Your Evening Sift

The South Florida blogosphere was buzzing today as everyone shook off the weekend cobwebs from their keyboards. Here's your plentiful evening Sift...

A- Woah, Nellie! Some Cranky Guy has caught himself one helluva case of Batsh*t Paranoia.

Our government is against us. The media is against us. Our congress persons and senators are against us. In time, this Enhanced Carter Administration will fail and the progressives will be chased out of government. We just need to hang on until then, and see what is left of our country when the “Progressives” are done with it.

B- At least one of the Cuban-American blogs bothered to comment on the Miami Herald's series on the embargo. Check out 26th Parallel.

It's actually a rather nuanced and surprisingly analytical and realistic view of the "embargo". Those who are dead set against the embargo because it prevents some sort of opening will likely squirm in their chairs in certain parts of the article, while those of us who favor sanctions will find good material to support our arguments but at the same time some thought-provoking stuff as well.

C- In a rare political post, More Blog About Buildings and Food gives us 5 easy facts about healthcare, if in fact you prefer working with facts.

D- Interesting post over at Man or Maniac? that talks about where all those talented writers who used to work for newspapers might end up.

E- Sir Pizza is "dynamite?" Jeff Eats thinks so.

Got an absolutely dynamite “pizza-sub-salad” joint for you…Sir Pizza in Coral Gables.

[...]

The pizza is thin-crisp–just right sweet—cut into little square pieces. I also did a meatball sub, philly cheese-steak sub, sausage stromboli. I am telling, real reasonable prices and really good food.

F- Justice Building Blog says there's lots of discontent over at the Miami-Dade Public Defender's Office.

It is our sad duty to report that the once proud Dade County Public Defender's Office is in turmoil.

Morale is in basement (and they don't even have a basement on 14th street, do they?)

G- Spa users, you might want to take note of the contest that The South Florida Traveler is running.

I’m giving away a day pass to the Eau Spa for you and a friend. (value $150) You heard that right, you and a friend will enjoy a relaxing afternoon at the Eau Spa at the Ritz-Carlton in Manalapan. Sit back and relax on the swinging chairs in the open air sanctuary, dip you toes in the shallow water, grab a book and escape to the lounge chairs or relax to the sounds of the water easing your tensions away.

H- Just some beach pictures from a weekend outing over at Searching For Normalcy.

I- The Reid Report and Eye on Miami have the 411 on a Republican town hall meeting featuring John McCain that will be held in Hialeah tomorrow.

J- Under the Sun profiles a Miami Beach condo buyer who bought into a building that gradually got worse as the economy tanked.

Yanira Doyle was a first-time home buyer. She bought what she could afford, put all her savings on the table and threw a house-warming party.

But within months, the real estate crisis was crashing around her. She had bought in a building that was recently converted to condominiums– a detail that suddenly made her much more vulnerable to falling property prices. Most of the other owners were investors. They were more likely to foreclose, or walk away. Yanira had bought her place to live there.

This story follows her struggle to keep the building afloat as trash went uncollected and lock boxes multiplied on the railing outside. She swept the halls and pestered the management company.

K- Go biking with South Florida Fixed at Markham Park.

Must haves when adventuring at Markham: Camel Back!! Helmet!! Shin guards!!! And No Hangover!!

.

Honest And Well-Deserved Criticism Of President Obama

Back in February, I made the statement, "...Democrats are sometimes harder on their own than conservatives are." This was is response to a Leonard Pitts column in which he defended his even-handed treatment of past presidents to a reader who accused him of being overly biased. Some SFDB readers might even remember how outrageous babalu's George Moneo considered my statement at the time and how some SFDB commenters continue to ignorantly maintain that the voters who elected President Obama "worship" him and feel he can do no wrong.

Well, yesterday, Leonard Pitts, a loyal Democrat, took the President to task for his failure so far to live up to his campaign promise to hold a higher moral ground than George W. Bush, especially when it comes the so-called War on Terror.

But I'll tell you something: Barack Obama was elected president in large part on a promise to restore the nation's battered moral authority. He appealed to voters because he seemed to understand what his predecessor did not, i.e., that America must embody ideals bigger than the exigencies and expediencies of the moment.

Somebody should remind him of that. Our ideals are not validated when some guy gets hooded and shackled because he overcharged the government. Our moral authority is not restored when we hide behind the fig leaf of standard operating procedure.

No, this does not match the worst abuses of the Bush era, but it is close enough that it must surely disillusion and dismay those who thought a corner was turned on Jan. 20. It must leave them hoping that faith was not misplaced.

Sometimes a dented promise is worse than no promise at all.

Word.

I really don't expect Moneo or those like him to change their perceptions of anything, let alone politics, because of something called "facts," but for the rest of us who are reality-based, let's make sure we remember the above and never forget the way radical ideologues like Moneo unconditionally supported George W. Bush and uttered not a word of criticism even as the man violated some of the most sacred principles of conservatism.




.

SFDB August Post Of The Month: The Nominees

As always, here's how it works: I post the SFDB Post's of the Week from August and readers pick their favorite by voting in a poll that appears at the bottom of this post. The voting ends on Friday, September 4th, at 9 PM, and the winner is pronounced Post of the Month and given their own special post.

Here's a chance for all SFDB readers to get involved and tell us what post you enjoyed the most. So without further delay, I present the nominees to check out and consider [click on the "Nominee #" to be taken to the post].


Nominee #1: "The Royal Castle Hamburger Chain Meetup"

Royal Castle was once King of Fast Food in the southeast United States and if you read Miami Beach 411's The Royal Castle Hamburger Chain Meetup, you got a little more familiar with the restaurant that got its start right here in Miami. In this generously imaged post, Carlos Miller gives us a liberal dose of history as well as a status check on how the mini-hamburger chain is doing today. Carlos compares the last two remaining Royal Castle restaurants in Miami and you wind up appreciating this little known piece of South Florida history more than you ever thought you would.


Nominee #2: "Miami Graffiti"

The Miami graffiti scene is about as foreign to me as the Vagabond on a Saturday night. But leave it to Sex and the Beach to present the "writers" and their art in such a way that it all started to make sense by the time she finished. The post Miami Graffiti is part of SatB's ongoing Ford Fiesta Challenge project and in it you get some great narrative, a professionally done video, a slideshow, and some excellent pictures that all come together in a blog entry that has it all.


Nominee #3: "The Herald Fires The First Shot At Random Pixels"

The South Florida blogosphere was abuzz this past month with the news that Random Pixels was being threatened with a lawsuit by the Miami Herald after he posted a couple of their photos. It's as close as you'll get to David versus Goliath in the blogging world and RP has been doing a great job letting us know how things are progressing. The post that contains the legal notice from the Herald is not any masterful composition, but it's what it represents that makes it so significant and special. The Herald Fires The First Shot At Random Pixels might turn out to be a post we look to in the future as the first salvo in a battle that winds up defining just how far old media is willing to go to defend its understanding of "fair use."


Nominee #4: "The Herald's 'Ambitious New Internet Project' "

Sometimes you hear things on the television or read things in the newspaper and you would like to do some research to find out if what you're being told is accurate. More times than not, however, you just let it go and assume that it's true. Well, Random Pixels listened to Miami Herald executive editor Anders Gyllenhaal announce "an ambitious new Internet project involving The Miami Herald and a cross-section of partners from traditional papers and start-ups, print and online sites." RP wanted to find out more about who was actually participating and called three prominent news editors in Miami. None had heard or remembered being asked to participate in the Herald's new project. Who is actually participating remains somewhat of a mystery but Random Pixels' efforts to verify information that is being passed on to the public by the media reveals a certain initiative as a blogger that needs to be recognized.

So there's your four nominees. Vote below and be part of the process that determines SFDB's Post of the Month for August.







.

SFDB's Not-So-Random Thought Of The Day

Forty years ago, Teddy Kennedy left a woman in a car to drown.

Four years ago, George Bush left an entire city to drown.

Guess which one still upsets the Republicans?

- via Suburban Guerrilla

.

The Cooler

The media is apparently having a hard time waking up this morning as most of the news posted at this hour is left overs from the weekend. Here's some of the newer stuff.

A- Sun-Sentinel: Welcome home.

WESTON - Rafael Giraldo completed a 3,800-mile cross-country tour this afternoon, riding a recumbent tricycle he calls "Manifest Destiny."

"It's tied to history and fulfilling a promise," explained Giraldo, 46, who teaches history at Tequesta Middle School in Weston.

When Giraldo returned home after the 80-day stretch that began in San Francisco on June 6, he found an enthusiastic crowd of about 30 people waiting at State Road 27 and Interstate 75. He had braved hailstorms, sandstorms and traffic across 11 states, sending dispatches from a GPS transmitter along the way.

[...]

The whole thing started with Giraldo's promise to his students at Tequesta that he would show them they could accomplish anything.

"It's a lesson in commitment," he said. "If you prepare, you will achieve."

B- Sun-Sentinel: Wasserman-Schultz has telephone town hall.

In her introduction, and in answers to 11 questions from the 3,598 on the call, Wasserman Schultz bluntly and directly took on and dismissed critics’ arguments.

To those who argue the United States has the best health care in the world, and government shouldn’t muck it up, she said the premise is wrong.

The United States ranks 29th in infant mortality and 31st in life expectancy, she said. “Americans pay so much more and get so much less. The system has really stopped working.”

C- Palm Beach Post: Tough times produce cops.

FORT LAUDERDALE — Local police officials say the bad economy has had a silver lining. They're flooded with applicants for one of the hardest jobs to fill - law enforcement.

Policing agencies have traditionally struggled to fill all their openings, because of high turnover and tough hiring standards. And some now have even more jobs, thanks to federal stimulus money.

[...]

"When the economy is bad, and unemployment is up, everyone wants to be the police,'' said police Chief Frank Adderley, who has four jobs open and expects to hire 12 more officers with federal funds.

D- CBS4: Video, Mystery bug captured at MIA.

E- NBCMiami: Coconut Grove Grapevine makes the news.

A Coconut Grove blogger is crying fowl over the removal of more than a dozen peacocks from his neighborhood.

Tom Falco, who operates the Coconut Grove Grapevine, is questioning whether the owners of Sandy Acre Avocado & Mango in Redland stole the peacocks which once freely roamed his neighborhood.

F- WPLG: Own a furniture store in Miami, get a street names after you!

The founder of El Dorado furniture now has a street in Miami named after him. Southwest 25th Avenue near Calle Ocho is now also known as "Manolo Capo Way."

.

Your Latest Two Minutes Of Hate...

...from the right wing...




.

Your Morning Sift

Good morning.

Why does it feel like someone it me over the head with a sledgehammer last night? Oh yeah. It's Monday. Enjoy your morning Sift...

A- Send Miami Dish [a picture of] your lunch.

B- Artlurker submits an excellent review of three exhibitions that opened this weekend.

In one way or another all three of Saturday’s exhibitions deal with issues regarding technology and poetics (visual poetics), however, beyond individual critiques what is worth illuminating is the fact that each of these three exhibitions opened outside of Wynwood, officially the ‘Art District’, and not during Miami’s second Saturday art walk, officially the time exhibitions open, said much about the changing face of the local cultural landscape.

C- The South Florida Watershed Journal explains sheet flow and comments on the differences in how people perceive it.

In the summer the sheet flow spreads out far and wide.

It’s flowing, you just can’t see it …

Or rather, you can see it, but you have to know where to look.

D- Bark Bark Woof Woof notes and comments on The Today Show's newest correspondent.

E- Incertus opines on on a Miami Herald column about former pro basketball player and Miami native Tim James, now serving in Iraq.

People like Tim James are incredibly brave and selfless, and I have no doubt that there are many others in the military right now who serve because they feel the same sense of duty to their country he does. But as long as they're the exceptions, as long as they're the newsworthy ones, then the wars the US wages will continue to be fought by the poorest among us, those who signed up because there wasn't much else for them.

.

SFDB's We Live Here

.Alley Scene, #70 [Between Ocean & Collins on 9th]
Ipanemic

.

Your Evening Sift

The weekend is over and tomorrow we head back to the grindstone. Ugh. On the plus side, this is my last full week before 2 weeks of vacation! Enjoy your weekend-ending evening Sift.

A- Transit Miami reviews the new dog park at Tropical Park and likes it.

The park includes a paved path surrounded by lawn areas (instead of dirt fields that can quickly become muddy), and newly planted trees that will provide shade as they mature. There are ample places to sit, from picnic tables under a tented area to benches scattered along the path. And as a bonus for the pups, there is an obstacle course, doggie fountains and a doggie mister for those really hot afternoons.

B- Random Pixels photoshops Mayor Carlos Alvarez while Eye on Miami gives him the benefit of the doubt.

I truly don't think that Alvarez, on his own, could have thought up the back-dated raises to throw off Commissioner Sally Heyman's public records request. That is not what he has been about his whole career. I don't think he is a sneaky guy by nature. I think he took bad advice and it dug him into a deep hole. He is responsible for the hole but the shoveling of the crap, I am inclined to think it is not him although he consented to it -- putting aside his ideals.

C- The Estefans stopped by the Deuce over the weekend and AshAndBurn got some pictures.

D- Coconut Grove Grapevine giving out Sour Grapes Awards? This from the guy that delinked SFDB because we didn't agree with him 100% time. Oh, the irony.

.

SFDB Post Of The Week

SFDB selects its Post of the Week by going back and reviewing all the Sifts that we've done over the past 7 days. We find the best post of the week and note the runners ups as we judge them to be.

This week's posts proved once again that the South Florida blogosphere is an eclectic place to visit. While the passing of Senator Ted Kennedy and the anniversary of Hurricane Andrew inspired some thoughtful writing, there was also [pun alert!] more than adequate coverage of the National Topless Day celebration on Lincoln Road. Let's see who came out on top.

Winner: Sometimes you hear things on the television or read things in the newspaper and you would like to do some research to find out if what you're being told is accurate. More times than not, however, you just let it go and assume that it's true. Well, this week Random Pixels listened to Miami Herald executive editor Anders Gyllenhaal announce "an ambitious new Internet project involving The Miami Herald and a cross-section of partners from traditional papers and start-ups, print and online sites." RP wanted to find out more about who was actually participating and called three prominent news editors in Miami. None had heard or remembered being asked to participate in the Herald's new project. Who is actually participating remains somewhat of a mystery but Random Pixels' efforts to verify information that is being passed on to the public by the media reveals a certain initiative as a blogger that needs to be recognized. Therefore, for the 2nd week in a row, this week's Post of the Week goes to Random Pixels and his post The Herald's "Ambitious New Internet Project."


Runners-Up: Both Ipanemic and Miami Beach 411 did good jobs documenting last weekend's display of breasts on Lincoln Road. In another joint runners-up recognition, the memories of Hurricane Andrew will always be part of Matt's Photoblog and En Vivo y en Directo's memory, as they demonstrated this week. And finally, Miami Dish impressed with a well researched and a splendidly composed post on Area 31 and their sustainable seafood menu and other offerings.

August Post of the Month voting is coming up this week. Stay tuned.

'Til next time, people, keep on blogging!

.

Mountain Biking @ Markham Park

-via My Weston Blog


.

Oh, Glenn...

Why must you make me do this?



ol⋅i⋅gar⋅chy

And to think, this is the guy they're turning to for ideas.


.

SFDB Supports The Radical Right

I keep reading posts on conservative blogs about how President Obama is a communist (or at least is surrounding himself with communists) and needs to be stopped and I keep seeing people on TV compare him to Hitler and the Nazi Party and I have to say...

People, if you are really looking into the abyss and believe this country is turning communist, when are you going to start doing something more than tapping out mad screeds on your computer that link to other people's mad screeds about how this country is going down the tubes?

When are you going to begin following up on your rants at the town hall meetings? You guys need to get up off your butts and take care of business!

Do it for the country. Do it for yourself. Do it for Sarah Palin!

The Radical Right mobilizes their forces.

.

Your Morning Sift

Good morning.

And it is still morning! Kind of unusual around these parts to see a Sift before noontime on the weekend, but here it is. Enjoy.

A- The Jew Review gives you a sunrise from this morning in case you missed it.

B- Take a look at I Shot The Chef's stuffed breasts!

C- Food For Thought submits his Hakkasan review.

Clearly, Hakkasan is not the place to go for cheap dim sum or cheap anything, for that matter. But I remain convinced that if you order carefully and watch what you drink, you can actually have a very good meal and not break the bank. Even if you're not so careful, you'll probably enjoy it right up to the moment that the bill arrives.

D- People from Homestead are kidnapping the Grove peacocks, claim the Miami Herald and Coconut Grove Grapevine.

Sidney Robinson, owner of Sandy Acre Avocado & Mango and his wife Maryannette have some explaining to do and some peacock returning to do, too. I have contacted them asking who asked them to remove the peacocks. We'll see what they have to say. I have also contacted the Discovery Channel, who filmed the whole thing for a tv show.

.

SFDB Saturday Night Turndown Service

Annie Lennox, No More I Love You's

.

Your Evening Sift

It's Saturday evening in South Florida? What the heck are doing here? Well, as long as you stopped by, enjoy your Saturday evening Sift...

A- Man or Maniac? goes back and forth with the Sun-Sentinel about content sharing.

B- Blast Off! takes us back in time and reminds us what then-President George W. Bush was doing as Hurricane Katrina slammed into the Louisiana coast.

C- Florida Speaks has President Obama's eulogy to the late Senator Edward Kennedy posted in written and video form.

Ted Kennedy has gone home now, guided by his faith and by the light of those he has loved and lost. At last he is with them once more, leaving those of us who grieve his passing with the memories he gave, the good he did, the dream he kept alive, and a single, enduring image – the image of a man on a boat; white mane tousled; smiling broadly as he sails into the wind, ready for what storms may come, carrying on toward some new and wondrous place just beyond the horizon. May God Bless Ted Kennedy, and may he rest in eternal peace.

D- Coconut Grove Grapevine shares some images from last night's Bed Race practice at Homestead-Miami Speedway.

.

Michael Jackson Birthday Google

Not a big fan, but I liked what Google did here...





.

Barney Frank Demostrates How To Deal With The Little Limbaughs

I saw this at Discourse, who linked to it at Crooks and Liars, but it demonstrates how Congressman Barney Frank recently dispatched some right wing loons that showed up at one of his town hall meetings. You've seen the beginning here before but you gotta see the rest...





.

Your Mid-Afternoon Sift

Get comfortable and take a look at what the SoFla blogosphere is talking about in today's mid-afternoon Sift...

A- Carlos Miller claims that the Miami-Dade State Attorney's Office is attempting to take advantage of his pro se status while appealing his criminal conviction.

But I’ve also learned that they should have notified me before filing the motion to dismiss in an attempt to clear up any misunderstandings.

My excuse is that I’m pro se. I didn’t know any better. The extent of my law training were the countless hours I spent in the University of Law library preparing my appeal.

What’s their excuse?

That they are just trying to take advantage of a pro se appellant?

Well that much is obvious.

B- Despite a slow start, Blind Mind says that the Meat Market on Lincoln Road delivered again for him last weekend.

For our mains, we opted for the only cut of beef Ive had at my half-dozen or so visits to Meat Market, the Japanese A5 Kobe Filet. At $95, its a pretty good deal and when you're paying that much for a steak you might as well add some seared foie gras to it, right? Yes, you should and we did.

C- Some Cranky Guy got a photo of the Shuttle streaking skyward last night from the roof of his house.

D- Holy Crap has discovered that Hialeah isn't exactly known on the web for its restaurants.

Urban Spoon is my go to application and site for finding decent places to eat nearby. Nothing rated. Yelp, CitySearch, and Zagat all failed me too. There is absolutely nothing near Hialeah to eat that isn’t some form of fast food. What’s up Hialeah? Where are your the good places to eat?

E- The Tiny JEWELBox branches out.

Well, it's official--I've gotten my first paid writing gig. I'm so excited to share this with you. It was only last New Year's Eve that I performed and self examination, as well as a lot of reflection, and decided that what I really wanted to do with my life was write. The very next day, I started this blog. Now, mere months later, I have become the Miami Fashion and Style Examiner for Examiner.com.

Examiner.com is website that focuses on local news, written by local writers. While it's certainly not the Washington Post, I'm glad they bought me on board.

F- Miamism's Mojito Madness returns to Miami and rates the mojito at Pacific Time which, unfortunately, disappoints.

G- Big changes are going on in A Mom, a Blog and the Life In-Between's life.

I'm no longer gainfully employed. Yup, I lost my job. I'm neither surprised nor devastated, as this is one of those cases where a crappy thing has many blessings within it. However, the fact is that my job paid the bills, and now, I have no money, but the bills remain.

H- Genius of Despair, or GoD, is back from vacation and is posting again at Eye on Miami!

I- Homestead is Home informs us that their city is the latest in South Florida to start using cameras to ticket red light runners.

Drivers in Homestead have had 90 days to heed traffic signals and stop at red lights or receive only a warning. As of August 28, the warning period ends with 2,753 warnings given. The Homestead Police Department will begin issuing citations to red-light runners with a fine of $125. As with the warnings, violators will be sent citations via first-class mail.

The City’s red-light safety program uses photo enforcement cameras at the intersection of US 1/ N Homestead Blvd and Campbell Drive /SW 312 Street.

J- Leave it to local government to screw up something as easy as some simple advertising, as this Transit Miami post demonstrates.

K- Want to know what new restaurants are getting ready to open in South Florida? Head over to The South Florida Traveler.

If I hear of another burger place opening up, I think I’m going to scream. Well, maybe not, but it sure is refreshing to hear of a new, value-priced restaurant that opens up and doesn’t focus on burgers. Here’s one I’m dying to check out. Cheesme is all you grilled cheese lovers dream come true. It features 16 types of cheese (Munster, Roquefort, Manchego), 12 different breads (Texas Toast, Brioche, Fruit & Nut), a large of selection of meats, veggies, fruits and spreads and five different types of fries. Finish your meal off with homemade donuts, beignets or even a Donut Ice Cream Sundae. This is the perfect place to end you night, as they are open until 5:00 am. Cheesme is located at 1200 Washington Avenue in Miami Beach.

L- Bark Bark Woof Woof and Blast Off! remember. Do you?

.

Your Evening Sift

Another week in the bag, folks. Can there be a better way to start your weekend then by taking in your latest evening Sift? Don't answer that. Here we go...

A- More stuff going on this weekend over at Moodvane.

B- Thoughts about the senatorial selection that Charlie Crist made today are posted by The Reid Report, Blast Off!, and Bark Bark Woof Woof. From the latter.

Mr. LeMieux will hold the seat for Mr. Crist, then retire in 2011 and go back to his law practice. Nice work if you can get it. Of course, that's assuming that Mr. Crist will win the election.

C- Urban Environment League shows concern for Virginia Key.

D- Worst Pizza has a report and a bunch of photos from the recent pizza tweetup at PizzaVolante.

Roughly 60+ pizza fanatics showed up at this nights event. This was the first time I have actually seen pizza left over. After serving approximately 45 pies, it would seem logical that even the biggest of eaters would submit. That means that each person roughly ate 6 slices.

E- 26th Parallel gets his property tax notice in the mail and doesn't like what he sees.

- Assessed value of my home plummeted - predictably.

- Taxable value remained virtually the same, predictably, thanks to Save Our Homes.

- Property taxes will INCREASE by at least $200 over last year. Whoa!

.

Friday Flashback

Midnight Oil, Beds Are Burning

.

The Herald's Jim Morin Talks

The Miami Herald's most excellent Jim Morin discusses his craft in this great video.




.

Being A Terrorist Is The New Black

Let's see...they're threatening the President at record rates, they're carrying guns to protest sites, and now they're embracing the title "right wing terrorist"...



And, oh, by the way, that's U.S. Congressman Wally Herger (R-CA) God-blessing this Neanderthal. Is Herger even aware that "right wing terrorists" have killed other Americans?

I have an idea. Since these people think it's so much fun and so patriotic to be a terrorist, I say we play along and treat 'em like terrorists. Yeah. Let's round them up and send them off to Gitmo for a few rounds of waterboarding. No proceedings, no hearings...just rendition them from their homes and offices. I mean, since they are enjoying being terrorists so much, I'm sure they'll have a blast as they continue to play the part of the anti-government revolutionary intent on saving the Republic.

It's a game, right? Pretend you're going to blow up things, shoot people, "stop" the President. I'm sure they'll totally understand it when the rest of us, the ones they're threatening, play along and pretend as if they're really serious.



.

The Cooler

Here's what I thought was noteworthy in this morning's news.

A- Herald: You've been punked.

They flocked by the dozens to the War Memorial Auditorium, lured by promises of fat stimulus checks. What they got was something else entirely.

In total, more than 100 qualified recipients scheduled appointments last week to see officials with the South Florida Stimulus Coalition in the hopes of a quick buck from a company with the slogan, ``Helping jump start our economy.''

But instead, they found Fort Lauderdale police officers. And instead of a stimulus check, they were handcuffed and led off to jail.

Police announced the results Thursday of the two-day sting targeting Fort Lauderdale residents with outstanding warrants: 76 arrests of fugitives wanted for offenses ranging from grand theft to fraud to attempted murder.

[...]

A Fort Lauderdale resident who would only give his first name, Rob, arrived late Thursday for his ``stimulus check'' and was released after police realized he did not have an outstanding warrant.

Afterward, the 21-year-old was fuming that the letter he said claimed he would receive $653 was bogus.

``I knew it was something shaky, but I was like, `What do I have to lose?' '' he said.

B- Herald: The new South Beach?

Brian Basti likes to get into an area before the crowds.

He was a pioneer in Miami's edgy Park West neighborhood with nightclubs I/O Lounge and PS14. His other clubs helped put the Design District on Miami's hip and trendy map.

Now he sees a similar opportunity in downtown Miami. That's why he recently opened Ecco Pizzateca + Lounge. The two-story space starts the day as a restaurant catering to the business lunch crowd and then morphs into a late-night party lounge.

Basti is part of a new wave of entrepreneurs who see downtown Miami as an untapped market. The interest is motivated by a combination of the economy driving down rents and a growing marketof residents moving into downtown's new high-rise condominiums.

[...]

Don Vernon knows about taking chances in a developing area; he opened Uncle Sam's music on South Beach in 1985, just when the area's revitalization was getting started. Now, he is finalizing a deal to open a cupcake bakery and cafe in downtown Miami.

``It's a new area like South Beach was,'' said Vernon, who hopes to open his business for less than $200,000 and get a city grant to offset some of the costs. ``I just see it as a place that has a lot of opportunity to grow. I like the feel of it. It's got a lot of a grit.''

C- Sun-Sentinel: Fort Lauderdale's Riverfront is sold for $100.

Madeleine LLC, an affiliate of private equity firm Cerberus Capital Management, is poised to take ownership of the Las Olas Riverfront entertainment and shopping complex after submitting the sole bid at a public auction Thursday at the Broward County courthouse.

Madeleine bid $100 to begin the auction of the 3.85-acre complex along the New River in downtown Fort Lauderdale, but no counter bids were offered. New York-based Madeleine had an interest in the project after buying the mortgage a little over a year ago, which was then worth $21.8 million.

D- Sun-Sentinel: Davie loves their horses.

DAVIE - With TV cameras rolling, Mayor Judy Paul broadcast a message to the killers slaughtering horses for their meat: "Don't mess with us. We're going to be on the watch for you."

In the wake of the horse killings in Miami-Dade County and Miramar, Paul and Southwest Ranches Mayor Jeff Nelson unveiled a "Community Barn Watch" program at Davie Town Hall on Wednesday night.

[...]

Southwest Ranches resident Marianne Allen had a question for Davie Police Chief Patrick Lynn: Can you shoot first and ask questions later?

E- Sun-Sentinel: Lifestyles of the rich and famous.

The hotel heir and millionaire murder victim was a world-class Batman enthusiast, with four warehouses packed to the rafters with Caped Crusader memorabilia and even his own Batmobile, a Broward court heard Thursday.

With the July murder of Fort Lauderdale's Ben Novack Jr. still a mystery, his widow and stepdaughter have locked horns over his estate, estimated to be worth at least $6 million.

[...]

Douglas F. Hoffman, the curator, described the slain man's assets as "complex and unique," including an "impressive collection of collectible items," ranging from vehicles, rifles and comic books to Coca-Cola memorabilia.

But it is the Batman collectibles that fill four of six warehouses and the couple's $3-million home in the upscale Las Olas Isles neighborhood of Fort Lauderdale. Hoffman called it the second-largest such collection in the world.

The home is cluttered "floor to ceiling with miniature Batman memorabilia" and other items, including Coca-Cola collectibles. Novack's deceased mother, Bernice, was once a Coca-Cola model -- with little pathways cleared throughout the home, Henry Zippay, one of widow Narcy Novack's attorneys, told Judge Ross.

The attorneys did not specify what the collection included, but did say Novack had a life-size replica of the Batmobile made from the same mold used to make the vehicle for a Batman movie. It is now parked at the Fort Lauderdale home.

F- TC Palm: Oops.

PORT ST. LUCIE — A 71-year-old man with no legs is accused of scratching a Nissan parked in a handicapped space at a Walmart SuperCenter, apparently thinking the Nissan driver was abusing the parking privilege, according to a police spokesman and a report released Thursday.

The 39-year-old victim on Wednesday told an employee at the Walmart on South U.S. 1 that she was picking up her handicapped mother. She was gone for about 30 minutes, and reportedly noticed someone had keyed the driver's side of the 2009 Nissan Altima.

[...]

Stopped while exiting the store, Keith Brian Berry, 71, apologized for the “most stupidest thing” he's ever done. He said “people always abuse the handicapped parking when they are not handicapped.”

Berry apologized to the victim, saying he didn't think of the possibility her mother could be handicapped. The Nissan had a handicapped decal hanging from the rear-view mirror.

G- WPLG: Life in South Florida.

LIGHTHOUSE POINT, Fla. -- A flaming flag pole is causing flap in Lighthouse Point.

Homeowner Chris Kydes installed a torch atop his 47-foot flag pole in front of his home to shine a light on patriotism. Each evening, as night falls, he climbs up on his roof to light it.

[...]

The torch is a 14-foot propane ring burner he installed with pride about two weeks ago. But the city sent him a letter saying that he failed to apply for a permit.

"It could be a safety issue,” said City Commissioner Chip LaMarca. "I love his idea. I just don’t think he can do it in the space that he has. But I am sure the building department will look at it and see if they can modify it so that he can accomplish his patriotism within our guidelines."

.

Your Morning Sift

Good morning.

You can tell it's Friday as the blogosphere slows down. This morning's Sift reflects that taper...

A- Transit Miami has a good report from Wednesday night's panel discussion on transit in South Florida.

I said several times over the evening that we need to get people out of their cars by making driving less convenient, to which the Commissioner and Alice Bravo grimaced. What an un-American thing to force people out of their cars. I disagree. The point of my comment was not that we should make people abandon their cars, but to provide more alternatives. How can we justify spending hundreds of millions of dollars improving flow on the Palmetto – which is within the fiefdom of FDOT :) – while not providing a convenient alternative to people who don’t want to sit in traffic. We wouldn’t have to improve flow if we gave people an easier choice to make.

B- Miami Bike Scene posts their own take on the BikeTown event at Bayfront yesterday.

.

Your Evening Sift

So when do we start sweatin' Hurricane Season 2009? It's almost September and Mother Nature has forgotten where Florida is. Not that I hope that she wakes up and remembers. Here's your evening Sift...shhhhh...

A- The Miami Herald loves to recycle, according to the latest post from Random Pixels.

One day, perhaps soon, the Cuban people will be freed from the yoke of Communist tyranny and they'll be able to get all the toilet paper they could ever hope for.

And maybe, just maybe, there will come a day when story ideas will no longer be in short supply at the Miami Herald.

One can only hope.

B- Miami Beach 411 [pun alert!] covers the National Topless Day March on Lincoln Road that happened last Sunday.

Well, down here, they kept little nipples pasties to prevent themselves from getting arrested as they marched down Lincoln Road, chanting “free your mind, free your breasts.”

If the shock factor was what they were after, they failed to get it. After all, bare breasts sans pasties are plentiful on the sands of South Beach.

Most people just looked on amused. A few took photographs. Some women even flashed their own breasts.

C- For those legally inclined, Southern District of Florida Blog takes a look at the results of a recent Federal decision on computer searches.

The Fourth Amendment is not dead... at least in the Ninth Circuit. Judge Alex Kozinksi,* writing for an en banc Ninth Circuit, ruled that many additional safeguards must be put in place before a computer search can go forward.

D- The Urban Environment League posts an open letter to Mayor Diaz asking for Virginia Key to be rezoned under the Miami 21 plan.

In light of the extraordinary environmental resources of Virginia Key, I would urge you to consider amending the Miami 21 zoning atlas to a T-1 zone for environmental conservation for Virginia Key, including a majority of uplands, restored dunes and hammocks and land capable of being restored to natural states, as well as the North Point and City Landfill, , and all submerged lands, as well as beaches.

E- Jeff Eats unveils his 5 best NY-Style Delis in South Florida.

Now...I am going to give you the names of 5 joints that could compete with any NYC deli. These 5 have outstanding deli meats…these 5, are the joints that you want to go to when you crave a great… pastrami-corned beef-turkey off the bone-tongue-brisket sandwich…not to mention chopped liver, tuna or chicken salad.

F- Got a nice report about today's BikeTown USA event at Bayfront Park from Spokes 'n' Folks.

A dozen or so South Floridians went home with new Jamis commuter bicycles today after Bicycling magazine brought its BikeTown USA promotion back to Miami's Bayfront Park. The bikes were presented to people who wrote winning essays about how a new bicycle would change their lives. And in many ways, the event was a celebration of how bicycling -- the sport, the daily activity -- is changing Miami's life as a city.

G- Under The Sun emerges from its dormancy and posts a great piece on what constitutes the difference between Hispanics and Latinos.

To sort it all out, he invited demographer Maria Isa to the studio.

In this piece, she explains the difference between the terms Hispanic and Latino, and why some people are so adamant about using one instead of the other.

She also explains how the labels came about in the first place. The government introduced the Hispanic label, to help gauge whether minorities had equal rights. Then Latinos pretty much invented their own label, based on their Latin American origins.

H- South Florida Theatre Scene gives us their weekly wrap up.

I- The Reid Report has some background info on the guy who recently walked around a President Obama appearance in Arizona with an assault rifle slung over his shoulder. With guys like this representin' the GOP, things are looking better and better for Democrats ever day.


.

SFDB's Missed SoFla Connection Of The Day

Maybe share a schnitzel?

your mercedes met my mercedes - m4w - 38 (Tyler Street, Hollywood)

at about 9:30am this morning, i was driving my black mercedes North on 13th Ave in Hollywood, crossing Hollywood Blvd. as i approached the stop sign at Tyler, you pulled up to the adjacent stop sign to make a right in YOUR black Mercedes (i think we were driving the same model but i could be wrong), and our eyes met. as we passed each other, i was certain you were still staring into my eyes. write to me, if you want to stare some more.

.

Revealing What We're Made Of

A large potion of Americana sat silent for 8 years as the White House gave a green light to this....



They said nothing as this guy...



...lied to them again...



...and again...



...and again...



They rubber stamped the absolute atrocious waste of billions of dollars of taxpayer monies by giving those involved another 4 years to continue the job.

So what has this group of Americans so fired up now? What has awakened the "Sleeping Giant," as they call it?

Health care for all Americans. The possibility of every American being able to get affordable medical care despite a pre-existing condition or despite not holding a job has got these folks furious beyond words. It's a travesty, they contend, and it moves the United States one step closer to being like Hitler's Nazi Germany, they say.

But it's more than that. From Pocahontas, Iowa...

Mr. Jensen, the mayor, said Mr. Obama received about 60% of the votes here in the 2008 presidential election. But Mr. Jensen estimated that 90% of this town of about 4,500 people were leaning against significant health-care reform because of the potential cost.

"People have worked hard here all their lives," Mr. Jensen said. "They see this as having to pay to take care of someone else."

Yeah, that "taking care of someone else" always seems to bother certain kinds of Americans. But torture is okay. And the lies from the President are okay, too, as long as he says he's "keeping them safe." Because it's all about them and what it means for their own, self-centered personal situation.

Suburban Guerrilla had a great response to Mr. Jensen and everyone like him.

Mr. Jensen, I know what you mean. Why, I’ve been taking care of defense contractors all my life. And farmers, and oil companies, and a whole bunch of other special interests. For the past eight years, I’ve paid for a war that’s been nothing but a minus for this country.

I’m paying for kids to go to public schools that my kids stopped using 15 years ago. I pay for a fire department even though I’ve never had a fire, and I pay for police protection that I’ve rarely needed. I pay for roads I’ll probably never even see.

I’m also paying for the senior citizens in your town - you know, the ones who don’t want to pay for anyone else? They have that luxury because of people like me who are still paying for people like them. Without our Social Security taxes, your seniors would be in sad shape.

So it saddens me to hear the “every man for himself” attitude expressed by your townspeople. That’s simply not true. We’re all connected. Helping each other not only makes sense, it’s the right thing to do. And if the citizens of Pocohantas, Iowa don’t understand that, I’d have to say as mayor, you’re just not doing your job.

Love,
SG

This raucous debate on health care is revealing the core values, principles and beliefs of many Americans. For me, it's too often a disappointment because what we're seeing manifested here from some is not a concern for the United States and all its citizens, but an "I got mine, you get yours" kind of mentality that leaves a large percentage of Americans behind.

No one understood this more than the late Senator Edward Kennedy, so it only seems fitting to end this post with this clip...




.

The Cooler

Kind of slow out there in the news this morning. Here's what I was able to dig up.

A- Herald: Thank goodness it was empty.

A 48-year-old woman stole an empty ambulance on Wednesday morning, police said.

Karen Annette Taylor was arrested and charged with grand theft auto and resisting arrest with violence. A Miami-Dade police officer saw Taylor driving the yellow striped Medivan ambulance west on Southwest 40th Street near 77th Avenue. The van matched the description of an ambulance that had been stolen in Coral Gables earlier in the day, a police report said.

B- Herald: Inside information.

Miami-Dade Crime Stoppers doles out cash for tipsters who turn in criminals.

But one of their own -- a Miami officer taking tips -- used the inside information to rip off thousands of dollars in reward money, authorities said.

Officer Wayne Fortella, an 11-year Miami police veteran, was charged Wednesday with wire fraud and conspiracy in Miami federal court. Two of his friends, who allegedly collected the Crime Stoppers payments at Wachovia banks, were also charged. One is at large.

Cellphone calls and text messages between Fortella and each of the two other men -- with details for picking up the rewards -- helped authorities track the trio.

C- Herald: Morin.

D- Sun-Sentinel: Citizens on patrol.

PALM BEACH COUNTY - While conducting training recently with the Sheriff's Office Volunteer Marine Unit about 2 miles off Palm Beach Inlet, Norm Jeweler heard a mayday call over the VHF marine radio: a boater was taking on water.

"He said, 'Please, please I'm going down,' " said Jeweler, a civilian major in charge of several volunteer patrol units at the Palm Beach County Sheriff's Office. "We pulled up alongside and helped the guy and stabilized his boat and he was able to come back to shore without sinking it."

[...]

The unit, launched on Aug. 14, is the neighborhood crime watch of the waterways. These volunteers are trained in boating safety and help authorities prevent thefts and boating accidents. Its 30 members patrol the Intracoastal Waterway seven days a week from Boynton Beach to Jupiter in two vessels owned by the Sheriff's Office.

Armed with VHF radios and cellular phones, the volunteers are ready to notify authorities when problems arise on the water. At least three volunteers work together on each four-hour shift. After each shift, they submit an activity report, which becomes part of the Sheriff's Office's official records.

E- Sun-Sentinel: Wanna buy a Riverfront?

The fate of the troubled Las Olas Riverfront project, which occupies a prime waterfront parcel on the New River in downtown Fort Lauderdale, may be decided Thursday.

The long-struggling retail and entertainment complex will be offered to the highest bidder at an 11 a.m. public auction at the Broward County Courthouse.

F- Sun-Sentinel: Chan Lowe.

.

Your Latest Two Minutes Of Hate...

...from the right wing...



.

Your Morning Sift

Good morning.

SFDB has a pretty solid Weekend Widget for you near the top of the right sidebar as we move closer to the weekend. Happy Day Before Friday, folks. Enjoy your morning Sift...

A- Miami Bike Scene has the info on an upcoming Loose Cannons Race.

B- Superbee's experience with the $33 all-you-can-eat fried chicken special at Michy's left him sour.

The first round of chicken had these fantastic boneless breast pieces! Yay!

They were raw inside. Boo.

The waiter tried to tell us it was because it was "free-range chicken."

I stuck my finger on the raw part and proclaimed, "It's a cold center."

C- The Chowfather samples two SoFla restaurants that have been the subject of other recent blogger reviews: the Original Brooklyn Water Bagel Company and Charm City Burger. About the latter.

The burger was good but I was underwhelmed. It failed to deliver the knockout punch I crave in a great burger. I'm not exactly sure what was missing though.

D- South Beach Social, Episode Two, from Ipanemic.

E- The Republican Party is looking for a "Great White Hope," according to a congresswoman from Kansas. The story is at Bark Bark Woof Woof.

.

Your Evening Sift

Senator Kennedy posts dominated the blogosphere today, as you might imagine, but there was much more than that out there as your evening Sift demonstrates...

A- Southern District of Florida Blog highlights Miami-Dade's Judicial Power Couple.

B- Eye on Miami has premonitions.

C- Random Pixels gives us a little more background on the guy behind my "Liberty City Is Like Paris" post and mentions SFDB...so he gets a link. Heh.

Weber now turns his lens on Liberty City and shows us that there's more to this wonderful Miami neighborhood than drive-by shootings and shooting galleries.

It's not the first time that Weber has drawn inspiration from - or used South Florida's sometimes forgotten neighborhoods as a backdrop.

In 1986 he shot a Calvin Klein Obsession perfume campaign on the roof of the Breakwater Hotel on Ocean Drive.

D- The South Florida Watershed Journal depicts how the Everglades used to flow before man butted in.

E- South Florida Fixed comments on the latest news in the Lexus v. bicyclist brouhaha in Broward.

F- Bark Bark Woof Woof shares more thoughts on the passing of Senator Kennedy.

There will undoubtedly be a push now to pass healthcare reform -- Senator Kennedy's lifelong goal -- and do it in his name. I have a feeling he wouldn't be in favor of milking his death and legacy for the sole purpose of passing the legislation (and there are no doubt going to be people who will exploit it on both sides), but it would be a fitting way of bringing the debate back to a level of sanity that has been sorely lacking in the discussion so far. Sen. Kennedy was there when Medicare was created, he worked throughout his career to make healthcare affordable and accessible, and he did it without resorting to guns and threats of insurrection. Perhaps that will be the lesson for us all.

G- AshAndBurn has your South Florida Moment of the Day.

H- Drinkers of Blue Moon might be interested in something called the Blue Moon Bomb, as described by The Jew Review.

.

Liberty City Is Like Paris

I received an email on Monday directing my attention to a wonderful short film by American filmmaker/ photographer Bruce Weber that was shot on the streets of Liberty City in January of this year. The 15-minute film, titled "Liberty City Is Like Paris" launched last Thursday on SundanceChannel.com.

Believe me, it's a great way to spend 15 minutes and I guarantee that you will not see Liberty City the same way again.

Check it out and make sure you also check out the film's photo gallery here.


.

The Cooler

Lots of good stuff in the news this Hump Day. Have fun.

A- Herald: Video, Venus and Serena own part of the Dolphins and are some big girls.

B- Herald: A new I-395?

After years of study and delay, Florida Department of Transportation officials are moving ahead with a plan to tear down and replace the entire 1.2-mile Miami highway, which connects Interstate 95 and State Road 836 with the MacArthur Causeway. They say the current road is poorly designed, overburdened, structurally deficient and a source of blight.

[...]

The new highway would be built just to the north of the existing I-395, so that the current expressway could stay open during construction of its replacement. That, however, would require the state to buy or take some 62 private properties through eminent domain, meaning the relocation of 10 families and five businesses.

That would also bring the highway to within feet of the Adrienne Arsht Center, raising president John Richard's concerns about the effects of road noise and construction.

C- Herald: Tap dancing.

TALLAHASSEE -- When Florida Power & Light chief Armando Olivera was asked Tuesday whether he and company executives would be willing to give up a pay raise to help struggling consumers with their bills, he offered a short answer.

``No,'' he said, ``because that would be short-sighted.''

[...]

Robert Scheffel Wright, the attorney for the Florida Retail Federation, which opposes the rate increase, pressed Olivera further.

``In what you have characterized as a bleak economy, do you believe that it is fair to ask FPL's customers to pay rates that include paying you $3.6 million a year or more for your compensation?'' he asked.

``Yes,'' Olivera answered. ``This is not about me. This is about the whole team . . . To pay our people less than that would ultimately result in higher cost.''

D- Sun-Sentinel: Arnold Horshack teaches in Palm Beach County.

PALM SPRINGS - Arnold Horshack is back, this time as a high school teacher.

Fans of the popular 1970s TV sitcom Welcome Back, Kotter may be surprised to learn the latest role for the actor who played the goofball student is that of a serious educator in Palm Beach County.

Ron Palillo, whose Horshack character brought laughter to millions of viewers, is in his second week teaching freshmen acting classes at G-STAR School of the Arts for Motion Pictures and Broadcasting in Palm Springs.

E- Sun-Sentinel: Chan Lowe.

F- CBS4: Britto in court.

MIAMI BEACH (CBS4) ―Miami pop artist Romero Britto has settled his legal woes stemming from his arrest on a DUI charge.

Britto, who reached a plea deal in July, pled no contest Tuesday in his drunk driving case. According to the plea deal, Britto loses his license for six months, must perform 100 hours of community service and pay a $1,000 fine.

G- WPTV: Public service.

SOUTH PALM BEACH, FL -- Before the start of Tuesday night's town council meeting, South Palm Beach mayor Martin Millar dodged questions from NewsChannel 5 and his constituents.

One man stood at the podium during public comment and said, "You owe the people an explanation."

He was demanding an explication over what allegedly happened last Monday night at Rachel's adult entertainment club in West Palm Beach.

According to the police report the South Palm Beach mayor was intoxicated and kicked out of the club after shining his flashlight at an exotic dancer, then threatening a manager that he would "lay him out."

[...]

One woman said, "Good for you for going to a strip joint!" to which many in the audience applauded.

.

The Liberal Lion Has Died

He wasn't perfect, but who among us is.

Rest in peace, Ted.

.

Your Morning Sift

Good morning.

I'm up extra early this morning which means you get a Sift that's published before the sun has even broken the horizon. Enjoy your pre-dawn morning Sift...

A- Random Pixels unveils a new feature that's sure to make you smile.

B- Miami Bike Scene has photos of some ads that have been going up around town as part of a new bicycle safety campaign.

C- Ipanemic posts the latest video installment of "South Beach Social."

D- Swampstyle announces the upcoming opening of "Hyperculture" at Swampspace Galley.

Hyperculture refers to the staggering rate of change in modern technological societies. It is the condition of perpetual interregnum. In other words hyperculture is our constant state of being between knowing and feeling while information continues to flow with increasing volume. The rampant illnesses of our society--including the disintegration of the family, the degradation of the environment, unlimited commercialism, and unrelenting stress are familiar to us all.

E- Artlurker takes on the name brand artist.

Has anyone noticed how the vast majority of ‘artists’ that design products for name brand companies like Oakley, Converse and Scion seem to be spontaneously co-created as and when a new line is due to be released? Has anyone heard of these people in an art context before? Where did they come from? What have they been doing for money until now? will they ever be heard from again?

F- What is going on with beer this week in SoFla? South Florida Beer Blog has the answers.

G- South Florida Theatre Scene reaches a milestone.

H- Bark Bark Woof Woof pays tribute to Sen. Edward Kennedy.

He had his flaws -- and some people will remind us of them over the next few days -- but he always wanted the best for the nation, not for how it benefited him but for how it would make this a better place to live.

The New Liberals Are Conservatives

The Daily Show With Jon Stewart	Mon - Thurs 11p / 10c
Fox News: The New Liberals
www.thedailyshow.com
Daily Show Full Episodes Political Humor Healthcare Protests

.

Your Evening Sift

Unusually slow for a Tuesday in the South Florida blogosphere today, which means a relatively thin evening Sift. Enjoy.

A- Miamians ought to be a little more like Hawaiians, says Miami Beach 411.

Like Florida, Hawaii is paradise, but somehow the locals’ overwhelming negativity has managed to keep the population down. Maybe if we all adopted a little more of the island mentality, the traffic wouldn’t be so freaking bad.

B- Mayor Manny tries to convince us that writing Miami commissioners before the next Miami 21 vote is actually going to make a difference in their vote.

C- Man or Maniac? opines on anonymous blogging and a recent "outing" in New York.

D- The Eclectic Chapbook briefly mentions something called the "Broward Bulldog."

Former investigative journalists at the two local Florida newspapers are putting together an independent news website called the Broward Bulldog.

E- Discourse has a good video that once again illustrates the misinformation that conservatives are spreading on health care.

F- I think there was one sentence in Eat It, Miami's review of Burger & Beer Joint that talks about the quality of the food, but if you want to know about their matchbooks, bathrooms and Barton G's, you're in luck.

G- Soul of Miami has September's music calendar for Van Dyke's posted for your review.

.