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Saturday, May 2, 2009

Swine Flu

A Family Tradition: Thinking of Daddy at Mother's Day

Today would have been Daddy's 97th birthday. He passed away on Boxing Day in 2002 at the age of 90.

New Camera

It saddened me this week that my 10-year-old Polaroid digital camera died. It was still taking pictures, but would not let me move, nor remove, the pictures to the computer.

When I purchased the PDC700, it was the best in its price range and remained so for at least 3 years. However, technology and time marches on and I found myself this weekend in the market for a new camera.

My budget for this one was much less than for the old one, plus what I would need the camera for is different for when I purchased my old camera. The old camera was to be used for professional photography for websites that I was updating for customers. I no longer do that.

I needed a camera to take pictures of my garden and changes that I make to my house. Simple. Now, I'm feeling my age when I found out that a viewfinder has become obsolete. Who knew that such a device would not be available with digital cameras in the twenty-first century.

Oh well, I will need to learn how to use that viewer that I never cut on with my old camera.

In my search, I first went to Polaroid's website. I didn't like anything there, plus they do not have an online store. I then went to the Apple Store website to see what camera they were suggesting for my iMAC. (any camera, these days, I found out) They were selling Cannon. I could not afford their selections.

I then went to Kodak's website and found a nice little camera that was on sale and available directly from Kodak. (see picture) I don't believe I have ever seen a purple camera before, but I now own one.

The Kodak Easyshare M1063 had a 4.4 stars out of 5 from sixty reviewers. It had all the features I was looking for and then some.

With the 20% discount (online, weekend sale), and the additional purchase of a camera travel case plus taxes, the order came to $116.55. The shipping was free with a delivery time frame of 3-8 business days and I felt that a case (simple black camera case) is good to keep dust off of the camera and to keep the lens from becoming scratched.

One feature I really like with this Kodak camera is the re-chargeable battery and AC recharger. That feature would have been nice on my old camera. I spent a small fortune on batteries.

Friday, May 1, 2009

Outrage: We Know What You Did Last Session

Outrage, a new documentary from filmmaker Kirby Dick, takes issue with the secret lives of closeted gay politicians -- especially conservative Republicans who outwardly oppose gay rights.

It will open in select cities May 8, 2009.

Trailer:


Full Huffington Post Article

Tuesday, April 28, 2009

Finally, the push is on to save the Miami Marine Stadium


It is good to see that the push is finally on to save a forgotten South Florida landmark, whose time has come to be saved.

The Stadium was built in 1964, designed by architect Hilario Candela of the firm which is today called Spillis Candela DMJM. In its heyday, the Stadium hosted many events such as powerboat races, symphony and rock concerts, Easter services, presidential appearances and talk shows. The Stadium [6,556 seats] was closed after Hurricane Andrew in 1992 and has been neglected and unoccupied ever since. Although there has been numerous talk of renovation, there has been no action.

— Excerpt from the Statement of Purpose,
Friends of Miami Marine Stadium


The photos above show the stadium in its heyday, however, this is how the stadium looks today:



From Today's Miami Herald:

A scrappy campaign to save the long-shuttered Miami Marine Stadium, increasingly admired as a masterpiece of modern architecture, will get a major boost Tuesday when the country's principal preservation group names the city-owned site as one of the most endangered historic places in the United States.

Inclusion on the National Trust for Historic Preservation's list of 11 most-endangered historic sites puts the marine stadium, largely forgotten until a group of architects and preservationists launched a save-the-stadium effort, in the company of Frank Lloyd Wright's Unity Temple outside Chicago, the Manhattan Project's Enola Gay hangar in Utah and Los Angeles' Century Plaza Hotel -- designed by the architect of the World Trade Center.

The annual list -- which last year included Miami's Vizcaya and Fort Lauderdale's Bonnet House, both threatened at the time by adjacent high-rise development -- is meant to shine a national spotlight on structures and landscapes that preservationists think merit urgent action.

Full Story


Blooms of Plunkett

Blooms of Plunkett
A Banana tree in the backyard in full bloom