Daily Loaf

The City of Tampa’s fiendish plot to have you get up at an insanely early hour of the morning and groggily lace up your sneakers continues this Saturday with Keeping Tampa Fit. The biannual event is devoted to increasing awareness of personal health and the city’s numerous parks, while also offering the chance to keep up stride-for-stride with Mayor Pam Iorio (pictured, center), who plans on strolling four miles. As if that weren’t incentive enough, the first 200 registrants will receive a free T-shirt commemorating the event, which participants can then proudly wear to showcase their dedication to receiving free T-shirts. Sure you’d rather sleep in on what is likely your day off, but just think how good that coffee and artery-hardening cheesy omelet are going to taste when you reward yourself for forsaking a few extra hours of peaceful slumber. No pain, no gain, right? Sat., Nov. 7, Rowlett Park, 2501 River Hills Drive. Registration starts at 6:30 am, the walk begins at 7:30 am. Call the City of Tampa Parks and Recreation Department at 813-274-8615 for more info. – Anthony Salveggi Read the rest of this entry »

Complemented by a hearty round of applause, “Welcome Draper to the University of South Florida” were among the first words USF’s President Judy Genshaft spoke in warmly receiving Draper Laboratories as new residents on the Tampa campus. With some of Hillsborough County’s elite in attendance, including Mayor Pam Iorio, a red ribbon ceremony was held this past Monday afternoon.
At its new location, Draper will be conducting bio-medical research. According to the National Science Foundation, USF is the fastest growing research university in America. Genshaft said the marriage of the research facility and research university is a perfect fit and reassured Draper that they had come “…to a place where research and innovations are highly, highly, highly valued.”

Among the Hillsborough dignitaries in attendance was County Commissioner Ken Hagan. He also gave Draper a warm welcome to the Tampa Bay region, but for reasons different than Genshaft.

Hagan believes that Draper will create “Jobs, jobs and more jobs,” and encouraged the crowd to celebrate  because the economy was finally “going to start getting better,” thanks to Draper. More than 100 jobs have been created so far, and Hagan said he expects more than 100 more high- paying, high-quality jobs will be created once the facility  is completed.
The new Draper Lab facility is projected to be 20,000 sq ft and cost 20 million. So far, only $3 million of the budget has been spent on completing 10,000 sq ft . Genshaft said the money for the endeavor comes from Draper Military Systems sources that are all in support of Draper Laboratory. This includes $6 million from Hillsborough County’s Economic Development Department, $4 million from the USF Research Foundation and $10 million from the state of Florida Innovation Incentive Fund.

The Charles Stark Draper Laboratory, Inc. is an independent, not-for-profit research and development organization. It develops advanced space and energy technology as well military tactical systems, special operations and manufactures wartime weapons. According to their website, more than 90 percent of their work is government-funded from military branches such as the US Navy, Air Force, and NASA, to name a few.

Draper spokesman Len Polizzotto said that each of Draper’s six locations typically specializes in one field. At USF, it will be bio-engineering. An important research area at Draper is the design, prototyping and testing of MEMs or microelectromechanical systems. These tiny systems are also used by Draper to further enhance its bio-research. Draper is looking to partner with USF medical school and Moffitt Cancer to expand its studies in the future.

Earlier on Monday, Draper also opened a second location in St.Petersburg on 16th Street North. The St. Pete lab, Polizzotto said, will be a MEM’s manufacturing facility.

The main Draper facility is in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Draper Laboratories got its start at the Instrumentation Laboratory of MIT in the late 1960s. In 1973, however, Draper was forced out of MIT. Polizzotto said Draper’s weaponry manufacturing stirred protests from faculty, students and demonstrators against the Vietnam War. Polizzotto said even though Draper still make weapons today, he guarantees USF will not be put in a similar situation as MIT because it will not be manufacturing weapons at USF. Draper will only “be dealing with health care.”

USF’s President Judy Genshaft disagrees. She said the university is open to working with Draper in their different fields of research and development beyond health care.

“Whether it be in the water area, energy area or medical area, all the work that you do we want to be part of the innovation that can make a difference for us not only in the state of Florida, but globally as well.”

In light of the ongoing wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, Genshaft said she did not foresee controversy similar to that of MIT occurring at USF because “(Draper) doesn’t make weapons. What they do in terms of the military is that the military has such heavy packs that they downsize the amount through their chips and so the soldier doesn’t have to carry as heavy gear as they otherwise would.”

Draper’s website states that their tactical systems “focuses Draper’s capabilities in autonomy, accuracy, and awareness in the domains of soldier systems, munitions GN&C, missile defense GN&C, and undersea systems. Providing solutions in this space meets the urgent needs of national security in supporting stability and counterinsurgency operations and responds to the increased proliferation of ballistic missiles.”

County Commissioner Hagan said if Draper started making weapons, “ It would have to be looked into.”

Welcome to On the Radar, where we preview up-and-coming arts events to mark your calendar for. The City of Tampa’s fiendish plot to have you get up at an insanely early hour of the morning and groggily lace up your sneakers continues next Saturday with Keeping Tampa Fit.

The biannual event is devoted to increasing awareness of personal health and the city’s numerous parks, while also offering the chance to keep up stride-for-stride with Mayor Pam Iorio, who plans on strolling four miles. As if that weren’t incentive enough, the first 200 registrants get a free Read the rest of this entry »

What’s the buzz on the latest issues in the Green Community? Check out what you may have missed this last week:

Finding an emotional connection with our planet- Doing so allows us to look at what our needs are in life and what is of the highest and greatest importance to us and our environment.

Best of the Bay Readers’ Poll 2009: The race for Greenest Politician has Linda Saul-Sena in the lead- Who do you think should take the title of this year’s Greenest Politician in the Bay?

Clean energy and anti-offshore drilling rally in Ybor this Thursday- Thursday, August 27th, join Sierra Club, 1Sky Florida, Southern Alliance for Clean Energy and other environmental groups for a real grassroots rally outside Big Oil’s staged gathering.
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The race for the title of Greenest Politician in the Bay area is neck and neck so far, with Councilwoman Linda Saul-Sena of Tampa just two votes ahead of Councilman Karl Nurse of St. Petersburg. Behind them are Councilwoman Mary Mulhern and Rep. Rick Kriseman of St. Petersburg; Tampa Mayor Pam Iorio and Gov. Crist bring up the rear of this race.

(Editor’s Note: Ralph Nader and Al Gore are not residents of the Bay area, thus not qualifying for this race – so please don’t bother voting for them again.)

Who do you think should take the title? You have less than a week to vote (the poll ends Aug. 31). Vote now!

[About Daily Best of the Bay: Creative Loafing is posting writers' and editors' picks for Best of the Bay 2009 each day until the BOTB issue is released on Sept. 16. Vote now for your own BOTB choices in our Readers' Poll!]

What’s the buzz on the latest issues in the Green Community? Check out what you may have missed this last week:

The Earth Charter: How ethics can change the world (video) – The Earth charter was created by thousands of people representing hundreds of countries aiming at a universal ethical code of conduct for human beings. How do we treat each other? How do we treat the world? These questions were raised and answered.

City of Tampa Green Business Designation Program- As of this week, the City of Tampa became one of just a handful of cities nationwide to start a green business designation program.  Outside of the West Coast (California and Washington state), Tampa will join major metropolitan areas like Philadelphia and Knoxville in rewarding private businesses that have become or want to become more environmentally-friendly.

Why buying recycled, repurposed products is so important- Preserving the Earth’s natural resources is vital to the future of the planet and all of its inhabitants. Buying recycled and repurposed products is a great way to make a positive impact on the environment by cutting back on waste and the resources needed to make new items.
Read the rest of this entry »

As of this week, the City of Tampa became one of just a handful of cities nationwide to start a green business designation program.  Outside of the West Coast (California and Washington state), Tampa will join major metropolitan areas like Philadelphia and Knoxville in rewarding private businesses that have become or want to become more environmentally-friendly.

What seems to be unique about the City of Tampa program, compared to other municipalities’ programs, is that the city will not be the adminstrator of the program.  Because of the expense related to hiring someone to administer the program, the City of Tampa decided to partner with a non-profit local sustainability group, The Sustany Foundation.
Read the rest of this entry »

Enjoy a café au lait and a petit madeleine At the Cafe Du Dome, an evening of participatory theater set in Montparnasse, a Parisian haunt for American expatriates of the Lost Generation. The audience can observe the events as they unfold — or, come prepared to represent a 1930s cultural figure to join in the show. 4-5:30 p.m. Wed., June 17, St. Petersburg College-Tarpon Springs Campus, 600 Klosterman Road, Palm Harbor, $5, $3 museum members, free for students, 727-712-5762. www.spjc.edu/central/museum.

The Real Lives Movies Series is a monthly screening focusing on the realities and hardships of the Holocaust. June’s selection is The Boy in the Striped Pajamas. When Bruno’s family moves from Berlin to Poland, he befriends a boy on the other side of the fence, where everyone wears striped pajamas. Unaware of his father’s role in the fate of these Jewish prisoners, Bruno embarks on an ominous journey into the camp. Visit gmkjc.org for more info. Noon Weds., June 17, Golda Meir/Kent Jewish Center, 1950 Virginia Ave., Clearwater, free, 727-736-1494.

More events to brighten up your hump day after the break: Read the rest of this entry »

Go Red for Women Luncheon This American Heart Association-sponsored event features three women who receive a Go Red makeover and the first female winner of NBC’s The Biggest Loser, Ali Vincent (above), as the keynote speaker.  11 a.m. Wed., May 6, A La Carte Event Pavilion, Tampa, $125, 813-831-5190.

Tale of Two Cities: Tampa and St. Petersburg. It’s the Battle of the Bay, as Mayors Iorio and Baker face off at Centro Asturiano in Ybor to discuss the history, culture and characters of Cigar City and Sunshine City. It’s an opportunity for residents to compare the history smarts of their top public officials, and a chance for the mayors to one-up each other on their towns’ relative merits. Wed., May 6, 7-8:30 p.m. Centro Asturiano, 1913 N. Nebraska Ave, Tampa, 727-873-2006. Sponsored by Florida Humanities Council. Free admission.

Lifetime of Laughter Comedy Benefit. A comedy show to raise funds for diabetes research features Mark Eddie, who combines stand-up with guitar, and Ybor’s own Roy Johnson, winner of the 2006 Maxim/Bud Light Real Man of Comedy competition in Atlantic City. Wed., May 6, 8 p.m., The Tampa Improv, Ybor City, $20.

A little furniture store from Sweden opens today. If you aren’t already in line by the time you read this, maybe you’d better wait for the crowds to thin out before you visit. Think July. Read the rest of this entry »