As a constituent of State Attorney Angela Corey, I am appalled at the way she has handled the case of Cristian Fernandez.

My son went to middle school with 12-year-old Cristian Fernandez. He seemed like a well-behaved and average young boy who did well in school.

Following the tragic death of Cristian’s brother, David Galarriago, I learned about the terrible physical and sexual abuse Cristian was surrounded by at home.

This, along with the opinions of medical professionals, solidified my disagreement with Corey’s decision to try Cristian as an adult.

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Our first freedom is most important
12/15/2011

Today is not a major holiday.

Few people know about Bill of Rights Day.

Nobody is taking off work, giving gifts or sending cards.

But if you care about freedom, you ought to spend a moment thinking about how lucky you are to live in a country that has a First Amendment. Even other democracies don’t have these protections.

If you want to tell members of the City Council they are all wrong, you can do that.

If you want to protest in front of City Hall, you have the right to do it.

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Dream completed: NFL owners approve sale of Jaguars to Shahid Khan
12/15/2011

IRVING, TEXAS — The attention and the spotlight that shone brightly on Shahid Khan on Wednesday made the generally private man just a little bit uncomfortable.

But the reason for it all made Khan smile brightly behind his handlebar mustache as NFL commissioner Roger Goodell introduced him at his first press conference as the confirmed owner of the Jacksonville Jaguars.

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Emotional day for Wayne Weaver as one era ends, another kicks off
12/15/2011

IRVING, TEXAS — The reality of moving on has been setting in for Wayne Weaver for a few days.

But there’s no turning back now. Weaver still has a few more weeks as the owner of the Jacksonville Jaguars, but Wednesday’s owners meeting, where Shahid Khan was unanimously authorized to buy the franchise, made things real and final.

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The Cooler
12/13/2011

Here are some of the more significant stories pulled from this morning's mainstream media.

A- Sun-Sentinel: Your taxpayer money at work.

TALLAHASSEE— Winter break? Holiday break? Or Christmas break?

It's the time of the school year that most kids look forward to after Thanksgiving – a few weeks off from the books that's often filled with family, food and perhaps a visit from Old St. Nick.

One lawmaker wants to require school districts to call this annual hiatus from studies "Christmas break," instead of holiday break or winter break, phrases he calls "politically correct."

"Why do you think we're off?" said state Sen. Steve Wise, R-Jacksonville. "What's the reason we're off? Anyone know? It's Christmas. It's the Christmas break."

You might not know it considering all the new condominiums being proposed in South Florida, but the region's foreclosure rates are still three times higher than the national rate.

[...]

In South Florida, Miami-Dade County’s foreclosure rate led the way, at 18.22 percent in September, up 0.59 percent from a year ago. Broward County had a foreclosure rate of 14.41 percent in September, up slightly less than 1 percent compared to September 2010. Palm Beach County’s 12.91 percent September foreclosure rate was down 0.11 percent from a year ago.

The national foreclosure rate was 3.48 percent in September.

INDIAN RIVER COUNTY — Authorities said they expect an autopsy will reveal Friday the cause of death for the decomposed, headless man found behind a home Wednesday.

JUPITER — A 75-year-old man was flown to St. Mary's Medical Center Wednesday after he apparently accidentally shot himself in the hand while trying to remove a stuck cartridge from a gun, according to a Martin County Sheriff's report released Thursday.

[...]

The wife said her husband had a gun with a cartridge stuck in the chamber. He was going outside to try to clear the weapon.

He then took the gun into his office. She heard the gun discharge and her husband scream that he shot his finger off.

Should be a giant beer advertisement be plastered on the city of Miami’s main administration building?

[...]

Mayor Tomas Regalado told NBC Miami that the sign generates about $10,000 per month for city coffers, and he said the city desperately needs the money.

“The city of Miami is trying to keep services running. So, if we have to sacrifice the façade of a city building to keep services running, so be it,” Regalado said.

MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. (WSVN) -- A South Florida mother is speaking exclusively to 7 News after she says she and her children were nearly hit by bullets during a shooting outside her home.

According to Juanita Washington, shots were fired from high-powered weapons outside her apartment complex near Northwest 186th Street and 37th Avenue, at around 3:30 a.m. Thursday.

A- Random Pixels continues his critique of the Miami Herald content.

B- Bark Bark Woof Woof doesn't agree with Obama on his decision to limit the morning-after pill to women under 17.

As I said yesterday, it's pointless to try to score points with the anti-abortion crowd. They already hate him, and this little homespun anecdote won't make any difference, and it just may harm the very people he's trying to protect.

C- Eye on Miami handles email like I handle Christmas shopping.


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post examines the audio and video technology that the New World Center makes use of in every one of their concerts and Wallcasts. The detailed images of the post show the equipment that enhances the experience for the music lovers that attend the NWC concerts.


Nominee #3: "Rebecca Sosa Thanks Eye On Miami and We Thank The Commissioner"

At a public hearing conducted in November, a Miami-Dade County commissioner went on the record as thanking Eye on Miami for their work and bringing the absentee ballot voting abuse to her attention so that she could lead the push for an ordinance that attached a penalty for such abuses. So many times bloggers complain about the system and accomplish nothing and it's rare that we effect change, which is exactly what Eye on Miami did in this case.


Nominee #4: "NAOE Revisted"

NAOE has continued to be a favorite of Food for Thought and this post is a tribute to Chef Cory and the consistency the restaurant has maintained over time. The post is beautifully written and photographed.


Nominee #5: "Musicians Union Plans to Leaflet Orchestra’s Broward Center Concert"

South Florida Classical Review explains how the struggling South Florida Symphony is trying to pay its musicians for last year's performances even as it continues with this year's schedule. Information was gathered from interviews that SFCR conducted with a musician union official and the orchestra's conductor and was presented in a very readable and informative manner that provoked an animated discussion of the issue in the comment section.


So there are your five nominees. SFDB's illustrious panel of 14 Editors will be hard at work over the next week determining which of these fine posts will be November's SFDB Post of the Month. I'm going to ask them to get back to me by next Saturday, December 17th, at 5 PM with their decision. The results should be announced here the following Monday.

As always, feel free to add your own thoughts about the nominated posts in the comments below.


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Is anyone else experiencing a significant delay?






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A- Sun-Sentinel: The fair weather fans have returned!

MIAMI GARDENS — Well, here's the good news: There's no illusion now. No doubt. No search for meaning in a big finish or awkward decision ahead after the Dolphins turned back the clock from one fine run in December to midnight in October.

Pumpkins all around again, right?

The Dolphins can't finish .500. Tony Sparano won't be saved. Matt Moore isn't a Disney story.

B- Sun-Sentinel: Your heartwarming story of the day. Maybe there is hope for humanity.

Boca Raton— They have the moves, the motivation and the big smiles to inspire thousands of classmates to get up on their feet and clap.

But these seven cheerleaders at Boca Raton High School bring something extra special to the sidelines and school pep rallies — themselves.

They are members of the new Spirit Squad, a group of disabled students who receive an enthusiastic response when they perform routines in uniform next to the regular cheer and dance teams.

C- Sun-Sentinel: Stories that make you just shake your head.

Experts say people resort to illegal "pumping parties," where customers outside a hospital or clinical setting are injected with anything from Botox to industrial-grade silicone, out of convenience or because they lack insurance or access to health care and legitimate plastic surgery.

The issue is more prevalent in the transsexual community, where men seeking feminine figures see cosmetic surgery as a necessity, not an optional or elective procedure. Those patients, who may already feel marginalized by society, typically do not know there is anything unsafe about the injections.

D- Sun-Sentinel: Slideshow, Toys in the Sun Run photogallery.

E- Sun-Sentinel: Secrets to life.

HOLLYWOOD— Want to live to be 104 years old?

Avoid sugar, salt and dairy. Take it easy. And forgive all the jerks.

That's Ida Ginsberg's advice for a long life.

E- WSVN: Video, Winterfest Boat Parade.




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B- Beached Miami opines on yesterday's Dolphins loss.

With Pro Bowl left tackle Jake Long getting injured and right tackle Vernon Carey on the bench for a coach’s decision, the hodgepodge of replacements might as well have been blocking a tsunami, a supernova, gravity, and the Golden Horde of Mongolia. The two Dolphins quarterbacks were sacked nine times and each raped once. That’s awful, like drinking mayonnaise bad.

C- The Chowfather posts some photos from Sustain restaurant's Bubble Dutch event that was held yesterday.

D- Obalesque dissects the reasons why professional baseball players get paid more than teachers.

We outrageously reward the frivolous and trite while paying short shrift to the significant. Either the system is broken or the inmates run the institution — or both.

But as he himself notes, he would take the money, too. So would I. And would you. I’d like to think I would be an exemplary philanthropist and return those rewards as best I can (as Albert Pujols reportedly does). This is one step in resolving the problem. Human beings made it, and we can even it all out if we try.

E- Republicans in Alabama are fine tuning a recently passed immigration law so that the more desirable foreign visitors to that state aren't inconvenienced...according to Bark Bark Woof Woof.


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A- All is right: Some Blogging Guy finds himself a Farm Store in Broward County with eggnog thanks to a reader.

B- Miamism Pix captures a coupla nice rides in a Miami parking lot but does a hatchet job on a beautiful Audi R8. Ay dios mio.

C- PhinPhanatic notes today's Dolphins loss and you gotta wonder when the calls for Sparano's head will resume.

It was fun while it lasted. The Miami Dolphins had been on a run. A good run. Four of their last five games were convincing wins and their lone loss was a nail-biter on Thanksgiving day. Enter the reeling Philadelphia Eagles. A team that is teetering on the tight rope of complete internal collapse. Verdict? Miami slips back into the hole of mediocrity.

D- Restaurant Gal finds out that first impressions aren't always that accurate.

“I gave you a twenty,” continued Shorty. “You gave me change for a ten.”

“Really?” I asked like I meant I was surprised, not like I was about to prove him wrong. I dug out the bills from the back of my book. “Here’s the money you gave me–a ten and a…a…” Crap. A twenty.

“It’s okay,” smiled the bright-eyed man whose friend simply stared at the table. “We all make mistakes.”

“I am so sorry,” I said, pulling a 10 out of my front-of-the-book cash. “I thought you guys gave me two tens. I’m an idiot.”

“No, you’ve been great,” he laughed. “You’re not an idiot.”

And he handed me back the ten.

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Coconut Grove Grapevine.

B- Justice Building Blog posts the arrest report of the Miami-Dade police officer who was found DUI in his patrol car last week.

C- Eye on Miami maintains that Miami's casinos are being placed in the wrong neighborhood.

The Genting Casino in New York is NOT in Manhattan. It is in one of the most depressed areas of Queens, an area called South Ozone Park. You wouldn't go there for anything except horse racing or casinos. We on the other hand, would have the Genting Casino complex in the Lincoln Center of Miami. Wrong location. Put the Casino in Sunny Isles Beach. They probably would welcome it. Let Golden Beach start mobilizing.

D- Take a look at the set of claws on the 10-day old tiger cub at Nikon Miami.

E- South Florida Food and Wine asks a few questions of Sergio Sigala, Executive Chef at Miami Beach’s Soho House.

South Florida Food and Wine: When did you realize that cooking was your passion?

Sergio Sigala: Unlike most chefs, I was not driven into the culinary arts by a passion for food, rather, it was a passion for a Vespa! One summer when I was fourteen, I was desperate to earn money to buy a Vespa. I started off washing dishes in my cousin’s restaurant but soon fell into cooking which came naturally to me. At the end of summer I had the money for my Vespa but I had also begun to realize that this could be my future. I began to pay more attention to my mother and grandmother’s cooking (both amazing cooks) and found so much inspiration in their kitchens as well.

F- Just in time for the holidays, Some Cranky Guy conducts a little eggnog research.

Bottom line for me is that Publix Original eggnog is my go to carton when I don’t have Farm Store in the house. But even it is not close to the flavor I grew up with.

And when you add a little flavor enhancer, such as Pendleton Blended Canadian Whisky, it greatly improves the experience!

G- Beached Miami videos Art Basel.

H- The Burger Beast shows us what we can expect to find at the new Sakaya Kitchen that opens tomorrow in downtown Miami.

The doors officially open this Monday December 12th at 11AM. The Sakaya Kitchen downtown outpost’s hours will be Monday – Friday from 11AM – 9PM and Saturday 12PM – 9PM. The menu has all of your favorites from the Orange Ribs and Pork Buns to the 2 time Burgie Award Winner for Best Non Traditional Burger, the Bulgogi Burger.

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Finding Oregon is the compilation of six months of timelapse photography across the state of Oregon, punctuated by a 1600 mile road trip in September. We've filmed the Columbia River Gorge, Mt Hood, Mt Jefferson, the Southwestern Coast, the Alvord Desert, Leslie Gulch, Blue Mountains, Crater Lake, Eagle Cap Wilderness, Deschutes River, and more. We're proud to have touched all four corners of the state; however Oregon is the kind of place that the more you see, the more places there are to still discover.

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A- Camera Ephemera has your South Florida Moment of the Day.

B- Copy editing the Herald apparently keeps Random Pixels busy.

The most obvious mistake is the misspelling of "Coppertone," in the very first sentence.

There's also an improper use of an apostrophe in the second sentence: "...and that fact has put it’s fate in doubt various times..."

In the third paragraph, the writer drops a "c" from the company name Merck, turning it into "Merk."

C- Miami Beach 411 says that Yardbird is hot.

The bigger plates to share include shrimp ‘n’ grits, vegetable pot pie, sweet tea southern ribs and of course the Southern fried chicken. Along with that you can also order side dishes of grits, mac ‘n’ cheese, biscuits, garlic mash, and waffle fries. With so much to choose from we decided on the oven roasted pumpkin and the fried chicken. The pumpkin came out looking like a creation from the game Jenga, with juicy pieces piled on top of the other and a maple-pecan syrup lightly poured over the top. The fried chicken arrived fresh and mouth watering, complete with waffles and watermelon and a spicy honey syrup. Well, nobody said the Southern diet was healthy.

D- Beached Miami reveals Part 2 of the Top 50 South Florida Songs of 2011.

E- PhinPhanatic shares his thoughts on the departure of Tony Sparano who once used to coach the Dolphins.

Sparano will not go down in the history of the Miami Dolphins as the worst head coach, in fact he likely will come nowhere near. The reality is that much the same way Chad Henne drowned in a bad system, Sparano was kept tied early by Bill Parcells, suffered through major off-season change heading into the 2011 season while enduring a lockout and simply played a badly dealt hand of cards. The facts remain that Sparano failed because the team around him failed. He failed because it took him too long to change his approach. He failed because his team often played mimicking their head coach.

What Sparano managed to keep was his pride, dignity, and drive. Not one time in four years did he blame anyone for anything but himself. Not once did he call out a player but instead, in the eyes of his players, he stuck up for them. It was just not meant to be here in Miami. Too many obstacles to overcome for a coach who was supposed to have the shoulder of Bill Parcells to “lean” on, not forced to sit in the background and watch.

F- Anthony Bourdain answers a few questions posed to him by Eater Miami during a recent visit to South Florida.

Jackie Sayet, Eater Miami: Miami again! Why?

Anthony Bourdain: Cause I love it. I love staying at the Raleigh, I love drinking at the Deuce and the opportunity to, you know, get a good tattoo. It’s always fun for me to come to Miami so that’s always a big factor in my decision to make a show, any show. Will it be fun?

G- Miamism files their November Midtown housing report.

The good news that everyone has been waiting for all over Miami and specially in Midtown is that the distressed inventory (that’s short sales and foreclosures) is decreasing. Of the 11 condos listed for sale, only 2 are short sales and none are foreclosures – that’s only 18% of the inventory. Of the 10 condos currently under contract, 8 are short sales and 1 is a foreclosure – once those close…we should start seeing a slight increase in prices and decrease in inventory.

H- Tropicult opines a little on Art Basel 2011.

With Basel’s skyrocketing popularity attracting big-name corporate sponsorship from the likes of Absolut Vodka, the streets of Wynwood last week were overrun by the bros, a rather uncultured segment of the local population whose members are more likely to take a piss on a piece of art than to try to appreciate it in any way.

Spawned in the unrefined depths of suburban Miami, bros lust for free drinks like zombies after brains. When the sun set, they came to Wynwood in droves – an unending horde of tasteless bros hunting open bars into near-extinction in sandals and cargo shorts.

I- Eye on Miami wants Floridians to be issued a Rick Scott Panic Button.

Activate the Rick Scott panic button now, so citizens can enjoy the protections only available to legislators, thanks to the dominant GOP majority. They are fearful of wandering shooters in the marble hallways. We are afraid of them.

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A- Soul of Miami says that Miquel Paredes has opened a pop-up gallery on Lincoln Road.

B- Belle Isle Blog reminds us that Beach traffic will be FUBAR tomorrow morning.



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