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Aug 31, 2004 1) Congratulations to Curacao on winning the 2004 Little League World Series. And congratulations to the team from Morganton, North Carolina, for making it as far as they did. It’s wonderful to see kids getting out and enjoying themselves in a sport that has had so much controversy and unrest in recent years. Back in my days of playing Little League ball, I was a cross between Barry Bonds and Sammy Sosa—I walked a lot and struck out even more. 2) Congratulations are also in order for Michael John McCrae, for his 200th Useless Knowledge column. I wouldn’t classify Michael’s knowledge as useless, because much of what I’ve read has certainly been edifying. Even though I don’t always agree with the man, he has courage and conviction in what he says, and I respect that more than anything. If they voted for a slate of Useless Knowledge Hall of Fame nominees, he’d be on my ballot. 3) In football, if someone comes off the bench and tackles a runner headed for a sure touchdown, the referee has the power to award that touchdown. The International Olympic Committee should have the same power to protect athletes from a palpably unfair act, as suffered by Brazil’s Vanderlei de Lima in the marathon. He’s been exceeding gracious about the whole affair, especially considering that the idiot who attacked him, defrocked Irish priest Cornelius Horan, should’ve been thrown under the jail, or at the very least tied to a column in the Parthenon and made to listen to Yanni for a week. De Lima may have lost the gold medal, but thank goodness that’s all he lost. 4) Charlotte is one of the few cities in the United States that doesn’t have a street named after Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. A white lawyer working in the city made a very passionate and well-stated case in The Charlotte Observer recently for renaming Kings Drive in his honor. I have absolutely no problem naming a street for Dr. King, especially if that street runs through a section of the city that draws a variety of traffic. While they’re at it, they could honor a few other black leaders, like Thurgood Marshall, Mary McLeod Bethune, and Garrett Augustus Morgan. They all shared talents and success that transcended race and benefit all people. 4) It’s hard to believe that Laura Branigan is gone. She died last Thursday, in her sleep, apparently of a brain aneurysm. “Gloria” is a hard song to get out of your head, once it’s there, and it’ll be even harder to get rid of knowing that the woman who sang it is no longer with us. Thank you, Laura, for sharing your gift of song, even if it was just for a little while. 5) As Hurricane Frances continues to churn across the Atlantic Ocean, I’m reminded that this September 21 and 22 mark the 15th anniversary of Hurricane Hugo. That storm, a Category 4 hurricane when it struck Charleston, tore through the heart of South Carolina before taking aim at Charlotte. The forecasters don’t know exactly where Frances will go, but they believe she’ll make landfall on Sunday morning, between Savannah and Hilton Head. Frances’s track is eerily similar to Hugo’s, and she’s just as powerful. This time, though, instead of being in Raleigh, over 160 miles from Hugo’s wrath, I’ll be in the bullseye with over a million other folks. Based on Michelle Malsbury’s accounts of Hurricane Charley, and my own family’s stories after Hugo, Frances isn’t a visitor I want knocking at my door. ------------ About the author: Claxton Graham is a rarity among Charlotteans. He was born in the city and raised in its suburbs. He also still carries a torch for the Hornets, who return to the Queen City on December 14. Email: scifiwriter8502@email.com Tell a friend about this site! ------------ |
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