Jeremy Wallace Looks into the Political Crystal Ball … this Saturday

Saturday — June 11 — local political insight provider/writer Jeremy Wallace (of the Sarasota Herald Tribune) will be speaking at the Laurel Oak Country Club talking about “What lies Ahead for 2012.”

I like Wallace’s demeanor: serious but not too serious. And seriously informed about the rumblings and machinations of Florida politics.

If you haven’t read his blog, you might want to check it out at Political Insider. For more info about why Wallace is worth listening to, click here.

The event is hosted by the Democratic Club of Sarasota and includes lunch; program begins at noon. For reservations call 379-9233 or e-mail reserve@sarasotadems.com. The cost for members is $23 and for non-members and walk-ins is $25

Shame, shame on Sarasota City Commissioners

Read my column in today’s Sarasota Herald Tribune Op/Ed Section (page 9A) or read it online by clicking this link: Shame, shame on Sarasota City Commissioners

Here’s an excerpt:

Even if our commissioners didn’t have the intellectual breadth to deal with this problem in a less knee-jerk fashion, I’m surprised they didn’t have the necessary selfishness to consider that it’s a very thin line that separates the haves from the have-nots and that one day, they too, might one day find themselves sitting on a park bench.

You also might want to check out Eric Ernst’s excellent column on the same subject — front page of the B section or here: Childish to Remove Benches

Listen Up … for the best Mom’s Day present

My “Sense and the City” column this week is about … what else? Mother’s Day! I give my best advice on what to give to really make your Mom happy all year-round.

You can read it in today’s TICKET in the Sarasota Herald Tribune — or find it for free at TICKET boxes around the city tomorrow! Or, check it out online at Listen Up for Mother’s Day.

Sarasota Magazine’s smashing soiree at Selby

Last night’s Sarasota Magazine Best of 2011 party on the great lawn of Selby Gardens was a smashing success. I’m not a big one for the social or party circuit, but this was the perfect party for me — en plein air, fun music, and a very relaxed and happy vibe. Even the 550-person crowd didn’t bother me because the event was spread out across the great stretch of lush greenery, banyan trees, and waterfront setting, and it was fun to people-watch the oodles of people dressed in everything from shorts to suits and colorful, hot-trending maxi dresses. (more…)

Acclaimed Pianist, Dr. Joseph Holt, Performs Beethoven’s Moonlight Sonata!

Nationally acclaimed pianist, Dr. Joseph Holt, will be playing Beethoven’s “Moonlight Sonata” on Sunday, May 1, at 4 p.m., in a fundraising concert to benefit the people of Haiti. Of course, I’ve GOT TO GO. Unbelievably, I’ve never heard this sonata performed live. It is one of my favorite pieces of all time — I’ve written about it before — just click here to read more about the sonata and why I wish Beethoven was my lover! But I digress.

The concert takes place at Faith Lutheran Church, 7750 Beneva Road in Sarasota, and will include a formal dedication of the church’s new Steinway Concert Grand piano.

During the concert, Dr. Holt, an award-winning performer, conductor and arranger, who is the current Artistic Director for Gloria Musicae, as well as Artist-in-Residence for Faith Lutheran, will perform a varied piano program on the new Steinway. He will be joined by musicians from the Sarasota Orchestra for select chamber works. The program also includes favorite pieces by Chopin, a quartet for piano and strings by Mozart, and character pieces by Russian Composer Dmitri Kabalevsky and French Composer Darius Milhaud.

Dr. Holt served as principal pianist for the U.S. Army Chorus for 20 years, based in Washington, D.C., and it was there that he made the acquaintance of James Grant, a prolific American composer known for his commissioned choral, orchestral and jazz compositions, which have been performed around the world. In 2002, Grant was honored with the national Aaron Copland award, and in 2009, he released the jazz CD, “Chocolates: Music for Viola and Piano” to critical acclaim. Grant is a part-time resident of Siesta Key, and will be making a special appearance at the May 1st concert.

The suggested donation is $15, available in advance at the Faith Lutheran church office, or at the door the day of the event, pending availability of tickets. For more information, call 941.926.8031.

The gravy train of selling sex

(This essay ran in my Sense and the City column in today’s Sarasota Herald Tribune TICKET, but for some reason they didn’t post it online — so I’m posting the piece below. All rights reserved by the Sarasota Herald Tribune.)

I just can’t get into the whole pole-dancing and burlesque scene that, by all accounts, is sizzling up the sexy quotient in Sarasota.

Go ahead, call me a prude. But before you get your knickers in a twist, let me assure you – I could care less who likes taking their clothes off and who likes paying for the pleasure of watching them do it. I have no personal objection or moral disagreement with it. But I do have a question or two. (more…)

Gotta Vote for Geckos!

I love Sarasota’s hometown, locally-owned all-round great meet-up/sports bar Gecko’s Grill and Pub! I love their nachos — veggie style.

If you’re a fan like me, you can cast a vote — do it before April 4 — for Gecko’s in the Sarasota Herald Tribune’s “Best Sports Bar Showdown — at www.ticketsarasota.com.

Book Junkie’s Paradise

Hi. My name is MC, and I’m an addict.

But before you go thinking I’m mainlining vodka, let me clarify: (more…)

It’s fashionista to be a feminista

My Sense and the City column in today’s Sarasota Herald-Tribune (all photos courtesy of Cliff Roles Photography:

The Women’s Resource Center of Sarasota recently held its 4th Annual Frances Kraaymes Lecture. This year, the event was a panel discussion on “Men, Women & Relationships,” moderated by Dr. Willa Bernhard, who posed questions such as, “How have your relationships with the opposite sex changed since your 20s?”, and, “What has affected the balance of power in your relationships?”

I was one of the panelists, and while I can’t claim the professional bona fides of the others

– author Dr. Nancy Schlossberg; Ringling College of Art and Design President Dr. Larry Thompson; local physician Dr. Jon Yenari; the Honorable Larry Eger, Public Defender; and mental health therapist Lauren Alston of Coastal Behavioral Healthcare — I still had plenty to say about how physical attractiveness, financial ability, sexual viability, and aging can tip the balance of power in personal relationships..

The discussion was lively: opinions flew, and amid a lot of straight talk and good humor, the panelists shared personal experiences and perspectives about male/female roles, communication, child-rearing, money, housework, even online porn. It was a refreshingly frank conversation, slightly rare in Sarasota, but judging by the audience response, very welcome.

I learned a lot from the panelists, and I’d like to think I shared something as well. For example, after I commented that one of the reasons U.S. women continue to struggle for power in their relationships and within their communities is because they’re still earning under eighty cents for every dollar a man earns in comparable jobs, one panelist stated that he wasn’t aware of any such discrepancy. I muzzled my impersonation of Scooby-Doo’s quizzical woof of disbelief –“Huhrrrr?”, but wondered how anyone in the working world could be unaware of the pay gap between men and women. (To learn more about the Paycheck Fairness Act, visit www.whitehouse.gov/issues/women.)

Another interesting point was raised when one panelist said the word “feminist” was irrelevant in his work and home life because he’s already so egalitarian that self-describing as a feminist would be moot. I’ve heard that argument before – that women have come so far, there’s no longer a need for either sex to carry the “feminist” calling card.

The word has always carried a lot of “angry-female” baggage, exacerbated by Rush Limbaugh’s coinage of the term, “Feminazi.” I’m a feminist and don’t mind saying so, but in the past decade, fewer and fewer of my friends use the term. I’ve got girlfriends who pay half the mortgage and expect their husbands to help change the diapers, and men friends who gladly let their wives bring home the bigger slice of bacon and want their daughters to have every opportunity to grow up to be President, but in both groups, many say, “I wouldn’t call myself a feminist.” As if it’s a dirty word.

But judging by the comments made by my fellow Kraaymes panelists, there’s a new breed of modern-day feminists out there — the men on the panel talked about how they share responsibilities and chores with their wives, and the women talked about how they contribute their fair share financially to their relationships –even if none of them used the dreaded “F-bomb” to describe themselves specifically.

So, taking a page from the Limbaugh playbook, I’m coining my own term to describe anyone who believes in the “social, political, and economic equality of the sexes” (that’s the definition of feminism, by the way). This new word isn’t really new — it’s just the Spanish word for feminist – feminista. But just like the Italian word “barista” turned coffee servers everywhere into über-hip coffee designers, I’m betting “feminista” will finally make it fashionable to be a feminist. And in any language, I’d call that fabulous.

Men of Midtown — my V-Day date with Sarasota firefighters!

Could my Valentine’s Day have been any sweeter? I got to get kind of up close and person with some of the men who keep my city safe.

Here’s my Sense and the City column from today’s Sarasota Herald-Tribune: (more…)