10 posts tagged “mobile”

Oh, Tannenbaum!

Posted: 02 Dec 2006 05:16 PM CST http://lakelandlocal.com/2006/12/oh_tannenbaum.html

Last week I wrote about the Lakeland church that had some Christmas trees stolen. It looks as though the community has responded by digging deeper. The church reports many have stopped by to donate, and others pay extra for their tree to help make up for the loss.

It also seems the story has reached Silver Spring, Maryland. I found this on the blog of a cable show producer*, Life in the Sprung:

* On my weekend show we're doing a segment called BAH HUMBUG where we try to "right" Christmas "wrongs." Today's segment involved a church in Lakeland, Florida who had about $3000 worth of Christmas trees stolen from their church parking lot. (Read a story about it HERE.) The proceeds were supposed to go not only to the church, but also to about half a dozen area charities (Boys & Girls clubs, Habitat for Humanity, homeless shelters, etc.) We had one of the church's volunteers on the show today to tell us the story and then we put up a fullscreen with information on how our viewers can send donations. I feel really proud and hope it helps. -- Dec, 2, 2006, Life in the Sprung

* - I couldn't find the name of the blogger or his show

Tigers Sale

Sunday the Lakeland Flying Tigers are having a 2006 Holiday Merchandise Sale. We picked up some old logo stuff 50% off today. The new logo hats and shirts aren't on sale. Neither is any 2006 World Series stuff. My daughter was gracious enough to model the new logo hat for me, but declined appearing in the photo.

The Tiger Souvenir Stand will be open on Saturday from 10am - 5pm & Sunday from 12pm - 5pm on Dec. 2, 3, 9, 10, 16 & 17.

Lakeland Local

/////////////////////////////////////////// Morton the Library Duck

Posted: 01 Dec 2006 03:42 PM CST http://lakelandlocal.com/2006/12/morton_the_library_duck.html

Normally I'd never display a photo that doesn't have a Creative Commons license, but I couldn't resist.

Morton the Library Duck has landed at the Lakeland Public Library. It seems he's already well acquainted with the library. So much so that he gives guided tours.

To the Lakeland Public Library staff member who hired Morton: great idea! I was wondering if Morton will give a tour of the Larry R. Jackson Branch and my daughter wants to know where Morton lives when he isn't giving tours.

Photo by Morton the Library Duck -- I'll remove it if someone quacks. I don't want to step on any webbed toes.

/////////////////////////////////////////// Lake Hollingsworth HIV Awareness Event

If you drove or ran around Lake Hollingsworth this morning you noticed small signs had sprouted up all around the lake. They're part of a program in recognition of World Aids Day. A local group, Friends-Together, placed the signs to increase awareness of the world-wide HIV/AIDS problem and how we can help in Lakeland.

The organization has an information tent at the corner of Ingram and Lake Hollingsworth. From 10 am to 2 pm today they'll offer free HIV tests and massages.

Photo CC by Chuck Welch

Lakeland Local

/////////////////////////////////////////// James Michaels: Presentation for Paint

Posted: 30 Nov 2006 07:24 AM CST http://lakelandlocal.com/2006/11/james_michaels_presentation.html

'The Stoning of St. Stephen' is one of a series of life-size figurative works I started in 1988," Michaels explains. "The paintings were inspired in part by the masters of the 16th and 17th centuries. In this work I wanted to present a drama, as if on stage, that moment just before St. Stephen's martyrdom. The actors frozen in time, they are posturing, gesturing, playing up to an audience (us), which gives the work, I believe, a chilling contemporary effect. The Polk Museum of Art is hosting the exhibition James Michaels: Passion for Paint. On Friday, December 8th at 12:15 pm Michaels will give a slide presentation and talk at the museum. It will cover his fine art career, not just the style currently on exhibit. Come early, Michaels will answer questions in the exhibit gallery.

More information:

Michaels' exhibition will be featured during a segment of A&E's Breakfast with the Arts on Sunday, December 3, sometime between 8 and 10 am. (Ch. 48 on standard cable, 692 on HD, and DirectTV Ch. 265)

Michaels' art in the Raymond James collection.

An essay on Michaels by Todd Behrens, Curator of Art at the Polk Museum of Art.

James and Julia Michaels - Photo CC by Chuck Welch

Lakeland Local

/////////////////////////////////////////// George Haldeman inducted into the Florida Aviation Hall of Fame

Posted: 29 Nov 2006 03:27 AM CST http://lakelandlocal.com/2006/11/george_haldeman_inducted.html

George Haldeman, a Lakeland pilot who learned to fly in St. Petersburg, went on to break several aviation world records and played a critical role in Howard Hughes' Spruce Goose project. Haldeman counted Charles Lindbergh among his friends. An induction ceremony is scheduled for noon, Dec. 15 at the Florida Air Museum at Sun 'n Fun campus in Lakeland. -- Tampa Bay Business Journal

George Haldeman attempted to become part of the first co-ed crew to fly non-stop across the Atlantic. His co-pilot was fellow Lakeland resident Ruth Elder. You can learn much about Mr. Haldeman from this recent Ledger column, Pioneer a 'Glorius Failure'.

Lakeland Local

/////////////////////////////////////////// Homeless Coalition of Polk County

Posted: 28 Nov 2006 08:13 AM CST http://lakelandlocal.com/2006/11/homeless_coalition_of_polk_cou.html

The Homeless Coalition of Polk County is looking for volunteers to count the homeless population of Lakeland and the rest of Polk County. Last year's count found 2,129 homeless people in the county.

Why the count? Evidently there is a Congressional mandate to collect such data. I'd bet that the amount of cash Congress directs to Polk County is based on the census of homeless. That makes it important everyone is counted.

The Coalition needs 100 census takers to complete the survey. The count is January 22 to January 26th, 2007 with a different area of the county surveyed each of those five days.

Call the coalition at (863) 687-8386 for information on volunteering.

Lakeland Local

/////////////////////////////////////////// Message in a Bottle

Posted: 26 Nov 2006 07:34 PM CST http://lakelandlocal.com/2006/11/message_in_a_bottle.html

I don't know how I forgot to publish this last month. On October 23, the Ledger published the heartwarming story of a message in a bottle. On a Bahamas vacation in 2003 three Lakeland children had sent the bottle on it's journey. In October the family received word that their bottle had washed up in France. The Ledger article mentioned the French couple had included an article on the discovery from a local newspaper.

Thanks to my favorite bilingual librarian -- and wonderful wife -- guess who has that article text for you?

What follows is the translated text of De la Floride à Saint-Pabu : la bouteille traverse l'Atlantique from the August 13, 2006 edition of Le Télégramme:

From Florida to Saint-Pabu : the bottle crosses the Atlantic

A bottle in the sea, which the famous Brittany seamen may have crossed on their various oceanic trips. Thrown to see on July 13 2003 by the Stephens kids, the bottle took three years and 23 days to reach one of the most beautiful Brittany coasts, the Saint-Pabu coast.

A 8.500 km trip, at least

Gilles and Eveline de la Courcelle are from from Lattes (near Montpellier); they love Brittany and come from time to time to find cooler weather and quiet between Lampaul-Ploudalmézeau and Saint-Pabu. Friday morning, they were strolling on the beach between Coulourarn and Korn ar Gazel when suddenly their eyes fell on a bottle covered with algae and shells. A nice bottle, carefully seal with wax and bearing the brand of a Chilean wine.

Back in their vacation home in Lampaul-Ploudalmézeau, the couple carefully took out the wax seal by melting it and discovered, inside, a message and one dollar bill, all in perfect shape. This after 8.500 km of sea conditions, not to mention numerous rocks.

A response to the children

The message is written in English; it comes from Lakeland, in Florida, near the Bahamas. What was written: "This bottle that you just found is part of an experimentation program on water currents and communication. You who have found it, be so kind to answer me along with the date of your find".

Gilles and Eveline will, of course, respond in a few days to the Stephens kids and will add to their letter documents on Saint-Pabu and its region, not to mention an aerial photograph of the beach where their bottle has ended its great trip. They will bring this bottle with them to Lattes, which will remain a small treasure to them.

Note: The map illustration is not the exact route. Interesting tidbit: The French use a period where we use a comma. So 8.500 km is 8,500 km or 5,281.655 miles.

Plea to the Ledger: Please ask your reporters never to quote Wikipedia. Even they are looking for a citation for that Columbus story.

Lakeland Local

/////////////////////////////////////////// Lakeland Photos

Posted: 26 Nov 2006 12:07 AM CST http://lakelandlocal.com/2006/11/lakeland_photos.html

Vivian at Mama Need Java mentioned she was looking for a way to add a slideshow of photos to her posts and that reminded me of FilmLoop. I installed months ago and promptly forgot all about it. Here are the latest 10 photos from Lakeland Local:

Lakeland Local

/////////////////////////////////////////// Oh Christmas Tree

Posted: 24 Nov 2006 06:48 PM CST http://lakelandlocal.com/2006/11/oh_christmas_tree.html

The Men’s Club of United Methodist Temple asks people to keep an eye out for a makeshift roadside stand selling Fraser Firs. The trees aren’t cheap, but they might be at a quick-strike stand near an intersection. Anyone with information can call Lakeland police at 834-6900. - The Lakeland Ledger

That church housed one of the princinct where I worked. I believe the home across Kerneywood was empty and the parking lot beside the trees were hard to see from South Florida. I doubt it was a crime of opportunity or that they'll be selling them in Lakeland.

Lakeland Local

/////////////////////////////////////////// Lakeland Government Offices (State, County, and Local)

Posted: 23 Nov 2006 04:25 PM CST http://lakelandlocal.com/2006/11/lakeland_government_offices.html

I've started collecting all the Florida government links needed by a Lakeland resident. All the locations are mapped and office hours, phone numbers, etc. are accurate as of today. This entry will be updated often and a link to the latest information will be added to the Lakeland Government sidebar.
Drivers License 3249 Lakeland Hills Boulevard 33805-2299 (map) (863) 499-2323 Tues-Fri 7:30am-6pm Make an Appointment Online Renew or Change Your Address online

Motor Vehicle Services (County Tax Collector) (For your car license plate.) 930 East Parker, RM 261 33801 (map) (863) 499-2351 Mon-Fri. 8:00 - 5:00 Make sure you have Florida proof of insurance first! And, yes, Floida does have Specialty License Plates and you can check online to see if your personalized plate is available. If you've sold your vehicle there's a form...

Voter Registration You can do this when you get your drivers license or online.

Disaster Information General Public Information - proactive and after the storm Polk County Evacuation Routes (pdf)

/////////////////////////////////////////// This and That on Thanksgiving

Posted: 23 Nov 2006 02:42 PM CST http://lakelandlocal.com/2006/11/this_and_that_on_thanksgiving.html

What kind of speed do you get with your cable modem in Lakeland?

Here's a Lakeland Local Geogreeting

Need weather info now? In your address bar type weather.gov/##### (your five digit zip code). Here's Lakeland.

Downtown Lakeland Avenue Is the Main Corridor for Retail District

Lakeland Local

/////////////////////////////////////////// Attention Lakeland Ledger

Posted: 21 Nov 2006 11:27 PM CST http://lakelandlocal.com/2006/11/attention_lakeland_ledger.html

Is there any hope for local papers? The smartest ones are looking to leading examples, like the Lawrence, Kansas Journal World. That local paper has long done incredibly innovative things online - everything from local music blogs to mobile notification of schedule changes for local kids’ sports games. -- Techcrunch

I think The Ledger is taking some of those steps with the Polk Voice and the online forums*. But making it easier to read local band news, local kids' sports information, and other Lakeland-centric, reader-written content would be worth the advertising that wraps it. It isn't only offering space for the information, you have to make it easy to find and advertise the reader-written content a bit more.

* -Though I must admit the forums sometimes remind me of high school current event classes.