Daily Loaf

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At least eight people have been shot in a downtown office highrise in Orlando, FL, according to TV news reports. Here’s an excerpt from a report by WESH 2 in Orlando:

Firefighters were called to Gateway Center at 1000 Legion Place around 11:30 a.m. The building is near Lake Ivanhoe.

All patients have been taken to Orlando Regional Medical Center. At least four of the eight patients are serious trauma cases. Due to the incident, the emergency room has been closed to patients. The ER is on status X.

Dispatchers with the Orlando Fire Department said a shooting with multiple victims was reported on the eighth floor.WESH 2 reporter Gail Paschall-Brown, who is at the scene on the ground, said that 15 employees came out of the building very distraught. Paschall-Brown spoke with one who said that a former employee came into the office who hadn’t worked at the company in over a year.

According to a report filed at 12:50 p.m. by ABC Action News outlet WFTV, two of the shooting victims are dead and four are “trauma red.”

Dee Snider of Twisted Sister

The last time that I saw Dee Snider was during breakfast at the Hard Rock Hotel in Orlando. While I was forced to make small talk with some Backstreet Boy (don’t ask me which one), Dee discussed high finance with my wife, who is a bank vice-president. Lacking Dee’s usual makeup and rampant abuse of the English language, breakfast was a less-than-surreal affair. I spent most of the time asking Lance or Kirk or Brad or whatever his name was, why he was wearing fake tattoo sleeves, instead of getting the real thing. He finally got tired of my badgering and left me to enjoy my coffee, while Dee went off to cook omelets or something.

Read the rest of this entry »

Imagine running into a crush from your early childhood. He or she is all grown up and married, and balances out a successful career with a loving family. Though you don’t carry the same torch for your former love, just the sight of that person makes you remember why you fell for them all those years ago.

That’s exactly what happened to me Saturday night with three different childhood sweethearts. Kind of.

The brothers Hanson played what has now come to be their annual concert at Orlando’s House of Blues this past Saturday, October 24, a stop on their “Use Your Sole” tour. While I haven’t listened to their music in years, I was the token Hanson fan as a young girl growing up in Oklahoma, where they were also raised. There was no way I could miss this show because I never got to see them in concert as a kid, and I owed it to the little girl inside me. I didn’t expect greatness from a trio of 20-somethings who launched to stardom in their teenage years, and I was content with the idea that driving to Orlando to see Isaac, Zac and Taylor (pictured from left to right) would be nothing more than a stroll down memory lane. Read the rest of this entry »

Routes Music is a documentary film acting as a roving music census, taking in the true musical passions (and disgusts) of the American people. We’re traveling all across the country, stopping along the way to interview local bands, take footage of live performances and chat with anyone and everyone. Learn more about the documentary here; check out all previous entries here.

Five things you should never forget on a cross-country music documentary tour:

1.  Granola bars
2. Phone charger
3. TV theme song CDs
4. Stun gun sold by a shifty young man on the street
5. A wild and open mind

The last was crucial as our Routes Music crew (Phil, Alex and Terrence — known collectively as P.A.T.) rolled into Orlando on the first day of the tour.

Weary and hungry from a two-hour drive down I-4, we pulled our 2009 Toyota Sienna (known as the “Big Gray Box) into “the world’s largest entertainment McDonald’s.” We grabbed some burgers and were making out way out when Terrence heard an announcer in the far room. Turning the corner, he spotted a stage featuring five Latino teens, ages ranging from 11 to 18. Terrence called us over. “You guys have to see this.” At that moment, the band broke into synchronized dancing over a drum track. Microphones appeared. The performance began. The Los Mega Boyz, a Latino boy band in the vein of the Backstreet Boys and N-Sync, crooned their way around Ronald McDonald murals and teenagers munching on cheeseburgers. They sang saucy numbers about girls and ballads about Selena.

We’d stumbled upon the most bizarre McDonald’s ever. (Video after the jump.) Read the rest of this entry »

The halls of the Wyndham convention center were overrun by the die-hard horror fans.

Thousands of horror fans from all over the country gathered this past weekend at the Orlando Wyndham Resort for Florida’s largest horror convention — Spooky Empire’s Ultimate Horror Weekend.

Featuring dozens of celebrity guests, the event is an annual three-day festival of music, movies, and just about anything horror-related.

This was the convention’s seventh year, and by far the largest yet. The gathering’s size and notoriety has grown immensely in the past few years. Starting as a relatively small horror gathering in Ft. Lauderdale, the convention (formerly dubbed Screamfest) has since relocated to the Wyndham Orlando Resort on International Drive. Once filling a lone ballroom, the Ultimate Horror Weekend has now taken over the Wyndham’s massive convention center.

Filmmakers such as John Landis (American Werewolf in London, The Blues Brothers) and Hershell Gordon Lewis (Blood Feast, 2000 Maniacs) joined horror legends, including Linda Blair (The Exorcist), Tippi Hedren (The Birds), and Adrienne Barbeau (The Fog), as guests for the event.

Read more and check out video of the Ultimate Horror Weekend after the jump …

Read the rest of this entry »

Miss Destructo: Zombie Hunter

When you think of Orlando, you may think of Mickey Mouse and the tourist-filled, neon-lit strip of International Drive.  However, now all I see is Mickey’s zombiefied clone terrorizing tourists and International Drive becoming a twisted nightmare of ghoulish zombies … oh and Jake Busey.

My family has some strange traditions. For the last three years, we’ve packed up the whole crew to  go to Orlando for the horror-themed convention Spooky Empire (formerly known as Screamfest).  It’s a three-day-long event full of celebrity panels, vendors selling gory goods and infamously wild late night pool parties. Read more about Spooky Empire and watch the video after the jump…. Read the rest of this entry »

(For more on the EPCOT International Food & Wine Festival, check here.)

As in the past, the food took top billing at the EPCOT International Food & Wine Festival, with the wine trailing in second. And beer made a big comeback appearance, but there were enough vinous highlights to keep my attention. Some quick hits:

• I found the best and most surprising food pairing at the Austrian station: Mushroom Soup with Chive Dumplings washed down with Leth Grüner Veltliner and Paprika Beef Stew with Bacon Dumplings and Iby Zweigelt. The citrusy tart gruner melded beautifully with earthy mushroom goodness.

• A more expectedly fabulous combo occurred at New Zealand: Sea Scallops and Veggie Slaw with Villa Maria Sauvignon Blanc, as well as the incredible Lamb Sliders and Villa Maria Cabernet/Merlot.

• If you’re looking to try decent wines from an up-and-coming-yet-unusual area, head to Read the rest of this entry »

(Check here for more on the food and wine pairings at the EPCOT International Food & Wine Festival.)

Last weekend I was fortunate enough to indulge in Disney’s International Food & Wine Festival at EPCOT Center. This marks the 14th year of an event that promises the chance to eat and drink your way around the world without ever having to break out your passport.

After attending this event for the past few years, I was pleasantly surprised to see that a majority of the regional menus had changed (after being exactly the same for the past few go-arounds) and that they’d added a few new cuisines, now up to 25 different international marketplaces. There were also more culinary classes and wine tastings to attend this year, many involving well-known food and wine celebrities like Iron Chef Cat Cora (who has a new restaurant, Kouzzina, that just opened at Disney’s Boardwalk), Andrew Zimmern (host of Bizarre Foods on the Travel Channel), the Deen Brothers (yes, Paula’s boys) and lying TV chef Robert Irvine.
Read the rest of this entry »

THX Management, Aestheticized and even New Granada bring in a tidy bunch of indie acts to town. But more often than not, said acts genearlly opt for the Orlando stop instead — it’s close enough to draw folks from Tampa but far enough away to make the bands feel like they’re playing a big city. The worthiest of the 90-minute trek are Scotland’s indie rock foursome Frightened Rabbit, fronted by brothers Scott and Grant Hutchison (Tues., Sept. 29, The Social, Orlando, $12); chamber rockin’ Portland quintet The Decemberists and their “A Short Fazed Hovel” tour (Wed., Sept. 30, Hard Rock Live, Orlando, $26-$30); another Portland-nite, the folk-meets-Rolling Stoners Blitzen Trapper (pictured) (Tues., Oct. 06, The Social, Orlando, $12 in advance/$14 dos); the electro-dance punk freakers Ghostland Observatory (Thurs., Oct. 29, House of Blues, Orlando, FREE courtesy of Southern Comfort); and Grammy-winning New Orleans electro-psyche rockers MuteMath (Thurs., Nov. 05, House of Blues, Orlando, $20-$56).

Are you like me in the way of feeling left out when a band or songwriter goes on tour and doesn’t come to Florida? You get their bulletin on MySpace announcing their tour and then you discover Florida is nowhere on the list of dates.

You see Atlanta and then Charleston, S.C., and for that split second you don’t see a Florida show nestled in between those two cities, all your dreams are crushed. We are neglected because of our place on the map. It’s not because of the people, it’s because of the dollar sign at the gas pumps. But I’m not here to be political and complain about it. I’ve always try to be a glass half-full kind of person who appreciates whatever life does or doesn’t offer to me. Such is the life of a music fan living in West Central Florida.

However, we have much to celebrate. Neko Case, the red-haired Virginian songstress who has ruled my iPod this year (and probably many others’) with her album Middle Cyclone, is coming down to Florida! (Video and info after the jump.) Read the rest of this entry »

Attending Mini MegaCon this past weekend was like walking into a different world than the mundane one I tend to inhabit. Stormtroopers, mystic elves, movie stars and a few renaissance festival holdovers invaded Orlando and The Rabid One and Hopp were at the center of it all.

Read the rest of this entry »

Eleanor Friedberger of the Fiery Furnaces; all photos by Phil Bardi.

To satisfy the ravenous music-consuming beast inside me, I end up making the 90-minute trek to Orlando rather frequently. Far too many bands don’t or won’t stop in Tampa for whatever reason and some of these bands I simply have to see.

Yes, the Fiery Furnaces were headlining a show in Tampa on Saturday night. But they were also playing The Social in Orlando the Sunday after (August 23), and that particular bill featured the White Rabbits. I’m a big fan of both, so it seemed like a no brainer to set up review coverage for the O-town show. I made all the proper press arrangements with Thrill Jockey (the indie label that reps FF), jumped in a car with some like-minded friends, and set out to enjoy a night of great music and fun times.

Only, the night didn’t start out so fun. In fact, I had to deal with some authentic, grade-A machismo bullshit that has turned this concert review into a partial rant against the “Man In Charge” at The Social. Read the rest of this entry »

There was a whole lot of hot air at the Gaylord Palms resort in Orlando this weekend as the Republican Party of Florida (RPOF) conducted its quarterly meeting.

Charlie Crist was there looking all tanned, smiling, and talking as though he is a conservative (really Charlie, you don’t have to be conservative, just stand for something).

Bill McCollum the likely GOP nominee to replace Chuckles the Clown was there, too. While McCollum is a good man who has solid conservative credentials and actually believes in something, I’ve been told from numerous sources that in private, McCollum responds to the “why are you running?” question with an answer of “because it’s my turn.” I guess that makes him the Bob Dole of the Florida GOP. Without a vision for Florida’s future, and probably among the worst public communicators in America, Republicans better start getting used to the idea of saying Gov. Sink, the likely Democrat nominee.

Read the rest of this entry »

Aug 13-16. Fetish Con. A fetish trade show. Featured appearances by comic book artists and writer George Perez, industry speaker and legal representative Robert B. Nussbaum, the original “Michael Meyers” Tony Moran, and Tonya Kay from Season 1 of “Who Wants to be a Super Hero.” Guests of honor: Stacy Burke Spokesmodel, Paris Kennedy, Kendra James, Maxine X, Emily Addison, Rubberdoll, Jean Bardot, Jade Indica, Paige Richards, Jewell Marceau, and Anastasia Pierce. Lectures and demonstrations: how to be a successful model, the federal record keeping statue, intro to bondage photography, self-puppeteer rope bondage suspension demo, predicament bondage, the art of body plastering, the art of cupping, the first amendment and obscenity law, super heroine showdown III, creating a presence via social networks, BDSM for the disabled, pain is for pleasure not injury, beginning rope bondage suspension, rope bondage for porn, fan photo shoot, and private dungeon play space. 18+. $20-55. Fetishcon.com. Read the rest of this entry »

Candy Bars are darlings of the Tampa indie music scene and things have been, well, a bit sour since they’ve been on hiatus. Sweetness returned this past Saturday, August 8, at New World Brewery with a New Granada Presents show featuring Candy Bars, Venice is Sinking and The Pauses.

Candy Bars
Frequently, scene darlings don’t deliver when push comes to shove. Happily, Candy Bars trashes that stereotype. Both recorded and live, Candy Bars play a beautiful sort of dream pop with a note of something a bit dark resonating in their introspective lyrics and instrumentation. Their record, On Cutting Ti-Gers in Half and Understanding Narravation (New Granada Records) earned positive reviews from lots of national music publications including Pitchfork.com. Read the rest of this entry »

The Suburban Home Records Tour featuring Austin Lucas, Two Cow Garage, Mike Hale, and Damion Suomi took The Social by storm this past Thursday, August 6. It was definitely worth the drive from Tampa to see this outstanding Americana line-up.

(More photos and info after the jump.)

Read the rest of this entry »

Thur. July 30. Swingers Karaoke. ALT Pathway restaurant and lounge. 810 E. Skagway, Ave. Tampa.

Fri-Sat. July 31-Aug 1. ABC and Blacklite Swingers Parties. Come dressed as sexy as you want, just so long as you are wearing Anything But Clothes for the Friday night party. On Saturday night, there will be a Blacklite Party with the heated pool open all night. 9pm. $20-$50 plus the cost of renting a room. Couples and single women only. Ramada Inn. Kissimme FL. For more infor check out the Aahz crew. Read the rest of this entry »

Ever since I started running “professionally” I would hear whispers of a certain subculture of running, one  that involved booze, tawdry nicknames and running in dresses, red ones at that, worn by men. Redhead mentioned that she had heard of this underground running cult as well.

Although we are fond of both running and boozing, we were perplexed by the concept of putting the two together.

Upon further investigation I found out this subculture is called hashing. While it’s not as secretive as I thought, the hash groups can be pretty selective on who they let in.

So, The Redhead and I have decided to go into the seedy underbelly of hashing. You know, find out what makes it tick. Yup, just call us Cagney & Lacey.

These hashers all have nicknames chosen for them based on personality traits, quirks, or random events. For example I know of one in the area known as Fist Deep. And another known as Smells Like Fish. Hm. Do the Redhead and I really want to subject our delicate sensibilities to people like this? Of course we do:
Read the rest of this entry »

Sat. July 25. Skin Two of London. An erotic art and fashion party. Three medical fashion shows by Baby Love’s Latex, Maggie Delena, and Ceres Moon Latex. Performances by Gia Nova and Jade Vixen. DJs Jade Vixen, DJ Sean, DJ Neiva, DJ Nemesis. Models: Angelica Syn, Betty Jaded, Carissa, Evelyn Rose, Jade Malice, Kamila, Lagata Negra, Lena, Maus, Secra, Silent K, Steevie Synthetic, Tararyze, and more. Vending by Angelica Syn and Orlando TNG. Fetish wear encouraged: fantasy, goth, glam, cyber, leather, lingerie, uniforms, vinyl etc. $10-15. 18+. The Castle 2004 N. 16th St. Ybor 33605. Read the rest of this entry »

Sat. July 18. The grand opening of The Quest’s exercise room and play area. Work out your kinks with the Quest’s newest toys: free weights, a bowflex, and an inversion Bondage table. The Quest. 12517 66th St. N. Largo, FL 33773.

Sat. July 18. Taboo Swinger’s Sexy Superhero Party. It’s time to go into the phone booth and don your alter egos for Taboo’s Sexy Superhero Party!!! Come dressed as your favorite superhero or create your own caped crusader. tabooswingers.com. 9pm. Orlando.

Sat. July 18. Caliente’s Eyes Wide Shut Party. Read the rest of this entry »

Sat. July 11th. Mistress Mayhem at The Quest. Tampa’s most wicked dominatrix will be stopping by to discipline naughty submissives. The Quest. 12517 66th St. N. Largo, FL 33773.

Sat. July 11. Ultra-Glam Fetish Party @ Purgatory. Show off your brightest colors, fishnets and animal print patterns, outrageous hair and over-the-top makeup! Custom steel bondage equipment will be set up throughout the club to encourage safe and consensual play. Creative bondage, spanking, flogging, fetish games and the ultimate mind fuck are also encouraged. DJs Danny Bled and Godfather.18+. $15-$20. Purgatory Nightclub. 1000 State Road 84 City, Fort Lauderdale, FL Zip. 33315. Read the rest of this entry »

Men’s Health magazine has a feature called MetroGrades, where the Top 100 cities are ranked in various categories: Noisiest, Best For Men 2009, etc. They use empirical data to draw their conclusions, although at best the science is inexact. Still, it makes for good discussion fodder.

The July/August issue’s MetroGrade is “America’s Top Sports Towns.”

Results in a bit, but first the criteria:

• How many people attend baseball, basketball and football games (college and pro) and those showing up at high school sporting events.

• NASCAR attendance and who’s catching their sports on TV and the radio (source: SimplyMap).

• The number of people vying for tickets to any sport, who is buying the most team apparel, and how many people call themselves “foam-finger-waving fanatics” (source: Scarborough Sports Marketing).

Here are the Top 10: Read the rest of this entry »

Scotland’s indie rock foursome Frightened Rabbit, fronted by brothers Scott and Grant Hutchison, hits several festivals (including Pitchfork) and makes a few solo stops this July. The band (pictured at left, photo by Dave Gourley at Kelvingrove Museum) has just announced that it will return to the states for a late summer-early fall tour that kicks off in Morrison, Colo., and ends at The Social in Orlando. They also debuted a new song and played some intriguing covers at Off the Beaten Track, an ongoing video music project (check that out HERE). Here are some highlights from the release (tour dates after the jump):

The foursome will team up with friends and countrymen, The Twilight Sad and We Were Promised Jetpacks for a raucous Scottish invasion of the States. The band will headline the anthemic rock-filled jaunt, which kicks off in Salt Lake City on September 14, following their appearance at the Monolith Festival in Colorado, alongside Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Girl Talk and the Walkmen. (Click here to see the remainder of the release and tour dates.)

July 2-5. GaYBOR Days 2009.

-Thur. July 2. Weekend Kick-off Social Party. 2 hours of GameWorks fun card. Drag Show. Drinks & Tapas included! Families and adults welcome. $15. Gameworks.
-Fri. July 3. VIP Party at The Nest. 6-9pm. 1430 E. th Ave. Ybor City.
-Fri. July 3. DJ Manny Lehman and Pistol Pete Underwear Fashion Show. 10pm-3am. Steam Fridays 1507 E. 7th Ave. Ybor City.
-Sat. July 4. GaYBOR Poolside Beach Party. 4pm-8pm. $15. Tampa Howard Johnson Riverfront Plaza.
-Sat. July 4. Derrick Barry as Britney Spears. 9pm-3am. G Bar. 1401 E. 7th Ave. Ybor City.
-Sun. July 5. GaYBOR Brunch. 11am-2pm. Streetcar Charlie’s. 1811 N. 15th St. Ybor City.
-Sun. July 5. The GaYBOR Bar Crawl. $20. 5pm- Read the rest of this entry »

Fri. and Sat. June 19-20. Clothing optional foam party. Pool and hot tub. Potluck dinner. Bands and Djs. Foam on the dance floor. 8 pm- 12am. The Riverboat Club. 6901 Caliente Blvd., Land O Lakes, FL 34637

Sat. June 20. Naughty Summer Camp. Play interactive party games and win prizes, like a 3 day, 2 night stay at Caliente Resort, $100 bar tab, and free party entry. Everyone welcome- all shapes and sizes! (21+) $20 pp (in a couple), $10 for single females. $50 for single males, $60 for two couples in the same vehicle, Free for Caliente members. Caliente Resort- 21240 Gran Via Boulevard, Land ‘O Lakes.

Read the rest of this entry »

Putting aside Game 1 of the 2009 NBA Finals for a moment, you can say what you want about Courtney Lee making that inbound layup from (essentially) behind the backboard in Game 2, or Kobe Bryant’s shooting woes in Game 3, or Jameer Nelson not meeting Derek Fisher outside of the three point line and forcing him to drive the bucket last night, but really, these three games come down to essentially the same thing: free throw shooting.

If you know anything about my personal philosophy on basketball, I think that on a game by game basis I think rebounding is the single most important indicitator of winning. However, I cannot overlook the fact that the team that lost had an opproutnity to close out the game from the free throw line. In Game 2, before Courtney Lee had the chance to win it at the buzzer, the Magic had ample opportunity to score from the line and did not capitalize. In Game 3, Kobe and Krewl were abismal from the free throw line, and then again last night the Magic had a ton of chances from the line in the fourth (and I do not just mean Dwight Howard’s two misses to keep LA in it).  To prove my point, I will take you through this game by game:

Read the rest of this entry »

Fri. June 5. Party with Playboy Playmate Candice Cassidy. Hang out with June’s Playboy Playmate, Candice Cassidy while listen to the DJ styles of Playboy’s 50th Anniversary Playmate, Colleen Shannon. Free. 21+. 8p.m.-10p.m. Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Tampa Pool.

Fri. June 5. St. Pete’s First Friday. The first Friday of every month St. Pete throws a block party in the heart of the downtown bar district. Wondering how this qualifies as a Sex and Love event? After the music dies around 10p.m., thousands of drunk, single people flood the bars around Central Ave. for a night of debauchery. The 1st Friday of every month. 5p.m. – 2a.m. Free. Downtown St. Pete. Central Ave., between 2nd St. and 3rd St.

Sat. June 6. Caliente’s Summer Sizzle Caribbean Beach Party. 9pm. Caliente Resort 21240 Gran Via Blvd. Land O Lakes, FL 34637.

Mon. June 8. Miss St. Pete Pride 2009 Pageant. Registration at 6pm. $250 cash prize. 10pm Club Nautico 4900 66th St. N. St. Petersburg, FL 33709. 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 past week:

Why does Florida Fish and Wildlife refuse to protect eagles and tortoises?: contributor and green activist Chris Hrabovsky asks why Florida wildlife is allowed to be sacrificed in order for big businesses to take over that land.

The roots of sprawl: Grant Rimbey explores the origins of sprawl in the United States, describes the difference between sprawl and sustainability, and hints at a future strategy for moving beyond sprawl.

Tampa City Council reclaimed water workshop: a post by John Dingfelder on Tampa City Council wanting to “turn the page” towards a new era of common sense water conservation.

An overview of Green Cities Florida in Orlando and hopes for a greener future: Joshua Michael Poll attended last week’s Green Cities Florida event in Orlando and discusses highlights from it, as well as his hopes for Tampa Bay’s green initiatives.

No acupuncture needles needed when it comes to Meridian Therapy: health and wellness contributor Kevin O’ Dunn looks at the use of toothpicks in place of needles in acupuncture and Meridian Therapy.

Help support the Tampa Theatre by shopping at Barnes and Noble this week: Michelle Schenck gives information on helping the Tampa Theatre by purchasing from Barnes and Noble book stores this week.

Steps to becoming greener: Starting a compost or worm bin: Tips and information from Joshua Michael Poll on creating healthier soil by making a compost or worm bin.

360 Vodka: drink in the name of Mother Earth: Jessica McCormick reviews the “eco-responsible” (and very tasty) 360 Vodka.

VP Biden boosts green jobs and training in Denver: Vice President Joe Biden creates 450,000 green jobs in Denver with $500 million from the economic stimulus bill, as reported by Michelle Schenck.

Lose your lawn and get Florida native plants instead; Free native plants tour Sat. (5/30): Joshua Michael Poll gives us more green tips- this time for our lawns and how to use native Florida plants in place of a time- and money-consuming traditional lawn.

Green office tip of the week: Reduce paper in your office: the latest green office tip from contributor Lisa Assetta.

McLibel and Wal-Suit trials: people who fought against these companies and made a difference: Chris Hrabovsky discusses the long McLibel suit in London and compares it to similar local issues and legal battles with Wal-Mart destroying wetlands and wildlife to build, showing what a few everyday people have done to stand up to these big companies.

Don’t forget to check out our Green Community Calendar for green events and workshops in the Bay Area!

Green Cities™ Florida hosted in Orlando was last week (May 20th & 21st) at the Orange County Convention Center. The overall focus of the event was to bring businesses and municipalities together to achieve green goals to save the planet, increase profits, and to qualify for possible federal funding. The Green Cities™ conference “demystified ’sustainability’ and provided tools, steps and resources from top experts and educators”.

There was a ribbon cutting ceremony and official “Flipping the Switch” for the new 1 MW Solar Electric System atop the Orange County Convention Center. This is the largest installation of its kind in the Southeast US, and one of the largest outside of California and the Pacific Northwest. This installation was installed with the help of a $1.8 million grant from the state of Florida, an example of the kind of partnerships that Green Cities™ Florida advocates. Read the rest of this entry »

Fri.-Sun., May 22-24: Fetish Weekend. Itching to break in a whip or have your nipples electrocuted? Toss your best fetish gear in the Honda and head over to Fort Lauderdale for the 14th annual Fetish Weekend. The largest fetish event in North America, this 3-day fiasco attracts 2,000 fetishists to its main ball and its themed socials: the beat & greet, alter ego, extreme players bash, and the pool party. Instead of a wine tasting or appetizer sampling, guests can mingle while “sampling” fetish gear and practices, from bondage to genital torture. Fetish workshops will cover all aspects of kink: pressure fetishes and objectification, body piercings, fire play, rhythmic impact play, and the art of cell-popping-semi-permanent branding with a searing point. Performances by Jackal & Hyde, Samar, Rebecca’s Rubber Room, Rubberdoll, and Ruby Luster. Dress code is strictly enforced so bring a few changes of your best rubber, vinyl, leather, corsets, sexy uniforms, fetish glam, gothic, kinky drag, and ultra formal wear. See Fetishfactory.com for more details.

Sat.-Mon. May 23-25. Caliente’s Memorial Day Weekend Bash. Poolside BBQ, nude gyro-sphere, caricatures, Jell-o wrestling, tiki bar karaoke, and a party later at Fiesta Night Club. 12-4pm. Caliente Resort 21240 Gran Via Blvd. Land O Lakes, FL 34637. Read the rest of this entry »

I just heard a talk by Joseph Malki at Tarpon Springs; lots of major players in that town attended and plans are afoot to do some good things with sustainability there. He’s putting on Green Cities in Orlando, May 20-21. It is “an innovative sustainability conference for business, government and community”. If you care about sustainability, this looks like a good thing to go to. I’ll be there. They’re offering free admission to government employees and officials. That’s a serious gesture toward achieving sustainability.

It takes a lot of coordination and cooperation to green a city, but more than anything perhaps, it takes conscious, intelligent design. That’s where permaculture comes in. Permaculture is the science of designing for sustainability. It follows principles of natural law and designs are based on how natural systems work. The result is abundance for everything in the system, with no waste. The cleverness and subtlety of some permaculture solutions must be seen to be appreciated. Though we may not achieve the full elegant and beautiful efficiency of nature with our design – the wings of a bee, the energy production of bamboo, the multiple-dynamic function of an old tree, we can get pretty darn close by working with nature instead of against her. Read the rest of this entry »

Fri-Sun. May 8-10. Exxxotica Miami. The largest adult event and expo on the east coast, featuring adult entertainers Jesse Jane, Stoya, Angelina Armani, Riley Steele, Jenna Haze, Ron Jeremy, Sasha Grey, Teagan Presley, Savanna Samson, Bree Olson, Kaydeb Kross, Sunny Leone, Eva Angelina, Alexis Texas, Joanna Angel, and Gina Lynn.

Fri. May 8. Clothing Optional Foam Party. Live Bands, DJ, Foam, a potluck dinner, a pool, hot tub, camping, and nudity. What more could you want? A music video will also be shot on location so bring some friends to fill out the crowd. 7pm. $10. The Riverboat Nudist Club. www.NaturallyNude.com.

Sat. May 9. Foot Party at the Quest. The Fabulous Mistress Diana and friends will be hosting a foot, show, and boot fetish play party. Bring all your fabulous fetish shoes, high heel spikes, your skit kicker boots and your cute little twinkle toes and join us for a stomping good time cleaning, licking, sucking, and worshiping Tampa Bays most fabulous feet. 10pm. $30. The Quest. 12517 66th St. N. Largo, FL 33773. Read the rest of this entry »

It turns out that not only is fish a great source of Omega 3 fatty acid, fish is easily fortified with pharmaceuticals that treat anything from high blood pressure or the risk of unwanted pregnancy to high cholesterol and bipolar disorder. How, you ask?

Waste waster treatment plants used to be called sewage treatment plants but no one wanted a sewage treatment plant on the banks of their river so we began calling them “Waste Water Facilities”. Waste water facilities do well at allowing the human waste collected for treatment to reach a neutral state of organic activity with out the spectrum of bacteria and viruses that are present in raw sewage. Treated sewage is used many ways, some of it is processed beyond the “treatment” stage by breeding worms in it and then capturing the discharge from the worms to use as organic fertilizer; what happens in Orlando, and other cities in Florida, is that this worm step is not taken — the treated sewage is released into the river. Read the rest of this entry »

Fri. May 1. Grand Opening of The Ybor Eagle. Tampa’s newest leather bar is scheduled to open with a bang. No cover and free drinks from 9pm – 11pm. Live appearance by Raging Stallion model Tyler Saint. Leather dress code is strictly enforced. A locker-room is provided for you to get geared up. The club also features and in-house leather store stocked with Raging Stallion products. 1909 N. 15th. Ybor. Largo Florida 3 12517 66th St North Largo Florida 33773.

Mon. May 4. Lingerie Mechanical Bull Riding Contest. Think Urban Cowboy except with hotter girls and less clothing. $1 drinks all night. Girls in lingerie drink free. $1000 in total prize money. Strokers 11236 W. Hillsborough Ave. Tampa, Fl. 33635.

Tues. May 5. Cinco De Mayo Bikini Contest. Florida’s Finest Bikini Babes Presents this contest for $1000. 7pm. Mojo’s 1845 E. Memorial Lakeland, FL 33801.

Tues. May 5. Cinco De Mayo Bury the Burrito Contest. $100 dollar cash prize to whoever can bury the burrito the fastest, I think. I can’t figure this one out. I assume it’s an eating contest, but the judging could be based on style or creativity. Or it could be some new gay code word or fetish I’m not hip to. If you go, please write and tell me what the hell is going down. In any case, 2 hours of an open bar, 9pm-11pm. G.Bar 1401 E. 7th Ave. Ybor City Tampa. Read the rest of this entry »