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Taking a Flash Break
2008-05-25 04:40:00
This Sunday Morning on Flash point, I'm going to re-rack my interview with documentary film maker, Manny Mendoza talking about his film, "Stop the Presses: The American Newspaper in Peril". This blog will go cold for a couple of weeks while I take some time off. During that time, David Francois, our web savant will re-tool the platform and make this blog site better in every way. Until then, stay in touch. I'll check the message postings from time to time from home. -Brendan
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Obama to continue Bush's failed policy on Cuba
2008-05-22 04:33:00
By Brendan McLaughlin enator Barack Obama  blasted rival John McCain today for a foreign policy consisting mostly of a list of people he refuses to talk to. Turns out Senator Obama has his own list.  In my one-on-one interview with Obama right after his speech at the St. Pete Times Forum (see the whole interview here)  Obama nearly did a spit take on my suggestion that he might engage the leaders of Hamas. The military and political group is, after all the democratically elected head of the Palestinian authority. No I've always said they are a terrorist organization that we should not deal with until they denounce terrorism, recognize Israel and abide by their agreements. O.K.. How about Raul Castro?  Surely 45 years of a failed embargo that hasn't set a single Cuba n free should deserve a major reexamination.  No normalization. no lifting of the embargo would take place until the cuban people have acheived their freedom&n...
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Society comes down hard on the lesser of evils
2008-05-20 22:30:00
By Brendan McLaughlin If you can judge a society by how it treats its wrongdoers, Americans are a baffling and somewhat kinky people.  Consider the fates of Former New York Governor Elliott Spitzer and Fox 13 General Manager, Robert Linger. While "Client # 9" has essentially admitted to extracurricular sexual activity, Mr. Linger should be presumed innocent of his alleged misconduct  at Fantasyland Adult Video store over the weekend. And yet, both these men have suffered career crushing injuries without ever being convicted of a crime. Aside from the family members who've suffered acute mortification from these entanglements, who exactly are the victims?   Spitzer's paid paramour, 22 year old, Ashley Dupre is well past the age of consent and the fellows who formed their lusty circle in front of the big screen at Fantasyland acted of their own volition (though I hope the undercover officer in the middle got hazard pay). And while nastiness; a...
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This Sunday on Flashpoint: Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd
2008-05-16 21:08:00
Grady Judd may be the best sound bite in law enforcement.  This beauty delivered during a newscast I was watching from home nearly made me fall off the couch.   Judd channeled Andy Griffith while describing  crack-addled Adrian  Apgar who had to be rescued, stark nekkid,  from the jaws of an alligator in 2006 and was  recently found wading nude in a gator filled pond- again. He seems to have a proclivity for taking off all his clothes, getting into the water and putting himself in a dangerous situation. And it's not funny anymore. Another dryly delivered zinger infuriated a dead suspect's family, but  made Grady Judd somewhat of an internet hero among the law and order crowd. When a reporter  asked why  his deputies fired 110 bullets to bring down Angelo Freeland ( the suspect who murdered deputy Matt Williams and his K-9, Diogi in 2006)  Judd reportedly told the Orlando Sentinel ...
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Don't worry, be Republican
2008-05-14 04:09:00
A Pew Research Center study finds conservatives are markedly happier with their lots in life than liberals.  Yes, wealthier people and married people are more content than those scraping by in solitude, but even adjusted for income and marital status,  right wingers like Sean Hannity are generally more pleased with themselves than sourpuss liberals like Ralph Nader- (Dennis Kucinich being the exception on account of being married to a hot redhead).  The difference is significant. 45% of republicans report being very happy as compared with 30% of democrats and 29 percent of independents. The question of why this is true makes for a more interesting discussion. One interpretation suggests that conservatives are simply more comfortable with the income disparity and other inequalities in the world. They see life as a meritocracy that is ruthless yet fair in distributing the goodies of the earth to those who work hardest to gather th...
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What a weekend
2008-05-12 22:50:00
This weekend brought an embarrassment of riches to an already lucky guy. I celebrated a milestone birthday in good health, cherished my wife and my mother on Mother's Day, and saw my first born child graduate with honors from Duke University in North Carolina. Some weekend.  The first two occasions come to everyone who manages to stay vertical, but the last was a source of unalloyed pride and joy. For what they charge up there in Durham to educate your kid, I expected some pretty high caliber speechifying and I wasn't disappointed. President Richard Brodhead delivered an address at the baccalaureate ceremony that managed to inspire without preaching.  Author Barbara Kingsolver (Poisonwood Bible) gave the keynote speech which lectured a bit strenuously on global warming considering the occasion, but delivered some real wisdom nonetheless. But the most brilliant speech I've heard in years was the sermon given  at the gorgeous Duke Chapel by the Reverend Dr...
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Props for Hillary
2008-05-08 03:37:00
By Brendan McLaughlin Some have derided  Hillary Clinton as an unkillable droid who will stop at nothing on the road to the nomination. Fair enough. But how can you help but admire a person who smiles at a slaughter, chuckles at destruction and cackles at catastrophe?   Hillary's unflagging cheerfulness after Tuesday night's crushing in Carolina and non-win in Indiana was something to behold.  Despite the fact that she fell further behind her opponent, Hillary sounded the trumpets of victory. "Tonight, we've come from behind. We've broken the tie. Thanks to you, it's full speed on to the White House!" Some would call that reaction to a delegate drubbing delusional, but I think it's awesomely determined. Let's be clear. Hillary has stayed in this race, and will continue to stay in this race not because she thinks she can win the required delegates. Hillary can count. She's stayed in it for the same reason an ambitious actress agrees to be an ...

I've been Bamboozled
2008-05-06 03:10:00
The promised revitalization of downtown Tampa is progressing nicely with the arrival of a new Vietnamese/Asian fusion style restaurant on Tampa Street near Twiggs.  I ducked in to Bamboozle Cafe today and was impressed with the stylish decor, fresh and delicious food and smiling faces behind the counter. The Pho, (traditional Vietnamese noodle soup) was fragrant and rich and served with the traditional condiments of basil, lime and hot chili sauce, though the bean sprouts were AWOL. My sophisticated lunch mate, Erica  from San Francisco was impressed with the made-to-order spring rolls. I thought the prices were a tad higher than the going rate downtown, but Erica reminded me that the same menu would be twice as high in the other Bay Area. The Times reports that beer and wine and dinner hours are coming soon.  

A once in 20 year opportunity... and they blow it.
2008-05-03 22:51:00
This morning on Flashpoint. The Florida Taxation and Budget Reform Commission is supposed to rise above partisan politics to craft long term solutions to the State's thorniest problems. Hopes were especially high that the 25 member appointed board could come up with a workable approach to property tax reform. After all, they have the extraordinary power to place constitutional amendments directly before voters. Instead, the consensus is that the FTBR (that forms only once every twenty years)  devolved into pushing the highly partisan, faith based social engineering junk you'd expect from the State legislature.  My guests are former State Senator, Lesley Miller and educator, Jade Thomas Moore- both members of the commission who are none too happy with most of the commission's work. They also see the fingerprints of Jeb Bush on some of the amendments proposed for this November's election.  You'll also see a pretty amazing video in the th...
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Drink with the fishes
2008-05-03 03:28:00
Tickets are still available for the Florida Aquarium's premier food and wine event  "Sea Grapes" is Saturday night at 7:00. Tickets ain't cheap, but it's a crucial source of revenue for our world class aquarium and you will get your money's worth in first class restaurant fare and fermented grape juice from around the world. Big shots might want to consider the VIP tickets.  Plus,  ABC Action News anchor, Wendy Ryan will join me in hosting the silent auction.  Crab cakes, chilled Sancerre, Wendy Ryan. What more do you want? 
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The high cost of pandering
2008-05-01 18:07:00
By Brendan McLaughlin After penning the blog below, it was interesting to see how I wasn't the only one to see past Hillary Clinton's decision to line up with John McCain on the summer gas tax holiday plan.  She couldn't possibly have believed that cutting a tax that both suppresses demand for oil and helps repair our nation's transportation infrastructure was a good idea.  Now she's paying for it big time.  Former DNC chairman, Joe Andrew (appointed by Bill Clinton) has jumped ship and announced his support for Barack Obama. Here's his explanation: Andrew said the Obama campaign never asked him to switch his support, but he decided to do so after watching Obama's handling of two issues in recent days. He said Obama took the principled stand in opposing a summer gas tax holiday that both Clinton and McCain supported, even though it would have been easier politically to back it. And to twist the knife, Andrew urged other superdelegates to back Obama an...
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You mean I can use my rebate to buy discounted gas? What a country!
2008-04-30 23:21:00
By Brendan McLaughlin The "gas tax holiday" promoted by both John McCain and Hillary Clinton is a bad idea on so many levels, it's hard to know where to start.  New York Times columnist, Thomas Friedman calls it "so ridiculous, so unworthy of the people aspiring to lead our nation, it takes your breath away."  Friedman goes on to say,  "This is money laundering: we borrow money from China and ship it to Saudi Arabia and take a little cut for ourselves as it goes through our gas tanks. What a way to build our country." The economic shell game Friedman describes has been policy in the U.S. for many years, but suspending the 18.4 % federal tax on gasoline for the summer makes anyone who drives complicit in the scheme. Worse yet, the plan intended to ease the pain of high prices probably won't. Many economists say the increased demand spurred by the lower pump price will raise the price of gas. And that money will flow to oil companies- not consumers.  Stat...
More About: Country , Rebate

Don't miss the party of the century!
2008-04-28 21:41:00
O.K... maybe it's just the party of the year, but if you love the Florida Aquarium like I do and your wife is the special events director at the Aquarium like mine is, then you would not miss this event Saturday, May 3rd at 7:00 pm. Seagrapes is a wine and food festival set amid the underwater wonderland of the Aquarium in downtown Tampa. You'll be tasting top flight wines with food from the Bay Area's coolest restaurants, all in the company of sponges, lamprey eels and sharks. There will be a lot of fish there, too. Ha! One of the coolest features of this event is the ability to check out the auction items online before you go.  Here's the site for tickets and more information.    See you at the Florida Aquarium Saturday night at 7:00 pm. 
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"Stop the Presses- Newspaper in Peril" Today on Flashpoint
2008-04-27 17:56:00
Filmaker Manny Mendoza talks about his new documentary on the lamentable state of the daily fishwrap. Whatcha think?  Website for the film is here.  
More About: Today , Stop , Newspaper

Bag the Democrats: Hillary may run as an Independent in the General Electi
2008-04-25 22:56:00
Will Hillary Clinton make an independent run for the White House? Joe Rothstein of USPoliticstoday.com offers this possibility: Hillary Clinton claims that the decision to exclude the Florida and Michigan delegations has distorted the nominating process and that the only way to have a fair resolution to this year's campaign is to carry the fight into the general election. She decides to run as an independent (Read more) It's a far-fetched scenario, but no more unlikely than the Clinton-Obama matchup so far.
More About: Democrats , General , Independent

We Americans loves us some real estate
2008-04-25 21:28:00
By Brendan McLaughlin   Remember during the housing boom, how every conversation started and ended with how much your house appreciated and how much your neighbor got for that crappy stucco rambler? We were obsessed.  But now that prices have fallen through the floor and sales have dried up... we're still obsessed. And that's a good sign. A Raymond James Financial sharpie I struck up a conversation with last night at 717 Restaurant told me the time to worry is when people stop caring.  The improvement in Tampa area home sales in March was dismissed as being a function of bank short sales being too cheap to pass up. But my bar buddy believes that shows how people are ready to pounce as soon as prices reflect reality.  The fact that there's an estimated  five year supply of condos in Florida  should bring despair to sellers, but glee to everyone else.  As long as our financial institutions don't fail, the dream of home ownership (n...
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This Morning on Flashpoint: Intelligent design in the science class
2008-04-20 16:55:00
Supporters of the Academic Freedom Act working its way through the Florida legislature swear up and down it has nothing to do with creationism or intelligent design. Actually supporters of this bill don't generally swear because they are, for the most part Christians who doubt Darwin or disbelieve the accepted theory of evolution completely.  I wouldn't call them liars, but Ronda Storms and others who support this effort to protect teachers who want to teach alternative theories to evolution are being less than forthcoming when they refuse to admit that what they really want is intelligent design taught alongside the settled science of Darwin in Florida science classes. My guests are Terry Kemple, a conservative activist supporting the bill and Joe Wolf, president of Florida Citizens for Science .      
More About: Intelligent Design , Design , Intelligent , Morning

Happy Earth Day to You
2008-04-20 16:44:00
At 38, Earth Day is approaching middle age. An age when health habits of exercise sometimes fall by the wayside. So here now are some practical, some obvious and some frankly goofy ways to observe Earth Day on Tuesday and all year round. Check 'em out.    
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Democratic debate loser may have been ABC
2008-04-18 00:23:00
Most reaction to the 430th debate between Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama ranged from unimpressed to enraged. Tom Shales hated it. But David Brooks of the New York Times thought Charles and George were splendid.  
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The Pope for President
2008-04-16 03:46:00
By Brendan McLaughlin The College of Cardinals  has it figured out. Instead of voting for the candidate who wants the job most, they elect the guy who wants it least.  Joseph Ratzinger tells the story of how he prayed to God that the conclave would choose someone else.  God ignored that prayer and now he's Benedict the XVI with an approval rating up there with Charlie Crist. The conclaves of knuckleheads we call the Democratic and Republican parties have devised a system where unbridled, ruthless ambition counts for everything. And the closer the candidates get to the finish line, the faster they shed their veneer of independence and integrity.  The likeable and honorable Fred Thompson went from Reagan redux to Republican reject the moment he was perceived as lacking adequate belly fire. Right when John McCain smelled victory, he started to jettison his long held positions on torture, Bush's tax cuts, ethanol subsidies, agents of intolerance and mo...
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Today on Flashpoint: Iraq Coverage without all the journalism
2008-04-13 16:25:00
Mike Shiley is quick to point out that he's not a journalist or a reporter. But that didn't stop him from cadging a press pass from a local ABC affiliate in Portland, Oregon and going into Iraq a few months after the invasion. Shiley bought a $500 dollar camcorder, cashed in his frequent flyer miles to get to Jordan and made a movie called "Inside Iraq, The Untold Stories". Shiley's ethics are questionable in that he puts on a military uniform and fires weapons from atop an Abrams tank all while impersonating an ABC network journalist. That kind of behavior puts real reporters at risk by erasing the line between journalists and combatants in the eyes of the enemy. "Inside Iraq" does deliver some interesting scenes and images I've not seen out of Iraq before including a stroll through an open air market selling pornographic magazines and videotapes that opened in that period of giddy glasnost around the time Saddam went to ground.  Ultimately, the film is more tr...
More About: Journalism , Today , Coverage

Death by blogging
2008-04-12 16:43:00
The New York Times writes about evidence that bloggers can suffer life threatening stress by virtue of the never ending, 24/7 news cycle.  An uncharitable reader might point out that some bloggers deserve to get bloated and zitty, but I think it's a real problem (not one of those phony manufactured problems newspapers and bloggers specialize in).  I post maybe three times a week and that stresses me out, though I compensate with jazzytaiyogilatesize classes and yogurt baths.
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Democrats cry reverse racism
2008-04-08 03:46:00
By Brendan McLaughlin South Carolina and Nevada were allowed to hold their primaries before February 5th because the high percentage of blacks and Hispanics in those states helped compensate for the pasty complexion of Iowa and New Hampshire.  Hispanic Couple in Nevada That's the basis for an amended legal filing planned by Tampa Democratic activist, Victor Dimaio and attorney Michael Steinberg who are suing to have Florida's entire Democratic delegation seated at the National Convention in Denver this summer.   DiMaio's original lawsuit claimed the DNC's punishment of Florida violated the equal protection clause of the 14th amendment, but that suit was kicked back by the federal appeals court in Atlanta.  Steinberg had a brainstorm when he read discovery papers in a similar lawsuit filed by Senator Bill Nelson that showed the DNC put South Carolina and Nevada's primary dates ahead of 46 other states to give minorities more of a voice in the...
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Today on Flashpoint- The SoHo Scribbler
2008-04-06 22:15:00
 Listen in on my chat with local editorial cartoonist, Charles Greacen.  
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Breaking Burger News
2008-04-03 03:40:00
I wouldn't normally devote a post to a "Best Hamburger" contest, but Creative Loafing did such a thorough investigation into the matter, I had to pass this on.  I also love the fact that the winner is one of my favorite restaurants in the Bay Area- Pane Rustica on MacDill Avenue in Tampa.  Karyn and Kevin Kruszewski create a level of unpretentious sophistication that can't be franchised.  For the love of the little 8 lb, 6 oz Baby Jesus, try their thin crust pizza, salmon salad, cinnamon raisin bread and of course, the burger.
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Oh no, not Poe!
2008-04-02 21:04:00
By Brendan McLaughlin Photo from St. Pete Times I felt lucky to get a seat in the single chair at Terri's Old Fashion Barber shop on Twiggs, but a little guilty for beating out an older gentleman who walked in seconds later.  He read his paper quietly until I got up to leave when he said, "I really enjoy your Sunday morning talk show". Only then did I realize I was being flattered by  Tampa's former Mayor, Bill Poe Sr.- a loyal Flashpoint viewer and (in my mind, at that moment) a wonderfully discerning viewer and great American. Imagine my disappointment in reading about allegations that my biggest fan is accused of  funneling millions of dollars in "dividends" to himself  and his family members when it became clear his eponymous insurance company was going down the drain. What's not in dispute is the fact that the failure of Poe Financial Group is being paid for by every Florida insurance policy holder in the form of a special assessment. Th...

This Morning on Flashpoint: A Rorschach test on a pulpit
2008-03-30 16:32:00
Some look at Barack Obama's former Pastor, Jeremiah Wright and see a truth-telling father figure. Others see a race baiting paranoid. What explains the difference?  That's what we try to explore this morning on Flashpoint.  Local Pastor, Arthur Jones Jr. of the Carrolwood Bible Based Fellowship Church is my guest, but if you think he's going to reject those fiery snippets of Wright's seen on YouTube, you'll be disapppointed.  Let me know what you think, Brendan
More About: Morning , Test , Pulpit

Google Street View: I can see my house! And so can everyone else.
2008-03-28 20:17:00
Once limited to San Francisco and a handful of other cities, Google Map's 360 degree street view feature has been added to 13 new cities including Tampa and St. Petersburg. It's a bit of a freak-out to navigate your street, find your house and see that your recycle bin is on proud display loaded with empty bottles of Little Penguin Chardonnay. (I do not drink that crap. Some neighbor put them in my bin). This image shows our ABC Action News Studios, but of course the real fun will be to search for potentially compromising locations like The Mons Venus to see if you recognize anyone. Let the games begin!
More About: House , Street , View , Google Street View

Things that offered more than just a fleeting rush of enjoyment this week
2008-03-26 21:08:00
By Brendan McLaughlin Suggest dining out at an Ethiopian restaurant and most people will think you're setting up a punchline. But the meal I had at Queen of Sheba restaurant in Tampa the other day was seriously good. Brian Ries of Creative Loafing  gives it a thorough review.  The location on Henderson Blvd near Himes has been an incubator for disappointment for many years, but hopefully this wonderful, family run restaurant will last. Commentator Ben Stein alternately annoys and entertains me during his opinion pieces on CBS Sunday Morning. Last Sunday, though he astonished me with a convincing argument that ex-New York Governor, Elliott Spitzer got a really bad deal- and not just at the Emperor's VIP Club.  Stein asserts that the efforts of some low level civil servants with the help of political enemies and the media to force Client #9's from his elected office represents a perversion of democracy (not available at the Emperor's Club). Wayne Garcia is the late...
More About: Week , Things , Rush , Enjoyment

Mix it up with some mindless fun
2008-03-24 22:43:00
Will it Blend?  That's the question asked by your nerdy host, Tom Dickson, who's also the   founder of Blendtec blenders.  These viral marketing videos show a freakishly powerful kitchen appliance pureeing everything from golf balls to i-pods.  Beats working!