SOUTHERN SKIES By Mike P. Usher usher34105@earthlink.net Here on Marco, the constellation Orion rides much higher in the sky than our northern visitors are used to. This allows the bright stars to really shine out with their full brilliance. Tonight, the chart depicts a close-up of this fascinating area of the sky. The first thing a casual stargazer should notice […]
How can amnesia be a good thing?
READ MY TIPS Doug Browne dbrowne912@aol.com As long as I can remember, the word amnesia had negative connotations. More recently, just about every major network magazine broadcast (“Dateline,” “20-20”) showcased certain amnesia cases that left the viewer scratching their heads. For example, a father of four is found 1,000 miles away and cannot remember his past life, or the woman from […]
EGO revisited
Body, Mind And Spirit Dianne Saywell yogadi77@aol.com Recently, while sitting with two of my closest friends and enjoying a warm fire on a chilly Cape Cod night, we touched upon the topic of personality characteristics. It began with one of us describing herself as “very shy,” promptly adding and “always will be.” It was brought up in a context that alluded […]
Crotons: Colorful Indoor or Outdoor Plants
PLANT TALK Mike Malloy mikemalloy@naplesbutterfly.com Crotons (Codiaeum variegatum) were used years ago to decorate East Coast Florida hotel lobbies, as flower arrangements and planted extensively in Florida landscapes for their beautiful tropical color. They come in a kaleidoscope of colors: yellows, pinks, reds, greens, rusts and an occasionally purple and black. They also come in a multitude of leaf sizes and […]
Levels of Life
BOOK REMARKS Maggie Gust winetaster13@gmail.com By Julian Barnes 128 pages, Alfred A. Knopf, 2013 In this slender book, Julian Barnes writes three sections/essays: “The Sin of Height,” “On the Level” and “The Loss of Depth.” He begins, “You put together two things that have not been put together before. And the world is changed.” Those two things are invariably eventually torn […]
Web…site unseen
ALL THAT GLITTERS Richard Alan harborgoldsmith@comcast.net Billions and billions of dollars are spent by folks using the internet, and there is no doubt a good percentage of that dough is generated right here in my household between my wife’s tennis addiction that involves ordering tennis shoes and trendy outfits that match the shoes let a lone the latest rackets and accessories. […]
Building Client Standards
BUSINESS BASICS Camden Smith DREAMFly Marketing Being right is not always right for business. Developing strong customer service standards may mean adjusting a business’s attitude to improve sustainability of revenues. Customer service standards often encompass scripts for sales calls, how to handle upset customers and standards of discounts or other solutions staff is able to provide to consumers. The best customer […]
“Which Came First, The House or The Job?”
Ask The CFP® Practitioner Darcie Guerin darcie.guerin@raymondjames.com “Success isn’t a result of spontaneous combustion. You must set yourself on fire.” Arnold H. Glasow, American Humorist, 1905-1998. Question: Why is the housing market so important to the economy? Answer: As one of the top five leading economic indicators, new housing activity is essential to the strength of our economy in several ways: 1) […]
Art In The Library
Submitted The Marco Island Public Library and the Marco Island Center for the Arts work cooperatively to provide monthly art shows in the Marco Library branch on Heathwood Drive. Each artist will exhibit for two months. During January and February, the work of Marco Island artist Karen Swanker is being featured. Found objects make up Swanker’s unique assemblages. She uses […]
From the Rubble of War
SPEAKING OF TRAVEL Vickie Kelber vickieonmarco@comcast.net Visiting the charming, somewhat tranquil city of Mostar in Bosnia and Herzegovina, it is difficult to fathom that less than 20 years ago it lay in rubble, torn apart by war and barbarism. Bosnia and Herzegovina is one country with two geographical zones, three regions, three ethnic groups/religions, three languages, three presidents and two alphabets. […]