#florida elder affairs

[floridabills]

Florida Senate Bill 1062

Adult Day Care Centers

Sponsored by Ana Maria Rodriguez

Summary

Adult Day Care Centers; Excepting certain adult day care services from certain established or negotiated Medicaid reimbursement rates; requiring adult day care center operators to annually complete an 8-hour continuing education course approved by the Department of Elderly Affairs; providing that the course may be offered in person or online; providing that classroom hours spent teaching an approved course or lecturing at an approved seminar may be counted toward fulfilling an operator’s continuing education requirements, etc.

[vampemoqueen]

Hi there! I'm Vampy and this is my Vampire: the Masquerade blog. I almost exclusively post and reblog VTM and WoD content, though occasionally I might reblog other content from Baldur's Gate 3, Dragon Age, Mass Effect, Fallout, and anything else in general. I'm a huge Bloodlines fan and a Sebastian LaCroix simp. I repost him often and I'm not ashamed of it. 😭😭😭💖I'm currently on the Night Road train again and will DEVOUR any tagged posts I see.

I'm an artist and a writer! You can check out my art in the tag here!: My Art and My Writing I'm open for commissions! Link here. I'm trying out a new platform called artistree which you can check out here.

You can check out my other socials here: Linktree Instagram Cara Bluesky NSFW Bluesky I'm the creator and admin of the WoD Art Discord server Gallery Noir! We run seasonal events like art exchanges, movie and game nights. The current event is the WoD Meet Cute! I run a Boston by Night game with my friends that I occasionally post about here: Boston by Night My list of Blorbos who show up in my work (after the break!)

Emily Boucher: OC tag

Clan: Ventrue Sect: Camarilla Embraced: 2003 Apparent Age: 27 History: The Ventrue Fledgling in my Bloodlines AU, was illegally embraced by a rival Ventrue ancilla before Prince LaCroix took his head. After being taken under his wing, she ended up in a heated and tenuous love affair with LaCroix before his own undoing caused him to lose everything. Years after the events of LA, she travels to Boston with her ghoul Mercurio in hopes of reclaiming her Ventrue lineage and clearing her name. Appears In: Featured in my Bloodlines fanfic on Ao3 What Lurks Beneath the Silvery Surface, Boston by Night Personal Note: My first blorbo! My most beloved and precious even though I put her through the most drama and pain.

------ Irene Dao: OC tag

Clan: Brujah Sect: Anarch/Independant Embraced: 2001 Apparent Age: 21

History: Originally from Mississippi, Irene Dao was a traveling con-artist and thief who was embraced by a disgruntled Brujah who needed an accomplice for his crimes. When said Brujah sire was executed for a crime that was bad enough for the local Camarilla, Irene was left on her alone, made to travel the country herself taking odd jobs along the way to survive. Infamous for being fun, loud, and being a little shit who stirs trouble wherever she goes. Currently in present day, she's traveling with a fellow roamer, a Ravnos named Madi, where they continue to do odd jobs to save up for their own goals. Irene's dream is to build a crime syndicate of her own where her people are treated right and they get to treat themselves to mischief and earning big cash. Personal Note: A roaming OC who I place in different games! Currently has an NPC role in Boston by Night

------ Noelle Pelletier: OC tag

Clan: Ghoul (Ventrue) Sect: Camarilla Bonded: 2022 Apparent Age: 25

History: Hailing from Marsaille, France, Noelle grew up to become an entrepreneurial woman with a taste for the expensive and illegal. This attracted the attention of a Ventrue from the French criminal underworld to recruit her as a ghoul. After a series of mishaps and rejections by her original regnant, Noelle leaves France alone, scared, and disgraced, but still has the support of the Camarilla who is always in need of capable ghouls. In current nights, Noelle is in search of a new regnant and land to conquer with the goal of eventually receiving the Embrace. Personal Note: Also roaming OC who I place in different games! Currently has an NPC role in Boston by Night ------ Lorelai Chen: OC tag

Clan: Tremere Sect: Camarilla Embraced: 1986 Apparent Age: 22

History: Born to in Northern Florida to Chinese immigrants, Lorelai was a promising medical student at the University of Florida in Gainsville when she accidentally woke up a sleeping Tremere elder that was sleeping in the school's morgue. The resulting chaos ended with her life taken and her embrace. Through the sire's connections in the Pyramid, she was recruited into the Chantry and made to study the Occult arts. But with her coming from a world of science and logic and not of the supernatural, she becomes a poor student who frequently draws on the ire of her sire and the other Tremere. Will poor Lorelai ever find true acceptance as the Kindred and witch she was meant to be? Personal Note: My current PC in @underpaid-paragon's VTM game titled Red Romance game set in 90s Florida!

------ Suzumi "Susan" Nakamura: OC tag

Clan: Lasombra Sect: Independent Embraced: 1970s Apparent Age: 30s

History: During the 70s, Susan was on a Japanese science vessel as a researcher when a sea-faring Lasombra elder woke up from its slumber to attack and devour the entire crew. As Susan laid dying from her injuries, she was able to wound the elder enough to release blood from its veins and force it to flee into the sea. Upon accidentally ingesting a few drops of the vitae, Susan is embraced and reborn as a night creature. Being the only survivor left on the ship, she abandoned it and set out into the world herself to learn about her new condition, her abilities, and the world of darkness on her own terms. Fun facts: Her feeding type is siren. She's a water-type Lasombra who hunts by swimming naked and luring nearby seafarers to bite them. She's a damn fast swimmer and can use obtenebration/oblivion to travel through the dark waves even faster. By the current year, she's been to all 7 continents including Antarctica and has found supernatural entities on all of them. She stays out of politics as much as possible and will make temporary alliances with anyone to learn about them and get supplies before bailing. She has a ghoul named Jiro, a former grad student, who helps her with all daytime activities and research. Personal Note: Is currently not in any games. Would love to play her or feature her in a story at some point though

------ Madhuri "Madi" Videkar: OC tag

Clan: Ravnos Sect: Independent Embraced: 1999 Apparent Age: 20

History: Born in Wisconsin to Indian parents, Madi struggled to get by after dropping out of school and landing dead end jobs. Her parents had her sent to India for an arranged marriage, only for her to escape with a ghoul and be embraced by a Ravnos elder along with him. Not long after, they traveled to Bangladesh where they encountered the death of their own antediluvian and the start of the Week of Nightmares. Madi was the only survivor from her group to endure the damaging effects and escape. Years later, she's back in the States working as a courier when she gets caught in between a grand master plan involving Julian Sim, the Second Inquisition, and the Eagle Prince Lettow. Personal Notes: My Courier player character in Night Road! Featured in my Night Road fic series here: https://archiveofourown.org/series/4679083 ------ Sylvia Chastain: OC tag

art by bella bergolts on insta and x

Clan: Lasombra Sect: Sabbat Embraced: 1820s Apparent Age: late 20s

History: A former prostitute from the streets of 19th century France, Sylvia was taken in by a Lasombra nun who sired her for her open disdain and secret cruelty towards her clients. She was rechristened into the Sabbat and forced to join a cloister of other Lasombra neonate nuns under her sire, the Mother Superior, and her oppressive rule. Under the cruel and restricting environment of the cloister, Sylvia suffered greatly under the structure of the Sabbat and the cloister's twisted brand of Catholicism. Years later after some scheming and plotting of her own, she was able to join forces with an outside pack to destroy her sire and the cloister-- and her former nun compatriots, to win back her freedom. She flees to Quebec, Canada where she now has a place in Montreal's Sabbat hierarchy with her own pack and dreams of claiming larger territory. Personal Notes:

In modern day she has two childer: a female warrior from Northern Africa named Anais and a former goth punk hacker from Toronto (a friend's PC named Joanna!). She sired them because they were originally picked for the embrace from the Banu Haqim and Nosferatu clans respectfully and she hates both of them enough to steal their childer.

Is a lesbian! The pain and struggle of performing mostly straight sex work as a human and then being embraced into the worst form of Catholicism you can think of was enough to radicalize her.

Plays a sire and villain role in Boston by Night

[bizkits-n-korn]

🎨- @/crownedinmarigolds

💣 This is an in character Vampire: The Masquerade/World of Darkness Blog💣 💥My Personal Blog - Call me Chiss👋 Any pronouns work 💥 💣Black Hand but, for all intents and purposes, she's masquerading as an Anarch :)💣 💥Another Wonderful Piece of Art 💥 👇Character Info 👇 [+ rules @ the bottom]

[Image Source: The Red Sign, p. 4] [Revised Era Sourcebook] [Artist: Vince Locke, his website]

The time has come, My Children, For me to bid the night goodbye. But know that I do not leave you. Await the time when I join you again After you have learned the wages Of your vanity, sin and pride. And mark well the heralds of my return For I do not leave the affairs of my house To be tended by the Children of Seth. - A fragment of the Book of Nod discovered by Beckett in the underground cities of Anatolia. [The Words of Caine After the Deluge, Encyclopaedia Vampirica, p. 209]

A "Brief" Introduction Judith "Moody Judy" Margolis || Mina Graham [Alias]

Scholar of the Convention of Thorns, Anarch. Black Hand.

A vampire of a mere 99 years of age, Margo is an undead scholar wholly dedicated to toppling undead tyrants when and where possible. An extended game of whack-a-mole, if you will. In tandem with insights gleaned from personal research into the not-so-distant past, she uses her resources from her beloved Death Cult, her personal history with the Anarch Movement, and preconceived notions about her clan [+ lineage] to infiltrate contingents of the Movement and inflame tensions enough for them to take action against [and, with the Sabbat's old structure having completely collapsed - leaving the Hand with a mighty need for cold bodies, the bulk of the damage from] their shared enemies.  Outside of that, she serves the Black Hand as a Remover; heavy hitters that are called in to target high ranking members of enemy factions with extreme prejudice.

Personal History

Initially embraced as an Anarch, Margo defected to the Sabbat out of necessity seeing as no one wanted to associate with her and catch flack from a halfway successful attempt on the life of her local Ventrue Primogen [and the very public diablerie of their Brujah counterpart]. The Sword of Caine was a lifeline to her... Having been a self-proclaimed Scholar of the Convention of Thorns, citing a need to use the past as a baseline for future praxis lest they fall into the same pitfalls ad infinitum, she was already, albeit quietly, sympathetic towards their plight given the two sect's shared origins. General Anarch infighting/and the accompanying displays of incompetence didn't exactly encourage her to stay anyhow. After that it was a simple case of speed-running straight into further radicalization after having received an invitation from the Black Hand.

Fun [mostly relevant] Facts

Brujah [Antitribu], 11th Generation [Originally 12th]

Sabbat Rank: Ductus || Black Hand Rank: Remover

She's a descendant of Tyler's, the Brujah responsible for diablerizing Hardestadt the Elder [The Ventrue. The Cainite that spearheaded the Camarilla's creation] [I have a bunch of info saved on Tyler if anyone wants to know more. please don't hesitate to ask 😌]

Tyler herself doubts that her actions led to effective praxis, but her childer and clanmates compare her to everyone from Robin Hood to Malcolm X, to Che Guevara, to Gavrilo Princip. [V5 Corebook, p. 397]

Born and died in Jacksonville, Florida. Her Black Hand training was in Mexico City.

She loves big jeans. [pinterest link]

Merits

Black Hand Membership (∙∙) [V20] 🤫

Mask (∙∙) [V5] Your Mask can pass a background check with the national police: FBI, Scotland Yard, or the equivalent. If you had a military or intelligence record in life, it has been classified.

Scholar of Enemies [Camarilla] [V20] [2 Point Merit] You have taken the time to learn about and specialize in one particular enemy of your Sect. You are aware of at least some or the group’s customs, strategies, abilities, and long-term goals, and can put that knowledge to good use… [mechanics follow]

Scholar of Others [Anarchs] [V20] [2 Point Merit] This Merit functions identically to Scholar of Enemies, except that it applies to a group that is not necessarily inimical to your Sect.

Linguistics [Spanish] (•) [V5]

Flaws

Dark Secret [Black Hand] [V5] (1 Point)

Folkloric Bane [Silver] [V5] (1 Point)

Prey Exclusion [Activists] [V5] (1 Point)

Obvious Predator [Brujah Specific Flaw] [V20] (2 Points) Your innate Brujah rage always percolates below the surface no matter how hard you try to project an image of calm. Mortals find you intrinsically menacing, and instinctively fear you for the violence you promise to unleash.

Loresheets

Thorns Historian (∙) [LS: CONVENTION OF THORNS] [V5 Corebook, p. 387]

The Convention of Thorns was a complex, moving beast of diplomacy. Hundreds of small meetings took place between representatives of this clan or that, forging pacts that lasted years, decades, or centuries in some cases. You possess an encyclopedic knowledge of the convention’s minor meetings, and you can call on this knowledge to apply legal pressures on the participants or their descendants, where pacts may still be in force but not practiced or revoked without consent of all parties. Once per story, you can ask the Storyteller for a piece of known information regarding the convention.

Champion of the Cause (∙∙) [LS: Descendant of Tyler] [V5 Corebook, p. 397]

When vampires want a leader for a rebellion, large or small scale, they come to you for advice or leadership. They might even listen to your words, and providing your advice is not completely ridiculous, might even defer to your authority. You add two dots to your Status with them during such rebellions, but you might find the numerous contacts gained before a rebellion more valuable and certainly less dangerous.

Rules n' Such

Minors, away with you. 🫵(blocked where spotted) [have a good day, though!👋]

Note: I'm 21.

Judy is a bit more vulgar/crass/rude than I usually am. I generally try to avoid anything ~too~ pointed, but if anything ever crosses a line, please do not hesitate to lmk!!

To most Cainites she's outwardly portraying herself as an Anarch, though I don't mind in the slightest if any Sabbat members would know her as such.

If you ever have any questions ever/would like a source on a piece of lore I refer to/in general - I'm always happy to help!

Still new-ish to Tumblr RP, please have mercy on me; Caine bless.

Please don't be weird/overly rude OOC about her being Sabbat. IC is fine for the most part

RESOURCES [should you be interested in learning more about the Sabbat. They're much more interesting than just 'evil murderhobos', I promise :)]

The Book of Nod [it's a fun read. I'm not biased. Promise.]

The Ericyes Fragments [An alternative collection of apocryphal Noddist texts, originally held by the Cappadocians at Mt. Ericyes. It offers a less immediately sympathetic perception of Caine and the actions he/his childer/his grandchilder took, as well as things we don't see in the mainline Book of Nod such as the immediate aftermath of the Deluge or a description of Enoch's embrace]

Guide to the Sabbat [Revised Sourcebook] (a personal favorite of mine)

Caine's Chosen: The Black Hand [Sabbat Subfaction] [Revised Sourcebook]

[Image] (pinterest link)

[maximoaguilar]

the echoing sound of a sigh that has been held back for far too long, a calm demeanor broken by the swing of a fist, the smell of fresh sheets, a leather jacket that like him has been worn by the passage of time.

✦ PEDRO PASCAL, CISMALE, HE/HIM ✦ MAXIMO “MAX” AGUILAR the FORTY-THREE year old has been in Hidehill for HIS ENTIRE LIFE (THREE YEARS SINCE HIS RETURN) and was a ACQUAINTANCE to Carter Thompson, one of the shadows. Whispers on the streets are that the SECURITY AT THE VANILLA UNICORN (FORMERLY) / SECURITY AT LA VELA (CURRENTLY) who lives in HOVE LAKE are said to be DEDICATED and CLOSED OFF but I guess we’ll find out for ourselves. WRITTEN BY MEL.

TRIGGER WARNING: death, birth complications, pregnancy, infidelity, emotional abuse, smoking, grief

⸻  𝐁𝐈𝐎𝐆𝐑𝐀𝐏𝐇𝐘

Max was born in Hidehill to Hector and Josephine Aguilar -- a seemingly happy couple when the familiar sounds of screaming matches weren't resonating from their Hagfield property. Max was their only child, knowing his mother for a grand total of two minutes. She died shortly after giving birth to him, something that Hector would never let him forget.

Hector Aguilar was a man who rarely said a word that wasn't dripping in anger, especially to his only son. That is, until he met his second wife, Rebecca. The first year of their courtship was peaceful for Max, the now nine year old no longer being the subject of his father's attention. Shortly after the pair married a year after, however, Hector showed his true colors. The now eleven year old Max soon essentially began to raise his much younger stepsisters, who he cared for as if they were his own flesh and blood.

Hector and Rebecca were like teenagers in their own right, so intrinsically lost in themselves and their relationship that Max was sometimes left wondering if they remembered they even had children.

By the time Max reached high school, the child was on the straight and narrow. He would rarely ever engage in extracurriculars, even going as far as to be the one to pick up his sisters from school when he got his drivers license.

When the time for college came, as assumed by most, Max knew the only prospect he felt that he had was to protect. He had protected his sisters his entire life, it was what he did best. And so, it was no surprise when he began to work in private security.

He made the decision to move as far away from Hidehill as possible, knowing that he had never been able to get away from the responsibility that his father and stepmother had forced upon him.

His first stop was Florida, when he came into the crosshairs of Pablo Martinez. It was he who moved young Max up the ranks and soon enough, he began guarding some high-profile clients.

Five years ago, he relocated to Los Angeles as he was sent on a new assignment, protecting a beautiful, fan-favorite a-list celebrity by the name of Sylvie Dubois. She would change his life forever, the pair soon falling into an affair and staring at a positive pregnancy test.

While Sylvie herself was recently separated, unable to be set free due to a controlling ex who would not let her ruin his perfect life, as he put it. This did not stop Max and Sylvie from bringing their son Mason Aguilar into the world. Sylvie kept herself from the public eye throughout that time, knowing that their dalliance would cause nothing but scandal.

Something in Max told him that this was his endgame, him and Sylvie together raising Mason, soon surrounded by a white-picket fence. He was planning on asking Sylvie to marry him over dinner, but that plan was shattered when the pair got in a car crash on the way to Max's property. Sylvie died on impact, while Max sustained very severe injuries. Mason, luckily, was spending time with the elder of his two stepsisters.

Now left with their child and a shattered heart, Max knew he couldn't stay in California anymore. Thus, the only thing he could do was move back home and make some effort of giving himself and his son a fresh start.

Working for Adriana simply made sense, especially considering his work with her father over the years. He does his job as best as he can, serving not only as her personal assistant but as security for both her and the employees of The Velvet Unicorn. His place in Hove Lake acts as a very calm, quiet solace in the midst of chaos.

FROM SEASON ONE: Max was attacked and taken from his home by Carter Thompson and Nadia Kucuk, where he was later brutalized by the three Shadows alongside Marcus Shaw. While Marcus succumbed to his injuries, Max did not. He has carried the guilt with him ever since, wondering if it should have been him.

⸻  𝐇𝐄𝐀𝐃𝐂𝐀𝐍𝐎𝐍𝐒

While Max does have feelings for Adriana, he would sit back and let the rest of her life unfold if it meant that she would be happy. Even if it means him suffering in silence.

A known cigarette smoker. On late nights, there are very few times when he will leave the club to take a smoke break outside.

Loves his son more than anything else in the world, but it is getting harder and harder to deny that his son looks almost exactly like Sylvie. His first real love, the woman who taught him what it means to be alive.

Firmly believes that he destroys everything in his wake and that he is the problem in the lives of the people that he loves.

A very soft-spoken, thick-skinned individual, unless someone gets close. Adriana and the employees at The Vanilla Unicorn are some of the very few who sees his softer side.

MORE TO COME.

⸻ 𝐋𝐈𝐍𝐊𝐒

Pinterest

Playlist

Self Para: Max's Attack (Season 1)

⸻ 𝐖𝐀𝐍𝐓𝐄𝐃 𝐂𝐎𝐍𝐍𝐄𝐂𝐓𝐈𝐎𝐍𝐒

Friends: Kit Blackthorn, Dallas Parker, Julian Nieves, Brielle Perez, Emmeline Astor-Roberts, OPEN

Essentially his children: Kit Blackthorn, Dallas Parker.

Exes ( any gender - 0/2 ): OPEN

Hookups/FWB ( former or current ): Julian Nieves ( former ), OPEN

Love Interest: Adriana Martinez ( closed forever and ever )

Coworkers: Lakeyn McCray, Adriana Martinez, Dallas Parker, Danny Alexander, OPEN

These are just ideas, I'm here and ready for all the plots!

[gatekeeper-watchman]

Daily Devotionals for December 28, 2024

Proverbs: God's Wisdom for Daily Living

Devotional Scripture:

Proverbs 31:23-24 (KJV): 23 Her husband is known in the gates, when he sitteth among the elders of the land. 24 She maketh fine linen, and selleth it; and delivereth girdles unto the merchant. Proverbs 31:23-24 (AMP): 23 Her husband is known in the (city's) gates, when he sits among the elders of the land. 24 She makes fine linen garments and leads others to buy them; she delivers to the merchants girdles (or sashes that free one up for service).

Thought for the Day

Verse 23 - We may recall that in Biblical times, cities were enclosed by high walls with huge gates, where the elders met who presided over the affairs of the city. To be "known in the gates" meant that a man was a person of influence in the community. There is truth to the old adage: "Behind every successful man is a successful woman." A man and woman become one flesh when they marry (Ephesians 5:31-33). A virtuous woman is a crown to her husband. Her conduct and accomplishments bless and prosper him, and bring him honor. She will be an asset to him in every way. What we are and what we do influences others, especially those closest to us. How sad for a woman to disgrace her husband and family. "A virtuous woman is a crown to her husband: but she that maketh ashamed is as rottenness in his bones" (Proverbs 12:4). We also should always remember that we are Christ's bride and strive to always bring Him glory.

Verse 24 - The virtuous woman was so industrious and her work of such high quality, that she had enough garments both to clothe her entire household, and others to sell. She presented her products as a wholesaler to merchants who in turn sold them in the marketplaces. This was another way in which she gained money for her family. In yesterday's study, we saw that linen garments represent the righteousness that comes with salvation. Selling fine, white linen is a picture of sharing one's faith with others.

In addition to fine linen, the virtuous woman sold girdles, or sashes. The girdle was an important piece of clothing used in two primary ways: First, it enabled one to move freely when necessary. In ancient times, all people wore long robes. A girdle was worn to hitch the garments above the feet so that one could walk about freely when the task called for it. Certain activities might require the robes to be hitched higher than the ankles, in which case the sash was wrapped around the waist very tightly, and the garments pulled through the knees and tucked up into the girdle. This is where the expression "girding up one's loins" came from. The girdle was associated with strength. Wrapping it around the loins supported the back much as back supports do today. Second, the girdle provided a pouch for holding money and other items. Men also carried their swords or knives in their sashes.

Ephesians 6:13-17 tells us to put on the whole armor of God in order to stand against Satan's schemes. Part of that preparation is to "gird up our loins" with truth. When we embrace and walk in the Bible's truths, we will also walk in victory over the devil.

Prayer Devotional for the Day

Dear heavenly Father, we thank you for our wives, and may we always bring honor to them, and to You, by living our lives in a godly manner. Lord, may we do the things in the natural to care for our wives and family, and more importantly, may we attend to the spiritual things that will cause all of our families to know the plan of salvation and the Word of God. May we be mindful to put on the armor of God, so that we will be protected from the attacks of the devil, and will remain steadfast in the cause of Christ. I ask this in the name of the Lord, Jesus Christ. Amen. From: Steven P. Miller, @ParkermillerQ,gatekeeperwatchman.org , TM, ‎Founder and Administrator of Gatekeeper-Watchman International Groups. #GWIG, #GWIN, #GWINGO, #SPARKERMILLER Saturday, December 28, 2024, Jacksonville, Florida USA 5:13:35 AM www.facebook.com/gatekeeperwatchnan www.facebook.com/ Instagram: steven_parker_miller_1956

[perlinestateplanningandprobate]

How Much Do Elder Law Attorneys Charge in Florida?

Navigating the complexities of elder law requires the expertise of a seasoned attorney, especially in bustling areas like Miami. Elder law encompasses a range of issues including estate planning, Medicaid planning, guardianship, and more, making it a crucial service for seniors and their families. If you're considering the services of an Elder Law Attorney in Miami, understanding the cost structures and what influences them can help you plan effectively.

Factors Affecting Costs

1. Complexity of the Case: The more complex your legal needs, the higher the fees can be. For instance, an estate plan with multiple properties, diverse investments, and intricate family dynamics will require more time and expertise than a straightforward will.

2. Attorney’s Expertise and Reputation: Experienced attorneys or those with a speciality in a particular aspect of elder law may charge more. Their expertise, however, can also mean more efficient handling of your case, potentially saving you money in the long run.

3. Geographical Location: Legal fees can vary significantly based on the location. Miami, being a major urban centre, might have higher rates compared to more rural areas of Florida.

Common Billing Methods

1. Hourly Rates: Many elder law attorneys charge by the hour. Rates in Miami can range from $250 to $450 per hour, depending on the lawyer's experience and the complexity of your needs.

2. Flat Fees: For more predictable services like drafting a will or basic estate planning, attorneys might offer a flat fee. This can be beneficial as it allows clients to know the costs upfront. For example, a simple will might cost anywhere from $1,000 to $3,000.

3. Retainer Fees: For continuing services like estate management or ongoing legal advice, some lawyers may charge a retainer fee. The retainer fee serves as a down payment that is deducted from the total amount owed.

4. Contingency Fees: Although less often in elder law, some cases—such as those claims involving elder abuse—may be handled on a contingency fee basis, in which the lawyer receives a portion of the settlement or verdict.

Additional Costs to Consider

Court Fees: Filing documents or legal proceedings can incur court fees, which vary depending on the type of document or action required.

Out-of-Pocket Expenses: These might include costs for obtaining records, copying documents, or hiring expert witnesses.

Why Choose an Elder Law Attorney in Miami?

Selecting a local Elder Law Attorney in Miami not only means that the attorney is familiar with Florida's specific laws but also understands the local resources and networks that can benefit clients. For example, attorneys at Perlin Estate Planning specialize in personalized estate planning, ensuring that each client's specific circumstances are considered to create the most effective legal strategies.

Conclusion

You and your loved ones' peace of mind is an investment when you hire an elder law attorney. It is vital to make sure your family is taken care of, your assets are safeguarded, and your legal affairs are in order, even though the expenses may differ. To establish the ideal financial arrangement for your scenario, it is essential to explore prospective fees and billing methods upfront. Make an appointment for a consultation with a trustworthy Elder Law Attorney in Miami for comprehensive advice catered to your particular circumstances. As you negotiate the complexity of elder law, their knowledge may offer you stability and clarity.

[msclaritea]

TALLAHASSEE — Senate leaders have been silent about an angry confrontation between Republican Sen. Tom Wright and a female staffer at a Daytona Beach shelter for battered and abused women and their children over the Labor Day weekend.

According to police reports, Wright yelled, lunged at, and placed his hand on the shoulder of a staff member who stopped Wright from getting on a bus full of the shelter’s residents out of concern for protecting their identities.

Video footage provided by the Daytona Beach Police Department shows Wright’s tense encounter with a much shorter female staffer, who ran up to him to get him off the bus. Another employee stepped between them, and Wright, 71, turned to walk away, only to confront the worker a couple of more times before leaving.

“For a political leader to come there and aggress on an employee in front of a busload of women and children who are making the courageous decision to protect themselves from violence is one of the most disgusting behaviors I have ever seen,” said Angie Pye, the former CEO of the Beacon Center, where the incident occurred.

Both Republican and Democratic Senate leaders have not spoken publicly about the incident, which is still under investigation, according to police records. They did not return repeated calls seeking comment.

Legislative leaders have the authority to appoint a special master to investigate further or wait until someone files a complaint to initiate an investigation. Wright could be admonished, censured or even removed from office if the investigation concludes he did something illegal.

According to the police report, Wright of New Smyrna Beach said he wanted a tour of the premises and he brought along agents from the Department of Children and Families. After they interviewed him, police issued him a trespass warning and told him to stay away from the center until further notice.

Wright did not return a request seeking comment.

It isn’t the first time that Wright has gotten aggressive with staff, Pye said. It’s just the latest in a series of confrontations over the past few years, including him making baseless accusations, she added.

The Beacon Center is the state-designated, community-based center for victims of domestic abuse in Volusia County, which has one of the highest rates in a state that has a domestic violence crisis. Its location is undisclosed and clients’ identities are protected.

Wright’s behavior is especially concerning given that he was once a member of the center’s board of directors, and he should know the state and federal rules prohibiting interaction with staff and residents, Pye said.

He also is a member of the Senate Committee on Children, Families and Elder Affairs, which hears and votes on legislation dealing with child welfare and domestic abuse issues.

Wright filed a complaint with the Department of Children and Families two years ago claiming that the center was involved in drugs, prostitution and human trafficking that all proved to be unfounded, Pye said. He also interfered with the organization’s private fundraising efforts, Pye said.

It got to the point that six of the center’s board members resigned over the summer, followed by Pye and her program manager two weeks ago, just before Wright’s latest visit.

“Anybody in their right mind would leave us alone,” said Cynthia Perez, a domestic violence survivor who has used the center’s services. “These women are already stressed out, and the last thing they need is this guy coming over and stressing out the staff, who are holding the center together.

Pye, a 25-year veteran of what she calls “hardcore advocacy” for battered women, came on board the Beacon Center as CEO in 2016, when it was still called the Domestic Abuse Council. Wright was a volunteer at the time, which has the capacity to house up to 80 women and their children, she said.

“He had free rein” of the place, Pye said.

She said she told him that his presence could result in the confidentiality of the women at the shelter being endangered, which would violate the federal Violence Against Women Act.

Pye also said she witnessed him flirting with a survivor.  “To many people, it would have not raised a flag, but given what I do for a living, I was not comfortable with it,” she said.

She said she suggested he join the board of directors so he would no longer have contact with the survivors. Wright agreed but only showed up for one board meeting in October 2016, Pye said.

Two months later, he invited her to a Christmas party at his home. She said she couldn’t attend, telling him that staff couldn’t interact with board members.

He showed up at the shelter the next day to announce that he had made arrangements to feed the residents and have Santa Claus visit the children. When he was told he couldn’t do that, he berated a staffer and threatened to withdraw the money he’d donated and give it to some other organization, Pye said.

Pye said she and the board made several attempts to meet with Wright to talk things over, but he refused. At one point, he screamed at another staff person, at Pye and at the board chair.

“I knew it was not appropriate to have him around there, and I was happy he disappeared,” Pye said.

By 2018, Wright was getting into state politics. A retired businessman from Minnesota worth $35 million who had no prior political experience, Wright was chosen by a GOP committee to run for the Senate seat that became vacant after Dorothy Hukill died in office. He won the seat.

At Senate committee hearings in 2021 and 2022, Wright made several remarks hinting at an improper financial arrangement between Pye and her husband, Dusty Pye, who was chief integration officer of Lutheran Services Florida Health Systems.

Also in 2021, Wright filed a complaint with DCF about the Beacon Center. From the nature of the questions posed to the 15 staff people interviewed, it was clear to Pye that he had accused the center of being a center for drugs, prostitution and human trafficking.

The last straw came for Pye in May. She was trying to line up a sponsor for the center’s signature fundraising event and approached the Fun Coast Foundation of New Smyrna Beach.

“They had agreed to take us on as a charity and took a tour of the facility to see all the funding needs. Lots of the buildings needed restoring.”

The day after the tour, the board’s chair, Carmen Ruiz, called Pye and said Fun Coast wouldn’t support them because of something Wright told them. Ruiz didn’t tell Pye what Wright said.

Private funding is critical for the shelter, which gets up to $900,000 a year from the state but needs to come up with 25% in local matching funds, she said.

Pye decided that things had escalated to a point where she “needed to step aside if the center was to survive.”

Her last day was Aug. 31.

Keeping the Beacon Center running is critical, Pye said, especially in Volusia County,

“If any good comes from this, it will draw the community’s attention,” Pye said. “Domestic abuse is a statewide concern, but it’s particularly bad in Volusia County.”

Jeffrey Schweers | Journalist

Jeffrey Schweers is the Tallahassee bureau reporter for the Orlando Sentinel.

jschweers@orlandosentinel.com

[irguardian]

Helping Seniors & Disabled prepare for hurricane season

news release Today, over 100 volunteers, including Hope Heroes, gathered across Florida to prepare and distribute disaster preparedness kits to seniors and people with unique abilities. The Disaster Preparedness Day brought together multiple state agencies including the Division of Emergency Management, the Department of Elder Affairs, and the Agency for Persons with Disabilities. “An emergency…

[foreverlogical]

While DeSantis tours the country telling voters to look at Florida for proof of his governing style, extensive worker shortages are quietly hobbling some of the regular functions of his state government. The main reason? Crappy pay. Via the Tampa Bay Times:

As of October last year, 28 of 29 state agencies had percentages of vacant positions in the double digits, according to statistics obtained by the Tampa Bay Times through a public records request. In some crucial departments — the Department of Education, Department of State, Agency for Persons with Disabilities and the Department of Elder Affairs — about 1 in 4 jobs were open. The Department of Veterans Affairs was hollower, with 39% of positions empty as the agency deals with nursing shortages and staffs up two new nursing homes. Federal data shows that employees left Florida’s state government at a much higher rate in recent years than the national average and the state has significantly lagged behind in spending federal dollars designed to help mitigate the exodus. read more

[maximoxaguilar]

✦ PEDRO PASCAL, CISMALE, HE/HIM ✦ MAXIMO "MAX" AGUILAR  the FORTY-THREE year old has been in Hidehill for THREE YEARS (SINCE HIS RETURN) and was a ONE NIGHT STAND to Miyeon Kang, the murder victim. Whispers on the streets are that the PERSONAL ASSISTANT/SECURITY AT THE VANILLA UNICORN who lives in HOVE LAKE are said to be DEDICATED and STAND-OFFISH but I guess we’ll find out for ourselves. WRITTEN BY MEL.

TRIGGER WARNING: death, birth complications, pregnancy, infidelity, emotional abuse, smoking, grief

⸻  𝐁𝐈𝐎𝐆𝐑𝐀𝐏𝐇𝐘

Max was born in Hidehill to Hector and Josephine Aguilar -- a seemingly happy couple when the familiar sounds of screaming matches weren't resonating from their Hagfield property. Max was their only child, knowing his mother for a grand total of two minutes. She died shortly after giving birth to him, something that Hector would never let him forget.

Hector Aguilar was a man who rarely said a word that wasn't dripping in anger, especially to his only son. That is, until he met his second wife, Rebecca. The first year of their courtship was peaceful for Max, the now nine year old no longer being the subject of his father's attention. Shortly after the pair married a year after, however, Hector showed his true colors. The now eleven year old Max soon essentially began to raise his much younger stepsisters, who he cared for as if they were his own flesh and blood.

Hector and Rebecca were like teenagers in their own right, so intrinsically lost in themselves and their relationship that Max was sometimes left wondering if they remembered they even had children.

By the time Max reached high school, the child was on the straight and narrow. He would rarely ever engage in extracurriculars, even going as far as to be the one to pick up his sisters from school when he got his drivers license.

When the time for college came, as assumed by most, Max knew the only prospect he felt that he had was to protect. He had protected his sisters his entire life, it was what he did best. And so, it was no surprise when he began to work in private security.

He made the decision to move as far away from Hidehill as possible, knowing that he had never been able to get away from the responsibility that his father and stepmother had forced upon him.

His first stop was Florida, when he came into the crosshairs of Pablo Martinez. It was he who moved young Max up the ranks and soon enough, he began guarding some high-profile clients.

Five years ago, he relocated to Los Angeles as he was sent on a new assignment, protecting a beautiful, fan-favorite a-list celebrity by the name of Sylvie Dubois. She would change his life forever, the pair soon falling into an affair and staring at a positive pregnancy test.

While Sylvie herself was recently separated, unable to be set free due to a controlling ex who would not let her ruin his perfect life, as he put it. This did not stop Max and Sylvie from bringing their son Mason Aguilar into the world. Sylvie kept herself from the public eye throughout that time, knowing that their dalliance would cause nothing but scandal.

Something in Max told him that this was his endgame, him and Sylvie together raising Mason, soon surrounded by a white-picket fence. He was planning on asking Sylvie to marry him over dinner, but that plan was shattered when the pair got in a car crash on the way to Max's property. Sylvie died on impact, while Max sustained very severe injuries. Mason, luckily, was spending time with the elder of his two stepsisters.

Now left with their child and a shattered heart, Max knew he couldn't stay in California anymore. Thus, the only thing he could do was move back home and make some effort of giving himself and his son a fresh start.

Working for Adriana simply made sense, especially considering his work with her father over the years. He does his job as best as he can, serving not only as her personal assistant but as security for both her and the employees of The Velvet Unicorn. His place in Hove Lake acts as a very calm, quiet solace in the midst of chaos.

⸻  𝐇𝐄𝐀𝐃𝐂𝐀𝐍𝐎𝐍𝐒

While Max does have feelings for Adriana, he would sit back and let the rest of her life unfold if it meant that she would be happy. Even if it means him suffering in silence.

A known cigarette smoker. On late nights, there are very few times when he will leave the club to take a smoke break outside.

Loves his son more than anything else in the world, but it is getting harder and harder to deny that his son looks almost exactly like Sylvie. His first real love, the woman who taught him what it means to be alive.

Firmly believes that he destroys everything in his wake and that he is the problem in the lives of the people that he loves.

A very soft-spoken, thick-skinned individual, unless someone gets close. Adriana and the employees at The Vanilla Unicorn are some of the very few who sees his softer side.

MORE TO COME.

⸻ 𝐋𝐈𝐍𝐊𝐒

PINTEREST.

PLAYLIST.

[psychic-percival-r]

i do readings

   

oh, what kind, you ask? you didn't? well, i'll tell you anyway. they're completely free, so what's the harm?

   

elder futhark runes are the oldest form of their kind. younger futhark and anglo-saxon futhorc came along because of these bad boys. they originated back around 200 AD and have stuck with us since, helping inspire other alphabets, but as well as providing us with spiritual guidance. they also happen to be the runes that have plagued my dreams since before i could even read, and are the only kind i can understand when it comes to runes/spiritual readings. there are three important divinations they can inspire:

   

Rune Odin

• can answer a specific question for a specific situation

• vague if the problem/question isn't specific enough. much like a fey granting you with mutilated bird wings because you requested wings but didn't specify you wanted your own on your back that you can fly with safely

• one rune is drawn

   

Divination Of The Three Norns

• inspired by the three fate sisters who weave human fate (Past, Present Future)

• ask a question, get a possible outcome

• right (past situation that led to this situation); center (present state of affairs and recommended action); left (possible future development if recommended action is followed)

   

Mimir's Head

• answers long-term problem with possible long-term solution

• top row describes problem and the subjective vision of it; second row describes what has led to this and digs into the root of the problem; third row describes the advice to take; last rune describes the possible outcome of advice is followed

   

like i said, it's free. my only limit is that i can only do one for you a week, unless you just want a daily Rune Odin. Rune Odin can be done once a day.

   

my runes are etched into saltwater seashells from a florida beach (ethically harvested) and cleansed in moonwater every full moon.

   

if you have any specific requests for how your reading is done (such as only being done on a full moon or new moon or however) please let me know and i will plan accordingly. the only request i won't be able to do is have it at a certain time. i'm a full-time college student and a full-time worker. in addition to this, i'll need your first name (it doesn't have to be legal, it can just be whatever you mostly go by) and month of birth.

   

feel free to message me. these readings will always be free, so there's no rush

[newstfionline]

Monday, April 26, 2021

California ponders slow growth future (AP) In 1962, when California’s population of more than 17 million surpassed New York’s, Gov. Pat Brown celebrated by declaring a state holiday. In the coming days, when the U.S. Census Bureau is expected to release the state’s latest head count, there probably will be no celebrations. Over the past decade, California’s average annual population growth rate slipped to 0.06%—lower than at any time since at least 1900. The state is facing the prospect of losing a U.S. House seat for the first time in its history, while political rivals Texas and Florida add more residents and political clout. The reality behind the slowed growth isn’t complicated. Experts point to three major factors: declining birth rates; a long-standing trend of fewer people moving in from other states than leaving; and a drop in international immigration, particularly from Asia, which has made up for people moving to other states. California is in the throes of a yearslong housing crisis as building fails to keep up with demand, forcing more people onto the streets and making home ownership unattainable for many. The state has the nation’s highest poverty rate when housing is taken into account. Its water resources are consistently taxed, and the state has spent more than half of the past decade in drought. Freeways are jammed as more people move to the suburbs, and worsening wildfires are destroying homes and communities.

Armenians Celebrate Biden’s Genocide Declaration as Furious Turkey Summons US Ambassador (Newsweek) Armenia celebrated President Joe Biden’s recognition of the massacres of Armenians in the Ottoman Empire during World War I as genocide on Saturday, as Turkey summoned the U.S. ambassador and strongly condemned the move. In acknowledging of the deaths of 1.5 million Armenians as genocide, Biden went further than his predecessors in the White House after years of careful language on the issue. The move risks fracturing America’s relationship with Turkey, a longtime U.S. ally and NATO partner. Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan sent Biden a letter praising his statement. Meanwhile, officials in Turkey quickly denounced Biden’s remarks and summoned the US Ambassador to Ankara. In a statement, Turkey said its foreign minister, Sedat Onal, has told ambassador David Satterfield that Biden’s remarks caused “wounds in ties that will be hard to repair.” Onal also reportedly told Satterfield that Turkey “rejected it, found it unacceptable and condemned in the strongest terms.”

Ahead of Geneva talks, Cypriots march for peace (Reuters) Thousands of Cypriots from both sides of a dividing line splitting their island marched for peace on Saturday, ahead of informal talks in Geneva next week on the future of negotiations. With some holding olive branches, people walked in the bright spring sunshine around the medieval walls circling the capital, Nicosia. The United Nations has called for informal talks of parties in the Cyprus dispute in Geneva on April 27-29, in an attempt to look for a way forward in resuming peace talks that collapsed in mid-2017. Prospects for progress appear slim, with each side sticking to their respective positions. Greek Cypriots say Cyprus should be reunited under a federal umbrella, citing relevant United Nations resolutions. The newly-elected Turkish Cypriot leader has called for a two-state resolution. Cyprus was split in a Turkish invasion in 1974 triggered by a brief Greek-inspired coup, though the seeds of separation were sown earlier, when a power-sharing administration crumbled in violence in 1963, just three years after independence from Britain.

World’s Biggest Covid Crisis Threatens Modi’s Grip on India (Bloomberg) As India recorded more than 234,000 new Covid-19 infections last Saturday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi held an election rally in the West Bengal town of Asansol and tweeted: “I’ve never seen such huge crowds.” The second wave of the coronavirus has since grown into a tsunami. India is now the global coronavirus hotspot, setting records for the world’s highest number of daily cases. Images of hospitals overflowing with the sick and dying are flooding social media, as medical staff and the public alike make desperate appeals for oxygen supplies. The political and financial capitals of New Delhi and Mumbai are in lockdown, with only the sound of ambulance sirens punctuating the quiet, but there’s a growing chorus of blame directed at Modi over his government’s handling of the pandemic. “At this crucial time he is fighting for votes and not against Covid,” said Panchanan Maharana, a community activist from the state of Odisha, who previously supported Modi’s policies but will now look for alternative parties to back. “He is failing to deliver—he should stop talking and focus on saving people’s lives and livelihoods.” Modi is seen by many as a polarizing leader whose brand of nationalism that promotes the dominance of Hindus has appalled and enraptured the nation. Whether the pandemic will dent his appeal remains unclear.

ASEAN leaders tell Myanmar coup general to end killings (AP) Southeast Asian leaders demanded an immediate end to killings and the release of political detainees in Myanmar in an emergency summit Saturday with its top general and coup leader who, according to Malaysia’s prime minister, did not reject them outright. The leaders of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations also told Senior Gen. Min Aung Hlaing during the two-hour talks in Jakarta that a dialogue between contending parties in Myanmar should immediately start, with the help of ASEAN envoys. Daily shootings by police and soldiers since the Feb. 1 coup have killed more than 700 mostly peaceful protesters and bystanders, according to several independent tallies. The messages conveyed to Min Aung Hlaing were unusually blunt and could be seen as a breach of the conservative 10-nation bloc’s bedrock principle forbidding member states from interfering in each other’s affairs. But Malaysian Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin said that policy should not lead to inaction if a domestic situation “jeopardizes the peace, security, and stability of ASEAN and the wider region” and there is international clamor for resolute action.

Sunken missing Indonesian submarine found broken into pieces (Reuters) A missing Indonesian submarine has been found, broken into at least three parts, at the bottom of the Bali Sea, army and navy officials said on Sunday, as the president sent condolences to relatives of the 53 crew. Navy chief of staff Yudo Margono said the crew were not to blame for the accident and that the submarine did not experience a blackout, blaming “forces of nature”. A sonar scan on Saturday detected the submarine at 850 metres (2,790 feet), far beyond the Nanggala’s diving range.

At least 82 die in Baghdad COVID hospital fire (Reuters) A fire sparked by an oxygen tank explosion killed at least 82 people and injured 110 at a hospital in Baghdad that had been equipped to house COVID-19 patients, an Interior Ministry spokesman said on Sunday. “We urgently need to review safety measures at all hospitals to prevent such a painful incident from happening in future,” spokesman Khalid al-Muhanna told state television, announcing the toll.

Struggling to stay afloat during the pandemic, people turn to strangers online for help (Washington Post) The pandemic has been disastrous for millions of families across the United States. Roughly 8.5 million jobs have not returned since February 2020. Meanwhile, more than 564,000 people have died of the coronavirus, and 100,000 small businesses closed permanently in just the first three months of the crisis. The government has provided help, including through multiple relief packages that sent out three rounds of stimulus checks and extended unemployment benefits. But for many people it hasn’t been enough—or come quickly enough—to avoid eviction, put food on the table and cover a growing pile of monthly bills. Enter crowdfunding, which has taken off more than ever in the past year as a way to supplement income. Sites like GoFundMe, Kickstarter or even Facebook allow people and businesses to establish a cause—or set up a page laying out why they (or someone they are raising the money for) need money, and what the cash will go toward. After demand spiked last year, GoFundMe in October formalized a new category specifically for rent, food and bills. More than $100 million had been raised at that time year-to-date for basic living expenses in tens of thousands of campaigns during 2020—a 150 percent increase over 2019. But a year into the pandemic, some individual crowdfunding campaigns are reporting little success raising donations to cover basic expenses. As pandemic fatigue worsens, it’s getting hard to raise cash for basic expenses this way. Daryl Hatton, CEO and founder of FundRazr said when he browsed through the campaigns for basic expenses, most were getting little or no donations. “I saw a whole bunch of zeros,” he said. Crowdfunding still tends to work best when people have a compelling story to tell.

Older people are the one group egalitarians discriminate against (Quartz) Young people have always been critical of their elders. What’s noteworthy about the way millennials and Zoomers talk about Baby Boomers today isn’t their disdain but its particulars: They resent the older generation because they feel shortchanged, deprived of promising futures. Gen Z, for example, famously channeled their frustration with the generation they hold responsible for issues like climate change and wealth inequality into the simple, sarcastic meme “OK boomer.” Vaccines aside, these economic frustrations are grounded in reality. At the same time, younger people’s systemic objections to the distribution of wealth and power in the US can wind up curdling into ageism. A new paper, published in the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, highlights the importance of guarding against this bias. Over 80% of Americans between the ages of 50 and 80 say they experience ageism in their everyday lives, according to a 2020 poll from the University of Michigan. “I think many people overlook ageism as a form of prejudice in American society,” says Ashley Martin, an assistant professor of organizational behavior at Stanford University, who co-authored the paper with Michael North, an assistant professor at New York University. “It is often overlooked as an “ism” altogether, not only being condoned but often even promoted.” The paper identifies a surprising link between ageism and egalitarianism. The more participants in the study supported the principle of equality for all, the more likely they were to be biased against older people.

[missysmadhouse]

Photo: Pinterest

Fort East Martello Museum in Key West, Florida, is home to the city's most famous - or rather - infamous resident. Standing 40 inches tall (102 cm) and weighing in at 6 lbs. (3 kg), wearing a sailor suit and cuddling a plush lion, Robert the Doll appears to be an innocent child's toy from a bygone age. However, Robert's childlike appearance seems to mask something dark and mysterious.

Robert has a long history of being at the center of paranormal activity and series of unfortunate events. He's described as haunted and cursed.

Robert's manufacture has been traced back to the early 1900s and, little over a century later, he's still accused of mischievous, destructive behavior and wrecking havoc on the lives of those around him. Those who visit Robert are warned about photographing him. Visitors are advised to be polite and introduce themselves, never take photos or videos of Robert without asking his permission and to never question Robert's power or mock him.

Robert receives many letters from those who have visited him, describing series of misfortunes that have occurred since visiting Robert. Those who have broken the rules write to Robert, begging him to lift his curse. Some of the things that have happened to Robert's visitors are: car accidents, delayed flights, job loss, relationship breakups, physical illness and many other calamities. There are many theories as to why Robert may be cursed and how it could've been caused.

The only part of Robert's story that is consistent is that the doll was given to a boy named Robert Eugene "Gene" Otto, about 4- or 5-years-old, as a birthday gift. Who gave it to him differs and how Robert could have become haunted or cursed differs. Some say Gene's grandfather, Dr. Joseph Otto, bought the doll during a trip to the Dry Tortugas. Another version of the story is that Gene's mother, Minnie Otto, bought the doll during a trip to Germany to visit some relatives. The most popular story seems to be that Robert was a Voodoo doll created in the image of young Gene Otto by a mistreated servant who was angry with the Ottos.

Robert Eugene Otto became attached to the doll, even giving the doll his first name and insisted on being called "Gene." Robert and Gene were inseparable. Gene would spend hours playing with and talking to Robert. During that time period, a boy playing with a doll wouldn't have been considered odd. Dolls were rare then, with the teddy bear only introduced in 1902. Children mostly played games than with toys. Thomas and Minnie Otto, Gene's parents, as well as visitors to their house said that they heard Gene talking to the doll when he was alone in his room. They also said they heard a distinct voice that was definitely not Gene's answer. Whenever Gene was reprimanded for misbehaving, he would say: "I didn't do it. Robert did it!"

Gene Otto wearing his sailor suit with a friend. Source: Find a Grave

It has been confirmed that Robert the Doll was manufactured by The Steiff Co., a German toy company established in 1880 by a brother and sister, Margarete and Fritz Steiff. The company was and still is known for their high quality items. Steiff also introduced the teddy bear.

Robert was originally a clown doll in a Harlequin-style outfit, an outfit that was found in the Otto's attic where Robert was kept and described by those who knew the Otto family at the time. Robert's sailor suit and plush lion both belonged to Gene Otto. An ad for a Steiff Co. clown doll was also found by paranormal investigator David Sloan, who conducted extensive research on Robert the Doll and the Otto family. Adding in fading and wear from age as factors, the doll in the ad is most likely the same design as Robert.

A detail that could also mark Robert as a Steiff toy is his missing right ear, probably due to age. The Steiff Co. devised a trademark to distinguish their toys from counterfeit replicas. Each doll manufactured by Steiff had a metal button inserted into one ear bearing the likeness of an elephant ( the idea for toy-making stemmed from Margarete Steiff's hobby of making elephant pin cushions which children enjoyed playing with) and later on the buttons simply had the name"Steiff" on them.

Sloan also contacted Rebekah Kaufman, Steiff's consultant and archivist for North America. Sloan sent Kaufman detailed photos, measurements and descriptions of Robert. Kaufman and a colleague both agreed that Robert is a Steiff toy and placed his manufacture no later than 1912. Kaufman also found a doll very similar to Robert up for auction about one year later. The doll was definitely a Steiff.

Kaufman also added that, because of his size (that of a real child) Robert was most likely meant for display and that he would have been expensive.

A clown doll manufactured by the Steiff Company. This is what Robert the Doll most likely looked like when he was new. Source: My Steiff Life

The Ottos were a prominent family in Key West. Gene's grandfather, Dr. Joseph Otto, was born in Konigsburg, East Prussia (now Germany).He left Prussia hiding in a "load of hay" during a student revolution. After making his way to London, he met his future wife, Maria Belton. Dr. Otto started his practice in Key West, Florida in 1862. He lived and practiced medicine through both the small pox and yellow fever epidemics.

Joseph and Maria Otto made their home at 534 Eaton Street, now known as The Artist House, currently featured on a ghost tour in Key West. The Artist House is also a bed and breakfast and was the home of Robert the Doll for about 70 years.

Besides his medical practice, Joseph also owned two pharmacies, one located across from The Artist House. Doctors actually didn't make much money in those days and often became pharmacists to supplement their income. Thomas Otto was the third child born to the couple. Thomas would marry a woman named Minnie. Thomas and Minnie would become the parents of Gene, born October 25, 1900, the youngest of four children: Mizpah, Joseph and Thomas Osgood.

Dr. Joseph Otto passed away on June 27, 1885 at age 59. Until his death, Joseph was assisted by his servant, William Abbott, who plays a part in the story of Robert.

William Abbott and his wife, Emeline, emigrated from the West Indies sometime before the year 1880. William became Joseph's servant and Emeline worked as a laundress. He was mulatto and she was black. Both Abbotts can be traced back to the Bahamas.

After Joseph's death, Thomas hired William to work as a clerk at one of the pharmacies, the location across from 534 Eaton Street. William Abbott worked for the Ottos up until Thomas' brother, Joseph's, death in 1916.

It is speculated that Emeline Abbott had an affair with Thomas Otto during her husband's employment with the Ottos.

There are some interesting bits of information that don't prove for certain that Thomas and Emeline had an affair but could be a cause to question the relationship between the two.

Apparently, there was a lot of temptation for Thomas to stray. Minnie Otto wrote in her journal about how much women desired her husband. Also, after her husband's death, she did not want to be buried in the Otto family plot.

Supposedly, Dr. Joseph Otto gave Thomas, some advice on sexual matters, specifically venereal disease. The elder Dr. Otto advised "prophylactic care'" instead of abstinence.

Between 1900 and 1910, Emeline Abbott was pregnant and lost a child. Another bit of interesting information is that a few people said that they've seen the spirit that haunts Robert, described as a mulatto or light-skinned black child.

A possible theory as to the source of Robert's power is that Emeline could have used Voodoo to trap the spirit of her child in the doll. Gene Otto's attachment to Robert may have been caused by a connection to the spirit of a half-brother or half-sister inside of the doll.

A caretaker at The Artist House during the 1980's, Poochie Myers, described seeing the spirit of a 5-year-old mulatto or light-skinned black girl with long brown curls, dressed in an old-fashioned white nightgown sitting on the staircase. Myers said the little girl seemed angry.

In the end, the Abbotts and Ottos were so close that, after their passing, both Abbotts were buried in the Otto family plot.

Santeria, a popular form of Voodoo practiced in Key West, could be the source of Robert's abilities. Santeria substitutes the names of Catholic saints for the African Orishas originally worshipped by the slaves.

It's been established that Robert is not specifically what would be considered a Voodoo doll but manufactured by the Steiff Co. However, a curse could've been put on the doll or a spirit could still have haunted the doll.

The Artist House; Source: Trip Advisor.

Robert and Gene remained constant companions until Gene left home. Thomas passed away when Gene was 16-years-old. As an adult, Gene left home to study architecture and art abroad, leaving Robert behind. The two would be separated for about 27 years.

Gene studied architecture in Virginia, then decided to pursue art, an interest of his since childhood. He studied art in Chicago, New York City and Paris. It was in Paris where Gene met his future wife, Annette Parker, an accomplished pianist from a wealthy New England family.

Gene and Annette settled in New York City, where Gene worked as a furniture salesman and Anne landed a gig at the Rainbow Room at Rockefeller Center. The couple became a songwriting team with Gene providing lyrics to Anne's music. One of their songs, "Time and the River" was recorded by vocalist Jimmy Brierly. The songwriting duo had 30 songs copyrighted.

Gene returned to Key West with Anne in 1945 after receiving word that his mother, Minnie, was sick. After her death, Gene's siblings signed their shares of the estate over to him. Gene and Anne made The Artist House their home and... Anne was introduced to Robert the Doll.

Anne disliked Robert and was disturbed by how much attention Gene lavished upon the doll. Gene created a space especially for Robert in the attic, complete with child-size furniture, toys and outfits. Once again, Robert and Gene were constant companions. Gene spent a lot of time in the attic talking to Robert. Whenever Gene painted in his studio, Robert would be by his side.

Myrtle Reuter, former owner of The Artist House and Robert's caretaker from 1974 to 1994, said: "A neighbor told me Anne told him that whenever Gene did anything mean or hateful he blamed it on the doll."

To the community in Key West, Gene Otto was an upstanding member, an accomplished artist and architect who was involved in his community. Gene was known for supporting community organizations such as the Key West Woman's Club and Garden Club.

Gene and Annette (nee Parker) Otto; Source: Pinterest.

West Indian Ruins by Robert Eugene Otto; Source: Worthpoint.

Robert Eugene "Gene" Otto passed away on June 24, 1974, due to complications caused by Parkinson's disease. Up until his death in a hospital bed in Miami, Gene spent most of his time with Robert. Gene was buried in his family's plot in Key West, next to his two Yorkshire Terriers.

After Gene's death, Anne found out that he had written her out of his will. Gene left everything to his sister, Mizpah. Unbeknownst to Anne, Gene changed his will after he learned that his mother-in-law wrote him out of her will. Anne sold The Artist House to a friend, William Gaiser, and moved in with her sister, Lester, in Massachusetts.

Anne gave Robert to Gaiser and told him, "That doll was Gene's only friend. Of course, he never had any other friends." Five years later, Anne died of pancreatic cancer.

Gaiser sold the house to friends William and Myrtle Reuter. Myrtle became Robert's caretaker from 1974 to 1994. She liked to dress Robert in pajamas on Christmas Eve and have him sit by the tree. While Myrtle and her husband lived in the Otto's home, Myrtle said she never experienced anything out of the ordinary with Robert.

The Reuters decided to move to another house in Key West in 1980. Myrtle would have Robert sit on the porch of their new home. Things wouldn't remain uneventful.

When Myrtle Reuter realized that Robert was moving around on his own, she decided to lock him in a room. Robert, in turn, locked Myrtle in a room. In 1994, Myrtle decided to donate Robert to the Fort East Martello Museum. She informed the museum that Robert was part of the Otto family and that she no longer wanted him in her house. She said that he was"haunted." Myrtle Reuter died three months later.

To this day, employees and visitors to the museum report having strange experiences with or caused by Robert. The walls surrounding his display are wallpapered with letters describing series of misfortunes suffered by those who visited. Lights flicker on and off around his exhibit, doors slam and devices are drained of their power to be fully charged when leaving the museum. Some tourists find their photos completely gone from their cameras and phones and other visitors find that all their photos are gone except photos of Robert.

Robert and Fort East Martello Museum curator, Cori Convotito; Source: Keys Weekly.

Employees at the museum became frightened of Robert as they realized that Myrtle Reuter had not been imagining things. They say that Robert did move around and his facial expression seemed to change. At first Robert was kept in a storage area and visits were by appointment only. However, after a ghost tour began in 1996, which included information about Robert, requests to visit Robert increased to a point where he was given a permanent display in the museum. Robert is cleaned on a regular basis. His condition is checked annually by a team of professionals who write a detailed report and make any repairs needed.

Paranormal activity also continues at The Artist House. Tour groups report seeing a blue orb around the front of the house that materializes briefly into the form of a woman believed to be Anne Otto. There's a theory that Anne's spirit has returned to protect employees and guests from Robert.

David Sloan, author of "Robert the Doll: The True Biography of Key West's Haunted Doll," said that he had strange experiences while writing the book. He lost all of the files saved on his computer. Techs were able to recover all of his files except for the book manuscript. He also reports levitating above his bed and even feels he was possessed.

Is Robert cursed by Voodoo, haunted by the spirit of a long- deceased child or perhaps activated or charged by all of the attention and energy focused on him by Gene Otto? These are all theories as to where Robert's abilities originate. Robert is an enigma, a mystery perhaps never to be solved. Some believe, others will not and some may approach Robert with an "open-minded skepticism." The only way to find out is to visit Robert and see what you experience ... if you dare.

- Missy Dawn

Robert and his many letters; Source: Wikipedia.

My Robert; Photo: Missy Dawn.

To purchase a Robert replica and other Robert merchandise, visit

Send any correspondence to Robert to:

Fort East Martello Museum

3501 South Roosevelt Blvd.

Key West, FL 33040

Main Source: "Robert the Doll: The True Biography of Key West's Haunted Doll," by David L. Sloan, Phantom Press, Key West, 2014 and ...

Many YouTube videos...

[blackswaneuroparedux]

Anonymous asked: My granddaughter is 16 and in the us navy sea cadet program here in the USA. She hopes to become a naval aviator. She love reading military books. Any recommendations for her. Her mom says she reads anything military from equipment to history. I could use advice on a reading list to buy books for her. William Law

Thank you William for sending me this. It’s certainly one of the most interesting asks I’ve ever had the pleasure to reply to because it involves my love of Classics and also being a former military aviator.

So I put some thought into it because I can sense a kindred spirit in your grand daughter. She must be a remarkable young girl if she is as focused and committed as you say she is in terms of her life goals. If I may say so she is also blessed to have a grandfather like you who recognises the value of reading books to aid her and inspire her.

I have tried to confine myself to the narrow parameters of recommending books that can appeal to a precocious teenager that have a connection to naval and maritime themes (rather than the landed military) and have a general connection to women in the navy or as aviators. So the list is broken into personal memoirs, naval and maritime history, fictional works, and finally a select Classics list.

If you will indulge me I have included the Classics because I firmly believe a grounding in the Classics (from as early age as possible) is so culturally enriching and personally rewarding. In my experience the wisest military leaders and veterans I have ever had the privilege of knowing were grounded in the Classics.

To my mind Classic history, literature and poetry belongs in any library relating to maritime affairs. It provides a flavour of sea life, helping strategists understand this alien element. Just as important, it enlivens the topic. As you will know, ships and fleets do not make history; people do.

It is by no means a comprehensive list but something to start with. I’ve decided not to give you a bullet point laundry list but add some notes of my own because I found it fun to do - and in doing so I found myself looking back on my teenage years with equal icky amounts of embarrassment, regret, foolishness, fun, and joy. 

1. Personal memoirs

West with the Night by Beryl Markham

‘Poetry in flight’ best describes this 1942 memoir from aviatrix Beryl Markham of bush flying in Africa and long-distance flight, which includes her solo flight across the Atlantic. Lyrical and expressive her descriptions of the adventure of flying continue to inspire generations of women pilots, including myself when I learned to fly.

Markham was a colonial child and was raised by her father on a remote farm in Njoro, British East Africa (present-day Kenya). After a tomboyish childhood spent roaming the Kenyan wilds, she moved upcountry to Molo, becoming a racehorse trainer. There she saw her first plane and met British pilot Tom Black, who became her flight instructor and lover. Soon Markham earned her commercial pilot’s license, the first woman in Kenya to do so, and began to freelance as a bush pilot. Much of West With the Night concerns itself with this period in Markham’s life, detailing her flights in an Avro Avian biplane running supplies to remote outposts or scouting game for safaris.

Since airfields were essentially nonexistent in Africa at the time, Markham’s flights were particularly dangerous, punctuated with white-knuckle landings in forest clearings and open fields. In fact the dangers of African flying claimed the lives of a number of aviators. Markham eloquently describes her own search for a downed pilot: “Time and distance together slip smoothly past the tips of my wings without sound, without return, as I peer downward over the night-shadowed hollows of the Rift Valley and wonder if Woody, the lost pilot, could be there, a small pinpoint of hope and of hopelessness listening to the low, unconcerned song of the Avian - flying elsewhere.”

Markham’s memoir shies away from personal details - she is rumoured to have had an affair with an English prince - and straightforward chronology, instead focusing on vivid scenes gathered from a well-lived life. Rarely does one encounter such an evocative sense of a time and place as she creates. The heat and dust of Africa emanate from her prose. Anyone interested in aviation, in Africa, or in simply reading an absorbing book will find much to like in its pages. Ernest Hemingway, a friend and fellow safari enthusiast, wrote of Markham’s memoir, “I wish you would get it and read it because it really is a bloody wonderful book.”

It is a bloody brilliant book and it’s one of the books closest to my heart as it personally resonated with my nomadic life growing up in foreign countries where once the British empire made its mark.

I first read it on my great aunt’s Kenyan tea farm during the school holidays in England. I got into huge trouble for taking a treasured first edition - personally signed by Markham herself - from the library of my great aunt without permission. My great aunt - not an easy woman to get on with given her questionable eccentricities - wrote a stern letter to the head teacher of my girls’ boardng school in England that the schools standards and moral Christian teachings must be in terminal decline if girls were encouraged to pilfer books willy nilly from other people’s bookshelves and thus she would not - as an alum herself - be donating any more money to the school. It was one more sorry blot in my next school report.

Fly Girls: How Five Daring Women Defied All Odds and Made Aviation History by Keith O’Brien

For pioneering pilots of the 1920s and 1930s, the challenges were enormous. For women it was even more daunting. In this marvellous history, Keith O’Brien recounts the early years of aviation through a generation of American female pilots who carved out a place for themselves and their sisterhood. Despite the sensation they created, each “went missing in her own way.” This is the inspiring untold story of five women from very different walks of life - including a New York socialite, an Oakland saleswoman, a Florida dentist’s secretary and a Boston social worker - who fought and competed against men in the  high-stakes national air races of the 1920s and 1930s — and won.

Between the world wars, no sport was more popular, or more dangerous, than airplane racing. Thousands of fans flocked to multi-day events, and cities vied with one another to host them. The pilots themselves were hailed as dashing heroes who cheerfully stared death in the face. Well, the men were hailed. Female pilots were more often ridiculed than praised for what the press portrayed as silly efforts to horn in on a manly and deadly pursuit. The derisive press dubbed the first women’s national air race “The Powder Puff Derby.”

It’s a brisk, spirited history of early aviation focused on 5 irrepressible women. Florence Klingensmith, a high-school dropout who worked for a dry cleaner in Fargo, North Dakota, and who trained as a mechanic so she could learn planes inside and out but whose first aviation job was as a stunt girl, standing on a wing in her bathing suit. Louise McPhetridge Thaden a girl who grew up as a tomboy and later became the mother of two young kids who got her start selling coal in Wichita. Ruth Elder, an Alabama divorcee was determined to be the first woman to fly across the Atlantic. Amelia Earhart was of course the most famous, but not necessarily the most skilled. Ruth Nichols who chafed at the constraints of her blue-blood family's expectations of marrying into wealth and into high society.

In 1928, when women managed to get jobs in other male dominated fields, fewer than 12 had a pilot’s license, and those ambitious for prizes and recognition faced entrenched sexism from the men who ran air races, backed fliers, and financed the purchase of planes. They decided to organise: “For our own protection,” one of them said, “we must learn to think for ourselves, and do as much work as possible on our planes.” Although sometimes rivals in the air, they forged strong friendships and offered one another unabated encouragement. O’Brien vividly recounts the dangers of early flight: In shockingly rickety planes, pilots sat in open cockpits, often blinded by ice pellets or engine smoke; instruments were unreliable, if they worked at all; sudden changes in weather could be life threatening. Fliers regularly emerged from their planes covered in dust and grease. Crashes were common, with planes bursting into flames; but risking injury and even death failed to dampen the women’s passion to fly. And yet their bravery was only scoffed at by male prejudice. Iconic  oilman Erle Halliburton believed, “Women are lacking in certain qualities that men possess.” Florence Klingensmith’s crash incited a debate about allowing menstruating women to fly.

And yet these women still took off in wooden crates loaded with gasoline. They flew over mountains, deserts and seas without radar or even radios. When they came down, they knew that their landings might be their last. But together, they fought for the chance to race against the men - and in 1936 one of them would triumph in the toughest race of all. And When Louise Thaden became the first woman to win a national race, even the great Charles Lindbergh fell curiously silent.

O'Brien nicely weaves together the stories of these five remarkable women in the spirit of Tom Wolfe’s The Right Stuff who broke the glass ceiling to achieve greatness.

Thoughts of a Philosophical Fighter Pilot by James Stockdale

Thoughts on issues of character, leadership, integrity, personal and public virtue, and ethics, the selections in this volume converge around the central theme of how man can rise with dignity to prevail in the face of adversity- lessons just as valid for the challenges of present-day life as they were for the author’s Vietnam experience.Vice Admiral James Stockdale, a senior research fellow at the Hoover Institution, served in the U.S. Navy from 1947 to 1979, beginning as a test pilot and instructor at Patuxent River, Maryland, and spending two years as a graduate student at Stanford University. He became a fighter pilot and was shot down on his second combat tour over North Vietnam, becoming a prisoner of war for eight years, four in solitary confinement. The highest-ranking naval officer held during the Vietnam War, he was tortured fifteen times and put in leg irons for two years. It’s a book that makes you think how much character is important in good at anything, especially being a thoughtful and wise leader in the heat of battle.

Make Your Bed: Little Things That Can Change Your Life And Maybe The World by Admiral William H. McRaven   On May 17, 2014, Admiral William H. McRaven addressed the graduating class of the University of Texas at Austin on their Commencement day. Taking inspiration from the university's slogan, "What starts here changes the world," he shared the ten principles he learned during Navy Seal training that helped him overcome challenges not only in his training and long Naval career, but also throughout his life; and he explained how anyone can use these basic lessons to change themselves-and the world-for the better.

Admiral McRaven's original speech went viral with over 10 million views.

Building on the core tenets laid out in his speech, McRaven now recounts tales from his own life and from those of people he encountered during his military service who dealt with hardship and made tough decisions with determination, compassion, honour, and courage.

The book is told with great humility and optimism. It provides simple wisdom, practical advice, and words of encouragement that will inspire readers to achieve more, even in life's darkest moments.

Service: A Navy SEAL at War by Marcus Luttrell with James D. Hornfischer 

Navy SEAL Marcus Luttrell is more known for his other famous best seller Lone Survivor but this one I think is also a thrilling war story, Service is above all a profoundly moving tribute to the warrior brotherhood, to the belief that nobody goes it alone, and no one will be left behind. Luttrell returned from his star-crossed mission in Afghanistan with his bones shattered and his heart broken. So many had given their lives to save him-and he would have readily done the same for them. As he recuperated, he wondered why he and others, from America's founding to today, had been willing to sacrifice everything - including themselves-for the sake of family, nation, and freedom.

In Service, we follow Marcus Luttrell to Iraq, where he returns to the battlefield as a member of SEAL Team 5 to help take on the most dangerous city in the world: Ramadi, the capital of war-torn Al Anbar Province. There, in six months of high-intensity urban combat, he would be part of what has been called the greatest victory in the history of US Special Operations forces. We also return to Afghanistan and Operation Redwing, where Luttrell offers powerful new details about his miraculous rescue.

Throughout, he reflects on what it really means to take on a higher calling, about the men he's seen lose their lives for their country, and the legacy of those who came and bled before. I did rub shoulders with the US special forces community out on my time in Afghanistan and whilst their public image deifies them I found them to be funny, pranksters, humble, brave, and down to earth beer guzzling hogs who cheerfully cheat at cards.

The Spirit of St. Louis by Charles A. Lindbergh

Being one of the classics in aviation history, this well written book is an epic aviator’s adventure tale of all time. Charles Lindbergh is best known for its famous nonstop flight from New York to Paris in 1927 as it changed the history of aviation. “The Spirit of St. Louis” takes the reader on an extraordinary trans-Atlantic journey in a single-engine plane. As well as provides insight into the early history of American aviation and includes some great fuel conservation tips!

20 Hrs. 40 mins by Amelia Earhart

How can any woman pilot not be inspired by Amelia Earhart?  Earhart's first transatlantic flight of June 1928 during which she flew as a passenger accompanying pilot Wilmer Stultz and co-pilot Louis Gordon. The team departed from Trepassey Harbor, Newfoundland, in a Fokker F.VIIb/3m on 17 June 1928, landing at Pwll near Burry Port, South Wales, exactly 20 hours and 40 minutes later. The book is an interesting read but I much prefer her other book written in 1932 The Fun Of It. The book is Earhart's account of her growing obsession with flying, the final chapter of which is a last minute addition chronicling her historic solo transatlantic flight of 1932. The work contains the mini-record of Earhart's international broadcast from London on 22 May 1932. Earhart set out from Harbour Grace, Newfoundland on 20 May 1932. After a flight lasting 14 hours and 56 minutes Earhart landed in a pasture at Culmore, north of Derry, Northern Ireland. The work also includes a list of other works on aviation written by women, emblematic of Earhart's desire to promote women aviators.

2. Naval and military history

The U.S. Navy: A Concise History by Craig L Symonds

Symonds’s The U.S. Navy: A Concise History is a fantastic book from one of the doyennes of US naval history. I cannot think of any other work on the US Navy that provides such a thorough overview of American naval policy, navy combat operations, leadership, technology, and culture in such a succinct manner. This book is perfect for any reader - young or old -  just wading into the waters of naval history and not knowing where to start, or for someone who wishes to learn a little bit about each era of the navy, from its founding to its modern-day mission and challenges.

His other distinguished works are more in depth - mostly about the Second World War such as the Battle of Midway and the Normandy landings - but this is a good introduction to his magisterial books. His latest book came out in 2019 called World War II at Sea: A Global History. I have not read this yet but from others who have they say it is a masterful overview of the war at sea.

Six Frigates: The Epic History of the Founding of the U.S. Navy by Ian W. Toll

Before the ink was dry on the U.S. Constitution, the establishment of a permanent military became the most divisive issue facing the new government. The founders - particularly Jefferson, Madison, and Adams - debated fiercely. Would a standing army be the thin end of dictatorship? Would a navy protect from pirates or drain the treasury and provoke hostility? Britain alone had hundreds of powerful warships.

From the decision to build six heavy frigates, through the cliff-hanger campaign against Tripoli, to the war that shook the world in 1812, Ian W. Toll tells this grand tale with the political insight of Founding Brothers and the narrative flair of Patrick O’Brian.

The Pursuit of Victory: The Life and Achievement of Horatio Nelson by Roger Knight

The starting point of Roger Knight’s magnificent new biography is to explain how Nelson achieved such extraordinary success. Knight places him firmly in the context of the Royal Navy at the time. He analyses Nelson’s more obvious qualities, his leadership strengths and his coolness and certainty in battle, and also explores his strategic grasp, the condition of his ships, the skill of his seamen and his relationships with the officers around him – including those who could hardly be called friendly.

This biography takes a shrewd and sober look at Nelson’s status as a hero and demolishes many of the myths that were so carefully established by the early authors, and repeated by their modern successors.

While always giving Nelson his due, Knight never glosses over the character flaws of his heroic subject. Nelson is seen essentially as a "driven" personality, craving distinction in an age increasingly coloured by notions of patriotic heroism, traceable back to the romantic (and entirely unrealistic) depiction of the youthful General James Wolfe dying picturesquely at the moment of victory in 1759. Nor does Knight take Nelson's side in dealing with that discreditable phase in 1798-99, when he is influenced, much for the worse, by his burgeoning involvement with Lady Hamilton at Naples and Palermo. Knight accepts that this interlude has left an indelible stain on Nelson's naval and personal record. But he traces the largely destructive course of Nelson's passion for Emma with appropriate sensitivity.

Nelson was a shrewd political operator who charmed and impressed political leaders and whose advancement was helped by the relatively weak generation of admirals above him. He was a difficult subordinate, only happy when completely in command, and capable of great ruthlessness. Yes he was flawed, but Nelson's flaws, including his earlier petulance in dealing with higher naval authority - only brought fully under control towards the end of his career - pale before his remarkable strengths. His outstanding physical and moral courage and his inspired handling of officers and men are repeatedly and effectively illustrated.

1812: The Navy’s War by George C. Daughan

When war broke out between Britain and the United States in 1812, America’s prospects looked dismal. British naval aggression made it clear that the ocean would be the war’s primary battlefield - but America’s navy, only twenty ships strong, faced a practiced British fleet of more than a thousand men-of-war.

Still, through a combination of nautical deftness and sheer bravado, a handful of heroic captains and their stalwart crews managed to turn the tide of the war, besting the haughty skippers of the mighty Royal Navy and cementing America’s newly won independence.

In 1812: The Navy’s War, award-winning naval historian George C. Daughan draws on a wealth of archival research to tell the amazing story of this tiny, battle tested team of Americans and their improbable yet pivotal victories. Daughan thrillingly details the pitched naval battles that shaped the war, and shows how these clashes proved the navy’s vital role in preserving the nation’s interests and independence. This well written history is the first complete account in more than a century of how the U.S. Navy rescued the fledgling nation and secured America’s future. Daughan’s prose is first-rate, and his rousing accounts of battles at sea will certainly appeal to a popular audience. 

I was given this book as a tongue in cheek gift from an American friend who was an ex-US Marine officer with tours in Iraq and Afghanistan. He was obviously trying to rib me as good friends do. But I really did enjoy this book.

Among the most interesting insights is Daughan’s judgment on the effect of the American invasion attempts in Canada; all ultimately defeated. Demanded by enthusiastic War Hawks unencumbered by knowledge or experience who predicted that the Canadians would flock to U.S. banners, these incursions became the groundwork for a unified Iraq Canada - Ha!

What I liked was the fact that Daughan places the war in its crucial European context, explaining in detail how the course of the Napoleonic Wars shaped British and American decision making and emphasising the North American theatre’s secondary status to the European conflict. While they often verbally castigated Napoleon’s imperial ambitions, American leaders were in the uncomfortable position of needing Napoleon to keep winning while they fought Britain, and his defeat and (first) exile to Elba prompted an immediate scramble to negotiate a settlement. Despite its significance, few historians have bothered to systematically place the War of 1812 in the context of the Napoleonic Wars, and Daughan’s book does exactly that.

Empires of the Seas: The Siege of Malta, The Battle of Lepanto, and the Contest for the Centre of the World by Roger Crowley

In 1521, Suleiman the Magnificent, the great Muslim ruler of the Ottoman Empire, dispatched an invasion fleet to the Christian island of Rhodes. This would prove to be the opening shot in an epic clash between rival empires and faiths for control of the Mediterranean and the center of the world.

In Empires of the Sea, acclaimed historian Roger Crowley has written a thrilling account of this brutal decades-long battle between Christendom and Islam for the soul of Europe, a fast-paced tale of spiralling intensity that ranges from Istanbul to the Gates of Gibraltar.

Crowley conjures up a wild cast of pirates, crusaders, and religious warriors struggling for supremacy and survival in a tale of slavery and galley warfare, desperate bravery and utter brutality.

Empires of the Sea is a story of extraordinary colour and incident, and provides a crucial context for our own clash of civilisations.

One hundred Days: The Memoirs of the Falklands Battle Group Commander by Admiral Sandy Woodward RN

Written by the man who masterminded the British victory in the Falklands, this engrossing memoir chronicles events in the spring of 1982 following Argentina’s takeover of the South Atlantic islands. Admiral Sandy Woodward, a brilliant military tactician, presents a complete picture of the British side of the battle. From the defeat of the Argentine air forces to the sinking of the Belgrano and the daring amphibious landing at Carlos Water, his inside story offers a revealing account of the Royal Navy’s successes and failures.

At times reflective and personal, Woodward imparts his perceptions, fears, and reactions to seemingly disastrous events. He also reveals the steely logic he was famous for as he explains naval strategy and planning. His eyewitness accounts of the sinking of HMS Sheffield and the Battle of Bomb Alley are memorable.

Many in Whitehall and the armed forces considered Woodward the cleverest man in the navy. French newspapers called him “Nelson.” Margaret Thatcher said he was precisely the right man to fight the world’s first computer war. Without question, the admiral’s memoir makes a significant addition to the official record.

At the same time it provides readers with a vivid portrayal of the world of modern naval warfare, where equipment is of astonishing sophistication but the margins for human courage and error are as wide as in the days of Nelson.

3. Fiction

The Caine Mutiny by Herman Wouk

The majestic novel that inspired the classic Hollywood film The Caine Mutiny with Humphrey Bogart. Herman Wouk's boldly dramatic, brilliantly entertaining novel of life-and mutiny-on a US Navy warship in the Pacific theatre was immediately embraced, upon its original publication in 1951, as one of the first serious works of American fiction to grapple with the moral complexities and the human consequences of World War II.

The Sand Pebbles by Richard McKenna

It’s a fantastic novel that inspired a Steve McQueen film of the same name. Watch the movie if you haven’t, but read the book. It’s impossible to do a story of this sweep justice in two hours, even with the great McQueen starring.

Naval friends tell me The Sand Pebbles has been a fixture on the US Chief of Naval Operations’ Professional development reading list, and thus all mariners should be encouraged to read. And it’s easy to tell why. Most American seafarers will interact with the Far East in this age of the pivot, as indeed they have for decades.

Told through the eyes of a junior enlisted man, The Sand Pebbles recounts the deeds of the crew of the fictional U.S. Navy gunboat San Pablo during the turbulent 1920s, when various parties were vying for supremacy following the overthrow of China’s Qing Dynasty.

It’s a book about the mutual fascination, and sometimes repulsion, between Americans and Chinese; the tension between American missionaries and the sailors entrusted with protecting them; and China’s descent into chaos following the collapse of dynastic rule.

How do you separate fact from fiction or myth when writing a historical novel. Wisely, McKenna lets the reader to conclude there’s an element of myth to all accounts of history. Causality - what factors brought about historical events - is in the eye of the beholder. The best an author of historical fiction can do, then, is devote ample space to all contending myths and leave it up to readers to judge. Sailors, missionaries, and ordinary Chinese get their say in his pages, to illuminating effect. Authors report, the readers decide.

Ghost Fleet: A Novel of the Next World War by P.W. Singer and August Cole 

The United States, China, and Russia eye each other across a twenty-first century version of the Cold War, which suddenly heats up at sea, on land, in the air, in outer space, and in cyberspace. The fighting involves everything from stealthy robotic–drone strikes to old warships from the navy’s “ghost fleet.” Fighter pilots unleash a Pearl Harbor-style attack; American veterans become low-tech insurgents; teenage hackers battle in digital playgrounds; Silicon Valley billionaires mobilise for cyber-war; and a serial killer carries out her own vendetta. Ultimately, victory will depend on blending the lessons of the past with the weapons of the future.

The book’s title, Ghost Fleet, comes from an expression used in the U.S. Navy that refers to partially or fully decommissioned ships kept in reserve for potential use in future conflict. These ships, as one might imagine, are older and naturally less technologically sophisticated than their modern counterparts. Singer and Cole cleverly use this concept, retiring older ships and weaponry in favour of newer versions with higher technological integration, to illustrate a key motif in the book: while America’s newest generation of warfighting machinery and gear is capable of inflicting greater levels of punishment, it is also vulnerable to foreign threats in ways that its predecessors were not. The multi-billion dollar, next generation F-35 aircraft, for instance, is rendered powerless after it is revealed that Chinese microprocessor manufacturers had implanted malicious code into products intended for the jet.

I’m a huge sucker for intelligently written thrillers and I found Ghost Fleet to be a page-turning speculative thriller in the spirit of Tom Clancy’s The Hunt for Red October. The debut novel by two leading experts on the cutting edge of national security, it is unique in that every trend and technology featured in the novel - no matter how sci-fi it may seem - is real, or could be soon.

Master and Commander by Patrick O’Brian (Aubery-Maturin series)

This, the first of twenty in the splendid series of the famous Jack Aubrey novels, establishes the friendship between Captain Jack Aubrey, R.N., and Stephen Maturin, ship’s Irish-Catalan surgeon and intelligence agent, against a thrilling backdrop of the Napoleonic wars. Details of a life aboard a man-of-war in Nelson’s navy are faultlessly rendered: the conversational idiom of the officers in the ward room and the men on the lower deck, the food, the floggings, the mysteries of the wind and the rigging, and the roar of broadsides as the great ships close in battle.

I have the first editions of some of the series and I have treasured them ever since I read them as a teenager. I felt like stowing away on the first ship I could find in Plymouth. The Hollywood film version by Peter Weir with Russell Crowe as Jack Aubrey is a masterful swashbuckling film and perhaps a delightful way into the deeper riches of the other novels in the epic series.

Beat to Quarters by C.S. Forester (Horatio Hornblower series)

Horatio Hornblower remains for many the best known and most loved of these British naval heroes of Napoleonic Age. In ten books Forester recounts Hornblower's rise from midshipman to admiral, during the British navy's confrontation with Revolutionary and Napoleonic France. For readers, the books work as a window into history because of the outstanding details that appear in these books. Through this singular series, according to critics, C.S. Forrester - like Patrick O’Brian - has contributed his own uniqueness to the confluence of fact and fiction.

They are above all ‘ripping good yarns’, with fast-moving plots, stirring battle scenes, lively dialogue, and vivid characters, but they also offer a picture of the British navy during the period; and Hornblower himself is an original and memorable literary creation as fictionally charismatic as James Bond.

Young Hornblower is introspective, morose, self-doubting. He is crippled by the fear that he does not have the qualities to  command other men. He is harder on himself than anyone else would dare to be – and is, simply, one of the most complete creations of character in fiction. This is why many teenagers love Hornblower because they can see something of themselves in his adventures from from chronic self-doubt to soaring swashbuckling self-confidence. Hornblower is much more relatable than the brooding seasoned Jack Aubrey for instance.

I recommend reading the books in the order they were written rather than chronologically. In the first written novel, Beat to Quarters (also published as The Happy Return), we find Hornblower in command of a frigate in lonely Pacific waters off Spanish Central America. He has to deal with a mad revolutionary, fight single-ship duels with a larger vessel, and cope with Lady Barbara Wellesley (who provides a romantic interest to the series).

In A Ship of the Line Hornblower is sent into the Mediterranean, where he wreaks havoc on French coastal communications before plunging into a battle against the odds. Flying Colours is mostly set in France: in it Hornblower escapes captivity and returns to England a hero. In The Commodore he is sent with a squadron into the Baltic, where he has to cope with the complex politics of the region as well as helping with the siege of Riga. And in Lord Hornblower a mutiny leads to involvement with the fall of Napoleon — and brings him to prison and a death sentence during the Hundred Days. Forester then went back and described Hornblower's earlier career. Lieutenant Hornblower is perhaps my favourite of the Hornblower books.

Piece of cake by Derek Robinson

It’s an epic tome covering the opening twelve months of World War Two, from the phony war in France to the hasty retreat back across the Channel and then the valiant stand against the might of the Luftwaffe in what became known as the Battle of Britain.

The book follows the exploits of the fictional Hornet squadron and its members, a group of men who work hard and play harder. Though fiction, this immaculately researched novel based on an RAF Hurricane fighter squadron in 1940 highlights the ill-preparedness of Britain in the early stages of Word War Two.

Its British black humour is on full throttle with its nuanced observations of class politics and institutional ineptness. The manic misfits, heroes and bullies of Hornet Squadron discover that aerial combat is nothing like what they have been trained for. The writing sears the reader’s brain and produces some of the finest writing on the air war ever put to paper.

Be warned, though, this story isn’t about one specific character or ‘hero’. Indeed, just as you get to know a pilot, they are either chopped or killed; such is the nature of war in the air. Even though this is initially frustrating, you soon come to realise just how authentic Robinson’s storytelling is, and that this is exactly what it must have been like to be part of an RAF squadron on active service, never knowing who of your comrades would be alive from day to day. And, although the war proper for Hornet squadron doesn’t start until late in the book, when it does come the rendition of the dogfights in the air are so gripping that you’ll feel like you are actually there, sat next to the pilot in his cramped Hurricane cockpit, as Messerschmitt 109s scream by spitting death from all points of the compass.

All in all, this is a thoroughly entertaining (and educational) novel, and a must read for anyone interested in the RAF and how so few stood against so many. It has the dark humour of Heller’s Catch 22 but with a very distinctive British humour that can be lost on other foreigners. I recommend it as a honest and healthy antidote to anyone thinking of all pilots and the brave deeds they do in some deified light when in fact they are human and flawed as anyone else. Anyone who’s ever been a pilot will recognise some archetype in their own real life in this darkly comic British novel.

Lord Jim by Joseph Conrad

Lord Jim has it all. It's not just a novel of the sea but a work of moral philosophy.

Night Flight by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry

In my humble opinion the greatest aviation fiction book ever written. It made the celebrated French aviator famous and Antoine de Saint-Exupery would go on to write the timeless classic The Little Prince.

Saint-Exupéry, though born into French nobility was always the odd one out as a child. Portly but jovial, he had bags of courage and curiosity to match his thirst for adventure and travel. He doggedly pursued his dream of becoming a pioneering pilot. In the 1930s he was an airline pilot who flew the north African and south Atlantic mail routes. During the long lonely hours in the cockpit he had enough time to accumulate experience and reflections which could be fit into Night Flight.

The novel itself narrates the terrifying story of Fabien, a pilot who conducted night mail planes, from Patagonia, Chile, and Paraguay to Argentina in the early days of commercial aviation when it was dangerous and pilots died often in horrendous accidents. The book romantically captures the danger and loneliness of these early commercial pilots, blazing routes in the days before radar, GPS and jet engines.

Night Flight is a good gateway into his other aviation themed books. Each of them are magical in capturing the austere feelings of seeing the world and its landscapes from above. Southern Mail, The Aviator, and Wind, Sand and Stars are fantastic reads.

Night Flight is inspiring for every pilot by sharing a unique magic of piloting an airplane.

These books changed my life as it inspired me to fly as a late teen. I still re-read Saint-Exupery’s writings sometimes as a way to tap into that youthful joy of discovering the wonders of flying a plane and when the impossible was only limited by your will and imagination. I cannot recommend his novels highly enough.

4. Classical

The Odyssey by Homer translated by Emily Wilson

Homer should the read at any age and for all seasons. I’ve chosen Emily Wilson’s recent translation because it’s good and not just because her publication was billed as the first woman to ever translate Homer. Wilson is an Oxford educated Classicist now a professor of Classics at Pennsylvania. Every discussion of Emily Wilson’s Odyssey is prefaced with the fact that hers is the first English translation of the poem by a woman, but it’s worth noting that Caroline Alexander’s Iliad (Ecco 2015) was also published as the first English translation by a woman to much less hoopla (to say nothing of Sarah Ruden’s Aeneid, Yale University Press 2009).

While a woman translating Homer’s epic is certainly a huge milestone, Wilson’s interpretation is a radical, fascinating achievement regardless of her gender. Disregard the marketing hype and the Wilson’s translation of Odysseus’ epic sea voyage home still stands tall for its fast paced narrative.

Compared with her predecessors’, Wilson’s Odyssey feels more readable, more alive: the diction, with some exceptions discussed below, is straightforward, and the lines are short. The effect is to turn the Odyssey into a quick-paced page turner, an experience I’d never had reading this epic poem in translation.

The War of the Peloponnesians and the Athenians by Thucydides translated by Jeremy Mynott

This is the classic treatise about what is essentially rowboats and spears of one of the most important and defining wars of Western civilisation. A long story of people killing one another, cynically justifying their cruelties in pursuit of power, making gross, stupid and fatal miscalculations, in a world devoid of justice. It's a long, drawn out tragedy without any redeeming or uplifting catharsis. If you are not already an extreme pessimist, you will lose all illusions about the inherent goodness of human beings and the possibility of influencing the course of events for the better after you read this book. You will be sadder but you will be wiser. Thucydides called his account of two decades of war between Athens and Sparta “a possession for all time,” and indeed it is the first and still most famous work in the Western historical tradition.

People look at me in a shocked way when I tell them that you can learn 90 percent of what you need to know about politics and war from Thucydides. Maritime strategy falls among the remaining 10 percent. If you want to read about the making of strategy, Clausewitz & Co. are your go-to works. If you want big thoughts about armed strife pitting a land against a sea power, Thucydides is your man. Considered essential reading for generals, admirals, statesmen, and liberally educated citizens for more than 2,000 years, The Peloponnesian War is a mine of military, naval, moral, political, and philosophical wisdom.

Finding the best and most accessible translation (and commentary) is key otherwise you risk putting off the novice reader (especially the young) from ever taking an interest in the Classical world e.g. I would never give the Thomas Hobbes translation to anyone who is easily bored or is impatient with old English. There are many good modern translations to choose from and here you have Strassler, Blanco, and Lattimore that are more used in America. Richard Crawley’s is the most popular but also the least accurate.

My own personal recommendation would be to go for Jeremy Mynott’s 2013 work which he titled The War of the Peloponnesians and the Athenians. Mynott was a former publishing head at Cambridge University Press and emeritus fellow of Wolfson College, Cambridge, as well as a leading expert on birds and natural history. Mynott’s aim is to re-introduce Thucydides to the reader in his “proper cultural and historical context”, and to strip back the “anachronistic concepts derived from later developments and theories”. Hence the name of the book: The War of the Peloponnesians and the Athenians, not, as it is usually called today, The Peloponnesian War.

But what is in a name? In this case, a great deal, since it contains Mynott’s mission statement in miniature. He has dropped the conventional name for the work, for which he correctly says there is no evidence from antiquity, in favour of a less one-sided title derived from Thucydides’s opening sentence. This is just one example of the accretions which Mynott’s edition aims to remove, so that the reader can come closer to being able to appreciate Thucydides’s work as it might have been received in classical Greece. In my humble opinion it is a minor miracle that Mynott has achieved in conveying in modern English the literary qualities of this most political of ancient historians.

The Peloponnesian War by Donald Kagan

I’m deliberating ignoring Victor David Hanson’s book on the Peloponnesian War (A War Like No Other) not because it’s not good (because it is in parts) but because I prefer Prof. Donald Kagan’s book.  Professor Kagan at Yale is one of the foremost scholars of Ancient Greek history. He has written a concise but thorough history of the Peloponnesian War for a general audience It's not the least bit dry for those with an interest in ancient history. The book’s an easy read. Kagan’s writing style is clear and straightforward.

Like any scholar worth his salt, Kagan is conversant with the scholarly consensus, with which he is for the most part in step, though he occasionally offers alternative scenarios. Much of the book is simply riveting. Like when the Spartan general Brasidas retakes Amphipolis, or the naval battle fought late in the war for control of the Hellespont. Woven throughout is the longer story of the Athenian turncoat, Alcibiades. Kagan’s analysis of the tactics and strategy of the conflict always seems on target. Interestingly, despite their reputations, the aristocratic Spartans usually come across as vacillating and indecisive while the democratic Athenians are aggressive and usually seize opportunity with successful results. Kagan refrains from drawing analogies to modern politics, although there’s certainly plenty of opportunity for it.

Professor Kagan preceded this one-volume history with a four-volume history of the war that took him around 20 years to write. That four volume series is a much more detailed and academic consideration of political motives and military strategy. But with this single volume, Kagan was able to produce a fast-moving tale, full of incident and colourful description easily readable for the general reader.  

Lords of the Sea by John R. Hale

This book spans the history of the Athenian navy, starting with its founder, Themistocles, and carrying the story through to the fall of Athens - its real fall at the hands of Alexander the Great, not the brief unpleasantness at Spartan hands - in 4th century B.C. Along the way Hale furnishes a wealth of details about naval warfare in classical antiquity. Lords of the Sea profiles Athens' seafaring culture fascinatingly, probing subjects on which Thucydides remains silent. An invaluable companion to Thucydides’ History of the Peloponnesian War, and a rollicking read to boot.

Meditations by Marcus Aurelius

Meditations is a series of personal writings by Marcus Aurelius, Roman Emperor 161–180 CE, setting forth his ideas on Stoic philosophy. Marcus Aurelius wrote the 12 books of the Meditations in Koine Greek as a source for his own guidance and self-improvement. It is possible that large portions of the work were written at Sirmium, where he spent much time planning military campaigns from 170 to 180. Some of it was written while he was positioned at Aquincum on campaign in Pannonia, because internal notes tell us that the second book was written when he was campaigning against the Quadi on the river Granova (modern-day Hron) and the third book was written at Carnuntum.

It is not clear that he ever intended the writings to be published, so the title Meditations is but one of several commonly assigned to the collection. These writings take the form of quotations varying in length from one sentence to long paragraphs.

When US Vice-Admiral. James Stockdale was shot down and became a prisoner of war in Vietnam, he attributed his survival to studying stoic philosophies, particularly Marcus Aurelius’ “Meditations.” Aurelius, the Roman emperor, wrote his simple rules for living by candlelight and they have been a source of strength for the thoughtful man of arms or the cultured citizen ever since. I also think teenagers would gain a lot from reading Meditations than endure reading angst-ridden nihilism of many tacky teenage books out there.

SPQR by Mary Beard

Anything by Cambridge Classics professor Mary Beard is worth reading. Everyone loves Mary Beard, fast becoming one of Britain’s national treasure. I’m not just saying all this because she was one of my teachers at Cambridge. I think SPQR is a wonderful book. Ancient Roman history is so very dense and intricate that it can be difficult to teach and learn about. Mary Beard makes it accessible- and she goes through it all, from the early days right up until the present day.

Ancient Rome was an imposing city even by modern standards, a sprawling imperial metropolis of more than a million inhabitants, a "mixture of luxury and filth, liberty and exploitation, civic pride and murderous civil war" that served as the seat of power for an empire that spanned from Spain to Syria. Yet how did all this emerge from what was once an insignificant village in central Italy? Mary Beard provides a sweeping revisionist history to get to grips with this thematic question.

‘SPQR’ is just four letters, but interwoven in those four letters are thousands of years and pages of Roman history. Cicero used to talk about the ’concordia ordinum.’ He said there was a harmony between all the orders in Rome. It’s like a pyramid hierarchy structure. At the top you have the ′senatus′ or the Senate—the aristocrats, the rich men who make decisions. Underneath that you have the ’equites’ who we don’t talk about as much , but they have their own spheres of power. They’ve got a bit of money and are a lower level. And underneath that you’ve got the ’populus’ or the people. SPQR is the harmony between the senatus and the populus and how they work together. That’s where Rome comes from: it’s not just about the Senate. The Senate can’t work without the people and vice versa. So ‘SPQR’ is basically a four-letter summation of the Roman constitution. It’s what it should be, though often isn’t. One of the reasons why - and she writes about this very well - Rome falls apart is because that relationship of harmony and hierarchy does fall apart under Caesar and Pompey in the 1st century BC.

Imperium by Robert Harris

This is one of my favourite novels, even if it weren’t classical, because like all Harris’ books it’s written like a smart thriller. I’m a huge Robert Harris fan. A lot of Robert Harris’ books are quite similar: they have a protagonist and you see the story - all the machinations - through his eyes. In Imperium we see the life of Cicero through the eyes of his slave, Tiro. We know Tiro was a real person, who recorded everything Cicero wrote.

The late Republic is one of my favourite periods of any period of history ever. You get all the figures: Cicero, Caesar, Pompey, Crassus, Octavian, Antony and Cato. Robert Harris paints compelling portraits of these people so nicely that even with Crassus, say, who comes up every so often, you get a sense of who he is. There are actually two more books in the trilogy: Lustrum and Dictator. Once you get to Dictator, you know who Julius Caesar really is, you know why he’s doing it.

[importantharmonywinner]

What Senate Committee Deals With Slot Machines

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What Senate Committee Deals With Slot Machines 2020

House panel approves gambling deal, Senate plan on hold. Tribe, do away with greyhound racing while allowing dog tracks to keep operating other games, and open the door for slot machines in Palm Beach County. But a Senate committee, expected to vote on its version of the gambling legislation, postponed consideration of the.

A House panel on Tuesday overwhelmingly supported a trio of gambling bills that would ratify a $3 billion deal between the state and the Seminole Tribe, do away with greyhound racing while allowing dog tracks to keep operating other games, and open the door for slot machines in Palm Beach County.

But a Senate committee, expected to vote on its version of the gambling legislation, postponed consideration of the measures after Sen. Joe Negron filed a series of amendments that would dramatically change the proposal, months in the making.

Senate Regulated Industries Chairman Rob Bradley said he decided to delay discussion of the gambling bills (SB 7072, SB 7074) for a week to give the panel more time to “digest” Negron’s complicated proposal.

“I received requests from committee members to have some time to review those amendments without feeling rushed. This is an issue that is complex and large enough that it’s a reasonable request,” Bradley, R-Fleming Island, told reporters Tuesday afternoon.

Earlier in the day, the House Regulatory Affairs Committee approved three gambling measures. One (PCB RAC 16-01) would ratify an agreement, called a “compact,” inked by Gov. Rick Scott and Seminole tribal leader James Billie in December. The compact would allow the Seminoles to add craps and roulette to their casino operations in exchange for a guarantee of $3 billion in payments to the state over seven years.

A second measure (PCB RAC 16-02) would allow greyhound tracks to do away with dog racing while keeping other pari-mutuel activities such as poker and slots, a process known as “decoupling.” The bill, amended to include the compact, would also decouple harness and quarter-horse races but would keep thoroughbred racing at Gulfstream Park and Tampa Bay Downs.

The proposal would also allow slots in Palm Beach County and at a new facility in Miami-Dade County.

The committee also approved a proposed constitutional amendment (PCB RAC 16-03), which would let voters decide whether they want to expand gambling in the future — after the compact and the other gambling changes go into effect.

House Regulatory Affairs Chairman Jose Felix Diaz said he decided to go ahead with the vote on the House’s gambling legislation after Bradley told him he was going to delay the vote on the Senate’s bills.

With the legislative session reaching the halfway point Wednesday, the Senate panel’s delay could make ratification of the compact problematic.

“We’re in week five, so every week that we don’t have a bill is a week closer to the bill dying,” Diaz, R-Miami, said. “It could very easily be one of those bills that we’re deciding at the very last moment. It just sort of looks and smells like it.”

But both Bradley and Diaz said that there is “plenty of time” for the Legislature to finalize a deal before the session ends on March 11.

“All the same challenges that existed six months ago, one month ago, one week ago, still exist today,” Bradley said.

Negron’s proposals, if passed, would significantly alter the agreement worked out by Scott’s general counsel, Tim Cerio, in tandem with Bradley and Diaz, who negotiated with the tribe for months before reaching an accord in December.

One of Negron’s amendments would allow slots at pari-mutuels in each of six counties — including Palm Beach — where voters have approved them, and in other counties where voters sign off on them in the future.

His plan would also decouple all dog and horse racing along with jai alai games, but allow the pari-mutuels to keep operating cardrooms and slot machines.

His proposal also includes $45 million — $20 million from the compact, and $25 million from revenues from slots and card games at pari-mutuels that discontinue racing or jai alai games — for thoroughbred purse pools.

And, in an effort to offset the expansion of gambling with the additional slot machines, Negron’s plan would eliminate 20 dormant or inactive pari-mutuel permits, while spending $20 million for the state to purchase active permits.

What Senate Committee Deals With Slot Machines Jackpots

Negron also wants the gambling measure to include language that would confirm that “fantasy sports” are legal in Florida, the subject of a separate bill he is backing.

Diaz said he believed he had the 61 votes necessary to pass out of the House the measure approved by his committee Tuesday, but he acknowledged that the bill is “an absolute work in progress.”

“Every shift in this bill can lose a vote and gain a vote. I’ll know at the very end where we stand,” he said. “I’m optimistic that we have a bill we can pass … but I’m not going to OK a bill that’s bad just because the money’s good.”

But Negron, a Stuart Republican who will take over as Senate president after the November elections, said he believed his proposed changes would make it easier to garner support from the upper chamber.

“I think everyone understood that (the compact) was a first draft for the Legislature to consider,” Negron said. “Without addressing the issues in my amendment, there are not enough votes to pass the compact in the Senate. My amendment actually increases the likelihood of the bill passing.”

by Dara Kam, The News Service of Florida

Comments

The following is a list of Senate Committees:

Senate Committee on Aging (Special)

Note: While special committees have no legislative authority, they can study issues, conduct oversight of programs, and investigate reports of fraud and waste.

Deals with issues related to health care for seniors, long-term care, elder fraud and abuse, social security and retirement savings, older workers, emergency preparedness for seniors, assisting seniors with rising energy costs and affordable senior housing.

Relevance to the Academy: Pertinent legislation includes the Older Americans Act, which regulates congregate and home-delivery meal programs. Other issues relate to Medicare reimbursement and long-term care facility services.

Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry

Responsible for oversight of all legislation that deals with our nation's agriculture industry, including food and agricultural research, education, economics and extension; innovation in the use of agricultural commodities and materials; farming programs; forestry and logging; and legislation related to nutrition and health, including nutrition and food assistance and hunger prevention, school and child nutrition programs, local and healthy food initiatives.

Relevance to the Academy: Pertinent legislation and issues include the Farm Bill, National School Lunch program, Child and Adult Care Food Program, School Breakfast, WIC and the Fresh Fruit and Vegetable program.

Appropriations Committee

Has jurisdiction over all discretionary spending legislation in the Senate. The committee writes the legislation that allocates federal funds to the numerous government agencies, departments and organizations on an annual basis. Appropriations are limited to the levels set by a Budget Resolution, drafted by the Senate Budget Committee.

Relevance to the Academy: All bills require appropriation legislation along with authorization to be viable.

Committee on Armed Services

Deals with issues primarily associated with the development of weapons systems or military operations; the common defense; the Department of Defense, the Department of the Army, the Department of the Navy and the Department of the Air Force.

Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs

Areas of jurisdiction include banking, insurance, financial markets, securities, housing, urban development and mass transit, international trade and finance, and economic policy.

Committee on Budget

Along with the House Budget Committee, it is responsible for drafting Congress' annual budget plan and monitoring action on the budget for the Federal Government. In addition, the Budget Committee has jurisdiction over the operation of the Congressional Budget Office. The budget resolution prepared by the Budget Committee sets out a broad blueprint for the Congress with respect to the total levels of revenues and spending for the government as a whole.

Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation

Jurisdiction includes coastal zone management, highway safety, interstate commerce, nonmilitary aeronautical and space sciences, sports, standards and measurement and marine fisheries as well as regulation of consumer products and services, including testing related to toxic substances other than pesticides, and except for credit, financial services and housing.

Committee on Energy and Natural Resources

Jurisdiction over matters related to National Energy Policy, including international energy affairs and emergency preparedness; nuclear waste policy; privatization of federal assets; territorial policy (including changes in status and issues affecting Antarctica) and Native Hawaiian matters.

Committee on Ethics (Select)

The Senate Select Committee on Ethics is authorized to publish regulations necessary to implement the Senate Code of Official Conduct, and to issue interpretative rulings and advisory opinions regarding the application of any law, rule or regulation within the Committee's jurisdiction.

Committee on Environment and Public Works

Jurisdiction includes issues of air and noise pollution, environmental policy, fisheries and wildlife, public buildings, works, bridges and dams, solid waste disposal and recycling, water pollution. Subcommittees deal with policy issues in connection with protection of pregnant women, infants and children from environmental hazards and job creation through the development and deployment of 'green' technologies and practices.

Committee on Finance (similar to the House Ways and Means Committee)

The Committee concerns itself with matters relating to: taxation and other revenue measures generally, the transportation of dutiable goods, deposit of public moneys, general revenue sharing; as well as health programs under the Social Security Act, including Medicare, Medicaid, the Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP), Temporary Assistance to Needy Families (TANF) and other health and human services programs financed by a specific tax or trust fund; and national social security.

Relevance to the Academy: Issues related to Medicare and Medicaid insurance reimbursement for RDN services/MNT.

Committee on Foreign Relations

The Foreign Relations Committee is generally responsible for overseeing (but not administering) and funding foreign aid programs as well as funding, arms sales and training for national allies. The committee is also responsible for holding confirmation hearings for high-level positions in the Department of State.

Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP)

Has jurisdiction over most of the agencies, institutes, and programs of the Department of Health and Human Services, including the FDA, CDC, NIH, AOA, the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, and the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality. The Committee also oversees public health and health insurance statutes to address emerging threats and changing patterns in the health-care industry. This committee has jurisdiction over various issues related to education and workforce development, including Head Start, the No Child Left Behind Act, Higher Education, the Arts and Humanities, Student Financial Assistance, Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), Job and Vocational Training and the Workforce Investment Act. This Committee also deals with federal labor and employment laws and private retirement plans and the Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation.

Relevance to the Academy: Pertinent legislation/issues include home-delivered and congregate meal programs for seniors, Ryan White CARE Act. Many of the programs/agencies under this committee's jurisdiction include nutrition and nutrition-related issues e.g. FDA, NIH, AOA, Head Start.

Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs

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Has jurisdiction over matters related to the Department of Homeland Security and other homeland security concerns, as well as the functioning of the government itself, including the National Archives, budget and accounting measures other than appropriations, the Census, the federal civil service, the affairs of the District of Columbia, and the United States Postal Service.

Committee on Indian Affairs

Issues include the Indian County provisions in the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, appropriations and budget, federal recognition of tribes, health care reform (Indian Health Services) Indian economic development, education, energy and water rights.

Relevance to the Academy: Issues related to nutrition within Indian Health Services.

Committee on Intelligence (Select)

Dedicated to overseeing the United States Intelligence Community — the agencies and bureaus of the federal government who provide information and analysis for leaders of the executive and legislative branches.

Committee on the Judiciary

Provides oversight of the Department of Justice and the agencies under the Department's jurisdiction, including the FBI and the Department of Homeland Security and is also charged with the consideration of Supreme Court nominations, appellate court nominations, and district court nominations.

Committee on Rules and Administration

Responsible for the rules of the Senate and administration of congressional buildings as well as the credentials and qualifications of members of the Senate, including responsibility for dealing with contested elections.

Committee on Small Business and Entrepreneurship

Has jurisdiction over the Small Business Administration and is also charged with researching and investigating all problems of American small business enterprises.

Committee on Veterans' Affairs

What Senate Committee Deals With Slot Machines Dispense

The Committee is dedicated to being an advocate for our nation's veterans, from those who served in World War I to our veterans who are returning home today. The Committee convenes hearings, conducts oversight and investigations, and is responsible for all legislation relating to veterans benefits and medical care.

What Senate Committee Deals With Slot Machines 2020

Relevance to the Academy: Issues related to the Department of Veterans Affairs' health care system, programs and research apparatus.

[blackkudos]

Harold Ford, Jr.

Harold Eugene Ford Sr. (born May 20, 1945) is an American politician and Democratic former member of the United States House of Representatives representing the Memphis, Tennessee area for 11 terms—from 1975 until his retirement in 1997. He was the first African-American to represent Tennessee in the U.S. Congress. He is a member of the Ford political family from Memphis.

During his 20 years in Congress, Ford obtained ample federal funds for his district through his membership on the House Ways and Means Committee. He advocated for increased government assistance for lower income constituents including job training, health care, and supplemental unemployment benefits with welfare as a safety net. He supported President Carter's initiatives to rebuild central cities, and opposed Reagan era cuts to programs such as Medicare and food stamps. He proposed welfare reform legislation to gradually transition recipients from welfare to work, but it was not passed.

His effectiveness was diminished following his 1987 indictment on bank fraud charges that alleged he had used business loans for his personal needs. Ford denied the charges and claimed the prosecution was racially and politically motivated. He lost his committee leadership roles but remained in Congress while the legal proceeding were pending. He was ultimately tried and acquitted in 1993 of all charges by a jury.

He chose to retire from Congress in 1996. His son Harold Jr. returned to Tennessee from New York and successfully ran for his seat. In his retirement, Harold Sr. has been active in Democratic Party affairs and has worked as a lobbyist. He lives in Florida and in the Hamptons.

Early life, education and family

Harold grew up on Horn Lake Road in the West Junction neighborhood of South Memphis. He is the eighth of fifteen children born to Newton Jackson Ford (1914–1986) and Vera (Davis) Ford (1915–1994), prominent members of the African-American community. His mother was a homemaker and his father was an undertaker and businessman, who opened N.J. Ford Funeral Home (later changed to N.J. Ford And Sons Funeral Home) in 1932. His grandfather Lewie Ford (1889-1931) started the family funeral business and became allied with E.H. Crump, an influential white politician in Memphis and the state in the early 20th century.

Ford and his family have a public service orientation which dates back to his great-grandfather Newton Ford (1856–1919), who was a well-respected civic leader around the southern section of Shelby County. Newton Ford was elected as a county squire from 1888 to 1900. N.J. Ford ran for the Tennessee House in 1966 but was not elected.

Harold Ford graduated from Geeter High School in 1963, received his B.S. degree from Tennessee State University in Nashville in 1967 and did graduate work there for one year. He received a mortuary science degree from John A. Gupton College of Nashville in 1969, and worked in the family business as a mortician from 1969 until 1974. In 1982, he earned a Master of Business Administration from Howard University.

Political career

State legislature

Ford was able to use his family's deep roots in Memphis to garner support within the affluent black community for his first run for office. He also ran an organized campaign and was able to take advantage of the increase in black voters that followed the Voting Rights Act. He was elected to the Tennessee House of Representatives in 1970, becoming one of its youngest members and one of only a few African Americans to have served in the Tennessee General Assembly to that point in the 20th century. He was made majority whip in his first term, and chaired a state house committee on utility rates and practices.

He was a delegate to Democratic State Convention and to the quadrennial Democratic National Conventions from 1972 through 1996.

U.S. House of Representatives

In 1974, after two terms in the Tennessee legislature, he ran for the Democratic nomination for the Memphis-based 8th U.S. Congressional district, easily beating three opponents. He faced four-term Republican incumbent Dan Kuykendall in the general election. At that time, the district still had a white majority, though the 1970 round of redistricting by the Tennessee legislature had redrawn the 8th to include more African-American voters. Ford ran on a bipartisan platform emphasizing economic development to attract both black and white voters. He waged a large and well organized get-out-the-vote campaign using paid workers, volunteers and his own considerable energy, and received support from black churches and celebrities. He was also able to take advantage of post Watergate dissatisfaction with the Republican Party. When the votes were first counted it looked like Kuykendall had eked out a narrow victory—but Ford ultimately won by 744 votes after contesting the original count.

Ford became the first African-American to represent Tennessee in the United States Congress. He was re-elected by large margins, locking in the black vote, and winning a large number of white votes in his district. After the 1983 census, the district was renumbered as the 9th District, and was drawn as a black-majority district. With the percentage of black voters increasing due to increased white flight, Ford then won re-election by gaining more than 70 percent of the vote. After he was indicted, he still garnered more than 50 percent of the vote.

He served on a number of House committees including: Banking, Currency and Housing; Veterans' Affairs, and the Select Committee on Assassinations that investigated the death, among others, of Martin Luther King Jr. He was a member of the influential House Ways and Means Committee beginning in 1975, and chaired the subcommittee on Public Assistance and Unemployment. He served as the chairman of the House Select Committee on Aging during the 102nd and 103rd Congresses.

Ford obtained ample federal funds for his district through his membership on the House Ways and Means Committee. He focused his work in Congress on helping lower income constituents. He advocated for increased federal government assistance for job training, health care, and unemployment supplemental benefits with welfare as a safety net. He supported Democratic President Carter's initiatives to rebuild central cities, and opposed cuts to programs such as Medicare and food stamps that were passed during the administration of Republican President Ronald Reagan. Ford proposed comprehensive welfare reform legislation to gradually transition recipients with children over the age of six from welfare to work. The legislation had a high start up cost due to the education and job training aspects, and was opposed by the Reagan administration.

Ford suffered in the eyes of many for the antics of his brother John Ford, who had been elected to the Tennessee State Senate in the same 1974 election. John Ford was accused, but never criminally convicted, of driving between Memphis and Nashville at high speeds while in possession of a legal firearm. Harold Ford said he had no control over his brother's actions.

Bribery trials

In 1987, federal prosecutors obtained an indictment against Ford from a grand jury in eastern Tennessee. The indictment was based on testimony from two bankers, both partners of Jake Butcher, who pled guilty to bank fraud under a plea bargain. Ford was charged in 18 counts of conspiracy and fraud accusing him of receiving nearly $1.5 million in loans from 1976 to 1983, that prosecutors alleged were actually bribes. Ford contended that the loans were legitimate business transactions used to extend loans to him and his family funeral home business.

A first trial in Memphis in 1990 ended in a mistrial with the jury deadlocked 8-4 along straight racial lines. The eight black jury members voted to acquit, and the four whites voted to convict. The judge granted the prosecutor's motion for retrial, and held that an impartial jury could not be found in Ford's hometown, the heavily Democratic and predominantly black city of Memphis where Ford was very popular. He ordered that the jury for the retrial be selected for a pool of jurors living 80 miles from Memphis in 17 heavily Republican and predominantly white rural counties. The jurors were to be bused into Memphis for the trial. Ford appealed this jury selection plan twice to the Sixth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals on the ground that it violated his constitutional right to a jury of his peers; the appeals were denied twice. In 1993, Stuart Gerson, a hold-over Bush-appointee serving as acting Attorney General sided with Ford's request for a jury from Memphis, but the federal judge hearing the trial rejected the request. On April 9, 1993, a jury of 11 whites and 1 black acquitted Ford of all charges. During the seven year pendentcy of the criminal charges, Ford remained a U.S. Representative, but was stripped by Congress of his committee leadership roles. After his acquittal they were restored. In 1992, he had also been implicated in the House banking scandal.

Later career

Harold Jr., Ford's son, in 1996 returned to run for his retiring father's seat after having worked in New York City and completed his education at the University of Pennsylvania and University of Michigan Law School. The elder Ford publicly hoped that the confrontational stance that he had sometimes used, particularly with regard to race, would never need to be employed by his son.

Personal life

Ford married Dorothy Bowles in 1969 and the couple had three children: Harold, Newton Jake and Sir Isaac. They divorced in 1999. He then remarried to Michelle Roberts and had two children: Andrew Ford and Ava.

He is a member of Alpha Phi Alpha fraternity. He is a Baptist. Currently retired, Ford divides his time between Tennessee and Fisher Island in Miami, Florida. He is still active in the Democratic Party.