The Observer reported the news today: “A 49-year-old Shelby man died this weekend in a motorcycle accident in Gaston County … the accident occurred around 7:30 p.m. Saturday … alcohol was not a factor in the crash …”

For the seventh time over the past three years, someone I know has died at the hands of a motorcycle. I witnessed the combined funerals of a husband-and-wife in Ashland, just prior to the last OCW event. Both were officers of the law … off-duty, enjoying a “second honeymoon”, as such. And they lost their lives at the wheel of a single motorcycle crash.
The culprit? A blown tire!

Look … it doesn’t matter who you are, or whether you ride a hawg (Harley) or motorized bicycle (Yamaha), you’ve gotta remember how dangerous the drivin’ can be! Now, before anyone jumps into my comment box to rip my head off, lemme tell ya that I dig bein’ behind the wheel of a heavy-horsepower hog; the feel of freedom is totally unmatched. And I’m definitely not puttin’ cyclist down for a moment. In fact, for the most part, they’re more skilled and aware than other drivers.

Now, we’re all gonna miss Ricky — in fact, our hearts go out to the entire Ivey family. But this tragedy brings a major “heads-up” for every biker:

No matter where you’re goin’ on yer wheels, make absolutely sure that everything on your bike is in TOP CONDITION! If you’ve got even the slightest worry about your tires’ wear, or your carb’s cleanliness, brakes or whatever, just park it and take the car. Or walk.

When you’re on the road, PAY ATTENTION!! It only takes yer mind to wander once to hit, spinout or roll. And remember — there aren’t any seat belts or roll bars to help ya!

Lastly (and I can hear bikers all the way to L. A. sayin’ this. In fact, a dude fresh off the Sturgis run told me this one), “KNOW YER BIKE LIKE YOU WANNA KNOW YER WOMAN/MAN!” I wanna include, KNOW YOUR ROUTE LIKE THE BACK OF YOUR HAND!

We can’t afford any more deaths like we experienced Saturday, folks! So, sure … enjoy the ride; but keep it safe, okay?

KEEPIN’ IT FIT AND TRIM

Now, while we’re keepin’ our bikes sleek and fine-acting, so we should do the same for ourselves! Of course, there are loads of diet supplements and helps to get you into the shape and style you want; but, of all these, only one site can give you the lowdown on the top brands. They review the best diet pills, the pros and cons (if any) of each, their ingredients, and even give you links on where to buy them for less! And get this: They even go so far as to list some effective weight loss tips for you~

But you’ll find even more when you click on the link I’m about to give you. So, if you’re in the market for the best in diet aids, but don’t know where to go, just click on this link which will start off by telling you more about the popular supplement, Trimspa.
All in all, you’ll really appreciate this site for giving you the “heads-up” and info you need to make the best choice! So take a moment (after you’re finished here) to click there, okay??

Now — where were we?? OHHH yeah; the debate!!

On the one hand, you had a “rookie” — on the other, a guy who’s seen the inside of Capitol Hill since 1972. Not a lotta folks were expecting much from Sarah Palin as she went toe-to-toe with Joe. For some reason, America still has a bit of sexist quality about it, and thought Biden would have a field-day against his Republican opponent.

But …

a few minor gaffes aside, I thought Mrs. Palin did an excellent job in holding her own!! But she did more than that; she added some homespun wit and comfortability! Forget about the looks for a minute; she made the debate (dare I say this?) downright enjoyable!!

Granted, it’s gonna take a lot more than that to win the election; after all, she does have an investigation hangin’ over her head back home in Alaska (the courts just denied a request by Republicans to stop their look into her alleged “abuse-of-power”). She also needs to bone up on her facts a little, and stop just okayin’ McCain’s policy. After all, she’s already at odds with John over his input about Michigan. She’s gotta tell how she feels about every issue … and make sure she knows the issues inside-and-out to give a qualified, educated answer.

Still, it was good to see Biden’s face when he realized “Hey … she’s smarter than I THOUGHT!” And he’s gotta stick with the issues today … we don’t wanna hear as much about him (heck … we can always Google® his name if we wanna learn more) as we do about gettin’ outta Iraq, how to handle the problems facing the elderly, those with no insurance, and taxes.

But they both did moderately well, concerning it was their first televised debate.

So, what did you think??  Lemme know …

Anyway … we’ve got that debate comin’ up in a few hours, and I’ve gotta get in my two-cents’ worth (hey … don’t knock it; it’s all I have left after goin’ to Office Depot for new software!):

First, lemme say that — as it looks right now – yes, I’m votin’ for Obama this November (ya can’t tell what’ll come out or up between now and then, natch …).  But, as far as tonight goes …

I hope Sarah Palin kicks Joe Biden’s AXX!!  Y’see, it seems the media world (and, thus, the people who believe them) have placed her into three sexist categories:  (1) the “little, ignorant housewife who doesn’t know anything real politicians do”, (2) the “hockey mom who didn’t raise her daughter right” or (3) “sexy, alluring, former cheerleader.”   

And it’s all … well, ya know that stuff that bulls do when they have to go to the bathroom?  Yeah … now ya got it!

So, by utilizing her existing knowledge (and she does have that!) and the training she’s gettin’ for tonight’s gabfest, I’m hopin’ she’ll do such a good job that it’ll leave egg on every face that’s put the lady down.
Granted (and especially if she touts the Republican standard), she’ll be pushin’ the wrong agenda, but … just this once … I’d like to see Joe stutter and hem-and-haw in awe of this woman …

More later. Now I’m goin’ back to workin’ on my PC …

Yeah, I caught the mistake from yesterday’s post …

or … was it a mistake?

Y’see, when readin’ the Observer’s January write-up about “five resolutions”, ya coulda thought “Hmph … th’ old man’s losin’ his eyesight!”  Orrrr …

Truth is, I know what it really said; my goal was to see if anybody caught the “gaffe” and maybe — just maybe — saw a relation between the actual article and what I posted.

RESOLUTIONS.  Generally made on or just before New Year’s Day, they’re hard to keep unless you’ve got some serious determination behind ‘em!  They can change your life for the better …

REVOLUTIONS.  Generally made on or just after a distasteful and confining situation, they’re hard to maintain unless you’ve got some serious determination behind ya!  They can change the world for the better …

The greatest revolutionaries came from rock-n-roll (which, by the way, started as a revolution in itself. Think Elvis here, as just one early example)
But the revolutionary … the one that turned so many people on to this thing called peace when the few were still pushin’ for more killing in the ‘Nam, was John Lennon (btw, contrary to popop, he didn’t drop his given middle name, Winston, for Yoko.  He did it ’cause he despised Winston Churchill, for whom he was midnamed!  Since he and Yoko were together, he decided to “fill the name gap” in her honor!)

But John couldn’t've gotten anywhere … with or after The Beatles … without first making some serious resolutions.  We know the ones that evolved into The Fab Four — but one that he took very seriously was to use his name and fame, for what it was worth, to spread the word and actions of peace and harmony! 

So, while ya might look at the prior post as a gaffe, I’m hoping, instead, that you’ll read it with an open-mind.  A revolution is just a resolution with some curves straightened out.

Why not resolve to start a revolution?  VOTE … SPEAK UP … CHANGE YOUR THOUGHTS AND ACTIONS FOR THE BETTER … DO SOMETHING THAT’LL PROMOTE PEACE, whether in your WORLD, your COMMUNITY or your HOME …

it’s the most honorable one of all …

They recently printed a piece called 5 Ways To Start A Revolution that I wish everybody would take the time to download and read.
There are a coupla points they make that can really shake things up, both in your personal life as well as in the Queen City’s, if we take the time to use ‘em!

Now, maybe it won’t seem as stirring as the photo on your right, but it can be just as important personally:
For example, get out there and CHANGE SOMETHING!! 
How often do we look at what’s goin’ on around us, whether it be in Myers Park, uptown, Pineville, West Blvd. or Derita and figure “well, that’s for somebody else to handle!”
Well, guess what?  “Somebody else” is thinkin’ exactly the same thing!  And, before ya know it, you’ve got that great “Tammany Ring” cartoon in action (awww, c’mon … look it up!).  Of course, in that case, nothin’s gonna be done!
So get involved!  Whether it’s something that needs to be addressed in the city or in your private life, CHANGE SOMETHING!

The other is LIVE DANGEROUSLY.  Now, I woulda used a little better wording, like LIVE DARINGLY!!  Though they give some unusual examples, one says Get in the game!  Brother, this whole friggin’ life is a game we’ve gotta play in order to get ahead or get some movement in society.  And we can’t do it by sittin’ on the sidelines!  We’ve gotta get to town meetings, support groups, local festivals, contribute to our favorite charities, and get involved with what’s happening here! 

And when all’s said and done, and thousands of Charlotteans can breathe a sigh of accomplishment, you’re gonna see a change in this city … and in ourselves individually … that’ll make us proud …

MOVIN’ ON UP

Okay, let’s say it is “to the east side”, as the song says. Maybe you’re planning on movin’ to SC, or some town in the midwest. You’ve got all your plans made, your boxes packed; now you’ve gotta deal with rentin’ a truck, insurance, have gas money, get return points and …
WHOA! That’s not gonna be necessary!
Y’see, there’s a company that’ll not only move ya, but will save you money in the process! In fact, their gasoline charges are built into their quotes, which you can request online (I’ll give ya the link in a second).
They’ll also give you not two days (as most movers will, if ya bend their arms!) but three to pack and load (or unload, when you reach your destination).
Behind the link, you’ll also find some great tips to help you in your move … even a moving blog to help keep you updated and informed.
So, before ya start worryin’ about who’s gonna move ya, it’ll be worth your while to check out the best moving services in the nation (hey … since 1923! Need I say more??).
Do it now … and be ready for a great and completely satisfying move!

Actually, it does have a familiar ring to it. While I’m jottin’ down these notes (having already read a nice book while waitin’. Somethin’ called War and Peace …), I hark back (awww, c’mon … somebody out there’s still gotta “hark” a bit!) to the dayz followin’ Hurricane Hugo.

Lemme see a show of hands of how many remember that mess!  Okay … now, how many of you were stuck in line down in Pineville, waitin’ to pull up to the Handy Pantry pumps and fill up?  Y’see, we’d already planned to put up some new transformers (in fact, more than meets the eye …) on Saturday the 23rd (of September.  1989.  Ya still  with me??).
Well, when Hugo finally hit (and, believe me, it was sudden!  Just ask the folks at WSOC, where, at around 5 AM, the vicious wind actually threw reporter BJ Harrison into the wall as she was comin’ in for work!  A moment before, stillness.  A second later, eatin’ brick!), we knew those rascals hadta go up immediately!  Thus, we became the only spot on the local map with power — thus, workable gas pumps.

If it weren’t for our newspaper, The Charlotte Observer, and the reporters at WSOC-TV and FM/AM, I can guarantee ya that things would’ve been a lot harder to deal with! These folks came through with more than news: they were there to field calls, direct citizens to the right resources, and drew public attention to the areas that had the most damage, along with ways we could help.  SOC, in fact, was giving continuous radio coverage from the minute the storm hit … and walked many of us (though by battery-operated sets) through the preps and patience needed to “ride it out.” 

THIS IS BARELY DIFFERENT, in that it’s still a hardship caused by a lotta stiff and strong wind (mostly outta Washington!).  We’re lined up here at the pumps, waitin’ for gas, wondering if it’ll be the same soon with supermarkets!  Frustration turns to rage as we’re trapped between (hold on.  Lemme check.  Okay, here it’s an) SUV and burgundy Saturn (and, in just a few minutes, I’ll be wonderin’ how much that driver wants his car … lol), the gas needle almost on “E” and needing to go to the bathroom …

But, at the helm of sanity you’ll still find the Observer, helping us through this nonsense (they’ve even asked readers to send or call in spots where the gas is easier to obtain!  Convenience stores, gas stations, Taco Bells … anywhere!)  I’m tellin’ ya (and this Relic’s been all around this USofA and more …), we’ve got the very best newspaper in America right here in Crown Town!!

WHY NOT GO CRUISIN’?

No, I’m not talkin’ about lookin’ for gas … I’m talkin’ about the real deal; taking a bonafide,  enjoyable, affordable cruise! 
What??  Y’say it costs too much?? Hmph … not if ya click on the link I’m about to give ya!  Y’see, these folks provide the best cruises to some fab destinations … and for MUCH less than you’d expect to pay at your local git-and-go (ie, “travel tour”) stores!
For example, could ya handle four days and three nights at Walt Disney World … for as low as $199?  Or how about three days, two nights in Las Vegas for as low as $179? 
AHA!!! Caught your eye on those!  Now, what about the Caribbean, and pesky passport waits, and travel insurance and stuff?  Think you’re gonna have to look on your own?  WRONG!!  They’ll even help ya figure all that out, too!
Believe me, it’s an amazing site … one that’ll put you on a cruise liner and on your way to a memorable vacation cruise and still have money in your pocket!
So why not check it out now?? You’ll be really pleased to find the best cruises to fit your budget! So click on that link now, and get ready to enjoy a bit of paradise!

Fortunately, a park spokesman says they’re still gonna open the Led Zeppelin “Whole Lotta Love” and Eagles “Life In The Fast Lane” roller coasters again next year.

Man, don’t these cats understand??  They could’ve kept that bankruptcy wolf away from their door if the suits had spent only according to expected receipts.  Then, you’ve gotta give it about three to five years for the park to really start turnin’ a healthy, continuous profit!  Geez … (and they call themselves “businessmen”?)

Look — thousands of great acts gave it all they had to make it, and this park was an ultimate tribute. So DON’T TAKE AWAY THE ROCKFEST! (Man, it’s gettin’ scary out there!  First, the Wall Street bailout mess.  Then, word that Geffen Records and Sony Entertainment are plannin’ a new, updated Partridge Family for TV … which means (gulp!) another potential Danny Bonaduce.  Then this hits the newswire.  Geez …)

Back with more in just a bit …

One of the first things I hadta do in order to make the house work for us was run down to the hardware store and pick up everything from paint to screwdrivers, hammers and nails — and plenty of door and cabinet knobs!  Though Pineville had a fine hardware store of its own, I decided to go to the one that Daddy had always relied on in his pump business:  Myers Park Hardware.
Naturally, they “fixed me right up” with what I needed, and at a good price!  It was a store that not only was efficient, business-wise, but had a distinctly home-town feel to it!

And it continued to have that ambience throughout the decades.  Now that it’s closing, Charlott … no, Carolinians (from both states) … are gonna be missing not only a piece of history … they’re gonna be missing a piece of their hearts.

Y’see, the “hometown” feel that Myers Park Hardware radiated — that, “I know you, you’re a friend, c’mon in and let’s chat while you’re shoppin’” attitude is almost gone in megalopolitan America.  Concrete-and-steel are quickly replacing the friendly hardwood floors; Joe, Cecil and Bob are being replaced by customer 1001, 546 and 320; the friendly salesperson is being phased out by buttons to push for robotic messages. 

The loss of the hometown touch — it ain’t gonna be pretty when it’s all gone.  Let’s just be sure we don’t lose it in our hearts.

The folks at Myers Park Hardware never did … and they’re really gonna be missed.  God bless ‘em in their new endeavors.  They truly were — and are — our friends …

But few people outside our own Queen City know that the author of that classic — Napoleon Culp (aka Nappy Brown) was Charlotte-born-and-bred.
Nappy passed away here on Saturday at the age of 78. I’d had the honor of meeting this legend a few times over the years — he was a walkin’ encyclopedia of the blues — and have to say that his mere presence made you feel relaxed and down-home.

Nappy started his career as a gospel singer and first recorded on Savoy Records in ‘54. They liked what they heard and asked him to be one of their solo Rhythm-and-Blues artists. So, in 1955, his “Don’t Be Angry” not only made it to #2 on the R&B charts, but #25 on pop charts!, It was followed by “Pitter Patter” (hitting #10 on the R&B charts but covered by Patti Page on the pop charts), “Little By Little” (#57 R&B in 1957), “It Don’t Hurt No More” (#8 R&B, #89 pop, 1958) and “I Cried Like A Baby” (recorded in 1956, it hit #22 R&B in 1959). He left the label in 1962, and tried several comebacks, recording for other labels in 1969, 1984, 1987 — and cutting his last album in 2007.

No doubt that this man, like Wilbert Harrison, Arthur Smith and others, has provided a musical legacy that has put Charlotte on the musical map for life. He’s gonna be missed, both in the QC and the world. RIP, my friend — for all you’ve accomplished (and, at one time, giving a bit of inspiration and confidence to a nine-year-old boy from Pineville), you deserve it!

DRUG ADDICTION’S BIGGEST ENEMY

Y’know, there’s been a lotta talk in the QC about the drug menace — and the people who fall victim to it!  They need the help of trained, caring professionals to break free of its grip and continue to live happy, clean lives.
But, in getting that help, sometimes they’re faced with a one-treatment-fits-all program from therapists — and that just doesn’t work! Not only do addicts need a treatment program that fits them psychologically as well as physically; they also need caring, one-on-one help from dedicated and sincere professionals.

Now, there’s one place where they not only get the best in drug treatment but will also have the caring, one-on-one therapy they really need. But this drug treatment center isn’t only highly successful; it’s also one that’s dependable for follow-up counseling and assistance and helps in one area that’s often overlooked: counsel and instruction for families of the addict! It also helps that it’s nestled in the most beautiful, placid surroundings in the nation! (Believe me, environment — both outer and in-house — is essential to any healing process!)
So if you, or someone you know, needs help in overcoming the demons of drug addiction, just click on those links I just gave you … I highly recommend them!! Believe me, it’s the best move you could make to regaining control and happiness in life! Do it now, okay?

Normally, I don’t watch a lot of TV these days — mainly due to my schedule as blogger and The Rock Relic.  But, last night, I just had to make time!

The Emmy Awards were more than glamor, fashion and fancy speeches this time; by God, it actually showed a bit of personality and heart!
By now, we all know who won and who didn’t, but there were some dynamite highlights:

For example, when Tommy Smothers won an Emmy on behalf of The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour.  Natch, he rambled like the “confused kid” he portrayed for so many years (in reality, Tom has a keen business mind and is quite intellectual).  But he did something that, common for the Smothers, is uncommon in awards shows:  He spoke “PEACE”:

“It’s hard for me to stay silent when I keep hearing that peace is only attainable through war. And there’s nothing more scary than watching ignorance in action,” he said, dedicating his award to “all people who feel compelled to speak out, and are not afraid to speak to power, and won’t shut up and refuse to be silenced.”

Then, a bit later, they had a reunion of all the surviving cast of Rowan and Martin’s Laugh-In … and, although the camp might be wearin’ a bit then, it was worth it all just to see Gladys Hornby and Earnestine back in true form!
Their set looked as if it’d been saved from the original show … and the audience loved every minute of it!

Now, while they also had the inimitable Mary Tyler Moore and Betty White to announce Best Comedy Series — and what an honor it was to see these two legends back together again — the show outdid itself when the Matador’s March started playing.  The audience, both TV and live, knew that it could only signal “Mr. Warmth”, Don Rickles was coming to the stage! 
Surely enough, he came out along with comedienne Kathy Griffin, who yelled to the audience, “GET UP!  Get on your FEET!”  After a lengthy standing-ovation, Rickles went into his routine (part teleprompted, part ad lib) and had Griffin in tears with laughter!  Not a small feat … but only he could do that!  He won two Emmys last night, btw.

I hope everyone had a great time watchin’ the show.  If ya wanna talk more about it or have any remarks, just leave ‘em in the Comments section here.

But, for now, I’ve gotta run (loads of work to catch up on).  So I’ll see ya tomorrow, okay?