Green Community Calendar weekend events
Make your own rain barrel or check out a baby expo or farmers market!
Obama 2008 the most negative TV ad campaign ever? Politifact says “Mostly True”
If you're a viewer of MSNBC's Morning Joe program, you can't go more than a day or two before co-host Joe Scarborough refers to Barack Obama running the most negative television ad campaign in history when he defeated John McCain in 2008. Florida GOP Senator Marco Rubio repeated the same mantra on the day of…
The Raw Story: A Redundant Show of Redundancies
A couple things to to note while your brain prepares itself to read this column:• In last week's Raw Story, I marveled at how I had enjoyed Raw for three straight weeks. I knew that would jinx it. • Because the final segment this week was a match and not promo work, I decided to…
Pastor, and husband, Bobby Triplett on Valentine’s Day
As the pastor at Element Church in Tampa, Bobby Triplett performs over 30 weddings a year. He also counsels married couples who are dealing with difficult times in their relationships. As a religious leader and husband, Triplett offers a unique perspective on Valentine's Day. How popular is February 14 and the week surrounding the holiday…
Hillsborough Commissioners don’t sound encouraged about women prison’s viability
Hillsborough Correctional Institution With the Hillsborough Correctional Institution (HCI) in Riverview one of seven state prisons and four work camps targeted for closure by the end of June, the County Commission today voted unanimously to tell Tallahassee that closing HCI is a very bad idea. HCI is one of only two "faith and character based"…
Olbermann names Rachel Burgin a “worst person” for ALEC mistake
Last week it was reported that Riverview Republican House member Rachel Burgin made a slight boo-boo when she introduced back in November a resolution that would officially call on the federal government to reduce corporate taxes. The bill's language came straight from the American Legislative Executive Council (ALEC), the conservative organization backed by corporate interests…
Mitch Perry Report 2.8.12 – Santorum’s big night, and Ronda goes after junk food
A funny thing happened on the way to the Mitt Romney coronation last night – he was severely derailed in three states, getting absolutely annihilated by Rick Santorum in Missouri, and even falling in his supposed safe state of Colorado. Speaking of Republican elections, although only Jim Norman and his attorney are calling his ethics…
With big Tuesday night, Santorum has more victories than Romney
Mitt Romney was the biggest loser on Tuesday Although no delegates were at stake in the two caucuses and one primary election held on Tuesday night, the fact that Rick Santorum swept all three races — Minnesota, Missouri and Colorado — is definitely significant, despite what Mitt Romney's flacks will be pushing today. The former…
This week in food and drink
Bon Beer Voyage, Valentine’s Day specials and wine tastings!
Concert review: Sleigh Bells / Diplo at The Ritz Ybor, Ybor City
If the prospect of a self-described “transcendental black metal” band, a fuzzed-out noise pop duo, and a powerhouse dancehall DJ all playing under the same roof doesn't sound at least oddly intriguing, then Saturday night’s show at The Ritz would probably fall somewhere on your fun scale between finger-web paper cut and cold shower. If…
New Photographic Arts museum to be picture perfect
Images of the new FMoPA headquarters exterior in the making.
Ronda Storms goes on Fox to promote the “No Twinkie Left Behind Act”
Eastern Hillsborough County state Senator Ronda Storms has been attracting lots of national media attention with her proposal in the Legislature that would forbid Floridians from using food stamps to purchase "alcohol or tobacco products, as well as certain foods such as candy, sweet rolls, chips and sodas." The bill also provides a list of…
Castor gets 3rd highest environmental rating of Florida’s Congressional Delegation
The Florida Conservation Alliance joined the national League of Conservation Voters on Tuesday in releasing the 2011 National Environmental Scorecard, revealing scores for the Florida delegation in the first session of the 112th Congress, with South Florida Democrat Debbie Wasserman Schultz and Senator Bill Nelson being the only members to get a 100 percent rating…
Hillsborough County MPO revives talk of light rail
Although the one-cent sales tax referendum for light rail went down to a big defeat in Hillsborough in November of 2010, the city of Tampa's population supported the measure, flawed as it was. At the Hillsborough County Metropolitan Organization's monthly meeting in Tampa Tuesday morning, the prospects of a future ballot measure in the county…
The inaugural Gasparilla Music Festival lineup revealed.
Deer Tick Today, Board Members of the Gasparilla Music Festival finally made the official announcement about the bands that are playing the inaugural downtown outdoor music event, set to take over Curtis Hixon Park (and Kiley Gardens) on Sat., March 10. Heading up the bill is popular Rhode Island indie folk/alt country rockers Deer Tick,…
Republican activist challenges Jim Norman for re-election
John Korsak Although Hillsborough/Pasco County State Senator Jim Norman's ethical troubles reached Def Com 5 status before the general election in November 2010, if you looked at the final voting tally you'd never think that was the case. He won with a Saddam Hussein-like mandate, taking 99 percent of the vote against a couple of…
New music Tuesday! (Feb. 7): Air, Dr. Dog, Van Halen, Paul McCartney & more
A guide to this week’s new releases, with audio & video.
Mitch Perry Report 2.7.12
It's only been a week since the Florida presidential primary election came and went, and tonight the cable news networks will crank up their political coverage once again as three more states hold primaries and/or caucuses: Minnesota, Colorado and Missouri, with Rick Santorum hoping to put a dent into those stories about Mitt Romney and…
Time for Santorum to shine again?
As I'm sure you've heard ad nauseam, there are still 46 45 more states that have yet to weigh in on who should be the Republican nominee for president. But after Mitt Romney's huge victory in Florida a week ago, the GOP race has gone a bit flat. The inevitability of the former Massachusetts governor…
A Valentine’s Day hot spot: The Cupcake Spot
TheCupCakeSpotInc.com Cupcakes have become the confectionery of choice. Instead of Dunkin' Donuts, one day soon there may be cupcake shops on every corner selling coffee. To see what it is like working in a cupcake store on a holiday that revolves around the exchanging of sugary treats, I contacted the most popular cupcake maker in…
Clearwater rocker Juliet Simms finds her Voice
The lead singer of Automatic Loveletter turns heads — and chairs — on NBC’s The Voice.
Rick Scott names virulent light-rail critic to HART board
Josh Burgin As the Hillsborough Area Regional Transit Authority continues to try to maintain as much bus service as possible even as revenues continue to decrease, the words "light" and "rail" are rarely if ever heard at HART board meetings. The rejection by Hillsborough voters on Election Night, 2010, still carries an overwhelming impact. And…
Tampa & Hillsborough County leaders sign agreement with Commerce Dept. to promote local exports
Frank Sanchez signs the MOI with Tampa & Hillsborough officials watching Like officials in every other big city in America, Tampa Bay's leaders are desperate to find the elixir that could bring more jobs to their region. And they're hoping that a new partnership agreement signed Monday between those officials and a representative of the…
Concert review: Richard Thompson at Tampa Theatre
The British musician offered up an evening full of jaw-dropping guitartistry at his Feb. 3 show.
HART director fears federal funding cut could damage agency’s future
HART CEO Philip Hale A proposal by the U.S. House Ways and Means Committee to divert $25 billion in dedicated gas taxes could be a serious threat to the future existence of HART, the Hillsborough County transit agency. That was the message conveyed Monday morning by HART's CEO Philip Hale at the agency's board meeting…
MusicMonday, Vol. 57: Adrian Younge, Sepultura, Gotye + more
What the CL Music Team is jamming this week (w/audio & video)
Tequila love potions
Say “I love you” with Patron and Partida tequilas.
Merchant of romance: running a flower shop on Valentine’s Day
Shawn Alff Shelley Vanderhorst Flowers have become a staple of romance, possible because their sole function is to convey beauty and affection. Long stem roses in particular have become a cultural metaphor for love. As as result, few if any businesses are more impacted by Valentine's Day than florists. To get an idea of just…
Business coach, Caird Urquhart, on how to rally after a breakup
Caird Urquhart is the author of 30 Ways to Better Days: How to Rally After You’ve Been Dumped. Below is my interview with the business and relationship coach on the nature of relationships, if casual sex is ever part of the healing process, and why having a gay friend is essential for many women who…
Bon Beer Voyage is “cruising” into Tampa Bay
Tampa Beer Safari Weekend will delight craft beer connoisseurs around the bay.
Tampa protestors fear new war on Iran
Similar protests were held regarding Iran all over the world this weekend On Saturday about 50 people, representing more than a dozen anti-war groups, marched to the gates of US Central Command at Mac Dill Airforce Base in South Tampa to protest the possibility of a US supported war with Iran. The United States has…
Mitch Perry Report 2.6.12 – Norman facing fines, Tampa Bay citizens worry about war with Iran
Happy Day after Super Sunday to y'all. Whether you rooted for the Giants, the Pats, or one of the other 30 NFL teams, hope you enjoyed football yesterday – since we won't have another game to watch for 7 more months! Back to the political world. Mitt Romney won in Nevada over the weekend (not…
Punny Grammy Snacks: 54th Annual Awards Edition
Credit: DisneyDreaming.com Last year, I decided to have a Grammy Party and was in need of some snacks, so I came up with the best "punny" Grammy foods for your Grammy party. And one year later, here we go again, Punny Grammy Party Recipes: 2011 Awards Edition. For maximum impact, I recommend making little signs…
Fallout from White House decision on contraception to linger until the fall?
President Obama signing health care reform law in 2010 A basic sense of the 2012 political race is that if the economy continues to show improvement, Barack Obama is looking good for re-election this fall, and if it doesn't, he's toast. But might there be a social issue lurking that could haunt the President? That's…
By 2 to 1 margin, new WaPo shows the more people know about Romney, the less they like
Mitt Romney won the Nevada caucus on Saturday night, his second victory in five days in his inexorable run to the GOP nomination for president, yet it doesn't feel like the would-be nominee is "winning," in Charlie Sheen parlance. Predictably, Mitt's CNN statement that he didn't care about the poor was seized upon by the…
Prosecutor finds probable cause that Jim Norman violated state ethics law
The State Ethics Commission in Tallahassee ruled on Friday that it had found probable cause to prosecute Tampa area Republican Representative Jim Norman for failing to disclose a $500,000 gift made to his wife by the late Ralph Hughes, the conservative Hillsborough County power broker who died in 2009. But the commission did not find…
Oh, Yoko! The famed widow chats up a Lennon art show
A rare, random (and oddly disjointed) interview with Yoko Ono.
NPR’s “All Things Considered” to feature Asolo’s Yentl tomorrow at 5 p.m.
NPR will run an exclusive interview with singer-songwriter and composer Jill Sobule as well as exclusive song recordings, arranged by Sobule for Asolo Repertory's Yentl, tomorrow, Sat., Feb. 4, at 5 p.m. on its daily afternoon show, "All Things Considered." The show airs locally on WUSF-FM 89.7 and can be streamed live from WUSF's website.
Seventh Sun Brewing of Dunedin is something special
Seventh heaven.
Komen for the Cure blinks; restores grants to Planned Parenthood
In a surprising retreat, Susan G. Komen for the Cure has apologized for their recent decision to stop funding breast cancer screenings through Planned Parenthood.
Why I’ll be rooting hard against Tom Brady and the Pats Sunday night
Like Tom Brady, I was in Candlestick Park on January 10, 1982, at the classic NFC championship game between the Dallas Cowboys and San Francisco 49ers, better known in NFL history simply as "The Catch" game (as documented in Gary Myers' book). That game started the San Francisco dynasty in pro football, led by the…
Mitch Perry Report 2.3.12 – Planned Parenthood scoring, Super Bowl edition
Welcome to your Super Sunday weekend. Although thoughts of making the Monday after the Super Bowl a national holiday are probably never going to happen, some sports talk-show hosts have floated the idea of moving the game to a Saturday night in the future, all the better for those with major hangovers to contend with…
Latino advocacy group slams Rubio in new ad
Although the national political media establishment has moved on from Florida to the West, Marco Rubio will continue to be a major presence throughout the year, as speculation focuses on him as a potential vice-presidential nominee. During the past couple of weeks in Florida, interest in how Hispanics might vote was a prominent theme, and…
Neighborhood Dining Guide: Super Bowl Sunday
Check out one of these restaurants that are featuring Super Bowl specials.
Sugar… mama?
Ann Heche playing Ashton Kutcher's Sugar Mama in Spread There is no denying the facts ladies; we are simply becoming better at life than men. We are making more money, we are dominating more powerful positions, and we are more educated than our lackadaisical counterparts. Why then, aren’t men showing us the respect we deserve?
Hoary hauntings
The Woman in Black scares up minor shocks.
The Lens approved by City Council as new Pier design
Michael Maltzan Architecture Every member of St. Petersburg City Council except one approved Michael Maltzan Architecture's Lens design today, officially ending the design competition for The Pier. But the Council prefaced the vote with a number of pointed questions about the multiple phases of the project presented by Maltzan. "I won't vote for something that…
Donald Trump officially endorses Mitt Romney: Who gives a…
Originally I was going to blog about Showtime’s Shameless getting picked up for a third season (Team Gallagher, FTW — if you aren’t watching this show, you should remedy this STAT) but my phone has been blowing up in the last hour and I’ve therefore changed my mind. Breaking? This is breaking news? Seriously, AP?…
Planned Parenthood supporters rally in Tampa
Harry Cohen, John Dingfelder, CJo Ford, Yolie Capin & Lisa Montelione at the Planned Parenthood Luncheon in Tampa As the controversy continues over the decision by the Susan G. Komen For the Cure foundation to cut its support for Planned Parenthood, the Tampa Bay area's leading Planned Parenthood chapter held its annual fundraising luncheon in…
Cultured artists find their muse at the fromagerie
Who drew my cheese?
Concert review: Bright Light Social Hour at Skipper’s Smokehouse, Tampa
This might be absurd, even blasphemous, but Austin's Bright Light Social Hour might just be one of the best Tampa bands on the market right now. [Text by Andrew, photos by Phil.] Put down the torches and pitchforks. I’ll explain. Since the group’s first stop here at New World Brewery in November 2010, Bright Light…
Concert review: The Kills rock the Ritz Ybor
Big things definitely come in small packages.
Bill’s Sports Binge: Super Bowl virgins & Tim Tebow’s brush with porn
The Super Bowl, ya gotta love it: the only sporting event where you can attend a party that includes folks who couldn't give the slightest of shits about either team, football, or sports in general. We lovingly refer to these people as virgins, but all are welcome if you're a fan of fellowship, a couple…
Interview: Singer-songwriter Mike Doughty, who hits town pimping a new memoir and live album
He stops at Inkwood Books for a signing, then Orpheum for a concert tonight.
See Groundhog Day — on Groundhog Day
Six more weeks of winter? That was Punxsutawney Phil's prediction this morning — yup, he saw his shadow (and an inexplicable assemblage of world media).Floridians may well respond with: You mean six more weeks of summer-like temps during the day, crisp autumnal chill in the mornings and evenings? Bring it on, groundhog!To celebrate the difference…
White House summit on Latinos to take place at UT on Friday
Frank Sanchez The Latino/Hispanic vote is going to be critical for Barack Obama in his bid to win Florida in November, arguably the most important swing state in the nation. During the recent GOP presidential primary there was lots of coverage of the Hispanic vote in Florida, a demographic that went strongly for Mitt Romney,…
Plaza Courtyard is sweet
In less than a year, a desolate spot has become a St. Pete destination.
Mitch Perry Report 2.2.12: Romney’s “poor” word choice, and more
Welcome to the post-Florida presidential primary world….except, after spending the past 10 days intimately with Mitt Romney and Newt Gingrich, we can't quit them now. Mitt of course, stepped on his own story before 8 a.m. yesterday with his "poor" word choice, while we examine a couple of interesting figures coming out of Tuesday night's…
Cage match: Celebrating the John Cage centennial
The composer’s legacy inspires two shows rich in the pleasures of experimentation and chance.
The morning people
Early to bed, early to rise — how the hell do you do it?
Give ’em the Dickens
Candidates who’d fit right in with Uriah Heep and Wackford Squeers.
Barrymore and Krasinski save the whales in Big Miracle
The Office director Ken Kwapis delivers a workmanlike whale tale.
Communication breakdown
I know all about my husband’s kinks, so why won’t he come clean?
It’s Mitt. Now what?
Key factors and hard feelings on the road to Romney’s Florida win.
From Broadway to Memphis: A Tony-winner premieres at Ruth Eckerd
Starring an up-and-comer and USF grad, Feb. 7-12.
Planned Parenthood reacts to defunding by Susan G. Komen
The news that the Susan G. Komen for a Cure Foundation, America's largest charity to fight breast cancer, will no longer fund Planned Parenthood's free and low-cost breast cancer screenings for millions of women is being met with outrage by pro-choice advocates across the country. The foundation has cited an investigation into Planned Parenthood by…
Live and let die: ’Night Mother
Extraordinary performances in a troubling play about a woman determined to commit suicide.
Queened Out: Putting friendship before romantic feelings
We've all experienced love. We've all had those moments where we just look at someone and a feeling of immense happiness and joy washes over us like the waterfalls of Niagara Falls. One of the biggest struggles for me, however, is determining what to do when you realize that the one you love and the…
