Taking Names the Blog

Joining the Philips Phile Tuesday; 'Hot' broadcasters compete

ScottMaxwell — Mon, 23 Nov 2009 14:56:11 -0500

A couple of broadcast bits... * Assuming I get all my homework done in time, I'm gonna join the Philips Phile in the studio tomorrow/Tuesday afternoon from 3 - 7 p.m. Jim's off. So I'm slated to join Jack, Moira...

Blood Centers reform -- what do you think?

ScottMaxwell — Sun, 22 Nov 2009 09:01:16 -0500

Well, it took a while, but Florida's Blood Centers has started to clean up the way it does business. As you may have seen in Saturday's paper or today's column,FBC execs finally agreed that board members and their companies should...

Coffee contract -- a distant cosolation prize

ScottMaxwell — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 06:27:00 -0500

So I got a press release this week announcing that Barnie's Coffee had been chosen as a the sole provider of coffee in the Amway arena. I like that. Because, as much as I enjoy Starbucks (and damn, I do...

Hometown Democracy - a respectful debate

ScottMaxwell — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 09:07:49 -0500

Yesterday's columnabout Hometown Democracy generated a decent amount of mail -- mostly atta-boys from readers with no dog in the hunt, folks who are sick of seeing both unchecked growth and cozy relationships between politicians and development interests. Still, I'm...

Progressive Dem to Kosmas: "It's payback time"

ScottMaxwell — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 14:24:55 -0500

In the past week I've gotten more e-mails from Democrats who are ticked off at Suzanne Kosmas for voting against the health care bill than anything else. (Well, except for my wife. We've been talking about house-buying and taking advantage...

Huckabee, Palin and Beck ... oh my!

ScottMaxwell — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 15:19:58 -0500

In case ya missed it, Central Florida is about to be grand-central station for conservative pundits. Glenn Beck, Sarah Palin and Mike Huckabee are all slated to swing through Central Florida to promote their books. Huckabee - who's actually promoting...

Ginny Brown-Waite - a one-woman fringe festival?

ScottMaxwell — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 06:00:00 -0500

Today’s column looked at what our congressional reps have been up to – and took a look at some of Ginny Brown-Waite’s more fringey moments. I contend that, while the media (including this paper and me and my column) has...

Miscarriages of justice: Rotten dog cases getting more light

ScottMaxwell — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 14:49:01 -0500

In the past few weeks, the cases of miscarried justice in Brevard County -- all connected to a fraudulent dog-handler -- have started getting more attention ... some of it international. Two things have put this matter back in the...

$$$ in Politics: Grayson's 'bomb', Crist's turmoil, Sublette's event

ScottMaxwell — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 22:20:37 -0500

A trio of political pieces... * Alan Grayson is earning national attention again -- not for anything he said this time, but for how much money he raised in a single day. It was more than $500,000 after the Grayson...

NYTimes: Grayson is Democrats' 'Problem Child'

ScottMaxwell — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 06:42:28 -0500

The New York Times took a look at the phenomenonon that is our hometown congressman this past weekend in a piece that's pretty good. Whether it's overly critical or flattering probably depends on your perspective. In the piece, Grayson is...

Harleys for kids; Bowling for Autism; Scares for theater

ScottMaxwell — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 15:24:28 -0400

Well, on the heels of last week's charitable affairs -- including downtown's Run for the Children in which WESH's Martha Sugalsk and Jim Payne and I all particpated (a worthwhile, but muggy affair) -- we have a several others on...

Sen. Bob Smith: I have what Marco, Charlie don't - experience

ScottMaxwell — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 11:33:14 -0400

Most every time you read about the U.S. Senate race, it's all about the fiery primary between Marco Rubio and Charlie Crist. But there's another candidate in the race that gets often ignored. (And I don't just mean Democrat Kendrick...

I'm a zombie ... with hate-group connections

ScottMaxwell — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 11:01:38 -0400

You know how some days you know rather quickly it's going to be a weird one? Well, today started with a reader offering up his suggestion for a halloween mask ... Zombie Scott. And then the metro desk gets the...

WDBO's Officer Jim ousted

ScottMaxwell — Wed, 28 Oct 2009 08:17:54 -0400

UPDATE OCT. 29, 9:45 A.M: Just got off the phone with Officer Jim, who offers some parting thoughts on his years on the air -- and the shock of it all -- below. UPDATE OCT. 30, 10:00 AM - WDBO...

Crist-bashing seems to be all the rage

ScottMaxwell — Mon, 26 Oct 2009 14:26:18 -0400

You could hardly open a newspaper this past weekend without finding seeing another Charlie Crist smackdown -- the criticism coming from both mainstream and conservative media; and from Florida to Washington. My own licks - which I also offered to...

Crist enjoyed breakfast, donations in Winter Park

ScottMaxwell — Fri, 23 Oct 2009 16:39:28 -0400

Charlie Crist swung through Central Florida Thursday -- for both breakfast and stack of campaign checks. The event was at the home of Crist friend and Winter Park financial adviser Scott Peelen (and wife Patty) and headlined by Republicans co-hosts...

Who should be Orange County's next mayor?

ScottMaxwell — Fri, 23 Oct 2009 05:55:00 -0400

Today's column looked at the race for Orange County mayor -- and wondered whether some more candidates will step into the ring. I mentioned Teresa Jacobs, who would probably shake things up more than anyone else. Also League of Women...

Run, party, golf, eat for good causes ... drink beer too

ScottMaxwell — Tue, 20 Oct 2009 13:33:26 -0400

Thought I'd mention a few of the upcoming charitable events coming up in Central Florida. If you have more you want to promote, feel free to add em. * This Saturday marks the 29th annual Dick Batchelor Run for the...

Catching up - with Grayson, Niagara and, oh yes, the birthers

ScottMaxwell — Tue, 20 Oct 2009 08:32:19 -0400

The little Nameses and I were cruising last week, which meant I was blissfully unplugged. The blackberry was off, and I actually made a point of not watching a single minute of any TV news for a solid week. It...

Blog on break

ScottMaxwell — Sat, 10 Oct 2009 09:01:41 -0400

Hi all. Just wanted to drop a note to say I'll be on break for a week, returning Monday, Oct. 19. Consequently, so will this blog. So the posting of comments will be delayed. Until I get back, keep an...

Twitter links, Headdress pics and Sheehan vs. Manes

ScottMaxwell — Fri, 09 Oct 2009 08:37:45 -0400

A few items springboarding off today's grab-bag column: If you want the Twitter addresses for any of the folks I mentioned -- from Dwight Howard to Jeb Bush -- I have them all posted on my own page: http://twitter.com/Scott_Maxwell. A...

Rove for Rubio and other money matters

ScottMaxwell — Wed, 07 Oct 2009 09:09:18 -0400

Stirring up whispers around the water cooler this week is news that Karl Rove is now a Marco Rubio supporter. Yes, that Karl Rove. The former adviser to George W. Bush told NBCthat he had inked a check for $1,000...

Grayson fallout - double-standards, cringe-worthy TV & more

ScottMaxwell — Tue, 06 Oct 2009 10:44:04 -0400

The reaction and fallout from Alan Grayson's "die quickly" remark continues... * One sentiment I heard from several readers in response to Sunday's column was people expressing surprise about Ginny Brown-Waite's "drop dead" comments from a few months earlier. Brown-Waite...

Charlie goes on Fox & Friends - & has Doocy of a time

ScottMaxwell — Wed, 30 Sep 2009 15:19:53 -0400

There's been a lot of talk about Charlie Crist's recent step into the national spotlight -- claiming credit on CNN and MSNBC for the state's shrinking budget and predicting that Barack Obama would be a one-term president. But I've been...

If Rifqa was Julie: Readers say thanks ... and 'pure garbage'

ScottMaxwell — Tue, 29 Sep 2009 20:28:06 -0400

Sunday's column posed the question: "What if Rifqa Bary was Julie Johnson?" And it drew a lot of reader reaction -- from profound thanks to suggestions that I am morally bankrupt and that all Muslims lie. The majority of readers...

Who does Sen. Paula Hawkins think is "a wimp"?

ScottMaxwell — Wed, 23 Sep 2009 06:43:02 -0400

In today's column, I chatted with former U.S. Sen. Paula Hawkins about the need to clean house and reform the Public Service Commission. After all, the mess up there in Tallahassee -- cozy relationships between utility execs and the state...

Dialing-for-dollars Crist, seceding from reform & *****bag Edwards

ScottMaxwell — Mon, 21 Sep 2009 06:53:37 -0400

A few bits of political tid from this past weekend ... * The Miami Herald's Beth Reinhard had a good look at the phenomena that is Charlie Crist's fundraising prowess. Complete with insight from donors who insist that telling Charlie...

'Aha! There was opinion in that column!' (Responses for angry readers)

ScottMaxwell — Sun, 20 Sep 2009 22:06:07 -0400

Honestly, I really like hearing from readers. I get hundreds of e-mails every week from readers who are funny, appreciative, gracious and interested in challenging my conceptions and giving me other perspectives to think about. OK, I also hear from...

Student questions about journalism

ScottMaxwell — Sun, 20 Sep 2009 00:03:00 -0400

Every couple of weeks, a high school student writes me with the same three questions about journalism for a class they are taking. I think I've fielded 40 or 50 of these in recent years. So, while I'm not the...

Crime priority: The adultrous tourist from S.C.?

ScottMaxwell — Fri, 18 Sep 2009 07:24:09 -0400

Perhaps we've taken care of all the murderers, rapists, batterers, thugs and muggers that have besieged Orlando in recent years. Because, as you may have seen in today's paper, our local organized-crime unit is now focusing its energy on hookers....