Yes, I have to admit that John McCain won. Not the recent debate but the Alfred E. Smith Memorial Foundation dinner during which candidates roast each other in New York. Smith was the groundbreaking, four-time, Irish-American New York governor and the dinner is a fundraiser for Catholic charities. If you......
The greater Tampa–St. Petersburg area is a weird neck of the woods, a place where porn empires, strip clubs, regional banking, drug money, upscale resorts, seedy beach towns, Spanish-moss-adorned oak trees and wispy sea oats all struggle for footing in an ever-shifting landscape of development and erosion. Decaying old money......
Click here for Joe Donnelly's "The Tortoise and the Tank Face Off at Fort Irwin." Click here for C.R. Stecyk III's related slide show.The 20-year battle between the tanks of Fort Irwin and the desert tortoises of the Mojave Desert has taken another dramatic twist. Last week, the Army announced......
On Friday October 10th I had the privilege of guesting on Jonesy's Jukebox Jury on Indie 103.1 FM, hosted by the legendary Steve Jones of the Sex Pistols. Jonesy is one of my favorites, not just because of his seminal place in rock history but also because of how wonderfully......
When I asked the security guard stationed in the upper reaches of the Sun Dome on the campus of Tampa’s University of Southern Florida (home of the Bulls) how many people were on hand, he smiled and said, "I don't know, but a lot more than they expected. That's why......
You’re probably familiar with the ancient Chinese curse: May you live in interesting times. The curse has two other parts that are progressively more dire: May you come to the attention of those in authority, and may you find what you’re looking for. Well, these are certainly interesting times, days......
I happened to be in the greater Tampa Bay-Saint Petersburg area on Monday, October 6 – a statement that is rife with context. This is a weird neck of the woods, a place where decaying old money and jittery Nuevo Riche arrivistes rub up against each other in a culture......
All the talking heads are saying that the key to Sarah Palin's success in Thursday night's Vice Presidential debate with Joe Biden is to "let Sarah be Sarah." I'm not entirely sure what that means, but I think the gist of it is that Palin has been over-managed by handlers......
My head is spinning and not just because this is the third time I've tried to write this. Unfortunately, as far as clarity and fresh thinking is concerned, my computer kept crashing as I pecked away at these thoughts last night, trying to make some sense of a dizzying day......
Rant Alert: Be warned, this is a rant. We don't give President Bush enough credit. Seriously, we have failed to give him his proper due. Here we thought his culture, philosophies (if you can call them that), politics and policies were just wrecking the country. Turns out, they were on......
