2010 Feb. 28 Sunday
The last day of Feb. was very nice - sunny and in the 60’s. A good thing, since we took Diane and her girls to Disney World today. We got into the park at about lunchtime, so had a sandwich at one of the restaurants. They bought some souvenirs, and we went on some rides and to some shows - the best was American Idol Experience. They do a good job of imitating the real show, with the three performers chosen at the park that day out of the many who try out. The stage and music is just like the real show. There is a panel of judges imitating the real ones on the show, and after the performances, the audience gets to vote for their favorite using buttons on the seat armrests. This was ESPN weekend at the park, and I was thrilled to see (in person) Dick Vitale and also Scottie Pippen, along with other big sports figures.
We got back to the resort about 6:00, and we all were tired. But the girls wanted to swim again, so after a light supper, Diane took them over to the pool. They have lots of energy - I collapsed on the couch! Tomorrow is their last day, and it’s supposed to be in the 70’s. So I imagine there will be lots of swimming going on.

WEATHER: High 64, low 42, slight breeze.

FL NEWS: “FL DEADLY FOR WALKERS, CYCLISTS”
Florida is the deadliest state in the USA for pedestrians - and bicyclists don’t fare any better. In 2008, the most recent year for federal statistics, 11.1% of pedestrians and 17.4% of bicyclists killed in the country died in the Sunshine State, which has only 6% of the nation’s population. Three contributing factors are: (1) Torrid population growth. Florida has almost seven times as many people as in 1950, from 2.8 million to 18.5 million, and has developed faster than any other state in the nation. (2) Tourism. Last year, 80.3 million visitors came here, according to the state’s official tourism marketing corporation. (3) Climate. Because the weather in most of FL is balmy year-round [this year must be an exception!!] people tend to spend more time outside, increasing their ‘exposure’.
Underlying these three factors is behavior. Somebody is doing something they shouldn’t be doing. Two studies found that pedestrians are endangered by the nation’s shift from development clustered around traditional streets to wide, high-speed roads designed to move thousands of vehicles. Neither state officials nor advocates cite the state’s large population of older drivers and pedestrians as a contributing factor. One study found that the proportion of elderly pedestrians killed is about 17% - the same as the national average.