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.