Northeast Florida Community Information Network

THE BASIC LAWS OF HUMAN STUPIDITY Published in 1976 by an Italian economist. Professor Carlo M Cipolla The first basic law of human stupidity asserts without ambiguity that: Always and inevitably everyone underestimates the number of stupid individuals in circulation. At first, the statement sounds trivial, vague and horribly ungenerous. Closer scrutiny will however reveal its realistic veracity. No matter how high are one's estimates of human stupidity, one is repeatedly and recurrently startled by the fact that:

1. People whom one had once judged rational and intelligent turn out to be unashamedly stupid.
2. Day after day, with unceasing monotony, one is harassed in one's activities by stupid individuals who appear suddenly and unexpectedly in the most inconvenient places and at the most improbable moments.

The First Basic Law prevents me from attributing a specific numerical value to the fraction of stupid people within the total population: any numerical estimate would turn out to be an underestimate. Thus in the following pages I will denote the fraction of stupid people within a population by the symbol σ. ...

I heard about the Washington Oaks Gardens State Park plant sale that is held the second Saturday of every month by the Friends of Washington Oaks, so we decided to make a day of it. The variety of plants was outstanding. Visitors will find Florida Natives including duranta, crinum lily, coral bean, fire bush and prickly pear. From Cactus to Stag-horns there is something for everyone. The park is amazing and the best part is, the proceeds go to benefit the park facilities.
Whether you're looking for a short trip to enjoy the flowers that the park has to view or if you're trying for some table fare from the intracoastal waterway the park has something to offer for everyone. With a large playground for the kids and picnic tables with grills, you can easily stay all day and take advantage of all the park has to offer.
We made a day of it and from start to finish it was a WONDERFUL time.
...

The Dixie Highway-Hastings, Espanola and Bunnell Road (also known as County Road 13 or the Old Brick Road) is a historic section of Old Dixie Highway in Florida, United States. It is located roughly between Espanola (in Flagler County) and CR 204 southeast of Hastings near Flagler Estates (in St. Johns County). This is one of the few extant portions of the original brick Dixie Highway left in Florida. On April 20, 2005, it was added to the U.S. National Register of Historic Places.

This road was built about 1766 when Colonel James Grant was governor of British East Florida. It extended from St. Augustine to Cowford (Jacksonville) and north to Colorain, Ga., across the St. Marys River. Later the road was extended south along the Matanzas River. Aided in part by donations from Grant's friends in South Carolina and Georgia, the road's chief financial backing came from local subscribers. It became a major artery of travel.
...

I made this for the first time tonight and it was incredible. I think it needs some tweaking but it's a great base for a healthy side dish.

For those of you unaware, Kale is considered one of the miracle foods. It fights fat, is high in antioxidants, high in vitamins and fiber. It is known as standing out nutritionally head and shoulders over most other recipes. I wanted to find some creative ways to slip it into some of our meals.

Cheesy Kale Casserole
...

4lb Calabaza Squash
1 yellow oinion minced
1 granny smith apple
1/2 cup grated carrots
1tsp salt
1tsp cardomon
1tsp parsly
6-8 green pepercorns or a tsp white pepper
1 stick butter
32 oz chicken stock
1-1/2 cup Heavy Cream
(Photos are of a triple recipe)

Place squash whole in a foil lined pan with the oven at 300 degrees

Melt butter in a ...

The origin of ropa vieja is from the Canary Islands (Spain), ...

THE SOUTHERN TRADITION OF EATING BLACK EYED PEAS ON NEW YEARS DAY

If you grew up in the south or southwestern parts of this country, then you can relate. I grew up with this belief, but did not know the real reason.

My mother always served black eyed peas on New Year's Day, and she said it would bring good luck in the New Year. I've carried this tradition forward, but never knew the reason behind it. It became a way of remembrance of my mother and grandmother.

Black Eyed Peas By Ron Perrin, Fort Worth Texas "The Real Story," is much more interesting and has gone untold in fear that feelings would be hurt.
It’s a story of war, the most brutal and bloody war in US history. Military might and power pushed upon civilians, women, children and elderly. Never seen as a war crime, this was the policy of the greatest nation on earth trying to maintain that status at all costs.

An unhealed wound remains in the hearts of some people of the southern states even today; on the other hand, the policy of slavery has been an open wound that has also been slow to heal but is okay to talk about. ...