Known as The Rock because of its rocky landscape and spectacular soaring cliffs, Newfoundland and Labrador truly live up to its nickname.

If you are looking for an outdoorsy type of vacation, you will very much enjoy a trip here.

Whale watching, iceberg spotting and fishing rank high on most people's list of things, but there are many more:

1. Take a hike on the East Coast Trail

St. John's is the capital city of Newfoundland and Labrador, and boasts the beautiful East Coast Trail, on the east side of the Avalon Peninsula.

The East Coast Trail provides ample opportunities for hiking, whale-watching and bird-watching from one of the many vantage points along the trail.

2. See the lighthouses

One of the most popular lighthouses in the country is Cape Race, near Chance Cove Provincial Park. This lighthouse was the first one to receive the first distress signals from the Titanic.

The second lighthouse worth seeing in Newfoundland is Cape Spear Lighthouse, which is the oldest in Newfoundland and Labrador. This lighthouse can be easily reached by car from St John's (within 20 minutes drive).

3. Join a festival

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Nine things to do in Newfoundland

Less than a generation ago, calling for the end of the trade embargo against Cuba would have been unthinkable the equivalent of stepping on a political land mine.

The political reality in 2014 is much more complicated.

The landscape of Florida politics and the Cuban-American community have changed so much and so fast that Charlie Crist's new position on the 53-year-old embargo seized on by his opponents of evidence of his "ignorance" and willingness to "insult" the state's Cuban-Americans may not end up damaging his comeback campaign for governor and, some suggest, might even turn into a modest advantage.

"Clearly the Cuban embargo I don't think is an issue that moves the masses," said Juan Carlos Arias, 42, born in the U.S. to a family that fled Fidel Castro's Cuba between 1961 and 1968. "Without a doubt, some of the opinions, the hard-line opinions, the classic, the traditional opinions have shifted."

Arias, a Plantation lawyer and no party-affiliation/independent voter involved in several civic organizations, is a strong proponent of maintaining the embargo. But there are plenty of people in the Cuban community who feel differently, and Arias said his view is no longer the majority opinion.

Public opinion polling released recently found 63 percent of Floridians support normalizing relations or engaging more directly with the Cuban government, with 30 percent opposed. The bipartisan polling team of Republican Glen Bolger and Democrat Paul Maslin found broad support across the political spectrum, including in South Florida and the Cuban-American community.

Changing sentiment may have emboldened Crist when he was asked about the embargo in a Feb. 7 interview on the HBO show "Real Time with Bill Maher." Not long ago, "it is not something that you'd even speak of. You might think it, but you would never say it, said Isidro Raul Mejia, president of the Palm Beach County Democratic Hispanic Caucus.

Factors that may help Crist benefit:

Attitudes are changing in the Cuban-American community, especially among young Cuban-Americans born in the U.S. They're not as automatically Republican as their anti-Castro parents and grandparents.

"You've had a lot of second- and even third-generation people who are coming of age and in their 20s and 30s. They just don't think in terms of that sort of island politics," said Kevin Hill, a Florida International University political science professor who has researched attitudes of Cuban-Americans toward politics and the island nation. "The people who feel very strongly about it are either hard-core right-wingers or they're 85-years-old."

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Charlie Crist's flip-flop on Cuba mirrors larger trend | Video

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (WVLT) The annual Dogwood Arts House and Garden Show opens Friday.

This years show, selected as one of the Southeast Tourism Societys Top 20 Events for 2014, will take place: Friday, February 14 from 10:00am-6:00pm, Saturday, February 15 from 10:00am to 7:00pm, and Sunday, February 16 from 11:00am to 5:00pm at the Knoxville Convention Center in Knoxville, Tennessee.

The 2014 House and Garden Show, presented by the Knoxville News Sentinel, will feature more than 200 exhibits sure to spark the imaginations of home and garden enthusiasts, alike. Attendees can lose themselves in our Grand Gardens, a showcase of landscapes constructed by the regions top landscape designers, and browse beautifully decorated room scenes and environments created by local designers. Artists will have artwork on the show floor to bring personality to your home and garden. The How-To Stage will present a dozen shows with a wide-range of topics throughout the weekend, and the Cooking School will inspire your inner chef with classic Italian cuisine with a twist.

Celebrity speakers will be on-hand throughout the weekend on the How-To Stage as they educate and entertain audiences. Among others, Amy Matthews, host of HGTVs Renovation Raiders will present Behind the Raids: An inside look at how to create your own, ultimate remodel; James Farmer, Author & Editor-at-Large for Southern Living Magazine will present A Time to Cook & A Time to Plant; and James Young, host of DIY Networks I Hate My Kitchen will present The 5 Ws of Planning Your Kitchen Renovation. Full schedule below.

The Cooking School, sponsored by locally-owned-and-operated, Avanti Savoia, will be providing thirteen cooking and technique-focused demonstrations focused on home-made Italian cuisine with a twist, throughout the weekend. Full schedule below.

The fourth annual fundraising raffle will give visitors 18 years and older the opportunity to win one of four amazing prize packages including: o Quality Carpet of your Choice from Davids Abbey Carpet. Value of $2,500. o Invisible Fence Silver Package. A professionally installed Invisible Fence Brand solution for one pet, complete with training from a Certified Trainer. Value of $1,099. o Patio and Fire Pit. ACME Block and Brick to provide materials and delivery of brick and stone. Value of $4,999. o Prism Pools & Backyard Outdoor Package. Two polywood all-weather, no-maintenance Adirondack chairs and one table, three-piece Environtech outdoor kitchen, and a medium Big Green Egg. Value of $4,970.

Participating landscape designers include: Brookhaven Designs, Landscape Outfitters, Mark W. Fuhrman Complete Landscape Services, Peteys Landscaping, Plan-It Green Landscapes, Pleasant Hill Nursery, Reno Land Design, Stuart Row Landscapes, and Willow Ridge Garden Center & Landscaping.

New this year! Urban Living featuring beautifully decorated room scenes and environments created by local designers! Participating designers include Coldstream Market [indoor living], Davids Abbey Carpet [indoor living], Master Custom Homes [indoor/outdoor], Patterson Appliances [kitchen], Pottery Barn [dining room], Prism Pool & Backyard [patio/outdoor living], and Tailored Living [garage/closets].

Artists furniture makers, custom tile makers, faux painters, fine art painters, jewelers, and more! Participating artists include: Charles Pinckney Designs, Jill Stone Studio, Kathy Odom [2014 Dogwood Arts Limited Edition Print Artist], Marble City Glassworks, and Michelle Monet Creations.

The Green Pavilion is a sustainability initiative area that emphasizes energy efficiency and conservation. Green Living vendors will educate attendees about new energy-efficient technologies, products and services, while providing resources focused on greener and cleaner homes, gardens, and overall lifestyles

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Dogwood Arts House and Garden show opens Friday

MARTINSBURG - Although the temperatures were chilly, renderings of the Matthews Foundry by West Virginia University landscape architect students were warmly received Wednesday by a crowd of residents and Martinsburg city officials.

"They look great," Jim Gess of Bunker Hill said. "A lot of thought has gone into this project and it was great to get the students involved. This should pay big dividends for Martinsburg and Berkeley County."

Gess attended the informal unveiling of the landscape renderings on behalf of Richard Matthews Keller, whose mother, Hilda Matthews Keller, was the daughter of T.E. Mathews, who, along with his brothers, operated the foundry until 1994.

Journal photo by John McVey

Madison Kovall, a landscape architect student at WVU, explains her concept to redevelop the Matthews Foundry in Martinsburg to Vincent Groh, the owner of the property, Wednesday.

The two-story, limestone structure was built around 1851 by Samuel Fitz of Hanover, Pa. He specialized in metal waterwheels, and the first all-metal waterwheel may have been built in Martinsburg.

When it closed 20 years ago, the foundry was the longest continuously operating industrial site in West Virginia.

Gess said Keller, a retired U.S. Air Force colonel who grew up in Martinsburg, is interested in the foundry redevelopment project and imagines he will be pleased with the ideas the students presented Wednesday.

In October, about 30 of Professor Carrie Moore's landscape architect students toured the foundry site beside the Tuscarora Creek at the south end of the North Queen Street underpass. As a class assignment, the students created landscape and land-use designs of the foundry and surrounding property.

"They came up with some really creative ideas," Moore said Wednesday. "They embraced the historic nature of the property. They loved the historic nature of the architecture and the history of the property. And it's on a stream. You don't get a great design opportunity like that all the time."

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Student renderings are warmly received

CHATTANOOGA, TN (WRCB) -

The Scenic City lived up to its name Wednesday, as the landscape was transformed into a Winter wonderland.

As the snow started falling, kids made a mad dash to the big hill at Renaissance Park in Chattanooga.

"I opened the window and I'm like, staring at it. Then I run into my mom's room. I'm like, 'It's snowing,'" says Sarah Setlich.

Nine-year-old Setlich says it is anything goes when it comes to sledding.

"I've been sledding down on this," she says pointing to a boogie board. "It's sort of like a surfboard, but you use it on your stomach. It's usually meant for the beach. But I thought this would be pretty cool for sledding," she says.

She and others say a snow like this only comes along so often, and those cooped up inside are missing out.

"They're missing out on something awesome that God has given us to play with," says Logan Henley.

For Heisman Alvarez and his family, it was the perfect day to play on the Walnut Street bridge.

"We've been taking pictures. And we've been running and I slipped," he says with a laugh.

Excerpt from:
Snow blankets the Scenic City

On Feb. 7, I delivered the mayor's State of the City address to the Pleasant Hill Chamber of Commerce, highlighting some of the city's accomplishments.

I share some excerpts here.

"We all know Pleasant Hill is a great place to live, work, raise a family, conduct business and play. Our citizens are highly educated and we have fantastic schools from preschool through college all right here in Pleasant Hill.

We have excellent parks, thanks to our Rec & Park District. Our city is walkable, it's bikeable and we have wonderful commercial areas from our northern border on Contra Costa Boulevard to the downtown and all the neighborhood commercial areas in between.

I believe that if we conducted a survey of the citizens of Pleasant Hill we would find that they love their city and they are extremely happy to be here.

The Pleasant Hill Library is one of the most highly utilized library facilities in the county, despite being open five days per week for 35 hours, which is below average for the county. It is an aging facility that needs to be replaced.

The city has been creative in finding money to support library services but more needs to be done. The City Council has adopted as one of its goals this year to organize a task force to look into the need and feasibility of a new library facility in Pleasant Hill.

It has been 10 years since the city last took an in-depth review of this issue.

Economic conditions and lack of community support at that time caused the concept to fallow. There appears to be a resurgence of interest and the purpose of the task force would be to dive into the community to reassess the situation.

Of course, the cost of a new library will take overwhelming community support in favor of financing what would be an important addition to our community.

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ViewPoints by Timothy M. Flaherty: Pleasant Hill expects budget surplus, first in four years

Part of complete coverage on

By Jon Jensen, CNN

updated 9:20 PM EST, Sun February 9, 2014

STORY HIGHLIGHTS

(CNN) -- If you think drag racing is extreme, you should try doing it uphill and on sand.

Dune bashing is an action-packed motorsport popular in the Gulf, enjoyed by both local Emiratis and foreign tourists alike.

It is not for the fainthearted and accidents are not uncommon. It is a sport that enthusiasts say requires not only speed and power, but also nerves of steel.

Perhaps nothing tests all of these better than the Liwa International Festival, which ended last month, where 100 dune-bashing competitors battled it out to be the fastest up the tallest sand hill in the UAE.

For me, it's normal because I'm Bedouin. This is not scaring me Ahmed Al-Mashgouni

The 30-meter-high "Scary Hill" (Tel Moreeb in Arabic) earns its name thanks to the dizzyingly 50-degree steep slope.

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Dune bashing up 'Scary Hill'

850k plans to transform run-down Horseshoe Common set to begin

1:00pm Monday 10th February 2014 in News By Melanie Vass

CHANGES: Artists impression of how Horseshoe Common could look after road and landscaping improvements

AN 850,000 package of improvements to change the street layout and landscape of one of Bournemouths most run-down areas will begin next week.

The redevelopment of Horseshoe Common will see the roundabout at Old Christchurch Road replaced with a junction and a new shared space will be created between Horseshoe Common and Old Christchurch Road.

New walking and cycling routes will be created and unnecessary railings and signs will be removed to give the area a less cluttered appearance.

The area will also benefit from new street furniture, trees and shrubs.

Taxi parking and bus stops will be relocated and Old Christchurch Road, Dean Park Crescent and Madeira Road will be included in a 20mph zone. A night-time road closure will also be put in place.

The project will last for around six months and the first phase will see Dean Park Crescent closed to all vehicles for approximately six weeks.

During this time, there will be no access from Old Christchurch Road and limited access from Richmond Hill for residents and businesses only.

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850k plans to transform run-down Horseshoe Common set to begin

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SHARON (CBS) Members of the Sharon Fire Department and the Animal Rescue League of Boston saved a hawk Sunday afternoon that had become entangled in landscape netting, public safety officials said.

At about 1 p.m., firefighters were dispatched to Sentry Hill Road after public safety officials received a report of a large bird in distress. When the firefighters arrived, they found the hawk on the ground entangled in netting that had been placed around shrubbery.

The firefighters draped a blanket over the hawk, calming the animal, then cut the netting to free the bird of prey. Members of the Animal Rescue League of Boston took the hawk for possible treatment.

A hawk rescued from an entanglement in Sharon recovers at the Animal Rescue League of Boston on Sunday, Feb. 9, 2014. (Credit: Animal Rescue League of Boston)

The Fire Department reported the netting had been place around vegetation to keep deer from eating it.

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Sharon Firefighters Rescue Entangled Hawk

The leaders of Eli Broad's planned Grand Avenue museum of contemporary art, to be called simply the Broad, will make news in three separate ways on Monday.

They will unveil designs for a new plaza adjacent to the museum by architects Diller, Scofidio + Renfro and landscape architect Walter Hood. They will name Bill Chait, who runs Bestia in the arts district, to oversee a new restaurant on the plaza with Timothy Hollingsworth, former chef de cuisine at French Laundry in the Napa Valley.

And they will announce that the opening of the museum has been pushed back from this fall to an unspecified date next year.

CRITICS' PICKS: What to watch, where to go, what to eat

It doesn't require too much cynicism to conclude that the release of the first two items is meant, in part, to draw some attention from the third. But for me the design of the plaza is the most meaningful bit of news here.

And that's not just because Bunker Hill is short on public space that is well-designed and friendly to pedestrians. It's also because the details of how the plaza will operate and who will own it make up a multilayered and in the end rather opaque story.

If the last few years have taught us anything about the role that public squares play in the contemporary city, it is that they are both more valuable to civic life and more fraught with legal and political complexity than ever.

The rise of digital technology has not dimmed our desire to gather in public. In fact, it may have intensified it. Recent revolutions have been sparked by a combination of text message and sit-in.

But scratch the legal surface of any public square, particularly in this country, and you're likely to find a tangle of restrictions and, in many cases, concessions to private interests.

In 2011 the Occupy movement sprung from Manhattan's Zuccotti Park, a privately owned public space a POPS, for short legally controlled by Brookfield Office Properties. Unlike city-owned parks in New York, Zuccotti was open 24 hours a day, making it possible for protestors to camp out there.

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Broad Museum reveals plans for landscaped plaza, restaurant