SFDB Saturday Night Turndown Service

Esperanza Spalding, Tell Him



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Your Evening Sift

Slow, slow Saturday in the South Florida blogosphere means a skimpy evening Sift. Hopefully you're during something that's on the SFDB Weekend Widget in the right sidebar this evening right after you're finished taking in your Sift. Enjoy.

A- Shorter Gun Free Zone...

How To Get Ready For An Ugly Negro Uprising.

B- South Florida Guy checks out one of South Florida's true tourist institutions.

MeduSirena Marina and her mermaids perform at the Wreck Bar in the Sheridan Hotel on Fort Lauderdale beach.

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A Message From President Bartlet

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The Sun Sentinel Erects A Paywall

On Friday, the Sun Sentinel announced that, effective April 9th, it will be launching "digital memberships" and moving all its content behind a paywall. Sun Sentinel Publisher and CEO Howard Greenberg doesn't give any reasons behind the change that will occur in just 10 days and that will also include the Tribune Company's other newspapers like the LA Times, Baltimore Sun, and the Star Tribune. and Dallas Morning News. In fact, the LA Times has been charging for content since March 5th.

Some Blogging Guy gives us his usual broad brush treatment of the subject this morning, but there are a lot of serious questions that a move like this generates that Mr. Greenberg's short, abrupt notice fails to answer. For one, how much is one of these subscriptions going to cost? The answer can be found here at the Sun Sentinel's digital subscription sign up page: $4.95 a month.

What do you get for that? Well, you might get access to the paper's "eEdition," which is a copy of the actual paper in a special viewer that I suppose makes the paper mobile device friendly although the Herald's version of the same system [at $1.99 a month] notes that the "[t]he web version of The Miami Herald Digital Edition Newspaper is currently not compatible with the iPhone or iPad because of its use of Flash." Then again, you might get access to the regular internet version that you now get for free. But it's hard to tell given the lack of information.

Another obvious question is whether or not there are enough people out there willing to pay for content that is already provided to a large degree by any variety of different news sources in South Florida. In a recent column by Washington Post ombudsman Patrick B. Pexton, a move to paywalls by Gannett Co. is noted but Pexton explains why the Post won't be doing the same thing...

Industry experts say that, to make a paywall work, you have to have a loyal core of readers who come frequently to the Web site and stay awhile. This core has to be several hundred thousand readers strong before it makes sense to charge them and take the risk of losing more fickle users who will go elsewhere for online news.

The Post doesn’t think that its core of loyal readers is large enough yet to consider a paywall, but it hopes to get there in a year, maybe two.

The Post may be the only paper in the country who is counting on more readers but, hey, good for them. The Sun-Sentinel's daily circulation in 2011 was 175,000, according to a Herald article that is reposted here.

Here's what I think.

The Sun Sentinel is no NY Times [who also is running a somewhat successful paywall system] or even an LA Times that maintains a daily circulation of over 600,000. It's a onetime decent local newspaper that has been run into the ground by Sam Zell and his cronies and has been left to rot in the South Florida sun for much too long. Legions of excellent journalists have been fired or have left because of bad management and steadily decreasing morale problems that have been unaddressed by each successive new wave of management to the company. Advertising revenue has continued to fall across the newspaper industry. Many newspaper executives like Mr. Greenberg have run out of ideas of how to become profitable and are seeing paywalls as a last ditch solution to the problem.

After years of neglect, the Sun Sentinel just isn't capable of producing enough unique content to motivate readers to pony up a subscription fee month after month. Readers will simply go to the Miami Herald, the Palm Beach Post or any one of a number of local TV news websites. Or they'll get creative like LA residents. After a few months, the Sun-Sentinel will be forced to reconsider their paywall initiative or it will become just another bad decision by the Tribune Co. that will further decimate the newspaper.

As best I can tell, the Herald and Palm Beach Post have not addressed this latest move by the Sun Sentinel. My guess is they're too busy considering where to place their new, beefy Broward Bureaus.



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SFDB Saturday Morning Video

What goes into actually assembling a book is something that I've never given much thought to, but when I watch this very interesting video I feel like I'm watching a soon to be lost art...





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Your Morning Sift

Good morning.

We have our morning walk under our belt and SFDB is humming along with your morning Sift and an updated Weekend Widget in the right sidebar. Good morning and enjoy your Sift!

A- Go Hydrology! walks us through an almost-dry cypress dome this morning.

B- Worst Pizza is impressed with the new Esposito's Coal Fire Pizza in Lake Worth.

Located on the South East corner of Lantana Road and Jog road is this new delight of a pizza place called Esposito’s Coal Fire Pizza. This is the type of pizza you will drive miles to taste, and the next day you could very well crave it again.

C- Eye on Miami would like to see more Norman Bramans in South Florida.

Norman Braman isn't Miami's only billionaire businessman. But he is the only Miami businessman who has had the courage, guts, and determination to tackle corrupt county politics by lending the weight of his voice and financial capacity to changing a dysfunctional status quo.

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Your Evening Sift

Welcome to Friday night, readers. I'm running out to get something to eat but want to let you know that I'm leaving you with plenty of Sift and Weekend Widget [in the right sidebar] to keep you occupied. Have fun.

A- Food for Thought [now with video!] previews the Harding Dinner Series that you gotta move fast for if you care to experience it.

The next course was one of the best things I've eaten this year. Jeremiah' s duck pastrami was cured in salt, sugar and pink salt for about five days, then thin shavings of the duck were plated on a long communal plank[3] with brussels sprout "kraut" and a spiced pumpernickel streusel. It was just a perfect combination of flavors: the duck, meaty and fatty; the sprouts, bright, vegetal and tart; the streusel providing an earthy, spicy anchor for it all. Great stuff.

B- Josh's Delicatessen & Appetizing is just a few weeks away from opening in Surfside, according to Eater Miami.

In addition to his award winning matzoh balls made with duck fat and ginger beer, Marcus promises a lot including smoked sable (black cod brined for three hours then hot smoked for four hours, topped with molasses and paprika); pickled mackerel; pastrami salmon; corned beef; Harding salami (a house-made combination of a savory Italian salami and classic kosher hard salami); and tongue.

C- In case you haven't had enough of the story of Rakontur and their films of about South Florida, Salty Eggs satisfies the need.

“L.A. is the place where you go when you wanna be somebody. New York is the place you go when you are somebody. Miami’s the place you go when you wanna be somebody else. That defines so much of our culture here, and so many of the Gatsby-esque characters,” says Corben. “The city inspires us literally every day with its never-ending sordid and assorted cast of characters and stories past and present.”

D- South Florida Food and Wine did a nice job documenting the Savor the Avenue dining event in Delray Beach last night.

The event was not just about food & wine but the entire outdoor experience with the highlight being the 1200+ foot dining table that stretched just about a quarter of a mile; each of the 18 participating restaurants decorated their tables personifying their restaurant, their staff and their chef.

E- Redland Rambles has your CSA share for Week #17.

F- I'm getting the idea that Florida Keys Girl can be a tough customer at a restaurant after reading her review of Hakkasan.

We were running a little late for our reservation so we called and let them know that we are late, but would be there. We were told that was not a problem. Then we arrived to a thirty-plus minute wait. (Yes, I understand we were late, but we called and were essentially told that they would hold our table.) They did not hold our table. When I asked the hostess about it, she tried back pedaling and said that they do not hold tables. That would have been helpful information WHEN WE CALLED YOU. Not so helpful when we are sitting at the bar for over half an hour.

G- South Florida Lawyers posts the latest "David Samson Of The Marlins Is An A-hole" story.

H- Was a Miami Beach police officer relieved of duty for racing along the beach with his siren and lights going? Random Pixels has the story.

And in another case that could prove to be a major headache for Martinez's new administration, I've learned that the chief was forced to relieve Officer Eric Dominguez of duty after a videotape surfaced that allegedly shows him speeding in his police cruiser along an area of the beach near Ocean Drive and 8th Street.

I- South Beach Condo Blog breaks the news that Rosie O'Donnell has put her Miami Beach property on the market. Yeah. Me neither.

J- Obalesque has purchased his new car!

The new car is a RAV-4 Sport. This is our fourth RAV-4, but Yes, sadly, it’s our first automatic transmission. I called around to numerous dealers with small SUVs that allegedly offer manual shifts. Zero results.

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Friday Flashback

1981...





Sugarhill Gang, Apache (Jump On It)



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The Four Cars I Want In My Garage

If you've spent any time at all here at SFDB, you know I enjoy automobiles. Because it's Friday and a perfect day for dreaming, here are the 4 cars I would love to populate my garage and driveway...

#1...

Porsche 911

The classic design of the 911 has been my favorite since I was young. I still love them and would one in any of its many versions.

#2...

Alfa Romeo Spider Veloce

Every garage needs a drop top, especially if you live in Florida. The Alfa [in red, of course] is my favorite.

#3...

International Harvester Scout

Since I'll be eventually moving out to Colorado, the Alfa and the Porsche are going to be grounded for 5 months out of the year. That's when I break out the Scout, knock it into 4-wheel drive and go!

#4...

BMW 2002tii

The memories of the rides I took in my Dad's burnt orange BMW 2002tii through the German countryside when I was a kid are still fresh in my memory. Why wouldn't I not want to relive those if I could?

So there they are. The four cars I would love to have to choose from for my sunny spring morning drive down the road.

What are some of yours?




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South Florida Cartoons

Chan Lowe, Sun-Sentinel

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Walgreens: Your Official Marlins Parking Sponsor

 Depressing.

Beginning with Sunday’s exhibition dress rehearsal against the New York Yankees, game-goers can park in the Walgreens lot located just a block west of the sparkling new baseball stadium.

But don’t expect to do so for free. The asking price for a spot within stumbling distance of the ballpark is $32.49 per car.

[...]

Robert Elfinger, a Walgreens spokesman, confirmed that the company’s corporate office has signed off on the plan to rent out roughly 20 spaces for Marlins games, but more than half of the lot will remain open for store customers.

Because this is South Florida, you know it's only a matter of time before someone pays that nice round figure of $32.49 for that primo drugstore parking place and then sells it for $100 to the 60-year old guy in the Mercedes 500 series who has arrived in the area 15 minutes before game time with his 20-something "girlfriend" and naturally doesn't want to mix it up with the great unwashed riding the shuttle from a mile away.

Oh boy. The first week of games are going to be something to see read about.


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SFDB Friday Morning Kickstart

Although not real, this is still somewhat disturbing, I'd say...

- Dietrich Wagner via Fancy


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The Cooler

Here's your news review for this Friday morning.

A- Sun-Sentinel: Life in South Florida.

PEMBROKE PINES— Motorists in Broward and Miami-Dade counties chased money along Interstate 75 that flew from a suspected bank robber's backpack Thursday as he escaped by motorcycle from a Wells Fargo branch in Pembroke Pines.

The scooped up cash must be returned, the FBI said.

B- Sun-Sentinel: Going the way of Circuit City?

Best Buy Co.reported weaker-than-expected quarterly sales and said it would close 50 large U.S. stores and lay off another 400 employees, disappointing investors looking for even deeper cuts to turn around the world's largest consumer electronics chain.

C- Palm Beach Post: I think it's time for a breakup.

According to an arrest report, Cox and her boyfriend argued when she became upset about him giving food to his brother.

Cox grabbed a plate of food and threw it on the ground, the report said.

She allegedly started to strike her boyfriend with a closed fist, then picked up a small concrete brick and threw it at him, striking his right temple. She then threw the brick again, striking him on the top left side of his head, the report said.

D- South Florida Business Journal: Republican Governor Scott's idea of creating jobs.

Florida has lost 28,200 leisure and hospitality jobs since the beginning of the recession, according to a new On Numbers analysis of U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data.

Leisure and hospitality jobs fell 2.86 percent in the Sunshine State, to 957,900 in January 2012 from 986,100 in January 2008. Florida’s hospitality job decline is only lower than that of California, which suffered a loss of 30,500 jobs over the four-year period.

E- WPLG: This explains a lot.

PEMBROKE PINES, Fla. - Some South Florida driving school instructors say they have the answers to the state's written exam and it's for sale.

What's even more shocking is cash transactions are taking place right in front of the driver's license office.

Is it cheating?

The Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles says no.

[...]

For $30, Arnold took a Local 10 producer to the trunk of his car, where the producer bought 106 questions and answers.

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Your Morning Sift

Good morning.

TGIF, readers. The SoFla blogosphere has begun so your morning Sift will take but just a minute.

A- The University of Miami is recognized as a bicycle-friendly college, according to Spokes 'n' Folks.

The University of Miami, where dorm-dwelling freshmen must leave their cars back home, won bronze-level recognition this week as a bicycle-friendly university. It's the sole Florida university recognized.

B- The Street continues adding new photos to its line up.

C- Bark Bark Woof Woof has some suggestions for Rick Santorum to assist him in being more like Saint Ronald Reagan.

Far be it from me to take the candy away from the baby, but if Mr. Santorum really wants to emulate the legacy of Ronald Reagan -- the real one, not the fictional "Ronald Reagan" that the GOP has sanctified and sanitized -- he'll raise taxes eleven times, including one of the largest in history; he'll sit down with Democrats and come up with compromises; and he'll try to come up with an immigration policy that allows for amnesty instead of deportation.

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Your Evening Sift

The SFDB Weekend Widget is going great guns in the right sidebar and tomorrow is Friday. What else could you wish for? Why, your evening Sift, of course. Your wish is granted. Enjoy.

A- After denigrating and belittling the Pope for weeks, Babalu Blog's [via Twitter] George Moneo says that Babalu is doing God's work.

On a daily basis we have superb writing coupled with right action. We are doing God's work, in so many ways -- more so, certainly, than "holy" men with big hats. We are fighting the good fight for what is true and good.

B- Beached Miami's Instapix of the Week has been selected.

C- Your South Florida Classical Review Prose of the Day moment.

The opening Allegro was both darkly moody and powerful. De Rosa’s burnished sound and Wosner’s pianistic colors were perfectly matched to Brahms’ temperate but passionate music. In the charming Allegretto, De Rosa’s lithe phrasing shaped the sprightly theme to beguiling effect, and the cellist attacked the finale with fierce urgency. Here Wosner took the lead, bringing terrific virtuosity and abandon to the daunting piano line. The duo ripped through the coda at top voltage, concluding an exciting performance.

D- Get a full helping of Miami-Dade politics at Political Cortadito.

E- South Florida Guy catches Celtic Mayhem at The Field in Broward.

This particular middle of the week night featured a very rare appearance by my new favorite Irish band Celtic Mayhem. Three long sets, with two short breaks filled the night with rocking Celtic music and some oldies that were new when I first heard them making them classics. I'm sure they were new to some of the folks sitting near me. That would be the ones who weren't singing along till the second chorus.

F- Go Hydrology! wades into the water to retrieve some litter and gets his photo taken.

G- Searching for Signs notes that perhaps one of the reasons that the Pope didn't meet with Cuban dissidents is that there are just so many of them.

Which brings me to this point: Assuming there was a real opportunity (which is doubtful), there might be a small kernel of validity in the Vatican’s comment that there are many dissident groups and the diverse nature of these groups limited the ability to meet with any one of them. My interpretation of this is that the Vatican received many letters and messages from different groups exhibiting a wide range of requests and even agendas. It’s no big secret that the dissident movement in Cuba is splintered. Some of the groups don’t like each other very much and rivalries exist. Sad, but true. My hunch is that the Vatican sensed this in the wide range of messages and requests they received and feared causing further division within the dissident ranks.

H- Plan on seeing some theater this weekend with the help of South Florida Theatre Scene's weekly review.



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SFDB Name That Spot #31

Name That Spot is a periodic feature in which SFDB readers attempt to identify the South Florida location of the photo that is displayed.

Name that spot...

Past winners include Frodnesor, Karendipitee, Superbee, C.L.J.[2], Miami Bike Scene, CultureDesigners, Gretchen, Balou[3], Gus, brwass, smedvin, Michael Kain, The Chowfather[2], Lori, CB[2], South Florida Food and Wine, Whack-A-Mole[2] and Alex de Carvalho[2]. There's been four Stumpers and one identified by "Anonymous."




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The Company We Keep

I hear we're a "Christian Nation."

Indeed.

The United States placed fifth overall on a list of nations that executed the most people in 2011, according to human rights advocacy group Amnesty International. Amnesty, which compiles its report every year, opposes capital punishment in all circumstances, regardless of allegations against those facing the death penalty. It noted that the U.S. shares its dubious ranking with countries like China, Iran, Iraq and Saudi Arabia, which round out the top five. China was by far the worst offender, and the group said it suspects that thousands were executed last year, but they could not provide an estimate because those numbers are suppressed.

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SFDB Morning Chuckle

-via apple arts



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The Cooler

There's lots of strange and oddly interesting news this morning so let's get right to it.

A- Sun-Sentinel: Be forewarned, the streets of Fort Lauderdale will be a mess this evening.

The streets of downtown Fort Lauderdale will get a pounding Thursday night as thousands are expected for the Mercedes-Benz Corporate Run and traffic is diverted.

B- Sun-Sentinel: Classy.

Miami Beach police say two Transportation Security Administration officers partied a little too hard Tuesday night, trashed their South Beach hotel room, then picked up a semi-automatic handgun and shot six rounds out the window.

One bullet pierced a $1,500 hurricane-resistant window at a nearby Barneys New York, penetrated a wall and tore into some jeans in the closed store's stockroom, according to store manager Adelchi Mancusi.

C- Palm Beach Post: Video, that isn't an Easter Bunny, it's a cop looking for violators.

WEST PALM BEACH — A man and a bunny were walking down the center median of Okeechobee Boulevard Wednesday morning when the bunny began flashing a sign at passing motorists: "Have a safe, hoppy holiday. Buckle up!"

Amused drivers smiled and waved at the duo. (One motorist even tried to give the man a $20, thinking he was homeless.) But this was no joke. Both were West Palm Beach police officers out to enforce the state-sponsored "Click it or Ticket" campaign; signalling other officers stationed off Tamarind Avenue when motorists were not wearing their seat belts.

D- South Florida Business Journal: Not surprising.

According to a five-year study conducted by SeekingArrangement.com, a sugar daddy and sugar baby dating site, South Florida ranks No. 8 in the nation with 2.14 out of every 1,000 men having sugar daddy status, which means they support a much younger person with whom they have a romantic relationship. These wealthy, older men also rank No. 4 for the most generous with an average monthly allowance of $4,927 for their sugar addiction. South Florida sugar daddies have a total net worth of $7.5 million and an average income of $341,633.

E- NBC Miami: The payoff.

Websites are hawking key chains bearing Trayvon Martin's likeness. His parents have bought two trademarks, saying they hope to raise money to help other families struck by tragedy. Trayvon clothes, bumper stickers, buttons and posters are up for grabs on eBay.

Vendors selling Martin T-shirts and hoodies have become fixtures at rallies in Sanford, the central Florida town where Martin was shot last month. At one Sanford rally this week, a man had a variety of T-shirts laid out on the ground as marchers went by, yelling out, "I've got every size!"

F- WSVN: Life in South Florida.

OAKLAND PARK, Fla. (WSVN) -- A toddler wearing a gold chain became the victim of a robbery after two thieves ripped the piece of jewelry right off his neck.

Two-year-old Pauly and his family were swimming at the pool of their Forrest Lawn Apartments complex along South Oakland Forrest Drive, Saturday.

Around 6 p.m., Pauly needed a change of diaper and headed toward his apartment with a family member. Unbeknownst to anyone, two teenagers were watching the child.

On the way back to the pool, the two teens ambushed the toddler and yanked the gold Gucci necklace from his neck. "He [teen] runs through the grass, kneels down, yanks it," said sister Jennifer Pixley.

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Your Morning Sift

Good morning.

It was a busy night in the South Florida blogosphere so get comfortable, read your morning Sift and take in the SFDB Weekend Widget in the right sidebar.

A- Everything you cared to know about "Nurtriloaf" is at Southern District of Florida Blog.

B- Justice Building Blog opines that the Obama Administration was poorly represented in the highest court in the land yesterday.

But the questions were not surprising. This was no ambush. Verrilli had to know the questions were coming, and yet he acted more like a first year moot court student who read the wrong problem rather than the SG of the US.

C- The Green Parrot remembers the late, great Earl Scruggs.

D - Some Blogging Guy is considering a return to Blogger from Wordpress and can't help but think of me and his usual handful of stereotypes.

As we all know, Rick is a leftist. Excuse me, I mean a “Progressive”, which is the new code name they go by. Rick is left of Maxine Waters. I think he even taught himself to be left handed several years ago. All his windows in his house open to the left, and he even drives on the left side of the road in South Florida, where traffic is so screwed up no one even notices. So, how could Rick be “right” about Blogger??? Could he be left about it? That doesn’t make sense.

E- 17 new photos are up at The Street.

F- Searching for Signs tries to take the Christian approach when assessing the Pope's visit to Cuba.

The day Cuba becomes free, it will be because of the Damas de Blanco and the other brave dissidents, as well as faithful Christians such as Blessed John Paul II and, yes, Pope Benedict XVI and others who chose to break those chains of hate despite their human imperfections.

G- Marco Rubio has endorsed Mitt Romney and Bark Bark Woof Woof wonders if he would be a good vice-presidential choice.

So just because Marco Rubio has a vowel at the end of his name and likes cafecito doesn't mean he's going to get the votes for the ticket any more than if they chose Michele Bachmann to nail down the women's vote.

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SFDB Late Night Politics

Stephen Colbert mocks the stupidity of gun extremists and their conspiracies...

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Your Evening Sift

The SFDB Weekend Widget in the right sidebar is up and running so make sure you check it out. It will be continually updated as we move through the next 4 days of weekend bliss. Here's your evening Sift.

A- Gun Free Zone turns into a fashion blogger/psychologist and says that, indeed, there is reason to fear people who wear hoodies a certain way. Pictures with circles highlighting the "safe" way of wearing a hoodie are included and the comments on the post are very worth while.

But when there is no input available such as wearing a mask, a bandana or a hoodie covering most of the face, our lizard brain immediately triggers the alarms: Somebody does not want to be read and we will assume bad intentions. If you cover your face, be ready for people to react by Freeze-Fight-Fright-Flight. This is deeply ingrained in our basic response system and can be modified with a lot of difficulty and only to be changed to another basic response: instead of freezing to danger one can change to fleeing or fighting it. If we cannot read your face, you are an unknown quantity and by our own nature and we fear the unknown.

B- Arterpillar's Betweeners feature has art news from all around South Florida's virtual world.

C- The Cuban Triangle was there today as Pope Benedict XVI said Mass in Havana.

The crowd at mass was large but not overwhelming, the size impossible to tell from my ant’s-eye view. It appeared to be a mix of the faithful, the curious, and some who attended briefly then departed. Some were from abroad. Crowds were calm, access was easy despite some closed streets, and traffic restrictions dissolved soon after the pontiff’s departure.

D- Did I call this one? Soul of Miami was at the Whole Food opening in Pembroke Pines this morning and it was a mob scene.

At around 8:30 am I arrived to a massive traffic jam in the entire strip mall’s parking lot. I considered leaving but ended up parking a quarter mile away from the store. As I approached the store with what seemed to be a pilgrimage to the Holy Land, I got my first glance of the atmosphere. The local high school marching band was playing, cheerleaders cheering, and the line of people waiting to get into the store when it opened at 9 am wrapped around the entire parking lot. Massive amounts of people.

E- Eye on Miami posts an Apple rant.

F- Morgan's is great for chicken and waffles, says Boy Writes Miami.

At Morgan’s, they have chicken & waffles. I was fully-prepared to order eggs benedict, my go-to brunch entree, and then I saw “waffles… add chicken for $5.” I was say, “say whaaaaaaaat?” I looked around for black people, saw a couple, and I shit you not they were eating chicken & waffles.

G- South Florida Food and Wine shares the latest on the food and wine front and mentions SFDB so...you know.



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South Florida Cartoons

Chan Lowe, Sun-Sentinel

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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 had a tough time with this week's selections for some reason. I've come to accept that sometimes that's just the way it is as the way a post sounds to me at a certain time depends on so many different things. Let's take a look at my choices.

Runners-Up:  I thoroughly enjoyed this rather simple post about oranges that Go Hydrology! shared late in the week. It's always interesting to me to find out what behaviors tend to tick off restaurant waiters and waitresses, so maybe that's why Restaurant Gal's essay about a particular group of rude customers appealed to me so much.  When Obalesque happened upon some vultures dining in an Hollywood alley, it produced a humorous post about eating that only a Squathole could compose.


Winner: Although it's not an unknown occurrence for the South Florida blogosphere, it's always exciting when we see a blogger change or affect public policy or the way government thinks.  We always consider ourselves small fish in a big sea of public opinion so when someone sits up and takes notice, it's pretty cool.  Transit Miami has been advocating for improvements to Miami's Coral Way for quite some time and has been very outspoken and demonstrative of what they see as a roadway that is too auto centric. Well, this week we found out that loud voice caught the attention of FDOT and they're actually going to implement "a majority of what Transit Miami recommended" when they start improving Coral Way. FDOT Meets With Transit Miami, Agrees To Pedestrian Improvements documents that decision and links to some of the work that TM has invested in getting the job done. Bravo to everyone at Transit Miami for looking out for the interests of South Florida pedestrians, bicyclists, mass transit riders and drivers and congrats on this week's SFDB Post of the Week recognition.

'Til next time, people, keep on blogging!

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What Pitts Said

Leonard Pitts:

This, then, is what killed Trayvon Martin, the fact that we are so stubbornly convinced of that redundancy that a boy walking home carrying nothing more threatening than Skittles and iced tea can become a source of terror sufficient for a George Zimmerman to stalk him and to kill him.

It doesn't matter if he wore a hoodie.

It doesn't matter if he punched Zimmerman.

It doesn't matter why he was suspended from school.

What matters is that he is unavailable for comment about those things, and always will be. What matters is that none of them changes the essential truth of what this is about.

Though innocent of any crime, Trayvon Martin was gunned down by George Zimmerman. He was sacrificed for all our fears.

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A Republican Sees The Light

Gay Republican activist Brian Gaither of Miami, has been intimately involved with Miami-Dade Republican Party since 2008. Recently he decided that the Republican Party no longer represented him but interestingly enough, it's not because he's a gay man.

From the Miami Herald, here's his statement....

The Republican Party claims to support the principles of limited government, individual liberty, fiscal discipline, a strong national defense, and civic virtue. It is a claim many believe, and for most of my life I was a believer.

Since 2008 I have been involved with the Republican Party of Miami-Dade, first as a volunteer then as elected District Committeeman, Chairman of the Voter Registration Committee, and Chairman of the Victory 2012 Committee. During this time I have spent many hours considering the best way to defeat Democrats. I was confident that to do so was in the best interests of Florida and of the country. But now I have to say, “oops!”

Even kind-hearted and public-spirited Republicans seek to radically reduce the size and scope of government. In so doing, they advocate the benefits of private institutions, the free market, and personal charity. They say it’s good for society when everyone pursues his own goals free of government control. They promise the poor and disadvantaged will benefit (in the end, somehow).

However, the public sphere is a dynamic place where the interests of individuals, institutions, and businesses constantly compete. To limit the role of government is to purposefully surrender control to those able to exploit government’s absence. In such a place, the result of Republican policies can only be the consolidation of power among the powerful and of wealth among the wealthy. In such a place, the poor and disadvantaged will always lose.

As our society grows ever more complex, we must have a government which grows in equal measure. It must be powerful enough to arbitrate competing interests. It must be big enough to assert its place in the public sphere. And it must protect the weak from the predations of the strong.

I cannot, in good conscience, support a philosophy of limited government or any organization propagating it. In fact, it is my obligation to oppose them.

With this, I am publicly renouncing any and all affiliation with the Republican Party. I am joining the fight against its politics, its messages, and its candidates. With this, I publicly commit my support to the Democratic Party and its candidates. And I specifically endorse the re-election of President Obama. To do anything less is unconscionable.

Brian Gaither
Miami

Welcome, Brian.

I hope that through your words others will understand one of the most basic and elementary differences between Democrats and Republicans and will consider them when determining what political ideology and candidate is right for them.



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SFDB Cool Of The Day

Andrew Dickey in Melbourne, Australia.


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The Cooler

Not a whole lot going on in the news this morning. Enjoy.

A- Sun-Sentinel: Video, the Marlins Stadium's retractable roof.

B- Sun-Sentinel: Another BurgerFi.

The construction of the newest BurgerFi restaurant has begun on Sunrise Boulevard across from the Galleria Mall.

C- CBS4: A three hour tour, a three hour tour.

POMPANO BEACH (CBSMiami) – Three children who have been missing since August were rescued by the United States Coast Guard Tuesday afternoon in a boat off the coast of Pompano Beach.

Their father James Bryant, 44, who is implicated in their disappearance, was also on-board. He was apprehended and handed over to the Broward Sheriff’s Office. Bryant is expected to be extradited to Bozeman, Montana, where he and the children disappeared from.

[...]

Bryant had been in the wind since August when he failed to return the children to their mother in Montana. A felony warrant was issued for his arrest on three charges of parental interference.

D- CBS4: Video, about that huge crane at the 836 and the Palmetto.

E- NBC Miami: "Welcoming the Pope"...right, whatever you say.

A flotilla left Key West Tuesday on a 160-mile trip to launch fireworks off the coast of Cuba to show support for the people of the island nation.

“The pope is visiting Cuba and we want to welcome him as exiles,” Ramón Saúl Sánchez, leader of the Democracy Movement, was quoted by The Miami Herald as saying. “And we also want to support the Cuban people who have been subjected to a 53-year dictatorship that beats up the women in white and murders dissidents and keeps Cuban families divided. We want to pray for those things to stop in Cuba and also open up the way to democracy.”

F- WSVN: Heroes.

WEST MIAMI-DADE, Fla. (WSVN) -- Good Samaritans stopped their cars to help save a family after their mini-van veered off the road and into a canal.

According to witnesses, a van swerved to avoid an accident and plunged into a canal along Northwest 58th Street and 74th Avenue, Tuesday.

Upon entering the water, the vehicle landed on a bolder and kept it only partially submerged. A father, grandfather and 1-year-old girl were in the van at the time of the incident. "We were trying to avoid the truck, we swerved and went into a canal," said Ricardo Herrera, the grandfather, through translation.

7 News viewers shot photos and video of Good Samaritans jumping in to immediately assist the family inside the vehicle. The father and grandfather were able to escape from the van and free the little girl. "The baby was inside the car and the car fell inside the water," said said Alexandra Fernandez, who grabbed the child. "I just got the baby when I took the baby out of the water."

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Your Morning Sift

Good morning.

Welcome to Hump Day, readers. Hard to believe that we're halfway through the last week of March. I have a beefy morning Sift for you so away we go.

A- The305.Com recommends the Churrasco Relleno de Mofongo at El Rinconcito de Santa Barbara in Hialeah.

However, El Rinconcito de Santa Barbara, a Puerto Rican restaurant and cafeteria located in West Hialeah serves one of the best non-homemade mofongos I ever had. Maybe because it was prepared in a more Dominican style.

B- Ten new photos at The Street.

C- Obalesque is desperately searching for a car with a stick shift.

Why stick shifts have become endangered species is completely beyond me, especially when the price of gas is $4/gallon, but then again, I was delighted using DOS and WordPerfect, and I prep to shave with a mug of shaving soap and a beaver tail brush. I was an old fart years before I got old. I was born an old fart. I want to shift gears. So sue me. Or just point, giggle, and sneer. Say — isn’t that an accounting firm?

D- Miami Condo Investments has a few downtown Miami rental listings to give you an idea of what the market is like these days.

E- Spokes 'n' Folks reviews one Miami architect's vision of the Rickenbacker Causeway as a park road.

Zyscovich said that when he started his self-assigned causeway project he approached it pretty much in terms of bicycle safety. But he wasn't satisfied, in part because his fellow cyclists, however numerous, are only part of the community that uses the causeway for work and pleasure. So he stepped back and looked at what the causeway represents to greater Miami -- a precious recreational asset in and adjoining a city that needs more parks.

F- Belle Isle Blog discusses plans for a new West Ave bridge and how it will affect surrounding neighborhoods.

The Florida Department of Transportation and the city of Miami Beach released recommendation for a West Avenue Bridge that would connect Sunset Harbour and West Avenue behind Epicure over the Collins Canal. Presented at a public hearing Tuesday night at the Miami Beach Regional Library, engineers recommended a crossing with one northbound lane, one southbound lane, a southbound left-turn lane on to 17th Street and bike-pedestrian lanes in each direction.

G- Beached Miami posts some deleted scenes from past Rakontur flicks.

H- Punditry on the Supreme Court's review of the Affordable Care Act is not in short supply, according to Bark Bark Woof Woof.

This kind of overthinking happens when there's a lot of heat but very little light on the subject; everyone knows what the arguments are, but no one knows how the Court will rule, and the networks have to justify all their time on the air and the money spent on consultants. That's one reason why there's so much guessing going on; it keeps people tuned in, and that means they can sell more commercial time.

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Your Evening Sift

Seems like a longer than normal Tuesday to me. On a side note, it's intriguing to me to watch a certain segment of our population actually root for their healthcare to be taken away from them. Hopefully, at some point in the future, they'll reject our monetary system, too. Enjoy your evening Sift, readers.

A- Eater Miami gives us an update on the reinvention of Chow Down Grill.

B- Was a Miami Beach cop drinking a beer in a patrol car while a civilian buddy drove? "Sources" are telling Random Pixels that is the case...allegedly.

According to the source, the officer, Michael Veski, and the postal inspector had some sort of an exchange. But, the source adds, the postal inspector is alleging that Veski was not the one driving the police vehicle. The source tells me that a friend of the officer - who is not a cop - was behind the wheel.

C- The Art of Wednesday at Arterpillar.  

D- Transit Miami does not endorse a proposal that turns more of South Florida roadways into tollways.

It’s time for MDX to wake up and realize that mass transit is the future of our region – not highways. If it doesn’t evolve, it might find that there are a great many people, myself included, who don’t see a reason for it to exist anymore. We want transit – not tolls.

E- Jeff Eats goes back to Between the Bun in Boynton Beach and compares their fries to Nathan's.

The burger and steak were made on a gas grill–which gives the food a delicious “backyard” bbq taste…the fries were hand cut…they look and taste exaclty like the Nathan’s fries- that I grew-up on in- as a kid in Brooklyn in the 1950s.

F- Under the Sun interviews Andres Ponce of local Latin electronica band Elastic Bond.

What makes your band more unique than the rest of the Miami bands? Well, that’s a tough question since every individual and band is somewhat unique and there are many great bands in this city. I think what makes us unique is the ability to mix many different styles and grooves with Sofy’s soulful, bilingual vocals. We are pushing forward musically by mixing retro and modern sounds in ways that we feel have not been done before.

G- Roy Black shares his opening to his defense of John Goodman, which he eventually lost.

I thought a good way to involve the jury in the opening was to let them see, feel and hear the accident for themselves. At least that was my idea going in. Unfortunately the judge sustained objections to that and I had to edit on the fly. The judge was very restrictive in his rulings and it made it much more difficult to be an effective advocate. I found myself self-limiting what I said during the trial in order to circumvent objections and avoid annoying sidebar conferences which interrupted the flow of the arguments.

H- Get your South Florida Easter dining plans together at South Florida Food and Wine.

I- Anthony's Coal Fired Pizza is turning into an empire, according to the latest from Worst Pizza.

So what does a successful multi-location operation like Anthony’s do to keep going? Why they get a $25 million dollar cash infusion from some huge and well known investors like GE Capital and Quilvest Group Investment to keep expanding. That’s what. The companies just announced this new investment with $17 million being a term loan to expand operations and $8 million as a revolving credit facility to stock and open those new restaurants. Currently, Anthony’s Coal Fired Pizza has thirty two locations and is obviously planning on adding many more.

J- Eye on Miami says that North Miami's government is rotten.

K- Miami Beach 411 has a fresh new look...and their RSS feed is apparently working again!




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SFDB's Favorite Comment From Yesterday

"Certainly the (dying on the vine) Herald in its coverage of (certain parts of) Cuba and Cuban-American issues has (started pandering more) grown up from the (when extremists went insane) "Elian days" when people like Leonard Pitts openly (told the truth about said insanity) trashed the Cuban-American (extremists who like to portray themselves as the voice of the) community. Columnists such as Ana Menendez and Jim DeFede are (dure to completely unrelated causes) long gone and their (less competent -Jackie Bueno Sosa- less entertaining and nakedly pandering choices for) replacements are much more (afraid of) knowledgeable of (extremist loudmouths who write letters) Cuban-Americans and issue they (we) care about (and still don't get any relief, because nothing pleases an extremist.)"


- Alex, The Miami Herald Supports The Cuban-American Community

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An Unusual String Of Traffic Nightmares

Miami Herald

Please bear with me.

So we all know that South Florida is chock full of drivers who don't have a clue when it comes to operating a motor vehicle. We maintain quite a collection down here, gathering drivers from the jungles of Guatemala, the streets of New York City, the islands of the Caribbean, and the cornfields of the Midwest. We mix them all together in some kind of crazy concoction and throw them out into the streets with hardly any law enforcement oversight (thanks Florida taxpayers!) and expect them to gel and play nice.

This isn't another rant on driving in this place I like to call Jurassic Park. Rather it is an expression of exasperation at what has been a horrendous 5 days for yours truly on the roads of South Florida.

The following is the string of traffic jams that I've experienced in the last week.

Thursday Morning: Turnpike Extension Southbound @ Okeechobee Road, minor accident off on the left shoulder with FHP and Road Warrior on the scene. Should only be a minor delay but everyone passing by has to check to see if there is any gore so... 2 mile backup to I-75. I listen to at least 2 WIOD traffic reports and they mention nothing. Time wasted: 20 minutes.

Thursday Afternoon: Eastbound on 836 at the Airport, car rear ends school bus. Car is blocking right lane, bus is pulled off on right shoulder. Backup is past the Palmetto (1-2 miles?). Time wasted: 20 minutes.

Saturday Evening: Northbound on Turnpike about 1-2 miles north of Hollywood Boulevard. Mercedes catches on fire and is moved off to the shoulder. Traffic is at at a dead stop as I come up the on ramp from Hollywood Boulevard. Nowhere to bail so we sit. Finally get moving after about 15 minutes. Again, motorists go by the blackened German auto at a snail's pace and you can read driver's faces: is there any death for us to see on the way to dinner? Time wasted: 15 minutes.

Monday Morning: WIOD reports a backup on the Turnpike Extension, Southbound @ Okeechobee Road with traffic stretching all the way back to I-75. I opt for a route through Hialeah and it actually works out pretty good. Yay! Score one for me! Additional commute time: 10 minutes.

Monday Evening: Traffic comes to a dead stop on the Turnpike Extension northbound at NW 41st Street. The traffic sign over the road, which is generally fairly useless, advises of an accident at NW 106th Street. I opt for the far right lane and take the new 74th Street exit and decide to parallel the Turnpike north through Doral to NW 106th where I get back on the Turnpike. On the SOUTHBOUND side, there are numerous emergency vehicles in the process of removing a car from a small pond along the highway. Northbound travelers have slowed down to rubberneck and see if they can catch a glimpse of...well, you know. I speed home content that I just saved myself maybe 30 minutes of sitting in yet another accident-induced traffic jam. Additional commute time: 5 minutes.

I'm not sure what the rest of the week holds or whether I'm experiencing a dose of bad driving karma. I'm just glad I have a blog. This has been very therapeutic.

Thank you for listening.


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SFDB Morning Chuckle

The Colbert Report takes on the Martin shooting with "The Word:" Dressed to Kill.

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

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The Cooler

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

A- Sun-Sentinel: Another reason I can't beat feet outta here soon enough.

All of South Florida's highways and even some of its major roads may one day offer tolled express lanes, if the recommendations in a study released Tuesday are carried out.

The study calls for adding toll lanes over the next 20 years. Offering a faster commute, the lanes would be similar to the current Interstate 95 express lanes in Miami-Dade County. Even some stretches of toll roads, such as Florida's Turnpike, would get higher-priced premium lanes.

Tolled overpasses or underpasses would be built at 79 intersections on 14 major roads in the three counties, among them Broward Boulevard, Pines Boulevard and Southwest 10th Street in Broward; Glades Road and Boynton Beach Boulevard in Palm Beach County; and U.S. 1 in south Miami-Dade County.

B- Sun-Sentinel: Life in South Florida.

A 33-year-old man is in the hospital recovering from a gunshot wound to the chest following a fight with a 50-year-old man, according to Fort Lauderdale Police.

The shooting happened around 1 a.m. Saturday at the intersection of Southeast 9th Avenue and East Las Olas Boulevard, police said.

The preliminary investigation revealed the two men were fighting in the street. Witnesses told detectives the fight escalated until the older man shot the younger man in the chest.

Pedro Delgado, 52, a private investigator, said he was in Mangos Restaurant and Lounge having dinner when the fight broke out and eventually spilled out into the street. "I saw one guy with a bloody face, guys running in and out," said Delgado.

C- Sun-Sentinel: Video, Whole Foods opening in Pembroke Pines.

D- CBS4: They're still trying to figure this one out?

CORAL GABLES (CBS4) – Changes could be made to the controversial ban on pick-up trucks in the City of Coral Gables, but residents will have to wait and see.

E- NBC Miami: Send in the pythons!

The Florida Keys' battle with an invasive species of giant rats isn't over yet.

On Grassy Key, a glut of Gambian giant pouched rats — originally bred and released by a local — have been foiling conservation officials' efforts to eradicate them, KeysNet reported Sunday.

Officials worry that if the hungry cat-sized rats make it to the mainland, they could wipe out some crops and upset delicate ecological balance.

"We thought we had them whipped as of 2009," said Scott Hardin, exotic species coordinator for Florida's Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission.

About 20 of the creatures, which grow to nine pounds and are often mistaken for possums, were trapped on the island during a trio of commission efforts last year, Hardin said.

F- WPLG: Bonehead.

MIAMI BEACH, Fla. - A man accused of taking other people's drinks and pushing other customers Sunday night at a Miami Beach bar told police he's an New York Police Department officer, according to an arrest affidavit.

Miami Beach police said Amadou Balde, 35, of Chicago, was arrested after "causing a disturbance" at the Catalina Bistro and Bar at 1756 Collins Ave.

According to the affidavit, police said Balde took other people's drinks off the bar and poured them into his own glass, and he pushed other customers.

[...]

Police said officers handcuffed Balde, who told them that he was a New York Police Department officer vacationing in Florida. According to the affidavit, Balde claimed his police credentials were in his front pocket.

The officers searched Balde and found no police ID, Miami Beach investigators said. Police said Balde admitted he was not a police officer.

G- WSVN: You have got to be kidding me.

SANFORD, Fla. (AP) -- The mother of slain Florida teenager Trayvon Martin has filed papers seeking to trademark two slogans based on his name.

The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office filings by Sybrina Fulton are for the sayings "I Am Trayvon" and "Justice For Trayvon." The applications were filed last week.

The applications say the trademarks could be used for such things as DVDs and CDs. Attorneys who filed the papers did not immediately respond Monday to emails seeking comment.

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Your Morning Sift

Good morning.

Off we go into the SoFla blogosphere this Tuesday morning. Relax and check out your morning Sift.

A- Midtown Chic-a finds Serendipity 3 to be perfect...especially for date nights.

The evening was a bit breezy so we opted to sit inside, although outside is always best for people watching. I love the detailed décor inside with its giant clocks and bicycles hanging from the wall which gives the place a nostalgic feel to it. For starters we went with the wagyu sliders and French fries, and then each had a salad as our main course. I opted for the Asian Chicken and JG went with the Ahi Tuna. While we were both pleased with our entrée choices, we knew we had to make room for dessert. After all, you can’t visit Serendipity without having one of their famous sundaes or better yet, Frrrozen Hot Chocolate!

B- More new photos are up at The Street.

C- Searching for Signs weighs in on the Trayvon Martin shooting.

The entire incident was a mistake, a miscalculation and a series of bad decisions gone awfully wrong. George Zimmerman isn’t a racist. I don’t believe he shot Trayvon Martin because he was black and wearing a hoodie. He seems to be a man who took it upon himself to be the protector of a neighborhood maligned by a spate of crime, someone with a history of being on the obsessive, paranoid side when it comes to protecting his neighborhood. Not a good combination. Zimmerman could have – should have – avoided the situation had he only done what the 911 operator told him. Instead, he had to play police officer/hero in a situation where there was nothing to be a hero about. Witnesses say there was a physical altercation, Zimmerman appeared to be on the losing end and made his last, fatal mistake. Nevertheless, he appears to be reasonably well-liked and certainly not someone who would kill another human being in cold blood.

D- It's time for Newt Gingrich to return to his cave, according to Bark Bark Woof Woof.

Most politicians -- if they're any good -- know when their number is up and it's time to go quietly. They get the message; their time has passed and they can now retire and get a ghostwriter to tell their story in a heartfelt book that will give them a nice tour around the country being interviewed by Wake Up Toledo and shake hands with the True Believers who show up at the book signings. Within a couple of months, the book is on the remainder stack or the off-price site at Amazon, they've got nice income from sitting on the board of some corporation that paid their way through Congress, and the spouse is giving human interest interviews to Wendy Williams. But I have a feeling that Newt Gingrich will not go quietly; four years from now he'll be back at it, trying to get his message to America, long after he refused to get the message from America: Go Away.

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Your Evening Sift

I'm glad that Monday is done with. Some interesting posts that I think you're going to enjoy in this evening's Sift. Have fun!

A- Miamism looks at another Miami modern home that maybe only .01% of the world's population can afford.

The house has over 10,000 sf of interior living space with 7 bedrooms and 8 bathrooms. The lot size is 22,192 sf and has a 2-car garage and private dock. It was built new in 2009 and has been listed since September of 2010 with a starting price of $15,900.000.

B- Transit Miami sets up shop on a Miami street for nine minutes armed with a video camera and a radar gun and records what unfolds.

C- Rakontur goes back to the beginning.

That September, shortly after BellSouth installed my first DSL line, I got a call from our buddy Larry Janus, a recording studio engineer who worked at Criteria Studios in its 1970s heyday and was now a nonlinear video editor: "download Napster."

That changed everything. All of sudden, virtually the entire history of recorded music was a click away. It seems so quaint now, but it's impossible to describe what a radical, eye-opening concept this was.

D- 17 new photos at The Street.

E- Salty Eggs wonders how Dick Cheney scored a heart in seemingly record time.

At 71, Cheney is part of a tiny group — just 14 percent of the 2,300 heart transplants performed each year — of people who receive heart transplants over the age of 65. Due to several factors, especially the toll such a surgery can take on a body and the relative time left of such a patient (Grim, I know, but that’s triage for you.), people over the age of 65 are rarely considered good candidates for heart transplants. Most of the handful of senior citizens who receive such transplants do so in emergency situations, where their immediate necessity moves them higher up the list. But that wasn’t the case with Cheney — an aide told news outlets after the surgery that the man had been waiting for 20 months.

F- If you plan on being in Key West during the next 2 weeks, Florida Keys Girl has some theater you might want to catch.

During the bee, members of the audience are brought up to the stage to participate, adding to the fun. Each speller – cast and audience member – asks for definitions and for the word to be used is a sentence. To me, the absurd, strange and inappropriate sentences were the best part of the show. Delivered with a straight face, they kept us laughing for the entire two hour production.

G- Obalesque weighs in on Stand Your Ground.

You properly comprehend that Florida voters will tolerate spinelessness more readily than softness, and that when it comes to our own safety we’re too stupid to differentiate knee-jerk idiocy from sensible policy.

H- The YouTube of the Marlins gaudy home run thing seemed to make its rounds in the South Florida blogosphere...at Suntanned Mumford and Random Pixels.


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Miami Bike Report: Getting People To The New Marlins Stadium

Miami Bike Report, another blog that I'm seriously considering adding to the SFDB blogroll, does a nice job looking at the way the Marlins plan on using a shuttle to move fans and stadium workers from a remote lot and questions why a dedicated bike/pedestrian route from the Metro Rail to the stadium wasn't made a reality.

There are certainly more creative approaches to provide a long-term solution to the parking problem faced not only by the fans, but also by the stadium’s neighbors (also in a low-income bracket) who will have to live with it. Like a permanent bike/ped route from the rail station to the stadium. It cannot possibly be that much harder to get legitimate funding to install a one mile-long bike lane with proper signage, and optimized timing of traffic signals. Right? After all, most bike lanes installed by the county are only about a mile or two long.

Implementing a bike-share program, even on an experimental basis, would help promote healthier ways to get around. It would reduce pollution and traffic congestion, and preserve some of the livability the neighborhood has had since the demise of the Orange Bowl. How about offering some sort of discount or incentive to fans using bikes to get to the games? The possibilities are endless.

I think folks are living in a pipe dream if they think the city, the Marlins or anyone else is going to start building dedicated paths for pedestrians and bikes through the City of Miami. This isn't Boulder or Portland or Eugene. This is South Florida where cars are king and everything else revolves around that fact.

But if you plan on biking to the new stadium then good for you. Just make sure your deodorant is fresh and your will is complete and advise a loved one where you're heading. And for Pete's sake, carry ID of some kind.


- photo via the San Francisco Chronicle



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Here's Your War On Religion

Shaima Alawadi

To all those Catholics who are complaining about Obama Administration's "war on religion," here's the real deal...

Shaima Alawadi, an Iraqi woman living in Southern California who was found severely beaten next to a threatening note saying "go back to your country," died on Saturday.

Hanif Mohebi, the director of the San Diego chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations, said he met with Shaima Alawadi's family members in the morning and was told that she was taken off life support around 3 p.m.

"The family is in shock at the moment. They're still trying to deal with what happened," Mohebi said.

Alawadi, a 32-year-old mother of five, had been hospitalized since her 17-year-old daughter found her unconscious Wednesday in the family's house in El Cajon, police Lt. Steve Shakowski said.

The daughter, Fatima Al Himidi, told KUSI-TV her mother had been beaten on the head repeatedly with a tire iron, and that the note said "go back to your country, you terrorist."

Addressing the camera, the tearful daughter asked: "You took my mother away from me. You took my best friend away from me. Why? Why did you do it?"

When this starts happening to Catholics in the good 'ole United States, send me an email, would ya?

Breitbart is Here.

Indeed.



-via Digby, photo via Islamophobia Today.



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SFDB Cool Of The Day

1970 Honda Z

-via Fancy




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The Cooler

WSVN has a picture of a coyote running around a neighborhood just west of downtown Miami. I kid you not. See Item E. That and other South Florida news in this morning's Cooler.

A- Sun-Sentinel: Rick Scott has apparently not been as big a jerk as they had hoped for.

Though encouraged by Scott's focus on creating jobs, stressing accountability and holding down public spending and taxes, many Florida conservatives say they are disappointed on other fronts. Though it was a major campaign promise, Scott has failed to crack down on illegal immigration. He also reversed last year's cut in education funding, despite promises to pare state spending.

The tea-party movement, dominated by conservative voters who champion drastically reining in government expenditures, sent Scott to victory in 2010. But since he has started to tone down his tea-party rhetoric, he has seen a slight uptick in his approval ratings.

B- Sun-Sentinel: How prosecutors took down Roy Black.

John Goodman's defense attorney Roy Black, considered one of the top defense attorneys in the country, tried to convince jurors over the past two weeks — in Goodman's trial for DUI-manslaughter and vehicular homicide — that Goodman's Bentley malfunctioned, he suffered a concussion in the crash and his high blood alcohol level was because of liquor he'd gulped at a friend's barn afterward to cope with the pain.

Prosecutors Ellen Roberts and Sherri Collins shredded each theory, presenting witnesses who saw him drink at a charity event and after party the night of the crash along with investigators and experts who supported their claims that Goodman drove drunk, left Wilson to die and took nearly an hour to call police.

C- Sun-Sentinel: They so deserve it.

Miramar-based low-cost carrier Spirit Airlines has scored a spot in the top 16 on Consumerist.com’s 7th Annual ‘Worst Company in America’ tournament, according to a recent report.

Spirit, who made the tournament for the first time this year, beat out Delta Air Lines, a veteran tournament contender, as bracket favorite.

In this round of the basket-ball style tournament, dubbed the “Sweet 16,” Spirit is joined by Bank of America, Best Buy, GameStop, Apple and AT&T, among others.

D- Palm Beach Post: They write letters.

I have been a senior citizen of Florida for two years. I lived all my life in New Jersey and never felt the need to carry a firearm. I carry pepper spray, which is neither lethal or permanent.

I know how easy it is to hit the wrong target with a gun. My biggest fear is living in a state that allows anyone to carry a gun. How do I know whether a person pulling a gun on me, for whatever reason, is licensed to do so?

I am thinking I would have a split second to decide whether or not to jump someone in the process of pulling a gun on me. In this case, who is the one "holding their ground?"

It's an archaic law. Now I must obtain a license to carry to protect myself from the other citizens who are licensed to carry. I don't want to be the one in a gunfight without a gun. Fear not, this will be a temporary measure until I can vote with my feet and move back to a civilized state like New Jersey.

WILLIAM DAMATO

E- WSVN: A coyote in Miami. No sh*t.

MIAMI (WSVN) -- Residents in a South Florida neighborhood are on edge after spotting an unusual animal roaming their streets.

A wild coyote has been spotted running across driveways and streets in "The Roads" neighborhood of Miami along Southwest 11th Street and 12th Avenue.

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