Owner of the Tantra Restaurant on Espanola Way, Hogle was outside his business Tuesday morning when an acquaintance beckoned. The man was protecting a flock of pigeons from some very curious cats. The birds had been found inside a box in a nearby Dumpster.

JM Family Enterprises, Ultimate Software, and Baptist Health are employers with South Florida headquarters named Thursday to Fortune magazine's "100 Best Companies to Work For, 2012."

BOYNTON BEACH — The church that's moving into a shut-down Federal Highway strip club soon will be open for business after receiving a surprise donation: a staggering $12,000.

"Oh, Lord. I cannot explain it," Pierre Dumont, pastor of Eglise Assemblee Evangelique de Christ, said Thursday night. "For us, we consider this as a miracle."

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For weeks, volunteers have painted over black walls, pulled out the dancing poles and torn up carpeting still smelling of stale alcohol.

The man who struck and killed a pedestrian with his SUV in Miami Beach early Thursday was Brazilian race car driver J.P. Mauro, police said.

The 20-year-old Brazilian was driving a silver Mercedes-Benz SUV north on Collins Avenue at about 60 mph in a 30 mph zone when his car swerved left and drove up onto the sidewalk at about 1:30 a.m., Miami Beach Police spokesman Juan Sanchez said.

That is where Mauro struck pedestrian Russell Knudson, 45, who was attempting to put his bicycle into a rear door of a four-wheel-drive Toyota, Sanchez said. The impact threw Knudson “to the sidewalk, mid-block” and he died on the scene, Sanchez said.

The Mercedes kept going north on the sidewalk until it stopped just before 40th Street, according to Sanchez.

MIAMI - The National Weather Service announced Thursday that abnormally dry conditions have returned to South Florida with areas in southern Miami-Dade and mainland Monroe counties experiencing moderate drought conditions.

Dry weather has been occurring in South Florida since November 2011 thanks to an area of high pressure that has been keeping things dry. The cold fronts that have passed through South Florida this winter have been dry with very little rainfall associated with them putting South Florida in a high risk for wildfires.

MIAMI - Denver quarterback Tim Tebow and LeBron James exchanged tweets early Friday morning.

Following the Heat's win over the Lakers, Tebow tweeted to James, "Way to ball out tonight @KingJames! Loved the black & white @MiamiHeat uni's!"

LeBron tweeted back a short time later, "Thanks buddy! I'll have one for u."

Burgers by the Beach.

With 9 burgers and 5 sliders to choose from its hard to pick but I went with the Pepper Jack burger, with roasted green chiles, roasted garlic aioli & well, pepper jack cheese. Cooked medium. I mention this because the burger was so juicy it was bleeding onto the plate as it arrived.

D- The Miami Bike Scene posts a couple excellent local BMX videos.

E- Tropicult profiles local artist Baghead.

Baghead is an artist of many mediums, from pencil sketches to murals to his favorite, felt tip markers. If you’ve met him at Kill Your Idol, The Vagabond, or other favorite local spots he frequents he may have already drawn you a picture on a bar napkin. That being said, he prefers a glass of wine when he draws and buzzed or not, Baghead is one friendly dude.

F- The Reid Report tells us why Newt Gingrich is a 1%'er.

G- Is Philly depressing? Obalesque gives his opinion.

Philadelphia was a dreary place for a long time but it has remade itself remarkably. By the time I left I knew I would miss it, and I did and still do. At the moment it’s 34 degrees there. I’m not going back. If I want to get depressed again, I’ll do it here. All I need to do is look at my bank balance.

H- Newt Gingrich's performance last night in the latest GOP debate, while appealing to the Republican base, demonstrates just how unfit he is for the office of the President, according to Bark Bark Woof Woof.

You can debate whether or not Mr. King should have brought up the question as the first one in the debate, and you can even debate whether or not it's a fair question to ask. Given the way the current crop of Republicans is intent on telling other people how to live their private lives and who they can or cannot marry or whether or not they can use contraception during sex, it seems like a legitimate question to ask them about their support of "traditional" marriage: one man, one woman, until death do you part, etc. But there's one thing that's breathtakingly clear: John King wouldn't have asked the question if Newt Gingrich hadn't been screwing around on his second wife in the first place. So for Mr. Gingrich to get on his high horse, act mortally offended, blame the media (and Barack Obama indirectly) and whip up the crowd to a standing-ovation frenzy, is defense, deflection, projection, and denial in its purest form and just the latest example of many that Newt Gingrich doesn't have the character or the maturity to be anywhere near the Oval Office.

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A- Ironically, Gun Free Zone has a problem with Libertarians because of their presentation and the fact that they're uncompromising...and, oh, they have a huge public relations problem. Which, somehow, gets us to this...

I recently heard a podcast where the author was complaining about police harassment to Open Carry people and the example he gave was of why should somebody wearing a kilt and OC at 11:30 pm in a neighborhood where drugs are known to be trafficked should not be interviewed by police because he is not doing anything bad or something like that. Buddy, let me tell you something, if you are walking in front of my house at that time wearing a kilt and OC, rest assured that the side of your head will be painted by a red dot until I don’t see you anymore.

B- Bark Bark Woof Woof shares some special memories from 4 years ago.

C- Worst Pizza can't recommend the pizza at 101 Ocean Pizza in Lauderdale-by-the-Sea.

It was as if 101 Ocean took a couple of tomatoes and had the chef slapped his hands together with them and let them fall onto this pizza. In my opinion, this was utterly gross and unappetizing. They shouldn’t even remotely call this sauce on their menu, it is just chucks…not sauce. In my personal opinion, they should mention this on the menu. Something along the lines of “we have dough cheese and some uncut pieces of tomatoes that disguise themselves as sauce.”

D- Eater Miami reports that a popular Design District restaurant is closing down.

Design District Italian and cocktails hot spot Maitardi is closing for good on Saturday, February 11 and going out in grand style with a farewell party Wednesday, February 8 from 7 p.m. featuring signature amuse-bouches by Maitardi's sister venues including Salumeria 104, Soyka, TiramesU, Spris, Van Dyke Café from 7 to 8pm and a Prosecco bar from 7 to 9pm by Segafredo L’Originale on Lincoln Road.

E- Random Pixels links to an article about UM President Donna E. Shalala's possible conflicts of interest.

F- A Miami bicycle shop has received some national recognition, according to Spokes 'n' Folks.

G- The New St. Regis Bal Harbour is as opulent and luxurious as you might imagine, says All Purpose Dark, who takes us inside.

Further in, you come across this deer sculpture made of crystal balls and the check-in desks - which are sit-down desks. Introductory room rates start at $675, by the way, and expect those to climb to $800 for peak season. And all 243 guest rooms face the ocean.

H- Mike LaMonica writes a post to his ex-wife for a cause.

I- Miamism gives us a look at the inside of a $16.5 million "mod home" on North Bay Road in Miami Beach.

The house has double gourmet kitchens as well as summer kitchen equipped with pizza oven. We can certainly assume that these people love to entertain and cook. I love the fact that the “caterer’s kitchen” is something that is becoming popular in Miami Beach within the mega luxury real estate realm. Nothing like keeping your kitchen clean and untouched while caterers make a mess of their own kitchen.

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These little guys were yapping up a storm outside a Starbucks not too far from the entrance to the estate.

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I want to be coldly analytical, not moralize, here. I want to tell you what Mr. Gingrich’s behavior could mean for the country, not for the future of his current marriage. So, here’s what one interested in making America stronger can reasonably conclude—psychologically—from Mr. Gingrich’s behavior during his three marriages:

1) Three women have met Mr. Gingrich and been so moved by his emotional energy and intellect that they decided they wanted to spend the rest of their lives with him.

2) Two of these women felt this way even though Mr. Gingrich was already married.

3 ) One of them felt this way even though Mr. Gingrich was already married for the second time, was not exactly her equal in the looks department and had a wife (Marianne) who wanted to make his life without her as painful as possible.

Conclusion: When three women want to sign on for life with a man who is now running for president, I worry more about whether we’ll be clamoring for a third Gingrich term, not whether we’ll want to let him go after one.

4) Two women—Mr. Gingrich’s first two wives—have sat down with him while he delivered to them incredibly painful truths: that he no longer loved them as he did before, that he had fallen in love with other women and that he needed to follow his heart, despite the great price he would pay financially and the risk he would be taking with his reputation.

Conclusion: I can only hope Mr. Gingrich will be as direct and unsparing with the Congress, the American people and our allies. If this nation must now move with conviction in the direction of its heart, Newt Gingrich is obviously no stranger to that journey.

If Ted Bundy was a Republican and was still around today, there is no doubt in my mind that he would be a frontrunner for the GOP and a favorite of Rush Limbaugh if he only had the balls to call Obama the "Food Stamp President" and believed that students from poor neighborhoods should work as child janitors selling doughnuts.

And Fox News psychiatrists would dutifully explain to their audience of conservative bigots how raping and murdering women was somehow "presidential"...between commercials hawking gold and the latest pharmaceuticals.



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A- Sun-Sentinel: Lap belts fastened?

MIAMI— Six crew members were injured Sunday due to turbulence on an American Airlines flight from Brazil to Miami, an airport spokeswoman said.

The carrier’s Flight 980 apparently encountered turbulence on its way to Miami International Airport from the Recife Airport in Brazil, airport spokeswoman Maria Levrant said. The flight landed at MIA shortly after 6:30 p.m. It had 136 passengers and nine crew members on board, an airline spokeswoman said.

B- Sun-Sentinel: Why you're supposed to move the cars from the roadway.

PLANTATION— Police are investigating the deaths of three people who were struck by a car early Saturday as they stood in the roadway on Broward Boulevard near Northwest 69th Avenue.

Two women in their 20s, one from Sunrise and another from Fort Lauderdale, were involved in a single-car collision with a tree near that intersection about 4:30 a.m., according to Plantation police.

Police said a second driver stopped to check on their well-being. All three people, standing outside their vehicles, were then struck by a car driven by a Plantation man, according to Detective Phillip Toman.

C- Finally, it wasn't covered by any South Florida news outlet that I know of but we now apparently have another household pest to add to our critter list down here...bats. Barrel tile roof owners, listen up!







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A- Bark Bark Woof Woof doesn't give Gov. Chris Christie much of a chance for a vice president selection.

But politically, Gov. Christie would be a bad choice for Mitt Romney as his vice president. Both of them are considered to be "moderate" in the GOP,which is like being the lonely little petunia in the onion patch: they're not full-tilt Teabaggers, and Gov. Christie riled up the base when he defended a Muslim-American judge. They're both from the Northeast, which is always grounds for suspicion among the True Believers, and if Mr. Romney is truly going to appeal to that crowd, he'll need to go with someone like Mike Huckabee. Now there's a marriage made in hell.

B- The Republicans are coming to South Florida as the next stop on their clown car ride and Justice Building Blog and Obalesque can't wait. From the latter...

I suspect Team Gingrinch will not fare as well in Florida as it did in South Carolina, and that Mittney’s well-oiled and high financed campaign machinery will prevail, resetting the direction of the race back to what passes for reason among the ‘Pubs. (Santorum and Paul are mere distractions. Even ‘Pubs don’t take them seriously.) Florida will be the turning point, which is disappointing in a way, because it marks the end of the great entertainment, and the beginning of hidebound national politics as usual.

C- As part their Old School Sunday series, The305.Com shares a video of old Miami Beach literature.



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D- Atlantic City native Man or Maniac? explains how casinos work and why they are not a good deal for the community.

The real problem is where the people coming in on those buses will be spending their money. They'll be spending it in the casino.

Now, you're thinking, "of COURSE they'll spend money in the casino, that's why they want to build one!" But you're missing the point. People coming in to spend money in the casino will ONLY be spending money in the casino. They won't step outside for a meal; the casino has restaurants, and they'll passing out vouchers or coupons for them on the bus. Want a drink? There's service right at the poker table, or even the slot machine. Want a souvenir? The casino gift shop has everything you need.

E- The305.Com has an amazing photo of what 5th and Alton looked like in the '20's.

F- Discourse notes a "cheap shot" from Greg Cote in today's Miami Herald.




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I've been around the world and you will never, ever find me traveling outside the country again as long as we have places like Yosemite to visit and explore. My passport has permanently expired.




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A- There's room for all creatures big and small in the swamp, Go Hydrology! reminds us.

B- Superbee has found himself a bar on South Beach.

South Beach, we've found ourselves a higher-class Purdy -- you can still bankrupt yourself -- but it'll be slightly more conspicuous and slightly more embarrassing when it happens -- but if you're able to pull through without landing yourself in shame and ruin, you'll be able to black-shirt yourself into the JAPiest den of drunken debauchery since the Astor went out of style.

C- Belle Isle Blog reminds us that the Miami Marathon is only a week away and provides some suggestions how non-runners can make the most of it.

D- Coconut Grove Grapevine shares a few images from the chocolate festival at Fairchild Tropical Gardens and says that the Grove should have a similar event.

I went to the chocolate festival yesterday at Fairchild Tropical Gardens and between you and me, it was not much of a chocolate festival and more of a food festival. There were many food booths on the grounds and lots of food trucks. The chocolate was sort of hard to find and when found, it was for sale. There were not many samples.

E- You gotta love the guy's tee shirt at The Green Parrot.

F- Eye on Miami considers the state of the economy and the lack of jobs and, most importantly, are attitudes towards those who still have one.

We all clamor for decent jobs (that every politician promises and never delivers) and at the same time we shoot our fellow workers who have decent jobs in the foot. We are being manipulated to believe cops, teachers, and other union workers are pulling in huge salaries and pensions that they don't deserve. But it is peanuts if you look at the true villains in this jobs dance. The employers are greedy, or in the case of the county - inept, and the workforce is punished and we the citizens all cheer. What dopes we are, falling prey to a big fat lie.

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01/24/2012

The Volusia County Sheriff’s Office is asking for the community's help to find a 46-year-old Deltona woman who hasn’t been seen since Thursday afternoon. Maribel Robles left her home at 3571 Linwood Court to go for a walk at about 2 p.m. on Thursday, Jan. 19, and never returned, deputies said. ...

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West Volusia Beacon Deal of the Weekend
01/24/2012

Welcome to the Beacon Deal of the Weekend. Today is Friday, January 20, 2012. These deals are valid through various dates. Each Friday, we'll post a video message to share with you the "extreme" coupon offers that will allow you to get something free — or nearly free — over the weekend. We in ...

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West Volusia Beacon Movie Review — Contraband
01/24/2012

Usually a movie will leave a taste in your mouth afterward; whether it’s good or bad, you at least have a sense for the movie once you leave the theater. Contraband, on the other hand, invokes absolutely nothing. It’s not that it’s a bad movie (though it certainly has its bad elements), but i ...

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Mancinik sells DeLand Home Team to Cynthia DeLuca of Total Realty
01/24/2012

“I’m 32 years as a real-estate broker. I’m going to give up management, but not real estate,” DeLand broker Bill Mancinik said. Mancinik sold his real-estate company, The Home Team, to Cynthia DeLuca, who owns Total Realty in DeLand. Mancinik’s office at 899 E. New York Ave. is now “The ...

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At annual MainStreet DeLand banquet, mayor explains ‘How?’
01/24/2012

There was only one place Jan. 12 to catch DeLand’s mayor and police chief dancing, in costume, to the song “Y.M.C.A.”: the MainStreet DeLand Association annual banquet on Artisan Alley. Conrad Realty Co.’s parking garage on the alley was transformed to fit the “Cowboys and Indians” theme ...

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