TampaBLAB

Just some stuff before the season starts:

• The Lightning signed free agent LW Mitch Fritz to a 1 year contract. He's a giant who stands at 6'8", and was undrafted will be report directly to the Admirals. The former Kelowna Rocket made his NHL debut with the Islanders last season.
• Mike Lundin and Matt Lashoff cleared waivers and were both assigned to the Admirals. Lashoff got a verbal lashing from Tocchet today, with Tocchet saying "I don't think he came into camp vying for a job,". Ouch. But Cristodero points out that if they get called up, because they only make $105, 000 each, they don't have to clear re-entry waivers.
• The Lightning keep increasing the Swedish love by teaming up with IKEA. And clearly, the next logical step, since we also have Ohlund and Hedman, would be to have a Swedish Night! No word yet if pickled herring or swedish pancakes with lingonberry syrup will be served though.

And from the man who loves press conferences:
Burke says that the Canucks shopped Burrows, Bieksa and their 1st round draft pick for Hedman at the draft. Gillis denies this. Since I love both teams, I could really go either way on my opinion if it did happen, but I am happy that it didn't.

Niels Bohr once noted that "prediction is very difficult, especially about the future," but then he didn't have access to predictive loyalty metrics. Happily, we do. And, as they measure the direction and velocity of consumer values 12 to 18 months in advance of the marketplace and consumer articulations of category needs and expectations, they identify future trends with uncanny accuracy.

Having examined these measures, we offer 10 trends for marketers for 2010 that will have direct consequences to the success - or failure – of next year's branding and marketing efforts.

1) Value is the new black

Consumer spending, even on sale items, will continue to be replaced by a reason-to-buy at all. This spells trouble for brands with no authentic meaning, whether high-end or low.

2) Brands increasingly a surrogate for "value"

What makes goods and services valuable will increasingly be what's wrapped up in the brand and what it stands for. Why J Crew instead of The Gap? J Crew stands for a new era in careful chic --being smart and stylish. The first family's support of the brand doesn't hurt either.

3) Brand differentiation is Brand Value

The unique meaning of a brand will increase in importance as generic features continue to plague the brand landscape. Awareness as a meaningful market force has long been obsolete, and differentiation will be critical for success --meaning sales and profitability.

4) "Because I Said So" is so over

Brand values can be established as a brand identity, but they must believably exist in the mind of the consumer. A brand can't just say it stands for something and make it so. The consumer will decide, making it more important than ever for a brand to have measures of authenticity that will aid in brand differentiation and consumer engagement.

5) Consumer expectations are growing

Brands are barely keeping up with consumer expectations now. Every day consumers adopt and devour the latest technologies and innovations, and hunger for more. Smarter marketers will identify and capitalize on unmet expectations. Those brands that understand where the strongest expectations exist will be the brands that survive - and prosper.

6) Old tricks don't work/won't work anymore

In case your brand didn't get the memo here it is -consumers are on to brands trying to play their emotions for profit. In the wake of the financial debacle of this past year, people are more aware then ever of the hollowness of bank ads that claim "we're all in this together" when those same banks have rescinded their credit and turned their retirement plan into case studies. The same is true for insincere celebrity pairings: think Seinfeld & Microsoft or Tiger Woods & Buick. Celebrity values and brand values need to be in concert, like Tiger Woods & Accenture. That's authenticity.

7) They won't need to know you to love you

As the buying space becomes even more online-driven and international (and uncontrolled by brands and corporations), front-end awareness will become less important. A brand with the right street cred can go viral in days, with awareness following, not leading, the conversation. After all, everybody knows GM, but nobody's buying their cars.

8) It's not just buzz

Conversation and community is all; ebay thrives based on consumer feedback. If consumers trust the community, they will extend trust to the brand. Not just word of mouth, but the right word of mouth within the community. This means the coming of a new era of customer care.

9) They're talking to each other before talking to the brand

Social Networking and exchange of information outside of the brand space will increase. Look for more websites using Facebook Connect to share information with the friends from those sites. More companies will become members of Linkedin. Twitter users will spend more money on the Internet than those who don't tweet.

10) Engagement is not a fad; It's the way today's consumers do business

Marketers will come to accept that there are four engagement methods including Platform (TV; online), Context (Program; webpage), Message (Ad or Communication), and Experience (Store/Event). But there is only one objective for the future: Brand Engagement. Marketers will continue to realize that attaining real brand engagement is impossible using out-dated attitudinal models.

Accommodating these trends will require a paradigm change on the parts of some companies. But whether a brand does something about it or not, the future is where it's going to spend the rest of its life. How long that life lasts is up to the brand, determined by how it responds to today's reality.

Contributed by: Robert Passikoff, President, Brand Keys

Sponsored By: The Brand Positioning Workshop

With the exciting news that my daughter Alicia and son-in-law Scott will be coming home for Thanksgiving, I need to seriously brush up on my cooking skills. When I learned about the Cooking Lessons being held at Hilton Branson Convention Center Hotel I realized that I really need to re-learn how to cook, especially for holiday meals.

The package is very affordable as it includes accommodations for two people for two nights (October 16- October 18), two cooking demos by Chef Nathan Reid, one Wine Tasting and one full course meal with wine. This meal is four courses and that is what the Chef will teach to prepare the next day. All of this is only $398 plus tax. For the luxurious rooms and amenities at a Hilton, that price is worth it for just the room alone, especially for a weekend in such a beautiful area as Branson, Missouri.

(This is the Trofi Restaurant at the hotel:)

For Sunday’s class here’s a peek at a few items that Chef Reid will teach to prepare:

-Smoked Potato and Ham Soup
-Berkshire Pork Porterhouse
-Apple Normandy

The Hilton Branson Convention Center is superbly appointed that you may never want to leave. But with the world famous shows, Silver Dollar City and Lake Taneycomo nearby it is tempting to go out and check out the sights too.

Ever since we stayed at the Hilton in New York City, we’ve been spoiled by their hospitality. And since we are doing more traveling than normal, I’d love to add this to my itinerary.

I’m fairly new to Twitter and I know what you’re thinking “what rock have I been living under right?”

I know, I know. But I feel like so many people misuse Twitter which is the reason I was a slow-adopter. What do I mean by misuse? Well, I know the job market is slow and everything, but I don’t want to hear about someone’s most recent snack and I definitely don’t want to tell you what mine was. It just seems like some folks just have way too much time on their hands!

As part of the Visual Alliance team (ps. I love Visual Alliance! No really I do!), part of my job function is to regularly use Twitter to build relationships. I’ve had to quickly learn that the only way to combat the ‘what are you doing’ tweets is to really manage the list of people that I follow and are following me. When someone repeatedly tweets about their latest cup of water- delete, unfollow, buh-bye. I can’t help it because it’s all just too frustrating.

No problem is ever fixed without a solution though, so my solution? Keep the list small and tidy. What about you? What frustrates you about Twitter and what do you do to deal with the frustration?  

The amount of soul Billie Holiday packs into this song is breathtaking.

Sen. Jay Rockefeller talks to Keith Olbermann about his new public option amendment.

October 11th - 8 a.m.
Cost: $25 per rider with first two hundred registered receiving "Love Shouldn't Hurt" T-shirt and Commemorative Patch. Come and enjoy good food,
music and lots of fun activities at every stop along the way.......here

The Spring of Tampa Bay

It has come to my attention yesterday that not everyone likes the ON THIS DAY videos I make, which show a video each day about a game the Bucs played in the past. I try my best to mix up the content, not always using a game I think is best, but show equally old Bucs, 90s orange Bucs, early Pewter Bucs, and Current post SuperBowl Bucs games too. The critics say this stuff can be done during the offseason. 

I do not take time away from the 2009 Bucs to do these videos, and I plan to do them back here on BucEm immediately because the number of people watching them has declined since I exported them to TheBucReport.

So here is your chance to voice your opinion. I only want to give Buc'em readers what they want. Vote now, let your opinions be heard.

Please leave comments (good ones) on the subject. 

Thank You!

Chuck Todd asked Press Sec. Robert Gibbs about the failure to pass the public option in the Senate Finance Committee. Helen Thomas asked Gibbs was asked why isn't Obama "fighting" for the public option. Gibbs would only say that the President supports choice and competition. Gibbs would not promise the President demanding a public option.

Q Health care — yesterday the Senate Finance Committee voted down two different versions of the public option, and I don’t believe we’ve heard from the White House officially on how — is this — is the President disappointed that the Senate — that no public option has made it through Senate Finance Committee, since this is something that he’s –

MR. GIBBS: I would say — I would reiterate what the President said in front of the joint session of Congress — it’s a proposal he favors in getting choice and competition. We’re working with all in Congress to figure out how best to provide that choice and competition. You’ve got one bill right now that doesn’t include a public option; you have four bills that do. This is part of the legislative process in reconciling all these ideas.

Q So why doesn’t he fight for it?

MR. GIBBS: We’re fighting for choice and competition and –

Q But not the public option.

MR. GIBBS: — and trying to get — go ahead.

Q Max Baucus said his reason for voting against it is that he could count votes — sort of implying — I guess he was trying to imply that he’s supportive of the idea, but because it didn’t have the votes he didn’t want to vote for it in committee. Does the President share that sort of same mind-set as Senator Baucus, that you can be — you’re not going to get everything you want, so — he supports it, but if the votes aren’t there, the votes aren’t there?

MR. GIBBS: Again, the most important thing — and you’ve heard the President say this — the most important thing is choice in competition; that in the individual and small business insurance market, if you have a geographic region that’s dominated by only one entity, you tend not to have — you certainly don’t have choice and it tends not to breed competition. We will work with Congress to find the best option for how to do that.

Q But you’re not going to sign a bill that doesn’t have something that in your mind — take your state of Alabama example — if Blue Cross Blue Shield of Alabama has still got 90 percent of the market, then you’re not signing that bill?

MR. GIBBS: The President I think has made it extremely clear that without choice and competition you won’t have health reform. We will ensure that whatever is passed in health reform meets that obligation.

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Leigh Humes

ConservaDems Vote AGAINST the American People Today!

My review is the cover story for this week’s Creative Loafing. Or check it here - “Do we want a society based on profit for some, or freedom for all? That’s the choice and question at the heart of this important documentary.”

Check out the great review in The Tampa Tribune (publishes this week in Friday Extra) for our production of And Baby Makes Seven!

"With three super-talented actors and director Karla Hartley at the helm, this is one of the best shows of the season ... Rothert was absolutely fantastic as Ruth/Henri/Orphan. Her exaggerated French accent and childlike mannerisms (especially when eating a peanut butter and jelly sandwich) were hilarious. Burns, as usual, lit up the stage with her expressive face and comedic timing. And Jenkins, a big kid in his own right, was a perfect new father — concerned, scared and joyful" - The Tampa Tribune

Since we’ve been traveling for a while now with a lot more coming up soon I have come up with a packing method that saves time and energy. When I get us ready for a trip I totally feel like The Multitasking Mom.

Here’s what I do:

1. All laundry is done the day before packing begins.
2. Every person is in charge of getting their own clothing and putting them on our dining room table.
3. They are to be put down as outfits, including underwear, socks, etc.
4. Other items such as pajamas, bathing suits, sweaters, etc. are put left out individually.
5. I use my checklist which is saved on my computer to go over all the items we need.
6. The suitcases are then packed by outfit so there’s no need to hunt and peck for what you need to wear.
7. I also keep small bags for our personal items ready and just replenish as needed.
8. My daughter has a small bag for Disney things, like her autograph book and pin lanyard that is ready to go too.

The only things I need to change is when we fly as I add a few carry on bags. Packing like this is a huge time saver. My family makes me like the best mom ever when this goes along smoothly.

Reward Offered

Any information succesfully leading to the “recovery” of the missing box will result in a free Bites certificate from our CL Deals store. That’s right, a $30 meal on us........here

Conservative columnist John Derbyshire argues to Alan Colmes that America would have been better if the women's suffrage movement failed. Derbyshire feels so strongly about this his book "We Are Doomed: Reclaiming Conservative Pessimism" has a section called “The Case Against Female Suffrage.”

DERBYSHIRE: Among the hopes that I do not realistically nurse is the hope that female suffrage will be repealed. But I’ll say this – if it were to be, I wouldn’t lose a minute’s sleep.

COLMES: We’d be a better country if women didn’t vote?

DERBYSHIRE: Probably. Don’t you think so?

COLMES: No, I do not think so whatsoever.

DERBYSHIRE: Come on Alan. Come clean here [laughing].

COLMES: We would be a better country? John Derbyshire making the statement, we would be a better country if women did not vote.

DERBYSHIRE: Yeah, probably.

Derbyshire is perfectly happy with restricting the liberties of half the population to further his conservative worldview.This isn't conjucture on my part. He literally admits so. Colmes asked Derbyshire if the Civil Right Act of 1964 should be repealed.

DERBYSHIRE: The 1964 Civil Rights Act? I think there is a case for repealing it.

COLMES: Why would you repeal that?

DERBYSHIRE: Because I think that you shouldn’t try to force people to be good.

Why build jails and convict dangerous criminals? We shouldn’t try to force people to be good. If we followed Derbyshire's illogical logic then people would be alllowed to commit crimes. If those crimes include lynching black males we can't force people to be good with federal civil rights laws. That would be silly.

Does anyone actually believe Derbyshire cares about the rights of women and minorities? In a National Review op-ed, Derbyshire gave away his belief white races are superior to blacks.

Name any universal characteristic of human nature, including cognitive and personality characteristics. Of all the observed variation in that characteristic, about half is caused by genetic differences. You may say that is only a half victory; but it is a complete shattering of the nurturist absolutism that ruled in the human sciences 40 years ago, and that is still the approved dogma in polite society, including polite political society, today.

Derbyshire is a supporter of the debunked book the Bell Curve. Authors Richard J. Herrnstein and Charles Murray wrote that IQ is based on race. Professor Melvin Konner wrote a rebuttal to the book.

This book presented strong evidence that genes play a role in intelligence but linked it to the unsupported claim that genes explain the small but consistent black-white difference in IQ. The juxtaposition of good argument with a bad one seemed politically motivated, and persuasive refutations soon appeared. Actually, African-Americans have excelled in virtually every enriched environment they have been placed in, most of which they were previously barred from, and this in only the first decade or two of improved but still not equal opportunity. It is likely that the real curves for the two races will one day be superimposable on each other, but this may require decades of change and different environments for different people. Claims about genetic potential are meaningless except in light of this requirement.

Fairness and Accuracy in Reporting notes Herrnstein and Murray got most of the book's research from the neo Nazi Pioneer Fund. The Southern Poverty Law Center has PF on it's hate groups list. The disingenuous Derbyshire wrote the "book that should, if anything, appeal more to the bleeding-heart, how-can-we-lift-up-the-poor?, earnest social reformer of the political Left than to the flint-faced, I've-made-my-pile-now-you-go-and-make-yours elitist of the political Right."

Derbyshire goes on to pump white supremist propaganda of racial superiority.

Even more offensive to the political Left was the book's retailing of some facts, well-known among psychometrists of all political persuasions, about the different statistical profiles presented by different common-ancestry groups when given standardized psychometric tests en masse. Groups of Ashkenazi-Jewish ancestry present very high means; groups of East Asian ancestry somewhat lower means; groups of white European-gentile ancestry lower still; and groups of black-African ancestry much lower yet. (Other common-ancestry groups scatter around the map, with their means mostly falling mostly between the black African and white European-gentile values. There are also differences in the standard deviations — the "spreads" — of the distributions, though these attract less interest because they require more math to understand.)

None of this is controversial among researchers. The results have been replicated thousands of times, all over the world, with every imaginable kind of control in place, and every conceivable objection factored in. Hypotheses about the test results being false on various grounds were decisively refuted decades ago, though they linger on as urban legends. Are the statistical differences produced by class bias? No: If your test-takers are drawn only from a narrow family-income band, the statistical differences are still there. Are they biased by ignorance on points of cultural experience? No: as Herrnstein and Murray describe at length, the statistical differences in scores are "wider on items that appear to be culturally neutral than on items that appear to be culturally loaded. And so on. These differences in statistical profiles are, as a sociologist of my acquaintance once remarked, as well established as the orbit of the Moon. To deny them, you have to deny the validity of psychometry altogether, or take refuge in pseudoscientific "hidden variable" hocus-pocus like the currently trendy though scientifically hilarious "stereotype threat" theory.

Do you still believe Derbyshire doesn't have a problem with women and black men?

I'm not going to lie. Maybe I am just as much as an attention whore as I am a wine whore because I spend a great part of my day trying to figure out what interests people about wine. Even more importantly, I spend a great deal of time trying to figure out what could possibly drive someone to read about wine on the internet?

I would like to share what I have figured out so far. Aside from coming equipped with a wine dispenser, free refills, and a clean glass, there are a two things that all websites should offer at a bare minimum: credibility and honesty.

I've also learned that wine lovers want useful information in an easy to digest albeit purple flavored pill. Whether it's a blog, winery, or online wineshop, many wine websites are hard to navigate and have too much text. I am as guilty of this flaw as anyone else. People also don't want to be sold anything or have anything forced down their throat. If it looks appetizing, don't worry, they'll take a sniff, swirl, and a sip all on their own!



Can't we all just get along?

So many wine writers and bloggers spend more time attacking each other than they spend discussing what they supposedly love most: wine. To watch this juvenile behavior is more disappointing than opening a corked bottle of Lafite. I'd like to state for the record that I see nothing wrong with debating about which bottle of Cabernet tastes better. Rather, it's the contemptuous clucking of peers picking away at each other that sounds more like fingernails on a chalkboard than anything I would care to read. The worst part: in the end, credibility is never won or even gained. In fact, everyone involved appears absolutely ridiculous.



We could accomplish so much more if we would just work together!

I'd like to challenge Robert Parker, Steve Heimoff, and all of the other wine bloggers, writers, and fanatics out there. The challenge: if only for only one moment, we join together like a vino loving Voltron to form a unified kick-ass machine. If for no other reason, we should do this for those people out there who look up to us winos for entertainment, education, and guidance!

So what do you say? Who's with me?


Cheers!



(This message brought to you by The Wine Whore)

This afternoon I had a chance to travel to an exotic location, Seffner of the deep Souf, to do an album cover shoot for local musician, internet celebrity, and friend, Ken Spivey (followed by a sinfully wonderful bag of Kash n' Karry fried chicken tenders and potato wedges).  Ken artistically reinvents himself every few years, and this time the Tardis has regenerated him as, well, the love child of Lord Byron and Bob Dylan, and I'm honored to be involved with the production of his new artistic expression.  I’ll post a mockup of the cd cover as soon as Ken picks something out, along with details of the upcoming CD release party.

The Publix at the Southgate Shopping Center reopens tomorrow at 8 a.m. First opened in 1957 and given facelifts over subsequent years, the building was razed to the ground in early 2009 and rebuilt in less than nine months.

Arriving at a slightly larger than average 47,300 square feet, the new store will sport an extra feature or two not found in recently constructed Publix groceries: a “Body Care” aisle and 86 feet of wine and mixers.

On opening day, male store managers will wear old style Publix ties. Female managers will sort the equivalent Publix scarf. All demo station associates will wear black bow ties.

Taking a counterclockwise walk around the perimeter of the store is the quickest method to find the major departments.

Entrance

Black marble from the old store entrance has been recycled to serve as the lower walls of the store lobby. Stepping through the interior doors reveals a new customer service desk. The half circle desk will handle money orders, stamps, and such typical needs.

Just to the right is the store’s main display. Expect that to change with special events and seasons. Right now it’s a combination of a look back into the store’s 1957 opening and the 2009 fall specials.

The store sports a Blockbuster DVD kiosk. Using a credit or debit card, customers can choose a DVD for $1 a night rental. Note that DVD must be returned before 7 pm the day after rental.

Floral, Bakery, Deli

To the right of the door is the full service floral department. Stepping past the bright colors takes shoppers into the bakery.

Traditional floor displays have been replaced with easily arranged nesting tables. Wall colors help customers pick out sections of the bakery to quickly find breads, cakes, and other items.

Those looking for a wake-up before work will find that Publix has introduced a coffee machine (.75 a cup) and self-serve donut and pastry display. On Opening Day, the wall above the coffee machine will sport a pair of 1950s car silhouettes made out of bread.

Using state of the art full rack ovens, Publix bakes bread at 110 degrees with 81 to 85 humidity to keep the crust soft.

The deli occupies much of the North wall of the store. Boar’s Head deli meats are featured at the counter as Publix has exclusive rights to sell the products in Florida.

Cheese affectionados will find a cooler stacked with selections from Italy, France, and other countries that pride themselves on their creations. You might even find one or two cheese products from Wisconsin. Publix suggests talking to the deli manager or assistant manager if you can’t find a favorite flavor or brand. The store will special order if they can get it shipped to the store.

Produce

The produce department has adopted a natural and organic approach. Look for signs for produce that was grown organically or “earth friendly.” There are bulk displays and pre-packaged items.

There is an emphasis on presentation. Items are hand stacked in baskets smaller than usually found in a large supermarket.

The Southgate Publix uses the colors and wall signs of other recent stores. However, it includes many photographs and displays that reflect the history of the location. Be sure to look up slightly higher than eye-level as you move through the store.

A cut fruit counter was empty on Wednesday. Publix officials note that fruit is cut several times a day, but the market was waiting as late as possible to prepare for the grand reopening.

Seafood, Meat, and Milk

On the back, West, wall are the seafood, meat, and dairy coolers. The seafood section includes freshly prepared sushi, and a lobster tank (to arrive soon after the grand opening.) Meat is prepared just behind the counters, but out of sight of customers. However, butchers and seafood specialists are visible to take special orders.

The milk and some dairy items are stacked from behind the coolers. A 40-degree walk-in refrigerator opens into the back of the coolers to allow Publix employees to add stock from behind.

In 1957 the Opening Day special for the Southgate Publix was Pork Loin at $0.45 a pound. In 2009, the special is Ribeye Steaks at 5.99 a pound.

Dairy and the Body Care Aisle

Other dairy items are in traditional open coolers on the South wall of the store. Just across the aisle are the store’s special touch — Body Care. Customers can find supplements, special dietary needs, power bars, breakfast drinks and weight control items.

The Southgate Publix employs 120 associates. When the old store closed for renovations, the employees were assigned to other area stores. Approximately 75% returned to Southgate, and the rest are new to the company.

Pharmacy

In the Southeast corner of the store is the expanded pharmacy. The clerks from Wolfson’s Drugs have moved from across South Florida to run the department. Wolfson’s was purchased by Publix years ago, but has operated in their separate building until this rebuild. Publix announced that this pharmacy will continue Wolfson’s well-loved delivery program. On the South wall is a display of items from Wolfson’s 50-year-plus history.

Store Hours are 8am to 9pm daily. The pharmacy is open 9 am – 9 pm Monday to Friday, 9 am to 7 pm on Saturday, and 11 am to 6 pm on Sunday. The store phone is (863) 683-9860 and the Pharmacy is at (863) 686-4241 — the number previously used at Wolfson Pharmacy.

Aisles

There are 16 aisles of traditional inventory – including the Body Care/Dairy aisle on the South wall. Aisles include small rounded sections in each aisle where shoppers can find Greenwise products. Those are the items Publix has determined are natural, organic, or “Earth friendly.”

Though many Publix stores have Greenwise departments, Publix spokesperson Shannon Patton explained that the approach at Southgate was to put the products next to their traditional counterparts.

On Grand Opening day, numerous demo stations will be set throughout the store to allow associates to highlight and promote products. Each station features a large photograph of some aspect of Publix history.

Check-out

There are nine check-out counters. Note that two express lanes exit right in front of the doors — for the customer in such a hurry that six extra steps are too many.

The first few hundred customers Thursday will receive a specially printed reusable grocery bag commemorating the grand opening.

The East wall includes a large display of Publix reusable bags. A monitor displays information on Publix programs to reduce energy. A Wall of Recognition is a display of Publix associates who have earned accolades from managers and customers.

The new manager of the Southgate store is Bill Vollmar. In his 28th year with the company, Vollmar started his career as a bagger at Southgate.

All photos credit: Tom Hagerty for Lakeland Local

Area stories at Lakeland Local or Metro I4 News for regional articles.

Originally Published as Southgate Publix Preview

It may be one of the bigger he said/they said arguments in the recent history of Tampa Bay area media.

The Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office issued a media alert today announcing they have suspended contact with Tampa Bay area CBS affiliate WTSP-Ch. 10, saying reporter Mike Deeson verbally berated a civilian employee in their office. Chief Deputy Jose Docobo said the office had never issued a similar action in his 29 years' experience, refusing to send press releases or alerts about press conference to one media outlet.

The action was the culmination of a long friction between the sheriff's office and WTSP over Deeson's tough reports on the agency, which one officer said began when the reporter was turned down for a job in 2004 just after Sheriff David Gee's election.

Deeson denies ever soliciting a job from Gee, calling the charge "A bald-faced lie." Former WTSP employee Bill McGinty -- who remains a close friend of Deeson's -- e-mailed from Spokane, Wash., where he serves as a 10 p.m. anchor at NBC affiliate KHQ, saying he called Gee for a job in 2004 and the sheriff may have confused the two men.  

Deeson said the sheriff's office doesn't like his reports on controversial issues, including a story noting substantial outside income helped Gee earn $908,312 last year and a piece on the construction of a $675,000 wall around the sheriff's office operations center.

For Deeson, the action by the sheriff's office had serious First Amendment implications: "If I'm the one they're not going to contact about press conferences, then who is next? I think it's an attempt to have a chilling effect on any other organization that's going to do critical stories." 

Friction between the two sides boiled over earlier today, when the sheriff's office scheduled a press conference and did not invite Deeson -- who admitted he was angry as he called around to various sheriff's office personnel to find out about the meeting. "I think I used the phrase, 'I am spitting nails,' " said Deeson, who nevertheless couldn't explain why the sheriff's office would say he once applied for a job there.

Later today, the sheriff's office released a media alert criticizing Deeson and announcing their new policy, saying in part: "For a period of time Mr. Deeson has embarked on an unethical, dishonest and personal campaign to discredit the work of the Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office and Sheriff David Gee. Mr. Deeson has threatened employees at all levels of our agency and routinely berates our staff in the name of reporting.  It is clear to the Sheriff's Office that Mr. Deeson has lost his journalistic objectivity."

"If he makes a public request for documents, we will comply . . . but we don't have any obligation to notify Channel 10 of any press conferences or press releases," said Chief Deputy Docobo. "What we expect is what the public expects from all journalists -- fair and unbiased reporting of incidents without a personal bias."

Managers at WTSP stressed they were standing behind Deeson's work, while hoping to rebuild communications with the sheriff's office, which also issued a media alert Sept. 18 critical of Deeson's reporting on an incident when a gun was discovered inside a briefcase at the George E. Edgecomb Courthouse in downtown Tampa.

"They have obviously decided to take this fight to another level," said WTSP news director Darren Richards. "What we're going to try to do is stand behind Mike, support him and also reach out to the sheriff's department and find out how we can both do our jobs."

See Deeson's latest report on the sheriff's office -- and a quote from the press conference that tstarted this dust-up -- below:

It must be said, and I will be the one to say it: rape is not a case of morals. Rape is a crime of violence and domination, and it is illegal--punishable by imprisonment for varying lengths of time (and even, potentially and technically, prior to the Supreme Court's decision last year in Louisiana vs. Kennedy, by death*)--in every one of our United States.

Yet the language of the unforgivable rape-apologia screed, aka the now-famous Leave Roman Polanski Alooooone! Petition--signed, you'll note, by score after score of utterly idiotic Hollywood types--reads thus:

We have learned the astonishing news of Roman Polanski's arrest by the Swiss police on September 26th, upon arrival in Zurich (Switzerland) while on his way to a film festival where he was due to receive an award for his career in filmmaking.

His arrest follows an American arrest warrant dating from 1978 against the filmmaker, in a case of morals.

A case of morals. Not a case in which a wealthy, powerful forty-something director forced himself onto and into the body of a thirteen-year-old girl, both vaginally and anally, and refused to cease his raping of her despite her cries of No and Stop. Which action, by the way, is textbook and prima facie rape right there and then--forcible penetration without consent--and that's before you consider that Polanski first plied the girl with illegal drugs (Quaaludes) and alcohol, and ah yes, before you factor in the detail of the girl's minor status: she was thirteen years old.

And not a criminal case which wound up with Polanski's attorneys pleading it down to statutory rape--itself a felony--and then, with Polanski fleeing the country before fully serving even that slap-on-the-wrist punishment. (Remember: he forcibly raped and sodomized a child after giving her illegal drugs and alcohol.)

No, no. According to some actors, filmmakers, and others in The Business, this was merely a case of morals.

As friends, family, and long-time readers will recall, I am a serious Martin Amis fan--have been for many, many years. Amis interviewed Polanski back in 1979, shortly after Polanski fled the States and just as he was to embark on a life of luxury living and prolific art-making while in exile. Lo and behold, a friend reminded me of said interview, originally published in Amis' interview anthology Visiting Mrs. Nabokov and now revisited by the Telegraph yesterday; this Polanski quote leaps horrifically and unrepentantly from the page:

“If I had killed somebody, it wouldn’t have had so much appeal to the press, you see? But… fucking, you see, and the young girls. Judges want to fuck young girls. Juries want to fuck young girls. Everyone wants to fuck young girls!”

A case of morals. In response to the aforementioned petition by the artistes, then, I'd like to use my small (but earnest and well-intentioned) virtual soapbox to make the following statement of my own:

To all actors, directors, and filmmaking sorts who felt compelled to sign on to the pathetic rape apologia in re: the Roman Polanski case, and who, in so doing, have given liberals like me a bad name: You have done immeasurable harm to the shared causes of women, children, liberalism, actual artists, and truly moral human beings. You stupid, vacuous, morally bereft morons.

Also at Cogitamus.

*Edited to reflect the 2008 Supreme Court decision ruling as unconstitutional the use of the death penalty in non-homicide aggravated rape cases.

A painter applies a finishing touch to a parking lot sign

A Publix associate makes a last minute repair and clean-up to a freezer door.

Workers removed and resurface an entrance floor found just a bit too high for the emergency door.

photo credit: Tom Hagerty for Lakeland Local

Area stories at Lakeland Local or Metro I4 News for regional articles.

Originally Published as Southgate Public Preparations

ACORN is being publicly denounced by Sen. David Vitter.

“It’s certainly not news to anyone that ACORN has been the subject of some controversy over the past year, and last year’s presidential election brought to light evidence of ACORN chapters engaging in fraudulent voter registration activities,” added Vitter. “They are currently under federal investigation, and this is simply not the sort of organization that should be funded by taxpayer dollars.”

I am not a fan of ACORN. That doesn't mean the attacks against ACORN haven't been outlandish. On the Senate floor, Vitter blames ACORN for the housing crisis. The Federal Reserve gave loans to Citigroup, Bank of America, JPMorganChase and Wachovia. These lending institutions got into trouble for giving mortages to people that couldn't pay. The banks were selling credit default swaps (derivatives) to create more income. The banks were over-leveraging on derivatives that were often worthless. Banks would engage in increasingly predatory lending practice to bring in more revenue. Economist Tyler Cowen wrote, "As much as 70 percent of recent early payment defaults had fraudulent misrepresentations on their original loan applications, according to one recent study." For Vitter to say ACORN is responsible for the subprime crisis is irresponsible.

Progressives are having fun noting ACORN was caught in a fake prositution stig by conservative activists Hannah Giles and James O'Keefe. Vitter has his very real prostitution scandal. Melanie Sloan, Executive Director, Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington, points out Vitter broke prositution laws in Washington, DC and Louisiana.

Andy Cobb makes a hysterical video about Vitter's obsession with ACORN. Pushing Rope pal Tina Dupuy appears in the video.