Sticks of Fire: a Tampa blog

This weekend I have BIG plans. On Friday, Cowhead presents the Rockers, Racks, and Rejects show. My friend of 20+ years and I are going to see this concert where the Greg Billings Band (formerly Stranger) opens for Bret Michaels at Ruth Eckerd Hall Friday night. This is very exciting for me for two reasons. (1) We are huge fans of Poison and go to their concert every year, but this is the first time we get to see Bret’s solo act. (2) We grew up listening to local band Stranger (and JGLB, Stormbringer and many more) and I’m excited to see them locally on a big stage! I hear there are a few tickets left (just for the record I bought mine, I did not win them)! If you can make it out to Clearwater, I believe you will have a great time!

Now for the rest of the weekend… I have found a few things to do around town and here are the ones I’m going to try and catch.

If I can get up early enough from my wild night out, I’m going to try and run by the H. B. Plant Museum to have a few pieces evaluated. I have a few pieces that came from my grandma but I’m not sure if they are worth anything at all. This seems like a good place to start.

2 Feb. Saturday - Antique Evaluation - 1030am-Noon at the Henry B. Plant Museum 401 W Kennedy Blvd. Tampa. Bring your favorite treasures to be evaluated by one of our experts for $5 an item with a limit of four items.

I looked this event up at http://thehobbyshophero.blogspot.com and decided I’m to old for this, but it looks like something fun and interesting, so the hell with it I may go! Go look for yourself and see if you are game or not!

2 Feb. Saturday – Dirty But Sophisticated – 10pm at the Czar 1420 East 7th Ave. Tampa. Art, sound, fashion and more. www.myspace.com/dirtybutsophisticated4

I really cannot find anything around town that piques my interest for Sunday so I’m leaving that blank. It might also have something to do with the biggest NFL game of the year being broadcast, but that is just me! I will be home Sunday watching all the hoopla so be safe and enjoy your weekend!

Nancy from the NAMV Group called me Tuesday. As a member of the Tampa Bay Advertising Federation, she wanted to make sure I had received an email she sent weeks ago to announce a “press event” coming up next week that will introduce Cyber Safe to Hillsborough County.

Here is the email we received about Online Predators/Cyber Safe Launch at MOSI:

Keep Hillsborough County Children Safe from Online Predators

Board of County Commissioners (BOCC) Chairman Ken Hagan, along with the Tampa-Hillsborough Public Library Cooperative and the Tampa Bay Advertising Federation’s Public Service Campaign committee, will host the premier event and screening for Cyber Safe, NetSmartz Training Program, at the Museum of Science and Industry (MOSI) on Feb. 5, from 6:30 p.m. to 9:00 p.m.

NetSmartz is an age-appropriate software program that teaches children of all ages about the dangers that may lurk online. Research indicates that more than 50,000 children in Hillsborough County alone are exposed to unsolicited sexual material on the Internet. For this reason, Commissioner Hagan championed a partnership between Hillsborough County and the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children to launch an Internet Safety Education Initiative. With close to 200,000 school-aged children throughout Hillsborough County, the goal is to have every student complete the NetSmartz training program in upcoming months. “By the end of this school year we hope to have 25,000 students complete the program, which will be a major step toward our goal to keep each and every Hillsborough County student safe from Internet predators,” said BOCC Chairman Hagan.

The Tampa Bay Advertising Federation will play a critical role in attempting to achieve this goal. Every year, the Tampa Bay Advertising Federation gives back to the community by providing a public service campaign to help promote the cause of a nonprofit organization. Hillsborough County’s cyber safety training program was selected to receive this year’s Public Service Award. “The Hillsborough County’s Internet Safety Education Initiative was among the hundreds of applications received and our entire group felt that this program focused on one of the most important issues of today,” said Diane Broady, director of public service for the Tampa Bay Advertising Federation.

With assistance from local Hillsborough County students, the NetSmartz training program has now simply been branded as Cyber Safe. A key padlock logo illustrates locking out the harmful images and content that can be found online. As an added incentive to safety, each student who receives NetSmartz training will receive free ear buds and discounts for local attractions and restaurants. Additionally, adult education workshops have been held to discuss resources to help parents and adults protect children from online dangers.

February 2008 has been designated as Cyber Safe Month in Hillsborough County, and the campaign will kick-off the month with a premier night at MOSI on Feb. 5 from 6:30 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. Press is invited to a special preview from 6:30 p.m. to 7:15 p.m. The evening’s main event will be the debut of a new, high impact, public service campaign on MOSI’s IMAX screen. Attendees will also have a chance to view a rare, real-time demonstration by the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Internet Crimes Unit.

It looks like they have a fancy new website, CyberSafe from Hillsborough County, and also plan to put up a couple of scary billboards. And you can find out more about NetSmartz online.

I’m not big on press events, so I likely won’t be going (if you want to go, and write it up for Sticks of Fire, contact me). But this program is a great idea, and all of the people involved are to be commended for putting something together that can really help kids learn about the various dangers that can be found across the world wide web.

In addition to the Tampa Bay Advertising Federation, Hillsborough County, and the Library folks, sponsors include Verizon, TECO, ClearChannel Outdoor, Tires Plus, and NewsChannel8.

I confess I’m a political junkie. I also confess I assume - stupidly, I guess - that most people are at least somewhat informed about the what’s going on in politics these days. So when my yard dude and his co-worker both disavowed me of that notion Tuesday it broke my heart.

“You guys vote yet?”

“I’m not registered,” said one. The other said the same. “I’ve never voted,” added No. 1.

I’m familiar with non-voters. My father never voted. Ever.

“I don’t want to encourage them,” he’d tell me and then launch into one of the many stories he told and retold about political corruption in New York City during the Tammany Hall days of his youth.

My father was cynical. I don’t think my yard guys are. They just have a lot of other stuff on their plates, primarily families and making enough money to keep households going.

But they’re both dealing with the multitude of problems that confront workers who live from week to week - problems they ought to be using their votes to solve such as no health care, high taxes, high property insurance, skyrocketing gas prices, a gallon of milk with a pricetag almost as high as high test.

One had little or no money to buy holiday presents for his kids. The other has a chipped tooth that he can’t afford to have fixed.

When I began yelling (fondly) at them about not voting, No. 1, who runs a very successful landscaping business, tried to deflect the attack by arguing he wasn’t smart enough to vote. He doesn’t keep up with the issues, he said, and, therefore, isn’t well enough informed to make a wise choice.

“I might vote for the wrong guy,” he said. “So I leave voting up to smart people like you.”

Not a good excuse. Not an excuse at all. In fact, it’s bad, bad, bad. He ought to be informed. We all should.

But at least he isn’t making an ill-informed vote. Not so a woman I’ve known for about 10 years who told me later in the day that she doesn’t even know if she’s a Democrat or a Republican.

“I’m not keeping up with things,” she said. “Who’s running?”

Since she was cutting my hair and had scissors in her hands, I didn’t explode. Instead, I calmly mentioned all the candidates. She didn’t recognize most of the names and had no clue what party any of them were in.

Since her admission came after I asked her if she’d voted yet, she tried to reassure me that she would exercise her franchise.

“Don’t worry,” she said. “I promise I’ll vote on the way home.”

I didn’t have the heart to ask her for whom - and why. I probably should have told her, “Don’t bother.” But I didn’t do that either.

I guess I’m trying to convince myself that any vote is better than no vote at all.

Editor’s note: See similar laments from the 2004 election, an overwhelming show of apathy in the 2006 election, the general population’s failure to know the slightest thing about government on a national scale, turnout at the ‘06 Presidentials, ghostly turnout at St. Pete’s elections in ‘07, and Wayne Garcia’s recent piece on irrational voters.

As I’m sure you have heard, McCain won half of Florida’s Republican delegates, and Clinton won the Democratic straw poll. Also, you overwhelmingly voted to pass Amendment 1, choosing to grab a bit of cash now instead of just hoping there is some later.

It looks like about 40% of registered voters made their way to the polls yesterday, higher than any other primary election since 1988. In Hillsborough, at least 37% voted in the election, while Polk County set a record with 39% turnout. 40% of Pasco made it to the polling places, 41% of Pinellas County voters cast ballots, and Hernando County saw a 45% voter turnout.

So how does that compare to past elections? Steve Bousquet knows:

Strong turnout, but not a record

The highest turnout for a presidential preference primary in Florida was 58 percent in 1972, the year of the state’s first primary, and the first year 18-year-olds could vote. Richard Nixon would go on to be re-elected over George McGovern. Primary turnout in Florida has generally declined steadily since then, to a low of 19 percent in 2000 and 20 percent in 2004.

Planning commissioners overwhelmingly rejected three developments proposed for outside the urban service boundary for high-density, city-like development.

Alas, all they can do is recommend the denial to the Hillsborough County Board of County Commissioners. It will be up to the BOCC to actually nix this idea. I’m guessing it will be a close vote, but they too will deny the developments.

With today’s highly important Presidential Primaries, I began to ponder “What IS American cuisine?”

We, The United States Of America, were founded by British settlers; however, this land we love was already home to Native Americans and had been for hundreds of years. Shortly before those three fleeing vessels ran aground on Plymouth Rock, Dutch settlers had already made homes along the North Eastern shores, presently known as New York and even before that, Spaniards were following the trail of a popular explorer, Christopher Columbus. Already, our pre-country was a melting pot of culture and flavors.

Let’s bring it up to present day. The good ole US of A is filled with more ethnicities, more religions, and more traditions than any country in the world, making for a culinary cornucopia of flavors and textures.

So how does one answer the question “What IS American cuisine?” with certainty? Okay, everyone think about this and before second-guessing yourself, blurt out the answer. Its okay to say it out loud, no one will think you are crazy and while you are at it, list it below. What did you say? Apple Pie? Hot Dogs? Chili? Hamburgers?

Well, in honor of voting day, I liked to share an old family recipe for what I think is truly American cuisine. Fried Chicken. Go home Tuesday night, proudly wearing your ‘I Voted’ sticker and fry up this American tradition, calories be damned. And even if you don’t make this recipe, VOTE!

Southern Fried Chicken

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See for yourself on a 4-hour ecotour, any Wednesday from Feb. 6 through March 26, 11:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m. Cost is $20 for members of Tampa Bay Watch, or $25 for non-members. E-mail Catherine, or call 727-867-8166 for reservations.

The environmental program starts with a classroom orientation of the estuary and then spends the rest of the day on the bay. This hands-on field trip experience includes an introduction to Tampa Bay Watch, discovering estuarine sea critters from our on-site touch-tanks and kayaking over oyster bars and through mangrove forests.

The course encompasses subjects/activities including: an overview of Tampa Bay Estuary habitats, its flora and fauna, bay impacts and restoration projects. Tampa Bay Watch’s Marine and Education Center, located on the Tampa Bay shoreline directly across from Ft. De Soto, provides an easy access toTampa Bay. We hope that both on-site and in the field, participants learn about our beautiful yet fragile surroundings in a fun and engaging way.

Tampa Bay Watch is a nonprofit stewardship program dedicated to protecting and restoring the marine and wetland environments of the Tampa Bay estuary.

Keith Cate used to always push that Crime Tracker gimmick on TBO.com. The thing is very handy to find out about crime in your neighborhood. But only if you want to know about crime that occurred back in 2006.

Hey TBOers, you may want to add at least a few crimes for 2007, otherwise some wacky hedge fund managers will try to take over your company, and try to get some folks in there that can keep it up to date.

For you who want to know about law enforcement activity in your neighborhood, the Tampa Police Department can give you crime numbers for your grid, and the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office can give you crime stats for 2006, and difficult to sort through calls for service from two days ago.