Savvy-Boomers

So far there are at least 15 states that have banned the use of Radar Cameras on the public highways.  Do you think Arizona should become a part of that group?  The cameras are controversial to say the least and they can really be a nuisance.  Have you ever been driving in a group along the freeway and found everyone putting on the brakes as they approach the cameras?  Then a little past the cameras all the cars start to accelerate again back up to the speed they were originally traveling.  If some one unlucky soul just happened to be exceeding the limit the camera goes off with a bright flash of light that I find to be very distracting.

 Those citations issued from the offices where the pictures are reviewed are getting to be more difficult to enforce and more and more people are choosing to not plead guilty and  pony up the money for a fine.  It seems the previous administration was sold on the idea that the cameras would be a great way to generate revenue to help balance a run away budget.  The big problem is that Red Flex (the company that put them up) has a contract for the maintenance of the cameras and participates in the revenue generated by them.  Just to make sure the numbers remain high enough, Red Flex actually provides training for courtroom employees on procedures to handle the processing of the cases.  It sure makes me think about the speed traps set out side those little bergs across the country where they caught tourists who didn’t slow down quickly enough as they came into town.

 For some reason I never have cared for the idea of BIG BROTHER taking my picture all day long and then sending me a citation in the mail because I may have accidently broken a law somewhere along the way.  Before long we’ll be getting a bill from the Government for a tax on the number of miles we have driven on the highways that our BIG BROTHER has to maintain.

I think this year it would be a good time for us all to keep an eye open for a voter referendum that would tell the state of Arizona that we don’t like ‘em and we want them taken off the highways.  Have your say and leave your comments here. Let’s be heard!

We had the pleasure of attending the opening night performance of “All My Sons” at the Peoria Center for the Performing Arts on Friday the 22^nd of January.  The Arthur Miller play which has received several awards is a drama which draws your attention to the problems faced by two families as they come to grips with their wartime decision that appears to have affected the lives of some of our nations heroes.  The actors did a wonderful job and kept our interest centered on the stage as the events unfolded and exposed a story of deception and intrigue that ultimately effected the lives of everyone in both families.

 Not only did we enjoy the terrific acting and solid story line of the impressive Arthur Miller play but because this was the opening night we had the pleasure of joining with family members and the cast and crew of the performance for wine tasting and Prime Rib sandwiches provided by Flemings Prime Steakhouse and Wind Bar.

 It was considered a wonderful Friday evening in Peoria, Arizona and we are looking forward with great expectations to future opening night performances of plays scheduled by the Theater Works throughout the rest of the spring season.

The recent earthquake that devastated the Island nation of Haiti brought death and destruction to what is said to be one of the poorest nations in the world.  Highways buckled, hospitals collapsed, many buildings were reduced to piles of rubble only three or four feet high.  Unbelievably the runways at the airport were not badly damaged but the control tower sustained severe damage and communications were none existent.  As planes started bringing in supplies to the beleaguered nation it was soon realized that there were no people to take charge of relief operations at the airport and there were no reserves of jet fuel available for the planes that did arrive.

 Haitian and US officials entered into an agreement of understanding that allowed communications to be reestablished and the administration of the airport facility was taken over by the US officials. Relief efforts can now be coordinated with military support beginning at the airport where a huge bottleneck had been developing.  Planes were arriving from around the world and were forced to circle for hours as there was no place to file flight plans and therefore no arrival schedules.

 The US Air Force has now begun to schedule landings and departures for relief flights and many planes are being diverted to airports on other Caribbean islands and into Florida.  Haitian airspace is now off limits to planes arriving with little or no advance notification because of the overcrowding of the limited airspace. Nearly 200 flights arrived at the Haitian airport bringing in both military personnel and all types of food and emergency aid.

 Armed forces commanders have stated that it is their job to oversee the orderly distribution of food and emergency supplies and no one has said any thing about the US making plans to take over the administration of the nation of Haiti.

This morning Northwest Airlines had to cancel flight #2309 from Detroit to Phoenix.  They announced that they were not able to get a crew together to man the flight.  All passengers were to be given overnight accomodations near the airport and the flight #2309 was rescheduled for tomorrow morning.  The flight for tomorrow is now reported to be #2203 from Detroit to Phoenix and should arrive in Phoenix at 9:50am.  We will report any further changes if we are notified.

 Once you have brought the pictures and music into the collections area  you are going to drag the clips you want to use to the story line by placing the  mouse over the clip and left clicking the mouse and dragging the clip to the story line.  You will be able to place the music that you want to use at the very beginning of the story line or you can plug in a microphone into the computer and record a narrative as the pictures are being cycled through.  The narative will be recorded along with the pictures and become a part of the slideshow you are making.  There is a volume control for you to use at the front of the storyline and you want to be sure the volume is high enough so that you will be able to hear it without straining.  Music for your slideshow can come from the WMM program of you can find your own music to use.  For my video on this page I use three clips of music I picked up for use in making videos.  Click on the link at the end of this articleand you’ll see what one of my first slideshows came out like.

 Thanks for viewing my first video from Windows Movie Maker

The cabin crew employees of British Airways have announced plans to strike the airlines over the Christmas Holidays this year. There is a dispute over the possible elimination of positions for the longer transatlantic flights and a disagreement over wages. The union for cabin employees has set December 22 thru January 2 as the dates of the planned strike. If it takes place it would certainly affect the plans of thousands of holiday travelers. British Air shuttles about 10,000 passengers per day on 40 flights between the US and Britain.

In the past six months BA has lost about 346 million dollars as the numbers of first class travelers and leisure travelers has dwindled because of the recession. People are not spending as freely this year as they have in the past and revenues are slipping behind predictions. As a result the union members are becoming very anxious about plans to eliminate jobs.

If you have plans to travel with British Airways in the next few days be sure to have an alternate plan in place just in case you should need to make changes. Be sure to contact BA and inquire about changes to flight schedules.

This weekend you can get into the Christmas spirit with a short trip to Prescott AZ. The city is all decked out for the holiday season and it won’t take long for you to see why Prescott is called Arizona’s Christmas City. Start the day off at 1 PM today as you enjoy the 27th annual Christmas Parade in through the downtown area. Later watch the Courthouse lighting ceremony at 6pm and enjoy the beautiful decorations in the Vets Park. Be sure to take in the largest gingerbread village in the world that’s on display at Prescott Resort.
For more information check out PresTweets on twitter or call the City of Prescott at
928-777-1362

Introduction to Arizona and desert hiking

If you’re new to the area or just interested in learning about hiking in the great outdoors, these programs are for you. Usery Mountain Regional Park, 3939 N. Usery Pass Road, is hosting two short educational hikes on Wednesday.

“New to Arizona?” will be at 9 a.m. and “Desert Hiking 101″ will be at 1 p.m. Both will offer a chance to walk the trails in the park while learning about the plants and animals that live there and the basics of exploring the desert.

The programs are free, but there is a $6 per vehicle park entry fee.

For more information, call (480) 984-0032 or visit www.maricopa.gov/parks/usery.

In their efforts to keep air travel safe and secure the government has implemented a program called Secure Flight. One of the rules to be observed is that full names on the airlines boarding passes must match up exactly with what ever government issued ID the passenger may be using.
If the passenger goes by a nickname or modified version of his given name then the passenger can not use that version of his name on the ticket. At present a delay and extra questioning may be encountered but next year it could well result in a passenger being denied boarding.

If you use an initial and a middle name it will have to be shown that way on your ID. If you use a different version of your given name ie: Bob instead of Robert it will also have to be shown that way on your ID. The time to check on this is right now. Don’t wait till you get to the airport and find that you can’t use the ticket you purchased because there is a problem with your name.

This is supposed to keep terrorists from using an assumed name to purchase a ticket and then an ID that is similar to make a boarding on a plane. That remains to be seen. If you were using a different name wouldn’t you use an ID that was the same as the new name?

Tip of the Day: Make sure the name on your ticket is exactly the same as the name on your gov’t issued ID.

Expect flights to be packed this weekend which is usually the busiest flying period of the holidays. According to the Air Transport Association Sunday and Monday, the last two days of this month, are the busiest days for holiday travel. Expect to see planes packed as the number of flights is reduced but there is an upside. Because of the lighter traffic this year you should see more flights arriving on time.

Be sure to plan ahead and arrive a few minutes early at the departure gates to keep problems under control this season. As an added benefit airlines are reporting fewer lost or damaged pieces of luggage since 2002.

Tip of the Day: Don’t wrap gifts before you travel. You may have to open them for inspection by security personnel.