My Charity Challenge to Joe Bardi

I made a joke on Joe Bardi's Facebook wall that he should do a review of only the Maggie scenes from the HBO series The Newsroom. Not the actual show. I don't even know if Bardi has seen The Newsroom. What prompted the comment was Creative Loafing recently did a charity auction. I wondered if Bardi would subject himself to two seasons of Maggie for a worthy cause.

Bardi asked how much I was offering. This originally started as a joke but I thought why not.

I posted this comment.

This started as a joke. Tell you what, set up a PayPal account. Set a price and we see if we can reach it. I will try to fundraise for it on the blog. You must watch all the scenes with Maggie in the two seasons of The Newsroom. Not the actual show. You must write a character analysis of Maggie on Daily Loaf. I will let you pick the charity.

If Bardi is game he will have to watch scenes like this. For the record: I like Allison Pill as an actress. It seems like Aaron Sorkin took a promising young actressand projected all his problems with women on to her character.

How Businesses Can Go Green in Tampa

The Daily Loaf offers tips on how companies can save green lands, energy, and money doing these simple things.

* The energy we save when we recycle one glass bottle is enough to light a light bulb for four hours.

* Every ton of paper that is recycled saves 17 trees.

* Recycling prevents habitat destruction, loss of biodiversity, and soil erosion associated with logging and mining. This will help future generations to have an environment that has resources for their use like what this current generation has.

* It is important to reduce our reliance on foreign oil. Recycling helps us do that by saving energy.

* It can help to save money if the company pays for waste management to pick up the garbage every day like my place of employment because there is so much to recycle that it will greatly decrease the amount of trash.

* If you think your company cant recycling anything, please check out 50 things you can recycle! That you might not know about.

Businesses interested in going green can contact the City of Tampa. Businesses will have to meet requirements and lower it's carbon footprint.

Here are green businesses you can check out.

Java Planet Organic Coffee Roasters

Cafe Dufrain

Grass Root

Intensity Academy Gourmet Sauces

Pixie Gas

3 Boys Farm

Blue Lotus Day Spa

Quote of the Day

"Listening to Obama, he believes that he's supposed to work with the (Republicans) now. Listing to (Republicans), they believe they're there to destroy him now."

Joe Bardi, of Creative Loafing

Mitch McConnell made it clear getting the economy back on track is not the Republicans first priority.

"The single most important thing we want to achieve is for President Obama to be a one-term president."

There comes a point where Obama doesn't sound as if he is trying to be civil. Obama now sounds like he just can't accept reality.

Mr. President, the Republicans just aren't that into you.

BP Dumping Sand to Hide Oil

Daily Loaf blogger Kerimelshenker got a major scoop from New York Times freelance photographer C.S. Muncy. The latter discovered BP was dumping sand on the beach of Grand Isle, Louisiana to cover up oil and tar balls. Muncy discovered after digging a few inches down into the sand that there was oil and tar residue. The consistency of the top level sand was different than the sand underneath. Deputies confirmed to Muncy that BP brought in sand.

But, you know, we got to talking with the guy, one of them, and he said, ‘Yeah, they came here, and just dumped a bunch of sand on the beach.’ They were just shoveling it on.

Hat tip to Joe Bardi.

My Business Advice to Creative Loafing

I can smell the desperation from Creative Loafing. The Tampa alt-weekly sent out this tweet.

Erotic websites for “the thinking set” (photos NSFW): http://is.gd/3QxV5 #sex

Oh my, someone really wants web traffic.

The link goes to a Daily Loaf post that provides links to porn sites and images of nude women. I am trying to figure out what demographic Editor David Warner and online producer Stephen Hammill are trying to reach? How many avant garde art, reality television, environmental conscious, wine drinking, porn loving, Phish fans do they think will visit the blog daily? Do they think there is a cross section of readership equally obsessed with celebrity gossip and the politics behind light rail?

I would like to know how the advertisers are pitching the blog to businesses. People want to market products to readership that would most likely buy their products. For example: an online ad for Gossip Girls on ESPN.com would not reach the proper demographic. Ads for the the new Madden football game would atract both football and gamer fans. I highly doubt the CL marketing people knows who Daily Loaf's targeting audience is.

Hammill is desperately seeking traffic and told staffers quantity (of traffic) is more important than quality. If the quality sucks then don't count on visitors to come back to the site. My advise to Hammill and Warner is quit the false pretense of running a new service and create a real porn site. Countless numbers of entrepreneurs are making a nice living doing this. They can lay off more people and generate a huge quanity of traffic. Multitasking, at it's finest.

Tampa is the East coast capital for porn. Finding talent should not be a difficult task. Hammill and Warner are trying to bring traffic with links to porn sites and nude celebrity photos. People would much rather see real porn on the internet. Turn CL into a giant porn service. Porn sites generate revenue from subscriptions, ad and link clicks to other porn sites. Hammill and Warner will get more ad revenue then they are with the most embarrassing media blog in Florida. No worries about providing health care for employees. Just make sure porn performers get tested for STDs. Or maybe not. It is not like Warner or Hammill will be having sex with the talent. Right?

Mitch Perry on No Talk Radio

No Talk Radio interviews Mitch Perry about his new job as Creative Loafing political reporter. Alison Morano, Panelists Susan Smith and Michael Shaw talk about the President Obama's Joint Session of Congress speech.

Creative Loafing Hires Mitch Perry

Creative Loafing has hired Mitch Perry, assistant news director, to replaced departed pllitical editor Wayne Garcia. Perry is an excellent hire for Creative Loafing.

"I've always wanted to do print -- it's kind of an exciting move for me," said Perry, who expects to write a weekly column, edit community bloggers who contribute to Creative Loafing's Web site, moderate podcasts and write larger feature stories. "I had a couple of sleepless nights after the decision -- I was ready for a change, but when the time came, it was tough to do -- but now I'm psyched."

Perry will quit WMNF to work full-time at Creative Loafing. Perry has written blog posts at CL. Perry help revitalize WMNF's news department. His organization skills are greatly needed as CL attempts to become an internet-based content provider. I am curious if Perry will take CL's political coverage into a more progressive direction. Creative Loafing's problem is Stephen Hammill, online producer, has told in-house bloggers that quantity (of traffic) is more important than quality. This has resulted in posts with nude celebrity photos and other cheesy content. Making CL into a softcore porn sex site is not the business model for a successful alt-weekly. People can get real porn on the internet. Creative Loafing needs to go back to the investigative journalism and sense of fun that was the John Sugg era.

I wish Perry luck at his new job.

Update: the Perry quote was reported by St. Petersburg Times media columnist Eric Deggans. The reporting on Creative Loafing web editor Stephen Hammill was done my me. Sources have told me Hammill has become obsessed with web traffic.

The Magic of Coincidence

Alex Pickett reported earlier today Creative Loafing has been bought out by Atalaya. People will be shocked (shocked, I say) to learn CL political editor Wayne Garcia is leaving to teach at the University of Florida’s College of Journalism and Communications.

I want to say thanks to everyone who read The Political Whore, and the journalists who chose the blog the Best Media Blog in this year’s Sunshine State Awards. Thanks to everyone who read the print edition for all these years, and — I hope — for many more to come. Thanks to all the staff and friends at CL, who have worked through some good times and bad times.

We like to thank Wayne for help bestowing Best of the Bay awards to Pushing Rope and Litbrit. Wayne has certainly helped expand the audience of the Pushing Rope community.

Update: The blog Political Whore is dead.

Creative Loafing Under New Management

Eleven months after Creative Loafing filed for bankruptcy, CEO Ben Eason has lost the business his family owned for over three decades. Just before noon, Judge Caryl E. Delano selected Atalaya -- a New York hedge fund and Creative Loafing's largest creditor -- as the "highest and best bid" in an equity auction that decided who would take control of the country's second largest alt-weekly chain.

After the judge's decision, Eason's entire family sat in the front row, looking straight ahead. They were joined by publishers of all six papers and some employees from the Tampa Creative Loafing. When the judge ended the hearing, Eason approached reporters smiling and joking.

"We thought it would play out this way," he said. "We were hoping the ruling could cut a new path for newspapers."

He also teased that he might start another publication.

"I've started three publications in my time," he said. "I'll start a fourth."

New owner Michael Bogdan of Atalaya said he planned to meet with all newspaper publishers -- possibly this week -- and bounce around ideas for the papers. "We're here for the long haul," he said.

So what does this mean for local Creative Loafing employees and readers?

First, Atalaya will move Tampa's office to another yet-to-be-named location (Ben Eason owns the newspaper's current building and will not renew the lease). The new owners also say there are no planned layoffs.

In addition to Bogdan, Creative Loafing's new board will consist of Jim O'Shea, a former L.A. Times editor who was fired in 2008 after criticizing the paper's publisher for cuts in the editorial room, and Michele Laven, director of integrated marketing for Clear Channel and former president and COO of New Times (now Village Voice Media). Richard Gilbert, former president of the Des Moines Register will be the new CEO.

All names seem to imply Atalaya is serious about reinvesting in the quality of Creative Loafing's newspapers and websites. And that is good news for Tampa Bay.

Full Disclosure: I worked at Creative Loafing Tampa from 2006-2009.

"I checked out Atalaya," he told me. "They seem like people serious about reinvesting in journalism. They know there's no value in this company cutting back — that's already happened. From my perspective they're looking at this very intelligently — they believe in investing in the industry. You can't keep taking things away from your readers and expect them to keep reading."

Someone Please Kill the Daily Loaf Blog

I am searching for the words to perfectly describe just how bad is the Creative Loaf blog Daily Loaf. There is the crash and burn attempt at satire. The fictional Charlie Crist romance novel is boringly pointless.

"Horrible doused with awful, that's how I'd describe it. Yikes," Litbrit told me. "Oh my God, and here I was thinking Gov. Sanford was the worst writer in the world!"

Daily Loaf stooped lower by posting nude photos of Gossip Girl star Leighton Meester. (I'm not linking the post.) Apparently, there is a sex tape. Creative Loafing felt the journalistically responsible thing to do was post several nude photos of Meester. It is sad to see a once great alt-weekly resort to trolling for traffic.

John Sugg did great investigative journalism for the Tampa edition of Creative Loafing. Former staff writer Alex Pickett wrote about the Tampa many people didn't see. Creative Loafing is not going to get out of bankruptcy by becoming a poor man's version of Fleshbot.

Side note: Litbrit's comment were aimed at the faux Charlie Crist romance novel and not Creative Loafing.

Hello Re/Creating Tampa

Congratulations to David Davisson for getting mentioned in Creative Loafing's Urban Explorer 4.0. (We here at PR a huge Creative Loafing fans.) Davisson mixes national progressive politics and news about Tampa. Davisson has made his blog the progressive answer to Sticks of Fire. Go check out Re/Creating Tampa.

Great News For Litbrit

Litbrit will be blogging at the Creative Loafing blog Political Whore. Wayne Garcia made the announcement.

Finally, I’m happy to report that I’m going to add some new voices to this blog (and to our family of news blogs at CL). Soon, you will start seeing posts from Catherine Durkin Robinson, whose blog Out in Left Field, is billed as a place “Where parenting and politics meet, but don’t always play nice;” and Deborah Newell Tornello, better known in progressive blogging circles as Litbrit. They join guest blogger and east Hillsborough civic activist Kelly Cornelius, whose Fix It Now posts have run in Daily Loaf before moving to this blog earlier this year.

Congratulations to Deb. Creative Loafing is better with her presense.

Lorna Bracewell - Song for the Voiceless

Lorna Bracewell is a feminist/lgbt sinder-songwriter. The Tampa edition of Creative Loafing is now doing recording sessions with local musicians. It is about time they used Youtube to spotlight local musicians.

Litbrit Wins Best of the Bay For Best Local Blog

Deborah Newell Tornello is the winner of Creative Loafing's Best of the Bay's critics' choice for best local blog. Go over to her place and congratulate her. We at Pushing Rope are happy to have her as a team member. The award is well-deserved.

Creative Loafing has photos and videos of the awards show.

Side note: Wade, why in God's name did you have to post a picture of the Senator. The horror. The horror.

Creative Loafing has been a great supporter of Pushing Rope and Litbrit. Thank you, Loafers.

Question of the Day

Creative Loafing will be handing out their Best of the Bay awards tomorrow. Best local political blogger is chosen by Wayne Garcia the staff. I already know that I didn't win this year. My question is who do you think is the Tampa area's best political blogger. I'm not asking who do you think will win the Loafie. Feel free to include links in the comments.

I already stated who is my favorite local blogger. Tampa Bay Blue is a blog I enjoy. On the conservative side: I enjoy Jim Johnson at State of Sunshine. Unfortunately, Jim hasn't blogged in ages. Jim's guest bloggers generate as much excitement as Fred Thompson talking about federalism.

Who is your favorite Tampa political blogger.

Vote Litbrit Best Local Blogger

Creative Loafing is taking votes for the Best of the Bay. One of the categories is best local blog. I voted for Litbrit and am asking PR readers to stuff the ballots.

Deborah Newell Tornello blogs about politics, family, her dog and Frank Zappa. She is a member of the group blog Cogitamus and occasional contributor to Pushing Rope; when laundry duties and her kids allow her the time. Don't think that I am endorsing Deb just because she writes on this blog. Her fellow Florida Netroots bloggers named her best writer in 2007. Deb has also blogged for progressive heavyweights Ezra Klein and Shakesville.

So many bloggers seek out Deb because they respect her keen observations on the news. She is able to deliver her points with humor and intelligence. Many bloggers merely blockquote and use the big caps key to hammer their points. Deb makes words sing and humanizes complicated issues to make readers understand how current events shape their lives.

Go and vote for Litbrit as best local blog.

Boss Hog Rules & Beck's Bored

I miss Boss Hog. Jon Spencer is doing the Blues Explosion. Christina Martinez hasn't released music since Whiteout. She was the perfect indie rock front woman. Beautiful, charismatic and intensely scary. Pussy Galore and the Blues Explosion was never scary. Boss Hog came across as angry. Martinez either spit out and purred lyrics. No one knew if she was going to wear clothes onstage. Spencer's Elvis act was toned down with Boss Hog.

It's a shame this band never recorded more. The rotating members kept the band from ever being a staple unit.

The Whiteout video shows Martinez in all her glory. It's amazing how Boss Hog changed from New York noise to something sounding like trip hop.



Side note: the guitar riff to Sam is addictive.

Other music news: I was dumbfounded by this sentence in Wade Tatangelo's review of Beck'snew album Modern Guilt.

His vocals are delivered with all the passion and conviction of an office drone forced to give an impromptu speech at his evil boss’s birthday party.

Correct me if I'm wrong, but isn't that how Beck sings on every album. No one has ever mistaken the Beckster for Al Green or Van Morrison. Beck is all about detached irony. Which got boring after the Loser single.

I don't hate Beck. He is a clever artist. I can't understand why Wade is shocked by Beck's laconic vocal delivery.

George Carlin RIP

Joe Bardi reminisces about George Carlin and post video highlights of the comic genius's career.

Bad Bills

Alex Pickett spotlights the worst bills from this session of the Florida legislature. Sen. Gary Siplin has two bills make the list. The Baggy Pants bill is well-known. Siplin now wants churches to get into the act of policing pornography.

An act relating to the commercial distribution of pornographic materials; providing a short title; providing legislative findings; defining terms relating to the commercial distribution of pornographic materials; prohibiting a person from willfully and knowingly distributing pornographic materials for commercial purposes; providing a civil penalty; providing that any person, including a church, religious organization, or other representative group or organization, may bring an action to enforce the act; providing certain exemptions; providing procedures for enforcing the act; providing for attorney's fees and costs; requiring that any civil penalty collected be deposited into the General Revenue Fund; providing for declaratory and injunctive relief; authorizing a person to recover actual damages and attorney's fees if the person suffers a loss as a result of commercial distribution of pornographic materials; providing an effective date.

The Florida Commercial Anti-Pornography Act is so vaguely worded that the bill could be used to make all pornographic material illegal. It would never stand up to legal challenges and is dead in the Florida Senate. That doesn't stop Siplin. The Artist formerly known as an indicted State Senator is more interested in publicity.

Lorna Bracewell At the Loafies

I was floored by Lorna Bracewell's Loafies performance. The performance is now on Youtube. The video doesn't catch the energy Bracewell put out, with just her voice and acoustic guitar. Bracewell needs to be seen live to be fully appreciated.



Lorna Bracewell's Myspace page

Lorna Bracewell Fanclub