GabordiBlog: October 2009

Friday, October 30, 2009

Why read these scary football picks?

Bob Gabordi is executive editor of the Tallahassee Democrat and Tallahassee.com. He can be reached through this blog, at bgabordi@tallahassee.com or (850) 599-2177

Why read these scary football picks?

Posted 10/30/2009 9:04 AM EDT on tallahassee.com

Happy Halloween. Hope you get more treats than tricks, unless you are North Carolina State or Morgan State’s football teams. If that’s the case, here’s hoping you have a ghoulish playing against our Seminoles and Rattlers.

For you new and aspiring writers out there, notice the smooth transition from Halloween to football?

Pretty scary, huh.

OK, so in our Game Day section tomorrow, look for Mickey Andrews as the cover story. This man has had a huge impact on football and particularly Florida State football. The skip to the panelist’s picks column where you will find I have been paying more attention to oil-drilling issues than football. At 49-31, I’m close to being in last place, so why are you reading this? I’m just asking, as a journalist.

In the ACC, the big questions are: Does anyone want to win the conference and when someone does will anyone care? Three are now three teams with just one conference loss: Georgia Tech, Virginia and (are you kidding?) Duke. Virginia Tech has gone from National Title picture to fourth place in the ACC Coastal Division in two weeks.

OK, this week's weak picks and why:

N.C. State at FSU: Have you ever seen me pick against Florida State? Maybe if they play the New England Patriots that’ll happen. But listen, the defense has to be better or the ’Noles can lose to anyone. In three of FSU’s four losses they have put 99 points on the board. Don’t forget to Tweet #Noles during the game. That’s get into our live game blog conversation. Send along pictures, too. FSU.

FAMU at Morgan State: Yeah, I have picked against the Rattlers before, but not lately (fortunately, the Miami game wasn’t on the list). At 5-2, Florida A&M can’t afford to let down against 5-2 Morgan State. They won’t. And yes, we’ll have a live interactive blog during the FAMU game, too. So Tweet #famufb during the game. FAMU.

Georgia at Florida: Nothing to talk about. Florida is just better. Georgia is just 4-3. Florida.

Mississippi at Auburn: Eeny, meeny, miny, moe, my mom said to pick the home team. Auburn.

Duke at Virginia: Went to the ACC Web site and basketball was on the front. The Blue Devils could win this Halloween battle, but I’m not buying Duke at 4-3 overall. Virginia.

Kansas at Texas Tech: I don’t care who wins, but had to pick someone so I’m going with the home team. Texas Tech.

Mississippi State vs. Kentucky: Again, don’t much care. But I had a reader I nicknamed Burt once in Huntington, W.Va., who was annoying about UK coverage. So this is in honor of his memory. Mississippi State.

South Carolina at Tennessee: I don’t remember why, but I just like South Carolina better, I guess. Again, I’m not sure why I should care about this one. South Carolina.

Texas at Oklahoma State: Now this one I do care about. I’m predicting an Alabama vs. Texas national championship game, Of course, if that comes about, I won’t care who wins. Texas.

USC at Oregon: Revenge is mine sayeth the Lord. But it’s not USC’s, not this year. Either one of these teams could play for the National Title if the aforementioned titans slip, along with Florida, Iowa and even Georgia Tech. Can’t see the powers that be letting Boise State or even Cincinnati get there. But anyway, USC’s chances end here and now. Oregon.

AND ONE OTHER THING

Check out Applause!, Zing!’s kinder sibling.

Applause! will be on Tallahassee.com every day for readers to post the nice things. Then on Wednesdays each week, we’ll pick the best of the good and publish an Applause! column in the Tallahassee Democrat’s print edition.

You can also send your Applause! items to applause@tallahassee.com or go the TallyApplause home page to send a private message. You have to become a friend of TallyApplause to do that.

Click on this link to go there now.

You can send your comments by clicking the button below, e-mailing me at bgabordi@tallahassee.com, sending a private message on Tallahassee.com, Twitter @bgabordi, LinkedIn, Blogger.com or on my blog on Friendster.

You can also find links to my blogs on Facebook.com, but you have to request to be my friend.

Tuesday, October 27, 2009

A matter of humanity on a football field

Bob Gabordi's blog

Bob Gabordi is executive editor of the Tallahassee Democrat and Tallahassee.com. He can be reached through this blog, at bgabordi@tallahassee.com or (850) 599-2177

A matter of humanity on a football field

Posted 10/27/2009 8:12 AM EDT on tallahassee.com

I saw something on a football field over the weekend that I had never seen before and hope never to have to see again: players from two teams meeting at midfield, shaking hands and hugging prior to the kickoff of a huge game.

Tom Hanks says there is no crying in baseball, but I’m sure there was a tear or two on Mountaineer Field as players and coaches from the University of Connecticut and West Virginia University, Big East conference rivals, shared a moment. I know there were in the stands as fans of the rival schools embraced.

Two days later, the UConn football team faced a challenge far greater than football: They helped bury a teammate, cornerback Jasper Howard, of South Florida.

On game day, fans wearing the Huskies’ blue and Mountaineers’ gold stood side by side holding up signs with Howard’s No. 6, cheering as UConn players ran out of the tunnel past a poster saying: “Today we are all Huskies.” The poster was signed by WVU players, coaches, members of the band, cheerleaders and fans.

Howard, 20, was fatally stabbed in the abdomen during an altercation on campus in Storrs, Conn., about 12:30 a.m. Oct. 18 after a party at the student union, according to reports. No one has been charged in his death.

That was just a few hours after the junior had a career-high 11 tackles in a 38-25 win over Louisville. He was the defensive star, forcing a fumble as Louisville was about to score with UConn up 21-13 in the third quarter.

“He was someone who had a tremendous heart … he was on track for greatness," said Huskies head coach Randy Edsall during Howard’s funeral service. “He was going to graduate. He was going to have his degree. He was doing everything to make himself the best student, the best person and the best athlete that he could be.”

It was Edsall who was called to St. Francis Hospital and Medical Center in Hartford to identify Howard’s body. He then had to call Howard’s mother, JoAngila, and inform his players.

At a press conference later that day, Edsall told reporters:

“There's nothing written in the manual in how to deal with these situations. But I know this — this is a strong team, with strong leadership, and we'll get through it.”

Less than a week later, fans of both teams were standing and cheering as the Huskies ran onto the field at West Virginia. The TV broadcasters could barely speak as teammates carried his No. 6 jersey and helmet onto the field.

Somehow, they managed to play football after all that. Less than 10 seconds into the game, UConn was down 7-0 as the opening kickoff was run back for a touchdown. The Huskies battled back, but lost 28-24.

But as far as I was concerned, they won in a rout. More to the point, all of sports won. This was a meaningful game in the Big East standings and both teams’ post-season chances. It was more meaningful in the game of life.

Two teams: One showing courage they probably didn’t know they had; the other showing class and respect. Both provided a fleeting reminder to football fans everywhere what sports and games ought to be about.

Even post-game UConn blogs lacked the usual vitriol that comes of a tough loss. One WVU fan, posting on a Hartford Courant blog summed it up:

“UConn should be very proud of the men that took the field in Morgantown on Saturday. They showed a lot of heart and represented both their university and Jaz very well. … We feel your pain. May God bless UConn and give you all comfort to carry on. As the poster at the UConn entrance stated, ‘Today we are all Huskies’.”

You can also find links to my blogs on Facebook.com, but you have to request to be my friend.

Monday, October 26, 2009

Debate hopes to shed light on Fla. drilling discussion

Bob Gabordi's blog

Bob Gabordi is executive editor of the Tallahassee Democrat and Tallahassee.com. He can be reached through this blog, at bgabordi@tallahassee.com or (850) 599-2177

Debate hopes to shed light on drilling discussion

Posted 10/26/2009 8:54 AM EDT on tallahassee.com

Sitting in an editorial-board meeting one day a couple months ago, proponents of lifting a ban on offshore oil and natural-gas exploration off Florida’s coast said: “We have the facts on our side.”

It was not the first time I heard them say that, but this time I heard myself replying: “Prove it.”

Since then, a group of us have been working to create a public forum – a debate, really – that will allow those who support and oppose lifting the ban to place their facts in front of the people of Florida for review.

The Florida Forum on Energy Exploration will take place from 7 to 9 p.m. Wednesday at the studios of WFSU-TV in Tallahassee, sponsored by Florida State University, the Tallahassee Democrat and other Gannett Florida newspapers and TV stations.

It will be broadcast live on 4FSU and by anyone who wants to pick it up. It will be streamed live on the Internet on Tallahassee.com, as well as affiliated Gannett Web sites in Pensacola, Fort Myers, Jacksonville, Tampa and Melbourne.

Questions will be taken live from the studio and Internet audiences through a live interactive blog. Internet viewers can also Tweet questions or comments by using the hashtag #flaforum. Questions may also be e-mailed in advance to FlaForumtallahassee.com.

Legislative leaders Sen. Mike Haridopolos, R-Merritt Island, and Rep. Dean Cannon, R-Winter Park, agreed to be on hand as part of the forum to ask questions and listen.

It will all be moderated by Paul Flemming, state editor for Gannett Florida. Flemming heads the Florida Capital Bureau that serves the Democrat, Florida Today, The News-Press of Fort Myers, the Pensacola News-Journal, First Coast News in Jacksonville and 10Connects (WTSP) in Tampa-St. Pete.

I must tell you, negotiations on setting up this forum made my head hurt, but in the end I think the discussion will be valuable to the public and the Legislature.

In what is surely an understatement, the issues are complicated and debate is occurring at a time when our economy is suffering. Whatever Florida does, Cuba and others are working on their own plans to extend energy exploration.

Florida State University, which has been instrumental in helping to make this possible, will follow the forum with an academic symposium on campus Nov. 2.

A team of reporters and editors from across the state will then use what we learn at the forum, the symposium and in our own news gathering to put together a comprehensive project for publication later this year.

To be clear, there is no doubt going to be a bill at some point for the Legislature to debate on lifting restrictions, whether that will happen in special or regular session remains to be seen. At this point, a special session before the new year seems unlikely. It is not clear what the outcome of the bill will be. (Additional information on the forum is available on this link.)

The idea of this forum is very simply to put all of the best arguments from all sides of this debate into a mixing bowl and see what comes out. Our goal has been to ensure a fair and honest discussion of the issues that are relevant to the debate that will happen on the floor of the Legislature.

I’m not sure anyone will end up proving their points to the satisfaction of everyone, but hopefully everyone will agree all sides got a fair chance to be heard.

You can also find links to my blogs on Facebook.com, but you have to request to be my friend.

Friday, October 16, 2009

An apology for a Zing!

Bob Gabordi's blog

Bob Gabordi is executive editor of the Tallahassee Democrat and Tallahassee.com. He can be reached through this blog, at bgabordi@tallahassee.com or (850) 599-2177

An apology for a Zing!

Posted 10/16/2009 8:35 AM EDT on tallahassee.com

A Zing! we published this week that compared the Republican Party to the Taliban should not have been allowed to get into the Tallahassee Democrat.

It’s my job as editor to catch major issues, whether factual errors or just poor judgment. I didn’t select it for publication, but read that page in advance as I do most days and should have caught it. I didn’t, it got published and I apologize for that.

Understand that you only see a fraction of what gets submitted. Other editors go through the files and select which letters, my views and Zing!s we’ll publish. If you ever want to truly witness the deep divide that exists in our community, state and nation, read the unpublished Zing!s sometime.

Which leads me to this point: A Zing! by its nature and definition is supposed to insult someone. That's why I’ve never liked the Zing! column, but most readers do and I got outvoted when I suggested we should drop it.

The Zing! in question should never have made the paper, but many Zing!s are nothing more than insults and rants. As one reader put it, it is sometimes "an outlet for anonymous cowards." This one just was worst than most.

The Urban Dictionary makes the point well. Its No. 1 definition of the word zing is this: “The new term for owned, said after saying something witty to someone in an insulting manner.” It defined "owned" as making a fool of someone else or embarrassing that person.

In this case, by definition, I was zinged, I guess.

I personally got more than a dozen telephone calls. The editorial staff took more. Plus we all got a few e-mails. Most people seemed to accept our apology and acknowledgement that the Zing! was over the top.

Not everyone.

Even after we had apologized, one woman sent this in an e-mail:

“Please tell me what this morning's Zing! comparing the GOP to the Taliban was supposed to accomplish? Are you insane or ignorant or both?”

A man identifying himself only as a local doctor said he was going to urge all of his patients to cancel their subscription. He didn’t say, but I presume his advice is health related. I have great doctors, but I would cancel my doctor if he started telling me what to read and/or think.

My point is, no one believes anyone just makes an honest mistake anymore. That’s all this was, and for allowing this to get published, I apologize.

You can also find links to my blogs on Facebook.com, but you have to request to be my friend.

Wednesday, October 14, 2009

Blogging for bloggers

This is a blog about blogging with #BGOLLI students learning how to blog.

Monday, October 12, 2009

Jessica's daddy is angry

Bob Gabordi's blog

Bob Gabordi is executive editor of the Tallahassee Democrat and Tallahassee.com. He can be reached through this blog, at bgabordi@tallahassee.com or (850) 599-2177

Jessica's daddy is angry

Posted 10/12/2009 8:43 AM EDT on tallahassee.com

Sometime around noon Thursday, my day, my week and very nearly my entire life changed.

My daughter, Jessica, who has become known to readers of this blog as much for her abilities and courage as her for mental and physical disabilities, was seriously injured after falling in her classroom at Gretchen Everhart School for Exceptional Students.

From the moment my phone rang until we left TMH Saturday afternoon, it was as though someone else was in control of my life. Time moved swiftly and not at all.

Jessica had been in a prone stander, an adaptive device that allows her to stand, something she could not otherwise do. With no ability to or sense of balance, she fell. She landed full force onto the back of her head.

She cannot talk, so she could not yell for help.

She has little control over her muscles, so she could not grab something or brace her fall.

She counts on us for those things, and we weren’t there. Still, I have seen the fall over and over in my head a thousand times since.

Doctors said she suffered an epidural hematoma, at least I think that’s what they said. Frankly, those first few hours what I heard was more like sounds than words, like a dozen musical instruments playing a dozen different sounds all at once, pounding noise into my ears.

What I understood was there was bleeding between the membrane that surrounds the brain and the skull. If the bleeding stopped quickly and the hematoma stayed small, we would avoid surgery. If not, as the blood pushed into the brain, further damage might occur. Then she would have required surgery to drain the blood and might die.

The good news, one doctor explained, was that because she of how she fell on the back of her head, there was a good chance the bleeding was caused by a vein that would relatively quickly stop. I didn’t understand why.

It was all a matter of waiting and watching.

My wife was at the school at the time of Jessica’s accident, as she is many days. On this day she was getting ready for a fund raiser to benefit Gretchen that night. I was the guest speaker. I was working on my speech when the telephone rang.

The irony is that the fund raiser was created as a way to supplement funding for students basic needs, things for which our state seems to think it has higher priorities. My speech would have addressed that. Here is a link to it if you want to read it.

It was to be about how parents need to do more to force lawmakers to make children a priority, things like putting another set of hands back into my daughter’s classroom that would have kept her safe.

Instead, as the fund raiser went on, we were in the Pediatric Intensive Care Unit, by our daughter’s bed, praying – pleading, to tell the truth – for God to stop the bleeding in our girl’s head.

Many others in our community and beyond prayed for Jessica, too. Jessica’s teacher and many others from Gretchen Everhart were at Jessica’s side often during our three days at TMH. We received dozens and dozens of e-mails, phone calls and messages of support. We are grateful for them all, and especially thank the students and teachers at Trinity Catholic School.

Jessica is home now. By Sunday, she was smiling and happy. She laughed when I told her she just needed to learn to bounce better.

But I can’t help but be angry, too.

I’m angry at every politician that has failed our children by using a vote to repay a campaign contributor or friend instead of properly funding education. I’m angry at those responsible for cutting money that would always have teacher’s aides in classrooms of special needs kids. My anger is aimed at those who think of the needs of our children – all children – as a commodity to be traded for votes and favors.

How in the world do the Ray Sansoms of the world do it? I mean, it is immaterial to me whether he is guilty of a crime or just bad behavior. How do you vote to spend taxpayers’ money for an airplane hangar to benefit a friend while my daughter and her classmates use equipment that is old or inadequate?

How?

How do we even consider buying another building we don’t need right now for government use when we are cutting back on our children’s basic needs?

How?

I’m angry about every wastefully spent tax dollar that meant someone was not there to catch my daughter and break her fall because her too busy teacher had too few hands and was distracted.

Jessica is one tough little lady, tougher than I was, quite honestly. She appears to be on her way to recovery, though we are still watching her closely.

But she still can’t use her voice. She still counts on you and me to do that.

And I’m one angry daddy.

You can also find links to my blogs on Facebook.com, but you have to request to be my friend.

Tuesday, October 6, 2009

On camera or not, red light means stop

Bob Gabordi's blog

Bob Gabordi is executive editor of the Tallahassee Democrat and Tallahassee.com. He can be reached through this blog, at bgabordi@tallahassee.com or (850) 599-2177

On camera or not, red light means stop

Posted 10/6/2009 8:22 AM EDT on tallahassee.com

I hate to change the subject, but I’ve been trying to write this one for a week. Count me as being in favor of the cameras at traffic lights. I like the idea for a few reasons:

Don’t do the crime if you can’t pay the dime.
Law enforcement officers have better things to do than sitting around waiting for some knucklehead to hurry through a stop light – obviously, a machine can do that.
We need the extra money that will come from more tickets because some people just can’t help themselves.
I’m tired of deciding whether to break the law and go through the light or stop and be slammed into by said above knucklehead who has no intention of stopping, nor does the knucklehead behind him (or her) and sometimes the knucklehead goes, too.

Please don’t give me constitutional-rights arguments. You have the constitutional right to stop when the light turns red. Period.

The argument – and the lawsuits – has to do with tickets being sent to car owners who might or might not be driving the car at the time of the infraction.

That makes as much sense to me as the “dog ate my homework.” Maybe it did, but still no credit in my book.

Or, more to the point, that’s like saying law enforcement should have to tie its hands behind its backs and be blindfolded to catch traffic law violators.

Why?

How about this: What if we just stop when the light turns red, including when making a right turn?

What if we actually yield the right away when there is a yield sign?

What if we stop when a pedestrian is in the crosswalk?

What if we slow down when we see a school bus pulling over to pick up children instead of racing by before the flashing lights come on? (Why? Because you never know what kids are going to do.)

What if we take turns at the circle on Killarney Way?

I know, I’m venting. Got to stop now.

But let’s buy a bunch more cameras.

You can also find links to my blogs on Facebook.com, but you have to request to be my friend.

Monday, October 5, 2009

Parents need to quit playing nice, start acting out

Bob Gabordi's blog

Bob Gabordi is executive editor of the Tallahassee Democrat and Tallahassee.com. He can be reached through this blog, at bgabordi@tallahassee.com or (850) 599-2177

Parents need to quit playing nice, start acting out

Posted 10/5/2009 8:20 AM EDT on tallahassee.com

The problem with parents today is that we tend to focus too much of our time on teaching our children to play nicely and modeling good behavior. Maybe our kids would be better served if we acted up a little, teaching them about their rights to assembly and to redress grievances to our government.

Playing nicely hasn’t gotten children in this state – or their parents – much of anywhere. That is, unless you consider it OK for thousands – one estimate is 17,000 – of children with disabilities to have to wait for state services.

One parent, posting on a Web site for families of children with disabilities, told another parent this:

“I hope someone else has a different answer for you, but from what I have experienced, the Med(icaid) Waiver is something you sign up for and then never hear from again. There is a 30-something year waiting list for services. Our children will all be grown before their turn comes up.”

The Medicaid Waiver program provides basic services to the elderly, the mentally ill and persons with disabilities. It is federal funded, but requires a state match.

This week, I’ll be involved with two events I hope you’ll consider attending:

The first is The Children's Campaign's Pasta with a Purpose dinner and town-hall meeting. The dinner is at 4:30 p.m., and the town-hall meeting starts at 6 p.m. Tuesday at Bethel AME Church, 501 W. Orange Ave. The pasta and admission are free, and the discussion, I hope, will be lively.

The second event is a fundraiser for students at Gretchen Everhart School called “Climb to Success” where I’m the guest speaker. The event is from 6 to 7:30 p.m. Thursday at Los Robles Women’s Club, 1513 Cristobal Drive, Tallahassee. It costs $10 to get in and features light food and a silent auction with excellent items, including a stay at the Grove Park Inn in Asheville, N.C., along with other incredible items.

The second event illustrates what the first event is all about. The Gretchen event is an attempt by parents to “meet the needs of students when other funding is not available.” In this case, parents simply want to buy equipment that would allow disabled children to use the pool, which provides incredible therapy. They also would like to build a high school activity area to help students “develop social skills that are appropriate.”

It makes you wonder about how money is available to buy buildings we don’t need and airplane hangars that benefit a politician’s friend, but parents have to hold fundraisers on top of paying taxes to get basic educational equipment for their children.

The Tuesday town-hall meeting will talk about advocacy. But it’s not for professional advocates alone. It’s about hearing from parents and others who love children who think we can do better than cutting funding for the one program we know makes a difference: mentoring students.

The Children’s Campaign Inc. is an organization devoted to making children's issues a legislative priority. It is concerned about issues impacting all children and has held events like this around the state to raise awareness.

The conversation will be about the status of children – all children. The statistics are overwhelming.

For example: There are currently 165,182 children in the state’s school readiness program. Last year, there were 247,349 served. By the end of the fiscal year, that number is likely to be served again.

That would still leave 608,651 children who are eligible based on income and other state requirements without services.

The Children’s Campaign has hosted similar events in other Florida cities with great success. I hope they’ll get a good turnout here, too. The forum will also be Web cast live on Tallahassee.com.

To me, this is not about raising taxes, but investing in children instead of wasting our tax investments on things we can do without.

As a parent, that's a fight worth getting into.

You can also find links to my blogs on Facebook.com, but you have to request to be my friend.

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Friday, October 30, 2009

Why read these scary football picks?

Tuesday, October 27, 2009

A matter of humanity on a football field

Monday, October 26, 2009

Debate hopes to shed light on Fla. drilling discussion

Friday, October 16, 2009

An apology for a Zing!

Wednesday, October 14, 2009

Blogging for bloggers

Monday, October 12, 2009

Jessica's daddy is angry

Tuesday, October 6, 2009

On camera or not, red light means stop

Monday, October 5, 2009

Parents need to quit playing nice, start acting out