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Education Rant II

According to Earl Taylor with Onslow County (NC) schools, "...a high school diploma [is] the minimum that is required to be successful in life."

I couldn't disagree with him more.

That statement is what the Establishment wants you to believe. Formal Education is severly over-rated. Time and time again, I hear that you have to have a four-year college degree to get anywhere. That too is an exaggeration.

In high school, and even collge...depending on your "track"...what do you really learn? Mostly useless, trivial tripe that you will probably never use except to recall on a test...or if you happen to be a contestant on a game show.

Unfortunatly, I do realize that part of Taylor's statement does have an element of truth. To get most jobs that pay enough to live off of, you do have to have at least a high school diploma.
But, it isn't the determination of success. To be successful in life, you need ambition. I'm not saying education isn't important...just not formal, state-run education where beauracrats sitting at a desk decide what is important for you to learn.

To paraphrase the great Mark Twain, I never let schooling interfere with my education.

To be successful in life also depends on your defininition of the word success.

You could be successful by getting a high-paying job and climb up the corporate ladder. Or you could, by your own cleverness and/or blood, sweat and tears make your own success.

One thing that formal education fails to teach...is life. When a student gets out in to the "real world," that's when the real education begins.

My imersion into the "real world" came full force in November 2006 when I decided to move in with and support my girlfriend and her five-year-old daughter...now my wife and seven-year-old stepdaughter.

Money and time management skills are probably two of the most needed, non-labor intensive skills.

Maintainence skills are also good to have...especially when you live paycheck to paycheck and can't afford to pay someone to take care of problems for you. Luckily my dad has been there for us in times of need. However, I regret not trying to learn how to do a lot of things he does when I was younger. I'm trying to now because I realize he's not going to be around and able forever.
Keep learning, just don't buy into the Establishment's hype about the importance of formal education to success in life.

Carolina coast revels in real estate growth

By William R. Toler

The waters that surround eastern North Carolina’s coastal region are reflecting more than cypress trees.

Condominiums and single-family homes are rising on the inland waterfronts of tiny towns throughout the Inner Banks. The coastal hamlets, once home to family fisheries, are giving way to condo communities and modern marinas.

In the past, these areas have been relying on commercial fishing — one of the state’s oldest industries — for the stability of the economy. But with that way of life threatened by what the N.C. Fisheries Association calls “increasingly stringent, unrealistic and ineffective regulations,” county and town leaders see the boom as a boon.

“We have tremendous growth opportunities,” Bob Spivey, mayor of Windsor, told Carolina Business. “I expect our waterfront areas to explode in the next four to five years. That will expand our tax base and create new business opportunities.”

Real estate developers discover inland waterways

Real estate developers are using the historic charm along with the waterfront and other natural wonders of the region to lure in prospective homebuyers. Inland creeks meander through the state’s coastal area providing waterfront alternatives, yet access, to the rivers, sounds and the Intracoastal Waterway.

“We’re seeing a trend in North Carolina toward inland waterway development,” says Dave Wood of Boomer Advertising, a real estate marketing firm. “People are looking for the waterfront American dream, and the Inner Banks and inland waterways offer an affordable alternative to the beachfront.”

PrivateCommunities.com, a real estate Web site, lists 27 new communities along North Carolina’s coast. In addition to those listed on the site, there are numerous others catering to boaters, nature lovers and those just looking for a slower, quieter pace and a warmer climate.

One of those communities is Swan Quarter Landing. Not yet built, the 45-home condominium community is a first-timer for developer Don Faulkner. He told the magazine NCboatinglifestyle that those interested have been attracted by the small-town atmosphere.

“I was talking with a guy from California recently, and he said that one of the major attractions of Swan Quarter Landing is the ambiance of the village at Swan Quarter,” he said. Swan Quarter is a working fishing village with fewer than 1,000 residents located in Hyde County.

The community’s location is also a big draw, according to Faulkner. Four national wildlife refuges, including Lake Mattamuskeet National Wildlife refuge, occupy the surrounding county. Less than a mile away from the community is a ferry that traverses the Pamlico Sound to Ocracoke, the number one beach in America, according to the 2007 list from Dr. Beach.

“There are a lot of people who ride their bikes to the ferry, spend the day at Ocracoke and then ride their bikes back home,” Faulkner told the magazine. “It’s sort of like having Outer Banks access without the high price tag of waterfront property.”

Baby boomers have Carolina on their mind

The National Active Retirement Association announced in August that North Carolina will “become the number one retirement state over the next 10 or so years,” according to Dan Owens, president of NARA.

The projection comes from a study commissioned by Del Webb, the national leader in developing communities for 55-plus consumers. It showed that the Tar Heel State ranked third, behind Florida and Arizona, as a top retirement destination of baby boomers between the ages of 41 and 69.

Owens added that with huge numbers of people turning 50 each year, the survey results portend a dramatic expansion in the number of older adults living in the state. “This trend is the ‘silent growth engine’ in the Southeast and will continue over the next 25 years. Certainly, North Carolina is in the catbird seat...the trends will increasingly favor the state and help fuel the real estate market.”

With the forecast of a bevy of baby boomers beckoning, the number of projects along the state’s inner banks continues to grow. The News & Observer reported, “Nearly 100 subdivisions and condominium projects with more than 34,000 homes are planned or have just begun to be built... Others are certain to follow as baby boomers retire and head for the water.”


Sources:
Many see urgency of saving state's 'inner coast'
Forum brings foes together
http://www.newsobserver.com/news/growth/inner_coast/story/447538.html
Jay Price
June 6, 2007 News & Observer

Don Faulkner Creates a Waterfront Paradise in Swan Quarter
Cindy Hodnett
July 2007 Volume 5, Issue 7
NCboatinglifestyle


A New Face on the South
Retiree In-Migration Is Becoming an Economic Sweepstakes
http://www.retirementlivingnews.com/rankings.html

www.privatecommunities.com

Bertie County Creates A Healthy Economic Future
A Proactive Approach To Economic Adversity
http://www.carolinabusiness.net/index.php?articles=6
Kay Hubbard Carolina Business

Is this any way to run a business?
Reprinted with permission from Fishnet USA
By Nils Stolpe - 10/1/2007
http://www.ncfish.org/article.asp?id=194

education rant

The North Carolina State Board of Education and the Department of Public Instruction are trying to push through a “Core Course of Study” that would “require all students to enroll in the University/College Preparatory or College Technical Preparation course of study except those determined by a professional review team to be better served through participation in another pathway,” according to Wandra Polk, director of the division of secondary education for the DPI.

The new rigorous course of study will also include a fourth math requirement higher than Algebra 2 and two units of a foreign language.

Hey, as long as you’re adding core requirements, add another social science, like geography so kids can find Moldova on a map. And why not require four units of physical education to help wipe out the obesity problem?

And why require a foreign language? I failed French, forgot Spanish and German and some say I struggle with English.

For once, I agree with Dr. Jeff Moss, superintendent for Beaufort County Schools, who said he and other educators across the state want the SBE and the DPI to “slow the train down a little bit.”

I was never the smartest kid in class. But I’m not the village idiot either. I never went to a four-year university, mainly because I couldn’t afford it. I did, however, go to a community college...albeit for seven years. I wouldn’t trade those seven years for four at a university. Well, maybe a full-ride at UNC-Chapel Hill. I’m just not cut out for a university, just like a lot of other students.

Isn't high school supposed to be a time of exploration. Some people don't know what they want to do when they go or get out of college. I suppose this is supposed to help that. But by not having a chance to explore multiple options, aren't students being made to decide early and pick a path for what they think they want to do when they're 14?

Why nail down students to a particular "track" and not let them have the academic freedom to choose what classes they want to take?

All through my educational career, I’ve never stuck to a track. In high school, I explored. I took classes that seemed interesting, with the thought, maybe I can find something I want to do. I spent four years in Junior ROTC, but didn’t go into the military. Why? Not for me.

But, my career path, unbeknownst to me, began to take shape. I served as squadron photographer and two positions in public affairs. I also took a graphics class in high school.

In college, I became interested in video production and other forms of communication.

Since then I have interned on a year-long television show, helped start two newspapers, worked on several independent movies and even dabbled a bit in radio...all without a college degree in communication or high school training. Heck, no journalism training either...just a public relations course, and a few desktop publishing classes for my marketing degree. But before I graduated high school, I wouldn’t have even imagined doing all of that by age 25.

I believe if you have and take the time and opportunity to explore your options, you’ll wind up where you want to be.

Letter to the Editor

Editor:

Most NC voters will go to the polls this year thinking that they will have an
opportunity to choose who will represent them in the NC legislature. However,
53% of the NC House districts and 43% of the NC Senate will be running
unopposed. The NC Board of Elections will throw away any attempt to cast a write
in vote against these privileged candidates.

Half of the NC legislature is chosen before the voters see their ballots. It may
come as no surprise to those who know or care that laws which prevent a third/
fourth party from being on the ballot is passed by - the NC legislature itself.
In 2006 the legislature voted to retain ballot access laws, even to making it
more burdensome, accepting the argument that if the requirements were loosened
it would lead to a “crowded” ballot.

The people of NC have been living with this no-newcomers-welcome system for
years. You should be disgusted; some of us are not surprised. As individuals,
the disenfranchised voters will be disappointed that they have no alternatives
for particular races and in some the same people.

Most citizens of this state do not and will not realize, half of the ballots
contain no choice or only two choices in the NC Senate and House. You might
think that this story would warrant some coverage by the mainstream media. But
that happens only rarely.

Again: half of the NC legislature will have no opponents; others will have the
usual two on the ballot because the NC legislature does not want the ballot to
become “crowded”.

For those “lucky” legislators, it is not an election, but merely a coronation.
We, the voters, need more choices on election day.

Richard C. Evey,
Havelock, NC

Health Care

It probably comes to no surprise to people across the country as to how messed up the health care system in this country is.
Health care should be afforded to all; but all can’t afford health care.
One reason, some say, medical costs are so high is because of our sue-happy society. Doctors have to carry so much malpractice insurance that it raises the cost of a simple visit; God forbid you get diagnosed with anything.
Another reason for rising costs are the technological advances that have been made. Medical machines are pretty pricey, so the overhead needs to be cleared.
Let’s go back to insurance. Can a person, working for less than $10 an hour, really afford to see a doctor? Not really. Not unless you have health insurance. If you don’t have insurance, you’re pretty much SOL. Sure you can get it (health insurance) on your own, but if you’re making less than $10 an hour and living by yourself, or trying to support a family, you can barely make ends meet...if you can even do that.
I’m not a communist, or a hippie, but I support the idea of socialized health care, similar to our northern neighbors in Canada. Having said (or rather written) that, I realize that there is about as much chance of that type of system in America as there is for Jerry Falwell to spend a weekend “hanging out” with Hugh Heffner.
If this country were to immediately switch to a socialized health care system, thousands of insurance agents would be out of work, adding to the unemployment rate. But, if they got sick, they could go to the doctor.
The Medicaid system is a good program that is in place to assist those who can’t afford health care. But just like any other government program, there are many who abuse the system and make it hard for the people that really need it. I truly think that I would be denied. I am a 25-year-old, white male with a job that pays more than minimum wage. If I wasn’t currently living with my parents, I would be barely scraping by. There is no probable way that I could afford to see a doctor with the price of services.
Switching subjects slightly: I have recently come to the conclusion that most doctors are nothing more than drug pushers. And that problem is creating a nation of pharmaceutical slaves. Can conditions be so much worse now than they were 20 years ago that we need a drug for everything? Of course, everything now is a disease, disorder or some other medical condition with a nice little “happy pill” to go along with it.
To quote Forrest Gump, “I’m not a smart man,” but I know there is a problem. So do many more Americans. At this time, I can’t offer any suggestions to fix the problem, but admitting it is the first step. Once this country admits the problem united, then maybe we can see a change.

OK, we mean it this time, I think

It's not that we haven't been trying.

Rather, we've encountered numerous roadblocks in our efforts to revive the Independent Register as an online newspaper. One volunteer Web designer petered out, the second made a complete Web site but thus far has been unable to upload it to our indieregister.com domain.

But Register co-founder, sports editor and all-around nice guy Eric Voliva has agreed to reprise his role as webmaster. He and I will get to work on bringing the Web site back -- with weekly news, sports and features updates.

The new Register won't be the same as our dearly departed print edition, but look on the bright side: You won't get any newsprint ink on your hands.