Home
What You Missed This Week in La Gaceta
From As We Heard It, by Patrick Manteiga
► When did it become acceptable for politicians to personally pocket tax money and to dish it out to their friends?
It’s just stealing.
Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier got the University of Florida to pay him $100,000 as an adjunct professor, teaching two hours a week. According to a Tampa Bay Times/Miami Herald story, he is the highest paid adjunct professor at University of Florida College of Law for at least the last quarter century and is paid eight times higher than what the median law school adjunct earns. This is moonlighting from his full-time job.
Our governor is the chief robber. He’s given a company, Doodie Calls, $92 million in nine payments since September for Alligator Alcatraz. … Of course, there was the $83 million State check for four acres in Destin, Florida that went to DeSantis’ friends and campaign funders. No one but DeSantis would have paid that much for the property. … Richard Corcoran was given the job by a DeSantis-appointed board. His compensation is around $1.2 million, making him one of the highest-paid university bosses in Florida, and his college is losing money. … (to read more, buy a paper)
► The news that Jesse Jackson had passed returned my thoughts to a day years ago.
Mike Scionti, who at one time was head of the local Democratic Party and always a passionate Democrat, picked me up and we drove to a church near Orlando to see Mr. Jackson. He was to speak about getting out the vote, registering young people, and the upcoming elections.
Scionti introduced me to Jackson and we exchanged thoughts about the political landscape. When it was time to take a seat, Mr. Jackson touched my arm and asked me to sit next to him. There were speakers before him and between speeches we chatted.
Finally, it was his turn at the podium. As he spoke, I was mesmerized. His voice and cadence, the melody of his speech locked me in to focus on words and their meanings. The intensity increased and as the speech continued, he would repeat key phrases twice, three times, four times in a row, until the phrase sunk into the minds of the people in the audience who couldn’t help but audibly repeat Jackson’s words.
He was the best speaker we ever saw in person and that day will always be special to me. I thank the memory of the late Mike Scionti for exposing me to that great experience. … (to read more, buy a paper)
► The City of Tampa, in its zeal to make some people rich with the no-bid expensive South Howard Avenue Flood Relief Project, continues to fail in being transparent and honest in its presentation.
At a recent workshop on the project that’s latest cost estimate is $98 million, Dennis Rogero, Tampa’s CFO, told Council and showed as part of a slideshow that the City had applied for a $25 million grant and it could be added to other grants to pay for $40 million of the project. Part of that $40 million is a $10,061,435 Resilient Florida Grant.
When questioned by Tampa City Councilwoman Naya Young on whether the $25 million grant had been denied, Rogero said, “What comes to mind is the FDEP grant that we’re talking about here, the $25 million, we have applied for it, hasn’t been denied.” … The State agency that oversees Resilient Florida Grants wrote regarding the $25 million grant, “I would also like to reiterate that the 2025 application for additional funds for the project was not approved for inclusion on the FY26/27 Statewide Flooding and Sea Level Rise Resilience Plan.” Not being included is a nice way of saying the application was denied. … (to read more, buy a paper)
► U.S. Congressman Randy Fine tweeted, “Palestine is a synonym for evil,” and added, “If they force us to choose, the choice between dogs and Muslims is not a difficult one.”
Fine has been a jerk since his first days as a state representative up to his most recent as the newest member of Congress. He is a Jew who hates Arabs, Muslims and especially Palestinians. He has passed legislation based on his bigotry.
His peers in the State House, State Senate and now Congress have not only excused his words and actions but supported his legislation.
His latest hate-filled tweets drew criticism from both parties, but Trump is silent. During Fine’s congressional campaign in the fall of last year, Trump labeled him a “MAGA Warrior”, “America First Patriot” and “highly respected.” …(to read more, buy a paper)
► There is a great bill in the Florida House and Senate that emulates the blue envelope programs in other states.
The Department of Highway Safety would provide drivers with autism with blue envelopes that hold their driver’s licenses, registrations, proofs of insurance, emergency contacts and also identifies the driver as having autism and gives instructions to the law enforcement officer about how best to communicate with the driver.
The program also requires training for officers on interacting with ASD Autism Spectrum Disorder.
Some people with autism, when stressed, can act erratically and run away without being conscious of their actions.
This is needed training, not just for traffic stops, but for all interactions between police and people with ASD.
The program is voluntary.
State representative Susan Valdes is carrying the bill in the House. Senator Shevrin Jones is the sponsor in the Senate.(to read more, buy a paper)
From Chairman of the Bored, by Gene Siudut
► I want to dive in before it is too late about the Bad Bunny Super Bowl halftime show, which has been a lightning rod for all the keyboard warriors and possibly racist snowflakes around the country.
This is not to say anyone not liking his music is racist. I am not a fan of his music, as I don’t know it and don’t have an opinion, but its not really my genre and I don’t speak Spanish or go to the clubs.
But there has definitely been a racist overtone. It’s something you recognize when you see and hear it. My parents taught me many things, but one of the most important was that racism is a stain on society.
Rich Eisen, a longtime ESPN personality, dove into the racist aspects of the arguments against the show, but also found something enlightening. But before that, let’s set the stage.
The outrage came quickly, predictably, and with all the thoughtful restraint of a Facebook comment section at 2 a.m.
Bad Bunny had taken the Super Bowl halftime stage, and before the final note had faded, the complaints were already circulating. Some viewers were offended. Others were confused. Many simply asked the same question in slightly different forms: Why was he singing in Spanish? …(to read more, buy a paper)
From O’Pionions to Go, by Joe O’Neill
► Cog Test: More hand-bruise speculation. More embarrassing, high-profile nodding off. Another “aced” cognition test. We’ve seen this presidential pattern; we’ll see it again. And again.
But we haven’t, until now, actually seen the Trump cognition test. Some likely samples: Solve Hocus-Focus, count backwards from 3, name the day of the week, current century, two SCOTUS justices, three NATO members and the main ingredients of a cheeseburger.
Atorvastatin, Azerbaijan, Acetaminaphen: Which one is a country? What is Stormy Daniels real name? Name two books other than “Art of the Deal” and “Mein Kampf,” that you have read. What is Melania’s phone number?
Party of Lincoln: How can Republicans still maintain that their party is “the party of Lincoln”? Shouldn’t these Lincoln Day Dinners be realistically renamed? How about the Bull Connor or George Wallace Day Dinners? Stop using Lincoln as a disingenuous, hypocritical model. …(to read more, buy a paper)
From In Context, by Doris Weatherford
► I see that the Justice Department is suing Harvard, again. Again, the suit is about what the Trump administration sees as Harvard’s failure to release complete data on its admission process. Let’s get this straight: Harvard is a private entity, not a public one. It has been private since 1636. (Yes, that is a 400th anniversary coming up soon, as opposed to the 250th anniversary of the United States.) It is operated by a board elected by its alumni and has no legal reason to respond to the demands of Agent Orange.
In the interest of transparency, though, there is one admission record I’d like to see: did young Donnie apply back in 1964, when he instead went to Fordham, a much inferior Catholic school in New York City? If his snit with Harvard is based on rejection, was Daddy’s promised donation insufficient to bend Harvard’s high standards? Or was he a victim of the discrimination against white men that Harvard historically upheld? Yes, I’m being sarcastic: it was impossible for a woman of any color or even wealth to enter as an undergraduatethe college back then. Not until 1977 were Harvard’s admissions “gendersex-blind.” Color-blindness came in the 70’s as well.And my daughter still is angry that her 1995 diploma credits Radcliffe equally with Harvard. …(to read more, buy a paper)
From Silhouettes, an interview with Rick Brown, by Tiffany Razzano
► Born at Fort Benning, Georgia, into a military family, Rick Brown didn’t spend much time in one place as a child.
When his father received a new assignment, Brown went with him – Rome, Okinawa, Maine. “I grew up in the Army, so we moved frequently,” he said. “It was just one of those things. I could be anywhere, anytime.”
This lifestyle never struck him as odd in his youth. “It was just kind of normal. Most of my friends [moved frequently], too. So, I didn’t know that anybody did anything any differently,” he said.
And when his father was stationed in the U.S., usually there was a large number of military kids in the local schools. He recalled typical conversations with other students. “Where were you last and where was I last? Those were our basic conversations,” Brown said. …(to read more, buy a paper)
From Líneas de la memoria, por Gabriel Cartaya
► Ybor City llega a sus 140 años con orgullo de su pasado, animado con el presente y esperanzado con el proyecto que aspira a recuperar su esplendor. Ese hálito se explica en una hermosa historia que arranca de su origen en 1885, cuando una superficie inhóspita se convirtiera en capital del tabaco torcido a mano. Desde entonces, evoluciona entre difíciles vaivenes que elevan, estancan o incluso hacen retroceder su desarrollo hasta una actualidad donde se aprecia el repunte de su aquel florecimiento.
Para rendir homenaje a este nuevo aniversario, las cinco instituciones más representativas de su historia han tenido la feliz decisión de juntarse en una gala conmemorativa a la que han nombrado Piquiniquí, palabra inusual que, si bien remite a la voz gala picnic, estuvo arraigada en la cultura asturiana que, con muchos miembros, estuvo –está– presente en este lugar. Quién sabe si el bautizo, en el inconsciente colectivo, nos remite a la asonancia de ese quiquiriquí con que cada mañana los gallos de Ybor City anuncian el amanecer. De todos modos, se explica en una más plausible razón: el Centro Asturiano es el anfitrión de este tributo que comparte con el Centro Español, el Círculo Cubano, la Unión Martí-Maceo y la Unión Italiana.
Hay que aplaudir a los cinco centros que representan la invitación. Cada uno de ellos expresa la presencia de su cultura originaria en el nacimiento y desarrollo de Ybor City. El Asturiano, por la enorme presencia de hombres y mujeres que vinieron de esa región ibérica y aquí contribuyeron no solo al desarrollo de la ciudad, sino también a que hoy convivamos con su descendencia, con apellidos como Cuesta, Carreño, Menéndez, Piniella, Salcines. Si bien el primer Centro Asturiano de Tampa, creado en 1902, es una prolongación del de La Habana con su mismo carácter mutualista y extendido a clínica-sanatorio y cementerio propio, pronto se independiza y crea su propia identidad tampeño-asturiana. El edificio, construido en 1914, es una joya de la arquitectura de la ciudad y sigue siendo un centro de actividades culturales, públicas y privadas, aun cuando la evolución histórica le hiciera modificar los fines para los que fue creado. Para los asturianos, habitantes de Tampa o visitantes, es siempre una referencia de su paso por la ciudad. … (to read more, buy a paper)
From Briznas culturales, por Leonardo Venta
► Al francés Marius Petipa, que llegó a ser director de coreografía del Ballet Imperial Ruso en el siglo XIX, le debemos el perfeccionamiento del modelo de ballet con argumento largo y completo que ha sobrevivido hasta nuestros días. La bella durmiente, El lago de los cisnes y El cascanueces, coreografías suyas, son magníficos arquetipos de estos tipos de producciones.
El cascanueces fue creado en 1892 bajo el minucioso cuidado de Petipa. Sin embargo, al enfermarse, su asistente ruso Lev Ivanov completó la puesta en escena. El libreto fue escrito por Ivan ¬Vsevolozhsky y el propio Petipa, basándose en la adaptación de Alexandre Dumas (padre) del cuento “El cascanueces y el rey de los ratones” de Ernst Theodor Amadeus Hoffmann.
Esta icónica pieza de la danza recrea la historia de Clara, una niña que recibe como regalo de Nochebuena un cascanueces, juguete maravilloso que la transportará por quiméricos lugares poblados por principescos moradores, así como devela la magia de soldados de juguete que cobran vida para enfrentar batallas contra jocosos siniestros ratones …(
