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You're not eating nearly enough figs
2007-08-01 00:37:00
By Brendan McLaughlin At the Ybor City Farmer's Market last Saturday morning, I picked up a pint of fresh mission figs for a bargain price of $2.50.  Serendipitously,  Gourmet Magazine had just run a recipe that featured seasonal figs.  The result was an appetizer that was so good, it was almost obscene.   Whip up this little dish and prepare to get lucky, my friends. Fig, Prosciutto, and Gorgonzola Salad Sweet-tangy balsamic vinegar reduces to a syrupy glaze that glistens atop this simple yet elegant first course. Ingredients 1/3 cup balsamic vinegar2 tablespoons honey1/4 teaspoon salt1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper2 ounces very thin slices prosciutoo, cut into 1/8 inch wide strips12 large dark-skinned fresh figs, halved (such as Black Mission, Cleste, or Brown Turkey, about 1 pound)¾ cup (3 ounces) crumbled Gorgonzola cheese Prepare Combine first 4 ingredients in a small saucepan; bring to a boil. Reduce heat, and simmer until reduced to 1...
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Writing so bad, it's good
2007-07-31 23:50:00
By Brendan McLaughlin The winner of this year's Bulwer-Lytton fiction contest has been announced. 47 year old, Jim Gleeson's mangled prose is a thing of terrible beauty.  Here's the winning sentence:  "Gerald began -- but was interrupted by a piercing whistle which cost him ten percent of his hearing permanently, as it did everyone else in a ten-mile radius of the eruption, not that it mattered much because for them 'permanently' meant the next ten minutes or so until buried by searing lava or suffocated by choking ash -- to pee."
More About: Writing , Good

Reporter's Notebook
2007-07-31 17:40:00
By Don Germaise  While covering a nursing home fire Monday, I had a conversation with a 90 year old woman that could never make it to television...but it was enough to make any reporter stop dead in his tracks. Fifty-nine people were being evacuated from the Merrill Gardens Nursing Home because of a laundry room fire. Smoke filled the assisted living facility and everyone was forced to leave. While standing outside, covering the event, a little old lady sitting next to her walker struck up a conversation with me. I was glad to talk to her, because I wanted to keep her mind off what I assumed was a difficult situation. She remarked twice how uncomfortable she was. I offered to get her water to cool her down because of the 90 degree heat. She declined, but again commented how uncomfortable she was. I asked if she needed a paramedic because she may have inhaled smoke. Again she declined ? but said she was still uncomfortable. Finally, I asked her what was bothering her. The heat? ...
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Brendan spinning wax on WMNF
2007-07-31 03:08:00
By Brendan McLaughlin If you happened to oversleep and  missed Dawn Morgan's "Pre-Dawn Alternatives" show on WMNF-FM from 4:00 to 6:00 Monday morning, then you also missed her guest co-host, moi, sharing his favorite songs from the 60's, 70's 90's and '00's.  Don't despair, though. You can hear the entire show at wmnf.org's archive section. Dawn is an up and coming journalist in radio and print. Television is next, or should be.  
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Love on a one-way street
2007-07-30 21:48:00
Brendan McLaughlin The Bay Area has some wicked roads. Waters Avenue and U.S. 19 in Pinellas are among the most dangerous in the state. Traffic during rush hour can be epic. But there are four thoroughfares in Tampa that seem to work really well. They are Tampa Ave, Florida Ave, Howard Ave and Armenia Ave.  What they all have in common (aside from running north/south)  is that they are all on-way streets.  In the interest of making downtown Tampa more pedestrian friendly, there is discussion over whether those three lane roads should be converted to two lanes with room for a center turn lane and possibly parallel or diagonal street parking.  Geez, I hope they don't actually do it. As a downtown area resident, I share the vision of a groovy, urban utopia on the river, but screwing up a good thing won't get us there. Florida and Tampa Avenues from MLK south are luxuriously uncrowded. If even a quarter of the planned condo units downtown actually s...
More About: Love , Street

Facing the future of Hi-Def Television
2007-07-29 00:25:00
High Definition Television has been billed as the greatest innovation since color. It has also struck fear in the hearts of news anchors on the north side forty. We were told wrinkles can resemble a Google Earth image of the Grand Canyon. Bloodshot eyes will look like portals to hell. As it turns out- it's not so bad. The wider aspect ratio means fewer closeups. And in fact, it might be a good thing to see what people really look like. A little more makeup, Visine and artful lighting should prevent me from frightening children for at least a few more years.  So check it out. We at ABC Action News always keep it real, but it just got a little more real.
More About: Future , The Future , Levis , Facing

WFTS-TV First in Tampa to broadcast news in High Definition
2007-07-29 00:08:00
(Tampa, FL ? July 28, 2007) WFTS-TV/ABC Action News is Tampa?s first television station to broadcast its local news in High Definition (HD). This allows viewers to see a sharper and clearer picture. Coupled with enhanced audio, the viewing experience is improved dramatically, regardless of what type of television set (high definition or standard) you watch. ?We are leading the way for all news viewers in Tampa with the most significant advancement of viewing technology since color TV,? said WFTS-TV Vice President and General Manager Bill Carey. ?We have been recognized with numerous awards for leading the way in breaking news, investigative journalism, and our weather forecasting and coverage, so it is only fitting that we are the first in Tampa to offer viewers a superior newscast. It was also a distinct honor to have our main anchor, Brendan McLaughlin, who anchored our station?s first newscast, usher in this new era with our 6 p.m. news today.? All ABC Action News newscasts wil...
More About: Broadcast , Broadcast News

Flashpost
2007-07-27 04:28:00
I'm in a shame spiral for not telling more people about the charming ambience and delicious food at  Vivia's Kitchen in West Tampa.  Now, Brian Ries's food blog  reports the probable demise of the coolest little breakfast/lunch place I've seen since leaving Seattle.  Moral of the story? Give the chain restaurants a break and support local start-ups when you can. 
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