Newspaper Page Text
WEDNESDAY, JULY 19, 2017
THE JACKSON HERALD
PAGE 5A
Technology can be a dangerous thing
More and more businesses and government agen
cies are going to automated systems to answer
phone calls when customers and clients need to
speak with someone on staff. You are
often advised to listen carefully, as the
menus may have changed.
Not long ago, a complete stranger
recognized me from the paper and
wanted me to know about the frustra
tion he had experienced while trying
to get an answer to a simple question
in regard to his upcoming jury duty at
one of the courts in Jackson County.
He had spent several minutes
and gone through several steps in
the menu and said he felt somewhat
relieved when he was finally going
to get to speak to a real person, when
he got transferred to “an operator.”
This fictitious entity must have been
in the sandbox, because when his call
arrived at their desk, he got their voicemail.
Since he wasn’t going to be where he could get a
return call, he got in his car and drove to the court
house. He had forgotten he had a pocket knife with
him, so he had to walk back to his car in 90 degree
heat to leave the weapon because the officer at the
door could not be responsible for it.
“Can’t do that,” the deputy explained.
* * *
I heard the most unique menu on an automated
answering system I had ever come across, sup
posedly from a school in Queensland, Australia.
This came about because the school implemented
a program making parents and students responsible
for their children’s absences and missing homework.
The story said that Maroochydore High School
and its teachers were being sued by parents who
want their children’s failing grades to be changed to
passing, even though those children were absent 15
to 30 times during the semester and did not complete
enough school work to pass their classes.
It stated that the following is the actual message
that their faculty and staff voted unanimously to
record on the school’s answering machine. It began
by saying: “Hello, you have reached the automated
answering service for the school. In order to assist
you in reaching the correct staff member, please
listen to all the options before making a selection:
•If you called to lie about why your child is not at
school today, please press 1.
•For making excuses why your child did not do
his homework, press 2.
•To complain about what we do, press 3.
•To swear at a staff member, press 4.
•To ask why you didn’t get information that has
already been enclosed in your newsletter and several
fliers that have been mailed to you, press 5.
•If you want us to raise your child for you, press 6.
•If you want to reach out and touch, slap, or hit
someone press 7.
•To request another teacher, for the third time this
year, press 8.
•To complain about bus transportation, press 9.
•To complain about school lunches, press 0.
•If you realize this is the real world and your child
should be accountable and responsible for his or her
behavior, classwork and homework, and it’s not the
teacher's fault for your child's lack of effort, please
hang up and have a nice day.
•If you want this in another language,
move to a country that speaks it. (End of
recording.)
For this kind of tidbit to fall out of the
sky, so close to the time our school is about
to resume, was almost too good to be true.
And like they say, when something seems
too good to be true, it usually is.
I decided to see if by the miracle of
cyberspace and my limited knowledge of
computers I could get the phone number
of this school in Australia. If I had been
successful I planned to pass the number
on to my readers and lend credibility to
my gibberish.
I soon found out the whole thing orig
inated in Los Angeles, Calif., at Pacific
Palisades Charter School back in 2002. Yes, the
message you read above (with the exception of
the final statement) did meet with the approval of
the faculty and staff at this school after they had
encountered many of the problems it mentioned, but
they knew it could never be implemented. Sometime
later, a computer genius somewhere came across
this information. He moved it to the underside of
the world, added the ending (language) statement
and gave it a life of its own, on the internet.
If you have been employed in public education,
at least within the last 40 years. I'm almost certain
you would approve and endorse just about every
thing that was said on this fictitious message and
wish such statements could be placed on answering
machines in all public schools. Rambling on.
* * *
I received many questions and comments about
our recent trip to the Northwest. One of the most
interesting was from an older woman, who had
never flown on a commercial airliner and was about
to make a trip to Seattle. She asked what bothered
me most about my flying experience.
I answered her truthfully. It was not the security
hassles. That really wasn’t as bad as I expected. I
can’t deny that some of the the manmade, mechan
ical and weather-related aircraft disasters that have
occurred in my lifetime, flashed through my mind.
But the thing that bothered me most was the
industry standard now, in regard to the amount of
space each passenger is allowed (unless paying
almost double and flying first-class). Two average
size people, even turned sideways, can hardly pass
down the narrow aisle between seats. And I suggest
you make every possible effort to avoid using the
restroom. This can be an ordeal like you can’t pos
sibly imagine,
A friend at church, who had been out there before,
asked me what was the most beautiful thing I saw on
the entire trip. I answered him truthfully: "Jefferson,
Georgia, when I got back.”
Mike Rector is a local contractor. Send comments
to mikerector405@gmail.com or 405 Washington
Pkwy., Jefferson, GA.
mike
rector
Science fiction now part
of careers academies
By Ron Bridgeman
Machine shop and cosmetology were in the “vocational” wing of my high school,
and that was where the troublemakers were shunted off.
Now, we have "college and career academies.” Machine shops are "mecha-
tronics” and have to do as much with computers and math as with grease and
skinned knuckles. Diesel technicians work on huge engines with computer
diagnostics.
“Pathways” are all over the map. Some school districts have a dizzying array
of them. The director of Henry County’s program mentioned 47 last week.
I did the "college” pathway because I was told to by a sophomore guidance
counselor, who had looked at my junior high grades and test scores.
Now, kids are being asked to imagine their own careers in the sixth grade.
Multiple districts in Georgia - Hall County is one near us - are requiring those
“plans.” The Hall County superintendent says, “So what if they change 10 times
before they’re through.”
I just read where Chicago schools are going to require such plans for students.
Technical colleges offer “video game design” courses. Lanier Tech has that. It
is all computers - software that is still science fiction to me.
It’s a different world - especially if you can remember The Big Chill as an
adult, as I was reminded over the weekend while on Facebook. (I’m not there a
lot, but I'm gradually moving into the late 20th century.)
All of the above came up last week because I heard Jackson County’s dog-
and-pony show about its push for a college and career academy. It was an
impressive program.
The promoter of the idea in Georgia, Lt. Gov. Casey Cagle, was the featured
attraction.
Cagle was smart. He talked about Jackson County, about the world of possi
bilities through technology, about good jobs without getting a four-year degree.
He never mentioned he is a candidate for governor next year. That was quite
deliberate.
The event was to promote the county’s push for a college and career academy.
Just showing up for it was a campaign event. Cagle didn’t need to do more.
It was nice to see an understated politician for a change.
As I said to my wife, Cagle has a real accomplishment he can campaign on.
The idea of college and career academies is far from new. It has been around
for decades.
But he was smart enough to start promoting it years ago, and he was skilled
enough to get money put in the state budget to help the idea along.
Three college and career academies a year get the $3 million grants Jackson
is seeking. I covered a similar program in Putnam County that is now up and
running. I saw the beginning of a successful push for an academy in Morgan
County.
Jackson County has the good sense to follow much of that model. It has an
impressive list of businesses supporting the push.
In a lot of ways, this is more “back to the future.” Part of the model for the
academies is the German notion of apprenticeships - which was popular in the
1970s.
The difference is the updated version has strong academic parts to it - it’s not
the “vocational” wing of my youth.
Given the ubiquity of computers in our lives, that might be natural. But it takes
a bit of getting used to for someone who used a pencil and eraser in school.
The publicity for Jackson County's “EC3” mentions the possibility that Com
merce and Banks County also might be part of the academy. Why wouldn't they?
I wondered why both those school systems were not visibly promoting the
idea at last week's event. Equally important was the complete lack of interest or
visibility from Jefferson schools? Maybe that system sends all of its graduates
to colleges.
Cagle has a bruising primary ahead of him and a number of well-known polit
ical opponents standing before he can make a general election. But I don’t know
of any candidate who has as strong a “plus” as he does starting out.
Ron Bridgeman is a reporter for Mainstreet Newspapers. Send email to him
at ron@mainstreetnews.com.
DALLAS - Perhaps not Chicago or Detroit. Minneapolis or
Seattle and certainly not New York City—would you likely find
a place like Bubba’s on the edge of an
exclusive neighborhood like Highland
Park in Dallas.
Even with all the ranching, western
and hispanic influence, Texas remains
imbued with a traditional southern cul
ture and nowhere will you find it in
greater abundance than at a place called
Bubba’s on Hillcrest Ave.
The menu proudly proclaims: Imag
ine a good ‘ol country boy who moved
to the Big City but never could shake
the hankerin’ for ‘down-home food like
his Mama cooked for him. That's the
inspiration for Bubba’s. You're gonna
like our real good food. It’s not fancy
and we serve a lot of it.. .in a casual and
comfortable atmosphere that will remind you of a small-town
cafe from the past. You gotta try it.. .we hope to see you soon!”
The architecture smacks of a designer who grew up in a
lean-to. Nonetheless, it is becoming for those who take good
food seriously, but not themselves. There are Formica table
tops and tile flooring, booths and an atmosphere which hovers
with a hospitality rush that makes you feel at home even if you
normally wake up 900 miles away.
Outside, there is a patio which attracts the hearty in the dead
of winter and Big D’s debilitating humidity in summer. Young
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Bubba’s
couples with jogging carriages often show up here on the week
end. During the week, you see business professionals in coat
and ties, SMU students, a drifter or two. For every Lexus and
Mercedes, there is a Ford Exhibition, a Range Rover or a Chevy
Tahoe. When it comes to food at Bubba’s, nobody is checking
ID's, bank statements or net worth. The helpings are ample, the
food is hot and the service is timely.
Arriving early on a recent Saturday, I found a table outside
on a sun kissed morning with an atmosphere which was as
down home as Yesterday’s Cafe in Greensboro. The pace was
benign and the view offered a shimmering reflection off the
downtown Dallas skyscrapers which had the illusion of being
within arms-length.
My table made me feel at home in that I was between a
couple of rows of hedges. Everything was red except for the
burnt orange logos of Texas aficionados, the maroon of Texas
A and M, the red of Oklahoma and the blue hues of Mustang
advocates—the SMU campus literally a stone's throw away.
An elderly gentleman approached with an Irish Setter on
a short leash. “Could you allow some space,” he asked as
he pulled up a chair before an answer was forthcoming. I
not only felt accommodating, but also sentimental. An Irish
Setter is canine royalty. My favorite book dating back was an
outdoor story of a dog named "Big Red,” also the title of the
book. While written for kids, I am sure I would enjoy a re-read,
but only by an indolent fire with autumn leaves turning and a
harvest moon showering reflections of faith, hope and charity.
Soon the setter and his master took leave, with a nod and
a wave of a thumbs-up. I wanted Big Red to stay. My dis
NOTICE TO
THE PUBLIC
The City of Commerce Planning
Commission will hold a public hearing
on Monday, July 24, 2017 at 7:00 P.M.
in the Commerce Civic Center Cold
Sassy Room, 110 State Street. The
purpose for the hearing is to discuss:
1) Lindsay Diversified, 29 Cotton
Street, Map C02 Parcel 036, 0.56
acres, Rezoning from R-2 to R-3.
2) Mack Garrison, Allen Road, Map
Oil Parcels 012, 012C, 012D, 013,
014, 13.31 acres, Rezoning for An
nexation, From A-2, A-3, NRC, HRC
in the county to M-2 in the city.
David Zellner
City Planner
appointment was ameliorated as a mocking bird symphony,
which had caught my ear upon arrival, sounded forth with lift
and stimulation. You can find the Northern mockingbird most
anywhere but it is doubtful that you will find more anywhere
than in Dallas. They never stop singing, but what's there not to
like about that? Especially at breakfast.
Oh yeah, the food at Bubba’s. That's what we came for.
Bubba’s “cooks country” seven days a week from 6:30 a.m.
till 10 p.m. specializing in breakfast: eggs, bacon, sausage,
pancakes, biscuits and gravy, grits, hash browns and muffins.
At lunch you have a choice of mashed potatoes and gravy,
coleslaw, baked beans, yellow squash, green beans, pinto beans,
lima beans, com-on-the-cob, candied yams, okra and tomatoes,
yellow squash, black-eyed peas and fruit salad. Many of those
dishes accompany the dinner menu which is headlined by fried
chicken, chicken and dumplings, chicken livers, catfish and
chicken fried steak.
There is football talk year round and you can find a leading
conversationalist in Mark Vincent, a savvy local lawyer who
started his football career at SMU. Then came the notorious
death penalty in 1987. He subsequently distinguished himself
at Georgia. “If SMU and Georgia ever played in a bowl game,”
Mark grinned, “I would wear my Georgia cap.”
Big Red would have been disappointed with me if I didn't
buy breakfast for my Dawg pal. Not to worry - Bubba’s offers
economic incentive and they don’t charge extra for the mock
ingbird symphony.
Loran Smith is a columnist for Mainstreet Newspapers. He is
the co-host of the University of Georgia football tailgate show.
PUBLIC HEARING
The Jackson County Board of Adjustment will
hold a Public Hearing on Thursday, August 3,
2017 at 6:00 p.m., at the Jackson County Admin
istration Building Auditorium, 67 Athens Street,
Jefferson, Georgia, on the following matter:
Old Business:
1. BOA-17-03 - Blake Kinnett, 95 Olde Jackson Ter
race, Jefferson, GA; .976 acre; variance to reduce
right side setback from 20 ft. to 10 ft. in order
to build a detached garage. (Map 106C/Parcel
042)
New Business:
1. BOA-17-04 - Jim Bliss, 419 Ryans Run, Jefferson,
GA 30549; 0.75 acre; reduce left side setback
from 20 ft. to 10 ft. and reduce rear setback from
40 ft. to 30 ft. in order to build a storage build
ing. (Map 083E/Parcel 031)
Complete applications, plats, texts, maps, and
public hearing procedures are available for re
view in the Planning Division Office, of the De
partment of Public Development during regular
office hours Monday thru Friday 8:30 am to 4:30
pm or online at www.jacksoncountygov.com. All
interested persons are invited to attend.