Of the 3 million Americans over age 50 who identify as gay, bisexual, or transgender, about twice as many are single and living alone when compared with their heterosexual counterparts. This slice of the older population is expanding rapidly and faces a daunting array of problems, including higher-than-usual rates of anxiety and depression, chronic stress, disability, and chronic illnesses such as heart disease, according to numerous research studies.
Florida & Beyond, and All Opinions
The Daily Cartoon and Live Briefing: Saturday, December 28, 2024
Gamble Jam, Paul Salopek’s Out of Eden walks of the last 11 years, Ian Frazier takes te F and reflects on Brooklyn and its smells from coffee to fingernail polish to eucalyptus.
How Aristotle Explains Trump’s Speeches
With half of the US electorate on his side, Trump’s chaotic speaking style is clearly no barrier to success. If his public appearances are indeed so shambolic, why do they continue to fire up his supporters, attract new ones–and give him the victory? Aristotle would have understood, and explained it this way.
Spurred by a Middle School Student’s Project, Florida’s Dixie County Leaps Into Electric School Buses
The Dixie district is so small, it serves approximately 2,000 students across five schools, from pre-K through 12th grade. Still, its 23 buses will collectively travel 270,000 miles annually. By avoiding 228 metric tons of CO2 emissions, the electric buses will improve air quality for the whole community so everyone can breathe easier. Dixie’s electric buses are among the 66,000 projects funded by the $568 billion Biden infrastructure plan, which is considered the nation’s largest investment ever in clean energy.
The Daily Cartoon and Live Briefing: Friday, December 27, 2024
Acoustic Jam Circle At The Community Center In The Hammock, Rotary’s Fantasy Lights Festival, recalling Apollo’s orbits around the Moon at Christmas 1968, and Time Magazine’s year of culture.
A Few Reminders About Thomas Aquinas
Aquinas is a giant of Western philosophy and theology, and for good reason. His writing is clear, well organized, free from bombast – ideas shine through his words. Famously, he insisted that faith and reason are in harmonious partnership, integrating the known science, philosophy and theology of his day into a comprehensive, interconnected system. All this helps explain why his work has maintained an enduring appeal, even as equally brilliant medieval thinkers have sunk into oblivion.
The Daily Cartoon and Live Briefing: Thursday, December 26, 2024
Rotary’s Fantasy Lights Festival continues for a few more days in Palm Coast’s Town Center, Bachfest, a few reflections on Jewett’s Country of the Pointed Firs and the 100 best books of the 21st century.
How Gladiators Inspired Evangelicals’ Sense of Persecution
You might be surprised to learn that there are threads that tie together gladiators, Christian martyrs and the sense of persecution that exists among many U.S. evangelicals today.
The Daily Cartoon and Live Briefing: Wednesday, December 25, 2024
Nothing doing today, and beside the chestnuts roasting on a natural gas fire and the remains of yesterday’s fog, it’s time for Bachfest and the smell of Christmas in “The Plot Against America.”
The Daily Cartoon and Live Briefing: Tuesday, December 24, 2024
Clay Jones is rightfully upset that Disney kissed Donald Trump’s ring with that settlement, on the origin of St. Nick, Nicholas of Myra, and a spin around the world with Satchmo.
America, Not Just Florida, Faces an Insurance Crisis
Home insurance rates are rising in the United States, not only in Florida, which saw tens of billions of dollars in losses from hurricanes Helene and Milton. homeowners insurance increased an average of 11.3% nationwide in 2023, with some states, including Texas, Arizona and Utah, seeing nearly double that increase. Some analysts predict an average increase of about 6% in 2024.
Bob Dylan’s Creative Leap
The Bob Dylan biopic “A Complete Unknown,” starring Timothée Chalamet, focuses on Dylan’s early 1960s transition from idiosyncratic singer of folk songs to internationally renowned singer-songwriter. Sixty years ago, on Halloween Night 1964, a 23-year-old Dylan took the stage at New York City’s Philharmonic Hall. He had become a star within the niche genre of revivalist folk music.
Trial Will Decide Whether Florida’s DEP Violated Endangered Species Act, Causing Manatee Deaths
A federal judge has rejected a state attempt to end a lawsuit stemming from manatee deaths in the Indian River Lagoon and said a trial is needed to determine whether the Florida Department of Environmental Protection has violated the Endangered Species Act. U.S. District Judge Carlos Mendoza issued a 17-page order last week siding with arguments by the environmental group Bear Warriors United that wastewater discharges into the Indian River Lagoon have led to the demise of seagrass and, as a result, the deaths of manatees.
The Daily Cartoon and Live Briefing: Monday, December 23, 2024
The Bunnell City Commission hears an appeal from a developer who thinks less open space should be fine, a few thoughts about harsh parents, and the Little Prince.
Memo to Rupert Murdoch: Now’s the Time to Sell Fox News
With Trump continuing to be Trump, Fox’s immediate future looks very bright. Political fortunes aside, the longer term future for Fox News looks much less bright. Fox News was a good and faithful campaigner for Trump, but it is notable that when people explain Trump’s victory, Fox is never mentioned. The best way to take the heat out of the Murdoch family conflicts would be to sell, or to float, Fox News, and this is likely to be more profitable now than in a few years’ time.
Maga’s Mega Mean Girls
Maga Mean Girls take pleasure in tormenting people, especially those weaker than themselves, and causing gratuitous pain. As Atlantic Monthly essayist Adam Serwer wrote in 2018, “The cruelty is the point.” And nobody enjoys cruelty more than Donald Trump, Mean Girl of the Century.
Court Rejects Teen’s Challenge to Florida Law Banning Trans Women Athlete from Teams
A federal judge appointed by Donald Trump dismissed a Broward County teen’s challenge to the constitutionality of a 2021 Florida law that bars transgender female students from playing on women’s and girls’ sports teams.
The Daily Cartoon and Live Briefing: Sunday, December 22, 2024
Palm Coast Farmers’ Market at European Village, Rotary’s Fantasy Lights Festival in Palm Coast’s Town Center, remembering Eleanor Roosevelt’s utopian Arthurdale.
What Blasphemy Laws Teach Us About Religious Freedom
Some 79 countries around the world continue to enforce blasphemy laws. And in places such as Afghanistan, Brunei, Iran, Nigeria, Pakistan and Saudi Arabia, violation of these measures can result in a death penalty. While the U.S. is not among those countries, it also has a long history of blasphemy laws that reflects a complex fight for the freedom of religion and speech.
21% Surge in Immigration Drives Nation’s Population Increase, Offsetting Decline in US Birth Rate
With Texas and Florida making up nearly a third of the nation’s population increase, a recent immigration surge brought newcomers to every state this year, helping to offset a continued drop in U.S. births while contributing to a national upswing of about 3.3 million new residents, according to new U.S. Census Bureau estimates.
The Daily Cartoon and Live Briefing: Saturday, December 21, 2024
Miracle on 34th Street at Daytona Playhouse, the Democratic Women’s Club of Flagler County meets, Syria’s refugees and their mistreatment, school shootings and Clay Jones.
The Moral Dimension of America’s Flawed Health Care System
The killing of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson has set off soul-searching among many Americans. Part of that reflection is about the public reaction to Thompson’s death and the sympathy the suspect received online, with some people critical of the insurance industry celebrating the assailant as a sort of folk hero. Frustrations are no excuse for murder. But it has become a moment of wider reflection on health care in America, and why so many patients feel the system is broken.
The Daily Cartoon and Live Briefing: Friday, December 20, 2024
Flagler and Florida unemployment numbers are released,Miracle on 34th Street at Daytona Playhouse, a 21st birthday celebration, trillions upon trillions of tiny marine organisms.
How Foreign Students Boost the Economy
Foreign students pump more than US$40 billion into the U.S. economy and support over 368,000 jobs. That’s not just paying professors and buying textbooks – it includes everything from renting apartments to late-night DoorDash and Grubhub deliveries. And it’s near a record high.
Florida Population Growth Tops States at 2% This Year, Reaching 23.3 Million
The Census Bureau estimated that Florida had 23,372,215 people as of July 1, up from 22,904,868 a year earlier. Florida’s increase of 467,347 people was second only to Texas, which gained 562,941. Also, Florida’s 2 percent growth rate trailed only the District of Columbia, which had a 2.2 percent rate, according to the Census Bureau. Texas and Utah each had 1.8 percent growth rates.
The Daily Cartoon and Live Briefing: Thursday, December 19, 2024
Marineland talks about Ragga Surf Cafe’s pending eviction, Model Yacht Club Races at the pond in Palm Coast’s Central Park, Drug Court’s last session of the year, the American judiciary’s reputation falls to historically low levels.
Is News Bias Fueled by Journalists or Readers?
Demand-driven bias happens when newspapers offer slanted news to appeal to readers. Supply-driven bias stems from the ideological leanings of owners or employees. Both had influenced decision-making at The New York Times. The former top editor of The New York Times’ editorial page wrote that slanted coverage at the institution is “pervasive.”
Kevin Guthrie and UF Show Off AI-Powered Disaster Information Dissemination Service
The University of Florida, in partnership with government agencies, has showcased an artificial intelligence-driven disaster warning system leveraging radio waves — a program Florida Department of Emergency Management Director Kevin Guthrie said is guaranteed to save lives.
Putnam Jury Finds Eldridge Griner Guilty of Murder of Joseph Brinson in ‘Execution’ He’d Called ‘Righteous’
A Putnam County jury of seven women and five men today found 54-year-old Eldridge C. Griner, a former resident of Palatka, guilty in the premeditated murder of Joseph Brinson at an apartment on North 16th Street in Palatka the evening of May 25, 2021. He was immediately sentenced to life in prison by Circuit Judge Alicia Washington.
Florida Senate President Ben Albritton Wants to Phase Out ‘Dreamers’ Tuition Break
Senate President Ben Albritton suggested phasing out a decade-old law that allows some undocumented immigrant students, known as “dreamers,” to receive in-state tuition rates at Florida universities and colleges.
The Daily Cartoon and Live Briefing: Wednesday, December 18, 2024
Flagler Tiger Bay Club features Jeff Hoffman, the global entrepreneur, the Palm Coast Planning and Land Development Board meets, Buc-ee’s happy place, a few thoughts from Casanova.
How Liberals Lost Comedy, and Helped Trump Win
Trump’s success with comedy is a result of the new relationship between digital media and the business of joking. For decades, liberals were thought to hold a monopoly on comedy. Moreover, there was little money to be made in comedy acts devoted to right-wing politics. Since 2016, however, a new crop of right-wing comedians has taken to digital platforms and algorithmically driven audience targeting in order to change this reality.
The Daily Cartoon and Live Briefing: Tuesday, December 17, 2024
The Palm Coast City Council and the School Board hold their last meetings of the year, taking a dive into Country Highway, America’s best new newspaper, a few words from Walter Kirn.
Grieving During the Holidays
Nearly 95% of people who have experienced loss report dealing with at least one symptom of physical or mental distress. Holidays and special occasions, which often include family gatherings, traditions and reminders of what’s missing, can amplify this pain, leaving those grieving feeling isolated and overwhelmed.
The Daily Cartoon and Live Briefing: Monday, December 16, 2024
A pair of meetings of the Flagler County Commission, including an earful on the Ragga Surf Cafe mess, Holly Albanese on the Nexus Center, Bach’s Fifth French Suite gives Chuck Berry a run for his trills, Rabih Alamadeddine on memory.
Why Teen Girls Are Attracted to Boys who Hurt Them
Messages that link attraction to violence and contempt can occur in different settings and in different ways, and this association is known as “coercive dominant discourse”. Long-term exposure to this discourse leads girls to consider violent boys attractive, eventually pushing them into toxic emotional and sexual relationships.
The Daily Cartoon and Live Briefing: Sunday, December 15, 2024
The Palm Coast Holiday Boat Parade is scheduled for 6 p.m., Palm Coast Farmers’ Market at European Village, Rad Assal corrects New York Times headline writers, Riadh Alamadeddine with a key bartending observation, Bach’s sublime English Suite in A minor.
Birthright Citizenship Is Under Attack from Trump and His Allies
Denying citizenship to some individuals born in the United States, as members of the incoming Trump administration intend to do, reflects a conflict that’s been going on for nearly 200 years: who gets to be an American citizen.
Why Americans Are Furious With Health Insurance CEOs
Over 8,000 Americans die every day, many unnecessarily. The United States still does not have in place a national health care system that guarantees everyone adequate medical attention. Some 25 percent of Americans have people in their family who have had to delay medical treatment for a serious illness because they couldn’t afford the care. Some 79 percent of America’s nurses, for their part, say they’re working in inadequately staffed health facilities.
The Daily Cartoon and Live Briefing: Saturday, December 14, 2024
Palm Coast’s Starlight Parade in Town Center, American Association of University Women (AAUW) Monthly Meeting, Gamble Jam, dreaming of Las Vegas, Second Saturday Plant Sale at Washington Oaks Gardens State Park.
The Meaning and Controversy of the Global Seed Vault
Today, seed banks around the world are doing much of the work of saving crop varieties that could be essential resources under future growing conditions. The Svalbard Global Seed Vault in Norway supports them all. It is the world’s most famous backup site for seeds that are more precious than data.
The Daily Cartoon and Live Briefing: Friday, December 13, 2024
Christmas in Bunnell, Shop with a Cop, Sen. Tom Leek on Free For All, a new Chopin waltz is discovered, Chechnya banning music considered too fast or too slow.
Merde Alors: Should We Be Worried About Trump Tariffs on French Wines?
Still traumatised by the 25% Trump tax in place from October 2019 to March 2021, the French wine industry is anticipating further difficulties in exporting to the United States. However, a comparison between the previous tax and what the president-elect has announced for his second term provides some hope.
Ex-Trump Adviser Michael Flynn Loses Defamation Suit Against Man Who Called Him ‘Putin Employee’
A state appeals court upheld a decision dismissing a defamation lawsuit that former Trump administration national-security adviser Michael Flynn filed against Rick Wilson, a political strategist and key player in the “Never Trump” movement. Wilson referred to Flynn in a 2022 tweet as “Putin employee Mike Flynn” and in 2023 retweeted “FYI, Mike Flynn is Q.”
The Daily Cartoon and Live Briefing: Thursday, December 12, 2024
The Flagler Beach City Commission holds its last meeting of the year and votes on annexing Veranda Bay, “From Jellyfish to Sharks,” the Evening at the Whitney lecture, Gore Vidal on Christopher Lehmann-Haupt’s reviewing.
The Importance of London’s New Slavery Memorial
In 2026, a new memorial to the 12.5 million enslaved people transported to the Americas and Europe – and their descendants – will be unveiled on West India Quay in London’s Docklands. The winning commission, an installation piece by US artist Khaleb Brooks called The Wake, will take the shape of a seven-metre bronze cowrie shell – the currency that was used in the trade of enslaved peoples, and an object symbolic of the entangled history of slavery and capitalism.
The Daily Cartoon and Live Briefing: Wednesday, December 11, 2024
The Cold-Weather Shelter opens again tonight, a few thoughts on a passage from Katherine Ann Porter’s “Leaning Tower,” Weekly Chess Club for Teens.
Kristallnacht’s Legacy as Hamburg Wrestles with Memory and Reconstruction
Over the past few years, the location of the Bornplatz Synagogue, a former landmark, has become the site of controversy as residents debated whether and how to rebuild the old synagogue, which would demolish the memorial standing there today.
‘Granny Cams’ Could Be Coming to Florida’s Nursing Homes and Assisted Living Facilities
The bill (SB 64) by Republican Sen. Illeana Garcia would allow residents to install cameras so long as they are willing to foot the bill for installation and removal. Nursing home residents who share rooms would have to secure permission from their roommates to use the cameras, as well.
The Daily Cartoon and Live Briefing: Tuesday, December 10, 2024
The Palm Coast City Council will discuss its procedures, accused wife-murderer Jermaine Williams is in court, the school board holds a workshop, the end of Hafez and Bashar el Assad and a remembrance of Hama Rules.