tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-52964695947367665092024-02-21T04:55:45.131-05:00The Edward Ringwald BlogEdward Ringwaldhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15301702738961853866noreply@blogger.comBlogger128125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5296469594736766509.post-39653579432911970292020-10-13T19:30:00.001-04:002020-10-13T19:30:39.491-04:00We're Back on Blogger!<p> </p><p>Hi everyone!</p><p>I know, it's been a while since I posted. However, I tried a newer approach to blogging, and that is through WordPress. While WordPress is so robust with so many features, it got a little too technical to help with upkeep of the Edward Ringwald Blog. Granted, I don't have anything against WordPress but I think it could be a little more user friendly when it comes to blog administration.</p><p>Luckily, my legacy blog still exists here at Blogger, and it still is! Besides, when you are blogging at Blogger you got the power of Google behind you and Blogger is more easy and versatile to use. So, I made the decision to transition the Edward Ringwald Blog from WordPress (which was hosted on EdwardRingwald.com servers) back to Blogger (hosted on Google servers). With that in mind, we are back on Blogger!</p><p>Just a quick reminder on commenting on my posts:</p><p>All comments are moderated! When you click on comment, there is a slight delay so that I can review your comment before it is allowed to be part of the blog entry.</p><p>You also might want to take the time to review the <a href="http://www.edwardringwaldwebsites.com/pdf/BlogGuidelines.pdf" target="_blank">Community Guidelines</a>, which you can also find as a link at the Edward Ringwald Web Portal.</p><p>Additionally, as of today (13 October 2020, the day this post was written) with the retransition of the Edward Ringwald Blog back to Blogger, I am removing the requirement that you need a Facebook account to comment. Commenting is open to everyone, but as I mentioned earlier all comments are moderated for review before they are allowed to be posted. Anonymous comments will receive more scrutiny before these comments are allowed to be posted.</p><p>So, stay tuned! We're back on Blogger, and I will try to get more timely topics in the weeks to come. Thank you for your support!<br /></p>Edward Ringwaldhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15301702738961853866noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5296469594736766509.post-39108314726396918172018-01-17T20:59:00.000-05:002018-01-17T20:59:08.981-05:00The Edward Ringwald Websites has a new hosting home!<div style="text-align: justify;">
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The Edward Ringwald websites has just recently moved into a new hosting home! I have been with our current web hosting provider for a few years; however, my current web hosting provider was recently acquired and the costs to keep the websites on my current web hosting provider keep going up. And up. And still up every year. An important point when you are watching your finances.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">So, I had to go shopping for a new web hosting provider and I managed to find one. After evaluating a few web hosting providers I settled on InMotion Web Hosting after reading the positive reviews it received on cNet. I visited InMotion's web site and went through a demonstration of the web hosting products and services InMotion has to offer. I was very impressed with the features you get for the level of web hosting you want.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">That said, I signed up with InMotion. Another great feature of InMotion is their website transfer service in which their support team will move your website from your current hosting provider to InMotion; I took advantage of this valuable service as soon as I signed up for hosting and they did an awesome job in moving the files that keep the Edward Ringwald Websites running!</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Now all that remains for me is to go in and update the settings in the domain names that will transition from my current hosting provider to InMotion. As with the joys of the Internet, this involves DNS (which stands for Domain Name System) changes which take about 24 to 48 hours to propagate around the world as each DNS server is updated with the new information.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">So, did I confuse you a little about DNS? Well, it's time for a Great American Teach-In Moment!</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The DNS system delegates the responsibility of assigning domain names and mapping them to Internet resources, according to this <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Domain_Name_System" target="_blank">article</a> on Wikipedia. In layman's terms, when you type in edwardringwald.com (as an example) in your browser's address bar and press enter, your request is passed on to the DNS server of your Internet provider. The DNS server looks up the edwardringwald.com domain name and finds its unique IP (Internet Protocol) address assigned to it. Once that IP address is found your browser sends the request to the IP address assigned to edwardringwald.com and the web server sends you the edwardringwald.com home page. In short, DNS is like an electronic phone book of domains and their IP addresses.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">When a change has to be made to the domain name's DNS information, the web site owner makes the changes with the provider who maintains the domain name. Once the changes are submitted due to so many DNS servers around the world the changes take about 24 to 48 hours to take place.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">All that remains is for me to change the DNS information for the web site domains - edwardringwald.com, interstate275florida.com, drawbridgeahead.com and our web site portal, edwardringwaldwebsites.com - to point to our new web hosting home. In other words, when you type edwardringwald.com after the DNS is updated you will be taken to the same edwardringwald.com web site you know and see today, the only difference is that we are at a new web hosting home. That will take place in the next couple of days and during the time of DNS propagation you might get some 404 error pages as we make the transition to our new web hosting home.</span></span></div>
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Edward Ringwaldhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15301702738961853866noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5296469594736766509.post-43793097723238182772017-11-22T14:33:00.000-05:002017-11-22T14:33:49.244-05:00Christmas Holiday Season 2017 On The Train!<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">With another successful Great American Teach-In behind us and the Thanksgiving holidays fast approaching, the Christmas holiday season is upon us! Just recently I gave my annual presentation on web design to students throughout the school day over at Thurgood Marshall Fundamental Middle School in St. Petersburg, which was very well received by both students and teachers!</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Haven't you been by the website portal for the websites of the Edward Ringwald Websites Network lately? I recently did a major overhaul of the website portal and gave the page design and layout a more uniform look all across my websites. If you haven't checked it out lately, head on over to my websites portal at <a href="http://www.edwardringwaldwebsites.com/">EdwardRingwaldWebsites.com</a> - it provides convenient access to the three websites of the Edward Ringwald Websites Network, which are Interstate275Florida.com, DrawBridgeAhead.com and of course EdwardRingwald.com!</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">OK. Let's change gears a little bit and set the mood for the 2017 Christmas holiday season, which traditionally begins the Day After Thanksgiving. A lot of you out there will partake in Black Friday and the shopping crowds, but more than likely you may incorporate a themed train ride at one of Florida's two official state railroad museums, the Florida Railroad Museum in Parrish as well as the Gold Coast Railroad Museum in Miami as part of your Christmas holiday season activities.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">First, the <a href="http://www.frrm.org/" target="_blank">Florida Railroad Museum</a> will be kicking off its North Pole Express event beginning Thursday, 30 November 2017 and on these dates in December 2017: 1 to 3 December 2017, 7 to 10 December 2017 and 14 to 18 December 2017, which are on Thursdays, Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays (with the final run on Monday, 18 December 2017). <i>North Pole Express sells out rather quickly once tickets go on sale on Labor Day in September; a check of the Florida Railroad Museum website is advised for remaining ticket availability.</i></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Second, the <a href="http://www.gcrm.org/" target="_blank">Gold Coast Railroad Museum</a> will be kicking off its Polar Express event beginning Friday, 24 November 2017 as well as the remainder of Thanksgiving weekend, Saturday, 25 November 2017 and Sunday, 26 November 2017. The Polar Express will also be held on these dates in December 2017: 1-3 December 2017, 8-10 December 2017 and 15-24 December 2017 (the final run is on Sunday, 24 December 2017 which is Christmas Eve). <i>Some dates for The Polar Express at the Gold Coast Railroad Museum are already sold out; you can check ticket availability for the remaining dates over at the Gold Coast Railroad Museum website.</i></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">As with any train themed Christmas event, arrival at either venue at least 30 minutes to an hour prior to train departure is highly recommended. This will give you time to park, pick up your tickets and be in line for boarding. In addition, hotel accommodations are a plus especially if you are traveling a considerable distance to either Miami or Parrish as the events take place in the evening hours.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The Florida Railroad Museum is located in Parrish just off of US 301 at 12210 83 St E and is 35 miles south of Tampa as well as 25 miles north of Sarasota on Interstate 75. Easy access to the Florida Railroad Museum via Interstate 75's Exit 229, also known as Moccasin Wallow Road. From Interstate 75 follow Moccasin Wallow Road east for about five miles to US 301, then south on US 301 for 1/4 mile to the museum entrance.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The Gold Coast Railroad Museum is located in Miami on the grounds of Zoo Miami at 12450 SW 152nd Street, which is a mile and a half west of the Florida Turnpike at Exit 16. It's easy to get to from anywhere in South Florida as well as the Florida Keys and from the Tampa Bay region it's a 4.5 hour drive via Interstate 75 and the Alligator Alley to the Florida Turnpike exit at Exit 5; south on the Florida Turnpike to Exit 16 and SW 152nd Street and you'll be there in no time.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">You ought to go on a Christmas themed train ride at one or (if you can) both railroad museums. Believe me, a Christmas themed train ride will be a memorable Christmas holiday season for you and your family.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><i>ALL ABOARD!!!</i></span></span></div>
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Edward Ringwaldhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15301702738961853866noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5296469594736766509.post-1047491863470300232016-04-11T14:10:00.001-04:002016-04-11T14:10:09.563-04:00A minor update and is our Federal Government fueling Eating Disorders?<div style="text-align: justify;">
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">We're a few months into 2016, and I know, I haven't posted in a while. I have been busy a lot trying to balance the load between my full time job and my weekends at the railroad museum. In my spare time I have been tweaking EdwardRingwald.com little by little trying out some new features.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">If you haven't noticed, I made a slight change to the blog picture that you see to the left and also made it into an icon as you can see in the title bar of your browser. How do you make this icon? It's time for a web design Great American Teach-In moment!</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">First, you take an image and resize it to a small image file, usually 100 x 100. You can use any image editor including Microsoft Picture Manager (which comes with the Office suite) to resize the image. Save the image file as a .jpg file.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">But you are not done yet! There is one more step!</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">You have to convert the resized image into an icon file. There are plenty of websites out there that will convert an image file into an icon for you, and I highly recommend the <a href="http://www.favicon-generator.org/" rel="nofollow">Favicon and App Icon Generator at Dan's Tools</a>. The site is easy to use, but make sure you deselect the check mark for including your favicon in the public gallery before you click on create favicon. The resulting file will be a favicon.ico file (the .ico extension tells Windows that it is an icon file).</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Simply upload the favicon.ico file to your web server, add the HTML (link rel="shortcut icon" href="(location of your favicon file)") for the favicon in your HTML header area on your web page, and you're all set!</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">With the minor updates aside, let's change gears here and discuss a subject that I haven't got around to in a while. Lately, if you go to your favorite restaurant you have more than likely seen something new on the menu: Calorie counts.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">You can thank the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Patient_Protection_and_Affordable_Care_Act" rel="nofollow">2010 Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act</a>, the same law that gave us Obamacare. A part of the law <a href="http://www.fda.gov/NewsEvents/Newsroom/PressAnnouncements/ucm423952.htm" rel="nofollow">requires</a> that chain restaurants post calorie counts in their menus, all in the name of encouraging Americans to live healthier lifestyles. To me, I think these calorie counts posted prominently on printed menus and menu boards have the potential to scare people away, especially people who are fighting a battle with eating disorders such as Anorexia Nervosa.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Is our Federal Government requiring restaurants to post calorie counts on the menus fueling people with eating disorders? This article I found at <a href="http://reason.com/archives/2014/12/13/calorie-counts-may-be-hazardous-to-your" rel="nofollow">reason.com</a> on the Federal Government's mandatory calorie counts being hazardous to your health tells it all.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">According to the article, twenty million women as well as ten million men (as of 2011) struggle with one form of eating disorder or another, including Anorexia Nervosa. An eating disorder is a serious condition, both physically and mentally, in which a person avoids eating food for fear of weight gain. The road to recovery for someone with an eating disorder is a long road to recovery requiring the help of a psychiatrist, clinical psychologist as well as a counselor specializing in eating disorders. Most people with eating disorders are helped on an outpatient basis but a good number (especially the more severe cases) require some form of inpatient treatment, usually at a treatment facility specializing in eating disorders.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">A person who is recovering from an eating disorder is usually taught to stop counting calories and stop weighing oneself as a part of therapy, according to the reason.com article. Unfortunately, when a person in recovery from an eating disorder walks into a restaurant for a get together with friends and/or family, once the calorie counts are seen on the menu that person could potentially face an anxiety attack, worried about weight gain and appearance. <i>Is this what our Federal Government is doing to scare away people with eating disorders from restaurants?</i></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">My opinion is this: Calorie counts have no place on a restaurant's printed menu or on a menu board. However, restaurants can make nutritional information including calorie counts available to the customer upon request, as is present practice. But don't post calorie counts to scare away customers!</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Clearly, this is one part of the 2010 Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act that should be repealed. Our Federal Government should not be in the nanny business scaring people with calorie counts prominently posted.</span></span><br />
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Edward Ringwaldhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15301702738961853866noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5296469594736766509.post-73285721864265334112015-05-24T09:33:00.000-04:002015-05-24T09:33:29.062-04:00Memorial Day 2015<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">As Memorial Day 2015 approaches, it is the start of the summer season! School will be just wrapping up for the 2014-15 school year and the countless high school graduations, not to mention those summer road trips.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">But there's the real meaning of Memorial Day, which is celebrated on the last Monday of May. It is a time to remember our men and women of the United States Armed Forces who have given the supreme sacrifice to keep our nation - as well as our cherished freedoms that we Americans take for granted - safe.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">And while we're on that same subject, let's not forget our veterans who have somehow succumbed to the restrictive confines of <a href="http://www.edwardringwald.com/guardianshipFla.html">guardianship</a> thanks to Chapter 744 of the Florida Statutes. All it takes is the allegations of a concerned adult, especially a social worker, to begin a process which destroys a veteran's dignity, respect and well being.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">To our veterans out there observing Memorial Day, we salute you!</span></div>
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Edward Ringwaldhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15301702738961853866noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5296469594736766509.post-24814624816587472692015-03-28T17:49:00.000-04:002015-03-28T17:49:42.793-04:00Has Zephyrhills High School become a correctional institution? Or a mini-North Korea?<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Previously I have covered numerous topics regarding school principals who trump parental rights with all the power at their disposal, the most noteworthy being Virgil Mills Elementary School and their <a href="http://blog.edwardringwald.com/2011/10/your-parental-rights-are-under-attack.html">anti-parental rights policy</a> which can turn parents into criminals by the mere issuance of a trespass warning. Now our public schools are getting much more like a closed neverworld akin to a correctional facility or even a mini-North Korea.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Of recently, high school principals are pushing all their power over their students to a new level. A great example can be found at <a href="http://zhs.pasco.k12.fl.us/">Zephyrhills High School</a> in Zephyrhills, which is 20 miles northeast of Tampa. On the edict of Zephyrhills High School's principal, Andrew Frelick, he has ordered that all students needing to use the restroom be under a strict staff escort at all times, according to <a href="http://www.baynews9.com/content/news/baynews9/news/article.html/content/news/articles/bn9/2015/3/25/zephyrhills_high_stu.html">Bay News 9</a> and <a href="http://www.wtsp.com/story/news/local/2015/03/24/zephyrhills-bathroom-policy-irks-students/70411250/">WTSP 10 News</a>.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">What? Bathroom escort at all times? Has Zephyrhills High School become a state correctional facility? Or, better yet, has Zephyrhills High School seceded from the United States? To me, this is absurd.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Unfortunately, principal Andrew Frelick's edict turned the entire Zephyrhills High School student body of 1,500 into state correctional institution inmates. Let's make that better: Principal Andrew Frelick decided to let Zephyrhills High School secede from the United States and become a territory of the repressive Democratic People's Republic of Korea, which we also know as North Korea. I would be sure that North Korea's leader, Kim Jong-un, would like administering an American high school from Pyongyang.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">After all, if you happen to travel to <a href="http://travel.state.gov/content/passports/english/country/korea-north.html">North Korea</a> - which the U.S. State Department considers non-routine for American citizens - you will be under escort at all times by your tour guide who is an agent of the North Korean government from the time you step off the plane at Pyongyang and your passport and visa are checked to the time you get back on the plane to head to Beijing to catch your return flight home. While you are in North Korea, the threat of detention (not the detention you see in an American public school for minor transgressions of school rules) and imprisonment looms over your head at all times, even if you have the proper paperwork to enter North Korea.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Besides, having to be escorted to the restroom at Zephyrhills High School - or anywhere else on campus - is demeaning to students. That's like treating students like state prison inmates, only without the handcuffs and leg irons that are applied by the correctional officers prior to moving a prisoner from a cell.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Perhaps Dr. Kurt Browning, the Pasco County Superintendent of Schools, needs to overrule principal Andrew Frelick's authority and do away with this draconian treatment of students who need to use the restroom. If a school principal is concerned about abuse of restroom privileges, there are other ways to address the issue.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><i>After all, Dr. Browning, as superintendent of schools for Pasco County, is the head principal in charge.</i></span> </div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Parents of students in Zephyrhills High School, you have a voice. Voice your displeasure to Zephyrhills High School principal Andrew Frelick. Voice your displeasure to Pasco County Schools Superintendent Dr. Kurt Browning as well as to the Pasco County School Board in Land o' Lakes.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Believe me, if I had any children attending Zephyrhills High School, they would be immediately pulled out of that school and either sent to private school or homeschool. Students are people, <i><b>not prison inmates nor North Korean citizens.</b></i></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Besides, Dr. Browning needs to replace
Andrew Frelick as principal of Zephyrhills High School with another
principal that cares not only about students but their parents as well.
By enacting this draconian bathroom escort policy and treating students
like prison inmates or North Korean citizens, Principal Andrew Frelick
does not care one bit about his students.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">That's my opinion. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>NOTE: Comments for this blog entry are closed.</i></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><i> </i></span></span></div>
Edward Ringwaldhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15301702738961853866noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5296469594736766509.post-65323695437744930652015-02-28T21:08:00.000-05:002015-02-28T21:08:29.115-05:00Day Out With Thomas 2015<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">I know, I've been busy with a lot of things but I try to keep the Edward Ringwald Blog as fresh as possible with new content. But we got a friendly tank engine that you may know which is just around the corner. </span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">If you guessed Day Out With Thomas, you are right! Day Out With Thomas 2015 is just around the corner at both the Gold Coast Railroad Museum in Miami as well as the Florida Railroad Museum in Parrish!</span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Here are the dates for Day Out With Thomas 2015 in March at the two railroad museums:</span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><a href="http://www.gcrm.org/">Gold Coast Railroad Museum</a>: 7 and 8 March 2015 as well as 14 and 15 March 2015. Admission is $20.00.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><a href="http://www.frrm.org/">Florida Railroad Museum</a>: 14 and 15 March 2015 as well as 21 and 22 March 2015. Admission is $19.00.</span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Advance purchase of tickets for Day Out With Thomas is highly recommended. That way, you can purchase your tickets online and on the day of the event, just head on over to the Will Call window and pick up your tickets. I agree, you and your family will have plenty of Thomas fun!</span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">To purchase tickets, click on either the Gold Coast Railroad Museum or the Florida Railroad Museum links above to go to that railroad museum's website. Then click on the link at the railroad museum website for Day Out With Thomas and select the date and time for your ride.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">OK. Now where is the Gold Coast Railroad Museum in Miami as well as the Florida Railroad Museum in Parrish? Glad you asked!</span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">The Gold Coast Railroad Museum is located in Miami on the grounds of Zoo Miami, 12450 SW 152nd Street in Miami. The entrance to both the zoo and the museum is located about a mile west of the Florida Turnpike at Exit 16, which is the exit for FL 992, SW 152nd Street. From southwest Florida follow Interstate 75 across Alligator Alley to Exit 5, which is the exit for southbound Florida Turnpike. Continue south on the turnpike to Exit 16, SW 152nd Street.</span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">The Florida Railroad Museum is located in Parrish, east of US 301 at 12210 83rd Street East. The museum is 35 miles south of Tampa, 15 miles south of St. Petersburg (via Interstate 275 and the Sunshine Skyway) and 25 miles north of Sarasota and can be reached from Interstate 75 at Exit 229, Moccasin Wallow Road. East on Moccasin Wallow Road for five miles to US 301, then south on US 301 to 83rd Street East and the museum entrance.</span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">For those of you coming from St. Petersburg via Interstate 275 and the Sunshine Skyway, follow Interstate 275 to its southern terminus at Interstate 75. When you get to Interstate 75 you will want to follow the signage for northbound Interstate 75 to Tampa but you will exit at the very next exit at Exit 229, Moccasin Wallow Road to Parrish.</span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Be sure to check out my adventures with the 2014 Day Out With Thomas at two railroad museums in two states over at <a href="http://www.edwardringwald.com/TwoThomas2014.html">EdwardRingwald.com</a>! That way, you can get yourself an idea of what a Day Out With Thomas is like. In fact, HiT Entertainment - the proprietors of Thomas the Tank Engine including Day Out With Thomas - have <a href="http://events.hitentertainment.com/en-us/dayoutwiththomas/index.html">plenty of great ideas</a> so that you and your children can plan for an exciting Day Out With Thomas!</span></div>
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Edward Ringwaldhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15301702738961853866noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5296469594736766509.post-29560029218893018542014-12-31T21:56:00.000-05:002014-12-31T21:56:41.589-05:00As 31 December 2014 gives way into 1 January 2015<div align="justify">
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">As 2014 slowly fades into the sunset and 2015 rises at dawn, I want to wish everyone a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year! In Spanish, <i>Feliz Navidad y Feliz Año Nuevo!</i> In Slovenian, <i><span class="short_text" id="result_box" lang="sl" tabindex="-1"><span class="hps">Vesel božič i </span></span>Srečno novo leto!</i> And in German, <i><span class="short_text" id="result_box" lang="de" tabindex="-1"><span class="hps">Frohe Weihnachten und </span></span>Glückliches neues Jahr!</i> </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">I hope everyone
had a happy and safe Christmas and New Year. Whether you went to First Night in
downtown St. Petersburg and watched the fireworks as midnight rolled
around or stayed at home and watched the ball drop in Times Square in
New York City at the stroke of midnight, we will say goodbye to 2014 and
hello to 2015.</span></div>
<div align="justify">
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div align="justify">
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Getting
to some EdwardRingwald.com website notes, I finally got the Christmas lights page up for 2014 after all the website coding and testing prior to putting the pages and pictures live. Now that I am using CoffeeCup HTML Editor as my web design software, it takes a lot of getting used to: Making sure the HTML is correct to the letter and making sure all the references are in their right places. But I think CoffeeCup HTML Editor is much more robust and it gives you more control over what you want to show out there on the web.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">The good news? I am going to leave the <a href="http://www.edwardringwald.com/Xmas2014.html">Christmas 2014 page</a> up for a good part of 2015 so that everyone can come by and check it out. In 2014 I feature not only two light displays in St. Petersburg but I also feature Christmas themed train excursions at four different railroad museums in two states!</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div align="justify">
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Now on to 2015.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Today as I am writing this entry I came across an <a href="http://www.abcactionnews.com/money/consumer/taking-action-for-you/sometimes-it-is-not-enough-to-have-your-receipt-when-returning-an-item-to-the-store">ABC Action News Taking Action For You article</a> by Jackie Callaway which should have you concerned, especially in this day and age of data breaches involving Target and The Home Depot: Retailers asking for and scanning your ID when you have to return an item. That in itself is very scary and you should be concerned if you care about your privacy, especially in a retail environment.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">As I wrote in a <a href="http://blog.edwardringwald.com/2011/12/those-after-christmas-returns-and-id.html">blog entry back in December 2011</a> here are some important pointers on what you need to do when it comes to retail returns:</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">1. <i><b>Save your receipts!</b></i><span style="font-size: small;"> </span><span style="font-size: small;">This will eliminate
plenty of inconvenience when you go to exchange or return an item. If
you do not have your original receipt with you, more than likely you
will be offered store credit so that you can purchase another item. Check your store's return policy; it can be found online on the retailer's web site or posted in store at the customer service desk. In addition, be aware of any restocking fees that may be imposed.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">2. If a retailer demands ID and scans the ID somewhere, this is a time when red flags should go up. More and more retailers are demanding ID as a part of the return process in order to deter fraudulent returns; if you hand the store clerk your ID you are unwittingly handing over your personal information to a third party called The Retail Equation out of Irvine, CA. <i>This should definitely have you concerned.</i></span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">As we hear of more and more data breach incidents with retailers - despite retailer policies on protecting the privacy of its customers - any retailer requiring and capturing ID as part of the returns process amounts to nothing more than a retailer dabbling into your personal affairs as well as a recipe for identity theft.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><i> </i></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">That being said, what should you do if a retailer demands ID from you as part of the returns process and the retailer captures your ID data?</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">The answer is very simple: <i>If you have an alternate form of ID other than a driver's license, use it. If you have an United States Passport or Passport Card, USE IT. NEVER HAND OVER YOUR DRIVER LICENSE - ESPECIALLY A FLORIDA DRIVER LICENSE - TO A RETAILER UNLESS IT IS THE ONLY ID YOU HAVE!</i></span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">For starters, a Florida Driver License is the worst identity document in the nation to have in your possession other than for operating a motor vehicle, which is the law. Thanks to the Federal REAL ID law enacted in 2010, and the relevant Florida Statutes that were changed in order to comply with REAL ID, your Florida Driver License has on it your physical street address. That in itself is a goldmine for stalkers and domestic violence perpetrators who somehow can get their hands on your driver license data. In addition, a retailer has no business finding out where you live.</span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><i>Before REAL ID, you could have a post office box mailing address on your driver license in order to minimize the risk of your personal information being compromised. Today, only law enforcement officers are allowed to substitute their post office box mailing addresses in place of a physical street address on a driver license, if any. Did Congress have any compassion for victims of stalking or domestic violence when REAL ID was passed?</i> </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><i> </i></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><i>Besides, despite federal laws to the contrary the State of Florida has a habit of selling your name and address information on your driver's license to third parties. Which leads me to wonder: If the State of Florida is selling your personal information to third parties, I imagine retailers with ID required and captured policies - such as Best Buy, for instance - are doing the same thing.</i></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">And another thing to ponder is of course the data breach incidents that have happened with Target and The Home Depot. All it takes is a skilled hacker to harvest your personal information. One day we will go online or turn on the TV and the news will have a breaking news alert: <i>Major data breach incident involving The Retail Equation.</i></span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Any retailer that
requires ID when you return an item will also try to claim that it is
also their policy to help deter identity theft. Any retailer
claiming the purpose of requiring ID to help deter identity theft is a
false statement. Besides, store clerks have been involved in identity
theft cases as the perpetrators!</span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Again, if you got a passport or passport card, <i>use it as ID. </i>I know, passport books are expensive but you can get a passport card from the United States State Department for $30. Besides, a passport card is valid for ten years as opposed to a Florida Driver License which is only valid for eight years depending on your driving record. Not only you will have an alternative form of ID which meets federal REAL ID requirements for boarding aircraft when flying domestically and entering federal facilities, you can use it for trips to Canada and Mexico when you cross the border by land. The only time you would have to invest in a passport book is if you are traveling by air internationally including Canada and Mexico.</span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">If you have a post office box as a mailing address, <i>use it to your benefit.</i>
If in the event a retailer requires a street address, give your work
street address - not the street address where you live. Again,
residential street addresses are a goldmine not only for dabbling store
clerks but for stalkers and domestic violence perpetrators as mentioned earlier.<br /><br />Be
sure to hang on to your driver's license, but put that away in a safe
place in your wallet or purse. The only time you need to produce your
driver's license is in these situations:<br /><br />1. While you are operating a motor vehicle.<br />2. In the event of a traffic stop.<br />3. In the event of a motor vehicle accident.<br /><i>Remember, you must carry your registration and proof of motor vehicle insurance as well - it's the law!</i><br />4.
When you rent a car - after all, it is illegal for any rental car
company such as Alamo or Dollar to rent to anyone without a valid
driver's license.</span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Once again: If you are asked for ID by a retail
store clerk, pull out your passport or passport card if you got one.
This solves 99% of all ID required issues when it comes to retailers.<br /><br />Now
here's my take on retailers requiring ID when you return an item for
exchange or refund, especially in light of the retailer data breach incidents:<br /><br />1. Retailers have a right to control return
fraud. Asking the customer for his name and address is the first step
and using the information only for the purpose of processing the return
and destroying the information collected from the customer after a
period of time - such as 60 days - ensures privacy for the customer.<br /><br />2.
If a retailer wants to require ID for a return, that's their business.
At least the information from the ID should not be captured and held
in a computer database subject to unauthorized access, as is the case with The Retail Equation.<br /><br />3. To law
enforcement or to a rental car company, a driver's license is one
thing. However, to retailers such as Best Buy, Wal-Mart, Toys R Us or any
other retailer known to ask for and capture IDs from customers as well as The Retail Equation, <i>my residential street address - in other words, where I live - is none of your business</i>. </span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Again, as the final seconds of 2014 tick away into the first seconds of 2015, I would like to say Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year 2015!</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"> <i> </i></span></span></div>
Edward Ringwaldhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15301702738961853866noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5296469594736766509.post-28549191129186650752014-11-15T18:35:00.000-05:002014-11-15T18:35:24.711-05:00Will Thanksgiving become an extinct American holiday? Just see what Corporate Retail America is doing!<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Last year right around this time I posted an article on my blog about my <a href="http://blog.edwardringwald.com/2013/11/is-thanksgiving-really-extinct.html">view</a> as well as my <a href="http://blog.edwardringwald.com/2013/11/my-answer-to-retailers-who-want-to-open.html">reaction</a> to retailers that want to make a quick profit before Black Friday by opening their doors on Thanksgiving Day. Now that Thanksgiving 2014 and the Christmas holiday season is just on the horizon the trend of retailers opening their doors on Thanksgiving Day is reaching an alarming rate.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Sound concerned? You should be.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">I got to agree with you 100 percent: Thanksgiving and the start of the Christmas holiday season is my favorite time of year. Thanksgiving is a time to be with family and friends, especially when you gather around the table and enjoy your Thanksgiving dinner. And we can't forget the rites and rituals of Thanksgiving including of course the annual Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade in New York City that is televised live by your local NBC affiliate (which for us Tampa/St. Petersburg residents, is shown on WFLA-TV Channel 8) and the constant stream of Christmas music everywhere that kicks off the Christmas holiday season.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Back in my childhood days, I remember when practically everything retail was indeed closed on Thanksgiving Day, even fast food restaurants such as McDonald's. In fact, I still remember the wording on the store hours posted at the door into McDonald's: We rest on Thanksgiving and Christmas. The only places that were open on Thanksgiving included gas stations and convenience stores.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Thanksgiving is indeed a true time to be with family. Thanksgiving is indeed a true time to be with friends too. It certainly is, and I believe it should stay that way.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Except to Corporate Retail America.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">You know all about Black Friday, the Day After Thanksgiving. That's the day when you can shop all over for the great deals! In the past, retailers have opened their doors early in the morning on Black Friday in order to gain a competitive edge.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Now that competitive edge has crossed into a newer kind of territory which would have been unheard of fifteen, ten or even five years ago: Opening for business on Thanksgiving Day.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">What? Opening for business on Thanksgiving Day? You got to be kidding me.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Before I go on further, please let me emphasize that this is about retailers deciding to be open on Thanksgiving Day. There are services that have to be open on all holidays including Thanksgiving, and that includes public safety (fire/police/EMS) and transportation providers - after all, we depend on our courageous public safety officials to keep us safe and we depend on our transportation providers to get us where we want to go. Ditto for mid- to upscale restaurants that provide an option for those that want to partake in the tradition of Thanksgiving but for one reason or another cannot prepare a Thanksgiving dinner. </span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Unfortunately, Corporate Retail America made a decision on how to make a quick profit now that the Christmas holiday season is just on the horizon. Let's be a lot more competitive as it can by throwing Thanksgiving Day in the shredder and open for business on the last Thursday in November just like any other regular day.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Yeah, be competitive all right. But think of what Corporate Retail America is doing here: Requiring employees that work for a retailer that has decided to open on Thanksgiving Day to work on Thanksgiving Day, away from family and friends that could otherwise enjoy the Thanksgiving Day holiday at home enjoying the traditional Thanksgiving dinner. All in the name of greed and profit.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">By so doing, Corporate Retail America has decided to do away with Thanksgiving as we know it even though Thanksgiving is a major American national holiday. If you want to get rid of Thanksgiving altogether you might as well consider adding a week to the school calendar and have school on the week that used to be Thanksgiving.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">In fact, Corporate Retail America can lobby Congress all it wants to in order to remove Thanksgiving as a legal American holiday. if Corporate Retail America succeeds, then Thanksgiving as we know it in America will be in all likelihood extinct.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">If you think Corporate Retail America is doing anything to erase Thanksgiving as an American national holiday, it can by opening for business on Thanksgiving Day. Believe me, repealing Thanksgiving as an American national holiday will <i><b>not</b></i> happen.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">After all, Thanksgiving is deeply rooted in American tradition beginning from the days when the Pilgrims landed on Plymouth Rock in Massachusetts in 1620 and earlier when Juan Ponce de Leon landed on Florida's east coast near St. Augustine in 1513. After all, Florida at the time was still a part of Spain until 1819 when the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Adams%E2%80%93On%C3%ADs_Treaty">Adams-Onis treaty</a> was signed that gave Florida to the United States.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Thanksgiving became a national holiday in 1863 when, during the Civil War, President Abraham Lincoln proclaimed a national day of Thanksgiving to be celebrated on the final Thursday in November. Thanksgiving as we know it today on the fourth Thursday of November was fixed into law by Congress beginning in 1942, according to <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thanksgiving_%28United_States%29">Wikipedia</a>.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Believe me, any attempt at a repeal of Thanksgiving as an American national holiday, especially at the hands of Corporate Retail America, will not happen. <i><b>It won't.</b></i></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Here is my view of Thanksgiving as an American national holiday, and Corporate Retail America's attempt to make Thanksgiving extinct:</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">1. Being a native born American citizen and a native born Floridian, I firmly and strongly believe in all the holidays that America celebrates, including Thanksgiving as well as Christmas.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">2. Thanksgiving is a holiday to be with family and friends. That being said, I do not conduct any business whatsoever on Thanksgiving Day. Besides, I was born and raised in an era where practically everything was closed on Thanksgiving Day and we knew better to stock up on what we need before Thanksgiving. It is very unfortunate that we now live in an era of instant gratification, also known as the I gotta have this right now era.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">3. My message to Corporate Retail America is this as far as opening on Thanksgiving Day is concerned and ruining the livelihood of your employees and associates who would rather be home with family and friends: If the spirit of the American holidays such as Thanksgiving offends you in any way, shape or form, please consider leaving the United States of America and find another country where our American holidays are not celebrated, preferably a country where human rights and civil liberties are grossly violated.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">What can you do to send a loud and clear message to tell Corporate Retail America to keep their profit greedy hands off of our American national holidays? After all, one person can't move a locomotive (or even a mound of Interstate 275 overpass dirt) by hand but there is strength in numbers!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">1. First and foremost, <i><b>don't spend your hard earned money on Thanksgiving Day at retailers that decide to violate the spirit of the Thanksgiving holiday by being open.</b></i></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">2. If you live in Maine, Massachusetts or Rhode Island consider yourself lucky: Your state laws forbid most retailers from opening for business on Thanksgiving Day among the major holidays. Unfortunately, no law forbidding retailers from opening for business in Florida exists: Call, email or write your legislators in Tallahassee and tell them that Thanksgiving is a holiday and retailers need to show respect for the Thanksgiving holiday by not being open for business.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">3. Patronize retailers that show respect for their employees and their families by being closed on Thanksgiving Day. Don't give retailers that disrespect family values your business.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">That being said, we need to take back Thanksgiving as it should be - a holiday with friends and family. And we do need to take back Thanksgiving as we know it now before it's too late.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">With Thanksgiving upon us, onward with the Christmas holiday season!</span><br />
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Edward Ringwaldhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15301702738961853866noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5296469594736766509.post-90137037964138542292014-11-02T20:09:00.000-05:002014-11-02T20:09:40.098-05:00Election Day 2014 - Be Ready at the Polls!<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">On Tuesday, 4 November 2014 we Floridians go to the polls to elect a Governor of the State of Florida among other things. Ever since Rick Scott got elected governor four years ago in 2010 the State of Florida as we see it is not the same.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><i>After all, Rick Scott did nothing more than turn against the people of the great State of Florida. Ditto with Pam Bondi, Florida's Attorney General. You'll be surprised:</i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><i>Unauthorized turning of public meetings into private meetings and using law enforcement as a tool of intimidation such as using trespass warnings.</i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><i>The refusal of federal healthcare money.</i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><i>Throwing 25,000 potential jobs into the trash by refusing money for high speed rail between Tampa and Orlando on the Interstate 4 corridor.</i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><i>The constant lying and deceit to the people of the State of Florida.</i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><i>Telling people that were unemployed and are still looking for work that you are on your own.</i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><i>People who are discriminated against in looking for work, including the use of credit reports as public record.</i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><i>Your child treated by your school district as its property. Try to even speak with your child's teachers regarding your child's progress and you will be trespassed from school property.</i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><i>The warehousing of disabled and elderly persons into nursing homes and Assisted Living Facilities (ALF), thanks to Florida's guardianship laws.</i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><i>Making it very easy for a law abiding Floridian to acquire an arrest record, thanks to Pam Bondi's goals.</i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><i>The constant use of Section 810.09 - Florida's trespassing law - as a tool of intimidation, especially against the homeless.</i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><i>Making sure that Floridians that are legally registered to vote are purged from the voter rolls.</i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Now that Election Day 2014 is just around the corner, ask yourself: Do you want four more years of the constant lying, deceit and threats that is now in Tallahassee? Or do you want change in Tallahassee starting from the Governor downward?</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">We do not have to put up with another four years of Rick Scott as well as Pam Bondi. We Floridians can make a change come on Tuesday, 4 November 2014 at our assigned polling place.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">If you have already participated in early voting or you have voted by mail, that's great! For those of you that want to go to the polls it's best to be <a href="http://www.edwardringwald.com/Pinellas4Step.html">prepared</a> before you make the trek to your assigned polling place.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Remember, the polls are open from 7 AM to 7 PM on Election Day. What if you are in line at your assigned polling place at 7 PM when the polls close? As long as you are in line by 7 PM, you will be able to vote!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">You can go over to the website of your county's Supervisor of Elections and even generate a sample ballot based on where you live. Print it out and take it with you so that you can use it as a reference when you actually vote.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">For reference, here are links to the Supervisors of Elections in the Tampa Bay region (a selected list of Supervisors of Elections links):</span></div>
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<a href="http://www.votepinellas.com/"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Pinellas County</span></a></div>
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<a href="http://www.votehillsborough.org/"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Hillsborough County</span></a></div>
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<a href="http://www.pascovotes.com/"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Pasco County</span></a></div>
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<a href="http://www.votemanatee.com/"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Manatee County</span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>Links to above Supervisors of Elections offices in the immediate Tampa Bay region are provided to you as a public service.</i></span> </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">When you arrive at your assigned polling place, be sure to have a picture and signature ID with you when you go to check in with the poll worker. A Florida Driver License or a Florida ID Card is best but Florida's voter ID law allows you to use the following as ID when you go to vote:</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Florida Driver License</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Florida Identification Card</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">United States Passport (either the book or card is OK)</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Debit or credit card</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Student or Military ID</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Retirement Center ID</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Neighborhood Association ID</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Public Assistance ID</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">When you registered to vote or updated your voting information, your Supervisor of Elections will more than likely sent you a Voter Information Card, which used to be a Voter Identification Card many years ago. <i>A Voter Information Card is NOT valid voter ID.</i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><i>If in the event you do not have valid voter ID with you when you go to vote, you can still vote. However, you will only be able to vote a provisional ballot and you will be given instructions on proving your identity at the polling place.</i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">If you have previously requested a mail ballot and you decide to vote at your assigned polling place on Election Day, you can still vote! Having your mail ballot with you is the best, as your mail ballot will be cancelled and you will be given a regular ballot. However, if you do not have the mail ballot with you don't fret - the poll worker will check to be sure that the mail ballot was not received.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">So, what can we Floridians do to see change in Tallahassee?</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">That, my friend, is very simple. Get on over to your assigned polling place on 4 November 2014 and VOTE! I don't care how you get to your assigned polling place, whether it may be by your own vehicle, on foot, by bicycle, by public transit or whatever, <i><b>but get out there on Tuesday, 4 November 2014 and VOTE!!!</b></i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><i><b> </b></i></span></div>
Edward Ringwaldhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15301702738961853866noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5296469594736766509.post-70733270586363538662014-10-11T22:25:00.000-04:002014-10-13T20:48:44.716-04:00A New Look for EdwardRingwald.com is here!<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">It's been almost ten years ago since EdwardRingwald.com got a new look! The last time I gave EdwardRingwald.com a good new look was almost ten years ago when I recoded the site from the simplicity of Netscape Composer (which, sadly, went along the wayside when Netscape <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Netscape_%28web_browser%29">disbanded</a>) to the complexity of Microsoft's FrontPage 2003. Back then, FrontPage 2003 was what you used if you wanted more robust web design beyond a basic text site.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Fast forward almost ten years.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">A lot of things changed over the span of ten years. Topics get added, roadtrips get added and deleted (deleted in order to save disk space among other things), and a host of other items have to be changed if you want to keep a web site current. After all, if you maintain a web site you have to keep it updated with the latest content as you can.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Unfortunately, Microsoft no longer supports <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Microsoft_FrontPage">FrontPage 2003</a>, its existence being replaced by another web design product of Microsoft called Expression Web. I checked out Expression Web and, unfortunately, the features of Expression Web did not fit my website model. With the demise of FrontPage more and more web hosting providers have been discontinuing support for the FrontPage server extensions, which are the code that enables enhanced functionality for websites created in FrontPage.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">With more and more web hosting providers discontinuing support for FrontPage 2003, I decided to think outside the box and take web design to a new level. In fact, put my knowledge of HTML to the true test. That being said, I decided to migrate to a more robust web design product that would give me better control of what I put out there on the web that you read daily.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">And that web design product is <a href="http://www.coffeecup.com/">CoffeeCup HTML Editor</a>. I extensively evaluated CoffeeCup HTML Editor and recoded my home page to see how it would look. After some HTML code tweaking I was very impressed!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">In fact, one of my websites, <a href="http://www.drawbridgeahead.com/">DrawbridgeAhead.com</a>, was written entirely in CoffeeCup! I was considering using FrontPage 2003 when I spun off my drawbridges of the Pinellas Beaches pages from a feature on EdwardRingwald.com to a website of its very own, just like when I spun off my Interstate 275 St. Petersburg pictures into a website of its own back in 2003, Interstate275Florida.com, and expanded its content to cover all 59.5 miles of Interstate 275 in the Tampa/St. Petersburg area.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Right after I wrote and published DrawbridgeAhead.com using CoffeeCup HTML Editor I decided to start working on recoding my other websites using CoffeeCup. After all, I was very impressed with how DrawbridgeAhead.com came out.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">First I started recoding my website portal, <a href="http://www.edwardringwaldwebsites.com/">EdwardRingwaldWebsites.com</a>, to make it more of a central starting point for you to explore my websites. Think of it as Tampa's Union Station as a central starting point for all trains going out of Tampa as an example. After all, a union station consisted of several railroad companies providing passenger rail service under one roof, especially back in the days before Amtrak.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">By the way, with the recoding and relaunch of my website portal, my websites form a part of the Edward Ringwald Websites Network. You'll see it on all of my websites! </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Right as I was recoding my website portal, I begun work for a little over a year on recoding EdwardRingwald.com. A lot of work went into the recoding, especially taking out the Microsoft-specific HTML code that went with FrontPage. Next, I have reorganized the pictures that you see on the roadtrip pages so that they would load as a lightbox window like you see on a lot of websites out there, not to mention cutting down on the time it takes to load a picture when you click on the link to see the full version.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Now the product is done, the new version of EdwardRingwald.com became reality Sunday evening, 12 October 2014! I am sure you will like the new design and format of EdwardRingwald.com. I have already gone through and corrected any errors I have found, which leads me to ask you, the World Wide Web surfer: If you come across any links on the EdwardRingwald.com site that leads into a 404 error page, please contact me by way of the Contact Us page and select the Report a Broken Link in the subject drop-down box. Include the URL of the link in question in the comments area as well.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">And as for Microsoft FrontPage, now that there is no support for FrontPage 2003 and no support for the FrontPage server extensions from a lot of web hosting providers, it will be time to put FrontPage on the shelf. Time to move forward and onward.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">But don't worry, EdwardRingwald.com is here to stay! Stay tuned!</span><br />
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Edward Ringwaldhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15301702738961853866noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5296469594736766509.post-41747030349001173432014-07-22T21:59:00.000-04:002014-07-22T21:59:50.345-04:00The Edward Ringwald Blog: I'm still here!<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">The Edward Ringwald Blog. It's still here!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">I know, it's been a long while since I posted something new here. Unfortunately, my schedule has been so hectic, especially when it comes to being a volunteer at the Florida Railroad Museum among other things. Add to that the regular day job I have during the week - well, you get the picture.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">But there is one thing I have never forgotten, and that is the blog you are reading right now on your computer. Or on your tablet. Or on your smartphone. Or whatever. And I can't forget my website, EdwardRingwald.com!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">So, let's get right down to business here.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">First, I had a third blog I added just several months ago, the In The Shadow of the Railroad Museum Blog which is life being a volunteer at the Florida Railroad Museum in Parrish. I have decided to discontinue this blog for the time being; who knows it may be back.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Second, I had a page on the Florida Railroad Museum in the features area of EdwardRingwald.com. I have taken that page down for the moment so that I can give that page an overhaul; like the Shadow of the Railroad blog it may be back too.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Now that we got the nitty gritty of some changes here, let's get right down to some topics that I have meant to discuss for some time. What's on my mind the most is about those gas station credit card pump readers, and I have discussed this in an <a href="http://blog.edwardringwald.com/2013/04/credit-and-debit-danger-at-pump.html">earlier blog entry</a> about the dangers of using your credit or debit card at the pump. Just recently here in the Tampa/St. Petersburg area there have been incidents of credit card skimmers placed in the gas pump credit card readers which lead you to believe if it is even safe to use your credit or debit card at the pump.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">The best way to ensure that your credit or debit card does not fall into the hands of criminals who are out there to get your money is to not even use these pay at the pump readers in the first place. As most gas stations require prepayment before purchase, you can go inside and tell the clerk how much you need; you pay for your gas like you pay anything else inside the store and then you pump your gas. It might sound inconvenient by having to go inside, but believe me it will give you plenty of peace of mind.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">If you have to use a pay at the pump reader, at least use your credit card. Keep in mind that a credit purchase can incur a significant authorization hold (usually around $75) which can put a crimp on your available credit, especially if your credit card has a very small credit limit. Never use a debit card at a pay at pump reader; the authorization hold - especially if a debit card is run through as a credit purchase - can put a crimp on your available bank account balance which can throw you into overdrawn status if you are not careful!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">How you can tell if there is a skimmer on a pay at the pump credit card reader? According to this <a href="http://www.stpete.org/police/releases/jun14/06-25-14-credit-card-skimmer-fraud-alert.pdf" rel="nofollow">news release</a> from the <a href="http://www.stpete.org/police">St. Petersburg Police Department</a>, be on the lookout for the following:</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">1. Wires sticking out from the reader.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">2. The reader appears loose or damaged.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">3. Tape or residue on the card reader slot.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">4. The reader looks different than the rest of the gas pump.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Keep in mind, too, that the more reputable gas station brands, such as Shell, employ a security tape seal placed onto several locations on the pump itself. If the seal is broken, do not use the pump reader - instead, pay inside and alert the cashier or store manager on duty.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">When it comes to getting gas for your car, keep this in mind: If the credit card pump reader doesn't look right, go inside and pay. Your credit card or bank account will say thank you.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">And one more thing while we're on the subject of pay at the pump: Store associates and their customer service skills. I am not saying that all convenience store associates are bad; the majority of store associates I have had to deal with are courteous and polite but there are an unfortunate few that I have encountered that are downright discourteous or rude. This can happen especially if you go inside to prepay for fuel with your credit or debit card.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Another trick a convenience store associate can play on you when you prepay for fuel inside the store, especially with a debit card, is that the store associate runs your prepaid fuel amount as a credit purchase. Why should you be concerned?</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Remember, if you use a debit card at the pump reader and it is set to run it through as a credit purchase, your checking account is frozen for a high amount for a given length of time until the store uploads its daily credit card sales data. <i>You can tell if your debit is being run as a credit at the pump: No option to enter your PIN. Debit PIN-based transactions happen immediately while credit transactions happen in one to two days from the day you actually make the purchase.</i></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Now let's say you estimate you need $30 worth of gas. You go inside and tell the sales associate you need $30 on the pump where you are parked. You tell the associate you are paying with a debit card. Before you know it, the associate tells you that it will be run through as a credit.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">After the transaction inside is approved, you return to your vehicle and pump your gas. Let's say you pumped $15 and that's all you can get in the car. You go back in the store and the associate tells you that the difference will be refunded to your card.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">You have paid $15 for gas. But where's the other $15? Since the associate ran your debit card through as a credit purchase, the authorized but not used $15 is frozen for a given length of time until the store uploads its daily credit card sales data as I mentioned earlier. Translation: The unspent $15 is not available to you, which can mean overdraft fees from your bank or credit union if you are not careful! The store is holding on to your money (that you did not spend) without your permission!</span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><i>After all, PIN-based debit card transactions involving fuel purchases, especially at the pump, involve a small hold of usually $1 just to make sure the card is good. It is the credit card transaction you have to worry about.</i></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Unfortunately, this practice is completely legal. However, you have every right as a customer to determine where you spend your money, including for fuel purchases. If you feel uncomfortable using the pay at the pump reader, you can always go inside and pay. If the sales associate on duty treats you in a rude or otherwise discourteous manner, especially when it comes to prepaying for fuel, you have the right to take your business elsewhere - don't give that convenience store that mistreats you your business.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><i>You might want to keep this pointer in mind, especially in Florida as far as its turn-ordinary-law-abiding-people-into-a-potential-criminal <a href="http://www.edwardringwald.com/FlaTrespassLaws.htm">trespassing laws</a> are concerned: An honest dispute over services received - especially mistreatment by a convenience store sales associate - can easily escalate into criminal trespass when the associate or store manager calls law enforcement and either has a trespass warning issued or criminal charges for trespassing filed.</i></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Once again, it's been a while since I posted here at the Edward Ringwald Blog but I will try to keep you updated on the latest and greatest of topics I think you will enjoy. And be sure to check back frequently and often - you'll never know what I will have for your reading pleasure!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
Edward Ringwaldhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15301702738961853866noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5296469594736766509.post-18145509323741611392013-12-11T21:02:00.000-05:002013-12-11T21:02:03.094-05:00A Merry Christmas for Willi Berchau<div align="justify">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">As you may have read in a previous blog entry on </span><a href="http://blog.edwardringwald.com/2013/09/guardianship-dangers.html"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">guardianship dangers</span></a><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">, I mentioned the story of how Willi Berchau unfortunately got caught into the vicious cycle of Florida's guardianship laws, all over selling a house for less than market value that got the attention of a social worker. Unfortunately, guardianships can be commenced against an adult for any reason and often times without warning.</span></div>
<div align="justify">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"></span> </div>
<div align="justify">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I just found out via another </span><a href="http://www.abcactionnews.com/dpp/news/local_news/investigations/man-enjoys-first-hours-of-freedom-from-floridas-guardianship-program"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">ABC Action News article</span></a><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> that Willi has been freed from the restrictive confines of guardianship! With that said, Willi is now a free man - free to go wherever he chooses, free to obtain a Florida driver license or ID card, free to exercise the right to vote, and so on. After all, a person under guardianship, especially a plenary guardianship, loses all rights that we take for granted.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"></span> </div>
<div align="justify">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Now Willi can enjoy the biggest Christmas present that he has been waiting for: Being released from the confines of Florida's guardianship laws. And a special thanks to ABC Action News and its I-Team reporter, Adam Walser, for exposing the flaws that are part of Florida's current guardianship laws.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"></span> </div>
<div align="justify">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">After all, Florida's guardianship laws need to be reformed. And our legislators in Tallahassee can make it happen when the Florida Legislature convenes which is just around the corner. We can't let our older Floridians live in fear of being caught into the vicious cycle of guardianship.</span></div>
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</div>
<div align="justify">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Score a victory for elders' rights in Florida!</span></div>
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Edward Ringwaldhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15301702738961853866noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5296469594736766509.post-40398139861442436642013-11-28T22:07:00.000-05:002013-11-28T22:07:06.574-05:00My answer to retailers who want to open on Thanksgiving Day<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">As I reported in a <a href="http://blog.edwardringwald.com/2013/11/is-thanksgiving-really-extinct.html">previous blog entry not too long ago</a> Thanksgiving as we know it today is slowly becoming extinct, thanks to Corporate America who wants to make a quick buck by opening on Thanksgiving Day. To me, opening on Thanksgiving is not right.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"></span> </div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">When a retailer opens their doors on Thanksgiving Day, their workers cannot even be with their families enjoying quality time. Instead, a retailer's workers whose stores are open on Thanksgiving Day have to work like any other day. As such, Thanksgiving related activities are disrupted thanks to Corporate America's desire to make a quick buck on a major holiday where traditionally almost everyone is closed save for the neighborhood convenience store.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"></span> </div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">In fact, I signed a petition on MoveOn.org that was started by Mike Lux pledging that I will not shop at a retailer that is open on Thanksgiving Day. I would like to share the petition with you (if you would like to add your name to the petition, you can do so by clicking on the MoveOn.org link shown below):</span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"></span> </div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><em>In retail,
Thanksgiving and Christmas Day are the only two holidays that workers
traditionally receive. Now that many stores are choosing to open on
Thanksgiving, that break is being taken away, denying retail workers the rare
opportunity to spend a holiday with their families. And most of these workers
are only being paid minimum wage for their trouble. <br />
<br />
A holiday should not be a luxury for the rich; we believe all workers deserve time to
spend with loved ones.<br />
<br />
That's why I signed a petition to Retail CEOs, which says:<br />
<br />
"Thanksgiving is one of the only holidays that retail workers receive. By
opening stores on Thanksgiving, stores rob thousands of men and women the
opportunity to spend time with their families. <br />
<br />
A holiday with family should not be a luxury for the rich; we believe that all
workers deserve the chance to relax and give thanks with loved ones. <br />
<br />
We, as consumers, have the power to tell stores not to open on Thanksgiving by
staying home. We hereby pledge not to shop on Thanksgiving Day, to show the
retail industry that everyone deserves a holiday." <br />
<br />
Will you sign the petition too? Click here to add your name: <br />
<br />
</em></span><a href="http://petitions.moveon.org/sign/pledge-to-not-shop-on?source=s.fwd&r_by=32908"><span style="color: blue; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><em>http://petitions.moveon.org/sign/pledge-to-not-shop-on?source=s.fwd&r_by=32908</em></span></a><em>
</em></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"></span></span> </div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="font-family: Verdana;">And I do agree with Mike Lux. We as consumers need to show Corporate America that everyone, especially the retail industry, deserves a holiday such as Thanksgiving as well as Christmas.</span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="font-family: Verdana;"></span></span> </div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="font-family: Verdana;">Moreover, in three states - Rhode Island, Massachusetts and Maine - opening on Thanksgiving Day is <em>illegal </em>due to their respective state laws on the books that forbid retailers from opening their doors on a major holiday such as Thanksgiving, according to this <a href="http://www.abcactionnews.com/dpp/news/national/thanksgiving-shopping-not-in-states-that-ban-it">ABC Action News article</a> (WFTS-TV, the ABC affiliate here in the Tampa/St. Petersburg area). Perhaps Florida needs to join Rhode Island, Massachusetts and Maine in getting a law passed that would prohibit retailers from opening their doors on Thanksgiving Day.</span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="font-family: Verdana;"></span></span> </div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="font-family: Verdana;">And it can be done. All we Floridians - especially hard working Floridians who look forward to Thanksgiving to be with family and friends instead of work - need to do is to exert pressure on Tallahassee by writing or emailing our legislators. We Floridians need to make our voices heard and heard loudly.</span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="font-family: Verdana;"></span></span> </div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="font-family: Verdana;">After all, Thanksgiving is part of a time honored tradition rooted in the foundation of the American republic, back when the Pilgrims landed in Plymouth Rock in Massachusetts and when Ponce De Leon landed in St. Augustine right here in our State of Florida in 1513. It is a time to give thanks and a time for relationships with family and friends. Back in my younger years I remember when practically everyone was closed on Thanksgiving Day - even the local McDonald's Restaurant and the statement below the store hours sticker: <em>We rest on Thanksgiving and Christmas.</em> That's the way it should be.</span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="font-family: Verdana;"></span></span> </div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;"><em><span style="font-family: Verdana;">Sadly, I have seen McDonald's open on Thanksgiving to a certain extent: Some McDonald's only open for breakfast on Thanksgiving morning, while I have seen McDonald's open all day on Thanksgiving. However, I do not mind the better restaurants (NOT the fast food chains) opening only for Thanksgiving dinner for those people who would rather not cook a Thanksgiving dinner at home.</span></em></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="font-family: Verdana;"></span></span> </div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="font-family: Verdana;">My answer to retailers who want to open on Thanksgiving Day, as the title of this blog entry states, is this: <strong><em>I will refuse to patronize any retailer that shows disrespect of the values and traditions of the Thanksgiving holiday by not spending my hard earned money at a retailer that is open on Thanksgiving Day.</em></strong> At least Corporate America will not get a Dollar of my hard earned money on Thanksgiving Day - if you believe in the values and traditions of Thanksgiving, you need to do the same.</span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="font-family: Verdana;"></span></span> </div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="font-family: Verdana;">I would like to wish all of my website and blog viewers both at EdwardRingwald.com and The Edward Ringwald Blog a very happy and blessed Thanksgiving Day. Besides, Thanksgiving is the start of the Christmas holiday season, and onward with the holiday season!</span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;"></span> </div>
<div align="justify">
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Edward Ringwaldhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15301702738961853866noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5296469594736766509.post-15521001896008278962013-11-15T21:10:00.000-05:002013-11-15T21:10:04.831-05:00Is Thanksgiving Really Extinct?<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Thanksgiving - and the start of the Christmas holiday season - is just around the corner. As I <a href="http://blog.edwardringwald.com/2012/11/is-thanksgiving-in-danger-of-becoming.html">reported</a> about this same time last year, Thanksgiving is a time to be with friends and family, a time for big dinners and all the rites and rituals of Thanksgiving (being the grand entry way into the holiday season) including the annual Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade shown on your local NBC affiliate (here in the Tampa/St. Petersburg area, that would be WFLA-TV Channel 8) and the constant stream of holiday music that kicks off the season.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">I got to agree, the holiday season is my favorite time of year. It truly is. Except to Corporate America, who wants to throw Thanksgiving in the trash by opening retail stores for the sole purpose of making a quick buck when in fact Thanksgiving is a day of rest. Back in my younger days, I remember when practically <i>everyone </i>was closed on Thanksgiving Day as well as Christmas Day, save for the neighborhood convenience store around the corner for those last minute items you need.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">This article I found at <a href="http://www.truth-out.org/buzzflash/commentary/item/18314-big-retailers-make-low-paid-workers-exploited-turkeys-on-thanksgiving">TruthOut.org</a> really has me tiffed. I cannot understand why more and more retailers are breaking tradition and opening their doors on Thanksgiving Day. What these retailers that want to open on Thanksgiving Day are trying to do is to make that quick buck at the expense of their employees having to work on Thanksgiving Day instead of being with their families. After all, being open for business on Thanksgiving Day is not right.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Here in St. Petersburg, we have one grocery retailer that has a long standing tradition of not being open on Thanksgiving: Publix Super Markets. That's the way it should be: Thanksgiving is a time for family, not for making a profit. For that reason, this is why I do my grocery shopping at Publix. (And more friendlier staff!)</span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><i>As I mentioned in a previous blog entry on Thanksgiving, if the founder of Publix, George Jenkins, ever found out that his stores were open on Thanksgiving Day, he would be very sad to see what Corporate America is doing to Thanksgiving.</i></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">But two other supermarket chains here in St. Petersburg prefer to be open, all in the name of customer convenience: Sweetbay and Winn-Dixie. Sweetbay from what I understand is in the process of being bought out by Bi-Lo Holdings of Jacksonville, the same company that owns Winn-Dixie. Even when Sweetbay is finally bought out and the Sweetbay name disappears from the St. Petersburg grocery landscape, Winn-Dixie - and their open on Thanksgiving Day policy - will still be around.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">So, who is planning to be open to a degree on Thanksgiving Day? According to an article in <a href="http://www.usatoday.com/story/money/business/2013/11/12/retail-thanksgiving-store-opening-times/3504503/" rel="nofollow">USA Today</a> as mentioned in the TruthOut.org article, you'll be surprised:</span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Target: 8 PM</span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Best Buy: 6 PM</span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Macy's: 8 PM</span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Kohl's: 8 PM</span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">KMart: 6 AM <i>Thanksgiving morning - just what is going on here?</i></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">And one more place we can't forget: McDonald's, which used to have a closed on Thanksgiving Day policy until recently. It used to start by being only open during breakfast hours; now it includes lunch and dinner like any other day.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><i><b>Just what is going on here with Thanksgiving Day being thrown on the back burner by Corporate America wanting to make a quick buck?</b></i></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Like I mentioned last year, here's my take on Corporate America being open on Thanksgiving Day for the sole purpose of making a quick buck, and it's well worth repeating here (in other words, I am going to say it again): </span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">1. Being a native born
American citizen, I firmly and strongly believe in all the holidays that
America celebrates, including Thanksgiving as well as Christmas. </span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">2. If Corporate America
does not want to have anything to do with Thanksgiving, then have your
corporate eons lobby Congress to repeal Thanksgiving as a national
holiday. Believe me – it won’t happen; Thanksgiving is deeply rooted in
tradition as an American national holiday to begin with, going back to
the days when the Pilgrims landed on Plymouth Rock in 1620 and earlier
when Juan Ponce De Leon landed on the Florida east coast near St.
Augustine in 1513.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"> </span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">3. Thanksgiving and
Christmas are holidays to be with family and friends. As such, I do not
conduct any business on Thanksgiving as well as Christmas. Besides, I
was born and raised in an era where retailers were closed on
Thanksgiving and Christmas (and we knew better to stock up on things
before the holidays); unfortunately, today we live in an "I gotta have
it right now" era - an era of instant gratification.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"> </span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;"></span></span><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">4. Finally, if the
spirit of the American holidays – especially the fall holidays such as
Thanksgiving and Christmas – offend you in any way, please consider
leaving the United States of America and find another country where our
American holidays are not celebrated, especially a country where human
rights and civil liberties are grossly violated.</span></div>
<br />
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">We cannot let
Thanksgiving as well as Christmas become extinct, thanks to Corporate
America that think these holidays are a nuisance. Thanksgiving and
Christmas - along with America's other major holidays - are <i>not</i> a
nuisance; instead our nation's holidays are part of our heritage.
Besides, you have a right to express your disapproval by not spending your hard earned money at retailers who intend to be open on Thanksgiving Day. </span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">In short: Let's take back Thanksgiving and what it really means to America. The same thing with Christmas.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Onward with the holiday season!</span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
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Edward Ringwaldhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15301702738961853866noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5296469594736766509.post-7457706922460021242013-10-18T21:39:00.000-04:002013-10-18T21:39:33.894-04:00Congressman C.W. "Bill" Young<div align="justify">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">St. Petersburg and southern Pinellas County sadly lost a legend in Congress today (Friday, 18 October 2013). Congressman C.W. "Bill" Young passed away, one week after announcing that he would not seek a 23rd term in Congress.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Not only Congressman Young was my representative where I lived all my life here in St. Petersburg, he will be well remembered for a lot of good that he did over the years being St. Petersburg's advocate in Washington. Specifically, Congressman Young will be well remembered for the reconstruction of the </span><a href="http://www.drawbridgeahead.com/treasureisland.html"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Treasure Island Causeway</span></a><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> and the removal of tolls that occurred when the bridge was reconstructed.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Links to related articles at these Tampa/St. Petersburg news outlets:</span></div>
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<a href="http://www.baynews9.com/content/news/baynews9/news/article.html/content/news/articles/cfn/2013/10/18/florida_us_rep_bill_.html"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Bay News 9</span></a></div>
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<a href="http://www.wtsp.com/news/topstories/article/340829/250/Congressman-CW-Bill-Young-dies-at-82"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">10 News (WTSP-TV)</span></a></div>
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<a href="http://www.abcactionnews.com/dpp/news/state/republican-rep-cw-bill-young-has-passed-away"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">ABC Action News (WFTS-TV)</span></a></div>
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<a href="http://tbo.com/news/politics/family-longtime-us-rep-bill-young-dies-20131018/"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The Tampa Tribune</span></a></div>
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<a href="http://www.wfla.com/story/23732600/florida-us-rep-bill-young-dies-at-82"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">NewsChannel 8 (WFLA-TV)</span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">My thoughts and condolences go out to Congressman Young's family during this time of sorrow. May Congressman Young rest in peace - you did your job very well representing our St. Petersburg interests in Washington.</span></div>
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Edward Ringwaldhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15301702738961853866noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5296469594736766509.post-48592373849284873212013-09-27T22:08:00.000-04:002013-09-27T22:08:11.610-04:00Guardianship Dangers!<div align="justify">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">If you care about you or your loved one's well being, I urge you to please read this entry word for word. In fact, may I suggest my topic on Guardianship in Florida and reading it side by side with this blog entry? (It's simple: </span><a href="http://www.edwardringwald.com/GuardianshipFla.htm"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Right click on this link</span></a><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> to get on over to my Guardianship topic at EdwardRingwald.com and select "open this link in a new tab". This will work for both Internet Explorer and Firefox.)</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">This </span><a href="http://www.abcactionnews.com/dpp/news/local_news/investigations/elderly-pinellas-man-freed-from-alzheimers-unit-after-i-team-looks-at-his-case"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">article</span></a><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> I found at ABC Action News (WFTS-TV, the ABC affiliate here in Tampa) as part of their I-Team Investigation broke my heart. This is the story of William Berchau, a 99-year old Pinellas Park resident, who unfortunately succumbed to the restrictive confines of Florida's guardianship laws. Furthermore, Mr. Berchau was placed in a locked unit of a Pinellas Park assisted living facility (ALF) dealing with Alzheimer's Disease and after some intervention by ABC Action News, Mr. Berchau has been freed from the locked Alzheimer's unit.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">In </span><a href="http://www.abcactionnews.com/dpp/news/local_news/investigations/i-team-court-disregards-preneed-plan-appoints-professional-guardian"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">another case</span></a><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> that was investigated by the ABC Action News I-Team, there was the case of a 90-year old Clearwater resident, Paulette Karpa, who also fell victim to the restrictive confines of Florida's guardianship laws. Ms. Karpa ended up in the same Pinellas Park ALF as Mr. Berchau, Grand Villa.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">How did Mr. Berchau and Ms. Karpa succumb to the restrictive confines of Florida's guardianship laws? All it took was the allegations of a social worker.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">In Mr. Berchau's case, the social worker was claiming that Mr. Berchau was trying to sell his home for much less than market value. On the flip side of the coin, in Ms. Karpa's case it was a series of calls to police about attempted burglaries which turned out to be unfounded. </span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">To make things worse, Ms. Karpa did have her legal documentation in order.</span><br />
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<em><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Yeah right, a social worker. I am not saying that not all social workers in Florida are bad; instead, there are social workers out there - unfortunately - that will do anything to do irreversible damage to you or your loved one's well being. That includes adults as well as children.</span></em></div>
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<em><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">By the way, is selling your home for less than market value grounds for guardianship in the State of Florida? To me, that is complete hogwash in my book. There are plenty of reasons why homes sometimes have to be sold for less than market value; one of them is to get away from arbitrarily high maintenance fees if the home is part of a condominium. Besides, condominium maintenance fees can drain the budget of a person especially if the person is living on a fixed income such as Social Security. Another reason, of course, is in the event of a mortgage foreclosure.</span></em></div>
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<em><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">In order to sell a home, it is very important to get an all purpose appraisal from a licensed property appraiser. Neither your county's Property Appraiser nor Zillow are the Gospel of your property value. An all purpose appraisal may cost you some money; however, it's money well worth spent.</span></em><br />
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<em><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Is also calling the police to report a burglary grounds for guardianship? To me, that's also complete hogwash in my book. We teach our children at an understanding age to call the police if someone breaks into the home.</span></em></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">All it takes for a guardianship case to commence against you or your loved one is the allegations of a total stranger. Most commonly, as in the case of both Mr. Berchau and Ms. Karpa, is the allegations of a social worker, particularly a social worker employed by the Florida Department of Children and Families.</span><br />
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<em><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Here's an article I found at Fiduciarywatch.org very useful: </span><a href="http://fiduciarywatch.org/how-guardians-and-conservators-take-advantage/#more-2174"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">How Guardians and Conservators Take Advantage</span></a><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">. You might also want to read that, as it's Florida specific.</span></em></div>
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<em><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">You got that right, the Florida Department of Children and Families. This agency is supposed to protect children and vulnerable adults from abuse, neglect and exploitation but nine times out of ten it works in reverse.</span></em></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">How does DCF work in reverse? You'll be surprised:</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">1. A social worker, becoming aware of an incident of abuse, neglect or exploitation involving a vulnerable adult (vulnerable meaning disabled or elderly, but that's subject to interpretation), files an Adult In Need of Services petition stating that the vulnerable adult is in danger. <em>In what danger?</em></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The petition is presented to the judicial system and the judge approves the petition to last no longer than 60 days. Before the 60 day period is over, the social worker will have a petition to determine capacity and for appointment of a guardian and will in most likelihood file the emergency guardianship petition for fast tracking a person from a law abiding citizen to a ward of the state.</span><br />
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<em><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">An Adult In Need of Services petition, once granted, takes away certain rights of an adult, mainly medical treatment. Unfortunately, due to the 60 day temporary nature of the Adult In Need of Services petition and order, it gives the social worker the necessary time to get the regular and emergency guardianship petitions going. After all, the emergency petition for guardianship lasts 60 days while the alleged incapacitated adult is inquisitioned by the court appointed Examining Committee.</span></em></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">2. If you somehow spanked your child the night before at home and the school officials discover the bruises the next day, your child's school principal makes a mandatory report to DCF. You get a phone call from your child's school saying that you must come by at your earliest opportunity; once there you are greeted by not only the school principal but by a DCF investigator and a law enforcement officer who arrests you on child abuse charges. At the same time your child is taken into protective custody by DCF and a social worker is preparing the court petitions that will eventually lead to your parental rights being severed.</span><br />
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<em><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Imagine for a moment you having to see your child taken away by DCF under the uber watchful eyes of a social worker. Now imagine your loved one, stripped of his or her rights thanks to guardianship, and you can only visit your loved one in the ALF facility under the uber watchful eyes of either the professional guardian or the social worker hired by the professional guardian.</span></em></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">There are other situations where the actions of a social worker can destroy the livelihood of you or your loved one. One of them is in a hospital emergency room where even the simplest of all medical emergencies can trigger a visit by the hospital's on-duty or on-call social worker. Based on the medical condition that brought you to the emergency room and what you said, more than likely the social worker is filing not only the petitions to determine capacity and appointment of guardian but is also filing the petition for emergency guardianship, the 60-day temporary guardianship imposed while action is pending on the more permanent guardianship being proposed.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Take a look on a blank Petition for Emergency Guardianship form in Florida. This sentence is very disturbing: <strong><em>Petitioner is an adult interested in the welfare of the alleged incapacitated person.</em></strong> In other words, a social worker or another person - based on perjured testimony - can commit a person into an institution on an emergency basis.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Once it's all said and done (meaning the judge has ruled the adult incapacitated and is in need of guardianship) the alleged incapacitated person's status is legally changed to being a ward of the state. Nine times out of ten, the family member does not become the guardian - instead, the job is handed to a professional guardian with the major intention of doing it for the money.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Now that a professional guardian - a total stranger unknown to the family - is in control of the incapacitated person's affairs, let the asset wasting spree games begin. As a professional guardian, he or she can collect so much an hour for his or her professional fees. How is the professional guardian paid?</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">1. Loot all bank or credit union accounts.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">2. Sell all real estate owned by the ward, way below market value. (Be sure to pay off any mortgages first).</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">3. Sell all heirlooms and possessions of the ward.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">4. Sell any motor vehicles owned by the ward.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">5. Receive all government and other benefits the ward is receiving, such as Social Security.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">6. Place the ward on an "allowance" the professional guardian dictates.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">OK. The professional guardian now has total and complete control of the ward's daily activities. How is this accomplished?</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">1. Place the ward in an ALF or nursing home. (Locked Alzheimer's units are ideal, if the professional guardian knows good contacts). At least restrict the ward to the confines of the ALF.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">2. Take away the voter identification card.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">3. Take away the Florida Driver License.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">4. Take away the United States Passport.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">5. Take away the right to seek or retain a job.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">6. Obtain a restraining order keeping relatives and family away from the ward.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">7. Redirect all mail addressed to the ward to the professional guardian.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">8. If the ward is married, initiate the petitions for dissolution of marriage.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">9. Determine which doctor(s) the ward will see for ongoing medical care.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Now what happens when the ward's assets run out? Usually this happens because of the ward residing in the ALF the professional guardian places the ward in. It's plainly simple: Apply for Medicaid.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Once the ward is on Medicaid, the ward is sent bouncing around the State of Florida to not one but many ALF's. The ward ends up being placed in an ALF - sometimes a maximum security correctional institution style ALF - hundreds of miles away.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">So, in the mind of a professional guardian, he or she is making plenty of money off of an incapacitated person and enjoying the benefits of life. However, in the mind of the ward, it becomes a world of anxiety and fear not knowing what the next action will be.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Our State of Florida is increasingly becoming a dangerous place to live, especially if you are an elderly person. Right now our guardianship laws - codified in Chapter 744 of the Florida Statutes - allow any person, particularly a social worker, to raise allegations against a person that will lead into a lifetime of legalized exploitation and imprisonment - and I mean life imprisonment in an ALF.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">And our guardianship laws need to be fixed.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The first thing that needs to be fixed is who can be a guardian. The use of a professional guardian should be prohibited unless there is verified evidence that there is no living relative that can assume the duties. If a Declaration of Preneed Guardian is presented - as in the case of Ms. Karpa - then a professional guardian cannot be appointed unless the designated guardian expresses to the court in open testimony that he or she cannot serve.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Speaking of professional guardians, there needs to be better judicial oversight and that includes making all the yearly accountings that professional guardians must file public record. Moreover, there should be no placement of the ward in a secure ALF on the guardian's own initiative; placement of the ward in a secure setting (such as a locked Alzheimer's section of an ALF) should require the approval of the judge after a hearing is conducted based on proper testimony and evidence.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Moreover, professional guardians need to be held accountable for their actions, especially on a criminal justice scale. Any theft or exploitation committed by a professional guardian should be a felony punishable by imprisonment for an extended length of time, as well as the permanent revocation of the professional guardian's privilege anywhere in the United States, not just Florida.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">As for the ward, there needs to be a bill of rights for those that are under any form of guardianship that protects the dignity and respect of the ward. Among them is the right to live in a residence of one's choosing. Another is the right to travel and carry identification. And another is the right to vote.</span><br />
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<em><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">After all, a Florida resident can carry a Florida Identification Card if the time comes that he or she can no longer operate a motor vehicle. In the alternative, an U.S Passport Card is also ideal for identification related matters too.</span></em></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">When a petition for guardianship is filed no matter what, the petitioner as well as the members of the examining committee must be required to testify in open court under oath as to the truthfulness of the petition. In other words, the social worker who initiated the guardianship petition (through legal counsel) should be prepared to testify under oath as to why a guardianship is being sought.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">If there is evidence of less restrictive methods such as a durable power of attorney, then the petition for guardianship must be dismissed. If a petition for guardianship is filed frivolously against a person and the judge rules as such then the petitioner shall be held financially liable for damages sustained by the alleged incapacitated person, including attorney fees paid to defend against the false allegations made by the petitioner.</span></div>
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<em><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">In other words, Chapter 744 of the Florida Statutes needs a major overhaul by our legislators in Tallahassee.</span></em></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Getting back to the situations that placed Mr. Berchau and Ms. Karpa in the wrath of Florida's guardianship laws, who is their court appointed guardian? You'll be surprised to know that it is a professional guardian, and that professional guardian is nothing more than Pinellas Park City Council Member Patricia Johnson, according to the ABC Action News articles I mentioned earlier.</span><br />
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<em><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">A Pinellas Park City Council Member, like anyone who holds public office in the State of Florida, holds a position of public trust. It holds true from Rick Scott on down. After all, Rick Scott continually violates the trust and confidence of the people of the State of Florida from the day he was anointed Governor in January 2011.</span></em><br />
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<em><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">From reading both ABC Action News articles, it is my opinion that Patricia Johnson has violated the trust and confidence of the residents of the City of Pinellas Park by her actions as a professional guardian. The people of Pinellas Park should do the right thing: When Patricia Johnson is up for re-election as Pinellas Park City Council Member, vote her out of office!</span></em><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The best thing you can do for yourself or your loved one is to make sure your affairs are in order. Here are some important legal documents you or your loved one should have, and these should be prepared with the help of a competent attorney that is licensed by the Florida Bar and specializes in Probate and Elder Law:</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">1. Last Will and Testament.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">2. Durable Power of Attorney.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">3. Living Will.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">4. Designation of Health Care Surrogate.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">5. Designation of Pre-Need Guardian.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Keep the originals in a secure place, but scan them to PDF files first and store the PDF versions somewhere in a place where the files are readily accessible if needed.</span><br />
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<em><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Remember, if you need legal assistance in Elder Law or any other legal related matter, be sure to have a consultation with the attorney of your choice. Most attorneys will give you a 30- to 60-minute consultation either free or for a small fee. Be sure you check out the attorney's qualifications and expertise (including courtroom track record) and read everything before you sign that retainer contract and hand over any money.</span></em><br />
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<em><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The above tips presented here in this blog entry are not to be construed as legal advice. Should you run into a situation where you need legal help on an Elder Law or any other legal matter, consultation with an attorney licensed by the Florida Bar is strongly advised and encouraged.</span></em><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">And as for William Berchau and Paulette Karpa, they deserve plenty of dignity and respect, not have them live out the golden years of their lives in an institution and their everyday lives controlled by a total stranger.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">A very special thanks goes out to <a href="http://www.abcactionnews.com/">ABC Action News</a> reporters Adam Walser and Francis Gilpin for exposing the harrowing consequences of Florida's guardianship laws. As I mentioned earlier, Florida's guardianship laws need to be fixed - and big time.</span><br />
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Edward Ringwaldhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15301702738961853866noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5296469594736766509.post-32010399640113931132013-09-21T21:43:00.000-04:002013-09-21T21:43:44.346-04:00Where has Movie Theater Etiquette Gone Part IV: Etiquette to the Rescue!<div align="justify">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Remember back to March 2013 and the premiere of Where has Movie Theater Etiquette Gone Part III at the Edward Ringwald Movieplex? If you haven't read it yet you should; in fact if you </span><a href="http://blog.edwardringwald.com/2013/03/where-has-movie-theater-etiquette-gone.html"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">right click on this link</span></a><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> and select "Open in a new Tab" (works on both Internet Explorer and Firefox) you can read that blog entry as well as this blog entry side by side.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The place: </span><a href="http://www.amctheatres.com/" rel="nofollow"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">AMC Regency 20 Theatres</span></a><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">, located in Brandon at FL 60 and Interstate 75 east of Tampa. It's also reachable from the Selmon Crosstown Expressway as Brandon is the expressway's east end.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The movie: <em><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Insidious:_Chapter_2">Insidious Chapter 2</a>, </em>the sequel to 2011's <em>Insidious</em>. It's a horror movie about a husband and wife trying to unlock the secret that had them somehow tied to the spirit world. If you go see this movie, be prepared for edge of your seat scenes! Being a new release, I thought it was a must see; after all, my mother (who unfortunately passed away in March 2000) liked going to those horror movies too.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">So, I set out on northbound Interstate 275 across the Howard Frankland Bridge into Tampa, checking out the progress of the Interstate 275 mega-reconstruction project as I passed by, which is supposed to be wrapped up in 2016. The pieces are slowly being assembled, one by one.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Then through downtown Tampa and eastbound Interstate 4, going past the Selmon Crosstown Connector which will enable traffic to seamlessly transition between Interstate 4 and the Selmon Crosstown Expressway. The connector will also benefit interests at the nearby Port of Tampa; in particular, gasoline tanker trucks won't have to go through historic Ybor City and 21st/22nd Streets and try to preserve the historic character of Ybor City at the same time.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">After the Tampa Bypass Canal it's southbound on Interstate 75 to Exit 257, FL 60 to Brandon. A couple more turns through the traffic signal garden on FL 60 in Brandon and - before you know it - AMC Regency 20 Theatres. Park the car and find the main entrance.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Notice the heavy Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office presence at the theatre, which means extra peace of mind, as I make my way to the box office. Purchase tickets to the 11:15 PM showing of <em>Insidious 2.</em> To make maximum use of my waiting time, go to a nearby Starbucks to get something to eat and drink as well as work on my laptop.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">As showtime drew nearer, enter theatre and usher takes ticket. Head over to Auditorium 13 and the special line for the show. Before that, make a pit stop at the concession stand for evening meal, as I don't want to eat too late.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Enter Auditorium 13 and find great seat and settle in. After enduring about 15 minutes of upcoming attractions, now our feature presentation. Right as the lights dimmed down and the movie started, trouble was brewing on the horizon when a group of unruly - believed to be teenage children - sat in the seats next to me. These children insisted on their "right" to chatter and text on their cell phone, even after I courteously told them to please cut the chatter and observe silence during the movie.</span></div>
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<em><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">After all, Silence is Golden at AMC Theatres. And they mean it to their word.</span></em></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Already someone else made a complaint regarding the teenage children's behavior. The usher came in and warned the teenagers to please be seated and to cease all chatter and have respect for others who are trying to see <em>Insidious 2 </em>in quiet. The usher put those teenagers on notice that if the conduct continues, ejection is in order.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">25 minutes into <em>Insidious 2</em>. The teenagers continued to insist on their "right" to use their cell phone to text as well as chat. When I reminded these teenagers to be quiet, I was given dirty looks. The genre of <em>Insidious 2 </em>brought the </span><a href="http://blog.edwardringwald.com/2012/07/tragedy-at-movieplex.html"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">tragedy</span></a><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> at the Cinemark Movie Theater at Aurora, Colorado in the back of my mind and the increased security by the major theatre chains including AMC Theatres in the wake of what happened in July 2012.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><strong><em>That was it. </em></strong>Time to step out of Auditorium 13 and see the usher. Within seconds, backup in the form of Hillsborough County Sheriff's Deputies working security detail for AMC Regency 20 Theatres was called. Within a few minutes, the unruly teenagers were ejected.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">As for me, I was way too concerned of seeing the movie any further for fear of retribution. As such, the management of the AMC Regency 20 gave me a pass to use to see any movie (including special engagements) at any AMC theater. Believe me, I put that pass to good use the next day, over at AMC Veterans 24 Theatres.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">But I got to hand it to AMC Theatres. They have a very successful Silence is Golden policy for many years; after all, I pay $10.50 regular adult admission for the privilege of seeing a movie that I would like to see, and I think I should be able to see a movie in its entirety without any distractions from cell phone users and chatters.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">And I got to admit it: The staff and management of AMC Theatres, especially the three Tampa area AMC Theatres - Veterans 24, Westshore 14 and Regency 20 - will do anything and everything to make your movie going experience a memorable one. The staff at these three AMC Theatres will resolve any problems with patrons who do not wish to observe proper movie theatre etiquette including silence during the feature presentation. Speaking of the </span><a href="http://www.hcso.tampa.fl.us/" rel="nofollow"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office</span></a><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> presence at the AMC Regency 20 (as well as the </span><a href="http://www.tampagov.net/dept_Police/" rel="nofollow"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Tampa Police Department</span></a><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> and Westshore Plaza Mall Security presence at the AMC Westshore 14 as well as the security presence at AMC Veterans 24), it makes going to the movies much more safer and enjoyable. And I got to agree with you on that.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">While we're on the subject of movie theater etiquette, more needs to be done to better enforce proper etiquette when inside a movie theater auditorium during the feature presentation. What I believe should be done is laws being enacted that address the issue of disrupting a movie due to improper etiquette; you can make this happen by writing or emailing your legislators in Tallahassee and demanding better.</span></div>
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<em><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Want proof on criminal laws that deal with a specific subject? Look at </span><a href="http://www.leg.state.fl.us/Statutes/index.cfm?App_mode=Display_Statute&Search_String=&URL=0800-0899/0871/Sections/0871.01.html"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Section 871.01</span></a><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> of the Florida Statutes - this law deals with disruption of a church service. The same thing can be applied to movie theaters as far as disruption during the movie by chattering patrons is concerned.</span></em></div>
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<em><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">If such a law were passed here's how it would be worded:</span></em></div>
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<em><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Disturbing motion picture feature presentations; penalty -</span></em></div>
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<em><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">1. Whoever willfully interrupts or disturbs any movie theater whose purpose is the exhibition of motion pictures upon the payment of the applicable price of admission commits a misdemeanor of the second degree, punishable as provided in s. 775.082 or s. 775.083.</span></em></div>
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<em><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">2. A person found guilty of a violation of this section, in addition to the penalties prescribed in s. 775.082 or s. 775.083, shall be denied admittance to any movie theater in this state for a period of six months. A person found guilty of a violation of this section shall be liable to the owner of the movie theater for any financial liability incurred in the refund of admissions paid as a result of such interruption or disruption.</span></em></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">As I wrote in </span><a href="http://blog.edwardringwald.com/2013/03/where-has-movie-theater-etiquette-gone.html"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Where has Movie Theater Etiquette Gone Part III</span></a><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">, I am going to enumerate the pointers that you should know when you go to the movies, whether it's the big multi-screen multiplexes or the small two-auditorium theater in town:</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">1. Turn off that cell phone, BlackBerry, iPad, Droid or whatever when you enter the theater auditorium. Better yet, lock up that cell phone in your vehicle out of sight.<br /><br />2. Your ticket only allows you to see a movie at a particular time and only within a particular auditorium. This information is printed on your ticket when you obtain it from the box office or the ticket kiosk. Your ticket does not allow you to hop from auditorium to auditorium; if you want to see another movie the same day at the theater be sure to purchase a ticket for the other movie too. Auditorium hopping is grounds for exclusion from a theater without refund.<br /><br />3. When the movie starts, please observe silence during the feature presentation. Your fellow movie goers will thank you. Like AMC Theatres says, it's movie time, not cell phone or texting time or whatever.<br /><br />4. If you have a group of people that want to attend a movie, call ahead of time and find out if your theater will make arrangements so that your group can sit together during the show. Please, don't show up with your little group right when the movie starts and chase other people out of their seats. Unless told to do so by someone in authority at the movie theater such as an uniformed usher, I will not yield my seat to your group that decides to show up at the very last minute.<br /><br /><em>Now there is a meaning to come early to get a good seat. In fact, if you buy your movie tickets on Fandango or MovieTickets.com you are advised to show up well in advance to get a good seat.</em><br /><br />If everyone can follow these simple tips I presented above for going to the movies then everyone will be happy and at the same time everyone will get their money's worth for the price of admission.</span></div>
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Edward Ringwaldhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15301702738961853866noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5296469594736766509.post-66258401662041219252013-08-22T21:02:00.000-04:002013-08-22T21:02:57.283-04:00St. Petersburg Primary Election coming up on Tuesday, 27 August 2013<div align="justify">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">In a few more days, we St. Petersburg residents will be headed to the polls to decide on at least two important items: Who we will have for the next Mayor of St. Petersburg (the top two winners will advance to the St. Petersburg General Election on 5 November 2013) and whether you want the new St. Petersburg Pier - called The Lens - to be built or not.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Bur first, let's review the Pinellas County Four-Step if you decide to cast your ballot at your assigned polling place on Tuesday, 27 August 2013. A summary of the </span><a href="http://www.edwardringwald.com/Pinellas4Step.htm"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Pinellas County Four-Step</span></a><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> is thus:</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><strong>Prerequisite to the Pinellas County Four-Step:</strong> Picture and signature identification, which you must bring with you to the polls or you will be asked to vote a provisional ballot. Here's the run-down on the picture and signature identification you will need:</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Florida Driver License</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Florida Identification Card</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">United States Passport (the passport book or card is OK)</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Debit or credit card</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Student or Military ID</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Retirement Center ID</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Neighborhood Association ID</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Public Assistance ID</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><strong>Step 1:</strong> Here is where you check in after you are greeted by the polling place deputy, whose job is to maintain law and order in the polling place. Show the poll worker one of the items of picture and signature identification as described above and confirm your address as it is shown in the register. Sign the register as shown to you by the poll worker. The poll worker will hand you a yellow ticket with your name on it for you to take to Step 2.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><strong>Step 2:</strong> Here is where you exchange the yellow ticket you received in Step 1 for the actual ballot. You will be asked to fill in the oval to confirm that your name is correct on the yellow ticket and you will be asked to sign in the space on the yellow ticket to prove that you actually received your ballot. The poll worker will hand you your ballot in a red secrecy envelope, ready for you to proceed to Step 3.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><strong>Step 3:</strong> Step on over to any one of the many open privacy booths in the polling place. This is where you make your selections using the black pen that was supplied to you in Step 2.</span></div>
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<em><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">A ballot marking machine is available if you would like to use it. Simply let the poll worker know and you will be shown how to use the machine.</span></em></div>
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<em><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Made a mistake? Simply return to Step 2 and request another ballot. Remember, Florida law (Section <a href="http://www.leg.state.fl.us/Statutes/index.cfm?App_mode=Display_Statute&Search_String=&URL=0100-0199/0101/Sections/0101.031.html">101.031</a> of the Florida Statutes, which contains the Voter Bill of Rights, and it's listed in Item 4 under Voter Rights) restricts you to three ballots, so if you are on your third and final ballot, it is strongly suggested that you use the ballot marking machine to make your selections.</span></em></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Regardless of whether you mark your ballot by hand in the privacy booth or use the ballot marking machine, there is one more step involved; that is your ballot being scanned as described in Step 4.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><strong>Step 4:</strong> Here is where you feed your completed ballot into the scanner. A poll worker is on duty at the scanner to assist you as needed. Wait until the scanner takes your ballot and the "success" message on the screen.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Collect your "I Voted" sticker and exit the polling place. That's all there is to it!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">OK. Now that you got the Pinellas County Four-Step, you are ready to go vote!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Speaking of what's going to be on the 27 August 2013 St. Petersburg Primary Election ballot, there is one major question which I feel will cause a lot of confusion, and that is the question of The Pier. Let's untangle that confusion right here.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Here's the exact wording of the question as shown on the </span><a href="http://www.votepinellas.com/"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Pinellas County Supervisor of Elections'</span></a><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> web site. I will reproduce this for you exactly as shown:</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><strong>An Ordinance Terminating the Michael Maltzan New Pier Design Agreement Based on The Lens Concept</strong></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Shall an ordinance be added to the City of St. Petersburg’s existing ordinances that would require the City to send a notice of termination, within five business days of the effective date of the ordinance, to Michael Maltzan Architecture, Inc. to terminate the existing architect/engineering agreement between the City of St. Petersburg and Michael Maltzan Architecture, Inc. which agreement was approved by City Council Resolution Number 2012-233 on May 17, 2012?</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Voting YES on this question signifies that you want the architect/engineering agreement between the City of St. Petersburg and Michael Maltzan Architecture related to the New Pier Design cancelled. <strong><em>Voting YES will mean stop The Lens.</em></strong></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Voting NO on this question signifies that you want the architect/engineering agreement between the City of St. Petersburg and Michael Maltzan Architecture related to the New Pier Design to remain in place as it is now. <strong><em>Voting NO will mean keep The Lens.</em></strong></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">So, it all boils down to one sentence: <em>It's up to you.</em></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">As for whatever your preference is, I'll leave that up to you and you alone to decide. When you go into the polling place on Tuesday, 27 August 2013 you will be informed and you will make your decision based on what your choice will be.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">And one more thing while we're on the subject of voting in the St. Petersburg Primary on Tuesday, 27 August 2013:</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">If you have received a mail ballot and you have already mailed it in, great!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">However, if you have received a mail ballot and you want to go vote at your assigned polling place, it's not too late! Just be sure to bring the mail in ballot with you when you go to the polls; the poll worker will collect your mail ballot and you will be given a regular ballot as described in the Pinellas County Four-Step earlier.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">And if you have lost your mail ballot by any chance, you can still vote at your assigned polling place! Simply let the poll worker know and the poll worker will check to see if you have not voted yet before you receive your ballot.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Whatever you do, don't just sit there and do nothing St. Petersburg: Get out there and VOTE! Not only at the primary on 27 August 2013, but the general election on 5 November 2013 too!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Again, get out there and VOTE!</span></div>
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Edward Ringwaldhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15301702738961853866noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5296469594736766509.post-79610226786191256562013-08-18T19:32:00.000-04:002013-08-18T19:32:11.787-04:00Back to School and Your Parental Rights for 2013-2014<div align="justify">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Well, it's that time of year again!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">School will be back in session for the 2013-2014 school year in most school districts of the Tampa/St. Petersburg metropolitan area. For Pinellas, Pasco, Hernando, Polk and Manatee counties school gets underway on Monday, 19 August 2012 while Hillsborough county gets underway on Tuesday, 20 August 2012. As a parent, you're more than likely getting your children ready for the new school year, probably taking advantage of the tax free holiday that happened on 2-4 August 2013!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Unfortunately, if you live in Citrus County - home to communities such as Inverness, Crystal River, Lecanto, Hernando, Citrus Springs, and we can't forget Citrus County Speedway as well as Lake Rousseau and the Cross Florida Barge Canal and the Withlacoochee River - school started on Wednesday, 7 August 2013. Why does the Citrus County School District start classes much sooner than the rest of the Tampa Bay region?</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">A year or so after the law was passed (Section 1001.42 (4) (f) of the Florida Statutes) restricting the </span><a href="http://www.edwardringwald.com/SaveSummerVacs.htm"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">school start date</span></a><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> no earlier than 14 days before Labor Day, our lawmakers in Tallahassee wanted to reward (Section 1003.621 of the Florida Statutes) academically high performing school districts such as the Citrus County School District. The reward? Permit academically high performing school districts to start school much earlier, all in the name of the super high-stakes FCAT test!</span></div>
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<em><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Public schools in Florida are nothing more than drill and practice for the annual <a href="http://www.edwardringwald.com/DumpTheFCAT.htm">FCAT test</a>. If you want your child to get a meaningful education in Florida, consider enrolling your child in private school, that is, if you got the large sums of $$$$ or your child is lucky to get a private school scholarship. Unless, of course, you live in Pinellas County and your child applies for and is selected to attend a fundamental school where parental involvement and mandatory homework is required among other things.</span></em></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Our legislators need to go back and repeal Section 1003.621 of the Florida Statutes that allow these academically high performing school districts carte blanche on the school start date. The school start date needs to be uniform throughout the State of Florida, no ifs, ands or buts. <em>And don't give me the FCAT as an excuse!</em></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Now on to your parental rights as a parent of a child attending a public school in Florida.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The most important thing to remember is this:</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><strong><em>Neither your school district nor your child's school principal own or have custody of your children.</em></strong> You did not sign away any rights as a parent when you registered your child for school and signed on the dotted line on the registration form.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">In fact, Bay News 9 has put together a page of <span style="color: black;"><a href="http://www.baynews9.com/content/news/baynews9/news/article.html/content/news/articles/ot/2010/07/26/Back_To_School_Parents_Rights.html">your rights as a parent</a></span> when it comes to your child's education in public school. A few of them, according to the Bay News 9 article, are as follows:</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">1. You, as a parent, have a right to look over your child's school records and see test results, teacher comments and any disciplinary action taken against your child. In the Pinellas County School District, you can log in to Parent Connect and see much of this information on your child; access requires a login which you can get from any school upon presentation of a government issued photo ID.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">2. If your child's school is a Title I school - a school that receives federal funds for low income children to help them succeed in school - federal law requires that you as a parent be involved in programs and decisions that affect your child. Your child's school principal will tell you if the school is a Title I school.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">3. You have the right to ensure that your child is not physically punished for any violations of school rules whatsoever. <em>After all, paddling conveys a message to your child that it is OK to solve problems with violence.</em> In fact, I recommend that you make this your personal commitment to your child.</span><br />
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<em><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">In fact, corporal punishment is prohibited in the Pinellas County School District per the Student Code of Conduct. Pinellas County's prohibition also extends to parents and anyone else while on school district property.</span></em></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">4. If your child is involved in any incident that can lead to disciplinary action, you have the right to review the action taken against your child with the principal.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">More importantly, you are an active participant in your child's education. You are not to be placed on the sidelines as far as your child's education is concerned. After all, this is why you pay property taxes to your school district - demand better from your school officials.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">While we're on the subject of parental rights as far as school is concerned, now that the 2013-2014 school year is on the horizon...</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Florida's public school campuses are increasingly becoming nothing more than closed mini-North Koreas. Why? For this school year, closed campuses have a better meaning: Just mention Sandy Hook Elementary - which was indeed a horrific tragedy - and school officials will use that as an excuse.</span></div>
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<em><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Remember, if you have to visit your child's school for any reason, be sure to report to the front office, sign in and present valid governmentally issued ID.</span></em></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">God knows what your child will be exposed to once your child enters the closed neverworld of a Florida public school campus. Bullying? Child abuse? Physical abuse? Emotional abuse? The subject of your child's teacher's abusive comment on the teacher's Facebook page?</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Seems like every time you turn on Bay News 9, 10 News (WTSP-TV), ABC Action News (WFTS-TV) or NewsChannel 8 (WFLA-TV) or you pick up a copy of the <em>St. Petersburg Times</em> (to this day, I still do not recognize the misnamed <em>Tampa Bay Times</em>) or <em>The Tampa Tribune </em>and find this: <em>School official arrested on child pornography related charges. </em>Now doesn't that sound scary?</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Or, God knows, what your child could be bringing home from school? Let's say your child comes home from school and you are going through your child's backpack. You find something that is objectionable and you make your concerns known to your child's school principal. <em>Instead of taking the time to listen to your concerns, the principal contacts law enforcement and has you arrested for trespassing on school grounds! </em>In fact, there is a video out there on YouTube called <em>Overruled: Government Invasion of your Parental Rights </em>which was produced by ParentalRights.org - I have it embedded into a blog entry I made right around August 2012 when the 2012-2013 school year started and you can read that blog entry as well as watch the video </span><a href="http://blog.edwardringwald.com/2012/08/back-to-school-and-your-parental-rights.html"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">here</span></a><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">. The <em>Overruled </em>video speaks for itself when it comes to parental rights as far as school is concerned.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Just lately I paid an online visit to the website of </span><a href="http://www.edline.net/pages/sdmcmillses"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Virgil Mills Elementary School</span></a><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> in Palmetto, which is in Parrish in Manatee County and located basically at the southern terminus of Interstate 275. A glance at Virgil Mills' </span><a href="http://www.schools.manatee.k12.fl.us/webdisk/701LPICK/1314_arrival_dismissal-_parent_letter.pdf" rel="nofollow"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">arrival and dismissal procedures for the 2013-2014 school year</span></a><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> is obvious: Virgil Mills' principal, Mike Rio, intends to enforce his draconian policy - which is not written - of dangling the threat of a </span><a href="http://www.edwardringwald.com/FlaTrespassLaws.htm"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">trespass warning</span></a><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> on any parent that does not comply with the arrival and dismissal procedures and Principal Rio has made good on that promise by stationing off duty Manatee County Sheriff's Deputies in the student pickup line.</span></div>
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<em><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">You can read the original story on why Virgil Mills Elementary parents have to wait an inordinate amount of time to pick up their children and the consequences of a trespass warning for the parents enforced by Virgil Mills Principal Mike Rio over at </span><a href="http://www.baynews9.com/content/news/baynews9/news/article.html/content/news/articles/ot/both/2010/08/26/Parents_waiting_an_hour_to_pick_up_students_from_school.html"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Bay News 9</span></a><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">. That was an excellent article by Bay News 9 reporter Summer Smith, by the way.</span></em><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">After all, as the 2013-2014 school year gets underway we can make our schools safer for our children and </span><a href="http://blog.edwardringwald.com/2013/01/how-we-can-make-safer-schools-for-our.html"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">it can be done</span></a><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">. We do not need to turn our public schools into correctional facility fortresses or closed mini-North Koreas for that matter at the expense of keeping your child safe at school.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">You as a parent play an important role in your child's education. As such, you as a parent do not sit on the sidelines and let your child's school principal dictate what is appropriate for your child. As I mentioned earlier, you pay taxes for public schools - demand better from your school officials.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">With that said, onward with the 2013-2014 school year!</span><br />
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Edward Ringwaldhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15301702738961853866noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5296469594736766509.post-74469766869430291342013-08-04T19:18:00.001-04:002013-08-04T19:18:24.039-04:00Before you make the ALF decision for your parents...<div align="justify">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Recently I came across this article by Linda Hurtado of ABC Action News (WFTS-TV, Tampa's ABC affiliate) on </span><a href="http://www.abcactionnews.com/dpp/news/health/taking-action-for-your-parents-how-to-choose-the-right-assisted-living-facility-for-your-loved-ones" rel="nofollow"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">how to choose the right Assisted Living Facility</span></a><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> (ALF) for your parents when the time comes. It is a well written article on what to look for in an ALF and - most importantly - your financial options when the time has come to choose an ALF over independent living.</span><br />
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<em><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><strong>DISCLAIMER: </strong>Before I go on further, none of what you are about to read is considered, nor it should be construed as, legal advice. If you have any questions regarding this or any other legal issue, please by all means see an attorney who is licensed by the Florida Bar.</span></em></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">While I think most ALF's are reputable and show a level of unparalleled dignity and respect for the residents that live there, unfortunately there are ALF's out there that will take advantage of your parents from a financial standpoint. In fact, I have read horror stories of ALF's that resort to the use of Florida's guardianship laws in order to get their hands on every dollar of a parents' assets.</span><br />
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<em><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Once an ALF finds someone with a substantial amount of assets, an ALF has struck a vast pool of Texas Tea. Or an underwater Gulf of Mexico goldmine. <strong>Let the financial feast begin!</strong></span></em></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Before I go on further, may I suggest reading my topic on </span><a href="http://www.edwardringwald.com/GuardianshipFla.htm"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">guardianship in Florida</span></a><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> - the legalized kidnapping and exploitation of the elderly and disabled as well as our veterans that proudly served America - over on my web site? This will give you a basic idea of what a guardianship is in Florida and the potential for abuse, especially at the hands of professional guardians and others involved in assessing a person's capacity to make informed decisions such as social workers and psychiatrists.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><em>The first thing you should do if the time comes to consider placing your parents in an ALF is to consult an attorney. Your attorney can assist you in many ways as to the preservation of your parents' assets.</em></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">After all, once an ALF knows of your parents' assets - especially significant assets - the ALF has essentially hit a goldmine as far as a good source of income is concerned. An ALF can welcome your parents with open arms, but once your parents are settled into the congregate living world of an ALF, the ALF administrators can declare open season on your parents' assets, as well as your parents' daily activities among other things.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">An ALF is run by an administrator who oversees the day to day operations of the ALF. Working under the ALF administrator is a team of professionals - either on the staff or on call as needed - such as social workers and psychiatrists, just to name a few. All it takes is knowledge of a serious medical condition, such as diabetes (and I don't care which type of diabetes it is) or Alzheimer's, to set off a cascade of legal events that turn your parents from legal adults into wards of the State of Florida.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The administrator, working in concert with the social worker, psychiatrist and the ALF's legal counsel, will file a petition for guardianship with the goal of going after the parents' assets. In Florida, two petitions start the guardianship process: The Petition to Determine Capacity and the Petition for Appointment of a Guardian.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Once the petitions are filed and the parents are notified that petitions have been filed to inquire into their mental capacity to make everyday decisions, a hearing is held before a probate judge to appoint the three person examining committee. It is the job of the examining committee to inquire into a person's ability to make everyday decisions, and the inquiry does not stop with the interview of the person that is the subject of the guardianship petition.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The examining committee goes further by getting testimony from the ALF administrator and the ALF's social worker among the persons. Next, the examining committee will get their hands on any and all medical records of the alleged incapacitated person by way of the subpoena process.</span><br />
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<em><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Speaking of medical records, despite federal privacy laws such as HIPAA in place, the examining committee can look at not only the medical records from the alleged incapacitated person's physician, but records maintained by other entities such as the Medical Information Bureau as well as Milliman for prescription drug histories and FICO (you got that right, FICO, the same company that gives you your credit score) for the FICO Medication Adherence Score, a scorecard as to how well a patient complies with doctors' orders by taking the medications as prescribed. All it takes is a legal subpoena, of which the maintainers of the alleged incapacitated person's medical records must comply with once served.</span></em></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Once everything is all said and done, the reports of each member of the examining committee are summarized into a report that is given to the probate judge. The judge reviews everything and in a subsequent hearing, if everything is in order the judge will adjudicate the person incompetent and appoint a guardian.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Once the adjudication is all said and done, bingo! The ALF just got their hands on your parents' assets in order to pay for the cost of being in the ALF! And legally, thanks to Florida's guardianship laws!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">And as for your parents, your parents are in the custody of a total and complete stranger who dictates the way of life for your parents. God knows who was involved in the selection of the professional guardian: More than likely the ALF. Moreover, the guardian either severely restricts your visits to your parents or, worse, cuts off all your visitation privileges completely.</span></div>
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<em><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Remember, a person who is a ward of the state (in other words, under guardianship) has much less rights than a convicted felon. Among the rights lost (assuming a plenary guardianship):</span></em></div>
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<em><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The right to vote</span></em></div>
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<em><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The right to determine where you live</span></em></div>
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<em><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The ability to seek or keep a job</span></em></div>
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<em><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The ability to have a Florida Driver License</span></em></div>
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<em><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The ability to manage property</span></em></div>
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<em><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The ability to sue or be sued in court</span></em></div>
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<em><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The right to determine who you can be associated with</span></em></div>
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<em><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The ability to travel - even outside the ALF</span></em></div>
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<em><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The ability to retain an United States Passport</span></em></div>
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<em><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The right to make decisions regarding medical treatment</span></em></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The professional guardian goes to work immediately on whatever assets can be converted into cash in order to pay the recurring monthly ALF fees such as room and board among other things. A house which has been the home of your parents - and which you more than likely grew up in - is sold and the proceeds go to the professional guardian which eventually ends up in the hands of the ALF - usually after the professional guardian helps himself/herself to a share of the proceeds as professional guardian fees.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The same thing goes for all other assets the parents had: Money in banks, money received as a result of receiving government benefits, family heirlooms - and the list goes on and on.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Once all the assets are spent, then it's time to apply for Medicaid. Once Medicaid is approved, the financial lifeline in the ALF's favor thanks to your parents is still intact.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">You are kept out of all decision making as far as your parents are concerned. The only time the ALF or the professional guardian overseeing the affairs of your parents will contact you is if your parents passed away. In other words, you are kept in the dark regarding your parents.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Once your parents pass away in the ALF, it's game over for all the players that have overseen your parents' care. Then the ALF finds its next "victim" and the wheel of guardianship spins all over again.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">So what can you do for your parents when it comes time to think about making the transition from home to ALF?</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><strong><em>First and foremost, arrange a meeting with an attorney, preferably an attorney that knows both wills, trusts and probate as well as elder law.</em></strong> Most attorneys can give you a 30-minute consultation either for free or for a small fee. This cannot be over-emphasized enough: Check the attorney's qualifications and expertise as well as his or her courtroom track record before you hand any sum of money to an attorney when you sign that retainer agreement.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Be sure that the attorney you select is licensed by the Florida Bar. Much better, an attorney licensed by the Florida Bar and certified in probate and elder law matters is much more favorable.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">A competent attorney will show you the ways that your parents' assets can be structured to prevent their being taken by professional guardians. Steer clear of attorneys who think that guardianship is the only way to preserve assets - just remember what happened to a Clearwater resident whose name is </span><a href="http://www.tampabay.com/news/aging/legal-guardian-denies-alzheimers-patient-her-home-and-family-contact/1029187"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Carol Kinnear</span></a><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> as far as the unintended consequences of a guardianship are concerned.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Next, research ALF facilities in your area by starting online and visiting the individual ALF websites. Narrow down your list based on their reputation (how do I find out? Do a Google search for (name of ALF facility) complaints) and contact them to arrange for a tour of the facility.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">When you take a tour of the ALF facilities, you may want to take your parents along. While you are there, you will get a first impression of what the facility is like. All I can say here is trust your instinct - if while you are touring an ALF facility you have any concerns about placing your parents there, the best thing to do is to err on the side of caution and leave the facility.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The only time that your parents give out their personal information is when the decision is made to enter a specific ALF and the paperwork is completed. In fact, have your attorney review all ALF paperwork before signing anything.</span><br />
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<strong><em><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">In fact, work with your attorney to discuss safeguarding your parents' assets before your parents sign the ALF paperwork.</span></em></strong><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Now what if, despite your best efforts, your parents resist your efforts to place them in an ALF? According to Linda Hurtado of </span><a href="http://www.abcactionnews.com/dpp/news/health/how-to-talk-to-your-parents-about-making-the-transition-to-an-assisted-living-facility"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">ABC Action News</span></a><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> your parents do not have to go to an ALF, unless adjudicated incompetent in a guardianship proceeding.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">In other words, your parents are legal adults with all the rights and privileges appertaining thereto, the same way when you turned 18 and became an adult yourself. The only way the rights and privileges as an adult can be taken away from you - other than being convicted and sent to prison - is the guardianship process as defined in Chapter 744 of the Florida Statutes. Then again, a person under guardianship has much less rights than a convicted felon.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">So please, before you make the ALF decision for your parents, <strong><em>speak to an attorney first. </em></strong>After all, your parents took great care of you, and someday the time will come when it's time for you to take care of them.</span><br />
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Edward Ringwaldhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15301702738961853866noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5296469594736766509.post-48761840237268660902013-07-13T18:47:00.000-04:002013-07-14T23:19:48.040-04:00Justice for Trayvon Martin Update<div align="justify">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">By now you have more than likely following the trial of George Zimmerman, the neighborhood watch vigilante who murdered Trayvon Martin back in the early part of 2012. Back in March 2012 I wrote a blog entry on </span><a href="http://blog.edwardringwald.com/2012/03/justice-for-trayvon-martin-your-action.html"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">justice for Trayvon Martin</span></a><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> while I was on board a northbound Amtrak train (Train 92, the <em>Silver Star</em>) headed to Jacksonville to spend a rental car-less weekend to get a few things done.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Unfortunately, the jury verdict was what not expected: Not guilty. That's the State of Florida sending a signal that it is OK to commit acts of extreme vigilantism thanks to Florida's Stand Your Ground law.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">While what George Zimmerman did was a senseless and unjustified act, we need to understand that whatever the verdict of the jury is reached, good or bad, remember that the American criminal justice system has been around since 1776 from the day our forefathers founded our great nation, the United States of America. In fact, we recently celebrated our nation's 237th birthday not too long ago on 4 July 2013.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I am not pleased at the jury verdict, and I know many of you agree with that. However, we need to respect the jury's verdict and decision on the outcome of this case. On another note, we Floridians need to keep pushing our legislators in Tallahassee at the next session of the Florida Legislature to reform or repeal Florida's Stand Your Ground law.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Moreover, here is also an email I received from MoveOn.org along with a link to sign a petition asking United States Attorney General Eric Holder to open a civil rights case against George Zimmerman that I would like to share with you:</span><br />
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<em><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">A jury has acquitted George Zimmerman, but we are not done demanding justice for Trayvon Martin. Sign our petition to the Department of Justice today. </span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">That's why I signed a petition to Department of Justice, Attorney General Eric Holder.</span></em><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><em></em></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><em>Will you sign this petition? Click here:</em></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><em></em></span><br />
<a href="http://petitions.moveon.org/sign/open-a-civil-rights-case?source=s.em.cp&r_by=32908"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><em>http://petitions.moveon.org/sign/open-a-civil-rights-case?source=s.em.cp&r_by=32908</em></span></a><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><em></em></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><em>Thanks!</em></span><br />
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Edward Ringwaldhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15301702738961853866noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5296469594736766509.post-2299823219853227102013-07-05T21:14:00.001-04:002013-07-05T21:14:26.815-04:00The Privacy Dangers of Biometric Screenings<div align="justify">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">As we celebrate America's 237th year of independence I got to see the annual 4th of July fireworks display over at Channelside, a shopping and dining mecca located next to the cruise port terminal in downtown Tampa just east of the St. Pete Times (Tampa Bay Times) Forum. I decided to take in the fireworks display at Channelside after several years viewing the 4th of July fireworks in downtown St. Petersburg for a change.</span></div>
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<em><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">After all, change is good when you want to see the fireworks at a different place. Besides, downtown St. Petersburg is not the same without its iconic signature trademark, the St. Petersburg Pier, which recently closed this past Memorial Day weekend in May 2013. However, the future of the St. Petersburg Pier is up to the voters of the City of St. Petersburg which will be on the 27 August 2013 ballot as a referendum question.</span></em></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">If you cherish and value your rights of privacy in the health care setting as an American, you need to read this blog entry word for word. In an earlier blog entry I spoke my opinion on </span><a href="http://blog.edwardringwald.com/2013/03/my-opinion-on-employer-sponsored.html"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">employer sponsored wellness programs</span></a><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">. A increasingly disturbing trend of these wellness programs is the biometric screening, where you are screened for several factors such as your blood pressure and blood glucose level among them. In fact, what makes these biometric screenings more disturbing is that if you fail to participate, you will pay more for your health insurance or be penalized somewhere; I have read based on my research online that employers can go to extremes such as terminating your employment - all because of pre-existing health conditions you may have had.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Now how can these biometric screenings be used against you? You will be surprised.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">1. Your employer's health insurance carrier. The results of the biometric screening are not only kept by your health insurance carrier, the results are also reported to the Medical Information Bureau, which can pose serious problems for you if you decide to apply for life insurance at a later time.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">2. The </span><a href="http://www.mib.com/" rel="nofollow"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Medical Information Bureau</span></a><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> is a specialty consumer reporting agency in that records are kept on millions of Americans as to their health conditions. If you decide to apply for life insurance as I mentioned earlier, or if you submit a claim for benefits such as health insurance benefits, your record at the Medical Information Bureau comes into play here.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">3. Your employer can use the information from the biometric screening against you as well. Despite the privacy protections in the federal </span><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Health_Insurance_Portability_and_Accountability_Act" rel="nofollow"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996</span></a><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">, commonly known as HIPAA, the information from the biometric screening somehow makes it to your employer. After all, it is your employer paying a huge chunk of your health insurance bill (and you paying your share out of your paycheck).</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">4. Now this is very important, and I mentioned this in my earlier blog entry on employer sponsored wellness programs:</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Suppose you went and got that biometric screening in order to cut your health insurance bill deducted from your paycheck. The results of that biometric screening show that you have a serious medical condition and a nurse practitioner has counseled you.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">If in the event - later down the road - a petition for </span><a href="http://www.edwardringwald.com/GuardianshipFla.htm"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">guardianship</span></a><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> is ever filed against you, a three person committee called the examining committee is ordered by the judge for the purpose of examining the person whose capacity is in question. This three person committee consists of a physician, a psychiatrist and a lay person such as a social worker.</span><br />
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<em><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">In Florida, two petitions start the guardianship process as defined in Chapter 744 of the Florida Statutes: Petition to Determine Capacity and Petition for Appointment of Guardian.</span></em></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">As part of the duties of the examining committee, it can subpoena your health records - not only from your own physician but from your employer's insurance company as well as the Medical Information Bureau - and use the health records against you in determining whether you should be adjudicated incompetent.</span></div>
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<em><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Remember, once you or your loved one is adjudicated incompetent, the legal status changes from being an adult to a ward. Imagine a total stranger in control of all of your everyday activities - having your right to vote taken away from you, having your Florida Driver License taken away from you, being unable to seek and/or retain employment, and being taken out of your home and placed in an Assisted Living Facility (ALF) - all because of the results of a biometric screening that you submitted to with your employer.</span></em></div>
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<em><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Additionally, beware of social workers lurking around the corner in the hospital, especially the ER. If you or your loved one - particularly someone who is older - goes to the ER for a seemingly minor ailment, that social worker lurking around the corner could be developing a case against you to have a guardianship petition filed. Not only the two petitions that commence a guardianship case are filed, usually by a religious based social services agency in which the hospital's social worker works with, but another petition which fast tracks the person straight into guardianship, the emergency petition for appointment of guardian, is filed.</span></em></div>
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<em><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Speaking of the emergency petition for appointment of guardian, it is usually used when there is no one around that can make an important medical decision such as a relative. I have read up on abuses of the emergency guardianship petition so that professional guardians can get a head start on seizing control over a person and his or her assets.</span></em></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">5. If you are taking any prescription medications for a serious medical condition you have, don't think your prescription history is private. There is a company out there called </span><a href="http://www.rxhistories.com/" rel="nofollow"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Milliman</span></a><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> that has a prescription history product called IntelliScript, and if you decide to apply for life insurance your prospective insurer can check this database to see if you have a serious medical condition - this time, by what medications you are taking.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">And we can't forget the </span><a href="http://patients.about.com/od/followthemoney/f/What-Is-The-FICO-Medication-Adherence-Score.htm" rel="nofollow"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">FICO Medication Adherence Score</span></a><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">, brought to you by the same people that bring you your credit score. It is a numeric score that tells anyone how you adhere to your doctor's treatment protocol including taking the medications you are prescribed.</span><br />
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<em><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Like the information that your health care insurer and the Medical Information Bureau have on you, the information that Milliman's IntelliScript prescription database as well as your FICO Medication Adherence Score can be legally disclosed if your health records are subpoenaed as part of a legal proceeding, especially in a guardianship case if the three person examining committee conducting an inquisition of your personal affairs wants to take a look at these records. I know, this is not related to biometric screenings but I threw the information in on prescription histories just to illustrate the privacy dangers you face when it comes to your personal health information.</span></em><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">So, these are things that you should know about before you submit yourself or a loved one to a biometric screening conducted by your employer. You value the privacy of your health condition and the records of your health care, and it is your right. A discussion of your personal health conditions should stay within your own doctor's office, and your primary care doctor is the one that knows your health condition.</span></div>
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<strong><em><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">After all, your personal health conditions are none of your employer's business. I cannot over-emphasize this enough: This is something for you to think about before you submit yourself to an employer sponsored biometric screening.</span></em></strong></div>
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Edward Ringwaldhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15301702738961853866noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5296469594736766509.post-85918730582928699532013-06-30T18:28:00.001-04:002013-06-30T18:28:24.574-04:00Updates to the Blog Community Guidelines<div align="justify">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I have made a few minor edits to the community guidelines for both the Edward Ringwald Blog and the Interstate 275 Florida Blog. You can view them </span><a href="http://www.edwardringwald.com/pdf/BlogGuidelines.pdf"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">here</span></a><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Among the highlights:</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">You are responsible for whatever comment you make on any of my blog entries. In other words, you take full responsibility for your comment.</span></div>
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<em><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Remember, where you go and what you do on the World Wide Web is not private. Here's a web site to help you determine what your Internet Protocol (IP) address is: </span></em><a href="http://whatismyipaddress.com/"><em><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">What is my IP Address</span></em></a><em><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">. After all, your IP address is the string of numbers that identifies you on the public Internet.</span></em></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">This applies whether you post as an anonymous user or you post while you are logged in to your Google or Open ID account. When you post under your Google or Open ID account, your comment is titled like this:</span></div>
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<strong><em><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">(user account name) said...</span></em></strong></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Your comment shows up here.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">This is in addition to the commenting guidelines that are already in place, of which I will remind all of our commenters as stated below:</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">1. Stay on the blog topic.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">2. Be respectful of others out there.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">3. Don't hate or express hatred.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">4. Don't use language that you wouldn't use with your parents. Or with your boss. Or at your school teachers. Or with anyone else in authority.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">5. No commercial messages of any kind.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">6. No infringing on the publicity and privacy rights of others.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">7. No personal identifying information such as automobile tag numbers, Social Security numbers, driver license numbers, financial account numbers and the like.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">One more item I need to mention is that I have a no comment removal policy, much like the consumer site </span><a href="http://ripoffreport.com/"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">RipOffReport.com</span></a><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> where once you post a comment about the experience you had with a business, it's there forever. However, comments that are moderated are screened prior to being allowed to be posted, as this blog is a family friendly blog for all ages.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I fully support the First Amendment to the Constitution of the United States of America, which provides for freedom of lawful speech and freedom of lawful expression among other things. As the blog you are reading is hosted on servers here in the United States (it's hosted on Blogger, a part of online giant Google), and as the Fourth of July is just around the corner as I am writing this blog entry, I will defend my lawful right of free expression and free speech not only for the entries I write but for the comments you make. To that end, my blog community guidelines for both the Edward Ringwald Blog and the Interstate 275 Florida Blog have support for the values enumerated in the First Amendment.</span></div>
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Edward Ringwaldhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15301702738961853866noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5296469594736766509.post-78664839812492823492013-06-30T17:39:00.000-04:002013-06-30T17:39:05.838-04:00Is Wharton High School in Tampa still part of the United States?<div align="justify">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Here's an article that I have been recently following in <em>The Tampa Tribune</em> now that high school graduations for 2013 have come and gone: <em><a href="http://www.tampatrib.com/northeast-tampa/principal-cuts-off-wharton-high-salutatorian-in-middle-of-graduation-speech-20130606/">Principal cuts off Wharton salutatorian in middle of graduation speech</a>.</em> If you are an American that values the right of lawful free speech and expression, you need to keep reading this blog entry word for word.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">After all, if you happen to be your senior class' valedictorian or salutatorian and you have to give a speech at graduation, you are asked by your school principal to write a speech and run it by the principal for approval. And this is what Wharton High salutatorian Harold Shaw Jr. did.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">And when graduation day comes and you have to give that speech, it is normal to be nervous. After all, you only get one chance at high school including graduation.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">So graduation day for </span><a href="http://wharton.mysdhc.org/"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Wharton High</span></a><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> came, and Harold Shaw Jr. gave his speech, <em>which was approved by Wharton High Principal Brad Woods in the days before graduation.</em> Halfway through the graduation speech, according to <em>The Tampa Tribune </em>article, </span><a href="http://wharton.mysdhc.org/administration"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Principal Woods</span></a><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> pulled the plug on what was supposed to be Harold Shaw Jr.'s speech to the Class of 2013.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">What happened next will shock you, quoting from the <em>Tribune</em> article:</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">1. Principal Brad Woods stated that he respected the principles of free speech. <em>What a lie Principal Woods made to all in attendance at the graduation ceremony.</em></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">2. Next, Principal Woods decides to make a criminal out of Harold Shaw, Jr. by having him and his parents escorted off the premises by two Hillsborough Sheriff's deputies working security detail at the ceremony.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">3. Harold Shaw, Jr. was allowed to pick up his high school diploma - <em>two days after the ceremony.</em></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Now here's my take on how Harold Shaw Jr.'s were grossly violated by the actions of Wharton High Principal Brad Woods at the graduation ceremonies that took place at the Florida State Fairgrounds' Expo Hall:</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">After reading the article not only at <em><a href="http://www.tampatrib.com/northeast-tampa/principal-cuts-off-wharton-high-salutatorian-in-middle-of-graduation-speech-20130606/">The Tampa Tribune</a> </em>but also </span><a href="http://www.wtsp.com/news/reporter/article/320303/79/Principal-cuts-salutatorians-speech-short"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">10 News (WTSP-TV)</span></a><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> and </span><a href="http://www.baynews9.com/content/news/baynews9/news/article.html/content/news/articles/bn9/2013/6/7/speech_flap_ends_hig.html"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Bay News 9</span></a><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">, I think it is very clear that Principal Woods violated Harold Shaw Jr.'s civil rights. That speech was already approved after so many revisions made well in advance.</span></div>
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<em><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">By the way, Hillsborough Schools Superintendent MaryEllen Elia defended the actions of Wharton High Principal Brad Woods at Wharton High's commencement ceremony, according to this </span><a href="http://www.wtsp.com/news/local/article/320624/8/Hillsborough-superintendent-defends-Wharton-HS-principal"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">10 News (WTSP-TV) article</span></a><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">. Nothing more than a rubber stamp seal of approval that Wharton High School - as well as the Hillsborough County School District - tramples on the principles of American patriotism, liberty and democracy.</span></em><br />
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<em><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Besides, what kind of school district is Hillsborough Superintendent MaryEllen Elia running? How about lax supervision of students, as what happened tragically with 11-year-old Jennifer Caballero when she </span><a href="http://www.wtsp.com/news/local/story.aspx?storyid=279281"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">wandered off the campus</span></a><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> of Rodgers Middle School. How about treating students, especially high school students (and their parents too), more like criminals, using a Student Code of Conduct which parallels civil law such as what is found in Mexico.</span></em><br />
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<em><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">On a side note, Mexican law is based on civil law. Easiest explanation: You are guilty of any offense until you prove your innocence. Same way with the Hillsborough County School District's Code of Student Conduct: You as a student are guilty of any offense in the code of student conduct until you can prove otherwise, and nine times out of ten any appeal of disciplinary action taken by the principal is denied. The burden of proof is on you, the student, not the administration.</span></em></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Principal Woods, by his actions at Wharton High's commencement ceremony, seriously undermined the values of American liberty and democracy - of which his faculty teaches to students who take required civics and American National Government classes. <em>Why have these classes in the very first place?</em></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Perhaps Wharton High School Principal Brad Woods ought to consider organizing a study tour over the summer to a country where human rights and civil liberties such as freedom of speech and freedom of lawful expression are not respected and where abuse by law enforcement is routine, such as Singapore which is rated </span><a href="http://www.freedomhouse.org/report/freedom-world/2013/singapore"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">partly free</span></a><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> by </span><a href="http://www.freedomhouse.org/"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Freedom House</span></a><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> for laws that restrict freedom of speech, or to the Eastern European dictatorship of Belarus (rated by Freedom House as </span><a href="http://www.freedomhouse.org/report/freedom-world/2013/belarus"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Not Free</span></a><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">) whose leader, Alexander Lukashenko, suppresses any and all dissent including </span><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Human_rights_in_Belarus"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">restrictions on freedom of speech</span></a><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> among other things.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">After all, school principals who care to <a href="http://blog.edwardringwald.com/2012/09/just-barely-into-school-year-principals.html">erode parental rights</a>, trample the civil liberties of students, and exercise control over students beyond the school campus (with the exception of school sponsored events held off campus) and turn students and parents into criminals for no reason do not deserve to be in the business of educating students in the very first place. And on a side note, if school principals do want to trample on the principles of American patriotism as well as the principles of American liberty and democracy and the </span><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tinker_v._Des_Moines_Independent_Community_School_District"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">civil liberties of students</span></a><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> - which is taught in classes such as civics and American National Government - take down the American flag that flies in front of your school and stop reciting the Pledge of Allegiance at the start of the school day.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Which ponders me to think: <em>Is Wharton High School in Tampa still part of the United States?</em> Judging from the actions of Principal Brad Woods at the commencement ceremony, I think Wharton High is slowly trying to secede from the United States.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">And this is just my opinion.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Finally, I can't close out this blog entry with a positive remark for Harold Shaw, Jr.: Congratulations on a well deserved achievement, not only graduating from high school but graduating as the salutatorian of the Class of 2013! You worked so hard for not only that high school diploma but that standard of distinction; don't let anyone take that away from you!</span></div>
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Edward Ringwaldhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15301702738961853866noreply@blogger.com0