2010.04.15

The Story Matters

Calendar p.14 Don’t Miss the Fabulous Chita Rivera This Monday Night at the Fillmore.

Vol. XXV No. 15

April 15, 2010

Visit us at miamisunpost.com

EARTH FEST 2010 South Florida Celebrates the 40th Anniversary of Earth Day MAYHEM P.4

NEWS P. 6

POLITICS P. 7

HISTORY P.8

PROFILE P. 10

CALENDAR P.14

411 P.18

FILM P. 22

ART P.24

SEE PAGE 12

FASHION P. 26

EXECUTIVE EDITOR Kim Stark kim@miamisunpost.com SOCIETY EDITOR Jeannette Stark jeannette@miamisunpost.com COPY EDITOR Mary Louise English

PRESIDENT & PUBLISHER Kim Stark kim@miamisunpost.com ACCOUNTING Sandie Friedman SALES DIRECTORS Jeannette Stark Stuart Davidson

CALENDAR EDITOR Jake Orsinni calendar@miamisunpost.com

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CONTRIBUTING WRITERS Jeffrey Bradley Stuart Davidson Marguerite Gil Mary Louise English Jennifer Fragoso John Hood Dr. Sonjia Kenya Thomas Quick Ruben Rosario Mary Jo Almeida-Shore Michael Sasser Kim Steiner

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Covering Miami Beach, North Bay Village, Surfside, Bay Harbor Islands, Bal Harbour, Sunny Isles Beach, North Miami, North Miami Beach and Aventura, Coconut Grove, Brickell Avenue, Downtown, Design District, Wynwood, Upper Eastside, and Miami Shores.

www.miamisunpost.com • The SunPost • April 15, 2010 • Page 3

Tropical Mayhem BITS AND PIECES OF MIAMI LIFE

Miami through my iphone

Haute Hippie Chic FROM THE AIR

by Ines Hegedus-Garcia - miamism.com - ines@miamism.com Before you bite my ear off I'll confess that this was not in Miami....but technically, I was heading back to Miami from NYC and took this from the airplane as we took off from JFK. I really wanted to get a sunset photo and was afraid I would end up on the wrong side of the plane, but it all worked out in the end. The light of this photo blows me away and yes, it was taken with my iPhone.

Aren’t these fabulous? From local designer Ecoist comes the best in eco-chic. Yes, these wristlets are recycled, made from handfolded, recycled candy wrappers. They go with everything and will always end up as a conversation piece. They make bags, coin purses and bracelets too. This is not your parents hippie gear, this is Haute Hippie Chic. Genius! Shop their store at 2519 NW 2nd Ave. in Miami or online at ecoiste.com SHOW YOU CARE THIS EARTHDAY WITH AN ECOSITE POUCHETTE. THE ABOVE GREEN AND WHITE WRISTLET, GREEN LEAF IS MADE FROM LAYS POTATO CHIP WRAPPERS. $28.00. THE ORANGE BAGUETTE, GRAINS OF LOVE MADE FROM RECYCLED CANDY WRAPPERS. $49.00.

MIAMI, SPEAK YOUR MIND!

Everybody Loves Cerviche

BY VERONICA ALIAGA Latin American food is everywhere in South Florida but many people still think it’s just about rice and beans. Not true at all.

There’s Argentina with its classic parilla but, we can go beyond the basic meat and chimichurri…

For several years now, Peruvian food has been experiencing increasing popularity around the world —and naturally Miami has its share of Peruvian restaurants. One welcome example is the recently re-opened Ceviche 105. Here it’s not about fancy and trendy food; it’s about lunch-dinner-everyday kind of food. You read right: At Ceviche 105 you can eat Peruvian all week long

and never get bored with it.

From the classic ceviche (fresh raw fish marinated with lime or lemon juice) to the house’s own lomo saltado (juicy pieces of meat cooked with crunchy onions, tomatoes and French fries), Ceviche 105 gives everything a modern and fresh feel. Don’t be surprised to see chef-owner Juan Chipoco table-hopping, checking that every customer gets not just the best food but also the best service possible (no unfriendly servers allowed).

Ceviche 105 has also launched a Pisco Bar where you can enjoy oodles of cocktails made with the Peruvian liquor called Pisco. And if you feel the urge for something sweet, try the meren-

Page 4 • Thursday, April 15, 2010 • The SunPost • www.miamisunpost.com

gado de cherimoya, an amazing dessert made from a fruit as soft as a marshmallow.

There’s no doubt you will enjoy the experience because, in the end, everybody ♥ ceviche!

Ceviche 105 at 105 NE Third Ave., Miami; 305-577-3454.

SPEAK YOUR MIND, MIAMI! WE WELCOME YOUR THOUGHTS, REVIEWS, MUSINGS, AND PONTIFICATIONS ON ANYTHING TO DO WITH MIAMI LIFE. PLEASE MAKE IT SUCCINCT, NEWSWORTHY, INTERESTING AND UNDER 300 WORDS. EMAIL YOUR THOUGHTS TO KIM@MIAMISUNPOST.COM ATT: SPEAK YOUR MIND.

www.miamisunpost.com • The SunPost • Thursday, April 15, 2010 • Page 5

News

MSMC Strategy Has Led to a Solid Financial Picture

By Michael W. Sasser Despite a tough economy and an environment in which many fear the effects of health care nationalization, Miami Beach’s Mount Sinai Medical Center (MSMC) has parlayed its business strategy into uncommonly solid financial success.

The most recent audit posted on March 26 reports nearly $14 million in profit for 2009. Mount Sinai experienced an overall five percent growth in revenue from $497 million in 2008 to $524 million in 2009, while controlling a targeted 1 percent increase in expenses. As of the end of 2009, the combined medical center and Foundation reported 108 days cash on hand.

“The strategic planning we do here … is for the longterm,” said MSMC President and C.E.O. Steven D. Sonenreich.

“It’s not that we forget the short term, we just make sure we are hard-wired for the future.”

Michael M. Adler, chairman of the board, credits Mount Sinai success to three key points.

“Leadership is focused on the hospital’s core mission to provide high quality care, diligence in the hospital’s revenue cycle, and celebrating Mount Sinai’s philanthropic supporters,” Adler said.

Several specific changes and upgrades have been made in terms of personnel and strategy, leading to MSMC’s ongoing success.

According to the Agency for Healthcare Administration Statistics, Mount Sinai had been the region’s leader in heart care for more than two decades. However, this lead began to shrink in 2008. To achieve continued success, Sonenreich recruited Dr. Joseph Lamelas in 2008 to join the hospital as a chief of Cardiac Surgery. A pioneer in minimally invasive valve surgery, Dr. Lamelas is the most successful cardiac surgeon in the tri-county area.

His mortality rate is 67.5 percent below the expected rate of mortality as forecast by the state of Florida based on his volume and complexity of procedures. Having performed more than 8,000 open-heart procedures in his career, Lamelas also trains surgeons throughout the world in advanced and innovative surgical techniques.

The new cardiac surgery team attracted 51 percent more patients growing from 430 cardiac surgeries in 2008 to 649 in 2009 and instituted efficiencies that continue to save the hospital thousands of dollars per procedure. The infection rate is significantly below national benchmarks and length of stay is cut in half. Patients are back on their feet in less than two weeks.

Mount Sinai was also faced with challenges in diagnostic imaging, where the radiology residency pass rate had declined on professional board exams and the department was mired in inefficiency.

When encouraged to increase the number of subspecialists in radiology and improve overall care, the then existing radiology group fought back, giving 30 days notice of a mass resignation which would have left patients without the proper care needed.

At this critical juncture, Sonenreich reacted quickly to redefine the department of radiology, which resulted in the recruitment of Dr. Jeffrey Neitlich to serve as the chair of the Department of Radiology. Dr. Neitlich immediately went to work, building a multidisciplinary team with expertise ranging from virtual colonoscopies to neurointerventional procedures. Since then, patient care has improved significantly and the pass rate on professional board exams has shot to 100 percent. Mount Sinai’s imaging volume increased nearly 10 percent in 2009.

The mass resignation in radiology accentuated the controversial nature of some of the personnel changes that have accompanied the changes at MSMC in the past few years.

“Succession is always difficult to deal with,” Sonenreich said. “Not many leaders are good at succession plan-

ning and I think that has been part of the difficulty in recent years. But we are committed to change for the better.”

However controversial key personnel changes have been at Miami Beach’s only hospital, the results, Sonenreich said, have been entirely positive when examining patient care and medical staff successes.

Advances at MSMC have also taken the form of technology and its application.

Sonenreich expanded the hospital’s surgical oncology program, acquired the da Vinci Robot to provide the most sophisticated minimally invasive treatments, and put the infrastructure in place for Mount Sinai to gain designation as a Comprehensive Stroke Center. There are only 16 accredited comprehensive centers in the entire state of Florida.

“Mount Sinai’s medical staff is truly a notch above the rest,” said Tony Carvalho, president of the Florida Safety Net Hospital Alliance. “The physicians who choose teaching hospitals care about future of medicine; they want to be challenged; they want to be innovative.”

Mount Sinai’s minimally invasive surgical program is a great example of this dedication. The medical center’s surgical oncologists are the first in Florida to install a laparoscopic technology called microwave ablation.

This tool uses ultrasound guidance to directly eradicate tumors.

Sonenreich also cites the success of MSMC’s Freestanding Emergency Room in Aventura as indicative of the hospital’s innovation. Last year alone, more than 13,000 people have sought care at the freestanding ER in Aventura. Patients have experienced practically zero wait time and the ER has made a significant contribution to the hospital’s revenue stream.

A strong management team and MSMC donors have also been key elements to ongoing success. Sonenreich personally reaches out to donors, shares Mount Sinai’s vision and gives them a true stake in its future. They have responded with renewed support and a strengthened level of commitment to the medical center.

“I support Mount Sinai because I believe in its mission and trust Steve Sonenreich to put the hospital and its future above anything else,” said Philanthropist Donald Golden. “I know how important Mount Sinai is to our community and donors like me are willing to make significant philanthropic gifts to provide the equipment and support the services the hospital needs to remain viable.”

In a strange era in which it seems businesses that prosper are somehow seen in a negative light, Sonenreich points out the benefits to the public of a strong and vibrant MSMC. “Being financially stable means being able to support capital project efforts at Mount Sinai that benefit employees and patients,” he said.

MSMC is also a massive economic engine, being the largest private employer in Miami Beach and 11th largest private employer in Miami-Dade County.

The plan to perpetuate MSMC’s success revolves around continuing to “stay focused on our mission and our key strategies for 2010,” Sonenreich said.

For more information on Mount Sinai Medical Center visit www.msmc.com.

“Several specific changes and upgrades have been made in terms of personnel and strategy, leading to MSMC’s ongoing success.”

Page 6 • Thursday, April 15, 2010 • The SunPost • www.miamisunpost.com

Politics COLUMN

What’s All The Hubbub, Bub?

By Jeffrey Bradley

And, Frank states, the lack of policing means there’s good reason to curtail special events south of Fifth. But a better solution (don’t we always have one?) would be to establish market rates for parking, which will allow hiring more cops—besides suddenly opening up parking for residents and well-heeled tourists.

One of the chief reasons the Kendallistas and Hialeah hooligans come over is because of the cheap parking. If you were 18 and it only cost a buck twenty-five an hour to park (or is it $6 a day?) wouldn’t you come too? So even tho’ the term “parking” is sacrosanct in the land of autocentricity, let’s charge a market rate of, say, $15 an hour, or $12 an hour, or even ten; do you think the riff-raff will spring for that? It’s already apparent that most of ‘em don’t spend money but only their time and, uh, effervescence, here so what’s the net loss? And with that money we could hire more police officers who could (had better?) enforce the underlying cause of these kinds of disturbances, namely, quality of life issues like ticketing open containers, cracking down on public intoxication and urination and, generally, stopping the mayhem at the source instead of responding to some impromptu out-of-control. “block party”.

Look how fast New York City got safer once Giuliani rid it of subway toll jumpers, graffiti “artists” and squeegee bums. Heck, we could make a major dent in our mess inside of a weekend!

Let’s also consider the swarms of clubbers who pour from discoland at unimaginable hours with no place to go. (It can’t be the beach, which is unsafe, pitch black, and besides, what’s there at that hour?) We can’t have so many people, with so little to do, milling about the streets.

Why not entice ‘em to the brand-new Lincoln Park? Expand that into a major venue holding five instead of one thousand people, and have something on that giant DVD screen to keep ‘em happy, gathered and safe. Of course, you’d need more wide-open space, less trees, and a few more restrooms than are there already, but look: our very own Town Square to draw the noise away north and put it where it belongs.

That’s all we need. That and a city commission with the drive and focus to make it happen and a police department willing to enforce the law.

By the rumblings out of South Pointe, you’d think the Beirut Green Line had been dragged 3000 miles west to become a line of demarcation between warring factions south of Fifth. Only this confusing crossfire is more between business, resident, and high school-kids instead of religious fundamentalists.

Frank Del Vecchio, activist and unofficial “mayor” of South Pointe, has been tearing up the emails with the mayhem and woe inflicting his part of the Beach. Man’s got a point.

Frank—who never speaks before the commission without a bulging brief and tersely-turned presentation—has also aired his case via the SunPost and even by YouTube (“Beach Bottle Slum”)! To buttress his case this full-court press even displays, like a long-sought trophy, an outof-town t-shirt emblazoned Spring Break, South Beach - Sleep All Day Party All Night - Party Till You Puke!

We can relate, having long since bolted the Boogie Till You Puke brigade for the Chardonnay & Brie crowd.

Like any good salesman, Frank’s also posted testimonials (or are they anti-monials?) condemning the goings on, which are apparently warning the world at large via sites like Travelocity and Orbitz on the perils of visiting our boggy slum. The epicenter of trouble appears located near Nikki Beach, where tales of drunkenness and cruelty emanate far into surrounding environs as gangs of kids lay waste to the beach and beyond with public disturbance, rowdy behavior, mass littering and worse, far into the night.

Mike Morone, is promoting a new event Frank judiciously gives the police a pass, saying they already have a full plate what called Give Your Stuff Away Day on May 15, with special events and dangerous crime, and neither they nor the city can handle the 2010. This event could help millions of people, crazies. Which makes the acknowledgement by acting Chief of Police Raymond Marwhile shrinking landfills, boosting the economy, tinez that police policy is NOT to enforce the open drinking laws even less palatable. and reducing household clutter. This can be But these events are only the latest in a skirmish pitting businesses against residone with little effort, at no cost, and in one dents in that unhappy place. This perhaps intractable problem stems from trying to weekend. reconcile the disparate ideas of maintaining a “normal” neighborhood in a setting deSays Morone: “This could benefit millions of signed to attract crowds through glitz, noise and drama. As an observer to it over the people. And no one has to write a check, make a years we’d have to acknowledge that business is gaining the upper hand. After all, their call, or run a 5K.” business is business, and to offer patrons a place to party hard and make tons of noise, Problem: We all own good stuff we don’t really want anymore. There’s no super-easy way and never mind those pesky regulations. They’re practicing the twin pillars of Amerito get rid of these items, so we continue hang can capitalism, melding noisy fun with the ka-ching! of the cash register. Residents, of onto them. Too often, we decide to get rid of course, want only the space to enjoy their investment minus the harassment and walls clutter, and simply put it out with the trash just of noise. before the next pickup. The result: very few othMost commissioners appear content with turning a blind eye and hoping that ers get to see these items, and great items wind things simply resolve themselves… but, they won’t. Why take a stand and lead the way up in landfills. when you can dodge the issue? (They are tackling this vexed problem at the April 14 Wouldn’t it be cool if we could magically commission meeting. You can go speak; see miamibeachfl.gov/cityclerk/ shift ownership of all this stuff, in one weekend, So with City Hall in silence and the police defaulting, the great unwashed from the all over the US, with little effort, and at no cost? mainland feels free—no, entitled—to come and drag their coolers and bodies and Cool happens on May 15, 2010. It’s called nonsense over our dunes and onto our streets. Redneck Riviera, indeed.

“So with city hall in silence and the police defaulting, the great unwashed from the mainland feels free–no, entitled–to come and drag their coolers and bodies and nonsense over dunes and into our streets. Redneck Riviera, Indeed.”

NEWS TIDBIT

GIVE YOUR STUFF AWAY, SOUTH FLORIDA! Give Your Stuff Away Day and it will work (almost) like magic, as long as we promote the idea and follow common sense procedures.

Here are the details – on May 15, we bring to our curbs, items of value we no longer want. No trash, recyclables, illegal, or dangerous items.

No food, drugs, chemicals, or weapons. Just safe, valuable items we would like to donate. At the same time, millions of people will be coming around picking up free items. Instantly, the world’s largest giveaway!

Give Your Stuff Away Day is not really magic – there will be a bit of a mess in some neighborhoods for awhile. And in the short run, municipal refuse hauling expenses will increase - but will drastically shrink in the long run.

Give Your Stuff Away Day is not a government program. Let’s keep it citizen-based, and let the government solve bigger problems.

For more details, go to http://giveyourstuffaway.com.

www.miamisunpost.com • The SunPost • April 15, 2010 • Page 7

A Special Moment in Time COLUMN

The Time of the Trolley: Part Two Coral Gables

By Seth H. Bramson mrfec@yahoo.com

Although all of the articles that have appeared in this column have dealt with a special moment in the passage of time in Greater Miami’s history it is possible that the era of the street and electric railways in Greater Miami—the time of the trolley—may, indeed, have been the most special time of all. Indeed, that moment in time—all 21 years of it—was terribly brief.

Miami’s electric trolleys did run for two years in the first ten years of the twentieth century but then disappeared until 1919, being replaced by both horse drawn and battery powered vehicles on rails but it was not until the end of World War I that the idea of regular, electrically powered, streetcar service took hold and a Miami line would extend out Flagler Street to then comparatively distant Northwest 22nd Avenue while the Southwest Second Avenue line went into the trolley barn at Southwest Second Street and Second Avenue.

With the passage of time and the coming of the great boom of the early 1920s, innumerable land developments sprang up throughout Greater Miami, one of them the brainchild of a former Connectican, George E. Merrick, whose father arrived in Miami, depending on the source, in either 1896 or 1898. The senior Merrick had purchased property southwest of Miami and he named the rather humble abode on the property “Coral Gables” to commemorate the homesite, in Massachusetts, of the family’s beloved President, Grover Cleveland, who lived in “Grey Gables.”

After developing several modest Miami subdivisions, Merrick determined, with his wife, the former Eunice Peacock, that he would build only the second planned city in America, which he would call “Coral Gables.” Although Merrick laid out home sites, apartments, commercial and recreational areas, the fact was that the great draw remained the city of Miami, and even then Flagler Street was developing its world renowned cachet as a fine and elegant shopping district. On Saturdays, the women, dining in the Burdine’s tea room, always wore hats and white gloves.

Merrick realized that he needed a reliable and convenient method of transportation to bring people to Miami and back to Coral Gables and he wisely recognized that “the way to go” would be to build a street car line. His first line INTERURBAN CAR NUMBER 2 IS IN FRONT OF THE ORIGINAL GEORGE MERRICK CORAL GABLES BUILDING, NOW THE COLONADE BUILDING ON THE CORNER OF PONCE DE LEON AND MIRACLE MILE, WHICH WAS THEN CORAL WAY.

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would leave the terminal at Coral Way (now Miracle Mile) and head north on Ponce de Leon, following the curve of that famous street and swinging onto Flagler Street, where, at Northwest 22nd Avenue it would meet the City of Miami Electric Railway tracks and proceed into downtown Miami using the connecting company’s trackage.

Unfortunately, what came to be “the local line” was also somewhat slow for those making the complete city to city trip and to remedy that situation, Mr. Merrick embarked on another of his great achievements: the building of a high speed interurban electric railway utilizing the median of Coral Way (where the great banyans now reside) swinging north on that leg of Coral Way and then curving east an Southwest 13th Street the couple of blocks to Southwest Second Avenue, whence the interurbans would cross the Miami River and head north to Flagler, where they would turn east and proceed to loop around downtown Miami back to their connecting to the Gables trackage.

There were several short and short-lived extensions but the one that was well ahead of its time was the Bird Road line which went west on Bird almost to 72nd Avenue. A paucity of riders would doom that line quite early but the two main lines soldiered on until the very late in the season November 4th, 1935 hurricane destroyed most of the system’s overhead and left several trolleys stranded out on the line.

They were pulled in by trucks and the Coral Gables Rapid Transit Company, along with so many of the other great dreams of the 1920s, met its unhappy end in the middle of the worst Depression the United States had ever experienced.

Seth H. Bramson is Adjunct Professor of History at both F I U and Barry University, where he serves as Historian-inResidence. The Company Historian of the Florida East Coast Railway, he is the America’s number one published South Florida history book author, with fourteen of his eighteen books dealing directly with the villages, towns, cities, counties and people of the gold coast.

LEFT: WILLIAM JENNINGS BRYAN WAS ONE OF MERRICK'S SPOKESPEOPLE AND HE FREQUENTLY GAVE TALKS ON THE MAGNIFICENCE OF THE BRAND NEW CITY OF CORAL GABLES. SHOWN HERE, HE PRESIDED OVER THE OPENING OF THE PONCE DE LEON BOULEVARD TROLLEY LINE.WAS PULLED BY EITHER A MULE OR A HORSE. ABOVE: ANOTHER VIEW OF NUMBER 2 ON CORAL WAY (NOW MIRACLE MILE) IN FRONT OF THE CORAL GABLES BUILDING.

CORAL GABLES RAPID TRANSIT CO. (CGRT) #109 HAS BEEN LOADED ON A FLATCAR AT THE AMERICAN CAR COMPANY'S ST. LOUIS PLANT AND WILL SHORTLY BE ENROUTE TO ITS CORAL GABLES HOME.

Bound COLUMN

Somebody Got Dead James W. Hall Gives Us Silencer

By John Hood

In a perfect world I would’ve spilled all kinds of ink over James W. Hall’s Silencer (St. Martin’s $24.99) back at the end of January when it first racked.

After all, it is James W. Hall, a wily wordslinger of whom I’ve glowing written about on more than a few occasions in these very pages. But see I received an advance copy of the book a month or two before its official release, and it being Hall and me being impatient, I read it at once. So by the time the mail lady delivered the actual hardcover, I was on to other readings.

Stupid of me, I know. And more than a mite unprofessional too. But hey, it’s my column and I’ll write about what I want to, when I want to, no matter what some stinkin’ calendar says. Which is to say: brace yourselves, because I’m about to sing the praises of a deadly piece of fiction, and that means somebody’s gonna get dead, real dead.

In this case the soon-to-get-dead somebody is a good guy, one of the last actually, born of a time when the land meant more than money to a man. And this man, Earl Hammond, had land, lots and lots of it. Two-hundred thousand acres, as matter of fact. And before this old-time landowner shuffled off this all too mortal coil he wanted to make sure it stayed basically the same way it

was when it was passed down to him.

To do so Hammond has to get in on some intricate landswap between the State of Florida and Rusty Stabler, the fierce and true better half to Thorn, Hall’s perennial anti-hero. Thorn himself inherited a massive swath of once pristine Florida wilderness that he was content to let revert back to its original glory, and Stabler had convinced him to sell it to the state under their (now extinct) Florida Forever program just to be sure his wishes were honored. When Hammond shows up a day late and the state is now 500 million dollars short, she finds a way to make everybody happy.

Well, not everybody. See, Hammond’s got an ill-tempered cutthroat of a grandson named Browning who won’t be anywhere near close to content with the relatively small parcel of land granddad will set aside for him and his brother Frisco. Hell, he’s so dead set against this deal he’s willing to kill the old man – and anyone else who may get in the way.

I take that back. Browning, the sad and sorry excuse for a human being doesn’t have enough guts to follow through on any of his diabolical plans. Come to think of it, he doesn’t even have the brains for the diabolical plans in the first placed. The thinking he leaves mostly to his old football buddy, the shiny Antwan Shelton. The killing will mostly come courtesy of Jonah and Moses Faust, two no account Florida crackers with not one bit of sense between them.

Of course other folks get in on the thinking and the killing too, and after the Faust brothers snatch Thorn and throw him in a pit, the good guys get to come to the proverbial rescue. Here the good guys include a gal, Rusty, as well as Thorn’s old buddy Sugarman and Browning’s brother Frisco, who now happens to be a Miami cop.

But none of what you just read does even remote justice to the tall tale woven by Hall. The deal I mentioned isn’t as intricate as I made it out to be, and the bad guys are worse and the good guys are better than I could ever describe. Furthermore, the way Hall gets the lay of the land and the ways of the soul can only be appreciated first hand, in his voice, which is resonant with knowing. My job here is simply to make clear that this is a book well worth all the words in the world, regardless of how poorly I spill them.

If you dig Florida, and you dig fiction; then you’ll dig Silencer. And if by chance you’ve never read the work of James W. Hall, well, wait the hell are you waiting for?

www.miamisunpost.com • The SunPost • April 15, 2010 • Page 9

PHOTO: MAGICAL PHOTOS/MITCHELL ZACKS

PEOPLE IN THE COMMUNITY YOU SHOULD KNOW

Mike Lechter and Scott Balson Eco-Entrepeneurs

By Thomas Quick

Breaking America’s addiction to foreign oil has been a slow process, but with folks like Scott Balson and Mike Lechter taking matters in to their own hands, the light at the end of the tunnel is only getting brighter. The eco-friendly duo met in Manhattan where Lechter worked as the assistant attorney for Air France United States and Balson in advertisement sales, but when the bite of the big apple was getting too big to enjoy, they decided to stray far from the chaos.

After being introduced to a product that is unfamiliar to most Americans, the electric bicycle, they not only fell in-love with the device, but saw it's ecological benefits and wanted to be part of the potential revolution. "We are the perfect demographic for this bike because not only are we green minded in terms of being environmentally impassioned but we are also gadget junkies." stated Balson. After dabbling with selling the electric bicycles online, the two partnered up and made the brave move of ditching their careers and diving head first into opening a store in Ft. Lauderdale. Things have been so good, that within two years, the duo have opened shop in South Beach. Their quaint bicycle store carries eleven brands and twenty-eight models with anything from their dual battery "A2B" to their self charging Sanyo Eneloop.

Because of their store’s heavy bicycle and pedestrian traffic, the area has surpassed the needs of being an ideal location. "People say different things about how bike friendly this city is, but no one can deny how many bikes are here and by being here we hope to become part of the climate that makes the city incrementally that much more friendly towards bikers." says Balson.

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The pair have had a strong impact on the area by donating to countless charities and organizations such as Miami Museum of Science and Tuesdays Angel's as well as being recognized with a proclamation by the city of Miami Beach. But their biggest accomplishment to date was their ability to inspire a local real estate agent, Scott Diffenderfer, to part from his gas reliant automobile and convert to a full-time rider of one of their dynamic bicycles. "People treat us like we are doing something extraordinary," says Lechter.

"But really, we are doing something fun."

The fervent passion Lechter and Balson have for the bikes is passed on to every demo rider who takes a quick spin around the block. The two describe this thrill as the "ah-ha" moment, the instance in which the rider realizes not only how much of an ecological breakthrough this is, but how much of their inner child comes out from the brisk ride. "Most people have an 'ah-ha' moment and buy one of the bikes. We had an 'ah-ha' moment and opened a store." Balson stated with a laugh.

Catering to just about any person on the market, from those who may not have the endurance or ability to go the extra mile, those who may be without a drivers license, or anybody who wants to get from "Ato-B", these bikes appeal to just about anyone.

The two plan on expanding their business and hope they can share their enthusiasm for the electric bicycles with the rest of the country,s but for the time being, there is one certainty that the two have always shared: no one person can change the world, but collectively we can all push things forward.

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www.miamisunpost.com • The SunPost • Thursday, April 15, 2010 • Page 11

EARTH ON THE COVER, THIS PAGE AND THE FOLLOWING PAGES: LOCAL ARTISTS ARE INSPIRED BY EARTH DAY 2010

FEST2010 COVER STORY

Written by Michael W. Sasser

South Florida Celebrates the 40th Anniversary of Earth Day Thousands of South Floridians are expected to take part in the 2010 installment of Earth Fest at Key Biscayne’s Crandon Park on Sunday, April 18.

“We’ve consistently had 5,000 people come through but there is a lot more talk about the event and we have done a lot more about it in electronic media this year so we could have twice that many,” said Mario M. Yanez, founder and director of Earth Learning, the primary sponsoring organization.

“Hopefully it doesn’t get so large that it loses its personal feel.”

That personal feel is key to Earth Fest, which is itself more than an annual event that this year also recognizes the 40th anniversary of Earth Day. “We don’t consider it just an event,” Yanez said. “We want to make it very different. We’re modeling sustainability throughout the event and from the music to the food to the workshops and vendors, everything says something about higher consciousness.”

Earth Fest was launched in 2007 just four years after the founding of Earth Learning.

Earth Learning was established to “create a space for discussion of sustainability issues,” Yanez said.

“There was some environmental education out there but nothing that addressed deeply the core issues,” Yanez said. The organization was aimed at addressing the deep issues of

consciousness in relation to more pragmatic initiatives related to sustainability and other “Green” movements. Earth Learning evolved to a focus on local food sources, growing and sustainability.

“It’s something that is near and dear to my heart because I have been organically farming since 1996,” Yanez said.

Earth Learning’s official mission statement is: “To sustain a learning community dedicated to widening the circle of discourse toward an all-inclusive community of life in our bioregion through: Growing sustainable practices, livelihoods, and lifestyles; evolving sustainable learning initiatives; and facilitating social entrepreneurs and ventures.

In conjunction with partners and with Miami-Dade County Parks, the main themes of Earth Learning will be well incorporated into Earth Fest. Workshops related to organic gardening, mind, body and soul (meditation, yoga, etc), food and earth and nature are scheduled throughout the event.

“There are some workshops that are very practical and some others that are very consciousness oriented,” Yanez said.

Performances presented by Expand the Love are diverse as well, with performances by The Heavy Pets, Soulflower and many others. In terms of sound and lyrics, Please see Culture on page 20

Calendar WHAT TO DO IN MIAMI THIS WEEK

EDDIE PALMIERI

Page 14 • Thursday, April 15, 2010 • The SunPost • www.miamisunpost.com

SAVE THE DATE:

April 16

FESTIVAL Newport Guitar Fest Considered to be the world’s largest modern guitar festival, Newport Guitar Festival opens this weekend with a full slate of guitar related events. Headlining the fest are Ed King, Lynyrd Skynyrd’s original guitarist and composer of Sweet Home Alabama, and Muriel Anderson, one of the world’s foremost guitarists.

Live performances, seminars, trade show and exhibition. $20 - $50. Hard Rock Live, 1 Seminole Way, Hollywood. For info: newportguitarfestival.com or 954327-7625.

April 16

MUSIC Jazz Roots Featuring the legendary Eddie Palmieri, Michel Camilo and Alfredo Rodriguez, three of the greatest living Latin Jazz pianists.

8pm. $25-$125. Adrienne Arsht Center for the Performing Arts, 1300 Biscayne Blvd. Miami. For info: arshtcenter.org

April 16

SPORT Superboat Grand Prix Super speed boats will race the waters off Miami Beach, when the 20th Annual Miami Super Boat Grand Prix hits town this weekend. Spend time with the boats and drivers at a meet and greet on Friday at Bicentennial Park. Then, on Saturday, cheer them on at the starting line outside the Fountainbleau. Free. Bicentennial Park, 1075 Biscayne Blvd; Miami. For info: superboat.com

April 16

FILM Sicilian Film Fest Brought to Miami by Sicillian artist and man about town, Emanuele Viscuso, the festival showcases the quality of Sicilian cinema and culture.

25 films will be shown over a 6 nights culminating in an awards ceremony at Viscuso's home, Villa Viscuso. The fun kicks off with an opening night party with wines from Sicily and author GianFranco Cammarata at Segafredo, 500 Española Way, Miami Beach. Festival fee is $7 MBC members, $10 non. 6pm. Miami Beach Cinematheque, 512 Española Way; Miami Beach. For info: mbcinema.com

SATURDAY, APRIL 17

LOWE ART FACULTY EXHIBITION THE UNIVERSITY OF MIAMI LOWE ART MUSEUM WILL OPEN WITH A FACULTY EXHIBITION, WILLIAM CARLSON: AQUILA NON CAPIT MUSCAS. THE EXHIBIT WILL SHOWCASE THE WORK OF INTERNATIONAL GLASS ARTIST AND UM ART DEPARTMENT PROFESSOR, WILLIAM CARLSON. CARLSON CREATES LAMINATED SCULPTURES THAT INCORPORATE MATERIALS RANGING FROM GLASS OF HIS OWN MAKING, TO BITS AND BANDS OF COMMERCIALLY PRODUCED SAFETY GLASS AND VITROLITE, AS WELL AS A WIDE VARIETY OF GRANITES. ADDRESSING HIS CONCERN WITH ISSUES OF INTERIOR SPACE, GEOMETRY, TEXTURE, AND COLOR, CARLSON IS WIDELY CONSIDERED ONE OF THE MOST IMPORTANT FIGURES IN THE STUDIO GLASS MOVEMENT. THE EXHIBIT WILL RUN THROUGH JUNE 6, 2010. LOWE ART MUSEUM, 1301 STANFORD DRIVE, CORAL GABLES. FOR INFO 305-284-3535 OR LOWEMUSEUM.ORG.

WILLIAM CARLSON, CONTUNDO.

April 16

ART BY DZINE

MUSIC Cool Jazz Jazz Prodigy, Esperanza Spalding will sing and play her double upright bass as part of Miami Dade Community College's Cultura del lobo Series. Spalding has been feted by President Obama and songwriter Stevie Wonder, called the coolest person ever by David Letterman, is the youngest ever faculty member at Berklee College of Music and has released 2 albums. All this, by the young age of 26. 8pm. $18-$22. Colony Theatre, 1040 Lincoln Rd., Miami Beach. For info: 305-237-3010 or mdc.edu/culture

April 17

ART Fifties Fabulosity

Local Ft. Lauderdale artist Danny Brito will create a vintage art space when he transforms Pink Ghost Boutique into a fifties retro living room. This is all to showcase his newest series inspired by a blend of kitschy, retro and the 1950’s.

Live DJ, cupcakes and coffee. Get into the moment and head over in your coolest fifties gear. Free. 7pm. Pink Ghost Hollywood, 1888 Polk St; Hollywood.

For info: pinkghost.net

April 17

PARADE Gay Pride Iraq War veteran Lt. Dan Choi and actress Sharon Gless lead this year's Gay Pride Parade down Ocean Drive. Gay Pride is an exciting all-day event featuring the parade, a Festival with musical performances, and an Expo with LGBT-friendly vendors and businesses, refreshments and food. 12-8pm. Ocean Drive, Miami Beach. For info: miamibeachgaypride.com

April 17 LEFT: THE RAINBOW FLAG OF GAY PRIDE. ABOVE: CHITA RIVERA HITS THE FILLMORE.

BOOKS Nereo Images Colombia's most famous photographer, Nereo López Meza, has spent sixty of Please see Calendar on page 16 www.miamisunpost.com • The SunPost • Thursday, April 15, 2010 • Page 15

Calendar WHAT TO DO IN MIAMI THIS WEEK

his eighty six years working for his country's best newspapers and magazines, traveling around the world with personalities such as Gabriel García Márquez and Pope Paul IV, and capturing presidential visits to Colombia by John F. Kennedy and Richard Nixon. His first book published outside Colombia, Nereo: Images from Half a Century is a perfect introduction to the works of this master photographer. He will be at Books and Books to discuss his work and sign copies. 7pm Free. Books & Books, 265 Aragon Ave., Coral Gables. For info: booksandbooks.com

April 17

CHARITY Aids Walk The 22nd Annual AIDS Walk Miami, a 5K (3.1 mile) walk-a-thon fundraiser benefiting Care Resource, South Florida's oldest and largest HIV/AIDS community organization will take place this weekend. The Grand Marshall this year is Burn Notice star, Jeffrey Donovan. Registration at 8:15am.

Walk at 9am. Post Walk Celebration 10am. Miami Beach Convention Center, 1901 Convention Center Drive, Miami Beach. For info: kintera.org

April 18

MUSIC Gospel Sundays Multiple Grammy Award nominee and Stellar Award winner, Vanessa Bell Armstrong will be the featured vocalist at Gospel Sundays at Knight Concert Hall.

Armstrong is on the forefront of bringing R&B styling to modern contemporary Gospel. She will be joined by New Shiloh Missionary Baptist Choir and the Free Gospel Sunday's Mass Choir. 4pm. Free. Knight Concert Hall, 1300 Biscayne Blvd; Miami. For info: arshtcenter.org

April 18

COMEDY Harland Williams Hilarious Canadian comedic chameleon, Harlen Williams will hit Miami for a special 3-night comedy fest. Williams has been in a slew of comedic roles including a hitchhiking serial killer, pee-drinking cop, a goofball astronaut and a horse killing stoner to name a few. He has also done the late night rounds, appearing on Letterman, Leno, Conan and has also done solo stand up comedy for HBO, Comedy Central, CTV, and CBC. $21.40. 8:30pm. Miami Improv, 3390 Mary St. #182 | Miami. For info: 305-441-8200 or miamiimprov.com RIGHT: HARLAND WILLIAMS. ABOVE RIGHT: DANNY BRITO, FLORIDA. FAR ABOVE: METAL SCULPTURE AT MOMA

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SHARON GLESS

April 19

PERFORMANCE Chita Rivera Brought to miami by nightlife empressaro, Edison Farrow, two-Time Tony Award winner Chita Rivera will perform songs from her legendary Broadway career in her own concert Chita Rivera: My Broadway this weekend. Rivera will be accompanied by an 11-piece orchestra, led by musical director Michael Croiter, and will perform selections from her most celebrated musicals, including numbers from West Side Story, Sweet Charity, Chicago, Kiss of the Spider Woman, Bye, Bye, Birdie and The Rink, and featuring the music of Leonard Bernstein and Cy Coleman among others. 8pm. Fillmore Miami Beach at the Jackie Gleason Theater, 1700 Washington Ave; Miami Beach. For info: Ticketmaster.com or sobesocialclub.com

April 20

MUSIC Caetano Veloso Brought to Miami by the Rhythm Foundation, Caetano Veloso is a pop musician/poet/filmmaker/political activist whose stature in the pantheon of international pop musicians is on a par with that of Bob Dylan, Bob Marley, He is also charged with being a pioneer of Brazil's Tropicalismo movement of the 1960s. $31.50-$76.50. 8pm. The Fillmore Miami Beach, 1700 Washington Ave; Miami Beach.

For info: rhythmfoundation.org or livenation.com

April 21

ART Metals from Haiti Metal sculptures by artists Serge Jolimeau and Michée Ramil Remy will be on view at Museum of Contemporary Art through May 30, 2010. The artists, who live and work in Jacmel, Haiti, follow a long tradition of metalwork in their country, using hammers and chisels to transform metal oil drums into objects relating to natural elements of the Caribbean. Among the works included in the MOCA exhibition are the original artworks by both artists for the 2009 Clinton Global Citizen Awards, which are on loan from the Office of President Clinton.

The exhibition opening coincides with the Clinton Global Initiative University, a meeting for more than 1,000 college students who want to make a difference, which will be held at the University of Miami April 1618. Museum of Contemporary Art, 770 NE 125th Street, North Miami. For info: 305.893.6211 or mocanomi.org

411

Maryel Epps and Dan Sehres having fun at Maryel Epps Birthday Party

Kathy and Maryel Epps at Maryel’s Birthday Party at Bar 721

Julie Anne, Bar 721 bartender and her boyfriend Jean Carlos

Chris Lieto at the Nautica South Beach Triathlon

Carlos and Eves at Bar 721

DJ Irie, Jerry Powers & Rich Santilesis at the Model Beach Volleyball Tourney

Dan Sehres, Marie Claire, Jonathan and an out of town friend at Bar 721

Heather Tom at Bike Start of the Triathlon

Rick Delgado, Michael Malone, DJ Irie, Olivia Ormos & Marko Gojanovic at the Volleyball Tourney

Natalie Morales at Swim Start of the Triathlon

Olivia Ormos & Geoff Stults at the Model Beach Volleyball Tourney

Geoff Stults, Rick Fox, Eliza Dushku and Ali Vincent at the Nautica South Beach Triathlon

Jenny Fletcher & Laurel_Wassner at the Triathlon

www.miamisunpost.com • The SunPost • April 15, 2009 • Page 17

The 411

Naomi Wilzig and Sir Richard Branson at At the World Erotic Art Museum

Amanda Fernandez-Leon, Tara Solomon & Monica Benitez at the Gustav Calix Exhibit

Scott Stapp singing at the Marlins home opener

COLUMN

Fashion Fetes and Celebs, Celebs, Celebs

By Mary Jo Almeida-Shore maryjoshore@miamisocialholic.com Photos by Mary Jo Almeida-Shore

A DREAMY COLLECTION AT CASA DE LOS SUENOS Ferdie Pacheco with Michael Aller

Artist Alexis Rodriguez-Duarte, Caturo, & Torres at the Calix Gustav's Exhibit

Thursday night, JR and Loren Ridinger opened up their North Bay Road estate, Casa De Los Suenos, for the premier of Loren Ridinger’s stunning jewelry collection. The trunk show showcased the jewelry for the first time since its creation. The event featured a fun yet sophisticated gathering of friends of the Ridingers, many of whom happen to be celebrities, who have been fans of the line even before the trunk show and have been wearing and promoting it.

Some fans of Loren jewels (pronounced as in Sophia Loren) include: Eva Longoria, Jennifer Lopez, the Kardashians, Paulina Rubio, Alejandro Sanz, Marc Anthony, and Joel Madden to name a few. According to Loren Ridinger, “The collection was made from a desire to give someone a way to wear beautiful jewels for anytime of day and includes pieces that can be worn with casual or formal clothing. My pieces are simple yet bold designs that are gorgeous!

It’s kind of exploded before I got a chance to show it!” Among the hundred + VIPs at the trunk show: Alejandro Sanz and Raquel Perera, Khloe and Kourtney Kardashian, Giselle Blondet, Travis McCoy- of the group Gym Class Heroes, Paulina Rubio and Nicolas Vellejo-Najera, Kamal Hotchandani, Carol and Marc Iacovelli and Alicia Piazza.

ETRO AND NEW WORLD SYMPHONY Also on Thursday evening, Etro, the luxury ready-to-wear and lifestyle brand, hosted an exclusive cocktail at the brand’s flagship boutique in the Village of Merrick Park where the evening’s proceeds raised more than $11,000 to benefit the New World Symphony. A stylish crowd gathered in the colorful, brightly-lit shop Anette Lopez & Chris Hughes at Calix Gustav's Sticky & Sweet Exhibit

Page 18 • Thursday, April 15, 2010 • The SunPost • www.miamisunpost.com

for the event which was hosted by the New World Symphony’s top donors Adam Carlin, Arin Maercks, Clara Sredni, Jennifer Stearns Buttrick and Lourdes Jofre-Collett, to preview Etro’s Spring/Summer 2010 and runway collections and enjoy a performance by the Fellows of New World Symphony. Additional attendees included Channin Carlin; socialite and wife of host Adam Carlin; Christina Getty Maercks, socialite and wife of Arin Maercks; Evelyn Lozado, reality star on VH1’s Basketball Wives; Jessica Rae Anderson, celebrity stylist; Maria Buccellati, wife to Andrea Buccellati and heiress to the famed Buccellati Jewelers and publicists, Nick D’Annunzio and Tara Solomon. The evening was highlighted with a live quartet performed by the Fellows of the New World Symphony. Additional attractions included live models presenting the season’s must-haves

COMING UP: HATS OFF TO MICHAEL CAPPONI Michael Capponi invites a thousand of his closest friends to journey down the rabbit hole on Friday night for his 38th birthday extravaganza. This year’s theme: Alice in Wonderland’s Mad Hatter. The private party will take place on Star Island and will benefit the United Way. Check back next week for party photos and all the details.

TOTS WORK THE RUNWAY AT HUGS AND KISSES Step aside, Bundchen, Moss, and Klum, some of South Florida’s philanthropic residents (many under the age of 18) will be strutting

Loren Ridinger premieres a new jewelry line

Lana Bernstein & Frederic Dechnik

their stuff on the runway for a good cause! The Miami Children’s Hospital Foundation’s Community Council will present the 11th Annual Hugs & Kisses Fashion Show on Sunday, April 18 at The Ritz Carlton Coconut Grove (3300 SW 27 Avenue). Fifty local children from newborns to 18-year-olds, along with some of their proud parents, grandparents, and friends, will model looks from Dadeland Mall. As part of the event program, seven local students who have made philanthropic contributions to the community will be honored with the Foundation’s Third Annual “I Make a Difference” Award. Model registration begins at 9:30 a.m. and the silent auction, gourmet lunch, fashion show and awards ceremony begin at 10:30 a.m. Individual tickets are priced at $150 for adults and $25 for children 16 and under. Tickets must be purchased prior to the event. All proceeds directly benefit Miami Children’s Hospital Foundation, whose sole mission is to create awareness and generate funds for Miami Children’s Hospital, the only licensed specialty hospital in South Florida exclusively for children. For seat, sponsorship information and tickets contact Morgana Rolle at mrolle@mchf.org or 786.624.2038.

PINK AND BLUE FOR TWO AT THE RALEIGH Olivia Newton-John will host a fundraising event along with Dr. Ernie Bodai (creator of the USPS Breast Cancer Stamp) to raise funds for breast and prostrate cancer research. "Pink and Blue for Two: Screen Together, Liv Together" (the “e” in “Liv” is omitted intentionally as it is short for “Olivia” and is the name of her outreach organization) will take place on Thursday, April 22 at 7 p.m. at the Raleigh Hotel in South Beach (1775 Collins Avenue). Michael Valdes, the director of this inaugural event, promises a spectacular evening. "I have known the Newton-John family for almost 20 years and I am honored to be a part of this historic evening". Jon Secada will be performing songs from his new CD, Elaine Lancaster will DJ and Emerson Newton-John, the founder of Full Speed To A Cure, will round out the entertainment. General admission tickets cost $250 for an open bar, full dinner, and Grammy award winning entertainment. There are also opportunities to purchase general tables, VIP tables, private cabanas and even a private reception with Olivia herself in her penthouse suite (which will only be limited to 60 people). Tickets are available on www.pinkandbluefortwo.com

Kourtney and Khloe Kardashian with Loren Ridinger

CELEBRITY SIGHTINGS:

Camacho, with Loren and JR Ridinger

rant and how he used to work there as a bus boy when he lived in Miami.

On Saturday night, Q-Tip celebrated his birthday with a few of his closest friends at LIV and WALL including Janet Jackson, Leonardo DiCaprio, Bar Refaeli, Busta Rhymes, and Erykah Badu.

Food Network Star, Ingrid Hoffmann also celebrated her birthday on Saturday at SET, where Tommy Pooch and Alan Roth hosted a huge birthday blowout, complete with chocolate cake created by Michelle Berstein. On Sunday, Hoffman served as celebrity judge at the American Heart Association’s Heart of a Chef benefit at the Museum of Science.

Also on Saturday, Jeffrey Donovan of Burn Notice attended Temptation Cabaret at the Seminole Hard Rock Café and Casino.

Daredevil/ Virgin Atlantic Mogul, Sir Richard Branson stopped

by The World Erotic Art Museum and enjoyed a tour by WEAM owner Naomi Wilzig. Bran was so enchanted with the scope and depth of the museum, he promised to come back with his wife.

Recording industry giant, Clive Davis had dinner at Barton G. the Restaurant.

Sunday’s Nautica South Beach Triathlon featured participants such as: Natalie Morales, Eliza Dushku, Rick Fox, and Andy Baldwin.

Over the weekend, Gabrielle Union was seen drinking Pinot Grigio at Sunset Lounge at Mondrian with five of her girlfriends.

On Wednesday afternoon, Italian fine jewelry designer Roberto Coin made a personal appearance at Saks Fifth Avenue Dadeland.

On Wednesday evening, Ferdie Pacheco, legendary fight doctor of Muhammad Ali, launched his 30th book Tales from the 5th St. Gym offering photos and chronicles of the local landmark at El Scorpion Mexican Kitchen & Tequila Bar, which coincidentally is located just off of 5th street in Miami Beach.

Jeremy Shockey and Mickey Rourke attended the Fashion Art Ball Announcement Party benefiting Cystic Fibrosis at Phillipe on Thursday night. According to our source, the pair were “worked” the adjacent table of 18 women having a bachelorette party who were more than happy to play along dancing and taking pictures.

Kourtney Kardashian’s beau, Scott Disick was spotted at the Viceroy on Friday afternoon stepping out of a blue Porsche Panamera. Our spy says his left hand was wrapped in white bandages.

At the Marlins home opener last Friday night, April 9th, Creed frontman singer/songwriter Scott Stapp sang the 2010 Marlins theme song Marlins Will Soar. The new song was an unexpected treat for the crowd, who roared with excitement over hearing it. Longtime friend of the Stapps, marketing guru, Allison Weiss Brady, helped to facilitate the Malins/Stapp collaboration.

Also on Friday Kate Hudson left the Barbie Retrospective at Alchemist hosted by Chrome Hearts and Oribe on Lincoln Road arm in arm with Elaine Lancaster, South Beach’s own gorgeous, giant, living, breathing, Diva Barbie (which some may consider more of a “Ken in Drag”). The two dashed-off in a cream colored Bentley. Later that evening Kate was spotted at Coco De Ville dancing at her VIP table. Our favorite “Superbad” star, Christopher Mintz aka McLovin (LOL), was also at Coco living it up with an entourage of about 15 friends.

Mickey Rourke and girlfriend Anastassija Makarenko stopped by to visit long time friend and restaurateur Shareef Malnik on Friday night for a personal tour of the newly reopened Forge Restaurant | Wine Bar. During his visit Malnik and Rourke told stories of his past visits to the restauKate Hutson, Lisa Almy & Elaine Lancaster at the Chrome Hearts event

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COVER STORY

Earth Fest cont’d from page 13 performances too offer a subtle contribution to the consistent message of the day’s activities.

World Café will feature dialogs on local movements related to alternative energy, local foods, sustainable community design and transition initiatives.

Numerous community groups and vendors will also be on hand.

“All foods are vegetarian/vegan to make the statement that you can go out for the day, have a great time, and have good food without eating flesh,” Yanez said. “We have great food vendors who for the most part, but locally and organically.”

Earth Fest will also include a Healing Arts tent and Yanez said that there would be nature hikes in the scenic park.

The occasion will also feature the first open planning stage of a proposed Community Food Summit to be initiated in July. According to its organizers, the outcome of the Summit “will be a cooperatively-developed Local Foods Action Plan for strengthening and expanding the local food system within the framework of a regional foodshed. The Action Plan will serve as vehicle for forming alliances, joint venture businesses, and fund-raising strategies to enhance the production, processing, storage, distribution, marketing, and consumption of foods sustainably grown in the Greater Everglades region.

A major focus of the Summits and resulting Action Plan will be to develop proven systems for providing fresh, healthy, affordable local foods to all residents, especially those most in need.”

Yanez said that additional planning meetings would be held after Earth Fest prior to the July summit.

Despite the focused concentration on core issues of sustainability, Yanez said that Earth Fest is intended to be a good time with people able to “take their masks off and be themselves.”

“It’s a very laid back day,” he said. “People can hang out, bring blankets, listen to music, network with community groups – and just have a good time with a good feeling.”

Miami’s Marc Dietrich said he intends to attend Earth Fest for the first time this year.

“A friend told me about it and I love anything to do with locally grown food products so I’m really interested in that,” Dietrich said. “I’m not interested in the whole earth deification, global warming, collectivist thing but its important and healthy to support local grown food products.”

Joanna Palmer has attended Earth Fest before and said she enjoys it.

“It’s like going into a different world for a little while and it’s a lot of fun with really nice people,” Palmer said. “I’ve learned some stuff in the past, but mostly I’ve been kind of inspired to adapt some things in my own real life.”

Earth Fest takes places from noon to Sundown on Sunday, April 18 at Crandon Park, North Beach entrance at 6767 Crandon Boulevard on Key Page 20 • Thursday, April 15, 2010 • The SunPost • www.miamisunpost.com

Biscayne. Admission is free; park parking is $6. There is free bike valet service by Green Mobility Network. Visitors are encouraged to bring concert blanket/portable chair, re-usable water bottles, drum/instrument for drum circle and electronics and computer equipment to recycle. Animal companions are not permitted.

For more information visit www.earth-learning.org.

EARTH DAY EVENTS AROUND SOUTH FLORIDA EARTH DAY EVERYDAY WHEN: Saturday April 17 TIME: 9 a.m. to 6:30 p.m.

WHERE: Hugh Taylor Birch State Park, 3109 E. Sunrise Blvd. Ft. Lauderdale.

WHY: Speakers all day and booths with great, local environmentalists and conservationists.

ADMISSION: regular park admission, $6/ car, $2/ pedestrian EARTH MIAMI ON JUNGLE ISLAND WHEN: April 17-18 WHERE:1111 Parrot Jungle Trail, Miami.

WHY: Two-day festival commemorates Earth Day with eco-tours a local horticulturist, recycle animal sculpture display by South Florida schools, interactive eco-conscious activities and stations ADMISSION: $20 when you bring a can or bottle to recycle MORE INFO: Call (305) 400-7000 or JungleIsland.com BAYNANZA BISCAYNE BAY CLEANUP DAY WHEN: Saturday, April 17 TIME: 9 a.m to noon WHERE: Legion Park, 6447 NE 7th Avenue, Miami.

WHY: The biggest shoreline cleanup in Dade County. Free T-shirts, water and soda’s. Lots of fun for the kids, while teaching them about the environment. A special picnic for the cleanup crew is hosted by the event organizers, John Guthrie and Joe Rambdial who have been cleaning up Legion Park for the last ten years. Bring workgloves, sunscreen, repellant, hat and comfortable closed shoes.

ADMISSION: Free MORE INFO: For other Baynanza locations miamidade.gov/derm EARTHFEST 2010 WHEN: Sunday, April 18th, TIME: 12 to 6 p.m.

WHERE: Crandon Park Visitors & Biscayne Nature Center, 6767 Crandon Blvd. Key Biscayne.

WHY: Celebrates 40th anniversary of Earth Day. Includes performances by Expand the Love and hands-on nature workshops on organic gardening, every child outdoors, raw food preparation, yoga and deep ecology. Must bring concert blanket or portable chair.

ADMISSION: regular park entrance, $6/ person MORE INFO: Call 305-323-8858 EARTH DAY AT THE BARNACLE WHEN: Sunday, April 18th, TIME: 11 a.m.

WHERE: The Barnacle State Park, 3485 Main Highway, Coconut Grove.

WHY: The Barnacle's Earth Day celebration includes displays from earth-friendly businesses, arts and crafts, games and live music.

ADMISSION: $2 for adults and children ages 6 and up.

MORE INFO: Call 305-442-6866 or floridastateparks.org

Health COLUMN

Being Me Smoke-Free

By Jennifer fragoso

CELEBRATING EARTH DAY, A PANEL DSICUSSION WHEN: Wednesday, April 21 TIME: 7 p.m.

WHERE: MOCA, the Museum of Contemporary Art of North Miami WHY: Jonathan and Yair Marcoschamer of Ecoist, Paloma Teppa of Plant the Future and furniture designer Facundo Poj are all Wynwood-based designers and merchants who incorporate sustainable design in their work. Moderated by Ilana Sod. ADMISSION: Free MORE INFO: moca.org IV HISPANIC EARTH DAY CELEBRATION WHEN: Thursday, April 22 TIME: 8:00pm to 11:45pm WHERE: Solare Garden, the Eco-Courtyard located in Doral.

WHY: Great music, food, participate in “green” activities and learn about the many solutions to the environmental issues we are facing. Latin Music, Raffles and prizes, Green products and practices information.

ADMISSION: Free MORE INFO: 786-253-3664 MIAMI GOING GREEN WHEN: Saturday, April 24 TIME: 10 a.m. to 7 p.m.

WHERE: Bayfront Park, 301 Biscayne Blvd, Miami WHY: The team onboard the Bahamas to U.S. Solar-Powered Crossing expedition will arrive to Bayfront Park. Also, dozens of local vendors and green organizations will be there.

ADMISSION: free

Name: Jennifer Fragoso Age: 38 Years smoking: 23 SMOKE FREE: Six Weeks

WEEK 7: TESTING, TESTING ONE, TWO, THREE Now that I feel like I’m becoming a bit more neurosis free I’m letting loose a little.

Venturing out a bit more and having the occasional drink now that Lent is over. (Hallelujah!) But alas freedom comes with a price and right now that price is watching other people partake in the pleasure that was once mine-- ALL MINE. I see women and men breathing in the toxic fumes I once relished. I see it all around me in the clubs and on the street and vacillate between being affected by my former nemesis or rising above temptation. It is as if good ol’ Chaz is sitting on my shoulder, parliament in between his lips, blowing smoke in face saying, “hmmm, think you are all better now—huh!” This kind of taunting derailed me so many times before that I am still a little apprehensive when I’m in a room filled with smokers. While I was out last week, surrounded by smokers, I couldn’t help but hear my favorite ABBA tune, “Waterloo”. Sipping on a glass of champagne, the lyrics played over and over in my head, “Waterloo- Couldn’t escape if I wanted to, Waterloo-Knowing my fate is to be with you, Waterloo- Finally facing my Waterloo”. There you have it –a perfect summation of how I’m feeling wrapped up in the lyrics of an ABBA song.

“Waterloo”, a metaphor for life, much like the rest of the ABBA catalogue, is to date the best way to describe what it is like to be me smoke-free. No matter how I try to keep the world at bay there it is all around me everyday. The real test is how to face these daily demons rather than run from them. The real test is to sit in a smoke filled room without flinching and to be me smoke-free disregarding others around me.

MIAMI BEACH FUN RUN AND EXPO WHEN: Sunday, April 25 TIME: 9:30 a.m Race starts at 10 a.m.

WHERE: Lincoln Road Beach Entrance WHY: a Family Fun Run event on the beach at Lincoln Road and an expo on Euclid Circle following the run.

ADMISSION: $5 LET’S RE-TAKE OUR PLATES FILM SERIES WHEN: April 16-23 WHERE: Locations across South Florida WHY: This is your best chance to watch some of the best and newest documentaries showcasing what really goes into your food and how much damage we’re doing to our planet. Documentaries include No Impact Man, The Garden, Food Inc, ADMISSION: $5-$7

www.miamisunpost.com • The SunPost • April 15, 2010 • Page 21

Cinema COLUMN

The Swedish Invasion

By Ruben Rosario

For a movie lover, few pleasures match the discovery of a new talent. The thrill that comes from witnessing the arrival of a previously unknown filmmaker or performer to the international scene gives goose bumps to even the most jaded cinemaniac.

That’s the feeling I got when I saw the lovely and captivating Noomi Rapace command the screen as badass computer hacker Lisbeth Salander in the taut, thoroughly gripping mystery thriller The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo. To call her work a star-making performance would not do it justice. This one’s a supernova.

The film, which follows Salander as she spies on, then teams up with disgraced journalist Mikael Blomkvist (Daniel Auteil lookalike Michael Nyqvist) to solve the forty-year-old disappearance of a 16-year-old girl on a remote island, is actually an adaptation of the first volume in Swedish author Stieg Larsson’s bestselling Millennium trilogy. Danish director Niels Arden Oplev, who made the film for Swedish TV, opts for a no-frills approach to Larsson’s byzantine plot, and I was impressed at how cohesive the narrative remains throughout its brisk two-and-a-half-hour running time.

The film’s breakneck pace somewhat helps compensate for the familiarity of the story. (It plays like Prime Suspect as reimagined by David Fincher, and I thought of this before I found out he will be spearheading the inevitable American remake.) In fact, the suspects, who are members of a wealthy family of capitalists with a shady past, are the least interesting aspect of this ripping yarn. What sets The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo apart is Rapace’s character arc, which includes a controversial rape sequence that, while disturbing, is instrumental to understanding Salander’s motivation to make the transition from voyeur to do-gooder. Rapace, her bad-girl posturing reminiscent of the young Gina Gershon, takes hold of the demanding role with feral aplomb. She turns Lisbeth Salander into the coolest crime chick the genre has seen since Jackie Brown drove off into the sunset.

Another name from ABBA-land who finds himself on my radar is wunderkind director Lukas Moodysson, who rocked my world back in 2001 with Together, his tender portrait of a hippie commune circa 1975. Since then, however, his career has taken a weird, increasingly dispiriting turn into Bleaksville with the sex-slave tale Lilja 4-Ever and the amateur-porn downer A Hole in My Heart.

With Mammoth, his evocative English-language debut, Moodysson attempts to recapture the magic of his earlier work, which also includes the lesbian-themed coming-of-age drama Show Me Love. He doesn’t quite pull it off, but the film, which stars Gael García Bernal and Michelle Williams and was barely released in theaters last fall, has more than enough going for it to make it worth a rental when it comes out on DVD next Tuesday.

Give Moodysson points for ambition. Mammoth spans three countries and features a solid multi-ethnic cast that fits well into the filmmaker’s naturalistic approach. García Bernal plays Leo Vidales, the owner of a popular gaming website who travels from New York to Bangkok to sign a lucrative contract, leaving behind Ellen, his ER surgeon wife of six years (Williams, deeply moving), Jackie, their seven-year-old daughter, and Gloria, their resourceful Filipino live-in nanny. Moodysson crosscuts between Leo’s soul searching in Thailand, Ellen’s growing realization that she is becoming a stranger to Jackie, and the obstacles that Gloria’s sons face back in the Philippines.

If the concept of globe-spanning cultural connections gives you déjà vu, that’s because Mammoth treads similar ground covered by Alejandro González Iñárritu in Babel, his Oscar-winning foray into globalization. But whereas González Iñárritu’s take on the subject is more issue-driven, Moodysson’s worldview is more organic, and his laid-back curiosity extends to the supporting characters, like when he eavesdrops on a trio of chatty prostitutes comparing notes as to which country has the worst johns.

Moodysson fares less well when he tries to spell out the film’s central irony. Leo and Ellen spend the bulk of the film apart, and they keep missing each other on the phone. Instead of making their relationship feel more authentic, though, the lengthy voicemails they leave each other feel like a screenwriter’s heavy-handed conceit. We get it: this brave new world of interconnectedness has only alienated them even further. Mammoth is at its best when Moodysson just sits back and watches. His insight into the ebb and flow of a 21st Century family stays with you.

Page 22 • Thursday, April 15, 2010 • The SunPost • www.miamisunpost.com

Food Gibralter Rocks

By Marguerite Gil (megs@famae.org) Here’s a recipe for success. Take 1 heaping measure of waterfront dining, spiced up with a twist of elegance, a generous helping of innovation and an overflowing spoonful of deliciousness and what have you got? Gibraltar at Grove Isle. Formerly known as Baleen, this dining-by-the-bay destination recently underwent a million dollars of worth major renovations. Today there is a new contemporary look to the coveted space. Gone is the assortment of monkeys that accented the previous décor. In their place, an indoor/outdoor eatery that brings signature regional cuisine to South Florida.

There is an eco-friendly atmosphere in Gibraltar, which includes a natural cork ceiling, dark rich wood floors, two hurricane proof (calibrated) glass facades which bring the outdoors into the cozy space and a lovely relaxing large dining room. At night a tray filled with numerous lit candles is suspended by invisible wires and gently floats in the middle of the room above the diners. There is a private room for members and VIP’s, a garden dining area with tables on various private levels and a romantic fire pit for snuggling on cool evenings. Service is friendly and efficient.

Executive Chef Jeffrey O’Neill makes his cuisine looks simple, but his food presentations have multiple layers of exotic flavors teeming with enjoyable textures. There is no salt or pepper on the table because the Chef doesn’t believe that you’ll need it. And in our case he was right.

We started with Mojol dates wrapped in a strip of crispy bacon. Yummy. Our waitress brought out a surprising dipping sauce for our fresh breads, made of cumin, coriander and yogurt and that too was amazing. Next, we ordered a lemony salad, mixed with slivers of grapefruit, Julienned cut cabbage and diced tomatoes. There is deepness to the Chef’s preparations that guests seem to truly appreciate. We also tried a bok-choy crudo with sliced mushrooms, asparagus, peas and carrots topped with a sprig of parsley and chives. Simple and scrumptious.

Although it wasn’t on the menu that day, Chef O’Neill prepared a Ravioli Pumpkin Tortellini in a light creamy sauce, sprinkled with nuts for my main dish. My dining partner enjoyed the hot smoked Salmon with a mustard seed crust that was accompanied by thinly cut slices of cucumber that were lightly seasoned with various herbs.

You would think that after all of that we would have stopped eating, but no. We discovered that there was still a little space in the old tummies for dessert which turned out to be a light tasting of spongy angel cake, smothered with blueberries, a dollop of freshly whipped Chantilly in a signature, blueberry juice reduction sauce ($8).

The menu is not over loaded. I counted 12 main dishes, 5 of which were based on fish and 11 soup/salad/crudo appetizers. The sides include butter potatoes with garlic ($6), peas and baby carrots with small onions and vanilla ($8) or an asparagus dish with olive oil and sea salt ($7). Gibraltar also offers specialties such as Pan Roasted Guinea Hen ($33) with braised greens, Guanciale and a golden raisin pan sauce.

Gibraltar in located in a gated community with obligatory valet parking. Although the parking fee was kept at $10, which is a bargain in the Grove area, wines will set you back some. The Wine/Champagne list is ample, but I only found one bottle (Cadonini, Pinot Grigio, Italy) for $35. All of the other bottles of reds and whites started at $50 and climbed rapidly in prices.

Gibraltar at Four Grove Isle Drive in Coconut Grove, Fla. is open seven days a week. Reservations are strongly suggested. For details visit www.groveisle.com or call (305) 857.5007.

Sex COLUMN

How Gay is Straight?

By Dr. Sonjia Kenya

If a man has sex with another man, is he gay? If a man longs to have sex with another man but never does, is he straight? Do the same answers you just considered also apply to women?

No matter what your response, you should know there is someone in Miami who disagrees with with you. I’m confident about this because I asked several folks who had several different ideas about what it means to be heterosexual, homosexual, and bisexual.

“Sex with a man one time means he’s gay,” was the unanimous opinion of three Brazilian men in their late twenties, self-identifying as heterosexual bartenders, each independently claiming to produce the best caipirinha in Miami. A girlfriend of one, also from Brazil, had a slightly different take, “If he does it once, no. But if he does it again it must be because he likes it. Twice means you’re gay.”

When I posed the same question to my friends on the beach last weekend, a completely different perspective was offered. “As long as his predominant relationship is with a woman, he’s not gay,” said a White American man visiting my neighbor. As evidence, he described his recent three year relationship with another man who was married to a woman and then emphasized the importance of educational attainment in making a determination about sexuality. “It all depends on education. The better-educated, the more you understand, " he confidently bellowed, “Not even economics is as influential because there are plenty of rich men who think it’s gay to have sex with another man, but they’re just ignorant.” My two other gay friends agreed, “It doesn’t mean he’s gay if he’s having sex with a man. He may be bi, he may be gay, but having sex with another man doesn’t make you gay. On the other hand, if a man never has sex with another man but spends his life thinking about it, he is definitely gay." Another friend who works in the resort industry and looks like he was born in the wrong body, batted his eyelashes and sang, “I’m a gay man but I could have sex with a woman anytime honey!” If that’s the case, what does it mean to be gay?

Seeking more concrete answers, I queried the always opinionated female half of my favorite married couple. As the owner of children’s school, she’s an expert at consistently providing extremely clear, if not always logical, opinions on everything (i.e.: having two kids is much easier than one). Among children and friends alike, negotiation and misinterpretation do not occur. I adore her righteousness which provides fun fuel for our friendship. But today she let me down. This question motivated an abnormally vague, totally aloof answer like nothing that’s ever slipped off her tongue, “I think people are what they say they are. If you say you’re gay, you’re gay. If you say you’re straight, or bi, or whatever, that’s what you are. So no, if a man has sex with a man, it doesn’t mean he’s gay.

Would I date him? No. But it doesn’t mean he’s gay.”

Remind me - what do the labels, gay, straight, and bisexual, mean?”

One of my best (heterosexual and platonic) girlfriends, finally provided a concrete answer.

Reflecting her early years as a criminal prosecutor in New York, “He’s gay if he’s not in jail. Sex with another man doesn’t mean he’s gay if he’s in jail but if he’s not in jail, then yes, I think sex with another man means he’s gay.” Leave it to an attorney to produce a definite response, with special conditions.

All of this contradiction led me to seek out the ultimate authority on everything. My mother, who fled to San Francisco as a hippie and raised children of different races, voiced her only possible truth: “It depends on his age.” I probed, “What’s the age limit? Over 50” Shocked at my question, Mom raised her eyebrows and exclaimed, “No, he’s gay if he’s over 20!” Oh. I naively thought people were still experimenting in their twenties, Mom. And she should know that the ‘experimental phase’ can be extended because at least a few of her female friends have ‘become’ gay after the age of fifty. The phenomenon in her circle was so common a few years ago; I seriously considered whether or not my mother was going to switch teams (she didn’t).

Despite the wildly varied opinions about what constitutes homosexuality among men, there was total consensus about what it means when a woman beds another female. Nothing. Almost everyone above used the words, “experimenting, companionship, soft, sensual, sexy, pretty, and intimate” when describing female

to female sexual interactions. Only one person defined gay women according to the same behavioral standards as men, and surprisingly, the equal opportunist was not my mother. The Brazilian girlfriend said, “If she does it once, then she’s just experimenting. But if she does it twice, it must mean she liked it. She is gay.”

So, what do these labels really mean? If members of society can’t agree about what behaviors qualify as gay, straight, or bi, perhaps these labels are causing more harm than good? That’s what the data on sexual transmitted diseases (STDs) indicates. The vast majority of STDs in major cities are spread by individuals who have discreet homosexual encounters while simultaneously engaging in public heterosexual relationships. It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to understand that those who have secret sex with members of the same gender often hide their behaviors in fear of society’s harsh labels and negative judgments.

Labels indicate value and values are quantified as good or bad. Objectivity is required to determine whether something is good or bad; yet sexuality is subjective, saturated with personal bias that’s impossible to measure. We can use objective measures to determine whether someone’s math skills, driving ability, or athletic capacity is good or bad. Objective data, such as rates of disease transmission, are used to determine that certain behaviors increase risk for bad sexual consequences – behaviors like having unprotected sex privately with members of the same sex while maintain a public marriage.

However, there is no objective way to measure whether a sexual preference is good or bad. Frequent, news-worthy events remind us that the labels we use to describe sexual preferences are antiquated, causing harm to innocent wives everywhere. How do you label Rep. Eric Massa, a married man who recently confessed to tickling his male staffers? Is there an accurate label for Larry Craig, the former senator found soliciting sex in a men’s airport bathroom? Although this married man publicly opposed same-sex marriage and expansion of the federal hate crimes law to cover anti-gay crimes, he sought illicit sex with men in a bathroom. What’s the right label for these guys? Well, several terms come to mind, none of which are sexual.

Comments: sonjia@drsonjia.com

“Sex with a man one time means he’s gay,” was the unanimous opinion of three Brazilian men in their late twenties, self-identifying as heterosexual bartenders.”

www.miamisunpost.com • The SunPost • April 15, 2010 • Page 23

Art COLUMN

Tourist Trash to Artist’s Treasure

By Thomas Quick From a distance, South Beach's famed coastline is speckled with a parade of beautiful seaside partisans and memorable waters glistening for miles on end, but with an eye for detail, it's hard to see anything beyond the scattered remnant's of an uncaring beach-goer. Litter stretches along the sands of this once charming destination and we do nothing more than stand back and watch as it becomes as disheveled as the trash that's cluttering its shores. Tessie De Felice, artist and clean coast advocate, has spent the past six years voicing her teachings of environmental cleanliness through her luring mixed media paintings that relay the powerful message of hope. An empty canvas is inspired by collections of non-degradable waste found on Miamis beaches. While shaping her pieces, De Felice overlays the scraps with a blend of pigments and resin, finding that the choice paint allows the collage to shine. The final product is nothing short of brilliant.

A diamond in the rough that conveys a profound message, begging the world to treat it's mother earth with the same dignity and respect she has blessed us with. The chaotic atmosphere of her profound piece titled "The Remains of South Beach on Any Given Monday Number 8" keeps the spectator on edge and then perplexed by the artists use of miscellaneous beach scraps; a broken sandal, a child's sand shovel, a bike chain, a fisherman's bait bag and corners of cardboard boxes pointed outward displaying what De Felice describes as a shameful accomplishment, making a point that while Egypt produced monumental pyramid's for the Pharaohs, Miami's pyramids are constructed with nothing more than improperly disposed recyclables. Her devotion to recycling has generated ideas beyond just using disposables for their picturesque qualities, but even for a paintings foundation, using old linen as apposed to canvas on selected pieces.

Although this has been a strong six year project for De Felice, her passion for art began years before in her hometown of Pescara, Italy. Having a growing interest in the arts, De Felice migrated to Naples where she studied Art History and History of Religion at the internationally acclaimed L'IstitutoUniversitarioOrientalediNapoli. Not only relying on her expertise in Art History as a frame for the illustrious works, she incorporates her philosophical and religious studies as a forethought during her creative enthusiasm, using spiritual relics and numerology in a number of her collections.

De Felice's longing for exploration and knowledge drove her to live in many prominent European cities. Some of which include Rome, Paris, and then London where she attended the noted Palladium Academy, but the creative mind found it's spark in the ever glistening lights of South Beach. Moving to the city in 1999, De Felice felt more in-tune with the area than her own hometown of Pescara, discovering new-found stimulation in every city block.

"That's what gives me inspiration." De Felice claims. "The light. The color. Every single night and every single morning I ask myself what I did so good in life to deserve this paradise." Although she says it was a former love that brought her to the city, it's easy to see it was it's charm that kept her here and over the years she has watched it mature into the ever evolving, urbane metropolis it is today. "You are now in a city that is a cosmopolitan. We Have the opera. We have the ballet. We are starting to become more educated. We have the ocean and the beach in the heart one of the most famous cities in the world and just because you don't pay, you go, you spend the time, you have to make it in to a carpet of garbage? That is the thanks you give?" De Felice exclaimed. The artist's resentment is not exclusively, but predominately directed towards some of the more ill-mannered tourists that visit the seascape, which is depicted in some of her Fellini inspired pieces (one of which illustrates Neptune with a vengeance, charging towards the shore with his trident in hand during what looks like the height of tourist season). Overall, Tessie's plan is to spawn an educated culture; a new generation of people who can respect the world they live in and with the artists popularity burgeoning nationally as well as internationally, hopes are only high for the gifted maverick. Not only has De Felice been showcased in a number of world renowned magazines, including a two page story in last years Italian Vanity Fair, but she has recently delivered a majority of her paintings to New York where they will be displayed in a showroom at the Trump Towers in the coming months.

The visionaries understanding of texture and color depth as well as her ability to conceptualize works of art with such fluid composure and serenity will nudge her a step closer to her aspirations every trip to the beach and every stroke of a brush. It is not only the beauty in the painting but in her ideas and self that will benefit her mission, guiding habitual humankind through it's next generation. A generation where we can learn to live harmoniously with Mother Earth. De Felices bright outlook on days to come leaves hope that the vivid spectrum of this world will prevail because to her, "where there is the blue of the ocean, the green of nature, and gold which is the sun, we are not dead."

For information on the artist, visit www.tessiedefelice.com Page 24 • Thursday, April 15, 2010 • The SunPost • www.miamisunpost.com

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www.miamisunpost.com • The SunPost • Thursday, April 15, 2010 • Page 25

Style COLUMN

Fashion at Work in Miami

By Jennifer Fragoso (fragosofashion@aim.com)

MUSIC AND FASHION À LA MERRICK PARK Etro, the Italian luxury brand, hosts an evening of elegant revelry benefiting The New World Symphony Orchestra in their Village of Merrick Park boutique. The private event included a live performance by Fellows of the New World Symphony and a presentation of Etro’s Spring 2010 Men’s and Women’s collections. Hosts Adam Carlin, Arin Maercks, Clara Sredni, Jennifer Stearns Buttrick and Lourdes Jofre-Collett along with many more of Miami’s notable patrons of the arts celebrated every facet of creativity last Thursday evening. From Etro’s signature paisley prints to the stirring melodies produced by the bows of NWS Fellows Claude Halter, Borami Shim, Anne Aderman and Hannah Whitehead the evening glided along like a song. Guests nibbled on hors d’oeuvres, sampled prosecco and shopped till they dropped more than $11,000 which will in turn benefit NWS. Fashion and music coming together to raise more than hemlines; Miami is indeed a beautiful place.

To view Etro’s Spring/Summer 2010 collection for yourself visit their boutique at the Village of Merrick Park in Coral Gables. Log on to www.nws.edu/give to find out how to contribute or attend NWS performances.

RECYCLE, REUSE AND REBUILD LIVES Miami Goin’ Green is hosting their 2nd annual Earth Day celebration this Saturday April 24th at Bayfront Park and has partnered with Dress for Success Miami for this year’s Fashion Forward Mini-Store. People are encouraged to bring their clean slightly worn items to either donate or exchange and the Dress for Success Miami

Page 26 • Thursday, April 15, 2010 • The SunPost • www.miamisunpost.com

Fashion Forward Mini-Store will accept any items that will help a woman re-enter the workforce. Dress for Success Miami has helped over 30,000 women during the past 15 years and you can be a part of that by going down to Bayfront Park this Saturday and recycling some of your fiercest gear. Happy Earth Day! For more information on Dress for Success Miami log on to www.dressforsuccess.org/miami or for a detailed schedule of Miami Goin’ Green Earth Day celebration log on to www.MiamiGoinGreen.com

www.miamisunpost.com • The SunPost • Thursday, April 15, 2010 • Page 27

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