May 29, 2021

12 stingrays die mysteriously at Florida zoo, investigation underway

TAMPA (WFLA) – Officials at a zoo in Tampa, Florida are investigating after 12 stingrays died this week.

ZooTampa at Lowry Park announced the deaths on Facebook Thursday night.

“It’s with heavy hearts we share that today ZooTampa lost 12 residents of Stingray Bay,” the post said.

WGN TV

May 21, 2021

I have something I'd like to share with you.

This Florida Man just got his Covid vaccine!

We aren’t all morons in this state.

I had to wait until I was off of certain medications or I would have already gotten it.

Wanna know why I got the vaccine? My doctor told me to. I don’t do everything my doctor asks but I do consider their recommendations to be a green light.

May 19, 2021

I'm not sure what to make of this or how it is going to shake out in the end.

The republicans have become a completely oppositional party void of consistent ideology. They were brilliant as the party of no under Obama but I’m not talking about that.

They have become an opposition party even in places they maintain power. This can be seen in state after state where right wing governors are using their power to stop local governments from making their own decisions. Governors like Abbott and DeSantis are putting in measures that stop municipalities from acting in the best interests of those they represent. It’s a political power move that stands in direct opposition to conservatism.

This is a newer trend considering the scale it is now being done. They are literally being an opposition party, void of ideology, even where they hold power.

In some states I think this is going to be a temporary electoral win for them as they are heightening and playing to emotions. What it doesn’t do is establish consistent ideology, serve the people, or promote conservatism. It’s a long term loser....

May 18, 2021

President Biden to Sign Presidential Memorandum.....

President Biden to Sign Presidential Memorandum to Expand Access to Legal Representation and the Courts

Today, President Biden will sign a Presidential Memorandum to expand access to legal representation and the courts. As President Biden knows from his experience as a public defender, timely and affordable access to the legal system can make all the difference in a person’s life—including by keeping an individual out of poverty, keeping an individual in his or her home, helping an unaccompanied child seek asylum, helping someone fight a consumer scam, or ensuring that an individual charged with a crime can mount a strong defense and receive a fair trial. But low-income people have long struggled to secure quality access to the legal system. Those challenges have only increased during the public health and economic crises caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. At the same time, civil legal aid providers and public defenders have been under-resourced, understaffed, and unable to reach some of the people in greatest need of their services.

whitehouse.gov

May 17, 2021

The Covid vaccine is such a great story.

Yet it's not enough.

Many parts of the last year an a half will stick with me and have left me in a bit of shock. None of it will top what has happened to the vaccine. From the amazing positives of it to the horrifying negative when it comes to individuals refusing to get it.

We have the ability to almost completely stop the spread and it's widely available. It's extremely easy to access the answer to our problems. Shockingly, at this point in time, close to every American adult should be vaccinated. We nailed it. Of course we aren't even close, but we should be. If things went as they should have we would currently be in a race to vaccinate the world, not our own citizenry.

Instead, we have decided that we are going to be very pro-variant. That is the story at the end of the day. Very few of the currently unvaccinated persons are going to die from Covid. A small percentage will get sick to the point they will need hospitalization. A larger percentage will miss work. An overwhelming majority will be just fine.

What won't be fine are the variants we are creating by way of increased spread. We should have been world leaders. Our populace should be world leaders. It's not just about the good old USA. Since we cannot take care of ours at home we are not able to devote as many resources abroad to stop the worldwide spread. The world is a virtual variant petri dish.

So much brilliance. So much fail. All of the people who acted responsibly will pay a price for the anti-vaccers.

May 14, 2021

I am absolutely loving the disarray within the Republican Party.

I do see a major potential electoral consequence.

They have gotten a somewhat sizable new and energized group to the polls. It’s a disturbing group of voters with little to no concern about the ethics or morals of the candidate as long as they feel that person is working for them. I actually believe they are attracted to this type of candidate as they believe said politician will cut all corners to move their agenda.

Then their is the old guard.

These groups are currently at war but I’m not convinced both groups won’t show up on Election Day to vote straight ticket. That is an expansion of voters.

The silver lining for this electorally is Biden and how he is carrying himself. I’ve never been this happy with the actions of a President. Myself and my friends, pretty far left on the spectrum, are all loving the overall message and actions coming from the WH. It is going to drive more people to the polls for a number of reasons.

May 14, 2021

Algae covers water from Lake Okechobee to Fort Myers

Right now, more than half of Lake Okeechobee is covered by algal blooms. Captains For Clean Water co-founder Chris Wittman said it’s too late to make a big change for our summer. He hopes we do not experience heavy rain before June.

“Water quality is the most important issue that affects our community and our economy,” Wittman said. “If we have a very wet summer, it’s going to be bad news for our communities.”

Captains for Clean Water is calling on the Army Corps to change where they release water for future dry seasons. They want engineers to send more water south during the winter months.

NBC

Some Additional Thoughts Of Mine On The Topic

May 11, 2021

DeSantis is going down and not for the reason people think.

South Florida’s ecosystem has been on the brink of disaster for some time. For decades Florida politicians have been putting bandaids on a gaping wound, or flat out cheering for the polluters to win. A number of things are coming to a head all at once.

The images coming out of south Florida, starting next month, will be shocking. It’s often not the stories that take dots being connected. Political careers often die when things become visual.

We have destroyed the wetlands in south Florida and it’s coming to a head this year. This isn’t some red tide event, though that will play a roll.

It’s so bad that they haven’t been able to release water from Okeechobee as was needed. We are heading into rainy season with the lake too high. It’s going to require a massive release at the exact wrong time.

So what is my prediction that thinks it will be so bad that it does DeSantis in?

Images of...

Large portions of south central and south Florida waterways filled with blue green algae. It will be so thick that the top layers will be of a noticeably thicker viscosity. The color is bright and can be easily seen. This will lead to enormous fish kills and it’s impact will continue to be felt coming into the winter as manatees move in.

Increased red tide events. Increased in scale and scope. It will be at a scale not seen before. This is not only due to water temperature increases but the impact of other pollution will aid it even more.

What will end up being a necessary release of Lake Okeechobee will be the final salvo.

It’s going to be more than hundreds of miles of dead fish. We will also be seeing dead reptiles and mammals.

We are in a lot of trouble with what we’ve done to our waterways. It’s going to hit the tv screens like never before. The images will shock you.

We can blame it on big sugar but those at fault are the ones who are suppose to be protecting our shared resources.

The algae is already showing up thick in some areas. Already. The bloom is going to be unreal.

As someone who loves the Fl ecosystem this has actually put me in tears a number of times over the last decade.

It’s not gradual anymore. This is the year.

May 7, 2021

One of the people I most admire.

How she has carried herself in life is beyond impressive to me. I have vehemently disagreed with her often yet she has never budged from my most admired list.

I highly recommend her PodCast, You and Me Both. It's excellent. Uplifting and educational. Sometimes inspirational. From talking about fatherhood with Mike Birbiglia to voting rights and monopolies with Amy Klobuchar. Great interview with Mayor Aja Brown on the episode with Klobuchar, as well. All of the interviews are excellent.

You will not be disappointed.

https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/you-and-me-both-with-hillary-clinton/id1531768983

I'm thankful for Hillary Clinton. I look up to Hillary Clinton.

May 5, 2021

Deficit Donald tapped into the far right.

Donald, along with a fairly new arm of the media, played at the far rights emotions, fomented anger and paranoia, and are continuing to do so. These are the loudest and most active groups on the right. Historically a thorn in the side of Republicans.

In what has shocked me, Biden is tapping into the “far left.” He is doing it by the words he is using and is following it up by actions. He is recognizing their emotions and elevating their issues. These are the most vocal and active on the left. Historically a thorn in the side of the party.

I’ve always recognized tapping into people’s negative emotions as a political winner. Republicans have been good at it but in the past it was directed at Christians. I’m not sure I’ve seen a Democratic President tap into the left like Biden is. It’s a message of hope backed by actions geared toward a pretty progressive platform.

What Biden is doing seems to be working, politically. We watch as the “far left” gets beat in primaries and we talk about how they are unelectable on a Presidential ticket. Now we have a President who I thought was going to be a centrist and consensus builder out there pushing a very progressive agenda. From what I’m hearing it’s not going unrecognized.

Keep it up, Biden.