Your Evening Sift

Work took me over to Miami Beach today where I got to have lunch and share a few minutes with Ipanemic. Good stuff. Here's your rather large evening Sift.

A- Sex and the Beach rescues a royal tern and provides some important info to readers who might find themselves in a similar situation.

I don't know why, but I am always finding injured birds. The tern's eyes were pitch black, so dark yet I could feel it speaking to me with its gaze. The innate intelligence of birds speaks far louder than words. I'll admit, I cried a little. I'm sure it was hanging on and in pain or maybe beyond pain, resigned to this surreal experience.

B- The American Masterworks String Festival is coming to Miami Beach, according to South Florida Classical Review.

The American Masterworks String Festival is a five-day series of concerts, lecture-demonstrations and master classes at the school’s Miami Beach campus and the Colony Theater. [Carson] Kievman has attracted several renowned artists for this event: cellist Matt Haimovitz, violist Kim Kashkashian and violinists Lara St. John and Khitruk.

C- Random Pixels takes the Miami Herald to task for their prioritization of what some may say is an important local story and singles out a reporter for a little additional criticism.

D- PB Catch is opening in Palm Beach, according to Eater Miami.

PB Catch's kitchen will be executed by chef de cuisine Aaron Black, a local, preparing such seafood standards as a seared jumbo sea scallops appetizer served with summer beans, oyster mushrooms in an orange broth, a macadamia nut and zucchini crusted grouper entree, a Maine lobster roll, and a complete raw bar.

E- Check out the Thanksgiving feast [and the beautiful salad] that Redland Rambles had down in the Redland.

We devoured three turkeys — two organic and one conventional. Two of those were smoked by Robert Barnum over Australian pine wood (and if you throw enough money at him, he’ll smoke something for you too). One organic turkey was split in half and oven roasted by Margie Pikasky. I’ve never seen a bird cooked that way, but it was quite good, flavored with Tuscan seasoning. We also had a Smithfield ham with a honey mustard glaze.

F- Beached Miami stopped by Pulse, Scope, and Seven and stayed long enough to collect some rather bizarre images.

G- Belle Isle Blog provides a look at the brand spanking new Fresh Market that opened today on Miami Beach.

The impact of Fresh Market on our neighborhood should be interesting. The new building has a parking garage above (and parking is sadly lacking in the neighborhood), and the prepared foods and fresh produce could pose real competition to both Publix and Epicure.

H- I can identify with Justice Building Blog.

I- More charts and graphs as Go Hydrology! marks the end of hurricane season.

The 2011 Hurricane Season is tied for the third busiest on record with 19 total storms, 7 of them hurricanes and 3 of them major hurricanes, i.e., Category 3 or higher.

What made it unremarkable in our collective psyche is that none of them made landfall in Florida. It’s now been six seasons since a hurricane strength storm made landfall in Florida.

J- Check out all the new and upcoming burger places that Burger Beast has listed.

Shake Shack: They’re already open but I can’t pass up any opportunity to mention the Shack. I’m excited as they are going to be opening their 2nd SFL location near me in the former spot of Smoke’T and JJ’s American Diner before that. I’d wish them luck but I don’t think they need it.

Shula Burger: I’ve had burgers at Shulas’ 347 Grill and thought they were great. The question is whether a whole Shula Burger concept will work? The 1st location opens up in Islamorada on December 8th, 2011.

K- Gun Free Zone takes his turn at critiquing the Herald by pointing out that the paper is failing to carry out their liberal agenda by including overweight people in a picture of a Little Havana food line...or something.

L- Under the Sun profiles 1950's Miami pinup model photographer Bunny Yeager.

Back in the 1950s, pin-up model Bettie Page posed for some of her most classic photos here. Her black bangs, red lips and playful gaze were a hit in the pages of Playboy. These images were created by local model turned photographer Bunny Yeager. Clotilde Luce reported on the woman behind these icons of 1950s fashion and photography and her recent discovery by the art world.

M- Spokes 'n' Folks brings up biking a Keys trail but his description on how to get down to there from Miami-Dade makes me wonder how desperate one has to be to do it.


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SFDB Cool Of The Day

This BMW Isetta Microcar has "I'm headed down to the Keys for the weekend" written all over it....

-via Fancy



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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 previous week. We find the best post of the week and note the runners ups as we judge them to be.

It was a slow week because of the holiday so the volume of posting wasn't what it usually is but there was still some quality stuff being written. Let's get into this week's selections.

Runners-Up: I really enjoyed Roy Black's essay on stand-up guys and was happy to see Dan Marino mentioned. Beached Miami did their usual fine job capturing the vibe and personalities that were present just prior to the launch of November's Critical Mass ride. The Burger Beast got back into reviewing restaurants and did a nice one of Hogzilla that was adorned with some excellent photos.

Winner: Food for Thought has been a NAOE fan since the day it was born in Sunny Isles in 2009. I remember how he raved about it back then. I remember because I can't stand sushi and sashimi and all the other things they serve there, but the way Food for Thought described it and celebrated the bento box contents, I got to thinking maybe I should give it a shot. I never did but NAOE has continued to be a favorite of Food for Thought and NAOE Revisted is a tribute to Chef Cory and the consistency the restaurant has maintained over time. The post is beautifully written and photographed and deserves ever bit of the SFDB Post of the Week kudos that it receives today.


'Til next time, people, keep on blogging!

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How Much For That Art? [#1]

"How Much Is That Art?" might be one of the most entertaining features that the Miami Herald has ever decided to do. Well, it's back for this year's Art Basel. Here's installment #1.




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HuffPost Miami Arrives

They're up and running.

Here's an excerpt from Editor Janie Campbell's opening post.

It's these contrasts and complexities that make Miami a place others can visit and never begin to grasp fully. For those of us who live here, it's lifelong learning in a city layered by the most fascinating forces ever to punch a seething metropolitan area out of a sleepy beach town in a matter of just a few decades. The most American thing about Miami is that it is not American at all, making it a city where anyone -- and anything -- can find a home. We have become a vibrant, multicultural metropolis, but simultaneously a place in which corruption is rampant, crime runs exotic, politics are bloodsport, and swaths of people rarely leave their neighborhoods, neglecting the larger community. Our raw materials are more bare, our morality plays more extreme, our excess staggering, and everyone's got a machete. For anyone who undertakes covering this city, it's imperative to understand and consider all the parts, and to regularly present the whole organism of Miami whether momentarily weighty or absurd, or sunny or dark, lest the narrative become contrived. In a place as compartmentalized as Miami, it's easy to ignore the pieces that don't belong to you -- but every piece matters.

We're determined to keep that in mind as we cover a city that's not only nurturing its cultural gifts in the shine of an international spotlight, but grappling with generational sins of corruption and violence. We're here to cover the news, to add context, to ask questions, to document where drugs are stashed, to always remember the Orange Bowl, and to make as much sense as we can of our disparate ills and failings, highs and titles. We'll laugh, we'll cry, we'll opine, and we invite you to add your voice -- that is, when it's not at the airport.

SFDB welcomes HuffPost Miami to the daily churn of the South Florida media machine.

I think it's only good news for readers and information addicts like myself. I'm already seeing contributions by local bloggers like Miami Dish, Transit Miami and The Heat Lightning on their front page which is a good sign.

This should be fun.

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The Cooler

Lots and lots of news out there, readers. Here we go with the Cooler.

A- Sun-Sentinel: Video, the entire 2011 hurricane season in 4.5 minutes.

B- Sun-Sentinel: Creep.

The classic scene of a parent showering sand off a toddler's bottom at the beach also appealed to a man charged with possessing 100 computer files that contain child pornography, officials said Tuesday.

It was the sunny day before Thanksgiving on Deerfield Beach when investigators say lifeguards shooed John Jefferson Field, 66, away from shooting video of parents and children using the curbside beach showers.

The guards called Broward Sheriff's Deputy Fernando Padron to talk with Field, described as a retired cabinetmaker who lives in a Coral Springs apartment with his mother.

[...]

Padron said he encouraged Field to talk about what he was doing. The deputy said Field described a yearlong habit of videotaping girls younger than 14 at the beach.

Their discussion turned to what Field said was his fetish for children's buttocks, Padron said.

C- Sun-Sentinel: This will, no doubt, screw up someone's morning.

Drivers heading north to Fort Lauderdale on Interstate 95 or west on Interstate 595 could be in for a big shock on Dec. 11.

Portions of both roads will be closed for about three hours when the annual Christmas Toys in the Sun Run rolls out, with the thunder of 30,000 motorcycles.

This year, the start point is the Mardi Gras Casino in Hallandale Beach.

[...]

For two decades, the toy run has started in Pompano Beach and traveled south along I-95, said Jack Shifrel, one of the event's organizers.

"We've talked to Mardi Gras in the past and they were very enthusiastic about wanting to host the start of the event," said Shifrel, explaining the reason behind the route change this year.

D- Sun-Sentinel: Video, Christmas on Las Olas.

"Seems to be a lot more people [this year]," she said. "It's just hard to maneuver, so [my] only recommendation would be to have a little bit better traffic flow."

E- Palm Beach Post: This is not good.

SAN FRANCISCO — Apple's iPhone is the world's hottest smartphone — and one iPhone in Australia appears to be the hottest of the bunch as it spontaneously began smoking last week.

Regional Australian airline Regional Express described the "mobile phone self combustion" in a statement. It said that an iPhone belonging to a passenger began to expel a "significant amount of dense smoke" and give off a red glow after a flight from Lismore, Australia, landed in Sydney on Friday.

A photo accompanying the statement showed the shattered, warped back of a recent-model black iPhone.

F- South Florida Business Journal: Mediocre food, great views.

Mark your calendar! The Rusty Pelican will reopen Dec. 12 after its five-month, $7 million renovation.

G- CBS4: Life in South Florida.

LITTLE HAVANA (CBS4) – Hundreds of people braved the chilly weather Tuesday night to be among the first to receive a voucher good for a free basket of food.

The Latin American Chamber of Commerce (CAMACOL) will begin handing out the food vouchers Wednesday morning to the first 3,000 people beginning at 9 a.m. at their headquarters at 1401 West Flagler Street in Miami, but many showed up to camp out overnight to be sure they get the food needed to prepare Noche Buena dinner.

H- CBS4: Video, Ferrari display at 1111 parking garage.

I- WPLG: An event custom made for Carlos Miller.

MIAMI - After weeks of bad blood between the Florida Highway Patrol and Miami police, the two sides are squaring off again.

Troopers will be taking on Miami cops in a softball tournament.

The 2011 L.E.O. Softball Tournament takes place Saturday, Dec. 3, at Peacock Park in Coconut Grove.

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Your Morning Sift

Good morning.

The week is moving along pretty quickly. We're already at Hump Day. I might have lunch out on South Beach today [I've got 4 restaurant possibilities lined up] so if you see me say hello. *smile* Here's your morning Sift.

A- You can always count on the Republican Party to display large amounts of hypocrisy on Wednesdays...or any other day for that matter, as Bark Bark Woof Woof notes in his latest post.

B- Obalesque maintains that children should be able to detect a photoshopped image when they see one and if they don't then tough cookies.

If kids are too damn dumb to figure out that the photos and movies they’re looking at are highly modified and idealized and basically fake, they deserve every bit of rotten self-esteem they harbor.

C- Go Hydrology! wonders about the wide disparity in rainfall totals for Fort Myers and Naples.

Along with the piece of paper the same interpretive ranger informed me of a meteorologist from Florida International University (FIU) who months earlier had alluded to a mysterious rain band that rain across the state from Ft Myers to West Palm Beach, but did not include Naples, and thus explained the lack of rain to the south.

D- The Green Parrot Bar announces that Sweat Records will be hosting a January meeting of The Green Parrot Bar Ukulele Association in Miami.

E- Eye on Miami claims they have found an "excellent" pizza place in Fort Lauderdale.

I had it at Franco & Vinny's. It has been in business since 1971. I ate the pizza so fast I forgot to take a picture of it. It was the correct color, red with some white showing through, but not too much sauce - it was just right. The crust was tasty (we asked for thin crust) and crispy: two requirements.

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SFDB Late Night Politics

This would be hilarious if it weren't true and so pathetically stupid...

The Daily Show
Get More: Daily Show Full Episodes,Political Humor & Satire Blog,The Daily Show on Facebook

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Your Evening Sift

Art Basel, Art Basel, Art Basel, Art Basel, Art Basel, Art Basel, Art Basel, Art Basel, Art Basel, Art Basel, Art Basel, Art Basel...that's what it feels like cruising through the local blogosphere. Have no fear. Not everything has been Baseled. Enjoy your evening Sift.

A- Southern District of Florida Blog comments on a New Times report on phony female paralegals entertaining prisoners in the Federal Detention Center in Miami.

We should treat inmates more humanely (especially first-time non-violent offenders) by letting them have limited internet access and occasional conjugal visits. We should also let them wear their own clothing and eat their own food, like they do in most other countries. There would be lots less violence and abuse. If an inmate messed up, these benefits would be taken away.

B- Carlos Miller takes issue with the Sun-Sentinel's coverage of a couple "cop watchers" who wound up going to jail.

Nowhere in her article does she inform readers that video recording cops is legal.

C- Coconut Grove Grapevine thinks pop up cafes are a good idea for the Grove.

I know many restaurants don't like the Food Trucks and this might be similar, but it isn't really because the pop up cafe would have more licensing regarding their existence and they would be part of the community on a regular basis until they are ready to pack it in and move on.

D- Swampstyle gives us a peek at Art Basel preparations in the Design District and throws in a wonderful little video.

It is not clear how exactly success is achieved during Art Basel Miami. It depends on who you ask, but a good yardstick measure criteria is just how swampy are you willing to get.

E- Beached Miami expands a little on a New York Times article they co-authored about Art Basel's effect on Miami's cultural scene.

One thing I feel very strongly is that Art Basel is not the primary catalyst behind Miami’s ongoing transformation. While it certainly made the city a flashing dot on the art world map, it does, in fact, have little direct impact on Miami artists and Miami galleries, only three of which are showing in the Convention Center this year.

The true catalyst, I believe, are the individuals in Miami who have decided to do something great, and to do it here. We cover them all the time on Beached Miami (examples 1, 2, and 3), and in the process I have come to see them collectively as the crucial variable in the ongoing development of Miami culture and identity. (I expressed a similar sentiment in a Miami Herald op-ed back in June.)

F- Soul of Miami shares a few images collected at the Knight Arts Foundation Awards last night.

G- The upcoming Verge Art exhibition is given a few paragraphs by Tropicult.

Sticking to their founding vision, Verge provides an alternative platform for art collectives and their projects otherwise found in places remote from and yet accessible often operating at the fringes of commercial centers.

Freed from the constraints of previous decades, collectives translated in the realm of emerging art as a unique approach to participation in the art marketplace and evolved into savvy operators capable of delivering on the needs of their own self-interests.

H- Another Irish bar is preparing to open in Brickell, says Eater Miami.

Menu includes a little bit of this and that: Kobe beef mini-burgers served with caramelized onions, brie, chipotle mayo and skinny fries; chicken quesadillas,pizzas, pastas, salads, burgers and Irish faves including corned beef platter and Guinness-battered fish and chips.As to be expected, beer selection is stout, with ten on tap and more in bottles.

I- Check out all the upcoming South Florida holiday events that South Florida Food and Wine has posted.




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The Colbert Report: Violent Black Friday

"We are once again spending money we don't have on things we don't need to give to people we don't like."

The Colbert Report
Get More: Colbert Report Full Episodes,Political Humor & Satire Blog,Video Archive

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SFDB Cartoon Of The Day

This seems about right...

-via Daily Kos



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The GOP's Bottom Of The Barrel

I've already detailed in another post why Newt Gingrich is the anti-conservative, not that it makes a lot of difference to the *ahem* principled Republicans who will vote for anyone with an "R" after their name in 2012. But in addition to all of his "imperfections," as those righteous wingnuts like to call Newt's defects, there's also this from 1997 for those of us who care to remember...

The House voted overwhelmingly yesterday to reprimand House Speaker Newt Gingrich (R-Ga.) and order him to pay an unprecedented $300,000 penalty, the first time in the House’s 208-year history it has disciplined a speaker for ethical wrongdoing…

Exactly one month before yesterday’s vote, Gingrich admitted that he brought discredit to the House and broke its rules by failing to ensure that financing for two projects would not violate federal tax law and by giving the House ethics committee false information.

This wasn't some partisan vote that was symbolic or politically driven. No, when the votes were tallied, 395 were for the reprimand, 28 were against.

This is the man that many Republicans feel is the best person to be sitting in the Oval Office.

This is all they have left.

Wait a minute.

I hear something. It's shrill. And there's chanting.

I was wrong. There is somebody else.






Oh, Sarah. We miss you.

Please come back.



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SFDB Morning Chuckle

-via tastefully offensive


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The Cooler

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

A- Sun-Sentinel: Video, the unusual sport of parkour.The growing trend that's attracting attention in South Florida?

It's called parkour and puts a new twist on the concept of moving from Point A to Point B. Devotees of the French invention look for unconventional ways to move around urban obstacles such as walls or railings.

B- Sun-Sentinel: He's such a maverick he isn't stopping at Versailles.

MIAMI-DADE— Mitt Romney will pick up the ultimate Cuban-American endorsement trifecta Tuesday in South Florida: The support of U.S. Reps. Ileana Ros Lehtinen and Mario Diaz-Balart, and his brother, former Congressman Lincoln Diaz-Balart.

[...]

The Tuesday morning endorsements of Ros Lehtinen and the Diaz-Balarts is scheduled for 8:30 a.m. in Medley at Conchita Foods, a family-owned company that sells Cuban cuisine like guava paste and canned black beans.

Often, candidates sip a cafecito at the Versailles Restaurant in Little Havana when they do Cuban-American outreach, but Romney's campaign instead chose Conchita, which was founded in Cuba and moved to the United States after Fidel Castro took over in 1959.

C- Palm Beach Post: Crack crack.

WEST PALM BEACH — A West Palm Beach woman was charged with shoplifting and possession of drug paraphernalia Sunday after city police alleged that she stole more than $300 worth of shoes.

[...]

While being questioned before a police search, Hart stated that she had paraphernalia in her possession.

She then removed two crack pipes out of her buttocks, the affidavit stated.

D- WSVN: Teen heroes.

MARGATE, Fla. (WSVN) -- Three South Florida teens are credited for rescuing a 3-year-old who nearly drowned in a canal behind his home.

[...]

Three teens, Michael Dusek, Johnny Grail and Antonio Ezzo, were reportedly fishing nearby and saw the child flailing his arms in the water. "We hear a loud splash, and we see all the ducks freaking out, and then, all of a sudden, we see a kid's face and arms flailing," said Dusek.

Grail said, "We hear a big kaboom. We see duck, duck, duck and then arms."

"I just couldn't believe that this little kid's drowning and I'm watching it," Ezzo said.

E- WPTV: The downside of gun ownership.

Nichols said Moorehead's husband was going out, and didn't want to take his .38 caliber derringer with him. He gave the derringer to his wife. The gun was in a blue reusable canvas shopping bag. Moorehead came in the home with the bag and was in the kitchen with her daughter.

Moorehead had her back to her daughter and as she looked for the derringer in the bag, the gun "was accidentally discharged," Nichols said.

The bullet struck Moorehead in the mid chest area.

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Your Morning Sift

Good morning.

Wow, it's slow out there in the South Florida blogosphere. Here's your morning Sift.

A- South Florida Classical Review shares December's South Florida classical events calendar.

B- AshAndBurn post some early photos from Art Basel here and here, as does Soul of Miami.

C- The Republican Party is the party of small government except when they're not...at Bark Bark Woof Woof.


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Your Evening Sift

Art Basel has taken over South Florida, including the blogosphere to some degree. So be patient over the next week as I can only work with what I got. Here's your evening Sift.

A- Eye on Miami notes how the women who collect absentee ballots in places like Hialeah mysteriously have so much political power.

This cottage industry, collecting absentee ballots, is not a wholesome road to fair elections in my opinion. And, as you can see in the Miami Herald today, on Sasha Tirador, the absentee ballot brokers are just getting more and more powerful.

B- South Florida Lawyers shares a rather painful video of a local lawyer and his office staff giving thanks.

C- Beached Miami takes a look at American Exuberance, currently being exhibited by the Rubell's.

Featuring 190 works, many of them made this year specifically for the show, by 64 artists, American Exuberance will occupy all 28 galleries in the Rubells’ 45,000-square-foot museum (which doubles as their home). All of the artists in the show are/were either U.S. citizens or residents whose work, according to the exhibition’s mission statement, can help us “understand the America we live in today.”

D- Eater Miami is reporting that a new wine bar is opening soon on Clematis in West Palm.

Located in the former Bonds Bar space on the first floor of the Comeau Building, Wine Dive will feature the cuisine of Executive Chef Curtis Hillard and over 100 wines by the glass.

E- Tomorrow night is Christmas on Las Olas and FTL Collective has some survival tips although nothing will help you cope with stressed out parents who just left their jobs, raced over to the area and are now trying to control their hyped up youngsters who want more sugar and a ride down Snow Mountain, or whatever the hell they're calling that oversized mound of ice this year.

1. Walk, bike, or teleport to this event because parking anywhere near Las Olas will be a bitch.

2. Wear close-toed shoes. Trust us on this one. There will be more strollers than you have ever seen in your life and they WILL run you over.

F- Shorter Gun Free Zone...

Only Democrats are turned off by a bunch of loud, obnoxious guys talking about shooting things while eating lunch in a public restaurant.

G- The Miami Bike Scene links to some great videos and a photo slideshow of the latest Critical Mass ride.

H- Carlos Miller is still pissing people off.

The intern got a little agitated that I was recording, so he grabbed my arm. I pulled away and warned that I would call the cops if he continued. He tried grabbing my arm again, but I moved it so he wouldn't touch the camera.

I'm not really one to call the cops on people, but I find threatening to call the cops on people is more effective than slapping their hand away.

I- Tropicult tells us what to expect from Arts For A Better World at the Surfcomber Hotel.

Arts For A Better World is a unique show presenting galleries from all over the world, showcasing works of artists that want to contribute to ‘a better world’ by inspiring all generations concerned with the future.

Arts For A Better World invites leaders, thinkers, artists, scientists, celebrities, politicians, educators, adults and children to embrace this powerful message offered by the universal language of art. Better World Musuem, a special curatorial space will showcase selected works from well established artists in a museum-like set up.

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SFDB's A Few Moments @ Saturday Night Art Events In Lauderdale

I spent part of Saturday night checking out two art-related events Fort Lauderdale. The first was the Annual Art Scavenger Hunt at Laser Wolf. At approximately 8 PM, maps were distributed to the folks in attendance...

...and everyone went scurrying to find pieces of hidden art in the surrounding neighborhood. Art could be hidden anywhere and sometimes walls had to be climbed to retrieve it.

I know, lousy photo. But you get the idea. Lots of flashlights. Lots of laughing and running around. Overall, it's a great time. But I still don't understand how some people wind up finding nothing while others walk away with literally armloads of the stuff.

Then it was on to the F.A.T. Village Art Walk. The scene here seems to change almost every month. In addition to the regular exhibits, this month there was a mini-custom car show with some electric guitar being played in the warehouse behind it. Take a look at some of the images I collected.

The F.A.T. Village Art Walk is held on the last Saturday of each month.


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Occupy Economics

On November 13th 2011, economists from the University of Massachusetts Amherst drafted an open statement to the Occupy Wall Street movement pledging their support. Since then, more than 200 economists from around the world have added their names. Read more at econ4.org.

Of course none of this matters or makes any sense to the cerebral folks who also consider all climate scientists to be quacks, Obama to be a Kenyan Muslim Socialist, and OWS supporters to be lazy, anti-American whiners.

'Cause it ain't legit until Megyn Kelly says it is.

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SFDB Morning Chuckle

The perfect Christmas gift for the cyclist in the family...

-via Fancy


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The Cooler

Yes, it's Cyber Monday and no, we're not going to mention it or link to any news organization that does. Enjoy your Cooler.

A- Sun-Sentinel: You know what this means: more emails about illegal immigration and Obama's birth certificate.

"Older people who never had a computer are logging on," said Tammy Gordon, director of social communications for AARP. "It's just the beginning of this huge wave of seniors that are using it on a daily basis."

In South Florida, droves of students are lining up to procure a seat at computer classes, said Haley St. John-Ayre with the Broward library system. "These people have never touched a mouse when they come in here," said Peggy Dodd, a volunteer instructor.

B- Sun-Sentinel: You named your baby what?

While most parents agonize over choosing that perfect name, in South Florida's multicultural communities, the choices are even more varied. Keep an ethic name that others may find hard to pronounce or use a more comon one to blend in? Pick a name that represents mixed cultures, borrow a celebrity's moniker or simply make one up?

In Florida, a move toward the mainstream appears to be taking place. Jayden was among the top three names for boys among Caucasians, Hispanics and African-Americans. And some common Hispanic names are losing appeal. Take for example, Jorge, which had been on the top 100 most popular names in the state for decades but hasn't made the cut since 2003.

C- Sun-Sentinel: Margaritaville madness.

Marathon— A Marathon man remained in jail Sunday after he was charges with assaulting a neighbor with a hatchet.

Maykel Borges, 32, had been asking residents of the Trailerama Trailer Park on 15th Street for beer throughout the day on Friday, witnesses told the Monroe County Sheriff's Office. And neighbors had given him several beers, they said.

Later, when Borges was told to go away, he left and returned with a hatchet and began arguing with others at the park. He swung the weapon at one man, cutting him on the side, according to sheriff's deputy Becky Herrin.

D- Palm Beach Post: This might not end well.

RIVIERA BEACH — Riviera Beach police are asking for the public's help in finding a 78-year-old man who went missing from an assisted living facility Sunday afternoon.

Authorities say they are particularly concerned because Roger Lee Miles suffers from a variety of medical issues and needs regular doses of medication, according to the information police spokeswoman Rose Anne Brown issued this morning.

Miles has been known to walk away and more than once has been found walking along Interstate 95. Usually, however he is wearing a global positioning device to help locate him. This time that device was left in his room.

E- Palm Beach Post: What a guy.

LOS ANGELES — Less than a third of the $16 million gathered in 2010 by hip-hop star Wyclef Jean for earthquake relief in Haiti actually made it to emergency efforts in the country, the New York Post reported on Sunday.

According to the exclusive report, Jean's charity, Yele Haiti, doled out millions in questionable contracts -- in fact, $1 million was paid to a Florida firm that doesn't seem to exist.

The Post also reported that a company called P&A Construction -- which is run by Warnel Pierre, Jean's brother-in-law -- received $353,983 from the group.

F- TC Palm: Oh boy.

During the next four months, nearly 258,000 Florida Power & Light Co. customers on the Treasure Coast will start receiving new electric meters on their homes and businesses that FPL officials say will end monthly visits by meter readers, reduce power outages and let customers check their electric use online.

Utilities across Florida and the U.S. are changing to this new "smart meter" technology, a key part of a government-subsidized effort aimed at building a more energy-efficient electric grid. It can transmit your home's energy use in real time. Proponents say smart meters also can help prevent some power outages even before they occur by signaling problems and remotely rerouting electrical loads.

[...]

Medeiros had her home's smart meter turned off — at least temporarily — after saying she experienced headaches when the new meter began broadcasting information on her home's electrical use.

"Were (the headaches) stress from having the meter on the house? Or was it because the meter was right outside my bedroom?" Medeiros said. "What I know is that I don't have (the headaches) now."

G- WPLG: Go ahead, make my day.

DAVIE, Fla. - A dog was shot and killed on Thanksgiving morning in Davie, said police.

"It's just so surreal," said Danny Abou, the dog's owner. On Thursday, a cyclist peddling through the Whispering Pines community shot and killed Abou's 2-year-old Doberman Pinscher, named Scooby.

"He just kept saying, 'I'm feeling threatened, I'm feeling threatened,'" said Abou, describing what the man said after the shooting.

Abou described Scooby as docile and said he was not the type to attack or go after anyone.

Davie police have not released the name of the shooter but Abou was told he will likely not face any charges because Scooby was not on a leash. Police said the shooter did have a permit to carry the gun.

H- WSVN: Life in South Florida.

MIAMI (WSVN) -- Authorities captured a ram after hours of it being loose in a local park.

The ram ran around for more than six hours at a Miami park off Southwest 60th Avenue and Second Street, Saturday. "There's actually a ram in the middle of our neighborhood," said a witness.

The animal broke up a little league practice in the park, running the bases while being chased by police officers.

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Your Morning Sift

Good morning.

Wow. Getting up this morning was, well, let's just say it was a little difficult. Turkey Day is behind us. On to Christmas! Enjoy your morning Sift.

A- Photos from P.I.G. III are provided by The Chowfather.

B- The Burger Beast visits Bulldog Burger in North Miami.

Holy f’in smokes. If you walk away from this post learning anything, it should be that having the Chili Cheese Fries topped with an Egg is a must. Once you start eating it you can’t stop. It’s not the fries that make this dish (which somehow stay crispy through all this). The Chili, Cheese and Egg combo is a good one. Muy bueno y muy rico.

C- Old Miami Dolphin photos at The305.Com.
D- The presidency of Ronald Reagan is worth mentioning when conservatives turn to criticizing JFK's, as Bark Bark Woof Woof notes.

Mr. Reagan wasn't even dead before the movement began to name something in every county in America for him, from a school to a septic system, and all a presidential candidate had to do was invoke his name at every stop to get the audience to swoon like Justin Bieber fans. This is despite the fact that in the current climate in the GOP, Mr. Reagan and his record of tax hikes and his willingness to compromise with the Democrats in Congress couldn't get him into the 2012 primaries ahead of Gary Johnson. And what Mr. Douthat says about JFK -- "We confuse charisma with competence, rhetoric with results, celebrity with genuine achievement" -- is applicable to the Reagan legacy as well.

E- Eye on Miami makes a prediction.

My bet is still that traffic will be the Art Basel story. We locals live with it, but it is going to create a very, very sour taste for visitors and business Miami depends on. Who will stand up and take responsibility?

F- Big photos of the Jacuzzi Boys August performance at Churchill's are up at Beached Miami.



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Your Evening Sift

I hear there's a cool down coming midweek. I guess I'll be okay with it when it gets here but these last few evenings out on the back patio next to the lake have sure been to die for. Here's your weekend-ending evening Sift.

A- All Purpose Dark takes a look at what Chef Michael Schwartz is offering up as result of his collaboration with Royal Caribbean. Lots of pictures are included.

By now you've no doubt heard that Michael Schwartz and his team are heading up operations aboard Royal Caribbean's tasting-only restaurant 150 Central Park. Last month we were invited aboard to taste the goods for a six-course feast. Each dish showcased what the chef does well - straightforward presentations of simply prepared but well-executed food with great ingredient sourcing. The menu was also a Greatest Hits of Michael's since many of the dishes were delicate, tasting-portion sized version of the classics you'll find on his restaurant's regular menu.

B- Miami Beach 411 posts an extensive and in-depth look at a Key Biscayne murder case that took place almost 50 years ago.

The murder of Jacques Mossler set the precedent for many infamous murder trials in the recent decades. Considered the O.J. Simpson trial of its day, the murder trial attracted the attention of the media and captivated the public. The trial of Mel Powers and Candy Mossler also proved one idea common to many of these publicized trials: money can get you out of any trouble, including murder.

C- Miamism Pix shares a photo that makes me smile.

D- South Florida Food and Wine places Cafe Boulud's Executive Chef, Jim Leiken, in this week's spotlight.

South Florida Food and Wine: What is your favorite dish to make at home?

Jim Leiken: Matzo Brei. It’s sometimes referred to as Jewish French Toast; it’s basically cracked-up matzo, softened under hot running water, then mixed with beaten egg and pan-fried in butter. My Grandma used to make it for me when we came down to Hollywood to visit her when I was little. I’ve modified it with bacon and caramelized onions. Not exactly kosher, but it hits the spot.

E- Tropicult continues their review of upcoming Art Basel exhibitions, this time looking at INK Miami.

INK showcases works by internationally acclaimed artists as well as the latest projects by leading contemporary print publishers and an in a courtyard hosts a series of events with an airy, relaxed ambiance.

F- One of organized gambling's biggest supporters in Florida appears to be having some problems with his own finances, according to the latest from Eye on Miami.

Florida State Rep and gambling shill Erik Fresen is carrying two IRS tax liens one from 2004 for $21,925.23 and a second for $7,274.37 from 2007 - total due as of May 5th 2011 $29,199.60. There was also a final judgment for foreclosure on August 25, 2009 for $641,141.15 but Erik is still in the house.

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SFDB Quote Of The Day

From David Frum's When Did The GOP Lose Touch With Reality?...

The Bush years cannot be repudiated, but the memory of them can be discarded to make way for a new and more radical ideology, assembled from bits of the old GOP platform that were once sublimated by the party elites but now roam the land freely: ultralibertarianism, crank monetary theories, populist fury, and paranoid visions of a Democratic Party controlled by ACORN and the New Black Panthers. For the past three years, the media have praised the enthusiasm and energy the tea party has brought to the GOP. Yet it’s telling that that movement has failed time and again to produce even a remotely credible candidate for president. Sarah Palin, Donald Trump, Michele Bachmann, Rick Perry, Herman Cain, Newt Gingrich: The list of tea-party candidates reads like the early history of the U.S. space program, a series of humiliating fizzles and explosions that never achieved liftoff. A political movement that never took governing seriously was exploited by a succession of political entrepreneurs uninterested in governing—but all too interested in merchandising. Much as viewers tune in to American Idol to laugh at the inept, borderline dysfunctional early auditions, these tea-party champions provide a ghoulish type of news entertainment each time they reveal that they know nothing about public affairs and have never attempted to learn. But Cain’s gaffe on Libya or Perry’s brain freeze on the Department of Energy are not only indicators of bad leadership. They are indicators of a crisis of followership. The tea party never demanded knowledge or concern for governance, and so of course it never got them.

Whether we all realized it or not at the time, McCain-Palin campaign volunteer Ashley Todd's faked attack and claims to being a victim in 2008, was a bellwether for the unabated fusillade of conspiracy theories, smears and outright lies that the Republican Party, its presidential candidates and Fox News have unleashed over the last three years in their efforts to discredit the President and liberalism in general.

But until they come up with some good ideas and, more importantly, a believable and articulate leader to transmit and give a reasonable voice to those ideas, they will always be cycling and recycling Ashley Todds and going nowhere.



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SFDB Sunday Secret

PostSecret


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Your Morning Sift

Good morning.

Can't believe it's the last day of a 10-day vacation. Man, it's been great. Here's your morning Sift.

A- Go Hydrology! proclaims his love for Florida citrus.

As easy as they are to peel and pull apart, and eat – all in sequence – without a drop of juice sticking to your hands ... therein lies the problem: the Californian orange – which in technical circles better known as a Washington Navel – is a tamed down version of what an “orange in full” was bred to be.

B- Yes, it's a picture of Nikon Miami hand feeding a tiger.

C- South Florida Food and Wine profiles California's Cupcake wines.

Cupcake Vineyards hails from California’s Central Coast; this dynamic and fast growing winery put its stamp on the wine world just a three short years ago in 2008 with only three wines, their flagship Chardonnay, Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon. Here we are 36 months later and the value-centric Cupcake Vineyards has aggressively added old world and new world influences to their lineup of wines making them a big player in their specific category. By going global in their formative years, it has allowed for seven international wines to be added to the Cupcake Vineyards portfolio from the various regions of Prosecco, Trentino and Asti in Italy; Germany’s Mosel region; Barossa Valley, in Australia; Marlborough, New Zealand and Mendoza, Argentina. With many loyal fans, great marketing, a growing portfolio and affordable pricing this is no longer the little winery that could but a strong contender in the mainstream wine market.

D- Very cool video posted at Beached Miami that shows the beginning of the latest Critical Mass ride.

E- What's up at NADA this year during Art Basel...at Tropicult.

NADA’s fair is held in parallel with Art Basel Miami Beach and is recognized as a much needed alternative assembly of the world’s youngest and strongest art galleries dealing with emerging Contemporary Art. It is the only major American art fair to be run by a non-profit organization and is recognized as the preeminent fair featuring the world’s most significant emerging art galleries from over 30 cities worldwide.

F- Gun Free Zone tells us about his day out on the range where he spent some time breaking in a few new safety officers.

The match also was the first time three Prospective Safety Officers were to run squads. Basically this was their final examination and in the tradition of our club, we made their lives miserable.

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SFDB Saturday Night Turndown Service

Chromeo, Night By Night



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Your Evening Sift

It's the Saturday after Thanksgiving and no one is blogging. Well, almost no one. Here's your very skimpy evening Sift.

A- Miami Dish takes a look at The Indian Summer cocktail at Sra. Martinez.

Scott Mayer, beverage director at Sra. Martinez, envisioned the cocktail as a summer drink—a twist on the mojito. “Indian” also refers to the flavor—Mayer was inspired by a mint chutney recipe. However, the warming ginger of the Domaine du Canton and the chilis also make it ideal for “true” fall days. A moderate heat creeps over the tongue as the chilis continue to steep.

B- The305.Com makes a video out of the aftermath of a Publix truck crashing into an Escalade last night on Miami Beach.


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Black Friday Shop 'Til You Drop Edition

Seriously...

SOUTH CHARLESTON, W.Va. (WSAZ) -- A man collapsed while doing some Black Friday shopping in a crowded store, and people nearby continued to shop.

Witnesses tell WSAZ.com some shoppers walked around and even over the man's body.

[...]

It happened at Target in the Southridge Shopping Center in South Charleston about 12:15 a.m. Friday.

Vance got sick and collapsed on the floor while shopping for Christmas decorations for his newly remodeled workplace.

Because for some people celebrating the birth of Jesus it's always a toss up whether to help the guy dying on the floor or getting Mom a super $2 waffle iron.


-image via Jesus General


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SFDB's A Few Moments @ Hugh Taylor Birch State Park

Yesterday was a gorgeous day to sit by the Intracoastal, eat peanuts, watch the boats go by and not participate in the Black Friday silliness. So that's what I did. I'm happy to report that lots of people were out there with me.

Here's my pictorial essay.

Hugh Taylor Birch State Park is one of my favorite places in South Florida to spend the afternoon. Your tax dollars pay for it and you're doing yourself a disservice if you bypass this gem that is located in Fort Lauderdale.




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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 previous week. We find the best post of the week and note the runners ups as we judge them to be.

I'm a coupla days late on this but with all the holiday hoopla, I seriously doubt anyone missed the week's Post of the Week. Let's take a look at this week's selections.

Runners-Up: Sex and the Beach presented an epic three part post on fishing in the Florida Keys that was well-composed and generously imaged. Mike LaMonica took us along for the ride when he recently ran a half-marathon in Fort Lauderdale and provided an entertaining video that documented his efforts. Justice Building Blog coordinated the collection and collation of data gathered by approximately 20 lawyers over the course of 6 months in order to determine the average wait times for attorneys visiting the various detention facilities in Miami-Dade County.

Winner: Eye on Miami continues to labor hard in their efforts to get some attention paid to the abuse of the absentee ballot voting system that is allegedly regularly abused by South Florida politicians and their supporters. At a public hearing conducted in November, a Miami-Dade County commissioner went on the record as thanking Eye on Miami for their work and bringing the abuse to her attention so that she could lead the push for an ordinance that attached a penalty for such abuses. So many times bloggers complain about the system and accomplish nothing and it's rare that we effect change, which is exactly what Eye on Miami did in this case. That's big. And that's why "Rebeca Sosa Thanks Eye On Miami and We Thank The Commissioner" is deserved of this week's SFDB Post of the Week recognition.

'Til next time, people, keep on blogging!

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Your Morning Sift

Good morning.

I have a nice size morning Sift for your reading enjoyment. While you're here, don't forget to check out the SFDB Weekend Widget in the right sidebar. Here's your morning Sift.

A- Shorter Gun Free Zone...

Newspapers need to stop including so many facts in their stories because ideological fanatics like myself have a tendency to read into them.

B- Some Blogging Guy posts some photos of wildlife that he took while in Lake Placid yesterday.

C- Worst Pizza divides his attention between the pizza and the plates at the Grove's Spartico Pizza.

I ordered a plain pie with no basil on it and asked for it to be well done. The waitress was nice enough but didn’t seem to grasp that we would need plates with our food. This was evident when we got the garlic bread (delicious) and had no plates. We asked for plates and she brought one. We asked for another, and finally got one for me too.

D- Go Hydrology! provides a video comparison of summer and winter scenes at the Naples Pier.

E- Tropicult previews Art Basel's Seven exhibition.

Seven, a pioneering collective project composed of seven galleries, looks beyond the art fair model to create a new platform for viewing and acquiring works of art through a collaborative exhibition-like presentation of galleries and artists.

F- The Heat Lightning unveils their comprehensive listing of Art Basel events.

G- I used to do a fair bit of shopping at Sym's so I was a little shocked to read this morning at Discourse that it is closing.

You would think that a deep discounter of clothing, even if some of it was fairly fancy clothing, would thrive in a recession, but apparently not. One might argue that it sure must be one awful recession if it takes down even Syms. One report suggests that Syms’s problem was that it just wasn’t as big as some of its competitors in the designer clothing trade.

H- Eye on Miami compares absentee voting patterns for various Republican candidates in Miami-Dade County.

I- All Purpose Dark asks Chef Michael Schwartz a few questions.

APD: What are you most excited about for the coming year?
MS: Some great news is that after a year of making and trying to sell a TV pilot to cable, with all the ups and downs that go along with that, we found a home on public television. It's called The Local Table, it's a food/travel show that highlights slow food and the people behind the small, family businesses that produce the food that feeds our communities around the country. It's about sourcing what's seasonal and cooking with the freshest, local ingredients. PBS just gave us the green light, with WLRN onboard as our presenting station to national, and sponsors are showing interest.

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Your Evening Sift

I woke up rather leisurely this morning, took a nice long walk to my local Starbucks and back and spent the afternoon at Birch State Park in Lauderdale. Beats the hell out of fighting traffic and materialistic shoppers with bad attitudes just to save a couple hundred bucks. At least I think so. Enjoy your evening Sift.

A- South Florida Theatre Scene gets you prepared for this weekend's productions with his weekly review.

B- Obalesque gets a facelift.

C- FTL Collective notes some Fort Lauderdale businesses that you might want to frequent during Small Business Saturday, which is tomorrow.

D- A new Fresh market is supposed to open this Wednesday on Miami Beach, according to Belle Isle Blog.


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Friday Flashback

1970's....





Roto-Rooter Commercial


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It's Black Friday, Call Roto Rooter

Digestion means congestion...

The day after Thanksgiving is the single busiest of the year for residential plumbers nationwide.

Big holiday meal preparation and cleanup can lead to a lot of unwanted waste in the kitchen drain and garbage disposal. Also, a house full of holiday guests who require additional clothes washing, showers and toilet flushes puts a strain on household plumbing.

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Black Friday News Of The Day

This would never happen at K-Mart.

LOS ANGELES – A woman shot pepper spray to keep shoppers from merchandise she wanted during a Black Friday sale, and 20 people suffered minor injuries, authorities said.

The incident occurred shortly after 10:20 p.m. Thursday in a crowded Los Angeles-area Walmart as shoppers hungry for deals were let inside the store.

Police said the suspect shot the pepper spray when the coverings over the items she wanted were removed.

[...]

He said she was apparently after some electronics and used the pepper spray to keep other shoppers at bay.

Why anyone ventures out and willingly mixes it up with the lunatics who venture out and mix it up on a day like today is something that I'll never understand.




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Your Morning Sift

Good morning.

Happy Black Friday, readers. Take a breather from shopping and enjoy your morning Sift.

A- Gun Free Zone somehow thinks that the message of "Don't Rape" is "wishful and dangerous thinking."

Ladies, be aware, fight with all your might if necessary and have the tools that will allow you to overcome your attacker. That will teach them “Do Not Rape” better than any silly social program.

B- Eye on Miami did a drive by on the Best Buy in Aventura late last night and has the pictures of what they found.

C- Go Hydrology! urges us to make it a "Blue Friday."

But why not cheer for our watersheds instead?

And I don’t mean sitting in front of the TV to do so. There’s any number of trails, water ways, overlooks, and country corridors ready and waiting for us to see and experience them first hand. After all, it’s our watersheds which define us as a community most. And the waters that run through them in the form of the water cycle are its pulse.

D- Beached Miami shares their thoughts on the Dolphins Thanksgiving Day loss...and some other things.

The halftime show deserves a mention considering it was a hilarious hodgepodge of scripted 305-inspired crap. Pitbull is the man and all, but he’s turning into a tropical nightclub cartoon character. And I’d like Enrique Iglesias to sleep with my sister so I can try out my David Carradine-inspired Five Point Exploding Scrotum Technique on him. I don’t have a sister and that halftime show was birdshit.

E- Florida Keys Girl shares her Turkey Day photos.


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Your Evening Sift

I ditched the turkey and stuffing this year for some pizza and I have to say I feel a lot better than I usually do at this time on Thanksgiving Day. I know, I know...it's sacrilege. But it really does work, readers. You oughta try it at least one year.

As you might imagine, there wasn't much going on in the South Florida blogosphere today. Enjoy your evening Sift and prepare yourself for Black Friday.

A- Food for Thought shows us what he did with his first CSA share this week.

I'm back at it again this year, but with a new supplier. I signed up this season for a CSA with Little River Market Garden, a pocket-sized little farm on a residential lot near Miami's Little River. It's less than five miles away from my house, which somehow seemed more in keeping with the spirit of a CSA. It's nice to be able to pick up right from the farm, instead of a neighborhood drop-off point, to see the stuff growing right there, and to say hi every week to the person growing it (Hi Muriel!).

B- Roy Black uses his blog to answer some complaints made by a fairly prominent forensic pathologist.

Since my last article, I received an email from Dr. Cyril Wecht about it. Clearly Dr. Wecht was not enamored of the tone of my article. I try to answer his complaints with an email of my own.

C- Thanksgiving greetings from The Reid Report.


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A GOP Thanksgiving

From Jimmy Kimmel...





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The New Yorker's Thanksgiving Cover

The New Yorker

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Are You Doing That "Black Thing" Today?

Amazing....




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Linus' Thanksgiving Prayer

Thanksgiving, according to Linus...




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Your Thanksgiving Day Morning Sift

Good morning. Today's the big day. Don't eat too much and feel free to stop back throughout the day as I have several posts scheduled between your many servings of turkey, stuffing, gravy and pumpkin pie. You might also want to get a head start on the holiday weekend by checking out the SFDB Weekend Widget in the right sidebar. Have a great Thanksgiving, readers.

A- Thanksgiving Day thoughts from Justice Building Blog, Random Pixels, Coconut Grove Grapevine, A Mom, a Blog, and the Life In-Between, Miamism, South Florida Food and Wine, The Chowather, Bark Bark Woof Woof, Discourse, Eye on Miami, Go Hydrology! and Gun Free Zone.

B- Miami Beach 411 takes a look at the peaceful relationship Miami OWS protestors have had with authorities.

While Occupy encampments across the country are battling it out with police on a daily basis, getting their faces doused with pepper spray and their bones battered with batons, Occupy Miami’s encampment has been all about the song and dance.

C- Immigration and the process to become a U.S. citizen is discussed by an Under the Sun producer who tells her story.



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