This will be quite short -- but at least not non-existent, as was the case last week. The reason is that Hubby was in the VA hospital for more than a week, with most of that time in ICU. He had pneumonia with some heart complications, but is visibly better everyday. Assuming everything goes well, I’ll have some thoughts on hospitals and the VA next time, but I’m writing on another topic now because I promised to do so for La Gaceta’s edition of Friday, October 2. That’s because I want to alert you to what will be a fun event at our truly independent bookstore, Inkwood, on Thursday the 8th. Yes, even with the internet, the writing biz does require planning.  Read More 

I see that Attorney General Pam Bondi is calling attention to the thousands of rape kits that have been waiting for testing in Florida crime labs. These kits provide evidence that is crucial to successful prosecution of rapists, especially semen and its DNA. Such cases, however, appear to be less than a priority for law enforcement: according to reporter Anna Phillips of the Tampa Bay Times, Bondi “acknowledged how little state officials know about the accumulation of rape kits. She could not say how many there are in Florida or how long it might take to complete their testing.” At the same time, the sub-heading of the story quoted the attorney general admitting, “there are thousands.”  Read More 

I recently joined the board of Winthrop Arts, Inc. As you may know, Winthrop is an award-winning mixed-use community in Riverview. Once a dairy farm, it now is a walkable small town, featuring homes, offices, restaurants, shopping, and even medical services in the area south of Brandon that is bounded by Providence and Bloomingdale. Owners Kay and John Sullivan have an uncommon commitment to the community and especially to the arts, and from the beginning, they have employed a full-time artist, Gulf War veteran Bryant Martinez. The Winthrop Arts Fest will have its tenth anniversary next March, and for several years now, the Arts Factory has offered opportunity to kids.  Read More 

Once again, one of the two chambers of the legislature picked up its marbles and went home in a snit. Last time it was the House; this time it was the Senate. And this happens despite the fact that Republicans have big majorities in both. Their “leaders” – overwhelmingly white, male, and too young – seem to view state government as little more than a game and prefer scoring personal points to mature decision-making. My slogan for 2016: Elect grandmothers. Beginning with Hillary.  Read More 

I’ve been busy promoting my new book, which is a history of Florida that emphasizes its women. You can order it at the website of the University Press of Florida. I’m writing this column, however, prior to going to Arkansas for the inauguration of its Women’s Hall of Fame. It’s gratifying to see that even its current conservative governor has come to realize it’s important for young women to know of those who came before them. So many struggle to invent the wheel, completely unaware that some other women did this decades ago. Or even centuries ago.  Read More 

Did you see the flap about Target announcing that they were going to desegregate children’s toys? No more shelves labeled “boys” and “girls,” but just a mixture acknowledging that kids can choose what they like, whether that is a bulldozer for a girl or a baby doll for a boy. That’s good preparation for parenthood – presumably the most important thing we ever do -- as well as for careers.  Read More 

We celebrated the 50th anniversary of Medicare last week. I well remember when it was debated and adopted. My mother worked at St. Mary’s Hospital in Russellville, Arkansas, and she was among the millions of future happy recipients who vehemently opposed it back then. She was strongly influenced by the Catholic family who owned the hospital, which originally had been run by nuns – ala St. Joseph’s and other institutions here in Florida. But as fewer and fewer women were willing to live a life of self-sacrifice and obedience to male authorities who never actually worked in hospitals, most church-supported ones transitioned either to public ownership (ala Tampa General) or to private corporations (almost everything else in our town).  Read More 

Hubby always has been a space cadet. From the time that he was a boy he was into planetary exploration, both fiction and non-fiction. This was in Arkansas, where we each knew folks who still argued against the notion that the world was round. Such flatlanders pretty much have given up saying that aloud in public, but they continue to believe that much of what they see through the magic of television is a hoax -- so in their hearts, why not? Denial is a fundamental principle of fundamentalists, and they not only are anti-science, they also see themselves as the victims of consistent liars and sophisticated schemers. They vote for candidates who endorse creationism and other unscientific ideas – and yet such politicians also often endorse STEM.  Read More 

A young man who looked like a skinhead came to the door the other day, asking if we could give him enough gas to make it to the station down the road. Hubby sized him up and decided that our principles of good will outweighed the possible loss of a gas can. He led him to the garage, and as they talked, the young man said that someone had thrown a bottle at him. He was shocked and appalled – and even more so when Hubby suggested it may have had something to do with the Confederate flag baseball cap that he was wearing.  Read More 

I write this column on Mondays, and tomorrow, Tuesday, July 7, will be the 150th anniversary of the execution of Mary Surratt. That means nothing to most people, certainly not to most of those who loudly proclaim their Southern heritage -- and who almost always know almost nothing about that history. One of them, when interviewed in a newspaper report on the July 4 local rally of pick-up truck drivers and motorcycle riders who substitute noise for thought, inadvertently disclosed his true beliefs: he told a reporter that he used to wear the uniform of a Union solider, but switched to Confederate when Obama was elected.  Read More