charli's Blog

I about fell off the couch when I heard that on the 5:30  PM, 5-6-08, segment.   Any of you who have been here  all your lifes, or at least since the mid 70's know the state is already split.... Florida and North Cuba.  Heck!  When I moved to Miami Beach in the early 60's it could have been called "South Brooklyn" or "West Israel".  ;-)

The early Cuban arrivals wanted to be Americans.  Then the arrivals in the 70's pretty much succeeded in taking over.  The early arrivals wanted nothing to do with the latest arrivals.  They are the ones who coined the phrase "North Cuba".  I remember the bumper stickers saying something like "Going to Miami?  Take your passport!"

I went to my 20th High School Reunion in 1987... went shopping at my old favorite spots... no one spoke english.  Went to where I used to work and went up to a sales person.  She pretended to not be able to speak English.  I reminder her who I was!  I then reported her to our old boss!  A few years later I went back for my hubby's 25th... it was worse!

Okay.  Split the state... but do not make South Florida the 51st state... cede it to Cuba or South America!  During the last reunion visit, most of the hotels were owned by South Americans!  Went back after Hurricane Charli for a HazMat conference.   Nothing had changed!

I was appalled , but not surprised, at the story about the guy who was visited by the FEDS because some collector said she was threatened that the debtor would blow up Capital One.  First off, Capital One uses outside sources for collections.  For many of the callers, they are not in this county, have a problem with the english lanquage.  I have a long time friend, as in +40 years, who is having a problem with Capital One.  She only owed about $300 when her life went down hill a few years ago... medical problems.  She contacted Capital One and tried to make arrangements... she was turned down!  Then she started getting calls from a company called CCI... half the time she could not understand the caller... she again tried to make arrangements, was told someone would call her... She now owes over $800! 

Heck!  I paid off my Capital One card last year, notified them of the cancellation, tore up the card and mailed it to them with my last bill... and got a call from someone that I could not understand, trying to get my business back.  After a year I am still getting calls to re-up" with them.

My recommendation is that everyone get rid of their Capitol One cards.  My only credit card is through my credit union.

Can we start a petition to get a "revoketion" (sic) of the amendment?  We should.  Many early voters voted "for" without the full knowledge of what would happen and regret voting "for" and then finding out they weren't going to save that much.... my boss is one of those and now rues his vote. 

I loved tonight's (Friday... since the new moderation rules went into effect and I have no idea when this will be posted....) blip about the ineffectiveness of the past legislative period... time spent on trivial things like the bulls parts, Rhonda's personal agendas, the state song, etc. 

I work for the county.  They are cutting back on a lot of things... like raises.... but not on expenses for employees such as parking in the county parking lots. 

As I said, can we put a "revoketion" on the ballot?  If anyone knows how, please spread the word.

Did anyone catch the news on Tuesday where Crist was honoring a young man for his suggestion that restaurants give leftovers to the homeless instead of throwing the food in the garbage.  I was on the phone with a friend and nearly choked when I saw the "blurb".  Apparently a lot of people at work got the same impression that I did...

He was dressed in a white suit... looked like pics of the old plantation owners!  The fact that he had a nice dark tan (natural sun? Tan in a Can? Tanning bed?)  made it even funnier... or more ironic!

Leave the song alone... after all, it was written as a tribute... respect for the slaves, not againsts them.

My pic is an example of my question.  (If you turn your head to the left you can see a FL native walking up the coast.... The animated radar was really a blast to watch!)  The day I captured the radar image we had been told that there was no chance of rain.  It poured while I drove home from work!

On Saturday morning I woke up early, 6:30, to catch the weather.  The approaching front was depicted as a solid blue line going northeast of us... coming over us was the red and blue line... "The front will not effect us.  We will see some areas hit the upper 80's to low 90's on Sunday."  In the last weather segment of the morning the line had turned to the solid blue line with the front coming across us and "seasonable temps in the low 80's, low humidity, and morning temps in the 60's, and no rain".  I woke up to rain!

FL does not go by the "April showers bring May flowers" saying.  Yet we've had a wet April.  I love the lower temps... and the savings on my electric bill, but... what awaits us in the next few months.  All the new equipments is tauted as making future forcasts more accurate... but so far the foreasts have been off more often than on. 

Paul and I had this joke last fall about which one of us was causing the rain to miss where we lived, but downpours all over the rest of the county.  It would be pouring a few blocks all around us, but we didn't get a drop. 

I am afraid of what the upcoming hurricane season will be like.

I am surprised that Fox hasn't jumped into the topic.  The article in the Trib was scary.  Last September I purchased a conversion unit in a nice complex convenient to work and shopping.   I am a 59 year old single woman who wanted a place of my own that I could do work on, but still have someone around to do the outside maintenance.  I wanted the security of a gated  and guarded community.  I spent all summer looking and when I saw this place I knew it was the perfect place... I, and others, were told that 7 of the buildings had been coonverted and were 90% sold.  More on that later.

Signed the papers on Labor Day weekend with closing set for the end of the month... they had 20 other closings that month.  The community has 12 buildings made up of townhomes and apartment like units.  Landscaping is great and well maintained.  2 pools, a huge lake with dock, a hot tub, gym, and a clubhouse with grills.  Well built... electric bill is running $25-50 less per month than my old apartment, and it was well built.

Well.... the nightmares began with in a few days of my moving in.  Somethings still have yet to be completed or fixed.  The fridge was not the same one there when I closed.  The washer/dryer was filthy, toilet was leaking, etc.  The last 2 were fixed but the w/d takes 2-3 times to dry a load.  My A/C unit was running constantly.  They came out and found that it had no freon!  Fixed it but they found out that the compressor and air handler were mismatched and older than what they, the Warranty Insurer, were told.  Repeated calls to the developer went unanswered, or scheduled appointments were never kept.

to be continued..

Anyone read the full article in today's Trib?  Someone mentioned about the "de old...", "Wid my brudder... " , etc.   I don't know about you, but I never sang it that way... I said "the...", "With my brother..."  But the proposed change to one section really cracked me up... Change "Still longing for de old plantation" (What's wrong with the old Plantation?  It was a nice little town back in the day!).... to "Still longing for my childhood's station..."????  What the heck does that mean?  Station in life?  A train or bus station?  How about using... "Still longing for a peaceful nation."

Sen. Jim King, Jacksonville, stated that "The tune stays the same, but the meaning becomes totally nondemeaning to any race or religion or anything else."  Okay... change the Pledge of Alligience back to the way it was written... with the "under God" part.  As it is now it is demeaning to people who do not believe in A god, but do believe in their country.

It's about time!  I want the sun up in the AM and the dark when it is time to go to bed.  If I remember correctly, it was France who first changed the time.  We adopted the idea during the WW's, to allow workers to work longer in factories for the war effort.  Then it was extended for "agricultural purposes".  Then again, years later, FL wanted to keep it... something to do with school hours.  Then it was extended as part of the energy "crisis".  The last part was the most ridiculous... "If it is dark in the AM we will use less electricity. ' Duh... it's cooler in the AM.  It's the extended daylight hours that use the most electricity...  when we went to the extended DL Savings time... my electric bill went up for that extra month last fall!  I hate to see what this month's bill will be.  Thank goodness for thecold fronts when I did not have to run my AC. 

I recently moved from South Tampa to South Carrollwood.  My new route home from work is to take Florida Av north to the bypass to Highlands to Hillsborough.  Everyday I have seen people block the intersection!  I was taught that "If you can not get through the intersection, don't do it."  I have heard horns blow as people who know how to drive stop  so as to not block the intersection.  I have even seen cops pull into the intersection... blocking the intersection! 

When you click on the story you see "go to blog".  I don't see a blog... so I am going start one.

Why should FL apologize for slavery?  It was the way of life back then.  At the same time white women were "enslaved".  They have been thoughout our entire history, are still  in many countries.  In early US history the only "employed women" were hookers.  We women worked hard, are still working hard, to get recognition, fighting for jobs, etc.  No apology from FL.

I don't see FL making formal apologies for the "enslavement of women".  I don't see where FL made a formal apology to the Jews.  My friend, from jr hi, a jew in Miami Beach in the late 50's was made to sit at the back of the classroom! 

As I said, slavery was a way of live... started long before the US.  I don't agree with it but, as someone said, (and I paraphrase....) "People who want to ignore history are doomed to repeat it." 

You are Americans... not African-Americans.  If you want to use both terms... it's American-African!  You were born here!  I wasn't, but I say that I am an American because, although  born in France, my parents were American.  I am not a racist.  I just can not tolerate people who want things to change because of their heritage, with disregard for other people.   

Once again, since FL became a state, we are going to be blamed/held responsible for the election mess.  Just because we changed our voting date should not have an effect on the election.  There must have been some reason for the change... or some research prior to changing the date and its effect before opting to change the date.  It's bad enough that we are lost in the dark ages by not allowing Independants to vote in the primaries.  Independants are independants because they want to vote for the "Best Man" not a party, if disappointed with the current presidential party actions.

The primary votes should count... no extra election either at the polls or by mail in.

I am all for it.... no using cell phones while in a car... and forget about the "hands free" stipulation... people do not pay attention when driving and talking on the phone at the same time.  Cell phones should be rendered useless the minute the engine is turned on!  Take today... it was raining.  I was nearly involved in, or saw, several close calls when drivers where on the phones.  As I was walking to my car, on the way home from work, one driver almost ran over a person in the crosswalk... the walker had the light! 

As I said before, make cell phones useless when the car's engine is turned on!

I nearly choked on my cocktail when I saw that story!   I can see the entries... "My daughter's biology teacher insists on teaching evolution over creationism.  That goes against my belief.  This teacher is terrible."   "I want my child to learn fractions in 3rd grade, like I did.  The teacher insists on reteaching addition because of the FCATS.  He already knows how to add.  It's not his fault that other kids in the class do not.  Go after the other teachers!"  "Why doesn't my child know about the Civil War?  He's in 5th grade! "  "Why doesn't my child know the difference between Monet and Manet and Mozart?"

It's not the fault of the teachers... it's the fault of the Florida school system!  The teachers do not really care any more... they are not allowed to teach.  I moved to FL  in 1962 from OH.  I was at least 2 years ahead of most of my class mates!  When my daughter was in private school 3rd grade, and I was subbing... the advanced 5th grade class wasn't even up to what my daughter had already been taught!   That was 30 years ago... and things have gotten worse!

Blame FL... not the teachers!

Okay, the police botched the search for his daughter.  We all know that.  Why didn't they insist on searching the trailer the killer was living in... a known sex offender?  They had "just cause".  A lot of things were botched by the police. 

So now the police are filing to enact a law that says people can not sue the police.  Why?  To protect their behinds. 

I can just see it... A mother files a report stating that her hubby, the step father to her daughter, molested her daughter.  The police investigate the guy... find him to be an "upright, church going man".... teh "head" officer  even goes to the same church, knows the man, and drops the investigation.  The child is later found dead.  Evidence proves the step dad did it.  Mom can not sue the police for a botched investigation?

Take the issue of the "pursuit"... officer does not follow the rules.  An innocent man is killed when the officer in pursuit runs a light and causes the innocent man to run into a lamp post in order to avoid a police car that is not following the new "chase" law.  The man's family can not sue the police for "police error"?!?!?!

Filing suit against the individual officers in both cases is useless as the department will back him up. .. and you will not be allowed to sue the department.

 You can file suits against companies... basically the police department are "companies" and you should be allowed to sue them!

This is part of my MLK Day blog, at the suggestion of a poster... you'll have to go to my blog about MLK Day and Presidents' Day  to see what we are talking about, but.... Why do we not have a day dedicated to NASA and the space program?  They got us to the moon, into outer space, satellites that can view the planet for security and weather.  We have lost astronauts who got nothing more than a memorial at Cape Canaveral. 

You can post your comments on my blog, but please contact Crist, NASA, and any other group that you can.  Post email links to the agencies so that everyone else can contact them.