Local Cousins-in-law

Ok--there is no official family title as cousin-in-law, but I have a lot of them around this metro area.

Cousins are often those people who little kids first make friends with outside of their siblings. First cousins are children of siblings so family get-togethers among brothers and sisters often involve cousins. So there is often a kinship among first cousins, at least.

Well just in this metro area alone, I have 14 cousins in law. And I saw almost all of them on Christmas Day for the big annual family dinner gatherin'.

I jotted down their local occupations (or other location) and here is the list:

5 are in retail sales or in corporate sales
2 are at home mommies
2 are registered nurses (RN)
1 is a police officer
1 is a firefighter
1 works at the VW plant
1 is retired and traveling to different state parks
and
1 is in prison.

My cousins in law within this area are for the most part contributors to this city/area with their own families, marriages, schools, churches, and work. 

 

Is She Really Going Out With Him

Joe Jackson came out with a song in the early 80s titled "Is She Really Going Out With Him."  Man, how many poems about love did I write influenced by this song? A lot. A lot.

Here is a video with lyrics from YouTube:

The nine senators should channel Mary Ellen Lease

So, the Republicans have won a supermajority in each of the Tennessee state houses.  Nothing can stop a supermajority imparting its will.  And there are 9 Democratic senators. In the Tennessee State Senate. Being a Democrat in the state senate is a lonely place to be.

My advice for the nine? I would take a page from the Kansan Mary Ellen Lease and shout. "Raise hell and not corn!"  If it were me as one of the nine, I would become an angry, jaded senator.

I would stage walkouts, refuse to vote, be irreverent, ridicule, accuse, burn bridges, and scorch the Earth. What is there to lose? Be redistricted? Not until 2021!

These nine shouldn't be quiet to play the game of statemanship. If they have the cojones, they need to be a pain, to be defiant, to be a dissident. That is the only power game they have left.

 

Some Trip Comments

This weekend, I went driving around a little bit. Here are some random comments:

Highway 111 N -- The Tubes sang the song "What a Beauty" and boy is the drive along highway 111 a beaut.

Crossing two plateaus, a descent into the stunning Sequatchie Valley, and a lot of open land.  From about highway 8 north of Cagle to the exit for Fall Creek Falls, there is major construction on highway 111.  It is being transformed into a divided 4-lane highway.  There is already a divided 4-lane from the Fall Creek Falls exit into Spencer. So once this is done, 4-lane highway from Spencer to highway 8; two-lanes from highway 8 through Cagle, and then a 4-lane highway from the tippy top of Cagle Mountain to Soddy-Daisy. And going north from Spencer, after breaking speed records descending Spencer Mtn., 4-lane highway to I-40 in Cookeville.

I agree with Soddy-Daisy: it would make more sense to extend highway 111 on across the Tennessee River to highway 58 for that toll bridge ole Jim Cobb used to tout.

I-40 W  to Nashville--People coming down from Spencer Mtn. just think they are done going down hill when they get on I-40 W at Cookeville.  There is quite the drop going off the Eastern Highland Rim on I-40. They built the descent on I-40 W with the least amount of money building a tall croncrete barrier to separate the divided highway going down.  But they spent a ton of money building 5 bridges to cross the winding Caney Fork River in very quick succession after the descent.

Climatologists have mapped the wind flow from the equator and some of it comes back down from the stratosphere on a line between Nashville and Cookeville.  A little extra cold moisture, anyone?

I-40 in Wilson County needs some serious renovation. Especially betweent Lebanon and Mount Juliet. The traffic is crazy. The interstate is packed. The roadbed is pockmarked. There is a need for a 6-lane divided interstate here.

Nashville 24/40 split--Not enough words without profanity to describe this engineering morass.That's why I took Briley Parkway north to I-24 N.

I-24 N to Clarksville--The trucks on this part of interstate must think they own the road. Because they sure act like it. A driver feels trapped in between the thicket of trees not only on the side of the road but in the median as well. Very eery feeling when a semi truck comes up on you at night streaming headlight beams into your space and then veering off into the passing lane. The trees hide everything.

Too me that wasn't a very good idea to leave a dark path of an interstate among the wild.

2010 Chatt State Students on 1st Amendment

Despite that these two videos in this playlist were created in 2010, I think they are still a great listen and still makes me ponder when I hear these college-student responses to what the 1st Amendment means.

Water rolling in a circle in mid-air: February 28, 2011

2011 had eventful days where tornadoes touch down in the Chattanooga area. One of those days was February 28.  I left my work at 1:30 that day in order to get over to Lookout Valley High School to pick up my child when school let out at 2:15.  The drive over from Amnicola to the LV was a trying experience with wicked winds. Going around Moccasin Bend in between Lookout Mountain and the river was a huge down force.

I got in line behind other cars on Lookout Valley High School Drive. Unknown to me at the time, dismissal at 2:15 was delayed.  There was a possible tornado spotted nearby.

I found a video on YouTube that someone actually filmed the rain-wrapped tornado coming across Raccoon Mountain pumped storage station. This would be above the car line and a little to the north.  The video is embedded at the bottom of the post, but it was described by one tornado chaser as one of the best audio capture of tornadic activity.

Back to the parent line of cars waiting outside of the school, many parents, like me, did not know about the incoming tornadic storm. Suddenly, a fog descended upon the area. Rain and wind mixed rocked the cars. I saw the water rolling in a circle mid-air and then splashing with force onto the windshield. The water kept slamming down. And the car was rocking to and fro.

Suddenly, the fog and rolling water had moved on. I could see big tall trees lying on the ground.  At the time, I didn't know what I had gone through.I am thankful to the person who took this video. The sound, the wind, the water reminds me all over again that day.

Honor Lincoln Park when the Extended Central Avenue is Built

Lincoln Park. From about 1918 to about the 60s, this park was the only recreational facility for African Americans in Chattanooga. Warner Park was a white-only park.

Lincoln Park had the distinction of being the first African American park in the South with lighted softball fields. African Americans from all over the South came to the fields at Lincoln Park to be able to play softball at night.

The park grew in popularity in the late 1930s with a new swimming pool: a pool so large that it was described in the media of the time as the finest pool for Negroes anywhere in the South.
This 10-acre park also had basketball courts, playground, and a zoo.

Now sadly looking around, dilapidation rules the day in former Lincoln Park. After desegregation, the city of Chattanooga couldn't afford keeping two large parks running. The pool closed in the 60s and in 1979 the land was given to Erlanger in exchange for land in Glenwood. In 1996, a plaque was made to honor the park and a stone archway was dedicated to honor those who used the park.

Fast forward to June 2012.  The City Council approved extending Central Avenue north to Riverside Drive.  The amount of time saved for ambulances definitely justifies the extension.
But there is a lot of planning to do. I noticed that the intersection of Blackford and Central was quite busy. I think the traffic pattern will require a traffic light at that intersection.  The Blackford/Central intersection is also a strange 5-way intersection. I think one of the smaller streets will need to be closed to access Central to make it a regular 4-way intersection.
The extended Central Avenue will cross railroad property and Citico Creek.

Wouldn't it be appropriate if the City Council would honor the existence of Lincoln Park by adding signage when the new part of Central Avenue is built as the Lincoln Park Parkway?

Stuff the Bus at Live United Day at the Chattanooga Market

The point of Lookout Mountain facing downtown and the Chattanooga Market this morning was concealed by a low lying clouds.  But the clouds soon moved to a bright sunny day at the Market.

Today was United Way of Chattanooga Live United day!  I am very humbled that a Twitter conversation last year about merging the United Way's annual Stuff the Bus drive and the Hamilton County PTA Council's Teacher Supply Depot turned into reality this year. I am the president-elect of the Council.

It was very cool to see fliers and posters about Stuff the Bus that had both the Hamilton County PTA Council logo and the United Way logo on them.  All of the school supplies donated to Stuff the Bus will go to the Teacher Supply Depot. The Depot is jointly operated by both the County PTA Council and the County Deparment of Education.

 The County PTA Council had a display inside the Market. I thought this was great public relations for the Council to be a part of the United Way booths.
Media Coverage:
Hamilton County Council Facbook Photo Album: http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.350561295025749.80398.16640499677471...
Times Free Press article: http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2012/aug/20/stuff-the-bus-donors-kick-off-...
Fox 61 video: http://www.myfoxchattanooga.com/story/19319842/stuff-the-bus-supports-less-fo...

Repressed Memories from the 70s

I loved the music of the 80s. The music scenes of the 80s were one-of-a-kind. D.C., Lawrence, Little Rock, Cincinnati, and many more cities.

But I have been repressing my 70s self, it seems.

Memories from the 70s were blocked from my mind. Maybe it is that nauseating feeling I get when I hear “Ring my Bell” or other disco-maniacal songs.  Or maybe it was that nauseating feeling I got after eating lunch at my middle school. I could blame Nixon, Ford, and Carter, but then Reagan came in afterwards so bleh.  Maybe, Mork and Mindy is the root of all 70s malaise. Or the oil embargo.

But the 70s should have been the best of times.

High school was blast; even back when I was in high school. My Dad changed careers completely and everyone in my family benefited.  I was a high school letterman. I was driving an old pickup truck followed by driving, in my senior year, a cool-looking car.  There was “We will Rock You” Queen and the Who with Pinball Wizard.  Frisbee golf. Ping pong tournaments. Youth leadership in 4-H and in church conference. Good family times.  Attending a church where the many of the best looking girls in high school also attended.  Yeah, the last four years of the 70s should have overcome the drudgery from middle school and downward.  But it did not.

For the first time, this week, I voluntarily sat down and listened to England Dan and John Ford Coley.  Not a pretty sight but I recalled a lot memories. Sometimes, we all need voluntary “England Dan moments” just to recall our life, our journey. 

YouTube Video Coal Hauling

I came across this video yesterday while trolling on YouTube.  I can see why it has over 19,000 views: hear the diesel engine whine as the coal truck descends a steep grade down a Kentucky mountain.

August Anniversaries

It seems that August is anniversary month to me.

August one is my wedding anniversary. Twenty-one years now. Hooray for my wife and I.

August seventeen is my date hired anniversary. In these last few years of economic slumping, I'm appreciative of that anniversary as well. Twenty years now.  See a pattern? I don't either.

When I was first hired at Chattanooga State, I was involved with a branch library.  My first time walking into the branch library, a room 48 feet long and 30 feet wide, was disbelief.  Not a single bookshelf was up. Pieces of bookshelves and chandeliers were scattered everywhere on the floor. There was no office (and would never be one). Not a single book. Back then in the early 90s, libraries were primarily books.

August 17 was that date.  Classes were to begin around the end of August. Never had I seen an empty space, a former church sanctuary no less, be transformed so quickly to be ready for classes.

In came bookshelves and beautiful chandeliers. In came boxes and boxes and more boxes of books. In came tables and chairs; computers for staff and students.  It was an amazing transformation.

But it was a 48 X 30 room. Many years went by and it remained a 48 X 30 room but with an added general-use computer lab connected by a doorway.

Nowadays, that branch library no longer exists.  A victim of changing educational needs and objectives at branch college campuses. Library services changed considerably during that time too.

Happily and fortunately, I was reassigned to the main campus before the branch library closed, so I have no direct connection to its demise.  I suppose some day I will go over and visit; it's been a few years now since I've been there.  I'll visit when I finally feel comfortable doing so. Whenever that might be.

 

Random Selections for Orangejayhawk's YouTube Playlist

I've been collecting a few videos here and there on YouTube.  This playlist has grown rather large at 43 videos and over 2 hours long!  I'm surprised at how catchy some videos still are like Ah Leah by Donnie Iris.  A couple of videos do not play in the playlist so the unhappy face will show up for those.

Nephew is Custom Harvesting Again

I have a nephew who lives in Kansas; he could definitely survive off the land.
He has been a part of a custom harvesting crew this summer.  Custom harvesters travel from Texas to Montana during wheat cutting season as hired hands to cut the wheat and haul the grains of wheat to storage for market.  It is not a glamorous life. But seeing America has to be a great experience.

Here is a picture from his combine cab. The crew is currently in Montana! The fact that a company trusts a 17-year old with a hundreds of thousands of dollars equipment is saying a lot!

If you want to read a great blog about family custom harvesting--great because it is well-written and has plenty of photos- read Tracy Zeorian's blog at http://nebraskawheatie.com/

Food on the Road for Summer Leadership Training

One of those questions always asked of summer leadership training staff is where and what did you eat.  Usually, we don't tell, but I'm going to commit a faux pas and dedicate this post to answering that question. I would say first that I did bring a big bag of snacks and drinks that I paid for without reimbursement, so I provided my own road-tripping snacks and Mountain Dew. As did every other member of the traveling team.

After arriving Friday night, the whole team drove out to a PTA supporter's house, a beautiful home by the way.  Her and her family had us as guests for dinner.  A delicious fare of salad and lasagna was served.  I would have to say that the lasagna was better than almost any Italian restaurant I've visited.  Then she brought out a homemade parfait for dessert. Yum, yum!

On Saturday, we had breakfast provided for us at the Clarksville training stop by Sango Elementary and the vendors at the stop.

When we got back to Nashville, we ate a late lunch at Chilli's on West End Ave.  I had the very delicious shrimp tacos.  Oh yeah, definitely worth it! And spicy too!

Dinner was on our own Saturday night. Some went back to the PTA supporter's home as guests for dinner. I and another team member had coupons for free pizza! And when I say free-no money needed. But let me tell you--Jets Pizza in Nashville is voted number one for a reason.  A small pizza (a small pizza!) each stuffed my friend and I full!  And man was it good.  When I have a chance, I'm going back to pay for a pizza from Jets because I know it will be worth it both in quantity and quality.

My Sunday morning breakfast was provided by my snack bag.  I brought cherry frosted pop tarts with me knowing I needed some type of breakfast Sunday.

On the way to Memphis early Sunday afternoon, the travel team stopped for lunch at Logans in Dickinson.  I had the chopped sirloin steak with two sides. Great meal!

After settling into our hotel, the travel team went to Jason's Deli. Each one of us received a donated $10 gift card from Jason's Deli.  I had the roast beef sandwich and chips and free ice cream. All for under $10!

The Hampton Inn at Southwind had a great complimentary breakfast.  So, the whole travel team was able to eat a free breakfast before going to stop number two at Southwind High School.

Our Monday lunch was paid for by Memphis-Delta PTA Region, the local host for our stop number two. McCallister's Deli provided different choices of boxed lunches.

After packing up and leaving Southwind High School, the team stopped at the local Dairy Queen for ice cream. I had a vanilla malt. The whole tab was picked up by a volunteer from the travel team! Thank you, kind sir!

Our Monday evening dinner was my first visit to a P.F. Chang's!  Hmm, hmm good! I had the surprisingly delicious orange peel shrimp! Are you seeing a seafood pattern? I love fish and seafood!

Stop number three was in the state office in Nashville. The vendors were there at 7:30 am so an early free breakfast could be found.

Mid-Cumberland Region and South Central Region, the local hosts for this stop, paid for the team's lunch of deli-sliced meats and cheese and cake!

On the way to Chattanooga, we stopped at Sonic in Smyrna for more ice cream! But I didn't have ice cream as I settled for a corn dog. But the whole tab was picked up by another volunteer from the travel team! Thank you!

Well, I went home for dinner Tuesday evening as the travel team pulled into Chattanooga for stop number four as did another person from the travel team who lives in Chattanooga.  So, I don't know where the remaining travel team ate. Their hotel had complimentary breakfast for them.

Lunch at Chattanooga for the travel team was barbeque and all of the fixins provided by Renee at World's Finest Chocolates.  Man that was some good BBQ!

Well, I had to go to work the rest of the week but as you can tell, we had a lot of free food and we didn't go hungry!

 

 

 

 

 

 

Extreme Volunteerism and Opportunity of a Lifetime

Today, I sat down and pondered.

From Friday to today (Wednesday) I went to Nashville, to Clarksville, back to Nashville, to Memphis, back to Nashville, and then to Chattanooga.  It was the Tennessee PTA summer leadership training for parents and PTA leaders.  What a learning experience but also what an opportunity for service leadership.

Can you imagine taking a week's worth of vacation time and dedicating yourself as a volunteer to traveling in a van from city to city in six days?  One can imagine but there is nothing like reality.  No one really knows unless it is experienced.

Yes, there is the grunt work. Loading and unloading, sometimes twice-a-day; last minute changes; setting up and then putting back up: the variety of tasks will make you recall that line in your job description: other duties as assigned.  Other duties included to keep on going on even after a squirrel ate through a power line, which cut off power to the AC and for the projector.
Yes, there are other sacrifices such as leaving family, sleeping on a hide-away bed, and doing things outside of your comfort level.

But there is the best part, of course, presenting workshops-answering questions-meeting PTA leaders.

There is nothing more important to me and to the traveling team than serving others by sharing information, by imparting necessary knowledge, and giving support.

And the camaraderie among the Tennessee PTA traveling leadership team is icing on the cake.

The Crazed Time of the Year

My luggage is meeting me in the living room. It is afterall July--the crazed time of the year for statewide PTA leaders.

The cool thing for my social media friends--I am presenting a workshop on social media for PTA non-profits in Clarksville, Memphis and Nashville.

But I am also giving two other workshops in each of those stops and away from my family for the second weekend in a row.  The life of an executive volunteer in a state nonprofit organization.

Well, I am also on the TNPTA marketing committee, and this image post has gone viral all over PTA-land in Facebook.  The committee created the picture to help combat stereotypes of PTA volunteers. Enjoy. I'll tweet some pictures and check-in on foursquare when I can.

Quite a rain storm today

When I left work this afternoon, wicked tree-bending winds combined with pea-sized hail and a hard cold rain created some interesting moments of trying to get to the parking lot for my son and I.

But as soon as we turned onto Amnicola and drove under the DuPont parkway overpass, it was gone.  Viewable in the rear-view mirror but very little where we were then on Amnicola.

I learn a lot from my son about weather and clouds and wind patterns.  Afterall, that's a major part of his course of study in college: environmental geology.  A mix between environmental science and rocks from the earth.  And he's good at studying it--still on the Dean's List despite those required science lab courses.

I said to him as we passed the Burger King and Wisdom Street, "Look at that cone-shaped cloud over Lookout Mountain."

Seeing the mountain at that point was easy; no rain blocking the view. Clear and crisp viewing.
He said, "That's not a tornado but it sure is a weird-looking wall cloud."

He continued, "See the shelf-cloud above it, but the wall cloud is a triangular shape. And this wind here keeps changing direction."

He was right about the changing directions on Amincola by the swamp: downforce, hard to the left and then to the right.  Very strange wind patterns.

As we crossed the bridge by the American Water tanks, I suddenly realized the impact of the wall cloud coming across the mountain and down towards downtown.

"Driving towards the wall cloud is not a good thing is it," I asked.

"Nope," was the reply.

We veered left at UTC and headed east to get away only to run into it by Warner Park.

Just glad to make it through to Main Street where, once again, nothing was happening but in the rear-view mirror.
Picture at UTC before we turned left down Third Street.

Building Fences

I wrote a blog post a few months ago about my Aunt Mavis celebrating her life.  Her husband, Uncle Gayle to me, died a few weeks ago.  Both of their urns were transported up to Northwest Kansas a few days ago and were buried in a country cemetery.  This cemetery is quite remote--miles from any little town. Generations of Hunters are buried there.

This picture isn't of the cemetery.  It is a picture of the land that Aunt Mavis and Uncle Gayle owned.

That would be past tense. Not only in death but in land deed reality.  The land was sold after Aunt Mavis died.

When I was 13, my Aunt and Uncle came up from Houston, Texas to build a fence on this land.  I was expected to help, and boy, did I.  My Dad was in seminary training and about ready to become a full-time minister.  But he was home at the time.

You might look at this picture and think this is nothing but straight, run along flat land.  That would be a wrong guess.

A turn to the right would reveal a little country road using switchbacks for trucks to get up a hill.  A turn to the left, a ravine so deep that the sun might not shine on some spots.  Looks are deceiving.

I remember heat, sweat, dust, digging post holes into pure rock, standing at a 45 degree angle to be straight, ticks galore, swinging a hammer, stringing barbed wire, and thirst that seemed to go on for many days straight.  Miles of fence building.

Picking off 10 ticks out of my hair each day was the norm.

But I learned a few lessons.  Hard work, despite a few ticks, creates accomplishment. Working as a team makes a insurmountable task possible.  Muscles you never knew existed became a learned fact.  Learning how to balance a hammer, pliers and yourself all at the same time.  And that looks are deceiving.

Running Up Hills

Back when I was a long-distance runner, I enjoyed the challenge of a hill.  Attacking a hill was so much fun; I passed many runners going uphill.  Unfortunately, a lot of them passed me going downhill. My shorter legs were at a disadvantage downhill.

I'm sure I got my love for challenging hills when I was very young. Back then while my family and I were still living on a farm, we had a rim that followed along part of the creek that ran through the farm.

This rim had a steep drop down to the creek; almost a sheer, straight drop. I remembered many times keeping myself entertained climbing from the creek bottom straight up past the limestone jutting out from the top of the rim.  I would grab any shred of bush or twig to keep from falling back and kept churning my legs.  Not the safest thing to do--one mishap would have sent me backwards.

During the winter I used my saucer sled to try going down the sheer drop--ever seen that scene from National Lampoon Christmas when Clark Griswold greases up his saucer? Well I didn't see any sparks flying but I sure had a lot of air time.

I was always curious what the elevation difference was between the rim and the creek.  Thanks to GIS mapping, I now know.  The rim above the creek is 1902.8 feet while the creek is at 1861.8 feet.

That's 41 feet difference in a short amount of space.

I learned how to climb hills when I was young--always go forward; going back was never a viable option.

Front Porch Jam Session--Education Discussion at Tennessee PTAConvention

Since Wednesday, I’ve been in Nashville for pre-convention meetings and then for the Annual State PTA Convention.  Here is a picture of my convention badge:

This afternoon, the Tennessee PTA sponsored a “front porch” session.  And it was really good. I learned a lot, tweeted a lot on behalf of Tennessee PTA, and heard some good questions from Tennessee parents.

The front porch panel was Dr. Gary Nixon, Executive Director of the Tennessee Board of Education; Kevin Huffman, Tennessee Commissioner of Education; Jamie Woodson, President and CEO of SCORE (State Collaborative on Reforming Education); and Dr. Jesse Register, Director of Schools, Metro Nashville Public Schools.

I learned about so much stuff that every parent with children in schools or people who live in the community with school children should know.

There were a lot of concerns about the TCAPS standardized test being 20 percent of a school-aged student’s grade.  But TCAPS are being replaced by Common Core testing.  Common Core testing will be done on computers so school systems across the state need to get the hardware and connectivity rolling by 2014 (although there is a back up paper plan for testing).  Common Core is already implemented for two grades and will be expanded for all grades in three years.  One of the parent questions centered-around schools that would not be ready for computers in 2014.  One of the best quotes came from Dr. Register speaking about the lack of digital access in the Nashville school districts among economic disadvantaged students said that the achievement gap will not go away until the digital divide goes away.

On the subject of parental engagement, all of the four front porchers praised the training and involvement of PTA parents in the school systems.  One of them said there are too many parents not engaged; we need your help to get more involved.

Another question was about student health.  PTA has long been a passionate advocate for healthy children and families.   Did you know who the biggest advocate was for hot lunches and immunizations many decades ago? PTA.  All four front porchers praised the PTA leadership in healthy children.  Tennessee PTA is a big supporter of the children health/nutrition program in the schools.  Dr. Register said that in his economic disadvantaged schools, the school district has implemented a backpack program on Fridays to send food home with students for the weekend.

Helping children across the state and supporting school systems to give every child the opportunity to learn and to achieve—that is why I volunteer so much time and energy into what I consider a worthy cause. The future of our society, our leaders, our hope.

Using Facebook Created Lists

Do you have Facebook friends that are sort of on the periphery? Or friends you accepted just to be Southernly courteous? Or friends suggested by other people but now you don't know why you're sharing pictures of your family with them?

Life sometimes changes; Facebook interactions change, so deleting a friend today might be a regret down the road.  So what is another option? Using Facebook created lists.

In the lists area (one way to get there is to move your mouse over Friends on the left-hand column and click on More) Facebook users can see Facebook created lists at the top.  The two that I learned about today were Acquaintances and Restricted.

Friends that are added into Restricted only see your public posts.  Anything shared with Friends or more restricted sharing are not visible to restricted friends.  However, you still see their posts in your newsfeed.

Friends that are added into Acquaintances have their posts reduced onto your newsfeed.  However, those friends can still see posts that are shared to Friends or less restrictive sharing.

Have friends that you want to see less of and want them to see less of your posts?  Easy--just add them to both the Acquaintances and the Restricted lists.

But they are still listed as your Facebook friend. 

With that said, I have some uncomfortable feelings about this.  It's like saying: you're my friend, but I'm not sharing anything with you.  On the other hand, it might be good strategy to friend your co-worker or supervisor but reduce the number of posts seen so that potentially embarrasing statuses are shared with people outside of work.  I guess the ethical dilemma is each person's problem.  But the options are there to keep your friends with the ability to change how you appear to them.

Looking Past Robert's Rules of Orders

I'm researching for a project on why parliamentary procedures are used for organizations.  My research has led me to many resources including the school of thought that Robert's Rules are not the best thing going for organizations in today's society.

One person wrote a detailed book titled Breaking Robert's Rules: The New Way to Run Meetings, Build Consensus, and Get Results.

Now, I have a hard time reading criticisms of Robert's. I was smitten with parliamentary procedures over 40 years ago as a young country hick in 4-H. Knowing how the rules worked empowered me.  For a skinny boy with a soft voice that was a big deal; it led to leadership positions in 4-H. I would imagine senators in my college's student government often wished I wasn't there in meetings.  I held my own and then some at college model united nations meetings against people from much larger universities who thought they knew it all and mistakenly dismissed me in their rush to be recognized.

But that was one of the main points in this book written against the continuation of Robert's Rules for today's society--a society more connected than ever but in different ways beyond the 19th century imagination. The point was that Robert's puts too much power into the hands of the most skilled with procedures or with process expertise.  The rules do not lend a supportive hand to allow a level amount of contributions from many different types of communications.

Alas, Robert's Rules may not necessarily be for every deliberative organization or community association in the 21st century.

The premise of the book is that organizations and associations should come to an agreement for action based on consensus instead of a motion that happened to obtain a majority vote.  The book goes into detail how to change the cultural perception that Robert's is not the only way to do business, covers different scenarios within a group using concensus action, and provides a framework for formal organizations.

This was an eye-opener for me. Instead of having, for example, a PTA meeting filled with motions and seconds and debate, this new framework would have a PTA meeting with proposals from many, a live Twitter feed for those not there, and creating temporary subgroups to investigate and bring back alternatives or supporting information.  Instead of empowering the few who know the ins and outs of procedures, this new framework empowers all who are in attendance physically or electronically.

Despite not being a defined black and white hardlined procedure type of a person, I'm a little to set in my ways with Robert's.  It is all I know.  But I can envision the younger generation of Americans who see things in less black and white than I do, and more in different shades of greys, could likely embrace this type of framework.  Robert's may indeed be entering its last century of dominance over business proceedings.

 

 

 

My Favorite iPhone Apps

Well, everyone it seems has their favorite apps.  Here are some of my favorite apps for my iPhone, which are different that my favorite apps for my iPad.  Why the difference? To me, the main factor is the iPhone is portable; the iPad is more viewer friendly.  These favorite apps are shaped by my location and by my work.

Dropbox—the most convenient way to drag and drop files from my PC to a mobile device and vice versa.

Evernote—record a voice note or import a PDF and organize my life.

Chattanooga TV apps: WRCB, WTVC and WDEF: All three apps provide something different but are similar in content.
 The WTVC-app display of headline news seems a little more crisp in viewing than the WRCB app and also advertisement free at the moment.
  The weather tab found in the WRCB app quickly provides information, along with the Chattanooga must-have WRCB Radar app, and the “more” tab is really useful in organizing different types of news headlines.
  The WDEF app uses the same platform as the WRCB app but provides some really useful tools. Under the weather tab, there is access to a radar view. Under the "more" tab, there is a QR scanner, link to staff blogs, and a link to gas prices.

The essential Hootsuite – I know there are other types of Twitter / Social media dashboard apps.  In fact, I have many of them on my phone. But Hootsuite to me is just ahead of the game in creating streams, linking apps, and linking to services like Instapaper.  This is by far my most used app.

ESPN Sportcenter—Hey, I’m a sports nut.

JotNot Pro – Take a picture of a document, convert to PDF, upload to Google Docs and makes me look like a genius.

STAT!Ref – A highly-reputable medical library database in my hand! Unfortunately, one has to be a student or staff at an institution with database access to use this app.

AML My College – Another library database app in my hand! Biographies, business journals, academic journals, newspaper articles, multicultural journals, literature criticisms and more. I’m a walking librarian.

TuneIn Radio – Get to listen to my childhood rock radio station in Kansas while in Tennessee.  Nothing like hearing advertisements for farm equipment and cattle scratchers to bring back memories.

Preds: Nashville Predators, that is

As most of my followers on Twitter know (on Twitter @orangejayhawk) I am a big Preds fan.  That would be Nashville Predators NHL hockey.  (I know I said hockey twice with the initials but that's where I and rigid grammarians separate.)
Anyways, back to the Preds.  Pekka Rinne is the goalie for the Preds this season and he made two great stops in last night's game against the St.Louis Blues (Last night = 2/4/12)
Here is the video of one of those saves:


Also debuting last night during intermission, was the Dierks Bentley vs. Shea Weber video.  Shea Weber plays for the Preds and has one of the fastest slap shots in the NHL at 106 mph.  Dierks Bentley is, so I've been told by my wife, a country music star. Sorry, I don't know country music that well beyond Keith Whitley and Hank Williams Jr.
Here is the video of Bentley v. Weber:

Nicodemus

I grew up in Western Kansas on a farm. Well, until my Dad changed careers from a farmer to an ordained Methodist preacher. Then I was thrown from an unknown kid into the proverbial glass bowl that is the life definition of being a preacher's kid.  But that is another story.

Growing up on the homestead back in the sixties and early seventies did not afford me many opportunities to encounter ethnicities beyond different types of Caucasians: French-Canadian, Volga Germans, Irish, and other European descendants.

But there was an exception.

About 15 miles to the southeast of the Hunter homestead was the town of Nicodemus.  Nicodemus back then was a small town with two active churches and the best barbeque I ever tasted at Ernestine’s Bar-B-Que.  What made Nicodemus unique was that it was the only Black Town west of the Mississippi.  So, among an all-white dominated section of the country was this little town that stood for freedom, independence, and resilency. 

Nicodemus was founded by former enslaved African-Americans who traveled from Kentucky with the promise of land.  Some of those early Nicodemus Exodusters who traveled from Kentucky were disappointed in the vast Kansas landscape devoid of trees and humanity.  But many stayed and created a town that is still around today, although now, Nicodemus is a National Historic Site administered by the National Park Service.

I learned a lot from my visits to Nicodemus as a young boy besides enjoying awesome barbeque at Ernestine's. 

The population of Nicodemus explodes each end of July for the Emancipation Homecoming celebration.  Anyone with any type of family relations to the residents of Nicodemus' past came back "home" to celebrate the town.  I learned from these celebrations the importance of family reunions and that jazz was a pretty cool form of music.

When I was no older than five, I went to my first revival week at the Nicodemus First Baptist Church.  At first, I was terrified.  I never witnessed so much active participation by people in the pews during a service.  But I grew to love it.  I learned that celebrating religious beliefs did not fit into a one-size-fits-all category.  I made sure that as a father to my children that they attended their share of church services at African-American churches here in Chattanooga so that they could experience the same thing I did growing up.

Another important lesson I learned from Nicodemus was to persevere.  The early settlers of Nicodemus had few willing to help.  But through adversity, they overcame with resilient independence that no one could take away.  Nicodemus became home for generations of African-Americans on the western plains of Kansas.  I am grateful that it did.

Find out more about Nicodemus at this NPS.gov link.

Western Kansas

I capitalize the "W" in Western Kansas to denote the differences in culture, dialect and honor than in the eastern part of the state.

I like this photo I found of wheat and the sky in Western Kansas.

Taking the plunge into Facebook Timeline

I took the plunge recently and converted my Facebook profile to the new timeline feature.  I read two excellent articles/guides that helped me out through this process. The links to these guides are at the end of this post.
What I Found Out
The Facebook timeline, when you create it, gives you 7 days to fix any problems before being published.  You have the options before the 7 days to publish earlier or to cancel conversion to the timeline.  Once your profile is converted and published into the timeline, it becomes permanent.  Well, as permanent as things are inside Facebook.
So, what types of things need to be fixed?  Facebook may convert posts that were limited in sharing; for example, a post that was only shared to family, to be made public viewable.  Everyone should take the time and comb through the timeline to make sure any limited postings are still limited.  If you published everything to all friends, all of the time, then this may be less of an issue.  Facebook in the conversion may not publish important things on the timeline; for example, the year of your graduation from college; or you may want to hide that information.  You can add life events to the timeline to correct these types of mistakes from the conversion.
Photo albums are by default made public.  So, my suggestion is to go to your photos and check each album.  Photos uploaded by mobile devices have to be individually assessed.  So, if you uploaded a lot of mobile photos—good luck.
Timeline uses a cover photo in addition to your profile photo.  The cover photo is public; there is no changing the cover photo setting. So, I have followed the advice of others and used a scenery image for my cover photo and not something personal or identifiable to someone on another continent.
Good for Teenagers
If you have teenagers or young adults in college on Facebook, encourage them to convert to the Timeline feature.  If Facebook eventually forces the timeline conversion, these young people are already prepared and know how to remove stuff out of the timeline before their potential employers see it.  Also, the timeline features allows for them to reflect by year what each one was thinking or what each one was doing at the time.
The Two Guides I Used
I can’t say enough about these two guides.  Just read them to be as prepared as I was when converting to the timeline.
Your Guide to the New Facebook Timeline Privacy Settings:
http://internet-safety.yoursphere.com/2011/12/new-facebook-timeline-privacy-settings.html
Everything you want to know about the Facebook Timeline
http://www.digitaltrends.com/social-media/everything-you-want-to-know-about-the-facebook-timeline/
After reading these two guides, I was prepared to have my profile converted, and confident in what I was doing.