Kayaking adventure

Here's your chance to go on a 4-hour kayak tour of the Sebastian River with a Brevard Zoo guide! Saturday, April 2, you can join Brevard Zoo as their guide points out various wildlife and sea life. Cost is minimal and lunch, water, and snacks are included. They'll even cut the cost if you bring your own kayak. Get details and read about other tours available at Brevard Zoo Examiner. And don't forget the camera!

P. Diddy and Who's Bad

Saturday, April 9 Who's Bad, the Ultimate Tribute to Michael Jackson, will be at Levelz Nightclub in Melbourne. Levelz is a huge place with 'balcony' seating over a main stage. They claim to bring big-ticket items to ho-hum Melbourne and, while the idea won the hearts of many, the ticket prices aren't for the faint of wallet. I couldn't find any pricing for Whos Bad - is it sold out? At what price? P Diddy's "Dirty Money" tour arrives Friday, April 29 and that show is $115 for upstairs and $339 for downstairs! No comment! For an excellent read and interview of Who's Bad, click HERE!

Florida humor

You know you live in Florida when . . .
- You own at least five pairs of flip flops
- You know someone who's been struck by lightning
- You say "palmetto bug" instead of cockroach
- Gators on the roadside don't scare you
- Your backyard is sometimes a swamp
- You're officially sick of Disney
- You shrug off hurricane warnings
- You've been permanently blinded by fat men in speedos
- There are only two seasons - hot and hotter
- You've drank a flaming alligator.
- Most likely, you're over 50
- You have more family and friends visit you, now that you moved 1,000 miles away
- The best parking place is determined by shade instead of distance
- Hot water now comes out of both taps.
- You have your own hurricane stories
- You learn that a seat buckle makes a pretty good branding iron.
- The temperature drops below 90 and you feel a little chilly
- You discover that in July it only takes 2 fingers to steer your car.
- You discover that you can get sunburned through your car window
- You actually burn your hand opening the car door.
- You break into a sweat the instant you step outside at 7:30 am
- You realize that asphalt has a liquid state
- Farmers are feeding their chickens crushed ice to keep them from laying hard boiled eggs.
- Your quarter-length sleeved garments are saved for the winter months
- Everyone comes from somewhere else
- Golf courses are every 100 yards
- You know what a snowbird is
- You need a spatula to remove your clothing
- When the beer gut and big butt don't keep you from wearing shorts
- You wish you had gotten the cloth seats instead of leather
- You ask your boss for extra work so you can be in the air conditioning as much as possible
- Cars in front of you are often driven by headless people
- Your glasses fog up when you enter a building
- Your shorts look like plastic wrap on your legs
- The lights are kept off to keep the heat level down
- Airplanes can't land because the asphalt is too soft
- You've been getting hot flashes, and you're a man
- Road construction never ends
- There is only "one" evacuation route
- You've been through at least 4 major hurricanes
- You live within a mile of a body of water
- You work on your tan in the winter

Brevard County Fair

The Brevard County Fair will be held at Wickham Park, starting Thursday, March 31, and lasting through Sunday, April 10. County Fairs are a celebration of local - local volunteers run it, perform in it, and compete in it. Come support local in a family-oriented setting. For schedule, ticket info, etc, click here!

Clark Little

For those who are looking for something tropical to hang over the sofa, check out Clark Little- a surfer who discovered taking photos of waves was almost as good as riding them. His wife sent him to the beach with a camera and asked him 'just to take a picture' of the waves - he did, and the rest is history. Check this out! The book makes a great gift for the 'type sea' folks you know and love (It's $100 !) and the calendar is amazing, too!

Fan Appreciation Day

Tuesday. Tomorrow. Last game for the 2011 Spring Training season = Fan Appreciation Day. Last chance! Noon - 3 p.m. Bring an umbrella!

Spring Break Beach Bash 2011

FRIDAY - April 1    Spring Break Beach Bash- Satellite Beach!

Pelican Beach Park (aka Mark) is the location for 2011 Spring Break Beach Bash.  There will be live music, lunch for purchase, volleyball games, beach games and loads of fun.  The event begins at 12noon and ends at 4pm.  Everyone is welcome! And don't forget your sunscreen!

 

Paddle tours at Brevard Zoo

Brevard Zoo now offers self-guided paddle boat rides through their restored wetlands in Wild Florida at the Wetland Outpost daily from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Tours are on the half-hour and cost is $15 a boat for non- members, up to four people. Cost for Zoo-members is $12. All riders must sign a waiver in order to paddle boat. For children under the age of 16, only a parent, grandparent, or legal guardian can sign a waiver. The Brevard Zoo has an amazing array of things to do - read all about them at our Brevard Zoo Examiner publication.

Cirque Dream Illumination tickets

Tickets for the April 15-16 showing of Cirque Dream Illumination, at the King Center,  are going fast. Don't be left out! Tickets and show information are at our Space Coast Events Examiner article.

Runaway Country music festival

Tickets are selling fast for Runaway Country Music Festival. 40,000 - 50,000 people are expected to attend the mega-music fest and the best tickets are going fast. For details on music, tickets, and where to stay, see our Space Coast Events Examiner article.

Chocolate-lovers delight

The 7th Annual Zonta Chocolate Festival will be held at the Eau Gallie Civic Center, 1551 Highland Avenue in Melbourne, Florida on Saturday March 26, 2011. This popular event brings together some of the Space Coast's best chocolatiers, pastry chefs and restaurateurs with community volunteers to raise funds to support programs that improve the lives of women and girls. Those attending will taste and vote for their favorites.

Proceeds from the festival will be used to support local scholarship programs, community service projects, and Zonta’s local and international fight against Human Trafficking and Violence Against Women! Saturday from 11 a.m. until 4 p.m. - chocoholics unite!

Ron White returns

Ron White - Behavioral Problems Tour

Comedian Ron "Tater Salad" White, seen here at the Country Music Awards with his wife, and best known as the cigar smoking, scotch drinking funnyman from the "Blue Collar Comedy" phenomenon returns to the King Center with his new stand-up show "Behavioral Problems". The show is this Saturday, March 26. White has achieved two Grammy nominations, a Gold Record, two of the top rated one-hour specials in Comedy Central history, a book that appeared on the New York Times Best Seller List, and CD and DVD sales of over 10 million units.


FOR MATURE AUDIENCES   !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
 
For show times and tickets, go to www.kingcenter.com.

3 more games!

There are only 3 more games left before Spring Training comes to an end. Three more chances to see the Washington Nationals before they start their season. Here's what's coming up:
Friday March 25 - Space Coast Cancer Night with fireworks.
Sunday March 27 - Kids Day!
Tuesday March 29 - Fan Appreciation Day!
For tickets and details, call 321-633-9200 or visit: nationals.com

Celestial feelings

The only thing that could top Saturday night's full moon rising out of the sea was Sunday morning at sunrise. Standing on the dune crossover by second light, to the west was the pink moon, still as big and bright as the night before, and then to the east was the orange sun, rising out of the sea through a mixture of pink and lavender clouds. The higher the sun got, the less vibrant the moon was. Like a tennis match, it was hard to decide which way to look because it changed by the second. Incredible. One can only hope some of the folks seen with the costly, sophisticated cameras will share online... The PAFB area (Hangars-OC-#2light)was as crowded as it ever has been for any shuttle launch.

Beach clean-up

Sunday 8 a.m. until 12 noon (Just stay after watching the sunrise!!!!!) at Bicentennial Park in Indian Harbor Beach. If that's too far, just find a beach close to you and go at it!

5 Nationals' games left !

Only 5 games left ! 5 chances to see pro-ball playing right in our backyard. Those of us who are 'seasoned' game attenders know that as Spring Training comes to a close, the more likely you are to see a starter. It's the last chance team officials have to see what they have to work with and who is capable of what. Don't miss it!

Remaining five games:
Fri, Mar 18 St. Louis Cardinals 1:05 pm


Sun, Mar 20 Detroit Tigers 1:05 pm

Tue, Mar 22 Houston Astros 1:05 pm

Fri, Mar 25 St. Louis Cardinals 6:05 pm

Sun, Mar 27 Florida Marlins 1:05 pm

Tue, Mar 29 New York Mets 12:05 pm

Full moon and then some!

Thanks to a fluke of orbital mechanics that brings the moon closer to Earth than that it has been in more than 18 years, the biggest full moon of 2011 will occur tonight. This afternoon at 3 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time, the moon will arrive at its closest point to the Earth in 2011: a distance of 221,565 miles away.

At its peak, the supermoon of March may appear 14 percent larger and 30 percent brighter than lesser full moons (when the moon is at its farthest from Earth), weather permitting. Yet to the casual observer, it may be hard to tell the difference.

A supermoon does not cause natural disasters, such as the Japan earthquake, a NASA scientist has stressed. The moon has not been in a position to appear this large since March 1993. So grab your S.O. and find some place to bask in the moonlight. Moonrise is officially 7:49 p.m.

Speaking of natural phenomenons that are ours for the viewing - sunrise, at this time of year, is at it's latest - which means one doesn't have to get up in what seems like the middle of the night in order to see it! Sunrise tomorrow is around 7:30 a.m. Now that's do-able!

Green beer forever !!

For those who have not yet reached their fill of green beer....read on: Meg O'Malleys is continuing their St. Patrick's Day hoopla into the week-end. And why not ! St. Patrick's Day Parade and Celebration includes a traditional Irish buffet, live entertainment (bagpipes included) and parade.

On Saturday, March 19, 2011, at 11:00 a.m., the 18th Annual St. Patrick's Day Parade begins marching east down New Haven Avenue to Depot Drive in Historic Downtown Melbourne. The parade lasts almost two hours, so bring a lawn chair or a blanket to sit on if you don't feel like standing. Plenty of free parking is available on the side streets. Continue the Irish celebration at Meg O'Malley's Irish Pub & Restaurant, 812 East New Haven Avenue.

Samson's Island Open House

Samson's Island will host an Open House from 9:30 a.m.-2:00 p.m. -  Saturday, Mar 19, 2011. Explore the island's trails where one can see abundant wildlife and stay for a light picnic lunch.  Demonstrations will be on-going, and visitors can view or  participate in river seining, exotic and native plant identification, primitive camping, wildlife exhibits, and bird watching programs.  Visitors are welcome to bring their fishing pole, binoculars for bird watching and camera for nature photography.  To reserve boat transportation, call (321) 773-6458 to schedule transport time from the SB Fire Dept. dock. Location:  Satellite Beach Fire Dept. 1390 S Patrick Dr Satellite Beach. Samson's Island is hugely popular for kayaking - why not get acquainted with it and come back again with your kayak? Map, directions, info HERE. And don't forget your sunscreen and camera!

Brevard Zoo holds Eco Fair

On Saturday, March 19, Brevard Zoo will hold an Eco Fair from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Parents, this is an excellent way to teach your kids about environmental responsibility. There will be lots of tents with displays, art projects to do, samples of organic foods, and - of course - animals to see. The perfect way to make learning fun. For details, see our article in Brevard Zoo Examiner.

Gotta love 'em

Happy St. Patrick's Day! Patrick, FYI, was born in Scotland to parents who were Romans living in Britain. So even if you aren't Irish, feel free to celebrate whatever today!

Go Go Brighthouse Networks!

 Message received from Bright House Networks this morning:
"We continue to monitor the situation in Japan in the wake of the devastating earthquake and tsunami. In an effort to keep you informed with the latest news and information, Bright House Networks is airing TV Japan at no charge. As a Bright House Networks digital customer, you can find it on channel 991.

In addition, if you are a Home Phone customer, you can place calls to Japan FREE of charge through April 15, 2011, retroactive to calls placed beginning March 11, 2011. As a Home Phone customer, you will not be charged for any calls to land lines or cell phone numbers in Japan. "

Please help

Saturday, March 19, 2011

3rd Annual Whisker, Wag & Wine Event
Hayes Meats & Gourmet Foods located at on Merritt Island will be hosting the 3rd Annual & Whiskers, Wags & Wine event to benefit the Central Brevard Humane Society.

The event will feature wine tasting & hors d'oeuvres, live entertainment by Photographs from a Moving Vehicle, chair massages, raffle prizes and much, much more! Admission is  free and pets are allowed. All animals must be on a leash or in a carrier and have proof of current shots along with a county tag.

Proceeds from the event will go towards the care of the abandoned and abused animals of  Brevard.

Chopper Dropper

Friday, March 18 at 5:30 p.m. For a donation of $50, you can have a ball and a chance to win $25,000! Closest to the pin wins $25,000, second closest wins $10,000, third closest wins $5,000 and 10 others win $1,000. This event benefits FIT Athletic Scholarships and tickets sell out every year. Each ticket gives you food and cocktails at Suntree Country Club while you await the chopper, too! Ticket link HERE.

National Potato Chip Day

Grimaldi's Chocolate Covered Potato Chips - a Space Coast tradition, and the ONLY way to celebrate today, National Potato Chip Day. Thank you George Crum - inventor of the potato chip (Saratoga Chip) in 1853.

Reflecting

While watching the news about Japan, I have experienced a myriad of emotions: shock, sadness, compassion, and helplessness among others. And I don't think I'm alone in thinking that we on the Space Coast are just as vulnerable, should a tsunami come this way. The people in Japan had four hours - what could you do in four hours? My thoughts - prepare like you would if a Cat 5 were coming and then stop. No-one wants to live in fear. Nor should we. Prep, know you are ready to go, and then concentrate on making each day worthwhile. Call those people you've been meaning to, take time for a walk, and make sure those you love know it. You never know; just ask Japan.

Troubling !!!

The Eirick Raude oil rig, 18 mi. off the northwest coast of Cuba.

An article in our local Brevard Business News drew my attention to this oil rig - and not in a pleasant way. So, after many hours of researching, this is what I found. Wake up Space Coast (and everyone else!) !!

Repsol, a Spanish company, expects to begin drilling off Cuba in 2011, according to published reports and oil industry analysts. Companies from at least 10 other countries, including Russia and China, are negotiating or have already signed lease deals to drill off Cuba!

Backtrack to 2004
 
The Eirick Raude offshore rig is seen in this file photo from late 2003 in the Burin Sea off Canada. Spain’s Repsol has rented the Eirick Raude and has been drilling for 18 miles off Cuba’s northwest coast since June  2004. ( Photo by Ocean Rig/Reuters )

Drilling of an exploratory well in Cuba’s virgin Gulf of Mexico waters that could make the Communist nation an oil exporter and undermine the U.S. embargo has been completed, a senior official said. The drilling has since ended and the Spanish company is assessing the results. "We expect to be informed in two weeks.”

A commercially viable find could transform the cash-strapped island from oil importer to petroleum exporting nation, adding pressure on the United States to lift its four-decades-old trade embargo against President Fidel Castro’s government. The senior Cuban official said Repsol was analyzing samples to determine their quality and whether commercial production would be feasible. Repsol believes up to 1.6 billion barrels of oil may be located where the drill bit went down 18 miles off the northwest coast of Cuba in waters one mile deep.

Fast forward to 2011

Geography inherently makes a spill off Cuba's coast a potential disaster for South Florida. Zones established by maritime law in 1977 gave the U.S. and Cuba special rights of exploration and navigation in the Florida Straits.

The boundary of Cuba's Exclusive Economic Zone extends to within 45 miles of Key West. The parcels within the zone that Cuba has leased for drilling are along Cuba's northwest coast - about 65 miles south of Key West.

By comparison, the Deepwater Horizon well, as much of a concern as it is to South Florida officials, is 800 miles away. Oil from a spill off Cuba could much more quickly enter the Florida Straits and blanket the Keys and South Florida as it is pulled north on the Gulf Stream.

Politics, geography and long-standing grudges would make responding to a spill from Cuba much more complex. The 48-year-old Cold War era embargo against Cuba would bar U.S. companies from providing equipment, technology, advice, vessels or personnel to stop and clean a spill off Cuba. Today, if Mexico or the Bahamas or Canada have a spill, all they have to do is call Houston and in a matter of hours they have access to submarines, skimmers and blowout preventers. With Cuba, that is not the case.

Cuba has limited ability to refine oil. The embargo bans U.S. companies from refining Cuba's oil, and two other large refineries in the Caribbean are owned by U.S. companies: Hess in St. Croix, Virgin Islands, and Valero in Aruba. Venezuela's refineries are maxed out.

Oil has zero value unless you can turn it into gasoline or diesel. Where are they going to refine it? Politics could force an answer to that question. Lifting the embargo and allowing U.S. companies to profit from refining Cuban oil is one option. Another is to continue the embargo and risk Cuba strengthening its friendships with U.S. foes. A refinery on Cuba's northern coast is being built by a partnership between Venezuela and Cuba.

Sarasota Republican Rep. Vern Buchanan has introduced legislation to allow the U.S. Interior Department to deny oil and gas leases to companies involved in Cuba's oil drilling operations. Sen. Bill Nelson plans to reintroduce legislation to pull the visas for executives of such companies. Buchanan, a staunch opponent of drilling off Florida's coast, said he worries Cuba doesn't  have the expertise to contain a spill.

Repsol is expected to drill to 5,600 feet — deeper than the Deepwater Horizon rig that exploded in the Gulf of Mexico. Up for exploration is an area about 22 miles north of Havana and  65 miles south of the Marquesas Keys.

Senator Bill Nelson, Democrat of Florida, is urging President Obama to recall a diplomatic note to Havana reinforcing a 1977 boundary agreement that gives Cuba jurisdiction up to 45 miles from Florida. “I am sure you agree that we cannot allow Cuba to put at risk  Florida’s major business and irreplaceable environment,” he wrote the president shortly after the BP accident. So far, the President has refused.

Contact your State Senators and let them know how you feel about this!

Nelson, Bill - (D - FL)	Class I
716 HART SENATE OFFICE BUILDING WASHINGTON DC 20510
(202) 224-5274
Web Form: billnelson.senate.gov/contact/index.cfm
Rubio, Marco - (R - FL)	Class III
B40A DIRKSEN SENATE OFFICE BUILDING WASHINGTON DC 20510
(202) 224-3041
Web Form: rubio.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/contact

Daylight Savings Time!!!!!!

DST/Turning the clocks ahead - how do we love thee? Wholeheartedly! WHY? Because we get to have an outdoor life after work! We can go for a bike ride!

Or spend a little extra time walking with a best friend!

Or walk nine holes with friends and share some laughs!

Or watch the moon rise over the ocean...........SO-o-o-o worth losing that hour of sleep! Don't forget to turn the clocks FORWARD Saturday night. And reap the rewards on Sunday night!

A launch is a launch is a launch?

Delta IV launch 95% GO for 5:57 p.m. tonight. Watch from across the river and, though not a shuttle, it's still quite impressive!

MEGA Garage sale!

City-Wide Garage Sale, Satellite Beach !!!!!!!!!!!  8:00 AM - 12:00 PM  !!!!!!!!!!!!!!  Saturday March 12, 2011. Clubs and organizations who wish to reserve a space in the DRS Center parking lot to sell items to benefit their club functions, can contact Mik at 960-9802 for event details. This is a great event for groups to join who are trying to earn money for their Relay for Life cause!

If you want to sell from your home (in Satellite Beach), call 773-6458 and provide your garage sale location and we'll distribute a master “City-wide Garage Sale” flyer listing your home location prior to and day of the event. Location:  DRS Community Center 1089 S Patrick Dr Satellite Beach. 

This is my all-time favorite garage sale!!!! And yes, there will be surfboards, etc - there always is! Please leave the paddleboard for me - ok?

Wanna get lucky?

It's that magical time of year again. The only thing better than being in South Bend on St. Patrick's Day is.... WOB.

"Don't go anywhere else for your pint of Irish heaven, come to World of Beer on March 17th, to celebrate St. Patrick's Day! We will be featuring beer specials with our favorite Irish imports. $4 Irish pints, $3 Harpoon Celtic Ale pints, $2 O'Hara's Irish Red and $1 Irish beer shots. Also we will have complimentary corn beef and cabbage, and shepard's pie in the evening. The Brevard Police & Fire Pipe & Drum will be by at 7 pm playing all your favorite Irish Music. Live Music with Matt Adkins & Jay DiBella starts at 9 pm. Cheers! "Oh, and feel free to wear your ND shirts & hats.......Go Irish!

Zoo camp registration

Friendly reminder that Brevard Zoo is now holding early registration for Zoo Camp both during Spring Break and during the upcoming summer. Enroll your child before April 15 and receive a discount! Details available in our article in Brevard Zoo Examiner.

Air show this week-end!

Tickets, details, maps, schedules, and stories, etc in our Examiner article!

Good food, good wine & good music - ah-h-h-h-h-h-h

Make plans now to spend a few hours sampling the best of the best chefs, sipping wines from around the globe, and then sitting back in your lawn chair, singing along with America, while inhaling some vitamin-sea. That's what I'm talking about. Details in our Examiner article.

NOT so great.....

As reported by Florida Today, who is never inaccurate........Am I the only one who gets the goosebumps just thinking a 17 ft Great White shares the same beach as me? If I wanted to swim with them, I'd swim off the coast of California. Why aren't they in New Smyrna with their relatives?

Strawberry Festival March 5-6

It's that wonderful time of the year again - Strawberries everywhere! Actually, strawberries can be found gracing my refrigerator shelves on any given day, all year long. But this event benefits a special cause: Habitat for Humanity. The schedule is as follows:

Pancake Breakfast - Sat. 7 - 11 a.m.   and   Sun. 9 a.m. - noon.
Saturday - Car & Bike show all day long.
Sunday - 5K run starts at 8 a.m.
Sunday - live music 9 a.m. - 5 p.m.

For more info: 321-728-4009       To learn about Habitat for Humanity, click HERE

Cocoa Village Arts & Crafts show

This week-end, March 5 & 6, Cocoa Village will welcome hundreds of artists as they set up shop on the streets of Historic Cocoa Village. This is your chance to support those struggling to make a living on their own while finding unique items for your home or the perfect gift for someone who has everything. This writer will be there hunting down one-of-a-kind UF Gator baby items - and you can bet there will be something unique available for the rabid Gator fans-soon-to-be-parents!

5K Race at Brevard Zoo

Saturday, March 5, head to Brevard Zoo for Running Zone's fifth annual 3K Race at the Zoo at 7:30 a.m. The race course takes runners/walkers through the Zoo and winners receive great prizes!  There will be a FREE Li'l Rhino Kiddie Run after the main event and race participants receive 50% off admission into the Zoo the day of the race as well as $5 off Rhino Encounters. Cost to participate is $28 in advance and $31 the morning of the race. Proceeds benefit the Zoo. For complete details visit http://www.runningzone.com/. To see the Rhino Encounter, visit the article on Brevard Zoo Examiner.

Game time!!!!!!!!!!

03/01/11 - 03/31/11 Spring training games at Space Coast Stadium!
Washington Nationals Spring Training Schedule:

Date                      Opponent                       Time
Tue, Mar 1         New York Mets              1:05 pm
Wed, Mar 2       Florida Marlins                1:05 pm
Fri, Mar 4          Atlanta Braves                 1:05 pm
Sun, Mar 6        Atlanta Braves                  1:05 pm
Mon, Mar 7       Houston Astros                1:05 pm
Thu, Mar 10      New York Mets               1:05 pm
Fri, Mar 11        Houston Astros                 6:05 pm
Sat, Mar 12       New York Yankees         1:05 pm
Mon, Mar 14     Detroit Tigers                   1:05 pm
Fri, Mar 18 St.   Louis Cardinals                1:05 pm
Sun, Mar 20       Detroit Tigers                  1:05 pm
Tue, Mar 22       Houston Astros               1:05 pm
Fri, Mar 25        St. Louis Cardinals           6:05 pm
Sun, Mar 27      Florida Marlins                 1:05 pm
Tue, Mar 29      New York Mets              12:05 pm

5800 Stadium Parkway
Viera, FL
32940

Take advantage of the wonderful opportunity we've been given by taking in at least one game! How lucky the Space Coast is to have professional, cheap ticket major league baseball right in our back yard! But if no-one goes, what incentive would they have to keep coming back? How many teams have been here and gone elsewhere? Let's try to keep the Nationals here!