In the U.S. alone, damage from the biggest climate and weather disasters is expected to total well over US$100 billion in 2021. Many of these extreme weather events have been linked to human-caused climate change, and they offer a glimpse of what to expect in a rapidly warming world.
Florida & Beyond, and All Opinions
Time to Treat Environmental Crime as a Crime Against Humanity
Environmental crime is still regarded a “white collar crime,” subject mostly to civil charges and accompanied by fines, when the reality on the state of the planet mandates that environmental destruction be conceptualized as a crime against humanity.
The Daily Cartoon and Live Briefing: Saturday, January 1, 2022
This is Be Kind to Food Servers Month, started by Memphis waitress Sybil Presley in 2008. A few words from Sandra Bullock on the subject, and C. Vann Woodward on the strange career of Jim Crow.
How to Make Dry January a Success
Whether this is your first attempt at a Dry January or you are a seasoned participant, there are ways you can maximise your likelihood of getting to the end of January without drinking alcohol. Behavioral science offers some insights.
The Daily Cartoon and Live Briefing: Friday, December 31, 2021
Government offices and courts are closed, fireworks are still banned in Palm Coast and Flagler Beach, Wesley Morris on Black music’s miracle of sound, and Bach on the miracle of Cantata BWV 170, closing out the year on a plea for the delights of the soul.
Ghislaine Maxwell Guilty in Epstein Sex Trafficking Trial: What the Case Revealed About Female Sex Offenders
The majority of sex offenders are believed to be male. Charges lodged against women may include sexual abuse of children but often involve grooming or trafficking girls without engaging in the act of sexually abusing the child.
University System Officials Urge Vaccinations and Return to Masking As Spring Semester Nears
Saying it is “clear the pandemic is not over,” top university system officials are asking students and employees to wear masks on campus and get booster shots to protect against Covid-19 as the spring semester prepares to start.
The Daily Cartoon and Live Briefing: Thursday, December 30, 2021
Nixon, Kissinger and the great war crime of Christmas 1972, the Everglades crash of Eastern Airlines Flight 401, Mary McCarthy disappoints her confessional priest when he asks her what kind of impurities she’d committed.
It’s After Christmas. Here’s Why It Sucks.
The holiday season is usually a joyous occasion, but many people feel “blah” soon after the celebrations. What is it about Christmas that makes people feel this way? Here are a few answers.
FPL Rate Fight Goes to Florida Supreme Court
The group Floridians Against Increased Rates filed a notice this week that it is appealing a decision by the state Public Service Commission to approve a settlement that will lead to FPL rate increases starting in January.
The Daily Cartoon and Live Briefing: Wednesday, December 29, 2021
The funniest pandemic video you’ll see this holiday season, Frederick Douglass remembers his encounter with Andrew Johnson at the Lincoln inaugural, the novice who likes to watch women rub clothes on the stones.
Desmond Tutu, Father of South Africa’s ‘Rainbow Nation’
Archbishop Emeritus Desmond Mpilo Tutu has died at the age of 90. He earned the respect and love of millions of South Africans and the world. He carved out a permanent place in their hearts and minds, becoming known affectionately as “The Arch.”
DeSantis Tells Cops He Won’t Treat Them as Political Tools as He Distributes Bonus Checks in Campaign Video
The short ad, posted Sunday to DeSantis’ Facebook feed, features footage of recent appearances in which the Republican governor merged his political role with campaigning, flanked by cops and political supporters.
The Daily Cartoon and Live Briefing: Tuesday, December 28, 2021
On the death of E.O. Wilson, the great biologist and advocate of the Enlightenment. Today marks the 48th anniversary of the Endangered Species Act, which Nixon signed into law while on vacation in California.
Why E.O. Wilson Was One of the Greatest Minds of the Last 100 Years
Each of Edward O. Wilson’s seminal contributions fundamentally changed the way scientists approached these disciplines, and explained why E.O. – as he was fondly known – was an academic god for many young scientists. This astonishing record of achievement may have been due to his phenomenal ability to piece together new ideas using information garnered from disparate fields of study.
A Few Magnificent Things That Happened in 2021
It would be easy to survey the end of 2021 and see another year in wreckage. There’s the pandemic that won’t end. Rising inflation. Climate disasters. A democracy that looks creakier by the day. But there’s unusual comfort out there.
Gov. DeSantis Seems Hellbent on Taking Us Back to the ’60s — the 1860s
Gov. Ron DeSantis likes to call this the “Free State of Florida.” If he hasn’t yet wrapped himself in the Tenth Amendment or threatened secession, it’s only because he’s been too busy playing soldiers, organizing his private battalion, rewriting the past, and trying to destroy democracy.
The Daily Cartoon and Live Briefing: Monday, December 27, 2021
The criminality of Monday’s existence the week between Christmas and New Year’s, Wesley Morris on Motown’s wonders, Oriana Fallaci on Interviewing Henry Kissinger.
What Kwanzaa Means for Black Americans
Millions throughout the world’s African community start weeklong celebrations of Kwanzaa today, Dec. 27. For the African-American community, Kwanzaa is not just any “Black holiday.” It is a recognition that knowledge of Black history is worthwhile.
The Daily Cartoon and Live Briefing: Sunday, December 26, 2021
One of the hottest Christmases on record continues, the James Webb Space Telescope gives us something otherworldly to look at, more from Patricia Lockwood’s “Priestdaddy.”
Hubble 2.0: What You need to Know About the James Webb Space Telescope
The James Webb Space Telescope was launched into space on Dec. 25, 2021, and with it, astronomers hope to find the first galaxies to form in the universe, will search for Earthlike atmospheres around other planets and accomplish many other scientific goals.
The Daily Cartoon and Live Briefing: Saturday, December 25, 2021
How they saw Christ: Will Durant, Anthony Burgess, Bruce Barton, Thomas Mann, Bertrand Russell, Bill Day, plus a gift from Bach and the Lucerne Chamber Circle.
How Charles Dickens Redeemed the Spirit of Christmas
Initially intending to voice his concerns about the poor as a pamphleteer, Dickens instead crafted a story about the redemption of an old miser, believing that it would garner more public attention and support. Today that story remains perhaps Dickens’ most celebrated work, A Christmas Carol.
Is War With Russia Ahead?
A hot war with Russia is the last thing the Biden administration wants right now. Nor is an actual détente with Moscow on the horizon. But could Putin’s aggressive move raise the profile of U.S.-Russian relations in such a way as to lay the foundation for a cold peace?
The Daily Cartoon and Live Briefing: Friday, December 24, 2021
Midnight Mass with a fabulous musical program at Elizabeth Ann Seton, and a 5 o’clock program for those who can’t hack the midnight thing, plus Darlene Love’s Christmastime for the Jews and Ronald Reagan on carpet-bombing Vietnam in time for Christmas.
What to Do About All This Holiday Stress on Your Relationship
You might already know stress can affect your own health, but what you may not realize is that your stress – and how you manage it – is catching. Your stress can spread around, particularly to your loved ones. Christmas is an especially contagious time, not just for the Omicron variant.
The Daily Cartoon and Live Briefing: Thursday, December 23, 2021
Waste Pro garbage pick-up schedules for Christmas and New Year will not change. Jamelle Bouie on “a homegrown ideology of reaction in the United States.” Holiday rules on what not to talk about around the dinner table.
Louis C.K.: Sexual Misconduct, Cancel Culture and the Pursuit of Justice
Cancel culture, as a type of internet vigilantism appears fundamentally incompatible with the actualization of restorative justice because it is oriented to punishment and exclusion, leaving no space for dialogue or personal change.
Proposal to Let Death Row Inmates Represent Themselves on Appeal Sparks Sharp Opposition
The proposal, which was released in May, has spurred opposition from a wide range of groups that argue Death Row inmates are not qualified to represent themselves in the often-complicated proceedings, including many inmates who have mental illnesses.
The Daily Cartoon and Live Briefing: Wednesday, December 22, 2021
Barely three days left to shop around Omicron, on the little-known enslavement of Native Americans, Beethoven’s big concert, and a few words about “a monument of German stupidity.”
Manchin Killed Build Back Better Over Inflation Fears. He’s Wrong.
What really matters is how much the bill would spend in excess of any taxes raised to pay for the program. The higher taxes on the wealthy and corporations that the House version of the bill calls for would reduce economic activity – by taking money out of the economy – offsetting some of the impact of the spending that would stimulate it.
Florida Department of Education Removes LGBTQ Resources. Nikki Fried Provides Her Own Instead.
Advocates complain that removing resources for LGBTQ students is the latest attack on LGBTQ Floridians by the DeSantis administration. Earlier this month, the department scrubbed dozens of informational links from its webpage on “Bullying Prevention.”
The Daily Cartoon and Live Briefing: Tuesday, December 21, 2021
The latest uncertainties on the Omicron variant, All Things Christmas Sale at Santa Maria Del Mar, an excerpt from “Like to the Rushing of a Mighty Wind,” by Tracy K. Smith.
What’s the Point of Holiday Gifts?
Shouldn’t the holiday season simply be about family, friends and food? And wouldn’t everyone just be better off spending their own money on things they know they want? Gift exchanges may seem wasteful and impractical. But as social scientific research reveals, the costs and benefits of gift-giving aren’t what they seem.
Environmentalists Threaten EPA with Lawsuit Over Pollution Killing Manatees in Mass Numbers
An environmentalist coalition has served notice of its intent to sue the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency unless it intervenes with state regulators to halt the release of pollutants into the Indian River Lagoon, where endangered Florida manatees are undergoing an historic die-off.
Continuing a Pre-Covid Trend, State College Enrollment Continues To Shrink Sharply
The steady decline of college enrollment in Florida began long before the coronavirus pandemic. The system now has about 100,000 fewer students than it did at the height of enrollment a decade ago. The 2010-11 academic year had an enrollment of 375,292 college students.
The Daily Cartoon and Live Briefing: Monday, December 20, 2021
The cynics take hold of “It’s a Wonderful Life,” David Denby on capitalism, our children and the avalanche of crud, and a quick preview of the 2022 election.
Teaching to Transgress: bell hooks Will Endure
As a leading Black intellectual, hooks pushed the feminist movement beyond the preserve of the white and middle-class, encouraging Black and working class perspectives on gender inequality. She taught us about white supremacist capitalist patriarchal values – giving both the words to define it and the methods to dismantle it.
New York City Will Allow 800,000 Non-Citizens Right to Vote in Local Elections
Nationwide, 14 municipalities allow noncitizens to vote, including two Vermont cities that approved similar measures earlier this year. San Francisco allows noncitizens to vote in school board elections, while nine Maryland towns permit noncitizen voting in local elections.
The Daily Cartoon and Live Briefing: Sunday, December 19, 2021
Community Cats of Palm Coast is hosting the Third Annual Pawsitively Purrfect Auction at the Pine Lakes Golf Club Dec. 19 from 2 to 5 p.m., Karl Ove Knausgaard on faith.
Fruitcakes: Maligned and Misunderstood
Haters and disrespect aside, fruitcake is still a robust American tradition, with 2 million sold each year, though a quip attributed to former “Tonight Show” host Johnny Carson has it that “There is only one fruitcake in the entire world, and people keep sending it to each other.”
The Daily Cartoon and Live Briefing: Saturday, December 18, 2021
“All Things Christmas” Sale at Santa Maria Del Mar Catholic Church, why people and birds aren’t real, Ronald Dworkin on the degradation of free speech in America.
The Problems With Banning Cell Phones in the Workplace
Bans on employees using cellphones are relatively common in workplaces such as factories, farms and fast-food chains. Such employer rules are legal, and there is relatively little that employees can do about it. But different situations have indicated the necessity for workers to have access to their phones, for safety’s sake.
Florida Democrats Call on DeSantis to Declare Emergency Over Affordable Housing
The Democrats cite data from the National Low Income Housing Coalition showing 40 percent of middle-income households in Florida are “cost-burdened” in terms of housing expense and that 89 percent of poor households pay more than 30 percent of their monthly income for rent.
The Daily Cartoon and Live Briefing: Friday, December 17, 2021
Last day of school as Winter Break begins this afternoon and until the first week of January, local and state unemployment figures are released this morning, and how to celebrate Saturnalia without waiting for Christmas.
Coffee, Good to the Last Drop? Don’t Be So Sure.
You’ve probably heard it before: drinking coffee is good for your health. Studies have shown that drinking a moderate amount of coffee is associated with many health benefits, including a lower risk of developing type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease. But while these associations have been demonstrated many times, they don’t actually prove that coffee reduces disease risk. In fact, proving that coffee is good for your health is complicated.
Federal Officials Drop Feud Over School Masking as Districts End Defiance and State Returns Money Owed
In early November, citing steep drops in local coronavirus cases, the last of the eight districts came into compliance with the health department’s rule aimed at preventing mask requirements. The state education department on Nov. 29, returned nearly $878,000 to districts.
The Daily Cartoon and Live Briefing: Thursday, December 16, 2021
Circuit Court Judge Terence Perkins hears a plea from Joey Renn, the 22-year-old man facing a charge of vehicular homicide. Patricia Lockwood on her father’s belief that cats, which he despises, are Democrats.
The White Flight Behind Native Americans’ 87% Population Growth
Birth rates among Native Americans don’t explain the massive rise in numbers. And there certainly is no evidence of an influx of Native American expatriates returning to the U.S. Instead, individuals who previously identified as white are now claiming to be Native American. This growing movement has been captured by terms like “pretendian” and “wannabe.”
Facing Record Exceeding 1,000 Manatee Deaths This Year, Wildlife Officials Seek Permanent, Effective Solutions
In 2017, manatees were upgraded from an “endangered” designation to “threatened” under the federal Endangered Species Act, with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service pointing to an increase in the manatee population and habitat improvements because of conservation efforts. That trend appears not to have lasted. The number of deaths this year is estimated to be about one-sixth of the population of manatees in the waters of the southeastern United States and Puerto Rico.