Sunday, September 25, 2011

Watch latest Sunsphere video on You Tube

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RV52KZ7eoRQ

KUB Keeping Us Broke

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September 24, 2011
KUB—Keeping Us Broke by Martha Rose Woodward


Joe Hultquist, candidate for city mayor, is asking the question about KUB, “How do we end an Unaccountable Monopoly?” Hultquist says: “KUB butchers trees, but fails to prevent power outages. After 25 years of neglect, KUB repairs sewers only after federal court mandates a fix. KUB cuts up fresh paving because it fails to coordinate with the city. KUB builds unnecessary water tank eyesore against resident’s wishes.”


Talk to just about everyone and they will tell you that their power bill keeps going up, up, up—no matter if they cut back on use or not. During the big wind storm back in June, our power was out for almost 4 days. We were expecting that our power bill would drop at a considerable rate; it did not. Our bill went down by $8, or $2 a day. Strange that they charge us far more than $2 a day. Something odd is going on.

I recently spoke to a businessman whose bill jumped from $500 to $1,600 for absolutely no reason. He said his office building uses the same amount of electricity every month and he has no idea why the sudden increase. “It is just as if KUB decides what they are going to charge and they just charge it,” he said. We have had the same situation at our house. We continue to try strategies in order to cut back usage, but see no difference in the power bill. It seems like the more we cut back, the more we pay.

It seems like whenever there is a local disaster, like the most recent wind storms in June, our power bill goes up. We were charged $89 this month for KUB to clean up the clutter left when trees blew down. We can’t help but wonder if those in charge of KUB will take a pay cut or, at least, not take such a huge bonus this year due to those wind storms and downed trees? It is time to the CEO to act like a man and stop giving big bonuses to those in cushy jobs while the rest of us are stretching our budgets to the max in order to pay for things that should be already included in the budget.

KUB has become known as Keeping Us Broke.

I’m calling on everyone who gets a power bill to write or call KUB and demand that NO SALARIES BE INCREASED AND NO BONUSES GET PAID THIS YEAR due to the wind storms. We need to all share in the expenses caused by the disaster instead of putting it all on the backs of the working men and women.


10:12am | URL: http://theknoxvillejournal.tumblr.com/post/10596585255/kub-keeping-us-broke-by-martha-rose-woodward

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Sara Spangler, Prolific Living PR and Event Planning

Sara Spangler--Making the Golden Globe Spin

Saturday, September 10, 2011

Memes

Get your swag on!! Stephen A. Burroughs, a local attorney, is getting attention on social media by getting 11,000 likes on Facebook. Burroughs, who has come to be known due to the billboards he put up around town, told his fans he would have a big party if he got to 10,000 "likes". When he reached that number, the party was on. Burroughs’ popularity began to grow when a freshman student, Ryan Clark, from the University of Tennessee created a page of memes about him. A “meme” is a saying that gives respect to a person. Such as “Stephen A. Burroughs does not listen to music, music listens to him.”

On Friday, September 9, beginning at 7 p.m. Burroughs' party began after he had invited his followers to meet him at the Sunsphere with an invitation at www.swagfest.com. Burroughs provided food, 3 bands, and over 4,000 tee shirts to the thousands who were in attendance. He also gave away vacations and other prizes at his event.

For those out of the loop, “swag” is an expression that means that the individual is handsome, cool, appealing, well-dressed and popular. Stephen A. Burroughs is said to have swag in spades.

Burroughs said he chose the Sunsphere as the sight for his party because a meme said it is his “palace.” However, since the Sunsphere is limited in the number of guests it can accommodate, the party spilled over to the Convention Center.

Guests arrived in an array of finery from ball gowns and tuxedos to jeans and tee shirts. Burroughs was his usual, well- dressed self with his beard trimmed to perfection. Where else will this budding icon take his fans? Only the future and Ryan Clark, may know.

Early Voting began in Knoxville this week and will continue until September 22. The Primary Election will be held on September 27, so get yourself to the polls and vote.

Stephen A. Burroughs does not get to have all the fun. Here are some memes written by Dan Andrews in December 2010. “She taught Chinese Checkers to the Chinese.....When she drives down a one-way street, the WRONG WAY signs turn around.... UFOs report seeing her; but nobody believes them! The people at the DMV, wait for her...she is Martha Rose Woodward.”

Thursday, September 8, 2011

Cashiers, N.C. ---a great place to rest

Vacation in Cashiers, N.C.

The secret is getting out about Cashiers, North Carolina. It is the perfect place to go for a vacation when you truly do want to get away from it all. It does not have the cheesy tourist shops that dot most popular vacation destinations. In Cashiers, it is all about the scenery, the mountains and the lake. Yes, there is shopping, but mostly in small “mom and pop” types of places that sell fresh produce, crafts, art work or things you might need while on vacation.

Cashiers is mostly a place to sit on the porch in a rocker or rest in a hot tub while viewing incredible scenes of lush greenery from the mountains and a still blueness from Lake Glenville.

For over a century, Cashiers has been a destination for wealthy and upper middle class vacationers and summer residents. Hidden from view, there are many magnificent homes throughout the Cashiers Valley. For most of the homeowners, Cashiers is the chance to set their own pace of life.

Cashiers is abundant with water sports, sunsets and nature walks. Each year, there are also many festivals, contests, and events that draw many to the area. Tour de Cashiers hosts serious cyclist from across the country. Whitewater rafting on the Chattooga River promises memories that will last a lifetime. Lake Glenville offers a great day of swimming and boating in a beautiful mountain setting as jet skis and boats with water skiers being pulled behind abound. A music festival brings in the fiddlers, singers, song writers, and more.

Cashiers is a “census-designated” area which means it exists, but is unincorporated. It has been that way for over a century and the permanent residents want to keep it that way. So, it remains as a village located in southern Jackson County, North Carolina with a population, as of the 2010 Census, of 157 folks. During the summer season (May to October), the population swells to 20,000 and is known as “the playground for the rich from Atlanta, Georgia and Northern Florida.”

Cashiers is pronounced locally as if it were spelled "cashers", and is made up of smaller, historic homes and newer vacation homes of the rich. You will see a few mobile homes and numerous cabins. The larger, newer homes are set on the sides of the mountains.

The town has one large grocery store, but is mostly filled with small shops and businesses along U.S. Highway 64 to Highlands on the west and Rosman on the east, and Highway N.C. 107 to Sylva on the north and Walhalla on the south via S.C. 107.

Five properties near Cashiers listed on the National Register of Historic Places are—Camp Merrie-Woode, the Church of the Good Shepherd, Fairfield Inn, High Hampton Inn Historic District and the Mordecai Zachary House.