Creative Loafing Tampa

Mitch Perry Report 2.17.12 - garbage in garbage out

Mitch Perry — Fri, 17 Feb 2012 08:58:00 -0500

Good day, and welcome to the end of the of the working week, a week that has included, sadly, a lot of high profile deaths.

We had Whitney Houston, Freddie Solomon and Gary Carter leave this earth sooner than they should, and then there was the news on the website of the New York Times late last night that their star Middle Eastern reporer, Anthony Shadid, had died in Syria from an asthma attack.…

Pulitizer Prize-winning reporter Anthony Shadid dies in Syria

Mitch Perry — Fri, 17 Feb 2012 08:40:49 -0500

The biggest story in the world the past few months has been the indiscriminate slaughter of citizens in Syria by its president, Bashar al-Assad.

Observing what's gone on in neighboring Middle Eastern countries, al-Assad determined months ago that he would not wind up like former Egyptian leader Hosni Mubarak, and has led a brutal offensive against the uprising.…

Valentine’s Day—a post mortem examination

SWF — Fri, 17 Feb 2012 08:00:00 -0500

Ok boys, we need to talk. What the vast majority of you feel in regards to the 14th day of February, is wrong, and needs to change.…

Neighborhood Dining Guide: Brandon

Juliette Cassistre — Fri, 17 Feb 2012 08:00:00 -0500

There's plenty of great eats in eastern Hillsborough County. by Juliette Cassistre Sure, there are some in the Bay area who turn up their nose at the mere suggestion of a trip out to the eastern reaches of Hillsborough County. Never mind the naysayers; Brandon, Valrico and Riverview offer some top-notch dining hidden amongst the roadway congestion and strip mall facades.…

V.M. Ybor neighbood to City Council: We don't want Trinity Cafe to relocate here

Mitch Perry — Thu, 16 Feb 2012 14:48:54 -0500

Kelly Bailey of the V.M. Ybor Neighborhood Association recently distributed leaflets in the area, informing local residents that if they were upset about Trinity Cafe coming into the neighborhood to build a facility to feed the homeless at lunchtime, they needed to go to Thursday's City Council meeting.

In terms of organizing, Bailey scored.…

USF held hostage by legislative terrorism

Scott Farrell — Thu, 16 Feb 2012 13:20:42 -0500

Over the past decade Americans have been fixated on terrorism. It seems terrorism is around just about every corner, or, in the case of the TSA, hidden in every senior citizen's walker.…

Mitch Perry Report 2.16.12 - Iorio calls out J.D. Alexander

Mitch Perry — Thu, 16 Feb 2012 08:40:00 -0500

The drama involving that massive budget cut for the USF campus in Tampa continues to dominate the local media, but perhaps we're taking the wrong perspective on all of this. I mean, J.D. Alexander is bringing together disparate members of the Tampa Bay area political/media/business establishment in a fashion rarely experienced.…

J.D. Alexander is bringing people together

Mitch Perry — Thu, 16 Feb 2012 08:35:04 -0500

The Tampa Bay area's two daily newspapers are filled with the latest update on the USF funding imbroglio, in their A sections as well as on their editorial pages.

Following the lead of Hillsborough County Commissioner Mark Sharpe's personal letter to Senate President Mike Haridopolos, the Tampa Tribune is now calling for the removal of the Lake Wales Republican as chairman of the budget committee for his ham-fisted attack on the Tampa campus, manifested by the threat of a 58 percent cut in state funding.…

Have it your way at Your Pie

Brian Ries — Thu, 16 Feb 2012 08:00:00 -0500

Choice is king at this pizza chain. by Brian Ries Although the Subway sandwich shop chain launched well over 40 years ago, it’s taken the rest of the fast food world a long time to catch up with the distinctive serving style that has made the chain a success over the past four decades. Choice is at its heart, along with the immediate gratification of seeing ingredients right in front of you that you can combine in myriad ways with no one judging your culinary peculiarities.…

Date night a battle? Go to War

Kevin Tall — Thu, 16 Feb 2012 06:00:00 -0500

This Means War offers slick, sharp and sexy fun for all. by Kevin Tall This Means War brings the boom with a big-gun cast, an arsenal of hilarious gags and precise directing. Imagine if Jon Bon Jovi and Michael Hutchence of INXS had sung “The Girl is Mine,” and that the music video was shot for the Mission: Impossible soundtrack, and you’ll get the idea.…

Why close a prison that actually works?

Lisa Marzilli — Thu, 16 Feb 2012 04:00:00 -0500

A women’s facility in Hillsborough boasts successful training programs and dedicated volunteers. The state wants to close it. by Lisa Marzilli You’d think the closing of a state prison would come as welcome news to area residents, but that’s not the case with the Hillsborough Correctional Institution in Riverview. Citizens, legislators and inmates have been trying to convince the Department of Corrections for two years that this rural south Hillsborough County prison is not only worth saving but should be used as a model for other facilities.…

Authority Zero rages the Local 662, Yonder Mountain String Band serenades at Jannus Live + more concerts this week

Leilani Polk — Thu, 16 Feb 2012 04:00:00 -0500

by Leilani Polk, Lily Reisman and Rebecca Forman THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 16Authority Zero w/Voodoo Glow Skulls/Skyfox Every year since 2006, I anticipate the announcement of Authority Zero’s Florida tour. For me, their shows are unexplainable cathartic experiences that find me raging like a madwoman, and covered in sweat and beer by the night’s end.…

Buckhorn the blunt

Mitch Perry — Thu, 16 Feb 2012 04:00:00 -0500

Talking with the mayor of Tampa as he approaches the end of his first year in office. by Mitch Perry Considered a long shot to succeed Pam Iorio when he entered the race for mayor of Tampa last year, Bob Buckhorn succeeded with a little luck (Jim Davis’ withdrawal) and a lot of hard work (26,000 doors knocked on, he’s fond of reminding you). Although he was best known in the late ’90s for his morally scolding stance on adult nightclubs, he was a happier warrior on the stump in 2010, earning a critical endorsement from the Tampa Bay Times for having “matured into a thoughtful leader.”…

Gentle Jim

Peter Meinke — Thu, 16 Feb 2012 04:00:00 -0500

Remembering a friend who quietly changed our lives. by Peter Meinke First, our destinies are influenced by our parents — their genes, their teaching, and their love — in ways that are clear but hard to measure. In addition, most of us, in the course of our lives, meet others who affect us almost as strongly, and in ways that can be clearly charted.…

They know what you like

Scott Harrell — Thu, 16 Feb 2012 04:00:00 -0500

But social media giants don’t necessarily care who you’re sleeping with. by Scott Harrell If you pay attention to such things, then you know there’s lately a lot of talk about privacy and the Internet. If you pay attention to such things, then you know there’s always a lot of talk about privacy and the Internet.…

Becky Shaw is a fine mess

Mark E. Leib — Thu, 16 Feb 2012 04:00:00 -0500

A hilarious, candid play about love, family and other surprises. by Mark E. Leib There’s a lot of neurosis going around in Gina Gionfriddo’s Becky Shaw, and the result is one of the funniest, quirkiest, wisest plays in years. What a feast for a therapist: there’s Suzanna, who thinks she can whine her way to happiness, and Max, the super-cynic who believes in ruthless honesty.…

Die like an Egyptian

Megan Voeller — Thu, 16 Feb 2012 04:00:00 -0500

The wondrous funerary objects of ancient Egypt at the MFA. by Megan Voeller When fashion designer Yves Saint Laurent died of brain cancer in 2009, one of his biggest status symbols — a massive art collection that included Chinese statuary, fine porcelain, and a Matisse painting that sold for a record 32 million euros — hit the auction block. One six-and-a-half-foot tall, coffee-colored sarcophagus lid, crafted in ancient Egypt around 3,000 years ago, made its way from the Paris auction to Fondation Gandur Pour L’Art, a respected Geneva, Switzerland-based collection.…

Best gay marriage post ever

David Warner — Wed, 15 Feb 2012 16:55:00 -0500

It happened. Just as we expected it would.…
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Apple finally dealing with slave labor conditions in China?

Mitch Perry — Wed, 15 Feb 2012 16:09:02 -0500

Following the death last year of former Apple CEO Steve Jobs, it was hard to escape the narrative that the Cupertino, California-based company was the greatest thing ever to happen to American commerce. Lost in the adulation were the sad facts about the labor conditions of employees who made Apple products in China.…

The Raw Story: A Night of Comedy

Daniel Feingold — Wed, 15 Feb 2012 13:40:45 -0500

Welcome to this week's edition of The Raw Story. Let me go ahead and give a few extra notes before we get started:

• Monday night's crowd in San Diego was hot throughout the entire show.…

A Taste of Pinellas 2012 welcomes national headliners Sheryl Crow, Dashboard Confessional + others

Leilani Polk — Wed, 15 Feb 2012 13:12:00 -0500

A Taste of Pinellas celebrates its 26th year of raising funds for All Children's Hospital with some quality musical talent in the country, pop, reggae, and rock music genres.

The event will be held May 4-6 in at Vinoy Park on St. Petersburg's waterfront.…

The Tampa Lookbook - 02.15.11

Nicholas Trobiano — Wed, 15 Feb 2012 11:44:03 -0500

You can never plan for a Florida February. Sometimes it's beautiful and breezy, like today, and other times it's hot and miserable, like later this week.…

V.M. Ybor residents unhappy about Trinity Cafe will protest at City Council

Mitch Perry — Wed, 15 Feb 2012 11:42:48 -0500

Neighborhood residents who reside in the V.M. Ybor area, just north of Ybor City, plan to speak at Thursday's Tampa City Council meeting regarding their opposition to a proposal by the owners of the Trinity Cafe to open a restaurant in the neighborhood.

For over a decade Trinity, currently housed at the Salvation Army on Florida Avenue, has offered high-quality lunches to the homeless or those who just want to come in for a meal cooked by a professional chef and served by waiters.…

White House hints they'll veto bill that would cut funding to HART & PSTA

Mitch Perry — Wed, 15 Feb 2012 09:36:18 -0500

Last week HART CEO Philip Hale warned his fellow board members that a proposed transportation bill in the House of Representatives presented a mortal threat to the health of the Hillsborough County transit agency.

In Washington D.C., floor debate began on Wednesday on that bill, with a final vote expected on Friday (discussions on the Senate equivalent are also ongoing this week).…

Mitch Perry Report 2.15.12: Privatizing prisons goes down in Tally

Mitch Perry — Wed, 15 Feb 2012 08:09:00 -0500

Florida State Senator John Thrasher is moaning about the power of unions in the Sunshine State. The powerful Republican in Tallahassee was quoted as making that comment after the push to privatize South Florida prisons went down narrowly yesterday in the state Senate.…