The seven men were sitting at the round table in the back at the Valencia Garden restaurant. The one you would know for sure is former Congressman Sam Gibbons, but the rest are all longtime Tampa residents. The subject was money, or more precisely, how it's disappearing from everyone's savings. ...more

October 11, 2008

1991: University of Oklahoma law professor Anita Hill publicly accused Supreme Court nominee Clarence Thomas of making sexually inappropriate comments when she worked for him; Thomas denied it. ...more

October 7, 2008

At the university cafeteria, women linger longer than men over their lunch decisions. Given a choice, they tend to opt for meat labeled "animal friendly," while men likely will go for a new product. ...more

October 7, 2008

Commuter Choices Week starts today with a half-dozen transportation-related groups gathering at Poe Plaza in downtown Tampa at 11:30 a.m. ...more

October 6, 2008

Got sticker shock at the checkout counter? ...more

September 11, 2008

It's fun to read all the different people writing about the change in the political playing field. Oh my gosh! A woman as vice president who is a mother, activist, as well as a common sense person? They will attempt to make her look foolish, stupid and put anything out there that could discredit her in any way shape or form. After all, this is the dirty politics that are being played today with both sides. I, or most of us, wish to be informed voters and have to sort through all the hype, lies and just poor judgment that the political media can conjure up. ...more

September 10, 2008

Landfill Impact ...more

August 28, 2008

I was thinking about the effect of bias in thinking and decision making. It came up in the context of some people indicating they could not vote for Obama for president because he was black, no matter what; a predictable and unfortunate attitude with some in the American South. But it started me thinking about bias in general, where and how much weight it is given in all kinds of thinking, in the process of decision making. Firstly, I was concerned with whether it becomes a factor in evaluation, whether it is included, inappropriately, in a list of concerns which lead to a decision. That would be bad enough but what if it serves as a filter, to block the receipt of otherwise relevant information never let into the process of weighing facts and making choices on a rational basis? I was watching a TV show, book reviewing, and I decided I didn't like the necktie worn by the lecturer. It was a skimpy, pale, stripy bow tie, an utterly silly looking thing and as I looked at it, the words of the lecturer seemed to fade. Was this merely an absurd fashion bias on my part or perhaps my questioning why anyone would wear such a tie and whether the choice of wearing such a tie reflected on the quality of the judgment-making ability of the wearer, and shouldn't I take that into consideration in weighing, or even accepting the quality of his opinion, downgrade his believability or even reject everything he has to say out of hand because of his flawed judgment in necktie selection? ...more

August 11, 2008

Florida's voluntary prekindergarten program begins its fourth year in 2008-09. It operates as a taxpayer-funded voucher program for 4-year-olds and is mostly in private and faith-based schools. ...more

August 1, 2008

PORT RICHEY -- Look at the entrances of just about any neighborhood these days. Look at all the signs - "Garage sale," "Yard sale," "Moving sale" - not to mention all the signs desperately hawking homes for sale or rent. ...more

July 26, 2008