Book Review: Extraterrestrial and Interstellar – “Have We Been Visited?”

April 25, 2025Posted inBook Review
Grok created image of Oumuamua.

Avi Loeb, a Harvard astrophysicist with a storied career as the longest-serving chair of the university’s Astronomy Department (2011–2020), has sparked intense debate with his bold claims about extraterrestrial visitation. Raised on a farm in Beit Hanan, Israel, Loeb’s early curiosity about the cosmos, nurtured by philosophy and science, propelled him to become a leading theorist on black holes and the early universe. Now heading the Galileo Project, which seeks empirical evidence of extraterrestrial technology, Loeb brings his contrarian spirit to Extraterrestrial: The First Sign of Intelligent Life Beyond Earth (2021) and Interstellar: The Search for Extraterrestrial Life and Our Future in the Stars (2023). These books offer a thought-provoking, scholarly investigation into the question “Have we been visited?”

Florida’s Job Market Stays Steady, But Where You Live Makes a Big Difference

April 25, 2025Posted inFlorida News, Moving To Florida, Working In Florida
Wikipedia Commons Construction Worker
Trades led the way in new Florida jobs. Photo: Wikipedia Commons

Whether you live here or are considering moving to Florida, you may be wondering how Florida is doing in terms of jobs. The March numbers have just been released, and the news is mixed, depending on which part of the Sunshine State you live in.

Florida Legislature Considering Bill To Allow Homeowners To Shoot Down Drones

Florida Legislature Considering Bill To Allow Homeowners To Shoot Down Drones

April 22, 2025Posted inAviation and Space News, FAA, Florida News

Florida lawmakers are weighing a new bill that would give homeowners the right to use “reasonable force” against drones flying over their property—a move likely triggered by a spike in unexplained drone sightings last year centered around New Jersey. That “reasonable force” might involve shooting the drone out of the air under some circumstances.

File photo of a typical Unmanned Aerial Vehicle, commonly known as “drones”
Wikimedia Commons
How to Erase Your Personal Data from the Internet

How to Erase Your Personal Data from the Internet

April 22, 2025Posted inFlorida News
Grok created image.

In today’s hyper-connected world, your personal information—name, address, phone number, even your birthdate—is a valuable commodity. Data brokers and people-search websites, such as Whitepages, Spokeo, and Intelius, collect and sell this data to advertisers, scammers, and cybercriminals, often without your consent. With over 4,000 data brokers amassing profiles on more than 500 million consumers globally, the risk of identity theft, phishing scams, and unwanted spam has never been higher. Fortunately, a growing suite of automated data removal services and proactive strategies can help you reclaim control over your digital footprint.

Rockets

SpaceX Nails Doubleheader with Flawless Falcon 9 Launches

April 22, 2025Posted inFalcon 9, Space News, SpaceX
Left, LC-39A CRS-32. Liftoff at 4:15am. Right, LC-40 Bandwagon-3. Liftoff at 8:43pm. Image by Richard P Gallagher | FMN

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. — On April 21, 2025, SpaceX executed a remarkable feat of aerospace engineering, successfully launching two Falcon 9 rockets from separate launch pads in Florida within a span of 16 hours. The early morning mission delivered critical supplies to the International Space Station (ISS), while the evening launch deployed a diverse array of satellites into orbit. Both rockets achieved their objectives with precision, and their reusable first-stage boosters landed safely, underscoring SpaceX’s dominance in reusable rocket technology and its ability to maintain an ambitious launch cadence.

Pope Francis’s Life of Humility has Ended: Enters Eternal Glory.

Pope Francis’s Life of Humility has Ended: Enters Eternal Glory.

April 21, 2025Posted inNational News
Pope Francis. Credit: valahia.news

April 21, 2025

VATICAN CITY — Pope Francis, the first Latin American pontiff and a transformative figure in the Roman Catholic Church, died on April 21, 2025, at the age of 88, just hours after delivering his Easter Sunday address. His passing marks the end of a 12-year papacy defined by humility, advocacy for the poor, and bold reforms that reshaped the Church’s global outreach. Mourners gathered in St. Peter’s Square, some in tears, as world leaders and Catholics worldwide praised his commitment to marginalized communities and his vision for a more inclusive Church.

alligator

UF Study Shows Most Alligator Attacks On Humans Result From ‘Risky Behavior’

April 21, 2025Posted inFlorida News, Moving To Florida
An alligator inside Kennedy Space Center
An alligator inside Kennedy Space Center.
Photo: Charles Boyer / Florida Media Now

Florida’s subtropical climate and extensive wetlands provide an ideal habitat for the American alligator, a species so prevalent that it can be found in all 67 counties across the state. With an estimated population of 1.3 million, the alligator has become both a symbol of Florida’s natural heritage and a regular presence in its backyards, golf courses, and waterways. As urban development continues to encroach on these reptiles’ natural environments, it is more important than ever for residents and visitors to understand how to safely coexist with them.

OP-ED: Sanctimony Spiral—How Dems’ Coin New Term to Cover for Lousy Policies

April 21, 2025Posted inEditorials and Opinions
Grok created image.

Oh, gentle reader, let us pause to mourn the quivering liberal soul, cowering before the ominous specter of the “Manosphere.” This shadowy online realm, where men—those wretched beasts—dare to swap stories, bench-press their feelings, or question the gospel of woke orthodoxy. The manosphere is apparently the apocalypse in flannel. According to the high priests of The New York Times and CNN, this digital den of “toxic masculinity” isn’t just a threat to progress—it’s the sinister force behind the Democratic Party’s slow-motion implosion. And I, old enough to remember when men wore overalls and steel-toed boots, drove pickup trucks with rifles in the back, and grilled “Tarzan” steaks in the heart of the woods, can only shake my head at this pitiful charade.

Close up of booster b 1067

SpaceX Sets Reusability Record with Falcon 9 B1067’s 27th Flight

April 18, 2025Posted inFalcon 9, SpaceX, Starlink
Booster B1067 arriving back at Port Canaveral aboard drone ship JRTI. Image by Richard P Gallagher | FMN

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. — SpaceX has once again pushed the boundaries of rocket reusability with the 27th successful launch and landing of its Falcon 9 first-stage booster B1067. The booster, a veteran of SpaceX’s fleet, lifted off from Space Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station on April 14, 2025, at 12:00 a.m. EDT, delivering 27 Starlink V2 Mini satellites to low Earth orbit. Just over eight minutes later, B1067 touched down flawlessly on the drone ship Just Read the Instructions in the Atlantic Ocean, marking its 27th landing and setting a new record for rocket reusability.

From Glamour to Gravity: The Controversy Surrounding NS-31 And The Future of Blue Origin

From Glamour to Gravity: The Controversy Surrounding NS-31 And The Future of Blue Origin

April 18, 2025Posted inSpace News
Crew of Blue Origin’s NS-31 mission, clockwise from left: Lauren Sánchez, Amanda Nguyen, Katy Perry, Gayle King, Aisha Bowe and Kerrianne Flynn.

I wasn’t going to even write an article on this because, like many others, I didn’t view the NS-31 flight as newsworthy, at least from a scientific or technological standpoint. But there is a deeper story here – why does Blue Origin seem to be squandering time, money, and resources on this particular program? The real money is in launch contracts, and SpaceX appears to be leaving Blue Origin (aka Blue) behind on the proverbial pad.