The Death of an Icon; Electrolux continues their ways

Belding Clocktower to be demolished

Belding Clocktower

Born: circa 1903

Residence: Belding, MI - USA

Died: Approved for demolition fall of 2012 at the tender age of just109 years.

Cause of death: The clocktower suffered a slow and painful death primarily out of neglect, and disrespect for culture that not even the love and devotion of the local Historic District watching over it could prevent.
The clocktower came-to-be approximately two years after construction of its ‘mother’ one of the oldest silk mill factories in the country. The tower was constructed because the Owners of the mill were tired of their employees arriving late for work and the magical sound of the bells it tolled would send reminders to the city for miles around letting them know it was time for work!
The clocktower is survived by one ‘brother’, Richardson Mill of Belding, the Silk City Preservation Society, its former Historic District Commission and by countless thousands of other culturally respectful citizens across the country and the world.
The clocktower was preceded in death by an historic warehouse building (c. 1925) and two ‘brother’ mills in October of 1997; both of which suffered from the same neglect and lack of respect which ultimately caused demolition for one, and a fire [still listed as ‘suspicious’] for the other. Both brothers [properties] were at one time owned by Gibson and Delta Properties.
Services: On-going, with a final date to pay your respect to be determined within the next few weeks. Visitations are encouraged 24/7 from several hundred vantage points across town and through the extensive resources at the Belding Public Library and Belrockton.
Interment: An unmarked grave in some cold and un-feeling landfill. Other remains of the clocktower will be parted-out and likely stored in some damp, musty ole storage room; probably in the basement of the Belding City Hall with a slight possibility for resurrection in the future.
Funeral director: Electolux; one of the leading companies that are becoming more and more famous for neglecting their properties and abandoning cities across the world leaving visual blight, environmental issues and countless (previously devoted) unemployed workers hanging in the balance.
Memorial ‘contributions’ may be submitted (and are encouraged) at the next City Council meeting on Tuesday, November 20 in the year of the Lord 2012 at 7 p.m. at the Pere Marquette Depot, 100 Depot St. in Belding.

Gone - flitted away,
Taken the stars from the night and the sun
From the day!
Gone, and a cloud in my heart.

~Alfred Tennyson

Goodbye dear friend

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Start spreadin' the news!

How often do you get to a cash register and the total you have due is some 'weird' number like $1.04 or $6.26 or some such value, and you find yourself digging thru your pocket or purse desparately searching for that tiny handful of change just so you don't get a BIGGER handful of it back? Can't these businesses 'really' make money if they rounded off their prices to a reasonable number?

Perhaps its just me, but I would much rather have them charge me $1.25 for that $1.04 transaction, and get my butt out of there in half the time! Plus, you'd walk away with change that you could actually use somewhere else...like in a vending machine or car wash, rather than that fistful of coins that at times seems like more of a hassle than its worth!

Oh, I know...many times I've been glad to have that jar in my closet when times were tough, but I'd much rather count quarters when the time comes, than all those pesky (and usually filthy) pennies and such!

Face it, none of us wants to stand in line longer than necessary, but when 95 percent of all transactions go thru this ridiculous ritual, it seems to me it would behoove the owners of these businesses to make 'convenience' an actual feature of their store, rather than the alternative. Not only that, how much simpler would it be on your cashiers and accountants!

Let's take a look at the wage of that cashier for a moment: Assuming you make $7.00 per hour, that boils down to just under $0.02 per second. If it takes the cashier more than one second to count change back to a customer, they've basically just lost that two cents! Imagine if (heaven forbid) they get it WRONG...now how much time / money has the owner just lost! Over the course of one 8 hour shift, that's a lotta change! And let's be honest...how many of you actually count the pennies in the till at the end of your shift anyway? Yeah...that looks like about 50! I can't imagine ANY owner actually asking their employees to count pennies when balancing their till!

Now I'm no CPA...but will someone please tell me where this is such a bad idea? Start spreadin' the news...together, we CAN make a difference!

Change? Penny, nickle & dime

Correct me if I'm wrong...but, I seem to recall President Obama said he was all about 'change'! If that's true, why haven't I heard a single word from him about the penny, nickle or dime? Isn't this change?

I have heard (more than once) that it costs the US Gov't more to make the penny and the nickle than they are worth! A penny is something like 1.3 cents to make one, and the nickle is about 5.4 cents to make one! My sources are the local TV newscast in Norfolk, VA (11/2006) and most recently, (I think?) the newspaper in Daytona Beach.

Now I'm no lawyer...but doesn't this constitute 'fraudulent behavior' on the part of the US Gov't?

Personally, I believe the US economy would be much better off if EVERYTHING was rounded to the nearest quarter; thereby eliminating the penny, nickle & dime! Here's the logic...if there's less 'money' to manage, that is, fewer pieces of money, people would be better at managing it!

And by the way...I just want to remind all you folks in Illinois that President Lincoln is already on the $5 bill!!! Hello!!! How many pieces of money does one guy need with his puss on it anyway?

Well, that's my 'change' blog! Please do not hesitate to forward any comments, suggestions, or snide remarks! I will respond to them all! Thank you!