Don’t look for any presidential candidate, including the Democrats, to show real geo-political guts on Cuba. Why should they when no member of Florida’s congressional delegation does? And that’s the way it (embar)goes.

You can’t make this stuff up. Gillian Gibbons is the British school teacher in Sudan who allowed her class of 6-year-olds to name a teddy bear Mohammed. Oops. Ultra-strict Sharia law formally frowns on such disrespect. Gibbons was arrested and charged with offending religion and insulting Islam. Punishment could have been six months in jail [...]

We know that Gov. Charlie Crist is “innovative” and “open minded,” because he tells us so. We also know he’s all about “the people’s business,” because he keeps reminding us. Here’s a suggestion: Governor, if you really want to earn that populist self-labeling, get out in front of what is the core, overriding issue in [...]

Nice touch on Bob Hite’s farewell broadcast at WFLA, Channel 8. A video of well wishers, topped by iconic anchorman Walter Cronkite, was impressive. Especially classy: tributes from the competition, WTVT co-anchors John Wilson and Kelly Ring.

The recent flap over a proposed name change of the MOSI Partnership school has reinforced, once again, the dicey task of school naming. In the good name of wanting to honor the honorable — for example, Mayor Pam Iorio’s late father, the beloved John Iorio — we perpetuate a ritual too subjective to be consistently [...]

Good to see savvy, USF-St. Pete political scientist Darryl Paulson get national face time in the lead-up to last week’s CNN/YouTube Republican debate in St. Petersburg. He knows his stuff and is never sound-bite challenged. Also gaining national exposure was the University of Tampa, which served as the venue (Fletcher Lounge in Plant Hall) for [...]

The Architectural Review Commission, as we know, can easily morph into the Door Knocker Nazis in their self-important interpretation of what’s appropriate for designated historic areas. But among those in the know, few are disagreeing with the ARC’s approach to proposals for redevelopment of Hyde Park Village. The ARC has now twice rejected plans by [...]

In the aftermath of that Riverview youth drilling into an ammonia pipe – and resultant evacuations, school closings and environmental harm – talk has turned to pipeline vulnerabilities. A network of more than 900 miles carries gas and hazardous liquids regionally. It’s been pointed out that a better job of protecting pipes can be done. [...]

There was a lot to like about the Tampa Bay Rays’ recent rollout of their new sunburst-complementing, traditional-looking uniforms and newly exorcised name. For openers, not much this side of Monte Carlo surpasses the early evening, fall ambience of Straub Park fronting St. Petersburg’s rapturous downtown waterfront. An overflow crowd of 7,000 would bear witness. [...]

*Hillsborough County Commissioners have no right to bristle over references to their well-earned “dysfunctional” and “yahoo” reputations. Most recent example: Ousting Commissioner Rose Ferlita from her seat on the Tampa Port Authority and replacing her – by an outrageous 5-2 vote – with Brian Blair. If anyone should “apologize,” it should be those five – [...]