Monday, October 15, 2012

Winston-Salem Journal LTE MO 10/15/12


An artistic pioneer
This community has lost an iconic, artistic pioneer with the recent passing of Anne Kesler Shields. Anne Kesler Shields steadily applied her considerable talent, rigorous visual-art training and critical intellect toward developing a masterful body of work over her career of five decades.
SECCA was privileged to be a part of her life. She served as a board member in SECCA's early years. SECCA presented some of her most groundbreaking works. Recently, through the dedication and hard work of guest curator Tom Patterson, SECCA mounted the largest curated collection of her work in Anne Kesler Shields: A 50 Year Retrospective (on view until Jan. 6).
In association with this exhibition, Anne was able to attend two key tribute events honoring her. She reunited with friends from her days at Hollins University as well as others who knew her not only as an artist, but also as a community visionary.
Anne’s spirit and intelligent perspective of the world around her will live on through her work. SECCA is honored to be the presenter of the last exhibition that she personally saw come to reality.
Through the generous support of Anne’s friends and patrons, SECCA has created a beautiful exhibition catalogue that presents a proud legacy of this show.
This is an exhibition that pays tribute to her and her talent. We are honored to host this retrospective at SECCA, and humbly invite everyone to celebrate her important and influential career with us.
MARK RICHARD LEACH
EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, SOUTHEASTERN CENTER FOR CONTEMPORARY ART
Winston-Salem
Reached our limits
Federal, state and local governing bodies have a very serious problem if government is to continue serving our nation at present levels. We are simply out of money. We have spent too much and have borrowed until we have reached our limits and can borrow no more.
Our government bodies have operated as if there were no limit to the amount of debt they can pass on to the following generations. We have reached the limits of that debt.
What are we to do? What programs and/or benefit of the government must we cut?
Every agency, governing body and person seems to have a “dog in the fight.” Don't cut my Medicare, Social Security, drugs, roads, schools, public transportation, etc., etc., etc. No, no, no. Screams have been heard and will continue for days, weeks, months and years. Tough choices have to be made and many, many folks are not going to be happy.
Makes a person wonder why a sane person would take on such a task and want to run for public office.
Hang on, tough sledding is ahead.
JACK NELSON
Winston-Salem
Out of sight
This is my first letter to The Readers’ Forum. Imagine my indignation when the Oct. 3 Journal relegated the story of the death of three N.C. soldiers killed in Afghanistan to an obscure A10 space. Front-page news that day was important locally, but wasn’t the death of our soldiers who sacrificed all equally newsworthy? It seems the American public and news media has put the war out of sight, out of mind.
Please remind the public while they are out enjoying football games, fairs and many more autumn events that our military serve their country in harm’s way each and every day. Veterans Day is fast approaching. Take a minute out of your busy day, thank a veteran and pause to remember those who gave all.
HELENA L. REAVES
Lexington

18 comments:

  1. I’m feeling pretty darned indignant too, but, by golly, unlike Ms. Reaves, I’m agonna do something about it.

    I am immediately forming the III, Indignant Idiots and Imbeciles. You can join at iii.net.
    What we will do is set up a permanent station outside the Journal & Sentinel building. Anybody that becomes indignant about anything that the Journal does, or anybody who simply thinks that they know more about running a newspaper than the professionals who run the paper can come down and we will give them a sign to hold that says “I’m indignant and I’m not going to take it any more!”

    III will provide free lemonade and Krispy Kreme will deliver fresh baked doughnuts once an hour and at lunch time Chick-fil-A will deliver their scrumptuous chemically concocted faux chicken.

    Since he is always indignant about nearly everything and obviously knows far more about running a newspaper than anyone else in the nation, the Parrot will be the permanent station chief. He will have a recliner and a radio and a TV and a computer so that he can spend all day every day tuned in to all the crackpot news sources that he loves so well.

    Even if you aren’t indignant about anything, come on down anyway. The Parrot will be happy to lend you one or more of his own indignancies for the day.

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  2. Ah, Monday starts with a free obituary (but my compliments to the deceased), a meandering jeremiad, and an editorial wannabe (I'm sure indignant responses to the Presidential endorsement will soon be forthcoming). What other wonders await as the afternoon progresses?

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    1. Last night, I glanced through dozens of comments on the Journal web site concerning the Presidential endorsement. There were a few "didn't endorse my candidate, so taking my ball and going home" (i.e. cancelling subscription) style comments, but there were some surprisingly decent comments as well.

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    2. The Journal endorsed McCrory today.

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    3. The Journal endorsed McCrory?! It's a rightist conspiracy! They're out to destroy God, America, and REAL Americans like ME!!! I'm cancelling my subscription!!!

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    4. I tried to bracket my rant with the word sarcasm in HTML/XML-like tags, but it wouldn't let me. :-(

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  3. Good afternoon folks!
    LTE 1: I must admit to not being familiar with her work, but all of the accolades suggests Ms. Shields was an artist of high repute.

    LTE 2: "We are simply out of money." The fed govt is a completely different type of entity from your standard person or company. One of the major differences is that the fed govt can never be "simply out of money", since it has the capability of legally printing all the money it needs. SS and Medicare can be made budget neutral with some adjustments to the rate and income cutoff. The remainder can be best addressed by growing the economy to bring down the UR which will result in more revenues and fewer disbursements.

    LTE 3: Another Monday morning editor. If there is a local serviceman KIA, the Journal has done a decent job of presenting a column devoted to that individual. With national and international stories, including tragedies being covered in depth for free on the internet, local newspapers are finding that emphasizing local news is the best revenue model to follow.

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  4. The Governor has ordered that all NC flags remain at half-staff through sunset on Wednesday.

    The memorial service for Bill Friday will be held at 10 AM Wednesday at Memorial Hall on the UNC campus. It will be televised live on WUNC-TV, and repeated at 7 PM that evening.

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    1. Thanks for posting this, OT.

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    2. My question is, how do we fit this giant called Bill Friday into a two hour memorial service? Maybe we should have one every day for the next year.

      Forget his extraordinary 30 years at the head of the university system. The 1000+ episodes of "North Carolina People" in the vaults at UNC-TV are a greater legacy than any dozen others have ever left us.

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  5. Journal endorsements: I suspect the paper will swing back from right to left and endorse Motsinger for D5 HR.

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  6. Kochs latest to bully employees

    'David and Charles Koch are "attempting to control their workers' votes" by sending out pro-Romney informational packets and "stifling workplace political speech," In These Times reports.

    According to an investigation carried out by the magazine, the Koch brothers allegedly sent out a mailing to 50,000 employees earlier this month offering information as to how to vote in this year's presidential election.'
    __AP

    This used to be illegal, and still should be. Another consequence of the ridiculous Citizens United decision.

    They are using the same tactic used against unions for over 100 years. At least US labor law restricted how far that could go, but now the gloves are off when it comes to politics.

    If it weren't so tragic I would be LMAO at those who deny that the biggest threat to our free nation is the total unleashing of corporate political and financial clout.

    Enjoy your shrinking income while you can middle class suckers.



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    1. I do not see how the business endorsing a candidate is "stifling." Don't unions endorse candidates, and try to turn out their voters? If they want to send packets, it's their business. The employees are well exposed to other info, and can vote their choices in private, unbeknownst to employers, a freedom that the left seeks to deny in other circumstances.

      You know, sign this check card so your tires stay inflated, speaking of stifling.

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    2. Overcome your personal problem for a change and think...unions have been reduced to a joke. Koch employees, and those of other corporations are terrified to speak up.

      The good news is that we can hope that many of them are like me...try to tell me how to vote and you are likely to get just the opposite, because you are not yet able to see what I do in the voting booth...although give the corporations time and they will solve that problem as well.

      Sad.

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    3. Unions possessed political power disproportionate to their size until now, a fact tacitly conceded by a union prez who recently complained that unions are being outspent 8:1. This is about the same ratio of non- union households to union ones, seems fair to me.

      You also made my point about voting ad one pleased in the PRIVACY of a voting booth. That secret ballot sure is a valuable freedom, isn't it? Your reference to possible corporate oversight of voting seems a bit apocalyptic to me. Do some poll watching in Philly, and see who's overseeing voting. It ain't Big Business.

      My opposition to pressgang unionization isn't a problem; it is a belief in individual rights, real industrial democracy.

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  7. By the way, "bullshit" does not refute my response, some of which you ducked, as usual, when this subject arises. The playing field is now level, financially. Don't like it, then change it fairly on both sides, which also means applying all sorts of laws fairly, like antitrust legislation, anti stalking laws, repealing Davis-Bacon, doing away with mandatory CBA's for Federal contracts. I'm all for a level playing field.

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    1. Card check has been a part of the rules from day one in the 1930s...has nothing to do with "secret ballot"...need to read up on that.

      Cite all the laws you want...they are indeed bullshit.

      It's all about money, and it is nowhere near 8-1...year in and year out your corporate pals are outspending everybody else more like 20-1, 30-1, 100-1.

      The thing that amuses me is that you, who probably make less than I do, are such an apologist for the big boys.

      Do you think that you are "someday" going to be playing in their league instead of watching your take dwindle year by year?

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