The Cooler

Kind of a light morning in SoFla news. Here are some of the more interesting items I could find.

A- Herald: Dolphins lose.

The fury was clear. It was clear from the words that were spoken in the Dolphins' locker room as much as it was from the ones that were not. But the reason for that anger, the reason players such as Ayodele chose to chill rather than roar, was instead a matter of debate.

That's because there were just too many reasons to pinpoint just one. The embarrassment of their own performance? The disrespect from their opponent? The feeling that Miami was slighted by the officiating?

Or better yet: All of the above.

B- Herald: Miami Beach's Mango's continues to be popular.

David Wallack said the business is still ''very healthy'' and the economic climate calls for a ''lean and mean'' strategy. He said the real satisfaction has come from the symbiotic way Mango's has both given life to and been given life from a mostly young staff of hopeful, hardworking immigrants.

''As a business, this is a miracle,'' Wallack said. ``I have people who have come here in a raft and now they're making a very nice living. That is success.''

C- Herald: Why Pembroke Pines is the best place in the country to raise your kids.

''What's great about Pembroke Pines is that it's so close to Fort Lauderdale and Miami,'' Gopal said. ``That's a good thing because there are so many amenities nearby.''

BusinessWeek's designation is just one of a slew of awards Pembroke Pines has received in recent years. In 2004, the National Civic League named Pembroke Pines an All-American City. The charter school system has won at least four awards since receiving accreditation from the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools in 2002.

The charter schools aim to educate the whole student, academically and socially, said Sean Chance, principal of the Pembroke Pines Charter Schools East Campus. Most of the city's schools are A-grade, based on the state's grading system, he said.

Chance, a nine-year Pembroke Pines resident, said he especially enjoys the abundance of city-run sports programs for youth.

After the post-Hurricane Andrew population boom, Pembroke Pines has remained a family-oriented city, said Chance, who has two children.

''As fast as it's grown and as large as it's gotten, it still keeps that small-town feel as best it can,'' he said. ``The city takes family into consideration and finds ways to keep them together.''

D- Herald: They write letters...

One-way respect

In the wake of President-elect Barack Obama's victory, many of his supporters have urged the Americans who did not vote for him to join them in respecting and standing behind him as he tackles important issues.

I commend Obama supporters for this spirit of decency, inclusiveness and cooperation. However, I wonder why many of them failed to speak out during the past eight years as President Bush and his family have endured one despicable attack after another by liberal news commentators, comedians, Hollywood actors and the public. Perhaps they disagreed with the attacks but decided to remain quiet, or maybe it's just easier to show and ask for respect when you're on the winning side.

ROBERT MOLLEDA, Miami

I'm thinking, Robert, that some people's distaste for torture, wiretapping and unjust wars overrides their penchant to hold hands and sing Kumbaya, but I'm just guessing.

Note: Robert "Ciclón" Molleda contributes to babalu as Robert M., where, of course, they are the models of respect for past Presidents like Clinton, Carter and JFK.

E- Palm Beach Post: "Wrap rage" makes prominent headlines in the Post.

Gary Cowles was frustrated and angry.

He had just returned from a business trip to Denver and had brought home three packages of Disney princess figurines for his three young daughters.

But as his own little princesses huddled around excitedly, Cowles struggled to break open the packaging.

"The package looked really easy to open," the West Palm Beach resident said, "but there was that hard-to-open plastic and all kinds of twist ties."

As he worked to liberate the figurines from their plastic captivity, he snapped or broke several. "There were four casualties in the first package, and a few more in the other two," Cowles said. "Some had been decapitated; some now had to have prosthetic limbs. And wings - wings were the biggest casualty."

It's called "wrap rage."

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