Sunday Morning Coming Down

The Florida Coalition Against Domestic Violence Board has more than a few problems. It doesn't look like it was doing its various jobs: Determine the organization's mission and purpose. ... Select the chief executive. ... Provide proper financial oversight. ... Ensure adequate resources. ... Ensure legal and ethical integrity and maintain accountability. ... Ensure effective organizational planning. ... Recruit and orient new board members and assess board performance. According to reports from Mary Ellen Klas of the Miami Herald:  In documents filed late Thursday with the Florida House, a former board member of the Florida Coalition Against Domestic Violence alleges that former CEO Tiffany Carr worked aggressively to shield details of her salary from disclosure. Lorna Taylor, the only recent member of the board who did not have a financial relationship with the coalition that manages $52 million of state and federal grant money, says in the sworn affidavit th...

Tiffany Carr was the CEO of the Florida Coalition Against Domestic Violence.  Ironically she "worked remotely" from North Carolina.  Over the last three years she was paid about $7.5 million dollars in compensation to oversee an agency that receives about $52 million dollars in state and federal dollars annually. The Miami Herald started investigating and wrote a story about a salary of $761,000. "Tiffany Carr runs the state’s top domestic violence organization, a nonprofit that uses public money  state and federal to finance shelters and other essential services. And she makes a good living. How good? In a June 30, 2017 report, the Florida Coalition Against Domestic Violence disclosed she is paid $761,560 annually, a salary that is approved by its board. She hit that mark after receiving pay raises totaling $313,475 over a two-year period." ...

Newspapers have been important personally and nationally.  I've worked for newspapers and read them avidly. Lately, folks I talk to complain about the paper they read shrinking and still having to pay a lot for the hard copy of the "news".  The number of hard print subscribers has shrunk and is continuing to shrink in big towns like Chicago and even the statewide newspapers that report on what is happening in the state capital. In 1987 the paid circulation of newspapers in the U.S. was 62.82 million papers.  In 2018 the paid circulation in the U.S. had dropped to 28.62 million papers according to Amy Watson of Statista. Now for the last two weekends the print edition of the Miami Herald has not been delivered.  My upstairs neighbor and I used to get the paper delivered to the front door (upstairs) she seven days a week and me on the weekends.  I found her paper outside in the parking area of our building on Sunday, mine was missing or stolen.  When th...

Back in 2005 Winn Dixie filled for Chapter 11 Bankruptcy.  In 2011 the company was bought by Bi-Lo another supermarket chain based in the southeast.  It is currently operated by Southeast Grocers.  In Miami it competes with Publix, Walmart, Target, Whole Foods, Costco and several Latin grocery stores. Today, CNN reported that the projected cuts in the SNAP (food stamp) program will put additional pressure on smaller regional or independent grocery stores that operate on small margins and may be dependent on the SNAP Program for business. Stock clerks, cashiers and suppliers will be negatively affected by cuts to SNAP.  SNAP Participants who will have their benefits reduced because of the new rules will need more money to pay for food and it may become harder to get food if some grocery stores go out of business. I believe in able bodied people being required to work as a condition for receiving benefits but I also know that a simple work requirement isn't as si...

After an extended absence the Super Bowl will be held in Miami on February 2, 2020.  Stubhub has some tickets available for about $4700.  If we are lucky the weather will be pretty close to perfect in temperature. Showers are possible.  Hotel rates are through the roof and extended stays are the norm. The Hard Rock has made extensive improvements in seating, the concourses, high definition screens and a canopy to help protect fans from rain.  These improvements allowed Miami to be chosen to host Super Bowl LIV. I've been invited to Super Bowl parties that only require a covered dish and the beer will be cold. Miami has hosted the Super Bowl eleven times starting with Super Bowl II in 1968 and Super Bowl LIV or 54 on February 2, 2020. It should be a good game between the Chiefs and the 49er's. The Chiefs are 3 point favorites.  My gambling will be limited to picking a square for $5.00 at the Moose or the Legion. I don't care about the commercials, but M...

I heard a song from the musical "Rent" that has really stuck with me. Four professional singers from the Adrienne Arsht Center in sang "Seasons of Love" at the Unitarian Universalist Congregation Sanctuary on December 1, 2019. There are 525,600 minutes in a year and 1440 minutes in a day.  The song asks: how do you measure a year in the life? The Class of 1969 had its 50th Reunion.  I did not attend.  I hope those that did attend had a good time.  It was hurricane season and Dorian was close enough to keep me in Miami. I haven't been to see live horse racing for quite a while. I still follow the sport and watch as many races on the computer and follow RW Quarters at Canterbury in Minnesota, Prairie Meadows in Iowa and Keeneland in the Spring and Fall in Kentucky.  I also spend time handicapping races for contests at Monmouth Park in New Jersey and Remington Park in Oklahoma. I attend the Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Miami. I eat lunch at Post 3...

Jerry Herman's music was cheerful and uplifting.  I saw Carol Channing in "Helo Dolly" in St. Petersburg, Fl.  You left the theater happy. I don't know how deep the grooves were dug on that record.  It was played a lot at home.  Mr. Herman donated $300,000 to the "U" and the Ring Theater became the Jerry Herman Ring Theater. Along with Hello Dolly, he did the music and lyrics for Mame, Mack and Mabel, and La Cage Aux Folles and other shows.