here
Monday, March 10, 2008
Beaches, Boardwalks, Bistros In Laid-Back Sunshine State City
If you’re over Miami’s fast pace and Orlando is just too Mouse, Tampa may be the place to drop anchor in the Sunshine State. It’s got the beaches and the roller coasters but evades the frenzy that marks Florida’s more prominent destinations........more
We Deserve A Great Leader
I saw Senator Obama when he was here last year. I’m a pretty cynical person when it comes to politics, mostly because of my poly sci degree. But Barack Obama was different. Because when he talked, I actually cared. He wasn’t promising me 4 years of rainbows and sunshine. Hell, he wasn’t even selling himself. His message was that I could make a difference. That, as a group, we still had the power to change the world. But it would take work. Each and every one of us.......hereSunday, March 9, 2008
Water Quality Restores Seagrasses In Tampa Bay
A recent study released by the Tampa Bay Estuary Program found only three isolated areas where water quality targets were not being met. The rest of the bay is now rated to have good water quality, even Hillsborough Bay, which for years was little more than a cesspool for the city of Tampa.......hereFinding Florida's Panthers
Florida panthers are an endangered species, and Big Cypress researchers monitor 11 radio-collared cats in the preserve south of Interstate 75. The panther work, which includes aerial surveys three times a week, costs $300,000 a year, most of which comes from the preserve's budget with help from the National Park Service's Southeast Regional Office in Atlanta.......hereThe Coattails of Barack Obama
While the media spins Hillary's attempt to make herself look Presidential through her allusion (or illusion) that the Big Girl would consider Barack Obama as a VP running mate...(although her recent Super Tuesday II delegate win was just slapped down by Don't Think So Wyoming)......hereRare Primate Born At Central Florida Zoo
Younger than a month old, Makena is already taking baby steps. The rare primate's birth is big news in the world of captive breeding. There are fewer than 25 lesser spot-nosed guenons on exhibit in American Zoo and Aquarium Association institutions throughout the country, and the Sanford park is one of only a few reproducing them........here
Ft. Myers Vietnam Veterans Memorial
Two-thousand somber souls gathered at the foot of the Midpoint Memorial Bridge in Fort Myers on Sunday for the dedication of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial of Southwest Florida........more
Improper Lane Change In Tavares, Florida
An 80-year-old woman went down swinging when a police officer tried to arrest her. Authorities said Thalia Logas refused to sign a ticket and punched the officer in the stomach and chest several times when he tried to place her under arrest........hereFlorida Fair Elections Founder Susan Pynchon Honored
When Susan Pynchon founded Florida Fair Elections Coalition in 2004, her chief concern was whether everyone's votes were being accurately counted. Four years later, Pynchon has been named a 2008 recipient of the Nelson Poynter Civil Liberties Award........here
Florida May Get Its First Gay Legislator
Broward voters could send the Florida's first openly gay legislator to Tallahassee in this year's elections. Mark LaFontaine is one of four candidates who have declared their intentions to run in District 92, which takes in Deerfield Beach, Fort Lauderdale, Lazy Lake, Oakland Park, Pompano Beach and Wilton Manors.........here
Golfer Whacks Hawk At Florida Golf Course
Golf courses are interesting examples of peculiar human habitats that are as likely to attract wildlife as they are to kill it. The wide open green spaces, abundant greenery and water, and scattered trees must make it seem like attractive habitat to many a species, and it is not uncommon to find many birds.......here
Saturday, March 8, 2008
Naples Botanical Garden seeks your help
Imagine, in late 2010, everyone in our community will be able to immerse themselves in gardens from around the globe, wind their way through seven different pristine native habitats of Southwest Florida and delight in watching children explore treehouses, waterfalls and a secret garden.....here
Florida 10,000 BC
Before everything we know, prehistoric people hunted mammoths, built large pyramid mounds along our coast, and lived in fear of the saber cat, lion, and bear. On March 8th and 9th, 2008 the Florida State Fairgrounds Special Events Center will go back in time to a different land, when the Tampa Bay Fossil Club presents, Florida, 10,000 B.C.!........here
Flight To Growth On Florida Coast
Florida's Forgotten Coast, which stretches about 100 miles along the Gulf of Mexico from Mexico Beach east to St. Marks. Mom-and-pop motels, bait shops and undeveloped beaches dot the coast south of the Apalachicola National Forest. Big changes may be in store for this often overlooked area: A new $330 million international airport, pushed by the St. Joe Co. and political leaders over the objection of environmentalists, is scheduled to open in early 2010 on a 4,000-acre site north of Panama City.......here
Florida Golf Development, Eagles Coexist
Bobby Ginn gave up the nicest lots in his luxury golf course community to a couple that just flew in and made themselves at home. Three years later, Ginn is happy with the deal. So, apparently, are the bald eagles nesting with a multimillion-dollar view: They recently had babies.........hereHelp Honor Rep. Robert Wexler with Backbone Award
Please go and show your support. The meeting will be held at Le Club at Century Village in Deerfield Beach. Exit I-95 at Hillsborough West. March 10th, at 7 p.m.......more
Clinton Cribs from the Bush Florida Stolen Election
If you wanted to compare the playbook of the Clinton campaign since New Hampshire, you'd find the right precedent in the Bush v. Gore race, only Clinton would be channeling Bush, not Gore........here
Florida Farmworkers Tell Burger King: Yes, You Will
This week, the group launched a national campaign to get Burger King to boost wages and use their economic clout to ensure better treatment of farmworkers: They've been asking for years but haven't gotten what they want. So the Coalition of Immokalee Workers is bringing out its big guns: a high-profile, multi-faceted national campaign and the threat of a boycott designed to persuade Burger King to pay a penny more a pound for tomatoes and "eliminate slavery and human rights abuses from Florida's fields.".......moreFlorida: 2007's Top 10 Biting Breeds
To reinforce the current debate regarding a Florida state proposed law to ban dangerous breeds, two counties have released dog bite data. What is important to remember when looking at dog bite statistics is to understand, What constitutes a bite?..........here
The Car Culture In Tampa
The Tampa Bay Area Regional Transportation Authority is hosting the first round of public workshops for a master plan to improve mobility within its seven counties: Citrus, Hernando, Hillsborough, Manatee, Pasco, Pinellas and Sarasota. The authority has two years to approve a plan. The first workshop is Monday in Temple Terrace.......here
Republican Ronda Storms
Sen. Ronda Storms has introduced legislation that city officials say would severely hamper their efforts State to revitalize neighborhoods like East Tampa and Tampa Heights. Storms, a Republican from Brandon, has proposed limiting to 15 years the life of special taxing districts intended to boost economic development in blighted areas.......more
Mr. Snel Goes to Washington
This week, Snel was one of 500 bicycle activists attending the 2008 National Bike Summit in Washington D.C. to lobby Congress for pro-bicycle legislation. 500 bicycle lobbyists?.......here
Friday, March 7, 2008
McCain/Clinton 2008
The idea of a third party alternative has long been a dream of progressives in America. It has also too often been a fantasy and a distracting albatross. Particularly since the Bill Clinton era of centrist sell-out - but really going back to the Reagan period of Democratic cowardice, the McGovern campaign of entrenched Party power acting shamelessly toward their nominee, and certainly the Johnson debacle in Vietnam - progressives have been looking to ditch the shell of the former New Deal now doing business as the corroded (and corrosive) Democratic Party........moreFour More Years
Tampa Bay Historical Markers
The Birth of Ybor CityIn Oct. 1885, John T. Lesley sold to V. Martinez Ybor & Co. the first tract of land on which was built the original Ybor City. Purchased for $9,000 cash, Tampa citizens underwrote $4,000 of this amount to the new owners in pledged land and notes.....here
Florida's New "I Believe" License Plates
Ronda Storms bill (SB 2010) to create an "I Believe" license plate, which would feature a crucifix and send proceeds to Faith in Teaching, a group "dedicated to funding education in Florida's faith based community."..........here
New Conservation Initiative Launched for Florida's Wild Dolphins
The journalism class of Plantation High School is joining the Whale and Dolphin Conservation Society (WDCS), as well as state, federal and international partners, in a campaign to raise awareness among youth of threats to dolphins, manatees and the marine environment throughout the State......here
Hypocrite of the Week: Florida Governor Charlie Crist
As far as Republican governors go, Charlie Crist appears to be a pretty good guy. He comes across as fair, smart, even-handed and independent in his thinking, and he has even broken ranks with conservatives from time to time to do what he perceives to be the right thing.......more
Hillary And Florida Senator Bill Nelson In The Backroom
Howard Dean told Florida Senator Bill Nelson in a private conversation today that he wouldn't agree to funding a revote in the state, despite the Senator' demand today that the DNC fund a rerun of the Florida contest. Nelson, a major Hillary supporter, said today that a revote might be the only way to get Florida's voters heard, a declaration that was taken by Dem party insiders as a sign that the Hillary camp is moving towards calling for a revote and is floating that message through him......here
Thursday, March 6, 2008
No Florida "Re-Vote"
Many people agree and have written about it in blogs and columns online. But the feeling isn't unanimous. An electronic grassroots effort to oppose the move to count Florida is growing. A chain email says Barack Obama could be 'bamboozled out of the presidency' if the Florida primary votes count. It urges sympathetic voters to write to the DNC and request that they stick to their original plan of not seating Florida delegates at the convention.......more Victor Dimaio, of Tampa, announced Thursday he may file a legal injunction that would prevent Florida from holding a re-vote. Just last year, Dimaio sued to have Florida's delegates seated at the convention.
The New York Times Selling The Florida Panhandle
But this, too, is Florida — and no, not the Everglades. It’s the truly Southern, less developed, oft-overlooked Panhandle. And its treasures, though quiet, are bountiful. The Florida Panhandle comprises about 12,000 square miles of diverse settings, from densely wooded state parks and oyster-rich river basins to small towns as neat as stage sets and dazzling Gulf Coast beaches with sand dunes as white as sculptured marble........moreVultures Wreaking Havoc On Bartow, Florida
An army of ravenous vultures is invading this quiet Polk community, ripping shingles from rooftops, chewing on the rubber linings of car doors and windows, and leaving behind an overwhelming stench from their waste.......here
Florida's Wild Side
To penetrate the narrow, overgrown channels that weave into the mangrove swamps at the southwestern tip of Florida, speed is of the essence. Relax the throttle too much, our guide explained, and we would get stuck in the pungent tidal mud that lurked just inches beneath our flat-bottomed boat......moreFlorida and the Jackasses That Overreached
The voters in Florida and Michigan have been screwed, but not by the DNC. They were screwed by their shortsighted state party leaders........here
Burger King Is Responsible For Slavery In Florida
Inspired by the stories of workers who continue to toil in Immokalee, Students Toward A New Democracy (STAND) hosted an event for Miami University students and faculty Tuesday, March 4, to discuss modern-day slavery in the United States and fast-food giant Burger King’s part in the problem.......here
Free Chicken Wings For Florida Voters
More than 20 Hurricane Grill and Wings restaurants in Florida are giving them away today to anyone with a state voter registration card. The restaurant chain, with headquarters in Stuart, hopes the fried appetizer will console Floridians frustrated by the election process after the national Democratic Party stripped the state of its convention delegates because the early primary violated the national rules......more
The Green Roofs of Tampa
The Tampa Comprehensive Plan plan calls for the city to “Follow sustainable building practices by encouraging the development of green roofs” in Objective 4.1, policy 4.1.4.........more
Lee De Cesare Rocks
What do you get when you place a baker’s dozen teachers in a room with two newspaper editorial writers? I don’t know but whatever it is it doesn’t lack opinions. The Tampa Tribune hosted a conference with twelve teachers and one dedicated soul who arrived well in to the session to discuss public education issues in our district with two writers from the Tribune’s editorial department.....here
Wednesday, March 5, 2008
The Marine Who Killed the Puppy
Some psychologists are weighing in on this by justifying it. We're told that this can be a reaction to the stress of having your life constantly in danger: In order to feel that you have some control, you attempt to dominate smaller and more helpless beings. Aren't those very reasons shared by wife beaters everywhere?.....moreMarine Major Brian Dennis
Tampa's Cigar City Brewing
The brewery, slated to begin producing beer in September of 2008, will supply boutique draft, and bottled ales to central and west Florida. "We'll be brewing high gravity English, American and Belgian style ales as well as a few lower strength classic styles.........hereTampa Bay O-Train Making Noise For Obama
Its 6:30p.m. at the Marti Maceo Club along 7th avenue in Ybor City, the polls won't close in Vermont and Ohio for another hour. That doesn't stop a group of supporters from showing up to the historic social club to mingle and cheer for a man that they have only seen on television or perhaps at a rally just a few blocks away last April........here
Florida Legislature Working Hard On Marijuana Bill
This week, Florida lawmakers will take another step towards passing a law that would make the penalties tougher for running a grow house. Right now, it's only a third-degree felony if fewer than 100 plants are seized. The new law would make it a second-degree felony for getting caught with at least 25 marijuana plants, meaning mandatory jail time.........here
More Abuse At Hillsborough County Jail
Apparently the recently reported wheelchair dumping incident at a jail in Florida wasn't an isolaited incident. Another video has surfaced showing an inmate being dumped out of a wheelchair at a Hillsborough County jail. This time, Sheriff's Department officials defended the move, saying jail personnel deliberately took the paraplegic inmate to the floor to protect themselves........here
Florida Bay: Potential for Ecological Collapse
Audubon raised concerns today that this year´s poor nesting season of Roseate Spoonbills—an important indicator species of Everglades restoration success—and the algae blooms in Florida Bay, persisting since 2006, are serious signals that the ecosystem is suffering signs of ecological collapse........here
Tuesday, March 4, 2008
What Kind of Florida Do You Want to Leave Your Kids?
State legislators returned to Tallahassee today for the beginning of the annual 60-day legislative session. Getting the most attention this year are the revenue shortfalls and resulting necessity to cut $2 billion from the budget........moreIn the meantime, use their online tool to contact your senator and state representative and let them know the issues you want them to focus on during the Session.........here
The Population Bomb And Florida's Vanishing Paradise
After you've spent a day hiking through Florida's preserves along its Nature Coast, you just might find yourself on the back deck of the Rusty Rim Pub on Cedar Key near about sundown. There, along with your $3 bottled brew and a view of the gulf that won't quit, you'll hear the local men who make their living out of the surrounding waters debrief the day.......more
Monkeys Getting High At Miami Zoo
A species of millipede which originated in the West Indies but has recently appeared in parts of South Florida seems to have a hallucinogenic effect on Monkeys. The monkeys "bite the millipedes, then reach behind their backs and rub it on their fur."........more
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