Tuesday, August 28, 2007

A weekly shout out

I would like to give kudos to Chatham County Fire Marshall Tom Bender for keeping angry (and often unruly) protesters somewhat at bay during Monday night's contentious Pittsboro Town Hall meeting on the proposed Pittsboro Place development.

It was no easy task, to be sure. He was fighting an endless battle all night long.

I even had a run-in with Bender just before the meeting. He was attempting to keep a mob of 100 or so concerned citizens out of a tiny room where the meeting was taking place, when I walked up. He said I couldn't go in, so used the standard "You can't keep me out of a public meeting" line all media members have memorized. After a little time, he agreed to let me through.

Later in the evening, I ran into him again and apologized for the incident, telling him I knew he had his hands full — which he did and then some. He reciprocated the apology.

Let me just say that I lived in Chapel Hill for three years. I consider myself somewhat left of center on most issues, including those pertaining to development in rural areas. And I understand the need to protest and rally against causes you don't agree with. But when in a public meeting, there is a certain decorum that "concerned citizens" should try to adhere to if they really want to be taken seriously.

A few people didn't do that. For people who appear to know a lot about politics and the world around them, a handful of them knew very little about the actual governing process. There is an order to meetings. It is not a free-form shouting match. The shouting matches are held on the lawn before the meetings. If you want to speak up, make sure you come early enough to sign up to speak during the public remarks portion of the evening. It is not the commission's fault that you spent your time in the shouting match, then came late to the meeting and didn't get a seat.

Most of the protestors actually conducted themselves fine at the rally outside before the meeting and throughout the evening. It is a shame that a handful of them couldn't do the same, instead opting to push their way into the meeting room, talk amongst themselves through the entire process, actually sit on the floor in front of the developers, make snide comments to the commissioners and developers loud enough to interrupt the process, and file in and out of the room the entire — way too long — evening.

Especially when the reporters that are there to publicize your plight are on strict deadlines. I actually had to phone in my story from the road because, thanks to both the protesters and Pittsboro Mayor Randy Voller, who, against the development himself, took every opportunity he could to grandstand and delay the process, when he knew all along the vote would come down as it eventually did.

Hopefully Mr. Bender gets to take a half-day today. As I probably will, since I worked 12 hours yesterday thanks to a 3 hour meeting that should have taken 30 minutes.

Monday, August 27, 2007

There's no need to fear



Finally I have something to write about!!!

I went to see Underdog this weekend. I know. I know. I'm too old. But I had two kids with me, so it's not creepy or anything.
Anyway, good movie. Well, it was not the movie that was great. It was the fact that it was about two hours worth of screentime for a talking beagle.

I love beagles. Always have. When I was in first grade, I got my first dog — a beagle named Jake. Jake was my best friend for the better part of my life so far. I could always count on Jake, no matter what life threw at me.

Then, one day my Junior year at UNC (I remember it like it was yesterday — Nov. 3, 2001), I tried to call my dad for my weekly "I need money" plea, but I couldn't get a hold of him all day. My aunt and another worker at the shop were acting weird each time I called, too. Finally, around 6 p.m., my dad called me back to deliver the bad news. Jake had gotten run over and died in our driveway by a pottery shopper. He was crying as he told me. Soon I was crying, too.

This was a dog that had survived hurricanes, snowstorms, endless shoppers, and almost everything else for 16 years. He even ran away one time for six months, and I thought I had lost him forever until, when driving home late one night I spotted him walking towards home on the side of the road about 5 miles from our house. I figured he could survive anything after that, but he couldn't.

A few months later I got Roscoe, another beagle. He was totally different from Jake. Jake was mild manored and loved to be outside. Roscoe, mostly because he grew up in my apartment in Chapel Hill, was fiesty and loved to be inside.

He was probably the prettiest beagle I've ever seen. One nght while working at at the Sports desk at the Herald, though, I received largely the same call I had gotten three years earlier, with dad telling me Roscoe had been cut down by a tractor-trailer while crossing the road to visit with pottery shoppers at my house.

Like most of life, owning a dog is great, but it can break your heart. I think if I had a farm with about 30 beagles and about 30 cars, my life would be set. This is my goal. To have enough room that I can have as many beagles as I want and not have to receive that call again.

Anyway, Underdog was good. Not a great plot — your standard superhero movie, except with a dog. And Jim Belushi is an awful actor. Luckily he is not in it a lot. But it has some funny parts. It is what it is.

And it is great for a beagle lover.

Wednesday, August 22, 2007

Worth a second look

It's truly an odd time here at the Herald. I have been here for three years, and I don't know that I have ever seen things in this much disarray. The cause? An ambitious total redesign of our paper taken on by our fearless leader, Billy Liggett, coupled with a switch in our operating software.
Hopefully, though, it will all go to give you a much better paper. Our redesign started Tuesday, and although there are some kinks to be worked out, I think the new look is a major upgrade.
But now it is time for you the reader to change your attitude. We are doing all we can to make our paper informative, relevant and interesting. We want you to give us a chance.
Too often I go to the Java Express or McDonald's and see folks reading the N&O. While that paper to the north is a great source for national and state news, if you want to know what is going on around you, we need to be the first place you look.
Please give us a chance, Sanford.
Now if you'll excuse me, I have a computer to kill.

Monday, August 13, 2007

Monday morning rants

Here are a few quick impressions of events that have unfolded since last we spoke:
— Karl Rove resigns: This is a monumental event. I would venture to say that never before in the 231 years of this country has an unelected person had as much power over national affairs as this man. And when he leaves Aug. 31, he will leave his good buddy George with an approval rating below 30 percent, a war in disarray and an economy headed towards another recession when it never really recovered from the first one. Right now it's not looking good for his legacy. History will not be kind to him or his "boss," at this point, at least. But maybe 9/11 was a big enough event that Bush's lasting legacy will be his speech on the rumble. Only time will tell.
I bet GW wishes he had just been commissioner of baseball now.

— Tiger blows away the field for PGA: No shock here. Wouldn't you be more surprised if he didn't? Now, with just five to go before he shatters Nicklaus's record of 18 majors (I say he'll do it in St. Andrews in 2010, more on this in a second), it's time to start thinking about his place in history. I say he is the greatest golfer of all time, but is that fair? Bobby Jones, Walter Hagen, Arnie or even Nicklaus didn't have the equipment (or human growth hormone) that Tiger has at his disposal. What if the Golden Bear had titanium, squareheaded drivers aand low compression balls? Would the record be 30? He did finish second in the British Open a record seven times. Maybe an extra 40 yards on one drive, and his record is at least 25...And Bobby Jones, who Tiger tied Sunday with his 13th major win (granted, six of Jones' were Amateurs), gave up on golf at 28 to become a lawyer (isn't that pretty much the same thing? Golfer and Lawyer?) What if he had kept playing?
Look, it's a given that Tiger will blow past Nicklaus, though. As sports fans found out last week, records are made to be broken. He's 32 now, and if he remains a force until 46 (when Jack won his last major at the Masters in 1986), he'll have at least 52 more chances to win six more. I think he'll wind up with at least 25, if not 30. And I think he would dominate with a persimmon driver just as easily. But those factors are worth mentioning when talking about the greatest of all time.

— Barry Bonds breaks the record: I'm tired of hearing about it. Yeah, he took steroids. And he broke the record. Enough said.

— Gordon wrecks, Stewart wins at Glen: I think Stewart is firmly in the driver's seat for the Chase now. It will be a nice prelude for when Gibbs switches to Toyota next year. The bigger question is if Dale Jr. will make the chase. He has been a factor in about every race this year, but hasn't won yet because of some terrible luck.

— I flew a plane on Thursday. It was incredible. If I had an extra $10,000 lying around, I would go to flight school tomorrow.

Monday, August 06, 2007