It’s the Friday before a three-day weekend, and you’re either toiling away at your computer trying to compensate for the workday you’re gonna miss next week, or you’re surfing the web, planning your weekend. Thought so…..just in case you didn’t find anything on our calendar that grabs your eye, here are a couple more nightspots that will be jumping this weekend.
It’s Friday, amigos, and you know what that means: another wave of Fidel death rumors! It would be so darned convenient if Raul and Co. announced El Maximo Lider’s death today, wouldn’t it? We’ve got a three day weekend, perfect for 72 hours of freedom-loving fiestas.
Let’s take a look at the Internets over the past week and see what the latest buzz is over Fidel. Just in case you haven’t been keeping track:
During college, I boycotted mega stores linked to exploited workers and supported Ralph Nader. After college, I cavorted with wealthy Republicans and shamefully ducked in to Wal-Mart Supercenter from time-to-time. Hopefully, the idealism of the 100-some college students traveling to Miami for a protest at Burger King headquarters Friday will last longer than mine.
Two buses will carry students and farmworkers to Miami from Immokalee, an isolated farming town where the Coalition of Immokalee Workers and the Student/Farmworker Alliance are based. The allied groups are leading calls for Burger King to pay tomato pickers a penny more per pound and have successfully convinced McDonald’s and Taco Bell’s parent company to do the same. On Thursday, students arrived on flights from places like New York City, Chicago and California to crash at a homeless shelter and community center in Immokalee. Friday’s protest is set from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. outside BK headquarters at 5505 Blue Lagoon Drive.
Marc Rodrigues, a 26-year-old SFA national coordinator who joined the group as a Queens College student in 2004, said the fight for better pay resonates with students concerned with businesses that run “sweatshop” operations while trying to tempt students with late-night fast-food runs. Rodrigues said the SFA is disgusted by a proposal BK made to the groups to train farmworkers for their restaurants: “which is a pretty ridiculous offer. Who is going to pick their tomatoes?” At Friday’s protest, Rodrigues said the groups plan to announce a major Miami march and concert in late November that they hope will coincide with BK’s shareholder meeting. --Janine Zeitlin
Maybe our school system's obsession with test scores has gotten out of hand, or maybe our standards have simply dropped. The Miami charter middle school Florida International Academy has posted “Proud to be a B school” in the front of their small building on Biscayne Blvd.
Sure the Academy has some reason to be happy with their “B” status. In 2001 the school got an “F” for their results on the FCAT. The next two years they received “D's” and the following two years “C's.” So they have made progress, but does rising from a failing “F” to an acceptable “B” really warrant pride? Is that the message our schools should be sending to children?
Out of 69 middle schools in Miami-Dade, 18 scored “A's” and 15 had “B's.” So Florida International Academy's only achievement is making it into the top 50 percent of all county middle schools, hardly a status worth flaunting. Even with the Academy's focus on raising test scores to meet adequate yearly progress for No Child Left Behind, only 39 percent of their students achieved a high standard of reading and only 22 percent reached that level in science. Maybe the sign should read: “Proud to no longer be a complete failure.” -- Tovin Lapan
A Miami Shores tenisista is getting national recognition at the U.S. Open this week. Ahsha Rolle (number 109) beat 17th ranked Tatiana Golovin in the tournament’s first round, a mind-blowing upset. Then in the sedcond, she whacked 57th ranked Karin Knapp in three sets.
A picture of Rolle, who was profiled in New Times last year, is posted at the town tennis courts.
The win rather vindicated her parents, who have spent as much as $60,000 per year to help the young lady travel to tournaments around the country. The New York Times blogged about her and produced a video. Bloomberg and the Sporting News also described her.
Next up for her: doubles and the third round.
And watch out. Ahsha’s little sister, Tiya, who went pro recently, is also on the rise.
Govind Armstrong is likely nursing a sore wrist this morning. The 36-year-old, ever-hunky chef/ co-owner of Table 8 was poolside at the posh Crown rental community (4041 Collins Avenue) last night signing copies of his debut cook book, Small Bites, Big Nights.
And the line of adoring fans clamoring for a free copy and his autograph was never less than 20 strong.
“It’s most chef’s dream to get something out there like this,” Armstrong beamed, his trademark dreadlocks hanging to his waist, “and this book is a really fun concept.”
Armstrong, who lives in Los Angeles and spends one week each month in Miami, says the newly released book is also a reflection of how he prefers to entertain at home. “I’m not suggesting I invented the concept or anything like that,” he jokes, “but there are a lot of easy, tasty dishes in there.”
His personal favorite: Mini grilled cheese sandwiches with slow-braised short rib. I snagged a couple from the black-clad wait staff who were skulking around with samples, and they are indeed yumsles! --Joanne Green
A few dozen demonstrators gathered late Tuesday in South Beach to protest the war in Iraq and rally to bring the troops home.
Waving signs that read "Honk" and "Bush, Cheney, send your own kids," the 42 volunteers from the action group moveon.org were among hundreds of similar vigils scheduled to take place across the United States.
“There are 500 of these protests going on across the nation,” said organizer and retired US Coast Guard Dave Patlak. “We are calling on senators to stand up in September and end this war.”
Over his shoulder, on the corner of Alton Road and Lincoln Road, a volunteer read aloud the names of the more than 3700 American men and women who have died in Iraq since the war began in March 2003.
“Beyond the cost of human lives,” he added, “is the amount of money this war is costing tax payers in Miami.”
According to a recent report released by the Washington-based group, Miami-Dade county alone has spent an estimated $832 million tax dollars on funding the war. “Congresswoman Ileana Ros-Lehtinen has a real chance next month to change things,” scoffed Patlak over the crescendo of honking horns. --Joanne Green
In a misguided attempt to dodge traffic on my way home the other day, I got lost and stumbled upon this building with four fresh pieces on it near NE 2nd Ave. and NE 71st Street. -- Tovin Lapan
Fans of Miami chef Michelle Bernstein’s culinary creations no longer have to journey to her famed Michy’s Mediterranean-style bistro to sample a taste of her talents. Beginning September 13, Delta Airlines will be serving up an exclusively crafted series of the celebrity chef’s meals to its passengers.
Well, those in the high-priced BusinessElite seats, at least.
Bernstein, former executive chef of Azul at the Mandarin Poriental Hotel, will be offering such delactables as lamb in pomegranate glaze with pilaf and cherries; linguine with shrimp, cognac, scallions and melting chèvre; grilled fish with sweet corn succotash and ancho lime butter; chicken braised in red wine with tomatoes, olives, capers and potatoes; grilled enderloin of beef with chimichurri, polenta and roasted peppers.
Meals will initially only be available on flights from Kennedy International Airport to Los Angeles, San Diego, San Francisco, and Seattle. --Joanne Green
Apology: Somehow, this post got cut short, making it look an obnoxious rant against the very people whose work I meant to highlight. Sorry, Herb!
A few nights ago, the Bike Blog was chatting with Herb Hiller, the Southeast Regional Program Consultant for the East Coast Greenway Alliance. The group’s mission is to “connect all major cities of the East Coast along a continuous, off-road path” – accessible to bikes and pedestrians alike. It’s an ambitious plan, to say the least, but as Hiller (wait, he said to call him Herb) was describing the group’s progress in various Florida counties, he told me something downright CRAZY!
“I view Miami-Dade as outstanding,” he said. “And you will too, when you see it in my terms. . . You’ve got almost the whole county linked.
Wait a minute.
The city is abuzz with rumors that Fidel Castro has gone to that big communist gulag in the sky. Here's what we know: folks who picked up the phones at City Hall, Miami Police, Metro-Dade police and the county emergency center so far deny the rumors. So does Congresswoman Ileana Ros-Lehtinen's office.
But our best friend's second cousin who knows a former military officer in Havana swears it's true! Te lo juro!
Other sources claiming he's dead: Babalu Blog, whose traffic spiked so much in recent hours that the site was off-line briefly. And Perez Hilton, in between reporting on Nicole Richie's jail stint and Brangelina's world travels, claims that Miami officials are holding off the Fidel announcement until rush hour traffic is over. How thoughtful!
Now that Miami Police Chief John Timoney has been caught lying about his year-long test drive of a Lexus SUV, his critics are circling like sharks in a blood-filled ocean.
This morning, members of the Fraternal Order of Police called a press conference to talk about how Timoney looks the other way while police brass “cook the books” on crime reporting data. FOP president Armando Aguilar – a sergeant in the department – says that crimes are often reclassified; burglaries are changed to “information” reports, assaults are changed to “disputes.” Aguilar says this happens daily and makes the city look safer than it really is. He says that he’s received calls form about 100 officers who are concerned about the way crime stats are reported. Moreover, Aguilar said he’s gone through a few dozen reports himself and has proof that crimes were reclassified.
Aguilar said that he has no evidence that Timoney has directed his underlings to change the way crimes are reported – but, he said, his administration has been “put on notice” in recent months that it’s happening frequently. Aguilar said he has spoke to City Manager Pete Hernandez about the issue and he’s going to ask the FDLE to investigate.
Of course, crime stat scandals are nothing new in these parts; it’s one of the many blemishes on Broward County Sheriff Ken Jenne’s career.
When asked why more officers haven’t spoken publicly about these reporting issues in Miami, Aguilar replied, “this is a very vindictive administration.”
Interestingly, before the press conference started, a TV reporter asked if any other officers wanted to sit or stand behind the desk while Aguilar read his statement for the cameras. One uniformed officer shrugged and walked over. “I’m already on midnights,” he said. “What else are they gonna do to me?” -- Tamara Lush
If the South Beach club scene were a cocktail, it would definitely be a Long Island Iced Tea – overflowing with an assortment of shit and guaranteed to get you fucked up. But each and every Friday for a year now, The 400 Club has put the “ice” in the Long Island Iced Tea, bringing the Beach a party that’s cool, refreshing, and definitely feels good going down. They’ve earned a reputation for bumpin' the hottest Hip Hop and R&B, having the fliest urban crowd, and attracting huge stars. Jay-Z and Nas are on to it, but maybe this is your first time hearing about it, and maybe you’ve been living under a rock. Either way, tonight’s One Year Anniversary party will definitely be the best time to slide down to the Fifth and get better acquainted with the 400 Club. They say there will be butlers serving champagne and hors d’oeuvres, a red carpet, and celebrity guests. We say, you had us at 400. Doors open at 11:00 p.m. and the dress code is strictly enforced, strictly chic. Visit the 400 Club site for the guestlist. -- Raina McLeod
It’s animal month at the Miami Children’s Museum, and it’s about time that you learned that bears don’t eat out of dripping jars of honey, not all lions are cowardly, and leopards are good for more than those cheesy boots you love.
To your ignorant rescue comes the uber-informative Vanishing Species, a group born just to educate idiots just like you – er, us – about the importance of wildlife in our fragile ecosystem. The VS folks will be on hand to help you unlock the mysteries of the animal kingdom while you learn about conservation and other environmental stuff. It starts at 4:00 p.m. Saturday so bring the kids, bring yourself, bring your mom, just come hear the truth from the pros. Museum members and kids under 12 months are free; nonmember adults and kids are $10, but if you’re a Miami resident you get 50% off. A small price to pay for a little animalistic edumacation. --Raina McLeod
10 Practical Reasons for Wearing a Mesh Tank-Top
1) In order to be an all-around sexy beast
2) It doubles as a pasta strainer
3) Because everyone knows mesh goes with Bermuda shorts … and a name-plate necklace … and a bleached, Mafioso tip…
4) Solidification of the fact that you, and not Justin Timberlake, did indeed bring sexy back
5) Because you’re a huge fan of Sean Astin’s character (below) in 50 First Dates
6) Man-boob ventilation
7) To catch tuna, and the occasional unsuspecting dolphin
8) To acquire a natural looking tan
9) Daddy didn’t love you
10) So when you carry around a flower you plucked off a random bush with the obvious intentions of giving it someone, people can question whether or not you play for team “Space-between-the-Thighs” or “Team Tuck-between-the-Thighs”
Tell us your reasons for wearing a mesh top, and don't forget to send your own Style Soldier shots to our Fashion Team.
