The Way I See ItBy cj pollickClearwater Firefighters Ask People To Not Visit - Clearwater Firefighters are not happy with the way things are being done at Clearwater City Hall. In fact, they have sent messages asking people to not visit Clearwater due to the manner in which they handle local Clearwater firefighters. Impact of the message from Clearwater Firefighters to potential visitors? Time will tell, but suffice to say that the message is quite negative. A Lawyer’s Dream? - Several Belleair residents sued the city claiming, among other things, that the city did not follow proper rules and procedures when voting to approve the Belleview Biltmore's re-development plans (variances.) How the lawsuit may end-up could be interesting. The lawsuit is between the plaintiffs and the City of Belleair. Experienced city-law attorney Alan Zimmit is representing the plaintiffs in the case and, an attorney to be announced will likely handle the necessary legal defense for Belleair. How the owners of the Belleview Biltmore will react to the lawsuit against the Town of Belleair involving their project is not known, but clearly they must be wondering if the money they have and are spending since the official city approval is now "clouded." Would the owners of the Biltmore have legal recourse against Belleair for any financial losses if they were forced to alter plans if the Town of Belleair loses the lawsuit made by the plaintiffs? Would a new city vote regarding the Biltmore project change the outcome of the same city commission if the manner in which city debate and formulation of projected project information was different? It appears that each side of the legal matter will have quality legal representation. Airlines Make A Mistake, No Problem -- You Make a Mistake, You Must Pay - There was a time, which seems like a lifetime ago, when the airline industry tried to make an airline trip easy, fun and comfortable. Yes, real food was served with drinks and snacks. My how times have changed. Today, the airline industry is fraught with hassles. No fun, no food, no comfort and increased fees. For example, if you wish to change a ticket, you must pay a $50 fee to make such a change and pay a penalty fee if you decide to later use the old ticket. In some cases, it is best to lose the value of the old ticket and just buy a new ticket -- it is insane. But, if the airline has cancellation problems with a connection, they simply send you to somewhere where you catch another connection and perhaps return to your destination 12 hours later, or worse. In fact, they might just let you sit on the runway for several hours or so which causes you to miss your connection and re-route you in whatever manner works. Time, of course, is not an issue. The airlines, on the other hand, receive no penalty for such problems, only you have the penalty. Come fly with me? Those days are long gone. Service--food--comfortable seating--all gone. The new airline motto seems to be: Pack 'em in and push them out. Better yet, charge fees for anything you can and encourage travelers to buy tickets online where they can make their travel plans without airline input (or risk.) Why has high-speed rail increased in popularity the past few years? Cheaper, better service, fewer hassles and more fun if time is not an issue. Amtrack alone has reported an increase of 15 percent in ticket sales the past year. Come fly with me? Imagine the business traveler who might soon pay higher airline travel fees if he does not have at least a two-day stay on the business trip? And luggage? Hmmm, that could be an extra $25 per bag. Iowa 500-Year Flood - Someone sent an interesting message which compared Katrina to the recent Iowa 500-Year Flood. As many readers know, Iowa has experienced terrible flooding due to unrelenting, torrential rains. The online message asked: Where is the national media when comparing the water destruction in Iowa to Louisiana? Where is FEMA in Iowa with all the extra trailers and supplies, like in New Orleans? Where are the people that believe the government blew-up the levees in Des Moines, Iowa, just to cause damage? Does President Bush dislike white, rural people in Iowa? Where are the Dixie Chicks and Sean Penn? Where are all the looters? Where is the outrage? Makes you wonder, doesn't it? The folks in Iowa need help and should receive the same national attention as when Katrina hit New Orleans. Bank Foreclosures - According to one expert, the real estate market has not hit bottom in many places across America. Bank foreclosures have continued to increase in California where recent articles have been written to encourage people who had been kicked-out of their homes to "not trash the place before leaving." Imagine the frustration of those people forced out of their homes where the only payback to a non-negotiable bank is to "trash the place." Of course, this fact is not just in California but also in Michigan, Nevada, new Mexico, Florida, etc., etc. At Indian Harbour, Florida, there is a report that one citizen said, "Lots of homes have been abandoned (in the neighborhood.) In Lyon, Michigan, a concerned person added, " I live next door to empty houses." In Arizona a person lamented, "My neighborhood is now full of renters." In many of those communities there is a rise in vandalism, squatting and other crime. Not a good picture for banks that would like to re-sell the repossessed property for the cost of the outstanding loan value. How many banks might go bust due to this mortgage default mess? The numbers of bank failures are climbing, according to new national statistics. Gator Attack - There was another alligator attack in Florida last week. An 18-year-old was attacked by a 11-1/2 foot alligator while swimming in a local canal. The teenager fought for his life and poked the large gator in the eye until released. However, the gator took his left arm in the process and swam away. Another gator attack on a person in Florida where death could have occurred and the state government continues to close its eyes to the mounting alligator problem. How long will political leaders in Tallahassee continue to ignore this serious problem? Amazing. Couldn't Read Or Write Music - When we hear the music and songs to White Christmas, Easter Parade, Miss Liberty, Annie Get Your Gun, and about another 1,500 songs, we are reminded of the incredible musical talent of Irving Berlin (Isidor Baline.) Berlin was born in Russia, but moved to New York at age eight in 1893. His family was poor so he sold newspapers and became a street singer always interested in writing his own songs (even though he could not read or write music.) His first claim to music fame came in 1911 when he wrote Alexander's Ragtime Band. Self-taught in most every area of the music industry, Berlin started his own music company and wrote songs/music for the highly acclaimed Ziegfield Follies. Irving Berlin, America's most famous music writer died in 1989 with over 1,500 songs to his credit. Another of Berlin's popular songs was/is God Bless America, written after World War II. |