Price shocks aren’t new. Viewed historically, they are an integral part of oil market dynamics, not anomalies. They have occurred since the birth of the industry. Even before Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, prices were climbing rapidly because of roaring demand and limited supply growth.
Florida & Beyond, and All Opinions
Illinois Could Join Vermont, Maine and DC in Allowing Imprisoned Felons to Vote
Lawmakers in Oregon considered a similar bill in February which would have restored voting rights to roughly 12,000 to 15,000 incarcerated Oregonians, but the effort failed for the second time.
The Daily Cartoon and Live Briefing: Saturday, March 12, 2022
The Strawberry Festival in Town Center is cancelled, weather will be an issue today ahead of a freezing front, remembering Mustafa Kamal Aataturk’s role in the Armenian genocide, DeSantis as Cesar, FRD’s first Fireside Chat.
Daylight Saving Time Sucks. Here’s What You Can Do to Unsuck It.
Is there something to be done to help to deal with this loss of sleep and change of body clock timing? Of course. The first step is increasing awareness and using the power of knowledge to combat this issue. Here are some quick tips to prepare yourself for the upcoming weekend.
School Book Inquisitions and School Board Term Limits Head for Governor’s Signature
School board members soon could be limited to serving 12-year terms under a bill that is headed to Gov. Ron DeSantis — but the measure also includes a controversial provision that would intensify scrutiny of school library books and instructional materials.
I’m a Christian Mom. I Love My Trans Daughter. The State Sees Me as an Abuser.
Texas Governor Abbott recently issued horrifying, unconstitutional orders directing our state’s office of Child Protective Services to investigate parents of transgender children for child abuse. The only one engaging in child abuse here is Abbott — and his equally cruel attorney general, Ken Paxton.
The Daily Cartoon and Live Briefing: Friday, March 11, 2022
The mercurial Joseph Bova is again in court on a hoped-for plea, ending his nearly decade-long murder case, Sondheim at the Flagler Playhouse, Christopher Hitchens.
How a Hurricane Fueled Wildfires in the Florida Panhandle
It might sound odd – hurricanes helping to fuel wildfires. But Michael’s 160 mph winds left tangles of dead trees that were ready to burn.Here’s an explanation of the role the hurricane played in wildfires that forced over 1,000 people to evacuate their homes.
Bill Creating Elections Policing Squad, 1st of Its Kind in the U.S., Heads for Governor’s Signature
In part, the bill would create an Office of Election Crimes and Security in the Department of State. Also, it would require the governor, working with the commissioner of the Florida Department of Law Enforcement, to appoint special FDLE officers to investigate allegations of election violations, with at least one officer in each region of the state.
The Daily Cartoon and Live Briefing: Thursday, March 10, 2022
Ex-Deputy Dedorius Varnes’s sentencing, Jane Mealy and James Sherman take the oath on the Flagler Beach City Commission, which then hears decides whether to keep its lease going with Ocean Palms Golf Club, “Osborne’s Revenge.”
An Ida B. Wells Barbie Is Nice. But It Doesn’t Combat Persistent Anti-Blackness.
Having a doll that honors Wells’ legacy can help today’s children “know they have the power” to bring about a better future, an Instagram account for Barbie said in a post. However, the mere existence of a Black doll does not combat anti-Black racism. Representation alone does not equal racial justice or stop messages of anti-Blackness from existing.
The Daily Cartoon and Live Briefing: Wednesday, March 9, 2022
La Darrien McCaskill’s sentencing in the 2018 and 2019 Palm Coast robberies involving six assailants, the Northeast Florida Regional Council’s Affordable Housing Workshop for Flagler County, Schubert’s 13th sonata.
Support for Democracy Is Waning Across the Americas
People are losing faith in democracy throughout the Western Hemisphere. Across North, Central and South America, and parts of the Caribbean, only 63% of the public expressed support for democracy in 2021, possibly explaining the growth of support for authoritarian leadership in places like the United States, Peru and El Salvador.
Noel Jon Ouellette, Obituary
Noel Jon Ouellette, age 81, was peacefully called home to the Lord at Hospice of Ormond Beach on Tuesday, March 1, 2022.
The Daily Cartoon and Live Briefing: Tuesday, March 8, 2022
Election Day in Flagler Beach and Bunnell, the Palm Coast City Council reckons with a grim evaluation from residents about its own behavior, the St. Johns River Water Management District board meets, as does the Flagler County Planning Board, with a look at Russian oil exports and know-nothings who think they know it all.
Battles Over Book Bans Reflect Conflicts from the 1980s
The attacks on books in the 1980s bear similarities to the current attacks. Both object to the critical teaching about race and racism, historical as well as contemporary. Both accuse schools of tearing down America and weakening patriotism. Both object to teaching about gender roles, sexual orientation and alternative models of the family. Conservative institutions like the Heritage Foundation have been involved in both periods.
Senate Moves to Cloak in Secrecy Businesses and Drugs Connected with Florida’s Executions
The Florida Senate on Monday passed a measure that would more broadly cloak information about people and businesses involved with state executions and the drugs used for lethal injection, positioning the proposal for action by Gov. Ron DeSantis.
The Daily Cartoon and Live Briefing: Monday, March 7, 2022
The Flagler County Commission talks federal stimulus dollars without giving credit to the source, the Beverly Beach commission meets, Piet Mondrian’s 150th birth anniversary, Princeton’s dullness.
Conservatives Profit from Anti-Transgender Agendas to Rally Their Base
Anti-transgender health care bills and legal interpretations are part of a package of initiatives that mark 2021 as a “record-breaking year” for anti-LGBTQ policies introduced in state legislatures across the country. And 2022 is already on track to surpass this record.
Ukraine and the Fallacy of ‘All Lives Matter’
Every war brings out the best and the worst in human beings. Ukrainian resistance has been heroic and inspiring as Russia carries out its war crimes. But there’s also a strong element of bias at work in the public reaction. You know, the way a blue-eyed blond child gone missing will get page one sympathy while a missing Black child will be ignored.
‘We the People’ Are In Dangerous Territory
The state of the union is precarious because some of us have lost faith in democracy and have begun to flirt with other means to achieve political goals, other means to obtain and keep power, means based more on brute force and intimidation than on persuasion and compromise.
The Daily Cartoon and Live Briefing: Sunday, March 6, 2022
Remembering the Dred Scott decision’s atrocity, “Company,” the 1970 musical by Stephen Sondheim, is staged by Flagler Playhouse, Poe’s macabre toothy grin in “Berenice,” the so-called “Fall of the Alamo.”
Death: How Long Are We Conscious For, and Does Life Really Flash Before Our Eyes?
Experiments have been conducted in an attempt to better understand reports from people who have had a near death experience. Such an event has been associated with out-of-body experiences, a sense profound bliss, a calling, a seeing of a light shining above, but also profound bursts of anxiety or complete emptiness and silence.
Trump Just Endorsed an Oath Keeper’s Plan to Seize Control of the Republican Party
The “precinct strategy” widely promoted by Steve Bannon has already inspired thousands of Trump supporters to fill local GOP positions, intent on preventing a “stolen election” despite endless evidence that there’s been no such thing.
The Daily Cartoon and Live Briefing: Saturday, March 5, 2022
A closer look at DeSantis bullying students for wearing masks, Stephen Sondheim at the Flagler Playhouse, The First Saturday Creative Bazaar Arts and Craft Market in Palm Coast’s Town Center, Dostoevsky on brutifying human beings.
Zelenskyy’s Putin Antithesis: Grit and Grace of Leadership
Putin demonstrates a tendency toward authoritarianism in both political action and in political style. Zelenskyy, in contrast, presents a more modest and understated vision of political leadership – one more appropriate for democratic institutions, in which the leader is not thought to be morally superior to the governed.
Florida Senate Approves 15-Week Ban on Abortion, No Exceptions for Rape, Incest, or Human Trafficking
Late in the evening Thursday, amid tears, personal stories, and fears about women’s freedom, the Florida Senate approved a 15-week abortion ban for Florida, allowing the legislation to go to Gov. Ron DeSantis’ desk for his consideration.
Economy Adds 678,000 Jobs, Lowering Unemployment to 3.8% and Nearing Pre-Covid Levels
The economy added 678,000 jobs in February, the largest one-month gain since March 2021, lowering the unemployment rate to 3.8 percent and nearing pre-Covid employment level of 3.5 percent, when 5.7 million people were unemployed. In February, 6.3 million were unemployed. The economy still has 2.1 million jobs to recover before matching pre-covid employment, however.
The Daily Cartoon and Live Briefing: Friday, March 4, 2022
First Friday in Flagler Beach, Stephen Sondheim at the Flagler Playhouse, The 13th Paralympics Games open in (sigh) Beijing, a few bad memories of Grover Cleveland, the chauvinism behind the Russia-Ukraine war.
Stripping Bare the Illusion That Sports Are Apolitical
FIFA has suspended Russia from international competition, potentially excluding Russia from the World Cup in Qatar later this year. There are several reasons why the Ukraine invasion has served to break FIFA’s policy of viewing national teams apolitically. The brutality of the Russian aggression is one, the self-evident innocence of Ukraine is another.
William Oscar Dotson II, Obituary
William Oscar Dotson II, a resident for the past 30 years coming from Akron OH passed away peacefully on Saturday, February 26, 2022 at the Stuart F. Meyer Hospice House with his loving family near him.
The Daily Cartoon and Live Briefing: Thursday, March 3, 2022
Jack Petocz, a junior and student leader at Flagler Palm Coast High School, speaks at the Palm Coast Democratic Club, “Company,” the 1970 musical by Stephen Sondheim, opens at the Flagler Playhouse, discriminating among refugees from Ukraine.
DeSantis Heckles Students to Take Off Face Masks and Derides ‘Covid Theater’
While Gov. Ron DeSantis has touted a law called the Parents’ Bill of Rights, he didn’t take into consideration Wednesday that he could be imposing on parent rights when he aggressively told masked students they they didn’t have to wear them.
Sanctions Won’t Topple Putin
Putin’s support was not so big anyway: why else would the administration indulge in massive election fraud? Sanctions that make Russians poorer are therefore unlikely to motivate them to vote differently.
Florida Wildlife Officials Clear the Way for 24-Hour Alligator Hunting
Concerns were raised, in part, that the 24-hour proposal would conflict with other outdoor activities, such as bass fishing and duck hunting, and that there is the potential for meat spoiling from alligators harvested during the hottest part of the day.
The Daily Cartoon and Live Briefing: Wednesday, March 2, 2022
The Palm Coast Code Enforcement Board meets, “Company,” the 1970 musical by Stephen Sondheim, is staged by Flagler Playhouse starting with a Community Night tonight, Colin Thubron on the fabrication of Uzbekistan.
Can Rich Nations Stop Buying Russian Oil?
Sanctions against Russia’s oil industry would have a greater impact than limiting natural gas flows because Russia’s oil receipts are higher and more critical to its state budget. Russia earned over US$110 billion in 2021 from oil exports, twice as much as its earnings from natural gas sales abroad.
Following House, Florida Senate Poised Wednesday to Impose 15-Week Abortion Limit
After weeks of speeches and raucous protests, numerous votes in legislative committees and a full vote in the state House, Florida is at the endpoint for a decision on a 15-week abortion ban that doesn’t include rape, incest and human trafficking.
The Daily Cartoon and Live Briefing: Tuesday, March 1, 2022
A status hearing is scheduled in the case of Cornelius Baker, whose death sentence has been in a legal twilight zone for a few years, the School Board holds a workshop, the Palm Coast City Council discusses apartments, Russian writers assess the Russian character.
Rick Scott and Ron DeSantis Are in a Race Back to the 1950s
Sen. Rick Scott proposes to take us back to the 1950s, that glorious era when Black people were beaten and arrested for trying to vote, when women of all colors were expected to stay home and raise the children, when Christianity dominated the culture, when gay people had to stay in the closet, and we lived in mortal terror of socialism.
Putin’s ‘Denazification’ Slur on Ukraine
The victims of the genocide claimed by Putin are Russian speakers; the Nazis he referenced are the elected representatives of the Ukrainian people. Russian speakers have more freedom in Ukraine than they have in Russia, where Putin’s authoritarian government routinely suppresses political dissent.
The Daily Cartoon and Live Briefing: Monday, February 28, 2022
Six Appeal Vocal Band at the Flagler Auditorium, the Bunnell City Commission bids farewell to one police chief and welcomes the next, and talks of $1-an-hour raise to all employees, Montaigne, M*A*S*H and Barnes.
Think Twice Before Scanning That QR Code
Scanning a Quick Response, or QR code, is convenient and easy. And it is contactless, which can make people feel safer. But cybersecurity experts say QR codes also created new opportunities for fraudsters, who can tamper with them and direct victims to malicious websites to steal their personal and financial information.
The Daily Cartoon and Live Briefing: Sunday, February 27, 2022
The Native American Festival at Princess Place, the Academy Awards, Ralph Nader’s birthday (George Bush’s happiest day), Steinbeck, mobs and oil prices.
The Daily Cartoon and Live Briefing: Saturday, February 26, 2022
The 7th Annual Native American Festival is at Princess Place Preserve, the assassination of Trayvon Martin 10 years later, Michael Cavanaugh at the Jacksonville Symphony, Victor Hugo.
Who Is Ketanji Brown Jackson?
Ketanji Brown Jackson is supremely qualified. She has not just an elite education – she went to Harvard for both college and law school – she clerked for the retiring justice whose place she will take, Stephen Breyer.
The Daily Cartoon and Live Briefing: Friday, February 25, 2022
Donald Trump is apparently siding with Vladimir Putin, Free For All Fridays on the invasion of Ukraine and what it may mean to Flagler, Anthony Burgess, and Voltaire on arbitrary justice.
Setting the Record Straight on Ukrainian and Russian History
Much of the history of Ukraine and Russia the public is hearing is incomplete, some of it is wrong, and some of it is obscured or refracted by the self-interest or the limited perspective of who is telling it. Here’s a corrective.
The Daily Cartoon and Live Briefing: Thursday, February 24, 2022
The Flagler Beach City Commission considers permitting a neighboring tattoo business, the Philip Martin trial enters its final day, Wendell Berry on the making of morons, Rodney Dangerfield, and Estonians.
Taxpayers: Expect Serious Delays from IRS This Year
Over 15 million returns and 5 million pieces of taxpayer correspondence from 2021 sit untouched – including 6 million original 1040s. Amended 2021 returns are taking more than 20 weeks to process. It’s not just complicated returns that are getting delayed. Even simple individual returns are caught in the backlog.