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The Daily Pulse

Memorial Weekend to remember


Memorial DayOn this Memorial Day, while we remember our soldiers, some Floridians will be at outdoor barbeques while others stay inside because of Tropical Storm Beryl. Below are but a few events and remembrances happening across the Sunshine State this weekend.


In Case You Missed It

Executive Wellness

Hitt
UCF President John Hitt
[Photo: Gregg Matthews]

This past week we featured a package of stories promoting executive wellness. In the photo above, University of Central Florida President John Hitt makes an annual visit to Rippe Health in Celebration. "He had a heart attack and another health-related scare in 2006. Especially since then, he has been very health conscious, as you can imagine," says UCF spokesman Grant Heston.

» Gilded care for executives
» Promoting wellness
» Catering to execs
» Tips for creating a wellness program in Florida

Officials say $25 million condo sale sets record

A three-story penthouse with 25-foot ceilings and a private pool has sold in Miami Beach for $25 million, breaking a record countywide for condos. The five-bedroom, 7 ½-bath penthouse stretches from the 40th to the 42nd story of the Continuum, at 100 South Pointe Dr. in South Beach, and has both ocean and city views. "It’s basically a glass box in the sky, very private," said Khashy Eyn, chief executive of New York-based Platinum Properties, which represented the seller. [Source: Miami Herald]


Two Florida beaches among best in America, according to Dr. Beach

Two of Florida’s beaches have made the top ten list of best beaches by "Dr. Beach," professor Stephen P. Leatherman of Florida International University. The beaches are St. George Island State Park (No. 4 on the list) in the Florida Panhandle, and Cape Florida State Park (No. 8) near Miami. The No. 1 beach in the United States is California's Coronado Beach. More at AP


» FRIDAY PREVIEW: Coming next week to FloridaTrend.com:
[Note: Florida Trend's daily and afternoon news reports won't publish on Monday, May 28. Have a good and safe Memorial Day!]

  • Team Player - Shahid Kahn: Jacksonville hopes the new Jaguars owner can deliver more than a better football team.
  • CEO Sounding Board: We asked power company executives: What's the future of nuclear power in Florida?
  • Icon - Harry Crews: Before the writer and UF professor died on March 28, Florida Trend interviewed him.
  • Floridians with "Animal instincts" Meet some Floridians who are making a positive difference in the lives of animals.

» You'll find all these stories first on the Daily and Afternoon Pulse e-mails.


SpaceX commercial mission

"Looks like we got us a Dragon by the tail."

That was what NASA astronaut Don Pettit said Friday morning right after he grabbed SpaceX's Dragon capsule with a robotic arm at 9:56 a.m. Pettit, aboard the International Space Station, had help from colleague Andre Kuipers. With that maneuver, SpaceX entered the history books by becoming the first commercial cargo vessel to visit ISS. "Just awesome," said SpaceX CEO Elon Musk. In Cape Canaveral, NASA controllers clapped as their counterparts at SpaceX in Hawthorne, Calif. jumped out of their seats to exchange high fives. Just after noon, the Dragon was berthed to the outpost. SpaceX is one of several private companies who have won NASA contracts to develop technology to transport cargo and crew into space. Florida has high hopes that this and future missions will revive the flagging space industry.

» More videos of the mission are here.