The Florida Writers Association, the state’s largest and most prestigious literary organization, has announced that two novels by J.C. Bruce — Strange Currents and Mister Manners — have won both gold and silver medals in the 2021 Royal Palm Literary Awards. Strange Currents won first place in the category honoring the best published mysteries in Florida. Strange Currents is the fourth […]
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For years, the south Florida city of Opa-locka, already one of the most unusual communities in a very odd state, had one of the more bizarre ordinances on the books. The city, famous for its Moorish architecture and home to myriad CIA ops, including the Bay of Pigs invasion, had a strict dress code. It was illegal to show up […]
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By J.C. Bruce I have been assigned by Tropic Press to write this new periodic dispatch from the Gunshine State, an effort to provide a fair and balanced perspective on news emanating from this subtropical paradise that may seem confusing, confounding, and, perhaps, utterly crazy to outsiders. We’ll begin this unbiased and totally objective report with a look at how […]
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Thousands of lives have been lost in Florida due to the coronavirus pandemic and now the disease has claimed an entire city. Thankfully, the mermaids are okay. The community in question is Weeki Wachee, a popular tourist destination about 50 miles north of Tampa, known for its mermaid shows since the 1940s and, at one time, the biggest tourist attraction […]
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By Alexander Strange They say politics makes strange bedfellows. And it’s hard to imagine, with less than ninety days until the election, that it could get weirder than this. But there’s another cliché to consider: In politics, a week is an eternity and three months is even longer. This week’s political news of the weird features space alien DNA, accusations […]
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It’s refreshing to learn that even in the midst of a deadly pandemic where thousands are dying and millions are containing themselves in self-isolation, that some men have not abandoned their sense of priorities. Men who understand what’s truly important, who are willing, ready and able to stand up and be counted, to throw themselves in harm’s way on behalf […]
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With toilet paper stripped from grocery store shelves by hoarders, people are left to use alternatives that don’t always flush very well. Florida wastewater treatment plants are reporting that toilet paper alternatives are clogging the system, entangling pumps needed to move sewage—and sometimes breaking them. They caution: Baby wipes, tissues, napkins and paper towels should never be used. So what’s […]
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While we’re all on lockdown, avoiding contact with one another lest we spread or catch what some are calling the “invisible enemy,” I thought I would share this bit of science news about another unseen horror. Here’s the headline from the excellent blog Science Alert: Deadly Parasite Discovered in Chinese Family Shows You Should Never Eat Raw Centipedes We can […]
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