DEFENCELESS VICTIMS OF ZONING IN BRAZIL, INDIANA, USA

Sometimes I wondered if so called ordinances in some countries ought to be reconsidered for further amendments. Just look at the outcry of people across the world on the recent case of Rothrocks vs the US Indiana Government. The couples were asked relocated their family business of 20 years just because the government had decided to zone the district of Brazil, Indiana, USA as “a residential and historical zone”. On top of that, the couples had also received a kennel license from the government until August this year for helping to rescue, spay, neuter and vaccinate stray and feral cats at their expenses.

The question remained as a question without any proper explanations. Why would it take the government such a long time to close down a business which had become the livelihood of the couples for 20 years? How are they going to survive after this as relocation means giving up the family home as well as start anew their business which will take months or years to pick up again?

The second question would be as follows. If the property has been labeled as “a residential and historical zone”, why in the first place approved the license and then decided to revoke it, leaving the couples in dilemma as how to relocate all their 31 rescued pets to families who are willing to care for them? If not, they will be fined, adding to their worries of how to survive for the next couple of months.

Now who is at fault? The Rothrocks or the Indiana Government? I was even shocked to read on the reply by Michele Altman, Planning & Zoning Dept, Brazil, Indiana, USA to a concerned citizen on the welfare of the Rothrocks.

“The Rothrock's have not been fined, even though I was within my legal rights to fine them $2,500.00 for the first day and $7,500.00 for every day thereafter until the violation no longer occurred.”

“I cannot speak for previous administrations as to why they failed to do their jobs. I can only speak for myself. I have recently shut down several other businesses that were operating illegally, so I have not singled out the Rothrocks. I will do my job.”

Isn’t it amazing for a person to deny the facts that the ordinance has a flaw and blamed it to the previous administration for not doing their job? Even the Alley Cat Allies, who assisted cities all over the country with stray cat problems, has quoted this:

“Across the country, citizens are being punished for caring for stray and feral cats. These caregivers did not create the colonies of cats -- and they are serving their communities by humanely caring for them. But according to antiquated animal control laws and uninformed community leaders, each of these Good Samaritans deserves to be punished. We must change outdated animal control laws, policies and practices. We must stop caregivers from being punished for doing the right thing. ”

The news had even gone to the media with The Brazil Times and WTHI reporting on it. Surprisingly, all links for the Tammy Rothrock case went missing in the WTHI website. I wondered if someone asked them to keep their mouth shut on this case. It’s a mystery.

CHARMING CITIES TO VISIT IN EUROPE

If you have the opportunity to visit Europe, which cities would you choose to visit? As for me, I would love to revisit Dublin in Ireland, Paris in France, Barcelona in Spain and Rome in Italy. These few cities have always given me the sort of memories that I would never forget. The differences in their culture, architectural structures and cuisine have always amazed me.

Dublin is the largest city and the capital of Ireland. It is an economic, administrative and cultural centre for the island of Ireland. It has the biggest libraries and literary museums in the whole of Ireland, namely the National Print Museum of Ireland and National Library of Ireland. The Irish artistic scene is also world known. Some of the famous includes the Irish Museum of Modern Art, the National Gallery, the Hugh Lane Municipal Gallery, the City Arts Centre, the Douglas Hyde Gallery, the Project Arts Centre and the Royal Hibernian Academy. You should not miss out Dublin's famous Ha'penny Bridge over the River Liffey. Dublin Hotels can be easily found everywhere within the city.

Paris, the capital city of France, is one of the world's leading business and cultural centers. On top of their uptrend and remarkable fashion designer’s products, it has the most remarkable landmarks such as the Notre Dame de Paris, Eiffel Tower, and the Napoleonic Arc de Triomphe. You should also not miss out France’s gastronomical diversity such as their bread, cake, croissant, baguette, etc which are of world class standards. As for accommodation, Paris Hotels are easily available.

Barcelona, Spain, is an important cultural and major tourist destination. It is a world heritage site by UNESCO for its rich cultural heritage as well as architectural works. One of the good places to visit would be the still unfinished church of the Sagrada Familia, one of the remarkable works of the famous architect, Antoni Gaudi. The church was constructed since 1882 and is scheduled to be fully completed by 2026. There are also many castle-like buildings with beautiful architectural designs such as the Barcelona Cathedral, Santa Maria del Mar Church, Palau Nacional, Arc de Triomf and Castell dels tres Dracs in this city. Barcelona Hotels are plentiful surrounding major business centers within the city.

Rome is the capital city of Italy and the country's largest and most populous city. One of the most famous landmarks for Rome is the Colosseum, the largest amphitheatre ever built in the Roman Empire between 70 and 80 AD. It was used for gladiatorial combat. Some of the interesting sites include the Column of Marcus Aurelius, Piazza del Campidoglio, Piazza della Repubblica, Piazza del Popolo, Ponte Sant'Angelo, Saint Peter's Square and the Quirinal Palace, house of the President of the Italian Republic. There are so many interesting sites to visit that I assure you that you would not feel bored at all. Since you cannot visit all the beautiful places in a day, why not check in any of the nice Rome Hotels and experience living like the Romans.

FLIGHT ATTENDANT AS A CAREER

Have you ever thought of pursuing a career in something that is very adventurous as well as having the opportunity to travel throughout the world? The Vancouver based International Air and Hospitality Academy (AHA) is offering some great training programs such as Airline Reservations and Airport Services, Airline/Travel Specialist, Culinary Arts, Restaurant Management, Hospitality Management and Baking Arts.

What caught my attention most is their flight attendant school. I have found out that many people are dreaming of flying high in the sky and travel to many destinations but they do not know how they could make that dream come true. With AHA’s program lineup, it is no longer impossible. I can opt for the flight attendant career or the airline/travel specialist career. Both programs would not take you more than 10 weeks. Isn’t it great to be able to travel to foreign cities and exotic locations all over the world?

If you would like to find out more on the experiences of those seniors, you can always check out their flight attendant blog. They will share with you what they had gone through in the school that taught them well on how to apply those lessons in any live situations. There are cases on identifying a criminal suspect, being the perfect life tourism information center and even learning a few new acronyms through their line of work. There is so much fun reading their blog, learning funny acronyms such as PITA. Do you want to know what it means? Check out their blog to find out more.

I ENDED UP IN JAIL FOR LUNCH

It was terrible. I did not commit any crimes but I was forced into the jail with my friend and we had to take curry chicken rice for lunch. We were forced to watch the gruesome execution of a prisoner on an electric chair. Well, don’t get me wrong here. It is a “jailhouse” restaurant anyway. Haha! There is this few months old Japanese restaurant in Penang, which serves its customers in a jailhouse environment. The place rocks!

Welcome to the world of Obake-Ya Restaurant – the first ever Jailhouse Restaurant in Penang.

You even dine as the prisoners do in canteen or in your private cell. The whole environment looked dim and damp with the special effect of airbrush painting.

What’s cooking for lunch? You can have their in-house specialty which is the Jailhouse Curry Chicken Rice. You will be amazed on how they present it to you. Haha!

For your information, photographing the interior of the restaurant place is prohibited. I managed to arrange for an interview with the director herself to get this privilege. So, are you curious to find out what else you can have in there plus the author’s recommendation? Check out the full detail of this Japanese restaurant here.

GETTING A JOB OR A JOB DONE HAS NEVER BEEN SO EASY

Have you even encounter problems trying to get a job or trying to get a job done but you ended up sourcing in many websites and yet nothing have been done? It can be a tedious job doing so. Fear no more as there is a website launched recently in the USA where you can practically source for anything you want or ever wanted to get done without any hassle at all.

There are a few main categories you can choose from such as construction, landscaping, household, services, computer & multimedia, hobby & recreation, automotive, moving, hauling, delivery, materials & products needed and miscellaneous. All you need to do is to log in Undertool.com, register for free, describe the job, and bid amongst the contractors and service providers to negotiate on the most competitive pricing in the market. It is as easy as ABC. Posting a task is free. You are only required to pay a minimal fee when the bid is approved. You can have a look at the graphic below for a clearer picture of how it works.