There's something strange and big swimming in the canals of Madeira Beach along the Pinellas County coast. Those who have seen it say it's no fish and think it could be a sea serpent. ...more

November 17, 2009

I've had a more-than-ordinary itch to travel the past couple of weeks. Several friends recently returned from faraway places, and their reports made me pea-green with envy. All I've gotten are stories and photos of things such as fried sardines and stuffed mussels prepared in Istanbul, Qingdao beer downed in China and sweet Digby scallops devoured in Nova Scotia. Needing a tug out of my pity party, I thought about recipe roulette. It's a game I play on occasion, when I'm craving something adventurous for dinner. Sometimes it takes me to faraway places. ...more

October 21, 2009

CRIME TRACKER This is a partial list of service calls reported Dec. 1-7 to the Tampa Police Department. Questions about a specific event should be directed to the department at (813) 276-3200. ...more

December 10, 2008

"Normandy: The Landings to the Liberation of Paris," by Olivier Wieviorka; translated from the French by M.B. DeBevoise (Belknap/Harvard University Press, $29.95) ...more

October 13, 2008

"Normandy: The Landings to the Liberation of Paris," by Olivier Wieviorka; translated from the French by M.B. DeBevoise (Belknap/Harvard University Press, $29.95) ...more

July 13, 2008

On June 6, 1944, the "D-Day" invasion of Europe took place during World War II as Allied forces stormed the beaches of Normandy, France. ...more

June 6, 2008

If you visit Europe next year, you can expect to travel on several new high-speed rail facilities. And you'll see still more in the next few years, as European railroads continue to build their high-speed rail systems. Meanwhile, here in the United States, we're not only failing to build and improve our systems but we're not even keeping up with what we have. ...more

December 9, 2007