The Buzz on ‘Examiner.com
Monday, February 22nd, 2010 |
Have you been watching the Olympics? Is it making you feel as though you’d like to do something physical and athletic? The Gate River Run 2010 is coming to Jacksonville in March. 
The largest 15K race in the United States, the 33rd Annual Gate River Run 2010 is scheduled for Saturday,
March 13th. Voted one of the top US Road Races for the last 20 years by Runner’s World Magazine there are three featured events. The main event, the 15K had over 14,000 participants last year who were either running or walking. The other two events are the Florida Times-Union 5K for Charity and the Adidas Junior River Run.
Beginning at Jacksonville’s Municipal Stadium, the 15K race runs through downtown Jacksonville, crosses the St. Johns River and then through historic San Marco. It continues down Atlantic Boulevard and crosses over the river for the second time finishing on Duval Street back at the stadium.
The Florida Times-Union 5K for Charity is a wonderful event for the whole family. This non-competitive event is not timed and participants can run, walk, push a stroller, or even pull a wagon. Families, friends, churches, schools, or civic group can help us raise thousands of dollars for charities!
Limited to children under 13 years of age, the Adidas Junior River Run is a free one mile fun run for children.
Along the route live bands will be keeping the participants pumped up and water stations will be located at every mile. This major event in Jacksonville brings a multitude of spectators who come out to cheer and indulge in parties all along the route.
The fun and excitement doesn’t end there. Publix will be hosting a Publix Post Race Celebration at the
Fairgrounds which will include plenty of free food and drinks, a band, beer, clowns and entertainment and more. It’s at this celebration that there will be an awards ceremony. All 15K finishers receive a medal and $85,000 in prize money is awarded.
The closing date for registration is Monday, March 8th at 11:59 pm so don’t miss this event. Register here.
Gate River Run 2010 starts at 8:30 am for the 15K and 8:15 for the 5K on Saturday, March 13th.
The start of the race is at the Jacksonville Municipal Stadium, 1400 East Duval Street, Jacksonville, FL Map
Please visit the website here for more details.
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Sunday, December 6th, 2009 |
For the past two months, parents placed on hold while inquiring about information on KidCare, have been redirected to a phone sex line. Governor Crist read the right script in the recording, but the numbers were transposed. 
Florida KidCare enacted in 1998, is the state’s children health insurance program for uninsured children. It offers comprehensive health care benefits to low-income children from birth through 18 years of age who are not eligible for Medicaid.
While on hold Crist’s recording explains benefits of the Florida KidCare program and then continues on to give a website address for Florida KidCare and presumably the phone number. Unbeknowst to Crist and his staff the phone number directed unsuspecting caller to an explicit sex line.
The minute officials realized the error they took the number down. It’s not known how many actually called the phone sex line.
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Wednesday, December 2nd, 2009 |
In its first reading at Monday night’s council meeting the Jacksonville City Council proposed an ordinance on banning texting while operating a motor vehicle. Currently 19 states and the District of Columbia ban texting while driving and Florida Governor Charlie Crist has clearly state that he is in favor of this legislation.
The ordinance would include texting, accessing Internet sites and other data which entails electronic messaging from cellular, wireless or digital devices among others. Various radios would be excluded from the ordinance as well as voice radios which are used by public service employees such as police and emergency service providers.
Although enforcement would be a difficult task. most feel that at least getting the ordinance on the books would make people think twice before texting while driving. Jacksonville lawmakers propose that the offense would be considered a misdemeanor and carry a fine or imprisonment which would increase with each subsequent offense. Texting would be considered a primary offense which would mean that an officer would not need another reason other than texting to pull someone over.
While the Florida Highway Patrol is just beginning to take note of accidents in which the contributing factor might have been distraction, the best estimate for 2008 was that 15 were killed and 1,400 injured by distracted drivers. Among the most frequent distractions affecting drivers; cell phone use and texting.
Although Florida currently has no prohibitions against cell phone use and texting, bills are being pre-filed for 2010 for the new legislative session beginning in March and is sitting at the top of Governor Crist’s wish list.
An informative site to keep up on new developments about these issues and others is Hands Free Info. Here you can check the laws by state and be informed of the latest developments on the ban on texting while driving.
Article also posted on Examiner.com
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Tuesday, December 1st, 2009 |
Last night I started a new endeavor. It’s not like I needed something else on my plate and perhaps I’m grasping at straws, but if I don’t figure out how to earn money elsewhere so that I can quit my job “working for the insane” I just might become insane.
Just when I thought maybe my heart rate would return to normal on my way in to work the jobs slowed down. Now instead of being on a job somewhere, my lunatic boss is seated right next to me all day long. In twenty phone calls she tells twenty people that she broke her ribs and although the X-ray showed only one broken rib, she’s sure there are more. Why? Because her accident insurance policy pays per rib. Oh, and this week, after umpteen dates with different men she actually seems to have gotten intimate with one over the weekend. According to her, she now has a boyfriend. Poor desperate man.
I need to quit.
I actually came across an ad for Examiner.com through Craigslist. I have been checking Craigslist regularly and responding to ads that seemed promising. Writing for Examiner.com could be an option. After being taken so many times by various scams and schemes I have become leery of anything offered on the internet. My answer, investigate.
I spent an entire evening reading everything I could find on Examiner.com, it’s policies and payouts. My first impression was that this would be a very low paying endeavor, not worth the time and effort that I would be putting in. There were plenty of people that wrote in various blogs and forums claiming that they’ve made almost nothing for many hours of work. Then I came across a different group of people that claimed that they were making quite a bit of money writing articles for the Examiner.
One thing that did strike me is that your content is your own. I can post on my blog and I can post the same article in the Examiner. I can use Wapatu and the Examiner interchangeably in the hopes of driving traffic to the other. I came to the conclusion that it might be worth taking a shot at it.
I went through the steps to become an Examiner. The first choice I had to make was in what category I would like to write. Since we have a place near St. Augustine which is just south of Jacksonville, I opted for “culture and events in Jacksonville, FL.” I thought this would be a good place to start and then I could always add other categories if it works out well for me. After filling out the applications and writing a sample article, I was accepted as and Examiner.
I now have my own page and my first article is live. Maybe this time, I haven’t jumped the gun. Maybe this time, this endeavor will pay off. Maybe this time, I will be saved from “working for the insane.”
Posted in Examiner.com | 2 Comments »
