Commentary
Everything we know about work is wrong. The pandemic proved it
So what can the plight of a little cafe tell you about the state of the American economy and the changing face of work? A lot, as it turns out. The other week, the bistro where my family and I have been grabbing brunch every Sunday since the start of the pandemic announced that it […]
When it comes to FL politicians and the environment, a myth is as good as a mile
You may find this hard to believe, but Florida is full of mythical creatures. I don’t mean the fantastic critters you see at the theme parks – the talking mice, the flying carpet, the dancing candlesticks serving your dinner. No, I mean things like our version of the Yeti, the odiferous Skunk Ape. It supposedly […]
Is America experiencing a different kind of ‘civil war’? | Opinion
Wars are not always fought by armed military forces with guns, bombs, stealth fighters, and sophisticated weaponry. And the enemy is not always clearly defined. Even the reasons for war often lack clarity. But the divisiveness and fighting still rage, nonetheless. At first glance, you might think characterizing the divisiveness that America is experiencing today […]
Hey, GOP: There’s a museum up in Montgomery y’all really ought to see
MONTGOMERY — You walk out of the fierce summer sun into a shadowy forest of rectangular steel columns, row upon row of them, six or seven feet tall, covered in rust the color of dried blood. It takes a minute to adjust to the dim light. Then you begin to see the names inscribed on […]
Raising the dam-nable road that ruined Florida’s Everglades
Much like all the Florida men and women who drive on them — usually while yakking on their phones, fixing their makeup, and reloading their guns — Florida’s roads tend to have a, shall we say, “interesting” backstory. For instance, Interstate 4, the deadliest highway in the nation, is supposedly haunted by the ghosts of […]
Opinion: We’ve coddled ignorance for years. Now we’re all paying the price with COVID.
Sane America has had enough. After almost two years of a horrific pandemic that’s killed almost 620,000 Americans and deadly, faster-spreading variants emerging because selfish and ignorant people refuse to get vaccinated — those of us who have tried to do everything right have no more f–ks left to give. Anti-vaxxers, COVID conspiracy theorists, and […]
In our mad, polarized, COVID surge summer, the only way out is through | John L. Micek
It all kind of piled up this week: COVID hospitalizations and deaths are up. We’re still trying to convince the unvaccinated to get vaccinated, even as intensive care units fill beyond capacity. As the Delta variant of the implacable virus attacks our children. Florida’s governor threatens the withhold the wages of educators who want to protect the lives of young people in their charge. […]
Florida’s boondoggle bridge carries a curse for all who touch it
For years, I have heard that the only constants in this life are death and taxes, but I suspect this is not true. I think there’s at least one other constant, at least in my life — the Garcon Point Bridge. I have been writing about this Panhandle boondoggle for more than 20 years. Every […]
Should eligible, unvaccinated people be medically triaged at the same priority as the vaccinated?
The Hippocratic Oath requires doctors to treat all patients equally — but what happens when you run out of doctors? This isn’t the first time medical staff and hospital beds were in short supply during the pandemic. There is, however, something notably different this time. In the early stages of COVID-19, patients overflowed hospitals at […]
Bookman: Top Trump DOJ official’s letter staked out Georgia as path to a coup
On Dec. 28, a top official in the Trump Department of Justice circulated an extraordinary, potentially history-altering letter to his colleagues, writing that “I see no valid downsides” to issuing the letter and proposing that they “get it out as soon as possible.” In that letter, reported last week by ABC News, Jeffrey Clark falsely […]
Some GOP governors are finally getting a clue on COVID, but not ours
Gold! Florida stands on the top tier of the coronavirus podium: 12,888 in the hospital as of Thursday. We’ve broken our own July 2020 record. Florida now leads the nation in per capita hospitalizations. We’re Number One! Sure, Louisiana beats us in the sheer rate of COVID-19 infections in recent days, but on Thursday, we […]
It’s a sin what we’ve done to Florida’s seagrass
The news reports around where I live in St. Petersburg have been greatly concerned with weights and measures recently. It’s an effort to quantify the horror of the ongoing red tide algae bloom by recounting the staggering amount of the sea life that has turned up dead: 500 tons! Three million pounds! 1,711 tons! And […]