Florida has been long-known as a metropolis for family vacations, complete with saltwater, sunshine and animals that frolic with children. However, a seismic shift in tourism is leading families away from the dazzling Magic Kingdom to the quiet waters of Citrus County........here
Wednesday, April 16, 2008
Manatee Migration Draws Families To Florida Coast
Florida has been long-known as a metropolis for family vacations, complete with saltwater, sunshine and animals that frolic with children. However, a seismic shift in tourism is leading families away from the dazzling Magic Kingdom to the quiet waters of Citrus County........here
Anti-Tolerance T-Shirts At Wesley Chapel High
Wesley Chapel High students approved their Wildcat Gay-Straight Alliance statement of understanding and acceptance more than three years ago. The school, principal Andy Frelick says, is "preaching tolerance all year." That said.........here
Tuesday, April 15, 2008
The Conch Republic Independence Celebration
APRIL 18-27, 2008 - KEY WEST, FLORIDAThe annual Conch Republic Independence Celebration commemorates the day the republic seceded from the United States to form a fifth-world nation recognized by international public law as "a sovereign state of mind."........here
Florida Grouper with Peri Peri Beurre Blanc
I bought about a pound of grouper (which has been scarce lately). I made a quick dusting of flour, kosher salt, white pepper, onion powder, garlic powder, and a bit of peri peri powder and lightly coated the fillet..........here
"The Land" Pulled From Tampa School’s Shelves
An award-winning young-adult book was pulled from the shelves of an elementary school after a review committee determined it was inappropriate for the grade level. “The Land,” by Mildred Taylor, will be collected and put on library shelves in middle schools instead........here
Sax Player Arrested In Ybor City
"There should be something in the Constitution that protects someone with little or no power," he said. "This country was built on capitalism. What I do is one of the purest forms of capitalism there is.".........here
Monday, April 14, 2008
Hillary Lost It
"It's not surprising, then, they get bitter, they cling to guns or religion or antipathy to people who aren't like them or anti-immigrant sentiment or anti-trade sentiment as a way to explain their frustrations."...........hereIf Hillary Clinton somehow manages to lie and divide and hate her way to the top of the Democratic ticket, she can forget about my vote.
Going Native in Florida
As a trying-to-reform black-thumb gardener in Florida, I’ve learned to appreciate the benefits and advantages of native plants. They’re the smartest way to go for anyone who loves greenery but hates the constant battle against bugs, drought, heat and the region’s other environmental challenges..........hereSEVEN MILE BRIDGE TO TEMPORARILY CLOSE
The Seven Mile Bridge, longest of 43 spans that help comprise the Florida Keys Overseas Highway, is to close to vehicular traffic early Saturday morning for an annual footrace over the convergence of the Atlantic Ocean and Gulf of Mexico.......here
Burger King Espionage In The Sunshine State
In Florida, groups organizing for tomato pickers’ rights say they might have been spied on and vilified online by the fast-food conglomerate Burger King. The Fort Myers News-Press traced threatening emails directed at the Coalition of Immokalee Workers and the Student/Farmworker Alliance to Burger King’s corporate headquarters in Miami, Florida.........hereHalf Of Florida’s Pirate Fleet Sinks
The replica pirate ship The Treasure Seeker went down in rough seas as it attempted a voyage to the Virgin Islands. Its owners had decided to leave Florida permanently for (supposedly) greener pastures in the tropics, and were lucky to escape with their lives..........here
Obama 2008
Florida's Conserve Wildlife License Plate
The Wildlife Foundation of Florida has awarded $414,034 in grants to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) to support the agency’s research, management and promotion of Florida’s natural resources. A total of $358,034 came from funds raised by sales of the Conserve Wildlife specialty license plate............here
Sunday, April 13, 2008
Living Near Alligators
About 2 1/2 million alligators inhabit more than 90 percent of the lakes and streams in Florida.And, with warmer weather, all those reptiles are beginning to rouse from their winter slumber with two things on their peanut-sized brains -- finding another alligator to breed with and catching up on a few missed meals...........here
Bay County Is Serious About Marijuana
Mosley High School Assistant Principal Brian Barnes was arrested April 1 for allegedly purchasing more than 20 grams of marijuana. Police said he told investigators he wanted the illegal herb for stress relief and recreational use. Under Florida law, Barnes faces up to five years behind bars if found guilty as charged...........here
Governor Honors Renee Blaney
Renee Blaney, president of the Ocala Mountain Bike Association, was recognized by Gov. Charlie Crist last week with a Point of Light award for volunteer work. (Here she is with her family at a bike event in 2006.)............here
Citrus Taliban Official License Tag
Even though Florida now has more than 100 specialized license tags, the Republican-controlled Legislature may soon add one more: a colorful license plate that features the words ''I Believe'' set among a resplendent sunrise and the image of a cross in front of stained-glass window........here
Anonymous In Clearwater
Clearwater's petite downtown district was primed for the perfect storm on Saturday.On one end of downtown, 135 masked members of the group Anonymous began gathering at about 10 a.m. to protest the Church of Scientology..........here
Saturday, April 12, 2008
Things They Do In Tallahassee, Florida
Since our elected officials seem to be having a problem understanding what their priorities should be, I thought I'd put together a list for them to refer to. So here they are, in order of importance...........here
Patrick Lindsay: MySpace Is The Anti-Christ
Mr. Lindsay … is it possible that your estranged daughter, against whom your wife has a restraining order and who you do not parent, nor live with, might have some problems that don’t have anything to do with social networks? Is it possible that the eight teenagers who kidnapped and beat her suffer from similar lack of parenting, upbringing, education and suitable supervision?............hereFlorida Passes Bills Promoting Space Industry
"SB 2526 supports the development of an initiative to diversify the state’s space industry.........here
Killer Bees In Okeechobee
So-called killer bees may have claimed their first human victim in Florida, state officials said Friday in announcing a fatal attack earlier this week in remote Okeechobee County.......here
Friday, April 11, 2008
Antibiotic Alligator
Researchers hunting for new antibiotics might get some aid from gator blood. Scientists are zeroing in on snippets of proteins found in American alligator blood that kill a wide range of disease-causing microbes and bacteria.......here
One-Woman Zoo In Florida
It would be easy to miss. About 9 miles east of Crestview on Highway 90 is Sasquatch Zoo. It’s a small operation that is kept open by the determination of one woman.......here
Sell Florida's Tresure
With the state desperate for cash to balance its budget, one lawmaker has come up with a solution worthy of Blackbeard or Captain Kidd. Rep. Juan Zapata wants to plunder Florida's booty. One of the world's largest publicly owned collections of Spanish treasure — doubloons and other coins, some gold and silver ingots and chains — belongs to the state..........here
Florida, The New Wild, Wild, West
The Florida Legislature has bowed to the wishes of the National Rifle Association and approved legislation that bars employers from banning guns on their property. Employees and customers can now bring guns just about anywhere as long as they have a concealed-weapons permit and leave the gun locked in their car..........here
The Shiftless Kid
A moment I've been dreading. George brought his n'er-do-well son around this morning and asked me to find the kid a job. Not the political one who lives in Florida ; the one who hangs around here all the time looking shiftless..........here
Mario Diaz-Balart Called Me A Left-Wing Extremists
''Joe Garcia continues to align himself with left-wing extremists. The latest to join the ranks is Congressman Charlie Rangel,'' reads a statement from Diaz-Balart's campaign. ``He has a long and well-known history of supporting a radical left-wing agenda including supporting higher taxes on working families and appeasing our nation's enemies. Left-wing birds of a feather, tax and spend together.''............here
Thursday, April 10, 2008
Victor Dimaio Claims DNC Is Racist
South Carolina and Nevada were allowed to hold their primaries before February 5th because the high percentage of blacks and Hispanics in those states helped compensate for the pasty complexion of Iowa and New Hampshire. That's the basis for an amended legal filing planned by Tampa Democratic activist, Victor Dimaio.........here
United States of Florida
Regular citizens have finally cried No More! and awakened from their hibernation to reinvent Florida, threatening to ouster a Republican majority focused on causing its citizenry pain, worry and grief........hereI feel Barack Obama believes in the Constitution and innately understands this grand document could lead us back toward the people we are, not the people we have become.....Sunny
Florida's Hate Amendment
This so-called gay marriage ban would not only ban gay marriage, which is already illegal in Florida, it would prevent cities and companies from providing benefits of any sort to gay couples and would also affect many straight couples and just plain roommates in a very negative way..........here
Florida’s Endangered Species
Florida is the home of over 100 endangered and threatened species.......list
An Old Florida Pearl
Perched where river meets sea just around the bend in Florida’s panhandle, Apalachicola is a gem of a town. No, in honor of the oysters that are plucked from the Gulf of Mexico here, and whose shells fall off a conveyor belt into a giant seagull-surrounded pile down the street from the nautical store, let’s call it a pearl.........here
UF Students Go On Hunger Strike
Eleven members of a student-protest group urging UF to make its investments transparent dug into a vegetarian meal they said could be their last of the semester outside Tigert Hall on Wednesday.......here
Earth Day Tampa Bay 2008
Earth Day is April 22 and Tampa Bay will be busting out with lots of events to get you on the green bandwagon. In Tampa, the annual Earth Day Tampa Bay festival will take place at the Lowry Park Bandshell from 11 to 4 on Sunday, April 20.......here
Call a Doctor! Florida has Fidel-o-phobia
Even in retirement, Fidel Castro exerts outsized influence over our country’s political life. Even now, he may affect the access Floridians have to health care. How can this be? To teach Castro a lesson, a state legislator is fighting to ban American doctors, educated in Cuba, from practicing medicine in Florida, and already a committee has acted to move this proposal forward..........here
Wednesday, April 9, 2008
Camp Equality In Orlando And Ft. Lauderdale
The Human Rights Campaign, the nation's largest gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender civil rights organization, announced today that it is launching a national program to help elect fair-minded candidates and defeat discriminatory ballot measures. The program – called Camp Equality – will train nearly 1,500 people in 14 cities to work on political campaigns.........here
Winter Soldier At University of Florida
The Gainesville panel, organized by the Iraq Veterans Against the War, Gainesville Veterans for Peace, and a few student groups, was inspired by the Vietnam War-era protest of the same name........here
Dogfighting In Florida
Earlier this year, I was in a dog training class with Ella and had the privilege of watching another dog conquer his fears. Harry looked like a miniature black and white sheepdog with soft black eyes that peered out at the world with uncertainty. He was under the care of the Big Hearts rescue group. Harry had been found dumped by the side of the road with multiple injuries. He had been used as bait in a dogfighting operation and was barely alive........here
Florida As Intellectual Ghetto
Depending on who is reporting the story, the Orwellianly-named "Academic Freedom Bill" sponsored by members of Florida's increasingly influential First Baptist Church has cleared the state legislature's equally Orwellianly-named Judiciary Committee by a vote of either 6-3 or 7-3 and will now go on to a vote by the full senate.........here
WE THE PEOPLE PROJECT - TAMPA
This is your project; you organize it in your own way! This is an INVITATION for your participation in this project. This is not an event listing that you show up to on April 21st, it is a nationwide project. Read more.......here
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