Justin Sullivan / Getty Images
A young supporter of Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney peeks under a barrier during a campaign rally at Avion Jet Center on Nov. 5, 2012 in Sanford, Fla. With one day to go until the election, Romney is making one final push throughout swing states.
Franklin Reyes / AP
A man balances a child and umbrella on his bike as it rains during the approach of Hurricane Sandy in Manzanillo, Cuba, Oct. 24, 2012.
Associated Press reports — Hurricane Sandy's howling winds and rains lashed precarious shantytowns, stranded travelers and caused rivers to rise dangerously Wednesday as it roared across Jamaica on a course that would take it on to Cuba and then possibly threaten Florida.
Franklin Reyes / AP
People remove a boat from the water ahead of the arrival of Hurricane Sandy in Manzanillo, Cuba, Oct. 24.
AFP - Getty Images
Citizens line up to be given water as they prepare for the arrival of Hurricane Sandy in Bayamo, Cuba, Oct. 24.
NOAA / AFP - Getty Images
A satellite image shows Tropical Storm Sandy approaching Cuba on Oct. 24.
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Many of the journalists covering this year's presidential campaign are deeply embedded, spending months following the candidates as they crisscross the country, hanging on every debate nuance or poll number fluctuation.
But for the reporting team of Robert Wallis and Jennifer Wallace, it was their view from a distance and their experience witnessing elections in other countries that made them seek out the voters of Florida. They wanted to learn more about what they perceive to be an increasingly polarized landscape of political opinion playing out on the airwaves and in the voting booth in America.
Robert Wallis / Panos Pictures
"I like Obama as a person but I don't like his politics," says 77-year-old Carrie Johnson of St. Augustine. "I'm a Republican. I was raised in a household that believed in paying your own way."
Photojournalist Wallis wrote in an email to NBCNews.com:
The idea for this project came from work I did in Russia in the mid 1990s. I covered the collapse of the Soviet Union in the early 90s, as a photographer working for Time Magazine. In 1996 Russia held its first ever presidential election. Instead of following the candidates as part of the media pack I decided to step off the campaign bus and talk to ordinary Russians about the momentous changes their country was facing. There was an extreme polarization of opinion in Russia at that time involving the choice of whether to try and hold on to vestiges of their old system or to fully embrace free-market capitalism.
As an ex-pat American living abroad for more than 25 years I have watched the growing polarization in American politics from afar, particularly after the election of President Obama to his first term in office. I decided to come to Florida to take a "vox-pop" approach to a presidential campaign once again. Florida is a key swing state and was at the forefront of one of the most controversial elections in American history in 2000. I was born and raised in Florida so the project was also a return to my roots.
Robert Wallis
"I voted for Obama last time, partly because he stood for a new racial tolerance, and I will stay with the devil I know than one we don't know," says Armando Rivas Senior, seen here with his son, Armando Jr."
The reporting duo describe their process:
We found our subjects by chance, at football tailgate parties, at restaurant counters, in beach parking lots, after church services and outside gun shows, among other places.
After speaking to dozens of voters, writer Wallace reflected:
As a British journalist, I was struck by the repeated mention of God in people's comments. Religion does not feature in British politics, but in America it is an issue, influencing the debate and palpable at campaign rallies where pastors will offer a prayer before speakers come to the platform. I was also interested in hearing the heated opinions about healthcare, coming as I do from the country which created the National Health Service, the world's largest publicly funded healthcare system, in 1948. In Britain, the NHS is often referred to as the "third rail", so dear to the nation's heart that, despite its cost, no party can conceive of abolishing it.
In the end, the reporting team found that voters shared divergent opinions, but could agree on one thing -- they want the truth:
A repeated observation we encountered is that the media is so politicized that it's hard to get a sense of the objective truth any longer. While people on the right accuse the mainstream media of having a liberal bias, those on the left often characterize it as being controlled by corporate interests. Nevertheless people were generally friendly and eager to speak with us if they felt their own point of view was being honestly reported. We did not challenge statements that were made to us in order to encourage people to voice their opinions freely.
Robert Wallis / Panos Pictures
In the key battleground state of Florida, divergent opinions separate voters with just over two weeks until the election.
More politics slideshows:
Joe Raedle / Getty Images
United States Coast Guard BM1 Christopher Valdes drives the 7.9-meter small boat alongside the United States Coast Guard Cutter William Flores on Oct.17 just off the shore of Miami Beach, Fla.
The U.S. Coast Guard is receiving new cutters to help replace its aging fleet. The USCGC William Flores is the third of 58 new Sentinel Class Fast Response Cutters. The new cutter will be put into service officially on Nov. 3, according to Getty Images.
Joe Raedle / Getty Images
A message is seen written on the window of the bridge on the United States Coast Guard Cutter William Flores on Oct 17 just off the shore of Miami Beach, Fla.
Reuters reports-- The U.S. Coast Guard is on the front lines of national security, but it struggles to complete its missions with one of the world's oldest maritime fleets and a multibillion dollar replacement program years behind schedule.
The cash-strapped service operates with frequent breakdowns and obsolete gear in what one U.S. congressman has called a "death spiral," of too few ships and too many missions.
If forced to give up some of its many jobs patrolling U.S. waters, that could mean more cocaine and illegal immigrants entering the United States, and fewer ships protecting boaters and fisheries and cleaning up oil spills, experts said. Read the full story.
Joe Raedle / Getty Images
United States Coast Guard Executive Officer Catherine Gillen takes the conning in the bridge of the United States Coast Guard Cutter William Flores on Oct. 17 just off the shore of Miami Beach, Fla. The cutter is the third of a planned 58 Fast Response Cutters in the Sentinel Class as the U.S. Coast Guard continues to replace its aging fleet. On Nov. 3, the USCGC William Flores will be commissioned into service in Tampa, Florida.
Joe Raedle / Getty Images
A container ship moves past the new United States Coast Guard Cutter William Flores on Oct. 17 just off the shore of Miami Beach, Fla.
Joe Raedle / Getty Images
The 26-foot small boat moves past the new United States Coast Guard Cutter William Flores after it was launched from the launch ramp on the back of the ship on Oct. 17 just off the shore of Miami Beach, Florida.
Joe Raedle / Getty Images
United States Coast Guard BM1 Christopher Valdes, left, and MK2 Cristobal Lopez ride in the 26-foot small boat after exiting from the back launch ramp of the United States Coast Guard Cutter William Flores on Oct. 17 just off the shore of Miami Beach, Fla.
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Florida Fish and Wildife via Flickr
The eyeball that caused a sensation was cut from a swordfish's head, apparently by a fisherman, scientists say.
The giant eyeball from Florida that captured the world's attention came from a swordfish, scientists reported today. They said straight-line slashes on the softball-sized orb suggest that it was freshly cut out of the fish's head by a fisherman and tossed overboard. The fact that it washed ashore and was found by a beachcomber so quickly contributed to a rare string of circumstances that sparked last week's collective "ewws" and "ahhs."
"It's definitely been unusual to have a situation quite like this," Kevin Baxter, a spokesman for the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, told me today. The commission has been fielding tons of inquiries ever since pictures of the eerie eyeball turned up on Thursday. If you haven't seen them yet, be sure to check out the commission's Facebook page and Flickr gallery.
Observers had speculated that the eye might have come from a large fish, or a giant squid, or even a whale — but in retrospect, the scenario involving a swordfish caught at sea seems to make the most sense. Genetic testing is being conducted to confirm the hypothesis.
Here's the explanation from the commission's news release:
"After examining an eye found on a south Florida beach this week, researchers from the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission believe the specimen came from a swordfish. Genetic testing will be done to confirm the identification.
"'Experts on site and remotely have viewed and analyzed the eye, and based on its color, size and structure, along with the presence of bone around it, we believe the eye came from a swordfish,' said Joan Herrera, curator of collections at the FWC’s Fish and Wildlife Research Institute in St. Petersburg. 'Based on straight-line cuts visible around the eye, we believe it was removed by a fisherman and discarded.'
"The approximately softball-size eye was recovered by a citizen in Pompano Beach on Wednesday. FWC staff received the eye later that day. Swordfish are commonly fished in the Florida Straits offshore of south Florida at this time of year.
"A highly migratory fish, swordfish can be found from the surface to as deep as 2,000 feet. Swordfish in the Atlantic can reach a maximum size of over 1,100 pounds, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Swordfish feed on a wide variety of fish and invertebrates."
More sea marvels:
Alan Boyle is NBCNews.com's science editor. Connect with the Cosmic Log community by "liking" the log's Facebook page, following @b0yle on Twitter and adding the Cosmic Log page to your Google+ presence. To keep up with Cosmic Log as well as NBCNews.com's other stories about science and space, sign up for the Tech & Science newsletter, delivered to your email in-box every weekday. You can also check out "The Case for Pluto," my book about the controversial dwarf planet and the search for new worlds.
Carli Segelson / Fla. FWCC via AP
A photo from the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission shows a giant eyeball from a mysterious sea creature that washed ashore and was found by a man walking the beach in Pompano Beach, Fla., on Wednesday. The eyeball will be sent to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Research Institute in St. Petersburg, Fla.
A giant eyeball that washed ashore and was found by a beachcomber in Pompano Beach, Fla., is mystifying wildlife officials — but probably not for long.
The softball-sized eyeball was reported to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission on Wednesday, and wildlife officers put the specimen on ice. It will be preserved and sent to the Fish and Wildlife Research Institute in St. Petersburg, Fla., for analysis.
Marine biologists couldn't immediately identify which species of sea creature would be associated with the eye, but researchers will use genetic testing if necessary to solve the mystery, said Carli Segelson, a spokeswoman for the commission. "I shouldn't say this, but they may be able to eyeball it," she told me today.
Segelson said she's been fielding tons of inquiries about the case, especially since a picture of "THE MYSTERY EYEBALL" was posted to the commission's Facebook page. "It's just gone viral," she said. There are more pictures in the commission's Flickr photo gallery.
Some have suggested that the eye came from a monster fish, a giant squid or even a whale. It does look a bit like this picture of an eye from a giant squid, but Segelson said wildlife officers are leaning toward a different scenario.
"The primary suspect right now is that it would be a large fish," she said. Among the possibilities are a swordfish, or a tuna, or some sort of deep-water fish species.
What do you think it is? Feel free to give it your best shot a comment below, and keep your eyes peeled for the answer.
More sea marvels:
Alan Boyle is NBCNews.com's science editor. Connect with the Cosmic Log community by "liking" the log's Facebook page, following @b0yle on Twitter and adding the Cosmic Log page to your Google+ presence. To keep up with Cosmic Log as well as NBCNews.com's other stories about science and space, sign up for the Tech & Science newsletter, delivered to your email in-box every weekday. You can also check out "The Case for Pluto," my book about the controversial dwarf planet and the search for new worlds.
Lynne Sladky / AP
A dog walks through the rubble, lower left, with rescue workers at a five-story parking garage after it collapsed at Miami-Dade College, on Oct. 10, in Miami, killing one worker and trapping two others in the rubble, officials said. Several other workers were hurt, including one rescued from the debris.
Miami-Dade Fire Rescue via Getty Images
A Miami-Dade search and rescue dog looks for possible survivors in the rubble of a four-story parking garage that was under construction and collapsed at the Miami Dade College's West Campus on Oct. 10, in Doral, Florida.
J Pat Carter / AP
Rescue workers attend to a victim after a section of a parking garage under construction at a Miami-Dade College campus collapsed, on Oct. 10, in Doral, Fla., killing one worker and trapping at least two others in the rubble, officials said.
NBCMiami.com and NBC News staff --Police say a second body has been found in the rubble of a collapsed parking garage at Miami-Dade Community College's west campus in Doral, Fla.
Hours after the collapse at 11:40 a.m. on Wednesday, one person remained trapped in the rubble. Six crew members were with the person giving him oxygen and attending to his needs as others removed the heavy debris, said Capt. Louie Fernandez of Fire Rescue. Another person who had been trapped was rescued.
"The person cannot be moved. We literally have to lift and remove tons of debris around him," he said.
Some 300 rescuers rushed to the scene when a portion of the five-story parking garage at 3800 N.W. 115th Ave. collapsed in what authorities call a "pancake-style collapse." Police said it appeared that only construction workers were at the site.
Joe Raedle / Getty Images
Family members hug a construction worker who was working on a four-story parking garage that was under construction and collapsed at the Miami Dade College's West Campus on Oct. 10, in Doral, Florida.
Sam Greenwood / Getty Images
Dante Fowler Jr. of the Florida Gators celebrates with fans following the 14-6 win over the LSU Tigers at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium on Oct. 6 in Gainesville, Fla.
Dante Fowler Jr. of the Florida Gators celebrates with fans following the 14-6 win over the LSU Tigers at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium on Oct. 6 in Gainesville, Fla.
Over the last two weeks, I photographed both the Republican and Democratic national conventions. How do they compare?
John Brecher / NBC News
The crowds at the RNC, left, and the DNC, wait between speeches.
They're similar: there's cheering and pageantry, waving of signs, wearing of buttons, standing in lines, sweating in suits.
And, of course, they differ. Say "health care reform" to each crowd and observe angry disgust or relieved enthusiasm. The first arena cheers at Mitt Romney's speech when he says: "President Obama promised to begin to slow the rise of the oceans. And to heal the planet. My promise is to help you and your family."
And the next arena cheers for this line from Obama's speech: "…climate change is not a hoax. More droughts and floods and wildfires are not a joke. They're a threat to our children's future."
Concern for their children gets a rise from each audience. But it's what each group sees as a threat that determines which arena they stand in.
John Brecher / NBC News
At left, Mitt Romney accepts Republican Party's nomination to run for president. At right, President Obama delivers his acceptance speech at the DNC.
It's a bit like a huge sporting event in which the two teams play not at once, but in subsequent weeks. As pitched as their fervor gets, would fans really want the other team to stop playing?
Of course, it's not a game. Or rather, it is a game and also something far weightier: an huge nation taking shape, a great block of ideas and potential actions whittled into a form that a majority of its voters can support, or at least tolerate.
John Brecher / NBC News
The vehicle at left drove around Tampa and Charlotte during both the RNC and DNC, while the street preachers at right worked at the center of Charlotte during the DNC.
For me, the best experience is to learn what motivates regular people who make the journey at their own expense. I'm especially curious about groups swimming differently in the stream, like the first national meeting of Mormon Democrats or Republicans for Ron Paul. Why do some women vote for Romney, or some senior citizens for Obama, when more members of those groups vote the other way? At both conventions, the attendees have one thing in common: they believe they're right.
John Brecher / NBC News
At left, Elliott Bell and John Michael Simpson sell Obama heads, t-shirts and buttons outside the DNC. At right, Nila Geiger attends a Tea Party event during the RNC.
See more visual coverage from the DNC in PhotoBlog and in this slideshow.
Or if you prefer, see the RNC in PhotoBlog and in this slideshow.
From tramping through cornfields to munching ice cream cones to holding babies – the time-honored traditions of the campaign trail leave President Barack Obama and GOP challenger Mitt Romney looking surprisingly alike.
John Brecher / NBC News
Nickie and Rodger Currie of Arlington, Va., sit in the upper deck of the Tampa Bay Times Forum as they watch Mitt Romney deliver his speech at the RNC. "I think he hit it out of the park," said Nickie, because "he made it personal, and he showed his vision for the United States." Rodger said he's not personally driven to see Obamacare repealed, but he is very interested in reducing health care costs via effective policy, which he felt Romney alluded to.
John Brecher / NBC News
"Getting back into growth mode" is what James Patel of Edinburgh, Minn., thought was Romney's central message. "I like that he said that failed policies have us tucking our tail," said Patel, who finds hope in the message of growing business and making more use of domestic energy such as coal.
John Brecher / NBC News
"I enjoyed that he let his emotions come out. He let down his wall," said Shaye Leeper of Temecula, Calif., and her son Blake, 19. "Reaganesque," said Blake, pointing out that Romney referenced Reagan by asking if people think they're better off now than four years ago. "For people on the fence, that's an important question."
John Brecher / NBC News
John Brecher / NBC News
"I loved his speech," said Pepper Dombroski, of Maui. "It answered a lot of questions I had about him, and I've been following him for years. To me it wasn't just a speech for Republicans, it was for all Americans." She said he included a lot of comments directed toward women: "I thought he had a hopeful message for women in business and for stay at home moms. I don't know if it sounds the same to men, but when you hear those references it resonates."
At right, Dr. Mark Hartley of South Carolina carries out a souvenir as he leaves the Tampa Bay Times Forum, site of the RNC. As for Romney's speech, "I couldn't be more happy. Anybody who heard that speech, if they believe him, he'll be the next president. If they don't [like the speech], there's no hope."
More about Mitt Romney's speech:
As the Republican National Convention in Tampa builds to its final night and its most anticipated speaker Mitt Romney, take a spin through an interactive image, below, of the the Tampa Bay Times Forum where the events are being held. (Editor's note: This image was created by stitching multiple pictures together)
A view from the 3rd floor of the Tampa Bay Times Forum, taken between shows at the CNBC booth, one of many news studios ringing the floor. (John Brecher / NBCNews.com)
Workers, delegates, journalists and others mix and mingle as they pass through the hallway surrounding level 3 of the Tampa Bay Times Forum, site of the RNC. (John Brecher / NBCNews.com)
See more visual stories from the RNC in PhotoBlog, and NBC's full coverage of the event.
Slideshow: 2012 Republican National Convention
John Brecher / NBC News
"I like the idea that Mitt Romney is a businessperson, and is concerned about what's important to small business owners," said Kathy Eshelman of Columbus, Ohio. As the founder of a small business, Eshelman's main concern is the reinvigoration of the economy.
John Brecher / NBC News
Jane C. Edmonds, a professor at Northeastern University in Boston, is a Democrat who came to the RNC to offer her support for Mitt Romney's candidacy.
NBC's Michael O'Brien reported Tuesday on the Republicans' need to capture the support of women from Democrats, noting:
"Obama led Romney 51 percent to 41 percent among women in the August NBC News/Wall Street Journal poll, and the GOP brand lags significantly behind the Democratic brand among women voters."
At the same time, there are thousands of women attending the Republican National Convention, and not all of them are Republicans.
At left, Jane C. Edmonds, a professor at Northeastern University in Boston, is a Democrat who came to the RNC to offer her support for Mitt Romney's candidacy. She served as secretary of workforce development for Gov. Romney in Massachusetts from 2003 to 2007 and says that experience convinced her that he'd be a good president:
"I want to be able to feel that the next president of the United States will be in a position to move us from the place that we're at right now to a better future."
John Brecher / NBC News
Mary Elizabeth Russell, who studies international political economy at the University of Texas at Dallas, holds her just-autographed copy of Dinesh D'Souza's "Obama's America" in the Channelside district of Tampa. She said about her presence at the RNC: "We're the first generation who's worse off than our parents, and that's what makes me want to get involved."
Siobhan "Sam" Bennett is president and CEO of The Women's Campaign Fund of Washington D.C., which provides money through its political action committee to female candidates of any party, provided they support abortion rights. Bennett says that though her positions on issues haven't changed in 30 years, her place on the political spectrum has shifted from moderate Republican to liberal Democrat.
John Brecher / NBC News
"I stopped believing you have to be a Democrat to effect change," said Anita Moncrief of Washington D.C., editor-in-chief of emergingcorruption.com. A former employee of ACORN, she voted for Obama but then became disillusioned with his administration's political appointments. She registered as a Republican in March after "two and a half years and a lot of soul-searching."
John Brecher / NBC News
"We probably don't really understand how good we have it," said Colorado blogger Michelle Morin about living in America. Morin's perspective starts with the idea that the United States is unique among nations because of the principles established by its Founding Fathers, and that the freedoms that make it special are subject to continuous erosion. She said: "Most Americans I talk to outside of the conservative movement don't really have a full understanding and grasp of those principles that made this nation great."
Marion Jones is from Honolulu, but she got the hat as a gift from the Texas delegation. As a staunchly anti-abortion Catholic, her political choice boils down to the issue of abortion. Watch this video to hear her and other women at the RNC talk about what motivates them politically.
See more visual stories from the RNC in PhotoBlog, and NBC's full coverage of the event.
Slideshow: 2012 Republican National Convention
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