It seems there was a problem with Clayton County diplomas. The diplomas were ordered in December. A new superintendent took over April 28th. All 3,000 diplomas had signatures from the former superintendent and the former school board Chairwoman on them. Replacing the diplomas was going to cost the school district $80,000.

A national company has offered to waive the charges to print 3,000 new diplomas for Clayton County students, saving taxpayers about $80,000.

Students will receive their diploma in the next several weeks, said Rick Shrewsbury, a salesman for diploma printer Herff Jones.

I have one question…

Why does it cost over $26 for each diploma printed? Are they using gold leaf? What the hell? It sure was nice of the company, that seems to be gouging for their print services anyway, to step up and offer to reprint the diplomas for free. Seeing as they made so much off the first round, I am sure the won’t feel the cost in the bottom line.

“I’m going to take care of this with not a dime from Clayton County,” Shrewsbury said Saturday. “I feel for these kids. They get so much bad publicity. It’s just the right thing to do.”

Oh, I have another question… Why do the kids of Clayton County get so much bad publicity? I thought it was the fact that the school district might be losing accreditation that was bad, I had no idea the students were bringing on such bad publicity. (cough)

According to the article, parents paid $171 for the cap and gown and an additional $120 for diplomas and senior activities. $120? The way over-priced diplomas only cost $26.67 a piece. Where did the other $93 plus change go? I bet they weren’t out there buying corsets or anything like that.

No wonder Clayton County Schools face losing accreditation. It seems their numbers just don’t add up.

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Read the following quotes from this article on WSB and tell me if I am wrong to thing something doesn’t sound right.

A worker at a Cobb County preschool has been charged with felony cruelty to children after police found a 7-year-old walking down the street alone.

Huh?

Cobb County police found a 7-year-old boy walking in the area of Pine Mountain Road and Stilesboro Road Wednesday morning. Officials talked to the boy and he told them he had jumped the fence at his preschool and was walking home.

Say what?

Officials said Alba was supposed to be in charge of the facility and she was charged with felony cruelty to children in the 2nd degree. Her bond has been set at $2,500.

Wait a minute…

What in the hell is a 7-year-old doing at a preschool anyway? And why was only one of the adults at the preschool charged with cruelty because he ran away?

Are they going to start charging the staff at public schools with cruelty to children when kids walk away from school? Watch out man, you have no idea what you are responsible for!!!

Like I said before, something just doesn’t sound right. I bet there’s more to this story that we haven’t heard yet. Like why a 7-year-old was at a preschool in the first place.

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Alexander “Sandy” Courage, who composed the soaring theme for the “Star Trek” TV series in the 1960s and was an Emmy Award-winning, Oscar-nominated arranger, has died. He was 88.

Courage, who had been in declining health since 2005, died May 15 at an assisted-living facility in Pacific Palisades, said his step-daughter, Renata Pompelli.

After launching his 54-yearcareer as a composer for CBS Radio in 1946, Courage became an orchestrator and arranger at MGM in 1948.

…

In addition to Renata Pompelli, he is survived by his other stepchildren, Raphael Pumpelly, Andrea Steyn, Lisa Pompelli; and six grandchildren.

A memorial service is pending.

Rest In Peace, Sandy.

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Harvey Korman, the tall, versatile comedian who won four Emmys for his outrageously funny contributions to “The Carol Burnett Show” and on the big screen in “Blazing Saddles,” died Thursday. He was 81.

Korman died at UCLA Medical Center after suffering complications from the rupture of an abdominal aortic aneurysm four months ago, his family said in a statement released by the hospital.

His daughter, Kate Korman, said in the statement that it was a “miracle” that her father had survived the aneurysm at all, and that he had several major operations.

…

In addition to his daughter Kate, he is survived by his wife and the three other children.

Rest In Peace, Harvey.

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Normally, I spend part of my weekend looking at the weekly deals at buy.com. As I have said before, they always seem to have what I am looking for when I am looking for it.

This week, however, my wife will be looking at the different things on sale. She made me sit down and write out a list of the things I might like to have for Father’s Day, and then told me to send her the links to places to buy them. Hey, I am the computer geek, she is the seamstress who knows all things fabric.

Of course, I have to sneak a peak at the deals myself because you never know when you are going to find the perfect gift for someone else, even if it’s your day that is fast approaching. In fact, I found a Recertified 3rd Generation iPod Nano that would be perfect for someone, and it’s only $99 this week. How cool is that?

I made my list, and I am happy to say it only contains 6 items, most of which are on sale this week at Buy.com. With free shipping on most items, you just can’t find a better deal anywhere else on the internet.

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It seems no matter how many times I try to save money to have my teeth worked on, something always comes up and my teeth end up suffering. They are getting real bad now. After years of abuse and neglect, they are finally showing their wear and tear and it is only a matter of time before I end up back in the dentists chair in sheer agony.

The dentist our family sees is awesome. He has a crack staff and his dental office management team really knocks the socks off of people who show up for their first visit. They are prompt, professional and most of all, polite.

They never make you feel bad, even though you know you should be scolded because of the condition of your teeth, and they take dental management quite seriously and sit down with you to work out any problem or situation that might arise.

It turns out, I need a lot more money to get my teeth fixed than I thought it would, so I will be pulling some late shifts and picking up extra work any time I can, just to make sure I get these taken care of before it becomes an emergency.

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Joseph Pevney, a film and television director who directed some of the most popular episodes of the original “Star Trek” TV series in the late 1960s, has died. He was 96.

Pevney, a former Broadway actor who played supporting roles in several notable films noir in the late 1940s before directing movies such as “Man of a Thousand Faces” and “Tammy and the Bachelor,” died May 18 of age-related causes at his home in Palm Desert, said his wife, Margo.

…

He was predeceased by his first wife, actress Mitzi Green, who died in 1969; his second wife, Philippa, who died in 1996; and his son, David, who died in 1998.

In addition to Margo, his wife of six years, and his son Jay, Pevney is survived by his daughter, Jan Pevney Holt; his son, Joel; two grandchildren; and three great-grandchildren.

At his request, no services will be held.

Rest In Peace, Joseph.

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Television producer Sophie Altman, who created the long-running quiz show “It’s Academic,” pitting teams of high school students against each other, has died. She was 95.

Altman died of heart disease Saturday at Georgetown University Medical Center, said her daughter, Nancy Altman of Bethesda, Md.

Altman was already a seasoned TV producer in 1961 when she started “It’s Academic” in the Washington area. The quiz show is entering its 48th season in Washington and there are local versions in several other cities; at one point more than 20 cities had their own versions.

…

Among the competitors the show attracted were future Sens. Hillary Rodham Clinton and Charles Schumer; astronaut Timothy Creamer; Pulitzer Prize-winning writer Michael Chabon; and ABC News’ George Stephanopoulos, according to Altman’s family and the show’s Web site.

Rest In Peace, Sophie.

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From the AJC:

Atlanta police Wednesday were asking for the public’s help in finding the infant child of a woman who was shot and killed on Memorial Day.

Five-month-old Precious Diamond Spencer was last seen Saturday night in Decatur, Atlanta police spokesman James Polite said. He said Precious requires weekly medical treatment.

…

Polite said police were looking for a gold or silver 1990 Honda Accord with Georgia tag AVH 6078 in connection with the girl’s disappearance.

He asked that anyone with information on the child or the vehicle call 911

You can also contact the Atlanta Police Department at 404-853-4235.

UPDATE: Baby Precious has been found.

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