Lance Stardancer
Article Category: Horrorscopes
SAGITTARIUS: You find yourself at an impasse later this month. But don’t worry, it won’t last for long. On New Year’s Eve, a mysterious Aquarian will open the door to negotiation with a change in perspective and a fresh burst of insight. The crude shiv he brandishes will help set things in motion. CAPRICORN: Take a break from what you’re doing. Look at what people are doing around you. Check your plans in relation to those of others and see if there’s a way you can combine... [Read more...]
Japan Again “Toto” is to sophisticated toilets in Japan as “Apple” is to consumer electronics in America. In September, Toto unveiled a prototype motorcycle with a toilet bowl to convert a driver’s waste into fuel, not only making it self-gassed-up but contributing to the company’s goal of reducing carbon dioxide emissions by 50 percent within six years. The company was launching a monthlong, cross-country publicity tour (presumably featuring a gastro-intestinally... [Read more...]
Rick LaClaire
Article Category: Rick LaClaire
The Memory Season By Rick LaClaire “It’s Xmas time again/Has it really been a year?” — Joe Jackson, “Tango Atlantico” My wife’s family has an enduring tradition for Thanksgiving dinner. After all are seated and grace is said, each person at the table must say what they are thankful for. Of course everybody says “family” first and then something like “the Buffalo Bills” (if they’re winning) or “the Sabres” (if they’re... [Read more...]
David Sherman
Article Category: David Sherman
A Very Small Gift List By David Sherman It was my intention to write something of a more non-political nature for the December issue, granting a sort of Holiday ceasefire, if you will. But, as I would be the only one ceasing fire, that idea, however originally well-intentioned, seems a bit pointless, and more than a little naive. While I still respect the sanctity of all the upcoming Holy Days, I would ask that you still take some time out to remember, and try to understand, that there are people... [Read more...]
Word on the Street: December 2011 COCOA 12/3-12/4: 28th Annual Holiday Arts & Crafts Fair On both days, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., stroll the streets of Cocoa Village to view works by over 125 artists. Also planned are a kids’ “Fun Zone,” live street entertainment, local vendors, and a food court. Free. Call 631-9075. 12/16: Free Movie in the Park Enjoy a free showing of “Scrooge,” the award-winning 1970 musical version of “A Christmas Carol,” starring... [Read more...]
Tobin Bennison
Article Category: Restaurant Review
Silvestro’s By Tobin Bennison Photos by Rich Sullivan Since taking over last September, the new owners of Silvestro’s have had their work cut out for them. There’s no delicate way of putting it: prior to their arrival, the restaurant was fraught with problems — exorbitant prices, imperious staff, and inconsistent food among them. But one of the biggest difficulties they’ve faced is less tangible: shedding Silvestro’s of its image as an exclusive aerie of the... [Read more...]
Tobin Bennison
Article Category: Skilled Labor
Roger Burleigh of Green Gloves Garden Center By Tobin Bennison Twenty-seven years ago, opening a nursery and landscaping company was probably the last thing on Roger Burleigh’s mind. Back then, skateboarding and BMX occupied most of his thoughts. The half-pipe he built in the backyard of his family’s Merritt Island home attracted Cocoa Beach groms like John Mayo and the Slater brothers, so it’s no wonder he soon added surfing to his list of consuming interests. Burleigh remembers... [Read more...]
Tobin Bennison
Article Category: Get Out Of Town
Estonia: Land of Song By T. Bennison “So he paused. And the Grinch put his hand to his ear. And he did hear a sound rising over the snow. It started in low. Then it started to grow. But the sound wasn’t sad! Why, this sound sounded merry! It couldn’t be so! But it WAS merry! VERY! He stared down at Whoville! The Grinch popped his eyes! Then he shook! What he saw was a shocking surprise! Every Who down in Whoville, the tall and the small, Was singing! Without any presents... [Read more...]
Tobin Bennison
Article Category: 20 Questions
Ted Taylor of Ted Taylor’s Fitness • Tobin Bennison Ever since he moved here from Baltimore, Maryland in 1995, personal trainer Ted Taylor has been a well-respected and very visible member of the Cocoa Beach community. You’ll often see the incredibly fit 70-year-old walking on the beach with his wife, Susan, or stepping out of his downtown gym to Juice N’ Java next door for a smoothie. Though he cuts an imposing figure, Ted is a soft-spoken man, the kind who downplays the many... [Read more...]
Tobin Bennison
Article Category: Editors Note
“YOU THERE! WHAT DAY IS IT?” It happens every year. The morning after “Black Friday,” we always awaken to a story of someone, somewhere deep in the heart of this great nation, bludgeoning, pepper-spraying, decapitating, or disemboweling someone else for the sake of a bargain. Our reactions are just as rote. We go through the tiresome pantomime of acting “disgusted,” “shocked,” or “concerned” about how “commercial” Christmas has become. And those reactions, at least to my mind,... [Read more...]
