Sunday, March 22, 2009

The International Rum Festival In Ybor City

The festival’s main events are being held March 26-28 in three different venues. Teatro on Seventh is hosting The Rum Tasting Dinner Thursday night. The following day, festival goers can dress down at Gaspar’s Grotto for Rum on the Bar B (Q). The festival wraps up Saturday night with the Main Event being held at the Ritz Ybor............more

Tampa Stair Climbers

More than 700 climbed 42 floors in the Bank of America building in Tampa on Saturday to raise money for the American Lung Association..........more

Florida Water Worries: Serious Shortages For Tampa Bay

The reservoir's level is so low we are unable to provide water, consistently, to the water treatment plant and we are unable to pull water from the Alafia River or the Tampa Bypass Canal............more

Saturday, March 21, 2009

Best Of Tedd Webb

What is a liberal? A liberal is a person so open minded, their brains fall out of their heads.........Tedd Webb

The Stogie Has Obamicon Tampa Bay's Favorite Right Winger,
I Hope He Dosn't Get Mad.

Angela Rouson for City Council

Late word from the City Clerk's office says that Angela Rouson, pictured here with her husband state representative Darryl Rouson, has picked up candidate paperwork to run for the District 5 seat on the St. Petersburg City Council........here

Lorena And Jay Sneaks In Ybor City

Carrie Wildes Photography

Happy Family

In Tampa

The Year Of The Developer In Florida

This is a year for developers and their high-paid legal lackeys to make end-runs on state and local environmental regulations, all in the name of re-starting our economy by letting development and growth run rampant — which is pretty much what tanked Florida’s economy in the first place...........more

What Stogie Had For Lunch

Stir-Fried Shrimp in Garlic Sauce With Rice
$5.95...........At Good Eats 40th Street And Busch Blvd. In Tampa

Friends Of Stogie

At Baba Louies

Choose Life

Now Or Later?
On East Bay In Largo

The Charlie Miranda Shower

"We've been spoiled in America," opined council member Charlie Miranda, famous (or infamous) for his contention that you can shower as effectively in four minutes as in 15. The Miranda Shower goes like this: water on, get wet, water off, suds up, water on. Rinse and do not repeat..........more
Stogie Can Do It In 7 Minutes

Tampa Theatre's Free Sunset Cinema

Tonight, they’ll be showing “Raiders of the Lost Ark,” (clearly the best in the Indiana Jones series) at River Tower Park, 401 E. Bird Street in Seminole Heights. An inflatable, 50-foot-wide screen and powerful sound system provide excellent visual and sound effects..........here

Businessman Hakim Aquil Of Tampa

Has been selling his wares at Columbus Drive and North Boulevard in Tampa for 25 years. But new vendor rules are forcing him to shut down..........here

Tampa Is Great, Wish You Were Here

This sign makes me laugh every time I drive by, so I finally stopped to take a photo. I swear, I only went in to talk about baseball..........here

New Heights Magazine

here

Friday, March 20, 2009

Criststimulus

Barack Obama’s most ardent Republican supporter, Florida’s Charlie Crist, finally released a website detailing where federal stimulus funds will go...........here

Friends Of Stogie

At The Old UA

Lieutenant of Inishmore at the Jobsite Theater

here

Fellow Drivers Beware

Hillsborough Ave And Anderson Road

What Stogie Had For Lunch

Palomilla Steak
With Red Beans And Rice
$5.85 At El Paraiso Cafe On 7th Ave In East Tampa

Streets Of Tampa

7th Ave. And 40th St.

Fires North of Tampa Bay

Two fires are blazing in northwestern Florida, in the upper lefthand quadrant of this image. This western part of the Florida Peninsula has been experiencing long term drough conditions...........here

Temple Terrace, Florida

Revenue Stream
56th St. And Fowler Ave
South Bound Traffic Turning Right, Beware

Thursday, March 19, 2009

Friends Of Stogie

At The LA Hangout

Ani DiFranco In Tampa

FRIDAY, MARCH 20 AT 8PM - TAMPA THEATRE

Committee Approves Bestiality Law

Broward Sen. Nan Rich's bill to make bestiality a crime is moving toward becoming law, picking up a unanimous committee approval Tuesday. Florida is among 16 states that don't outlaw sex with animals. Rich's bill would make it a third-degree felony............more
What will the folks in the panhandle do on Saturday nights?

A New Foundation for Growth

The Bartlet Park Community Garden

Planting a Sustainable Yard: The basics of Florida Native Landscaping
Saturday March 21st, 9:00-10:00 am - 1443 Highland St. South, St. Pete.......here

The Stogie Is 6 Years Old

The Beginnings

Wednesday, March 18, 2009

Natasha Jane Richardson

RIP
1963 - 2009

Hungry Harry's BBQ In Seffner

All in all, a great value for all-you-can-eat BBQ. If you find yourself in Seffner with an empty stomach, you'll be hard pressed to do better than Hungry Harrys for the money...........here

Matriarch's Love Lives On As Ybor Family's Legacy

With three generations of my family in Ybor City, my childhood memories are the catalyst for the ideal of a kinder, gentler society. I remember an integrated neighborhood in segregated times, speaking to people as we walked to and fro. I remember devil crabs made from chunks of fresh crabmeat and the best Cuban sandwiches from the Silver Ring Cafe........more

Cuban Connection Long and Deep In Tampa

For most Floridians, the mention of Cuba generates immediate thoughts of Fidel Castro, the Cuban Missile Crisis, the Mariel Boat Lift and the United States' long-standing trade embargo. But, Florida and specifically the Tampa Bay area have longer, deeper and richer ties to that island nation than what's occurred in the last half century........more

The Tampa Bay Blues Festival

Each year since 1995 the Tampa Bay Blues Festival has been staged at beautiful Vinoy Waterfront Park in downtown St. Petersburg. The park is located on the shores of scenic Tampa Bay, with the famous St. Petersburg Pier providing a brilliant backdrop for the festival. With its acres of plush grass and palm trees, Vinoy Park is the perfect tropical setting for one of the world's greatest blues festivals............here

South Tampa Neighbors Oppose Cell Tower Proposal

The possibility of a cell phone tower rising in their neighborhood has Virginia Park residents taking a stand..........more

Woodpecker Terrorizes Tampa Neighborhood

The woodpecker normally prefers softwood deciduous trees…except in one south Tampa neighborhood...........here

Friends Of Stogie

At The Firehouse

Michelle Patty And Buddy Johnson

Tampa black activist Michelle Patty took to the airwaves earlier this week to dispute a St. Petersburg Times investigation. The report found she had gone from a onetime critic of Hillsborough Elections Supervisor Buddy Johnson to an active campaigner after he funneled $16,000 in taxpayer dollars to her firm for "voter education."............more

Bartlett Park Community Garden In St. Pete

If you haven’t had a chance to drive by the Bartlett Park Community Garden in St. Pete, I’d urge you to stop and smell the cabbage. The year-long effort has already paid off with a bountiful harvest of vegetables and fruits, as well as promoting some goodwill and friendship in a tough neighborhood...........more

Tuesday, March 17, 2009

Hookah Lounges Breathe New Life Into Tampa Bay Music Scene

Two venues in particular that have caught the attention of music lovers in the area are the Extraordinair Lounge in Clearwater, and the Meridian Lounge in Tampa...........here

Tampa Bay Desalination Plant In Trouble Again

Just at the time it is really needed, the Tampa Bay seawater desalination plant has hit trouble again. For some months now, the plant has been operating well below capacity - at a time when the rainfall in that part of Florida is at record low levels...........more

New Latin Chamber for Tampa

The Tampa Latin Chamber has formed to provide leadership and education to the Hispanic businesses community in the Bay area. The organization will hold a launch event on April 28 at the Valencia Garden Restaurant, 811 W. Kennedy Blvd., Tampa........more

Tampa Web Site: Syfy

When Michael Hinman first got the idea to name his Tampa-based Web site after a funny-looking synonym for science fiction, his goal was to find a trademark term that would instantly spell out what he and his geeky pals were obsessing over...........more

Big Cat Rescue on Front Page of Tampa Tribune

Are You Living Next To An Exotic Animal?...........here

The St. Pete Police Chief Interview I’d Like To See

Maxwell’s Fluffed Up Interview With The City’s Top Cop
Is so PR-friendly I’m tempted to call police PR flack Bill Profitt and ask if he’s retiring. Is Maxwell positioning for a job as the newspaper industry falters?...........here

The Corrs - Lough Erin Shore

Friends Of Stogie

At The Tally Ho

Monday, March 16, 2009

Pamela Anderson “Save The Chimps In Florida” Campaign

Pamela Anderson is campaigning to free chimpanzees kept in captivity in the State of Florida. The former Baywatch babe has teamed up with animal rights allies at PETA to pen an open letter to Florida Governor Charlie Crist, targeting the state’s roadside zoos, where Pamelas claims chimps and other animals are kept in inadequate conditions............more

Calling All Tampa Bay “Green” Vendors

Improving the local economy is a large part of being sustainable. Pinellas County Extension is committed to educating and informing our community about the available resources in the Tampa Bay Area.We need your help identifying who our local “green” vendors are. Please complete and submit this Green Vendor Information Survey...........more