling it and restoring the old I.S.P. six months later after the discount rate ran out. Those things take time -- and when I don't have time to take a dinner break at work, I don't have time to wrestle with that.

(There was also the night in the LaughLine era when my I.S.P. refused to call up the web. In frustration, I installed one of those America Online 30-day trial discs - and it hijacked my computer. Any time I tried to call up a web page stored on my hard drive, it attempted to dial a phone number. It was more controlling than a filibustering Democrat.)

"What are you worried about?" Shanin said. "Please -- I thought you were my friend." Oh yeah, friends call you at a quarter to midnight selling Internet service....

With cost presented as the main problem, Shanin threw a real curve ball. "What if I offered you a similar service from Earthlink for seven dollars?"

"Well, I'd consider it...." But then the skeptical customer in me kicked in again. "What's different about it?"

"Nothing, really." So why didn't he offer that in the first place? Have I.S.P.'s become as desperate as G.M.?

"When you say 'similar'," I explained, "from most telemarketers than means it's the same in some ways, but different in others." That's when Shanin objected to being called a telemarketer. Republicans might refer to him instead as an "activist salesman."

It was 12:06 a.m., 20 minutes after the two-minute clock started, when Shanin finally said: "I'm getting paid either way.... It's up to you in the end if you want this service." I told him I'd pass for now, and he said goodbye. At his pace, he might meet 20 more customers on his shift - hopefully people who can understand his accent better.

Shanin and I wound up dancing for a combined 40 minutes or so over a 12-day span about Internet service. He made it sound like Earthlink would make things so easy. So why do they hire telemarketers who make the process so difficult?

E-MAIL UPDATE: Right after we posted Thursday's entry, we found a second message from the Tidwell house -- and this one was not computer-generated:

Thank you for the question, my full name is Miriam Eve Tidwell and in Oct 2004 I sold my restaurant to a local chef Faye Simmons, she had the option of buying the business alone or with the name, Faye chose to buy the name as well. I went back to work with my husband Dr Jack Tidwell and I soon found I could not separate my self from the restaurant business so as my 50th birthday was approaching and I was thinking of launching a new business I decided that I really wanted to drop my first name and use my middle name and so on the 12th of march 2005, on my 50th birthday, I became Eve Tidwell. And my new business is called Eve's New Attitude: a women's prosthetics shop, the shop will carry wigs, compression devices and forms for the women who have undergone some type of breast surgery, all proceeds will fund a program called Terrific Kids. This program will start in Sept 2005 in all Muscogee 3rd grade classes, and will help children make non destructive choices regarding tobacco products, So rather than remember me as Miriam of Miriam's Café, I would rather be known as Eve Tidwell, Dr Jack Tidwell's Wife, They own the Tidwell Cancer Treatment Center. Thank you again for wanting the record straight PS this is really hard for Dr Tidwell to remember as well he says mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm om Eve, almost every day.

Thanks for the full explanation, Mmmmms. Tidwell. We hope your husband considers the new first name Mm-mm-good.

Apparently it was the name change that allowed Ms. Tidwell to "separate myself from the restaurant business." It's too bad her café didn't have a chopping knife large enough to do that....

Eve's New Attitude sounds like it should be an interesting business. But based on how she described it, you really can't say this prosthetic shop will have a "leg up" on the competition - because she's not selling legs.

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9 JUN 05: STORM STORIES

Three-quarters of an inch. That's all I left my car window cracked open when I arrived at work Wednesday - the width of my index finger. I did it to ventilate heat, and surely little rain could get inside with that small a gap. So what happened? Columbus had its deluge of the year - and my driver's seat got soaked.

More than two inches of rain fell on the center of Columbus in a little more than an hour - enough to make some people fear flood water was about to wash their cars away. I should have asked those people if they know how to set their parking brakes....

The Wynnton Road area seemed to have some of the worst flooding. One man told me of stalled cars from Burger King near AFLAC to Books-a-Million at Cross-Country Plaza. In other words, it looked like a typical afternoon when Wynnton Elementary
School is in session.

Another man told me of flooded apartments on Lawyers Lane near 7^th Street -- along with a couple of "Habitat for Humanity homes." Bailing out water? Hey, there's a new idea -- wet equity.

Some of the rain reports seemed almost too exaggerated to be believable. One person told of flood water covering four-foot-tall mailboxes on Benner Avenue, near Carver High School -- so you see all sorts of Pizza Hut coupons and credit card offers on the street today, that's why.

With so much rain falling in such a short amount of time, some water-logged Columbus residents did the only thing they knew how to do -- the only thing many seem capable of doing. Yes, they blamed the city government....

Take the man on Elm Drive, who told me a neighbor's yard had "three feet of water in it." First of all, he was very brave and daring to climb over his neighbor's fence at the height of a downpour with a yardstick....

But anyway: this man on Elm Drive declared the city was to blame for the flooding in his neighborhood, and this was NOT the first time it had happened. I told a co-worker this, and he scoffed - saying people should have enough sense to avoid living in low areas. Why this scoffer lives in Columbus and not the north Georgia mountains, I have no idea.

The man on Elm Drive explained the flooding stems from the debate several years ago about turning First Seventh-Day Adventist Church on Martha's Loop into a Walgreens store. The city fouled up the drainage, he says - and now he suspects Edgewood School will be flooded before long. Well, at least a Partner in Education could pay for that damage.

Then there was the man on Cambridge Drive who saw his home flood for the second time in three days. He somewhat blamed the city as well, telling WRBL storm drains must be clogged with pinestraw. We may have just discovered new work for jail inmates and their weed-whackers....

One woman in the Cambridge Drive area told me the rain was so bad, city sewer drain covers were "floating like geysers." Only later did someone point out to me the obvious problem with that statement - geysers don't float, they make things appear to float.

The religious side of me says all these blame-placers are missing something. If there had been no rain, there would have been no flooding -- so is standing water in yards and homes really the fault of City Hall? Or did some people pray too hard for a break on their water bills?

As it happened, my monthly water bill came in the mail Wednesday -- reminding me Georgia is under mandatory odd-even
watering restrictions, whether we have rain or not. I post this note on Thursday, which is an odd-number day. On Friday, NO one can water - so count on a lot of extra noise, as everyone uses their mowers.

BLOG UPDATE: We looked the other day at one-year and three-year Columbus crime trends. But Thursday, I was shown an F.B.I. breakdown for five years - and believe it or not, violent crime in Columbus is down 22.3 percent from 1999. This apparently means police officers can retire anytime they wish.

The only crime categories to show a consistent increase in Columbus since 1999 are burglaries and auto theft. The latter category hit a low in 2001 -- perhaps because drivers were concerned about international terrorists filling cars with dynamite or anthrax, so they actually used door locks.

E-MAIL UPDATE: I first noticed this a few weeks ago, but now a blog reader has as well....

Richard,

A story in the Sunday Ledger-Enquirer covering the Tidwell Cancer Survivors' Day referred to the Tidwell Cancer Treatment Center as owned by Dr. Jack and Eve Tidwell[1]. WRBL also covered the event and interviewed Eve Tidwell.

Isn't Eve Tidwell really Miriam Tidwell, formerly of TV16 show "What's New Miriam?" and the restaurant Miriam's Cafe? Why would such a well-known local personality be misnamed (with no follow-up correction)?

The Miriam's Cafe web site[2] is not responding, but Google's cache indicates that it is now owned by "Faye Simmons and her husband John".

Puzzled,

Thomas

Before I answer, let's clear up a puzzle inside this e-mail. The numbers refer to footnoted links in the message -- so if this Thomas's summer term paper, I hope he passes.

Going out of order: point #2 is a change we actually mentioned here last fall [13 Oct 04] - that Miriam Tidwell passed her 13^th Street café on to Faye Simmons. I'm wondering if this café is no longer the eccentric place it used to be. After all, a new restaurant is opening right down the block called "Loco's."

As for point #1: the only proper person to address the name question seemed to be Ms. Tidwell herself. So we e-mailed her - and received an "auto-reply" message right back:

Miriam as my name expired at 50. Now I am reborn, renewed, reinvigorated as Eve Tidwell and diligently working in support of the wonderful and expanding efforts of the Tidwell Cancer Treatment Center. If you need me call me there....

Change my "Evemail" address to....

Thankyou.

ET

So is this the real reason why Ms. Tidwell sold her café - because her name had an expiration date?

I'm glad Ms. Tidwell feels "reborn, renewed, reinvigorated" at 50 - but is this really the proper replacement name? After all, it implies she's in the "eve" of her life....

I've known a few women over the years who changed their names during mid-life. And no, I don't mean they took their husbands to divorce court....

Years ago in Atlanta, I attended church with a woman who changed her legal first name from Retha to Susan. I never had the courage to ask why she did it. It seemed a bit like asking why a woman died her hair blonde or cut it all off - especially if they're not doing it for a movie role.

Does changing your name really give you renewal and new vigor? Perhaps it's more an inner thing than an outer thing. For instance, I haven't noticed much difference in stardom between "Lil Bow Wow" and "Bow Wow."

Then there's Sean Combs, who one day changed his nickname from "Puff Daddy" to "P-Diddy." I personally think that was a bad change -- if only because he lost an opportunity to do commercials for Puffs tissues.

Before I go from P-Diddy to downright giddy, let's close out the Wednesday record book:

+ Reports from Los Angeles revealed a Phenix City man led police on a three-hour high speed chase, after allegedly trying to kidnap a woman. Why would a Phenix City man go all the way out there to.... oh yeah, I forgot. WRBL's "Chopper 3"
disappeared a few years ago.

+ The army announced Fort Benning Commanding General Benjamin Freakley will be moved to Fort Drum, New York. Some people in Columbus will NOT be sad to see him go -- you know, the ones hoping to get their businesses off the off-limits list.

+ A survey of recent college graduates across Alabama revealed Auburn University had the highest satisfaction score of any public university. Now will the Auburn Faculty Senate please shut up, and get back to teaching?

(Which reminds me: Auburn Interim President Ed Richardson says the search for a permanent President will begin soon. Hasn't he held the job about as long as the usual "permanent Presidents?")

+ Columbus Civic Center officials revealed they're trying to bring a new indoor football team to Columbus. It would play in the A.I.F.L. - which isn't too far from being awful.

+ Georgia's former heavyweight boxing champion Evander Holyfield survived the first cut on "Dancing With the Stars" - but the judges told him he still has much to improve. This alone should explain why Mike Tyson is not a contestant on this show....

COMING FRIDAY: The telemarketer who kept me on the line until after midnight....

Your PayPal donations can keep this blog ad-free and independent-minded. To make a donation, offer a story tip or comment on this blog, write me - but be warned, I may post a reply.

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© 2003-05 Richard Burkard, All Rights Reserved.

8 JUN 05: I LIKE IT LIKE THAT?

Suppose they held a public hearing on the city budget, and the public didn't show up. That happened at Columbus Council Tuesday night, as no one spoke during an open hearing. But that's what happens when the city competes against a state championship baseball game....

For all the chatter on talk radio and all the fuss online (including here), not one person spoke at the Columbus Council hearing on cutting positions and services to balance the city budget. Perhaps the relatives of the people losing jobs were busy - like at Kinko's, making copies of resumes.

City Manager Isaiah Hugley offered a theory on why no one showed up to speak at the budget hearing. He said people are watching the city's Government Access Channel to become informed of the situation. If that's true, that channel may have more viewers than channels 16 and 66 combined.

City Manager Isaiah Hugley says several people have come up to him, saying they understood the budget situation after watching work sessions on cable TV. No one bothered asking how many of those people hold positions with the Chamber of Commerce.

The budget hearing was at 6:00 p.m., which should be a convenient time for many people. But I could offer several other theories about why Columbus residents didn't show up:

+ People realize THEY will be on the Government Access Channel for a week - and they're simply not sure what to wear on television.

+ They couldn't find a George Santayana quote, to match the one Randy Robertson put in his letter to the Council the other day.

+ If people want to talk to walls which won't respond to them, they can go to abandoned buildings on Victory Drive.

+ They fear someone in city government will get angry, and come after them. After all, they hire jail inmates to cut weeds at city parks....

+ They believe they'll get better results attending the next Mayor's Prayer Breakfast - and praying, not talking to the mayor.

+ We're now in the e-mail era, and residents can send messages to Columbus Councilors anytime they wish. But then, anything sent between 1:00 a.m. and 5:00 a.m. probably is held in suspicion.

I was so busy Tuesday that I never had time to check e-mails - so hopefully there were none, and we can move on to other brief subjects:

+ Phenix City crews began preparing to install phone lines under its Riverwalk. Well, we certainly don't want Fort Benning soldiers tripping over them and touching that off-limits sand near the Chattahoochee.

+ News reports revealed housing advocate Millard Fuller and his wife hydroplaned and flipped their car in Troup County Sunday. They escaped with only minor injuries, which they credit to being "surrounded by angels." Hmmmm - does that mean some other group is guiding the Habitat for Humanity board?

+ Columbus High School swept Shaw 10-2 and 9-1, to win yet another state baseball title. Imagine how worse it could have been, had some major league team drafted Columbus pitcher Iain Sebastian during the day....

(The doubleheader at Golden Park had to be played without a scoreboard, because it was knocked out of service by a lightning strike. This gave Columbus an unfair advantage - because that school is better known for math scholars.)

+ Russell County's "Mr. Baseball" Colby Rasmus actually was drafted. In fact, the St. Louis Cardinals took him in the first round - and if he'd like to donate that nice signing bonus to the county to keep ambulances running in Seale, they'll thank him very much.

(Are the Columbus Catfish paying attention to any of this? They claim to offer "pro baseball in a baseball town" - yet the high school teams seem to know how to win a lot better.)

+ Instant Message to Chick-Fil-A: I don't know why it took me years to think of this - but why haven't any pigs joined the cows on your "eat more chicken" billboards? Are they neutral, like Switzerland? Or do they quietly fear they're the next target?

Your PayPal donations can keep this blog ad-free and independent-minded. To make a donation, offer a story tip or comment on this blog, write me - but be warned, I may post a reply.

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© 2003-05 Richard Burkard, All Rights Reserved.

7 JUN 05: SAFE OR OUT?

So to borrow from that e-mailer -- "IsOurCitySafe" or not? The F.B.I. issued its annual report Monday on crime in Columbus and more than 200 other U.S. cities. It's officially called the "Uniform Crime Report" - which surprises me, because I figured police officers would complain about that title being a slap at them.

There appears to be something for both sides of the public safety argument in the F.B.I. report. It shows violent crime in Columbus went up 8.1 percent last year. But property crime went down 3.5 percent. So perhaps this shows more people want to hurt other people for no good reason....

Based on cases reported to police, Columbus had increases in three of the four "violent crime" categories last year. The one exception was a 2.4 percent decline in "aggravated assault." Be honest now - don't you feel 2.4 percent less aggravated than you did in 2003?

Columbus also had increases in two of the three "property crime" areas in 2004. But the number of larceny and theft cases fell by more than eight percent. My theory is that northern transplants are moving to Harris and Lee Counties - you know, the people more likely to use words such as "larceny."

If you dare to combine both major crime areas, Columbus shows a 2.9 percent decline for 2004. The mayor and his backers will see that, and declare the city safe. The cynics will suggest many crimes went unreported, because victims figured police precincts are closed for lack of staff.

There's one ominous statistic which isn't figured by the F.B.I. as either violent or property crime. It's arson - and the number of cases in Columbus jumped 62.5 percent last year. Will someone tell the people at Mockingbird Mobile Home Park they do NOT need to set a city record for this?

One person told me Monday you really shouldn't compare these numbers year-to-year, but look at long-term trends. So in tandem with WXTX "News at Ten," we checked F.B.I. data back to 2001. In five out of eight areas, the numbers went up and down in that span - amazingly, much like staffing at the police department.

Three areas of crime in Columbus are consistent since 2001, and they're all increasing. Arson is up almost sixfold. Burglary is up more than 27 percent. And auto theft has jumped 69 percent - which should bring calls from someone at Columbus Council to ban the "Grand Theft Auto" video games.

How does Columbus compare with similar-sized cities in the South? First of all, I challenge you to say "similar-sized cities in the South" five times fast without giggling....

Montgomery isn't that much bigger than Columbus in population, yet the F.B.I. report shows it has 44 percent more violent crime. You'd think the property crime number would be that much higher -- considering the Alabama legislature meets in Montgomery, and is tempted to steal all the time.

While the Columbus murder count jumped last year, the F.B.I. numbers reveal Atlanta's homicide count went down 23 percent. Maybe all the rap stars are moving to suburbs like College Park and Doraville....

When you place all the F.B.I. numbers on the table, I doubt they'll settle the argument about public safety in Columbus. That's because it's much like looking at a half-filled glass of water -- and police backers want more water poured in before they drink it all down.

E-MAIL UPDATE: We have our first e-mail from a Columbus civil rights advocate -- and you may be surprised to learn he did NOT call for a boycott of this blog....

The e-mail related to our topic of last Friday:

Greetings Sir,

Thank you for mentioning AntonioCarter.Com on your blog!

It was an interesting artcile and I certainly enjoyed reading it!

I will be adding your link ASAP!

Peace & Blessings

"The Young Lion", Ant Carter

Peace to you as well, sir - but "The Young Lion"?! Is Antonio Carter appearing on Georgia Championship Wrestling cards on weekends?

(And oh yes - is this man a "Lion" or an "Ant?" He certainly sounds like the former, when people try to step on him like he's the latter.)

Now other odds and ends from the Monday menagerie:

+ An afternoon severe thunderstorm soaked much of Columbus. In fact, WRBL reported Columbus had rain for the ninth day in a row. Doesn't anybody at Fort Benning have power to ban the showers for a few days?

+ The thunderstorm postponed the Georgia AAA baseball finals, between Columbus High and Shaw. They'll try again today, only this time at Golden Park. Uh-oh - given what happened there when rain fell a few years ago, the title might not be decided until July.

+ Meanwhile, Russell County's Colby Rasmus was named Alabama's "Mr. Baseball" for 2005. This should give him several important advantages down the road. For instance, he can go up to college girls and say: "Hi, I'm Mr. Baseball. Want to try for a double play?"

+ Instant Message to Chuck in Phenix City: Yes, we DO have "competing blogs." We're competing for many things -- the most readers, the most interesting and newsworthy items to post, the most mentions by Robbie Watson on "TalkLine...."

Your PayPal donations can keep this blog ad-free and independent-minded. To make a donation, offer a story tip or comment on this blog, write me - but be warned, I may post a reply.

If you quote from this in public somewhere, please be polite enough to let me know.

© 2003-05 Richard Burkard, All Rights Reserved.

6 JUN 05: REBELS WITH A CAUSE

It appears one local online crusade has sparked another. Sunday brought us our third e-mail in a week from Debbie Owens, as she tries to track down who's behind that statue planned for the Columbus Public Library. From the calls she makes to WRCG's "TalkLine," we're surprised Louis Farrakhan isn't involved somehow.

Debbie Owens set up her own "e-press" web site called City Columbus in May, and she's been watching the public library ever since. Her first e-mail (also posted on her message board) was mostly fact-finding in nature:

The School Board needs to take back the authority it delegated to the Library Board/Committee. It is imperative that the City of Columbus have all city generated revenue under the control of elected and thereby accountable stewards of the money. This is most particularly imperative in the School Board/Library situation. As it now stands the Library has a $4.5 Million per year budget that is controlled by the Library Board/Committee, who are appointed by the School Board. The Library Board/Committee is basically autonomous. They have no accountability to the public whatsoever. As you know the entire amount of money for the Library project is $50.4 Million Dollars. $24.6 million was for construction. The School Board does not have control of this money.

Here are some questions I have for the School Board...

What is the line of authority with the Chattahoochee Valley Regional Library System, The Library Board, The Library Committee and the Art Committee?

Who are the members?

What is the procedure for appointments to the above positions, and are public discussions held regarding them?

Are they employees with compensation, expense accounts, and do they travel?

Are there any actual or potential conflicts of interest with any of the above and the Library's residential and commercial phase of construction and development?

What is the procedure for removal of an appointee?

Who controls day to day activities of The Chattahoochee Valley Regional Library System, The Library Board, The Library Committee and the Art Committee?

Does The School Board have authority to give the basically autonomous appointees a directive, and if so, does it take a vote and/or a proclamation from the entire school board or a majority or portion thereof?

It is my understanding that there are three types of monies being used by the Library, et al:

1. Sales Tax Money

2. General Fund Money

3. Foundation Money

What are the amounts, who controls them, what is the spectrum of their legal use, and how are they being spent?

The School Board.... continues to meet through the summer. They can take back the authority they have delegated the Library Boards/Committees. They need your help. You need to contact them and let them have your support to take back control of the Library, its monies and its future residential and commercial development plans. Please email each and every School Board member several times and get all of your friends and neighbors to do the same. Empower them to take back the control of the Library, its monies, and the huge development projects that go along with it. Your public resolve to support the School Board in taking back control from the unaccountable is critical in the progress of this city. We need to rid our city of Government in the Shadows.

"Stewards of the money," indeed. Why should those brownies in the library café cost more than two dollars?

In a way, it's comforting to know our Library Board is "basically autonomous." So many government bodies in Columbus face the burden of NOT being autonomous. Every few years, those annoying voters keep getting in the way....

Does the Library Board travel? Debbie may have stumbled onto a good idea here. Have all the board members meet via tele-conferences -- and if enough businesses follow this example, fewer people will drive and gas prices will come down.

As for control of "day to day activities" in the local library system -- from what I've seen, that varies from place to place. As you'll recall, the Lumpkin branch has been controlled by thugs carrying brass knuckles.

For the last few months, I'm convinced the area libraries have NOT been controlled by people. They've been controlled by the new "smart cards" patrons have to carry, with the electronic chips. The Library Card -- you can't go online without it.

I'm surprised to learn about the "three types of money" used at the Public Library. For all this time, I thought the three types were the one, five and ten-dollar bills - because the staff has to scramble, if you need change for a 20.

But hold on here - e-mailing "each and every School Board member several times"?! Send the members too many messages, and they'll go the way of "Latin hottie webcams."

Apparently Debbie Owens's first posting brought answers to some questions, because this e-mail followed shortly after it:

Open Letter to: City Manager and Library Board Member and Library Finance Committee Member --- all one and the same, Isaiah Hugley

Mr. Hugley,

Can you please explain yourself?

You are a member of the Library Board and also a member of the Library Board Finance Committee WHILE simultaneously being the City Manager who approves the expenditures of the Library, its art, etc.

Most people would consider that a conflict of interest, I certainly do. Do you consider this to be a conflict of interest?

Now there's a polite, decent way to introduce yourself to a high-ranking city official - demanding right off the bat that he "explain himself." Come to think of it, this DOES sometimes work for Dr. Phil McGraw.

Is it really fair to say the City Manager "approves the expenditures" of the library and its art? Doesn't Columbus Council actually do that -- and haven't been other people in town been dumbfounded in recent weeks, when Council members actually asked them about how much they spend?

To declare City Manager Isaiah Hugley has a "conflict of interest" as a Library Board member seems a bit of a stretch to me. After all, the Library Board is one place where he actually has a vote that counts. He certainly didn't have one when he asked for that raise....

If Debbie wanted to see a REAL conflict of interest, she should have been in Albany the last few years. Former Mayor Tommy Coleman doubled as the city attorney. But come to think of it, that city's police department didn't really fall into shambles until after he left office.

(And by the way: don't forget the Columbus Police Chief is married to a member of the Muscogee County Election Board. Police could have more clout in upcoming city votes than we realize....)

Believe it or not, this open letter to the City Manager actually brought a response on the "City Columbus" message board! But in the e-mail we received Sunday, Debbie Owens still seems unimpressed by Isaiah Hugley's explanation:

SUBJECT: CITY MANAGER THINKS NO CONFLICT OF INTEREST IN ASKING FOR MONEY AND AT THE SAME TIME, and in another office, APPROVING IT:



I think if you look closely at what our City Manager, Library Board Member and Library Finance Committee Member, (all three rolled into one big package), namely $$$$Isaiah Hugley,$$$$ is saying you will see that he has stated that:



1. He was appointed to the Library Board before he was City Manager (when he was only Deputy City Manager)



2. He was the Library Board Treasurer



3. He Chaired the Finance Committee



and



after being appointed City Manager he asked to be relieved of duties as Treasurer and Finance Committee Chair (why did he do that if there is no conflict of interest?)



HOWEVER:



1. He is still on the Finance Committee per SCHOOL officials Friday, June 3, 2005

2. He is still on the Library Board



BUT:

I think he says that is okey dokey, BECAUSE

He doesn't go to the meetings!



Well, how could there be a conflict?

Of Course, silly me! HE could not have a conflict, he is on the Library Board and the Finance Committee but he doesn't attend meetings.

Shrug! Full Body Shake! Silly ME!

Far be it from me to read Isaiah Hugley's mind, but I think I know why he asked to be relieved of Library Board treasury and finance duties. He became City Manager - and they tend to be BUSY people.

(Does Debbie actually want the City Manager to risk getting these various financial tasks mixed up? Then the Columbus Police Department might have to lay off 90 percent of its staff.)

Your blog DID look closely at what City Manager Isaiah Hugley wrote - and he says if the Library Board asks him to step aside from finance committee duties, he will do so. Of course, if none of the OTHER board members show up for meetings, that will never happen....

The latest e-mail also included a list of the Library Board committee members. I'll let you visit Debbie Owens's web site to read all the names, but some of them were surprising. The Art Committee includes Billy Winn of the Ledger-Enquirer - so we may have just revealed the "source" of that story about the Library statue.

The Library Board's Operations Committee includes Pastor Jimmy Elder of First Baptist Church. That may come as a shock to many people - because he hasn't checked out any library books and burned them yet.

As we said, this appears to be a case of one online crusade sparking another - because Debbie Owens's campaign is similar to what Wade Sheridan is doing with "IsOurCitySafe." He's e-mailed us twice in the last week, which means he may be getting sluggish with the summer heat and humidity....

Wade Sheridan first passed along a letter to the Government Center from someone else:

Honorable Mayor and City Council,

At a budget meeting on Tuesday, May 24th, 2005, Councilor "Red" McDaniel asked that the Budget Committee consider increasing the salary of City Attorney Clifton Fay by $10,000.00. While I feel that Mr. Fay is a capable City Attorney and a dedicated employee of the Columbus Consolidated Government, I feel a need to remind each of you that Mr. Fay is also a city employee. Three years ago all city employees received a 3% pay raise including Mr. Fay. To grant Mr. Fay such an enormous increase at a time when employees are being laid off would be taking a giant step backwards. George Santayana said "Those who do not learn from history are doomed to repeat it." I am sure none of us want to relive the dark days of our city's recent past when our Deputy City Managers were given large pay increases while all other city employees were denied a raise. Special treatment was given again during this years midyear budget adjustment period when several employees of the city manager's office were given pay raises retroactive to the beginning of the calendar year. City workers were told the reason for this action was that these employees were taking on more responsibility. What seemed to be overlooked was that ALL City employees are being required to do more and more each day due to an increase in the public's wants and a decrease in applicants who want to work for our city. These Consolidated Government employees continue working hard each and every day, some even risking their lives for the citizens of Columbus, without an increase in wages. But remember, if these other employees had received a raise, they would not have received it until their anniversary date, which in some cases is 364 days later. It would not have been retroactive. Let us not make city
employees feel that unless they are part of that special group that sits around the table on the Plaza every Tuesday, they are only "Snuffys" hired to do the sweat labor and should be happy for what they get and not to expect to be treated equally. I know many employees will be pleased to receive the proposed 5% bonus on July 29th. I truly hope that Mr. Fay understands that he, as a city employee, deserves this bonus also, but only this bonus.

Respectfully Submitted

W.R. "Randy" Robertson, President

Fraternal Order of Police Lodge 9

Columbus Georgia

My response to Mr. Robertson:

With all due respect to Mr. Robertson...talk is cheap. You have been talking and talking to our City leaders, but your words are falling on deaf ears. They are going to do what they want to do no matter how many letters or marches or whatever you do. Lets see some action! Let's see something happen that knocks our City leaders on their butts!

This message is stunning on several levels. For starters, when was George Santayana a Columbus city official? Or did Randy Robertson have help from the Library Board with his letter?

I was out of town when this suggestion was made about a raise for the City Attorney, but it's quite a surprise to me. Councilor Red McDaniel may be living up to his name -- as in red ink.

Were there "dark days" in Columbus a couple of years ago, when the Deputy City Managers received big raises? I thought the local mills and Char-Broil made their job-cutting announcements after that -- and I don't recall the companies blaming Carmen Cavezza for anything.

Randy Robertson's letter also opens the door for an interesting precedent. The next time you're stopped by a police officer, apparently you can look him or her in the eye and say, "Hi, Snuffy!" Calling an officer "The Fuzz" is so out-of-date.

But the "response" to the Fraternal Order of Police President is the biggest stunner of all. What sort of action would Wade Sheridan like to see, other than letters and marches? It wouldn't be right to hold all the Miss Georgia contestants hostage....

The e-mail challenge to Randy Robertson led to another message from Wade Sheridan -- and we're not sure if one is related to the other:

Apparently my mission in writing these emails has been misunderstood. I was not attacking the leadership of the Police Department in any way. My goal was NOT to make our Chief of Police look bad. My goal was to inform the public of some of the problems that our department has to deal with. My opinion is that our Police Department does a very good job of keeping it's head above water
despite the fact that our fine elected officials keep tying concrete blocks to the departments feet. I honestly believe that if our elected officials gave the proper support to our Public Safety, we would not have half the problems we do. If you read many of the exit interviews that officers write when they leave the Police Department, you would see that many write that they like working for the
Columbus Police Department and the people at the department, they just hate working for a city that doesn't support Public Safety. Once again, my intentions were not to insult or "bash" our leaders at the Police Department. My intentions were to point out that our elected city leaders don't have a clue.

Thanks,

Wade Sheridan

Wow - Wade may be a "compassionate conservative" after all. This is the closest I've seen him come to complimenting a high-ranking city official. So when did the patrols increase in HIS neighborhood?

Hopefully Columbus city officials will heed these e-mails, and not tie "concrete blocks" to the feet of police officers -- although it might build up their leg strength, for the next Georgia Police and Fire Games....

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© 2003-05 Richard Burkard, All Rights Reserved.

5 JUN 05: CAN'T BEAT THE STREETS

Did you hear the good news about Columbus roads? A new national survey shows this is the best medium-sized U.S. city, in terms of quality of streets. Perhaps too many drivers already know this - and that's why they speed on so many of them.

The Road Information Program (TRIP) rated roads from coast to coast, and determined 82 percent of Columbus streets are "good." Only two percent received a "poor" rating -- and the agency hopes we'll pave over the bricks on Broadway before long.

How did Columbus win this honor, of the best medium-sized U.S. city for roads? I suspect the weather plays a major factor. There's little ice or snow in winter, for potholes to develop. And it's usually hot enough in summer that fresh asphalt melts in a hurry.

Despite this top score from TRIP, the city of Columbus has determined 45 percent of the roads are in need of some sort of work. And you know how city government works - the busier road crews appear, the more likely they are to escape budget cuts.

Thanks to one-cent sales tax money, Columbus city crews are able to pave 30 miles of road each year. So why does it seem like they kept paving the same stretch of Macon Road over and over for the last few years?

Despite all the work, there are always some spots in the streets which refuse to stay repaired. One of them is near my home, in the 700 block of First Avenue. A spot in the middle of the street isn't accepting asphalt, dirt, rocks or gravel. It's almost like a vagrant is living in the sewer, and rebelling.

As of Saturday evening, a cone marked the trouble spot in the middle of First Avenue - and city crews had smoothed out some rocks in hopes of fixing the problem. If that doesn't work, it could be time for a truly Southern approach. Have people spit tobacco wads on the asphalt, to make it sticky enough.

Other cities handle troublesome streets differently. When I lived in Atlanta, I called it "the city of steel plates" - because so many of them seemed to cover rough spots in the roads....

It was disappointing to learn the other day that TRIP rates my home area of Kansas City as having the worst roads in the country. It's not like the residents are trying to tear them up. Not that many people drive to major league baseball games there anymore.

Speaking of travel, did you see the pictures of the Salem-Shotwell Bridge in Lee County? That old covered bridge was almost ripped in two by Thursday's storm. But the good news is that Coca-Cola may be willing to pay for repairs -- as long as an old-fashioned billboard is painted on the outside.

OVERHEARD OVER HERE: A man and woman were talking outside in the Historic District Saturday evening - and the woman had a favor to ask.

"Do you have a hot glue gun?"

"A what?"

"A hot glue gun."

"What's that?"

"It's a gun - only it's got hot glue."

Now that we've cleared that up, let's send out some weekend Instant Messages:

+ To the Columbus city arborist: How did you come up with the total of 26 fallen trees during Thursday's thunderstorm? If you know where every tree is in town and whether it's standing or not, your power seems a little scary....

+ To all readers who have followed my air conditioning exploits: It came on for the first time this season Saturday evening - in the 23rd hour of a church-wide 24-hour fast. Call me a wimp if you wish.

+ To Muggs on Veterans Parkway: About your sign offering a "really big cold drink" for 99 cents - how big is really big? Is that like a large? A jumbo? Or is it something in between?

+ To Stevie B's Pizza on Airport Thruway: Don't get me wrong - your buffet is a fantastic dinner value. But really now, a "Mac and Cheese Pizza?!" Which naive six-year-old asked you to put that on the menu?

+ To Hartz Chicken at Veterans Parkway and Airport Thruway: Your box dinners are really interesting. I didn't know you were supposed to eat mashed potatoes and gravy with a spoon.

+ To all parents of Mountain Brook, Alabama High School students: I sincerely hope Natalie Holloway is found alive. But with all due respect, somebody's gotta ask it -- a high school senior trip to ARUBA?!? There are much safer ways of flaunting your money than this. Take Biloxi....

+ To Troy Bergeron and the Georgia Force: Congratulations on advancing to arena football's Arena Bowl! But why did Philips Arena have plenty of empty seats for Saturday's semifinal? Have Atlanta rap stars decided indoor football isn't cool?

COMING MONDAY: An update on one woman's library crusade....

Your PayPal donations can keep this blog ad-free and independent-minded. To make a donation,
offer a story tip or comment on this blog, write me - but be warned, I may post a reply.

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© 2003-05 Richard Burkard, All Rights Reserved.

3 JUN 05: CARTER COUNTRY

Remember the TV comedy with that title? It was on in the 1970's when Jimmy Carter was President, and was about a southern sheriff. I don't recall the Carter family ever appearing on that show - not even Billy, who was at least good for a laugh from stand-up comics.

Could the torch in our area soon be passed to a new Carter? As Jimmy Carter gets up in years in Plains, Antonio Carter is trying to gain attention in Columbus - although there admittedly are some differences between the two. For one thing, Antonio Carter looks much more stylish in a suit....

I didn't realize until the other day that Antonio Carter of the National Action Network now has his own web site. You might be surprised to learn it's NOT filled with propaganda about the Kenneth Walker case, local civil rights issues -- and it doesn't even have transcripts of his fiery speeches.

If you didn't know better, the home page of Antonio Carter's web site might make you think he's a news reporter. It's filled with links to current news stories, mostly with an African-American theme. Where else would I have learned Janet Jackson will play a stripper in a movie? And we all know she has experience at that....

If Al Sharpton makes news in some way, Antonio Carter's likely to put it on his home page. After all, Sharpton leads the National Action Network overall - so for all he's said against the Columbus establishment, Carter DOES know how to toe a company line.

The only real mention of Kenneth Walker on Antonio Carter's web site is a link which lets you watch the dashboard camera video of Walker's shooting. There's no online petition drive against David Glisson, Gray Conger, Ralph Johnson - and of course not the Democratic Georgia Attorney General.

Antonio Carter's web site is so new, several of its sections are "under construction" and practically empty. They include a section for his speeches, and one called "Coach Carter." Surely he's not going to claim that movie was his life story....

There's also an intriguing section with the initials "NJG." Those letters stand for "New Joshua Generation" - but Antonio Carter is really asking for it here. Some smart-aleck redneck is going to take those initials, and add an "-er" on the end.

Antonio Carter's web site DOES have a complete section of "cool links." They include news outlets from coast to coast, including Columbus TV stations and newspapers. But Mr. Carter, aren't you forgetting something? You haven't linked to any blogs (ahem)....

Believe it or not, Antonio Carter's web site has a link to the Drudge Report. Who knows -- maybe after all those calls to WRCG's "TalkLine," Robbie Watson is starting to change his thinking.

But one of Antonio Carter's news links left me asking questions. Remember "The Courier" and "Eco Latino," the multicultural weekly paper which started in Columbus in March? Its web site hasn't posted any news in a month. Don't tell me the prosecutors of Jose Ricci went after them, too.

We called the main phone number for The Courier Thursday, and left a message on the paper's answering machine. Perhaps it's a positive sign that there still IS an answering machine, which named the newspaper. It hasn't turned into the office of a title pawn shop.

BLOG UPDATE: Thursday's biggest news for Columbus was buried inside the Ledger-Enquirer -- a freestanding Starbucks coming to town! We've mentioned here how embarrassingly untrendy it is for Columbus NOT to have one - yet the Chamber of Commerce keeps working on more trivial stuff, like new brigades at Fort Benning.

Realtor Ed Adams told the newspaper a deal is in the works for Starbucks to open a coffee shop near Columbus Park Crossing. Of course it would be in that part of town. Many people around Cusseta Road can't spell latte, much less be able to pay for one.

(This Starbucks would be near Krispy Kreme doughnuts -- which could lead to the worst morning traffic jams in Columbus, getting from one drive-through lane to the other.)

Now more nourishing information, as we wrap up the week:

+ A severe thunderstorm knocked out power for 15,000 Columbus customers. It also knocked WLTZ and WXTX off the air for hours - but because it's summer rerun time, that was really no big loss.

+ Greyhound confirmed it's eliminating bus service to several area communities. One of them is Phenix City, which really doesn't have a Greyhound station - just a spot along U.S. 80 where people stand and wait for a bus to come. How they put 70 dollars of exact change in a coin box, I have no idea.

(For some reason, Greyhound is keeping a bus station in Opelika - but is closing the one in Auburn. More college students must have cars nowadays than I realized....)

+ Preparations were made for this year's Children's Miracle Network telethon. We alert you to this because during last year's telethon, President Reagan died - and during the 2003 telethon, Eric Rudolph was arrested. Maybe you should play it safe, and call in a pledge from a storm shelter.

+ A Carroll County, Georgia grade school teacher was accused of making a fourth-grade student lick her toes. When I was a boy, we did a kindergarten elephant walk and imitated the rat taking cheese in "The Farmer in the Dell" - but I don't recall us ever imitating dogs.

Your PayPal donations can keep this blog ad-free and independent-minded. To make a donation, offer a story tip or comment on this blog, write me - but be warned, I may post a reply.

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© 2003-05 Richard Burkard, All Rights Reserved.

2 JUN 05: THE BANKS ARE CLOSED

Fort Benning added to its "off-limits" list Wednesday - but this time it wasn't for a business. Soldiers were told to stay away from part of the Chattahoochee River. Apparently generals finally heard that old Alan Jackson song about "learning.... a little about love" on the Chattahoochee.

Fort Benning banned soldiers from going on the Chattahoochee River or its banks, for one mile on either side of the 13rh Street Bridge. I'm concerned this may help terrorists -- since troops now have only two bridges available to cross into Alabama....

(Just wait until members of the Navy and Coast Guard hear about this restriction. They'll mock the Army, for not allowing soldiers to get their feet wet.)

Fort Benning took this unusual step because a soldier went fishing on rocks in the Chattahoochee last month. He drowned when Georgia Power raised the river level. The electric company didn't learn its lesson from that - and on Wednesday received a higher rate level, to drown customers already in debt.

WRBL reported while part of the Chattahoochee and its banks now are off-limits to Fort Benning soldiers, the two riverwalks are still OK to use. Yippee! I now have my own running lane - because the troops won't dare jog or ride bicycles on the side closest to the river.

I admittedly haven't made many trips to Fort Benning, but I thought there was an area on post where soldiers could fish in the Chattahoochee River. So why would they go to the 13^th Street Bridge to.... oh yeah, I forgot. Downtown areas are upstream from Continental Carbon.

Your blog pointed out last month [16 May] the Phenix City Riverwalk has several large signs warning people NOT to stand on rocks in the Chattahoochee River to fish. If Fort Benning has to add a ban on top of that, maybe its soldiers need lessons in remedial reading.

A competing local blog has been speculating fishing along the Chattahoochee River downtown soon could be banned for everyone. After all, if the downtown dams are demolished for whitewater rafting and kayaking, those paddlers could put up a tougher fight than the fish.

(This blogger even has suggested a fence might go up on the Phenix City side of the Chattahoochee, to stop fishing. It would be the perfect way to market a revitalized downtown Phenix City - "Destin exclusivity, closer to home.")

Isn't it curious that while some Fort Benning soldiers are risking their lives in Iraq to build democracy, other soldiers aren't even allowed to stand along a river in downtown Columbus? The troops may be "fighting for our freedom," but they're being forced to give up a lot of their own....

There may be an ominous sign in this decision by Fort Benning. Drive 1 went on the "banned list" last year, and it shut down. Coach's Corner went on the list, and it shut down. Now soldiers are banned from part of the Chattahoochee River -- so are we in for a long drought?

Now let's watch our step, as we consider other items from Wednesday:

+ The U.S. Justice Department accused Taylor County schools of promoting race discrimination in clubs and honors programs. If the federal government is getting around to Taylor County only now, a ruling on the Kenneth Walker case should come sometime in 2007.

(And here we thought Taylor County solved its discrimination problems by ending the segregated high school proms -- but racially-divided clubs?! Are African-American students taught a mix of French and Ebonics?)

+ Wachovia Bank admitted one of its Georgia predecessors owned 160 slaves, in the years before the Civil War. Today such people would be known by a different title - drive-through tellers.

+ Shaw High School's semifinal playoff series in Carrollton was postponed by rain for the third day in a row. Isn't there an enclosed dry place to play baseball here in Columbus? Simply clear out the rotunda of the new public library....

+ Former Shaw and Columbus Wardogs star Troy Bergeron was named Arena Football's rookie of the year. He's a receiver for the Georgia Force - where it must not be easy to play well, amid all the lame jokes and comparisons with Star Wars.

+ Georgia's heavyweight boxing champion Evander Holyfield made his debut in a new sport - appearing on the new TV series "Dancing with the Stars." We're thankful Holyfield didn't have a flashback, and try to bite the ear of his dance partner.

+ Instant Message to Callaway Gardens: Did I read your news release right -- a new world record for water ski jumping was set last weekend by someone named Freddy Krueger?! [True!] Did he force you to declare this at knifepoint?

Your PayPal donations can keep this blog ad-free and independent-minded. To make a donation, offer a story tip or comment on this blog, write me - but be warned, I may post a reply.

If you quote from this in public somewhere, please be polite enough to let me know.

© 2003-05 Richard Burkard, All Rights Reserved.

1 JUN 05: MUTTER OF ALL BATTLES

The Kenneth Walker case has touched nerves throughout Columbus. But Tuesday may have brought the strangest twist of all, when it came up at a Muscogee County School Board meeting. Will attorney Willie Gary ever run out of local officials to sue?

But seriously: the school board heard a complaint from a Wynnton Elementary School teacher, who says she's been mistreated for making a comment relating to the Kenneth Walker case. If this is true, it would be news -- since not even David Glisson's been punished for his comments about the case, and he shot Walker.

This fuss really began back in January, when David Glisson's supporters held a march downtown. Wynnton Elementary School Principal Nancy Johnson was absent that day, and teacher Billie-Jean Kendrick speculated Johnson might be at the march. Kendrick was wrong -- thus revealing to the world she was NOT "Deep Throat."

The Wynnton principal happened to be with ailing relatives that January day, but Billie-Jean Kendrick's comment about the David Glisson rally apparently spread throughout the school. Since this is an elementary school, I'm a bit surprised the rumor didn't end up with Nancy Johnson pulling over Walker's car on Interstate 185.

Billie-Jean Kendrick claims since that January incident, Wynnton School's principal has been out to get her -- and even forced her to apologize in front of the entire faculty. Nancy Johnson claims Kendrick apologized on her own, under NO pressure. Well, except maybe the pressure of being transferred to Cusseta Road Elementary....

A representative for Billie-Jean Kendrick told the Muscogee County School Board the Wynnton Principal has caused all sorts of terrible things to happen to her:

+ Higher blood pressure -- the better for teaching advanced math problems, perhaps.

+ A breakout in her skin -- which seems like quite a rash accusation to make.

+ A need for mental counseling. Some of us wonder how grade school teachers stay on the job for decades without needing this.

(We should note Billie-Jean Kendrick had a "representative" before the school board - but NOT an attorney. Did that many lawyers figure out they weren't going to win damages in this case?)

In response, an attorney for Muscogee County Schools told the board Billie-Jean Kendrick has NOT been punished for her comment about the Wynnton principal. In fact, she hasn't even been reprimanded. At some private schools, the teacher would be fired - by a conservative board so focused on freedom of religion that it forgets freedom of speech.

So what did the school board do with this complaint? After a grievance hearing lasting five-and-a-half hours, members decided Billie-Jean Kendrick was NOT justified. So if there are winners in this matter, they're the Wynnton School Principal - and some undisclosed psychiatrist.

Billie-Jean Kendrick wanted a written apology from Wynnton Principal Nancy Johnson. But the Muscogee County School Board decided it was NOT necessary -- perhaps because Kendrick should have written down her thoughts last January, instead of blurting them out to others.

The lesson of the Wynnton School dispute seems to be clear. If you're going to make a smart-aleck remark about the Kenneth Walker case, don't do it inside a school. Send it to a blogger like me, who posts such things on a regular basis....

OVERHEARD OVER HERE: Two guys are talking inside a Columbus office, when one says: "It seems to me people these days are more skeptical than ever...."

"I'm not so sure about that."

While you ponder that conversation, here are other items of note from Tuesday:

+ Columbus city officials announced the official budget gap for the upcoming fiscal year is $7.6 million. If you live in Columbus, your share of this is around $42 - so you either can donate to the Fraternal Order of Police, or give to the city which pays officers' salaries.

+ The rainiest day in months dropped around four inches on the Columbus area. During a midmorning downpour, a neighbor of mine sat on his front porch and whooped it up toward no one in particular. Some people really should drink juice instead of beer on their mornings off.

(What made this sight even stranger was that the letter carrier didn't bring the mail for several more hours. Hollering simply doesn't bring the postal service, the way it might a possum.)

+ The rain postponed Shaw High School's semifinal baseball playoff games for a second day. This might work out well for Shaw - if the team can convince Atlanta's Raul Mondesi to play with the team in Carrollton today, for a "rehab assignment."

+ The Eufaula School Superintendent told the Eufaula Tribune his district is NOT recruiting students from the Barbour County district to pass exams, then sending them back. It WOULD be a refreshing change, though - from bringing them across the district line to play football.

+ A second person climbed to the top of a construction crane in Atlanta's Buckhead district. OK, that does it! Let's pick a Sunday for "open climbing," and let everyone in Georgia get it out of their system without fear of arrest.

Your PayPal donations can keep this blog ad-free and independent-minded. To make a donation, offer a story tip or comment on this blog, write me - but be warned, I may post a reply.

If you quote from this in public somewhere, please be polite enough to let me know.

© 2003-05 Richard Burkard, All Rights Reserved.