James Stabile Info Blog Newsletter

July 2005

Too Strange, Weird or Just Funny....

Michael Jackson is in debt, by millions of dollars. In the 1980's he made millions a year as the King of Pop. Currently, he can not even meet his payroll obligations for his farm Neverland. I think that this is too much. Celebrities need to readjust their priorities. I feel no empathy for this strange person. What about the legitimate poor and homeless in the United States and the world? These are the people who have my empathy.

Speaking of celebrities and priorities, Russell Crowe has been charged with assault in a Manhattan hotel. He was trying to place a long distance phone call to his wife in Australia and he lost control of his emotions, to put it mildly. Becoming frustrated with his attempts to make a phone call, Russell Crowe threw the phone and it hit a male hotel worker. The police were called and this hotel worker pressed charges against the celebrity. Celebrity, now that's the operative word, as Brett Somers would say as she played The Match Game in the 1970's. The hotel worker was envisioning dollar signs when he decided to press charges against the star of Cinderella Man. Celebrities have their weaknesses, i.e. Michael Jackson, but it is a reprehensible act for the general public to attempt to gain monetarily for such trivial occurrences. Let me clarify one point, Michael Jackson was found "not guilty" in his recent abuse case. However, if he truly molested children, then the lawsuit would be justified, not a trivial matter and he may in fact be a child molester.

The Terri Schiavo autopsy results have been made public. The results show no criminal connection with her death or in any of the situations related to the condition and eventual death of the Florida woman. Florida Governor Jeb Bush is attempting to reopen the case by asking a prosecutor to review a perceived delay by her husband in seeking medical help for Mrs. Schiavo's collapse fifteen years ago. This is absurd. The autopsy results said that there was a time gap (based on conflicting times when the husband gave his account to different sources) between the woman's collapse and her husband's call to 911, but did not preclude that this had any relevance to any criminal intent. Mrs. Schiavo's collapse happened in the middle of the night, around 4:00 a.m. At that time in the morning, any kind of a gap would be possible. The lady was in good health before she collapsed. It was the middle of the night. Can you imagine the anxiety, confusion and lack of clear thinking at that time. I know that if I discovered that a loved one (young and in good health) had collapsed, I would first try to ascertain what had happened and possible causes. Then I would call 911. I wouldn't being looking at a clock to make sure I got the time right. This obviously is the Governor's irrational attempt to try to involve the government in a private and closed matter. Respect life? How about respecting the life and rights of the people who are alive? 

A grandfather in Cooper City, Florida (Broward County), shot his granddaughter to death because he didn't approve of her boyfriend. Now that seems to be a little harsh in the discipline department. No disobedient action by any child should result in a murder. What are we teaching our children? There are enough "scary" situations for our children to cope with in the world. Home and family should be a refuge for children. Unbelievable.

I was at my bank today to make my weekly withdrawal from the ATM. I try to use my bank's ATM for my withdrawals since there is no fee when using the banks' ATM. As I approached the ATM lane at my bank I noticed a lady in the car ahead of me was making a transaction at the ATM. After many years of going to the bank's ATM, no matter which particular branch, one becomes familiar with the procedures and operations of the ATM. I could tell that the lady ahead of me was finishing her transaction and was waiting for her receipt. I knew what was happening, the ATM probably was out of paper to print the receipt. After a few seconds of waiting for her receipt, the lady stuck her head out of the car and locked at the ground. She probably thought that the receipt had fallen. No, it wasn't there. She started banging on the ATM machine as if to try to "release" or "free up" the receipt so it would roll out for her to claim. It was like I was watching a scene from Candid Camera. I almost started laughing. The lady finally departed from the ATM and packed her car in the parking lot and headed towards the bank. I figured she was going inside to report the incident. I must confess, something like that would unnerve me a little. 

One time I went to a Publix (grocery store, "where shopping is a pleasure") ATM in the evening hours and did not get a receipt. Another time I visited another Publix ATM and the receipt for the person before me came out for me. I only could guess that the next person using that ATM would get my receipt. I was unnerved a bit. I was going to wait until the next person used the machine and asked him or her for my receipt. It was about 9:00 p.m., the store was still open, but I thought that I would feel like a stalker if I waited for the next customer, so, I left the machine. Every time this happens to me I go home and peruse an old ATM receipt to make sure no private information is contained on the form. As always, none is, just the name and the address of the machine, Record No., withdrawal amount, Checking or the type of account, and of course the Ledger Balance. 

You know what, today (back to the bank's ATM) when I "didn't get" a receipt from my bank's ATM, I went home and checked an old receipt again. I was kind of glad that I noticed that lady's dilemma before the same thing happened to me. You know, I do get unnerved by such things, too. I should add that when I came home and immediately check my account online, the transaction was already posted, there were no misdoings. Instantaneous satisfaction. However, you do know that I check my financial accounts at least twice a day for irregularities. So whose laughing now.