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Ponce de Leon's Fountain of Youth

Ponce de Leon’s Fountain of Youth in Saint Augustine Florida is a wonderful place to spend the day to go back in time to experience the history of Ponce de Leon, the Timucua Indians, and the beginning of Saint Augustine, Florida.

When you first arrive, you will have a small guided tour including a drink of water from the fountain of youth. After that you will enter one of three exhibits. The first stop is the Planetarium where you will get a view of how Ponce de Leon navigated using the stars as a guide, next is an area with dioramas of the Timucua Indians and Ponce de Leon. This is where your tour guide will tell you the history of the fountain and how Ponce discovered it, along with other interesting tid bits. The third stop is the Globe, another interesting display which points out areas of discovery.

After the tour, you will be able to roam around in this peaceful 15 acre property where you’ll see various exhibits, including the statue of Ponce de Leon, the actual Fountain of Youth, beautiful Peacocks and live cannon blasts.

Of course it is a great place for a picnic. Enjoy!


Ponce de Leon’s Fountain of Youth
11 Magnolia Avenue
St. Augustine, Florida 32084
1-800-356-8222
Tel (904) 829-3168
Fax (904) 826-1913
www.fountainofyouthflorida.com

Cruising the Black Raven Pirate Ship

Avast Mateys!


If you are looking for something to do while in St. Augustine that’s fun for all both young and adult, be sure to check out the Black Raven, a pirate ship that leaves out of the City Marina in St. Augustine several times a day and cruises along Mantazas Bay.

I went aboard this replica of a Spanish Galeon and was greeted by Pirates who were very entertaining during the cruise. They told stories of past pirate attacks along with magic, mystery, sing a longs and mayhem. Everyone had a fantastic time.

I recommend it to anyone who visits to St. Augustine, Florida.

The Black Raven is also available for birthday parties, weddings as well as charters.

Also if you don’t have plans for the 4th of July, I highly recommend booking a cruise on the Black Raven for an evening of fireworks over the Mantazas Bay.

Please see the website for further information:

www.blackravenadventures.com

Phone: 904 826 0000
Toll free: 877 578 5050
E-mail: info@BlackRavenAdventures.com

Lifetime for Gabriel

ARPKD (Autosomal recessive polycystic kidney disease)
is a rare genetic disorder, occurring in approximately 1 in 20,000 individuals. It affects boys and girls equally and often causes significant mortality in the first month of life.

If the child survives the newborn period, the chances of survival are good. For these children, approximately one-third will need dialysis or transplantation by the age of 10.

ARPKD patients, small cysts form in the last section of the nephron called the collecting tubule. A cyst is a balloon-like widening of the tubule. In ARPKD, the abnormality always involves both kidneys. Due to the numerous nephrons with small balloon-like dilatations, the kidneys can become quite enlarged. In addition, the normal function of the collecting tubule is disrupted. In the normal kidney, the collecting tubule fine-tunes the amount of water and acid in the tubular fluid so that the body retains an appropriate amount of water and eliminates excess amounts of acid. In ARPKD patients, the cystic collecting ducts cannot retrieve water efficiently, causing much more urine production than in children with normal kidneys.

For ARPKD patients, the size of the kidneys and the degree to which their function is abnormal depends upon how many of the collecting ducts are cystic. For reasons that are not completely understood, the majority of ARPKD patients have a progressive loss of kidney function. However, the age at which kidney failure develops varies greatly among patients.

View a presentation on Chronic Kidney Disease and ARPKD (PDF) from the 2007 National Convention on PKD.

Are only the kidneys affected in ARPKD?
ARPKD affects both kidneys and the liver. Affected children may have significant kidney involvement at the time of birth, meaning very enlarged kidneys and decreased urine production. In utero, urine production is a critical factor in maintaining normal amniotic fluid levels. When amniotic fluid levels are very low, lung development can be impaired. In some newborns with low levels of amniotic fluid, impaired lung development can result in serious breathing difficulties that ultimately can cause death.

Children with ARPKD often produce very large volumes of urine and must urinate much more frequently than children with normal kidneys. Given the kidney abnormality, urine production in ARPKD children does not slow down at night or even when liquid intake is limited.

About one-third of children with ARPKD who live beyond the newborn period will require dialysis and kidney transplantation by 10 years of age. High blood pressure is very common in children with ARPKD, and current information indicates that untreated high blood pressure can lead to kidney failure more quickly than if the blood pressure is kept within the normal range with medications.

Children with ARPKD also have the liver abnormality called congenital hepatic fibrosis that may lead eventually to enlargement of the liver and spleen. In the liver, the abnormality can impede the return of blood from the intestine to the liver. This condition, called portal hypertension, can lead to distention (varices) and increased pressure in the veins around the esophagus, the stomach, and the intestine. These varices can rupture, leading sometimes to life-threatening gastro-intestinal bleeding. In addition, portal hypertension can cause splenic enlargement and hypersplenism, with resulting low red blood cell, white blood cell and platelet counts.

A fund has been established for Gabriel at: Woodbridge YMCA Friends of Gabriel Sibilia, 600 Main St., Woodbridge 07095.

The Woodbridge YMCA held a swimathon and bake sale on Feb. 13 for Gabriel, which did very well. The swimathon raised $1,900, the bake sale raised $1,600, and the Colonia Branch YMCA bake sale raised $1,100 for Gabriel.

For more information, contact Lifetime for Gabriel, sponsored by Sandy Mercer at About Faces Hair Salon in Edison, at (732) 549-0797; Rita Fisher at (732) 548-9349; or Sherrill Rudy at the Woodbridge YMCA at (732) 596-4180.

NewsBlaze Daily News

Charlie Crowe - Former guitar player of Brooks and Dunn

Hello Charlie, glad to talk with you, Let me start off by asking you where you are from.

I'm from Lexington, Kentucky. I attended school in neighboring towns, Lawrenceburg and Versailles. I then attended college at the University of Kentucky. My major was Telecommunications and my plan was to work in Television.

What was your main inspiration to become a musician and song writer?

Inspiration was typical. Seeing bands perform at the local fairs, on television, etc. My Mom liked rock, and my Dad liked country. I grew up with Creedence and Cash playing in the house. I remember dreaming about playing guitar with a huge band and having a song I wrote being played on the radio. Decades later, it happened. Dreams do come true!

Share with me some insight about your first band and how it leads to where you are today?

I was 19 years old when my first band played a gig. We were into southern rock, hard rock, and metal. Skynyrd, Molly Hatchet, Van Halen, Nugent, AC/DC, Judas Priest, Iron Maiden, Pat Travers, Bad Company, Zeppelin, to name a few. We did okay being it was everybody’s first band. Two years later I landed a gig with a good regional band called “Tangent” which played the same material. We mostly played central Florida; I played with them for two years playing 4-5 sets a night from 9pm-2am. It was brutal but that's how you get good... Repetition!

Around the late 80s, I had beaten myself up in the bars for years and was burnt. I got a job at the local PBS station as a publicist and production assistant. I wasn't playing in a band but I could always go to this bar and jam with John Michael Montgomery. His brother Eddie (Montgomery/Gentry) was the drummer.

John got signed to Atlantic Records in the early 90s and I got hired as his guitarist / bandleader. John got hot really quick and suddenly we were on a big tour with Reba McEntire and Brooks & Dunn. B&D remembered me when they needed to replace a guitar player. I auditioned with a few other pickers and ultimately got the gig. I toured with them for 12 years and am forever grateful for the run. As a musician, their deal let me play every arena, amphitheater, festival out there. We were on all the major television and award shows, summer/winter Olympics and two Presidential inaugurations. They recorded two of my songs. Chris Cagle was out on tour with us and we wrote "Chicks Dig It" which was a big hit record. It was the best organization to work for as a sideman.

In 2004, my cousin/film director Cameron Crowe hired me to act and work on the soundtrack of "Elizabethtown," It was a great experience but stressful to blend in with B&D obligations.

By 2005, I'd been on a tour bus for 14 years straight (2 with JMM). I was married with children getting ready to enter grade school and it was getting increasingly hard to be a road-dog. It seemed like the time to make a change, and I wanted to focus more on songwriting and instrumental guitar music. Plus, as much as it broke my heart, I was burnt out with the B&D gig. My last gig with them was opening for the Rolling Stones in Omaha, Nebraska. I still have the set list from that night.

Where can my readers read more about you and your projects?

My information and music is pretty much available for free on the web. I'm currently polishing a guitar show that I hope to debut late fall or at least by early 2009. I still write and co-write on Music Row. I do a session now and then. I recently got the urge to get on a bus again and did a few dates with new MCA artist David Nail. I also write with Jimmy Stewart, Brooks and Dunn's long time fiddle/dobro player. He's a new Warner Brothers artist that has a CD coming out soon.

Realizing that you are busy writing and playing songs, what do you do in your spare time, if any?

Spare time? What's that? I have a family and career I'm trying to maintain.

Excellent Charlie, thank you for taking the time to talk with me, keep up the great work!

Charlie Crowe resides in Nashville, TN with his family and continues to write songs on Music Row.

For more information and to listen to some of Charlie's music, go to http://www.myspace.com/charliecrowe and
http://www.imdb.com/name/nm1658777/#actor

Entertainer Michael Goudeau

Today I had the opportunity to speak with Las Vegas comedian and juggler Michael Goudeau.
Hello Michael where are your originally from? I'm from Baton Rouge, Louisiana. That's French for "red stick." When I was a kid in elementary school we made dioramas of Indians and French trappers standing next to a red stick. In that part of Louisiana the name choices were red stick or mosquito swarm. It was a great place for a kid to grow up. I did a lot of Huck Finn sort of things, spent my time fishing and catching turtles. I was completely absorbed in catching as many "red eared sliders" as I could. At one point I had 108 of them in a baby bassinet.

What was your inspiration to become a comedian and a juggler? When I was a kid my father gave me a "How to Juggle" book. I already had a unicycle I had bought at a garage sale for $4. I was 15 years old at the time. I was working at a Renaissance Faire in California. At the faire I ran a carnival game booth that we had covered in burlap to make it seem "authentic." I saw a couple of guys do a comedy and juggling act, people were laughing and giving them money. This was
a lot more exciting than turtle hunting. I went home and dug out that juggling book and started practicing. I found a friend who wanted to do a show with me. He and I practiced 4 hours a day for 6 months. We went from zero to doing street shows in San Francisco as fast as we could.
We literally decided we would do a comedy juggling act before we could juggle at all. I was lucky to be near San Francisco which was during the big comedy club boom and I got to see great comedians doing shows including Bobcat Goldthwait and Paula Poundstone.
Watching them perform I learned that juggling wasn't nearly as cool as being funny. I've worked hard to do a funny show that involves juggling rather than just a juggling show. Since then I've done more shows there than any other juggler ever and I've somehow become the most successful juggler in Las Vegas history.

You are also a Writer/Producer; tell me about the projects that you are currently working on and also some of your past projects? I got my TV writing break on Penn and Teller's Sin City Spectacular. It was a weekly variety show on the FX network. Penn and Teller invited a few of their variety artist friends to come in and write for a week. At the end of my week I refused to go home. I was having a blast writing jokes and laughing. When my week was over I still came in every day. After a few days they quit trying to chase me off and offered me a full time job on the show. I worked as a writer and then did audience warm up during the taping of the shows. TV taping is always a pretty slow business but one night there were a lot of technical problems and so I had to try to be entertaining while they fixed the equipment. I was on stage for about 8 hours. I only had about 45 minutes of material. I did everything I could think of. At one point I got the audience to sing "Take Me Out to the Ballgame." It was a long night.

Thanks to "Sin City Spectacular" a lot of things I never could have imagined became my life. I got the chance to write jokes for my childhood heroes, the Smother's Brothers. I met "Slash." I wrote a comedy bit for Lyle Lovett that turned out to be amazing. I met and worked with dozens of famous people who were talented, kind and were happy to work on a bit with a new writer.

Since then I've been a writer and executive producer for Penn and Teller's Showtime series "Penn & Teller: BS!" We just finished taping season 7. We're now the longest running show in Showtime history. It’s a great job too. I get to write about things that matter to me. It’s a show examining the BS of everyday life. We get to be funny and serious while telling the truth as we see it. There's an awful lot of BS out there. I hope the show runs forever.

Where are you presently performing? I'm currently at the Monte Carlo Resort in Las Vegas as a featured act in the "Lance Burton Master Magician" show. I've been in the show since 1991. I also do a couple of corporate events and trade shows a month to keep me nervous. Its fun to do shows in other situations with new scripts. It keeps me sharp and working hard. I'm hired to
write shows to match products or companies and tie them into juggling. If you've got a booth at a trade show and a product that doesn't generate a lot of excitement on its own, I can do a show about it. People laugh and they learn the name of the product and what it does. It works surprisingly well. I've gotten pretty adept at fitting juggling metaphors to a huge variety of products from computer software to big metal storage boxes.

Are you available for bookings? I am available for some shows. Jay Leno gave me some advice a long time ago. It was pretty simple. "If you do a show, you get a check. So do shows." I've tried to follow that. Anyone can get in touch with me at www.mikegoudeau.com. There are clips from my juggling show there and links to some of the dumb stuff I've done. I was the lead in a Barry Manilow video and that link is there. I think there's also a link to my chicken gumbo recipe.

What do you do in your spare time, if any? I've got two kids so my spare time is generally spoken for. We've got basketball, ice skating lessons, and birthday parties every week of the year. You do the math. Two young kids in school, they're each in a class with 19 other kids, that's 38 parties from just the kids in their classes. They've got other friends too. We get enough calories from cake and pizza every weekend that we don't buy groceries. On the up side, you should see how good we are at the games at Chuck E. Cheese. We have enough of their prize tickets to get a Toyota Sienna.

Thanks so much for the fantastic interview and keep up the great work, for more information:
www.mikegoudeau.com

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mIIKDQ7OFnk


www.bbqzoo.com

Writer Martin Olson

Today I had the opportunity to speak with Martin. Hello Martin, it’s so nice to hear from you, tell me about where you grew up? I grew up in a happy family in poor section of Boston. I come from a long line of Swedish house painters and accordionists. My grandfather went insane from inhaling paint fumes and my great uncle was arrested for exposing himself at Myron Floren concert.

What made you decide to go into comedy and writing? The first time I wanted to be a comedy writer I was nine years old. I was watching The Merv Griffin Show with my Mom when Merv introduced a comedian, Brother Theodore. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aYMMJvSEwHw

The screen went black and a harsh spotlight hit a weird scary-looking guy in black. He began ranting about life being meaningless and how we should all kill ourselves. And each rant ended with a precise paradoxical punch line. Like a Steven Wright joke. It was the funniest thing I'd ever seen, and librated my mind. I knew then what comedy was, a license to mess with peoples minds and break their thought patterns, to inspire freedom of thought through satire, to show that what we consider normal is, objectively speaking, insane.


When did you begin writing comedy and when did you first realize that you were uniquely funny? I remember when I first realized I was not uniquely funny. My Mother just had open heart surgery when I told her I sold a comedy screenplay to DreamWorks. Soon after on her deathbed she said I have something to show you. She pulled out a shirt box with two old notebooks inside. On the covers in crude handwriting: "Joke Book 1 and Joke Book 2 by Martin Olson." I'd forgotten about them. I wrote them when I was eight and in her mind I was destined to be a comedy writer. I thumbed through the books and couldn't break the truth to her that they were execrable. Later in life I vowed to duck-tape them to my chest and hang myself from the Hollywood sign.

Share with me some insight on some of the shows that you previously worked on? Many, many weird shows, including puppet shows on my front lawn when I was seven, HBO concerts for a number of insane comedians, staff writer for the Screen Actors Guild Awards, a local late night monster movie show in Boston, 30 episodes of Penn & Teller's notorious FX variety series, an award winning series in London for Comedy Central, and playing piano in Florida for a Senior Citizen Center Talent Show.

Tell me about what you do for Disney and your involvement in writing the the animated series "PHINEAS AND FERB" and TWISTED WHISKERS? I worked as head writer on both first seasons. I also compose music for the Disney show with the series creators Dan Povenmire and Swampy Marsh.

The economic crunch which is a situation that is on everyone’s mind and I would like to know some of your views on the future of comedy during this economic crunch? As everyone knows, hard times are good for comedy. As for the future of comedy, comics either build on everything that came before them or react against it. So since self-reference and put-on humor and obscenity are accepted elements now for "edgy" comedy, I predict more of the same combined with a synthesis of unlikely styles of performance juxtaposed in new ways. Bobcat Goldthwait's two new films, Let Sleeping Dogs Lie
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=14MwzdSTgSI

World's Greatest Dad are two examples I think of synthesizing different styles of comedy and creating something new that on the surface looks normal. Sort of "put-on" films and comedy that work on several levels at once. I have no idea what I just said.

What is the best thing about being a comedy writer? Getting paid along with the opportunity to work with incredibly imaginative geniuses, including facing challenges on a daily basis.

Any future plans for a new project? I lucked out and sold the film rights to my first book Encyclopedia of Hell (now called Invasion Manual of Earth) to Warner Brothers and am now working with an editor to get it published. I owe the sale of the book to Andrew Lazar, the most creative film producer at Warners.


Thank you very much Martin for the illuminating interview. Keep up the great work and for more information please go to: www.martin-olson.com

Martin resides in Los Angeles and continues to write comedy.

Corina Marie

Today I am talking with actress Corina Marie who is a talented actress who recently finished a role in the film 10th and Wolf.

Hi Cornia, let`s start off with you telling me about yourself?

I am a true California native "born and raised in the O.C.. I grew up in a family that loved movies, books and sports. Being the only girl amongst four boys, I developed a pretty thick skin, an independent spirit, the idea that you should never take no for an answer, and an imagination with limitless boundaries to constantly entertain. My passion for acting stemmed from my childhood experiences; so did my competitive nature in denying the existence of boundaries on what one is capable of accomplishing. All things are possible; you are allowed to dream that one big dream; and you can reach it if you are willing to sacrifice and put yourself out there in order to attain it. The most important part of who I am is my other half "my husband "the phenomenally talented actor, Troy Ryan Zuercher.

I`ve heard that you are not only an actress but a writer as well; share with me some insight on the book that you recently wrote?

Recently I wrote a children`s Christmas book titled, Growing Up Claus. It is a coming-of-age story about Kristofer Kringle Claus XV and what it was like for him growing up the third and youngest son of Santa Claus. It is a story that young and old alike will enjoy for years to come. The story revolves around Krissy`s friendship with his part-abominable snowman, part-shaggy dog pet named, Snowflake, as their many mishaps and adventures in the North Pole shape and mold Krissy into the Santa Claus he may one day become. Through their friendship, Krissy is able to withstand the hatred of the elves, the torments of his twin older brothers, and the constant family disappointment that he is unlike any member of the Claus family that came before him. He is allergic to evergreens, lactose intolerant, and a Momma`s boy. It is a humorous story that most people can relate to "growing up in a family you cannot relate to and in an environment where you don`t feel you belong. It is also a story that is headed for the big screen.

The recent success of the book has launched it into animated film territory. I wrote, produced and directed the animatic version of the book that is being pitched to creative producers in the animated film industry. The animatic itself is a moving storyboard that conveys a single chapter from the book and sets it in motion. It gives the producers a clear representation of the character designs, storyline and tone of the film. It will hopefully be in theaters by 2011 or 2012.


What made you become interested in pursuing an acting career?

I have always wanted to be an actress. And I would have to say that acting chose me before I chose it. I have to do it! Unfortunately, I didn`t have the confidence to do it until I was older; but now that I have it, there is nothing else I want to do. My passion for the industry was constantly fueled by having grown up in a family that loved to watch movies of all genres all the time. My destiny was sealed the moment I saw Elizabeth Taylor in Cleopatra at my grandmother`s house when I was a little girl. That kind of acting spoke to me; it spoke to my soul. I am a firm believer in signs, but when I didn`t have my Lana Turner moment of being discovered when I had hoped to be, I knew I had to take a different approach to my acting career. I had to put myself out there in more ways than one. The advantage of being an actor nowadays is the resources and technology available to create films and roles that best show you off. I used this to my advantage by acting in and producing the independent film, September 31st: By Reason of Insanity. I think that is how acting and producing naturally led in to the field of writing for me "there is so much you can do as an actor to tell the story you want to tell "you just have to do it.

Before I pursued an acting career fulltime, I studied psychology. I have to admit that it`s psychology that has given me my greatest advantage and skill as an actress when it comes to research, human observation and character development.

Tell me about your role in 10th and Wolf?

I had previously worked with the same producer of 10th & Wolf on another film called A Month of Sundays. It was Rod Steiger`s last film, and my first starring role opposite him. The producers offered me a part in 10th & Wolf playing the role of Doreen "the bar manager at a strip club. One of the best things about working on this film was that I had the privilege of working with the director, Bobby Moresco. He was just coming off his Academy-Award winning success of Crash and Million Dollar Baby. Val Kilmer, Brian Dennehy, Dennis Hopper and Giovanni Ribisi were in the film as well. Working in a film with these great talents was one of the best working experiences I have had. If you haven`t seen the film yet, it is currently available on DVD.

Do you have any plans for new projects?

In addition to the animated film adaptation of Growing Up Claus, I just finished filming an independent film and have another one coming out next year. I am also working on a sequel to Growing Up Claus and am currently pitching a fantasy trilogy to the studios. You can find out more information at: www.nevermorepublications.com.



One last question, what do you do in your spare time, if any?

I don`t have a lot of spare time, although I do try to spend time reading books and working out. Both activities keep me sane. I have been hooked lately on cross-fit routines and have also been following some exercises from the GymJones website. The site features the group that created the workouts for the actors in the film 300, so they are pretty tough but give fantastic results. I also love spending time with my husband, Troy. It doesn`t matter what we do, just being with him brings me peace a sense of normalcy.

I would like to thank Corina for taking the time to talk with me, and for more information, please go to: http://www.imdb.com/name/nm1003044/