T. Boone in T -Town

This afternoon, Topeka has a chance to be part of something special. For those of us who are concerned about rising energy prices, we all need to get to the Heritage Hall at the Kansas Expocentre today at 4:00 p.m. Former oil man, now diversified energy crusader T. Boone Pickens will be in Topeka today, and I am looking forward to going.  

Once the people get behind, the leadership will get behind, they will have to. Thank God, Mr. Pickens recognized that. If he makes money while helping everyone get the picture, good for him. I applaud him for his efforts. 

I would encourage everyone to attend the Town Hall meeting at 4:00 p.m. Spread the word. 

For more information go to www.pickensplan.com

Local Business Spotlight: Hazel Hill Chocolates

Ever since Denise posted Being an Intentional Topekan, I’ve really tried to follow her lead and make a concerted effort to shop local. This weekend Brandon and I stopped by Hazel Hill Chocolates - a homemade chocolate shop located downtown at 7th and Kansas.

Read the rest of this entry »

What is a good charity?

In my opinion, there are a lot of good charities and a lot of bad charities. Good charities give the money to those who need it, while bad charities are either poorly managed or just rip people off. Of course, unless one performs research, it is not always easy to tell the difference between the two.

Here is an article I found that talks about making a charity better

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/23715656/

Additionally, there are websites available that gather information about charities and help people determine the good from the bad

Charity Guide

http://www.charityguide.org/volunteer/charityratings.htm

Charity Navigator

http://www.charitynavigator.org/?gclid=CM7j_7Gb25QCFQKaFQodkAnakg

I would encourage anyone to check out the charity they support just to confirm for yourself.

It is imperative that we give money to the organizations that do good work for those that need it.

City Government discussion

There’s been a lot of discussion lately about what form of government Topeka should have. Reported on Wednesday in the Capital Journal, the city council members weighed in on a proposed change that was reported earlier in the week.

In 2005, Topeka voted to change from a strong mayor/city council form of government to a city manager/city council form, which is what the city currently has. There is a group who would like to see the strong mayoral form of government return as well as a change in how the city council is set up. I know there are many who see things this way. According the Capital Journal, none of the city council members are supporting the idea.

I have no problem with exploring the idea; however, I have to give the following remark some credence:

Councilman Bill Haynes said he hadn’t formed an opinion, but his initial reaction was that the current city council-manager form of government hasn’t been in place long enough to start thinking about abandoning it.

I know that there are other large cities hold a similar form of government, so it begs the question… is the real problem with the system or are the wrong people in place in the system? It’s not been in place long enough, or had enough different individuals in it, to form a clear decision.

I don’t know the answer. But I think that it needs to be considered. If you’ll allow the parallel, it’s a little like saying that marriage doesn’t work based on the wrong people being married.

This is just my opinion… So, what do you think?

  • denise
  • July 24th, 2008
  • 2 Comments    
  • Articles, City Government, Topeka News

What Would Make Topeka a City That I Would Want to Stay In?

I won’t lie, I would like to move back to Lawrence someday. I went to KU and while in Lawrence met my now husband. It definitely holds some great memories and nostalgia for me, and I still have several friends that live there and often ask why are we still in Topeka. I still spend a good amount of my spare time in Lawrence, although it becomes less and less as my life here gets busier. Until this past year, I think I always looked at Topeka as a small stop in my journey. This mindset kept me from really getting involved in the community. This past year, I realized I have been here for almost five years, & not really left a mark, nor gotten to know as many people as I could or should. Professionally, I had met a lot of people, but really did not spend a lot of my social time in Topeka. I have become more involved and met some great people, or in some cases gotten to know people better. This made me really think, what would make me want to stay here?

Read the rest of this entry »

Visioning reveals true colors

The following is a link to an op-ed by Mike Hall of the Topeka Capital Journal. He attended the most recent Heartland Visioning Task Force meeting.

Read the blog at http://blogs.cjonline.com/index.php?entry=7633

A Matter of Mindset

Growing up, my father always told me, “Whether you think you can, or think you can’t, you’ll be right 100% of the time.”

I believe this mentality has prepared me for a successful life, showing me that I create my own destiny and can do anything I set my mind to. Mostly, because I understand that a large part of my success is dependent on my attitude and positive state of mind, and that’s something that I can always control.

This mentality can (and should) apply to Topeka, and the way my fellow Topekans think about our great city. If we all make a conscious effort to see the positive things happening all around us, and think optimistically about a bigger, brighter future and ways we can achieve it; we’ll find strength and resources to meet those goals. Our dreams will become realities, because we’ll understand that we all have the power to affect change.

If instead, we choose to dwell on the negative, and think that change is beyond our control, it always will be. This is far easier mindset to maintain because it’s safe. It never pushes the limits, or considers anything other than a future of doom and gloom. It doesn’t take imagination or creativity or passion – any lazy coward can do it.

At the end of the day, it’s all in your head. If you think Topeka’s great, you’ll always find a good time because you realize that Topeka has lots to offer. And if you think Topeka’s the pits, and choose not to see the good all around you, you’re missing out. Because it’s all a matter of mindset.

« Older Entries