============================================================ DIGITAL DIGEST � http://www.marconews.com � January 1, 2005 ============================================================ Subscribe to the Naples Daily News: http://web.marconews.com/marco/subscribe.html TRAGEDY IN ASIA: SOMBER MOOD NEARLY A WEEK AFTER DEADLY WAVES PHUKET, Thailand � A somber mood here after nearly a week of cleaning up the dead and picking up lives left little, and at the same time much to celebrate on New Year's Eve. Thailand's King Bhumibol called off New Year's celebrations out of respect for the dead, which included his own grandson, killed on Sunday by the tidal waves. TRAGEDY IN ASIA: AUTHORITIES ON LOOKOUT FOR 'TSUNAMI-RELIEF' SCAM ARTISTS Gut-wrenching images of crying, dirty children and naked, mangled corpses moves even the hardest heart to action. Residents in Southwest Florida want to help tsunami victims by sending clothing, toiletries, food and money. Maybe the cash comes in as $10 here, and $20 there, but eventually it adds up to thousands. And greedy scam artists who prey on people's good intentions may soon be cropping up to share in that wealth. Only it would go to themselves. NAPLES MARKS NEW YEAR WITH FIREWORKS A chill hung in the air. But warm spirits filled the beach Friday, as the night sky lit up with fireworks at the Naples Pier. It was a time for celebration and reflection, as another year approached an end. Thousands gathered to watch a spectacular explosion of light over the Gulf of Mexico on New Year's Eve. The show started at 7:30 p.m. It lasted a little more than 20 minutes, but to onlookers the fight for a parking space seemed worth it. ELECTION 2004: VOTE COUNT SMOOTHER, STILL SOME PROBLEMS America did a much better job of counting its votes this year. The nation's $2.2 billion investment in new voting machines and other election reforms reduced the number of ballots that failed to count in last month's presidential election, according to a Scripps Howard News Service study based on final or nearly complete election data provided by 43 states and the District of Columbia. CROWDS FILL LOCAL AIRPORTS ON NEW YEAR'S EVE It came in waves: first a crowd, then a lull. Another crowd, another lull. Hundreds of people jammed Southwest Florida International Airport on New Year's Eve as holiday travelers arrived from trips out of state and out of country and others left to celebrate in places far away. It was quieter but still busy at Naples Municipal Airport, officials there said. New Year's revelers packed local hotels and motels as the countdown to 2005 began. Get details on all these stories and more at http://www.marconews.com PERSPECTIVE: EDITORIAL: NEW YEAR'S DAY -- WELCOME, 2005, AND ALL THAT A FRESH START BRINGS Surely, there is this at work when we celebrate the ending of one year and the beginning of another: the revitalizing sense that there are always new chances, opportunities for fresh starts. It's the promise of tomorrow, or more precisely of a new year, that helps inform our feeling of joy, even if we are simultaneously looking back with warmth on the year that has gone. If we are looking back with regret, the uplift may be all the stronger. See more of today�s Perspective stories at http://www.naplesnews.com/npdn/perspective BUSINESS: NAPLES-BASED COMPANY, CORAL HOSPITALITY, EVOLVES AGAIN The name on the door has changed. It reflects a new image that has come with more services and products. Coral Beach Hotels & Clubs is now Coral Hospitality. The Naples-based company has been in business for more than 16 years, but it continues to evolve. Recently, it began managing upscale condominiums and homeowner associations. That's on top of the five-star management services it provides to a handful of boutique hotels and golf and country clubs. See more of today�s Business stories at http://www.naplesnews.com/npdn/business NEAPOLITAN: AN INSPIRATION Before he saddles up on his bike for a six-mile ride, Harold Broudy wants to share a secret. Out of his pocket he pulls a tiny tea tin with smiling bears on the front. It seems an odd time to be sharing his Celestial Seasonings tea bags, but he shakes his head. No, no, no. It's what's hidden under the herbal tea bag that's important � his vitamins. He's proud as punch as he points out that he swallows 25 of these babies a day. And so does his beloved bride. See more of today�s Neapolitan stories at http://www.naplesnews.com/npdn/neapolitan
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