Your Evening Sift

Blogger, for some reason, was wonky as hell tonight but despite all that I have a jam packed evening Sift for your reading enjoyment.

A- FTL Collective share 3 places you should NOT go with folks visiting Fort Lauderdale.

It takes approximately one hour from the time you enter the massive line that leads to the parking garage until you actually find a spot, if you haven’t waited in line, wasting gas, only to realize there are no spots left in the parking garage. By this time, your pre-drink buzz is gone and everyone is on edge from the traffic. You finally make it in. You’ve probably had a friend of a friend get you on some club VIP list that doesn’t actually exist so instead you spend your time waiting on the outskirts of a red velvet rope extending from an overly-pretentious club where you have to be ‘selected’ to enter by a bouncer who thinks he is better than you even though he just got fired from Coyote Ugly downtown.

B- South Florida Food and Wine serves up some upcoming South Florida food events.

C- Charlie Crist's chances of becoming a U.S. Senator are pretty slim, according this post over at The Reid Report.

Schale’s conclusion about who now has the clearest path to victory is sure to give Democrats agita (I won’t spoil it for you. Read the whole post here.) But Schale’s thesis is bolstered by the Beth Reinhard piece today on Crist’s agonizing attempts to triangulate between the two parties, both of whose bases he needs to poach in order to win. And the pollsters at Democratic-leaning Public Policy Polling seem to be coming to the same conclusion, focusing most recently on Crist’s falling approval ratings, and his quandary over saying, or not saying, who he’d caucus with in the Senate.

D- Coconut Grove Grapevine enjoys spilling the beans.

I get the [filming] schedules but I'm not permitted to publish them, the production companies don't like audiences lingering around the outdoors sets, but once in awhile if you pay attention, I'll spill the beans on a Burn Notice shoot. In fact, coming up soon is their season finale shoot which will be a major event. It will involve repelling buildings and things like that. We may or may not spill the beans. Come back for more.

E- The new Blogger comment moderation feature turns out to be a little too challenging for Dayngrous Discourse

In the PUBLISHED tab, I selected all and clicked DELETE, not REMOVE CONTENT and ended up deleting 5 years worth of published comments on my blog. FIVE YEARS OF COMMENTS!

I was under the impression I was deleting them from the tab (since they had already been moderated and published by me) NOT REMOVING THE CONTENT FROM MY BLOG! Wow. What a shocker and how devastating.

F- Sex and the Beach attended the recent launch of The South Florida Firefighters Calendar 2010 and has the photos to prove it.

G- Eater Miami files the latest installment in Sakaya Kitchen's foray into the meals on wheels business.

I inspected the truck and it was like inspecting an alien spaceship. What the hell do I know about a 2003 model 18 foot Workhorse step van? I looked, I drove, I kicked the tires, but other than that who knows what I have in store!? The truck looked like crap to be honest, but within a day of the build it was already transformed in the right direction. The truck has been completely stripped, insulated, chopped, cut, doors removed and interior frames for the equipment installed. Submitted the kitchen layout and vin# to the city for review (by the way, there are currently 30 plans in for review for mobile food trucks with the city).

H- The Burger Beast gets devastated by a burger at Bill's Filling Station in Wilton Manors.

The burger here is a double, 2 quarter pound patties to be exact. You can add cheese and bacon for a small fee, I added cheese. One bite and I couldn't believe what I was tasting. The burger just devastated me. I was blown away.

I- Brickell Life has a nice post on the Mary Brickell Village Sunday Market that includes a video walk through of the venue.

We picked up some honey from a Loxahatchee farm and a couple freshly baked cranberry scones on top of Hani’s goods to cap off the morning. Must say it’s great to see the market gaining some traction after its opening weekend. There were quite a few people out mingling around, grabbing a coffee from Starbucks, having breakfast at Balans and shopping.

J- Find out the September schedule for the Van Dyke Upstairs at Soul of Miami.

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Happy 65th, Van!

When you don't need to worry there'll be days like this
When no one's in a hurry there'll be days like this
When you don't get betrayed by that old Judas kiss
Oh my mama told me there'll be days like this

Van Morrison, Days Like This

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Jonathan Eismann's Local Food Tour

Via Plum TV, Miami chef Jonathan Eismann takes us around town to some of his favorite places to eat...



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Glenn Beck Day Attendee Interviews

Good God.




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South Florida Cartoons

Morin and Lowe must be eating the same breakfast ceral.



Chan Lowe, Sun-Sentinel




Jim Morin, Miami Herald

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The Cooler

There never seems to be a shortage of strange news in South Florida. Read on and enjoy the Cooler.

A- Herald: What's important to Miami.

What's on the mind of wired locals? Here are the top 10 rising search terms in Miami this past week:

1. Hurricane Danielle 2. Hurricane Danielle path 3. Florida Primary results 4. Glenn Beck 5. Elin Nordegren 6. Tiger Woods 7. Miss Universe 8. UFC 9. Paris Hilton 10. Fantasy Football

SOURCE: Yahoo.com

B- Herald: Editorial, Charlie Crist's challenge.

We appreciate nuance. We understand mitigating circumstances. We, in fact, agree with many of the governor's changed positions in Tallahassee based on the way the legislation was pushed through without public input -- such as his veto of the controversial SB6 bill to end tenure for new teachers and a bill that would have required women to pay for, and view, an ultrasound if they were seeking an abortion.

Even his position on drilling off Florida shores is confusing -- he had been consistently against it until gas prices reached almost $4 a gallon two years ago. He is now solidly against drilling too close to Florida's shoreline -- we think.

In these trying times, when Florida's economy is still struggling, the nation is facing monumental debt in the trillions of dollars and the war on terror remains a moving target, this state needs a sensible leader in Washington willing to cross party lines and put the people first. Unfortunately, Mr. Crist has yet to explain what his core beliefs are and how they have evolved since the days he was known as ``Chain Gang Charlie'' in the Legislature.

Washington already has too many dogmatic idealogues who won't budge from the party line -- either on the left or right -- regardless of the facts. It does not need opportunists who knee-jerk to positions back and forth based on polling.

C- Sun-Sentinel: Don't stop being afraid yet!

Don't expect them all to turn north.

When Danielle was a hurricane, it curved well short of the U.S. coastline. Earl — now a Category 4 powerhouse — might do so as well. But future storms may not follow suit.

The basic steering currents guiding Danielle, Earl and newly formed Tropical Storm Fiona are sure to change in just a matter of days. Already, atmospheric forces have pushed Earl farther west than Danielle, making it a possible threat to the mid-Atlantic or northeastern U.S. later this week.

"The environment is constantly evolving and changing," said James Franklin, top hurricane specialist at the National Hurricane Center in Miami-Dade County.

D- Sun-Sentinel: What could go wrong?

Four decades after emerging from Palm Beach County's western wilderness, Lion Country Safari wants to get its share of the growing urban jungle.

Theme park officials on Monday persuaded the County Commission to change the drive-through animal theme park's "rural" land designation and quadruple the number of homes allowed on the 637 acres in Loxahatchee.

Lion Country Safari representatives contend they plan to build on the unused portions of the property, not close the tourist attraction. They have pushed for years to expand their development potential as a way to diversify operations and keep the theme park running.

E- CBS4: Video, attention-grabbing advertisement.

F- CBS4: Classy judge.

Police say Benitez snapped a picture of a woman underneath her dress in the frozen foods section of a Coral Gables Publix Sunday night.
After an officer checked Benitez's phone, he says he found several voyeurism style photos, including that of the woman at Publix. The defense lawyer and bond court judge couldn't resist poking fun at Benitez.

"Apparently shopping at Publix wasn't a pleasure," laughed an unseen attorney. Judge Cueto chuckled heartily at that one, while Benitez only said, "It's ridiculous sir."

Publix customers CBS4 News spoke with say the allegations are serious.

G- WPLG: Answering the question, "How do you know when you're eating at a raunchy restaurant?"

Critical. Observed roach activity as evidenced by 1 live roach found in office dropped from ceiling as I was imputing data into PDA.

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Your Morning Sift

Good morning.

Lots of politics in this morning's Sift as we get you started on your last day of August, 2010.

A- Superbee alerts us to the current state of affairs at Tapas y Tintos on Espanola Way.

Something's off there. I'll go back when they fix it.

Which is a damn shame. Because that used to be one of my standout restaurant recommendations on South Beach.

Pity.

B- Swampstyle has some thoughts on Hurricane Katrina 5 years later. We have all but forgotten the days in the aftermath of Katrina.

The man-made disaster that followed an otherwise typical hurricane became a sideshow of distractions from years of irresponsible policy and engineered missteps. With an eye on the depopulation of a people deemed a lecherous burden on the Homeland, Bush Brown and Skeletor worked overtime to spin the public relations blow-back. Today they are all out to pasture in the private sector collecting fat gov'ment pensions.

C- Some thoughts on the pot that Glenn Beck and his followers are stirring, over at Obalesque.

It was all bound to boil over sooner or later, what with nations’ economies collapsing and unemployment scaring us silly. At times like these, scapegoats are sought like wonder drugs, dug up and trotted out before a jeering populace famished for victims to blame. Jews are a historical choice with a grand tradition in Europe, as reliable a rabble-rousing source as Blacks in the United States. (Fashion question: Is Muslim the New Black?) It’s so much easier and politically valuable than finding genuine solutions to problems.

This, too, will pass, but only if we keep the spotlight hot and the volume turned up. Start screaming, folks, if only because you might be next.

D- The Reid Report has five things you need to know about Rick Scott.

Bottom line, Scott will get a majority of the GOPers who come out in November, but what kind of majority? If it’s a bare one, he’s in trouble. Sink has strong appeal among moderate to center-right voters, plus potential appeal to Republican women, who are polling in the dregs where Scott is concerned. And Scott has emerged from the bruising primary with very high negatives among his own.

E- Bark Bark Woof Woof points out how [not so] funny the games of politics is as it applies to Rick Scott.

It's the old "rally 'round the winner" routine, and it's Politics 101; the party is desperate to win, toadies want a job or the limelight, and somewhere, somehow, someone is planning on making a bit of a fortune off of it.

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SFDB Late Night Politics

Glenn Beck lives in a parallel universe.




-via Discourse

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Your Evening Sift

One down, four to go and then I have some vacation to look forward to. No Colorado trip, however, as I'll be staying local and loving me some wet, humid, Jurassic Park kind of weather. *sigh* Here's your Monday evening Sift...

A- Burger Beast loves him some Sir Pizza.

Getting to the pizza, like I said earlier, it was very reminiscent of what I loved about pizza as a kid, the thinner crust and the crispy mozzarella cheese on top. The pepperoni here is diced into little cubes which makes it pack more of a pepperoni flavor punch.The crazy thing is there's also a Chocolate Pizza with semi-sweet chocolate chips. And you know what? It's really tasty and a must try.

B- The Heat Lightning provides us their views on this weekend's Glenn Beck Day celebration.

As if to herald the eye of a mighty storm, Beck strained to put a more nuanced event on the busy calendar of an otherwise ham-handed, childishly simplistic political movement. He insisted that his demonstration to “restore honor” would not be political, but some kind of pep rally for veterans and God-fearing Americans who feel upset about the direction of American culture. Because the themes were shrouded in a soupçon of mystery and because it interrupted my drive to the golf course, I tuned in to hear what Beck had to say when the spotlight shone brightest.

C- The Riverwalk Urban Market is open every Saturday, according to FTL Collective.

Out of the few options South Floridians have for fresh produce and local goods, the Riverwalk Urban Market doesn’t disappoint with decent prices and a nice selection of various items. After suddenly disappearing from it’s original location across from the Museum of Discovery and Science the market has finally gotten around to updating their flyers with their new location: the historic district near the old River House.

D- Miami Art & Culture has the 411 on the Con-Figurations exhibit at Artformz in Wynwood.

The first exhibition of the fall 2010 season brings to Artformz the works of three new artists. Maxine Spector, Sara Rytteke, and Rossella Ramanzini each use the figure as central to their creative practice, but in different ways and with decidedly different motives. These three artists present us with imagery representaional of concerns currently present in contemporary arts dialogue. Whether in painting on paper, painting on wood panel, or large-scale photographic imagery, they treat the political, the spiritual, or the social, in original and compelling ways.

E- Red light cameras in South Florida are upsetting a lot of people, as Random Pixels notes in his latest post.

F- Coconut Grove Grapevine has a few cool photos of the Miami Conservatory of Music in the Grove.

G- Senator Orrin Hatch from Utah explains his support of the controversial NYC Muslim community center in a video that is up at Bark Bark Woof Woof.

H- Miami Beach 411 has the details on an addition 5.5 miles of bridging to be built as part of the Tamiami Trail project.

Great news: the Department of the Interior has proposed adding an additional 5.5 miles of bridging.

This will result in 6.5 miles of bridging, along a 10.7-mile stretch of Tamiami Trail. The additional bridging will provide conditions for unconstrained water flow to Shark River Slough. The increased flow will reestablish seasonal water depths that are critical to the survival of many fish and wildlife species.

If authorized by Congress, construction could begin in 2013 and would take 3.7 years.

I- Sweat Records welcomes some new arrivals.

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Word

-via The Daily Wh.at


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Fiction At The National Review Online

I'm not sure if the crowd estimate or the "non-partisan rally" [where the above photo was taken] part of this masterful piece of right-wing hackery by the ideologically skewed bunch at The National Review Online made me smile more.

They came for many reasons — to see Sarah Palin, to pray, to hope, to socialize — but come they did. Hundreds of thousands of Americans gathered at the Lincoln Memorial on Saturday, lawn chairs and Gadsden flags in hand, to participate in “Restoring Honor,” a nonpartisan rally hosted by Glenn Beck, a Fox News host.

"Hundreds of thousands of Americans" or maybe just a few less than that.

An estimated 87,000 people attended a rally organized by talk-radio host and Fox News commentator Glenn Beck Saturday in Washington, according to a crowd estimate commissioned by CBS News.

The company AirPhotosLive.com based the attendance on aerial pictures it took over the rally, which stretched from in front of the Lincoln Memorial along the Reflecting Pool to the Washington Monument. Beck and former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin spoke at the rally.

To put that in context, the Florida Gators average attendance at their football games last year was 90,653.


-photo via lgf


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Crist Loses My Support

I have been planning on placing my support behind Charlie Crist in Florida's senatorial race even though the guy is as two-faced as...well, just about every other politician. I understand that rarely do we get to cast our vote for a truly principled and honest representative anymore. I also viewed him as the best chance of beating back right-wing extremist and totally non-principled Marco Rubio who, I feel, would only represent a small fraction of Florida voters in Washington.

But this video from October 2008 surfaced last week...



There are some things that can be politicized. Off shore oil drilling, supporting the stimulus...those immediately come to mind.

But there's no excuse for politicizing the security of the United States of America. Charlie Crist did that on October 22, 2008.

Effective today, my vote goes elsewhere.

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SFDB's Statistical Minute

Here are SFDB's most viewed posts for last week...



And here are links to them.

1. Grady Warren: All That's Missing Is The White Robe

2. Mario Diaz-Balart Is a Big Fat Liar

3. The Cooler

4. SFDB Question Of The Day

5. SFDB Late Night Politics


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The Cooler

South Florida's mainstream media doesn't get into work on Monday mornings until noontime so most of the "news" this morning is from the weekend. Here are some of the more up to date and interesting stories that I found...

A- Herald: Life in South Florida.

Police and management at Aventura Mall plan to meet next week to discuss the melee at the mall that left about a dozen young people arrested and several police officers receiving minor injuries.

The melee erupted around 10 p.m. Saturday when mostly teenagers descended on the mall for the opening of two popular movies at the AMC 24 Theaters, Lottery Ticket and Takers.

It ended with the arrest of 12 minors, all between the ages of 14 and 17, according to Aventura police.

[...]

A group of noisy teens had gathered to buy tickets to two movies opening Saturday. The line leading to the AMC 24 Theaters stretched from the box office to the nearby mall entrance. A fight soon broke out between two youths near the box office, spiraling quickly into a mass brawl that spread to the theater, across the mall and to the parking lots.

B- Herald: I knew it! It's the monkey's fault!

Watson -- a small, 8-year-old ape -- was known for being a bit mischievous.

But when he sneaked out of his cage at Jungle Island on Saturday, Watson set off a chain of events straight out of a thriller movie:

A 500-pound Bengal tiger leapt over a tall fence, dozens of frantic visitors ran for their lives, and park workers labored to lure the predatory animal back into a holding cage.

[...]

Saturday's series of events started around noon when the white-handed gibbon, a species of ape native to Southeast Asia, escaped from his pen. A team of four animal handlers attempted to wrangle the precocious primate, Chatfield said, but he soon made his way to the tall, fenced area enclosing the tigers.

Watson's presence sparked the interest of Mahesh, who became ``excited'' and chased Watson around as he made his way across the chain-link fence.

Though he didn't have a full view of how the tiger made it so far up the fence, Chatfield said he likely lunged, gaining enough momentum to reach the top, where he eventually fell over it.

C- Herald: They write letters.

Is it just a coincidence that the percentage of people who mistakenly believe that President Obama is a Muslim or isn't a U.S. citizen is about the same as the percentage of people who believed that George W. Bush was a good president by the end of his second term?

What is the purpose of these polls? They have no value other than to feed a news cycle that then gives legitimacy to false statements instead of facts.

ERIC PATTERSON, Miami

D- WPTV: Hmmmmm.

LAKE WORTH, Fla. - William Tecihner was stabbed in front of his suburban Lake Worth home, shortly after 5:30 a.m.

"He took the dog out, and it had been a long time since he came back in. I went to walk out of the house. I got surrounded by cops," said Angie Roberts, William's roommate and long time friend.

William's intention was to walk his dog, but according to Angie, an altercation with a neighbor left William lying in a pool of his own blood.

"The lady next door said that the dog was trying to clean up all the blood that was coming out of him," said Roberts.

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Your Morning Sift

Good morning.

No, I'm not going to use the M-word this morning. Enjoy your morning Sift...

A- Sex and the Beach expounds on the virtues of traveling alone as a woman.

I see it around me all the time -- women who are anxious for some hole to be filled by a penis, by companionship, by distraction -- heck, I know one woman who doesn't even like to go to the bathroom by herself when she's at a restaurant or a club. But why? If you're not comfortable in your skin anywhere, you sure as hell aren't going to be fully and completely at peace even with another person to keep you from the dreaded space of solitude.

B- A list of September's classical events in South Florida are up at South Florida Classical Review.

C- Help design a [fictitious?] Miami Seaplane Terminal at MAeX Artblog.

D- Vote for your favorite Miami food truck in the Food Network's Great Food Truck Race over at Burger Beast.

6 of Miami's Food Trucks are finalists in America's Favorite Food Truck Giveaway (sponsored by the Food Network). The truck with the most amount of votes will win $10,000 and an opportunity to appear in Season 2 of the Great Food Truck Race. What's in it for you? Other than helping your favorite truck win, every time you vote you'll earn a chance to win a trip to NYC's Wine & Food Festival.

E- One of Miami Favs' favs is Gusto Vino and Caffe on Miami Beach.

gusto is a little italian restaurant on west avenue between 9th and 10th. which means that it’s walkable for me. and therefore super convenient for me to want to go there every sunday for brunch and get their ridiculously amazing pancakes.

F- Bark Bark Woof Woof looks at the latest case of anti-Muslim violence, this time in Tennessee.

It can only get worse, and the people at the alleged "news organizations" that provoke this stuff are going to say, "Hey, we didn't do anything except say that all Muslims are terrorists!" or "Well, what are they doing building a mosque in the heart of America anyway?"

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Your Evening Sift

If you thought the wet weather would drive bloggers to the computer this Sunday afternoon, you would be wrong. It was slow, slow, slow and I have just a handful of notable posts here for you in your evening Sift.

A- AshAndBurn is anticipating the South Florida arrival of 1/4 of Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young.

B- Soul of Miami has photos from yesterday's Naked Pizza grand opening on South Beach.

C- The Reid Report does an in-depth analysis of the tough position that Charlie Crist holds in Florida's senatorial race.

So in this election, it’s “Operation: Get Charlie” — on both sides of the aisle. And Crist has to walk the finest of lines — being just Democratic enough for the Democrats, but not too Democratic for his remaining GOP base (hence his refusal to say who he’d caucus with in the Senate, though the smart answer is probably, whoever’s in the majority next January…)

D- Shorter Searching for Signs...

Florida Marlins President David Samson is insincere.

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File This...

...under things that you will never, ever see George W. Bush doing...

Boston, Massachusetts (CNN) -- Aijalon Mahli Gomes, the U.S. citizen sentenced to eight years of hard labor for crossing over the Chinese border into North Korea, arrived home Friday afternoon with the man who secured his freedom, former President Jimmy Carter.

Gomes' family rushed toward the steps of the private plane, wiping tears from their eyes and hugging the man imprisoned in communist North Korea since January.

"Thank you President Carter for traveling to North Korea to bring Aijalon home," the family said in a statement. "For Aijalon, although returning home, the journey toward healing really just begins today."

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Katrina +5

Five years ago today, Hurricane Katrina made landfall in Louisiana. What followed was an embarrassment for America. The Boston Globe remembers with this excellent photo exposé.

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Jim Morin's New Animated Cartoon

Cable Noise




Word.

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Your Mid-Afternoon Sift

I'm getting out of the gates rather late this morning but it's a Sunday so I doubt too many people are going to notice. Enjoy your Sunday mid-afternoon Sift.

A- Political commentary from Swampstyle is always spot on.

When it comes to tolerance and reconciliation, Glenn Beck is a styrofoam brick wall, impassable yet 99% air. Beck is the latest clued-in mouthpiece for the eliminationist crowd that Rush Limpbaum championed bombastic. These push-button sound-biters are not stupid, they just cater to the stupid in some of us. When those "some of us" tally in the millions, we others must be on the look-out for packs of sheeple in wolves garb brandishing bibles, billy-clubs and blind rage.

B- I Heart Miami has some photos from a cupcake crawl that was hosted by Midtown Chic-a.

C- Searching for Normalcy got free tickets to the latest Dolphins game but even at that price they weren't worth it.

Unfortunately, we were seated smack dab in the center of the most obnoxious children ever. Directly to my left were about 30 of the most ill-behaved adolescent boys (if I had to guess, I would say they were probably between 10-14 years old) I have ever seen in my life. Apparently they were some kind of sports team or something, and I guess this was like a field trip for them. However, it seemed to me as if they were completely unsupervised by any adults, as they were yelling loudly and throwing ice and popcorn at the other fans in our section, and no one bothered to reprimand them.

D- Random thoughts about various things from Hidden City.

If you send out a “breaking news” alert via e-mail, text message, or Twitter, it had damned well better educate me on a major threat to the health and safety of a significant percentage of the local population. If the urgency relates to a c-list celebrity addict’s latest drunken escapade, or a multimillionaire sports star’s contract, then you’ve just informed the world that your organization no longer understands the concept of news at all, and deserves all the credibility of toilet stall graffiti.

E- The Reid Report has a video from yesterday's Whitestock in Washington, DC.

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SFDB's Saturday Night Turndown Service

The Cranberries, Never Grow Old

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Your Evening Sift

Real slow out there in the South Florida blogosphere today. This shouldn't take you but a moment before heading out for your Saturday night.

A- The glamorization of sports in South Florida is entering a new phase, according to Random Pixels, who calls it the LeBron James Ripple Effect.

B- Miami Beach 411's post on Viernes Culturales starts out rough but gathers itself and provides a nice summary of the once-a-month event in Little Havana.

On the last Friday of every month, my little corner of Miami hosts what is called “Viernes Culturales.” Or “Cultural Fridays” for those of you who don’t speak Miami. And all jokes about Miami being a foreign country aside, it really is the closest feel one can get for spending an evening in a Latin American country without leaving the United States. Except it smells a little better.

C- Burger Beast previews Mamita Linda before it hits the streets as South Florida's latest addition to the many meals on wheels.

The Mamita Linda Truck should be hitting the streets of Miami on the second weekend in September. The menu has Weniki Sliders (topped with bacon and pineapple chunks), the Mamacita (a pulled pork sandwich), El Taino (their take on a Cuban Sandwich), El Guapo (a chorizo sandwich), Tacos & even salad versions of their sandwiches. There are also sides such as Sweet Potato Fries & Tamal con Mojo.

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SFDB's That Was Awesome

Is it me or does this video make you want to be a kid again?




That was awesome!!

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Beck v. King [UPDATED X3]

I'm just waiting for all those wonderful Americans who are so offended by the Muslim community center being a full 2 blocks from Ground Zero to get as worked up about a buffoon like Glenn Beck desecrating the steps of the Lincoln Memorial on 8/28.

Yeah, you're right. It will never happen.


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Restoring Honor, Tea Party Style at today's Glenn Beck Day festivities.




-image via lgf

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Go play "Spot An African American In The Crowd" at the Sun-Sentinel's gallery of the event. To win you only have to find one.

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Yet another Beck Day attendee Restoring Honor...



-via Gawker


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Your Morning Sift

Good morning.

it was truly a gorgeous morning for a bike ride or for anything else, for that matter. Hope you're having a good morning and your morning Sift only adds to it...

A- On Day 3 of his drive from Miami to Seattle Holy Crap stopped by the MLK Memorial in Atlanta and this morning, fittingly, he shares the photos.

I stood there, staring at his resting place. Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. 1929 – 1968. “Free at last, Free at last, Thank God Almighty I’m Free at last.” The words roll through my mind and I hear King’s voice loud and commanding saying this. Goosebumps. I shudder at the strength a man who passed away nearly 30 years before I was ever born was able to have on me. This man, which I will never know or meet was in my mind, yelling his declaration of freedom.

B- Finding the unexpected is one of Miami Favs' favs.

C- Miami Bike Days is coming back, according to Transit Miami.

Downtown Miami will be hosting the next Bike Miami Day on Sunday, October 10, 2010. Preparations are underway to bring back this great event where residents get to re-discover Downtown, Miami in a new and refreshing way by being able to walk, bike and enjoy the city streets.

D- Random Pixels links to a great growing up in South Florida story by his pal Jeff Klinkenberg.

E- Is it the Miami Herald's job to root out possible criminal violations of state laws by Miami politicians? Miami for Change seems to think so.

Here's your chance, we'll even make it really easy for you:

(1) Did Mayor Tomas Regalado and his Special Assistant Jose Fulgueira violate Florida Statutes Chapter 104.31 by participating in the political campaign of Raquel Regalado?

(2) Did Chairman Marc Sarnoff, Esquire, violate any laws and abuse his power as a commissioner by tampering with an investigation into his home law office and issuing a memorandum of defense to a violation he had not yet been charged with?

Time to do your job Herald.

F- Blind Mind has a refreshing story of Miami Nice.

G- Bark Bark Woof Woof offers up another snippet of his life in what makes for some laid back Saturday morning reading.

The station wasn't even on the air yet and the salary was ridiculously low -- I had made more running a chairlift in Santa Fe -- but my ego won out and I took it. A few weeks later I found a little house to rent on the shores of Crystal Lake and in the middle of October, the station -- WBNZ -- went on the air. (I remember that my first news broadcast covered the election of Pope John Paul II.)

H- If you're familiar with Miami-Dade Democrat Fredrica Wilson, you'll LOL at Eye on Miami's post this morning.

I- Burger Beast puts Quickie's Burgers and Wings owner Evan Alichos through The Grinder.

BB: The number 1 mistake home cooks make when preparing burgers is?

EA: They overwork the ground beef and it makes the burger tough.

J- Lots of new photos are up at The Street.

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Your Evening Sift

It's Friday evening, folks. You have a fresh Weekend Widget to tap into and a very readable evening Sift. I'm out to make the burgers. Enjoy.

A- AshAndBurn shares a few photos of the crowd in attendance at the recent Interpol and Deftones concerts at the Fillmore.

B- Shorter Searching for Signs...

The reason why people are wrong when they say that some in the Tea Party are racists is not because Tea Party members have frequently been spotted carrying racist signs or are known for stereotyping large swaths of ethnic, racial and religious groups or are almost entirely Caucasian in their composition. No, it's because right wing ideologue Charles Krauthammer says so. Bang!

C- Other blogs are talking about him, according to Coconut Grove Grapevine, who takes some time to set the record straight.

There is lots of talk lately in other blogs about me being "shut up" by Commissioner Marc Sarnoff. Now while we have had our disagreements, he has never threatened me or told me to shut up or be quiet or to stop taking comments. He did threaten suit that time over a comment that someone left, but that is old news. He apologized to me about it the next time we ran into each other.

These various blog posts make me sound like a little scaredy cat who was frightened into shutting up. This is not true.

D- Soul of Miami posts some photos from last night's grand opening of Tokyo Blue.

E- Big Pink is one of Miami Favs' favs.

the menu at big pink could be a novel. and that’s why i like it. so many options to choose from (which, can get a little confusing at 2 a.m. after too many cocktails, but, i’ll take it)!

F- I'm not sure where to start with Some Blogging Guy's latest post.

As most of my readers are aware, I drive a pick-up truck. I am after all, a man, and men drive trucks. I have discovered that a pick-up truck is one of the best vehicles to navigate the terror-filled highways of South Florida. Plus, it is cheap on gas, cheap to maintain and I really don’t care if some random Florida driver hits me on the highway. I just shoot him my middle finger and then drive on to work. What, I’m going to stop and attempt to engage the guy in a conversation? Why? He won’t have a license, he won’t have insurance, he won’t have money and he won’t speak English. It is easier to just keep driving. So I have a dent in my truck. It just adds more character to it.

G- Ipanemic introduces us to his website's features.

If you look at ipanemic.com right now, what you will simply see is one of the largest online collections of high-quality, artistic photography of South Beach and Miami that is very easy to navigate and explore. It is a South Beach/Miami/South Florida resource unlike any other.

H- Glenn Beck doesn't matter, according to The Reid Report.

And while Beck may harbor delusions of grandeur, and believe that he will change lives, the world, and human history itself on Saturday, the truth is, all he’ll change is the news cycle for a few days, as breathless media dutifully report his every crackpot utterance, and those of Palin and the other “non-political” speakers at the ultimate Fox News freak show (call it the “million angry white dude march.”) After that, he’ll go back to hawking gold on Fox News and wigging out on his radio show; his audience will still be angry, paranoid, and in full lather that they lost the last presidential election; Barack Obama will still be president, the sun will still come up Sunday morning, and Dr. King’s 1963 speech will still be the only thing history remembers August 28th for.

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Flashback Friday

Gorillaz, 19-2000


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South Florida Cartoons

Chan Lowe, Sun-Sentinel


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SFDB's What They Said

From Booman Tribune, Know Thy Enemy...

Well, yes, it is all fine and dandy to be disappointed that our bought-and-sold Congress isn't particularly dedicated to jailing their financial benefactors, but it is kind of a misallocation of resources to focus exclusively on those shortcomings when a nativist, xenophobic, homophobic movement is poised to make tremendous political gains in our county. The biggest blind spot on the left isn't a failure to recognize foreign enemies, it's a failure to recognize domestic ones. When people on the left begin to understand the nature of the beast that Barack Obama defeated, hopefully, they will begin to marshall their energy towards keeping that beast down instead of arguing about why we haven't reached Scandinavian levels of progressivism in the last twenty months.

Obama's coalition is still the majority and the future of this country. And maintaining that coalition, including its centrist elements, is still our only bulwark against a new form of fascism based in racial, religious, and jingoistic values.

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SFDB's Flash From The Past

The Miami News, September 1, 1977


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The Cooler

Here's what I found somewhat interesting in this morning's news...

A- Herald: The idiot City of Miami politicians are no match for the guys wearing suits with the Marlins. The only people more stupid are the Miami fans who supported this boondoggle.

The political fallout over disclosures that the Florida Marlins made millions while securing public money for its new stadium continued Thursday, with Miami Mayor Tomás Regalado asking whether the city can reopen its contract to build $100 million worth of parking facilities for the Little Havana structure.

Regalado asked city attorney Julie Bru whether the city -- which recently declared a state of ``fiscal urgency'' amid dwindling revenues and a gaping budget hole -- has authority to reopen the parking contract.

[...]

The mayor's question comes a day after Miami-Dade Commissioner Rebeca Sosa asked whether county administrators could reopen the Marlins deal and get the team to contribute more to the stadium. Sosa voted in favor of the stadium project.

Team President David Samson, who spoke with Sosa, said: ``I think she understands a contract is a contract.''

B- Sun-Sentinel: About time.

After dominating the home video rental business for more than a decade and struggling to survive in recent years against upstarts Netflix and Redbox, Blockbuster Inc. is preparing to file for bankruptcy next month, according to people who have been briefed on the matter.

C- Palm Beach Post: Desperate times.

WEST PALM BEACH — More than a thousand people are lined up this morning outside the Palm Beach County Convention Center - some arriving by the busload, hoping the Neighborhood Assistance Corp. of America will help them save their homes.

The non-profit group will open the doors at 9 a.m. to begin a 5-day marathon of around-the-clock loan modifications. The event, which is free, aims to get homeowners cheaper monthly mortgage payments through interest rate reductions, extending the life of the loan and a reduction in loan amount.

D- Palm Beach Post: More desperate times.

One in nine Florida households with a mortgage was at risk of foreclosure this summer and the bad news is; that's the good news.

The 10.97 percent of Florida home loans that had at least one past due loan payment in the second quarter of 2010 is a small dip from earlier in the year, according to a Thursday report from the Mortgage Bankers Association.

Also, the percent of loans statewide in foreclosure or 90 days delinquent slipped from 20.6 percent in the first quarter to 20 percent — still the highest in the nation.

But what's more worrisome to association economists is an increasing trend of homeowners just starting to have trouble paying their mortgages.

E- CBS4: Video, Jerry's Deli's cleanliness problems.

F- WPLG: Video, ripping off rims in the middle of the night.

G- WPLG: Yes, damn Spain and the Catholic Church for working with the Castro government.

MIAMI -- A former Cuban boxer released from a Cuban prison after seven years left a South Florida hospital Thursday after a month of rehabilitation for his medical problems.

When Ariel Sigler Amaya left the prison, he was in poor health and paralyzed from the waist down.

For the past month, Amaya has been undergoing rehabilitation at Jackson Memorial Hospital. Doctors said his condition improved tremendously.

Surrounded by family and friends and wearing a traditional guayabera shirt, Ariel Sigler Amaya emerged from Jackson Memorial Hospital's rehab center Thursday looking stronger and healthier.

"Leaving the hospital, I feel very strong. I feel revived in body and spirit -- just stronger in general, because today, I’m going home," Amaya said.

H- WSVN: Abuelo has a secret.

CORAL GABLES, Fla. (WSVN) -- Police have arrested a man after four pot growing labs were found in an apartment building.

Coral Gables Police arrested 66-year-old Isidro Alba after officers said they found marijuana manufacturing operation in four apartments in the complex on Capri Street near Eighth Street and Granada, Thursday morning. "We usually find them in single family homes, not in four separate apartments in a complex," said Coral Gables officer Kelly Denham.

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Your Morning Sift

Good morning.

Okay, we made it. TGIF, readers. The Weekend Widget in the right sidebar is constantly being updated for your use and enjoyment as we get ready for the weekend. Enjoy your Friday morning Sift...

A- The South Florida Watershed Journal has the history of the Turner River, complete with graphs.

B- The Top 5 Happy Hours in West Palm Beach, according to The South Florida Traveler.

C- Florida certainly has its share of religious loons, as Obalesque demonstrates.

D- Miami Condo Investments posts an interesting video on some recent developments in the downtown Miami real estate market.

E- Good post at The Reid Report about how Republicans are using the NYC Muslim community center story to their advantage.

The short term salvation for the GOP lies in ginning up anti-minority sentiment among already economically insecure white people. Pitting them against immigrants, black people, Puerto Ricans, elderly black men trying to get into their houses in Cambridge, Muslims … whoever’s handy, really … what Rachel Maddow calls “scaring white people for fun and profit,” is the one way Republicans can overcome the demographic tide threatening to turn them into a permanent political minority as the country becomes younger and browner, and the one hope they have of winning back Congress this year, and the White House in 2012.

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American Idiots

This song came up in my iPod rotation this evening and I couldn't help but think about the times we're in and the kind of information that's being consumed, digested and regurgitated by a certain percentage of the American population these days. Truly, American Idiots.




Don't want to be an American idiot.
Don't want a nation under the new media
And can you hear the sound of hysteria?
The subliminal mind fuck America.

Welcome to a new kind of tension.
All across the alien nation.
Where everything isn't meant to be okay.
Television dreams of tomorrow.
We're not the ones who're meant to follow.
For that's enough to argue.

Well maybe I'm the faggot America.
I'm not a part of a redneck agenda.
Now everybody do the propaganda.
And sing along to the age of paranoia.

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Your Evening Sift

Just a few hours away from this week's version of Friday. Check out the Weekend Widget in the right sidebar and enjoy your Thursday evening Sift...

A- The Heat Lightning posts a list of upcoming concerts in South Florida and I can honestly say that I've only heard on 1 of the 15+ bands mentioned. I've definitely lost my cool.

B- New restaurant alert at Eater Miami.

Opening October 7, De Rodriguez Ocean is Douglas Rodriguez's latest Miami offering, this time in the form of sustainable seafood. The 200-seat, beachfront restaurant tucked away in the back of the Hilton Bentley will feature two full bars, a 25-foot ceviche and raw bar and seafood supplied by "environmentally responsible fisherman and fish farms."

C- Spokes 'n' Folks dropped a nice comment in support of kids biking to school at the national PTA blog.

A school nearby has a very nice installation for bicycle parking, and rarely any bicycle using it. But every morning there's a long queue of cars as parents deliver their sons and daughters to the schoolhouse door. Many of these kids live so close that the county school bus won't pick them up. If they're that close, why aren't they walking or biking to school?

D- The Feverish Ice Cream Truck is actually a Scion with a big ole cooler stuffed in the back, according to the latest from the Burger Beast.

E- The South Florida Theatre Scene presents their regularly scheduled wrap up of this weekend's theater events.

F- Boxed water? Sweat Records says, "Yes!"

We’re proud to say that Sweat is the first South Florida location to carry Boxed Water. It’s just $2 for a quart, the packages are far more eco-friendly than bottles, and the manufacturers even kick back profits to charities that conserve water and fight deforestation.

G- The Reid Report analyzes the Rubio/Crist/Meek race as it now stands.

Both Meek and Rubio need to drive Crist’s numbers into the teens — down where Meek’s have been, with Meek’s prime directive being replacing Crist as the Democratic front-runner in the race. If Meek continues to poll in the teens and low 20s, in the next couple of polls out, there’s a real risk Democrats on a state and national level will walk away from him and roll the dice with Charlie. Meek can’t afford to let that happen. He has to drive Crist’s numbers down and his own numbers up, with Democrats, stat. Then he needs to raise money like crazy, and make Crist irrelevant to the voters who would naturally prefer him. Likewise, Rubio’s main interest is crushing Crist’s ability to hang on to any Republicans, since Rubio has already solidified the right, but could still lose the middle.

H- Commissioner Katy Sorenson has made an endorsement for her replacement and Eye on Miami is happy.

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New Work Miami 2010

The eclectic scene at New Work Miami 2010...look for Lobster Hat Lady @ :15.




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The Demise Of South Pointe Park [UPDATED]

I hated reading this article over at Riptide on Tuesday...

When the local glitterati gathered at the new South Pointe Park in March 2009, leaders hailed the grassy knolls and wide sidewalks as a shining new jewel for Miami Beach -- but just more than a year later, the park's luster has faded. The undulating emerald grass has died and wilted to yellow and brown. The playground is closed. Even the kid-friendly fountains have been turned off.

Now the city is pointing fingers and considering a lawsuit against the world-famous architect who earned millions to design the park. The architect says the city is to blame. And while everyone slugs it out, it could take years to fix any of the problems.

I was one of the folks who visited South Pointe Park shortly after it opened and posted right here about how impressed I was at the transformation. I've only been back once or twice since and didn't make it down there at all this year, but I vividly still remember eating Joe's Take Out on the beautiful lawn and watching the ships glide by.

It's hard for me to imagine the brown grass or things falling into disrepair and it's probably better that I keep my idyllic visions of the place undisturbed, but if anyone has some recent photos of the park I'd be interested in seeing them. You can send them to me at the email address in the right sidebar or post a URL in the comments.


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I'm somewhat encouraged by these photos sent by SFDB reader Karen and the note she attached....

No, the fountains were not on, but the grass seemed green enough to me. My overall impression was a nice place that I would like to visit in February or March.

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SFDB Ecard Of The Day

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The Cooler

Here are the results of my scanning through this morning's mainstream media sources in South Florida.

A- Herald: A plan is proposed.

Shaded by an oak tree in Simonhoff Floral Park, with residents looking on from the Liberty Square apartments across the street, Pastor Carl Johnson of the 93rd Street Baptist Church told of reintroducing a policy that helped ease tensions during a string of murders by one of the city's most notorious drug gangs in the late 1990s.

Surrounded by 15 fellow clergy, the pastor said religious leaders hope to take weekly ride-alongs with police to area trouble spots. He also detailed an effort by clergy to get parents to tell them of festering problems.

[...]

Johnson described the ride-alongs as a re-creation of a tactic used in the late 1990s that eased public tension and helped take down one of the most battle-hardened gangs in city history, the John Does.

B- Herald: In honor of Mother Teresa.

Several South Florida buildings, including the 47-story Miami Tower, will light up in blue and white on Thursday night to commemorate the 100th anniversary of Mother Teresa's birth.

C- Herald: No pick ups in Coral Gables.

Declaring that communities may pass ordinances to enhance neighborhood aesthetics, a state appeals court today reversed its earlier ruling and upheld the Coral Gables law banning overnight parking of pickup trucks and other commercial vehicles on city streets.

The 6-2 ruling from the Third District Court of Appeal in West Palm Beach arose in the case of Lowell Kuvin, who was cited in 2003 for parking his Ford F-150 on the street in front of his home at night.

D- Herald: Editorial, police shootings.

Mayor Tomás Regalado has defended the recent incidents even before investigations are complete. That doesn't help his credibility. Neither do some of his public statements, such as ``violence is met with violence.'' To earn trust in neighborhoods besieged by crime, the mayor should reserve such comments.

Police Chief Miguel Exposito says the community must have some faith in the system. It doesn't. It took voters to create the CIP, because the community had lost trust in the city to investigate itself. Now the CIP must do its job.

E- Herald: They write very stupid letters.

Scott's the best

Rick Scott's primary victory should send a clear message to the flip-flopping, morally deficient career politicians who say or do anything to get elected. People want representatives who will adhere to their values and principles, who have spines and guts, who don't give us empty rhetoric like ``hope'' and ``change.''

Although Scott does not have a squeaky clean record, he does have the experience of running a large company, which is a lesson in how our government should be run. Come November, the self-serving, money-wasting politicians will be standing in the same unemployment lines as their constituents.

CAROL COX, Miami

F- Sun-Sentinel: Chan Lowe.

G- South Florida Business Journal: But we still got the BMW in the driveway.

Florida had the second-highest rate of credit card delinquency in the nation in the second quarter of this year, according to the most recent report from TransUnion.

The credit and information management company reported credit card delinquency was highest in Nevada (1.5 percent), followed by Florida (1.24 percent) and Arizona (1.11 percent).

H- CBS4: Good luck with that.

Commissioner Rebecca Sosa became the first Miami-Dade County Commissioner to publicly call for the Florida Marlins to pay a larger share of the costs to build the new Marlins ballpark and thereby reduce the financial burden on the county.

The memorandum asks for Mayor Carlos Alvarez to "explore alternatives to the possibility of securing a greater financial contribution from the Marlins towards the stadium construction." It further asked for a response within 10 days.

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Your Morning Sift

Good morning.

The coffee is tasting especially good this morning for some reason. Enjoy your morning Sift...and don't forget about the Weekend Widget in the right sidebar!

A- The Heat Lightning files a report from Yelp's Miami Summer Night’s Dream and includes a photo of at least a portion of the many THL contributors.

Not only were there like 20 restaurants that really don’t suck, but there were free libations in abundance. Kylee thought it was the best of such a free event-type that she has been to Miami. I have to say, foodwise, definitely. This is a big thing coming from me, because I am a heavy eater and a picky, haterish one at that. I loved the venison ravioli at the Maitardi table and the bbq chicken sandwich from some other place I didn’t catch, and the chocolate mousse the Sweetness guys were pushing.

B- Bark Bark Woof Woof explains why Republicans tend to believe and push lies on a daily basis.

We are all creatures of habit. People choose what they want to believe if it fits into their little jigsaw puzzle of a mind; new information that doesn't meet with the pattern is disturbing and disorienting. We want a simple explanation for the randomness and complexity of life. It explains religion, superstition, and reality TV. Paradoxically, the people who don't do a lot of deep thinking are prone to believe complex theories of conspiracy and control by "others"; mysterious forces beyond our control that manipulate us from beyond, be it a magical superbeing in the clouds or a man in a glass booth who makes noises coming out of the box on the table.

We find comfort in being able to say that we can't control the things we really can. And it makes our lives that much easier when we can believe the lies rather than deal with the facts.

C- Superbee has a new job and a fresh outlook on things. I wonder if that means more blogging.

After five years at my firm, I have landed a new job.

A fancy new job, at a well-respected law firm. A law firm that has Barcelona chairs and orchids in the lobby.

Now I will be able to say the Firm's name when people ask me where I work and people will say, "Ohhhhh nice!" instead of "Where's that?"

I'll be doing some really interesting work, with some really, really great lawyers.

D- Searching for Signs explains how the election victory of a man allegedly involved in massive corporate fraud might just be a good sign for Marco Rubio. Hint: it all depends upon the size of the county.

The counties that went big for Scott were mainly small to mid-size counties with above-average voter turnouts. Most of these counties are solidly conservative, particularly in the Panhandle and Heartland (between Lake Okeechobee and Orlando). The big, less-conservative counties went for McCollum, but turnout in these counties th was below the state average. To me, this points to a motivation factor among certain groups of voters that often tips the scales in tight races. Just as Scott motivated conservatives more than McCollum did, Rubio should be able to do at least the same, if not more, in the general Senate election in November. You’ll probably see Crist have moderate success in the larger liberal counties (save Miami-Dade which should go solidly Rubio), with Rubio cleaning up the smaller to mid-size counties where conservative voter-motivation factor will be higher.

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SFDB's Late Night Politics

President Obama must prove he's Christian by Twittering from the church pew and carrying a Bible everywhere.

The Colbert Report	Mon - Thurs 11:30pm / 10:30c
The Word - Losing His Religion
www.colbertnation.com
Colbert Report Full Episodes 2010 Election Fox News

-via Bark Bark Woof Woof

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Your Evening Sift

It was kind of a light Hump Day when it came to the South Florida blogosphere. Here's what I was able to put together for your evening Sift...

A- A popular Overtown barbecue joint is found to have some serious health problems after years of favorable reviews in the local media and Random Pixels gives us the big picture.

B- Worst Pizza gives Coconut Creek's Amici's Pizza 6 out of 8 stars.

The pizza here has nice fresh Grande cheese with chunky sauce, which I didn’t really care for. The taste was great, but I could do without those chuncks of tomato in it. It has a pretty powerful taste of garlic to it, so try it before you put any extra garlic powder on it. The crust was cooked perfectly and had a delicious flavor to it. This is definitely one of the better slices I have had in the Coconut Creek, FL vicinity.

C- The South Florida Watershed Journal puts yesterday's "big rain day" discussion into perspective with a chart.

D- Van Dyke's upstairs is a Miami Favs fav.

E- Coconut Grove Grapevine says that people have really been interacting with the ceramic peacocks around town.

When I tell Heather Bettner, head of the Coconut Grove Peacock Tour, that people are "interacting" with the peacocks, she says that it is "not interacting." And perhaps she is right, it's almost getting to the point of vandalism. But it doesn't seem to be intentional, it's mostly done out of love, I think. People just want to be all over them.

F- Miami Beach-based Forward Motion Records is releasing videos of local artists work every Tuesday and Rev Miami posts the first two.

The first installation began yesterday with "Smile" which appears on Kingsley and Perdomo's collaborative "Fake Smiles" album. Jill Hartman presents a video for "The Shepherd" off her recent release called "Things I Want To Remember".

G- Pictures from Election Day taken around Miami-Dade County are up at Eye on Miami.


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