Monday, December 10, 2007

Florida Zoo Getting 30 Puerto Rican Monkeys

Puerto Rico officials have a new plan to solve their monkey problem: export them to Central Florida. About 30 patas monkeys have been shipped to the Florida International Teaching Zoo in Sumter County as part of a larger strategy to capture, neuter, track and export packs of monkeys that have invaded the island from a defunct research facility........more
"These are animals that could become an endangered species soon in their native Africa because they are being aggressively hunted for food,"..........Mark Wilson

Florida Veterans Call Off Plan To Picket Jane Fonda

Thirty-five years after she straddled an enemy cannon in defiance of the United States' involvement in the Vietnam War, Jane Fonda has vets in a frenzy about a visit to Palm Beach for a fund-raiser next week. Some of the 7,000-plus members of the American Legion in Palm Beach, Martin and Okeechobee counties were expecting to be called to picket Tuesday's luncheon of the YWCA at The Breakers........here

Sunday, December 9, 2007

Oprah And Obama in Iowa

Myakka River State Park Additions

Thursday, Dec. 13 will be the day Florida Forever, a state land conservation program, will designate its acquisition and restoration council to decide whether or not to purchase 18,743 acres of environmentally sensitive land for about $80 million.......here
The additional areas jointly connect -- and protect -- a contiguous system of conservation areas in Sarasota County

Miss You, John. 27 Years Later

I still wish I could turn back the clock to the Summer of 1980. I remember everything - sharing our morning coffee, walking in the park together on a beautiful day, and seeing your hand stretched to mine - holding it, reassuring me that I shouldn't worry about anything because our life was good.........here

The Orlando Weekly Charged With Promoting Prostitution

For years, the back pages of The Orlando Weekly were filled with ads for naughty nurses, sultry coeds and girls with come-hither names like "Rush" and "Roxie." But the saucy escort-service advertising came to a halt this fall. Vice squad officers arrested three of the paper's advertising sales reps in a sting operation and secured an extraordinary racketeering indictment against the Weekly, accusing it of knowingly profiting from prostitution.......here

Florida Teen Is Documenting The 2008 Elections

Tenth grader Noah Gray quietly pulled out his iPhone in English class and saw the e-mail he’d been waiting for. You’re in!” He smiled and hid his phone. The 15-year-old hadn’t gotten in to a party or a sports event. The e-mail was from a spokeswoman for Univision, the Spanish television station. The news: He’d have a press pass for Sunday’s Republican presidential debate in Florida......more

Saturday, December 8, 2007

Mexican Iguanas Invade Gasparilla Island

Florida's idyllic Gasparilla island has taken up arms against aggressive foreign intruders, but the Mexican spiny-tailed iguanas are putting up a tough fight, devouring landscaped gardens, munching on electrical cables and gobbling up turtle eggs.........more

The Reluctant Chelsea Clinton

Democratic presidential candidate frontrunners are pulling out the big guns this week to woo voters in Iowa. While Barack Obama leans on Oprah Winfrey's star power to pull in crowds, Hillary turns to support from daughter Chelsea Clinton and mother Dorothy Rodham to lend her campaign a softer 'family' feel..........here

Friday, December 7, 2007

Liberals And Ron Paul

Florida Progressive Coalition And Samm Simpson
I've taken Samm Simpson off the progressive blogroll and I couldn't possibly support her in her run for Congress at this point.......Kenneth Quinnell
I know your heart is in the right place and you and I are both deeply concerned about this nation...............Samm Simpson

Dean: Can't Trust Republicans With Your Money

"Republicans continue to prove that you just can't trust them with your money. The Bush Republicans in Congress can't claim to be fiscal conservatives one day and then block Democratic efforts to responsibly manage our country's finances the next. Democrats are absolutely committed to stopping a tax hike on millions of unsuspecting middle class Americans but Republicans are blocking efforts to do so responsibly. With our national debt rising by $1.4 billion a day and foreign governments controlling our debt, what will it take for Republicans to act responsibly?"

Thursday, December 6, 2007

I Am A Muslim!

Why Not Drink Local?

In a triumph of marketing over reasoning, the bottled water industry has turned us into conspicuously silly consumers.Controlled by a handful of global conglomerates (such as Coca Cola and Nestle), the water industry has created the fantasy that if it's in a bottle, it's purer than what comes out of the tap. But wait – the EPA stringently regulates the public water systems, requiring tests several times a day for bacteria and other contaminants, and these test results are public information. The corporate bottlers, on the other hand, are overseen by the more lackadaisical FDA, which requires them to test their water sources only once a week – and the results are kept secret by the corporations......here

Heckuva Job DHS! 5 Years Of Corporate Cronyism

Kucinich First, Edwards Second In PDA Straw Poll

Not surprisingly in a field of eight contenders, no candidate came close to gaining a majority of the total vote in PDA's recently completed presidential straw poll. But two candidates--Dennis Kucinich (41%) and John Edwards (26%)--combined for more than 2/3 of the total vote.......here

Residents Of Cassadaga Florida Converse With The Dead

The scent of incense hangs in the air as one passes between the columns saying "Welcome Cassadaga Spiritualist Camp." So does a musty odor. The smells come from the small houses that line the narrow streets, the porches decorated with chimes and ornaments. The paint peels from many homes and some of the yards are unkempt and cluttered. The spooky atmosphere is appropriate — the Spiritualists who live here say they converse with the dead.......here

Justin Troller Elected To Lakeland City Commission

Justin Troller, a Lakeland High School teacher and tireless campaigner, easily defeated Brian Dockery in Tuesday's runoff election for a seat on the Lakeland City Commission. Troller won the nonpartisan race with 61 percent of the vote in an aggressive campaign that in its final days pitted unions vs. business leaders and Republicans vs. Democrats........here

Ron Paul Talks Abortion On The View

Manatees To Stay On Florida's Endangered Species List

Commissioners from the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission unanimously voted to postpone a decision to downlist manatees from “endangered” to “threatened” Wednesday. Commissioners also approved the first ever management plan for manatees, which will not only develop better ways to count them but also beef up protections for the sea cow........here
“We got some very good news today,”..........Pat Rose, Director Of The Save The Manatee Club

Wednesday, December 5, 2007

Evolution Battling Intelligent Design In Florida Schools

The next intelligent design showdown will take place in Florida, where opposition is mounting to state -mandated emphasis on the importance of evolution to science education. The controversy comes on the heels of a Texas education official's firing for forwarding an email critical of intelligent design, which holds that some phenomena are too complex to be explained except by Godly manufacture.......more

Howard Dean One, Bill Nelson Zero

A federal judge ruled Wednesday that the Democratic National Committee has every right to strip Florida of its 210 delegates as punishment for moving its primary date to Jan. 29. U.S. District Judge Robert Hinkle dismissed a lawsuit against the national party by U.S. Sen. Bill Nelson, ruling from the bench that ``Florida has to comply by the same rules as everybody else and does not get to insist on its own way.''........here

Tuesday, December 4, 2007

If They’ve Got The Guns, We’ve Got The Numbers

Liberal Hawk Says Iraq No Longer Matters
Iraq is now a “Non- Story” and quickly becoming irrelevant to the presidential campaign. So says liberal pundit Peter Beinart. If there’s anything more dangerous than a neoconservative hawk, it’s a liberal hawk. Among Democrats, virtually all the elite figures have endorsed the Bush administration’s plan to pursue the “Korea model,” with those 50,000 or U.S. troops “enduring” (the new code word for permanently) on those U.S. bases in Iraq. Only Bill Richardson has publicly called for all U.S. troops to leave Iraq. (Kucinich fans may be glad to hear that Dennis doesn’t count as part of the elite.).......more

Good Morning America Learns That Bin Laden Is CIA

Dean: Bush Has Lost All Credibility With the American People

"President Bush has lost all credibility with the American people. We were misled on Iraq, now it's Iran. We need to get to the truth so our foreign policy is not only tough but smart. By electing a Democratic president, we can not only begin to renew the American people's trust in its government but also restore America's moral authority in the world.".......Howard Dean

The Florida Marriage Amendment

The Christian Family Coalition announced that it has filed the remaining 3,300 petition signatures necessary to place the Florida Marriage Amendment on the November 2008 U.S. Presidential ballot.....here

Peace Group Barred From Manatee And Sarasota County Schools

Public school districts in two Florida counties are refusing to allow members of a peace organisation to counter the presence of military recruiters by talking with high school students about options other than joining the service, according to a spokesperson for the group........here
Under Bush's "No Child Left Behind" law, signed in 2002, public high schools must give military recruiters access to students, including their names, addresses and telephone numbers.

Monday, December 3, 2007

Bloggers Against GOP Dirty Tricks

Join With Courage Campaign!

Trouble Has Fled To Florida

Trouble, a white Maltese who belonged to billionaire Leona Helmsley until her death in August, was flown by private jet under tight security two months ago after receiving around 20 such threats.........here
The 12 Million Dollar Dog

Florida National Guard To Afghanistan In 2009

The 3,400 soldiers of the 53rd Infantry Brigade will "assume battle space in Afghanistan" to perform a range of operations starting in the summer of 2009, the Pentagon announced Monday. More than 1,200 members of the brigade, headquartered at Pinellas Park, returned from an active-duty tour in Afghanistan as recently as mid-2006.........here

Sunday, December 2, 2007

Helen Thomas pwns Dana Perino

Florida Schools Take Out Loans To Pay Teachers

The Jefferson County school district was forced to take out a short-term loan to cover payroll for the 220 teachers and other employees in the system after $2.7 million it held in the pool was frozen yesterday. At least five other districts also obtained last-minute loans.......more
"What we just experienced here is a classic run-on-the bank meltdown.''........Hal Wilson, chief financial officer of the Jefferson County school district

Venezuelan Election Results Could Impact Florida

Nearly 16 million Venezuelans will go to the polls to vote on a proposal to reform the 1999 constitution. The proposal would increase President Hugo Chavez's powers, and would allow him to be re-elected indefinitely.........here
"We Venezuelans would never accept a Fidel Castro-like communism, like the one in Cuba today,".......Nancy Lancaster
Let's Hope So!

Saturday, December 1, 2007

Dean: Democrats Can Win In Red States

"What Virginia Democrats have demonstrated is that if you show up and work hard, not just in Northern Virginia but everywhere, and speak about our values as Democrats and Americans, there is no part of America that Democrats cannot win,"........here

Chris Rock Introduces Barack Obama