To include your event in the Briefing and Live Calendar, please fill out this form.
Weather: Sunny. Highs in the upper 60s. North winds 5 to 10 mph. Tonight: Mostly clear in the evening, then becoming partly cloudy. Not as cool with lows in the lower 50s. Northeast winds around 5 mph. See the daily weather briefing from the National Weather Service in Jacksonville here.
Today at a Glance:
In Court: The trial of Donald Andrew Sharp continues before Circuit Judge Terence Perkins in Courtroom 401 at the Flagler County Courthouse. Sharp faces several capital felonies–he would face life in prison, not death, if convicted–on accusations that he raped his 8 and 9 year old cousin when he babysat her in Palm Coast, and directed her slightly older brother to molest her. See: “In Trial’s Opening, Prosecution Describes Andrew Sharp, 22, as Babysitter Turned Sexual Predator on His Own Young Cousins.”
Palm Coast Open: A USTA Pro Circuit Event: At the Palm Coast Tennis Center, 1290 Belle Terre Parkway, Palm Coast. Check daily schedules here. In its 13th year, the Palm Coast Open features elite men’s tennis played on our hometown stage. Competitors worldwide travel to Palm Coast for a chance at winning a total of $15,000 in prize money and points toward their ATP ranking, a merit-based method to determine tournament entry and seeding based on men’s tennis rankings.
Separation Chat, Open Discussion: The Atlantic Chapter of Americans United for the Separation of Church and State hosts an open, freewheeling discussion on the topic here in our community, around Florida and throughout the United States, noon to 1 p.m. at its new location, Pine Lakes Golf Club Clubhouse Pub & Grillroom (no purchase is necessary), 400 Pine Lakes Pkwy, Palm Coast (0.7 miles from Belle Terre Parkway). Call (386) 445-0852 for best directions. All are welcome! Everyone’s voice is important. For further information email [email protected] or call Merrill at 804-914-4460.
Valentine’s Day Marriage Ceremony: The Flagler County Clerk of Court and staff host the traditional Valentine’s Day group wedding ceremony on the steps of the county courthouse, at noon. The ceremony is led by Clerk of Court Tom Bexley. See: “‘Stress-Free’ Valentine’s Day Mass Wedding at the Courthouse Returns With 13 Couples.”
Weekly Chess Club for Teens, Ages 9-18, at the Flagler County Public Library: Do you enjoy Chess, trying out new moves, or even like some friendly competition? Come visit the Flagler County Public Library at the Teen Spot every Wednesday from 4 to 5 p.m. for Chess Club. Everyone is welcome, for beginners who want to learn how to play all the way to advanced players. For more information contact the Youth Service department 386-446-6763 ext. 3714 or email us at [email protected]
Stayin’ Alive: One Night of the Bee Gees, at Flagler Auditorium, 7 p.m., Flagler Auditorium, 5500 State Road 100, Palm Coast. $54 to $64, book here. STAYIN’ ALIVE offers to their audiences the songs and sights of a full Bee Gees play list, singing blockbusters such as “Night Fever,” “Jive Talkin’,” “How Deep Is Your Love,” “You Should Be Dancing,” “Nights on Broadway,” and “Stayin’ Alive.” In addition, they perform softer poetic ballads such as “I Started a Joke,” “Massachusetts,” “Fanny Be Tender,” “Words,” and “To Love Somebody,” among other great hits. STAYIN’ ALIVE is the largest and most definitive production, offering big-screen video clips, photos, and dazzling imagery. STAYIN’ ALIVE has played intimate settings as a six-piece band and huge venues with a 62-piece orchestra. STAYIN’ ALIVE is the quintessential tribute band to the Bee Gees, capturing the excitement of live performance and the tender subtleties of the human voice.
| In Coming Days: Feb. 15: Flagler Beach Commission Workshop on Voting Mayor and Term of Office, 5:30 p.m. at City Hall, 105 S 2nd Street. Commission Chair Eric Cooley proposed changing the commission’s form of government, giving the mayor a vote, changing the length of commissioners’ terms, and making the mayor the permanent chair of the panel, following the model of Palm Coast and Bunnell. The proposal would have to go before voters in a referendum, but the commission would have to vote approvingly of proposing such a measure. There is not much consensus on the commission for the proposal. See: “Should Flagler Beach Mayor Have a Vote and Chair All Meetings? Commission Is Split on Possible Ballot Proposal,” and “In Flagler Beach, A Lack of Consensus Even About the Discussion on Changing Mayor’s Role and Commission’s Make-Up.” Feb. 16: An Evening with Nashville’s Darryl Worley and Anthony Smith, at Flagler Auditorium, 7 p.m. Flagler Auditorium, 5500 State Road 100, Palm Coast. Tickets: $54. Book here. Darryl Worley is an American country music singer and songwriter. Worley gained popularity in the early 2000s with his debut album, “Hard Rain Don’t Last,” which produced several hit singles. Some of Darryl Worley’s notable songs include “Awful, Beautiful Life,” “Have You Forgotten?,” and “I Miss My Friend.” “Have You Forgotten?” became particularly significant as it was released in 2003 as a response to the September 11 attacks in the United States. The song reached the top of the country charts and became an anthem for many Americans. Anthony Smith is a country music singer and songwriter. Smith gained recognition in the early 2000s as a songwriter before pursuing a career as a recording artist. As a songwriter, Anthony Smith has penned several successful songs for other country artists, including George Strait’s “Run,” Trace Adkins’ “Chrome,” and Montgomery Gentry’s “What Do Ya Think About That.” These songs achieved commercial success and received critical acclaim. In addition to his songwriting success, Anthony Smith has released his music as a solo artist. Some of his notable songs include “If That Ain’t Country,” “John J. Blanchard,” and “Half a Man.” Smith’s music typically incorporates traditional country elements with heartfelt lyrics and emotional storytelling. Feb. 16-17: Rachmaninoff’s Second Symphony, at Jacksonville Symphony, 7:30 p.m. at Jacoby Symphony Hall, Times-Union Center for the Performing Arts, 300 Water Street, Suite 200, Jacksonville. Conductor Anna Rakitina makes her debut with the Symphony for one of the greatest of all late Romantic symphonies, Rachmaninoff’s Second. The second movement’s stunningly gorgeous string melodies are hallmark Rachmaninoff, and the final movement radiates triumphant resolution. Rakitina and the Symphony set the stage one of Rachmaninoff’s most tender and longing miniatures, his famous Vocalise, and Anna Clyne’s Restless Oceans, a piece that embraces unity and the power of women. Tickets $29 to $84. Book here. Feb. 22: Flagler Tiger Bay Club Guest Speaker: Daniel Wagner. Supporting NASA and the Artemis Mission: How the Mobile Launcher 2 will help NASA in their pursuit to safely send astronauts to the Moon and Mars. 11:30 a.m. at Hammock Dunes Club, 30 Avenue Royale, Palm Coast. Tickets are $35 for members, $40 for non-members. Pre-registration here is required. Dan Wagner is a Supply Chain Manager at Bechtel Nuclear, Security, and Environmental Global Business Unit. He is responsible providing supply chain analysis and support to nuclear, security, and environmental projects in the United States and in Europe. His supply chain experience includes the Curtis Island Liquified Natural Gas projects in Australia and in China as well as at the Y 12 National Security Complex. His nuclear supply chain experience includes the Poland AP 1000 project and US based Small Modular Reactor projects. He is responsible for the development of small businesses and supply chain partnerships to collaborate with Bechtel in multi-billion-dollar environmental and national security projects. He served as Marine Corps officer from 1991 – 2011 and worked for Office of Secretary of Defense from 2003 to 2007. Feb. 22: Forever Fab and Sixtiesmania: A Journey Through the 60s, 7 p.m. Flagler Auditorium, 5500 State Road 100, Palm Coast. Ticket : $54.00 – $64.00. Book here. Sixtiesmania is a true celebration of the musical sixties. Founded by Andrew Hill back in Australia, Andrew has toured worldwide with his different production shows celebrating the music of both the Sixties and The Beatles. A left-handed Paul McCartney “sound-alike,”; he found his calling in this role, entertaining hundreds and thousands of people in over 15 countries for the last 20 years. With authentic tailored suits from England, a full multimedia backdrop ( where available), vintage instruments, a song pool of over 250 songs, incredible musicianship, and vocals… and an absolutely killer set list of songs… Covering all the great groups and songs that became an iconic backdrop to that turbulent decade, Sixtiesmania takes the audience on a musical roller coaster from the Beatles to the Doors and everything in between, including the British Invasion, Beach Boys, Carnaby Street, Flower Power, Woodstock and so much more. Every song is lovingly performed with complete accuracy to detail to sound exactly like those amazing recordings people know and love. Sixtiesmania is the most authentic sixties show on the world circuit today and has performed to sell-out shows worldwide! |
Notably: Haaretz, the Israeli daily, the only English-language daily that seriously challenges the current Zionist-Israeli dogma of Israeli infallibility–the dogma that prevails, at the risk of losing one’s job if challenged, in American media and beyond–ran a column a few days ago by a Gaza resident it simply identified as Abdullah, for a reason made obvious in the headline: “Writing these words in Gaza could cost me my life.” Abdullah summarizes what we have long known about Hamas: it is a regressive, death-cult organization that thinks of Gaza’s civilians pretty much as Lenin thought of Russians on the way to establishing his supreme Soviet: everyone is expandable for the ultimate goal. “But Hamas isn’t the only extremist religious movement endangering us,” Abdullah writes. “After years of a political dead end, the extremists on both sides have strengthened.
They both promote the idea that the other side is made up solely of enemies who deserve to die. In Israel too there are people filled with hatred and racism who are hostile to the most basic human values such as free-dom, equality, justice and democracy. And they use religion to ignite wars and profit from them. It’s true that the Palestinians in general refuse to see the differences and diversity of Israeli society. […] But Israeli society, in turn, refuses to see Palestinian pluralism. Israel doesn’t distinguish between the organization that’s fighting it and the people. All are enemies in its eyes. All should be wiped out. The truth is, we view Israel in the same way, which is why the bloodshed will never stop without a just and comprehensive political solution.” In the end it’s not complicated. It’s not an intractable conflict. It hasn’t been going on forever. It’s a land dispute, and a battle over identity, and rights. But it is cluttered by biblical noise, by racism, by stereotype. None of that is on its way out. There is no Israeli leader, let alone a Palestinian leader (Mahmoud Abbas, in the West Bank, is a mass of corruption) who could show the way, as Shimon Peres had, as Anwar Sadat had (though Sadat did it at the expense of Palestinians). Maybe with the exception of Marwan Barghouti. But Marwan Barghouti is rotting in an Israeli prison, and the Israelis, who know he has that Nelson Mendela potential, aren’t about to release him.
—P.T.
Now this:
The Live Calendar is a compendium of local and regional political, civic and cultural events. You can input your own calendar events directly onto the site as you wish them to appear (pending approval of course). To include your event in the Live Calendar, please fill out this form.
February 2024
Wednesday, Feb 14
Palm Coast Open: A USTA Pro Circuit Event
Wednesday, Feb 14
Separation Chat: Open Discussion
Wednesday, Feb 14
The Circle of Light A Course in Miracles Study Group
Wednesday, Feb 14
Weekly Chess Club for Teens, Ages 9-18, at the Flagler County Public Library
Flagler County Public Library
Wednesday, Feb 14
Stayin’ Alive: One Night of the Bee Gees, at Flagler Auditorium
Thursday, Feb 15
Palm Coast Open: A USTA Pro Circuit Event
Thursday, Feb 15
Flagler County Drug Court Convenes
Flagler County courthouse
Thursday, Feb 15
Story Time for Preschoolers at Flagler Beach Public Library
315 South 7th Street, Flagler Beach
Thursday, Feb 15
Flagler Beach Commission Workshop on Voting Mayor and Term of Office
Thursday, Feb 15
‘Tuck Everlasting,’ at Limelight Theater, St. Augustine
Thursday, Feb 15
Mania: The Abba Tribute, at Peabody Auditorium
No event found!
For the full calendar, go here.
Having spent the last 15 years in an Israeli prison, I have been both a witness to and a victim of Israel’s illegal system of mass arbitrary arrests and ill-treatment of Palestinian prisoners. […] Decades of experience have proved that Israel’s inhumane system of colonial and military occupation aims to break the spirit of prisoners and the nation to which they belong, by inflicting suffering on their bodies, separating them from their families and communities, using humiliating measures to compel subjugation. In spite of such treatment, we will not surrender to it. Israel, the occupying power, has violated international law in multiple ways for nearly 70 years, and yet has been granted impunity for its actions. It has committed grave breaches of the Geneva Conventions against the Palestinian people; the prisoners, including men, women and children, are no exception. I was only 15 when I was first imprisoned. I was barely 18 when an Israeli interrogator forced me to spread my legs while I stood naked in the interrogation room, before hitting my genitals. I passed out from the pain, and the resulting fall left an everlasting scar on my forehead. The interrogator mocked me afterward, saying that I would never procreate because people like me give birth only to terrorists and murderers. […] Over the past five decades, according to the human rights group Addameer, more than 800,000 Palestinians have been imprisoned or detained by Israel — equivalent to about 40 percent of the Palestinian territory’s male population. […] Israel has established a dual legal regime, a form of judicial apartheid, that provides virtual impunity for Israelis who commit crimes against Palestinians, while criminalizing Palestinian presence and resistance. Israel’s courts are a charade of justice, clearly instruments of colonial, military occupation. According to the State Department, the conviction rate for Palestinians in the military courts is nearly 90 percent. […] Israel is not the first occupying or colonial power to resort to such expedients. Every national liberation movement in history can recall similar practices. This is why so many people who have fought against oppression, colonialism and apartheid stand with us. The International Campaign to Free Marwan Barghouti and All Palestinian Prisoners that the anti-apartheid icon Ahmed Kathrada and my wife, Fadwa, inaugurated in 2013 from Nelson Mandela’s former cell on Robben Island has enjoyed the support of eight Nobel Peace Prize laureates, 120 governments and hundreds of leaders, parliamentarians, artists and academics around the world. Their solidarity exposes Israel’s moral and political failure. Rights are not bestowed by an oppressor.”
–From Marwan Barghouti’s “Why We Are on Hunger Strike in Israel’s Prisons,” The New York Times, April 16, 2017.
The Cartoon and Live Briefing Archive.
