Dec
7
Florida Memorabilia
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Florida memorabilia and collectibles are hot right now.
Dec
2
Only in FLA: St. Johns, St. Johns
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It’s pretty obvious from the content of this blog that I live in Jacksonville. Actually, to be specific, I live just outside of Jax, in St. Johns County near the St. Johns River. The communities in this area of the county have a long history thanks to the proximity to the river. There is Fruit Cove to the north, then Switzerland, then Orangedale. These communities have been around for decades stretching back to the 1800’s, and long-time residents have an appreciation for this history, but mail was always addressed to “Jacksonville, FL” and no one seemed to mind.
Several years ago, business and community leaders grew tired of being known as “Jacksonville” and wanted to carve out an identity, so a poll was taken with five names nominated, including “St. Johns“, and incredibly stupid name due to the fact that we live in St. Johns County. (St. Johns in St. Johns?). Apparently, there were accusations of click-fraud in the poll, and when the dust settled St. Johns won.
Long-time residents refuse to accept the results.
Nov
13
Only in FLA: Man found stuck in cat door, dead; Yahoo attempts to profit from tragedy
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Man, this would funny if it weren’t so tragic.
Investigators said 32-year-old Charles Tucker Jr. was using the cat door early Saturday morning as a way to get back into his girlfriend’s St. Augustine home after the woman kicked him out.
Deputies said several hours after his girlfriend told him to leave she found him stuck in the cat door.
From Yahoo News and News4Jax
While you ought to feel bad if you find that story funny, here’s something you don’t need to feel bad about - Yahoo’ contextual sensing ad technology delivering the worst possible ad at the worst possible time:
Of course, you may need me to blow that up a little. Click on the picture, hope this works:
Oct
11
Only in FLA: St. Johns County Commissioner Threatens Old Man With Forcible Sodomy
Filed Under Florida Government, Only in FLA, St. Augustine | 4 Comments
Wow. I don’t have a clue what drove St. John’s County Commissioner Ben Rich to jump on this guy. For all I know, Bud Markel could be the biggest jerk on the planet. What isn’t in doubt is that it’s pretty inappropriate to threaten a citizen with anal rape.
Let’s go to the tape: Ben Rich vs. Bud Markel
Really? Let’s say everything Ben Rich is saying about Bud Markel is true. Let’s say Bud Markel really is a liar. I don’t know that, but for the sake of argument, let’s say Ben Rich is 100% accurate in his opinion.
Is it still ok for an elected official to threaten a citizen, a SENIOR CITIZEN with assault? Is it ok for an elected official to threaten a citizen with forcible sodomy? Is it ok for anyone at least 20 years younger than the Bud Markel to threaten him with assault?
I suppose with Larry “Bud” Melman in the grave, Commissioner School Bully Ben Rich had to move on to the next oldest guy he could find.
Oct
5
I remember when St. Augustine was cool
Filed Under St. Augustine | 7 Comments
It was a while ago. A lifetime, really. Back when it was unique and had flavor. I even proposed to my wife in a lookout tower on top of the Castillo de San Marcos.
A while back the local government passed an ordinance to get rid of sidewalk vendors and performance artists. Local businesses hated them, because they competed for tourist dollars and tourist eyeballs, and created clogs of people on St. George Street, a foot-traffic only stretch of shops in historic buildings.
I can understand their point: They’re paying big bucks to own or lease space for their store selling paintings and pictures, while some guy can sit down on the sidewalk outside of their door and set up an easel and start whipping out paintings for the locals. Hardly seems fair, except that it IS a public thoroughfare.
I always enjoyed that stuff. I never spent any money because I never saw anything I had to have, but I did drop a buck in a guitar case from time to time. I was also approached by panhandlers, but I just say “no” and they walk away, no hassle. No big deal.
But, it feels like the place is changing. The sidewalk artists are gone, the musicians are gone, and all we’re left with is shopping and restaurants. Hardly unique. The city pays people to dress in period costume and provide information to tourists, but issued a citation to a one-legged man dressed as a pirate that was charging $2 for a picture.
Really? Was he holding them down, forcing them to take pictures of him, then grabbing $2 from their wallets? Why can’t the tourists decide if they want to pay $2 for a picture?
Apr
30
I swear, sometimes I think lawyers could screw up an orgy!
Filed Under Florida Government, St. Augustine | Leave a Comment
As a marketing professional, I can tell you that when someone wants to use your brand for something like an elementary school, that’s a good thing.
But, leave it to the lawyers to screw up a good thing:
World Golf Village, a registered trademark, will no longer be included in the name of the St. Johns County School District’s newest elementary school.
The school board chose the name after polled community members gave the highest number of votes to the name “World Golf Village Elementary,” which was previously known as new elementary school K.
Lawyers from the World Golf Village Foundation notified the district that the name is a registered trademark. The district could have kept the name under some stipulations.
For example, they would have to ensure that the school was always referred to as World Golf Village Elementary, and never an abbreviation of WGV or just World Golf.
Original Article: District drops WGV name
(Gotta love the attempt at editorial irony in that headline!)
