Mayor Cooper's 'water restriction' scare tactic -with no evidence; LA Times: Stephen Orr's 'Tomorrow's Garden' and modern, sustainable landscapes

Per the very interesting photo gallery that I saw today in the Los Angeles Times, which comes from Stephen Orr's new book, "Tomorrow's Garden: Design and Inspiration for a New Age of Sustainable Gardening," from Rodale Books

http://www.latimes.com/features/home/la-hm-stephen-orr-tomorrows-garden-photos,0,7985631.photogallery
http://www.rodaleinc.com/products/books/tomorrows-garden-design-and-inspiration-new-age-sustainable-gardening?sort=Date

personally, I'd love to see a lot more cacti around town, esp. over at HB City Hall and public parks and on the city-maintained median strips.

Especially given the big 'water scare' restrictions that Mayor Cooper is attempting to foist upon Hallandale Beach residents next Wednesday night, without any proof it's necessary.

The city admits in docs that I link to below that they have NOT had to issue even ONE citation the past two years, so where is the quantifiable proof that there's a valid reason to change the status quo, and enact an even stricter law?

In fact, where's the quantifiable proof that HB city govt. itself is actually using less water in its buildings in a rate that's at all commensurate with its citizens?
There is none.

And do you recall what I shared with you here on February 19th, courtesy of Andy Reid of the Sun-Sentinel?
If not, re-read it, as there is a tremendous amount of facts there that underscore the ridiculous nature of this effort in HB.

Hallandale Beach wants to enact new water restrictions? Why?; SFSS: What restrictions? South Florida's year-round watering rules not being enforced
http://hallandalebeachblog.blogspot.com/2011/02/hallandale-beach-wants-to-enact-new.html

Is the goal of Mayor Cooper's effort to actually "save water," or is it to lay the groundwork to make money NOW and in the future thru citations, especially given that the city itself is among the worst offenders?

Or, is the real goal here merely to burnish Mayor Cooper's personal and political reputation among HB citizens and the media after taking so many well-deserved solid hits the past few years, as well as to impress her pals on the Florida League of Cities, using water usage as a cover?
Hmm-m...

Seems to me that absent any tangible proof that a new law is necessary, or that similarly-situated cities in Broward are initiating similar laws -that are enforced- are we being used as guinea pigs solely for the mayor's benefit, not ours and our families?

Below this paid ad for next Wednesday's meeting, the Second Reading, are links to the staff info for the First Reading of #3 below, which took place on March 2nd.

Published in Miami Herald on 4/9/2011

http://www.hallandalebeachfl.gov/files/2011-03-02/Staff%20Reports/00006447.htm

http://www.hallandalebeachfl.gov/files/2011-03-02/Item%207A/index.html

Here's another question that HB City Hall refuses to answer -what are the names of the parties in Hallandale Beach, business and private, who were the subject of the most complaints the past three years?

That's public information that I think we'd all like to know, since it will show in part whether this whole thing has been a sham from the beginning, given the lack of actual enforcement of current rules, and how VERY LONG it's been since the city itself removed all those SFWMD signs that used to be everywhere in this city, esp. on city-maintained medians.

One day, they just removed them and they've never been seen again. Why?

The onus is clearly on them to make the case -with no evidence- not on us.

-----
Stephen Orr's blog: what were the skies like [reporting on gardens, horticulture, and botany]
http://www.whatweretheskieslike.com/

True life comedy born of romantic heartache: "My Girlfriend's Boyfriend" star Mike Birbiglia on Jimmy Kimmel Live; now he's FUNNY!

Mike Birbiglia on Jimmy Kimmel Live PART 1, , April 11, 2011
http://youtu.be/IwUJgz1-LKg

I must admit that before Monday night/Tuesday morning, I'd never heard of comedian/writer Mike Birbiglia, who appeared on ABC-TV's Jimmy Kimmel Live and made me laugh from the word go.

In retrospect, that might've been the funniest thing I've seen on TV this year, other than perhaps the video clips of "Jeff from Tallahassee" on Fox News Channel's Red Eye program, a subject of a previous post on January 18th:
The funniest discovery of the new year: "Jeff from Tallahassee" on Red Eye; reminds me of the Steve & Garry, Don & Mike comic genius I miss
http://hallandalebeachblog.blogspot.com/2011/01/funniest-discovery-of-new-year-jeff.html

What I heard and saw proved to be both true-to-life and very, very funny -a virtual reservoir of comic gold to mine. I would definitely see this show if it ever came to South Florida.
Watch the clips and I think you'll agree.



Mike Birbiglia on Jimmy Kimmel Live PART 2, April 11, 2011
http://youtu.be/N-np05Ya2Hs


The Village Voice
My Girlfriend's Boyfriend--Better Off Wed
Mike Birbiglia returns with another comic one-man show
By Alexis Soloski
Wednesday, Apr 6 2011

Is there a comedian cuddlier than Mike Birbiglia? His girth and dress sense suggest a fraternity brother gone to seed, but his pleading eyes and plangent voice give him the air of a little boy lost. During his new show, My Girlfriend's Boyfriend at Barrow Street Theatre, his disclosure of past humiliations elicited volleys of sympathetic sighs. When he took his bows at the end, some women in the audience seemed to barely restrain themselves from rushing the stage and subjecting him to a mass embrace.

Read the rest of the review at:
http://www.villagevoice.com/2011-04-06/theater/my-girlfriend-s-boyfriend-better-off-wed/

A storyteller of great candour, Mike Birbiglia forges a stand-up, theatre hybrid

By Jake Coyle, The Associated Press
http://www.google.com/hostednews/canadianpress/article/ALeqM5iOqq_xgdI4uDI-qZWLKsDDgDopzg?docId=6543244

Mike Birbiglia's new CD Sleepwalk With Me Live will be released by Comedy Central Records on April 19
http://www.playbill.com/news/article/149724-Mike-Birbiglias-Sleepwalk-With-Me-Live-Will-Be-Released-by-Comedy-Central-Records

http://www.playbill.com/playblog/
http://www.playbill.com/index.php

Damien Rice - When Doves Cry; The Blower's Daughter; he's singing at Honeyfest on Saturday

Damien Rice - When Doves Cry
http://youtu.be/HR37KEDCViE


The predicate for the video above:



Damien Rice - The Blower's Daughter - Official Video (from the film "Closer")
http://youtu.be/5YXVMCHG-Nk


Damien Rice is one of the featured performers who'll be singing on Saturday the 16th in Wiltshire at Honeyfest (Music Festival). It's already sold-out.
(Wish I could be there.)
http://www.honeyfest.co.uk/

http://www.thisiswiltshire.co.uk/news/8967942.Glowing_beer_for_controversial_music_festival_near_Pewsey/#

Official website for Damien Rice: http://www.damienrice.com/

Official YouTubeChannel for Damien Rice:
http://www.youtube.com/user/Damienrice

More musical goodness from Shay is at his first YouTube Channel:
http://www.youtube.com/user/SHAYMCN1

TheWrap's Dylan Stableford, NYT's Media Decoder blog on latest news re Bloggers class-action lawsuit against Ariana Huffington, HuffPo & AOL

What's that, you say that there's yet another big media story that has generated little-to-no local news coverage in parochial and off-the-grid South Florida?
No, that's not at all unusual, is it?

Zero coverage as of now despite how popular and revered it is among the army of liberal news junkies who are 'chronics' on South Florida's more popular current events blogs, who say its name like a mantra?
Hmm-m... what gives?

A story that as of 3 p.m. had generated ZERO coverage at the Miami Herald even though everyone knew it was coming:
http://pd.miami.com/sp?aff=1100&keywords=Huffington+Post&submit.x=34&submit.y=12

Not to worry, TheWrap's Dylan Stableford has an update at his Media Alley column on the latest news regarding Bloggers class-action lawsuit against AOL, The Huffington Post and Ariana Huffington.

-----

The Wrap
Bloggers File Class-Action Lawsuit Against Huffington, HuffPo, AOL (Update)
By Dylan Stableford
April 12, 2011 @ 7:22 am

A group of Huffington Post bloggers led by Jonathan Tasini filed a class-action lawsuit Tuesday against AOL, Arianna Huffington and the Huffington Post over their unpaid status.

The suit, filed in the Southern District Court of New York, accuses Huffington, AOL, HuffPo and HuffPo chairman Kenneth Lerer of unjust enrichment and deceptive business practices.

Read the rest of the post at:
http://www.thewrap.com/media/column-post/bloggers-file-class-action-lawsuit-against-arianna-huffpo-aol-26368

-----

New York Times
Media Decoder blog

Huffington Post Is Target of Suit on Behalf of Bloggers
By Jeremy W. Peters
April 12, 2011, 12:49 pm

The Huffington Post is the target of a multimillion dollar lawsuit filed in United States District Court in New York on Tuesday on behalf of thousands of uncompensated bloggers. Jonathan Tasini is leading a $105 million lawsuit against the Huffington Post on behalf of unpaid bloggers.

Read the rest of the post at:
http://mediadecoder.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/04/12/huffington-post-is-target-of-suit-on-behalf-of-bloggers/

Be sure to read the heated Readers Comments to this NYT post wherein supporters who brook no dissent against their patron saint, push back hard against the very people who wrote the articles on the HuffPo they were forwarding via email to their friends just a few weeks and months ago because they agreed with them.

But now, because they speak out against Ariana Huffington and her business practices, those very people are ENEMIES OF THE STATE: their own insular state of mind.
http://community.nytimes.com/comments/mediadecoder.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/04/12/huffington-post-is-target-of-suit-on-behalf-of-bloggers/?sort=oldest

http://www.thewrap.com/media/column/media-alley http://mediadecoder.blogs.nytimes.com/

BP oil spill remediation funds: Birds gotta fly, fish gotta swim, little towns gotta spend money like crazy like... well, little towns. And South FL?

Entering Miami-Dade County sign on south-bound U.S.-1/Biscayne Blvd., Aventura, coming out of Hallandale Beach. Aventura Hospital on the right. November 16, 2010 photo by South Beach Hoosier.


Birds gotta fly, fish gotta swim, little towns gotta spend money like crazy like... well, little towns...
Like many of you out there reading this post today, I'm really looking forward to finding out where the BP remediation funds sent to Miami-Dade and Broward Counties -that saw no oil- actually wind-up being spent.


Given the long and well-chronicled tradition in South Florida of our elected officials and municipal/county leaders' outside-the-box thinking when it comes to ways of treating themselves (and their pals) like kings and queens, with money that's supposed to be spent in very specific ways -for instance, money for environmental code enforcement getting squandered by cocky and patronizing Miami-Dade cops on TVs, see below- I wait with baited breath to see which local print or TV reporters are first to expose how the money was spent down here in ways that only raise more questions about the character and caliber of the people making those decisions.

-----
St. Petersburg Times
BP buys Gulf Coast millions in gear
By Michael Kunzelman, Mike Schneider and Melinda Deslatte
Associated Press

NEW ORLEANS (AP) -- Tasers. Brand-new SUVs. A top-of-the-line iPad. A fully loaded laptop. In the year since the Gulf oil spill, officials along the coast have gone on a spending spree with BP money, dropping tens of millions of dollars on gadgets and other gear - much of which had little to do with the cleanup, an Associated Press investigation shows.

The oil giant opened its checkbook while the crisis was still unfolding last spring and poured hundreds of millions of dollars into Gulf Coast communities with few strings attached.

Read the rest of the article at:
http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/U/US_GULF_OIL_SPILL_SPENDING_SPREE?SITE=FLPET&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT

-----

Orlando Sentinel
Central Florida Politcal Pulse blog
BP gives NW Fla $30 M
Posted by khaughney on April, 11 2011 11:54 AM
http://blogs.orlandosentinel.com/news_politics/2011/04/bp-gives-nw-fla-30-m.html

-----
Miami Herald
http://www.miamiherald.com/2011/01/13/2015129/miami-dade-police-wont-repay-misspent.html

Miami-Dade police won't repay misspent environmental funds

By Matthew Haggman

January 13, 2011

The Miami-Dade Police Department is acknowledging it misspent funds meant to fight environmental crime on flat-screen TVs, SUVs and firearms.

"Clearly inappropriate,'' Police Director James Loftus says.

But putting the money back into the green funds, as the county's inspector general has requested? Not so fast.

"No, we are not,'' county police spokeswoman Nancy Perez said.

Miami-Dade Inspector General Christopher Mazzella said in a recent memo to Mayor Carlos Alvarez that the police have adopted many of his recommended fixes, following a scathing IG audit that found the police used two environmental trust funds as a kitty for pricey purchases with little connection to environmental crime-fighting.

But the police department is flatly rebuffing two IG recommendations: that it stop using green-fund money to pay expenses such as monthly cellphone and aircard bills, and that it repay the misused public dollars.

"We continue to stand by our original recommendations that the Trust Funds be reimbursed,'' Mazzella said in a Dec. 21 memo to Alvarez.

The police department isn't obligated to follow the IG's recommendations, unless the mayor or the county commission act. And there's little push coming from the county executive's office.

Mayoral spokeswoman Victoria Mallette would only say in a statement that "administrative procedures have been strengthened.'' When pressed whether the mayor thinks county police should pay up, she referred questions to Loftus and hung up.

The standoff is the latest chapter in a scandal that erupted last year over county stewardship of funds that were meant to combat polluters. Instead, amid "overall chaotic administration,'' the funds were steered to "excessive, unreasonable, or unnecessary'' purchases, the IG audit found.

The IG's inquiry, following a Miami Herald series last year that detailed dubious spending, focused on nearly $6 million spent from 2000 to 2009 from two funds: the South Florida Environmental Task Force Trust Fund and Florida Environmental Task Force Trust Fund.

More than $1.1 million was spent on vehicle-related expenses, including the purchase of 23 SUVs and trucks that went to top brass rather than environmental investigators working in remote areas. Another $1.1 million went for cellphones used, in many cases, by officials in non-environmental departments.

Three Sharp 52-inch flat screen TVs were snapped up for about $6,000. Nearly $35,000 was spent on 30 Smith & Wesson M&P-15 rifles and holographic sights. Police justified the firearms on the grounds that an environmental investigator might encounter "a wildlife poacher armed with a high-powered rifle.''

Three Segways were bought for $25,000. One was used periodically to patrol MDPD's suburban headquarters, and two were found "sitting unused in a warehouse,'' auditors found.

The episode served as an embarrassment for embattled Mayor Alvarez, who is facing a recall vote on March 15.

Division Chief Frank Vecin, a close ally and supporter of Mayor Alvarez, was in charge of fund spending. At one point, Alvarez was ferried around in a Chevy Tahoe purchased with green-fund money. The county mayor later returned the automobile, saying he didn't know it was bought with funds meant to fight polluters.

The revelations of fund mismanagement prompted the retirement of Vecin.

"The IG believes the funds were managed improperly,'' said C. Michael Cornely, Vecin's attorney. "It was their opinion. To me, the IG justifies its existence by looking for things and making issues out of things that are not really an issue.''

The two environmental funds, created in 2000 by the county commission and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, were established to help fight polluters in South Florida, which the county has called a "drum dump capital.'' Funding sources included fines and court judgments.

Police director Loftus -- named to the top job in February, after spending questions were already being raised -- now says new money will not be accepted into the two funds. The remaining balance in the accounts is $1.5 million.

In defending his position that the police department need not repay the misspent dollars, Loftus contends that over the life of the trust funds, the department paid some $27 million out of its general fund for the salaries and benefits of officers and directors working environmental investigations -- that, in sum, the contribution of personnel costs far offset the questioned expenses.

Mazzella responded that the trust fund money was "to augment, not replace'' general funds.

If they police were to repay for misspending, the precise amount isn't clear, though the August audit provides a road map.

"We left it to the police to determine what was justified, and repay what was not,'' said Mazzella.

Miami Herald staff writer Martha Brannigan contributed to this report.

In case you live outside of South Florida and are reading this and wondering if the sort of inappropriate behavior by law enforcement officials -described above in such great detail by Matthew Haggman- is common, and whether the cumulative effect of such moral and intellectual laxness was a factor in the successful recall from office of former M-D mayor Carlos Alvarez last month, the answer to both questions is YES.

-----
Not that you asked but the BP station in Aventura on Biscayne Blvd. & N.E. 211th Street, across from Aventura Hospital and near the Venezuelan Target, is my favorite service station in the area to use, as I've probably only used a different operator maybe five times in the past year. They are always clean, efficient and extremely well-lit at night, which is more than I can say for many other service stations in SE Broward/NE Miami-Dade.

Plus, they usually have copies of the NY Times available when other places are already out.

"Who is in charge in this town?" In which the City of Miami acts like Hallandale Beach and ignores what's right in front of it

This Miami Herald article at the bottom of this post about what was going on in Miami for six months is pretty amazing, but will come as absolutely no surprise to us because it rings so familiar to us in Hallandale Beach. Been there, done that.

Like many of you, I've got my own long list -and collection of photos- regarding Code Compliance and safety violations that are routinely ignored by City Hall or the HB Police or Fire Dept., many of which are right in front of them, while still others are actually violations and safety problems THEY are actually responsible for, but yet they've done nothing about it for YEARS.

All years when present City Manager Marc Antonio was at City Hall in some high-ranking capacity or another.
I'm continually finding myself -and many of you- saying "How can he remain SO oblivious for SO long?"
And why is there STILL absolutely NO FEAR among HB city employees of being terminated for NOT doing their jobs and treating residents with professionalism and honesty?
If not now, when?

Please try your best to make it to one of these meetings if you couldn't attend in March, since we all know that Mayor Cooper truly believes -really!- that the less HB residents attend public meetings, the more it indicates that they think she's doing a great job -not the sad reality, which is that her mean-spirited, egotistical and disorganized manner of running the meetings actually repels people from attending and participating.
Which only hurts the city, not to mention, democracy.

I'll try my best to be at all three meetings, since this is precisely when those foam boards I've spoken to some of you about here in HB about are most useful. Sturdy boards that can be displayed at public meetings -on chairs if need be- with photos and
information on them of the self-evident and longstanding problems that will finally see the light of day. HB City Hall can't deny what's in the photos -but you know they will TRY!

Starting this month, with the help of a new piece of SONY electronic gadgetry that was seemingly tailor-made with bloggers like me in mind, you'll start seeing those old (and new) problems displayed here and on my YouTube Channel page in a way that I believe will make them much harder for City Hall and Cooper's Rubber Stamp Crew and cronies to ignore.

Hallandale Beach Quadrant Meeting for Northeast Quadrant
Monday, April 11, 2011, 6:30 pm
North Beach Municipal Building, 2813 E. Hallandale Beach Boulevard

Special City Commission Workshop on the Parks Master Plan
Wednesday, April 13, 2011 6-8:00 p.m.,
Hallandale Beach City Hall Commission Chambers, 400 South Federal Highway

Hallandale Beach Quadrant Meeting: Citywide
Saturday, April 30, 2011, 10:00 a.m.
Hallandale Beach City Hall Commission Chambers, 400 South Federal Highway

------
Miami Herald
http://www.miamiherald.com/2011/04/06/2154080/residents-want-construction-site.html#disqus_thread

Wynwood/Overtown

Residents want construction site shut down due to noise, dust

Residents of a Miami neighborhood have been trying for months to get authorities to do something about a noisy, dusty construction site near their homes. Their pleas were ignored until they called the newspaper.

By Jared Goyette

April 7, 2011

For six months, Liz Fate has been unable to open her windows, because when she does, dust from an unpermitted construction site across the street covers her floor and furniture.

She complained to the city of Miami, the Florida Department of Transportation, whose contractor is using the site, and the Miami-Dade County Department of Environmental Resources Management, but nothing happened. Finally last week she complained to the City Attorney’s Office and The Miami Herald, which contacted several government agencies to inquire about the situation.

Within hours, city code-enforcement inspectors visited the property and cited owner David Lombardi for lacking a permit and for improper storage of construction materials in a residential neighborhood.

Now it turns out Lombardi’s tenant, American Engineering and Development, never had city permits to be there to begin with.

“They are operating illegally,’’ said city Zoning Administrator Barnaby L. Min. “If they do not have permits they should not be operating.”

American is leasing the site, 2238 NW Second Ave, from Lombardi — a prominent Wynwood developer and landowner — and using it as a staging area for the construction on nearby Biscayne Boulevard.

Lombardi and the contractor now have until April 11 to either obtain the proper permits, which require approval from the city, or shut down. FDOT has spoken with American Engineering and issued a statement saying that the department will monitor the company’s efforts to reduce dust and comply with the city’s regulations. The department also told the contractor it can’t start work at 5:30 a.m. and must wait until 8 as required by city rules.

A spokesman with the Miami-Dade Department of Environmental Resources Management said that while the dust might be a nuisance, inspectors had tested the air on four separate occasions, and found it didn’t pose a health risk for residents.

The government’s belated actions aren’t enough for Fate. She wants the project stopped altogether.

“We can’t make it safer; we just need to shut it down,” she said. “It needs to be shut down immediately.”

Lombardi said that he believes the work is allowed because the site is zoned light industrial. He doesn’t think Fate’s efforts to stop the work will be successful.

“Would she prefer that we parked containers for the port there?” he said. “I mean, does she understand where she rented? She rented in a neighborhood that’s zoned light industrial. If she wants Brickell Avenue, go rent on Brickell. The rents are triple.”

Min, the zoning administrator, said that only a portion of the property is zoned industrial, and that only that section could be used for the storage of construction material.

City Commissioner Richard Dunn, whose district covers the area, echoed Min’s comments.

“Whatever the law is, it should be upheld,” he said.

Miami Code Enforcement Director Sergio Guadix said he planned to give the contractor time to respond before asking police to stop the work.

Fate lives in Wynwood Lofts, which is also owned by Lombardi. She first started calling city officials and Dunn’s office at the end of September. In the last month, she started going door-to-door at the on the other side of the site, at the New Horizon Square apartments in Overtown.

So, did you FINALLY hear about the South Florida-based non-profit that gave their boss a $150k salary boost? Didn't think so...

So, did you FINALLY hear about the South Florida-based non-profit that gave their boss a $150k salary increase?

Probably not, given the sad and pathetic current state of local news reporting in South Florida, both print and electronic, where "stories" about diets, liposuction and women intentionally keeping their hair grey -CBS-4- is what passes for "news" here, to the exclusion of so much else that people WANT to know about.

Well, if you're in that 99.99% demographic of South Florida that doesn't already know what I'm referring to, you will learn some details on Monday or Tuesday.
Right here at your humble blog.
No photos, though -yet.

But I should mention while I have your attention that there's a local South Florida mayor who already knows all about this salary move, as well they should, since they were in a position to say or do something about it beforehand.

How shocked will you be when I tell that the mayor seems to be... well, perfectly fine with it?

Despite the fact that -shocker- volunteers do most of the heavy-lifting, not the salaried staff.

Me, I'm thinking that once you see some of the details laid out for you here for yourself -since there has been ZERO original South Florida-based reporting on this story- some of you out there in the blogosphere who come here fairly regularly might have some questions.
A few questions to say the least!

And those of you who actually call yourself reporters on your business cards -some of which I have in my wallet- might want to consider the larger issue of:

a.) the appropriateness of that kind of a salary move at a non-profit, and,

b.) why your bosses and colleagues -the news editors, producers and news directors- have gone SO FAR out of their way to make sure that this story is NOT REPORTED.

Is it sheer old-fashioned South Florida news media laziness, a longstanding crippling disease hereabouts, or, are they just afraid to offend some well-known people with power, or burn any of the 'reliable sources' they regularly contact to verify other stories for soundness/veracity?
Hmm-m...

Yes, sometimes the media dog that doesn't -or won't- bark is the real news story.

-----
For more on "Why media dogs don't bark?" see this 2008 post from John Naughton's Online Diary, Memex 1.1:
http://memex.naughtons.org/archives/2008/12/29/6026

SOS for PBS: My favorite TV critic, Aaron Barnhart of K.C. Star, does a postmortem of PBS's past & future in his review of new 'Upstairs, Downstairs'

ABBA - SOS (1975)
http://youtu.be/cvChjHcABPA


SOS for PBS!
My favorite TV critic, Aaron Barnhart of the Kansas City Star does a skillful postmortem on PBS' recent past and bleak drama programming future in his Sunday review of the new incarnation of 'Upstairs, Downstairs'; he's 100% right!

Aaron uses the scalpel adroitly and knows how to get to the heart of the matter in a way that's both amusing and logical for readers, while also sharing lots of useful historical context to better illustrate his prescient comments.

That, of course, explains why he's so popular and why his blog, TV Barn, has been one of the leading entertainment blogs for years, as I've mentioned here in the past.
http://www.kansascity.com/entertainment/television/
http://www.tvbarn.com/newsletter/

It's why TV Barn has been on my blog roll ever since I started this blog over four years ago. That's not by accident.


The Kansas City Star
PBS is going nowhere with ‘Upstairs, Downstairs’
By Aaron Barnhart
Posted on Sat, Apr. 09, 2011 10:15 PM

After a 34-year hiatus, “Upstairs, Downstairs” is returning to PBS and, perhaps unintentionally, serving as a reminder of what public television used to be and the kind of trouble it’s in today.

If you are past a certain age, you will likely remember the original “Upstairs, Downstairs.” It was dreamed up by Jean Marsh and Eileen Atkins, two actresses in their 40s who were inspired by “The Forsyte Saga,” the popular adaptation of John Galsworthy’s novels of upper-crust life that aired on the BBC in 1967.

Read the rest of the article at: http://www.kansascity.com/2011/04/09/2784536/pbs-is-going-nowhere-with-upstairs.html

His killer ending:

In a few months, when NPR steers out of these troubled waters — as it surely will, under new leadership — it will be the little tugboat with an aging cruise ship in tow, a vessel too weak to power itself anymore, the good ship PBS.

The backstory on Aaron Barnhart is here, if you're curious:
http://hallandalebeachblog.blogspot.com/search/label/Aaron%20Barnhart

http://www.pbs.org/


SOS for PBS? Bad news!
SOS by ABBA? Great news!



ABBA - SOS (As seen on Don Kirshner's Rock Concert; taped in Los Angeles, November 1975)
http://youtu.be/_JzXhC2yV9c

Shay is one of the world's greatest ABBA fans and nobody-but-nobody sweats the details on the history and music of ABBA and Agnetha Fältskog like he does.

Shay's YouTube Channel for ABBA, with an emphasis on HQ picture and sound quality: http://www.youtube.com/user/2Shaymcn

His non-ABBA music YouTubeChannel:
http://www.youtube.com/user/SHAYMCN1

Meanwhile, over at the official ABBA Vevo Channel, they've got lots of the hits.
En español? Si, claro!
http://www.youtube.com/user/AbbaVEVO

See also:
Sara Russell's ABBA ON TV website: http://www.abbaontv.com/index.html

Daydream Nation trailer -starring Kat Dennings, Josh Lucas, Reece Thompson & Andie MacDowell, opening May 6th in U.S.

Daydream Nation -Trailer
http://youtu.be/vDlv4Ooyjas



Red Carpet Diary video: Kat Dennings at Toronto International Film Festival's Red Carpet premiere of 'Daydream Nation'
http://youtu.be/S6i_pRE2VYQ

Daydream Nation starring Kat Dennings, Josh Lucas, Reece Thompson, Andie MasDowell & Rachel Blanchard, opens May 6th. Directed by Mike Goldbach.

In case you forgot, Dennings was the female lead of the popular Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist from 2008 and played the pregnant daughter of Steve Carell's girlfriend (Catherine Keener) in 2005's comedy blockbuster, The 40 Year Old Virgin.
Yes, she's playing a high school student again, but...

Daily Variety says "Juno as reimagined by David Lynch," which I'll admit, gets me interested.

Personally, I think she needs to get herself hitched to a drama set in WWII, since her face reminds me of certain actresses of that era I can think of, and minus some of her modern mannerisms, she'd be excellent as the confident Rosie the Riveter-type girlfriend back-home that some GI in Europe is using as motivation to get thru the day, and is penning letters to.

Or, perhaps as Rachel Weisz's combative, headstrong younger cousin who stays with her for awhile immediately after the war has torn their families apart?

Something where she wears a real nice hat?
Hell yeah!

Like something you'd see here on these popular sites I've visited before:
http://www.dressaday.com/

http://www.flickr.com/photos/vintagevogue/

http://risingfeenix.blogspot.com/

http://sewretro.blogspot.com/

Or, if she wanted to be 'saucy": http://www.flickr.com/photos/hollywoodplace/5598287245/

(My mother sewed a lot before we moved in 1968 to North Miami Beach from Memphis, and she was VERY proficient at it, too, so some of the photos at the sites above seemed very, very familiar to me. I can still recall the whirring noise of her black Singer sewing machine really going to it, a soothing sound after ahile; the many cloth tomato-red pin cushions that I always played with on the couch out of boredom while watching her and the TV; the fashion/sewing pattern stores in North Dade that I got dragged to along with my two younger sisters, which -like the nice white-glove restaurant upstairs at the Burdine's at the 163rd Street Shopping Center in North Miami Beach- have NOT been around for eons.
http://www.pbase.com/donboyd/image/125600809)

Hopefully, this is Kat Dennings' last film playing a savvy, wise-beyond-her-years high school student/ingenue.
I'm sure she probably hopes so as well!

Sweden's JAS Gripen fighter planes finally get into action in Libya in support of NATO's No-Fly Zone, flying out of Sicily; Edward R. Murrow in London

Expressen TV video: Nu har svenska operationen i Libyen startat.
Thursday Sweden's JAS Gripen fighter planes finally got into the covert action in Libya to support NATO's No-Fly Zone, flying out of NATO Base Sigonella in Sicily. http://youtu.be/Qa_h1VKL504

Related story at:
http://www.expressen.se/nyheter/1.2394508/nu-har-svenska-operationen-i-libyen-startat


http://svt.se/2.22620/1.2387289/gripenplanen_lyfte_pa_sitt_forsta_natouppdrag

Svenska piloter laddar för första flyguppdraget
http://www.expressen.se/1.2394263

Seriously, could reporter Tomas Kvarnkullen be more low-key? He's no Edward R. Murrow, that's for sure! But then who is?



This is London: Edward R. Murrow of CBS News in London during WWII, painting a picture of the city's residents walking about at night in the dark.
http://youtu.be/2OqRTo3d-FU

http://www.expressen.se/
http://www.youtube.com/user/ExpressenTV

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Sophie, hate to say I told you so but I told you the other day that the weather was going to get crummy! And now a storm is coming and it looks like they're going to have gale force winds in Skåne. Looks like a good time to see a new film.

Michael Barone on Paul Ryan's AEI speech taking on his budget critics: "Ryan Steals March on Obama as Fiscal Crisis Looms"

AEI video: U.S. House Budget Comm. Chair Paul Ryan answers questions at the AEI HQ in Washington, D.C. and directly challenges critics of his reform plan.
April 6, 2011
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MYCb-UyHc90
"This is the most predictable economic crisis we've ever had in this country..."


Rasmussen Reports
Ryan Steals March on Obama as Fiscal Crisis Looms A Commentary By Michael Barone Thursday, April 07, 2011

"My worst experience was the financial crisis of September 2008," responded House Budget Committee Chairman Paul Ryan yesterday to a reporter's question about Democrats' attacks on the budget he unveiled earlier in the day.

"What if the president and your representative saw it coming and could have prevented it from happening?" Ryan said. "What would you think of them if they didn't?" A hush came over the audience at the American Enterprise Institute, where I am a resident fellow.

Read the rest of the post at:
http://www.rasmussenreports.com/public_content/political_commentary/commentary_by_michael_barone/ryan_steals_march_on_obama_as_fiscal_crisis_looms

See also:
http://budget.house.gov/

http://www.youtube.com/user/HouseBudgetCommittee

http://prosperityproject.org/

House Budget Comm. Chair Paul Ryan on 'Path to Prosperity'; the drivers of debt and the overdue reforms needed in FY 2012 budget -charts aplenty!

U.S. House Budget Committee video: The Path to Prosperity: America's two futures, visualized, presented by Budget Comm. Chair Paul Ryan of Wisconsin.
http://youtu.be/Xwv5EbxXSmE

Rasmussen Reports
Paul Ryan's Growth Budget
A Commentary By Lawrence Kudlow April 7, 2011

Of all the discussion about Paul Ryan's big-bang budget plan, the element I like best was caught in this Wall Street Journal op-ed title: "The GOP Path to Prosperity." In other words, it's a growth budget. It has plenty of spending cuts, but it also has significant pro-growth tax reform.

Read the rest of the post at:
http://www.rasmussenreports.com/public_content/political_commentary/commentary_by_lawrence_kudlow/paul_ryan_s_growth_budget



U.S. House Budget Committee video: Budget Comm. Chair Paul Ryan on Fox News Channel's Mike Huckabee Show details drivers of debt; Calls for honest leadership and real reform
http://youtu.be/SiZj1Uncl9Y



U.S. House Budget Committee video: Behind the Scenes: Budget Listening Session with Budget Comm. Chair Paul Ryan.
http://youtu.be/otlOCQyE8oY
Related article at: http://www.cnn.com/2011/POLITICS/03/17/gop.budget.plan/index.html

See also:
http://budget.house.gov/
http://www.youtube.com/user/HouseBudgetCommittee
http://prosperityproject.org/

Volcanoes tonight on Nat'l Geo. Channel: thinking about Thrinukagigur before the ticking timebomb that's Mount Nyiragongo devours Goma's 1M residents

National Geographic Channel: Into Iceland's Volcano
http://channel.nationalgeographic.com/channel/expedition-week-main/

Related article at http://channel.nationalgeographic.com/series/expedition-week/5782/Overview#tab-Overview

Feel like probing the volatility of Iceland's Thrinukagigur volcano, located close to our quarrelsome friend from last spring, Eyjafjallajökull?
No takers?

Well, some scientists, perhaps knowing of your sheepishness towards going inside a volcano thought it'd be fun, and tonight they report on what they found.

You might be interested in knowing that according to the very friendly and accommodating folks at www.IcelandTouristBoard.com, whom I hear from once in a while,

"While the world famous Eyjafjallajokull volcano wreaked havoc for millions of travelers, it resulted in a 16 % increase in tourism from N. America to our island nation for the first 11 months of 2010, versus the same period last year."

If you have never been to Iceland -home to HBB favorite Yohanna- and for more than just a weekend, it's AWESOME!
AWESOME TIMES TEN!

National Geographic Channel's Into Iceland's Volcano airs tonight at 9 pm. and repeats at midnight and 8 and 11 p.m. Friday.

After that visit to the far north, the National Geographic Channel sets its sights farther south and goes to Africa's most active volcano, Mount Nyiragongo, which is a ticking time-bomb for Goma's one million residents under the volcano.



National Geographic Channel video: Man vs. Volcano: Descending into the Lava Lake
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=baJVipcVNpg

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The Daily Mail
Deadly volcano that's one of the most dangerous on Earth... but scientists can't predict when it will erupt as it's in the middle of a war zone

By Daily Mail Reporter
Last updated at 6:38 PM on 31st March 2011

Mount Nyiragongo is one of the most dangerous volcanoes in the world - and scientists say it is only a matter of time before it makes the city below a modern day Pompeii.

But they don't know when since, located as it is in the war-torn eastern edge of the Democratic Republic of Congo, the two mile high cauldron of lava is also one of the least well understood.

Read the rest of the article, along with amazing photos featured in the new April 2011 National Geographic magazine
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-1371412/Central-African-volcano-threatens-turn-city-new-Pompeii.html

National Geographic Channel's Descending into the Lava Lake airs tonight at 10 pm. and repeats at 1 a.m. and Friday at 7 p.m. and 2. a.m. Saturday morning.

National Geographic Channel program schedule - DirecTV Channel 276
http://channel.nationalgeographic.com/tv-schedule

National Geographic Channel YouTube page:
http://www.youtube.com/user/NationalGeographic


JAGUAR XJ IN ICELAND
http://youtu.be/WaV0i8tuUe4
So very, very far away from the daily gridlock in Hallandale Beach -LOVE IT!

Det är huset för mig!: http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2011/03/16/greathomesanddestinations/20110316iceland_ss.html

Street cams in Iceland
http://www.inspiredbyiceland.com/icelandlive/#austurstraeti

http://www.inspiredbyiceland.com/icelandlive/#blaa-lonid


http://www.icelandnaturally.com/