Monday, April 14, 2008

Elitist And Divisive

Obama 2008

Homeland Security Fan In Land O' Lakes, Florida

US 41 And State Road 54

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

US Veterans Benefits

Wesley Chapel, Florida

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

Palm River Icon

Palm River Road And 50th St. Tampa

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

Ritz Theatre Of Ybor City

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?............here

Florida Passes Bills Promoting Space Industry

"SB 2526 supports the development of an initiative to diversify the state’s space industry.........here

Why Stogie Likes Tampa Bay

Clearwater, Florida

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

Tampa Ruff Ryders Charity

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

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

Wednesday, April 9, 2008

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