Aug 4-10, 2011

Aug 4-10, 2011 / Vol. 24 / No. 21

Rubio defends Congress taking off August as economy melts down

If you read this blog at all, you know one of our pet peeves is the absurdly light schedule that Congress – especially this House of Representatives, led by Speaker John Boehner. As we wrote late last year, South Florida freshman Republican lawmaker Allen West also objected to the number of days off his new…

MoveOn calls for rallies against GOP Congress on lack of jobs

How does it feel these days as a progressive? When even former supporters like Drew Weston are raking the President over the coals in a New York TImes op-ed, where do liberals go to express their frustration over say, the debt ceiling debate, which nobody, I mean nobody, thinks was a good deal from a…

New health care clinic opens in South Tampa

Even though the Florida has the second-highest rate of uninsured citizens, it has turned away millions of dollars in grants that would go toward initiatives like moving long-term care patients back into their homes and improving state regulation of health premiums – all because it's part of that icky health care plan that President Obama…

Mitch Perry Report 8.9.11

Good morning everyone. In the news today, we don't have anything profound to say about the fear and panic spreading on Wall Street – just a couple of humble reports on policy stuff happening in Florida. Leading off today is a report on what happened yesterday in Tallahassee as a special task force set up…

5 fashion finds I wish I hadn’t lost

It's weird and wonderful how some articles of clothing come to mean so much to us. Not because of what they are, but because of what they represent – because of who gave them to us, because of what happened while we were wearing them, because of the emotions and memories that color them so…

Mars Needs Moms lands on Blu-ray

Disney's Mars Needs Moms, out on Blu-Ray and DVD on Aug. 9, follows the journey of Milo (Seth Green, Chris on Family Guy), a boy who's at the age when listening to your parents is not high on the list of priorities. One day Milo wishes he didn’t have a mother, and soon enough he…

Falling Skies recap: Season One Finale

The two-hour season finale of Falling Skies picked up with Tom (Noah Wyle) returning from scouting the alien structure in downtown Boston. Last week, Anne (Moon Bloodgood) and Lourdes (Seychelle Gabriel) found a harness inside their dead Skitter POW, and now the good doctor filled Tom in on his formerly harnessed son's potential future. Tom…

FMA to feds on Medicaid waiver: please reject this proposal

South Florida Democrat Nan Rich Among the many achievements that Republicans in Tallahassee have boasted about after this year's Legislative session ended in May was that they achieved Medicaid reform. In fact, they still haven't achieved that goal of reducing long-term costs by turning over nearly all of the management of the system to HMOs…

The Glee Project recap: “Believability”

Glee" width="223" height="320" /> Jenna Ushkowitz as Tina on Glee This week on The Glee Project the contenders faced their toughest acting challenge yet: believability. Each had to perform Cyndi Lauper’s “True Colors” in its entirety for guest judge Jenna Ushkowitz, who plays Tina on Glee. The song seemed to be a challenge for some…

Mitch Perry Report 8.8.11

It was a rough weekend for this country on a certain level, as we learned Saturday morning that 30 Americans died in the shooting down of a helicopter in Afghanistan Friday night. That was followed at the same time with the news that Standard & Poor's had downgraded America's credit rating, a downgrade that John…

RNC officials confident about their 2012 chances as they leave Tampa

RNC Co-Chair Sharon Day The Republican National Committee concluded its 3 day summer meeting Friday night in Tampa – with a visit to the Tampa Museum of Art, which included getting treated to a speech from controversial freshman Allen West, who has become a big favorite of Tea Party types. Late Friday afternoon, RNC Chair…

We now return to the GOP presidential race, already in progress

Quick question: What ever happened to the GOP Presidential contest of 2012? Yes, I know candidates are out campaigning and fundraising. In fact CL saw Tim Pawlenty with our own eyes and ears last Tuesday at the Buddy Brew coffee house. But the fact is the best way to check out the whole slate of…

Kerry calls S&P’s move on U.S. credit rating the “Tea Party downgrade”

With an agreement on the debt ceiling being extended, a massive sell-down on Wall Street, and Standard & Poor's downgrading of America's triple A rating status, it's not a surprise that Americans are more down on their political leaders than seemingly ever. But if you were wondering whether Congress' record low ratings means they're ready…

Sniffing the fumes of latex and desire at FetishCon 2011 (NSFW)

“Are you okay with wearing heels and crushing a guy’s balls?” Brandon asks Brooklyn Dayne, a platinum blonde porn performer. Looking dumbfounded, she shakes her head, "no." Brooklyn recently flew in from Dallas to shoot a series of porn scenes around Florida. FetishCon is the first time she has been exposed to the fetish world.…

Mitch Perry Report 8.5.11 – Rick on a roll?

Happy Friday to all the readers out there. We begin today with a hot new Quinnipiac poll released for your consumption this morning, with the survey showing Rick Scott has rebounded from a 29 percent rating up to a 35 percent approval ranking. The poll shows that Scott remains incredibly unpopular personally, and also that…

Jindal blasts Obama at RNC meeting in Tampa

Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal entertained a couple of hundred Republicans at the Republican National Committee Summer meeting with at the Marriot Waterside Hotel in Tampa today. Jindal, who just turned 40 earlier this summer, has been considered a fresh new face for the national GOP when he became the governor in 2007 (He faces re-election…

The Glee Project Recap: “Sexuality”

Mark Saling and Ashley Fink judge this week's HW challenge on sexuality This week on The Glee Project, the top six contenders had to turn on their sexuality for guest judges Mark Saling and Ashley Fink, who play Puck and Lauren on Glee. The contenders performed Madonna’s “Like a Virgin,” in what ended up looking…

BOCC gets heated with approval of ordinances and consolidation of Section 8 housing

This Wednesday, the Hillsborough Board of County Commissioners (BOCC) debated topics ranging from the consolidation of recreations centers to the consolidation of public housing. After a heated debate, the BOCC voted 5-2 to transfer housing voucher assistance to the Tampa Housing Authority. Lawmakers also unanimously approved commissioner Les Miller’s plan to explore the creation of…

Mitch Perry Report 8.4.11 – the donut report

Leading off the news this morning is Tampa Mayor Bob Buckhorn's announcement to the St. Pete Times that he'll use CIT funds to pay to repair Williams Pool in the predominantly African-American east Tampa section of the city. The mayor, who has always had strong support in that part of the community, appeared to have…

Don’t Cross Conquistadora: a historical novel in review

“Epic” and “sweeping” are often used to describe historical novels. It’s a genre that sometimes features history-altering wars and famous figures with an innocent bystander caught between the two, and forced into the role of reluctant hero. There is little mystery from the historical aspect; the fiction provides all of the tension via the individual…

RNC Chair Reince Priebus on Florida primary: The rules will be enforced

Reince Priebus meets the press in Tampa The Republican National Committee Summer Meeting in Tampa officially kicked off with a news conference this morning, during which chairman Reince Priebus weighed in on the recently enacted debt ceiling deal, the possibility of penalizing the Florida delegation for moving up its primary date, and other items related…

Why are some gays so proud of being bitchy?

I’ve met "the biggest bitch in the world" at least 30 times. It’s a line that’s been used more times than "I’ll call you tomorrow." "I’m the biggest bitch in the world." Tony in Jamestown insisted to me that he is indeed the biggest bitch in the world. He then proceeded to spend a half…

Mixed Messages: I-75 South

Kevin Tighe July 12, 2011: Tampa, FL I-75 South "Mixed messages" will be an ongoing photographic feature that captures intriguing, and often contradictory, communications throughout Tampa Bay.

Simply delish: Ham, Swiss and kale quiche (recipe)

This ham, Swiss and kale quiche is a nice and simple meal that can be made ahead and refrigerated for several days. The addition of kale, instead of the typical spinach, adds texture and depth to the dish. The allspice and chili flakes go very well with the greens and eggs, nicely complementing the quiche…

Tasting some of Tampa’s food history: The devil crab crawl

Recently, myself and a group of eight local epicurean adventurers headed out around Tampa in search of devil crabs. Tampa was the birthplace of this snack in the early 1920s — a croquette made from seasoned, cooked crab meat which is breaded, fried and traditionally eaten with hot sauce. We tasted this indigenous dish from…


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