I found myself often flying back from Tampa just as the sun was setting to the West, I saw some amazing sunsets, many through the broken clouds of a summer thunderstorm.  At some point, I started bringing my Canon SD870 IS along and snapping some pictures out the window.  Even with the Plexiglas, I was able to get some surprisingly good shots.  Here are a couple of my favorites.

Oh! I have slipped the surly bonds of Earth
And danced the skies on laughter-silvered wings;

Sunward I’ve climbed, and joined the tumbling mirth
Of sun-split clouds

Up, up the long, delirious burning blue
I’ve topped the wind-swept heights with easy grace
Where never lark, or ever eagle flew —
And, while with silent, lifting mind I’ve trod

The high untrespassed sanctity of space,
Put out my hand, and touched the face of God.

The pioneers called it Hog Island, but it became Honeymoon Isle in 1939 when a New York developer built 50 palm-thatched bungalows for honeymooners. Romantically inclined North Americans were introduced to Honeymoon Island in the early 1940s when magazine ads declared it to be an “undiscovered paradise for newlyweds”.

Today, visitors can drive across Dunedin Causeway to enjoy the sun-drenched Gulf beaches, mangrove swamps, and tidal flats. Nature lovers will find osprey nests, a wide variety of shorebirds, and one of the few remaining virgin slash pine forests in South Florida. The park boasts several nature trails and bird observation areas. Visitors can swim, fish, and snorkel in the warm waters of the Gulf or picnic while they enjoy the beautiful scenery. Shelling is particularly good here, as the Gulf currents deposit an incredible variety of seashells on the shore. Honeymoon Island’s subtropical climate and balmy breeze welcome visitors to relish the native mangrove swamps, salt marshes and sand dunes. With more than 200 species of rare plants, resident osprey and various other endangered shorebirds, this is an ideal eco-tourist escape.

Am I a terrorist you ask?  No, I just have the bad luck of having a very common name.  Someone with the same name as me is apparently wanted by the FBI, and I get flagged since our names match. 

The Terrorist Screening Center (TSC) maintains the consolidated database of the names for all known or suspected terrorists, which is known as the Terrorist Screening Database (TSDB).  The Terrorist Screening Center was created on Dec 1, 2003 by Homeland Security Presidential Directive 6 which directed that a center be established to consolidate the government’s approach to terrorism screening and to provide for the appropriate and lawful use of terrorist information in screening processes.  At this time, over 400,00 names are contained in the database, with 5-6% of that number being US Citizens.

Am I upset?  Not really, usually this only causes a short delay (5-10 minutes) when checking-in, and at most airports, the random screening is often faster than waiting in the long security line.  In general, I respect what the government is trying to do, and I subscribe to the motto, better safe than sorry.  I have recently heard that registering with a slightly different variation of your name, like using full middle name, can help prevent getting flagged.  I am going to try that the next time I fly and will comment if it is successful. 

Has anyone else found that they are on the list?  What are your experiences, and are you upset you are on the list?