And I would ask our elected leaders to stop before each vote they cast on safety-net services and ask themselves: "What if it were my grandmother in a nursing home where there will be fewer personnel to bathe and turn her? What if it were my autistic child on a waiting list to be helped in developing social skills? What if it were my sister in an abusive marriage, or my disabled brother deprived of helping hands?"..........here
Sunday, March 30, 2008
Don't Shortchange The 'Working Poor' In Florida
And I would ask our elected leaders to stop before each vote they cast on safety-net services and ask themselves: "What if it were my grandmother in a nursing home where there will be fewer personnel to bathe and turn her? What if it were my autistic child on a waiting list to be helped in developing social skills? What if it were my sister in an abusive marriage, or my disabled brother deprived of helping hands?"..........here
Butch Harrison: A Real Florida Cracker
Harrison, known as the Florida Cracker Storyteller, spins tales about the Florida of his youth and carries his listeners away to another time and place. He looks the part of a Florida Cracker because he has lived it. Harrison grew up in South Florida, with the Everglades, the Florida Keys and the ocean serving as his playground. And he grew up understanding and appreciating Florida’s natural beauty.........hereSaturday, March 29, 2008
High-Class Squatter In Ybor City
Playwright, sculptor and artist Blake Emory works on a stage in an Ybor City building where its owners let him stay, for now, and direct art shows......here
How Lethally Stupid Can One Country Be?
So, happy anniversary, America! You put these people in charge, and then -- after seeing in explicit in detail what they were capable of -- you actually did it again in 2004! You stood by in silence watching the devastation wrought upon an innocent people, produced in your name and financed by your tax dollars. And you continue to do just that again, now in Year Six.......here
Ybor City Scrapbook
From March 1994 to August 1998, I lived in the Tampa Bay area. This is my collection of Ybor City overviews and memorabilia.......here
Florida Lawmakers Busy With Daylight Saving Time
One Florida lawmaker wants to end the annual rites of springing forward and falling back.State Sen. Bill Posey wants the state to stop using daylight saving time.If approved, Florida would become the third state to shun daylight savings, which was used during both world wars and Congress ultimately made a law in 1966.........here
Rising Sea Eats Away At Florida Coastline
Global warming is boosting the sea level along Florida's gulf coast and already causing profound environmental changes, scientists say.......here
Florida Red and Blue
Some conservatives will stop at nothing to roadblock progress for GLBT people -- even if straight people will also be affected in big ways. And they never seem to miss an opportunity to pander to their anti-gay base, especially considering that it's already been uncovered that the Florida GOP has directed large sums of money to conservative anti-gay marriage groups to underwrite their efforts to pass this discriminatory amendment.......here
Legacy Trail Opens In Florida
Bicyclists are celebrating today's official opening of a 10.6-mile rail-to-trail that links Sarasota and Venice. The Legacy Trail takes the place of an abandoned CSX Transportation railway line that was purchased for $14.5 million in 2004. It's one of more than 1,460 rail-trails in the US that stretch across nearly 14,000 miles of landscape.......hereExtremist of South Florida - Joe Kaufman
For the past couple of months, Joe Kaufman has been smearing Muslims in the Tampa Bay area, if one didn’t know any better one would think that Joe lives in our community, but he doesn’t. So why the interest in Tampa, Kaufman?? A reason maybe the fact that Kaufman has discredited himself in South Florida so much that not a single mainstream media outlet would dare quote him. He’s proven to be a very bias and unreliable source.......here
Marilyn Garateix's 50 Years Of Fidel
I have never met the man, but he has been a never-ending presence in my life. My parents, grandparents and other adults in my family despise him. They had to adapt to a new country while mourning the loss of their homeland to a revolution they vehemently opposed. And they blame Fidel for everything.......here
Slave Labor in Florida’s Tomato Fields
You can act now to urge Burger King to do the right thing and treat these workers with common human decency and respect. Sign the petition to eliminate modern-day servitude in America’s produce fields and join an industrywide effort to eliminate slavery and human rights abuses from Florida’s fields........here
Paul Cejas: Florida Clinton Donor
He is only one of the Clinton top donors who are demanding their money back from the DNC because of the Florida sanctions..........here
Howard Dean Warns Bickering Has To Stop
Democratic Party chief Howard Dean says Barack Obama, Hillary Rodham Clinton and their supporters should beware of tearing each other down, demoralizing the base and damaging the party's chances of winning the White House in November.......here
Friday, March 28, 2008
Florida Streamlines Food Stamps Process
With the economy in trouble, more people need help, and food stamps are one form of assistance. In the Central Florida region, more than 320,000 people are receiving food stamp assistance -- that's 50,000 more than a year ago. For those who are shy and do not want to apply for help in person, Florida is helping lead the way in getting to people in need......hereTo sign up for food stamps, please.......click here
Florida Forever Coalition Growing
Because of the enormous grass-roots support for Florida Forever — and the urgent need for land conservation funding in our state — more than 100 groups, businesses, and associations have now joined the Florida Forever Coalition. In addition, 38 counties have now passed resolutions in support of Florida Forever.......here
Thursday, March 27, 2008
Florida Lawmakers Float LGBT Rights Bill
Thirty-seven Florida lawmakers have sponsored a bill that would prohibit discrimination against gay men and lesbians in public and private employment, housing and public accommodations. State Sen. Ted Deutch introduced a measure that would amend the the Florida Civil Rights Act and the Fair Housing Act to include sexual orientation.......here
Howard Dean Threatened By Clinton Donors
It is not just Pelosi who is being threatened by top Clinton donors, Howard Dean is as well. This is alarming, but maybe it is good we are finding out about it. Here are details on Patricof, but other large Florida donors are threatening Dean with funds being withheld........here"He's got to exercise some leadership, and the sooner, the better,".......Alan Patricof
Howard Dean Is Exercising His Leadership, Please See The Florida Democratic Party. How I Miss Bob Graham And Lawton Chiles
3,200 Pounds Of Coke Off Florida Coast
The Coast Guard in Florida has recovered 3,200 pounds of cocaine after it was dumped by fleeing drug smuggling suspects. A Coast Guard aircraft conducting patrols in the western Caribbean sighted a suspicious "go-fast vessel" on March 18..........here
Ronda Storms And The Citrus Taliban
I hope that this bill dies in Florida's judiciary committee. If it becomes law, make no mistake that Florida will garner for itself a reputation as a provincial backwater fit only for a tourism-based service sector at best and a place to be avoided altogether at worst. Florida will become, and deservedly so, a worldwide laughing stock.........more
Florida Partnership to End Childhood Hunger
Share Our Strength, one of the nation's leading organizations working to end childhood hunger in America, has selected Florida and Washington to be the first states to replicate a multi-year Ten Part Plan to End Childhood Hunger.........here
The Lee Roy Selmon Express In Ybor City
Imagine 2 of these from Brandon to Tampa in the morning. And then back in the afternoon. No need to have built The Crosstown Expressway.
Thanks To kenjr29mfl For Video.
Charlie Crist And Hometown Democracy
In the days following Feb. 1, when the Secretary of State’s office announced the Florida Hometown Democracy amendment wouldn’t make the ballot this year, Crist’s office received several complaints. Correspondence obtained by this newspaper alleged serious procedural glitches at local and state levels........here“Hometown thought it was playing on one board while the game was secretly moved to another board.”........Ion Sancho
Wednesday, March 26, 2008
Third Parties In Florida
Have you ever wondered just how many minor political parties are actually registered to raise money and present candidates for public office in Florida?.........here
Florida Politicians Tackle Evolution
Foreclosures are soaring and unemployment is increasing. Florida’s shaky economy is creating a state government budget crisis leading to cuts in school and health-care spending. Meanwhile, lawmakers are devoting part of the 60-day session to evolution........here "We shouldn't be having this kind of confrontation, as far as I'm concerned. We were ranked 50th in the nation in our science standards. That's what started this whole thing. And the Board of Education needed to do something about that. The science test scores were among the lowest in the nation.".........Sen. Nan Rich
Ronda Storms’ “Academic Freedom” Bill Passes
A Senate panel endorsed “protections” [SB 2692] Wednesday for students and teachers who offer alternative theories to evolution — despite a report saying there’s never been a case alleging such discrimination in Florida.........here Secular Homeschooling: The last safe haven from theocratic lunacy
Florida Legislature Apologizes For Slavery
Sen. Tony Hill, black caucus leader, is spearheading the latest effort behind a proposed resolution apologizing for the state's history of participation in slavery, but has been working with Senate President Ken Pruitt for months on the issue.........hereSen. Arthenia Joyner, D-Tampa, cried as curator John Phelps read a sobering history of slavery in Florida.
Tuesday, March 25, 2008
Hovering And Staring In Miami
A small pilotless drone manufactured by Honeywell International April is Water Conservation Month in Florida
Recognizing April as Water Conservation Month helps promote the importance of water conservation, encouraging Floridians to become environmental stewards at home and in their communities. Conservation is not about “doing without.” Floridians can conserve water just by adopting efficient habits that reduce water waste...........herePDA: Barack the Vote
Wednesday, March 26 9:00 pm EDTNow it's time to finish this primary season cleanly, positively, with a clear winner and a unified party. To me, that argues strongly for the candidate who inspires the young in such massive numbers; the candidate who had the Iraq War right before it started; the candidate who seems to have not only the best chance to win, but also the best chance to increase the number of blue states, and expand the electorate; the candidate who started his career as a community organizer; the candidate whose very election will say to the world, America has finally "turned the page.......here
Broward County School Board And Redline
Four teenagers from Falcon Cove Middle School in Weston were taken to a hospital emergency room this month, their hearts racing and their bodies dripping with sweat........hereIf parents allow teens to bring energy drinks to schools, that is their decision to make," ........Tracey Halliday
The SunCruz Casino Boats
The operators of SunCruz casino boats are dredging up, figuratively and literally, their history of harming the waterways on which they make their unwholesome living. The state Department of Environmental Protection is investigating to determine if the Port Richey-based gambling ship has slashed its way through fragile sea grass habitat off the coast of Aripeka........here
Another Florida Election Scandal
Until a couple of days ago, I thought that state or provincial birds were cute, folksy things that appealed mainly to primary school students and people who worked in tourism offices. I thought that – until I heard about the Florida State Bird election controversy. Maybe you are tired of hearing about yet another Florida election scandal, but this one is important, too........hereA Zip Through The Florida Keys
So, the plan was simple: bike down to the Keys over Thursday and Friday and back Saturday and Sunday. I wasn’t sure how far I’d get, but as the weather seemed to be agreeable I decided Friday afternoon to go all the way to Key West........more
New Bikes For The Lake Mary Police Department
“A faster, safer, better-performing motorcycle that's cheaper.” That’s how Officer Chris Dye from the Lake Mary Police Department described his new Honda ST1300 to a local news station. His department worked out that not only were the Honda’s $2,500 cheaper than the rival from Milwaukee, but that the servicing costs, for each bike, per year, would drop from $2,700 with Harley to $520 with Honda.....here
Rev. Wright Event In Tampa Canceled
There is no question that Rev. Wright's comments were despicable and loathesome.However, it's sad that Obama has to apologize for his preacher's comments while John McCain begs for the endorsement of equally ignorant and bigoted pastors like Pat Robertson and Jerry Falwell who have said not "God da_n America" but "God has dam_ed America."
that double-standard actually reflect the very racism Rev. Wright was railing against, albeit in a very ignorant fashion?
Via.....Flagophile
Gay Rights & Protections Needed in State of Florida
Joe Garcia on Republican Dirty Tactics
My pro-Democracy in Cuba credentials are solid. Before my opponent was in the Florida State Legislature I was marching and meeting with US lawmakers in DC advocating for democratic change in Cuba. This, however, will not stop them from disparaging my record. Similar to how they attacked national heroes like Max Cleland and John Kerry for being unpatriotic, they will try to label me as a communist sympathizer.......hereThis, however, will not work for them in 2008.
Monday, March 24, 2008
Congresswoman Wasserman-Schultz, Step Up or Step Down
South Florida Congresswoman Debbie Wasserman-Schultz (US-20) has repeatedly said that she cannot publicly support the three Democratic candidates who are running to unseat some of the worst Bush Republicans in the US House of Representatives: Mario Diaz-Balart, Lincoln Diaz-Balart, and Ileana Ros-Lehtinen. Please sign the petition......here
FPL Jumps Into California Solar Market
California law requires the state’s investor-owned utilities — PG&E (PCG), Southern California Edison (EIX) and San Diego Gas & Electric (SRE) — to obtain 20 percent of their electricity from renewable sources by 2010 and 33 percent by 2020.........here
Jeb And Patricia Levesque
Who Needs Schools When You Have Churches"A resolution proposing an amendment to Section 3 of Article I of the State Constitution to repeal a limit on the use of public revenues in aid of religious organizations and entities, and to prohibit individuals and entities from being barred from participating in public programs because of their religion.".....Proposal 20 (CP0020) on the ballot in November at which time it could be placed by popular vote into the state constitution...........here
She served as Governor Jeb Bush’s deputy chief of staff for education.
UCF Students Sending Poop Into Space
It started out as a senior engineering project. Byrd's team of UCF students designed a small "pico" satellite for launch as part of California Polytechnic State University's "CubeSat" project, designed to provide an affordable means for universities to conduct experiments in space........here
Geocaching In Tampa Bay
Karen's Big Adventure We decided to head over to the Brew Company in Ybor City for dinner, which was a nice, peaceful way to end your Easter holiday. The most exciting part of the visit to Ybor City was when we were strolling down the sidewalk on our way to the parking garage and came across a huge gay bar that was having a transvestite show.........here
Sunday, March 23, 2008
4,000 And Counting
We in America do not have government by the majority. We have government by the majority who participate.........Thomas Jefferson
Jack Thompson and the Florida Supreme Court
In the latest salvo in the war between anti-porn crusader Jack Thompson and the Florida Supreme Court, the court has sanctioned the attorney and ruled that if he wishes to file any documents with the Florida Court, he will have to hire an attorney to do so on his behalf........here
Florida Ministry At Westminster Abbey
South Florida's Revelation Ministries was chosen today by the hierarchy and officials of London's Westminster Abbey to present the Passion Play on the Abbey's front lawn on May 10.........here
Michelle Mitchell Visits Florida
You really can’t get any farther apart than Alaska and Florida—unless maybe you just keep going south and head straight for Brazil—and there are a few differences that became readily apparent during our two-week stay. Well, one or two. Maybe three or four........here
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