A little more info on THE convention … the how and the why.

“Charlotte,” she wrote, “is a city marked by its Southern charm, warm hospitality and an ‘up by the bootstraps’ mentality that has propelled the city forward as one of the fastest-growing in the South.”

The convention will bring President Obama to a county that helped him become the first Democratic presidential candidate in 32 years to carry North Carolina and drive a wedge into the traditionally solidly red South.

His 100,000-vote margin in Mecklenburg County helped him carry North Carolina by a scant 14,000 votes out of 4.3 million. It was his narrowest margin of victory in any state.

via Democratic National Convention puts Charlotte, South in spotlight – CharlotteObserver.com.

Kudos to Herb Jackson!

Riding the Phoenix by Herb Jackson

In case you have your snow boots ready and are traveling to NYC, be sure to plan your trip for mid-February to catch Herb Jackson’s art exhibit at the Claire Oliver Gallery on 513 West 26th Street (just off 10th Avenue).  The opening will be Thursday, Feb. 17, from 6-8 p.m. at the gallery.  For a digital preview of Herb’s paintings, access http://www.claireoliver.com and select the heading “upcoming” before clicking on his exhibition.  Congratulations, Herb, on your continued artistic success.

via Rabbi and fiancee’s love story makes a Times Sq. billboard | DavidsonNews.net.

 

Well, I think Moynihan came out ok given The Bank’s performance.

It was a tough year for Bank of America, what with the foreclosure mess and a sagging stock price. Its chief executive, Brian T. Moynihan, nonetheless received $10 million in his first year on the job.

Mr. Moynihan will get a bonus of $9.05 million in the form of restricted stock, along with a base salary of $950,000, bringing his total pay to $10 million for 2010. In 2009, before Mr. Moynihan took over as chief executive, he received a total of $6.1 million in compensation.

Mr. Moynihan’s base salary did not go up, however, and he received no cash bonus, a reflection of Bank of America’s slow recovery from the financial crisis, when it received two bailouts from Washington totaling $45 billion. What is more, Mr. Moynihan will have to fulfill performance goals to earn the full $9.05 million.

Other top officers of the company did receive a cash bonus of $900,000, but it will be paid in monthly installments and is tied to the stock price.

“All of the year-end compensation was deferred and tied to some measure of stockholder value,” said Bob Stickler, a spokesman for the company.

via Brian Moynihan Gets $10 Million as Bank of America Chief – NYTimes.com.

 

… “beautiful, energetic, innovative and diverse city we are building” – we have some work to do … “few singular events in the U.S. rival the domestic and worldwide media exposure of a major political convention: a presidential inauguration, a royal wedding, the Super Bowl and the Olympics.” … I am not so sure about that one …. But kudos nonetheless to my home city!

“We’re honored that the Democratic National Committee chose Charlotte to host its 2012 convention,” said Charlotte Mayor Anthony Foxx. “Thanks to the hard work and support of so many throughout our community, we have an unmatched opportunity to show the world what a beautiful, energetic, innovative and diverse city we are building in Charlotte. As we tell the story of Charlotte, and what a great place our city, state and region are to live and do business, we also will tell the story of America to our fellow citizens and our neighbors around the world.”

Duke Energy Corp. CEO Jim Rogers, who co-chairs the Charlotte In 2012 organizing committee with Mayor Foxx, added, “Charlotte’s selection clearly elevates our city to a new level in national and world stature. Only a few singular events in the U.S. rival the domestic and worldwide media exposure of a major political convention: a presidential inauguration, a royal wedding, the Super Bowl and the Olympics. The economic and reputational significance of being chosen for this honor cannot be overstated.”

via Charlotte to Host 2012 Democratic National Convention | Charlotte in 2012.

 

Kudos to Mal Murray, a very special friend to my family. He has served Habitat for many years.

 

Mal Murray received Habitat for Humanity International’s 2010 Clive Rainey Lifetime Achievement Award for his efforts to help make simple, decent, affordable housing possible in partnership with low-income families.  Meanwhile, Our Towns Habitat for Humanity received a $2,500 grant recently from Charlotte-area Realtors

…

Each year, Habitat for Humanity International recognizes four volunteers in the United States with the Clive Rainey Lifetime Achievement Award.  Award winners act as builders, fundraisers, advocates and more to further Habitat’s mission of eliminating poverty housing.

via Habitat gives Mal Murray its lifetime achievement award | Real Estate.

 

Qu’ils mangent de la brioche … Well if you have to eat cake … try cannoli cake from Suarez Bakery – Home (thank you Trobs) or cupcakes from The Blushing Bakeshop – Home (thank you Dan) .. both were excellent on my day.

Qu’ils mangent de la brioche … Well if you have to eat cake … try  cannoli cake from Suarez Bakery – Home (thank you Trobs) or cupcakes from The Blushing Bakeshop – Home (thank you Dan) .. both were excellent on my day.

And now for a history lesson  from Wikipedia …

This article is about the phrase commonly misattributed to Marie Antoinette. For other uses, see Let them eat cake (disambiguation).

“Let them eat cake” is the traditional translation of the French phrase “Qu’ils mangent de la brioche”, supposedly spoken by “a great princess” upon learning that the peasants had no bread. As brioche is a luxury bread enriched with eggs and butter, it would reflect the princess’s obliviousness to the nature of a famine.

Although they are commonly attributed to Queen Marie Antoinette,[1] there is no record of these words ever having been uttered by her. They appear in Jean-Jacques Rousseau’s Confessions, his putative autobiographical work (completed in 1769, when Marie Antoinette was 13), where he wrote the following in Book 6:

Enfin je me rappelai le pis-aller d’une grande princesse à qui l’on disait que les paysans n’avaient pas de pain, et qui répondit : Qu’ils mangent de la brioche.

Finally I recalled the last retort of a great princess who was told that the peasants had no bread, and who responded: “Let them eat brioche.”

Rousseau does not name the “great princess” and there is speculation that he invented the anecdote, which has no other sources.[2]

via Let them eat cake – Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.