Laughter heals. That’s the motto of Save the Ta-tas - which raised awareness and more than $500,000 to fight breast cancer. Save the Ta-tas won the Change the World Gala Humanitarian Award.
But then…there are the stuffed shirts who don’t like ”Ta-tas” and get their two cents in (instead of hundreds of thousands) on Wikipedia and Facebook and…hopefully their therapists. Kisses™ benefits numerous charities and helps individuals and companies prosper. Stamp that naughty, too!
Zazzle disapproved of this “sexually suggestive” image:
And then Zazzle had the nerve to feature another copyrighted stamp I designed to promote and sell their stamps. Wouldn’t you think they’d compensate me, and look more deeply into all of this? Mother Teresa says “Love begins with a smile.”
Well, hooray for Save the Ta-tas founder Julia Fikse and celebrities like Liz Vassey, who was on Two and A Half Men.
I am sure Charlie Sheen would want to Save the Ta-tas. He said one of the lines from my naughty but nice greeting cards on the show when his brother was after the same girl:
“I don’t care if you chase her. Dogs chase cars and they can’t drive!”
Sometimes we’re naughty, but we’re always nice. Kisses™, Love, and Laughter heal…
and sell!
Wait ’til you see what we’re doing next for a Water Initiative and ever so many changes for good – with fun – in the world. We have to have compassion for those like Zazzle (Kisses™ & Zazzle Blog Post) who just don’t understand the Vivian Greene motto:
“All that is real is seen with the heart.”
Well, as my favorite doctor would say, “Ta-ta!”
“Be who you are and say what you feel because those who mind don’t matter and those who matter don’t mind.” ~Dr Seuss
Kisses™ & Zazzle Postage Stamps really do go together, nicely.
Zazzle cancelled my entirecustom postage stamp order (re-order) I had designed for a USPS contest, because they objected to this one design! They said…
“For these reasons, we were unable to process your original order:
Title: Love and Kisses
Result: Not Approved
Content Issues: — Design may be considered obscene, pornographic, or sexually suggestive, including most depictions of artistic nudity.”
Better alert all the teachers, schools and libraries that use Kisses™ illustrated books since 1979. And all those 400 newspapers that had Kisses™ on the doorstep daily and Sunday for so many years. Not to mention the many charities which use Kisses™ to raise money and awareness to help millions of children throughout the world.
And – the greeting cards…80 million or more Kisses™ “nudists” are out there! Jeff Bezos even has one. Careful…The word “Bezos” means “Kisses.” And I mean business.
I’d like my Zazzle Postage Stamps, please.
I’d also like to develop the first and only dedicated character merchandising program online to do good in the world. And I believe I am the only artist alive who has 35 years of design and product development experience, and owns my own intellectual property to do so.
Don’t blush. When they’re not doing their “angel work” in the world, Kisses™ wear clothes. They even design clothes – and nearly every product you’ve ever seen Snoopy adorn.
Photo GEORGE F. LEE / Honolulu Star Bulletin You can’t read Vivian’s mind, but you can read her dress.
In fact, I notified Zazzle in December that my art and quotes are used on some of your products, and was assured Zazzle would contact the artists/store owners to send me samples and request permission. It could be lucrative for all of us…
I’ve asked my attorney Gary Fergus to follow up, so we can explore a collaboration.
I believe things happen for a higher purpose. And all kidding aside, I thanked Zazzle for their notice. I assured them that my life is dedicated to helping children, and the child in all of us. My work with Shriners Hospitals for Children, Stolen Childhoods, Foster Parent Plan, World Family, and an endless list is testimony. I could really further that work with Zazzle.
As one of my other characters proclaims “Together…we can soar.”
Please send my Zazzle Postage Stamps. Thank you.
cc: Jeff Bezos
Vivian Greene Invest In Love inc “All that is real is seen with the heart.”
I was late. I had already called my ‘publisher to be’ and said I’d like to make dinner a half hour later. I couldn’t wait to meet Mac Anderson, founder of Simple Truths. We were supposed to have had dinner in Palm Beach, but his assistant regretfully cancelled our Monday dinner on Friday, not a Good Friday, and said we’d reschedule. That was in January and this was March 4th. I had waited months. And now, I was late.
When Mac told me he was going to Scottsdale for a month, I decided to meet him there. My dear friend Harv Jaffe who had been president of our high school class – the Rainier Beach Vikings in Seattle, had moved there and I had an invitation for some time. I was a year late for Harv too.
You see, I was recovering from a car accident and it had limited my travel because I could not lay flat. GEICO had helped with an adjustable hospital bed – which, needless to say, would have looked suspicious going through airport security and cost too much to check. Pillows and cushions didn’t work. I needed the precise angle.
My definition of success is going to bed when you’re tired, and getting up when you’re not. I do not own an alarm, and have traveled 40 weeks a year for 20 years just fine with my ‘mental’ alarm clock – a tool I learned when I received my MSU in Psychology.
But that was before the injuries I sustained in the accident.
So, although I never had trouble sleeping before, without that bed it was awful. I do NOT believe in excuses.
So I tried to make a shorter trip, and deal with any sleep depravation. Airport security might have questioned those bags under my eyes after a night without my adjustable bed.
Harv made a great suggestion. He took me to Dillards in Scottsdale where they were having a special promotion for Dior. The head make up artist was there. The makeover was not only free, I was given a beautiful gift. And then. The cameras started flashing. I was even asked to possibly be in an endorsement for Dior.
When you’re feeling kind of frumpy from the pain and being away from what you love so much, this is the ultimate compliment. The only problem was, I was going to be late even for the 7:00 dinner that I had asked Mac to move to 7:30.
“You look stunning. It was worth the wait.” Harv said when he picked me up to meet Mac.
“You’re tardy.” Mac said, when I arrived at 7:45.
‘You’re hungry!” I said. I know men. Laugh, Love, Eat and Dance. Those things will cure anything! In fact, I saw today that Mac agrees with that, because below is who he quoted, and a video you’ll love.
Copyright Cops – Video Pending
We love the Copyright Cops because they protect our work, too.
Here’s a great video you can view:
Go to —>YouTubeuntil we receive permission to post it here.
After visiting, do come back to us!!
By the way, if you ever happen to see my Kisses™, quotes or art without my name, let us know.
You’ll be rewarded!!
“The human race has only one really effective weapon, and that is laughter. The moment it arises, all your irritations and resentments slip away and the sunny spirit takes their place.”
~Mark Twain
And if you think this is great, wait ’till you see what Simple Truths publishes of mine!
Vivian Greene Invest In Love inc “All that is real is seen with the heart.”
“All that is real is seen with the heart.® means something different to different people. “Close your eyes” says the man in this video. “Then you’ll know.” You’ll know it’s okay to be different.
This young deaf and mute girl from Thailand will touch your heart even more than Susan Boyle awestruck millions on Britain’s Got Talent. All of us often don’t see, hear, or realize the light in ourselves, the light we can share and light in others.
“Let Your Light Shine” was actually a commercial in Thailand sponsored by Pantene. And the light of the music is immortal – The composer, Pachelbel is best known for the Canon in D, the only canon he wrote in the late 1600′s.
I’m deeply moved by this Pantene video.Kisses™ cards and comics are drawn with their eyes covered by their hair, because “All that is real is seen with the heart.®”
Keep that in mind and “Let Your Light Shine” as Pantene showed. You’ll never have a bad hair day!
“May the light at the core of your being illuminate the world.”
by Kate Nowak, May You Be Blessed
“Sometimes our light goes out
but is blown again into flame
by an encounter
with another human being.
Each of us
owes the deepest thanks
to those who have rekindled
this inner light.”
~Albert Schweitzer
Let Your Light Shine!
Vivian Greene Invest In Love inc “All that is real is seen with the heart.”
GEICO has a Gecko, Met Life has Snoopy and my insurance has a Stool Pigeon.Health Care and insurance can be amusing.
I’m recovering from injuries sustained in a car accident. Today, I was sent to Quest Laboratories to get a stool specimen. I’m not real sure what this test has to do with my wrist and neck injuries, but you know the insurance and medical procedures inspire curiosity. It’s just the Rules of Stools and we must cooperate.
What I was given was some colorful little containers to take home, with instructions in TEN languages. Some of them are jokes and puzzles. For example, “the vial with the White Cap is to be refrigerated.” The caps are blue, orange, and pink. I am an artist, and I know my colors. I checked some of the other languages: blanca in Spanish, blanco in Italian. White.White. White. I couldn’t read the Cambodian, German, Japanese, Chinese, or Vietnamese and I don’t even know what Laotian is.
I decided to Google stool. Aha! Stool Pigeon: “A decoy bird, or a police informer.” Just WHAT is the purpose of the IME(Independent Medical Exams)?
I love Google. Here’s what I found:
Here’s a humorous post I found by Chas at BangItOut.com entitled:
AMA and Health Care
The American Medical Association has weighed in on Obama’s health care package.
The Allergists were in favor of scratching it, but the Dermatologists advised not to make any rash moves.
The Gastroenterologists had sort of a gut feeling about it, but the Neurologists thought the Administration had a lot of nerve.
Meanwhile, Obstetricians felt certain everyone was laboring under a misconception, while the Ophthalmologists considered the idea shortsighted.
Pathologists yelled, “Over my dead body!”. while the Pediatricians said, “Oh, grow up!”
The Psychiatrists thought the whole idea was madness, while the Radiologists could see right through it.
Surgeons decided to wash their hands of the whole thing and the Internists claimed it would indeed be a bitter pill to swallow.
The Plastic Surgeons opined that this proposal would “put a whole new face on the matter.” The Podiatrists thought it was a step forward, but the Urologists were pissed off at the whole idea.
Anesthesiologists thought the whole idea was a gas, and those softy Cardiologists didn’t have the heart to say no.
In the end, the Proctologists won out, leaving the entire decision up to the tushies* in Washington.
* Forgive me, Chas, I took the liberty of changing that one naughty word.
AMA and Health Care = IME Rules and Stools
Vivian Greene Invest In Love inc “All that is real is seen with the heart.”
Love is The Greatest Healer. This video is such a beautiful example. No wonder it was the winner at the Cannes Film Festival in France.Without a word, it is my favorite film of my entire collection. It is such a moving example of the theme of all my work, “All that is real is seen with the heart.®” And what is more moving… than children, and love.
I wrote about Pink, playfully teasing General Mills, bless their hearts,to give even more money than the generous $2 million dollars they just donated for breast cancer research.
I hope to help with my Kisses™characters, which not only adorn anything you might see with a comic friend like Mickey Mouse or Snoopy on it, but Kisses™ angels are what we call “endearing advocates,” designed to make a difference in the world. I have a rich background in design, marketing, character merchandising and fundraising.
Here is the reason this is so important to me:
I have friends who did not survive cancer. I know women who are warriors and have certainly beat the odds — yet going through “the war” was so challenging, for them and for me and all who care for them.
Here is a saying I’ve shared in my book GOOD MOURNING and audio tape, RELAX:
We can love without suffering for those we love.
and another…
Your own happiness is the greatest gift you can give to another.
However, like overcoming illness or pain, it is easier said than done.
Love is The Greatest Healer.
This was a poem I wrote, initially as a gift for my friend, therapy for myself. Little did I know it would spawn my first book of poetry, GOOD MOURNING, What Death Teaches Us About Life, and then MOURNING GLORY, Love Lives Forever.
-=*=–=*=- -=*=–=*=- -=*=–=*=-
I called my friend, Mildred
and she told me her husband,
her partner for forty-two years,
the man she loves
has cancer
and it is terminal.
I know what it feels like
although it took me many years
to feel it
after my best friend
was told he had six months to live
and left, I thought, until I realized
how much he taught me, before, and now,
and that our relationship never left
love cannot die
and only the cancer was terminal.
~ Vivian Greene
-=*=–=*=- -=*=–=*=- -=*=–=*=-
…with gratitude to SU2C(Stand Up to Cancer) and their supporters including Amgen, AARP, Bloomberg Philanthropies, GlaxoSmithKline, Revlon, Inter-American Development Bank (IDB), Wallis Annenberg & The Annenberg Foundation, Alliance for Global Good, New York Giants, Milken Family Foundation, Philips Electronics, Steve Tisch, The Island Def Jam Music Group and many others.
In addition to ABC, CBS and NBC, SU2C major media partners include AOL, Condé Nast Media Group, eBay Inc., Facebook, Hachette Filipacchi Media U.S., Hearst Corporation, Los Angeles Times, Meredith Corporation, The New York Times Company, Time Inc and WebMD.
…and heartfelt appreciation to St. Baldrick’s Foundation, a non-profit organization that raises funds for childhood cancer research. In 2009 research grants and other awards totaled $11.5 million.
Another $5 million in cooperative research funding was given to the Children’s Oncology Group and labs used by that group’s 200 member institutions, the foundation said.
This is a story about a Big Bad Bank, an Ordinary Couple, Dade County Water and Sewer, a brave and honorable Judge, a little Shih Tzu Angel named Timmy, and God.
Miami Dade Water & Sewer hasn’t answered my letter. You know, the “Monopoly Rules” theory practiced by those who think “We the People” are just “Oh those guys…” I have now been attempting to resolve an issue over an “alleged” leak for ten months, three weeks and four days. (See my article: Kisses and Volkswagon To The Rescue)
The more I ask for cooperation, the higher the bill, the more times they waste all that fuel and time by sending out the big truck to turn the water off over and over again in my home of 33 years.
A wealth of other people responded. Unexplained charges, usurious penalties, interest charges….You know the story. No need to upset your breakfast.
But a surprising amount of support, concern, comradery and even money came from all over the country – the world in fact. You can see it in our posts, and some I will publish. We are all in the same boat. It doesn’t matter who is responsible for the hole. If there is a hole in the boat, we all sink.
That is why this story includes the Big Bad Bank, et al.
Diane Yano-Horoski and her husband, Greg from Suffolk County was the first thing I saw on AOL, thanks to an Eyewitness News Reporter (thank you ABC), The Honorable Judge Spinner, (go New York!!!) and a couple who tried everything they could think of to avoid litigation and just make affordable payments.
At first blush, that may not seem exactly the same as my plight with Dade County Water and Sewer, but when you can see the whole story, and especially what’s real from your heart, as the little shisu Timmy and the big award testify, it’s the same.
Only the decimals and names are different.
Their mortgage nightmare with banksters from One West, a California Bank, is much like mine was for five years in a case that involved Amerifirst, an S& L and the RTC (Resolution Trust Company). The Water & Sewer dilemma is the same crazy making senseless abuse tactics. I call them Soul Squishers.
Knock Knock. How are my usurious bills for an alleged water leak like a foreclosure action? Has anything like this ever happened to you – or should I say, how often?
I’ll explain.
The definition of a leak is “to become known despite efforts at concealment ” ~Webster
It is the bank and Dade County Water & Sewer who have “leaks.”
Suffolk Judge Jeffrey Spinner erased $525,000 in mortgage payments that One West Bank was demanding from the couple who had tried (like me) everything they could to get some co-operation.
“We did act in good faith and the only reason we had taken this case into the judicial system was because we could go no further.” said Papa Bear Horoski.
Judge Spinner said One West’s conduct was “inequitable, unconscionable, vexatious and opprobrious,” He cancelled the debt.
“Spinner pulled no punches as he smacked down the bankers at One West — who took an $814.2 million federal bailout but have a record of coldbloodedly foreclosing on any homeowner owing money” said NY Post reporters
“A Bombshell Decision” cheered ABC News.
The decision, we all know if we’ve ever been to court or owned a TV, will be challenged.
I still own my home – with much thanks to an advocate, Marie McDonnell. But I can tell you this – I never received a penny owed to me by the Resolution Trust Company, now defunct. And I never received the money still owed by the Savings and Loan, now defunct.
And even after I survived that ordeal, my own Miami Homeowners Association tried to steal my property claiming I had not paid a fee the year of Hurricane Andrew. I was flat on my back in traction from a car accident in Honolulu when a fan of my Kisses™ comic strip sent my office a condolence note about “the foreclosure action.”
I still own my house. Thanks to Ms McDonnell again. I had to retain attorneys, locate records from years past and the debris of the worst natural disaster of all time in 1992- Hurricane Andrew, Category 5.
I had to borrow money, wake up at 3AM to make the calls with the Hawaii-Florida time difference. I proved I did not owe the money. But it wasn’t necessary. The Statute of Limitations was up anyway. Had I not heard from a fan, I would have lost my home – paid in full – over an alleged $700 or $800 Homeowners Association Fee.
Know what – one of those little old ladies is still on the board of the Beautification Committee for the Homeowners Association bothering people about duck poop on their patio.
You can see why the story about the Horoskis – who paid so much and didn’t even have equity in their home, and why Dade County Water and Sewer, who cannot even answer one letter after repeated requests and inquiries for nearly a year, and bankers, businesses, and Bernies who get away with duck poop have to be stopped.
Everything Happens For The Best!
Bless Judge Jeffrey Spinner for blasting the bad bank and erasing $525G of debt. Bless the press for publicizing this and giving so many people so in need of hope a glimpse of justice.
But most of all, I am really grateful for Diane Yano-Horoski’s genuine sharing of her feelings, her fear, her faith. She said this “victory” did not come without a price:
“While speaking with a news reporter, our beloved Shih Tzu, Timmy, was killed by an oncoming car. Nothing can replace him or the sadness his death has caused. It has been a bittersweet time for us, and I am certain marks the beginning of yet another round with this bank.”
This is the simple truth. Nothing can replace a life, a relationship, a bond where love is the driving force. That’s not true of a house, or mortgage, or money, or unfortunately in this case – a judgment, which may just create more expense and concern and litigation during the already threatened appeal.
We never own anything. We tend to allow things to own us though.
In my book (literally and figuratively, I am the author of GOOD MOURNING, What Death Teaches Us About Life) Timmy’s death poses that incessent question: WHY? As Rabbi Kushner best selling book asks “Why Do Bad Things Happen To Good People?”
Why, indeed, is this couple and why are millions of us pinched by the tallons of the Big Bad Bank? Or the victim of loveless bureaucracy – like my situation with Dade County Water and Sewer, or a Foreclosure happy Homeowners Association?
Maybe we’ve put those material things first, and when we were looking the other way, we lost what matters most.
I asked Pastor Elwin Ahu of New Hope Christian Ministry this question. He had served as a judge in Honolulul for 24 years before he became a minister for this Four Square church.
He listened to my tales of woe – everyone in my family has died, my legal battles for my house, copyright infringments, my withdrawal from newspaper syndication of my comic strip because I would not tolerate my designs on products made my child slavery, the Moving and Storage stole 20 years worth of my work and every possession I had.
Pastor Ahu listened.
“Why do you think these things happen?” Pastor Ahu asked me. And I thought only Jewish people answered questions with questions…
“I don’t know why, I said. But I do know this. Eventually, everything…even death…has been a seed for something good to blossom in it’s own time.”
“By not allowing the newspaper syndicate to strong arm me into ownership of my copyrights, I use my work to endorse and promote things that make a difference in the world. And here I am in Hawaii, in paradise.”
Pastor Ahu gave me a knowing grin. “I’ll tell you why.”
“When you love God so much, and do good – you are a threat to the darkness.”
So this story about a Big Bad Bank, an Ordinary Couple, Dade County Water and Sewer, a brave and honorable Judge, a little Shih Tzu Angel named Timmy, and God reminded me that “Everything Happens For The Best.”
Regardless of what happens next with the appeal or the banks, for me Diane and Greg Horoski are already the winners. Not because of the $500,000.
If some nitwit at One West Bank does pursue the appeal, or the sleeping beauty in the White House doesn’t examine just what the Big Bad Bank is doing with that $814.2 million federal bailout, this ordinary couple and extraordinary judge have restored some respect and trust in our judicial system, and perhaps a higher law.
The Horoskis are welcome to move in with me. I’m looking into privatized water, and the itty bitty duck droppings on the patio wash away with the rain.
Everything Happens For The Best!
Vivian Greene Invest In Love inc “All that is real is seen with the heart.”
Yes, a Tushie to Tushie Talk With President Obama!
If I’m in a tug of war – be it a personal struggle, with Goliath Dade County Water & Sewer who charges me up the kazoo for a leak that never existed, or even if I were the President of the United States, there is one thing that is always true. In a tug of war, no matter how hard and strong the other side is, if I let go, technically I lose. But the truth is…when I let go, the other side falls on it’s tushie.
When I was a little girl I wanted to be the First Lady. Jacqueline Kennedy was so beautiful, eloquent, regal. I know today little girls want to be the first Lady President. But my family hailed from Italy and the Greek island of Rhodes, and as you may have seen in that hilarious (true true true) movie, My Big Fat Greek Wedding, the Mama of the family says her hubby may be the head of the family, “But mama is the neck.”
Michele…help. What a terribly difficult decision we’re facing.
I’ve never had political aspirations. But I’ve always had Love inspiration – a desire to add love to work, politics, health, relationships…life. That’s why my Kisses™ characters are drawn with their eyes covered: “All that is real is seen with the heart.”®
When I saw this picture – pictures say so much more than words – I felt such compassion. I hurt. For our president, our country, all of the people who suffer so from war.
I read that Napoleon Hill, the famous author of Think and Grow Rich, was an advisor to President Roosevelt. I wish I could do the same with President Obama and help him. It’s not that I know the answer, but I do know as I say in my book:
“You can’t see the mountain when you’re standing on it.”
“I know we all can enter that space of the artist, or musician, or poet, or dancer, that place in the heart where the vibration is more clear and pure than advice.”
Maybe you can enter that space and help too. I don’t mean by writing congressmen, marching around, or making any kind of demands. Not demands. Questions. Seeking the answers within and sharing them by the love we put into each and every day, and relationships. If we can’t get along with a parent, spouse, boss, friend — how can we expect peace in the world?
This incredible art came from an article byRay McGovern. Please visit Truthout. Most of all, search the truth within. Let’s help..
Friday 27 November 2009
Ray McGovern | Obama’s Profile in Courage, or Cave-In? Ray McGovern, Truthout: “‘It took a lot of courage on Kennedy’s part to defy the Pentagon, defy the military – and do the right thing,” said Col. Larry Wilkerson, USA (ret.), according to Robert Dreyfuss in his recent Rolling Stone article ‘The Generals’ Revolt.” …
Wilkerson, who was chief of staff at the State Department (2002-2005) and now teaches at George Washington University, was alluding to President John F. Kennedy’s courage in 1962, when he faced down his top generals and refused to bomb Cuba and risk nuclear war.” Read the Article
Let’s have aTushie to Tushie Talk With President Obama!
Vivian Greene Invest In Love inc “All that is real is seen with the heart.”
“Can a Kisses™ or Volkswagen initiative save Dade County Water & Sewer?”
asks Vivian Greene pictured at a Warner Bros Display
International Licensing Show, NY.
I wonder if an initiative of Volkswagen could help me solve my problem with Dade County Water & Sewer?
Cram the entire Customer Service into a VW? No, not exactly.
But VW reminds me of what has created my success all along. And maybe…maybe…it would work with Miami Dade Water & Sewer.
You see they keep billing me hundreds of dollars for a leak they claim I had last year. I never had a leak. At least, that’s what the plumber and their own experts who kept coming out to my house said after I called the mayor in desperation.
I mean…I use purified water, and I can shower at the local Spa, but I do prefer a toilet to kitty litter.
When I paid a monthly $100 which I agreed to do while we explore the problem, they came to turn off my water anyway. They claimed they had not received my $100 good will payment. Funny. They cashed the check.
The nice Mayor’s office got DCWS to change the meter. Then DCWS said, I still owed more money. Thanks for fixing the leak.
There was no leak. I didn’t fix anything. They turned off my water again last Thursday.
Maybe Volkswagen can help me. God knows, I need a car too. And the message of the Volkswagen initiative and mine are just about the same.
The VW initiative is about FUN. They’ve shown that FUN can change people’s behavior. They must not be having enough fun at Dade County Water and Sewer. I must think of something and save them.
Truth In Lending came to my rescue. They paid the alleged Water bill. The water was turned back on late Friday afternoon.
Are we having FUN yet?
No. Now DCWS wants another $160 by December 7 for “penalties.”
Goodness, they must not have any fun working at DCWS at all. They should learn a thing or two from Volkswagen.
VW has shown that FUN changes the behavior. If you haven’t seen Piano Stairs yet…take a quick peek at this:
So what next? How can I get to Dade County Water & Sewer and make their life more fun so they have better things to do than this silly (and costly) stuff? Do I go dance on John Renfrow’s desk? I think he should personally answer my letter. Maybe I should send it daily – hundreds of copies:
July 10, 2009Mr. John Renfrow, Director Miami Dade Water & Sewer
“Imagine if you walked into a grocery store, chose the food you want (no price tags), took it home and then, at the end of the month, got the bill in the mail. “
Marc Gunther who writes for FORTUNE began a column that way, and I thought, that is exactly how Dade County Water & Sewer operates. Only DCWS takes what you paid for away, refuses to send any accounting or reason for the charges, and says pay whatever we say or go to arbitration and suffer. We don’t make mistakes. And we don’t care.
I might be willing to help you change this system. You claim you are “consistently looking for ways to provide quality service.” You need cooperation with the customers you service – and a customer like myself who has been through the ringer with you to really know what to do. I feel like I’ve been talking to people who teach you how to swim without ever being in the water themselves.
I am out of pocket more than a thousand dollars for an “alleged” leak, and thousands more in lost time and medical bills because of DCWS malfeasance.
I have asked, offered, begged to assist in fixing the “leak” IF there ever was one since December of 08. I cannot even get a copy of my bills from previous years for comparison, nor have I received the recent bills for my home of 35 years. Nor have I received a copy of the reports.
When I asked why I had high water bills, I was told “We’re not plumbers”
Thanks to the assistance of Mayor Alvarez office, the meter was changed. The meter seems to have been the problem in the first place, since the last meter reading is back to normal.
Where is reimbursement for all those charges? Why am I asked to continue with a payment plan? Why can’t I obtain copies of my bills and reports?
And WHY would MDWS refuse to assist in resolving a problem if there is one? If this is the MO it severely hurts the people and the environment.
I would not only like to resolve my own situation here – I would be willing to help you help others. Please let me hear from you.
Vivian Greene
Why is DCWS so anxious to go to court? I’ve tried so hard to avoid this. Let’s face it, Miami Vice has more demanding problems than my toilet.
But if I must go to court, and pay $700/hr, I’m still going to ask the judge to order DCWS to have more fun. They must be suffering from LackofFunitis.
That must be the problem. Because there is no leak. Because there is no reason to be this inefficient. Because there is no censured censured censured. Imagine how many people Dade County Water and Sewer have offended. Stress is toxic. You give it out, you breath it in.
I’d like to save Dade County Water and Sewer. I’d like all the money this has cost me back so I can share some fun and steward the money for good, like I do with all my work at www.VivianGreene.com. I’d like to see a world full of Volkswagen drivers with flowers on their cars.
Everyone should have more fun. Dance, eat, drink, and remarry (renew vows or new partner or new water meter). Like my book says: Just Get Up And Dance!
What a court order! Give Dade County Water and Sewer a sentence of 30 minutes a day to dance Disco con Salsa.
Maybe Gloria Estefan, or KC (he lives in my neighborhood) can help me? Volkswagen has the right idea. And as Marie McDonnell from Truth In Lending said, “The city has it wrong.”
As I always say, “Life isn’t about waiting for the storm to pass…it’s about learning to dance in the rain.”
My thanks to Volkswagen for their shining example. I hope Kisses™ can save Dade County Water and Sewer.
Kisses®are drawn with their eyes covered because “All that is real is seen with the heart.”
Kisses™ and Volkswagen To The Rescue!
Vivian Greene Invest In Love inc “All that is real is seen with the heart.”
Don’t Call Your Lawyer, Call A Magician!
“We have to change more than our light bulbs. We have to change some laws.” said Al Gore when I saw him Saturday. I couldn’t agree more.
The response to my blog about my sog with Dade County Water and Sewer was incredible. It was suggested I set up a Defense Fund.
Okay: Donate
Many people feel the difficulty to reach anyone, the arbitrary billing, and our requirement to pay monies and penalties not owed are out of control. How can anyone afford the time to document, investigate, and take off from our own work and responsibilities to fight these disputes?
Justice is only what we can afford to pay.
Okay: Donate
I would like to see a law enacted which makes institutions pay for the time we are on hold, the time it takes to prove our case, not only attorney fees but our fees for time and expenses.
So: Donate. Let’s do it!
“You don’t need to call your lawyer,” business man Jim Cassidy said. “Youneed a magician.” And bless his heart, he sent me a magician in this hysterical video of an old Johnny Carson Show, starring Steve Martin:
But, I’m not joking. I will gladly match any funds which you Donate with art or gift certificates to change this system. Let’s flush injustice down the toilet.
Don’t Call Your Lawyer, Call A Magician!
Vivian Greene Invest In Love inc “All that is real is seen with the heart.”
Laughter heals. That’s the motto of Save the Ta-tas - which raised awareness and more than $500,000 to fight breast cancer. Save the Ta-tas won the Change the World Gala Humanitarian Award. 
And then Zazzle had the nerve to feature another copyrighted stamp I designed to promote and sell their stamps. Wouldn’t you think they’d compensate me, and look more deeply into all of this? Mother Teresa says “Love begins with a smile.”
Kisses™ & Zazzle Postage Stamps really do go together, nicely.
“May the light at the core of your being illuminate the world.”
-=*=–=*=- -=*=–=*=- -=*=–=*=-
I asked Pastor Elwin Ahu of New Hope Christian Ministry this question. He had served as a judge in Honolulul for 24 years before he became a minister for this Four Square church.
When I saw this picture – pictures say so much more than words – I felt such compassion. I hurt. For our president, our country, all of the people who suffer so from war.
“Can a Kisses™ or Volkswagen initiative save Dade County Water & Sewer?”
