An October Tropical Storm is moving up the Florida Peninsula over the next couple of days. It should dump several inches of rain with predicted flooding. This will not be a good time for any outside activities. The taxi business can be good to a certain point. After the streets flood...forget about it.
This is why all camping trips really should wait until November. The problem is that people have been waiting for months, and they just want to get going with this during the colder weather.
It should be in the 50's by Friday. Now how Cool is that!
Low levels of radioactive iodine have been detected in Florida believed to be from the Japanese Fukushfima power plant according to Progress Energy. It is currently raining in Florida (where I live) and this news is unsettling.
There is no threat at this time to public safety said Progress Energy spokesman Drew Elliot. Monitors at the Crystal River plant have detected the Iodine - 131. Scientist said there would be other types of radiation then just Iodine if the nuclear plant in Florida was leaking.
Other nuclear stations throughout the East Coast have started detecting the low level radiation as well. The Safety and environmental agency says it poses no threat.
The air and water is my main concern. How long does radiation hang around? Trace amounts of radiation are being detected in California, Massachusetts, Pennsylvania and the Carolina's.
If this gets worse, I really don't know what you can do to protect yourself. In Japan they say to stay indoors. Does that mean without air conditioning? What about the water? No need to panic yet, but just stay on the alert... Article compiled from DailyMail.UK
There is an old saying about 'mackerel Sky's and ribbons and ties.' That means the high atmosphere clouds of winter have moved in. The heat has been relentless, and many of us are ready for a break.
Autumn is our spring. That is the time of year when you can open a window, do work in the yard, take your dog for a walk (he even has an extra spring in his step). I have to admit, it is my favorite time of year. I am still not ready for the Christmas songs that we will soon hear on the radio about 'Frosty the Snowman' and 'Baby its cold outside', but I can get into the mood.
Thanksgiving is in a couple of weeks; hell, the Cowboys have a new coach and they are starting to play well again. The clouds I saw this morning had me thinking about the bird in the oven, mash potatoes, green beans and football. Nobody to really share it with, but my cat does not seem to mind the scraps.
Tourist should be arriving soon, just behind the ducks who have their own GPS systems that never fail, and they never have a dispatcher wondering where they are at, and why it took them 20 minutes to cover six blocks.
We do have a new management system, or team, in place at United Cab. I guess the change of weather is a metaphor for their arrival. Perhaps that was as inevitable as the shifting of the Earths axis. Nevertheless, there are many new things coming down the road. The old ways are gone and some really good new ideas will be put into place which take advantage of the new technologies. This has been a long time coming.
The way I look at it, anything that can make me money fits just fine with the change of the season. I wonder what it will be like when things start to get warm again.
I will be looking to the skies again and wondering what they portent for our future.
I got a ride down south and took advantage of that to check out Little Manatee River State Park. There is a network of hiking trails that span the entire park. Most of them are horse trails that you can spot form the main road that circles thru the park. I found a nice one that traversed a sand pine and palmetto area. I parked the taxi on the side of the road and was on my way.
It is very hot right now in Florida and the heat was getting to me. I'm glad some clouds rolled in that lowered the temperature somewhat. Many of these trails criss cross each other, and even with the trail map they give you, getting lost is easy.
The trail I was on had a sign about a lake up ahead. I never found the lake, but I did get a nice view of the sand scrub and pine trees. I was getting tired so I headed back...It is very hot with high humidity and you must bring lots of water or sports drink with you. I always start cramping when I need water. Sometimes its just nice to feel and hear the solitude of the woods. There is something very peaceful about doing this. It helps calm me down.
The park is one of Florida's best kept secrets. The Little Manatee River is one of the most scenic in the State. Canoe rentals are availbe and there is no better way to spend several hours than an easy canoe trip to the bay and back. The park also has some great camping areas. What I liked about it was the privacy you have at each site. The trees are thick enough that you cannot see the campers that are next to you. So you can chill out at your campfire at night and not have to look at RV's and strangers.
"The Ocean is just a barrier to getting the oil we need. Kill the oceans. Get the oil" - Tony Hayward - CEO of British Petroleum
Everyone that lives on the Gulf Coast of the United States will have their lives changed in ways that we can only imagine now. I live on the west coat of Florida and work in the tourist industry - I drive a taxi cab. Tourism is very important to me. People come down for our beaches, golf courses, and great defense (Bucs). If the white sugar sand of the gulf becomes black sludge, kiss it goodbye. What is sad is that this could of been over by now if we had a President that had actually had a job before he took the highest office in the land. Did you hear him last night? This guy can hardly speak without a teleprompter in front of him. REALITY IS WHAT YOU WILL SEE BELOW.
This is the Deep-water Horizon explosion. This should have gotten somebodies attention.
Within days giant sea turtles were washing ashore dead. Very sad.
Shrimp boat were out in the Gulf Of Mexico trying to bring in a catch. They had no choice. This is shrimp season and their families are depending on them.
These dolphin are trying to find flipper and wondering why their home is now full of oil
The Gulf is on fire. You would think that it would have got the attention of the President while he was in San Francisco at a fund raiser for Barbara Boxer.
Former Obama voters and supporters are directing their rage at Tony Haward of BP. It won't be long before their boy starts to get the blame.
If this don't make you sad, what would?
This looks like something out of the ANDROMEDA STRAIN with these guys in hazardous material suits running up to the beach while Nero played his fiddle.
There are NO WORDS for this photo
More Andromeda Strain Guys along the Gulf beaches
On day 10 Obama met with "God" himself Bono of U2 in the White House. I guess this man has all the answers. I would have been meeting with engineers and scientist...but what do I know? I am just a taxi cab driver.
Many ships are now dumping at sea to save cost. I was out at one of our local beaches Sunday and the stink was beyond belief. They say there is no oil here, but where did this shit come from? What is happening to our world right under our eyes? See this video I put on YouTube.
WUSF 89.7 Tampa Florida plays smooth classic jazz between 4 - 5 am. It can be slow during that period and this music helps keep me in a good move. This morning is slow with a 100 degree heat index. I am waiting for time calls going to the airport
By the end of the month, 30 signs will be posted in parks and along county roads to graphically portray the height water could rise if a major hurricane hits.
A Category 3, 4 or 5 hurricane roaring up the mouth of Tampa Bay could push a wall of water 13 to 17 feet high that would wash ashore and up rivers. The water could reach three miles inland in some parts of Hillsborough.
That wall of water, called a storm surge, is the reason evacuations are ordered when storms approach. Surge is the main killer in hurricanes.
Most people who live in Tampa today did not live here in 1985. I was working for the Tampa Tribune at the time and downtown flooded almost to the second floor of most office buildings. The sea wall on Davis Island almost crested, and the south side was a disaster - and that was a 'near miss' from Helena who's eye was still 200 miles out in the Gulf Of Mexico! As far as the Homeland Security money...spend it!
Somebody told me to take a hike. so I did! It sounded like a good idea, so I went up to the Florida Trail portion of the Green Swamp in Polk county on Super Bowl Sunday. It was really nice. The cool air felt good on my face.
It was kind of slow today for a Monday. The cab business is usually good on Monday's. The only thing I can think is people are holding back because of the weather. It was kind of windy in Tampa today. They are predicting a couple inches of rain in the next 72 hours. So we will see. Not much to say, really.
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