Sticks of Fire: a Tampa blog

Tampa/Clearwater/St. Pete ranks eighth in the nation for sprawl. Atlanta is sprawliest.

Reader’s Digest says Tampa is the 31st cleanest city in America in spite of scoring tops in the “sanitation” score. Tampa was beat by such clean cities as New Orleans, Milwaukee and Miami. Portland was named the cleanest, and Chicago is the dirtiest.

Busch Gardens placed 2nd in Forbes’ The World’s Best Amusement Park survey.

In 2002, EXPO Magazine, a convention/show trade magazine, named this area as the 22nd best bargain city in the country. This year, Tampa was selected as the 24th best bargain city. I don’t know that being called a bargain is a great thing, I’m just happy EXPO magazine learned that the name of the city is Tampa, not Tampa Bay, FL.

I should have a “Is this some kinda joke?” category.

Tampa’s downtown has been designated as a Best Workplaces for Commuters District, by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the U.S. Department of Transportation. Search Tampa, FL for a (small) list of other local commuter-friendly workplaces.

Ok, so it’s because the downtown district offers a few alternatives to driving. But still…

sharp ones do.

The Sharp Marble (Brandon, FL) took note of all the online grumbling about the Supreme Court’s decision regarding eminent domain. Instead of just complaining about it, Robb suggests you actually DO something, and call or email your representatives (find ‘em at Vote Smart) to get the law changed. He even links to a form letter in case you used all your creativity on the witty blog post.

I came across the sheet music for a broken-heart love song written in 1914 about our little ol’ inlet. The lyrics were written by A. Seymour Brown, better known for his lyrics to “Oh, You Beautiful Doll.” Visit Halcyon Days Music to listen to the melody. And now for your amusement and education, here are the words to Way Down on Tampa Bay:

Twilight is falling, I’m so lonesome and blue,
Twilight is calling back sweet mem’ries of you.

And as the night-breeze
sighs in the palm trees
Somehow it seems to say:

My heart is yearning
for your returning,
Way down on Tampa Bay.

(refrain)
On Tampa Bay
the moonbeams play,
When the harbor lights are gleaming I am dreaming of the day
You won my heart, dear, then sailed away,
And you left me so lonely Way down on Tampa Bay.

Moonlight is slowly stealing over the sea,
Moonlight just like the night you whispered to me

Then all my gladness,
turned into sadness
After I heard you say:

Though we must part, dear,
I leave my heart here.
Way down on Tampa Bay.

On Tampa Bay
the moonbeams play
When the harbor lights are gleaming I am dreaming of the day
You won my heart, dear, then sailed away,
And you left me so lonely Way down on Tampa Bay.

I’m sure Seymour was a stand-up guy. She probably left him because of all the mosquitoes.

Collection/Call Number/Copies: Music A-3073
Title: Way down on Tampa bay Publication Date: 1914
Copyright: MCMXIV by Jerome H. Remick & Co.Composer: Van Alstyne, Egbert, 1882-1951 Lyricist: Brown, A. Seymour, 1885-1947 Illustrator: Starmer

This document is part of the Historic American Sheet Music collection, “Way Down on Tampa Bay“, Music A-3073, Duke University Rare Book, Manuscript, and Special Collections Library. Thanks to you guys for preserving it! Found via American Memory at the Library of Congress.

There have been two shark attacks in three days in the Florida Panhandle. Not off the coast of Texas, not near the Carolinas, just the Florida Panhandle. Experts are having a difficult time explaining the unusual circumstances. Perhaps the sharks are just trying to protecting Area 181.

#1-7: January 6, 2005

#195: Sunday, on I-275 in Pinellas was shut down to clear a bad accident. There was one fatality.

#196: Monday night, I-4 was shut down. A pickup crossed the median and hit an oncoming car head on. There was one fatality.

#197: This morning a semi crossed the median on I-4 and hit an oncoming car head on. There was one fatality.

Written on April 20, 2005, but never posted:

Kathleen Heitner was driving her family east on I-4 Tuesday, April 19, 2005 when the SUV swerved, spun, rolled, and got crushed in the median, killing her and injuring seven other family members. The family was on vacation from Spokane, WA and on their way to the hotel in Orlando.

So why am I writing about this here? Heitner was the 70th person to die on Hillsborough County roads this year. Yep. 70 dead in 109 days. Nine people die every two weeks on our roads. At this rate, there will be 100 before Flag Day. And another 100 by Election Day. And 34 more by New Year’s Eve. That is just in Hillsborough County.

According to Trooper Larry Coggins of the Florida Highway Patrol, as of this morning, Tuesday, June 28, 2005, there have been 112 traffic deaths in Hillsborough County. There were 103 by Flag Day. We’re still averaging almost nine deaths every two weeks in Hillsborough.

Combined with Pasco (39) and Pinellas (46), that makes 197 deaths on our roads since January 1. Every ten days, eleven people die from traffic accidents in the tri-county area. Saturday at noon marks the middle of the year. I hope we don’t count two hundred by then.

Just thought you’d like to know.

Here’s a couple recent articles highlighting local bloggers:
St. Pete Times: Florida’s Political Blog Wars

The Chicago Tribune checks out The Legend: Signs of Boldness
tLoMM

I found new bloggers. Say hello to Driving Down the Highway of Life in a Dodge from Davis Islands. The Tampa Bay Drama King also recently began blogging.

Pennsylvania uses bloggers to promote tourism. Read the blogs at http://www.visitpa.com/visitpa/roadTrippers.pa This is a great idea. FLAUSA should do the same

With all these examples of the “next big thing,” along with the introduction of the Trib’s Community Columnists, and the St. Pete Times plans to list local blogs (someday, I guess), perhaps you want to try your hand at this blogging thing. If so, here are a few more sites to assist you.

Here’s a Legal Guide for Bloggers and I, Reporter gives prospective citizen journalists some helpful hints.

Snarkmarket is looking for a better title than Citizen Journalist. I vote for Joe Sixpack Hack.

Polk County - A car sits in the middle of an intersection. As police pull up to find out what’s going on, the car drives off erratically down the street. Other cops join in the pursuit, eventually blocking in the vehicle. Not content to set there and see what happens, the driver of the car attempts to ram a couple police cruisers, and in an attempt to get away, begins driving toward an officer. The officer - fearful of his life - shoots at the car, missing the driver but putting an end to the car’s advances.

But the driver still won’t get out of the car. Police have to resort to breaking a window, only to learn that the driver is a twelve year old girl. And her passenger is a six year old.

The girl got the keys from an adult at home. She asked for them, and they were given to her. She drove around in a manner of what you might expect from a 12 year old. But because the windows were darkly tinted, the officers could not see the driver. Luckily, the shots fired at the little girl went over her head.

The family is baffled as to why the girl would do such a thing, but they are not baffled as to how to change the subject. And the media is only happy to oblige.

Typically, the family is outraged, and wants to know why shots were fired. Typically, the TV news stations played those sound bites. Typically, headlines say “Cop Shoots Kid” or some such. Sensational, indeed.

But I am outraged also, and have a couple questions: How is it that a twelve year old thinks she can drive? How is it that no adult could see this coming? Why did the family not know she would take the car? While we’re at it, why are the windows on the car so dark as to conceal someone’s identity?

Thankfully, the Sheriff filed charges against the child. But that’s not enough.

I’m tired of children getting into trouble, yet the grownups are not held responsible. Kids only know what they are taught, and if this child thought the right thing to do is a) drive a car, b) take her little brother, and c) run from the cops (I’ll assume she did not intend to run over the cop), then she has not been taught well.

In addition to charging the 12 year old, whoever gave the girl keys to a car should be charged with contributing to the delinquency of a child. And the girl’s parents should be charged with abuse and child endangerment.

Five thousand people showed up in Tampa yesterday to protest Hillsborough County’s snub of gay pride. As has become quite clear, there is a huge outpouring of support from various gay, creative, and progressive groups, both locally and nationally in regards to Ronda Storms’ hide the gay people campaign. County Commissioner Ronda Storms is receiving all sorts of email questioning her decision, and asking her to reconsider. But we know Ronda, and nothing will change her mind.

I have no doubt that many in Hillsborough County agree with Ronda. But Storms states that the “vast majority” of county citizens want the anti-gay resolution. Unfortunately (for her) the missives she has received do not bear that out.

So in order to bolster her argument that Storms’ agenda is a popular one, there’s a campaign being waged to support Ronda and her position not to acknowledge gay pride. As part of the campaign, there are a couple emails making the rounds encouraging supporters to voice their support to her position. One whiny email in particular claims the count is about 5 (yes, five) in support of Ronda, and 300-400 against.

I don’t think her supporters’ effort is making much of a difference, as the majority of folks in the county – including many Christians – don’t consider killing gay pride to be high on the list of priorities. But that doesn’t mean we can’t poke fun at the endeavor.

In particular, I like this statement from Ronda Storms’ aide, Audi Canney:

“I honestly believe that the Lord divinely appointed Ronda to her position…”

Don’t you hate when folks blame the Lord for voters’ mistakes?

Thanks to an anonymous Sticks of Fire reader for the giggles and the info.