Staring with FPC’s courageous thespians, the visual and performing arts had a fabulous Saturday in Flagler, with two gallery openings and two local theater productions. That’s what the county’s unbound cultural scene should be about.
All Else
Offshoring War: How Obama—and Those Moments of Silence—Insult Military Sacrifice
When a president sends soldiers to die in a war that long ago ceased having a claim to being just or to being won, those Americans are no longer being sacrificed by their nation. They’re being murdered. The complicity is national.
The National Coalition Against Censorship’s Letter to Janet Valentine
“We urge you to encourage student creativity and civic engagement, and to teach students the skills to discuss opposing views respectfully,” the NCAC writes. “We urge you to allow the students to perform the play.”
National Coalition Against Censorship Urges Valentine To Reverse Mockingbird Decision
The strongly-worded letter from a coalition representing 50 organizations of actors, writers, educators and clerics calls on Superintendent Valentine to enrich the conversation on race and culture, not restrict it.
Glenn Beck’s Smears, Florida Foreclosure Screws, Racism Goes Postal: Live Wire Weekend, Nov. 12-14
Glenn Beck insults George Soros, Florida’s foreclosure robo courts, Bush on O’Reilly, Jon Stewart on Rachel Maddow, who wants to be buried with Oprah, and much, much more.
The Live Wire, Nov. 11: Obama Caves, Serpico Dies, Black Characters Vanish
Serpico’s Dino DiLaurentiis dies, Obama caves to the GOP on the Bush tax cuts, understanding diversity, rediscovering John Cardinal Newman, losing sight of black characters on TV, and more.
Mockingbird Appeals Committee’s Challenge: Loyalty to “Protocol” vs. Free Expression
Interviews with appeals committee members reveal a divide between instinctive revulsion of censorship and hesitancy over second-guessing a principal’s decision even as the facts of the case continue to be muddled by unspecified generalities.
Shapiro: In the End, It’s the Profanity of Censorship Against the Sacredness of Learning
In a column on the Mockingbird controversy at FPC, Rabbi Merill Shapiro argues that whatever the merits of administrative issues, “the profanity of censorship,” in the end, “has no place in our community.”
The Live Wire, Nov. 10: Holly Hill Fires Oel Wingo, Parker Takes on Palin, Bill O’Reilly’s Beheadings
Fleming’s Town Hall tonight at the library, Kathleen Parker on Sarah Palin, Bill O’Reilly’s stupid beheading tricks, the TSA’s T&A problem, remembering Jill Clayburgh, and more.
The Live Wire, Nov. 9: Your Child Left Behind, Unemployment Deadlines and Conan’s Return
Florida unemployment benefits are about to run out for many, Conan O’Brien is back, in defense of NPR, the dismal state of your children’s education in Florida, and more.
Ranse Jones, Flagler Firefighter-Paramedic in a Coma Since May, Died on Monday
Ransford Jones was 34 years old. He had been with the Flagler County Fire Department for two years before an aneurysm felled him in May, while he was playing in a beach volleyball tournament in Panama City.
Seminole Woods “Bomber”: Fascinated With Rockets and “Having Fun in a Stupid Way”
Patrick Cossette, the 20-year-old FPC graduate arrested Sunday for setting off a home-made explosive device in Seminole Woods, speaks to FlaglerLive about indulging his fascination with rockets since he was 13.
Stetson Scores Freedom‘s Jonathan Franzen For Its James Turner Butler Lecture Nov. 22
The author of Freedom and The Corrections, an almost sure winner of this year’s Pulitzer for fiction, will be at Stetson on Nov. 22 for just one hour. The event is free, but tickets are extremely limited.
The Live Wire, Nov. 8: Americans Against Themselves, Miami Cult Deaths and Tall Jesus
Why Americans vote against their own interests, academic freedom and Holocaust deniers, Days of Our Lives at 45, a Feed Flagler update, procrastination’s virtues, and more.
Art at Bargain Prices in DeLand and Free Shakespeare: Culture Worth the Miles
Some 87 Florida artists have donated work to be auctioned off in support of the Museum of Florida Art in Deland on Nov. 11; plus the The Red-Nosed Reindeer Romp, a free “Twelfth Night,” “Grease” and plenty more.
Dueling Seafoods and Surfers: Video and Photo Gallery
The dueling festivals are over and the images are in: a video report from the 2010 Tommy Tant Classic and a photo gallery from Tommy Tant and Palm Coast’s Seafood Festival.
Festival Filibuster: How Palm Coast Plays Hardball With Flagler Beach
If Palm Coast is serious about playing nice with its neighboring cities and not competing for “special event” visitors, why is it doing exactly that with signs greeting visitors exiting the Interstate?
FlaglerLive Welcomes Its New Reporter, Videographer and Anchor: Charlotte Marten
A native of Sweden, a graduate of the University of Hawaii and a fresh veteran of Savannah’s military (and more varied) reporting scene, Charlotte Marten will anchor FlaglerLive’s video journalism and other productions.
Live Wire Weekend: Landon’s City Hall Arrogance, Obama’s Ego, Nate’s Latest and Gay Sons
Palm Coast City Manager gets an earful on his city hall designs, so does Obama’s ego (on his White House designs), George Carlin on the virtue of not voting, O’Reilly fairer than Olbermann, gay 5-year-old sons in Halloween costumes, and much more.
Time to Get Involved: Feed Flagler Challenges County’s Thanksgiving Compassion and Beyond
Led by Commissioner Milissa Holland and the county administration, Feed Flagler aims to provide meals for 2,000 people at Thanksgiving, raise thousands of dollars and stock up food pantries and family pantries for many weeks’ worth.
The Live Wire, Nov. 4: Florida’s One-Party Rule, Bush on Bush and Chris Wallace
The business of Florida is business, Rick Scott declares in Coolidge fashion; the big lie about Social Security’s bankruptcy, the big magic of Disney marketing, the origins of the federal debt, and more.
Tommy Tant Classic Surfing the Weekend As Palm Coast Crashes In With Its Own Festival
Now in its 11th year, the Tommy Tant Memorial Surf Classic will be a three-day event, including a food festival by the sea, a concert and two days of amateur and professional surfing competition.
Don’t Celebrate Yet, Republicans:
Between Din and Tea Stains, a Reality Check
Short-attention span politics are here to stay, which is why Tuesday’s results are merely the latest re-casting of the same tiresome play that’s not about to end its run on our second-world stage. Not with allegedly educated voters like us buying tickets.
Pubescent Spellers on a Musical Stage, Art’s Aquatic Depths and Sunset Symphonies: Culture Worth the Miles
A staged, musical and interactive spelling bee as you’ve never seen it before, Doug Rhodehamel’s aquatic explorations at the Lake Eustis Museum of Art, Bok Tower Gardens’ 9th Annual Sunset Symphony Concert, and more.
Fischer, Proctor, Mica, Craig, DuPont and Thrasher Win; School Tax Approved; Democrats & Amendments 4 and 8 Sink
In Flagler County, all precincts are in, including absentee ballots and early voting. John Fischer, has won the school board seat being vacated by Evie Shellenberger, defeating Raven Sword with a 58-42 margin. The continuation of the 25-mill school tax is approved, with 61 percent approval, which should boost the school board’s confidence. Amendment 4, […]
The Live Wire, Nov. 2: Election Guideposts, Florida Dreaming and William Faulkner
What to watch on election night, a look at non-voters, Southwest Florida’s big no to black coaches, fear and loathing in Manhattan, Florida’s collapse seen from Germany, and more.
Conklin Triggers Mockingbird Appeals Committee, Likely Enabling Play’s Revival
Unearthing a district policy on “the appropriateness of books or materials,” School Board member Colleen Conklin appealed the decision to cancel the play. A committee will be appointed to handle the appeal.
Before School Censors: When Mockingbird‘s Harper Lee Spoke Proudly of Flagler County
In 2002, Harper Lee addressed Flagler County proudly when her book was the centerpiece of county-wide events. The school district’s censoring of the play this month contrasts sharply with that progressive history.
In Florida, Endangered Democrats Will Approach Extinction Status on Election Day
The map is set to go redder in Florida Tuesday evening as one-term Democrats like Kosmas and Grayson lose and the Legislature edges further right. Sink-Scott is the only drama.
The Live Wire, Monday, Nov. 1: Homeless in Flagler, Obama Besting Reagan, and Charter School Myths
An eyewitness story of a homeless man in Flagler, Bill Delbrugge’s doggy Halloween in Cairo, why government doesn’t suck, wondering whether civilization can survive without god, the scariest Halloween, and more.
Cultural Development Richer Than Economic: How to Grow Palm Coast Into a City With Soul
There’s more to a city than commerce, argues Hollingsworth Gallery’s JJ Graham in a column. Without cultural development and the youthful force that makes it possible, Palm Coast would be a city without soul.
Daviana’s Excellent Adventure: Halloween Bash Fills Carts and Kitty for the Hungry
Little Miss Flagler Daviana Campbell raised $900 and filled four shopping carts full of canned goods for a local food pantry through a Halloween dance that drew some 300 participants.
Live Wire Weekend, Oct. 29-31: NPR’s Deserved Black Eyes, Privatization Follies and AA’s Bummer
Florida’s worst campaign offenses, BP dispersants’ ill effects, the privatization-industrial complex, energy bracelets’ bullshit watch, John Candy and more.
Lowe’s Ups Drywall Settlement to $100,000 Per Victim, Closing Gap With Lawyer Payouts
The home-improvement Lowe’s chain had previously offered no more than $4,500 in cash and gift cards to victims whose health or homes were hurt by defective drywalls bought from Lowe’s stores, and much more to lawyers. The new agreement evens out the potential payments.
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Marineland’s John Hankinson Appointed Director of Obama’s Gulf Recovery Task Force
John Hankinson, chairman of Florida Audubon, has an environmental consulting office in Marineland and was the Southern Region’s EPA administrator during the Clinton administration.
The Live Wire, Oct. 28: Clinton Gives Meek the Best Advice of the Year
Bill Clinton gives Kendrick Meek advice he could do something with, Obama makes a defensive appearance on the Daily Show, woman to woman in Afghanistan, and more.
Citing Vague Fears, School District Suppresses Stage Production of To Kill a Mockingbird
Students and faculty had no issues with the production’s use of the word “nigger,” as in the book and the movie. A Palm Coast city councilman and other unnamed “community members” did, leading FPC Principal and Superintendent Janet Valentine to censor the play.
Campaign Notes: Dwyer Backs Craig, Sword and Fischer Vie for Teachers’ Attention
Craig and Horrox in the circuit court race and Sword and Fischer in the school board race make their final pitches with radio appearances and a television ad from Sword, while others continue to press for the ballot measure on continuing the .25-mill school tax.
7-Year-Old Nate Truelove, Old Kings Wreck Victim, Is Going Home
Nate’s rehabilitation at Brooks Rehab in Jacksonville did not produce the desired results. He is still mostly unresponsive, though awake. His family hopes that back home in DeLand, he will begin to progress better.
The Live Wire, Oct. 27: John McCain, Charlie Sheen, Racist Halloween Costumes and Failing Nukes
Not to mentioning Roger Ebert on Hef’s Playboy, tuning in and out with Tim Leary, and Henry James’ first letter to Edith Wharton, and more.
Florida State Intervenes As More Soldiers Die from Risky Behavior than Combat
In 2009, more soldiers died from suicide and high-risk behavior than in combat. The Pentagon is drafting Florida State to fight the epidemic.
A Halloween Concert of Myth and Poetry and a Neanderthal Friend-Raiser: Culture Worth the Miles
The Orlando Philharmonic’s Halloween concert, Edward Gorey at the Orlando Museum of Art, ‘Girls Night: The Musical,’ and the Neanderthal Ball friend-raiser at the Orlando Science Center, plus plenty more.
The Live Wire, Oct. 26: Depression Polling and Normal Mailer on Dan Quayle
A Depression Gallup Poll from 1935 with familiar results, Norman Mailer diagnoses the GOP in 1992, Trotsky’s assassination remembered, an iphone editorial, and more.
Election Primer: Amendment 4, “Hometown Democracy” and Sprawling Misinformation
Amendment 4, Florida’s so-called “Hometown Democracy” amendment, is an attempt to give voters a voice in major local development initiatives. It’s also rife in misinformation.
The Live Wire, Oct. 25: Rove’s Warrior Nation, Tea Parties and Renoir
Why we love war, the tea party goes up against Karl Rove, Scalia takes Kagan to the gun range, the best don’t ask don’t tell moments, and more.
Leveraging Little Miss Flagler Into a Halloween Campaign to Feed the Hungry, and More
Daviana Campbell, the 11-year-old winner of Little Miss Flagler 2010, is throwing a 5th and 6th grade Halloween dance Oct. 29 to raise money and food for the hungry. That’s just for starters.
With Verve and Survivors, Bunnell Pinks Up In 4-Mile Breast Cancer Awareness Walk
Bunnell’s first annual “Going the Extra Mile” walk for breast cancer awareness Saturday morning drew some 160 people and raised $2,500.
Live Wire Weekend, Oct. 22-24: Wikileaks Hell, Beirut’s Marines, Orlando’s Palin
Sarah Palin brings her bonkers act to Orlando, Wikileaks honors the truth, massive oil is spotted in the Gulf of Mexico, American religion isn’t that bad, and more.
Education Foundation’s 20th Anniversary: Video and Photo Gallery
Watch a video celebrating 20 years of the Flagler County Education Foundation, and a vanity photo gallery of the evening’s celebrations at the Hammock Duns Club. In color, too.