Your Halloween Evening Sift

Boo!

Okay, now that we have THAT over with...here's your not-so-scary evening Sift.

A- There are some images around the South Florida blogosphere this evening that I'll make note of under one single heading: a fake Craigslist ad at Random Pixels, adorable Boston Terriers in costume at Restaurant Gal, offshore racing photos at Nikon Miami, Lincoln Road Halloween pictures at Hello, I'm Scott, and Black Moth Super Rainbow concert shots at Beached Miami.

B- Burger Beast loves him some Dog Eat Dog food truck hot dogs.

The Dog is wrapped in Bacon and smothered in their homemade Chili and homemade Cheese Sauce. I chose to skip out on the Potato Sticks as I’m quite content with just these toppings. The Chili which had no beans (Yes!) had the right amount of beefiness and a touch of sweet. It could have probably only been better by adding a dash of Hot Sauce, not their fault but mine.

C- Emerge Miami attracted a lot of attention to pedestrian safety and crosswalks by having folks, including a small child, cross the street with signs for 40 minutes at a Coral Gables intersection...at Transit Miami.

Motorist reactions were mixed. There were many instances of driver misbehavior and disrespect. Several drivers illegally blocked the intersection trying to turn left after their green arrow was gone and many making right turns came within inches of our legs; angrily demanding with their vehicles that we yield our space. The strangest comment we received was from a woman in an SUV trying to make a right turn while we were lawfully crossing the street, she rolled down her window, stared into our faces and our signs urging drivers to take care and reminding them that we are all pedestrians, and shouted angrily, “Why don’t you get a job!”

D- Looks like the Design District and Midtown are getting ready for the Art Basel crowd, according to the latest at Curbed Miami.

And Midtown, ohhh Midtown, is rapidly transforming into a tent city of art, a hooverville for art collecting millionaires that reminds one just how much of an anti-Occupy Wall Street kind of a place this town can be.

E- Salty Eggs ravages the investors and developers that brought Wynwood to life under the cover of street art.

Graffiti and street art, expressions born of impoverished inner cities during the waning period of American industry, became stylistic cover for what was essentially an organized land grab by a few wealthy families and institutions. Grafitti has been recuperated by capitalism, accepted by the mainstream art world and turned into its opposite. Originally an expression by marginalized people of defiance against private property, in Wynwood it has been cynically used as “street cred” for the reinforcement of private property interests, for the transformation of a low income neighborhood into a swanky arts district.

F- Tropicult tells us what to expect from a documentary titled "Rising Tide: A Story of Miami Artists" that is set to air on PBS.

Rising Tide: A Story of Miami Artists is a documentary about seven young exceptionally talented visual artists who live and work in Miami, a city that is in the middle of a cultural explosion.

The program takes viewers inside the working worlds of these uniquely creative people, at the same time giving insight into the history and trajectory of Miami’s own recent creative development.

G- Justice Building Blog pays tribute to a Miami-Dade judge nicknamed "Fast Gerry" who has passed away. Make sure you read the comments, too.

There's one great story (among hundreds) that we love about Judge Klein. The Judge was known as Fast Gerry because at a time when the traffic and crimes sections of county court were separate, Judge Klein would clear his courtroom calendar in the crimes division and hit the golf links on Miami Beach by 11 am or so most days of the week.

H- South Florida Food and Wine makes a video.

The Albariño Explorers Club recently conducted a search for a charismatic wine/food blogger that has a strong knowledge of wine to be the Rías Baixas Albariño wine ambassador for the United States; yours truly has submitted her application. The winner will be announced on November 19, 2012. Part of the application process was to create a 3-5 minute video showing why you’d be the best choice for the Albariño Explorers Club Ambassador position, a key part was to have fun with it and show you had personality.

I- Apparently there are some parking problems at the Aventura polling station that Eye on Miami notes.

A family member was turned away from the early voting site in Aventura. The police told him there was no parking. He saw the police letting other cars in and asked them why some cars were let in and not others. The police said they had city business. He said he told the cops that he had a right to vote. The cops said, I don't know maybe you can park at the Park (around the block). The end result: He didn't vote. There needs to be a shuttle to parking or some arrangements made for people not handicapped but older.

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Zombie Walk

From last weekend's Zombie Walk in Santiago, Chile...



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SFDB Not So Random Thought Of The Day

Matt Bors




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SFDB Ecard Of The Day

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The SFDB Palin For President Write-In Campaign [UPDATED]

Today I'm announcing the SFDB Sarah Palin For President Write-In Campaign.

While most Libs treat Sarah Palin as a vapid, clueless grifter, we all know better. So that's why all my Republican readers need to write-in Sarah as their choice of President next Tuesday. Conservatives, don't compromise your valuable vote for a RINO like Mitt Romney. Be principled and write-in Sarah!

So you say that there isn't anywhere to write in Sarah's name? Just scratch out Obama's and write in Sarah's. Make sure you still fill in that little bubble next to her name. That's the only way your vote will be counted.

Do it and piss off a Liberal!

Paid For  By Write-In Sarah For President

*********

I gotta give them credit. Some of them more perceptive than others....

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SFDB Morning Chuckle

October Fail Compilation....





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The Cooler

I have one of the better Coolers in recent memory for you this morning. Get comfortable because there's lots of interesting stuff. Enjoy.

A- Herald: Seizing seized cash.

The U.S. Justice Department shut down Bal Harbour’s celebrated federal forfeiture program and ordered the police to return more than $4 million, slapping the agency with crushing sanctions for tapping into drug money to pay for first-class flights, luxury car rentals and payments to informants across the country

After years of seizing millions from criminals, Bal Harbour’s vice squad is now banned from the federal program that allowed the village police for years to seize cars, boats and cash — and to keep a cut of the proceeds.

B- Herald: Dave Barry's scariest things about South Florida.

SANTA’S ENCHANTED FOREST

This is the big mass of lights you see glowing at night alongside the Palmetto Expressway. It looks festive; it will draw you in. “Looks like fun!’’ you will think. “A Christmas-season delight for the whole family!’’ Hours later, when you stumble out, broke, exhausted and queasy from eating foods that are essentially sugar fried in grease, then going on festive holiday rides with names like Death Vomit, you may change your mind.

But by then it will be too late.

C- Herald: Don't we all know it.

Not only are Cubans reliable Republican voters — they’re about 70 percent of Miami-Dade’s registered Republicans — but they’re also more likely to answer surveys like the FIU poll.

“Cuban-American voters pick up the phone and answer. They want to be heard,” said Eduardo Gamarra, an FIU professor of Latin American studies who conducted the poll with his political research firm, the Newlink Group.

D- Heat: Boston who?

Oftentimes, NBA defending champions under perform on the night they receive their rings. Last season’s Dallas Mavericks, for example. The Heat suffered no ring hangover, defeating the Boston Celtics 120-107 on opening night of the 2012-2013 season.

E- Herald: Morin.

F- Palm Beach Post: Make sure you take advantage!

To help keep intoxicated drivers off the road during Halloween, AAA and Anheuser-Busch Wholesalers are offering the Tow to Go Program Wednesday through Saturday throughout Florida.

The program, designed to be used as a last resort, provides a free ride within a 10-mile radius to a safe location. The AAA tow truck takes the driver and the vehicle home. It’s free and available to both AAA members and non-members.

G- NBC Miami: But of course.

Don't be surprised if you see an enormous gator head floating around Biscayne Bay during Art Basel.

When it's assembled, the gator, made of steel and recyclable materials, will be 230 feet long. Its head_ the size of a three-story building _ will be built around the boom of a crane so that the mouth can open and close.

The body will consist of 102 tiles, each being 4 feet wide and 8 feet long, made of highly buoyant material.

Lloyd Goradesky, a Hollywood-based artist and photographer, came up with the idea for "Floating Tile Art 'Gator in the Bay,'" three years ago.

H- WPLG: We can only hope that they're Republicans

TAMARAC, Fla. - Some voters casting their ballots early in Tamarac left the polls to find their cars being towed.

Luvenia Allen's red Cadillac wasn't parked for more than 10 minutes when a tow truck carried it away. The same thing happened to Christine Bregentzer's car.

"Somebody took my car. The Toyota Corolla -- somebody took it. It was parked right here," said Bregentzer.

The scene repeated itself over and over again outside the Casa Linda Plaza across the street from the Tamarac Branch Library on Tuesday.

"You cannot go vote and this happens. It's not fair," said Heather Smith.

"This does not feel good. You come out, vote early and here you have to worry about your car," said Trudy Kay Edmond.

I- WSVN: Life in South Florida.

NORTHEAST MIAMI-DADE, Fla. (WSVN) -- Residents in a South Florida neighborhood are concerned after a crocodile showed up in a nearby lake.

The eight-foot crocodile has been roaming the neighborhood along 191 Street Northeast 23rd Avenue in Northwest Miami-Dade for about two weeks.

J- WPTV: How about that voter enthusiasm?

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. - A memo obtained by NewsChannel5's Evan Axelbank, from an adviser to a local GOP campaign, says that the Democratic turnout effort is, "cleaning our clock."

The memo says, "The early and absentee turnout is starting to look more troubling."

[...]

During the first three days of countywide early voting, 60 percent of ballots cast have been by Democrats, 22 percent by Republicans.

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Your Morning Sift

Good morning.

Just a handful of posts written last night so this won't take you long. Enjoy your morning Sift.

A- Shorter A Mom, a Blog and the Life In-Between...

Appreciate your showers.

B- Make reservations for Dinner in Paradise, urges Redland Rambles.

The series of gourmet dinners at Paradise Farms sells out fairly quickly, and for good reason. Each event features the finest chefs in Miami preparing a delicious five course meal made with local organic products (most grown at Paradise Farms) and paired with fine wines. The magic and charm of the lush edible landscape creates a uniquely intimate dining experience under the stars.

C- Of course the response to Hurricane Sandy is going to be politicized, says Bark Bark Woof Woof.

Even Mitt Romney’s clunky attempt to turn his political rally into a GOP version of Live-Aid, complete with singers and a can drive (which is exactly what the Red Cross said they don’t need) showed that the Republicans, when pushed to the wall, can awkwardly look like they give a damn about people who lost their homes and had no second home to go to. (Mr. Romney compared this to cleaning up a football field. Seriously.)

D- A video of a guy paddle boarding down Alton Road...at Eye on Miami.



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Your Evening Sift

Really enjoying this killer weather. Here we go with your evening Sift.

A- Sometimes I visit South Florida Classical Review just for the prose.

In the famous Adagio sostenuto of Beethoven’s Moonlight Sonata, Perahia channeled lyrical introspection, his hands seeming to caress the keys. His light touch turned the Allegretto into an interlude of charm before a no-holds-barred, tempest-tossed finale. Perahia’s reserves of pianistic power and dynamism swept the cobwebs off this oft-performed warhorse.

B- Random Pixels posts the latest Florida newspaper circulation stats.

C- Salty Eggs names the most important political races in the State of Florida.

D- Curbed Miami takes a look at the pretty amazing Collins Park project on South Beach.

Finally disentangled by piles of liens and fines, and now owned by the Chetrit Group (they redeveloped the Tides Hotel to much acclaim), the City of Miami Beach has approved a restoration and conversion of the whole thing into a collection of boutique hotels, to be helmed by ubiquitous Miami architect Kobi Karp.

E- If you want to hear a reasoned and articulate explanation of why President Obama is the better choice this year, head over to Beached Miami.

And this is why I find the prospect of his reelection as inspiring, if not more so, than his first victory. It would be a repudiation of this vile attempt to resurrect the worst in American history, a stern rebuke to those who would resort to the Southern Strategy for their own political gain. It would also cast deserved opprobrium on the cynical obstructionism of the House Republicans, whom I believe will go down in history, as a group, as self-concerned cowards.

F- Attention, attention. Knaus Berry Farm is now open, heralds Burger Beast.

G- Go Hydrology! tells us why swamps should fear us and not the other way around.

H- More photos at Eye on Miami that explain how Hurricane Sandy got her name.




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Coming Up On Lincoln Road

Here's something to get you in the mood for tomorrow night...






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SFDB Post Of The Week

SFDB selects its Post of the Week by going back and reviewing all the Sifts that we've done over the past 7 days. We find the best post of the week and note the runners ups as we judge them to be.

A certain seasonal blog that is a favorite of mine is back in business and pumping out some great posts. Let's see what exactly that means for the Post of the Week selections.

Runners-Up: Maybe it was the wandering narrative or perhaps it was the big photos, but there was something about this Hello, I'm Scott post that I really liked. Redland Rambles provided us with a nice introduction to the dragon fruit, one South Florida fruit I had not had the pleasure of meeting. Eye on Miami went to interesting and unique lengths when they tried to determine whether a local politician had illegally trimmed the mangroves in the back of his residence.




Winner:   I confess that Redland Rambles is one of my favorite blogs in South Florida. Always well written and laid out, the only negative thing I can say about it is that it follows the growing season and goes dormant when the crops do. But since it is now the beginning of growing season, it is back and telling us all about the wonderful bounty that our local area offers when it comes to fruits and vegetables. Last week they did a great two-part post on the inaugural GrowFest held in the Redland. GrowFest! Is A Success and A Taste of GrowFest! documented the event and showed us a few of the people who were involved and instrumental in making it happen. Lots of photos complimented the narrative that was loaded with information about local agriculture. I enjoyed them and am pleased to name the two posts this week's SFDB Post of the Week.


'Til next time, keep on blogging!



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Tell Me Lies, Tell Me Sweet Little Lies

It's hard to believe that any self-respecting person would vote for a guy who will proudly and blatantly lie to them again and again and again.

Here's Romney on June 13, 2011, explaining how spending money on government agencies like FEMA is "immoral" and how it's best to privatize their functions...


And here's Romney yesterday...

“Gov. Romney believes that states should be in charge of emergency management in responding to storms and other natural disasters in their jurisdictions,” Romney spokesman Ryan Williams said in a statement. “As the first responders, states are in the best position to aid affected individuals and communities, and to direct resources and assistance to where they are needed most. This includes help from the federal government and FEMA.”

Of course, this was said the same day that Hurricane Sandy made landfall on the East Coast.

The people who will vote for Romney next week are, for the most part, the same people who voted for George W. Bush twice and, if they're Floridians, guys like Rick Scott and/or David Rivera. They will vote for anyone with an "R" after their name, no matter what they've done in the past and what they represent today.

But you can bet that two years from now when some of these same voters receive that cancer diagnosis or have that stroke and they can't find an insurer who will cover them, somehow they will manage to blame Democrats. Just like its Obama's fault that he hasn't been able to find a job for every single person who lost one under Bush. Somehow, it will be everyone else's fault except their own.

Because it's never the fact they always blindly support the most ill-suited, repugnant and soulless liars as candidates.

No, it's never that.




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SFDB Tuesday Morning Kickstart

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The Cooler

Here's my review of the local mainstream media outlets this morning. Have fun.

A- Herald: One word: snow.

Ever since Roy Roden was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease three years ago, he’s been on a race to get the most out of life while his body still can.

He has skydived, traveled, zip-lined.

Now, the South Florida native is putting his relay into higher gear, planting his foot firmly on a bike pedal.

Roden and his wife Lynn, of North Miami Beach, will take off Thursday with their two dogs on a cross-country bike ride from Seattle to Miami, to raise awareness and money for Parkinson’s.

B- Herald: Morin.

C- Palm Beach Post: What is it about Palm Beach County and elections?

RIVIERA BEACH — Chalk up another printing error for the beleaguered Palm Beach County elections office.

In what some veteran elections officials said is the vote-counting equivalent of lightning striking twice, Elections Supervisor Susan Bucher said Monday that she has been forced to send new absentee ballots to about 500 county residents because of a new printing error.

The new mistake is different — and, some say, potentially more serious — than the one that prompted Bucher to hire dozens of workers, who have spent the past week hand-copying an estimated 27,000 absentee ballots. In that case, a header was missing from judicial races, making it impossible for vote tabulation equipment to read the ballots.

Instead of being confused by a missing header, those who received the new flawed ballots are losing the chance to vote on one of 11 proposed amendments to the state constitution. Because one of the pages on the ballot was duplicated twice and one wasn’t printed at all, those same voters will be able to vote twice for three of the proposed amendments.

D- South Florida Business Journal: Top hotels in South Florida.

Conde Nast Traveler's readers ranked 13 South Florida hotels as their choice of stay when it comes to vacation or business.

Six of those hotels made the Top 10 list chosen by Conde Nast readers.

The readers rated the top hotels in Delray Beach, Orlando, Fort Lauderdale, Islamorada, Key West, Miami, Miami Beach, Naples, Palm Beach and St. Augustine.

E- CBS4: They're out there.

Panduro-Rojas is accused of hugging a young boy from behind and kissing his neck while rubbing the boy’s buttocks and genitals. The boy also told police that he felt Panduro-Rojas’ erect penis rubbing against him during the incident.

In bond court Monday, the judge learned Panduro-Rojas works as an ice cream truck driver.

F- WPLG: Video, "Neighbor from Hell."




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Your Morning Sift

Good morning.

South Florida bloggers are talking about Sandy, as might be expected. Here's your morning Sift.

A- Restaurant Gal shares some Sandy pictures from Fort Lauderdale Beach.

B- Obalesque considers the damage that Sandy has brought the Philly area.

When Guido and I told everybody we were relocating to South Florida, they warned us about dealing with hurricanes. How would we deal with that threat, year after year? Did we know what we were getting into? Twenty-five years later, the irony is as thick as the humidity.

C- Bark Bark Woof Woof is thinking about Sandy this morning, too.

This is when the philosophy of federalism comes up for discussion. As Jed Bartlet once noted, there are times when we’re fifty states and times when we’re one nation. A natural disaster like a hurricane doesn’t discriminate between one state or the other, and if you think FEMA is a cumbersome bureaucracy (it is when it’s run by political cronies), imagine what it would be like if you had to coordinate the recovery at the behest of fifty little FEMA’s, all with their own agendas and funding sources.

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Your Evening Sift

The rainy and destructive weather of Sandy couldn't have seemed more far away today in South Florida. It's going to be a long road back for some of the coastal cities in New Jersey. Here's your evening Sift.

A- Redland Rambles has the lowdown on a new recipe book featuring recipes using Florida grown ingredients.

The authors divided the state into thirds and visited farms, talking to farmers, writing down their stories, collecting recipes, and tasting food. They focused on growers with sustainable practices, and found farms big and small, new farmers starting out, and sixth generation growers leaving a legacy for their children.

B- Arterpillar spotlights local artist Nikki "Detourbutterfly" Saraiva.

Saraiva's altar contains fresh flowers, lit candles and shelves with smaller artworks. Beyond the altar is a 20-foot wall filled with her paintings and the mixed-media assemblages that have become one of her primary passions. The assemblages are made from found items including bones, skeleton keys, clocks and parts from disassembled dolls, vintage lamps and a wooden rolling foot massager. She particularly likes things that look weathered and have history.

C- On Two Shores appears on a Huffington Post video discussion of Cuba after Fidel.

D- Now that the Dolphins are winning everyone is a big fan who loves to mix and mingle with the owners during pre-game festivities in the parking lot...at Phin Phanatic.

While the NYC crew were prepping for the game in the parking lot, Dolphins owner Stephen Ross showed up with CEO Mike Dee and minority owner Fergie. The trio stopped by to thank the folks of DolfansNYC and chat it up with the Dolphins fans in attendance. Ross has been the subject of of fan discontent since taking over the franchise from Wayne Huizenga full time in 2009.

E- Carlos Miller continues his foray into the criminal justice system in Miami-Dade County...video included.

F- Fantasy Fest photos at Florida Keys Girl.

G- Culture Designers spends a few minutes with Miami film director Fro Rojas.

What makes Miami such a stellar location for you (to shoot)?

Aside from the beautiful weather, I think it’s the ability to shoot at locations that most people don’t know about. Everyone thinks that Miami is all about South Beach and palm trees, but there’s so much more to this city than any of that. I always like the idea of shooting at new spots or places that the rest of the world hasn’t seen.

H- A map of The Haunts of Miami, from Curbed Miami.

I- South Florida Lawyers points out the twisted and painful spin of Miami Herald political reporter/opinion columnist/obvious Republican Marc "Fair and Balanced" Caputo.

J- Eye on Miami shares a video of flooding on Miami Beach although it doesn't mention when it was made.




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Romney Gets A Call From Reagan

via the internets




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SFDB Not-So-Random Thought Of The Day

Somewhere in South Florida, a man methodically loads a U-Haul with generators and chainsaws that he purchased this weekend at Home Depot. Later today he'll head north on I-95.


His destination? A rest stop along the New Jersey Turnpike where he'll set up shop and sell his cargo at 2 or 3 times what he paid.

Bet on it.



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U.S. Wind Map

Very cool...

An invisible, ancient source of energy surrounds us—energy that powered the first explorations of the world, and that may be a key to the future. This map shows you the delicate tracery of wind flowing over the US.

[...]

Surface wind data comes from the National Digital Forecast Database. These are near-term forecasts, revised once per hour. So what you're seeing is a living portrait. (See the NDFD site for precise details; our timestamp shows time of download.) And for those of you chasing top wind speed, note that maximum speed may occur over lakes or just offshore.

Might be especially interesting over the next couple days.






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SFDB Monday Morning Kickstart

That unfortunate moment when you realize that you underestimated Mother Nature a little...





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The Cooler

The mainstream media is taking its good old time getting started this morning. Here's some of the more interesting stuff I found this morning.

A- Herald: Perhaps he has a problem with DNA evidence, too.

In a rare and controversial legal move, a Miami-Dade judge has curtailed fingerprint evidence in a criminal case — drawing alarm from prosecutors who vow to appeal.

Circuit Judge Milton Hirsch said in an order that he won’t allow a police fingerprint examiner to testify that he identified a conclusive “match” for a Miami man accused of two burglaries.

“We have become accustomed to, and accepting of, fingerprint testimony,” Hirsch wrote in a 17-page order issued. “Once upon a time, our forebears were accustomed to, and accepting of, the notion that the world was flat. That did not make it so.”

B- Herald: Perhaps another stop at Versailles?

Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney is heading to the University of Miami on Wednesday, according to his campaign.

C- Herald: They write letters.

Making news

Mitt Romney and a number of conservative columnists continue trying to make a big deal out of the tragedy in Libya. Maybe President Obama should handle that situation the way the iconic Republican president did in 1983. President Ronald Reagan sent the Marines to Lebanon on sort of a token force mission of America’s position. Hundreds of the Marines were placed in a four-story building for their barracks. An Islam suicide bomber drove a dynamite-loaded truck up to the building and set it off. Two hundred forty one Marines were killed and 60 injured.

Two days later, he ordered the invasion of Grenada and 19 more American soldiers were killed. This little two month war became the big news and the 241 were pretty much just old news.

Lee Mielke, Tavernier

D- Palm Beach Post: Reinforcements.

Florida Power and Light is deploying nine trucks and 14 employees from its Jupiter service center to the Mid-Atlantic states to assist utilities there in anticipation of Hurricane Sandy’s arrival.

They are in a safety briefing now and they’ll be on the road before 7 a.m., said spokesman Greg Brostowicz. “They’re going to be driving to South Carolina tonight and tomorrow they will be deployed in the Virginia, Maryland, and Washington, D.C. area as needed,” Brostowicz said.

E- TC Palm: Sounds like a big deal to me since votes don't get counted without a signature.

MARTIN COUNTY — A few of about 33,000 absentee ballots mailed out to Martin County voters had printing errors on their envelopes, but Supervisor of Elections Vicki Davis says the errors will not cause problems with those ballots being counted.

Davis said Sunday her office workers so far have seen about a dozen envelopes that lacked a signature verification line on the back. Voters who received such an envelope should sign it on the back, she said.

F- WPLG: And they keep coming.

HOLLYWOOD, Fla. - Another day of long lines are expected as polls reopen for the third day of early voting on Monday. More than 100,000 people have cast ballots in Miami-Dade and Broward counties since early voting began Saturday morning.

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Your Morning Sift

Good morning.

I'm not going about this Monday morning because there's a lot of folks who are having a rougher morning than I am. Let's get this week started with your morning Sift.

A- As Sandy gets ready to rearrange a few northeastern U.S. households, Bark Bark Woof Woof reminds us whats on the chopping block of Republicans in order for the wealthy to keep their tax cuts.

B- Miami Dish shows us around The Farm at Verde Gardens in Homestead.

About a year ago, Homestead Air Reserve Base land was turned into The Farm at Verde Gardens. 22 acres include farmland, along with Homestead Harvest Market, where produce from The Farm at Verde Gardens and other farms is sold, and where a cafe will soon open.

The goal is also to provide jobs and job training to the formerly homeless people who live in the Verde Gardens transitional homes. Verde Gardens is a collaboration between Earth Learning, a Miami group focused on sustainability, and Carrfour Supportive Housing.

C- Obalesque explains why white people drive him nuts sometimes.

D- Eye on Miami posts another video report from the Aventura polling station.

Anyway, I decided to do a video today of voters talking to me about the election or anything else. Well guess what, no one would talk to me except a young man and High school girl. The only others that wished to talk were the politicians (of course).

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Your Evening Sift

We're getting ready to cap the weekend with a nice barbecue out back here at Casa SFDB. Enjoy your evening and your Sift, folks.

A- Shorter Some Blogging Guy...

Fox News and the Republican Party shouldn't be the only ones that shamelessly exploit the deaths of American diplomats overseas for political purposes.

B- Random Pixels discusses a Miami Herald story about the federal investigation into Bal Harbour PD's handling of seized money.

C- The Street has 17 new photos up.

D- Phin Phanatic says it was a big win for the Dolphins today.

The game score will say 30-9 but it was nowhere near that close. The Jets landed in the end-zone late to give them 9 after coming up scoreless entering the second half. For the Dolphins, the win moves the team above .500 after a week of trash talking by a now silent NY Jets team.

E- The new Thea's Pizzeria is a nice spot in Miami for pizza and wine, says All Purpose Dark, but after reading, I'm not quite sure they actually ate there.

The stylish bistro is located adjacent to the UM Life Science and Technology Park and is an ideal spot for power lunches near downtown. The neo-industrial space is outfitted with molded black chairs, polished concrete floors and a striking Bisazza tile mosaic of flowers behind the bar. A window into the kitchen allows for view of pizza-making at a marble slab. The restaurant is open right now for breakfast and lunch only, with plans to roll out dinner in the next month. The grub: Thin-crust pizzas and gourmet salads.

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As A Republican Sees It

Republican and retired Army Col. Lawrence Wilkerson addresses the comment that conservative John Sununu recently made and I covered here.



Let there be no doubt.





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For Catholics, The Choice Is Clear

Bishop David Ricken in Wisconsin has some voting guidance for his parishioners in a recent letter...

“A well-formed Christian conscience does not permit one to vote for a political program that contradicts fundamental contents of faith and morals. Some candidates and one party have even chosen some of these as their party’s or their personal political platform. To vote for someone in favor of these positions means that you could be morally ‘complicit’ with these choices which are intrinsically evil. This could put your own soul in jeopardy.”

He must be referring to the Republican Party's support for the death penalty, torture, and slashing programs that help the poor in this country.

So you heard the good bishop...vote for Obama!

Or go to Hell.


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SFDB Cool Of The Day

The Space Shuttle Endeavor's journey through the streets of L.A. a couple weeks ago.

The story behind the video here.




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Your Morning Sift

Good morning.

It's a lazy Sunday morning here at SFDB HQ. Just the way Sunday mornings should be. Here's your morning Sift.

A- South Florida Food and Wine spends a few minutes with the mother/daughter team behind South Florida online gourmet chocolate company, Shocolaate.

B- Go Hydrology! notes a very scary haunted hike in the swamp.

C- Phin Phanatic provides 4 reasons why the Dolphins will beat the Jets today.

I think the Dolphins D can stuff the Jets run game. I think Ryan Tannehill can continue to limit turnovers and do enough to win. I think this match up favors the Dolphins. I expect them to come out and play with a fire we haven’t seen yet this year. I say the Dolphins win with a score of 21-10.

D- Eye on Miami shows us what early voting looked like in Aventura yesterday.




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SFDB Saturday Night Turndown Service

Monsters of Folk, The Sandman, the Brakeman, and Me




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Your Evening Sift

Enjoy your Saturday night, readers. Here's your evening Sift.

A- Wrestling photos at Nikon Miami.

B- Miami Heat 2013 Season Schedule wallpaper is available at The305.Com.

C- Arterpillar profiles South Florida artist Nina Surel.

Nina Surel buys materials for her mixed-media art in thrift shops — not that she's their typical shopper.

"When I go to vintage places for porcelain, they'll talk about how this used to be from my grandmother, and this and that," she says. "I don't even want to hear that, because I'm smashing it!"

D- Discourse has more evidence that things were very busy at the polls today.

I was at the Coral Gables library this morning to return some library books, when the app was showing a two hour wait. The people at the front door of the library — who I would guess were still a good half hour at least from a polling machine — told me that they had been waiting two and half hours to get that far. The line went all the way around the corner and past the long side of the building.

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Yes, This Happened

For those of you who were wondering what happened to Meatloaf...


Do we really have to speculate what Fox News and its minions would be saying now if this had been President Obama up on stage instead of Mitt Romney?

No, of course we don't.



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You Know You're A South Floridian...

If this photo makes you smile or shake your head...

                                                                                                  Frank Eltman / AP Photo

Jay Bochner, right, helps neighbor Irwin Rosenthal load a sandbag at the beachfront on Friday, Oct. 26, 2012, in Long Beach, N.Y. The men were preparing for a large storm predicted to hit the New York area next week.

Jay and Irwin then went back to their respective residences and taped their windows.



-via The Miami Herald



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Voter Enthusiasm In Palm Beach County

If you don't think that people are taking this election seriously then take a look at what it looked like this morning at 7 AM at a polling station in Palm Beach County for the first day of early voting...

                                                                                                         Damon Higgins/The Palm Beach Post

Even before the polls opened at 7 a.m. today, hundreds of people stood shivering in lines waiting to be among the first to cast ballots in what has become a dead-heat between President Barack Obama and Gov. Mitt Romney.

Tara Ford, of Jupiter, claimed her spot as first in line when she arrived at the Supervisor of Elections Office in West Palm Beach at 5:20 a.m. Ford wore a red Mitt Romney shirt and waited in line among throngs of Obama supporters, most African Americans, who attended the blessing of the polls at 6 a.m.

“I believe this is the most important election of my lifetime,” said Ford, who could have voted at a polling site closer to her home but instead traveled to the county’s election’s headquarters to be with eager voters. “I’m just happy to be here.”

Over the past few weeks, I've listened to some people complain about how both candidates are the same and it's just the same old, tired political BS being replayed in a different year.

Nothing could be further from the truth. The people telling you otherwise are either full-time cynics or people who spend as little time following politics as they can. After all, there are tweets to tweet and football games to watch and, hey, what the hell is for dinner tonight?

Get serious. Get informed. And vote, people.

And then tweet about it later!



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SFDB Saturday Start

A Day in the Life of a Fire Lookout

The video documents the (usually) very peaceful life of a fire lookout in the Gardner Lookout on the East Peak of Mt. Tamalpais in Marin County, California. I've been a Marin County Fire Department volunteer lookout for two years and deeply love the mountain and the peace it brings to us here in the Bay Area. Perhaps this 6-minute video will convey some of the emotions I feel when sitting (and sleeping) on her peak.

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Your Morning Sift

Good morning.

And it's a gorgeous one. Here's your morning Sift.

A- Twenty new photos are up at The Street.

B- I really enjoyed this post from Hello, I'm Scott this morning.

I sat for a very brief moment today in front of 810 Lincoln Road. As I rested there, the music, humming low from underneath the awning at the Art Center, was especially eerie. I wondered if they were playing it specifically for the days ahead. (They’ve had this whole audio project going on for a long, long stretch of time now. Very soft, non-intrusive sound playing onto the pedestrian street.)

C- Salty Eggs wants to make sure that you understand that they do not endorse the Sun Sentinel’s endorsement of Mitt Romney.

But cutting to the chase, the Sun-Sentinel piece, with all its contradictions, reads with all the pseudo-certainty we’ve come to expect from Republicans.

D- Redland Rambles introduces us to the dragon fruit.

The first time I opened up a dragon fruit or pitaya, I thought, “Alien autopsy, here goes!” and sliced. The inside is a solid grayish-white mass flecked with a million tiny black seeds that remind one of kiwi fruit.

E- South Florida Guy has been keeping busy with a real fixer upper.

I've been doing demolition since the day I closed. The house is in gated golf club community. The same one my parents live in coincidentally. The previous owners were not the favorite of the neighbors, the home owners association, and likely the police so I have been very well received so far. I'm sure the trash people have a slightly different view as I've already put out 15 loaded contractor bags for pickup. Right now I'm looking at ripping out the remains of the kitchen cabinets and a 13' X 17' bedroom ceiling. Well half. The other half fell due the the roof leak.

F- Eye on Miami discusses the Miami Herald's endorsement of President Obama.

The Herald points out that Senate Minority leader Mitch McConnell, from Kentucky coal country, is not exactly a good dance partner for Obama. That is the understatement of the year.

G- Bark Bark Woof Woof presents your latest bit of Republican hypocrisy.



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Your Evening Sift

Let's hope this rain gets out of here soon so we can enjoy our weekend and all the things I have listed for you in the Weekend Widget in the right sidebar. Here's your evening Sift.

A- Some Blogging Guy takes a stroll down Crazy Lane, makes a left on Demented Drive and winds up on Wacky Way to compose his latest post.

American blood has been shed in a viscous coordinated attack and Obama has moved America into a position where she is running away with her tail between her legs.

Even Jimmy Carter would not have betrayed his country like this.

President Obama must be impeached, removed from office in the unlikely event he wins the election. If he does not win, he needs to be prosecuted to the fullest extend of the law.

This is the character of the man in the White House. If you vote for him, you are voting for the death of America.

B- Blogging Black Miami has a great photo of Miami-Dade County Public Schools Superintendent Alberto Carvalho reacting to winning this year's Broad Prize.

As the winner of the award that recognizes the large urban school district making the greatest progress in the country in raising student achievement, Miami-Dade will receive $550,000 in college scholarships for its high school seniors.

C- On Two Shores pays tribute to "Cuban iconoclast" Eloy Gutierrez Menoyo, who passed away today at the age of 77, while Babalu takes the low road and mocks him [via Twitter]. From the former...

Cuban exiles have a name for those who act purely on principle no matter what, refusing to bend for politics, convenience or personal gain. They are called “verticales” or verticals. Well, in this exile where so many who define themselves as verticals don’t deserve it, Menoyo was the most vertical of verticales.

D- If you're in the market for $1.5 million condos, Curbed Miami has the 411 on a new South of Fifth project on Miami Beach.

Each unit has a triple exposure, with private elevators, at least two balconies, either three or four bedrooms (not counting the dens), totally tricked-out appliances (built-in espresso machine anyone?), oversized showers, soaking tubs, etc. etc.

E- Food for Thought has updated "The List" as to where you should be dining in South Florida.

Back in February, with some trepidation, I added a new feature to this blog: "The List" - a compilation of my own most frequently voiced responses to the question, "What are the best places to eat in Miami?" For reasons I explained back then, I've always struggled to name "favorites," as so much depends on mood, preference and appetite any given day.

F- Salty Eggs has a load of photos from President Obama's rally in Delray Beach earlier this week.

G- Eye on Miami worries about their absentee ballot signature.

I didn't go to the post office. They routinely toss out enough absentees for bad signatures to have made Al Gore President. I might vote early. I don't want to drive to Doral and park a mile from the front door (not enough parking there). I wish I could cross out the signature and do it over.

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Flashback Friday

1983....





Berlin, Metro



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"Someone Of Your Own Race"

Romney surrogate and Very White Guy John Sununu yesterday...



Sununu, shortly after he realized how that sounded...

Colin Powell is a friend and I respect the endorsement decision he made and I do not doubt that it was based on anything but his support of the president’s policies. Piers Morgan’s question was whether Colin Powell should leave the party, and I don’t think he should.

John Sununu is the kind of Republican who says, "I'm not racist. I have lots of black friends."

Like Colin Powell.

Who he thinks votes for Barack Obama only because he's black.

I'm sure he thinks Powell listens to rap music on a regular basis, too.

"They" all do, don't they?


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Restaurant Violations In SoFla

So I decided to see how some select SoFla restaurants fared when last visited by Florida sanitation and safety inspectors, according to the WPLG database that is based upon Florida Division of Hotel and Restaurant inspection information. The information comes with this explanation and caution...

The information on this page is obtained from Florida state government records and is compiled from sanitation and safety inspections of named restaurants. Each inspection report is a "snapshot" of conditions present at the time of the inspection. On any given day, an establishment may have fewer or more violations than noted in their most recent inspection. Inspections conducted on any given day may not be representative of the overall, long-term conditions at the establishment. Because conditions can change rapidly, establishments are not graded or rated. This webpage is not the official source of this information and should not be relied upon as such.

What follows is the name of the restaurant, the date of the inspection and the number of violations...

Miami Beach

Yardbird Southern Table and Bar
8/31/12
11

5 Napkin Burger
10/10/12
13

Balan's
6/12/12
0

Juvia
9/14/12
13

Ice Box Cafe
9/28/12
3

Monty's
8/31/12
10

Spris
7/30/12
0


Miami

Blue Collar
7/23/12
4

Harry's Pizzeria
2/28/12
0


Michael's Genuine Food & Drink
7/9/12
5

NAOE
4/3/12
6

Michy's
8/10/12
0

Lokal
5/8/12
8

International House of Pancakes (7376 Bird Rd.)
7/20/12
35

Fort Lauderdale

Southport Raw Bar
8/9/12
12

Gilbert's
9/26/12
2

Lesters Diner
9/17/12
23

The Floridian
8/23/12
9

Ernie's Bar B Q Lounge
9/17/12
3

Blue Martini
9/7/12
19

Ruth's Chris Steak House (2525 North Federal)
10/5/12
26


Search the database for your favorite restaurants and if you find some interesting information you would like to note, let us know about it in the comments.



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One More Reason The Sun-Sentinel Sucks

This morning, the Sun-Sentinel decided to take one more step in their walk to be totally irrelevant to the community they service...

In these uncertain times, we need a leader who will chart a clear course, sweat the details and get the job done right.

We believe Romney’s past performance is a predictor of his future behavior. He’s proven himself to be a successful businessman. He rescued the 2002 Winter Olympics from scandal and mismanagement. He worked with a Democrat-dominated legislature as governor of Massachusetts to close a $3 billion budget deficit — without borrowing and raising taxes.

[...]

President Obama is a decent man who took office with the nation facing an economic precipice. But even he predicted he would be a one-term president if he failed to turn things around.

We believe the best chance to get America back working again is to elect Mitt Romney. That’s why we endorse him for president.

This follows the Orlando Sentinel's endorsement of Romney last week.

It's not surprising that the Tribune Company's Sam Zell decided to go this route in an important swing state like Florida. Him and Romney are cut from the same swath of cloth when it comes to taking over and destroying companies for their own personal profit. Just look at what he's done to the Tribune Company. And they have the same disdain for the poor in this country.

Here's Zell in a recent TV appearance...


As you might imagine, comments are piling up quickly at the Sun-Sentinel but this one summarized things pretty well.

The parent company of the Sun-Sentinel is Tribune Company, which recently emerged from bankruptcy with its debt controlled by one large bank and two hedge funds. Romney also managed a hedge fund. Birds of a feather flock together. As a vulture capitalist Romney is no different than the raiders who drove Tribune Company into a ditch. Perhaps the SS is looking for a tax break. This endorsement has nothing to do with what's good for the country and everything to do with corporate greed. Shame on Sun-Sentinel and their sister company Orlando Sentinel who also endorsed Romney.

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SFDB Blogments

What the hell is a "blogment?"

It's a word that I made up to describe comments about the South Florida blogosphere that will be part of an occasional feature here at SFDB. I've found that while I'm sometimes able to integrate my comments about the blogosphere into my Sifts, I need more room to explain how I see the blogosphere evolving and changing.

Hence, "blogments."

As soon as you stop laughing, we'll proceed.

Okay.

I wanted to start off by mentioning what I'm finding to be some of the "hotter," more interesting blogs that are currently on the SFDB blogroll. Salty Eggs and Arterpillar are respectively ripping up the local music and art scenes with frequent posting and some excellent coverage. As I've mentioned before and you've no doubt noticed, the eclectic Critical Miami is back and pumping out some great posts that include some super images. And I'm enjoying On Two Shores' fresh and up to date perspectives on Cuba.

At the other end of the spectrum, Brickell Life and Blind Mind have stopped posting and Miami Beach 411 and The Heat Lightening seem to be running on fumes these days.

Carlos Miller has moved on from Pixiq and is doing his own thing here with a stable of writers. Speaking of stable of writers, The305.Com has increased their posting frequency by (apparently) bringing on additional staff. And I'm happy to report that it looks like Burger Beast is back to regularly reviewing comfort food outlets.

A larger trend that I'm watching in the South Florida blogosphere is the use of the blogging platform to promote events or even other social media outlets being used by the blogger. While this is not new to the blogosphere, it seems that some blogs are almost totally consumed in this practice and rarely post what has generally been considered traditional blogging material any longer. Is this a growing trend? I'm not sure. But when a blog does virtually nothing but advertise its own projects or ventures or affiliated businesses or associations then, in my opinion, it is no longer a blog but just another marketing tool.

On a final note, viewing Beached Miami's recent post that contained a bunch of Halloween Critical Mass images from years past made me realize just how much I miss Robby Campbell's photography and contributions to Beached Miami. I know he's got Sketchy Miami going on but, Robby, SFDB misses you, man. Think about it.

Lastly, as a reminder, proper etiquette in the blogosphere always includes linking to the source of your material. Link love is where it's at.

Just sayin'.




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SFDB Morning Chuckle

President Obama voted in Chicago yesterday. Watch what happened...


When he was handed back his ID, I think the appropriate comeback would have been something like...

"Is that it? Great. I was worried you were going to ask me for my birth certificate."


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The Cooler

As you might imagine, the weather is taking center stage this morning. Here's some of the other stuff that caught my attention. Enjoy the Cooler.

A- Herald: Early voting starts tomorrow but isn't as long thanks to the efforts of Rick Scott who wants to provide Florida citizens as little time as possible.

TALLAHASSEE -- Early voting in Florida begins Saturday, nearly a week later than in past years — and with wide variations in hours from county to county.

The majority of voters will have access to the maximum possible hours of 96, spread over eight straight 12-hour days. That’s because supervisors of elections in all large counties chose that schedule, seeking to maximize turnout and reduce chances of long lines on Election Day and confusion from the change in early voting days.

The Legislature last year reduced the number of days from 14 to eight, ending on a Saturday three days before the Nov. 6 election. The state had required 96 hours of early voting but the law was changed to allow at least 48 hours and a maximum of 96, while eliminating early voting on the last Sunday before Election Day.

Miami-Dade and Broward counties are offering the maximum 96 hours, 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. for eight consecutive days, beginning Saturday.

[...]

Gov. Rick Scott’s administration spent a year and nearly $500,000 in legal fees successfully defending the shorter eight-day schedule from lawsuits by the Justice Department and advocacy groups that claimed it was a Republican plot to suppress voter turnout.

B- Herald: Double layered, but no new taxes!

With a 12-1 vote, Miami-Dade commissioners, mayors and other elected county officials who belong to the Miami-Dade Metropolitan Planning Organization endorsed a plan to add variable toll express lanes to segments of the Homestead Extension of Florida’s Turnpike. The move clears the way for the Florida Department of Transportation to go forward with the plan.

[...]

But Miami-Dade Commissioner Bruno Barreiro, who was the only one to vote against the project, said the plan was unfair to commuters.

“They are taking away a regular lane from the commuters,” Barreiro said. “It’s a toll within a toll and I don’t like that concept. It takes from the regular commuters who are already paying a toll. It’s like double taxation.”

Turnpike officials responded that they would not be taking regular lanes, but instead adding express lanes to a widened road.

C- Herald: Worth the rain.

If there’s one good thing from all this blustery weather South Florida is feeling from Hurricane Sandy, it’s the cool air coming our way.

Finally, the region will get some relief on Sunday night, with lows in the mid-60s.

And on Monday and Tuesday next week, the lows are expected to dip into the 50s.

Ahh.

D- Herald: Oh, yeah. I bet there will be tons of takers.

Cuba said Thursday it will welcome back tens of thousands of its citizens who left illegally — including rafters, doctors and baseball players — in the second round of a migration reform it claims will help normalize relations with Cubans abroad.

[...]

“We will normalize the temporary entry to the island of those who emigrated illegally after the 1994 migration accords,” Homero Acosta, secretary of the ruling Council of State, announced in a television appearance late Wednesday.

Also allowed to return will be medical personnel and top athletes who left illegally or defected while abroad after 1990 and who have been out for more than eight years, as well as Cubans who left when they were 16 or younger and those who want to return for humanitarian reasons, like caring for ailing relatives.

E- Palm Beach Post: First hand experience convinces everyone that has a brain.

If you think all doctors don’t like Obamacare, you should talk to a doctor with cancer.

I did. Dr. James Byrnes is a family practitioner who is the chief of the medical staff at Bethesda Memorial Hospital in Boynton Beach and the former president of the Palm Beach County Medical Society.

A year ago, Byrnes, 60, got diagnosed with throat cancer.

[...]

So in July, he thought it was time he shopped around the insurance market to see if he could get a plan that was cheaper and better for him and his staff. But now he had throat cancer.

“Without Obamacare, I don’t know if anybody would take me. They could say I’m too expensive,” he said. “But my insurance agent told me that now they couldn’t refuse me.”

The health care law, formally called the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, is slated to take full effect in 2014. A provision of that law prohibits insurance companies from denying coverage to applicants with pre-existing medical conditions.

F- NBC Miami: First gators, now this.

A 54-year-old woman attacked by a coyote in Brevard County is being treated in a hospital.

Sheriff's officials say the woman was attacked Wednesday and taken to Palm Bay Hospital. Authorities have not released her condition or name.

The attack happened in Malabar along Florida's east coast.

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Your Morning Sift

Good morning.

TGIF, readers. I have some great posts for you today and the SFDB Weekend Widget is up and running in the right sidebar. Hell with the rain...we're gonna have some fun. Enjoy your morning Sift.

A- Redland Rambles reposts this year's Brunch in Paradise dates. This weekend's has been canceled.

B- Bark Bark Woof Woof does take it personally.

Because I’m a person. I’m a citizen. When the Constitution talks about “We The People,” I’m one of those people. I didn’t give up the rights enumerated in that document because I happen to be gay any more than I gave them up because I have brown eyes as opposed to blue. Lumping me into a demographic, along with being white and from a Protestant upbringing, doesn’t remove my basic core of being a person who has all of the same expectations of rights and responsibilities as the family that lives next door who happen to be heterosexual with the requisite proof playing in the back yard.

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SFDB Late Night Politics

Stephen Colbert hilariously mocks Fox News and their minions who are trying to create something...anything...out of the tragedy in Benghazi for political purposes.

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

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Your Evening Sift

A little surprise for you this evening as I put together your Sift a bit earlier than usual. Enjoy your wet Thursday night, readers.

A- The swamp mosaic, from Go Hydrology!

B- Carlos Miller has some new digs.

Maybe it was never about me, except for those times when I find myself incarcerated and on trial for having the gall to not back down from cops while recording, but that is what started it all. That blustery night on Biscayne Blvd.

This will be a work in progress. I will be making minor changes, adjustments and additions over the next few weeks, but this is pretty much the new format for PINAC.

C- Eater Miami chats with the guys behind Pubbelly Sushi.

What inspiration brought about Pubbelly Sushi?
Jose: I met Yuki in Vegas when I went over to cook for Sushi Samba. We've both worked in sushi for a while, both of us at Nobu and Sushi Samba. Yuki wanted to come to Miami, and it worked perfectly.

Yuki: Yeah, it just happened. We just really wanted a place where people feel comfortable to hang out, with a pub feel. Not the typical sushi bar where California rolls sell the most. I probably sell one California roll a week. Our version is the New England Style Rolls, but they're in a sandwich. It's different and a lot more fun. No one wants to keep eating California rolls- got to think outside the box.

J: We wanted to do a fun, neighborhood sushi restaurant. Affordable and different. My friend Ernie [Vales] is a graffiti artist and did all our artwork; he has a gallery in Wynwood, EVLWorld.

D- Beached Miami posts their selection for Instapix Pic of the Week.

E- Some interesting Cuban immigration stats and some commentary from On Two Shores.

F- Critical Miami offers their tips for voting in the upcoming election.

Obama has not done everything he could have done, but it’s a fact that Republicans for the last few decades have been much worse for the budget deficit, and Romney’s “cut taxes and grow the military” is a strategy for more of that.

G- PhinPhanatic lists the Pro Bowl worthy Dolphins.

H- There's an Art Deco hotel for sale on South Beach, according to Eater Miami, if you're interested.

The Berkeley Shore at 1610 Collins Avenue, which has the same multicolored, funky, look it probably did in the 80s and 90s when South Beach was still a technicolor, neon induced wonderland, has just hit the market.

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