The Flagler County School Board has a pair of meetings, requiring a run on Xanax, Food Truck Tuesday in Central Park, Clarence Darrow’s birthday and rumored death, Robert Persig on the art of climbing mountains.
Florida & Beyond, and All Opinions
Dominion’s Defamation Case Against Fox Is Not Easy to Prove
The statements against Dominion have already been proved false. The question now is whether the statements harmed Dominion’s reputation enough to rise to the level of defamation. But it is far easier to throw around as an accusation than it is to actually prove fault.
DeSantis Decrees that Legislature Will Void Disney’s Autonomy on Development Rights
The feud between Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis and the Walt Disney Co. escalated Monday after the governor said that the state Legislature intends to void an agreement on Disney development rights for years to come.
The Daily Cartoon and Live Briefing: Monday, April 17, 2023
The Flagler County Commission will again consider a controversial 16-home development on the beachside at the north end of the county, the East Flagler Mosquito Control District Board meets, Andrea Bocelli and Sarah Brightman.
In Defense of Major League Baseball’s New Rules
There’s an almost mythical belief that baseball doesn’t change over time. When this assumption is challenged, accusations of blasphemy result. But baseball has changed, and so have the rules.
Republicans Lost GenZ with Expulsion of Two Black Lawmakers
As have many shameful lawmakers before them, Tennessee Republicans weaponized the rules of conduct to punish state Reps. Justin Jones and Justin Pearson. But respectability politics mean nothing to GenZ. If such glaring issues as gun violence, healthcare, and climate change were not enough to engage the youth, watching racism and inequality so blatantly on display certainly did the job.
The Daily Cartoon and Live Briefing: Sunday, April 16, 2023
The Hispanic Cultural Festival of Palm Coast, Pellicer Creek Raid Re-Enactment at the Ag Museum, Daytona State College Theatre’s “The Prom,” Picasso’s cigarette burn, LBJ on J. Edgar Hoover.
Anti-Mifepristone Court Decisions Rely on Bogus Medical Information and Flawed Reasoning
One decision cites no evidence – because there is none – that mifepristone alone causes complications. Further, it cites no evidence that access to mifepristone through the mail, or up to 10 weeks of pregnancy, increased the rate of complications.
The Daily Cartoon and Live Briefing: Saturday, April 15, 2023
Lt. General Mark Hertling speaks at the Hilton Garden Inn, Andrew Spar speaks at the Community Center, Curtis Gray memorial event, Matanzas High’s Pirate Players Present ‘Grease,’ Eric Schlosser, Ray Kroc and Fast Food Nation.
The Daily Cartoon and Live Briefing: Friday, April 14, 2023
LGBTQ+ Night at Flagler Beach’s Coquina Coast Brewing Company, Flagler County fair, the Cosmic Hippie at the Hammock Community Center, Matanzas High’s Pirate Players Present ‘Grease,’ the Paris world expo of 1900, explaining La Nina and El Nino, defining deviancy down.
The Challenge of Boosting Electrical Vehicle Market to 67% of U.S. Car Sales
The proposal would require a huge change in production and consumer choice. To put it in perspective, in 2022 about 6% of U.S. passenger vehicle sales were all-electric. But U.S. automakers are already ramping up to meet the California rules, as well as aggressive requirements in Europe and China.
Florida Lawmakers Approve Abortion Ban Past 6 Weeks, One of the Most Restrictive in U.S.
In less than a year, Florida has moved from a 15-week abortion ban to the passage of one of the most restrictive bans in the nation — a 6-week abortion ban. The state House approved the legislation after at least six hours of questions, amendments, debate, protests and a final vote that will clear the way for Gov. Ron DeSantis to consider the bill.
The Daily Cartoon and Live Briefing: Thursday, April 13, 2023
Matanzas High School Marketing Lab Ribbon Cutting, the Flagler Beach City Commission meets, Evenings at Whitney Lecture Series, Justin J. Pearson, “Defiant and Determined.”
Banning TikTok May Weaken Personal Cybersecurity
Blocking access to TikTok by filtering traffic destined for addresses believed to be owned by TikTok is possible but would be difficult to accomplish. Server addresses can be changed and a TikTok ban could devolve into a game of cat and mouse.
The Daily Cartoon and Live Briefing: Wednesday, April 12, 2023
Louis Gaskin is scheduled to be killed at Raiford state prison at 6 p.m., making him the first man convicted in Flagler to be executed since 1973. Separation Chat, Flagler County Fair, Stetson Guitar Ensemble, Bitcoin’s energy waste.
Fox News ‘Journalists’ Lied With Impunity. It’s Their Business Model.
Businesses exist primarily to make a profit and doing actual news isn’t essential. Adam Serwer, reporting for The Atlantic, wrote “sources at Fox told me to think of it not as a network per se, but as a profit machine.” Profit machines can hire anybody who falls off a turnip truck and label them journalists because the job has no standardized requirements.
The Daily Cartoon and Live Briefing: Tuesday, April 11, 2023
The Volusia-Flagler Sierra Club General Membership meeting this evening, the Palm Coast Council and Flagler Planning Board meet, get to know Free Mom Hugs.
Efforts to Ban Critical Race Theory Have Hit 49 States
Researchers at the UCLA School of Law Critical Race Studies Program have created a new database to track attempts by local and state government to outlaw the teaching of the theory, which holds, among other things, that racism is not just expressed on an individual level, but rather is deeply embedded in the nation’s laws and policies.
The Daily Cartoon and Live Briefing: Monday, April 10, 2023
Pete Young, John Rogers and Tonya Gordon are sworn-in at the Bunnell City Commission, trial week in felony court, the giant sucking sound of brains escaping Florida.
Global Warming Is Powering More Home Runs
More home runs might sound exciting, but that boost in homers is also a visible sign of the much larger problems facing sports and people worldwide as the planet warms.
The Daily Cartoon and Live Briefing: Sunday, April 9, 2023
Palm Coast Farmers’ Market at European Village has an Easter Egg Hunt, a complete performance of Hendel’s messiah (on video), how Ramadan and Passover are clashing in Jerusalem.
Millions At Risk of Losing Free Preventive Care After Court Ruling on Obamacare
A federal judge in Texas’s ruling would eliminate free coverage for many basic preventive care services and medications. The federal government appealed the ruling to the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals.
The Daily Cartoon and Live Briefing: Saturday, April 8, 2023
An anti-LGBTQ church in Palm Coast organizes a candy drop, the Saturday Flagler Beach Farmers Market, Gamble Jam at Gamble Rogers Recreation Area.
Massive Bloom of Brown Seaweed Heading for Florida, Threatening Sea Life
Scientists who monitor the formation of sargassum in the Atlantic Ocean say that 2023 could produce the largest bloom ever recorded. That’s bad news for destinations like Miami and Fort Lauderdale that will struggle to clean their shorelines.
Anti-Trans ‘Bathroom Ban’ Is Quickly Moving Through Florida Legislature
Florida could be next in line to criminalize transgender adults who intentionally enter a restroom or changing facility opposite their sex at birth, according to two bills hastily moving through the Legislature. Similar bathroom bans are advancing through legislatures around the country.
The Daily Cartoon and Live Briefing: Friday, April 7, 2023
First Friday in Flagler Beach, Daytona State College Theatre’s ‘The Prom,’ J.S. Bach’s complete St. Matthew Passion, The sheer majesty of a five-megawatt wind turbine.
Trump’s Charges and the Obstacles Ahead for the Prosecution
A former prosecutor and law professor who studies the American criminal justice system provides three key points to understand in the Trump indictment and the challenges that lie ahead for the prosecution of the former president.
For Over 2 Decades, Clarence Thomas Accepted Lavish Gifts from Billionaire Without Disclosing Them
For more than two decades, Thomas has accepted luxury trips virtually every year from real estate magnate and Republican megadonor Harlan Crow. The extent and frequency of Crow’s apparent gifts to Thomas have no known precedent in the modern history of the U.S. Supreme Court. His failure to report the flights appears to violate law.
The Daily Cartoon and Live Briefing: Thursday, April 6, 2023
Sheriff’s Presentation: Addressing Crime Together, an Educational Program by the Alzheimer’s Association, the Palmer Raids and real Americans.
Jacinda Ardern’s Goodbye: Her Politics of Kindness Fell on Unkind Times
Jacinda Ardern’s resignation as prime minister in January was a courageous and pragmatic decision for herself, her family and her party. Although many said she’d done a great job as leader, she rightly reminded us that a great leader is “one who knows when it’s time to go”.
The Daily Cartoon and Live Briefing: Wednesday, April 5, 2023
Pre-trial day in court with numerous high-profile cases on the docket, Separation Chat at Pine Lakes Golf Club, Weekly Chess Club for Teens, the Trump arraignment and the Plot Against America.
Drivers Who Refuse Breathalizer Test Could Be Required to Have Interlock Device for a Year
Under a new proposal, a driver who refuses such a test would be required to install an ignition interlock device at his or her expense on all vehicles they own and operate for one full year – therefore removing the ability to drive with that suspended license.
Trump’s Arrest May Energize, Not Humiliate Him
Trump got what he wanted, as he, according to recent media reports, wanted to be the center of attention and create a spectacle. His detractors also got what they wanted, which was a visual record of Trump officially submitting to authorities, five days after he was indicted for 34 alleged felonies related to business fraud and a hush money payment to a porn star.
The Daily Cartoon and Live Briefing: Tuesday, April 4, 2023
The Flagler school board decides superintendent Cathy Mittelstadt’s fate, the Palm Coast City Council decides whether to pray or not to pray (publicly), Maya Angelou on the flag and on Charlie Rose, on her birthday.
Regulating AI
Deceptive image and text generators are now available to millions of people and don’t require technical knowledge to use. Given the potential for widespread harm as technology companies roll out these AI systems and test them on the public, policymakers are faced with the task of determining whether and how to regulate the emerging technology.
After Clearing Gallery of Public, Florida Senate Passes 6-Week Abortion Limit
The bill touched off heavy debate Monday that was interrupted by Senate President Kathleen Passidomo, R-Naples, ordering the clearing of the Senate seating gallery because of repeated outbursts from audience members opposed to the bill.
The Daily Cartoon and Live Briefing: Monday, April 3, 2023
The voyeurist Robert Orr is sentenced, the Flagler County Commission meets, as does the Beverly Beach Town Commission, MLK on the mountaintop, creation’s lack of tricksterism, according to Edward O. Wilson.
Why Tornadoes Are Still Hard to Forecast
Meteorologists have gotten a lot better at forecasting the conditions that make tornadoes more likely. But predicting exactly which thunderstorms will produce a tornado and when is harder, and that’s where a lot of severe weather research is focused today.
The Daily Cartoon and Live Briefing: Sunday, April 2, 2023
The NAACP cautions Blacks against visiting Florida, Palm Coast Farmers’ Market at European Village, Ellen Hopkins and “Crank.”
I’m a Librarian Who Banned a Book. Here’s Why.
While this may anger some people and some groups, a balance in points of view is what any good library finds essential. Occasionally, some offended person asks to have a title withdrawn from being used, which is called a “challenge”; occasionally, these challenges are successful.
The Daily Cartoon and Live Briefing: Saturday, April 1, 2023
The North East Florida Jazz Association’s Longineu Parsons Quintet concert, Family Farm Festival at Florida Agricultural Museum, Michael Butler at AAUW: What is Academic Freedom and Why Does It Matter?
Prosecuting a President Is Divisive. Here’s Why Many Countries Do It Anyway.
Presidents and prime ministers aren’t just anyone. They are chosen by a nation’s citizens or their parties to lead. They are often popular, sometimes revered. So judicial proceedings against them are inevitably perceived as political and become divisive.
The Daily Cartoon and Live Briefing: Friday, March 31, 2023
The Blue 22 Forum meets at the Palm Coast Community Center, a cat has its own ideas during a live feed, and what happens to be the only thing new in this town.
Trump’s Indictment and the Presidential Race
The Constitution does not require that the president be free from indictment, conviction or prison. But an indictment, conviction or both – let alone a prison sentence – would significantly compromise a president’s ability to function in office. The Constitution doesn’t provide an easy answer to the problem posed by such a compromised chief executive.
Trump Is Indicted
A New York criminal grand jury has indicted former President Donald Trump. A former president has never been indicted before. Members of Congress quickly began to react, along partisan lines.
Tenure No Longer Tenure in Florida As University Board Rules for 5-Year Reviews
The state university system’s Board of Governors on Wednesday gave final approval to a regulation that would require faculty members to undergo post-tenure reviews every five years, amid heavy opposition from critics who argued it could lead to a “downward trend in morale” on campus.
The Daily Cartoon and Live Briefing: Thursday, March 30, 2023
A pair of school-based committees decide the fate of John Green’s “Looking for Alaska” and Ellen Hopkins’s “Tilt,” a sex offender pleads out, another seeks a modification to his probation, how Florida doesn’t trust its teachers.
Against Baseball’s New Pitch Clock
The Major League Baseball executives who restlessly tinker with the rules in an effort to speed up the game are doing so less as its reliable custodians and more as marketers. Why else would they have adopted the new pitch clock rule?
The Daily Cartoon and Live Briefing: Wednesday, March 29, 2023
Separation Chat, Open Discussion, Weekly Chess Club for Teens at the public library, an excerpt from Patricia McCormick’s “Sold.”
Body Language Books Get It Wrong
Reading body language can be a useful skill in understanding how someone is feeling or what they might be thinking. But it’s important to remember that it’s not an exact science and there can be cultural or individual variations in how people express themselves through body language.