So far 25 out of the 59 existing businesses in Anna Maria are members of NEMO with more expected to join. To accomplish this, NEMO is planning several events to bridge the gap between the two entities and to let the community know the businesses of Anna Maria are there to support their citizens.

A cleanup effort took place July 5. After a weekend of holiday visitors, NEMO went to work along the beaches, shorelines and streets to clean up any trash left from the holiday weekend. Wearing ‘NEMO at work’ t-shirts, about 30 volunteers collected more than 50 full bags of trash.

NEMO has several upcoming events, including participation in the Oct. 29 Anna Maria Island Chamber of Commerce’s Trail of Treats. Anna Maria City businesses will be open until 7 p.m., handing out candy to trick-or-treaters.

Through their membership and fundraising efforts, NEMO will also help to raise funds for the Pier Centennial banners that will be displayed throughout the city.

Join Mote Marine for Edgar the sea turtle’s birthday party from 3:30 p.m. to 5 p.m., Tuesday, Sept. 15 at Mote Aquarium. Guests will watch Mote staff train Edgar and can talk to the trainers who work with her. Guests will also meet Mote mascots Shelley the Sea Turtle and Gilly the Shark, enjoy other family-friendly birthday activities and snack on mini turtle-themed cupcakes provided by Cupcakes a Go-Go (quantities limited).

Edgar, a loggerhead sea turtle with unusually light pigmentation, was rescued by Mote staff as a hatchling in 1992; state wildlife officials decided she could not be released into the wild. Among the reasons is her light color, which can put her at risk for sunburn. But Edgar is well on her way to maturity, which she’ll reach at about age 30.

Edgar’s party will be at Mote Aquarium’s Ann and Alfred Goldstein Marine Mammal Research and Rehabilitation Center, 1703 Ken Thompson Parkway in Sarasota. Admission is free with a Mote Aquarium ticket. In honor of Edgar’s birthday, tickets purchased after 1 p.m., Sept. 15 will be only $5. Normal Mote admission prices are $17 for adults (12 and older), $16 for seniors (65 and older), $12 for children (age 4-12) and free for ages 3 and younger. Mote Members get in free.

]]> http://www.lbknews.com/2010/09/06/edgar-the-turtle-turns-18/feed/ 0 http://www.lbknews.com/2010/09/06/german-airline-will-not-fly-into-sarasota-bradenton/ http://www.lbknews.com/2010/09/06/german-airline-will-not-fly-into-sarasota-bradenton/#comments Mon, 06 Sep 2010 17:23:10 +0000 Longboat Key News http://www.lbknews.com/?p=7609

CREDIT: Condor Air

Although Sarasota-Bradenton International has been trying to get Condor Air, a German airline, to fly in and out of the airport for two years, the airline told the airport Wednesday that it will not be flying into Sarasota-Bradenton International.

The airline praised the airport’s package of incentives and efforts. But in a letter to airport officials, Condor stated that the potentially lingering effects of the BP Deepwater Horizon oil spill, which gushed more than 100-million gallons of oil into the Gulf of Mexico from late April to August, could have long-term negative impacts on travel to the state.

The letter from Condor also stated that it has reservations about Sarasota-Bradenton International Airport’s customs, catering, immigrations and technical support operations. Condor said financial gains on Florida flights were limited, which hindered any expansion into the state. Condor currently serves one Florida destination, Fort Lauderdale. Condor had considered flying nonstop from Frankfurt twice weekly, from April to October, for a two-year period beginning in 2011. Each of its flights, aboard Boeing 767 aircraft, could have brought 270 passengers.

Condor’s other U.S. service includes Los Angeles; San Francisco; Las Vegas; Portland, Ore.; and Seattle.

The project will include removing the old asphalt and resurfacing the road with new asphalt, doing shoulder work, and curb and gutter work. New sidewalks will be constructed, and pavement markings and highway signs will be added.

There will be necessary lane closures, as well as night work between 7 p.m. and 7 a.m., Monday through Friday. The paving work will be done between 10 p.m. and 6:30 a.m., at Longboat Club Road and Bay Isles Parkway. Construction is now estimated to be finished by March 2011.

Get your creative juices flowing.

MATTHEW EDLUND M.D.
Contributing Columnist
health@lbknews.com

Do you feel stressed, tired, fatigued, rushed, drained, zapped? Join the club. Add an economic crisis to multiple jobs, children, elderly parents and a body-crushing lifestyle, and lots of Americans feel whacked-over-the-head overloaded.

What’s the antidote? Simple: use your body the way it’s built. If you want your brain to work well, you first need to know how your brain works. Hint: it’s not a machine. It is a living, wondrously inventive, rapidly renewing organ. You see your hair grow, your nails grow, but do you see your brain grow? That’s what your brain does during rest—it’s your body’s rebuild and renew program.

To get your brain to work better, here’s rule number one: rest for success. Ask the rats at University of California, San Francisco. Researcher Loren Frank found, as described in the New York Times, that rats sent out exploring need to stop and rest to develop long-term memories. If you want to learn, you need to rest. And that does not include people’s first definition of rest—sleep.

When I ask humans about rest improving their brains, I get different answers. One reporter in Dallas explained, “I can’t rest, I’m in the newsroom.” A news editor in Sacramento told me the opposite. She said she was so wiped by working early morning hours, two jobs and raising a two-year-old that she forced herself to rest for an entire weekend to really sleep and not do any work. Afterward she felt rejuvenated, filled with new ideas and new energy. In other words, she felt rested.

So here are just a few simple ways to get your brain in full working order and have fun:

Walk it. Even a 20- to 30-minute walk can grow you new brain cells, in sleep, in memory areas. Can your computer do that? No. It’s you who gets to rebuild and rewire every day.

Sleep it. You need REM sleep and deep sleep to learn, and perhaps around seven to eight hours total to prevent heart disease and support a strong immune system. Like food, rest is required for your survival. Every sleep-deprived animal eventually dies. If you know what you’re doing, like adding pre-dreaming to your pre-sleep rest time, you can improve brain function plus make sleep fun.

Get it out in nature. Cognitive psychologists still feel stumped as to why people learn better by walking in nature rather than in a mall. They shouldn’t. Getting out in nature improves mood, resets immunity and increases vitamin D (through sunlight). And natural settings provide huge amounts of unconscious information the brain can then use to make better decisions.

Make it more creative. New ideas often arrive by adding different experiences to the old ideas in our storehouse of memories. So stroll out of your comfort zone. Writers can read children’s books; teachers and parents can watch a group of playground children handed a new toy; any cook can visit a grocery and try new vegetables and sauces.

Use quick active rest techniques. Very few know that spiritual rest techniques in under a minute can provoke senses of awe and transcendence. I believe there are four different kinds of active rest— physical, mental, social and spiritual—and that they can be played together through the day like music, really cutting back on stress.

Use your body clocks. Your computer doesn’t care if it’s 4 p.m. or 4 a.m., but you do. Short-term memory is best in the morning, long-term memory in the evening. Lots of people feel most creative in the morning, though overall alertness often peaks in the evening, a great time to visit with family and friends and ask them all kinds of far-out questions, which can boost your creativity.

Pay attention to attention. All your brain really has is attention, your ability to focus, concentrate and think. The brain only does one thing at a time. Distract it, overload it, do too many things at once and your productivity, mood and creativity will suffer. Take breaks or you’ll make mistakes.

Enjoy sex. Walks can grow brain cells, but in rats, so does sex. What better way to grow new memory cells than to be with someone you love, who cares about you, who you feel understands you. (Sex is also a great way to obtain social rest, with its many benefits for heart, brain arteries and mood.)

So don’t believe Woody Allen in the movie “Sleeper” when he says the brain is his “second most favorite organ.” Make it your favorite organ. Treat your brain as the creative, wondrously renewing center of your mind, and it will treat you well, working better and letting you laugh a lot more.

When you use your body the way it’s built, you’ll change your appearance, your productivity and your pleasure. Change your brain, change your life.

CREDIT: dog-lifejacket.com

Can’t find a legal place to take your pooch to play? While pets are prohibited on Longboat beaches, there are places in Sarasota and Manatee counties that welcome man’s best friend.

Dogs must be leashed at the following parks:

• De Soto National Memorial, 8300 De Soto Memorial Hwy., Bradenton (dogs are allowed in the park as long as they are well behaved and on a leash; owners are responsible for proper disposal of dog excrement)

• Arlington Park, 2650 Waldemere St., near Tamiami Trail

• Bay Front Park, U.S. 41 and Ringling, next to Marina Jack Restaurant (some water)

• Bird Key Park on the John Ringling Causeway (beachfront)

• Gillespie Park, 710 N. Osprey Ave. near Downtown Sarasota at Gillespie and N. Osprey

• Ken Thompson Park, 1700 Ken Thompson Parkway on City Island by Mote Marine (beachfront)

Dogs can roam free at the following Paw Parks:

• 17th Street Park, 4570 17th St., east of Beneva Road and west of Honore Avenue

• Lakeview Paw Park, 7150 Lago St., Sarasota

• Happy Tails Canine Park, 51st Street, Bradenton

• Dog Leg Canine Park, 7550 69th St. East, Palmetto

• Woodmere Park, 3951 Woodmere Park Blvd., Venice

• Brohard Beach and Paw Park, 1600 Harbor Drive South, Venice (designated a Paw Dog Beach, open seven days a week)

For more information, visit www.scgov.net/ParksandRecreation or www.mymanatee.org.

CREDIT: AP/Peter Kramer

Diana Ross—The Greatest Hits Tour makes its debut in Sarasota for one night, 8 p.m., Wednesday, Nov. 17. From Motown’s most popular recording star, to headlining the world’s leading concert stages as a solo superstar, to her historic film roles, Ross is the epitome of glamour and style. Tickets may be purchased at the Van Wezel Box Office, 777 North Tamiami Trail, Sarasota. Call 941-953-3368 or go to www.vanwezel.org. Tickets now on sale.

Fran Kramer and guide-dog-in-training, Millard, are both excited to be at the new Southeastern Guide Dog Discovery Center, 1618 Main St., Sarasota.

Bobby Newman with therapy dog, Millie, and Chris McNamee with guide, Max.

Southeastern Guide Dogs CEO Titus Herman, with board members Eric Williams, Roger Pettingell and Scott Collins

Mauro & board member Laura Harto do a bit of shopping in the gift shop.

Southeastern Guide Dogs welcomed local dog lovers Wednesday evening, Sept. 1, at their opening reception.

The mission of Southeastern Guide Dog is to create and nurture a partnership between a visually impaired individual and a guide dog, facilitating life’s journey with mobility, independence and dignity.

The first opportunity for locals to interact with the center is by attending a puppy-hugging session Saturday, Sept. 4 at the new Discovery Center, 1618 Main St., Sarasota. Guide dog training begins at birth, and puppy-hugging sessions are an important part of the process. When you arrive on campus to hug these six- to nine-week-old puppies, you are helping them achieve the ultimate level of socialization needed to develop world-class guide dogs; dogs that are comfortable with people and accustomed to stimulation. Later they’ll learn to focus on their job despite the distractions; but early on, these fun sessions help them prepare for life as a guide dog.

Volunteer dog walkers are also needed to help provide mild exercise, recreation, physical stimulation and occasional grooming for dogs in training.

Miners with their children at a Labor Day celebration in Silverton, Colo., circa 1940. CREDIT: Russell Lee

The Department of Labor calls Labor Day a yearly national tribute to the contributions workers have made to the strength, prosperity and wellbeing of our country. The first Labor Day was celebrated Tuesday, Sept. 5, 1882, in New York City. The day of the holiday was changed to the first Monday in September in 1884. Congress passed an act officially June 28, 1894, making the first Monday in September a legal holiday.

• For many decades, Labor Day was seen as a day for workers to voice their complaints and discuss better working conditions and pay.

• In 2009, 155.1 million people were in the nation’s labor force.

• There are 15.7 million labor union members in the United States, which is about 12 percent of wage and salary workers. Alaska, Hawaii and New York have some of the highest rates. North Carolina has one of the lowest.

• About 3.4 million workers have a minimum 90-minute commute to work each day.

• Roughly 7.7 million people have two jobs. Of those people, 288,000 work two full-time jobs.

• There are about 5.7 million people who report they work from home.

• About 28 percent of workers 16 or older work more than 40 hours a week. Meanwhile, 8 percent of workers work more than 60 hours a week.