What a world, what a world! Every morning when I get up, CNN is on. Hubby likes to watch that gal thats on there in the morning. Me, I prefer Diane Sawyer and the GMA folks, so I usually switch it over. Besides the world and national news, I get the local news as well, during the cut aways.

So, I live in Central Florida and I am amazed at how crime ridden Orange County and Orlando have become.

It is one murder after another, home invasions, rapes, robberies, assaults, you name it, crime wise and we have it here.

It just boggles my mind. When did Orange County and Orlando, the City Beautiful become such a crime mecca?

I guess it comes with the growth that has taken place over the last decade. Used to be, Orlando was a quiet, peaceful small town. Really, in comparason to Chicago or New York or L.A. it still is, but now, the crime here is worse than either of the aforementioned cities.

It's like the criminal network has sent out the word, move to central Floirda and wreak havoc. And they have.

No place is safe. Not any more. People have lost their minds. Lawlessness prevails and we have reached that dreaded state of Anarchy, at least here.

The cops are ineffectual, at best, at worst they're crooked and on the take. They are over worked and understaffed and are inadequate for the job before them. The criminals out number them by a thousand to one, at least.

And the decent law abiding folks who call this hell hole home, are the ones who suffer.

For instance, a couple of weeks ago, a man was gunned down in front of his house. A neighbor woman ran over to help the wounded man and was shot to death for her trouble. She did nothing but try to help another human being and this mother, this wife was gunned down in cold blood like she was nothing more than a paper target.

Yesterday a teenaged boy was attacked, robbed and stabbed by three other teenaged boys from his school. All four were, you guessed it Hispanic. Now, I'm not saying all the crime in Orlando and Orange County is committed by Hispanics, but if you go to the Orange County Department of Corrections website and peruse the names of the inmates, more than half are Hispanic.

Seriously, there was crime here, always has been. I mean let's face it, wherever there are human beings there is crime, but God, not like this! This alarming increase in crime has occurred in the last decade when Mexico decided it was all right to turn a blind eye to the criminals of its country fleeing justice to start all over again here in the States.

A lot of the immigrants from Mexico are decent, hard working people who only want a better life, but I'm beginning to believe that the vast majority of the border jumpers are the dregs of Mexican society fleeing justice in their own country, and Mexico seems to be just as glad to let them go. They have now become our problem and it's getting out of hand.

But, what can we do? Not much. As long as there are business owners, contractors and others willing to hire illegals to work for half the wages Americans work for, we will never be rid of them, and our economy is going to continue to soar out of hand.

I called about a piece of rental property a few days ago for my daughter. The guy was nice, but firm. He wanted $1200.00 a month for a house that two years ago would have rented for three hundred.

I had to ask him why he thought the property was worth that much. His answer? Because he can get it. Because the Hispanics were willing to pay any price for a place to live that did not require a background check. So, in essence, housing costs have soared here, at least rental property, and that could very well be the reason.

But, cost of living aside, the crime herre is getting to incredibly dangerous levels. People lock their doors during the day light hours. If they go out in the back yard, they lock and bolt the front door. Windows are closed against the cool evening breezes because some one will slit the screens, climb in throught the windows and like as not slit your throat.

And other than arm ourselves, there doesn't appear to be a damn thing we can do to combat this.

I'm almost certain that there isn't going to be much done in the way of writing or blogging until next year.

There's just so much to do, and so little time to get it done.

For instance, I still have two teenage grand daughters to buy gifts for.

Now what in blue blazes does one buy a teenage girl? I have no earthly clue.

They love music, but who? I mean is it Hawthorne Heights or Jay-Z? Do they listen to Beyonce or Carrie Underwood? And who is this Fergie? Isn't she that redheaded gal that was married to the Prince or some such? So now she sings? Okay, no music.

How about movies. You know , DVDs. They are too old for the little dancing penguins in Happy Feet, but too young for that lunatic in Saw ll. Most of the movies they want, I can't watch. They're either too bloody, too gory or just too stupid. Like that Clerks Two movie. So, okay, no movies.

Which brings me to clothes. What's in these days? Everyone seems to raging about those "hoodies" Hoodies? We used to call them sweatshirts. So now they have a new moniker and now they are unbelievably popular, not to mention outrageously expensive. Now how does that happen? Two years ago a hooded sweatshirt costs me eight bucks, now it is thirty and up? Are you kidding me? And how about those jeans. You know the ones with the holes ripped in them and the frayed hems and the ass out of them? Yeah those, the same ones we threw out two years ago. Now they are in and now they cost eighty buck a pair. Why? Why can't the kids just shove them away in the back of the closet and wait a year or two, they'll be big again. And they'll save themselves a ton of money.

Obviously, there is nothing new under the sun. What was old is new again.

I guess for those two girls, the old standby will have to do. Good old cash! They can then buy whatever they want and I don't have to watch their faces drop, and their eyes grow wide with horror at the Back Street Boys CD I bought them.

And who is K-Fed? Wasn't he Mr. Brittany Spears? How is he now a wrestler in the WWE?

Well, I do hope you and yours have a wonderful and joyous season and for the reader on your list this year, let me recommend a good book- Mine!! Dark Ridge.