Tuesday, May 13, 2008

More Homeless In Tampa Bay As Economy Worsens

Tampa Bay's largest agency for helping homeless and "working poor" families is reporting a huge increase in requests for service in recent months. Metropolitan Ministries says the number of families needing help is up 20% over the same period last year...........here

WMNF 27th Annual Tropical Heatwave

Saturday May 17 5:00PM - Cuban Club, Ybor City
info

Florida Prisons Are Booming

Crime might not pay, but we keep paying for criminals.
Especially for offenders in the never-ending War on Drugs.
In a lean budget year that will put the crimp on public schools, universities and health care, the state's prison system keeps pumping iron. The upcoming budget includes $309 million to build three prisons..........here

Denise Layne For Hillsborough County Commission

here

Monday, May 12, 2008

Tampa's Neglected Landmarks

Hillsborough County just committed $17-million in tax money toward the new history center. It will be a fine addition to the downtown Tampa waterfront. But the history already here is starved for money........here

Speedo Bob Ticketed on Florida Beach

A hairy-chested 61 year old man is "frightened and embarrassed" that he was ticketed for wearing a Speedo at a Florida beach. Apparently, nobody ever complained until some "bully deputy" came along and ticketed the old man.........here

Giant Worm Filmed Off Florida Coast

Posing As A Drug Buyer For The Tallahassee Police Department

Rachel Hoffman, a graduate of Clearwater's Countryside High School who was killed last week. Details of how the 23-year-old with a degree in psychology from Florida State University agreed to become an undercover informer, only to be killed in a rural area near Tallahassee, remained elusive..........here

National Train Day at Tampa Union Station

Here are some pictures taken during Saturday's National Train Day at Tampa Union Station. I spent about an hour and a half mulling around, taking pictures, and talking with event organizers and other insiders who were excited about the prospects of a re-emerging rail network between Florida cities.........here

Let's Talk SCHIP With Annette Taddeo

Sunday, May 11, 2008

Let South Florida Secede

What a great idea. If this had been done earlier, the good people of North Florida wouldn't have had to suffer through eight years of Gov. Jeb Bush, a Miami resident. We also wouldn't have had to put up with the damage done to North Florida by House Speaker Marco Rubio, another Miami resident. And think about it. Where do hurricanes strike most often? That's right. South Florida........here
Where Does Tampa Bay Fit In?

Open Season On Bloggers

Recently a number of sports writers have expressed their disdain for bloggers culminating with Buzz Bissinger's expletive filled tirade on Bob Costas' HBO show.......here

John Graziano

Nick Hogan threw himself at the mercy of the judge today in Clearwater, FL in his felony reckless driving case -- and he got just a lil' bit. Hogan was sentenced to eight months in jail, five years' probation and 500 hours community service, and the judge yanked his license for three years............here

Joe Garcia: Doble-Moral

The Captive Blogger

When Cuban blogger Yoani Sanchez was awarded the Spanish journalism prize Ortega y Gasset, she had to celebrate it from her home in Havana. She could not travel to receive it in Madrid last month because she did not get the necessary exit permit from Cuban authorities. ........here
Stalinism With Conga Drums

Saturday, May 10, 2008

Clintonistas Kendrick Meek And Debbie Wasserman Schultz

Rarely have I seen grown adults throw temper tantrums the way the Clintonistas have because their “inevitable” candidate is not winning. You can be sure that each signatory of this letter is losing some position in Hillary’s Administration by the fact that Barack Obama is going to win the Democratic Nomination.........here

Obama: I Love Florida

Showing that the delegates in Florida and Michigan are on the mind of voters as well as Democratic presidential candidates, a woman at Barack Obama’s town hall meeting here asked Obama about ceding a state to Hillary Clinton.......here

Annette Taddeo Has Passion

I just got back from Annette Taddeo's campaign headquarters in Pinecrest after attending a little get together she hosted for a few of us local bloggers.........here

Rob Lorei Interviews Brian Moore

Socialist Party USA Presidential Candidate Brian Moore was interviewed on Wednesday, May 7, 2008, on Tampa Bay, Florida's Alternative Community Radio station WMNF, 88.5, by News Director Rob Lorei, on his program "Radioactivity: Live Call-In.".......here

Voluntary Pre-Kindergarten Program Benefits the Tampa Schools

A constitutional amendment was passed in November 2002 that established the Voluntary Pre-Kindergarten (VPK) program for all four year olds in the state of Florida. The program benefits not only the children but the Tampa schools, as well, by preparing children for kindergarten and beyond........here

Asher Edelson’s Ambitions

At just 13, Asher’s written two self-published books filled with strange creatures, including a talking bear. “He’s trying to save his world against a horrible, horrible tyrant,” says Asher about the plot of Adventure Land......here

Thursday, May 8, 2008

Palmetto Beach Could Go From Hidden To Historic

Perhaps one of the city's most overlooked historic neighborhoods, Palmetto Beach may soon get a big dose of recognition from the federal government. A local effort has the enclave just south of Ybor City on track to make the National Register of Historic Places........here

Co-Op Nurtures Tampa Bike Community

The second meeting of the Tampa Bike Co-op was held Monday at Transitions Art gallery on Columbus Avenue E. Green gearheads with a passion for cycling came together to share skills, tools and parts..........here

Pangea Day In Tampa

Innovation Hangar, a group of artists, designers, photographers and filmmakers, will host Pangea Day at its warehouse in the Channel District...........here

17% In Florida Voted For "Other"

Senator Clinton today wrote an open letter to Senator Obama demanding that he agree to count all the delegates from Florida and Michigan which broke the party's rules..........here

Philadelphia Beating

Hip Hop Thugs Beat Up Photographer In St. Pete

A 25-year-old Florida photographer will no doubt win a handsome sum if he decides to sue the thugs who beat him up and stole his camera. Photographer Luis Santana said the thugs were limousine-riding bodyguards for hip hop artist Chris Brown, a 19-year-old boy wonder who had opened for Kanye West in St. Petersburg Monday night........here

Carter: Michigan and Florida Should Not Be Counted

Former President Jimmy Carter said Wednesday that delegates from Florida and Michigan should not be counted at the Democratic National Convention because they “disqualified themselves,” and he warned of a disaster if party insiders try to wrest the nomination from the candidate with the largest number of votes and state victories..........here

Wednesday, May 7, 2008

Senior General Than Shwe

In the wake of a massive cyclone, tens of thousands of Burmese are dead. More than 40,000 are missing. A million are homeless. Burma's brutal and corrupt military junta failed to warn the people, failed to evacuate any areas, and suppressed freedom of communication so that Burmese people didn't know the storm was coming when the rest of the world did. Now the government is failing to respond to the disaster and obstructing international aid organizations........here

We Are All Sean Bell

Today, Al Sharpton and thousands of others did their best to “shut the city down.” There were protests at 125th and 2nd, in front of the Triborough Bridge; at 59th, in front of the Queens Bridge; downtown in front of the Manhattan and Brooklyn Bridges…and of course, one at 1 Police Plaza..........here

He Just Thought He Had To Do Some Hero Thing

Glen Lee Powell
Left his mother's house this afternoon, she said, armed with his convictions that government and law enforcement had interfered with his personal freedoms............here

Warrick Dunn: A Home Of Their Own

It takes 'move-in condition' to a whole new level. Buccaneer Running Back Warrick Dunn surprised first-time homebuyers with furniture, appliances, and much more Tuesday.......here
"What we do is give families an opportunity to better their lives"

In Florida, The Farther North You Go, The Further South You Are

Mayor Donovan and North Lauderdale Mayor Jack Brady feel like patriots. They are floating the unusual idea to take South Florida’s beaches, residents, schools and everything else, and create a South Florida State. The reason is because they say South Florida bears an unequal burden–paying more in taxes than this region gets back. Obviously, this will never happen, but Florida is already two separate states.......here

Barack Obama North Carolina Primary Victory Speech

Tuesday, May 6, 2008

Carlos Miller's Saga Continues

The sight of a video camera in the courtroom sent shivers down the spine of the prosecution Monday morning. As soon as I stepped in front of the judge, the young state prosecutor in my case asked for a 15 minute delay because a Local 10 cameraman had his camera trained on him.........here

The Life and Times of Joe Garcia

While there have been many Independents, Libertarians, and Greens running for office in the Elections that are being held in the United States of America in 2008, there are some people within the Democratic Party that are worth mentioning. One of them is Joe Garcia and the upcoming elections for the 25th District of Florida.........here

Tampa Bay Transit Plans Find Funding In Tallahassee

Two transportation budget items have passed both houses of the Florida Legislature and are part of next year's budget.......here

Raytheon's Florida Neighbors Sue Over Water Contamination

The city of St. Petersburg, Florida is sending out letters this week to about 150 homeowners living within the boundaries of the so-called Azalea neighborhood, which appears to be contaminated from underground wastewater seeping from the Raytheon Company plant........here

Florida Forever Funding Approved Unanimously

Environmental groups throughout the state are delighted with the approval of funding for the land acquisition and protection program Florida Forever - or at least for the next 10 years...........here

Joe Garcia Talks About Gas Prices

Charles S. Rushe Middle School - Land 'O Lakes, Florida

Administrative Team