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

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

Tampa Bay, I Love This Town!

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........here

I 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

Downtown Tampa Sign

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

Parents of Beaten Teen, Blame YouTube And MySpace

Tampa Bay Zip Codes

Durant, Florida

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

Samm Simpson: Questions for General Petraeus

Help me to help you stop this loss of blood and treasure and end this occupation. Will you contribute your time, your energy and your dollars?...........here

How Things Were In Cuba Before Fidel

The Miami Cuban Mafia

They're at it again: "Miami-Dade's Cuban- American legislators once again are pushing for laws regulating travel and business between the United States and Cuba."...........here

Brian Blair Plays Intolerance Card

Hillsborough County commissioner Brian Blair has picked up Ronda Storm's gay-bashing mantle. The The Former Bubble Bee is venting mock outrage that Tampa high school students will protest violence against LGBT...........here

Joe Garcia - A Different Kind Of Campaign

Orlando International Airport Going Green

The airport is testing four Ford shuttle vans equipped with internal combustion engines modified to run on hydrogen instead of gasoline.......here

Tampa Pets Adoption Expo

A fun day for the whole family! Be sure to mark your calendars for the Tampa Pets Spring Adoption Expo, April 12, 2008 from 10am-4pm at the State Fairgrounds, Tampa!.......here

Abortion And The Florida Legislature

With all the serious problems this state has, the Republican-dominated legislature always manages to find the time to address this subject in an election year.......here

Florida Republican Culture of Corruption

It just isn't surprising that we find Republican corruption in Florida. It's a Republican hotbed, after all, the home of the President's brother Jeb. I'm sure, since I lived there until three years ago, that Republicans, especially on the state level, feel they can get away with anything........here

Fighting for the Everglades

According to the Audubon Society, if the Florida House’s proposal — backed by Speaker Marco Rubio and House Policy and Budget Chairman Ray Sansom — passes, it would mark the first time in 30 years that the state has set aside no funds for land conservation, as well as the first time in eight years in which there’s been no money for the Everglades.........here

Paul McCartney Live In Tampa, Florida 2002

here

Democratic Surrogates Mix It Up In Tampa

It’s two more weeks before Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton compete in another primary, but today in Tampa, surrogates for the candidates battled it out among fellow Democrats. Frank Sanchez was named just last week as the National Latino Fundraiser for the Barack Obama campaign........here

Tampa Bay: A Photographic Portrait

Robert La Follette

Shame on China

Several hundred supporters of Tibet marched through the streets of San Francisco to criticise China before the Olympic torch is run through the city the next day.......here
freetibet.org

Way of The Brush Grand Opening - Ybor City

Oakland Water Raiders

A small town in Central Florida is considering forcing a 100-gallon-per-person daily limit on water for its residents. Some residents in Oakland, which is located south of Apopka, are outraged over the proposed limit on water and said the rapid growth in the area must stop until there is no longer a shortage........here

Governor Christ And The Explore Adoption Initiative

Throughout Florida, more than 1,000 children from varied backgrounds, circumstances, races and ethnicities are looking for a forever family and a permanent place to call home. Florida Governor, Charlie Christ, recently created the Explore Adoption Initiative which promotes public adoption services........here

Warrick Dunn Given Top Honors

Tampa Bay Buccaneers running back Warrick Dunn was presented with the 42nd annual Byron “Whizzer” White Award, the NFL Players Association’s highest honor. The event, which recognized NFL players for their individual contributions to their communities..........here
Warrick Dunn Foundation

Bill Nelson: There Could Be “Blood On The Floor” In Denver

In an interview with WPTV news Senator Bill Nelson says Florida folks do not react well to having their votes taken away. He says the National Democratic party just does not understand. He says he tried to "settle this thing" nine months ago. He said Howard Dean and the rest of the committee...........here

Tampa Heights Looking For Juicy Gossip

We don't mean what Jane Doe said about the souffle John Doe brought to the porch party; rather we're looking for good things (confirmed or otherwise) happening in our Urban Corridor neighborhoods............here
New Heights

Smokin Dad In Tampa

Police pulled over Jeremy Chapman Sunday as he was driving with an unrestrained child near Linebaugh. Chapman didn't hang around to argue his case.......here

Chapman told police he is addicted to marijuana.

Jonathan Rivera Loses Lifelong Battle With Cancer

Jonathan Rivera, the 5-year-old whose brief presence in a Head Start class inspired his schoolmates to mount a project to help his family, has lost his nearly lifelong battle with cancer. Jonathan died Wednesday night with his mother next to him. "He passed away as I was singing him his favorite song about a butterfly," his mother Mary Beltran said from her Town 'N Country home this afternoon..........here

Tampa: A Brave New (Low-Cost) World

I’m from Massachusetts, which is located in New England, so by default I have this inexplicable disdain for all things southern. We northerners think of ourselves as superior to our neighbors to the south, and we also fear southerners for their guns and confederate flags and pickup trucks. To a Yankee like me, the South is truly a terrifying and exotic place........here

In Florida, Get Busy With A Bear

Here are two proposals under consideration during the ongoing session of the Florida Legislature.
Proposed Law A: Bringing a gun to work is legal. Proposed Law B: Having sex with an animal is illegal.
One of these proposed laws is sailing through the legislature, and the other is stalled and heading nowhere. Can you guess which is which?

I'll give you a very big hint: This is Florida.......here

Many Say Goodbye To Fallen Soldier

Tara Nelson stands by the flag drapped coffin of her fiance PFC Patrick Joseph "PJ" Miller Sunday after his funeral at the Frist United Methodist Church of Hudson.........here