Class Reunion Notice Prompts Reverie

Talk about a jolt.

 

I’ve just been informed that my eighth grade graduating class – St. Timothy’s Catholic School in the Northeast section of Philadelphia – will be gathering, at least in disparate parts, for a reunion. A 50th reunion.

 

Instant reverie of a half century ago.

 

To be sure, the Eisenhower Administration was holding up its end of the Cold War contretemps, and Fidel Castro had just toppled the Batista government in Cuba. And Hawaii would become the 50th state. On balance, we thought Jerry Lee Lewis was a lot more relevant.

 

At a much more parochial level, 1959 was also the year that Catholic school students were all properly apprised that Pope John XXIII was calling the first Ecumenical Council in nearly 100 years. We thought that was about as much fun as watching Milton Berle with our parents.

 

Personally, I was more concerned with an eighth grade crush on Eleanor Verdi, a spring sortie to West Philadelphia to get on Bandstand, the cool movie that was “Ben Hur” and the better-than-average prospects of the Eagles that year. The Phillies still stunk.

 

The reunion letter — who tipped them off? — referenced our graduating class of more than 180. We were divided into three sections, where the same nun taught the same 60-plus students everything – from religion to math – in the same classroom.

 

Imagine, 60-plus students per class. Boys on one side, girls on the other. Now is that not, Florida Class Size Amendment advocates, the teacher-to-student ratio from hell?  

 

But somehow, we learned. We didn’t know how pedagogically put-upon we were and how uncool it was to have to wear school ties and uniforms. What about fashion and our need to express our individuality?

 

We read a lot, wrote a lot, memorized a lot and homeworked a lot. We thought self esteem was something to be earned — not a separate curriculum.

 

Discipline was meted out summarily by the nuns. Most of the ones I had didn’t look like the answer to a central casting call for petite and pious looking extras for “The Song of Bernadette” or “The Miracle of Our Lady of Fatima.” They mostly looked like they could have gone three rounds with Jake LaMotta.

 

Corporal punishment was administered to the usual class clowns – but the distraction to the rest of the class was minimal. That’s because the nuns had the ultimate leverage – your parents. They were all on the same side, and there was no copping a plea at home.

 

It was the Napoleonic Code. If the nun — and mine was Sister Charles Mary in eighth grade — said you were guilty of acting like a smart aleck, then you were. In fact, your parents — and back then they always came in pairs — had also seen that side of you.

Obama Goes Slow On Cuba

Those expecting – and now hoping – for a more dramatic shift in Cuban-American policy continue to wax anxious and disappointed. President Barack Obama’s lifting of restrictions on Cuban-American travel and remittances is seen as more of a token gesture, one that merely undoes what his pandering predecessor had done.

 

The feeling is that in his heart of hearts President Obama would likely want to fast track improved relations with Cuba. It amounts to low-hanging fruit that has major economic, humanitarian and geopolitical upsides. And we need low-hanging fruit in the worst way.

 

But what the president doesn’t need is to give more ammo to his domestic political adversaries — Limbaugh, Cheney, Palin & Co. — who would characterize him as kowtowing to dictators or worse – unless he uses the proper rhetoric in referring to Cuba. That means the rhetoric of preconditions – as in political prisoners, human rights, and all things “democratic.” The approach is insulting to Cuba. Or to any other sovereign country.

 

Imagine our relations with Egypt, Saudi Arabia or China, to name just three, if they were preconditioned on democratic reforms. But those countries are too globally important and too far away. Cuba is 90 miles away – and the rancor is personal — often familial — and hypocritical.

 

But even unequals, especially Cuba, won’t accept being dictated to. And as the U.S. State Department well knows, the first rule of good faith diplomacy is to never back the other side into a corner. Given the anti-sovereignty rhetoric from Obama and Dan Restrepo, his Senior Director of Western Hemisphere Affairs at the National Security Council, there has to be some internal State Department-Administration strain on this one.

Locals Position For Post-Embargo Cuba

This month’s Cuba News quotes Jose Valiente, chairman of the World Trade Center Tampa Bay, on the rationale for organizing a fact-finding trip of business leaders to Cuba this summer. “We want to get our community ready for when the time comes,” said Valiente, a Cuban-American. It’s all about relationships…It’s a totally non-political endeavor.”

 

Two points.

 

First, it’s problematic what can be accomplished by those who — despite positions of some influence — have never been players in sincerely trying to bridge trade differences between the U.S. and Cuba. They’ve been, in effect, part of the problem.

 

The Cubans aren’t stupid – or inattentive. They know more American interests will be coming out of the woodwork to try and self-servingly position themselves to take advantage of  opportunities in a post-embargo Cuba. Not every fact-finder will be rewarded. Some won’t even get visas.

 

Second, there’s no such thing as a fact-finding, business trip to Cuba that is “nonpolitical.”

Cut More From Radio/TV Marti Budget

Good call by the Obama Administration to make budget cuts in the ineffectual, counterproductive, Miami-based Radio and TV Marti. That’s the government broadcasting network that beams ham-handed propaganda into Cuba. Quality journalism and Radio and TV Marti are considered oxymoronic by anyone outside the exile community and their right-wing political acolytes.

 

Unfortunately, the cut will only lop off about $2.5 million from the nearly $35 million budget.

 

If Radio and TV Marti really wanted to do some good, they would simply continue to underwrite the broadcast of Major League Baseball – and nothing else.

Rays’ Suite Deals

Among the usual bills, solicitations and Netflix offerings in this week’s mail was an unexpected piece from the Tampa Bay Rays. The Rays are direct-mail marketing single game suite rentals.

 

For $1,500, you and yours — from buddies to employees — can rent a Luxury Entertainment Suite that includes 16 suite tickets, 4 guest passes, 3 VIP parking passes, plus full access to meeting rooms and a full range of catering options. That’s the price for a Gold Game, which means it’s not the Yankees, Red Sox or Phillies. Those are “Blue Games” and cost $2,600.

 

And for $5,800, you can rent an Executive Suite that includes 32 suite tickets, 4 guest passes, 6 VIP parking passes, plus access to meeting rooms and a full range of catering options. That’s for Blue Games. Executive Suite Gold Games are $4,000.

 

In between, there are five other rental plans.

 

It’s a reminder that the Rays are hustling to take advantage of their new status as defending American League champions and one of the most attractive Major League Baseball teams.

Gasparilla Should Still Consider Venue Change

This time the crowd left its rhetorical pitchforks and flambeaus at home.

 

The 50 or so residents who turned out recently at the Kate Jackson Center in Hyde Park came to hear how those in charge were going to improve the Gasparilla Parade. To make it safer for both attendees and local residents.

 

Word was already out that the police would be cracking down on young, drunken, trespissing anarchists. Moreover, there would be a lot more port-o-lets, additional water-side viewing areas and an extended parade route. There would even be a formal initiative to educate youth – and their parents – about alcohol abuse.

 

The good-faith game plan and presentation — by city officials and (promoter) EventFest — for Gasparilla 2010 was obviously appreciated. This was no mere lip service to placate complaining residents. Some attendees were downright praiseworthy of the game plan.

 

But the new, multi-faceted strategy was also notable for what it didn’t address: venue change.

 

Bayshore Boulevard, say those in charge as well as many in the media, is the iconically perfect place for Tampa’s signature parade. Moreover, it’s such a hallowed tradition. By all means, let’s “tweak” the venue – that’s Neighborhood Services Coordinator Santiago Corrada’s preferred verb – but don’t even dare consider relocating it from Bayshore.

 

Well, some still dare. Especially those who remember when the “tradition” meant a Kennedy Boulevard parade route and more emphasis on high school marching bands than flasher-inspired bead tossing. Especially those who live at or near today’s Gasparilla “ground zero” – South Tampa’s Hyde Park neighborhood. By way of disclaimer, that includes me.

 

Here’s the essence of the issue. A neighborhood adjacent to a huge event – and 350,000 plus qualifies – is, by definition, an inappropriate juxtaposition. And unfair to the residents. “Tweaking” won’t render it fair – or appropriate. 

 

There’s a reason why big, prominent parades – think Carnival in Rio, Macy’s in New York, the Tournament of Roses in Pasadena and the Mummers in Philadelphia – are held in downtowns and not by front lawns and neighborhood alleys. At approximately 1,400, there are still too few cops and too many drunks for an abutting neighborhood to be anything but vulnerable to invaders. “Zero tolerance” signage and smarter police deployment won’t, arguably, be deterrent enough to those inclined to societal mayhem.

 

And it certainly won’t obviate the need for homeowners to pay for property fencing and security guards. It’s called legal extortion.

 

And one final thought. If you read any of the immediate, post-Gasparilla, online comments or alternative newspaper coverage, you would have noted the barrage of proletarian piffle. As in, “If you’re lucky enough to live in a Bayshore neighborhood, then shut up about Gasparilla. Who the hell are you to complain?” It gives new meaning to non sequitur.  

 

Here’s this resident’s response:

 

            “For the record, residents of neighborhoods adjacent to the Gasparilla Parade route are not chronic ‘complainers’ and whiney elites who resent being ‘inconvenienced’ by the Gasparilla Parade Pirate Fest. In reality, we don’t mind ‘taking one for the team,’ when the team is Tampa and its signature parade.

 

“We’re no less proud of our traditions than anyone else. But we are outraged when they are perverted. And largely at our expense. We don’t think it’s a character flaw to be intolerant of those at odds with civilizational norms. Those who have had a one-day free pass to convert a ‘signature’ parade into the street party from hell.”

Crist Upshot

Now that it’s finally official and Gov. Charlie Crist will, indeed, run for Mel Martinez’s U.S. Senate seat, it’s already apparent what his strategy will be. That was underscored and summarized in his low-key, e-mailed announcement.

 

“Here in Florida we’ve shown that when we put people first and work together, much can be accomplished, and I intend to bring that same approach to Washington,” declared Crist. 

 

In other words, there’s a lot more mileage left in slogans, platitudes and a quintessential, nice-guy image.

 

While it obviously wasn’t all his fault, Crist will be leaving a state worse off than when he came to office. Property taxes and insurance rates never dropped like rocks, and he never considered exhuming Jeb’s bully pulpit to even try to pressure the Legislature to act financially responsible. Florida’s Ponzi-inspired, revenue-raising formula was never challenged as the state stayed fixated on one-time income paying too big a portion of recurring expenses.

 

Charlie fiddled while Florida yearned for a post mega-growth strategy. Crist doesn’t just leave unfinished business; he leaves unstarted business.

 

And who knows how long he can keeping dodging a major hurricane on his watch?

 

The usual political observers have already expressed (influence-eroding) concern about Crist’s lame duck status. What happens to his leverage? A better question: Will anyone notice a difference?

Scholarship — Not Subsidy

For most of its dozen years of existence, Florida’s Bright Futures Scholarships have been in the cross hairs of controversy. The ongoing, core question: Because it is not need-based, does it give too much help to the affluent? But, frankly, is that a valid enough concern when the prime objective of the program is to entice the brightest students to stay home and go to college in Florida?

 

Now the subplots are thickened by all-too-familiar, budget concerns. What was a $70-million program at inception in 1997 is now at $380 million.

 

A suggestion: If this is to be a scholarship and not a subsidy, toughen up the criteria. “Medallion Scholars,” for example, get 75 percent of their tuition and fees covered at a four-year public university or 100 percent at a state community college. The criteria: A 970 SAT and a 3.0 average. This used to be called above average – but hardly scholarship worthy. Get real. If fewer qualify, so be it.

 

Then there is the (ostensibly) skewed-priority issue that Bright Futures’ critics lambaste  when they reference the “BMW fund” or a rich kids’ “entitlement” program. Indeed, the state shouldn’t be in the business of indirectly subsidizing sorority fees or luxury cars.

 

A sliding scale, where need is a factor, could be accommodated. But only if need is far outweighed by merit and prestige. The best and brightest have plenty of options outside Florida, a state that can ill afford a brain drain. Now more than ever.

Gasparilla Will Try Harder To Rein In Annual Mayhem

When about 50 Hyde Park residents gathered last week to hear back from city officials and event planners about changes in the Gasparilla Parade, they heard enough to feel that their voices of concern hadn’t been summarily dismissed. They had complained passionately, articulately — and often angrily — six weeks prior about anarchy in their midst.

 

They now heard about police re-deployment plans, more port-o-lets, additional water-side viewing areas, educational initiatives and an extended parade route down Ashley Drive for Gasparilla 2010. They also listened as Tampa Police Major Marc Hamlin informed the gathering that TPD will be enforcing a “no tolerance” policy for the day’s traditional outrages: ranging from underage drinking and private-property trespissing to assaultive behavior and public sex.

 

Two points.

 

First, the city and (promoter) EventFest should be commended for having made a good faith effort to make next year’s Gasparilla Parade better – as in safer. For attendees and for residents.

 

Deploying more officers into the alleys and using remote booking facilities to expedite arrests will help. As will signage that underscores the message that TPD is serious about enforcing a “no tolerance” policy for underage drinking and the usual variations on an uncivilized-conduct theme.

 

Second. In reality, Gasparilla 2010 may be merely less anarchic, hardly a standard to aspire to. That’s because some 1,400 police, including Florida State Beverage Division personnel, will still be overwhelmingly outnumbered by hordes in excess of 350,000. Extending the parade route and carving out public-viewing access on the Hillsborough Bay side of Bayshore Boulevard will only impact those who actually care about viewing a parade. More port-o-lets might be a moot point for most of the bladder-challenged fueled on something other than bottled water. And those who face legal extortion each year will still have to fence off their properties and hire private security.

 

That’s why a change of venue was — and remains — necessary. Not just some highly publicized, well-intentioned “tweaks,” as characterized by Santiago Corrada, Tampa’s Neighborhood Services Coordinator.

 

A neighborhood adjacent to a jumbo parade, signature status notwithstanding, is, by definition, an unsuitable venue. It can’t be “tweaked” into suitability. That’s why big, prominent parades – from Carnival in Rio to Macy’s in New York to the Tournament of Roses in Pasadena – are held in downtowns – not next to somebody’s front lawn.

 

That’s why, for example, the Chicago neighborhood of Beverly, which had been hosting a South Side Irish St. Patrick’s Parade for years, finally canceled theirs after the 2009 version. Something about crowd management and public safety as oxymorons. Drunks and punks were overwhelming the police and the neighborhood, and the luck of the Irish — but not their common sense — had run out.

No Vigilante

One final note. For those who may have seen my cameo sound bites last Thursday evening or Friday morning on WFLA, Channel 8 or WFTS, Channel 28, let me supply some context. No, I wasn’t trying to channel a Charles Bronson vigilante character. But, yes, I was trying to clarify a couple of points. And, yes, I do live near “ground zero.”

 

First, I had wanted to respond publicly to someone who had asked me if I were one of the “complainers.” My response:

 

“For the record, we Hyde Park residents are not chronic complainers and whiney elites who resent being ‘inconvenienced’ by the Gasparilla Parade Pirate Fest. In reality, we don’t mind ‘taking one for the team,’ when the team is Tampa and its signature parade. We’re no less proud of our traditions than anyone else. But we are outraged when they are perverted. And largely at our expense. We don’t think it’s a character flaw to be intolerant of those at odds with civilizational norms.

 

“What we specifically mind is being subjected to an invasion. The use of euphemisms has worked to our detriment. So let’s not traffic in terms such as ‘rowdy’ or even ‘bawdy.’ That sounds like a Bucs game. This is way beyond that. 

 

“Absent a change of venue, we would certainly want a no-nonsense message sent by the City and the Tampa Police Department — in the run-up to Gasparilla 2010 — to teens, their parents and others to whom this applies. The message, in effect, should be this:

 

            ‘Your one-day exemption from legal and societal responsibilities has been revoked. If you break the law, you will be arrested. And neither you nor your enabling parents are going to like it and how it will look. We frankly don’t care. Trespassing, drunken disorderly, assault, underage consumption and indecent exposure charges await.

 

‘You’ve been fully warned. There will be consequences. We don’t care who you are or who you know or who your parents know.

 

‘If we have anything to say about it, no longer will the Gasparilla Parade be synonymous with the ‘Street Party From Hell.’ And we do, indeed, have something to say about it.’”

Rays’ Status

The Tampa Bay Rays, defending American League champions, are no longer the late-night-comedian-punch-line piñatas of Major League Baseball. This was underscored again this past weekend when the Rays’ Saturday afternoon game against the Boston Red Sox was covered nationally by Fox Sports and the following Sunday night game against the Bosox was televised by ESPN.

 

Fox’s color analyst Tim McCarver was notably complimentary to the Rays as one of MLB’s “elites” and referenced burgeoning star Evan Longoria as “Hall of Fame” material.

 

Alas, McCarver’s normal play-by-play colleague, Joe Buck, wasn’t there. His place in the broadcast booth was taken by the versatile journeyman Dick Stockton. He didn’t wait long to remind viewers that he’s no Joe Buck.

 

No, he didn’t reference Joe Maddon’s charges as the “Devil Rays.” But worse, especially if you’re Rick Baker and the understandably sensitive fans of St. Petersburg. Stockton called them the “Tampa Rays.”

 

Wonder if he ever refers to the “Green Packers?”