Your Evening Sift

There's only a couple of hours left to take advantage of Miami Tour Company's unbelievable offer shown above. I'm trying to think of a reason why you wouldn't and come up blank. Have a great night and enjoy your Monday evening Sift...

A- South Florida Memorial Day scenes from Nikon Miami.

B- Are we in for a bad hurricane season? The South Florida Watershed Journal asks the question that is on most everyone's mind.

C- Miami artist Kiki Valdez is interviewed by Midtown Chic-a.

I also hate [Miami] sometimes because... People here don't take enough risks. Everyone is scared of their image, yet half of the people here try to be a carbon copy of what is happening fashion wise or artistically in places like NY or LA. I also don't like the whole drug element of this city. Everyone thinks cocaine is cool and glamorous like the movies. I think it’s depressing.

D- Swampstyle shows us how some young artists are taking over parts of Miami that are not being used at the current time.

A short ride up Miami Avenue there is a commercial district that abound with empty real estate due to the dollar in the dump. This is not the time to talk of markets crashed n greedy developers, it is a time to make good and seize on the opportunities that lay just beneath the surface slurry of a global economic meltdown. Artist and property owners are forming allegiance to ride out the slump.

E- Images from today's Burger Throwdown in Broward County are presented in a slideshow at The Burger Beast.

The Inaugural Memorial Day Burger Throwdown was held at Tree Tops Park in Davie, Florida. Dori Zinn (Creator & Writer of Fat Kids Club) and Chef Dennis (Chef at Art Institute of Ft. Lauderdale) along with your favorite blogger Burger Beast were the 3 the judges for the event.

F- June's South Florida classical events calendar is up at South Florida Classical Review.

G- Discourse says that UM now has a "lockdown" policy...sorta.

Translated into English, I think this means I, other faculty and staff, and all the graduate and undergraduate students (almost all of whom are also adults), are on our own in an emergency, but at least the cops won't be distracted by trying to shoot me if I don't stay under my desk. Given that they push the emergency button fairly often, I think I'm just fine with that.

I do find it a little ominous how the phrase "lockdown" has migrated from prisons to K-12 and is now it seems common parlance for treatment of staff and students in universities. I guess neighborhoods are next.

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Memorial Day 2010

This post has become somewhat of a tradition through the years so I think I'm going to stick with it.



We cherish too, the Poppy red
That grows on fields where valor led,
It seems to signal to the skies
That blood of heroes never dies.

-Moina Michael

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South Florida Cartoons

Jim Morin, Miami Herald


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Your Morning Sift

Good morning.

It's Memorial Day 2010. Hopefully, you'll take a moment to remember those who have sacrificed their lives for this great country. Enjoy your morning Sift...

A- Memorial Day thoughts from Obalesque, The South Florida Watershed Journal, Miami For Change, The South Florida Traveler, The Reid Report and Bark Bark Woof Woof.

B- Swampstyle offers up some commentary on the extreme right of this country.

C- Artlurker reviews Corin Hewitt's "Drying Flowers in a Microwave" at Dorsch.

Anyone entering the gallery on opening night was confronted with four empty walls, and a curious crowd craning their necks upward. One of the walls was shorter than the rest and revealed an inaccessible chamber at the back of the gallery where, with the assistance of mirrors hung strategically from the ceiling, viewers could access cropped partial reflections of the artist as he pondered and composed the arrangements.

D- All Purpose Dark gets to test drive a brand new BMW for a weekend. Hey, BMW...SFDB is available, too.

I’m a beemer newbie, and had never experienced the smooth-yet-sturdy German engineering.It’s also one of the more handsome cars I’ve seen. It combines the all the elements of a station wagon, SUV and hatchback without caving to the boxiness or soul-crushing nerdiness of those shapes.

I test-drove the impressive hunk of German engineering over a weekend, weathering a six-hour drive north to Amelia Island (in pounding thunderstorms) and experimenting with the car’s numerous high-tech features and powerful engine.

E- Shorter Searching for Signs...

Offshore drilling is worth the risk.

F- Eye on Miami has some suggestions for the Obama administration when it comes to the oil spill.

I'd like to hear Obama say: it is time to stop treating the environment as something we can endlessly exploit. The days of cost accounting that fail to include the true price of protecting our air and water have come to an end. The Gulf Oil catastrophe happened because fake book keeping helped Big Oil dictate how much money they would spend on contingency and backup systems in the case of a deep sea blowout. And if I were president I would go further. I'd say, Big Oil earns tens of billions per quarter. It is time to chase the money changers from the temple.

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SFDB's We Live Here: Classic Miami Fever Edition

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-miami-fever.com


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Your Evening Sift

It's Sunday but, thankfully, we have one more day left in the weekend. Stay safe, readers, and enjoy your Sunday evening Sift...

A- More nature photos from Some Blogging Guy to chill out your weekend.

B- Shorter Carlos Miller...

Went fishing last night. Got a few nibbles, no bites.

C- The South Florida Traveler files a review of Zuma after attending the [sponsored] opening last night. I think there's a reason why SFDB never gets invited to these things.

Don’t stay with your safe dishes, but rather splurge in every capacity, as a trip to Zuma will cost you — this is definitely a special occasion type of place. But you do get what you pay for, as this will be a dining experience to remember, and you can be assured that everything on the menu will be of the highest quality.

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SFDB Pretty Cool Moment Of The Day

Here's the tweets of a guy who took advantage of the above offer.



Excellent.


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SFDB Thought Of The Day

There's a common thread that connects Hurricane Katrina and the Gulf oil spill...

...Katrina would have been an immense disaster no matter what. But it was far worse than it had to be because a conservative administration, one that fundamentally disdained the mechanics of government for ideological reasons, decided that FEMA wasn't very important. Likewise, the BP blowout was made more likely because that same administration decided that government regulation of private industry wasn't very important and turned the relevant agency into a joke. If you believe that government is the problem, not the solution, and if you actually run the country that way for eight years, it becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy. But we shouldn't pretend it's inevitable.

-via Hullabaloo

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The Cooler

There's a nice Leonard Pitts column in the Herald today that's worth a read. That and more in your Cooler.

A- Herald: Old school.

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. -- The Coast Guard has seized almost 800 pounds of marijuana off a boat traveling from Bimini.

The Coast Guard Cutter Diamondback was dispatched after officials received reports of a suspicious boat around midnight Saturday. Crew members boarded the 20-foot vessel and found 47 bricks of pot, worth about $725,000. Two alleged smugglers were transferred to U.S. Customs and Border Patrol.

B- Herald: Calling out around the world.

Lured by rock-bottom prices, international buyers are now flocking to buy Florida properties. It's especially true in countries where the currency is strong against the dollar.

``We're telling Canadians this is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity -- the perfect storm,'' said Brian Ellis, who heads Toronto-based Florida Home Finders of Canada. ``The prices are just incredible and the Canadian dollar has been so strong.''

At least three of five buyers in the Greater Downtown Miami condo market are coming from abroad, estimates Jenny Huertas, international sales director for Condo Vultures, a real estate advisory and research firm.

The stampede from overseas is ``kind of like a foreign subsidy helping us resolve our real estate problems,'' said Peter Zalewski, a Condo Vultures principal. ``This time the assistance isn't coming from Washington. It's coming from Caracas, London, Milan, Bogotá.''

C- Herald: Fine taste in cuisine.

Three generations of Bushes descended on a Brickell area church Saturday for a wedding and Memorial Day weekend family reunion of the Republican Party's most enduring dynasty.

The two former presidents -- George Herbert Walker Bush and George W. Bush -- were on hand, along with the former first ladies to watch as former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush's youngest son, John Ellis Bush Jr., 26, known as ``Jebby,'' married Coral Gables resident Sandra Algudady.

[...]

Security was also tight for a rehearsal dinner for 120 guests the night before at The Rusty Pelican, a Key Biscayne seafood restaurant. About 30 Secret Service agents guarded a private room on the waterfront restaurant's second floor.

D- Herald: They write letters.

Take it over?

The Republicans are calling for the president to take over the BP oil cleanup. Wouldn't that be socialism?

E.T. SHAFER, Islamorada

E- Herald: Video, the Mariel database project.

F- Herald: Leonard Pitts on those loud mouth anti-government types who regularly do 180's when it suits them.

You see, government is not our enemy.

Government is the imperfect embodiment of our common will. That is a not-so-fine distinction Jindal and others like him have lost in the rush to stoke the sense of grievance that burns in some conservative souls. It is a distinction they recalled with great clarity as oil began spilling upon their waters.

As there are no atheists in foxholes, it turns out there are no small-government disciples in massive oil spills. No, with BP oil soaking the sands of his coastline, Bobby Jindal turned righteously to that big, sometimes bloated, often intrusive federal government, and asked for help. He said, Send money, send resources.

You will notice he never once said, Send less.

G- WPLG: Slideshow, proposed Miami Science Museum.


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Your Morning Sift

Good morning.

I like the way Sundays feel on 3 day weekends. Enjoy a rather entertaining morning Sift...

A- Licorice Pizza notes three recent celebrity passings.

The idea that death comes is threes is an old superstition, extending to the idea that death in a family or community comes in threes and that bad luck in general comes in threes. A book titled “How Did It Begin” explains that the superstition of three may have started with British troops in the Boer War who thought it bad luck to light three cigarettes from one match.

B- The oil spill is on Justice Building Blog's mind.

From a practical standpoint two ideas emerge from this disaster: we shouldn't be drilling a mile beneath the ocean when we clearly can't control accidents. And also this- the wide spread ecological disaster that will come to define our time will also unfortunately define the Obama Presidency. And that is a shame, because this man is so talented, and he has brought back talented and smart people to government. And none of that will matter because this oil spill will over shadow it all.

C- Miami's DASH [Design Architecture Senior High] recently put on a fashion show and Swampstyle was there with his camera.

D- I love it when The South Florida Watershed Journal goes walking in the Everglades with his camera although the sounds aren't always what you expect.

E- Fort Lauderdale Daily Photo posts a nice picture of a unique Fort Lauderdale scene.

F- Eye 0n Miami confronts the effect the Gulf oil spill will have on the Obama presidency.

It is clear today--after the implosion of the financial and insurance industries and environmental disaster--that trillions of taxpayer dollars could have been saved if government had invested in professionalizing and raising up the status of service in government agencies, building competence and high standards, instead of enabling insider dealing, the revolving door between the lobbyists and government staff, and 'regulatory capture' by industry. There is no profit or glee in saying, "I told you so". The genie is out of the bottle, and the Obama presidency will never be the same.

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SFDB Saturday Night Turndown Service

Leo Kottke does justice to Duane Allman's "Little Martha."

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Your Evening Sift

It was a scorcher out there today as, I guess, it will be through December. Welcome to summer and here's your evening Sift.

A- South Florida Theatre Scene provides some intelligent discussion on the latest efforts to save the Coconut Grove Playhouse and criticizes some of the representations made by City Commissioner Marc Sarnoff while Coconut Grove Grapevine analyzes the color of the building. From the latter...

But anyway, wouldn't it be great to paint the playhouse pink again? It would almost put an aura or something into the Universe and this might get the ball rolling on something good for the place to finally be taken over by a new board and renovated.

B- The Miami Herald is recruiting a stable of volunteer newshounds, according to Random Pixels.

Let me see if I have this straight. I send the Herald a story and photographs and they can publish it on the web site or in the paper or both. But I don't get paid

Thanks, but I think I'll pass.

C- Not much time left if you're interested in submitting something for the Miami Writer's Prize, says Artlurker.

There’s only one week to go before the deadline of the Miami Writer’s Prize 2010! Hopefuls may submit one original review of a recent art related event. The winning entrant, in addition to having their text published, will be paid an honorary stipend of $800 dollars in return for a month’s worth of guest blogging (eight posts) on ARTLURKER. Submissions must be received before midnight on June 4th.

D- Suenalo jammed last night at The Parrot in Key West and they have the photos. P.S. if you go to the main site, they're additional video.

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South Florida Cartoons

Chan Lowe, Sun-Sentinel

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The Cooler

It's all about Urban Beach Weekend in the local mainstream media today.

A- Herald: As usual.

Cape Florida Bill Baggs State Park ranked #10 in the list of Top Ten beaches according to Stephen P. Leatherman, better known as 'Dr. Beach.' Leatherman has selected the annual Top 10 Beaches since 1991 using 50 criteria evaluating water and sand quality, as well as safety and environmental management.

B- Herald: Urban Beach Weekend party poopers.

Gina Neureuther, 27, plans to leave her Pennsylvania Avenue apartment and visit her boyfriend in Orlando this weekend because of the crowds.

``I don't want to deal with it,'' she said.

Others say they are also hitting the road, or stocking their homes as if they were fallout shelters.

Some, like Sheryl Gold, have been blunt when telling the city's elected officials what they think of their handling of tourism-related problems.

`I don't live in paradise, I live in hell,'' Gold, 64, said during a meeting earlier this month while complaining about problems with a next door ``party house'' allegedly rented illegally for years to tourists in her Palm View neighborhood.

C- Herald: Hybrids only.

Veteran auto dealer Craig Zinn has opened the newly minted Florida Hybrid Center hoping that a wave of environmentalism and an anti-oil attitude will draw more Floridians towards Priuses, Lexuses and other semi-electric vehicles.

[...]

The 4,000-square-foot facility at 16150 Pines Blvd., which opened last month, is home to an inventory of more than 100 new and used hybrids, mostly Lexus sedans and SUVs, and a few Toyota Priuses.

It also hosts a team of hybrid experts, or ``geeks,'' that specialize specifically in hybrid technology, which combines a traditional internal combustion engine and one or more electric motors.

D- Herald: Op-Ed, Urban Beach Weekend.

Is the city discriminating against young blacks looking to have a fun time?

I don't doubt that there is veiled racism behind some of the folks who so adamantly argue for the enforcement of city codes in an effort to diminish and subdue the festivities. It is equally obvious that there is no evidence of racist attitudes from the Miami Beach City Commission or Mayor Matti Bower.

``We have to find the delicate balance between addressing the concerns of our residents, but at the same time remind them that our economy largely revolves around tourism,'' Bower highlighted. ``Everyone is welcome on Miami Beach.''

The issue of racism on Miami Beach should not be downplayed, either. The city's history is tarnished with blatant examples of racist attitudes.

Into the mid to late 1960s African Americans were required to provide employment identification cards to demonstrate their purpose for being in Miami Beach at certain hours. African-American entertainers such as Nat King Cole, Lena Horne and Billie Holiday were forbidden from staying at the all-white hotels of that era.

So the timing of this new zeal for enforcement could not be more suspicious to those who claim racism is thrusting forth the effort. Yet this latest fandango seems to have more to do with misplaced and unrealistic expectations from a group of snooty residents than it does with government-supported racism.

E- Sun-Sentinel: Red carpet treatment?

The Broward Sheriff's Office is looking into why a Miami Dolphin arrested on a domestic violence charge was given special treatment when he was released from the county jail Thursday afternoon.

Second-string defensive end Phillip Merling, arrested early Thursday morning and accused of battering his pregnant girlfriend, was released after posting $15,000 bail. But instead of leading him out the jail's front door, the standard procedure for every other inmate, deputies took him out another exit, away from the waiting media.

Broward Sheriff's Al Lamberti says a Sheriff's Office employee also drove Merling home that afternoon in an unmarked Sheriff's Office vehicle.

"I cannot defend the indefensible," Lamberti said Friday. "That's just not appropriate. We're not in the business of giving people we arrest for felonies a ride home."

F- Sun-Sentinel: Getting old sucks.

DELRAY BEACH An 81-year-old woman missing from her home Thursday was found wandering along Interstate 95, authorities said.

A Florida Highway Patrol trooper stopped Annie Tolbert on I-95 and had her taken to Columbia Hospital in West Palm Beach for mental evaluation, according to Delray Beach police.

G- CBS4: Ain't no Superman.

Police say 22-year-old David Cardona, a tourist from Central Florida, jumped off the eastbound part of the MacArthur Bridge early Friday morning. A young man told the operator that his friend had jumped from the bridge and had not resurfaced. His friends say they had been out partying and were heading to Miami Beach at that point when they stopped on the side of the Causeway. His friends aren't sure why he did it, but they did think it was a joke when they saw him getting ready to jump over.

"I'm thinking he was joke. I thought he wasn't serious. But he did it, right there, really fast. He thought, he thought he could do it. He thought he was, you know, Superman," friend Juan Perozo told CBS4's Gary Nelson. Police found the young man dead later in the morning

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Your Morning Sift

Good morning.

Excuse me while I take full advantage of sleeping in this weekend. Enjoy your Saturday mornng Sift.

A- Justice Building Blog makes sure we understand that he is worldly.

When you wake up in the morning, if you're not immediately heading over to Politico to read Mike Allen's Playbook and The Huddle, then you're already behind.

Next, for us, we read the on line editions of Le Monde, The NY Times, The London Times, The Financial Times (Londo Edition) and the Washington Post. It's only then that we reluctantly turn our attention to the Miami Herald and the mundane news of who shot who, and whether Miami Beach will let revelers be served alcoholic drinks on the beach.

B- Another view of Urban Beach Weekend is provided by Random Pixels.

Urban Beach Weekend didn't earn the less-than-stellar reputation it has because the hip-hop crowd comes here to spend the entire weekend at poetry readings or attending macramé classes.

But Miami Beach city officials have taken heat over what some see as an over-reaction to the crowds that descend upon the beach. The weekend visitors, their defenders say, are just here to have some fun and spend money.

C- More butterfly photos and a 'possum picture at Some Blogging Guy.

D- The South Florida Watershed Journal answers the question "How tall is the Everglades?"

E- Salt water fishing is free for this weekend and next, according to The South Florida Traveler.

Governor Charlie Crist announced today that for the next two weekends locals and visitors alike can head out and fish for their favorite saltwater species. During Memorial Day weekend and the weekend of June 5-6, we can all join together to help revive the economy that has been suffering due to the oil spill.

F- Some new photos are up at The Street.

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Your Evening Sift

Buffalo burgers on the grill are waiting, readers, so I'm outta here. I leave you with a pretty good evening Sift...

A- Miami Beach 411 addresses the perceived problems with Urban Beach Weekend head on and without a hint of PC.

What I find most entertaining is people who blame this on racism. I read Uncle Luke’s column over in the New Times about it. I usually agree with our city’s favorite Hip hop mogul, but what he failed to realize here is that this isn’t about the City not welcoming Black people. It’s about the city not welcoming the many, many negative aspects of Hip-Hop culture. If people didn’t get in fights, and didn’t harass women on the street, and didn’t clog our streets “cruising” in rented Escalades, maybe we wouldn’t have a problem.

B- Random Pixels discusses who stopped by the blog today and links to SFDB so...you know.

But the most interesting visit came from the law firm of Becker & Poliakoff. Someone at the firm landed on my blog after typing this question into Google: "Is sarnoff gay," a reference, no doubt, to Miami city commissioner Marc Sarnoff.

C- Mango&Lime shares a recipe for limeade that is tasted-tested and ready to roll.

The next morning I set out to try again. Because this drink uses the whole lime, you have to drink it pretty much immediately or shortly after you prepare it for it’ll turn bitter. So having drank more limonada over two days than I cared for, I came up with a result much closer to the drink I grew up loving and a workable method to share.

D- Catch up on what's been going on with the Miami Beach Bikeways Committee at Transit Miami.

E- Meet 42 year-old "Smiley" at The Street.

F- The Reid Report does a great profile of Libertarian Alex Snitker who is running for U.S. Senate in Florida.

Snitker has other problems with Rubio:

“He is not a constitutional conservative by any stretch of the imagination,” he said, citing his spending while serving as Speaker of the House, and the now infamous American Express scandal, which is under investigation by the FBI and IRS. Sntiker says Rubio saw the tea party movement growing, and “he adjusted to the moment. He’s the same career politician that Meek is, and that Crist … well I’m not even sure what Crist is at this point. They tell us one thing when they run and then they do something completely different when they get elected,” adding, “they’re all corrupt as far as I’m concerned.”

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SFDB Flashback Friday

Old computer commercials...







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Blockbuster Visits SFDB

Remember my recent critical post about Blockbuster Video? Well, over the last couple days I've watched Blockbuster ISP's visit SFDB on a regular basis. They've been quiet...until yesterday.

Here's what this particular visitor's data looked like...



At 4:34 PM they arrived, took a look at the post and a comment and then left their own anonymous and inane contribution to the discussion. I guess I should be flattered that they glanced at an Evening Sift before ending their almost 9-minute visit. [As always, click on images to make them bigger.]



Part of Blockbuster's slide to obscurity might have something to do with their employees spending time searching the internets for derogatory blog posts rather than focusing on getting the company healthy again.

Or at least putting all that brain power to work and figuring out a way to retrieve member data without a membership card.

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SFDB Question Of The Day

And so it's Memorial Day Weekend 2010. The official start of summer and hurricane season. I'm going to be staying local. Fighting the crowds on the roads, at the airports and in the hotels just doesn't seem to make much sense to me. Better to spend the next three days stocking up on hurricane supplies and preparing the house for The Big One. Oh, go ahead and laugh. But I'm going to be the one eating T-Bones and drinking well-chilled pinot noir amidst the rubble while everyone else stands in line for ice at the neighborhood Wal-Mart parking lot. Yes, siree.

How about you?

What are your plans for Memorial Day Weekend?

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SFDB Ecard Of The Day

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The Cooler

I have a jam-packed Cooler for you this Friday morning.

A- Herald: Life in South Florida.

About two dozen community leaders had gathered to discuss anti-violence measures Thursday when, suddenly, the Miami police major for the city's Northside District bolted from the meeting.

Moments later, the group found out why: Two innocent young boys had been injured in a drive-by shooting -- probably involving high-powered assault weapons -- as they played basketball near their homes in Liberty City. The boys were shot as their mothers looked on.

B- Herald: So I guess these means God hates Texas.

A dramatic change in the Gulf of Mexico's loop current has trapped a slick of oil in a huge circular eddy that scientists said Thursday appears likely to push slowly west instead of pumping the oil south into the Florida Keys.

C- Herald: Don't forget, "My dog died."

Beverly Gallagher, the former Broward School Board member convicted on a federal bribery charge, said she binged on alcohol during the past four years, briefly abused pain pills and suffered from depression, according to court documents.

Gallagher, 51, faces 37 to 46 months in prison when she is sentenced Wednesday. Prosecutors and her lawyer, David Bogenschutz, are asking that she serve 37 months -- with Bogenschutz also requesting that she be sent to a minimum-security prison with a drug-abuse program.

D- Herald: Close call.

The city is not cracking down on hoteliers who serve alcohol on the shores of the Atlantic this weekend, City Manager Jorge Gonzalez said Thursday.

Earlier in the week, City Attorney Jose Smith told The Miami Herald that hotels cannot serve or sell alcohol on the public beach, based on a review of hotel concession agreements and the city's laws.

E- Herald: Couple least likely to attend...George W. Bush and Dick Cheney.

Miami-Dade College and Amnesty International will host an interfaith forum on torture at 7 p.m. Friday at the Freedom Tower, 600 Biscayne Blvd., Miami.

F- Herald: My answer would have been, "Surrender your your license. Now."

Sadly this past week we saw a brilliant, passionate person die when he didn't have to.

That person was Florida Highway Patrol Trooper Patrick Ambroise, killed by a car that plowed into him while sitting in his patrol car.

Well, many of you were devastated by this and e-mailed me asking, ``What really is the state's `Move Over' law?''

Many of you didn't even know about it until it was mentioned in the news.

G- Sun-Sentinel: Chan Lowe.

H- South Florida Business Journal: Somewhat related to "F."

Florida drivers are getting better at passing their driving tests, but they are still below the U.S. average.

The 2010 GMAC Insurance National Drivers Test survey found that about 20 percent of licensed drivers – roughly 38 million Americans – would not pass a written drivers' exam if taken today.

Florida drivers ranked 41st, with a score of 75.2 percent.

I- CBS4: Video, less police for Urban Beach Weekend.

J- WSVN: Video, the bad guys may be watching in parking lots.

K- WPTV: Website redesign.

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Your Morning Sift

Good morning.

It's here. Friday has arrived. And it's the 1st day of a long holiday weekend. How better to kick things off than a solid morning Sift. Enjoy...

A- Fanless reprises his photos from Urban Beach Weekend in 2005.

B- Superbee is now happy...after some assistance.

I guess my point is this: When you're unhappy, you can try exercise, and you can go to acupuncture, and you can tell yourself that your problems are the problems of the first world, and you should be thrilled that you don't live in a tent in Haiti...

Or you can cave and go to the shrink, and walk out with a fistfull of prescriptions, and a new day on the horizon.

Having seen the light, I choose the latter. All for a $45.00 copay.

C- The Chowfather shares his impressions of the latest Cobaya underground dining experience at Bourbon Steak that occurred about 2 weeks ago [!!].

If you are a burger or steak fan, run don't walk to Bourbon Steak. If you don't like steaks or burgers, run don't walk to Bourbon Steak. Don't let the "steak" part of the the name fool you. It's a well-run restaurant serving great food along with a great wine list.

This is one of the best restaurants in South Florida.

D- Shorter Carlos Miller...

This is sorta like a game to me.

E- Inside and outside Everglades cypress domes at The South Florida Watershed Journal.

F- Bark Bark Woof Woof opines on Charlie Crist's flip on Don't Ask, Don't Tell.

So why the sudden switch? A couple of reasons come to mind. First, he's going after the moderate to progressive voters that are not completely sold on Kendrick Meek, the Democrat in the race; second, he sees that DADT repeal is moving through Congress and it polls very well (some give it a 75% approval rating), thereby making it a safe place to be since he's not worried about pissing off the right-wing base any more. And if Sen. Ben Nelson (D-NE) is in favor of it, that makes it okay to go there.

G- Former US Senator and Governor Bob Graham is too old to head the Gulf Oil Disaster Commission? Eye on Miami thinks so.

Big Sugar dominates Florida politics the same way that Big Oil, the Gulf of Mexico. Sure, there are plenty of non-profit conservation groups who can be summoned to defend the pace of protections in the Gulf as in the Everglades. On the other hand, a younger, tougher fighter against corporations and their influence would have been a better choice to co-lead the Obama commission.

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Your Evening Sift

I'm thinking, based upon the steady beat of raindrops on my roof right now, that tonight's full moon celebrations might be a bit damp. Saty dry and enjoy your Thursday evening Sift...

A- Blind Mind mentions SFDB and wonders about a photo that I recently posted here...so, you know.

B- Coconut Grove is the "anti-[Miami] Beach" this weekend, according to Coconut Grove Grapevine.

We are after all the anti-Beach on Memorial Day, the opposite of the madhouse that South Beach has become on Memorial Day Weekend.

Do people know they can get great hotel deals at all of our Grove hotels? Do they know about the many quaint restaurants we have and our access to sailing on the bay? Do they know of our shops and boutiques and art galleries? We have bicycle rentals and cool shady tree-lined streets.

C- U.S. District Judge Cecilia Altonaga remembers the late Judge Davis in this post at Southern District of Florida.

Judge Davis was my source of inspiration and I credit him with my desire to become a judge. He administered my oath as judge on three separate occasions, the last of which was as a federal district judge. When I joined the Southern District of Florida in 2003, I was humbled to occupy his former office and courtroom.

D- Miamism showcases a contemporary waterfront Venetian Island home that has been discounted a whole $50,000 to $7.85 million. First one there is a millionaire!

E- Wide Lawns and Narrow Lawns is discovering life with baby.

So after we got home I was sitting in a chair staring into space and I felt a bunch of popping and fizzing going on and I thought "Oh my God this PF Changs gave me terrible gas or something!" Then I thought, maybe that's the baby moving. Then I thought, no, it's just gas. But then it kept happening and I realized that really was her moving around! I guess she was trying to say "HEY! Yeah! It's ME. I am a girl and I am coming in October! And I like dumplings so eat some more!"

F- Sex and the Beach is taking nominations for her Hurricane Season Boyfriend.

Since 2006, Sex and the Beach has been searching for the perfect man to accompany us from June 1 to November 30. He should be great in bed, handy with tools, devoted and loving even when both of you have to sleep in a mosquito-infested tent in the backyard after law-enforced curfew, exhausted from walking two miles to buy a price-gouged bag of ice that melted by the time you got home.

If you've experienced a serious hurricane followed by an eternity of power outages, you know there's nothing else to do in the aftermath besides boinking and counting the no-see-ums staging a circus on Wonder Bread slathered with peanut butter. Single women without lovers are cruelly cheated by fate and miss out on this endearing experience!

G- The organizers of Wynwood Graffiti by Bike thank their supporters at Miami Bike Scene.

First and foremost we would like to thank everyone who in one way or another has helped piece together Graffiti by Bike. We've succeeded in introducing 100+ people and all their people to public art in Wynwood, an international attraction just around the corner. It has turned out to be much more than we could have ever hoped for and the results have been magnificent. With this being only the second time we carry out the tour we have been able to introduce a number of residents to their neighborhood, exposed kids to the positive aspects of urban art and discovered great local businesses.

H- Under the Sun has a wonderful audio essay on the mood in Key West as they wait for the oil to arrive.

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I Have Arrived

Just think, most of you can say you knew me when I was just a lowly gift card holder.

Excuse me while I now focus on going Platinum.

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Yet Another Lone Wolf

Move along. Nothing to see here.

In February 2009, a man left voice mail messages for [Demoractic Sen. Debbie] Stabenow in several of her Michigan offices.

“We’re gonna [expletive] get you,” he said in one message. “We’re gonna get you with a lot of [expletive] bolt action. Like we did RFK; like we did MLK. We know who you are. We’ll get you.”

FBI agents tracked the calls to a 54-year-old Texas man who lived alone — and who at one time had owned a 20-gun arsenal of handguns, shotguns and rifles. According to the documents, he told officers that he was “really, really drunk” when he made the calls. He said he was just “venting” — taking out his frustrations after hearing a discussion of the Fairness Doctrine and becoming concerned that the government would attempt to abolish the radio shows of Sean Hannity and Rush Limbaugh. [Emphasis SFDB]

Talk about a loyal fan base.





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A Hell Of A Year

So I guess the coin toss came up tails this year.

(Reuters) - The threat of an above-average 2010 Atlantic hurricane season has heightened over the past month and it now promises to be "a hell of a year," a leading U.S. forecaster said Wednesday.

William Gray, the hurricane forecast pioneer who founded Colorado State University's respected storm research team, said CSU would ramp up its predictions for the 2010 season in a report due out on June 2.

"The numbers are going to go up quite high," Gray said. "This looks like a hell of a year."

*Yawn*

Oh, I'm sorry. Did someone say something?

This "hell of a year" prediction will no doubt be revised numerous times during the summer by Dr. Gray depending upon how many rum-spiked umbrella drinks he consumed Tuesday night.

The good doctor was attending a hurricane conference in Fort Lauderdale along with other attention-starved prognosticators like Craig Fugate...

Federal Emergency Management Agency director Craig Fugate, who spoke at the same hurricane conference in Fort Lauderdale on Wednesday, seemed exasperated by public attention to the oil spill as another potentially deadly hurricane season looms over the Caribbean and the U.S. Atlantic seaboard.

"It concerns me that we're talking about the oil spill and we're not talking about hurricane season," Fugate told reporters.

Sadly, Craig is wrong.

What most Americans will be talking about today is neither the oil spill or hurricane season.

We have our priorities.


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The Cooler

Lots of good stuff in the local mainstream media this morning. Here's a little sample of it...

A- Herald: Uh oh.

Only one cat hair was found on multiple items seized from Tyler Weinman, the teen accused of mutilating more than 19 cats in South Miami-Dade last year, according to DNA test results made public Wednesday.

[...]

Weinman, who is awaiting trial, has a dog and a cat, said his lawyer, David Macey.

The results follow a DNA analysis of the deceased cats by the Miami-Dade police crime lab in April. Those results, released in February, found no human DNA on the 11 corpses.

``The results are confirming what we've been saying all along -- that they have the wrong person,'' Macey said.

B- Herald: Video, stray dog round up in Little Havana.

C- Herald: Now comes the real payday.

[Former U.S. Attorney Jeff] Sloman, known for his wry wit, will be honored Thursday evening at a farewell reception at the Inter-Continental Hotel in Miami after a 20-year career in the U.S. attorney's office for the Southern District of Florida. He's going into private practice with former University of Miami law school classmate Jim Ferraro, who specializes in asbestos, tobacco and other tort litigation.

D- Herald: Video, horse meat in a van.

E- Sun-Sentinel: Video, full body imaging at FLL.

F- Sun-Sentinel: A doggone shame.

Port St. Lucie Tony Freeman's weekend "four wheeling" outing with his son and his son's two friends turned into what Freeman said Tuesday was an unintended mistake.

Freeman's dog, a Hungarian Vizsla named Dollar, had been tied to the bumper of Freeman's high-riding yellow Jeep in his garage and was dragged about 1.2 miles before Freeman was flagged down.

"I understand a mistake happened," Freeman, 39, said Tuesday. "I understand the dog was hurt but it wasn't purposely done."

Dollar was bleeding heavily when police arrived following the Sunday incident, a report states. The pooch that accompanied Freeman on vacation and while working was taken to a veterinarian. Freeman said a vet indicated it would take a couple of surgeries and Dollar's skin might not fully return.

"We decided at that time that he was in some serious pain and we needed to put him down," said Freeman, who has three children.

Freeman was arrested Monday at his home in the 3300 block of Southwest Perrine Street on a misdemeanor animal cruelty charge. He spoke about what happened Tuesday to news crews.

[...]

"Nobody heard anything. No dog or anything," Freeman said. "We got a couple blocks down the road and somebody flagged me down and said, 'Hey, listen, there's a dog underneath your car.'"

G- Palm Beach Post: Palm Beachers are as stuffy about their Publix as they are everything else.

The civic association's "Tell Publix What You Want" symposium revealed that Palm Beachers want to shop in a Publix that doesn't make them feel as if they're shopping in a Publix.

They don't want white "industrial looking" exterior paint on the store, and they'd like a rear or side-entrance for valet parking.

They want more shade and less asphalt in the parking lot, and they want to see Mediterranean Revival design flourishes. They also worry that a bigger store will just mean more people will go there, and be less of a "town-serving store" than the 40-year-old Publix that's there now.

In short, they'd like a supermarket that feels more like a private club.

H- CBS4: If you're at Bayside, you might want to think twice about going to Chili's for a bit.

Health officials are screening more than 70 employees of the Chili's restaurant at Bayside after a cook there was diagnosed with typhoid fever. Officials say the man became "disoriented" at work the last week in April after having felt ill for several days.

He visited an emergency room in Miami, then returned to Haiti. It was only after he left the country that lab tests confirmed he had typhoid fever.

[...]

The disease is found in fecal matter, and is most often transmitted through food as a result of inadequate hand washing. It is also found in water supplies that are contaminated with sewage, making it far more prevalent in third-world countries.

I- CBS4: Video, the newest trend with teen drinking? Consuming vodka through your eyes.

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Your Morning Sift

Good morning.

It's Thursday which means the SFDB Weekend Widget is up and running in the right sidebar. Check it out and enjoy your Thursday morning Sift...

A- Transit Miami's views on a recent motorist/cyclist collision on Key Biscayne sparks some harsh comments.

Quite frankly, there are too many testosterone-filled cyclists out there giving good cyclists a bad name. All cyclists need to start obeying the rules of the road if they want to earn the respect of motorists. Running red lights and breaking other traffic laws makes all cyclists look bad.

B- Artlurker takes a look at a recent student exhibit at ArtSeen.

Flash Orchestra was experimental project directed by Felecia Chizuko Carlisle and developed in collaboration with a group of Electronic Media students at New World School of the Arts. For the one night only event at ArtSeen, the New World School of the Arts’ exhibition and studio facility in Wynwood, participants designed and produced unique digital sound instruments that were played in unison from laptop computers.

C- Nikon Miami shares a photo and links to a video of a loggerhead turtle laying eggs on Fort Lauderdale Beach.

D- Hijinks at The Green Parrot Bar in Key West.

E- UVu Blog posts a 10-minute video of the Elvis at 21 exhibit that is currently running at the Boca Raton Museum of Art.

F- Miami Beach 411 says the upcoming Urban Beach Weekend is all about the tourists versus the Miami Beach Police Department.

The Miami Beach Police Department says they are merely enforcing the law.

The American Civil Liberties Union says they are racially profiling against blacks.

As a white Hispanic who was arrested last year for taking photos of cops during Memorial Day Weekend, I can assure you that it’s not necessarily black vs. white.

It’s blue vs. whomever happens to be on the streets that weekend.

G- If it's a new day it's a fresh opportunity for more Republican hypocrisy, over at Bark Bark Woof Woof.

H- The South Florida Theatre Scene has their usual wrap up for the week.

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Your Evening Sift

Now that the dry season is over, expect all Miami-Dade drivers to go 40 mph on any slightly damp highway. Hello? Does your IQ always have to match your speed? Here's your slightly frustrated evening Sift...

A- Mango&Lime notes that some farmers markets are closing up shop for the season.

B- Wide Lawns and Narrow Minds drops a bombshell on her readers.

Dear Readers, this has been weighing on my mind for some time and I've finally decided to come clean to all of you about a secret I've been keeping for some time. I'm just going to throw it on out there.

I am pregnant! (Almost five months if you'd like to keep track.)

C- Eye on Miami asks the question many prolific bloggers ask themselves at one time or another.

Many of you suggest that I "get a life" and stop blogging.

D- Your only-in-Hialeah moment of the day at Sweet Home Hialeah.

E- If you're a fan of Lost [I'm not], you might want to read Hidden City's latest post on the recently departed series.

As I think back over the eighty-four hours I spent watching and waiting for the promised revelations, the enjoyment I received doesn’t come to mind: the well-written character bits, the intriguing mysteries, the surprising twists. All of that was washed away by the awful betrayal of the final episode, and the bitter taste of squandered promise.

F- Justice Building Blog is again calling for someone's head in Broward's criminal justice system.

Trying a defendant that a prosecutor knows is innocent, or even bringing to trial a person that the prosecutor knows there is not sufficient evidence to justify a conviction is an offense so odious to the American system of justice that prosecutors who engage in such abuse should be referred to the bar for disbarment. The supervisors who approve of such conduct should be disbarred as well.

G- There's a new Greek restaurant opening in Coconut Grove, according to Coconut Grove Grapevine.

H- If you're in Coral Gables and have a jonesing for cupcakes, Jeff Eats has a place for you.

I- The Cuban Triangle shows us how they fix flats in Cuba.

J- The GOP's latest wave of anti-immigrant bigotry has driven most Latinos further away from the Republican Party, says The Reid Report.

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The 2010 Extreme Eating Rewards

Americans continue to gorge themselves...

With two out of three adults—and one out of three children—overweight or obese, you’d think that restaurants would have some interest in keeping their patrons alive and dining out longer.

With mandatory calorie labeling on the horizon for chain restaurants, you’d think that restaurants would be dropping high-calorie items from their menus.

With close to 30 percent of young Americans too heavy to join the military, you’d think that restaurants would at least stop introducing new heavyweight items.

Nope. It’s business as usual in the restaurant industry. And that means it’s business as usual around here. Welcome to our 2010 Xtreme Eating Awards.

The recipients of the awards can be viewed here but here's a couple clues...

-between 4 and 6 guys
-is it really a place where they manufacture cheesecake?

And there are others.

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Big Government Securing Our Borders

You have to wonder when those small guvmint, leave-us-alone patriots who want government for the people and by the people and Glenn Beck on their TV 24 hours a day, will ever stop screeching for the...wait for it...government...yes, the government, to step in and do something about all them there Mexicans running through their backyards.

Maybe now?

TUCSON, Ariz. - President Barack Obama will send 1,200 National Guard troops to boost security along the U.S.-Mexico border, officials said Tuesday, pre-empting Republican plans to try to force votes on such a deployment.

Obama will also request $500 million for border protection and law enforcement activities, according to lawmakers and administration officials.

[...]

The National Guard troops will work on intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance support, analysis and training, and support efforts to block drug trafficking. They will temporarily supplement border patrol agents until Customs and Border Protection can recruit and train additional officers and agents to serve on the border, an administration official said.

I'm actually for this deployment and for the long term strategy of hiring more law enforcement personnel to help secure our borders, not only in the Southwest but on our northern border with Canada and especially right here in South Florida where illegal immigrants continue to make their way to our vast shoreline with little impediment.

But something tells me that $500 million figure is going to be substantially reduced and there will be plenty of conservative lawmakers who will oppose it simply because voting for it is voting with our Muslim black Fidel Castro, Barack Hussein Obama.

They are so predictable.

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This Guy Was A Cop?

You don't like to judge a book by its cover, but, for Pete's sake Miami Beach PD, what the flying eff were you thinking?

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The Cooler

Just a few things for you this morning from the mainstream media...

A- Herald: Sousa on Miami-Dade's vehicle allowances...for once I agree with her.

It's one thing to say leaders should have a smaller car allowance. It's another thing to give them the allowance and then chastise them for how they spend it. How people spend their compensation is entirely up to them.

B- Herald: Just in time for Urban Beach Weekend.

The days of enjoying a piña colada beneath an umbrella on the shores of Miami Beach may be over.

The city's attorney has advised officials that beachfront hotels are not allowed to sell or serve alcoholic drinks to customers on the beach.

Although hotels regularly peddle tropical drinks through oceanfront concession stands and waiters ferrying libations to sunbathers on lounge chairs, City Attorney Jose Smith says that's against the law.

``Why they haven't been cited, I don't know,'' Smith said.

[...]

``It's going to be a little nasty on the eve of Memorial Day if they tell the hotels they can't serve alcohol out there,'' he said.

C- Herald: They write letters.

Don't demonize immigrants

Bravo for Myriam Marquez's May 16 column, Immigrants are the GOP's new political exiles. She brought up an ugly local aspect of the immigration discussion. This is a country of immigrants; however, when relatively recent immigrants criticize others who do the same thing that not only saved their lives but also allowed them to prosper, it is truly an aberration.

Cuban Americans like to distinguish themselves from immigrants by describing their status as being exiles. However, in the eyes of all Americans, we are also considered immigrants.

It's galling that some Republicans equate immigrants with lawbreakers. Immigrants do not take anyone's jobs, as they fill those that no others will do.

Everyone agrees that we need immigration reform. What we do not need to do is demonize people who are trying to make an honest living and support their families -- or unscrupulous politicians who use this and every other issue to confuse the electorate and thwart any hope for real solutions.

GRACIELA CATASUS, Miami Beach

D- South Florida Business Journal: Florida loves the Google.

A first-ever economic impact report by search engine Google shows it generated $3.2 billion in economic activity in Florida in 2009.

The dollar figures were estimated by examining the economic value generated by Google Search and AdWords, Google AdSense and Google Grants. The company used two assumptions: First, that businesses make an average of $2 for every $1 they spend on AdWords. Second, that businesses receive an average of five clicks on their search results for every one click on their ads.

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Your Morning Sift

Good morning.

It was kind of a quiet night in the South Florida blogosphere so your Hump Day morning Sift is rather thin...

A- Food For Thought revisits Nobu and discovers some things have changed since his last visit and some things have not.

The fish was all impeccably fresh, the technique was flawless, and the variety of selections was as strong if not more so than anywhere else in Miami. But it all comes at a price.

B- Blind Tastes offers readers two suggestions for lunch in Miami-Dade.

The second lunch experience that surprised me was at Chipotle in Hialeah. Yes, Chipotle is a chain that I'm sure many have been to but when you add Hialeah into the mix, who knows what you're gonna get.

C- Jersey has been selected to host the 2014 Super Bowl and PhinPhanatic has some thoughts.

New Jersey has no retractable roof. Not to mention, on the date the Superbowl has been played over the last five years the weather in Jersey has been on average mid-40’s with snow last year and rain in 2007. What’s better than dropping a few grand to go to the Superbowl and getting to sit through 40 degree rain in New Jersey? Dysentery. I would honestly rather crap myself to death than pay two grand to sit in cold rain for three hours in Jersey.

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Your Evening Sift

Your Tuesday evening Sift is served...

A- Despite the very wet dry season, this May's lack of the wet stuff has made Everglades water levels comparable to last year, according to The South Florida Watershed Journal.

Despite last year’s record dry down,

Waters had rebounded with fervor thanks to a late May mid latitudinal cyclone.

We’re still waiting for this year’s signature
“Welcome to the Wet Season” storm.

B- SFLTV notes that some changes are going on at WPLG and that generates a decent comment thread.

Morning anchor Calvin Hughes appears to have been plucked out of the early morning doldrums and put on the 6pm and 11pm newscasts, right next to Laurie Jennings! And allegedly for now a new man is being brought in that will sit next to Kristi Krueger, in the morning.

C- Jeff Eats digs Pizza Kitchen on South Dixie Highway.

I recently did a plain old pie…slice was thin, crisp, sweet sauce and when folded-pointed down dripped oil…I am telling you, this joint could easily compete with most of the pizza joints in the 5 boroughs.

D- Random Pixels says Florida couldn't do much worse than Rick Scott for governor.

Bottom line: Scott is a bigoted, racist millionaire who wants to buy the governor's mansion. Let's send this clown back to his $9 million house in Naples!

E- Play Round 7 of Sweet Home Hialeah's Latino or Americano tonight before you go to bed.

F- Despite the warnings, the Dade-Collier Jetport all-terrain vehicle park is proceeding as planned and Urban Environment League has the information on where you can have your voices heard on the matter.

The DCA has labeled the project a threat to Everglades Restoration as well as to the endangered panther and wood stork. This project threatens the Everglades, it wetlands and wildlife for the benefit of a small number of off road vehicle enthusiasts.

The project was also condemned for contributing to urban sprawl.

G- After reading Coconut Grove Grapevine today, you'll wonder how anything gets done in that town.

As Glenn read the three motions and handed them to Antoinette, she responded by tearing them up one by one.

H- View From Virginia Key reviews a new book about Miami called Miami Architecture.

The guide imagines the area as a tropical playground - with the Marine Stadium as the centerpiece of a “necklace of public amenities” in the Biscayne Bay corridor.

The playground begins with the Rickenbacker Causeway itself -- in reality a linear park -- which was designed to include areas for fishing, bathing and boat launching along the way. Today, the scenic road is also a major attraction for bicyclists and pedestrians who enjoy the scenic views.

I- There's a biography about Rush Limbaugh that lauds the man, but Bark Bark Woof Woof takes a look at a critical David Frum review of the book and offers up his own take of the GOP leader.

At the risk of being overly cynical, there really isn't all that mysterious about the success of Rush Limbaugh; history is replete with charlatans and hucksters who have the singular genius to know exactly how to exploit the fears and gullibility of the American people. I may admire him for his skill, but it's obvious from his inability to tolerate criticism or scrutiny that he is nothing more than a schoolyard bully raised to an exponential level. He creates nothing but discord and deception and he preys on others for his own gain. He suspects others of dark motives, deception, conspiracy and conceit because that's all he is capable of understanding. Mr. Frum is right; if this is the future of American conservatism, they are up the creek because fear and bigotry is a beast that needs constant feeding, and it often turns on its own.

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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.

Perhaps this week was lean because of all the running around I was doing Up North or maybe it was just a slow week. Either way, only 4 posts made the final cut and here they are...

Runners-Up: Ipanemic's talent for film editing, photography and capturing the essence of South Beach were on full display in this video that he produced for another South Florida blog. In This Is How Miami Beach 411 Parties, loads of local photos and South Florida flavor were captured in a post that documented the fun that Miami Beach 411 participates in and sponsors. And finally, if you never have been to Surfside, you really need to check out the nice job that Swapstyle did documenting their 75th birthday in Surfside Is 75!


Winner: Nikon Miami's contribution to the South Florida blogosphere consists entirely of clear, crisp and well-framed photos of people, events and, on occasion, animals around South Florida. This week, they were the only South Florida blog on the scene of a very unique event that occurred in the middle of the night out at Miami International Airport. While it's just a photo, the effort and the talent required to perfectly capture that moment was exemplary. For these reasons and for working hard while the rest of us slept, I'd like to recognize Nikon Miami with this week's SFDB Post Of The Week.

'Til next time, people, keep on blogging!

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Meanwhile, On The Louisiana Coast...

Boston.com continues their excellent photographic coverage of the Gulf oil spill with a set of photographs of the latest from the Louisiana coast. The images will leave you wondering how things there will ever be the same again.


-via Eye On Miami


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SFDB Ecard Of The Day

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The Cooler

Here's what grabbed my attention in this morning's mainstream media.

A- Herald: Rooftop bars may be on the endangered list on South Beach.

But neighbors within earshot of the rooftop venues are complaining about the sky-high parties, prompting Miami Beach to consider cracking down.

``If people can't sleep at night, then it's incumbent upon us to do something about it,'' said Miami Beach Commissioner Jonah Wolfson, who has asked the city attorney's office to draft new proposals for rooftop regulation.

[...]

But Rose Barco, whose 18th-floor Riviera Condominium unit faces the nearby lounge, said the ``boom-boom-boom'' and laughter and yelling from the rooftop makes it feel like the party is in her living room -- only she's not having any fun.

``You go to Plunge and you get wet and you get wild, and the residents get screwed,'' she said.

B- Herald: They write letters.

Polls say that 50 percent of voters think Gov. Crist left the Republican Party for purely political reasons. First, he is a politician -- duh! -- but second, I think that the Republican Party left him first.

There is a saying that if Democrats had a brain they would vote Republican, and if Republicans had a heart they would vote Democrat. I happen to have both, a brain and a heart, and nobody asked me whom I would be voting for. I will tell you anyway -- I am a Democrat, and I am voting for Crist all the way!

GLADYS SFORZA, Miami

C- Sun-Sentinel: Gringo mask.

"What caught our attention was the absurdity of this law, and the notion that we all must look a certain way," continues the Cuban-American executive. "Once we talked about it, my creative team came back with the idea of the mask and the website [which went live on April 30. Twitter, Facebook and YouTube are also being used to spread the word]. Basically, this is all a satire of what is happening in Arizona."

To take part in this satire, all you have to do is go to www.gringomask.com, choose the mask that best applies to you, download for free, print it, cut it, put an elastic band around it and… bingo! New face, new immigration status!

D- Sun-Sentinel: Highly motivated.

A Tamarac woman wanted bigger breasts and thinner arms so badly authorities say she was willing to break the law to get them.

Shatarka Nuby, 29, faces a credit card fraud charge after the U.S. Postal Service says she and an accomplice committed fraud so she could have more than $9,000 of cosmetic surgery. The accomplice posed as Nuby's cousin and paid for the surgery using a stolen identity, court records show.

E- Sun-Sentinel: Sunday morning drivers.

NAPLES Six Broward County men and one Miami resident are accused of riding their motorcycles at more than 100 mph on Interstate 75 to try to flee from police, the Naples Daily News reports.

[...]

The Florida Highway Patrol says the seven were seen traveling at a high rate of speed at about 7:50 a.m. Sunday near mile marker 90 in Collier County.

A trooper said she tried to stop the motorcyclists, but they fled into Lee County. A sheriff's helicopter and several patrol cars got involved before the men surrendered.

F- NBC Miami: I suspect people from Arizona.

A highway sign flashing "NO LATINOS NO TACOS" greeted drivers on the Palmetto Expressway in Northwest Miami-Dade, after hackers managed to alter it early Tuesday morning.

The sign was in the northbound side of the 826, right near the Northwest 25th street exit.

G- NBC Miami: David Byrne is an "Old Rocker."

First, Gov. Charlie Crist was auctioned off on eBay by his former party.

Now, he is being sued by an old rock band for using one of their songs without permission.

Billboard.com is reporting David Byrne of the Talking Heads is going after Crist for $1 million because the governor used the song "Road to Nowhere" in an ad that targeted GOP Senate candidate Marco Rubio earlier this year.

H- Palm Beach Post: Unintended consequences.

WEST PALM BEACH — Rear-end collisions more than doubled and accidents increased overall in the first 70 days of red-light cameras in West Palm Beach compared to the same period of 2009, traffic records reviewed by The Palm Beach Post show.

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