Sarasota Speaks

The story below is from a publication of Mission to the World, the mission sending arm of the Presbyterian Church in America. It is written by Lyn Newbrander who writes it concerning a time when she and her husband were living and working in the Netherlands. I share it here partly for its honesty, and partly for its encouragement.

{enclose twilight.mp3}TwilightAs twilight approachesI watch the moon and waitWhile my pen runs away from clichésInto the silence behind my ribs;Everything seems to die in autumnShe loved him for three decades beforeNoticing he never understood anything Beyond the surface of his own skin;It's worse when you're twentyLife has no beginning or endI barely remember how to be alive;Time is indifferent to youthShe is the piper leading you Into the mountain from which you Will never emerge;As twilight approachesEverything in autumn seems to die.

The Hillsborough Board of County Commissioners deadlocked today on a a vote that would have adopted ballot language for November’s penny transit tax referendum.For the commissioners who want to see the one-cent tax on the ballot, the issue was what the referendum’s wording should be.

Today Hillsborough’s City-County Planning Commission held a forum to brainstorm on how to deal with diminishing water resources amid a growing population. The event attracted everyone from county officials to activists, though not everyone was satisfied with what they heard.County Planner Melissa Zornitta says that, despite recent stats showing a net loss, Hillsborough County’s population is growing.One of her colleagues said that this translates to adding to the current number by the population of Plant City every year.

The Lake Sarasota Community Group met Thursday evening at a new location that everyone seemed pretty happy with, Sarasota Alliance Church, 7221 Bee Ridge Rd. The group decided to hold its meeting there next month, again on the second Thursday, April 8.Highlights:1. Citizens Patrol is more necessary than ever.Incidents doubled from January to February. A particular crime hot spot is 4100 block of Lancaster. There was also a break-in on Luwanna - Ted was still waiting to receive the latest Sheriff's report.Ted has requested more Sheriff's patrols here, especially between 8 a.m. and 2 p.m., and says the Sheriff says they'll do that."We do need folks to volunteer for Citizens Patrol," said Ted. Call him (379-0758) or email him at TCover6161@aol.com.2. Yard of the Month signs keep disappearing - three new signs will be ordered, for a total of $75. People are also checking on costs of obtaining new meeting signs.3. Sue Whetzel from County Parks and Rec introduced herself and brought us up to date on Lakeview Park and the Dog Park. An aeration windmill was installed to drive air into the canal and pond, to help with water quality. She also  invited input on what projects might be worthwhile for both Lakeview and its dog park. Among items mentioned:

Amendment 4, to give voters a veto over amendments to local growth plans, is shaping up to be the hottest issue on the November 2 ballot. Developers, afraid

FYI Mary S. Mack Newtown Front Porch, Chair Amaryllis Park Neighborhood Assoc., Inc. - Prez (941) 266-2461 From: Erica.Reed@... Date: Thu, 11 Mar

Mary S. Mack Newtown Front Porch, Chair Amaryllis Park Neighborhood Assoc., Inc. - Prez (941) 266-2461 From: Erica.Reed@... Date: Thu, 11 Mar 2010

"I wish that we could have a Stone that we could see all our friends in." said Pippin, "and that we could speak to them from far away."from The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King, Book Six, Chapter VI, "Many Partings"

This is Freeze. His real name is Freeze For Cats, but Big B calls him Freeze for short. This morning, Big B had the somewhat sneaky notion (that I didn't discourage) to tiger-nap Freeze and carry him to school in his backpack. We were almost to his kindergarten door when Big B realized Freeze never made it out of the house. Tears were shed at the thwarting of this brilliant master plan. I promised Big B that little b and Mama would take good care of Freeze, and that he would go wherever we went for the whole day.

It's true. The sight of the Earth from space is one that practically brings a tear to my eye everytime I see it.

Are you a fan of ”literary monster mashups”? Like “Pride and Prejudice and Zombies” or “Sense and Sensibility and Sea Monsters”? (See this story from On Point for more titles.)

Our next guest is part of a campaign to reduce the number of nuclear weapons world wide. Ira Helfand, M.D. is a co-founder of the group Physicians for Social Responsibility (PSR), a co-founder and board member of PSR, was a member of the delegation in 1985 when PSR and its affiliate International Physicians for the Prevention of Nuclear War were honored with the Nobel Peace Prize for tirelessly working to educate the world about the medical and scientific facts of nuclear war and championing the cause of nuclear disarmament.Dr.

Shuffleboard courts in downtown Avon Park, FloridaShuffleboard and golden days of retirement are entwined in Florida mythology. In the mid to late twentieth century, there wasn't a trailer court in the state worth a lick if it didn't have a shuffleboard court or two. This association with the elderly has been a bit of a public relations challenge in attracting new fans to the sport, although the St. Petersburg Shuffleboard Club has a very popular Friday night session with live music.

The local newspaper, Sarasota Observer runs a weekly column titled “Slice of the City” with snippets and highlights about Sarasota and its residents. The paper’s Community Editor Loren Mayo took note of my Stray Kitty story and ran a brief article and photo about the adorable stray kitten who has been living in my [...]

A construction fence soon will be erected at the site of the future Palm Avenue parking garage, signaling the start of significant construction and economic impact in downtown Sarasota. Two projects will help create a better downtown for business owners, residents and visitors: the Palm Avenue parking garage, restaurant and retail space; and a roundabout at Five Points, including a new waterline, to service the downtown area.

I’ll let the palm tree take this one…“It’s windy.”

It’s that time of year. That’s right fresh strawberries are now in season. Have a look at these beauties!As we’ve all read in the paper or seen on the local news, the weather has been pretty rough on Florida strawberry farmers. But, it sure doesn’t look like our unseasonably cold weather has hurt this picking.These [...]

A Village for a Family:   A Benefit for the Augsburger Family Sunday, March 21, 12pm-6pm Come to the place where it all began for the Augsburger family, the gorgeous Florida cracker ranch where they were married, to show them your support and to celebrate the amazing community that has rallied behind one family. Your community [...]

Last Post by: Matt Bruce on Mar 11 2010

I find myself in the middle of an interesting argument. I'm a pretty strong environmentalist and have a degree in Environmental Science from the University of Florida and 33 years of passion for all things nature. And I'm an advocate for animal rights as well--not a freak but someone with a deep concern for the welfare of our fellow creatures. Sometimes the two clash and I am left in a state of confusion that can't give birth to the right answer (for me).

1st, I encourage you to watch this SNN News Report: Ringling Sound Stage to catch up with

The latest from our pseudonymous chauffeur blogger!

Thursday, March 116 PMTonight’s episode of Local Matters will feature a pre-recorded interview with Walt Augustinowicz, chairman of the Better Sarasota Schools For Less political action committee. (www.bettersarasotaschools.com)Walt will explain his opposition to the school millage referendum now before Sarasota voters.Following Walt’s interview, Tom Dabney, President of The Argus Foundation will call in to the [...]

Florida is among 48 states participating in the crafting of core education standards. This is touted as a state-led effort, trying to avoid the stigmatism of the federal government imposing standards on the states. The first product of the Common Core State Standards Initiative is called the “Common Core State Standards for English Language Arts [...]