I have always felt that in moist cases, open adoption records are a good idea. My opinion is mostly based on the need to have access to medial information. I have a very good friend who was adopted and she is now a mother. Although she never felt the need to know who her birth parents are, she would love to have more medical background information to pass along to her daughter.

She is going through IVF right now and I asked her if she and her husband would place left over embryos up for legal adoption. She is all for it, but her husband says he does not like the idea that he might have biological children running around he does not know about. He also joked that it would be awkward if his daughter were to one day meet and fall in love with her own brother.

We had a good laugh about that one.

Well, just now I read an article about two biological twins in England who were adopted out to different families. They only learned they were related after they had fallen in love and gotten married. So, here they are husband and wife and they have had to endure one of the most disturbing shocks anyone could ever face.

The marriage has been annulled.

Adoption groups say this proves that during the adoption process, there needs to be full transparency. Most people would agree, but what about fertility treatment? England is dealing with some laws surrounding multiple issues involving donor issues. I think that here in the United States, with more and more cou0les seeking fertility treatment that this is an issue that absolutely needs to be legislated. Nobody involved is going to want to come out from behind a clock on anonymity unless there are firm protections in place. Parents will not want a donor coming along and staking claims on their baby. Donors will not want to be asked to contribute to the financial support of a child they never knew.

We need to protect against the above mentioned situations and still leave room for enough transparency to avoid things like what happened in England with the twins from occurring. Nobody should ever have to be at risk for unwittingly falling into incest. By no fault of their own, these siblings are probably now dealing with shame and confusion.

NOTE: The names of the sibling has not been released. In fact, there are no details available about when they married, how long they were married, or when the marriage was annulled. There is nothing at all to accurately source this story, but it is compelling food for thought nonetheless.

I’m a dichotomy. I love to go camping, but I hate not being able to shave my legs and keep my hair clean. I’m a girly girl at heart and I love being shower fresh, my friends. So, lately the camping I love so much has been a real pain for me.

I’m checking out a product now called Salon Grafix Spray Powder Shampoo. It’s not your grandma’s spray shampoo. I remember some of the old products my grandmother used to have around her house: the flakey white stuff, the way my hair would feel stiff afterwards, and the odd smell. This product, though, uses a color match formula and promises no oil or powder residue.

You use shampoo between regular shampoos, not as an overall shampoo substitute. If you are traveling, or camping, or bedridden and cannot use water to wash your hair, then dry shampoos are good solution to keep your hair looking fresh and clean.

I’m pretty sure I need to pack some of this the next time we go camping, because I’m tired of obsessing over my hair getting dirty when I am supposed to be having fun in the woods with my family and a toasty campfire.

One of the best things about this product is that it only cost $8. That’s a whole lot less than most specialty hair products.

Right up I-75 in Ocala, there is a whole lot of dram surrounding a very popular American actor. Wesley Snipes calls Ocala, Florida home and now the actor will stand trial in Ocala in a Federal Courtroom to determine whether he is guilty of conspiracy and presenting false claims for millions of dollars in tax refunds. He is charged with failing to file tax returns for six years.

Snipes and his co-conspirators argue that the U.S. government can only tax residents on income generated in other countries, a claim that has been proven false by several courts.

The two men charged with Snipes, Eddie Ray Kahn and Douglas P. Rosalie, ran an organization out of Lake County that billed itself as an aggressive accounting firm. It eventually turned into the Guiding Light of God Ministries, a nonprofit Christian organization. The indictment in the case says both organizations sold fraudulent tax schemes.

Come Monday, a jury will be selected from four Central Florida counties with the goal of seating a 12-member jury. Snipes’ attorneys have been trying to move the trial to a larger venues like as Orlando or New York, claiming that Ocala is too racist to garner a fair trial.

While Ocala is indeed more rural than many other parts of Florida, most residents disagree that this is the case.

I love mustard. In fact, I am that girl who always uses mustard in place of mayonnaise if I can find a way. I like good mustard, though, not just any old yellow variety you can buy for less a dollar a jar. I love the hearty, full-flavored stuff that isn’t going to reply on a lot of vinegars and other fillers to bolster the flavor.

You might understand that excitement ensued when I was asked to try a couple of varieties of Grey Poupon Mustards and give my honest review of the products. I did not have to be asked twice.

I was given two new varieties of Grey Poupon – Harvest Coarse Ground and Hearty Spicy Brown. I prefer a more authentic presentation of the mustard seeds and these varieties both shine a spotlight firmly on the mustard itself.

The Harvest Coarse Ground was a lot less rugged than I expected. It has whole mustard seeds and a scant number of other ingredients so that it is focused almost exclusively on the nature of the mustard seed. As soon as I tasted it, I went to the freezer and got out some boneless, skinless chicken breasts to thaw. I knew that aside from its many other uses, this mustard was going to be fantastic as both a coating and a garnish for pan-seared chicken.

Just take a look at the whole mustard seeds in this product. They are soft and flavorful, not overpowering, and absolutely elegantly earthy.

My Recipe
I used the course ground mustard as a rub for my chicken breasts and then sautéed them in butter, salt, pepper and the tiniest dusting of hot red pepper. I wanted to keep it simple. Once they were fully cooked, I served the chicken with more of the Grey Poupon Harvest Coarse Ground and some steamed veggies. It was wonderfully fresh and authentic. I have to say that I will buy more of the Coarse Ground mustard. Its versatility is too good to pass up.

When I opened the Hearty Spicy Brown and smelled the yellow onions that are in the blend, I immediately thought of a grilled hot dog or a nice Bratwurst. I found this mustard to have a sharper tang and the mustard in its organic state did not hit my palette first. I found that the vinegar and the onions were at the top of the flavors. I am an onion freak – I’ll admit that. I love them raw, cooked, in dishes, and any other way you can fathom.

The Spicy Brown has a warm aftertaste and a creamy quality. Just a note: That aftertaste did not last long, but I wasn’t crazy about it while it did last. I don’t have any Brats or hotdogs in the house, but this sure made a turkey sandwich taste amazing. I’m also keen on trying it in potato salad.

Here is my most important point: Kraft’s Grey Poupon mustards are not pricey. In fact, they are far les than most other gourmet varieties and with these new varieties; I can honestly say that they far out perform the expensive, boutique brands I have been buying. I feel foolish for having spent so much money on the other mustards in my cabinet now.

Rumors are flying that former Tampa Bay Buccaneers coach Toney Dungy is getting ready to come back to Tampa. Dungy coached the Bucs from 1996 to 2001. He took over the Colts in 2002, leading them to a Super Bowl win last year.

Dungy will not confirm or deny plans to come back to Tampa, but the Plant High football coach did confirm that Dungy’s son Eric did enroll this week. Dundy is under contract in Indianapolis through the 2009 season, at $5-million per season.

Dungy has been open about his plan to return to Tampa when he is done with coaching. He and his wife still own a home in North Tampa.

If you look at local bulletin boards online, the sentiment is almost unanimous: Come home Dungy. You are loved.

There seem to be three camps people fall into when it comes to cars and transportation:
1. people who use public transportation exclusively
2. people who buy their cars outright
3. people who prefer to lease vehicles

Even in my own family we have a mix of opinions on this topic. Myself, I have always been one to buy a car. I figure if I can get a good enough deal on a car and make it last long enough, I will eventually have transportation without car payments. On the other hand, my cars have not been lasting all that long without acquiring major problems, so my sister’s propensity for contract hire situations sometimes seems like the logical way to go about keeping a car in the family with minimal fuss.

Whether your lease of buy; the information coming at you from the car commercials on TV and in the newspapers is just overwhelming. I cannot keep the “deals” straight in my head long enough to really see who has the best situation for me. I do know that I need to rethink my car situation, perhaps trading both my cars for one that is more fuel efficient.

Folks over in the UK have access to a helpful site called BuyYourCar that sifts through and finds the cheapest leasing deals in your area. They also look at purchasing prices and reviews for new and used cars, as well as insurance and loan info. Pretty handy.

I was driving behind a car yesterday that had a bumper sticker reminding drivers to watch out for motorcycles. It upset me a little bit, because to me that implies that accidents involving motorcycles are always the fault of drivers in cars and trucks. I have not found that to be the case, especially lately.

Here in Florida, there is a topic that is garnering a lot of attention – especially from bikers. Local news broadcasts last night were chock full of interviews with bikers in the area laying out their opinion on the new bill filed in the Florida House that proposes that riders charged with reckless driving or exceeding the speed limit by 50 mph can be arrested and have their vehicles seized. The riders could also have their licenses suspended for up to ten years.

The bill is sponsored by Rep. Carlos Lopez-Cantera, R-Miami. He points out that it is not just the fact that riders put themselves at risk with reckless driving, but they also endanger others. There were 119 deaths caused by motorcycles in Florida in 2006, and that is just the report for the urban areas. In those 119 deaths, all but ten involved motorcycles moving up to three times the posted speed limit.

Speed brings up another issue. Lopez-Cantera admits that stopping a biker going 120 mph is difficult. He points out, though, that police are allowed to follow bikers in helicopters and unmarked cars until they stop. So, it’s not impossible.

Florida’s chapter of American Bikers Aiming Toward Education (ABATE) does not like the proposed law. James “Doc” Reichenbach, the group’s president, says it is going to be a problem if it comes down to taking away a rider’s bike.

“(And that’s) if they catch them. They can’t catch them now,” Reichenbach said.

A pretty flippant remark, wouldn’t you agree?

Locally, the spotlight has really been on deaths caused by motorcycle riders.

My sister and her son passed a terrible accident on U.S. 19 Monday that involved a high performance bike. It turns out that Craig Hales (22) was riding a Kawasaki Ninja motorcycle at more than 100 mph when he hit a sport utility vehicle with a force that caused the SUV to flip. Both Hales and driver of the SUV died as their vehicles went up in flames. The bodies were not even immediately identified, because they were so badly mangled.

On Wednesday, Lawrence Kwiatkowski (29) was killed in Largo when his Yamaha R1-1000 motorcycle hit a large pickup. Just here in Pinellas County there were at least three other deaths involving motorcyclists in the past month.

With high gas prices and cars becoming more expensive, it makes sense that people are turning to motorcycles for their personal transportation. My issue is with riders who don’t obey the laws of the road. How many times have I started to change lanes, seen nobody behind me within sight and then had a speeding bike come up on me within seconds? I remember seeing one a couple of months ago that quite literally looked like a cartoon blur as it passed me. I see biker pop wheelies, ride in between lanes and cut off other drivers.

In Florida, anyone over 21 only has to pass a written and skills test to get a motorcycle endorsement on their license. There is no additional training needed unless you are under 21. As of July 21, though, all drivers of any age who do not already have their motorcycle endorsement will have to do a training program to ride or register a motorcycle in their name.

The problem, though, seems to be with riders who do not have a respect for the law. I know that does not include all riders, but consider that Hales had been ticketed for speeding four times in the past five years. When he died Monday, his license had been suspended indefinitely, but that had not kept him off the roads.

Add all of that to the fact that there is not currently a helmet law in Florida and you have a recipe for disaster. Of course, when a biker is traveling at more than 100 mph when they crash, a helmet is not going to save them. I feel like the proposed legislation is a good move forward. I think, though, that there should also be a bill proposed that would target drivers of other vehicles who drive recklessly and speed to excess. Why should they not have their cars taken way as well? Perhaps that would have kept someone like Nick Hogan, Hulk Hogan’s son, off the roads so that his accident in August of last year may have been avoided.

My beef is with the bikers who speed, cut me off, drive between lanes and generally treat our public roads like their personal playground. I am the first person who will stop at a light and admire the bike pulled along beside me. I love motorcycles in general, but I loathe the foolish riders who are making our roads so much more dangerous.

I’m not a tax expert. Nonetheless, since I mentor so many women who are starting up small businesses, I get asked all of the time to explain more about the LLC vs S corporation issue. That is one of the first decisions you are going to face when trying to figure out how to incorporate.

You are looking for legal protection when you incorporate, but a small business is probably not going to want to deal with a lot of the fuss and red tape involved in traditional business building. Since choosing how to incorporate means choosing a tax classification, I am going to respectfully defer and recommend that you seek the advice of a tax attorney or tax specialist. It will be well worth any consult fee you may have to pay to get the best input for your unique business situation.

If you’ve ever wanted to be able to say you’ve been in a Hollywood film, this just might be your lucky day. If you can make it to St. Petersburg’s Eckerd College today between 1 p.m. and 5 p.m., you might just win a spot in the movie “Misconceptions”.

“Misconceptions” will be filming at Eckerd College and several other locations in Pinellas County this month, even though the film itself is set in Georgia. The film’s director, Ron Satlof, lives part of the year in St. Petersburg and he’s giving back by filming some of the movie locally.

200 volunteer extras are needed today, and they are looking for all ages and genders. Hop on over to Eckerd’s Bininger Theater, 4200 54th Ave. S. If you want more information, give their production office a call at (727) 323-1905.

“Misconceptions” is about an evangelical Christian woman who feels God is telling her to be a surrogate mother for a gay couple in Boston. It stars A.J. Cook (”Final Destination 2,” “The Virgin Suicides,” “Criminal Minds”), Orlando Jones (”Drumline,” “Mad TV”), David Sutcliffe (”Under the Tuscan Sun,” “Gilmore Girls”), David Moscow (”Numb3rs,” “Riding in Cars With Boys”) and Sarah Carter (”D.O.A.: Dead or Alive,” “Smallville”).