Change of Seasons in South Florida

Well...maybe not in the traditional sense, but there are signs of spring out there, such as the yellow tabebuias which are currently in full bloom all across South Florida.


Yellow Tabebuia in full bloom

At the same time, as anyone with an uncovered pool or a big yard can attest to, we have our own version of autumn taking place with leaves falling from the live oaks and gumbo limbos. Of course, new leaves sprout in a matter of a couple of weeks instead of months as is the case up north. Basically, we have spring and autumn coinciding in South Florida in March!

R.I.P. Terri

I am still swallowing hard over the news of Terri Schiavo's passing.

I can only hope that we all learn something from this tragedy.

Blue Skies Once Again

Anyone in South Florida notice the milky haze which blanketed the South FL skies much of last week? Last Sunday's cold front changed the wind direction from the southwest to the northwest, cleaning out the air and bringing back the cobalt blue skies we're used to seeing here.

Where did the haze come from? From our neighbors to the south.

Here's a story posted on Babalu Blog last week taken from Fresh Bilge about the origin of the haze.

Next time someone tells you how bad the U.S. environmental record is, and how much better it is in other countries such as Cuba, you can point them to this post.

Politicians Make Strange Bedfellows

Jesse Jackson has decided to join the ranks of those who want Terri Schiavo to live. Needless to say, quite strange marriage between Jackson and the "religious right". Perhaps he's following his beliefs without worrying about who he might alienate. Either way, I find myself agreeing with good ol' Jesse for once!

Read the story here from today's Miami Herald.

Welcome...

and Thank You for stumbling onto this humble blog known as the 26th Parallel. Named for the latitude in which South Florida is centered on, it will be basically what the title says it is, a "somewhat random" collection of thoughts and opinions. They will be based mainly on my interests which cover everything from sports and music to politics (mainly Cuba and South Florida related) and other South Florida, national, and world topics. Basically, it will be like a good Cuban ajiaco, a little bit of everything thrown into the stew.

Hope you find some interesting material here, and please make sure you drop me a line in the comments section or via e-mail.

Hello World

Anyone out there?