If you are a fan of the outdoors and also Florida's numerous springs and rivers, you may have seen or encountered a manatee. Manatees, or Sea Cows, as they are often called, can usually be found in Florida's shallow, slow-moving rivers, estuaries, canals, saltwater bays and coastal areas. They are usually prevalent in seagrass beds or where freshwater vegetation flourishes. **Despite having no natural enemies, and a expected life span of 60 years or more, the statewide mortality rate for the manatee is still high. While it is normal that a certain percentage of manatee deaths occur yearly as a result of either cold stress, pneumonia, gastrointestinal or other diseases, the number of additional fatalities are from human-related causes is too high. In spite of the protection afforded the West Indian Manatee by the Florida Manatee Sanctuary Act of 1978, the number of unnecessary manatee deaths continues to climb.

4000 YEARS.....

 Far too often, I see instances of individuals, businesses, corporations and, even, countries failing to be accountable for their actions. Nearly every day, I will read about something (usually negative) having transpired and then hear about those responsible declining to address, act or comment about the responsibility they bear in relation to the event. As a nation, we are proud of our freedoms and quick to defend them, yet not so quick to account for our shortcomings. If something positive takes place, it seems nearly certain that credit and praise will be lauded accordingly. So, why is it that, as a nation, we lack so much in the way of humility? Maybe it‛s just become the American Way to dodge responsibility, place blame or guild the truth in an effort to maintain a pleasing and positive appearance?

These Sour Cream Chicken Enchiladas are cheesy and delicious! This recipe is a childhood favorite of mine. It is fairly easy and can be adapted to your liking.

2011 proved to be a very busy year for the city of Cape Coral, but also for Greatest Cape! As a pre-eminent southwest Florida community, Cape Coral faced growing pains, budget shortfalls, planning and zoning issues, as well as elections for several seats on the city's council. While leadership within the ranks of the City Manager's office was called into question, the Economic Development Office also continued to struggle. As the local housing market continued to face the slump of new construction, low to medium priced existing home sales did see some growth. Given the up and down nature of the economy, local unemployment remained high.

Bearing witness to our community's growth, Greatest Cape spent 2011 undergoing changes, too. Facing 2012, Greatest Cape is poised to improve the quality and quantity of everything we offer to our site's members and visitors.

‛GMO is an acronym for genetically modified organism. *A genetically modified organism (GMO) or genetically engineered organism (GEO) is an organism whose genetic material has been altered using genetic engineering techniques. Many persons have little knowledge of either what they are or why they should be concerned. There are some facts regarding GMOs and, also, some harsh realities that should be seen as a great cause for concern. While many people are aware of the fact that many of the foods we eat contain elements that have been genetically engineered, it is mainly the extent and quantities about which little is publicly known.

We simply couldn't go without saying it because it`s the truth. We are so very pleased to be back online with our site! In the course of our first four years, we experienced almost zero down time. Miraculous as that seems, it was probably inevitable that our recent site reconstruction would upset the apple cart, so to speak! Hence, seven days without our site made us feel pretty sad. Unfortunately, we weren`t the only ones, as many of our site`s members sent us email expressing concern, as well. We appreciated that, too! When we began the transition, we anticipated only three days of down time. So much for good intentions!

Unless your company has been hiding under a rock, then you're probably aware of the massive growth of business involvement on social media sites. Maybe your company has managed to build a Google® Places listing, or perhaps establish a Twitter® account and find a few persons to follow? If so, then you''ve (at least) taken the first steps to establish your social business presence online, beyond having built a website. However, if you fail to see the relevance of social media activity in relation to your company being found online, perhaps a closer look at a present day search engine results page may enlighten you.

Sunday was a more beautiful afternoon than many I recall. The weather could not have been more perfect. There was a steady breeze, warm sunshine and temperatures hovered in the 70s to 80 degree range. I had planned on trying to attend the Taste of Fort Myers on this day, but did not guess that I would enjoy it quite as much as I did. It wasn't so much the weather as it was the relaxed and pleasant atmosphere that seemed to merge so well with the unmistakable smells of some great local cuisine. Families of all sizes seemed to be the predominant attendees. But for the Junior League of Fort Myers, the event will certainly be recorded as a success!