Daily Loaf

It’s been a year since The Grind first turned on the microphone. The Rays were hitting the skids, Flip had no kids, and we were on the 1010 grid. What a difference a year makes. All things considered? All good. No grudges. Only growth. A growth we may need to get checked out as a matter of fact.

So what do we have on the sports junk food buffet today?

The Rays gave Tuesday night as good as they got Monday night handing the Red Sux a 14-5 manslaughter at Fenway Paaahhh-k, no doubt spiking 911 domestics in the Boston area.
“How did you get that black eye, miss?”
“I fell.”
“Come on, ma’am. You’re gonna have to do bettah than that.”
“I got pegged in the noggin in the pah-king lot by a Rays home run ball.”
“Now that I can believe. You have a nice night, now.”
Manger Joe Maddon credited the offensive performance as, “…getting a little more perky,” a term typically used to positively describe small breasts. What, don’t give me that look. I don’t make the rules.
That’s 7 1/2 games the Rays currently have over the Red Sox and 1 1/2 games behind the 1st place Skanks with 24 games to go. Okay, I’m just going to say it. Am I the only one that thinks 162 games is a little much?

The Bucs host the Browns Sunday which is all but a definite blackout, inspiring smack-talk from a Cleveland journalist about how pathetic Tampa Bay fans are for not at least selling out the home opener. The reaction on some of the local airwaves is:
“When you’re getting dogged out by a city like Cleveland, you know you’re in trouble.”
We have a slightly different take.
“When you’re getting dogged out by a city like Cleveland, who gives a rat’s ass?”
Hey, nincompoops. We’re fans, not saps. When the people eat a shit sandwich year after year and perpetually return for more, what do you get?
The Cleveland Browns.

Speaking of empty smack-talk, the USF Bulls fans are already taking their blind-optimism to the airwaves fueled by their statement making week 1 performance against the powerhouse from Long Island coupled with the suspect victory by the Gators as a recipe for an upset of Biblical proportions. Two words, Bulls fans. Keep talking. David and Goliath makes for a nice bedtime story. But in the real world, sometimes the bigger they are, the harder they kick your ass. The last thing this Bulls team needs to be is over confident. Last Saturday the Gators got embarrassed by sloppy football 101 mistakes and are pissed off and ready to take it out on somebody.

Think the Cincinnati Sugar Bowl, but slightly worse.

PLUS: The Boise State Bronco blowjobs continue, why saying “I’m sorry” reduces punishment and why do the people that ridicule athletes as mental midgets seem to be the same folks that give them broadcasting careers for being said athletes? Bitter? Us? A little.

Enjoy the podcast.

The Grind: If listeners were sold seats, we’d be blacked out.
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the podcast here.
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A CNN Opinion Research poll released Wednesday night shows a tight race for the U.S. Senate in Florida between Marco Rubio and Charlie Crist.  And though Democrat Kendrick Meek is still mired in third place, his 24% rating of support is the highest that he’s received all year long since it became a three way race.

Rubio leads with 36%, Crist is at 34%, and Meek is 10% down, at 24%.  It’s just one survey but definitely shows that some Democrats are “coming home,” to Meek.  Also not to be discounted is the lousy media coverage that Charlie Crist received last week, after he was blasted for an usual number of contradictions (even for the Governor) that may have created an erosion of Democratic support, at least temporarily.

Not surprisingly, the poll says that Meek’s greatest strength is in his home area of Miami, while Crist is excelling his in his home Tampa Bay region, while the conservative Rubio does best upstate. Read more “CNN poll shows Meek moving on up, yet still trails by double digits” »

MMA has been taking over the world as one of the fastest growing sports and the Tampa-based mixed martial arts promotion, Xtreme Fighting Championships, has been growing right along with it as evident in the upcoming XFC fight card in North Cyprus next month.

“We are ecstatic to build our brand in North Cyprus and the surrounding area and plan on delivering a quality show there like only the XFC can,” said XFC President John Prisco.

After the XFC’s success in the U.S. with 10,000 plus fans attending the live events at venues like the St. Pete Times Forum in Tampa, Fla. and live coverage of the fights nationwide on HDNet as well as weekly reruns on various cable channels the international expansion seems like a logical next step.

“The XFC seems to be doing bigger and bigger shows,” said XFC fighter Marianna Kheyfets who will be fighting in North Cyprus in October. “I’m not surprised that they’ve expanded to international venues. It just goes to show that their success is well deserved and they are bringing some exciting fights to other countries. I’m not sure what kind of MMA fan base is in N. Cyprus but I have a feeling its going to be a big hit!”

There is no doubt that the XFC’s North Cyprus fight card will be star-studded as reigning XFC Featherweight Champion Jarrod Card, XFC Leightweight Champion Junior Assuncao, and XFC Bantamweight Champion Pablo Alfonso will be featured on the main card along with undefeated Chris Barnett and Marianna Kheyfets as well as top fighter, Julio Gallegos.

Although XFC fans in Tampa won’t be able to watch the fights in North Cyprus live on any U.S. television network, they can still look forward to an exciting card filled with XFC talent from around the U.S. to be aired stateside at a later time.

Saint Somewhere on my mind

Saison style beers are known for their crisp floral notes, fruity esters and yeasty “funk”. These ales are based on a traditional style of brewing that was first used in southern Belgium. Saisons or “season” ales were brewed in winter or spring so they would be fermented and ready to drink in time for the harvest. These brews had to be filling, tasty and able to quench one’s thirst so that during the harvesting the worker would be full, hydrated and happy. A common worker was allowed to enjoy eight glasses of Saison during one work day, and the taste of these ales varied from region to region, depending on what the farm had on hand for ingredients (thus also being referred to as “farmhouse ales”).This style of brewing had fallen into obscurity, but came back in a big way due to the huge resurgence of the American craft brewing scene, which helped give this beer new life.

Saint Somewhere Brewing, located on the outskirts of Tarpon Springs, is a local brewery that takes the saison style to the limit and beyond. When thinking of American Craft beer, most “beer geeks” will immediately rattle off breweries like Dogfish Head, Rogue and the local favorite, Cigar City Brewing. All of these breweries make delicious brews and have their own specific style of brewing, yet Saint Saint Somewhere owner and brewmaster Bob Sylvester offers something that falls into a category of its own, utilizing a traditional style of brewing that was used over one hundred years ago. The brewery, in operation since 2007, has gained much notoriety throughout the craft beer world.

Sylvester makes three styles of farmhouse ales: Saison Athene, Lectio Divina and Pays du Soleil. They may be brewed in the same old school, open-fermentation style, but they couldn’t be more different.
Read more “Saisons in the midst: St. Somewhere Brewing gives this old school style new life” »

One month has passed since Greenpeace took their vessel, the Arctic Sunrise, on a three-month research cruise through the Gulf of Mexico. On the day before Labor Day, the boat and crew docked again in the Port of St. Petersburg before they headed north toward Gulfport, Mississippi. Originally constructed in 1975 to club seals for fur pelts, the Arctic Sunrise is blazing a grand tour of research to challenge the oil’s disappearing act — touted by BP — and is backed by the government.

On board, Greenpeace campaigner Phil Kline spent the first half of his career profiting from the commercial industry. After learning the dirty dark side, he worked to change fisheries policy so that it was more sustainable before coming to Greenpeace. When the Deepwater Horizon well exploded in April, he and the rest of the Greenpeace team wanted to find a substantial way to help.

“We decided we could add value and build the knowledge base that is going the be necessary to understand the long term impacts by offering the opportunity for independent scientists because no one is satisfied with the science being done for hire or by BP or sponsored by the US government. Like ‘it all magically disappeared’,” Kline said.

Last week, BP released their report on the Deepwater Horizon Spill. Basically, the report highlights eight factors as the potential cause, which disperse the blame off BP’s shoulders.

“The investigation report provides critical new information on the causes of this terrible accident. It is evident that a series of complex events, rather than a single mistake or failure, led to the tragedy. Multiple parties, including BP, Halliburton and Transocean, were involved,” said BP’s departing CEO Tony Howard.

Immediately following BP’s report, which placed a significant amount of the spill blame on their contractors Halliburton and Transocean, the oil giant’s stock went up 2 percent.
Read more “Greenpeace’s Gulf investigation continues: Sponges, whales and plankton – Oh my!” »

I still have very fuzzy memories about the morning this happened. It was September 2009, and I had been wrangled into speaking at something called Barcamp at the Tampa USF campus by my friend Julia Gorzka. She’d signed me up for a panel to talk about media, marketing, changes in the industry, whatever. Another day, another panel. I was assured it was no big deal, “in and out.”

Was I ever in for a goddamned shock.

My chauffer (Ms. Gorzka) and I arrived at the lobby of the Business building around 8:45 a.m. (a good 15 minutes before we were supposed to “go on”) only to find there were no session names listed anywhere at eye level. No speakers’ photos on display on flimsy wooden easels. No moderators assembling their notes and tending to their panelists. No sense of order whatsoever. Worse yet, my name and photo was not on any programs, collateral materials, table-top placards or imprinted plastic lanyards that I could take home and hang on my bookshelf. There was no catered breakfast or VIP area for the scheduled speakers. There were no speakers, there wasn’t even a schedule. I was in a tailspin. Julia had lied to me!

“What is this place? And what the hell is going on?,” I thought.

The unwashed masses – the public, for God’s sake – were simply being allowed to sign up (first come, first served) and create topics of discussion on the spot, organizing panels on subjects ranging from iPhone development to e-commerce to online publishing with whomever happened to be hanging around. It was a fucking uprising! I’m not even going to talk about the “hula hoop thing.”
Read more “Barcamp Tampa: Understanding the “un-conference” (with video)” »

San Francisco’s Film School was originally founded in 1998 by Greg Bertens (vocals). Greg began taking piano lessons at age 10, playing mostly ragtime and Mozart; it wasn’t until years later, while listening to Nirvana, that he thought he might like to form his own band. As soon as he got over the idea of being the next Kurt Cobain, he realized that he spent all of his time playing music, listening to music, or working out melodies in his head. He figured he might as well go pro with it. Read more “Wednesday-music.com indie music profile: Film School” »

In Tampa this morning, members from several local groups, including the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) held a news conference to announce the launching of a national public service announcement campaign to challenge the growing anti-Muslim bigotry that has been building over the past month.

CAIR-Tampa Communications Director Ramzy Kilic said the motivation for producing the PSA’s was obviously in part due to the controversy over the proposed Muslim cultural center and mosque planned to be built in Lower Manhattan, just blocks away from where the World Trade Center was destroyed in terrorist attacks nearly nine years ago.

“We feel that’s a manufactured controversy by a small and vocal group that aims to divide Americans,” Kilic began. Manufactured or not, the issue has touched a nerve nationally and  has become the source of some concern for Muslims  over the last part of the summer.  “It is a misinformation campaign that has spiraled out of control, leading to Islamaphobia throughout the nation,” Kilic said.

In materials made available for the media, CAIR presented copies of what they called a Teachable Moment Community Response Guide and a press kit that featured photos and short written descriptions of the 29 Muslims who died at the World Trade Center on 9/11.  Korans were also available for members of the media to take with them, and CAIR says they will provide one to anyone in the community who calls their office.

Kilic also referred to the planned Koran burning scheduled this Saturday in Gainesville by pastor Terry Jones of the Dove Outreach Center, calling it a “fringe effort,” but admitted that such “fringes can do a lot of damage.”  The proposed Koran burning has invoked outrage nationally and internationally, though yesterday New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg, under fire in some quarters for supporting the plan for Park51, defended Jones’ right to commit such an act, saying he personally considers the idea “distasteful,” but insisted “You can’t say you’re going to apply the First Amendment in only those cases where we are in agreement. If you want to be able to say what you want..you have to defend others no matter who much you disagree with them.”

Glenn Katon is a staff attorney  with the Tampa office of the ACLU.  He said that “although we are very much against censorship and we believe that people have the right to say things even when they are hateful and offensive, we also have at the same time an obligation to speak out against these repulsive forms of bigotry and religious hated.”

Dwight Lawton with the group Friends of Human Rights said “What we really need is more love, more care and more respect for other..religious organizations.” He called for different groups to listen to each other, and he wanted to discourage hatred between different groups.

CAIR’s Kilic said that he knows of no threats made to Muslims or Muslim groups recently in the Tampa Bay area. Read more “Local Tampa Muslim group tries to promote peace days before scheduled 9/11 Koran burning (video)” »

And then there were four.

Tonight’s episode of Top Chef: D.C. (or is it Top Chef: Singapore now?) takes the culinary showdown to a foreign land — because what’s more patriotic for the season taking place in our nation’s capital than to have the finale in Southeast Asia?

In the preview videos below, we get some insight into Singapore’s street cuisine by Chef Cito. I’ve never heard of him, but apparently he’s some expert on Singaporean cuisine. He gives the chefs a tour of a huge market with numerous street food stalls, giving them insight into the fusion of flavors and cultures that is found in the food there. Hmm…I feeling they’d better be taking mental notes for an upcoming challenge.

And I’m right! For the Elimination, the chefs must work as a team and prepare a Singaporean inspired feast for eighty guests at a dinner party hosted by Food & Wine’s Dana Cowin. The heat is on (in more ways than one).

Who will be booted tonight and which three talented lucky contestants will make it to round two of the finale? If I even had a clue, I’d be placing bets right now — this competition could still go any way at this point.

Check out the preview videos below.
Read more “Tonight’s Top Chef D.C. episode preview: Finale part 1″ »

“So you want to be a rock ‘n’ roll star?” legendary California pop band The Byrds sang in their cynical 1967 hit single of the same name. The song, a sentiment no doubt aimed at the oodles of unworthy bands trying to scratch out a chance at success and “making it” still resonates today. The quest for rock star status has had an intoxicating effect on scads of up and comers with big dreams and stars in their eyes. But it’s not only those within the genre that fantasize about this … with the advent of American Idol, home video games that fulfill the desire of being a “Rock Star” and now, in the modern version of country music, the desire to reach that status is at an all-time high. [All photos by Jeff O'Kelley.]

“New Country,” an unfortunate genre that holds more reverence for Southern rock band Lynyrd Skynyrd than country music trailblazer George Jones, finds most of its central figures obsessed with the desire to emulate Mick Jagger instead of Willie Nelson while onstage. A new creation no more than watered-down pop music that features the occasional, faint hint of a steel guitar way, way off in the background. Put plainly and simply, the highest-grossing, most popular and successful country music acts today are living vicariously as the recognized rock stars of this day and age.

And judging from Friday night’s display of flash pots, screaming electric guitars and bombastic, over-the-top stage entrances at the Toby Keith [pictured above] and Trace Adkins show at the 1-800-Ask-Gary Amphitheater, it’s easy to see why.

Both headliner Toby Keith [pictured above] and support act Trace Adkins have obviously made a conscious effort to erase the stereotypical, stoic “stand at your mic and strum your guitar” ethic of country artists of yesteryear; no, these slick showmen have instead dug a little deeper into the stage shows of Motley Crue and Kiss rather than those of George Strait or Randy Travis.

The sheer size and magnitude of each artists’ stage gear was downright staggering; no doubt subscribing to the “bigger is better” credo, both of these towering men came equipped with enough wattage and equipment to accommodate six bands. No, the world of country music is no longer a down-home, humble one; it’s morphed into a glitzy, showy extravaganza of gimmicks and gloss. And these two men are two of the leading purveyors of this mentality. Read more “Concert review: Mama, don’t let your babies grow up to (try to) be rock stars … Trace Adkins and Toby Keith at the Ask-Gary Amphitheatre (with photos)” »

I’ve removed a few pairs of men’s underwear in my day.  Some guys wear boxers, some wear boxer briefs, and some still wear tighty-whities.  While I’ve never been good at palm reading, I do have a sixth-sense for matching personality to underwear type. Here’s a brief summary of what your underwear says about you.

Boxers: Men who wear boxers tend to be middle of the road kind of guys.  They aren’t the most outgoing in the room, but they aren’t wallflowers either.  You might have to start the conversation with these guys, but they will carry it through once the dialogue juices are flowing. In bed, the men who wear boxers aren’t the crazies who tie you up and pour hot  wax on you, but they do know how to have a good time.

Boxer Briefs:  This type of underwear can be deceiving.  Read more “Guys, what does your underwear say about you?” »

Men often have casual sex partners for one of two reasons: they’re attracted to their partner but don’t want to settle down, or they’re using a partner for sex while searching for something better. While some women are only interested in a booty call, more often women use casual sex as a dating strategy for developing a long term relationship with a reluctant male. The impulse is to call these women delusional for not realizing they’re being used for sex, but a new study out of the University of Iowa proves that casual sex relationships often lead to satisfying long term relationships.

“The study suggests that rewarding relationships are possible for those who delay sex. But it’s also possible for true love to emerge if Read more “Study: casual sex equates to love at first sight for some” »

It didn’t start out as anything to scream about, at least not in the positive sense. The Boston Red Sox got out to an early two-run lead in the bottom of the first inning. Tampa Bay Rays starting pitcher David Price yielded a single and a walk to get the first two men aboard. Bane o’ my existence Victor Martinez then smacked a double off the Green Monster to drive in both runs of the frame. You may remember Martinez from his two-home run effort against Price and cocky dickhead victory lap in the 1-3 loss to the Crimson Stockings on Aug. 27.

The Rays got two back in the top of the third inning. With one out in the frame, John Jaso skinned a stand-up double down the left-field foul line to get aboard. Ben Zobrist then took the first pitch he saw to the seats in straightaway center field. Just like that, two straight pitches, the Rays were back in it and decided to take off without looking back. Read more “Revenge: Rays rough up Red Sox 14-5″ »

For the eco-conscious consumer it’s difficult to find sustainably sourced textiles in just any fabric store. Source4Style is now making it easier for designers and decorators to find these kinds of fabrics — and all it takes is the click of a mouse.

Source4Style’s website states:

“We are creating the world’s first online marketplace for designers to search and source the world’s leading sustainable textiles. Our design portal allows you to search through a comprehensive and curated selection of materials, connect with sustainable suppliers, calculate lead and ship times, and source swatches and yardage through a seamless online transaction.”

Read more “Featured green site: Source 4 Style – The world’s first online sustainable textile source” »

Two major polls released yesterday show the Republicans would probably do extremely well against the Democrats in the mid-term election this November.

However, Florida Democratic party activists aren’t taking the hint and shutting down operations.  Last night throughout the state, the Florida Democratic Party’s Campaign for Accountability got off to its official start.

Alex Sink announced yesterday that she supports maintaining all of the Bush tax cuts, contradicting President Obama, who will reiterate today that he wants to get rid of them for the wealthiest 2%.  Obama will also outline other measure to kick start the economy today, though the question is will Republicans reject them out of hand?

Download
the report here.

President Obama is poised to deliver his major address on rebooting the economy  in Cleveland at 2:10 EST today, but despite the fact that some of the provisions have been desired by Republicans for a long time, there’s no incentive for them to support them now, and thus analysts believe they will die on the vine.

From today’s Wall Street Journal:

Mr. Obama travels to Cleveland to deliver a key-note economic speech Wednesday that will outline plans to enhance and permanently extend the research and experimentation tax credit, allow businesses to write 100% of their investments off their taxes through 2011, and pump another $50 billion of infrastructure spending into the economic bloodstream.

Businesses say the tax proposals are helpful but no substitute for what they really want: broad-based changes to the corporate tax code and an extension of President George W. Bush’s tax cuts, which expire in January. Republicans have criticized the proposals as a Stimulus II, while urging Democrats running for office to reject it.

Despite the calls for the speech to be dead on arrival, the White House is actually trying to do something here.  Again from the Journal:

The White House has worked hard to gain political traction ahead of the Cleveland speech. Mr. Obama called Sen. George Voinovich (R., Ohio) over the weekend to discuss the infrastructure plan. The White House’s business liaison office reached out to the Business Roundtable to discuss the business-investment and research-and-development proposals.

Some legislative discussions have begun. The Democrats could tack a version of an R&D extension or business-investment incentive onto legislation that extends the Bush tax cuts for the middle class, but not to households earning more than $250,000. Read more “Obama not budging on Bush tax cuts for the rich – but will GOP be open to his other ideas?” »

Although two major polls released on Tuesday show that Republicans have the edge over Democrats in terms of the  intensity of their supporters in Congressional races, a crucial benchmark that generally is an accurate prediction of election results, the good news (if you can call it that) for Democrats is that they still have plenty of time to fire up their own supporters.  And with Republicans and independents flocking away from them, getting out their base is the only way to help down ticket races as well.  And a new Gallup poll released Tuesday which shows support among Democrats and Republicans dead even could help their psyche.

So last night throughout the state, from the Panhandle to Hialeah, the Florida Democratic Party’s Campaign for Accountability got off to its official start, with activists and volunteers gathering to begin calling other volunteers to see about their availability to begin canvassing and contacting voters about the 2010 election.

In South Tampa, an event was held just behind Datz Deli, where dozens of people convened to ask other Democrats if  they were ready and willing to offer their time and energy towards helping their candidates on the ballot statewide this November.

Organizers said Tuesday night was a chance to contact the many people who volunteered in 2008, when excitement for many Democrats was at an all time high as Barack Obama was trying to get elected president.

South Tampa resident Martha Hodge said some of the people being contacted don’t usually vote Democratic, but did so in ‘08.  “One of our biggest problems is finding people at home because we don’t leave messages on their phones,” she added.  “We have something close to 40% connect,  but we have a lot of doubling back to do when we don’t connect.

Volunteers can work as much as they like.  Hodge said she’ll work about three days a week for two hours at a time, making phone calls.  She says there has been some resistance from 2008 activists.  “Basically they’ll say ‘I did my best 2 years ago, I’m not really interested now.’ We say ,’well, you know, 2 years is not much time to take care of all the problems that we had.  And so it’s imperative that we get just as excited and just as active as we did with President Obama, and some people buy that, and some people don’t buy that.  So we really have to struggle with that…we do. But I think in general most people are happy to get live contact, people are annoyed by robocalls.  One genetleman I cold called a week ago said he was hoping somebody would call him, and there he is (volunteering).  I’m going to be walking up and down the streets, knocking on doors.” Read more “Despite some polls, hope is very much alive for Florida Democratic activists this year” »

Wednesday, September 8: Brio Tuscan Grille
Meet fellow green-minded folks at this monthly networking event hosted by Green Drinks Tampa Bay, a non-profit group aimed at bringing together folks who work in the environmental field (though anyone is welcome to attend). Free event; 6 p.m. Brio Tuscan Grille- International Plaza Mall on Bay Street, Tampa. Please contact Advait Mantri with any questions (813-453-0242) or advait61@yahoo.com.

Wednesday, September 8: Tampa History Center
The Tampa Bay History Center and the Columbia Cafe are partnering for ‘A Taste of History’, a hands-on culinary workshop series exploring classic recipes from Florida’s oldest restaurant. Beginning September 8th, three culinary workshops will explore the origins and stories behind several of the Columbia Restaurant’s signature dishes. Under the direction of the Columbia Cafe’s Executive Chef, you’ll then build your own Cuban Sandwich, mix your own 1905 Salad™ and stir your own batch of red sangria. CL’s own Food and Drink contributor and food historian, Andy Huse, will educate participants on the history of each dish and how it evolved over time. The first event will be held on September 8. Seating is limited and pre-registration is required. Each session $35 for members and $40 for non-members; the three-workshop series is $95 for members and $110 for non-members. 6 p.m. TECO Hall- 801 Old Water St., Tampa. For more information, please contact Visitor Services at (813) 228-0097 ext. 0.

Wednesday, September 8: Bella Vino Wine & Cheese Market Can you taste the differences between California and French wines? Put your palate to the test at this tasting that will pit the Old and New World wines against one another. Register online here. $39; 6:30 p.m. 100 Indian Rocks Rd., Belleair Bluffs. (717-584-5552)

Thursday, September 9: Various locations around Tampa Bay
Cruzan is unveiling their newest creation, “9″, on 9/9 (how appropriate) at tasting events around Tampa Bay. The flavors of vanilla, nutmeg and cinnamon in this new rum is perfect for autumn and winter libations (but I’m sure it still tastes great in the Florida heat) and you can sample it — along with tasty Cruzan 9 drink specials that will be available for purchase — at one of the 9 free tasting events.

Read more “Tampa Bay food, wine and beer events” »

Zo Vallejo-Bryant and Amanda Reardon.

Case Number 346: Sarah Mayes, an All Out Rep production at Gorilla Theatre,  is an intriguing, at times beautiful murder mystery/dance event that finally is missing too many key elements to be fully satisfying.

This is a play that asks us to wonder if the people convicted of its title character’s murder are really innocent; but it gives us almost no information on the accused on or on anyone else who might have the least interest in seeing Mayes dead. Fortunately, the dance that punctuates the show’s episodes is top-rate and at moments thrilling, and the stylized acting by the five-member cast (there are also two dancers) is often haunting.

Since the show is so efficient – under 90 minutes, including an intermission – it’s never boring, even at its most vague. I was as mystified on the way out as I was curious on the way in, but I don’t for a moment regret having been there. Read more “Theater Review: All Out Rep’s Case Number 346: Sarah Mayes charms and mystifies” »

There’s been a lot of talk over the last few months about cutting back on the amount of time we spend in online social networks — or even disengaging from them completely. Tech blogs like Lifehacker.com and even The Consumerist have posted detailed instructions for deleting one’s Facebook account (a harder thing to do than one might assume). Meanwhile, columnists have openly wondered about the point of Foursquare or, like TechCrunch’s Paul Carr, crowed about deleting their Twitter and other feeds.

The argument’s a valid one, of course, and a conversation worth having. A lot of us do spend an eyebrow-raising amount of time online, much of it “interacting” with people we could see face to face within 15 minutes of going outside and getting into the car. (My wife spends so much time on Facebook that, when my buddy’s parents started their own accounts, they assumed she worked there.)

We’ve developed habits. Read more “Life As We Blow It: Tossing Out The (Face)book” »

Here’s a thoroughly Tampa event for you: an opening reception and exhibition of artist Elio Lopez’s latest major work, “El Lector (The Lector)” at the Louise and Arnold Kotler Art Gallery of the John F. Germany Library in downtown Tampa.

Read more “Do It Today: ‘El Lector’ opening reception and more” »

Both NBC News/Wall Street Journal and ABC/Washington Post have released new polls on the state of the American electorate, eight weeks before the mid-term elections.  To nobody’s surprise, the survey results are alarming for Congressional Democrats.

Both surveys indicate that among likely voters, the GOP has over a 10% point (at least) lead in the generic question of would you rather support a Democrat or a Republican for Congress at the polls this November.  In the WaPo poll, that edge is now 16% higher for Republicans, and double what it was in July.

How much of this GOP love comes from people fantasizing about a Speaker Boehner or a Senate President McConnell?  Pollsters Peter Hart and Bill McInturff write that “just 31% of “all voters and independents alike say most GOP lawmakers have earned another term.”

The NBC/WSJ survey  shows that only 30% of Americans say the country is going in the right direction, while a massive 61% think it’s going to hell in a handbasket, or some variation of that.  In 2006, when the Democrats won back both houses of Congress after 12 years as the minority, that figure was similar, with 31% saying things were okay, and 54% saying that they weren’t. Read more “Reality bites for Democrats in newly released poll numbers” »

In the two weeks since he’s realized that he’s part of the GOP establishment since becoming their gubernatorial nominee, Rick Scott no longer goes off on all what’s wrong with Tallahassee, even though that would be his charge if elected in November.

No, he reads the polls like the rest of us, and figures anyway he can tag Alex Sink as being with the Washington liberals – or specifically, Barack Hussein Obama – the better.

Sink’s already growing weary of it (as she said in a comment earlier today accusing Scott of lying about her record), and this ad tells Floridians throughout the state that in her words, it’s about “jobs, not Obama.”

Sink riled up liberal bloggers earlier today when she came out in support of extending all the Bush tax cuts, without a sunset.

But the Scott camp still says she wants to raise taxes:

Scott campaign spokesman Chad Colby said,

“Alex Sink campaigned with Obama at the same time he was calling for the repeal the Bush tax cuts. Now, she can’t run away fast enough from his tax policy. Only in an election year do liberals realize that more taxes kill jobs. Floridians won’t be fooled by election year conversions — especially 2 months before election day.

“Furthermore, Sink is on the record in support of Obamacare while at the same time saying she doesn’t support Medicare cuts. It is clear she thinks the political debate is an al a carte menu where she can pick and choose the issues that work to her advantage. Unfortunately, she and her Obama liberal allies can’t run from the policies they support- policies that have harmed the Florida economy and cost the state jobs.”

Taps Wine and Beer Merchants in Downtown Tampa now offers cocktails in addition to craft beers and wine.

Taps now serves top shelf liquors along with 25 craft beers on draft, over 200 bottled beers and wines dispensed from Enomatic machines — a debit card system for dispensing wine by the ounce.
Read more “TAPS Beer and Wine Merchants in Tampa now serving liquor” »

The Sierra Club is proud to join Americans across the country volunteering on September 11 in honor and remembrance of those who bravely serve the country. The great outdoors are part of America’s heritage and protecting our lands is a way to honor the National Day of Service.

On September 11, we will be cleaning up one of America’s best beaches, Ft. DeSoto County Park’s North Beach, and planting 10,000 sea oats to better stabilize the North Beach. The sea oats will serve as a nursery for birds and other Gulf wildlife.
Read more “Join the Sierra Club’s National Day of Service beach cleanup at Ft. Desoto, Saturday (9/11)” »

Pat Donovan talks about the Rays losing three in a row and tells you why he thinks Jeff Niemann may see another stint on the DL.  Also, hear why Pat Donovan thinks the return of Grant Balfour is so important to the Rays success and why he thinks the Rays bullpen can help weather the storm while the starting rotation struggles. Pat also talks about the Bucs desicion to claim runningback LeGarrette Blount and hear why Pat thinks Blount could make an impact for the Bucs if he keeps his noggin on straight. Lastly Pat asks for your help in instituting a new American holiday and asks how in the world anyone could like college football more than the NFL.

Download
the podcast here.

Read more “Pat Donovan’s Deep Fried Sports: Niemann struggles again, a new sparring partner for Talib and a new holiday” »

If you’re like me, the montage of bone-jarring awesomeness set to Coming to your City that signifies the beginning of ESPN’s College Game Day is God’s way of saying, “Everything is going to be all right.” Thank you, God!

As the first week of college football came to an exciting close Monday night, there were few surprises despite some calling the Boise State victory over VaTech an upset (number #3 beating #10 is supposed to happen, folks). It was delightfully nauseating to hear Herbstreit and Musburger blow the Broncos at every turn (got a little shmootz on the side of your mouth there, Kirk), something that will no doubt make the inevitable wake-up call all the more delicious. The next, and only “ranked” opponent Boise State has left is Oregon State on the smurf-turf (ranked #24…wow) before they roll through prep schools, commuter schools, and ITT Tech all the way to the BCS-Ball against Alabama for the National Championship. If you want to know what that will look like, fast-forward to the end of Butch Cassidy and the Sundance kid.

All Florida schools beat the paycheck-patsies like they were supposed to, and even though I bleed orange and blue (and beer), I still say Florida isn’t in as much trouble as the haters are breathtakingly fantasizing about. Week one is a tune-up, not a prognostication.

“Florida State is back and the post-Tebow Gators are in deep shit! Hooray!”

Really?

The Noles whooped up on a team that reminds you of Fred Sanford before the actual mascot which most people need Google to name. Well done, but nothing can be learned as they head to Norman, Oklahoma to face the Sooners. OU had a scare of their own as they barely squeaked by Utah State, but they ain’t no Samford. The question mark still remains. That said, the Seminoles looked good. You’re supposed to beat bad teams badly. They did. Bowden clearly needed to go. If the old fart were still puttering the sidelines like Mr. Tudball, it would have looked more like the Jacksonville State game in 2009. Now that was fugly.

On that note, the Gators Read more “Bill’s Sports Binge: College football begins, Rays lose again, Bucs make cuts and college football begins” »

In St. Petersburg, Mayor Bill Foster has alienated some members of the cycling community by having the police cite them for ignoring stop signs or riding two abreast.  It’s all about combating recent concerns about motorists and bike riders alike about public safety.

Although undoubtedly there is tension between some motorists and cyclists in Tampa, it has not become a major problem.  In fact, Tampa Mayor Pam Iorio addressed the issue last Friday by issuing  a proclamation recognizing the importance of “Bicyclist and Pedestrian Safety Awareness.”

In it, the mayor praised cycling and cyclists, but also asserted safety concerns, writing:

The City of Tampa strongly urges all motorists to be on the alert for bicyclists and pedestrians, especially when making turns; all bicyclists and pedestrians to ride/walk safely and according to the law; and to do what they can to make themselves more visible to motorists such as wearing bright reflective clothing and using lights on bicycles at night;

The Mayor also acknowledged in the proclamation how bike lanes will be emphasized in the future design of Tampa, writing:

WHEREAS, the City of Tampa continues to seek ways to address the needs and safety of our bicyclists and
pedestrians as we plan our capital roadway improvement projects including bicycle provisions, sidewalks, crosswalks, and
pedestrian signals. A Bicycle and Pedestrian Master Plan is also being initiated which will include identifying and prioritizing bicycle projects that will support multi-modal connectivity and ways to promote bicycle safety; Read more “Iorio issues proclamation on bike and pedestrian safety in Tampa” »

This past Saturday, September 4, I high-tailed it over to Orlando’s Citrus Bowl along with several thousand car and music lovers  for the Bandwagon Roadshow. The event kicked off at 10 a.m. and featured dozens of classic automobiles on display, everything from the classic ‘57 Chevy to a tricked-out mini clown car. Beautiful. And then there was the music. All my friends know I’m a total sucker for photographing live music; it’s almost sad how easily I get lured in. I can’t help it — put me in front of a good band with my camera, and I’m pretty much in heaven. So perhaps you can imagine the day-long euphoria I experienced while hanging at Bandwagon and shooting acts like Snoop Dogg, Sublime with Rome, Royal Crown Revue, Orlando’s own Rocket 88 and Tampa’s Cadillac Bombers, the Reverend Horton Heat, Unknown Hinson and many others. Check out my photos from the event below.

Snoop Dogg

Complete photo gallery after the jump. Read more “Photo review: Bandwagon Roadshow with Snoop Dogg, Reverend Horton Heat, Sublime with Rome, and others at the Citrus Bowl, Orlando” »

Despite its ability to create exquisite and largely self-contained hours of entertainment, Mad Men is a show you need to watch consistently to love. Otherwise you wouldn’t appreciate the subtleties; in the character traits, in the props, in the acting. But more so, you wouldn’t appreciate when the show isn’t subtle. The rare occasions that, like in “The Suitcase,” come unexpectedly and are instances at which to marvel. Sunday night’s episode was an entire hour of the kind of in-your-face drama that Mad Men is not all about. Yet, it was my favorite episode this season.

As someone who has watched more than a few television series, I love when writers do this: Leave unwanted exposition at the door and allow the audience to fill in a lot of blanks. It gets to the goods faster and in a more meaningful way. Don and Peggy’s scenes together last night were some of the best either of them has had on the show so far. But, again, most of it was underlying emotions rising to the surface, backstories that had to be known for them to mean anything when Don/Peggy shared them with each other. I can see how if you have only watched this season, or tuned in this week after the show won its third Emmy last week, you’d think the episode was a little boring.

If you didn’t know Don Draper, you wouldn’t have realized that he has hardly ever before behaved like he did last night; not with his ex-wife, not with his army of mistresses, not with frenemy Roger Sterling. At the end of the episode, Peggy asked Don if he would like his office door open, or closed. “Open,” he says, which is the entire theme of “The Suitcase.” Don opens up to Peggy in a way that is startling and sad. It’s clear he needs her around during one of the most difficult nights of his life. He receives a call from California; a call from Anna Draper’s 20-something Berkeley hippie niece, Stephanie, calling to say that Anna has died.  We don’t see him return the phone call until the very end of the episode, but Don knows the entire time that he’s been left to fill a void. “The only person in the world who knew who I really was,” he says about Anna. For the night, and maybe from now on, Peggy is the one to fill that void.

Don’s angst is set against the night of 1964’s big fight: Cassius Clay (as he’s known to those at SCDP; many others, including Pete Campbell, call him Muhammad Ali) vs. Sonny Liston. Subsequently, the episode was full of fighting: Peggy vs. her boyfriend, her mom. Don vs. Peggy. Duck vs. Don. “The Suitcase” was an apt title for an episode fully devoted to sorting through the characters’ personal baggage. Draper chooses to handle his grief by slipping into his ever-present workaholism. Closely paired with his alcoholism, he quickly becomes belligerent, emotional and bullies Peggy into staying. They are working on an ad about suitcases, for their client Samsonite. Peggy still feels like she needs to prove something to him, so she chooses to stay. Three or four times. Missing her (surprise) birthday dinner planned by her boyfriend. Their fight on the phone doesn’t end well; her boyfriend is rightfully upset that Peggy is choosing to stay at work (again) and breaks up with her. Peggy tells Don about her personal woes, which leads into her anger with Don over the Glo-Coat ad. He is at first somewhere between sympathetic and fed up, telling her that she’s old enough to stop making such big deal about birthdays, and then chewing her out for telling him he stole the Glo-Coat idea from her (turns out it was a nugget of an idea in a group of many that Peggy came up with). He immediately feels pretty rotten when she starts crying in front of him. Peggy has never seemed more like a 20-something in this episode, and that was nice to see. Don makes up for it by hilariously stumbling upon Roger Sterling’s memoir recordings, and bringing Peggy in to listen to the old man’s ramblings about Bert Cooper not having any testicles.

I didn’t much enjoy the Duck Phillips story. For her birthday, he sends Peggy a business card with her name on it, indicating that he is starting an ad agency and wants her to be a creative director. But, oh wait, he’s still a raging alcoholic, and he actually got fired for it, so now he sits home all day and dreams up fake ad agencies. Then he barges into the SCDP offices, pining for Peggy and almost defecating on Roger Sterling’s office floor. The whole thing was strange, if not a good way to bring up some of Peggy’s personal past and show Don sticking up for Peggy, as he wrestles Duck at some point after Duck calls Peggy a whore.

My favorite scenes by far were Don and Peggy’s late-night excursions to a bright diner, then to a dark bar, where they listen to the Clay-Liston fight and talk about Peggy’s illegitimate baby. If you haven’t watched the show intently since Season 1, you would’ve missed this tidbit, nestled between naturally subtle dialogue that barely hinted at it. Peggy tells Don that her mom thinks he’s responsible for getting her pregnant, because he was the only one who visited her in the hospital after she gave birth to Pete Campbell’s baby. Don asks Peggy if she ever thinks about it; she says sometimes, at playgrounds. The entire conversation didn’t include the word “child” or  reference Campbell. As Don did earlier in the season, Peggy talks about knowing what she’s supposed to want (a steady boyfriend and marriage), and the difference between that and what she actually wants (her job). They share stories about their fathers, and how both died in front of them. (Peggy’s reaction to Don’s story about his father getting kicked to death by a horse was funny; I remember having the same reaction during that scene: Did they really just kill this guy with a horse kick?) Don genuinely likes Peggy, and this episode was a really wonderful glimpse of that.

As morning arrives at the SCDP offices, both Peggy and Don have spent the night there (during which Don pukes in front of her, a really nasty scene, but a precious bonding experience nonetheless). Don promptly makes his California call upon waking  up. And he’s managed to create an ad for Samsonite: Playing off that morning’s newspaper story about Muhammad Ali’s victory, the Samsonite suitcase stands over the other, labeled “The Champion.”

See you next week for “The Summer Man.”

Is your bowl o’ red so tasty that it has what it takes to win some competitions? Then take a crack at the blue ribbon in the Industrial Arts Center’s Industrial Strength chili cook-off on Saturday, September 25th in Gulfport.

The event will showcase kicked up chilis from 20 different entrants, event guests getting to sample all of them (if they dare). There will also be live music by Silk Heat — and plenty of antacids to go around that night.

First, second and third place winners will receive hand blown chili pepper trophies. Attendees will have an opportunity to vote for the People’s Choice Award at a cost of $1 per vote. Proceeds will support the Industrial Arts Center operating fund.
Read more “Enter the ‘Industrial Strength’ chili cook-off in Gulfport, taking place September 25″ »

I am not really the “outdoorsy” type, preferring climate control whenever possible. However I have discovered one activity that gets me back in touch with nature, while not being too strenuous: canoeing.

A leisurely boat ride down the Hillsborough River does wonders for one’s disposition while reminding us that we don’t have to go far out of the city to appreciate Florida’s natural beauty.

Even in the dead of summer the canopy of trees and cooling waters (along with a cooler full of beverages) provides a relaxing afternoon of sightseeing. You can get (relatively) up-close and personal with alligators, turtles, fish and a multitude of birds indigenous to Florida’s landscape. As I am distracted with taking snapshots of the wildlife my husband thinks it’s funny to steer our canoe towards the nearest gator sunning itself on a fallen tree, turning away at the last minute. While I find this less than amusing, if you are a nature buff canoeing is a great opportunity to immerse yourself in all the beauty the Hillsborough River has to offer.
Read more “Take in the natural beauty along the Hillsborough River on a leisurely canoeing trip” »

Florida Democratic gubernatorial candidate Alex Sink made news Tuesday when she said that she favors extending all of what are known as the “Bush tax cuts,” a major issue heading into the fall elections, as currently those tax cuts are set to expire at the end of this year.

Sink joins most of the Republican party establishment in that view, but not the Obama administration or many other Democrats, who want the rates to go up – or actually back to where they were during the Clinton administration – for those individuals making more than $200,000 a year, or couples making $250,000 (the marginal rate would go from 33% to 36% for those making up to #373,000 annually, and from 35% to 39.6% for those making more than $373,000).

The momentum seems to be leaning Sink’s way.  On Tuesday Peter Orszag, the recently departed director of the White House Office of Management and Budget, penned an op-ed in the New York Times (where he now will be a contributing editor) in which he also now is opposing his former boss, saying that the tax cuts for the richest 2% of the country should stay in affect until 2013.

Higher taxes now would crimp consumer spending, further depressing the already inadequate demand for what firms are capable of producing at full tilt. And since financial markets don’t seem at the moment to view the budget deficit as a problem — take a look at the remarkably low 10-year Treasury bond yield — there is little reason not to extend the tax cuts temporarily.

Oszag is extremely aware that there will be pressure to make those cuts permanent, which he acknowledges would be irresponsible, especially since we know that they would cost nearly $700 billion annually.

The beauty of extending the tax cuts for only two years is that canceling them doesn’t require an affirmative vote. It happens by default, so Congressional deadlock works in its favor. And it would essentially solve our medium-term deficit problem, reducing the deficit by $200 billion to $350 billion a year from 2015 to 2020.

Like all plans, this one isn’t perfect. Some may complain that higher marginal tax rates, even if deferred until 2013, will cripple small businesses and economic activity. It’s hard to believe, however, that effectively returning the tax code to its 1990s form would lead to economic catastrophe, especially when many leading Republican economists — including Alan Greenspan and Martin Feldstein — agree that we can’t afford to continue the tax cuts forever. More troubling, middle-class and lower-class families would be saddled with higher taxes. That’s a legitimate concern, but also a largely unavoidable one if we are to tackle the medium-term fiscal problem. Read more “Sink’s stance on extending all of the Bush tax cuts demonstrates fissure within Democratic party” »

“We completely forgot about the girls in the shower,” yelled the DJ at Platinum Showgirls.

The three naked women in the glass shower were still using each others’ breasts as loofahs even though the crowd was concentrated on the drama unfolding on the main stage. Would the petite blonde give in to the DJ’s coaxing and the crowd’s chanting for her to Read more “Girls gone wild: what happens on the bus happens all across America” »

• Despite Paris Hilton lying about that whole “it isn’t my purse” thing, her hairdresser says that Paris doesn’t have time for cocaine. Correct me if I’m wrong, because I don’t know much about drugs, but doesn’t cocaine make you like super-productive? Also, her hairstylists name is Michael Boychuck and he looks like Jason Sudekis in a wig. I do not trust this man.
• With the MTV VMA’s just around the corner, Kanye West is reflecting on the interruption heard ’round the world and apologizing to little Miss Taylor Swift the best way he knows how, Twitter. Missed his weekend-of-sorrys? Gizmodo made Kanye’s tweets coherent (mostly), grammatically correct (pretty much) and turned them in to a way too long letter. Enjoy.
• Miley Cyrus went dancing with Ashley Greene in Paris, that’s all. This is the news people, I am doing my best to bring you only the important headlines but some weeks, this is the best I  have to offer you.
• The feel good story of the week goes to Taylor Lautner, who won that RV lawsuit and then gave the settlement to Lollipop Theater Network, a children’s charity. Can I get an “awwwwwww” up in here?

After the jump, I get mad about sex tapes, try to save Veronica Mars and a news of the Lohans.

Read more “AltDotPop: Kanye apologizes to Taylor Swift, Taylor Lautner is the sweetest, celebrity sex tapes and Lohans in the news” »