Orlando ranked 3rd ‘most dangerous’ city in the U.S.

None other than Parenting magazine ranked Orlando as the 3rd most dangerous city in the United States.

The magazine called it “shocking” that the home of family-friendly attractions like Disney and Universal had the highest crime rate among Florida’s biggest cities.

It’s much worse than the magazine portrays, however. The publication fails to mention that the “City Beautiful” is also the home of Ibragim Todashev, a colleague and friend of Boston Marathon bomber Tamerlan Tsarnaev.

In fact, federal agents think Todashev and the Boston bomber were responsible for the brutal throat slashes that left three Waltham, Mass. men dead.

Actually, Orlando was Todashev’s home until FBI agents shot him dead in his apartment.

Clearly, Orlando is not only among the Top 3 most dangerous cities in the U.S., it’s also a safe haven for terrorists who engage in shootouts with G-Men. Not only that but …

I’m sorry folks, I kept a straight face for as long as I could. This is all fake news. Actually, the Ibragim Todashev stuff really did happen, and Parenting magazine did rank Orlando as the 3rd most dangerous city in the nation.

However, Parenting magazine’s “ranking” was nothing more than click bait to drive up the number of page views to the publication’s boring-ass website. No where did the publication cite the source of its “data” or what generally accepted statistical analysis was done to interpret that “data.”

You know what else is bullshit?

An Orlando Weekly story published this week that claims Sanford is among the most dangerous cities that n the U.S.

The Weekly’s Colin Wolf published the story, and it must be true because ol’ Colin is the digital content “editor”. He cited as his source Neighborhood Scout, a website that does not specifically state where its data came from or specifically how it was analyzed.

Oh, and the Neighborhood Scout website makes this caveat about its “data”: “We offer seamless national coverage and up to 90% accuracy.”

Read that again: “UP TO” 90% accuracy.  What’s “up to?” Is 60% accuracy “up to?” And how often does the “up to” standard meet 90% accuracy? Even if the website is 90% accurate in every case, that means 10% of the time they are not accurate.

Hey, if Colin and his publishers are comfortable regurgitating data that is “up to 90%” accurate (but may be way less than 90% accurate), then they should change their name to the “Orlando Weakly.”

This “article” Colin wrote has caused quite the stir on social media among the Sanford faithful. I don’t think anyone is denying Sanford has problems with crime. I know first hand. I was a victim of a violent crime.

But among the most dangerous cities in the U.S.? That’s crap. Colin and the Orlando Weekly, know it, too, but good luck getting them to admit they’re wrong.

So here’s the deal. Let’s send a message to Colin and the Weekly. Colin’s email is cwolf@orlandoweekly.com . Don’t be a jerk and don’t threaten him. Be blunt if you feel like it, but remain civil. Nothing is gained by being a jackass.

If you advertise with the Weekly, stop. Paul Williams, owner of West End Trading Co. sent the publication a letter Wednesday night cancelling his upcoming advertising for Pints ‘N Paws. If you allow the Weekly to place their newspaper rack in your establishment, ask them to remove it.

Don’t let an out-of-town publication get away with publishing fake news about Sanford.