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Monday’s Mail

– May 15, 2012Posted in: Amanda Denton, Columns

 

 

There are many columns out there that provide great public services whether they shine the light on the horrific lives of stay at home moms or take it upon themselves to consume the world’s supplies of butter so the rest of us don’t die of heart attacks, they are bright spots in a society today that seems constantly heading down the toilet.

I think we can all agree, this is not one of them.

As I sit here enjoying a meal of dry Special K and kicking the teenage ass of the Jeopardy players I thought it’s about time I changed that.

Then I got the final Jeopardy question wrong and said screw it, I’m going to tell everyone what I got in the mail today instead.

Let’s do this.

First off we’ve got a lovely notice from the home warranty place letting me know that the credit card I’ve got on file is no longer valid. Which means only one thing; Jessica Owens of Kalamazoo, Washington finally wised up. Serves her right for leaving her credit card in the parking lot of a northern Kentucky gas station.

Next up is something quite juicy if I say so myself. That’s right folks, Grand Canyon Trust has learned of my great love of the Grand Canyon. They are so impressed with my endless dedication, loyalty, and faithfullness (this sentence has been brought to you by dictionary.com) that they extended me an incredible opportunity to give them money. The rest of the letter involves something about noisy helicopters and enterprising resort building Native Americans. Call me crazy but I’m not too keen on denying Native Americans anything involving land so I’m going to have to go ahead and pass on this idea. Sorry Grand Canyon, enjoy the casino. Word of advice, always bet on black.

This brings us to the pinnacle of today’s mail. A collection of paper bound with staples  that I know every postal worker that touches it in its glossy glory can’t help but take a moment and enjoy bounties.

That’s right friends, it’s the Camping World 8th Annual Grillfest catalog. Did you hear me? It’s Grillfest time!

Let’s crack open this bad boy. Oooohhh, Camping World decides to go big or go home and opens the Grillfest catalog with one of the biggest names in grilling, the Colemans. They all look so sleek with their red aluminum lids and their plastic wheels. Someone get me a fan!

It’s difficult to eat without a table so of course Camping World offers a NEW! 4-IN-1 table. So sexy. Move over Victoria’s Secret models, there’s a new game in town.

Everyone knows that Memorial Day barbecue so it only seems right that we turn a couple pages and find everything for all your Memorial Day decorating needs. We’ve got stars and stripes windsocks, and tableclothes,  and awning rope lights (oh yea baby), and what’s that? Oh my how exciting! It’s a patriotic bag chair. You can plop your ass down and show your pride in our fine nation at the same time. God Bless America.

As I flip through this goodie bag I come across words that are always good news- BACK BY POPULAR DEMAND! What is this product that campers worldwide have been clamoring for? That’s right it’s Odorlos Holding Tank Treatments!!!!!! It is environmentally safe, contains no formaldehyde, and speeds up the natural composting process by preventing hydrogen sulfide gases. It’s like I always say, nothing ruins a party faster than hydrogen sulfide gases. Thank you Odorlos Holding Tank Treatments, I am so glad you are back.

Our review of my mail is almost over but before I wrap up I want to draw attention to an item that I hold dear to my heart. That item, friends, would be the deluxe pet basket. I can not tell you how many times I was riding my bike around town and thought, damnit if I could just find a way to let Bronco ride along with me by sitting precariously in a basket on my handlebars. If only, oh to dream. And then my dreams were answered. I can’t tell you what it has done for the dog/owner relationship, especially when I went ahead and also purchased the Deluxe Love Glove. Nothing says you care about your pet than gently caressing them with the love glove, working out the days troubles, whisking away all the burrs and dirt. I’m getting a little misty eyed here, excuse me.

I’m so glad you could all join me in this adventure. Stay tuned next week when I will take out the trash! Until then, happy days and love gloves all around.

 

Amanda Denton

Tags: Amanda Denton
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Cartoon

– May 15, 2012Posted in: Cartoon

Tags: cartoon, Drew Sterling, humor, political humor
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The Music of Our Lives

– May 14, 2012Posted in: Brett Buckner, Columns

 

 

Music has played a huge part in my life.

I got my first kiss at a fifth grade lock-in while slow dancing to Bon Jovi’s “Never Say Goodbye” off the seminal Slippery When Wet. When my house burned down, the only thing I actually mourned was the loss of my KISS records.

I got dumped right  before junior prom while Cinderella’s “Heartbreak Station” played  in the background and discovered that nihilism can be cool thanks to  Bad Religion’s “Stranger than Fiction,” which had lyrics like Procreation without gain or purpose/languid wills and torpid minds/catapulted  ever faster by the arrow  of time.

I got into my first fight at a Slayer concert … only to realize that I was the only one fighting. And I can still remember my first ever shipment of tapes from Columbia House’s 12-for-1-penny promotion that included the  likes of W.A.S.P., Joan Jett, Iron Maiden, KISS, Ratt, Keel, Y & T, Krokus, Pat Benatar and Stryper.

The only “Our Song” I was ever involved in choosing was “Love of  a Lifetime” by Firehouse (she wanted “Eternal Flame” by the Bangles) and I got an autograph from Kip Winger in a Woolworth’s  where he was reading a Hit Parader magazine.

I dove down the rabbit hole of a CD completest (meaning if I like a disc, or heck even a song for one band, I had to then own everything they ever  put out, which was especially difficult when I discovered Motorhead) because  this  girl made fun of me for not  knowing  who the Ramones were.

The first CD I ever bought  was Tom Petty “Live” because I confused “Don’t Do Me Like That” with “The Break-Up Song” by the Gregg Kihn Band after looking like a fool and singing the chorus for the dude  working the counter at MusicLand.

And while hair metal was the lynchpin of my formative years (I’m a child of the ‘80s), it’s no longer  the  lone driving force. I fell forever in love with My Lovely Wife because she knew the word’s to “Informer” by Snow (all I knew  was “licky  boom-boom  down) and would spontaneously break into “Regulators” by Warren G.

She’s the only person I’ve ever met who might have more songs rolling around her head than me – though her musical stylings lean more toward Indigo Girls, Loggins & Messinna and the Sister Act 2 soundtrack. I actually bought her the Easy Rock CD set from all those infomercials for our first Christmas. To wrap up her tastes in a nutshell – My Lovely Wife loves The Beatles, but only albums before Sgt. Pepper.

But I fear our shared musical obsession has transferred to Jellybean’s DNA. As the Go-Go’s might say … “she got the beat.” From Glee to Disney, Grease 2 (Awesome, and possibly the most unintentionally funny movie since  Urban Cowboy) to Little Shop of  Horrors, if there’s music, Jellybean will watch it. And she’ll listen to just about anything – save for Judas Priest which she  calls “Screaming Man.”

And if she hears it once, it’s stuck in her  head ‘til something else comes along  to knock it  out  of there, which mainly punishes  the  parents  for she  usually only remembers the  chorus. That’s why she’s been walking around for the past three days going, “Who let the dogs out? Who? Who?” and “We will/We will/Rock You (occasionally adding “F-O-R-E-V-E-R”).

She also makes up her own songs with a bunch of nonsiquiters with titles like, “This is My Love who is a Zombie but looks like a Cute Little Puppy Dogs” whose lyrics make about a much since as 90s-era REM.

Those are cute. It’s this recent musical mystery that’s steadily driving the entire household mad. We’ve been told it’s a song she learned in chapel but nobody at school knows the real song. Meanwhile, Jellybean’s constantly bouncing around the house singing, “Roll of God of cherry in of all/roll of God of cherry in of all/and we lock tag a line behind.”

And you’ve gotta do that first part twice or she makes you sing the whole thing over again.

This is the price musically inclined parents pay and fortunately Jellybean’s tastes are as cheesy as ours.

 

Brett Buckner is an award-winning freelance newspaper/magazine writer who was raised in Albany.

Tags: Bret Buckner, Parenting
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VINTAGE ALBANY: J.D. Gortatowsky

– May 14, 2012Posted in: Headlines, Vintage Albany

 

Young Gorty in 1903, Center: the painting Fete Nocturne,  Right: Ciro’s nightclub in NYC with Herman Hover Louella Parsons and J. D. Gortatowsky in 1955  


Jacob Dewey Gortatowsky was born in Albany in 1885, the son of Prussian (Germany later Poland)  immigrant Morris D. Gortatowsky and Mary Casper Gortatowsky of Griffin, Georgia, Morris had first married been married to Mary Plonsky who died shortly after arriving in the US. The family had left Prussia and come to America, settling in Georgia in 1874.

Young Jacob, called Jake, was one of several children in a family that played a large and successful part in many Albany businesses of the past. Jake’s brothers Issac and Adolph owned a theater (the Rawlings Opera House nee Liberty Theater) and an insurance company and later managed the Albany Theater. Two of his brothers managed the A.W. Muse Company on Broad. The family was an integral part of Albany in the late 1800’s and well into the 1900’s.  Jakes Father, originally a rag and hide dealer, managed to become a plantation owner here. The Gortatowsky family was also instrumental in bringing Turner Air Force base to Albany.  The entire family, each member in their own way, helped to improve their hometown.

Young Jacob attended North Georgia College at Dahlonega. After leaving school he became an unpaid cub reporter at the Atlanta Constitution. After a year in Atlanta Gortatowsky returned to Albany and worked for the Albany Herald. He then worked for the Macon Telegraph, the Atlanta Georgian and then the Birmingham News.  By the time Gortatowsky (also called “Gorty”) reached the age of 25, he had returned to the Atlanta Constitution as their managing editor.

While at the Atlanta Constitution, Gortatowsky criticized the King Features comics owned by William Randolph Hearst. Hearst told Gortatowsky that if he knew so much about comic syndication that he should come to New York and run the company (Southern Israelite).

Gortatowsky did indeed move to New York and became head of “King Features” the syndicated comics that brought the world such comic classics as Betty Boop, Popeye, Blondie and later on Spiderman and many more. “Gorty” built King Features into the largest comic syndication in the world, in circulation in more than 50 countries and including 33 comics at that time.

Gortatowsky eventually moved up and became general manager of Hearst Newspapers (Georgia Trend Magazine/Ed Lightsey.) Gortatowsky gave up that position in 1955 to Harold G. Kern, while William Randolph Hearst Jr. became Editor in Chief. Gortatowsky then became Chairman of the board of Hearst Consolidated Publications and remained in that position until his death at the age of 78 in 1964.

It was said that Gortatowsky’s Manhattan office at Hearst publications was so unassuming that it did not even have his name on the door and was tucked away in a back hall. The only thing notable about his office was a miniature American flag on his desk, which was common to all offices in the Hearst building. Gortatowsky was known for his ready smile and his unobtrusive manner. Because of his job with Hearst, Gortatowsky frequently rubbed elbows with the rich and famous. He was seen at the Ciro Club in NYC with the biggest stars of their day, Marilyn Monroe, Nat King Cole and many more.

During his tenure at Hearst publications, Gortatowsky was a frequent visitor to William Randolph Hearst’s famous San Simeon estate in California. On many occasions Gortatowsky had admired a painting by French painter Francois Flameng called, Fete Nocturne owned by Hearst. Every time he saw the painting he would remark that one of the three women in the painting greatly resembled his wife Sadie (Sarah Overand). Hearst gave the painting to Gortatowsky as a gift. After Gortatowsky’s death his nephew Maurice Gortatowsky gave painting to the Albany Museum of Art where it can still be seen today.

 

 

Betty Rehberg is the historian for the Albany Journal and maintains a group on Facebook called Vintage Albany Georgia.

 

Tags: Betty Rehberg, Fete Nocturne, Hearst publications, J.D. Gortatowsky, Jacob Dewey Gortatowsky, Jake (Gorty) Gortatowsky, vintage albany, Vintage Albany Georgia, Vintage Albany Georgia Facebook Group, William Randolh Hearst
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Obituaries

– May 14, 2012Posted in: Obituaries

 

 

Robert S. Castleberry, 77

Robert S. Castleberry, 77, of Leesburg, Ga., died May 11, 2012 at Phoebe Putney Memorial Hospital.  Funeral services will be conducted Tuesday at 11 a.m. at Mathews Funeral Home.  Pastor John Powell will officiate.  Interment will follow in Providence Primitive Baptist Church Cemetery in Worth County, Ga.

A native of Doles, Ga., Mr. Castleberry was born to the late Aubrey and Lilah Houston Castleberry.  He grew up in Doles and attended Albany High School and graduated from Sylvester High School.  After graduation, he attended Georgia Southwestern College and served in the United States Navy.

Mr. Castleberry was employed with Bell South Telephone Company as an electronic technician for thirty seven years and was a lifetime member of The AT&T Pioneers.  He was a Baptist by faith and was a member of The Loyal Order of The Moose.  He was preceded in death by his brother, Wayne Castleberry.

Survivors include his wife, Betty Castleberry of Leesburg, Ga., three children, Glen Castleberry of Leesburg, Ga., Carol Rudd of Arabi, Ga. and Angela Doyle of Leesburg, Ga., two step-children, Lonnie Mark Jacobs and his wife, Laura of Crisp County, Ga. and Karen Jacobs of Leesburg, Ga., a sister, Linda Shepard of Jupiter, Fla., six grandchildren, Jeremy Castleberry and his wife, Emily of Augusta, Ga., John Doyle, Matthew Castleberry and his wife Ashley, Nathan Arnold, Sarah Arnold and John Michael Castleberry all of Leesburg, Ga. and three step-grandchildren, Timothy Hall, Matthew Hall and Lonnie Mark Jacobs, Jr.

The family will receive friends Monday from 6 p.m. until 8 p.m. at Mathews Funeral Home.

An online guestbook is at www.mathewsfuneralhome.com.

 

Guy Knighton, 57

Guy Knighton, 57, of Lee County, Ga. died May 10, 2012 at Phoebe North Medical Center.  Funeral services will be held Monday, May 14, 2012 at 11 a.m. at Mathews Funeral Home.  Rev. Ken Chancellor will officiate.

A native of Hilton, Ga., Guy had resided in Lee County for the past fifteen years moving from Albany. He was a Paper Technician at Procter and Gamble and was a member of Lakeside Baptist Church, member of Georgia Sportsman Club and Loyal Order of Moose. He was preceded in death by his parents, Ned Alvin Knighton and Addie Elaine White Knighton.

Survivors include a son, Samuel Guy Knighton Jr., a daughter, Kaili Wren Hickle both of Lee County, Ga.; sister and husband, Patricia and Jim Houston of Lee County, Ga.; two nephews, Brian Wester of Valdosta, Ga. and Blake Wester of Savannah, Ga.; Step-mother, Betty Jean Knighton of Albany, a dear friend, Pam Griffin of Lee County, Ga.

The family will receive friends following the service at Mathews Funeral Home.

An online guestbook is at www.mathewsfuneralhome.com.

 

James H. “Diamond Jim” Langdale, 82

James H. “Diamond Jim” Langdale, 82, of Albany, died Saturday May 12, 2012 at the Willson Hospice House.

Funeral services will be 2 p.m. Monday, May 14, 2012 at the Crown Hill Mausoleum with visitation preceding the service at 1 p.m.  Rev. John Spencer and Mr. Ross Powell will officiate.

A native of Plant City Fla., Mr. Langdale lived in Albany the past several years and attended Sherwood Baptist Church.  He was a retired, a surveyor with the US Army Corps of Engineers.          James was preceded in death by his parents Clayton and Ouida Price Langdale and a daughter, Joan Langdale.

He is survived by his wife, Evelyn Langdale; his four daughters:  Barbara Sutton, Linda Langdale, June and her husband Bud Newlum, and Celia Reyes, his son, James and his wife Tracey Langdale; ten grandchildren; fifteen great grandchildren, his brother, Don Beach and wife Lou Anna; his two sisters: LaVon and her husband Skip Nichols, and Marie Whisman; several nieces and nephews.

In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to Willson Hospice House, 320 Foundation Lane, Albany, Ga. 31707.

An online guestbook is at www.kimbrellstern.com.

 

Janelle B. Eubanks, 71

Janelle B. Eubanks, 71, of Leesburg, Ga. died May 13, 2012 at Willson Hospice House.  Graveside funeral services will be held Wednesday at 3 p.m.  at the Leesburg City Cemetery.  Rev. Bobby Moye will officiate.

Mrs. Eubanks was a native and lifelong resident of Leesburg, Ga. and was born to the late Lawrence W. and Leslie Wisener Breeden. She was preceded in death by a granddaughter, Amber Eubanks and a sister, Valerie Breeden. She played basketball at Lee County High School and retired from Twin Oaks Elementary School where she was the cafeteria manager.  Mrs. Eubanks was a member of Kinchafoonee Baptist Church and the Loyal Order of the Moose # 1285.  She was an emeritus member of the Order of The Eastern Star, Crepe Myrtle Chapter # 163 and past president of the V.F.W. # 2785 Ladies Auxiliary.

Survivors include her husband of fifty five years, Neal Eubanks, a daughter, June L Eubanks (Richard Johnson), two sons and their wives, Calvin N. (Rachel) Eubanks Jr. and Melvin W. (Misti) Eubanks, a brother, Larry Breeden and his wife, Catherine, all of Leesburg, Ga., three sisters, Nancy Eubanks of Crisp County, Ga., Cherry Ivey and her husband, Robert of Greenville, S.C. and Myra McKinnon of Oklahoma and six grandchildren, Erin A. Eubanks, Calvin N. Eubanks III, Janelle L. Eubanks, Walker K. Johnson, Keely D. Eubanks and Kylie S. Eubanks all of Leesburg, Ga.

The family will receive friends Tuesday from 6 p.m. until 8 p.m. at Mathews Funeral Home.

Those desiring may make contributions to Giving Back Ministry, P.O. Box 435, Leesburg, Ga., 31763.

An online guestbook is at www.mathewsfuneralhome.com.

 

 

Tags: deaths, Obituaries
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School choice would actually fix DCSS

– May 14, 2012Posted in: Outlook

 

 

I know it may seem counter intuitive to many.  How can we fix the Dougherty County School System by doing the very thing many argue would destroy the system?  Well, it’s not particularly difficult, but we first must understand a couple of things.

The first thing to keep in mind is that a lot of what you’ve heard about concepts like school choice are less than accurate.  There are a lot of ways for school choice to work, and most opponents are generally digging in as a way to protect their own turf.

Second, there are multiple ways for school choice to work.  Many people automatically think “vouchers”, and that is a particularly popular notion in many segments of our society.  However, it’s also not the only one either.

The third thing to remember is that few of these option are viable for Dougherty County residents to undertake on their own. Almost all require action by the general assembly.

So, now that I’ve gone through all of that, what am I really talking about?

School choice is, basically, the ability for parents to determine their child’s educational path.  Most parents want better for their kids than they have.  A parent with a solid middle class income hopes their child has a solid upper class income.  It’s the natural state of being.

By utilizing this mechanism, and using free market principles, school choice essentially involves using market forces to push out bad schools and teachers, while at the same time rewarding good schools.

Take, for example, a community that has a good voucher program.  Any parent who wants it can obtain a voucher for their child to attend private school.  This may only be limited to the total amount the system spends per child, and that’s fine.

Using such things as a free market, schools that are performing well will see a minimal drop in attendance due to fewer parents removing their kids in search of greener pastures.  Schools that are performing poorly will naturally see a higher turnover as more and more parents pull their kids out of a sinking ship.

Private schools, as a result, will not only see an increase in enrollment, but there are likely to be many more private schools that open to meet the demand for quality education.  With a stipulation that the schools be accredited, that shouldn’t be a problem.

These market forces will, basically, shut down poor schools and reward quality schools.  If incentives are in place for a school system to keep as many students, like say the system losing funding for every student they lose to private education, and now they have to step up and perform.  Period.

Another option available is something called “backpacking” funds.  The term really just means attaching funding to an individual student for their entire education.  If a system allots $4,000 per student, then that $4,000 follows the student.  Then, you open up public schools for parents to select where their kids are going.

The result, again a result of market forces, is that fewer kids will be attending poor schools while the better schools will see an increased enrollment.  The better schools will also see an increase in funding since that $4,000 per student is guaranteed.

As schools within the system begin to compete in an effort to attract students, the real winner becomes the kids who will receive a much better education. Quality teachers, of which I know many, will be winners as well.  After all, such a measure will trim the dead weight off their profession.  Dead weight like teachers who cheat, can’t control their own classrooms, don’t understand the subjects they are teaching, all of which gives a black eye to the entire teaching profession.

Don’t get me wrong, it seems clear that Dr. Joshua Murfree has to go.  Assistant superintendent Kenneth Goseer needs to pack his belongings into a cardboard box at the same time.  However, with a system as screwed up as ours is, it’ll take a lot more than just two people hitting the road to fix the Dougherty County School System.

 

 

Tags: Assistant superintendent Kenneth Goseer, DCSS, Dougherty County School System, Dr. Joshua Murfree, Outlook
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Maybe B12 may be just what you need

– May 13, 2012Posted in: Columns, Nature's Cure

 

 

 

B12 also called Cobalamin is a water-soluble vitamin with a key role in the normal functioning of the brain and nervous system and for the formation of blood. It is one of the eight B vitamins. It is normally involved in the metabolism of every cell of the human body, especially affecting DNA synthesis and energy production. It is the largest and most structurally complicated vitamin and can only be produced through bacterial fermentation syntheses. Meaning you must have enough “friendly bacteria” in your digestive system to make B12.

The complete molecular structure for B12 was not discovered until the 1960’s. It has been prescribed for people with the autoimmune disorder Pernicious Anemia. Pernicious anemia causes damage to red blood cells and occurs when the body cannot properly absorb vitamin B12 from the gastrointestinal tract. This can be a result of poor gut health, infections from lack of intestinal flora (probiotics-good bacteria). People who have Pernicious anemia feel tired, short of breath, confused and off balance. To this day B12 is still recommended for this purpose.

Vitamin B12 is naturally present in some foods that come from animals, including fish and shellfish, liver, eggs, milk and milk products. It is also available as a dietary supplement and can be found in just about every health food store. One of the most intriguing facts about B12 is that plants and animals cannot manufacture it on their own. Plants or animals make most vitamins, but only microorganisms can make B12 – yeast, molds, algae and bacteria’s. That is an important fact to know because our digestive tract contains friendly yeast and bacteria that manufacture B12.  It is very important to make sure you are getting enough B12 because it makes red blood cells and you need those for your very survival. A good source of red blood cells helps you create energy. Plus red blood cells make up your blood!

We tend to think of B12 as an energy supplement and we should for the reasons I have mentioned, but did you know that B12 also helps you sleep. B12 provokes faster release of the sleep hormone melatonin, so you can get sleep easier. It also happens to sensitize you to waking up earlier by causing the melatonin to retreat as soon as light shines into your room, so this is a good vitamin to take if you have sleep problems!

Other symptoms of B12 deficiency are tiredness, profound fatigue and weakness, especially in the arms and legs. You may become depressed and could develop tongue, mouth or gum sores as well as pale skin and lips. Other deficiency symptoms include low appetite, confusion and forgetfulness. A shortage of B12 may also lead to easy bruising and peripheral neuropathy, a feeling of vibration or buzzing in the legs and pins and needles sensation in your hands and feet, like little bee stings everywhere but not quite that intense.

Vegetarians and vegans may become deficient in B12 because they do not eat meat. Any one who consumes alcohol on a regular basis should consider taking B12 as well.

Prescription drugs and over the counter drugs can interfere with B12 absorption. Here is a list of some of them:

  • Acid blockers such as Tagamet, Nexium, Pepcid and Pepcid Complete, Axid, Prilosec OTC, Zantac

 

  • Antacids such as Maalox, Mylanta, Tums, Rolaids, Phillips Milk of Magnesia, Alka-Seltzer

 

  • Cholesterol Medicines like Atromid-S,Zetia, Tricor, Lopid, Questran,  Colestipol, Welchol

 

  • Hormone replacement Therapy/Oral contraceptives such as Activella, Climara, CombiPatch, Estraderm, Estring, EstroGel, Menostar and many others.

 

If you have any other questions about B12 please stop by Natures Cure on Old Dawson road or call 229-446-0505

Tags: B 12, Cobalamin, Healthy living, Nature's Cure
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Web Mail

– May 13, 2012Posted in: Columns, Geek Speak

 

                Last week I hope I convinced most of you Win XP holdouts to at least consider transitioning to Windows 7sometime this year.  Maybe I should tiptoe around this next issue, but I feel I must talk to you about one more change, real soon.  I did try to nudge you on this one back in November of 2010, but now I want to openly endorse adopting Web Mail and letting POP Mail fade away.

Basically the difference is that Web Mail keeps your mail on a server and you read it from your PC through a Web browser.  With POP mail you access mail on a remote server and then download it to your PC.  Control freaks like me usually like POP because the downloaded emails are under our control as are the contact files or address book which reside on our PCs.  The old MS mail client Outlook Express is a good example of a POP mail.  Thunderbird still makes this process available in a free download from Mozilla.  (If you can’t wean yourself away from OE, download Thunderbird).

I suggested to you over a year ago that Web Mail offers one advantage that is really convenient;  that of accessing your mail and contacts from any PC, anywhere.  Since that column, more advantages have arisen.  The ease of synchronizing mail between your PC and your mobile devices is another consideration.  You can also sync across platforms more easily (Mac and Windows work better together).

The other change is that Web Mail programs have grown up, improved and added more features that make them more complete like your   old POP mail clients.

So who do you choose among the myriad Web Mail clients available?  The big three are Yahoo, Live Hotmail and Gmail.  Apple has recently entered the fray with their iCloud Mail.

If you are already using a Bellsouth or ATT mail account, it is using the Yahoo Mail server and it is easy to transition to the att.yahoo Web Mail site.  Ditch OE or Win Live Mail if you are using them and move onto Yahoo’s mail server.

If you are already using a Hotmail account and don’t like change, stick with it.  Get out of Win Live mail and move to the Web.

But if you are shopping for a Web based mail client, choose Gmail which to my mind has gradually grown since its introduction into the best overall Web mail service.  They give you plenty of free mail storage space.  Their ads are unobtrusive (not so with Yahoo).  They allow easy synching of contacts with mobile devices.  The user interface is friendly and quite readable.  They make it easy for you to group messages by Label in storage.  There are a few quirky things about the service, but they are constantly making improvements.

Overall, I pick Gmail. Try it and till next week, send your questions to:

geekspeak@mchsi.com

 

See GeekSpeak by Jim Hall at http://hallsts.com  where you may comment directly on my blog

jimhallWritten by Jim Hall. Email your questions to geekspeak@mchsi.com . You can find Jim online at HallsTrainingSolutions.com

Tags: computers, Geek Speak, GeekSpeak, http://hallsts.com, Jim Hall
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Life’s Work and What We Are Owed

– May 13, 2012Posted in: Charlie Harper, Columns

 

 

Abraham Lincoln once warned that “it is hard to verify quotes on the internet because it is hard to verify their authenticity.”  I read that on the internet so it must be true.

It is with that “quote” from Lincoln that will caveat the authenticity of two things I found on Facebook this weekend that frame a big picture debate as we struggle toward an economic rebound.

The first was a quote attributed to Mark Twain.  It said simply “Don’t go around saying the world owes you a living. The world owes you nothing. It was here first.”

Several of my friends “liked it” and a good number shared it on their wall.  A left leaning friend of mine was the first to comment on it asking “who goes around saying this?” and questioned the attribution to Twain from various right wingers.  I have no idea if Twain ever said it, but I posted it because I had just returned from my annual family reunion and it reminded me of things my dad used to say as he did his best to prepare me and my siblings for the harsh realities of life.  So if it isn’t Twain’s, I’m sure my late father would be glad to take it.

A few hours later, I ran across a note which is supposedly something Apple employees receive on their first day of work.  Apple is currently the world’s most successful publicly traded company if you judge success by shareholder value.  It is a company that was virtually insolvent just 15 years ago and is now worth more than a half trillion dollars with some of the best profit margins of any manufacturer in the world.

The note says the following:

There’s work and there’s your life’s work.

The kind of work that has your fingerprints all over it.  The kind of work that you’d never compromise on. The kind you’d sacrifice a weekend for. You can do that kind of work at Apple. People don’t come here to play it safe. They come here to swim in the deep end.

They want their work to add up to something.

Something big. Something that couldn’t happen anywhere else.

Welcome to Apple.

The backdrop as I was finding these gems on the internet was the news coming from Europe where French President Sarkozy lost to a socialist candidate promising to soak the rich with 75% tax rates rather than to continue with budget tightening austerity.  In Greece, voters threw out leaders who attempted to rescue the country from default by attempting to bring spending in line with the country’s ability to collect taxes.

Here at home, last week’s good news of the drop in unemployment was not due to new jobs being created, but by roughly a half million people leaving the workforce during April alone.  One half million people have simply given up trying to find work – much less their life’s work – in one 30 day period.

While this is traditionally and simply a left/right argument, it need not be.  Even the far left Occupy Wall Street crowd gleefully paraded around with the latest Apple MacBooks, iPhones and iPads during their encampments.  There has to be some recognition of a company that has channeled its employees to greatness.  At least on some level, we recognize the risk taking and hard work as good, and the innovation that it creates as worthy.

As consumers, we understand this.  As voters, more and more of us want to tax away those gains and redistribute it to those who have given up.

We need fewer people giving up.  But we also need more people who understand that the world doesn’t owe us anything either.

 

Charlie Harper is the Atlanta based Editor of PeachPundit.com, a conservative-leaning political website. He is also a columnist for Dublin Georgia based Courier Herald Publishing.

Tags: Charlie Harper, PeachPundit.com
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Lee County Elementary School hosted Progressive Ag Safety Day

– May 13, 2012Posted in: Press Releases


More than 250 students learned about safety on the farm

Special to the Journal 

Agriculture currently ranks as one of America’s most dangerous industries with nearly 30 deaths per 100,000 workers annually, according to the National Safety Council. Tragically, many of the victims are children. The Monsanto site in Leesburg, Ga., is working to change that and teamed up with local organizations to host a Progressive Agriculture Safety Day, where they taught 270 fourth-graders at Lee County Elementary School about potential farm dangers.

The event took place on Friday, May 4. Fifty volunteers worked with the students, including representatives from the Monsanto Leesburg site, Leesburg Police Department, Lee County Farm Bureau, the Georgia Department of Natural Resources, Lee County Fire Department, Leesburg Animal Rescue, the Lee County Public Works Department, Albany Tractor Company and the Sheriff’s Department, among others.

“This is the third consecutive year we have taken part in this event,” said Pamela Barrett, ESH tech specialist at Monsanto’s Leesburg site. “We shared safety tips with the entire fourth-grade class of 9-and 10-year-olds at Lee County Elementary School. Spending the day with them is worth it if we can help prevent even one child from becoming injured.”

Safety presentations during Agriculture Safety Day included a variety of topics, such as tractors, all-terrain vehicles, fires, animals, guns and boating.

“Farm safety is important to our students because we live in a rural, farming community,” said Donna Ford, principal at Lee County Elementary School. “Every demonstration at Progressive Ag Day is a real experience for our students. Several of the speakers discussed things that can be linked to their home lives, too. The information presented to the students can be life-long lessons.”

The Progressive Agriculture Safety Day program is a one-day, hands-on workshop that teaches school-aged children safe practices in and around agriculture. These events offer youth educational resources to promote safe farm environments and prevent health hazards and fatalities. For more information, visit http://www.progressiveag.org.

 

A Lee County firefighter extinguishes fire during safety presentation at Progressive Ag Safety Day held at Lee County Elementary School.

 

Tags: Farm safety, Progressive Ag Safety Day
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