AIRLINES, TAKE NOTE! CARRY ON BAG SIZES MUST CHANGE

Having just returned from Houston, on United Airlines Flight #503 to Denver, I was dismayed at both United and the inconsiderate passengers who boarded with oversized ‘roller boards’ and carry-on bags. And many of the passengers had more than one! What happened to the days of overnight cases and SMALL soft-sided bags? So it was no surprise to hear the ticket attendant inform passengers that if they were boarding with the 3rd and 4th groups, there would be no room in the overhead bins and, if their bags didn’t fit under the seat in front of them, they would have to check them. Fortunately I was in the 2nd group and only had a laptop and small, soft and light-weight leather tote bag, which BTW Fits My Budget sells, see: (http://www.fitsmybudget.com/product.php?productid=16451&cat=346&page=1).

So I got in line and waited. And waited. The long line ahead of me moved slowly as people waiting while passengers struggled to stuff their large hard-sided rolling bags in small spaces. Many had to pass their seats to look for an available bin. Hmmm, I said to myself, these same people will be holding up those of us seated in the back once we landed, while they struggled once again to retrieve their bags.

A flight attendant announced that the flight would be leaving in 5 minutes and, I turned to her and said, “Yeah, right! Look at those BIG bags!” She nodded and exasperatingly requested that people quickly take their seats. Four minutes after designated departure time, we pushed away from the gate. Four minutes doesn’t seem very long, but our push-away was premature and we sat 100 yards from the gate for another 5 minutes. Well, I thought, they can report four minutes late to the FAA, but in reality, it was closer to 10 minutes.

While airlines currently have size limitations for carry-on bags, it is apparent that this size restriction needs to be revisited and, passengers must be held to quantity limitations, if airlines expect to get people in and out of planes in a timely manner

Needless to say, as I sit here writing this diatribe, I dread disembarking and the long delay that will await me when we land when the 110 or so passengers with carry-ons that should have been checked, struggle, AGAIN, as they retrieve bags from the overhead bins, and waddle their way toward the door. Isn’t it too bad that airlines aren’t timed on their disembarkation? I think things might change. But hey, I actually got a free bag of pretzels and Starbuck’s coffee on United, unlike my last trip via American Airlines, where they charged $5 for sandwiches and $3 for pretzels! I guess you can’t have it all!

Where is Orange Glo Concentrate or Super Duck Hair Dryer?

Looking for Orange Glo concentrate cleaner? Can’t find the Black & Decker Super Duck Pet Hairdryer? These two very popular and unrelated products have been discontinued and are no longer available. We, too, were disappointed that both products have been discontinued as they were very good sellers for us and just plain cool products. So why discontinue OrangeGlo and Superducks? Good cleaners are hard to find and, pet hair dryers (?!) – Well this particular model of blow dryer was in demand by pastry chefs everywhere. Yes, pastry chefs! Chefs found the dryer gently powerful, but very effective for drying icing and delicate pastries. Its stand made it easy to handle. Even people with pets liked this product as it didn’t scare the willies out of Fido or FiFi. (By the way, Fits My Budget does sell dryer stands so you can improvise). The answer: we don’t really know. (You were afraid we were going to say that!)

Orange Glo, which was founded by a Colorado man (go Rockies !), created the Orange Glo Wood Cleaner & Polish in his garage. Made from the oil of Valencia oranges, the company exploded and, in 2006 was sold for buckets of money to the owner of Arm & Hammer. Evidently some of the products were either discontinued or put on hold, since only the Orange Glo hardwood floor cleaner line seems to be available and, since it is oily and not a paste, doesn’t work as well as a general cleaner. But I love the stuff and use it on my hardwood floors, since it doesn’t leave streaks and has a nice shine.

Once in awhile, we get calls from customers seeking these two wonderful products and, having found one of our old pages in the buried layers of the WWW, demanding to buy one of these products (oh please come back and demand something we still carry!). All we can do is apologize. But, rest assured, we’ll be the first to tell you if and when we get wind that these products will be resurrected.

Environmental Site Assessments - Managing Environmental Risk

Environmental site assessments, like property condition inspections, may add to the cost of purchasing a property, but could save big headaches (and dollars!) later. While “ESAs" are not normally conducted on the average residential home, they are conducted on improved and unimproved commercial and industrial properties and raw land because of a lender requirement or policy. Significant risk or liability can be minimized by obtaining a report, which is necessary for the purchaser to assert a defense under federal law in the event contamination is found and cleanup is required.

The baseline for conducting ‘all appropriate inquiry’ is the American Society for Testing and Materials regulation ASTM E1527, which includes a 50 to 75-year historical review of the property. Various documents including title work, old directories, land use records, and other public records, are reviewed to determine how the property was used and what types of businesses occupied the property. This information, along with interviews with parties who are familiar with the property, establishes the historical uses of the property. The site assessor also performs a visual reconnaissance of the property to look for above and underground tanks, dumping and signs of fill (debris, barrels, drums, shingles/roofing material, tires), and signs of contamination, such as distressed vegetation and discolored soils. Government records are searched for reported leaking tanks, spills, and cleanup orders. Aerial photographs, which show development or other surface activity over time, are reviewed. These photos sometimes reveal the presence of unreported dumps and landfills, soil movement or disturbances, vegetation distress or changes, and other notable conditions. No invasive work or testing is performed at this time.

Results are included in a report known as a Phase I, which indicates if there are any “Recognized Environmental Conditions“. If additional investigation is recommended or required, invasive sampling and testing is performed to determine if contamination is present. The results of the testing, including the type and extent of contamination is documented in a Phase II report.
While it is obvious that some properties, such as dry cleaners, photo labs, service stations, shooting ranges, and manufacturing facilities, require careful assessment, others that appear less obvious can have major issues. Some of the most contaminated properties include land previously used for farming and ranching. Landowners dump household materials, paints and thinners, pesticides and herbicides, and other waste materials in ravines or ditches, which were subsequently backfilled. Vacant land can be the site of the unauthorized dumping of asbestos-containing materials (roofing materials, old siding, and such), lead-based paint products and materials, drums and batteries. Simply removing these items from the site does not necessarily cure the problem. A Phase II is typically required to ensure that subsurface soils and groundwater are not contaminated and that adjacent properties are not affected by contamination migration.

Environmental due diligence should not be looked upon as a ‘deal-killer’, rather it allows the purchaser and lender to determine if risk is manageable and acceptable. Without conducting all appropriate inquiry, one cannot assert an innocent purchaser defense under federal law – what you don’t know can hurt you, and others, too.

Ms. Clark-Wine, a real estate broker since 1985, achieved a Certified Professional Landman/Environmental Site Assessor designation in 1993 and taught “Managing the Environment” for the Texas Real Estate Commission. She once served as Real Estate Manager for the City of Colorado Springs.




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