Good morning!
I hope you had a great Fourth of July holiday. It’s Wednesday and that means back to business.
I love to travel. A few years ago my wife and I had reason to go to Bogotá, Colombia. Everything we read scared the daylights out of us. Warnings were posted that to get a cab from the airport, you needed to get a unique code number. And if the cab driver that showed up could not provide it, you should not leave the protection of customs and immigration at the airport. We were told people would kidnap and kill us for our luggage.
We arrived late on a flight from Miami and our cab driver looked a little embarrassed holding up our code number on a sign, standing inside the security of customs.
That said, we were also told to use the same cab driver for our return trip to the airport. The guy who showed up wasn’t the same guy. But he was happy enough to let us call his wife, who spoke English, on his cell phone to vouch for him. He took us to some great places on our way to the airport. We lucked out in getting him. And…he had zero interest in kidnapping us for our luggage. He just wanted us to see his city. We did. And we’ll never forget it.
Bogotá is a beautiful city. It’s hard to tell arriving in the middle of the night but we soon found out that it is an extremely vibrant city, with people of all ages enjoying sidewalk cafes and bars well into the night hours. Yes, there were a lot of guys in uniform with automatic weapons, and parking garages scanned for bombs under cars, but it all worked. It made me wish that Tampa could somehow become so alive, so vibrant (but without the concern over car bombs). We never once met a kidnapper but our waiter actually drove across the city to get me a “Bogata Beer Company” shirt. Amazing people, beautiful city. Just don’t be an idiot. Which applies most places in the world. In other words, most people are just as nice as people you meet “here.” Enjoy the world.
Lots of people love and dream of travel. Chip Barker of Apollo Beach turned it into a living. Check out Lois Kindle’s article about the “Accidental Traveler” in your edition of this week’s Observer News.
Today’s weather: Yessirree kids! It’s summer in Florida! From the National Weather Service Office in Ruskin:
“Scattered showers and thunderstorms, mainly after 5pm. Mostly sunny, with a high near 92. Heat index values as high as 100. East southeast wind around 6 mph. Chance of precipitation is 30%”
Overnight? Scattered showers and thunderstorms and a low around 76. Yeah, the monotony begins. Be grateful as it could be much, much worse.
Personal forecast: No polyester. Not even your underwear. If you have curly hair, expect it to go it’s own way.
Eye on the tropics: The disturbance in the Force continues. But hopefully not for long, young Skywalker. From the National Hurricane Center:
For the North Atlantic…Caribbean Sea and the Gulf of Mexico:
Satellite images continue to indicate that the cloud pattern associated with the broad area of low pressure centered about 800 miles west-southwest of the Cabo Verde Islands has changed little in organization since yesterday. Environmental conditions remain favorable for a tropical cyclone to form within the next day or two while the low moves westward or west-northwestward at 10 to 15 mph across the tropical Atlantic. After that time, the system is expected to encounter a drier and more stable air mass, which should be less favorable for development.
* Formation chance through 48 hours…high…70 percent.
* Formation chance through 5 days…high…80 percent.
What to do?
After the holiday, the SouthShore Regional Library is coming back with its own Force. Today we have Baby Time, Toddler Time, Story Time. We have something called the “SBA Small Business Certification & Surety Bonds Program.” We have an introduction to the iPhone and iPad program (honestly — Siri expects no introductions, but she’d probably appreciate it). We have Recording Studio stuff, Mah Jongg and…yes, NEEDLE PEOPLE!
The SouthShore Regional Library schedule is found here: http://hcplc.evanced.info/signup/calendar?lib=10
Busch Gardens in Tampa celebrates “Summer Nights” with extended hours.
MOSI, the Museum of Science and Industry, 4801 E. Fowler Ave. in Tampa is offering free admission to exhibit galleries to active duty military personnel and up to five immediate family members from today through Aug. 13. Proof of service is required. https://www.mosi.org/explore-mosi/plan-your-visit/special-offers/
Check out what’s playing at the Ruskin Family Drive-In.
Happenings in Hillsborough:
Hillsborough County also thinks it’s time to get back to business. At 9 a.m. at the Entrepreneur Collaborative Center there is 1 Million Cups Tampa where you can connect with just about anyone. It is free.
Also free is “Marketing 101” at the South Tampa Chamber of Commerce at 10 a.m.
There is more business stuff than you can shake a stick at — including an Artificial Intelligence Meetup. Check out the Hillsborough County calendar here: http://www.hillsboroughcounty.org/en/calendar
Happenings in Manatee:
It’s a little quieter in Manatee, especially since the program Musical in Motion (in Spanish) was cancelled. The county calendar is located here: https://www.mymanatee.org/home/county-calendar.html
The print edition of The North Manatee Observer News also contains numerous things to get you out of the air conditioning and into the beauty of Manatee County.
News to know:
The Observer News website contains only a small portion of what is in the print editions (yes, there are four editions!). Pick one up. If you can’t find one (well, you won’t find one in Quebec, Queens or some place like that (actually, you might)), then email me and I’ll help.
And, in the end:
On this day in 1971 President Richard Nixon signed the Twenty-Sixth Amendment to the United States Constitution, which lowered the voting age from 21 to 18-years-old.
That didn’t change the drinking age, of course, which was set by individuals states. Back then, we were sending 18-year-olds to Vietnam to shoot and get shot and yet, upon returning home, they couldn’t legally have a beer in a lot of states. I think if you are trusted enough to be asked to shoot guys you don’t know (or worse, get shot by guys you don’t know), at a minimum the country should BUY you a beer when you get home. Taxpayer money is spent a lot worse.
Welcome to July! Have a great day!
Observer Today is a morning briefing out (usually) by 7 a.m. (or so) and updated until around 10 a.m. Do you have news tips or suggestions for this feature? Please email or leave a comment.