One could not start this debate at a better place than the twenty second Amendment of the Constitution Of the United States:
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Amendment XXII:
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“Section 1. No person shall be elected to the office of the President more than twice, and no person who has held the office of President, or acted as President, for more than two years of a term to which some other person was elected President shall be elected to the office of the President more than once.
But this article shall not apply to any person holding the office of President when this article was proposed by the Congress, and shall not prevent any person who may be holding the office of President, or acting as President, during the term within which this article becomes operative from holding the office of President or acting as President during the remainder of such term.”
(NB: Not to be applied retroactively)
-----
Just months into his fourth term, Franklyn Delano Roosevelt died and, with him, the idea of unlimited terms for presidents. An amendment, promoted heavily by the Republican Party, and by others nervous at the idea of a permanent presidency; a King, immortal in office, and not subject to accountability in the most powerful office in the land. The Twenty Second Amendment was passed in 1947. It was ratified by the states four years later. The amendment limits a president to two four-year terms.
-----
The Bylaws of UCO reflects this concern as regards the Office of President and of course for The Vice Presidents.
Bob Marshall raises the question;
Why not Term Limits for all of our elected officials, and this begs the question, why was this not done at the National levels of our Government as regards the House of Representatives and the Senate.
-----
The following may prove instructive:
-----
“ the Supreme Court has ruled in U.S. Term Limits, Inc. v. Thornton, Nos. 93-1456 and 93-1428, that congressional term limits (as passed by individual states) is unconstitutional,
-----
it appears James Madison, father of our Constitution, was right. In his Federalist Paper No. 53, written over 200 years ago, he explained why the Constitutional Convention of 1787 rejected term limits. He stated:
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"a few of the members of Congress will possess superior talents; will by frequent re-elections, become members of long standing; will be thoroughly masters of the public business, and perhaps not unwilling to avail themselves of those advantages. The greater the proportion of new members of Congress, and the less the information of the bulk of the members, the more apt they be to fall into the snares that may be laid before them."
I suggest that one might replace the phrase; “members of Congress” with “members of The Executive Board” and thus make this highly applicable to our situation here in CV. We should rigorously avoid throwing out the baby with the bathwater.
This immediately gives rise to the issue of culling out the “deadwood” on the EB; this matter should be the province of the Nominating Committee; which must be transformed from a political rubber stamp into a true deliberative independent body charged with finding and developing real talent as demonstrated by deeds and good ideas at the Association level.
The EB should be a body of wise and deliberative agents of the people, with solid knowledge of the law and of the panoply of issues critical to CV operations; this sort of knowledge comes with years of experience and should not be shortcut by arbitrary Term Limits.
In the same vein, I would not make this Amendment retroactive and I would eliminate the Proviso in The UCO Bylaws which allows the President of UCO to “pack the EB” with up to eight appointed “Political Hacks”
Dave Israel
The following is a rough draft of an amendment to the UCO Bylaws regarding term limits for the Executive Board. This matter will be brought before the Advisory Committee for their consideration. Once scheduled, the meeting time/place/location will be properly announced. All constructive comments will be appreciated. I am unable to use the proper amendment protocol (e.g. underlining for additions) in this posting, therefore bolded words are equivalent to underlining.
Hi all,
Following is an article appearing in the Palm Beach Post (PBP) dated: November 27, 2008.
This extract is from the PBP Online where the article was published on Wednesday, 26 November 2008:
Your BLOGMEISTER was interviewed for this article and is mentioned therein. My second "15 minutes of fame"
Let's hope that this article helps Comcast "Get the message"
Dave Israel
Cable chair
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Item in red below as corrected by BLOG Admin.
REF:
http://www.palmbeachpost.com/search/content/local_news/epaper/2008/11/26/a1a_comcast_1127.html
Happy Thanksgiving to everyone. In spite of all the bad news on the economy and the terror attacks, we do have a lot to be thankful for and also a lot to pray about for those going through such hard times.
It is good to see that Dave Israel hit the front page of the Palm Beach Post. Other than the fact that we must all have about 16 people living with us in our units, it is a good article. I haven't seen them but I hope I have enough turkey to feed all these extra people.
-----------------------------------------------------------
See the following reference regarding the Verdict in this case:
http://blog.wired.com/27bstroke6/2008/11/prosecution-ple.html
Finally, see the actual Federal Indictment of Lori Drew:
http://fl1.findlaw.com/news.findlaw.com/nytimes/docs/cyberlaw/usdrew51508ind.pdf
-----------------------------------------
Left click on image to size it for full view
-------------------------------------------Hi All,
I received the following Email from a CV Unit Owner; I will not publish the name for reasons of privacy.
The Email contained some ideas on what criteria should be used to keep this BLOG "reasonable," "rational" and "civil"
The following would be criteria for removal of the offending Post or Comment:
---------------------------------------------------
1. Religious, racial and personal slurs
2. Unsupported criminal libel
3. Capt. John's capitalised inanities and incoherent ambiguities designed to provoke and irritate
4. Blatant inaccuracies
-------------------------------------------------
Your thoughtful comments would be appreciated.
Dave Israel
Hi All,
Here is the latest mail:
http://www.military.com/NL_MR/1,14852,6450,00.html
http://images.military.com/NL_WK/1,14845,6443,00.html
Dave Israel
Hi All,
Well, you can all see the result of the Poll, while it is, I suppose, subject to all kinds of discussion; let me make things clear.
This BLOG is not going anywhere.
Furthermore; we Admins will not go through the extra work to register and check out who is posting and who is not.
Things will continue as they are; those very few who wish to continue to Post blatant foul entries, Religious and racial slurs, unsubstantiated accusations and the like, please be my guest; such Posts and Comments will be removed upon detection.
How will the Admins decide on what gets deleted;
"In 1964, Justice Potter Stewart tried to explain "hard-core" pornography, or what is obscene, by saying, "I shall not today attempt further to define the kinds of material I understand to be embraced . . . But I know it when I see it"
That's the criteria folks; if you do not like it, obviously you are at liberty to Post and Comment on any BLOG you wish.
With a little thought, this BLOG can bring the light of Truth and Legality to Village Operations, we have had key successes in the past; think about it and take your choice.
Dave Israel
Hi All,
Today, the Channel 63 Committee; Ken, Ed and Dave Gathered in the Channel 63 room to complete the upgrades to the new Computer Graphics Creator and to install the new Player box. UCO VP Frank Cornish was there to provide support.
We were Online with Key west Technologies Tech. support, Don, who conducted a live Web Exercise (WEBEX) on two different computers simultaneously and working with him we have the new Player box Online with the new Computer Graphics which were painstakingly transcribed by Ed Black over hundreds of hours.
Soon we will start exercising some of the spiffy capabilities built into the upgraded hardware and software. For the time being, check out Ed's really neat Graphics now on Channel 63.
The bottom line; we have new capabilities and we saved thousands of dollars which would otherwise been spent on a house-call by a technician.
Dave Israel
Hi All,
The following Comment is from another thread:
-------------------------------------------------------------
GIACOMO said...
I attended the ex.board/delegate meeting on cable concerns, the attendance was very low, take out the board members and the others in attendance was maybe 20-30 residence? I always feel that any situation that involves major ones should be presented at the meetings of delegates, again the ex. board approved, the delegates only could if wanted to give an imput afterwards, why include us if we have no imput? what was the urgency that it couldn't wait (2) weeks? I am hopeing that this contract dosen't put us into a situation where the few speak for all, I personally would like (1) vote rule on all major issues, up/or down, majority rules. Be cautious they all say they are working for our best interest and then later we find out we are the victims!I refer to the Company thats going to resolve the cable issue if possible? On this meeting even if 500 came the ex. board was the process used to approve or reject, and the delegates left with very little knowledge to take back to the association, the concinement deal a good one,and we are sworn to secrecy not to tell others after it was stated to us???, I in due respect thought we were in line with ,CIA, FBI, remember if they started this game, not to tell other Villages, from the get go beware ?????, but I hope for us in CV we can reach a resolve in the next coming months? I said enough maybe to much? Delegate Special Agent xx007xx Randall, I couldn't hear your Input but I grasped the word Residents, and for that I am gratful.
Nov 24, 2008 3:28:00 AM
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Hi Giacomo,
Much effort was put into finding a negotiator team to help us deal with the giants of the TV provider industry. We had two different firms come and speak to our Cable Committee; the meetings were poorly attended, 50 persons at most.
These meetings were well advertised in advance, but as often is the case, apathy won the day!
The Joint meeting of the Executive Board (EB) and the Delegate Assembly (DA) was merely a telescoping of the normal process; usually the EB would meet well in advance of the next DA meeting and their recommendation would be brought forward for the DA to consider and decide. In other words, the DA never has input during a meeting of the EB and thus it did not on this occasion.
The DA meeting was called to order directly after the EB recommendation and if there had been a quorum, there would have been a due consideration and vote by the DA. Again, apathy rules!
In this case, it should be noted that the signing of this contract with CSI, costs the Unit Owners nothing and in the long run may bring incentive payments and Bulk-Rate reduction in our Cable fee, which may total Millions of dollars . However, if CSI is unsuccessful in their efforts the cost to the Unit Owners continues to be nothing.
Now, as to confidentially: this is in regard to the exceptionally good rate which is to be paid to CSI, should they be successful. In that case, we agree to pay to CSI a small percentage of any incentive paid to us or of the savings in the Bulk-Rate monthly fee. This confidentiality is not from our Unit Owners, but rather from others who do not reside on the CV campus.
In any case, the full details were disclosed at the DA meeting.
Is it a realistic expectation, that this confidentiality can be maintained; perhaps not but we can try.
As for the urgency; there is an increase in Cable Rate scheduled to take effect on January 1, 2009. This increase is 5%, this increase in the face of a continuing removing of channels by Comcast. So, there is indeed some urgency to send Comcast the message that CV will not roll over in the face of their coercive tactics to force us all to take their Set-Top-Box at additional cost.
Also, in the event that a decision is made by the Unit Owners, that it is to our advantage to change providers from Comcast to someone else, a great deal of time will be required for the new provider to install their infrastructure in our Village. In this case, the sooner the better.
Finally as to your concern regarding the few speaking for the many; know all readers that any contract negotiated with any provider by CSI, be it Comcast, AT&T, Direct TV, The Dish Network, Hotwire Communications...Etc. will be brought through the regular process here in our Village. That means that the deal will come before the Officers Committee, The Executive Board and of course the Delegate Assembly. Such a large budget item could go no other route.
Thus far, your volunteers, the Cable Committee and the President of UCO, have served the Village well in this project and hopefully all matters will work out well for our Century Village.
Dave Israel
Cable Chair
Hi All,
There is an interesting discussion going on about notification of the Delegates about a Joint Meeting of the Executive Board and the Delegate
Assembly.
This is a solved problem if the Luddites running UCO would break out of their Not Invented Here philosophy and slide gracefully into the 21st. century.
In October of 2006 I researched and presented a report to the UCO Security Committee on how to notify every Unit Owner in CV of any message whatsoever by means of the Telephone system.
It is called Dialed Number Notification. You may be familiar with other names for this technology such a Dial-Logic or Code Red.
I have Cut and Pasted this report below minus the graphics, but if you want the entire report please send your Email address to me at nsasigint@comcast.net.
As you will see below, all of the Delegates could be notified by telephone in one or two hours depending on the length of the recorded message, even a long message of say 3 minutes could be Dialed-Out to the Delegates in 6 hours.
This assumes our own system which we can easily set up on a dedicated PC, not the commercial and expensive option also depicted for contrast in the report.
Of course this report was filed in the circular file as is most of my research efforts in behalf of the Village. Yes BLOGGERS it is very frustrating to repeatedly see that for a nominal cost a problem can be solved, but is not because it was not thought of by one of the "in crowd".
Report follows:
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
To: Dave Bernstein/Zoltan Katz October 05, 2006
Co chair: UCO Security Committee
From: Dave Israel
Security committee
Subject: PC based Emergency Notification System (ENS)
1) Introduction and Background:
A number of PC based ENS are available. This Memo attempts to walk a line between speed of notification and cost. The basic assumption made in this paper is that no attempts will be made to replicate the power of Municipal systems such as Code Red. The fundamental limiting factor is the number of Telephones available.
2) Auto-Dialer basic computations:
Number of dedicated lines……….message length…………Calls per hour
1 30 Sec. 120
2 30 Sec. 240
3 30 Sec. 360
4 30 Sec. 480
24 (T1 Line) 30 Sec. 2880
Assuming worst case notification scenario, IE. 7854 Units to be notified we arrive at the following time lines for the complete cycle:
1 Dedicated line: 65 hours nominal
2 Dedicated lines: 33 hours nominal
3 Dedicated lines: 22 hours nominal
4 Dedicated lines: 16 hours nominal
24 (T1 Dedicated line): 3 hours nominal
In an Emergency, none of these time lines are ideal, the T1 Line being the most viable option. By way of comparison, West Palm Beach uses a commercial contractor named Code Red to put messages on the line at the rate of 60,000 calls per hour. Code Red uses Multiple T3 lines to achieve these rates. A T3 line has the ability to carry 672 Analogue Telephone channels and can cost $2500.00 per month. By comparison, another firm in the ENS businesses, Community Alert Network, (CAN), has a system
similar to Code Red, the CAN system uses circa 250 Telephone channels simultaneously to propagate 26,000 CPH. In November, 2005, CAN Proposed a contract to UCO to provide ENS service at a Base rate of $4,000.00 per year, plus a call usage fee of 15 cents per incomplete call and 25 cents per completed call. Find a copy of this proposal attached.
3) How an “In House” system would work:
Page 3 below depicts the a rear view of the Vendors box note the ability to patch up to 4 lines to the standard wall mounted Telephone plugs.
Page 4 below depicts the same rear view highlighting the next step of plugging the USB cable between the Vendor box and our computer. The microphone plug in is also shown which allow the user to record the message to be sent.
Page 5 below shows the CD to be loaded to install the software on our computer which will control the Vendor box.
Dave Israel
None of these is lost kitty, there will be a blogger search party of Dave's kitchen.
Not my lost kitty so show some respect.
It would seem that all of the efforts being made to inform the Delegates has fallen on deaf ears.
1, Channel 63 displays all UCO meetings from 55 minutes past EVERY hour until 2 & 1/2 minutes past the new hour. So, for Example – 9:55 until 10:03 ALL UCO MEETING appear three times every hour & every day. This eliminates the Soooo very long need to watch the entire presentation. This should allow everyone to remain informed. However:
2, UCO stated that both @ the current UCO office and @ the Clubhouse (near the party room) ARE Bulletin Boards they place all meeting notices on as well. And lastly, but alas not least:
3, There is on the desk of the Guard Station @ the clubhouse entrance, for all see, a clear list of ALL UCO meetings as well.
Finally, delegates must make certain their E – Mail address has been given to the UCO office. If they did not receive an E-Mail of this meeting - inform UCO so the process will improve, this part has only recently begun.
Thanks you all for reading this and all of the your efforts to make constructive criticisms, UCO is listening!
Ed
Orange kitten 5 weeks old, nearest areas Sussex, Northampton, Canterbury, and Kent. Please call if you see kitten or if it is curled up on your couch 683-6022.
Huge increase in quantity of DVDs, Audio books, and CDs, a library for people who cannot read!?
No-one told the Blog there was a grand opening last Tuesday with snax
Virtuoso piano - plays like Jerry Lee, Billy Joel, Elton but harder and faster. Also does manic British Music Hall comedy and impressions. Not enough of his piano on utube
'Jerry Lee' http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=VJS-LbzOGWU
Spies, Lies and Intelligence: The Shadowy World of International Espionage
Elderhostel - Program Number: 16126AXR
How does the U.S catch spies and protect itself from enemies? What controversies surround high-profile cases like that of Hanssen? Learn these secrets with retired CIA agents and intelligence experts who lead you into their clandestine world. Uncover Washington, D.C.’s lesser-known spy history at sites where espionage has touched the city, explore the International Spy Museum and its fascinating exhibits, learn from the NSA's Cryptologic Museum how codes are broken. Discuss famous spy cases from the cracked to the unsolved, test your knowledge of spy fact and fiction in pop culture, go up against a polygraph specialist and learn how classified information is collected and what problems face the intelligence community in the modern age.
http://www.elderhostel.org/programs/programdetail.asp?RowId=1%2D44F1HN&DateId=
Can someone please provide info on obtaining a 3 month gate pass... Does the gate pass holder have to be a Florida resident? Does the gate pass holder have to be present when pass is issued? What is the fee?
Thank you in advance for your help!!!
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
BLOGMEISTER replies: on related issue
UCO Reporter
June 2008 page 8
Security BY: Al McLaughlin “Family (or Friend) Only” Gate pass:
REF: http://www.scribd.com/doc/3004822/0608UCO-Reporter
Also:
Page 2 At the Delegate Assembly
BY: Mary Patrick Benton in absence of Betty Lapidus:
RE: New Business.
Motion that UCO institute an annual family Gate Pass…..Etc.
Dave Israel
Hi All,
Here is the Latest mail:
http://images.military.com/NL_WK/1,14845,6421,00.html
Interesting article on the M14 rifle!
Did any of you use the M14?
Not I, when I went in we all received an M1 rifle:
Do you remember :
The M1 rifle is divided into three main groups, the barrel and receiver group, the trigger housing group and the stock group.
The M1 rifle is a .30 calibre, clip fed, gas operated, semi-automatic sholder weapon.
The muzzle velocity of the M1 rifle is 2750 feet per second..
How many of you had the opportunity to bunk with your M1 rifle??
Dave Israel
Hi all,
There will be an extraordinary joint session of the Executive Board and Delegate Assembly as follows:
DAY: Friday
DATE: November 21st
TIME: 9:30 AM
PLACE: The Clubhouse Theater
AGENDA: CV Cable Related issues
Please try to attend.
Dave Israel
Hi All,
We are launching a new Poll regarding Anonymous posting, with a broad range of options, please vote on this issue as it is becoming quite controversial.
See Poll questions in sidebar.
It's your BLOG, please help make it work.
Dave Israel
Hi All,
Two different A Nony Mice commented in part as follows:
-------------------
Dr. Anonymous said, in part:
Ed, is it possible to make Channel 63 with a fast forward button?
Nov 18, 2008 2:36:00 PM
Anonymous said...
Yeah channel 63 on the blog, livin' fast forward.
Nov 18, 2008 2:51:00 PM
---------------------------------------------------
Ok! the answer, to both questions, is a resounding yes, it is called Technology Convergence. Channel 63 is a Video channel like any other. Curently Channel 63 shows Video Graphics, and of course scheduled showings of Delegate Assembly Meetings.
We are continuously upgrading the Channel and in due course, it will resemble a professional TV station more and more; this means Interviews of live people, coverage of Village News, discussion groups on issues of Village interest....Etc.
There are numerous ways to accomplish this; today, we Video the Delegate Assembly meeting and dump the Camera Hard Drive to a DVD which we then play on the Channel 63 equipment. Soon that will be automated and the DVD will be loaded into the Channel 63 player at the software level.
The next step will be a Box or a bit of Software which will take the Video output of the player and convert to Streaming video in MPEG format for direct transfer to the INTERNET, either on this BLOG or with UCO cooperation on the CV Website.
The cost of this capability may be free to nominal.
Once you have data in binary format (bits), anything is possible,
including Fast-Forward, Rewind, Pause.....!
Add to this list for future consideration: Fire alarm, Medical alert, Sheriff Dept emergency calls, Burglar alarm...Etc.
Stay tuned to this channel for more on this issue.
Dave Israel
I am forever amazed at the ranting of those so uninformed as to openly, albeit under the anonymous postings, commit themselves to such completely incorrect positions that are so incorrect as to make the reading of such tripe unnecessary.
Perhaps we should reconsider the permission for unregistered comments to continue under the anonymous postings they are now abusing. Anytime some poor soul states someone is a criminal, without any proof to support such claims, the only criminal act is the perpetrator of this behavior, “libeling” the name party.
We should require each unregistered blogger to provide their name, address and e-mail address to the blog administrators, then we could observe their posts to assure they met the standards most of us maintain for the benefit of this Village. Remember everything we do is in the public forum and will live forever on the web and in many ways reflect badly on us all.. Those in non-complaisance, would have their entries removed and invited to change their approach. Failing that, they would of necessity, be banned from these continued ravings.
That’s my view, what's yours?
Ed Black
Hi All,
In another Post on Insurance, A Nony Mouse (Nov 17, 2008 9:08:00 AM),
commented, in part, as follows:
"And you Dave, instead of giving a concise answer, you terrorize the people with reams of paper. How much is Levy paying you ??
"
In my 30+ years of Research, Collection and Analysis of Strategic and Tactical Intelligence, I have never heard anyone describe "Information" as "Terrorizing"
Not everything can be reduced to simplistic pap! For me to give a "Concise Answer" requires me to give my opinion on the meaning and interpretation of an ambiguously written set of Insurance Statutes.
As previously noted, I am NOT an Attorney and I do not intend to play at being one.
I did my best to research and present relevant Statute; it is for the reader to construe according to his/her wits the meaning and application of these Laws and Decisions.
As always, we are at liberty to consult an Attorney in the Field for a Competent Professional Legal Opinion, on the extant issues, perhaps the most prudent approach for UCO to pursue.
As always in these matters: Do not Shoot the Messenger"
Dave Israel
Information Terrorist!!!
PS:
As for the part about Mr. Levy paying me, that is an utterly absurd question, unworthy of response; but for the record, NO!!
Hi All,
Please take the time to read the following reference, for the moment it is Florida Law:
--------------------------
"In sum, it is bad enough to compare apples and oranges; it is much worse to find that apples are oranges. The ruling below is Reversed."
REF:
http://www.3dca.flcourts.org/Opinions/3D06-3113.pdf
Dave Israel
Hi All,
For the past three years I have been under the impression that homeowner’s insurance for condo owners was required by the State of Florida and have told our condo owners so.
As I understood it, however, there was no enforcement mechanism in place to make owners buy this insurance.
Now, as I have understood it, by vote of the Florida legislature and signed into law by Governor Crist this year, an extra, special $2000 coverage has been required. This $2000 coverage goes to help meet the deductible (should it be applied) on an association’s overall insurance coverage---our association’s overall coverage, of course, being the one arranged for by UCO on essentially the exteriors of our buildings.
There was more that I understood, too. First, that the legislature had changed the law regarding the overall insurance on condos, so that if hurricane damage exceeded 2% of the total value of our buildings, we could collect for all the damage WITHOUT a deductible being applied; but that if the damage amounted to less than the 2% figure, the deductible WOULD be applied.
The latter situation was remedied by the $2000 legislation. As complicated as it might seem, the shortfall on the overall insurance coverage would be met by the combined $2000 coverages of all the condo owners on their homeowner’s insurance policies.
Secondly, I understood that there was an enforcement mechanism in place, so that if a condo owner did not purchase homeowner’s insurance (with the $2000 coverage), the condo association could buy it for him, bill him for the cost, and if payment were not forthcoming, put a lien on his property.
This seemed to open a whole can of worms (a “nightmare” was the way one of our board members described it). It seemed to promote an adversarial relationship between the board and owners who did not wish to have homeowner’s coverage.
It meant requiring every owner to submit a copy of the homeowner’s Declaration Page to the board every year. It meant raising the hackles of owners, possibly even leading to litigation, over the requirement that the association be "an additional named insured and loss payee" on the homeowner's policy. It meant having to bill owners for coverage purchased by the association for their units. It meant the board having to go through the hassle of having an attorney apply liens. And it meant, perhaps worst of all, the association’s having to pay out of pocket for noncompliant owners until, hopefully---but perhaps not until years later when many owners had moved on---the association collected on the liens. A little arithmetic showed that if even only 4 of our 26 owners were noncompliant, the association might have to come up with 4 x $400 = $1600 PER YEAR. Obviously, the thing to do was press for 100% compliance.---Could our board simply not apply the “enforcement mechanism”? No, I was told, this was inadvisable, because we would be failing in our fiduciary duty to make all owners pay equally for the relief to the overall insurance’s deductible.
Having thought I had learned all this and passed it on to our board, NOW I HEAR SOMETHING DIFFERENT. An owner told me he had contacted his former homeowner’s insurance company and was told the special $2000 coverage was mandatory only IF he had homeowner’s coverage, BUT THAT HOMEOWNER'S ITSELF WAS NOT MANDATORY. I called Tallahassee and spoke with someone in the Insurance Commissioner’s office. Yes, she told me, this owner was correct in what he told you: it is not mandatory for all condo owners to have homeowner’s insurance—UNLESS the condo board has voted to make it mandatory.---Is this true? Is it true that the board has this choice? If so, it is the first I have heard of it, and all I can say is that it has certainly not been emphasized. But I think (if true) it SHOULD be emphasized. My point is this: Associations should first be told what the facts are, clearly and unambiguously. If the law itself is ambiguous and perhaps open to interpretation, UCO should tell us THIS. Then, and only then, should associations be told what UCO ADVISES; and the two should never become mixed up.---What are the facts about this? Can anyone tell me authoritatively? And how can I get a copy of the pertinent legislative documents without their being “condensed” and/or added to with UCO remarks, no matter how well intended? Must I talk with an attorney to get straight on all this?
Lanny Howe
Sheffield N
Hi All,
Here are some recent data for our BLOG:
-----
If you have not noticed, our BLOG has gone over 1000 Posts since inception on 31 December, 2007. There are many thousands of associated Comments.
-----
Following are some basic current statistics for the BLOG:
-----
Unique Visitors since inception = 4679
Number of visits: = 53626
Number of pages viewed: = 133,934
Number of Countries represented: = 75
-----
Top ten Countries:
1) USA
2) Canada
3) United Kingdom
4) Israel
5) Argentina
6) India
7) Germany
8) Australia
9) Spain
10) Hungary
-----
Number of US States represented: = 49
Top ten States:
1) Florida
2) New York
3) Massachusetts
4) California
5) Texas
6) New Jersey
7) Vermont
8) Pennsylvania
9) Connecticut
10) Georgia
-----
Number of Florida Cities represented: = 160
-----
Top ten Florida cities:
1) North Palm Beach
2) Lake Worth
3) West Palm Beach
4) Delray Beach
5) Pompano Beach
6) Boynton Beach
7) Boca Raton
8) Deerfield Beach
9) Miami
10) Pembroke Pines
-----
Our little BLOG continues to grow, keep spreading the news and helping your neighbors become BLOGGERS; in time we will change CV into a Legal Village with full transparency, and one that is helpful and beneficial to all of it’s residents.
-----
The World is Watching
Dave Israel
Hi All,
There is a controversy boiling in certain circles, as well as on this BLOG as to PE Barack Obama's place of birth:
The following extract from a Washington Post article may prove interesting if not dispositive:
REF: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/08/23/AR2008082301620_pf.html
"On weekday mornings as a teenager, Barry Obama left his grandparents' apartment on the 10th floor of the 12-story high-rise at 1617 S. Beretania, a mile and a half above Waikiki Beach, and walked up Punahou Street in the shadows of capacious banyan trees and date palms. Before crossing the overpass above the H1 freeway, where traffic zoomed east to body-surfing beaches or west to the airport and Pearl Harbor, he passed Kapiolani Medical Center, walking below the hospital room where he was born on Aug. 4, 1961. Two blocks farther along, at the intersection with Wilder, he could look left toward the small apartment on Poki where he had spent a few years with his little sister, Maya, and his mother, Ann, back when she was getting her master's degree at the University of Hawaii before she left again for Indonesia. Soon enough he was at the lower edge of Punahou School, the gracefully sloping private campus where he studied some and played basketball more".
Additionally, it is claimed that the Obama Campaign actually released a copy of his Birth Certificate:
http://i305.photobucket.com/albums/nn227/Polarik/BO_Birth_Certificate.jpg
Of course, conspiracy theorists will claim that it is a forgery; clearly a possibility.
Reference also, the following article from SNOPES may prove interesting:
http://www.snopes.com/politics/obama/birthcertificate.asp
Finally there are those who say that Hawaii was still a territory not a State when Obama was born in 1961; not so folks, the date that Hawaii became a State was August 21, 1959.
As is alway the case in america:
"You pays your money and you takes your choice"
I for one believe that the PE meets the requirement set in the constitution and his election should not be questioned.
Dave Israel
Field Station BerlinHi All,
How would you like to have one of these around the house; who needs a guard dog!!!
http://www.stupidvideos.com/tv/homepage_1/Growling_Baby_1/#213041
Dave
Hi All,
I received a call from a CV Unit Owner, stating that she called Comcast for Cable service and was refused service because all service calls must come from only me.
While I do earnestly strive to be "all things to all people", it's not in my charter to field all Cable service calls.
Following is a page with various ways to contact Comcast:
http://www.comcast.com/Corporate/Customers/contactus/ContactUs.html
Yes, I know there is no telephone number listed! Actually if you look quickly, it is there for about 2 seconds and then it vanishes; really tricky is Comcast.
However, the correct number is: 1 / 800 / 266 / 2278
Dave Israel,
Cable Chair
Hi All,
Your BLOGMEISTER has placed a "Contact Us" Widget in the Sidebar.
This is not a channel to UCO, as they have consistently refused to accept my assistance on this matter.
Rather it is a channel to your BLOG Administrators on questions you would rather not Post in the public section of the BLOG.
I will try to respond as soon as possible, and may spin some issues off to other Administrators if they are willing, so if you have your favorite BLOG Admin., whom you would prefer to address your question, so indicate and I will pass it along.
If we feel your question is of general concern to other Unit Owners, we will BLOG it with your identification information redacted.
If your issue is a matter proprietary to CV Property Owners, please give real names.
Thanks,
Dave Israel
Author: Marc Velonis (---.234.42.125.Dial1.Miami1.Level3.net)
Date: 11-10-08 21:00
I was thinking about the last delegate meeting, and they said Ken Davis was ill. I was thinking about it, and would like to know if he is doing better? I hope so !
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BLOGMEISTER REPLIES
Good catch Mike:
Ed Black and I visited Ken in Hospital a few days ago.
Ken had a very minor event and he is now home recovering nicely.
Dave
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BLOGMEISTER adds latest good news:
Author: Ken Davis (---.hsd1.fl.comcast.net)
Date: 11-13-08 06:42
Hi Marc
I'll answer that myself and I Thank you for asking.I had a slight stroke, am much better and back to the Office for about an hour per day.
Hi All,
On November 7, 2008; the Delegate Assembly voted to go forward on engaging a professional negotiation company to deal with Comcast or another provider if Comcast will not behave.
Delegate Assembly approval was conditioned on two provisos:
1) The President of UCO will make a best effort to scrub the negotiators Compensation package.
2) The Contract with the negotiation firm will be vetted by a Attorney.
Dave Israel
Cable Chair
Hi All,
Here is the latest mail:
http://images.military.com/NL_WK/1,14845,6403,00.html
Dave
IWO JIMAHi All,
Here is the latest Mail:
http://www.military.com/NL_MR/1,14852,6409,00.html
Dave
Hi All,
Linden Lee Markham has sent along an excellent reference on Global affairs and our place in the World.
SEE: http://www.onpower.org/index.html
I particularly recommend the section titled: "Blowback" also of course the section on "Intelligence"
Thanks Lindy.
Dave Israel
Hi All,
The following article may be of interest:
Dave Israel
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REF: http://www.flseniors.net/SOSMedia0930PR.htm
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
September 30, 2008
CFO SINK CREATES ‘SAFEGUARD OUR SENIORS’ TASK FORCE
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Sink assembles diverse group to tackle solutions for protecting senior investors
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TALLAHASSEE—Standing beside Mr. David Greene, an 81-year-old retired Army Master Sergeant and victim of annuity fraud, Florida Chief Financial Officer Alex Sink today announced that she has created the “Safeguard our Seniors” (SOS) Task Force to review and recommend solutions to better protect Florida seniors against financial fraud, with an immediate focus on annuity fraud.
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The task force includes senior advocacy, legal, investigative, consumer, regulatory and industry representatives. “Every year, my department investigates hundreds of bad actors who prey upon Florida seniors, luring them into inappropriate investments and draining their hard-earned savings,” said CFO Sink, who oversees the Department of Financial Services (DFS).
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“I have created the ‘Safeguard Our Seniors’ Task Force to identify how our state can better protect seniors from these financial threats, starting with annuity fraud.
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”An agent targeted David and his wife, who suffers from dementia and is currently in a nursing home. Through a series of unsolicited home visits, the agent convinced David to cash out existing annuity policies and other savings.
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The agent then convinced David to purchase a number of life insurance policies and annuity policies, from which David was told he could access funds if necessary. Instead, the annuity payments are being utilized to pay the premiums on the previously purchased life insurance policies.
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David was also convinced to take out a reverse mortgage, which the agent advised him was in his best interest in order to provide for his wife’s medical care. More than $60,000 realized from the reverse mortgage was then used to purchase another whole life policy, at the urging of this immoral insurance agent.
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“I trusted this professional to help me make wise investments,” said David Greene. “Instead, I’m locked out of my savings and my financial future is anything but secure.
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”Unfortunately, David’s experience is similar to so many other seniors.
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Sink’s office recently recovered $300,000 for an 81-year-old woman from New Port Richey as well as nearly $325,000 for an 82-year-old senior living in Daytona who were both scammed into purchasing inappropriate annuity investments and called the department for help.
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“It is an outrage that some unscrupulous agents are taking advantage of older Floridians by selling them unsuitable and complex annuities investments,” said Lori Parham, Executive Director for AARP Florida.
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“AARP is proud to work with CFO Sink and the ‘Safeguard Our Seniors’ Task Force to ensure Florida’s seniors are better protected.”During the last 12 months, CFO Sink’s department has opened approximately 474 investigations on financial fraud committed against seniors, with 70 percent of cases related to annuity and life insurance transactions.
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More than 2,770 consumers called the department’s helpline with questions or complaints about financial products, including annuities. Recovering funds for senior victims is typically difficult and can take many months to prosecute.
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Last session, CFO Sink advocated for legislation to increase the penalties against criminals who commit annuity fraud, but the Legislature failed to pass the bill. Without stronger penalties, it is incredibly difficult for state attorneys to devote the resources necessary to prosecute these offenders.
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The SOS Task Force includes the following members:
• Tammy Teston, Deputy Chief Financial Officer, Florida Department of Financial Services
• Lori Parham, Executive Director, AARP Florida
• Jana McConnaughhay , Treasurer, Elder Law Section of the Florida Bar
• Mark Ober, State Attorney, Hillsborough County
• Jim Brodie, Legislative Director, Department of Veterans' Affairs
• Adora Obi Nweze, President of NAACP Florida
• Jeffrey Helms, First Coast Financial Advisors
• David Sisemore, Raymond James & Associates
• Sean Stafford, Securities and Financial Services Industry
• Curt Leonard, American Council of Life Insurers
• Bill Reilly, Chief of Securities Regulation, Office of Financial Regulation
• Lieutenant Glen Hughes, Division of Insurance Fraud, Department of Financial Services
The SOS Task Force is slated to hold its first meeting in early October. As a statewide elected officer of the Florida Cabinet, Chief Financial Officer Alex Sink oversees the Department of Financial Services, a multi-division state agency responsible for management of state funds and unclaimed property, assisting consumers who request information and help related to financial services, and investigating financial fraud. CFO Sink also serves as the State Fire Marshal
