THERE ARE MOMENTS — a sip of bitter beer, the pull or a resistant trigger, the push of a lawn mower — when we begin to understand what it might be to be a man. From then on, we surround ourselves with the things of man, while we wrestle internally with the what and why of it all.
My uncle, B.F. Nash, used to post this sign on the rough road gates in the barbedwire fences he stretched across the Colorado cattle ranch where he made his life: “Either be man enough to come to the house and ask us if you can hunt, or STAY OUT. B.F. Nash.”
Two pressing questions often torment parents who have a special needs child: What will my child do after high school and can he take care of himself when we can’t anymore?
Anyone familiar with South Florida knows that it is not really the South. We are a melting pot. South Florida has grown remarkably diverse over the decades, and more international, cosmopolitan, urbanized, and racially and economically diverse than parts of the state that still identify with and claim the South as a cultural touchstone.
If only President Barack Obama were as hard-nosed and clever in undermining our adversaries as he is in kneecapping the U.S. Congress, the country’s strategic position might be transformed.
The concept of the man cave is evolving. It used to simply be a space all his own, where all manner of sporting and automotive paraphernalia remains hidden from view, where he and his pals can watch what they want on TV and relish in their manliness far from feminine eyes.
WHAT MAKES A GREAT “GUY” MOVIE? Obnoxious, immature humor, awesome action, toughness and alluring women are oft-found ingredients in the 10 best guy movies ever made, listed below. Don’t agree with our list? Well, that’s your problem, man.
10) Slap Shot (1977)
IT’S NO SECRET THAT I LOVE MANLY MEN. Give me a beer-drinking, car-repairing, sweating, brawling, spitting hunk of masculinity, and I’m happy. Well, almost.
Guys are often accused of not being in touch with their feelings, but we really do know better. Because when it comes to sports cars, there is only one rule: find one that makes the heart race. So we’ve assembled three passionate vehicles that cover every guy’s need out there.
• 4 eggs
• salt
• pepper
• nutmeg
• 1 ½ cups half and half
• About 3 cups grated hard cheese such as cheddar, Swiss, parmesan
• Vegetables of your choice: broccoli spinach, mushrooms, julienned carrots, cauliflower, etc. Choose one or any combination.
• Single-crust pie shell
If money was no object, some men might just take a recommendation from Yachtworld when establishing boat creds at the marina or the club, and go with, say, the Italian-made Pershing 82.
WHAT’S OLD IS NEW AGAIN, WITH A TWIST. A pint of good beer is trendy and oncedusty, grandpa cocktails like the bourbon Old Fashioned, which dates back to the mid-to-late 19th century, and the vodka-based Moscow Mule, originating in the 1930s, have also surged in popularity at bars.
Gentlemen, start your irons.
GUYS LOVE THEIR GADGETS, AND THERE ARE dozens of popular ones to choose from. They are by turns merely amusing and indispensible, sensible and curious, inspiring, cheesy and mind blowing. These are some of our favorites, curated from the Internet.
Grillbot
Automatic grill cleaning robot
Even if you don’t know who Cristiano Ronaldo is, chances are you’ve probably seen his hair around town. The Real Madrid soccer star’s medium-short style — hair longer on the top, shorn close to the scalp on both sides — has launched many copycats and even You- Tube tutorials.
¦ WADDY THOMPSON, artist, photographer, designer and builder of the Spookey Bazookey melon cannon, widely seen by his friends as the most extraordinary Man Toy ever invented. Mr. Thompson entered and won the world championship, taking first place in the human-powered division of the Punkin Chunkin World Championships 2000:
THERE ARE SO MANY TOYS: MOTORCYCLES, ATVs, personal watercraft. Remotecontrolled planes, cars and boats. Guns. Knives. The tools of woodcraft, and countless more.
Thus, there are so many opportunities for a guy (or a gal), and so little time.
Legal Aid Service of Collier County is a private, nonprofit law firm that provides free civil legal services to Collier County residents who face matters of life-changing significance.
The Community Foundation of Collier County announced that it distributed a record $10,276,463 to 583 organizations for the fiscal year ending June 30. Of that amount, $6,657,604 was given to local area nonprofits.
For most people, the instant their eyes pick out the form of a snake along their path a sensation of panic shoots through the body as the heart rate quickens, blood vessels dilate and the reptilian part of the human brain decides what to do next. In Southwest Florida, that feeling is heightened this time of year as Burmese pythons start to hatch.
I’m really not certain why I wasn’t blessed with an unlimited amount of vacation time and a fabulous travel budget. It sometimes seems that everyone else I know has those luxuries, as they’re always jetting off hither and yon, while the farthest I ever get to go is Target.
Dogs and cats adopted from Humane Society Naples come with vaccinations, sterilization surgery, ID microchip and 30 days of health insurance. Visit the animals ready for adoption at the main shelter at 370 Airport-Pulling Road N. (11 a.m. to 7 p.m. Tuesday and Thursday, and 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Finance is extremely boring. I am not saying this because I was in the industry for more than 15 years, 14.9 of which were spent staring at Excel computer models for the majority of my day. No, I know this because if there were even an iota of excitement in the profession, there would have been a reality TV show made about it.
Most event halls and ballrooms are the chicken Caesar salads of business and networking events: sensible and even quite excellent depending on where you go, but not especially memorable.
THE SPANISH WORD FOR PET IS MASCOT. IT’S more fitting description for our animals: A FAR They represent who we are, what we stand for; they thrill us and entertain us. Our pets inspire loyalty and pride — even when the rest of the world doesn’t understand why.
There’s a mystery brewing at the Holocaust Museum & Education Center of Southwest Florida, and staff invites the public to investigate.
Here’s an unrealized fact facing us in the 2016 presidential race: Any candidate who remains within 20 percentage points of the lead by next July can still win by enlisting an untapped but powerful special-interest group: the canine constituency.
Grandmothers may know best, as Hillary Clinton has put it in tweets, but judging by her latest economic speech, they don’t necessarily get or like Uber.
Atticus Finch — the fictionalized hero of Harper Lee’s “To Kill a Mockingbird” who has resurfaced in a less-flattering form in Ms.
It has been a few weeks since a white racist gunned down nine African-Americans attending a Bible study class in a historic A.M.E. Church in Charleston. The depravity of the crime stunned the nation. Yet the frequency with which such events occur has hardened us.
Outsourcing
Friends of Foster Children of Southwest Florida has changed its name to Friends of Foster Children Forever, a reflection of the nonprofit’s mission to provide educational tutoring and support no matter where a child is placed in the foster care system throughout Collier, Hendry and Glades counties.
Coach Mike Wexler, founder of Skill Position Pride one-on-one coaching and instruction, hosts a daylong clinic for youth and middle school football coaches Sunday, Aug. 8, at the Community School of Naples. Eight award-winning coaches will provide in-depth instruction, schemes and fundamentals.
Reservations are being taken for the sixth annual Thinking Outside the Box seminar for staff, board members and volunteers with local nonprofit organizations. The seminar will take place from 8:30 a.m. to noon Friday, Aug. 14, at the Naples Daily News on Immokalee Road in North Naples.
BeproudSWFL.com and the SWFL Rainbow Pages invite the public to a family picnic celebrating the Supreme Court’s decision on same-sex marriage, changes in gay adoption and other LGBT victories across the nation.
Here’s where Collier County Sheriff’s Office traffic-enforcement deputies will be the week of July 27-31:
Monday, July 27
Collier and Triangle boulevards: Speeding
Airport-Pulling Road and Emerald Lakes Drive: Red-light running
Radio and Livingston roads: Red-light running
¦ Pearls of Naples is a club for women offering monthly luncheons with speakers, excursions to local venues, theaters, art galleries and restaurants.
Everywhere you look, health care is changing. And “the race,” as writer Damon Runyon said, “may not always be to the swift nor the victory to the strong, but that’s how you bet.”
At NCH, our approach is to be both “swift” and “strong” in dealing with the new health-care environment. For example:
Now that the Federal Drug Administration has heightened its warning that taking nonsteroidal anti- inflammatory drugs can increase the risk of heart attack or stroke, it’s a good idea to find alternatives that come with no side effects. Fortunately, summertime can be the perfect prescription-free alternative to ibuprofen.
Donation Yoga Naples gives yoga practitioners of all levels the chance to benefit a good cause while breathing, stretching and bending for their own good.
The fourth annual Creating a Future for Adults with Autism conference presented by Adonis Autism is set for 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 12, at St. John the Evangelist Catholic Church, 625 111th Ave. N. in North Naples. This year’s programs will focus on options for improving health, increasing independence and entrepreneurship.
The next support group meeting for the Crohn’s and Colitis Foundation of America takes place from 5-6 p.m. Thursday, Aug. 6, at Naples Regional Library, 650 Central Ave. The group will meet again at the same time and place on Thursday, Sept. 3. For more information, call 649-1336. ¦
The community is invited to “Driving Like Crazy in Search of Normal,” a presentation about how to regain your anchorage when your personal world spins off its axis, from 4-5 p.m. Wednesday, Aug. 12, at Project HELP headquarters, 3123 Terrace Ave. in Naples.
Hiking is a great way to enjoy the outdoors, spend time with your dog and wear him out, especially if he’s the super-active type. It’s quite possibly the most accessible activity you can do with your dog. Wherever you live, you probably have access to dog-friendly hiking trails within 30 minutes of home.
FOR GAY COUPLES IN FLORIDA, THE PAST seven months have been a time of awe.
A federal judge’s ruling in late December cleared the way for marriage equality in the state, and a U.S. Supreme Court ruling June 26 made it the law of the land.
Sue Totterdale was delighted when Florida legalized same-sex marriage in January.
“I was tickled. I was glad that they got their civil rights. I think love is just love. I’m tickled to death about it. I think it’s just great,” she said.
All things being equal, it wasn’t just about the equality.
Neapolitans who love local history have the opportunity to purchase planks from the landmark Naples Pier, which was closed last week for renovations. The city of Naples and the Naples Historical Society will have 1,000 planks to sell for $100 each.
One of the great virtues of the American character is pragmatism, defined as “dealing with things sensibly and realistically in a way that is based on practical rather than theoretical considerations.”
For those who despair over the hijacking of our popular culture by “reality” television and by the endless procession of faux “celebrities” who insist on sharing every intimate detail of their lives, l’affaire Caitlyn Jenner comes as no surprise.
You are hardly a name-brand company if you haven’t dumped Donald Trump in recent weeks.
My fellow Neapolitans: Humane Society Naples has a problem that only we can solve.
It’s Chihuahuas.
Here’s where Collier County Sheriff’s Office traffic-enforcement deputies will be the week of July 20-24:
Monday, July 20
Golden Gate Parkway and 70th Street S.W.: Speeding
Thomasson Drive and Lombardy Lane: Speeding
Santa Barbara Boulevard and Whitaker Road: Speeding
Cpl. Ken Vila of the Collier County Sheriff’s Office has been named 2015 D.A.R.E. Officer of the Year by D.A.R.E. America. The national award is in recognition of Cpl. Vila’s dedication to drug-abuse prevention among youth in the community.
D.A.R.E. stands for Drug Abuse Resistance Education.
Looks can be deceiving, especially in a typical teenager’s bedroom. That’s why Hazelden in Naples, Drug Free Collier and the Collier County Sheriff’s Office have partnered to present “Hidden in Plain Sight” from 1-3 p.m. Wednesday, July 22, at Hazelden in Naples, 950 Sixth Ave. N.
In its first year, the Learn2Earn scholarship program of Rotary Club of Naples has awarded financial aid to 21 local high school graduates and adults.
Leading economic indicator
There is a major difference between a car that you love, and one that you will pay to have in your driveway. The Mazda MX-5 Miata is a prime example of this paradox. Some people actively avoid this perfect roadster because getting into a Miata is easier than getting into a nightclub with no doorman. It’s affordable.
Goldern Retriever Rescue of Southwest Florida continued its mission to raise awareness about the existence of dog-meat farms in Korea by importing three more purebred golden retrievers from Korea. Volunteers Dennis Guyitt, Mark Dahlberg and Judie Rybicki traveled to Miami a week ago to pick the dogs up and bring them to Angel Animal Hospital in North Naples.
The Center for Nonprofit Excellence at Hodges University and the Community Foundation of Collier County present “Understanding the Nonprofit Life Cycle,” a workshop for board members and staff that will help them identify where their nonprofit is in the various stages of growth.
As the heat and humidity of summer bear down, the need for volunteers and donations goes up at nonprofit organizations throughout the community. If you have time and/or treasure to share, you might find just the right outlet here.
Nonprofit organizations in Collier County are encouraged to mark their calendars for “Telling the Story,” the sixth annual Thinking Outside the Box seminar presented by Sue Huff of E. Sue Huff & Associates and real estate professional Kelly Capolino.
This marvelous self-help book is likely to save or extend a lot of lives. However, its central focus is enhancing the quality of life for those who have undergone lifechanging illnesses or injuries.
¦ Pi Beta Phi alumnae in Naples, Bonita Springs and Marco Island are invited to socialize from 5-7 p.m. Thursday, July 16, at the Admiralty Point West clubhouse on the beach at 2300 Gulf Shore Blvd. N. Naples. The group will meet again from 5-7 p.m. Wednesday, Aug. 19 (location TBA). Cost is $10.
