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FSU-PC NEEDS YOU!

Hi, online friends!

As all of you know, we’ve been through some tough economic times here in Florida. As most of you know, there was a proposal last week to trim the State’s budget by trimming the Panama City campus out of Florida State University’s budget!
 
How sad we are to think that we could lose one of the assets we do have here- the opportunity to get a bachelor’s degree here in Bay County. Many of us don’t have the economic freedom to go to Tallahassee to earn a degree, we are busy here earning money to pay rent, mortgage, groceries city utilities, school fees(I’ve paid about $600.00-at least- to the PUBLIC school my daughters attend this year), as well as clothing, gas for two vehicles, and a million other little sundries throughout the day.

According to US Census figures, Bay County has a dearth of bachelor’s degrees, and a correspondingly low per capita income.

The students I spoke with when I recorded this on Wednesday all seemed to value the education they are receiving at FSU-PC. I hope this area and our leaders- County , cities, as well as state representatives,  value us, our education and the contribution we make to the quality of life here, as well as the dollar value of the money we spend in this area. Please watch this video of students you probably know-most grew up right here-  as they express their views on FSU-PC.

We had a student representative on News13 This Morning today; he spoke with Greg Sherrod and told us about an opportunity to let our voices be heard on this situation:
This afternoon, Monday, April 20th, come out to the BRAND NEW Holley Building on the FSU-PC Campus and see this new building, and show support for the faculty—FSU-PC employs 350 people! and students, and the quality of life in our area- come a little early- abt 4:45, but just get there as soon as you can, for the rally at 5:00 P. M..
—Remember—5:00 P. M. Holley Bldg FSU-PC, 4/20/09 See you there!

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Posted on Apr 20, 2009 - 10:09 AM by Jeannie Weller

June Ramblings…

This is a picture from Jeannie Cooper's News13 Blog

Does anyone remember this game? From the year I fled the city, 1983, this promotional/souvenir game featured the major players of the day like WSB, C&S Bank, RICHS. This amazing piece of ephemera was given to me by on of the Cove neighbors I’m always talking about- purchased at one of the crazy Cove garage sales I’m always talking about.

So Saturday I stopped by their house with some juicy peaches (from our downtown Farmers Market) to visit - and ask a favor. They jumped right in on the favor part - and kept me laughing the whole time. They also showed me a vintage video of an Austin City Limits show featuring Merle Haggard, and Allison Krauss singing the old Bad Co tune “Oh, Atlanta.” THEY got the video from another neighbor, after showing him a fragment they had hastily recorded off the program. He showed up a week later with a box of ACL tapes for them.

The picture is of game pieces, and the game board.

Another neighbor of mine, in a little Georgia village called Register, once commented sadly, “If they take away your school, you might as well forget it.”

I think of his comment when I think of the latest in Millville.

This is all in response to an unfortunate and immodest proposal put forth by Bay District School Superintendent James McCallister. Like everyone else, Bay District Schools is having budget difficulties. At least two new schools have been proposed in the west bay sector, I mean, area. So the proposal is to CLOSE, or God help me, repurpose, Millville Elementary, and close A. D. Harris School. Here is a link to the News 13 story about A. D. Harris.

This is a picture from Jeannie Cooper's News13 Blog

Here’s little Millville Elementary, which sits between East Avenue and Gray Avenue near Bay Harbor. Last summer I had the privilige of speaking with a class there, and I visited the school often during summer school. My children’s school was involved in a partnership with Millville and my youngest was enthralled with the children she met.

Millville is also a distribution site for the summer lunch program.

More on Bay district budget woes - Click Here

And go to the meeting the folks at Millville Elementary have arranged at Immanuel Baptist Church Thursday night at 7p.m.


UPDATE: Something worked! Bay District had decided to spare A. D. Harris and little Millville school. No word yet where the evidently necessary cuts will come from, but surely closing the schools that serve some of our neediest and most rewarding students.

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Posted on Jun 25, 2008 - 12:09 PM by Jeannie Weller

Brush With Coldness

Brush with coldness

So my daughter suggests we go on GMA, since I make her watch it every morning.

I’ve told my children that they have to watch News13 This Morning so I can keep an eye on them, since the camera allows me to see back into the living room when they are watching. I’m not sure if they buy this, but they think it’s creepy all the same.

So, we’re in NOO York CITY and dutifully trek down to the Times Square Studio with our duane reade bag of shirt boxes (they didn’t have any poster board) and Easter Color markers.

We were on such a packed (and exciting) schedule that I could not finish the sign the night before. I knew enough to know we’d be waiting plenty that morning anyway; what I didn’t realize was that we’d be waiting in such cold weather!

We were of course wearing gloves (with fingers), and the evidently knowledgeable gentleman from Boston who somwhow materialized in front of us on que mentioned 48, which I assumed meant 48 degrees.

I’m used to being cold, since we work in temperatures designed for the comfort of computers rather than mammals, so I just figured the wind was numbing the tips of my fingers and causing me to shake uncontrollably.

When I had requested tickets, I assumed that being part of the ‘studio audience’ involved sitting on a riser watching other people work in chilly conditions. I really wanted to wish Deanna ‘Happy Birthday’, though, since she had to work that day and it just happened to be the day we were up there. It also happened to be St. Patrick’s Day, so there were -surprise- Celtic dancers, and my own personal favorite, live bagpipers. Just like News13 This Morning!

Because of the crowd, we were not in the first cut of those to be included in the INDOOR studio audience; I asked if someone else could hold the birthday sign for Deanna; the producer saw me shaking violently- and said,“Just come on in!”

By that time we were sincerely willing to just head to the conveniently located Starbuck’s next door. But we went ahead inside, and met a real New Yorker, the natty security guard who actually lives in Bedford Stuy! Just like the Billy Joel song! The one I like.

Then, we met a lady from- Eglin! She too, had been brought in shaking from the street and placed on a pile of coats-scarves-mittens-and-jackets that had accumulated in the window facing Hard Rock across Broadway. Again, she too was accompanying her college age daughter and roommate on their Spring Break-from Auburn!

Had the ABC producers had any real nose for news, they would have realized they had a scoop, “Why Florida Teens Spring Break in New York City.” See if you can follow this:

On our communal way to New York, some of our party saw Joe Francis at PC International Airport as he came in for his Bay county court appearance, then snapped pics of Flo Rida (it took me seeing the poster to get that his name is a play on the name of our fair state) in the airport, and as we made our way into Times Square, what do we see but a huge MTV promo of Flo Rida in PCB!

So we traipse around the murder capital of the world- DC, I let my child go to Times Square by herself to get t-shirts for her friends- we get back to our warm cozy neighborhood, and I see the front page of the paper- Girl Raped and Thrown over Balcony !

But I did get to see Diane, Chris, and ROBIN-my heroine! in person. I’m so sorry I didn’t get to wish Deanna “Happy Birthday” on air, so here it is- HAPPY BELATED BIRTHDAY TO (DeAnn Lam bear-t) FROM ALL HER HOMIES IN NOO YARK CITY!

PS: I googled “cracker cat” ang got this: http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/news/article262948.ece 

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Posted on Mar 24, 2008 - 03:43 PM by Jeannie Weller
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About Me

I was born into the middle of The Strip in 1960s Atlanta, Georgia. I was educated in Fayetteville, Georgia and at Georgia Southern College (now University) in Statesboro. I moved with my family to Panama City, Florida in 1999. My two daughters and I have enjoyed exploring the beaches, the Downtown Library, and all of our neighbors' attics and cupboards. I think writing is like pulling teeth but I can't do anything else, and that... not too well. I love looking at pictures and especially old ones, so if you have any, send me a COPY and tell me about it and I'll share it with my readers. Tell everyone you know about this blog, and ya'll come back now, hear?

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