HART to Hold Community Open Houses and Public Hearings

on Alternatives Analysis Study

HART is in the final phase of the Alternatives Analysis (AA) study and will develop recommendations on the preferred alternative in each corridor.  The following work is being undertaken:

• Finalizing the remaining alternatives, including the alignment, vehicle requirements, station locations, supporting park and ride lots, operating and capital costs
• Comparing the performance of each alternative against several factors, including ridership, travel time, land use, and economic development, cost and cost effectiveness
• Developing recommendations on the alternative that would best address community needs:

- Specific technology: bus, bus rapid transit, light rail
- Specific route alignment and end points

Public input is a critical part of the AA study.  Six Community Open Houses and two Public Hearings will be held in September.  Click here to find out how to ensure your voice is heard!

For more information regarding the Alternatives Analysis process and the alternatives being studied, or to share your comments, questions and concerns, visit the AA website at www.goHARTAA.org.

U.S. Senator – Democratic Party
Kendrick B. Meek DEM

U.S. Representative, Dist. 11 – Democratic Party
Kathy Castor DEM

Governor – Democratic Party
Alex Sink DEM

Attorney General – Democratic Party
Dave Aronberg DEM

Circuit Court Judge, Grp. 4
Liz Rice

County Commissioner, Dist. 3 – Democratic Party
Valerie Goddard DEM

County Court Judge, Grp. 10
Dick Greco Jr.

School Board Member, Dist. 6
April Griffin

Washington Post- If you thought the biggest woes a national soccer team could face are injured players, bad calls by referees or boisterous fans blowing thousands of plastic horns called vuvuzelas, think again. In Somalia, playing soccer is an exercise in evading death. For soccer-crazed Somalis, merely watching this year’s World Cup, the first in Africa, has required bottomless reserves of courage. 

Al-Shabab, a hard-line Islamic militia that is waging a campaign of terror across Somalia, has banned playing soccer in many areas it controls. The al-Qaeda-linked militia, along with Hezb-i-Islam, a rival extremist group, prohibited broadcasts of the World Cup, describing the sport as “a satanic act” that corrupts Muslims.

The militants have brutally targeted politicians, clerics and peacekeepers — anyone who has challenged their extreme views. But in the past month, they have killed at least five people and arrested scores more for watching the World Cup. They have detained and tortured local soccer club owners on charges of misguiding youth.  Click here to read the entire story from the Washington Post

A photographer recently visited Djibouti and posted an essay entitled: What Hunger Looks Like.

Human rights abuses are widespread across southern Somalia as an Islamic Militant group called al-Shabaab, with suspected ties to al-Qa’ida, establishes its Taliban style Islamic law in the area’s it controls. Al-Shabaab’s draconian punishments include floggings, head shavings, and, in some cases, amputations and execution by stoning. Those who violate al-Shabaab’s edicts receive little, if any, due process and many punishments are meted out on the spot.

Here are some quotes from a recent Human Rights Watch Report:

Brutality:

• In the village of Wajid, about 250 miles (400 kilometers) northwest of Mogadishu, al-Shabaab reportedly stoned to death a divorcee in November 2009 for having an affair with an unmarried man. The man was reportedly given 100 lashes.92 The same month, media reported that al-Shabaab stoned a man to death for adultery in the port of Merka, south of Mogadishu. Al-Shabaab announced it would execute the man’s pregnant girlfriend after she gives birth.

 Child Recruitment:

• A 17-year-old girl from Kismayo described al-Shabaab recruiters repeatedly trying to enlist her two brothers. In May 2009 the recruiters dragged them out of their home as their mother pleaded for mercy. About three weeks later, the mother received a telephone call from a man saying al-Shabaab had killed one of the sons for refusing to join them. He said, “Come bury your son. We are doing you a favor by telling you where his body is. If your other son does not accept our orders, the same thing will happen to him.” The dead brother’s head had been half-severed from his neck with a wire and his body had been repeatedly stabbed, the girl said. She added that the family does not know if the other brother is dead or alive.
• One day my son did not come home from the madrasa. I went to the school and asked for him. Then my son called me. He said, “Mom, I am in Kismayo. I was taken by al-Shabaab to be recruited to fight. Please pray for my release.” I have not heard from him since. I do not know if he is alive or dead. My
  brother’s young son was taken as well. My brother went to find them. I was told al-Shabaab hanged him because he was looking for the boys. I became mentally confused. For two months, I went randomly from neighborhood to neighborhood [in Kismayo], searching for them. I feared for my own life. They text messaged me many times, saying, “If we see you looking for your boy we will kill you.” Finally I turned back.
   

UNICEF Calls for Release of Child Soldiers

Hash War, Harsh Peace

I wish I could harness that excitement and zest for new things. Many times we take for granted how interesting the small things in the world are.  Compared to most in the world we lead way more exciting lives. Maybe I should complain a little less but we know that’s never going to happen.

Speaking of exciting, in the mail yesterday I received this very cool poster of a pride lions for my room. It’s the length  of my bed. The lions stand majestically against a dark sky: a male, female and 4 cubs. Lions are bad-ass. Its my 8 year old moment but I think we all need to have moments like that from time to time. 

Cherish this deep-thoughts moments from Tommy because there are so few of them.

Tommy

“If I had visions of Djibouti being some sort of island of civility in the wilderness, a French version of the English modern colonial bastard city-states of Trinidad or Singapore or Gibraltar, my hopes are soon dashed.”

“DO NOT TAKE PHOTOS IN DJIBOUTI, OF ANY THING ANYWHERE ANY TIME! For some reason this makes the locals livid. There may be a permit you can obtain, but I wouldn’t bother as you may end up having to show it to every Harry, Dick and Tom who can walk semi-erect. “

“You can have Djibouti. As the Aussies say, I’d rather be in a pit with a ’snike’. Lonely Planet won’t tell you when a place sucks; I will. They’ll act like Djibouti is the Promised Land; I won’t. I could write the guidebook on Djibouti in one word: sucks. It should make interesting reading. “

Click here to read Hardiek’s Blog Post “Djibouti Shaken”

It could be a long dry summer for this impoverished nation. The Famine Early Warning Systems Network put out the warning below:

• Results of a joint assessment mission indicate that around 50 percent of the rural population (120,000 people) will require humanitarian assistance through at least December 2010. The assistance required includes food aid and/or livelihood support, nutrition interventions, water supply, and health assistance. In the medium term restocking and asset building programs are of high importance.

• Following high animal mortality rates during the last season and inadequate response in terms of asset building programs, which have led to reduced income and food production, most poor pastoral households are highly food insecure. Over the next six months, the food security situation is expected to worsen in the northwest and southeast border pastoral livelihood zones due to insufficient natural resources and inadequate food assistance.

• Poor urban households will likely face extreme food insecurity as the lean period (June –August) approaches. The main driving factors include high unemployment, a decline in petty trade activities, above average staple food prices, increased rural-urban migration, and closure of schools. External assistance is currently very limited in urban areas. There is high likelihood that malnutrition rates may increase. Water shortages in Djibouti city are also expected to become a serious issue over the coming months.

It’s hot at my location in Africa…the average temp is 107 degrees a day and  a lovely 80% humidity.

I am missing Tampa  and looking forward to drinking at the Independent and enjoying a chicken parmisian sandwich from Reservations. As you can see from the photo above the city here is beautiful. Its a third world extreme experience. Actually the beaches are nice. The food isn’t bad. I have thought about traveling back to Kenya but there’s a lot of work to do here. I will try to post some more photos in the near future.

Cheers,

Tommy

The purpose of the meeting is for Board members, as well as residents of Old Seminole Heights, to have an opportunity to voice opinions regarding the proposed CVS Pharmacy at Nebraska & Sligh Avenues. Your participation is encouraged. CVS Pharmacy has requested OSHNA’s support on this project, and in order to determine what position OSHNA will take, we are asking for input from the residents of OSH.

CVS went before City Council late Thursday evening to request a zoning change from commercial intensive to planned development in preparation for locating their store at Sligh and Nebraska Avenues.  A number of residents were present for the meeting, as were the presidents of all three Seminole Heights Neighborhood Associations and the Business Guild.

City Staff recommended against approval.

Councilmember Linda Saul-Sena made a motion to deny the request on the basis that it did not meet the comprehensive plan and was not a sufficient use of the unusually large 2.7 acre parcel.  Voting to deny approval for the project was Charlie Miranda, Linda Saul-Sena and Thomas Scott.  OSH falls within Councilmember Scott’s district.  Voting against denial was John Dingfelder and Joseph Caetano.  Mary Mulhern and Gwen Miller were absent.  A vote to deny requires a minimum of four votes to pass. The motion was carried over to this coming Thursday, February 6th.  If four councilmembers vote in the negative this Thursday, CVS has stated it will seek another location for the proposed pharmacy.

Click Here to View the Report
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OSHNA encourages its members and residents to contact city council and share their opinion, for or against, the CVS project.  You may use an online form to reach all councilmembers with one email by clicking here:
Contact City Council. Or, you may contact councilmembers individually, as listed below:

Mary Mulhern (At Large)
Mary.Mulhern@tampagov.net
(813) 274-7071

Linda Saul-Sena (At large)
(813) 274-8134

John Dingfelder
John.Dingfelder@tampagov.net(813) 274-8133

Thomas Scott                     (OSH Representative)
(813) 274-8189

Gwen Miller (At Large)
(813) 274-7072

Joseph Caetano
(813) 274-7073

Charlie Miranda
(813) 274-7074