Tuesday, August 12, 2008
Monday, August 4, 2008
Reid Stowe Writes His Bliss- Day 473 of Sailing Around the World
August 4, 2008
Day 473
Love Illuminations
Wind S 10 to 15 knots, Course N 1 knot, Position 4*17n by 95*14w
Out here alone on the open blue sea after 100's of days with an eternity ahead of me it often is as if I have left my body behind and I am riding a ray of light into the sun.I feel as though I have been given the grace to experience the after life state. I float in infinity. I have been interested in this phenomena since I was a teenager and studied and been influenced by a range of beliefs from the Tibetan Book of the Dead to scientific studies by modern scientists like Elizabeth Kubler-Ross. They all describe an out of the body journey into the light where your life is revealed to you and your actions are multiplied. If you have a clear conscious and have lived a life of love and service like saints then your transition is peace and radiance. If you have made mistakes and are imperfect like me then you face your demons { flaws }. I am surviving here on a very fine intense balance using a lifetime of skill, will and love. Everything is beautiful and then suddenly I am facing my imperfections in many forms, thoughts, mistakes etc. I give love, love, love and keep my balance This is how I survive in the realm between life and death. If I have “Love Illuminations” every day, then I am fortified and strengthened and ready for what ever comes.Before I left on this mission I spoke about my hope to succeed is nourished by my ability to give love. I try to share this as much as I can, the way of enlightened exploration. A journey of the soul, truly an endeavor we all must take in our lives. Here I am. Imagine me reflecting love back to you.
_______________________________________________
Man Loses House For Parking Ticket Non-Payment in Milwaukee
PUBLIC INVESTIGATOR: TAKING TIPS, CHASING LEADS, SOLVING PROBLEMS
Milwaukee man faces foreclosure because he didn’t pay parking fine
The ticket went unpaid for four years, eventually amounting to $2,600 in fines
By RAQUEL RUTLEDGE
rrutledge@journalsentinel.com
Posted: Aug. 2, 2008
Peter Tubic ignored a $50 parking fine in 2004, and on Monday, it cost him his $245,000 house.
99986Foreclosure
Click to enlarge
Photo/Jeffrey Phelps
Among other health issues he's dealing with, Peter Tubic has had headaches dealing with his van, which is parked in his driveway without a license plates. He faces foreclosure on his home and is in a dispute with the city over citations he received for the van's lack of plates.
Nitty Gritty
A Milwaukee man received a $50 fine for parking a van with no license plates in his driveway. He ignored the ticket for more than four years, and last week the city foreclosed on his house.
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In what city officials believe is the first case of its kind, the city foreclosed on Tubic's house on W. Verona Court after repeated attempts to collect the fine - which over the years had escalated to $2,600 - had failed.
"Our goal isn't to acquire parcels," said Jim Klajbor, special deputy city treasurer. "Our goal is to just collect taxes. . . . It is only as a last resort that we would pursue . . . foreclosure."
Milwaukee County Circuit Judge Richard Sankovitz technically stayed the judgment to give Tubic one last chance to explain why he hasn't paid or even responded, but Sankovitz ruled in favor of the city's foreclosure.
"The city was entitled to a judgment," Sankovitz told Public Investigator on Thursday. "There hadn't been an answer to the complaint."
Tubic takes the blame for disregarding the 15 or more notices he received seeking payment and warning of the pending foreclosure on the house, which was fully paid off, but says he had good reason.
He was physically and psychologically unable to handle the situation, he says.
According to the Social Security Administration, Tubic, 62, has been disabled since 2001. He has been diagnosed with psychological disorders that limit his "ability to understand, remember and carry out detailed instructions," according to documents from the administration.
In addition he suffers from chronic pain caused by degenerative diseases of the knees and spine, as well as chronic respiratory disease, diabetes and obesity, among other ailments.
In several lengthy conversations with the P.I. Team spanning two weeks, Tubic frequently grunted in pain and broke down in tears.
"They're trying to take my house away for a parking violation," Tubic said. "I know it was my own fault for letting it drag on, I've been under mental duress. I haven't been able to handle this."
Janine Geske, a former Wisconsin Supreme Court justice and law professor at Marquette University, called the case a human tragedy and an example of how people can fall through the cracks in the system.
"It seems like a drastic remedy," Geske said of the city's foreclosure. "But on the other hand the city has to enforce its zoning laws. I don't fault the city for that.
"It's a shame someone didn't intervene to help him. . . . It would be nice if someone who worked for government would take the time and say 'let's look at this and see if we're doing the right thing.' . . . It would be nice if they would remember the human factor here."
Tubic first got the fine for parking his Ford E150 with no license plates in the driveway of the home, which belonged to his parents at the time . The radiator had broken and Tubic couldn't get his plates renewed unless the van passed an emissions test. He didn't have the money to make the repair and had more pressing worries, he said.
His father was suffering from dementia. His mother was battling cancer, and he was their live-in caretaker. He needed to shop, cook, clean, maintain the house and tend to his parents' needs.
The van repair could wait, he thought.
Then a man from the city showed up and told him otherwise. It was February 2004. Tubic would have to move the van or get license plates for it within 30 days, per city zoning codes, the man said. Somebody had complained.
Several days later Tubic's dad died. Tubic was overwhelmed, he said.
"It was a combination of things financial and emotional, my caregiving role, all heaped themselves on me at the wrong time," he said. "I still don't function well."
Month after month the city Department of Neighborhood Services sent an inspector to the house to see if the van had moved or had license plates. Each time a new fee was assessed. And a letter was sent to Tubic's home.
At no time did Tubic call or write to object or explain his circumstances, city officials said. So the bureaucratic cog kept turning.
Tubic's $50 fine escalated to $1,475, and after it was clear he wasn't going to respond, the city filed a tax lien. While Tubic paid the property taxes, he never paid the $1,475 for the zoning violation. With interest and penalties, he owed $2,645 before the city foreclosed on Monday.
Ronald Roberts, a code enforcement manager with the Department of Neighborhood Services, said the zoning code that prohibits people from parking unlicensed vehicles in their driveways is aimed at keeping residential properties from looking like junkyards.
The city issues about 1,500 fines for such "nuisance" violations - which also include illegally placed trash - every year. Many are for repeat inspections.
"Put yourself in the position of the neighbors," Roberts said.
Turns out in this case the neighbors weren't the ones to complain. Tubic had not been getting along with his brother, and his brother made the call. His brother, Jovon Tubic, said he called at the request of their mother, according to a letter from Jovon to Peter Tubic.
"One day in a very bad mood, Mom told me to get rid of the cars in the driveway right away," he wrote.
Peter Tubic, who ran unsuccessfully for the 97th District state assembly seat in 1996 and again in 1998, said he tried to explain to city inspectors that this was an internal family dispute but that inspectors "didn't want to hear it."
"If a violation exists, a violation exists," Roberts said. "We're going to enforce a violation.
"If someone says, 'I'm dealing with a death,' we're going to be reasonable and give them a 30-day extension," he said. "But $1,475, that's a lot of months mourning - not to be insensitive."
Roberts noted that every notice sent to Tubic had clearly written instructions on how to contest the fines.
Roberts said inspectors were not aware of Tubic's mental health issues. When contacted by the P.I. Team before the foreclosure, city officials appeared split over how to handle the case.
"If you're telling me we had a mentally anguished individual and that inspectors made no attempts to get at that, that can be considered," Roberts told P.I. "There will have to be some serious evidence. But if we were . . . deaf to that point, I would be willing to reconsider some of those fees."
Not much left to do
Don Schaewe, supervisor of the city's nuisance section, said he recently spoke with Tubic and that Tubic "provided a whole lot of excuses as to why he didn't comply."
"At this point," Schaewe said. "There's really not too much that would allow us to reverse those charges."
A court hearing is scheduled for Sept. 11. If the city retains ownership of the house, Tubic can remain there as a renter until the house is sold, said Andrea Rowe Richards, spokeswoman for the Department of City Development. After that, the new homeowners can decide if they want to continue renting out the house.
Tubic said he set aside $2,600 in an escrow account "to protect the estate in case I die" but didn't want to use it to pay for the parking violation.
Judge Sankovitz called the case a shame and said it demonstrates the need for judges to have authority to appoint attorneys for people involved in civil litigation.
"If you were a criminal, we'd take care of the whole problem for you, get you an attorney," he said. "But if you're involved in civil litigation - in jeopardy of losing your house or your family . . . what we do is make you go out and find your own attorney.
"If we gave people the help they needed near the beginning of their problem, their problems wouldn't snowball the way they do."
Milwaukee man faces foreclosure because he didn’t pay parking fine
The ticket went unpaid for four years, eventually amounting to $2,600 in fines
By RAQUEL RUTLEDGE
rrutledge@journalsentinel.com
Posted: Aug. 2, 2008
Peter Tubic ignored a $50 parking fine in 2004, and on Monday, it cost him his $245,000 house.
99986Foreclosure
Click to enlarge
Photo/Jeffrey Phelps
Among other health issues he's dealing with, Peter Tubic has had headaches dealing with his van, which is parked in his driveway without a license plates. He faces foreclosure on his home and is in a dispute with the city over citations he received for the van's lack of plates.
Nitty Gritty
A Milwaukee man received a $50 fine for parking a van with no license plates in his driveway. He ignored the ticket for more than four years, and last week the city foreclosed on his house.
Journal Sentinel Investigations
Watchdog Online: Looking out for Wisconsin
Main Page
Watchdog Reports
Public Investigator
Citizen Watchdog
Daniel Bice:
No Quarter
Data on Demand
Blow the Whistle
Advertisement
In what city officials believe is the first case of its kind, the city foreclosed on Tubic's house on W. Verona Court after repeated attempts to collect the fine - which over the years had escalated to $2,600 - had failed.
"Our goal isn't to acquire parcels," said Jim Klajbor, special deputy city treasurer. "Our goal is to just collect taxes. . . . It is only as a last resort that we would pursue . . . foreclosure."
Milwaukee County Circuit Judge Richard Sankovitz technically stayed the judgment to give Tubic one last chance to explain why he hasn't paid or even responded, but Sankovitz ruled in favor of the city's foreclosure.
"The city was entitled to a judgment," Sankovitz told Public Investigator on Thursday. "There hadn't been an answer to the complaint."
Tubic takes the blame for disregarding the 15 or more notices he received seeking payment and warning of the pending foreclosure on the house, which was fully paid off, but says he had good reason.
He was physically and psychologically unable to handle the situation, he says.
According to the Social Security Administration, Tubic, 62, has been disabled since 2001. He has been diagnosed with psychological disorders that limit his "ability to understand, remember and carry out detailed instructions," according to documents from the administration.
In addition he suffers from chronic pain caused by degenerative diseases of the knees and spine, as well as chronic respiratory disease, diabetes and obesity, among other ailments.
In several lengthy conversations with the P.I. Team spanning two weeks, Tubic frequently grunted in pain and broke down in tears.
"They're trying to take my house away for a parking violation," Tubic said. "I know it was my own fault for letting it drag on, I've been under mental duress. I haven't been able to handle this."
Janine Geske, a former Wisconsin Supreme Court justice and law professor at Marquette University, called the case a human tragedy and an example of how people can fall through the cracks in the system.
"It seems like a drastic remedy," Geske said of the city's foreclosure. "But on the other hand the city has to enforce its zoning laws. I don't fault the city for that.
"It's a shame someone didn't intervene to help him. . . . It would be nice if someone who worked for government would take the time and say 'let's look at this and see if we're doing the right thing.' . . . It would be nice if they would remember the human factor here."
Tubic first got the fine for parking his Ford E150 with no license plates in the driveway of the home, which belonged to his parents at the time . The radiator had broken and Tubic couldn't get his plates renewed unless the van passed an emissions test. He didn't have the money to make the repair and had more pressing worries, he said.
His father was suffering from dementia. His mother was battling cancer, and he was their live-in caretaker. He needed to shop, cook, clean, maintain the house and tend to his parents' needs.
The van repair could wait, he thought.
Then a man from the city showed up and told him otherwise. It was February 2004. Tubic would have to move the van or get license plates for it within 30 days, per city zoning codes, the man said. Somebody had complained.
Several days later Tubic's dad died. Tubic was overwhelmed, he said.
"It was a combination of things financial and emotional, my caregiving role, all heaped themselves on me at the wrong time," he said. "I still don't function well."
Month after month the city Department of Neighborhood Services sent an inspector to the house to see if the van had moved or had license plates. Each time a new fee was assessed. And a letter was sent to Tubic's home.
At no time did Tubic call or write to object or explain his circumstances, city officials said. So the bureaucratic cog kept turning.
Tubic's $50 fine escalated to $1,475, and after it was clear he wasn't going to respond, the city filed a tax lien. While Tubic paid the property taxes, he never paid the $1,475 for the zoning violation. With interest and penalties, he owed $2,645 before the city foreclosed on Monday.
Ronald Roberts, a code enforcement manager with the Department of Neighborhood Services, said the zoning code that prohibits people from parking unlicensed vehicles in their driveways is aimed at keeping residential properties from looking like junkyards.
The city issues about 1,500 fines for such "nuisance" violations - which also include illegally placed trash - every year. Many are for repeat inspections.
"Put yourself in the position of the neighbors," Roberts said.
Turns out in this case the neighbors weren't the ones to complain. Tubic had not been getting along with his brother, and his brother made the call. His brother, Jovon Tubic, said he called at the request of their mother, according to a letter from Jovon to Peter Tubic.
"One day in a very bad mood, Mom told me to get rid of the cars in the driveway right away," he wrote.
Peter Tubic, who ran unsuccessfully for the 97th District state assembly seat in 1996 and again in 1998, said he tried to explain to city inspectors that this was an internal family dispute but that inspectors "didn't want to hear it."
"If a violation exists, a violation exists," Roberts said. "We're going to enforce a violation.
"If someone says, 'I'm dealing with a death,' we're going to be reasonable and give them a 30-day extension," he said. "But $1,475, that's a lot of months mourning - not to be insensitive."
Roberts noted that every notice sent to Tubic had clearly written instructions on how to contest the fines.
Roberts said inspectors were not aware of Tubic's mental health issues. When contacted by the P.I. Team before the foreclosure, city officials appeared split over how to handle the case.
"If you're telling me we had a mentally anguished individual and that inspectors made no attempts to get at that, that can be considered," Roberts told P.I. "There will have to be some serious evidence. But if we were . . . deaf to that point, I would be willing to reconsider some of those fees."
Not much left to do
Don Schaewe, supervisor of the city's nuisance section, said he recently spoke with Tubic and that Tubic "provided a whole lot of excuses as to why he didn't comply."
"At this point," Schaewe said. "There's really not too much that would allow us to reverse those charges."
A court hearing is scheduled for Sept. 11. If the city retains ownership of the house, Tubic can remain there as a renter until the house is sold, said Andrea Rowe Richards, spokeswoman for the Department of City Development. After that, the new homeowners can decide if they want to continue renting out the house.
Tubic said he set aside $2,600 in an escrow account "to protect the estate in case I die" but didn't want to use it to pay for the parking violation.
Judge Sankovitz called the case a shame and said it demonstrates the need for judges to have authority to appoint attorneys for people involved in civil litigation.
"If you were a criminal, we'd take care of the whole problem for you, get you an attorney," he said. "But if you're involved in civil litigation - in jeopardy of losing your house or your family . . . what we do is make you go out and find your own attorney.
"If we gave people the help they needed near the beginning of their problem, their problems wouldn't snowball the way they do."
Monday, July 28, 2008
Steve Fosset: Dead Or Alive
Adventurer Steve Fossett 'may have faked his own death'
Round-the-world flying adventurer Steve Fossett may have faked his own death, investigators have claimed.
By Chris Irvine
Last Updated: 5:37PM BST 28 Jul 2008
Steve Fossett went missing last September when his final flight in a light plane over the Nevada desert went missing
Steve Fossett's disappearence last September sparked the biggest search in American history
Fossett, a friend of Virgin boss Richard Branson, and the first man to fly non-stop round the earth in a hot air balloon, went missing last September when his final flight in a light plane over the Nevada desert went missing.
However, Lieutenant Colonel Cynthia Ryan of the US Civil Air Patrol has said Fossett, whose body or plane was never found, could still be alive.
She said: "I've been doing this search and rescue for 14 years. Fossett should have been found.
"It's not like we didn't have our eyes open. We found six other planes while we were looking for him. We're pretty good at what we do."
Fossett's disappearance sparked the biggest search in American history, with the Civil Air Patrol's Black Hawks, fitted with infra-red technology, joined by over 30 private planes and internet experts scanning the Nevada desert looking for clues.
Lt Col Ryan believes Fossett may have faked his own death due to personal problems or fears about his business dealings.
There are also a number of anomalies that question whether Fossett's plane ever crashed.
Only one witness, a pilot at hotel magnate Barron Hilton's flying ranch near Reno, claims to have seen him take off that day.
That witness claims Fossett asked him to prepare the plane for take off, even though he had never allowed anyone else to do this before.
Fossett also apparently claimed he was going to scout for locations for a land speed record attempt, but he supposedly took off with no emergency equipment.
The choice of plane was also a baffling one - a Bellanca Citabria Super Decathlon, which, according to risk assessor Robert Davis said was constructed from a steel and wood frame, but actually covered in fabric, making it easy to dismantle.
Davis conducted an eight-month investigation for insurers Lloyd's of London, said to face a £25 million payout on Fossett's death.
He said: "What I've strived to find out is what happened to this man in the run-up to his disappearance, why did he disappear?
"I spoke to reporters who were on the scene, people who were helping out with the search efforts, anyone whom I thought could shed some light on this.
"I discovered that there is absolutely no proof that Steve Fossett is actually dead. I'm not a conspiracy theorist, I'm a man who deals in facts, and I don't really care if he is alive or dead, it make no difference to me.
"What I am interested in is the truth - and a proper criminal investigation of this man's disappearance was never undertaken by law enforcement or officials in the state of Nevada."
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
If Steve Fosset is alive, then I say bully for him! Sorry that he felt he had to go out that way, especially after a lifetime of derring do, great success, and world records in many different areas. It is an unkind America in which he found himself, if indeed a man of his wealth and stature had to fake his own death to lead a better life. And it is certainly indicative of an unkind America if indeed there is not even a whit of truth to this potentially slanderous article. Kick 'em while their down, or if that won't do, then wait until they're dead and they really cannot kick back.
Let him die, or live in peace somewhere off the coast of nowhere under an assumed name and ID. What did the man ever do wrong, anyway? Hell, he did nothing but deserve my admiration as a brave sailor, flyer, and balloonist, who refused to simply sit back and enjoy his great wealth. Instead he used it to go where no man had gone before. Bravery. Something too few of our leaders have shown for quite some time.
From the Sailing Online Newsletter Scuttlebutt:
Round-the-world flying adventurer Steve Fossett may have faked his own death, investigators have claimed.
By Chris Irvine
Last Updated: 5:37PM BST 28 Jul 2008
Steve Fossett went missing last September when his final flight in a light plane over the Nevada desert went missing
Steve Fossett's disappearence last September sparked the biggest search in American history
Fossett, a friend of Virgin boss Richard Branson, and the first man to fly non-stop round the earth in a hot air balloon, went missing last September when his final flight in a light plane over the Nevada desert went missing.
However, Lieutenant Colonel Cynthia Ryan of the US Civil Air Patrol has said Fossett, whose body or plane was never found, could still be alive.
She said: "I've been doing this search and rescue for 14 years. Fossett should have been found.
"It's not like we didn't have our eyes open. We found six other planes while we were looking for him. We're pretty good at what we do."
Fossett's disappearance sparked the biggest search in American history, with the Civil Air Patrol's Black Hawks, fitted with infra-red technology, joined by over 30 private planes and internet experts scanning the Nevada desert looking for clues.
Lt Col Ryan believes Fossett may have faked his own death due to personal problems or fears about his business dealings.
There are also a number of anomalies that question whether Fossett's plane ever crashed.
Only one witness, a pilot at hotel magnate Barron Hilton's flying ranch near Reno, claims to have seen him take off that day.
That witness claims Fossett asked him to prepare the plane for take off, even though he had never allowed anyone else to do this before.
Fossett also apparently claimed he was going to scout for locations for a land speed record attempt, but he supposedly took off with no emergency equipment.
The choice of plane was also a baffling one - a Bellanca Citabria Super Decathlon, which, according to risk assessor Robert Davis said was constructed from a steel and wood frame, but actually covered in fabric, making it easy to dismantle.
Davis conducted an eight-month investigation for insurers Lloyd's of London, said to face a £25 million payout on Fossett's death.
He said: "What I've strived to find out is what happened to this man in the run-up to his disappearance, why did he disappear?
"I spoke to reporters who were on the scene, people who were helping out with the search efforts, anyone whom I thought could shed some light on this.
"I discovered that there is absolutely no proof that Steve Fossett is actually dead. I'm not a conspiracy theorist, I'm a man who deals in facts, and I don't really care if he is alive or dead, it make no difference to me.
"What I am interested in is the truth - and a proper criminal investigation of this man's disappearance was never undertaken by law enforcement or officials in the state of Nevada."
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
If Steve Fosset is alive, then I say bully for him! Sorry that he felt he had to go out that way, especially after a lifetime of derring do, great success, and world records in many different areas. It is an unkind America in which he found himself, if indeed a man of his wealth and stature had to fake his own death to lead a better life. And it is certainly indicative of an unkind America if indeed there is not even a whit of truth to this potentially slanderous article. Kick 'em while their down, or if that won't do, then wait until they're dead and they really cannot kick back.
Let him die, or live in peace somewhere off the coast of nowhere under an assumed name and ID. What did the man ever do wrong, anyway? Hell, he did nothing but deserve my admiration as a brave sailor, flyer, and balloonist, who refused to simply sit back and enjoy his great wealth. Instead he used it to go where no man had gone before. Bravery. Something too few of our leaders have shown for quite some time.
From the Sailing Online Newsletter Scuttlebutt:
WIDOW DISMISSES FAKED DEATH CLAIMS
A lawyer for Peggy Fossett, widow of the aviation adventurer Steve
Fossett, has dismissed claims he may have faked his own death. Michael
LoVallo disputed suggestions from investigators and insurance assessors
that the record-setting pilot and balloonist, a friend of Virgin boss
Sir Richard Branson, could still be alive after his mysterious
disappearance in the Nevada desert 10 months ago.
Mrs. Fossett petitioned a Chicago court to have her husband declared
dead. Her request was granted in February and her husband's estate of
more than $10 million was awarded to her. "The remarks (that Fossett
could still be alive) were in disregard of the fact, many facts," Mr
LoVallo told The Daily Telegraph.
Fossett, 63, the first man to fly non-stop round the earth in a hot air
balloon, went missing last September after taking off from a remote
Nevada airstrip on a short trip to inspect a site for possible use in a
land speed record attempt. He never returned. His disappearance sparked
the most intensive hunt for a missing aircraft in US history, involving
Civil Air Patrol's Black Hawks, fitted with infra-red technology, as
well as 30 private planes and a global internet effort led by Amazon.com
and Google. Mrs. Fossett contributed over $1 million to the efforts, her
lawyers have said. Neither Fossett's body nor the plane's wreckage were
ever located.
But Lieutenant Colonel Cynthia Ryan, of the US Civil Air Patrol, who
briefed the media during the search, has said the adventurer's body
"should have been found", given the extensive search efforts, suggesting
he could still be alive. "It's not like we didn't have our eyes open. We
found six other planes while we were looking for him. We're pretty good
at what we do." Lt Col Ryan said she believed Fossett may have faked his
own death due to personal problems or fears about his business dealings.
Fossett made millions trading futures and options on Chicago exchanges.
Risk assessor Robert Davis, who conducted an eight-month investigation
for insurers Lloyd's of London, said he had "discovered that there is
absolutely no proof that Steve Fossett is actually dead". Lloyd's is
said to face a £25 million (approximately US$50 million) payout on
Fossett's death. -- Catherine Elsworth, The Telegraph, UK, full story:
http://xrl.us/ok3po
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