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tags: Built Environment, Channel District, Downtown, Economic Development, Politics, Rays, Roads, Seminole Heights, St. Petersburg, Tampa, Transit, Transportation, Westshore
Seminole Heights – The Apartment Building and the Choice
Transportation – Yes and No
Downtown/Channel District – Confab and Comments
— Of Pom Poms and Perspectives
— Of Fun and Housing
Rays/Economic Development – The Lightning Owner Keeps Speaking the Truth
Harbour Island – A Step Forward
Westshore – Transitions
Transportation – Still No Reason to Keep the PTC
Fine Tuning Hype
The proposed apartment building on Florida in Seminole Heights went before the Architectural Review Commission this week.
A city commission has sent a mixed-use development proposed in Seminole Heights back to the drawing board.
Tampa developer Wesley Burdette had proposed a mixed-use building at the corner of North Florida and East Wilder avenues, to include about 50 loft-style apartments, 2,800 square feet of retail space, a rooftop lounge and on-site dog park.
But after several Seminole Heights residents spoke out in opposition to the project, the city's Architectural Review Commission voted to continue the public hearing until Jan. 11, giving the developer time to modify the "mass and scale" of the project.
Before we go any further, we note that URBN Tampa Bay is saying that the ARC continued the hearing not for massing but basically for style. (See here and look at the comments) We were not at the meeting so we are not sure. In any event, what was the reported objection of the community?
Opponents to the development said that at five stories and 55 feet, the building would be out of context with the Seminole Heights historic district.
You can read the comments at URBN Tampa Bay to see some other objections which can be summarized as basically the building is too big for the area and the building does not have a look consistent with the historical district's style.
The reality is that we can understand some of the objections. Yes, the building is larger than much of the area, though it should not be judged by the standards of the single family homes. It is a mixed use building on a major road. Hillsborough High school is as tall and bigger. There are also churches in the historic district (map here), like this, which are quite large. Moreover while there may be an architectural type for the houses in the area, most of Florida Avenue is a mess of warehouses, car lots, and other less than attractive buildings. There is no prevalent historical style.
But there is another point. The Seminole Heights district plan calls for development like this:
From URBN Tampa Bay – click on picture for Facebook page
And the building will look basically like this:
Also, the height of the building, 55 ft, is within rules and guidelines for Florida in this area. In other words, it is not too high (which may be why there is confusion about massing). In fact, it seems to fit with the concepts in the plans.
We think it is a good project that will enhance Florida and the neighborhood. It will add residents and walkable retail to the street – helping to transform it from the mess it now is to an urban street. We would not be for a project like this on a side street. It is only appropriate for a major street – like Florida. (And real urban planning has higher density on major roads that decreases as it goes into the residential areas. That is quite standard.) This is exactly the kind of urban infill project that can help move an area along. (Maybe they should have just proposed it on the west side of Florida, outside the historic district like the dollar store.)
We also do not think the architecture is an issue. As we said, for the most part, Florida does not have an architectural style other than cement box and steel warehouse. (Including the warehouse repurposing project by this developer in Seminole Heights that had, as far as we can tell, no objections.) Yes, there are a few older buildings, but, as the link above shows, Florida is hardly a cute or quaint street. It has little overall charm – though a few buildings on Florida do and the neighborhood around it does. Also, we do not believe that every building must be med revival or covered in brick. We also do not think that an urban area needs to have strict façade rules like a gated, planned community. But that is what we think.
What really matters is that the neighborhood (and the City) needs to decide what they want. Do they want to have a real, urban neighborhood in the middle of a city where the major commercial roads are activated and thriving or do they want to promote the status quo on Florida and Nebraska (which have improved but have a long way to go) and hope for a small town main street on a major thoroughfare (which is not the adopted plan)? We have an opinion, but the decision is theirs.
There was an interesting article in the Tribune regarding transit in Hillsborough.
As the Hillsborough Area Regional Transit Authority prepares to conduct a feasibility study of all "premium transit" options for the region, its board chairman is not convinced that converting CSX lines to commuter rail will prove the best option.
Tampa City Councilman Mike Suarez said Monday he's willing to consider it, but isn't sure that purchasing CSX railroad lines and converting them for passenger traffic will benefit enough people to offset the cost. A strong proponent for bus rapid transit, Suarez said he believes there may be a better path to address roadway congestion and give commuters more options.
"It is a viable option, but it's a different type of option that may be as expensive, if not more expensive than us building an extensive light rail or bus rapid transit routes which would give more versatility," he said.
First, we are not surprised that chairman of HART would be a big bus proponent – HART is about buses. Second, there is no BRT in Hillsborough County, and it is not the transit solution – it is part of a solution, but is not THE solution.
That being said, we agree that "commuter rail" – like SunRail – on the CSX tracks is likely not the best option. In fact, a much better option is using DMU rolling stock, which functions much like light rail rather than commuter rail, on the CSX tracks (assuming you can connect to downtown and on to Westshore – which you can with a little political will and, maybe, some highway median). It allows for much more frequency of service and a proper transit system. (Commuter rail from Pasco may be better). We also have nothing against light rail, either, but the CSX tracks might (we mean might) be more practical and cost-effective.
As for the study:
The study and an adopted transit plan would allow Hillsborough and surrounding counties to apply in the future for funds from the Federal Transportation Administration, said Debbie Hunt, director of Transportation Development for FDOT, which is paying for the study. "The study is a premium transit study, not specifically to look at the CSX tracks. We are not looking at a predetermined outcome. If we did, the FTA would not participate. We're looking at all possibilities."
"Our role is to have a completely unbiased view on what is cost effective and the most useful" in meeting the needs of commuters, HART CEO Katharine Eagan said.
HART is already working with FDOT to determine the scope of the study, which will begin in fiscal 2017.
We are not sure HART could do an unbiased study. It is, after all, an agency with a political board and a pre-existing plan for MetroRapid. Also notable is that the study won't even start until fiscal year 2017 while the whole TBX issue is going on now.
Over the next 18-24 months, HART's staff or a consultant will look at the placement of the CSX rail lines between Pinellas, Hillsborough and Pasco counties to determine how people would get to the train to commute and how to connect those commuters with their eventual destinations once they get off the train.
It will also look at whether commuters would be better served with the creation of a new light rail system that might take commuters closer to the places they actually want to go, like downtown offices. Bus rapid transit routes are the other option. They would provide either exclusive lanes in which buses could travel to get to their destinations faster or the means for buses to control traffic signals so they could keep moving even during periods of congestion.
"No one thing will solve all the problems," Suarez said. It's not about skepticism, it's about light rail versus heavier rail. People say 'if we just got the CSX tracks, we would solve these problems.' It won't solve all these problems," which is another good reason to study all the options, he said.
The premium transit study is not so much about the price tag as it is about the logistics and whether it would be a wise use of funds, Eagan said. "We'll be focusing on where people will be trying to get to, looking at the convenience," Eagan said. The study will include a lot of details, like where park and ride lots could be located, necessary right-of-way acquisition and where stations might have to be built, among other topics, she said.
"This is all the homework you have to do before you can go to the FTA and get in line" for funding, Eagan said.
Once a transit plan is approved, Hunt said, local officials will have to step up. The feds won't fund anything and neither will the state until local authorities agree to pay for maintenance and operation of whatever the final transit options are, she said.
And there is the rub. Local officials are all about studies. They are far less interested in actually doing anything. Moreover, shouldn't this have been done as part of the whole TED/PLC/Go Hillsborough process – which is supposedly coming to a head – and where HART was represented? How do all these things fit together? Why is everything regarding transportation such an uncoordinated mess?
Maybe because it works like this:
FDOT agreed to fund the study after hundreds of people from neighborhoods along the Interstate 275 corridor came out against a plan to add express toll lanes to the interstate. At the same time, they called for more transit.
This study is the result of FDOT's desire to build TBX, which the TED/PLC/Go Hillsborough process completely ignored. (And don't discount the whole state-CSX connection). It only came about because people – not elected officials – complained.
In any event, now that seems to be happening, we'll be interested to see what it produces.
Last week, we noted that USF was a little behind on its private donations for the new Med School building. (See "Downtown/Channel District – Checking in With USF" ) This week, something happened regarding the USF Med School, though it is not clear exactly what.
USF on Tuesday held a site dedication ceremony for the Morsani College of Medicine, to be built at the corner of Meridian Avenue and Channelside Drive in downtown Tampa's Channel district. It will be accompanied by the USF Heart Health Institute.
It is not exactly clear what a "dedication" is, especially because:
The land is at the northwest corner of Channelside Drive and Meridian Avenue. Strategic Property Partners expects to deed it to USF around the first of the year. Design for the medical school building, which is expected to be about 12 stories tall, with 330,000 square feet, probably will take about a year to complete before construction can begin.
So, it wasn't a ground-breaking. It sounds more like a pep-rally, which is fine. But then there was this:
With its new building, USF will achieve a certain status among the top 100 medical schools in the U.S. that receive money from the National Institutes: The Morsani College will be the only one in that group to be located within 25 minutes of its primary teaching hospital — in this case, five minutes from Tampa General Hospital, said Charles Lockwood, dean of the college and senior vice president of USF Health.
Well, that is great – maybe. Except there are all sorts of major med schools (maybe they do not get money from the National Institutes, but what does that mean) physically connected or immediately adjacent to their hospitals – including some schools that the Mayor used as examples of why USF should move downtown in the first place like, say, Johns Hopkins or Penn that is right next to one hospital and a few blocks from another – zoom in. Even the University of Arizona – phoenix facility is pretty close to a number of its teaching hospitals (see here , here , and here ) And a few more examples of adjacent or so hospitals: Yale – see here and here, Duke, UF and Shands or UM – and maybe Vandy. We could go on, but we won't belabor the point.
But anyway, at least there is this:
For Vinik, providing the land for USF's medical school and heart institute seeds a $2 billion project that he and Cascade are preparing to launch at the southern end of downtown Tampa.
It's Tampa's largest and most ambitious project in decades, so it was no surprise that Vinik got a standing ovation as he took the stage in a tent put up on the site Tuesday.
Still, he asked for a little perspective.
"For the record, as of this moment, Strategic Property Partners has built one tent," Vinik said. "So while I appreciate the accolades — come on!"
His overall project is great, but even better is Lightning owner's attitude. Contrasted with elected officials, it is truly refreshing.
And speaking of the Lightning owner's project, there was other news.
The rooftops in Strategic Property Partners' district in downtown Tampa could be just as key as the streetscape.
Tampa Bay Lightning owner Jeff Vinik, who controls SPP with Cascade Investment LLC, said Wednesday that the group is looking at ways to activate the rooftops in the district, which is slated to be nearly 3 million square feet at completion.
One of those gathering spots could be 25 stories high.
The rooftop of the new convention hotel, Vinik said, could be home to the "best bar and restaurant in all of Hillsborough County."
Because the district will feature a centralized cooling facility, Vinik said, the rooftops are wide open, and his group is "actively dimensioning" potential uses.
"Whether it's the hotel or office buildings or residential towers, there could be a variety of things up top," he said. "Swimming pools, dog parks, restaurants or bars."
That is all cool. We are all for that. What was more interesting was this:
In an effort to offer affordable housing, Vinik said Wednesday that he and his partners at billionaire Bill Gates' Cascade Investment fund are thinking about including some smaller-sized apartments among the 1,000 residential units planned in the first phase of their project.
"Price points are critical," Vinik told about 150 people at the Suncoast Tiger Bay Club lunch at the St. Petersburg Yacht Club. Offering some smaller units may appeal to younger renters who, he said, spend relatively less time at home, anyway.
In cities like New York and San Francisco, developers are offering micro apartments as small as 300 square feet.
"I would not say never," Vinik said, but units that size don't "feel right to me. It feels too small for reality and this market."
Still, he said, "If you've seen some of the smaller units — I've toured them — they're amazingly efficiently laid out. It's surprising what you can do in 500 or 600 square feet, and it does make it affordable."
Which is interesting because:
Affordability is a potential challenge Vinik said his project could face as its first phase unfolds over the next five years or so. (Coincidentally, a Harvard Joint Center for Housing Studies report Tuesday said more than a quarter of Tampa Bay area renters pay at least half their income for housing, with little money left for necessities like health care.)
You can find a full article on that lack of affordable housing here.
We are not sure if the more affordable housing idea arose because of perceived weakness in the demand with all the proposed luxury units in the downtown area. And we doubt that even the less expensive units will really be either at the price point or of the size that make them practical for the ¼ of families with the lowest incomes in the area. However, we applaud the idea of creating a mix of units that will lead to a more diverse community and give access to many who are being priced out of any urban living. Regardless of its genesis, it is a good idea.
We said we were not going to really discuss the Rays until St Pete did something. Then the Lightning owner decided to speak the truth, and it deserves note.
How, someone asked, does Vinik really feel about the prospect of a new Tampa Bay Rays baseball stadium near the $2 billion downtown development he plans around the home arena for his Tampa Bay Lightning?
And, as he has before, Vinik said less about the idea of having a competing venue nearby and more about what he sees as the economic development value and corporate recruiting necessity of keeping the Rays in the bay area.
"This is one of those questions where the stock, for-the-press response is the same as the actual response," Vinik said. "This region needs baseball. You can't have a big league area without big-league baseball. If we lose the Rays, when I fly up to New York or Connecticut to talk to a company (about moving here), I've got two strikes behind me: 'You guys can't even keep baseball in your community?' That's literally going to be the response."
Whether the Rays end up in Pinellas or Hillsborough does make a difference, Vinik acknowledged, but that's secondary. "To me, the most important thing is just making sure we retain this great community asset."
Amen. And we agree that the actual location of the stadium in the area is secondary for the purposes of general economic development, though important in terms of whether people go to the games making them viable and economic development around the stadium. The reality is that the behavior of St Pete in this issue has been detrimental to this area – St Pete included. It needs to change so we can move on.
We have been critical of two Related projects in Tampa (PierHouse and the Tribune property project). There is another one – the Manor on Harbour Island.
From the public records – click on picture for a larger version
That project has been held up for a while because residents of a next door condo building have objected, ostensibly because of parking. In any event,
A lawsuit that challenged the city's approval of a 21-story apartment tower on Harbour Island has been rejected by an appeal court and it appears the developer may proceed with construction.
In November, the 2nd District Court of Appeal affirmed a Hillsborough County circuit court ruling that the city acted properly in approving the project. A group of Harbour Island residents challenged the decision of city officials and the city council that plans for the site did not amount to a "substantial change" from previously approved plans, and would not require a rezoning hearing.
The appeal court ruling, which affirmed the lower court without opinion, effectively ends the residents' legal campaign, said John Grandoff III, their lawyer.
This was the basis of the challenge:
The Related Group of Miami is developing the 21-story tower at 402 Knights Run Ave. It would have 340 units. But only 35 parking spaces are planned for the site; the remaining required parking spots are to be leased from a neighboring garage with a "sky bridge" over Harbour Place Drive connecting the garage and apartments.
The neighbors said that strategy would amount to a parking nightmare and that it is not covered under city land regulations. The plaintiffs, many of whom live in The Plaza, a neighboring tower, said that amounted to a "substantial change" that required a public hearing.
The parking garage is also used by nearby office buildings and Jackson's Bistro restaurant.
In fact, we actually like this project most of the three Related projects. Hopefully, the way will now be open to build it.
There was an article in the Tribune regarding changes at the Westshore Alliance.
When Ron Rotella took the reins of the newly formed Westshore Development Association in 1983, community leaders were focused on transforming a 10-square-mile swath of small suburban homes and scattered orange groves into a thriving business district.
As he prepares to retire after 33 years as executive director of the organization, now known as the Westshore Alliance, Rotella recalled last week how he and a core group of community leaders set out to create what would become the largest commercial office district in the state of Florida. And the district continues to grow, exceeding expectations.
The West Shore District, bounded by Kennedy Boulevard, Himes Avenue, Hillsborough Avenue and Old Tampa Bay, including Rocky Point, now boasts just under 13 million square feet of commercial office space. There's another 6 million square feet of retail space, more than 200 restaurants and more than 7,000 hotel rooms.
For all that the alliance has accomplished in three decades, though, there is still much to be done.
Ann Kulig, with the alliance since 2002 and deputy director since 2014, will take over the executive director's chair on Jan. 2. Her greatest challenge, she says, is finding a way to break up the vehicle congestion that has a chokehold on the bustling district.
Over the decades, Westshore has really grown. There can be no argument about that. The problem is that the whole layout of Westshore is still a 1980's layout, even with the new residential.
"The most exciting thing that has happened is the missing piece of the puzzle," Kulig said. "That's development of a neighborhood that people want to live in. With all the apartments and town homes coming in, it's really going to change the dynamic of West Shore. It will be everything you'd want in the neighborhood."
Everything, that is, if they can figure out what to do about the traffic, she concedes. "The next set of challenges is how do we make it easier to get around. The morphing of the district has to be walkability. We are the beneficiaries of location" near the airport and the interstates, which was the impetus for designing the business district, Kulig said. But the street grid in the West Shore District hasn't changed in 50 years, and that's a problem as the area grows.
"Pedestrian amenities didn't mean a lot back in 1968 when this was the suburbs," said Jay Botsch, vice president of the alliance and general manager of WestShore Plaza. That has changed, he said.
"It's connectivity — sidewalks and transportation. We want to take cars off the roads," Kelly said.
It is encouraging that people seem to see the issue (though it is far more than traffic). The problem is that basically nothing in terms of the design of the area and its building has really changed. Everything being built still is focused on cars – especially the office and retail projects that completely fail to face any street.
The Florida Department of Transportation's plan for what it calls a multimodal center alongside Interstate 275 is a great starting point, Rotella said. It will connect local buses with regional buses, with a people mover train to Tampa International Airport and possibly to light rail running between downtown St. Petersburg and downtown Tampa.
There are also future plans to extend three streets in the district under I-275 for better access, Kulig said.
We are not going to get into the multimodal center and buses, but connecting some streets under 275 is good – as would be connecting the residential on Spruce to Westshore. Real bike lanes (rather than simply restriping Boy Scout or "share the road" signs) would also be good. There are a lot of things that would be good. But there is one issue:
The key to success for both Rotella and Kulig, they say, is the ability to bring all parties to the table and come up with a workable plan on which everyone can agree.
The fact is that you are never going to get everyone to agree. At some point you are going to have to create some requirements that some will just not want do. A general consensus is good. Making everyone happy is impossible. If everyone was on board with making the area walkable, you would not have new-ish restaurants and stores with their backs to the street, buildings that demand pedestrians walk through the grass to get to the front door, hotels that tell pedestrians to weave through the cars to get in, and this inviting walking experience. If you try to make everyone happy, you will settle your way into a mess – which is not something that just happened a decade ago. It is still the normal course of business.
Design rules are not made to make everyone happy. They are made to get the people who do not want to provide what the community thinks should be provided to actually do it. And to make sure that people who want to do the easy and cheap to actually maintain the standards that the community wants. That is how they make the area better. And, in turn, the community should invest to support the rules with proper amenities that help accomplish the goals.
The fact is that the real responsibility for not doing even the simple (and not very expensive) things, like building to the street and having streets actually connect, is squarely on City Hall. Until the City stops settling – neglecting, really – in the Westshore area, it will never be a real urban area and reach its full potential. Westshore has grown and it is better, but it is not near being a walkable, urban area – though, once again, with a little political will, proper investment, and no more settling it could make great strides in the getting there.
There was an article in the Tribune entitled "Bill would require different levels of insurance for Uber, Lyft in Hillsborough" that discussed proposed bills in the Legislature regarding ridesharing but was not completely clear that it would apply just to Hillsborough.
A three-year battle for paying passengers in Hillsborough County's ride-for-hire market entered a new phase Tuesday when the county's legislative delegation voted overwhelmingly for a bill guiding local regulation of Uber and Lyft — the services summoned at the touch of an app.
The decision headed off elimination of Hillsborough's unique Public Transportation Commission, the agency fighting in court with Uber over standards of operation. Sen. Jeff Brandes, R-St. Petersburg, shelved his bill to abolish the agency, and Rep. James Grant, R-Tampa, tabled his bill to remove the commission's authority over ride-hailing companies.
The bill approved is just the beginning of a process that may be dead on arrival.
Why would they do that? Why not clean up this mess once and for all?
Local delegation members moved the bill forward to provide guidance for the Public Transportation Commission, the only special district of its kind in Florida, created by the Legislature to oversee taxicab, limousine and other ride-for-hire companies.
The county has been at the eye of the ride-hailing storm for years as the commission has tried to bring Uber, Lyft and other ride-hailing companies under its regulation.
This placed the providers and the regulators in a legal limbo, with the commission issuing criminal citations, the providers suing the commission, and the commission suing the providers. The commission agreed to stop issuing citations and suspend its lawsuit to work out a compromise.
"The PTC is trying to follow the law as we know it, but it's like fitting a square peg into a round hole," Harrison said.
The local bill gives the commission a framework to make ride-hailing companies legal in Hillsborough County, he said, "and get us out of this no man's land."
Right, so get rid of the PTC and create statewide rules. If every other county can follow statewide rules, so can Hillsborough – without an extra level of bureaucracy.
It is a departure from a measure that Rep. Daniel Raulerson, R-Plant City, had worked on with the input of the transportation commission over the last two years. Recognizing that the commission was created before ride-hailing apps existed, the bill would have created a distinct category for ride-hailing providers and required background checks and liability coverage as well as maintenance inspections.
"This is a great test of determining what role governments play in lives," Raulerson said.
But before his bill could be discussed, Rep. Dana Young introduced the amendment ultimately approved, to provide "the right balance to … public safety and the need for public regulation without hampering the transformational innovation and technology behind a sharing economy the public has enthusiastically embraced."
So what does it require?
The key points of her amendment require background checks similar to those adopted by several states and municipalities, and insurance rates lower than the Raulerson bill would have required.
Young's amendment calls for drivers to have higher levels of insurance for each stage of the driver's interaction with the ride-hailing services. When offline, drivers would carry standard insurance. Once they log into the app, the company would provide $50,000 death and bodily injury per person, reduced from $125,000; $100,000 death and bodily injury coverage per incident, down from $250,000; and $25,000 for property damage.
Once the driver accepts a passenger, coverage goes up to $1 million for death, bodily injury and property damage.
Young's measure also requires a permit fee of $5,000 per driver.
As we have said for a while, we are fine with statewide regulation as long as it is logical and reasonable (and the $5000 fee is per company, not driver). We are not for saddling Hillsborough County with a bureaucracy beholden to a small group of businesses and completely unresponsive to the consumer. If no other county needs, we do not either. Why not just abolish the PTC and get statewide rules?
Regular readers may remember a while ago we noted a project in Osceola County.
Osceola County and the University of Central Florida broke ground Thursday on a new high-tech manufacturing facility near Kissimmee. Originally aimed at producing smart sensors, the facility may also include a broader focus on photonics.
The Florida Advanced Manufacturing Research Center, originally announced in June, is expected create a new hub for manufacturing, attracting thousands of jobs and eventually growing into a $200 million project. The sensors would be used in appliances, cars, surgical devices, mobile phones and other technology – known as smart sensors.
On Thursday morning, UCF President John Hitt said the effort is also moving quickly to expand the focus of the facility beyond sensors, to include photonics research.
Hitt said the university is pursuing a $200 million in federal and private funds to house a national Integrated Photonics Manufacturing Institute.
The partners in the project are of some interest.
The center is a partnership among Osceola County government, the Florida High Tech Corridor Council and the Metro Orlando Economic Development Commission. Enterprise Florida, the University of Florida and the University of South Florida also are partners.
How is it that the Orlando area seems to get these type of projects and also gets things like a med school and all manners of medical research. Where is the division of labor? In any event,
The International Consortium for Advanced Manufacturing was chosen as one of three partners with Argonne National Laboratory, a science and engineering research center located in Lamont, Ill., just outside Chicago. The partnership was announced Dec. 1 on Argonne's website and is part of the U.S. Department of Energy's new Technologist in Residence pilot program to help increase collaboration between the national laboratories and private-sector companies, according to a news release.
The Department of Energy will invest $400,000 in each partnership. That amount is expected to be matched by the participating companies. Argonne also will partner with California-based Capstone Turbine Corp., which manufactures microturbine power generation systems, and Indiana-based Cummins, which designs, manufactures and distributes engines.
Sponsored byArgonne's partnership with ICAMR will focus on using clean energy in the manufacturing process of smart sensors. Argonne and ICAMR will use this opportunity to concentrate on the development of innovative manufacturable processes, materials and equipment for advanced sensors and other future high-tech products, including emitters, modulators, and communications devices and systems, the release said.
The Florida Advanced Manufacturing Research Center is expected to create thousands of jobs within 10 years, as the smart sensors market is forecast to grow to $154 billion globally. Prior to getting Argonne as a partner, ICAMR also partnered with Harris Corp.
Not a big grant but a promising research area. Too bad it is not here.
We do not often delve into straight up politics, and we aren't going to do it now. However, we do often comment on the excessive use of hype (any use is excessive, really). Nevertheless, if you are going to do it, you may as well do it well, which is why a recent article on vox.com entitled "Why people fall for bullshit, according to a scientist" was so interesting (see here).
Brian Resnick: What is bullshit?
Gord Pennycook: Bullshit is different from nonsense. It's not just random words put together. The words we use have a syntactic structure, which implies they should mean something.
The difference between bullshit and lying is that bullshit is constructed without any concern for the truth. It's designed to impress rather than inform. And then lying, of course, is very concerned with the truth — but subverting it.
This is an excellent point. But how do you put it into practice?
BR: Let's say I'm interested in becoming a better bullshitter. What are some principles I should follow?
GP: A good way to do it is insert a lot of buzzwords and be vague.
If you say something direct, the people who agree with you will like it and the people who don't won't like it. But if you say something vague, people will bring what they think it means to it. And then everyone will like it — if you hit the perfect spot.
And there you have it. Sound like you are saying something profound that most people want without actually saying anything substantive at all. Remember, use some big words and appeal vaguely to noncontroversial desires – say "reducing congestion" or "economic development" (or calling buses on the interstate "fixed guideway") – without really saying how, when, how much it will cost or if there is a hope in hell of actually doing it. Even better is throwing in some vaguely defined stats that are not easily checked by the casual reader or listener.
And remember, practice makes perfect.
There is no list this week.
from → Built Environment, Channel District, Downtown, Economic Development, Politics, Rays, Seminole Heights, St. Petersburg, Tampa, Transit, Transporation, Uncategorized, USF, Westshore
ann@anncieslak.com permalink
I read your Tampasphere Roundup regularly with great interest. In the 12/11/15 Roundup under "Harbour Island A Step Forward" you state:"That project has been held up for a while because residents of a next door condo building have objected, ostensibly because of parking." Your statement is somewhat misleading. It can be interpreted as though there was massive objection to the Manor by unit owners in the building next door. That is far from the truth.The condo building, next door, has 144 units. Of the 144 units only four units of the building involved in the final appeal to the courts. The association board of "the building next door" did not express any objection of The Manor project. Most of the individuals whose names appear on the final appeal were from other addresses on Harbour Island. There was no organized objection by the building next door. Just something to keep in mind for future writing.Ann Cieslak"the building next door"
tampasphere permalink*
Thanks for the clarification. Always happy to get more information to provide a fuller picture. And thanks for reading.


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Long IslandColumnistsJoye Brown
Treat Nassau precinct plan as pilot program
A file photo of Nassau Police Commissioner Thomas Dale, left, and Nassau County Executive Edward Mangano in Mineola. (March 5, 2012) Credit: Howard Schnapp
By JOYE BROWNjoye.brown@newsday.com March 5, 2012
It's official. Nassau's new police commissioner has the power to cut the county's eight police precincts down to four.
Thomas Dale, who was confirmed as commissioner Monday, has been consistent in saying it's a process he intends to take slowly.
Start with two precincts, meld them into one and work out the kinks certain to come along the way. Then move along to the next pair.
Even after the vote, significant questions remain: Where are double the number of employees going to park? Where are arrests going to be processed? How are supervisors going to manage twice the number of employees?
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And with two of the new mega-precincts planned for areas prone to significant flooding, what's the backup plan?
No such details were released Monday, or during any earlier public meeting on the proposal. And even if they had been revealed, the plan's still changing.
Dale acknowledged as much Monday, pointing out to lawmakers that County Executive Edward Mangano was still negotiating with county police unions on issues, including mini-precinct staffing.
A plan still under construction is never a safe vote. As one lawmaker correctly pointed out during Monday's rambunctious session, lawmakers were being asked to approve a concept rather than a plan.
That's bad, because there's yet to be a final cost savings attached to the proposal. But having a concept does leave open the option of making changes where warranted.
"Why not do a test?" Legis. Judy Jacobs (D-Woodbury) said at one point, before the proposal was approved 10-9, with the Republican majority prevailing against Democrats. "Why not do a small pilot project?"
It's an idea that has merit even after the vote.
The Mangano administration would do well to publicize what happens in the first consolidation process. In short, treat it like a pilot program.
What works? What doesn't? Is there an impact on public safety?
Answering such questions could help quell nervousness in some communities trying to grapple with the proposed changes, which are geared toward the necessary trimming of escalating costs in the cash-strapped county.
Still, Nassau, which for decades has prided itself on the safety of its communities, has done nothing like this before.
Jacobs said she had found only one community that did: Detroit, which at one point cut precincts to save money, but reversed course a few years later because the plan did not work.
Will this reconfiguration work? For Nassau's budget? And for Nassau's residents? That remains to be seen as Dale turns a concept into an uncharted reality.
Which is why slow would be good, and transparency even better.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


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Information on Capital One credit cards, branch banking products, auto loans, checking, savings, and money market accounts and online banking. Personal, small business, or commercial products.
Looking for Arlington roofers you can rely on? Call on North Virginia Roofing Company for gutters, siding, windows, doors, and more. Call us at (703) 664-1010.
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Home PRESS RELEASES Kathy's House: Construction begins on new hospital guest house facility
Kathy's House: Construction begins on new hospital guest house facility
Milwaukee, WI (June 30, 2020) — After many months of planning, construction is underway to build a new, larger Kathy's House on a previously announced, 3.6-acre site in Wauwatosa on Doyne Ave. between N. 92nd and N. 87th Sts., near the Froedtert & the Medical College of Wisconsin Clinical Cancer Center.
Kathy's House held a virtual groundbreaking ceremony to mark the event.
A nonprofit hospital guest house, Kathy's House serves out-of-town patients and their families who must stay in Milwaukee for medical care. According to Patty Metropulos, president and chief executive officer of Kathy's House, the organization has been operating at capacity for the past several years due to growing, strong demand for its lodging services. Over the past two years Kathy's House was forced to turn away more than 1,000 guests because no rooms were available. The new House is expected to open next year.
"The need is so great, and the new House will double our capacity, from 18 rooms to 36 rooms," Metropulos said. "More than 40% of our guests say they would not be able to receive the medical care they need without the affordable housing and caring support Kathy's House provides."
CG Schmidt is the general contractor for the project and HGA is the architect. Kathy's House will lease the land from Froedtert Hospital.
A capital campaign to build the new Kathy's House has raised $10 million of the $12 million goal. A lead pledge by Froedtert Hospital set the stage for the "A New Home for Healing" campaign, followed by significant gifts from the Fotsch Family Foundation, Ladish Co. Foundation, Schneider Company and longtime Brookfield residents Ginny and Mike McBride.
"We are deeply grateful for every donation, large and small, because those gifts will enable us to continue to open our doors and hearts to people at a critical time in their lives," Metropulos said. "We just need a bit more help to cross the finish line so that by this time next year, we can open our doors to more people who need us." She noted that Kathy's House has remained open during the coronavirus outbreak, putting plans and safeguards in place to protect guests and staff.
In addition to doubling current capacity, the new Kathy's House will have many new features. Unique for guest houses nationally, the new facility will have a separate wing for patients with compromised immune systems and a patient services room where basic clinical services such as blood draws, central line care and video telehealth visits can occur. Rooftop solar panels will help offset heat and electric costs. The House will also have a communal kitchen, dining area, library, family room, fitness room, laundry facilities, courtyard, patio, walking trail and parking, and will be fully compliant with Americans for Disabilities Act requirements.
"Kathy's House vision is to be the national model for hospital guest houses," said Metropulos.
Since opening in 2001, Kathy's House has provided over 143,000 nights of lodging, with more than 10,000 families staying at the House. More than a third of families who stay at Kathy's House have a household income of less than $30,000. On average, guests donate $30 per night, and no one is refused housing if they cannot donate. The actual cost to Kathy's House is $90 per night.
About Kathy's House:
Kathy's House is a nonprofit hospital guest house that provides affordable lodging and caring support in a "home away from home" environment for people who need to travel to Milwaukee for medical care. Open 365 days a year, it is the only such facility in southeastern Wisconsin that serves patients of all ages, their families and caregivers, and accepts referrals from all area hospitals. Annually, Kathy's House serves approximately 1,500 guests; roughly half are patients and half are family members. Most are cancer patients, and more than 70 percent live in Wisconsin. Kathy's House was founded in 2001 by the parents of Kathy Vogel Kuettner, a local mother of three and cancer patient. She had deep empathy for fellow patients who had to travel to Milwaukee to access care and faced illness without the support of nearby family and friends. Kathy died in 2000 but her wish to help others lives on. For more information about Kathy's House and the capital campaign to build the new House, visit www.kathys-house.org.
WisPolitics Intern


Despite stereotypes of affluent well-dressed, urban gay men, the likelihood of poverty is greater among gay men than straight men, according to the Williams Institute at the UCLA Law School. In 2013, 20.5 percent of gay men and 25.9 percent of bisexual men in the United States lived below the federal poverty level. By comparison, about 15.5 percent of heterosexual men did. Most of these are men live far from the Manhattans and San Franciscos, in small or medium-sized cities.
The data admittedly present a mixed picture, as gay men in couples actually have a slightly lower poverty rate than straight men in couples. However, African American gay men in couples have twice the poverty rate of straight black married or partnered men.
Poverty is slightly more prevalent among lesbian women than among gay men, although the differential is not as great as for straight men and women. In addition, lesbian and straight women have pretty similar poverty rates.
Another somewhat counterintuitive finding is that those with lower incomes are more likely to identify as gay than Americans with higher incomes, according to a recent Gallup poll. About 5.5 percent of Americans with household incomes below $36,000 a year said told Gallup that they were LGBT. By comparison, 3.7 percent of those with annual incomes above $90,000 identified as LGBT.
Homelessness is also much more common among the young LGBT population than among straight youth, according to research by Chapin Hall at the University of Chicago. As many as 40 percent of the young homeless identify as LGBT, many times the percentage of all Americans who are LGBT. Most of these homeless youth, often rejected by their families, are undoubtedly gay men.


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Victim impact reports in Northern Ireland: Victims' voices influencing sentencing?
Luke Moffett
The Senator George J Mitchell Institute for Global Peace, Security and Justice
Discusses three Northern Ireland Court of Appeal decisions concerning the role of victim impact reports (VIRs) on sentencing in sexual violence cases, and illustrating how courts may be unable to rely on victims' accounts of the harm they suffered because the experts' reports were unreliable. Details key features of the cases, the use of VIRs as evidence-based harm, and why improved guidance on their use is needed in Northern Ireland.
Criminal Law Review
© 2016, Sweet and Maxwell This is an open access Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial License (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/), which permits use, distribution and reproduction for non-commercial purposes, provided the author and source are cited. This is a pre-copyedited, author-produced version of an article accepted for publication in the Criminal Law Review following peer review. The definitive published version [Moffett, L 2016, 'Victim impact reports in Northern Ireland: Victims' voices influencing sentencing? Crim. L.R. 2016, 7, 478-484] is available online on Westlaw UK or from Thomson Reuters DocDel service .
Accepted author manuscript, 178 KBLicence: CC BY-NC
Dive into the research topics of 'Victim impact reports in Northern Ireland: Victims' voices influencing sentencing?'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.
Northern Ireland Medicine & Life Sciences 100%
Jurisprudence Medicine & Life Sciences 43%
appeal decisions Social Sciences 37%
expert report Social Sciences 35%
Court of Appeals Social Sciences 27%
sexual violence Social Sciences 21%
evidence Social Sciences 10%
Moffett, L. (2016). Victim impact reports in Northern Ireland: Victims' voices influencing sentencing? Criminal Law Review, 2016(7), 478-484.
Moffett, Luke. / Victim impact reports in Northern Ireland: Victims' voices influencing sentencing?. In: Criminal Law Review. 2016 ; Vol. 2016, No. 7. pp. 478-484.
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AB - Discusses three Northern Ireland Court of Appeal decisions concerning the role of victim impact reports (VIRs) on sentencing in sexual violence cases, and illustrating how courts may be unable to rely on victims' accounts of the harm they suffered because the experts' reports were unreliable. Details key features of the cases, the use of VIRs as evidence-based harm, and why improved guidance on their use is needed in Northern Ireland.
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Automatic Visa Extension – Is my visa secured?
After the Thai Immigration Bureau's Announcements for automatic visa extension back in March and April 2020, the Covid-19 pandemic has been on-going and the current extensions for the visas of foreigners remaining in Thailand persists until the end of July 2020. The past extension Announcements were aimed to reduce the risks of over-crowding concerning foreigners seeking visa extensions at the Immigration Bureau. Foreigners whose Visas have already expired can stay in Thailand without penalty for their overstay until the end of July 2020.
However, there are many questions whether all type of visa holders will be covered by this Announcement or not.
According to the Announcement, this automatic extension applies to all type of visas, including Non-Immigrant Visa, Visa on Arrival, Visa-Exemption Arrival Stamp and border passes. However, with different interpretations and different practices being followed between each Immigration Office or between the Immigration Bureau and other Thai authorities, the above-mentioned Announcement may not cover some types of Visas and some situations, causing confusion among foreigners in Thailand.
One-Year Business Visa with Work Permit
Based on our discussions and experiences with Immigration Officers, foreigners holding a One-Year Business Visa with Work Permit whose Visa will expire within the extension period up to the end of July 2020, we strongly recommended to submit and duly process their Visa renewal applications at the Immigration Bureau prior to their expiry date, rather than letting their One-Year Business Visa &/or Work Permit expire and assume that the Immigration Bureau or other Thai authorities will allow you any sort of amnesty to renew your Visa or Work Permit.
It has not been confirmed (and seems very unlikely) that the Immigration will accept Visa applications from foreigner who have let their Visa expire and overstay until the end of July. It is most likely that those foreigners with expired visas will be required to leave Thailand when the lock-down is lifted and "start-over" with a new Non-Immigrant B Visa application at a Thai Embassy/Consulate outside of Thailand, risking significant complications and personal disruptions before they can renew their Business Visa with Work Permit compliance.
Follow up One-Year Visa Renewal Result
Foreigners whose One-Year Visa renewal application is under consideration are still required to go to the Immigration Bureau to follow up concerning the results of their One-Year Visa renewal application on the appointment date, otherwise the renewal application will be automatically cancelled.
90-Day Report
Foreigners who are due for 90-Day Reporting between 1 May and 31 July 2020 are also exempted from normal reporting during this period. However, with different interpretations and different practices
between each Immigration Office, we recommend to our clients who hold One-Year Business Visas to submit their 90-Day Report, as usual. The 90-Day Report online system is still working as normal. And for those who prefer manual submission of their 90-Day Report Form, the Immigration Office still remains open, and the process is currently very fast because there are relatively few foreigners visiting the Immigration Bureau during this period.
Work Permit Renewal
Regarding the Work Permit, the Ministry of Labour neither have any announcement for automatic extension nor any policy to renew Work Permit for foreigners whose Visa has expired. Therefore, even though a foreigner can currently allow their Visa to expire under the Immigration Announcement, the Ministry of Labour is not renewing Work Permits for foreigners who have allowed their Visa to expire.
We strongly recommend that all foreigners pro-actively plan ahead to make sure they prepare themselves well in advance of the end of the July 2020 extension period, to avoid the risk of costly unexpected fines, significant complications and personal disruptions when they wish to re-establish their Business Visa and Work Permit compliance.
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Welcomed changes to Company Law – Mergers without new Company creation or liquidation
On 1 January 1925, the Civil and Commercial Code ('CCC') of Thailand became effective and introduced various rules and procedures concerning for the legal affairs and rights of natural…
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Common attackers rather than crime organization Cyberattacks are carried out by hackers who belong to local groups or operate independently. Most of the hackers operating in North America and…
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'T'was the night before Songkran, and all through the house, not a creature was stirring, except …" the Pegasus spyware working quietly and invisibly in the background on your…
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New Hyde Park, NY: The LIGBT visited Herrill Lanes for the first time and the handicap only event was a big success. A great turnout of 70 bowlers competed on the PBA Chameleon pattern which produced fairly low scores. The final shootout involved 4 bowlers looking for their first LIGBT title. Emerging victorious with the $500 winner's check was George Williams of Jamaica, NY.
A total of 14 bowlers made the elimination finals and all were guaranteed to earn at least $100. Lenny Tortorice of Flushing, NY was seeded directly into the final shootout by leading the 1pm squad with a 710. Donald Eubanks, Elmsford, NY earned 1 bye for leading the 3pm squad with a 734 series.The cut score to get through the first round was 213 and 195 for the second round.
LIGBT's next event will be on Sunday, December 19th at AMF Sayville. This will be a 1 squad event featuring a separate scratch and handicap competition. Starting time is 2pm and several specials will be offered including the awarding of LIUSBC Masters entries in the scratch event and Mini-Eliminator entries in the handicap event. For complete results of the Herril Lanes tournament and information on future LIGBT events please visit www.ligbtour.com or call the tournament office; 1.877.900.6464.
East Islip, NY: The LIGBT visited East Islip Lanes for a 2 squad handicap tournament and a 5 game scratch marathon. The tournament attracted a great crowd of 110 entries including many new members. Even though the LIGBT has run over 30 events in its first two plus seasons we are still crowning first time champions at each tournament.
The first time winners at East Islip were scratch champion Joe Novara of E. Patchogue, NY who earned $1,000 and Chris Jove of Port Jefferson, NY who won $500 for winning the handicap event. The event was bowled on a house shot which produced the highest scores in LIGBT history. Normally the LIGBT puts down a PBA condition or uses one of the Kegel Challenge Series Patterns.
The scratch event started off with a bang as two 300 games and a 298 set the scoring pace. The top two bowlers in the 49 & under division and the top senior were guaranteed in the final shootout. Joe Novara, who averaged 267 and John Rizzi of South Huntington, NY (266 average) were the two 49 & under leaders. The high senior bowler was Frank Spano, Brentwood, NY who averaged 252, including a 300 game. It took a 258 average to make the finals in the 49 & under division and a 251 average in the senior division.
To fill the fourth spot in the scratch shootout a 1 game finals was bowled by all the non-seeded finalists. Mike Dioguardo of Patchogue, NY rolled a 290 to advance as he defeated Brian Ziesig, Levittown, NY by 2 pins. Brian shot 288 with a blow out 7-10 on his fill ball. The shootout was exciting as Joe Novara held a 10 pin lead in the 9th frame and struck out to shoot 268 to win the title. Finishing second was John Rizzi ($750) with a 253, third went to Frank Spano ($550) with a 245 and finishing fourth was Mike Dioguardo (210) who earned $400.
The handicap event also enjoyed big scores. Leading the first squad was your eventual winner, Chris Jove. Chris was seeded directly into the last match of the finals by leading the first squad with an 857 series (740 scratch.) The second squad leader was Leo Lombardi of West Babylon, NY. Leo shot an incredible 893 series (758 scratch) to earn 1 bye in the finals. It took a 769 to make the finals in the first squad and a 769 in the second squad.
The handicap shootout was exciting and Champion Chris Jove took control immediately with a triple. Except for an open frame in the fourth Chris struck in every frame to shoot a 265 scratch game (304 with handicap). Finishing second and earning $300 was Jim Walsh, Glen Cove, NY with a 252 (221 scratch). Third place went to Tom Strother ($250), Medford, NY with a 243 (215 scratch) and fourth went to Eddie Shacalo, Brooklyn, NY ($200) who rolled a 231 (168 scratch).
The LIGBT's next event is our Thanksgiving Weekend Major at AMF Babylon. The 2-day event begins on Saturday, November 27th with 2 squads (4pm & 6pm) and will finish up on Sunday with 2 more squads and the finals (noon & 2pm.) For more information on future LIGBT events and complete results of the East Islip tournament please visit www.ligbtour.com or call the tournament office at 1.877.900.6464.
The LIGBT announced today it is revising its schedule to better accommodate its over 1,000 members. New dates were announced through June 1st with future summer events to be revealed at a later date. The current schedule lists 16 events throughout Nassau and Suffolk bowling centers.
The LIGBT also announced it is upgrading its prize funds, adding a "members only" end-of-the-year event and bringing back its membership options including a $10 guest fee for those that don't want to join. The entry fees are staying the same except are being reduced when handicap events have 2 squads where bowlers can now re-enter for only $40. All prepaid entrants still save $5 off the walk-in entry fee.
LIGBT bowlers are going to love the new prize fund structure. In the handicap events all finalists are guaranteed to earn at least $100 and all squad leaders will earn $150. The top prizes are still guaranteed to pay $500-1st and $250-2nd regardless of entries.
The scratch prizes funds are also being upgraded as all finalists (1 in 5) will earn a minimum of $200. In marathon events all finalists (1 in 5) will earn $250. Top prizes of $1,000-1st & $500-2nd are guaranteed with 35 entries but will grow to $1,500-1st & $750-2nd with 80 entries. All finalists will earn at least $100 more each round they advance. The extra prize money is being funded by the LIGBT who will add $5 per entry to all scratch prize funds. With the added money the LIGBT is now taking out less than 10% for expenses!
The LIGBT is creating a new event just for its members. This new tournament will have a minimum of $5,000 added and the entry fee will be determined by the number of events you bowl in a season. The more you enter the less your entry fee will be in this special tournament. The $5,000 added will be funded two ways; through the $5 walk-in fees and through the profits from the 50-50 raffles run at each LIGBT event. Details of the format and prize fund will be announced at a later date.
The LIGBT is also pleased to announce Columbia 300 will be partnering with us to offer a variety of membership packages. The annual membership fee has been reduced to $20 but bowlers can still get the embroidered 2-ball tote with their membership for $30. Bowlers looking for a performance ball can now purchase the gold package which includes the latest ball release from Columbia 300. This package, which comes with a 1-year membership, is only $120 (a $250 value.) Members needing a ball and a double or triple roller should consider the platinum packages which start at $160.
Beginning immediately, the 300 game bonus has been eliminated, and the remaining money is going to the end of the year tournament prize fund ($580.) The $10 recruiting bonus, which was funded out of your weekly prize fund, is also being stopped to allow for the bigger weekly prize funds. There are still no credit card fees being charged but the $5 walk-in fee remains.
The LIGBT wants to thank everyone that has supported the Tour for the past three years. Special recognition must go to the LIGBT sponsors; Columbia 300, Kegel, CLS Upholsterers, and Digital Motion. For more information please visit www.ligbtour.com or call the tournament office at 1.877.900.6464.
South Levittown, NY: The Long Island Generation Bowling Tour visited South Levittown Lanes for a handicap only event. The tournament attracted 94 entries which created a 19 person finals and a $3,270 prize fund. Taking home the $500 top prize was Donnel Matheson of Brooklyn, NY who won his first LIGBT trophy after 11 tournaments.
The handicap event was bowled on Kegel's Broadway pattern which produced a moderate scoring environment. The first squad was lead by Robert Lovaglio, Seaford, NY who shot a 755 handicap series. For leading the first squad Robert was seeded into the final shootout and guaranteed at least $300. Leading the second squad was David Reed, Shoreham, NY who shot a 778 handicap series and earned 1 bye in the finals which guaranteed him $150. The cut to make the finals was 689 in the first squad and 675 in the second squad.
The shootout was the lowest scoring finals in LIGBT history. Would you believe Donnel shot a 126 scratch game (198 handicap) and won! Finishing second, with a 147 scratch game (188 handicap), was Chris Jove, Port Jefferson, NY who earned $375. The third place finisher was Robert Lovaglio who shot a 141 scratch game (179 handicap) and earned $300.
The LIGBT's next event is a special tournament at East Islip Lanes on Sunday, November 21st with squads beginning at noon. For more information on future LIGBT events and complete results of the South Levittown tournament please visit www.ligbtour.com or call the tournament office at 1.877.900.6464.


It's important to be diligent about protecting your eyes as you age. Degenerating eyesight related to the normal aging process can sneak up on you: You might suddenly find yourself holding your cellphone farther away to see it, or going home with eyestrain at the end of the work day. Age-related changes to your eyesight may be unavoidable, but there are ways to help mitigate some of them.
"Our eyes age the same as the rest of our bodies, meaning diet and lifestyle make up a big part of how well our eyes age," said Dr. Anne Negrin, a board-certified ophthalmologist.
While you can't turn back the clock, check out these tips for slowing it down.
You're probably familiar with suggestions to wear sunscreen to protect your skin, but sunlight also affects your eyes. While a small amount of ultraviolet light helps the body regulate its sleep cycles, according to the American Academy of Ophthalmology, too much exposure to the UV light in sunlight can be harmful.
"Protecting your eyes from the sun from an early age, 365 days a year, slows cataract progression, lowers your risk of macular degeneration and helps prevent chances of melanoma in the eye," Negrin said. She suggests wearing hats, sunglasses or visors to protect your eyes from the sun year-round, even if you're not outside for very long.
Paying attention to nutrition can help you protect your eyes as you age. "Foods rich in the pigments found in our retinas help keep our eyesight sharp as we age, since the retina loses cells each year," Negrin said. Green leafy vegetables such as kale and spinach, along with carotenoid-rich foods such as sweet potatoes and carrots, are helpful. They help the retinal photoreceptors do their job to see light and distinguish objects in different contrast settings.
The retina — the thin tissue that lines the back on the eye and serves as a "screen" to receive focused light — is packed with blood vessels, and keeping vascular health strong is important to your eyesight as you age.
"Healthy vessels mean less likelihood of strokes in the eye, wet macular degeneration and other vision-threatening diseases that can come with advancing age," Negrin said.
Smoking increases the risk of vascular problems, so avoid smoking or enroll in a cessation program to help you quit. Other ways to improve vascular health and protect your eyes as you age include getting adequate fiber, avoiding saturated fat, keeping your blood pressure at normal levels and losing weight to help reduce strain on your blood vessels. While you can't halt aging, paying attention to your health can help you protect your eyes and your eyesight.


Zippy Shell of greater Philadelphia provides convenient self storage and moving services whether you're relocating or reducing your clutter. If you're a college student at one of the local campuses, where will you put your dorm room stuff over the summer?
When you call Zippy Shell Storage and Moving in Philadelphia, we'll deliver a portable storage container right to your door. Don't worry about permit requirements from the town or ruining your lawn or driveway.
Zippy Shell mobile storage containers are specially designed to be street registered. You can load up the storage container at your leisure, and call us when it's ready to be picked up. We'll bring it back to our secure storage facility in Philadelphia where it can stay as long as you need it to. It's that easy. There's no need to find a truck, load your stuff, drive, offload and organize it all. Instead of making moving or storing hard work, we make it the way it should be; easy and convenient. And most importantly, it's affordable.
Zippy Shell of Greater Philadelphia provides a more convenient solution than traditional self storage. Our storage warehouses in Pennsylvania are the most secure portable storage in the industry. We make moving your belongings simple because the Zippy Shell team brings the mobile storage container to you – no need to drive someplace to rent a truck, use it, then drive it back to return it.
Visit Zippy Shell of Greater Philadelphia for more info!


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Rod Owen
Australian-rules footballer
Owen, who had only just turned 16 when he made his league debut in 1983, suffered from various injuries early in his career and missed the entire 1985 season. A Mentone Grammar recruit, Owen kicked a career high 39 goals in 1987, the second most by a Street Kilda player that year behind the prolific Tony Lockett. After playing for Street Kilda Owen was traded to Melbourne for Stephen Newport at the end of the 1990 season. He kicked two bags of five goals for Melbourne, against Carlton and North Melbourne. After just one year at Melbourne he was again put on the table at the draft and ended up in Brisbane. Owen had a particularly strong game against Fitzroy and Princes Park when he kicked eight goals and six behinds, a club record against the Lions. In December 2000, Owen was sentenced to nine months in prison for assault.
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Rod Owen Edit Profile
Rod "Rocket" Owen is a former Australian rules football player who played with Street Kilda, Melbourne and the Brisbane Bears in the Victorian/Australian Football League.
Owen, who had only just turned 16 when he made his league debut in 1983, suffered from various injuries early in his career and missed the entire 1985 season. A Mentone Grammar recruit, Owen kicked a career high 39 goals in 1987, the second most by a Street Kilda player that year behind the prolific Tony Lockett. After playing for Street Kilda Owen was traded to Melbourne for Stephen Newport at the end of the 1990 season.
He kicked two bags of five goals for Melbourne, against Carlton and North Melbourne.
After just one year at Melbourne he was again put on the table at the draft and ended up in Brisbane. Owen had a particularly strong game against Fitzroy and Princes Park when he kicked eight goals and six behinds, a club record against the Lions.
In December 2000, Owen was sentenced to nine months in prison for assault.
He had to wait until his 17th game, in 1986, to experience a win, with Street Kilda having lost the previous 16 games he had played in.


In an effort to reduce childhood obesity, the Senate tentatively approved a bill Thursday that would prohibit public schools from selling soft drinks larger than 12 ounces and would limit the amount of soft drinks that can be sold in school vending machines.
The bill by Sen. Eddie Lucio, D-Brownsville, also would establish a school breakfast program for all students, set up an obesity council made of some state agency heads and require the health commissioner to establish a school nutrition policy.
The bill's preliminary approval came the same day the House gave tentative approval to a bill that would prevent Texans from suing restaurants or food manufacturers for obesity-related health problems.
Under state policy now, carbonated drinks are not allowed in elementary schools during the day. In middle schools, such drinks are allowed only after the last lunch period, and in high schools, carbonated drinks can be sold only outside of the cafeteria.
Lucio's bill would ban schools from selling soft drinks larger than 12 ounces. The bill also says that no more than 30 percent of beverages in vending machines on a public school campus could be soft drinks or foods that are of minimal nutritional value, such as some sugary fruit juices.
Lucio said the bill is needed because the rate of overweight and obese children is almost 50 percent more in Texas than the national average. If the trend continues, almost 75 percent of adult Texans will be overweight and obese by 2040, he said. Experts project that could cost $39 billion by 2040.
"If we don't act now, then we are going to pay later, and that is something that the taxpayers of this state should be alarmed with," Lucio said.
Sen. Florence Shapiro, R-Plano, said local communities, parents, principals and teachers should be making the school nutritional decisions, not state lawmakers.
"The local community should be making these decisions because, after all, they are the ones that are most affected by it," Shapiro said.
Lucio said Texas is not close to resolving the state's obesity problem. If it is addressed, school attendance will increase, dropout rates and tardiness will fall and test scores will improve, he said.
The Texas Soft Drink Association did not immediately return a telephone call from The Associated Press on Thursday.
According to legislative records, no one testified against the bill in committee.
Meanwhile, the bill tentatively approved in the House would prohibit Texans from suing restaurants or food manufacturers for obesity-related health problems.
Bill sponsor Rep. Corbin Van Arsdale, R-Tomball, said the bill is a "pre-emptive strike" against opportunistic lawyers who would consider suing Texas restaurateurs and food manufacturers.
Only two such obesity lawsuits have been filed in the nation. Both were in New York, against McDonald's. Since then, bills to prevent such lawsuits have been adopted in 18 states and are pending in 16.
Associated Press Writer Brandi Grissom contributed to this report.
The obesity bills are SB 1379 and HB 107.