• About

webby1dotnet

~ Blogs

webby1dotnet

Category Archives: Uncategorized

Old Town Pasadena – Conclusion

02 Thursday Feb 2023

Posted by webbywriter1 in Uncategorized

≈ Leave a comment

#

(Part IV – Previously: Sam and Kristie’s vacation gets interrupted by a wild party at the back of their B & B. Mialee’s sister Jen is caught with a smoking gun and one of the guests ends up dead.)

Later, the three of them were back from the station. Mialee went off to buy supplies for the kitchen and Bill was outside raking leaves. He got a rake for Sam. They dumped leaves into a green plastic bin.

“Honest to God, Sam, I didn’t realize these girls were so young. You know how it is with some of these gals. They can be fifteen, they put on a bunch of make-up, heels and Presto! They look twenty-five.”

Sam shrugged in agreement.

“Plus, I wasn’t really around any of them for any period of time. They were always in the back house. coming and going very late. We’ve been so busy with customers. . .” The big guy stopped and leaned on his rake. “Honestly, I just wasn’t paying that much attention. Didn’t think it was a problem. That and Mialee. . . well, I love her. But, you know, this is family, and you don’t rat out family.”

“There’s that,” Sam replied.

“I am not really sure how much she even knew.”

“The cops said they found crystal meth, coke, marijuana, pills and alcohol there. Did you know about that?” Sam asked.

“Jen has always been a bit on the wild side. It seems like things have been getting more out of control recently. I knew she drank a fair amount, and even some MJ now and then, but the other stuff. Whew! That surprised even me.”

“Well, Jen is going to have her hands full when they catch her. Manslaughter for sure, depending on what she says. Corruption of minors and prostitution. She could be looking at some real time. The good news is, I had a heart to heart with the detectives and they will try to keep the name of the B & B out of the papers as much as possible.”

“Whew! Well, thank God for that little bit.” Bill stared down at the leaves. “Bad press could kill the business.”

“Well, if you get any calls from the press, act like it was on a neighbor’s property and you know nothing. Got it?” Sam shot his friend a stern look.

Bill looked sheepish. “Got it.”

                                                            #

Sam was getting tired after the events of the day and decided to follow Kristie’s example. He went upstairs to take a nap and was completely out of it for several hours.

Then, “Sam, Sam, wake up.” A groggy Sam came to with the large face of Bill peering down at him.

“What. . .?”

“She’s on the bridge.”

“What bridge?” Sam asked.

“The jumper bridge. Colorado Street Bridge. And she’s got Crystal with her.”

“What? Crystal?”

“She sent a text to Crystal that she needed help and Crystal went to help her.”

“We’ve got to go!” Sam cried jumping out of bed. He grabbed a sweater and pulled on his pants. He had his boots in his hand as they stomped downstairs.

“My car!” Bill shouted.

They jumped into Bill’s car and raced off. In a few minutes they were at the Pasadena bridge. Cop cars were everywhere. They could see Jen posed at the edge of the bridge, leaning against a railing.

Sam stopped and stared. In one hand, Jen still held the gun she had had last night. The other arm was wrapped around Crystal’s neck. They teetered perilously close to the edge. Bill froze in place.

Out of the crowd, Mialee came running up and grabbed Bill. She was weeping.

“She’s going to kill her. I know it. She is going to kill her! Oh, my God, Bill.” The big man wrapped his arms around her.

Sam stared at the scene, his mouth moving soundlessly. He turned to Bill.

“Baseball.”

“Baseball?”

“In your car. Get it.”

“Oh,” light was dawning on Bill. “Softball?”

“Hardball.”

Bill let go of Mialee and ran to his car. He was back in a few moments bouncing an old hardball in his hand.

“You got one shot at this pal,” Sam said tersely.

“I know,” Bill answered.

The big man rotated his arm several times. Sam whispered to the sargent close by and the cops parted from in front of Bill. He scrunched and scrunched the ball several times in both hands.

Then, taking a mighty breath, Bill pulled back and threw the ball as hard as he could. There was a ‘thunk’ sound and Jen fell backwards. Several things happened all at once. The gun clattered to the asphalt, Crystal ran away from her aunt and the cops galvanized into motion. A bunch of men ran for Jen and had her in handcuffs within seconds. She was still knocked out cold so, they let her lie where she was.

Crystal ran to her mother who grabbed her, and they both started sobbing. Pretty soon Crystal, Mialee, Bill and Sam were all in a big group hug. Even Sam cried a little.

                                                          #

The next day, Sam and Bill were busy packing Bill’s red Mustang convertible for the trip back to Tranquility. He had insisted on driving Sam home. Sam tried to protest, he could take the train or rent a car, but Bill wasn’t having it.

Mialee packed them a big basket lunch and they were on their way early.

“Thanks for letting me drive you, Sam. Truth be told, I really needed a little time away. . . “

“From the girls?” Sam finished.

“Yeah, they need a little alone time together and I need a little. . . “

“Guy time?”

“Yeah, that’s it. It’s all been pretty stressful and this last bit was the topper.” Bill nodded philosophically as he drove.

Sam peeked into the basket. “So, now have we here?” He pulled out some good-looking grapes and cheese to go with his mug of coffee.

“Well,” the big guy breathed out, “she can’t come back.”

“No doubt,” Sam popped some grapes in his mouth.

“Apparently, what they got out of her at the station last night was she was defending one of the girls when she shot the guy.”

“Ah,” Sam broke off some cheese and handed it to Bill.

“He was roughing the girl up and Jen came to her aid. Things got ugly.”

“Very ugly.”

“So, maybe she’ll get manslaughter under a self-defense kind of thing.”

“But” Sam added, “although her motives were good, there is still the question of what was the girl doing there in the first place.”

“Exactly.” Bill added, “Sixteen and out on a school night. What’s up with that?”

“Do they even know who the girl was?”

Bill shook his head. “Apparently, everything was on a first name basis. No last names. And you saw those girls running for it. It will take a while to get any of them to come forward as witnesses.”

“I bet so,” Sam munched. “So, the money, on the mortgage? Jen’s half?”

“Well, like I said, she is half owner of the place, and we will have to buy her out.”

“Could be a lot. But, then again, Jen is going to need money for attorneys, etc.”

Bill laughed. “She’s already asked Mialee for money for her attorney.”

“How much?”

“Ten thousand, cash, up front. No credit.”

Sam whistled. “And that is only the beginning.”

“I know,” Bill grabbed some grapes, “we may be negotiating this ownership deal of the house for some time to come.”

“Well, if you need some help. . .” Sam grinned at his friend. “I do know some good attorneys.”

“You’ve already helped, Sam. You helped get our Crystal back. And thank you, brother.”

The two guys did a fist bump.  

“Plus,” Bill brightened, “I have a little saved up and if that B & B really starts to get successful, we won’t need Jen’s money. The place will pay for itself.”

“Well, you got a regular customer with us, buddy.”

Bill beamed at his friend and hit the button. The canvas top rolled back and settled on the back seat. Sun was shining, and the breeze ruffled their hair.

It was a beautiful day in California… not a cloud in the sky.

                                                            The End

Old Town Pasadena – Part III

31 Tuesday Jan 2023

Posted by webbywriter1 in Uncategorized

≈ Leave a comment

(Part III – Sam and Kristie have gotten to the B & B in Pasadena and are enjoying their visit with old friend Bill Blass and his girlfriend, Mialee. However, a sister seems to be a little less than friendly.)

The next day dawned bright and beautiful again. Kristie wondered at herself as she poured her first cup of hot, steamy coffee from the large silver urn downstairs. There was no sign of the sister and she felt silly about her feelings. Probably just the late hour in a strange house.

After breakfast, she made Sam promise to take her to the Stats Christmas shop in Pasadena. Then they were going the Getty Museum for a walk around and ending with a drive down PCH to Gladstone’s for Fish in Malibu and an early dinner.

“I am going to gain ten pounds with all this eating we’re doing,” she complained to Sam.

“But it’s all really good, huh?” Sam winked at her.

“It’s great!”

Sam and Kristie poked around the Christmas shop and got jostled by frantic bargain hunters. Then, down to Malibu and The Getty Villa. Kristie had seen it years ago, but it was beautiful all over again.

“These are really good replicas,” Sam commented gazing closely at a painting.

Kristie laughed and hit him on the shoulder.

“They aren’t replicas, you goof, these are the real thing.”

“Oh,” was his reply. He pursed his lips, crossed his arms and wandered over to another painting.

Foot weary, Sam drove them to Gladstone’s, where they ordered clam chowder with their great, crusty sour-dough bread. They watched the sun drop in the sky and listened to waves breaking against the rocks. Kristie insisted they walk on the beach a little. They both took off their shoes and dug toes in the sand. Sea gulls screamed plaintively overhead.

“You know, it wasn’t all bad,” Kristie told him.

“What wasn’t?”

“Oh, you know. Being married and living in LA. It wasn’t all bad, we had our good times.”

Sam wrapped an arm around Kristie’s shoulders. “I bet you did.”

It was a tired two-some that tramped back to the car. Sam drove up Sunset Blvd. to save time and then back to the 405 north. Kristie snoozed in the car.

They arrived back at the B & B by 8 pm.  Kristie staggered up the stairs mumbling something about a bath. Sam dumped the keys in her purse and was about to follow when Bill stopped him.

“Sam, beer?”

Sam turned and was about to decline but paused when he saw his friend’s face.

“Sure, Heineken’s?”

“Yup, coming right up. Let’s have it on the porch,” Bill replied.

Sam got himself comfy in one of the over-stuffed chairs on the big wooden porch.

Bill was out in a moment and handed him his brew. They talked about Sam’s day trip and this and that for a while.

Finally, “Something on your mind, buddy?” Sam asked his friend taking a sip of his beer.

Bill stared down at his Heinekens and started picking the label off. Something he always did when he was troubled.

“Ah, yeah.” The big man looked over his shoulder to see if anyone was in the living room. It was empty.

“It’s Mialee’s sister, Jen. You met her?”

Sam shook his head no. “Heard her motorcycle come and go is all.”

“Ah, well.” Bill seemed to consider his words carefully. “Don’t exactly know how to say this.”

“Yes?”

“It’s the girls. It’s the girls coming and going.”

“Girls?”

“Yes.” Now the flood gates were finally open, the words came pouring out. Girls in the back building, coming and going. Living there, in and out. Out all night, parties. Crystal and Daniel cleaning up bottles and other ‘debris’ after parties. Crystal talking to her mom, telling her she knew some of these girls, they were her age. And, Jen.

“Jen, she’s in the middle of everything. She works as a bartender at a local watering hole and people end up coming back here at all hours. They are having parties until 6am when everyone passes out and it’s over until the next time.”

“Every day?” Sam asked.

“No, thank God. We would never be able to keep any customers in the big house. It’s two maybe three times a week.”

“Mialee has spoken to her?”

“Over and over. It gets nowhere.”

“Kick her out?”

“Can’t. She is part owner of the B & B just like Mialee. She put down earnest money to get the place and pays her share every month. Won’t work. Plus, you know,” Bill seemed to focus on pulling every bit of the label off the bottle, “it’s her kid sister, tough times together back home, no parents, all that.” He nodded, seemingly to himself.

“Hmm, that’s a real problem.”

“And now. . . Crystal told her mom. She is sure at least two of the girls who were at a recent party are from her high school.”

“Call the cops?”

“As soon as she went to clean the bathroom and came out, the girls were gone.”

“I haven’t seen anyone going down the drive,” Sam commented.

“There is a back path, through the trees, pretty well worn. They come up from the street through there and never go by the house.”

“So, have you seen any of this?”

Bill looked sheepish. “I’m a very heavy sleeper, Sam. You know that.”

Sam shrugged. It was true, the guy could sleep through a bomb blast.

“So, what now?”

“That’s it, Sam. I don’t know what to do. Jen is a piece of work, and I don’t like her, but, it’s Mialee’s sister. He shrugged his big shoulders, a look of resignation on his face.

Sam did know.

“It’s a problem, buddy. Underage girls, drinking, maybe drugs. And, if the cops get called. . .”

“It could be trouble for us,” Bill finished.

“Yeah, I would say so. Like Mialee could lose her business license kind of trouble.”

Bill blanched.

“Jesus. I hadn’t thought of that.”

“At the very least, could lose her license to sell alcohol and that would hurt your business, right?’

“Would it ever. People like their glass of white wine with dinner.”

“And Heinekens,” Sam raised his bottle and finished it off. He stood up.

“I don’t know, Bill. It’s bad. Might have to end up with you two buying her out to get her off the property. You might want to think about that.”

Bill stood up and looked like a big, confused kid. “That could be a lot of money, Sam.”

“Could be. Hey, it’s getting late, and I’m bushed. Talk to you tomorrow. Kristie is going to have to get back to work anyway, so, we’ll be up early.” He slapped his friend on the shoulder.

“Okay,” Bill was glum.

Bill sounded like Eor from that kid’s book, Sam thought with a chuckle.

“Tomorrow.”

Sam stumped back upstairs. Kristie had already taken her bath and was in bed with a magazine. He went to get a quick shower.

He dried off and put on a clean t-shirt, boxers and got into bed.

“Trouble?” Kristie asked.

“Yeah,” Sam yawned. “The sister, I guess she’s being a real pill.”

“Huh,” Kristie told him about her late-night encounter with the woman.

“Weird,” he said almost into the pillow.

“Yah, weird and creepy,” Kristie replied and shut off the light.

                                                            #

A groggy Sam struggled up from a deep sleep. He looked around. What? Moonlight streamed through a high window, and he read the little digital clock on the side table. 3:00 am. Why am I awake? He listened and then heard muffled voices. They were coming from outside and he couldn’t tell if they were laughing or crying, or. . . The voices got louder. Suddenly, there was a bang! Sam instantly recognized it as the report of a pistol. He sat up, threw his feet over the bed and ran over to his bag. He dug through, found his Smith and Wesson and ran to the bedroom door. Unlocking it, he ran down the stairs. He heard more commotion and realized it was coming from the back house.

Going from the dining room to the back mudroom, he had to contend with a complicated series of locks and latches on the door. He cursed trying to get them undone. He finally was able to get the last lock undone and ripped the door open and ran out into the cold night air.

His amazed eyes could hardly take in what he was seeing. A dozen girls, in various forms of dress and undress were streaming out of the building and running toward the trees. He tried to stop one, but she wrestled out of his grasp and kept running. Slowing down his breathing, he went forward and climbed the steps to the building. His bare feet tingled against the cold, aging wood steps. There were bright lights in one of the rooms and the door was wide open.

He walked in. There on the floor lay a short man in evening clothes. Black hair, he looked Asian. There was a large red stain on the front of his shirt that was getting bigger. Bent over him, almost double, Sam recognized what had to be Jen, the anime-double sister. The woman jerked up when she realized he was there. In her hand, was a twenty-two pistol. She swung the gun his way.

“Hold on there,” Sam put his hands up and tried for his calmest voice. “Why don’t you put that down.”

She glared at him, her hair was a disheveled mess, her eyes almost blood red, black makeup circling the eyes. Her clothes looked torn. Slowly, she approached him, and he backed up. She made a wide arc around Sam, the body and approached the door. Suddenly, she darted toward the door and Sam raced after her. But she had a head start and he didn’t know where she was going.

He got downstairs and looked wildly around seeing nothing but the cold night. Suddenly, an engine revved loudly, and he could hear the Ducati zooming away. Sam went back upstairs and looked for a phone.

                                                             #

Two hours later, Sam, Kristie, Mialee and Bill were all sitting in the dining room having coffee. The South Pasadena police had showed up. But, since it was a murder and possibly involving minors, LAPD showed up too and were swarming all over the place. The police coroners were there to get the body.

“Might have been self-defense, Ma’am.” The officer was speaking to Mialee. “The man had some defensive wounds on his fingers. He was either fighting with someone or fighting to defend himself.” The officer looked thoughtfully at her. “Did you know the decease, Ma’am? Know why he was here?” The man looked around the dining room. “Because I believe this is a bed and breakfast, right? You don’t usually specialize in wild parties. Am I right?”

Mialee nodded numbly. “I didn’t know him at all. Not a guest. Probably a friend of my sister’s or one of her friends knew him.”

“Yes,” Officer Padgett tapped his pencil on a pad. “And she’s gone, correct?”

Mialee looked at Sam who nodded.

“I see. Well, we’ll have to have you come down to the station to make a report. Here’s my card. You can do that, when you get some clothes on, Ma’am?”

Mialee nodded.

“Oh, and you too, Mr.. . . “He looked at the business card. “Mr. Sam Reynolds, PI. Hmm, very timely.” He smiled at Sam.

Kristie looked at the officer. “Do I need to come too? I didn’t see anything; I was in bed and don’t know what happened. Also, I am on vacation and need to get back to work.”

“Give a statement to the sergeant with all your information and then you should be okay to go.”

Kristie looked at Sam. He made a little finger gesture upstairs. In thirty minutes, Kristie’s statement was made, and she was back upstairs packing.

Sam came in with his head down.

“Don’t say it. I know. You have to stay. He’s a friend.” Kristie was trying to keep the peeve out of her voice. She jerked the folded pants into the suitcase.

“Well. . .” Sam said slowly, “I am a witness.”

“And never one to leave a good fight. It’s okay, Sam. I understand. He needs you to help out. I get it. But I’m ready to leave and will just be underfoot, so. . .” She took a big breath and let it out. Arms akimbo, she stared at him.

“Will you be okay driving back by yourself?” he looked at her sadly, fingering her suitcase.

“Oh, pish. I have done this drive tons of times. I’ll be fine. Look after Bill and… Mialee. They’ve got their hands full.” She gave him a kiss and he gave her a full hug.

Forty minutes later the Sebring was packed and ready to go. Mialee and Bill came out to wave goodbye to Kristie. Mialee kept apologizing.

“I am so sorry this has happened. I am so sorry.”

Kristie waved at her. “Don’t worry about it. We loved our time here. I am so sorry this had to happen at your beautiful bed and breakfast. Mialee looked ready to cry.

“Really, got to go.” Kristie blew Sam a kiss, backed up and went down the drive.

“Guess we need to get to South Pas police to make those statements,” Sam said.

Continued Part IV

Elu’s Story – Part VI

28 Wednesday Dec 2022

Posted by webbywriter1 in dating, families, Fiction, Jobs and the workplace, marriage, money, Native Americans, romance, Uncategorized

≈ Leave a comment

The door to Jan’s bedroom was closed. For whatever reason, Elu seemed to be seeing less and less of her roommate these days. She shook her head and checked her purse. There was some money in there. She grabbed her coat and purse. The corner store would have cereal and milk. She couldn’t face much else right now. She closed the front door behind her.

It was cold outside and Elu had to be careful to pick her way through the snow and ice on the sidewalk. The ice could be lethal she knew and didn’t want to slip. She got to her apartment building and put in the key code to get in. She was walking up the stairs to the apartment when she heard the yelling. Who was that? She stopped in front of their door and was about to put the key in the lock when she realized the door wasn’t closed. The sound of her roommate Jan filled the apartment.

“I know you took it, you slimy bastard!” she screamed. “Now where is it?”

Elu came around the corner holding her bag. Sabastian was sitting casually at the kitchen table twirling a DosEquis beer bottle and looking down at it. Jan was dangerously close to him, leaning over. The veins in the side of her neck were bulging and her face was red.

“Hey, it’s not big deal. I just borrowed it for a little. You’ll get it back, don’t  over-react.” His tone was casual and bland.

“Over-react, over-react! I don’t want it someday. I want it back now! Give me that slip,” Jan demanded and stuck her hand in the young man’s face.

With a slight movement of his wrist, Sebastian pulled out a slip of white paper from a jacket pocket and handed it over. Jan snatched it out of his hand and turned, seeing Elu for the first time.

“And tell your Godamn boyfriend to stay out of my room in the future!” she raged. Jan was still in her outer coat and her purse swung back and forth over her shoulder. She pushed past Elu still with the angry look and stuffed the paper in her purse. She slammed out the front door.

Elu came into the kitchen and put the bags on the table. She slowly lowered herself to a chair.

“What…” was all she could get out.

“Oh, hell,” Sebastian took a drag on his bottle. “It’s no big deal. I just borrowed that red stone ring of hers for a little while. She’ll get it back.” He smirked and added, “You make lots of money,” and took another sip.

“Like you borrowed my gold necklace?” she asked him.

“Baby…” he scooted the chair closed to her. “I’m just having a little down time right now. I’m a lover not a fighter. I’ll be back in no time. We still love each other, right?” he gazed into her eyes.

Elu felt hypnotized. “Yes,” she said softly.

“Good, good.” He smiled again. “Got to go, know when I’m not welcome. Got you a little gift.” He pushed a tiny paper packet her way. “Enjoy. Love you.” He kissed her on the forehead. “Got to go before Bitchzilla comes back and ruins the evening. See you later.”

He picked up his beer and headed for the door then turned. “Don’t worry about your dumb necklace. It’s just for a little while. I got some great leads coming in. You’ll see.” He went out the door and closed it behind him.

Elu sat and stared at the packet. She knew what was in it. She wanted it and didn’t want it. Blow, Sebastian called it. She picked up the little package and put it into a teapot on a shelf. Not now, maybe later.

Sebastian was a few years older than Elu and had come to New York to be a stocks and bonds trader. He had ¾ of a college degree in marketing and dropped out of school to ‘make the big bucks’ he had told her. From Scottsdale and from a well-to-do family, the young man was used to the good life and did indeed make the big bucks for a while. But the early wake up hours and the pressure got to be too much for him and he dropped out of that line of work.

He had done sales of all sorts and with his good looks and charm always managed to do well and make money. Somehow, something always seemed to get in the way and he ended up out of work, looking for another job. Right now, he was trying his hand at hedge fund trading and was convinced this was really the ticket this time. In the meantime, all the money Elu was used to making every week seemed to be dissolving into thin air and she couldn’t figure it out.

When the month came that she didn’t have enough for rent, Jan gave her a long, cold stare.

“I will cover you this time, girlfriend, but no more. Get that lazy boyfriend of yours to cough up some cash or you’re both out.”

The lease was in Jan’s name so the girl knew her friend could make good on her word. The next time Sebastian asked her for a little to get by, she told him no.

“We need it for the rent.”

He looked calm as ever and went over to the fridge to get a beer. He got the last one and sat down staring at her. He unscrewed the top and took a big sip.

“And, another thing, you need to bring in money for groceries.” She was standing up close to the sink. Suddenly, he was behind her and pushed her up against the kitchen wall, hard. He had lifted her off her feet with his big hand around her neck.

His blue eyes were red and blood shot. He breathed heavily into her face and smelled of beer and old cigarettes. She tried to turn away but couldn’t, he had too firm a grip on her neck.

“Don’t you ever talk to me like that again, you little bitch. I know who you are and what you are. You got it?” He was talking through clinched teeth. She was terrified.

She gave a slight nod and he let her down. Then, for whatever weird reason, he started to brush her off like she had crumbs on her shirt. She started to tremble.

“I’m going now…but, we’ll talk later.” He gave her breast a tight squeeze until she winced with pain.

He backed off, grabbed the beer and stormed out of the apartment. Elu slid down the wall and just stared into space. She started to cry, little tears at first and then big, gushy ones. Her mind was a cloud of confusion and she couldn’t think. She stumbled up and went to the bathroom to take a hot bath.

The next few months, things seemed to settle down a bit. Elu continued to dance at the club. Sebastian stayed away from the apartment more and spent more time in his grubby, singles walk up working on hedge fund deals. He kept talking about big money that was just about to come in.

Elu sighed when she heard this. They were out for dinner and she paid. It usually wasn’t at the really great restaurant they had been to before, more like pizza and beer but it was food and it was hot.

She paid her rent on time and Jan accepted it without comment. Jan had gone to the pawnshop herself and got back her mother’s ruby and garnet ring. She didn’t tell Elu how much it cost her but Elu noticed that Jan’s bedroom was always locked now when she left the apartment.

It was the weekend of Mother’s Day and Jan told Elu she would be going upstate to see her mother.

“And, I know I don’t have to tell you to keep that slug out of my bedroom, right?” she arched an eyebrow at Elu.

“You’re door is always locked. How could he get in there?”

“Knowing that little creep, he could figure something out.” Her tone softened a bit. “Elu, you know I like you. Always have. But, really, if much else happens with that little bastard, I am going to have to ask you to leave. Comprende?”

Elu couldn’t do anything else but put her head down and nod. It reminded her of the way her mother used to speak to her and she felt ashamed.

Jan grabbed her trolley suitcase, locked the door on her room, and slung her purse over her shoulder. As she was about to leave, she stopped and looked at the forlorn visage of her friend. She came over and gave her a hug. “I just wish…I wish…” she seemed to be out of words for what to say. Then, turned and went out the door.

Elu sank down on a kitchen chair and stared into space. There was a little ‘ping’ on her cell phone. She opened up her message box. Daniel had sent her a message. “Grandpa in hospital, call me”. A sense of terror swept over the girl. She grabbed the phone and had a short, terse conversation with her brother. Grandpa was in the hospital because of his heart. She was scheduled to work that night but promised to come over as soon as she could.

Her shift went by in a blur and Elu found herself repeatedly looking at the clock. 1 am couldn’t come fast enough. She got off. Rocky, her favorite bouncer, found her a cab. She told him about her grandfather.

“I’m sorry babe. That sucks. Want me to beat up that lousy boyfriend of yours? Do it for free. Might make you feel better.”

In spite of herself, Elu laughed and smiled. Rocky was the biggest, buffest gay guy she had ever met. Hell, she didn’t even know what gay meant until she had moved here. She got into the taxi and told him to rush. Her body was tingling from raw nerves.

She let herself into the apartment, her outfit still on under her heavy jacket. To her surprise, Sebastian was sitting on the sofa in the living room. There was some strange man with him. A big, fat, sweaty guy. The fat guy was in his forties with thinning hair. He kept wiping his brow with a handkerchief.

“Babe, you’re home!” Sebastian was expansive. “Hey, meet my new, good client, Samuel from Milwaukee. Samuel, Elu, the Indian.”

Samuel got up to shake her hand. He was nervous. There were wet patches in the armpits of his shirt. He reached to shake her hand. “I saw your performance at the club, Miss Elu. Stunning, just stunning. You dance so well and you’re so…” he paused to find the works, “you’re so beautiful.” He stared at her transfixed.

Elu yanked her hand out of his grip and looked over at Sebastian. “I got to go change.”

“Sure thing,” he waved at her. “We’ll be here. Samuel brought you some of your favorite stuff.” He waved at the coffee table. Lines of coke were already set up on a mirror in the middle.

Elu’s mouth got dry. She pulled away and went into the bedroom. She stripped off her costume, pulled on a t-shirt, jeans and boots. A heavy sweater went over the top and a jacket with a hood. Sebastian sauntered into the room.

“Where’re you going babe? You’re going to miss the party!” He sipped his beer casually and looked over at her dressing.

Elu yanked the jacket on and spun toward him. “What is that guy doing here?” she hissed at him.

“Calm down, calm down, girlfriend,” he put his hands out in front of him as if he was surrendering. “He just came to see you. He likes you.”

Elu stared hard into Sebastian’s eyes. She was shocked to see the clear blue were darker down and seemed to have no depth anymore. In a flash of understanding, she completely got exactly why Samuel was here, this night, when Jan was gone. She pushed past her boyfriend. He tried to grab her arm but she wiggled away, grabbed her  purse and was out the door. She didn’t even bother to close it.

“Babe,” Sabastian yelled after her, “what am I going to tell Samuel?”

“Go to hell,” she shouted and banged out of the apartment building. Calling a cab, they drove straight to the hospital. Daniel was there by their grandfather’s bed. The old man was hooked up to every kind of machine imaginable. His eyes were closed. She got a chair and pulled it over to Daniel’s.

Continued

Negotiating rental leases

06 Thursday Oct 2022

Posted by webbywriter1 in Jobs and the workplace, money, stress, Uncategorized

≈ Comments Off on Negotiating rental leases

In the time of run away rent increases, lack of government controls and rising inflation, it is time for renters to start thinking about negotiating the terms of leases. Attorneys who deal with landlord disputes often get called in only when an eviction is looming. It is time for renters to unite, form blocks of renters unions and set clear guidelines for reasonable, rather than unreasonable, rent increases. My rent has increase 40% in four years. The ‘normal’ amount of increase should have been 12% to 16%. And as always, wages have not kept up.

Negotiations of Leases Between Residential Renters and Landlords


  • GUIDE TO LANDLORD AND TENANT LAW

https://www.hg.org/legal-articles/negotiations-of-leases-between-residential-renters-and-landlords-43918

Renters and landlords are often at opposing ends in real estate transactions. Many landlords have a standard lease form that they use for all tenants. However, there may come times when a renter wants something other than what is in the boilerplate language a standard lease agreement contains. The renter or the landlord may wish to negotiate different terms. Some ways to accomplish this include:

Understand the Motivations of the Parties

Renters and landlords may have very different interests and motivations. A renter may be in a time crunch and may need to move quickly. A landlord may have had a vacant unit for some time and may wish to fill it. The process can get even more complicated when a leasing company is involved. This company often gets paid every month regardless of whether the unit is vacant or not. If the unit is not filled, it is paid for looking for a renter. As such, this company may not be under the same pressures as an independent landlord. Therefore, an independent landlord may be more likely to negotiate than a leasing company. Even if a leasing company is willing to negotiate, the person showing the property may not have the authority to negotiate with the renter.

Research

Research is a fundamental component to any negotiation. The renter should educate himself or herself about the real estate market in the area before signing his or her lease. This includes investigating the respective costs of other units in the area of similar size and style, looking at the amenities that different locations provide and whether there are many vacant units in close proximity that represent competition to the landlord. By being armed with this information, the renter will be in a better position to negotiate more favorable terms.

Identify Strong Characteristics

The renter can also make his or her case better if he or she can show positive characteristics that he or she offers. For example, if the renter has a strong rental history, he or she can point out this information. Landlords prefer stable renters who pay on time, take care of the unit and have stayed on the property for quite some time. By providing solid references from former landlords, a renter can be more persuasive.

Offer Something in Return

If a tenant is looking for something in particular, such as a lower security deposit, lower rent or more amenities, he or she can offer something in return. Some tradeoffs that the renter might be able to make is to sign a longer lease, such as for 18 months or two years instead of a six-month or 12-month lease, paying more in a security deposit or paying advance rent or giving up shared space or a parking spot that is unneeded.

Examine Other Options

One important aspect of negotiation is having other options open so that the targeted location is not the exclusive choice. This gives the renter leverage and options. Additionally, if the negotiations do not go well for the renter, he or she has another option. This requires the renter to actively look for other units that will fit his or her needs.

Consider Preferred Provisions

Once the renter has all of the research completed and points to negotiate, he or she should carefully narrow in on the new terms he or she wants in the lease. He or she may want an option to sublease the unit in the event that he or she has a job change or wants to move before the end of the lease term. This provides additional protection in case one of the offers the renter makes is a longer lease term. The renter might want an option to renew the lease based on the current or new terms.

Carefully Review the Lease

After the negotiations, both parties should carefully review the lease. This will help ensure that the agreement the parties made is actually memorialized. The parties should carefully check provisions related to payment, who is responsible for repairs and maintenance, insurance information and how absences are treated. Both parties should be clear on who pays for what. If the contract has to be enforced in the future, the terms of the lease will be what the court examines.

Seek Legal Assistance

Negotiating a lease can be complicated. It is a legally-binding contract between the parties with legal consequences. To protect their interests, many renters enlist the assistance of a real estate lawyer. A real estate lawyer can review and negotiate the lease.

Provided by HG.org

Read more on this legal issue
Angry Renters, a Management Company and Damages Owed
Why Landowners Decide to Ground Leases


Disclaimer: Every effort has been made to ensure the accuracy of this publication at the time it was written. It is not intended to provide legal advice or suggest a guaranteed outcome as individual situations will differ and the law may have changed since publication. Readers considering legal action should consult with an experienced lawyer to understand current laws and.how they may affect a case.

©1995-2022 All Rights Reserved HG.org Legal Resources – HGExperts.com

Getting Married – Intuition

28 Sunday Aug 2022

Posted by webbywriter1 in Uncategorized

≈ Comments Off on Getting Married – Intuition

Harnessing the N quality of your personality. The Intuitive part.

(https://www.16personalities.com/free-personality-test – a free test.)

Many of you have taken the Meyers-Briggs personality test. If so, you may have scored an N on your test which is a measure of your intuitive ability. Again, this is not a ‘mother’ quality, necessarily. Good mothers probably have a fair amount of this quality; however, so do gamblers, lawyers, negotiators, stock brokers, real estate agents, salespeople and general con artists. But, I am not suggesting that anyone become a con artist!!!! However, your intuitive skills and abilities are very important in inter-relationships with others, especially men.

Aagain, in relationships with men we frequently have to let go of the skills, abilities and go-to places that are so familiar. The Guide, the Counselor, the Helper, the Nurse and the Mother roles feel familiar and safe. Like a heavy winter coat, we need to take off that coat and bring forth other skills and abilities that are there, maybe latent, or underdeveloped. That said, we don’t have to stand naked and shivering in the cold light of day, there are other supports to be developed which we will discuss more in later chapters.

What is my job here if it not nurse, helper, guide, counselor and helpful Hannah?

What is my job in this dating game if it is not these familiar roles? Think of it like a light spring coat, in my mind, it is multi-colored with shades of green and other spring colors. You can imagine your coat anyway you want.

Your job is to listen and absorb information. Then to be open to your own feelings and reactions;, not to guide, counsel, improve, inform, redirect, help, the other person.  Your job is to take care of you. If you do establish a relationship, there may be time to be the helper, to an extent, but regardless, you should never act as the man’s mother unless you want an adult child on your hands.

So, you are having a conversation with a man and you think, I might be interested! You may find yourself slipping into a fantasy about the potential of the relationship with hearts and flowers, la-la-la. Give yourself a mental slap, get back into the now and pay attention to what he is saying.

What is he saying? Talking about the ex-wife, the ex-girlfriends, what happened in the relationship (s), relationships with parents, brothers, sisters, friends, co-workers and others? How does he feel about family, friends and work? Is he happy or unhappy? Is he successful or not, even in relationship according to his own value set. Success does not necessarily mean a big house and a fast car. A man may feel contented with an apartment or condo and a used car. If he is in a serene place with children, ex’s, family, job and his own body, he may a person with room in his life for a relationship.

Pushmi-Pullyu

They had no tail, but a head at each end, and sharp horns on each head. They were very shy and terribly hard to catch. The… men get most of their animals by sneaking up behind them while they are not looking. But you could not do this with the pushmi–pullyu — because no matter which way you came towards him, he was always facing you. [The Story of Doctor Dolittle](Lofting, 1920.)

Every relationship has push and pull components. You push, he pulls – he pushes and you pull. Your job is to use your intuitive self and your 6th sense to recognize these natural back and forth pulls in the relationship.

Particularly in the beginning of a possible relationship, you need to recognize the point at which the man either advances or he pulls away.

Wow! Oh, my God! He is pulling away! Hit the panic button and the red lights are flashing!!!!!! What now????????

Don’t chase.

The more you chase, the faster he will run the other direction. This is the time when you pull into yourself, center yourself, do your meditation and let go and relax.

How Can I Miss you if you Never Go Away? (1969) Dan Hicks and his Hot Licks.

We can utilize our intuitive sense to feel that the man is pulling away. We can be intuitive but we are not mind readers. We don’t know exactly what the man is thinking during this phase. Too often, as women, we conclude that it has something to do with us. We are too tall, too short, too fat, too skinny, too smart, too stupid, too educated or not educated enough, too rich or too poor. We are less than in some terms and that is why he is leaving.

Stop. You don’t know that and stop trying to figure it out. Refer back to the paragraph about men and their fears. The man may be reacting to the fears in his head and it may have little to do with you. However, that said, chasing after the man like a hungry carnivore looking for lunch will not dispel his fears. More the opposite.

What now?

Let go. Trust in whatever Higher Power that you believe in that things will work out the way they should. Relax and focus on you and not him.

This is the time to do You work and take your focus completely off him. Relax that grip you feel in both hands. Relationships are a process. You must let him process his feelings. He may like you, he may like spending time with you. However, like is not love. It can be the beginnings of love or not. He might like you, sense that you have feelings for him and pull away because he a) doesn’t want to lead you on or b) doesn’t want to get tangled up in a relationship, any relationship or c) he doesn’t love you, knows it and wants to cut his losses. Lastly, he may be confused about his feelings for you and distance can be the great clarifier. As he has distance, he is able to sort his feelings out and determine if he wants to reconnect or to disconnect. Either way, you are going to need to be accepting of his decision. The last thing you want is being trapped in a relationship with a man who feels trapped.

Allow the man time. He knows how to reach you. Let him reconnect, if that is what he wants on his own time schedule. If he doesn’t…oh well, sigh. If he does…whee! Imagine your surprise and delight when he re-enters your life and you didn’t have to do anything except sit there!

So, while you are contemplating your navel, feeling down and a little sorry for yourself, contemplate something else. How many times have you been pursued by men you had absolutely no interest in? And have they been relentless and obnoxious in their pursuit? Have you had to take steps to avoid certain men? All the time thinking to yourself, why is it always the ones I have no interest in?????? Maybe that is the point. Men frequently want the very thing they can’t have. The more you say no (and mean it) the harder they pursue.

So, are we playing games here? Not really. Games require work and effort instead of relaxing, letting go and allowing ‘the game’ to unfold without controlling, manipulating, coaxing, threatening, demanding, following, and all other activities that are so time consuming and fatiguing.

We let go and work on the Me inside.

Romantic you:

Your favorite movies are: The Proposal (Ryan Reynolds, Sandra Bullock), The Notebook (Sandra Bullock, Keanu Reeves), Somewhere in Time, and the list goes on. Your favorite books are all things: HEA (Happily Ever After), you wanted to be Cinderella when you were a kid, your favorite colors are pink or red, you love Valentine’s Day and Christmas (shades of red and pink).

You believe in happily ever after; however, it doesn’t quite seem to be coming true for you. Hmm. How can some women catch the brass ring and others not? What is the difference?

Sometimes it is luck. Sometimes timing. Sometimes, our pickers are a little bent and we tend to pick Mr. Wrong, again and again. Sigh. I want off this terrible merry-go-round she says. Is it possible? It is possible but it does take some work.

Meditation, friends, family, exercise, diet and having a life. Being the best you.

Skills and Hobbies

One of my favorite hobbies is social dancing. Unfortunately, due to Covid, most of us were not able to participate in this sport for some time. Gradually, as people become vaccinated, more people are returning to the dance floor.

I want to talk about one young lady who caught my eye several times. Young, in her twenties, she is not very tall, maybe 5’3” and slim. Not a pretty face either, one might describe it as ‘interesting,’ but certainly not beautiful. She dyed her hair a deep red color and usually spends a lot of time on the dance floor when she is there.

Why? This young lady is a very good dancer and makes a good dance partner. She has clearly been at it awhile and the men are pleased to dance with her. Now, has she gotten a husband/boyfriend off the dance floors? I have no idea. But I do know that she was having a lot of fun while in the studio and probably left feeling good about herself.

Isn’t that the point? Claiming the prize (a man) needs to stop being the all-encompassing motive for our activities. And, by the way, good for her!

The very opposite of that attitude is one held by a close friend of mine. A woman my age who has given up on diet and exercise. Again, why?

According to her, since she has given up on relationships (romantic) there is no need to exercise. Because, of course, the only reason ever exercise is to secure a man, right? My friend has steadily gained weight over the years and is miserable.

We all want relationships, otherwise, why read this book? However, the eye on the prize thinking has to change. We don’t get it together to get a man and then quit. (What is Mr. Wonderful going to think about us then?) We take responsibility for ourselves and our bodies and stop whining about it. Our lives and existence do not have to be, nor should be, all about ‘getting a man.’

More Rental Poverty

24 Sunday Jul 2022

Posted by webbywriter1 in Uncategorized

≈ Comments Off on More Rental Poverty

I went out the other evening to do a spot of grocery shopping. There is a Dollar Tree store in this parking lot. As I pulled into the driveway, I paused and had to look again to be sure what I was seeing. There was a half naked man behind the Dollar Tree, using the side of the dumpster as a toilet. Then, he was trying to clean himself up with whatever he had available.

The emotions of surprise, shock, disgust all flood my mind. I went and got my items and drove out the same way. The man was still out there, doing what ever.

It is a black eye on our society where people are doing things like this public. This a middle-class neighborhood and I have never in my life seen things like this before. The homeless population grows by the day. The City refuses to fund public toilets because they ‘cost too much money.’ How much are things like this costing us in depreciating the value of our neighborhoods, creating filth, disease and mess that some unhappy worker will have to clean up?

The unemployment and housing crisis in this town is threatening to bring all of us to our knees. We need to address to cause of much of this. Covid of course is out there; however, the escalating cost of housing is outstripping most other problems. We need to try to grasp the fact that commercial real estate transactions have crippled our economy and that goes back to the recession on 2008. The fact that some people get rich while others go into the toilet is not helping. Why do you think that many extremely rich people are moving to New Zealand and remote islands off the coast of Africa? Maybe they remember their history lessons about the French Revolution and want to get out of the way. Here are more articles about the effects that commercial real estate have had and are having on our economy.

Domino Effect: Market Research

2017 – Andrew from DJA, Sacramento “…(we do) careful market research to deliver fair prices….in relation to the area.” (Retrieved from the Internet, 2022.)

What this phrase ‘careful market research’ means is that property management companies do market research for the area where their rentals are located. If you remember your statistics or math classes; the rental prices from a geographical area are gathered, (example – one bed room apartments,) the prices of all units are added and then divided by the total number of units to give the average market price for units in that zip code. This appears to be a fair system, until….one owner raises his price, then another does and another and, so on. In a domino effect, as more and more owners raise their prices, this same system therefore creates a rising average price. And this is whether or not the rise in prices is truly justified or not. For example, as seen in recently rising cost of gasoline and other inflationary costs.

Landlords are never required to give an accounting to their tenants for the increased rent and the reasons for it. They simply raise the rent and justify the cost with such market research tools that support their case.

An antidote to rising prices can be that potential renters, when they see a property that they like, when presented with the usual twenty page lease agreement containing endless Thou Shalt Not clauses, add one of their own stating “It is agreed between the parties that a rental increase of not more than (3-6%) shall attach each year.” When the rental company tells the potential renter ‘we can’t do that’ the renter can say, ‘and I can’t rent from you.’ If enough people did that, it would help curb the mad-dog escalating system that is now in place.

Recession of 2008

MARKETS  INTERNATIONAL MARKETS

The Great Recession

By 

THE INVESTOPEDIA TEAM

Updated May 26, 2022

Reviewed by 

MICHAEL J BOYLE

Fact checked by 

AMANDA BELLUCCO-CHATHAM

What Was the Great Recession?

The Great Recession was the sharp decline in economic activity during the late 2000s. It is considered the most significant downturn since the Great Depression. The term “Great Recession” applies to both the U.S. recession, officially lasting from December 2007 to June 2009, and the ensuing global recession in 2009.

The economic slump began when the U.S. housing market went from boom to bust, and large amounts of mortgage-backed securities (MBS) and derivatives lost significant value.

KEY TAKEAWAYS

  • The Great Recession refers to the economic downturn from 2007 to 2009 after the bursting of the U.S. housing bubble and the global financial crisis.
  • The Great Recession was the most severe economic recession in the United States since the Great Depression of the 1930s.
  • In response to the Great Recession, unprecedented fiscal, monetary, and regulatory policy was unleashed by federal authorities, which some, but not all, credit with the subsequent recovery.

Understanding the Great Recession

The term “Great Recession” is a play on the term “Great Depression”. An official depression occurred during the 1930s and featured a gross domestic product (GDP) decline of more than 10% and an unemployment rate that at one point reached 25%.

While no explicit criteria exist to differentiate a depression from a severe recession, there is a near consensus among economists that the downturn of the late-2000s, was not a depression. During the Great Recession, U.S. GDP declined by 0.3% in 2008 and 2.8% in 2009, while unemployment briefly reached 10%. However, the event is unquestionably the worst economic downturn in the intervening years.

https://www.investopedia.com/terms/g/great-recession.asp#:~:text=The%20credit%20markets%20that%20had,Bear%20Stearns%20in%20March%202008.

According to a 2011 report by the Financial Crisis Inquiry Commission, the Great Recession was avoidable. The appointees, which included six Democrats and four Republicans, cited several key contributing factors that they claimed led to the downturn.2

First, the report identified failure on the part of the government to regulate the financial industry. This failure to regulate included the Fed’s inability to curb toxic mortgage lending.

Next, there were too many financial firms taking on too much risk. The shadow banking system, which included investment firms, grew to rival the depository banking system but was not under the same scrutiny or regulation. When the shadow banking system failed, the outcome affected the flow of credit to consumers and businesses.3

Other causes identified in the report included excessive borrowing by consumers and corporations and lawmakers who were not able to fully understand the collapsing financial system. This created asset bubbles, especially in the housing market as mortgages were extended at low interest rates to unqualified borrowers who could not repay them. This caused housing prices to fall and left many other homeowners underwater. This, in turn, severely impacted the market for mortgage-backed securities (MBS) held by banks and other institutional investment companies.

______________________________________________________________________________

Conclusion: this country has gone through a fantastic financial drought caused primarily by the housing and mortgage lending industries. People have lost jobs, money, retirement funds, the where withal to live and some, their lives.

Once again, the tail that wags the dog, the commercial real estate industry is spreading its tentacles throughout this state. The end result will be systems in place that consistently raise the cost of living to the point it is unaffordable to the average person. People give up saving money, taking vacations, repairing their cars and teeth. The owners increase in wealth and power and exert increasing control and pressure on the economy. While sitting in their Cadillac Escalades, making appointments on cell phones that affect the lives of the ‘common people’ who they have neither a connect to nor any care for. Essential, the middle-class and our way of life rots under the heel of designer boots.

The solution to these problems is for individual cities to be given the authority to place a cap on the percent increase per year, allowed to landlords. An increase that is in line with the ordinary increases in salaries would be fair. Since most salaries increase per year by about 3 to 3.5%, so should rents. It is understandable that inflation this last year has out stripped those amounts, but why should renters be responsible for those numbers? An investment company with $20,000,000 in assets can better afford to take the ‘hit’ of inflation than the renter who has less than $2,000 in the bank. Pressure needs to be put on lawmakers in the State capital to make this a priority issue.

It is time to take back the economy from commercial real estate interests. This dog needs a muzzle.

7/17/22 cew

Roe vs Wade: The Worm Turns

28 Tuesday Jun 2022

Posted by webbywriter1 in dating, FRIENDSHIP, kids, marriage, romance, teenagers, Uncategorized

≈ Comments Off on Roe vs Wade: The Worm Turns

ROE VS WADE: THE WORM TURNS

Thirty years ago when I was pregnant I was very amazed at the responses, unexpected, that I received from any number of people. I learned that in pregnancy, somehow the whole world seems to own you.

Firstly, I got a referral to an OBGYN from the medical board and went in for a visit. After suffering for 30 minutes with an older male doctor cracking jokes about sex and older women, I had to go to the counter and speak to the nurse. I did that, got my brochures and was told that “pregnancy was a disease” and I needed to treat it like that. Shocked, I rapidly found another doctor.

I was getting my hair cut at an inexpensive salon. The young man cutting my hair told me he thought I was too old to have a baby. I should have reported him to his boss, instead I changed salons. At an outdoor gathering/barbeque with ‘friends”, a friend advised me that ‘she knew someone who could help me out of my problem.’ I looked at her like the Angel of Death and quickly moved away. In addition to that remark, other ‘friends’ (mostly male) worked hard to make me feel ashamed and embarrassed about my condition. Because I was 38 years old and not 18 years old; I was not embarrassed, I got angry, finally.

Recently, when that baby turned 30 and got married, I was again faced with some similar comments. The baby, now a young lady, was engaged to a fella who got a job offer overseas. He could go but she couldn’t go unless they were married. So, the engagement was followed quickly by marriage.

I shared this good news with a ‘friend.’ Her first response was “Did she have to get married?” Unless you have lived under a rock for the last 50 years, you understand that translates into “Was she pregnant and they had to get married?” In other words, my daughter isn’t good enough to get a guy without being pregnant. A year and a half later, I’m still not a grandmother. I am also not talking to that ‘friend’ much  these days.

Since I’m the age that I am; I can remember the days before Roe and the days after Roe. I have known girls who ‘had to get married’ and I have known girls who gave up babies for adoption. In addition to that, I have known women who have gotten pregnant and have been ordered by husbands and boyfriends to get an abortion. I have known the ones who resisted the man’s wishes and said “No, I’m having this baby.” Also, those who buckled under the man’s pressure and got the abortion. Guess who, after all these years, are the happiest and the most unhappy? Spoiler alert, the women who stuck up for themselves and their babies are the happiest.

So, what does this all mean? After centuries of men having children whether they wanted to or not and often more children than they wanted; we have situations where men are not getting the children they want. Women are using birth control, the birth rate has dropped dramatically. Add in abortion rights, the number of unwanted children around has dropped to almost nothing. The worm has turned. Men are having to take responsibility for wanting to have children. They are having to ask, for the very first time ever, asking the woman to please carry their children. How different is that?

Famous couples that broke up over the child issue: Here are three very famous couples that broke up and then remarried, apparently over the child/childless issue. Bruce Springsteen and Julianne Phillips; they got a divorce when she wanted to focus on her career. He remarried Patti Scialfa and has three children now. Ryan Reynolds and Scarlett Johanssen, they got a divorce and he remarried Blake Lively and they have three children. Brad Pitt and Jennifer Aniston; they got a divorce, he remarried Angelina Joie. They have 3 adopted children and 3 natural children.

My feeling is that if there are 3 very famous couples who have broken up over this issue, there are probably hundreds and hundreds of other couples who have broken up over the very same issues.

For hundreds of years, girls who ‘got into trouble’ were sent away to homes for unwed mothers to have their babies and then shamed into giving their babies up for adoption. These numbers of unwed mothers and ‘unwanted’ babies, at least in this country, have dropped to almost zero. I personally know of couples who are unable to conceive. Couples who desperately want children and are faced with a country where ‘free’ babies are virtually impossible to find. I have seen couples suffer through fertility clinics, surrogate mother scams and painful adoption proceedings.

Roe v Wade will make a lot of people very unhappy. The one sector of our population who are heaving a secret sigh are married couples looking to adopt a baby. I don’t know, maybe the universe is calling out for more babies.

As a society we need to consider why it is that so many young women of childbearing ages don’t want to have children. Why? Is it just the cost? Well, the cost is of course part, but not all. Could it be that we are still caught up in the shame-blame cycles of shaming and blaming pregnant women for their ‘condition’? Do we ever consider that men (of all ages) use women to satisfy their sexual needs? Does it take two generations of women refusing to bear children for men to finally realize that, yes, they too want children? It’s like a thousand country western songs, you don’t know what you have until it’s gone.

Pregnancy is not a curse or a disease. It is a gift. A lot more people need to start thinking that way. If you don’t believe me, sit down and have a chat with a childless couple. If we supported women and their children more as a society more, maybe there wouldn’t be such a rush to the abortion clinics.

The end.

Cew 6/22

U.S. Customs and Border Patrol Commissioner Pulled from Tucson Police.

19 Sunday Jun 2022

Posted by webbywriter1 in Uncategorized

≈ Comments Off on U.S. Customs and Border Patrol Commissioner Pulled from Tucson Police.

Senate approves Tucson police Chief Chris Magnus to take over as CBP Commissioner

Tucson City Council taps Deputy Chief Chad Kasmar to lead the city’s police department

Chris Magnus was approved by the Senate to become commissioner of U.S. Customs and Border Protection.(Cronkite News)

By KOLD News 13 Staff

Published: Dec. 7, 2021 at 4:22 PM MST

TUCSON, Ariz. (KOLD News 13) – In an 50-47 vote Tuesday, the Senate approved Tucson police Chief Chris Magnus to take over as commissioner of U.S. Customs and Border Protection.

Magnus was hired as TPD’s leader in 2016 when Roberto Villaseñor retired.

“I congratulate Chief Magnus on his appointment and am grateful for his dedicated service and contributions to our community. I look forward to working together with the Commissioner on key issues affecting Southern Arizona,” Tucson Mayor Regina Romero was quoted as saying in a news release.

As head of the TPD, he had more than 1,100 employees. As CBP commissioner, he will lead a 60,000-worker department.

ADVERTISEMENT

President Joe Biden in April nominated Magnus for the position, citing his “lengthy career” in law enforcement and experience working in a border state.

“In Tucson, Magnus implemented de-escalation training, sentinel event review processes, and programs to promote officer health and wellness. Because of Tucson’s proximity to the border, he has extensive experience in addressing immigration issues,” read a statement from the White House.

But the nomination was held up for months and things didn’t kick back up until early November.

Magnus has spent more than four decades working in public safety. He began working as a dispatcher and paramedic in his native Lansing, Michigan before becoming a sheriff’s deputy.

ADVERTISEMENT

He became chief of the Fargo Police Department in North Dakota in 1999 and took over as police chief in Richmond, California, in 2006.

The Tucson City Council on Tuesday, Dec. 7, unanimously approved Tucson Deputy Chief Chad Kasmar to take over as chief.(City of Tucson)

Also on Tuesday, the Tucson City Council unanimously approved the promotion of Deputy Chief Chad Kasmar to take over for Magnus. The position went into effect immediately.

“During his 21-year career at the Tucson Police Department, Chad Kasmar has earned the respect of our Tucson community as well as fellow officers. Chad has proven himself to be a collaborator who sees public safety through a holistic lens and shares my vision of Community Safety, Health, and Wellness,” Romero said.

ADVERTISEMENT

Kasmar has been a member of the Tucson Police Department since 2000, and was promoted to Deputy Chief in 2016.

He is a graduate of Amphitheater Public Schools and the University of Arizona and has spent time in several divisions with the TPD. Most recently, Kasmar served as the interim director at 911 Communications.

Romero says she will ask Kasmar to go on a “listening tour” with community members to further develop his goals for the department.

Copyright 2021 KOLD News 13. All rights reserved

________________________________________________________________

The world will be watching to see how this new command fairs with these never ending and contenscious border problems.

Russian Must not be Humiliated in Ukraine says Emmanuel Macron, French President

14 Tuesday Jun 2022

Posted by webbywriter1 in Uncategorized

≈ Comments Off on Russian Must not be Humiliated in Ukraine says Emmanuel Macron, French President

French president says door must be left open to allow for improvement in diplomatic relations after war

  • Russia-Ukraine war: latest updates

Macron has said Vladimir Putin made a ‘historic and fundamental’ error in invading Ukraine. Photograph: Julien de Rosa/EPA

Dan Sabbagh in Kyiv The Guardian

Sat 4 Jun 2022 10.54 EDT 

 

Russia must not be humiliated in Ukraine, Emmanuel Macron has said, to allow an improvement in diplomatic relations between the west and Moscow whenever the war comes to an end.

The French president said his Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin, had made a “historic and fundamental” error in invading Ukraine, but that nevertheless a wider escalation in hostilities had to be avoided.

Giving an interview to a group of regional newspapers in his home country, Macron said: “We must not humiliate Russia so that the day the fighting stops, we can build a way out through diplomatic channels.”

The role of France was to be that of “a mediating power”, the president added, saying he had put “time and energy” into ensuring the conflict did not escalate into a wider war, including negotiating with the Russian president.

“I have lost count of the conversations I have had with Vladimir Putin since December,” Macron said. They amounted to 100 hours’ worth, he added, which were “at the request of” Ukraine’s president, Volodymyr Zelenskiy.

Macron has consistently sought to engage directly with Putin and has repeatedly called for a ceasefire in the conflict, including on an 80-minute phone call at the end of last month with the Russian leader and the German chancellor, Olaf Scholz.

That has led to periodic accusations that the French leader wants Ukraine to make concessions to secure a peace agreement, although the Élysée Palace says any peace agreement must be negotiated between Putin and Zelenskiy, showing “due respect for the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine”.

None of the discussions, however, appear to have borne fruit. Russia’s invasion of Ukraine passed the 100-day mark on Friday, with little sign of the war ending amid heavy fighting in the eastern city of Sievierodonetsk.

Macron said he believed Putin had “isolated himself” and did not know what to do next. “Isolating oneself is one thing, but being able to get out of it is a difficult path,” the French president added.

House Votes Yea on raising Age to 21 for Purchase of Assault Rifles.

09 Thursday Jun 2022

Posted by webbywriter1 in Uncategorized

≈ Comments Off on House Votes Yea on raising Age to 21 for Purchase of Assault Rifles.

NEWSWEEK

House Votes ‘Yea’ on Raising Age to 21 for Purchase of Assault Rifles

BY JAKE THOMAS ON 6/8/22 AT 6:37 PM EDT

Watch: House Votes ‘Yea’ On Raising Age To 21 For Purchase Of Assault Rifles

The House of Representatives has approved legislation in favor of raising the age to purchase a military-style rifle, like the one used in Uvalde, Texas, to 21.

Lawmakers voted 228-199 to include the provision in a package of gun control measures approved earlier by the House Judiciary Committee. The vote comes in response to pressure for Congress to respond to a string of mass shootings, including a massacre at Robb Elementary School on May 24 in Uvalde. While the measure passed with some Republican support, it faces an uncertain future in the evenly divided Senate.

The House of Representatives voted 228-199 in favor of a provision raising the age to buy military-style guns to 21. Here, Representative Raja Krishnamoorthi, an Illinois Democrat, speaks to the House Oversight and Reform Committee following testimony about gun violence on June 8, 2022, in Washington, D.C.

Representative Anthony Brown, the Maryland Democrat who authored the provision, said on the House floor that shooters in massacres in Uvalde, Buffalo, New York, Florida’s Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School and others were committed by males under age 21.

“Right now, you must be 21 in this country to buy a handgun, and you only need to be 18 years old to buy a semiautomatic rifle capable of committing unspeakable tragedies,” Brown said on the floor. “I served in the military. I trained with these weapons. I know what they can do. These weapons of war have no place in our neighborhoods, let alone in the hands of an untrained 18-year-old boy.”

While he said the legislation wouldn’t stop the country’s gun violence problem, it would be worth it if it “can save one life or one community from this carnage.”

ADVERTISING

Title I of the Protecting Our Kids Act prohibits federally licensed federal gun dealers from selling to anyone under the age of 21 any “semiautomatic centerfire rifle or semiautomatic centerfire shotgun that has, or has the capacity to accept, an ammunition feeding device with a capacity exceeding 5 rounds.”

……………………………………………….

Will Humble of the AZ Public Health Association also supports background checks on individuals, a three day waiting period and would perfer that we raise the age to buy these weapons to 25 years. Although he recognizes this is not likely to happen; he indicates the 3 day waiting period will help reduce the number of suicides and the background checks will help reduce the number of homicides.

Action definitely needs to be taken. There is a big difference between the militia men of 1776 and the assault rifles of today. cew

← Older posts

Subscribe

  • Entries (RSS)
  • Comments (RSS)

Archives

  • February 2023
  • January 2023
  • December 2022
  • November 2022
  • October 2022
  • September 2022
  • August 2022
  • July 2022
  • June 2022
  • May 2022
  • April 2022
  • March 2022
  • February 2022
  • January 2022
  • December 2021
  • November 2021
  • October 2021
  • September 2021
  • August 2021
  • July 2021
  • April 2021
  • February 2021
  • January 2021
  • December 2020
  • November 2020
  • October 2020
  • September 2020
  • August 2020
  • July 2020
  • June 2020
  • May 2020
  • April 2020
  • March 2020
  • February 2020
  • January 2020
  • December 2019
  • October 2019
  • September 2019
  • May 2019
  • April 2019
  • March 2019
  • January 2019
  • December 2018
  • November 2018
  • October 2018
  • September 2018
  • August 2018
  • July 2018
  • June 2018
  • May 2018
  • April 2018
  • March 2018
  • February 2018
  • December 2017
  • October 2017
  • September 2017
  • August 2017
  • June 2017
  • May 2017
  • March 2017
  • November 2016
  • October 2016
  • September 2016
  • August 2016
  • June 2016
  • May 2016
  • April 2016
  • March 2016
  • February 2016
  • January 2016
  • November 2015
  • October 2015
  • September 2015
  • August 2015
  • March 2015
  • January 2015
  • November 2014
  • October 2014
  • September 2014

Categories

  • aging, exercise
  • Book Sales: Amazon.com/Kindle Books
  • CALORIES
  • coffee
  • Crime – Fioction
  • cutting
  • dating
  • dementia
  • diet
  • families
  • Fiction
  • FRIENDSHIP
  • holidays
  • homelessnes
  • Jobs and the workplace
  • kids
  • lattes
  • marriage
  • money
  • Native Americans
  • poetry
  • romance
  • signs
  • stress
  • strokes
  • teenagers
  • Uncategorized

Meta

  • Register
  • Log in

Blog at WordPress.com.

Privacy & Cookies: This site uses cookies. By continuing to use this website, you agree to their use.
To find out more, including how to control cookies, see here: Cookie Policy
  • Follow Following
    • webby1dotnet
    • Join 40 other followers
    • Already have a WordPress.com account? Log in now.
    • webby1dotnet
    • Customize
    • Follow Following
    • Sign up
    • Log in
    • Report this content
    • View site in Reader
    • Manage subscriptions
    • Collapse this bar
 

Loading Comments...
 

You must be logged in to post a comment.