Gov. Ron DeSantis on Tuesday, flanked by Surgeon General Joseph Ladapo, unveiled an initiative to permanently ban mask requirements across Florida, permanently block Covid-19 vaccine requirements at schools and businesses, and provide protection of “medical freedom of speech”–that is, physicians who disagree with Covid science.
Florida & Beyond, and All Opinions
The Daily Cartoon and Live Briefing: Tuesday, January 17, 2023
The Flagler County School Board talks Narcan, social studies and arming civilians, the Flagler County Commission talks ambulance costs, the Palm Coast City Council takes on the proposed and controversial Harborside development, Muhammad Ali on drawing a crowd, Patrick Modiano on the moral function of books.
The Divisive Distortions of Martin Luther King Jr.’s Words
The consequences of the misuse of Martin Luther King Jr.’s words are playing out everywhere from the halls of Congress to corporate diversity training sessions to local school board meetings.
“We Cannot Walk Alone… We Cannot Turn Back”
A brief history of the origins and battles of the Martin Luther King federal holiday, and of the MLK monument at the Washington Mall, with full text and video of Martin Luther King’s “I Have a Dream Speech.”
The Daily Cartoon and Live Briefing: Monday, January 16, 2023
County Judge Joan Anthony is the keynote speaker at a celebration of the life and legacy of Martin Luther King Jr., declawing cats, Ta-Nehisi Coates, James Baldwin.
How Basquiat Denounced Violence Against Blacks
At the time of the Black Lives Matter movement, Jean-Michel Basquiat’s work is more relevant than ever. It highlights racial inequalities and the lack of representation of racialized people in the media, but also the violence suffered by African Americans.
DeSantis’ Attack on New College Is Latest Poisoning of Public Education
The governor has just appointed six new ultra-conservative trustees to the board of New College of Florida in Sarasota. They want to trash its tradition of intellectual freedom and transform it into an institution DeSantis’ base would love, a Bob Jones-style religious school funded with taxpayer money.
The Daily Cartoon and Live Briefing: Sunday, January 15, 2023
The Sounds of Soul at Flagler Auditorium, ‘Honky Tonk Angels’ at City Repertory Theatre, Flagler County’s Cold-Weather Shelter opens tonight, the fragility of democracies.
Canada’s Answer to Affordable Home Crisis: Ban Foreign Homebuyers
As of Jan. 1, 2023, foreign buyers are banned from buying homes in Canada for two years under the Prohibition on the Purchase of Residential Property by Non-Canadians Act. The ban is part of the federal government’s effort to ease Canadians’ struggle to afford homes.
Trump Is No Longer the Villain at the Border. Now It’s Biden.
Title 42 mixed with new White House immigration policy creates potentially illegal asylum restrictions. It’s time to treat this president, Joe Biden, as the same level of threat that Trump was to the rights of migrants.
Child Vaccination Rates, Already Down Because of Pandemic, Fall Again
Instead of recovering after schools reopened in 2021, historically low rates of child vaccination worsened, according to new data from the CDC. Experts fear that the skepticism of science and distrust of government that flared up during the pandemic are contributing to the decrease.
The Daily Cartoon and Live Briefing: Saturday, January 14, 2023
‘Honky Tonk Angels’ at City Repertory Theatre, The Lviv National Philharmonic Orchestra of Ukraine in Daytona Beach, Flagler County’s Cold-Weather Shelter Opens, Silver Lake Park Clean-Up, in your elements.
Sitting All Day Is Terrible for Your Health. Here’s a Remedy.
A five-minute light walk every half-hour was the only strategy that reduced blood sugar levels substantially compared with sitting all day. In particular, five-minute walks every half-hour reduced the blood sugar spike after eating by almost 60%.
The Daily Cartoon and Live Briefing: Friday, January 13, 2023
The year in review on WNZF, “Honky Tonk Angels” at City Repertory Theatre, Stormy Daniels and the second anniversary of Trump’s impeachment, Anthony Burgess on Americans.
The Inflation Report’s Mixed Bag
The overall cost of goods and services decelerated to an annual pace of 6.5% in December, the slowest in over a year and down from 7.1% in November. But there’s bad news too, especially if you are an egg-munching renter fond of frequent regular haircuts. In quite a few categories, the cost of living rose at an even faster pace.
The Daily Cartoon and Live Briefing: Thursday, January 12, 2023
The Flagler Beach City Commission talks communications, the Gerard Abate hearing is cancelled, Evenings at Whitney Lecture Series, a Bauhaus World Heritage site, Letterman v. Carson.
Florida Is Accused of Violating Federal Court Order and Restricting Race Education Anyway
Plaintiffs challenging a state law restricting how race-related concepts can be taught in higher education accused Gov. Ron DeSantis’ administration Wednesday of violating a federal judge’s order that blocked parts of the law from being enforced.
Climate Change Helped Make 2022 the 3rd Most Expensive Year on Record
U.S. weather disasters are getting costlier as more people move into vulnerable areas and climate change raises the risks of extreme heat and rainfall. Even with an average hurricane season, 2022 had the third-highest number of billion-dollar disasters in the U.S. since 1980.
Moms for Liberty Want ‘Don’t Say LGBTQ’ Law Expanded to Cover K-8
The Florida chapter of Moms for Liberty, the conservative nonprofit that advocates for parental rights in schools, would like state lawmakers to expand the state law that restricts classroom instruction about gender identity and sexual orientation for children from kindergarten through the third grade.
The Daily Cartoon and Live Briefing: Wednesday, January 11, 2023
Chess at the library, a night in the 40s, plate tectonics, volunteers needed for a clean-up in Flagler Beach Saturday.
Autofiction and Its Discontents
Autofiction is contentious. Some authors renounce the label, including Annie Ernaux, who views her first-person “I” as a collective self. Some disagree that it is a genre at all. Instead, they view autofiction as a “mode” of writing – or as a “strategy” or “lens”. Some go so far as to argue that all works of literature necessarily stem from personal experience.
On Rosewood Massacre Anniversary, Sad to See DeSantis Embrace Florida’s Old South Legacy
It’s sad to see Ron DeSantis embrace our Old South legacy rather than trying to lead us to a more inclusive New South future. Instead of demanding equal treatment under the law, open-eyed education and zero-tolerance for anti-Semitism and racism, he runs the other way.
Florida Supreme Court Asked to Interpret DeSantis’ 2021 Law Restricting Demonstrations
A federal appeals court wants guidance about how Florida cops would enforce a restrictive demonstration law, asking the state’s highest court, which has the last word on interpreting state law, to render an opinion. The federal appeals court would still get to decide whether the law violates the U.S. Constitution.
The Daily Cartoon and Live Briefing: Tuesday, January 10, 2023
The Palm Coast City Council, the Flagler County Planning Board and the Community Traffic Safety Team all meet, end of the Arab Spring, Richard Ford.
Islamic Paintings of Prophet Muhammad Are Teachable History, Not Fireable Offenses
While many Muslims believe it is inappropriate to depict Muhammad, the recent labeling of such paintings as “hate speech” and “blasphemy” not only inaccurate but inflammatory. Such condemnations can pose a threat to individuals and works of art.
Arkansas Takes Stock of Jacob Oliva, Its New Education Chief: Goal-Driven, Ambitious, Puzzling
The Arkansas Advocate reports on the varied reactions and impressions of former Flagler Superintendent and Florida Education Chancellor Jacob Oliva, who is Arkansas Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders’s nominee to head the state’s Department of Education.
The Daily Cartoon and Live Briefing: Monday, January 9, 2023
Library board meets, Bunnell City Commission meets, waiting for Matlock’s noise to subside, a few words from the now late Russell Banks.
Here’s How Your Cup of Coffee Contributes to Climate Change
The pollution resulting from the preparation of coffee at home is just the tip of the iceberg. Before you can enjoy a cup of coffee, it goes through several steps, starting from the agricultural production of the coffee beans, their transport, the roasting and grinding of the beans, right up to the heating of the water for the coffee and the washing of the cups it is poured in.
Maria Facchini, Obituary
Maria Facchini passed away Monday January 2, 2023 in her home at the age of 88.
The Daily Cartoon and Live Briefing: Sunday, January 8, 2023
A smidgen of good news on the death penalty front, Greta Thunberg v. Andrew Tate, and in an unrelated query, Don DeLillo asks: Who will die first?
Tourism Adds to Climate Change’s Damage of Antarctica
As tourism grows, so will environmental impacts on Antarctica such as black carbon from cruise ship funnels. Tourists can carry in microbes, seed and other invasive species on their boots and clothes – a problem that will only worsen as ice melt creates new patches of bare earth. And cruise ships are hardly emissions misers.
The Daily Cartoon and Live Briefing: Saturday, January 7, 2023
Enrollment Day at Daytona State College, Sunshine and Sandals Social at Cornerstone, The Saturday Flagler Beach Farmers Market, the first commercial phone service between New York City and London, Karl Ove Knausgaard.
The Russian Roulette of Moderate Alcohol Consumption
Partially because alcohol is such a commonly used substance, heavily marketed and glamorized in pop culture, Americans’ comfort with and acceptance of its use in everyday life is remarkably high. But should it be?
What White People Get Wrong About Black Dads
Society rarely shows good examples of Black fathers. Social media commenters often label Blacks as fatherless and cling to stereotypes that if Black dads are present, they’re somehow unloving, uninvolved or even abusive. Here’s a corrective.
Florida Democrats Seek Prison Release for Non-Violent Offenders After 65% of Time Served Instead of 85%
Calling the state’s criminal justice system “outdated,” Tampa Democratic state Rep. Dianne Hart filed a proposal this week (HB 115) that would allow non-violent offenders to reduce their mandatory time served from 85 percent to 65 percent through their successful completion of academic and other learning courses while incarcerated.
U.S. Economy Adds 223,000 Jobs in December, Easing Fears of Recession for Now
The national economy is steadily losing power even as it continues to generate enough new jobs to lower the unemployment rate: 223,000 new jobs in December. That’s the lowest total in two years, but still nowhere near recession territory.
The Daily Cartoon and Live Briefing: Friday, January 6, 2023
First Friday in Flagler Beach, Always, Patsy Cline, at the Flagler Auditorium, the second anniversary of the Jan. 6 attack on Congress and democracy.
How Netanyahu’s Far-Right Government Threatens Israeli Democracy
The new Israeli government, headed by Benjamin Netanyahu and sworn in on Dec. 29, 2022, is a coalition of the most extreme right-wing and religious parties in the history of the state. This government presents a major threat to Israeli democracy, and it does so on multiple fronts.
The Daily Cartoon and Live Briefing: Thursday, January 5, 2023
Somnolence in Flagler, the marathoner who finished the race with a bullet in the head, how writers draw empty houses at book-signings, Don DeLillo’s Somnolence in Flagler, White Noise.
Perils Ahead, No Matter Who Is Speaker of the House
The arm-twisting, dealmaking and vote hunting around Kevin McCarthy’s quest to be named House speaker have put on full display the fact that razor-thin majorities in both the House and the Senate create legislative and institutional uncertainty that has very real consequences for how Congress is run and how policy gets made.
The Daily Cartoon and Live Briefing: Wednesday, January 4, 2023
Sleeping Beauty, Performed by the State Ballet of Ukraine at Flagler Auditorium, the Flagler County School Board meets, President Benjamin Harrison pardons Mormon’s polygamy, Jim Belushi, high school chess coach.
Inflation, Unemployment, Housing Crisis, Recession? Ahead in 2023.
With the current U.S. inflation rate at 7.1%, interest rates rising and housing costs up, many Americans are wondering if a recession is looming. The consensus view among most forecasters is that a recession is on the way.
DeSantis Invokes Bible, Gun Analogies and Anti-Wokism in Inaugural Pitched to Ambitions
The governor vowed to “stand our ground” in defense of low taxes, parental rights in education, “law and order,” and more — although Democrats, independents, and overall progressives in Florida would likely beg to differ. The theme and tenor of the speech suggests that DeSantis spoke to a larger goal: running for president.
The Daily Cartoon and Live Briefing: Tuesday, January 3, 2023
Courts back in session, rediscovering The Forty Days of Musa Dagh, by Franz Werfel, on the Armenian genocide, WEB Dubois on the campaign of slander against “carpetbaggers.”
Slavery as Theme Park: How a West African Country is Making Tourism of Atrocity
Benin in West Africa hopes to market itself as a major destination for Afro-descendant tourists in the diaspora. But the latest developments are walking a fine line, balancing education and remembrance with crude commerce and rank tourism.
The Daily Cartoon and Live Briefing: Monday, January 2, 2023
New Year’s Day extra, James K. Galbraith on American Capitalism, the day Richard Nixon forced America to slow down to 55.
Myocarditis: Covid-19 is a Much Bigger Risk to the Heart than Vaccination
Perhaps the most common point of conflict concerning Covid-19 vaccines is the risk of myocarditis following immunization, particularly among young people. In Florida, Surgeon General Joseph Ladapo and Gov. Ron DeSantis have turned against vaccinating younger people based on that misconception.
The Daily Cartoon and Live Briefing: Sunday, January 1, 2023
Happy new Year. America’s Top New Year’s Resolutions for 2023, why we want the extraordinary in all things, including the impossible.
Cats in the Middle Ages
For the most part, cats were quite at home in the medieval household. And as their playful depiction in many medieval manuscripts and artwork makes clear, our medieval ancestors’ relationships with these animals were not too different from our own.
The Daily Cartoon and Live Briefing: Saturday, December 31, 2022
Reflections on ruins on the last day of the year, Loren Eiseley’s Autumn memory, Bach’s Violin Partita.