Your Evening Sift

I know Thanksgiving vacation is over but something in the blogosphere was a little off today. Not as much commenting, traffic a bit down. However, Art Basel posting has picked up considerably, as you might have noticed. And with that, here's your CyberMonday evening Sift...

A- Holy Crap makes bread. Delicious pictures.

B- A lot of people wore sunglasses during the Herald Hunt, if you have to go by this picture at A Grand Illusion. I wonder how much money they donated to get that picture with Barry.

C- PhinPhantic does a great "morning after analysis of yesterday's Dolphin loss.

As Brian said, the Dolphins got a bit of a reprieve last night when the Steelers lost, but I still don’t like the prospect of having to win the next five straight to have a good shot. The schedule down the stretch looked promising a month ago but now it looks like Miami is in for a dogfight the rest of the way, starting with New England next week. This game was supposed to be an NBC game but it got flexed out of the time-slot in favor of a better match up. From here on out, every single game is a must-win. Miami probably had a one-game margin for error, that’s gone now. They’re not dead in the water, but Miami’s playoff hopes are fading fast.

D- Miami, bro says the Borscht Film Festival was a celebration of Miami.

There were so many little things about this event that just radiated love for Miami. Although most of us grow up wishing we were somewhere else, we are still truly dedicated to this sometimes lame, mostly strange, very non-traditional American city. Our humor and perspective is so unique. Miamians are easily amused; we love to laugh. Each film made a nod to our hometown in a way we, the audience, could appreciate, and Miami, bro loved it.

E- Shorter Transit Miami...

The latest meeting of the Miami Beach Bikeways Committee was disappointing.

F- The Chowfather likes Satoro Restaurant in downtown Hollywood but is hoping that it doesn't turn into a "cheesy lounge trap."

Satoro Restaurant and Lounge recently opened on the corner of Hollywood Blvd and Dixie Highway in downtown Hollywood. As I watched the process unfold over the past few months I was concerned that this would be another wanna be late night party spot that just happened to serve food like other spots around town. However, my skepticism started to diminish when I heard that they hired the former chef from Jackson's Steakhouse on Las Olas, Alexander Dziurzynski. Maybe they were actually taking the food thing seriously..

G- Oh no. Britto water at MIA from AshAndBurn.

H- South Florida Beer Blog taste tests something called Lazy Magnolia's Southern Pecan.

Though the beer does have the sweet nutty taste of a pecan pie it doesn't overload you with sticky sweetness. It has a nice dark brown color that goes very well with the whole theme of the beer. The smell of nutty maltyness just made me want to put this to my lips. The tastes were the perfect blend, a bit of sweetness with a very slight bitterness you would expect from a pecan.

I- Sweat Records is awarded a $150K Knights Foundation grant.

The funding comes from the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation, as part of its Knight Arts Challenge – a five-year, $40 million initiative to bring South Florida together through the arts.

Needless to say we are beyond excited, overwhelmed, and grateful. We wouldn’t be where we are today without the support the community has given us and we can’t thank all of you enough.

J- South Florida Lawyers is up for some kind of law blog award. Make sure you show him your support, he's one of the good guys. Or so I've heard.

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SFDB Ecard Of The Day

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Some American's Values

Via Huffington Post...

Sen. Richard Lugar (R-Ind.), a trusted GOP voice on foreign policy matters, told CNN's "State of the Union" that in light of a forthcoming increase in troops to Afghanistan, Democrats should turn their attention to matters of war and money.

"[W]e're not going to do that debating health care and the Senate for three weeks through all sorts of strategies and so forth," said the Indiana Republican. "The war is terribly important. Jobs and our economy are terribly important. So this may be an audacious suggestion, but I would suggest we put aside the health care debate until next year, the same way we put cap and trade and climate change and talk now about the essentials, the war and money."

-poster via Skepticism.org

Looking For "Dumb and Dumber" Products?

From Amazon...



I think that's about right, don't you?

-via Dependable Renegade

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The Cooler

The two big stories in this morning's mainstream media are Tiger Woods and Cyber Monday. I'm proud to say we don't cover either here in today's Cooler.

A- Herald: Losers.

The rare dose of optimism oozed from every old crevice of Ralph Wilson Stadium on Sunday -- all of it centered on the way Buffalo's controversial star helped close out his team's 31-14 win against Miami, with one huge touchdown and one stinging gesture.

All of it at the expense of the Dolphins and this numbing, unnecessary loss.

[...]

The Dolphins can still finish 10-6 with wins in their final five games, a feat that will be challenging, although still possible. Whether it will be good enough for a playoff spot -- either by way of a divisional title or a wild-card berth -- also remains to be seen.

B- Herald: Irony.

The image of free-wheeling collectors casually buying art worth more than an ocean-view condo is in stark contrast to the local economic realities of South Florida that are underscored by one of the nation's highest foreclosure rates and double digit unemployment. Yet, the arts community still seems to be betting on South Florida's future.

C- Herald: Video, 2009 Herald Hunt.

D- Herald: Zip it.

Serena Williams was fined a record $82,500 for her U.S. Open tirade and could be suspended from that tournament if she has another "major offense" at any Grand Slam in the next two years, Grand Slam administrator Bill Babcock told The Associated Press on Monday.

E- CBS4: What was it in the sky?

The mystery surrounding a burning object seen falling from the sky in South Miami Sunday night remains, well – a mystery.

Miami-Dade police said emergency operators received a number of calls around 7 p.m. from people who reported seeing an object that resembled a hot air ballon on fire in the area of SW 84th Street and 52nd Avenue.

"It was observed. It was noticed," Miami-Dade Fire Rescue spokesman Lt. Eddy Ballester. "Whether it is on fire or not is not known."

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Your Morning Sift

Good morning.

The recovery continues. Lots of sleep last night to recharge some very low batteries. Thanks for the emails, folks. You know who you are. Here's your Back From Thanksgiving Vacation morning Sift...

A- More Blog About Buildings and Food may have the crappiest blog name in South Florida but they have a great Art Basel information post going and being updated.

B- The South Florida Watershed Journal points out a few signs that our South Florida winter is here.

Skies grow dark early, weather has turned more reliably cool, and perhaps most tellingly the cypress needles have almost completely fallen.

And if that weren’t enough:

Today marks the official end of hurricane season.

So, can we finally claim victory and proclaim fall has officially arrived?

It’s sort of a mute point now that the Navels oranges and Ruby Red grapefruits are in!

Here in Florida that’s our first sign of winter!

C- Justice Building Blog seems almost giddy that Broward County's politics and judicial system are as screwed up as Miami-Dade's.

These same politicians, Judges, lawyers and officers who sneer at "Dade Lawyers" and have mistreated and maligned us for decades as unprincipled and uncouth, have now been unmasked for what they really are- rank hypocrites who fought over each other to jump into bed and be closest to the man with the money. May each and every one of them get what they truly deserve.

We end most posts on Broweird this way: Karma baby.

D- A bunch of new pictures depicting the hard faces of Miami's streets are up at The Street.

E- The South Florida's Farmer's Market has moved and Redland Rambles gives us the new location.

F- Bark Bark Woof Woof discusses the Republican view of President's Obama's first year.

So when you hear a conservative dismiss the success of President Obama -- or any Democrat -- they're mustering damage control: the last thing they want is someone else to succeed. On the up side, President Obama hasn't taken away all our guns, he hasn't reinstated the Fairness Doctrine, he hasn't turned the West Wing into a mosque, Rev. Jeremiah Wright is not sitting on the Supreme Court, William Ayers is not running the Department of Peace, and Kum By Yah hasn't replaced the Star-Spangled Banner

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SFDB's We Live Here

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Downtown Miami Skyline
David Cooper

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Your Evening Sift

Is a 4 hour stay in an ER getting pumped full of hydration reason enough for a delayed Sift? I vote "yes," although my girlfriend thinks I should have just skipped it. Here's your late, but still breathing evening Sift...

A- Eye on Miami provides a wonderful tale about Lance Loud, from another time.

Lance and I would talk through a window we shared between offices. He was actually in the reception area. We didn't talk about his friend Andy Warhol or his show. Instead we shared the mundane. When I asked why he had a bottle of nail polish remover on his desk he told me it was the best way to treat herpes. Ouch!

B- Miamism Pix is 5 years old.

C- Swampstyle wonders about Black Friday in a very swampy kind of way.

D- Eating Local in the Tropics explores chestnuts.

Chestnuts come from Florida. Well, some of them do anyway. Right next to these homegrown chestnuts were red mesh bags of chestnuts imported all the way from Italy. There were also canned versions and a jarred chestnut cream that looked fancy and french.

E- Back from his Thanksgiving vacation in Islamorada, The Chowfather has some restaurant recommendations.

If you are in down that way I would recommend breakfast at Bob's Bunz, the tuna nachos and fresh fish sandwiches at Island Grill for lunch and doing dinner at the Hungry Tarpon. We stopped off at Hungry Tarpon for lunch on a prior trip home from Key West and really enjoyed their fresh fish sandwiches.

F- South Beach Condos Blog wonders if a piece of Britto's brand new work on South Beach was recently vandalized.

It seems that something “happened” to the artist Romero Britto’s work at the entrance of South Beach. The new art, installed only months ago at the new Fifth and Alton “mall,” has either been vandalized or under some sort of reconstruction or maintenance. I think it has to be vandalism because the piece is only months old.

G- An array of street art around Wynwood from Deucers.

H- Is Mayor Regalado delivering on his campaign promise of transparency? Miami For Change says no.

You promised TRANSPARENCY.

An end to what you called "backroom deals" and a new openness in government.

But you give us an empty website.

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Leonard Pitts, Jr. Does Not Blog [UPDATED]

Back in March of this year, Miami Herald syndicated columnist Leonard Pitts, Jr. started blogging. His last post was June 30th and you get a sense that Pitts was struggling for a rhythm for those 120 days.

He started off with some family pictures but that is the last time you got a peek at Pitts' personal side. Instead, he alternated between some shameless self promotions, posts of columns that he had written and some circumspect commentary on politics. It was thoroughly uninspired blogging that received a minimum of comments when you consider the Herald's vast pretty big readership. There was one exception when Pitts posted some comments from a column he wrote for syndication that garnered 77 comments of its own.

Indeed, I had a feeling about all of this back in March. Pitts had made it clear that he didn't look at blogging as a serious medium to convey thoughts or ideas and, apparently, he confirmed that in 4 short months.

......

UVu Blog has a good interview with Pitts in which he primarily discusses his new book, but he also mentions the influence of blogging at 4 minute mark.




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Hialeah Racetrack Reopens

This Herald video captures some of the sights and sounds from yesterday's reopening. Pay attention at around :40 and tell me if the shouting patron says what I think she says.



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Your Morning Sift

Good morning.

No Cooler today as I've been battling some suspected food poisoning that has made these past 12 hours particularly challenging. Here's your Sunday morning Sift...

A- Tropic of Mom shares a photo of her waving hello from Woodstock...yes, that Woodstock.

B- Burger & Beer Joint gets a visit from Food for Thought.

Though I tend to defer to those more knowledgeable and prolific in the ways of the burger, for my own personal burger heirarchy, I will say that Burger & Beer Joint's burger beat the pants off the one I had at 8 Oz. Burger Bar, certainly its closest competition both geographically and conceptually. As for what's at the top of that list? I may need to get back to Kingdom on Biscayne Boulevard to decide, plus have heard good things of late about the new burger menu at Bourbon Steak. In the meantime, Burger & Beer Joint makes a very fine burger; next time I'll know to keep it simple.

C- The South Florida Watershed Journal gives us a quick primer on the melalueca trees that are in bloom right now.

From a distance the Melaleucas were easy to spot:

They had "puffy" white flowers, or so they seemed, until we stepped out of the truck to take a closer look and their true shape was revealed:

Elongated white bristle brushes.

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SFDB Saturday Night Turndown Service

R.E.M., Fall On Me


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Your Evening Sift

Things started out slowly but picked up through the day so that tonight I have a respectable Sift for you.

A- Eye on Miami opens up discussion on Thanksgiving Day's smuggling venture into Turkey Point.

This is where they want to put 2 more reactors, the most nuclear power reactors in the entire nation? Isn't this suppose to be a highly guarded area?

B- Miami Beach 411 profiles Miami comic Freddy Stebbins.

Stebbins, who is rather quiet, subdued and maybe even a little shy off stage, is actually a great conversationalist and as genuine hearted as they come. But when he does what he does best, he’s a perfect example of a beautiful Miami anomaly – someone who is so deadpan American yet so deliciously Cuban when he goes into character. The forty-something man barely speaks a lick of Spanish, yet manages to parody every stereotype our magic city has put forth this last century—and then some.

When in character, Stebbins serves up accents, mannerisms and figures of speech like the best steaming hot plate of fried plantains east of the Palmetto Expressway. If you have a love/hate relationship with Miami, Stebbins is your man and he’s on to you – you know you’re laughing harder because you’re laughing with him too.

C- There's a bar opening only for the duration of Art Basel, according to Local Motion Miami.

It's a recreation of a New York City based establishment that has been operating in the city for 20 years. The bar will be "an art installation out of the core elements of the Lower East Side...it will most definitely be the common meeting point for Art Basel attendees and act as the main clubhouse for all of the creative community during the fair week," according to a press release issued by the bar's promoters.

D- The Pompano Beach Green Market is visited by Eating Local in the Tropics.

The Pompano Green Market has a pleasant atmosphere and is a good place for a short, morning outing. There are locally grown items, but they are outnumbered by things grown out of state and out of the country, so you have to really pay attention to what you're buying and ask the vendors specific questions. While there are better farmer's markets much further south, the Pompano Green Market is a good start and Broward County's best, current option.

E- December's calendar of classical events in South Florida is posted at South Florida Classical Review.

F- Well, I was hoping that someone attended last night's Critical Mass ride in memory of Rodolfo Rojo and Miami Bike Scene came through with a great video.

Shortly after 7pm the group took to the streets, we started in downtown Miami and traversed north on Biscayne Blvd to 114th street to pay tribute. A Ghost Bike was placed just a few yards from where Rodolfo was struck and killed. Bradley Kelly, one of Rojo's best friends who was riding with him and witnessed the tragedy that night set up the memorial.

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Boulder Bicycling

I was fortunate over the summer to visit Boulder, Colorado, and like many people who have visited the city for the first time, I was very impressed. What impresses one the most about the city and its residents is the care they have for the city and each other. That is manifested in many different ways, but one way is the effort that has been taken to build a large network of bike paths and thoroughfares for the city's cyclists to ride on.

This short film, which I found over at Spokes 'n' Folks, illustrates Boulder's work and commitment to a way of life that has the potential to enrich just about everyone's day. As a South Florida resident for 26 years, it embarrasses me how little concern our politicians and transportation planners have for cyclists and how much disdain many South Floridians show their fellow citizens with whom they share the road. Too busy getting to work, or partying or finding the next best restaurant, I suppose.

Enjoy.

Boulder Bike Story from Bikes Belong on Vimeo.

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Automatice License Plate Recognition

"New" technology* for the Port St. Lucie Police Department has been around for three years in Canada...



Regardless, it's pretty cool stuff.


* Note to the IT wizards at WPTV.com...post embed coding for videos that doesn't automatically begin the film as the page is loaded. I mean, it doesn't seem to be a challenge for other news.coms.


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The Cooler

I have some Black Friday videos for you and some other entertaining news in this morning's Cooler.

A- CBS4: Thank goodness they weren't Muslims!

A South Florida power plant that is supposed to be protected by around the clock security had a group of unexpected, and apparently undetected, visitors Thanksgiving day. A group of 33 Cuban migrants came ashore on property owned by FPL holding cooling canals for the Turkey Point nuclear power plant, and then called the plant's control room to let them know they had arrived.

Florida Power and Light reported the incident to federal nuclear regulators, explaining the migrants apparently arrived shortly after 1 p.m. Thursday. The utility said a member of the group called, and said they had come ashore somewhere among the plant's canal system, and had 29 adults and 4 children in the group.

B- CBS4: Royal Castle shooting.

NORTH MIAMI (CBS4) -North Miami Police are looking for the suspect they say shot and killed a man and shot and wounded a woman early Friday morning. The shooting happened on the 12000 block of NW 7 Avenue just after 5 a.m.

Officers initially responded to the landmark Royal Castle restaurant after reports of shots being fired were reported in the area. Once officers got to the scene, they found both victims. The woman was taken to Ryder Trauma Center.

C- Palm Beach Post: We want protection from ourselves!

PALM BEACH GARDENS — Frieda Schiller, 69, was grocery shopping when three women approached her. One of them, wearing a yellow print dress, asked her which laundry detergent was best for color clothes.

"It was something ridiculous," Schiller recalled. But trying to be polite, she briefly turned from her cart to respond. When she looked down, her purse, which she had zipped shut, was open. Her wallet was gone, and the three women were quickly walking to the front of the store. She screamed.

[...]

"Why isn't the customer protected?" Schiller asked. "I was told that it is the customer's responsibility to be more careful, that they are a food chain, not a security company."

D- Herald: Video, Black Friday in SoFla.

E- Herald: Morin.

F- WPLG: Video, More Black Friday, dude gets arrested for cutting in line.

G- WPLG: If not for the courage of the fearless crew, the minnow would be lost, the minnow would be lost.

MIAMI -- The Norwegian Dawn cruise ship temporarily lost power off the coast of Puerto Rico and was heading to the island for maintenance.

A Norwegian Cruise Line news release says the ship lost power at 9 a.m. Friday about 95 miles north of San Juan. The U.S. Coast Guard was notified.

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Your Morning Sift

Good morning.

We're still in a holiday mode setting around the South Florida blogosphere which means some very abbreviated Sifts. Enjoy this one this chilly Saturday AM...

A- The South Florida Watershed Journal says one of the benefits of the winter in SoFla are the sunsets, or maybe just the ability to see them.

The secret is to take advantage of what moments time allows:

Come winter, one of those moments for me is the early arrival of sunsets.

B- Smashed Frog tries a little dose of Black Friday in an effort to get her head right after a tough year.

I figured a jaunt through the throng of a busy crowd would get me in the holiday mood. With my ears cracking and popping, I purchased the black tank and cut an exit through Kid GAP, where a boy about nine repeatedly tossed a wool cap up into the air, oblivious to his mother's clucking.

My life's been a lot like that cap lately, spiraling down only to spiral back up. Something happens, then something else, then yet something else again and more often than not, the something is that someone else's cap has somehow clapped itself down on my stuffy head.

C- Mango&Lime tells us about her Turkey For Two Thanksgiving Day.

Thanksgiving this year was an unusual one. Not a bad one, just not the usual. It was a Thanksgiving for two.

“Well, enjoy your newlywed Thanksgiving,” one friend said. “What? You guys are doing a romantic Thanksgiving?” said another.

Not really. Let’s just say it happened that way.

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Your Evening Sift

If you didn't get out and enjoy the fantastic weather today, you really need to be arrested and shipped out to Minnesota. Posting is still rather thin around the SoFla blogosphere so this evening's Sift won't take you but just a minute.

A- More grumbling about MIA's mandatory schlep down D Concourse at Eye on Miami.

The other night, a guest whose plane was delayed had to wait an hour for luggage at Gate D. When she asked an American airlines baggage representative what was the matter, the AA employee said, "Oh luggage always takes thirty to forty minutes."

B- South Florida Lawyers runs down who's representing who in the Rothstein-related court matters.

C- Jeff Eats says that Matteo's could be the best Italian restaurants in South Florida.

Matteo’s with locations in Boca Raton, Hallandale and Jupiter is one of the best, if not THE BEST, Italian restaurant in South Florida.

D- See what's coming to the Van Dyke on Lincoln Road in December at Soul of Miami.

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Friday Flashback

Pearl Jam, Black


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South Florida Cartoons

Chan Lowe, South Florida Sun-Sentinel


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SFDB Leftovers Factoid Of The Day

Black Friday is the busiest day of the year for plumbers...

CINCINNATI, Nov. 26 (UPI) -- U.S. plumbers say Black Friday, the day after Thanksgiving, is their busiest day of the year, thanks to holiday meals and guests.

Big holiday meal preparation and cleanup mean lots of grease and food go down the kitchen drain. Holiday guests require additional clothes washing, showers and toilet flushes, straining household plumbing.

To sum it up, digestion means congestion.


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It's Official: Rubio Is A Little Limbaugh

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The Cooler

Black Friday rules the news this morning so there is the requisite coverage in your Cooler. I just wanted to mention that if you're looking for a Twitter list for South Florida news [and who isn't?], I've set one up at @sfdb/strictlysoflanews. On to the Cooler...

A- Palm Beach Post: Too much tryptophan?

Four people, including a 6-year-old girl, are dead and another is in the hospital after police say a man opened fire on his relatives as they gathered for a Thanskgiving Day feast in Jupiter last evening.

The search is on for 35-year-old Michael Merihige of Miami, who left the scene in a blue 4-door Toyota with Florida tags W427JT.

B-Palm Beach Post: Lemon juice.

If there has been a bright spot to the area's recent economic woes, it might be that traffic is getting lighter.

Each of the past three years, Palm Beach County has witnessed what county transportation officials say is unheard of: reductions in traffic counts.

"I've been doing this since the mid-'70s, and I don't recall another negative year," said Randy Whitfield, director of the Palm Beach Metropolitan Planning Organization.

Traffic gauges placed along 900 roadways in Palm Beach County counted 2.1 percent fewer cars in 2007 than in 2006 and 3.1 percent fewer than the preceding year in both 2008 and 2009.

The fall of the economy, loss of population and rise in gas prices all contributed to the decline, forcing some to move around less and others to begin relying more on public transit. Tri-Rail, South Florida's commuter rail system, has seen ridership more than double since 2005, a rise that included a big uptick in the summer of 2008 when gas prices hit $4 per gallon.

C- Herald: Thrill seeking in Hialeah Gardens.

After receiving disappointing news that the Hialeah Gardens Walmart ran out of PS-3 video game consoles, Carlos Lorenzo decided he'd give one more deal a shot.

A $79 digital camera, he said, was a tough offer to pass up.

But that was before he realized the line he was waiting in snaked around six aisles before reaching the pickup area. In the background, the echoes of dozens of beeps could be heard as cashiers swiped items over lasers.

"Just when you thought it was over," he griped and headed for the doors.

Although he wasn't pleased, Lorenzo didn't seem flustered. The longtime Black Friday veteran said he comes out every year for the thrill.

"It's the excitement of trying to conquer something, the thrill of victory -- or defeat," he said with a laugh.

D- Herald: The horses return, but will patrons?

After a filly named Cheeky Miss won the final race on May 22, 2001, Hialeah was shuttered, the loser in a decades-long battle against Gulfstream Park and Calder Race Course for exclusive racing dates.

On Saturday, though, the 84-year-old track -- gussied up after years of dormancy -- will reawaken for two consecutive 20-day quarter-horse meets that are certain to rekindle memories of a time when the sport of kings was the biggest game in town.

``It was the most beautiful track in America,'' said Braulio Baeza, a retired Hall of Fame jockey who first set eyes on the tropical oasis during a vacation from Panama in the 1950s. ``I fell in love with it.''

E- Herald: Hiking the Keys?

The Florida Keys Overseas Heritage Trail is a work in progress, as Phil and Debbie Jones of Virginia discovered during a hike earlier this month of the entire island chain, from Key Largo to Key West.

[...]

The project to create a scenic 106-mile, multi-use paved trail for bikers, hikers, runners, fishermen and picture-taking tourists began 10 years ago as part of a statewide system of trails established by the state Legislature.

After a lot of planning and environmental work, trail construction is now in high gear, with new sections being built to connect the existing 58 miles of trail. Several historic bridges -- a century old, built by Henry Flagler as part of his Overseas Railroad -- also are being restored. The trail runs parallel to the Overseas Highway, recently designated as a prestigious All-American Road.

F- Herald: Critical Mass, Ride for Rodolfo tonight.

One month ago, gifted high-school student Rodolfo Rojo and his two best friends decided to ride their bicycles from one boy's Miami Shores house to another's home in North Miami. It was late, after 2 a.m., but there was no school the next day and they felt safe because their bikes had front and rear lights, friends say.

It didn't matter. As they rode along Biscayne Boulevard early on the morning of Oct. 30, Rodolfo, 17, was struck and killed by a car his friends say was speeding, one more cyclist fatality in the state with the highest number in the nation.

This Friday, the monthly Critical Mass ride -- which is designed in part to demand safety for cyclists and assert their rights to the road -- will be dedicated to Rojo.

From the usual 6:30 p.m. starting point at Miami-Dade County Hall in downtown Miami, the ride will proceed north on Biscayne Boulevard to 113th Street, where Rojo was killed. There Rojo's friends and family will gather to place a ``ghost bike'' -- a bicycle painted entirely in white and bearing a plaque -- in his memory.

G- Sun-Sentinel: Why Rothstein hasn't been arrested.

Bruce Reinhart, another former federal prosecutor who spent nearly 20 years prosecuting major financial frauds, agreed.

While prosecutors likely could just file a charge or two and then work on the rest of the case at their leisure, there are good reasons why they would not choose to do that, said Reinhart, who is now in private practice in West Palm Beach.

"If he is assisting them himself, or through his attorney, in unraveling the facts of what happened, where money is stashed, identifying other people who may have been involved and identifying victims, it may be easier for the government to have him more easily available [to them]," Reinhart said.

It would be a lot more complicated for investigators to bring computer hard drives and boxes of documents through the security at a federal detention center than at an office or other location, he said.

H- CBS4: I bet she cruises the left hand lane at 45 mph on the Palmetto, too.

MIAMI (CBS4) - A Sunny Isles woman concerned her boss would miss his pre-Thanksgiving American Airlines flight to Honduras apparently tried to buy him some extra time by making a bomb threat. While the flight was detained so was she, after she was caught because she not only phoned the threat in, she used a computer to e-mail it, leading police straight to her door.

Claudia De La Rosa, a Colombian native now living in Sunny Isles, was charged by Miami-Dade police with making a false bomb report after she was arrested early Wednesday morning at the the apartment of her employer, in the Jade condo on Brickell Avenue.

Police were able to track her down by tracing a unique computer address that is attached to most e-mail. Known as the IP address, police were able to use a subpoena made to the e-mail provider and trace the IP to a computer at the Jade condo where De La Rosa was staying.

[...]

She said she had arrived late for work Tuesday morning, causing her boss to be late leaving for the airport. Concerned that her boss would miss the flight, she said she first called in the threat, and then used the computer in the apartment to send an e-mail, apparently just to be sure.

I- CBS4: Video, because standing in line for hours is so much better than surfing the internet.

J- CBS4: Who?

We still don't know who'll take the field for 4 quarters ay next February's Super Bowl in Miami, but we know who'll be on the field between the second and third quarters. Halftime at the Super Bowl will belong to The Who, as the NFL goes retro with this seasons Super Bowl entertainment.

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Your Morning Sift

Good morning.

It sure is quiet out there in the South Florida blogosphere. No doubt folks are either busy shopping or recovering from yesterday. Better that this morning's Sift won't tax your brain....

A- The Bicycle Film Festival is coming to South Florida in a couple weeks and Miami Bike Scene has all the info.

B- Under the Sun profiles a South Florida company that is using human hair for agricultural purposes.

In this story, host Dan Grech visits a warehouse in Florida City with Blacker to have a look at a novel product– mats made from human hair. Blacker says the mats fertilize plants better than most herbicides, plus they prevent weeds and conserve water. The circular mats, made by SmartGrow, fit snugly around a plant’s base and biodegrade over time.

Don't forget that the Weekend Widget is available at the top of the right sidebar for your reference!

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Your Evening Sift

Presenting your single theme Thanksgiving evening Sift.

A- Here are the South Florida bloggers that took the time out from their day to wish their readers a Happy Thanksgiving.

• Coconut Grove Grapevine

• Licorice Pizza

• SFLTV

• South Florida Lawyers

• Miami Bike Scene

• Wide Lawns and Narrow Minds

• Nikon Miami

• Local Motion Miami

• Holy Crap

• Eating Local in the Tropics

• Miami For Change

• Redland Rambles

• South Florida Fixed

• Discourse

• Searching For Normalcy

• Miamism

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Happy Thanksgiving

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The Cooler

It's all about the turkey in today's mainstream media. Okay, not totally. So here's what else I found interesting in this morning's news.

A- Herald: Vindicated.

The Justice Department Wednesday dropped a controversial money-laundering case against a prominent Miami lawyer who had vouched for the legal fees of a Colombian cocaine kingpin -- money that prosecutors claimed was dirty.

Federal authorities decided to give up their closely watched case against Ben Kuehne, who advised defense attorney Roy Black to accept $5.2 million in payments from defendant Fabio Ochoa after concluding the money was clean.

[...]

Kuehne, who had been under indictment for two years, said he always believed ``things would turn out well in the end.''

``However, I did not know the end result would come about by decision of the Department of Justice,'' said Kuehne, 55, expressing gratitude Wednesday to his defense team, legal community and family. ``We are all fortunate to be able to say that we have a Justice Department whose goal is to try to do the right thing -- not to win at all costs.''

Then the bow-tied Kuehne added: ``This decision is a complete vindication of everything I have fought for in my 30 years of practicing the law.''

B- Herald: Casa Elian.

C- Herald: Bulk deals.

As the year starts winding down, real-estate investors have begun closing on large blocks of South Florida condominium units -- known as ``bulk deals'' -- at a quickening pace.

The burst of new activity indicates investors -- mostly seasoned real-estate professionals from other markets and abroad -- perceive the new construction market is nearing bottom, according to analysts.

[...]

Peter Zalewski, a principal with Condo Vultures, said the rapid fire sales pace was also the result of lenders slashing prices on inventory and delinquent notes. ``Lenders feel that in the second half of 2010 commercial real estate is going to plummet, so this is a house-cleaning measure to shore up balance sheets in anticipation and preparation for the real drama that comes next year,'' Zalewski said.

D- Herald: They write letters.

Cyclists clog streets

Amen to George Miller's letter about the Nov. 1 article, Bike riders find strength in numbers. I deal with the arrogance of packs of law-breaking cyclists every day on Key Biscayne. They hog all lanes and ride recklessly through red lights. I can't even imagine encountering one of these massive organized rides.

As with any parade, protest, festival or triathalon that impedes the flow of traffic, these large groups of cyclists should be required to obtain a permit for their rides or should be arrested on the spot.

SHERRYL WOODS, Key Biscayne

E- Sun-Sentinel: Chan Lowe.

F- CBS4: WTF?

In the CBS4 I-TEAM exclusive investigation CBS4 reporter David Sutta learned the Florida Highway Patrol investigation started with an accident at 3:30 in the morning on November 5th.

A 2006 Mercedes took the southbound ramp of the Turnpike at Bird Road and was seen on camera weaving out of its lane before crashing into the toll plaza. The driver, 29-year-old Leingke Perez, was a bartender at Mango's Cafe on South Beach. She was airlifted to the hospital but died.

On the surface, this could be seen as just another tragic traffic accident, but it's what happened after the crash that has drawn the attention of the Florida Highway Patrol.

Surveillance cameras at the toll plaza caught the accident. Seconds after Perez's Mercedes is seen crashing, a Miami-Beach police cruiser appears on camera on the state security video pulling into the parking lot. The driver, apparently Officer Osvaldo Mitat of the Miami Beach Police Department, was seen running towards the crash.

Twenty seconds later, Officer Mitat is seen on camera, appearing to be tossing bottles from the car. He does not appear to be rendering aid to the victim of the accident or calling 911 to ask for help. From the camera's perspective, investigators determined Mitat tossed the bottles toward a retention pond.

The next day, Mitat came back to the scene apparently to retrieve the bottles. He was met by FHP investigators who told him they had collected the bottles as evidence.

Why was officer Mitat so interested in clearing Leingke Perez's car of bottles? It's unclear right now. But we have learned he not only worked off-duty detail at Mangos but that he was dating bartender Leingke Perez.

[...]

Sources say the couple lived with each other, and the officer was separated from his wife but is still married.

[...]

CBS4 visited Perez's home Wednesday and found officer Mitat's patrol car in her driveway. He did not answer the door.

G- CBS4: Video, snowing at the Dolphin Mall.

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Your Morning Sift

Good morning.

I'm sure everyone is getting their feedbags adjusted this morning, but before you head to the table to participate in our Annual Day Of Overindulgence, check out your morning Sift.

A- Happy Thanksgiving wishes from Swampstyle, Man or Maniac?, Mango&Lime, Bark Bark Woof Woof, Smashed Frog, The Reid Report, and the South Florida Watershed Journal.

B- Probably not a blog post most associated with the holiday, Hidden City recounts the final days of his job.

Fourteen years, seven months, twenty-four days, and nine hours earlier I had walked into the building as a nervous kid from the suburbs, worried about my ability to survive in the big time and the big city. Now I was walking out again, having traded fifteen years for a jaundiced view of corporate America and a sackful of stories. Did I get a good deal, did I get my money's worth? It doesn't matter, not really.

C- Mambi Watch comments on how Cuban blogger Yoani Sanchez is being used for political gains by certain individuals.

So how are hard-liners going to deal with Yoani? Very carefully. This means they will emphasize Yoani's criticism against the Cuban government, acts of repression against her, but when it comes to her views on U.S. policy towards Cuba, she will have no voice. This has been the pattern with all other dissidents, many of whom do not support many aspects of U.S. policy.

D- Under the Sun remembers Jeanne-Claude.

We’re remembering Jeanne-Claude, wife and collaborator of the artist Christo, who died last week at 74. Together, they were responsible for one the most evocative art installations in South Florida’s history.

In 1983, before Art Basel Miami Beach or Wynwood were a blip on the radar, Christo and Jeanne-Claude saw in Biscayne Bay a massive canvas on which to reflect the “ways in which the people of Miami live, between land and water,” according to their artist statement. “Surrounded Islands” wrapped 11 islands inside the bay in 6.5 million square feet of bright pink polypropylene fabric.

E- Week 2 of "Is It Miami?" at Rakontur.

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Your Evening Sift

Hopefully, you have your shopping and traveling done and are ready to stay holed up for the next 24 hours. Let's begin this Turkey Day hibernation with your evening Sift...

A- Carlos Miller continues his iPhone photo project with some impressive images.

B- The Burger Beast hits a Cracker Barrel and Keg South Homestead, back to back, and isn't that impressed.

This is probably the only time I've been to a Cracker Barrel and have been seated right away. As we're looking over the menus (breakfast and lunch) I suggest we try hitting up Keg South right after. I am met with absolutely no resistance. John will only be joining us for the Cracker Barrel leg of this as he needs to get back to work.

C- If you tweet and are a foodie, Mango&Lime has some info that might be interesting.

Those of you on Twitter might already know. National Geographic Traveler writer, Andrew Nelson, is coming to our city tomorrow. Yes, on Thanksgiving day and he’ll be here until Monday. His assignment is to use Twitter to help him see and eat his way through Miami — and he’s gotten plenty of recs on places to visit and places to eat from the local Twittersphere.

D- The South Florida Beer Blog has some Thanksgiving Day beer recommendations.

Dessert: Depending on what you are having for dessert would help dictate the beer but you can never go wrong with a stout. A good coffee or chocolate stout always work out well. My choice for the occasion will be Brooklyn's Black Chocolate Stout.

E- Rakontur appears on a local radio show and shames the UM into updating their Hurricanes website.


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New RRA Logo

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-via The Daily Pulp

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Talking Points For Turkey Day

For those of you who are heading home for the holiday, Campaign for America's Future Robert L. Borosage has some words of advice...

Dear Heather,

For millions of Americans, Thanksgiving is home, food, and family. And for many of us, the inevitable polite conversation with the uncle who has squandered too many hours listening to Rush Limbaugh and Glenn Beck.

How are you to survive an evening with your Uncle Mortimer?

You know, the uncle who looks vaguely like Dick Cheney. He worships Ronald Reagan, considers "French" an insult, and wants to know where Obama was really born. Neither he nor his wife, Aunt Minerva, ever tips more than ten percent.

Uncle Mort knows you're a "liberal," and he eagerly sits next to you at the Thanksgiving table, armed and ready with the usual conservative tripe. Not surprisingly, he starts with what's hot:

***

Thanksgiving Day: Gearing up for the Chat with Uncle Mort

Mort: You hear about Sarah Palin's new book?

Heather: Uhhh...

Mort: She's on the march! Giving Republicans some backbone. Given the mess Obama has made of things, Americans are going to sweep Democrats out in the fall.

Heather: We'll see. Didn't work out for Republicans very well in upstate New York.

Mort: You watch. A Palin-Beck ticket will cast out Obama and his socialist crowd. The turkey.

Heather: Please, Obama's no turkey, he...

Mort: No, no. Pass the turkey. The problem with Barack Hussein Obama is that he's spending us into bankruptcy. And it hasn't worked!

Heather: How long did it take you to get that shop of yours to turn a profit? Two, three years. So Obama inherits the worst economy since the Great Depression, two wars, a broken health care system, an economic hole that took years to dig - and you want miracles in 10 months? In fact, he staved off the crash and the economy is showing some signs of life. More needs to be done.

If it weren't for the Recovery Act, layoffs at your nieces' schools would be twice as bad. In fact, what we need is more federal help - for states, for jobs rebuilding schools and roads. We need more jobs programs, not less. The gravy...

Mort: More spending isn't gravy, America can't afford it.

Heather: No, no, pass the gravy please.

Actually, we need more federal spending now. Unemployment could remain over 10 percent through all of next year unless Congress creates jobs. We need to put young people to work, aid states and localities to prevent layoffs of police and teachers, and expand investments in new energy and infrastructure to boost our economy.

We can afford it. Interest rates aren't soaring. And our debt and deficits will get worse if we don't get the economy going.

Mort: Ha! Your party is already going to create a one-trillion dollar deficit with its plan for a government takeover of all health care.

Heather: It's funny you say that. According to the Congressional Budget Office, the health care reform legislation will lower the federal deficit by more than $100 billion over the next ten years.

And it's not just about cost. Aunt Mary is terrified about losing her job because she won't get insured with her current ailments.

Well, under the reform, insurance companies no longer can deny people insurance for pre-existing conditions, or cut them off of insurance when they get sick. We've got a stake in this right here around this table.

Mort: Baloney.

Heather: I don't think that's on tonight's menu.

Mort: You know what I mean. Like "global warming," or does Al Gore call it "climate change" now? Nothing but an excuse for a giant Pelosi energy tax.

Heather: Come on, you can't believe this stuff. You don't want America to remain dependent on foreign oil, running up foreign debts to buy oil from countries that help finance the terrorists.

You laugh about ice caps melting - but I can tell you farmers care, and now insurance companies are starting to charge higher rates because of the cataclysms to come.

We both want America to succeed. Well, the green industrial revolution will be the engine of growth over the next decades. Obama's saying let's invest in new energy, new technology, new efficiency - both to get us off of our addiction to foreign oil and to help lead this new revolution. That's the way America built its prosperity - and its middle class.

Mort: Yea, but private companies provide jobs, not government. We don't capture new markets with government spending.

Heather: Yes, private companies will profit and expand. But government investment has always been key to our industries.

Think airlines out of World War II. The Internet, which started as a Pentagon program. Computers, and now biotechnology.

If we want to compete in the new energy field, we need public and private leadership to drive this forward. If we don't, our grandchildren will inherit a frightening world. And the countries that work to capture these industries - the Chinese, the Germans - will eat our lunch in the new economy.

Mort: I'll think about lunch later. Look, what we need now is leadership to get us out of this hole. Obama is taking us into a free-fall.

Heather: Leadership? Please. Where is the leadership on the Right? Limbaugh said on Day One he wanted Obama to fail. This while the country was in the midst of an economic crisis and two wars. Conservatives decided from the beginning that they would bet on his failure, and obstruct everything he tried to do - spurning his offers to negotiate. They chose to be the Party of No.

Mort: We conservatives have a plan. Cut spending, cut taxes. Let's get back to small government, free markets. A strong military. Dithering over Afghanistan isn't what made America strong.

Heather: I understand, we'll have to agree to disagree. But remember, we tried that way for eight years, and let's face it, the result was calamity.

The longest and deepest recession and the worst financial crisis since the 1930's. One of the worst foreign policy mistakes in American history - the preemptive war in Iraq.

An unprecedented rejection of fundamental human rights, a culture of sleaze, and Watergate-style abuses of power. Gilded Age economic inequality and a blind rejection of science.

And in the aftermath of one of our nation's worst natural disasters, Hurricane Katrina, there was sheer incompetence and indifference to human suffering.

The free-fall happened, and now we give thanks that the worst is over.

Next fall, Americans will have to decide if they want to go back that way. That's a debate I'll look forward to having.

Mort: Me too. We can agree to disagree. Pass me more of that turkey. I do agree it's particularly good this year.

Heather: Thanks, I knew you'd like it. It's local and organic!

***

To all of you, whether your dinner companions shine red or blue, we at the Campaign for America's Future wish you a happy Thanksgiving.

Sincerely,

Robert L. Borosage, Co-director Campaign for America's Future

-via Hullabaloo

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The GOP: Home of the Whopper

This may be one of the bigger Whoppers...

"We did not have a terrorist attack on our country during President Bush's term."

-Dana Perino, former White House Press Secretary under the guy who was in the White House on 9-11-2001, on Hannity yesterday.

Hmmm....let's see....



Yep...it's a Whopper.

-via Atrios

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What Are You Thankful For?

Since most everyone is going to be away from the computer tomorrow and enjoying family and/or friends, I wanted to post this video today so that you got a chance to view and think about it.

Please don't be put off by the Mormon branding or the fairly heavy religious overtones. I think the message is still a good one and well worth considering and, hopefully, will make you think about the answer to the question a little. Which, of course, is the point.

Random people on the streets of New York City share a variety of grateful responses to one simple question: What are you thankful for?

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The Cooler

Yesterday's vehicle chases added some excitement to the news this morning. I found the CBS4 video to be the best and it's included below. There is lots of other good stuff so enjoy.

A- Herald: Video, Miami's new police chief is sworn in.

B- Herald: Sorta like eBay.

The Miami-Dade County Clerk of Courts is taking a big step to speed court-supervised foreclosure sales by launching a new online auction system early next year.

The online auction will eliminate traditional, live courthouse auctions.

The first online auction will take place Jan. 11, according to the Clerk of Courts website. The auction website, www.MiamiDade.Realforeclose.com, goes live Dec. 7, allowing users to become familiar with the system.

C- Herald: Uncovered? It's always been there. Where has he been?

A slew of South Florida political scandals have uncovered ``a culture of corruption'' that must be stamped out, freshman Florida Sen. George LeMieux said Tuesday.

D- Sun-Sentinel: Chan Lowe.

E- South Florida Business Journal: Is he or isn't he?

Just how did the federal government figure out the details of Scott Rothstein's bank accounts in Morocco?

One local attorney working for investors, William Scherer, said the answer must be that Rothstein is "singing like a bird" now.

[...]

But Rothstein's attorney Marc Nurik pooh-poohed the idea that Rothstein is singing.

"Scherer seems to be making a practice of commenting on a lot of things he knows nothing about," Nurik said. "I suggest he watch a lot less TV."

F- CBS4: Video, Yesterday's fast and furious run up the turnpike.

G- CBS4: This may be the gold mine of South Florida.

HIALEAH (CBS4) -If you're driving through Hialeah, you might not want to push your luck and try to make it under that yellow light. The city of Hialeah announced that it will install the first red-light cameras at W 8th Avenue and 49th Street and E 8th Avenue at 55th Street.

H- WPTV: The suspect is on the runs.

PORT ST. LUCIE, FL — In what appears to be a felonious commode caper, someone kicked open the locked front door of a home and absconded with a toilet from the guest bathroom, according to a recently released police report.

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Your Morning Sift [UPDATED]

Good morning.

It's been raining hard here in Broward since oh-dark-thirty this morning. It's welcomed, don't get me wrong, but I can see a lot of problems for those who waited until today to get their Thanksgiving supplies. So dry off and take a look at your Day Before Thanksgiving morning Sift...

A- South Florida Watershed Journal's famous last words...

It’s been a dry fall so far down on the peninsula.

B- South Florida Theatre Scene posts their regular review of the week.

C- Food for Thought tells us what he made with his first CSA delivery.

I have already learned one CSA lesson: greens wilt quickly. After only a few days, the callaloo was looking pretty sad and droopy, and some of the leaves just didn't make it. After seeing what could be salvaged, there wasn't enough to make a traditional callaloo soup, so I went in a different but related direction.

D- Eye on Miami continues with their mantra.

It is literally impossible for the mainstream media to keep pace with the complex intertwining of foreclosures, bankruptcies, and the connections of power brokers now fallen on hard times to politicians who sold the state down the river in order to plow unneeded development into "cheap" agricultural and environmentally sensitive wetlands. In November 2010, voters will have a chance to vote, for the first time, on how growth has been mismanaged in Florida. If voters are smart, they will strip from municipal officials the blank check that the Growth Machine writes for incumbent local elected officials in exchange for favorable decisions on zoning changes that shape the future development of communities. No one has a right to destroy the economy the way the drunken fools did, with ours.

E- Miami Beach 411 wonders what former Mayor Manny Diaz's legacy will be.

Of course, many in what were once residential areas are not exactly looking back on what Diaz did as progress. One woman in the article laments the loss of her once quiet residential area on Coral Way to gargantuan condo towers that destroyed its feel. So not only was the skyline permanently scarred, but so were many neighborhoods. And for what?

One can’t even argue that much money was made, since we all see how profitable the endless condo towers have been for their developers. Yes, Diaz did succeed in bringing some semblance of life to downtown, but that goal could have been easily accomplished with half as many buildings. I’m pretty sure if we went ahead and demoed every building built in Brickell after 2005, we’d be just fine.

F- Carlos Miller films The Burger Beast's effort to down a 4 pound burger at Quickies.

G- Bark Bark Woof Woof on Sarah Palin.

Sarah Palin has chosen the celebrity path. She may have gotten into politics for all of the right reasons -- to improve the lives of her fellow citizens and make Alaska a better place -- but the limelight killed that off, and she willingly traded off her political capital for the money she could make selling books, touring the country in a big bus, and getting her picture on the cover of Newsweek. People flock to see her and buy her book whether or not they agree with her views on the issues; most of them probably don't know what they are or are unable to articulate them. In doing so, she's sacrificed any coherent political foundation for the thin veneer of fame. There's nothing wrong with that; a lot of people get off on that kind of thing. But she shouldn't try to convince us that she did it unwillingly, and she can't blame other people for giving her the attention she craved. It's like hearing a celebrity whining about not having any time to be "themselves." It's too late: that's who you are.

......

I totally forgot to include A Grand Illusion's post where they get "the treatment" from babalu.

Looks like babalu's overlords have decided to extend us the same honor they extended to SFDB before: links from AGI to Babalu posts are being redirected to Shrub’s presidential library’s website.

Puerile, laughable and ineffectual (it doesn’t even work on every browser), but that’s hardliners for you. Not secure enough in their convictions to test them in a real battlefield of ideas. Instead they insult, bully, belittle, censor and ban anybody who doesn’t join their little Greek chorus. Just take a look at the comments in any of their posts. The last time I saw so many people toeing the party line it was in communist Cuba.

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Your Evening Sift

For those of you keeping track, and believe me when I tell you there are a few sociopaths out there who are, I'm officially on vacation. W00t! But there isn't time to celebrate because I have a full blown gorilla of an evening Sift for you tonight. Have fun...

A- While UM officials apparently pussyfoot around the issue, Rakontur gets into it and tells us what really went down when they approached UM about The U, then known as Hurricane Season.

The University of Miami should just come clean with its reason for not participating, whatever that is.

B- Is a car chase important enough news to warrant TV stations breaking into their regular programming? SFLTV thinks so and informs us what happened today.

I’d like to offer my kudos to WFOR and WSVN today. In case you missed today’s top story, there was a huge car chase spanning 3 counties, with excess speeds of 130 MPH. But you wouldn’t know that if you were watching WTVJ’s or WPLG’s afternoon soap operas.

C- Random Pixels does a nice job recapping the Elian story that occurred this week, 10 years ago.

Ten years ago this week, on Friday, Nov. 26, 1999, the Miami Herald's front page carried the obligatory "holiday shopping" story.

And there was a story on the start of the criminal trial connected to the 1996 Valujet crash and one about the Miami Dolphins' humiliating 20-0 loss on Thanksgiving Day to the Dallas Cowboys.

There was also a story about three Cuban migrants found clinging to inner tubes in the Atlantic Ocean on Thanksgiving day.

The three were the only survivors of a group of 14 migrants whose 17-foot aluminum boat broke apart and sank after leaving Cuba.

One of them was a five-year-old Cuban boy named Elián González.

D- A Miami-Dade public defender is arrested and Justice Building Blog commenters weigh in and debate.

E- Sex and the Beach has some fun on her last mission with the well-traveled Ford Fiesta loaner.

F- Miami for Change provides their thoughts on Miami's improved crime ranking.

The CQ Press just released its crime rankings as reported by our pals over at the New Times.

City of Miami is ranked at 45, down from 30 least year.

We remember the days when Miami used to top these lists.

Mayor Regalado tells us lower crime has NOTHING to do with Chief Timoney cleaning up the MPD.

G- Food for Thought files a report from this past weekend's P.I.G. fest.

This past Sunday was the P.I.G. (Pork Is Good) fest by Chef Jeremiah Bullfrog at Harvey's By The Bay, east of Biscayne Boulevard off 64th Street, and a good number of VIPs (Very Important Pigs) turned out for the occasion.

Our group of about 25 took over the bay-windowed back room of Harvey's for the afternoon, when we weren't outside monitoring the progress of the whole boned-out piglet cooking away in Chef Jeremiah's new-fangled high-tech caja china. While the pig roasted, we were given samples of a number of his other pork-centric creations.

H- The beans are very happy in the Redland this week, according to Redland Rambles.

Last Tuesday an overflow crowd packed the Community Zoning Appeals Board room and spilled into the hall for Mr. Bernardo Campuzano’s zoning hearing regarding his request to build a private soccer club on 9.2 acres of former plant nursery. On one side of the room sat Mr. C and his supporters, including about two dozen kids. On the other side was the opposition, consisting mostly of aggravated neighbors.

I- South Florida Lawyers weighs in on the terrorist trials that are planned in NYC.

A similarly annoying argument is that the accused will turn the trial into a soapbox and score some propaganda points somehow. Again, these lawyers know that this is federal court. Other than courtroom sketches and transcripts, there will be nothing to work with. Does anyone remember any big propaganda points that Moussaoui scored when he was tried in federal court?

And if they did, so what?

J- Another airport study is out and guess what airport sucks? Eye on Miami has the not so surprising results.

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