A KraZyKat - PSA

As the school season approaches I would like to remind motorist to be diligent in their observation of traffic laws.

With children walking to and from school, waiting at the bus stops, and playing after class as kids will do their attention may be detoured when looking out for traffic.

That's where we, as responsible adults must play a part in the safety of our young ones.

Remember the following:

• Observe the School Zone speed limits.



• Stop at all intersections where a sign is posted.



• Use care when appraoching a traffic signal and do not speed up to make a Yellow light.



• Consistantly scan your surroundings for kids when driving. Especially side streets where cars are parked on both side and may obscure your vision.



• Use your cell phone sparingly so as not to distract your attention from driving.



• Stop for all school buses. Do not speed up to pass them just because their yellow flashing lights come on. Be cool and hang back and stop when the red lights are flashing.



• Leave a few minutes earlier for work so that you are not rushed and not late if delayed by school bus stops.

Remember...the life you save may someday grow up to be President, the first human on Mars, discover the cure for cancer or find the way to World Peace.

Thanks,
This article has been brought to you courtesy as a Public Service Annoucement from KraZykat. :)

Church Steeples...One repaired, another destroyed

This week repairs began on Historic St. Patrick's steeple thanks to a dedicated parishioner who left millions of dollars to the downtown church.

The steeple was destroyed by fire in September, 1980, when it was struck by lightning. Parishioner Margaret Hays Tank wanted the church to rebuild the steeple. Now the wish of Mrs. Tank is finally being realized because the church and four other Catholic institutions will benefit from a $6.5 million estate that Mrs. Tank and her late husband, Dr. Reynold Tank, left in their will.

The will stipulates that the bulk of the couple's estate is to be equally shared by St. Patrick's, the Sisters of the Oblates of Mary Immaculate, the Sisters of St. Francis in Sylvania, St. John's Jesuit High School, and St. Louis University, which was Dr. Tank's alma mater.

The diocese contracted in 2001 with a cellular phone company to restore the spire and install transmitters for cellular phones inside it. However, a few years later the firm bailed out of the deal that would have restored the tower, complete with four smaller "cricket" spires, to its original height of 240 feet.

This week I observed workers utilizing cranes attending to the steeple. In addition I seen a report on WTVG reporting that the steeple should be replaced to its original height and adorned with a gold colored cross in a few month. It will be a refreshing addition to the Downtown Skyline wich went missing 27 years ago.

Then...today, this ironic story of a Church in Swanton from WTVG.
Church steeple destroyed by fire
August 16, 2007 - Mother Nature made her mark in Swanton last night. Lightning struck a Swanton church and flames shot through the steeple.

It happened early this morning at the Holy Place Church on Church Street and Lincoln. That lightning strike had some people sitting straight up in bed. Others thought they heard gunshots. They were all surprised to see where it hit. That lightning strike was an early-morning alarm clock for people here. Firefighters had the fire out in about an hour, with most of the damage contained to the steeple. But, insulation smouldered inside, so portions of the steeple, including the bell, were removed so firefighters could get at the insulation.

Research information from WTOL, WTVG and MARK REITER, Blade Staff Writer for his post on Skyscrapercity.com

Carty Effect

With all the recent controversies surrounding Mayor Finkbeiner, I'm curious as to how his term in office has personally affected your life in Toledo, Ohio. This post is not to discuss Carty himself or his antics, but rather how his decisions have directlty impacted (good and bad) your day-to-day existence here in the Glass City.

A KrazyKat editorial - Issue 5

I quote from B.C. Forbes in 1953:

'What have Americans to be thankful for? More than any other people on the earth, we enjoy complete religious freedom, political freedom, social freedom. Our liberties are sacredly safeguarded by the Constitution of the United States, 'the most wonderful work ever struck off at a given time by the brain and purpose of man.' Yes, we Americans of today have been bequeathed a noble heritage. Let us pray that we may hand it down unsullied to our children and theirs.''

"Our liberties are sacredly safeguarded by the Constitution of the United States"...but are slowly being eroded away by the likes of the new anti-smoking law in Ohio. Don’t get me wrong, I believe second-hand smoke to be as dangerous as we are being preached to about it. But this new law(who the anti-smokers will say was a product of the democratic process) imposes a socialistic value to our democracy. How hypocritical of them. What really is democracy in action is allowing a self proprietor to run his businsness as he sees fit. As long as he does not discriminate on the basis of race, religion, gender or other civil rights as protected under the law he should be able to run his establishment any way he see it.The rights of the majority do not supersede the rights of the minority.

Issue 5 in Ohio was about much more than smoking. It was about eroding the values of democracy and civil liberties this country has come to depend on to make it the great country it is. If we allow these unconstitutional laws to run our lives and take away our rights to personal choice, let the majority run the lives of the minority, let the holier than thou think they know what is best for everyone an impose their way of thinking upon all, then we might as well live in a Social state such as Russia and China. If a smoker does not like the fact that a bar allow smoking... simply do not patronize it. If the bar owner discovers that his business is suffering because he alienating the anti-smokers, he will change his business practice. But it is his choice...not the decision of a majority who feel that their rights are more civil than that of the minority.

An Ohioan does not have the "Right" to visit a bar that allows smoking. They have the "Privilege" of visiting it based on the rules that the proprietor sets forth. If it is ok for a business owner to place a sign in his window that reads "No shirt...No shoes...No Service" he should also be able to determine who he wants his clients to be by placing a "Smoking Allowed/Not Allowed" sign in his window.

Those who voted on the unconstitutional Issue 5 were naive at the least and mislead by the political banter and demogogary

(It’s akin to always saying that “they” are responsible for condition “Y”. There’s this thing called “lies of omission”, lieing by telling the truth but not ALL the truth. Depending on what you tell and what you don’t tell, you can give your audience quite the opposite idea of what’s going on than what really is.)

of the ballot language. Only when the law is expanded to include the elimination of act which they posses will they realize that they made a grave mistake in giving the government the power to dictate our lives and personal choice.