Nature turned on us on a late January day and pelted us with snow and then icy rain and then more snow coupled with temperatures in the teens and low twenties. We were in a sparkling wonderland for about eleven days. The crystal coated trees, shrubs, lawns, cars, roofs, and the most unsightly items took on a facade of ice and therefor became beautiful. Big problem! The trees and tree limbs could not bear up under the weight of the ice so they snapped, crackled and popped off onto our roofs, cars and streets, and unfortunately onto our power lines. Thousands of houses and places of business went black. People resorted to candles, generators, flash lights and making temporary moves in with relatives and friends. Some of those mergers were almost fun and brought friends and families closer but in some cases, I understand, the familiarty bred contempt. Jangled nerves and aggravations were intolerable. I think there will be some new members in "Anger Management" classes in the coming months.
Finally, nature took pity on us and cranked up the temperature to a balmy 40 or 50 degrees and melted all of the ice. We will be a long time cleaning up the mess left behind. The insurance companies will be quite busy assessing the damage followed by repairmen repairing the damage.
Driving around town and seeing all of the piles of limbs and debris and seeing the shocking condition of the trees left with scars that will never heal is devestating. Back in 1963 we had the tornado that ripped through the park and destroyed so many trees and it took about twenty years for those replacement trees to grow and become thriving again.
Yesterday, I drove through the park and there was not as much damage as I expected. The terrain looked mighty grim. There were still snow patches and snow piles that were dirty and grimey with winter dirt. The sand traps on the golf course were covered with dirty snow and one lonely man was walking across one of the greens pondering its condition. There were only about three runners, no bikers, no dogs or babies on wheels. As I said above "All is Bleak!"
Hard times always bring out the best in people. Neighbor helping neighbor, family helping family and total strangers helping others. It truely is an ill wind... Men in trucks drove around and gathered up the sawed limbs placed on the curbs for debris pick-up. Some of them were getting fuel for their own fire places and some were getting it to sell to people or perhaps give to someone to help them keep warm in the brutal cold. So many people without power and lucky enough to have a fire place were more than glad to get the wood.
On a positive note-my holly tree was filled with robins yesterday! Could they be the harbingers?
Sunday, February 8, 2009
Thursday, February 5, 2009
Location: Ice Station
I have been remiss about writing my blogs lately, not that they will be missed but I do like to reflect every now and then about the happenings in day to day living. There have been many happenings, I've been to Florida twice in the last five weeks. The first trip down, I welcomed in the New Year! It was not as warm as I expected it to be but about 40 degrees warmer than Louisville. You automatically feel warmer when everything is green and flowers are climbing over walls and the sky is so brilliantly blue and the sun is warm. Nevertheless ,it was cool enough that my jeans jacket felt good and the fire in the fireplace in the evening felt good. I came back home to plenty of cold weather, crisp days and freezing nights. Very invigorating! After ten days of cringing every time the furnace turned on, I turned the thermostat down to 50 degrees again ( I did that the first time I left, also) I went off to Sarasota again. Keith and Angela went to the Inauguration and I held down the home front.
It was very interesting to be back in the role of fixing lunches, making sure there were clean sox, finished homework assignments, papers signed and binders signed, and clock watching, crabs fed and watered, beds made, rooms picked up, bathes taken, and answers ready for the questions: Where is my back pack? Have you seen my shoes?Is it my time on the computer yet? What are we having for dinner? Can we watch Sponge Bob? Can we watch "Gilligan"? I enjoyed all of it. It took me back a few years.
Once again the weather was below average. However, I watched the Inauguration on TV and saw the two million people on the Mall shivering and huddled together trying to keep warm. It was a thing of beauty to see so many uncomfortable people smiling and jovial and happily attending a gathering so filled with hope. When Angela called later, she referred to herself, Keith and the rest of the crowd as "popsicles." The crowds were described as resembling ants. The faces of America that were in attendance and were introduced as they walked onto the Capital portico were impressive. Former Presidents, vice presidents, celebrities, judges, families, all smiling and proud to be Americans. People of both parties, people of color, people of all ages, it was an awe inspiring event to see the peaceful transition of leadership from one party to another. I was lucky enough to have wittnessed this transition back in 1993 and it is so dramatic that you are filled with pride and gratitude that you are an American!
I came home to the frigid conditions in Louisville and anxiously awaited my gas and electric bill to see how much my bill was after having two full weeks of no heat or any other activity in the house. Well, my bill came and what a shock to find out that it had encreased from $277.00 for December to $289.00 for January! Seems that L G and E were permitted to have a 50% rate encrease. In the great game of Life Monopoly I'm am definitely a loser! I've exhausted my bank roll. Where to now? Spring, where art thou?
Much more to come in tomorrow's blog. Ciao
It was very interesting to be back in the role of fixing lunches, making sure there were clean sox, finished homework assignments, papers signed and binders signed, and clock watching, crabs fed and watered, beds made, rooms picked up, bathes taken, and answers ready for the questions: Where is my back pack? Have you seen my shoes?Is it my time on the computer yet? What are we having for dinner? Can we watch Sponge Bob? Can we watch "Gilligan"? I enjoyed all of it. It took me back a few years.
Once again the weather was below average. However, I watched the Inauguration on TV and saw the two million people on the Mall shivering and huddled together trying to keep warm. It was a thing of beauty to see so many uncomfortable people smiling and jovial and happily attending a gathering so filled with hope. When Angela called later, she referred to herself, Keith and the rest of the crowd as "popsicles." The crowds were described as resembling ants. The faces of America that were in attendance and were introduced as they walked onto the Capital portico were impressive. Former Presidents, vice presidents, celebrities, judges, families, all smiling and proud to be Americans. People of both parties, people of color, people of all ages, it was an awe inspiring event to see the peaceful transition of leadership from one party to another. I was lucky enough to have wittnessed this transition back in 1993 and it is so dramatic that you are filled with pride and gratitude that you are an American!
I came home to the frigid conditions in Louisville and anxiously awaited my gas and electric bill to see how much my bill was after having two full weeks of no heat or any other activity in the house. Well, my bill came and what a shock to find out that it had encreased from $277.00 for December to $289.00 for January! Seems that L G and E were permitted to have a 50% rate encrease. In the great game of Life Monopoly I'm am definitely a loser! I've exhausted my bank roll. Where to now? Spring, where art thou?
Much more to come in tomorrow's blog. Ciao
Tuesday, January 13, 2009
Moo Hoo
This is a story about a fugitive cow named Cincinnati Freedom. If there was a Brave Cow Award, she would definitely qualify. In February, 2002 just moments before she was going to be slaughtered, she took matters into her own hooves and scaled a 6 foot tall fence and made a run for it. She managed to elude police and officials from the SPCA for eleven days. The media got wind of the famous escape and news spread around the whole world. News outlets from Canada, England, France, Germany and Australia touted her bravary , her courage and her determination to live. She was offered the key to the city by ,then Mayor Luken.
As a result of her notoriety , an internationally renowned artist , Peter Max "adopted" her. The 2000 pound Charolais was housed in an animal sanctuary in Watkins Glen, N.Y. She made many bovine friends at the farm and lived a relatively contented life until a short time ago when she became unable to use her legs and was diagnosed with spinal cancer. There was no hope of recovery so the decision was made to euthanize her.
During her last hours, her closest pals, other slaughterhouse escapees, Queenie from Queens,N.Y. Maxine from New York and Annie Dodge from Vermont, along with the rest of the herd stayed with her and surrounded her during the night. One of the oldest steers, Kevin, licked her face and Iris, an older female, licked her back in her final minutes. They remained with her until she was buried.
She found life to be so easy at the sanctuary that she had gained about 500 pounds during her stay there. Nevertheless,up until her sudden illness she could clear a 5-foot fence from a stand still. "It was an amazing thing to see," her keeper said. She was considered quite a celebrity and had many visitors. Coston said she understands why people wanted to visit "Cinci".
"She symbolized the will to live, to enjoy life and not be messed with. We can relate to that."
R.I.P. Cinci !
As a result of her notoriety , an internationally renowned artist , Peter Max "adopted" her. The 2000 pound Charolais was housed in an animal sanctuary in Watkins Glen, N.Y. She made many bovine friends at the farm and lived a relatively contented life until a short time ago when she became unable to use her legs and was diagnosed with spinal cancer. There was no hope of recovery so the decision was made to euthanize her.
During her last hours, her closest pals, other slaughterhouse escapees, Queenie from Queens,N.Y. Maxine from New York and Annie Dodge from Vermont, along with the rest of the herd stayed with her and surrounded her during the night. One of the oldest steers, Kevin, licked her face and Iris, an older female, licked her back in her final minutes. They remained with her until she was buried.
She found life to be so easy at the sanctuary that she had gained about 500 pounds during her stay there. Nevertheless,up until her sudden illness she could clear a 5-foot fence from a stand still. "It was an amazing thing to see," her keeper said. She was considered quite a celebrity and had many visitors. Coston said she understands why people wanted to visit "Cinci".
"She symbolized the will to live, to enjoy life and not be messed with. We can relate to that."
R.I.P. Cinci !
Monday, January 12, 2009
January Thaw
I was lucky enough to get to go to Sarasota for a week of temperatures that did not chill my bones. I went down there on the day before New Years so I got to see the New Year in once again in Florida. I think this is about the 4th or 5th time I've done that. Doc and I both went down for three years in a row. He loved the beach and especially loved to be there on the beach when he knew how cold it was up north. He maintained a tan year around. He would sit on the front porch or the back deck here at home clad in his winter jacket and heavy gloves no matter what the temperature was because he loved the sun, but to go to Florida when it was warm and sunny was heavenly. Last year I went down alone because Doc was at Klondike and unable to travel. It was just as well because we had one warm day and then it turned so cold that it was so invigorating that I could hardly stand it.
The kids were not used to having cold weather and they do not have the clothing for it, I had the clothing for it but it was left in Louisville. Who knew? How could I come back to Louisville and admit that it had been freezing in Sarasota?
One day we decided to brave the elements and go to the beach weather or not! The kids piled on extra sweaters and searched drawers and closets for gloves and scarves and Ang and I did our best to bundle up also. I had my Jeans jacket, a sweater and my ever present gloves and my
jeans Ang also had a jacket, hat and jeans. We took the camera and headed out to Lido Beach. The car was nice and warm on the short trip out there.
Did I mention that the wind was blowing about 30 miles an hour and the sky looked very ominous and angry. A buttermilk sky?
We got out of the car and walked out onto the beach, not surprisingly, the beach was totally abandoned. There was not one single human being in sight. The sand was blowing furiously and the biting sting when it hit our unprotected faces was a thing to remember. Angela took pictures as the kids and I huddled tightly seeking any warmth we could generate. We laughed and shivered and shook and had lots of fun. I finally decided that I would pose for one picture that I could show my friends when I got home. It's January and I am in Florida , sunny beaches, sunshine and all that, right? I sat on an empty bench and relaxed back with my arm thrown over the back of the bench and smiled and did my best to look warm! Once the camera clicked I was up and stomping around and hanging on to the kids and went back to hearing my teeth chatter and hoping my toes and fingers would survive. I loved it! We spent about 10 minutes at the beach.
Whole different story this year. The night before we planned to go to the beach, we watched a video about how to build a sand castle. It was very detailed and entertaining. There were lots of items used in the film that were needed to make an elaborate castle. Angela and Conor knew exactly what was needed and got busy the next day and gathered up the utensils needed. Ang had to saw the bottom out of a five gallon bucket (plastic) and raided the kitchen drawers for utensils such as a melon ball er, various sized spatulas, and other tools that were featured on the video. We loaded them up in the back of the car along with beach towels, snacks, a sand chair and umbrella and off we went.
The weather was perfect. It was about 78 degrees, sunny, warm and the cerulean sky with white puffy clouds hanging over the ocean blue waters made it a picture perfect day. We set up our "camp" and I lounged under the umbrella and watched. Bridget was anxious to get into the water, Ang and Conor were chomping at the bit to get going on their project. They used their shovel to dig a site on which to build. Conor supplied the containers of water to firm up the sand in the open-ended bucket. Sand, water, pack, more sand, more water , more packing and tamping. Finally they were ready to dislodge the cylinder of sand and begin their sculpting. It began to take shape in a very short time. They pretty much followed the demo video instructions and put all of the sculpting tools to good use. The basic castle had a tower on top of it with gun sights, turrets, and steps leading up from the ground to the parapet, it had an arched bridge over the moat that surrounded the castle and the castle had windows, balconies and doors with elaborate lintels. It was truly a thing of beauty. People stopped to look and remark about the sand castle. I'm sure there will be many kids trying to achieve the same design but without the proper tools and instructions they will fall short.
As I sat there on the sand chair, under the umbrella I had so much to entertain me , it was like a three ring circus. Bridgetswimming and cavorting in the ocean waves, Conor and Ang constructing their castle and a boat on the horizon towing a para-sailor, actually it was a parachute with two people in chairs, being pulled by a fairly large boat. And as if that weren't enough, the pelicans, seagulls and terns were gathered about ten feet above the water and would dive into the water with big splashes and a lot of flapping and screeching and then they would fly back up and do it all over again. They were about ten or fifteen feet away from shore. They must have spotted food fish or something that interested them. They would fight with each other and make quite a racket. All together there were about 20 or 30 of them. They put on quite a show. Our time at the beach was fabulous!
I'm going back down to Sarasota next week to be with the twins while K. and A. go to D.C. to attend the inauguration. I don't know whether we'll get to the beach this time or not. Maybe Siesta Key if we do find time to go.
The kids were not used to having cold weather and they do not have the clothing for it, I had the clothing for it but it was left in Louisville. Who knew? How could I come back to Louisville and admit that it had been freezing in Sarasota?
One day we decided to brave the elements and go to the beach weather or not! The kids piled on extra sweaters and searched drawers and closets for gloves and scarves and Ang and I did our best to bundle up also. I had my Jeans jacket, a sweater and my ever present gloves and my
jeans Ang also had a jacket, hat and jeans. We took the camera and headed out to Lido Beach. The car was nice and warm on the short trip out there.
Did I mention that the wind was blowing about 30 miles an hour and the sky looked very ominous and angry. A buttermilk sky?
We got out of the car and walked out onto the beach, not surprisingly, the beach was totally abandoned. There was not one single human being in sight. The sand was blowing furiously and the biting sting when it hit our unprotected faces was a thing to remember. Angela took pictures as the kids and I huddled tightly seeking any warmth we could generate. We laughed and shivered and shook and had lots of fun. I finally decided that I would pose for one picture that I could show my friends when I got home. It's January and I am in Florida , sunny beaches, sunshine and all that, right? I sat on an empty bench and relaxed back with my arm thrown over the back of the bench and smiled and did my best to look warm! Once the camera clicked I was up and stomping around and hanging on to the kids and went back to hearing my teeth chatter and hoping my toes and fingers would survive. I loved it! We spent about 10 minutes at the beach.
Whole different story this year. The night before we planned to go to the beach, we watched a video about how to build a sand castle. It was very detailed and entertaining. There were lots of items used in the film that were needed to make an elaborate castle. Angela and Conor knew exactly what was needed and got busy the next day and gathered up the utensils needed. Ang had to saw the bottom out of a five gallon bucket (plastic) and raided the kitchen drawers for utensils such as a melon ball er, various sized spatulas, and other tools that were featured on the video. We loaded them up in the back of the car along with beach towels, snacks, a sand chair and umbrella and off we went.
The weather was perfect. It was about 78 degrees, sunny, warm and the cerulean sky with white puffy clouds hanging over the ocean blue waters made it a picture perfect day. We set up our "camp" and I lounged under the umbrella and watched. Bridget was anxious to get into the water, Ang and Conor were chomping at the bit to get going on their project. They used their shovel to dig a site on which to build. Conor supplied the containers of water to firm up the sand in the open-ended bucket. Sand, water, pack, more sand, more water , more packing and tamping. Finally they were ready to dislodge the cylinder of sand and begin their sculpting. It began to take shape in a very short time. They pretty much followed the demo video instructions and put all of the sculpting tools to good use. The basic castle had a tower on top of it with gun sights, turrets, and steps leading up from the ground to the parapet, it had an arched bridge over the moat that surrounded the castle and the castle had windows, balconies and doors with elaborate lintels. It was truly a thing of beauty. People stopped to look and remark about the sand castle. I'm sure there will be many kids trying to achieve the same design but without the proper tools and instructions they will fall short.
As I sat there on the sand chair, under the umbrella I had so much to entertain me , it was like a three ring circus. Bridgetswimming and cavorting in the ocean waves, Conor and Ang constructing their castle and a boat on the horizon towing a para-sailor, actually it was a parachute with two people in chairs, being pulled by a fairly large boat. And as if that weren't enough, the pelicans, seagulls and terns were gathered about ten feet above the water and would dive into the water with big splashes and a lot of flapping and screeching and then they would fly back up and do it all over again. They were about ten or fifteen feet away from shore. They must have spotted food fish or something that interested them. They would fight with each other and make quite a racket. All together there were about 20 or 30 of them. They put on quite a show. Our time at the beach was fabulous!
I'm going back down to Sarasota next week to be with the twins while K. and A. go to D.C. to attend the inauguration. I don't know whether we'll get to the beach this time or not. Maybe Siesta Key if we do find time to go.
Saturday, December 27, 2008
TWAS THE NIGHT BEFORE CHRISTMAS
On Christmas eve quite a few members of our family attended the Children's Mass at Epiphany Church. It was a beautiful experience. The children had an active role in the Mass and the celebrant made the Mass appropriate for all ages but with the accent on the children. The priest is very exuberant and quite a showman but very devout and sincere. I have heard him speak before and his 'sermons' are so unique and creative that he captivates the entire audience. The church was packed beyond capacity so one glass side of the building was opened up and huge tents were assembled so that they abutted the church sanctuary. Chairs were set up out there for the overflow crowd. I may have been colder at sometime in my life but I could not recall when while sitting there with the bitter cold air flowing in and the tent walls bulging and my hands turning blue, then black and finally dead white. (And we were inside the church in the front row.) Nevertheless it was still an awe inspiring experience. After we left Mass we stumbled out on frozen feet and sought the respite of the warm car. Ahhhh! We proceeded to Kristin and Tim's house for a great meal.
During dinner the people at our end of the table got into a discussion about the absurdity of some of the offensive commercials on TV. We touched on most of the more outrageous ones and even mocked the messages that bombard us at every viewing. We even sang snatches of some of the songs now quite familiar to all. We discussed the person who feels compelled to tell us that she has 'just one body' and we talked of the two bathtubs in the woods and others. We ended up laughing so hard that we became almost raucous.
Our hostess, Kristin, facetiously asked if she needed to ask us to leave! We were a little over the top. Remember, these were prime time commercials that we were discussing. Meanwhile, out of the corner of my ear, I could hear snippets of the conversation going on at another table or part of the room. They were commenting on the three point BILLION dollars that just one group of Wall Street CEO's had received in salaries or end of year bonuses. Now that is what I call obscene.
We had a great time at our gathering though and I look forward to future good times with all of them. Happy New Year to all!! Shalom!
During dinner the people at our end of the table got into a discussion about the absurdity of some of the offensive commercials on TV. We touched on most of the more outrageous ones and even mocked the messages that bombard us at every viewing. We even sang snatches of some of the songs now quite familiar to all. We discussed the person who feels compelled to tell us that she has 'just one body' and we talked of the two bathtubs in the woods and others. We ended up laughing so hard that we became almost raucous.
Our hostess, Kristin, facetiously asked if she needed to ask us to leave! We were a little over the top. Remember, these were prime time commercials that we were discussing. Meanwhile, out of the corner of my ear, I could hear snippets of the conversation going on at another table or part of the room. They were commenting on the three point BILLION dollars that just one group of Wall Street CEO's had received in salaries or end of year bonuses. Now that is what I call obscene.
We had a great time at our gathering though and I look forward to future good times with all of them. Happy New Year to all!! Shalom!
Wednesday, December 10, 2008
Where's the Gas-X ?
A few years ago there was an epidemic of Mad Cow Disease in England. We eventually got a few cases of it here too. When the media got onto it they were ever so glad to tell us about each and every case and scare us into eating chicken. The media takes one news clip and shows it over and over again, sometimes two or three times during the report. They had one clip of a cow falling down! That was so depressing to me that I would close my eyes every time they started to talk about cows. Cows are not supposed to fall down! Cows are so peaceful, they don't fight with other cows or with humans, they stand around, eat grass and moo. They are outstanding in their fields!
Well now, guess what they are being accused of? While peacefully standing in their fields it seems they are burping and gaseous and this has become a concern of the government. Cows and hogs are now considered air polluting animals. There might be a "cow tax" in the future.
The Environmental Protection Agency report after the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in 2007 that greenhouse gases from motor vehicles constitute air pollution, someone latched onto the fact that so also, do animals standing around eating grass emit greenhouse gases. Frankly I don't see the connection.
In Congress, today, Harry Reed got in a little trouble for pointing out that in the summer when Washington, DC is besieged with tourists standing in lines to visit the historical sites ,"You can smell them." Hark, is there a 'standing in long lines' tax coming? What about all those guys,(and I suppose some gals) guzzling beer and eating hot dogs at sporting events, are they emitting greenhouse gases?
At the end of football season at Papa John's stadium is it possible that the crowds emit more than 100 tons of carbon emissions per season? Especially a season like we just had? Ticket prices may well be on the rise. Our concern for this problem falls under the federal Clean Air Act. This stinks!
If they do begin to tax cows, the farmers say that they would go bankrupt because it would cost $175.00 for each dairy cow, $87.50 per head of beef cattle and $20.00 for each hog. A moderate sized cattle or hog farm could cost $30,000. to $40,00 dollars a year. Vegetarians rejoice!
John Millett, a spokesman for the EPA's air and radiation division, said that there has been an oversimplification of the EPA's document "to the point of distortion." Whew, that's a relief!
Never mind!!!
Well now, guess what they are being accused of? While peacefully standing in their fields it seems they are burping and gaseous and this has become a concern of the government. Cows and hogs are now considered air polluting animals. There might be a "cow tax" in the future.
The Environmental Protection Agency report after the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in 2007 that greenhouse gases from motor vehicles constitute air pollution, someone latched onto the fact that so also, do animals standing around eating grass emit greenhouse gases. Frankly I don't see the connection.
In Congress, today, Harry Reed got in a little trouble for pointing out that in the summer when Washington, DC is besieged with tourists standing in lines to visit the historical sites ,"You can smell them." Hark, is there a 'standing in long lines' tax coming? What about all those guys,(and I suppose some gals) guzzling beer and eating hot dogs at sporting events, are they emitting greenhouse gases?
At the end of football season at Papa John's stadium is it possible that the crowds emit more than 100 tons of carbon emissions per season? Especially a season like we just had? Ticket prices may well be on the rise. Our concern for this problem falls under the federal Clean Air Act. This stinks!
If they do begin to tax cows, the farmers say that they would go bankrupt because it would cost $175.00 for each dairy cow, $87.50 per head of beef cattle and $20.00 for each hog. A moderate sized cattle or hog farm could cost $30,000. to $40,00 dollars a year. Vegetarians rejoice!
John Millett, a spokesman for the EPA's air and radiation division, said that there has been an oversimplification of the EPA's document "to the point of distortion." Whew, that's a relief!
Never mind!!!
Friday, December 5, 2008
LUNCH WITH...
The Courier has a feature in the paper once a week now, that I usually like. It's called "Lunch With..." They choose individuals from the community and invite them to lunch and interview them while lunching. They have a variety of people and not people with celebrity status necessarily. As an example, one of the people they interviewed a while back was the man that turned O.J. Simpson away from his restaurant on Derby Day. Neither O.J. nor his party were allowed in.
Today they interviewed MeShorn Daniels, a name very unfamiliar to us. He, however is a crusader. He is with a company that is called GARMY. GARMY is an acronym for God Ain't Released Me Yet. MeShorn is 47 years old and says he is a baby boomer in the middle. That means, according to him, the young baby boomers who are in the middle of those who are older than them, who went through the civil rights of the 60's and lived through the 70's while still very young. They are older than Generation X, the hip-hop culture, the saggy pants and all that.
He says that the deal is they are still trying to hold onto some of the values that they had to deal with, that the older baby boomers put them through...he said they are going to try to mandate some things in this 21st Century.
He is advocating a "Pull Up Your Pants "campaign. He wants to get a dialogue going with anyone that wants to participate. He spoke to the Metro Council and ask them for a show of hands of how many of them were affected by seeing the sag pants and talked about the "Pull up your Pants" environment . Everybody raised their hands and he heard murmurs of agreement from the audience.
He was asked if he thought there should be laws against sag pants. He said he is not advocating laws but thinks it can be handled by dialogue and proposed a resolution that would encourage discussion. He made it clear that he is not just targeting African Americans (he is African American) he wants it talked about across the board.
I know that at Meredith-Dunn we had a dress code and absolutely no sag pants was in the code. Even though the uniform pants were khaki, some of the boys pulled them down as far as they could, to the point that their underwear showed, and then had to be sent to the office for dress code violation. As soon as they got out of the sight of the office, they pulled them down again. So much quality teaching time was spent trying to get them to obey the rules that I did a pants ,belt, tuck- in -shirt check as they entered class and if it had to be addressed again there was extra homework assigned to make up for the lost teaching time. I didn't see too many sag pants during my classes.
MeShorn said he wants to empower people to say, listen, I see something I don't like and I want to effect change. He wants to encourage people that they can effect change by saying something. He mentioned the Dooney "Da Priest" CD that inspired him to get involved. The rap version that explains the different talking points of saggy pants piqued his interest. The sag pants style was started in prisons by the homosexuals and it was to indicate to fellow prisoners that the prisoner wearing sag pants was already "taken" by another.
MeShorn says his intention is to bring the issue of "saggy pants" to the whole community, state or country as public indecency awareness,to encourage more responsible and accountable adults, men, women, parents, mothers, fathers, wives or girlfriends that this is unacceptable form of expression.
I applaud his idea and hope it gets results. He has an e-mail address : ) pullyourpantssup@ garmy.com
I wonder what happens when the saggy pantsers have to run out of the way of harm or danger. Do they leave a trail of pants in their wake?
Ciao
Today they interviewed MeShorn Daniels, a name very unfamiliar to us. He, however is a crusader. He is with a company that is called GARMY. GARMY is an acronym for God Ain't Released Me Yet. MeShorn is 47 years old and says he is a baby boomer in the middle. That means, according to him, the young baby boomers who are in the middle of those who are older than them, who went through the civil rights of the 60's and lived through the 70's while still very young. They are older than Generation X, the hip-hop culture, the saggy pants and all that.
He says that the deal is they are still trying to hold onto some of the values that they had to deal with, that the older baby boomers put them through...he said they are going to try to mandate some things in this 21st Century.
He is advocating a "Pull Up Your Pants "campaign. He wants to get a dialogue going with anyone that wants to participate. He spoke to the Metro Council and ask them for a show of hands of how many of them were affected by seeing the sag pants and talked about the "Pull up your Pants" environment . Everybody raised their hands and he heard murmurs of agreement from the audience.
He was asked if he thought there should be laws against sag pants. He said he is not advocating laws but thinks it can be handled by dialogue and proposed a resolution that would encourage discussion. He made it clear that he is not just targeting African Americans (he is African American) he wants it talked about across the board.
I know that at Meredith-Dunn we had a dress code and absolutely no sag pants was in the code. Even though the uniform pants were khaki, some of the boys pulled them down as far as they could, to the point that their underwear showed, and then had to be sent to the office for dress code violation. As soon as they got out of the sight of the office, they pulled them down again. So much quality teaching time was spent trying to get them to obey the rules that I did a pants ,belt, tuck- in -shirt check as they entered class and if it had to be addressed again there was extra homework assigned to make up for the lost teaching time. I didn't see too many sag pants during my classes.
MeShorn said he wants to empower people to say, listen, I see something I don't like and I want to effect change. He wants to encourage people that they can effect change by saying something. He mentioned the Dooney "Da Priest" CD that inspired him to get involved. The rap version that explains the different talking points of saggy pants piqued his interest. The sag pants style was started in prisons by the homosexuals and it was to indicate to fellow prisoners that the prisoner wearing sag pants was already "taken" by another.
MeShorn says his intention is to bring the issue of "saggy pants" to the whole community, state or country as public indecency awareness,to encourage more responsible and accountable adults, men, women, parents, mothers, fathers, wives or girlfriends that this is unacceptable form of expression.
I applaud his idea and hope it gets results. He has an e-mail address : ) pullyourpantssup@ garmy.com
I wonder what happens when the saggy pantsers have to run out of the way of harm or danger. Do they leave a trail of pants in their wake?
Ciao
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