Nobody asked me, but -
. . . Readers of the Big Paper are wondering, wondering, wondering - where is the news from Largo? The city's name is prominently displayed but very little news is forthcoming. Commission meetings don't get reported and the decision by the head mugwump to discard recyclable trash pick ups is old stuff. A citizen, Curtis Holmes, was pushing that idea a couple of years ago.
. . . Look up elegant in the dictionary and there you will find a picture of Mirtha Coppen, wife of Jose, an Indian Rocks Beach commissioner.
. . . Call me an old sentimental fool if you must, but a great moment in sports is the moment when they play my "Old Kentucky Home" at the Kentucky Derby. It has got me in the old cigar locker now for well more than 50 years, and I don't know exactly why - maybe the beauty of the horses or the tradition.
. . . The ineptness of the government of Clearwater is seen in the latest flap over where the PSTA bus terminal should be located. The all-thumbs City Council has dropped the ball (and added to the problem) a couple of times.
. . . Up and coming youth - Dean Scharmen, Jr., was named Student of the Year by Largo Mid-Pinellas Chamber of Commerce. His Dad is Indian Rocks Beach's Director of Public Services, Dean Scharmen. Young Dean is a senior at Largo High School with a 3.9 grade average and is headed for University of South Florida; he wants to be a radiologist.
. . . When one has been rescued from the seas of dire experience and, as the expression goes, restored, it is incumbent on the beneficiary - me - to recognize those who saved me, restored me and maintain me. So, to Randal Worth, Kerry Chamberlain, Dave Lowery, Dane Maxfield, Larry Feinman, Charles Nutinsky, James Campbell, Robert Kudelko, Fernando Vale, Yash Patil, and all of their assistants and nurses (Eric, Fran, Marlene, Lorraine, Pam, Jackie) and to Sun Coast Hospital, Largo Medical Center and Tampa General Hospital, thanks.
. . . Scenes that do our heart glad - there was Mayor Frank Hibbard, impish grin and all, getting ready to chow down at the Clearwater Historical Society fish fry, stocking up on nutrition to keep that right pitching arm in top shape.
. . . It's too bad all pill junkies can't come up with 30 grand and get a state attorney to give them a slap on the wrist, kiss and make up, and totally scam out of a serious criminal charge.
. . . The Schiavo mess is still with us, folks. It just won't go away. The poor woman has been actually dead for well more than a year (after years of virtual death) but her blood family is still out there in their pathetic way, stirring up all kinds of nonsense. The one hero in all this sad tale is Judge George Greer who stood steadfast for the law despite challenges from every conceivable corner of this country.
. . . Largo Police Department's campaign against domestic violence ("Real Men Don't Hit Women & Children) is featured in a billboard on U.S. 19 which may, some think, be carrying another subtle message. As to the theme, it sure isn't make-believe men doing that hitting.
. . . More to the point and of greater salutary effect to the public might be a billboard advising that "Honest Elected Officials Do Not Engage in Nepotism, Cronyism and Conflicts of Self Interest."
. . . Everybody appreciates the work John Walsh has done through his TV program of tracking down fugitives from the law, and his emotional state regarding crimes against children, but the fact is that he is not a law enforcement officer and by what set of circumstances is he allowed to be present at the arrest of suspects and taunt them? That is outrageous!
. . . My perspicacious and clever friend notes - The best measure of a man's honesty isn't his income tax return. It's the zero adjust on his bathroom scale.
. . . Say what you want, but Rachael Ray is one of my faves. She is soooooo cute!
. . . Same old deal - Testimony to a House committee adduced a horror story of how the Army treats its own. Nothing new in that. Anyone who joins the U.S. Army is nuts.