The White House promotes open access to research results

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I received an e-mail from the White House yesterday. No, it wasn't Michelle Obama chatting about Pac-12 Men's Basketball (her brother coaches the Oregon State team). It was from John Holdren, Assistant to the President for Science and Technology and Director of the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy. I had signed a "We the People" petition advocating: "Require free access over the Internet to scientific journal articles arising from taxpayer-funded research." The petition and Holdren's reply are posted here.

Holdren has posted a memorandum requiring federal agencies that fund research (e.g., NSF, NEH, NIH) to come up with policies and procedures to make the results of that research publicly available without charge. The memorandum deals with access to journal articles as well as data archiving and the availability of basic data from federally-funded research.

This is a big step forward for open access, and I am encouraged at the twin foci of journal articles and data archiving. The Society for American Archaeology is doing various things to work toward open access for publications and data, including the upcoming launch of a new open access journal, Advances in Archaeological Practice, edited by Chris Dore.

Where are your data stored? If you died tomorrow, would your data be available to others? Are they in an online repository such as tDAR? If not, you should be working toward this goal; I am.

All's Fair at the Fair

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Hopefully this video will allow for a visual connection to the topics we discussed in class.

 Today in class we talked about the world's fairs and what they showed and how people perceived them. This cartoon made in 1938, a year before the 1939 world's fair in New york, which was one of the first world's fair that looked to the future instead of the past.

The poster advertising the 1939 world fair was looking towards the future and the possibilities rather than past inventions.

It starts out showing how fast the buildings to house the fairs were made since they were only supposed to be temporary. The building is very futuristic, containing both the sphere and the "wu-wu" shown in the poster above. All of the machines and mechanisms are futuristic and things that haven't yet been invented. The cartoon shows just how many people people would attend these events (although they probably didn't show up in trains that are like sardine cans). The people are all average looking, including the couple that we see arrive on horse and carriage. The image of the horse and carriage is meant to juxtapose all of the futuristic inventions, making people leave behind the past and go towards the future.
The 1939 fair was meant to celebrate the end of The Great Depression, so the cartoon shows all of these wondering thins being made with no regard to expense. For example, the furniture literally being push punched from the wood log and another wood log being made into a single clothes pin. But at the end of the cartoon, the old couple we first saw turn become a young and modern couple, abandoning their old ways, which was exactly what the 1939 world'd fair was meant to do.

'Celebrate My Drive' With Free Teen Driving Event Saturday

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On Saturday, September 15, 2012, State Farm is hostingCelebrate My Drive events across the U.S. and Canada, creating one special dayfor communities to rally around new drivers as they explore the roadahead.  One such local community eventwill be from 10am-3pm at the National Corvette Museum.
“The regional State Farm office approached us early thisspring wanting to see how they could partner with us on our teen drivingprograms,” said Katie Frassinelli, Marketing and Communications Manager at theNational Corvette Museum.  “Like us,State Farm has an interest in keeping our teens safe on the roads, and theprograms we offer both through the driving simulators and our car care andmaintenance seminars were a great fit for their Teen Driving efforts.  State Farm is supporting the Museum withgrant funding for this event, the texting while driving virtual realitysimulator, and additional resources for our ongoing teen driver classes.”
Activities at Saturday’s event include a golf cart courseusing Fatal Vision goggles, basic vehicle maintenance seminars, door prizedrawings, driving simulator demos every 30 minutes, vendor booths and a mockcrash by the Warren County Sheriff’s Office. The Museum and State Farm have also rented the P.E.E.R.S. FoundationVirtual Reality Simulator – Aware TXT. The simulator is designed to teachstudents the dangers of texting and driving, the consequences of their actions,how to make the right choice and to provide them with a hands-on demonstration onthe simulator.
Families are welcome to drop in for a few activities, orstay for the entire event.  All CelebrateMy
Drive activities are free, and reduced rate Museum admission is available forthose participating who would also like to tour the exhibit areas.  A complete schedule with more details isavailable online at: http://www.corvettemuseum.org/registration/drive/index.shtml.
State Farm’s website also has many resources for teendrivers and their families. Log on to http://teendriving.statefarm.com/celebrate-my-driveto learn more.

Free Admission to Area Museum on Smithsonian Magazine's 8th Annual Museum Day

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On Saturday, September 29, 2012, the Historic Railpark and Train Museum, and the National Corvette Museum will participate in the eighth annual Smithsonian Magazine Museum Day. The Museums will join other participating museums and cultural institutions nationwide to open their doors free of charge to all visitors who download the Museum Day Ticket from Smithsonian.com. A journey to celebrate our world’s dynamic heritage and cultural life, participating Museum Day venues emulate the free admission policy of the Smithsonian Institution’s Washington, D.C.-based facilities.

The Historic RailPark & Train Museum takes a step back in time to the golden era of passenger service. A guided tour of vintage railcars showcases the workings of a Post Office Car, Dining Car and Sleeper Car. The self-guided tour of the two story museum immerses visitors into the cultural story of the railroad including two new exhibits. "Hobo Times explores the life of the Hobo with the secret language interpreted into quilts by Creative Quilters Guild," said Sharon Tabor, Executive Director of the Railpark. "The Civil War and the Railroad includes personal stories, models and antique photography," she added.

Visitors to the National Corvette Museum will enjoy the special "September 11, 2001: A Global Moment" exhibit on loan from the New York State Museum, plus a new 1,000 square foot KidZone. "We are an ever-changing Museum and no two visits with us are the same," said Katie Frassinelli, Corvette Museum Marketing Manager. "We are more than just Corvette, offering a little something for everyone."

The Museum Day Ticket is available to download at www.smithsonian.com/museumday. Visitors who present the official pass will gain free admission for two people to one participating museum or cultural venue of their choice. One ticket is permitted per household, per email address. Listings and links to participating museums’ and sponsors’ sites can be found at www.smithsonian.com/museumday.

Plans Cruising Forward for NCM Motorsports Park

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National Corvette Museum making exciting progress with Motorsports Park Project
Driven by the success of its various expansions and upgrades over the years, the National Corvette Museum is now hard at work on a project that will complete the Museum experience: a Motorsports Park. Exciting progress has been made recently including the approval of the final track design as well as the beginning of the geotechnical engineering on the site.
The Park’s official groundbreaking event is scheduled for Friday, June 28, 2013, during the Museum’s Corvette 60th Anniversary Celebration.  The Grand Opening of the Motorsports Park is planned for Labor Day weekend 2014, in conjunction with the Museum’s 20th Anniversary and the 5th National Corvette Caravan.

Plans for the Park are moving forward successfully. The track designer, Steve Crawford and civil engineering firm, DDS Engineering, are currently preparing construction bid documents, with a goal of completing that process by May of 2013.

“Good things are happening with more exciting developments on the way, but as always, we can’t do it without the help of our supporters,” said Wendell Strode, NCM Executive Director.  “We are especially thankful for those who have joined the One Acre Club and want to encourage others who are capable of helping us to do so.” The One Acre Club is a program for individuals or groups to assist the NCM in funding the Motorsports Park.
The Museum is currently working toward a goal of raising $1 million by June 1.  While construction on the autocross/skid pad area will begin this summer, construction of the west track as part of the initial development will require additional funding.  “We are ready to move forward with the project, but at what level will be determined by support received from enthusiasts and sponsorships,” said Strode.  “The support thus far is great, but we still need help to make it happen.”

The Museum survives on the generosity of its supporters, and the Motorsports Park is no different.  Each acre purchased sends a powerful message to potential sponsors of how committed Corvette enthusiasts are to making this project happen.  The National Corvette Museum is a 501(c)(3) non-profit educational foundation and is the largest car museum in the world dedicated to a single model.  The planned Motorsports Park will have over one mile of frontage on Interstate 65, the third most traveled north-south Interstate in the eastern United States.  For more information visit www.motorsportspark.org, 'Like' the Motorsports Park page on Facebook, or call 800-53-VETTE (83883).

Jammin' in the Hammock Annual Bluegrass Festival

To contact us Click HERE
 February 9 - 10, 2013 from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.,Collier-Seminole State Park will host its annual Jammin' in the Hammock Bluegrass Festival. Scheduledevents will take place on each day, including a 9:30 am Sunday morning SouthernGospel jam. Featured bands are: ·        Gary Mackey & Friends·        Bugtussle Ramblers·        The Laws·        Danny Stanley & The Bluegrass Gentlemen·        Ernie Evans & Florida State Bluegrass Band Free parking with shuttle to event area. Covered concertarea, the festival will be held rain or shine. Bring your chairs. No pets,alcohol, smoking or coolers permitted in festival area. A variety of food andcraft vendors will be on site. Cost of festival does not cover camping rates inthe campground. The event is sponsored by the Friends of Collier- SeminoleState Park, a Citizens Support Organization(CSO), all proceeds from thefestival will benefit the park. Admission to the event is $15 per day or $25for both days. Admittance is free to children 13 and under as long as they areaccompanied by a paying adult. For more information, contact Collier-SeminoleState Park at (239) 394-3397.  

Third on Canvas Live Painting to benefit the Children's Hospital of Southwest Florida

To contact us Click HERE

Each February, artists paint the wonderful buildings, fountains, plazas, and courtyards of the Third Street South historic district. The Birthplace of Naples with its original cottages, The Pier, Crayton Cove, The City Docks, and at its center, Third Street South with its shops and restaurants, is a perfect model. Watch the artists create, look for the paintings on display in the shop windows, and if you love one, bid on it as they are all for sale. Third Street South will host 40 professional artists who will be painting the streets, avenues, parks and hidden treasures of beautiful  Naples, Florida. The public is invited to come watch these internationally and locally renowned artists as they work from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on February 4-5, 2013. After you have seen our artists painting live on the streets of Old Naples, come to the auction and bid on your favorite paintings to benefit the Children's Hospital of Southwest Florida. For more information, including a list of artists, contact Third Street South at (239) 434-6533.

Marco Island Named One of the 100 Places that Can Change Your Child's Life

To contact us Click HERE

Sharing an exciting press release from our local Chamber of Commerce:
MARCO ISLAND NAMED ONE OF 100 PLACESTHAT CAN CHANGE YOUR CHILD’S LIFE

Photo Courtesy Dolphin Explorer

10,000 Islands DolphinProject only Florida experience featured in National Geographic book
MARCO ISLAND, FLA., February 4, 2013 – MarcoIsland will be the only Florida destination featured in an upcomingNational Geographic book, “100 Places That Can Change Your Child’s Life: FromYour Backyard to the Ends of the Earth,” to be released on February 5,2013. In the book, author Keith Bellows showcases the 10,000 IslandsDolphin Project as the premier excursion that best highlights thedestination, its culture and people while also providing an experience thatwill enrich the life of a child.
           “The world is the greatest classroom we have,” writes Bellows —editor-in-chief of National Geographic Traveler magazine and fatherof three — in his introduction. “I’m convinced that any parent willing togive the gift of travel offers the gift that keeps on giving. Children wholearn to travel will travel to learn. And they will do it all their lives.”
           From the treetops of Costa Rica to the Grand Canyon to Loch Ness, “100 PlacesThat Can Change Your Child’s Life” explores the world, plumbing the heartof each special place and presenting it through a kid’s eyes. Each chapterfeatures one unforgettable trip designed to leave a lasting impression on anychild. Divided by region, the book looks at exciting travel locations forchildren in the United States/Canada; Caribbean/Mexico/South America; Europe;Africa/Middle East; Asia; and Oceania/Antarctica.

“It is a distinct honor to be featured as one of the toptravel experiences for children, not just in Florida but around the world,”said Capt. Chris Desmond, founder and director, 10,000 Islands Dolphin Project.“Our goal is to provide an eco-tour that is both fun and educational for kidsand adults alike, and this recognition is a testament to the hard work anddedication of the entire Dolphin Project team.”
            The 10,000 Islands Dolphin Project is the onlyongoing study of wild dolphins in Southwest Florida and the only one in theUnited States that engages and is supported by the general public. For morethan seven years, the Project has identified, catalogued and studied over 300resident bottle-nose dolphins. The 10,000 Islands Dolphin Project welcomes publicparticipation. Guests who purchase tickets to cruise on one of two dailytrips alongside dolphin researchers aboard the Dolphin Explorer boatbecome citizen scientists through onboard involvement in dolphin surveyactivities, in addition to providing financial support with their ticketpurchase. Children participate alongside researchers to complete the “DolphinChallenge” and assist with photo identification, behavior evaluation andmore. 
            In addition to public cruises, the 10,000 Islands DolphinProject also offers an environmental studies program designed for elementaryschools that is highlighted by live video reports from the boat. The Project isfunded and managed by Sea Excursions, Inc., a provider of water-relatedactivities and services to visitors, residents, groups and hotels in SouthwestFlorida. For more information or to schedule your own dolphin experience, contact Sea Excursions at (239)642-6899.

President's Day Weekend in The Everglades with Clyde Butcher

To contact us Click HERE
Make this President's Day Weekend memorable when you Meet Clyde and Niki Butcher at their gallery and enjoy a swamp walk in their "back yard". Located within the Big Cypress National Preserve, this weekend, Clyde Butcher will be available to do book signings in the gallery. Clyde Butcher has Bring a picnic lunch.   Clyde Butcher is known around the world for his powerful black and white photographs of The Everglades.  He is known locally as a generous member of the community who has worked tirelessly to promote the beauty and delicacy of the places he choses to photograph.  The artist himself explains his passion and life's work in his Artist Statement:“I’ve been pursuing the concept of wilderness preservation through photography since 1961. I think it’s important for an artist to have a passion – you need to find a source of inspiration,” adds Butcher. “You have to follow a path and develop a sense of character in what you’re doing. What I’ve done with the Everglades is to help turn a swamp into a precious resource. I think it’s important for an artist to have a passion about the medium they use, but they also need to have a passion about what they are trying to express. Without that passion there is no heart, no soul, in the final piece of work.” Cost $50 per person, special for this weekend, receive a $25 credit to use in the gallery. Child free with every paid adult. Reservation Required.  Call 239-695-2428 for more information.  Still need accommodations for President's Day Weekend?  The team at Hilton Naples Hotel looks forward to welcoming you. Call 239-430-4900 or make your hotel reservations online. 

World Famous Naples' Swamp Buggy Races Spring Classic

To contact us Click HERE
 Collier County's early development in the 1930's and 1940'swas highlighted by the emergance of strange looking vehicles featuring hugeballoon tires, gun racks, and usually sporting an unusual name like "DirtDobber or Tumblebug". These buggies were born out of necessity, as therewas no effective way to penetrate the vast, boggy mire known as Collier countyexcept for the versatile "Swamp Buggy". Early Collier County settlersrecall the beginnings of Swamp Buggy Racing as a gathering of hunters. Aslegend has it, every year, just prior to the opening of hunting season,(usually the end of October or early November) all the "Crackers"would spend a week or so preparing their buggies for the first legal day ofhunting.  Today, thousands of people turn out to watch the popular andcolorful swamp buggy races. See what all the fuss is about March 2 -3, 2013!Admission ranges from $6 to 65. Saturday gates open at 10:30am. Time Trials12:00pm- 3:30pm. Sunday gates open at 10:30am. Racing begins at 12:30pm -4:30pm. For more information, contact Florida Sports Park at (239) 774-2701.

Jammin' in the Hammock Annual Bluegrass Festival

To contact us Click HERE
 February 9 - 10, 2013 from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.,Collier-Seminole State Park will host its annual Jammin' in the Hammock Bluegrass Festival. Scheduledevents will take place on each day, including a 9:30 am Sunday morning SouthernGospel jam. Featured bands are: ·        Gary Mackey & Friends·        Bugtussle Ramblers·        The Laws·        Danny Stanley & The Bluegrass Gentlemen·        Ernie Evans & Florida State Bluegrass Band Free parking with shuttle to event area. Covered concertarea, the festival will be held rain or shine. Bring your chairs. No pets,alcohol, smoking or coolers permitted in festival area. A variety of food andcraft vendors will be on site. Cost of festival does not cover camping rates inthe campground. The event is sponsored by the Friends of Collier- SeminoleState Park, a Citizens Support Organization(CSO), all proceeds from thefestival will benefit the park. Admission to the event is $15 per day or $25for both days. Admittance is free to children 13 and under as long as they areaccompanied by a paying adult. For more information, contact Collier-SeminoleState Park at (239) 394-3397.  

Third on Canvas Live Painting to benefit the Children's Hospital of Southwest Florida

To contact us Click HERE

Each February, artists paint the wonderful buildings, fountains, plazas, and courtyards of the Third Street South historic district. The Birthplace of Naples with its original cottages, The Pier, Crayton Cove, The City Docks, and at its center, Third Street South with its shops and restaurants, is a perfect model. Watch the artists create, look for the paintings on display in the shop windows, and if you love one, bid on it as they are all for sale. Third Street South will host 40 professional artists who will be painting the streets, avenues, parks and hidden treasures of beautiful  Naples, Florida. The public is invited to come watch these internationally and locally renowned artists as they work from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on February 4-5, 2013. After you have seen our artists painting live on the streets of Old Naples, come to the auction and bid on your favorite paintings to benefit the Children's Hospital of Southwest Florida. For more information, including a list of artists, contact Third Street South at (239) 434-6533.

Marco Island Named One of the 100 Places that Can Change Your Child's Life

To contact us Click HERE

Sharing an exciting press release from our local Chamber of Commerce:
MARCO ISLAND NAMED ONE OF 100 PLACESTHAT CAN CHANGE YOUR CHILD’S LIFE

Photo Courtesy Dolphin Explorer

10,000 Islands DolphinProject only Florida experience featured in National Geographic book
MARCO ISLAND, FLA., February 4, 2013 – MarcoIsland will be the only Florida destination featured in an upcomingNational Geographic book, “100 Places That Can Change Your Child’s Life: FromYour Backyard to the Ends of the Earth,” to be released on February 5,2013. In the book, author Keith Bellows showcases the 10,000 IslandsDolphin Project as the premier excursion that best highlights thedestination, its culture and people while also providing an experience thatwill enrich the life of a child.
           “The world is the greatest classroom we have,” writes Bellows —editor-in-chief of National Geographic Traveler magazine and fatherof three — in his introduction. “I’m convinced that any parent willing togive the gift of travel offers the gift that keeps on giving. Children wholearn to travel will travel to learn. And they will do it all their lives.”
           From the treetops of Costa Rica to the Grand Canyon to Loch Ness, “100 PlacesThat Can Change Your Child’s Life” explores the world, plumbing the heartof each special place and presenting it through a kid’s eyes. Each chapterfeatures one unforgettable trip designed to leave a lasting impression on anychild. Divided by region, the book looks at exciting travel locations forchildren in the United States/Canada; Caribbean/Mexico/South America; Europe;Africa/Middle East; Asia; and Oceania/Antarctica.

“It is a distinct honor to be featured as one of the toptravel experiences for children, not just in Florida but around the world,”said Capt. Chris Desmond, founder and director, 10,000 Islands Dolphin Project.“Our goal is to provide an eco-tour that is both fun and educational for kidsand adults alike, and this recognition is a testament to the hard work anddedication of the entire Dolphin Project team.”
            The 10,000 Islands Dolphin Project is the onlyongoing study of wild dolphins in Southwest Florida and the only one in theUnited States that engages and is supported by the general public. For morethan seven years, the Project has identified, catalogued and studied over 300resident bottle-nose dolphins. The 10,000 Islands Dolphin Project welcomes publicparticipation. Guests who purchase tickets to cruise on one of two dailytrips alongside dolphin researchers aboard the Dolphin Explorer boatbecome citizen scientists through onboard involvement in dolphin surveyactivities, in addition to providing financial support with their ticketpurchase. Children participate alongside researchers to complete the “DolphinChallenge” and assist with photo identification, behavior evaluation andmore. 
            In addition to public cruises, the 10,000 Islands DolphinProject also offers an environmental studies program designed for elementaryschools that is highlighted by live video reports from the boat. The Project isfunded and managed by Sea Excursions, Inc., a provider of water-relatedactivities and services to visitors, residents, groups and hotels in SouthwestFlorida. For more information or to schedule your own dolphin experience, contact Sea Excursions at (239)642-6899.

President's Day Weekend in The Everglades with Clyde Butcher

To contact us Click HERE
Make this President's Day Weekend memorable when you Meet Clyde and Niki Butcher at their gallery and enjoy a swamp walk in their "back yard". Located within the Big Cypress National Preserve, this weekend, Clyde Butcher will be available to do book signings in the gallery. Clyde Butcher has Bring a picnic lunch.   Clyde Butcher is known around the world for his powerful black and white photographs of The Everglades.  He is known locally as a generous member of the community who has worked tirelessly to promote the beauty and delicacy of the places he choses to photograph.  The artist himself explains his passion and life's work in his Artist Statement:“I’ve been pursuing the concept of wilderness preservation through photography since 1961. I think it’s important for an artist to have a passion – you need to find a source of inspiration,” adds Butcher. “You have to follow a path and develop a sense of character in what you’re doing. What I’ve done with the Everglades is to help turn a swamp into a precious resource. I think it’s important for an artist to have a passion about the medium they use, but they also need to have a passion about what they are trying to express. Without that passion there is no heart, no soul, in the final piece of work.” Cost $50 per person, special for this weekend, receive a $25 credit to use in the gallery. Child free with every paid adult. Reservation Required.  Call 239-695-2428 for more information.  Still need accommodations for President's Day Weekend?  The team at Hilton Naples Hotel looks forward to welcoming you. Call 239-430-4900 or make your hotel reservations online. 

World Famous Naples' Swamp Buggy Races Spring Classic

To contact us Click HERE
 Collier County's early development in the 1930's and 1940'swas highlighted by the emergance of strange looking vehicles featuring hugeballoon tires, gun racks, and usually sporting an unusual name like "DirtDobber or Tumblebug". These buggies were born out of necessity, as therewas no effective way to penetrate the vast, boggy mire known as Collier countyexcept for the versatile "Swamp Buggy". Early Collier County settlersrecall the beginnings of Swamp Buggy Racing as a gathering of hunters. Aslegend has it, every year, just prior to the opening of hunting season,(usually the end of October or early November) all the "Crackers"would spend a week or so preparing their buggies for the first legal day ofhunting.  Today, thousands of people turn out to watch the popular andcolorful swamp buggy races. See what all the fuss is about March 2 -3, 2013!Admission ranges from $6 to 65. Saturday gates open at 10:30am. Time Trials12:00pm- 3:30pm. Sunday gates open at 10:30am. Racing begins at 12:30pm -4:30pm. For more information, contact Florida Sports Park at (239) 774-2701.

Third on Canvas Live Painting to benefit the Children's Hospital of Southwest Florida

To contact us Click HERE

Each February, artists paint the wonderful buildings, fountains, plazas, and courtyards of the Third Street South historic district. The Birthplace of Naples with its original cottages, The Pier, Crayton Cove, The City Docks, and at its center, Third Street South with its shops and restaurants, is a perfect model. Watch the artists create, look for the paintings on display in the shop windows, and if you love one, bid on it as they are all for sale. Third Street South will host 40 professional artists who will be painting the streets, avenues, parks and hidden treasures of beautiful  Naples, Florida. The public is invited to come watch these internationally and locally renowned artists as they work from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on February 4-5, 2013. After you have seen our artists painting live on the streets of Old Naples, come to the auction and bid on your favorite paintings to benefit the Children's Hospital of Southwest Florida. For more information, including a list of artists, contact Third Street South at (239) 434-6533.

Marco Island Named One of the 100 Places that Can Change Your Child's Life

To contact us Click HERE

Sharing an exciting press release from our local Chamber of Commerce:
MARCO ISLAND NAMED ONE OF 100 PLACESTHAT CAN CHANGE YOUR CHILD’S LIFE

Photo Courtesy Dolphin Explorer

10,000 Islands DolphinProject only Florida experience featured in National Geographic book
MARCO ISLAND, FLA., February 4, 2013 – MarcoIsland will be the only Florida destination featured in an upcomingNational Geographic book, “100 Places That Can Change Your Child’s Life: FromYour Backyard to the Ends of the Earth,” to be released on February 5,2013. In the book, author Keith Bellows showcases the 10,000 IslandsDolphin Project as the premier excursion that best highlights thedestination, its culture and people while also providing an experience thatwill enrich the life of a child.
           “The world is the greatest classroom we have,” writes Bellows —editor-in-chief of National Geographic Traveler magazine and fatherof three — in his introduction. “I’m convinced that any parent willing togive the gift of travel offers the gift that keeps on giving. Children wholearn to travel will travel to learn. And they will do it all their lives.”
           From the treetops of Costa Rica to the Grand Canyon to Loch Ness, “100 PlacesThat Can Change Your Child’s Life” explores the world, plumbing the heartof each special place and presenting it through a kid’s eyes. Each chapterfeatures one unforgettable trip designed to leave a lasting impression on anychild. Divided by region, the book looks at exciting travel locations forchildren in the United States/Canada; Caribbean/Mexico/South America; Europe;Africa/Middle East; Asia; and Oceania/Antarctica.

“It is a distinct honor to be featured as one of the toptravel experiences for children, not just in Florida but around the world,”said Capt. Chris Desmond, founder and director, 10,000 Islands Dolphin Project.“Our goal is to provide an eco-tour that is both fun and educational for kidsand adults alike, and this recognition is a testament to the hard work anddedication of the entire Dolphin Project team.”
            The 10,000 Islands Dolphin Project is the onlyongoing study of wild dolphins in Southwest Florida and the only one in theUnited States that engages and is supported by the general public. For morethan seven years, the Project has identified, catalogued and studied over 300resident bottle-nose dolphins. The 10,000 Islands Dolphin Project welcomes publicparticipation. Guests who purchase tickets to cruise on one of two dailytrips alongside dolphin researchers aboard the Dolphin Explorer boatbecome citizen scientists through onboard involvement in dolphin surveyactivities, in addition to providing financial support with their ticketpurchase. Children participate alongside researchers to complete the “DolphinChallenge” and assist with photo identification, behavior evaluation andmore. 
            In addition to public cruises, the 10,000 Islands DolphinProject also offers an environmental studies program designed for elementaryschools that is highlighted by live video reports from the boat. The Project isfunded and managed by Sea Excursions, Inc., a provider of water-relatedactivities and services to visitors, residents, groups and hotels in SouthwestFlorida. For more information or to schedule your own dolphin experience, contact Sea Excursions at (239)642-6899.

President's Day Weekend in The Everglades with Clyde Butcher

To contact us Click HERE
Make this President's Day Weekend memorable when you Meet Clyde and Niki Butcher at their gallery and enjoy a swamp walk in their "back yard". Located within the Big Cypress National Preserve, this weekend, Clyde Butcher will be available to do book signings in the gallery. Clyde Butcher has Bring a picnic lunch.   Clyde Butcher is known around the world for his powerful black and white photographs of The Everglades.  He is known locally as a generous member of the community who has worked tirelessly to promote the beauty and delicacy of the places he choses to photograph.  The artist himself explains his passion and life's work in his Artist Statement:“I’ve been pursuing the concept of wilderness preservation through photography since 1961. I think it’s important for an artist to have a passion – you need to find a source of inspiration,” adds Butcher. “You have to follow a path and develop a sense of character in what you’re doing. What I’ve done with the Everglades is to help turn a swamp into a precious resource. I think it’s important for an artist to have a passion about the medium they use, but they also need to have a passion about what they are trying to express. Without that passion there is no heart, no soul, in the final piece of work.” Cost $50 per person, special for this weekend, receive a $25 credit to use in the gallery. Child free with every paid adult. Reservation Required.  Call 239-695-2428 for more information.  Still need accommodations for President's Day Weekend?  The team at Hilton Naples Hotel looks forward to welcoming you. Call 239-430-4900 or make your hotel reservations online. 

34th Annual Naples National Art Festival

To contact us Click HERE

Consistently voted among the top 10 art festivals in the country, the Naples National Art Festival was ranked in the top 10 fine art festivals in the United States by Sunshine Artist Magazine. We enjoyed strong guest attendance in 2012 topping 22,000 guests to the festival. The local community continues to count the Naples National among its premiere, must–see events, thanks to the high quality of art, the engaging personalities of the artists and the festive atmosphere. A competitive, juried event, this fine art and fine craft festival showcases the talents of more than 260 artists. The festival is held on February 23 - 24, 2013 in scenic Cambier Park and along 8th Street South, one block from Downtown Naples’ premiere shopping and dining district. To facilitate the parking directives from the city and customer convenience, a free shuttle is available to both artists and festival attendees during artist setup and teardown as well as during festival hours.Admission is $5 to benefit youth art education programs. For more information call (239) 262-6517.

World Famous Naples' Swamp Buggy Races Spring Classic

To contact us Click HERE
 Collier County's early development in the 1930's and 1940'swas highlighted by the emergance of strange looking vehicles featuring hugeballoon tires, gun racks, and usually sporting an unusual name like "DirtDobber or Tumblebug". These buggies were born out of necessity, as therewas no effective way to penetrate the vast, boggy mire known as Collier countyexcept for the versatile "Swamp Buggy". Early Collier County settlersrecall the beginnings of Swamp Buggy Racing as a gathering of hunters. Aslegend has it, every year, just prior to the opening of hunting season,(usually the end of October or early November) all the "Crackers"would spend a week or so preparing their buggies for the first legal day ofhunting.  Today, thousands of people turn out to watch the popular andcolorful swamp buggy races. See what all the fuss is about March 2 -3, 2013!Admission ranges from $6 to 65. Saturday gates open at 10:30am. Time Trials12:00pm- 3:30pm. Sunday gates open at 10:30am. Racing begins at 12:30pm -4:30pm. For more information, contact Florida Sports Park at (239) 774-2701.

An SFDB President's Day

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I took advantage of the glorious weather and visited my favorite place in Broward County on days like this: Hugh Taylor Birch State Park. It's a great place for walking around, watching boats cruise by on the Intracoastal and, apparently, observing bartenders practice their bottle juggling skills.

 
Also checked out the repair work they're doing on A1A to keep the ocean at bay...pictures of that tomorrow. And I'll be back later with your evening Sift.


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IOKWYAR*

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From the same folks who brought us this....



Comes this...

The grotesque spectacle of the State of the Union address, with its lengthy receiving line of adoring sycophants, demonstrates why the President is operating under the delusion that he is more than just our President. Like him, many people seem to fundamentally misunderstand his role. He’s not our “leader,” or our “ruler,” or our national “daddy,”...

*It's OK When You're A Republican




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Lake Worth Street Painting Festival

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The 19th Lake Worth Street Painting Festival is this Saturday and Sunday in beautiful downtown Lake Worth. If you go, be forewarned that it gets packed in the afternoon and it's tough to get a good look at all the street murals. Get there before noon for the best photo opportunities and to wander unhindered by the masses. It's free!

Here are some more images that I took at previous years festivals: 2009 2012

[For those of you who want to make an adventure of it, take Tri-Rail and catch the trolley that continuously runs between the station and the festival.]




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Defending Holden

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The Holden Caulfield Fan Club

Years ago, when the College Board published its version of the "books every high school student should read," they included "The Short List." I no longer see either list online, but I have a hard copy of the latter:

Jane Eyre
The Mill on the Floss
Invisible Man
The Great Gatsby
The Scarlet Letter
The Odyssey
Hamlet
Oedipus Rex
Gulliver's Travels
The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn

I agree with the boldfaced titles. Based on my experiences as a student and as a teacher, however, I would replace the remaining four with

The Catcher in the Rye (Salinger)
No Exit (Sartre)
Fahrenheit 451 (Bradbury)
The Stranger (Camus) or Crime and Punishment (Dostoyevsky) *


I'm unsurprised by inquiries about my inclusion of The Catcher in the Rye. Folks approaching the discussion from what they perceive as a "classical tradition" sometimes pooh-pooh Holden's smarmy, smutty, smug (and ultimately sad) retreat from the world of "phonies," dismissing it as somehow (for lack of a better word) unworthy. In fact, dismissing Holden (and, by extension, Salinger) is something of a literary sport. In "J.D. Salinger's Holden Caulfield, Aging Gracelessly" (Washington Post, October 18, 2004), for example, Jonathan Yardley argues, "The combination of Salinger's execrable prose and Caulfield's jejune narcissism produced effects comparable to mainlining castor oil." He notes later, however, that while it is "a maladroit, mawkish novel," its popularity and influence are inarguable.

Indeed. Perhaps the popularity and influence have something to do with the fact that Holden's narrative resonates. From the classrooms of a tony suburban high school into an undergrad honors seminar in a small liberal arts college over to the cramped, dirty classroom of a juvenile detention center and into my own livingroom, Holden bounds. In my twenty-five years of teaching, he has captivated, angered, and alternately dismayed and delighted. Most recently, the inconsolable, bereft, and grieving Holden has elicited deep and abiding sympathy.

Some might argue that just about any book can provoke students and yield discussion, but I'd counter that this is really only true when you're working with readers. I haven't always worked with readers, though, and with non-readers (or less than ideal readers), a deafening sound of silence often follows an enthusiastic teacher's inquiries about the latest reading assignment when, for myriad reasons, a book has failed to connect with the students (or vice versa).

Oh, sure, you can lead, cajole, and coach responses. And I did. But with Holden? I never needed to. He spoke to (shouted at!) both readers and non-readers alike, with little to no interpretation from me. Yes, the students fairly exploded with questions, opinions, assertions, and reactions. Call me crazy, but I love that sort of visceral response to literature, so for this alone, Holden deserves a spot in my top ten.

When my own children met Holden, they proceeded to stitch bits of him to bits of Harrison Bergeron and to parts of Mercutio and even Hamlet and then basted that to scraps of Pip and threads of, yes, Pi, and so on. Toobserve them so easily synthesizing what they read with what they have read before, to see characters roam so freely and knowingly in the rooms of their imaginations — nodding acquaintances who share secrets — is one of the most remarkable privileges of the reading, thinking, teaching, learning life.

And so Holden joins Huck. And Horatio. And the trio of eyelid-less sinners of Sartre's No Exit. And so on.

Because these characters talk to the readers I've met.

And they talk to me.


* Naturally, I find it difficult to limit myself to ten: What about Great Expectations (Dickens), The Three Musketeers or The Count of Monte Cristo (Dumas), and Heart of Darkness (Conrad)? I suspect this is why the College Board's list comprised one hundred and one titles. Just ten? So difficult.

All's Fair at the Fair

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Hopefully this video will allow for a visual connection to the topics we discussed in class.

 Today in class we talked about the world's fairs and what they showed and how people perceived them. This cartoon made in 1938, a year before the 1939 world's fair in New york, which was one of the first world's fair that looked to the future instead of the past.

The poster advertising the 1939 world fair was looking towards the future and the possibilities rather than past inventions.

It starts out showing how fast the buildings to house the fairs were made since they were only supposed to be temporary. The building is very futuristic, containing both the sphere and the "wu-wu" shown in the poster above. All of the machines and mechanisms are futuristic and things that haven't yet been invented. The cartoon shows just how many people people would attend these events (although they probably didn't show up in trains that are like sardine cans). The people are all average looking, including the couple that we see arrive on horse and carriage. The image of the horse and carriage is meant to juxtapose all of the futuristic inventions, making people leave behind the past and go towards the future.
The 1939 fair was meant to celebrate the end of The Great Depression, so the cartoon shows all of these wondering thins being made with no regard to expense. For example, the furniture literally being push punched from the wood log and another wood log being made into a single clothes pin. But at the end of the cartoon, the old couple we first saw turn become a young and modern couple, abandoning their old ways, which was exactly what the 1939 world'd fair was meant to do.

Avow Hospice Butterfly Release

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Avow Hospice will hold its annual Butterfly Release on Sunday, March 2, 2013 at Cambier Park in downtown Naples. The event, endowed by the Gorlach Family, features a live butterfly exhibit tent and community memorial service. The event includes live music by Johnny T, a volunteer bake sale,  a public reading of names to memorialize loved ones, inspirational commentary and concludes with the release of over 600 butterflies.

The butterfly was selected as the primary symbolic representation for this event since it undergoes a major transformative process as part of its normal life cycle. The butterfly is a reminder of how beautiful, delicate and fragile life can be, and to remember to appreciate and be grateful for each moment. Many view it as a symbol of joy, happiness, of spring, rebirth and renewal. The butterfly evokes an image that is mild and gentle, one that can touch the heart during difficult times and one of strength.

Registration, walk-through exhibit and children's activities open at 9:00 a.m.; the service begins at 11:00 a.m. at the park band shell. To include a loved one's name to be read during the ceremony (in honor or in memory), a gift of $40 per name may be made to Avow Hospice; proceeds benefit end-of-life care in Collier County. Early registration is encouraged to ensure inclusion. A limited number of name registrations will be available prior to the start of the ceremony for a gift of $50. Early arrival is encouraged to allow for parking, check-in and exhibit tent visit. For details or to register, call (239) 649-3683.

World Famous Naples' Swamp Buggy Races Spring Classic

To contact us Click HERE
 Collier County's early development in the 1930's and 1940'swas highlighted by the emergance of strange looking vehicles featuring hugeballoon tires, gun racks, and usually sporting an unusual name like "DirtDobber or Tumblebug". These buggies were born out of necessity, as therewas no effective way to penetrate the vast, boggy mire known as Collier countyexcept for the versatile "Swamp Buggy". Early Collier County settlersrecall the beginnings of Swamp Buggy Racing as a gathering of hunters. Aslegend has it, every year, just prior to the opening of hunting season,(usually the end of October or early November) all the "Crackers"would spend a week or so preparing their buggies for the first legal day ofhunting.  Today, thousands of people turn out to watch the popular andcolorful swamp buggy races. See what all the fuss is about March 2 -3, 2013!Admission ranges from $6 to 65. Saturday gates open at 10:30am. Time Trials12:00pm- 3:30pm. Sunday gates open at 10:30am. Racing begins at 12:30pm -4:30pm. For more information, contact Florida Sports Park at (239) 774-2701.

'Celebrate My Drive' With Free Teen Driving Event Saturday

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On Saturday, September 15, 2012, State Farm is hostingCelebrate My Drive events across the U.S. and Canada, creating one special dayfor communities to rally around new drivers as they explore the roadahead.  One such local community eventwill be from 10am-3pm at the National Corvette Museum.
“The regional State Farm office approached us early thisspring wanting to see how they could partner with us on our teen drivingprograms,” said Katie Frassinelli, Marketing and Communications Manager at theNational Corvette Museum.  “Like us,State Farm has an interest in keeping our teens safe on the roads, and theprograms we offer both through the driving simulators and our car care andmaintenance seminars were a great fit for their Teen Driving efforts.  State Farm is supporting the Museum withgrant funding for this event, the texting while driving virtual realitysimulator, and additional resources for our ongoing teen driver classes.”
Activities at Saturday’s event include a golf cart courseusing Fatal Vision goggles, basic vehicle maintenance seminars, door prizedrawings, driving simulator demos every 30 minutes, vendor booths and a mockcrash by the Warren County Sheriff’s Office. The Museum and State Farm have also rented the P.E.E.R.S. FoundationVirtual Reality Simulator – Aware TXT. The simulator is designed to teachstudents the dangers of texting and driving, the consequences of their actions,how to make the right choice and to provide them with a hands-on demonstration onthe simulator.
Families are welcome to drop in for a few activities, orstay for the entire event.  All CelebrateMy
Drive activities are free, and reduced rate Museum admission is available forthose participating who would also like to tour the exhibit areas.  A complete schedule with more details isavailable online at: http://www.corvettemuseum.org/registration/drive/index.shtml.
State Farm’s website also has many resources for teendrivers and their families. Log on to http://teendriving.statefarm.com/celebrate-my-driveto learn more.

Free Admission to Area Museum on Smithsonian Magazine's 8th Annual Museum Day

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On Saturday, September 29, 2012, the Historic Railpark and Train Museum, and the National Corvette Museum will participate in the eighth annual Smithsonian Magazine Museum Day. The Museums will join other participating museums and cultural institutions nationwide to open their doors free of charge to all visitors who download the Museum Day Ticket from Smithsonian.com. A journey to celebrate our world’s dynamic heritage and cultural life, participating Museum Day venues emulate the free admission policy of the Smithsonian Institution’s Washington, D.C.-based facilities.

The Historic RailPark & Train Museum takes a step back in time to the golden era of passenger service. A guided tour of vintage railcars showcases the workings of a Post Office Car, Dining Car and Sleeper Car. The self-guided tour of the two story museum immerses visitors into the cultural story of the railroad including two new exhibits. "Hobo Times explores the life of the Hobo with the secret language interpreted into quilts by Creative Quilters Guild," said Sharon Tabor, Executive Director of the Railpark. "The Civil War and the Railroad includes personal stories, models and antique photography," she added.

Visitors to the National Corvette Museum will enjoy the special "September 11, 2001: A Global Moment" exhibit on loan from the New York State Museum, plus a new 1,000 square foot KidZone. "We are an ever-changing Museum and no two visits with us are the same," said Katie Frassinelli, Corvette Museum Marketing Manager. "We are more than just Corvette, offering a little something for everyone."

The Museum Day Ticket is available to download at www.smithsonian.com/museumday. Visitors who present the official pass will gain free admission for two people to one participating museum or cultural venue of their choice. One ticket is permitted per household, per email address. Listings and links to participating museums’ and sponsors’ sites can be found at www.smithsonian.com/museumday.

All's Fair at the Fair

To contact us Click HERE

Hopefully this video will allow for a visual connection to the topics we discussed in class.

 Today in class we talked about the world's fairs and what they showed and how people perceived them. This cartoon made in 1938, a year before the 1939 world's fair in New york, which was one of the first world's fair that looked to the future instead of the past.

The poster advertising the 1939 world fair was looking towards the future and the possibilities rather than past inventions.

It starts out showing how fast the buildings to house the fairs were made since they were only supposed to be temporary. The building is very futuristic, containing both the sphere and the "wu-wu" shown in the poster above. All of the machines and mechanisms are futuristic and things that haven't yet been invented. The cartoon shows just how many people people would attend these events (although they probably didn't show up in trains that are like sardine cans). The people are all average looking, including the couple that we see arrive on horse and carriage. The image of the horse and carriage is meant to juxtapose all of the futuristic inventions, making people leave behind the past and go towards the future.
The 1939 fair was meant to celebrate the end of The Great Depression, so the cartoon shows all of these wondering thins being made with no regard to expense. For example, the furniture literally being push punched from the wood log and another wood log being made into a single clothes pin. But at the end of the cartoon, the old couple we first saw turn become a young and modern couple, abandoning their old ways, which was exactly what the 1939 world'd fair was meant to do.

Larry Pratt: "The President Should Remember King George III's Experience"

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Granted, Gun Owners of America's Larry Pratt is viewed to be far right of even the NRA, but it's still amazing to watch a man advocate for the assassination of a sitting president on camera.



A little more about Mr. Pratt...

In 1990, Pratt wrote a book, Armed People Victorious, based on his study of "citizen defense patrols" used in Guatemala and the Philippines against Communist rebels — patrols that came to be known as death squads for their murderous brutality.

Picturing these groups in rosy terms, Pratt advocated similar militias in the United States — an idea that finally caught on when he was invited for a meeting of 160 extremists, including many famous white supremacists, in 1992.

It was at that meeting, hosted in Colorado by white supremacist minister Pete Peters, that the contours of the militia movement were laid out.

Pratt, whose GOA has grown since its 1975 founding to some 150,000 members today, hit the headlines in a big way when his associations with Peters and other professional racists were revealed, convincing arch-conservative Pat Buchanan to eject him as a national co-chair of Buchanan's 1996 presidential campaign.

The same year, it emerged that Pratt was a contributing editor to a periodical of the anti-Semitic United Sovereigns of America, and that his GOA had donated money to a white supremacist attorney's group.

Shocking, I know.




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Random Pixels' Beef With SFDB [Comments Disabled]

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Any blogger or journalist out there will tell you that writing about politics these days comes with a lot of headaches. Aggressive commenting, personal attacks, criticisms and worse are the reality of political journalism today. It's the way it is and to expect anything else is setting yourself up for a lot of frustration.

On Saturday, Bill Cooke at Random Pixels published a very disparaging post* about me that made lots of allegations but primarily focused on two areas: one, that I'm a government employee blogging on the taxpayer dime and two, that I was unfair to Miami Herald political writer Marc Caputo in a recent post that I wrote.

I'm going to address these two allegations but it's important to note his post was published after Cooke sent me these emails...



In other words, do what I say or I'm writing a negative post about you.

This is not exactly new territory for Bill and I. Back in 2011, he complained to the Miami Herald that I had posted a particularly well-written Leonard Pitts column in its entirety. They wound up asking that I scale it back to a paragraph or two and now Cooke uses that incident as fuel for his attacks against me. Bill routinely visits SFDB and leaves angry anonymous comments. He has also written at least one other particularly nasty post about me at Random Pixels in the last couple years.   He usually sends his belligerent emails when he feels I've slighted one his posts or one of his friends in South Florida's journalistic community. Ironically, Bill has absolutely no problem regularly mocking and criticizing news anchors and other South Florida journalists (not his friends) at Random Pixels. In fact, that's what he's most known for.

Still, I've put up with this aggressive attitude for the last few years, watching it ebb and flow. Through it all, Random Pixels remained on the SFDB blogroll and Cooke was even an SFDB Editor until just recently when he decided to bow out.

Back to the allegations.

I began this blog years ago with a post about my anonymity and privacy. It still holds true today and there's nothing more that I really have to say about that. As far as blogging during work...I don't do it. Surely, Cooke knows that Blogger has scheduled posting (this, in fact, is a scheduled post)...which only goes to underscore the intentionally malicious nature of his attack.

What I said in my post about Caputo was not much different than what The Atlantic and Eye on Miami have observed about his apparent biases and I included links to those websites in the story. So Cooke singles me out to attack? Okay. But this selective critique of SFDB only emphasizes the personal nature of Cooke's beef with me. I stand by my comments and my opinions about Caputo.

Cooke also took the liberty of dredging up a comment that I made some six years ago on my old blog. It was insensitive and a lousy attempt at humor that I've publicly apologized for and regret to this day. I reject homophobia and those who practice it. Anyone who regularly reads SFDB knows that.

All this was articulated in a comment that I left at the Random Pixels post on Saturday...

Bill,

The quote from SotP that you note in this post was a poor attempt at humor that I regret and publicly apologized for some 6 years ago when it was made. If that's the only egregious one that you can dig up then I suppose I should feel pretty good about the other approximately 15,000 posts that I've written over the years.

Despite your emailed threats to publish this post unless I publicly apologized to Caputo*, I stand by my post and would only note that I echoed the same observations made by Eye on Miami and The Atlantic on previous occasions, as I noted in the post.

Finally, I do spend a lot of time on my blog. You're aware that Blogger has scheduled posting, right?


* "I'd like to see you publicly apologize to Marc. If you don't, I'll be writing a post on my blog that you won't be very happy with. I guarantee it."

However, it never made it through moderation.

Instead, I got this angry email with my unapproved comment attached...


Before composing this post, I mulled over whether I should give Cooke's attack any more attention than it deserves.  But I think it's obvious that there is another side to the story that needed to be told...for the record.

I'm willing to bet that most of you didn't realize what a Peyton Place the South Florida blogosphere can be at times. I suppose I'll be battling the Bill Cookes of the world up until the day I decide to shut this thing down. There's more than enough of them out there.

Understandably, Random Pixels has been pulled from the SFDB blogroll. I think, given the circumstances, it's for the best.




* I'm not linking to any of the Random Pixels content. You know where to find him.



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An SFDB President's Day

To contact us Click HERE
I took advantage of the glorious weather and visited my favorite place in Broward County on days like this: Hugh Taylor Birch State Park. It's a great place for walking around, watching boats cruise by on the Intracoastal and, apparently, observing bartenders practice their bottle juggling skills.

 
Also checked out the repair work they're doing on A1A to keep the ocean at bay...pictures of that tomorrow. And I'll be back later with your evening Sift.


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A Quick Look At The Repair Of A1A

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I was up in the Fort Lauderdale beach area yesterday afternoon so I decided to check out the ongoing roadwork that is being done to protect A1A from an encroaching ocean. Here's what I observed...

WSVN and WPTV were out doing some work at the scene.

The first thing you notice after the single-lane roadway are the large metal plates, called sheet pile, stacked alongside the boulevard.

These are being lifted up...

And swung over...

Where they're placed and then driven into the ground.

It's going to take a lot of these plates to line that 1/2 mile stretch of road.

The area that is being repaired is north of Sunrise Boulevard from around NE 14th Court to NE 18th Street. The road narrows to one lane in each direction in this area to make room for construction vehicles.

Monday was the first day of the month-long installation process, according to the City of Fort Lauderdale website that is tracking the repair work. The city's website is warning that if you live in the immediate area "you may feel vibration." But have no worries, "The contractor will be monitoring the vibration to insure that it is within the allowable range."

"Allowable range?"

Ha. Ha. Ha.





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