News Details (Posted: February 19, 2005):

SEASIDE SCOOP By Peggy Fisher

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February 19, 2005 Triaging Time during the Shortest Month Setting a goal is not the main thing. It is deciding how you will go about achieving it and staying with that plan. —Tom Landry (1924-2000) Professional football player and coach ******************************­******* Welcome! Welcome to Seaside Scoop, strengthening our word power and memories incrementally while linking friends and wildlife supporters across Florida and the globe. Seaside Scoop readers span Florida, 36 states, Guam and 15 countries abroad. (Your email address is safe. Seaside Scoop will never sell, rent or disclose your email address to third parties.) A warm welcome back to Dan Rankow in Jupiter, FL; your mates Out of Africa especially missed you; to Sandra Rohn via Lee—a super Seaside Scoop recruiter! Sandra is (Lee’s son) Brian’s 5th grade teacher at Rivers Edge Elementary in Port St Lucie, FL, and to Lori Morris, Team Double-Click associate who sent me another freelance opportunity. Anyone who finds me paying creative writing, is right up there with my mega-heroes—like those Minnesota lineman who brought us blessed power after a week without, following our Tropical Terror invasion. Post-hurricane updates: Still fighting with FEMA and unbelievable Citizen’s Insurance, the state-run agency of last resort—mandatory if you are on a barrier island; having to fax, refax and re-mail, the same paper work, claims and Letters of Appeal over and over again. As a taxpayer, environmentalist and time triager, I resent every repeated page I have to print, mail or fax. Only ray of hope: have Gallagher’s attorney helping me deal with Citizen’s via email. The whole process brings the need for patience and persistence to amazing new levels. As Management quips, this has become my new job. Just wish it were a paying one, like TeamDoubleClick’s! ******************************­************ Word for Today vaporware ?VAY-per-wair? noun : a computer-related product that has been widely advertised but has not and may never become available [http://www.merriam-webster.co­m/cgi-bin/audio.pl?vaporw01.wa­v=vaporware] Example sentence: Experts in the computer industry suspected that the vaporware being pushed by the software company was still full of bugs and would never hit the market. Did you know? The practice of marketing products before they are available for sale is common to many industries, but especially the computer industry, where technological advancement is rapid and competition cutthroat. Unforeseen glitches occasionally result in the marketing of products that ultimately never see the light of day. Since the 1980s, such phantom computer products have been referred to by the word "vaporware," which is modeled after familiar computer terms such as "software" and "hardware." The word plays on the humorous notion of "vapors" being equated with rumors surrounding the development of a product that appears to be on its way but that never actually materializes. ******************************­****** Seaside Scoop Secret Sources Delighted with this Seaside Scoop to introduce a new feature: Seaside Scoop Secret Sources. This will be where we can finally feature eloquent feedback from shy readers who don’t want to be quoted. Like the media’s deep-throat sources, whom they will not give up even on threat of imprisonment, to add depth and veracity to their reports, Seaside Scoop will now feature Secret Sources. Enjoy! You are hilarious!!!! You'll do just fine :-)!!!! Maybe its providence, but those words of wisdom from Aristotle and from Lee really helped me through a sleepless night. Thanks for your message in a bottle Peggy. Keep 'em coming. Barrier Island Win against Greater Density Wonderful news from North Beach Civic Association President Bill Glynn: We won against the high rise condo developer today in front of the County Commission. The Commission rejected his counter offer and will go to court to protect our area. Thank you to Commissioners Tom Lowther, Wesley Davis, Art Neuberger and Gary Wheeler. They stood up for our North Beach. —Agree! Kudos to Bill and his Association for doing their Paul Revere and spreading the alarm to protect our unique paradise. Have emailed the Commissioners Seaside Scoop thanks. Disney Updates Disney Vero Beach Resort, 2nd home of so many Seaside Scoop readers from afar, is rebuilding their boardwalk. Always-friendly Cast Member Jeff ,who oversees the cabanas and beach, reports it will not be built out nearly as far as the previous stairs and ramp, which Tropical Terrors Frances and Jeanne destroyed. Even the removable end of the ramp which they hoped would foil any storm didn’t help against the wrath of these determined horrors. Jeff says they must be finished pile driving the great new posts by the beginning of Turtle Season, March 1. The rest of the work is predicted to last through mid-March. Very good idea re not building out so far this time! You can neither fool nor beat Mother Nature. You can only hope to coexist, enjoying her glory which graces us most of the year, yet always being prepared for her possible fury, evacuation box with most precious documents and those all-important insurance papers, always ready. Janet of Sea Oaks, feather-totting Prince’s Mom, reports she spotted porpoises while dining at Disney the other day, and she’s heard of a whale sighting along our beaches. That’s likely since this is the time of year endangered Right Whales are migrating, and spottings along the Treasure Coast are frequent. Keep your eyes focused seaward; unless you are vigilant, these marvelous sightings are so easy to miss. Peggy’s Pet Parade From Dan Rankow: You are a South African bush pilot. You fly in some critical medical supplies, enjoy a quick lunch at the hospital. It's a stifling 100 degrees in the shade and you're eager to get back up to the cool, high blue yonder. On the way back to your plane, you discover that the only bit of shade, within 10 miles, has become very popular . . . You start calculating the distance to the plane door . and wonder . . ."Do I feel lucky today?" ?From mentor Suddenly Senior Frank with his amazing 1.5+ million readers [Click Every Day and Tell a Friend!] From: Click the "Save Our Rainforests" button at The Rainforest Site ( http://www.therainforestsite.c­om/TRSreminderM ) and save an area of imperiled land at no cost to you! ? From Mentor Al Franco in Ft. Lauderdale: Real Internet Wolf ! ?From Carl Peterson in Guam: ? From New Year cat collection sent by Laura in Atlanta, Geri in Port St. Lucie, Regina in Sarasota, Al in Ft. Lauderdale and Management in Vero Beach—these are most popular felines: Make new friends in 2005 ? From N. Beach Civic Ass. President Bill Glynn: Who me? From Shirley in Miami: ? True Friends always pop up to say Hello.... If you have digital pics of your pet stars, please email them; once they join “Pets in Waiting,” Seaside Scoop stardom awaits via Peggy’s Pet Parade. ******************************­***************** Help Wanted, Virtually From: Wisconsin Virtual Agent Gayle Buske. This Want Ad may be of special interest to many Seaside Scoop readers who have expressed an interest in working from home, part- or full-time. This is an easy, risk-free way to try it. I can personally attest Gayle and Team Double-Click are a delight with whom to work. She has a terrific sense of humor that makes work a pleasure as it should be. More importantly, she strives with Churchillian persistence to ensure clients pay you and she handles all the paperwork. When you enter the freelance world, you will appreciate how critically important these traits are; think of your all-time best empowering boss vs. your worst nightmare…who, on top of your other travails, never paid you! Release date: February 19, 2005 Help Wanted: Virtual admins, translators, telemarketers, receptionists, graphic design, research, paralegals, legal assistants, bookkeepers, transcription (medical, legal, and general) Team Double-Click, Inc. is a virtual staffing agency. We provide small and home-based businesses with virtual staff. We welcome any and all and we'd be happy to have you join our team too! Any work you perform for Team Double-Click’s clients will be done from your own home office – we DO NOT place on-site workers, nor do we offer permanent placement. We staff virtually only. We are a unique service in that we do not charge our Team Contractors a single penny -- ever -- when they work with us. So how do we get paid? We receive a minimal percentage from our clients. In other words, clients pay us in order to connect with you. In return for this minimal service fee (which comes directly from our client and NEVER from our contractors), we take care of all of the billing and communication management. Due to a recent partnership agreement, Team Double-Click is expecting 150,000 to 300,000 new clients over the next three years. This means as many as 15,000 to 30,000 new AMERICAN jobs over the next three years. We NEED you… The drive for these new clients has already started and we’re beginning to see the business come in. In preparation, we are inviting qualified general admins, telemarketers, receptionists, graphic design, research, paralegals, legal assistants, bookkeepers, translators, and transcriptionists (medical, legal, and general), to join our team of contractors. Even if you currently have a full time job and would some day like to work from home, we encourage you to register your services with Team Double-Click. This will ensure that you have a seat in our pool when more and more clients begin coming in. To Register as a Team Contractor with Team Double-Click: 1. Go to http://www.teamdoubleclick.com­/freelance.html 2. Scroll down to the bottom 3. Click on the "sign up" button 4. Enter your data 5. You’ll receive a confirmation message by email Thanks, Gayle ;-) Virtual Help for your International Businesses Gayle also offers unique opportunities for international entrepreneurs to have an American voice reaching the vast, lucrative U.S. market via her virtual office/administrative staff. For details, see her website: Team Double-Click, Inc or email: gayle@teamdoubleclick.com ******************************­** Mail Call Mentor Al in Fort Lauderdale: A picture is worth 1000 words. (To read cutline text, you may need to increase your View to 200%) Neal McLaughlin, www.GlGS.org administrator: In Memoriam for a Fallen Firefighter Hero Captain Mark McCormack, 36, was working outside of a residential structure fire when he was struck by a fallen power line that was dangling across the driveway from a tree limb. McCormack was treated at the scene and pronounced dead a short time later at an area hospital. He died February 13, 2005 after giving over six years of service to the Santa Clara County Fire Department in Los Gatos, CA. Tribute is being paid to Chief Engineer Petta and Captain McCormack at: http://www.usfa.fema.gov/fatal­ities/ To date, 18 firefighter fatalities have been reported to USFA in 2005. Fire Department Website: http://www.sccfd.org/ Fire Department Chief: Benjamin F. Lopes Vivian in Miami: I hope you had a spectacular Valentine’s Day! I a b s o l u t e l y LOVED your word of the day for 2-13-05! Alex lives out the very essence of “hot-dogging” almost on a daily basis! Well, O.K., I’m exaggerating a bit, but he is definitely a “Hotdog”! His picture is in Webster’s right next to the definition of hotdog! As a matter of fact, when we went skiing in Wyoming this January, I would remind him not to do any of his “hot-dogging” on the slopes so he wouldn’t break a leg or anything else! How funny that you’d give us this as a word of the day! I forwarded it to him!... Driving Miss Daisy sessions . . . YOU are too funny! I don’t blame you not wanting to drive in Miami’s traffic! You must have 10 eyes (not 4 anymore!) to drive here! Patricia Darr: The photo of the ferrets is so cute! Featured as Valentine True Love from N. Beach Civic Ass. President Bill Glynn. Lee in Port St. Lucie: This is a photo of our "sign" now missing at our adopted Beach site of Surfside Beach in Ft Pierce....the sign made it through the Hurricanes...however, it was going to be removed from the beach a few weeks ago... beaches are being restored and boardwalks fixed, etc…I wasn’t sure what would become of our sign so I asked the (worker at the beach site) to put the sign in my van and I took it home…It is now in my side yard...lol… A Big Thanks goes out to all who volunteered time and energy for our Feb. 12, 2005 clean up ...from the work to clean up the shores in the morning to helping to finally get that grill started in the afternoon for the hot dogs and hamburger picnic...! We may have missed some of you at Check In ...some signed in and forgot to indicate a phone number or other contact information...and if we did miss you...please call and let me know you were there so we can count you in. Thank you for your efforts. too. Your support is what makes clean ups and other conservation /restoration activities work. If you didn’t get a Indian River Keeper T-Shirt, please call on them at the web address of Indianriverkeeper.org. We also had goody bags for your efforts; please call us at OneWildWorld@aoo.com or 336-9252 and I will get it to you soon. Thanks again. Looking forward to working with you again in April for Earth Day! Paula Mathena in IL: Happy Valentine's Day! "A friend is someone who knows the song in your heart, and sings it to you when you've forgotten how it goes." Today is my 22nd wedding anniversary! :) And my husband is home sick with respiratory flu! Have a great day and thanks for the neat quotes!... Thanks, Peggy! I love the energy and positivity of your e-mails. I'll pass on your kind words to my husband and you stay on that healthy regime! Georgina, fellow writer in Coral Gables: I have Citizens, too. (Old Spanish, and all that) -- hope I never have to file a claim, will turn to my claim expert fellow writer, if I do.... WWII Vet Alex in Vero Beach: to eat well is to have a Hot Dog in hand Alex Photo: From Virtual Wisconsin Agent Gayle; wasn’t going to use this adorable shot for fear Animal/Pup lovers might protest, but it goes so perfectly with Alex’s Word-for-the-Day input, could not resist. Canine Fans: Fear not; no puppy was injured in this photo shoot! Truly is not one of our Cat’s Revenge selections. ******************************­*********************** Cartoon Cavalcade [ea95d5.jpg] From Pam Pereira Pirrozolo in Venice, FL Please email cartoons that give you a smile to share. ******************************­*********************** How You Can Help Sri Lankan Tsunami Victims [ Click For Small photo] Photo from Shirley: An aerial view taken from a helicopter shows debris of houses destroyed by tsunamis on the coast of Colombo, Sri Lanka, Tuesday, Dec. 28, 2004. SRI LANKA DISASTER RELIEF I’m sure by now you would have heard of the terrible tragedy that hit among other nations, the island of Sri Lanka. Our immediate family is safe but I have yet to hear from some cousins who were in the affected areas.... and I know of friends and their families who perished. You will be pleased to know that the old Jaycee training works... deeply involved in mobilizing efforts in South Florida with fund raisers especially for the long-term rebuilding and restoration of a destroyed nation. A group of us Sri Lankans living in south Florida are collecting donations to help relief efforts and have set up a bank account at Washington Mutual Bank, Pinecrest. If you would like to help—and here any amount—no matter how small, will be gratefully accepted-please send your check, made out to: Sri Lanka Disaster Relief Fund and mail it to me at 6820 SW 28 Terrace Miami Fl 33155. I will be happy to make the arrangements to have the funds channeled through the RED CROSS in SRI LANKA where the relief efforts are already underway... If you have any questions or concerns, please give me a call at 305 661 8855 or 305 335 2373. Or email: shirleypw1@bellsouth.net Many Thanks. Shirley Wijesinha Georgina’s Review Constantine: Keanu Reeves didn't have to leap very far from his Matrix base to become immersed in this yet another comic book adaptation (of DC Comics' Vertigo Hellblazer series). The essence of existence this time is cut and dry: Heaven, or Hell. John Constantine belongs to neither, doesn't stray too far from the center, and -- in the midst of great anguish -- usually errs on the side of caution. Surprise, surprise. Rachel Weisz plays his love interest, a twin who, as he, has been there, and back. Tilda Swinton, cast as the hermaphroditic angel, Gabriel, is coy one moment, full of fire and brimstone the next, and always tongue in cheek. For the whole movie is both high-camp and low key at the same time: I can't explain it any better than that. An entertaining romp. ******************************­** Seaside Scoop Web News For Seaside Scoops online, check: http://glgs.org/themes/Custom/­1/glg_articleView.asp?pid=68&t­id=14&articleid=29 ******************************­** February Cheers from Vero Beach Peggy Writing by Fisher Vero Beach, FL (772)388-4920 Turn the wheel of your life. Make complete revolutions. Celebrate every turning. And persevere with joy. —Deng Ming-Dao Writer ******************************­************* Seaside Scoop (AKA Word-a-Day) Content Any content may be copied; please credit Seaside Scoop . I would also appreciate your publishing information on subscribing: To subscribe to free Seaside Scoop email: writingbyfisher@bellsouth.net