Music lovers -- read this

Here's an eye-opening development for music lovers. According to legal arguments, the music industry is now saying if you legally buy a CD and copy that CD to your computer, you are breaking the law.

Check out the story: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/12/28/AR2007122800693.html

Dead deer

Dumping dead deer and deer parts in a creek is illegal, and a potential health hazard, officials say. Thankfully, you can't really see much here in this picture. But there are at least four dead deer and various parts of the animals dumped in this creek off Rippy Road in southern Cleveland County, right before you hit the South Carolina line. In fact, Rippy Road, which isn't paved, starts in North Carolina and ends in South Carolina.

We're working on a story on this (the deer, not the road).

This area of the county is beautiful, but deer isn't the only thing dumped here. You can also see tires in the creek. There are also various areas where people have dumped their trash along the road.

Read the full story here: http://www.shelbystar.com/news/deer_27188___article.html/illegally_landfill.html

The Gotham Times?

It looks like a newspaper. But, of course, it's not a real newspaper. It's what a PR department does when trying to promote a new movie, such as the new Batman movie scheduled to come out next year, in a unique way. The hope is they'll be a buzz surrounding it and people will actually read enough to want to see the movie. The link:


http://www.thegothamtimes.com/page1.htm

No Country For Old Men

Remember the title of this movie: “No Country For Old Men.” It’s the first Coen brother masterpiece since “Fargo,” and it’s quickly becoming the most debated, discussed and fought over movie of the year. It’s violent and bleak, much like “Fargo,” but it requires more from the audience. You have to fill in the missing pieces and let your imagination complete some pivotal scenes. People love to debate the ending, so I’ll give nothing away. You’ll be hearing more about this movie come Academy Award time.

Watching the highlights with the coach

Gardner-Webb head basketball coach Rick Scruggs arrived at his office to find copies of articles taped to his door touting the Running’ Bulldogs upset of nationally ranked Kentucky.

After giving an interview on the big win, he introduced me to assistant coach Doug Esleeck. As he did so, ESPN started running highlights of the big win.

“That’s neat,” Scruggs said after watching the network anchor brag about Gardner-Webb’s basketball program.

Big win for Appalachian

Having graduated from Appalachian State, it's hard not to post something about ASU's big upset of No. 5 Michigan. Before the game, I joked with my co-workers that I just hoped ASU would escape without any major injuries. ASU is good. They've won two consecutive 1-AA titles. But I don't think anyone saw this coming. Michigan didn't.

The B.E.S.T. program

On Thursday, I visited Gardner-Webb for the conclusion of the B.E.S.T. (Bringing Executives and Students Together) program.

There I got to meet some fine folks and honor some deserving students. More than 130 student participated in this program that pairs business owners and leaders with local high school students.

My boss, Publisher Skip Foster, talked to the group on Monday and challenged them to design a Star front page in a contest. I judged the entries on Thursday and presented the winners with certificates and prizes. In addition to a year's subscription, the first-place winner will shadow newsroom personnel at The Star for a day.

The students absolutely rocked the auditorium when the first-place winner Davis Phanthalack was announced. The second-place winner was Travis Strong and the third-place winner was Victoria Easter. But there were so many worthy entries I gave three strong honorable mentions: Eli Hamrick, Sunset Appleton and (I'm having trouble reading the handwriting) Chimetta or Chinnetta McDowel. They all did a great job. Most of the entries could have won in any given year.

We'll publish these mock front pages online in some fashion.

The Star also supplied the group with a blog on our Web site, which was filled daily with photos and stories. They did a great job with this as well: http://bestgardnerwebb.blogspot.com/2007_08_03_archive.html

This program showcased a lot of dedicated people and the Gardner-Webb folks should be proud of what they pulled off here.

Meeting Richard Petty

I got to meet seven-time NASCAR Winston Cup champ Richard Petty Thursday night.
He was named North Carolinian of the Year by the N.C. Press Association. Past winners include Earl Scruggs, Billy Graham and Dean Smith.

According to the Associated Press, Petty, 70, won a record 200 NASCAR Winston Cup races and seven Daytona 500 races. Only the late Dale Earnhardt matched Petty's seven NASCAR championships.

Petty picked up his award at a dinner during the group's annual meeting. The dinner was appropriately held at Lowe's Motor Speedway in Concord. I had never been there before.

What struck me about Petty was what a genuinely nice guy he was.

Patton Oaks block party

I got to meet a lot of my new Shelby neighbors at the Patton Oaks block party Tuesday night. They served hot dogs, hamburgers, deviled eggs, fresh fruit, homemade desserts and everything in between.
It was a great opportunity to meet some fine folks.

A warm welcome

I've been working at The Star now for four months. But I just moved to Shelby about a month ago. Before coming here I had heard that Shelby's hospitality was legendary. I got a first-hand example of it the day I moved in. The movers and I had spent the day getting everything loaded up in Gastonia and unloaded in Shelby. I was exhausted and hadn't eaten anything all day. Out of the blue, a woman pulls her car over and gives me two cheeseburgers and a cold drink. She told me she lived down the street and could see I was tired and she just wanted to do something to help. To me that was an extraordinary act of kindness and one I'll never forget. I've never had something like that happen to me when moving somewhere. I can only say the good people of Shelby make it the friendly place that people talk about.

'Halo 3' finally in sight

“Halo 3,” probably the most anticipated video game of the year, makes its way to stores for the Xbox 360 in late September (provided it isn’t delayed, which often happens). Many, many kids – and adults – are going to want a copy.
This is, after all, the first next-generation version of the game in this series that cemented the Xbox brand name. Parents should remember this game will sport an M rating, meaning it’s intended for folks 17 and older. These “Halo” games aren’t as offensive as some other M-rated games on the market, but it’s the parent’s call as to whether or not this game is appropriate.
I know my nephew will end up with a copy. He’s only 15. But he’ll wear down his parents by September.
I’m personally excited about this game, but my Xbox 360 was the only thing that didn’t survive the move to Shelby. Thank goodness I had an extended warranty. It should be up and running again shortly.

The whole rabies story

I got a lot of questions after I posted a blog item on getting rabies shots. I decided to write this column that appeared in The Star this week. For what it's worth, here it is:

These rabies cases cropping up in Cleveland County are awakening some ghosts for me.

A number of years ago on a peaceful Saturday morning, while I still resided in Gaston County, I took my dogs outside in the serenity of my privacy-fenced yard so they could do what dogs generally do when they go outside.

Instead of taking care of business, one of my dogs makes a beeline for the stairs to my porch, where three feral cats had sought refuge from the rain. Instead of finding refuge, one of the cats gets attacked by my overprotective dog, Rocky, now a proud new Cleveland County resident himself.

I don’t really like cats, but I wasn’t about to watch Rocky attempt to eat one for breakfast. So I pry the cat from Rocky’s jaws. Newly rescued, the cat then shows his (or her) appreciation by attacking me. Then his two friends join the vicious attack. I end up with a mauled arm, but I manage to get the cats safely away.

Since we had a rabies problem in Gaston at that time, I sought medical treatment. Before I know it, the doctors are calling the police department, which is calling animal control, which is calling the health department.

And almost as fast, I’m taking antibiotics and animal control moves in to set up traps in my yard to catch one of the cats and check it for rabies. It’s the only way I’m going to avoid getting numerous doses of rabies shots. The traps come up empty and the health department orders (or strongly suggests) that I undergo that horrible series of rabies shots.Rabies is fatal. If you get it, you’re toast.

I reluctantly agree and the shots start within days. They don’t seem so bad at first, even though the first series is a real whopper.

They inject you with a lot of stuff. As I have to keep going back for more shots, the pain gets worse and it lasts long after the needle stings. I’ve heard the shots have gotten much better since.

The dogs, even Rocky, get off relatively easy. They just get a booster shot since they were current on their rabies vaccinations. Without those vaccinations, the dogs would have been euthanized or quarantined for six months at my expense. I don’t like the term “put to sleep” for “euthanized,” since I’m unaware of any dog put to sleep ever waking up again.

Meanwhile, one of the cats turns up dead a few houses down from mine. I think this is my salvation from more shots as animal control dutifully collects the cat and sends it off to Raleigh for a rabies test. But the results come back inconclusive and my shots continue.

My story is a good reminder that keeping your pets updated on their rabies shots can save their lives. As for their owners …

'Practice' makes perfect

I'm really trying to stay away from pop culture on this thing, but it's worth noting that one of the most under-appreciated shows on TV, "The Practice," has finally made its way to DVD. This show explores the ethical dilemmas of the justice system better than any TV program before it. The FX network on cable now shows this now-canceled show in syndication, but the entire first season is now available on DVD to both people who might be interested in it.

This show is like a Lay's potato chip. After one or two, you're hooked. It's worth noting this once-great show morphed into the abysmal "Boston Legal."

Those rabies shots hurt

Reading the recent rabies stories in The Star brings back bad memories. I was attacked by three cats (of all things) a few years back. I ended up having to take the series of rabies shots. At the time I was living in Gaston County. The shots are both expensive and painful. I hear they used to be worse.

Fear of a speeding ticket

The N.C. Highway Patrol really appears to be stepping up patrols as the Memorial Day weekend approaches.
Tuesday, on U.S. 74 between Shelby and Kings Mountain, I saw an active presence. At one point, a trooper took off from the median and approached my car. I thought it was over -- I was going to get my first speeding ticket. I pulled from the middle lane to the right lane to prepare to pull over to the side of the road.
To my relief, he got the guy three cars up from me instead. I'll definitely watch my speed on Wednesday (and every day that follows). My car was absolutely packed since I'm moving stuff from Gastonia to Shelby all week. If the trooper had pulled me over, it was going to look like I had just robbed a store or something. I'm keeping my house-closing documentation in the car all week -- just in case.

I just paid what for gas?

I just paid $3.19 a gallon for regular, unleaded gas on Monday evening. It's a good thing my commute to work is going to get much shorter next week. We had a post on our message board of "Gas is $2.77 in Grover." That post was made just two days ago. I wonder what that station is charging now?

Bears, bleeding, blogging and moving

It's funny the things that happen when you're moving. As I'm dragging out stuff to the road in my soon-to-be-former residence, people are picking it up as I go.

But you actually meet a lot of nice folks. One guy, who promised to restore my grandmother's old porch furniture that I was throwing away, turned out to be someone I rode the school bus with in elementary school. We grew up in adjacent neighborhoods and he even helped me carry stuff out to the road that he didn't want.

Of course, not everyone you run into turns out that polite. You have to be careful and use your best judgment.

Also, not everything goes smoothly. The glass tabletop to a piece of furniture I own, unfortunately, is now in a million little pieces. A bad tumble down the stairs did the trick. I doubt anyone is going to want those little items.

Now I'm updating the bear story online while trying not to bleed all over my computer.

Moving to Shelby

I've been at The Star for two months now. I can't wait to get moved to Shelby. I've been commuting from Gastonia and I'm a little tired of the daily drive. If all goes well, I close on my new Shelby house/townhouse, pictured above, on Monday afternoon and should be moved in by the end of the month.

Trying to coordinate buying a new house while selling my current house is enough to make you want to pull your hair out. But the bottom line is I can't wait to get settled in Shelby.

Another World War II epic from HBO

This is way off the subject of local news, but HBO "Band of Brothers" fans will be pleased to learn the same team that brought us the first miniseries is working on a similar project focusing on the Pacific side of the war. It's expected to be another 10-hour miniseries.

Big news day on Thursday

Thursday turned out to be a big news day in Cleveland County. We sent three breaking news alerts out throughout the day to our faithful readers. The first one involved a fire. The second one involved the DA dropping a murder charge against a local woman. He determined the death to be the result of self-defense. The third involved the hospital's leader apologizing for e-mails passed on by staff that made an allegation against a local Mexican restaurant.

In addition to this, we had news on an unusual traffic stop, Alive After Five, the United Way director retiring, Shelby proposing hikes in water and sewer rates, National Day of Prayer, the hiring efforts of a local company and much more.

A great time in Shelby on Saturday

Hundreds of people came out to celebrate the 100th birthday of the courthouse on Saturday. Here's a look at the historical photo display The Star supplied. Because of their popularity, we'll be posting these online soon.