Thieves

I ABSOLUTELY HATE THEM!!! Why can't people just go out and earn the stuff that they have like everybody else. I guess this would just be too logical. I bet you're asking why is he posting this random blog? So here's the reason: The other day, my friend asked to borrow my laptop while I went to go see Animal Farm. I said sure, since he had let me borrow his before, he also lets me borrow whatever else I want. When I came back, he was standing at the front desk of Richardson Towers with a worried look on his face. He was watching the video camera tape on the computer. I asked him what was wrong, and he began telling me the story. He had stepped out of his room to go play cards downstairs. In the 30 minutes that he was gone, somebody had stolen his flat screen t.v. the laptop, some clothes, and shoes. I could not believe the news I was hearing. MY LAPTOP, GONE? Nnnnnnnnnooooooooooooooooo... It had all of my papers and other work. And now I'm getting frustrated again thinking about it. But he said he was going to help me pay for another one, so I hope everything works out, or they find the person or people that stole it.

Part 4 Draft

The consolidation issue has been hit or miss since

it was brought up. Although here has been an enormous

amount of research done, there has been no alernative to

consolidation. This is part of the reason why it is

always turned down by the county. If a desireable

altermatum is not given, I do not think consolidation

will ever happen.

Full Consolidation will eliminate some of the

problems, but can cause even greater problems. It is

almost impossible to combine two totally different areas

and their governments into one. One of the systems will

eventualy rub off on the other, whether bad or good.


After completing research on this issue, I feel that full

consolidation is not a good idea, however, there are ways

that could make everything work out. As we all know, both

the city and the county are in major debt. This is what

struck the whole talk about consolidation. If debt was

not an issue, consolidation would not be an issue. Both

the city and the county have a debt deficit of a few

million dollars. Many Government officials say that

combining the two governments will eliminate this debt,

and give the city a surplus of money. If this is true, I

feel that it is alright to combine the governments, but

with different conditions then what they propose.

The current proposal is to combine everything

including the school systems and police and fire

departments. I strongly disagree with combining the two

school systems. I think this aspect should remain

completely separate. There is more downside than upside

to this situation, and this could put both systems at

risk. Education is the most valuable thing in this

country, and it should not be jeopardized. Improvement in

Memphis City Schools is greatly needed. Instead of

consolidation, the city should work on building more

schools and making the teaching standards higher. More

schools will lesson the amount of students and make

management and focusing on students much easier. This

would also crack down on some of the crime in the Memphis

school system. The Shelby County school system should

also build more schools, which would help out their

overcrowding concern.

The Police and Fire Departments are also important

issues in consolidation. The current proposal causes for

the city and county to join forces and cutting back on

the number of both. This is not what the county or the

city needs. Cutting back will put both parties in

jeopardy and could be the biggest mistake ever. With the

increasing crime rate, more police officers are needed to

protect the citizens. The surplus of money from debt

consolidation should be used to hire and train more

officers as well as fire fighters. Knowing they will

remain safe would put the County residents in a more

comfortable position. This would also drastically cut

down the number of crimes committed.

The full consolidation plan raises many questions

for the city and county. Although it is a good thought,

better alternatives are available in this situation.

These alternatives have not been looked into by anyone. I

think a revised plan for consolidation is the best way to

accomodate the city as well as the county. In order to

move forward successfully, changes to the current plan

are needed.

Go Tigers N0Ooooo....

Well I think I just experienced my first HeartBreak, and it wasn't even by a girl. I could I have it broken by a bunch of guys? (No Homo) We were so close to winning our first National Championship! I just knew we had the game in hand, but I guess I knew Wr0nG! I was ready for a GrEaT Celebration for like The Rest Of The MONTH!! LOL...But I guess it wont be happening. Its kind of funny how the one thing everybody said would kill us KILLED US! We had beeen shooting freethrows so well. Then, as soon as we got put under pressure, it all went D0wn. Not to take anything away from the Kansas JayHawks..but we GAVE that game away! I've always said only 2 things can beat the Tigers and thats US and the REFS! And I think that held true. But I still want to congradulate the guys on the best season in NCAA History, and hopefully we can do it again next year, but actually win the WHOLE THING!! GO TIGERS

This Month Is SO... Hectic

April has to be the busiest month EVER for me! This is when all of the school work hits you hard. All of the papers are due, and not to mention FINALS! Man, there has to be a better way. Then we had all of the Memphis Tigers Stuff. On top of that I have a crap load of other stuff. I've had two weddings to go to this month. I also have two college graduations to go to. Then there is the DREADFUL High School Prom I have to attend with my "ole lady". So I had the pleasure of looking for a tuxedo for literally THE WHOLE DAY! I decided to just get mine custom-made, which is pretty darn expensive! And on April 26, I get the pleasure of actually going to prom... yippeee! Then I have so... much music stuff also. I have four shows this month, and I've been in the studio almost everyday working on tracks for me as well as my buddy, whose album comes out Tuesday! (so i get to go promote that also!) Now I'm preparing for my two performances on April 19 at Africa in April and this chicks Sweet 16. I hope I make it out of this month still in my RIGHT MIND! (i'm already a little crazy as is)

Part 4, Part 2

Completing part 4 this week was a little easier for some reason. I guess at first, I just did not understand exactly what we were supposed to be doing. Now everything is flowing pretty well. I actually completed this part faster than I did any other part. I know there has to be some mistakes and improvements but I'm not really worried. Hopefully its pretty much like it is supposed to be. This paper has taken a lot of time out of my life! I never thought that we would get to this point when it is just about done! I dont have any idea on how i'm going to combine all four without somethings being repetitive, but I guess that's another road ahead! GOOD LUCK EVERYONE!

Scapin

Last Friday I attended a play called Scapin for my Theatre Class. I must say that it was one of the strangest plays that I have ever seen. I expected a traditional play with a fancy set, and predictable actors. I guess thats what I get for expecting. The set looked to have been sketched up the day before, but it did the job. The actors came out wearing all kinds of goofy stuff like plad, golf shoes, ankle beaters with high socks, etc. Honestly, it was like the funniest crap I've ever seen, but it took me until after the intermission to figure out what the play was even about. The play was filled with random people suddenly laughing aloud, which made the play even funnier. I guess since there was only 24 people there, all of these little things were very noticeable. After the play, I drove like 150 mph so I could get home to watch the rest of the Memphis game. The play doesnt compare to that, but I really enjoyed it. If you have time, you should go see next week!

Part 4 Of Big Paper

So today I officially started on Part four (I probably should say ATTEMPTED to start). As I sat down at my laptop, I knew I had a hard task in front of me. What I didn't know is that it would take me the whole day to get practically NOWHERE! I looked thru a lot of sources trying to find information that would suggest a better outcome for my topic. I looked thru source after source and realized that no one has offered a better solution. Everyone is either for it or against it. So am I supposed to think of my own what if now, or am I supposed to keep looking for the rest of my life?? I have like 3 days to figure this out, or its going to be a DISASTER!! I wonder if anyone else is having this same problem!? Somebody help me!

Andre Allen

Boy oh Boy, Where should I begin with this one??.... Well as we all SHOULD know Tiger Senior Guard Andre Allen was suspended for the rest of the NCAA Tournament for a failed drug test. The drug test was a random one, given by the NCAAA. This is a big let down for the team as well as the fans. If the rules are upheld, Allen will also not be able to return next year for his last year of eligibility. This absolutely sucks!!! Although this was very wrong and DUMB, I feel sorry for Andre. I know drugs are horrible and NO ONE should do them, but this is a horrible way for him to be remembered. On top of the I'm pretty sure that he knows that he F'd up, and we really dont have to constantly beat him down. (Thats probably not the best thing for this situation right now) I think Calipari did a great job of handling the situation and the press conference. He let Andre know that he still loves him and always will. I hope he is able to learn from this experience and use it for good in his life!

Final Four

Tomorrow is the big Final Four Game and I can't wait! I've waited for this time to come the whole year! It would be more fun if I could actually go, but I guess I will make the most out of it here. If we win tomorrow, I'm definitely going Monday! I will be enjoying the game tomorrow with my family, then I'm going to another Tigers party with my friends. I've been watching Sportscenter all this week, and It seems like all of the sports announcers are coming around. Now, all of a sudden, they picked Memphis to win it all the time?!? WTF??? Anyways, it should be a pretty interesting game, Dorsey against Love... That will probably be the deciding factor of who wins. That and how well Derek Rose plays. Who would have ever thought that we would make it this far this soon. Well I did, but not too many other people did. Go TIGERS!!!!

Part 3 of big paper

Consolidation has been the center of Mayor Willie

Herenton's focus for Memphis, Tennessee for some time.

Some people are confident that it will make things

better, but others are not quite so sure that this is the

case. Key concerns about consolidation are debt, school

systems, crime, and a host of other smaller issues. To

this day, all of Herenton's arguements have been one-

sided, and no downfalls have been mentioned, but is this

really the best thing for the city?

Many good arguements have been made for

consolidation, but the downsides have been consistently

left out. The biggest arguement for consolidation is that

it will get rid of the outstanding debt for both the city

and the county. This theory is that consolidation should

produce economies of scale which allows cost savings to

be achieved- average costs are reduced when spread out

over a wider set of users. What is not brought to light

is that this does not always happen. There are many

things that cause this which are; Labor intensive,

Bureaucracy growth, Merging personnel-related costs,

Merging service quality costs, and One-time transition

costs. Through resent studies, it has been proved that

consolidation can even cause and increase in spending

which would put us further in debt. This would


defeat one of the most important reasons for

consolidating.

Combining the school systems is also a major

component to the consolidation issue. Mayor Herenton

wants to join Memphis City Schools and Shelby County

School systems. There are many problems with this

suggestion. The Shelby County School system is known to

be very good with passing grades. On the other hand, the

Memphis City School system is the complete opposite. It

is known as a horrible school systems with most of the

schools failing in many areas. Shelby County Schools are

also well-known for their up-to-date technology such as

computers and sources, while Memphis City Schools are

behind in this department. I do not see how bringing

these two totally opposite school systems together will

help. At best, this change will make both school systems

mediocre. If the best is mediocre, what about the worst?

It could bring Shelby County's school system down, and

there is no positive in that situation.

Crime is another area of concern that consolidation

raises. Memphis has one of the highest crime rates in

America. It is also in the top five most dangerous

cities. The areas that would be consolidated such as

Collierville, Germantown, and Bartlet do not want this

crime to affect them. These outskirts of Memphis are

fairly quiet with minimal crime, pollution, etc.

Consolidation could change all of this. The crime and

other concerns could leak into this normally quiet towns

and raise havoc. It could also bring things such as house

values down. These are all major concerns that these

small, growing towns have.

Although there are many big issues with

consolidation, there are also smaller concerns. These

concerns range from who will be over trash and recycling

to the fire and police departments. All of these aspects

determine the appearance of the city as well as the

county. The county is known to be tremendously clean

compared to the city. Most of the neighborhoods are kept

up and held to certain standards, therefore, having a

clean appearance. The city is known for being very dirty

and sometimes foul smelling and filled with pollution.

County-livers do not want this to come into their

beautiful communities. Police and Fire Departments will

also have to change. They have discussed reducing the

amount of police officers and fire fighters. This will


potentially be harmful to everyone. Citizens already feel

like there needs to be more police officers, and now

there will be less. This means that the ones that are

left will have to cover a bigger jurisdiction, which

could result in more criminals getting away clean. There

has also been countless numbers of situations where whole

houses and buildings have been burnt down. By down-sizing

the number of fire fighters, more buildings will be at

risk of burning completely down before help can get to

them. I don't think that any of this is worth the risk of

consolidation.


Consolidation can be potentially good or bad. Many

risks have to be taken in order to consolidate. These

risks could possibly put both the city and the county in

danger and in unwanted predicaments. Some feel

consolidation is good, but I do not feel it is the best

decision.

River City Writers

Gabe and I attended the readings last night for the River City Writers. We had no idea where the Galloway Mansion was, so we were driving slowly. We came upon this HUGE house and we knew that this was it. We parked, got out of the car, and walked up to the front. Two ladies asked us were we in Wendy's English class. They had to be at least in their mid to late 20's. We both said yes, and they said okay, make sure you sign the sign up sheet. As we walked closer to them, one said,"yall are cute, how old are yall?" I said I'm 19 and Gabe said the same. One woman said, "I told you they were young." So we walked in the house and acquainted ourselves with our fellow classmates. Soon after, a woman came up and introduced the writers. I just knew this was going to take ALL NIGHT! The readers came up one at a time and read passages from their books. Since they read the best parts, it was interesting for the most part. Gabe and I were still anxious to leave because we had other plans. LoL..(Sort of like how I am right Now!) So I guess i'll go into deeper details about the writings later!

Dr. Lord

Yesterday our English class had to attend a information reading by Dr. Lord. He discussed a lot of things that have to do with school assessment. Although this is not my topic, I found myself very interested in what he had to say. Usually when people are giving informational speeches, they are boring and make you sleepy, but I really enjoyed listening to him. He actually knew what he was talking about, and he made it so that everyone could understand. I like the fact that he gave out handouts so we could see and have the information right in front of us. I had no idea that so many Memphis Schools were "failing". I also would have never thought that White Station would be below level. Its funny how they rate those kind of things. I want to see a list of Shelby County schools now so I can compare them. I think his information will help me on my consolidation topic.

Sweet 16

Tonight is the big sweet 16 game between the Memphis Tigers and Michigan State. I can't wait for us to whoop their behinds. Watching the sports shows really amuse me. Its so funny how we are a number one seed, but yet, we are the underdogs! How could this be? In that case, they really should have made us a number 5 seed and Michigann State a number 1 seed. It makes more sense doesn't it? We lost one game the entire season, but we still get NO CREDIT. I can't wait to see the game, but there's only one problem. I can only watch the second half. I have to go to this stupid play, called Scapin, for my theatre class. What a horrible night for me to have to go see it. But anyways, Tennessee lost last night, and I'm kind of disappointed. I wanted them to make it to the Final Four so we could beat them and be known as the King of College Hoops! Hopefully we can still earn that title, because they definitely arent going to give it to us!

Make up your Mind Herenton

I knew that Mayor Herenton just all of a sudden stepping down was too good to be true. I mean why would he want to just up and resign? He had been working so hard to get the consolidation thing going. It really didn't make sense to me. Well, I turned on the television a few days ago, and there is another news story about him. So now he is resigning with certain stipulations. WTF? He wants his old job back as Superintendent of the Memphis City Schools. He once held this position and stepped down in 1991 when he became mayor of Memphis. I don't see a problem with him retaking his old position if he's the best candidate. But there might be someone else who is better for the job than him. If he loves the city so much, he should do what is best for it. I hope everything works out well, because Lord knows the city really needs some improvement.

Part 3!!

As we all know, part 3 of our big paper is due Thursday. I feel like my paper is going to be a total DISASTER!! Part 2 was so much easier compared to this. I am starting to feel like all my information is the same. I don't want people to get bored reading my paper. I wish I had of known that consolidation would be so hard earlier. I probably would have picked another topic. Consolidation has taken a 360 degree turn. Mayor Herenton is resigning. Am I supposed to add this to my paper also? I don't really know what to do from here. I understand the assignment, but how do I keep it interesting? The last eight pages have been hard enough, now I have four more to due Thursday and four more after that. After we finish everything, hopefully we get to take some stuff out and trim the edges on the paper. I think this will knock out some of the repetitive feel.

Peer Editing

Peer Editing, wow, I've always hated this step in writing papers! Why? Because, who likes having their paper torn apart by someone that they don't even this is worthy of an opinion? This is the stubborn mode that I had been in since I started high school. Many times, the peer edit did not even help. It mostly just made me question myself and eventually made my papers worse. I thought when I got to college those days would be OVER. Now I see peer editing in a whole different perspective. Maybe it isn't so bad after all. I guess the difference is that I actually feel that the people who are critiquing my papers are more educated than I am. Sometimes I still want to be stubborn, byt I know that I have to let that go. We all (hopefully) have the same objective, to have the best paper possible. As I was editing, I felt like I had to pay extra attention to every detail. Who wants to let their group mates down after they've worked so hard? Hopefully, I exceeded their expectations of improvising, and hopefully, I will be able to take their advice and make my paper much better!

Mayor Herenton Resigns?!

When I got on the internet yesterday, my internet page was covered with this huge article on Mayor Herenton. He has decided to step down effective July 31. This was such a suprise to me. I thought he was going to be the kind of person that stayed around FOREVER!! Especially with the consolidation issue still hanging in the balance. Today I watched the interview on Fox13News.com, where he explained why he had decided to resign. He talked about him writing the Memphis School System a letter and also about visiting teens in juvenile hall. He started to get emotional while talking about this experience. He said that he knew then, that his calling was children. He made it clear that he was stepping down on his on term and not by anything else. I wonder who will be named interim mayor and if there really was another reason behind this. I am still shocked, and I hope the city improves from here on...!

Floyd Skloot

So I had a chance to go to the Floyd Skloot reading earlier this week. I must say that it was quite interesting. He read passages out of his books and a couple of poems. The most interesting part had to be the brain infection that he suffered while he was on a plain going overseas. I had never heard of anything like this in my life. They still don't know what caused this or what it was. This injury plagued him from then up until this present moment. He explained to us the difficulties he faced and how the illness changed him completely. It seemed as if he lived two separate lives. At first, he was very strict and commanding. After the injury, he couldn't even remember how he was before! Today, he still has trouble transferring things from short term to long term. He talked about this while answering questions for us. If you missed this event, you really missed a treat! I guess we all ought to be thankful for everything being as good as they are, because it could be much worse!

Buildings' Best Future Hinges On City And County Involvement

What a Major Loss! Shelby County is proposing selling its part in The Pyramid, Mid-South Colisem, and the Liberty Bowl for $4.3 Million(which represents the debts that they have with the Pyramid). So basically, the County would be giving away the Mid-South Colisem and the Liberty Bowl for FREE!!! I personally think that this is a HORRIBLE idea. Is there no other possible way of raising revenue. I understand that they are in debt, but why just basically give stuff away. They could get a lot more money for those three buildings than that. This proposal was put into consideration to help fund the $16 Million funding gap that Shelby County has. The head of this operation is Shelby County Commissioner Sidney Chism. He wants the pyramid to be turned into a Bass Pro Shop. I also do not agree with this proposal. I think it could be used for so much more! I guess we'll have to see the outcome in the future!

On Campus Football Stadium

I think an on campus football stadium is a great idea! I mean, there are so many upsides to it. I know everything that has a plus also has a minus, but I think it would help our school. The biggest questions are how much would it cost and where would we build it, and will it raise student tuition(Lord knows the tuition is already high enough!)They have come up with a few suggestions, but I don't think that a lot of people want it to happen. I really think that this could potentially be very beneficial to the U of M. It could raise much needed revenue. We could host other events that would bring in money and put it towards the school. This could in the long run help keep tuition down! Although it doesnt look like its going to happen now, who knows about the future!?!

The Mystery Of Edwin Drood

So I went to go see this play two weeks ago, and it was really AmAzInG! I've never been a Theatre type of person, but I actually enjoyed it. It is based on Charles Dicken's last book. He died in the middle of writing it, and that aspect is incoorporated in the play. The play allows the actors to interact with the audience. I thought that it was cool that we got to pick the investigator, killer, and the lovers. I had gotten so used to the ordinary boring school plays that you dreaded attending, but had to because it was a grade! The only thing that sucked about this experience is that on the way home, it was soooo..... foggy that I couldnt even see the street on the express way. Other than that, I am happy that I went to go see The Mystery of Edwin Drood!!

Feelings on Part 2 of Our BIG Paper!

So I just posted the second part of my paper, and I thought I'd talk about it a little. Honestly, the second part was a little easier then the first part. The part that I had the most trouble with was finding the actual information. That actually took me longer to do then write the actual paper.Once I found the information, I knew I was on the right track. For once, I actually felt like I knew what I was doing. The guide Wendy gave us really helped. I knew what I had to talk about, and I feel that I successfully did that. However, I do KNOW that I made some mistakes. I'm glad that we have our groups to kind of help us out. I think they will play a major part in whether we make a good grade or not. I really can't wait to see what they have to say about it, and how I can make my paper better. Lord knows I need a good grade on this! Especially since this is like 9,000,000,000,000,000% of our semester grade! LoL... I wonder how everyone else feels about their writing process on the 2nd part!?!

Part 2 of Big Paper

Government consolidation has been a part of the U.S.

for over 200 years. Even though it is not that common, it

has still been a factor in County governments. The number

of local governments has a net decrease of 31,801 units.

This is mostly due to the rising number of school district

consolidations and not government. School district

consolidations have caused school districts to decline by

more than 79%.

The first known governments to consolidate in the U.S.

were New Orleans and New Orleans Parish in 1805. Since the

first consolidation, only 32 more have followed. Out of

these 32, only 24 are considered true consolidations.Today

there are 3,069 County governments, which makes the percent

of consolidation less than 1%. The time period from 1960 to

1976 was the biggest consolidation period in America. There

were a total of fourteen county consolidations during this

period. Since then, only 8 county government consolidations

have taken place.

Consolidating Memphis City and Shelby County has been

the center of issues for some time now. Although it is a

fairly new topic to most of us, it actually can be traced

back to 1962. The idea was quickly shut down and did not

come about again until 1993. This is when Mayor Willie

Herenton first brought it up. In order to move forward in

the consolidation project, Mayor Herenton wanted to take a

look back. He wanted to study other Tennessee counties that

had consolidated. This was one of the best ideas that he

has ever had. Knowing the history of something gives you an

insight on what will happen in the future!

The first counties to consolidate in Tennessee were

Nashville and Davidson Counties on April 1, 1963.

In Tennessee, between 1958 and 1991 there were 15

consolidation votes with only 2 successes (Nashville-

Davidson County and Lynchburg-Moore County). Statistics

show that voter support for consolidation research groups

are at about 73%, but the percent of voters who actually

support the establishment is a suprising 47%. Since 1991,

there has only been one successful consolidation in

Tennessee (Hartsville-Trousdale County). Although approval

percentages are really low, it does not stop the counties

from trying.

People wonder, if consolidation is so controversial,

where did it come from, and how did it come about? The

intent of consolidation was to strenghten the government

and make it less complicated. Many counties have local

governments that need a change. Things are out of order, or

they face major financial deficits. The idea of

consolidation was to merge the two governments and make

thing more stronger and effective. With the consolidation

of governments, many improvements were meant to be made.

The thought was that by combining, it would decrease the

amount of money needed to be spent by the counties. The

concept would be much like consolidating credit debt. When

first brought up, the issue seemed like a genius idea,

because no downfalls were known. Other issues of

consolidation came along with the government. Issues

consisted of schools, roads,fire and police departments,

and simple things such as buildings. School has always been

a major concern. As we all know, some school systems are

better than others. By consolidating, will this bring the

good schools down, or the the bad schools up? There is

really no proven right answer to this matter. Other simple

problems were, Who would be over the trash pickup and sewer

problems as well as recycling? These problems may be small,

but they are a huge problem for the citizens that live in

the consolidated areas. One of the biggest issues on this

matter is, if money is saved, how will it be used in the

future? These issues cause consolidation to be

controversial.

Last Blog of the Week!

Wow, I am so excited to be able to say that. This has been one long, stressful week! I've had almost double the amount of school work that I usually have, and I still have a midterm to take. I know that this is college and things are supposed to be harder, but Damn!!!!!! I am ready for spring break. Even though I won't be totally free from work, because I need to add to my paper, it will still be a relief. I am glad that they plan the breaks the way they do. Sometimes everything can build up on you, and you just need time to relax and get away from it all. As soon as I comment on my classmate's blogs, I will start my journey to RELAXATION! *PEACE*

Loonnggg Day

This has been one long day! I woke up early this morning to start doing more research on my topic. I figured I would do this early so I wouldnt have to worry about it later. After writing and posting my first three blogs of the day, I had to go to work. (I am still at work as I am writing this!) I was supposed to get off at four, but somebody quit today, so I have to stay until the next person comes in. This is really putting me behind on my schedule. I still have to go home and do housework, take a shower, get dressed, and go see The Mystery of Edwin Drood tonight. I am really looking foward to seeing this play tonight! I'm usually not the type that likes to see plays, but this is Charles Dickens last novel (in which he died in the middle of writing). So about half way through the play I hear that the audience gets to interact with the actors and choose the ending! I can't wait!

Why Can't Herenton CLose The Deal?

This blog is in response to the smart citiy blog. Mayor Willie Herenton has been pushing for consolidation FOREVER! This matter has been at a standstill ever since he brought it up. Since he is the city mayor, of course he is going to try to do whats best for the city. But does he ever think about whats best for everyone? Maybe this is why this thing hasn't really gotten off the ground!? Considering that every other Metro county in Tennessee has done it, there has to be something wrong with this picture. I think his best way out is to try to change the state constitution! (Yeah, like that is ever going to happen!) If consolidation is only going to help Shelby County save tax money, why even risk it? If there is more downfall then upward potential, why would someone vote for it? Shelby County sees consolidation as a risk more than a benefit, so they have no reason to vote for it! I mean, why you want to put Mayor Herenton in charge of everything when he can't even get a lot of the city to vote for him when its time for election?

So, Lets Make This Arguement One-Sided

In this blog, I will be acting like Mayor Herenton, and I will only state the good things about consolidation! How could anything be wrong with consolidating? This will be the BEST thing for EVERYONE! Not just Memphis City, but Shelby County and all other surrounding areas. Let's just make everything MEMPHIS CITY!! (The City), I mean EVERYONE would benefit. (The City)Every area would save millions of dollars. It would also strengthen (The Memphis City's) Everyone's school system. (The City Schools) Everyone might finally have a chance to get a passing report card. We could use the money we save to help Everyone (The Memphis City Schools) get better books and better education. Isn't that what the poor, underprivelaged children deserve? Consolidation will not only save money, but it might even cut down on crime!(For the City) It will also help clean up the streets. (of the City) There are Absolutely, Positively NO bad effects of consolidation. So come on County, Vote for it, OR ELSE......

Back On Track....I think?!?

So, as I sat in English class this week, I actually felt like I had an understanding of what was expected in our papers. This was a big relief considering that after the first part, I had written ABSOLUTELY NOTHING! I had done more research, but nothing seemed to fit in right. I felt like I was setting myself up for potential FAILURE. This paper was really starting to become a heavy burden. I constantly asked myself, "What can i possibly do to finish this paper and it be good?" I felt like I had hit the largest brick wall in the world! I would sit down at the computer and have not even the slightest idea of what I was going to do next. Wow, that is a horrible feeling. But now, I have a feeling of relief. So off I go back into the world of CONSOLIDATION! Wish me Luck!

Thoughts on Vibinc Blog

Vibinc's blog was another blog about Consolidation. This blog was very unbiast and talked from both sides' perspective. He talks about how consolidation would help the increasing debt of both the City and the County. This is one of the major considerations for consolidating. Although this is high on the list, other questions need to be answered for the County to even consider this. How will consolidation improve things such as our Police and Fire Departments? How will the quality of schools be affected? And how will simple things such as trash and recycling be handled? Last, but not least, what about the Government? These are all major questions that need to be answered, that havent. Vibinc also talks about a peice of Propraganda that Mayor Herenton used at his state of the city address. Mayor Herenton seemed to be threatening the people who don't live in the City with a Consolidate or Else approach! What do you think?

Consolidation Blog

So, I was reading a random blog that I found on the internet about Consolidation. It was done by Mr. Rustmeister, a retired US soldier. He stated his opinions on the Consolidation of Memphis and Shelby County. He stated that Memphis was mostly black and poor. He also stated that Shelby County was produminately white and affluent. Rustmeister stated,"I can understand why the county wants nothing to do with the city. The mayor's a joke, the city council's more worried about selling beer in titty bars than doing anything about crime. Police and firefighters have been getting the shaft since I can remember. Who wants that?" Is this really how we want our city portreyed as? I guess you can use his arguement as a type of propaganda, because it is only one-sided. He also talks about the high tax, but he fails to mention that consolidation would help that tax situation out. But overall, I found his arguements interesting

Get Out The Vote

"Get Out The Vote", is a voting phrase that has been used

for decades. Although it is heavily used, it does not have

clear meaning. This has caused controversy over the phrase.

When I hear the phrase, "Get Out The Vote", it tells

me to just vote for anybody, but make sure you vote. How

could this possibly be good for America? In this article, I

imagine the speaker as an educated Political Surveyor, who

is targeting all voters whether educated or uneducated. It

is more than likely that he represents a Minor Party. Minor

parties are definetly hurt by the "Get Out The Vote"

movement. Uneducated voters usually go out and pick the

most familiar name or the opposite party of the most

familiar name. Minor parties do not have the same

privelages as Major parties. They do not bring in nearly as

much money to get their names out. This only gives votes

to the major parties, leaving the minor parties unknown and

unvoted for. Although sometimes they have better ideas, the

lack of funds basically wipes them out of the presidential

election. The writer asks, "Is this what Thomas Jefferson

wanted?" I am pretty sure that this is probably the

complete opposite of what Thomas Jefferson wanted. He

wanted a fair system that would give a fair chance to all

candidates in the Presidential elections. If minority

parties were on the same level in the playing field, they

could possibly win the presidential office. Until this

happens, the only two parties that will have a chance are

the Democrats and Republicans.

Another obstacle that affects minor parties is

generation voting. In many households, there is a preferred

major party. The parents start their children off young

telling them what party is preferred by them. This usually

affects how their seeds vote when they get older. Some

citizens never really vote for themselves, they vote for

whom they were taught to vote for whether they are the best

option or not. If they were educated voters, they would

seek to find out who are the best candidates in every

election. This is another major milestone for minor parties

to get over.

Robert Coulson has valid ideas in this article. Voting

is an important matter and privelage. Voters should do all

that they can to be well educated about all of the

candidates. If you do not know anything about the

candidates, how can you vote for them? He talks about

political machines stealing votes from voters because of

lack of knowledge. Most voters only know about a couple of

the candidates. After voting for the people that they know

about, they usually just go down the list and vote for

others that they know nothing about. This is unfair to the

candidates as well as the United States of America.

Although voting is important, is there really anything

wrong with not voting at all? Not voting could be the best

option for some citizens. If you are being lazy, that is

one thing, but if you really do not feel that any of the

are worthy, that is another. We have to remember that

voting is a privelage not a law! In the 1950's, they even

talked about taking legal action against people who did not

vote. There is no way that this could be constitutional.

Another obstacle that affects minor parties is

generation voting. In many households, there is a preferred

major party. The parents start their children off young

telling them what party is preferred by them. This usually

affects how their seeds vote when they get older. Some

citizens never really vote for themselves, they vote for

whom they were taught to vote for whether they are the best

option or not. If they were educated voters, they would

seek to find out who are the best candidates in every

election. This is another major milestone for minor parties

to get over.

It is a little strange that this article was written

in the 1950's, and we still use the phrase today. It is

also weird that over fifty years has passed and this

article is still relevant. The same voting practices still

happen today, and there is no sign that it will ever stop!

Will we ever get tired of the same thing and do something

new? Only time will be able to tell if we will continue to

repeat history or take advantage of it in the future.

"Get Out The Vote" is a controversial voting phrase

that is commonly used. Although it sounds good, it can

easily be misunderstood and misinterpreted. In order to

have more effective and educated voting, this phrase needs

to be explained more. "Get Out The Vote" has been overused,

is outdated, and needs to be replaced by politicians.

Patriots Cheating?

The New England Patriots have been accused of spying on other teams to win games. Which is another form of CHEATING! Wow, who would have ever thought that football had cheaters too? At first I did not undersand what the big deal was about them looking at the Jets hand signals, but then more details unfolded. It turns out that they also cheated in 2003 to win the Super Bowl. They had their personel go to the St. Louis Ram's final walkthrough practice. Their assistant video-taped the practice which gave them a head's up on what the Rams would do in the "Red Zone". This may have helped them win the Super Bowl. But it doesnt stop there. I turned on the news today, and they said that the Patriots may have cheated to win all of their Super Bowls and could be stripped of them. I guess the say Winners Never Cheat and Cheaters Never Win still holds true!

Presidential Election

Well at first the presidential election was very boring to me, but after discussing it with my mom, I find it a little more interesting. This is the first time in at least thirty years that there is no clear favorite for the democrats. Could we be making history? This presidential election could end up in either the first woman or the first black president. I would have never expected for this to happen in my lifetime. A presidential poll stated that Obama would be better suited to go up against McClain, the leading Republican candidate. I can't wait to see how this presidential election turns out. I also encourage everyone to get out and vote! Every vote counts!

Living Wage

I think that living wages would be much better than minimum wage. The cost of living is dramatically increasing with no signs of going back down. Sure the government is raising minimum wage, but it still does not compare to the soaring cost of living. If things keep going like they are, I honestly believe that we could see another Depression. Everything is on the rise price wise. Just the other day, my mom and I went into the store to purchase some milk and eggs. The milk cost over three dollars a gallon, and the eggs cost a little over two dollars a carton. Even I can remember when milk was like a dollar fifty and a carton of eggs was about a dollar and maybe some change. The dollar bill is no longer worth what it use to be worth. The housing market is also being effected by this. Lumber is at an all time high, yet the value of houses are steadily decreasing. It really makes no sense! How do they expect us to survive if things continue on this path?

Water Stealer! LoL

Although this is not my topic, I still find it very amusing. I never thought that I would hear about somebody suing someone else over water! The same substance that everyone needs to even survive. W0W, what has the world come to? Its like two best friends who need each other fighting over a toy. Tennessee and Mississippi are both dependent upon each other. I mean they are next door neighers. They really give each other more options. Out of every thing else in the world to fight over, WHY WATER? I really do believe that there is enough water for both states to share. My mom owns a house in Mississippi as well as Tennessee, so I feel kind of stupid for suing myself! Would it be classified as a win win situation, or a lose lose situation. If I take water from my house in Collierville to my house in Byhalia, am I really doing something wrong? It sounds very silly and petty, I knOW! If you really think about it, neither state will gain from the lawsuit! Even if Mississippi wins the lawsuit, do they really win? This could cause Tennessee not to help them at all. Instead of building things close to the state lines, they could take building project to another part of town. This would cost Mississippi a lot of money. Why can't we all just get along?

My View Point (Consolidation)

Now that I have finished with the first draft (of the first part) of my paper, I guess I will tell my point of view. Consolidation is a HORRIBLE Idea. Yes, I understand that my stance may be very bias because I live in Collierville. Consolidation has been talked about since before I was in high school. If it has not been done in all of this time, I do not think that it is going to happen. If it does happen, it will only make things worst. I cannot stand the thought of my beautiful little town turning into nasty ole Memphis! I am proud to say that I am from Collierville, (and as racist as it is) I love my town. If Memphis annexes Collierville, Cordova, etc. they will become horrible places to stay. For one, the crime rate will probably sky rocket. In Collierville, there is maybe one murder a century compared to one murder every 8 hours in Memphis. The town is also well- taken care of. It is clean and there is not a lot of chemical waste. On the other hand, most parts of Memphis is filthy. I lived in Memphis for 12 years and absolutely hated it. There is nothing worse than foul smelling air and hearing gun shots at night! Another concern is the school systems. Shelby County has some of the best schools, where as Memphis has some of the worst. I feel that I really recieved a quality education in County Schools that prepared me for college. Last but not least, I will address the debt problem. I do not see how adding debt with debt equals less debt!????? From the math skills (that I learned) a negative plus a negative still equals a negative! NOT A POSITIVE!! What do you think?

Big Paper (Part I) Help Please!

Cosolidation in Memphis has been an ongoing issue. Consolidation is defined as bringing together separate parts into a single or unified whole; unite;strengthen. Memphis has been trying to consolidate the two government for some time now. However, there has been many set-backs and stumbling blocks along the way. The two sides have gone back and foward since the issue came about with the question, "Is consolidation the best thing for the city and surrounding areas?"

The two sides have very compelling arguements, but cannot come to compromise. Consolidationhas been attempted two times already. Both times this idea was shut. The City of Memphis would loveto consolidate and the majority always votes yes to consolidation. However, the County, on the other hand, has always shut the idea down. To overcome this, Mayor Herenton, the mayor of Memphis, is proposing a State Constitutional amendment that would eliminate having two separate consolidation
votes, one for Memphis residents and one for all residents outside the Memphis City limits. This would only require one election for all Shelby County residents. By the majority of Shelby County residents living in Memphis, Mayor Herenton is counting on them to vote in favor of consolidation, ensuring its passage. If the State Legislature approved a Constitutional amendment, all non-Memphis residents would still get a vote, but it would no longer have the same weight as it does now.

Recently both mayors, A. C. Wharton (county) and Willie Herenton (City) stated that consolidation is the way to go. Now it is up to the citizens who do not believe this at all. Although A. C. Wharton is pushing towards consolidation, his plans are a little different. He does not want to consolidate the school systems. This is one of the biggest issues that Memphis area citizens have. Shelby County
schools have recieved a passing grade on their school system for many years and are known to have a good school system. While Memphis City Schools have been labeled as underacheivers and have received failing grades recently. This greatly concerns county citizens. In order to keep the two school systems separate, A. C. Wharton is advocating a freeze on the district's boundaries through special school districts.

Although many county citizens do not want consolidation, Mayor A. C. Wharton thinks that it will save the county money. Wharton says that consolidation could save the county up to $20 million dollars a year. This money is much needed in the county considering the $14.5 million funding gap in next year's budget. Wharton also asked the county commission to consider "a hybrid version of a metro government." He says that the consolidation will help taxpayers more than it would hurt them in the long run. However,taxpayers still believe that they will have a tax increase regardless.

To understand what the road ahead will be like, the past must be considered. Consolidation has been considered in Tennessee over twenty times in over twelve different counties. It has only been accepted three times in twenty cases. All of these cases have been in Middle Tennessee. The government most like ours that has gone through the consolidation process is Knoxville and Knox County. This area
has rejected consolidation at least five times. They are still going through the consolidation process to this day. In the past couple of days, the Tennessee State Supreme Court made an important ruling in this area that could directly affect Shelby County. Knox county's government, which is structured much like Shelby
County's was ruled invalid. This means that there is only a matter of time before the county will be asked to appropriately define the responsibilities of the "constitutional" with specific chartered duties.

Pr0cRaStInAtIon!

Procrastination is the word that explains this blog THE BEST! This is the best title because, basically, that is what I am doing. It is 1:29 a.m. and our blogs are due today by 11:59 p.m. And not to mention, I have to wake up at eight in the morning for church. For some reason, it is so hard for me to get online and post my blogs early. I have had three of them finished since tuesday, but the disease called Procrastination has prevented me from posting them. I know I'm not the only person that suffers from this terrible disease! I try so hard to do these early in the week, but it never quite works out that way. It seems that as soon as I set aside time to post blogs, someone or something interrupts me. I think I am just a little A.D.D. with a little touch of A.D.H.D. (haha) but aren't we all sometimes? Procrastinating was one of the main concerns that I knew I had to fix coming into college. I did so well coping with it last semester, but this semester it has returned! Gabe and I were talking about this today (which was yesterday), and we both seem to do the same thing! Hopefully this will be the last time for this. Sorry Wendy!

MaNiFeSt0

Everyone has some kind of manifesto for their life. A manifesto is defined as a public declaration of intentions, opinions, objectives, or motives, as one issued by a government, sovereign, or organization or a public declaration of principles, policies, or intentions, especially of a political nature. Manifestos are essential to anyone who plans on being successful in the world. I, for one, have many different parts to the manifesto for my life.
Principles are the most important things in my life. Principles are defined as an accepted or professed rule of action or conduct: a person of good moral principles. Good moral principles have always been taught in my household since I was a child. As a kid, I can remember my mom always telling me to say “yes sir or mam” and “no sir or mam.” Good manners always had to be used in my house. If I did not show good morals at all times, I would be punished. The golden rule, “Do to others as you would have them do to you” was taught and strictly abided by. Religion was also a major deal in my house. My mother and grandmother taught me that God was always the most important thing in my life and to always put him first. I was also made to read The Bible every night. When I was three years old, I can recall my mother hanging up the Ten Commandments from my ceiling and on the door so I would always remember them. My faith has kept me going in the attempt to achieve my objectives in life.
I intend on being a very successful business man in the society. In order to achieve this goal, there are steps that I have to take. The first step is now college. College is the principle that will get me to my objective, because it is needed to be successful in the “real world”. In order to get through this first step, firm policies will be needed. Policies could include attending every class and arriving on time. Other policies that need to be upheld are paying attention in class and also taking good notes. Another key component to staying on track with my manifesto is to work on all of the things that I know I have difficulties doing. Organization would be the biggest problem to conquer. Procrastination is something else that I have a problem with. I always get my work done, but I tend to wait to the last possible second. Staying focused will be what determines success or the lack of success. If someone is focused, they can conquer anything that they set their mind to. After these steps are put into place and obtained, everything else will fall in place.
Another intention I have is to get signed by a major record label. This goal takes a lot of hard work. Music is something that is very important in my life. Music is heard all over the world, but few people know how much hard work it really takes to produce a good song or an album. A lot of times I am tired and I want to call it a day, but in order to fulfill this objective I have to keep working. Sometimes my tasks can be very stressful, but the end result makes it all worth while. By staying focused, my dream of becoming a major artist can become a reality. I will continue to try my hardest to fulfill this intention.
The final part to my manifesto is to live a long, healthy life. I also plan to get married, and raise my children as my parents raised me. Family has always been important in my life. I find more comfort in my family than any other thing in the world. Having a close family has positively affected my life in many ways, and I cannot wait to pass this same feeling along to my wife and children when I get older. Many people say that girls are the only ones who look forward to having a family when they grow old, but I guess this is not always true.
Manifestos are important to anyone who plans to be successful. Everyone should have a manifesto and hold tight to it. In order to accomplish goals, one has to stick to their policies as well as their principles. The combination of this will make any manifesto easier to complete and success an easy accomplishment.

Beliefs

Beliefs are things that people think are true. Beliefs can be inherited or thought of by a single person. The class was assigned to interview their group on what they believe and form a conclusion. While people are very different, their beliefs can be similar
Ryan was the first person that we interviewed. He stated that everything happens for a reason. I too believe that this is so true. The next thing was stated by all three group members. The belief in God was a unanimous decision. A person's faith is one of the most important things in their life. The third thing that Ryan believes in is soccer. Sports are a big part of many people's life. Sports take people's minds off of everything that is happening in their lives. The last belief that Ryan stated is, "Hard work beats talent every time, talent does not work hard." This is a very controversial statement. Personally, I do not believe this statement is true. I, for one, am a very talented person, but I work hard to try to improve my talent. However, I do respect what he believes in.
Johnathan was my other group mate. He had a lot of interesting beliefs. The first he talked about was his belief in God. We all held this belief. The next thing he talked about was individualism. Individualism is what makes a person unique. Without this, everyone would be exactly the same. Music was the next thing that came out of his mouth. This was also one of the things I believe in. Music is important to the whole world. Without music, nothing would be the same. Everyone can relate to some type of music. He is also a believer of tennis. The last thing that Johnathan is a believer in is everyone can contribute something to life. I strongly agree with this statement. Some people can contribute more than others, but even the smallest contribution is needed.

Sup3rstar pt II

The photo shoot was one of the best experiences ever! There’s nothing like getting to take pictures in other people’s clothes and getting to keep them. I think I can get used to (as Kanye West calls it) The Good Life! The photo shoot came to a close at about 5:00 p.m. My next stop was the Holiday Inn. Here, I have to meet up with a couple of people who are on the same label as me to record the background vocals for my performance that same night. By this time, all of the events from that day were catching up to me, but there was no time for a nap. I hoped I would get a chance to take one a little before my show. So we were setting up the recording equipment when I realized something was wrong. We were missing the usb cable to connect the recording box to the laptop. Shit, shit, shit I said aloud. This was the second time that this had happened. When we were out of town in Monticello, Arkansas the same exact thing happened. Dreadfully, I hopped in my car, went to Wal Mart, and bought the cable we needed. (I hope when I become a superstar people do this for me! Lol) I finally arrived back at the hotel, and we recorded that night’s background vocals. But it just couldn’t be that simple could it? No! When it was time to burn it to a disk, the burner would not burn! Ughhhhhhhhhhh…. I was beginning to get disgusted! After about fifteen minutes of trying, we got it to work. Finally something was going our way. Next, I jumped in the shower, brushed my teeth, and got dressed for the show. As I walked in, I noticed how many people were there. I did not expect for it to be that crowded. I know I should have been nervous, but for some reason I wasn’t. I partied up front for a little while, and then I headed backstage to my dressing room to change clothes and prepare for the performance. Before I knew it, it was my time to go onstage! As I said my prayer, my first track started to play, I came from behind the curtains, and instantly got an adrenaline rush. The feeling I had onstage and the crowd’s reaction was the biggest payoff! That and maybe the $500 I made for doing the show! “IF YOU ARE WHAT YOU SAY YOU ARE, A SUPERSTAR, THEN HAVE NO FEAR, THE CAMERAS HERE!!” The End!

The life of an up & coming R&B Artist (Superstar)

The time is 5:30 a.m. I bet you ask, “Why so early?” Well, let’s just say that it is going to be a long day. My first task of the day is to work out before my first studio session. I dreadfully walk down the hall into the family workout room. It is a little strange that we call it that considering only my mom and I live there. The work out begins with a fifteen minute warm-up on the treadmill. This is just to get my blood flowing for the next exercise. After the treadmill, comes the bicycle and after the bicycle is the weight bench. My work out concludes with ten sets of ten push-ups and sit-ups. This step of my day usually lasts for about an hour and a half. I know that good physical training is needed for the events that are planned for today. Next I jump in the shower and take care of all of my other personal hygiene tasks. As I lay down on my bed, the time is now about 7:30. I quickly take out my song book to look over the songs that have to be recorded today. This always helps me to remember some of my lyrics so that when it is time to record, the words are already some-what in my mind.
After my lyric review, I walk downstairs to get something hot to eat and drink. I open the refrigerator and there isn’t anything at all except for a jug of water, mayonnaise, a couple of eggs, and condiments. So I walk over to the cabinet and grab a can of soup and some green tea. I know, soup for breakfast doesn’t sound very intriguing to me either. Never the less, I heat the some and boil some water for the tea. The combination of tea and soup did not taste that great going down my throat, but I had to warm my vocal chords for my 9:00 studio session. Next I hopped in the car and headed off to my three hour studio session. I had no idea that it would be so difficult to sing such high notes that early. I mean, I took choir in high school first period, but this was nothing like it. After the studio session, my day was pretty exciting! First barbershop, then PHOTO SHOOT!... see next blog for part II.

The Truth!

Don’t you hate it when people twist a story around to make things more dramatic? I do! This seems to happen a lot in my family. An instance of this happened just yesterday. My great grandmother, who is ninety three, passed out yesterday and was taken to the emergency room, but it was not a big deal. They ran a couple of tests on her but could not find anything, so they emitted her into a hospital room to run some more tests. A couple of hours later, my mother received a phone call from one of my cousins saying that someone had called her and said that my great grandma had had a heart attack! Wow! This was so farfetched from the truth. Why would somebody strike up the nerve to make up something like that? This is a much bigger situation than the occasional family gathering where the old people gather around and discuss what they used to do “back in the day.” Where the story goes through some huge plot and ends with a hilarious conclusion that you find yourself laughing about for a couple of minutes. If you cannot tell by now, I am really kind of pissed about the whole situation. I almost got highly dramatic about a something that did not even happen. So, I guess the moral of this little story would be not to believe everything you hear. If you do not hear it straight from the source, there is a possibility that it is not true!