SFDB Late Night Politics

Got to get this in before Politics Free Friday.

The truth about the Obama Administration's tax cuts...



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Your Evening Sift

Things were rather slow in the South Florida blogosphere today. While the Sift will take you only a minute this evening, make sure you check out the busy Weekend Widget in the right sidebar.

A- The first Rothstein book is supposedly out, says South Florida Lawyers.

B- South Florida Theatre Scene posts his weekly theatre review.

C- The BK Whopper Bar on South Beach is more than a Burger King with a bar, as Miami Beach 411 explains.

In addition to the creative fun the Whopper Bar offers, like every other BK it features completely free WiFi. So if you just want somewhere to get work done while you sip down some ice cold beers with no noise or distractions, I’m not sure South Beach offers a better location. I’ve actually written and posted this entire article while looking out on Washington Avenue. And not one hipster with a latte has given me a dirty look for sitting here too long. And not one drunk has pestered me about what’s on my laptop.

D- Random Pixels reflects on the Flintstones' 50th Anniversary and mentions SFDB so, you know...

E- Bark Bark Woof Woof has some thoughts on the change that some people in this country underwent on January 20, 2009.

F- Eye on Miami speculates as to who may be in the running for Mayor of Miami-Dade County either sooner or later. A number of comments, too.

I think the only candidates worth considering are Carlos Gimenez and Rebeca Sosa. The scary ones: Joe Martinez and Julio Robaina.

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50th Anniversary Of The Flintstones Google

Hard to find the "Google" in there....

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Mike Dee Loves Bikes

[I'm a little surprised I haven't read about this Sun-Sentinel article in the South Florida blogosphere, so here goes...]

It appears as though Mike Dee, the CEO of the Miami Dolphins loves to ride bikes...

For Miami Dolphins' CEO Mike Dee, cycling is both exercise and a peaceful endeavor disconnected from the hectic workday.

Dee occasionally rides on roadways, where he enjoys the camaraderie of being in a pack of cyclists, but says he prefers the vast empty parking lot at Sun Life Stadium. He regularly rides up stadium ramps as part of a cardio and muscle workout.

Wait a minute. Ride up and down the stadium ramps? Cool.

Where do you typically ride?

We ride at the stadium quite a bit before work, where it's ultimately safe. It's not invigorating from a scenic perspective, but we can ride 40 miles around the parking lot, go up ramps to upper levels for a muscle and cardio workout. We have quite a few people who have adopted this.

I haven't heard of the stadium being open for cyclists to use like this but...what a great idea!

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Yet Even More New Features For Blogger Users

More good news for Blogger users...

Last month we released two new stats gadgets to the Blogger in Draft testing ground; after hearing your feedback and making a few tweaks, we’re happy to announce that they are both now ready for the main stage. The new-and-improved Popular Posts and Blog’s Stats gadgets can be added to your blog right now...

[...]

The Popular Posts gadget will automatically find and display your blog’s posts that have the most pageviews. You can choose whether to display image thumbnails or post snippets in addition to the post title. You can also choose the time window to be used for calculating pageviews and the number of posts you’d like to display.

The Blog’s Stats gadget lets you show off pageview data for your blog, with a handful of configuration options that are easily controlled. You can choose from a variety of styles and display options to suit your blog. We also provide an option to let you select the time window to be used for calculating pageviews.

I took a real quick look at these widgets yesterday evening and even added them to SFDB for a short time but I wasn't happy with the way they looked in the right sidebar. I'm going to do some more testing in the next few days to see if I can find an acceptable place for them and if I do, I'll definitely let everyone know.

In the meantime, Blogger users...check them out!

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SFDB's Viral Video

Twitter's new ad.




-via Miami-Dade Dems

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The Cooler

It's all about the storm in this morning's mainstream media outlets. I found a few other things that might interest you...all in this morning's Cooler.

A- Herald: Devastating "news."

LOS ANGELES -- Jimmy Johnson won't be adding the title of sole "Survivor" to his winning resume.

The silver-haired 67-year-old former coach of the Dallas Cowboys and Miami Dolphins was the third person voted off the Nicaragua-set 21st edition of the CBS reality TV competition Wednesday. Johnson, the oldest member of the Espada tribe, declared himself the weakest castaway at Tribal Council and was unanimously booted by his fellow mature tribemates.

"I had fun, but I was miserable the whole time," he said. "I still love the game, and it's been a great adventure. This is the most stressful time I've ever gone through in my life, and I'm including Super Bowls and collegiate national championships.

B- Herald: Video, storm surfing on South Beach.

C- Sun-Sentinel: Remember, it's not the breed.

Jason Simpson was about to get in the shower on Wednesday when heard a teenage girl screaming outside for help during a pit bull attack.

Simpson quickly got dressed and rushed outside his suburban West Palm Beach home to investigate.

He found Emily Ace, 14, on the ground where she fell during her walk to school after being attacked by two pit bull terriers in the 5800 block of Caribbean Boulevard.

"She was screaming at the top of her lungs, 'Somebody, help!'" Simpson said. "I ran outside and there she was in a fetal position with one pit bull wrapped around her neck and one wrapped around her leg."

D- Sun-Sentinel: Free phone Fridays @ Best Buy.

Best Buy will be giving away four different mobile phone models from various carriers – including AT&T, Verizon and Sprint – every Friday in October.

The Best Buy free cell phone campaign begins this Friday, Oct. 1, with a giveaway of one free phone each from carriers Verizon, Sprint, AT&T and T-Mobile. The Samsung Fascinate (Verizon), BlackBerry Curve (Sprint), HTC Aria (AT&T) and Samsung Gravity 3 (T-Mobile) will be the phones offered for free this coming Friday.

The catch? Not much, but each recipient must sign up for a two-year phone contract with the giveaway.

E- Sun-Sentinel: Chan Lowe.

F- TC Palm: Remember, it's not the breed, Part II.

JENSEN BEACH — For Jensen Beach resident Ward Woodruff, seeing his 13-year-old cat, Kitty, killed right before his eyes was the worst thing he has ever seen.

“I turned the light on and there were two huge pit bulls in my Florida room,” Woodruff said of the dogs that broke through the screened enclosure. “The tan one had my cat’s head in its mouth and the black one had the hind quarters. It was such a mess out there I can’t even describe it.”

G- WSVN: Video, wild weather.

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Your Morning Sift

Good morning.

The Weekend Widget is up and running in the right sidebar and it's now totally reasonable to start making plans for the weekend. Right after you check out your morning Sift...

A- Hidden City shares one last musical album that has special meaning for him.

I will, however, allow myself to add a twenty-first album of special significance to me, a recording that changed the way I look at social media, and which hints at the future of the Internet and the creative arts.

B- Beached Miami posts some slightly damp photos from last night and Nunez Photography has a contribution, too.

C- There was a wonderful pie contest recently held at the Merrick House and Redland Rambles does a nice job telling us all about it.

In the adjoining kitchen, 23 pies were arrayed on the counter. The pies were judged one by one. Three thin slices were cut and brought out to the table. The judges sampled and passed around the slices, discussed them briefly, and made their marks on score sheets. The judges evaluated pies on overall appearance, taste, overall impression, creativity, regional ingredients, and name. It was serious, intense work.

D- Mercadito Midtown recently hosted a mezcal tasting event and Miami Dish was there.

But the real treats were the mezcals themselves, neat and unadorned in tiny clay bowls. Demonstrating a near wine-like sense of place, each mezcal reflected a different terroir. Mezcals from a higher elevation, like the Santo Domingo Albarradas, were more crisp and vegetal, whereas lower elevation mezcals, particularly the Chicicapa, showed more fruit and influence from the smoke.

E- The Reid Report has the details on the latest failed attempt by a right wing operative to embarrass the Left.

F- Bark Bark Woof Woof quotes from an article that says we need to be clear on who is to blame for the insanity that is today's political discourse.


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SFDB Late Night Politics

Go to bed laughing as Colbert mocks Republican scaredy cats.

The Colbert Report	Mon - Thurs 11:30pm / 10:30c
Terror a New One
www.colbertnation.com
Colbert Report Full Episodes 2010 Election March to Keep Fear Alive

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Your Evening Sift

I'm happy to see that the new additions to the SFDB blogroll are making their presence known. Here's your Over The Hump evening Sift...

A- Dining in the dark is apparently the new black [pun intended], according to the information that Eater Miami provides us.

But on October 20, people will pay for the privilege of dining in a blackout with Lights Out Miami Beach, a dining in the dark simulation taking place at area restaurants...

B- Worst Pizza gives us with our "only in South Florida moment" for tonight.

A film maker named Pervert Pete (I’m guessing that’s a pseudonym) has a website called CrazyClubChicks.com on which he promotes porn scene videos at various voyeuristic and public places around Florida. His latest is a two-part series of movies filmed at Squiggy’s.

The videos were shot a few weeks apart and were done in full public view behind the cook line. Obviously, legal precautions were taken (no one under 18 admitted, etc.) during the live filming, but customers were going in and out (pardon the pun) as the filming progressed. Many got a nice eyefull and even a free show as topless girls basted pizza crusts and then got… shall we say "seduced" on countertops in the kitchen.

C- Mike LaMonica shares his Metrorail tips.

1) Ladies, please put your makeup on at home. I wince when I see you using eye pencil and fear I’m going to hear a loud shriek followed by a pool of blood. Please take an extra 15 at home with all sharp makeup objects. Blush and other non-lethal types are fine with me although some might disagree. You need your eyes to read stuff like this.

D- Wow. Quality entertainment over at Bar 721 on Lincoln Road and Taking Over Miami has all the details.

Bar 721 is playing host to “Miami’s First Sexy Interactive Game Show”. There will be alcohol, bananas, and whip cream galore with a dance pole and blow up doll. Take part in the game and you can have the chance to winning plenty of sexy prizes. What exactly? Pole dancing lessons, tattoos, and gift cards for lingerie and “adult goodies” are what you can be expecting.

E- Nunez Photography shares his shots from around town this wet Hump Day. Sweet Home Hialeah also adds their photos to the mix.

F- Sex and the Beach is throwing an anniversary party and you're all invited!

Sex and the Beach is celebrating its fifth anniversary and the damn good art of blogging at the Clevelander on October 17, starting at 4 PM. Come join Maria, friends and other bloggers for a laid-back sunset party with an ocean view in South Beach -- that crazy town where it all started.

G- Boston Terriers in rainsuits...provided by Restaurant Gal.

H- The Reid Report tells us that Marco Rubio, the oh-so principled anti-establishment Republican, is using more of the old Republican establishment to help weasel his way into the Senate.

A Karl Rove “independent expenditure” group that ABC News has labeled a “super-PAC” — formed in the wake of the Citizens United decision, which unleashed corporate money directly into campaigns in an unprecedented fashion this year, is going to bat for Marco Rubio in Florida.

I- Random Pixels reports that Rakontur's planned sequel to "The U" has been put on hold.

Miami filmmaker Billy Corben, producer and director of the highly acclaimed film, "The U," told WQAM's Sid Rosenberg late this afternoon that he is putting a planned sequel to the film on the back burner.

Corben learned earlier this week that the University of Miami is quietly pressuring the distributor of the DVD version of "The U" into removing the "distinctive U logo removed from the [DVD] box cover."

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Fox News: We Distort, You're Deceived

Here's what President Obama had to say about Fox News in a recent interview with Rolling Stone...

Wenner: “What do you think of Fox News? Do you think it’s a good institution for America and for democracy?”

Obama: “[Laughs] Look, as president, I swore to uphold the Constitution, and part of that Constitution is a free press. We’ve got a tradition in this country of a press that oftentimes is opinionated. The golden age of an objective press was a pretty narrow span of time in our history. Before that, you had folks like Hearst who used their newspapers very intentionally to promote their viewpoints. I think Fox is part of that tradition – it is part of the tradition that has a very clear, undeniable point of view. It’s a point of view that I disagree with. It’s a point of view that I think is ultimately destructive for the long-term growth of a country that has a vibrant middle class and is competitive in the world. But as an economic enterprise, it’s been wildly successful. And I suspect that if you ask Mr. Murdoch what his number-one concern is, it’s that Fox is very successful.”

And while that is spot on, this interview of Democratic strategist Bob Shrum discussing that quote is even better...



This deception begins at the "Fair and Balanced" motto and continues through the endless infomercials for Republican candidates that Fox masquerades as news. You only need to watch them interview and talk over their few Democrat Party guests once to fully understand what's going on here. And do we even need to mention Beck, Hannity and regular appearances by Michelle Malkin and Laura Ingraham and Ann Coulter? No, I don't think so.

More of this, please.

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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.

It was an extremely close competition for this week's PoTW and it was nice to see one of the newly added blogs to the SFDB blogroll be in the running. Let's check out this week's top blogposts.

Runners-Up: Miami Beach 411 took a look at how sex and celebrities have always seemed to figure into the allure of Miami and Miami Beach and, more importantly, how they have always been used to market the region. The Heat Lightning participated in the Beer Snob Bicycle Pub Crawl II and shared their substantial collection of photos and comments. Beached Miami did an excellent job documenting their visit to the Coral Gables Hispanic Cultural Festival with a large batch of photos and narrative.


Winner: Transit Miami has always taken an interest in the Brickell Avenue corridor and its sometimes volatile mix of pedestrians and motor vehicles. Lately they've been spending extra time on the poorly designed crossing areas of the avenue. This week, TM examined the outrageous effect the Brickell Avenue Drawbridge has on the surrounding traffic control devices and, with the magic of embedded video, makes readers wonder how South Florida traffic engineers can be so inept. We can only hope that the people who can fix this problem read Transit Miami. For a job well done, this week's SFDB Post of the Week goes to Transit Miami's Brickell Drawbridge and Red Pedestrian Crosswalk Lights.

'Til next time, keep on blogging!

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City Of Miami Bans Bloggers?

Yesterday, Riptide posted the contents of a purported email from Miami City Manager Carlos Migoya advising city employees to avoid visiting 7 South Florida blogs [including Investigation Miami, Take Back Miami and The Crespogram Report] on city computers.

The Miami New Times is attempting to verify the email's authenticity but a commenter identifying themselves only as "Jane" says that...

This is bogus!!! Why would you have to name the city manager in the subject line when city employees know well his name. I checked with my director, and no such email was sent. While I appreciate the efforts of the blogs, begin to create bogus information to hype is up is not only silly, but counterproductive because it will take away the blogs' credibility.

You'll recall that earlier this month Miami for Change mysteriously disappeared and resurfaced a couple days later as Take Back Miami. While they were away, Investigation Miami, a blog that linked heavily to Miami for Change/Take Back Miami, alleged that the City was going to try to "shut the blogs down because [Commissioner Marc] Sarnoff is really, really, really pissed off about our posts."

It should be interesting to hear what the Miami New Times' efforts turn up but in the meantime, it's rather curious that the usually vocal Investigation Miami and Take Back Miami have yet to say a word about the possibly fake email.

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The Cooler

As you might imagine, storm coverage dominates this morning's local news. There are some other stories out there that deserve mention and I do just that in this morning's Cooler.

A- Herald: Struck on the Palmetto.

A man flew to Miami, hailed a taxi and muttered wildly in Spanish before running into traffic on the Palmetto Expressway early Tuesday.

``What are you doing?'' the incredulous taxi driver had shouted a second earlier, seeing the man unbuckling his seat belt and reaching for the door.

Moments later, the man was dead.

The passenger, whose identity was not known, lay face down in the center lane around 3:30 a.m. as the driver yelled at traffic to veer away. However, a pickup truck struck and killed him.

B- Herald: Census data...are you "typical?"

The typical household saw income drop from boom to bust. In 2006, the mean household income in Broward was almost $77,000. That dropped to $69,000 by 2009. In Miami-Dade, the income slump went from $67,000 to $63,000.

C- Herald: I'm sure you've heard.

A massive but relatively meek tropical depression sloshing toward South Florida promised a dreary Wednesday and difficult commute to work -- both coming and going.

Forecasters expected the system to strengthen enough in the early hours to earn the name Tropical Storm Nicole but the chief concern was rain, not wind. There could be buckets of it, four to eight inches overall, coming down in two-inches-an-hour torrents at its most intense before tapering off Wednesday night.

D- Herald: Denied.

Former Broward Sheriff Ken Jenne's last shot at getting a state pension was knocked down by the Florida Supreme Court in a two-paragraph ruling released Tuesday.

E- Sun-Sentinel: Chan Lowe.

F- CBS4: From the Damned If You Do Department.

Laws banning texting while driving may actually be increasing the number of distraction-related accidents. That is the conclusion of a very limited study released Tuesday by an auto insurance industry group.

[...]

I.I.H.S. President Adrian Lund, in an article appearing in USA Today, said speculation is that drivers are holding their texting devices low in their laps to avoid being spotted by police, a behavior that takes their eyes even further off the road.

G- NBC Miami: Wilton Manors is the Home of the Whopper.

Wilton Manors Police Chief Richard Perez claims the racially insensitive and offensive e-mails he sent from his work computer weren't just jokes - they were training material.

Dozens of e-mails degrading women, blacks and Democrats were forwarded by Perez to his command staff and friends and discovered during an investigation earlier this month. Perez has been suspended 30 days without pay for the jokes, but his excuse might be even more disturbing than the jokes themselves.

[...]

Perez explained that he has used such e-mails as part of his lesson plan at Broward College, where he used to teach professional development before he was removed from the classroom after the controversy. Gov. Charlie Crist also removed the police chief from his post on a law enforcement panel he was appointed to in 2007.

Other e-mails use the N-word. Perez admitted he has forwarded several of those.

"I teach stereotyping. I teach ethics. I teach diversity," he said. "I have several of those and I forward them to my friends, who download them. That's not an excuse. I should not have done this on a city computer."

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Your Morning Sift

Good morning.

It was kind of a slow night in the South Florida blogosphere. Probably because everyone was out getting their supplies to take with them on the Ark. It's pulling out from Haulover at 9 this morning. Don't be late. But read your morning Sift first.

A- The Burger Beast shares his favorite photos from the blog.

With the thousands of pictures on BurgerBeast it was hard to decide which 10 were my favorites but I kinda did.

B- Want to be a bicycle rickshaw driver? The Miami Bike Scene says they're hiring.

The bikes are rented out of our shop in downtown Ft. Lauderdale on a weekly basis. Drivers can come and take their bikes out at any time. Though most of our business is during the later parts of the evening when the city is out partying, it is possible to make good money during the day as well. Most of our rides are along Las Olas and the A1A section of Ft. Lauderdale beach.

The rent for one bike for the entire week is currently $75. You pay that at the begining of each week and everything you bring in you get to keep.

C- Bark Bark Woof Woof finds a great description of the Tea Party written by Matt Taibbi.

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Your Evening Sift

I guess I'll be missing all the fun tomorrow in South Florida. I don't get back into town until Friday afternoon so...oh well, maybe next time. Here's your Tuesday evening Sift...

A- You can meet a successful South Florida saleswoman who does all her work via public transportation at Transit Miami.

A Broward County woman spoke to members of Congress last week about how she became one of RadioDisney’s top regional salespeople using only Tri-Rail, Broward County Transit, Miami-Dade Transit and Palm Tran to get to appointments. Ms. Deanna Droira-Garcia had to give up driving for medical reasons and found that public transportation actually helped her succeed as a Disney executive with clients across the tri-county area.

B- South Florida Food and Wine passes on a number of good dining deals in South Florida.

C- Fisher Island is quickly losing its cachet, according to Miamism.

So what could be the reasons for Fisher Island Condos numbers decreasing? Believe it or not, even speculators bought in the island a few years ago. We know people that bought 3-4 condos hoping to make a pretty penny and are ending up short selling them or giving them away at a loss.

D- One of Miami Favs' favs is antique shop Marc Corbin.

i turned and saw the most beautiful antique furniture shop. i had to go in. it was calling to me. so i immediately did an illegal u-turn, parked and walked in. ahhhhh. everything was so pretty. the first chair i saw i would have died for. the price was actually pretty reasonable.

E- It was back to the future today in Miami-Dade County Circuit Court as Capone stood trial once again. Beached Miami has the details.

In commemoration of the 11th Judicial Circuit Court’s centennial, local attorneys reenacted Al “Scarface” Capone’s 1930 perjury trial this morning in the same courtroom as the original hearing.

F- Still trying to figure out this photo at Nunez Photography.

G- Discourse pens a great letter to WLRN and complains about the station's lack of desire to accurately describe Republican congressional candidate Allen West.

In the discussion of the candidates' differences over immigration, Allen West's position was described as “hardline”; his position was that babies born in the US should not have citizenship. Whatever the merits of this idea as social policy (the so-called 'anchor babies' to which he referred have been shown to be pretty much mythical) it does listeners, most of whom are not professors of constitutional law, a great disservice to call this a “hardline” position. It is not a matter of policy that could be changed by Congress or the Executive. It is, quite simply, part of the 14th Amendment to the Constitution.

Either the candidate is proposing that we ignore the Constitution as it has been understood for generations, or he is proposing that we repeal the 14th Amendment. Proposals to violate the law, or to amend basic rules that have served us for generations, may be called many things — I'd call them “radical” — but they cannot fairly be called “hardline” without substantially more context than your report offered.

H- The Reid Report is shrill.

We are facing what is now a movement — an uprising of the very rich, big corporations, and their goon squads in the tea party movement, and they are determined to take this country backward, and I mean 18th and 19th century backward. When the right talks about “freedom,” they mean freedom for the rich from the rest of us — freeing the wealthy from taxation, not so they can “create jobs,” but so they can accumulate more wealth and more power and then pass it on, tax free, to what will soon be a new American gentry. They’re talking about feudalism. And you, tea party dupes, are just serfs like the rest of us.

I- Justice Building Blog is upset because he still has to go to work tomorrow.

ARE COURTS CLOSED WEDNESDAY? Great question. You would think, with a tropical storm approaching, that the 11th Circuit Website might have an update. But then again, you would think our Chief Judge would give a damn about these concerns. And you would be wrong on both counts.

J- South Florida relies upon the tropical storms like the one tomorrow to make up for any rainfall deficiencies, says The South Florida Watershed Journal.

The Cape Verdes get all the attention and go down in glory and by name in the record books, but time and time again it’s the No Namers that pop up out of nowhere in the Caribbean below that, year in and year out , are the ones that reliably soak us the most.

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Heads Down, Stay Down!

Delta Airlines flight 4951 en route to NYC was forced to land at JFK without its rear-right landing gear after it failed to deploy. Footage captured by a passenger shows sparks flying as the wing scrapes against the tarmac during the harrowing emergency landing.




I can guarantee you that the Captain had himself a cold one that night.

-via The Daily Wh.at



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Your Number For The Day

113

That's how hot it was in downtown L.A. yesterday which made it the hottest day ever recorded there.

At 12:15 p.m., the weather station at USC hit the 113-degree mark, breaking the old all-time high of 112 set on June 26, 1990.

It makes Monday the hottest day ever since records in downtown L.A. started being kept in 1877, said Stuart Seto of the National Weather Service.

Are you ready, readers?

3...2...1...

Global Warming!!!!!

After which we move on to the video of people you won't find reporting this latest bit-o-weather with quite as much fanfare and hubris as they did last winter.




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South Florida Blog War!

Round 1: September 23rd

Random Pixels criticizes the Miami New Times for "glorifying criminal activity" for their article on a recently gunned-down murdered graffiti artist who went by the name of Ynot.

Round 2: September 27th

Miami New Times blog Riptide tries to shame Random Pixels and fires back...

So maybe you'll want to support a trust fund for Ynot's infant son Maximillian -- set up by those "scumbags" in his graffiti crew, MSG Cartel -- by buying a custom-made t-shirt featuring his tag. Just go to their website -- which we gave a Best Of Miami award to in 2009; commence further outrage -- and click on the white "Y!" at the top of the page, or go to Ynot's own tribute page, Ynotlives.com, and buy the shirts there.

Will there be a Round 3?

Grab some popcorn and follow along.


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For Those Of You Who Miss A Real Fall

The Boston Globe has yet another great collection of photos, this time of Fall scenes from around the globe.

Check out The Big Picture.

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The Cooler

Make sure you check out the video of Gloria Estefan making a daring escape from her skybox at the stadium on Sunday night [G]. That and more in this morning's Cooler.

A- Herald: Remember, it's Paradise.

Three murder-suicide cases rocked South Florida on Monday and left 10 dead.

Six were killed in a domestic murder-suicide in Riviera Beach before sunrise.

Hours later, it happened again in Lauderdale Lakes, with two dead.

By sundown came word of two more bodies discovered, a husband and wife dead in a murder-suicide at their Tamarac home.

B- Herald: Video, the media and celebrity circus before the Dolphins-Jets game.

C- Herald: Morin.

D- Sun-Sentinel: For everyone but thee.

Broward County commissioners are asking for deep cuts in spending – except their own.

While bus routes are eliminated, library hours are cut and the entire government takes at least a 5.5 percent hit, the county commissioners' own budget drops only 1.3 percent. That's a $45,590 cut, leaving them with $3.5 million.

[...]

A total 37 employees work in the county commissioners' office. An example: Torey Alston, who was hired as "chief of staff'' by Commissioner Al Jones and is paid $71,887.

Some commissioners have two top aides, as well as an administrative assistant, according to county records. Commissioner Jones, for example, also has Gwendolyn Hudson working as an aide for $68,077. That's in addition to an administrative coordinator, who makes $35,345.

E- Palm Beach Post: Yeah, that and the fact that he figured out it wouldn't get him elected.

BOYNTON BEACH — Republican Senate nominee Marco Rubio, who once favored giving younger workers the option of investing a portion of their Social Security payroll taxes in private accounts, says he abandoned that view at least six months ago after concluding the idea "doesn't work."

[...]

Rubio, who says Social Security is in danger of collapse unless changes are made, told a group of newspaper reporters and editors in Tallahassee in late January that he favored giving younger workers the option of investing some of their payroll taxes "in an alternative to the Social Security system," according to a transcript from The St. Petersburg Times.

But Rubio told The Wall Street Journal in March that the idea of privatization "has come and gone." Rubio repeated that position March 28 when he and Crist, at the time rivals for the GOP Senate nomination, appeared in a Fox News debate. In that debate, Rubio said Congress should consider eventually raising the retirement age for people who are now younger than 55.

F- CBS4: City of Miami budget passes.

The $501 million operating budget for fiscal year 2011 includes a cut of up to 12 percent for union employees. Police and firefighters will not be able to retire before the age of 50 with a full pension, and going forward, pensions would be capped at $100,000 per year. Employees would also pay increased health care costs. The pension and salary cutbacks will take effect October 1st.

[...]

The budget also contains a slightly higher tax bill for some residents and multiple fee increases for the public. About 20 percent of Miami homeowners will likely to see an increase in their tax bill. An owner of a $200,000 home that retained its value would pay an additional $62 in taxes.

G- WPLG: Video, Gloria Estefan escapes from her skybox on Sunday night.

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Your Morning Sift

Good morning.

I'm up and at it early this morning, fueled by coffee and a hearty desire to bring you the best posts in the South Florida blogosphere since yesterday evening. *ahem* Anyway, here's your Tuesday morning Sift...

A- Eye on Miami says that Braman's recall is targeting the wrong person.

To Norman Braman: He is a termed out Mayor. Don't waste your money on him...GET THE COMMISSIONERS OUT THEY ARE NOT TERM LIMITED. I WILL GET SIGNATURES FOR YOU....PLEASE HELP. The Mayor being removed is a waste of time and money.

B- Sex and the Beach, freshly back from her trip to Hawaii, tells us the difference between it and South Florida and includes a slideshow and a list of to-dos for the lucky ones who manage to make it there.

The first thing that comes to mind is what seemed like an immense respect for the earth, which stems from old Hawaiian beliefs that seem to still hold fast -- an innate sense about the interconnectedness of all things, including the land and the people who live on it.

C- Nunez Photography shares a bunch of pictures from Lion Country Safari.

D- The Burger Beast checks out some Colombian street food in Miami.

Caveman and I had just been to Yellow Submarine and followed that up with Hot Dog El Paisa when we saw Asados El Paisa across the street. Yes, we were stuffed but no, that didn't stop us. All 3 spots have one thing in common, they're all Colombian style food. Asados El Paisa is cooking on a rigged up hot dog cart with a BBQ grill attachment.

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Your Evening Sift

Well, I don't know about you but I'm feeling like I still have a long slog ahead of me before it's Friday. *sigh* Enjoy your wistful evening Sift. There's really some great stuff tonight. Honest.

A- I loved Nikon Miami's full moon photo so much I made it my desktop.

B- Eye on Miami details how the Republican Party's anti-government desires have slowly strangled this great country the rest of us still love.

"The Tea Party has the nation's attention. Now what?" is the header of a Washington Post article this Sunday. It asks the relevant question. I've been asking the same question since the rise of public anger associated with an economic crash of epic proportions-- a crash decades in the making but one that rests securely on the foundation of the modern Republican Party, whose mantra about shrinking the size of government so it could fit in a bathtub was also accompanied by the biggest intrusion of government in individual liberties, in US history.

C- The Reid Report continues to document Marco Rubio's dislike of today's Social Security.

D- Brickell Life posts some photos from his tailgating spread, foodie style, at last night's game.

E- Ipanemic shares a couple interesting street life photos and updates us on a whole bunch of other stuff.

You’ll see that you have the ability within the sidebar to Join Team Sunshine (of which I am Team Captain) in the October 24th Out of the Darkness Walk in Miami-Dade County to raise money to benefit the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention. Please consider joining the team or donating to this very worthwhile cause. The more the better.

I had an initial personal goal of $500. As previously noted, I met that in under 20 hours. I’ve since raised my personal goal to $2,500 and am nearly halfway there. Our goal for the team is to raise $10,000 and we now have six members! Woohoo!

F- Swampstyle hits the big time with a profile in Ocean Drive Magazine who calls him "Miami's best-kept art secret."

G- I think the purpose of the latest Miami Beach 411 post was examining the differences between a social media expert and a social media whore, but with it you get a video from the recent Lexus driving event and some more Burger Beast photos.

Alex De Carvalho of Miami, considered by many to be a real social media expert, a man who even teaches a University of Miami class on social media, believes there are no social media experts.

“There are no social media experts because social media is still evolving,” he said.

He describes social media as the act of socializing using the tools of the internet.

“When people say they’re social media experts, they’re usually saying they’re experts in social media marketing,”

In other words, they’re spammers. Well maybe not quite because social media experts are skilled in not only promoting themselves, even if it is bombarding you with spam, they are skilled in receiving freebies, hence the term “whores.”

H- One of Miami Favs' favs is Le Boudoir.

le boudoir is truly my go-to place when i need quiet. and a little taste of france. and who doesn’t need a little taste of france every once in awhile? well, you know my answer.

I- Beached Miami posts an excellent interview with Francisco “Pepe” Hernandez, president of the Cuban American National Foundation (CANF).

There’s no doubt that there’s still a significant group in our community that feels that we cannot open up in any way an interaction with the Cuban people that would somehow benefit the Cuban government. But it’s becoming less significant, especially every election. What is happening, it’s less of an ideological argument than a political argument. It’s a fact that if entrenched Republicans in this community such as Lincoln Diaz-Balart, who has had a career of following that position, were to change, obviously they feel that they would lose face with their own following. But the problem is that their following, in every election, is less significant. We will see in these elections in November, and we will see it in 2012.

J- South Florida foodies still have another promotional program to look forward to even as Miami Spice and Flavor Palm Beach end, according to South Florida Food and Wine.

When one door closes another opens. Restaurant promotion programs Miami Spice and Flavor Palm Beach end this Thursday, September 30 and Dineout Lauderdale begins Friday October 1.

Dineout Lauderdale is a six-week culinary celebration of Greater Fort Lauderdale's top restaurants, chefs and cuisine that runs until November 11.

K- South Florida Fixed tells us about a pretty unique stolen bike alert in Delray Beach.

L- Did you hear the one about the Miami federal prosecutor getting arrested in Boston in his briefs? If you haven't, there's Justice Building Blog.

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Watch For Floaters [UPDATED]

Coral Gables Daily Photo, a blog that is not on the SFDB blogroll, captured the scene at the Biltmore Hotel's Venetian Pool yesterday as they opened up the water to our favorite four-legged friends. CGDP says they're closing the pool for a few days for a good cleaning.

As always, click on the image to make it get bigger.

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Nikon Miami has a bunch of photos of the day.

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60 Minutes Does The New York Mosque

60 Minutes did a series of interviews on the New York mosque controversy last night. It's a good look at the controversy and all the very scary people involved in it.

For those not that familiar with the issue, it's a good start.

Here's the entire 12 minute clip.




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Google Birthday Google

10 years old?

I don't know about you but I find it hard to remember a time when I couldn't Google.


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The Cooler

The Cooler is back. Unfortunately, South Florida's mainstream media is still in weekend mode so there's not a lot going on this morning. Here's the best I could do.

A- Herald: Jets suck, but they also won.

Instead, on offense and defense, the Dolphins had some very good moments, but the entire team was never able to be in gel at the same time.

If or when the Dolphins are able to bring the same defensive intensity as the past two weeks, in addition to the offensive output, Miami could put itself on a track for a solid future.

``The crowd was awesome,'' [wide receiver Brandon] Marshall said. ``It was disappointing that we couldn't get them the win.''

B- Sun-Sentinel: Life in South Florida.

RIVIERA BEACH — Six people have been fatally shot, including four children, in what police are calling an apparent murder-suicide, according to Sun-Sentinel news partner WPTV-Ch. 5.

The incident took place sometime early Monday at a residence along the 1200 block of West 30th Street.

Police told the station that a man went to the home and killed his estranged wife and four children between the ages of 10 and 15. A fifth child, a teenager, was shot in the neck, but survived, and was taken to an area hospital.

C- Sun-Sentinel: Somewhere, Darwin nods.

DANIA BEACH — After hours of celebrating at his own backyard birthday party, Timothy Jordan offered to bet $50 that he could swim across the broad canal that runs behind his home.

"No one took him up on it," said Eddie Jean King, Jordan's partner of 20 years and one of about 30 people at the party. "But he said, 'Well, I'm going to do it anyway.'"

Jordan stripped down to his boxer shorts, stepped into the water and swam out into the darkness just before 2 a.m. Sunday.

[...]

Jabrina McNeal, 25, King's niece, said another niece, Loretta Lee, 28, went into the water after Jordan disappeared, in what proved to be a futile attempt to find him.

Divers from the Broward Sheriff's Office Marine Unit recovered Jordan's body at 4:21 a.m. in deep water about 30 yards north of the spot where he was last seen.

D- Sun-Sentinel: Chan Lowe.

E- NBC Miami: Life in the Keys.

The wife of the mayor of Islamorda, who says she was informed by employees that her husband was having an affair, confronted him and his alleged mistress and attacked her husband with a golf cart.

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Your Morning Sift

Good morning.

It was a quiet night in the South Florida blogosphere but there still were some noteworthy posts. Enjoy your morning Sift as we start yet another new week.

A- FTL Collective reviews the recent Neil Young concert and says the legendary artist battled a horrible venue and crowd.

Between the monstrous display of human disgust in the surrounding complex, the constant talking, shoutings of “Neil! Woooo!” and the general lack of vibe coming from the crowd and venue, it seemed Neil had decided (and I agreed) that this room did not deserve “Expecting to Fly” or “Birds” or “Motion Pictures” or even anything from the “Harvest Moon” album when that very night saw the arrival of the actual Harvest Moon.

B- South Florida Theater Review doesn't think much of Rising Action's "Fit To Be Tied."

If Goldyn had as much talent for creating theatre as he does theater spaces, audiences would not have to endure this train wreck of a production of Nicky Silver’s play, Fit To Be Tied.

C- Bark Bark Woof Woof documents the latest atrocity from right wing bigot Ann Coulter.

I used to think that Ann Coulter was some kind of an act; that her shtick was to be the Andrew Dice Clay of right-wing punditry. No one could be as insensitive and bigoted as that and still walk upright. (Then we got the current crop of Tea Party candidates and proved that theory wrong.) Then I thought, well, like the old song, she is more to be pitied than censured; something in her past or upbringing that she had no control over turned her into this caricature of the charming Klanser in a Vera Wang knock-off and she can't help it.

D- The Reid Report provides even more evidence of Marco Rubio's hypocrisy when it comes to his position on Social Security.

So when Marco Rubio tries to pass himself off as gosh, just this cool, moderate guy who wants no part of privatizing Social Security, since “the time for that has come and gone” — and not sure what has “passed” between last September and now — Florida voters ought to at least understand that what he’s doing is smart marketing, but he isn’t telling the truth. And the next time Bob Schieffer gets Mr. Rubio on camera for an interview, perhaps his producers will use the Google, and come up with some harder hitting questions.

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Your Evening Sift

I've arrived at my secret location that I'll be hanging out at until Friday. It's actually not too far away and still in the Sunshine State. Anyway...I have a full Sift here for you so let's get going.

A- The new SFDB blogroll additions are paying off. Check out the array of photos that Liam Crotty posts of this weekend's Bike Lane Opening Party.

B- More photography, this time nature photos at Some Blogging Guy.

Sometimes I just need to get the concrete out of my veins, and a quick trip out there clears my mind and soul. It is better when it is cooler and of course, earlier in the morning.

C- Taking over Miami does Miami Spice at Asia de Cuba.

After dinner we took a walk outside to the pool area to admire the night and the city. From our vantage point, we can see downtown in the distance and the multi-million dollar mansions gracing the edges of the islands. It was a beautiful night to end a beautiful meal.

D- The New World Symphony is tuning up for opening night which is about 3 weeks away, according to South Florida Classical Review.

Although the New World Symphony’s official opening night is still three weeks off, the ensemble held its first full orchestra concert as part of its preseason events Saturday night at Miami Beach’s Lincoln Theatre.

These are informal events that allow the orchestra to undergo a final shakeout before the regular season–an important step for an ensemble that sees an annual turnover of about a third of its members as the young musicians depart, many for jobs with professional orchestras.

E- Miami on the Cheap gives us their Top 10 Happy Hours in Miami-Dade County.

F- There's a very unique shirt that's popular with South Florida bicyclists and Spokes 'n' Folks gives us a look.

G- Carlucci's Pizza in Fort Lauderdale gets a solid thumbs up from Worst Pizza.

When the slice came out of the oven, I could feel the heat coming off it as I took the plate towards me. It was a nice size slice placed on a rather large colorful plate. Rosario and I continued to chat for a while as I let it cool down a moment. When I took my first bite, it was easy to tell that this slice was cooked almost to perfection. It was crisp even though it was very thin.

H- Jeff Eats has a memorable breakfast at Cup 'N' Saucer in Lake Worth.

My order was quite simple…western omelet/hashbrowns/plain toasted bagel. The omelet was so salty that it was borderline inedible.. The hasbrowns were undercooked, with the potatoes being nearly raw. The bagel tasted like a piece of whitebread. This was probably the worst breakfast that I’ve had in the past 35 years.

I- Marco Rubio showed how principled he is on today's Face The Nation as he blatantly lied about his positions on Social Security. Only problem is that The Reid Report noticed.

On Face the Nation on Sunday, U.S. Senate candidate Marco Rubio continued his sprint to the middle, soft-peddling his support for raising the Social Security retirement age to 70 (he said he favored keeping Social Security just as it is, but “tweaking” the retirement formula in the coming years, whatever that means…) and — there’s no kind way to put this — simply lying about his stated support for privatizing the program for younger workers.

J- We'll end the Sift like we started the Sift: with some nice photographs. Enjoy these images of the Gulf taken by The South Florida Watershed Journal.


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SFDB's Statistical Moment

Presenting the SFDB posts with the most pageviews for this past week, according to Blogger stats.



And here's your links to the posts...

1. SFDB's Viral Video
2. Your Evening Sift
3. The Daily Show Nails It
4. Jon Stewart On Oprah
5. Update On SFDB Blogroll Conversion

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Aspen Glow

Now THIS is a real fall.




Photographs taken around Salida, Colorado, and music performed by Salida resident David Tipton on the Chapman Stick.

Enjoy.



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Your Morning Sift

Good morning.

Hopefully the nice post by Beached Miami this morning is a preview of things to come. Check it out and the rest of your morning Sift...

A- The Reid Report declares Marco Rubio the next Senator from Florida unless one of three things happens.

The new Mason-Dixon poll (or as Peter Schorsch puts it, the “Saturday Night Polling Massacre,“) shows Marco Rubio holding onto about 4 in 10 Florida voters, and leading for the first time among independents in the three-way race for U.S. Senate.

B- Superbee is cleaning up this morning.

A stranger puked all over me tonight.

It was the first time in roughly 10 years someone has blown chunks on me, and to be searingly frank - I hadn't missed it.

To be even more searingly frank, I don't understand how someone that's almost 35 years old, doesn't recognize that they're about to hurl all over the inside of someone else's Acura, but that's... that's just... me. Wondering.

C- The South Florida Watershed Journal shows us a "waterlogged" trail in the Everglades.

D- There's actually a South Florida blogger concentrating on nothing but sushi and South Florida Food and Wine talks to him in their post this morning.

South Florida Food and Wine: What is your most memorable blogging moment?

Sushi.Pro: The unexpected thrill of ripping Yokohama Sushi in Boca. Who spends their money there, keeping these guys in business anyway?? I sympathize with small business owners trying to make a living, I am one myself. But if you try to earn a living by serving the cheapest crap sushi that you possibly can, then you really deserve some bad fate, like forced labor in a shrimp paste factory.

E- Beached Miami's debut on the Sift is a nicely photographed post on yesterday's Hispanic Cultural Festival in Coral Gables.

My mother dragged me to more city-sponsored arts and culture festivals as a child than I care to remember, so I didn’t have high expectations for the Gables festival yesterday. With a low bar to clear, it surprised me. While stormy skies kept attendance down, and while the average age was skewed to a hip late-20s number by the fact that almost everyone there was either geriatric or pediatric, there was just enough to make the excursion worthwhile.

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SFDB Saturday Night Turndown Service

Mazzy Star, Fade Into You


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Your Evening Sift

Hope you all are enjoying the blogroll changes. The new format takes up a bit more space but I like how much room each blog name is afforded. I'm getting ready to head out for the evening so enjoy your Sift.

A- Random Pixels catches another website using his photos without his permission.

While doing a search on Google, I found one of my copyrighted images on The Wrap.

Waxman had lifted an image I licensed to Miami New Times and used it on her site to illustrate a story about Gerald Posner. She never asked asked my permission or gave me a photo credit.

B- Some Blogging Guy uses Google to find that a small easel makes an affordable iPad stand.

After reviewing the dozens of do it yourself stands ranging from a bent up clothes hanger to blocks of wood to big orange cats I decided the best stand for me would be a small easel. Easels that are used to stand up a framed photograph on your desk. In fact, I did actually find these on Amazon going for $10 bucks labeled as Ipad stand when they are nothing but picture easels you can purchase at almost anywhere for less than $5 dollars.

C- Both Miami Condo Investments and Miamism have a look at Chris Bosh's mansion over in Miami Beach. You get bigger photos at MCI but you get the original listing information at Miamism.

D- The South Florida Watershed Journal posts a composite photo that depicts the various components of the Everglades in terms of elevation...what little there is, I guess.

E- There are 10 good reasons not to let Republicans back in power and The Reid Report discusses a few of them.

But the Social Security issue is an important one, since Wall Street, stripped of the Housing and tech bubbles, is in search of a new large pot of cash to gamble with. Social Security is the ultimate prize, with a $2.5 trillion surplus and a pot of in-coming cash that can’t be touched for general revenue, and that is self-sustaining because it’s funded by its own special tax. If Wall Street could get its hands on that money, the fees alone would ignite a new bubble, and create new, more incredible wealth for the handful of big investment houses (think Goldman Sachs…) that would rake in most of the dough. And if you think putting all Americans on a 401K on steroids is a good idea, you haven’t been reading your statements.

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Hellos And Goodbyes

Well, the changes are here and the conversion of all of the SFDB blogrolls to the Blogger widget has been completed. There are a number of additions and deletions that you'll see below. For the new arrivals, I've basically tried to find a paragraph or two from the blog's "About" section, when available, that best describes what you might expect to find there.

For those of you still following SFDB with Bloglines, make sure you make the switch before October 1st.

Let's take a look at the changes.


Hellos...

Beached Miami

Our mission: to wander our hometown and its environs in search of the city we’ve always wanted and often suspected was there all along. Essentially, we intend to squeeze the orange dry in the hopes that it yields plenty of juice. It may or it may not, but that’s kinda the point.

Beached Miami is the chronicle of this shameless excuse to eat, drink and introduce ourselves to attractive ladies as Univision reporters. We hope you enjoy. Feel free to contact us to suggest places we should go, events we should attend, and people we should meet. We are open to everything.

Coral Gables Watch

This site comments on events in the City of Coral Gables, as well as Florida and South Florida. Coral Gables is a lovely, dynamic city of some 40,000 inhabitants with a pattern of citizen participation and well organized residential and commercial development. The City Beautiful also faces serious management, financial and organizational issues that have yet to be solved.

Burgers By The Beach: It's all about the burgers.

South Florida Theater Review

South Florida Theater Review was launched July 26, 2010, by critic and editor Lawrence A. Johnson, with Bill Hirschman as the site’s lead critic. The objective is to fill the gaping void in coverage of the tri-county regions’s theater scene, much as its predecessor, South Florida Classical Review has done on the music beat. We hope to make South Florida Theater Review an essential bookmark and daily stop for all working in and interested in theater in South Florida, and Bill will cover this busy beat with the candor, comprehensiveness, and intelligence for which he is widely known and respected.

Nunez Photography

My name is Anthony, by day I'm an investor and by night a passionate street photographer. Looking to capture moments many people miss while going about their lives. Based in Miami, Florida.

Liam Crotty

Liam P. B. Crotty (born on Leap Year’s Day, February 29, in Superior, Wisconsin) is an accomplished American portrait photographer whose style is known for his ability to instantly connect with his subjects.

[...]

As an adventure traveler, he’s photographed the jungles of Costa Rica, the Swiss Alps while skiing the Mattterhorn, whales and dolphins while scuba diving in the Gulf of California and numerous alpine peaks during his annual mountain climbing trips. Yet, photographing people in their own, natural setting is his specialty and why people hire him.

Taking Over Miami

I am going to take over Miami (and the rest of South Florida), sharing with you my experiences and discoveries. Not to mention, if I can give you a good tip as to where to go and when, I will do it. Think of me as a tourist from a local’s perspective/knowledge. This is my last year (or so) in my home and I want to milk it for everything she’s got. I want to learn what makes this city so magical. I want to learn and experience Miami as much as possibly before I leave because once I do leave, that’ll be it. Of course, I will visit but I will never be able to appreciate everything like I can now.

I have a bucket list and I have every intention of crossing out each and every one of those items and with your help, adding more.

Mike LaMonica's Blog: Miscellaneous ramblings.


Goodbyes...

I just wanted to pay special note to the removal of More Blog About Buildings and Food and Miami, bro, and say that I am very disappointed to see these two blogs become inactive. Their owners are now contributors to The Heat Lightning but in gaining one average nationally-oriented blog, the South Florida blogosphere lost two solid local ones.

Eating Local In The Tropics: Last post April 21, 2010.

More Blog About Buildings And Food: Last post May 10, 2010.

Miami, bro: Last post June 27, 2010.

Holy Crap: Moved.

Tumiamiblog: Lost interest.

Coral Gables: Lost interest.

Burnettiquette: Lost interest.

Computer Colonics: Lost interest.

South Beach USA: Lost interest.

Hallandale Beach Blog: Lost interest.

Fort Lauderdale Daily Photo: Lost interest.

FTL Today: Lost interest.

Babalu: Hopelessly insecure cowards who blocked links from SFDB.


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The Daily Show Nails It

We all know how Comedy Central's The Daily Show exposes the Republican Party for the frauds that they are on a regular basis. There may not be a better example of this than the following clip in which Jon Stewart emasculates the GOP for having absolutely no new ideas but the old ideas that destroyed America's economy and compromised our national security the last go round. The real beauty of this kind of thing, of course, is that it's their own words that expose the Republican Party's utter lack of ideas and their surprising desire to move backwards and not forward.

Check it out.

The Daily Show With Jon Stewart	Mon - Thurs 11p / 10c
Postcards From the Pledge
www.thedailyshow.com
Daily Show Full Episodes Political Humor Tea Party

-via Bark Bark Woof Woof

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