Old Vs. Modern Florida

Florida is and has long been two fundamentally different states tenuously glued together by artificial geopolitical boundaries that have long since been rendered culturally obsolete...........here

Florida's Latest Pest: Hissing Cockroaches

Be on the lookout for Madagascar hissing cockroaches, which make your garden variety cockroach look like a wuss.......here

Two Guys From Tarpon Springs

This year, Florida voters could choose from 13 presidential candidates, many from parties people never knew existed. Voters also had a 14th option — a blank line next to the words "Write-in."........here

Brian Blair's "Checkers Speech"

At the County Center Thursday hinted ominously at legal action against his opponent, Commissioner-elect Kevin Beckner. Without taking any personal responsibility for his 50,000 vote loss, Blair blamed "slanderous and libelous" ads and gave credit only to Beckner's campaign manager for outsmarting his campaign manager...........here

"There's got to be rules for everything. I mean how far can you go? Could I say that, you know, that his boyfriend gave him AIDS or something like that? I certainly know that's not true.".......Brian Blair

Buddy Johnson's Vote Stash

The Hillsborough County Supervisor of Elections office is trying to figure out how 844 absentee ballots went uncounted on election night over one week ago...........here

Canadian Author Goes to the Dogs in Tampa

Award-winning author Marsha Boulton is going to the dogs this weekend in Tampa. In partnership with the ASPCA "Mission Orange," Ms Boulton is launching "Wally's Week - Tampa" at Tampa's huge Pet Adoption EXPO at the State Fairgrounds on Saturday, November 15.......here
Lost Angels

Inaugural Seating Chart

Delusional Right Wing Governors Gather In Miami

Gov. Charlie Crist is the host, but he's not the star of the Republican Governors Association annual convention. The star of the show, without doubt, is Gov. Sarah Palin, almost unknown outside her home state of Alaska just three months ago........here

Water Taxis Coming To Tampa?

Back in May, I looked at water taxis/ferries as a mode of public transit for Tampa Bay. It’s an innovative idea that has been resurrected many times locally, but always fell flat to finances or bureaucracy............here

Republicans In Disarray In Hillsborough County

If it took a wrecked economy and a languishing war in Iraq for the United States to elect a black man as president, it took a former pro wrestler and a chicken-and-dumplings entrepreneur to force Hillsborough County to return to the Democratic party...........here

Don't Be A Sore Loser Brian Blair

Hillsborough County Commissioner Brian Blair said he wanted his goodbye news conference to be an "upbeat" affair, but the wrestler in him couldn't leave the ring without a few shots at the opponent who whipped him...........here

Inkwood Books: Tampa Florida

Inkwood Books is another proud independent, located near Tampa's historic Hyde Park. The store is a converted 1920s bungalow, with a friendly and casual atmosphere. They've been around for about seventeen years and they are staunchly independent and members of IndieBound........here

Tampa Bay Obama Volunteers Holiday / Victory Party

Friday, December 5th 7pm
American Legion Post 248
2105 W Jamaica St
Tampa.........info

Neighbors Keep Up Appearances In Struggling Tampa Suburbs

Jordan Glass has pulled out his green Murray lawn mower 30 times in the past seven months. Not to groom his own yard, but that of vanishing neighbors, suburbanites who fell on hard times and felt their only recourse was to abandon their homes........here

Tampa Tribune Losing Perspectve, Personality, Respect

It turns out that Media General laid off another 80 people this week, including 18 from the Tampa Tribune newsroom. That newspapers are in dire straits is not news. Reporters are losing jobs across the nation as they trim the fat. But our local daily is completely cutting out all of the marble and cleaving the meat - leaving us with no flavor and little substance........here

Rate Increases Approved for Progress Energy, TECO

Customers of Progress Energy and Tampa Electric will see significantly higher bills starting in January. Both utilities had asked to increase electric bills to pay for the soaring cost of fuel.

The Public Service Commission unanimously approved those increases Wednesday.......here

Making Progress Making Things

A tiny bit of disbelief, given all that we've witnessed in elections past (especially in Florida). Intense pride, given all the racist blather I'd seen, heard, and read these past two years, that America had elected a brilliant man to its highest office, based on the content of his character instead of the color of his skin.........here

Florida Governor Announces Terms Of Everglades Deal

Florida Gov. Charlie Crist today announced the final terms of a deal with the U.S. Sugar Corporation that would give the state control of more than 180,000 acres of the Florida Everglades, and allow the company to remain in business............here

Save The Ybor City Roosters Rally

Sunday 3 p.m.
1908 E Fifth Ave. Ybor City

Ned The Tampa Elephant

He weighs a ton less than he should weigh. His cheeks are gaunt. His shoulder blades, sternum, hips and spine protrude from his leathery 9-foot-6 frame. But 21-year-old Ned, a captive-born Asian elephant from Tampa, wobbled slowly out of a trailer Sunday into a new phase of his life........here

Florida, Where 62% Of The Voters Are Bigots

I wish everyone well in Florida, but if I had my way, the tourist industry would take a huge dump. I am encouraging everyone I know not to visit ar vacation there...........here

Inside A Converted Cigar Factory In The Heart Of Ybor City

A group of Barack Obama staffers hunch over their laptops in intense, nearly silent concentration. This is the nerve center of Obama's Florida operation, and the election is four days away........here

Chickens of Ybor City

No one really knows how long chickens have been roaming Ybor City. I’d guess they have been there since the late 1800s, but I know I have seen them strutting around Ybor for the last 25 years or so, which makes the “Chickens of Ybor City” an older franchise than many of the businesses currently found on 7th Avenue........here

Great Job Howard Dean

After four years at the helm of the Democratic National Committee, Howard Dean is preparing to relinquish his chairmanship........here