“This is confidential DISinformation.” “Ah, that’s different.”
"Discussions by three senators about the budget would appear to fall within this rule and, as such should have been open," Jim Rhea said. St. Pete Times political blog The Buzz, Did top three Senate Republicans violate their own open meeting rule?. So Florida Governor Rick Scott discussed his budget proposal last night with three […]
Replication study undermines L.A. Times’ value-added reporting
The gentleman from the Los Angeles Times sounded more like a press secretary for a politician rather than a member of the press corps. He put a spin on everything the research methodologist from Boulder found, and even put a spin on a caller's comment. The Times needs to get back to the business of […]
Rick Scott’s budget released in Eustis, belongs in Fantasyland
The summary of Rick Scott's proposed biennial budget for the state of Florida is bleak: tremendous spending cuts and attacks on public employees to pay for tax cuts concentrated for those who can afford to pay taxes. The St. Pete Times/Miami Herald state political bureau reporters are not impressed, calling today a four flip-flop day. […]
Check the policy mirror before going out
Larry Ferlazzo, someone I generally enjoy reading, made me wince with a blog entry attacking the parent-petition mechanism for charter conversions. Using this methodology, a group (generally one that has recently received a large amount of grant money to work in low-income neighborhoods) hires plenty of staff and throws “time” at a community. Often, the group […]
Weird science
It's been a while since I wrote an Out of Left Field Friday entry, and since I've worked 60 or more hours this week and desperately need to take a break… so a science-themed entry. Cars are Faraday cages, which is why we're safe inside one in a thunderstorm (even thundersnow, at least from the […]