Saturday, January 31, 2009 by Planet Janet.

I don’t know if you’ve ever spent much time on the CMS Web site.  It’s no secret it was difficult to navigate.   On January 24, they launched their new site, still located at http://www.cms.k12.nc.us.  It’s definitely an improvement.  Transportation, however, is still buried within the site, much to my dismay…

Posted in Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools, CHARLOTTE, N.C., N.C., Parenting - CHARLOTTE, N.C. | Print | No Comments »

Sunday, January 25, 2009 by Planet Janet.

Out with the old…

…in with the new

February rings in a new age of television viewing.   So, if you took the plunge and upgraded to one of those beautiful flat-screen high-definition televisions, what the heck are you going to do with that old set you’re no longer using?

• Whatever you do, don’t dump it in a landfill.  Because they contain lead, TV tubes can pose environmental and health risks.  
• Mecklenburg County has four full-service drop-off centers. To find the location nearest you, go to www.wipeoutwaste.com.
• Pay it forward.  Drop your unused set off at The Salvation Army (1011 Central Ave.).  Check out their donation valuation guide.  Very helpful when you like to write off donations on your taxes.
• If your old set is history, Crisis Assistance Ministry’s drive-through drop-off area at 500-A Spratt St. is also another great place to give.

Just in case you’re curious about this TV, keep reading below…

With a resolution that is approximately twice as much as conventional HDTVs, a 175-degree viewing angle and an anti-glare filter, this Samsung 58-inch widescreen plasma HDTV makes watching television a picture-perfect experience day or night.  Even the decorator in the house will be blown away by Samsung’s exclusive Touch of Color design.  This high-definition set really is a work of art in itself.   Retails for $3,197 at Queen City Audio Video Appliance.

Posted in CHARLOTTE, N.C., N.C., Business and retail - CHARLOTTE, N.C., Retail reviews, Going "green" | Print | No Comments »

Tuesday, January 20, 2009 by Planet Janet.

Seed Newsvine

If you didn’t catch HBO’s inauguration coverage, “We are One, The Obama Inaugural Celebration,” boy did you miss out.  This clip with Bruce Springsteen and the father of American folk music, Pete Seeger, was my absolute favorite moment.  Never did the lyrics mean so much as they do now.

Lyrics to “This Land Is Your Land”

Posted in National news, Politics, CHARLOTTE, N.C., Getting personal | Print | No Comments »

Tuesday, January 20, 2009 by Planet Janet.

  Barack Obama, the 44th President of the United States

Today a perfect storm of events hit Charlotte, N.C.  With Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools closed and the Queen City covered in a blanket of glistening white snow, Charlotteans get one more day off, one more day to reflect on their country’s history and on its future.   (See Charlotte weather here.) Read the rest of this entry »

Posted in National news, CHARLOTTE, N.C., N.C., Around town - CHARLOTTE, N.C., Parenting - CHARLOTTE, N.C. | Print | No Comments »

Saturday, January 17, 2009 by Planet Janet.

Seed Newsvine

The hero of US Airways Flight 1549:  Pilot Chesley B. “Sully” Sullenberger III.  He is a captain for US Airways and has been flying for more than 40 years (safetyreliability.com photo).

I was in the middle of taking a deposition yesterday, and one of the attorneys stops the proceedings and holds up his Blackberry.  US Airways Flight 1549 going to Charlotte just crashed into the Hudson River!  Everyone in that conference room in Charlotte, N.C., knew there was a possibility we would know someone on that flight.  Read the rest of this entry »

Posted in National news, CHARLOTTE, N.C., N.C., Around town - CHARLOTTE, N.C. | Print | No Comments »

Thursday, January 15, 2009 by Janet.

I wrote this article last year for The Charlotte Observer about Hannah Heidenreich and her “Sabres Stand Against Indifference” movement.  This teen is passionate about bringing attention to the atrocities occurring in Darfur and spent some time in the African country this past summer.  Heidenreich’s trip was sponsored by Charlotte’s Echo Foundation.  She, along with 11 others, have raised $20,000 to help equip a Rwandan school.  Very cool.  Very inspiring.

To learn more about Hannah and The Echo Foundation, read Karen Garloch’s follow-up article from January 13, 2009, here.

Posted in Philanthropy, nonprofits and volunteerism - CHARLOTTE,, CHARLOTTE, N.C., Around town - CHARLOTTE, N.C. | Print | No Comments »

Monday, January 12, 2009 by Planet Janet.

Look what I just found on a little surfing expedition…my theme song, by Happy Millionaire!  Lots of cool Planet Janet people out there.  If you know another Planet Janet, e-mail me so I can link them in!

GarageBand.com : song profile for Planet Janet (again and again) by Happy Millionaire

To see a list of other Planet Janets, click here.

Posted in Other Planet Janets, CHARLOTTE, N.C. | Print | No Comments »

Saturday, January 10, 2009 by Planet Janet.

Former “Fox News Rising” guitar-strumming traffic reporter and his partner in prayers, Andrew Weiler, demonstrate how to make H2Ono! Rockets for SouthPark Swim & Tennis Club campers

QUESTION:  What do you get when you tie a rubber chicken to a parachute fashioned from a plastic bag? 

ANSWER:  Ammo for Michael Haun and Andrew Weiler’s rocket-powered Rooster Booster, a contraption they fabricated out of an old water tank, bent steel, silver spray paint, some good old-fashioned elbow grease and their colorful imaginations.

Read the rest of this entry »

Posted in CHARLOTTE, N.C., Spirituality and religion, Around town - CHARLOTTE, N.C., Parenting - CHARLOTTE, N.C. | Print | No Comments »

Friday, January 9, 2009 by Planet Janet.

Wish you could recreate Chick-Fil-A’s Spicy Chicken Cool Wrap in the comfort of your own home?
Don’t know what to do with those inevitable leftovers? Looking for healthy and delicious, semi-homemade
meals for your finicky family? Stop being a short-order cook, and just wrap it up! As a
bonus, you don’t have to spend much time to prepare a mouth-watering, ultimately budget-friendly,
wrap. Read the rest of this entry »

Posted in CHARLOTTE, N.C., Cuisine - CHARLOTTE, N.C., Business and retail - CHARLOTTE, N.C. | Print | No Comments »

Monday, January 5, 2009 by Planet Janet.

Janet here.  I have a confession.  Suddenly, it seems, I’m 12 pounds heavier — and 5 pounds of it I gained in the last two weeks.

Read Oprah’s confession

Janet’s excuses for being a fat-ass:

1. My doctor recommended I not exercise for one month following two separate procedures on my leg
2. Freaking holidays
3. I had house guests for ten straight days.

Read the rest of this entry »

Posted in CHARLOTTE, N.C., MomsCharlotte - CHARLOTTE, N.C., Health and fitness, Getting personal, Around town - CHARLOTTE, N.C. | Print | No Comments »