http://www.pittcountynow.com Thu, 11 Mar 2010 19:25:22 EST http://www.pittcountynow.com/post/182/25/are-you-ready-to-buy.html http://www.pittcountynow.com/post/182/25/are-you-ready-to-buy.html There?s absolutely nothing wrong with not being able to buy a house. I am a Realtor and an advocate of home ownership, who is currently renting a home. Of course, I would love to build equity, feel the security of having title to my own piece of earth, or simply have a real interest in remodeling my kitchen, but I am financially unprepared for such a responsibility.

Instead I?m happily setting myself up to take on this responsibility by working hard, paying off debt, saving money and getting my... Read More]]> Mon, 8 Mar 2010 11:02:02 EST http://www.pittcountynow.com/post/181/25/what-to-do-before-listing-your-property.html http://www.pittcountynow.com/post/181/25/what-to-do-before-listing-your-property.html For many, selling property marks the end of an age. It’s a physical representation of the changing dynamics within your family, your relationship, or your career. A change of this magnitude isn’t easy. Leaving memories behind can be incredibly difficult. Take photographs, host a moving party, but before you put that For Sale sign in your yard, make sure you and your home have said your goodbyes.

It may sound harsh, but once it goes on the market, you are open for business and the c... Read More]]> Fri, 5 Mar 2010 14:05:08 EST http://www.pittcountynow.com/post/180/7/stimulus-funds-trickle-down-into-local-weatherization-assistance-program.html http://www.pittcountynow.com/post/180/7/stimulus-funds-trickle-down-into-local-weatherization-assistance-program.html Going green is likely the last thing on the minds of those living in lower-income households. A family with an income at 200 percent below the federal poverty guidelines is understandably more concerned with paying the bills, than reducing their carbon footprint.

Thanks to the expansion of the Weatherization Assistance Program, administered through North Carolina's Department of Health and Human Services Office of Economic Opportunity, lower-income households can go green and save green simult... Read More]]> Fri, 5 Mar 2010 12:25:31 EST http://www.pittcountynow.com/post/179/19/a-primary-is-in-the-offing.html http://www.pittcountynow.com/post/179/19/a-primary-is-in-the-offing.html I have a primary for Beaufort County Commissioner. I did not want a primary, but I welcome one nonetheless. On the negative side, a primary diverts some of my attention from my personal business. That, obviously, will not be avoided, because there are now 5 aspiring politicians running for the three Republican nominations vying for the three open commissioner seats in the November 2nd, General Election.

On the other hand, a primary in early May offers me an opportunity to campaign, and, i... Read More]]> Mon, 1 Mar 2010 13:42:39 EST http://www.pittcountynow.com/post/178/25/long-the-markets-right-now-get-ready-to-have-your-lunch-money-taken-for-the-next-50-years.html http://www.pittcountynow.com/post/178/25/long-the-markets-right-now-get-ready-to-have-your-lunch-money-taken-for-the-next-50-years.html Since the March 2009 lows in the major American indices (S&P 500, Dow, NASDAQ), it’s been a wild ride straight up as markets attempt to digest information and find a new equilibrium in the aftermath of the largest private sector debt bubble in history (not to metion the world wide public sector debt crisis set to take place within the next 5-10 years). Many investors are thoroughly convinced that we’ve found that equilibrium here in the 9,500- 10,700 range.

They are optimistic... Read More]]> Mon, 1 Mar 2010 13:38:52 EST http://www.pittcountynow.com/post/158/20/why-no-jobs.html http://www.pittcountynow.com/post/158/20/why-no-jobs.html The Democratic "leaders" in Congress and the General Assembly assure them things are fine. "The recession is over," they crow. "The president's plan has brought hundreds of thousands of new jobs," etc, etc, etc. Each statement a bigger lie than the one before. Meanwhile citizens of North Carolina can't find work and are struggling to survive. Increasingly it becomes more difficult to pay for food, utilities, the mortgage and needs for the kids.

The debt bubble is ... Read More]]> Thu, 25 Feb 2010 11:04:04 EST http://www.pittcountynow.com/post/157/23/i-no-longer-represent-the-dirty-dirty-dirty-south.html http://www.pittcountynow.com/post/157/23/i-no-longer-represent-the-dirty-dirty-dirty-south.html
I’ve never cared much for perfectly straight teeth, but clean teeth and fresh breath are essential. I mean, who could really stand wearing a clear, plastic retainer every night for the rest of their life? I’d just loose it in the cafeteria trashcan anyway.

My orthodontist tried so hard to get my teeth in line, but my chompers have always had a mind of their own. As soon as my braces came off and the belt sander was moved a safe distance from my mouth, it was as if my large teeth removed ... Read More]]> Thu, 25 Feb 2010 10:57:59 EST http://www.pittcountynow.com/post/156/23/good-circadian-rhythym-has-just-enough-zzzz-notes.html http://www.pittcountynow.com/post/156/23/good-circadian-rhythym-has-just-enough-zzzz-notes.html Last night I slept nine hours on the couch and awoke feeling restless, jittery, but still groggy. The cushions were ajar, the room messy, and I felt anxious—as if I were already way behind for the day.

I’ve decided that getting a lot of sleep isn’t the answer to stress--the biggest single burden on my health. Sleep may be restorative to my body, including my brain and nerves; but it does nothing for my To Do list. My To Do list is backed up like a traffic jam, which only manages to free ... Read More]]> Thu, 25 Feb 2010 10:54:17 EST http://www.pittcountynow.com/post/155/23/drink-plenty-of-liquids.html http://www.pittcountynow.com/post/155/23/drink-plenty-of-liquids.html Oh, la pauvre! Though I responsibly abstained from Mardis Gras debauchery, and drank one pure white glass of wine, instead of six fiery tequila sunrises, I woke on Ash Wednesday feeling perfectly puny.

Five days of Lent passed, and I, due to my infliction, was no more able to follow certain dietary restrictions than to withstand bumper carts at Wal Mart. I prayed all week for a swift recovery, but, instead, alternated between mal and tres mal. (Perhaps reading the nauseating, but enviably well ... Read More]]> Thu, 25 Feb 2010 10:43:18 EST http://www.pittcountynow.com/post/126/25/deflation-isn-t-such-a-bad-thing.html http://www.pittcountynow.com/post/126/25/deflation-isn-t-such-a-bad-thing.html Market "experts" and CNBC talking heads may have many of you worried about runaway inflation resulting from the massive amounts of cash our wonderful Fed Chairman Ben Bernanke, with the help and encouragement of our bankster-controlled political mafia, dumped into the financial system. Whilst inflation, or the threat of hyper-inflation, would be a very valid concern if these enormous amounts of surplus cash ever made it into the real economy; that simply is not, and will not be, the case.

The ... Read More]]> Fri, 19 Feb 2010 12:25:54 EST http://www.pittcountynow.com/post/125/23/mardis-gras-shmardis-gras.html http://www.pittcountynow.com/post/125/23/mardis-gras-shmardis-gras.html Last night, while thousands lived out the Easy Rider fantasy on Bourbon Street in New Orleans, I was perfectly sober in the fluorescence of my small-town grocery, hunting for fresh-caught salmon.

Like I promised in yesterday's blog, I was using Mardis Gras to prep for my date with righteousness, rather than to have one last Hoorah, and be hungover for it.

(If you are truly ready to be married, Brandia, there will be no desire to have a bachelorette party.)

So, I'm at Food Lion and all I can ... Read More]]> Thu, 18 Feb 2010 11:20:43 EST http://www.pittcountynow.com/post/124/7/every-picture-tells-a-story-don-t-it-part-vii.html http://www.pittcountynow.com/post/124/7/every-picture-tells-a-story-don-t-it-part-vii.html It is a rarity indeed when we get a four plus inch snow in eastern North Carolina. On this February 12, Friday, at 10 pm, the moderate snow started falling and continued in light flurries until about 11:00 am.

With the bread all but gone on the grocery shelves, and the uncommon fluffy snow transforming our mundane winter's day into a winter wonderland, I made a few pictures which I will share with you here below as my testimony that rare beauty of my world bathed in snow.

In the flurries... Read More]]> Thu, 18 Feb 2010 11:12:22 EST http://www.pittcountynow.com/post/123/9/greece-is-just-the-beginning-of-the-sovereign-debt-crisis.html http://www.pittcountynow.com/post/123/9/greece-is-just-the-beginning-of-the-sovereign-debt-crisis.html Determinism is defined as follows: The philosophical doctrine that every state of affairs, including every human event, act and decision is the inevitable consequence of antecedent states of affairs. (http://www.answers.com/topic/determinism) In short, decisions that are made in the present affect options available in the future. This is important because, since the end of WWII, the entire world economy has become increasingly dependent on the credit quality of the United States.

Since the Uni... Read More]]> Thu, 18 Feb 2010 10:58:53 EST http://www.pittcountynow.com/post/122/23/a-mardis-gras-promise.html http://www.pittcountynow.com/post/122/23/a-mardis-gras-promise.html Confession: In my entire life of 28 years, I have never kept to a diet or exercise plan for much longer than 24 hours.

This Lenten season, which begins tomorrow, Ash Wednesday, I am making a public promise to give up the biggest sin a young woman can commit against her body--not taking care of it.

Good genes are a gift from God, and I fear that I may have all but squandered that gift. I'm a tough cookie, with high standards, but when it comes to two of those seven deadly sins--gluttony and sl... Read More]]> Thu, 18 Feb 2010 10:57:07 EST http://www.pittcountynow.com/post/121/3/beaufort-county-commissioner-hood-richardson-announces-his-candidacy-for-n-c-senate-1st-district.html http://www.pittcountynow.com/post/121/3/beaufort-county-commissioner-hood-richardson-announces-his-candidacy-for-n-c-senate-1st-district.html Incumbent Senator Marc Basnight has a challenger for the seat he has held since 1984. Enter 4 term Beaufort County Commissioner Hood Richardson, who has long given voice to the unwavering conservative Resistance in eastern North Carolina for nearly 14 years, as his deceptively energetic Republican challenger. Commissioner Richardson is scheduled to meet with the State's leading Republicans in Raleigh on Wednesday, February 17, 2010, to engage their support.

Senator Marc Basnight has long bee... Read More]]> Thu, 18 Feb 2010 10:46:46 EST http://www.pittcountynow.com/post/120/19/candidates-file-for-campaign-2010.html http://www.pittcountynow.com/post/120/19/candidates-file-for-campaign-2010.html In the first hour of the campaign season, on Feb. 8 at high noon, six early birds officially filed as candidates for various Beaufort County offices. Of the six were five incumbents: Sheriff Alan Jordan, Clerk of Court Marty Paramore, County Commissioner Stan Deatherage (Republican), school board members Cindy Winstead and Teresa Banks; and one newcomer: Jerry Evans, who is running for a Democratic seat on the county commission.

At first glance, Evans and Deatherage, candidates on opposite si... Read More]]> Mon, 15 Feb 2010 11:52:58 EST http://www.pittcountynow.com/post/119/4/funny-people.html http://www.pittcountynow.com/post/119/4/funny-people.html The Return of Adam Sandler

If you like really good, side splitting comedies, and you have considered that Adam Sandler and Seth Rogen were dependable comedy staples, you’ve been sadly disappointed of late - unless, of course, you believe that formula, safe, but vulgar comedies are great and funny art. If you have followed any of my previous recent reviews of these two actors, you would know, I don’t.

Funny People is a return of sorts to a better written, better conceived comedy... Read More]]> Thu, 11 Feb 2010 11:16:32 EST http://www.pittcountynow.com/post/118/4/julie-julia.html http://www.pittcountynow.com/post/118/4/julie-julia.html This Dude Really Enjoyed the Ladies

"Julie & Julia" takes two outstanding actresses, who are entirely comfortable within their own skin and with each other (having worked very well together in the very fine film, "Doubt"), and makes a female buddy picture. The oddity here is that these two women: Julie Powell, portrayed by Amy Adams and Julia Child, played by the magnificently talented Meryl Streep, actually live in different time periods and are very different people, and yet one is drawn... Read More]]> Thu, 11 Feb 2010 11:13:40 EST http://www.pittcountynow.com/post/117/18/an-open-letter-to-sarah-palin-that-is.html http://www.pittcountynow.com/post/117/18/an-open-letter-to-sarah-palin-that-is.html Dear Sarah,

I see that you have used your time wisely since the campaign of 2008. With all that goes with being Governor of such a prestigious state….wait….that’s right…you quit that job. Didn’t you? Wasn’t there some sort of ethics investigation going on at the time of your resignation? Oh well, I digress and people will forget about that anyway. No biggie.

In any case, what have you been reading lately? Or, have you had Todd read to you? I know you rely ... Read More]]> Thu, 11 Feb 2010 11:10:51 EST http://www.pittcountynow.com/post/116/7/hood-richardson-challenges-governor-beverly-perdue-to-debate.html http://www.pittcountynow.com/post/116/7/hood-richardson-challenges-governor-beverly-perdue-to-debate.html Beaufort County Commissioner Hood Richardson, easily the most vocal commissioner in recent history, has, once again, exhibited the temerity to challenge the sitting governor to the Great State of North Carolina to a no-holds-barred debate on the issue of illegal immigration.

This initiative of the Commissioner began during the February 1st Beaufort County Commissioners’ General Meeting, and again on February 3rd when we were interviewed by WITN-TV, when he challenged the governor again... Read More]]> Thu, 11 Feb 2010 11:02:12 EST http://www.pittcountynow.com/post/115/19/ashley-woolard-to-file-for-congress-on-february-10th.html http://www.pittcountynow.com/post/115/19/ashley-woolard-to-file-for-congress-on-february-10th.html At Beaufort County Now, we will publish any submission by candidates that are in the News Release format, irrespective of political party or ideology, providing that there is sufficient relevance to the people of our region.

Washington, NC - February 8, 2010: Ashley Woolard, who announced his candidacy for US House on October 8, 2009 will formally file for Congress from the 1st Congressional District at the Beaufort County Board of Elections on Wednesday February 10, 2010 at 2:00 pm. He will b... Read More]]> Thu, 11 Feb 2010 10:57:50 EST http://www.pittcountynow.com/post/114/18/a-modern-age-manifesto-paradigm-shifts-and-the-push-forward.html http://www.pittcountynow.com/post/114/18/a-modern-age-manifesto-paradigm-shifts-and-the-push-forward.html My wife and I are on a mission to change the way we eat and, consequently, the way we live. The bad habits we developed over the years have gotten us to a point where a dramatic and radical reversal of direction became necessary. To successfully move in that new direction, we needed to honestly acknowledge the harsh reality that the way we were doing things was not working. We also needed to confront the internal and external issues that prevented us from making those changes before now; we nee... Read More]]> Thu, 11 Feb 2010 10:54:47 EST http://www.pittcountynow.com/post/113/2/wonderful-world.html http://www.pittcountynow.com/post/113/2/wonderful-world.html A Callous Re-examination of One’s Existence Unlocks a Sense of Hope

Nevertheless, it was a hard, bumpy ride down the winding, uncertain road of life for former Professional Musician Ben Singer, played by a maturing Mathew Broderick. The former Ferris Bueller has certainly grown some 23 years hence into a surly pessimist, a self-promoted outcast, who would rather live in a downcast world that one of imagination and beauty.

Ben Singer works as a proofreader for the writers of a networ... Read More]]> Mon, 8 Feb 2010 12:23:45 EST