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.

Hot topics: Today's 5 most discussed stories

Jasen Bruce, the Marine accused of attacking a Greek Orthodox priest in Tampa, continues to remain a hot topic on tampabay.com. What other stories are readers commenting on? Here's a look at the top 5 most discussed stories today on tampabay.com.

If you haven't voiced your opinion yet, make sure you are registered to comment, then have your say:

1. Man accused of attacking Greek Orthodox priest talks to Bubba the Love Sponge: Jasen Bruce, the Marine reservist who has remained silent since police accused him of hitting a Greek Orthodox priest with a tire iron Monday, spoke publicly for the first time Thursday — with Bubba the Love Sponge Clem.

"He was enlisted and can't tell the difference between a Greek Priest? And I wasn't aware that homeless individuals drove cars and wore the holy cloth....discharge this guy. ~ Sticksticklyfrometown

• Join the discussion

2. African-American pastor says police singled him out after robbery: "They singled me out among all those people," Harris said. "It was crazy. Just crazy.

"I smell a lawsuit. ~ Darshan2009

• Join the discussion

Shawn Ledesma gets probation in crash that killed cheerleader. Fair punishment?

Shawn Ledesma will spend six years on probation, including two years' house arrest, for borrowing his mother's car when he was 15 and causing a fatal accident.

June 2009: Mother, son face trials in crash that left another mother mourning

September 2009: St. Petersburg mom gets 30 days for son's crash that killed teen

*****

Today's story on Ledesma's sentencing is one of the most discussed on tampabay.com, with readers debating whether his punishment goes far enough. 

Some supported the judge's decision:

"More than enough bad judgment to go around here, but I can't help but wonder how in the world I escaped all the stupid things I did as a teenager," wrote Mitch. "Putting any of these people in jail serves no purpose other than societal revenge. I suppose the biggest punishment will be to live with the memory of what a moment of shear stupidity has cost.The Mom was the most stupid of all."

"Knowing this family, I think the sentence is appropriate," wrote Anne_sp. Shawn - you have a second chance... thanks to Raquel's mother, who owes you nothing. Count your blessings and make something of yourself... make your life count!

Others found it far too lenient:

"The victims family were far too forgiving," Don from Tampa wrote. "While they didn’t want to ruin the defendants life, at least he’s still living. He could have served at least 1 year in county jail, followed by the house arrest and probation….and he’d still be young enough to start his life over."

"He should be in prison, and so should his mother.," Floridave wrote. "The victim's mother showed great mercy, but mercy isn't what the law should be about: It's about punishment."

What's your take? Too compassionate or fair punishment for a teen? Register to comment and have your say.

Share your Election Day stories, photos, Tweets

Throughout the day today, tampabay.com will provide complete coverage of the St. Petersburg city council and mayoral races. Our elections section will provide up-to-the-minute details on how things are going at the polls and publish results as soon as the Pinellas County Elections Office releases them.

But we'd like to hear from you, too: Tell us how things go at the polls. Share your stories of any glitches at your polling place. Smooth sailing, no lines? We'd like to hear that as well.

If you snap any photos of the Election Day scene, we'd like to see them, too. E-mail your photos to submit@tampabay.com with your name and photo details in the body of the message.

And whether you are at a party for Kathleen Ford or Bill Foster, or somewhere else altogether, we'll get the news to you:

• Follow @tampabaycom on Twitter for the latest news. You also can use #kyc09 to share your election news on our elections page.
  If you are following us, please let us know here in comments; we'd like to follow you too.
• Fan us on Facebook; we'll post the reults there too.

Readers have their say: Top 10 quotes of the week

As we near the end of the second week of our new registration system, I'd like to welcome more than 2,100 readers to tampabay.com's community. Thanks to everyone who took the time to register and for being active members of the site.

A number of tampabay.com stories sparked lively discussions this week: a letter from Gov. Crist, a police shooting in Indian Shores and Floridians' support of gulf oil drilling, to name a few hot topics. Here is a look at 10 memorable quotes from tampabay.com readers this week:

Gov. Crist: Working every day for Florida

"Honestly now, would anyone even notice if the 'Governor' took all 52 weeks a year off?" Habilis wrote. 

Ripley's said: "Believe it or not, he did not even write this essay. One of his staffers did; he was too busy at the George Hamilton tanning salon."

With big arts plan stalled, attention turns to Beach Drive for Chihuly gallery

 "To call Chihuly's work incredible is an understatement; most of his pieces are mind-blowing. Like the Dali Museum, Chihuly's presence will indeed be a treat for St.Petersburg." ~ Mattgordonm.

"The Beach drive idea is better than Central Ave. Or how about ChihulyWalk?" asked Canyonecho.

Wife: Man killed in Indian Shores police shootout had been depressed for days

"What's sad is his wife is probably going to blame herself. The situation is sad. He was sick & needed help." ~ LadyBug1969.

Walterschick wrote: "Baker Acts are a Band-Aid, that's it. Out in 24 hours if you say what they want to hear. Cold hard truth."

Honoring the fallen? Or using soldiers' bodies for political capital?

Before dawn this morning, President Barack Obama went to Dover Air Force Base to pay his respects to 18 Americans killed in Afghanistan as their bodies were returned to the United States. The dead included seven Army soldiers and three Drug Enforcement Administration agents who died when their helicopter crashed on Monday. The media were allowed to be present only after one of the grieving families gave their consent. Associated Press photographer Pablo Martinez Monsivais took this photo.

(Click here for a gallery of photos.)

It was the first time Obama has gone to Dover to meet a plane carrying the bodies of dead warriors. Former President George W. Bush often visited with wounded soldiers and their families, but never went to Dover. Do you think it was appropriate for Obama to go?

Should President check in with Congress before accepting Nobel Peace Prize?

Florida Republican Reps. Ginny Brown-Waite (Brooksville), on left, and Cliff Stearns (Ocala) have joined with Ron Paul of Texas in sending President Barack Obama a letter asking him to consult with Congress before accepting the Nobel Peace Prize.

Brown-Waite writes in a news release: "Article I,  Section 9 of  the Constitution clearly states: 'no person holding any office of profit or trust under them, shall, without the consent of Congress, accept of any present, emolument, office or title, of any kind whatever, from any king, prince or foreign state.

"I urge President Obama to affirm his devotion to our Constitution and seek the consent of Congress before accepting the award in Oslo, Norway, on Dec. 10.”

Obama has already said he would donate the prize money to charity.

Share your feedback: Should Obama be required to consult with Congress before going to Oslo to claim his prize?

Discussion continues on Kathleeen Ford's HNIC comment

With the St. Petersburg mayoral election just a week away, our two most discussed stories in the last seven days relate to candidate Kathleen Ford's "HNIC comment."

Ford's comment was made during an appearance on Bubba the Love Sponge Clem's radio show. The shock jock described St. Petersburg Deputy Mayor Goliath Davis III, who also was the city's first black police chief, as the "quasi-leader of the African-Americans."

"To me it's like talking down to them, that they have somebody to quell them and keep them in line," Clem said.

Ford responded: "Actually, Cornel West has a whole explanation about the HNIC theory, and I agree with that. We don't need one spokesman for a group."

The comment prompted several St. Petersburg Times stories, columns and hundreds of comments from tampabay.com readers.

Here's a look at what some readers were saying:

Ford's comment divides prompted 165 comments from readers.

Lauren Berns wrote: "Given that she actually made reference to West when she was invoking the term, I think it's hard to conclude "she's a racist" based on this one comment. I don't know enough about Ms. Ford to say, based on other words or actions, but this doesn't convince me."

JAK had a short message for everyone: "Let's all get out and vote!"

"Some people will look for reasons to protest any chance that they get," wrote Longtime resident.

St. Petersburg Times correspondent Bill Maxwell's Sunday column, Kathleen Ford's insensitivity and ignorance, generated nearly 150 comments.

Je wrote: "A slur is a slur. It can't be softened by subbing a word; rather, it is more pronounced than ever."

What they're saying on tampabay.com: 10 quotables of the week

After just a few days of our new commenting system on tampabay.com stories, I'd like to welcome and thank our nearly 1,000 new members.

The registration process seemed to have gone smoothly for most of you. If you are experiencing problems, please e-mail us with specific issues you are having, and we'll help you resolve the problem. 

Some lively discussions took place on stories this week; here are 10 comments that caught our eye.

Sanitation worker killed when car crashes into garbage truck:

Richlew wrote: "I worked for waste management back in the late 80's this type of accident was the crews worst fears."

Wasteworker wrote: "As the wife of a wasteworker this hits home. It could have been my husband. The kids and I pray for him every morning to be safe each day. People do not realize the danger they put other people in when they get in a hurry on the road. Can we just slow down a bit, whatever we are in a hurry for will be there if we arrive five minutes later than we planned. Our prayers go out to the family." 

Florida approves 14.6% hike to Universal Property's homeowners insurance rate

Ace: "NICE....kick 'em when their down. That's the way to build customer loyalty."

VStPete wrote:"Crist, you did a bang-up job getting our insurance under control... sigh."

Birddog asked: "Why is California home insurance LESS than Florida ? They have: Mudslides, earthquakes, wind, rain, etc., but they pay LESS than we do."

Wesley Chapel family struggling with health care gets help from Web site's fundraising campaign

Update: HuffingtonPost reports that more than 800 contributors donated more than $25,000 for Monique Zimmerman-Stein's medical bills. The site has now raised its goal to $30,000.

A Wesley Chapel woman featured in a St. Petersburg Times story on real people struggling to afford medical care, is getting an outpouring of financial support from HuffingtonPost.com readers -- more than $15,000 in just 24 hours.

Monique Zimmerman-Stein, 48, and her two youngest daughters have Stickler's syndrome, a rare genetic disorder that causes joints to dissolve and retinas to detach. Zimmerman-Stein, who is forgoing her own medical treatment so that her family can afford care for their daughters, is now nearly blind.

Zimmerman-Stein and her husband, Gary Stein, have Blue Cross/Blue Shield insurance through Stein's job at the Hillsborough County Health Department. They pay $90 a week for coverage. But the insurance isn't nearly enough, and their family gets constant calls reminding them of their medical bills.

"I know I won't ever see again. I'm not even asking for that," Zimmerman-Stein said. "I just don't think we should have to deal with constantly being harassed."

HuffingtonPost featured Zimmerman-Stein's story after the Times published it as part of a three-part series called Maxed Out. Interest from HuffingtonPost readers led the site to launch a campaign for Zimmerman-Stein, and more than 500 contributors have donated, according to the site. HuffingtonPost has raised its goal to $25,000 for the family, and used the story to launch a new section called Impact.

If you would like to help Zimmerman-Stein, visit HuffingtonPost.