Your Evening Sift

I think the Critical Mass riders are going to get a little damp tonight. Hope you're enjoying your evening and planning your weekend out using the handy SFDB Weekend Widget in the right sidebar.

A- Shorter Gun Free Zone...

You should listen to me, a blogger, when it comes to legal matters before you listen and believe an actual attorney.

B- Boy Writes Miami gets comped at Oceanaire Seafood Room and loves their food.

When I did bite into the jerk grouper, the Israel-Palestine conflict ended. ENDED. I don’t know what the culinary parallel to the word “cacophony” is, but that’s basically what happened in my mouth. It felt like there was a hint of cinnamon or nutmeg or something in it too, I can’t put my tongue on it, but the best way I can describe it is it tasted like Jamaican Christmas.

C- Beached Miami's Instapix Pic of the Week is up.

D- You're living in one of the most expensive areas for housing and transportation, according to Curbed Miami.

E- Redland Rambles gives us a look at what is in Week #2 of your CSA share.

F- Arterpillar takes a look at local artist Hilda Vazquez and the way she's combining art with music this weekend in Fort Lauderdale.

In addition to sharing her works, she enjoys sharing the limelight, so what she initially intended as the debut of her musician series has now turned into an all-out bash. "The more I thought about it, I wanted to make it a party — a celebration of art and music combined, since without one I wouldn't have created the other," she notes. "So I called a few friends (also artists and photographers) and said 'I have a venue, let's all show our music-inspired work."

G- See if you agree with Eater Miami's Best Mojito map.

So when you've got visitors wanting that "authentic" Miami experience or a craving for that minty-rum drink, head to one of these places.

H- Eye on Miami posts a chart showing travel times to work for the various districts in Miami-Dade County.

22,813 of our residents travel 90 minutes or more for work. Another 87,390 spend 60 to 89 minutes traveling to their jobs. That is a crime. 26.1% of workers travel more than 40 minutes a day.

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Friday Flashback

1994...

I've been waiting for Eddie Vedder to get to Fort Lauderdale since May when he had to suddenly postpone his nationwide tour due to an injury. Tonight he does the first night of a two-night gig. I have tickets for tomorrow night's show.

The set list is supposed to be long and awesome and should include the following Pearl Jam tune that will have the audience on their feet...guar.an.effing.teed.




I seem to recognize your face
Haunting, familiar yet, I can't seem to place it
Cannot find the candle of thought to light your name
Lifetimes are catching up with me

All these changes taking place
I wish I'd seen the place
But no one's ever taken me

Hearts and thoughts they fade, fade away
Hearts and thoughts they fade, fade away

-Elderly Woman Behind The Counter In A Small Town




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SFDB Quote Of The Day

"We need to be jerks, smart intolerant jerks. We need the idiocy of open-mindedness with happy judgmentalism."

-Greg Gutfeld, conservative, Fox News host, Andrew Breibart admirer and author of The Joy of Hate explaining what the Republican Party needs.

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Chat Chow TV: Andrew Carmellini / The Dutch

Another great interview by Chat Chow TV...

Andrew Carmellini is a two-time James Beard Award winner from New York City with a string of roaring hit restaurants including Locanda Verde inside Robert DeNiro’s Greenwich Hotel. You might even remember his Grandpa Carmellini if you were hanging out at Miami Beach’s Surf Club in the 40′s and 50′s. Andrew is also the author of two cookbooks, Urban Italian and American Flavor.

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SFDB Morning Chuckle

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The Cooler

As always, there is plenty of interesting news this morning in South Florida. Here's some if it.

A- Herald: Another bullet dodged.

Hurricane season 2012, which officially ends Dec. 1, will go down in history as the year of “super storm” Sandy, which carved a path of death and devastation from the Caribbean to the Jersey shore.

Scientifically speaking, it also was notable for something it was not: intense. For the third-straight season, the tropics churned out what not long ago would rank as an abnormally large number of storms — yet curiously only one of 19 managed to reach Category 3 strength.

[...]

Despite two close and soggy calls, it also went down as a lucky seventh-straight landfall-free year for South Florida.

B- Herald: Video, man accuses Hialeah Police of covering up accident.

C- Herald: They write letters.

Don’t pray for me, Miami-Dade commissioners

I didn’t vote for anybody to pray for me at Miami-Dade Commission meetings. If you want to pray for yourself, feel free to go to church, or whatever, as much as you like. Just be sure to show up for work on time and fix the potholes.

Donald L. Miller, Miami

D- Palm Beach Post: Now that's a cell phone lot.

Coffee, snacks, gas, restrooms and a real-time flight board should make the waiting easier at Palm Beach International Airport’s future cellphone waiting lot.

[...]

Airport Plazas will develop the travel plaza on about 2.5 acres near the intersection of Belvedere and Florida Mango roads. The travel plaza will have a gas station, convenience store, fast-food restaurant, car wash and paved cellphone waiting lot as well as free wireless service and a flight information board. In fact, Abi Zeid said the plaza will have compressed natural gas, because he wants to bring the alternative fuel to the average car driver.

E- South Florida Business Journal: As if going to class wasn't miserable enough.

Florida Atlantic University said there is an ongoing investigation into the armed robbery that occurred on its Boca Raton campus on Thursday.

[...]

The university warned the public, students and staff on Thursday to stay away from its Arts and Letters Building, Building 9, after a suspect placed a small handgun to the head of a student.

F- CBS4: Yeah, but will it have Fat Tire?

KENDALL (CBSMiami) – Beer lovers, picture this: 50 rotating taps from around the world and more than 500 different bottles of alcohol, served to the sounds of local live music.

World Of Beer will deliver it all when the franchise opens its Kendall store at The Palms at Town & Country.

G- WPLG: Video, coyotes in Tamarac.

H- WPLG: Seriously, South Florida?

AVENTURA, Fla. - Some holiday reindeer on display inside a South Florida shopping mall are inciting more than Christmas cheer: they’re raising eyebrows.

Behind the glass at the Calvin Klein store in the Aventura Mall, sharply-dressed human mannequins with antlers for heads are positioned provocatively, some shoppers tell Local 10.

Fort Lauderdale resident Kathleen Molchanov said she was shocked to see the holiday-inspired mannequins placed in what she thought were sexually-explicit poses.

“This is NOT a vision of SUGAR PLUMS & CANDY that should be dancing through children's eyes at Christmas. There is also a ‘male’ reindeer laying atop of ‘lady’ reindeer,” Molchanov wrote in a letter to mall management.

I- WSVN: Life in South Florida.

DAVIE, Fla. (WSVN) -- A distraught man took the life of his 6-year-old daughter, her dog and his own.

The bodies were discovered by school kids, Thursday morning, in a van parked inside a Davie neighborhood.

The man was identified by the Davie Police Department as 30-year-old Paul Andrade. He is accused of parking his van in front of his ex-wife's house and hooking the exhaust from the engine to pump poisonous gas into the vehicle.

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Your Morning Sift

Good morning.

It's the last day of hurricane season, readers, so break out your canned goods and water and fire up that generator and run it until the tank goes dry. Woo hoo! We're gonna party! Here's your morning Sift.

A- Hello, I'm Scott did last night what ever any good photographer does when there's a full moon...he went out and played in it.

B- Justice Building Blog remembers the late Judge Calvin Mapp.

Judge Mapp broke a color line. His memory stands to remind us that it was not that long ago when there were religious and sex and race lines that had been firmly drawn and needed heroes to step up and break them.

C- Bark Bark Woof Woof provides his take on the current budget negotiations between Congress and the White House.

This time President Obama has all the cards. If nothing happens, the tax cuts go away, the defense cuts go into effect, the deficit drops, and the Republicans are left to explain why they stood in the way of continuing unemployment insurance and keeping the middle class tax cuts. President Obama is not running for re-election, so his work is done. And the Koch Brothers and all the other folks who paid good money for the GOP are wondering why John Boehner and Mitch McConnell are tearing up the bill they sent them for all the money they spent.

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SFDB Late Night Politics

Republican hypocrisy is easily mocked, yet once again, by The Daily Show...

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

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Your Evening Sift

The Basel Buzz hangs over the Magic City tonight. Can you feel it? Here's your evening Sift, readers.

A- Blind Tastes explains why he's no longer buying his one-time favorite bourbon.

Is it the best value? At the prices bottles of PVW are fetching today the answer is no. I had a hearty laugh when the clerk at Total Wine told me the 15yr would be $150 this year, more than double it's cost on the very same shelf the previous year. That was pure comedy to me. But sadly, it was also confirmation that my Pappy is dead. Part of what made PVW the best was that it was priced at a premium but that premium was still a somewhat accessible price. The sensationalists who want to shell out $150 for a bottle of Pappy 15yr can have at it.

B- UVu Blog takes a stroll around Wynwood with local artist Kazilla.

C- Stopping to help a dog on a South Florida roadway opened all kinds of doors for Sex and the Beach.

I would hear an incredible tale from this woman about how she used to live in Hawaii, not far from where my brother currently resides. What are the odds? She told me about how she won competitions in surfing and outrigger canoeing, the former a sport my brother practices. She was even a stuntwoman in film. We discussed Kaneohe, the North Shore, the current economic state of Honolulu, shaved ice and Kahuku shrimp, double rainbows and mai tais. We were both transported, she perhaps to another time, when it was all about marriage and kids. Me, just an amazing vacation I had been blessed with when visiting my brother and sister-in-law.

D- Eater Miami maps out Miami's 10 Best Hangover Spots.

But the first thing on anyone's mind the minute a hangover strikes is usually, food. In a zombie-like state, saying "feed me", you probably aren't thinking clearly about where to cure that aching belly and throbbing head. Here, we end the Hangover Power Hour with a guide to 10 great places to go to or order from, depending on what the craving.

E- You know the weekend is right around the corner because South Florida Theatre Scene's weekend preview is up.

F- South Florida Food and Wine enjoyed her 48 hours at Jupiter Beach Resort & Spa.

With its 1000 feet of private shoreline the Jupiter Beach Resort & Spa offers a certain peace and tranquility that only nature can provide, truly defining a quiet weekend retreat. The Jupiter Beach Resort is boutique in style with 168 guest rooms and suites; for gathering of friends and friends to be a community livingroom/gameroom is furnished with pool tables, a library of books and a large screen TV.

G- Leave it to Burger Beast to provide us with the Art Basel food truck schedule.

H- Lebron Jr. likes to shoot jump shots from the balcony of his Dad's million dollar house and The305.Com has the video.

I- Soul of Miami shares some images from last night's Pop-Up Piano Miami Pre-Art Basel Mixer.




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National Beard And Moustache Championships 2012

Each one seems more outrageous than the one before it...






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Thursday Blog Notes

Time once again to highlight a few blogs/blog posts from South Florida folks that currently aren't appearing on the SFDB blogroll.


Measuring Miami

I don't think I've mentioned Measuring Miami here before so it's a good time to do it because it looks like they're getting ready for Art Basel...like everyone else.

Anyway, check out this post if you want to see some of the wall painting that has been going on around Wynwood and head here if you want to get a quick synopsis of the upcoming week.

So now that we are up to our necks in articles, in paint, in murals, in music, and in food -- all in -- it’s time to take the plunge before Art Basel becomes too big too enjoy forevermore.

FAU Diehard

Talk about niche blogging...

Development news and ideas for FAU and Boca Raton including campus updates and photos!

And it's working great.

Take for instance, 5 Franchises That Should Open Near Campus. In the post, FAU Diehard shares their thoughts on what 5 restaurant/bar/lounge/store franchises would best fit the FAU area.

It's a must if you're an FAU student or alumni or are just interested in student life at the university.



Robert Giordano's Photo of The Day

Simply put, photographer Robert Giordano takes some beautiful photos around South Florida and posts them for our enjoyment. Here's part of his "About Me"...

I'm an artist. I always seek knowledge. I hope to somehow make the world a better place with my creations. Whether my art makes you think about the world you live in, or one of my web sites helps you with a task, I hope to teach you something.

So make sure you check out his photos of this year's Christmas on Las Olas and some of the damage that A1A in Fort Lauderdale suffered after Hurricane Sandy.



South Florida Burger Overload

So you say that you need one more burger blog in your life. Here it is.

Our goal is to provide you with info on where to get the absolute best burgers in South Florida. Why get amateur taste experiences when you can get honest, detailed, and reliable reviews from us! Follow South Florida Burger Overload to keep yourself informed of upcoming restaurant openings and local food events.

Their coverage of the recent Burgerlicious competition in Coral Gables (which they helped judge) was cool and the rest of the blog looks solid...if you can put up with only 1-4 posts a month.





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South Florida Cartoons

Chan Lowe, Sun-Sentinel

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Glenn Beck Is Sick

I've said before that I wouldn't be surprised if we all woke up one day to find that sometime during the night Glenn Beck offed himself in some weird, psychotic ritual that would cause many to scratch their heads and wonder how they could have missed the signs that he was capable of doing something so strange and self destructive.

The signs have been there for a long, long time.

And on Tuesday, he produced another one.




I have to say...I won't miss him a bit.





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SFDB Thursday Morning Kickstart

Don't think you wanna ding this guy's doors.







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The Cooler

Here's your AM news review. Enjoy.

A- Herald: Church and state.

The ACLU of Florida on Wednesday formally opposed a proposal to reinstate opening prayers at Miami-Dade Commission meetings.

The proposal, by Commissioner Jose “Pepe” Diaz, is scheduled for a final vote Tuesday.

In a letter to commissioners, ACLU of Florida Executive Director Howard Simon and John de Leon, president of the organization’s Greater Miami chapter, urged commissioners to keep their opening moment of silence, warning that prayer could be “divisive” and lead to a possible lawsuit.

B- Herald: Lizards on the Freedom Tower?

Hundreds of colorful animals are taking over the Miami Dade College Freedom Tower Friday night at the opening of the ForEverglades exhibit, coinciding with Art Basel.

Red alligators, almost 20 feet long, will guard the entrance to the Freedom Tower, 600 Biscayne Blvd., with nine alligators scaling the Freedom Tower.

ForEverglades is an installation created by artist William Sweetlove of Belgium and the Cracking Art Group of Italy.

C- Herald: Morin.

D- Herald: Remember, these are usually the same people who oppose sex education for teens.

Control gun curiosity

Once again The Herald is spewing gun control in its Nov. 23 editorial, Guns and children. It’s a shame that a child has lost her life, but it’s not the gun’s fault. The Herald says a gun should be stored unloaded in a safe place, now does that really make sense? A gun in the house is for protection. What would you do when an intruder breaks into your home? Call time out, I have to load my gun!

The real answer to gun safety is education. When a child is taught to handle a gun, and allowed to go shooting with a parent, they are no longer curious about it. An uneducated child, when they see a gun, wants to pick it up and play with it.

Richard Persson, Miami

E- NBC Miami: Freaking out.

Fort Lauderdale hotels in recent days have gotten phone calls from prospective tourists, who are concerned their planned vacations could be ruined by beach erosion.

The worry comes from seeing nationally televised images of the destruction from churning waves in the city, including a crumbling sidewalk and seawall, officials say.

“We’ve had tourists calling hotels asking if they should change their reservations,” said Matt Little, city spokesman. “They’re worried what they see on the news is indicative of the entire beach.”

Concerned about the misperception among tourists, the city now is reminding the public it’s not the whole beach that’s affected. The damaged stretch of A1A, about the length of a football field, is a small portion when compared to miles of beaches in the city.

F- WPLG: When nature attacks.

SOUTH FLORIDA - A swarm of Africanized bees went on the attack, killing two family pets while their pregnant owner stood by helplessly.

"The nest was like inside the fence on the other side," said Lauri Deane. "I let both of the dogs out back here."

Deane is traumatized by what happened next. In just moments, the bees attacked her dogs.

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Your Morning Sift

Good morning.

Welcome to Thursday, readers, or as we say around SFDB HQ, "Amost Friday." The SFDB Weekend Widget is up and running and rather thin given it's the weekend before Art Basel. What's up with that? Here's your morning Sift.

A- Beached Miami posts their Art Basel Music Guide.

B- Self-described "campaign junkie," Political Cortadito, looks at some of the future elections happening in Miami-Dade County.

But the very next first election is almost upon us: This January (who knew?) in Golden Beach, a tiny sliver of rich folk town at the border with Broward that Ladra knows nothing about — except that she wants to live there with the other 25 or so people. Does anybody know anything? Is that even a race when the voters can all fit in a living room? Comfortably?

C- Go Hydrology! graphically displays the extremes of Florida meteorology.

D- A little bit about the Salvation Army as you head out to do your holiday shopping this year, from Bark Bark Woof Woof.

But remember one thing: the Salvation Army is not a charity. It is an evangelical church, and despite protests to the contrary, they are anti-gay and promote discrimination in their hiring practices against LGBT people. No, they do not discriminate against people who avail themselves of their services or receive help from them, but if you want to work for them, you can’t be gay.

E- Eye on Miami roots out information that those of you living near a shopping center, church or school in Miami-Dade County, might be interested in.




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Your Evening Sift

Lots of posting going on in the South Florida blogosphere. The Art Basel Hype Machine is slowly winding up but hasn't quite hit full speed yet. Get ready. Here's your evening Sift.

A- Because surely you've always wondered how Critical Miami configures his Mac.

My current machine is a 2010 15” MacBook Pro bought used on ebay. I upgraded it to 8 GB of memory and a 512 GB SSD from Crucial. I use this computer at home and as my main computer at work every day. Here’s how it’s configured[...]

B- The latest on the Alan Gross case from The Cuban Triangle.

Of course Mr. Gross was making plenty of money too, and it sort of jumps off the page that the lawsuit assigns responsibility to everyone but Mr. Gross for the trips that he himself made to Cuba, even after perceiving the dangers. It should also be noted that while Mr. Gross was issuing his warnings, he also continued his modus operandi of traveling to Cuba along with American Jewish delegations and having unwitting members of those delegations carry some of his equipment. Not a nice guy.

C- Eye on Miami notes a Biscayne Times article on the drive to bring casinos to Miami.

The article names supporters, lobbyists, funding, Pac's and identifies which politicians got money from Genting and other gambling interests. I am very interested to know where casino money is going. It is all there: A primer on the issue for beginners and political wonks alike.

D- What is a Big Rain Day? Go Hydrology! answers.

E- Florida Keys Girl highly recommends Piola in Hallandale for their pizza.

Both pies were absolutely delicious. They had a bit more oil than the bone-dry style of Onlywood, but were nonetheless really satisfying. (And not just because we were starving and nothing else was open, either!)

F- Shorter Gun Free Zone...

They're coming to take our guns away and if they do they'll suffer Unintended Consequences!!!

G- Curbed Miami shows us an $18.5 million penthouse at Ocean House in SoFi.

The unit, at 4,176 square feet, comes with four bedrooms and 5.5 baths, an oceanview rooftop pool, a 100 inch TV, a $500,000 audio/video and home automation system, hidden LED TVs in all the bathrooms, an outdoor gas fire pit, and a rooftop garden with full size palm trees.

H- Photos of last night's Brickell Art Walk Pre-Art Basel Week are up at Soul of Miami.

I- Looking for a map of Miami's Happy Hours? Eater Miami has one.

Some are tried and true, others are brand new, like Bloom's happy hour set to launch next week in Wynwood. Thirsty patrons of Miami, look no further, this is your answer for where to go for a refreshing drink special on any day of the week with the Miami Happy Hour Map.

J- Obalesque imagines some parallels between the Marlins and Fidel Castro and proceeds accordingly.

Maybe Marlins fans should reach into Miami history and try other techniques. How about a few explosive devices planted in the cars of Marlins officials and their sympathizers (a/k/a/ (“agents”)? That was popular for a while down here. Are there any sportsholes and radio hosts who defended the latest fire sale? Do they drive?

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eleven eleven

Awesome video that showcases South Florida's coolest parking garage...






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SFDB Name That Spot #47

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

What is this South Florida structure and where can you find it?

Past winners include Alex, Lori Todd, Rydel[3], LAX2MIA [2], Frodnesor, Karendipitee[2], Superbee, C.L.J.[3], Miami Bike Scene, CultureDesigners, Gretchen, Balou[5], Gus, brwass, smedvin, Michael Kain, The Chowfather[6], Lori, CB[2], South Florida Food and Wine, Whack-A-Mole[2] and Alex de Carvalho[2]. There's been five Stumpers and one identified by "Anonymous."





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Palling Around With The President

                                                                    Doug Mills/The New York Times

TRENTON – Gov. Chris Christie’s post-Sandy performance is rated excellent or good, according to 95 percent of respondents to a new poll that gives Christie a 72 percent approval rating.

It’s the highest score ever measured for a New Jersey governor in a Quinnipiac University poll, which was released today.

On Monday, a Fairleigh Dickinson University PublicMind poll gave Christie a 77 percent approval rating.

[...]

Also, voters approve 84 – 12 percent, including 69 – 28 percent among Republicans, of Christie’s praise for President Barack Obama’s actions after Sandy, the poll finds.

Take note 20%'ers and Tea Party Republicans: folks like it when Republicans and Democrats work together to get things done.

Take note...or keep losing elections.





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SFDB Wednesday Morning Kickstart

[P]hoto of two rock climbers enjoying a moment of peace while suspended mid-air on a portaledge, a deployable hanging tent system typically used for big wall climbs that span over several days.

Umm.....

No.





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The Cooler

So what caught my eye in this morning's news? Here you go.

A- Herald: The company we keep.

A former TV weatherman who testified 12 days ago in a Miami federal courtroom that Latvian “Bar Girls” swindled him out of $43,000 on Miami Beach was back in the spotlight Tuesday over suggestive photos and tweets sent from his Twitter account.

John Bolaris, who was suspended from his job as a weather anchor for Fox affiliate WTXF in Philadelphia last year amid his allegations that as a tourist in South Florida in 2010 he was drugged and robbed, apparently was asleep Sunday when his fiancée Erica Smitheman drunkenly took over his Twitter account and promised to send out nude photos of herself, the New York Daily News is reporting.

B- Herald: Gotta make up for no state income tax somehow.

Florida may be the slowest state in the union at counting votes, but Sunshine State drivers sure know how to hustle.

Speeding drivers are more likely to be ticketed in Florida than in any other state, according to a recent study of national traffic data examined by CarInsuranceQuotes.com and packaged online to sell auto insurance.

[...]

Florida also ranked 10th on the list of “worst states for speed traps.’’

C- Herald: They write letters.

Miami-Dade’s costly prayer

I was disappointed a few years ago when Miami-Dade Commissioner Katy Sorenson decided to move on to a new career. Now I’ve learned that in 2004 she and Comm. Sally Heyman were responsible for substituting a moment of silence for a non-denominational prayer at the beginning of commission meetings.

Sorenson may have represented one district of the county, but I’m now realizing that she really represented all of the mainstream citizens as she and Heyman had the sense to know that religion has no place in county government.

The commission committee that recently voted 10-1 to reinstate the prayer practice didn’t learn anything from our recent presidential election. The country spoke against far-right-wing religious ideas. And this issue, lobbied by the Christian Family Coalition, will cost taxpayers $22,000 for preparation of a database of congregations and another $4,000 a year for technical support and maintenance. What’s wrong with this picture?

Diane Lawrence, Miami

D- Palm Beach Post: Life in South Florida.

RIVIERA BEACH — A toddler was grazed by a bullet tonight after multiple shots were fired at a residence in Riviera Beach, a city police spokeswoman said.

E- CBS4: Anything that's not tied down.

HALLANDALE BEACH (CBS4) – Several businesses in Hallandale Beach are being forced to shell out thousands of dollars after thieves brazenly ripped off their air conditioning units.

The thieves likely sold the parts for a few bucks.

F- NBC Miami: Your well-regulated militia.

Delray Beach Police said they arrested a maintenance supervisor who admitted to shooting ducks from the roof of an apartment building because he was tired of cleaning up their feces.

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Your Morning Sift

Good morning.

Sort of getting off to a later than usual start around here. Here's your Hump Day Sift, readers.

A- Obalesque discusses the problem of cheating teachers in America.

Reading this appalling surrender of integrity, I can’t decide which is worse — crooked cops or cheating teachers. In both cases, the very professionals supposedly sworn to provide care and protection for the citizens who pay the tab end up ripping them off and endangering them. A good case could be made for either one. Maybe we should have a poll.

B- Political Cortadito discusses the results of yesterday's election in Doral.

Boria — who paints himself as a humble man who has nothing better to spend his riches on — won decidedly with a near and 11-point lead, 56 to 45 percent, looking like each man took the 30 percent won by Councilman Pete Cabrera in the first round and split it in half.

The Evangelical minister praised God for his win at his victory party in the parking lot at Sedano’s on 58th Street, where his campaign office is. “Now the city will shine all over the world,” he said, and one has to wonder exactly what that means. Doesn’t Doral already shine internationally?

C- Bark Bark Woof Woof has some thoughts on Jeb! Bush running for President in 2016.

Even in the eyes of Democrats here in Florida, Jeb Bush was not a disaster as governor. He was able to work with Democrats in the legislature when they still had some clout in Tallahassee. That could be a problem for the Tea Party; they’re on the record as not being wild about former governors that are willing to work across the aisle (see Romney, Mitt). And of course there’s also the other rising star from Florida who would love nothing better than to make his move in 2016.

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Your Evening SIft

Long day, readers. Sorry for the delay. Here's your evening Sift.

A- Worst Pizza is very impressed by the Anthony's Coal-Fired Pizza in Plantation, which they say is different from the other Anthony's that they have visited.

When I took my first bite I was more impressed with this pizza than I was at the original Anthony’s Coal Fired Pizza that opened up near the Ft. Lauderdale airport. The olive oil Anthony’s sprinkled on top was delightful, and it tasted fantastic after seeping into the cheese and outer crust. The sauce was sweet and pretty smooth. The crust was delicious. Although a part of me hates to say this…. this pizza was excellent.

B- Eater Miami maps out Miami's dive bars.

From legendary establishments that have been around for decades to some hole-in-the-wall dives, these are 10 of the best ones around town. If you haven't been, they're worth stopping by for some cheap drinks and a no fuss, good ol' time.

C- Go Hydrology! wonders whether we're due for a Big Rain Day.

South Florida has only registered 2 Big Rain Days all year.

The long term average is between 5-6.

D- Sweat Records' new tee shirts are peachy.

E- The Miami Herald is apparently now in the business of having their reporters write expletive-laced emails to local bloggers...at Random Pixels.

F- Salty Eggs posts a guide to the music of Art Basel Miami Beach, 2012 Edition.

Here’s a somewhat curated list of our picks for music events going on next week. It’s not meant to be exhaustive. We’ve left out events at super clubs, for one, and the usual local shows or Basel-unrelated events that just happen to be next week.

G- Curbed Miami reports that there is a new Tesla dealership on Lincoln Road.

Besides being green, and gorgeous, and expensive, the new Tesla location plays up a great tidbit of Miami Beach history by being the first auto showroom on the street - a street that once had a few - in decades.

H- Ryan Tannehill is knocking off Marino records one by one but is he really as good, asks Phin Phanatic.

For someone who wasn’t even suppose to start, and was considered by some another bust for the Dolphins, Tannehill has done a very exceptional job. Are his numbers as impressive as Marino’s? No. Can Tannehill be just as good, if not better, then Marino? I don’t know. Only time will tell. I do know that he has surpassed my expectations and I strongly believe he will only improve from here.

I- South Florida Lawyers makes me laugh.




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Tom Ricks Is My Hero

For this...

JON SCOTT (Fox): Senator John McCain said in the past he would block any attempt to nominate Susan Rice to become U.N. — I’m sorry, Secretary of State. She’s currently the U.N. ambassador. He seems to be backing away from that. What do you make of it?

RICKS: I think that Benghazi generally was hyped, by this network especially, and that now that the campaign is over, I think he’s backing off a little bit. They’re not going to stop Susan Rice from being secretary of state.

Fox: When you have four people dead including the first US ambassador in more than 30 years, how do you call that hype?

Ricks: How many security contractors died in Iraq, do you know?

Fox: I don't.

Ricks: No, nobody does, because nobody cared. We know that several hundred died, but there was never an official count done, of security contractors dead in Iraq. So when I see this focus on what was essentially a small fire fight, I think number one, I've covered a lot of fire fights, it's impossible to figure out what happens in them sometimes. And second, I think that the emphasis on Benghazi has been extremely political partly because Fox was operating as a wing of the Republican party.

Fox: All right. Tom Ricks, thanks very much for joining us today.

Ricks: You're welcome.

[Emphasis SFDB]




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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.

Thanksgiving slowed things down a bit in the South Florida blogosphere as you might imagine, but there were still some fine posts out there. Let's take a look.


Runners-Up: Although it was a few weeks past Halloween, Tropicult rounded up a decent collection of ten horror films that were locally produced in South Florida.  Food for Thought did his usual good job in eloquently summarizing the latest special food lover's dinner, this one for Hurricane Sandy relief efforts held at The Dutch.  Some gorgeous images, a subtle narrative and an interesting video graced this post from Hello, I'm Scott and continued to add to my enthusiasm for this blog.

Winner:   Random Pixels loves to access old news archives and build informative posts around them and last week he did it again while making a case for "Sam Cooke Boulevard" in Miami-Dade County. While most residents are probably sick of the way South Florida politicians seem to name streets prematurely to unqualified recipients, by the time you are done reading Random Pixels' well-reasoned and articulate post, a Miami-Dade roadway named Sam Cooke Boulevard makes perfect sense. As does awarding Isn't It Time Miami Named A Street After Sam Cooke? this week's SFDB Post of the Week.


'Til next time, keep on blogging!





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Here's The Problem For Republicans

As soon as they stop being asshats and stop thinking that things like Benghazi are the answer to all their problems maybe they'll start winning elections again.

This is perfect.

via





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SFDB Tuesday Morning Kickstart

Climbing does not keep you safe from black bears...







via




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The Cooler

Lots of interesting news this Tuesday morning. Here we go with the Cooler.

A- Herald: Sheesh. No one has a sense of humor anymore.

A man at Miami International Airport who said he had dynamite in his luggage — because he thought it would be funny — was arrested Monday, according to Miami-Dade police.

[...]

Alejandro Leon Hurtado, 63, of Guatemala, was at the TACA Airlines ticket counter shortly after noon, checking in for his flight, when a ticket agent asked if he had any hazardous materials in luggage, according to an arrest affidavit. Hurtado answered that he had dynamite.

The agent asked Hurtado again, the affidavit said, and a second time he said he had dynamite, then laughed.

“Once the defendant was told that the police were going to be called, the defendant stated that he was joking,” the affidavit said.

B- Herald: Looking for a sucker.

The Miami Heat, which won a second championship this year but has yet to pay Miami-Dade a dime in profits after 12 years at its bayfront arena, wants to extend its 30-year agreement with the county for another decade.

The existing agreement doesn’t expire until 18 years from now, in 2030. But, as permitted in the contract, Eric Woolworth, the team’s president of business operations, sent Mayor Carlos Gimenez a letter last week asking the county to begin negotiations on two five-year extensions.

[...]

As part the county’s 1997 accord with the Heat, the team owned by Micky Arison financed construction on county land of the $213 million arena, which the team says ended up costing $239 million, after it bonded out a state sales-tax rebate. Miami-Dade agreed to let the arena keep profits up to $14 million a year, with the county set to receive 40 percent of any additional profits. The team has yet to reach that number since it debuted at the arena 12 years ago, essentially remaining at the facility rent-free.

C- Herald: This is exactly the reason why I try to stay away from anthropod body parts.

The South Florida man who died after winning a roach-eating contest choked on “anthropod body parts” and his own vomit, according to a report released Monday by the Broward Medical Examiner’s Office.

D- Herald: Cool.

The crew of a research submarine studying artificial reefs off Miami-Dade County has discovered the mostly intact wreck of a U.S. Navy World War II fighter plane lying upside down 240 feet deep off Miami Beach.

[...]

Officials of the Naval History and Heritage Command in Washington, D.C., identified it as a Hellcat — rolled out starting in 1943 to counter the Japanese Zero.

E- Palm Beach Post: Don't cry for him.

STUART — A defeated but upbeat U.S. Rep. Allen West told hundreds of supporters that he’ll continue to be a “voice” in politics during a gathering Monday night.

[...]

“We will overcome this fiscal crisis. We will overcome this energy independence crisis. We will defeat the enemies that want to destroy us and our best ally in the world that is Israel. We will be triumphant. The harder the conflict, the greater the triumph will be,” West said.

“So don’t come here tonight crying over your barbecue. Come here tonight and understand that at this place at this time there will be an awakening that will go forth all across the United States of America and you can tell your children that on the 26th of November 2012 that you stood here right where it began.”

F- TC Palm: Assault, Florida style.

VERO BEACH — Three people were injured after a man attacked them Saturday night with a golf club along Ocean Drive, Vero Beach police said.

Detectives said they have an arrest warrant for Danny Morgan, 60, of the 7900 block of U.S. 1, Vero Beach, for the attacks.

Morgan's ex-girlfriend and one man, 49, arrived in the 1600 block of Ocean to have dinner about 6:49 p.m. Saturday, police said. Morgan, who had been stalking the 64-year-old woman, followed the two to the area armed with the golf club, police said.

G- CBS4: Will Fort Lauderdale Beach ever be the same again?

On Monday, engineers with the Florida Department of Transportation assessed the newly placed barriers and had some concerns since some had already begun to sink into the sand.

“This was only a counter measure to protect A1A as it is right now,” said operations engineer Cleo Marsh. “We know that we need to do an actual permanent repair out here.”

Over the next two days, state workers will add more barriers to prevent additional damage to A1A.

[...]

Chances are, we’re going to see a lot more beach erosion troubles. Dr. Stephen Leatherman, from FIU, known as Dr. Beach, says global warming is to blame for these troubles. “That’s caused by the melting of glaciers, land based glaciers and also as you warm water it expands, that’s called thermal expansion.” says Dr. Leatherman. “So both of those things are causing the sea level to go up as the earth warms up.”

H- NBC Miami: Is it art?

A mystery bathtub has ended up on the south jetty of Government Cut in waters off of South Beach.

The tub is visible from South Pointe Park.

"I'll take swimming in the ocean!" beachgoer Chrisanthi Voukatidislamboglou said.

Many people speculated the tub may have been dumped there as some kind of art installation. It was hard to find anyone who was impressed at South Pointe Park on Monday, however.

I- WPLG: Pembroke Pines is leading the war on cell phone cancer.

PEMBROKE PINES, Fla. - The city of Pembroke Pines wants its residents to know that cell phones could be dangerous and linked to cancer. A newly-passed resolution was inspired by a resident who believes his brain tumor was caused by his mobile device.

"A lot of scientific data has to be done with it and the ordinance is kind of generic but it makes people aware," said Pines mayor Frank Ortis.

Pines resident Jimmy Gonzalez had tumors removed in his brain above his left ear, his left hand, and near his hip. All places where he said his phone was pressed for long periods of time.

"I kept getting headaches," Gonzalez said. "One day I realized I hold my cell phone with the same hand, up against this ear and when I was done, I would put it in to these pockets."

Gonzalez spoke before the Pines City commission last month to encourage them to consider the resolution, which passed unanimously.

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Your Morning Sift

Good morning.

The Art Basel vibe is beginning in earnest now so you're going to see more and more of it in the South Florida blogosphere this week. Good Tuesday morning, readers. Here's your Sift.

A- Bark Bark Woof Woof finds evidence of voter suppression in Florida but unfortunately the source is about as credible as the political party he belongs to.

B- Discourse has the new Florida license plate designs and where you can register your vote...when the site comes up.

C- Swampstyle tells us what's up at Swampspace for December.

Aptly titled "100 Years of Artitude 1913-2013 Pataphysics for Dummies" the installation is a centennial celebration of the artistic development of craft and culture. Not since the ArmoryShow of 1913 have esthetic seismographs detected such considerable tremors and creative rumblings emanating from fecund minds. With an amalgamation of historical artifacts and the metaphysical, Swampspace spirals into the subjectivity of experienced reality; the inseparability of past, present, and future; and the power of language as a pataphor for attitudes in art market nihilism, truth of contradictions and exceptions.

D- Go Hydrology! answers the question, "So just how dry is it?"

This November is shaping up to by the least rainiest in modern memory.

E- Freelance writer Arielle Castillo gives us her top 10 Art Basel Miami Beach exhibitions at Beached Miami.

That said, you’ll need to accept that there’s simply way too much going on to do it all, and FOMO is just part of the game. And while there will be innumerable glitzy private dinners, champagne receptions, and VVVIP openings, there’s also plenty to see and do that’s accessible, street-level, and fun as hell.

F- Tropicult checks out what local artist Brian Butler is up to these days in the Design District.




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Your Evening Sift

Was everybody at the office nice today like they were at my office? The holiday does that sometimes. Don't worry. Things will be back to normal by the end of the week, if not sooner. Here's your evening Sift.

A- Beached Miami is holding an Art Basel photo contest.

This year we want you to share your Basel experience with us by posting photos on Instagram with the hashtag #beachedbasel. The photos can be of anything that is Basel-related, from a celebrity spotting at the main fair to a graffiti artist tagging a wall in Wynwood to a private party on an island in the middle of Biscayne Bay to a surprise LCD Soundsystem set in an abandoned warehouse to a pop-up performance by a no-name artist on a deserted downtown street corner. Any photo that epitomizes your Basel experience is welcome.

B- Burger Beast shares his experience judging the BBQ at the Pigs in Paradise contest held in Immokalee this weekend.

The smell in the air was intoxicating and I’d never seen anything like this. There were 6 BBQ vendors doing their thing and 2 other folks selling Lemonade, Corndogs, Corn and all that festival type food.

C- Roy Black wants to cross-examine like a psychopath.

The key traits to psychopathic success are: ruthlessness; intense capacity to focus, excluding all distractions such as fear; powerful reward motivation; a disposition to action; acute ability to read emotions in other people, without being moved by them; charisma; mental resilience; and mindfulness, the ability to live in the present moment. Include in that “the refrigerated heart of a ruthless, glacial predator.” Sounds a lot like a trial lawyer conducting a cross-examination.

Assuming his diagnosis is true, I am ready to embrace my inner Hannibal Lecter. In Thomas Harris’s books, Lecter possesses an extraordinary mental radar system to size up his victims and then destroy them. If only I had that psychopathic, serial killer sixth sense, imagine what I could do.

D- Relaxing and falling in love is okay, says Sex and the Beach.

I decided then and there to just let go of my fears and insecurities. No more protective bubble, no more la la land. I said yes to the universe. I took the risk. It was scary as hell. And wonderful as all that.

E- Eater Miami's question today indicates to me that they've never heard of Miamism.

F- South Florida Food and Wine experiences the very opulent Jet Set Dinner.

Granted this tony experience is not for everyone as the price tag begins at a cool $5000, yet this is one of those instances where you get what you pay for. Aura Jets, a private jet company based out of Boca Raton acts as your personal concierge arranging the entire evening; one phone call does it all. Aura Jets has partnered with Latitudes Restaurant on Sunset Key, and together they have created a dynamic evening-escape package, Jet Set Dining where you, as a guest can fly from any airport in Florida to Key West/Sunset Key for dinner and back the same night, a slight step up from dinner and a movie. The experience is impressive, whether you live a lifestyle according to private jets and such or you have a very special occasion to celebrate, this exclusive dinner and a jet just might fit the bill.

G- Thoughts about yesterday's Dolphins win over the Seahawks are posted at Phin Phanatic.




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Great New Canon Commercial

Anyone that enjoys photography identifies.




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Jeff Speck: A General Theory Of Walkability

Brain Pickings takes a look at city planner Jeff Speck's Walkable City: How Downtown Can Save America, One Step at a Time [Amazon] that discusses the benefits of making a city more walkable and notes his "General Theory of Walkability."

The General Theory of Walkability explains how, to be favored, a walk has to satisfy four main conditions: it must be useful, safe, comfortable, and interesting. Each of these qualities is essential an none alone is sufficient. Useful means that most aspects of daily life are located close at hand and organized in a way that walking serves them well. Safe means that the street has been designed to give pedestrians a fighting chance against being hit by automobiles; they must not only be safe but feel safe, which is even tougher to satisfy. Comfortable means that buildings and landscape shape urban streets into ‘outdoor living rooms,’ in contrast to wide-open spaces, which usually fail to attract pedestrians. Interesting means that sidewalks are lined by unique buildings with friendly faces and that signs of humanity abound.

Try to think about how any of that theory applies to the current "walkability" of South Florida. We all have our experiences. We all read Transit Miami.

Seriously, just how far off the mark is South Florida from Speck's theory?

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Wazzup, Marco!

Senator Marco Rubio quoted some Jay-Z he's apparently been listening to when he tweeted Saturday night...

Oh yes, he's running for President in 2016, folks.

Reaction from the urban hip hop community was quick...



Personally, I think that Marco would score a lot more points if he stopped his Pander Tweets and started having face-to-face conversations with all his fellow Republicans who insist on calling Obama the Food Stamp President and implying that he's a Muslim.

Also, 47%.

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SFDB Monday Morning Start

Seems about right...








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The Cooler

The Cooler is back. Let's check out what's going on in the SoFla mainstream media this morning.

A- Herald: Yes, it's Cyber Monday.

Amazon.com, which is starting its Cyber Monday deals at midnight on Monday, is offering as much as 60 percent off a Panasonic VIERA 55-inch TV that's usually priced higher than $1,000. Sears is offering $430 off a Maytag washer and dryer, each on sale for $399. And Kmart is offering 75 percent off all of its diamond earrings and $60 off a 12-in-1 multigame table on sale for $89.99.

B- Herald: This is the way they do fraud in the Keys and, yes, of course the suspects are from Miami.

An ongoing investigation into an elaborate scheme to counterfeit state-issued tags for spiny lobster traps has pulled in a second suspect.

Jesus Alonso Perez, 51, of Miami was charged with possession of phony trap tags after his arrest last week by Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission officers in Miami-Dade County.

Perez is the first person arrested in the case since Ramon Rojas, 44, of Hialeah was arrested on Monroe County and Miami-Dade warrants earlier this month.

[...]

"During the investigation, we were able to determine [Rojas] actually was in the midst of selling some of these counterfeit tags and ended up selling 100 at $50 a pop," said FWC Officer Jorge Pino, an agency spokesman. "We knew some of these tags were being used already."

C- Herald: Soon there will be no such thing as a free ride.

Motorists will find it more expensive to drive around South Florida roadways in coming years, as a new network of toll lanes takes shape.

The network would extend from Florida City in southernmost Miami-Dade County to Interstate 595 in central Broward, and from Interstate 75 in western Broward to Interstate 95 in east Broward.

“One of the main projects we foresee are the managed lanes project,” said Harold Desdunes, the Florida Department of Transportation’s district director of transportation development in Miami, using the formal designation for toll express lanes.

D- Herald: Video, Dolphins win.

E- Herald: Life in South Florida.

Scores of shoppers at Flea Market USA on Sunday had to dive for cover after officers opened fire in the parking lot on two suspects inside a minivan, Miami-Dade police said.

One suspect was killed in the hail of bullets and a second was rushed to Jackson Memorial Hospital. The condition of that person, or how they were injured, is unclear.

E- Herald: They write letters.

Beware, Marlins fans

I was in Miami for the Marlins’ opening day against the Dodgers, April 5, 1993. It was great. Now the Marlins have a shiny new stadium, and the team has blown its budget for the next 10 years. So why shouldn’t it have decided to have a giant “fire sale?”

I’ve since moved back to San Diego, and there is relevance here. After the first season in their new shiny stadium, which was practically given to them by the city and the fans, the Padres did the same thing — sold off their top players. The team has played AA baseball, at best, since. Does this sound familiar?

Good luck to my friends in Miami, you deserve better — so does San Diego.

Wayne Stokes, El Cajon, Calif.

F- NBC Miami: Giant gator head on its way to Miami.

Part of a 100-foot-long alligator head art project made its way across Alligator Alley to South Florida on Sunday, causing motorists to pull over, stare and take pictures.

The alligator, made of steel and recyclable materials, is being taken on an 18-wheel flatbed trailer on a three-day trek that began on Florida’s west coast, crossed Alligator Alley and ends in South Florida.

[...]

Goradesky is the artist behind “Gator in the Bay,” a multi-phase art project aimed at raising awareness to restore the Everglades. The alligator head next month will be part of a gigantic alligator floating in Biscayne Bay for Art Basel Miami Beach.

G- WSVN: Video, they're still catching pythons out in the 'Glades.





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Your Morning Sift

Good morning.

Monday, Monday. Back to the grind. Here's your morning Sift.

A- Obalesque wakes us up with another one of his human interest stories.

B- The "L Word" is becoming trendy and desireable, according to the latest from Bark Bark Woof Woof.

Yeah, if they just knocked off the gay-bashing, the misogyny, the racism, and the need to inject fear and loathing into everything from children’s TV to healthcare for the elderly, they wouldn’t be such bad folks after all. Of course, if they did that, they’d be on their way to being liberals.

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Your Evening Sift

Looks like things are getting back to normal around the South Florida blogosphere after the holiday break. Check out your nice, full evening Sift.

A- The305.Com posts an early 1900's photo of the area of Flagler and Miami Avenue as part of their Old School Sundays feature.

B- Burger Beast tries out Burger King home delivery.

Was everything crispy? None of the Chicken Nuggets, Onion Rings or Fries were crispy. All three of them were soggy but I actually now found out that I prefer their fries this way.

C- The St. Lawrence String Quartet is a unique group that recently played a nice concert in West Palm Beach and is on its way to Miami Beach, says South Florida Classical Review.

The Chacony opened with the theme that would underlie the movement, played in unison with perfect intonation and austere authority. From there, the variations began, developing harmonic richness and rhythmic complexity, as the movement built in power and intensity. Expressive solos by the violist Lesley Robertson and cellist Christopher Costanza came off as cadenza-like improvisations, giving all the more power to the return of the formal, driving precision of the principal theme. The movement built to a climactic, major-key conclusion in repeated broken chords that rang through the hall.

D- It's all about the Ginger with Hello, I'm Scott's latest post.

This set of pictures came about because, while I was in the kitchen cooking, Ginger went and changed into her Thanksgiving Day outfit. She came out and I said, “Oh, we should definitely take photos! You look amazing!” So while food was cooking in the oven, we ran outside and into the courtyard and took some pictures.

E- Sounds like last night's Art Scavenger Hunt in Fort Lauderdale was lots of fun, at Arterpillar's place.

Once the maps went out, everyone was off and running. Squeals of delight echoed down back alleys as people poking through bushes and peering into dumpsters found hidden works which included paintings, photographs, prints and sculptures.

F- At Park Tavern in Delray Beach, you're paying for the ambiance when you order the burger reports Burgers by the Beach.

The 'house ground' meat patty was a solid portion. Cooked to my liking. But the add ons and presentation really made this a poorly executed, expensive burger.

G- Random Pixels documents the Herald's embellishment issues.

Man-eater? That thing looks like it would have trouble devouring a large order of Chicken McNuggets...

H- Nikon Miami has a super collection of Game Day photos from today's Dolphins/Seahawks game at Joe Robbie (yeah, I still call it that).

I- Did the Herald cut off TV critic Glenn Garvin today? Eye on Miami says yes.



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Onion Talks: Using Social Media To Cover For Lack Of Original Thought

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For Animal Lovers

Singer Fiona Apple has canceled the South America leg of her concert tour in order to spend time with her dying pitbull, Janet, that she adopted as a stray.

Brain Pickings has a copy of the letter that she wrote to fans explaining the situation...

Janet has been the most consistent relationship of my adult life, and that is just a fact. We’ve lived in numerous houses, and joined a few makeshift families, but it’s always really been just the two of us.

She slept in bed with me, her head on the pillow, and she accepted my hysterical, tearful face into her chest, with her paws around me, every time I was heartbroken, or spirit-broken, or just lost, and as years went by, she let me take the role of her child, as I fell asleep, with her chin resting above my head.

She was under the piano when I wrote songs, barked any time I tried to record anything, and she was in the studio with me, all the time we recorded the last album.

[...]

But I know she is coming close to the time where she will stop being a dog, and start instead to be part of everything. She’ll be in the wind, and in the soil, and the snow, and in me, wherever I go.

I just can’t leave her now, please understand. If I go away again, I’m afraid she’ll die and I won’t have the honor of singing her to sleep, of escorting her out.

Sometimes it takes me 20 minutes just to decide what socks to wear to bed.

But this decision is instant.

These are the choices we make, which define us. I will not be the woman who puts her career ahead of love & friendship.

I am the woman who stays home, baking Tilapia for my dearest, oldest friend. And helps her be comfortable & comforted & safe & important.

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It's An NRA World

Act like a jerk in a Black Friday crowd, get punched, draw your weapon...and if you live in Texas, you get to go home.

A shopper who brandished a handgun during a Black Friday scuffle at South Park Mall was within his rights, according to San Antonio police.

[...]

Salame reportedly showed proof that he had a concealed handgun license, and he told officers that he pulled the gun out to defend himself because he was punched in the face by Alejandro Alex, 35. Salame, who did not fire the weapon, said he feared further injury by Alex.

The store had opened its doors to Black Friday shoppers about an hour before the incident, which occurred as crowds packed into the store.

Witnesses reportedly told police that Salme had behaved rudely that morning and had provoked the situation before pulling the handgun and pointing it at Alex, though San Antonio Police Sgt. Rob Carey said at the scene of the incident that he had actually pointed it at the ground.

Roger Rivera, who was shopping in the Sears, said Salame was punched then pulled a gun. Everyone scattered, "tumbling over things, dropping boxes," Rivera said. The man who was trying to cut in line ran and hid behind a refrigerator before he fled the store.

"It kind of went a little crazy in there," Carey said.

Rivera told his kids to get down. While everyone was panicking, the man with the gun stood there, he said, and looked around, lowering the weapon.

The exact same thing would have happened in Florida, of course, as Stand Your Ground would have applied in this situation.

So here's the drill. Act like an asshat, bully or hothead until someone gets sick of your BS and then when that someone decides to address the situation, pull out your firearm and do your best Clint Eastwood imitation. It's a reaction totally and completely protected by Stand Your Ground and the Republican Party.

Right-wing legislators probably never imagined that their kowtowing to the NRA would ever embolden the knuckleheads among us but, as the above shows us, it has.

It's the price each one of us pays every single day for our paranoid neighbor's gun fetish and our legislator's hunger for milk from the gun industry's wonderfully prodigious teat.





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