The flip side of the political equation.

Another reason why we need an alarm clock.

6 year old arrested (Bay News 9)

See - somebody who speaks and IS the TRUTH could look at this child in the eyes, for as long as necessary and calm them down. Liars cannot. EASY. Presumably the teachers and police are liars - so they can't do it. You might wonder how this works....go down the path of losing your own pride and you will learn.

That old saying (Or variation thereof) - that it is impolite to stare at someones in the eyes , probably came about because so many people are afraid to look at other people in the eyes.
Because -- Liars look away.

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Last post I referenced GW Bush. Not to ignore the other side of the political equation:

Pelosi PROUD of Dems' work in first 100 days
Speaker given high marks for keeping 233 diverse members of her party in line on tough
votes by leading from the center

-- Nancy Pelosi took an early survey of her first 100 days as speaker of the House of Representatives and called reporters to the Capitol Wednesday to proclaim she had compiled a "remarkable record of which I'm ENOURMOUSLY PROUD." --

...well not just a little proud....maybe she'll have a heart attack in 2012, if she isn't burnt to a crisp first. This again applies around the world to either side of a political setup.

Latino Fever (Colombia)

George W. Bush managed SIX hours in Bogota, Colombia due to security concerns.

http://www.iht.com/articles/ap/2007/03/11/america/LA-GEN-Latam-Bush-Protests.php

Now - who would you trust with a world view, the -W- in Washington DC, or this W who has spent a bit more time in Colombia and many other places that GW has been to. Never mind - a CONvert is a CONvert - religion or politics. Tough to UN-CONvert people. That's why you might call yourself part of a CONstituency. Or = just stubborn...pride? I wrote a blog article about this a couple of years ago - you can find it if you want. ...about the places GW has been vs yours truly and an even younger traveler I met on the road.

Anyway...I spent a WEEK in Florida before arriving in Sud America. To give you an idea of what one can see in just a single week if one puts their mind to it - here is what I saw:

- Kennedy Space Center (Cocoa Beach & Titusville, FL area) - no shuttle launch due to hailstorm damage on tank. Lunch with astronaut was lame - way too many people in a way too large room. Waste of $25. Food was ok. Missed the Space Station tour (1 of 3 stops) bus top due to time - but I've seen similar in Houston. No time for Astronaut Hall of Fame building. http://www.kennedyspacecenter.com/

- Playalinda beach near launch pads - part of Canaveral National Seashore. My first Florida beach experience in my adult life. Calm. Highlight was vultures eating a dead tortoise!!
http://www.nps.gov/cana

- Daytona Race Track (Daytona Beach, FL) - didn't go inside. But spent a night in the area.

- Ringling Museum Complex - (Sarasota, FL) - Great circus museum...lots of good photos that I will use on the website. http://www.ringling.org

- Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary (Near Bonita Springs, FL) - Audubon Society's premier reserve. I haven't been to the others, but this was really cool. http://www.audubon.org/local/sanctuary/corkscrew/

- Ft. Lauderdale downtown St.Patrick's Day street party scene

- Miami downtown, South Beach, Key Biscayne drive around. And lunch at Jimbo's! (A "hard to find" place to eat fish for locals on Key Biscayne)

- Boca Raton, Delray Beach drive around

- Coral Castle (Homestead, FL) - this site will be talked more about in the Cosmic Clues section. Got plenty of photos. http://www.coralcastle.com/

- Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary snorkel (Key Largo, FL) - furthest point I had time for. Wasn't able to reach Key West. Snorkeling was better than I thought it might be. Though I would take a private company next time.
http://floridakeys.noaa.gov/ - http://www.pennekamppark.com/

- Drive around Celebration, FL - planned city by Disney group.
http://www.celebrationfl.com/ - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Celebration,_Florida

- Airboat ride in Everglades (Fort Lauderdale, FL)
http://www.evergladesholidaypark.com/airboats.html

By subject: city planning, native landscapes - by land and boat, space & technology, underwater, engineering, architecture, circuses, sports.

Thanks to my friend Joanne who let me stay a few nights at her place. Total cost for this itinerary (Not including the airflight to get there) is about US$1000 I think. That's convertible car rental, fuel, road tolls, meals, modest hotels, admission fees.

The life and interests of a JACK. Make your own!

As for Latino Fever...well...lots of Latinos in South Florida...(Dangers of reading too LIterally - kind of like the Bible) will write more about Colombia in time. Back to work on the website. Adding a search engine on the main page.