I did a story for the Mandarin Sun section in today's Florida Times-Union. The story is about the Jacksonville Sheriff's Office Teen Driver Challenge Program. Want to know the most dangerous times for your teen to drive? Check out my story. The really cool thing is you can also listen--the T-U has audio. That's not me reading it, but I had a ball listening to someone else do that.
You can also catch a neat column I did for Beneath the Brand. Why are we hung up on some brands? Why is Tide essential to my happy laundry?
I did an exciting story for Web Savvy at The Writer--an interview with Stefan Pinto. Pinto, a South Florida resident, is a Renaissance kind of guy. He's a key figure in Parallax I.D., he's an actor (with credits like CSI Miami), a photographer (assigments with mags like National Geographic), a scuba diver, a writer and he speaks multiple languages. I told him he should be the new James Bond. I also did an interview with Ken Burns for the March issue of The Writer (print).
Never a dull moment in this freelancer's office.
Saturday, March 29, 2008
If you have a driver 15-19, read (or listen to) my story in today's Times-Union and some others as well
Friday, March 28, 2008
Total Body Formula investigation—nobody’s saying where it’s manufactured
Total Body Formula Update May 5, 2008
The USFDA says a final analysis of final analysis of certain flavors of "Total Body Formula" and "Total Body Mega Formula” has detected hazardous amounts of chromium.This follows an announcement about an outbreak of poisoning due to selenium. There are a number of ill effects from ingestion of too much chromium. The federal agency is still trying to figure out how excessive chromium and selenium got into these products. There are many comments following our original post below. For the latest FDA release, visit the agency website.
First story posted March 28, 2008
The Florida Department of Health, the US Food and Drug Administration and other agencies are investigating an outbreak of suspect selenium poisoning associated with consumption of Total Body Formula in the flavors of Tropical Orange and Peach Nectar and Total Body Mega Formula in Orange/Tangerine flavor. The Florida Department of Health recently provided reports to the FDA on 23 individuals who experienced serious reactions to these products seven to 10 days after ingestion.
A company selling the recalled product says it was developed by Dr. J. L. Griffin, D.Sc. Griffin established Wellness Concepts, a company selling many products that are classified as dietary supplements but that give the impression they can cure various ills. Besides bee pollen and colloidal silver, WC also sells a product called Colon Clenz. Thankfully there’s no image of that on the site. Another “homeopathic remedy” is called Herpes #27. Why 27? Did the other 26 fail?
Total Body Essential Nutrition of Atlanta is the sole distributor of the products and has voluntarily recalled the product. Floridians have purchased it because 27 cases have been identified in Florida from four counties (Calhoun, Gulf, Lake and Washington). The products have also been distributed in Alabama, California, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Michigan, Missouri, New Jersey, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Texas and Virginia.
The liquid dietary supplement products may cause severe adverse reactions, including nausea, vomiting and diarrhea, joint pain and fatigue. These symptoms can be followed by hair loss, nail brittleness and neurological abnormalities (such as numbness and other odd sensations in the hands, arms, legs or feet).
What I want to know is who manufactures this stuff? And the other thing I’d like to know is why would you risk taking something like this? You’d have to be desperate.
There’s a warning about products containing selenium and products used as dietary supplements at the American Cancer Society site.
And you thought cigarettes were bad.
I propose a rigorous sin tax on dietary supplements (I propose a tax on any non-essential if it'll lower my own taxes). Is there a presidential candidate in the house willing to go up against that lobby? How many people develop disease because they take supplements in hopes they will cure pain or illness? How many healthcare dollars go down the drain because of products like this? They're not governed by the same rules applied to drugs.
Read the whole story on the product recall at FDA. The distributor lists these lot numbers for recalled products on the website: 4016801, 4016802, 4024801, 4024802, 4031801, 4031802or 4031803.
[selenium, distributor, total body formula, recall] Sphere: Related Content
'Visit Jacksonville' wants travelers to head to city where Florida begins
A primer on things to do and see when you travel to Northeast Florida.
Visit Jacksonville, the organization responsible for tourism in Jax as locals call it, wants travelers to spend some time in the city where Florida begins. There are many opportunities for recreation, shopping and enjoying nature. The ‘Visit Jacksonville’ website provides all sorts of information—there’s a cool interactive feature that allows you to switch a river view of the city to day or night. You can plan your whole trip by using the site.
One of the favorite destinations for everyone who visits us personally is Budweiser Brewery. You get samples as long as you’re old enough to drink. The Budweiser Brewery tour covers the brewing process from the mixture of ingredients all the way to the bottling and packaging lines.
Another unique opportunity lets you create your own customized perfume at Irene Parfums and Cosmetiques Lab, Inc. With the help of their perfumer as a guide, guests may create their very own one-of-a-kind Couture Parfum or Eau de Parfum.
Take a step back in time at the Fort Caroline National Memorial, created to memorialize the 16th century French effort to establish a permanent colony in Florida. After initial exploration in 1562, the French established "la Caroline" in June 1564. Spanish forces arrived 15 months later, attacking and forcing an end to the French occupation of the settlement. A near full-scale rendering of the fort, together with exhibits in the visitor center, provides information on the history of the French colony, their interaction with the native Timucua, and the colonists' brief struggle for survival. Exhibits trace the heritage of the region from the native Timucuan Indians through French, Spanish and English rule. The fort is located along the banks of the St. Johns River. The fort is also within the 46,000-acre Timucuan Ecological and Historic Preserve, offering visitors miles of exploration along self-guided hiking and nature trails.
Learn how to kayak along the waterways of Northeast Florida with Kayak Amelia. An introduction to kayaking is given at the beginning of each tour, allowing beginners to get accustomed to being on the water. Kayaking guided tours are offered numerous times throughout the week, allowing nature enthusiasts to get an up close look at the wildlife surrounding the Timucuan Preserve. For those with experience on the water, canoe and kayaks are available for rent. Be on the lookout for manatees, unique birds and even dolphins.
Discover sharks teeth this summer at Little Talbot Island State Park. Participate in a guided park ranger lesson with the shark tooth fossil identification program scheduled throughout the summer. Learn about the different types of sharks and shark teeth both extinct and modern, as well as the process of fossilization, shark myth busters and identication of shark teeth commonly found on Florida beaches.
Experience the thrill of swimming with dolphins at Marineland of Florida, located steps from the Atlantic coastline. Spend 20 minutes up close and personal with bottlenose dolphins during the Discover Dolphins program. An informative pre-encounter session prepares guests for the shallow water program with lessons about the behavior and natural history of these animals. To participate in Discover Dolphins, you must be at least five years of age. Participants under seven years of age must be accompanied by another participant who is at least 13 years old. Reservations are required.
Have you ever wondered what makes hot-air balloons stay in the air or why opposites attract? You can find the answers to these questions and more at the Museum of Science & History science exhibit, the Universe of Science. Explore the worlds of buoyancy, gravity, light, mechanics and sound through hands-on demonstrations conducted by you.
The PGA TOUR Golf Academy, located in the World Golf Village, offers a full range of instructional opportunities from one-hour private lessons all the way to an award-winning two, three and five-day golf schools. From their outstanding Link-Up-2-Golf programs for beginners to on-course playing lessons – the TOUR Academy is perfect for beginners and more experienced golfers. The Academy features a one-of-a-kind, 2,800-square-foot instruction building and learning center serving as home to esteemed instructors. At the PGA TOUR Golf Academy, golfers receive instruction programs featuring highly personalized attention to their individual needs and skill level. Programs include video swing analysis, a comprehensive instruction manual and a written game plan for improvement. IMAX theater is also located in WGV.
Jacksonville’s own Peterbrooke Chocolatier has been indulging area taste buds since 1983. Stop by and tour the Peterbrooke Production Center to see how their tasty confections are created. Known for their specialty of chocolate-covered popcorn, they also feature chocolate covered Oreos, chocolate Nutter Butters and even chocolate covered potato chips. The Production Center located in historic San Marco allows visitors to enjoy watching the process of their favorite chocolate creations coming to life.
Find out more about vacation opportunities in Northeast Florida and call Visit Jacksonville at (800) 733-2668 or go to www.visitjacksonville.com.
(NOTE: From an abbreviated release from Visit Jacksonville. No benefits, monetary or otherwise, are derived from the links included in this post.)
Gull photo/Mickler's Landing by Kay B. Day
[Visit Jacksonville, Florida travel, Florida wildlife, Covering Florida]
Thursday, March 27, 2008
Floridians can now sign up for email alerts on sex offenders, predators
A new feature on Florida’s Sexual Offender/Predator Registry Web site enables people to sign up to receive an email alert when a registered sex offender or predator moves into their neighborhood or within a radius of any other designated location. You can also opt to track address changes reported by selected registered offenders or predators. The free service is offered statewide. “I am proud that Floridians have access to one of the most comprehensive sexual offender and predator registration systems in the nation,” said Governor Charlie Crist.”
FDLE Commissioner Gerald Bailey said, “We can’t knock on everyone’s front door, but we can deliver information to everyone’s desktop.”
FDLE developed the notification service at the direction of the Florida Legislature as part of the state’s compliance with the federal Adam Walsh Act. Citizens may select an unlimited number of addresses and/or offenders and predators to track, and can update their selections at any time. The alert system will send e-mail notifications within 24 to 48 hours of an address change to the state’s registry.
The Florida Offender Alert System is offered through FDLE’s Web site and the sites of a number of local law enforcement agencies throughout the state. Additional law enforcement agencies are providing portals and links to the Alert System every day. Citizens are encouraged to visit their local law enforcement agency’s Web site first to register for alerts and access local safety information. Several law enforcement agencies already have in place similar notification systems.
“Local law enforcement is the front line for protecting Florida’s communities and we’re always looking for ways to work together to bolster public safety,” said Baker County Sheriff Joey Dobson, President of the Florida Sheriffs Association.
“Once again, Florida is on the cutting edge of technology producing a valuable service to our citizens,” said Florida Police Chiefs Association President Chief H.C. “Skip” Clark, II, of the Juno Beach Police Department.
In 2008, the registry was awarded a Gold Award, the highest rating by the Web site TopTenReviews.com. The site commended Florida’s registry for being one of only three states that tracks offender’s e-mail addresses and instant message screen names. Florida is also the only state to have earned an A+ rating by the advocacy group Parents of Megan’s Law.
Through the Public Safety Information Act of 1997, Florida became the first state to list sexual offenders and predators on the Internet and to make the same information available through a 24-hour/day hotline. The FDLE Sex Offender/Predator Registry currently houses data on more than 47,000 registered sex offenders and predators and the Web site averages more than 500,000 searches per month. Citizens can register for the alerts by visiting their local law enforcement agency’s Web site or by visiting www.flsexoffender.net or www.fdle.state.fl.us.
(FDLE release, edited, 3-27-08)
[sex offenders, child sexual predators, alert Florida, offender registry, Florida government]
UNF evacuation cancelled
This is the news we love to report:
Investigators have now determined that the suspicious packages found on campus this morning were just part of a student's art project. Faculty, staff and students are now being allowed back into the core of the University of North Florida campus, and classes and university operations are resuming.
UNF partially evacuated because of 'suspicious packages'
Breaking News
We just received a phone call from a graduate student at the University of North Florida. Parts of the campus are being evacuated because of what officials call "suspicious packages." UNF has issued this statement:
The University Police Department is now evacuating buildings within the core of campus that are located south of Building 2 so they can safely investigate suspicious packages that were found in the breezeway outside of Building 9. Faculty, staff and employees are being told to leave that area and move to sidewalks and parking lots in the north area of campus. More information will follow.
Building 9 is listed on the campus map on the website as Frederick H. Schultz Hall. Building 2 is listed as Founders Hall.
Stay tuned for updates.
[UNF, evacuation, Florida colleges, Kay B. Day, Covering Florida] Sphere: Related Content
Wednesday, March 26, 2008
Gov. Bill Richardson’s makeover one political quirk of many during zany campaign season
Commentary about the presidential election by Kay B. Day
By now you have to agree with me this is the craziest campaign season unleashed on American voters in a very long time. Gov. Bill Richardson’s endorsement of Sen. Barack Obama drew Biblical condemnation from the Clinton camp last week. That should come as no surprise. His public stamp of Obama was compared to Judas’s betrayal of Jesus, a comparison issued by none other than Democratic icon James Carville. I find it amusing that not one pundit has mentioned the effect of Richardson’s makeover, namely his facial hair. Richardson’s maternal heritage is Mexican. The beard accents his physical connection to that heritage. Is this a subliminal ploy to increase favor with a bloc of voters Sen. Hillary Clinton is courting? Whatever the case, he looks better with the hairy face in my opinion.
Richardson the diplomat
Richardson was of course entrenched in Washington when Bill Clinton was our president. Richardson was a busy diplomat—he was one of the first to visit Afghanistan as U.S. ambassador to the U.N. in 1998 for talks with the Taliban. CNN says he was the first “high ranking American official” to visit that country in two decades. That’s a little short of the truth, because Congressman Charlie Wilson (D-Texas) established friendships there, took politicos there and succeeded in surreptitiously directing billions of dollars to Afghanistan after Russia decided to strut in and take over. Naturally, once we dumped all that money into the country and the Afghans liberated themselves with some really cool weapons we provided, the United States bailed out and forgot about Afghanistan. The Taliban knew a good thing when they saw it. We’re still paying for what we provided there in more ways than one. It’s worth mentioning that during Richardson’s visit, Osama bin Laden was a “contentious issue” between our diplomat and the Talis. If you think Republican foreign policy is strange, read a little recent history. The Repubs’ Dem colleagues are right there at the top of the coconut tree, one just like guitarist Keith Richards fell out of.
Chelsea's got spunk
On the news this morning I saw Chelsea Clinton put a fellow in his place during her visit to Butler College. The fellow, possibly suffering severe memory loss, asked Chelsea about damage to her mother’s campaign because—and I’m paraphrasing—of Bill Clinton’s sexual tendencies. Chelsea told the guy it was none of his business. I’d like to add that is one completely irrelevant question to ask the daughter of a presidential candidate. Why is the Clintons’ bedroom so fascinating? Isn't your own bedroom more interesting? Zany.
What does the future hold?
Who knows what’s around the corner? All I know is this is the most hysterical campaign season I can recall. And I’d be willing to bet Howard Dean, chair of the Democratic National Committee, might agree. He has to be whistling Dixie as he debates what to do about Florida’s votes in the primary. Will a scream (or 1.7 million of them) soon be heard throughout the land?
[Gov. Richardson, politics, presidential candidates, Washington]
(photos of Gov. Richardson from State of New Mexico government site and from Richardson's presidential campaign site)
Tuesday, March 25, 2008
Rush Limbaugh, pushing Operation Chaos, says indictment would take Obama down too
Commentary by Kay B. Day
Is there anything as zany as this presidential election? Rush Limbaugh is coming under fire on the nuclear level for encouraging voters—even Republicans—to pick Sen. Hillary Clinton in upcoming Democratic primaries such as Pennsylvania’s on April 22. According to his website, Limbaugh views this move and others, dubbed ‘Operation Chaos,’ as justifiable politics. The talk radio titan says Democratic strategist Bob Bechel is coming up with plans to jinx OC. That’s a little iffy. Bechel loves to repeatedly claim credit for coming up with the idea of superdelegates. I don’t know if I’d be all proud about that big idea. Limbaugh figures the DNC deserves chaos because the media has given one DNC candidate a free ride.
I think Limbaugh’s having a field day with this. He’s getting record amounts of ink, sound bites and pixels with his latest anti-Democratic Party hijinks, and he’s got OC merchandise for sale on his website. There's a transcript on Limbaugh's website. In response to rumors of a lawsuit against him for encouraging Republicans to vote for a Democratic candidate, Limbaugh told one caller, “Well, then, if I am indicted, Obama’s going down with me.” The caller reported a piece of campaign literature, saying, “I have a door handle flier here that I picked up off the sidewalk near my friend's apartment, which says right on it, Republicans and independents can vote in the Democratic primary."
I’m fairly certain the U.S. constitution would prohibit any political party mandating any voter which candidate to pick. Somebody might want to tell DNC chair Howard Dean that. It'd be great really if he'd just read the constitution.
Meanwhile, back on the funny farm also known as American politics, rest assured this race will continue to heat up. If I were Sen. Clinton, I’d be glad for any assistance Limbaugh offers. Because the only candidate the media is fawning over and sparing any criticism whatsoever is Sen. Barack Obama. Clinton's had more than her share of negative ink, including a recap of Monica Lewinsky's blue dress with ABC and other mainstream outlets giving us far more information about that dress than we need to remember. Obama's certainly got Chris Matthews steamed up. Matthews might want to take a look at the voting records of all three candidates before he completely falls off his rocker.
Sen. John McCain isn’t paying any of this much attention as far as I can tell. There was a cover story about McCain in The Florida Times-Union on Sunday. Matt Soergel did the beautifully written story about men who were imprisoned in a Vietnam POW camp with McCain. As the definitive Republican nominee, McCain can be grateful he’s being spared the negativity flying between the DNC candidates right now. And he can rest assured that whoever he faces in November, it will be a zany, challenging fight. Read Soergel’s article.
McCain will be tougher than Dean and company envision.
Question: Which candidate received more favorable and less negative coverage than others in early campaign coverage? Check out the research at the Committee of Concerned Journalists website.
[Presidential Candidates, Operation Chaos, Election Coverage, US Presidential Election ]
UNF presents ‘Dead Man Walking’ play; panel tackles death penalty
The University of North Florida Department of English will present Tim Robbins’ 'Dead Man Walking' production, a play based on Sister Helen Prejean’s book Dead Man Walking: An Eyewitness Account of an Execution. The film starred Sean Penn and Susan Sarandon, earning the actress an Academy Award. The film won other national and international awards as well.
The movie ‘Dead Man Walking’ will surely work its way into great film lists. The film succeeds in creating a conflict in the viewer. On the one hand, we want justice—revenge even—for innocents who are slain. On the other, we feel compassion for a man facing death at the hands of the state. The sound track is poignant, working in conjunction with select scenes, evoking just about every emotion imaginable.
In 2002, Robbins wrote the play script and he and Prejean formed The Dead Man Walking School Theatre Project, an initiative sponsored by the Death Penalty Resource Network in order to raise awareness and foster discourse on this social issue.
The play, which features UNF students and members of the community, opens Saturday, April 5, and runs through April 8, and again on Friday, April 18, and Saturday, April 19. All performances are at 8 p.m. in the Andrew Robinson Theater on the UNF campus. A final matinee will also run on Sunday, April 20, at 2 p.m. in the Andrew Robinson Theater.
In addition to the 'Dead Man Walking' production, the departments of English and Criminology and Criminal Justice will present a panel discussion on the death penalty at 7:30 p.m. on Thursday, April 10, in the Brooks College of Health.
General admission is $12. Students with an ID and senior adults are $5. Tickets are available through the UNF ticket box office at (904) 620-2878 or may be purchased at the door.
Featuring UNF faculty and Jacksonville community leaders, the panel will address issues such as justice, reconciliation, victims’ families and ethnic minorities in the criminal justice system. This event is free and open to the public.
For more information about the production or the death penalty panel, contact UNF’s Department of English at (904) 620-2273.
There’s never been a more appropriate time to take a hard look at how the death penalty is applied in the United States, and to consider by what means justice can be brought to victims and their families.
[Dead Man Walking, Death Penalty, Play, Jacksonville performance]
Monday, March 24, 2008
Shoppers at open air malls in Florida urged to use caution because of abductions, murders
Several media reports claim authorities are sending warnings to some Florida shopping centers because of the suspect many are calling "The Mall Killer." Abductions and murders at Town Center Boca Raton Mall have raised alarms because the suspect is still at large. Jacksonville TV station WJXT claims, "...law enforcement authorities have sent warnings to other open-air Florida shopping centers, including the St. Johns Town Center [Jacksonville].
Shoppers are urged to be aware of their surroundings. Shoppers can take precautions like checking to see who is in the area around their car and locking doors before securing a child in his or her car seat. A mother and her daughter were killed in the early afternoon in one incident at the Boca Raton mall, and many other shoppers were in the area because the incident occurred in busy weeks before Christmas. The USA Today Weekend site provides an article with self-defense tips.
[Boca Raton, Mall Killer, Law Enforcement, Crime] Sphere: Related Content
Boca Raton police hunt mall killer, enlist tech tools like MySpace
National media are featuring stories about a man who has allegedly killed and robbed, selecting his victims from shoppers at the Town Center at Boca Raton mall, and police are using technology in hopes of getting more information. The suspect is cold enough to kill 7-year-old Joey Bochicchio in cold blood. He also killed her mother Nancy. A reward is offered in the amount of $350,000. The police department has set up a page at MySpace, featuring video, photos and articles about the case. Some of the victims had small children. Anyone who has children knows there’s a vulnerable moment when you place your child in a car seat, and more vulnerability when you’re depositing purchases into the trunk or back seat. There’s a wealth of information at the MySpace page. The suspect shown at right is believed to be White or Hispanic, between 18-25 years old.
There’s a strange commonality in some of the cases—the perp places blacked out swim goggles on his victims. Are there retail clerks who may have rung up multiple goggle purchases, or online retailers who have sold someone multiple purchases of this item and will perhaps remember something?
As authorities cast a wider net, more information will hopefully come to light so this killer can be stopped. It’s hard to understand taking a life, but it’s especially hard to understand when a victim is a young child. A statement on the MySpace page sums up the determination of police: “Aside from professional motivation, this case is extremely personal to us. Photographs of Nancy and Joey can be found throughout the Boca Raton Police Services Department to serve as constant reminders that our goal is justice for them and their loved ones.”
Anyone with information about the incidents highlighted on the MySpace site is asked to call Boca Raton Police at 561-338-1352 or Crime Stoppers at 800-458-8477. Callers may remain anonymous. (sketch of suspect from MySpace page, Boca Raton Police Services Dept.)
Boca Raton, crime, mall killer, law enforcement
