By Mimi Andelman, St. Petersburg Times

We won't soon be seeing Grandpa's face or Great-Aunt Shirley's height and weight on a milk carton, but we now have something that's sadly familiar for folks of missing kids: the "Silver Alert." It's the elder version of the "Amber Alert" that is quickly dispatched by law enforcement agencies when a child goes missing.

The National Guard, the oldest component of the Armed Forces of the United States and one of the nation's longest-enduring institutions, will celebrate its 372nd birthday on December 13, 2008. The National Guard traces its history back to the earliest English colonies in North America. Responsible for their own defense, the colonists drew on English military tradition and organized their able-bodied male citizens into militias.

The City of Tarpon Springs was recently honored when First Lady Laura Bush, Honorary Chair of the Preserve America initiative, designated it as one of the nation's newest Preserve America Communities.

Consular Call Center: Americans who have reason to believe that a relative or friend has been affected by the attacks in Mumbai, India should call: 1-888-407-4747.

Last Friday Gus attended the public unveiling of the first in a series of 'Freedom Homes' in St. Petersburg.

The Freedom Home has been developed to offer enhanced living in a “Freedomized” environment for those with disabilities as well as those who are able bodied.

On Friday, Gus attended the change of central Command ceremony at MacDill Air Force Base in Tampa. Lt. General Martin Dempsey relinquished command to General David H. Petraeus, formerly commander of Multi-National Force - Iraq.

Gus, who is a Member of the House Veterans’ Affairs Committee and Chairman of the Republican Policy Committee’s Task Force on Veterans’ Affairs, met with local VA officials and toured the new off-site VA Dental Clinic in New Port Richey which is expected to open sometime in the new year.

Today, Gus joined with over 30 of his House in calling for opening the books at Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac to the public, allowing Americans to see inside the decisions made by the leadership of the two mortgage giants at the heart of the crisis gripping our financial markets.

The South Florida Sun-Sentinel has the story...

 "South Florida's first "Silver Alert" ended happily Wednesday when an elderly man suffering from Alzheimer's disease was found safe in Miami-Dade County.

The new alert system, which helps find missing and endangered people generally over the age of 60, has now been used twice successfully in Florida in its first week. A third alert was issued in North Florida Wednesday night.

By GUS BILIRAKIS

Marked by the ubiquitous color pink, October represents the month of the year during which we collectively direct our attention towards breast cancer. National Breast Cancer Awareness Month provides an annual opportunity to raise both awareness and hope for millions of America’s women and men affected by breast cancer.