Jacksonville, FL

Deborah Hansen will talk with guests and sign her new book ‘Broken Strings: Wisdom for Divorced and Separated Families’ at the popular Jacksonville coffee house Truffles on August 11 from 6:30-8:00 p.m.

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As Jacksonville author Deborah Hansen wrote her new book ‘Broken Strings: Wisdom for Divorced and Separated Families,’ she drew on personal experience. Every parent knows the pain of being time-challenged. Single parents get a double dose. So Hansen made her book user friendly. “Single parents are often subjected to endless lists of Dos and Don’ts with no real substance,” she says. “The only other alternatives are lengthy research studies that no single parent has time to read. Each chapter of my book is designed to be read in five minutes or less, and relates to a specific lesson I learned along the way.”

The book is a collection of Hansen’s personal experiences as a single parent, and is an offering to the families who are currently navigating a divorce or separation. The work has already received advance praise from Dr. David Brooks. “Excellent!” he said. “This is a must read book for everyone who is going through a divorce or for those counseling divorcing couples.”

Hansen’s experience isn’t confined to being a single parent. A veteran teacher, she worked with teenagers for fifteen years, and most recently has trained teachers, administrators, and parents on the importance of positive role modeling in raising children of character. She founded JDC Educational Enterprises, Inc., a consulting firm that focuses on parent workshops and providing support to school systems in the implementation of character education.

Hansen is also a veteran county court mediator and journalist. Her regular column, “Building Kids of Character,” appears monthly in First Coast Parent Magazine as well as on the Web. She has also written articles for Women’s Digest and Kids ‘n Sports, and she provides a monthly column on divorced parenting to attorneys. She is currently under contract with Young People’s Press in San Diego, California to write a literature-based character education curriculum for middle school students.

Hansen will launch ‘Broken Strings: Wisdom for Divorced and Separated Families” in Jacksonville at Truffles Coffee House, 11362 San Jose Blvd., on Saturday, August 11, from 6:30-8:00 p.m. The author will sign books and talk to guests. Music by Dot Wilder will be featured. The public is invited.

“This event is to thank all the people who made this book possible,” Hansen says, “and to introduce it to the public.”

Word Press, Technorati, Tags, Divorce, Separation, Single parent, Divorced Parenting, Character Education

Young professionals may rely on a cell phone as a primary phone.

If you don’t have the NOAA Weather radio receiver or scanner, you do what I did once when a late night tornado warning was issued. You stay up. But now that the Duval County Emergency Operations Center has implemented a telephone emergency notification system, I can go to bed. The system is capable of automatically contacting residents in the event of a potential or pending emergency. Local officials now have the ability to deliver a pre-recorded message to residents in targeted areas of the city, or to the entire county, if necessary, at a rate of up to 60,000 calls per hour.

There’s an added advantage to this new system. It’s common for the under-forty crowd to use a cell phone as a primary number. This money-saving option traditionally would keep a cell phone number off an emergency notification list. There’s good news for these residents, and for business owners and those with unpublished numbers. (more…)

The Lighthouse Book Awards competition is sponsored by the Northeast Florida region of the Florida Writers Association. FWA-NE placed the top three entries in each category in the hands of legitimate acquisition editors working for major publishing houses. NE Regional director Victor DiGenti invites the public to the celebration of the awards competition this Saturday, July 28, at the Ponte Vedra Library (101 Library Blvd. in Ponte Vedra Beach) at 11 a.m.

All manuscripts have been returned from the acquisition editors who ranked the finalists. Names of the winners have been a closely-held secret for the past month. DiGenti says, “Contest Chair Terri Ridgell has refused to tell even me, saying she’s keeping the names frozen in a carton of Ben & Jerry’s Berried Treasure ice cream.”

Light snacks and drinks will be served. DiGenti invites you to come and cheer on your favorite writer or just be there for the party. Finalists are:

MYSTERY/SUSPENSE
Jean Osborn
David Pereda
Mary Kilgore
FICTION-GENERAL
Bill Barbour
John Holley
Leonard Emmel
YOUNG ADULT
Karen Harvey
Gertie Poole
Suki Litchfield
Bill Dougherty

DiGenti says finalists may bring family and friends and “pose for the paparazzi on the red carpet” before the awards ceremonies if they wish. First Place winners should also be prepared to make a brief “Thank you” speech.

DiGenti credits Terri Ridgell and all of the preliminary judges for making this first contest such a success. He says a special thank you goes to the three acquisition editors — Barbara Moore/Midnight Ink, Julie Doughty/Penguin Group and Andrew Karre/Flux.

RELATED LINKS

Visit FWA Ponte Vedra group on the Web: http://www.fwapontevedra.blogspot.com/

Visit FWA state organization on the Web: http://www.floridawriters.net/dnn/Home/tabid/36/Default.aspx

Word Press, Technorati, Tags, Lighthouse Book Awards celebration, Florida Writers Association, NE Florida Writers Association, writing contests, writers’ groups

Safe Haven seeks to protect unwanted babies

The heat index in Jacksonville on Thursday topped 100 degrees—not a good day for anyone to be outside for long without water or shade. A resident of Beachwood Apartments on the Southside decided to take her trash out. What she found in the dumpster will likely be a memory she’ll carry for the rest of her life. Inside a pillowcase, along with the garbage, the female resident found a newborn baby girl. The fact the child was alive is a miracle.
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Yellowcard was formed in Jacksonville. The band has sold more than 3 million albums.

Van’s Warped Tour 2007 comes to Jacksonville today, with dozens of bands playing at Reynolds Park Yacht Center, 1063 Bulkhead Road, in Green Cove Springs. Fans are itching to hear the music crank up; there are many comments at the official Web site.

The band Yellowcard, formed in Jacksonville, will be there; Bayside, K-OS, and Pepper are among many others performing.

According to the Web site at the time we’re posting this column (11 a.m.), tickets are not available online. There is a map available, and a stage grid you can print out.

A fan’s post at the Web site message board provides some sound advice–here’s a verbatim:

Have fun everyone today, also please if this is your first concert stay in the back please, if you go to the front more than likely your going to be pushed alot and hit by alot of crowd surfers and youll be miserable and hate it so stay back and have fun.

My daughter has gone to this concert, and she had a lot of fun. She also says the place was packed. “I got stepped on, hit on and everybody had water guns.”

It gets very hot, so hydrate yourself before, during and after. Temperatures will rise to the upper 90s, which means a heat index topping 100 degrees. There’s a 30 percent chance of rain.

Another fan gives some great advice, “Don’t be a poser. Make it back alive.”

~~~~Recommended links:

For full details, visit the official Van’s Warped Tour Web site:
http://www.warpedtour.com/warpedtour/concert5.asp?id=28237&tour=52

Visit Yellowcard’s fan site:
http://www.yellowcardrock.com/bio.aspx

Word Press, Technorati, Tags, Warped Tour 2007, Jacksonville FL, Yellowcard, concerts, bands, heat, music

Donna Jou (bottom) was last seen in Los Angeles, leaving with Jacksonville native John Steven Burgess(top) on his motorcyle June 23 at 5:30 p.m.

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Jacksonville native person of interest in missing Calif. girl

John Steven Burgess was the last person seen with 19-year-old college student Donna Jou of Los Angeles. According to the Orange County (Calif.) Register, Burgess, who also uses the alias Sinjin Stevens, grew up in Jacksonville, Fla.
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Michael Austin Davis of Jacksonville is missing and his friends and family are worried sick.

According to pages at MySpace, Davis is missing without a trace. He left behind his bookbag, laptop and a blank check from his dad. Davis called his employer on the morning of Tuesday, June 26th. He said someone would be taking him for a ride to get his [driver’s] license squared away.

Ed. Note: For administrative purposes, I am inserting Technorati Profile.

To read the rest of the story about Davis, click the link below.

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Season tickets time

The Jacksonville Jaguars signed rookie linebacker Chad Nkang June 21. Nkang was drafted with offensive lineman Andrew Carnahan (not shown) in the Jaguars’ final two picks in the seventh round. Photo courtesy of Jaguars News Room.

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It’s time to buy those season tickets so you can tailgate and cheer on Jacksonville’s NFL team. You can purchase them on the Web. There’s clear information about seating and prices.

Most of us fans are hoping the Jags will take Tennessee down when our Jax team travels to Nashville on November 11. Last year’s Titan victory means we’re out for payback.

All 86 team members report for football duty on July 27. The first practice session will take place on Saturday, July 28 at 10:15 a.m. on the practice fields northwest of Jacksonville Municipal Stadium.

Training camp will be open to the public for viewing through August 9. Training camp will feature 20 practice sessions over two weeks before the start of the Jaguars’ preseason on August 11. There is no admission charge for training camp, and parking will be available in the parking lots surrounding the stadium.

Complete details are available on the Jaguar Web site.

Literacy Pros needs tutors; training session announced

Literacy Pros of Jacksonville, Inc. will hold a Tutor Training Workshop at First Presbyterian Church, 118 East Monroe Street, Jacksonville, FL 32202. The workshop will be held Monday, July 16, Wednesday July 18, Monday, July 23 and Wednesday, July 25, 2007 from 6 p.m. – 9 p.m. Literacy Pros trains tutors to work with adult non-readers in the community.

Please contact Literacy Pros of Jacksonville at 358-7323 or attend the first workshop session to sign up. To learn more about the volunteer organization, visit the Web site.

Word Press, Technorati, Tags, NFL Jaguars, football, training camp, Jaguars tickets, tailgating, adult literacy

A new weekend sport is developing on Loretto Road in Jacksonville. Wall-crashing is the new pastime for careless or impaired drivers zooming from San Jose Blvd. to St. Augustine Road on weekends. Record insurance claims for property damage must have been filed for traffic crashes on this stretch of road. Drivers are typical, or may be impaired, and they are usually speeding. Where’s a traffic ticket when you really need one?

In the five years I’ve lived here, walls and/or fences have been crashed five times. I could also add there have been quite a few fender-benders when the cars didn’t crash into a neighborhood. There have also been about half a dozen occasions where cars mowed down the ornamental trees planted in medians along Loretto Road. I’d tell you what kinds of trees they were, but they didn’t live long enough for me to identify them.

The latest crash happened at Red’s Gait. That’s a new gated community where a large horse sculpture sits at the entrance. Legend has it the horse art represents a steed beloved by the property’s previous owner. These homes are pricey, so it’s hard for me to figure out why the wall is some sort of Styrofoam-like substance with a thin brick-like covering. The fairly large homes sit on small lots, close to the road. The developer cut most of the old growth trees, so there’s nothing of substance creating a barrier for a wayward motorist. The car in the latest incident came perilously close to the house. A couple months ago, when a driver crashed his SUV through our own neighborhood fence, at least there were sturdy trees stopping his progress.

I recently received an email from the Florida Times Union, asking me what I’d like our city council to do.

I’d like to see less wall-crashing. Only the drivers have been hurt so far, but if something isn’t done, some homeowner may wake up to find an SUV in his bedroom.

Loretto Road is one of the only direct routes from San Jose Blvd. to St. Augustine Road. All I can say is city planners surely didn’t plan for the current traffic. Almost every neighborhood along this road is gated. That means one way in and out. Try driving down Loretto Road when schools are in session, around 8 a.m. Traffic is so slow you could catch up on your email or maybe patch your makeup as I have seen other drivers do when I’m taking my morning walk. And when the traffic eases up, well, there’s your opportunity to break the speed limit and crash a wall.

I’d like to see less wall-crashing. The latest example, just like the last example, happened near a school bus stop.

And I’d like to stop paying insurance premiums that help cover people who crash walls.

How’s the traffic in your neighborhood?

Word Press, Technorati, Tags, Traffic crash, insurance premiums, Jacksonville City Council, neighborhoods, Traffic and Safety

Chickie Wickie showed up in our back yard two years ago. I think she likes us. She’s still here. We have no idea where she came from.

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I felt sad when I read that Dave Flagler, chief at the Jacksonville Animal Care and Control Center is resigning. An article in The Florida Times Union says Flagler told the paper on Thursday he was “unclear” about the reasons he was asked to resign.

I met Flagler on the phone two years ago when I was doing a story for the Times Union about a chicken that flew over our fence, landed in our oak tree and decided to adopt us. He answered my questions patiently—he is the first person I’ve heard use the reference “feral chicken.”

What really came through as I talked to Flagler was his concern for animals. I don’t know the ins and outs of political appointments, but I think homeless animals in our area lost a great advocate. Hopefully, Flagler will continue his efforts by working in the private sector.

As for our “feral chicken,” she is fearless. Our hound dog does not willingly cross her path. She sleeps in the trees and comes up to the door every morning, demanding food.

Otherwise, she doesn’t want to be touched. Those who try seek first aid soon after.

Word Press, Technorati, Tags, Animal Care and Control, Pets, Lost Pets, Stray Animals, Mayoral Appointment, Jacksonville Politics, Humane Shelter, Animal Shelter

Fidelity National Information Services, Inc. has published an announcement about a former employee who allegedly sold data to a direct marketing organization. FNIS says the employee, a senior level database administrator, “removed the information from Certegy’s facility via physical processes, not electronic transmission.”

Certegy, based in St. Petersburg, is a subsidiary of Jacksonville-based FNIS. Certegy maintains records like bank account information for use in check authorization requests by merchants. In an announcement at the Certegy Web site, company president Renz Nichols said, “As a result of this apparent theft, the consumers affected received marketing solicitations from the companies that bought the data.”

Certegy hired a forensic investigator, and ultimately requested help from the U. S. Secret Service in figuring out what the employee had allegedly done.

The FNIS announcement says, “The misappropriated information included names, addresses, phone numbers, dates of birth, and bank account or credit card information.” The company says 2.3 million records “are believed to be at issue.”

Certegy filed a civil complaint in St. Petersburg, Fla., against the former employee and the marketing companies.

While the employee may not have intended to defraud customers, he or she certainly didn’t do the world any favors. Nobody needs more junk mail.

Word Press, Technorati, Tags, Shredder, Financial Services, Direct Marketing, Junk Mail, Personal Financial Information, Fraud

(Top photo)Sunday services as well as community events are held at the Lakeshore property. (Bottom photo) Sal Palmeri and Francine Cianflone, students at Florida Coastal School of Law, talk in the Lakeshore chapel after participating as volunteers in a community event.

I visited the Lakeshore property for Shepherd of the Woods Lutheran Church recently. My family and I sometimes visit the original church at 7860 Southside Blvd. The Christmas Eve service is our favorite because the music is amazing and the members always extend a warm welcome. I wanted to see what the 40-acre site on Columbia Park Court off Greenland Road looks like; it’s close to our Mandarin home and there’s a 9:45 a.m. service every Sunday. The Lakeshore service is nontraditional contemporary.

Shepherd of the Woods is a big congregation—the Southside sanctuary offers several choices for Sunday worship as well as a Saturday worship.

If you visit either facility and talk to the members or Pastor George L. Johnson, you’ll find yourself welcomed warmly. During my recent visit, Pastor Johnson told me about the church’s mission in Lima, Peru. The church Web site reports 33 members are participating in this third endeavor, to help with construction and repairs, building tables, purchasing school uniforms and school supplies, and providing evangelism and outreach training and materials. The Web site also says the Jacksonville congregation volunteers in Peru will continue to construct the second story of Emaus Church with the nearly 3,000 bricks which will provide classroom space for the school. This energetic group has added on to their ministry plans the addition of building two new homes for two very poor families in the community next to Emaus church.

“We want to care for our members around the world,” Pastor Johnson told me.

Locally, Shepherd of the Woods undertakes a broad mission as well, assisting area charities and nonprofit organizations, and offering a variety of classes and enrichment opportunities. There are Spanish classes, adult education classes and social opportunities for people of all ages. The church also makes the Lakeshore property available to community groups for activities.

All in all, Shepherd of the Woods takes its mission seriously, whether the benefits come to Jacksonville or to our distant neighbors on the other side of the world.

For complete information about worship and missions, visit the Shepherd of the Woods Web site.

Word Press, Technorati, Tags, Shepherd of the Woods, Lutheran Church, Community Events, Volunteers, Mission to Peru, Faith, Jacksonville worship

Recently a car crashed through the back fence of my neighbor’s yard. The driver appeared to have injuries, with glass shards in his face and bruises. I’ve often wondered who picked up the tab for the fence he destroyed, the outbuilding he leveled, and damages to shrubbery and trees. Cars routinely speed down Loretto Road. Speeding incidents increase dramatically late at night.

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I’ve received letters and notices in the mail about Personal Injury Protection. The Florida Association of Insurance Agents sums it up tidily. “Originally enacted in 1971, Automobile No-Fault Insurance, also known as PIP (Personal Injury Protection), is a required coverage under Florida law. It covers the insured driver and passengers for accident-related injuries, regardless of fault, with payment made directly to the insured(s) by his/her own insurer. Unless reenacted, the No-Fault system will cease to exist (sunset) October 1, 2007.”

The Florida Times-Union reports area hospitals are upset about the expiration of PIP, noting, “Hospitals rely on the mandatory medical coverage provided by auto insurers to help pay for care provided to accident victims, especially those without health insurance.”

Health insurance companies probably won’t be too happy if the No-Fault insurance sunsets, because that will increase their own claims.

Right now, there’s a lot of room for improvement in PIP. I am required to buy this insurance, even if I don’t need it, since I have health insurance. But in general, PIP is viewed as an opportunity for fraud and inflated billings. Everyone is familiar with the whiplash scenario. You have a minor scrape in traffic and suddenly the very healthy person you bumped into has a slew of medical problems.

Here’s a really intriguing aspect of PIP, pointed out by the Times-Union: If the PIP law is allowed to sunset, Florida motorists who are considered “safe drivers” will not be required to buy auto insurance, said Julie Baker, spokeswoman with the Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles. A safe driver is a motorist who has had no driving convictions (such as speeding fines) in the past three years, or had his license revoked or suspended in the past seven years.

I’d say this is a pretty important issue. Legislators need to address it. (Text and Photo by Kay B. Day)

Word Press, Technorati, Tags, Personal Injury Protection, Florida insurance, Florida drivers, accident, legislation, insurance injury, health insurance

Jacksonville distributor Omni United USA Inc. is on the list of companies who sold allegedly faulty tires manufactured in China.

Global trade creates complex relationships. Jacksonville Business Journal says Omni United USA Inc. is a subsidiary of a Singapore-based company, Omni United Pte. Ltd. The company sold tires manufactured by China-based Hangzhou Zhongce Rubber Co. and imported by Foreign Tire Sales.

The tires are light truck radials that could fall apart on the road.

Consumer Affairs reports a lawsuit has been filed against FTS over a fatal traffic accident in Pennsylvania in 2006:

The suit says tread separation caused a cargo van carrying four passengers to crash, killing two passengers and injuring the other two. The light truck tires were sold under the names Westlake, Telluride, Compass and YKS.

FTS has filed an $80 million lawsuit against the Hangzhou Rubber Company and notified the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration TSA of the defect. FTS had conducted testing after warranty requests increased. Consumer Affairs says, “Visual analysis revealed that some tires seemed to have an insufficient or missing gum strip — a key safety feature to preserve the integrity of the belts.”

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration told Fox News, “We want a full tire recall to take place.” The agency has notified Foreign Tire Sales. The Hangzhou tires were sold to the following distributors: Tireco, in Compton, Calif.; Strategic Import Supply, in Wayzata, Minn.; Omni United USA Inc., in Jacksonville, Fla.; Orteck International Inc., in Gaithersburg, Md.; K&D Tire Wholesalers LLC, in Carlsbad, Calif.; and Robinson Tire, in Laurel, Miss.

NHTSA is a great resource for safety and performance information about tires. For more information, visit the tire information pages at the NHTSA Web site.

(text by Kay B. Day; photo from NHTSA Web site (safercar.gov); photo is not representative of recalled tires.)

Word Press, Technorati, Tags, Chinese Tires Recall, Jacksonville, imported tires, tire distributor, lawsuit faulty tires, Kay Day

Mandarin High football coach J. D. Hall died suddenly Saturday night of an apparent heart attack. He was only 35 years old. Hall had joined the Mustang program in 2004. Within a short time, he proved he would lead the team to a new level of competition, taking the Mustangs to a pair of playoff appearances and a District Championship.

The Mandarin High Football Web site says Hall has seen 11 (7 in 2006)of his Mustangs earn Scholarships. The Web site also says, “Hall implemented a character building program when arriving…The program now includes a scout program as well as the Mandarin ‘Total Package’ policy manual. Hall’s program prepares his players for the next level at any college Division.”
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