Recession puts squeeze on parks and recreation

I found out last night that the City of Raleigh’s proposed budget includes cuts in the city’s Parks and Recreation budget which will result in less maintenance of greenways and roadsides, reduced staffing, and reduced hours at many facilities – including some facilities remaining closed one day per week.

According to the proposed Parks and Rec budget changes, hours will be reduced at a number of Parks facilities, with most facilities closing an hour earlier than normal during the weekdays. Some facilities, such as Pullen Arts Center and Sertoma Arts Center, will no longer be open on Sundays. Walnut Terrace Neighborhood Center will be open for four fewer hours during the weekday, opening at 2 PM rather than the usual 10 AM. Lake Johnson and Lake Wheeler waterfront operations will be closed on Mondays during the offseason. Boat rentals and concessions will no longer be available at Shelley Lake.
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Bangkok

Bangkok (YouTube [Warning: saucy video!])
Alex Chilton

Here’s a little thing that’s gonna please ya
Just a little town down in Indonesia
Bangkok
Yeah Bangkok

Two slanty eyed men lyin’ in bed
One got his Mauser, the other said
Bangkok
Ooh Bangkok
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4,000+ posts

This post makes the 4,008th post to MT.Net. I had hoped to mark the 4,000th post but it came and went without me realizing.

Thanks for reading!

Children’s House of Raleigh shutting its doors

I found out recently the Children’s House of Raleigh, the parent-run Montessori-based preschool that gave Hallie such an academic boost, is closing its doors at the end of the month due to the retirement of its two teachers.

It’s sad to think the school is closing as we really put a lot of work into it while Hallie was there. It just never made it over the hump somehow. It was good while it lasted, though. We’ll continue to have fond memories.

Credit cards

Kelly and I have long since kept zero balances on our credit cards. We’ve instead paid an annual fee on our card and enjoyed the perks of frequent-flier miles, free flights, and other rewards that they provide – all without costing us a fortune in interest.

Looks like our free ride is over, though. In the past few days, some of our credit card companies have sent us notices that the rates they charge for interest are going through the roof. The purchase APR will be jumping to 24.41% and the cash-back APR is rising even higher. The reason for this was clearly (and boldly) spelled out in the “other notices” section of the letter:

“The principal factor we considered in amending your account is maintaining profitability on your acccount.

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N&O omits rival paper’s name in print, mentions it online

The News and Observer ran a story this morning about rival newspaper The Carrboro Citizen asking for a small business loan from the Town of Carrboro. In the online version of the story, the newspaper’s name is mentioned (emphasis mine):

The Carrboro Citizen’s plans buck two trends. Across the U.S., newspapers are printing fewer copies as circulation and advertising revenues decline. At the same time, many recoil at the suggestion of government aid such as that granted to other industries.

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Dog’s water bowl starts fire

This is just bizarre:

Fire officials in Bellevue, Wash., have tracked down the apparent culprit in a $200,000 fire to the back of a home and they found that, well, nobody is to blame, KIRO-TV reports.

Turns out that sunshine beaming through a dog’s glass water bowl on a bright sunny day combined to start the fire on the wood deck.

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Car warranty scammers busted, but are they the right ones?

I learned today that last week the Federal Trade Commission filed suit against a telemarketing company and a car warranty company allegedly involved in the car warranty robocalls. According to the FTC press release:

The complaints were filed in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois on May 14, 2009. The complaint against the robocaller names as defendants a Florida-based company called Voice Touch Inc., and two of its principals, James and Maureen Dunne. It also names an Illinois-based company affiliated with Voice Touch called Network Foundations, LLC and a principal in that company, Damian Kohlfeld. The second complaint names a Florida-based company called Transcontinental Warranty Inc., which sells extended auto warranties, and the company’s president and CEO, Christopher D. Cowart.

That’s all fine and good, but these names do not match up with the documents sent to me by people who were unlucky enough to purchase the warranties. Those documents clearly say “Great Atlantic Warranty.” So, while some enforcement is better than none, I’m afraid there are some bandits still to be rounded up.

Downtime

I’ve got no appointments tonight and I couldn’t be happier. I picked up a cold this weekend and there’s nothing I’m looking forward to more than a good night’s sleep!