One of the major attractions in the Melbourne area is the Brevard County Zoo. Opened in 1984 after the local community raised 3.5 million dollars, the zoo now houses over 600 animals in over 120 animal exhibits. These include the Red Wolf, White Rhinoceroses, Cheetahs, Giraffes and of course – all kinds of water animals. Not content to stay as is, the zoo continues to grow and develop. In fact, they’ve recently made several very exciting announcements.
The brand new meerkat exhibit is now open! This exhibit, called the Meerkat Hamlet, has lots of tunnels for these burrowing creatures. Meerkats live in underground warrens and have a pretty complex and active social life with each other. Kids of all ages love to watch the meerkats stand on their hind legs, scurry through their tunnels and play with each other. In fact, the kids can now crawl through their own tunnel and watch the meerkats as they move around underground. Following a name-the-meerkat contest, the alpha male is now known as Jasper, while the alpha female is known as Kiki. And the best news of all: Kiki is thought to be pregnant!
Judge Judy, the well known television jurist who is known for settling small claims lawsuits on her show, but is perhaps better known for her cantankerous attitude and sharp wit has filed her very first civil lawsuit against someone else. She alleges that a personal injury lawyer named John Haymond of Haymond Law has […]
It may be more than seven months away, but the organizers for the Melbourne Air and Space Show are already hard at work on the October 2014 show. In the past few years, this show has been held at Cocoa Beach, Melbourne Beach, and Paradise Beach Park, but in each case funding for overtime and security has been an issue. The organizers recently proposed to move the two-day show to the Melbourne International Airport for 2014.
Although the airport seems like the perfect place to hold an air show, there were some definite logistical and contractual issues. These include working with the airlines, specifically Delta Airlines and US Airways regarding passenger traffic. When the US Air Force Thunderbirds are in the sky, all commercial traffic must be stopped. Other concerns include traffic management, since historically tens of thousands of people flock to the show, security, insurance and funding.
Just a few days ago, a momma right whale and her young calf were seen off the shores of Melbourne Beach. During the few days they will be passing through this area, many people will flock to Melbourne beach and surrounding areas in the hopes of not only catching sight of this beautiful whale, but perhaps even getting a picture. This is a fun trip to take, but if you are one of the individuals on your way out to the beach with camera in hand, make sure to take note of the following:
According to Federal law, individuals must stay at least 500 yards away from the whales. It doesn’t matter if you are in a boat, on a paddle-board, or even in a plane, the gap must be 500 yards. A violation of this federal law could cost you up to $500,000 and a year in jail. The Florida Fish and Wildlife commission has stated they would prefer to educate people instead of imposing citations, but will bring criminal charges if needed.
The right whale population is only thought to number about 500 individuals. They are currently a protected, endangered species. Although they have historically lived to an average of 60 years, their lifespan has been drastically shortened due to being struck by boats, getting caught in fishing nets, and being targeted by hunters for their blubber.
In the winter, pregnant right whales swim from as far away as Canada to get to the warmer coastal waters off the Georgia and Florida coast. Here they give birth and nurse their young. In the early spring, they head back to their feeding areas which start in Maine and move northwards into Nova Scotia and Newfoundland. As they migrate back north, they may be seen in one location for a few days because they are very slow swimmers.
In 1923, a silent film titled Safety Last! was released. Although this film is rarely seen or even discussed anymore, it is still considered one of the top 100 films ever created by the American Film Institute. In it was a scene where a young child, played by Harold Lloyd, is seen dangling from […]
If you do and you live in San Angelo, Texas, you may want to return that book! Starting in March, 2014, they will not only list your name publicly, they will be taking you to court. Due to the fact that the Tom Green Country Library has more than 2,000 delinquent accounts, the library […]
A question arose not too long ago about whether paying the debt of another would require continued payments. In other words if company A pays company B’s existing creditor for one month, or even several months, does company B now have an obligation to continue paying company A’s creditor? If company B does have an obligation, then the creditor can likely come after company B for company A’s debt should both companies fail to make a payment.
Everyone’s been watching as Alex Rodriguez received an unprecedented suspension from baseball due to alleged steroid use. After receiving an astounding 200 games in his initial suspension, he was able to get a reduction in his sentence to only 162 games through arbitration. Only recently did A-Rod file suit against the Player’s Union seeking […]
