Jak is Out and About

This "Pooch" Can Wine Taste!

2009-03-07T00:51:20Z

In Northern California, vineyards, wineries and the wines they produce are a main stay of our economy. One of the elements of creating a successful wine is creating enthusiastic wine tasters who can appreciate all that goes into making wine.

Wine tasting is fast becoming one of the "Great American" past times for those in the world famous California wine producing areas. Whether you live here or are just passing through, taking a day to just get away from everything and visiting a winery or two will do wonders for your five senses and the soul.

Whenever I would go wine tasting I would always feel inadequate next to someone who appeared to be a true wine connoisseur. The holding of the glass, the swirling of the wine, the smelling of the fragrance, the tasting of the wine, the spitting of the sip and the description of the bouquet, always made me think to myself “I don't know what the heck I am doing, I hope nobody is watching". Have you ever felt that way also?

That was all before attending Wednesday night's Delta King Wine School taught by noted Certified Wine Educator, G.M. "Pooch" Pucilowski. Pooch is also the Wine Editor for the Sacramento Magazine and Chief Judge at the California State Fair Wine Competition as well as many other wine judging events.

This wine tasting class was exactly what I needed. Pooch taught this class of about 15 people, from varying backgrounds, from law enforcement people to retired and semi-retired people, all there for different reasons and wanting to know more about wine and the "art" of wine tasting. It appeared that the overall purpose of everyone at this class, was to know what to do, when to do it and what to expect when they are wine tasting.

The class itself was on the beautiful Delta King, in a charming room that was specifically prepared for this wine tasting class which included h'ordeurves. Pooch, in his very casual and comfortable style, presented to us the basics of a few of the varietals, which included what judges look for in the "stylistic characteristics" that generally determine what the varietals "should" possess in terms of how it should look, smell and taste.

One of the most important lessons I learned that night from Pooch was that everyone has different taste buds. He made it clear that no one will taste a wine exactly the same and no matter what any wine judge says, you are ultimately the judge of a good wine. Once you realize that, then wine tasting becomes a personal connection between you and the wine you taste.

These classes are being taught on Wednesday's this month. The next class on the 11th starts at 6:30pm and Pooch will be teaching about the "Five Types of Wine", where we will be able to identify the distinctive differences in the five categories of California wines. We will also learn how bubbles get into a bottle of champagne.
The class is about two hours and very lively. Even after a few tastings you won't want to nod off.

I highly recommend taking these classes to anyone who is interested in learning more about this very enjoyable activity that is sweeping the California country sides. Wine tasting season is rapidly approaching, this year go with confidence. I attended Pooch's class so that I could write a series of articles for Sac Press that will inspire couples to take some fabulous wine country dates. Visiting local Northern California wineries is a great way to start a new relationship or to add a new and romantic taste to an existing relationship.

No matter which way you decide to drive, you are going to find some good wines and enjoy some good times.

For more information on Pooch's classes aboard the Delta King go to www.deltaking.com/wine_school.html

$100,000 Reward- The Pricetag for Justice Part 2

2009-11-03T07:41:30Z

This is part two of the story about the homeless looking man that is offering a $100,000 reward to anyone who can disprove one fact and that fact is:

Charles Nordby turned Tom Raley’s company around when Raley's was going bankrupt in the early '70s. It was his expertise in the grocery business and his proven security program implemented at Raley's back in 1973 that made Raley’s the success they are today.

"There was so much external and internal theft taking place at Raley's back then, they simply could not have stay in business," Nordby said before passing away in 1996.

In 1973, Nordby traveled from Sonoma County to have a meeting with Pete Stathos, the president of the now defunct Vans Markets to discuss the idea of implementing Nordby's profit increasing program that he designed and was promoting in Northern California. This was the program that could save any struggling retailer from going out of business.

Stathos missed the meeting because he was on the golf course that day. Nordby decided to call another Sacramento retailer that he had heard was in financial trouble so he called the Raley's main office located at 1515 20th Street and asked to speak to the president. The man who answered the phone said "speaking." At the time it never occurred to Nordby that Tom Raley was so broke, Chuck Collings, the president of Raley's, is responsible for answering the phone that day.

Nordby briefly explained to Collings he had a proven profit increasing program that would give the Raley's company its highest profits ever. With nothing to lose, Collings invited Nordby to come to the old run down office on 20th Street to explain once again what he could do and how his program could help Raley's.

Once there, he sits down with Collings, Vice President Jim Teel (Joyce Raley Teel's husband) and advertising man Frank McMinn and explains to these three men exactly what his program is all about.

On that day, these three men were given a ray of hope that the company they headed up may not go out of business after all. But if Raley’s did go out of business, they had just met the perfect scapegoat to take the fall for Tom Raley's business failing.

It would appear at this point in his life, Tom Raley must have already accepted the fact that there was no hope for Raley's survival because he had two inexperienced men running his company. Plus Raley had taken himself out of the picture as far as the daily operation of the company was concerned.

Without Tom Raley's knowledge or his approval of the hiring of Nordby, they agree to let Nordby test his program in six of Raley's most unprofitable stores. At that time, nearly every one of Tom Raley's stores were unprofitable, but these six stores were the worst.

In the summer of 1973, when Nordby was given the go ahead to implement his program, Raley’s did not have the money to even start his program in these six stores. Nordby was forced to find a private investor in San Francisco to loan him the money so that he could finance his program at Raley’s.

Within the first quarter (3 months) of this new program, these six losing stores were turning such a high profit, Collings, Teel and McMinn decided right then that they had to have Nordby's program immediately put into place throughout the rest of the chain.

They also decided they wanted to hire Nordby as an employee rather than a consultant. After much consideration, Nordby agreed to work exclusively for Raley’s for a base pay and bonuses based on the success of his program which he knew would be incredible because he knew his program would not only save the company but give them tremendous profits of which his bonuses would be based on.

In order to retain Nordby’s services and their new found hope, Raley's operators agreed to the bonuses if his program continued to produce the same success they had already seen, they just had no idea just how successful it and they were all going to be.
Nordby believed Chuck Collings would keep his promise because he touted himself to be a man of God and that his word was his bond and Collings always invited Nordby to his Friday night Bible study, so Nordby assumed that he was a man of his word. Nordby also believed Jim Teel would keep his promise because he was Tom Raley's son in-law and he also believed Frank McMinn would keep his promise because he and Tom Raley were good friends. Not one of these men ever told Tom Raley about the outside consultant that they had hired. Nordby later discovered they never intended to keep their promises to him either, but rather used him to save Tom Raley's company from bankruptcy while they took the credit for Tom Raley's success.

They hired my father in 1973, the same year I became a senior at El Molino High School in Sonoma County. He was such an incredible father, he chose not to move the family to the Sacramento area until after my senior year and graduation. Because of the scope of the task before him to ensure the success of Raley's, he had to stay in Sacramento for most of my senior year and our family would only see him on occasional weekends when he had to just get away from the glaring problems of Raley's mismanagement that he had to deal with on a daily basis. I remember him telling me some of the stories of the things he encountered that were almost unbelievable, like the time he went into a Raley's store and saw nearly every employee, including the manager, stealing from the company. This was why Raley's was going out of business. Theft was rampant. It didn't take long for Nordby to figure out that everyone thought Raley's was going bankrupt so they all were getting their piece of the pie before it did.
Employees were stealing chain wide, bread vendors, soda vendors, beer vendors, meat companies, milk companies, egg companies and even one of Tom Raley's best friends were all stealing from him and he didn't even know it. One of the first things Nordby had to do was re-write and re-create new company policies that would close the loopholes to prevent anymore drains on the profits.

One of the most incredible aspects of this story is the fact that Tom Raley went to his grave in 1992 not ever knowing the man who saved his company, not knowing what had happened to create the turnaround in 1973 or how he even become a billionaire. That is absolutely mind boggling. Has this ever happened in history where a person had no clue whatsoever as to how they got rich?
And what makes this even that much more incredible is the fact that while Nordby was staying in Sacramento, he was given a free room at the Marina Inn located on the banks of the Sacramento River. The Marina Inn was another losing business venture of Tom Raley and they both lived there during the same time period of July of 1973 through June of 1974. Even though Tom Raley may have seen Nordby come and go during that time period, he didn't even know who Charles Nordby was and what was his business in Sacramento.

Coming next in part 3 of this series,.....

The year is 1974, The money is poring in. It is party time for Raley's.

It's bonus time! But Raley's Success by deception kicks into first gear!

Homeless Looking Man offers a $100,000 Reward

2009-11-01T05:11:32Z

There are two things about the man in the picture that you would not believe unless I revealed them to you in this article. First of all, the man in the picture is not homeless. He is my brother Frank Nordby who has attended a couple of the Sacramento Press' workshops with me. It is hard to imagine just by looking at his appearance that this man is not only training to qualify for the Boston Marathon but he is also offering a $100,000 reward in his race for justice.

Frank has been running as long as I can remember. In fact I remember him running after me as a child whenever I would pull some 'little brother" gag on him. Frank was able to palm a basketball in high school and was actually very good at shooting hoops as well as all the other sports he was involved in. Out of the nine children in our family Frank was the most athletic of us all.

Over the years he learned that running was very therapeutic for him and he always makes sure that he gets his daily dose of therapy in the many miles he runs every day. He is in good health and with his long hair and beard he has been called "Forrest Gump" on many occasions by passerby’s who catch him on his trek through the highways and byways of Northern CA and the Sacramento area.

Franks endurance has also helped him in his eighteen year chase and quest for justice in one of the biggest crimes in Sacramento's history. Since the advent of the internet, more and more people have heard about this crime because there are currently two websites that publicly reveal it. It’s a crime that involves those who are part of the who's who in business, judges in the courts, in the news media and in the religious community. This article will begin the unveiling of people who have somehow and someway become involved in this crime, generally through the subtle influence of money that has snagged them in this incredible web of deception that has killed their credibility.

I have decided it is time for Sacramento to begin reading a story that has probably been the most media suppressed story of all time. There is a term that rightly defines what have been the actions of the news media and it is called a “conspiracy of silence.” Which is defined by Merriam-Webster as:
a secret agreement to keep silent about an occurrence, situation, or subject
especially in order to promote or protect selfish interests
This is not to be confused with a conspiracy theory whereby people are made out to be crazy without sufficient proof or evidence to their claims. On the contrary, this story is backed by historical accounts, court documents, tax records, divorce records, the written word as well as the spoken word. Two of the most persuasive elements to this story are the preponderance of the evidence and the silence that has permeated from within those who know the story is true.

Now with The Sacramento Press, this conspiracy of silence will be broken and the story will be told against the will of the wealthiest family in town. This story will create a stir because it shakes the powers that be and will be contrary to everything most people have been told by the news media for the last thirty-six years.

This story may never get the attention that it should get and rightfully deserves. Locally, all the news reporting companies have gone to great lengths to help cover up this crime and why shouldn't they? Isn't it only a crime against one man? No! This crime is also against the public who put their trust in the news media to tell the truth at any cost. Who expect unbiased reporting of the news that neither censors nor silences. This is one story where the news media has actually become a major part of the story. We hope that the Sacramento Bee does not have any influence on the Sacramento Press concerning this story.

Because this story has been in the making for thirty-six years, it is impossible to write one article about all of the people, places and events that went into making this an incredible story. It would be too lengthy as one article for the Sacramento Press, so I must divide it up into two or three easily read portions.

Many of the high profile news stories and the day-by-day courtroom proceedings in the last twenty five years have been influenced by money and fame and the power that follows them. This story is no different except for the fact that the people that this story is about are also major advertisers in the newspapers and magazines and on the television and radio. This is why none of the news media in Sacramento can afford to tell you this true story, and when you read the following email from a local reporter in the Sacramento area, you will understand why you are reading this story in this venue instead of the front page of the Sacramento Bee or making the headlines on the evening news.

“Hello Mr. Nordby,
No, I have never heard this story - what a horrid story it is. However, very sadly, I am not surprised. There are people who will do absolutely anything to gain wealth, and/or hang on to wealth (power). Crushing another person seems to be nothing but collateral damage for them.
I am interested in your story. My columns are not just rhetoric - I write what I believe. As you have already discovered, the threat of Raley's financial resources is huge. While I cannot and will not jeopardize (her company), I am interested in finding the proper venue for your story.
That could take some time and research. It is a compelling story but as I previously said, most people in Sacramento have too much to lose given the size, scope and far-reaching tentacles of the Raley's family. I still think it needs to be a book and not done by a newspaper - a newspaper would and/or could lose all of their advertisers. A newspaper …..could be shut down in one day by Raley's.”
Katy G.

If you have never seen the movie "Flash of Genius", we highly recommend that you do. This is the movie about the man who invented the intermittent windshield wiper for the automobile. His idea was stolen by the Ford Motor Company and then he had to spend more than 12 years of his life to convince people and a jury that he was the inventor of this incredible idea.
Flash of Genius is similar to the Charles Nordby Story!
The difference is, Charles Nordby ended up dying trying to convince everyone that he was the man that saved Tom Raley's company from bankruptcy in 1973. Raley's had the big attorney's and everyone they needed in their pockets to make sure that he did not get his day in court, nor that his story ever got any news media attention.

Now that you know that this is a story about Raley’s, Joyce Raley Teel and the news media, I am sure you are beginning to put the pieces together and will want to know why Frank Nordby is hungry for justice and more about the $100,000 he is offering as a reward to anyone who can disprove the story he is seeking justice for. Part two of this story will be made available shortly on the Sacramento Press.

"Those with little or no money cannot afford justice,
and those with money can avoid justice."
Jack Nordby

Raley's Incites the $100,000 Reward? Part 3

2009-11-24T04:02:46Z

When homeless looking man Frank Nordby realized that if what he believed was true, then an incredible injustice had taken place. He felt if a billion dollars could create this horrible injustice maybe it's possible to tip the scales of justice with a little incentive for anyone who would be willing to investigate his story and prove him wrong. So with the David vs Goliath state of mind, Frank began offering a $100,000 dollar reward in his quest for the truth. All anyone had to do was disprove with evidence the following claim by our father Charles Nordby:

"I saved Tom Raley's company from going bankrupt"

A simple claim with a very hard answer. Because if he did save the Raley's company, then Charles Nordby is a hometown hero who has been treated like a villian. When you consider all of the people, families, companies, communities and on and on that have benefited from Raley's since 1973, he has made a tremendous contribution without any acknowlegement, publically or financially. Like I mentioned before in a previous segment, which is an incredible fact, and that is Tom Raley didn't even know him. And why didn't Tom Raley know Charles Nordby?

This is what I know: There are two people in Sacramento who should have the ability to produce the evidence necessary to disprove Charles Nordby and silence this story, but they can't. Those two people are Jim and Joyce Raley Teel. They have access to all the financial records of Tom Raley(unless they have been shredded already). All they have to prove is Tom's financial condition in 1973. If Tom Raley had plenty of money in 1973, then Charles Nordby didn't need to save his company and no turnaround would have been necessary. But even Raley's own history book states that 1973 was the year of the "turnaround". That was the same year that Nordby came to Raley's. Mere coincident? Not likely!

Recently I received a nice email from Casey Kirk at the SacPress, and I was graciously warned that if the story about my father and Raley’s went into the “dangerous territory of libel," it would be pulled. And it should be if it is libelous. Then she wrote this "We have consulted two journalism professors at CSUS who specialize in media law and have been told that so far the stories seem safe, but they do have the potential to go that route."

I appreciate The Sacramento Press' precautions and we are well aware of the dangers of libel, but since our family has been telling this never changing story for over 18 years now, we are very careful to speak and write only what we know to be true or our expressed opinions.

After I read their email and I became aware of their concern, I remembered the April 2nd, 1991 letter Charles Collings (Raley's president) wrote to my brother Frank stating the following:

"I am telling you that the story you are trying to spread about Raley's is inaccurate and could be damaging. Now that you know, if you choose to continue to spread falsehoods, I suggest that you get an attorney, you will need one."

Wow, what a powerhouse threat from the man and the company of Sacramento's big local success story.....Raley's. That threat was made over 18 years ago. Since then we have spent thousands of hours and dollars investigating Tom Raley, Raley’s, Chuck Collings, the Teel’s and others.

We searched through archived newspapers, public records of Raley’s finances which also include divorce proceedings, tax delinquency files, stock issuances, assessor’s filings, as well as police and criminal records just for the fun of it. We knew if for some reason our investigation was not complete or accurate, we would never be able to prove our father’s story and we would also run the risk of having to face Raley’s in a court of law where we would have no chance against this uncircumcised giant.

One of the greatest sources of evidence that we found was their own history book of Tom Raley’s success story. It is called "Raley's, A Family Store". That book was freely given to all of Raley’s employees in 1990 of which I was one. I don’t think they thought that an employee of over ten years would read this book and begin questioning their so-called actual and factual account of their success story.

It was within their own pages of their own book that we discovered events, timelines, quotes and even important omissions that gave us what we needed to prove our father’s story. All of the information from other investigated documents were like little pieces of the big puzzle, and like shavings of chocolate sprinkled on the icing of a cake. Yes, I enjoy chocolate.

In the 1980’s, the Proctor and Gamble company and its logo with the man, the stars and the moon was subjected to many rumors that the company was somehow related to Satanic worship. Since the rumors were untrue and damaging to the company’s clean image(no pun intended, okay there was), the P&G company sought after every individual as well as groups who were creating and spreading the negative publicity and ferociously pursued them in the court of law to stop the libelous and damaging accusations against them.

I say all that to say this. In the last 18 years of our family promoting the true Tom Raley success story that is really Charles Nordby‘s success story, there has never been any opposition from Raley’s or Jim and Joyce Raley Teel, the two people who could have protected Tom Raley's name, reputation and legacy if it were possible. If they had any evidence to disprove Charles Nordby's claims, they could have claimed the $100,000 reward and given it to a charity of their choice.

Eighteen years later my brother Frank continues to speak the truth. His animated website, with all of its bells and whistles reminds me of Jim Cramers show "Mad Money", except Franks website is all about fraud money and should have been voted "Best of Sacramento" for a fun, zany, educational and news worthy website. Frank will never get a "Sacramento's Best" for his website because Mike O'brien from the Sacramento Magazine doesn't want to believe that this is a true story. A woman sent him an email and asked him about the Charles Nordby story. Here is what Mike wrote to her in reply:

"We have gotten rambling notes from the person you reference for years, as have many media. We considered his diatribes years ago and found the specific charges meaningless."

Mike O'brien should think before he speaks or writes emails. Charles Nordby died over 13 years ago. How could have Mike got any "rambling" notes from Charles Nordby. Maybe Mike is passing notes with the dead. Is this a little paranormal activity going on here? Maybe Mike should get one of his magazines "Sacramento's Best" for "Foot in Mouth".

Anyways, Franks website has been online since 2003 and has nearly 1/2 million page views and he is still waiting for Chuck Collings, Jim and Joyce Teel and Raley's to settle this matter. In fact, Frank is still waiting for Collings to follow through with Raley's threat of legal action made towards him on April 2, 1991 when Collings wrote he would need an attorney if he was to continue spreading falsehoods.

I am glad that the SacPress editorial staff is reading the articles and questioning the credibility of its writers, just in case the stories appear to be too incredible. Especially an unheard of story like this one that involves the wealthiest people in Sacramento and the company that they own.

The $100,000 reward that is being offered has been available for almost five years now and was initially offered to journalist and the news media as a lure to find someone who would be willing to grab this story by the balls and investigate it. We wanted an outsider to either come to the same conclusion that we have or be able to gather evidence that would prove otherwise. We just wanted the truth. Not one reporter ever approached us about trying to disprove the story. Maybe they were told or knew it was a true story that could not be disputed. Or, maybe they were told not to by their superiors where they worked. Watch the YouTube journalist invite listed at the bottom of the page.

Raley’s attorney’s perverted and corrupted justice in this matter. They prevented our father from getting his day in court which would have proven his story and his claims that every penny of profit that Raley’s has made since he came on board with them in 1973 was money made from his program. He made them billionaires and they used ill-gotten gains to make sure he didn’t get his day in court.

Charles Nordby died in the midst of dragging them into the courts. It is our opinion his death could be attributed partially to the stress he endured while fighting corrupted legal paperwork from attorneys Peter Glick and Robert Strauch. And the only person who ever faced him in court was a very red faced woman named Kimberly Peterson acting on behalf of Peter Glick. We are still trying to investigate if she was even an attorney at the time of her courtroom appearance or just an office girl.

One of the most incredible facts about this whole story is this: Here we are 18 years after we first discovered many careless errors in the Raley’s history book that simply did not make any sense, and they are still holding on to their facade. Everyone who hears this story says to us “why don’t they (Raley’s) just settle with your family?” One possible reason is, they may think they will have to admit they commited a crime against our father. Or maybe they think because they are billionaires, they don't have to answer to anyone.

Most people who get got stealing normally end up paying restitution to the victim for their crime. Wealthy people generally don’t care about doing the right thing unless they are caught and forced by the law to do so. For them, stealing from Charles Nordby and his family, then taking credit for his legacy is all part of their American dream which is not a dream at all.

I feel for all the Raley/Teel family members who have had to live with this story hanging over their heads. Nobody but Jim and Joyce Teel, Chuck Collings and Frank McMinn knew anything about it. The rest of the family had no idea what our father was doing for grandpa Tom, but neither did Tom. So when this story began breaking in 1991 it must have been a horrible horrible shock to the Raley family, but especially to the three men listed above because they were the ones personally involved in what Charles Nordby was doing.

I believe as long as there is life, it is never too late to do the right thing. I don't know why Jim and Joyce don't want to resolve this for their children and grandchildrens sake?

Coming up in future segments: Read the crucial part played by the Sacramento Bee, my meetings with Mike Teel and then Jim Teel that almost erupted into a brawl. Also, the legal shenanigans of Raley's attorneys at Downey, Brand Seymour and Rowher….. and how Judge Joe Gray in our opinion is either a very stupid judge, jaded or perhaps even paid off.

Sources: Photo of 1st Store Courtesy of the El Dorado County Museum www.hungry4justice.com www.raleysexposed.com Raley's: A Family Store http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nrsG_kNeGXg

Texting Affairs Can Kill a Relationship

2009-03-06T01:46:10Z

Lately we have all been hearing about the dangers of cell phone texting while driving. People have been killed or seriously injured because of drivers’ distraction from the road. In fact a new law in California prohibits texting while driving because of such accidents. I for one have been guilty of this now criminal offense in the past, and must be very careful not to even think about doing it while I am behind the wheel.

Recently, I have become aware of a new danger inherent to texting. That danger occurs when a person finds out that his or her significant other, husband, wife, partner, or fiancé, has been texting someone else secretly.

Singer Chris Brown apparently had received a text from a woman he had a sexual relationship with when his girlfriend, singer Rihanna, who was also in the car with him, saw the text and hurtful words and violence began flying in the car. Texting while you drive can be very dangerous, but even more dangerous when your partner reads a text from another lover. Love letters are a thing of the past now that text messaging can be sent immediately to another person, even to someone in a relationship with someone else.

A friend of mine, whom I will call Larry for this article, shared with me the heartache he recently endured when he discovered that his steady girlfriend of two years was having some sort of texting relationship with another man in Arizona. Larry shared with me how this whole thing came to light and the trust issues it has raised in his mind and heart. I told him that I would write an article for the readers at Sacramento Press and then have those who read the story share their thoughts and maybe their "text affair" stories as well.

His relationship with this woman started just about two years ago when he signed up on Match.com. It wasn’t long after he joined that the woman in question “winked” at him through the Match website. Winking at someone on Match.com is a very casual way to start the ball rolling. When you get a wink you can either reply back and say, “Thank you but I am not interested,” or wink back, or even email.

So they began their relationship through this online dating service, which in my opinion is a great way to learn about someone before making any plans to spend any significant time together on a real date, which can sometimes become the longest minutes of your life.

Everything was going pretty good for Larry and his Match.com connection. About ten months after they first met, his girlfriend was talking about changing cell phone providers because of cost, and Larry mentioned to her that he could add a line to his service and that would be the most economical way for her to do so.

So they added a line for her on his service. Every month the bill came, Larry paid it and his girlfriend would pay her share. It was all good. Larry never looked at the bill because he knew approximately how much it would be even before it came in the mail.

Then on February 13th, the day before Valentine’s Day, Larry and his gal were together; it was about 9:30 p.m. or so and a text came over on her phone. Larry jokingly asked, “Who is texting you this time of night?” His gal looked at the cell phone and said, almost defensively, “It is probably one of my girlfriends replying to my Happy Valentine’s text to them.” No big deal, Larry believed her, and why not? Isn’t that what women do with each other? Anyways, he didn’t have any reason not to believe her.

About a week later, the newest phone bill arrived in the mail. It was a little higher than Larry expected it to be so he very carefully went over it. As he went down the bill in the section that covered his girlfriend’s calls and text messaging, he noticed a number appeared that was from the Phoenix area. Again, not a big deal -- until that same number appeared as a text that came in on February 13th at 9:30pm. Not just once, but a series of texting back and forth, to and from that Phoenix number.

So Larry did a little Internet homework to find out if the number was from someone he knew, as he was aware of most of his girlfriend’s friends and business partners because he and his girlfriend talked all the time, and there was little unknown between the two of them.
His search came up with a business in Phoenix, Arizona. Larry determined that whoever owned the business was also the owner of the cell phone that was texting his girlfriend. Not only that, but after looking at the bill, his girlfriend never texted any of her friends on February 13th, and none of her friends texted her either. Something was not coming up straight.

Larry began to get a sinking feeling in his stomach. He was beginning to wonder who is this person that texted his girlfriend, and why was she so secretive about it that night?

So Larry began pulling up old cell phone bills online, and sure enough, this person in Phoenix was in constant contact with his girlfriend and she was in contact with this person as well. The whole time she had been on Larry’s phone bills there were calls and text messages made to and from Phoenix.

Larry decided he was going to ask his girlfriend about this number. He told her the truth how he saw that the phone bill was higher than normal and he saw that there were many calls and text to and from this mystery number and that this mystery number was the person who had texted her on February 13th at 9:30pm. She blew it off that this was a business acquaintance of hers, no big deal.
When Larry mentioned that the phone bill did not show any text to and from her friends that night, she stated that she said she had emailed them or something like that.

Larry then asked her who it was in Phoenix that was texting and what was this person’s name? She said she wasn’t going to tell him the person’s name and asked him to drop the subject. It was just a "business deal that had gone bad" she said, and she didn’t want to talk about it anymore. Larry didn’t want to create a jealous argument over something that might have been nothing, so he let it go. In the back of his mind he began replaying the incident of the first text on February 13th, and the excuse his girlfriend made up and the fact that she didn’t want to talk about it.

Then it occurred to him that his girlfriend made a business trip to Phoenix about a year and a half ago and that he never saw any business come from that trip.

Larry also mentioned to me that about that same time he had received a text from his girlfriend that seemed random, it said “yum yum”. That is all it said. He hadn’t even sent her a text prior to it. Even at that time he wondered who was this text meant for, because it was just too random. He called his girlfriend and asked her what that text meant, and she just said “just yum yum.” That was odd, Larry thought.

Today, he is in a quandary. He loves this woman. He has invested a lot of time, energy and money into this relationship and does not want to jeopardize it for the sake of his own runaway imagination or false accusations.

I don’t blame him. But on the same note, he feels that there were too many calls and text messages to just ignore. He doesn’t want to continue to invest in this relationship only to find out down the road that his girl has been having some sort of fling all along.
What does Larry do? I am usually pretty good at giving relationship advice and I have my ideas about this situation, but my thoughts are coming from a man’s point of view. I am hoping that women who read this will respond from a woman’s point of view and give Larry some insights.
Please help Larry sort this out and make a wise decision.

Dinner and a Movie, for the Homeless?

2009-03-18T23:37:50Z

Sacramento is now also known for the "Tent City" for the homeless. That’s okay. If Sacramento, the capitol of the seventh or eighth largest economy in the world has to be the poster child city for the homelessness problem in America, then so be it!

Probably every man, woman and child in our area is aware of the growing homeless community. It does not matter where you are in the Sacramento area, homelessness happens. In fact, some of the people interviewed for the stories about our tent city, said "we never dreamed that we would be homeless and in this condition". I have never dreamed of being homeless, have you? Maybe we are next.

I come from a very large family and I believe if my world got to the point of having no place to go home to or sleep, someone in my family would give me a place. My dear mother, Marilou Nordby, whenever she would see someone less fortunate than herself would always say, "there but for the grace of God go I". Which means, that could be me in those peoples shoes, but because of God's grace it is not me. One time she confided in me and said that her greatest fear was becoming homeless. I was shocked! My mother had nine children and at the time she told me this every one of them were still alive. I told her that as long as I was alive she would never be homeless. I hope that gave her some peace in her fears.

As compassionate people we need to be reminded that not all homeless are mentally unstable, drug addicts, alcoholics or even losers in this game of life, but rather each of them at one time had a home, a mother, a father, brothers and sisters and even children and we should treat them as if they were our mom or dad, or a sister or a brother because we don't know their circumstances.

I have been stirring the idea around with friends that I know that we should have a dinner and a movie night for our homeless. Today I want to share this idea with the readers of the Sacramento Press with hope that this will go further than this online news source.

Here is what I am envisioning for that night.

We will ask the churches and clothes closets to donate clothing for all ages and gender and we will have an opportunity for anyone who needs a new set of clothes to pick out what they want to wear for that dinner and to leave in. We will have a place to dispose of old clothes. Of course we will have some sort of changing rooms available and port-a-potties on 10th street.

This banquet honoring our less fortunate neighbors will be done on the west side of the Capitol building using this glorious building as a backdrop for this event. The Capitol also represents the state government for the people, all the people, even the homeless. The grounds will be decked with tables all decorated like a fine restaurant(except everything is disposable) a tablecloth with a candle and a flower, nice plastic ware and napkins. We will serve steak, chicken, potatoes, fresh veggies, milk, or soda, coffee or tea, and a dessert that is fit for a politician or cupcakes and cookies for the little children.

After dinner we will show a movie on a giant screen with a great sound system. The movie should be heart warming with some comedy and rated for all ages. Perhaps the newly released "Marley and Me". I have never seen it, but I think everyone would enjoy it. There will be popcorn, movie type candy and bottles of water and other drinks.

After the movie we will have blankets, sleeping bags and personal items for anyone in need of these things.

I don't know all the logistics of this yet, but if enough of us get together with our influences and connections we can totally bless our homeless and let them know that we care. Perhaps the lawmakers and city leaders will see this event as a wake up call and put some real attention towards helping ease the sting of the plight of the homeless which now include many little children.

I know everyone reading this is now thinking, 'this is going to cost some money'. Yes it is! But I believe every good cause can be very easily funded by anyone who can afford a little to help. Some who can afford more will also help. I believe if we make this event known to everyone, there will be plenty to take care of the cost. I am also sure that many who have other needed resources will also want to be involved. I am going to put my money where my heart is so I will make the first donation to this cause and I believe the rest will come. Kind of like the “Field of Dreams”, build it and they will come. I say “do it and it will come”.

I was talking to a homeless man today and asked him about this dinner and a movie idea and he was very excited about it. I asked if the homeless would come? He said "oh yes they will". He also shared with me of his hope of the "Ten Year Plan" to get the homeless problem under control. We can't wait for ten years. We need to do something now.

I realize that this is not a "fix" to a serious problem, but if we can bring some joy to people if only for a night, it will be well worth it.

If anyone who reads this article would like to get involved somehow, someway, your service and willingness to serve will be much appreciated by those who come. Leave a comment and contact me personally at jacknordby@hotmail.com

P.S. When was the last time a homeless person heard the words, "your table is ready" or, "how did you like the movie"? Lets give them something to talk about. Better yet, lets give them some love with hope that things can turn around for them.

Man Shoots in Sacramento Art Complex

2009-03-12T05:53:32Z

Five years ago, Alister Oliver never thought he would be a wanted man for shooting in K Street's Sacramento Art Complex, in fact it was only a few short months ago that he even heard of the Art Complex. Alister is shooting people with his camera and his very quick wit.

Alister is the owner of a new photography studio called "Alister....." which is located in the center of the new Sacramento Art Complex. I met Alister while I was helping my girlfriend, artist Lori Wylie at her textured metal art studio located just below his studio at the complex. Alister would come down and put his two cents worth in with humor and some great suggestions into better ways that I might be able to perform my duties as an artist slave. LOL...(oh the things we do for love, but I enjoy helping Lori no matter what Alister says). Anyways, Alister was so interesting that I thought that his story would make a good story for the Sacramento Press readers.

Alister is not your typical photographer. He appears to be very Hollywood with his good looking Guy Fieri look, but he is definitely Sacramento, and his Fieri hairstyle is actually his own, color and all. His photography style is all his own as well and that is why many people want Alister to hit them with his best shot.

Alister, 35, now married with two children ages 4 years old and 18 months, came over from England in 1986 when he was about 12 years old. It was when he was five ears old that he picked up his first camera and began taking pictures of worms in the yard. He was learning how to make worms smile and strike a pose when most boys his age were still learning how to tie their shoes. Just for the fun of it he started shooting all kinds of subject matter and was in the early stages of defining his future, and at that time he didn't even know that was what he was doing.

About five years ago he lost his job, when losing a job was still taboo, he realized his love for photography could be his "sweet spot" in life. Typically as a professional photographer you shoot whatever will get you a paycheck and so Alister did the usual people, wedding, events and a host of other shoots. But Alister also had another love in this life and that love was with the automobile. He really enjoyed taking pictures of cars. Aahhhhh, now this is the life of Alister. Taking pictures of automobiles with people for money. Now that was a match made in Alisters dream and his bank account.

Alister discovered the Sacramento Art Complex a few months ago and believed that his work with the camera is really "art" and so do the people who use his artistic talents behind the camera. He belonged at the art complex with all the other complex personalities that make up the colors on the canvas there. As a contributor for the Sacramento Press, I hope to feature a different artist at least once a week. Alister went ahead and rented a space at the complex and his business immediately began to expand and his presence in the photography world was beginning to create a clearer picture for his future.

Alister mentioned that one of the reasons he enjoys his work with portraits of people so much is because he likes to hear from them what their story is and the purpose of the portrait he is doing. He also said that he is very entertained when a soccer mom looking woman will come in and want him to do boudoir shots for other activities that they are involved in besides soccer. You will have to read between the lines on that one which could be another story altogether. Photographers get all kinds of request for special pictures. Sometimes the best thing to do is to not ask questions.

On May 19th at the Complex, there will be an event that Alister will be doing the photography that is called the "History of Her". He will be shooting professional body painters who will do live body painting on women's bodies to make them look like historical men of "fame and fortune". This should be an interesting event and you will want to mark your calendars.

Today Alister is preparing for this weeks Second Saturday Art Walk where hundreds or perhaps thousands of people will fill the downtown streets and enjoy the fruit of the labors of many local artist which also includes musical artist as well as other forms of art. Rain or shine the Art Complex will be full of people looking to see the talents of the Sacramento areas artist.

In case you have never been to the Sacramento Art Complex it is located at 2110 K Street. It is open daily but not all artist are in there daily. Even if they are not there you can still walk down the hallways and see their beautiful art through the windows of their private studios and get an idea of what they do. Better yet, join them this Saturday. Activities start in the late afternoon and continue until about 9 or 10pm.

Except for the few pictures I took(which are obvious), all photographs shown here are by Alister with his permission. If you would like more information contact him at 916 521-8846. View his website www.alisteroliver.com

Two Womens Hearts in Metal Art

2009-03-14T07:00:05Z

This Second Saturdays Art Walk will be the first time that Lori Wylie and Terrie Bennett will open their new art gallery to show art lovers what their new generation of metal art looks like. The path that has brought them together through tough and trying times, could be a good example of one of lifes "intersections" where people cross each others paths and find themselves in a whole new direction. Their art seems to be getting better with time and they are transforming their ideas in metal art with each new technique.

Lori Wylie and her previous husband, world reknowned artist Doug Wylie, had created their niche in bronze sculpture once they discovered they could take their ceramic technique and apply it to bronze. The natural scultping talent of Doug Wylie and their enjoyment of marine life enabled them to create bronze sculptures of whales, dolphins, sharks, octopus and manna rays. Their unique style of making the base swirl into the subject gave them entrance into art galleries such as Wyland, Lassen, Coast and many others.

Since then, Lori Wylie has taken her love of art in a new direction with textured metal using stainless steel, aluminum and copper. With goggles on, wrapped in protective clothing and sparks flying, she is able to cut, grind, polish and paint metal into three dimensional works of art that are not only eye catching but also mind boggling as the metal transforms its appearance from viewing it at different positions while the lights reflections change as well.

Lori recently finished an art commision by Roseville's Sutter Hospital for their Rehabilitation Center. Someone from Sutter had gone to another rehab center and noticed a patient looking up at the ceiling because that was the only direction they could look. The person from Sutter decided that their patients should be able to look up and see something. So when Lori submitted her idea for a giant hanging mobile in their front lobby, it was a go for the hospital and Lori as well. Sutter's hanging mobile is 12 wide by 12 high, may be the largest mobile of its kind in Northern California. (see pictures)

Terrie Bennett is the daughter of the world famous bronze sculture artist Tom Bennett, one of the founders of the Bennett Galleries. Terrie has taken her upbringing and her talents and combined them into her own style of bronze sculpture. Working as his apprentice she studied composition, form and the technique of creating three dimensional sketches in wire. Terrie was one of the first sculptors to focus primarily on marine mammals in the early 1980’s, quickly establishing herself as one of the top marine artists in Hawaii and the Western United States.

Today, her artistic focus is on creating sculptural images that evoke thought and inspire change. Through meditation and present moment awareness she is guided to create uplifting sculpture that embraces hope, peace and a deep caring for the earth ands all of it’s inhabitants.

Come this Saturday to the The Sacramento Art Complex at 2110 K Street and see what these two women are doing with metal these days.

View more of Lori Wylie's art at www.lorilfineart.com

You can learn more about Terrie Bennetts work at http://www.terriebennett.com

'Twas the Second Saturday Before Christmas

2009-12-12T01:21:26Z

I woke up this morning thinking "hey, tomorrow is Second Saturday". Of course I am talking about the monthly Art Walk and experience that happens in and around Sacramento's Midtown area.

Even though the forecast is calling for some chance of rain, that should be no excuse not to come to midtown and be a part of the monthly festivities and feel the season in the air.

Since last Christmas there have been some additions to the monthly event. For one, Midtown is hosting an ice skating rink between K St and L St on 20th St.

Tickets: Admission:
Adults, $8
Children, $5
Skate Rental: $2

Info Phone: (916) 442-1500

Secondly, artist Michael Kennedy opened the new Kennedy Gallery at 1114 20th Street, next to Headhunters. Michael's new gallery is the site of many artist who display and sell their work in a very eclectic artisan setting. Their website is: http://www.kennedygallerysac.com/

This Second Saturday, December 12th, the Kennedy Gallery will be open for visitors to view the art of

Angela Ridgeway Judith Monroe Terrie Bennett Margaret Sarantis Dana Bilello-Barrow Monica Lunardi Steve Anderson

Margaret Sarantis Pat Orner Keith Hopkins Michelle Mackenzie Kristen Hoard Phil Meyers Michele Fisher Pat Livingston

and local textured metal sculpture artist Lori Wylie( art shown).

A Christmas gift of art is not only a thoughtful gift but it is a unique gift that the recipient will just love to keep. There will be something for everyones budget.

So this Saturday, December 12th is a great time to get into the Christmas spirit and mingle with the artist and bless their art sales this season while finishing your shopping.

Lori Wylie's art photos are used by permission. No other uses of her art are permitted except by written permission from her. The art shown are representative of her work and not necessarily art on display this month. Lori can replicate any piece she has done in just about any size to fit your space and budget. Giant mobile shown is a permanent piece of art for the public who visit the Sutter Rehabilitation Wing in Roseville. It measures 12 feet x 12 feet and may be the largest hanging mobile in California.

Picture of artist Keith Hopkins/Pat Orner and Kristen Hoard/Michelle MacKenzie spaces at Kennedy Gallery are from http://2nd-sat.com/

Crocker and the Art of Preparedness

2009-02-22T23:12:47Z

On Sunday's the, Crocker art Museum is free to patrons between 10am-1pm, but today's crowd was more about business. From what i was able to gather from another bystander, someone in the gallery smelled smoke and that brought out the local fire department. From what I was able to see and tell is that it must have been just a precautionary effort to make sure the smoke they were smelling was nothing more than smoke. It would be a sad day to lose any of the pieces of art in such a magnificent setting.

So called false alarms are blessings in disguise. I see this as a great opportunity for the fire department to keep their equipment ready.

Good job to all the men and women who made sure everything was okay.

California's State Capitol is Pink Again

2009-02-20T04:01:58Z

With all that pink, I am sure Arnold thought that he was going to look outside of the Capitol building and expect to see “girly men” raising a hissy fit. Not tonight! One t-shirt did read “Real Men Wear Pink” and they do to show support of loving family and friends who have had to fight the good fight against cancer.

Tonight, over 200 breast cancer survivors and activists gathered on the West steps of the State Capitol to kick off the May 9th Komen Sacramento Race for the Cure®, and help build breast cancer awareness, as well as promote early detection. During this rally, the crowd participated in a dramatic countdown to light the entire Capitol a bright shade of pink. Sacramento’s four-year long campaign reached all the way to the White House when in October then First Lady Laura Bush, along with Komen National, turned the White House pink in honor of National Breast Cancer Awareness Month. View clip at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V42pJcgSbOI

This unique powerful visual message was created by the Komen Sacramento Valley Affiliate to help Susan G. Komen for the Cure reach its promise to save lives and end breast cancer forever. For more information go to http://www.sackomen.org

Help make this years Race for the Cure the most successful race thus far. Get involved and help make this pink event create a green event (money) that helps the cause of breast cancer.

The source for this information was provided by Nancy Mallory from Mallory & Associates Public Relations & Special Events. For more information view their web site at: www.mallorypr.com

The source for all the pink lighting was bought to you by Douglas & Rebecca Hinckley's "PHOENIX MARKETING" of Antioch, California For more information view their website at: www.searchlites.com/