'It's a Wonderful Life'
Due to the dedication and hard work of many people, downtown Winston-Salem has re-established itself as a destination. Many of our vacant storefronts have been renovated by enterprising small-business owners. Our goal is to have every storefront space occupied and thriving; however, as we tackle this challenge one building at a time, various downtown groups have used the vacant glass storefronts as "canvases" for artistic expression.
This year, Piedmont Federal Savings Bank brightened up our downtown sidewalks during the holiday season with its extraordinary storefront window displays that have brought joy to the faces of our downtown visitors and local residents. The displays were one element of the season's "It's a Wonderful Life" campaign. This broad effort also showcased four standing-room-only free screenings of the classic movie, "It's a Wonderful Life," at Aperture Cinema.
I encourage those who haven't already to come downtown and see these remarkable displays before they are removed Tuesday.
JASON THIEL
PRESIDENT
DOWNTOWN WINSTON-SALEM PARTNERSHIP, INC.
Winston-Salem
Rumination
I am ruminating on why I read the offensive stuff the Journal puts on its opinion pages. In your Dec. 24 Scorecard, "Occupied, McCrory and Christmas," you quote J.E. Woltz characterizing Occupiers as "fools and idiots." One wonders if he extends those invectives to everyone who disagrees with him.
Then you give columnist John Hood the space to label liberals as "ruminants" and "herd animals" who "lack the ability to digest their food the way we do." As a ruminant liberal myself, I visualize Hood in a nice wool sweater, eating a hamburger, without realizing that he is enjoying the products of ruminants who can digest grass — which he lacks the ability to do.
The editors often give us well-considered opinions from all sides of public issues for us to "chew our cud" over. Name-calling is indigestible.
ROBERT E. MERRITT
Winston-Salem
Sum It Up
The Sum It Up question from Sunday was: Will 2012 be better than 2011?
2012 will be a good year if more people will keep a positive attitude and not be influenced by the negative attitudes of some people.
ELIZABETH R. ERVIN
The economy is showing some signs of life; unemployment is down, existing house sales are up and consumers show more confidence in the holiday season. The recovery will be further boosted if the Congress would pass the other portions of President Obama's American Jobs bill. However, I will not hold my breath on it. I believe the tea partiers will not take the recent humiliation lightly and will show their true colors again and again. There will be gridlock as usual in Congress.
2012 is an election year, politics will turn nastier and uglier and voters are likely to see more theatrics and more "oops" moments on the campaign trail.
BOON T. LEE
The sheriff in 1932 was Transou Scott
ReplyDeletehttp://www2.journalnow.com/news/2007/jul/12/case-runs-out-steam-ar-95376/
My great uncle, Dr.Chester J. Helsabeck, probably treated Ab Walker during his last year in Walnut Cove, NC, since he was one of the few doctors in Stokes Co. at the time and the only one in Walnut Cove. His son, Chester Joseph "Joe" Helsabeck was an original pilot for Piedmont Airlines and died in a crash in 1966.
ReplyDeleteWinston-Salem office vacancy rate drops 60 percent in four years; other N.C. cities' have more empty space
ReplyDeletehttp://www2.journalnow.com/news/2011/dec/28/1/winston-salem-office-vacancy-rate-drops-60-percent-ar-1758921/
Congratulations to Mayor Joines and the City Council
I've been to Apeture Cinema several times and have enjoyed the experience each time. The last two movies I saw there were Pedro Aldomóvar's "The Skin I Live In" ("La Piel Que Habíto") with Antonio Banderas, and Alexander Payne's "The Descendants" with George Clooney. I enjoyed both of them, but as word gets out of the downtown theater more seats fill up and it's getting as crowded as the larger cinaplex theaters. One of the two screens at the Aperture seats around 70.
ReplyDeleteI'm just glad to hear they're doing well. There hadn't been a decent place to catch indie films since Northpoint closed 9 years ago.
ReplyDeleteHas it been 9 years? The last one I saw at that one as "Tortilla Soup". I loved that theater, too.
ReplyDeleteI used to go to the Chelsea on Weaver Dairy Rd. in Chapel Hill for indie films. Is it still showing, Arthur?
ReplyDeleteI remember it being 9 - 10 years because I moved to the Northpoint area in 2002, and was excited that the theatre was close by, only to have it close shortly thereafter. It's the story of my life, sometimes.
ReplyDeleteYes indeed, the Chelsea is still with us. I'm going there this weekend to see Young Adult, as a matter of fact.
Good evening, folks!
ReplyDeleteOT: Hi cuz! Ab was Dad's 1st cousin. As for your and my kinship, we'll need to see if Bob is kin somehow. That would be an Unholy Trinity to Bucky.
Some Occupy Charlotte protestors burned 2 American flags. These are the folks who want American taxpayers to fund their college educations.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.wbtv.com/story/16416265/protesters-arrested-uptown-after-setting-fire-to-the-american-flag
The city of Los Angeles is considering suing the OWS people over damage and mess they left. The head of the LA OWS said the city should set aside money for protests. Yep, someone's money.
And there were fIghts over Air Jordan shoes. How many One Percenters were involved? Hmmm, how many were on public assistance? More than were One Percenters, I'll wager.