Lithonia Mayor Joyce McKibben Is Voted Out 166 to 47

A special election was held on Tuesday, at issue to recall Lithonia’s Mayor. In a vote nearly 3 to 1, residents sent the embattled Mayor packing. 166 votes ousted Joyce McKibben. The Mayor has been the subject of media reports for months, first after she tried unsuccessfully to fire the city’s police chief. Then there was a period of infighting with the city council. And then there were also those now infamous skirmishes with Lithonia police over computers and access to city hall among other things.

The latest part of this saga was the mayor tried to have a concert promoter prosecuted for making threats against her. That case was dismissed. Ironically that concert promoter was part of an effort to recall the mayor. Lithonia has been in the news for weeks now; I don’t expect this to be over. Mayor McKibben hinted in an interview with local news reporters that she wasn’t going quietly.

Only 20% of registered voters in Lithonia voted in the special election. Now the door opens for new candidates to run for the now vacant office. Mayor McKibben can run again if she chooses to do so. Whoever runs and wins this election, they may still face the same resistance. Although I don’t agree with how Joyce McKibben went about cleaning up city hall, I admit it did need some cleaning. The police chief I think was out of line a number of times, especially with the issues over gas cards and hiring. Also, no matter what powers the city charter gives the mayor, she is still the mayor and deserves respect from city employees.

I also take issue with how members of the city council have acted. Instead of trying to reach a compromise they have resorted to petty bickering. Changing the locks on the building, having employees arrested, and directing police to harass the mayor, and someone altered the city’s website removing the title of mayor from Joyce McKibben’s name, all of this was unnecessary. They should have taken the higher road. On the news tonight a member of the city council, Kathleen deCocq was just overjoyed and very excited about the 166 to 47 vote. She should have just made a simple statement and let it go. It just made this whole process look like a big school yard fight.

I think the Mayor has good intentions, and that she may be right on several things. But personalities, lack of tact and perhaps bad judgment help get us to this point. The real looser in this is the residents of Lithonia. Let’s not forget this is the city that had to ground its city vehicles because it couldn’t afford to pay the auto insurance. The city has had some major problems these past few years. Someone needed to go in and make a change in the way things were done. Perhaps that person isn’t Joyce McKibben, but I do think that someone needs to at least investigate some of her claims, if not only to give residents piece of mind.

Wall Street Bailout Bill Fails and Wall Street Tumbles

The $700 Billion Bailout Bill Fails and Wall Street Has Record Fall.

Today Congress voted on the President’s $700 billion Wall Street bailout bill. It was supposed to help stabilize the economy and calm investor’s anxieties over the banking crisis. The bill failed to pass. Over 60% of Republicans voted no to the bill. No Both Democrats and Republicans are blaming each other for the failure. The republicans blame Nancy Pelosi’s partisan speech for them turning against the plan. Democrats say that Republicans didn’t support a plan created by the leaders of their own party.

One of the biggest obstacles for this bill, Democrats were afraid that if they voted for this bill, and Republicans turned against it, that Republicans would use it against Democrats in the November elections. It may appear that Democrats had reason to worry. But a new problem has popped up just as Congress prepared to vote today. Wall Street took a huge dive.

The Dow dropped down to -777 points, the largest point drop in history. The markets started to drop before the vote and continued afterwards. Only making today’s failure to pass the bailout that much more bitter. Washington politicians are going to have to regroup and agree on something. The situation is getting worst.

Today it was announced that Wachovia would sell its banking services to Citigroup. Wachovia was saved from collapse because if its large interest in real estate by Citigroup. Citigroup will pay more than $2 billion for Wachovia’s banking operations. The deal was made just hours before Congress was to vote on the Wall Street bailout. What’s going to happen next? Will another major financial institution collapse?

With our markets on life support right now, our country is particularly vulnerable right now. If we are not careful and stay on top of what is happening on Wall Street, I fear that if there were any type of terrorist attack even on a small scale, it could mean disaster for the country. The finger pointing on Capital Hill needs to stop, and lawmakers need to get back to the table and find a way to help the country’s financial system before it’s too late to anything.

See how Congress voted on the failed bill

Atlanta's Gas Crunch

Most of Metro Atlanta’s motorists are feeling the gas crunch. Atlanta is experiencing a gas shortage that some compare to the 1970’s. Only this time people are confident that the gas supply will get back to normal much sooner. But as more and more stations run dry, people are playing musical gas stations trying to get fuel before their gauges hit “EMPTY.”

There are a lot of people pointing the finger, saying that the Governor didn’t have a plan and knew something like this could happen. One good thing is that the Gov, has asked the Environmental Protection Agency, to relax the rules for special fuel for the Atlanta area until the supplies stabilize. That will mean we will get gas from sources that we normally couldn’t use. That way we get gas in Atlanta, faster.

As we wait the situation out, people are obviously frustrated and its showing. I’ve herd on the news of police being called to stations that do have gas because of customer fights. I’ve seen something similar first hand. I was at a Quick Trip gas station in Dekalb County, and there were people screaming out the window. The lot of the station was just chaos. The station I was at wasn’t fortunate enough to have an employee outside directing cars like I saw on the news. We sure could have used one though, people were lined up in all kinds of ways trying to get to a pump. It almost seemed like the people waiting in line had their own rules for getting gas at this station. People that had pumped gas were blocked from getting out of the lot because people had started lines to try to force their way into the lines coming from the street. It was every car for itself. Well I’ll just end by saying it was a very tense situation. I pumped my gas and got out as fast as I could.

I think we should wait until this shortage is over before we start pointing the finger at who may or not be at fault for this. Perhaps Atlantans can punish those they hold responsible at the voting box this November.

60th Annual Prime Time Emmy Awards

It’s not just another awards show, but is the only awards show I'll watch from beginning to end. The 60th Annual Prime Time Emmy Awards, broadcast live from the NOKIA Theatre in Los Angeles. The show airs live on ABC. The ceremony recognizes the best of prime time television. 2008 marks the first year that the Television Academy will recognize reality TV hosts. TV viewers can go to a special website and view a collection of videos of the nominated hosts of prime time’s reality TV. The videos contain interesting facts about the nominees.

Tonight’s show opened with daytime talk show queen, Oprah Winfrey. Oprah introduced the reality TV show hosts, Tom Bergeron, Heidi Klum, Jeff Probsts, Ryan Seacrest and Howie Mandel.

And the Winners are……

Outstanding Supporting Actor In A Comedy Series
The winner is…….
Jeremy Piven
My pick: Jeremy Piven. Piven is a great actor and as Ari, he makes the show!


Outstanding Supporting Actress In A Comedy Series
And the winner is…….
Jean Smart
My pick: Amy Poehler…. I always look forward to seeing her on SNL, but especially after she took over hosting duties at weekend update….. and she’s way funnier than Jimmy Fallon ever was.

Outstanding Supporting Actor In A Drama Series
And the winner is…….
Zeljko Ivanek
My pick: Is a tie: William Shatner is roll on the floor and down the stairs funny. The shenanigans his character pulls on “Boston Legal” are so outrageous, but somehow we manager to still love him at the end, that’s talent!
Also Ted Danson’s performance as the complicated bad guy in “Damages” is simply awesome. He makes playing ruthless look easy.

Outstanding Supporting Actress In A Drama Series
And the winner is…….
Dianne Wiest
My pick: Chandra Wilson, has a huge presence on screen. It’s no wonder she was a “Grey’s Anatomy” breakout star. Her character is brutally hard on the doctors, and yet she leaves us seeing her as a mother figure.

Outstanding Lead Actress In A Miniseries Or A Movie
And the winner is…….
Laura Linney
My pick: Phylicia Rashad, a superb actress, that I miss dearly from network TV. She always gives a memorable performance that you just want more of.

Outstanding Variety, Music Or Comedy Series
And the winner is…….
The Daily Show With Jon Stewart
My pick: Saturday Night Live, the hsow is always funny, Live and unpredictable. The sketches are always timely and really makes you laugh and sometimes make you think.

Outstanding Writing For A Comedy Series
And the winner is…….
Tina Fey won the award for the episode “Cooter” on 30 Rock. Tina Fey is a great writer, she did wonders for SNL.

Outstanding Made For Television Movie
And the winner is…….
Recount
My pick: A Raisin In The Sun, I thought was a wonderful movie, the kind of movie that you don’t see enough of on the major networks.

Outstanding Supporting Actor In A Miniseries Or A Movie
And the winner is…….
Tom Wilkinson
My pick: Denis Leary, I can’t get enough of this guy. He’s funny even when he’s not trying to be. Denis Leary is a great actor and has real talent.

Outstanding Supporting Actress In A Miniseries Or A Movie
And the winner is…….
Dame Eileen Atkins
My pick: Audra McDonald, an amazing talent on screen and in the theater. Its always great to see one of her performances.

Outstanding Reality-Competition Program
And the winner is…….
The Amazing Race
My pick: Top Chef, never has watching TV looked so good. The food and the food is just mouth watering. Never a reason to wonder what to cook for dinner when Top Chef is on.

Outstanding Miniseries
And the winner is…….
John Adams
My pick: A tie between Tin Man and The Andromeda Strain. Both are modern takes of classic movies. Andromeda Strain merges science with sci-fi to make a chilling and somewhat believable scenario. Tin Man is a modern update of one of America’s most memorable movie.

Outstanding Individual Performance In A Variety Or Music Program
And the winner is…….
Don Rickles
My pick: Don Rickles, I’ve been a fan of Don Rickles ever since he insulted me on live TV some 15 years ago. I was just a kid then, and it was funny as heck. The guy is never boring, and can come up with stuff fast. Go Don!

Outstanding Guest Actor In A Drama Series
And the winner is…….
Glynn Turman
My pick: Robin Williams as a sicko on Law & Order SVU, the guy has a talent for playing disturbed charaters. An he does it brilliantly.

Outstanding Guest Actress In A Drama Series
And the winner is…….
Cynthia Nixon
My pick: Cynthia Nixon, nothing better on Law 7 Order when you don’t see the twists coming. Cynthia Nixon, played her role like no one else.

Outstanding Writing For A Drama Series
And the winner is…….
Mad Men • Smoke Gets In Your Eyes (Pilot)
My pick: The final seasons of Battlestar Galactica and The Wire. The Wire is a show that never received the awards and acknowledgement it deserved. Battlestar Galactica is a show that has kept us guessing from the TV miniseries to the regular series, always has a surprise for the audience.

Outstanding Lead Actor In A Miniseries Or A Movie
And the winner is…….
Paul Giamatti
My pick Paul Giamatti, an excellent performer.

Outstanding Lead Actor In A Comedy Series
And the winner is…….
Alec Baldwin
My pick Alec Baldwin. Alec Baldwin is a great actor in 30 Rock. He really compliments Tina Fey.

Outstanding Lead Actress In A Drama Series

Sally Field as Nora Holden-Walker, Brothers & Sisters • ABC

Kyra Sedgwick as Deputy Chief Brenda Johnson, The Closer • TNT

Glenn Close as Patty Hewes, Damages • FX Networks

Mariska Hargitay as Olivia Benson, Law & Order: Special Victims Unit

Holly Hunter as Grace Hanadarko, Saving Grace • TNT

And the winner is…….
Glenn Close
My pick: all of them, they all play complicated and powerful women. They command your attention on each of their shows. It’s hard to pick a favorite.

Outstanding Lead Actor In A Drama Series
And the winner is…….
Bryan Cranston
My pick: James Spader , Boston Legal is a great dramady and James Spader keeps us laughing, and delves into social issues in a refreshing way.


Outstanding Lead Actress In A Comedy Series
And the winner is…….
Tina Fey
My pick Tina Fey, I’m a big fan, so is it any wonder she won again.

Outstanding Host For A Reality Or Reality-Competition Program
And the winner is…….
Jeff Probst
My pick: Howie Mandel or Jeff Probst. Survivor being a survivor in reality TV, no wonder Jeff Probst won.

Outstanding Comedy Series

Curb Your Enthusiasm • HBO

Entourage • HBO

The Office • NBC

30 Rock • NBC

Two And A Half Men • CBS

And the winner is…….
30 Rock
My pick: 30 Rock and Entouarge two of the best shows on TV.


Outstanding Drama Series

Boston Legal • ABC

Damages • FX Networks

Dexter • Showtime

House • FOX

Lost • ABC

Mad Men • AMC

And the winner is…….
Mad Men
My pick: Damages, a complex and suspenseful drama that is a real gem on TV.

We Finally Hear From Gov. Palin Herself

Well it finally happened, the interview with Alaska’s Governor Palin. Charles Gibson’s interview with John McCain’s running mate was the first of several interviews to air. I now know why it took them so long before they let her sit down with reporters. I wasn’t impressed with her answers. Charles Gibson and even the women from “The View” having interview John & Cindy McCain, have gotten criticism for the questions they asked. First off these people are running for the most powerful position in this country, not the PTA. They need to be asked the hard questions. They may not like the questions, but the people want the answers to them.

Governor Sarah Palin certainly has the republicans party fired up, but what concerns me is how she downplays the state of economy. Just days after the interview aired, Wall Street stumbled. The markets went down, Lehman Brothers filed for bankruptcy, insurance giant AIG is in trouble and Merrill Lynch has been sold to Bank of America. What is the “appropriate role of government”? I would think it would be to help stabilize the American financial system?

Gov. Palin told Charles Gibson that “our economy is weak right now.” I think weak would be an understatement. She says that Government should play an appropriate role, but what exactly will that role be. John McCain has flip-flopped on the issue of government bailing out Wall Street. McCain said that government shouldn’t get into the mess that irresponsible Wall Street executives made. But after the Fed announced an $85 billion dollar bailout of AIG, McCain’s tune changed to sound a lot like that of the White House.

Even with the bailout of AIG, Wall Street reacted to the news, and the markets took another tumble. The economy is more than just weak, it’s a disaster. Banks are struggling to stay afloat. Rumors are floating that Washington Mutual is up for sale. I call it homemade financial terrorism. The Housing market and sub-prime mortgages burst, now banks, insurance, stocks are falling.

All before now McCain has been saying that the market will correct itself and now action is needed. But I disagree. The numbers speak for itself, unemployment is up and don’t forget the number of people that have exhausted their unemployment benefits and not found jobs. They almost never get included in the figures which would make the unemployment rate significantly higher than those announced by the government. Homeowners across the country are on the brink foreclosure.

AIG’s bailout, whether we agree with it or not was done with taxpayer money. So if AIG is getting bailed out, I think struggling taxpayers deserve a bailout as well. If Sarah Palin’s interview is any indication of what’s ahead if she is VP, then I’m pretty concerned.

Remembering September 11

Today is the seventh anniversary of the September 11th attacks, the worst act of terrorism on US soil. People all over the country are commemorating the tragedy and remembering those who lost their lives that day. While we remember that day in September, I think we should also remember what lead up to those events and ask ourselves are we any safer? Lapses in intelligence allowed the hijackers to get as far as they did. Lapses in intelligence lead us to war with a country that had nothing to do with the attacks. Today we are still relying on intelligence to keep us safe. Is it working, are we safer? I can’t say. We haven’t had another attack since then.

Seven years after The Towers fell, Osama Bin Laden is still at large, but Saddam Hussein is dead. Recently there was news that the Al Qaeda leader in Pakistan was killed. But still no sight of Bin Laden. It seems like the current administration took a detour in the hunt for Bin Laden. A detour, that sent us to Iraq. Are we safe because of the actions of our government? I want to say yes, but I have to question that. We have put so many resources into stabilizing Iraq; I want to know what resources have been allocated to capturing Bin Laden?

It really makes me wonder, being the world’s superpower, having the best and most technologically advanced military in the world, what’s going on? The next President needs to listen to advice of the trained and experienced military leaders. We need to find Bin Laden, secure our boarders and make sure we have dependable human intelligence to help keep us safe. At this point I’m not sure if the government has kept us safe, or just pure luck there hasn’t been another attack.

Gov. Sarah Palin Finally Does Interviews

We will finally get to see an interview with Sarah Palin, the republican nominee for Vice President. The McCain campaign hasn’t made her available for interviews since it was announced that she was McCain’s running mate. After all the attacks on her about her daughter to lack of experience, I would have expected to come out swinging with a whirlwind of interviews. That didn’t happen, so now it gets me to wondering.

Did John McCain really know about the Bristol Palin’s pregnancy? It would seem with all the delay in making her available to reporters that they have something to hide. Perhaps more than we even know. Perhaps they are giving her an intensive prepping so she will be ready to face the media.

It seemed clear to me and most other people that saw her at the RNC, that she is more than capable of holding her own in an interview. So why the wait? If anything whatever positive effects Sarah Palin brought to John McCain is slowly being eroded by keeping her away from the press. It just sends up red flags all over the place. Perhaps John McCain will better explain why they have been hiding her. Better yet, maybe Governor Palin will explain herself.

Governor Palin will finally do interviews, with the first of them airing on ABC News. Charles Gibson will be interviewing the Governor. The interview will be aired in parts over a few of the ABC News show like World News, Good Morning America and the news magazine 20/20. I’m sure the question many are asking is, could Hillary Clinton have put Barack Obama in a better position? We will never know.

HBO Premiere Of True Blood

The Premiere of the HBO series "True Blood" aired last night. The show is based on the novels of acclaimed author Charlaine Harris. We've seen tons of vampire shows on TV, but this one has a slightly different spin on the tale. In this series the vampires don't lurk in the dark, It's public knowledge that vampires exist. There is even a vampire rights movement. The main character Sookie has some sort of psychic ability. Its not quite what I expected. Vampires aren't necessarily evil in this series. There is a synthetic blood that's sold in stores that vampires can drink instead of human blood. It's like the vampire equivalent of a energy drink.

The plot is kind of confusing, there is so much going on. The show isn't like any of the vampire shows I've seen on TV lately. This vampire world is completely different. The bad guys aren't so easy to identify. It still isn't clear what abilities vampires have. So far we know that silver is a weakness. As the show progresses we should find out if they have super human strength, or other supernatural abilities.

So far the show is off the a slow start. The first episode spent a lot of time establishing the characters and less on defining the story. But if the first show is any indication, expect to see plenty of graphic vampire/human sex, come on it's HBO after 10pm. Apparently its all the rage to sleep with a vampire, or drink vampire blood as super Viagra. I did think it was very interesting that HBO aired two 30-minute specials to introduce "True Blood" and explain the characters and series.

Hockey Mom Accepts Republican Nomination

On the third night of the Republican National Convention, Gov. Sarah Palin accepted her party’s nomination for Vice President. She talked a lot about her family. Her husband is a snowmobile racer and championship fisherman; her son serves in the United States military. She spoke of her three daughters and her infant son with special needs.

I thought the beginning of her speech was the most important. Basically it was a formal introduction of her husband and children. We know more about her commitment to her family. It’s what the whole country in a sense has been waiting to her about. She asked how dare the left question her parenting skills. She said that if elected, parents and families of special needs children could trust that they would have an advocate in the White House.


She made it clear she wasn’t part of the Washington political establishment. That the same people who tried to derail Sen. McCain in 2000 was also trying to cast doubt about her. She presented a pretty strong case of why she is the VP nominee. She fought corruption in her state of Alaska. She was able to get ethics laws passed into law. Rudy Giuliani talked about her experience as a mayor and governor being more that that of Sen. Barack Obama and Sen. Bidden together. I don’t know if you can fairly say that. Sen. Bidden has been in Washington a while now. She also blasted Sen. Obama for not being able to make lead in crisis and his lack of significant legislation.

The Governor spoke of John McCain being a prisoner of war. She talked about his character and leadership during those dark times of his captivity. The sacrifice he made for his country. Her speech showed us how much she respected him as a leader. She talked of the need to move this country from its dependence on foreign oil and the development of alternate energy sources. All excellent points I think on ways to lift the huge financial costs off the shoulders of the American people.

Tonight if there was any question whether this “Hockey Mom” was a good choice for a running mate, it’s been answered. She showed us she can handle what her critics throw at her and she can fight back. She has energized John McCain’s campaign, exactly what they needed to do at this point. They have opened a door that Sen. Obama in a way closed when he passed Hillary Clinton over as his running mate. Gov. Palin just may be able to pull in those undecided Clinton voters. These are exciting times for both parties. Both the Democrats and Republicans are making history now. I really can’t wait to see what happens next.

90210 Again!!!!

90210 is the world's most recognized zip code, but it’s not the show I watched as a kid. Its sexier and has more of a modern edge and makes the original look a little Sesame Street. This new version of the show is a more modern look at the lifestyles of the rich and bratty. Its off to a good start for a teen drama. It starts off with a familiar brother and sister from Kansas storyline with an interestingly fresh twist. The return of the characters Brenda Walsh and Kelly Taylor all grown up and with kids seemed a little odd at first but it works for the show. But this is Beverly Hills were the plastic surgeons have plastic surgeons… and there are plenty of young beautiful people running around the halls of WBHH. The pilot episode didn’t waste any time showing off the mansions, private jets, sex, drugs, alcohol and cyber bullying. I’m sure with this being the wonderful world of TV and all the students at WBHH will be taught a lesson or two about the dangers of those naughty behaviors.



The show is provocative and edgy enough to attract a new following of fans. With the return of old characters it may lure fans of the original as well. But let’s not forget it’s a teen drama, Gossip Girl meets The O.C. and One Tree Hill. I remember the hoopla there was for Luke Perry back in the day… so I can see teeny boppers all over the country going Ga-Ga over the new show. I have a friend who just drools over Chad Michael Murray from One Tree Hill. She is totally into the guy and watches every episode and anything with him in it. I’m betting the guys on this new show will be thrown into pop history as well.

I’ve seen some nice and lukewarm reviews of the show so far… but I like what I’ve seen so far. Its not the same show that launched Tori Spelling’s career. I’m sure the show is going to make new stars and a whole new TV phenomenon… we just have to wait and watch and see where it takes us. One things for sure, there is a no shortage of teenage drama to be seen on screen. I look forward to the next episode