County Commissioners

For some reason I was watching the County Commissioners meeting on tv. They were discussing a discount on county contracts for local companies. A pretty complicated issue when you consider a business may open an office in Manatee County just for the duration of the contract and then close shop, a company from out of state may bid and then hire all local workers to perform the work, a company non-local may not require county services and therefore put no strain on a financially strapped school system and many other issues to be discussed. One of the county commissioners decided the issued had been discussed long enough and requested the speaker to take into account all the discussions and rewrite law and then bring it back "not before lunch or at the end of the day when we are all cranky." Since I tuned in about an hour before lunch she must have meant first thing in the morning. Wonder if they should take a snack break. Now I know what happened when I went before the Commission to discuss the unfettered development springing up in my area. It was late in the afternoon and everyone must have been cranky.

Eggs actly?

Ok, the tv is on and I am not paying attention to it until I hear an ad for Disney farm fresh eggs. On the plate is a sunny side up egg in the shape of Mickey's head. So, is this for real? At the end of the commercial there is a picture of a carton of eggs with Disney writing on it. Do all the eggs in the carton come in the shape of a mouse head when you crack them? Where does Disney raise these chickens? Chickens in a mouse house? I have been there many times and didn't see a single chicken. What do the eggs look like inside if you hard boil them? Help!

I Did My Part To Bail Out The Automakers

It is no wonder American car makers are failing. One of the rear lift gate struts on my Ford Freestar failed on Saturday. No problem. Mechanical parts fail and have to be replaced. I don't even mind buying new ones. They are generally about $50 each cheaper on the Ford than on my Jeep. That's good. On Sunday, I forgot it about it and pressed the button and up it went. It went up just fine, but then crashed back down! No gradually lowering of the gate, just crash. The next time I forgot about it, it also went up just fine. Then it started lowering mechanically and wouldn't stop! I grabbed it but no way could I stop it. It just kept going down. Help, Get OUT, GET OUT! I panicked. Poor Steve. He almost got trapped in the back. I think he would have been cut in half if he hadn't managed to fall down enough to beat the door closed. I actually strained my wrist trying to hold it up.



Steve wanted to order the part from a web site on Sunday, but I wanted to do business locally, so Monday morning I called our local Ford dealers. Autoway Ford in Bradenton told me the part would cost $51.60 and they didn't have it in stock and would take a couple of days to arrive. The internet price was about $35 with shipping of about $10 and no sales tax. I called Sarasota Ford where I take my car to get all the service done and they told me the price was $42.74. "Ok, order it please" I said. The parts guy tells me that I have to come there and order it and give him my credit card at the store. No numbers over the phone. What? I have to drive 40 miles to give them my credit card number and then 40 miles home and then in a couple of days drive 40 miles to pick the part up and another 40 miles home? How can this be? "That's the way it is. "



I try to look my part number up on the Ford parts web site, but it isn't working. I try to look for recalls because something has to be wrong if you can get knocked out or cut in half when your $50 strut fails. That Ford site isn't working either. I did find the phone number for Ford customer service and finally talked to a person. She was nice but she couldn't find recalls and her site to find part numbers wasn't working either. She gives me a name, web site and phone number of a company (not Ford or Ford related) to call to get the part number. Thanks and away I go! I call the number, explain what I need and ask if he has the part number. Yup, he does and better yet he can order the part. He doesn't think I should though because I would have to pay shipping if he sent it to me. So, how much is it? He gives me a discount after I tell him my sad tale and my part costs $30 + $9 shipping. He is sorry that I will have to wait a couple of days for my genuine Ford part to arrive.



Here's the total for the same Ford part:

Bradenton Ford: $54.96 + 50 miles + couple days.

Sarasota Ford: $45.73 + 160 miles + couple days.

Green Parts: $30.00 + $9 shipping + couple days + walk to mailbox.



After looking on the internet, I find a site that says there is a recall on my car for the liftgate. It is to reprogram the module so it won't crash on you when the strut fails. One part of the Ford site says my car has no outstanding recalls. The search for individual recalls still isn't working.

I call Sarasota Ford and explain to then what happened and ask if I have any outstanding recalls on my car. The guy says nope and when I tell him about what I found on the internet, he says that the internet isn't always right. Ok. So he searches, but the Ford website is down and he doesn't remember a recall for my car anyway. Goodbye.



I call Ford Customer Service again, but get an unhelpful person. His Ford website is down too, but at least takes my info. I read him the recall I found on the internet about reprogramming the module. He says, well, the dealer probably thought you wanted him to pay for your parts and labor too. WHAT? So, I say thanks and goodbye. Six hours from the start I have my part ordered, but still don't know if a recall or bulletin was issued, and don't know if anyone is going to call me back if there is one. Oh what a day.

Care For A Sapodilla (?)

A week ago at the Wagon Wheel Flea Market I purchased several sapodillas. The fruit, not the trees. We are going to such lengths to protect our little tree I figured I should be sure I really liked them. In order to transport them, sapodillas are sold hard. In the past, I would bring them home and cut and eat. One of the vendors told me that I had to wait for them to soften and not to eat them too soon. I allowed my fruit to ripen for a week and become a little shriveled. I cut them in half and pulled apart. There is one small seed (that I will plant) in each fruit. The vendor told me that these were the variety "brown sugar". The texture is a little grainy almost pear-like. The taste was very interesting. The best description is like Junket Rennet Custard with a hint of cinnamon. These things are good! Each of the three I tried had a slightly different taste. The second I didn't care for and the third had more of a cinnamon feel and taste than the others. More than any other fruit I have had, this is like a prepared pudding grown on a tree. It really is a dessert fruit and could be served as a sweet ending to any meal.

While at the flea market, we purchased another small sapodilla tree. This one is the variety, "Silas Woods". This tree is naturally dwarfing and only grows to about 12 feet tall. It is unique in that it produces abundant fruit almost year round. This time we are planning ahead and building a protective structure around the tree when we plant it so when winter comes we will be prepared. I'll have additional photos when we get it in the ground.

Insurance or Investment

AIG is giving its executives an additional $165 million in bonuses. $55 million had previously been distributed. Taxpayer money to the tune of $170 billion was used to initially bail them out. The bulk of the money will go to executives in the department that was responsible for the risky contracts that caused the massive losses. AIG lost an additional $61.7 billion in the 4th quarter of last year. WTF! The AIG Chairman, Edward Liddy has told the Treasury Secretary, Timothy Geithner, that, "It could be harmful to the company if the government continued to press for reductions in executive compensation. We cannot attract and retain the best and brightest talent to lead and staff the AIG businesses, which are now being operated principally on behalf of the American taxpayers -- if employees believe their compensation is subject to continued and arbitrary adjustment by the U.S. Treasury." I say the government should make it "harmful to AIG" to hand out additional bonuses. Don't pay the bonuses! Let those who were to receive them sue AIG or the government if they believe they are really owed them. Try to justify losses of this magnitude. I wouldn't mind paying for this lawsuit.

Er

Finally a Presidential appointment that makes sense. President Obama has appointed Margaret Hamburg to lead the Food and Drug Administration.

The Sum Total

If you knew the total you could have changed your day. For instance, yesterday I turned into a plaza and was almost hit by a 90 year old woman who just blew through a stop sign. I went into Publix and picked up a few items and went to the quick checkout line. The customer being helped bagged him own few groceries and was trying to hurry out. He paid in cash and was owed $2 and change. The cashier opened her drawer and had no dollar bills. She shuffled to the managers area and spent the next 10 minutes trying to get ones. Of course she forgot to bring any money over with her, so shuffle to the register, shuffle back, wait in line to be helped again and you get the picture. She gets back with her ones and forgets how much the customer is owed so has to ask him for his receipt which by this time he has crumpled into a little ball in his pocket. He finally gets his $2 and off he goes. The lady in front of me had about 3 items in a small basket and a case of beer. The cashier rings up the items in the basket and only charges her $6.xx. The lady had swipped her card and was just looking dumbfounded. The cashier looks at me standing with my couple of items in back of a green bar separating the beer from my items and says, "This is yours right." I am like NO! So oops, she separately rings up the beer and finally the customer gets to leave. At last my turn. She rings up my items and the total is $13.13.

Mother Nature

This is a quote from someone in frozen (-2) mn. Mother Nature - rainbows don't start my car!

Just For Lent?

A tv story is reporting that the Catholic church is suggesting that parishoners give up electronics for lent. Cell phones, i-pods, blackberries, and all portable distractions. This is to help promote individual thought and contemplation. If you read my blog "News of the Ultimate Outsourcing Or In This Case Insourcing" that I first posted on 12/2/08, you may wonder if the church is looking out for itself instead of its souls.

Did I Get It Wrong?

Much has been written in the paper lately about the Manatee County Commission listening to business. The new strategy of "We Are Listening" is completely geared towards listening to business, streamlining regulations and giving developers a bigger slice of our county. There has only been one purpose to comments made by Rex Jensen (president and chief executive officer of Schroeder Manatee Ranch Inc. in Lakewood Ranch), local developer Pat Neal, and several other developers. They have spoken out solely in order to chastise the Commission, and Joe McClash in particular, as to their uncooperative attitude toward business. Commissioner Larry Bustle is now going on record that he thinks the county regulations are too "overly restrictive." I would ask Mr. Bustle to remember that he was elected by the residents to represent them and not business. His opponent in the last election was removed from office not because she was against development, but because the people in East County perceived her as being pro development. During the election many pieces of undeveloped property had her election signs posted on them. Properties that were orange groves and had been sold to developers had her signs on them. A golf course that had been sold to a developer had her signs on it. Residential properties that had been sold to developers had her signs on them. Properties that were cleared of all vegetation and left abandoned had her signs on them. Properties that were cleared of all vegetation and had a few houses on them had her signs on them. When Mr. Bustle was elected, the voters hoped to elect a commissioner without ties to developers. The developers have not been prohibited from building especially in East County, but have been asked to somewhat restrict their development in terms of density, layout, etc. The people have asked to have a voice regarding what developments in their neighborhoods look like. The restrictions on the developers have had absolutely no effect on the economic downturn of Manatee County. There are many approved developments standing bare except for the paved streets and treeless lots. Giving developers approval for additional developements with few restrictions will not increase the economy of our county.

Taking The Positives From Our Economy

Another company is following in the footsteps of Circuit City. A while ago, the management at CC decided that they could save a lot of money if they laid off their longest term employees because they were the highest paid workers. What a plan! They didn't take into account that those employees were their best salespersons. They actually helped customers, they were familar with product, and worked their butts off. But they did get paid the most, so chop and they were gone. For a while, CC did have more profits, but shortly it became apparent that those left behind couldn't sell anything. And pretty soon, chop down went CC. It all seems so obvious and makes you wonder why management couldn't figure what would happen. I have heard of another company recently who has fired all of their Assistant Managers in all of their stores. They make more than the regular salespersons, but less than a manager. The brilliant idea is to run the store with one manager and a bunch of sales people. We are talking a major chain store and with what should be big sales and lots of stores. These Assistant Managers were offered positions as regular sales people of course. They could do the same work and now receive minimum wage. WTF! Of course they are now collecting unemployment because they earn more doing that than working at minimum wage. The company has to pay more into the unemployment fund because they have laid off so many workers. They never realized that the money could be used to pay those Assistant Managers. And now to why they are going the path of CC - the store (that I am familar with) where the Assistant Managers were laid off hasn't met goal since then. The positive is that maybe all these companies with incompetent management will go out of business and those left behind will be leaner and place more value on their employees.

Bad Boy (Previously Posted)

An article in our local paper was about Mr. X. He was pulled over by the police. He was ticketed for speeding and driving with a suspended license. His license had been suspended more than 20 times. He is 36 years old. Assuming he had been ticketed several times before his license was suspended, how many times has this idiot been pulled over. Why can't something be done about drivers like this. How about forfeiting his car or the person's car that he was driving. Is there nothing that can be done to him to prevent his getting in a car again?

Job Interview For The Elderly (Previously Posted)

I am pretty sure the interviews go like this:
Applicant: I would like a job. I am 65 (or 70), very slow moving but can still walk without a walker. I like talking to people and have lots of long stories to tell. Some consider my storytelling to be soporific and quite the benefit. I am not quite as sharp as I used to be. I have a little trouble remembering numbering. For instance 62, 63, 64... Oh, in 1965 I was still living in - oops sorry. I am quite fastidious. For example, if I am wrapping something, I make sure all the corners are exactly even and each fold perfectly smooth. If not, I start all over again and do it right. I even block out all sounds and voices to make sure I am doing my task correctly. I remember once I didn't even hear a fire siren when I had - oops sorry. I would like to apply for any job you have available for me. Thanks for your consideration. I am telling you those young people have no consideration these days. Last week I was driving down - oops sorry.
Employer: Thank you for coming. You are now employed in the deli department of Publix.

Too Easy (Previously Posted)

Our local paper is just making my amusement almost too easy. "119 pigs auctioned off at fair swine sale." Good thing they weren't auctioned off at the sheep sale. It took me a while to get this one. "House shot up overnight." I was thinking mushrooms and fungus or at the very least Habitat for Humanity. I finally realized bullets were involved. The victims were unable to provide information about the shooter or shooters to the police, but I am thinking they should have asked the house. It was a bad day to be a house in Manatee County. "Women vie for Strawberry queen." Don't really know why strawberry has a capital S, but I didn't make a mistake. I think they may be competing for the strawberry queen title though and not for the previous title holder. And I saved the best for last. "Iguanas fall from trees." Seems our cold spell puts the reptiles into hibernation and they loose their grip on trees and fall to the ground. I just have this image of a bunch of iguanas spread eagle all over the forest! It is good to start your day with a smile.

Baby, It's Cold Outside (Previously Posted)

As happens every so often here in Florida, cold weather slips in and plant protection becomes imperative. I have some small and two large mangos that are full of bloom and forming little green mangos that are especially cold sensitive. A couple of Jakfruit trees also require protection. Usually we just throw old blankets over them and hope for the best. Having grown more attached to these trees, we decided to design better protection for them. We designed a structure made of pvc piping that we had on hand. Our intention is to use these in future years on other cold sensitive plants as the protected ones grow. Four long pipes were buried in the ground about 1 foot deep. A top was constructed using pipe, elbows and tees. See photos 1 and 2. This has worked great and has proved to be extremely sturdy and durable. The plant we are protecting here is an alano sapodilla. This young plants are very tender and moderately expensive to replace. We also have a 250 watt flood light in the enclosure. The Haden mango and the jakfruit are pretty large trees and we needed much longer pvc piping than we had at home. After checking the price of pvc at our local Lowes and Home Depot, it became apparent we had to find another option. We also grow giant bamboo so we cut stalks to use as poles. See Photo 3. We made the top the same as the sapodilla enclosure with the pvc piping. The large bamboo poles were sunk 16 to 18 inches in the ground using a post hole digger. The poles were planted leaning in so that they were stressed to lean out when the top was applied. The top is not permanently attached to the bamboo poles. The Haden mango is 10 - 12 feet high. We will trim it every year to maintain this height. See Photo 4. If it grows much larger, we won't be able to cover it and fruit 20 feet in the air doesn't do us much good. The jakfruit is a seedling and is about 8 feet tall. See Photo 5. We will maintain it at the same height as the Haden mango.

One Way Or Another (Previously Posted)

Tainted milk, lead paint on toys and now drywall from China. Who said anything about military might. A much better way to conquer a foe seems to involve an exchange of money. We send China money and they send us products that either kill, maim or require large expenditures of money to protect ourselves from them. Our consignment stores will no longer be allowed to sell used toys because they aren't able to afford to test each toy to declare them lead free. Consumers will have to pay top dollar for new toys that have been tested by a larger government regulatory agency. I don't know why I haven't heard about this story on the national news, but in our local community homeowners have had to move out of their homes because of a putrid odor and failed metal devices. It seems the cause of both of these is drywall from China. The sulfur compounds in the drywall cause copper piping to turn black and also to erode metal. Air conditioning units fail, parts (evaporator coils for example) are replaced, fail again, are replaced and fail again. Electrical wiring is also subject to this extreme failure. No one knows the long term health effects from the stench and the resulting respiratory distress. I guess sooner or later many government agencies are going to be involved in analyzing and describing all the effects of the drywall. Who knows what the cost of that will be. I suggest that we purchase all the drywall that China can produce and build houses in Iraq. At least then there will be weapons of mass destruction there.

The first sentence of an article in our local paper is "It's been a bad week to be a tractor in Manatee County." For real! I don't know anyone who has ever been a tractor.

I Promise I'll Be Good! (Previously Posted)

US District Judge Droney called Ronald Ferguson's "case a tragedy, especially for Ronald Ferguson." "We will never know why such a good man did such a bad thing." He had just been convicted of stealing more than $500,000,000. Maybe the judge just missed the point of the trial. He did order him to jail for 2 years and to pay back $200,000. That should teach him a lesson and all those others who would swindle innocent investors.

Sauerkraut Anyone? (Previously Posted)

Our local paper reported that Matthew Ruben was arrested for throwing a sandwich at his girlfriend. Wonder what kind?

Darwin Proved Wrong In Parrish, Florida (Previously Posted)

This actually happened in my community. Victim asked suspect if victim could sleep in car while parked at a residence. Victim goes to sleep. Suspect wakes victim up, demands money and states he has gun but did not show it. Victim ignores suspect. Suspect goes to trunk grabs shovel, strikes victim. Victim runs away. I am not sure who is to be pitied more - victim, suspect, or reporter who wrote this stupid article. I mean if you are going to detail a crime at least tell me whose car it was, whose residence, how long did the victim sleep and why if someone wakes you up and says he has a gun and wants money and then leaves and goes to the trunk, pulls out his keys and opens the trunk haven't you run away!

And Back To The Rare Fruit Growing (Previously Posted)

In the paper today was an article about oranges that I am sure my many readers are glad will bring me back to the purpose of my blog and that is talking about growing rare fruit. Many interesting orange (the fruit, not the color) facts were included in the article. It takes 47 citrus leaves to grow an orange. The life span of an average leaf is 2.5 years. If the leaves are too small to offer much help in growing they are "mouse ears". An orange tree that has few leaves is one that you can throw a cat through.
This is orange season here in Florida and I have many different varieties growing - hamlin orange, rhone red valencia orange, blood orange, semi-sweet orange, lee tangerine, orlando tangelo, dancy tangerine, ponkin tangerine, honey murcott tangerine, robinson tangerine, clementine, 2 unknown, 1 dead pineapple orange, a naval orange patio tree, and my favorite the page orange. The page is a cross between the minneola tangelo and the clementine mandarin. It was released in October of 1963. It is at its prime in November and should be easily pealed. Mine is perfect in mid-December this year. It has never been easy to peal. The skin holds tight to the fruit and by the time it is pealed you are a juicy mess. I prefer eating them right by the tree so I can leave my mess there. The page is only recommended for small plantings. The fruit can be small (see the tennis ball photo) and the quality is dependent on soil conditions. It is not recommended for planting in Texas or California.
Citrus can take a good amount of cold weather. Blood oranges need the cold to show their blood red color. The deadly threshold for citrus is a mark below 28 degrees for 4 or more hours. Growers have done away with smudge pots and fires for the most part in protecting their orchards. They spray a fine mist of water from a micro-jet at the base of the tree. The relatively warmer water gives just enough heat to create a bubble of safety.
The page orange is very sweet and extremely juicy. Its small size is just right for a quick snack. It has no seeds.

The Cost Of Free Trade (Previously Posted)

Apparently the cost of "free" trade is more than $430,000. This is the amount that Charlie Crist (the gov. of Florida) and his entourage spent on a 12 day trade mission to Europe. The good? thing is that the governors expenses were covered by the business executives that were also on the trip. Some of the executives were real estate agents, aviation industry execs, lawyers, lobbyists and some execs representing the sugar industry who are involved in negotiations to sell land to the state for $1.75 billion. Expenses included a London hotel suite for more than $2100 a night, a Paris suite at $1,385 a night, first class air travel at $8000 for a round trip, room service and minibar tabs of more than $1300, an upgraded ticket from $193 to $457 on a train so he could check in faster and wait in an executive lounge and $320 on fans to keep him cool while giving speeches. There were 65 executives on the trip, so each one paid $461.68 for Crist's expenses of $30,000. Crist's fiance and her sister went on the trip also and I don't know if their expenses are included in the $30,000 or if they were considered executives and therefore split his cost. Taxpayers did pay for more than 24 people to accompany Crist. These included a photographer, a spokeswoman, 4 aides, 2 agency heads and 9 bodyguards. Those who have travelled in foreign lands know that there are no police or private security agencies in those lands. More than 1/3 of the taxpayer expenses was spent by the bodyguards. Crist defended the trip by saying, "I think it's important to promote free trade."

Ride 'Em Cowboy (Previously Posted)

I saw the world's best bumper sticker on a truck at the Tractor Supply store yesterday. "A cowgirl wants more than an 8 second ride"

Well, Blow Me Over (Previously Posted)

The insurance industry in Florida has decided that trees are the ultimate enemy and must immediately be abolished. Many homeowners were informed that if they did not immediately cut down all the trees surrounding their homes, their insurance would be cancelled. Seems that the threat of hurricane damage from trees outweighed the environmental and ascetic benefits of trees. In some perverse way you could almost understand their thinking. Of course, if you ordered all your policyholders' trees to be destroyed, you probably had pretty good research to support your stand.
At the last day of the national hurricane conference at Disney World, Peter Vickery (one of the nation's leading engineers) said that "big trees around homes buffer the structure against the vicious winds of hurricanes and tropical storms. Sturdy trees can reduce the wind load on adjacent buildings by as much as 40%, which can mean the difference between massive structural damage and little or no damage. Overall, the reduction in wind load greatly outweighs the risk of trees falling on the house."
In addition to and totally separate from the tree issue, the Institute for Business and Home Safety is planning to open its own "lab for high quality research" to check the validity of product claims and perform studies beneficial to homeowners and policymakers. For example, "You can throw a coconut at the window at 90 miles per hour and it won't go through it. The problem is some manufacturers make claims but consumers may not always get the protection they deserve or expect." This lab will be financed by the insurance and re-insurance industry to avoid competing for limited funds currently going to university research.
The landscape business here in Fl. is in dire need of help with the halt to home construction. If the insurance industry were to finance the replanting of those trees they destroyed, their policy holders would benefit from the obvious less severe hurricane damage. The homeowners would pay less in electric bills to cool their homes and would have additional income to stimulate the economy. Businesses dealing in growing and planting trees could rehire their workers. Those workers would have income to stimulate the economy. It could just go on and on. At the very least, the insurance industry could donate their funds to university research. Maybe then impartial research could be conducted and schools wouldn't have to lay off professors. Students could be educated. They would then become productive members of the work force and just maybe they wouldn't come up with some hair brained scheme to cut down every tree within a half mile of your house.

News Of the Ultimate Outsourcing Or In This Case "Insourcing" (Previously Posted)

It was bad enough when I called Circuit City about something I was trying to order online and I couldn't understand the woman from India. My item's part number was a long series of letters and numbers. It took so long getting her to understand my accent that I almost forgot what I wanted to order. Which turned out to be a good thing because they didn't have it on the web or in the stores anyway. I really didn't feel bad though, I only wanted a battery backup for my computer. I didn't want my soul saved or last rites. Unlike the Roman Catholic convents in Italy who are so short of nuns that they have to bring poor immigrant women from Africa and India to become nuns. According to the Sister Superior, there is a language problem and the new nuns can't understand the parishioners and the parishioners don't understand the nuns. It seems that Italians are having less children (one of the lowest birth rates in Europe) and don't have any spares to send to the church. Also, "The young in Italy have tv. They have cell phones. They have these laptops they carry around." "When you are going to discos, how can you expect to hear the word of God? You need silence to hear God." Maybe when the "young" have to replace their electronics should call Circuit City. That should solve all the problems in Italy!

Naked In The Shower News (Previously Posted)

This really happened in Palmetto according to our paper. The police arrested a man (SHJ) after the landlord let them into the house where they both lived. The police observed SHJ standing naked in the bathroom. Reports state he had been in the shower. SHJ told the police to leave the home and then went back into the shower. He refused police requests to get out of the shower but when he finally did they handcuffed and arrested him. He then refused to put his pants on. The police placed him in a patrol car and transported him to jail. I guess my question is does he have his pants on yet? Who had to clean the patrol car? Would he have been arrested if he had clothes on in the shower? Was there so little news this day that they had to fill 2 columns with this story and not just say that SHJ was arrested after a disturbance at his residence?

Headline in the News (Previously Posted)

Headline from the local paper, "Decaying lighthouses seen as treasures". Should we repair them? Will they still be treasures? Oh the questions!

More News From The Web News (Previously Posted)

Floodlights that once illuminated school parking lots in Manatee County will now be switched off between 11 p.m. and 5 a.m. The district expects to save about $43,000.
"The lights were left on for security so you would see someone trying to break in on campus," said Tim McGonegal, who will take over as superintendent in January. "The new thought is to have the light off. If there’s an intruder on campus, they’ll have to have a flashlight and they’ll be seen."

More Views from the News (previously posted)

You just have to wonder. An article in today's paper says that dropout rates are spiking and graduation rates are rising in Manatee County. The graduation rate went up up .6%. and the dropout rate went up 3.1%. After explanations about each one, not once in the article did it connect the two. I mean really, if all the borderline students dropped out wouldn't the graduation rate of those left in school rise? I mean Duhhhhhh

What a World (Previously Posted)

Reading the paper this morning I see that the school board has to slash an additional $6.3 million. This means replacing qualified teachers with long term substitutes (MOST of which have 4 year degrees - in SOME subject). Eliminating guidance counselors (at middle and high schools) and keeping school resource officers (cops) at the elementary schools. According to one of the board members, the long term subs are a good idea because they hesitate to take a day off because they don't get paid and the impact isn't as "greatly as it would be if no one is there." And from the pervious days paper, a parent is upset about the subs because, "Kids get upset about it. They need consistency in their lives. With the divorce rate so big, at least they know they are secure with their teachers." It just might take more than a new President to save this country.
A ruling by the Interdistrict Authority Board in Lakewood Ranch requires that all clubs that meet at the Town Hall have 70% of their members live in Lakewood ranch. NO EXCEPTIONS! This means that a club that makes greeting cards for US troups around the world has to pay $115 per use. Four of the nine members live in a missionary village not in Lakewood Ranch. It just might take more than a new President to save this country.