Blogging about my experiences living in Durham, NC, both the good and the bad.
This seems like as good a time to breath some life back into this blog as any.
Six years ago to the day Susan and I arrived in Durham. We drove from CA to Las Vegas, stayed there for a few days with Susan's parents, then continued on our journey across country to our new home. Susan's Jeep was packed to the gills with whatever belongings did not get packed into the ABF U-Pack trailer. Despite this, we left a lot of stuff behind in the storage closet of our old townhome. We carved a little spot in the back of the Jeep right behind the front seats with just enough space for a dog bed for our pup Snickers. We had only adopted him a year ago from a local animal rescue - C.A.R.E. - in San Jose. Despite this, he was having nothing of it. He either sat on the passengers lap, or flopped across the center console. It didn't seem comfortable to me, but he seemed content. California, Nevada, Arizona, New Mexico, Texas, Oklahoma, Arkansas, Tennessee, then finally North Carolina. I found that the states that had the worst reputation for being backwards - i.e. the Southern states - were the ones that I liked the best. Basically from the right half of Oklahoma onward. I've come to the conclusion that New Mexico is cursed. While we were driving across NM we got a call from our realtor. He called to tell us that somebody had stolen the air conditioner condenser form our house - most likely to sell for the small amount of copper contained within. Four months later I flew back to CA and drove my car across my country with my dad. Again, while in NM we got a call from Susan, who stayed behind, who told us that our lawn caught fire! I had been letting the lawn die so that I could till and ammend the soil and plant a new lawn. Some fool apparently tossed a cigarette out of their car, which caught the dry grass on fire and burned about a third of our dry, dead lawn. I never expected to experience what we have experienced since moving to Durham. Drug addicts and prostitutes walking through the neighborhood. Drug house down the road doing more business than an In-n-Out on a summer Friday night, stolen van running through our back fence, neighbors getting shot in an apparent drug deal gone bad, stray dogs all over, back yard breeders, betrayal, intimidation. And that's what just comes to mind right now. So much more has gone on. Sometimes I think that I should write a book.
RALEIGH, N.C. --Lawmakers will make the final vote on whether to make drivers pay a higher fine for speeding in school zones on Wednesday. The bill could have drivers paying up to 10 times more for speeding in school zones.
Traffic officers say they hear all kinds of excuses when it comes to speeding in schools zones, but parents say no excuse is good enough.
"It is horrible," said parent David Daniels. "They come flying down without any regard for the fact that kids are coming out at this time."
If the measure passes, the fine will increase from $25 to a $250.
"If we have a $250 fine for a construction zone, we feel like children in a school zone during school hours - they are just as valuable as a construction zone," said bill sponsor Sen. Austin Allran, R-Catawba.
Officers believe if drivers feel the pain in their pocket when speeding in school zones, it might encourage them to take their foot off the gas.
"I think it is a very good deterrent, and it also helps us promote traffic safety and safe roads," said Officer W.T. Allen with the Apex Police Department.
Parents agree.
"I think a higher penalty would encourage people to slow down and I think that is safer for our children," said parent P.J. Stembridge.
If the bill passes in the Senate it will head to Gov. Bev Perdue's desk. If the Governor signs it, the law would go into effect in August.
I hope that along with increasing the fines we can also increase the effort to enforcing speed limits. An un-enforced law is worthless...
Happy Friday! Here's a little something that will either make you laugh or cry - or both!
https://docs.google.com/viewer?a=v&pid=explorer&chrome=true&srcid=0B09oCdsz3l...This is just heart breaking! Someone broke into a home and stole a dog along with it's crate and vet records. Please be on the lookout for this dog and contact the owner if you think you see her.
So you say you wanna be a pimp? There's a business plan for that! Seriously! Go read it now.
Doing a little web surfing last night I came across a study at Carnegie Melon University about the drug trade, specifically about the costs of being a low-level drug dealer in New York City. It also discusses some of the different roles that people play in the drug trade - from entrepreneur, consigner, touter, runner, doorman, etc. It also provides some interesting info about the process of converting powder cocaine to crack, and the dramatic increase in street value that is realized with only a small amount of readily available materials and a little effort. The study can be found here.
You've just gotta love the quotes from those opposed to the Durham City Council vote to allow the Durham Police Department to accept the Matricula Consular ID as an accepted form of identification. Here is one from Durham's own Victoria Peterson from an article in the Independent Weekly:
"We’re asking folks to come in this community, stay here, work and get services, and they are breaking the law. And that is wrong," said Victoria Peterson, an outspoken resident and director of a nonprofit vocational program. "A lot of the illegal folks in this community are taking our jobs," she added.
"I live in Garner, N.C., and would love for more illegals to live in Durham," said an e-mailer who identified himself as Bruce Bell. "Eventually, they will become so [much of the] populace that you will be voted out and replaced with Mexican drug lords. Durham is already worthless. This act would just be more of the same."
"I honestly cannot even believe you are considering this," said another e-mailer, who gave his name as Quinten Adams. "Then again, this is Durham we are talking about. The city is a dump as it stands now; might as well take it to hell in a hand basket."
