In normal times this headline would probably be a bit of a bore. But these are not normal times, and since I’ve been back from our trip people have wanted to know what it’s like to fly and what it’s like in Florida as their coronavirus cases go through the roof. I approached our trip to the Pensacola area with considerable anxiety. Could I really … Continue reading Our Trip to Florida (during Corona)
The Marijuana Policy Project came out with its report card for 22 presidential candidates and hopefuls this week and the headline is that no one is sticking their neck out very far when it comes to the legalization of marijuana or the loosening of federal pot laws. Admittedly, this is not the biggest issue on anyone’s presidential platform but as more states jump on the … Continue reading The Pot Plank and Presidential Politics
I finally got to the Gulf coast to work on a story about the oil spill for the PBS Newshour. I didn’t see any oil but what I saw was a a boat load of fear. Correspondent Tom Bearden and I visited Bayou La Batre, Alabama to attend a town hall meeting with Ken Feinberg, the Massachusetts lawyer who must decide how to allocate BP’s … Continue reading Oil Spill: The Ripple Effect
Can animals commit suicide? Richard O’Barry, who starred in the Oscar award winning documentary “The Cove,” says they can and a dolphin named Cathy that he captured and trained for the TV show “Flipper” did just that. Outrageous? Jennifer London traveled with him to Key West, Florida to look into this controversial subject for HDNet’s World Report. She also spoke to animal behaviorists, Dr. Ann … Continue reading Animal Suicide: The Video
Richard O’Barry gets misty eyed when he talks about Cathy. His beautiful girl died in his arms. Suicide he says. Cathy was a bottlenose dolphin, one of five he trained for the 60’s television hit, “Flipper.” Her death in captivity at the Miami Seaquarium changed his world and set him on a course of activism. “I knew she was tired of suffering,” O’Barry says. “She … Continue reading Animal Suicide
William Gray, Phillip Klotzbach and their forecasters at Colorado State University have come out with their predictions for the 2009 Atlantic hurricane season which runs from June 1 to November 30. It’s expected to be active with three hurricanes becoming major Category 3 storms. In the press release they remark, “NOAA’s National Weather Service Climate Prediction Center says there is a 70 percent chance of having nine … Continue reading Hurricane Season
As a young television producer working at KRON TV in San Francisco I had the opportunity to attend a weeklong seminar at the Poynter Institute in St. Petersburg, Florida. It was one of the first times I was able to explore my craft with other like minded professionals and learn from some of the best in the business. Among them was Rod Prince, one of … Continue reading Points from Poynter
My friend, Deborah Sharp, has just written her first book. “Mama Does Time” is a gentle murder mystery with colorful characters and a brilliantly developed sense of place. It is set in central Florida and is full of Southern wit and details. The caper begs you to keep turning the page. It reads like an Alexander McCall Smith novel. It won’t scare you or keep … Continue reading Deborah Sharp’s “Mama Does Time”
Vicky Collins Online 