Every Friday for the past few years, Food Not Bombs has been gathering at Stranahan Park in downtown Fort Lauderdale to pass out food to the homeless, hungry, or just plain bored. Our cover story on the group last year found the local chapter bracing for a local crackdown on public food sharing. While this hasn't yet come to pass, other Food Not Bombs groups around the country continue to face food-sharing bans. Meanwhile, Mayor Jack Seiler has been planting shrubs to hide the homeless people in the park.

At the end of the feature, we saw the local chapter facing an uncertain future as young leaders Haylee Becker and Phil Johnson debated heading out of town and others prepared to take over the informal arrangements. Now, on the occasion of the 32nd anniversary of the group's founding in Massachusetts by Keith McHenry, a changing of the guard is taking place.
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Sometimes, banks lose, too.

​Once in a blue moon, even the most cynical among us find cause to celebrate. This year's legislative session in Tallahassee provided some unexpected victories for the little guys and defeats for the corporate interests that normally enjoy free rein in Florida. Two of the most shocking losers of 2012: banks and charter schools.

Witness the Florida Bankers Association's newsletter, mourning the defeat of bills that would have sped up the foreclosure process. "Unfortunately, the Florida Senate did not take the opportunity to pass substantive changes to Florida's foreclosure laws," the newsletter says.
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via Twitter

What a guy!

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Monica McGivern

A Guy Fawkes mask hangs on the tent of a Palm Beach Occupier.

​Yesterday morning, we reported about the impending eviction notice to Palm Beach Occupiers. Visibly dwarfed in size since the camp's last showdown, the remaining members were served their official order to leave by West Palm Beach police at 10 a.m.

Curious businessmen in suits watched from the sidewalk as police monitored the situation. The chief who served the notice stated he had a particular time in mind for the property to be clear, but officially a "reasonable amount of time" would be offered before additional measures would be taken.More >>

Fane Lozman

​Riviera Beach activist Fane Lozman has been in a long legal battle with the city after Riviera Beach officials got the feds to seize and tow away the houseboat floating home* where he lived in a local marina.

The towing, nearly three years ago, followed a previous trial in which a jury found that Lozman had been evicted because of his activist behavior. Former New Times columnist Bob Norman was a witness in that case. Lozman, a self-made millionaire who represents himself in court, vowed to prevail.

In August of last year, the 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled against Lozman's claim that the city had trampled his First Amendment rights and towed the boat in retaliation. We ended that story on an uncertain note, but that was not the end.
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Elijah Caleb Tan via Flickr

​To circumcise or not to circumcise? That's a question that few people ever ponder -- until their little bundle of joy is about to arrive and it's a boy.

For years, the American Academy of Pediatrics has said that "the existing scientific evidence is not sufficient to recommend routine circumcision." But that may change any day now, according to Dr. Doug Diekema, who sits on a task force that was created in 2007 to revisit the academy's stance.

We caught up with a him a few weeks ago to research this week's feature story on circumcision and asked what the heck was taking the panel so long to come to a conclusion.

"Your frustration is shared by many," Diekema said. He said that it had been hard to coordinate schedules of the busy task force members but that they had finally completed an exhaustive review of all relevant studies, and now "our work is 95 percent done. To my knowledge, the [new] statement and technical report have been drafted and are being reviewed by other members of the task force. We expect that this will be released sometime this spring." More >>

guzer.com

Elephant playing basketball.

​Now there's something for Margate commissioners to hang on the fridge -- an award from PETA.

For the commission's unanimous vote to ban bull hooks, electric prods, and other devices that can be used to harm animals, PETA announced today that it's sending the commissioners "Compassionate Legislator Awards."

The push for the ordinance came about with the Cole Bros. Circus coming to Margate, a circus that animal-rights activists claim has a history of abusing animals -- specifically elephants.

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proceedingboldly.blogspot.com

​As the 99 percent draw attention to their less-than-equitable situation, sacrosanct holidays and traditions become a target for protests. Adbusters, the same (Canadian!) publication that launched the Occupy Wall Street movement, has advocated "buy-nothing day" on Black Friday, the annual mass hysteria of commercialism that creeps closer and closer into Thanksgiving every year.

Now Christmas itself is the subject of some activism. Food Not Bombs, the internationally affiliated group that gives away food in Fort Lauderdale, is hosting an "Anti-Consumerist Festival" on Christmas Eve.

Hear that, O'Reilly? The War on Christmas just drafted some anarchists.
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​According to a communique received from a protester with Occupy Fort Lauderdale, the group will be kicked off of City Hall property (100 N. Andrews Ave.) at 5 p.m. today.

The Occupiers find it reprehensible that the city would do such a thing on Thanksgiving Eve, when most people are busy with holiday celebrations and their legal counsel -- Ron Gunsberger, an attorney with the county property appraiser's office and son of Broward County Mayor Sue Gunzburger -- happens to be out of town.

An email making the rounds among Occupiers says:
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