the 941

 Jeb Corliss is pushing the boundaries of human flight.

• It’s time to purge Congress of conservative Democrats.

• Americans continue to grow more disillusioned about the economy.

• Some good questions for John McCain.

• Followed by some good questions for Barack Obama.

• Iraq is know as Bush’s War. Will Afghanistan be known as Obama’s War?

• GOP Senator Ted Stevens indicted. Who’s next?

• American food portions continue to swell to enormous and unsustainable levels.

• If you read nothing else this week, read this interview of Noam Chomsky.

• Sigh. Penn and Teller used to be funny.

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Sea turtle nesting season along local beaches is in full swing with the number of loggerhead nests now topping 1,000 for the season and running well ahead of 2007’s disappointing numbers.

From our friends at Mote Marine Laboratory:

Also from our friend at Mote, here are some dos and don’ts that people can remember to help clear the way for nesting turtles:

Do:

• If you encounter a nesting turtle, remain quiet and observe from a distance
• Shield or turn off outdoor lights that are visible on the beach from May through October
• Close drapes after dark and put beach furniture far back from the water
• Fill in holes that may entrap hatchlings on their way to the water
• Place trash in its proper place
Do Not:

• Approach nesting turtles or hatchlings, make noise, or shine lights at turtles
• Use flashlights or fishing lamps on the beach
• Encourage a turtle to move while nesting or pick up hatchlings that have emerged
• Use fireworks on the beach

Sea turtles are protected under federal law and any harassment or interference with a sea turtle, living or dead, is subject to penalty. If you witness anyone disturbing a turtle or find an injured or disoriented hatchling or adult, please notify agents with the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission at 1-888-404-FWCC (3922), the local sheriff’s department, and/or Mote Marine Laboratory’s Sea Turtle Program at 388-4331. If you find a dead or injured sea turtle contact Mote’s Stranding Investigations Program at 988-0212.

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OK, most of us no longer get summer vacations and some of us can’t even remember that far back, but for many high school students, summer is a time to forget everything you just learned and spend idle time getting into trouble.

Fortunately, there are some good options for those motivated to get involved in community leadership.

A baker’s dozen of teens will graduate tomorrow from the STAR Leadership Training program provided by Community Youth Development. Students will be honored at a graduation ceremony at 4:30 p.m., Wednesday, July 30 at the Leila and Michael Gompertz Center, 2635 Fruitville Road.

The mission of the STAR Leadership Training is to empower high school aged youth as community leaders through training and education.  Youth participate in extensive training (75 hours) focused on development of leadership, communication and group work skills, as well as specific tools needed to serve on boards, such as meeting protocol and member responsibilities.

Once trained, youth serve in a decision making position as a full and equal member of a city or county government committee, on a noprofit board of directors, or on countywide councils focused on education, law enforcement, community service or positive teen activities.

Since the program was created in 2000, 380  youth have completed the training.   Currently, 130 youth are serving in leadership positions.  STAR is recognized as a national model for engaging youth in community and civic life.

This year’s graduates are:  Kenna Allison, Ivan Bahamon, Celina Burchett, Katlin Burpee, Emma Dietrich, Patrick Ferlise, Jesse Frimmel, Hannah Greenwald, Dustin Morris, Alyssa Nutter, David Portnow, Jennie Williams and Sebastian Wright.

These are some of our best and brightest and will be runnign the show sooner than we all think.

STAR is funded through a grant from the Leslie and Margaret Weller Fund of the Community Foundation of Sarasota County and the CYD Project.  For additional information on the Community Youth Development Project, please contact Karen Bogues, Project Director at 922-5126.

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• Many of his supporters have been disheartened by Barack Obama’s move to the center. Some of his detractors, though, still see him is a Communist.

•  How to perform a citizen’s arrest of one of the criminals from the Bush Administration.

• Former attorney general Alberto Gonzales may not be so lucky. U.S. Rep John Conyers wants to indict him for perjury right now.

•  Some in government are worried that many Americans may break with tradition and actually vote this year.

• So what do you do with $20 million in decomposing cash?

• The U.S. is experiencing an epidemic of hearing loss.

•  Department of Homeland Security thugs hard at work:

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Question of the day: Is stripping art?

• President Bush is set to leave his successor with staggering debt, but, when the debt is calculated as portion of GDP, he’s still not even close to Reagan or his father in terms of financially tomfoolery.

• Coming soon to a retailer near you: much higher prices.

• Is there anything Israel won’t do to get the U.S. to attack Iran?

• If you think Obama is the anti-war candidate, prepare to be disappointed.

• Being a patriot still requires balls.

• Orwellian telescreens coming to Great Britain.

• Survivalism is going green.

• Slavery continued in the American South - until well after World War II.

• Nancy Pelosi again disappoints.

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Ya think the economy sucks now, just wait a little longer, ‘cuz it’s gonna get much worse.

• What does the government know that it’s not telling us? I only ask because it appears the feds are stockpiling freeze-dried food. Just try to find #10 cans of any freeze-dried product.

• Karl Rove is starting to panic.

• Wanna watch all of NBC’s online coverage for the Olympics? Well, you have to be running Windows Vista. If you have a Mac, forget it. Wanna watch on your phone? Too bad. Still running XP because you hate Vista? Microsoft is going to find some way to strongarm you into using the product it wants you to use.

• Obama needs to rein in some of his more rabid campaign staffers. It’s just not a good idea to piss of the New York Times.

• The price of success - Apple is selling more and more computers and hackers have started to notice.

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 I get Congressman Vern Buchanan’s weekly newsletter most Thursdays. This week, he touts that he recently voted to override a presidential veto, something that’s becoming increasingly populat on Capitol Hill, as even the most die-hard Republicans are looking to distance themselves from the moldy stench of Bush’s final months in office.

But this was more than politcal posturing; it was a smart vote.

To quote the newsletter: “Congressman Buchanan recently voted to override President George W. Bush’s veto of the “Medicare Improvements for Patients and Providers Act”, a bill protecting physicians from a 10.6 percent cut in their reimbursement rates when caring for Medicare patients.

‘My district is home to 176,000 seniors age 65 and over,’ said Buchanan. ‘We already have a shortage of doctors who are willing to serve elderly Medicare patients. Forcing doctors to absorb further cuts in Medicare reimbursement rates will make the problem worse.’”

Whether you agree or disagree, drop Buchanan a line at:

Sarasota District Office
235 N. Orange Avenue
Suite 201
Sarasota, FL 34236
ph: (941) 951-6643
fx: (941) 951-2972

or

Bradenton District Office
1001 Third Avenue West
Suite 380
Bradenton, FL 34205
ph: (941) 747-9081
fx: (941) 748-1564

You can also send an e-mail to: http://buchanan.house.gov/contact.shtml 

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President George W. Bush claimed last week that the source of all our economic troubles was that “Wall St. got drunk.” Finally the man is talking about something has has knowledge of.

• Former NASA astronaut makes claims about alien contact.

• Exploring Bush’s historic abuse of power. Read the whole Salon.com series here.

• Is Obama in serious danger of sliding too far to the middle to call himself the “change” candidate?

• Are we still moving toward martial law?

• If cities are not liable for dangerous streets, why are we still liable for paying taxes?

• You know the banking system is insolvent when…

• Gas prices could drop to $3.50 by Labor Day. Who ever thought that would be an enticing price to pay for petrol?

• Osama bin Laden’s driver: Flight 93 was shot down by U.S.

• This needs to be the next Olympic sport:

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Quick name the state the licenses thousands of felons as mortgage brokers… uh, oh yeah, it’s Florida. Great investigative work by the Miami Herald.

• Iraq? Afghanistan? Shouldn’t John McCain know the difference? The embarassing senior moments continue to pile up. Even worse, CBS News covered up for him. It’s one thing to be a senile senator; there are dozens. But we’ve already had one senile president in my lifetime and frankly, we were lucky to escape the ’80s as well as we did.

• Two words: Barack Oboner.

• That rumbling you hear is the conservative movement retrenching. Or maybe it’s the movement’s death rattle. We can always hope.

• And speaking of Republicans who actually think, Ron Paul is planning to bring his r3volution to the venue across the street from the GOP convention. This is going to be fun.

• Here is the man talking about the REAL ID Act:

• There are two ways to travel to Afghanistan, like a soldier or like a politician. You want whats behind door number two.

• Blackwater: The U.S. government will always need us.

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Planned Parenthood Opening First Health Center in Manatee County

Barbara Zdravecky, President and CEO of Planned Parenthood of Southwest and Central Florida, will discuss how crucial it is to have Planned Parenthood health services available in Manatee County due to its astonishingly high rates of teen pregnancy and sexually transmitted infections.

Out of 67 counties, Manatee has the 17th highest teen pregnancy rate in Florida. Nationally, Florida has the 6th highest teen pregnancy rate and the 2nd highest HIV/AIDS rate in the country.

The center is located at 1105 53rd Avenue East in Bradenton.

The ribbon cutting will follow a press conference that begins at 5:30 p.m. Other luminaries scheduled to attend include: Karin Grablin, Board Chair, Planned Parenthood, Senator Mike Bennett, County Commissioner Gwen Brown and Greg Porges, Esq., Campaign Steering Committee Member.

As the most trusted provider of reproductive health care in the country, Planned Parenthood knows best that women, men, and teens in Manatee County need access to quality and affordable health care.

“Like many communities across the country, Manatee County has a growing need for affordable health care and access to reproductive health care services,” said Zdravecky. “The Planned Parenthood Manatee health center will bring much-needed health care services to the members of the community, regardless of their income.”

Planned Parenthood of Southwest and Central Florida was founded in 1966 and provides vital sexual health services and comprehensive education to women, men and teens in the Sarasota, Tampa, St. Petersburg, Ft. Myers, Lakeland and Winter Haven areas. Services include birth control; cancer screening; pregnancy testing; options counseling; adoption referral; first trimester abortion; mid-life services; annual GYN exams including Pap smear; STD testing and treatment; HIV counseling and testing; vasectomy services; and colposcopy and cryotherapy surgical procedures.

Planned Parenthood Federation of America, Inc., is the world’s oldest and largest reproductive health care and advocacy organization with 847 locations across the country. Its 99 affiliates serve nearly five million Americans annually.

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