Georgia Carnival 17

Welcome to the 17th edition of the Georgia Carnival. Please support these fine Georgia bloggers by letting them know you have visited them with a comment. Your continued support with your links and shout-outs at your site helps to alert others to what we Georgia bloggers have to offer.

The next carnival will be hosted by What a Concept! two weeks from today. If you would like to host the carnival at your site e-mail me to set up a date. It’s a great way to put your own personal spin on the carnival.

Now… on to the highlights of Georgia blogging during the past two weeks:

Best Practices in Education writes about reponsibility, parents covering for their kids,a nd why the Barbie Bandits deserve jail time.

Georgia Politics Unfilitered states a national health care group tries to have it both ways.

Grift Drift on Grady---It's the best soap opera in town and Let's everybody calm down a minute...

Wouldn’t life be simple if you could get folks to do what you want. Provocative Church has the answer.

What’ll ya have? What’ll ya have? Shelbinator headed over to The Varisity this week to take advantage of an offer for a free hot dog. Click through to view the entertaining video and the out and out flame war in comments at Shelbinator’s post Georgians For Mitt.

When you click through, notice the banner very, very carefully. Where’s my red teacher pen? Here’s a warning though---if you haven’t eaten yet Shelbinator’s video will have you craving a naked dog walking.

Speaking of education or lack thereof I recently got into a little point/counterpoint concerning the teaching of state history with a retired Florida school administrator. Here is my response. It contains a link to my original post as well. What do you think? Is Georgia history important?

We’ve been back to school for a few weeks now and Spacey Gracey is writing about the the BackPack Network. As a parent and an educator I understand her points and strongly agree. I’m here to tell Spacy Gracey that I always give parents my email and even allow them access to History Is Elementary even though I get sort snarky about students and parents over there at times. Most school websites do provide a page where all the teacher e-mail addresses are listed. If the Atlanta Public School System is not doing this YET….they should be.

The Principal’s Office has some numbers regarding school suspensions that might startle you. I’m not surprised by them. Personally, school discipline is the number one problem we have have education today. Look at the Principal’s numbers here and here. Remember….this is just one county.

Heavy, heavy sigh.

Lots of reading on Michael Vick this week, but here is my take, The Avery Lane Experience's take on the whole mess, and here is what Bumps In the Road thinks as well.

Bloggy Vision is a new blog on the blogroll that basically blogs images and videos. Couch Potato, the author, would eventually like to publish blog-nods to sites that have a great look or organization. Star Tree is a really interesting looking video Couch Potato found on You Tube.

Article of Faith remembers hero Richard Jewell.

Being Amber Rhea presents a great video produced by Spacey Gracey shot at Manuels Tavern. Want to see some of our Georgia bloggers take on Hillary Clinton?

The Buzz Blog has a GOP straw poll at his site for you to participate in.

Chicken Fat is thinking about political correctness. What might have been politically correct in the 1940s is vastly different from what is politically correct today.

Ed Van Herik from What a Concept! discusses blogging and journalism.

The Questing Parson posts an interesting story involving a lunch, a discussion about the lottery, trusting the government, and church.

The Itinerant's Itinerary provides honest observations regarding Atlanta that can only come from someone not born in the south.

So, why did Georgia suceed from the Union prior to the Civil War? Was it state’s rights or was it slavery? Another History Blog examines the topic here and here.

Spacey Gracey has a poll up at her site (see the sidebar) asking about the AJC blogs…Are they really blogs?

At any rate the AJC Get Schooled site asks When does test prep go too far?

The AJC's Political Insider site has come up with a rational explanation for Fred Thompson’s dithering. The post title gains a gold star from me because of vocabulary use….love that word “dithering”. :)

What do you think about cows being fed pot scrubbers?

The next edition of the carnival will be found at What a Concept! two weeks from today. Posts can be sent to gamind@mail.com or use the handy submission form.Thanks for your continued support of the Georgia Carnival!

Call For Carnival Submissions and Blogroll Additions

Don't forget the Georgia Carnival will post this Friday. Send your submissions to gamind@mail.com or use the handy submission form by Thursday at 6 p.m.

This is the time of year I generally spend most of my time cleaning out closets and drawers at home and at school. I always find items I lthought I had lost, and I always load the car up with old stuff to take to Goodwill.

Don't worry though....I still found time to locate some new blogs for the blogroll here at Georgia On My Mind.

The following sites have been added to the blogroll here at Georgia On My Mind:

Bloggy Vision-Slogging through the Internet one video and one interesting image a day

Nature's Harmony Farm-Tim and Liz run a sustainable farm on 72 acres just as nature would have it. This is a very interesting site.

Foothills and Highlands-artwork inspired by Ireland and the valley region of North Georgia…and sometimes flights of whimsey

Lulupallooza-Just a little bit of this and that from my tired little brain

The Itinerant's Itinerary-A view of Atlanta from a newbie.

Enjoy looking over these new submissions and don't forget those submissions. The last carnival can be found here.

Regarding Vick: No Apologists Please

This whole Vick thing really riles me up as folks weigh in with some of the most stupid comments in an attempt to apologize for him such as the president of the Atlanta chapter of the NAACP---even the national president of the organization backed away from comments such as “Vick had to settle on a plea of guilty.”

Stephon Marbury thinks dogfighting is a sport and well, it is behind closed doors and all. I hope by now someone has advised Stephon that deer hunting is legal…..dog fighting is not.

Heavy sigh…..

Prior to Vick’s announcement he would plead guilty, Jamie Foxx defended Vick in an Access Hollywood interview. From their website:

Jamie is busy doing his thing on “The Foxxhole,” his weekly show on Sirius Satellite Radio show. And while an incredible LG Beach House in Malibu provides a spectacular summer backdrop, no subject is off-limits with Jamie, as Shaun found out during her stay as a special guest.

“Is he really going to jail?” Jamie asked Shaun about Michael Vick.

“Yes, he’s going to plea bargain,” Shaun said.

Although Vick has been almost universally condemned since agreeing to plead guilty to dog fighting conspiracy, according to Foxx, people should not be so quick to judge the NFL star.
“It’s a cultural thing, I think,” Jamie said. “Most brothers didn’t know that, you know. I used to see dogs fighting in the neighborhood all the time. I didn’t know that was Fed time. So, Mike probably just didn’t read his handbook on what not to do as a black star.”

While he has a way of lightening even the most sensitive of subjects, Jamie is sincere in his belief that the quarterback is not being given a fair shake.

“I know that cruelty to animals is bad, but sometimes people shoot people and kill people and don’t get time,” Jamie continued. “I think in this situation, he really didn’t know the extend of it, so I always give him the benefit of the doubt.”

Oh, please………..he didn’t know it was against the law?

Finally, I don’t often look at the sport pages because, well, it just isn’t my thing, however, I ran across this entry from Jemele Hill at ESPN.Com titled Bottom Line: Vick Did This to Himself.

Dear young, Black men:

Today, many of you are angry. You are angry at a society that has swiftly and vigilantly punished a superstar quarterback for dogfighting, but often looks the other way as a grotesque number of black men die in the streets. You are angry at the NFL, which has punishments some of you feel unfairly targets those who look like you. You are angry at Michael Vick's buddies and criminal cohorts for "snitching" on Vick, noting that trainer Greg Anderson, a white man, sits in federal prison with his lips sealed, protecting Barry Bonds and refusing to cooperate with authorities.

Michael Vick heightened the stereotypes of black men instead of eroding them.You are feeling a lot of things -- some possessing merit -- but I caution you not to make Vick a martyr. Do not applaud him for taking his comeuppance like some modern-day gangster. Do not blame others for Vick's predicament when he alone should be held accountable for his actions.

Let this historic unraveling be a wake-up call for the young, black men caught up in the same lifestyle that claimed Vick. Let his prison sentence send the message that a continued allegiance to street culture successfully keeps young, black men frighteningly behind in American society.

As the Vick case shows, millions of dollars are little protection if a certain mentality remains. Until now, Vick was considered one of the lucky ones. He rose out of poverty to become one of the most mesmerizing athletes of our time. He went from nothing to millions. He wasn't the American dream, but the American reality. He had the support of a city, of a people and he struck a chord with many young, black men because they saw themselves in him -- rebellious, strong and heroic.

But Vick let you down. He betrayed you. He heightened the stereotypes of black men instead of eroding them. Racists certainly will feast on Vick, but he was the one who made himself an entrée.You can say Vick was persecuted unfairly by the white media, say we should be more concerned with the war in Iraq than an illegal dogfighting ring or say his downfall wouldn't be a 24-hour news event if he were the highest-paid white quarterback.

But it's impossible to stand on moral high ground while trying to defend something so low. Vick did something wrong, something against the law, something disgusting and vile. Even worse, he appears to be the financial backer and mastermind behind the dogfighting ring.

I understand Vick's guilt is a tough, humbling thing to swallow because the one thing black men in this society understand is the feeling of being piled upon, discounted and discarded. Last year, several studies showed that American black men are failing at an alarming and heartbreaking rate. More than half of black men in the inner cities don't have a high school diploma. There are more black men in prison than in college. Everyone else in society -- whites, Latinos, women -- is gaining ground, but black men are falling further and further behind in virtually every category.

Black men have a history of being marginalized and demonized in the mainstream, so although your rush to defend Vick was misguided, it also was understandable.But now that we know of his guilt and complicity, let's be honest and not use racism as an excuse. Let's not point to Rae Carruth, Ray Lewis and Leonard Little and cite their crimes -- as if wrongs can exonerate other wrongs. Racism isn't putting Vick in jail. Awful decisions did that.

Instead, let's attack this poisonous idea in the black community that equates only negatives with success. Surely, one reason Vick kept his circle of friends is because successful black people are pressured into keeping their toxic buddies around for the sake of "keeping it real" -- even though they've spent most of their lives trying to escape the street lifestyle in which many of those friends remain.

Of course, what's forgotten is that if Vick's "friends" truly cared about him, they never would have allowed him to jeopardize his freedom, NFL career and family for an illegal enterprise. A $100 million man involved in dogfighting isn't keeping it real. That's keeping it stupid.

I wanted to address this letter to young, black men because they fall victim to this mentality more so than any other group. It's not just black athletes facing a crisis but black men, period.

Vick was in a position to show that young, black men are not something to be feared. But instead of leading the Falcons to the playoffs this fall, Vick will be among the nearly 800,000 black men in prison -- which sadly constitutes half of the nation's prison population. Instead of wrapping himself in the support he received from millions of fans -- many of whom look like you -- Vick aligned himself with a destructive culture that is being indirectly endorsed as long as some African-Americans continue to make pathetic excuses for an immature millionaire.

You may not believe this, but I hope Michael Vick recovers. I hope he plays in the NFL again. I hope his comeback is just as good, if not better, than Ray Lewis'.

But mostly, I hope that, through Vick, other black men learn that society is quite capable of gobbling them up.

No extra help is needed.

Ms. Hill, I couldn’t have said it better myself.

Theodore Roosevelt's Southern Roots: The Bullochs of Roswell

My parents were like many young people that come from a small town where everyone knows each other and more than likely has some sort of family connection to every face they see. Once they married they moved away, and in the case of my parents they exchanged small town Canton, Georgia for the big city of Atlanta.

As a little girl living in the southern suburbs of Atlanta I made the trek to Canton with my parents often and loved the trip. Over the years our route would change depending on which new roads had opened in an ever growing city. One of our routes utilized I-285, or the Perimeter, that totally encircles Atlanta. We would follow Roswell Road through Sandy Springs, Roswell, and enter Cherokee County via state route 140.

This was my favorite route to visit the grandparents. I loved to look out the window at all of the businesses, apartments, and restaurants that lined Roswell Road. I loved going across the Chattahoochee River and would get excited as we turned this way and that up the long hill towards the oldest part of Roswell. Funny.... today the hill doesn't seem to be as long, as curvy, or as steep as I remember it.

Even before the city fathers promoted their historical past, old Roswell had a historic atmosphere. Once we got to the top of the hill and passed by quaint shops and restaurants such as Panos and Pauls I would beg my mom to turn down the side streets so I could see the old homes such as Mimosa Hall, Barrington Hall, and Bulloch Hall.

Bulloch Hall had such a mysterious look to it. It tooked worn and tired and was quite scary looking especially on a rainy day. It was to say the least intriguing to me especially once I read and watched Gone With the Wind in middle school. I knew the Greek revival mansion had to have great stories to tell. I’d pepper my mother with questions. Who lived there a long time ago? Did anyone live there now? Was the land once part of a plantation? Do you think any of your people or Dad’s people might have known the folks who lived there?

Mother wasn’t sure, but she did know it had been a fine home in its day. I would have loved to see the inside, but in those days tours weren’t given, and my parents didn’t normally take up time with things of that sort.

Since my childhood I’ve learned a few things about the family that lived in Bulloch Hall, and if you have ever learned anything about President Theodore Roosevelt then you have inadvertently learned a bit about Bulloch Hall as well.

Major James Stephen Bulloch and Martha Stewart Elliot were similar to my mother and father in that they married and left their own childhood home of Savannah. Many have surmised that the Bulloch’s move north was the discovery of gold in North Georgia, but it was actually due to a bit of a scandal as this particular site attests:

Mittie's father, the "impetuous" Major James Bulloch, after his fighting days were over, married his stepmother-in-law, Martha Stewart Elliott, and in a flurry of scandal over the marriage left Savannah behind, packed up his wife, their children from previous marriages, and slaves, and moved to Roswell, Georgia. In Roswell the Bullochs settled on land which the Cherokees had recently held, before gold was discovered and President Andrew Jackson forced the native people to walk to Oklahoma on the infamous Trail of Tears.

Major Bulloch was well known because he had been a highly decorated soldier during the Texas War for Independence, and Georgia’s esteemed citizen, Archibald Bulloch, was a direct descendant. Archibald Bulloch had been the Speaker of the Royal Assembly, the President of the Provincial Congress, and was instrumental in Georgia signing the Declaration of Independence. Martha was well connected in her own right as she was the descendant of General Daniel Stewart of Revolutionary War fame. Both had been married before so their family was an early example of the Brady Bunch with his, hers, and ours offspring.

Another draw to Roswell was Bulloch’s friendship with Roswell King, the former overseer for the Butler Plantation in Savannah. He encouraged the Bullochs, as well as a few other Savannah families, to move north for economic opportunities. Roswell was a prime location for various types of mills due to the rushing waters of Vickery Creek that flowed into the Chattahoochee River.

So while the Bullochs of Roswell did own slaves they did not necessarily have a plantation. In 1851, records indicate there were 29 slaves at Bulloch Hall, and today the slave quarters have been restored. A plaque rests there that name all 29 slaves though there may have been as many as 31, but the names have not been verified. The slaves were mainly house servants or assigned outside duties to keep the property in order as Major Bulloch earned a large majority of his income through the mills of Roswell and other concerns.

After the Major’s death in 1849, Martha Bulloch continued his work, but it didn’t take long for some of her fortune to wane. The family was not destitute, however, by the time her daughter, Mittie, was married she had to sell four slaves just to pay for the wedding festivities.
It’s with the wedding that the story of Bulloch Hall becomes entwined with the Roosevelt family. Apparently Mittie was very beautiful and there is a story that when Martha Mitchell was writing Gone With the Wind she interviewed one of Mittie’s bridesmaids. It is said Mitchell used her research to model the character Scarlett after Mittie. Many years later Mittie’s second son, Elliott, would grow up to father Eleanor Roosevelt who eventually married her fifth cousin once removed, Frankin Delano Roosevelt. Elliott described his mother as “a sweet Dresden monument”, and her daughter Corinne remembered her mother as someone who wore white all the time no matter the season and commented on the beautiful skin her mother had.

So, it is no wonder that Theodore Roosevelt, Sr., the father of Theodore Roosevelt, the President, would fall under the Southern Belle’s charm. Mittie and “Thee” were married in the parlor at Bulloch Hall in 1853 in what has been described as the social event for many years to come in Roswell, Georgia.

From a web article by Lu Hickey:

The young Mrs. Roosevelt, who had written her fiance just weeks earlier [before their marriage] that he was the "only person who could so suit me and I put every confidence in you," now gamely set out with her new husband for the trip north. During the journey--partly in a carriage and partly by ship, Mittie Bulloch Roosevelt had plenty of time to think about what she was leaving behind. She may have had some doubts about the family she was marrying into, but not because of any feelings of inadequacy about her own family tree. Quite the contrary, she had reason to sense a slight edge on her part, especially if she ignored money and counted up the many achievements of her ancestors. An unbiased observer might have backed her up. Seven generations of Roosevelts had lived in America without achieving much fame, but their star rose quickly after she married into the clan.

This post is part one of three that I have written concerning President Theodore Roosevelt. Part two is introduced at History Is Elementary, but is published entirely at American Presidents Blog. Part three will publish next week.

New Blogroll Additions

The following sites have been added to the blogroll here at Georgia On My Mind:

Here's Your Holiday---Mike-El describes his site as the poorly thought-out and even worsely worded ramblings about whatever happens to be on his mind at the time. You've been warned. I personally think he has some great postings.

Amo---a lovely blog with a little bit of everything expecially her art

My Beautiful Chaos---April contact me after Carnival 15 and said it was nice to locate some fellow Georgia bloggers. She has a great site and recently added a co-blogger, Lani, to her site.

JasonPye.com---Many regular bloggers on the Atlanta scene already know about Jason’s great site. He blogs about local, state, and national news from a captialist’s point of view.

Satellite TV Guru---The title says it all….now Georgia has their own online expert for those pesky dish problems

Educated and Poor---In her own words Miss Kitty is an adjunct college English professor. She battles ignorance daily at three different Georgia colleges.

Moonshine, A Journal of the Arts---Take a break from all the bloggy madness and head on over and check out all of the great submissions at this online magazine.

Yanked---a Yankee has just moved to Savannah! This is going to be interesting….

Georgia Birding---this is actually a website, but wow, what a great birding resource!

Of Eagles and Dawgs---Tales of life in a house divided by college allegiances

Bumps in the Road---Heg, pronounced as “hedge”, writes about daily absurdities and missteps….yep, you got it…life’s little bumps in the road.

GPB Cover to Cover---GPB as in Georgia Public Broadcasting. I was very excited to locate St.John Flynn’s blog which is basically a blog bookclub.

GPB Midday Music Blog---the blog for Georgia Public Broadcasting’s midday music show

GPB News---updated morning and afternoon with Georgia’s latest news

GPB Georgia Gazette---the blog for the weekly radio show with the same name…

Historical Books---research, history and genealogy books

Georgia Carnival 16

Welcome to the 16th edition of the Georgia Carnival. Please support these fine Georgia bloggers by letting them know you have visited them with a comment. Your continued support with your links and shout-outs at your site helps to alert others to what we Georgia bloggers have to offer.

Check out the new carnival button over on the right. It’s a great way to let others know about the carnival. If you would like to have this at your site send me an email, and I can provide the code.

You can host the carnival at your site! Just let me know you are interested and I will set up a date for you. It’s a great way to put your own personal spin on the carnival.

Now… on to the highlights of Georgia blogging during the past two weeks:

Items of Controversy

Elisheva points us to an article in the journal Nature where Evolution Theories are Challenged by Fossils.

Problems with money at Grady Memorial Hospital…..we’ve heard this for years. Georgia Politics Unfiltered says …Even though he’s a Republican, state Senator David Shafer (R-Duluth) comes up with some good pieces of legislation every now and then. See the solution.

Aging Hipster says please, no new road from Savannah to Knoxville.

I fear the housing market will become more and more controversial in the days to come. Who’s to blame? How can this be fixed? If you are planning to sell your house in the next few months you’ll want to take look at the post from Everything Finance Blog titled, Features That Add Resale Value to a Home.

Cadillac Tight opines on the Jose Padilla Conviction.

Red Clay Commerce discusses sonic booms, Gulfstream , and their little known impact on the Georgia economy in From Booms to Rumbles.

Iraq….yep, it’s controversial. Buzz says, “Apparently my video question for the You Tube Presidential debate has upset some people.”

….and what about Hillary? SpacyG, along with Sara, may have the answer with Hillary's Media Makeover, and Sara provides the background regarding their collaboration.

Innovations With Technology

30plusteacher provides the top forms of technology that kids want in their classrooms.

My mom and dad used to invite people over to see their hundreds of slides regarding their trips to Europe. Boring! Grift Drift has been traveling above the Mason-Dixon line and he’s been posting pictures along the way. Go on over and make sure you scroll down all the way. He’s heading to Gettysburg today and I’m looking forward to seeing the pictures and reading about his impressions.

SpaceyG shares Georgia's Aviation Past which would be a terrific clip to show students at the beginning of a unit of study regarding the early 1900s.

Every time you pay a bill online, you transfer money into your online savings account or your employer direct deposits your paycheck, do you know what kind of a transaction is really taking place in the back end ?

Its called an ACH transaction. Everything Finance Blog gives us the whole explanation.

Satellite TV Guru shares How to Save Money on Your Satellite or Cable Bill.

Introspection, Diversions, and Just Some Damn Fine Readin’

Pastor Bill asks, is anger good? Does it have a place for a Christian? Yes, it does! Read more.

Grasping for the Wind provides a review of Tipperary.

So which Georgia university is rated numer 1? The Other Athens has posted the academic rankings of Georgia's Universities.

The Amo page shares A Dream Home. Jefferson, of Red Clay Commerce, likes this painting and shares that Amo is his wife.

About Atlanta discusses some happenings in ATL over the weekend.

Terrell and his new class had an unexpected teachable moment and a surprise on a watershed walk.

Over at History Is Elementary I provide links to the latest Military History Carnival and the Education Carnival… C'mon....Get out of your comfort zone and follow those links.

As an educator I know how important visuals are. Apparently Mike-EL over at Here’s Your Holiday appreciates visuals as well. When Peach Pundit started taking names for the 50 most important People in Georgia politics he got busy and put some faces together with names. Great Job!

Food, Fabulous Food

Atlanta Malcontent gives the scoop on Atlanta's bests burgers.

Go eat at Toast says Atlanta Foodies

The next edition of the carnival will be found here two weeks from today.

Posts can be sent to gamind@mail.com or use the handy submission form.

Thanks for your continued support of the Georgia Carnival!

Carnival Submissions are Due

Well, it’s been slow around here this week. My extra time has had to go to classroom duties.

The 16th Georgia Blog Carnival will post sometime this Friday, August 17, 2007.

Submissions should be sent to me at gamind@mail.com or use the Blog Carnival submission form. Please forward your submissions before tomorrow at 6 p.m.

Submissions can be posts from your own site or you can nominate a post from another blog.

Poor Planning With School Registration...Who Is To Blame?

I was glad to see WSB News did not place the Clayton County School System as the bad guy in the recent reports concerning the crowds that deluged county board offices yesterday and today. The reports have stated that there were over 1,000 people in line attempting to register their children.

Imagine owning a television repair service and having 1,000 people showing up at your office wanting immediate service. The problem is they forgot the television. How could you help them? You couldn’t. Not until they bring the television. Okay, I realize my analogy may be a little off, but I want to post this and don’t have time to think of something really neat.

Most counties in the metro area have begun asking parents to register their children in one centralized location in the county….usually the county board office. In this way everyone is told the same thing and paperwork is streamlined. Most non-educators have no idea how the school-site offices become so clogged with parents three or four days before school starts wanting to register their children. You simply can’t move for the crowd and there isn’t enough room in the school-site offices for more than 10 people at a time in the outer offices. The paperwork is involved…..several pages. Many don’t have the shot records they need, social security cards, and in so many more cases now than ever before. the necessary divorce agreements so that educators know who they legally can talk and legally can’t. At the high school level discipline records have to accompany new move- ins as well, since we are getting more violent students in record numbers.

Actually I personally feel the main reason registration now occurs in one central location has to do with the safety of the office personnel. Parents verbally abuse the office staff when they are simply complying with state and local rules. With accountability the number one rule these days most school employees would rather be cussed out than told good bye by the school system for not obtaining the correct documentation. In years past when on-site regstration was still going on I’ve seen deputies on duty in the office to maintain order and I have seen pushing and shoving matches underway by parents in line.

I realize Clayton County has had and still has numerous problems with their school system, however, what I see is an ongoing non-educator problem….mainly parents. They lost their accreditation not too long ago because some of the elected school board members kept interfering with the day-to-day operations of the schools. Recently the school super resigned on her own, or perhaps it was hinted at, and the talk is it was over test scores. Clayton still has, according to the folks I know, a huge problem with school attendance. If the kids don’t show up they can’t learn in order to pass a test. Showing up is ultimately the parent’s job. In this most recent bad publicity parents ignore news reports regarding registration news, ignore the ability they have to call the school system or access the school system website to find out what they need, and decide they’ll just show up at the tail-end of summer and demand service. Folks, it just doesn’t work that way.

I recently registered my daughter for school back in our home county after she had attended school in the county where I teach. Even though I’m an educator I checked with the school system about what to do and went on line and printed out ALL of the forms I needed. We did have one little hiccup in that I was told my daughter needed a shot update. We headed to the Health Department and were told she was up-to-date to my daughter’s immediate relief. It seems that the folks in the registering department in our school district were so overwhelmed with folks from out of state they were telling everyone they needed more shots. We got a new copy of her shot record and were done, but here’s the real reason why we didn’t stand in line…….I registered my daughter over two weeks ago. One of the Dad’s on the video tape was complaining that his daughter needed a shot and it would cost $100……..It would not cost near that amount at the the Health Department. Another line stander complained that her grandbaby had never missed a day of school and it would be the school system’s fault if a day was missed. If we really want to know why so many children today will not take responsibility for their own actions we only need to look as far as the child’s biology.

Sure I understand that there were a few people in the long lines in Clayton County who did just arrive a few days ago in the state, but you can’t tell me that everyone in that line just arrived. No way……the majority got what they deserved for their procrastination.

I'm Not Sure How I Feel About Bonds...

Well, I’m not sure what I think about Bonds hitting 755…..He’s not Hank, you know?

Back in April I remembered my own experiences the night Hammerin’ Hank surpassed the Babe's record.

Georgia Carnival 15

Welcome to the 15th edition of the Georgia Carnival. Please support these fine Georgia bloggers by letting them know you have visited them with a comment. Your continued support with your links and shout-outs at your site helps to alert others to what we Georgia bloggers have to offer.

Check out the new carnival button over on the right. It’s a great way to let others know about the carnival. If you would like to have this at your site email me and I can provide the code.

You can host the carnival at your site! Just let me know you are interested and I will set up a date for you. It’s a great way to put your own personal spin on the carnival.

Now… on to the highlights of Georgia blogging during the past two weeks:

Literary Georgia

What’s wrong with the writing some Christian fiction writers produce? Otter, over at Grasping for the Wind thinks he knows.

Financial Georgia

I guess we all have visions of the perfect credit card. Mine would be one that automatically credits my account at the end of the month. Personal Finance of a Resident Alien provides some much needed information in Review: YourCreditNetwork.com.

Also, who doesn’t need a few Easy Ways to Save Money.

Educating Georgia

Just what do those teachers do on their summer off? Terrell from Alone On a Limb clues us in with one possibility.

The Fourth of July usually means it’s time for teachers to begin returning to the classroom to get it set up and ready. I generally spend two hours a day between the Fourth and August 1st at school along with several of my colleagues.

Bird In Hand also visits her school during summer, and recently picked up her $100 card compliments of the state of Georgia….you have to be quick though and spend it before they take it back.

Over at History Is Elementary I ask, Is state history being erased? and did you know Africans fought in World War I?

Another History Blog’s David Parker provides information regarding our newest and oldest graduate. It’s never too late to achieve….never.

Miss Kitty from the Educated and Poor blog is a brand spanking new addition to the blogroll. She is an adjunct college English professor. Over at Educated and Poor she writes about an ethics class service project. Personally I love the cat with extra toes…..I have one myself.

The Principal’s Office says nuts to peanut allergies!

Travel and Good Eatin’ Georgia

“…he’s going to have to sell a lot more watermelons than what he had in the trunk of his car to fix her teeth. And, hell, I saw the sorry condition of her teeth from the road.”

So begins Savannah Red’s excellent travel log Savannah River Swamp Trail.

Want to visit a non-populated spot? Stephen’s Untold Stories has the map for you.

Miss Vickie from Beyond the Crossroads fame has been traveling blog post style through our great state. Pack your bags and enjoy her travels with Things I Love About Georgia, Touring Georgia--Peaches to Beaches---Fountains to Mountains and All in Between, Are You Loving Georgia Yet?, Georgia's Shining Lights, Touring Georgia's Shining Lights, and Dreaming of Georgia's Lighthouses.

Creative Georgia

Marketing = Writing = Blogging……One of the things we don’t realize when we start blogging is through the process of our writing we are actually participating in marketing. Who knew? Scott over at Atlanta’s Marketing Center does and wants to share the good news that marketing is writing.

Creativity and cultivating new ideas isn't easy. Here are 5 ways to ignite the spark of creativity in all you do from Pastor Bill at Provocative Church.

Seems like creativity has met up with the culture of the business meeting as well…. It seems the grocery stories is the next meeting hotspot. Whole Foods has WIFI has the lowdown from So….What’s Next?!?

Ever gotten creative with food? In the past so have many Georgians, and they ended up making a fortune. Rebecca at Atlanta Foodies provides the history of food in Atlanta.

Georgia Takes on Politics and Current Events

Lefty via A la Gauche states it must be nice to be a member of the elite,

A Typical Joe has some advice regarding how to deal with conservative courts.

The Buzz Blog is buzzing about the fair tax while Blog For Democracy says there they go again!

Doug over at Considerettes states, “Americans are fleeing to Canada. What effect will this have on American politics?

Stacey at About Atlanta wonders about another Atlanta airport.

“He made them an offer they couldn’t refuse… and that’s what it boils down to…” so says The Beef Jerky Blog concerning Rupert Murdoch, the Godfather..

Is a certain group speaking for the homeless or not? Shelbinator wonders....while Atlanta Public Affair’s DecaturGuy asks what kind of body language does an illlegal alien have?

And what’s all of this from the AJC’s Political Insider concerning changing the way presidential primaries are held?

Worshiping Georgia

Mmmmmm…..Coookies at church? Valtool’s Box asks What would Jesus do with an oreo?

Ever been on one of those 1-800 help numbers and discover the person helping you is way off in India? Seems like everything is outsourced today….even compassion says Irenic Thoughts via Questing Parson.

The next edition of the carnival will be found here two weeks from today. Posts can be sent to gamind@mail.com or use the handy submission form.

Thanks for your continued support of the Georgia Carnival!

Villanow

Walker County’s hamlet of Villanow is interesting.

It is a crossroads community which has an interesting history regarding its name.

Two stories exist….one states that the name derives from a magnificent palace described in Jane Porter’s novel, Thaddeus of Warsaw, named Villanow. Another more local story tells of Mrs. Constantine Wood proposing the name saying, “It is no longer a hamlet, but it is now a village, or a village now, i.e. “Villa-now”.

I mentioned Villanow in my article Changing Pockets back in June.

This is a picture of the Villanow General Store.