Met with my children's principal and teachers yesterday. My demand to these educators - stop Tyler* yourselves or stop punishing my children when they stop him.The principal is a nice guy. He means well. My children's teachers seem kind and patient as well. They assured me that bullying has no place in their school......more
Saturday, April 5, 2008
Walk With A Swagger
Met with my children's principal and teachers yesterday. My demand to these educators - stop Tyler* yourselves or stop punishing my children when they stop him.The principal is a nice guy. He means well. My children's teachers seem kind and patient as well. They assured me that bullying has no place in their school......more
Friday, April 4, 2008
Darcy's Plan
Thank YouLarry Byrnes - Alan Grayson - Joe Garcia - Faye Armitage - Timothy Cunha - Clint Curtis - Stephen Blythe - Samm Simpson
Barge Stuck On Sandbar Near Egmont Key
A barge and its tug that had been stuck on a sandbar near Egmont Key since Wednesday evening are free. The 138-foot tug Yankee was transporting a 441-foot barge, both owned by K-Sea, from Houston to Tampa when it ran aground on a sand bar about 5:45 p.m. on April 2. The double-hulled barge was carrying 119,000 barrels fuel oil.......here
Justice For Alan Crotzer
The Florida Senate voted moments ago to pay Alan Crotzer $1.25-million for the 24 years he spent in prison on a bum rape charge. The House acted last week, meaning the ordeal is over for the former St. Petersburg man, who erupted in tears following the vote........here
Kevin Brown, The Jamaican Guy
Held a couple days ago, accused of trying to take bomb-making parts into Montego Bay on an Air Jamaica flight from Orlando, Florida. Brown survives and heads back home to Jamaica. The sad part is that he could probably end up in jail and could be sent away for a long time. For all intents and purposes, Brown is now regarded as a Jamaican terrorist. The sadder part is that many of us Jamaicans, who just love to fly into 'the States' are now going to find our trips a little less pleasant. The saddest part is that if the American authorities understood just how much we love their country, they would know that we wouldn't want to blow anything up there. It is our Promised Land.......here
Smokin Em Charters Of Ft. Pierce, Florida
Smokin' Em Charters was told to leave the city marina for violating its family-friendly atmosphere. The husband-wife team of Kathi and Harold Coombes has run the company for eight years and started offering charters with bikini-clad or topless women in January. In addition to regular boating duties, the women also prepare food and drinks.........here
Bounce In Tampa
Starting Friday, Tampa will become a national epicenter for gay women, thousands of whom are coming to town for the Final Four of the women's NCAA Tournament. Most of the activities will center on Ybor City, where clubs are hosting all-girl bands and an event called Bounce, promoted as the largest women's party in the Tampa Bay area. The National Center for Lesbian Rights is holding a mega party at club Underground.......here
Where Is Mel Martinez On The Environment?
Martinez cannot afford to sit on the sidelines while legislation so critical to Florida's future is hashed out. Too many in Florida's delegation say they support reducing greenhouse gases and want to see a fair cap-and-trade system, yet they have benched themselves in what is arguably the most important debate this nation may ever have on an environmental issue. Certainly, it has immense importance to Florida, especially to the coastal cities of Key West, Miami, Jacksonville and Tampa, to name just a few. Does it get any more important?........here
Mountain Dew And Marijuana - Florida's Birth Control
Frightening survey results from the University of Florida reveal the necessity of comprehensive sex education in schools. The Associated Press reports that the survey shows some Florida teens believe that drinking Mountain Dew or smoking marijuana will prevent pregnancy. According to the University of Florida, most Florida schools teach from abstinence-only curricula, if they teach any sex education programs at all..........here
Bill Clinton and Oprah are Candidates to Save Florida Jazz Festival
Refusing to let the music die, the North East Florida Jazz Association (NEFJA) extended the auction of the Title Sponsorship to the 3rd Annual Legacy Jazz Festival for one more round of bids when there were no takers on the first round. We just need a superhero who is passionate about jazz and understands the importance of passing on this legacy." By using eBay to market the Title Sponsorship, NEFJA was hoping to catch the eye of a cultural icon like Oprah Winfrey or former President Bill Clinton who's a major fan of the endangered genre........here
Why Faculty Leave Florida
In the parking lot this morning, I met an assistant professor I know well who told me that he’s leaving USF. He’s going to a public university in another state where he’ll be paid a good chunk more than what he’s paid here.......here
Thursday, April 3, 2008
Howard Dean Gets Motivated
After huddling yesterday among themselves, Florida's congressional delecation and state chair Karen Thurman met with DNC chair Howard Dean, and emerged making positive noises. In attendance at the meeting from Florida were Sen. Bill Nelson, Reps. Alcee Hastings, Corrine Brown, Bob Wexler, Debbie Wasserman-Schultz, Ron Klein, Tim Mahoney, Kathy Castor, Allan Boyd, Kendrick Meek and Karen Thurman.........here
If King Had Lived?
"God didn't call America to engage in a senseless, unjust war," King said of the fighting in Vietnam. "And we are criminals in that war. We've committed more war crimes almost than any nation in the world, and I'm going to continue to say it."..........here
Predator Drones Coming To Florida's Gulf Coast
Four Predator B drones have become fixtures over Arizona since October 2006, and two more will join them soon, Juan Munoz-Torres, a Customs and Border Protection spokesman, said Wednesday. Once those six are in place, the agency wants Congress to fund six drones along the Canadian border and six more on Florida's Gulf Coast and the Caribbean..........here
Wednesday, April 2, 2008
Florida Sues Former Tampa Mayor
The state said today it has filed suit against the officers and directors of the failed Poe Financial Group, charging that they fraudulently diverted more than $100 million in dividends to themselves in 2004 and 2005, even though they knew their businesses were insolvent.......hereI Never Liked This Mayor
Going Green Tampa Bay Expo at USF
St. Patrick's Day may fall in March, but beginning April 7, everything will be coming up green at the University of South Florida. USF will be hosting Sustain-A-Bull, a week-long series of events dedicated to promoting a greener lifestyle in the Tampa Bay area.......here The ABCs of the Florida Legislature Funding of Education
I apologize the title was meant to be used on "FOOL's Day" But given the Educational Policies of the Florida Republican Legislature everyday is FOOLS DAY!......here
Australian Cockroach In Florida
They were introduced to southern U.S. presumably from Australia, and now appear to have become naturalized at least in Florida..........here
Florida Sues BlueHippo For Deceptive Ads
The Florida Attorney General’s office has filed a lawsuit against a company which advertises it can help consumers who have poor credit purchase computers.........here
11th Circuit Rules In Favor Of Wildlife In The Florida Keys
The Eleventh Circuit Court of Appeals issued a ruling that will impact wildlife in the Florida Keys. Specifically, the court ruled in favor of a number of endangered and threatened species.......here
Tuesday, April 1, 2008
Florida's First Black Governor
Although Charlie Crist has genuinely earned the affection of the state's African-American legislators, it's quite a stretch to call him, as some do, "Florida's first black governor." The second, perhaps, but not the first. That distinction, were he to claim it, would belong to Reubin Askew, who served from 1971 through 1978.........here
U. South Florida Protesters Grill Burger King
Chanting slogans such as "freedom for farmworkers" and "down with the king," a group of University of South Florida students gathered outside a Burger King on Monday to protest against the low wages paid to the farmworkers who pick tomatoes for the multinational corporation..........more
Joe Garcia Takes On The Miami Cuban Mafia
Joe Garcia has been fighting this corrupt Cuban mafia for years. This corrupt group is a major source of funding for the Florida Republican Party, and it flexes its political muscle via the three south Florida Cuban Republicans -- Lincoln Diaz-Balart, Mario Diaz-Balart, and Ileana Ros-Lehtinen -- and Democrat Debbie Wasserman-Schultz........here
Darcy Burner: A Responsible Plan to End the War
Endorse the plan: Stand with Congressional candidates like Darcy Burner and Donna Edwards, and military leaders like Major General Paul Eaton and Captain Larry Seaquist.......here
Fred Taylor for Florida Senate
If you are a registered voter in State Senate District 11, please take a moment to fill out this form......here
Monday, March 31, 2008
All Religions Are Fairy Tales
It looked harmless enough, but the words on a billboard un-nerved so many people that a popular restaurant nearby actually lost business..........here
Anti-Illegal Immigration Groups Grow In Florida
Citizens of Dade United is among a growing cohort of anti-illegal immigration groups in Florida trying different tactics to drive out undocumented immigrants. They have turned to legislators in Tallahassee for help in the wake of Washington's inability to find a solution.........here
Hillsborough County Administrator Pat Bean
Has stopped work on a poll about continuing a popular land-buying program, saying there are still questions about whether it should be extended. Bean challenged the poll, saying county officials and program supporters must answer questions about the county's ability to pay for managing more land. Bean also questioned whether voters would support continuing the program in the current anti-tax atmosphere...........here
Tampa Bay Beagle Rescue
Tampa Bay Beagle Rescue was started in 1999 by a single woman, Betty Roberts. By 2003 she had gathered volunteers and they forged a non profit organization. They are the only non profit rescue group in Florida dedicated exclusively to rescuing beagles and beagle mixes from shelters and abusive or neglectful situations........here
Sunday, March 30, 2008
The Ghosts of Ybor: Charlie Wall
It may have been the South, but in the early 1900s Tampa, Fl, specifically its Latin community known as Ybor City, was more reminiscent of the Wild West. Gambling parlors and whore houses were located on every corner, shootouts between police and gangsters were a regular occurrence, election ballot boxes were stuffed, police and politicians were on the take, and very few residents found any of this to be odd........here
Send Your Panties To Burma
It's an international women's protest against the brutal military dictatorship in Burma, and it's called "Panties for Peace." This creative group learned that the thuggish military men oppressing the people of Burma are not only brutal, but also very, very superstitous. It turns out that one of their phobic beliefs is that they must never, ever come into contact with female undies.........here
McKay Bay Nature Park
Yesterday I had to take a load of stuff out to the city dump just south of Ybor City and thought, just in case, I'll take my Polaroid with me. Funny, I've been to the city dump several times and really never noticed a park out this way..........here
The Ybor Festival of the Moving Image
Hillsborough Community College presents the 6th annual Ybor Festival of the Moving Image, Thursday, April 17 through Sunday, April 20, 2008. This eclectic film festival explores the cinematic world of independent filmmakers, offering a spectrum of features, documentaries and personal films, plus live performances, workshops and lectures.......here
Sophie Scholl At Cafe Bohemia, St. Petersburg
The true story of Germany’s most famous anti-Nazi heroine is brought to thrilling life in the multi-award winning drama SOPHIE SCHOLL-THE FINAL DAYS. Academy Award Nominee for Best Foreign Language Film.........moreWednesday, April 2, 8:00pm, Cafe Bohemia, 937 Central Ave., St. Pete
Florida Dems - Stop Your Whining!
Stop Attacking And Blaming Howard Dean For The Mess You Are In The vote for the change was 115-1. Thats right, Democratic lawmakers were complicit in this mess, and made no real effort to stop it.........here
Treasured Maps Of Early Florida
Panfilo de Narvaez and some 400 conquistadors came to Florida looking for gold in the spring of 1528. Eight years later, four survivors arrived in Spanish Mexico. They were the remnants of the first European expedition into the interior of America. So the European experience in America began not at Jamestown or Plymouth Rock, but more than 75 years earlier at Boca Ciega Bay - near Tampa........here
Florida's Latest Attraction
It's breakfast time in Orlando and thousands of people are clambering aboard tour buses all over the city ready for fun in the Florida sunshine. One group, however, won't be following the others to Disney World or the area's many other theme park attractions. They'll be taking a shopping trip in the company of estate agents and mortgage brokers, hoping to find a bargain among a selection of repossessed and run-down homes........here
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.......here
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