Perspectives on Rockets, Golf, Pottery and Politics

A few takes on current affairs and events local and national:

• Good story from Blake Giles in this week's Oconee Enterprise on the local economic impact of golf. His point about how golf helps raise funds for charity is certainly a good one -- while there can be too many golf charity events, the overall impact of the sport in the region is pretty amazing.
  
• Another neat golf tidbit -- UGA alum Brendon Todd, who led the Athens Regional Foundation Classic until a last round collapse, won last week's Nationwide Tour event and will likely be on the PGA tour next year. He has had a very successful first year on the Nationwide Tour. Brendon got his shot when the Athens Regional Foundation gave him a sponsor's exemption into their event, where he performed well and was able to secure entry into more Nationwide Tour events. Congrats to Brendon and kudos to the Athens Regional Foundation for helping this young man's dream come true. (Full disclosure -- my company does the PR for the ARFC).
  
• On a totally separate matter, the McCain campaign is getting dangerously close to overplaying its hand by limiting Sarah Palin's interaction with the media. I'm glad she's talking with Katie Couric next week. Her interview with Charles Gibson was not sterling -- it was solid in most places but not being able to articulate the Bush doctrine is pretty bad and her unqualified response inviting Ukraine and Georgia into NATO makes me nervous. Palin doesn't need to be something she isn't in these interviews (swing voters don't expect her to be an expert on foreign policy) -- she needs to be herself and be somewhat accessible to balanced reporters. And no, Sean Hannity doesn't count. Neither will Bill O'Reilly.
  
• Back to the local scene, I've gotta say last weekend's Friends of the Oconee County Library Book Sale was awesome. You could get a bag of used books for $3. They had rare books and first editions for incredibly low prices. Definitely something to put on your calendar for future years. Even Sunday afternoon, there were still huge crowds looking for books. Whoever says the printed book is in danger is dead wrong. Newspapers.... perhaps a different story.
  
• Also Sunday, I visited Perspectives. As always, the art was wonderful. Unlike past years, the prices weren't. WHOA! For some reason, it seemed like everything was 30-50% higher than in years past. I walked into Rocket Hall expecting Watkinsville art prices (maybe a slight premium) and felt like I had traveled to Atlanta. I was also suprised that top local potters like Jerry Chappelle and Rebecca Wood (R. Wood) apparently were not participating.
• Still, visiting Rocket Hall (known by us kids of the 80s as the Booster Club Gym) always evokes special memories -- I can still smell the popcorn, feel the stickiness of Skittles and Sprite spilled on the floor, and feel the cold temps in the gym as we stripped down to shorts for games and practice. Angry parents, tired refs, manual scorekeeping, no 3 point shot, creaky floors, and bad basketball made for some great times. I can also remember getting run out by the Watkinsville PD after "sneaking" in the gym during Christmas break (thanks for those keys, Donnie B.!). Good times.
  

Housing News

Over at the Athens Inbox, you'll find an interesting story about a major celebrity returning to the Athens area (specifically to Nicholson, the homeland of my good friend Scott Brooks, who once had a run in with the very same celebrity at the mall when he was a teen).

And closer to home, check out the AJC story and photos about a stunning home at the Georgia Club (full disclosure, the Georgia Club is a client). I was able to tour the home and its gardens and it was amazing -- it's great to know that these types of innovative homes are being built in our area.

While the housing market might not be good in general, it is exciting to see interest picking up in some of our area's unique homes.

Whatever Happened to the World's Fair (and more)

A few news items and takes from near and far:

• Whatever happened to Worlds Fairs? Remember them? If you were a kid in the late 1970s/early 1980s, you couldn't miss them, especially when one came south to Knoxville, Tenn. of all places. And who could forget the sunsphere (pictured right), which still stands in Knoxvegas? In my seven year old brain, a World's Fair was somewhat on par with the Olympics, until, well, ummm... I never heard of one again. Until today. Much to my surprise, the World's Fair is still going strong, just overseas. Coke is sponsoring one -- in China. Wikipedia edifies here. Sometimes I love the internet.
• Unfortunately, World's Fairs and other iconic 70s and 80s events in the South don't usually make "I Love the 80s." Maybe we need a special "I Love the 80s" Southern edition that would also include things like Dukes of Hazzard, airbrushed t-shirts, Fall Guy re-runs, the robotic voices in the trains at the Atlanta airport, Kenny Rogers, junkyard derbies, go carts, the Herschel Walker phenonmenon, the world of Sid and Marty Kroft, the Bo Jackson phenomenon, Power 99.7, etc. What would make your list?
• The Georgia Club Tour of Homes was a spectacular event. Wonderfully organized. More than 800 in attendance. And some gorgeous homes. Check out this article, which gives a pretty good overview of some of the homes. Personal highlights included some incredible basements (poker tables, media rooms, pool tables, bars galore), millions of dollars of original art, some great UGA football memorabilia, a train set suspended from the ceiling, and a gorgeous courtyard homes.
• Oconee County is spending $25,000 to replace 39 toilets and 6 urinals with low flow models. That's $555 apiece. Seems a bit pricey to me, although plumbing costs are a bit out of hand these days. Maybe just institute an every-other flush policy?
• Jim Wooten nails it in this column when it comes to taxes. If Republicans want to tax, just come out and do it. Don't hide behind bait and switch tactics. Don't tag on user fees. Just say what you need the money for and see if the electorate will pay for it.