Christmas 2010

Only a couple more days till Christmas. If you have not yet gotten all the gifts to give to friends and family, here is a great website to get great ideas from. You can also get ideas for meals, games, etc. 

Have a very merry holidays Tampa Bay!

 

 

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Vertical Ventures

Here's a very cool present idea for adventurers out there in Tampa:

 

Intro-to-Belay Class for Two ($30) or $30 to Spend on Merchandise and Services (Pay $15)

This holiday season put your relationship on the rocks. But instead of stony stares, give your loved one the gift of stony stairs: Spend just $30 for an Intro-to-Belay rock climbing class for two at Vertical Ventures (a $72 value). This wired offer includes gear for two during your visit (including shoes, harness, and chalk bag) as well as a return visit to practice your new skills. Already big time on the (fake) boulders? Opt for $30 in merchandise or other services for just $15. Vertical Ventures was the first indoor rock climbing gym in Florida, and today it has more than 6,000 square feet of climbing. Every wall offers large, top-roped routes and smaller boulder problems, and every day new routes are set -- which will really help alleviate the ups and downs you feel about any type of workout. Leave the haul bag and climb on to today's deal before it hits rock bottom.

 

• 50%
  savings
• 108
  purchased
• 2 Days

 

Click here to learn more:

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Commission, Waste Management partner to green sporting events

Here is an interesting article to help eco efforts in Tampa Bay:

 

 

The Tampa Bay Sports Commission and Waste Management plan to help make local events greener.

 

Waste Management (NYSE: WM) will offer recycling services for cardboard, paper, plastics, glass bottles, aluminum cans and other materials for each Tampa Bay Sports Commission sponsored event within the Tampa Bay area.

 

The Tampa Bay Sports Commission is focused on generating social and economic impact through the vehicle of sports and works with more than 100 youth and amateur events on annual basis. The events produce more than 100,000 hotel room nights annually and attract hundreds of thousands of visitors, tourism executives said in a release.

 

“Sustainability continues to be an enormous priority for our community and for our sporting events,” said Rob Higgins, executive director of the Tampa Bay Sports Commission, in a prepared statement.

Read more: Commission, Waste Management partner to green sporting events | Tampa Bay Business Journal 

 

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Despite departures, Rays confident about 2011

Here is some recent news about our very own Tampa Bay Rays:

ST. PETERSBURG -- Rays fans have endured the pain of seeing Carlos Pena and Carl Crawford sign contracts with other teams, and more are likely to follow.

Rather than remain cranky, perhaps a change of mindset is in order, and a William Wordsworth passage is just the right tonic as the classic romantic poet penned:

Though nothing can bring back the hour
Of splendour in the grass, of glory in the flower;
We will grieve not, rather find
Strength in what remains behind ...

Even though he wrote that long before computers -- or even typewriters -- Wordsworth's words should resonate with Rays fans. Despite the changes, there is a lot to draw strength about in what remains behind.

 

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Remembering Coach McKay's winning ways

Here is the most recent news on our Tampa Bay Buccs:

 

TAMPA - As the story goes, John McKay, already an icon as football coach at the University of Southern California, was dining with his buddy, Alabama's Paul "Bear" Bryant. They were at Chasen's, then the ultimate see-and-be-seen spot in Beverly Hills.

The waiter approached.

"Coach McKay," he said, "Mr. Sinatra has a table in back and wants you to stop by."

McKay, unflinching: "You tell him to come up and see us."

A few minutes later, there was Frank Sinatra, paying homage.

Yes, John McKay absolutely did it his way. At USC, where his steady stream of one-liners played well with the Hollywood set, he won four national championships. McKay was the king.

Then he gave it all away to join an NFL expansion franchise. Fans in Los Angeles thought he was crazy. McKay probably agreed when his Tampa Bay Buccaneers lost their first 26 games.

But McKay's plan worked. The Bucs went from worst to first, coming within 10 points of a Super Bowl appearance in 1979, just two years after the 0-and-26 nightmare. In turn, McKay added to his legacy, showing a level of determination that wasn't required when overseeing a college-football dynasty.

McKay will be posthumously inducted into the Bucs' Ring of Honor (joining his former defensive end, Lee Roy Selmon, the Pro Football Hall of Famer) at halftime in today's game against the Atlanta Falcons at Raymond James Stadium.

 

Click here to read more.

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Miracle on Cleveland St.: 40 Tons of Snow Expected to Hit Downtown Clearwater December 4th

Here's an article to show you what happened in downtown clearwater on December 4th:

 

With nearly 40 tons of snow and 2 toboggan snow slides, Downtown Clearwater’s Miracle on Cleveland Street is back on December 4th with Carolers, SANTA and a special Christmastrain to take kids over to the Christmas Village!

Clearwater, FL, November 9, 2009 - Who says it never snows in Florida? The Clearwater Downtown Partnership figured out how to make it snow at their inaugural Christmas event called Miracle on Cleveland St. last December. 20 tons of snow graced Cleveland Street along with 2500 attendees - many of which were children who came out in full force to ride the toboggan snow slide and see SANTA. This December 4th, there will be nearly 40 tons of snow, 2 giant toboggan slides and a play snow area for those infamous snow-ball fights!

 

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Woman’s Club Fulfills Wishes of Children at Joshua House

You can check socks off the Christmas list

 

Lutz, Fl (11/5/2010) – The GFWC New Tampa Junior Woman’s Club conservation initiative has enabled them to provide four hundred and eighty socks for the children at Joshua House. That is six pairs for each child residing on campus, enabling them to check off one item for each child on the Christmas Wish List.

 

“In August I presented the membership with a challenge. For each pair of athletic shoes brought to a general club meeting for recycling via the Nike Reuse a Shoe program the Board would purchase a six pack of socks for a child at Joshua House,” said Patricia Murphy Conservation Community Project Coordinator for the GFWC New Tampa Junior Woman’s Club. “The response has been amazing! Last year we didn’t have much interest in the program and I thought this would be a good way to encourage recycling and help the kids at Joshua House. Initially I requested $250 for the project budget for the forty children currently living on campus but we started the new program three months ago and we have already recycled sixty three pairs of athletic shoes.”

 

The Friends of Joshua House recently published the Christmas Wish List for the children at Joshua House, “The timing was perfect,” said Murphy, “we had the size information and I went shopping for the kids last weekend and dropped off our first donation today.”

Joshua House is a safe haven for abused, abandoned, and neglected children, offering a therapeutic residential group care program that provides a protected, nurturing, family-like environment for children six - seventeen. These children have been removed from their homes due to crisis and many have been through multiple foster homes. The Wish List is available on their website at www.FriendsofJoshuaHouse.com.

 

GFWC New Tampa Junior Woman’s Club (NTJWC) is a 501 (c)3, non-profit organization dedicated to community improvement by enhancing the lives of others through volunteer service. The GFWC was established in 1890, and is an international organization of community based women’s clubs. Annual contributions of GFWC clubs average 13 million hours and $37 million dollars donated through 168,400 local club projects. The structure of GFWC and its state federations allows member clubs to address the emerging needs of individual communities and to respond quickly to calls for help.

Established in the early 1990s, Nike's Reuse-A-Shoe program collects old, worn-out athletic shoes for recycling, transforming them into Nike Grind, a material used in creating athletic and playground surfaces as well as select Nike products. Athletic shoes for recycling can be dropped off at the Nike Outlet Store in Ellenton. Nike has collected more than 24 million pairs – in other words, enough to create a chain of athletic shoes that goes all the way around the world more than five times. That’s a lot of kicks kept out of the landfill. Reusing old athletic shoes in sports surfaces also decreases the need for virgin rubber and other materials, decreasing the environmental impact of using new materials when building courts, tracks, fields and playgrounds. But the impact of Reuse-A-Shoe goes beyond keeping old kicks out of the trash. As one of Nike's longest-running environmental programs, Reuse-A-Shoe has been blazing the trail for sustainability and environmentally preferred business practices at Nike since 1990.

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Ultimate Dodgeball

For all fo you dodgeball fanatics out there, there is now a center where you can play dodgeball in a trampoline arena in Tampa. Read below to get more details about this place:

 

Boing! Jump Canter

welcomes all ages, beginners to professional athletes to defy gravity on our Giant Trampoline Arena!  Whether you want to enjoy open jump, play dodgeball (BOING! style), host a party or event, or get a crazy workout doing BOINGRobics, BOING! Jump Center is the place for you! 

Located at 622-624 Ware Blvd, Tampa 33619, next to Brandon Crossroads Bowl

 

Phone: 813-341-4897

 Email: info@boingjumpcenter.com

 

Click here to go to their website.

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White House: No drilling off Florida coast

Here's is an interesting article for all Florida residents:

 

TALLAHASSEE (AP) - The Obama administration will maintain a long-standing oil drilling ban in the Gulf of Mexico off Florida after considering loosening it before the BP spill, a senior administration official told The Associated Press on Wednesday.

Just a month before the spill started in April, the Obama administration had announced plans to allow drilling in the eastern portion of the Gulf as part of the management plan for the Outer 
Continental Shelf.

"In light of the BP spill, we've learned a lot and understand the need to elevate the safety and environmental standards," said the official, who spoke on condition of anonymity because the 
decision hadn't been announced yet. "We took a second look at the announced plan and modified it to remove the Eastern Gulf of Mexico from leasing consideration."

Interior Secretary Ken Salazar planned to discuss the decision Wednesday afternoon.

The eastern Gulf -- an area stretching from 125 to 300 miles off Florida's coast -- was singled out for protection by Congress in 2006 as part of a deal with Florida lawmakers that made available 8.3 million acres to oil and gas development in the east-central Gulf. Under that agreement, the protected region is to remain off limits to energy development until 2022.

But the administration had entertained the idea of expanded drilling, until the BP spill that spewed an estimated 172 million gallons of oil into the Gulf. In order to open more of the eastern Gulf to drilling, the administration would have to ask Congress to lift the drilling moratorium.

 

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Chocolate Magics Cookies

Christmas time is finally here! Here is a great cookie recipe for this holiday season:

 

CHOCOLATE MAGICS

makes 2 dozen

1 ½ cups all-purpose flour

½ cup unsweetened cocoa

½ teaspoon baking soda

¼ teaspoon salt

½ cup sugar (plus extra for dredging)

½ cup light brown sugar, packed

½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature

¼ cup smooth peanut butter

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 large egg

 

Filling:

1/2 cup peanut butter, crunchy or smooth

1/2 cup confectioners' sugar

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Lightly grease two baking sheets (or line with parchment paper).

In a medium-size bowl, whisk together the flour, cocoa, baking soda and salt. In another medium-size bowl, beat together the sugars, butter and peanut butter until light and fluffy. Add the vanilla and egg, beating to combine, then stir in dry ingredients, blending well.

 

Click here to view the rest of the instructions.

 

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FCTB Takes Part in Great American Teach In

FC Tampa Bay and some of its players took part in the 2010 Great American Teach In on Thursday, November 18, at four schools around the Bay area.  Jeremy Christie, Julian Valentin, Pascal Millien and Chad Burt were among thousands on Thursday who visited schools in Hillsborough County.  

The Great American Teach In invites people from all different career backgrounds to the schools to talk with the students on the different careers available to them in the future.
The FC Tampa Bay players spoke with students ranging from 1st grade to 5th grade about what it took to get to the level they have reached and how important dedication and exercise was to that process. 

 Jeremy Christie spoke at Westshore Elementary School with many groups, which included 1st, 4th and 5th graders who asked question after question about soccer and playing the sport. 

“What did you have to do to be a soccer player,” asked a 1st grader, who had many questions written down in her notebook, to Christie. “A lot of hard work and practice on the field. It’s not something that happens overnight – I’ve been working on this since I was 14 years old. That’s more than 12 years of practice,” Christie replied to an in awe student who watched as he juggled a soccer ball while answering her. 

Julian Valentin, who visited Westchase Elementary School, and Chad Burt, who visited Alafia Elementary, talked about the motivation and dedication it takes to become any kind of professional athlete and how important school plays into accomplishing your dreams.
“I really enjoyed the Great American Teach In. It’s great to interact with the kids and spend time playing a little soccer with them. I tried to impart to them how to achieve a life of balance, the importance of hard work and good grades, and why I have the best job in the world,” said Valentin.
The students at Deer Park Elementary were visited by Pascal Millien, who shared his story about Haiti and the obstacles he has overcome to be where he is today. 

 “It was a pleasure to visit with the students. I feel blessed to have talked to the kids and had so much fun doing it,” said Millien. “I was impressed that most of the kids knew about the struggle of Haiti. That’s when I realized those kids are special and they know about the world around them. They just need our help to make it far in their future.”

FC Tampa Bay would like to thank the students and teachers at Westshore Elementary, Westchase Elementary, Deer Park Elementary and Alafia Elementary for letting FC Tampa Bay and the players speak with them and wish them luck in the rest of the school year.

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Hudson church still serving the hungry after devastating fire

Here's is a thankful news story around the Tampa Bay area:

HUDSON - Bev Milashouskas scooped corn from tin trays and sang quietly under her breath as she helped serve a traditional Thanksgiving meal Sunday.

"Every promise in the Book is mine," she sang, standing on the concrete slab where Lakeview Baptist Church stood before it burned in August. "Every chapter, every verse, every line."

Despite the challenges this congregation faces, that optimistic spirit showed through the smiles of the dozens of church members serving dinner to those who need it most in this rural part of west Pasco County.

The church has continued offering help, even though it has no roof and no walls. The 40 or so people who worship together here every week meet under a white canvas tent, sitting in donated pews and chairs.

"We still haven't gotten electric or a building or water," said Pastor Harry Buckwalter. "But we didn't want to cancel because so many people depend on this meal and this time together."

Lakeview Baptist has established itself not only as a house of worship but also as the place where needy families come for food every Thursday. The congregation calls it "Project Hope," a labor of love that hasn't stopped because of the Aug. 3 fire, which investigators believe may have been sparked by a power strip or the church's refrigerator, Buckwalter said.

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Best Buy Black Friday 2010 Ads: Line up early!

Thanksgiving is just around the corner and you know what that means..........Black Friday! People are already starting to line up at stores! Below is an article for Best Buy's Black Friday Ad:

Tampa Bay, Florida - Best Buy's Black Friday ad is encouraging people to start lining up two hours before the doors open at 5:00am the day after Thanksgiving.

The ad says "we'll pass out tickets up to two hours before 5:00am store opening." If you don't want to deal with the crowds the ad also says that you can shop Thanksgiving Day online at bestbuy.com for bonus deals.

So what are some of the featured sale items for Black Friday? You can save on some big ticket items like, an LG front loader washer and dryer set for 999.98. That's an advertisedsavings of $1,000. An Intel Pentium laptop will cost you 399.99 or you can upgrade with more memory and built in Blu-ray player, laptop bag and The Karate Kid Blu-ray disc for 499.99.

Click here to learn more:

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TERRY FATOR: VENTRILOQUISM IN CONCERT

Remember the winner of America's Got Talent, Terry Fator. He won over America by his unique talent of ventriloquism. Now he is going to be preforming in Tampa Bay! Below is information on when, where and how to get tickets:

 

Progress Energy Center for the Arts - Mahaffey Theater

400 First Street
Saint Petersburg, FL

Map | http://www.orbitz.com/App/PerformDatelessHotelSearch?keywordPIB=Saint+Petersburg,FL&gcid=C11287x1027&WT.mc_id=o_ef_h&WT.mc_ev=click" title="Book hotels with Orbitz" class="click-offsite orbitz-test" target="_blank" style="color: #0066cc; text-decoration: none; font-size: 1em; cursor: pointer; padding: 0px; margin: 0px;">Book hotel

Tickets Prices: 49.50 to 69.50

Click here to get more info.

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Sweet Swingin' Baseball Camp

Here is a great article for all of you baseball players out there:

 

By YVETTE C. HAMMETT | The Tampa Tribune

Published: November 17, 2010

BRANDON - Matt Joyce, one of thousands of kids who grew up playing baseball at North Brandon Little League, is returning to his old digs Dec. 4, this time as a big leaguer offering a hand to those who want to follow in his footsteps.

The Tampa Bay Rays outfielder, who graduated from Armwood High in Seffner, has teamed up with the Greater Brandon Community Foundation to hold the Sweet Swingin' Baseball Camp at North Brandon Little League.

He will be bringing an entourage of coaches and other pro players to teach ballplayers ages 9 to 15 the fundamentals of the game. He also will convey the importance of teamwork and the necessity of good grades.

"I definitely want to be a role model," Joyce said. "I think there are a lot of guys nowadays that kids look up to. I just want to be a big part of that. That's where you grew up, that's your home ground. You have to pay respect to it and take care of it."

Joyce said he never had a major league player come out to the Little League park and discuss what it takes to reach the pinnacle of the sport.

Joyce will lead the camp's coaching staff, along with other Rays players and coaches.

The camp, open to the first 100 kids who sign up, is $100 and runs from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. The cost includes lunch.

 

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The Polar Express Experience at SeaWorld Orlanda

Here is an event for you and your family if you are looking to find something to do together:

• November 12, 2010 - January 02, 2011
• Address: 7007 SeaWorld Dr., Orlando, FL 32821
• Times: SeaWorld’s Christmas Celebration takes place Friday through Sunday nights, Nov. 26-Dec. 12, 2010 and nightly Dec. 17, 2010-Jan. 2, 2011.
• Admission: See website
• Venue: SeaWorld Orlando

The holidays are right around the corner and it’s time to jump aboard THE POLAR EXPRESS Experience at SeaWorld Orlando, starting this Friday, November 12. 

At Wild Arctic, guests can climb aboard THE POLAR EXPRESS Experience and take an unforgettable train ride to the North Pole.  Classic scenes from THE POLAR EXPRESS movie are recreated in a multi-sensory experience that immerses passengers in special lighting, scents, sounds and motion effects. When guests arrive at the North Pole, they’ll discover a winter wonderland surrounded by holiday cheer and amazing animal encounters.  

SeaWorld’s Christmas Celebration
Starting November 26, experience the joys of the season with all-new holiday festivities, including The Sea of Trees and The Christmas Market.  

The Sea of Trees
Guests will discover 74 massive trees, each sparkling, lighted and choreographed to classic holiday tunes, making a dramatic display around SeaWorld’s center lake.

The Christmas Market
Guests can shop for one-of-a-kind gifts and dine on scrumptious holiday delights. 

 

Click here to get more info.

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"Real" Thanksgiving Story

• Here is an event for the kids to learn more about thanksgiving this year in Tampa:
• Tampa Bay History Center
  801 Old Water St., Tampa FL 33602

• Kids spend their day unearthing a Timucuan kitchen mound and learning about the special meal shared between Spanish explorers and Florida's first people. This event is part of Discovery Days and open to children in grades 3-5. Early drop-off and extended pick-up available for an additional fee.

Price: $35 per child, $30 per child members.

Categories: Family, Holiday, Kid-friendly, Museums

Phone: (813) 675-8960

Click here to learn more.

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University of Tampa Fine Arts Faculty - Exhibits Recent Work

Here is an upcoming event happening in Tampa Bay:

Red Georgia clay, 15th century religious icons and digital images are some of the raw materials that make up the art in the new Faculty Show at The University of Tampa. Members of the fine arts faculty will show their new work at an exhibition starting Friday, Oct. 22 and running through Nov. 23. An opening reception will take place on Friday, Oct. 22 from 7 to 9 p.m. in the Scarfone/Hartley Gallery on campus. The show will feature more than 30 major works of photography, painting, sculpture, digital images, drawings, installations and mixed media.

Click here to learn more.

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Bucs notes: CB Mack still defying odds

Here is your weekly dose of Tampa Bay Sports news:

 

TAMPA - Buccaneers CB Elbert Mack continues to defeat the odds.

Mack was barely recruited out of high school and attended Butler County Community College in Kansas. He later played for Troy and entered the NFL in 2008 as an undrafted free agent. The 5-foot-10, 175-pounder has been a solid backup and special teams player for Tampa Bay, but it appeared his luck would run out in 2010.

The Bucs drafted CB Myron Lewis in the third round, and with the preseason emergence of E.J. Biggers, Mack seemed like the odd man out.

As usual, Mack emerged to make the roster and plays on special teams and in dime packages. He hopes to make his presence known Sunday when Tampa Bay hosts Carolina.

"He's battled through injuries and he's just kind of that tough guy that you love on this football team," Bucs coach Raheem Morris said. "He comes out every day, he's businesslike in the walk-through, he's businesslike in the classrooms and he's businesslike on the field.

"He's the example of (our roster) being driven from the bottom up, and there is no better person in the room than I can give an example about than E-Mack."

Mack has three tackles as a defensive back and two on special teams.

Despite his limited participation this season, he is happy to have defeated the odds again.

"Sometimes I wake up and I don't even know how I've been doing it. I just know God has been pulling me through it," Mack said. "Sometimes you just have to be ready for whatever it is. You just got to take the blows and be ready to embark on whatever the journey is in life.

 

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November 2010 at the Florida Holocaust Museum

St. Petersburg, FL (Nov. 4, 2010) – The Florida Holocaust Museum presents: 

Trust in the Journey Becoming Family – Marie, Jeannette and Ruth 

Marie and Jeannette, sisters from Antwerp, Belgium, were just nine and five years old when they began a life on the run from the Nazis in 1940. The young girls hid in France until caught by the Nazis and put into a deportation camp. With the help of the underground they were smuggled out of the camp and taken to a safe hiding place. Eventually they escaped, without their mother, across the mountains to Barcelona, Spain. In 1944 they journeyed to the United States and were placed in an orphanage until a foster home could be found for them in Rhode Island – becoming the state’s first refugee children from the Holocaust. 

LOCATION: The Palladium Theater: Wed., Nov.10, 7 p.m. & Thurs., Nov. 11, 7 p.m. Cost to attend: $15 for FHM members, Palladium members, and students; $20 for others; tickets must be purchased at the Palladium Theater box office. 

Pardoll Family Lecture Series

Daniel Jonah Goldhagen 

Tues., Nov. 30, 2010, 6:30 p.m. 

LOCATION: USF St. Petersburg 
Campus Activities Center 
140 Seventh Ave. S 
St. Petersburg, Fl 33701 
(727) 873-4596 

Join acclaimed author Daniel Jonah Goldhagen as he discusses his newest book, Worse Than War: Genocide, Eliminationism, and the Ongoing Assault on Humanity, and challenges fundamental things we thought we knew about human beings, society, and politics.

“Genocide seems at once so familiar and so overwhelming that we don’t consider that if we change our thinking about the problem, then we can see the way to stopping the killing and do so relatively easily. . . . My work and my talk are devoted to making the phrase “never again” finally mean it for everyone.”

Daniel Jonah Goldhagen is the author of #1 international bestseller Hitler’s Willing Executioners: Ordinary Germans and the Holocaust. The book, available in fifteen languages, was named by TIME as one of the two best non-fiction books of 1996 and Goldhagen won Germany’s prestigious triennial Democracy Prize in 1997 as its author.

Goldhagen, born in 1959, received a B.A., M.A., and Ph.D. from Harvard University and was a professor in Harvard’s Government and Social Studies departments until he decided to devote himself full time to writing. He is a member of Harvard’s Minda de Gunzburg Center for European Studies and on the board of directors of Humanity in Action.

Free to FHM members and college students with valid student ID; $9 for guests; please RSVP: (727) 820-0100, ext. 236. Guest admission may be applied to FHM membership. 

Women of Ravensbrück: Portraits of Courage

Artwork of Julia Terwilliger 

Opening Sun., Nov. 14 through Tues., Feb. 15, 2011 

This is an original Florida Holocaust Museum exhibition of memorial artwork by Julia Terwilliger. It tells the history of the Ravensbrück Concentration Camp, the Nazi’s major concentration camp for women that brought fear and terror to its imprisoned, tortured victims. 

The art is coupled with text and seven, large wooden panels of mixed media and transfer images of Ravensbrück women, young and old, survivors and those who did not. The exhibition also includes rare original artifacts from the camp, including a handmade recipe book and gifts secretly exchanged by the women and 17 history panels and 14 biographical panels of individuals. In addition, the artist created a 10 foot memorial triangle and an artifacts installation created by the artist will be on view. An exhibition catalog for Women of Ravensbrück is available for purchase in the Museum Store. 

Media Sponsors: Bright House Networks and the St. Petersburg Times 

Curator’s Talk and Reception: 
Thurs., Dec. 16, 2010; 6:30 p.m. 

The evening includes a talk by guest lecturer Rochelle Saidel, the original Curator of Women in Ravensbrück and Director of Remember the Women Foundation. Free to FHM members; $9 for guests; please RSVP: (727) 820-0100, ext. 236. Guest admission may be applied to FHM membership. 

Also on View: 

Resistance and Rescue 
Photography of Judy Ellis Glickman 

Through Sun., Feb. 13, 2011 

Through images and symbols, the horrors of the Holocaust are familiar to us all. Yet, too few of us are aware of the remarkable story of the flight of the Jews out of Denmark to safety in Sweden in the fall of 1943. This exhibition of photographs by Judy Ellis Glickman reopens a time in our history when the bravery of a few overcame the brutality of so many. 

Media Sponsor: WUSF Public Media 

Faith Under Fire: Jehovah’s Witnesses in the Holocaust 

Through Sun., Jan. 2, 2011 

Jehovah’s Witnesses, a Christian community of 35,000 in Germany and occupied lands, refused to conform to the Nazi ideology of hate. They suffered severely for their belief in nonviolence and their utter rejection of racism. Thrown into Nazi camps, they became eyewitnesses of Nazi genocide. As historian John Toland wrote, this is a story of human courage that must be heard. 

A gallery guide for Faith Under Fire is included with Museum admission. 

Save the Date: 

To Life: Music of Hope 
Thurs. Feb. 17, 2011 

The Florida Holocaust Museum will present Violins of Hope as the major component of the Museum’s annual benefit, To Life: Music of Hope, on Thurs., Feb, 17, 2011; 6 p.m., at the Progress Energy Center for the Arts – The Mahaffey Theater, St. Petersburg. To Life: Music of Hope includes cocktails, Dinner-by-the-Bite, desserts and coffee. Also planned are a silent auction offering luxury travel packages, dining opportunities, upscale merchandise and services, and a chance drawing. 

Following dinner, attendees will be seated in the auditorium to hear the Violins of Hope, a concert played on Holocaust era violins rescued and lovingly restored. Musical performers will include members of the Florida Orchestra. Also planned are a special tribute to Edie Loebenberg (of blessed memory) and presentation of the Loebenberg Humanitarian Award to Dr. Herbert and Isabel Savel, FHM patrons. 

Proceeds from To Life: Music of Hope will benefit education, exhibitions and public programming at the Florida Holocaust Museum. The cost to attend the event is $150 per person. Sponsorship opportunities are available. Please call Dan Berman, (727) 820-0100, ext 242, for information. 

Images from all the exhibitions are available. Please send your request to:jsherman@flholocaustmuseum.org. 

Admission to the Florida Holocaust Museum (FHM) is $14 for adults; discounted admission is offered to seniors, students, adult and student groups and AAA members.

Admission is free to active duty Military, FHM members and children 6 and under. Museum hours are 10 a.m. – 5 p.m., Mon. through Sun.; the last admission is 3:30 pm.

NEW HOURS: Through May 31, 2011, the FHM will be open Thurs. evenings until 8 p.m.; the last admission is 7 p.m. Please call (727) 820-0100, or visit the Museum’s web-site, www.flholocaustmuseum.org, for directions and further details including holiday closures. 

The Florida Holocaust Museum honors the memory of millions of innocent men, women and children who suffered or died in the Holocaust. The Museum is dedicated to teaching members of all races and cultures to recognize the inherent worth and dignity of human life in order to prevent future genocides. 

Please follow the Florida Holocaust Museum on Facebook and Twitter.

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Seminole Heights Community Gardens Get a Hand From New Tampa Junior Woman’s Club

GFWC New Tampa Junior Woman’s Club presents check to Seminole Heights Community Gardens

Tampa, FL (10/16/2010) – With the fate of community gardens in the hands of the Tampa City Council, members of the Seminole Heights Community Gardens have been living in fear. However, they now have new hope after receiving a check in the amount of five hundred dollars from the GFWC New Tampa Junior Woman’s Club in honor of World Food Day.

World Food Day is a worldwide event designed to increase awareness, understanding and to instigate year-round action to alleviate hunger. It is observed October 16th in recognition of the founding of the UN Food and Agriculture Organization in 1945. 
General Federation of Woman’s Clubs (GFWC) New Tampa Junior Woman’s Club is the first honorary sponsor. “It is our hope that other woman’s clubs will follow in our footsteps and support the gardens sustainability efforts,” Patricia Murphy Conservation Community Project Coordinator said. “My grandmother in-law ran a successful nursery and maintained a half acre personal garden in Colorado until her death at age 92. Her commitment to local growers is part of what inspires me to support Seminole Heights in their efforts to grow organic fruits and vegetables.” Scott and Patricia Murphy also pledged to provide wigwams for the bean and pea crops, increasing the total donation to seven hundred and fifty dollars.

GFWC’s experience with community gardens has taught that they provide a catalyst for neighborhood and community development, stimulate social interaction, beautify neighborhoods, produce nutritious food, reduce family food budgets, conserve resources, create opportunities for recreation, exercise, therapy and education and provide opportunities for intergenerational and cross-cultural connections.

According to a statement on their website, www.GFWC.org, “GFWC has historically spearheaded unique programs that have enhanced and benefited youth and adults in communities around the world. We will continue this work by increasing the awareness of conservation issues among our members and our communities as we work together in a collaborative effort with other community organizations.”

“It is with this in mind that the membership of the New Tampa Junior Woman’s club supports the Seminole Heights Community Gardens projects and will advocate on its behalf,” said Murphy.

Contact info: 
Contact: Patricia Murphy 
Phone: 813-991-6152 
Email: Conservation@gfwcnewtampajuniors.org

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GFWC New Tampa Junior Woman’s Club Kicks Off “Make A Difference” Week With Veterans Hospital

GFWC New Tampa Junior Woman’s Club Kicks Off “Make A Difference” Week With Veterans Hospital

GFWC New Tampa Junior Woman’s Club provides veterans with 350 magazines

Tampa, FL (10/17/2010) – Monday kicks off a week of activities at James A Haley Veterans Hospital in celebration of “Make a Difference Day.” To start it all off the GFWC New Tampa Junior Woman’s Club donated 350 magazines for volunteers to distribute to wounded veterans staying at the hospital.

The magazines were collected at the clubs general meeting as part of the conservation committee’s efforts to reduce, reuse, recycle. “This is just one of many initiatives the membership is making to assist veterans” said Patricia Murphy Conservation Community Project Coordinator, “we have several activities planned throughout the year which will benefit Fisher House and veterans”

“The response has been amazing. I receive at least 100 magazines at each general club meeting for distribution to the hospital. I couldn’t ask for a better group of women to work with,” said Murphy. 
Make A Difference Day is held the fourth Saturday in October and is a national day of doing good and helping others, sponsored by USA Weekend magazine. The James A Haley Veteran’s Hospital “Make A Difference Day” project has been named “Homeward Bound to Those Who Served”. There are approximately 47 veterans in foster homes in the Tampa area. They have opted to live in these foster homes (which are visited regularly to ensure that specific standards are met) rather than in nursing homes. They have very limited funds after paying for their stay in the foster home. Voluntary Service and Social Work Service work together to collect a wish list for each of the patients. With the help of volunteers sharing their time and resources, gifts will be assembled for personal delivery to each of the foster home patients.

Caption Information: From Left to Right

DSC02675 Patricia Murphy

Contact info: 
Contact: Patricia Murphy 
Phone: 813-991-6152 
Email: Conservation@gfwcnewtampajuniors.org

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Bears in tree delight, dismay neighbors

There's always something happening in Florida. Either it be concerts, games or in this case finding 4 bears up in a pine tree. Below is the news article and video link of Florida residents waking up to 4 bears in a tree just relaxing:

A mother bear and three cubs found themselves up a pine tree in Florida, bringing out the neighbors to gawk and worry. (Nov. 2)

Click here to see the video of these curious bears.

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Jingle Jangle Jazz at Ruth Eckerd Hall

Here is a concert coming up in Tampa on November 6th:

The largest charity event for abused, neglected and at-risk children in the Tampa Bay area, Jingle Jangle Jazz promises to be this season’s coolest with proceeds benefitting over 11,000 kids served by Eckerd Youth Alternatives. Enjoy gourmet tastings from Tampa Bay’s hottest restaurants, cool sounds from internationally-acclaimed jazz musician Kym Purling, and a magical winter wonderland complete with snow flurries! 

Meet Reality TV Star, Celebrity Chef and Eckerd Alum Robert Hesse of the Hell’s Kitchen TV Show who will be returning as our event host. Don’t miss exciting silent auction items featuring autographed celebrity memorabilia from the Rolling Stones, Beatles, Harry Potter cast, U2, Johnny Depp and more! Exciting travel packages also up for bid include a trip to the Grammys and after-party; New Orleans jazz and fine dining getaway; and San Diego yacht adventure on board the “Stars and Stripes” - Dennis Connor’s famous America’s Cup vessel! 

Click here to read more.

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Dentist buys candy back

Here is a great article for people who have extra candy they don't want in Tampa:

 

TAMPA - If you have too much Halloween candy lying around, a Tampa dentist is ready to take it off your hands.

Dr. Mark Goodnight is taking a stand against sweets with a candy buyback.

He's shelling out a dollar per pound of candy to fight tooth decay, and to provide a treat to our troops serving overseas.

The candy must be un-opened.

Dr. Goodnight will be buying candy until Thursday, from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. at two locations: 3223 South Dale Mabry Ave and at 6538 Gunn Highway.

He then plans to ship the candy to Operation Gratitude, an organization that sends care packages to troops overseas. 

 

Click here to view more.

 

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Happy Halloween

Two more days till the Halloween of 2010. Remember to all of your supplies for this year's spooky Holiday. For all of the trick-or-treaters, make sure you have everything you need for your candy gathering experience:

- candy buckets, pillow bags or any other candy holding satchel and

- A spooky costume

Have a very spooky and happy Halloween Tampa Bay.

 

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New Nerf Game : Humans vs. Zombies

A new game has taken over many college campuses around the USA and several other countries. This game is called Humans vs. Zombies. The game is that there is a group of humans armed with toy nerf guns who try to complete objectives or survive till the last man standing. It is the zombies job to not let this happen by turning the humans into zombies. They do this by just tagging the humans. Even campuses in florida are doing it!

Click here to view more about this game see the official Humans vs. Zombies website.

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Howl-O-Scream at Busch Gardens $20 Tickets

Hey everyone! This Thursday only, you and up to 3 friends can get tickets for Howl-O-Scream at Busch Gardens for only $20! Here is the website where you can buy them:

http://tampa.howl-o-scream.com/#/buy-tickets/florida-residents/

It's only for Thursday the 28th, which is tomorrow! So hurry up and get yours.

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New Spaceport in New Mexico

Every wanted to buy a ticket to go to space? Well soon you will be able too. Virgin Airways now have a spaceport in New Mexico where they will begin to develop their runway and terminal. Here is the website to check out more info about it:

 

http://spaceport.zianet.com/

 

The next step now is Papa Johns in space.

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Ice Skating in Tampa Bay

Everyone knows that Florida is a get away for many to escape the cold. But for those of you who live in the Tampa Bay area and want to experience a little bit of Winter, then why not go ice skating. Here is a website where you can find places to go ice skating at this holiday season:

http://www.funleaguegroup.com/

Have a spooky, thankful and merry holiday season. 

 

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Roll out the barrels, it's Oktoberfest again

Oktoberfest is here again in Tampa:

 

TAMPA - It's time to break out the strudel, sausages, sauerkraut and steins for Oktoberfest, that annual German-inspired celebration of beer brewing.

And throughout the Tampa Bay area, people will mark the 200th anniversary of this German tradition with song, dance, food and drink.

• The former Tampa Armature Works, 1910 North Ola Ave., is the location for Oktoberfest Tampa 2010, which runs Oct. 15-17. Converted to a Bavarian-themed building, the Works will host singing, dancing and, of course, drinking.

The inaugural keg of Warsteiner will be tapped at 4 p.m. Oct. 15. Food will be served by South Tampa's Datz Deli. Activities include barrel tossing, a Mr. and Miss Oktoberfest and a beer stein relay.

 

Click here to read more.

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Exclusive poll: Schools are making the grade

Here is some local news about our school system:

 

By Dalia Dangerfield , Reporter 
Last Updated: Thursday, October 21, 2010

 

TAMPA -- 

Bay area parents are overwhelmingly pleased with the quality of their children's schools and the education they are receiving.

Those are the findings of a St. Petersburg Times/Bay News 9 exclusive poll that asked parents with children in Bay area schools about major education issues, including homework, the quality of schools, the FCAT, technology and advanced placement courses.

Despite all the talk about school budgets, class size issues, standardized tests and early release days, 90 percent of Bay area parents call their kid's schools good or excellent.

And the happiest seem to be in Hillsborough County.

"If I were giving a grade this is my third child that's come through so I'd have to give it an A+,'' said Elizabeth Kieffer, a parent at Coleman Middle School in Tampa.

Fifty-six percent of parents in Hillsborough County rated their kids' schools as excellent - 37 percent said good and three percent called their child's schools fair. Only four percent said their child's school was poor.

Pinellas parents also are pleased with the public school system. They rated their schools like this:

Excellent - 52 percent

Good - 37 percent

Fair - 7 percent

Poor - 2 percent

Meanwhile, parents in Pasco and Hernando counties also gave their schools a high approval rating.

The poll also collected parent response on topics like homework, the FCAT, technology and advance placement.See the full results here.

 

Click here to view more.

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Next Big Thing 10

It's heres again, the Next Big Thing 10 is going to be at the  1-800-ask-gary amphitheatre. Read below to get more info about it:

 

Ticket Prices:

VIP - $250/pair 300 Level - $35 - $40 200 Level - $55 100 Level - $65 Pit - $65 floridacentral Credit Union Lawn - $30 (Plus all applicable sales tax and service charges)   December fifth | 1-800-ask-gary Amphitheatre | Gates 10 am     Click here to learn more and get your tickets.

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Howl-O-Scream at Busch Gardens

It's back again, Howl-O-Scream is now at Busch Gardens. Read below to get more info and how to buy your tickets for this event in Tampa:

 

Busch Gardens Tampa Bay officially kicks off it’s 11th season of gutwrenching scares with MORE haunted houses than ever before, ALL-NEW scare zones, Alone – a revolutionary idea in how guests experience haunted attractions – and a live concert each night of the event by the rock stars of horror – Sylvie and her killer band, My X.

For select nights through October 31st, Howl-O-Scream 2010 will rock your world with seductive surprises and scares. The devious creatures that infest more haunted houses than ever before, all-new scare zones, thrilling shows and even the streets themselves will have guests watching their backs, and bone-chilling roller coasters keep the screams coming all night long.

Howl-O-Scream is a separate ticketed event, and general admission is $74.95. Savings are available on advance ticket purchases at participating Publix Supermarkets and at MyXRocks.comm for Passport Members and Florida Residents. Discounts are also available with promotional codes from select Pepsi, Domino’s Pizza, Applebee’s, Smoothie King and Muvico theaters purchases statewide.

 

Click here to read more and get your tickets.

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