Our dear columnist friend Steve Otto was writing for the Tampa Tribune back in 2000, when former basketball star and US Senator Bill Bradley ran for the Democratic nomination.  He lost to Vice President Al Gore, and Gore in turn – well, you know that story.  Anyway, when Steve reported that former county commissioner Fran Davin and former state representative Mary Figg were going to New Hampshire to campaign for Bradley, he labeled them "the Thelma and Louise of politics." Read More 

Once you get past the improbability of both novelist Ernest Hemingway and FBI Director J. Edgar Hoover being in Ybor City in 1932, you're ok. If you adopt what philosophers call "a willing suspicion of disbelief" and accept time travel, you'll find this book by local writer David C. Edmonds to be a fascinating read. Read More 

You may or may not recall that I've been quiet on the subject that dominated the news since the holidays.  You may or may not recall that back last autumn, I said that I didn't want impeachment to come too soon.  In fact, the last I wrote about it was in December, when I hoped Nancy Pelosi would hold on longer and add to the list of impeachable offenses. Read More 

A couple of weeks ago, an older white woman boarded the tram from the VA's parking garage to its main entrance. (Yes, Hubby still is there).  From her overdressed appearance and her nervous manner, I guessed that she probably was a job applicant, not an outpatient or visitor.  I was right, as she asked for directions to Building 41. (Yes, there are more than 80 buildings connected with the hospital, many of them aluminum portables and some of them literally miles away.) Read More