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Nina Winters Wins Sculpture Commission for New Native American Cultural Center

admin — Sat, 29 May 2010 22:47:03 +0000

This is the third in a series of articles about the internationally collected sculptor, Nina Winters.

When I spoke with Nina from her studio in Clearwater, Florida, I found out that she was awarded yet another major monumental sculpture. This project is to create the central sculpture for a new Native American themed resort.

The 10 foot high $250,000 sculpture will represent the Gathering of the Nations.

A new Native American Cultural Center, a living history, is being created in the environs of the metropolis of Las Vegas. It will be dedicated to all the Indian Nations of the North American continent.

The nations (colloquially known as tribes) include the Apache, Arapaho, Blackfoot, Cherokee, Cheyenne, Chikasaw,

Chinook, Chippewa (Ojibwe), Choctaw, Creek, Crow, Hopi, Huron, Kiowa, Mohawk (Iroquois), Navajo, Nez Perce, Paiute, Pawnee, Pueblo, Seminole, Shawnee and Shoshone.

The ground breaking is planned for May 2007.

One reason she was chosen to do this project is because of her intense interest in the ecology of the planet and her

well-known fight for the spiritual freedom of humanity. These match closely with the goals of the Indian peoples.

She has a unique ability to create a strong emotional impact with her bronze sculptures. Her work conveys the power and depth of the human spirit.

I queried Nina as to her ideas for the piece. She replied, It is important to represent all the nations and to

acknowledge them for coming together peacefully as an example to the rest of the world.

She continued elaborating on her theme. I am currently working on this in my studio and the predominant idea is

that of a dancer who is more of a spirit than a body. The Indian people understand that they are spiritual beings and I want to show this clearly. I am also considering having long featherlike extensions showing the dancers reach into

the other world. I will paint or sculpt symbols and patterns from many of the different nations on these extensions. The body of the dancer will be crouched down forming somewhat of a circle. This will be a symbol for the

continuance of life.

Nina Winters was picked for her unique ability to create a strong emotional impact with her bronze sculptures. Her work conveys the power and depth of the human spirit.

*** (information from first article) ***

During the tour of her beautiful waterside studio in Clearwater, Florida, I asked Nina why she had chosen to work in bronze. She explained, I create human emotions, hopes and truths and make them in bronze. I want them to last through time.

I traveled north and met with Nina in her self-built studio in the woods of New Hampshire, I was intrigued by the ecologically minded sculptors commitment to our planets and our planets peoples physical, emotional and spiritual health.

She spoke easily about her feelings. Even in my early years, I knew that we had to work together to change the world. I started by trying my hand at building an ecological studio/home in the woods. I built the house with the help of a few friends and still use it in the summers. Its quite simple to use solar power and we built the house with only a chain saw and lots of work.

She continued, As I grew in stature as an artist, I wanted to positively affect more people. I try to imbue my work

with so much emotion that it will flow from me into the bronze and communicate at the other end to the viewer.

She showed me over 40 sculptures she had created that were ready to be enlarged to monumental proportions.

I asked why she decided to make her works large. She replied, I began by making smaller works, but they always

were large in my mind. My work was purchased by many collectors, but I still felt the need to make monumental

works that would be seen by hundreds of thousands of people.

Fast forward to today, and her dream has become a reality.

Working in her studios is practically an obsession. Her work is large both visually and emotionally. Her sculptures convey the heroic power and excitement of the human potential.

Her clients include corporate officials from Paine Webber, the Wall Street Group and Hiram Walker. Her work is in major collections in the United States, Canada, Mexico, Australia and England and she is in the private collections of many celebrities including musicians, music producers, arrangers and film producers.

Her bronze work was featured in the Paramount film Kiss the Girls starring Morgan Freeman and Ashley Judd.

She has been honored with awards for excellence in sculptural concept and design.

All her sculptures can be commissioned in any size and are unique solutions for corporate and hotel architecture.

She is also working on a new monumental sculpture in Clearwater that will be installed near her southern studio in a development on the locally loved Pinellas Trail, a long fought for bicycling, running and rollerblading trail that connects many of the nearby areas.

Nina Winters Wins Sculpture Commission for New Native American Cultural Center is a post from: Pinellas Home

Nina Winters Sculptor for New ?angel Cathedral?

admin — Sat, 22 May 2010 01:10:20 +0000

This is the second in a series of articles about the sculptor, NINA WINTERS.

This new-on-the-scene, but skyrocketing sculptor has been awarded a $200,000 commission for a life-size sculpture of an angel, The One Who Learned to Fly.

This angel sculpture will be installed over the entryway to a new French style cathedral, in the state of Nevada, which has been especially designed for elaborate weddings. It will be called The Angel Cathedral. This building is part of a 2 billion dollar development. The groundbreaking is scheduled for June-July 2007.

The scale and placement of the work will ensure the effect of flight that the artist wanted to create for the viewers of her artwork.

I recently traveled to tour both of her studios in Florida and New Hampshire. I was privileged to see the maquette of this sculpture.

Over a light lunch on her dock overlooking Old Clearwater Bay in Florida, I queried Nina about her thoughts on this piece. She replied, When my daughter was a young child, I promised her that she would learn to fly physically, emotionally and/or spiritually. I used her as a model and tried to imbue the sculpture with her sense of wonder and beauty.

I was also strongly influenced by Cirque du Soleil for this one.

She continued, I designed the wings and worked with an incredible goldsmith who teaches at a college in nearby St. Petersburg. We worked for months ensuring the wings would perfectly compliment the sculpture and be able to be fitted easily into the back of the piece. I then had to design a special box for the shipping of this fragile part of the sculpture. The wings are made of bronze, brass, copper and sterling silver. I wanted to show the preciousness of the human spirit.

I also worked with a master machinist to construct the specially designed base for the piece. I needed to keep her flying and not add gravity with a heavy base. I think we succeeded.

She concluded with, This work of art symbolizes mankinds quest for beauty, perfection and freedom. Man can and must rise to greater heights.

*** (information from first article) ***

I traveled north and met with Nina in her owner-built studio in the New Hampshire woods. I was intrigued by the ecologically minded sculptors commitment to our planets and our planets peoples physical, emotional and spiritual health.

She showed me over 40 sculptures she had created that she had created to be enlarged to monumental proportions.

She continued, As I grew in stature as an artist, I wanted to positively affect more people. I try to imbue my work with so much emotion that it will flow from me into the bronze and communicate at the other end to the viewer.

I asked why she decided to make her works large. She replied, My work was purchased by many collectors, but I still felt the need to make monumental works that would be seen by hundreds of thousands of people. I am thrilled that this is happening.

Working in her studios is practically an obsession. Her work is large both visually and emotionally. Her sculptures convey the heroic power and excitement of the human potential.

Her bronze work was featured in the Paramount film Kiss the Girls starring Morgan Freeman and Ashley Judd.

She has been honored with awards for excellence in sculptural concept and design.

All her sculptures can be commissioned in any size and are unique solutions for corporate and hotel architecture.

Nina Winters Sculptor for New ?angel Cathedral? is a post from: Pinellas Home

Handwriting Analysis of Dc Madam’s Suicide Notes

admin — Sat, 15 May 2010 03:58:07 +0000

Handwriting Analysis of DC Madams Suicide Notes By David Riffey On May 1st 2008, so called DC Madam Deborah Jean Palfrey was found hanging in a utility shed at her mothers mobile home in Tarpon Springs, Florida. Two suicide notes were found. The Pinellas County Sheriffs Department has declared officially that it was a suicide and made the notes public. The Sheriffs Department says that her mother and sister have seen the suicide notes and say that they are Deborahs handwriting. As a Certified Handwriting Analyst, my training experience includes examining writing found on suicide notes. The normal suicide note reveals personality traits that are emotional dynamics of a suicide state. Depression, low self esteem, moodiness, and impulsiveness disclose a person who may act in a self destructive manor. It is the combination of such traits that tell the hidden tale of what was going through their mind when they penned the note. There are a few limiting factors to my analysis. I do not have use of the original notes. Without them, I am unable to determine the depth of pressure in the writing. Pressure indicates the passion and drive in the personality. Heavy pressured writing would show someone who has a challenge letting go of emotional hurt. In this examination, the letters seem relatively heavy, but I cant be totally sure. I also do not have a sample of Palfreys handwriting to see how she usually wrote. There is an overlapping of letters on each other, especially the y-loops. This reveals confusion of interests. Too many pans in the fire Block printing the hiding expression of true emotions in the writing. Often a sign of trouble, especially if other traits are . There are not many lower case letters but the few that can be measured have a emotionally expressive slant. This person shows her emotions, tends to be moody and impulsive. But this alone is not something that would cause someone to commit suicide. There are only a few lower case ts. They have low t-bars. The height of the t-bar crossing the t-stem is a general measure of the writers self esteem. The t-bars are low, some have the bar dropping down to the baseline which is the bottom of the letters. In the Palfreys notes, there was no sign of depression. Depression is revealed by the downward slant of a line of words. Optimism on the other hand is revealed in upward slanting words, such as the word Mom in the greeting on the mom-note. The os are open and well formed. This indicates that the writer is a frank speaker. No lying or self-deception are indicated. Many of the ys have large lower loops extending into the words underneath. Large lower loops indicate strong physical imagination. Lots of energy in the physical life. Desire for travel, physical activity. People with large y-loops often have powerful sex drives. This is an interesting aspect. I have analyzed handwriting in autographs of porn stars and was surprised to find small or incomplete y-loops. Meaning very little real interest in sex, or even feeling frustration in that area. This is a generalization but sex workers often have no real interest in sex. They are really in it for the money. Y-loops that overlap on other words often indicate promiscuity. They have too many irons in the fire. Relationships with several people at the same time. Life is complicated for them. It also reveals a problem with setting personal boundaries. The “K” in the word know in the first sentence of the Mom note is larger than normal. This is a rebellious go to Hell trait typical in self employed business people. They dislike being told what to do. Hooks at the end of many strokes are the desire to acquire. These people like material things. They are motivated by money. They often are collectors. They may have closets full of shoes. Material things were very important to her. Bottom line for me there is no clear indication of a suicidal state in the handwriting. There are some problems but not to the extreme usually found in a suicide note. The phrasing is very casual. If it was not for the circumstances surrounding the notes and what is being talked about, I would almost think it was someone saying she was going away on vacation for a while. Bye Mom, Im going away for a while. See you later. Regardless of the circumstances of her death, I know that this is a difficult time for her loved ones. I am sorry for your loss and pray that you find peace and healing. ———- David Riffey Certified Handwriting Analyst www.moneytalksmagazine.com

Handwriting Analysis of Dc Madam’s Suicide Notes is a post from: Pinellas Home

A Worldwide Awakening to the Dangers of Social Darwinism

admin — Sat, 08 May 2010 06:22:28 +0000

Adnan Oktar is an author who for many years has undertaken the mission of telling society about the scientific invalidity of Darwinism and its social dimension, which is totally opposed to religious moral values. The author describes this mission as follows in the introduction to his Social Weapon: Darwinism.

the dangers of educating young people in the light of Darwinism and of the theory’s wide acceptance will be shown to people unaware of, or who ignore, the threat that it poses to societies and individuals.

The author has published a great many books, articles, documentaries and web sites all intended to reveal the extent of the danger to society of educating young people in the light of Darwinism. (1) The authors works first spread through Turkey and then through the wider Islamic world, and he has now turned to telling Western society about the error that is Darwinism. The author has determined his strategy in the light of Darwinism having acquired a broad basis in which to spread in Western society in educational and cultural fields, and has thus written a work of unsurpassed quality in this area in order to illuminate Western societies in which that theory is so influential. In his Atlas of Creation, which contains thousands of illustrations, consists of some 700 pages and weighs approximately 7 kilograms, Mr. Oktar has again exposed the scientific invalidity of Darwinism, using the most concrete examples. In the Atlas of Creation, the author specially emphasizes the havoc Darwinism has wreaked on mankind, the most obvious manifestation of which he shows to have been the dependence on Darwinism in the slaughter perpetrated by a racist dictator such as Hitler, who caused the deaths of millions.

This giant book was sent out by its publisher free of charge, for publicity purposes, to eminent individuals in various European countries and in the USA. Western Darwinists who discovered this magnificent volume in their mailboxes, one that openly declares the scientific falsity of Darwinism, were stunned. The campaign frequently appeared in Western media headlines, which compared the situation to Darwinism being subjected to a sudden attack on its home ground. The authors opposition to the one-sided teaching of Darwinism and his exposure of the link between Darwin and Hitler were frequently discussed in newspapers and on the television.

The entry into Western society by a Muslim author with a book that elicited such profound responses, set the scene for a new phase in the intellectual struggle against Darwinism. Many Western references underlined the fact that it was not only Christians who espoused the fact of Creation in their struggle against Darwinism, and that Adnan Oktar, who has published books on the subject all over the world, must be acknowledged as the leader of a very powerful movement.

It is inevitable in this new dawn that through Mr. Oktar the dangers of Darwinist education are now expressed much louder in the West and that many people will be encouraged to reconsider the whole subject, and that education policies will even be amended. The way that the subject entered the agenda in a letter written to one of the U.S. state of Floridas educational institutions bears a striking parallel to the account given in Atlas of Creation. The letter, written to a school board in St. Petersburg, described Hitlers dependence of Darwinism and expressed the view that it was therefore dangerous for students to be taught the theory of evolution as a supposed scientific fact.

Impact 1: Bill Foster’s Letter

The letter in question entered the agenda with a report published in the 12 January, 2008, edition of the St. Petersburg Times titled Foster links Darwin, Hitler. The subject matter of the article was a letter written to the school board by Bill Foster, a former City Council member. In his letter, Foster noted the dangers inherent in the theory of evolution being taught as a scientific fact, and demanded that the compulsory teaching of Darwinism be prevented.

Foster described the reason for his opposition to the theory of evolution being taught as fact in these words:

“Evolution gives our kids an excuse to believe in natural selection and survival of the fittest, which leads to a belief that they are superior over the weak This is a slippery slope.”

Fosters letter came on the eve of the state of Florida putting new science standards to the vote. These new standards regarded Charles Darwins theory as the pillar of modern biology. The science standards that had been in force in the state since 1996 made no reference to the word evolution. The state Board of Education was to vote on the issue on 19 February.

At the same time, Foster is one of the leading candidates in the elections for the post of St. Petersburgs mayor, due to be held in 2009. In his letter, Foster goes on to stress the link between Hitler and Darwin:

Adolf Hitler duped an entire generation using Darwin’s evolution He sought to preserve the ‘favored’ race in the struggle for survival.”

(*) RON MATUS and DONNA WINCHESTER, “South Pinellas: Foster links Darwin, Hitler,” 12 January 2008

Impact 2: School Killings Linked to Darwinism

In the letter in question, Foster cites the Columbine massacre as striking evidence of the harm resulting from the teaching of Darwinism as a scientific fact. That armed attack, carried out by two students in a school in Columbine, USA on 20 April, 1999, resulted in the deaths of 12 students and a teacher, with a further 23 students being injured. The two assailants later committed suicide. Foster stressed how one of the pair had posted the following words on his web site:

You know what I love? Natural selection! It’s the best thing that ever happened to the Earth. Getting rid of all the stupid and weak organisms.

In the wake of the 1999 shooting, Tom DeLay, a member of the US House of Representatives, cited Darwins theory as a contributing factor and wrote in a letter that duly found its way into the Congressional Record that public schools teach the children that they are nothing but glorified apes who have evolutionized out of some primordial soup of mud.”

The Columbine massacre was no exceptional attack carried out by students holding Darwinist views. In Finland, Pekka-Eric Auvinen, who described himself as a social Darwinist, shot 8 people to death at the Jokela High School some 40 miles from Helsinki, before killing himself.

In a manifesto setting out his views, Auvinen used the following words, which clearly revealed the influence of Darwinist views in this massacre:

I am prepared to fight and die for my cause. I, as a natural selector, will eliminate all who I see unfit, disgraces of human race and failures of natural selection. No, the truth is that I am just an animal, a human, an individual, a dissident. Its time to put NATURAL SELECTION & SURVIVAL OF THE FITTEST back on tracks!

Impact 3: “Darwin’s Deadly Legacy” on Show in the USA

The evangelical Christian group Coral Ridge Ministries, active in the state of Florida, produced a new TV special called Darwins Deadly Legacy. The film, aired on Christian cable networks and on some 200 TV stations in the country as a whole, described Adolf Hitlers dependence on Charles Darwins theory of evolution with regard to the Holocaust.

Fourteen scholars, scientists and authors contributed comments to the documentary, which was aired 26-27 August, 2007, during “Coral Ridge Hour.” D. James Kennedy, the pastor of Coral Ridge Ministries, said: “To put it simply, no Darwin, no Hitler. Hitler tried to speed up evolution, to help it along, and millions suffered and died in unspeakable ways because of it.” (2)

CRM spokesman John Aman said:

“Darwinism is a philosophy, it’s a worldview, and one of the key things in it is that evolution advances by death, so death is a good thing. Hitler thought he was doing civilization a favor by eliminating lives that were not worth living. We of course think that is an egregious moral tragedy and a consequence of the worldview that was initiated by Darwin and popularized by his followers.” (3)

The alliance between Darwin and Hitler resulted in a tragedy responsible for the deaths of some 40 million.

References(1) Works on the subject by Harun Yahya include;Social Weapon: Darwinism (Book)The Disasters Darwinism Brought to Humanity (Book)Fascism: The Bloody Ideology of Darwinism (Book)The Intellectual Struggle against Darwinism (Book)(2) “Coral Ridge Ministries new documentary featuring Ann Coulter attributes Hitler to Charles Darwin,” Bill Berkowitz, 6 September 2006, http://www.mediatransparency.org/storyprinterfriendly.php?storyID=146(3) Ibid.

A Worldwide Awakening to the Dangers of Social Darwinism is a post from: Pinellas Home

Go Cubs Go Ringtone Download

admin — Sat, 01 May 2010 21:56:34 +0000

Download Go Cubs Go Ringtone Here

The Go Cubs Go ringtone is something that is very popular in Chicago as when the Cubs win a game at home, the song by Steve Goodman is played there. Since the Cubs have been doing a lot of winning at Wrigley field this year, it is noted that he Go Cubs Go ringtone by Steve Goodman is one of the most popular according to i-Tunes.

Steve Goodman is the artist who performs the song and it starts out as “baseball season is back again…” so it was a very popular song in the beginning of the season even before the Chicago Cubs were even winning. The Cubbies haven’t won a World Series title in 100 yearsand haven’t been to a World Series in over 50+ years.

Download Go Cubs Go Ringtone Here

So there is definitely a lot of buzz around Chicago as the Cubs have one of the best records at Wrigley Field compared to any other team in the majors. The Go Cubs Go ringtone is something that people who like the Cubs can show off their enthusiasm and support for the team. It may be noted that the new manager for the Cubs Lou Pinella has also added some excitement to the club this year with his love for the game and good experience with managing other successful ball clubs.In 2008 this may be the year that the Cubs get closer to their 100 year drought of winning a championship and if that is the case, the Go Cubs Go song will become overly popular not only in Chicago but many other cities nationwide.

Download Go Cubs Go Ringtone Here

Go Cubs Go Ringtone Download is a post from: Pinellas Home

The Journey Of The Seattle Mariners

admin — Sat, 24 Apr 2010 16:02:25 +0000

Just as most cities who wanted to have a major league baseball team, Seattle has to wait for a while. Their first attempt to have a franchise dates back in the mid 1960s. The hopes that the Cleveland Indians would move to Seattle did not push through. William Daley has sold the Indians. He then led a movement to get a franchise for Seattle.
They won the bid and established the Seattle Pilots. The team was short lived. Financial issues led to the selling of the team. After that, the owner moved it to Milwaukee and the team became the Brewers. Seattle filed a case against the American League because of breaching their contract. In order to settle everything, the league offered to establish a new franchise in Seattle. The Seattle Mariners were set to start play in 1977.
When the team began to play, fans were very excited. Their first game was sold-out. However, the team struggled. They lost their first game to the California Angels. They did not have any impressive performances during the ensuing games or the following years. A businessman named George Agyros bought the team.
The change of ownership did not make a significant difference in terms of their performance. Even their promising lineup did not lead the team to its winning season. They actually had quite a few notable names in the baseball history. One of them was Alvin Davis. He was the American league Rookie of the Year in 1984. Another was future Baseball Hall of Famer, Gaylord Perry. They also had Harold Reynolds who made the All Star twice and won the Gold Glove thrice. Ownership changed in 1988 again. A group headed by Jeff Smulyan bought the team.
In 1991, the team had its very first winning season. However, they were still among the bottom teams in their division. This led to the firing of manager, Jim Lefebvre. The team also fired his replacement, Jim Plummer in 1992.
In 1992, ownership changed again. This time, a group headed by Hiroshi Yamauchi purchased the team. This caused turmoil because baseball officials are not happy with the fact that a non-American will have controlling ownership over the team. However, they reached an agreement, which entails that an American partner will take chairmanship of the team.
Lou Pinella managed the Seattle Mariners from 1993 to 2002. He led his team to three division titles. During his time, he also bagged two Manager of the Year awards from the American League.
It was also during his era when the team has to play the most games on the road because of speculations that their home venue is no longer safe. They had a rough start but were able to turn their games around. They won nine out of ten games after having a 2-8 record. Their games on the road made their relationship as a team stronger as well.
The team became a strong team after winning their first division title. However, they were not able to win any American League pennant. Thus, they are still among the four teams who have never appeared in the World Series.

The Journey Of The Seattle Mariners is a post from: Pinellas Home

What to do when Foreclosure is Slow

admin — Sat, 17 Apr 2010 19:12:51 +0000

This doesnt seem to be a very popular question: How can you get lenders to hurry up the process of foreclosure?

However, if you truly think about things, prolonging the foreclosure process could be very costly for homeowners, who are likely not to have money to pay for utilities and maintenance.

Clark Engle finds himself within this very situation. And we have come to discover, after merely scraping thin layers from the overall surface, that homeowners who are in areas of high foreclosure increasingly face this problem.

Engle lives in Wayne and owns a few condominiums in Florida, which he purchased as investments back when he still lived there. After moving to a new area in the year of 2006, Engle tried to sell them and then rent them, but never got any luck in doing so.

It would be an understatement to merely say that the market in Florida is completely gutted. Houses, most of all condominiums, have started to plummet in value around three years ago. Today, for instance, units within the area of Tampa and St. Petersburg bought for around $350,000 in the year of 2005 are selling for merely $90,000, according to the records of Pinellas County.

Engle cannot keep them, sell them, or rent them.

Around fourteen months ago, foreclosure papers were served to Engle by lenders, but still, nothing has occurred since then. Since there are a lot of homes that find themselves in foreclosure, Engle assumes that banks clearly do not want to overtake them since they will be held responsible for any condominium fees, maintenance, and back taxes until a market actually comes to exist.

Therefore, his lawyer has advised that he keep paying his utilities and liability insurance, which amount to around a thousand dollars per year.

Engle has not asked his lawyer to write any letters. He is hesitant in doing so since it is not guaranteed that banks will move faster if he does. If it were possible to cite several legal precedents or laws which say that banks cannot leave these places in complete limbo, perhaps something can be done.

There is no certainty as to whether this process can actually be pushed further or not. Florida comes with judicial foreclosures. Courts have their backlogs and law firms are quit possibly overwhelmed, as well. Tax receipts happen to be down. It is doubtful that anybody is actually shelling out stimulus money in order to hire several more court personnel in order to speed up these foreclosures.

As stated within Florida law, the process of foreclosure usually only takes five months. Fortunately, due to backlog, it happens to take ten months now, if not more. This may serve as good news for those who are trying to stay away for foreclosure; however, it is nothing but bad news for those like Engle who are caught in the squeeze of real estate and just want to get out.

RealtyTrac tracks foreclosures all over the nation and they have stated that Engles assumption that banks are trying to avoid additional costs may be completely right. There would be no way to force them to speed up the process more than they would like.

What to do when Foreclosure is Slow is a post from: Pinellas Home

Orlando Florida Activities For Free

admin — Sat, 10 Apr 2010 03:24:48 +0000

I know Orlando Florida has always been a popular destination, especially with families. However many of us have had to tighten our belts during the recession which means sadly we cant afford to have a holiday or have had to opt for a cheaper holiday either staying in our home country or a nearby country.

But wait! If you had your heart set on Orlando Florida then you may still be able to go by grabbing one of the many great value Orlando deals being offered and then going to the many free activities in Florida.

Free doesnt meet rubbish and boring, there are a couple of ways to enjoy the best of Florida by taking advantage of offers such as the Disney free admission offer. Here are three things that you can do for free, definitely the best deals in Orlando.

If you are willing to spend a day in your local community volunteering then Disney will give you a free ticket to Disneys Animal Kingdom in Orlando as well as a choice of five other theme parks. If you want to go with a partner or friend then they could take part and you will both be rewarded with seeing Mickey and Mini for free.

Pinellas Countrys Fort DeSoto Park offers many acres of free public area where you can work on your tan and relax on your holiday. This place is highly recommended for its facilities, areas for lunch and stunning sunsets. There are many beaches available that can be found on a deals for Orlando trip.

Volusia Countrys Sun Splash Park is easy to get to as its found right on Daytona Beach. You would have to pay to drive onto the beach however there is free parking off-beach. All day entertainment in the form of volleyball courts, an interactive water play fountain, picnic areas, playground and the sponsored cool zone.

Hopeful this article will show you that you can still go to Florida and have fun for free; all you have to do now is find the best of the Orlando deals and book!

Orlando Florida Activities For Free is a post from: Pinellas Home

Daulton’s Story is Sad, Not Funny

admin — Sat, 03 Apr 2010 23:28:24 +0000

I recently touched on the topic of gambling by ex-athletes and came to the conclusion that, if controlled, gambling is not necessarily a problem. I truly believe the gambling that Charles Barkley and others do is pure entertainment and a way for ex-athletes to come back down to earth after retirement. I even went as far as to say that I would rather see Barkley gambling with a sportsbook than recovering from a drug or alcohol addiction. This article is not nearly as positive, and I am going to examine the other end of the spectrum. I am going to touch on the topic of when ex-athletes can’t find a constructive medium, like sports betting, to shed their demons. Actually, I am going to look at one subject in particular. I am going to take a look at Darren Daulton.

I recently went through a rather rough time in my life. In March, I got out of a two-year relationship, which was almost immediately followed by a close relative’s diagnosis with cancer. At that time I was also finishing my master’s degree at the University of Florida. This might seem like a positive, except that all the friends that I had once relied on to be my support were getting ready to leave and had little time for a dramatic like myself. OK, you are starting to wonder why you should care about thisif at all. I am not here to complain, but to try to relate to Mr. Daulton. This time in my life was extremely painful for me, and there were times where fantasy seemed like reality. Most publications have tried to bash Daulton and poke fun of him. This is not what I am here to do. I actually saw Daulton out at a local bar here in Gainesville recently and the first emotion that came to me was not to poke fun of him, but to feel sorry for him. This man is one of the greatest examples of how athletes can fall so far from grace. It was only back in 1997 that Daulton was celebrating a World Series victory with the Florida Marlins and now here he was, hanging out with a bunch of college students, half of whom had no idea who he was. I knew, and I felt terrible about it.

If you don’t know who Daulton is or his story, let’s get you up to speed. Daulton made his Major League debut with the Philadelphia Phillies in 1983 and stayed there until he was traded to the Marlins in 1997. The Marlins would win the series that year and Daulton would retire a champion. Daulton was a three-time all-star and the glue that held the close-knit Phillies ball club together. Upon his retirement, Daulton was passed up for a managing position, divorced his playmate wife, and did a two-month stretch in the Pinellas County Jail. From that point, things really started to unwind. Daulton started to consider himself a member of the Fifth Dimension. This dimension is a world that involves telepathy, energy transfers, astral planes, and other parallel universes. He explains this dimension as being just is,’ where yesterday, today, and tomorrow all happen at the same time.

“I’ve been thrown in jail five or six times,” Daulton says from his home in Tampa. “Nicole thinks I’m crazy. She blames everything on drugs and drinking. But I don’t take drugs and I’m not a drunk. Nicole just doesn’t understand metaphysics.”

It is exactly these types of responses that have everyone baffled. Daulton has even gone as far as to say that his friends can’t understand him because they are limited to five senses, hinting that he is not. Daulton says he is tuned into higher powers. With his friends baffled and his wife gone, Daulton’s support group has surely dwindled.

Daulton now mainly spends his time at home in Tampa, alone, writing and preaching his magical stories. It’s amazing how truly deafening silence can be when you are alone. Some of his writings read like riddles.

“Reality is created and guarded by numeric patterns that overlap and awaken human consciousness, like a giant matrix or hologram,” writes Daulton.

He is especially prone and familiar with the number 11. He says he sees this number everywhere: in license plates, houses, and always on the clock. This, to me, is a blatant sign that this man needs help, but other columnists only want to pick on this man and vilify him in print. Why not try to get another human being some help?

The saddest moment of all is when he starts to talk about the end of the world as only a person who needs mental help can. Daulton thinks the world will end on December 21, 2012, the date the Mayan civilization believed the world would end. It is also the last day on the Mayan calendar. What might be Daulton’s strongest cry for help comes from his next quote.

“I can’t wait to disappear,” he says. “I’d disappear today if I could.”

Darren Daulton, I want you to trust me when I (and others) say that we don’t want you to disappear. We want you to get better and live a happy life, forgetting about all the troubles of your past. To tell you the truth, I don’t think your behavior is embarrassing at all. On the contrary, I think the behavior of those who mock him is. To come around full circle, think the next time before you judge the innocent gambling that Charles Barkley is doing; it could be a lot worse. I could be writing a story about Sir’ Charles doing a year in state prison on charges of cocaine traffickingor even worse, a story about Barkley losing his mind. Thank the Lord that his hardware is still in tact, and I don’t think gambling is going to affect that.

Daulton’s Story is Sad, Not Funny is a post from: Pinellas Home

Nina Winters Awarded Commission for Quarter Million Dollar Sculpture

admin — Sat, 27 Mar 2010 10:57:08 +0000

What do Clearwater, Florida and New Ipswich, New Hampshire have in common?The undeniably attention worthy sculptor, Nina Winters.

The art worlds new and important arrival has been discovered by aesthetic savants for her monumental sculptures.

The internationally collected sculptor has just won a 1/4 million dollar commission in the State of Nevada. The project is for a 10 foot high sculpture titled “Exhilaration”.

I had the pleasure of interviewing Nina and getting personal tours through her studios.

This article is the first of three in a series about recent major commissions by the sculptor.

When I asked Nina to tell me about this recent commission, she said, Although this sculpture is basically minimalist, I have paid a great deal of attention to detail. The reach of the hands into the sky reflects my philosophy that man can be and do far more than what he is led to believe.

The sculpture will be the centerpiece of a major new 2 billion dollar complex. The development will break ground in June-July 2007.

The sheer scale of her latest work, Exhilaration, and the environment in which it will be installed, are integral elements in creating the visual excitement for the viewer.

She showed me over 40 sculptures she had created that were ready to be enlarged to monumental proportions.

Working in her studios is practically an obsession. Her work is large both visually and emotionally. Her sculptures convey the heroic power and excitement of the human potential.

Her bronze work was featured in the Paramount film Kiss the Girls starring Morgan Freeman and Ashley Judd.

She has been honored with awards for excellence in sculptural concept and design.

All her sculptures can be commissioned in any size and are unique solutions for home, corporate and hotel architecture.

Nina Winters Awarded Commission for Quarter Million Dollar Sculpture is a post from: Pinellas Home