Jacksonville Landing Redo

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. -- Demolish and rebuild is what's being proposed to give The Jacksonville Landing a new lease on life.

Mayor Alvin Brown and Landing owner Tony Sleiman are behind proposed changes to the 26 year-old Downtown attracttion that borders the St. Johns River.

Renderings of the project released Saturday afternoon by Bergmann Associates feature over 950 parking spaces, 300 apartment units and up to 60,000 square feet of restaurant and retail space.

The plans include a high-end boutique hotel along the southwest corner of the site.
Landing owner Toney Sleiman is asking for an initial investment of $11.8 million, a request the City Council was slated to discuss Friday but rescheduled for next week.

The Landing could be opened up for more events and entertainment in the future and possibly economic growth, if the plan presented Wednesday to the Downtown Investment Authority is put into action.

The plans also include improvements under the Main Street bridge to create more pedestrian access between the Landing, the Hyatt and the City’s Riverwalk.

Laura Street will be extended down to the river and a new plaza will be created from the Hogan Street cul-de-sac, integrating the Northbank Riverwalk, the Landing and the adjacent Times-Union Center for the Performing Arts.

Sleiman said the redevelopment of the Landing would help Jacksonville compete on a national scale.

“It will allow our businesses to compete with other cities for young professional talent," he said. "I can’t tell you how much we appreciate the hard work of the City and community leaders to get the project to this point, but there is still a lot of work ahead."

Alan Wilson of The Haskell Company presented the redevelopment plan, saying the city needs anidentifier.

Haskell wants to tearthe Landing down and rebuild it, Wilson said. Parking, hotels, restaurants and workforcehousing would be included in the new Landing structure, which would be severalstories tall.

The idea is to connect Downtown and the Riverfront, Wilson said.

"Our goal should be to make it iconic," said Brown. "To make sure it becomes a destination.To make sure it's user friendly. I want people to use the landing not just from nine to five, but seven days a week."

The redevelopment is still in the planning stages. There is no cost estimate for the construction of the design as yet.

Sleiman said it will be a public-private partnership and the city and mayor are on board to move forward

Hard to Swallow? Burger King May Move to Canada

NEW YORK — Aug 25, 2014, 4:54 PM ET

By CANDICE CHOI and MICHELLE CHAPMAN Associated Press

 

 

Some Burger King customers are finding it hard to swallow that the home of the Whopper could move to Canada.

Investors seemed to welcome the announcement by Burger King late Sunday that it was in talks to buy Canadian coffee-and-doughnut chain Tim Hortons and create the world's third-largest fast-food restaurant company. The news pushed shares of both companies up more than 20 percent.

But customers were already voicing their discontent with the 60-year-old hamburger chain because of its plans to relocate its corporate headquarters to Canada in a deal that could lower its taxes. By Monday afternoon, Burger King's Facebook page had more than 1,000 mostly negative comments about the potential deal.

Shawn Simpson, who hadn't heard of the talks until approached by a reporter while he was at a Burger King in New York City on Monday afternoon, said he didn't like the idea of the company paying its taxes to another country.

"For them to take their headquarters and move it across the border is a negative for me," said Simpson, 44, who was ordering a Double Whopper and onion rings. "It's an American brand."

A representative for Burger King, Miguel Piedra, said while the headquarters of the new company would be in Canada, Burger King would still continue to be run out of Miami. Piedra also said the comments on Burger King's Facebook page represent a small fraction of the company's more than 7 million followers on the social media site.

Burger King isn't the first company to face fallout over a tax inversion, which is when a company acquires a business in another country, then relocates its headquarters there. Big U.S. companies, including pharmaceutical AbbiVie and Valeant Pharmaceuticals, recently have pursued tax inversions to cut their costs. Earlier this month, Walgreen abandoned plans to pursue a tax inversion after negative publicity about the planned move.

President Barack Obama and Congress have criticized inversions because they mean a loss of tax revenue for the U.S. government.

White House spokesman Josh Earnest wouldn't comment on Burger King's announcement on Monday, but said the president generally believes it's unfair for companies to pursue a tax inversion merely to pay less in taxes. The Obama administration is considering executive steps it could take to de-incentivize inversions.

Unlike many other companies, Burger King's move also has the potential to turn off customers as well, since it's a brand people are so familiar with. It's difficult to gauge whether such fallout would hurt the fast-food chain's business in the U.S.

Some analysts say even if some Burger King customers are initially angered by the move, the feelings could quickly fade since there wouldn't be any significant changes in restaurants as a result of the deal. Besides, many Burger King customers who go to the chain for convenience may not care enough about the move to change their eating habits, said Jonathan Maze, editor of Restaurant Finance Monitor, which tracks the industry.

"It's going to irritate people, but basically it's a paper move," he said.

It's not clear exactly how much a combination with Tim Hortons would reduce Burger King's tax costs. A recent report by KPMG found that total tax costs in Canada are 46.4 percent lower than in the United States.

Both companies cautioned there was no guarantee a deal would happen. But each could benefit from the deal, which they say would create a new holding company with 18,000 restaurants in 100 countries and about $22 billion in sales.

Burger King's stock surged $5.78, or 21 percent, to $32.89 on Monday, while Tim Hortons' stock also rose 21 percent to $76. 33.

A combination with Tim Hortons would give Burger King a stronger position in the fast-growing breakfast and coffee market. Burger King, which has undergone numerous ownership changes since it was founded in 1954, has been slashing costs and increasingly looking for growth overseas under majority owner, 3G Capital, which bought the chain in 2010.

3G Capital, which has offices in Brazil and New York, would own the majority of shares of the new holding company. In the U.S., it has been revamping the menu and marketing. The efforts haven't yielded significant results, however. In its most recent quarter, sales edged up just 0.4 percent at established restaurants in the U.S. and Canada.

For Tim Hortons, an acquisition by Burger King, which has a far larger global footprint, could help the doughnut and coffee chain accelerate its international expansion. Tim Hortons has over 3,630 locations in Canada, 866 in the U.S. and 50 in the Persian Gulf area.

It wouldn't be the first time Tim Horton has paired with a U.S. fast-food chain. Tim Hortons was purchased by Wendy's International Inc. in 1995. In 2006 it completed an initial public offering and was spun off as a separate company.

Life's Not So Funny Curve Balls

By David Vandygriff

September 10, 2010 was the beginning of a year that would transform my whole being into yet another career and direction in life. Just 3 weeks prior I had been fired from a medical device company after the surgeons refused to work with a gay sales rep life was still going well. Even with this I quickly plotted my resumes to the all the right head hunters for medical device sales. This would be nothing but a bump in the road as I held the Top 6 with my previous employer in throughout the United States. Easy peasy! Right?

I had done my saving; bought stocks during the lows of the stock market snapping up Citi for .99, Bank of America at $1.25, Sirus in at .10, and the prize was a medical company that was trying to get its patent for a cancer test through FDA. I bought the stock on pink slips for .50. Needless to say the patent was issued and the stock quickly hit over $25 shares. The other shares we all knew bounced back to the same highs before the housing fall out. I had money in savings, 401k, and company stock bought at discount rates. I was not worried about the money.

In fact, my life was really great even though I had been fired for being gay. I had met a nice guy and we had moved in together. A few arguments and up and downs, all the natural process of any first year relationship. Laughing! I had purchased a commercial cleaning franchise and was doing medical consulting throughout the United States. Life was still good!

It was on Sept 10, 2010 I had gone to meet with a new client for the commercial cleaning business and landed the new contract. My boyfriend had asked me if I was sure I was HIV negative. I told him of course I had only been tested 30 days prior to us meeting and was HIV negative. No worries! Even so I decided I would stop by and get another test done.

I can still remember the testing person coming back into the room. I’m just chatting away waiting on the result as always prior for him to say you’re negative. Well not today. The tester said you are HIV positive. I don’t remember too much of what he said after that. My breathing became so labored, tears rolled down my face, my heart was beating out of chest, I vaguely remember or think I had to lay down on the floor. My mind was racing of what I am going to tell my boy friend. What about his health? We had been having unprotected sex.  My life changed that day in ways I am still discovering daily. 

Somehow, I gathered myself and left the testing center and sat in my car crying. I called my best friend who lived in Memphis and she cried with me for another 30 minutes. I knew I had to go home and tell my boy friend. Panic was something that doesn’t even describe the emotions I feeling. I called a friend of mine that I knew was HIV positive to meet me at my downtown condo. He meet me out front, still my tears rolled, I paced, talked without stopping, and all the time dreading the conversation of many I would have to have. 

I entered the bedroom he was napping. I woke him up and he saw the tears streaming down my cheeks and quickly sat up and said what is wrong. I could hardly breathe, let alone talk. I managed to stumble out the words I got a test and I was HIV positive. He started saying I knew I knew it and quickly got up and went into the bathroom. I knew right then I would lose him. 

He showered and dressed then we took him for his test. All the time I sat in the waiting room praying not to allow this to happen to him. I can handle myself but I do think I could handle it if I had passed this virus to him. That is burden I wish never to carry. Thank God he was HIV negative.

I recall some of the next two weeks in bits and pieces. I kept trying to get myself together for him because I had always been the strong one, the one that took care of everything. I knew was scared and never been exposed to HIV. I do remember the second night we had went to sleep I reached over to hold him. I didn’t feel his response to me holding him. I started to remove my arms from his body and he quickly grabs my arm and pulled me close. I broke down once again. I had many moments of uncontrollable crying, him being scared to leave me alone, him trying to work and worried about me.  We did our best to comfortable one another the best we knew how. 

Things quickly turned worse as some of his friends found out and told his co-workers. Then some of his friends tried to say I knew before we meet. Luckily I had saved my test results from just 30 short days before we got together. No matter the situation his friends put so much on his shoulders and the relationship was to new to endure such uncertainty and insanity. We tried for a couple of months only to end in the way I knew we would. 

I finally gathered myself and mind a couple of months later. I had been interviewed and hired by an orthopedic implant company out of Orlando. I had been recruited for my expertise in robotic surgery. I was offered and accepted the position as Vice President of Sales for North America. I felt life was finally getting back on track. I sold most of my nonperson items in prep for the move to Orlando. Hell we even done a farewell party. I was preparing everything for the move. I went to Orlando to search for an apartment and was requested to visit the corporate office and meet the new President of the company. We meet and this was when he informed me there had been a mistaken in my hiring process. He felt he needed an even more experienced person to run the sales department. He was hiring a previous person he had worked with for the Vice President of Sales. I was compensated for my trouble but needless to say the set back was just another traumatic experience in the worst year of my life.

The year was full of stripping away the things I once held as priorities in my life. My successes in a career that I once held as my purpose of life were now gone. I somehow unknowingly felt a burden of relief. Crazy I know but somehow it was freeing me from the restrictions of my perfect organized and categorized inventory of life. Something was happening as I walked into a life of the unknowing, the unplanned, the world of not knowing what would happen next, but through it all I was gaining a greater understanding of myself. My true limits, my true desires, my ever increasing need to help others not to ever experience the things I had. A life to where things finally meant more than a paycheck or level of achievement measured in the dollars. I felt as if my life had turned into something with a purpose. 

It was at this point the inception of River City News Magazine (cityXtra Magazine) was born. I had never thought nor dreamed of being a publisher. I knew nothing about graphics, advertising, journalism, or the expertise about operating a publication. All I knew was that I felt the Jacksonville LGBT Community needed a way to community, unite, and promote its self.  It has been an interesting journey with many newly learned expertise at a rather accelerated pace. I finished my Master Degree during this process and have become a community activist. Something I never had thought of myself being. Now that I am in my new role, I make mistakes but I don’t hold them against myself. Instead I look at the mistakes as a real life class room full of new lessons in life. My life is now more fulfilling than I ever thought possible. I have meaning, true meaning with a higher purpose that take precedent over my own self. A purpose of giving back to a community that has given me life once again. A community that accepts me with my flaws and perfectly imperfect self. 

I am NOT a man that is HIV positive; I’m simply a man attempting to make a change. However small or large, I just want to know I have made a difference. A difference that may make someone’s life just a little bit better. I enjoy making doing with less, but with more passion and drive than ever before. The money, career, etc. never made me happy, I always felt empty. Now I feel complete, content, happy, and for the first time in my life I’m okay with being alone with Miss Penny (my doggy). My life is rich with friends & family! I’m truly blessed!

Fla. AG defends fight against same-sex marriage: ‘I’m just getting started’

Florida Attorney General Pam Bondi is defending her fight against five state and federal court rulings declaring the state’s same-sex marriage ban as unconstitutional.

Attorney General Pam Bondi (R-Fla.)

Appearing before a group of Republican supporters Thursday — just hours after a federal judge ruled against the ban — Bondi said she took an oath “to defend the Constitution of the state of Florida” and vowed to continue to defend the ban, approved by voters in 2008.

Judges in four Florida counties – Palm Beach, Monroe, Miami-Dade and Broward – have overturned the ban, but no marriage licenses have been issued because Bondi has appealed. A fifth ruling on Thursday, this time by a federal judge, has also been stayed pedning appeal.

Bondi says judges should stop ruling on same-sex marriage cases until the U.S. Supreme Court decides whether states can ban gay marriage, the state’s attorney general said Friday.

“The U.S. Supreme Court’s going to hear this. They are going to make this determination.” Bondi said Thursday. “This is me doing my job as attorney general. And I will continue to do that and if anybody wants me to moderate my message or stand for less I have a message for them: I am just getting started.”

Bondi is up for re-election this year; her two rivals competing for the Democratic nomination for attorney general have both said they’d stop defending the same-sex marriage ban.

Bondi has said in court documents that same-sex marriage would “impose significant public harm.”

Today's in History

On August 22, 1914, Austria-Hungary declared war against Belgium.

On this date:

In 1485, England's King Richard III was killed in the Battle of Bosworth Field, effectively ending the War of the Roses.

In 1787, inventor John Fitch demonstrated his steamboat on the Delaware River to delegates from the Constitutional Convention in Philadelphia.

In 1846, Gen. Stephen W. Kearny proclaimed all of New Mexico a territory of the United States.

In 1851, the schooner America outraced more than a dozen British vessels off the English coast to win a trophy that came to be known as the America's Cup.

In 1910, Japan annexed Korea, which remained under Japanese control until the end of World War II.

In 1922, Irish revolutionary Michael Collins was shot to death, apparently by Irish Republican Army members opposed to the Anglo-Irish Treaty that Collins had co-signed.

In 1932, the British Broadcasting Corp. conducted its first experimental television broadcast, using a 30-line mechanical system.

In 1956, President Dwight D. Eisenhower and Vice President Richard Nixon were nominated for second terms in office by the Republican National Convention in San Francisco.

In 1962, French President Charles de Gaulle survived an attempt on his life in suburban Paris.

In 1968, Pope Paul VI arrived in Bogota, Colombia, for the start of the first papal visit to South America.

In 1972, President Richard Nixon was nominated for a second term of office by the Republican National Convention in Miami Beach. John Wojtowicz (WAHT'-uh-witz) and Salvatore Naturile took seven employees hostage at a Chase Manhattan Bank branch in Brooklyn, New York, during a botched robbery; the siege, which ended with Wojtowicz's arrest and Naturile's killing by the FBI, inspired the 1975 movie "Dog Day Afternoon."

In 1989, Black Panthers co-founder Huey P. Newton was shot to death in Oakland, California. (Gunman Tyrone Robinson was later sentenced to 32 years to life in prison.)

Ten years ago: As shocked spectators watched, armed thieves stole one of four versions of the Edvard Munch (moongk) masterpiece "The Scream" and a second Munch painting, "Madonna," from the Munch museum in Oslo, Norway. (The paintings, visibly damaged, were recovered in August 2006; three men were convicted in connection with the theft and sentenced to prison.)

Five years ago: Dozens of wildfires broke out across Greece, torching olive groves, cutting off villages and sending residents fleeing as one of the largest blazes swept perilously close to the capital's northern suburbs.

One year ago: Egypt's ousted leader Hosni Mubarak was released from prison and transported to a military hospital in a Cairo suburb to be held under house arrest. A day after being sentenced to up to 35 years in prison for leaking secrets, Army Pfc. Bradley Manning, in a statement to NBC's "Today" show, announced he intended to live as a woman named Chelsea and undergo hormone treatment. A mysterious glitch halted trading on the Nasdaq for three hours.

Thought for Today: "Life does not give itself to one who tries to keep all its advantages at once. I have often thought morality may perhaps consist solely in the courage of making a choice." — Leon Blum, French statesman (1872-1950).

FSCJ ARTIST SERIES, SPONSORED BY CHASE PRESENTS
SO YOU THINK YOU CAN DANCE TOUR 2014

AMERICA’S FAVORITE SUMMER DANCE SERIES, EMMY AWARD-WINNING “SO YOU THINK YOU CAN DANCE,”

HITS THE ROAD FOR ITS SEASON 11 TOUR, EXPANDING TO MORE THAN 70 MARKETS, DUE TO POPULAR DEMAND

Tickets On Sale Friday, August 15th at 10AM for November 20th Jacksonville Show at Times-Union Center

JACKSONVILLE, FL – SO YOU THINK YOU CAN DANCE, the 11-time Primetime Emmy® Award-winning show that sparked America’s fascination with dance, is set to captivate audiences again this fall – live on tour – with more stops than ever before, including Jacksonville’s Times-Union Center’s Moran Theater on Thursday, November 20, 2014 at 7:30PM for one night only. Celebrating its momentous 11th season, SO YOU THINK YOU CAN DANCE’s Top 10 finalists will make their way across North America performing in more than 70 cities as part of the SO YOU THINK YOU CAN DANCE TOUR 2014.

Tickets go on sale Friday, August 15th at 10AM through the FSCJ Artist Series, sponsored by Chase, the official presenter of the Jacksonville show. Tickets start at $50.19 and can be purchased at www.artistseriesjax.org, (904) 442-2929, and the FSCJ Artist Series Box Office between 10AM-5PM, Monday-Friday. VIP packages are available; call (904) 442-2929 for details.

The Season 11 tour lineup includes the following Top 10 finalists: Bridget Whitman, Casey Askew, Emilio Dosal, Jacque LeWarne, Jessica Richens, Ricky Ubeda, Rudy Abreu, Tanisha Belnap, Valerie Rockey and Zack Everhart. SO YOU THINK YOU CAN DANCE airs Wednesdays (8:00-10:00 PM ET live/PT tape-delayed) on FOX.

Fall’s hottest ticket will feature this season’s most popular routines, as well as original pieces created specifically for the nationwide tour. 19 Entertainment and dick clark productions will present audiences around the country with the opportunity to experience the action brought into their living rooms each week on the beloved summer series, with a variety of sizzling, one-of-a-kind dance routines they have come to expect from their favorite dancers.

SO YOU THINK YOU CAN DANCE recently received seven 2014 Primetime Emmy® Award nominations, including Outstanding Reality-Competition Program and Outstanding Host In A Reality or Reality-Competition Program (Cat Deeley), in addition to Outstanding Choreography nominations. SYTYCD’s outstanding costume team of Marina Toybina and Grainne O’Sullivan also won an Emmy Award for Outstanding Costumes for a Variety Program.

“I am thrilled with the spectacular, fresh talent we have discovered this season. I believe these dancers have inspired the choreographers to create remarkable dance numbers each week.  I am excited for your favorite dancers to bring their inspiration and routines to even more cities throughout the nation on this year’s tour,” stated Nigel Lythgoe, judge, executive producer and co-creator of the hit FOX series.

About So You Think You Can Dance

SO YOU THINK YOU CAN DANCE was created by Simon Fuller and Nigel Lythgoe and is from 19 Entertainment, a division of CORE Media Group, and dick clark productions. The series is executive-produced by Fuller, Lythgoe; Allen Shapiro, CEO of dick clark productions; Barry Adelman, Executive Vice President of dick clark productions; James Breen and Jeff Thacker. Visit the official SO YOU THINK YOU CAN DANCE site at www.fox.com/dance to view exclusive videos, photos and contestant profiles. “Like” SO YOU THINK YOU CAN DANCE on Facebook at www.facebook.com/SoYouThinkYouCanDance. Follow the series on Twitter @DANCEonFOX and join the discussion using #sytycd. Follow host Cat Deeley at @catdeeley, and follow the judges Nigel Lythgoe @dizzyfeet and Mary Murphy @hottamaletrain.

About 19 Entertainment/CORE Media Group

19 Entertainment is a division of CORE Media Group. Home to legendary icons like Elvis Presley and Muhammad Ali to enduring properties of the future like American Idol and So You Think You Can Dance, CORE Media Group, Inc. was launched in May, 2012, as a newly-branded version of the company formerly known as CKx.  CORE Media Group’s portfolio of world-class brands and properties reaches across virtually every aspect of the entertainment industry.  The company boasts an extraordinary base of existing assets and an infrastructure that makes it uniquely suited to exploit its intellectual property across all revenue streams, including licensing, merchandising and integrated marketing.  CORE Media Group is ideally situated to grow the assets it has, and cultivate new ones, as a platform agnostic producer and owner of content.  The company was acquired by affiliates of Apollo Global Management, LLC, in 2011, and is located in New York City, with additional offices in Los Angeles and Memphis, Tenn.  For more information about CORE Media Group, Inc., visit www.coremediagroup.com

About dick clark productions dick clark productions (dcp) is among the world’s largest producers and proprietors of televised live event programming.  Dcp produces perennial hits such as the “American Music Awards,” “Golden Globe Awards,” “Academy of Country Music Awards,” “Billboard Music Awards,” and “Dick Clark’s New Year’s Rockin’ Eve with Ryan Seacrest.”  Weekly television programming, includes “So You Think You Can Dance” from 19 Entertainment, a division of CORE Media Group, and dick clark productions; as well as “Rising Star” and the upcoming “Boom!” from Keshet DCP, the joint venture between Keshet International (KI), the global distribution and production arm of Keshet Media Group, and DC Media, the parent company of dick clark productions (dcp).  In 2014, dcp will debut the “American Country Countdown Awards” (FOX), “Hollywood Film Awards (CBS) and “The PEOPLE MAGAZINE Awards” (NBC).  Dcp also owns one of the world’s most unique and extensive entertainment archive libraries with more than 55 years of dcp’s award-winning shows, historic programs, specials, performances, and legendary programming.  For additional information, visit www.dickclark.com.

About the FSCJ Artist Series

The FSCJ Artist Series is Jacksonville’s major presenter of national and international touring productions. Celebrating its 49th season in 2014-2015, the FSCJ Artist Series enhances the entertainment scene in Northeast Florida with Broadway productions, concerts, ballets, operas, dance productions, school performances, and variety shows. Serving as a fundraising arm of Florida State College Foundation, Inc., (501-c3), the FSCJ Artist Series supports the Scholarship Fund, which supports talented performing arts students attending Florida State College at Jacksonville. www.artistseriesjax.org

Please contact Sarah Roy at saroy@fscj.edu or (904) 442-2933 for show materials for SO YOU THINK YOU CAN DANCE TOUR 2014 in Jacksonville.
To order by phone with Visa, MasterCard, American Express, or Discover,
call the FSCJ Artist Series Box Office at:
(904) 442-2929
(toll-free outside of Jacksonville 1-888-860-BWAY)
Tickets are also available online with Instant Seat Selection by visiting
the FSCJ Artist Series Website at:
www.artistseriesjax.org

The FSCJ Artist Series has been recognized by the State of Florida as a Major Cultural Institution and receives funding from the State of Florida, through the Florida Department of State, Division of Cultural Affairs and the Florida Arts Council.

FSCJ ARTIST SERIES, SPONSORED BY CHASE PRESENTS

A CHRISTMAS CAROL

Times-Union Center | December 23, 2014 | 7:30PM
TICKETS ON SALE FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 5, 2014 AT 10AM

JACKSONVILLE, FL – One of the world’s most enduring Christmas stories, A Christmas Carol plays Jacksonville’s Times-Union Center’s Moran Theater for one performance only on Tuesday, December 23, 2014 at 7:30PM! Tickets go on sale Friday, September 5th at 10AM through the FSCJ Artist Series, sponsored by Chase, the official presenter of the Jacksonville show.

This celebrated Charles Jones adaptation of Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol is rich with thrilling ensemble music, alive with color and movement, and is created to tell this great and enduring tale in a manner that people of all ages will enjoy. Woven throughout this classic tale are beautiful new arrangements and moving renditions of holiday songs such as God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen, Wassail Wassail, Good Christian Men Rejoice, Away in a Manger, Greensleeves, the Boar’s Head Carol, and many more. Featuring a cast of 24 performers, live musicians, and Broadway-style scenery and costumes, audiences cherish this sumptuous holiday classic.

Tickets for A Christmas Carol in Jacksonville start at $27.00 (and at $13.25 for children 12 and under) and can be purchased at www.artistseriesjax.org, (904) 442-2929, and the FSCJ Artist Series Box Office between 10AM-5PM, Monday-Friday. Discounts are available for groups of 10 or more at (904) 442-2947 or groupsales@fscj.edu.

When Charles Dickens wrote his “ghostly little tale” in 1843, he couldn’t know that A Christmas Carol was destined to become one of the most beloved holiday traditions of all time.  The heartwarming tale of A Christmas Carol depicts Ebenezer Scrooge, whose values are focused exclusively on profit, and his conflicts with the struggling Cratchit family, whose tragic problems typified the working class during the Industrial Revolution in Victorian England.  The touching climax is based on Dickens' belief that the ills of a greedy world can be healed by brotherhood and unselfishness.  A Christmas Carol remains one of the most powerful and vivid illustrations of the necessity of good will in human conduct.

The Nebraska Theatre Caravan, the professional touring wing of the Omaha Community Playhouse, has been touring Charles Jones’ delightful adaptation of A Christmas Carol since 1979.  The Caravan’s Carol is probably the most widely produced production of Dickens’ in the nation, annually performing for more than 100,000 people in more than 60 cities across the country. One of the many reasons for the success of the Caravan’s production of A Christmas Carol is this unique re-telling of the oft-told tale.  It is enormously enhanced by James Othuse’s beautiful set, which recreates 1880s London, and gives the entire production the effect of being a Christmas card come to life.

Please contact Sarah Roy at saroy@fscj.edu or (904) 442-2933 for interview opportunities, high-resolution photos, and more information for A Christmas Carol in Jacksonville.
To order by phone with Visa, MasterCard, American Express, or Discover,
call the FSCJ Artist Series Box Office at:
(904) 442-2929
(toll-free outside of Jacksonville 1-888-860-BWAY)
Tickets are also available online with Instant Seat Selection by visiting
the FSCJ Artist Series Website at:
www.artistseriesjax.org

The FSCJ Artist Series has been recognized by the State of Florida as a Major Cultural Institution and receives funding from the State of Florida, through the Florida Department of State, Division of Cultural Affairs and the Florida Arts Council.

FSCJ ARTIST SERIES, SPONSORED BY CHASE PRESENTS

THE STATE BALLET THEATRE OF RUSSIA – SWAN LAKE

Times-Union Center | January 9, 2015 | 8:00PM
TICKETS ON SALE WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 10, 2014 AT 10AM

JACKSONVILLE, FL – The State Ballet Theatre of Russia’s production of Swan Lake plays Jacksonville’s Times-Union Center’s Moran Theater for one performance only on Friday, January 9, 2015 at 8:00PM! Tickets go on sale Wednesday, September 10th at 10AM through the FSCJ Artist Series, sponsored by Chase, the official presenter of the Jacksonville show.

Founded by legendary dancer and former Prima Ballerina of The Bolshoi Theater Ballet, Maya Plissetskaya, The State Ballet Theatre of Russia, now under the direction of award-winning dancer and Moiseyev dance company soloist Nikolay Anokhin, presents one of the greatest classical ballets of all time. This full-scale production, set to the music of Tchaikovsky and based on Russian folklore and German legend, follows a heroic young prince as he works to free the beautiful swan maiden from an evil spell. The State Ballet Theatre of Russia presents 50 of Russia’s brightest ballet stars to bring this romantic tale of true love to glorious life!

Tickets for The State Ballet Theatre of Russia - Swan Lake in Jacksonville start at $42.50 (and at $21.00 for children 12 and under) and can be purchased at www.artistseriesjax.org, (904) 442-2929, and the FSCJ Artist Series Box Office between 10AM-5PM, Monday-Friday. Discounts are available for groups of 10 or more at (904) 442-2947 or groupsales@fscj.edu.

Press Quotes for The State Ballet Theatre of Russia – Swan Lake:
“Effortless precision.” – Palm Beach Daily News
“Full of enchantment!” – The New York Times

Please contact Sarah Roy at saroy@fscj.edu or (904) 442-2933 for high-resolution photos and more information for The State Ballet Theatre of Russia – Swan Lake in Jacksonville.

To order by phone with Visa, MasterCard, American Express, or Discover,
call the FSCJ Artist Series Box Office at:
(904) 442-2929
(toll-free outside of Jacksonville 1-888-860-BWAY)
Tickets are also available online with Instant Seat Selection by visiting
the FSCJ Artist Series Website at:
www.artistseriesjax.org

The FSCJ Artist Series has been recognized by the State of Florida as a Major Cultural Institution and receives funding from the State of Florida, through the Florida Department of State, Division of Cultural Affairs and the Florida Arts Council.

FSCJ ARTIST SERIES, SPONSORED BY CHASE PRESENTS: ANNIE

Times-Union Center | October 21-26, 2014 | 8 Performances
TICKETS ON SALE FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 12, 2014 AT 10AM

JACKSONVILLE, FL – The new U.S. National Tour of ANNIE will play at Jacksonville’s Times-Union Center’s Moran Theater from Tuesday, October 21st through Sunday, October 26th for eight performances only. Tickets for ANNIE go on sale Friday, September 12th at 10AM through the FSCJ Artist Series, sponsored by Chase, the official presenter of the Jacksonville show.

Directed by original lyricist and director Martin Charnin for the 19th time, this production of ANNIE will be a brand new physical incarnation of the iconic Tony Award®-winning original. ANNIE has a book by Thomas Meehan, music by Charles Strouse and lyrics by Martin Charnin. All three authors received 1977 Tony Awards® for their work.   Choreography is by Liza Gennaro, who will incorporate selections from her father Peter Gennaro’s 1977 Tony Award®-winning choreography.

Here’s a sneak peek of the casting of ANNIE, which aired on the inaugural episode of the Broadway Balances America mini-series during The Balancing Act on Lifetime Television:  http://bit.ly/AnnieBBA

Tickets for ANNIE in Jacksonville start at $37.50 and can be purchased at www.artistseriesjax.org, (904) 442-2929, and the FSCJ Artist Series Box Office between 10AM-5PM, Monday-Friday. Discounts are available for groups of 10 or more at (904) 442-2947 or groupsales@fscj.edu.

The original production of ANNIE opened April 21, 1977 at the Alvin Theatre and went on to win the New York Drama Critics Circle Award for Best Musical, seven Drama Desk Awards including Best Musical, the Grammy for Best Cast Show Album and seven Tony Awards®, including Best Musical, Best Book (Thomas Meehan) and Best Score (Charles Strouse, Martin Charnin).  The show remains one of the biggest Broadway musical hits ever.  It ran for 2,377 performances after it first opened, and has been performed in 28 languages and has been running somewhere around the world for 37 years.

The beloved score for ANNIE includes “Maybe,” “It’s the Hard Knock Life,” “You’re Never Fully Dressed Without a Smile,” “Easy Street,” “I Don’t Need Anything But You” and the eternal anthem of optimism, “Tomorrow.”

The celebrated design team includes scenic design by Tony Award® winner Beowulf Boritt (Act One, The Scottsboro Boys, Rock of Ages), costume design by Costume Designer’s Guild Award winner Suzy Benzinger (Blue Jasmine, Movin’ Out, Miss Saigon), lighting design by Tony Award® winner Ken Billington (Chicago, Annie, White Christmas) and sound design by Tony Award® nominee Peter Hylenksi (Rocky, Bullets Over Broadway, Motown). The lovable mutt “Sandy” will once again be trained by Tony Award® Honoree William Berloni (Annie, A Christmas Story, Legally Blonde).    Musical supervision and additional orchestrations are by Keith Levenson (Annie, She Loves Me, Dreamgirls). Casting is by Joy Dewing CSA and Holly Buczek CSA, Joy Dewing Casting (Soul Doctor, Wonderland, Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat). The tour is produced by Troika Entertainment, LLC.

This brand new production features a 25 member company: in the title role of Annie is Issie Swickle, a 9-year-old actress from Davie, FL, making her tour debut.  Gilgamesh Taggett will star as Oliver Warbucks.  In the role of Miss Hannigan is Lynn Andrews.  Also starring in the tour are Ashley Edler as Grace, Garrett Deagon as Rooster, Lucy Werner as Lily and Allan Ray Baker as FDR.  Sunny, a 4-year-old rescue terrier mix, stars as Sandy.

The Orphans are Angelina Carballo, Adia Dant, LillyBea Ireland, Sydney Shuck, Lilly Mae Stewart and Isabel Wallach.

ANNIE Performance Schedule at Jacksonville’s Times-Union Center:

Tuesday, October 21st at 7:30PM - 13th Annual Family Night on Broadway!
Wednesday, October 22nd at 7:30PM
Thursday, October 23rd at 7:30PM
Friday, October 24th at 8PM
Saturday, October 25th at 2PM & 8PM
Sunday, October 26th at 1:30PM & 7PM

To order by phone with Visa, MasterCard, American Express, or Discover,
call the FSCJ Artist Series Box Office at:
(904) 442-2929
(toll-free outside of Jacksonville 1-888-860-BWAY)
Tickets are also available online with Instant Seat Selection by visiting
the FSCJ Artist Series Website at:
www.artistseriesjax.org

The FSCJ Artist Series has been recognized by the State of Florida as a Major Cultural Institution and receives funding from the State of Florida, through the Florida Department of State, Division of Cultural Affairs and the Florida Arts Council.

US Judge Strikes Down Florida Gay Marriage Ban

MIAMI — Aug 21, 2014, 5:31 PM ET

By CURT ANDERSON AP Legal Affairs Writer

A federal judge on Thursday declared Florida's ban on same-sex marriage unconstitutional, joining judges across the country who have sided with gay couples wishing to tie the knot.

U.S. District Judge Robert L. Hinkle in Tallahassee ruled that the ban added to Florida's constitution by voters in 2008 violates the 14th Amendment's guarantees of equal protection and due process. Hinkle issued a stay delaying the effect of his order, meaning no marriage licenses will be immediately issued for gay couples. That also means gay couples legally married in other states will not immediately have their marriages recognized in Florida.

Hinkle, an appointee of President Bill Clinton, compared bans on gay marriage to the long-abandoned prohibitions on interracial marriage and predicted both would be viewed by history the same way.

"When observers look back 50 years from now, the arguments supporting Florida's ban on same-sex marriage, though just as sincerely held, will again seem an obvious pretext for discrimination," Hinkle wrote in his ruling. "To paraphrase a civil rights leader from the age when interracial marriage was struck down, the arc of history is long, but it bends toward justice."

Gay rights have long been a contentious issue in Florida, a politically complex swing state where the northern counties tend to lean Republican like their Deep South neighbors and parts of South Florida are reliably Democratic. In the 1970s, singer and orange juice spokeswoman Anita Bryant lobbied to overturn a Dade County ordinance banning discrimination against gays, though the protections were later reinstated.

Florida Attorney General Pam Bondi, a Republican, has appealed previous rulings striking down the ban, which were issued earlier this year in Broward, Miami-Dade, Monroe and Palm Beach counties. Hinkle's ruling allows time for appeals in the federal case. Bondi wants the Florida cases to remain on hold pending a definitive national ruling on gay marriage by the U.S. Supreme Court.

"The U.S. Supreme Court, they need to decide this case, they are going to decide this case, hopefully sooner than later so we will have finality," Bondi said earlier this week. "There are good people on both sides of this issue and we need to have finality for everyone involved."

Gay marriage proponents have won more than 20 legal decisions against state same-sex marriage restrictions since the U.S. Supreme Court invalidated the federal Defense of Marriage Act last year.

On Wednesday, the Supreme Court delayed an appeals court decision that would end Virginia's gay marriage ban and, in January, the justices did the same thing in a same-sex marriage case in Utah. The 6th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Cincinnati recently heard arguments in six same-sex marriage cases from Michigan, Ohio, Kentucky and Tennessee.

The latest Florida ruling came in a pair of lawsuits brought by gay couples seeking to marry in Florida and others who want to force Florida to recognize gay marriages performed legally in other states. Currently, 19 states and the District of Columbia permit same-sex marriage.

The American Civil Liberties Union of Florida, which represented some of the gay couples, said the tide of rulings makes legal same-sex marriage in Florida appear inevitable.

"We're very pleased to see the ban held unconstitutional in such unequivocal terms so that all Florida families will soon finally have the same protections," said ACLU staff attorney Daniel Tilley.

Hinkle did add one wrinkle in his decision: he said the delay on marriages should have no effect on a proposed change to the death certificate of Carol Goldwasser, who was legally married in New York in 2011 to Arlene Goldberg before Goldwasser died earlier this year.

Goldberg, according to the ruling, has been unable to obtain Social Security survivor benefits because of Florida's refusal to recognize their marriage, which could force her to sell her house. Hinkle said the amended death certificate showing the couple as spouses should be issued by Sept. 22, or 14 days after officials receive all the required information.

"There is no good reason to further deny Ms. Goldberg the simple human dignity of being listed on her spouse's death certificate." Hinkle said in his ruling. "Indeed, the state's refusal to let that happen is a poignant illustration of the controversy that brings us here."

JACKSONVILLE LGBT SCHOLARSHIPS

For nearly 20 years, the area chapter of Parents, Families and Friends of Lesbians and Gays — also known as PFLAG of Jacksonville — has been providing scholarship funds that help talented local lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender students pursue their college ambitions.

Since it launched the educational initiative in 1996, PFLAG of Jacksonville has distributed more than $260,000 in scholarship funds.

And the local chapter awarded $28,0000 alone during its recent 2014 scholarship awards banquet.

This year’s scholarship recipients are:

■ Haileigh Baier.
■ Jillian Kalish.
■ M.J. Cranston.
■ James Flowers.
■ Charles J. Griggs.
■ Traveon Olden.
■ Deanna Iovino.
■ Steven Peano.
■ Jonathan Joseph.
■ Katelyn Rowland.
■ Mycheal Levine.
■ Jordan Rutter.
■ Ernie Lightfoot.
■ Tierra Shepherd.

Cheers to PFLAG of Jacksonville for continuing to support so many students through its scholarship program, and congratulations to the 2014 recipients.

BREAKING: Ferguson Police Officer Darren Wilson Killed Unarmed Teen Mike Brown

After close to a week of refusing to release the name of the police officer who killed unarmed, 18-year-old Michael Brown, the Ferguson Police Department reveals his killer.

The officer’s name is Darren Wilson.

Brown, who was scheduled to begin college in two days on the day that he was gunned down while walking with a friend, has sparked an uprising in Ferguson. The community refused to be silenced and have relentlessly demanded justice for the teen, affectionately known as “Mike Mike.”

According to reports, the officer is a 6-year veteran on the force and has no history of disciplinary action on his record. Attorney Benjamin Crump, the attorney for Brown’s family and who was also legal counsel for the family of Trayvon Martin, said that Brown’s body was the worst police shooting that he’d ever seen.

‘National Moment of Silence’ vigils, spearheaded by Feminista Jones, were held across the country for Brown yesterday.

Over the course of six days, the citizens of Ferguson were sprayed with rubber bullets, tear-gassed and arrested for legally assembling to protest Brown’s death.

Yesterday, the Missouri Highway Patrol seized control of Ferguson from the police department.

Watch live stream of the police press conference here.

Broward County Says No to Attorney General Using Counties Money to Fight Against Gay Marriage in Florida

Commissioners on Tuesday approved a resolution supporting same-sex marriage, and are asking the county attorney to research ways to withhold taxpayer funding from the state that would be used in the appeals process.

WSVN-TV reports that the commissioners voted unanimously to oppose Florida’s same-sex marriage ban, and hope to send a message to Attorney General Pam Bondi by withholding county funds while the state fights rulings from four Florida counties that have declared the ban unconstitutional.

“We want to show that opposition not just by submitting a resolution, but by withholding our donor county dollars that are quite frankly right now going to Tallahassee to fund this appeal process with which we are adamantly opposed,” said Commissioner Stacy Ritter.

While judges in four Florida counties – Palm Beach, Monroe, Miami-Dade and Broward – have overturned the ban, no marriage licenses have been issued to same-sex couples because Bondi has appealed the rulings.

Bondi, a Republican, said the state should defer to the U.S. Supreme Court to consider and rule on the issue, but commissioners say there is no guarantee the high court will undertake the matter.

Meet the Only Openly Gay CEO of a Public Company

Buried in pages of technical jargon outlining C1 Financial Inc.’s plans to go public is one word that chief executive Trevor Burgess finds particularly gratifying: “spouse.”

Burgess will become the only openly gay CEO of a publicly traded company when his Florida bank debuts on the stock exchange Thursday, according to Out on the Street, an LGBT leadership organization. (PlanetOut Inc., a media and entertainment company, was public for a few years beginning in 2004 with an openly gay chief, said Todd Sears, founder of Out on the Street.)

In the S-1 form that C1 had to file in preparation for the IPO, Burgess disclosed that his

husband, Gary Hess, holds shares in the company – a line that wouldn’t have been necessary before last year’s Supreme Court decision extending federal benefits to same-sex couples, he said.

Burgess said he’s happy to mark the milestone but also “a little bit sad” to have no company.
There are no openly gay CEOs in the Fortune 1000, said Deena Fidas, director of the Human Rights Campaign’s workplace equality program.

“I’m excited that there will be at least one example for people,” Burgess said. “We’ve got good examples for basketball players, arts, football, but where’s Wall Street?”

Openly gay executives are still relatively rare in the corporate world. Even younger workers often hide their sexuality when embarking on their careers.

Sears said he hopes Burgess’ milestone might give other leaders “a little kick to be more visible if they can.” Both he and Burgess said they believe executives who are currently hiding their sexuality might go public in the next few years. But arguably more monumental, they said, will be when LGBT workers who have always been open ascend to the top post in their companies. Such a move would show that the leaders were judged on their results, not their sexuality, Sears and Burgess said.

Burgess said he’s been open about his sexuality for his entire career, which included 10 years at Morgan Stanley as an investment banker. He recalled a few instances in which clients made comments against homosexuality but said in general his personal life hasn’t been an issue at work.

“At the end of the day, I think that my clients and my colleagues really appreciated me for who I was and the fact that I was good and being good mattered more than anything else,” he said.

Still, he remembers the loneliness that came with pursuing a career in business as a gay man.

“Looking for mentors, looking for examples, looking for someone who was like me and coming up blank was pretty stark and a bit sad and scary,” he said.

At a recent awards ceremony for top entrepreneurs, he looked around and realized that out of the about 200 CEOs assembled, he was the only one attending with a same-sex partner.
“How could I be the only one?” he wondered. “It just sort of defied logic.”

Fourth Circuit Declines Stay in Virgina Gay Marriage

RICHMOND, Va. (AP) – A federal appeals court on a 2-1 vote Wednesday denied a request by a county clerk to delay implementation of its ruling striking down Virginia's ban on same-sex marriages. 

The action by the 4th Circuit Court of Appeals in Richmond could allow same-sex couples to wed in the state beginning next Wednesday, unless the Supreme Court opts to intervene. 

Prince William County Circuit Court Clerk Michèle McQuigg had asked the appeals court to stay its ruling while she sought a review of the case by the nation's high court.

Late last month, the 4th Circuit ruled that Virginia's prohibition of gay marriages, approved by voters in 2006, violated the equal protection clause of the Constitution.

Orlando Adds Transgender Protection to HRO Unanimously  

By David William Vandygriff 

The amendment to add Gender Identity and Expression to the City of Orlando's Human Rights Ordinance passed unanimously on its second reading; it will now become law.

The ordinance — Chapter 57 — was approved, was amended to include protections for Orlando’s transgender community and protect against discrimination in employment, housing and public accommodations.  


The fight to add this protection for transgender citizens has been ongoing for years. In 2001, Orlando was one of the first cities to add sexual orientation protections to its human rights ordinance, but it did not approve the transgender revisions.

“By passing this protection you are truly saving lives,” said Gina Duncan, transgender inclusion director with Equality Florida. “Within the transgender community, there will be one more person who will not lose their livelihood; there will be one more person who will not lose their ability to provide for their families and who will not decide to take their own live.”

HISTORIC Atlantic Beach Passes the First HRO Protections for LGBT in North Florida

By David William Vandygriff

In a small portion of Jacksonville known as Atlantic Beach with a population of 12,000 history was made in North Florida this evening. A long awaited day with over a year for hard work from Judy Sheklin, Dan Merkan and many others the passage gave the first protections for LGBT in any North Florida city. A combined effort of HRC, We Are Straight Allies, Equality Florida, and Jacksonville Coalition for Equality.

The Atlantic Beach City Hall was left only with standing room and many communities lined

the walk ways around the outside the room. Opponents and supports crowded the small towns City Hall wanting to be heard and witness history. Even at 8:30 individuals were still lined up to speak for and against the HRO. Former Jacksonville Mayor, John Delaney spoke in favor of protections.

Laura Riggs, Co-Creator of We Are Straight Allies spoke

...because nothing is more important than our humanity.

"There is no hierarchy of oppression...I cannot afford to believe that freedom from intolerance is the right of only one particular group. And I cannot afford to choose between the fronts upon which I must battle these forces of discrimination, wherever they appear to destroy me. And when they appear to destroy me, it will not be long before they appear to destroy you." --Audre Lorde

Judy Sheklin, President of Jacksonville NOW, spoke and urged an unanimous vote in support of the HRO protections for LGBT.

President of PFLAG Jacksonville, Debbie Carter attended tonight's City Hall meeting and spoke on the importance of protections within our local communities for LGBT.

A motion to delay the final vote was brought forth this evening due to the absence of City Councilman Jimmy Hill but failed to pass. Councilman Daughetry attempted an amended that would limit the public accommodations portion of the HRO protections, but withdrew the motion after discussion. 

James Edddy Jacksonville City Council District 7 Candidate attended an spoke in support of HRO change to protect LGBT.  

"I'm very proud of my commissioners who voted for it with no strings attached. It's been a long haul, but I'm glad we stood united and I hope that we can continue to move forward," said City Commissioner Maria Mark.

"It is time to serve the community and that time is now." Mayor Carolyn Woods of Atlantic Beach just before she called the LGBT inclusive HRO for a vote. The final vote was 4-0 in favor of the HRO. A truly historic day in North Florida as equality wins.