A Chaos of Clocks

Daylight Saving Time changes have never been about saving fuel or helping farmers. The idea was first introduced by a man named William Willet in 1905 in England whereby he lobbied for an extra 80 minutes of time between the months of April and October so more people could enjoy plentiful sunlight. He published a brochure called "The Waste of Daylight" espousing his idea and died in 1915 never seeing it come to fruition.

We owe the insanity of unnatural time changes to the Germans during WW II to try and conserve electricity. Britain followed soon thereafter. After the national repeal in 1919, some states and cities, including New York City and Chicago, continued to shift their clocks. National daylight saving time returned during World War II, but after its repeal three weeks after war’s end the confusing hodgepodge resumed. States and localities could start and end daylight saving whenever they pleased, a system that Time magazine (an aptly named source) described in 1963 as “a chaos of clocks.” In 1965 there were 23 different pairs of start and end dates in Iowa alone, and St. Paul, Minnesota, even began daylight saving two weeks before its twin city, Minneapolis. Passengers on a 35-mile bus ride from Steubenville, Ohio, to Moundsville, West Virginia, passed through seven time changes. In 1966, the Uniform Time Act was passed which standardized daylight saving time from

the last Sunday in April to the last Sunday in October, although states had the option of remaining on standard time year-round.

All of the above ridiculousness and uncertainty proves the fact that we do not need nor do we benefit from Daylight Saving Time. "Springing Forward" has actually been proven to damage peoples health. 

More Heart Attacks

Being tired can decrease productivity, concentration, and general well-being. Studies have found that setting the clocks forward for spring increases the risk of heart attacks, road accidents, and sleep problems:

• A Swedish study in 2008 found that the risk of having a heart attack increases in the first three days after switching to DST in the spring.
• Traffic accidents increase on the Monday following the start of DST. Tired drivers are the main reason.

Depression Trigger

Losing 1 hour of afternoon daylight after setting the clocks back to standard time can trigger seasonal depressions like Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD) or winter depression. A Danish study found an 11% increase in depression cases during after the seasonal change. The cases dissipated gradually after 10 weeks.

However, when it comes to car crashes and DST, there were less accidents after switching back to standard time, probably due to another hour sleep.

Disrupts the Body Clock

• It can feel a little harder to get out of bed on Monday morning after springing forward 1 hour on the Sunday morning.
• It may be difficult to get to bed at the normal time on Sunday night after the start of DST.
• Children may feel tired and cranky for several days after an hour's change in their bedtime routines.

Daylight Saving Time needs to be done away for the health and prosperity of the nation. It is useless, harmful and downright annoying. No one enjoys "Springing Forward" and there is no benefit derived from it. We must end this chaos of clocks foisted on us by the German war machine and rely only upon our natural bio-rythym to tell us what time it really is.

$10,000 for the Mayors Radio Show

Mr Nobile - 

Thank you for not falling victim to the groupthink mentality of the Palm Coast City Council by voting against, (4-1), the mayors $10,000 expenditure for a radio show.

We live in an age of laterally scaled, freely distributed , interactive media via facebook, twitter, youtube, instagram and other collaborative sites. No one listens to am radio in Palm Coast, I can't even when I try, because I live in the L section.

That money could have gone toward street lighting, maintaining the new Old kings Road extension in the L section which is wildly overgrown or any number of other things to directly help the community.

If this is the way this new mayor rolls, she won't last long,

Best Regards,

Zarathruster

Don't Ask

If you have a question, think twice before asking. Questions are great opportunities for the person being asked to flaunt their perceived superiority over you.  They love it and you can see the sarcasm and superior attitude begin to formulate on their face right after the question is asked. This is their way of affirming their status and speaking down to you. It is a petty power play to make them feel superior in their minds to the person asking the question.

Delays and not answering are also tactics of the feeble minded to try and get under your skin. They know damned well that the question is simple and can be dispensed of in a matter of seconds however they prefer to delay, not answer and pretend the question was not asked. This increases their perceived superiority.

Another tactic is to throw the question back at you and ask you for an answer that you do not have. This tactic is used when a manager wants to put an employee in their place. The employees asks “… hey – can you take a look at this proposal and let me know what you think? Them manager responds with,
well, what do you think?” Answering a question with a question is a well-worn tactic. Examples of this are “..well ,what is the real question?”  This type of answer pre-supposes a motive behind the question that is not being presented indicating lack of trust and an expectation of ulterior motives and dishonesty in the original question.

Asking a ‘higher up’ or in this case, the attorney about what other roles and responsibilities she might have in the organization other than contracts can also get you questioned. This will be seen as an affront and an insult to the attorney. How dare you ask her about what other activities or tasks she has! How dare you speak to her at all! You will be confronted with “I heard you asked the attorney about what else she does..” “She took that as an insult about her capability…”   Good, I thought. If she’s that mentally weak, maybe her capability is lacking.

The biggest problem with all of this cloak and dagger, smoke and mirrors chess game of asking a simple question is the culture of distrust and negativity it breeds in the people that run a company, its managers and employees.  Lower rung employees instantly glom onto the preferred method of answering questions with a question, deflecting and becoming obtuse and sarcastic. Before you know it, the entire staff is a miserable, aloof and confrontational bunch whose presence you cannot stand while the mere sight of them makes you want to take the stairs instead of the elevator.

Attorneys

Should we all bow down and worship the ground attorneys walk on? Does an individual become a demi-god when they become an attorney? You would think that they do based on their superior , holier - than - thou attitudes toward the lowly non- attorneys in the world.

Ever notice that attorneys NEVER call you back or respond to you as other people would in the normal non attorney world? I should just send a letter of apology to every attorney in the state , apologizing for not being an attorney and existing in the same mortal plane as them. Is the attorneys status one of Overlord and Alpha-Omega in the human realm? Are we even allowed to speak to them without their express consent? Next time I pass an attorney in the hallway I will simply get on my knees and shield my mortal eyes from them. I certainly don't want to upset them, for they hold the keys to life, death and your income within our existence.

When having to work with an attorney at your company ,you might find that THEY are the ones that call the shots, make the decisions and determine your income and ability to succeed. Not the President of the company, not the CEO and certainly not a manager or a VP - its the attorney that decides. When communicating with the attorney ,(if you are allowed that privilege), by all means be as direct as possible and make sure your communication is absolutely perfect - or you will have hell to pay. If they ask you for help with a particular definition or nuance of a company description, you better make sure you get it right! If you don't, you will be summarily chastised, scolded and berated in the permanent record of a legal document. Then you will be scolded again if you email them but do not properly upload the correction in the exact place of the document even though it was an informal request. They determine reality! It is not the normal reality we are used to - it is Attorney Reality - which changes as they see fit and will be lorded over you every chance they get.  God help you if you have to submit a one sentence clarification and a change of a number of usernames which is really no big deal and easily approved by management. The attorney will sit on this 30 second change for 3-5 days before deciding whether or not your deal will be approved. It is their nature to continually lord over you and control as much of your income , destiny and sanity as possible. 

Do not ever ask the attorney a question outside of your exacting definition of your role within an organization. You will be quickly told, "..you are not allowed to know that.." and "..I can't answer that question, you are not supposed to be asking that.."as though we are 5 year olds and need a spanking. The Attorney Reality follows them as they waltz through the halls of your building with superior stares and lofty looks. They truly believe that they are above the common rabble! Their belief is that they are Gods among men! I believe that their lack of response and time delays for simple one word changes in contracts is due to them justifying their existence and perpetuating Attorney Reality on all unsuspecting non- attorneys. Just like the Shamans in ancient villages that danced around the fire in colorful tribal headdress and paint and wailed for hours under the influence of hallucinogenic plants - the attorneys do the same by delaying, waiting and generally not communicating with the common folk. Their lack of communication and unbearable delays are their shamanic ritual to let you know that THEY are in charge, they determine reality and only they can provide the solutions!
It is truly a demented and twisted way to make a living., for it is based on delay, trickery and lofty perceptions of regular people that happen to have passed the bar and now call themselves attorneys. 

Shamanic ceremonies end in a catharsis of the shaman as he twists and turns and takes on the spirits to determine a better outcome for the village, the attorney is no different. His mind twists and turns over the obvious and simple and he or she makes a big deal out of sitting down and reading a document which he or she will eventually sign off on in a week or so, this is their dance and catharsis they perform for all unwitting non attorneys. They just want to make sure that you believe you are getting your moneys worth, hence the delay, the wrangling and all the drama leading up to a 30 second decision that they know can be completed quickly. Without the delay, the dance and the cathartic act of signing off on a trivial detail to a contract, how else would the attorney be able to prove his or her status of demi-god amongst men?   They need the drama, the shamanic ceremony and the cathartic act of signing which we are so happy to finally get that we continue worshiping the self appointed demi-gods as the village elders of our time when in reality they are nothing more than overpaid shills perpetuating a false reality and an overblown ego.

Beating Back the Bastards

Most people have had those moments of little victories that defend their day and gave them fleeting hope of justice in the universe. Institutions and corporations both private, state or federal that overstep their bounds in one's personal life are truly in need of a correction and at times an old fashioned beat down. These wannabe overlords will drain you of your income and deprive you of your liberty if you don't know your rights as a Natural Person, free upon the land.

The next time an electric company, in this case, FPL, demands a deposit of $400 for being late on your electric bill twice in a year, please do tell them to pound sand and F off. Ask to speak to one of their executives and simply quote chapter and verse of the Sherman Anti Trust Act that states that no company shall act as a monopoly thereby eliminating your choice of power provider and hold you hostage for a needless additional $400 deposit. They will begin grovelling at this point and offer you no deposit and better terms. They know they are bastards.

When a state authority such as the Florida Dept of Insurance sends you a letter in all caps threatening the STATE OF FLORIDA VS YOU demanding $5000 or license suspension and a 3rd degree felony over a vague charge, do not comply. If you've done nothing wrong tell them and refuse their demands. Unless they have ironclad evidence of wrongdoing they have nothing. People pay out of shear fear of the document however that's all it is, a document - meant to intimidate and shake you down for your cash. The bastards of the state have no concern for you except as a potential blood-bag taxpayer serf to be drained.

If you ever have to deal with Child Protective Services you are in for a real treat when you do. These people are not only bastards but jackals as well. Expect them to 'interview' your children behind your back while they are at school, violating their constitutional rights as well as yours. You can also expect them to send no-nothing dullards to your home that have not even read the case file they are showing up about. When this happens ask them directly "Have you read the case file?" When they answer "..no, I haven't had time to yet.. " Let them know they are incompetent and tell them to leave your home. Repeat their incompetence to them and let them know that they are not only in dereliction duty but they are now presenting a clear and present danger to you and your children. Hopefully they will tear up and start to cry as you forcibly eject them from your premises. Attorneys will refuse to deal with the 'hybrid' court of Children and Family Services, do no let this detract you from letting these idiots know they are bastards and they need to be beaten back.

The best $750 I ever spent was to pay an attorney to get a $5000 alleged debt dismissed after the company demanding payment was a third party debt collector that bought the debt for pennies on the dollar.These low life scum bastards are the real bottom feeders in society. The company that wrote off the debt and sold it to the third party hyenas was bailed out by the federal government. I had no moral compunction to pay, where was my bailout?

Out of control megalomaniac "bosses" in the work place need a good beating when they ride you like a mule with micromanagement and downright ignorance. Simply keep a record of all of their late night emails, insulting innuendos and threats. Make sure all communications are time date stamped and put them into a cogent document that their bosses can read when you leave. When leaving the corporation, make sure you get all of your back pay, then send the document to their bosses boss and know that you have done everything you can to beat back the bastard boss that thought he had you down. The pen is mightier than the sword and chances are he will have to answer for his transgressions.

Beating back the bastards might not change the world but at least you know you did your part to make it a better place.

The Client that Couldn't

Real Estate clients that cannot make a decision and continually deride their own situation as well as anything shown to them are stranger than fiction. They are a breed unto themselves and probably need to just keep renting for the rest of their lives because they are borderline incompetent to be a party to a real estate transaction.

When fear is the overriding emotion in every conversation, every showing and every idea presented, this type of client is the definition of the abyss. Who in their right mind would call their loan officer to get "permission" to write an offer?  The fearful client that couldn't would. This is also the  same person that must drive 5 mph under the speed limit, cannot drive on interstates, does not own a GPS and gets confused to the point of delirium when she notices your turn signal accidentally blinking the wrong way. The Client that couldn't then scolds you about changing lanes once to many times and her inability to make u-turns.

The difficult beyond belief client is unfortunately stricken with COPD , asthma and narcolepsy. It's amazing she can hold down a full time job let alone walk unaided. I almost lost it when she mentioned her narcolepsy and had to force back hysterical laughter. The COPD requires regular breathing treatments with an inhaler and the narcolepsy causes her to fall asleep at traffic lights. Having her follow you in her car is like pulling a 50 foot trailer with an invisible tether - no matter what you do, it will be the wrong decision.  The client is like a scared bird in a cage. Nervous and fearful with every word spoken, you try your best not to frighten her but your mere presence is a reason for her to become stressed out and mention, "...working with someone a little more local..." after showing her over 30 homes, two of which had contracts on them and were lost due to her inability to spend $80,000 after  being approved for up to $100,000.  She is more worried about 'affording the home in retirement... ' - 15 years from now - than getting into a home now. 

She can't be near kids. She doesn't want to be near a school and has to be close to her work because of her inability to drive for more than 20 minutes at a time. She will not consider spending over 80K yet wants to buy a rehab  for 70K that needs 10-15K worth of work. She doesn't mind living in 'the hood' but not where sneakers are hanging on the wires, she told us that certain types of sneakers indicate certain drugs being sold.  Her favorite word is "hideous", which accurately describes the majority of the properties we show her.  I offered to buy her lunch and she insisted on water, afraid that I might have to buy her something and she would be indebted to me for the $5.69.  When shown a perfectly neat and well maintained home with the original owners smiling and happy to show her around, she remarks under her breath, " ..what about the roof...you never know what's lurking behind these walls..."  Her favorite tactic is to offer $10K less than list price and ask for $3-5K of seller concessions. This has not worked well for her and she does not have the ability to learn so she keeps repeating the same failed process. 

The client that couldn't has let her fear paralyze her.  Speaking to her is akin to walking on egg shells barefoot surrounded by broken glass. She doesn't like to answer her phone and insists on texting making communication even more difficult. When asked about her work she responds, "..well, they cut everyone's hours and then cut them again..they are merging departments and giving us more responsibility for the same pay..." Talking with her feels like work. When she departs , your heart leaps for joy and you feel like a twelve year old that just got out of Sunday mass. It will be a relief when she finally realizes that owning a home is not for her and renting is her best option.

Proactive Synergism

The next time I hear the words "proactive" or "synergism" I will vomit upon the person speaking them. How about "I'll be 'reaching out' to you this afternoon..or "..I'll let you know when when I 'circle back', with so and so later. Circling back sounds like circling the wagons to defend from an Indian attack or circling back to go behind your back and stick the knife in... I definitely feel "push-back" towards these phrases which is another word used to soft peddle it's intent. "Push-back" means "NO" - or confrontation or does not compute. We have gotten to the point where a simple 'No' is offensive and it is now 'push-back'. How about using the words 'punch back', as in, I will 'punch- you- in- the -face- back', the next time I hear you mutter these nonsensical words to me.

Where is this language coming from? Do people just make up off hand generic phrase's like "reaching out" because they cannot comprehend the idea of speaking to someone? I am not looking forward to a 'reaching out' from you, (it sounds like a 'reach around'), and in no way want to be part of your 'circling back' with me. I prefer the conversation or a call. I am not offended or mystified when you say I will call you this afternoon. It does not bother me to hear the word "No." Please, do not attach any other meaning or underlying intent to your speech. It makes you sound like muzak in an elevator.

The changing of our language is part and parcel of the way in which people are communicating these days. Texting is great however when you are offended and truly caught off guard because you have to actually speak - you have gone to far into the new paradigm. "Text me" is the most common invitation to speak now a days. If you don't text them and mistakenly call, they are highly offended. It upsets them greatly that you have not acquiesced to their abstract communication method. How dare you want to actually speak to that individual! Who do you think you are? I have heard people say, "..I hide behind emails.." These individual could go for days without speaking to anyone. This is their little control mechanism to avoid the outside world. Maybe they should just hide away at home, safely ensconced behind their emails, why bother leaving the house?

Other vomitous sayings include "..at the end of the day.." and "...all things being equal". At the end of the day I am trying desperately to forget about my day so there is no need to rehash my day and include this statement as a break down of the day. If "all things were equal", there would really be no need to do anything now would there? The federal government came up with a genius statement - "Shelter in Place" - translation - lay there and wait to be shot in the head as the psychopath unloads his AR-15 into the crowd. How about "run like hell" or "try to take out the shooter" - I think that would go a lot further to end the bloodshed. Maybe the shooter was simply getting pushback from his employer, proactively circling the wagons to reach out at the end of the day in a synergistic manner via a text message, all things being equal.