Bill McCollum's "Do Not Shop List"

Florida's Attorney General is urging parents to make a toy list and check it twice, and he's helping you find out who's been naughty or nice. Bill McCollum's "Do Not Shop List.".........here

Burger King Exploits Florida Farmworkers

Attempts To Boost Wages For Florida Tomato Pickers May Fail Under Pressure
The Coalition of Immokalee Workers fought for years to persuade fast-food giants McDonald's Corp. and Taco Bell owner Yum Brands Inc. to pay a penny more per pound of Florida tomatoes - with their suppliers passing the money on to farm workers........more
The Coalition of Immokalee Workers
Eat Local

Bob Hite, A Local Treasure

Florida's Key Deer Making A Comeback

Florida's Key Deer National Refuge

Recently marked its 50th anniversary.The first ranger at the refuge used to chase off hunters by shooting at their trucks. Things are calmer nowadays, but the conservation efforts started 50 years ago have paid off big time for the little deer.Key deer are found nowhere in the world except the lower Florida Keys........here

Florida Teacher Chips Away At Thanksgiving Myth

Robyn Gioia

Doesn't look like a troublemaker. Far from it. Gioia is a wife, mother and teacher, and her green eyes twinkle when she talks about her fifth-grade students at the Bolles School just north of here in Ponte Vedra. But Gioia, 53, has written a children's book, and just the title is enough to peeve any Pilgrim: America's REAL First Thanksgiving........here......via My Florida History

"I became rather famous at the time for saying that by the time the Pilgrims came to Plymouth, St. Augustine was up for urban renewal."

Cost Of Thanksgiving Soaring

The cost of Thanksgiving is soaring, according to investment bank Merrill Lynch & Co, which may help explain the gloom among U.S. consumers as they head into the holiday season.......here

"Black Friday," the day after Thursday's Thanksgiving holiday and the start of the traditional year-end spending spree, threatens to be a Bleak Friday this time around.

If They Make Us All Poor, Who Is Going To Buy Their Stuff?

Antidepressants Truth About

Bush continues to ignore the growing deaths in children using psychiatric drugs....

Eat The Rich In The Conch Republic

The Florida Keys are at a crossroads, beset by shortages of high-paying jobs and affordable housing, rising property taxes and insurance, and environmental concerns. Yet the move to "upscale" the Keys is gaining steam, a sign of growth that's commonly experienced by tourism-dependent communities. Such growth is leaving many Keys residents feeling priced out or ignored.......here

Chasm Between The Haves And Have-Nots In Florida

The economic chasm between the haves and have-nots in Florida is wide and getting wider, fueled by low wages that fail to cover the most basic needs, especially for families with small children, according to a report released Tuesday.........here

Seeking Nookie On Florida Beaches

Martin County, Florida has a new way to scare people from having sex on their beaches, They are looking to install cameras and loudspeakers that would try to detect and warn anyone seeking nookie. "FlashCAM devices sense motion and then flash a bright light," After being activated, the cameras issue a pre-recorded verbal warning to let people know they are under surveillance. A minute later, the camera starts recording.......here

Howard Dean's Vermont Country Baked Ham Recipe

Ingredients
One 8-pound ham
3 quarts sweet cider
2 cups raisins
2 cups Vermont maple sugar
2 teaspoons dry mustard
1 teaspoon powdered cloves
1/2 cup water
Simmer ham in cider for 2 hours. Drain, skin ham, and cover it with paste made from maple sugar, mustard, cloves, and water. Place in baking pan, pour cider over it, add raisins to pan, and bake 2-1/2 hours at 325 degrees. Baste frequently. Make thickened gravy of cider raisin drippings.
Serves: 16 Source

Florida Soldier Killed While Giving Toys To Kids

A soldier from South Florida was killed in Iraq while giving toys and candy to children. Private First Class Marius Ferrero, 23, of Miami, was killed Sunday in Baqouba, Iraq, with two other Army soldiers from his Stryker brigade. Three children also died........here

Family Says 23-Year-Old Thought War Was 'Stupid'

Kucinich Weekly Update

No Room At The Inn For Florida

Democratic activists and a lone Republican asked a Leon County Circuit Court judge Tuesday to tell Florida to push back its early presidential primary one week. The lawsuit, filed in Tallahassee, seeks to order Florida's Secretary of State to change the date of the controversial primary from Jan. 29 to Feb. 5........here

Jon Ausman, a Democratic state committeeman from Leon County, called it "unconstitutional infringement on my First Amendment rights of free speech and political association.'' This made me angry, Ausman said. But his real anger is aimed at the state.

Homegrown Terrorism Prevention Act

A little-noticed anti-terrorism bill quietly making its through Congress is raising fears of a new affront on activism and constitutional rights. The Violent Radicalization and Homegrown Terrorism Prevention Act was passed in an overwhelming 400 to six House vote last month......here

Examining the Homegrown Terrorism Prevention Act

“The impetus is that homegrown terror is something that we now see in Western Europe. It’s by far the number one threat to security in Britain,” Rep. Jane Harman (D-Calif.)

Don't Tase ......Kill Me Bro!

Pinellas County, Florida And Ron Paul Signs

Dean Slams GOP at UJA Assembly

Democratic National Committee Chairman Howard Dean
Told the United Jewish Communities' General Assembly (GA) in Tennessee that the Republican party (GOP) is religiously and racially exclusive. Dean followed by accusing the Republican party of leading the United States towards a theocracy. "The Democratic Party believes that everybody in this room ought to be comfortable being an American Jew, not just an American, that there are no bars to heaven for anybody..........here

Obama Rocks Iowa

Ax The Tax

Floridians Offer Their Own Property Tax Plans For Ballot

Don't think the Legislature has done enough to curb your property tax bill?For Floridians unhappy with the tax-cutting choice that legislators put on the Jan. 29 ballot, there are 11 citizen initiatives — and counting — vying for voters' support to go on the November 2008 ballot........here

A new poll has noted that Florida voters are not enthusiastic enough about the Legislature's proposed property-tax plan to pass it if the election to approve it were held today.........here

Locavore: Florida Orange Juice

Florida's Natural Co-Op

The decades-long struggle between orange growers in Florida and Brazil has opened on its largest front yet -- the battle between the top three American orange juice sellers for U.S. market share. Florida's Natural Growers, the Lake Wales juice processor, opened the front with its new ad campaign seeking to capture a bigger market share by touting that its brand of not-from-concentrate (NFC) orange juice comes entirely from Florida fruit while other national brands (Tropicana and Minute Maid) mix Florida and Brazilian OJ.........here
Florida's Natural

Tampa Bay Is A "Brain Gain" Zone

Tampa Bay is a “brain gain” zone, defined as “share of a county’s population that is college-educated.”.....via Discourse.net
All Of Florida Looks Blue

Sean Hannity meets CHANGE

Street Crime Sends Latins To South Florida

A joke making the rounds in Miami says that the mayor should erect statues to honor the three people who have done the most to turn Miami into the Latin American business center it is today: Cuban ruler Fidel Castro, Venezuelan President Hugo Chávez and Colombian rebel leader Manuel Marulanda. It's good. But there should be a fourth statue to honor the violent street gangs, kidnappers and muggers terrorizing Latin American cities, and driving hundreds of thousands -- many of them rich -- to abandon their homelands for South Florida........here

Homeless Children In Southwest Florida

WINK News has uncovered startling information about the number of homeless students in Southwest Florida. We found out there are close to a thousand kids without a home attending school right now. The Collier County School District keeps track of the students to help provide them a stable environment.......here

The Saint Matthews House

White Supremacists Endorse Ron Paul

Stormfront.org, a white supremacy web site, as well as others, such as WhiteWorldNews.com, have actively supported Paul's bid for the presidency, including directing donors to his campaign. Stormfront has also endorsed Paul for president.......here

* "Opinion polls show that only about 5 percent of blacks have sensible political opinions, i.e. support the free market, individual liberty and the end of welfare and affirmative action."

* "We are constantly told it is evil to be afraid of black men, it is hardly irrational. Black men commit murders, rapes, robberies, muggings and burglaries all out of proportion to their numbers."

* "We don't think a child of 13 should be held responsible as a man of 23. That's true for most people, but black males who have been raised and who have joined criminal gangs are as big, strong, tough, scary and culpable as any adult and should be treated as such."......Statements from 1992 by Ron Paul

Rocky Mountain High

Those Rocky Mountains are getting higher. Two municipalities — Denver, Colorado, and the small town of Hailey, Idaho — passed pro-marijuana measures on election day this week, joining a growing number of liberal localities that are reducing or removing penalities on using pot......here

Mayor John Hickenlooper and four of the 13-member city council told a local newspaper they had smoked pot in the past.

Democracy, Malaysian Style

Imedi Off The Air

Another Ruthless Dictator

Lewis Robertson, an American who is the channel's director, said troops stormed in three hours before Saakashvili announced a state of emergency. Much of the station's equipment was destroyed and employees were tear gassed and shot with rubber bullets, he said. A woman who was nine months pregnant was forced to lie on the floor with a gun pointed at her head.......here

Florida Democrats’ Complicity in the Coming War with Iran

The Other War Party

Very disturbing role that Florida elected Democrats are playing in preparing for war with Iran: deconstructing the outrageous House Resolution 435 passed on Monday and sponsored by none other than Ron Klein (D) and co-sponsored by such great company as Connie Mack (R).......here

And don’t forget Bill Nelson’s recent vote along with Hillary to grant Bush preliminary authorization for war with Iran.

Schumer's Constituents Speak Out!

Florida Pulls Out Of Deal

Florida officials Friday backed away from a temporary truce hammered out by the Bush administration to end a three-state water war, fearing the deal would kill Apalachicola Bay's oyster industry.........here

"Hopefully the people of Florida will recognize, [with] the lower flows that will result, that those little mussels could just ease a little further down to the water."......Georgia Gov. Sonny Perdue

Just Wait?

Fowler Ave. And McKinley Dr. Tampa

Cállate Chavez!!

Kimberly's Big Mouth: DittoHeads Out Of Control

Bay Haven Elementary School

Teacher Rolf Hanson and the mother who criticized him on Rush Limbaugh's radio show do not always see eye-to-eye on issues. But they agreed on something Friday: Neither one of them wanted to spur a national controversy over the school's Veterans Day program.......here

Bay Haven Honors Our Veterans 2007.......here

Veterans/Armstice Day Ceremony

Sunday, November 11, 2007, 11am
Joe Chilura Park, Tampa

Free weekend street parking anywhere north of Kennedy Blvd. Bring your own seating, either lawn/camping chairs or blankets. All peace lovers welcome, along with their children. Bring your family, bring your friends, bring your signs.

Homophobic Okeechobee County School Board

Attorneys for the Okeechobee County school board in south Florida are planning to enlist experts to testify about the "negative effects of homosexual sex" in their fight to prevent a gay-straight alliance from meeting at Okeechobee High School........here

Ocala Too Racist For Wesley Snipes

Selective Prosecution

In a motion filed Monday in U.S. District Court, Snipes' lawyer argued that the U.S. Attorney's Office wilfully selected the Marion County seat of Ocala because prosecutors "deliberately chose the most racially discriminatory venue available to the government with the best possibility of an all-white Southern jury where Snipes has never resided."........here

Pitchers 0f Beer

Yuengling For Me Please

Mickey Rourke Arrested In Miami Beach

A Scooter-Riding Mickey Rourke

Was arrested Thursday on suspicion of driving under the influence. A Miami Beach Police report said Rourke made a U-turn with a red light and then swerved several times while on a green scooter. He had a flushed face and bloodshot, watery eyes, his speech was slurred, and he had a strong odor of alcohol on his breath.......here

U.S. Militarization Of Africa

"With little scrutiny from Democrats in Congress and nary a whimper of protest from the liberal establishment, the United States will soon establish permanent military bases in sub-Saharan Africa," write Danny Glover and Nicole Lee in The Nation.........here

"An alarming step forward in the militarization of the African continent, the US Africa Command (Africom) will oversee all US military and security interests throughout the region, excluding Egypt."

New Orleans Levee Spin 101

Katherine Harris Back In The Saddle

Laura Dern
Wore a cowboy hat, boots, a super-tight blue T-shirt, equally tight jeans, brunette wig and plenty of makeup as she rode a horse through downtown Monday afternoon.....here

Dean's Rotating Presidential Primaries

"I think the thing to do is to move some of the other primaries back and then rotate them through so in the future every state can count on having some significant input into who the presidential nominee is."......here

DFA Poll: Clinton Not Even Close

The political pundits and beltway Democrats have been claiming that the primaries are already over, but 95% of the votes cast prove they are wrong. With over 150,000 votes cast, the DFA Pulse Poll is the largest internet poll to date in the 2008 primary.........here

Barack Obama Opens SNL

Mike Gravel 2008

Dean's Grassroots Initiative

Democratic National Committee Chairman Howard Dean
Announced a grassroots effort to educate Americans about the Democratic Party. The plan, known as "Neighbor to Neighbor," works by having supporters knock on 25 doors three times a year in hopes of building a relationship with prospective democratic voters........here

"Olivia's Kiss" A Novel

Catherine Durkin Robinson

I wrote a story that was passed around to several literary agents who suggested I should say the idea was inspired by actual events. Since I could not lie, because my mom would kill me, agents rejected my story and high ideals. Instead of letting the story die, I finally decided to share it with the masses. One chapter at a time. Every month.....here

NBC Is Going Green

NBC Universal's new "Green is Universal" campaign kicks off Nov. 4th with a week of green-themed programming aimed at entertaining, informing and empowering Americans to lead greener lives......here

Because You Chose Red

What Has Jeb Been Smoking?

Hillary Rodham Clinton will probably be the Democratic Party's presidential nominee, and any one of five Republican candidates could beat her in next year's election, says former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush, President Bush's younger brother......here

Americans Are Sick and Tired of the Republican Politics of Fear

"President Bush's war of choice in Iraq is making us less safe here at home. For the president to say otherwise just goes to show that he's more interested in scoring political points than finding a way out of Iraq. Americans are sick and tired of the Republican politics of fear. They want to bring our brave troops home from Iraq, a foreign policy that's not only tough but smart, and a president who will refocus on fighting and winning the real war on terror."...........Howard Dean

John Edwards - Heroes

The End Of The Florida Everglades

The rescue of the Florida Everglades, the largest and most expensive environmental restoration project on the planet, is faltering. Seven years into what was supposed to be a four-decade, $8 billion effort to reverse generations of destruction, federal financing has slowed to a trickle. Projects are already years behind schedule. Thousands of acres of wetlands and wildlife habitat continue to disappear, paved by developers or blasted by rock miners to feed the hungry construction industry........here

So far, though, most presidential candidates have yet to utter the word "Everglades." In the only mention that has made news, Fred Thompson, a Republican, suggested he might allow oil drilling there.

Ralph Nader; President Of The America I'd Like To Live In

Ralph Nader Sues The Democratic Party

Consumer advocate and three-time presidential candidate Ralph Nader sued the Democratic Party on Tuesday for conspiring to prevent him from running for president in 2004. The lawsuit was filed on behalf of Nader, his vice presidential running mate Peter Miguel Camejo and a group of voters from several states.......here

Florida Needs to Get Geeky

Jimmy Wales started Wikipedia in 2001 and moved from California to St. Petersburg, Fla., soon after because of the cheap cost of living. However, as Wikipedia has grown into one of the 10 most-visited Web sites on the Internet with more than 8 million articles in 250 languages, attracting talented tech workers to Florida has been a challenge........more

Ron Paul on Jay Leno

Samm Simpson's Encounter With Senator Bill Nelson

Last Saturday I happened to see Senator Bill Nelson in the hallway at the Democratic convention in Orlando. The Saturday night dinner - which I didn't atttend - had been in progress for fifteen minutes and Senator Nelson was in a side hallway, looking for an open door. Here's the exchange - to the best of my memory......here
"We are not on the same side, you signed the Military Commisions Act last October, you took away the writ of habeas corpus!

Screw The Florida Democratic Party

This has been a terrible time in our state to see the way the state Democrats broke the rules deliberately, worked with the GOP to do so. And then accused Dean of stealing our votes. Amazing how many fell for it all........here

With Bill Nelson Leading The Way.

In Burma, Child Soldiers Bought And Sold

The former Burma is so desperate to replenish its army after desertions and attrition that children are bought and sold by military recruiters. They are beaten and held as virtual prisoners while the government denies it is happening........here
Why Doesn't China Do Something. Am I Suppose To Watch And Enjoy The Upcoming Olympic Games?

Tampa Bay's Dropout Factories

HILLSBOROUGH COUNTY
East Bay, Hillsborough, King, Leto, Plant City, Robinson, Jefferson, Tampa Bay Tech, Bloomingdale, Wharton

PINELLAS COUNTY
Boca Ciega, Clearwater, Dixie Hollins, Dunedin, Gibbs, Lakewood, Pinellas Park, St. Petersburg,
Seminole, Osceola

here

Sunday Show Roundup: The Rhetoric of Iran

Weekend Protests Target War Funding

Tens of thousands of people across the United States staged demonstrations over the weekend to protest the continued U.S. occupation of Iraq and the White House's reported plans to attack Iran. Organised by a diverse array of anti-war groups, the nationwide protests were held in more than 10 major cities, including New York, Boston, Philadelphia, San Francisco, Los Angeles, Chicago and Seattle......here In Orlando....here

Congratulations

Litbrit And Susan Smith
Winners of the First Annual Netroots Awards.......here

A Liberal Re-Thinks Ron Paul

Let's Bomb The Persians 2

Neo-Con Guru Norman Podhoretz

A senior foreign policy adviser to the Republican frontrunner Rudy Giuliani has urged that Iran be bombed using cruise missiles and "bunker busters" to set back Teheran’s nuclear programme by at least five years. The tough message at a time of crisis between the United States and Iraq was delivered by Norman Podhoretz, one of the founders of neoconservatism, who has also imparted his stark advice personally to a receptive President George W. Bush......more

Dean Lashes Out At GOP

Chairman Howard Dean on Saturday criticized Republicans in Congress for not supporting legislation to expand a popular children's health care program........here

"The Republican leaders have made their choice. They want to stay in Iraq and deny our kids health care, America cannot afford four more years of a president who borrows for the war and denies health insurance for our kids"

Bush vetoes 3.5 billion for SCHIP wants $46 billion more for wars.......here

How Do You Spin Something Like This?

Speeders Beware

Your Neighbors Might Have You On Their Radar
That's the message police departments across the country are trying to send by loaning residents radar guns and turning them into neighborhood speed watchers.......here