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Motivational
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I was honored to have my
special guest Dr. Pretta VanDible Stallworth, HCCS
–District IX join me for Happy Hour. I was taken aback
when she presented me a certificate of recognition
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With
the advent of FaceBook and Smart Phones, I no longer
take pictures so I'm archiving 2 decades of throw
backs pictures that were taken for my website Guy's
Gallery on FaceBook for public viewing of the people
in the Houston Community. Take a walk down memory
lane. Click the picture below to see pictures you
don't have to be a member of FaceBook to view. Enjoy!
If you would like to see the latest
throwback pictures added? Follow link and
click on Feed View. |
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Following a
deadly mass
shooting at
Santa Fe High
School, Gov.
Greg Abbottrolled
out a 40-page
plan to keep
schools safe.
Proposals ranged
from beefing up
existing mental
health screening
programs to
encouraging
voluntary use of
gun locks at
home, but one
component seemed
to divide
lawmakers,
districts and
Texas schools:
arming school
employees.
If
Texas schools
want to arm
their staffs,
they have two
options. One is
the marshal
program, which
Abbott proposed
using state
funds to help
schools
implement. It
allows local
school boards to
authorize
employees to
carry a handgun
on campus, but
they must be
specially
trained and
licensed by the
Texas Commission
on Law
Enforcement.
Under the
program, armed
school personnel
can’t carry
firearms around
students.
The other option
was already
around when
then-Gov.
Rick Perry
signed the
marshal program
into law in
2012. Created by
Harrold
Independent
School District
Superintendent
David Thweatt in
2007, the
Guardian Plan
allows local
school boards to
determine
training
standards and
authorize
specific
employees to
carry on campus
at all times.
Here are four
things to know
about the two
existing plans
that allow
school districts
to arm their
employees:
For districts
that choose to
adopt the
marshal program,
teachers and
other school
staff members
who undergo the
required
training are
taught to act as
armed security
officers — or
peace officers —
in the absence
of law
enforcement.
“The marshal
program is about
creating an
entirely new
class of peace
officers —
certified and
[Texas
Commission on
Law Enforcement]
trained — who
can act in a
moment of crisis
to disable and
neutralize an
active shooter,”
said state Rep.
Jason Villalba,
the Dallas
Republican who
authored the
bill
that createdthe
Texas school
marshal program
Abbott wants to
expand. “That’s
why the program
is so starkly
different than
what Mr. Thweatt
calls the
guardian plan.”
The Guardian
Plan, on the
other hand, lets
school staff
carry guns with
or without
marshal
training. It
doesn’t train
school personnel
as peace
officers but
lets them carry
their weapons as
long as they
undergo
district-specific
training and
have a handgun
license. And it
doesn’t have a
maximum
requirement for
how many
teachers can be
armed, unlike
the marshal
program, which
lets schools
only designate
one employee a
marshal for
every 400
students.
Despite the
differences in
approach for the
two plans, they
both aim to
mitigate
tragedies in the
event an active
shooter comes on
campus grounds.
“That’s the
reason we’re
doing it, and I
think we can do
that because
they’re not
going to know
from where our
particular
defense is going
to come,”
Thweatt said.
“When [an active
shooter] comes
to the school,
they’re going to
get swarmed from
multiple
directions,” he
added. “Armed
shooters go
where they know
there’s going to
be little
resistance, but
if they don’t
know where
they’re going to
get resistance,
they’re not
going to come to
our schools.”
Rural districts
are more likely
to adopt one of
the plans
More
than 200 of
Texas’
1,000-plus
school districts
have adopted one
of two programs.
And a majority
of those
districts tend
to be in rural
communities,
according to Dax
Gonzalez, a
spokesman for
the Texas
Association of
School Boards.
“Generally
speaking,
districts with
police
departments … do
not tend to
allow staff to
carry firearms,”
Gonzalez said.
“Those 217 are
likely smaller,
more rural
districts that
feel they cannot
be serviced by
local law
enforcement
quickly enough.”
Villalba told
Politico in
February that he
believes
anywhere between
20 to 50
districts have
adopted the
marshal program.
At least 172
Texas districts
have adopted the
Guardian Plan.
Training and gun
storage
requirements
vary
Arguably one of
the biggest
differences
between the two
programs is
different
requirements for
teachers or
other employees
who want to
carry a gun.
Marshals have to
receive 80
training hours
and keep their
firearms under
lock and key.
The Guardian
Plan, on the
other hand, lets
teachers keep
their firearm
with them at all
times — as long
as they have a
concealed
handgun license
and go through
15 to 20 hours
of training.
It’s worth
noting that
these
requirements
could change,
however. Abbott
previously
proposed
streamlining the
training course
under the
marshal program
— which he
called
“burdensome”—
and eliminating
the lockbox
requirement.
Villalba was
critical of
Abbott’s tweaks
to the marshal
program, saying
that parents
might be upset
if teachers
didn’t have to
lock up their
weapons.
But several
Texas
Republicans,
including
Jerry Patterson,
Texas’ former
land
commissioner who
helped get the
state’s
concealed
handgun law
passed in 1995,
say the lockbox
requirement does
more harm than
good.
“The lockbox
requirement is
silly. The gun
needs to be
carried on the
person and
accessible
immediately,”
Patterson said.
“Not where you
have to run to
the office, go
through a
combination and
then get the
gun. If you
carry it all the
time, you won’t
lose the
weapon.”
Individuals
schools and
districts that
adopt the
Guardian Plan
are also allowed
to choose their
own training
requirements. At
Harrold ISD, for
example,
employees who
choose to carry
go through at
least 15 hours
of training that
includes videos
of hostage
scenarios and
shooting drills.
Fayetteville
ISD, which
adopted the plan
in February,
doesn’t require
a specific
amount of
firearms
training (though
most staff do
around 20 hours
per year). And
at Keene ISD,
which adopted
the Guardian
Plan in 2016,
Superintendent
Ricky Stephens
previously told
The Texas
Tribune he
requires staff
to undergo 80
hours of initial
training and 40
hours annually
after that.
Only one plan
receives money
from the state
To
adopt either
plan, districts
have to find a
way to pay for
training,
purchase
firearms and
ammunition and,
in some cases, a
lockbox.
But only the
marshal program
has received
state funding to
help pay for
those expenses.
When the marshal
program was
first signed
into law, the
state had a
grant program in
place to help
districts cover
training costs.
But that money
ran out and
funding has not
been
reauthorized.
That’s why
Abbott proposed
that the state
pay for school
marshal training
this summer to
ease the burden
on individual
districts.
Funding for the
Guardian Plan
was notably
missing from the
governor’s
proposal,
however. Instead
of getting
approval from
the Legislature,
authorization
for the plan is
outlined under
the
Texas Government
Code, which
lets certain
school district
employees who
have a handgun
license to carry
their weapon.
Since there’s no
legislative
recognition of
the Guardian
Plan, Thweatt
said, districts
that adopt the
plan have to pay
for it
themselves.
Thweatt said
Harrold ISD
reimburses
employees who
participate for
the cost of
guns, ammunition
and training.
“I’ve never
received any
funding [from
the state] for
the Guardian
Plan,” Thweatt
said.
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Live After Five f/ Calvin Richardson, Vivian
Green & J Paul
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. Box Full of Kisses (Love)
Some time ago, a man punished his 3-year-old
daughter for wasting a roll of gold wrapping paper.
Money was tight and he became infuriated when the child
tried to decorate a box to put under the Christmas tree.
Nevertheless, the little girl brought the gift to
her father the next morning and said, “This is for you,
Daddy.”
The man became embarrassed by his overreaction
earlier, but his rage continue when he saw that the box
was empty. He yelled at her; “Don’t you know, when you
give someone a present, there is supposed to be
something inside?”
The little girl looked up at him with tears in her
eyes and cried;
“Oh, Daddy,
it’s not empty at all. I blew kisses into the box.
They’re all for you, Daddy.”
The father was crushed. He put his arms around his
little girl, and he begged for her forgiveness.
Only a short time later, an accident took the life
of the child.
Her father kept the gold box by his bed for many
years and, whenever he was discouraged, he would take
out an imaginary kiss and remember the love of the child
who had put it there.
Moral of the story: Love is the
most precious gift in the world.
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Millennials are down for Barack
Obama like four
flat tires. A sizable percentage
of the age group, including
those who range from 22 to 37
years old, have chosen Obama as
the best president, according to
a Pew
Research Center survey
released Wednesday.
Forty-six percent of
Millennials believe Obama is the
best, as compared to only 12
percent for Trump, the survey
found. Sixty-two percent, or
six-in-ten millennials, think Michelle
Obama‘s husband is one
of the top presidents.
Millennials are, unsurprisingly,
also more likely to name Obama
as a higher-ranking
commander-in-chief, as compared
to older generations who
favored Ronald Reagan,
who was known for racist
statements like Trump.
Forty-four percent of
Americans overall chose Obama as
either the best or second-best
president, according to the
survey, which was conducted from
June 5-12 among 2,002 adults.
A smaller group of 19
percent of Americans named Trump
as best or second-best
president, despite his constant
trash talking, racist
rhetoric—as well as his
divisive, offensive and illegal
actions. It’s clear from the
survey that a lot of younger
people, and some older, still
wish that Obama, Michelle Obama
and their daughters Sasha and Malia were
in the White House. Surely,
there will be many folks
rejoicing when Trump vacates the
office.
Obama’s relevance hasn’t
decreased either since he left
the top U.S. post, The
Hill reported.
Obama still has a strong base on
Twitter with 101 million as of
Thursday afternoon (July 12).
The number makes the former
president the third
most-followed person on the
social network behind Katy
Perry and Justin
Bieber.
The 44th president of the
U.S. did lose 3 million
followers as a result of Twitter
removing locked or inactive
accounts from follower counts.
However, he is still miles ahead
of Trump who has 53.1 million
followers and is the 18th
most-followed person. Trump’s
constant angry rants have surely
further pissed off folks.
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Papa
John’s
controversial
founder
crossed
a
line
with
Morehouse
College
when
he
used
the
N-word,
prompting
the
HBCU
to
kick
the
pizza
chain
off
campus.
Morehouse
suspended
its
dining
relationship
with
Papa
John’s,
as
it
looks
at
other
options
to
distance
itself
from
the
franchise,
the
school
tweeted
on
Friday.
The
HBCU
joined
a
number
of
other
institutions
that
ended
its
relationship
with
the
pizza
giant
over
the
controversy.
John
Schnatter‘s
rapid
downfall
stems
from
his
use
of
the
N-word
on a
conference
call
in
May,
which
was
first
reported
by Forbes
on
Wednesday.
His
remarks
came
on a
call
between
Papa
John’s
executives
and
marketing
agency
Laundry
Service.
Ironically,
Schnatter
was
doing
a
role-play
exercise
intended
to
prevent
him
from
creating
more
public
relations
problems
for
the
company,
after
his
statements
in
November
about
the
NFL
player’s
protest.
“Colonel
Sanders
called
Blacks
n—–s,”
Schnatter
said,
in
response
to a
question
about
how
he
would
avoid
white
supremacist
groups
online.
He
added
that
Sanders
never
got
into
trouble
for
using
the
racial
slur.
At
another
point
during
the
conference
call,
Schnatter
recalled
that
during
his
childhood,
white
folks
in
Indiana
used
trucks
to
drag
Black
people
to
death.
The
company
is
trying
to
clean
up
the
mess.
It
will
remove
Schnatter’s
image
in
advertisements,
CEO
Steve
Ritchieannounced
on
Friday
after
the
University
of
Louisville
said
it
planned
to remove
the
pizza
company’s
name from
its
football
stadium,
the
Washington
Post
reported.
Schnatter
admitted
to
using
the
slur
and
offered
an
apology.
However,
rather
than
taking
full
ownership
of
insulting
Black
people,
Schnatter
claimed
he
was
pressured
to
use
the
N-word
during
the
conference
call,
he
told
WHAS
radio.
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A new nightclub in downtown Charleston, S.C., is getting the viral social media treatment after allegedly trying to take its patrons back to the Jim Crow era.Deco Nightclub has received hundreds of one-star reviews after social media users accused it earlier this month of employing special membership programs that have traditionally been used to exclude people of color in establishments in the South, and other parts of the country, The Post and Courier is reporting.
A one-star Google review written by Dario DMage read, “Place does not accept people of color. Stay away.” The review had three “likes.”
Facebook user Jarvis Be posted on July 11, “Very very bad experience here. I’m Asian (Filipino) and born in South Carolina. I have lived here my whole life. College educated and a healthcare professional at a Level 1 Trauma Center. I went to Deco last Friday with a group of friends (both Black and white). We were all dressed clean with nice collar shirts, dress pants, dress shoes etc. The bouncer stops me and says I need a membership to get in. He states that I have to sign up online. Fair enough we left and went to Republic Lounge. I come back Saturday night and he doesn’t let me in again. I told him there was no link to sign up. I ask if I could talk with the manager. He says there is no manager and for me to move along. I walk away and stand to the side. While standing there I see groups of Caucasian people get in without being asked for a membership. I also see numerous groups of African Americans who were dressed nicely and very polite, turned down and refused admission. Not sure what kind of business they are running here, I would be very weary of who’s running this circus.”
In a July 10 Facebook post, the club addressed the issue, saying it has let go any employees whose values are not aligned with that of the club and that it has discontinued any policies that could be exclusionary.
“We’ve immediately discontinued any type of membership program,” the statement read. “All current VIP cards, etc., will no longer be accepted or required as a means of entry for anyone, anytime. We have cut ties with employees who are not aligned with our company’s core values of collaboration, communication, and inclusion; and will continue to seek out new employees to better serve you.”
The statement continued, “We look forward to continuing the dialogue in real time through our social channels and on our website. As always, we encourage your feedback on how we can continue to improve your experience here at Deco.”
Lawyer David Aylor, representing the club owners, released a statement to the Post and Courier:
“At times, we have had to limit the number of people we can legally allow in the club due to various regulations including occupancy requirements by the fire marshal. It appears we have had employees allow their friends to enter the club despite not adhering to our dress codes. Since we have received some complaints, our managers have had to terminate some employees who did not follow our policies or who were not respectful to our customers.”
Deco replaced another nightclub in April, the Post and Courier reported. The space was acquired last year by Tyler Wicker of the Bottle Cap Group, based in Charlotte, the news organization reported.
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The
PINNACLE Center is free* for use to Fort Bend and City
of Houston residents that are ages 50 and above. |
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The PINNACLE Center
includes:
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Wi-Fi Internet Café
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Fitness Center
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Outdoor Walking Trail
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Fitness Classes
– Self Defense, Weight Training, Zumba,
Flexibility, Aerobics, and Chair Fitness
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Ping Pong
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Dance Classes
– Line Dancing, Two Stepping and Swing Out
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Veterans Assistance &
Social Service Assistance
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Financial Planning
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Knowledge is POWER DAY
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Computer Classes
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Table Games -
Bingo, Dominos and various Card Games
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Marketplace Monday
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Vendors welcome on the 1st Monday of each
month
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