Don’t Be Centless, Pick Up That Penny

How many of you Floridians have dropped a penny and did not stop to pick it up? How many of you have stopped to pick silver coins off the floor, but left the brown ones? I have; yes I am guilty of this. A few days ago I was walking into a convenience store and saw something shiny on the floor. I stopped and bent down to collect 2 quarters, 2 dimes, and a nickel. I left the pennies because I already had more than enough jiggling in my purse.

Later that day I saw a video on Yahoo! included in a 60 Minutes series talking about the cost of a penny. I could not believe what they said the cost was, so I restarted the video and listened harder. It cost $134 million to produce only $80 million worth of pennies. To myself I thought, why in the hell are they still producing pennies. Afterwards I did some research and found another video by 60 Minutes explaining why we can not rid ourselves of the penny. Some reasons include Americans losing money because everything will have to be rounded up to the nickel and how pennies are used for charity events.

After asking some Floridians, I came to the conclusion that we need pennies. Although I must admit, I would like to rid my purse of any large amount of brown coins jiggling to my walk. How do you feel about ridding the United States of pennies?

Just Not Quick Enough

When you call 9-1-1, the amount of time it takes an officer to arrive can mean life or death. In a recent article, the News-press looked into response times to top priority calls. In their research, they found Cape Coral has seen a drop in response times over the last year. What about Fort Myers? They have seen a 2 minute increase which is the highest in the county.

So what can Fort Myers residents do? Well, I guess they have no choice but to wait and hope the police will arrive in time to save someone’s life. So what are the causes for the delayed response times? The Fort Myers police explains it is because of traffic woes due to increased population and added construction, the need for new officers due to slashed funding and the increase in nonviolent property offenses.

In the article, Fort Myers police major states:
“Baker expects the response times will eventually level out, but he won’t try to accelerate that by encouraging his officers to step on the gas.”

I haven’t had to call 9-1-1 for any serious reasons, but the response times in case I ever have to concerns me. What if those extra 30 seconds could have saved a friend or a family member’s life? I know 30 seconds may not sound like a lot, but when you’re waiting, those few seconds could mean a lifetime. If any of you ever have to dial 9-1-1, I hope they response quickly.

The Edison Festival of Lights

If you have been in Florida for more than a year, I know you have heard of the Edison Festival of Lights. If you haven’t heard, then where have you been? The Edison Festival of lights has been named North America’s Top 100 events in the past and this year it celebrated its 70th anniversary.

Being a Fort Myers native, where the parade originated, usually my family always found time to go down to the parade, but as all of us children are aging, many of us don’t find it exciting to push through crowds to see floats. This year we all enjoyed it from the privacy of our home. We got a chance to see everything the hundreds of people did sitting on the road did, but without the traffic.

Now I’m not recommending you watch it on television unless you have seen the parade a number of times. If you haven’t seen it ever, I suggest you take a stroll to Downtown Fort Myers next year and enjoy the parade and what it offers during its various days. Attend the block party, join the 5k race and enjoy the fireworks show. As for those who have seen the parade numerous times, I suggest you watch it on television to see your favorite float and enjoy the newly added floats each year because you have experienced it before.

If you missed the parade this year, view some of the 500 photos thanks to the News-Press.

Frequent Unsafe Imports

When was the last time you stopped to look at your tag on your shirt, pants, or your underwear? Rarely are they made in the United Sates. How about the food you purchase at the grocery store? Fifty percent of the time it is not made in the United States and is imported from another country.

When a parent purchased lollipops from a local Polk County Dollar General, she had no idea what she paid for. She got a piece of metal embedded in a lollipop she brought her child to distribute around school. Other lollipops were found to be tainted and resulted in recalling the product from over 8,300 stores. The FDA says it is investigating what happened.

If you haven’t read the article can you guess where the product was made? China. The same place that produced toys that have recently been recalled due to toxins in the paint and the same place that produced toothpaste with the same chemical as antifreeze which killed several people. With so many products coming from China and other countries, how safe is our food? Better yet, is America taking the precautions needed to ensure safe products are entering the country?

All I have to say is, with the increasing amount of recalls from China, wouldn’t this give America the incentive to start making those products here to help the economy and become less dependent on other countries. I guess the next question will be if it is any safer.

No wonder you’re not losing weight

Artificial sweeteners such as Equal, Splenda, and Sweet’n Low were known by many to cause cancer, but with recent studies and the government answering questions to calm the public, they are now safe to eat and not directly linked to cancer. After reading a blog post titled “One Raw Sugar, two Splenda, and half a Sweet’n Low please,” it got me thinking about what else all those sweeteners are linked to.

Morgan writes on her blog:

“Nevertheless, being so enlightened, I still can’t help but cringe when I hear some one call a drink with nine Splenda, or eleven Equal. And even if it doesn’t directly cause cancer, you have to wonder about those rumors of unusually sized brain tumors…”

I thought about more than the tumors for a while. A few days ago I watched a 2 minute video on NBC2 News and found a study on Reuters explaining that artificial sweeteners are now linked to weight gain. The main component that contributes to the weight gain is saccharin which slows down the metabolism.

This is important why? Well, obesity has become an epidemic and in coffee houses around America people are getting fat. Not just with their coffee, but with diet drinks or anything else that contains an artificial sweetener. Once more studies are done, what else will sweeteners be linked to directly or indirectly? Why don’t we just take artificial sweeteners off the shelf and go back to regular sugar, this way people don’t have to worry about what that sweetener packet is linked to.

A Native’s Teary Moment

Reading Eugenia’s blog titled Lenscapes, I laughed about the guy with the fanny pack, but also cried in less than 15 minutes about a historical site. Tears trickled down my face as I scrolled through each of the three pictures. I don’t know why such a thing could evoke such a reaction out of me.

In the Separation post, Eugenia stated,

"I could not believe what I was looking at; I almost forgot to put Doug in park. The structure, which I later learned, is protected by a historical society. A piece of memorabilia from an ignorant past some would like to forget. It is the Port Charlotte Train Depot. Judging from the signage on the outside, the building functions as an antique store during the day. But what really made my stomach churn was what still adorned the doorways."

It was then followed by the three pictures of the doorways that made me cry. They read COLORED and WHITE.

Those pictures and this post brought to my attention that segregation was happening everywhere. I am a Florida native and never once had I seen anything in the state of Florida that separated Whites from Colored folk. I always thought it was happening in other states in our country such as Georgia and Mississippi.

I cried after reading this post because people of color had to encounter the hatred on a regular basis until someone stood up for what was right. I thought about it and wondered would America still treat colored people the same if it was not for Dr. Martin Luther King and any other person who fought for equality for all?

I guess I have been naive to think that such a building could ever lay close to home. I have never heard from any of my family members about segregation or from anyone I have encounter along my 23 years as a Florida native. Thanks to Eugenia I now know and the knowing has helped me to appreciate what others have done so I could sit where I am today.

Calling All Drivers

Cruising from campus Wednesday night after attending a poetry reading, I get cut off by some guy in a black SUV going down Treeline Blvd. I thought I was going fast enough considering I was doing several miles over the speed limit. I guess 58 miles per hour was not enough. After meeting the black SUV at the light, it turned green and he sped off, continuing to cut off other cars. With all of the unsafe driving happening, I wondered where the police was because that guy driving the black SUV is a hazard to himself and others.

The point of this story is not to complain about a bad driver, but have people examine how they drive and if they feel safe on Florida’s roadways. With the increasing amount of people moving to Florida and the ongoing construction, drivers need to be aware and drive safe. Safe does not include driving excessively over the speed limit, cutting off cars and driving under the influence of anything; Safe includes being aware of the speed limit and being aware of other drivers on the road.

Although I know driving in Florida will not get better considering the increasing amount of people relocating, but I just want to know every time I crank up my car and pull out of my driveway, I will be safe.

What’s on your list?

Surfing through The News-Press webpage, I came across a forum titled Rants and Raves. The topic being discussed is “Your Own Bucket List,” basically what you would like to do before you kick the bucket. I haven’t seen the movie and don’t plan on watching it, but this movie has brought to peoples attention what they would like to accomplish before they die, myself included. It was not a list that could be prepared in less than an hour because you really have to think about it. Therefore, this is my bucket list:

1. Travel Europe and buy fresh bread off the street.
2. Publish a fiction or poem book.
3. Meet and possibility be on Oprah.
4. Swim with dolphins.
5. Make a snow Angel and not catch frostbit.
6. Go on a safari in Africa.
7. Have kids of my own.
8. Visit the ancient pyramids in Egypt.
9. Attend a superbowl game without worrying about a budget.
10. Go skydiving.
11. Learn to change car oil.

If you had to make a bucket list, what would it include? Think about it and in a few days post your own list of things you would like to do before you kick the bucket. I would like to hear them.

Who's the Judge?

I was surfing the web looking for other Florida blogs to read when I came across a post in the St. Petersburg Times posted today. The post read:

Here's one vote for the gay marriage ban
This reader left voice mail at the Times this morning to show support for the proposed same-sex marriage ban. John Stemberger's florida4marriage.org is counting on such sentiment to attain the 60 percent threshold needed for a constitutional amendment.

After reading the post and then listening to the phone message, I started thinking about allowing gay marriages in Florida. I have no problem with it because people can live their life however they please. The only judge to them living the way they chose should be the person they pray to. Why should people be able to say what constitutes marriage just because it says in the bible about man and woman marrying and everything else is wrong. I could continue writing on this subject forever, but I would like to leave you with a few questions that I have been thinking about.

1. If a man or woman changed their sex and appearance, then can they marry?
2. Is it possible to make yourself not fall in love with a person due to their outward appearance?
3. Are you or any man for that matter anyone's savior that can condemn anyone?