Library board meets, Bunnell City Commission meets, waiting for Matlock’s noise to subside, a few words from the now late Russell Banks.
Florida & Beyond, and All Opinions
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Calling the state’s criminal justice system “outdated,” Tampa Democratic state Rep.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.
Pelé: The One and Only
Pelé, soccer’s first global superstar, was the best to have ever played the game, the symbol of soccer played with passion, gusto and a smile. He helped to forge an image of the game, which even today lots of people continue to crave.
The Daily Cartoon and Live Briefing: Friday, December 30, 2022
Black Elk recalls the massacre at Wounded Knee, and how the New York Times reported it, a reminder on FEMA benefits for Hurricane Ian survivors, the Bach Festival.
Putin’s Unintended Boost for Clean Energy
Below the surface of almost weekly bad news, significant changes are underway that have the potential to create a more sustainable world – one in which humanity can tackle climate change, species extinction and food and energy insecurity.
GasBuddy Predicts Florida Gas Prices Will Climb Over $4.50 By Summer Before Falling Again
The Boston-based GasBuddy, in an annual outlook released Wednesday, predicted that pump prices will peak at an average of $4.25 to $4.65 a gallon in Miami, $4.15 to $4.55 in Orlando and $4.10 to $4.45 in Tampa.
The Daily Cartoon and Live Briefing: Thursday, December 29, 2022
Flagler Beach pier pass refunds, H.G. Wells on Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man, the waning days of Fantasy of Lights in Town Center.
Five Space Exploration Missions to Look Out for in 2023
From the Jupiter Icy Moons Explorer to the return to Earth of an asteroid explorer to India’s first India’s private space launch, 2023 is set to be as busy a space exploration year as 2022. Here’s a preview.
The Daily Cartoon and Live Briefing: Wednesday, December 28, 2022
Kwanzaa Celebration at the African American Cultural Center, What the Black Man Wants, Woodrow Wilson, anti-hero.
Calling Politicians Clowns Is a Disservice to Clowns. Seriously.
Clowns have a long history of contributing positively to politics and society. They have brought disruption, subversion, comfort and joy to healthcare, education and humanitarian efforts. Politicians? Not so much.
Jan. 6 Attack: 3 Florida Extremist Groups Allied ‘to Work Together to Shut This Sh** Down’
The final report of the Select Committee to Investigate the January 6th Attack on the United States Capitol includes chilling sections about the force of extremist groups from Florida that formed an alliance, traveled to Washington, D.C., and stormed the Capitol.
The Daily Cartoon and Live Briefing: Tuesday, December 27, 2022
Have you been to the Fantasy of Lights show in Town Center yet? The cold-weather shelter opens yet again, Anne Frank’s Christmas, Stone Mountain’s bland of inoffensive consumables.
Only the Richest Ancient Athenians Paid Taxes – and they Bragged About It
In ancient Athens, only the very wealthiest people paid direct taxes, and these went to fund the city-state’s most important national expenses – the navy and honors for the gods. While today it might sound astonishing, most of these top taxpayers not only paid happily, but boasted about how much they paid.
The Only Doctors Florida Needs Are Dr. Phil, Dr. Oz, Dr. Laura, and Dr. Feelgood
Doctors! Those guys are a menace to decent Americans. Thankfully, our right honorable governor is fixing to fix this medical mess. He’s going to get a Grand Jury to investigate what he so rightly calls “crimes and wrongdoing” in the vaccine industrial complex.
The Daily Cartoon and Live Briefing: Monday, December 26, 2022
More cold weather, if geologic time could somehow be seen in the perspective of human time, Bach’s Magnificat.
Don’t Be So Quick to Call Deion Sanders a Sellout
When Deion Sanders announced he’d leave Jackson State University to become head coach at the University of Colorado Boulder, ardent fans and supporters reacted with dismay and disbelief – particularly supporters from the Black community.
The Daily Cartoon and Live Briefing: Sunday, December 25, 2022
The cold weather shelter is open again tonight, Omar Thomas’s “Of Our New Day Begun,” from the Narrative of James Albert Ukawsaw.
Congress Passes Legislation That Will Close Off Presidential Election Mischief and Help Avoid Another Jan. 6
Legal theories were floated by allies of President Donald Trump after the 2020 election that suggested ways to undermine the results of the election, culminating in a failed insurrection at the Capitol. That’s why a bipartisan group of congressional leaders aimed to pass reforms to the 1887 law governing this process, the Electoral Count Act, before the end of 2022.
The Daily Cartoon and Live Briefing: Saturday, December 24, 2022
The cold weather shelter is open tonight, WKCR’s Bach Festival, speed limits and the holidays, On the pleasure and necessity of digressions.
How Democrats Won the West
Since 1992, Democrats have flipped the West away from Republican control, a shift that began with the end of the Cold War and carried through a Pacific Coast economic recession, anti-racism demonstrations and violence in Los Angeles and the area’s increasing diversity.
The Daily Cartoon and Live Briefing: Friday, December 23, 2022
The cold-weather shelter opens in Flagler tonight, State Attorney R.J. Larizza and Sheriff Rick Staly on Free For All, Maurice Sendak, Jane Austen and “women’s fiction.”
LGBTQ Americans Are 9 Times More Likely to be Victimized By a Hate Crime
Almost half of violent hate crimes with LGBTQ victims involved an attacker who was a close friend, family member, partner or former partner, and victims were more likely to have physical and psychological symptoms as a result of the attack.
Acceding to DeSantis, Florida Supreme Court Impanels Grand Jury to Investigate Vaccines
The Florida Supreme Court on Thursday approved a request by Gov. Ron DeSantis to impanel a statewide grand jury to investigate alleged wrongdoing related to Covid-19 vaccines.
The Daily Cartoon and Live Briefing: Thursday, December 22, 2022
Preparing for the coldest spell of the year, a look back at the 2017 Tax Cut and Jobs Act, the St. Matthew Passion in full, and Grand Guignol.
DeSantis Stokes Culture Wars at the Expense of Bright Schools and Free Speech
The culture war battles being waged in Florida are not only doing lasting damage to the public education system but to the basic constitutional rights of all Floridians. Freedom of speech protects the right to freedom of conscience, debate ideas and question authority.
Teddy Roosevelt’s Failed Bull Moose Campaign May Portend the Future Of GOP and Donald Trump
Theodore Roosevelt campaigned to regain the office from his successor, William Howard Taft. He divided the Republican Party and ensured the victory of Democrat Woodrow Wilson in the presidential election of 1912.
Florida Ranks Poorly in Social Capital, Personal Freedom and Governance in Milken Center Report
Florida ranks 31st in overall prosperity according to the American Dream Prosperity Index (ADPI), 47th in social capital and 37th in personal freedoms, significantly lower marks than Gov. Ron DeSantis has been giving himself.
The Daily Cartoon and Live Briefing: Wednesday, December 21, 2022
The Atlantic Chapter of Americans United for the Separation of Church and State’s open discussion, chess club at the library, Heinrich Boll, Lewis Mumford’s Roaring Traffic’s Boom.



















































