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SFDB Programming Note
04/10/2012

Beginning next Monday, I will no longer be sourcing content for the Cooler feature from the Sun-Sentinel due to their move behind a paywall.

In its place, content from the Miami Herald will once again be included at SFDB. I'm crossing my fingers that a certain Miami Beach blogger will refrain from writing any additional letters to the Herald staff complaining about my propensity to sometimes excerpt more than the allowable 3 paragraphs of content.

*sigh*

I'll miss Chan Lowe's cartoons, for sure, but I'm fairly certain the crack team of Sun Sentinel owners and operators are going to find out real quick that charging for online content isn't going to be something that works for them.

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Miami After 40 is written by a very cynical South Florida resident who really knows the area. If you're unable to be brutally honest about our tropical paradise, you best stay away.

I learned this wonderful Cuban expression which to me encapsulates the essence of Miamians. The saying in Spanish is: "se cree que es el último Coca-Cola in el desierto" which directly translated means: "he thinks he is last Coca-Cola in the desert" Which really means something like "he(or she) thinks he's all that". I like that saying because to me it says things on so many levels about the conceit that exists in Miami among its residents.

[...]

I don't know if it's the high rates of attractiveness, scarcity of mirrors (there are not a lot of them) or just that the members of the 1% like to play here, the self absorption is epidemic. It's a kind of willful ignorance that despite high rates of poverty, illiteracy and corruption that people breezily turn a blind eye to. It's like we're all Sarah Palin: confident, pretty, looking great in a pair of Giuseppe Zanotti platforms, what the hell else matters when you're wearing great shoes? I mean who couldn't conquer the world if they were wearing a $700 pump? Or live in an incredibly sexy town? So like that last drink in the desert, no not water, but the sweet one in the sexy curvy bottle. Miami: Pensamos que somos la ultima Coca-Cola en el desierto. We just think we are the last Coke in the desert.

Thanks to Sex and the Beach for the tip on the next blog in today's Blog Notes. Mac Stone Photography is, you might have guessed, a photography blog that captures the essence of the Everglades, Florida Bay and the other pristine areas of Florida. It's loaded with big, bold pictures like the one below that will make you appreciate our outdoor world that much more.

Freshly off the bus from Washington, DC, South Florida for Beginners is giving us their first impressions of the area.

This blog is an effort to pass on what I’m finding out as I go along. I hope it may also prove useful to others new to this strange, wonderful, and frustrating place.

I've always been somewhat fascinated by the way visitors view South Florida, so South Florida for Beginners is kind of like finding a steady source of those reactions to this place that many of us have grown weary of to one degree or another. Take, for instance, a recent post comparing Miami-Dade and Broward counties...

But for now, the neighboring counties do feel rather different. To me, Miami seems much more urban and cosmopolitan—a great big ethnic and cultural stew. There are times in parts of Miami and Miami Beach when I get flashbacks of Rio—or Brooklyn. It seems more chaotic and less planned. There is a bit more history there (though neither place really goes back very far), and because Miami’s growth spurt happened sooner, there are more neighborhoods gone to seed, though some have come back in spectacular fashion.

Fort Lauderdale seems newer and tidier and, to me, more suburban and white bread—kind of like Charlotte, NC but with a beach and more gays. Indeed, without the gay community (material for at least another post or two), I think the place would seem pretty dull. Las Olas is nice, but I find it a bit Disneyfied. (To be fair, Mary Brickell Village in Miami is sort of the same thing.) And Broward is probably a bit safer—and a lot smugger.

I like it.

You might be seeing more of it and the other blogs as we prepare to update the SFDB Blogroll.

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A- Sun-Sentinel: Slideshow, Barret-Jackson Auto Auction this weekend.

B- Palm Beach Post: Kids these days.

A 14-year-old student at Fort Pierce Magnet School of the Arts who complained about bullying was charged with possession of a razor knife at school on Wednesday, according to police reports.

[...]

Police quoted the boy as saying he was angry with two boys because they have been bullying him for two years.

"He was tired of feeling bad about what other students say and do to him. He got mad and yelled at them about the remarks they were making against him ... then he walked away from them," according to a police report that referenced an incident witnessed by a school custodian at the school in the 1100 block of Delaware Avenue.

C- CBS4: Crap.

MIAMI (CBSMiami.com) – The days of people fleeing the high unemployment, high taxes, and real estate meltdown of the Sunshine State may be at an end. Where US Census figures once showed people leaving Florida in large numbers, between 2010 and 2011, they started to return, with South Florida leading the state.

D- NBC Miami: Video, where rented Mercedes SUV's are used to burglarize homes.

E- WPLG: Damn. No concert in Lauderdale.

NEW ORLEANS - Eddie Vedder of Pearl Jam has postponed his 15-city U.S. solo tour because of nerve damage in his right arm.

F- WSVN: Video, Mom makes son stand outside school with a sign about bullying.

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A- Everything you need to know about going to the beach in South Florida is at Miami Beach 411.3)

What is the best time of day to go?
The best time to go to the beach is between 10am and 12pm. The later you go the more crowded it gets and the harder it is to park your car. If you visit in the summer and fall, keep in mind, afternoon rain storms are fairly common in the late afternoon. The secret to maximizing your vacation time is to go to the beach early, and leave the afternoon free to relax and explore the neighborhood. For me, 2 hours is plenty of time to spend at the beach. Any longer and you run the risk of burning out and spoiling the night. If you’re staying nearby, I do suggest, however, going back to the beach around 6pm for swim to refresh your senses.

B- Justice Building Blog says that perhaps one of Roy Black's mistakes during his latest trial was violating the "golden rule."

We all know what the golden rule is during trial: a party cannot ask the jury to place themselves in the situation of the defendant or victim- and then ask the jury how they would feel if so situated.

C- Man or Maniac? deconstructs the latest right wing defense of George Zimmerman.

D- South Florida Guy checks out the Miami Renaissance Faire at Cauley Square.

This is a very quaint and historic piece of Miami's past and I am so glad the Florida Renaissance Festival will be bringing thousands of new visitors to what I hope is their new permanent home. I spent a lot of time at the Ren Fest in Deerfield Beach this year and a lot of the visitors at the Miami shown were new to me. It's great to see even more people enjoying the last of the Vaudevillian style performances in America, and hopefully maybe even their first trip of many to Cauley Square.

E- Bark Bark Woof Woof has the latest ridiculous demonstration of just how mentally dull and bigoted the Republican Party is these days.

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A- Salty Eggs considers Marco Rubio's chances of receiving and accepting the vice presidential nominee nod.

Now that Mitt Romney has secured the Republican nomination — or rather that the media are forced to give up the horserace narrative they’ve perpetuated to make this primary season something other than a big snooze fest — the next overblown mystery du jour shall be Romney’s VP pick.

B- Eater Miami reviews your dining choices at Marlins Park and rates them.

C- Random Pixels shares his impressions from the Marlins' Opening Night.

TV showed lots of ecstatic fans spouting effusive praise for the new stadium; all of them eager to get inside and guzzle $9 beers and munch on $6 hot dogs. And all of them apparently suffering from amnesia or simply choosing to ignore the fact that as taxpayers, they'll be paying for this white elephant for years to come.

D- Your Instapix Photo of the Week is up at Beached Miami.

E- Coconut Grove Grapevine explains why things are looking up in the Grove.

Earlier in the day, there were lots of people all over the Grove. I was told that public schools were closed that day, so that could be the reason, also the weather has been so nice, so people want to be out and about. Gigi and I had a long, leisurely lunch at Bombay Darbar and people from the neighborhood stopped by to visit, that was nice.

F- Get your theater squared away for the weekend at South Florida Theatre Scene.

G- South Florida Food and Wine and South Florida Beer Blog get together and go through some beer.

We tasted five beers starting with Blue Point Toasted Lager, a mild, medium bodied beer with trace hop bitterness. I liked this beer, this for me is a drinking beer; ice cold 2 or 3 on a hot day. Next in the lineup was a local favorite, Monk in the Trunk from Jupiter, Florida. I really liked this one, another easy drinking beer, medium bodied, no food required, just the desire to drink. And the last of the drinking beers, border-lining pairing for me was the canned, Oskar Blues Dale’s Pale Ale. There is a lot of pine and citrus notes in this beer that came right at me, but not so overwhelming that I didn’t enjoy it. To fully enjoy this beer I need food to mellow out the composition; it worked well with the pairing of blue cheese and roasted chicken.

H- The Green Parrot Bar posts a nice collection of photos from last night's ukulele gathering.

I- Liam Crotty Photography captures some images of Cuban marionette artist Pablo Cano in his Little Havana home.

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A- Everything you wanted to know about the Passover Seder meal but were afraid to ask...at Florida Keys Girl.

We do not eat right away, however. We drink some wine, and in addition to the matza we have a sprig of parsley dipped in salt water (or what I refer to as the “hors d’oerve“), the salt water symbolizing tears shed while the Jews were enslaved in Egypt. Then we eat some horseradish. This is not the mild, prepared stuff that comes in a jar. This is the horseradish root and it is not too tasty (symbolizing the bitter lives of the slaves). Then, for what I refer to as the “appetizer” we eat the matza with the horseradish root, and a little bit of charoset (the apple/wine/cinnamon concoction that symbolizes the mortar used with bricks and is really delicious). Here is the thing about Passover: not all gefilte fish is good (some of it comes from a jar and has a nasty jelly on it – ick) but all charoset is good.

B- Gun Free Zone and his readers are still preparing for the great African-American uprising that they maintain is coming. I suppose he hasn't heard that out in Oklahoma the white folk are taking the offensive.

Among some of my friends, the reaction to that quote has been the same: A wicked smile and that look in the eyes that says “I might need to drop by WalMart on the way home.”

C- Arterpillar looks at Lucinda Linderman's exhibit at Cafeina.

D- Salty Eggs says Campaign Obama and President Obama are two different beings.

But nothing in the past has offered us any evidence — none whatsoever — that Obama will govern any differently than he has in the past. And while he may deride obviously absurd, off-the-cliff nightmares like the Ryan budget, he will also continue to work with Republicans to find solutions. It’s no coincidence that ideas like the healthcare plan and his early support of cap-and-trade were all initially supported on the right side of the aisle. The fighter is a campaign-time caricature. The president we have is the one we will get.

E- Tropicult runs down the 411 on Sweatstock 2012.

F- The Miami Beach city manager is cracking down on city towing policies after having his car towed, claims Random Pixels.

According to my sources, Gonzalez has ordered a review of the city's towing policy.

The reason for Gonzalez's sudden change of heart? In January, Gonzalez had his car towed by Beach Towing from a space on Lincoln Road where he was blocking a fire hydrant.

In the wake of that unpleasant experience, several sources tell me that Gonzalez may be looking at revising and/or rewriting the city's towing policy.

G- Eater Miami has information on yet another restaurant coming to Brickell.

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It might get kind of interesting, however, if these yahoos decide they want to harass, taunt or remodel the cars of the Marlin fans who do continue to go to the games.

That, readers, would be their style.

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A- Herald: A "new" direction for China Grill that doesn't include South Beach.

China Grill, which has been one of South Beach’s landmark restaurants since 1995, is closing its doors on Saturday, April 28 in preparation for a move to Brickell Avenue later this year.

[...]

“After years in one of the most iconic South Beach locations we felt our client demographics had changed,” said Terry Zarikian, director of product development for China Grill Management. “We decided that Brickell would be a better location to introduce the new direction of China Grill.”

B- Herald: They write letters.

Waiting for tomorrow

Whether we like it or not, the Catholic Church in Cuba has chosen a path of co-existence rather than confrontation. We can either characterize its policy as surrendering its moral integrity or as creating an atmosphere where it can exercise moral integrity under the most difficult of conditions.

The church in Cuba ministers to the spiritual needs of its flock and through its ministries helps to alleviate the dire economic conditions of the neediest.

It has negotiated the release of hundreds of political prisoners, albeit under conditions we don’t agree with. It’s a Trojan horse that will be of immeasurable benefit once mañana in Cuba finally arrives.

Marcelino Vega, Miami

C- Palm Beach Post: Behind closed doors.

GREENACRES — No one passing by the townhome on 27th Lane would have suspected the horrible conditions inside that led authorities to rescue nearly 50 cats living there.

The manicured lawn and a back yard opening onto a lake belied the stacks of garbage bags and stench of urine inside the Sherwood Lakes home. Scores of cats scaled the trash heaps in what investigators are calling the biggest recent case of animal hoarding in Palm Beach County.

D- Palm Beach Post: Republicans doing what they do best.

Dumping no-fault insurance saved Colorado drivers 35 percent on their auto premiums, but Florida motorists won't get the chance to find out what that feels like this year.

Once he gets the bill, Florida Gov. Rick Scott is expected to approve an insurance law that would stiff massage therapists and acupuncturists but generally preserve a $2 billion-plus government-mandated coverage defended by hospital and insurance lobbyists.

"Instead of measures aimed at preventing true fraud, we're left with a bill that pads the pockets of big insurance companies while stripping consumers of choice and benefits," said Bill Newton, executive director of the Florida Consumer Action Network, after the bill's passage in the waning hours of the 2012 legislative session.

E- CBS4: And yes, traffic will be FUBAR.

President Obama is scheduled to give a speech at Florida Atlantic University in Boca Raton about the economy. Mr. Obama is expected to talk about the “Buffett Rule,” which is a principle for fairness that ensures millionaires pay at least the same effective tax rate as middle class families pay.

[...]

In addition to the speech at FAU, the president is expected to attend three campaign fundraising events in Palm Beach, Broward and Miami-Dade counties.

F- NBC Miami: Time for a Miami repudiation rally!

A group of Cuban-American demonstrators plans to boycott the Miami Marlins as a result of manager Ozzie Guillen's comment that he respects Fidel Castro.

Vigilia Mambisa, headed by Miguel Saavedra, said it plans to begin a caravan of cars at SW 36th Avenue and 8th Street Tuesday that will culminate in front of the ballpark.

G- WPLG: Life in South Florida.

BOYNTON BEACH, Fla. - A man stopped to help a stranded driver on the side of the road and then mugged her, according to police.

A- Searching for Signs discusses the recent controversial remarks by Marlins manager Ozzie Guillen.

It goes without saying that his initial comment was quite insulting and deserving of a profuse, sincere apology to a community that has suffered so much at the hands of Castro. Not only from Guillen but from the Marlins organization (which to their credit, they delivered). If this came from someone known to be serious and studious, the remark would be extremely scandalous. However, Jorge’s points about Ozzie’s track-record of making foot-in-mouth remarks, habit of knocking back some adult beverages at the hotel bar and his alleged dabbling in santeria tell me that putting too much thought and analysis into Guillen’s statement is much too disproportionate to the brainpower it took to produce such a brain-fart. It’s almost like blowing up an anthill with an atomic bomb.

B- Under the Sun tells us about some guy who is going to be canoeing through the canals of Miami-Dade County.

Next Monday, April 16, Terence will launch his canoe from the canal on NE 79th street and Biscayne Blvd. into the relative unknown of the canal system. Under the Sun will follow his trajectory online and over the airwaves as he passes through the cities of Miami, ending up in Coral Gables Waterway near Cartagena Park.

C- Bark Bark Woof Woof explains why Republicans are so upset about President Obama's aggressive defense of the Affordable Care Act.

I think what especially irks them is that it's coming from President Obama, who is, in their eyes, getting dangerously uppity about his re-election campaign. He is not showing the due deference that Democrats and lesser forms of society should show to their betters.

D- U.S. Congressman David "I Like To Run Mail Trucks Off The Road" Rivera has finally picked up a challenger for the upcoming elections, according to Eye on Miami.

David Rivera was called "Corrupt"by the Democratic Executive Director and I tend to agree. He is ethically challenged at best. I would vote for Gloria Romero Roses in a heartbeat. Don't complain that she doesn't live in the District. Rivera doesn't either and his legacy of positives during his political career is woefully anemic. Anyway, send her money pronto!

Enjoy your evenings!

A- Cute puppy dog photos at Nikon Miami.

B- Coconut Grove's Art Walk is booming, according to Coconut Grove Grapevine.

It was a long day for the galleries, which started earlier than usual and ended quite late due to the large crowds. I myself wanted to get home early, but ended dragging in about midnight. How could I leave when so many friends were out and about enjoying the fun?

C- Easter greetings from Blogging Black Miami, Searching for Signs, South Florida Food and Wine, Go Hydrology!, Eye on Miami, and Some Blogging Guy.

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Get More: Florence + the Machine, Cosmic Love (Live), Music, More Music Videos

Florence and the Machine, Cosmic Love

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A- Bulldog photos at Nikon Miami!

B- Miamism presents their March housing report for selected Miami-Dade neighborhoods.

We are sounding like a broken record but prices are going up!! If you are buying this doesn’t mean you missed your chance, because prices are going up in a rational and controlled manner...not like crazy times. If you are investing, increasing prices means that you can also count on appreciation of the property, not just cap rates.

C- Suntanned Mumford is optimistic that Starz Channel's "Magic City" is going to do Miami Beach and its famous hotels proud.

Magic City is not a Miamian “Mad Men”. It’s not a show that uses an industry (in that case, the advertising industry) as a way to analyze a somewhat fantasized historical American past (Lat fifties/early sixties United States). Magic City is about a city that could not have possibly happened anywhere else. Magic City is about the sudden growth of a new Miami, and perhaps even more specifically, a new Miami Beach, in the decades after World War II. It is about that new city, where a lot of strange things were allowed to happen, as if the Floridian peninsula was another country and not quite the USA.

D- Random Pixels comments on a controversial statement that Marlins manager Ozzie Guillen uttered last month and that he apologized for today.

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West Volusia Beacon Deal of the Weekend
04/10/2012

Welcome to the Beacon Deal of the Weekend. Today is Friday, April 6, 2012. These deals are valid through various dates. Each Friday, we'll post a video message to share with you the "extreme" coupon offers that will allow you to get something free — or nearly free — over the weekend. We invit ...

Florida Legislature to try again on Internet cafes
04/10/2012

When state Rep. Fred Costello, R-Ormond Beach, updated West Volusia mayors and residents at the West Volusia Regional Chamber of Commerce Legislative Luncheon March 29, one of the laws that didn’t pass in the Florida Legislature this year was on his mind: a ban on Internet cafes. A roomful of Wes ...

Police seek DeLand woman in connection with robbery and strangulation of her father
04/10/2012

A DeLand man was found partially strangled, bound with duct tape, and left outside his house on April 3. DeLand police are seeking his daughter in connection with the case, which police are calling a robbery. The victim, Robert Dobbs, was treated at Florida Hospital-DeLand for his injuries. His ve ...

Train, truck collide in DeBary; no injuries reported
04/10/2012

An Amtrak train and a truck collided in Volusia County this morning, a passenger on the train reported to The Beacon. The Sheriff's Office confirmed that a call came in at 9:46 a.m. reporting that a train and a lowboy truck and trailer used to haul equipment collided at the CSX line and Barwick Road ...

Information for Stenotype Institute Of Jacksonville Inc, Orlando, Florida Education

Orlando, FL

A great place to find information about Stenotype Institute Of Jacksonville Inc located in Orlando Florida.

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Stenotype Institute Of Jacksonville Inc

Enter our Photo Sweepstakes and Win $200 for your Orlando photos!

ASKME a Question About Orlando, Florida

Cities

Articles from the TimBrunson.com blog

Can you Go from Drinking Too Much to Being in Control of you Life?

The Bright Side of Being Shy

Hypnotherapy and fibromyalgia

Check out what's happening in the NewQuestCity Forums for Florida .

SFDB Programming Note
04/10/2012

West Volusia Beacon Deal of the Weekend
04/10/2012

Florida Legislature to try again on Internet cafes
04/10/2012

Police seek DeLand woman in connection with robbery and strangulation of her father
04/10/2012

Train, truck collide in DeBary; no injuries reported
04/10/2012

Information for Stenotype Institute Of Jacksonville Inc, Orlando, Florida Education

Orlando, FL

A great place to find information about Stenotype Institute Of Jacksonville Inc located in Orlando Florida.

Universities and Colleges

Stenotype Institute Of Jacksonville Inc

Enter our Photo Sweepstakes and Win $200 for your Orlando photos!

ASKME a Question About Orlando, Florida

Cities

Articles from the TimBrunson.com blog

Can you Go from Drinking Too Much to Being in Control of you Life?

The Bright Side of Being Shy

Hypnotherapy and fibromyalgia

Check out what's happening in the NewQuestCity Forums for Florida .

SFDB Programming Note 04/10/2012

West Volusia Beacon Deal of the Weekend 04/10/2012

Florida Legislature to try again on Internet cafes 04/10/2012

Police seek DeLand woman in connection with robbery and strangulation of her father 04/10/2012

Train, truck collide in DeBary; no injuries reported 04/10/2012

SFDB Programming Note
04/10/2012

West Volusia Beacon Deal of the Weekend
04/10/2012

Florida Legislature to try again on Internet cafes
04/10/2012

Police seek DeLand woman in connection with robbery and strangulation of her father
04/10/2012

Train, truck collide in DeBary; no injuries reported
04/10/2012