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This summer, Disney Theme Park Merchandise is introducing several new souvenirs at Disney Parks. These items will make great gifts for loved ones or serve as a nice memory from your Disney vacation. For my first “Summer of New Souvenirs” story, I’m highlighting my favorite new things – decorative hand sanitizers. Having a son, I carry hand sanitizer everywhere I go, and these designs are fantastic! There will be approximately 20 new hand sanitizers arriving at Disney Parks in late June and early-to-mid July. The artwork features popular Disney characters including Mickey Mouse, Minnie Mouse, Anna, Elsa and other select Disney Princesses. Sleeping Beauty Castle from Disneyland park and Cinderella Castle from Magic Kingdom Park will also be included in the mix. Each hand sanitizer comes with a specially designed 1 fluid ounce bottle and a key chain split ring with lobster claw clasp. At this time, we will not offer refill bottles yet you can refill the bottle with your favorite hand sanitizer once empty. The Force is strong with my favorite designs featuring R2-D2 and Darth Vader. They are due to arrive this August in select merchandise locations at Disney Parks (they are insta-buy for me!). Hand sanitizer will retail for $8.95 (plus tax). Please note that retails are subject to change without notice. Look for additional Disney Parks Blog articles in the coming months with other new souvenirs. Decorative Hand Sanitizers Join a Summer of New Souvenirs at Disney Parks by Steven Miller: Originally posted on the Disney Parks Blog View the full article

When structures scale skyward in Central Florida, they tend to do it in a unique way that scream for attention. View the full article

An investigation continues today into the possibly drug-related shooting that killed Ronald Moore, a popular former Seminole High and Pop Warner football coach. View the full article

Today, June 1, is the anniversary of the opening of Disney’s Typhoon Lagoon Water Park – so it’s only fitting that today’s sunrise shot was snapped at the park. Looks like the perfect morning for a cool glide around Castaway Creek, doesn’t it? For more about Disney’s Typhoon Lagoon Water Park, visit the post below: ‘Teen Beach 2′ Beach Party Brings Summer Fun to Typhoon Lagoon Water ParkIt’s a Sunny Morning at Disney’s Typhoon Lagoon Water Park by Jennifer Fickley-Baker: Originally posted on the Disney Parks Blog View the full article

The Butler & Hosch law firm that closed suddenly on May 14 had tried to squelch rumors that it was closing Florida offices several times. View the full article

Eight days after blocking it, Senate Republicans have agreed to begin debate on a House bill that would overhaul the National Security Agency's handling of American calling records while preserving other domestic surveillance provisions. View the full article

It’s time to head back to Everything Pop Food Court at Disney’s Pop Century Resort for lunch! Learn About: Everything Pop Food CourtDisney World RestaurantsPop Century Resort has a cult following of legendary proportions, and Everything Pop Food Court goes right along with that. Maybe it’s because the eats here are little more imaginative than they have historically been at other value resorts. Or maybe it’s just because you can get a waffle with a giant Pop! emblazoned on it! Whatever the reason, this spot has long been a favorite of mine — and even a destination for me for some of their specialties when I’m staying at other resorts. (King Cupcake, anyone?) It’s been a while since I’ve visited, so on a recent trip I made it a point to stop by Everything Pop for a bite to eat. Let’s take a look at what I found! AtmosphereYou will find no shortage of color and decor as you enter Everything Pop. But you wouldn’t really expect a Zen experience with such a name anyway, right? Entrance Sign — Up Close It’s fun, and it’s, well. Pop. The kind of loud, happy decor you’d expect with a name like that. These food “billboards” entice you into the eating area, beckoning you to come check out the newly updated menus. Fun Food Signs As with other Food Court-type settings at Walt Disney World, the “Create You Own” theme is big here. But you’ll find more options to customize here than just about anywhere else. As the sign says, it’s the perfect place to head when you’re feeling hungry AND creative! Poppin Nachos and Baked Potatoes Sign We’ll take a quick side journey to check out seating. While there are plenty of tables and chairs to choose from, you won’t find super comfy digs here. After all, this is counter service. I don’t figure that you’re interested in lingering for hours over that burger or plate of eggs. Seating Area Still, if you do require a bit of a comfortable break, booth seating is padded and a little more cozy, since it’s walled (or windowed) off to one side. Booth Seating More tables along the bank of floor to ceiling windows provide a little space from the rest of the guests, and give you a good view out onto the grounds. Table Seating Enough with tables and chairs. On to the food! EatsPop in to Everything Pop, and you can choose from seven different serving stations. They include, in broad terms, a Grill area, Pizza, Pasta, Sandwiches, Healthy Choices, Ethnic cuisine, and Grab and Go items. Helpful Disney Dining Plan signage right at the front will give you guidance as you plan your meals. Quick Service Disney Dining Plan Chart Just make your selection and queue up in the appropriate ordering area. Ordering Areas And no, it’s not often this quiet here. I think I visited around 3:00pm one day. There are regular mealtime rush hours here just like there are everywhere else. Pizza Ordering Area Now, a quick word about the food at Everything Pop: It’s not fancy. You’ll find solid, mostly All-American choices, with a few regional specialties thrown in. But even though it’s not signature dining, the quality has always been great in my opinion. Pizza and Italian specialties like Pasta dishes are always a POPular option. (Ha!) And Mussels add a slightly more highbrow dish to the mix. Menu — Pizza, Pasta, Mussels — Click to Enlarge More Italian Options — Click to Enlarge Italian Options — Click to Enlarge Italian Options Menu — Click to Enlarge Flatbreads, pizza’s crispier cousin, are also house specialties. (And I’ve gotta get back and try that Buffalo Chicken Flatbread…) Flatbread Menu — Click to Enlarge Create Your Own Baked Potato and Poppin’ Nachos look pretty delicious and offer a little 80s throwback — and that’s always a good way to go. Menu — Baked Potato, Nachos — Click to Enlarge Baked Potato Bar Picture And there are several Sandwiches to choose from, both hot and cold. Sandwiches Menu — Click to Enlarge More Sandwiches Menu — Click to Enlarge Walking on the lighter side? Create Your Own Salad and choose from wholesome options to add a healthy meal into the mix. More Sandwiches, Create Your Own Salad, and Sides Menu — Click to Enlarge Create Your Own Salad Picture How much awesome is it that you can order a Sloppy Joe? Sloppy Joe(s) were a staple in my house growing up. Sandwiches Menu — Click to Enlarge You can also top your Burger, Chicken Sandwich, or Hot Dog just the way you like as well. Menu — Create Your Own Burger and Hot Dogs, Chicken Sandwich — Click to Enlarge There are some Dessert Offerings on the overhead menus, like Ice Cream Sundaes, Scoops, and Hand-Dipped Milkshakes. Ice Cream Offerings Ice Cream Menu — Click to Enlarge Some other desserts are on display on the Dessert Menu board, but you may just want to have a look around before you make a a selection, because we found a few things not listed up there. We’ll show you a few in a sec. Dessert Menu — Click to Enlarge As you cruise the counters, components of many of the menu items are on display, like the Create Your Own Salad options. They aren’t self-serve, but it’s still nice to see everything, so you know beforehand what looks good to you. Salad Bar Toppings The Rotisserie Chicken is, well, spinning away before you, too! So it’s pretty great! (And it was totally making it hard for me to decide on what to pick.) Rotisserie Chicken Having made our decisions, my friend and I set off to explore a little before heading to the checkout area. We spied these fun Tie-Dyed Cupcakes, which are classics at Pop. Tie-Dyed Cupcakes And there was a fun homage to Mickey in cupcake form as well. I love when the ears are Oreos — bonus dessert! Sadly, this version didn’t have a Mickey face the way it does at Art of Animation. Mickey Cupcake I also spied Strawberries with Chocolate and Whipped Cream. I love this whole food dessert option! I’m thinkin’ this would be a great sort-of healthy dessert for picky kiddos, too. Strawberries with Chocolate and Whipped Cream I also spied a classic Pineapple Upside Down Cake — again, conveniently baked in a single portion, which looks so much neater than a square or slab of cake. Pineapple Upside Down Cake But of course, Everything Pop’s most famous dessert is the Tie-Dyed Cheesecake. It’s interesting to note that they’ve gone to a single serve, mini version of the popular sweet, instead of the wedges that they used to serve. I’m really glad that these are served in clear cups though, instead of the standard issue black bowls that you see counter service desserts in normally. This way, the vibrant colors of the cake really shine through from all angles. (By the way, if you’d like to try your hand at making a full-size version, check out our recipe here.) Tie-Dyed Cheesecake If you have a special occasion to mark, you can also pick up a Celebration Cake as well. Celebration Cakes Make you’re selections, and you can head off to fill your cups (or Refillable Mugs) and choose your condiments. Fountain Drink Dispenser Coffee More Condiments and Cocoa The most popular condiments, like Ketchup, Mustard, and Mayo, are available “on tap”. Condiment Dispensers and Napkins But you’ll also find plenty of packaged condiments too, ranging from Hot Sauce to Malt Vinegar and beyond. Hot Sauce, Salt and Pepper Condiments — Mayonnaise, Malt Vinegar, Ketchup, BBQ Sauce, Soy Sauce, and Mustard Of course, Microwaves are available as well. Microwaves So. What did we enjoy to eat on this visit? Well, drumroll please… We decided to start with an order of Gravy Fries for the table, and had them add a little Plastic Cheese. Because, well. Gravy. And Cheese. Gravy and Cheese Fries I couldn’t pass up that Sloppy Joe, Guys! It’s the same tomato-based, slightly sweet and spicy sauce that you remember from childhood, but the sammie has one mammoth addition: Onion Rings. HUGE onion rings. It was served with your choice of Fries or Pasta Salad, and I went with the former. Sloppy Joe and Fries I am so not complaining. But between the meat sauce and the onion rings, it was a little challenging to eat. I recommend having a knife and fork handy. Sloppy Joe — Cross Section But my friend went for the Oven Roasted Turkey Sandwich with Chips (other options include Fries or Coleslaw). If you think that sounds like a snooze fest, have a closer look. Oven Roasted Turkey Sandwich and Chips This, my Friends, is Thanksgiving between two slices of bread. We’re talkin’ Mashed Potatoes, Cornbread Stuffing, and Cranberry Mayo, with a little Watercress to keep it healthy. The whole thing is pressed, panini-style, and served warm on the outside, cold on the inside. So good! Roasted Turkey Sandwich — Cross Section We also couldn’t pass up the Create Your Own Hot Dog. With toppings of Grilled Onions, Plastic Cheese (!!), and Bacon (!!!!), it was totally unique and completely delicious. Create Your Own Hot Dog We opted for Fries over Pasta Salad here, too. Sorry. But Pasta Salad isn’t that healthy, either, right? OverallEverything Pop is still tops. New places like Landscape of Flavors have debuted, but you just can’t beat Pop for its effervescent personality and plain but well-executed food. Whether you’re staying at Pop Century or you’re looking to branch out and try something else while you’re in another part of the resort, I can still say it — put Everything Pop on your list of spots to try. I know I’ve said fun like a 1000 times here…but that’s what it is. Fun. And delicious. What more could you want? Are you a fan of Everything Pop? Leave a comment and tell us about your favorites there! Disney Food Blog Fans, be sure to check out our DFB Disney World Dining Guide e-Books! Find great deals at DFBStore.com!Also, come on over and: Subscribe to our NewsletterFollow us on TwitterBecome a Facebook Fan Related posts: Guest Review: Lunch at Everything POP Food Court in Disney’s Pop Century Resort News! Menu Updates and New Dishes at Disney’s Pop Century Resort Food Court Review: Gravy Fries at Everything Pop Food Court at Disney’s Pop Century Resort View the full article

UCF students who were evacuated from their housing buildings when a small brush fire sparked nearby have returned safely, a school spokesperson said. View the full article

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After 14 years and hundreds of millions of records of Americans’ telephone calls, the National Security Agency stopped bulk collection of phone data Sunday, officials said, as legal authority for the once-secret program expired. View the full article

Two men — one of whom was a former longtime assistant football coach at Seminole High — were shot dead early Sunday in east Orange County. View the full article

Felicia Hoffman winces as she leans over to place a water glass on the coffee table of the Umatilla home where she learned to walk again. View the full article

TALLAHASSEE — As legislators return to the Capitol Monday for a second attempt at crafting a budget, they face a deadline to prevent a government shutdown amid lingering resentment between House and Senate Republicans. View the full article

TALLAHASSEE — As legislators return to the Capitol today for a second attempt at crafting a budget, they face a deadline to prevent a government shutdown amid lingering resentment between House and Senate Republicans. View the full article

For most games, concerts and, these days, high-school graduations at Amway Center, Ghenet Sequar stands at a hot-dog cart near the arena's entrance, slapping together dog, bun and wrapper with blurry deftness. View the full article

Two student-housing buildings were evacuated early Sunday evening after a small brush fire sparked near Tower One and Tower Two on UCF campus, a school spokesperson said. View the full article

Phil Rawlins isn't trying to start a revolution. He isn't the Pied Piper leading the charge for changing the dynamics of how politicians and communities grovel at the feet of professional sports teams, asking how much more we can give. View the full article

Five minutes after George's Bar and Grill opened at noon on Sunday, John Azzopardi walked through the front door, found his seat at the corner of the bar, and sat down. View the full article

Orlando City will be without winger Brek Shea against the Chicago Fire on June 6. View the full article

Qatar has agreed to temporarily extend travel bans on five senior Taliban leaders released last year from the prison at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, in exchange for Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl, a senior U.S. official said on Sunday. View the full article

One person is dead and three were injured after a single-car accident Sunday morning on the Orange Blossom Trail. View the full article

Two men were shot dead and another wounded in an early morning shooting in east Orange County. View the full article

A midnight deadline drew near for senators meeting in an extraordinary Sunday session to extend surveillance programs, but a lapse seemed unavoidable and intelligence officials worried about giving terrorists greater freedom to operate. View the full article

Greetings from somewhere between Ketchikan and Vancouver! Today marks the final day of our first Disney Vacation Club Member Cruise to Alaska, where our adventures through the Wild West have included a bit of time travel. Two of my very favorite people – Walt Disney Archives Director Becky Cline and Disney author and historian Tim O’Day – are taking members on an irreverent journey through “Disney’s Wild West,” one of several unique entertainment experiences created for this special charter voyage. Their fast-paced presentation uses filmed treasures and rare artifacts from the Walt Disney Archives to illustrate “8 Simple Rules for Enjoying Life in Disney’s Wild West.” If history class had been this entertaining, I would’ve paid far closer attention. Becky and Tim asked if they could share some artifacts with all of you, and I always do what historians tell me. I’ll leave them to show off their treasures while I go grab seats for “Broadway and Beyond: Songs We’re Wild About,” a new finale concert created by our friends from Disney Theatrical Productions. Man I’m going to hate seeing this voyage come to an end. By this time tomorrow, the artifacts will be back in their vault, the celebrities will be back doing whatever celebrities do, and my bed will be in the same zip code every night. Good thing there’s another Member Cruise in August! Disney Vacation Club Explores Disney’s Wild West by Ryan March: Originally posted on the Disney Parks Blog View the full article

One person is dead and three were injured in a single-car accident Sunday morning on the Orange Blossom Trail. View the full article