LOOKING AHEAD TO NEXT WEEK
VACCINATION DIVERSITY, Ken LaRoe, Founder, Climate First Bank: Good news! More people are getting vaccinated every day, and Florida recently surpassed 50% vaccination. Moreover, recent data may suggest that the racial gaps in vaccinations are narrowing, with Hispanic and Black people getting vaccinated at higher rates. I applaud local efforts across the board to educate and improve vaccination rates within our diverse communities.
PRO VS. ANTI, David Leavitt, former Seminole County Libertarian Party chairman, CEO of Refresh Computers: There are pro-mask folks and pro-vaccine folks. There are maskchoice folks and vaccine-choice folks. Read those two sentences again. It’s most definitely not pro vs. anti. Choice does not equal Anti. One would have you ruled by tyranny. The other will leave you alone, if not for tyranny. One advocates government force over your body. The other advocates individual choice over your own body. One succumbs to fear in direct spite of freedom. The other faces fear because of freedom. It’s force vs. freedom. It’s evil vs. good. It’s always been that way. Which side are you on?
WORKFORCE SUMMIT, Pamela Nabors, president/CEO, CareerSource Central Florida: Last week, the Florida Workforce Summit was held at Rosen Shingle Creek hotel with over 300 people in attendance. At a gathering of conference organizers, Harris Rosen came in person to express his heartfelt appreciation for attendance at the conference in light of the hardship in the industry this past couple of years. Mr. Rosen truly cares about his staff having jobs, and that summit attendees were given exceptional service. The event organizers took extraordinary steps and careful planning to ensure everyone’s safety. This successful conference demonstrates with proper care and planning, we can gather safely again.
INTERACTIVE EXHIBIT, Cole NeSmith, executive director, Creative City Project: Joybox is an interactive art exhibition around all things happy! The Creative City Project show, in partnership with Orlando Health, features exhibits like “Count Your Blessings.” Guests text in their blessings, and they explode onto a three-dimensional structure of 200 LED displays. Or “Don’t Worry. Be Happy” where guests shred their worries (written on a piece of neon paper) to be added to a room full of glowing confetti. The show at Fulcrum Orlando is open through Oct. 24 and is part of the IMMERSE Festival, with 1,000 artists in downtown Orlando, Oct. 15-17.
MAMMOTH DNA, Brendan O’Connor, editor in chief, Bungalower.com: Orlando-based branding agency Maven Creative just announced the acquisition of a new client straight out of a Michael Crichton novel. The company, Colossal, is the brainchild of Harvard University geneticist Dr. George Church, who is trying to splice woolly mammoth DNA into that of modern-day elephants — so essentially manufacturing a hairy elephant. You can read all about the project at colossal.com on a new Maven-designed website that was meant to look like a “… Venn diagram of Harvard meets MTV.”
ANTI-VAX RADIO DEATHS, Jim Philips, retired longtime radio talk-show host: Five, count ‘em, five anti-vaccine radio hosts have now died from the virus they derided on the air. This includes Marc Bernier, a conservative decadeslong radio favorite in Daytona. You have to have a sick heart to applaud their death, but this does not mean we have to accept the drivel they propagated on the air. How many Floridians got infected, got sick, maybe died because broadcast bloviators railed against a vaccine that has saved so many? How many Floridians were denied adequate care in ICUs because others took the beds after accepting anti-science blather from these guys?
UF IN TOP FIVE, Gloria Pickar, president emerita, League of Women Voters of Orange County: Florida’s future just got brighter with the impressive U.S. News and World Report ranking of the University of Florida as the fifth-best public university, tied with University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill and University of California-Santa Barbara. Among all national universities, UF ranks 28th along with NYU, Tufts and Wake Forest. This is a stellar accomplishment for Florida’s top university with the lowest tuition among all these competitors. More than two-thirds graduate with no college debt. UF’s growing prominence improves its attraction for outstanding faculty, critical research grants, student scholars and graduate retention — hallmarks of a prestigious university.
INFLECTION POINTS, Larry Pino, attorney and entrepreneur: On July 20, 1969 — fulfilling John F. Kennedy’s vision — the United States landed a man on the moon for the first time in history. It was what could only be described as an inflection point. Fifty-two years later — fulfilling Elon Musk’s vision — privately owned SpaceX launched the first all-civilian crew into orbit 350 miles above the Earth, not as a government project, but as a precursor to space tourism. It is for today’s generation what can only be described as another inflection point. Inflection points in human civilization don’t just simply happen; they are the result of vision and courage. Our thanks to those who have both.