The Mayor of Clearwater, FL resigned in the middle of a City Council meeting. It was, to put it mildly, not expected, but I think it should have been, since he'd kept a clock in his office counting down the days and hours in his term. Putting the political issues aside, have you ever hated your job so much that you considered just abruptly quitting and walking away? Be honest, now. (Tampa Bay Times)

A Florida woman allegedly pulled a gun on a McDonald's drive-thru clerk when it was pointed out to her that the order she made isn't on the McDonald's menu. She apparently asked for some version of a meal deal that they don't offer, and now I'm curious as to what she ordered. Like, did she order a Wendy's Frosty, or one of Burger King's specials? (Florida Today)

A school assignment that gave extra credit to kids who ate bugs to teach the lesson that humans can and should eat bugs (they're protein!) had parents up in arms, and the issues here are complicated: On the one hand, parents want to be aware of stuff like that and protect their children. On the other hand, besides the lesson being taught, eating bugs, though gross, is harmless, and it wasn't mandatory. Anyway, feel free to debate this one. (Today/NBC)

Employers really ought not to be so picky in hiring, considering how volatile the job market is right now, but some are using AI and wearables to ramp up what some have done with testing on paper for years: monitor prospects' and staffers' brains. They make the subjects submit to personality testing and cognitive tests, to go along with checking the applicants' Facebook and Twitter posts to glean whatever information they can. Employers will say it's just due diligence. Those whose lives are being scrutinized might feel little differently. Maybe there should be legal limits on what they can monitor. (Los Angeles Times)

What can you do if your bank thinks you're dead? One Florida man discovered that his bank account was locked because the bank mistakenly marked him as dead. You'd think this could be fixed with a phone call or a visit to the bank. Simple, right? Just show your ID and that you're not dead and they'll unlock everything? Nope. The bank said that once the account's sent to "estates services," it's too late and it "has to take its course." It took getting a TV consumer reporter involved for the bank to relent. I wonder how often this happens. (WPTV/West Palm Beach)

The latest in preventing bothering people with work stuff when they're on vacation is what a company in India is doing: If you contact a co-worker during their vacation, you get fined 100,000 rupees ($1,200). Apparently, it works. It shouldn't take a financial penalty for anyone to leave vacationing co-workers alone, but common sense hasn't worked. (CNN)

All those near-miss incidents on the runways, increased turbulence in the sky... it might appear that air travel has become less safe, but the numbers still say it's safe. Nevertheless, do the stories that seem to be coming every day make you think twice about booking a seat? (Washington Post)

I don't really know about the contention in this article that remote work has led to people using their afternoons for fun like playing golf. I've been remote working for decades and I feel guilty just walking into the next room when I'm supposed to be on duty. It seems difficult to imagine just blowing off all work for hours to play golf on a work day, flex or no flex, and I'm not sold that it's widespread -- seems like something employers would spread to say "see? Can't trust 'em." (New York Times)

What would you do if you suddenly started getting Uber Eats orders you never made? Food just started showing up on your doorstep, paid for, but with no indication who paid for it or why it was being delivered to you? Residents on one street in L.A.'s Highland Park neighborhood are getting deliveries from McDonald's and Starbucks that they didn't order, and it's a grand mystery. Would you eat the "gifts" or not trust it? (Los Angeles Times)

A Philly cop who got himself fired years ago for punching his estranged wife in the face then reinstated through his union is in trouble again, this time for allegedly punching and spitting on people and using racial and homophobic slurs in a bar. Why did he do that? 'Cause someone 'switched the jukebox from Country music to hip-hop. Must be a HUGE Morgan Wallen fan. I wonder how many of you have gotten into fights over what someone picked to play on a jukebox. I wonder how many places even HAVE jukeboxes anymore. (Philadelphia Inquirer)

What do you do if a neighbor harbors rats and vermin? In one Florida neighborhood, a woman's home is in shambles and she's taken to feeding the rats and drinking canal water, and the neighbors are commendably concerned for her well-being as mich as they're concerned about the rats invading their neighborhood. But what can you do about it? You can get the city to enforce its codes, but can you do anything if a neighbor goes kinda off the rails? (WBBH-TV/Fort Myers)

A Florida man on trial for DUI manslaughter took a lunch break from his trial and didn't come back. Kinda walked out and didn't return. He's probably gonna lose his bond, I suppose, but that's pretty brazen. And tempting, if you're looking at prison time anyway. (WKMG-TV/Orlando)

This article insists that theme park rides are safe. By the numbers, yes, they seem to be safe, whatever the stories about people who are injured or killed on them might otherwise indicate. But there's a strong "you'll never get me up in one of those things" aspect to coasters and other rides, isn't there? (USA Today)

There are people who call themselves "extreme travelers" -- trying to go see every country in the world. This is not easy, and is getting even harder as the "official" organization for them adds to and changes the list, some countries become unsafe for travel, and, well, if you had the time for it, would you want to try and see the world... ALL of it? (BBC)

You already know that we all shrink as we age, and this article attempts to explain why. It comes down to compression of the discs in your back. They compress, you get shorter, that's the story. And now you know. (Scripps News via WFTS-TV/Tampa)

Here in South Florida, we are experiencing yet another invasion by "Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives," meaning that another bunch of restaurants and food trucks have been visited by Guy Fieri, and thus will get more crowded with Food Network fans. We have had this before -- the deli down the street has a big sign up with Fieri's picture on it -- because he has a home near here. It's a blessing (good food, mostly) and a curse (small joints with hour-long waits for a table). But he's shown up practically everywhere, so, which joints has he promoted in your town? (South Florida Sun-Sentinel)

The EPA is instituting stricter standards on tap water to require monitoring for microplastics and "forever chemicals." Some of those chemicals were banned several years ago but are still lurking. It's good that they'll be on the lookout, but it does make you wonder if you can drink unfiltered tap water. Do you trust it? (CNN)

Highway deaths are increasing. A lot of them are due to distracted driving. It's getting worse. What, if anything, can we do to change this? Why won't people get the message (uh...) and stop texting and looking at the phone while driving? (Los Angeles Times)

One of the most popular lunch options is also one of the least healthy: sandwiches. This piece offers tips on how to make your sandwich less unhealthy, and, yes, going whole grain with the bread is one way. Also, fresh meat instead of nitrate and sodium-packed deli meats, no or less cheese... in other words, less good. (Wall Street Journal)

So, what the hell happened to Siri, Alexa, and Google Assistant? They were supposed to be the future, artificial intelligence made useful. But they are, as Microsoft's Satya Nadella said, "dumb as a rock." And now ChatGPT and GPT-4 are the next big thing, flaws and all, while it seems like everyone who was going to buy an Alexa device already did. And if you have one, you know how annoying and clunky it is to use them. How did Apple squander its first-mover advantage? How did Alexa go from being the future to almost an afterthought? (New York Times)

For everyone who is happy to have taken advantage of the overheated real estate market to sell their house for big bucks, there are people, especially first-time sellers, who regret selling and think they made mistakes that left them getting less than they should have. This article runs down those mistakes, like not pricing the house correctly, not fixing up the place to enhance curb appeal, and bad timing; it's interesting, because we were guided by an ace Realtor when we sold and he advised NOT to worry about repairs, and he was absolutely right. Even priced into the deal, we did well and the buyers were happy, too. No regrets. (CNBC)

It continues to be the case that companies are severely cutting back or eliminating customer service via telephone, pushing you to use online forms or chatbots. You can't get a human, and if you have a problem that's even a tiny bit more complicated than can be handled by a... um, wait. When you DO get a CSR on the line, they just read from a script anyway, and if you have a more complicated problem, they're often useless. I guess it doesn't matter, then. (Washington Post)

Another article about burnout? Yeah, and this one asks if it's impossible to eliminate it. Even remote working is seen as contributing: some people work more that way, and it leaves them exhausted. Maybe the solution is retirement. At least, that's what I'm looking at. (BBC)

A kid died in high school gym class, and there are no details about the accident, but it did remind me of my own P.E. experiences and how they had us climbing ropes and stuff with the flimsiest of mats beneath us. If any of us had slipped and fallen, those mats would not have prevented major injury. How, in an age of lawyers, can schools still be having kids do ANY physical activity? (KTLA/Los Angeles)

A guy in Ohio got his arm severely bitten by a zebra, who was killed after it later approached deputies on the scene. Yes, it's another round of "Do You Really Need An Exotic Pet," and even though zebras are not considered dangerous, well, they ARE animals and they ARE not generally treated as domesticated and, no, you do NOT need to keep a zebra around. Let them live in the wild where they're native. (WBNS-TV/Columbus, OH)

Trend Alert: Weddings, birthdays, and other special occasions going gift-free. It's guilt over making people buy you stuff in an inflation-wracked era. Are you that guilt-ridden? I don't think I'd do that for a wedding or baby shower, but birthdays are increasingly sans gifts, and that's fine. You? (Wall Street Journal)

The Gulf Coast of Florida is experiencing another red tide, and it's just in time to ruin Spring Break and other vacations. The question is, if you booked in advance, you show up, and the beach smells like dead fish, there ARE dead fish on the beach, and you can't go in the water, do you lay out on the beach anyway because, hey, you paid for this vacation and you'll be damned if you're going to let a little algae bloom keep you down? Because that's what some people are doing. (WINK-TV/Fort Myers)

Has it really been years since we've had a story about people complaining about the noise from pickleball? No, it's been more like weeks. These things come up all the time. And it's no longer about elderly people; the popularity of the sport among all ages is prompting towns to build courts, and the people who have to LIVE next to those courts are not fans. It's one thing if you move next to a pickleball court (or airport, or meat packing facility), and another if one shows up in your backyard. (CNN)

Yeah, I know, you don't want to talk about guns because it never works out for you either way. But there's something about stories like this: A truck driver was seemingly randomly shot at in traffic on a freeway off-ramp in broad daylight for no apparent reason. Crazies with weapons are out there. Is this an isolated incident or rampant? Depends on what cable news network you watch, I suppose, but when this is on the news, it might make you not want to leave your house. For what it's worth, I have to drive on that same highway at times, but it never occurs to me NOT to go there; they ARE isolated and they ARE random and it DOES raise issues about how these people get weapons, but you can't let the fear control your life. Can you? Or can you just stay in your lane, let aggressive drivers pass you, and mind your own business? (WPLG-TV/Miami)

This TV consumer report about someone who lives next to a Walgreens and was getting awakened by garbage trucks at 5 am despite laws banning trash pickup that early can raise conversation about noise in your town, and egregious violators, whether it's delivery trucks in the early hours or trains blowing their horns at 3 am or planes buzzing overhead. (WSVN-TV/Miami)

Mental illness is nothing to laugh at, but there's something somewhat amusing about imagining the reaction of diners at a tony Palm Beach restaurant seeing a guy strolling along Worth Avenue naked, and later explaining to cops that he is from a "different earth," which he ultimately clarified is West Palm Beach. That IS a different earth from Palm Beach, I guess. Anyway, poor guy needs help, but I bet the fancy folks on Worth Avenue were a little panicked. (WPEC-TV/West Palm Beach)

This profile of people who changed careers mid-stream implies that if you're contemplating a career move, that's not a sudden decision: Chances are strong that you've already started to do things to make it happen. You may not even know it, but it's usually a series of incremental moves over several years that leads to a total change. (The article says it's not like "Green Acres," in which Oliver just chucked everything and dragged Lisa off to Hooterville, but even Oliver seemed to be planning this over the years. Maybe buying the old Haney place was impulsive, but that impulse was in the works already. Okay, perhaps that's overthinking "Green Acres.") (Wall Street Journal)

A driver who crashed into a pet grooming spa says that the crash was because she was wearing flip-flops. She says her foot slipped. Just seems like everyone should know that driving in flip-flops is a truly awful idea. (WPLG-TV/Miami)

It will not and cannot be the same, but Disneyland's Dole whip is coming to supermarket freezer sections soon. If you've ever been to Disneyland, you know that Dole whip -- a non-dairy pineapple soft-serve, usually on a cone -- is one of those things that Disneyland fanatics obsess over. I can't imagine how they could make the supermarket version in the same consistency, but it might be good anyway. What other special treats would you want to see become more widely available? (KNBC-TV/Los Angeles)

Okay, so it's a post from a radio company, but anyone can, as Audacy has done, rank all the major league ballparks. I've been to a lot of them, including 4 of the bottom 5, and there's a LOT to disagree with on this list... which makes it ideal for a radio topic, right? (For the record: Fenway's historic but overrated. Dodger Stadium is DEFINITELY overrated. Good to see some love for Petco and The Bank. Angel Stadium is way overrated at 15- needs a good overhaul and cleaning. Target Field should be higher. Nationals Park isn't THAT bad. The Marlins' park, the Rays' park, the A's park... yeah, not great. Feels like I'm still trying to get out of the Marlins' garage after LAST year's Opening Day.) (Audacy via WQAM/Miami)

Okay, I can speak to this because I'm one of the people who moved from California to Florida. Ron De Santis says people like me moved because California is "too woke" and Florida is "free." That's BS. It has nothing to do with that -- California isn't "too woke" and Florida is anything but more free -- and everything to do with the real estate market. Simply put, we could sell in L.A. at the top of an insanely overheated market, buy in a cheaper area where we had friends and long-standing ties, and, well, you'd do that, too. If it was financially advantageous for us to buy in California, we'd have done that. And if the Governor was being honest (he isn't), he'd note that for every six migrants from CA to FL, five go the other way. Politics doesn't play much into the decision (maybe it does in The Villages, but not in this admittedly blue corner of the state). Don't believe what the politically motivated will tell you about the migration. Hell, I'll come on your show and tell you the truth. (Los Angeles Times)

People are paying insane prices on eBay to get the new Raspberry Rally Girl Scout Cookies. Why? Even if they're good -- even if they're the best cookies ever baked -- why would you pay exorbitant prices for a cookie, albeit a limited edition cookie? Jeez. (SFGate.com)

Put the political issues aside for a moment, and I know it's hard with this guy. But I've seen a slew of stories lately about Ron De Santis' high heeled cowboy boots and the fact that he's not tall, and how that plays into his presidential prospects, and I wonder if his height -- he's around 5'9" but looks shorter and stockier -- will affect his chances. Should height matter? Is someone more "presidential" if they're tall? (Slate)

Wait, there are still restaurants using QR code menus? Because some people hate them. If you don't have your cell phone with you, you don't get a menu. And since we've already determined that COVID doesn't get transmitted on surfaces, there's no virus issue there. So, why do some restaurants persist with QR codes? Maybe it makes it easier to raise prices when you don't have to reprint. (Miami Herald)

The guy who won $2 billion in the Powerball lottery recently took the lump sum (just short of a billion) and has promptly bought a $25.5 million dollar mansion in the Hollywood Hills, which is something I'm surprised ALL big-jackpot lottery winners don't do. I mean, you suddenly have enough money to buy a home anywhere in the world and you're staying in your humble abode when you could move next to movie stars and still have 98% of your cash? And it's likely to grow in value anyway? Or you could get a Manhattan penthouse, or an estate someplace, or a place on the beach in Hawaii... where would you move if you suddenly had enough money to move anywhere? (Los Angeles Times)

Companies are suddenly obsessed with cutting workforce and other costs, because, well, everybody's doing it and because they can (or at least they THINK they can; let's see how this goes). And if they're not firing everyone, they're cutting perks, because, again, they can. No more free food? No more day care? Okay, some perks were pretty excessive -- I've never worked anyplace that paid for more than coffee -- but, still, perks are a way to show you value your staff (and also a way to keep them from leaving the office). What they're showing now is that they don't really value their workers, and that they think they've got to regain the upper hand after a few years of worker gains. (Wall Street Journal)

GM said no layoffs. That didn't mean they don't want employees to go, though. They're offering workers a voluntary separation program to get staffers to quit. That's better than firing, of course, but you know that if not enough people choose to walk, the ax will start swinging. In the sudden craze among managers to cut, cut, cut ("everybody's doing it, so we should, too!"), if your employer offered you a buyout or separation deal, would you take it? What would you have to get to make it worth doing? (CNN)

No, wait, people are really letting ChatGPT write their wedding vows? If you can't even get the energy up to write your vows on the most momentous day of your life up to then, and you'd let a computer do it... man, that doesn't bode well for the marriage. (New York Times)

Turns out that sighing is good for you. It's stress relief. I feel seen. (CNN)

Here's a special report from 6ABC in Philadelphia that looks at the issue of off-campus safety surrounding the city's universities, which are surrounded by neighborhoods with high crime rates. Full Disclosure: I went to college and law school there, but in the suburbs, where crime is relatively low. But one friend was robbed in broad daylight by his apartment near Temple as his parents pulled away after helping him move in for freshman year. Straying off campus is not that safe in those areas. Did that play into your choice of schools for yourself or your kids? Would you be scared off? (WPVI-TV/Philadelphia)

Do you post reviews on Yelp or TripAdvisor? Maybe post criticism of businesses on Twitter or Facebook? Welcome to the era of customers' revenge, when, instead of talking to a manager (or after doing so), people take their problems online. Is that fair? Maybe not, but then again, if a business wants to avoid that, they could make things right before it escalates. I've had managers laugh off issues, which makes them fair game. On the other hand, if a business DOES make things right (or never got it wrong in the first place), shouldn't you post a positive review? (Wall Street Journal)

Got some tips here from AP for what to do if you think you're about to be laid off. It's the usual stuff: Save money, update the ol' resume, network, add skills. And if you've already gotten the ax, make mental health your priority and check your benefits to make sure you're covered. Why am I bringing this up at a radio and podcasting site? Oh, no reason, no reason at all. (AP via WPLG-TV/Miami)

Here's yet another trick businesses use against you: They'll make you a manager. Wait, how does that work against you? Simple: No overtime, no union. You're not really a manager, but you're no longer officially part of the rank-and-file. This happens more than you'd think. (New York Times)

Every once in a while, we get a story about how someone refused to move to make way for a big real estate development, and this one's the latest, someone whose home is surrounded by a high-rise housing complex in Coral Gables. The guy refused to move from the house his father bought when the family escaped Cuba, refused to sell, refused to give in, and now has a small house in a courtyard of a high-rise complex, a house where the sun never reaches and the view is of the base of tall buildings all around. Would you have kept the family home or sold out? Because I don't know that I'd attach so much sentimental value to a property that I'd turn down every offer. Gotta admire the guy's resolve, but, man, that's a tough way to live. (WSVN-TV/Miami)

If you don't mind an inside cabin, you can live on a cruise ship for $30,000 per year for a three-year period. You'd hit about 375 ports around the world, in 135 countries, covering over 130,000 miles. The ship will have a business center so you could work, a round-the-clock hospital with free medical visits, and, of course, food. But if you want more than 13 square feet in an inside cabin, it'll cost you. Does the bucket-list aspect of this plan appeal to you? Could you live on a cruise ship for three years? (CNN)

I could SWEAR we had a story about this recently, but in case we didn't, here's something about the way today's point-of-sale terminals and apps include preset tipping by default, setting percentages and amounts you might not choose to tip. It's pressure on you to tip even when you normally wouldn't (say, when you're just picking up a to-go order) or to tip more than you would normally tip. Do you resist or just give in? (New York Times)

Wanna be healthier and live longer? Set aside 11 minutes to walk. That's at least better than nothing. Can you do that? Can you ignore all the previous studies prescribing other amounts of exercise? Do you even know what you're supposed to be doing anymore? (Washington Post)

Downside to your social media accounts popping up "memories" for you: when those memories include pictures and posts featuring your exes. Has that happened to you? Has one of those "memory" posts reminded you of things about which you'd rather forget? (Wall Street Journal)

Hey, look, my old hometown is in the paper! And it's about the landslide that's taking a big gouge out of the hill and dumping it into the ocean! I used to live a short walk from that very landslide! And there's some debate over whether they can do anything about it -- they want to pump water out of the hill but that's far from guaranteed to work, and in the meantime homes are sliding and ending up on other lots. But it's beautiful there, multi-million-dollar views right by the ocean. Is the luxury worth the danger that your home is going to literally move? (Los Angeles Times)