Northwest Presbyterian Church In St. Pete

Tiny Northwest Presbyterian offers much to the poor, homeless
A mural at the rear of Northwest Presbyterian Church's sanctuary gives witness to the doctrine that members are taught — salvation is by grace alone, not good works.Nonetheless, good works appear central to this small congregation's life. Cold nights are an opportunity to shelter the homeless. Mondays and Wednesdays are for feeding the hungry, along with giving access to hot showers and laundry service.
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Northwest Presbyterian Church

Take The Train To The Ray's Games

The Mass Transit Factor

Rays fans across Tampa Bay are excited about Opening Day on Tuesday, but most are less excited over the prospect of more debate about the need for a new baseball stadium. Is there really any hope for a new home for the Tampa Bay Rays? There could be, if everyone would focus on successful stadium projects that have been built elsewhere. The modern era for baseball stadium design and location began with Oriole Park at Camden Yards in Baltimore in 1992. Since the construction of Camden Yards, 21 new major league ballparks have been built. Among the great ones: Progressive Field in Cleveland and Coors Field in Denver. Among the losers: the New Comiskey Park in Chicago and perhaps Turner Field in Atlanta. What separates winners from losers? Consider three important factors that characterize successful ballparks:
• They were built as part of an overall development plan.
• They include neighborhood integration.
• They include a mass transit factor.
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Ybor City and Channelside come to mind. Let The Rays build their stadium without taxpayers money and the city and county can build trains to it.

Congregation Schaarai Zedek Of Tampa

Tom Wood dished out helpings of ham and rice Sunday to families at Metropolitan Ministries for what is close to his 20th Easter in a row. Wood, who is with Congregation Schaarai Zedek, said he enjoys interacting with the families each year.
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The Everglades Bill

The Everglades bill speeding through the Legislature is not the sweeping victory that the unusual alliance behind it — the governor, his fellow Republicans, farmers and environmentalists — would have Floridians believe. The legislation awaiting Senate approval is better than a terrible version that sailed through the House, but it still unfairly shifts the costs for cleaning up the Everglades from the agriculture industry to the taxpayers. This is a handout to those who are causing the problem, and it violates the voters' intent behind the "Polluter Pays" protection in the Florida Constitution.
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The SOG City Oracle Recommends

Earl's Oyster Opener

As many of you already know, when it comes to oysters on the half shell I can be a real pain in the tuckus. I want those mollusks to be perfectly shucked, and perfectly presented. They also have to be real. I do not tolerate pasteurized or pre-shucked and frozen oysters on the half shell. As I said, I can be a real picker of nits when it comes to my oysters .If you like oysters on the half shell, you really do need one of these things...unless you are a masochist.

here

U.S. Rep. Kathy Castor It Is Time To End The Embargo Against Cuba

The Tampa Democrat voiced those thoughts and made history by becoming the first Florida member of Congress to publicly support lifting the embargo when she made a speech March 22 at an evening reception at Mise en Place for the Rapprochement With Cuba conference.

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Help, end the war on the Cuban people, they are being held hostage by a small minority in South Florida.

Lunas Mexican Restaurant

What Stogie Had For Dinner
Chile Relleno and Taco
With rice and beans
$8.75 At Lunas Mexican Restaurant in Riverview
Very flavorful food with great service.

DFA Launches the Purple to Blue Project

Contact DFA and tell them we need help in Florida

Forget John Boehner and Paul Ryan -- Republicans don't need Congress to push their radical right-wing agenda. They're doing it right now, state by state: That's why DFA is launching the Purple to Blue Project, a new multi-year effort dedicated to winning state House and Senate chambers across the country.

here

Locked Tire, Lost Bike

In Tampa

Bright Lights, Safe Nights

Mayor Bob Buckhorn and Gordon Gillette, president of Tampa Electric and Peoples Gas, will celebrate and cut the ribbon on the first street lights installed as part of Mayor Buckhorn’s ‘Bright Lights, Safe Nights’ Initiative. The event will be Thursday, March 28, 2013, at 2 p.m. at the new streetlight located between 2106 and 2108 E. Nedro Drive. “Sulphur Springs is only the first neighborhood
that will benefit from this initiative.
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Tampa Bay Homeless

Meet John
He is from Minnesota. He has been homeless 5 years.

Why Won't Florida's Goverment Protect Our Water

Billboard greeting tourists on I-75 in Columbia County.
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Florida Water Coalition

Where Are They Now

Hillsborough County's Three Amigos
Some of you are too young to remember or are not from around here but 30 years ago in 1983  three Hillsborough County Commissioners, Jerry Bowmer, Fred Anderson and Joe Kotvas were arrested for taking bribes. Commissioner Jerry Bowman was the ring leader who would solicit bribes and then make payoffs to fellow commissioners Kotvas and Anderson. Bowmer was caught red handed and then wore a wire to roll over on his crooked partners. I remember putting up signs for Mr. Kotvas.
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Joe Kotvas writes books and you can find him on Twitter or at his very nice website tvasbooks.
Jerry Bowmer according to WTSP  is selling swamp land in Polk  County.
 Fred Anderson has since died.

Mayor Bob: Darn Sure Means Rail

In a speech filled with talk of teamwork and cooperation, Tampa Mayor Bob Buckhorn delivered this don't-mess-with-us challenge: "We can be a region with a first-class transportation system," Buckhorn said during his second State of the City speech on Tuesday. "We need mobility options now. That means bus rapid transit, that means (high-occupancy vehicle lanes), and it darn sure means rail. He went on to allude to Gov. Rick Scott's decision to turn away $2 billion from the Obama administration to build high-speed rail from Tampa to Orlando. "Don't tell me that I have to listen to the mayor of Detroit thank me because he's building his light rail system with our money.

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If he can pull this off he could make people forget about the 6 foot lap  dance rule 
and go down as the greatest mayor this city has ever had.

Florida Students for Equal Funding of Education

After attending the Hillsborough County School Board Student Forum, it came to our attention that Florida's lack of funding for education comes from our very own state legislators' inability to make our public schools a priority. Currently each student in Florida receives $3,000 less in education funds than the national average. As a sophomore at Freedom High School in Tampa, I am directly affected. I've witnessed firsthand the pressure both teachers and students are placed under when students of various academic abilities are placed in a single classroom. In addition, public schools are unable to expand and update programs in the areas of arts and technology.

That's why I created a petition on SignOn.org to the Florida State Legislature and Governor Rick Scott, which says:

Click Here

Tampa Bay Homeless

Homeless Living In Tampa

Neighborhoods Awards Ceremony 2013

New China

What Stogie Had For Lunch
Shrimp with lobster sauce
With Fried Rice and drink.
$4.95 At New China, 3801 W Gandy Blvd, Tampa

Same Old Jeb: Republican Rebrand? Hardly!

If You Build It They Will Come

Ruth: Stop Talking And Build A Rail Line
In 1973, I arrived in Tampa to start my career as an ink-stained wretch. I was 23. One of the big issues facing the greater Tampa Bay area was whether to spend the money to begin development of a light-rail system stretching across the Howard Frankland Bridge eventually linking Tampa to St. Petersburg and Clearwater. It was decided by the powers that be there should be extensive discussions on the subject before moving ahead.It is now 2013, 40 years later. I am 63. And everyone is still talking without so much as a single rail spike to have ever been driven into the ground.
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Poll shows public support for publicly financed light rail.
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Folks that want to help.
Vote Transit
Connect Tampa Bay

Tampa Bay Homeless

Homeless Living In Tampa

What stogie Had For Lunch

Hot Dog
With fries and a drink.
$3.50 at The Yellow Food Truck across the street from the Marion Transit Center in Tampa.

Stephanie Wilkerson Of Tampa

Brutal School Bus Driver

The surveillance video below shows school bus driver Stephanie Wilkerson viciously kicking an eight-year-old girl off a bus last year. The incident occurred on September 28, 2012, outside Tampa Bay Boulevard Elementary School in Hillsborough County, Florida. The eight-year-old girl is autistic, according to WTSP, the local CBS affiliate. She suffered a fractured ankle when she fell to the ground. Wilkerson, 41, has been fired. Shecurrently faces a charge of aggravated child abuse.
See the video here.
See her at HCSO here
What a awful person. Yuck!

St Pete For Peace Celebrates 10 Years Of Resistance

Preserving Florida’s History

Researchers at USF St. Petersburg are working to digitize a treasure trove of Spanish documents that shed light on Florida’s past in St. Augustine.

here

Occupy Tampa Jams Interstate Traffic

With ‘No Keystone XL Pipeline’ sign
At i4 and 301 in Tampa, Police respond.
here

Help Feed Debbie Wasserman Schultz's Staff

What Stogie had for lunch.
$4.00 At the food truck across the street from the Marion Transit Center in Tampa.
What Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz, D-Fla., said about the sequester. "We're really starting to see the effects of that in our office," she said. The cuts have also affected the quality of life for congressional aides, said Wasserman Schultz,  At the hearing, for example, she said prices of meals in House restaurants are getting so high that aides are being "priced out" of a good meal.

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Rick Scott: Worst Decision A Governor Has Ever Made

Remember we could of had High Speed Rail with $2.3 billion in investment money from the feds. Tampa Mayor Pam Iorio called Gov. Rick Scott’s rejection of $2.3 billion in high-speed rail money “an unbelievable decision. In my 26 years in public life, I think this is the worst decision a governor has ever made,”

here

 Scott is down 12 points, 52-40; against Pam Iorio in a new Public Policy Polling survey.

Let's make her our Governor!

here

Stop Parent Trigger Legislation in Florida

A quality public education is the foundation of a bright future -- for our children, our state and our nation. But in Florida, a bill entitled “Parent Empowerment” will do the exact opposite. This bill, also know as the Parent Trigger bill, will take away our rights as parents and concerned community members to have a say in our children's education, and will empower for-profit management corporations to put profits first. Sign the Petition 
here

Two (NotSo) Favorite Sons Of Florida

Floridians Love The The Golden Girl
Hillary Clinton has double-digit leads over Rubio and Bush in the 2016 presidential race in Florida, according to a Quinnipiac University poll on Thursday. Clinton leads former Gov. Jeb Bush, 51 percent to 40 percent, and tops Sen. Marco Rubio, 52 percent to 41 percent, in the survey of Florida voters.
here

Buzztime At Gaspar's Patio

Ace Buzztime player and Ybor Stogie team member Sonny with Greg, NTN Florida representative.
Buzztime is back at Gaspar's Patio in Temple Terrace. You can stop in anytime and play but on Wednesday nights Greg has taken it to a whole new level. If you have never played this game you should. It is candy for your brain. Call 813.988.6959 for times.

Good Cop "Chad" Likes Local Doughnuts

Krispy Kreme server Michelle Ross reacts after Tampa police horse Chad pulls a paper with a jelly doughnut she was serving at the drive-through at the Krispy Kreme on Kennedy.
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To help Special Olympics Florida
click here
Great job SKIP O’ROURKE