NPR is reporting that the Susan G. Komen foundation is severing it's ties and
halting grants to Planned Parenthood, cutting off "hundreds of thousands of dollars", mainly earmarked for breast exams.
Komen says the key reason is that Planned Parenthood is under investigation in Congress — a probe launched by a conservative Republican who was urged to act by anti-abortion groups.
[more inside]
posted by roomthreeseventeen
on Jan 31, 2012 -
313 comments
61-year-old Diana Nyad is back in the water. Again.
(previously)
American endurance swimmer Diana Nyad
is making her third attempt (and second in as many months) to swim from Cuba to Florida without a shark cage, a distance of 103 miles. Her previous attempt failed after a crippling asthma attack. At the time, she swore she wouldn't try again, but a week later she was already
having second thoughts. You can track her progress
here.
posted by BlahLaLa
on Sep 23, 2011 -
26 comments
Diana Nyad is in the water! One of the world's greatest long-distance swimmers from age 20 - 30,
Nyad set records and was a media sensation. And then, after famously failing in a swim from Cuba to Florida (rough water sent her far off course), she quit -- and didn't swim a stroke for 30 years. As age 60 approached, however, she got remotivated to tackle the
one challenge that got away. No shark cage, no wetsuit, and an estimated 60 hours of swimming to go. CNN's
tracking map.
posted by BlahLaLa
on Aug 7, 2011 -
41 comments
Sylvia Londono, a real estate agent and mother of two, says her condo, which she bought for $450,000 in 2007, is now worth $150,000. She has never moved in, she says, put off by the stench that rises from the site and a nearby sewage treatment plant on rainy days. “It has been the worst experience ever,” says Londono
Welcome to
Biscayne Landing! You can learn a lot about our sprawling development by reading these informational "
articles" (all internally written). Just please don't read
this one (source of above quote). Mmmk, thanks!
[more inside]
posted by obscurator
on Jul 8, 2011 -
39 comments
If you have had sex in Florida in the last week, technically, you broke the law. Due to some unfortunate wording, Florida's new bestiality law technically outlawed sex between two animals.
"An act relating to sexual activities involving animals; creating s. 828.126, F.S.; providing definitions; prohibiting knowing sexual conduct or sexual contact with an animal; prohibiting specified related activities; providing penalties; providing that the act does not apply to certain husbandry, conformation judging, and veterinary practices; providing an effective date."
posted by Leisure_Muffin
on May 13, 2011 -
88 comments
Earlier this week, Toxie, NPR's cutest toxic asset
died. One of the mortgages bundled into this asset was an investment property in Bradenton, Florida, which, like many Florida homes, has never been occupied or served as anything other than a financial instrument. Boston.com's Big Picture recently took
a look from above at the effects that this (and previous) housing bubbles have had on the development of Florida's cities and landscapes. How do you design a city that nobody plans to live in? (
Previously)
posted by schmod
on Oct 1, 2010 -
82 comments
Rising up from deep within the aquifer, cool clear water flows from hundreds of springs that dot the Florida landscape.
Florida springs are natural wonders that are threatened constantly.
[more inside]
posted by netbros
on Dec 24, 2009 -
14 comments
Who can forget when Harmony and Grits played at Nero's Nook? This is a big stack of pics that I scanned as a single collection. Most are 8"x10", but a few are snapshots. They represent something of a snapshot of the bar and entertainment scene in the Gulf Coast resort town of Fort Walton Bch, FL, circa 1970s. Most are of bands, entertainers and a few strippers. If you are from this area, you may well recognize some of the faces. They are in no order. (
Via.)
posted by Astro Zombie
on Aug 5, 2008 -
13 comments
"Some Florida teens believe drinking Mountain Dew or smoking marijuana will prevent pregnancy and that swallowing a capful of bleach will prevent HIV/AIDS."
* As a result, lawmakers are pushing "for an overhaul of sex education in the state. State lawmakers said the myths are spreading because of Florida's
abstinence-only sex education"
* "On Tuesday, a bill that would 'require a more comprehensive approach' to sex education narrowly won approval from a state Senate committee."
*
posted by ericb
on Apr 4, 2008 -
61 comments
"I've got a shotgun. Do you want me to stop 'em?" On November 14, 61-year old Joe Horn saw two men breaking into his neighbor's home. He called 911, told the operator what he could see through his window. As Horn watched the men, he grew more and more agitated, saying he was going to go outside and shoot them. When the men left the neighbor's home, Horn went outside and did just that.
Now, Texas gets to argue over the
hero or
villain status of Joe Horn in the public square (a debate made more volatile by concerns that
race was been a factor), while weighing the merits of that state's recent adoption of
Castle Doctrine (aka "Stand Your Ground" Law).
First adopted by Florida in 2005, Castle Doctrine is now law in
19 of 50 states. So what does this mean for Joe Horn? Public accusations of vigilantism aside, what Horn did
is arguably legal under Texas law ... or, at least, it
would be had
he shot the two men after dark.
posted by grabbingsand
on Dec 5, 2007 -
181 comments