Even More Compassionate Conservatism

Daniel Webster is the Tea Party guy taking on Democrat Alan Grayson in Central Florida. Watch former Congressional candidate and Daniel Webster supporter Bruce O'Donoghue do his best third world thug imitation on Saturday during a Webster campaign appearance.




They love America, they just hate 50% of the people who live here.



-via Digby


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Your Evening Sift

Boo! It's raining up here in Fort Lauderdale so I'm wondering how that bodes for trick or treaters out tonight. I'm playing it safe and hanging out at a local Starbucks until the ghouls and goblins head in for the night. Enjoy your not-so-scary evening Sift.

A- The Reid Report links to a New York Times column that discusses how Tea Party patriots are being used by establishment Republicans to advance their cause.

B- South Florida Lawyers notes how the mainstream media and specifically, the Miami Herald, is so liberal...except when it isn't.

"Tens of thousands" is technically correct yet highly misleading. That makes me think maybe 40 to 50 thousand showed up. For that matter it would be technically correct to say "tens of hundreds."

C- South Florida Food and Wine asks blogger Dirt Cheap Wine a few questions as part of her Blogger in the Spotlight feature.

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

Dirt Cheap Wine: That would have to be when I found out how popular my blog was. I stopped writing it for a while, and after a month or two I started getting comments and e-mails asking when I was going to come back and that they missed my reviews. Up until that point, I didn't realize that people were paying any attention.

D- Green Parrot Bar posts a series of videos that capture Spiritual Rez's wild performance. I have Clip 3 for you.

E- Miami on the Cheap has a get rich quick tip for parents...here's my tip: do it while your kids sleep tonight.

Several dentists in South Florida are participating in a nationwide program to buy back Halloween treats from kids.

The program offers kids a reward — $1 a pound — and sends all the extras to U.S. military troops.

F- Wondering how to navigate Art Basel Miami Beach? Liam Crotty has the video as well as some photos from a "how to" event that was held today at Locust Projects.

G- Lots of photographs from the Annual Halloween Bash at the Vizcaya Museum and Gardens are up at Soul of Miami.

H- No Exit at Naked Stage is well worth your time, according to South Florida Theater Review, who finds the plot intriguing, as I do, too.

First produced in France in 1944, No Exit looks at three deceased persons—a journalist, a postal clerk and a high society matron—locked in a room together. They are actually in Hell, and while they each expect the clichéd stories of torture to befall them, no torturer arrives. At first they wonder why they were chosen to be locked up together. They pass the time by talking and fighting, extracting confessions of each others’ sins and seeking validation. They soon realize the premise of Sartre’s celebrated quote: “Hell is other people.”

I- Pontiac is history and Bark Bark Woof Woof remembers.

I remember Pontiac, though, as the first car I remember our family owning: a 1954 station wagon, light green with dark green trim, a three-speed column shift, and a big round radio speaker that I tried to steer like a steering wheel. And I think that's when I fell in love with cars. My parents can tell you, much to their chagrin, that I was able to name the brands of cars long before I could master the multiplication tables.

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SFDB's A Few Moments @ The Fat Village Art Walk

Fat Village, Lauderdale's answer to the Wynwood Art District, held it's monthly Art Walk yesterday evening and threw in a little Day of the Dead celebration in honor of Halloween.

There was was a small, ghoulish parade up Andrews Avenue and into the tiny cluster of art studios...



...that included a Thriller dance routine by a few zombies.



That kicked off the evening of unique and sometimes scary art...







By far the coolest studio we visited that evening was The Art of Alex...



Just a real relaxed and laid back vibe as Alex worked on his brightly-colored pieces.



For more information on the Art Walk, check out this New Times article and look for future walk events and art-related happenings in the village at ArtMurmur.




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Tonight On Lincoln Road

If you're wondering what the scene is going to be like on South Beach tonight, you don't have to look much farther than last year's Herald video that documented the festivities.




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$73 Million

Think about that figure for a minute.

Republican Rick Scott gave his campaign another $11.6 million in the final 12 days, bringing his total personal spending to more than $73 million and making this far and away the most expensive governor's race in history.

Of course Scott is not alone in his massive spending.

Sink has proven to be the most successful fundraiser Florida Democrats have ever seen, though the $11.2 million she raised over the campaign is less than what Scott spent in the last 12 days. But with Sink at the top of the ticket, the state Democratic party had its best fundraising quarter ever, matching the $31.5 million raised by the Republican party.

Homelessness.

Hunger.

Social services cutbacks.

Imagine the problems that could be addressed with the millions that are being spent to get millionaires elected to serve the interests of millionaires.

God Bless America.

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Your Morning Sift

Good morning.

Welcome to Sunday, readers. It is wet, humid and warm up here in Broward County...a perfect Fall day. *sigh* Here's your morning Sift.

A- Sweet Home Hialeah shares some pictures of Halloween decorations around Hialeah.

B- Beached Miami was out on South Beach last and caught some of the action on film.

C- Eye on Miami compares the crowds at several DC rallies, including yesterday's Rally To Restore Sanity And/Or Fear. Looks like the progressives win.

D- Looks like the brave and patriotic Tea Party supporter who recently stomped on a liberal woman's head is going to get a taste of good 'ole American justice, according to The Reid Report.

Timothy Profitt could face up to 12 months in jail, and/or a $500 fine if he is convicted. He is scheduled to appear before a judge November 18. No word yet on whether he will ask the judge to apologize to him.

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SFDB Saturday Night Turndown Service

Ray LaMontagne, Let It Be Me


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Your Evening Sift

I got over to the Fat Village Art Walk this evening and got some great photos to share...hopefully tomorrow. Here's your late evening Sift.

A- Pixiq picks up another South Florida blogger, as Ipanemic explains.

B- We should not fear the swamps as much as the swamps should fear us, according to The South Florida Watershed Journal.

C- Today's nature shots from Some Blogging Guy.

At this one spot I could park my pick-up truck and sit on the hood, staring out into the blue sky and lushness of the glades. In fact, I did just that. No one around for a mile or so, just me and the dragonflies.

D- REV Miami asks Radioactive Record's Mike Ramirez a few questions about his DJ job.

S: What’s your format , digital or vinyl?

M: Unfortunately it’s a logistical nightmare, but I do all records, no computers and that’s mainly because that’s all I know how to do. I have used different hardware, but I’ve never done it to the point where I can call myself an expert at it. I ‘ve always liked my records. Logistically speaking it’s the worst thing you can do because you have to lug all the gear, and especially today all the clubs and bars don’t have turntables, and I understand that. The quality control level rises when you have a dj playing records. I’m not saying me personally , I’m speaking in general. It’s a better sound. You don’t even have to have ears of steal to differentiate it, you can tell when you walk into a club and have someone playing an MP3 and someone playing a 12 inch single. You’ll know the difference.

E- Florida Stage's production of Cane has it's weaknesses but it isn't all that bad, reports South Florida Theater Review.

That set is impressive, fully using the height of the new black box space. Richard Crowell has designed a tall dike looming against the back wall, two ramshackle stores and a slope of rain-rutted muck and stone jutting into audience. Crowell’s sense of place unique to the edge of the Everglades is enhanced by Matt Kelly’s soundscape of chirping birds, light rain splatters and torrential downpours, as well as Suzanne M. Jones’ chiaroscuro lighting effects. Erin Amico’s costumes are pitch perfect from the soiled rags of the indigent farmer to the not quite stylish outfit of Junior Wilson’s wife.

In the end, Florida Stage specializes in new works and Cane may yet have a future after Rosendorf applies the lessons learned from this first production. Even with its weaknesses, Cane’s virtues herald the arrival of a talented and skilled playwright to follow in the future.

F- Miami-Dade Dems has been working hard for the Democratic Party.

Each walk sheet has a lot of names, so I might have had 100 names of registered voters. Most entries were for one person at one street address, but quite a few were for two names and several were for three or four at one address, so there probably were 50 addresses, and many many were not at home on this late Saturday morning, even though there might be two to five vehicles in the drive.

I didn’t do a tally of my contacts, but for OFA_FL I guessed I spoke with about a dozen real people. One door was especially fruitful. The four people on the list had just returned from voting early, and they said they were for Joe Garcia. Yay! I actually spoke to two of the four, and we all had smiles on our faces.

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SFDB Ecard Of The Day

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Rally To Restore Sanity And/Or Fear

It's going down! Crowd estimates are in the neighborhood of 10 million! I wasn't aware there were so many Marxists in the USA today but someone needs to balance out the Fascists, I guess.

Anyway, you can watch it live streaming here. Lots of hippie music and a general vibe of hating America.

Good times, you know?

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Your Mid-Afternoon Sift

Hey, what happened to the morning? Here's your mid-afternoon Sift.

A- Some Blogging Guy compares the digital Miami Herald to the web version because there are some differences.

B- Beached Miami shares some great images from yesterday's Miami Critical Mass Costume Ride.

A late afternoon downpour nearly stopped the Miami Critical Mass Halloween Costume Ride in its tracks. But the skies cleared just in time and some 300 headless bikemen showed up to ride 19 miles through Brickell, Coral Gables, Coconut Grove, Little Havana, Downtown, and Edgewater. A lot of riders wore costumes, but one committed group distinguished itself from the pack.

C- Hidden City has a nice post on the Miami City Cemetery Tour that is offered by History Miami and hosted by Miami historian Dr. Paul George.

You can learn a lot about a city and its people by visiting its cemetery. Take one of History Miami’s tours — particularly those with Dr George — and you’ll come away with a far greater appreciation of South Florida’s history.

D- Eye on Miami makes me cringe.

Dems: Meek is going down in flames don't waste your vote on principle. Vote smart.

E- Photos from last night's Great Pumpkin Carving Contest and Block Party are up at Coconut Grove Grapevine.



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Your Evening Sift

Here we go with the start of the weekend, readers. I have a feeling it's going to be a good one...just like this evening's Sift. Enjoy.

A- Random Pixels starts us off with a great demonstration on how news is generated in South Florida these days.

B- Brickell Life continues his posting from Colombia, this time taking us all with him on a trip to a Bogota burger joint.

The beauty of the El Corral product is the attention to detail and commitment to quality. Ingredients are fresh, direct from the farm or ranch, and the supply chain is owned and managed by the brand itself. This kind of oversight ensures the customer experience is consistent and exactly what is expected.

C- There's a new Italian restaurant in the 100 block of Collins on South Beach, according to Eater Miami.

Opening tonight, Restaurant Tagliatelle, in the space formerly known as Cafe Tabac, Slyvano and, for two seconds, Segafredo, is South of Fifth's latest Italian restaurant by way of Monaco, where its owners maintain four restaurants.

D- The Heat Lightning gets a picture of the elusive Afro Duck in South Miami.

The origin of Afro Duck, according to my brother, is this: there is a lake near the corner of Bird that is fronted on all sides by houses. On this lake is the only flock of white ducks he has ever seen in Miami. An old woman, presumably a resident of one of the houses and, presumably, a wizardress**, tends this flock. My brother’s theory is that she sent Afro Duck into exile by capturing her and releasing her near the canals further South.

E- One of Miami Favs' favs is T-Mex.

if you live on sobe, please note that they deliver. what do they deliver, you ask? only the best fish tacos EVER. oh, and they have taco TWOSdays. two for one. love. love. love. it is kind of a dive. but, did i mention that they have the best fish tacos?

F- Hidden City is giving away spooky books!

In that spirit, here’s what I am going to do. Would you like a free spooky book, without having to knock on my door? Leave a comment on this post saying “trick or treat,” and make certain you include a valid e-mail address (in the header, so no one sees it).

G- Coral Gables Watch believes that Kendrick Meek is "purposefully losing" as a "ploy." Okee dokee.

H- South Florida Theatre Scene provides some commentary on the latest controversy in South Florida's theater circles.

If you refuse to have or resist having your shows reviewed, it's because you believe your shows are going to get bad reviews. And if you believe your show is going to get a bad review, it's because, deep in your heart, you know it's a piece of sh*t [Ed.]. And if you're knowingly producing pieces of sh*t [Ed.], you deserve to receive bad reviews.

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Flashback Friday

It's The Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown



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Miami's Best Mojitos

Plum TV picks their favorites but I still go to Miamism when I want to know where to go to get the best mojito.




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Hijacked Halloweens

It seems like at this time of year I'm always thinking the same thing as I read about all the Halloween celebrations that will occur over the next few days...

Halloween is for kids.

When I was growing up, I don't ever recall adults dressing up and partying or taking part in Halloween. Maybe it was done, but their role, at least in my world, was to give out candy or to walk the neighborhood with their kids. Actually, I distinctly remember going trick or treating in Western Pennsylvania accompanied only by a few other excited friends. No adults. Oh, there was also the soaped windows, the shaving cream, the toilet paper, and the corn, but that's a whole other post.

Yeah, I know, those were some different times, but I can't help but think that when the adults started dressing up and turned the evening into yet another reason to party, it was the beginning of the end for what will always be for me a day reserved for the kids.


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SFDB's That Was Awesome

What do you get when you drop a 1,200 pound pumpkin onto a Pontiac?

Instant punkin' pie!





That was awesome!


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The Cooler

I'm a little pressed for time this morning so here's what I could round up from this morning's news for a quick Cooler.

A- Herald: Stay away from downtown tonight.

After all the pinch-yourself excitement this town has experienced since the summer, the Miami Heat's home opener is here. Dwyane Wade, LeBron James and Chris Bosh will put on their home jerseys Friday night and play together for the first time at AmericanAirlines Arena when they meet the Orlando Magic for an 8 p.m. tipoff.

B- Herald: Morin.

C- Sun-Sentinel: Life in South Florida.

In the dense cypress swamp west of Boynton Beach, a ranger points at a bare cypress tree trunk once dotted with rare bromeliads. Poachers pluck the spiky air plants from trees at the Arthur R. Marshall Loxahatchee National Wildlife Refuge, and there aren't enough rangers to catch all the thieves.

It's frustrating, said U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service ranger William Calvert. Poachers are among the biggest threats clearing the park of these native plants.

D- Sun-Sentinel: Bongs R Us.

Acting on complaints from parents, authorities have seized more than 5,000 pieces of drug paraphernalia from vendors at the Swap Shop.

E- Sun-Sentinel: Chan Lowe.

F- WPLG: Video, cracking down on speeders mean issuing 6 citations in 2 hours? Woo-hoo!

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Your Morning Sift

Good morning.

The SFDB Weekend Widget is turned on and continues to be updated in the right sidebar as we slide into Halloween Weekend. It's Politics Free Friday here at SFDB so relax and enjoy some non-political posting...at least for the day. Here's your morning Sift...

A- Restaurant Gal is leaving the Keys.

We all make our choices. We all imagine how it might be to live a dream in a paradise that cures all our ills and frees us from the drudgery of a reality in which we think we can’t live. Sometimes we act on it and live our vision of paradise as a dream from which we never want to wake.

In this gal’s world, however, “I wanna go home. Why don’t they let me go home?” If the past few days represent my next reality, it could well be with my great guy very far off the rock. He says he wants it to be. Or, it could be a giant question mark that represents what seems like the next best reality.

I’ve about given up on finding a happy and true home. I just wanna go home. Any home. A second-best home in a job I am woefully under-qualified to do is fine. And if that doesn’t work out, well, there we are. Home is where what’s left of my heart is. And I refuse to let that heart break.

B- Carlos Miller visits a Metro Rail station, again, and gets the treatment from security guards, again. Next post, Carlos wanders into a Burger King and is amazed that the cooks have no idea how to prepare beef au jus.

C- Hidden City attends a mysterious Halloween Party in a post that ends rather abruptly.

D- Many of us are absorbed in our own little technology-enhanced worlds, as Mike LaMonica explains.

I see it every day on the Metrorail. People are butt cheek to butt cheek, but are on their devices and don’t even know anyone else is there.

E- Check out the food served up on Norwegian Cruise Line's EPIC courtesy of the Burger Beast.

F- There are 5 last minute Fort Lauderdale-specific Halloween costume ideas up for your consideration at FTL Collective.

G- The Miami Bike Scene informs us that tonight's Critical Mass bike ride is in memory of Rodolfo Rojo.

H- Bark Bark Woof Woof points out the obvious hypocrisy of the Tea Party which is apparently way too complex for them to grasp.

I- A guest blogger relates their strange and obnoxious early voting experience at Eye on Miami.

But the moment I stepped out of my car, some twenty-something year old girl comes running up to me. “Are you from Palmetto Bay? ” she asked. Not realizing what I was getting into, I said yes. “We got one here” she then yelled to the entire crowd of campaign workers. She was wearing a Katie Edwards shirt and I told her I wasn’t in that district. She then tried walking me over to the Republican candidate in my district who I had no interest in meeting (I thought Edwards was a Dem.).

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Your Evening Sift

I'm getting to this a little late this evening but it's worth the wait. Here's your evening Sift...

A- The Miami New Times is moving just up the street but, man, what a big change in their digs, according to Random Pixels who has the amazing photos.

B- Under the Sun continues to follow one man's story of his escape from Cuba during the Mariel boatlift.

Listen as Alfredo Malagon tells WLRN-Miami Herald News reporter Rick Stone the story of a harrowing inspection by Cuban authorities at a detainment camp before his family left the island.

C- Eater Miami tells us about another couple restaurant openings today, one being Noodle Bar on Biscayne Boulevard.

The "hip, fast casual restaurant" will offer American and Asian inspired noodle dishes as well as "[Chef Michael] Bloise's take on street food."

D- Redland Rambles interviews Katie Edwards, who is running for State Representative, District 119, which I gather is down around Homestead.

MW: Tell me about your job with Farm Bureau.

KE: I’ve worked with Farm Bureau for about seven years now, and I reach out to politicians and like to get them down here so that they can fully appreciate the impact of their decisions. I want them to remember the nursery growers and farmers down in Homestead, and to think about those family farmers when they vote on a bill.

One thing very important to Farm Bureau and to me is helping educate policy makers so that there is an appreciation for agriculture, the state’s leading industry, and also for them to recognize that within their own county we’re the ones producing the food. So you have to look at it very holistically and reach out to the people outside of our borders.

E- The Heat Lightning manages to compose a short review of a local restaurant called Delicias de España.

If you like traditional tortillas, amazing pastries, and Spanish sausage you NEED to go.

F- A certain Coral Gables commissioner needs to spend less time worrying about leaf blowers, says Coral Gables Watch.

Imagine if the commissioner had used nearly as much energy in evaluating the impact on Coral Gables citizens of increased taxes, unfunded pensions and health plans, overpaid public security employees, defective lease management and a chaotic city organization. If he had directed the same passion to these everyday problems as he has to leaf blowers this city might make some progress that favors its taxpayers and not the quiet interest groups standing behind the commission.

G- Sex and the Beach composes a very pleasant review of Pierre's restaurant in the Keys.

My new favorite and relaxing getaway is dinner at Pierre's, quite arguably the most romantic waterfront dining spot in all of South Florida. Pierre's certainly gets my vote as such and boy, I've been keeping tabs on waterfront dining for quite some time now.

Miami couples take note: it's well worth the drive for an extraordinary experience. Go on a lazy Sunday, when traffic won't be so bad on the Florida turnpike.

H- Tilefortlauderdale comes back to life and leaves Mary at a Tropical Smoothies Cafe in Lauderdale.

She wanted so badly to hear that voice again, the one that fluttered in on golden wings and talked to her whenever she drew pictures, painted, played kazoo, cleaned, cooked or gardened. That little voice knew her inside and out and kept her work honest. It told her the little stories that helped her make sense of her life. Without that little voice, her life felt less shiny, less tolerable.

I- There are haunted hikes out in the Everglades and The South Florida Watershed Journal tells us about one of them.

J- Wow. Rising Action Theatre is a bit touchy. The story is at South Florida Theater Review.

David Goldyn, artistic director of Rising Action Theatre, has informed South Florida Theater Review contributor Mary Damiano that the company will no longer provide her with press passes due to her critical review on this site of Rising Action’s show, Fit to be Tied.

K- Taking Over Miami says Chic Berry is the healthy alternative to Cold Stone Creamery.

Everything here is good and better yet, it all tastes real. I have gone to another frozen yogurt shop in Doral, got a couple of samples, and was disappointed with the synthetic flavor.

Last night I stopped by, got my cup, and filled it with Cake Batter, Strawberry, Peanut Butter, and NY Cheesecake. What a mix! But, wait for it. I went over to the self-serve toppings area and filled it with fresh cut strawberries and mini Gummi Bears. I was tempted to reach over to the Syrups (Condensed Milk, Strawberry, Nutella, Caramel, Chocolate, etc…) but sometimes you need to have a little self-control.

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SFDB Afternoon Chuckle

-via The Daily Wh.at


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Republicans: Scary...Not So Scary

In the spirit of the season.

Scary...



Not so scary...



Scary...



Not so scary...



Scary...



Not so scary...





It's their alternate reality.


Boo!

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You Can Vote Today At SFDB

Alright, so I totally understand that this is not representative of what's going to happen next Tuesday and I realize that most of my readers are mentally fit, sane and not Republicans, but humor me and cast your vote for Florida's next Senator down below. And then, after you're done, tell me who you think is actually going to win.

If you have further input, let's hear your words of wisdom in the comments...





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SFDB Morning Chuckle

It's not too early to start your Christmas shopping. Pick up one of these T-shirts.





-via Pensito Review



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The Cooler

The Cooler is well worth your time this morning. Trust me.

A- Herald: It's why they need tax cuts.

For a certain segment of luxury yacht broker Kevin Callahan's customers, money wasn't really the problem during the financial crisis. They could afford to spend $130 million on a boat. But what would people say?

``Everyone was looking down on people spending money,'' said Callahan, a top executive at Fort Lauderdale's Moran Yacht & Ship, which oversees construction of custom mega-yachts for the elite. ``They had money, and they were laying low.''

Callahan predicts chatter won't be as big of a hang-up during this year's 51st Fort Lauderdale International Boat Show, an annual expo known for nautical lavishness that opens Thursday. Callahan and others said they're hearing less concern from buyers that a big yacht purchase sends the wrong signal in a down economy.

B- Herald: See, all that money is worth it!

PHILADELPHIA -- Its first win a certainty Wednesday, it appeared the Heat didn't want to stop playing in Philadelphia. It felt that good.

Game in hand, LeBron James was still swatting shots with less than 20 seconds remaining. Never mind that the Heat's 97-87 victory against Philadelphia was no longer in doubt. Reserve forward James Jones still threw his body in front of 76ers guard Lou Williams and absorbed an offensive charge.

C- Herald: Hey, a man's gotta eat.

The agency that collects coins from Miami parking meters has spent tens of thousands of dollars on expensive meals, out-of-town conventions and sporting events.

[...]

The agency's American Express reports from the last three years show the MPA's spending on expected expenses like phone chargers and computer repairs -- and nearly $50,000 in meals since September 2007.

That includes the Christmas-party expenses: $14,954.80 at the now-defunct Christabelle's Quarter in Coconut Grove in December 2007 and $6,216.66 at the also-closed Porcao Churrascaria at The Four Ambassadors Hotel off Brickell in December 2008.

Several staff retirements and birthdays are also listed: A farewell lunch in August 2009 at The Oceanaire Seafood Room in Mary Brickell Village cost $1,093.83. A birthday lunch for CEO Noriega in November 2007 at Rosa Mexicano, also in Mary Brickell Village, cost $525 for a menu that featured guacamole, enchiladas, tacos and brownies with Mexican chocolate, pecans and pumpkin seeds.

The meals do not include about $5,000 in catering for charitable events -- or dozens more meals agency administrators billed on their separate MPA purchase cards, along with gas and parking expenses.

D- Sun-Sentinel: Lincoln Road shops clean up at the airport.

Parts of Miami International Airport are starting to look like South Beach.

Lincoln Road stalwart Icebox Cafe opened its doors in the airport's new north terminal within the past few weeks. It joined a Shop Britto, featuring the art of Romero Britto, and Books & Books, both with homes in Miami Beach's famed pedestrian mall.

[...]

For Icebox Cafe owner Robert Siegmann, the idea to open a location in an airport grew out of disenchantment with the food available when he flew.

"Every time I got on a plane, two things happened: I could never find decent food," he said. "And even what was available was just not either efficient or to my liking."

For years, he found the red tape impenetrable. When he returned to the idea last year, the timing was right. Miami International was seeking vendors for the new terminal — and some of the opportunities were geared to small businesses.

Siegmann said demand has been overwhelming — especially with limited windows of time to bring in supplies due to security constraints.

A typical day at the airport can bring in $18,000 to $20,000 gross, which is about four times the volume at the Lincoln Road location. That's good news for Siegmann, who said the startup fees were about $500,000.

E- Palm Beach Post: Heroes.

A Ford Explorer that lost traction at the Jaycee Park boat ramp sank in the water in three minutes Tuesday, witnesses said.

But three Good Samaritans pulled a family of five out of the vehicle and prevented a tragedy, Fort Pierce police said. Salvadore Garcia, 37, his wife, Delphina Cortez, 28, and their three children — ages 14, 10 and 4 — escaped with minor injuries, police said.

“They were all trying to get out of the passenger side door,” said Kevin Rivera, 32, of Port St. Lucie, who leaped up from a bench when his girlfriend saw the Explorer plunge into the water about 6 p.m. Tuesday. “The drop is so deep there.”

Rivera, who is attending Indian River State College and training to be an emergency medical technician, was joined by Dan Coleman, 26, and Derrick Noble, 32, both of Fort Pierce, for the rescue. Garcia handed his 4-year-old daughter, Angelica, to Rivera while Coleman and Noble assisted the other family members, Rivera said.

“They were all screaming,” Rivera said of the family. “That was all you could hear.”

F- South Florida Business Journal: He needs a good lawyer.

Miami attorney Hank Adorno, name partner at one of South Florida’s largest law firms, is facing possible disbarment by the Florida Supreme Court over his acceptance of a $2 million fee in a class action case where the settlement didn’t benefit the entire class.

The court issued a ruling Wednesday that suspends him from practicing law after a 30-day period to conclude or transfer clients. The court also ordered Adorno to show cause why he should not be suspended for three years or disbarred.

G- NBC Miami: I see them changing their minds.

While some businesses are betting on the Miami Heat to run rough shot on the NBA in a figurative sense, a Hollywood bar has taken the challenge literally and lost big Tuesday night.

Whiskey Tango All American Bar & Grill lost $4,100 after it had to cover the bar tabs of customers who signed up for the Three King challenge. The Hollywood pub vowed to pay anyone's bar tab up to $25 if the Heat lost.

So when the Heat lost, customers actually won.

H- WSVN: This is South Florida...there has to be a catch to it.

MIAMI, Fla. (WSVN) -- A South Florida woman is spreading the love by giving out free hugs.

Thirty-four-year-old Elaine Caban spend her Wednesday afternoon giving out free hugs outside the Dade County Courthouse. "Free hugs. Your hands are full but your arms aren't," said Caban.

Caban said she has had several financial problems, but above all, she wants to give people joy. "I am literally a single mom with four boys. I have gone through financial difficulties, I had my car repossessed," she said.

Caban said she was inspired to go on Facebook and put together a group to give out free hugs. "I said I don't care if I have to go by myself. I want to be that beacon of light, and we receive so much when we give hugs," she said.

[...]

Caban said her dream is to give out free hugs once a month. For people who may think what she is doing is strange, Caban said, they just need a hug.

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Your Morning Sift

Good morning.

The SFDB Weekend Widget is up and running in the right sidebar so you know we're getting close to the weekend. It's a big Halloween weekend so make sure you check it out. Right after you check out your morning Sift.

A- Transit Miami is frustrated by the lack of response by FDOT to Brickell Avenue problems.

FDOT needs to be held accountable for their lack of consideration of pedestrians and bicyclists. Which one of our elected officials is gonna finally step-up for the residents and business on Brickell? We are the most densely populated area in the state of Florida and we also happen to be a major commerce and financial center for the Americas. Pedestrian safety should be a priority.

B- Congrats to The Miami Bike Scene for getting a mention in a national magazine.

C- Play some Ipanemic music with your morning surfing.

D- Vibe is now open in downtown Fort Lauderdale, according to FTL Collective.

Brought to you by the creators of YOLO, and immediately adjacent to YOLO, the outside unsurprisingly has a very YOLO-esque fire pit (this one rectangular, with brick painted white), to bring the total number of fire pits in that plaza to two.

E- Why Sex and the Beach hates South Beach clubs.

Clubs and a**holes mix quite well, however.
A night at the club wouldn't be the same without some belligerent and dangerous thugs thumping their chests with their gorilla size egos. Sometimes people get shot and clobbered at clubs. You never hear about that kind of crime happening at the Van Dyke jazz lounge, do you?

F- South Florida Theatre Scene posts their regular wrap up for the week.

G- Just a great story of a South Florida Cuban-American family and the role a boat captain played in their lives at Under the Sun.

Captain Jim and his wife Janet were young and adventurous. They saw in the Mariel boatlift an opportunity to make some money: “It seemed like everybody who was anybody who wanted somebody out of Cuba came to Key West and wanted to rent a boat.” Alfredo Malagon was just a boy, but he remembers the trip vividly even 30 years later. Now Alfredo wants to find a way to teach his daughter about the journey her dad went through to get to this country.

H- Bark Bark Woof Woof has the entire Daily Show interview with President Obama.

I- Charlie Crist's final flip flop is mentioned by Discourse.

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They Don't Want You To Vote

Do it because of who they are and what they represent...





Vote.

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Your Evening Sift

Enjoy your rather entertaining Hump Day evening Sift.

A- File this under things you don't read at Babalu...Cuban blogger Yoani Sanchez urges that the Cuban embargo should end, at The Cuban Triangle.

B- Blind Tastes was severely disappointed in this year's Iron Fork event.

Honestly, had it not been that my friend was competing on stage I'd have exited at 7pm, a mere hour after arriving. There just wasn't much to see, taste, or learn about and the offerings were very weak.

C- Eater Miami is officially taking nominations for the Eater Awards.

So, to the comments, friends. Let us know which award(s) you are nominating which restaurants, chefs, or shakers for, and why. The more persuasive you can be, the better for your favored nominees. It's winning time.

D- One of Miami Favs favs is the view of the Perseid meteor showers in the Everglades.

it was a thursday night, and we left around 12 and took the tamiami trail to where the glades gets really really dark. shark valley. we pulled in and next to a car full of people. the area was pretty packed. after laughing at two people wearing mosquito nets around their faces, we got out, and then remembered what karma was like. bug spray was immediately applied and shirts and jackets were buttoned up to their highest degree. even in the miami heat. i’ll take the heat over those freakin’ bites any day. and then we laid back and watched nature at its finest. the stars were literally and figuratively explosive. how beautiful.

E- Mango&Lime tells us about the Common Threads cooking program.

Common Threads is a non-profit organization founded by chef Art Smith in Chicago to teach low-income children ages 8 to 12 to cook and eat healthy food. The Miami chapter, founded by chef Michelle Bernstein, has four groups of students going through the 12-week program this season.

F- Massive Attack photos are up at Ash&Burn.

G- As part of being fair and balanced, Beached Miami welcomes a guest blogger who makes an argument to vote "no" on Amendment 4.

H- Miami Beach 411 has some photos of the Google Maps Car in the local area.

I- A cyclist just back from a statewide ride laments the etiquette of fellow cyclists which causes Spokes 'n' Folks to voice his opinion on the matter.

This squares with my own experience riding in Miami. I can't remember the last time any cyclist overtaking me on the M-Path or the South Dade Trail called out or used a bell to let me know he was about to pass.

My friends, we have a problem here. As much as we want to see bicycling increase, I can't imagine it will grow very far until we look out for each other better than we have been doing. How much trouble is it to sound off -- "Passing on your left" -- when you overtake a walker or another cyclist? You know you can do it.

J- The struggling Miami Herald is still pretty ballsy as Random Pixels' latest post demonstrates.

K- Hidden City shares an interesting read for the season.

He smiled at his handiwork, taking a cigar from his pocket and trimming it expertly. As he locked the door behind him, he thought, So this is Miami. Perhaps I will stay a while.

L- Eye on Miami agrees with Juan Williams for a very unique reason.

As to the substance of Williams' comment, I too have reservations when I see the dress and symbols of Muslim culture on an airplane. But this reaction is substantially different from what I feel when I see Muslim women in burkas. It is an important distinction. They are both symbols of cultural identity, but the burka imposes cultural difference between the observed and the observer on the matter central to Western civilization: individual identity. So while I may feel uneasy on an airplane with Muslim dress, I get over it. The burka, on the other hand, is antithetical to both my belief system and the government that protects all our freedoms. The burka and the headscarf are very different things to me.

M- Evaporation is the ghost of Lake O, according to The South Florida Watershed Journal.

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SFDB Afternoon Chuckle

The Daily Show gives us their take on the Juan Williams controversy.

The Daily Show With Jon Stewart	Mon - Thurs 11p / 10c
NPR Staffing Decision 2010
www.thedailyshow.com
Daily Show Full Episodes Political Humor Rally to Restore Sanity

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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 a strong, strong week for blogs in the South Florida Blogosphere. When I finished sifting through the Sifts, I had 12 posts looking at me. Out of those 12 posts rose 4...and here they are...

Runners-Up: Hidden City continues an uptick in his posting schedule which means more quality writing for all of us to enjoy. With that said, Telling The Story is a very, very strong runner-up. Focusing on pedestrian traffic on Brickell Avenue has been a hallmark of Transit Miami lately and they continued this week with a great piece on how inconvenient it can be to cross that busy Miami thoroughfare. Beached Miami keeps ripping it up covering concerts, fashion shows and just about anything else that is interesting, but one of their best posts this week was the one they just happened to stumble upon while driving through Little Haiti one night.



Winner: While Little Haiti proved to be good PotW runner-up material for Beached Miami, their excellent profile of attorney Alberto Milian, son of a Miami radio host assassinated maimed in a 1976 car bombing carried out ostensibly by Cuban-American hardliners, brought home the bacon this week. The well-written post incorporated a video and a healthy dose of history that made reading it both educating and entertaining. It's the kind of post that makes my sifting through the blogosphere well worth the time and effort. For that, I'm happy to recognize Miamians: Alberto Milian, Son Of Miami Terrorism Victim as this week's Post of the Week.

'Til next time, keep on blogging!

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City Link Recognizes SFDB

City Link's annual Best of South Florida issue came out yesterday and I'm happy to announce that SFDB picked up Best Random Blog honors.

Here's what they had to say...

How meta — a blog about blogs. South Florida Daily Blog, run by the blogger formerly behind the sadly defunct blog Stuck on the Palmetto, pores through all the South Florida blogs. And we mean all of them: food blogs, news blogs, personal blogs and so on. Then, SFDB posts the most-interesting or -entertaining entries. It’s basically a one-stop shop for all the best stuff happening in South Florida’s blogging community.

Cool. Thanks, City Link!!!

Other South Florida blogs recognized included:

Best Counterculture Blog: REVMiami

Best Art Blog: Artlurker

Best Blog For Cheapskates: Miami On The Cheap

Best Political Blog: FLA Politics

Best Music Blog: Moodvane

And while you're there, make sure you check out Food for Thought's revealing picture and his list of the 5 Best New Miami Restaurants.




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SFDB's Morning Wake Up Call

Horrifying Hobby of the Day: Graham Barker shows off his record-breaking 22.1 grams of bellybutton lint, which the 45-year-old librarian has collected over the past 26 years.


Suddenly, I feel very normal.


-via The Daily Wh.at


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The Cooler

Lots of news out there and some of it actually has nothing to do with the Heat. Enjoy the Cooler.

A- Herald: Reality bites.

The Celtics played like the defending Eastern Conference champions. The Heat played like a group of players still unsure of their roles. Wade returned to the lineup for the first time since the Oct. 5 preseason opener.

``There's going to be a process with this,'' Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said. ``It's not time to panic.''

B- Herald: Pitts on Juan Williams.

I also think Williams was mostly wrong. Seems to me your average terrorist is unlikely to dress in a way that screams Muslim. I'm thinking T-shirt, ball cap and jeans. He may not have a Middle Eastern appearance. He may not even be a he.

That said, my concern isn't whether the comments were right or wrong, but whether they were inbounds, whether they crossed that subjective but critical line between fair commentary and rank bigotry. I don't believe they did, especially given that Williams went on to decry the tendency to smear all Muslims with the misdeeds of a few. That context suggests his intent was to question -- not justify -- his own paranoia.

And in firing him, NPR shows not the commitment to journalistic guidelines it has cited, but rather, a capacity for hair-trigger response. There's a lot of that going around.

C- Herald: A definite need.

Google Inc. is giving $2 million to the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation to promote local online journalism and encourage new methods of delivering news in the digital age, the company announced Tuesday.

[...]

As more people get their news from the Internet and other new media, the foundation has relied more on partnerships with companies and other nonprofits to promote journalism and find new ways of delivering it, Ibargüen said.

``We have developed an expertise in this,'' he said. ``There's something about the technology and the medium that invites collaboration.''

D- Herald: Meet the new Herald Editor.

``Who would have thought that a kid from Hialeah would one day be standing here and being named executive editor for The Miami Herald?'' Marqués Gonzalez told the newsroom. ``I've got to tell you it was the farthest thing from my mind when I walked into the Neighbors Northwest office some 20 years ago as a college intern.''

E- Herald: Morin.

F- Sun-Sentinel: How your choice in phone service can cost you your life.

The 81-year-old grandmother screamed for the emergency phone dispatcher to send an ambulance. Blood gushed from her left foot after a freak accident in her suburban Boynton Beach home.

"Help me! Help me, please! Help me! Help me!" Sidell Reiner pleaded in recordings obtained by the Sun Sentinel.

She never got that help. More than an hour after that phone call, her husband of 62 years came home to find her lifeless on their bedroom floor, and blood throughout the house. Sidell Reiner had died with the phone next to her, her family's attorney said.

[...]

In a panic, Reiner dialed "0" and reached a Comcast operator. The operator transferred the call to a Boynton Beach police dispatcher, but Comcast was unable to find Reiner's address and give it to the emergency dispatcher, according to the suit filed in Palm Beach Circuit Court.

It took 16 minutes to pinpoint Reiner's address, establish she lived in unincorporated Palm Beach County and for county paramedics to arrive, according to the lawsuit. When paramedics did get there, they found the doors and windows locked, and attempted to look inside, according to Palm Beach County Fire-Rescue records.

When no one answered the door, the paramedics left, deeming the call "unfounded," the records show.

"Nobody took responsibility in saving her," said Gary Cohen, the family's attorney. "No one went that extra mile and did what they needed to do."

The negligence lawsuit filed against Comcast seeks an unspecified amount in monetary damages.

G- Sun-Sentinel: Life in South Florida.

A dead body was found Tuesday night inside a car parked in a downtown Delray Beach lot, police said.

A Delray Beach Fire Rescue hazardous materials team went to the lot behind the Mellow Mushroom restaurant, between Southeast First Avenue and Atlantic Avenue off northbound Federal Highway, to investigate a report of a container inside a car that was leaking a red substance, officials said.

"It was leaking a red fluid," said Fire Rescue Lt. Ed Beardsley. "It was approximately a 35-gallon cardboard container."

H- Sun-Sentinel: Bike-sharing in Broward.

A mass bicycle sharing system, one of the first of its kind in the United States, is coming to Broward County.

County commissioners unanimously agreed Tuesday to add bicycles to the public transportation network, to give tourists and residents alike an alternative to gas-guzzling, smoke-belching buses or personal SUVS and autos.

[...]

While other cities like Minneapolis have to shut down their bike sharing racks in the winter, Broward has bike weather 365 days a year, B-Cycle LLC President Bob Burns said. Burns' company won a competitive bid for Broward's contract, agreeing to set up a system with at least 200 bikes in the next six months.

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Your Morning Sift

Good morning.

It's a slow morning in the South Florida blogosphere. Which, of course, means a brief Hump Day morning Sift. Enjoy.

A- Republicans are taking steps to make sure that the new crop of conservatives who are bound to head to Washington this November are sufficiently "pure," according to Bark Bark Woof Woof.

B- Obalesque feels there's reason to compare the Afghanistan of today to America.

Here’s a distinction, though, between what Iran does for Karzai and what the US Chamber of Commerce does for Republicans candidates: Karzai identifies his donors. Proudly, too.

After all, “patriotism has its price,” and certainly he’s a patriot.

C- There's a big Ironman even coming to Miami this weekend, according to the Miami Bike Scene.

D- Beached Miami presents a guest post that argues for the passage of Amendment 4.

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Dwyane Wade's New Commercial

I like LeBron's better....




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Your Evening Sift

Could it be that tomorrow is Hump Day? Yes, it could. Here's your almost midweek evening Sift.

A- Eater Miami is conducting a gastronomically-related awards program that we all should participate in.

Over the next two weeks, in each Eater city, Eater editors and readers alike will be voting and deciding on categories including but not limited to Restaurant of the Year, Chef of the Year, Empire Builder of the Year, and Shitshow of the Year, all leading up to Judgement Day, Monday, November 8, when winners will be feted on Eater and at a gala special event in New York City.

B- Samuel Adams Latitude 48 IPA is a good IPA for rookies, according to South Florida Beer Blog.

Latitude 48 is a good transition IPA for people who are new to the style. It is hoppy while not being overly so with a malty base to cut the bitterness.

C- Miami Beach 411's Matt Meltzer keeps complaining about South Beach clubs and keeps going back for more.

The moral of the story: Everyone in South Beach associated with a nightclub is full of sh*t [Ed.]. Even the “legit” people are just trying to lure you in to get you to spend more. If you’re coming here on vacation, I URGE you, ignore the clubs. Leave them for the wannabes and celebrities. The most fun to be had here is in the unlikeliest of places with your closest friends. And by no means, ever, in anywhere owned by The Opium Group.

D- Random Pixels composes a fine send off to the Miami Herald's Anders Gyllenhaal, who was promoted and left today. South Florida Lawyers also opines. From the former...

Sources at the paper tell me that this morning's announcement - which was cloaked in secrecy - took staffers by surprise. Gyllenhaal, who has been described by some at the paper as "hard to read" and "aloof," apparently won't be missed.

An email was sent out at about 10:45am alerting reporters and editors that there would be a meeting at 11am in the newsroom. Marques Gonzalez's promotion was then announced to shocked staffers.

E- The cancellation of Photo Miami 2010 causes Artlurker to delve deep into what it all means.

There is no hint that Photo Miami will return, but that equally could mean that we are to assume that they will. Are they the first of many fairs this year to pull out last minute? Time will tell (and I can’t wait!). In the end perhaps we need not to be worried so much by implications, unless of course you just realized you just lost a job, and more perhaps about a moral to this story, which would probably be don’t just don’t believe everything you read, don’t believe anything at all. Oh, and expect nothing or be disappointed[.]

F- First and First Southern Baking Company is one of Miami Favs' favs.

everyone’s meals looked and were delicious. and we split like ten desserts between the table of four. we couldn’t decide which ones we wanted most! oh, the good ol’ south.

G- Moodvane had a great time at a recent Koo Koo Kanga Roo show.

So, I went to the 7 p.m. Koo Koo Kanga Roo show at Tommy and Bianca’s house yestereve. Tommy and Bianca met the Minneapolis-based duo at Culture Room when they opened for the Aquabats.The childish explosion of creative energy was exactly what I needed. The audience is not really allowed to not participate, and you’d have to be in a pretty bad mood to sit on the sidelines with your arms crossed while Neil and Bryan shove their microphones in your face.

H- Fountain Plaza Diner in Pembroke Pines is "a real good one," according to Jeff Eats.

I-The Vault of Poetry has been opened at Hidden City.

I decided to dust off this poem I wrote nearly twenty-five years ago and perform it live. You can hear it when you listen to the archive of the broadcast (titled “Halloween 1026″), but if things go well there will be a special recording of it here on Hidden City tomorrow.

J- The information booths in the Grove are becoming very colorful, according to Coconut Grove Grapevine.

K- The Reid Report has the latest on the woman who was beat down last night by some Tea Party members in Kentucky.

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SFDB Ecard Of The Day

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SFDB's Statistical Moment

SFDB's Top 10 Referring URL's for last week, according to Blogger stats...



I know it's small....please click on the image to to make it bigger.

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El Palacio De Los Jugos

What a great video from Plum TV.

This, readers, is Miami.




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Compassionate Conservatism

At least they didn't shoot her.



They love America, they just hate 50% of their fellow Americans.


-via Bark Bark Woof Woof

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The Cooler

Here are some of the stories that caught my eye this morning. Enjoy your Cooler.

A- Herald: Get ready to ruuuummmmmmbbbbblllllllllleeeeeeeeeee.

It's finally here. The summer of shock is over. The preseason of patience is done. The spectacle begins Tuesday, the day the Miami Heat begins its most anticipated season in franchise history.

B- Herald: Mission accomplished...almost.

In his bid to recall Miami-Dade's first strong mayor, billionaire businessman Norman Braman announced Monday he has collected 90,000 signatures from registered voters, more than enough to put Mayor Carlos Alvarez's fate with the voting public.

Braman collected the signatures in less than three weeks, a furious pace reflecting voters' unhappiness with the county mayor amid a rising tax rate and sluggish economy.

[...]

Once the signatures are certified, county commissioners will have three months to call a special election. In a 2007 referendum pushed by Alvarez, the Miami-Dade leader won voter support to expand the powers of the county mayor's office.

C- Herald: Hello, Dalai!

The Dalai Lama is scheduled to make two highly anticipated appearances in South Florida on Tuesday.

The Tibetan leader-in-exile will speak about ``The Significance of World Religions'' at 9:15 a.m. at Temple Emanu-El in Miami Beach. At 1:30 p.m., he will speak on ``The Quest for Happiness in Challenging Times'' at the University of Miami's BankUnited Center in Coral Gables.

D- Herald: Video, LeBron Poetry Contest.

E- Herald: That's a lot of living.

If you think Gertrudis Balsinde is going to reveal her formula for a long life just like that, think again.

``Oh no! That's restricted; I don't give that to anybody,'' said Balsinde, a sweet, shrewd 109-year-old Cuban American who lives with her 77-year-old daughter in Allapattah. ``I don't share that secret.''

[...]

Balsinde, who uses her maiden name, is the oldest of five. Four siblings died in Cuba at ages ranging from 90 to 100. But her mother died at 48 during surgery. Her father was absent during her upbringing. Her first husband died at 39; the second one at 83. Her first born died 10 years ago at 72 after a fall. Her other two children are 76 and 74. Her oldest granddaughter is 54 and her oldest great-grandson is 27.

Except for osteoarthritis, she is in good health, said her doctor, Inés Braceras. She only takes three prescription medications -- for high-blood pressure, cholesterol and arthritis -- and also one aspirin. A few years ago she had a mild stroke and recovered quickly.

F- Palm Beach Post: Life in South Florida.

WEST PALM BEACH — An elderly West Palm Beach couple said they were interrupted early Friday morning by a naked man bursting into their home and yelling at them to "call the police," according to a police report.

West Palm Beach Police said the naked man - Marcal Samuels, 31 - had no explanation for his actions other than he "was scared."

G- NBC Miami: Endearing people to their cause.

While the eyes of the world will be on the new-look Miami Heat during their home opener Friday, some gazes might shift focus to the hundreds of people protesting outside the AmericanAirlines Arena.

The city's unions have planned to upstage LeBron James, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh by staging a protest rally in front of the arena to get attention for what they see is a failing city government.

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