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Florida, United States
Bred, raised, educated and life long Floridian, and proud of it. E-mail at one(dot)legged(dot)old(dot)fat(dot)man(at)gmail(dot)com

Tuesday, November 30, 2010

From the Independent Alligator
A south Texas migrant farm worker had been out of a job for two weeks.

His three small children had asthma and could only breathe with the help of a machine. Medicaid paid for it, but the utility company was going to disconnect their electricity the next day unless the family made a payment. The parents called Phil Kellerman. With a few phone calls and $53, Phil allowed the children — and their parents — to breathe with ease again.

To learn about Phil is to learn about the thousands of migrant farm workers he has helped. He is the founder and director of Harvest of Hope, a nonprofit foundation that gives direct financial aid to migrant farm workers and their families. As he speaks, stories from his life mix with the stories of these people.

Phil still remembers the call that started everything. He had been working since 1989 at Eastern Stream on Resources and Training at the University of New York in Oneonta, N.Y. ESCORT is a national resource center that provides technical assistance and training to teachers of at-risk students, especially children of migrant farm workers and homeless students. In 1995, ESCORT set up the first national migrant toll-free hotline where migrant farm workers could call. A man called from Owatonna, Minn. He was stranded and needed $262 to fix his truck to go work at the fields. But the grant the hotline had received from the Department of Education in Washington, D.C., could not be used for direct financial assistance. Phil realized that what these people needed were quick, tangible solutions. He started fundraising and selling things, and with the help of the ESCORT staff they got the man on the road and working again.

A thousand similar calls came that first year. A year later, they had received 200,000 calls.

Shortly after, Phil’s grandmother died. Helen Zand had been a tenacious woman who inspired him through her actions and life story. She was the first female accepted to the law school of Cornell University and a social worker for immigrants, the poor and the homeless in the 1920s. With the help of the inheritance she left him, the Harvest of Hope Foundation was born in 1997.

Since then, the foundation has given out more than $834,000 for housing, utilities, medicine, food, funerals, legal costs, tuition and books, among countless other services.

Many times, it’s been a life-saving thing, says Gladys Sanchez, a social worker for Pasco County who works closely with Phil.
He has a passion and a compassion for migrant farm workers,” Gladys says. “You can tell he has that drive. I recognize it. I have it too. The work we do is very basic and humbling.”

Gladys met Phil five years ago when he gave a presentation about Harvest of Hope. It was Thanksgiving, and a family in Hillsborough County didn’t have money for food or diapers. Gladys called Phil, and while everyone else was out on holiday break Phil bought food and diapers for the family. He saved their Thanksgiving, Gladys says.
Today, Phil has been up since 6 a.m. receiving calls, as he does every day. His office is all manila envelopes, drawers filled to the brim with newspapers, family photos and magazine articles stuck on the wall next to his desk. There are several stacks of notebooks on top of file cabinets overflowing with papers. All over, there are maps of several U.S. states: Florida, Georgia, Texas.

I know Texas better than Texas,” he says.

But Phil was born nowhere near Texas — he was born in Douglaston, N.Y., 55 years ago. Now, he lives in a one-story house in northwest Gainesville. Liberal bumper stickers fill every inch of the back of his red Toyota: “Thank a farm worker.” “No human is illegal.”

He wears comfortable green shorts to work from home and has a short salt-and-pepper beard and mustache. Phil takes calls, looks at receipts, looks at maps and looks for more ways to help others. He is constantly doing something and has always been this way. Phil was an action baby, says his brother Ed. Now, he is the action man. He solves problems.

Ed Kellerman looks like his brother, except for a longer, darker beard.  He is a senior lecturer at the Dial Center for Written and Oral Communication at UF, as well as the communications director of the Harvest of Hope Foundation. He’s been with Phil since the beginning as his closest adviser and best friend.

Phil can bounce ideas around with Ed, but the rest of his family is also supportive. His ex-wife went to fundraisers and his sister’s children in Avon, Conn., sell lemonade to help the foundation.

His stepdaughter Bianca, 16, supports the foundation by attending the biggest fundraising event Harvest of Hope has: the Harvest of Hope Fest, the music festival Phil has put together the past two years. Up to 90 percent of the proceeds go to the foundation to help people like Marta Santos, a migrant farm worker who calls from Pennsylvania. Her 18-year-old son got in a car accident and is now in an immigration detention center in Georgia, but she does not know which one since she hasn’t talked to him. At the accident, a police officer asked Francisco Javier, Martha’s son, for his license. When he couldn’t show one, the officer asked if he had papers. He didn’t have any, and he is now facing deportation. It’s likely he won’t see his mother again for a long time.

Mi nombre es Felipe,” Phil tells Marta, in fluent Spanish but with a distinct American accent. For now, he is there to comfort her and the dozens of others who will call later today.

About 95 percent of the people Phil helps are Hispanic. Half are what is called “older school youth”: 14- to 22-year-olds who come mostly from Mexico, Honduras and Guatemala. Most of them want to send money back home, to learn English and to have insurance. This is particularly pressing because most of them will get diseases for coming in close contact with pesticides daily.

This may be the case for a 73-year-old man with lip cancer who is in the hospital waiting for a $14,000 surgery. He still works at the farms and has no family to care for him. Since he also has no papers, he cannot receive state aid. Thanks to a 70 percent discount for indigent people, his surgery will now cost $4,200 — money he is still far from having. Phil can use $500 from the fund, do a fundraiser and hope for the best.
And so much still needs to be done, Phil says. That is why he tries to make Harvest of Hope “unbureaucratic,” to skip the red tape and say exactly where the money goes.
As a social worker, Gladys Sanchez deals with a lot of these bureaucratic agencies. She knows that when all else fails, she can still count on Phil.

They don’t have that many Harvest of Hopes out there,” Gladys says. “I’m glad that he exists and that he does what he does.”

Back in his home office, Phil tries to call Marta Santos back. But she gave him the wrong number. He may never hear from her again.

Marta’s case is not uncommon. Many times, migrant farm workers don’t have landlines or cell phones, so it’s very hard to get back in touch with them.

Sometimes, even when he can contact them, Phil cannot help them.

There’s always sad calls. It’s the nature of the beast,” Phil says. “I’ve taken thousands of calls and they never change. But I can’t get wrapped up in it, or I couldn’t do what I do.”
Trying to forget some and remembering others is what enables him to go on. He still remembers how 10 years ago the mother of the three children with asthma called back, crying in appreciation.

There will always be calls, Phil says. Even when he’s not there to answer them.
Alachua County is pleased to announce that its 2010 United Way Children’s Book Drive has resulted in the donation of 895 books by Alachua County Employees.  The books have been delivered to United Way.  The Book Drive was in support of the United Way Success by 6 program.  United Way is distributing the books to childcare centers and schools with pre-kindergarten classes.

Book Drive team leader Ivy Bell of the County’s Growth Management Department said, “The enthusiasm and support from my fellow County employees made this drive a resounding success.”

One of multiple efforts by the County’s United Way team lead by Marie Small of the County’s Partners for a Productive Community program, the drive involved placing bins in sixteen areas throughout County facilities.  Department team members used creative displays to encourage employee participation. 

 “I am always amazed at the efforts of County staff when it comes to these types of efforts,” County Manager Randall H. Reid remarked, “To assist in encouraging a young child to develop a love of reading is very special to all of us.” 

For more information, contact Ivy Bell at 352-374-5249.
The University of Florida will conduct a test of its emergency notification system between 11:30 a.m. and noon Wednesday.

Messages will be sent to students, faculty and staff via text messaging, mass e-mail and a posting on the UF home page. Notes also will be posted to the UF Facebook page and Twitter accounts telling users to go to the home page for a message.

The most noticeable change during this semester’s test will be an expansion of the campus VoIP mass notification system to include offices as well as classrooms. A test message will be broadcast on the system between fourth and fifth periods at approximately 11:35 a.m. The system already broadcasts audible messages to many classrooms and selected outdoor locations, including the Plaza of the Americas, the North Lawn at the Reitz Student Union, Turlington Plaza and Broward recreation area.

Areas with Cisco VoIP telephones serviced by CNS should receive Wednesday’s audible message through the telephone’s speaker. UF is continuing to expand the VoIP notification system. In the near future, it will include all academic classrooms as well as VoIP telephones served by HealthNet and other areas.

To ensure that they will receive emergency text messages, students, faculty and staff should update their emergency contact information in MyUFL. Updates can be made at MyUFL by clicking on My Account and Update Emergency Contact. Everyone is encouraged to add the five-digit number “23177” to his or her cell phone contact list and name it “UFAlert.” This will assist in identifying future, authorized UF text messages on mobile devices.

Anyone who doesn’t receive a text message but has previously entered his or her information in MyUFL should text “SUBSCRIBE UFAlert” to 23177. Registered UF subscribers will receive a text message indicating their cell number is in the system.

The emergency text messaging system is used only in cases where a threat is confirmed and has the potential to affect the entire campus. In the event of an emergency or disaster affecting campus, the UF home page is the official source of UF emergency-related information.
University of Florida officials announced plans Monday to transform the neighborhood around the old Shands at AGH site, creating a breeding ground for high-tech companies along with places for their workers to live, eat and shop.

Called Innovation Square, the development is planned to include more than 1 million square feet of building space on 40 acres around SW Second Avenue. It includes the Florida Innovation Hub, a business incubator on the former AGH hospital site that is intended to promote the development of companies based on UF research.

"The 20th century was a time when that property gave birth to babies," UF President Bernie Machen said. "The 21st century is going to be where that property gives birth to companies."

The 10-year-project extends beyond the hub, which is expected to open next fall, to include office space for businesses developed there to move when they expand. Officials said the development could mean 3,000 jobs in growing industries such as health care and green energy.

"This project is about the 21st century approach to economic development in Florida," Machen said.

The development includes property owned by UF and private interests, and officials said details still must be worked out about the exact locations of various components and how they would be built. They emphasized that the project would be a public-private partnership.

"This is not a UF development. It is not the UF campus, and these are not UF buildings," said Brian Beach, senior vice president for administration and business ventures. "It will predominantly be on the tax rolls."




Did you know that...
Today is St. Andrew's Eve. This is significant because folklore says that if you fill a glass to the brim with water and let it stand on your grass all night, you can predict what the coming winter will hold. If any water spills during the night, expect a wet winter. Otherwise, a drought may be coming your way.
 In the Sunshine State on this day in:


1817 Fifty-nine soldiers and settlers were killed or wounded in an attack by Indians on the Apalachicola River.


1904 The City of Dania was incorporated today.


1925 The City of Miami received a record 14.1 inches of rain during a 12 hour period today. 


1982 Today, eleven of twelve of Florida’s African-American legislators organized the state’s first “Black Caucus.”  Senator Carrie Meek of Miami was elected chairperson, and Representative John Thomas of Jacksonville was elected vice chairperson.
Farming looks mighty easy when your plow is a pencil, and you're a thousand miles from the corn field.”

Today: A 20 % chance of showers and thunderstorms after 1pm. Partly sunny, with a high near 83. Breezy, with a south wind between 7 and 15 mph. 


Tonight: Showers and thunderstorms likely, mainly after 1am. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 53. West wind between 7 and 11 mph. Chance of precipitation is 60%.


Hazardous Weather: A strong cold front will move across the area tonight. Thunderstorms are expected in advance of the front. A few storms may become severe across southeast Georgia and possibly the Suwanee Valley area this evening and continuing into the night. The main threat will be damaging wind gusts.


Forecast Details: High pressure ridge aloft was noted just north of the Bahamas and progressive trough was over the Mississippi Valley and central/northern plains. At surface MSAS analysis indicates warm frontal boundary across far northern Georgia zones. Scattered showers are moving northward over coastal and marine zones. Blended precipitable water imagery shows higher values up to 1.8 inches south of area. Increasing southerly flow will continue to push higher moisture over the County Warning Area and expect shower activity to continue over same areas today. Inland areas can expect isolated to scattered showers during the day.


The forecast area will be firmly within warm sector today. Maximum temperatures will surge into the lower/middle 80s with near record highs possible. This will allow for a portion of the low level jet to mix down and expect sustained winds in the 15-20 miles per hour range and gusts up to 25-30 miles per hour but expected to remain just below 
Lake Wind Advisory criteria. 

Tonight a strong cold front will push a broken squall line into southeast Georgia/Suwannee River valley during the evening hours and expect a continued threat of isolated severe thunderstorms with damaging winds possible. Storm Prediction Center has this area in a slight risk at this time. This line of convection will continue to slowly progress eastward overnight reaching the East Coast by sunrise Wednesday. Best dynamic support will be north of I-10 where a 40-50 knot low level jet is expected. Strong gusty winds will be possible overnight with lingering shower/thunderstorm activity as it moves east. Have continued probability of precipitation in the 70-80% range over far northern zones and 50-70% range elsewhere. 

Today's Pollen Levels: 1.5 Low (on a scale to 12); Predominate Pollen:Ragweed


Spotters are requested to prepare for activation this afternoon and evening for the upcoming severe weather event.


For additional information visit the National Weather Service in Jacksonville website on the internet at http://www.srh.noaa.gov/jax/
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Monday, November 29, 2010

THEATER
In the new Hipp holiday play, “This Wonderful Life,” actor Christopher Swan plays Jimmy Stewart’s George Bailey, Clarence the Angel — and 29 other characters from the film “It’s a Wonderful Life.” The one-man show is rotating with “A Christmas Carol” on the Hipp’s mainstage through Dec. 19.

This Wonderful Life”: 7:30 p.m. Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays and Saturdays, 2 and 7:30 p.m. Sundays, Hippodrome State Theatre. Tickets: $12-$30, kids get free admission to both productions through Dec. 6 with a paying adult and one non-perishable food item or unwrapped, new toy.

MUSIC

On Tuesday, the Falala Cappella Concert at the University of Florida’s Orange & Brew will feature UF’s three a cappella groups, No Southern Accent, The Staff and Sedoctaves.
Falala Cappella Holiday Concert: 7-10 p.m. Tuesday, Orange & Brew, UF Campus. Free
The Gainesville Chamber Orchestra’s Holiday Chamber Concert, “Bach Home for the Holidays,” will feature Johann Sebastian Bach’s Brandenburg Concerti Nos. 5 and 6 and other works including a holiday singalong with Hannukah piece.

Bach Home for the Holidays”: 7 p.m. Thursday, Thomas Center for the Arts. Tickets: $20, $15 students and seniors.

CELEBRATIONS


The annual Holiday Tree Lighting Ceremony on Saturday will feature caroling, musical performances, appearances by Santa Claus and Ebenezer Scrooge, and refreshments with carriage rides available.

Holiday Tree Lighting Ceremony: 7:30-9:30 p.m. Saturday, Thomas Center. Free.

 In the Sunshine State on this day in:

1845 James C. Ballard and Adeline Beall were issued the first marriage license in Marion County.


1890 Delegates of the National Farmer’s Alliance, a cooperative economic union of farmers, met in convention at the Ocala House, built by Henry Bradley Plant.


1963 In the immediate aftermath of the assassination of President John F. Kennedy in Dallas, President Lyndon Johnson ordered the name of Cape Canaveral  be changed to Cape Kennedy and to also rename the space facility in honor of the slain president.
As you journey through life take a minute every now and then to give a thought for the other fellow. He could be plotting something.”
Today: A 40 % chance of showers. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 80. East wind between 10 and 13 mph. 


Tonight: A 30 % chance of showers, mainly before 1am. Patchy fog after 1am. Otherwise, mostly cloudy, with a low around 65. East wind between 6 and 10 mph.


Forecast Details: Isentropic lift associated with strong warm air advection just above the surface will interact with increasing moisture off the Atlantic to generate scattered showers today. NAM BUFR soundings indicate potential for up to 1000 j/kg SBCAPE today. This forced US to give some consideration to the idea of adding isolated thunderstorms in our Florida zones today, but after collaborating with neighbors decided to keep it out, as mesoscale models are just not showing much convective type reflectivity today. Difficult temperature forecast today. Increasing heights and warm air advection favor a decent warm up but decreased insolation due to cloud cover should inhibit maxes from getting too out of hand. Could still see some highs in the low 80s across our southern zones where more sun is expected.


Will favor NAM guidance for min temperatures tonight. Feel that MOS guidance may be too cool given expected cloud cover and strong warm air advection pattern. This translates to a very mild late November night with lows only in the middle 60s across most areas. Surface warm front will lift north across the area, so a fewlight rain showers will be possible (~30%).

Today's Pollen Levels: 1.5 Low (on a scale to 12); Predominate Pollen:Ragweed


For additional information visit the National Weather Service in Jacksonville website on the internet at http://www.srh.noaa.gov/jax/
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Sunday, November 28, 2010

FRIED GREEN TOMATOES

INGREDIENTS
3 medium, firm green tomatoes
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 cup milk
2 beaten eggs
2/3 cup fine dry bread crumbs or cornmeal
1/4 cup olive oil
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper



DIRECTIONS
1 Cut unpeeled tomatoes into 1/2 inch slices. Sprinkle slices with salt and pepper. Let tomato slices stand for 15 minutes. Meanwhile, place flour, milk, eggs, and bread crumbs in separate shallow dishes.
2 Heat 2 Tbsp of olive oil in a skillet on medium heat. Dip tomato slices in milk, then flour, then eggs, then bread crumbs. In the skillet, fry half of the coated tomato slices at a time, for 4-6 minutes on each side or until brown. As you cook the rest of the tomatoes, add olive oil as needed. Season to taste with salt and pepper.


SAUSAGE GRAVY

INGREDIENTS
1 pound ground pork sausage
3 tablespoons bacon grease
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
3 cups milk
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper

DIRECTIONS
1 Brown sausage in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Set aside, leaving the drippings in the skillet.
2 Mix bacon grease into the sausage drippings. Reduce heat to medium, combine with flour, and stir constantly until mixture just turns golden brown.
3 Gradually whisk milk into skillet. When the mixture is smooth, thickened, and begins to bubble, return the sausage to skillet. Season with salt and pepper. Reduce heat, and simmer for about 15 minutes.

Serve with grits and fried eggs, a breakfast that will stick with you...
 In the Sunshine State on this day in:

1857 Captain John Parkhill of the Leon Volunteers was killed at Palm Hammock while leading his company in pursuit of a band of Seminole Indians.  A monument to Captain Parkhill was erected by the citizens of Leon County in Capitol Center in Tallahassee. 


1925 The City of Hollywood was chartered today.
What counts is not necessarily the size of the dog in the fight - it's the size of the fight in the dog.”
Today: Sunny, with a high near 68. East wind around 10 mph.


Tonight:  Mostly cloudy, with a low around 54. East wind between 5 and 7 mph.


Forecast Details: High pressure to continue to bridge from the Middle Atlantic States to the Carolinas and this will shift to more of an onshore flow and increase low level moisture. This will allow for sunny skies this morning to become partly cloudy with fair weather cumulus this afternoon. Maximum temperatures to rebound from a cool start into the 60s with some lower 70s possible across inland northeastern Florida.


Tonight the onshore flow and increasing low level moisture will increase rain chances over the coastal waters and adjacent coastal waters with isolated showers crossing the coast into the I-95 corridor. Much warmer conditions expected tonight with lows in the 50s under partly to mostly cloudy skies.


Today's Pollen Levels: 1.5 Low (on a scale to 12); Predominate Pollen:Ragweed


For additional information visit the National Weather Service in Jacksonville website on the internet at http://www.srh.noaa.gov/jax/
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Saturday, November 27, 2010

...Most Of The Area Is Experiencing Moderate To Severe Drought Conditions...


Synopsis...


After a very dry October when many areas failed to record any Measurable rainfall, all areas recorded measurable rainfall during The first half of November. The heaviest rain occurred along the coast in Duval county on November 2nd and 3rd when a band of coastal showers dumped 3 to 5 inches of rain. More widespread rain, although Not nearly as heavy, occurred on two separate Occasions during the first half of November both In association with strong cold frontal systems. Rainfall totals from these two events averaged around a half an inch to an inch, just enough to prevent drought conditions from getting any worse.


Based on the most recent U.S. Drought monitor product, issued Thursday November 18th, southeast Georgia continues to experience moderate to severe drought conditions. In northeast Florida, the coastal counties have improved from extreme drought conditions to severe drought conditions, and Inland areas are still experiencing moderate to severe drought conditions.


A sustained moderate to possibly strong La Nina is expected to continue through the upcoming local dry season. A La Nina of this magnitude will have a significant impact on the weather across the Southeastern United States, particularly regarding rainfall. Seasonal outlooks indicate a high chance of drier than normal Conditions continuing through the next 6 months. 


Summary Of Impacts...


Soil moisture conditions... Soil moisture rankings indicate that most of the area remains below The 5th percentile level for this time of year and some areas have
dropped below the one percentile level.


River and streamflow conditions... With the exception of the Altamaha River, streamflows are running very low for this time of year, below The 10th percentile.


Agriculture impacts... Fall harvesting is in full swing and currently running ahead of the
5 year average with the condition of most crops reported as either fair or good. Pasture conditions were mostly in fair condition with some pasture very poor due to frost. Winter forage planting is active.


Fire danger... The potential for an abnormally warm and dry winter during a La Nina
episode could set the stage for greater than normal wildfire Activity through the spring fire season. This potential is likely to be compounded in areas which are already experiencing moderate to severe drought. Fire danger levels are currently elevated across large portions of the region and this trend is expected to become more pronounced over the coming months.


Climate summary... Most areas received only 25 to 50 % of normal precipitation During a 90 day period ending on November 17th. As of November 17th, Many areas of southeast Georgia and northeast Florida were experiencing calendar year rainfall deficits of 8 to 14 inches with some areas near the Atlantic coast experiencing deficits of 16 to 20 inches.


Based on the Palmer Long Term Drought Index, 6 to 9 inches of Rainfall are needed to end drought conditions across the area.


Precipitation/temperature outlook... Short and medium range model data indicate that the next best chance of rain will come around Thanksgiving Day. Widespread beneficial rainfall however does not appear likely.


The long term outlook through April 2011, largely based on current La Nina projections, continues to call for below normal precipitation and now calls for slightly above normal temperatures.


Hydrologic outlook... The fall and winter seasons are typically dry across the area. based on current rainfall projections, soils will become even drier, river flows will reduce further and well levels will continue to decline.


Next issuance... The National Weather Service office in Jacksonville Florida will update this local drought information statement by mid December or as conditions warrant.


Related web sites...


Additional information on current drought conditions may be found at The following wed sites /use lower case letters/:


NWS WFO Jacksonville...http://www.srh.noaa.gov/jax
NOAA Drought Page...http://www.drought.noaa.gov
Climate Prediction Center...http://www.cpc.noaa.gov
Southeast Region Climate Center...http://www.sercc.com
U.S. Drought Portal...http://www.drought.gov
National Agricultural Statistics Services...http://www.nass.usda.gov
USGS Web Page...http://water.usgs.gov/


Acknowledgments...


Data for this statement was compiled from a variety of Federal, State And local agencies. The drought monitor is a multi-agency effort which involves the noaa national weather service and national climatic data center, the USDA, state and regional center climatologists and the National Drought Mitigation Center.


Questions or comments...


If you have any questions or comments on this Drought Information Statement, please contact...


WFO Jacksonville
13701 Fang Drive
Jacksonville, FL 32218
Phone: 904-741-4370
www.srh.noaa.gov/jax