Stuck In Florida

Checkers Rallys American Flag - Part 2

2011-09-19T10:27:00.005-04:00

Well folks, I said there was going to be an update on the flag situation. September 11th, was a week ago and that is when I reached out to Checkers and Rally's on Twitter and Facebook. They deleted my post from their Facebook page and I didn't get a response from them on Twitter.

Regrettably, the flag is still in the same condition as it was a week ago. It's obvious that Checkers and Rally's has "no respect" for the American Flag or what it stands for. I am truly disgusted with this restaurant and I can guarantee that I will never order from them again. Below is the Flag Code which they've clearly never seen before.

Flag Code

The laws relating to the flag of the United States of America are found in detail in the United States Code. Title 4, Chapter 1 pertains to the flag; Title 18, Chapter 33, Section 700 regards criminal penalties for flag desecration; Title 36, Chapter 3 pertains to patriotic customs and observances. These laws were supplemented by Executive Orders and Presidential Proclamations.

United States Code Title 4 Chapter 1 — The Flag

§1. Flag; stripes and stars on

The flag of the United States shall be thirteen horizontal stripes, alternate red and white; and the union of the flag shall be forty-eight stars [Note: Sec. 2 provides for additional stars; Today the flag has fifty stars representing the fifty states — Webmaster], white in a blue field

§2. Same; additional stars

On the admission of a new State into the Union one star shall be added to the union of the flag; and such addition shall take effect on the fourth day of July then next succeeding such admission

§3. Use of flag for advertising purposes; mutilation of flag

Any person who, within the District of Columbia, in any manner, for exhibition or display, shall place or cause to be placed any word, figure, mark, picture, design, drawing, or any advertisement of any nature upon any flag, standard, colors, or ensign of the United States of America; or shall expose or cause to be exposed to public view any such flag, standard, colors, or ensign upon which shall have been printed, painted, or otherwise placed, or to which shall be attached, appended, affixed, or annexed any word, figure, mark, picture, design, or drawing, or any advertisement of any nature; or who, within the District of Columbia, shall manufacture, sell, expose for sale, or to public view, or give away or have in possession for sale, or to be given away or for use for any purpose, any article or substance being an article of merchandise, or a receptacle for merchandise or article or thing for carrying or transporting merchandise, upon which shall have been printed, painted, attached, or otherwise placed a representation of any such flag, standard, colors, or ensign, to advertise, call attention to, decorate, mark, or distinguish the article or substance on which so placed shall be deemed guilty of a misdemeanor and shall be punished by a fine not exceeding $100 or by imprisonment for not more than thirty days, or both, in the discretion of the court. The words "flag, standard, colors, or ensign", as used herein, shall include any flag, standard, colors, ensign, or any picture or representation of either, or of any part or parts of either, made of any substance or represented on any substance, of any size evidently purporting to be either of said flag, standard, colors, or ensign of the United States of America or a picture or a representation of either, upon which shall be shown the colors, the stars and the stripes, in any number of either thereof, or of any part or parts of either, by which the average person seeing the same without deliberation may believe the same to represent the flag, colors, standard, or ensign of the United States of America.

§4. Pledge of allegiance to the flag; manner of delivery

The Pledge of Allegiance to the Flag: "I pledge allegiance to the Flag of the United States of America, and to the Republic for which it stands, one Nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.", should be rendered by standing at attention facing the flag with the right hand over the heart. When not in uniform men should remove any non-religious headdress with their right hand and hold it at the left shoulder, the hand being over the heart. Persons in uniform should remain silent, face the flag, and render the military salute. [See Congressional Notes re use of "under God."]

§5. Display and use of flag by civilians; codification of rules and customs; definition

The following codification of existing rules and customs pertaining to the display and use of the flag of the United States of America be, and it is hereby, established for the use of such civilians or civilian groups or organizations as may not be required to conform with regulations promulgated by one or more executive departments of the Government of the United States. The flag of the United States for the purpose of this chapter shall be defined according to title 4, United States Code, Chapter 1, Section 1 and Section 2 and Executive Order 10834 issued pursuant thereto.

§6. Time and occasions for display

It is the universal custom to display the flag only from sunrise to sunset on buildings and on stationary flagstaffs in the open. However, when a patriotic effect is desired, the flag may be displayed twenty-four hours a day if properly illuminated during the hours of darkness.
The flag should be hoisted briskly and lowered ceremoniously.
The flag should not be displayed on days when the weather is inclement, except when an all-weather flag is displayed.
The flag should be displayed on all days, especially on

New Year's Day, January 1
Inauguration Day, January 20
Martin Luther King Jr.'s birthday, third Monday in January
Lincoln's Birthday, February 12
Washington's Birthday, third Monday in February
Easter Sunday (variable)
Mother's Day, second Sunday in May
Armed Forces Day, third Saturday in May
Memorial Day (half-staff until noon), the last Monday in May
Flag Day, June 14
Father's Day, third Sunday in June
Independence Day, July 4
Labor Day, first Monday in September
Constitution Day, September 17
Columbus Day, second Monday in October
Navy Day, October 27
Veterans Day, November 11
Thanksgiving Day, fourth Thursday in November
Christmas Day, December 25
and such other days as may be proclaimed by the President of the United States
the birthdays of States (date of admission)
and on State holidays.

The flag should be displayed daily on or near the main administration building of every public institution.
The flag should be displayed in or near every polling place on election days.
The flag should be displayed during school days in or near every schoolhouse.

§7. Position and manner of display

The flag, when carried in a procession with another flag or flags, should be either on the marching right; that is, the flag's own right, or, if there is a line of other flags, in front of the center of that line.

The flag should not be displayed on a float in a parade except from a staff, or as provided in subsection (i) of this section.
The flag should not be draped over the hood, top, sides, or back of a vehicle or of a railroad train or a boat. When the flag is displayed on a motorcar, the staff shall be fixed firmly to the chassis or clamped to the right fender.
No other flag or pennant should be placed above or, if on the same level, to the right of the flag of the United States of America, except during church services conducted by naval chaplains at sea, when the church pennant may be flown above the flag during church services for the personnel of the Navy. No person shall display the flag of the United Nations or any other national or international flag equal, above, or in a position of superior prominence or honor to, or in place of, the flag of the United States at any place within the United States or any Territory or possession thereof: Provided, That nothing in this section shall make unlawful the continuance of the practice heretofore followed of displaying the flag of the United Nations in a position of superior prominence or honor, and other national flags in positions of equal prominence or honor, with that of the flag of the United States at the headquarters of the United Nations.
The flag of the United States of America, when it is displayed with another flag against a wall from crossed staffs, should be on the right, the flag's own right, and its staff should be in front of the staff of the other flag.
The flag of the United States of America should be at the center and at the highest point of the group when a number of flags of States or localities or pennants of societies are grouped and displayed from staffs.
When flags of States, cities, or localities, or pennants of societies are flown on the same halyard with the flag of the United States, the latter should always be at the peak. When the flags are flown from adjacent staffs, the flag of the United States should be hoisted first and lowered last. No such flag or pennant may be placed above the flag of the United States or to the United States flag's right.
When flags of two or more nations are displayed, they are to be flown from separate staffs of the same height. The flags should be of approximately equal size. International usage forbids the display of the flag of one nation above that of another nation in time of peace.
When the flag of the United States is displayed from a staff projecting horizontally or at an angle from the window sill, balcony, or front of a building, the union of the flag should be placed at the peak of the staff unless the flag is at half-staff. When the flag is suspended over a sidewalk from a rope extending from a house to a pole at the edge of the sidewalk, the flag should be hoisted out, union first, from the building.
When displayed either horizontally or vertically against a wall, the union should be uppermost and to the flag's own right, that is, to the observer's left. When displayed in a window, the flag should be displayed in the same way, with the union or blue field to the left of the observer in the street.
When the flag is displayed over the middle of the street, it should be suspended vertically with the union to the north in an east and west street or to the east in a north and south street.
When used on a speaker's platform, the flag, if displayed flat, should be displayed above and behind the speaker. When displayed from a staff in a church or public auditorium, the flag of the United States of America should hold the position of superior prominence, in advance of the audience, and in the position of honor at the clergyman's or speaker's right as he faces the audience. Any other flag so displayed should be placed on the left of the clergyman or speaker or to the right of the audience.
The flag should form a distinctive feature of the ceremony of unveiling a statue or monument, but it should never be used as the covering for the statue or monument.
The flag, when flown at half-staff, should be first hoisted to the peak for an instant and then lowered to the half-staff position. The flag should be again raised to the peak before it is lowered for the day. On Memorial Day the flag should be displayed at half-staff until noon only, then raised to the top of the staff. By order of the President, the flag shall be flown at half-staff upon the death of principal figures of the United States Government and the Governor of a State, territory, or possession, as a mark of respect to their memory. In the event of the death of other officials or foreign dignitaries, the flag is to be displayed at half-staff according to Presidential instructions or orders, or in accordance with recognized customs or practices not inconsistent with law. In the event of the death of a present or former official of the government of any State, territory, or possession of the United States, or the death of a member of the Armed Forces from any State, territory, or possession who dies while serving on active duty, the Governor of that State, territory, or possession may proclaim that the National flag shall be flown at half-staff, and the same authority is provided to the Mayor of the District of Columbia with respect to present or former officials of the District of Columbia and members of the Armed Forces from the District of Columbia. The flag shall be flown at half-staff 30 days from the death of the President or a former President; 10 days from the day of death of the Vice President, the Chief Justice or a retired Chief Justice of the United States, or the Speaker of the House of Representatives; from the day of death until interment of an Associate Justice of the Supreme Court, a Secretary of an executive or military department, a former Vice President, or the Governor of a State, territory, or possession; and on the day of death and the following day for a Member of Congress. The flag shall be flown at half-staff on Peace Officers Memorial Day, unless that day is also Armed Forces Day. As used in this subsection —

the term "half-staff" means the position of the flag when it is one-half the distance between the top and bottom of the staff;
the term "executive or military department" means any agency listed under sections 101 and 102 of title 5, United States Code; and
the term "Member of Congress" means a Senator, a Representative, a Delegate, or the Resident Commissioner from Puerto Rico.

When the flag is used to cover a casket, it should be so placed that the union is at the head and over the left shoulder. The flag should not be lowered into the grave or allowed to touch the ground.
When the flag is suspended across a corridor or lobby in a building with only one main entrance, it should be suspended vertically with the union of the flag to the observer's left upon entering. If the building has more than one main entrance, the flag should be suspended vertically near the center of the corridor or lobby with the union to the north, when entrances are to the east and west or to the east when entrances are to the north and south. If there are entrances in more than two directions, the union should be to the east.

§8. Respect for flag

No disrespect should be shown to the flag of the United States of America; the flag should not be dipped to any person or thing. Regimental colors, State flags, and organization or institutional flags are to be dipped as a mark of honor.

The flag should never be displayed with the union down, except as a signal of dire distress in instances of extreme danger to life or property.
The flag should never touch anything beneath it, such as the ground, the floor, water, or merchandise.
The flag should never be carried flat or horizontally, but always aloft and free.
The flag should never be used as wearing apparel, bedding, or drapery. It should never be festooned, drawn back, nor up, in folds, but always allowed to fall free. Bunting of blue, white, and red, always arranged with the blue above, the white in the middle, and the red below, should be used for covering a speaker's desk, draping the front of the platform, and for decoration in general.
The flag should never be fastened, displayed, used, or stored in such a manner as to permit it to be easily torn, soiled, or damaged in any way.
The flag should never be used as a covering for a ceiling.
The flag should never have placed upon it, nor on any part of it, nor attached to it any mark, insignia, letter, word, figure, design, picture, or drawing of any nature.
The flag should never be used as a receptacle for receiving, holding, carrying, or delivering anything.
The flag should never be used for advertising purposes in any manner whatsoever. It should not be embroidered on such articles as cushions or handkerchiefs and the like, printed or otherwise impressed on paper napkins or boxes or anything that is designed for temporary use and discard. Advertising signs should not be fastened to a staff or halyard from which the flag is flown.
No part of the flag should ever be used as a costume or athletic uniform. However, a flag patch may be affixed to the uniform of military personnel, firemen, policemen, and members of patriotic organizations. The flag represents a living country and is itself considered a living thing. Therefore, the lapel flag pin being a replica, should be worn on the left lapel near the heart.
The flag, when it is in such condition that it is no longer a fitting emblem for display, should be destroyed in a dignified way, preferably by burning

§9. Conduct during hoisting, lowering or passing of flag

During the ceremony of hoisting or lowering the flag or when the flag is passing in a parade or in review, all persons present in uniform should render the military salute. Members of the Armed Forces and veterans who are present but not in uniform may render the military salute. All other persons present should face the flag and stand at attention with their right hand over the heart, or if applicable, remove their headdress with their right hand and hold it at the left shoulder, the hand being over the heart. Citizens of other countries present should stand at attention. All such conduct toward the flag in a moving column should be rendered at the moment the flag passes.

§10. Modification of rules and customs by President

Any rule or custom pertaining to the display of the flag of the United States of America, set forth herein, may be altered, modified, or repealed, or additional rules with respect thereto may be prescribed, by the Commander in Chief of the Armed Forces of the United States, whenever he deems it to be appropriate or desirable; and any such alteration or additional rule shall be set forth in a proclamation

United States Code Title 36

§301. National anthem

Designation. — The composition consisting of the words and music known as the Star-Spangled Banner is the national anthem.
Conduct During Playing — During rendition of the national anthem —
1. when the flag is displayed —
  1. individuals in uniform should give the military salute at the first note of the anthem and maintain that position until the last note;
  2. members of the Armed Forces and veterans who are present but not in uniform may render the military salute in the manner provided for individuals in uniform; and
  3. all other persons present should face the flag and stand at attention with their right hand over the heart, and men not in uniform, if applicable, should remove their headdress with their right hand and hold it at the left shoulder, the hand being over the heart; and
2. when the flag is not displayed, all present should face toward the music and act in the same manner they would if the flag were displayed.

§302. National motto

"In God we trust" is the national motto.

§303. National floral emblem

The flower commonly known as the rose is the national floral emblem.

§304. National march

The composition by John Philip Sousa entitled "The Stars and Stripes Forever" is the national march.

§901. Service flag and service lapel button

Individuals Entitled To Display Service Flag.— A service flag approved by the Secretary of Defense may be displayed in a window of the place of residence of individuals who are members of the immediate family of an individual serving in the Armed Forces of the United States during any period of war or hostilities in which the Armed Forces of the United States are engaged.
Individuals Entitled To Display Service Lapel Button.— A service lapel button approved by the Secretary may be worn by members of the immediate family of an individual serving in the Armed Forces of the United States during any period of war or hostilities in which the Armed Forces of the United States are engaged.
License To Manufacture and Sell Service Flags and Service Lapel Buttons.— Any person may apply to the Secretary for a license to manufacture and sell the approved service flag, or the approved service lapel button, or both. Any person that manufactures a service flag or service lapel button without having first obtained a license, or otherwise violates this section is liable to the United States Government for a civil penalty of not more than $1,000.
Regulations.— The Secretary may prescribe regulations necessary to carry out this section.

If Checkers cares or takes pride in this country and the Flag, then they will replace it and take the old one to the local VFW to be properly burned.

Hey Checkers, Rally's - These last two blog posts are directed toward you, so maybe you will get this resolved.

http://www.checkers.com
http://www.rallys.com

Checkers Rallys American Flag - Part 1

2011-09-15T04:31:00.002-04:00

On September 11th, 2011 I was driving around town checking to see if the American flags were at half-staff. I just happened to drive by a local CHECKERS drive thru and noticed that their flag was ripped, faded and not at half-staff. I took a picture of the flag since I am a PROUD AMERICAN and a PROUD NAVY VETERAN.

The first thing I did was send a tweet to @checkersrallys. I was amazed to see they hadn't tweeted since Jun 17. Since I received no response on twitter, so I turned to Facebook. I wrote on the Checkers Facebook page and attached a picture the next day. Instead of responding to what I wrote, they deleted my post. Brilliant way to handle a problem, right? Don't engage the customer - ignore them. Completely unprofessional.

The Checkers Corporate Office is in Tampa, you would think that they would have the common sense to make sure that their stores are doing what they should be doing. A lot of innocent people died on September 11th, 2001 and not lowering the flag to half-staff is like a slap in the face to the people who perished and to our military. Besides, it's Patriot Day, show your patriotism.

I don't make a big deal about a lot of things, but if I can put my flag at half-staff when it is supposed to be, then so can a business claiming to "that Americans everywhere deserved a better tasting burger." They shouldn't have to be told the proper way to fly a flag, they should know when and how to do it. A faded and ripped flag is even worse than a flag that isn't flying at half-staff when it should be. Every store manager, district manager, and regional manager should be responsible for making sure that the American flag isn't disrespected like that. It should be a part of the training for all employees if flags are to be flown on premises. Damn, even McDonald's had their flags looking good, not faded or ripped flying at half-staff.

Picture from a little further away with restaurant.

Here is a picture of the faded and ripped flag.

Personally I don't think that Checkers is going to do anything about it or if they even care. I am disgusted that Checkers would even let the flag get to this condition.

This is the local drive thru in our neighborhood:

Checkers

829 E 49th St, Hialeah, FL 33013

Phone: (305) 685-3999

Corporate Office:

Checkers Drive-In Restaurants, Inc.

4300 West Cypress St. Suite 600

Tampa, FL

Phone: (813) 283-7000

This is to be continued...

Please add your thoughts in the comments below. I would love to hear what you have to say. http://checkerscompany.com/

Introduction to Routing over WAN’s

2011-07-13T09:00:00.002-04:00

Since I am a recent graduate with my Associates Degree in Computer Network Systems and I love computers and technology, I wanted to start a blog with information from what I learned and the classes that I completed.
I am going to start with my first Cisco class, which is Routing and Routing Basics.
The most important function of a router is simply put that Routers route packets. From the perspective of the OSI network layer-Layer 3-hosts (computers) and routers work together to deliver packets from one host to another. To do that, the host that creates the packet sends the packet to a nearby router. That router might send the packet to a second router, with that second router forwarding the packet to a third router and so on until the packet is delivered to a router that is connected to the same LAN as the destination computer.

Figure 1-1 shows three main steps, all from the perspective of Internet Protocol:

1. The web server needs to send a packet to the computer on the right (172.16.3.3), so the web server sends the packet to its default gateway router-namely router 1 (R1)
2. R1 decides to forward the packets to R2 next based on R1’s routing table.
3. R2’s routing table shows that 172.16.3.3 should be on a subnet directly connected to R2, so R2 knows to send the packet directly to the destination (172.16.3.3).

Figure 1-2 focuses on how the hosts and routers need to encapsulate the packet before sending anything over the LAN and WAN links. Hosts and routers must use data-link protocols, such as Ethernet on the LAN and Point-to-Point Protocol on WAN links, to forward the packets over the physical links.

Below is an example of the OSI layers and what they represent.
• (7) Application Layer- This layer is where the end-user (computer user) begins the communication process. At this layer user authentication is identified and protocols like FTP, TELNET, E-MAIL, and other file transfer protocols begin with the user starting the process.
• (6) Presentation Layer - This layer is where encryption occurs. This layer converts the file and/or information into a language (format) that the remaining layers can read and handle without any compatibility problems.
• (5) Session Layer - This layer is where the communication is coordinated. Applications are managed in this layer. This layer manages the exchange of information by creating and terminating all communication between the application layer at both ends.
• (4) Transport Layer - This layer is responsible for ensuring the data completes it's transmission to the other user. It's also responsible for flow control and error recovery.
• (3) Network Layer - This layer is where the routing and switching takes place. Packet sequencing, addressing, congestion control, and internetworking happen at this layer. Logical paths are created at this level to allow users to communicate to each other. This layer utilizes IP addresses.
• (2) Data Link Layer - This layer is where packets (information) is broken into bits through encoding and decoding. At this layer you have two sections; Media Access Control (MAC), and Logical Link Control (LLC). The MAC section is where packets (information) is gathered and gets permission to transmit the data. The MAC section is where your computer's MAC address is located to allow proper delivery to a specific system (computer). The LLC section controls synchronization, flow control, and error checking.
• (1) Physical Layer - This layer is where your hardware such as ethernet cable, Network Interface Cards, etc., provide the transmission through electrical impulse, light, and radio waves. This layer is the hardware means of sending and receiving data (information).

Some ways to remember the seven layers are:

All People Seem To Need Data Processing.
The above example is how I remember the 7 layers of the OSI mode.

There is much more to come. Stay tuned in later days for more.

PC Evalution from my class Intro to Personal PC

2011-07-11T15:57:00.000-04:00

Picture of PC Evalution

This is a timeline that I created of PC Evalution

Favorite Holiday Essay from Composition 1

2011-07-11T15:50:00.000-04:00

I don't blog alot, but I thought this would be a fun way for me to expose my writing and creativity to the world. This is actually an essay that I wrote for my composition 1 class when I first started college in 2009.

The assignment was to write an essay about our favorite holiday and why you chose that one. Well, here it goes. My favorite holiday is Christmas and was the Christmas of 2004 because that was the first holiday with my son.

Since my son was born in May of 2004, I was really excited for Christmas to come. I was still active duty Navy, stationed on the USS Ronald Reagan (CVN-76) and we were heading to our homeport of San Diego, Ca. After not seeing my wife and son for about 5 months, I knew it was going to be a new beginning as far as holidays. The rest of 2004 flew by and before I knew it, I was packing my bags and ready to fly home to see my wife and baby boy.

My wife and I didn't have any family in Virginia at the time, but my mother-in-law lived only a few hours away in North Carolina. We packed a couple of bags for us, enough baby clothes for a couple of days and we were off to North Carolina. Oh yeah, I almost forgot the best part which is the presents for the baby. We left from our little humble home in Hampton, Va on our first little road trip to Wilmington, NC to see the family and arrived at our destination by dinner time.

I remember waking up Christmas morning with my son, so you can imagine that it was quite early in the morning. I looked out the back window of the house towards the golf course and didn't see a lot of snow. As long as the ground was white with a little snow, then it felt like Christmas because a brown Christmas is just not the same. As everyone else started to wake up, my stepfather-in-law and I went outside to get some fresh air. When we went back into the house, it was time to cook some homemade breakfast and when i mean homemade, I mean eggs, bacon, hash browns, toast, sausage and orange juice.

The morning went very quickly and we hadn't opened any presents yet, but that was because we were waiting until the evening. Later that night we all walked to my stepbrother-in-laws house where we all met, had dinner and exchanged gifts.

This is one of my favorite holidays because it was my sons first Christmas and there are many more to come and now he has a little sister to share the holidays with which is so wonderful. So this is short and swe

Scenes from South Florida

2011-01-12T23:33:00.003-05:00

Sunset scenes from South Florida

What's Up With The New Orleans City Government

2010-12-31T12:00:00.001-05:00

I've really been out of the blogging loop for sometime, but this is something that I had to write about.

This morning I was watching MSNBC and saw a clip about the New Orleans City Government saying they're going to start fining the 221 residents who are still living in FEMA trailers. Now lets see, it's been 5 yrs since Hurricane Katrina and these residents are still stuck in trailers. Why?

It's really sad to hear that there were more than 23,000 FEMA trailers and there are still over 200 trailers left. That means there are still 200 families without a permanent place to live and the city is forcing them out. If the residents aren't out by a certain time frame, they will be charged $500 per day. Totally outrageous. Now does that make sense to anyone?

Let's give residents who don't have permanent housing and didn't receive proper help a certain time frame to move out. Not to mention that these city officials posted violation notices on the trailers a few days before Christmas. Exactly where are they supposed to go? What a bunch of idiots - starting from the Mayor on down the chain.

Gerald Herbert / AP

Edwin D. Weber Jr. stands outside the FEMA trailer he shares with his brother in New Orleans. Citing the 221 trailers left in the city as blight, New Orleans officials have given the last folks living in temporary FEMA trailers until the end of the year to move out or face fines.

According to the city, trailer residents are in violation of city zoning ordinances and that waivers granted after Katrina will not be renewed. The mayor said there are 10,000 broken-down properties that he wants removed in the next three years. Again, what is wrong with this picture? Instead of thinking about themselves, they should be thinking of the residents who are still living in the trailers.

"I am very, very serious about the need to get these trailers out of the city of New Orleans," said Jon Johnson, a city councilman for eastern New Orleans and the Lower Ninth Ward. "My mother-in-law has a trailer right next to her house blocking the sidewalk. That needs to go."

Ooooh, I get it. Your wife's been bitching at you cause her mom doesn't like the trailers. Really! Who the !%&* does this guy think he is. His mother-in-law should be thankful that she has a permanent house to live in and instead of complaining about the trailer, maybe she should help out whoever lives in the trailer find a permanent home. What if the tables were turned and it was the city government that were living in the trailers.

Now, I understand that the trailers were only supposed to be temporary, but instead of fining the remaining residents, local government should be giving them money or offer them an alternative to find permanent housing.

I am not big on bitching, but I'm disgusted with the situation that's going on there right now. I am from Upstate NY so the biggest problem we sometime have in the winter time are blizzards, but the last time that I checked it didn't take five years to clear the streets.

Get off your high horses and help out your residents. If the Mayor and the rest of the City staff cared about the residents of New Orleans, then they should step up and help out with funds for rebuilding.

As a South Floridian, I've had my share of hurricanes but I've been very lucky that nothing too extreme happened to my house. If I had the time, money and resources I would help out the residents of New Orleans.

I'd like to hear what people have to say about this topic. Please leave comments.

Lexus Safety Tour In Review

2010-10-25T12:35:00.001-04:00

Guest post by Dayngr

Remember when I went to the Miami Lexus Safety Tour Stop? I wanted to write a little follow up to that experience.

It's always nice to see local bloggers you know and read so it was really great to see so many locals at the Lexus Safety Tour. I can honestly say that we all had a good time and learned quite a bit about all the safety features available on the Lexus line. If you're shopping for a new car and safety feature are important to you, then take some time to check out your local Lexus dealership.

I had the opportunity to experience some of the safety features first hand. I had the option to drive the cars myself or ride with a professional driver. I chose to ride with a professional driver but, all the guys were more than happy to put the vehicles through their paces and have a blast while doing it.

Some of the feature I got to experience were:

Smart Stop Technology

Smart Stop Technology automatically reduces engine power when the brake and accelerator pedal are applied simultaneously but, only happens under certain conditions:

The throttle opening is greater than 1/3
Vehicle speed is above 5 mph
Brakes are applied firmly

Vehicle Stability Control (VSC) and Traction Control (TRAC)

VSC helps the driver maintain control in curves and turns, especially in wet or slippery conditions.
VSC sensors detect when the vehicle begins to slip laterally in a turn and the system responds to help maintain vehicle control.
The VSC system reduces the throttle and applies the brakes to individual wheels to help correct the vehicle orientation.
TRAC helps prevent the drive wheels from spinning while accelerating under slippery conditions.
When the wheel speed sensors determine that one of both of the drive wheels are starting to slip, TRAC starts reducing the throttle and may even apply the brake in a pulsing manner to the offending wheel(s) until the wheel slippage is brought under control.

Anti-Lock Braking System (ABS)

ABS helps the driver maintain control in emergency braking situations so they are better able to steer around obstacles.

So, there you have it. Great features for safety, especially if you're driving around precious cargo (like kids). As an added bonus, Lexus feed us a great catered lunch and we walked away with logo adorned baseball caps.

Enjoy a few photos from the day:

Check out Lexus for yourself and let me know what you think.

Rayovac Powers Your Summer

2010-06-22T10:44:00.001-04:00

Rayovac Powers your summer promotion even and blogger promotion where you can enter a chance to win fun summer prizes and $50 gift cards. Will you be the one of the lucky winners. From June 21st-July 20th, Rayovac is empowering families to have fun through out the Rayovac Powers your Summer Promotion. The summer promotion twitter event is Wednesday June 30th, 2010 from 7pm-9pm (cst). The location of the event is #rayovac and you can follow on twitter @Rayovac_Battery, @5minutesformom, and @CirclePRMary.

The link to follow on Facebook is http://www.facebook.com/RayovacFans and there are details on the fan page also.

Backing Up Data On Your Laptop Or Desktop

2010-05-15T19:58:00.000-04:00

There are a a few different ways that you can back up your computer.

Choose a back-up program. For personal computers, there are many options. If you are using Microsoft Windows, there is a back-up program built in (Start> Programs> Accessories> System Tools> Backup). You can also use third party back-up managers, ranging from small programs to full online backup services. If you use a flavor of Linux, there are many open source options available in repositories for all of the major distributions.

Here is a couple of "don'ts" to do when back up your PC or laptop. (Read More)

Thank You GMC and Brickell Motors

2009-12-02T18:45:00.008-05:00

Thank you Brickell Motors and GMC for inviting us to sit down with them and learn more about the 2010 GMC Terrain.

While there we had an opportunity to see the 2010 GMC Terrain for ourselves and even go for a test drive. I was completely blown away by some of the new features like the programmable power lift gate, the USB audio connectivity and MP3 playback, XM radio, bluetooth hands-free phone capability and of course the four power outlets for phone chargers, laptops and other can’t-live-without-them portable devices. That's right, now you can use all your geek goodies while you're on the road. (and yes, the center armrest is large enough for your laptop!)

In addition to getting to see the Terrain first hand and bonding with fellow local bloggers we received tons of safety information from SafeKids as well. Timely because the Mrs. had been looking for some handy reference materials on car seat safety and guidelines now that the kids are beginning to outgrow their car seats.

Since the meet up was before Christmas, GMC was nice to enough to give us a few goodies to take home from the event including a 116 piece essential first aid kit, a thermos, a fabulously soft blanket (we already had the exact one in green and loved it), 20" Embark duffel bag, (in hot pink), a Life Gear multipurpose Glow Red stick (it's a flashlight, flasher and whistle all in one), a 512 MB flash drive and last but certainly not least - a Sony Webbie with a 4 GB memory stick! Talk about a Merry Christmas.

Goodies from GMC

Thanks to GMC, Brickell Motors and SafeKids for inviting me to be a part of their event, acknowledging the importance of social media and being a part of out community - and thanks for the safety gear too!

Exclusive Parent Blogger Roundtable in Miami

2009-12-01T19:14:00.001-05:00

Yo South Floridia! GMC and SafeKids have partnered to host a series of activities in Miami the first week of December focused on family safety – particularly child/teen road safety, and timely toy safety reminders.

We've been invited by GMC to attend this intimate round-table Q&A session where we’ll hear from key safety experts from SafeKids who’ll provide us with the latest data and tips on child/teen road safety and answer all our burning questions and perhaps even dispel a few myths. After the Q&A, we’ll get a chance to take a test-drive in the new GMC Terrain! I hear they'll be giving us a unique peek into the passion and innovation behind its family-friendly design. Additionally, SafeKids will be providing hands-on vehicle-safety demos - always a plus!

As part of the event, GMC has partnered with local charity Miami’s Voices for Children Foundation (voted the Best Charity of 2009 by Miami New Times) serving the social, education and medical needs of Miami-Dade’s abused, abandoned and neglected children.

Here's where you come in:

If you’d like to participate, bring a toy or two for their annual toy drive as we'll be filling up one (or more!) GMC Terrains with donated items to be delivered to the Voices for Children headquarters right here in Miami. You'll even have an opportunity to chat with the experts if you'd like. So cool!

When:

Wednesday, December 2
11:00 AM to 1:00 PM

Where:

Brickell Motors
665 SW 8^th Street
Miami, FL 33130
(786) 245-4889

See you there!

Blogging Kick Start

2009-03-05T16:48:00.000-05:00

It's official. I've got a blog. Stay tuned for the Tales of a Transplanted New Yorker, Stuck in Florida.