Joe Guidry is the deputy editorial page editor of The Tampa Tribune. He is a Tampa native and a graduate of the University of South Florida. He is married and has an adult son.

Jeff Stidham

Jeff Stidham grew up and lives in Bartow. He has been with the Tribune for nearly 22 years, the last 10 on the editorial board.

William Yelverton

William Yelverton is a Tribune editorial writer who has worked for the paper nearly 22 years. He lives in the Dade City area.

Jim Beamguard

Jim Beamguard is a Tribune editorial writer. He is a native of North Carolina and a graduate of Davidson College. He and his family live in Brandon.

Jackie Papandrew:

Jackie Papandrew is a freelance writer and editor. Her syndicated humor column appears in publications in the United States, Canada and India. She lives in Largo with her husband and children. Visit her website at www.jackiepapandrew.com.

Camille Beredjick

Camille Beredjick is a senior at Chamberlain High School, an avid musician and a scribbler with a quirky sense of humor. In the fall, she will be attending Northwestern University to study journalism, political science and music, and she plans to pursue a career in journalism.

Jim Harnish

Jim Harnish is in his 17th year as Senior Pastor at Hyde Park United Methodist Church in Tampa. He and his wife, Marsha, have two daughters and two grandchildren. He is a graduate of Asbury Theological Seminary and received the honorary Doctor of Divinity degree from Bethune-Cookman University. He is the author of six books and numerous articles and studies. He enjoys playing with his grandchildren and cheering for the Florida Gators.

Angela Hunt

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Sheryl Young

Sheryl Young was a Tampa Tribune Community Columnist in 2005-2006. A freelance writer since 1997, including the Tampa Bay Business Journal, Tampa Style Magazines, St. Pete Times and nationally in Better Nutrition, Today’s Christian Woman and more. She’s received a First Place Amy Foundation national "Roaring Lambs" Writing Award, and has lived in Tampa Bay with her family for over 20 years.

Christie Gold

Christie Gold teaches English and journalism at Freedom High School in Tampa where she advises Revolution, the school newspaper. She has been both the Hillsborough County Teacher of the Year and Florida Journalism Teacher of the Year. She lives on a small farm in Wesley Chapel where she trains as a competitive equestrian.

Natalie D. Preston

Natalie D. Preston is a karaoke singing, only-child pouting, Seminole Tomahawk waving, newlywed bride blushing, 50-state traveling, girlie girl who loves to shop, read, run and jump up and down on her soapbox.

Fernando Figueroa

Gary Beemer

Interests include humor, politics, economics, community and world affairs, finance, people, religion, music, sports, current events, the arts and education.

Nicole Yunger Halpern

Nicole Yunger Halpern is an undergraduate at Dartmouth College, where she studies everything she can get her nerdy little hands on. Desired major: life. No, not necessarily biology. Life.

Kris DiGiovanni

Kris DiGiovanni is a Tribune Community Columnist, Huffington Post contributor, Daily Kos diarist, and teacher, who recently moved from NW Hillsborough to another planet - a small beach community in Pinellas County. She also blogs at www.sandscript.wordpress.com

H. David Braswell Jr.

H. David Braswell Jr. is an Information Systems Professional. He is a native New Yorker and a lifelong NY Giants fan. He attended college in California (Cal State Northridge) and moved to Tampa in 1998.

Sean Marcus

Sean Marcus teaches creative writing, journalism and reading at Chamberlain High School. He has one son and is expecting a daughter in early March. He can be reached at wuizabug@gmail.com

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LOL: You Can’t Make This Stuff Up

Posted Aug 21, 2009 by Kris DiGiovanni

Updated Aug 21, 2009 at 04:55 PM

I like to go to icanhascheezeburger for a good laugh, but lately I’ve found that it’s easier just to check out the news, both online and on TV – especially the reporting on tea parties and town halls. Of course there was the Barney Frank “dining room table” remark, but you might have missed some of these recent examples:

An unattributed an editorial in Investors Business Daily printed July 31, 2009 stated (emphasis mine):

“The U.K.‘s National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) basically figures out who deserves treatment by using a cost-utility analysis based on the ‘quality adjusted life year.’ …People such as scientist Stephen Hawking wouldn’t have a chance in the U.K., where the National Health Service would say the life of this brilliant man, because of his physical handicaps, is essentially worthless.”

By now someone has broken the news to IBD that not only was Hawking born in the UK, he has lived there all his life. In fact, after reading the article, Hawking himself made a public statement about the excellent care he has received.

As reported by NYT columnist Paul Krugman, a man stood up at a town hall meeting and told Representative Bob Inglis to “keep your government hands off my Medicare.”

Apparently this gentleman did not realize that Medicare is and always has been a government program. Still, I can see where a regular citizen might be confused. However, there’s no excuse whatsoever for Reagan administration economist Arthur Laffer who warned us on August 4th on CNN (emphasis mine):

“I mean, if you like the Post Office and the Department of Motor Vehicles and you think they’re run well, just wait until you see Medicare, Medicaid, and health care done by the government.”

On July 2nd, RNC chairman Michael Steele sent supporters a link to a foreign policy survey which included the following questions:

Do you approve of Barack Obama’s decision to close the dentition (sic) center in Guantanamo Bay and move some of the world’s most dangerous terrorists to the United States?”

“Do you believe Barack Obama’s apology tours of Europe and the Middle East has (sic) helped strengthen our national security?”

I don’t know what teeth have to do with terrorists, but the last time I looked “tours” was plural, and takes the verb “have”, not “has.”

However, Steele can take heart. He is not the only conservative that seems to have a problem with spelling and grammar. These tea baggers could use a dictionary.

And so could this guy

And this one

I did a double take when I saw this almost x-rated sign. (from Huffpost, Via News observer.com)

But my all time favorite is this one.

Maybe we need a rule that says you can’t display a protest sign unless you can prove you know how to read.

Oh, c’mon, I hear you saying. These are just regular folks who made mistakes. Cut them some slack. Ok, ok, I’ve made a typo or two, myself, I admit. But, I leave you with this little beauty, which illustrates so well why I don’t watch FOX News, except for grins.