Republican U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio and his Democratic challenger, Congresswoman Val Demings, quickly got combative Tuesday as they sought to sway remaining undecided voters in their only head-to-head meeting ahead of the Nov. 8 election for a seat the GOP must retain if it wants to take control of the U.S. Senate.
Florida & Beyond, and All Opinions
The Daily Cartoon and Live Briefing: Wednesday, October 19, 2022
Democrat Dave Aronberg, the State Attorney for the 15th Circuit, at Tiger Bay, The Palm Coast Planning and Land Development Board meeting, Alaska Day without snow crabs. Can’t happen here? It already has.
How Abuse Is Baked Into American Sports
A pilot study of several hundred athletes (of all genders) at both large and small schools has revealed troubling examples of abusive coaching behavior. Data and research strongly suggest that abusive behavior is widespread and baked into the very essence of organized sports.
DeSantis, Transportation Department and Contractor Sued Over Records on Migrant Flights
The Florida Center for Government Accountability filed a lawsuit last week against Gov. Ron DeSantis and the governor’s office and this week against against the Florida Department of Transportation and a state contractor, alleging they did not comply with public-records requests stemming from controversial flights of migrants to Martha’s Vineyard in Massachusetts.
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The Daily Cartoon and Live Briefing: Tuesday, October 18, 2022
The Palm Coast City Council makes appointments to its planning board, The Flagler Woman’s Club hosts Candidates’ Night, Community Cats of Palm Coast hosts Cat-Oberfest, the pleas of College Mariste de Champville.
Fog Reveal: Some Police Forces Use App to Track People Without a Warrant
Government agencies and private security companies in the U.S. have found a cost-effective way to engage in warrantless surveillance of individuals, groups and places: a pay-for-access web tool called Fog Reveal.
The Daily Cartoon and Live Briefing: Monday, September 17, 2022
The County Commission takes up another development at the south end of Old Kings Road, a trip to the center of the universe, the non-ideological Ron DeSantis in Flagler Beach.
Way Down in the Hole: The Inhumanity of Solitary Confinement
The United States leads the world in its use of solitary confinement, locking away in isolation more of its population than any other country. The authors interviewed 100 people confined or employed in solitary confinement units to better understand what it is like from both sides of the bars. The interviews form the basis of “Way Down in the Hole,” a book published on Oct. 14, 2022.
The Daily Cartoon and Live Briefing: Sunday, October 16, 2022
Murder at the Howard Johnson’s, Sun-A Park and Esther Park at the piano, celebrating William O/ Douglas in a reactionary age.
Development on Florida’s Barrier Islands Made Ian Evacuation Virtually Impossible
Builders trying to exploit a hot housing market for big profits ran roughshod over common-sense regulations intended to protect the public. Meanwhile, our elected officials went along with whatever the developers wanted. Hurricane Ian did the rest.
The Daily Cartoon and Live Briefing: Saturday, October 15, 2022
Pink: A Salute to Women, at Flagler Auditorium, Island Festival in Palm Coast’s Central Park, Stetson Choral Festival, Bridge Day, Knopf rejects Jorge Luis Borges.
8.7% Cost of Living Raise in Social Security Checks Is Biggest Since 1981: 6 Questions Answered
How are Social Security benefits adjusted for inflation? Are the benefits taxable? What other government programs typically get a COLA? Does the tax system also adjust for inflation? Why does the government adjust benefits for inflation?
The Daily Cartoon and Live Briefing: Friday, October 14, 2022
Rise Up, the second annual Conference on Domestic Violence, Swearing in of Palm Coast Fire Chief Kyle Berry Hill, Stetson University Symphony Orchestra in concert, The Battle of Hastings, Eisenhower, and the punishing of children’s mental health problems.
Anthony Bourdain and the Farce of the ‘Unauthorized’ Biography
The farce is the positioning of this battle as one conducted between “unauthorized biography” on the one hand and “authorized” biography on the other – the publisher, for hinting at scandalous content by casting the work as “unauthorized,” and the aggrieved, to think they have any power to “authorize” whether the biography gets published in the first place.
Florida Politicians Decry Jury Verdict Against Death Penalty for Parkland Murderer
Many Florida politicians think life in prison for Nikolas Cruz isn’t “justice” for the 17 students and school staff he killed on Valentine’s Day in 2018. Under Florida law, the jury’s duty was to weigh factors aggravating in favor of death against mitigating factors.
The Daily Cartoon and Live Briefing: Thursday, October 13, 2022
The Flagler Beach City Commission meets, Alexander Heffner at Flagler College, Evenings at Whitney Lecture Series, “Turning News Into Art,” Murder at the Howard Johnson’s, Lenny Bruce in full, Sacha Baron Cohen on saving democracy from conspiracies.
What the Jan. 6 Committee Could Learn from the Failure of Truth Commissions
Truth commissions are independent or government groups that investigate political crimes and human rights violations. They have provided a common way of transitioning out of political crises around the world, by hearing testimony of people involved in political violence and producing a comprehensive report with recommendations to the government.
The Daily Cartoon and Live Briefing: Wednesday, October 12, 2022
Public Safety Coordinating Council meeting, death penalty in decline, but not in the United States, wrapping your head around the size of the universe, Woodrow Wilson’s lusty racism.
‘Silent Spring’ 60 Years On: Essential Reads on Pesticides and the Environment
In 1962 environmental scientist Rachel Carson published “Silent Spring,” a bestselling book that asserted that overuse of pesticides was harming the environment and threatening human health. Carson did not call for banning DDT, the most widely used pesticide at that time, but she argued for using it and similar products much more selectively and paying attention to their effects on nontargeted species.
Gopher Tortoises Are ‘Not in Danger of Extinction,’ and U.S. Denies Increased Protection
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service released a 113-page decision that said gopher tortoises would continue to be considered a threatened species in parts of southwest Alabama, Mississippi and Louisiana under the Endangered Species Act, but not in Florida and elsewhere.
Florida Surgeon General Ladapo on Defensive After Directive Against Covid Vaccines for Men 18 to 39
Florida Surgeon General Joseph Ladapo continues to defend his agency’s new guidance against COVID-19 vaccines among adult men as medical experts point out flaws in the Florida Department of Health study intended to justify the recommendation.
The Daily Cartoon and Live Briefing: Tuesday, October 11, 2022
The Flagler County Planning Board takes up a new subdivision south of Eagle Lakes, avoiding the big eight food allergens, sandbags, Americans as peaceful peoples, but with a question mark.
Why Trump Was Bad for America, But Good for Canada
Trump led Canadians to be more receptive to progressive policy orientations — if only as a means of distinguishing themselves from Trump’s America: he motivated Canadians to work towards a more inclusive and egalitarian society, while attempts by conservative politicians to brand themselves as the Canadian Trump led to failure.
Florida Center for Government Accountability Sues DeSantis Over Migrant Flight Records
The Florida Center for Government Accountability filed the lawsuit in Leon County circuit court and alleged that the governor’s office did not comply with requests to release a series of records about the migrant flights.
The Daily Cartoon and Live Briefing: Monday, October 10, 2022
The Bunnell City Commission talks Charter review, the Flagler Beach City Commission renews its state of emergency, Columbus Day and Lewis and Clark, Robert Levin on playing Mozart’s own piano.
Annie Ernaux’s Literature Nobel and the Art of Writing from Experience
The French writer Annie Ernaux has won the 2022 Nobel prize in literature at the age of 82. The academy praised her “for the courage and clinical acuity with which she uncovers the roots, estrangements and collective restraints of personal memory.”
Florida Insurance Companies Are Failing Because of Fraud and Lawsuits, Not Hurricanes
Home insurance rates in Florida are nearly triple the national average, insurers have been losing money. Six have failed since January 2022. Now, insured losses from Ian are estimated to exceed US$40 billion. Hurricane risk might seem like the obvious problem, but there is a more insidious driver in this financial train wreck.
The Daily Cartoon and Live Briefing: Sunday, October 9, 2022
Pink on Parade, the Annual Pink Army 5K in Palm Coast’s Town center, the Creekside Music and Arts Festival’s final day, John Field’s nocturne, Orwell on leftism.
A U.S. Prison’s Scandinavian Make-Over Shows the Way to More Humane Penal System
At a medium-security prison outside of Philadelphia, a correctional officer-guided team has worked since 2018 to incorporate Scandinavian penal principles into its own institution. Prisoners reported feeling safer and having more positive relationships with staff and other people living in the prisons. They also indicated greater satisfaction with their access to food and the reintegration support available to them.
The Daily Cartoon and Live Briefing: Saturday, October 8, 2022
A farewell party for Karen Barchowski and family at Sally’s Ice Cream in Flagler Beach this afternoon, Bats: Myth and Reality at the Palm Coast Community Center, Imagine.
The Nobel Peace Prize Goes to Anti-Putin Human Rights Activists
On the 70th birthday of Russian president Vladimir Putin, the peace prize has gone to imprisoned Belarus activist Ales Bialiatski, Russian human rights organisation Memorial and the Center for Civil Liberties in Ukraine.
The Daily Cartoon and Live Briefing: Friday, October 7, 2022
First Friday in Flagler Beach is cancelled, Renner on the homeowner insurance disaster, “Oliver!” at the Playhouse, Annie Ernaux, Ferdinand Ries and Christian Walker.
How Affirmative Action Bans Make Selective Colleges Less Diverse
Since nine states already have bans on affirmative action, it’s easy to know what will happen if affirmative action is outlawed. Studies of college enrollment in those states show that enrollment of Black, Hispanic and Native American undergraduate students will decline in the long term.
‘It Makes No Sense,’ Biden Says of Criminalizing Pot as He Pardons Thousands
President Joe Biden on Thursday pardoned thousands of people convicted of marijuana possession under federal law and instructed his administration to consider whether cannabis should get a new drug classification.
Nebraska Senator Ben Sasse Final Choice for University of Florida President
The University of Florida Board of Trustees will interview Ben Sasse during a Nov. 1 meeting. If trustees approve Sasse’s selection, it would then go before the state university system’s Board of Governors for a final sign-off.
The Daily Cartoon and Live Briefing: Thursday, October 6, 2022
The Nobel Prize for Literature is announced at 7 this morning, the Flagler Beach Historical Museum celebrates its 21st Anniversary, the wonderful Alice Munro.
Rebuilding Southwest Florida Will ‘Take a Hell of a Long Time,’ Biden Says in Fort Myers
The president and First Lady Jill Biden surveyed storm damage by helicopter. He pledged that federal, state and local governments will work together to help the people of Southwest Florida recover from the massive Hurricane Ian disaster.
The Daily Cartoon and Live Briefing: Wednesday, October 5, 2022
Code enforcement board, chess club at the library, the face-palming absurdity of the Hershel Walker Senate race, the Nobels continue.
The Blessing of Barrier Islands
Barrier islands protect about 10 percent of coastlines worldwide. When hurricanes and storms make landfall, these strands absorb much of their force, reducing wave energy and protecting inland areas. They also provide a sheltered environment that enables estuaries and marshes to form behind them.
The Daily Cartoon and Live Briefing: Tuesday, October 4, 2022
The Nobel Prize in Physics is announced at 5: 45 a.m., the school board and the Palm Coast City Council will look back on Ian, Neanderthal Man, Robert Graves.
How Clarence and Virginia Thomas Are Changing America
With the opening of the U.S. Supreme Court’s new session on Oct. 3, 2022, Clarence Thomas is arguably the most powerful justice on the nation’s highest court. He’s the longest-serving sitting justice and on track to have the lengthiest court tenure ever.
Emergency Management’s Kevin Guthrie Outlines Longer Sheltering Plan for Ian Refugees
State emergency responders are beginning the daunting task of finding temporary housing for people displaced by Hurricane Ian, Florida Emergency Management Director Kevin Guthrie said Monday.
The Daily Cartoon and Live Briefing: Monday, October 3, 2022
Flagler schools and courts reopen, the Flagler County Commission recognizes Ryan Belhumeur, the Beverly Beach Town Commission meets, the two Paul Renners: Policy Paul and Ideological Paul.
Liz Truss: Are Britain’s Conservatives Facing a Meltdown?
Conservative Party members who chose Liz Truss as prime minister are wondering whether their choice (and the abrupt change of direction in economic policy it enabled) will cost them the next election. And they are right to be worried.
The Daily Cartoon and Live Briefing: Sunday, October 2, 2022
“Oliver!” the musical, at Flagler Playhouse and “Assassins” at City Rep. It’s Gandhi’s birthday and it’s World Communion Sunday, which lends itself to a few reflections about the eucharist.
Iranian Women’s Enduring Resistance to ‘Islamic Revolution’
Shouts of “death to the dictator” and “woman, life, freedom” are reverberating throughout the streets of Iran following the death of Mahsa Amini, a 22-year-old woman, while in custody of the “morality police” in Tehran.
The Daily Cartoon and Live Briefing: Saturday, October 1, 2022
It’s back to life for life’s sake: “Assassins” at City Rep Theatre, “Oliver!”” at the Flagler Playhouse, Americans spending like drunken sailors despite inflation, Happy Birthday Jimmy Carter.
The Supreme Court Is Back in Session. Cue the Controversial Cases that May Change Your Life.
The Supreme Court’s new supermajority overturned abortion rights and expanded gun rights in 2022. Upcoming cases focus on the future of affirmative action, equal treatment of LGBTQ people, and the control of election laws.
Biden to Battered Florida: ‘We’re Going to Do Everything We Can for You’
Biden did not take questions from the press or say if he would visit Florida, but stressed the importance of the country coming together to help those affected by the hurricane. He mentioned he was in continuous contact with Republican Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, as well as other coastal governors.
The Daily Cartoon and Live Briefing: Friday, September 30, 2022
Post-Ian recovery in earnest as schools and courts remain closed, but a breezy, cool fall day ahead. The vaporization of Lake Mead behind Hoover Dam, Nina Totenberg’s name-droppings.