Republicans, whites will continue to control the UNC BOG

As the march to hiring a new President of the University of North Carolina system, as the effort to find a replacement for Tom Ross who was asked to vacate his office before he desired to retire, change approaches in the make-up of the Board of Governors, to whom Ross and the new President report. There are 16 members of the 32 person board whose terms expire this year, and the process of nominating and selecting has begun.

The State Senate has nominated 16 men and women; voter registration records show that there are 11 registered Republican, three registered Democratic, and one registered unaffiliated. Under the subject of race, the make-up of the 16 Senate nominees includes 11 whites and 4 blacks/African Americans. There are four women and 11 men. All of this public information is available through the NC Public Voter Search section of the North Carolina Board of Elections website. Look me up if you wish: Democratic, white, male.

Those nominated by the Senate include:

• Republicans: John Fennebresque, Lou Bissette, Frank Grainger (all three current BOG members); and Robert J Brown, Thomas Goolsby, Benjamin Jenkins III, Charles McCurry, Temple Sloan III, William Webb, Terry Yeargan, and Michael Williford.
• Democrats: Jesse Cureton, Brenda Diggs, and Ericka Ellie-Stewart.
• Unaffiliated: Anna Spangler Nelson, who voted in the Republican primary election in May 2014 but participated in the nine previous Democratic primary elections. She is also a current member of the BOG. Her father was once the President of the UNC System.

The House will come up with its own list of nominees to choose the other eight. That could happen sooner or later. Terms that expire this year end June 30. Voter affiliation, race, gender and recent voting records will also be available at the NC BOE website for those nominees. But, surely none of that matters to the members of the General Assembly. For sure, those nominated and selected are the most qualified beyond political contributions and the good ol' boy network. Right?

In the meantime, the process to hire a replacement for Ross has started with the forming of three committees, all controlled by BOG Chairman John Fennebresque. If someone on the nomination committee is reading, please remember that among the top talent for consideration is current NC State University Chancellor Randy Woodson. Is the nomination process open to the public? Read all about it at: Choice for UNC President should be Dr. Randy Woodson of NC State

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Dictionary.com word of the day

spondulicks (noun) [spon-doo-liks]: money; cash

The quesadilla was a Reuben or maybe the Reuben was a quesadilla

Dinner at our house is sometimes very well planned and sometimes leftovers, which are fine with me; and, 99% of the time, dinner is something delicious and deliciously whipped up by my better half. A well-planned dinner might be an original recipe, not written but conducted from memory; the leftovers are sometimes similar to a previous meal—original lasagna heated for a second meal comes to mind—or a combination of things turned into something different. Some people will not eat leftovers or anything made thereof. We will. In meal preparation, sometimes, the better half has received volunteered assistance or at least suggested aid just to make it clear what my brain and stomach are concocting.

With chicken breasts and thighs—bone in and skin on—cooked on the charcoal grill Monday evening, a warm night especially tempting for cooking on the grill, there was plenty left over for future use. Why grill a couple of pieces of chicken for two when seven or eight pieces can be prepared and finished for nearly the same effort, holding back some for future meals? One option Tuesday night was leftover grilled chicken. Or, option two, the chicken could be turned into tasty chicken salad with celery and grapes and nuts and mayonnaise and a little of this seasoning and a little of that seasoning, turning one leftover into another leftover for future use.

On the other hand, there was a new package of country sausage in the refrigerator. Combined with pasta and delicious gravy, the sausage could be used to prepare a meal that would be completely consumed in one sitting. No leftovers there. And, then, there was the idea of using the chicken to make one big quesadilla. But what about the remaining corned beef purchased a few days ago to make a Reuben sandwich? How about a Reuben quesadilla? How about a chicken quesadilla and a Reuben quesadilla? The planning for two was completed by two.

In one Teflon-coated pan was an 8-inch veggie tortilla with a layer of grilled chicken breast without the skin and bones, a layer of sliced hot cherry peppers, and a layer of shredded cheddar cheese covered by another 8-inch veggie tortilla. On a Teflon-coated flat skillet was a burrito-size flour tortilla covered in sheets of Swiss cheese, then on half the tortilla a thick layer of corned beef covered by an ample coating of sour kraut. Once heated to melt the cheese, the vacant half was folded over to form a half moon Reuben quesadilla. A can of refried beans was also heated. Both quesadillas were flipped to make sure each was browned on both sides; then onto a cutting board they went to be sectioned for serving. A little salsa and sour cream were used as toppings for the chicken quesadilla and a squirt of spicy brown mustard was splashed onto the Reuben quesadilla, and that was dinner. Both were delicious, especially the Reuben quesadilla which was sans rye bread and butter for typical Reuben grilling but still wonderful!

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Dictionary.com word of the day

momism (noun) [mom-iz-uh m]: excessive adulation of the mother and undue dependence on maternal care or protection

Wake County BOE stands its ground, sort of

This will not be the last post ever about the Wake County Board of Education but hopefully it will be the final on the issue of scheduling makeup days. The BOE Monday did the right thing, sticking to its guns by keeping three days of Spring Break on the calendar to cover for the days lost due to weather. It was “sort of” a strong statement in not kowtowing to the more than 7,000 people who signed an on-line petition against use of spring break days.

In doing so, the BOE also said that’s A-okay to miss those three days due to other plans. Seniors who are academically eligible to skip final exams as long as attendance meets specific requirements will not have those three days counted against them if the senior decides to skip school and hangout at the mall. Others who miss will be given ample opportunity to make up work missed for full credit. No word if that make-up time to make up work will be on Saturdays or Good Friday. Reporting attendance those three days will shed light on the protest power of the Spring Break crowd.

Teachers and staff will also get a reprieve from traditional rules but those details are not yet set. Principals have been told to deal with circumstances beyond the control of students and staff. It’s just a guess, but “deal” means to be lenient and understanding instead of zapping those who take advantage of the situation. Again, it’ll be interesting to look at attendance stats for teachers and staff for those three days.

The weather and BOE are responsible for this situation—the weather for causing the use of make-up days, and the BOE for making a farce of the make-up days—but BOE Chairman Christine Kushner decided to place blame elsewhere saying this problem wouldn’t be an issue if Wake County was allowed to set its own start and stop dates for traditional calendar schools. That, of course, is bull of the largest kind. She’s just trying to deflect the short-comings of the BOE. Flexibility of the calendar is not necessary to create a policy within the limits of the established calendar. This BOE doesn’t have the creativity to do it. (See yesterday’s post referring to a longtime solution to makeup days.)

Tuesday, March 10, 2015

Last note: Hopefully, The News & Observer will send its headline writers to Spring Break makeup days to learn the simple rule of “i” and “e” which says to put “i” before “e” except after “c” which was obviously not followed in today’s newspaper.

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Dictionary.com word of the day

magniloquent (adjective) [mag-nil-uh-kwuh nt]: speaking or expressed in a lofty or grandiose style; pompous; bombastic; boastful

To BOE: Do not make decisions based on direction of the wind

Yesterday’s post about the Wake County Board of Education’s decision to chop three days off spring break and to use them as make-up days instead of sending Wake county students to Saturday and Good Friday classes drew interesting response, especially on Twitter where requests were made to write about an on-line petition against using spring break.

Yesterday’s post was not for or against using Saturdays and Good Friday and not for or against using spring break days. Yesterday’s post was to point out how the Wake County Board of Education sometimes makes decisions based on the way the wind blows. When the BOE decided to use Saturdays and Good Friday, the wind blew against the BOE, so they bowed to pressure not to use a Christian holy day or precious Saturdays to make up school time missed because of Mother Nature and inadequate snow/ice removal equipment to make it safe to transport lots of Johnnys and Johnnyettes to school.

So, instead of sailing into the wind, which, if the sails are set correctly can lead to magnificent speed and lots of tacking, the BOE decided to go with the wind but without testing those waters. Using its sometimes wishy-washy way of doing things, the BOE changed course and dropped those three holy days (Good Friday and two Saturdays) and chose three other holy days (three days of spring break, considered more holy than Easter to many citizens of Wake County).

At this writing, about 10 a.m., Monday morning, nearly than 5,600 signatures have been added to the on-line petition, probably at least 5,000 more than who protested the Saturdays/Good Friday make-up days, but this outcry from less than 5% of the total attendance is no reason for the BOE to face the pressure from the gale-force winds hitting it directly in the face. The BOE, meeting and announcing last Saturday to get this change in under the radar (didn’t work), would be foolish at this point of changing again. It would show a genuine weakness in its ability to act as it should. If it bows to the “save spring break” pressure, what’s next? Lots of issues come to mind.

SHORT SOLUTION: All that said, here’s a solution to this year’s missed school days: Open the schools for all six days: the two Saturdays, Good Friday, and the three days of Spring Break. Students would be required to attend three of the six, and a missed day would be an unexcused absence (doctor and preacher notes not accepted) and a “zero” for all class work that day. Teachers would be paid an additional three days either in dollars or vacation or retirement. Additional costs would be covered by savings from missed days.

LONG SOLUTION: The longtime solution to make-up days is easy, but requires more foresight and can be addressed in a simply-worded policy that states there is a week in the spring when school will not be in session. However, if necessary due to missed classes because of weather or any other reason, those days come first as make-up days. Parents should plan accordingly because this could mean school will be in session come hell or high water or snow or ice or gloom of night.

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Dictionary.com word of the day

formication (noun) [fawr-mi-key-shuh n]: a tactile hallucination involving the belief that something is crawling on the body or under the skin

The Wake County Board of Education Three-Ring Circus

The circus was in town, in Cary, last week. Not the Ringling Bros. extravaganza, sans elephants, but the Wake County Board of Education spectacle with lots of elephants in the room. The Board met several times to determine make-up days for all the school missed due to weather such as wind, rain, snow, ice, sleet, and gloom of night. And, the result was more entertaining and disappointing as a circus can be. This was a high-wire act that looked and felt more dangerous than needed.

First there was a decision to dock the students two Saturdays and Good Friday to make up three days lost. The reasoning was two-fold: 1) not to encroach on Spring Break; and, 2) not to extend the year which at best is like putting one more ornament on a Christmas tree already overloaded. It does nothing to enhance the tree; adding days at the end of the year could be accomplished by hiring baby-sitters. No teacher teaches and no student learns in days added at the end. “It’s the least disruptive,” explained Christine Kushner, school board chair of using Saturdays and Good Friday.

But, using Saturdays and Good Friday met with the usual resistance for all the wrong reasons. Protesting parents didn’t like the idea of a six-day work week for students, though Saturdays for students usually includes some kind of work, maybe not the book type. And, then there was the objection from the righteous group of parents who think going to school on a special day in the Christian Church is wrong. One said, “Good Friday is a sacred religious observance for my family. My children will not be in attendance.” Question: How many of those who protested the Good Friday selection are two-fers, those who only go to church twice a year—Christmas and Easter? Fact: Parents objecting to Good Friday because they had already planned a getaway three-day weekend can get an excused absence for religious observance without a note from their preacher.

The uproar over Saturdays and Good Friday as make-up days must have hit home with the Board of Education, so the ringmaster and the other circus performers met Saturday and changed their minds without thought of offering refunds on circus tickets already purchased. The Board scratched the first plan and then dipped into the holiest of holidays for Wake County Schools, taking three days away from Spring Break! So now the screaming begins about canceling plans made long ago to take Johnny and Susie to Disney World or to the beach or some other destination the week of March 23-27. The first three days, they’re scheduled to be in school.

Let’s face it; the Board of Education is in a no-win situation when it comes to making up missed days due to weather. But, as far as entertaining like a circus, that group is on target, maybe without the elephants, but with plenty of elephant dung for everyone.

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Dictionary.com word of the day

chronometer (noun) [kruh-nom-i-ter]: a timepiece or timing device with a special mechanism for ensuring and adjusting its accuracy, for use in determining longitude at sea or for any purpose where very exact measurements of time is required

All is fair in love, war, politics for Wake County Commissioners

It appears the spoils of victory may soon be squashed for Wake County Democrats. Or will they, the “spoils” that is? As a result of elections last fall, Democrats hold a 7-0 advantage over Republicans and unaffiliated voters on the Board of County Commissioners, winning all four of the open seats. And because of what happened last fall, Republicans, with State Senate Chad Barefoot leading the charge, in the General Assembly are proposing legislation that will break up the Democrat’s domination and probably usher in a few, maybe a majority of, Republicans, the way the Board make-up was before last fall’s election.

That Wake County as a whole votes for County Commissioners throughout the County instead of district by district is a little confusing anyway. In the cities and towns that make up Wake County, voters in a specific district only vote for representation in that district. In the commissioners races, voters in all districts can vote for candidates in all districts. In the North Carolina Congressional races, voting is allowed for candidates wanting to represent a specific district. If North Carolina followed the Wake County Commissioners voting model, all citizens of North Carolina would be able to vote in all 13 Congressional races. Also of interest: the seats on the Board of County Commissioners are staggered with four up one year and three another. The General Assembly is not that way; the US House is not that way. Why the County Commissioners?

One interesting fact about last fall's results is the vote margin of Democratic candidates versus Republicans for each of the four seats was about 170,000 to 140,000, about the same as the county-wide race for District Attorney, also won by a Democrat. It’s obvious that Democrats went to the polls in force and voted a straight ticket, though that’s not allowed with one mark on the ballot. The voters had to make the effort and won the elections fair and square. Republicans didn’t appreciate it.

In the category “be careful for what you ask” the Democrats, who wanted a 100% takeover of the Board, may find themselves on the short end when the General Assembly gets through changing the way the game of politics is played. Actually, the Republicans are playing the game the way it should be played. As the overwhelming majority in the General Assembly, the Republicans are in charge of gerrymandering election maps, a job well-done in recent years, even if you dislike the results. Now they want to change the way Wake County elects County Commissioners by setting up seven distinct districts that mirror the Wake County Board of Education districts (Dems 6, Reps 1) and adding two half-county districts. Voters would cast ballots only for the candidates representing their district.

All is fair in love, war and politics, someone once said, and the proposal to change Wake County elections for County Commissioners seems to fall in that category. The spoils do go to the victors, but in this case. though losers at the ballot box last fall in the Wake County Commissioners race, the winners could be the Republicans in the General Assembly, not the seven Democrats who make up the Wake County Board of Commissioners. The Republican proposal is actually a fair one that will make the Board more reflective of the political make-up of the various parts of the county instead of the county as a whole.

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Dictionary.com word of the day

phillumenist (noun) [fi-loo-muh-nist]: a collector of matchbooks and matchboxes

In Alabama: No Gay Marriage now, tomorrow, forever?

The standoff between the Alabama court system and the federal courts over gay marriage should come to a head when the United States Supreme Court hears arguments about gay marriage and eventually offers its opinion, if gays have the right to marry anywhere in the United States or if individual states can ban it, refuse to issue marriage licenses to those of the same sex. The case before the Supreme Court will be heard in April. But, if Alabama’s history is an indication, a ruling against the Alabama courts may not end the situation without further confrontation.

In January, United States district judge Callie Grande issued a ruling that allowed licenses to be issued in Alabama to gays who want to marry. After hundreds were issued and marriages performed, after a directive from the Chief Justice of the Alabama Supreme Court, the Alabama Supreme Court voted 7-1 this week against the process and ordered probate judges, those who issued the licenses, to halt the process. In Alabama, where 48 of the state’s 67 counties had recognized gay marriage, justices and the probate judges must seek re-election at the end of each term. In Alabama, where being conservative and God-fearing has more of a majority that Democrats and Republicans combined, turning against the State Supreme Court means probable defeat at the polls. A day after the 7-1 vote, there was no place in Alabama issuing marriage licenses to gay couples.

Attorney David Kennedy, who was involved in the case that resulted in the Grande ruling, said this week: The Alabama Supreme Court has now demonstrated a willingness to defy and nullify a decision of the Supreme Court of the United States, the 11th Circuit Court of Appeals and the federal district court for the southern district of Alabama. Dean Lanton who this week just barely missed getting a marriage license so he could wed his partner, Randy Wells, said of the 7-1 vote: It was a punch in the gut. It was out of the blue. It's just Alabama politics, deja vu from the 1960s.

Which brings us to this: Will President Obama and Attorney General Eric Holder send federal Marshals to Alabama to enforce the federal court rulings? Will the Alabama National Guard be called on by the Mr. Holder to make sure gay marriage continues in Alabama? Obviously there’s precedent for such action from the President and the AG from the 1960s when Governor George Wallace didn’t want to integrate public schools. Alabama Supreme Court Chief Justice Roy Moore started this chapter against gay marriage when he told the probate judges to ignore Grande’s order to allow. His comments were followed by the 7-1 vote. If you close your eyes and listen, maybe you’ll be able to hear the Honorable Mr. Moore echoing the sentiments of Governor Wallace: No gay marriage now; no gay marriage tomorrow; no gay marriage forever. Time will tell where this eventually goes, but all roads point to anyone who wants to marry, no matter sexual preference, will be allowed to do so, even in Alabama with licenses issued there and ceremonies performed there. There’s precedence for that.

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Dictionary.com word of the day

circumvolve (verb) [sur-kuh m-volv]: to revolve or wind about

For future success, Tiger Woods needs to throttle back, have fun

Professional golf, as good as it is, has lost a lot of the charm and character it had before Tiger Woods appeared and turned the sport of fun and relaxation into one of all business. It’s gone from creating shots to one of exact yardages. And, as long as the media continues to worship Woods as if there will a second, third, fourth—you get the idea—coming of Tiger, the game will suffer from lack of a cluster of stars to take his place as the lead attraction. There are plenty of good golfers in the professional ranks, none who capture the attention of golfers and those who don’t play golf as Woods does, but it is better to concentrate on what’s at hand than what’s not and why with Tiger.

Today, on nearly every golf broadcast, on nearly every show on the Golf Channel, in written golf columns all over the world, on radio sports radio broadcasts that include golf and sometimes not, discussions migrate to “What’s wrong with Tiger?” and how to fix his game to return him to the top level of competition, to gain the spotlight, the leadership role, the throne as many pundits prefer. Just a couple of years ago, Tiger won five tournaments, not the major kind, but he won on the PGA Tour, against the best of the rest. In those tournaments, he dominated the minds of others which allowed his dwindling physical ability to play just well enough to surpass the others. His mental ability, though, dwindles with every bad shot he makes, every “wrong” swing he produces, every slight appearance of wrong-doing on the course and off.

In recent years, Tiger has had physical problems and sometimes blamed those ailments on his swing, something he’s changed often in his career. He has always been a power player off the tee. In his early years, he shortened the courses with his long ball. When his drives split the fairway, and even when those tee shots are just a little off line, Tiger has been within reach of the greens with much shorter irons than the competition. His play of those irons—8, 9, W, etc—was superior. His putting ability was legend. But now, more than ever, he’s off his game. His strength—his ability to play and score better than the rest—started with his drives; now that’s a weakness. He’s pressing himself causing his shot to avoid fairways way right and way left, requiring him to hit scrambling shots with which he is unfamiliar or for which he makes a half-hearted effort as if he’s seeking someone’s sympathy. Those bad approach shots put him in tough putting positions, decreasing his accuracy on the green. The result of all of this has been missed cuts or finishing his final tournament round hours before the leaders tee off on the final day of the event.

Some say he needs a new swing coach; others say he needs help other places; some suggest he stop everything else—including following a well-known skier—to concentrate on his golf. Maybe his time has passed, that he will not surpass Jack Nicklaus in “major” titles; he definitely will not do that if he keeps playing the way he has been recently. He doesn’t need the money; but he needs the success, the spotlight though he doesn’t want any outsides coming inside.

There is a solution to his woes, but it would be un-Tiger-like to do it. He needs to throttle back on the tee, not try to duplicate his game that dominated the tour for so long. He needs to hit straighter yet shorter shots off the tee and develop a better mid-range game. In doing so, if successful, he’ll increase his confidence and not enter a tournament wondering if he’ll be around for the final two rounds. He doesn’t need a new swing coach or a new caddy or a new psychological guru. Nearly any daily greens fee golfer could take the place of each of those. It’s obvious Tiger’s not having fun playing tour events and that’s because he’s not winning, not dominating. He’ll only get the fun and the winning back when he hits fairways and greens and holes a few putts. It’s to be seen if he can do it; it’s doubtful he ever will. Golf will survive without him. It’s been nice knowing his game.

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Dictionary.com word of the day

eyesome (adjective) [ahy-suh m]: pleasant to look at

NC Voter ID law solution: issue photo ID cards at the polls

When the North Carolina General Assembly passed the voter identification law requiring voters to present some sort of legal identification when voting, allegations were rampant that Republicans proposed and passed it keep voters who would regularly vote for non-Republican candidates. The allegations remain running wild today and will not stop even with the case reaches the United States Supreme Court that will uphold the North Carolina law. Prediction: The law, despite aggressive litigation by the US Attorney General, whoever she may be, will be upheld. Therefore, if you don’t have a legal ID as described by the State of North Carolina, do yourself a favor, if you want to vote, and go to the Department of Motor Vehicles and obtain a picture ID. It’s just as easy and convenient as going to the polls to vote in the next election.

Think about it. You make the effort to go to the polls to vote, waiting in line to present yourself to the volunteer election official who asks your name. You give that person your name, and soon after, almost immediately, the election official tells you that you’ve already voted, even though your spouse can vouch for your whereabouts for the entire day, a story for another time. It doesn’t matter, even if your spouse is with you. As it turns out, someone has voted in your stead earlier in the day, and, there’s little or nothing you can do about it. Even if that’s not happened, the election official asks for your address, and after your confirmation, you’re allowed to vote. To some of us, that’s always been a little unnerving, even though, in North Carolina, voting impropriety has not run wild like those allegations mentioned in today’s first paragraph. This ain’t Chicago, thank goodness.

Voter ID fraud is not worse than losing your identity altogether; it's more like having your credit card number duplicated and spread across the country. What the voter ID law will do is to prevent operatives on both sides of the aisle from driving vans through various neighborhoods and to gather non-registered citizens, take them to the polls, get them signed up and provide them with a ballot, hoping with all that good will they’ll vote for the candidate who sponsored the van. It’s part of the “ground game” of politics. As it turns out the Democrats have better organization at that level, so the Republicans want to put a crimp in the successes of the Democrats instead of working as hard as the Democrats to win the vote, legally. That’s how Obama won North Carolina in 2008. He did win the state that year, didn’t he?

To all, here’s a compromise: If someone wants to vote and doesn’t have a picture ID, tell him/her to go to the polls carrying the documents required for an official North Carolina picture ID. The election officials at the polls should have someone there with an iPhone or iPad to take a photo of the non-IDed person and scan his/her documents, transmitting it all back to DMV. Then give that person an affidavit that says they are indeed a citizen of NC and qualified to vote and that if they are lying, there’s a detention facility waiting for them. Then give that person a provisional ballot. Once the ID information is verified, the ballot will be counted, and an ID will be mailed to the address given. The next time that person shows up to vote without an ID, disallow the vote and require 100 hours of community service.

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Dictionary.com word of the day

sastruga (noun) [sas-truh-guh; sah-stuh-guh; sa-stroo-guh]: ridges of snow formed on a snowfield by the action of the wind

Wake County BOE wants a public fight but doesn't need it

The Wake County Board of Education is at it again, wanting to have its cake and eat it too. It’s about the desire to establish Wake County BOE controlled Charter Schools and to set the annual starting dates for the traditional school calendar. The Democratic-controlled (actually Democratic-unanimous since Republican Bill Fletcher is a GOPer in registration only) Wake BOE will be asking the Wake County delegation to the General Assembly to ask the Republican-controlled legislature to approve a plan that makes the Wake County Schools sort of autonomous when it comes to making the rules by which schools here are governed instead of following statewide policy.

This is somewhat like a wolf in sheep’s clothing. Traditionally, Republicans would prefer the local level to make the rules, especially when it comes to Charter Schools. Setting the starting dates for the traditional calendar comes with pressure to make sure exams are not carried over from mid-December to early-January. The pressure comes from parents who feel their kids are not smart enough to retain knowledge between mid-December and mid-January for end-of-semester exams.

The Wake County BOE could move ahead with both ideas without asking permission; it’s just they can’t do it the way the BOE is thinking. So, think outside your box of crayons and get creative. For Charter Schools, how likely in the name of true Charter Schools will the BOE give up the rules set forth for Charter Schools such as exempting them from some local regulation and not requiring all instructors to be certified? No, the BOE wants to make the Charter schools follow its rules, not the rules set forth by the State. The Wake County BOE just wants to regulate what it can’t. However, using the magnet school model, the BOE could move ahead with Charter-like schools if it’s flexibility from the rules and regulations it desires. Just narrow-cast the curriculum and set it up to look and feel like a Charter school. It would that in name only but it would be a magnet school.

As far as setting the starting date earlier in August to make sure exams are held prior to Christmas…er…winter break, that’s easy to do. Just flip all traditional schools to year-round, including the high schools, objectors be damned. And, if the Wake County BOE doesn’t like my many-times-mentioned and explained trimester model, use staggered quarters for high schools, following the year-round models of elementary and middle schools. This would allow the BOE to set start and stop dates that cater to those who feel their kids are not smart enough to retain knowledge from mid-December until mid-January for end of semester exams. Maybe it's the BOE members who feel that way.

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Dictionary.com word of the day

variorum (adjective) [vair-ee-awr-uh m, -ohr-]: containing different versions of the text by various editors

Fans, coaches want to win more than players

Roy Williams tried and failed; Mark Gottfried ditto. For some reason, youngsters playing college basketball just don’t get it when the older and usually wiser coaches tell them what is needed to win. Williams tried to warn his players on the North Carolina Tar Heels that they needed to want to win more than NC State's players wanted to win last week. Gottfired tried to tell his Wolfpack players Saturday that his team was ripe for the pickings by Boston College if his players didn’t play at the same level they did a few days earlier against UNC.

The pleading by both coaches didn’t work for either. The Tar Heels fell behind and couldn't understand the fight NC State had coming down the stretch even though UNC came from 16 points down to within a deuce before falling by a dozen. The Wolfpack went to Boston College and played with little determined effort, falling behind by a huge number and failing to do what it takes to get back in the game at all. It shows that both teams, even with upperclassman leadership, are young and sometimes play with random thoughts circulating their brains. Coaches be damned!

To college basketball players, it's obvious that winning a game is not the most important thing on their collective minds; though the fans wish it were that way. And losing is just a little blip on the radar or a bump in the road to the overall big picture of life. Fans and coaches prefer the kids to think of a loss as depressing as a death. In some cases, losing will mean the death of a season of promise. Probably, if the minds of these youngsters could be wired and examined during games of winning and losing, the results would show more concern of what they’ll find on their Twitter feeds after the game or what they’ll be doing after the game, win or lose. Fans wish there were no Twitter or Text Messaging or Facebook (old school) communications available to those on who so much pressure to win has been placed. Believe it: The pressure is on these kids; it shouldn't be removed.

With college basketball and college football teams, it’s amazing how much pressure fans and coaches put on the players about their performances. And these are just children who are usually anywhere from 17 years old to 23 years old and who have little full-life experience. This applies to all intercollegiate teams, but the gravy train for college sports is primarily football and basketball (men’s only; the women’s game may be entertaining but financially it’s a huge drain on athletics department budgets) so winning in football and men's basketball is magnified with good reason. 

Howard Cosell once said of a professional football player who dropped a crucial pass in a Monday Night football game: “He has no right to drop that pass. He’s paid to catch it.” In some regards, college players are paid to play and win at all costs even though they do not share in the revenue they help generate. In winning and losing, in reality, we ask this question: Do they have the right to drop a pass, to not perform at the top level in every game, to reveal in the glory of victory, and to not worry about defeat? We need answers! Twitter that!

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Dictionary.com word of the day

switcheroo (noun) [swich-uh-roo; swich-uh-roo]: an unexpected change or sudden change or reversal in attitude, character, position, action, etc.

59 days, 59 columns, 159 miles, 23,000 calories, 3 pounds…

It was early January, the first day of the year, when this “blog”—2015:Day-to-Day—started. The quest was and remains to write a post every day for a year. Preferably short and to the point columns, these blathering diatribes shouldn’t require more than a couple of minutes to read and digest, if you have the stomach for such. You should take the time, if for no other reason than to agree or disagree or to take time from the important to travel to the sometimes ridiculous. Surely, you get it. Posted comments are welcomed.

Yesterday was the 59th edition and today is the 60th time words of opinion sometimes backed up with facts, words of opinion against those who don’t use facts for their efforts, words of opinion that seek to give narrow minded readers a wider scope of thought, and words of opinion that take the wider thought of many and try to narrow-cast to make a point. The responses (not published) have been amazing, especially the column about calling your Mother. It has been said that opinions are like … oh well… never mind that old saying.

In addition to daily writing, there were other objectives set forth in early January:

• Walking 30 minutes a day: In January, 34 minutes a day was the average; In February, 39 minutes a day. (Not counted, 530 minutes of walking while playing golf.)
• Losing 12 pounds during the year: lost 3 pounds total in two months due in part to burning nearly 23,000 calories walking about 159 miles.
• 52 rounds of golf in a year: Only played three rounds total in January and February; my handicap went from 5.9 to 6.3 from playing the Wolfpack Tees (6,027 yards, 68.5 rating, 122 slope) instead of the Red Tees (6,502 yards, 70.7 rating, 130 slope). Obviously to get to 52 rounds, the average must be five rounds a month for the remainder of the year.
• No alcohol for a 7-day stretch each month hasn’t happened. There have been 3-day and 4-day periods. However, consumption of wine has been reduced in favor of one beer a day, in the evening at dinner, of course. Soon to come will be a listing of “Beer in our Fridge” to give you an idea of what’s favored here.

One goal, not mentioned yet, has been attained thus far; it has to do with refraining from doing something than with doing something. Make sense? Several other items on my to-do list this year are yet to be attempted. There is, however, the success of publishing a book: 1973-74 Reliving the NC State Wolfpack’s Title Run, about the road to the NCAA title that year. Find more info, a review and where to get it at CaryTown Press.

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Dictionary.com word of the day

emblem (noun) [em-bluh m]: an object or its representation, symbolizing its quality, state, class of persons, etc.; symbol

This is a time for Senator Thom Tillis to back off!

While Senator Thom Tillis is (in his mind) smart to refuse to support Loretta Lynch for United States Attorney General because he doesn’t like her politics, claiming she would continue to pursue a law suit against a law he helped usher through the General Assembly when he was Speaker of the House, he needs to back off when it comes to a ruling by the Federal Communications Commission that reverses a law he ushered through the General Assembly when he was Speaker of the House.

His statements about Lynch are well documented and written about in this space yesterday. Today, we’re on the side of the FCC. To hell with the NC statute that limits expansion of city-owned broadband service. Thank you FCC. In this case, Tillis is not really on the side of the law he passed. He’s squarely on the side of private communications companies who supply landline services in a monopolistic fashion. These are the people with terrible service and the customer service skills of someone from the government who calls and says, “Hello, I’m from the government and I’m calling to help you.” Run for cover it that happens to you.

This case is about the town of Wilson NC which in 2008 established town-owned broadband service, offering better services for less than the privately owned firms do. The citizens went along with it because it was better, faster and cheaper than the private alternative. Remember, it was a start-up, and even if a private firm had come to town and installed all new equipment and provided services, financial losses would have been the norm, especially in 2008 when the economy tanked. Wilson lost nearly $7 million in the first five years before profiting by over $700,000 in 2013. Numbers are not available for 2014. In 2011, the town of Wilson wanted to extend its services beyond its borders. Tillis and his buddies in the General Assembly saw to it that Wilson had to stop at the town limits.

The law Tillis passed with lots of lobbying from his corporate friends prevented Wilson from expanding and was based on a taxpayer supported entity losing money while competing against free-market forces of private enterprise. (If that thinking applied to all of government, there would be no government. All government agencies, especially the General Assembly, "lose" money while operating.) At the time Tillis was not for the citizens of Wilson and beyond obtaining broadband (call it internet if you wish) at reasonable rates, those that are not gouged by the private companies such as Time Warner Cable, AT&T, Charter and others. Therefore, he was flabbergasted at the FCC ruling in favor or Wilson and against his law. In this case, Tillis should back off. It’s one thing to oppose the nomination of a North Carolinian to the post of US Attorney General; it’s a dastardly thing to do something to cause higher cable rates. This is a time for Senator Thom Tillis to back off!

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Dictionary.com word of the day

butyraceous (adjective) [byoo-tuh-rey-shuh s]: of the nature of, resembling, or containing butter

Is “history-making” the top qualification for US Attorney General?

Senators Thom Tillis and Richard Burr, both representing North Carolina, will vote against North Carolina native Loretta Lynch when she is on a full Senate ballot for the position of United States Attorney General. Their reasoning is because of policy differences, not politics as some prefer to reason. On the other hand, Representative GK Butterfield, also of North Carolina, while not allowed to participate directly with the confirmation, is purely political and biased in his reasoning why she should be selected. He prefers to use gender and race as her primary qualification.

Thursday, in the US Senate Judiciary Committee’s 12-8 vote in favor of sending the nomination of Lynch to the full senate for confirmation, Tillis, a freshman, voted nay. While voicing respect for Lynch, Senator Tillis gave sound reasoning for his negative ballot, taking a very conservative line in his way of thinking, something several prominent Republicans didn’t. He, and later Senator Burr, voiced his concern for laws of North Carolina that were passed under his watch as Speaker of the House, and that’s to be expected. Tillis obviously feels a strict allegiance to the state he represents. Agree or disagree with that approach, but thank him for his state loyalty.

At some point, Tillis may take a wider view of his job as a United States Senator, looking at the Senate as a national body and not made up of 100 people looking after 50 states. Maybe Tillis should have looked the other way and voted with the majority on the Senate Committee, but he didn’t need to do that, knowing the nomination would pass committee voting and be moved on to the full Senate. In using a disagreement over policy, he didn’t want to disappoint some of his home state constituents, even though Lynch is from North Carolina.

On the other hand, after the committee vote was complete, Representative Butterfield said in a statement: Sen. Tillis had an opportunity today to be on the right side of history in supporting the nomination of Ms. Lynch, who would be the first African-American woman to serve as Attorney General. It is disturbing that Sen. Tillis is beginning his tenure in the Senate by casting such a misguided and politically calculated vote. However, I’m confident that the full Senate will confirm Loretta Lynch, a daughter of North Carolina, as the next Attorney General of the United States.

Interpreting that statement, Butterfield says Lynch’s primary qualification is she would be the first African-American woman to serve as US AG. Butterfield may think Senator Tillis casted a “misguided and politically calculated vote” against Lynch, but at least Tillis seemed to be thinking beyond race and gender when studying qualifications. Lynch may be qualified, and, if confirmed, would be the first African-American woman in the post, indeed a big deal in our changing society. While the President has the right to nominate a person based on the President’s policy approach, Tillis was voicing disagreement with that. He was looking at how she might handle the law, and that’s more important that basing a vote on what Butterfield says is “the right side of history.” Butterfield needs to be more studious of issues before he cast ballots. But that’s not going to happen. In his time in Washington, most of the votes he has cast have been because of one thing: he’s a Democrat, voting the party line without due consideration of a wider view. He’s a rubber stamp for Democratic Party issues, what he calls “politically calculated,” and that’s much sadder than Senator Tillis voting against Lynch in Committee, if you feel Tillis was on the wrong side of the vote.

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Dictionary.com word of the day

ad hockery (noun) [ad-hok-uh-ree]: reliance on temporary solutions rather than on consistent, long-term plans

One game does not a season make … but it helps

(Editor’s Note: This post about NC State beating UNC 58-46 was supposed to run Wed, Feb 25, but the game Tues, Feb 24 ended too late to make Wednesday’s edition. But, if the game had been between UNC and Duke, it would have made it, no if, and or but…)

A few years ago in Carter-Finley Stadium, after NC State defeated East Carolina and as the fans exited the stadium, one Pirates fan was heard to say, “You State fans kill me; there’s only one game you really want to win each year and that’s against East Carolina.” That blond-haired female East Carolina fan doesn’t quite understand (didn’t expect her to understand). For the Wolfpack, it’s not the Pirates as the team to defeat if it's a football season with one win and 11 losses. It’s the Tar Heels, of course. A win against ECU is just a win, no more, no less. Losing to ECU is a drag on State’s program, the reason State doesn’t want or need to play East Carolina in football.

The blonde should understand that one game does not a season make. However, in some cases it does. For instance, last Thanksgiving weekend, the Wolfpack went to Chapel Hill and kicked UNC’s butts, 35-7, which actually "made" the season for NC State. A loss may have kept NC State out of a bowl. The win guaranteed a winning season and helped in recruiting. It gave the program the emotional high it needed. Fans were euphoric. And, when looking back at the 2014 season, that game will be remembered more than any other win including the bowl game and more than having Florida State on the ropes before collapsing. The season was a huge success because of beating UNC, especially in Chapel Hill. One game made it.

NC State’s 58-46 basketball win over UNC Tuesday night in Chapel Hill goes a long way in making this season as well. It did more for the Wolfpack than the Tar Heels’ win in Raleigh last month did for UNC. State may have been expected to win in Raleigh, but losing was not so much out of the question. In Chapel Hill, the Tar Heels were favored by nine and probably saw the game more a must, must win than State did just a must win, though the Wolfpack probably needed it solidify NCAA tournament qualification. As it turns out, the Wolfpack wanted it more than UNC, played better than UNC and was cause for UNC not playing up to the level expected by coach Roy Williams or its fans. State didn’t win because UNC played poorly. UNC played poorly because of NC State. Actually, Mark Gottfried out-coached Williams.

The season still has a long way to go for the Wolfpack. There remains three regular season games, all conference: at Boston College, at Clemson, Syracuse in Raleigh. Winning each gives State an outside chance—depending on how Louisville, UNC and Pitt do—at finishing in the top four and having a double bye in the ACC Tournament. (There’s always an outside chance.) Then there’s the ACC Tournament, and the NCAA event. State’s resume with 12 point wins against Duke and UNC and a nine-point win at Louisville is solid to get into the NCAA, but the Wolfpack cannot falter now. While the win Tuesday night isn’t today a season-maker, hopefully it shows the players that giving a complete effort will make its season better. In that regard, one game may turn out to be a successful season-maker.

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Dictionary.com word of the day

inutile (adjective) [in-yoo-til]: of no use or service 

School Board can’t win, can’t lose with school closing

(Editor's Note: The NC State Wolfpack's 58-46 win over the UNC-CH Tar Heels Tuesday night ended too late for inclusion of stories and photos in this edition. Doesn't matter, though. The score is enough. However, if the game had been between UNC and Duke, the entire posting today would have been about the game no matter what time it ended and how bad the weather.)
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In 1975, the NC State student newspaper, Technician, included a short weather-report paragraph on the front page. It wasn’t detailed, just a short paragraph with mention of high temperature and sunshine or not. On April 1, 1975, the weather report was a little terse and reminded the readers they picked up the newspaper from outdoors locations on the way to class. The weather report said, Listen you twerps, you had to come outside to get this paper so if you’d just look around you’d know what the weather is.

Technology then not being what it is today didn’t provide details for forecasts we’ve all come to expect. Rarely was school called off the night before a snow storm. Usually, we had to tune to WWGP in Sanford to find out. The Atlantic weatherman, Bob Caudle, on WRAL-TV was good but not good enough. Today, it’s different because the meteorologists have all sorts of gizmos to tell us nearly exactly what’s going to happen. One thing, though, weather predicting, as accurate as it may seem, is not an exact science. For sure.

School systems may believe predicting the weather is an exact science. Last year, based on the latest data, Wake County schools were called off the day before expected snow which never came, and the public was out-raged at the problems caused when children miss day care, a.k.a. school. The weather report Monday evening this week called for snow later on Tuesday, so the buses were set to roll and many did. But, the skies opened with white stuff pouring down all day, and while the children were headed to school, the School Board called it off for the day. Out-rage again.

Now, here’s the kicker. With school out Tuesday and probably Wednesday and Thursday, spring break, saved by the bell before this latest round of wonderful snowy weather, is probably lost, at least a lot of it. To further complicate the situation, North Carolina law allows those students who were on the buses head to school Tuesday to get full credit for attendance that day though not setting foot inside a classroom, actually not off the bus. Not sure what happens to those in cars. What happens with attendance credit and snow make-up days is to be determined, but let’s face it: The School Board can’t win for losing or something like that.

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Dictionary.com word of the day

pickwickian (adjective) [pik-wik-ee-uh n]: meant or understood in a sense different from the apparent or usual one

Please don’t dismiss UNC Center on Poverty, Work & Opportunity

Later this week, the UNC Board of Governors could vote to halt the operation of the Center on Poverty, Work & Opportunity on the UNC-CH campus. This is a direct appeal to the BOG (whose members are notified about posts to this website) to reconsider the recommendation to do so. It just wouldn’t be fair to get rid of the comic relief associated with the Center and its director, Gene Nichol, a man of the highest regard. If you don’t believe me on that statement—the one about Gene Nichol being a man of high regard—just ask him. He’ll tell you the same.

Professor, director, former President of William & Mary, and countless more adjectives, Nichol is a man of many words, not speaking or writing for UNC, of course. Hah! Sometimes, in his speaking, which he cannot edit once it’s said, he doesn't use correct grammar, and that’s not okay, but so be it. He’s probably more concerned with his out-of-control hairdo than with the use of lie or lay and I or me. Once, he told a reporter, “No one loves Carolina more than me” when he should have said “no one loves Carolina more than I.” If you don’t understand the difference, return to grammar school.

The bottom line with Gene Nichol is: Do as I say but not as I do. He may talk a big game when it comes to poverty in North Carolina, but he has no solutions other than to increase government spending. In all likelihood, Nichol has never done anything about poverty except talk about it. And, he talks big. As a matter of fact, he enjoys talking down to his superiors, such as Governor McCrory, but then it’s obvious that Nichol believes he has no superiors. He’s a liberal loud-mouth who might have a good cause, but he only talks and writes about it instead of actually doing something about it. Maybe he should take a few classes at UNC’s Kenan-Flagler Business School.

It will be a shame to halt the Center because when Nichol talks, it’s great fodder for comics. But, the show will probably go on; Nichol will lose an official platform for his cause and a salary of $7,500. But, he’ll retain his position as the Boyd C. Tinsley Distinguished Professor in the UNC School of Law, a nine-month a year position (does he actually teach?) that paid him $205,400 last year. So whenever he speaks, he speaks for UNC, no matter what he says or what the small type at the end of his columns says. Even if the Center loses status, Nichol will continue to hold himself in high regard because, as he said, “No one loves Carolina more than me.” What does that mean? Simply this: No one loves Carolina more than they love Gene Nichol. If you don’t believe me, just ask him.

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Dictionary.com word of the day

demassify (verb) [dee-mas-uh-fahy]: to break into elements that appeal to individual tastes or special interests

Make suggestions not complaints about making up missed school

If just once, we’ve gone over this a zillion times: When it snows or sleets or when freezing rain falls from the Greg Fishel (WRAL weatherman) infested skies, when the temperature doesn’t climb high enough to melt said snow, sleet or freezing rain from the roadways, schools will be closed for more days than anyone expects and be open for more days of spring break than anyone would want. It’s a fact of life in North Carolina. If you ain’t from around here, get over your complaining. It happens!

The amount of precipitation that accumulates and stays because of lack of warm air is never expected. Actually, it’s so rare (snow, sleet, gloom of night) in these parts that keeping enough snow removal equipment and chemicals and sand on hand to allow for regular travel is out of the question. So when it snows, etc., schools are dismissed early and remain closed until it warms up to allow all the secondary roads to clear au naturel. (Bad graphic, huh?)

When the roads and highways are not completely passable for school buses, schools remain closed, and the next sound you hear is one of dismay from the immigrants from states north of here who just don’t get it. They wonder aloud why the schools are closed to begin with, and then they absolutely complain about the schools remaining closed for more days than seem necessary. And then they complain about possible scenarios, especially when that means taking spring break days away from the planned and paid-for family vacation.

First school lesson about weather in North Carolina: There will be days when scheduled school will be closed for cold weather issues and possibly hurricanes. And when the classes are called off and the school systems must make sure students are instructed for 185 days or 1,025 hours, there are only so many ways to do it. These include: changing teacher workdays to school days; canceling early release days so they become normal days; banking in the extra time that schools have over the 1,025 hours; extending the end of the school year; holding classes on Saturdays; and, cutting into spring break and other vacation days and holidays. My suggestion: Instead of complaining about the closed schools, have fun in the snow and ice covered roads with the kids and make constructive suggestions to your local Board of Education on how to abide by the attendance laws.

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Dictionary.com word of the day

brolly (noun) [brol-ee]: an umbrella (British informal)

A day of Dean Smith remembrance: Dec 28, 1973

Today is not December 28, 1973. It is February 22, 2014, the day when a sell-out crowd and then some will fill the Dean Smith Center in Chapel Hill to celebrate the magnificent life of one of the all-time great college basketball coaches, Dean Smith. Stories and remembrances have been written many times since his passing two weeks ago. He was remembered in this space on February 9: Dean Smith’s shadow will remain forever. He’s graciousness on Dec 28, 1973 will remain a fond memory with me.

As a long-time fan of NC State Wolfpack basketball, Dean Smith wasn’t admired in my early years as he has been in his later seasons for his coaching ability and his approach to life in general. He was the enemy, the one who somehow, someway taught Larry Miller to increase the speed of his hands so he could easily steal pass attempts by the other team. All he asked of his players was to be a little more aggressive and overplay tendencies of the opposition. His success in the late 1960s started to diminish the Everett Case place in Atlantic Coast Conference history, and that was disappointing to all Wolfpack followers. Only with State winning the 1974 and 1983 national titles and a few ACC championships in the 70s and 80s did the jealously subside a little.

There was something he did late in 1973 that will never be erased from my memory. Much of my family was spending Christmas in Hollywood FL with my Dad’s brother and his wife, Nat and Marilyn. The UNC Tar Heels were scheduled to play at Biscayne College on Dec 28. A call to the Biscayne Sports Information Office secured a couple of press passes for me and my brother, Brooks, under the guise that as sports editor of the NC State school newspaper and with UNC’s game after set against the Wolfpack in the Big Four tournament, watching that game would be a good way to write an advance story though the Technician, the NCSU student paper, would not publish again until well after the Big Four. There was no story written, but we went to the game.

UNC dismantled Biscayne, 112-72, in front of 2,000 people. Notes were taken, and we were headed to the door when Jack Williams, the UNC Sports Information Director, asked if he needed to make Dean Smith available for a post-game interview. Of course, we replied thinking it would be along with the other local reporters. Smith soon walked through the locker room door, turning right for us and ignoring momentarily the other reporters to the left. “Do you think a game such as this prepares you to play your next game against NC State (or something as that)?” he was asked. His team was ranked 4th in the nation that day and the Wolfpack was only 5th, but only because of a loss to UCLA a few weeks earlier. “Yes, every game we play prepares us in some way for our next game. Playing State will be tough; Norm has a good team (or something as that),” he said. There were two or three more questions and answers, but the interview was soon over. As he turned to walk away, he thanked me for coming and wished us safety back to our destination.

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Dictionary.com word of the day

glitterati (plural noun) [glit-uh-rah-tee]: wealthy or famous people who conspicuously or ostentatiously attend fashionable events

Speeding tickets are essential to DC budget! Ask me!

The speeding ticket, caught red-handed (or red NC State plated) by a traffic camera for going too fast on what seemed to be an interstate highway, came three months too late to help with the budget short-fall in Washington DC. Your vehicle was photographed violating District of Columbia traffic regulations on the date (December 27, 2014) and time (11:29:28 AM) listed below. Those few but accusing words were printed on the District of Columbia Notice of Infraction of the Metropolitan Police Department that arrived in the mail in mid-January. Guilty as charged unless appealed and then probably guilty anyway.

The citation which included a close-up of my license plate along with two photos of my car zipping past a camera said the car was traveling at 62 miles per hour in a posted 50 miles per hour zone. The highway looked like an interstate high, it traveled like an interstate highway, but in reality was and remains DC295, a highway in DC that looks and feels like an interstate highway, especially when trying to get out of town. The infraction took place at DC295 SW .7 miles south of exit 1 S/B, a well-know speed trap to residents of and visitors to our nation’s capital, truly beautiful place even with the Capitol building surrounded by scaffolding for repairs, the Capitol, not the scaffolding. Word is the Capitol will be ready in time for Hillary’s Coronation in about 23 months.

A Google search of that specific location—DC295 SW .7 miles south of exit 1 S/B—reveals quite a cache of fines for speeding there and throughout the District in similar speed traps. Actually, the District of Columbia relies on traffic cameras as a primary source of income. Last year’s projected income was $93,700,000! That’s $93.7 million dollars from catching drivers violating speeding laws, caught on radar cameras. Go figure! As of late August 2014, a month prior to the end of the fiscal year, DC’s effort resulted in only $26.1 million, just under $70 million less than budgeted, or more than 11%, below the annual $6.3 billion budget for everything there. The District of Columbia both encourages drivers to obey and ignore speed limit laws. It must get its cue from Congress.

The location of my infraction which does not carry a penalty of points against your license raked in more than $9,000,000 in fiscal 2012. All of DC295 which looks and feels like I-295, brought in nearly $24 million that year. The rest came from other speed traps throughout the District. My violation was appealed on-line with the defense of having just spent several days in Washington, supporting DC with taxes at restaurants, grocery stores and Target and with user fees for the Metro, and that the signs noting the speed limit of 50 mph were never seen so therefore awareness of exceeding the posted speed was not realized or the car would have been traveling at a lower speed. Besides, it was my first ever speeding violation. The response which took about four weeks came from Hearing Examiner J. Simpson. CONCLUSION OF THE LAW: Liable. The $100 fine has been paid.

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Dictionary.com word of the day

auger (verb) [aw-ger]: to predict