#changes in everglades and northern everglades

[brookstonalmanac]

Events 5.11

330 – Constantine the Great dedicates the much-expanded and rebuilt city of Byzantium, changing its name to New Rome and declaring it the new capital of the Eastern Roman Empire. 868 – A copy of the Diamond Sūtra is published, making it the earliest dated and printed book known. 973 – In the first coronation ceremony ever held for an English monarch, Edgar the Peaceful is crowned King of England, having ruled since 959 AD. His wife, Ælfthryth, is crowned queen, the first recorded coronation for a Queen of England. 1068 – Matilda of Flanders, wife of William the Conqueror, is crowned Queen of England. 1258 – Louis IX of France and James I of Aragon sign the Treaty of Corbeil, renouncing claims of feudal overlordship in one another's territories and separating the House of Barcelona from the politics of France. 1713 – Great Northern War: After losing the Battle of Helsinki to the Russians, the Swedish and Finnish troops burn the entire city, so that it would not remain intact in the hands of the Russians. 1812 – Prime Minister Spencer Perceval is assassinated by John Bellingham in the lobby of the British House of Commons. 1813 – William Lawson, Gregory Blaxland and William Wentworth discover a route across the Blue Mountains, opening up inland Australia to settlement. 1857 – Indian Rebellion of 1857: Indian rebels seize Delhi from the British. 1880 – Seven people are killed in the Mussel Slough Tragedy, a gun battle in California. 1889 – An attack upon a U.S. Army paymaster and escort results in the theft of over $28,000 and the award of two Medals of Honor. 1894 – Four thousand Pullman Palace Car Company workers go on a wildcat strike. 1919 – Uruguay becomes a signatory to the Buenos Aires copyright treaty. 1970 – The 1970 Lubbock tornado kills 26 and causes $250 million in damage. 1985 – Fifty-six spectators die and more than 200 are injured in the Bradford City stadium fire. 1996 – After the aircraft's departure from Miami, a fire started by improperly handled chemical oxygen generators in the cargo hold of Atlanta-bound ValuJet Airlines Flight 592 causes the Douglas DC-9 to crash in the Florida Everglades, killing all 110 on board. 1997 – Deep Blue, a chess-playing supercomputer, defeats Garry Kasparov in the last game of the rematch, becoming the first computer to beat a world-champion chess player in a classic match format. 1998 – India conducts three underground atomic tests in Pokhran. 2011 – An earthquake of magnitude 5.1 hits Lorca, Spain. 2013 – Fifty-two people are killed in a bombing in Reyhanlı, Turkey. 2014 – Fifteen people are killed and 46 injured in Kinshasa, DRC, in a stampede caused by tear gas being thrown into soccer stands by police officers. 2016 – One hundred and ten people are killed in an ISIL bombing in Baghdad. 2022 – The Burmese military executes at least 37 villagers during the Mon Taing Pin massacre in Sagaing, Myanmar. 2024 - Minnesota officially updates its flag.

[miamifl-daily]

Innovative Spaces

Crest At Pinecrest introduces an array of outdoor amenities, enhancing the resident experience with lush surroundings and innovative spaces. The lush outdoor sky theater creates a unique recreational setting, offering residents a cinematic experience under the open sky. Lounge seating provides a comfortable and social atmosphere, fostering community connections and relaxation. Adding a wet bar complements outdoor entertainment, allowing residents to enjoy refreshments while enjoying the vibrant surroundings. Outdoor dining spaces further enrich the living experience, allowing residents to savor meals al fresco. These carefully curated features at Crest's Northern Pinecrest rentals promote outdoor enjoyment and contribute to a sense of community, leisure, and elevated living.

The Geography of Miami, FL

Miami, Florida, boasts a distinctive geography that shapes its unique character and allure. Positioned along the southeastern tip of the United States, the city is defined by its coastal location, with the Atlantic Ocean to the east and the expansive Biscayne Bay to the west. The iconic Miami Beach features pristine sandy shores and the Art Deco Historic District. The Everglades accentuates the city's landscape to the west, a vast subtropical wilderness. Miami's vibrant neighborhoods, like Little Havana and Wynwood, reflect the cultural diversity embedded in its geography. The city's tropical climate, lush greenery, and proximity to water contribute to a lively and inviting atmosphere that defines Miami's geographical identity.

Wynwood Walls

Wynwood Walls, situated in Miami's Wynwood Arts District, stands as an open-air gallery and a global street art destination. Transformed from a warehouse district, Wynwood Walls features an ever-evolving collection of vibrant and eclectic murals created by renowned street artists from around the world. The kaleidoscope of colors, intricate designs, and diverse styles adorning the walls and buildings reflect the dynamic spirit of contemporary urban art. Visitors can explore this unique outdoor museum, discovering thought-provoking pieces that often convey social messages and cultural narratives. Wynwood Walls has become a symbol of Miami's commitment to fostering creativity, making it a must-visit destination for art enthusiasts, tourists, and anyone seeking an immersive and visually stimulating experience.

A New Proposal Could Change Miami-Dade High Schools Uniform Requirement

The debate on the benefits of high school uniforms remains ongoing. Proponents argue that uniforms promote equality, fostering a positive school culture by minimizing visible socio-economic differences. Uniforms can also contribute to a focused learning environment by reducing distractions related to clothing choices. Additionally, they may enhance school safety by easily identifying students on campus. Critics contend that uniforms stifle individual expression and creativity and can be financially burdensome for families. The effectiveness of high school uniforms largely depends on the specific context and the goals a school aims to achieve in terms of fostering a sense of community, discipline, or academic focus.

Link to maps

Wynwood Walls 2516 NW 2nd Ave, Miami, FL 33127, United States Get on I-395 W from NW 2nd Ave and NW 3rd Ave 5 min (1.1 mi) Take FL-836 W and FL-826 S to FL-94 E/SW 88th St/N Kendall Dr in Kendall. Take the FL-94 E/SW 88th St/N Kendall Dr exit from FL-826 S/Palmetto Expy 16 min (14.3 mi) Drive to Pinecrest Pkwy 4 min (1.2 mi) Crest At Pinecrest Apartments 9600 S Dixie Hwy, Miami, FL 33156, United States

[sophomore-slumpo]

University Colloquium Water Crisis Blog Part 3 of 3

Some corporations have collaborated with global nonprofit organizations like the Nature Conservancy, which worked together with Disney to protect, restore, and connect lands and wetlands critical to the replenishment of the state’s aquifers. Lessons learned on the restoration of the wetlands at the Disney Wilderness Preserve will be applied to help restore other conservation land. They have also worked with ranchers in the northern Everglades to reduce agricultural water use and nutrient run-off which protects lands for water recharge and provides a foundation for meaningful change in the Everglades, which is currently returning at least 500 million gallons of water from seasonal rains to the aquifer. On a smaller, more targeted scale, Audubon Florida is advocating for water quality solutions that include a combination of prevention and treatment strategies. As I was researching these strategies (restricting the use of fertilizer and better agricultural practices, manmade marshes, or nature landscaping), I was able to make the connection with the assigned reading. Finally, moving closer to (my) home, Miami-Dade County has recently launched the “Connect 2 Protect” septic to sewer conversion program. Over the course of several years, the countywide program will address vulnerable or failing septic tank systems to avoid groundwater contamination, made all the more urgent by rising sea levels. The program seeks to minimize public health risks, negative impacts on private properties, and impacts on the local environment. One criticism I have about this program is that it is reactive, rather than proactive. Out of all the solutions explored, I think the solutions proffered by the Nature Conservancy and Audubon Florida are the best. They seem practical and feasible because in the case of the Nature Conservancy, specifically, through their partnership with Disney, they have access to money and resources that will help curb the damage being done and help reverse it by giving nature a chance to heal. Audubon Florida is doing something similar in working to prevent runoff that harms the environment. In both of these initiatives, there is a partnership that results in working collaboratively to work towards a healthier aquatic ecosystem. These joint ventures will help with repairing the root issue instead of just a band-aid solution.

[newagesispage]

                                                               JANUARY        2023

THE  RIB  PAGE

Happy New Year babies!!!!  

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Billy Porter has been added to the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

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Predictors are saying that book stores are making a comeback and that mocktails will be big in 2023. The reasoning is that people drank way too much during Covid and also discovered they like REAL books. High -end dive bars and jello shots are also trending.   It also seems that we have a bit of a 70’s revival going on.

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The new USPS stamps for 2023 have been revealed: Look for John Lewis, Tomie dePaula, the Everglades, skateboard art, life magnified, bridges and the Northern Cardinal.

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Days alert: I am miserable about Xander and Sarah. And nobody knows what to think of this shady Eric. Is it Eric? Has he just plain had enough of the good guy image? Samantha needs to come to town and be an angel. I mean it would be great cuz you could never trust it. So glad that Roman and Kate are together but let’s give them a real story!! Let’s not push Abe and Paulina too far in the background. We all love them!!!!!!

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Sexual assault news: Steven Tyler has been accused of sexual assault of a minor.** Andrew Tate, an influencer, kickboxer, reality show dude and his brother, Tristan were arrested for human trafficking. They are suspected of recruiting, housing and exploiting women by forcing them to create porn to sell.

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A new test can detect 20 different kinds of cancer with 1 blood sample.

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With so many movies making it seem like everybody wants a ride in Santa’s sleigh, I guess there should be more amusement rides like that.

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Word is that Election is back in Tracy Flick can’t win.

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Variety named Psycho the best movie of all time. I have been saying that for years. I realize there are many important films but I can think of nothing that changed the game like this one.  

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The DNC has replaced Iowa with South Carolina as the first primary State.** The new DNC chair in the house is Hakeem Jeffries.

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Dolly’s Magic Mountain Christmas. Bless her heart.

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I guess Q-Elon just wanted an all -out already popular site to spread their propaganda. He loves diet coke too. What is in that shit? ** Musk is no longer the world’s richest man.

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The singers from the Charlie Brown Christmas show were finally given credit and paid some back pay!! It’s about time.

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Warnock won in Georgia.

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Trump’s company was found guilty on 17 counts of fraud. ** Trump is selling virtual cards with his  picture for $99 a pop.  

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Look for Donald Glover as Hypno- Hustler, Antoine Desloin with a script written by Myles Murphy.

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Sometimes I am astonished at how big the Hallmark movies have become. I don’t think I get it.

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The owner of Thomas Murray woodworking has been arrested for multiple counts of fraud for services never performed.  

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Time’s person of the year is Volodymyr Zelensky and the spirit of Ukraine. Zelensky came to Washington and visited Biden. The Ukraine Pres gave a speech which was mostly well received. Pelosi looked like she was going to eat him alive. Republicans in the house will probably try to stop money from going to the cause.

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Leslie Jones, Sarah Silverman, Chelsea Handler, Jordan Klepper and Roy Wood Jr. Will fill in as Trevor Noah leaves the Daily Show. Who will finally be the next host?

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I really miss the show Stumptown!!

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Some cheap rags are reporting that the Idaho murders are part of some new Manson loving family. In fact Bryan Kohberger was arrested for the murder of 4 in Idaho.

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The numbers are coming out and about twice as many republicans died from Covid than Democrats.

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R.I.P. Brad William Henke, Pope Benedict, Maureen Arthur, Kirstie Alley, Gary Friedkin, Ronnie Turner, Stephen ‘tWitch’ Boss, Georgia Holt, Dorothy Pitman- Hughes, Helen Slayton-Hughes, Lee Lorenz, June Blair, Bob Mcgrath, Sonya Eddy, Dino Danelli, Daniel Brush, Leonard Mancini, Cecelia Marshall, Gaylord Perry, Thom Bell, Elayne Jones, Stephen Greif, Jo Mersa Marley, Franco Harris, John Aniston, Neal Jimenez, Tony Vaccaro, Bob Penny, Ian Tyson, Robert J. Dowling, Barara Walters, Pele, Vivienne Westwood, Shirley Watts, Brandon Royer and Justin Royer.

[jthurlow]

Historic Phytogeography of South Florida with Present Day Features

Historic Phytogeography of South Florida with Present Day Features

 Phy·to·ge·og·ra·phy: the branch of botany that deals with the geographical distribution of plants.

Historic Phytogeography of South Florida with Present Day SFWMD Features, 2019, by Lexie Hoffart & Nichole Miller, Geographers, SFMWD.

It started with a request, an idea, and over many months materialized with the guidance of  Tia Barnett, Governing Board and Executive Services, and Dr. Ken Chen,…

[jeff-kamikow]

Florida: A Rich and Extensive History By Jeffrey Kamikow

Over the years, the state of Florida has garnered the international reputation of being the ideal location to party and soak up the sun. Annually, thousands of students make the trip here in March to have a memorable spring break. In the winter, retired folks travel to Florida to escape the harsh weather conditions, earning them the title 'snowbirds.’ Less known about the state of Florida is its rich and compelling history, dating back thousands of years, long before it was a spring break hotspot. Let's take a look at some of the major historical events that ultimately culminated in Florida becoming our beautiful 27th state.

12,000 BC

Believe it or not, at the end of the last Ice Age, Florida was roughly double the size it is today. In modern times, as the sea level continues to rise, the land area continues to diminish. Around 12,000 BC, the Paleo-Indians first came to Florida in search of food sources. Their main sources of food were mastodons, horses, and giant armadillos. (Yes, giant armadillos!)

It is believed that the Paleo-Indians first came to Florida from Asia, crossing the Bering Bridge from Siberia to Alaska. Once in North America, resources and the hunt for them led the Paleo-Indians as far south east as Florida. Today, the indigenous population of Florida stands at roughly 53,000, after years of colonization, mistreatment by settlers, and disease significantly reduced the population.

5000 BC

Still long before Europeans would ever set foot on North American soil, Paleo-Indians established a permanent settlement along the coast of Florida. By living near the warm ocean waters, they became dependent

on the plentiful resources the sea had to offer, thriving on marine life as a primary food source. This period is referred to in history as the ‘Archaic Period’.

500 AD

Fast forward roughly five thousand years, Paleo-Indians develop a significant change in lifestyle, taking to the woodlands to hunt game, rather than using the sea as a primary resource for food. It is at this point as well that the population begins to take to agriculture as well, establishing farms.

This period, referred to as the ‘Woodland Period’, is also defined by Paleo-Indians adopting new technology. Not only did the indigenous peoples begin farming around this time, but tools such as ceramics and the bow and arrow also came into the picture. Using the locations where these tools were discovered, archaeologists can roughly determine where the Paleo-Indians had settled.

1500’s 

It is widely known that in 1492, Spanish explorer Christopher Columbus visited North America, and so began America’s colonization. There are many documented interactions between European explorers and Native Americans in Florida around this time period. Juan Ponce De Leon is credited with naming Florida in 1513 after ‘Pascua Florida’, meaning ‘Flowery Easter’.

With the arrival of European settlers came the spelling of dark days for the Native Americans, as the settlers brought disease with them. By the end of the 1500’s, smallpox had already claimed the lives of 90 percent of the Native Americans living in Florida at that time. The population unfortunately would never fully replenish.

In 1559, the first 1500 European settlers attempted to establish a permanent settlement in Florida. This ultimately failed, with most of the settlers retreating to Cuba within a short period of time. Around this time period, the French also began to explore the territory.

Late 1500’s to 1750

This period is referred to in history as the ‘Spanish Period’, as in the late 1500’s the Spanish established the first permanent settlement in  Florida, known today as St. Augustine. Around this time, the first Christian missions were established in an attempt to convert Florida’s remaining native population.

This period is also defined by the arrival of the first African slaves, brought over by the Spanish. In the late 1500’s, not long after St. Augustine was established, Sir Francis Drake arrived and wreaked havoc on the settlement. This paved the way for a long conflict between British and Spanish settlers, both aiming to establish new colonies for their native countries.

1763 to 1783

This short period of time is defined by British control over Florida and  the American Revolution that would be seen as a significant blow to that control. At the end of the war between British loyalists and  revolutionists, the remaining loyalists fled to Florida, mainly settling in  St. Augustine. They would later flee once again, heading back to England or on to the Bahamas.

At around this time, Native Americans known as “Seminole’ or ‘Runaways’, would establish populations in northern Florida. These people, originally known as the ‘Creek People’, would remain in Northern Florida for quite some time and engage in conflict with Spanish settlers. 

Seminole Wars

The next era of Spanish control quickly began where the British control left off. With the arrival of this era, conflict began between colonists and the Seminole people. The beginning of the first Seminole War is defined by colonists burning down Seminole villages in northern Florida. Soon after, President Andrew Jackson ordered an invasion, targeting the native population. The Seminole Wars resulted in the deaths of fifteen hundred soldiers and civilians.

1920’s

The population of Florida subsequently exploded in the early 1900’s in an event known as the Florida Land Boom. This period during the 1920’s led to the establishment of many communities we know today, such as Coral Gables, Miami Springs, and Hollywood. The economy was booming until around 1926, when a powerful hurricane led to the destruction of the market, causing bankruptcy which plagued the local real estate market. The economy in Florida would not recover until World War II.

1940’s to Present Day 

Florida’s modern land boom took place just after the end of the Second World War. During this time period, important points of interest were established, most notably Everglades National Park in 1946. The state of Florida also began to open up educational institutions, such as Florida State University and South Florida University a decade later.

With the beginning of the Cuban Revolution in the late 1950s, a large number of Cuban refugees landed on the shores of southern Florida. Soon, a large Cuban population was established, with an estimated 70 percent of all Cuban Americans living in Florida.

In 1962, John Glenn became the first man to orbit the Earth, after being launched into space from Cape Canaveral. Just seven years later, in 1969, Neil Armstrong became the first man to set foot on the moon, being launched at the Kennedy Space Centre, just a short distance away.

There are so many reasons why you should make the trip to the Sunshine State if you haven’t already, but one of the most frequently overlooked reasons to visit is the state’s rich and extensive history that has made Florida the tourist hot spot it is today. Every year, millions set out to make memories here without realizing the historical significance of the location. With its history in mind, Florida is truly a place like no other and its past is just as much worth exploring as the state itself!

[albertonykus]

Are tropical wetlands like the Okavango, Pantanal, Everglades, etc. good models for Cenomanian northern African ecosystems?

Insofar as they’re all tropical wetlands, I suppose. As with selecting extant analogues for extinct taxa though, trying too hard to identify modern models for prehistoric ecosystems can be counterproductive. For example, all of the wetlands you named have notable ecological and environmental differences from one another, so it would be misleading to refer to all of them as a homogeneous collective. Furthermore, the ecosystems of Cenomanian northern Africa underwent various environmental changes over time, so there’s no guarantee that a given extant analogue would be equally applicable to the entire history of Cenomanian northern Africa. (Ibrahim et al., 2020 includes a review of the relevant environmental changes.)

[xtruss]

Acacia National Park! Maine’s Acadia National Park straddles eastern-deciduous and northern-boreal forests, attracting breeding songbirds, including nearly two-dozen warbler species, in summer. By 2050, as temperatures increase, boreal songbirds like Bay-breasted Warblers and Boreal Chickadees may be extirpated and move to cooler forests north of the park. At the same time, Acadia’s waters are poised to grow more crowded; waterbirds like the American Bittern and Pied-billed Grebe might skip their southbound migrations and winter in Maine instead. And Maine’s beloved Common Loon might stop breeding in the park. It is recommended that managers maintain wetlands and continue to track breeding warblers.

Badlands National Park! Best known for its rugged formations, South Dakota's Badlands National Park is also a birding destination for its grassland species. By 2050, hotter conditions may trigger declines in grassland birds that breed there in summer, such as Upland Sandpiper, Horned Lark, and Burrowing Owl, and the Mountain Bluebird may be extirpated from the park. Meanwhile, species more adapted to the arid Great Plains, including the Mississippi Kite, Northern Bobwhite, and Scissor-tailed Flycatcher, and the Southwest, like Scaled Quail, Cassin’s Kingbird, and Chihuahuan Raven, will likely thrive within its borders. Preserving healthy grasslands will give all birds the best chance possible.

Big Bend National Park! In western Texas along the Mexican border, Big Bend National Park is the largest protected area of Chihuahuan Desert in the U.S. The park consists of vibrant desert habitat, including mountain woodlands and rivers, and supports hundreds of bird species. After the annual spring bloom, birds become scarce during June and July’s hot, dry period; a second flowering and nesting cycle follows, in August and September, during the summer rainy season.

Biscayne National Park! Located in southern Florida, Biscayne National Park is 95 percent water and is home to numerous bird species, including loons, warblers, grebes, wading birds, and pelicans. Part of the Greater Everglades Ecosystem, the park suffers from inadequate freshwater flows, increased salinities, and an ever-growing Miami encroaching on its banks. Along with advancing Everglades restoration components specific to Biscayne Bay, managers can help bird species adapt to a changing climate by working with cooperating agencies and landowners to improve habitat connectivity and buffer zones across boundaries

Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park! Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park, located in western Colorado, is marked by wetlands, large rock formations, and deep canyons, such as the Black Canyon, which formed 1.5 billion years ago. Birds live in various habitats lining the canyon—from pygmy forests and oak flats at the rim, to shrubs and wildflowers along the canyon walls, to lush cottonwoods growing around the river at the bottom.

Bryce Canyon National Park! Located in southwestern Utah, Bryce Canyon National Park’s vast, arid landscape supports a diverse range of trees, shrubs, and plants, which support birds and other wildlife. By 2050, the park’s climate may become unsuitable for 19 species in summer, including songbirds like the Ruby-crowned Kinglet, Yellow Warbler, and Song Sparrow. In winter, it may be colonized by 43 species not found there today, including those from drier regions like the Crissal Thrasher and Cactus Wren. Due to its arid climate, water conservation and preservation of riparian habitats will be central for management of park resources.

Canyonlands National Park! A recognized Important Bird Area, Canyonlands National Park encompasses the intersection of the Colorado River and the Green River in Utah. In summer, the park’s climate could grow suitable for 19 new bird species like Yellow-crowned Night Herons, Greater Roadrunners, and Painted Buntings by 2050. Unfortunately, park visitors seeking to catch a glimpse of the Gray-crowned Rosy Finch may miss their chance as the climate warms. It is recommended that managers support habitat along the rivers, as this is a refuge for many birds as they migrate across the surrounding desert.

Capitol Reef National Park! At Capitol Reef National Park in south-central Utah, willow thickets and cottonwood forests are juxtaposed against tall canyon walls and expanses of barren red rock. By 2050, this park’s winter climate might become suitable for 57 bird species like the Vermilion Flycatcher, Western Bluebird, and Violet-green Swallow, some of which could begin overwintering in the park. The same climatic changes might cause the extirpation of 20 species in summer, including the American Goldfinch and Tree Swallow. Within Capitol Reef, the Fremont River is an Important Bird Area and a lush oasis in an otherwise arid landscape. It is recommended that managers focus on this area for conservation efforts.

Carlsbad Caverns National Park! New Mexico's Carlsbad Caverns National Park is situated in the Northern Chihuahuan Desert, one of the three most biologically rich and diverse desert ecoregions in the world. Habitats within the park range from lower-elevation desert shrublands and semi-grasslands to higher elevation montane grasslands, shrublands, and woodlands. Riparian woodlands and wetlands are few, but provide critical breeding and stopover habitat for water-loving birds—including Rattlesnake Springs, a designated Important Bird Area. The park is home to 15 species that are highly sensitive to warming temperatures, like the Burrowing Owl. The park will serve as an important refuge for these climate-sensitive species.

Channel Island National Park! Channel Islands National Park includes five remarkable islands off the coast of southern California, where thousands of years of isolation have created unique habitats and bird populations. This Important Bird Area is home to the only breeding ground for Brown Pelican in California, and they're likely to continue finding suitable climate in the park through 2050. Overall, the park’s climate is projected to become suitable for 26 new species in summer and 27 species in winter, which could potentially colonize the islands. It is recommended that managers continue to optimize habitat for its birds, focusing on maintaining appropriate habitat and working with other agencies to ensure that marine food resources are plentiful.

[yourtravelwatch-blog]

Planning a Trip to Florida

Planning a Trip to Florida

Well-known for its lovely seashores, world-class theme parks and thrilling wildlife, Florida is an exhilarating vacation spot to plan for. But it does have its personal number of distinctive guidelines, customs and climate patterns that vacationers ought to find out about earlier than they pack their luggage. By changing into aware of what makes America’s second most visited state distinctive, you may take pleasure in your dream trip secure within the information that you simply’re ready for each eventuality.

Although it pales compared to the dimensions of another U.S. states, Florida remains to be 500 miles lengthy, and there’s a substantial amount of variety to be explored alongside its in depth shoreline. With an enormous number of villa resorts in Florida to select from, there’s no want to stay to one of the best identified areas. By going a bit off-piste, you may simply uncover experiences you didn’t even know have been accessible, from unbelievable tradition to distinctive wildlife.

North

Florida might not take into account itself a “southern state” when it comes to its tradition, however if you wish to expertise southern hospitality and good consolation meals, then a visit to Northern Florida could also be excellent for you. This area can also be steeped in historical past, with St Augustine within the Northeast being the oldest European settlement in U.S. historical past. The North additionally boasts lovely cities comparable to Jacksonville and state capital Tallahassee, each of that are house to gorgeous rivers, seashores and different pure wonders.

Central

Central Florida usually has a livelier environment than the north, partially as a result of its abundance of thrilling theme parks comparable to Common Studios, Walt Disney World and Sea World. There are nonetheless areas of pure magnificence to be discovered on this a part of Florida, particularly in locations like Clearwater, the place the seashores are among the many most lovely within the state. Renting a villa on this a part of Florida can provide the better of each worlds if you happen to want a barely extra relaxed environment, however nonetheless crave being near a vibrant and thrilling metropolis.

South

Whereas the central cities of Tampa and St Petersburg mirror Florida’s multicultural nature, South Florida is the place these wealthy cultural influences actually change into obvious. Oceanside cities comparable to Miami are bursting on the seams with Latin and Caribbean influences, inspiring every little thing from delicacies to nightlife.

Nevertheless if you happen to want a extra stress-free trip, Naples in South Florida gives you an opportunity to brush up in your golfing expertise; it’s even been nicknamed capital of the world. Whether or not you favor to take it simple, occasion the night time away or benefit from the wildlife and distinctive panorama of the Everglades, South Florida has one thing for everybody.

Put together for all weathers

Whereas tradition and sights are vital, the climate may be a deciding think about the place and whenever you journey. If you happen to’ve by no means been to Florida earlier than it may be simple to imagine that it’s sunny right here all yr spherical. But whereas it’s true that Florida is without doubt one of the warmest locations on the U.S. mainland, the subtropical local weather means it’s additionally liable to hurricanes and thunderstorms.

Hurricane season

‘Hurricane season’ lasts from June 1st to November 30th, and is often the most important concern for vacationers, because the summer season trip falls proper in the midst of this era. Although some vacationers do really feel anxious about travelling throughout hurricane season, the probability of getting caught in a severe storm may be very low. In reality, you could even be capable of reap the benefits of decrease vacationer numbers throughout sure months of hurricane season. For instance, Disney World’s customer numbers between mid September and mid November are a number of the lowest all year long.

The excellent news for theme park fanatics is the Orlando space is never hit with the worst storms, a serious purpose why theme parks selected to construct there. Nevertheless, if the Nationwide Hurricane Heart for the Orlando space does subject a Hurricane Warning inside 7 days of your scheduled arrival date, it is best to be capable of reschedule your tickets and accomodation. Full park closures are few and much between, and the final time Walt Disney World closed utterly as a result of a storm was in 2016, throughout Hurricane Irma and Hurricane Matthew.

Solely two hurricanes truly find yourself making landfall on the U.S. East Coast every year, with solely 40% of them hitting the Floridian coast. So long as you might be nicely ready – and guide your journey insurance coverage to cowl flight cancellations – there isn’t any purpose why the hurricane season ought to spoil your journey.

Driving and automotive rent

Whether or not you’re travelling from the U.S. or abroad, the chances are that you will want to do a good bit of driving to expertise all that Florida has to supply. Not solely is it a handy solution to journey, however driving in Florida can also be extra inexpensive than in different elements of the U.S., with normal gasoline costs averaging at about $2.67 per gallon. Like each different state within the U.S., nonetheless, Florida has its personal driving legal guidelines, customs and costs that you will want to familiarise your self with earlier than arriving.

For Campers

If you happen to’re visiting from one other state within the U.S., it’s potential that you simply’re arriving in some form of RV or camper van as a part of an extended household street journey. Fortunately, Florida just isn’t one of many states that requires you to have a particular driver’s license with the intention to drive an RV of any dimension. You’ll, nonetheless, want to make sure that you have got someplace to park when you arrive in your chosen vacation spot.

Public land is at all times free to park on, and Wildlife Administration Areas and Water Administration Areas supply numerous free tenting websites throughout the state, and are very useful in making reservations. Alternatively, companies comparable to Walmart or Cracker Barrel usually supply RV parking, although you will need to examine that your chosen website affords in a single day parking too.

Automotive Rental

In case you are planning on renting a automotive whenever you get to Florida, you received’t be wanting automotive rental firms to select from. If you happen to’re arriving in Northern Florida, then the 64 rent places in Jacksonville make it the best vacation spot. Orlando in the meantime has 140, whereas Miami boasts a powerful 152. Prices between these areas are comparatively comparable, with the typical value per day sometimes amounting to between £27 and £29.

Pay as you go Toll Programmes

For vacationers, one of many biggest advantages of renting a automotive is that the majority automotive rent firms in Florida can have ‘toll-by-plate’ programmes arrange for his or her prospects, with the intention to make driving on the various toll roads far simpler. Any tolls or further fees might be charged to the bank card that you simply used to pay on your rental automotive, which means you may drive straight by way of the toll cubicles with out having to frantically search for change.

In case you are planning on bringing your personal automotive, then signing up with a pay as you go toll programme like Solar Cross will supply you an identical luxurious, and make sure that you don’t get caught out on the toll cubicles. The excellent news is that Solar Cross additionally works in Georgia and North Carolina, so if you happen to’re travelling from a close-by state, you’ll be capable of cowl your self for tons of of miles value of tolls.

Worldwide Drivers

In 2013, the state of Florida deserted the (usually unenforced) requirement for an Worldwide Driving Allow (IDP) for folks visiting from English-speaking nations, if their drivers’ license is in English. Whereas there nonetheless appears to be a bit confusion on the topic, you shouldn’t encounter any points in Florida with an English-language drivers’ licence.

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While you go to someplace as lovely as Florida, the very last thing you need to be doing is spending hours pre-planning each final element. However taking the time to plan for crucial issues is not going to simply prevent valuable money and time, however provide the peace of thoughts to chill out and luxuriate in your well-earned trip.

This put up was written by Prime Villas, one of many world’s main luxurious vacation villa specialists. We offer Orlando villa leases for vacation makers seeking to take pleasure in one of the best of the Sunshine State.

https://www.yourtravelwatch.com/2019/06/23/planning-a-trip-to-florida/

[sohannabarberaesque]

“Underwater America with Peter Potamus” (episode 10: A diner somewhere in the Midwest)

In this particular episode of Underwater America with Peter Potamus, imagined as airing in first-run syndication in the 1970-71 season, we take a slight change of pace as we find our rolling dive party having breakfast at some small-town diner en route to the next dive destination in their travelling SCUBA party discussing what motivated each of its members to take up an interest in SCUBA diving and the attendant lifestyle and culture....

PETER POTAMUS, as Your Genial Host and leader of the whole: I bet you didn’t expect to find us here in some small-town diner having something of a decent breakfast before our next diving destination, which will be somewhere among the World-Renowned and Far-Famed Ten Thousand Lakes of Minnesota--

MILDEW WOLF, acting the heckler: MINNESOTA?! What kind of a dive destination is that exactly, even with those Ten Thousand Lakes?

PETER POTAMUS, trying to resurrect things: As a matter of fact, we plan to be doing some diving in a few of these legendary lakes of Minnesota, the Land of Sky-Blue Waters--uh, anyway, the purpose of this particular episode is so all of us in our crew could explain away how they got interested in the SCUBA experience and the attendant culture. As is apparently obvious by now, viewers, these dive sessions have become something of an interesting friendship display as we go through unlikely wrecks, discover interesting aquatic life--both fresh and salt water, mind you--and just enjoy the SCUBA experience.

Perhaps I’ll start by explaining how yours truly became something of a diving fan: You might say that hippopotami like myself are natural-born swimmers and divers, born basically underwater and learning rather quickly at that. In my own experience, I happened to have a rather wonderful father by the name of Perry Potamus, who had me join along on numerous expeditions of his in his Magic Balloon from the age of five. And naturally, many of these expeditions included some diving adventures that, by the age of eight, included some introduction into SCUBA, which seemed rather new and a novelty. And would you believe just how amazing the experience of SCUBA was at such a young age!

By the time I was 16, my father passed away from a Rare Tropical Illness he picked up somewhere in the Congo, and he left to me the Magic Balloon. It was about that same time I was encouraged, as a way to avoid getting too emotional over my father’s loss, to get into diving again. Which I did ... and managed to find a rather eclectic little dive club which made regular trips to Catalina Island, Hawaii and suchlike. And accepted me as a rather wonderful diving companion, even if a couple such were stunned at my prowess as a hippo! At least you have diving to fall back on between voyages with the Magic Balloon, which can get to be few and far between these days.

And which, in its way, can explain such a diving party as this. So, to keep it going, may I ask Hokey Wolf to explain his introduction to the underwater experience ...

HOKEY WOLF, in that usual Sgt. Bilko tone of his; you just can’t help his using it: Well, Peter, you might say that for me and Ding-a-Ling, my lupine companion from time to time, we were in Florida a few years ago (was it off Key Largo, perhaps?) and decided to try this snorkelling thing everybody was talking about over there ... and boy, WERE WE THRILLED AT THE EXPERIENCE! [Clearing his throat] And it would be on a return visit down that way a few years later that we got our first SCUBA lessons, Ding and myself ... you can certainly say that it took a couple of dives to get the serious hang of SCUBA, feeling oh so weightless and discovering much amazing life underwater! Ding especially!!

MAGILLA GORILLA, trying not to mess it up considering that he’s now free, by and large, from Peebles’ Pet Shop: My first encounter with SCUBA, you ask? It was a few weeks after that surfing escapade in Gremmie Gulch; I assume many of you recall it still ... and I acknowledge that I was influenced by way of some tacky diving adventure movie on The Late Show, even if I had to keep the volume down out of Mr. Peebles sleeping, you know ... and in fact, it was not too far from Gremmie Gulch that my experience with the old SCUBA got started, in a rather cheesy surf shop as dabbled in diving lessons and tours. Just “looking up the scene” more than anything, but boy, did I ever get stoked on the diving bug! It’s rather unusual to imagine a gorilla underwater in the old SCUBA getup, but when you get the feel of it--boy, does it become exciting!

BREEZLY BRUIN, trying not to look as obnoxious as back in Nome, Alaska: Once Camp Frostbite had been deactivated a few years back, I took to as much rummaging through Nome’s rubbish dumps until my buddy, Sneezly Seal, suggested I get back into the water. Even if it’s the Bering Sea, and the waters can get extremely chilly--even in the summer, where the sun doesn’t set until close to midnight. Turns out Nome has a group of local daredevils who call themselves a Coldwater Diving Club, and rely on drysuits all the more because of the chilly waters. For some reason, being appointed their mascot, you might say, got me some SCUBA lessons out of courtesy. And while I may nowadays be living rather close to Redondo Beach, I can’t help but feel passionate for diving every now and then!

LOOPY De LOOP: Perhaps the most unlikely sort of place to get acquainted with SCUBA, you might say, is off the Gaspe Peninsula back in Quebec; you’ve got the St. Lawrence River meeting the Atlantic, encountering some mild ocean waters off the northern part of the Gaspesie which locals call “le Chaleur.” I’ll only say it was along the south shore of the Gulf of St. Lawrence between Matane and Gaspe; I was on a short holiday of sorts there, including some hiking in the Chic-Choc range ... and the motel I was staying in was arranging diving lessons for guests, Yours truly seized on the opportunity ... and while some of the other tourists may have laughed at the fact of my being a wolf, I couldn’t help but sense a taste of something wonderful, discovering something new and amazing!

WALLY GATOR, with blatantly bombastic pride: Being a “native Floridian,” and an alligator at that, you quickly realise that you were built for diving from the get-go. But what opportunity I had to cultivate the manly sport, so to speak, fell athwart at the City Zoo under Zookeeper Twiddle, who kept me in a rather infantile cage with no better than a wading pool. Until the zoo began seriously unravelling, by which time I decided to hitchhike back to the old Everglades haunts--or at least somewhere near Silver Springs, which is where they filmed Sea Hunt, don’t you know, and decided to relearn the underwater experience I had somehow been depraved of. Which is basically what you pick up on when you spend considerable time in Florida, don’t you know ...

LIPPY THE LION: I have to admit that me and Hardy Har-Har, otherwise somewhat myopic and worried for no real reason of any kind, have gone into diving by way of stumbling upon an underwater treasure map ... and while it may not have yielded serious results in the end, it got us rather interested to learn further.

HARDY HAR-HAR, somewhat concerned about nothing: Now I have to wonder where we got the serious interest in diving, to begin with ...

LIPPY THE LION, picking up: It was at a somewhat down-at-heel resort among the lakes of Minnesota, believe you me; that bracing lake water, helped by some rather interested divers who were likewise staying there at the time, was enough to get us fascinated in SCUBA, and then some!

MILDEW WOLF, not trying to be spoilsport as earlier: I have to acknowledge that I, too, found SCUBA in Minnesota’s Ten Thousand Lakes. All thanks to a certain Bow-Wow Buttinski, as shall here remain nameless, making me lose any appetite, or interest thereof, in fresh spring lamb “on the hoof,” as it were. But for some reason, Loopy De Loop got me in contact with a dive school somewhere up by Nisswa over Friday-evening fish fry to take my mind off the whole notion of defeat with lambs. And whoever got the idea of doing practice dives around 6 am, with the lake a little chilly, was either crazy or--well, let’s just say the experience awakened me away from lamb for once. And directe me to diving.

SQUIDDLY DIDDLY, explaining his photographic angle in the whole: You might say that the shock closing of Bubbleland, where I had been expected to serve as “comic relief” more than anything, attracted me to underwater photography, cinematography even, as a way to stay busy. Even with a second-hand Nikonos underwater camera, perhaps the first practical such on the market, picked up at a pawn shop, I couldn’t resist developing such an interest in underwater photography, such eventually leading to an Honourable Mention at a photography salon I entered a couple months later ... not to mention Peter Potamus sensing some talent in me to be the series’ underwater cameraman; do I have talent here, or what?!

With that, It’s So Hanna-Barberaesque goes on the holiday-season hiatus, with new episodes in Fanfic Friday appearing in this space starting with the New Year, or soon after. In the meantime, It’s So Hanna-Barberaesque extends to all its fans the best wishes of the Festive Season, and thanks you for supporting this blog.

[fatehbaz]

Environmental degradation in the US’s deserts: the Mojave

Just thinking about Joshua trees, as one does, since they were recently in the news since local National Parks staff couldn’t adequately monitor recreation use in the Mojave.

The 3 true deserts of North America are pretty ecologically sensitive. These deserts are used as playgrounds by recreationists (the Mojave); by the US military (the Sonoran); and by ranching industries (the Chihuahuan). In the midst of discussion of the federal US government shutdown’s effects on the Mojave Desert and Joshua trees, it’s worth noting just how unique and sensitive both the tree and the nearby desert ecology are. Regardless of the recent US federal employee furlough’s effects on land management, Joshua trees are already bound for local extinctions, due to soil degradation, climate change, urban growth, and US military shenanigans.

Here are some examples of the Joshua tree (Yucca brevifolia) featuring in national headlines lately, in the context of the shutdown:

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Joshua trees as an emblem of the Mojave Desert:

I’m not a botanist! Ask a botanist for better info about the Joshua tree’s physiology and ecology.

But, put generally, the Joshua tree is a strange plant with an ancient lineage, and they are an iconic endemic species representative of the unique Mojave Desert ecoregion. They can grow to about 14 meters in height; live for several hundred years; have large flowers and odd fruit; and give the desert landscape an alien-planet-looking vibe.

(Source 1; 2; 3)

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If you’ve been to Joshua Tree National Park, you’ll know that educational literature and interpretive signs love to play-up the fact that the administrative boundaries of the park straddle the border between 2 dramatically different deserts: the Mojave Desert and the Sonoran Desert.

(Source.)

The national park, then, harbors the ecology of 2 of the 3 true deserts of North America. (The other, 3rd North American true desert is the Chihuahuan Desert of Chihuahua, New Mexico, and Texas’s Trans-Pecos region)

The Joshua tree itself, however, is basically endemic to only the Mojave Desert (which is to say that it lives almost entirely within the Mojave, with only the occasional sporadic existence outside of the Mojave in isolated spots in the northern Sonoran Desert).

The species is an emblem of the Mojave Desert. Compare the Joshua tree’s current distribution (on right) with the ecological boundaries of the Mojave Desert (on left). 

(Mojave Desert map from here.)

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Urban population growth and Joshua trees:

The titular national park essentially functions as the backyard of the US’s “second city”: Los Angeles. The park is easily accessible as a day-trip from any part of LA.

San Diego and Las Vegas can easily access the park as well.

Here’s a closer look at the distribution range of Joshua trees:

Cross-hatched areas are current distribution of Joshua tree. Triangles are fossilized preserves of prehistoric (early Holocene) distribution. Red areas are heavily urbanized areas with a combined population of 31 million people. (Map originally from this study of Joshua tree phylogeography; labels added by me.)

I think it’s not discussed often enough that the “wilderness” of some major national parks in the contiguous US is sometimes so overrun that they become de facto domesticated recreation centers for nearby major urban areas.

- Everglades National Park sits directly alongside 6 million people in Greater Miami - Mt. Rainier National Park is situated halfway between 4 million in the Seattle-Tacoma urban area and another 3 million in the Portland urban area - Great Smokey Mountains sits right against 1 million or so people in Knoxville, Asheville, and Chattanooga while also seeing tourists from nearby Atlanta and Charlotte

In the case of Joshua Tree National Park:

LA (#2), Phoenix (#13), and San Diego (#18) are all in the top 20 most populous US urban areas. Phoenix is among the top 10 the fastest-growing major US urban areas, and Las Vegas isn’t far behind in rate of population growth.

The Mojave is becoming even more of a recreational playground. The range of the Joshua tree is immediately surrounded by these urban areas with a combined population of 31 million people or more.

The US military also wastes an egregious amount of space in the Mojave and Sonoran Deserts, under the lazy pretext that the deserts are empty and not intrinsically valuable, despite the extraordinary biodiversity of the Sonoran Desert between Mexicali and Nogales especially (including iconic, geographically-isolated species like rosy boas; gila monster; saguaro; Joshua tree; native desert palm species; etc.). Much of the Arizona-Mexico border is cordoned-off and wasted on military training space, despite its incredible ecological distinction.

-

Climate/ecological crisis effects of Joshua tree:

Lead author Dr. Ken Cole, of the Colorado Plateau Research Station in Flagstaff, in a 2005 report, provided some maps that predict the near-future range contraction that will be suffered by Joshua trees.

Here’s what the distribution range of the Joshua tree looks like now ...

... compared to what the distribution range of the Joshua tree should like in 25 years, in the very best-case scenario.

This projection of future Joshua tree distribution has been criticized for being inaccurate due to being “markedly optimistic” because this successful continued existence was projected based on the assumption that Joshua trees can be 10-times more successful at seed dispersal than they really are in the wild.

This projection was also made before the great climate science of the past 15 years fully revealed just how much worse the ecological collapse will probably be compared to earlier projections.

Again, I’m not a botanist! But the apparent trend here is: This range contraction will mean that Joshua trees - already limited to the Mojave Desert alone - will disappear from a majority of the Mojave.

-

Adding to the ecological uniqueness of the area, Joshua Tree National Park doesn’t just sit at the intersection of the Mojave Desert and Sonoran Desert ecoregions, but it also rests against another ecological boundary with the Mediterranean chaparral and Baja peninsular island mountain range ecology of the southern California coastline. This mild and unique coastal Californian ecology has its own set of many endemic species with small and isolated distribution ranges. This landscape, of course, is also in jeopardy, since the majority of this ecology - only really existing between roughly San Francisco Bay and Tijuana - has already been consumed by California’s human development.

-

Anyway. Deserts are not featureless wastelands. Joshua trees are just one of many other comparably unique, exemplary, or charismatic plants and animals with narrow, endemic distribution ranges in the North American deserts.

[brookstonalmanac]

Events 5.11

330 – Constantine the Great dedicates the much-expanded and rebuilt city of Byzantium, changing its name to New Rome and declaring it the new capital of the Eastern Roman Empire. 973 – In the first coronation ceremony ever held for an English monarch, Edgar the Peaceful is crowned King of England, having ruled since 959 AD. His wife, Ælfthryth, is crowned queen, the first recorded coronation for a Queen of England. 1068 – Matilda of Flanders, wife of William the Conqueror, is crowned Queen of England. 1258 – Louis IX of France and James I of Aragon sign the Treaty of Corbeil, renouncing claims of feudal overlordship in one another's territories and separating the House of Barcelona from the politics of France. 1713 – Great Northern War: After losing the Battle of Helsinki to the Russians, the Swedish and Finnish troops burn the entire city, so that it would not remain intact in the hands of the Russians. 1812 – Prime Minister Spencer Perceval is assassinated by John Bellingham in the lobby of the British House of Commons. 1813 – William Lawson, Gregory Blaxland and William Wentworth discover a route across the Blue Mountains, opening up inland Australia to settlement. 1857 – Indian Rebellion of 1857: Indian rebels seize Delhi from the British. 1858 – The Minnesota Territory gains enough population to enter as the 32nd state of the United States of America; the date is annually celebrated in the state as "Statehood Day". 1880 – Seven people are killed in the Mussel Slough Tragedy, a gun battle in California. 1889 – An attack upon a U.S. Army paymaster and escort results in the theft of over $28,000 and the award of two Medals of Honor. 1894 – Four thousand Pullman Palace Car Company workers go on a wildcat strike. 1919 – Uruguay becomes a signatory to the Buenos Aires copyright treaty. 1970 – The 1970 Lubbock tornado kills 26 and causes $250 million in damage. 1985 – Fifty-six spectators die and more than 200 are injured in the Bradford City stadium fire. 1996 – After the aircraft's departure from Miami, a fire started by improperly handled chemical oxygen generators in the cargo hold of Atlanta-bound ValuJet Airlines Flight 592 causes the Douglas DC-9 to crash in the Florida Everglades, killing all 110 on board. 1997 – Deep Blue, a chess-playing supercomputer, defeats Garry Kasparov in the last game of the rematch, becoming the first computer to beat a world-champion chess player in a classic match format. 1998 – India conducts three underground atomic tests in Pokhran. 2011 – An earthquake of magnitude 5.1 hits Lorca, Spain. 2013 – Fifty-two people are killed in a bombing in Reyhanlı, Turkey. 2014 – Fifteen people are killed and 46 injured in Kinshasa, DRC, in a stampede caused by tear gas being thrown into soccer stands by police officers. 2016 – One hundred and ten people are killed in an ISIL bombing in Baghdad. 2022 – The Burmese military executes at least 37 villagers during the Mon Taing Pin massacre in Sagaing, Myanmar.

[phroyd]

Ruby L. Powers’ most recent journey to the Port Isabel detention center in Los Fresnos, Texas, began with an early-morning flight from Houston that brought her to south Texas just after 9 a.m. After a circuitous drive around Gulf Coast roads that had recently been flooded by heavy rain, she reached the gate of the detention facility about three hours later, popped the trunk for security, and headed in. Over the next seven-and-a-half hours, in a series of rapid-fire and often emotionally wrenching meetings, Powers met with 11 different parents who had been separated from their children. Only one of them had already individually spoken with an attorney.

The Department of Homeland Security has named Port Isabel the “primary family reunification and removal center for adults” in its custody. In practice, that means Port Isabel houses hundreds of parents whose children were taken by the Trump administration. After roughly three weeks apart, their separation may be ending now that a federal judge has ordered DHS to reunite separated families within 30 days—and within 14 days for children who are younger than five. But that doesn’t mean they will be released from detention anytime soon, only that the Trump administration has decided to replace forced separation with indefinite family detention as part of an ongoing court battle over a 2016 court decision that requires children to be released from family detention within about 20 days.

Regardless of when, or even if, they are reunited, the parents with whom Powers will meet, their children, and thousands of others will still need to convince immigration officials that they have a right to asylum or other legal protections that will allow them to remain in the United States. For the last month, a small army of pro bono lawyers has been traveling in and out of Port Isabel to help them build their cases—a group of about 10 lawyers had been there a week before Powers arrived, and their reinforcements were arriving later that night. But last Tuesday, Powers was alone.

Jodi Goodwin, a local immigration lawyer who is helping organize the effort, says lawyers have met with about 210 of the approximately 350 separated parents at Port Isabel. The numbers are unclear, Goodwin adds, because “ICE won’t tell us, and they’re certainly not giving us a list.” The South Texas Pro Bono Asylum Representation Project, the organization Goodwin is working with, receives many of its referrals through word of mouth as separated parents tell lawyers about additional parents in their dorms who need help. “They were still giving us names yesterday,” Goodwin said on Sunday.

The seven men and four women with whom Powers met were from the Northern Triangle countries of El Salvador, Guatemala, and Honduras and had been separated from their children for about two weeks. Powers believes they were all prosecuted under the Justice Department’s zero-tolerance initiative. Some still had not had any contact with their kids, while others had managed one or two calls ranging from about two to 10 minutes. The calls were sometimes so brief that parents didn’t find out where their children were located. Add to these concerns their struggles to find some way to manage their own situations. One woman fled to the United States after a judge held her responsible for the domestic abuse inflicted by her husband. In another case, a man’s in-laws blamed him for not having been able to afford his late wife’s medical treatment and threatened his life when his wife died a few months after giving birth.

Powers is exactly the kind of lawyer a migrant might hope to work with. Her mother grew up in a missionary family in Saltillo, the capital of the border state of Coahuila, and always told Powers that she learned English by watching Captain Kangaroo. But Powers had to learn Spanish on her own, because her mom didn’t feel comfortable speaking Spanish during Powers’ childhood in rural Missouri. Now married to a Turkish immigrant, Powers has about a decade of experience with asylum claims and runs a Houston immigration law firm that employs four other attorneys.

She is warm and attentive, bringing to her clients the invaluable mix of lawyering and social work that asylum cases often require—and a deep commitment to providing migrants fleeing persecution with strong legal representation. Like other immigration lawyers, she is spending thousands of dollars’ worth of time working pro bono, not to mention the days she is apart from her family. During her marathon of cases on Tuesday, she considered water and coffee nuisances that forced bathroom breaks. Nonetheless, this first visit did not guarantee that she would be the attorney following these clients’ cases; some of them may never be adequately represented. This is a fact of life for those with little or no money, who now find themselves forced to navigate a rapidly changing immigration justice system while detained in remote corners of the United States.

The Port Isabel detention center is only about 20 miles north of the US-Mexico border, but the landscape of the surrounding area feels much closer to coastal Florida than a Texas border town. It’s swampy and dotted with palm trees, and a straight line east would run through the Everglades. The beach community on nearby South Padre Island features bait-and-tackle shops, mid-rise residential towers, and the usual deals for snowbirds known locally as Winter Texans.

Hidden away at the edge of Los Fresnos, a town of about 6,600, is the Port Isabel Service Processing Center. The road leading there from the south is currently closed for construction, though most people seem to ignore the signs and use it anyway. Eventually, the seal of the Department of Homeland Security appears alongside an open gate that leads onto a straight, desolate road.

Continue Reading ... 

Phroyd

[alligaytorrr-official]

Unnamed Florida Pokemon Region Patch Notes ver 1.1

Geography

Added west coast

Added mountains along west coast

Enlarged Biscayne Bay, Lake Okeechobee, Everglades, Port Charlotte/Ft. Meyers area, and Tampa/St. Petersburg area

Altered shape of Biscayne Bay and Lake Okeechobee

Condensed northern coast (Ft. Lauderdale - Vero Beach)

Curved and lengthened the Keys

Made Biscayne Bay and part of the Keys into surfing routes

Cities and Landmarks

Added Cape Romano Dome Homes east of Sarasota/south of Port Charlotte

Added Manatee Springs just west of Tampa

Added Bok Tower north of Lakeland

Added entrances to Florida Caverns outside of Lakeland and Lake Placid

Added Cycling Road between Vero Beach and Orlando

Added Paines Prairie below Cycling Road

Added Lion Country Safari outside of West Palm Beach to serve as the Safari Zone

Tentatively repurposed Ft. Lauderdale to fill the role of St. Augustine

Added Castillo de San Marco outside of Ft. Lauderdale

Added Aquarius Reef Base in Biscayne Bay

Added Training Airport in northwest Everglades

Added Big Cyprus in western Everglades

Added Flamingo Visitor Center in southeast Everglades

Added Coral Castle outside of Homestead

Added John Pennekamp Coral Reef along the Keys

Added Florida Keys Aquarium Encounters just north of Victory Road

Added a small theme park outside of Orlando

Lore

At Training Airport, a pilot welcomes you and advertises flights to any region ”..... if it were a real airport, anyway.” Because what’s a Pokemon game without taunting you with how it could’ve been better?

Victory Road used to be the entire Keys, but became a tourist trap for trainers wanting the Victory Road experience but lacked the skill for the real thing

Aquarium Encounters is “Victory Road Encounters”

Small theme park outside of Orlando was made by someone who thought it being a popular tourist port would make it a great place for a theme park, but it hasn’t really been successful. Could also change it a little and make in an I-4 Eyesore reference

Florida Man is afoot

Pokemon

Legendary trio - one in Lake Okeechobee, one in the Everglades, one in Paines Prairie (water, grass, and ground)

Ice type mythical pokemon because snow is rare in Florida

Manatee pokemon at Manatee Springs

Skunk Ape pokemon

Invasive snakes

Sawgrass

Oranges obviously

Considerations

Add Ten Thousand Islands?

Need a forest somewhere?

Make the Everglades even bigger?

Make Lake Okeechobee a surfing route?

Put space center north of Vero Beach or on panhandle island (which I’ve yet to make)?

Add either Vizcaya or Morikami gardens, but which?

More rivers and small lakes? Where?

Lighthouses everywhere? Put one at northern tip and add a route to it?

Fit Seven Mile Bridge into the Keys somehow?

Where to put a touristy alligator place?

Add more lakes?

Make Tampa and St. Petersburg ‘rivals’?

Competing over which gym is better?

Put UF/FSU rivalry into them?

What theme for naming cities? Shells? Quick google search is somewhat promising

Maybe make the Pokemon League at Dry Tortugas in the shape of a fort, and change Castillo de San Marco to a shipwreck to keep the League unique?

Main legendary in Florida Caverns? Or maybe Big Cypress is better (probably)? If Miami is the last gym, this could give an excuse to have to go into the Everglades, and it would take the player close to home so they can visit before heading to Victory Road

Cafe Risque???

Feel free to share thoughts!

@auyamx @yummy-tummy-time

[dendroica]

From the Everglades to Kilimanjaro, climate change is destroying world wonders | The Guardian

A new report on Monday from the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) reveals that the number of natural world heritage sites being damaged and at risk from global warming has almost doubled to 62 in the past three years.

Those at high risk include iconic places from the Galapagos Islands to the central Amazon and less well known but equally vibrant and unique sites such as the karst caves of Hungary and Slovakia and the monarch butterfly reserves in Mexico.

Coral reefs are particularly badly affected by rising ocean temperatures, from the Seychelles to Belize, where the northern hemisphere’s biggest reef is situated. Global heating is also causing mountain glaciers to rapidly shrink, from Kilimanjaro in Tanzania to the Rocky Mountains in Canada and the Swiss Alps Jungfrau-Aletsch – home to the largest Alpine glacier.

Other ecosystems being damaged are wetlands, such as the Everglades, where sea level is rising as the ocean warms and salt water is intruding. In the Sundarbans mangrove forest on the delta of the Ganges, Brahmaputra and Meghna rivers on the Bay of Bengal, two islands have already been submerged and a dozen more are threatened. Fiercer storms are also increasing the risk of devastation.

Rising numbers of wildfires are damaging the beautiful Fynbos flowerscapes in the Cape region of South Africa and the Monarch butterfly site in Mexico. Elsewhere, warming is melting the permafrost in the newly declared Qinghai Hoh Xil heritage site, which is at 4,500m altitude in the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau.

Australia is especially exposed as it has 10 natural heritage sites where climate change damage is rated as high or very high risk, from its Gondwana rainforests to Shark Bay in western Australia and islands such as Fraser and Macquarie.

[thefloridatour-blog]

The Very Best Walking Journeys in Florida

When you think of trekking journeys, you think of the Smokey Mountains as well as the Appalachian Path. There are lots of unknown locations that offer you a various and also occasionally far better experience than you ever visualized. Florida has various kinds of terrain to use to walkers of all achievements. It does not take a hill route to develop a wonderful a terrific trip. Florida has an exotic edge that is not recreated anywhere else in the United States.

Florida has an exceptional path system that runs the whole length of the state. South Florida flaunts as well as area called Huge Cyprus that has been made well-known by regional digital photographer Clyde Butcher. The South Florida Everglades use an intricate system of lakes as well as marshes that offer all sort of different experiences. Trek together with lakes with gorgeous palmetto and also evergreen. You can even take an excursion on an airboat that skims along the water powered by an engine with an airplane propeller. You can head north using routes that head on the east and west shores of the state. The west coast functions cozy, lush forests as well as sandy beaches along the Gulf of Mexico. Along the east shore you will certainly find significant coastlines and cooler climates that are fed by the Atlantic Ocean. You will certainly have the ability to see the setting change drastically as you struck the middle of the state. Evergreen begin to mingle with oaks and also maples. There is also the begin of some elevation adjustments as you relocate inland.

Getting to Northern Florida brings you to a fork where you will require to decide if you would love to go eastern or west. This is a larger choice than near the start in South Florida due to the fact that as you work North from that point the eastern and also west route satisfy a pair times. Up here, the eastern route will certainly lead you to Jacksonville and north where there are beautiful islands to check out along the Atlantic Sea. Hiking eastern will certainly bring you along the panhandle of Florida in the direction of Alabama along the Gulf of Mexico.

Florida also has a really diverse community where you may see alligators in South Florida and after that see deer in central and North Florida. There is likewise absolutely nothing like outdoor camping on a desolate coastline and also waking up to the browse in the early morning. Florida is really a wonderfully special walking experience.