Things To Do In SW Florida

By ISABELLA O’MALLEY and KIKI SIDERIS

Instead of hiring a florist for her October wedding, Emily Day decided to grow her own flowers in her front yard in Calgary, Canada — a creative challenge that turned into a lesson on the hidden climate costs of the global flower industry. She said her homegrown arrangements were just as beautiful as store-bought ones and cost a fraction of the price.

Day and her fiance built garden boxes out of wooden shipping containers in March and filled them with blooms like yarrow, feverfew, strawflowers and statice. They harvested and dried them in midsummer ahead of fall frosts. On her wedding day, her bouquets featured autumn shades accented by blue echinops from a local farmer and tansy she foraged from roadside ditches.

Because her flowers were dried, they’ll last far longer than a typical wedding arrangement. In total, she spent about 1,300 Canadian dollars ($925), a fraction of what many couples pay florists. Day said growing her own flowers made her think more about the environmental costs behind imported blooms — from the plastic packaging they arrive in, to the fuel used to fly them across continents. read more

By PAUL WISEMAN, AP Economics Writer

WASHINGTON (AP) — The world economy has proven surprisingly durable in the face of President Donald Trump’s trade wars, the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development said Tuesday, upgrading its outlook for global and U.S. economic growth this year.

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The 38-country OECD now forecasts that the world economy will grow 3.2% this year, down a tick from 3.3% in 2024 but an improvement on the 2.9% it had predicted for 2025 back in June. The organization, which does economic research and promotes international trade and prosperity, expects global growth to slow to 2.9% next year.

The OECD also raised its forecast for U.S. growth this year – to 2%, up from the 1.6% it had forecast in June. Still, even with the upgrade, the American economy – the world’s largest — would have grown considerably more slowly than it did in 2024 (2.8%). read more

By ELAINE KURTENBACH, AP Business Writer

BANGKOK (AP) — Behind the hoopla over the promise of artificial intelligence lay difficult realities, including how such technology might affect people already disadvantaged in a data-driven world.

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A new report by the United Nations Development Program notes most of the gains from AI are likely to be reaped by wealthy nations unless steps are taken to use its power to help close gaps in access to basic needs, as well as such advanced know-how.

The report released Tuesday likens the situation to the “Great Divergence” of the industrial revolution, when many Western countries saw rapid modernization while others fell behind. read more

Another Disney-laden auction is in the works, and it includes bits and pieces of Walt Disney World theme park icons.

Van Eaton Galleries has prepped almost 900 items for its “Pop Culture and Disney Parks Featuring the Art of Disneyland” auction, scheduled for Dec. 6. It will feature the usual assortment of park oddities such as signs, posters, press kits, paintings and costumes – for both cast members and animatronics.

Epcotters may be drawn to the flurry of Figment-related items. The dragon-based options include puppets, props and costumes from A Journey Into Imagination ride, souvenir prototype, pin celebration sign and an Imagination Institute sign.

A 3-foot-long sculpture inspired by Journey’s Dream Mobile airship – with Figment and Dreamfinder aboard – is estimated by Van Eaton to bring between $4,000 and $6,000 at the auction, the would-be priciest of the WDW options. The sculpture, created by Bill Toma, is one of 15 to be produced in 1982.

Here are five attention-getting Disney World-related lots found in the auction, three of which have front-and-center histories with Florida parks. read more

The Department of the Air Force announced it had given the OK for SpaceX to move forward with its Starship and Super Heavy launch pad plans at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station’s Space Launch Complex 37.

A “record of decision” on the Environmental Impact Statement for the proposed Canaveral site was posted to the Air Force’s website late Monday for what has been a nearly two-year approval process.

The decision states the Space Force will execute a property agreement for the site with a primary purpose to support national security missions, but allow for civil missions as well. It says Space Launch Delta 45 would need to set up requirements for Starship launches on the Eastern Range before any launches could happen, though.

The company posted an update late Monday confirming the approval and noting construction is already underway.

The Space Force had already allowed SpaceX to remove the former United Launch Alliance launch infrastructure that supported the now-retired Delta IV Heavy rockets. read more