December 30, 20072007 -- The year we all prevailedTake a load off, Southwest Virginia. Look back over 2007 and exhale. We survived another year. It wasn't easy. It never is. But as Al Jarreau famously crooned, we got by. December 27, 2007Same field, new jobIn March, Donald Burnette's employer yanked the rug from under him. Circuit City, the big box-electronic retailer he had devoted 19 years to and had sacrificed his back for, laid him off. Without warning. But nine months later, Burnette has found his footing in another job. The Roanoke man joined Audiotronics in October as a deliveryman. Though he'll always have pain, the job is less taxing on a 44-year-old man who has undergone three back surgeries. Creative detailsOn this celebrated day, 100 little girls are clutching dolls decked out in the "God-given" talent of Nancy Burgess. Burgess is a seamstress. But to say she sews is an understatement. She creates. YMCA branch to get a makeoverJust in time for New Year's resolutions of healthier living, members of the YMCA Family Center have some added motivation: A better and bigger Orange Avenue branch by midsummer. The phenomenal growth throughout the Roanoke Valley YMCA also has launched discussions of expansions at the Kirk Family Center and Salem Y, less than three years after the new downtown building opened. Officials say they have to enlarge the two largest branches to keep up with membership, which has tripled to 18,000 members in just three years. Those plans will be firmed up by spring, Executive Director Cal Johnson said. That's nice, but the exciting news now is that the Family Center, which right now is the smallest and dingiest of the Y's three branches, will grow. December 21, 2007Merry ChristmasDear readers: I'm stepping away from the computer for a few days. However, I stumbled upon this thoughtful piece of reading recently in the archives of The Orlando Sentinel. Yes, I worked there many years ago, but I didn't write this. Because it ran on the editorial page almost 15 years ago, it was unsigned so I'm not sure who wrote it. But the author doesn't matter. The message does. I trust you will gain as much inspiration from it as I did.
That message is particularly poignant this time of year.
Indeed, peace and goodwill are gifts that people can extend to each other The choice to exercise that ability, though, remains with the individual. Peace and goodwill are the remnants of that first Christmas in Bethlehem. The December 20, 2007Homeless debate requires empathyThe plight of Roanoke's homeless has been in the news lately. City council members have worried aloud from the podium whether homeless people from other areas were piling into Roanoke because services are too plentiful. On Friday, Mayor Nelson Harris is expected to announce a regional, 10-year plan to end homelessness in the city. But what you might not remember is that this isn't the first time city leaders have had a serious discussion about the homeless. December 18, 2007Give, and give where it's needed"Jesus is the reason for the season." "What would Jesus do?" The phrases are catchy, but have they become gimmicks that do little more than give us a pass on personal accountability in certain circumstances? Do they deflect attention from what our role should be and onto Jesus? Remember, he's done his part. Are we so busy spouting popular expressions that we don't fully explore what's beneath them, what's expected of us? December 16, 2007Bowers hasn't called it quitsWhat's next for David Bowers? "I don't know," the former mayor said Thursday, two days after losing a bid for chairmanship of the Roanoke Democratic Committee to Tony Reed, a political novice. That vote of the party's committee members was the fifth time in 10 years that Roanokers snubbed Bowers' political aspirations. You would think the man who would be party chairman (or mayor or congressman or city councilman) would take the hint. Not Bowers. He's not ready to concede -- yet. December 14, 2007A Damascus road conversion?During the four years I was on The Roanoke Times' editorial board, one of my dreaded required rituals was proofing Cal Thomas' column each week. Thomas is a conservative columnist whose work read more like the predictable regurgitation of a party line rather than his own personal and reflective thought. He too often saw the world in stark black and white, with no consideration for shades of gray. Thomas is a man of faith, and my readers know I have no problem with that. But his work seemed to reflect a man who wore his faith on his sleeve, and I do have a problem with that. So imagine my surprise this week when I read his column telling his evangelical brothers and sisters to get over their fixation with a religious litmus test for presidential candidates! An excerpt: December 13, 2007Democrats show why party lacks any unityIs it any wonder the Roanoke Democratic Party is in turmoil? Tuesday night was a defining moment for the party, and these folks seemed to be making up a way to count votes for a critical leadership decision as they went along. The disappointing part is that this week's meeting at William Fleming High School was tame, so I'm told, compared with previous years. Sure, everyone was on best behavior at the committee reorganizational meeting. The atmosphere was cordial. No one pitched a fit. No one cursed anybody out (at least not publicly). But let's face it: The selection of the party's next committee leader was short on, well, organization. Continue reading "Democrats show why party lacks any unity" » December 10, 2007The "It" girls: Chelsea and OprahA few casual observations on weekend "It" girls Chelsea Clinton and Oprah Winfrey who hit the campaign trails of Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama, respectively.
I think most people -- black, white, Hispanic, Irish, Jamaican -- adjust their cadence, speech or tone, depending on where they are or whom they are speaking.
I want to hear from you guys. Whaddya think? Was Ofrey (as I affectionately call her) putting on or do we all at one time or another lapse into different tones, accents, dialects, rhythms when we speak? You tell me. December 9, 2007Market building requires investmentThe City Market Building is a dump. Everyone knows it, and good thing it's on the radar screen again. Maybe something will get done. This time of year, the historic red brick building will see a boost in foot traffic because of holiday activities downtown. However, a visit to the market building -- with its filthy carpet, dim lighting, rickety toilet seats in the ladies room and smeared waste in the men's room -- would dampen even Santa's holiday spirit. December 8, 2007Of jackasses and pinheadsMy colleague Neil Harvey said, "Freedom of speech is very important. One of the reasons it's important is so you can see who the jackasses are." His comment came during our conversation about the insensitive, immature pinheads at Penn State who thought they were being funny dressing up as Tech shooting victims. I won't call insensitive, immature pinheads "jackasses" as Harvey did but I won't let them off the hook, either. They are callous, and immaturity is behind their callousness and excruciatingly poor judgment. When I read about their stunt, a story in Monday's paper was still fresh in my mind: They're young and don't think about consequences because the frontal lobes of their brains are underdeveloped. Thus my use of the word, "pinheads."
The California atheist was back in court this week, pleading with the federal appeals court to dump the "under God" references from the Pledge of Allegiance and "In God We Trust" from U.S. currency. He said the references disrespect his religious beliefs. Ummm, this is an instance where I'll agree with the Bush administration. The pledge ain't no prayer. It's an oath at best, and for many Americans, one that falls far short of being heartfelt. As for the money, if Newdow is so offended by it, he can stop spending (wasting) it filing his frivolous lawsuits. December 6, 2007Speaker refines the perception of givingLike a cup of hot chocolate on a late fall afternoon, Johnnetta Cole is warm and inviting. The distinguished former president of Spelman College in Atlanta and Bennett College in Greensboro, N.C., has a way of connecting with people that makes them realize she's one of them. And that we're all in this -- the betterment of people -- together. "My sisters all," the eminent educator and humanitarian said in a greeting Wednesday afternoon at a luncheon of the Roanoke Women's Foundation at the Maridor Bed & Breakfast. Then in her powerful yet affable voice, Cole noted the "few righteous brothers with us." Cole's acknowledgement to the three men wasn't just a speaker's ploy but a nod to her lifetime of teaching and living the values of diversity and inclusion. Continue reading "Speaker refines the perception of giving" » December 5, 2007Give gift of child support at holidaysYou might believe that parents separated from their kids might do a little extra during the holidays. They'd want their offspring well fed, in warm clothes against the cold. And that either because of parental love or guilt that they're absent, the child would have plenty under the tree on Christmas. In many cases you would be 100 percent wrong. Instead, according to the Virginia Department of Social Services, some folks purposely skip paying child support in November and December. They know the state will intercept their tax refunds early next year. So in their selfish little minds, parents count on children getting the support. Just not now. Merry Christmas, kid. |
About this blog In her signature plainspoken style, Michigan native Shanna Flowers peels away the layers and gets to the heart of the issues. No pretense. Just straightforward perspective. Shanna writes about local people whose circumstances reflect decisions made as near as City Hall or as far away as the halls of Congress. Other times, she weighs in on a topic because it is incredibly ridiculous. Or heartening. Or fascinating. Read Shanna's column three days a week, Sundays, Tuesdays and Thursdays, at roanoke.com
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