Coming Sunday: Scott Galvin's FL-17 congressional campaign is using MY blog photos on his direct mail campaign ads without my permission.
CLUMSILY!
Pure and simple, on Thursday I caught Galvin engaging in unethical behavior even BEFORE he ever got anywhere near Washington, which is certainly an Early Bird approach, I'll grant you, but frankly, I don't think even using MY photos will help him emerge on top on Tuesday, despite his appropriating something that's NOT his to use.
Just because a photo is on the Internet doesn't mean that you and your campaign staff get to use it for whatever purpose you want.
It doesn't belong to YOU!
Do I really need to explain this concept to someone who is running for U.S. Congress?
Apparently, in the South Florida of the year 2010, I do.
I'll connect-the-dots on this subject and show you the campaign piece he's so clumsily using and show you the photos as I originally used them here on my blog.
And if you happen to have any Scott Galvin campaign mail anywhere in your house, don't throw it out -yet.
It'll come in handy on Sunday when you play a game of compare-and-contrast at home, though you won't have to put on your detective hat.
If this had been a tougher call and not such a slam dunk for my own brand of sleuthing, I might have needed to enlist the help of a top-shelf detective to handle the investigation.
There's a detective I've been hearing really great things about from friends out in Cali who might be of some help to us in the future here in Hallandale Beach and Broward County, what with all the political miscreants and their lawyer/lobbyist acolytes hereabouts, though I should mention that he isn't cheap.
This cat goes by the name of Mannix.
Joe Mannix.
Perhaps you've heard of him?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vyZL_3bxD68
Now HE will get us the answers we want!
Plus, I'll also be analyzing campaign direct mail in Broward County for some salient signs the MSM has completely missed, and since South Florida's MSM has been particularly lazy and fact-challenged this particular summer of swelter, there's an awful lot to mull over.
All of that to come on Sunday.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mannix
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CF_49tWPNWA
I loved this TV show as a kid growing-up down here, as did all my friends!
FOLLOW me on my popular Twitter feed. Just click this photo! @hbbtruth - David - Common sense on #Politics #PublicPolicy #Sports #PopCulture in USA, Great Britain, Sweden and France, via my life in #Texas #Memphis #Miami #IU #Chicago #DC #FL ๐ซ๐๐บ๐ฝ️๐. This photo of Cary Grant and Grace Kelly in Alfred Hitchcock's 1955 classic "To Catch a Thief" is the large Twitter photo on my @hbbtruth account
Beautiful Strandvรคgen, the grand boulevard in รstermalm, in central Stockholm, Sweden, along Nybroviken. In my previous life, I was DEFINITELY born and raised there!
Memorial Stadium, Bloomington, home of the Hoosiers; Fernando Mendoza TD dive on 4th Down leads to IU's first nat'l football title; The Team; The Head Coach, Curt Cignetti and the Hoosiers 2026 football schedule
Friday, August 20, 2010
Wednesday, August 18, 2010
Fascinating Deutsche Welle TV video of innovative architect Thomas Rau in Amsterdam, and what he's done with the WWF HQ in The Netherlands
I originally came to this short report -in English- on Deutsche Welle TV after reading a story on FC Bayern Munich boss Karl-Heinz Rummenigge's efforts to bring salaries down and keep at least some ticket prices family-friendly, and I'll be posting that story soon.
This video explains why architect Thomas Rau decided to rent (instead of buying) his office interior, why this is, supposedly, better for the environment and financially attractive for manufacturers, though the truth is, he makes the disposition of the furniture the manufacturer's problem, not his, when he tires of it.
Then, Deutsche Welle visits a client that he has worked his magic on -the head office of WWF Netherlands in Zeist- and explains how their building became the first energy neutral building in the land of the Orange.
http://www.archicentral.com/wwf-zeist-the-netherlands-rau-architects-11212/ http://sustainablecities.dk/en/city-projects/cases/zeist-home-to-the-wwfs-innovative-new-dutch-headquarters
"A key maxim he follows is the use of 100% recyclable materials. Rau has committed himself to designing environmentally-responsible architecture."
http://www.dw-world.de/dw/article/0,,5887227,00.html
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=66ZA-kfjBUA
Some day, if I can remember to, I'll write here about my plans circa 1990 to travel and write from Eastern Europe after the Berlin Wall fell.
Among other things, I was going to write about how rural communities were coping with the rapid economic and social changes that lay before them, the effect of decades of pollution on the communities and foreign investment, and the employment prospects of the young people who suddenly had choices their parents never had, and who could now move west and leave their problems -and families- behind.
Marie Ciganek, who was from the then-Czechoslovakia, was the savvy and friendly woman who was then in charge of Eastern Europe at the D.C. office of the WWF, and she couldn't have been more helpful and encouraging, even suggesting some folks I contact to make my goal a reality. http://www.worldwildlife.org/who/
But despite lots of hard work on my part to make a real go of it, the plan could never be worked out financially, which was very depressing, as I had some very definite plans for doing some very interesting things once I got over there.
It was while going around talking to people in Washington and doing some investigating that I first found out for myself how many of D.C.'s think tanks and foundations that have funds that are supposed to be used to help and encourage Young Professionals in their career efforts, were actually not much more than wink-wink slush funds/vacation jaunts for well-known establishment types already working at mainstream American news media outlets, print and electronic -and they were NOT so young, either!
I won't name names here but... well, I could.
It was quite an eye-opening experience for me to see how routinely "requirements" were flouted by well-connected media types to secure things they weren't really eligible for!
This was also roughly when I was routinely plowing thru Foreign Affairs magazine in one week, often on MARC train trips up to Baltimore from D.C's Union Station on weekends for Oriole home games at Camden Yards.
Somewhere, in the archives, there are photos of me reading it in-between innings out in the centerfield bleachers, my favorite area for watching a game there. Perhaps even this essay from 1993, The Collapse Of 'The West' by Owen Harries
http://www.foreignaffairs.com/articles/49202/owen-harries/the-collapse-of-the-west
Those were the days!
Yes kids, once upon a time, not so long ago, the Orioles were very, very good...
When I was at IU in Bloomington, I used to routinely listen to Deutsche Welle's English-language radio broadcasts on my shortwave radio, http://www.dw-world.de/ which was even more interesting when I had a girlfriend at the time who spoke fluent German, one of the languages I never quite cracked.
http://www.dw-world.de/popups/popup_multi_mediaplayer/0,,4128016_type_audio_struct_4703_format_WMedia,00.html
Talar ni tyska, Dave?
Nej!
For more information:
http://wwf.panda.org/who_we_are/wwf_offices/netherlands/
http://rau.eu/en
RAU Architects YouTube Channel: http://www.youtube.com/user/RAUarchitects
http://www.foreignaffairs.com/
http://www.timothygartonash.com/
http://www.spiegel.de/international/
This video explains why architect Thomas Rau decided to rent (instead of buying) his office interior, why this is, supposedly, better for the environment and financially attractive for manufacturers, though the truth is, he makes the disposition of the furniture the manufacturer's problem, not his, when he tires of it.
Then, Deutsche Welle visits a client that he has worked his magic on -the head office of WWF Netherlands in Zeist- and explains how their building became the first energy neutral building in the land of the Orange.
http://www.archicentral.com/wwf-zeist-the-netherlands-rau-architects-11212/ http://sustainablecities.dk/en/city-projects/cases/zeist-home-to-the-wwfs-innovative-new-dutch-headquarters
"A key maxim he follows is the use of 100% recyclable materials. Rau has committed himself to designing environmentally-responsible architecture."
http://www.dw-world.de/dw/article/0,,5887227,00.html
http://www.youtube.com/watch?
Some day, if I can remember to, I'll write here about my plans circa 1990 to travel and write from Eastern Europe after the Berlin Wall fell.
Among other things, I was going to write about how rural communities were coping with the rapid economic and social changes that lay before them, the effect of decades of pollution on the communities and foreign investment, and the employment prospects of the young people who suddenly had choices their parents never had, and who could now move west and leave their problems -and families- behind.
Marie Ciganek, who was from the then-Czechoslovakia, was the savvy and friendly woman who was then in charge of Eastern Europe at the D.C. office of the WWF, and she couldn't have been more helpful and encouraging, even suggesting some folks I contact to make my goal a reality. http://www.worldwildlife.org/who/
But despite lots of hard work on my part to make a real go of it, the plan could never be worked out financially, which was very depressing, as I had some very definite plans for doing some very interesting things once I got over there.
It was while going around talking to people in Washington and doing some investigating that I first found out for myself how many of D.C.'s think tanks and foundations that have funds that are supposed to be used to help and encourage Young Professionals in their career efforts, were actually not much more than wink-wink slush funds/vacation jaunts for well-known establishment types already working at mainstream American news media outlets, print and electronic -and they were NOT so young, either!
I won't name names here but... well, I could.
It was quite an eye-opening experience for me to see how routinely "requirements" were flouted by well-connected media types to secure things they weren't really eligible for!
This was also roughly when I was routinely plowing thru Foreign Affairs magazine in one week, often on MARC train trips up to Baltimore from D.C's Union Station on weekends for Oriole home games at Camden Yards.
Somewhere, in the archives, there are photos of me reading it in-between innings out in the centerfield bleachers, my favorite area for watching a game there. Perhaps even this essay from 1993, The Collapse Of 'The West' by Owen Harries
http://www.foreignaffairs.com/articles/49202/owen-harries/the-collapse-of-the-west
Those were the days!
Yes kids, once upon a time, not so long ago, the Orioles were very, very good...
When I was at IU in Bloomington, I used to routinely listen to Deutsche Welle's English-language radio broadcasts on my shortwave radio, http://www.dw-world.de/ which was even more interesting when I had a girlfriend at the time who spoke fluent German, one of the languages I never quite cracked.
http://www.dw-world.de/popups/popup_multi_mediaplayer/0,,4128016_type_audio_struct_4703_format_WMedia,00.html
Talar ni tyska, Dave?
Nej!
For more information:
http://wwf.panda.org/who_we_are/wwf_offices/netherlands/
http://rau.eu/en
RAU Architects YouTube Channel: http://www.youtube.com/user/RAUarchitects
http://www.foreignaffairs.com/
http://www.timothygartonash.com/
http://www.spiegel.de/international/
Monday, August 16, 2010
August 16th, 33 years later -The Day Elvis Died. Jon Pareles was right: "In death as in life, Elvis Presley has something for everybody."
1993 Elvis Presley postal stamp -Watercolor of Elvis by Mark Stutzmamn This is the song and performance that my friend Shannon and I always loved best, and loved most to sing along to together when she lived in D.C., because, for me at least, it's the secular song of his that's closest to the power of his great gospel performances.
Elvis Presley - An American Trilogy, LIVE, 1973
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6xcZCigY3gEAnother fabulous story by author David Comfort, today, on the relationship between Elvis and his doting mother, Gladys.
TheWrap
Elvis, Gladys & Their Double Doomdate, Aug. 16
By David Comfort
Published: August 15, 2010
In 1934, Vernon Presley, age 18, recalled blacking out at the instant of his son’s conception; then, regaining consciousness, he had seen the night sky thronged with brilliant blue stars. Elvis Aron’s twin brother, Jesse Garon, was stillborn.
The future King’s God-fearing mother, Gladys -- who herself almost died in the delivery -- believed he had inherited Jesse’s soul, and was “the One.”
Years later, Gladys would suffer a miscarriage, making her all the more protective of her only surviving child.
Read the rest of the story at:
http://www.thewrap.com/movies/blog-post/there-goes-my-everything-elvis-gladys-rip-20137
See also:
http://rockandrollbookofthedead.com/
http://www.thewrap.com/
This article has some really great photos, some of which you may never have seen.
Memphis Commercial Appeal
Sweltering heat can't keep Elvis fans from annual vigil
By Christopher Blank
Posted August 16, 2010 at midnight
http://www.commercialappeal.com/news/2010/aug/16/always-faithful/
Elvis Presley: Ten of Our Favorite Performances
This Week Marks 33rd Anniversary of the King's Death
August 16, 2010
http://www.cmt.com/news/country-music/1645830/elvis-presley-ten-of-our-favorite-performances.jhtml
If you never saw my previous post mentioning singer Calle Kristiansson, prepare to be amazed. This gets me every time I see it, because this guy, whom nobody had ever heard
of, just casually walks up to the microphone and belts a home run on the first pitch like it's nothing -perfect.
TV4.se
Calle Kristiansson - Walking in Memphis -
IDOL Sweden 2009, auditions in Malmรถ
http://www.youtube.com/watch?
Calle Kristiansson Walking in Memphis - XL Live Expressen
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OQtKe9qQYH8
See also: http://www.expressen.se/ and
http://www.youtube.com/ExpressenTV
Yohanna -Butterflies and Elvis from her Butterflies and Elvis CD
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A8XlKt0eSYc
See also: http://www.youtube.com/TEAMYOHANNA
and http://teamyohanna.blogspot.com/
The guys at TY have got some brand new photos of this super-talent up on their blog, so check 'em out!
My previous posts on Elvis contain lots of helpful hints on discerning why I am the way that
I am, how my personal world-view was shaped and why I write about the topics I do here,
many of which I never see anywhere else, even though there are, as we're constantly being reminded, tens of millions of blogs and websites.
January 8, 2010:
Walking in Memphis on Elvis' 75th birthday: some Swedish and Icelandic treats
to celebrate with
http://hallandalebeachblog.blogspot.com/2010/01/walking-in-memphis-on-elvis-75th.html
and
August 15, 2009
Sunday morning at 2 a.m. - Elvis In Memphis on QVC
http://hallandalebeachblog.blogspot.com/2009/08/sunday-morning-at-2-am-elvis-in-memphis.html
TCB baby!
Just wondering: If private security firms are dis-banded in Afghanistan, who will protect the news media that's not embedded?
Just wondering: If private security firms are dis-banded in Afghanistan, who will protect the news media that's not embedded?
The Washington PostKarzai moves to disband private security firms in Afghanistan
By Joshua Partlow
Monday, August 16, 2010; 9:58 AM
KABUL -- President Hamid Karzai intends to disband all private security companies in Afghanistan within four months, his spokesman said Monday, a timeline that likely will meet with strong resistance from NATO forces who rely heavily on the companies to provide security to convoys and installations across the country.
The announcement came as a surprise to U.S. military officials who have recently begun a review of their security contracts in an attempt to address the widespread allegations that such guards are unaccountable and that their reckless behavior inflames public sentiment against foreign forces
Read the rest of the article at:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/08/16/AR2010081602041.html
For more on the nexus of American diplomacy, the military and the intelligence agencies, see the Washington Post's Checkpoint Washington blog at
http://voices.washingtonpost.com/checkpoint-washington/
Their latest post is: Gates retiring? Don't bet on it.
Monday TV Alert: The Third Reich's rise tears apart a German family in "The Mortal Storm" on TCM at 8 p.m. Eastern
"The Third Reich''s rise tears apart a German family."
The Mortal Storm, 1940, directed by Frank Borzage on Turner Classic Movies at 8 p.m. Eastern Monday night.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HxltKn5NKuM
Film poster at: http://www.tcm.com/tcmdb/archive/viewer.jsp?contentId=140832
After I first saw this film about twenty years or so on TCM in the middle of the night, I could never look at actor Robert Young again in quite the same light, because he was SO believably creepy in this film that it literally made my skin crawl.
Plus, you had Nazis harassing pro-democracy Frank Morgan the year after he played the Wizard in The Wizard of Oz, and chasing James Stewart, including his so-called best friend. Some friend!
I softened a bit on Young after finally seeing him co-star with Hedy Lamarr in the great under-rated classic -with about the most terrible film name ever!- H.M. Pulham, Esq., based on the 1930's best-seller I half-read while living in Evanston in the mid-'80's, after buying it at the Evanston Junior League shop.
But then everyone seemed more human and fallible around alluring Hedy.
They sure don't make 'em like her any more, that's for sure!
http://www.tcm.com/video/videoPlayer/?cid=110910&titleId=77194
Robert Young made Pulham with Hedy the year after making Storm with a young Robert Stack, whose films TCM is featuring today as part of their Summer Under the Stars promotion, wherein each day they feature an entire day's worth of films by one actor. http://www.tcm.com/2010/suts/index.jsp#/robertstack/8
http://www.tcm.com/2010/suts/index.jsp
This film has a dramatic ski chase-and-pursuit sequence with Jimmy and frequent co-star Margaret Sullavan that gives you a whole new appreciation for the justly-famous ski chase with Roger Moore as 007 in the beginning of The Spy Who Loved Me, but this one, in what is supposed to be the German Alps, takes place at night!
Bosley Crowther's June 21, 1940 film review in the New York Times is here:
http://movies.nytimes.com/movie/review?res=9D06E3DC1E30E53ABC4951DFB066838B659EDE
http://www.tcm.com/index.jsp
The Mortal Storm, 1940, directed by Frank Borzage on Turner Classic Movies at 8 p.m. Eastern Monday night.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HxltKn5NKuM
Film poster at: http://www.tcm.com/tcmdb/archive/viewer.jsp?contentId=140832
After I first saw this film about twenty years or so on TCM in the middle of the night, I could never look at actor Robert Young again in quite the same light, because he was SO believably creepy in this film that it literally made my skin crawl.
Plus, you had Nazis harassing pro-democracy Frank Morgan the year after he played the Wizard in The Wizard of Oz, and chasing James Stewart, including his so-called best friend. Some friend!
I softened a bit on Young after finally seeing him co-star with Hedy Lamarr in the great under-rated classic -with about the most terrible film name ever!- H.M. Pulham, Esq., based on the 1930's best-seller I half-read while living in Evanston in the mid-'80's, after buying it at the Evanston Junior League shop.
But then everyone seemed more human and fallible around alluring Hedy.
They sure don't make 'em like her any more, that's for sure!
http://www.tcm.com/video/videoPlayer/?cid=110910&titleId=77194
Robert Young made Pulham with Hedy the year after making Storm with a young Robert Stack, whose films TCM is featuring today as part of their Summer Under the Stars promotion, wherein each day they feature an entire day's worth of films by one actor. http://www.tcm.com/2010/suts/index.jsp#/robertstack/8
http://www.tcm.com/2010/suts/index.jsp
This film has a dramatic ski chase-and-pursuit sequence with Jimmy and frequent co-star Margaret Sullavan that gives you a whole new appreciation for the justly-famous ski chase with Roger Moore as 007 in the beginning of The Spy Who Loved Me, but this one, in what is supposed to be the German Alps, takes place at night!
Bosley Crowther's June 21, 1940 film review in the New York Times is here:
http://movies.nytimes.com/movie/review?res=9D06E3DC1E30E53ABC4951DFB066838B659EDE
http://www.tcm.com/index.jsp
Saturday, August 14, 2010
Most boring U.S. sports headline of year? Could be! 8/14 Miami Herald: "Miami Dolphins' Sparano's goal in preseason is evaluating his players"
My comments follow this early contender for worst -or most boring?- U.S. sports headline of the year, which can NOT be blamed on the reporter.
--------
Miami Herald
http://www.miamiherald.com/2010/08/14/1775415/sparanos-main-goal-in-preseason.html
MIAMI DOLPHINS
Miami Dolphins' Sparano's goal in preseason is evaluating his players
By Jeff Darlington
Exhibition games aren't for everyone. Not for the established veterans who just want to stay healthy. Not for the casual fans who wish the score would count for something.
But for the coach?
"I have four preseason games right now, and I can't find enough time for some of the players that I have to see,'' Dolphins coach Tony Sparano said Thursday.
Balancing between the task of getting starters enough repetitions and evaluating little-known players, Sparano's agenda during Saturday's 7 p.m. preseason opener against the Tampa Bay will be slammed.
While he focuses on the details, fans will get an opportunity to watch some of the bigger themes of training camp play out.
5. CORNERBACK DEPTH
In the wake of cornerback Will Allen's arthroscopic knee surgery, it has become clear that backups Jason Allen and Nolan Carroll are being pegged as the two players capable of filling his role. Carroll is a rookie, and Jason Allen hasn't lit up the world as a cornerback during his career, meaning the upcoming preseason games will provide coaches with the best proof possible to see if their strong training camp is the real deal. Both figure to get plenty of repetitions once Sparano has decided Sean Smith and Vontae Davis have seen enough playing time to justify sitting them down. So just because the starters might wind up seated by halftime, this preseason opener should provide at least a few reasons to watch.
4. SAFETY CHRIS CLEMONS
Five months ago, the Dolphins were in hot pursuit of Steelers free safety Ryan Clark to fill a significant void. But Clark snubbed Miami. How did the Dolphins resolve the issue? By giving second-year safety Chris Clemons a chance to prove his worth. Sparano said Clemons has taken more than 400 repetitions during practice -- and he has only made one mental mistake. As a result, a strong performance against the Bucs will cause Sparano to declare him the first winner of a competition during training camp. Sparano noted that "if it goes well on Saturday, and he gets enough opportunities,'' Clemons will be the guy. "Chris has proven to me right now that I think he's going to be a pretty good player.''
3. INTERIOR OFFENSIVE LINE
Every time it appears the Dolphins have steered toward a certain combination of players at guard and center, somebody gets hurt. The latest victim of Miami's almost daily injury bug was Nate Garner, who was taking repetitions as the first-team left guard before aggravating a previous foot injury. Center Jake Grove is coming back from a bone bruise on his knee, but Joe Berger is expected to start against the Bucs. Rookie John Jerry is the likely starter on the right side, but the left guard position remains up in the air. It will take more than one game to settle this unit. As the competition plays out, Sparano could take looks at as many as four combinations throughout this game.
2. FRONT SEVEN
If you believe the Dolphins' offense is going to be the catalyst for Miami's overall success this season, then it's important to still realize why a young defense will need to click for any of the rest to matter. Defensive end Jared Odrick and linebacker Koa Misi are slated as rookie starters, linebacker Cameron Wake is trying to prove he's a three-down linebacker and nose tackle Randy Starks is transitioning to a new position. All four will play integral parts in the fate of the defense -- yet none of the four have any extensive body of work during games when it comes to those tasks. The upcoming preseason might be more critical for them than any other group on this roster.
1. HENNE TO MARSHALL
Quarterback Chad Henne is slated to play at least one quarter against the Bucs, Dolphins coach Tony Sparano said. He could play into the second quarter if the offense isn't on the field enough in the first, which should please fans for one reason: He'll have more than a few opportunities to connect with wide receiver Brandon Marshall. Despite a strong start to training camp, Henne and Marshall struggled in the team's only game-like format -- a scrimmage that took place last week. It was no reason to worry, but an exhibition against the Bucs could be the perfect way to prove it. Chemistry will be critical for the pair to flourish. They are getting along great, and Marshall seems to really like the way Henne throws the ball.
Reader comments from very unsophisticated South Florida football fans who make up for their lack of football smarts and historical knowledge and context by being very opinionated sycophants are at:
http://www.miamiherald.com/2010/08/14/1775415/sparanos-main-goal-in-preseason.html?commentSort=TimeStampAscending&pageNum=1
--------
After reading this article this morning, I wrote the following and submitted it.
Thank you ladies and gentleman but you can stop sending in nominations now as we already have our most boring sports headline of the year: 8/14 Miami Herald: "Miami Dolphins' Sparano's goal in preseason is evaluating his players"
Actually, the honeymoon of sorts that Dolphin fans have given Sparano will end in late October if he can't start showing that he can actually out-coach someone once in a while.
While we're at it, how come Sparano was never quite able to figure out last year how to create a scenario for a super-talent like Pat White, who has been a legit difference-maker and great teammate his entire college career, where he could have some early success to help his confidence?
Frankly, it often looked to me like the team flat out quit on Pat White, and then his inexperience resulted in wasted opportunities or hasty turnovers. Don't give up on this kid. I still do NOT believe in Chad Henne, whether his self-evident staring-down of receivers or his lack of a 'touch,'Midas or otherwise, on thrown balls.
Far too often, he resembles a statue with a bazooka.
Interesting perhaps to look at in a museum, but his lack of mobility always makes me think he's about two seconds from either a concussion or a fumble.
He could've run for first downs so many times last year, too, yet stayed in the pocket too long, only to over-throw, under-throw or get sacked. His sense of inner timing is problematic, esp. in close games in the 4th Quarter. After I got back early this evening from doing some errands and swinging by the beach to read some newspapers, political direct mail and make some notes and organize my thoughts about some things I need to write about here in the future, I went back to the article above.
Wow!
The Hectors in Hialeah and Mikes in South Miami do not like critical scrutiny of the Dolphins.
Not that this is a surprise to me, though, as you'll get no argument from me that South Florida sports fans are THE most ignorant in all of the major North American cities having pro teams, and the sports radio here proves it everyday.
Listening is the proof.
There are STILL people defending Randy Shannon everyday who say he should get a few more YEARS as the University of Miami's head football coach before any decision is made.
YEARS!
So after perusing some of the predictably dopey reader comments before the game started, I cobbled together some more thoughts to respond.
It was fun to write but not all of it would fit, but here it is:
Reading the reader comments to my earlier comments has been pretty funny. I could mention that my first Dolphin home game was in 1970, that I first went to summer training camp at the then-Biscayne College 2-3 times a week in '71, that I purchased the first copy of Dolphin Digest -when that was really a new concept- at the mobile snack bar north of the scorching-hot metal bleachers.
That I was at MIA to greet the team with thousands of others after their '71 Christmas Day playoff OT win against the Chiefs, had season tickets for the first time in the '72 Perfect Season, only missed one home game -preseason, regular and playoff in eight years until I left for college.
Or, that I actually got to know some of the players personally who were most responsible for their glory days, even baby-sitting kids from time-to-time whose Dolphin father made it into the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
Or that I've forgotten more Dolphin history than 99% of you will ever know. I like him, but if White ends up being a bust with the Dolphins, Y-O-U and the Herald's sycophants have to blame Parcells for wasting an early second round pick, no?
Or that with the easiest schedule in the NFL, the Dolphins made the playoffs but lost, while the Steelers, with the most difficult schedule, won the Super Bowl.
Or that last year, the Dolphins had the worst fourth-quarter defense in the NFL.
But I won't, because that would be taking advantage of people who simply don't know what they are talking about.
I will mention, though, that while at West Virginia, Pat White finished in the top seven for the Heisman Trophy two years in a row, a not-inconsiderable feat, and was personally responsible for some of WVU's greatest victories in school history, including Bowl Game upsets that turned into routs.
Meanwhile, Chad Henne never beat Ohio State while at Michigan and is, in part, responsible for some of the worst games played in Michigan history, and often disappeared in games where he needed to have a strong presence, which perhaps explains why he wasn't an NFL First-Round pick, don't you think? (Oh, and that he often had no "touch" on his passes.)
Now, you kids go back to Los Marlins store on Calle Ocho and admit to your dopey pals that you're a football fraud who doesn't really knows anything about the game before you were born.
Adios!
--------
Miami Herald
http://www.miamiherald.com/2010/08/14/1775415/sparanos-main-goal-in-preseason.html
MIAMI DOLPHINS
Miami Dolphins' Sparano's goal in preseason is evaluating his players
By Jeff Darlington
Exhibition games aren't for everyone. Not for the established veterans who just want to stay healthy. Not for the casual fans who wish the score would count for something.
But for the coach?
"I have four preseason games right now, and I can't find enough time for some of the players that I have to see,'' Dolphins coach Tony Sparano said Thursday.
Balancing between the task of getting starters enough repetitions and evaluating little-known players, Sparano's agenda during Saturday's 7 p.m. preseason opener against the Tampa Bay will be slammed.
While he focuses on the details, fans will get an opportunity to watch some of the bigger themes of training camp play out.
5. CORNERBACK DEPTH
In the wake of cornerback Will Allen's arthroscopic knee surgery, it has become clear that backups Jason Allen and Nolan Carroll are being pegged as the two players capable of filling his role. Carroll is a rookie, and Jason Allen hasn't lit up the world as a cornerback during his career, meaning the upcoming preseason games will provide coaches with the best proof possible to see if their strong training camp is the real deal. Both figure to get plenty of repetitions once Sparano has decided Sean Smith and Vontae Davis have seen enough playing time to justify sitting them down. So just because the starters might wind up seated by halftime, this preseason opener should provide at least a few reasons to watch.
4. SAFETY CHRIS CLEMONS
Five months ago, the Dolphins were in hot pursuit of Steelers free safety Ryan Clark to fill a significant void. But Clark snubbed Miami. How did the Dolphins resolve the issue? By giving second-year safety Chris Clemons a chance to prove his worth. Sparano said Clemons has taken more than 400 repetitions during practice -- and he has only made one mental mistake. As a result, a strong performance against the Bucs will cause Sparano to declare him the first winner of a competition during training camp. Sparano noted that "if it goes well on Saturday, and he gets enough opportunities,'' Clemons will be the guy. "Chris has proven to me right now that I think he's going to be a pretty good player.''
3. INTERIOR OFFENSIVE LINE
Every time it appears the Dolphins have steered toward a certain combination of players at guard and center, somebody gets hurt. The latest victim of Miami's almost daily injury bug was Nate Garner, who was taking repetitions as the first-team left guard before aggravating a previous foot injury. Center Jake Grove is coming back from a bone bruise on his knee, but Joe Berger is expected to start against the Bucs. Rookie John Jerry is the likely starter on the right side, but the left guard position remains up in the air. It will take more than one game to settle this unit. As the competition plays out, Sparano could take looks at as many as four combinations throughout this game.
2. FRONT SEVEN
If you believe the Dolphins' offense is going to be the catalyst for Miami's overall success this season, then it's important to still realize why a young defense will need to click for any of the rest to matter. Defensive end Jared Odrick and linebacker Koa Misi are slated as rookie starters, linebacker Cameron Wake is trying to prove he's a three-down linebacker and nose tackle Randy Starks is transitioning to a new position. All four will play integral parts in the fate of the defense -- yet none of the four have any extensive body of work during games when it comes to those tasks. The upcoming preseason might be more critical for them than any other group on this roster.
1. HENNE TO MARSHALL
Quarterback Chad Henne is slated to play at least one quarter against the Bucs, Dolphins coach Tony Sparano said. He could play into the second quarter if the offense isn't on the field enough in the first, which should please fans for one reason: He'll have more than a few opportunities to connect with wide receiver Brandon Marshall. Despite a strong start to training camp, Henne and Marshall struggled in the team's only game-like format -- a scrimmage that took place last week. It was no reason to worry, but an exhibition against the Bucs could be the perfect way to prove it. Chemistry will be critical for the pair to flourish. They are getting along great, and Marshall seems to really like the way Henne throws the ball.
Reader comments from very unsophisticated South Florida football fans who make up for their lack of football smarts and historical knowledge and context by being very opinionated sycophants are at:
http://www.miamiherald.com/2010/08/14/1775415/sparanos-main-goal-in-preseason.html?commentSort=TimeStampAscending&pageNum=1
--------
After reading this article this morning, I wrote the following and submitted it.
Thank you ladies and gentleman but you can stop sending in nominations now as we already have our most boring sports headline of the year: 8/14 Miami Herald: "Miami Dolphins' Sparano's goal in preseason is evaluating his players"
Actually, the honeymoon of sorts that Dolphin fans have given Sparano will end in late October if he can't start showing that he can actually out-coach someone once in a while.
While we're at it, how come Sparano was never quite able to figure out last year how to create a scenario for a super-talent like Pat White, who has been a legit difference-maker and great teammate his entire college career, where he could have some early success to help his confidence?
Frankly, it often looked to me like the team flat out quit on Pat White, and then his inexperience resulted in wasted opportunities or hasty turnovers. Don't give up on this kid. I still do NOT believe in Chad Henne, whether his self-evident staring-down of receivers or his lack of a 'touch,'Midas or otherwise, on thrown balls.
Far too often, he resembles a statue with a bazooka.
Interesting perhaps to look at in a museum, but his lack of mobility always makes me think he's about two seconds from either a concussion or a fumble.
He could've run for first downs so many times last year, too, yet stayed in the pocket too long, only to over-throw, under-throw or get sacked. His sense of inner timing is problematic, esp. in close games in the 4th Quarter. After I got back early this evening from doing some errands and swinging by the beach to read some newspapers, political direct mail and make some notes and organize my thoughts about some things I need to write about here in the future, I went back to the article above.
Wow!
The Hectors in Hialeah and Mikes in South Miami do not like critical scrutiny of the Dolphins.
Not that this is a surprise to me, though, as you'll get no argument from me that South Florida sports fans are THE most ignorant in all of the major North American cities having pro teams, and the sports radio here proves it everyday.
Listening is the proof.
There are STILL people defending Randy Shannon everyday who say he should get a few more YEARS as the University of Miami's head football coach before any decision is made.
YEARS!
So after perusing some of the predictably dopey reader comments before the game started, I cobbled together some more thoughts to respond.
It was fun to write but not all of it would fit, but here it is:
Reading the reader comments to my earlier comments has been pretty funny. I could mention that my first Dolphin home game was in 1970, that I first went to summer training camp at the then-Biscayne College 2-3 times a week in '71, that I purchased the first copy of Dolphin Digest -when that was really a new concept- at the mobile snack bar north of the scorching-hot metal bleachers.
That I was at MIA to greet the team with thousands of others after their '71 Christmas Day playoff OT win against the Chiefs, had season tickets for the first time in the '72 Perfect Season, only missed one home game -preseason, regular and playoff in eight years until I left for college.
Or, that I actually got to know some of the players personally who were most responsible for their glory days, even baby-sitting kids from time-to-time whose Dolphin father made it into the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
Or that I've forgotten more Dolphin history than 99% of you will ever know. I like him, but if White ends up being a bust with the Dolphins, Y-O-U and the Herald's sycophants have to blame Parcells for wasting an early second round pick, no?
Or that with the easiest schedule in the NFL, the Dolphins made the playoffs but lost, while the Steelers, with the most difficult schedule, won the Super Bowl.
Or that last year, the Dolphins had the worst fourth-quarter defense in the NFL.
But I won't, because that would be taking advantage of people who simply don't know what they are talking about.
I will mention, though, that while at West Virginia, Pat White finished in the top seven for the Heisman Trophy two years in a row, a not-inconsiderable feat, and was personally responsible for some of WVU's greatest victories in school history, including Bowl Game upsets that turned into routs.
Meanwhile, Chad Henne never beat Ohio State while at Michigan and is, in part, responsible for some of the worst games played in Michigan history, and often disappeared in games where he needed to have a strong presence, which perhaps explains why he wasn't an NFL First-Round pick, don't you think? (Oh, and that he often had no "touch" on his passes.)
Now, you kids go back to Los Marlins store on Calle Ocho and admit to your dopey pals that you're a football fraud who doesn't really knows anything about the game before you were born.
Adios!
When pols get ballgame tickets, ethics sometimes gets kind of hazy: "Tickets, tickets, who wants a ticket?"
Above, the old-style Miami Dolphins helmet decal that I grew-up with, when it was the most unifying symbol in all of South Florida. The Dolphins kick-off the exhibition season at home tonight against Tampa Bay.I found this St. Pete Times story below quite interesting given what transpired at Tuesday's very contentious Broward County Commission meeting, when one of the few moments of levity came when Comm. Lois Wexler's made some comments about 26 Dolphin-Bucs tickets sent to her by the team to distribute, during the otherwise heated ethics debate.
http://weblogs.sun-sentinel.com/news/politics/broward/blog/2010/08/ticketgate.html Later in the day, there was some news about interim Comm. Al C. Jones rescinding his ticket offer.
How could Hillsborough County Commissioner Kevin White really think a Bucs skybox ticket had no "value" if there was not a price on it?
Wow!
Years ago when I still worked in Washington, D.C., when the MCI Center -now Verizon Center- finally opened downtown, in a perfect location, right next to Chinatown, and with the arrival of the one-and-only MJ, Michael Jordan, because he knew that Washington lobbyists would actually find going to Wizards games more fun now that they didn't have to schlep out to suburban PG County, Maryland, Wizard's owner Abe Polin reportedly -definitely!- had some very nice lower-level seat tickets which had a higher financial value, intentionally marked with a lower one so that lobbyists could legally give them to Members of Congress, influential staffers and other D.C. insiders and poohbahs without fear of running afoul of lobbying and ethics rules.
Mr. Polin believed that having more elected officials and lawyer/lobbyists at games would give going to a Wizards home game more cachet -albeit, NOT as much as going to Redskin games at RFK in the late '80's when Jack Kent Cooke was still alive.
Or so the Wizards and the Washington Post surely thought at the time.
Which perhaps says more about what D.C. and the woebegone Wizards though 'cachet' was about than anything else!
See also: http://www.irs.gov/pub/irs-
---------
St. Petersburg Times
Kevin White belatedly reports free Bucs skybox tickets
By Bill Varian, Times Staff Writer
In Print: Saturday, August 14, 2010
TAMPA — Hillsborough County Commissioner Kevin White has belatedly reported as a gift a luxury suite ticket he received last year from the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
White said he received an invite from the Buccaneers to attend their Sept. 27 game against the New York Giants. He said the tickets, for him and his wife, had no face value printed on them, so he thought nothing of it.
Read the rest of the article at:http://www.tampabay.com/news/politics/kevin-white-belatedly-reports-free-bucs-skybox-tickets/1115204
------
Tim Smith's Fort Lauderdale blog Posted by Tim Smith at 8/10/10 4:27 P.M. Commissioner Indian Giver !
Todays' Broward County Commission meeting was one for the record books.
Commissioners crying, yelling, stomping their feet over the proposed Ethics Proposal.
They even had to call a time out and send everyone to their corners for a cooling off period!
But while Rome was burning, and Commissioner's ethics was the topic, District 9 County Commissioner Al C. Jones was busy passing out goodies to the neighborhood Presidents in his District by e-mail!
Read the rest of the post at:
http://blog.timsmith.com/2010/08/10/commissioner-indian-giver-.aspx
Hotline TV looks to the post-November 2nd future and does some GOP STARGAZING: Four Who Would Shine Under A Republican Majority
8/12/10 Hotline TV hosts Josh Kraushaar and Reid Wilson look to the post November 2nd future and do some GOP STARGAZING: Four Who Would Shine Under A Republican Majority.
The GOP needs 39 new seats to take over the U.S. House of Representatives
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MEGO1aAJnpM
Here again are the four stars they mention:
4.) Rep. Kevin McCarthy of Calif., 22nd District, elected 2006
http://kevinmccarthy.house.gov/
3.) Rep. Jeb Hensarling of Texas, 6th District, elected 2003
http://hensarling.house.gov/
http://www.jebhensarling.com/
http://www.youtube.com/user/RepJebHensarling#p/a
2.) Marco Rubio of Florida, former Speaker of the Florida House and 2010 GOP nominee for U.S. Senate
http://www.youtube.com/user/MarcoRubio
1.) Rep. Paul Ryan of Wisconsin, 1st District, elected 1998
http://paulryan.house.gov/
http://www.youtube.com/user/RepPaulRyan#p/a
A Roadmap for America's Future
http://www.roadmap.republicans.budget.house.gov/
Rep. Paul Ryan at The Brookings Institution: Prosperity vs Austerity
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vWYAEjVf2cM
See also: Republican Study Committee
http://rsc.tomprice.house.gov/
The last time I posted a Hotline TV video was June 29, 2010
Hotline TV's Quinn McCord & Tim Sahd: Which U.S. House Dems are most at risk?
http://hallandalebeachblog.blogspot.com/2010/06/hotline-tvs-quinn-mccord-tim-sahd-which.html
The GOP needs 39 new seats to take over the U.S. House of Representatives
http://www.youtube.com/watch?
Here again are the four stars they mention:
4.) Rep. Kevin McCarthy of Calif., 22nd District, elected 2006
http://kevinmccarthy.house.gov/
3.) Rep. Jeb Hensarling of Texas, 6th District, elected 2003
http://hensarling.house.gov/
http://www.jebhensarling.com/
http://www.youtube.com/user/RepJebHensarling#p/a
2.) Marco Rubio of Florida, former Speaker of the Florida House and 2010 GOP nominee for U.S. Senate
http://www.youtube.com/user/MarcoRubio
1.) Rep. Paul Ryan of Wisconsin, 1st District, elected 1998
http://paulryan.house.gov/
http://www.youtube.com/user/
A Roadmap for America's Future
http://www.roadmap.republicans.budget.house.gov/
Rep. Paul Ryan at The Brookings Institution: Prosperity vs Austerity
http://www.youtube.com/watch?
See also: Republican Study Committee
http://rsc.tomprice.house.gov/
The last time I posted a Hotline TV video was June 29, 2010
Hotline TV's Quinn McCord & Tim Sahd: Which U.S. House Dems are most at risk?
http://hallandalebeachblog.blogspot.com/2010/06/hotline-tvs-quinn-mccord-tim-sahd-which.html
Thursday, August 12, 2010
Miami Herald rediscovers FL-17 race it's largely ignored; FL-17 candidate forum at FIU's Biscayne Bay campus Thurday at 5 p.m.
Not that they bear ALL the responsibility for this, per se, but why is the Miami Herald once again doing something that's so counter-intuitive by posting this story about a congressional race that they have largely ignored the past year, FL-17, that includes info about a Thursday afternoon candidate's forum, at 11:22 p.m. Wednesday night, instead of showing some sense and doing so Tuesday night for Wednesday's print edition, so more readers and voters would have a chance to attend?
Isn't the candidate forum information time-sensitive?
Seems like it to me!
The Herald's longstanding and almost spiteful refusal over the years to run items like that early when they can actually be of practical use to readers, the final consumers of their product, is really something that gives frequent critics of the newspaper like me, even more ammunition than we need.
Frankly, it makes the reporters and editors seem EVEN MORE distant and removed from the concerns of readers.
In most major newspapers, that particular info would've run in the paper on Sunday, so that concerned readers could make plans to attend.
Yet curiously, events that the Herald or owner McClatchy or previously, Knight-Ridder, was sponsors or co-sponsors of, no matter how parochial or picayune, were/are always given lots of play in advance. We all know that to be true, so why the disparity?
By the way, I'm NOT a big fan of FIU Prof. Dario Moreno, who is quoted below in the story, as I've almost always found his appearances on local TV newscasts or public policy shows -usually Michael Putney's excellent This Week in South Florida (TWISF)- to be the worst kind of sycophantic conventional wisdom, with him offering no original take on anything.
Almost as if he was at pains to criticize anyone, which, perhaps he is.
When I see Prof. Moreno on the tube, I tune-out and change the channel.
There are a number of holes in this story but it's so damn blah, why shoot a fish in a barrel?
Well, because I can.
U.S.-1/Biscayne Blvd./Federal Highway is the dividing line between Kendrick Meek's current 17th CD and the dreaded Debbie Wasserman-Schultz's 20th CD. (DWS)
It might interest the reporters -and those of you living far from here- to know that contrary to what they wrote, ALL of Aventura is in DWS territory.
Is it really too much trouble to expect news reporters to actually know what is and is NOT in the 17th CD when they write about it?
I mean there are maps of it after all, right?
Yes, I even posted one here for you to examine, and there's one anchored on the blog.
Here's the link:
http://www.govtrack.us/congress/findyourreps.xpd?state=FL
The east side of West Dixie Highway is the dividing line for the City of Aventura, so the people who live in Miami-Dade County north of North Miami Beach -where I grew-up- and west of Aventura, are, technically in unincorporated M-D County, NOT Aventura, despite what the businesses there may call themselves or what they put on their signs or business cards.
Just ask the Post Office or any Aventura cop -they know.
See this handy map: http://skyhighhomes.com/picture/northeastdademac.pdf
And as discussed here previously, it's why the well-regarded Aventura Waterways Charter K-8 school, which I'd love to see replicated in Hallandale Beach, is NOT really in Aventura proper.
Not that the residents living on the other side of Dixie Highway don't want to be in it, but the City of Aventura powers-that-be don't want 'em because in their minds, pure and simple, the area isn't affluent enough.
I know all about this border not just from living so close to it, but because every time I see my barber in the M-D neighborhood of Ojus, which is in that no-man's land, we discuss it, just like we did yesterday for the umpteenth time.
See the Skylake-Highland Lakes Homeowners Assocation website for backstory at
http://skyhighhomes.com/outside_home.asp, in particular, here:
http://skyhighhomes.com/item_list.asp?subcat=44&subtitle=Annexation%2FIncorporation
As has been previously mentioned here in previous discussions of Meek, DWS and the South Florida CDs, the grand bargain the FL legislature made many years in carving-out the CDs, knowing that Carrie Meek was going to run, was to put as many African-Americans as possible in 17 and as many Jewish voters as possible in the 20th.
That's why the 20th CD has the strange shape it does and why Hallandale Beach, where I live, and not listed in the story, a city that's only 4.2 square miles, is actually divided in two, when its small size ought to make it even more important for the it to entirely be in the same district.
http://www.govtrack.us/congress/findyourreps.xpd?state=FL&district=17
http://www.govtrack.us/congress/findyourreps.xpd?state=FL&district=20
The Broward County Commission districts also divide the city, albeit on a much smaller scale, since a sliver of NW HB is in District 8, formerly repped by the indicted Diana Wasserman-Rubin, and currently unrepresented at the Commission until November, while 95% of the city is currently repped by Sue Gunzburger in District 6.
http://gis.broward.org/maps/webPDFs/CommissionDistricts/comdist8.pdf
http://gis.broward.org/maps/webPDFs/CommissionDistricts/comdist6.pdf
And you thought that electoral districts were actually supposed to be "compact" for the benefit of residents like the law says?
Nope!
As for the dopey comments of self-serving Broward Democratic Party poobah Mitch Ceasar about possible low-turnout in the Broward part of the district, well, they're typical.
Explain how on the one hand that you'd imagine that people will turn out to vote in the Sue Gunzburger vs. Steve Geller fight for Broward County Commission District 6, but counter-intuitively, not cast a ballot in a primary for Congress?
If anything, it's very likely that the Broward part of FL-17 will have a higher voting-rate than the part located in Miami-Dade County.
I believe I wrote that many months ago in a few posts criticizing the FL-17 candidates who were refusing to come to Broward and campaign in cities like, yes, home sweet Hallandale Beach.
Now THERE'S your real story!
------
Miami Herald
http://www.miamiherald.com/2010/08/11/1772338/1-open-seat-10-candidates-an-unpredictable.html
1 open seat + 10 candidates = an unpredictable election
Isn't the candidate forum information time-sensitive?
Seems like it to me!
The Herald's longstanding and almost spiteful refusal over the years to run items like that early when they can actually be of practical use to readers, the final consumers of their product, is really something that gives frequent critics of the newspaper like me, even more ammunition than we need.
Frankly, it makes the reporters and editors seem EVEN MORE distant and removed from the concerns of readers.
In most major newspapers, that particular info would've run in the paper on Sunday, so that concerned readers could make plans to attend.
Yet curiously, events that the Herald or owner McClatchy or previously, Knight-Ridder, was sponsors or co-sponsors of, no matter how parochial or picayune, were/are always given lots of play in advance. We all know that to be true, so why the disparity?
By the way, I'm NOT a big fan of FIU Prof. Dario Moreno, who is quoted below in the story, as I've almost always found his appearances on local TV newscasts or public policy shows -usually Michael Putney's excellent This Week in South Florida (TWISF)- to be the worst kind of sycophantic conventional wisdom, with him offering no original take on anything.
Almost as if he was at pains to criticize anyone, which, perhaps he is.
When I see Prof. Moreno on the tube, I tune-out and change the channel.
There are a number of holes in this story but it's so damn blah, why shoot a fish in a barrel?
Well, because I can.
U.S.-1/Biscayne Blvd./Federal Highway is the dividing line between Kendrick Meek's current 17th CD and the dreaded Debbie Wasserman-Schultz's 20th CD. (DWS)
It might interest the reporters -and those of you living far from here- to know that contrary to what they wrote, ALL of Aventura is in DWS territory.
Is it really too much trouble to expect news reporters to actually know what is and is NOT in the 17th CD when they write about it?
I mean there are maps of it after all, right?
Yes, I even posted one here for you to examine, and there's one anchored on the blog.
Here's the link:
http://www.govtrack.us/congress/findyourreps.xpd?state=FL
The east side of West Dixie Highway is the dividing line for the City of Aventura, so the people who live in Miami-Dade County north of North Miami Beach -where I grew-up- and west of Aventura, are, technically in unincorporated M-D County, NOT Aventura, despite what the businesses there may call themselves or what they put on their signs or business cards.
Just ask the Post Office or any Aventura cop -they know.
See this handy map: http://skyhighhomes.com/picture/northeastdademac.pdf
And as discussed here previously, it's why the well-regarded Aventura Waterways Charter K-8 school, which I'd love to see replicated in Hallandale Beach, is NOT really in Aventura proper.
Not that the residents living on the other side of Dixie Highway don't want to be in it, but the City of Aventura powers-that-be don't want 'em because in their minds, pure and simple, the area isn't affluent enough.
I know all about this border not just from living so close to it, but because every time I see my barber in the M-D neighborhood of Ojus, which is in that no-man's land, we discuss it, just like we did yesterday for the umpteenth time.
See the Skylake-Highland Lakes Homeowners Assocation website for backstory at
http://skyhighhomes.com/outside_home.asp, in particular, here:
http://skyhighhomes.com/item_list.asp?subcat=44&subtitle=Annexation%2FIncorporation
As has been previously mentioned here in previous discussions of Meek, DWS and the South Florida CDs, the grand bargain the FL legislature made many years in carving-out the CDs, knowing that Carrie Meek was going to run, was to put as many African-Americans as possible in 17 and as many Jewish voters as possible in the 20th.
That's why the 20th CD has the strange shape it does and why Hallandale Beach, where I live, and not listed in the story, a city that's only 4.2 square miles, is actually divided in two, when its small size ought to make it even more important for the it to entirely be in the same district.
http://www.govtrack.us/congress/findyourreps.xpd?state=FL&district=17
http://www.govtrack.us/congress/findyourreps.xpd?state=FL&district=20
The Broward County Commission districts also divide the city, albeit on a much smaller scale, since a sliver of NW HB is in District 8, formerly repped by the indicted Diana Wasserman-Rubin, and currently unrepresented at the Commission until November, while 95% of the city is currently repped by Sue Gunzburger in District 6.
http://gis.broward.org/maps/webPDFs/CommissionDistricts/comdist8.pdf
http://gis.broward.org/maps/webPDFs/CommissionDistricts/comdist6.pdf
And you thought that electoral districts were actually supposed to be "compact" for the benefit of residents like the law says?
Nope!
As for the dopey comments of self-serving Broward Democratic Party poobah Mitch Ceasar about possible low-turnout in the Broward part of the district, well, they're typical.
Explain how on the one hand that you'd imagine that people will turn out to vote in the Sue Gunzburger vs. Steve Geller fight for Broward County Commission District 6, but counter-intuitively, not cast a ballot in a primary for Congress?
If anything, it's very likely that the Broward part of FL-17 will have a higher voting-rate than the part located in Miami-Dade County.
I believe I wrote that many months ago in a few posts criticizing the FL-17 candidates who were refusing to come to Broward and campaign in cities like, yes, home sweet Hallandale Beach.
Now THERE'S your real story!
------
Miami Herald
http://www.miamiherald.com/
Florida International University and the Greater Miami Chamber of Commerce will host
a candidate forum for Congressional District 17 at 5 p.m. Thursday at the Wolfe University
Center Theater, FIU Biscayne Bay Campus, 3000 NE 151st St. in North Miami.
The forum, co-sponsored by The Miami Herald and Univisiรณn/Channel 23, will be moderated
by WPLG-ABC 10 political reporter Michael Putney.
Marleine Bastien, Phillip Brutus, Scott Galvin, Shirley Gibson, Rudy Moise, Andrรฉ Williams
and Frederica Wilson have confirmed their attendance.
1 open seat + 10 candidates = an unpredictable election
By Patricia Mazzei and Carrie Wells
August 12, 2010
For nearly two decades, nobody has had to figure out how to win Florida's 17th Congressional District.
Neither U.S. Rep. Kendrick Meek nor his mother, Carrie -- the first person elected to the seat when it was redrawn in 1992 -- faced more than token opposition, if any.
But now Meek is running for U.S. Senate, and the nine other Democrats vying for his seat are working without a road map to model their races. Forced to devise their own strategies, the campaigns have not focused on capturing votes in the entire district, a safe Democratic seat that stretches from Overtown to Pembroke Pines.
Instead, they are carving out niches, trying to muster just enough votes to eke out a victory in the Aug. 24 primary. The winner will face attorney Roderick Vereen, running without party affiliation, in November.
With so many candidates splintering the vote, one candidate would win the primary with as little as 15 percent of the ballots cast, said Kevin A. Hill, an associate professor of political science at Florida International University.
"Anything could happen in that election,'' he said. "It's a total crapshoot.''
The race is also unpredictable because the district's more than 600,000 residents are as diverse as they come. A majority of voters are black -- mostly African American, though the district has the largest concentration of Haitian Americans in the country -- and there are pockets of whites and Hispanics.
"This election may answer whether it's an African-American seat, a Haitian seat or probably a bit of everything,'' said Mitch Ceasar, chairman of the Broward Democratic Party.
With Meek opting not to endorse anyone in the primary, the candidates have worked to shore up their natural bases as they crunch numbers to determine which is the district's biggest voting bloc.
Frederica Wilson has relied on an existing network in her Florida Senate district, which overlaps with much of the congressional district. The same is true for state Reps. James Bush III and Yolly Roberson and former state Rep. Phillip Brutus. To complicate allegiances further: Brutus and Roberson used to be married to each other.
None of those districts encompass all of Miami Gardens, home to two other candidates: Mayor Shirley Gibson and Councilman Andrรฉ Williams. As the third-largest city in Miami-Dade and the state's largest predominantly African-American city, a well-known official could amass enough votes to win with little need of support from elsewhere.
The same is not true for smaller cities like North Miami, where candidate Scott Galvin is a councilman. As the only white candidate in the race, he could collect votes in Miami Shores, North Miami Beach and Aventura.
Haitian Americans -- who depending on varying estimates make up between an eighth and a quarter of the vote in the district -- could swing the election.
Yet it is unlikely for Haitian Americans to vote as a unified bloc, with four Haitian-born candidates in the running: Brutus, Roberson, activist Marleine Bastien and entrepreneur Rudolph "Rudy'' Moise.
Looking elsewhere for support, Bastien, founder of Haitian Women of Miami, has tried to rally like-minded activists and the female vote. Moise, running with deep pockets after putting more than $1 million of his own money into the race, has gone on TV and sent campaign mailers to become better known.
His media campaign could reach some voters in Miramar, Pembroke Pines and Hollywood, which together comprise about a third of the district. Hollywood Mayor Peter Bober recently endorsed Moise, citing his "real-world experience.''
"The key for the candidates is to somehow make sure Broward does not believe itself to be a stepchild of the district,'' Ceasar said. "If that occurs, then the risk becomes greater that the turnout in the Broward portion is exceedingly low.''
Turnout is expected to be low everywhere. In 2006, the last time Meek drew a primary opponent, about 36,000 people -- or 16 percent -- of the district's 220,000 registered Democrats voted.
This time around the seat is more competitive, but some campaigns and political observers say a candidate could still win with as few as 10,000 votes.
That makes relying on one group for support particularly risky.
And, of course, whoever is elected will have to represent everyone in the diverse district. That tall order could mean a streak of competitive elections among Democrats battling for the seat in the future.
"It is difficult,'' said Dario Moreno, an associate professor of political science at FIU. "That's why the Meeks were so successful.''
Wednesday, August 11, 2010
"It's not a sprint, it's a marathon." But sometimes, as with Jeff Greene vs. Kendrick Meek, elections really ARE sprints, and Meek is Wile E. Coyote
With less than two weeks to go until the August 24th Democratic primary, it seems pretty clear to me that, among other things, Jeff Greene's Senatorial campaign is deliberately planning on forcing Kendrick Meek & Co. to burn through all their cash and resources as quickly as possible, knowing that he can always dig deeper than Team Meek at a moment's notice, and leave them gasping and unable to respond to any last-minute Greene attacks or change-up pitches.
That's exactly how I'd play it, too if I had Greene's resources and the lead in the polls.
It's also clear to me that based on Team Greene's smart media buys and frequency thus far, as well as the variety of their very attractive and well-produced direct mail -which seems to come into my mailbox every other day- they've known for a while that Meek's creative team simply isn't capable of turning-on-a-dime and producing and placing the high-quality materials the way that Team Greene can.
The first time my mailbox had Kendrick Meek campaign lit in it, last Thursday, was the same day that the St. Petersburg Times political editor Adam C. Smith wrote this killing with kindness article that featured this in the fifth paragraph:"Meek, who has been campaigning harder and longer than any other statewide candidate this cycle, grasps the dire position he's in: Three weeks before the primary, he trails by double digits to a last-minute rival with a bottomless campaign account. "
Later, in the first sentence of the 21st paragraph, Smith begins:"Indeed, while Meek remains little known to most Floridians..."
Now can you see what I mean?
St. Petersburg Times
Trailing in polls, Kendrick Meek chases a U.S. Senate victory in a bus tour of Florida
By Adam Smith, Times Political Editor,
In Print: Thursday, August 5, 2010
On Wednesday Meek kicked off an 11-day, statewide bus tour aimed at picking up grass-roots momentum against the candidacy of billionaire real estate mogul Jeff Greene.
"The old-school kind of politics — when Bob Graham had his work days and Lawton Chiles walked this state — I think it still means something in this state," a fiery Meek told about 100 people at a Daytona Beach teachers union building.
"Democrats in Florida will give this nation the first example of what hard work means and what it means to run a grass-roots campaign against billionaires who have a shrimp in one hand and a checkbook in the other saying, 'How much does it cost to become a United States senator or governor in this state?,'?'' he said.
Meek, who has been campaigning harder and longer than any other statewide candidate this cycle, grasps the dire position he's in: Three weeks before the primary, he trails by double digits to a last-minute rival with a bottomless campaign account.
But sounding both upbeat and energized, the 43-year-old Miami congressman argued that the momentum is starting to turn back toward him, and that his deep roots among the most loyal Democrats across the state will compensate for Greene's nearly $10-million in TV ad spending.
Greene couldn't pull off a bus tour like his, Meek said. "Who's going to show up? Because his whole campaign is about campaign ads and not about real people."
Meek's campaign received a gift this week after Greene had to keep answering questions — and revising his explanation — about him taking his 145-foot yacht to Cuba in 2007, after a former deck hand told the St. Petersburg Times about guests partying and getting sick on the trip to Cuba.
First Greene said he hadn't been to Cuba in five years, then he said it was a Jewish humanitarian trip, and then he said he went because the yacht needed repairs.
On Tuesday, the Greene campaign released a statement from the yacht's chief engineer, Andy Valero, saying Greene and his fiancee were on the way to a diving vacation in Honduras when hydraulic problems prompted them to veer off to Havana to make repairs.
"With the current rough sea state and winds, Marina Hemingway was the best bet. All the guests were very sick," Valero said in the statement.
Visiting or doing business with Cuba can be illegal and Meek scoffed at Greene's explanation.
"Whichever way Jeff Greene packages his visit to Cuba, it was illegal,'' Meek told reporters, as the "Real Dem Express" motor coach left a facility in Sanford that turns wastewater sludge into energy.
Meek gave a blistering assessment of Greene, saying he could never endorse him in the general election because he lacks the character to serve in the Senate and would be an embarrassment to the Democratic Party and the state.
"He's a very, very — in my opinion — bad person and he has stomped on people and shouted people down his entire life, and all of that is going to come home to roost," Meek said, noting among other things, Greene's close friendship with convicted rapist Mike Tyson and Hollywood madam Heidi Fleiss.
The Greene campaign responded in a statement: "Kendrick Meek is not only already an embarrassment to Florida but should apologize for lying to Floridians in his ad using Mr. Warren Buffett's image and purposely misusing a quote for personal political gain."
It was a reference to a Meek ad criticizing Greene for making hundreds of millions of dollars on complex financial instruments that financier Buffett had criticized. But Buffett was not referring to anything Greene did personally, only to the type of investment involved.
While Greene only announced his candidacy in late April, Meek has been traveling to at least 50 Florida counties since January, 2009, and spent months gathering signatures in every corner of the state to qualify for the ballot by petition. In an off-year primary likely to have low turnout, that grass-roots effort and his own track record in Florida will make a difference, he predicts.
"I don't think there are many Florida voters saying, 'I need to make sure I get to the polls to vote for Jeff Greene.'?"Meek said.
Indeed, while Meek remains little known to most Floridians, he found plenty of enthusiastic supporters Wednesday in Orlando, Sanford, Daytona Beach and Jacksonville. They recounted him leading the fight to require smaller class sizes, sitting in Gov. Jeb Bush's office to protest sweeping changes to Florida' affirmative action admissions and purchasing policies, and supporting Democratic candidates up and down the ticket.
"If Kendrick Meek is beaten by Jeff Greene in the primary, I will definitely vote for Charlie Crist in the general election, no question," said Gary Morgensen, an Osceola County teacher holding an "I support the real Democrat" placard.
Last modified: Aug 05, 2010 03:00 PM]
----------
Personally, I'd be extremely surprised if Greene's media team doesn't already have a variety of pre-taped ads and already-produced campaign lit that's just the right combination of positive and reassuring, just waiting for the signal to drop it on Meek's exploding head, like poor ol' Wile E. Coyote.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hz65AOjabtM
My sense of things is that compared to what he needed to have in place, Meek's media is very mediocre and seems designed not to persuade voters so much as to reassure people outside of South Florida.
The two-fold problem for Meek is that he's not a very articulate candidate who can stir voters
to turn out in droves for him if he's an underdog with just one powerful speech.He never had to persuade voters before to get elected, he just had to not shoot himself-in-the-foot.
That's part of why Greene's decision to run for Senate was so brilliant, even though as I've stated previously, I'd have preferred seeing him run for governor, where he and Rick Scott could've actually had some interesting debates about ideas instead of re-fighting the same old wars, as will happen with stultifying Alex Sink now, to everyone's dismay.
Greene and Co. knew going in that Meek as a brand was still un-tested outside of Miami-Dade County since he has NEVER had to come from behind to win a race, since he's always been not just the presumptive nominee, but the presumptive elected.
That's the rub for his always having been in a gerrymandered congressional district rather than a competitive one: he never had to exercise his campaign muscles.
And now it's showing.
Meek is heading for a big fall.
So what do you think Meek's next job will be after his term expires?
I've gotten a few emails from you readers, but to be honest, not nearly as many as I expected.
Send your predictions to hallandalebeachblog-at-gmail.com
New York Times
Florida Starts Primary Vote Marathon
By Damien Cave
August 9, 2010
MIAMI — Nasty television ads and e-mail, campaign workers on street corners, and candidates emerging from the polls declaring imminent victory — is the Florida primary already here?
Not quite, though one can hardly be blamed for making such a mistake. Early voting started Monday across Florida with all the get-out-the-vote stunts once reserved for Election Day itself. In a state famous for electoral skepticism (no, the wounds of 2000 have not healed here), early voting has gone from feared to embraced.
Indeed, the Aug. 24 primary will simply add a final sprint to what experts now describe as an established marathon. And for a nonpresidential year, the stakes are high. Early voting is likely to decide two major Florida races: which Republican runs for governor, and which Democrat takes on Gov. Charlie Crist, the former Republican, and Marco Rubio, the actual Republican, for a seat in the United States Senate.
Read the rest of the story at:
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/08/10/us/politics/10florida.html
See also: Adam C. Smith articles/columns/blog posts:
http://www.tampabay.com/writers/adam-c-smith
The St. Petersburg Times excellent politics blog. The Buzz
http://blogs.tampabay.com/buzz/
That's exactly how I'd play it, too if I had Greene's resources and the lead in the polls.
It's also clear to me that based on Team Greene's smart media buys and frequency thus far, as well as the variety of their very attractive and well-produced direct mail -which seems to come into my mailbox every other day- they've known for a while that Meek's creative team simply isn't capable of turning-on-a-dime and producing and placing the high-quality materials the way that Team Greene can.
The first time my mailbox had Kendrick Meek campaign lit in it, last Thursday, was the same day that the St. Petersburg Times political editor Adam C. Smith wrote this killing with kindness article that featured this in the fifth paragraph:"Meek, who has been campaigning harder and longer than any other statewide candidate this cycle, grasps the dire position he's in: Three weeks before the primary, he trails by double digits to a last-minute rival with a bottomless campaign account. "
Later, in the first sentence of the 21st paragraph, Smith begins:"Indeed, while Meek remains little known to most Floridians..."
Now can you see what I mean?
St. Petersburg Times
Trailing in polls, Kendrick Meek chases a U.S. Senate victory in a bus tour of Florida
By Adam Smith, Times Political Editor,
In Print: Thursday, August 5, 2010
DAYTONA BEACH — Kendrick Meek likens his U. S. Senate primary to David against Goliath, but the Democratic underdog wields a weapon that covers more ground than a slingshot: a four-wheel motor coach with his smiling face plastered across the side.
On Wednesday Meek kicked off an 11-day, statewide bus tour aimed at picking up grass-roots momentum against the candidacy of billionaire real estate mogul Jeff Greene.
"The old-school kind of politics — when Bob Graham had his work days and Lawton Chiles walked this state — I think it still means something in this state," a fiery Meek told about 100 people at a Daytona Beach teachers union building.
"Democrats in Florida will give this nation the first example of what hard work means and what it means to run a grass-roots campaign against billionaires who have a shrimp in one hand and a checkbook in the other saying, 'How much does it cost to become a United States senator or governor in this state?,'?'' he said.
Meek, who has been campaigning harder and longer than any other statewide candidate this cycle, grasps the dire position he's in: Three weeks before the primary, he trails by double digits to a last-minute rival with a bottomless campaign account.
But sounding both upbeat and energized, the 43-year-old Miami congressman argued that the momentum is starting to turn back toward him, and that his deep roots among the most loyal Democrats across the state will compensate for Greene's nearly $10-million in TV ad spending.
Greene couldn't pull off a bus tour like his, Meek said. "Who's going to show up? Because his whole campaign is about campaign ads and not about real people."
Meek's campaign received a gift this week after Greene had to keep answering questions — and revising his explanation — about him taking his 145-foot yacht to Cuba in 2007, after a former deck hand told the St. Petersburg Times about guests partying and getting sick on the trip to Cuba.
First Greene said he hadn't been to Cuba in five years, then he said it was a Jewish humanitarian trip, and then he said he went because the yacht needed repairs.
On Tuesday, the Greene campaign released a statement from the yacht's chief engineer, Andy Valero, saying Greene and his fiancee were on the way to a diving vacation in Honduras when hydraulic problems prompted them to veer off to Havana to make repairs.
"With the current rough sea state and winds, Marina Hemingway was the best bet. All the guests were very sick," Valero said in the statement.
Visiting or doing business with Cuba can be illegal and Meek scoffed at Greene's explanation.
"Whichever way Jeff Greene packages his visit to Cuba, it was illegal,'' Meek told reporters, as the "Real Dem Express" motor coach left a facility in Sanford that turns wastewater sludge into energy.
Meek gave a blistering assessment of Greene, saying he could never endorse him in the general election because he lacks the character to serve in the Senate and would be an embarrassment to the Democratic Party and the state.
"He's a very, very — in my opinion — bad person and he has stomped on people and shouted people down his entire life, and all of that is going to come home to roost," Meek said, noting among other things, Greene's close friendship with convicted rapist Mike Tyson and Hollywood madam Heidi Fleiss.
The Greene campaign responded in a statement: "Kendrick Meek is not only already an embarrassment to Florida but should apologize for lying to Floridians in his ad using Mr. Warren Buffett's image and purposely misusing a quote for personal political gain."
It was a reference to a Meek ad criticizing Greene for making hundreds of millions of dollars on complex financial instruments that financier Buffett had criticized. But Buffett was not referring to anything Greene did personally, only to the type of investment involved.
While Greene only announced his candidacy in late April, Meek has been traveling to at least 50 Florida counties since January, 2009, and spent months gathering signatures in every corner of the state to qualify for the ballot by petition. In an off-year primary likely to have low turnout, that grass-roots effort and his own track record in Florida will make a difference, he predicts.
"I don't think there are many Florida voters saying, 'I need to make sure I get to the polls to vote for Jeff Greene.'?"Meek said.
Indeed, while Meek remains little known to most Floridians, he found plenty of enthusiastic supporters Wednesday in Orlando, Sanford, Daytona Beach and Jacksonville. They recounted him leading the fight to require smaller class sizes, sitting in Gov. Jeb Bush's office to protest sweeping changes to Florida' affirmative action admissions and purchasing policies, and supporting Democratic candidates up and down the ticket.
"If Kendrick Meek is beaten by Jeff Greene in the primary, I will definitely vote for Charlie Crist in the general election, no question," said Gary Morgensen, an Osceola County teacher holding an "I support the real Democrat" placard.
Last modified: Aug 05, 2010 03:00 PM]
----------
Personally, I'd be extremely surprised if Greene's media team doesn't already have a variety of pre-taped ads and already-produced campaign lit that's just the right combination of positive and reassuring, just waiting for the signal to drop it on Meek's exploding head, like poor ol' Wile E. Coyote.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hz65AOjabtM
My sense of things is that compared to what he needed to have in place, Meek's media is very mediocre and seems designed not to persuade voters so much as to reassure people outside of South Florida.
The two-fold problem for Meek is that he's not a very articulate candidate who can stir voters
to turn out in droves for him if he's an underdog with just one powerful speech.He never had to persuade voters before to get elected, he just had to not shoot himself-in-the-foot.
That's part of why Greene's decision to run for Senate was so brilliant, even though as I've stated previously, I'd have preferred seeing him run for governor, where he and Rick Scott could've actually had some interesting debates about ideas instead of re-fighting the same old wars, as will happen with stultifying Alex Sink now, to everyone's dismay.
Greene and Co. knew going in that Meek as a brand was still un-tested outside of Miami-Dade County since he has NEVER had to come from behind to win a race, since he's always been not just the presumptive nominee, but the presumptive elected.
That's the rub for his always having been in a gerrymandered congressional district rather than a competitive one: he never had to exercise his campaign muscles.
And now it's showing.
Meek is heading for a big fall.
So what do you think Meek's next job will be after his term expires?
I've gotten a few emails from you readers, but to be honest, not nearly as many as I expected.
Send your predictions to hallandalebeachblog-at-gmail.com
New York Times
Florida Starts Primary Vote Marathon
By Damien Cave
August 9, 2010
MIAMI — Nasty television ads and e-mail, campaign workers on street corners, and candidates emerging from the polls declaring imminent victory — is the Florida primary already here?
Not quite, though one can hardly be blamed for making such a mistake. Early voting started Monday across Florida with all the get-out-the-vote stunts once reserved for Election Day itself. In a state famous for electoral skepticism (no, the wounds of 2000 have not healed here), early voting has gone from feared to embraced.
Indeed, the Aug. 24 primary will simply add a final sprint to what experts now describe as an established marathon. And for a nonpresidential year, the stakes are high. Early voting is likely to decide two major Florida races: which Republican runs for governor, and which Democrat takes on Gov. Charlie Crist, the former Republican, and Marco Rubio, the actual Republican, for a seat in the United States Senate.
Read the rest of the story at:
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/08/10/us/politics/10florida.html
See also: Adam C. Smith articles/columns/blog posts:
http://www.tampabay.com/writers/adam-c-smith
The St. Petersburg Times excellent politics blog. The Buzz
http://blogs.tampabay.com/buzz/
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