Want to do good during the holidays?

It's the time of year when many are looking to help others who are less fortunate. And with the unemployment rate at 11.7 percent in the Tampa Bay area, there are plenty of families seeking extra help this year.

Here are a few ways that you can connect with Tampa Bay organizations. We invite you to share any other helpful sites or groups that aren't mentioned here in the comments below, and we'll continue to update this post throughout the holiday season. 

Help the homeless: A new Web site tampabayhomeless.wikia.com pools together bay area organizations and resources helping the homeless. The site was founded by BrandTampa.com founder Julia Gorzka and Wikipedia founder Jimmy Wales.

Homeless pets: The dire economy is affecting pet owners, particularly owners of pit bulls. A local organization, Pit Positive is trying to place three pit bulls that recently lost their homes. One owner was on the brink of losing a lease on his apartment after the owner discovered his dog. E-mail Art Fyvolent if you are interested in adopting a pit bull. You can see the dogs' pictures and get more info on other adoptable pets at pets.tampabay.com.

Do Good: Tampabay.com's Do Good section allows residents to find thousands of opportunties to give or volunteer locally. Local nonprofit groups are welcome to join the section and list their needs.

Links for Nov. 23: End of the road, Bay Pines, Domenic Rabuffo, drywall, Snell-Bishop house

End of the road: Driving in old age
At the intersection of freedom and responsibility, there is a hard choice for older drivers.
Part one: A key realization | One senior's story
Part two: At 79, Joetta Marlor makes a bid to keep her driver's license and her independence.
Part three: Florida ensures older drivers see a clear path

Bay Pines VA
Monday, a federal judge offered a stunning rebuke of administrators at the nation's fourth-busiest veterans hospital, barring them from any further retaliation against their work force of 3,000 employees over discrimination complaints.
Federal jury: Bay Pines discriminated against four employees (July 3)
Employees accuse Bay Pines VA Medical Center's leadership of discrimination, retaliation (June 15)

Dominic Rabuffo's North Carolina development
Federal prosecutors in Miami and Pittsburgh have opened a criminal investigation into loans obtained for a  North Carolina development, some by Florida buyers.
Fraud alleged in Rabuffo development in North Carolina (Sept. 7)
Florida man's mountain deals in N.C. are a mystery (July 2008)

Feds find association between drywall, corrosion
The federal government said Monday that it has found a "strong association" between problematic imported Chinese drywall and corrosion of pipes and wires, a conclusion that supports complaints by thousands of homeowners over the last year.
The majority of the drywall complaints came from Florida. Here's some of what we've written on the topic:
Defective drywall transforms South Tampa dream home into disaster (Nov. 19)
Consumers' Edge: Chinese drywall scanner holds promise, remains unregulated (Nov. 14)

Snell-Bishop house for sale
The historic Snell-Bishop house, a St. Petersburg landmark since the 1920s and one of the city's most distinctive properties, is again on the market for $18 million.
Snell-Bishop house got a facelift (Oct. 2006)
Mansion changes hands, it was on the market for $7.9 million(Feb. 2006)
A home with many stories (Nov. 2005)

Florida's application for Race to the Top funds

Florida’s application for a share of the $4.35 billion federal Race to the Top fund could become a $1 billion request, Florida Education Commissioner Eric J. Smith told reporters in a conference call last week. The state issued a summary of its still-developing application, due by Jan. 19.

Links from the Times for Nov. 23: Survivor heads home, driving in old age

Man who lost leg in hit and run leaves hospital for home
Andrew Hall came to Bayfront on April 20, after he was hit by a Honda Accord going an estimated 90 miles per hour on Main Street in Safety Harbor. He went home Sunday.

Special report: Read about the Golden Hour when Hall was saved

End of the road: Driving in old age
At the intersection of freedom and responsibility, there is a hard choice for older drivers. At 79, Joetta Marlor makes a bid to keep her driver's license and her independence.
Part one: A key realization | One senior's story

Does photo show dolphin or shark?

Denis McDonough of Dunedin shared this photo he took at the Dunedin Causeway. "t was about 8 feet long. It's either a shark of a dolphin, not sure," he wrote.

Your take? Can you tell what it is?

Oops, St. Petersburg already had official song; DJ Jim Jeffries

A panel of judges chose three finalists from among 31 songs. Then more than 13,000 online votes were cast to choose the best in a contest for an official city song for St. Petersburg. The winner, Charlie Souza of North Redington Beach, received 43 percent of the votes for Carry Me Back to St. Petersburg. On Nov. 14 he shared the stage with national acts at the annual Ribfest festivities at Vinoy Park. One problem. Turns out St. Petersburg already has an official song.

*****

Epilogue: Every night in 1965 Detroit, from midnight to 6 a.m., a bemused voice floated from the radio. The night man on WKNR-AM spent hours spinning stories and platters, entertaining the third shift at the auto plant, the cops on patrol, and the insomniacs craving diversion.

Other disc jockeys went by fancy handles or funny nicknames, but that wasn’t the night man’s style. The fans of the station, known as “Keener-13,” knew he was just plain Jim Jeffries. Listen to a clip of Jeffries’ night-time radio show on Detroit’s WKNR-AM.

Top 10 tampabay.com stories this week

Here's a look at this week's most viewed stories on tampabay.com. They included stories about a Scientologist, a robber who fled on a bus and a mysterious "beast" in a canal.

1. Normandy Nessie: 'Big beast' reported in Madeira Beach canal: If you believe retiree Russ Sittloh, the canals around Crystal Island have their own version of the infamous Loch Ness Monster.

"How come no one else has seen this " beast "? It doesn't only show up after " Happy Hour " does it?" ~ Ididso

• Join the discussion

2. A joyful reunion for dad, brothers: Mario drove from Kentucky to meet his sons for the first time in more than a decade.

"This story brought tears to my eyes, These poor boys were brought up to believe that their father did not want them, how sad!" ~ Di

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3. Police catch accused red-handed bank robber who fled by bus: A tip led police to a room at the Landmark Motel at 1930 4th St. N. Police said they knocked on the door, and Thomas John Castro, 54, answered with a bag of crack cocaine.

"Hi Guys, let's party!" ~ ThePunk

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4. Tampa police: Marine reservist attacked Greek priest he mistook for terrorist: Marine reservist Jasen Bruce was getting clothes out of the trunk of his car Monday evening when a bearded man in a robe approached him.

"Don't go to court in your dress uniform, son; You'll embarrass the Corps." ~ Buzzkill

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View photo gallery: Foggy morning in Tampa Bay

Patchy fog reduced visibility to as little as a few blocks in some areas this morning. The fog stretched from the Pinellas beaches east through Brandon. View a photo gallery of images from the foggy morning.

Share your favorite weather photos: E-mail your pictures to submit@tampabay.com with your name and e-mail address in the body of the message. Then view your photos in tampabay.com's Weather Photo Gallery.

Your photos: These pets love the water

Ready for a dip: Phoebs, a 3-year-old Papillon, loves to go out on a kayak, say owners Donald and Sheri Glass of St. Petersburg. "On this beautiful, sunny day we were kayaking on the Manatee River at the Little Manatee River State Park in Hillsborough County."

Members show their style with amusing user names

More than 5,700 members have joined tampabay.com's community since we began requiring registration to comment on stories four weeks ago. Members are permitted to choose any user name they like -- as long as it's not already taken.

Here's a look at some members who have had fun with their monikers.

There are those seeking truth:

• Truth_lover

• Truthwins

• Truthseeker

• Truthlover

• Truthhurts

• TruthBeTold

Several with questions:

• RuKiddingMe?

• Seriously?

• WhatsUpWithThat

• Whasup

• WhoAmI

• WhenWillItStop