The Story Matters
Calendar p.14 Take the kiddies to see Storytime Live starring The Backyardigans and the rest of the Nick gang.
Vol. XXV No. 29
August 5, 2010
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OUTSIDER ART The Highwaymen Showcase The Beauty of Florida in their Art MAYHEM P.4
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POLITICS P. 8
CALENDAR P.14
FILM P. 18
FOOD P. 18
411 P.20
GO! P. 23
BOUND P.24
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Tropical Mayhem BITS AND PIECES OF MIAMI LIFE
Miami through my iphone
Frida Kahlo Exhibit in West Palm Daniels Center For The Arts will be displaying a Traveling Exhibit featuring the incredible Mexican paintings of Frida Kahlo. Frida was married to Mexican muralist Diego Rivera but won acclaim for her own paintings, including many self-portraits. Beautiful reproductions, including life size photos of Frida will be part of the exhibit which opens on August 12th to 22nd 2010. Other Mexican and Latin artist’s original paintings will be featured as well. Free. 11am to 9pm. Daniels Center For The Arts, 700 S. Rosemary Ave. CityPlace, West Palm Beach. For info: DanielsCenterForTheArts.com
Cherry Bomb Opens Fabulous South Beach fashion boutique, Cherry Bomb will open a second location in Midtown Miami. They officially open this Saturday, August 7 with a hand picked collection of contemporary designers including Joie, Myne, Alice and Olivia, J Brand, BD Dakota, Dolce Vita and Indha. Other contemporary clothing lines featured include Gemma, Aaron Ashe, Splendid, Kendra Scott, Ella Moss, Ark & Co, Jamison, and Ali & Ro. Cherry Bomb Midtown is slated to offer clothing and accessory options that exude a sense of ease, edginess and femininity. Cherry Bomb Boutique is located at 3101 North Miami Avenue, Suite 120 in the shops of Midtown Miami. For info: 305.573.1170 or cherrybombboutique.net. Page 4 • Thursday, August 5, 2010 • SunPost Weekly • www.sunpostweekly.com
OBSCURE LANDMARKS by Ines Hegedus-Garcia - miamism.com - ines@miamism.com Many wouldn't even recognize The Boca Chita Lighthouse as a Miami landmark, and that is because you can only reach it by boat. It's part of The Biscayne National Park and was built by Mark Honeywell who owned the island until the 1940's. An amazing structure built with local coral rock that has stood the test of time (with some restorations along the way).
JOIE BOOTS, SANTO IN CHOCOLATE. $420.00
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Premarital Parenting By Dr. Sonjia Kenya
MIAMI BEACH
Sonjia@drsonjia.com How do you find your future baby’s daddy? I’ve considered this question a few hundred times since childhood and at least three thousand times since my 30th birthday. As my single days stacked up, I thought of all the possible ways to become a mother before my eggs dried up. Should I have sex with one of my cute friends and invite him to become my parenting partner? Should I get artificially inseminated with my gay best friend’s semen? Should I pay a sperm bank to get the goods from a stranger who sells his reproductive juices for extra cash? Should I adopt a kid that’s already born? Just as I began to seriously investigate these independent methods to motherhood, I found my future husband who promises to inseminate me as soon as I’m ready. This comes as a huge relief following the incident with my neighbor last year. Newly married, he advised me to freeze my eggs in order to preserve my prospects for motherhood and gave me the names of a few local clinics. Apparently the waning tick-tock of my reproductive clock alarmed everyone in the neighborhood. Even Mom said it would be okay if I brought home a baby instead of a man. Though it seems I’ve finally figured out my path to parenthood, many of my single friends are still contemplating their options. They are determined to become mothers with or without marriage and they are not alone. In 2008, 41% of newborn children in the U.S. did not have married parents. The numbers were even higher in Britain and support groups are popping up all over the world for women who decide to become mothers without a father in sight. According to one organization’s website “A Single Mother by Choice is a woman who decided to have or adopt a child, knowing she would be her child’s sole parent, at least at the outset. Typically, we are career women in our thirties and forties. The ticking of our biological clocks has made us face the fact that we could no longer wait for marriage before starting our families. Some of us went to a doctor for donor insemination or adopted. Others became pregnant and were thrilled.” When a woman decides to become pregnant without a partner, she is accepting responsibility as the primary caretaker for her future child and often knows what values and characteristics she hopes to nurture in her offspring. History has proven that a woman can raise a child alone. But biology has proven that we can’t make a child alone. Before a
woman chooses to become a solo parent, what should she look for in the potential biological father of her child? Ladies purchasing sperm from a bank get to choose the from a list of men based on their ethnicity, skin color, eye color, hair texture, height, weight, and blood type. Previous pregnancies involving the sperm donor are documented so buyers can estimate the power of potency before purchasing the goods. The donors self-report their education, profession, and medical history but I’m not so sure this technique is fool-proof. I found a sample profile from the Sperm Bank of California which indicated the donor had obtained a B.A. in Mechanical Engineering. However, in the life-goals section, the donor wrote that he hoped to obtain a B.A. in mechanical engineering one day. One of my friends is an experienced sperm buyer and she’s found similar contradictions in the donor profiles. The uncertainty about information provided by sperm banks makes her uneasy and she summarized her feelings like this, “It is one thing to know the physical characteristics but the intellectual and spiritual attributes are just as important. These guys aren’t even in a relationship with me, and I’ve already caught them lying. Does that mean his sperm may produce a little liar too?” Cost is another consideration of sperm banks. You can keep depositing cash but no matter how much you spend, emerging with a pregnancy is never guaranteed. To minimize cost and unknown characteristics of donors, many women ask friends to co-create their child. My girlfriend who’s approaching the tender of age of 40 gave birth to her ex-boyfriend’s baby last week. Without any intentions of marriage or getting back together, she decided to become pregnant before time ran out and he kindly obliged her wishes. I can relate. Before Lawman captured my heart, I also considered a booty call to an ex-boyfriend while ovulating. To be honest, I considered lots of things before Lawman, including sex with my gay best friend who still gags when he sees me naked. Many things were different before Lawman loved me. I used to think the biggest challenge of creating a child with a platonic friend is they might decide to be more involved with my kid than I wanted. But Lawman pointed out a different scenario. He said single mothers may eventually need help and feel justified turning to the same male who contributed sperm to her offspring. He explained, “Several years
Page 6 • Thursday, August 5, 2010 • SunPost Weekly • www.sunpostweekly.com
could pass before a woman demands child support from the male who donated his seeds. If it was a friendly agreement without a legal contact, a simple DNA test could obligate him to financially provide for the child.” Ouch. I always knew I would be a mother but the socially conscious part of me insisted that I didn’t need to bring another child into this world. Since tons of kids need families, adoption appeared to be the most compassionate way to become a parent. As unselfish as any mother, I also rationalized adoption as the best way to avoid packing on pregnancy pounds. One of my good friends in her early 40’s is in the process of determining what age range she wants her future child to be when they meet. She’s convinced me that her perfect child will be old enough to talk, walk, and communicate his or her needs effectively. Since it’s pretty difficult to adopt well-groomed adults, I’ve encouraged her to re-think the desired qualifications of her prospective child. Approximately 50,000 women choose to become single mothers each year, according to Mikki Morrissette, author of Choosing Single Motherhood. The reasons are different for each individual and many ladies choose to live life without becoming a mother. I wasn’t always sure I would be a good mom but a few specific experiences solidified my commitment to trying. Always a curious child, I grew up asking my single mother’s friends for life advice. I naively thought one specific question, “What is your biggest regret?” would help avoid all of life’s pitfalls. The answer changed often but I continued to ask throughout my teenage years, while mom was experiencing hot flashes and mood swings along with most of her menopausal friends. “I wish I had children when I could.” Some version of this sentiment was expressed by all of Mom’s friends who passed their child-bearing prime without becoming a mother. As some of my very own girlfriends recently began the slow approach towards menopause, they’re also echoing a remarkably similar tune. My girls are a few years older than I am and their advice reflects a little more experience: “Don’t wait for the perfect man or the right plan. Get pregnant while you can.”
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Can He Say That? COLUMN
Secrets We’d Really Like Exposed by WikiLeaks By Charles Branham-Bailey
Many journalists probably never saw this coming: A 92,000-page mammoth of a read suddenly supplanting their best beach book of the summer, whatever that was. Now on everyone’s reading list: Afghan War Diary, 2004-2010, released – er, leaked – by the online tattletale, WikiLeaks. There went their plans to relax in the sand and by the surf with Dean Koontz’s or Scott Turow’s latest – or whatever page-turner Oprah had recommended. If your dozing, lobster-red-by-now carcass has been slumped over in the lounge chair by the pool these last two weeks, allow me to bring you up to speed: Afghan War Diary is the Big Read comprising tens of thousands of soldier- and intelligence officer-written reports mainly describing military activity involving U.S. fighting forces in Afghanistan over the last six years. WikiLeaks, you might be interested to know, originates from Iceland, an island which has been making news this year with an unusual, if slightly alarming, frequency (First, that damn unpronounceable volcano that shut down air traffic, now this online snitch domain that has quickly become a nasty case of athlete’s foot between Uncle Sam’s toes.) Usually we don’t hear a peep out of Iceland or things Icelandic, which is what the Pentagon and the Obama administration wish right now was the case. The “leak” is quite a download, if you dare: 75 hard drive space-monopolizing megabytes. (Warning: While your curiosity might be all “yes! yes!” your balking computer might be more like “no! no!”) Sorry, WikiLeaks, but 92,000 reports?! I zoned out at around number 12, meaning I’ve got 91,988 to go. Shit. Well, at this rate, I should be finished just as the war in question is entering its 37th year. And President Sasha Obama is Commander-in-Chief. From my reporter’s perspective, I imagined the team of poor schmucks at The New York Times whose assignment editor instructed them to file the story on this (“I need you all to go to this site, read over those reports, make some sense of ‘em, then give me a six-column-spread write-up for page one. Get on it!”). And I’ve delightfully daydreamed what if WikiLeaks were to get their sly little cyber hands on every
secret document, report, and email from every mayor’s, city manager’s, commissioner’s, city attorney’s, and city department head’s office across the length and breadth of Miami-Dade County. We’d likely have enough sleazy, Sunshine Law-evading, slick-as-the-spilled-oil-in-the-Gulf shenanigans to read about for quite a while, the likes of which could induce jaw-dropping among even the most stoic, least-rattled local politicos, pundits, and observers. Carl Hiaasen and Fred Grimm would likely decide to give up, toss their word processors out the window, and retire from investigative journalism altogether. (“Can’t beat that WikiLeaks! They’ve revealed every public corruption and dirty politician story I only wish had been my scoops!”) These Afghan war reports (yawn) could put one to sleep. They’d make a good antidote to insomnia. But now that the nerds at WikiLeaks have shot their load – all 92,000 reports – whaddaya do for an encore? How about some suggestions? I know just how they oughta follow this. May I enthusiastically suggest that breathtakingly alluring krasavitsa, Anna Chapman? Let’s see some secrets spilled about the notorious, flame-haired, green-eyed Ruskie spy, the babelicious bombshell who was busted by the feds and spy-swapped to Russia. The sexiest she-spy since Mata Hari. Or since the TV show actually named She Spies. I’ll take 92,000 pages of that red hot femme fatale any day. Even if all they managed to dig up was as mundane as her grocery store receipts. I haven’t gotten this excited over a spy since husky-voiced Natasha Fatale (of Rocky and Bullwinkle fame) – but one can’t get too horny over a cartoon character. (If you can, I’d keep that a secret were I you. Especially from WikiLeaks. Do think about seeking professional help, okay?) But Anna’s the real flesh-and-blood thing. Woowee! If only that motley Russian spy ring she was caught up with (so clumsy at spying that their nickname is The Gang That Couldn’t Spook Straight) had waited a few weeks for the WikiLeaks leak, they could have stocked up on all the secrets they ever might have imagined toting home to Moscow and turning over to Boss Agent Boris. And just think: All the effort that would’ve been required of them – just a few easy keystrokes on a computer!
Page 8 • Thursday, August 5, 2010 • SunPost Weekly • www.sunpostweekly.com
RUSSIAN SPY, ANNA CHAPMAN
Some other suggestions of what inquiring minds might REALLY want WikiLeaks to reveal: How the hell did yahoos like Jon and Kate Gosselin get to be so famous – and for doing or achieving what, pray tell? (Anybody?) And – more scary – why does it seem this whole frickin’ country, with the exception of me, cares about them? Ditto the cast of Jersey Shore. What are Anna Chapman’s favorite purchases from the Victoria Secret catalog? And do any photos exist of her modeling them? What backroom machinations led up to the Miami City Commission’s hasty vote to approve those two skyscraper-sized electronic ad billboards for downtown, rushing a decision before any substantial public discussion could take place and despite the likelihood of the feds, the state, or the county squashing the plan while still in the nest? Will Jennifer Aniston ever find a man? (Come on over, Jen, you can cry on my shoulder anytime. Bring your toothbrush. And slippers.) What are Anna Chapman’s favorite desserts – and would any of them happen to include strawberries, say, dipped in whipped cream and drizzled with chocolate syrup, eaten off her naked chest as she lies splayed out on a satin-sheeted, rose petal-strewn bed? How did Lindsay Lohan bide her time in jail? (Bet it didn’t include reading Tolstoy’s War and Peace. Or The Thinking Person’s Guide to Sobriety.) Almost as impossible to procure as one of FDR in his wheelchair, or of JFK smoking weed, or of LBJ mounting one of his secretaries in the Oval: A pic of Obama in the Rose Garden or wherever, sneaking a smoke. And, what brand of cancer stick does our Pufferin-Chief prefer? Find out for us, WikiLeaks! What are Anna Chapman’s thoughts on the possible expansion of NATO membership for former Warsaw Pact countries and its ramifications for the future of U.S.-Russian relations? And does she ever entertain these thoughts, perchance, while sunbathing semi-nude, poolside, and sipping a piña co-
lada through a straw, as a dollop of Hawaiian Tropic is smeared over every contour of her water dropglistening anatomy? Just what the hell is up with Mel Gibson? Settle this once and for all: Is Ann Coulter really a man? I mean, her (or his) gender is wildly speculated about on the net. Even if she is an incredibly, stupendously, obnoxiously, wacky, reich-wing, bigmouthed, one-woman lunatic fringe all to herself, she’s still easy on the eyes. But a man? If anybody can clear this up, I know who can. WikiLeaks – Get on it! And while we’re on the subject of gender uncertainty, is Justin Bieber a girl or a boy? (That, too, is being speculated.) What library books did Anna Chapman check out while stateside – not so much those on international affairs and geopolitics, but, rather, any selfhelp’s like Dr. Ruth’s Guide to Good Sex and The Fine Art of Erotic Talk? How exactly does a conspiring cabal of Miami Beach civic and business leaders propose to hoist on us unsuspecting schmoes the sellout and demolition of the Jackie Gleason? Will it happen while we’re asleep or distracted? Drugged and sedated? And – once we’ve awakened from the anesthesia – does their fiendish plot call for rendering us oblivious to the fact that anything untoward ever happened at all while we were knocked out? What are Anna Chapman’s favorite movie videos – and has she, by any chance, ever viewed, say, Carmen Electra’s Aerobic Striptease? If so, would she consider posting her own attempts to master this art on YouTube? Now if you think this entire column has been nothing less than a covert excuse to coax my wonderful, adorable editor into gratuitously posting here – all for my personal satisfaction – a photo of those captivating eyes, tantalizingly-tempting lips, luscious red locks, and the bewitching face of that spy who (I only wish) loved me, why, who am I to keep a secret from you all? You’ve found me out. Guess I’m no worse at keeping a secret than Anna was. And no better at spilling one than WikiLeaks.
a
Politics COLUMN
Insect Politics Requiem for a Convention Center By Jeffrey Bradley Recently, we stumbled upon giant arthropods rampaging inside the Miami Beach Convention Center. We kid you not. Dragged within (it was dark as the inside of your pocket) by buggy kids, we stood transfixed as not one but two giant ants loomed out of the gloaming and reeled hideously as screeching sirens, shivery tinkly bells, whirling glissandos and booming bass lines thundered in apocalyptic frenzy. Channeling scenes from The Fly (“Help meee! Help meee!”), we prepared to bolt. Luckily, a companion brought us back from the brink. “It’s only Insects,‘’ she whispered. Indeed; Insects by Sarruga—a Spanish performance group maneuvers gizmos, wires and levers mounted on wheeled conveyances below the metal-framed insects to bring them to life—were on full display down in Hall B. Recovering our shock, we noticed these scary monsters, picking their way instinct with menace round that cavernous space, were trailed by hordes of grownups and children that would, in all probability, run screaming for the exits if a real palmetto bug so much as had raised an antenna. The blackness, pierced by flickering strobes that backlit the marauding bugs—they had a penchant for fighting—and the mobs dancing deliriously around them, somehow by a fluke of acoustics, swelled the cacophony supernaturally. The weird blend of audience and actor conjured up a hellish vista of insect societies cavorting with human societies in a world gone mad, where insectoid mayhem was punctuated by honking horns of destruction… <phew!> Proving, again, that some were meant to participate and others only observe. But wait. In the climactic finale, a stories-high praying mantis battled and slew a baleful spider before dividing and conquering the malevolent ants. We understood this as a riff on the Battle of Hastings, wherein Harold Godwinson, claimant to the English throne, first rushed north to defeat King Harald Hardraada, in the last Viking invasion, at Stamford Bridge, before hurrying south to meet his fate atop Senlac Hill at the hands of William the Conqueror. On such small pivots do the destinies of men and insects turn. Later, in the safety of day, we realized we couldn’t have been more astounded had the Mayor and all her Commission come scrambling from the Convention pursued by a giant arachnid. Good Ford! What a sight that would’ve been. Which segues us to the plan for a billion-dollar Convention Center. That’s right; renovations are estimated to cost around $500 million, but… when are they ever correct? By doubling that we safely cover all bases: hope for the best, but expect the worst. Not that we’re averse to parting with a buck. In fact, we love shopping, or at least spending money. We get qualms, tho’, when it comes to that kind of loot because, until we know what we’re getting, it’s better to call it gambling. In a nutshell, here’s their plan (which sounds oddly like mixing a drink): Extend building a quarter million square feet westward, swallowing Convention Center Drive and half the surface parking lot. Turn on axis until entrance fronts south along 17th Street. Garnish with furnishings, “contingencies” and a huge new parking garage… and we’ll take ours shaken, not stirred. Improvements are sorely needed, Ford knows. While we enjoyed our Hall B bug-hug, we couldn’t help notice how, well, ‘60s the place seems; cramped, dingy, with a pervasive whiff of mold accentuating a slow decay. Erected in 1957 as the Steven Muss—of bed-tax infamy— Convention Center (with additions affixed in the 1980s), our out-of-date venue scrimps along with no party-size ballroom and outmoded outdoor loading, among other lacks. But this massive outlay (costlier’n a backfire bomber, you betcha)
would enable what those in the know from Arquitectonica—which we also mistook for a libation—the architectural combine consulting on the deal say we must have to compete lest, like the planet formerly known as Pluto, we end up consigned to a lesser status. But when is enough enough? Or, more to the point, too much? Could the price itself put the project beyond reach? Or push all hope of profit so far into the future as to a vanishing point? Won’t the County balk at the outlay when it already staggers under the bank-busting for-rich-folksonly Marlins Stadium and that insane Port Tunnel-to-nowhere that’s going to dump thousands more vehicles onto the streets? Even Paul the Octopus couldn’t prognosticate this. Still, something’s needed. Conventions fill our coffers, and the hotels, restaurants and other service industries that comprise our economy. So, our Convention Center would look more like this: Smaller, by keeping Convention Center Drive intact, with connectivity to Washington Avenue provided by extending 18th as a through-street. If it must extend west then build it so that a streetcar running up Convention Center Drive stops within the building itself! Even with addendums like a lavish rooftop skybar, indoor loading/unloading, a first-class arboretum, costeffective energy sources and that all-important transit node, it’s far leaner, cutting the price. We’ve witnessed professional annual meetings of 10,000 attendees—not on the Beach, Gertrude—and there are thousands such groups. We could easily handle two a month, but not with the current configuration. So, we instead rent it out piecemeal—like last week’s Hall B bugaloo with nothing going on anywhere else in the complex… <Sigh> Wasteful, wasteful! And talk about your transportation snafus! Right now there is absolutely no public transit linking the hugely powerful economic engines of Miami and Miami Beach! Worse, the short-sighted architectural firm deemed public transit “non-appropriate” for their new Jetsonsesque center. And with a lack of accommodations to handle the bigger conventions—only some 14,000 hotel rooms city-wide—during a superconvention, in the middle of season, most folks would stay across the Bay. Which means if you’re in some swanky downtown hotel that you’ll have to wait for a bus or hail a cab to get to the Beach. Or, excuse us, rent a car, fight the gridlock, then deal with the hassles of parking. If you find that kind of stupidity criminal, we agree. Having uncovered the two biggest flaws in the center’s plans—the sheer size of it, and that it ignores transit—we find that both can be solved by building BayLink! Here’s why: Less parking; in fact, almost none, given what’s already there. Isn’t that a hulking parking pedestal across from City Hall? And another one, way-underutilized, next door? Now they want a 5-story behemoth north of it, too? Are they striving for that forbidding Soviet-era institutional look? Obviously, no one’s polled the neighbors yet to find their views on being surrounded by this parking garage gulag. Look, if you’re borrowing $100 million anyway, why not make it $150? That would not only cover the intermodal—using transportation money—but mean less is needed for the convention center, minus the parking. And, it leaves more angles for cobbling funds. At least, that’s what the smart money would do. There’s still room for maneuver. “I want to make sure we don’t do this and get too far down the road without thinking” said City Manager Jorge Gonzalez. Where’s Seth Brundlefly when we need him?
A CIRCA-1936 VIEW SHOWS INDIAN CREEK VILLAGE IN THE DISTANCE WITH THE SURF CLUB AND SURFSIDE IN THE FOREGROUND.
A Special Moment in Time
The Suburbs – Part Five By Seth H. Bramson (seth@sunpostweekly.com) As Sun-Post readers know, the last several weeks of this column have been dedicated to the history of the various Miami Beach suburbs, covering, so far, Fisher Island, Surfside and the first half of the Indian Creek Village story. Indian Creek Village was originally intended to be called Miami Shores Island and was the brainchild of Ellen Spears Harris and her cousin, Hugh Anderson, owners of the Shoreland Company (which would develop Miami Shores) and builders of the Venetian Causeway and its islands. The original plan for Miami Shores Island was for it to be the recreation island for those who purchased Shoreland Company property and would also be the site of a championship golf course. The plan for the 600 acre island would have made it larger than all of the other man-made islands then in Biscayne Bay combined. With the coming of the five terrible events of 1926, culminating with the September 17th and 18th hurricane, the Shoreland Company would lose its footing and shortly thereafter enter bankruptcy. The island, of which only 300 acres had been filled, lay fallow and deserted for several years until, sometime in the early 1930s, a small but hardy group of wealthy individuals developed the idea that they could convert the weedy and muck-covered island—then connected to what would, in 1935, become the Town of Surfside, by a narrow wooden bridge, same built at 91st Street and Bay Drive—to an exclusive enclave. Reseeding the island they built a large, red-tiled clubhouse, designed to give the appearance of a European castle. The island’s original blueprints (under the new owners) provide for forty one bay-front lots placed along the road surrounding the golf course. Though the country was in the midst of the great Depression, several wealthy homesteaders, including John Swift (he of the meatpacking company bearing his name) and Harold Matzinger (a noted Wall Street genius) built mansions near the clubhouse. In 1939, however, word filtered onto the island that Surfside, which had been incorporated in 1935, was casting covetous eyes at the island and, in fact, had discussed tMoving swiftly the island’s residents took advantage of a now sunsetted state law which at the time allowed any group of 25 or more people living relatively contiguously to form a municipality. With the assistance of Judge J. Julien Sutherland, who would become a founder, incorporator and first mayor of Bal Harbour Village, the island was incorporated as Indian Creek Village on May 19, 1939, the Florida legislature having passed the enabling act approving said incorporation two days previously. Numerous changes have come to what remains a marvelous residential island, and no few of the homes are now owned by Jewish people, who, for some years, were not allowed to purchase property on the island. A new bride connects the island with Surfside and the new Village Hall sits proudly at 91st Street and Bay Drive. Needless to say, Indian Creek Village remains both a magnificent enclave and a superbly managed and run municipality.
www.sunpostweekly.com • SunPost Weekly • Thursday, August 5, 2010 • Page 9
COVER STORY
OUTSIDER
ART The Highwaymen Showcase the Beauty of Florida in their Art Written by John Hood
ALFRED HAIR
ort Pierce might not be one of the wealthiest little cities on Florida’s Treasure Coast (in 2008, 30.9% of the population was below the poverty line), but the town of 40some-odd thousand does possess riches few folks know about. Among those riches is the c. 1875 Cobb building, which is located at the end of the Cracker Trail and was one of the area’s first trading posts; another is the Oculina Habitat, a particularly vital reef of ivory bush coral just off the coast. At one time or another, Fort Pierce also happened to be home to an odd assortment of very vivid characters, including Edwin Binney, co-founder of Crayola Crayons, John Houghtaling, creator of the Magic Fingers Vibrating Bed, and Daniel T. McCarty, Florida’s 31st governor.
F
college, [kids] that spent time at his home after school and on weekends [and] were known as ‘Backus Brats.’” In addition to the “Brats,” “there were still a few hundred more children… that [Backus] would have a strong influence upon during his lifetime.” Among the many Backus mentored was a young man named Alfred Hair. Hair was a bold soul, and he wanted a life larger than the fruit picking and share cropping that was generally the lot of Black men of his time and place. Hanging at the home of Backus, among the jazz cats and literary kittens and the rest of their ilk, Hair
But of all the people for which Fort Pierce is (or should be) known, none is more important to the so-called Sunrise City than a man named A.E. Backus. In fact, Backus’s importance actually dwarfs the town itself, and it encompasses the whole of the Sunshine State. See it was Albert Ernest Backus – “Bean” to his buddies – who portrayed our state in a series of landmark landscapes that would come to be known as “the Indian River School.” And it was Backus, a White man, who took under his wing a ragtag gaggle of Black men that’d eventually make history as “The Highwaymen.” Backus sounds like the kinda cat everyone would be lucky to know. Zora Neale Hurston was a pal, both before and after she became a shining star of the Harlem Renaissance, as was a robust collection of local bohos, all of whom used his home as a sorta central hangout. A committed bachelor, Backus married rather late in life (at 45), to a woman 20 years his junior. And though he and his wife never had children (she died unexpectedly four years later, at 29), Wiki says “[t]here were at least 20 kids over the years that he would mentor and help put through
got to watching how his host created those landscapes that everyone loved so, and how much money Backus made from selling them. ‘This was the life,’ imagined Hair. Then Hair got to thinking that he could live it too. Remember though these were dark days in sunny South Florida, when Jim Crow’s caw echoed all over the state; even down to Miami, which in the early ‘60s was just about as segregated as the rest of the Deep South. But Backus didn’t cotton to the prevailing order of the day; if anything he was dead set against it. And he had no problem teaching his pal Hair the tricks of the art trade. Hair was a quick study, and he had talent to boot. And he took to the game with a certain kineticism. Lacking canvas, he used Upson board, a kinda cheap precursor to drywall. Unable to afford oil paint, he used house paint, or whatever else was available. Before long Hair had eight,
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ten, even a dozen paintings going at once, which was too much even for a man of his fast hands. So Hair recruited a few accomplices – one person to exclusively produce trees; another for the sky or for the sea, and so forth. And like Warhol would do in his Factory, he worked his paintings in an assembly line. The results spoke for themselves: vivid renderings of seas and swamps, swaying palms and setting suns. They were bold yet primitive strokes of genius. What would later be considered “Outsider Art.” And Hair had found his calling. But a Black man in the ‘60s doesn’t sell his works out of a gallery, no matter how potent the paintings might be. So Hair took his show to the road, up and down A1A, knocking on doors, stopping on corners, and literally dealing from the trunk of his car. In ’64, Hair met a man named Al Black, who was faster talking then even he was, and the two set out in tandem to rule their own world. The money came quickly, even at $25 a pop.
And before long others of Hair’s or Backus’s acquaintance got in on the action. Some of them were trained by Bean; some took tips from Hair. Others simply winged it. But each and every one of them chose as their subject the Florida that was right before their eyes. By the end of their run there’d be 26 artists aligned with this new school, and 100,000+ paintings in circulation all over the state. Then in 1970, at a joint called Eddie Drive-In, Hair and a friend named Castro were approached by another fella named Funderburk. An argument ensued, and Funderburk left to get his pistol. When he returned there was a scuffle. And by the time it was over Hair was shot down dead. Hair’s untimely death knocked the wind from the scene, and many of the artists drifted back into obscurity. It wasn’t until 1995, when a critic named Jim Fitch identified the then nearly forgotten phenomenon as The Highwaymen that the artists took their rightful place in the world’s history books.
Moran, brothers Sam, Lemuel and Harold Newton, Willie Reagan, Livingston “Castro” Roberts, Cornell “Pete” Smith, Charles Walker, Sylvester Wells, and Charles “Chico” Wheeler. And while a few of them came out of retirement after the ceremony and started painting again, eight of the original members are now deceased. And for all intents and purposes, the days of the Highwaymen are at an end. But the works they created will live on long after all of us FAR ABOVE: THE ART OF ALFRED HAIR. ABOVE: THE MAN WHO STARTED IT ALL, ALBERT BACKUS. are gone, perhaps even longer then In 2004 every one of the 26 was inducted into the Florida the landscape itself. And forever we shall hail The HighwayArtists Hall of Fame as the Highwaymen. They are Curtis Ar- men. nett, Hezekiah Baker, Al “Blood” Black, brothers Ellis and For more information on The Highwaymen, we recomGeorge Buckner, Robert Butler, Mary Ann Carroll (the only mend Catherine M. Enns’ The Journey of the Highwaymen woman in the group), brothers Johnny and Willie Daniels, Rod- (Abrams $40), from which most of the images in this piece ney Demps, James Gibson, Alfred Hair, Isaac Knight, Robert have been taken. And if you’re up in Fort Pierce, visit the A. Lewis, John Maynor, Roy McLendon, Alfonso “Pancho” E. Backus Gallery & Museum. www.sunpostweekly.com • SunPost Weekly • Thursday, August 5, 2010 • Page 13
Calendar WHAT TO DO IN MIAMI THIS WEEK
CHRISTINA AGUILERA
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SAVE THE DATE:
August 6
WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 18, 2010
BOOKS Dolphin Wisdom Revealed In the nineties, dolphins telepathically communicated to Frances Fox information about the “ending of the world as we know it.” Fox was so disturbed by these messages that she put them away, vowing never to share them with the world. In light of the cataclysmic earth changes happening on the planet today, she was guided to revisit these messages with her book, The Gods Speak: Dolphin Wisdom Revealed. In reviewing the Dolphin statements, so upsetting in the past, Frances found that they were actually great prophets. 8pm. Free. Books & Books, 265 Aragon Ave. Coral Gables. For info: booksandbooks.com
August 6 MUSIC Electric Piquete Hialeah-based local Latin band Electric Piquete will play Tobacco Road, this Friday night. Parking Lot Stage. No cover. Also playing Sauce Boss Wharton on the Cabaret Stage. Set begins at 11pm. $5 cover. 98 cent drink specials. Tobacco Road, 626 S Miami Ave; Miami. For info: tobacco-road.com
DONNA SUMMER TO PROMOTE HER NEW ALBUM CRAYONS, DONNA SUMMER WILL BE PERFORMING LIVE AT THE HARD ROCK. SUMMER'S TITLE AS THE QUEEN OF DISCO WASN'T MERE HYPE – SHE WAS ONE OF THE VERY FEW DISCO PERFORMERS TO ENJOY A MEASURE OF CAREER LONGEVITY, AND HER CONSISTENT CHART SUCCESS WAS RIVALED IN THE DISCO WORLD ONLY BY THE BEE GEES. EXPECT ALL HER FAB DISCO HITS LIKE I FEEL LOVE, HOT STUFF AND BAD GIRLS AS WELL AS A SPRINKLING FROM HER NEW ALBUM. $54.00 - $94.00. 8PM. HARD ROCK LIVE, 5747 SEMINOLE WAY, HOLLYWOOD. FOR INFO: HARDROCKLIVEHOLLYWOODFL.COM
August 6 COMEDY Sheryl Underwood Sheryl Underwood is one of the funniest and topical standup comics working on the road today. Sheryl can be seen as Catfish Rita in Beauty Shop starring Queen Latifah. Sheryl’s voice still crosses the air waves on Tom Joyner Morning show and on Jaime Foxx’s The FoxxHole. She will play the Improv for two shows at 8:30pm and 10:45pm. $25. Miami Improv, 3390 Mary St, Coconut Grove. For info: improv.com
August 6 MUSIC Isaac Delgado, La India & Tito Nieves This should be a spectacular show. Created just for Miami audiences, this special show brings Issac Delgado, La India, and Tito Nieves together for the first time on stage. Expect a true Latin Salsa fiesta. 8pm. James L. Knight Center, 400 SE 2nd Ave; Miami. For info: jlkc.com.
August 6 DANCE African Dance & Drum Fest Three days of African dance and drum workshops from world renowned artists like Yousouff Koumbassa of Guinea, JeanClaude of Ivory Coast, Malang Bayo of Senegal, Aboubacar Sylla of Guinea, Moustapha Diedhiou of Senega, Almamy”Seny” Daffel and others. A marketplace, face painting, Delou showcase, a raffle to win tickets for two to South Africa. $10-$16. 12pm. Little Haiti Cultural Center, 212-260 NE 59th Ter. Miami. For info: delouafrica.com
August 7 MUSIC Christina Aguilera Part of a 20-date summer tour, brings Christina and her Bionic Tour to South Florida and the Cruzan. If you are a fan of the Aguilera, it is worth the drive. Critics are raving about her show. She has one of the most amazing voices in music today. Cruzan Amphitheatre, 601-7 Sansbury’s Way; West Palm Beach. For info: christinaaguilera.com
August 7 SPORT Performance Driving Bring out your car to the Homestead Miami Speedway for a full day of Performance Driving. Coaches will be on hand for beginners and those who would like some instruction. There will be four run groups with limited numbers for driving with a clear track. Lunch is included with your entry fee. The Corvette school will have Corvettes available for rent with an instructor. $299. 9am. Homestead-Miami Speedway, 1 Speedway Blvd; Homestead. For info: 800-453-5506 or homesteadmiamispeedway.com
August 7 FILM Everything is Terrible Everything Is Terrible! The hit show that has been selling out throughout the US this summer is coming to the Cosford. Groan inducing videos from the ‘80s from forgotten VHS tapes of all kinds are delivered as viral video with hilarious results. Think infomercials, tutorials, and straight-to-video cheese! Everything is Terrible is part live show with two pop cultural hosts and features 2 Everything 2 Terrible 2: Tokoyo Drift the crew’s latest masterpiece. $8. 8pm. Bill Cosford Cinema, 1111 Memorial Dr. Coral Gables. For info: com.miami.edu/cosford
August 7 DANCE Ailey Camp The culminating presentation of the six week long AileyCamp Miami will feature ballet, jazz, modern and West African dance performed by AileyCampers ages 11-14. AileyCamp Miami is a free, six-week, full-scholarship summer day camp program for students ages 11 - 14 currently enrolled in a Miami Dade County Public Middle School. Using dance as a vehicle for developing self-esteem, creative expression and imagination, AileyCamp at the Arsht Center is offered in partnership with the Alvin Ailey Dance Foundation. 7pm. Knight Concert Hall, 1300 Biscayne Blvd, Miami. For info: arshtcenter.org LEFT: DEATH OF A MOTH QUEEN BY ROSANNA PEREYRA AT BEAR AND BIRD GALLERY
www.sunpostweekly.com • SunPost Weekly • Thursday, August 5, 2010 • Page 15
Calendar WHAT TO DO IN MIAMI THIS WEEK
SHERYL UNDERWOOD
August 8
Camilo Bejarano. Runs through August 31. Free. Pink Ghost, 1888 Radius Drive, Hollywood. For info: www.pinkghost.net
ART Flower Animal
August 10
The amazing underwater photography and video of artists Colin Foord and Jared McKay who make up Coral Morphologic is currently on exhibit at the Biscayne Nature Center. Flower Animal is a treat for the senses focusing on the the beauty of our local coral. Vivid imagery and gorgeous bright color abound. Through September 26. 10am to 4pm. Biscayne Nature Center, 6767 Crandon Blvd. Key Biscayne. For info: biscaynenaturecenter.org.
ART Peculiar Playmates Discover the imagination of a group of artists who create unique objects d’art that are playful, weird and intangibly interesting. Featuring the curious artworks of: Kit Lane; Megan Bogonovich; Ninon; Rosanna Pereyra; Crissy Penuel and Mark Errol. Bear and Bird Gallery, 4566 N University Dr; Fort Lauderdale. For info: BearandBird.com
August 8
August 11
ART Sunday Story Time Author Carol Casey and illustrator Jason Oransky take an adorable cast of multi-cultural babies through a vibrantly colored landscape to learn about recognizing and naming colors in Dear Baby, It’s a Colorful World. An interactive presentation and craft with the authors and in collaboration with MiamiMunchkins.com. 12:30pm. Books & Books, 9700 Collins Ave. Bal Harbour. For info: booksandbooks.com
August 9 ART Driftwood Artists Gean Moreno and Ernesto Oroza propose that Miami’s salvage yards serve as a kind of diagram for shifts in the city. They have created a flat, graphic environment in the civic space of Main Library’s auditorium exploring the “urban process in which things designed for one particular function are used for another.” A special tabloid produced for the exhibition functions as patterned wallpaper, space demarcation, and as a vehicle for materials that in some way expand or question the conceptual scope of the exhibition. Through September 7. Free. Main Library, Auditorium, 101 W. Flagler St, Miami. For info; 305375-2665 or mdpls.org
COMEDY Kathy Griffin
ABOVE: UNDERWATER PHOTOGRAPHY BY COLIN FOORD. LEFT: LA INDIA. BELOW: LOVE BUNNIES BY BUKUBUKU AT PINK GHOST GALLERY. RIGHT: THE BACKYARDIGANS.
Double Emmy Award-Winning Comedienne and Bravo TV Reality star, Kathy Griffin notorious for her rapid fire wit returns with more D-List humor to Hard Rock Live. Adult Content. $46-$76. 8pm. Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino, 1 Seminole Way, Hollywood. For info: hardrocklivehollywoodfl.com
FOR KIDS August 9
Friday, August 6-8
ART Screw Nostalgia
Storytime Live!
A fabulous group show inspired by robots, space suits, and the artist’s take on the future. Participating artists: David DaCosta, Bukubuku, Matthew Groves, Project Detonate, Ashley Fedo, Ryan Klaverweide, Lynette May, Andrew Bargeron, Comagirl, Jose Lopez, Erika Taguchi-Newton, Valentina Crespo (Kawaii Universe) and Page 16 • Thursday, Thursday, August 5, 2010 • SunPost Weekly • www.sunpostweekly.com
TAKE THE KIDDIES TO THIS FUN LIVE SHOW STARRING ALL THE CHARACTERS THEY LOVE FROM NICKELODEON. HAVE FUN WITH DORA THE EXPLORER, THE BACKYARDIGANS, WONDER PETS AND NI HAO, KAI-LAN. LOTS OF DANCING AND SINGING AND LEARNING. $11-$36, $10 LAP SEATS. BROWARD CENTER FOR THE PERFORMING ARTS, 201 SW FIFTH AVE. FORT LAUDERDALE. FOR INFO: 954-462-0222 OR WWW.BROWARDCENTER.ORG
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Social
Cinema REVIEW
Foreign Landcapes By Ruben Rosario (ruben@sunpostweekly.com) Traveling vicariously through the movies is one of my favorite pastimes, and the medium’s power to transport viewers to places they’ve never been is on full display in this week’s releases. One takes place in Calcutta, India, and the other in Missouri’s Ozark Mountains. Can you guess which one I found more exotic? Winter’s Bone, which took the top prize at this year’s Sundance Film Festival, has a corker of a story to tell. It’s a coming-of-age drama with a thriller’s slow-burn tension, an evocative portrait of a soul-deadening rural community where the threat of violence hangs in the air like a bad smell. It’s easy to see why the film has been quietly breaking out of the indie ghetto. Adapting Daniel Woodrell’s novel, director/co-screenwriter Debra Granik sets her sights on the woes of 17-year-old Ree Dolly. Her ma’s not right in the head, her little brother and sister need looking after and, to top it all off, Jessup, her jailbird dad, put up the house as bond security and has since vanished without a trace. If he doesn’t show up for his scheduled court date, the local sheriff warns her, she’ll lose the house and face being put out in the Ozarks’ wilderness. Her kin, a standoffish bunch, are of little help; every lead seems to result in yet another dead end. Uncle Teardrop (Deadwood’s John Hawkes, nearly unrecognizable), a short-fused junkie, takes her to an abandoned meth lab and tells her Jessup, who cooked the illegal substance for a living, ended up burned to death. Ree’s not buying it, and as she keeps digging deeper, she comes face to face with some of the most unsavory characters in this intensely patriarchal society, one that’s particularly hostile towards women. The most memorable is tough-as-nails Merab, the wife of the local leader who might hold the key to Jessup’s whereabouts. Played with Oscar-caliber ferocity by TV veteran Dale Dickey, she epitomizes the film’s spirit: mean on the outside, tender on the inside. Granik, who put Oscar nominee Vera Farmiga on the map in her debut feature Down to the Bone, elicits top-notch work from her entire cast. Hawkes channels Harry Dean Stanton in his portrayal of the hothead who be-
comes Ree’s unlikely ally in her quest. She also places the weight of the movie on Jennifer Lawrence’s shoulders, and the young actress rises up to the challenge. She turns Ree into my kind of heroine: steadfast, vulnerable, and as stubborn as a mule. The character’s integrity shimmers above the stark landscape, and despite the drabness of her surroundings, she helps Winter’s Bone attain a hardscrabble grace. It’s a hell of a performance. By the time you see Ree teaching her younger siblings how to use a shotgun, it prompts viewers to assume this is foreshadowing of things to come, but the most astonishing thing about Winter’s Bone is how little violence makes it to the screen. Genre fans might be miffed at the film’s lack of a climactic showdown, but I appreciate its more subdued resolution, one that pays tribute to people’s innate goodwill in a setting where it’s almost impossible to come by. Granik refuses to settle for easy conclusions, but I will go ahead and make one: This is one of the best movies of the year. Ree Dolly isn’t the only screen character facing a domestic crisis this week. Fiona and Ben Simmons, the attractive couple at the heart of the moving travelogue The Waiting City, have reached an impasse in their marriage. Having flown all the way from Sydney to Calcutta to pick up the two-year-old girl they have adopted, they find that they still have a couple of bureaucratic hurdles to cross before they can take her home. All this downtime in the bustling city unearths deep-seated resentments that have been building for years. Fiona’s a workaholic attorney who seems to be surgically attached to her laptop, a fact that Ben, an easygoing singer/songwriter with a troubled past, broods over. You know they’re in trouble when Fiona’s laptop winds up in the hotel pool. Enter Krishna (Samrat Chakrabarti), their driver/hotel clerk/impromptu marriage counselor, who suggests that
MARK FELTINGOFF, CEO JC WHITE, DEBRA EMERICK, STEVEN J. KAHN VP JC WHITE WINTER’S BONE
taking a train ride to the town where their prospective daughter spent her infancy might be just what they need. Director Claire McCarthy’s naturalistic mise en scène mines the lush settings for all their sensual allure (excellent work by cinematographer Denson Baker), but she’s a little too enamored of the story’s mystical elements, and when she starts turning the film into Hinduism for Dummies, the effect is jarring and forced. The Waiting City works best when it deals with the down-to-earth aspects of Ben and Fiona’s journeys of self-discovery. Aussie heartthrob Joel Edgerton, who played Uncle Owen in Star Wars: Episode III, gives a relaxed performance as Ben (think of Richard Gere by way of Anderson Cooper), even when he’s saddled with some cornball dialogue. And it’s a treat to see Radha Mitchell, all too often stuck in thankless supporting roles, playing the lead. The Finding Neverland actress hasn’t been this good since playing Ally Sheedy’s paramour in High Art. The way her character changes in the course of The Waiting City doesn’t break any new ground, but she makes this voyage to India a trip well worth taking. The Waiting City screens this weekend only at the Bill Cosford Cinema. For more information go to cosfordcinema.com. Winter’s Bone is playing in select theaters across South Florida. You do not want to miss it.
THE WAITING CITY
Page 18 • Thursday, August 5, 2010 • SunPost Weekly • www.sunpostweekly.com
Furniture, Food and Fun at the Chop House By Marguerite Gil Cocktail Parties in restaurants with fun, happy people…what’s not to love? We were headed to the Chop House (previously Manny’s) at the elbow curve that joins Brickell Ave. to Biscayne Blvd. in downtown Miami. In the car I was commenting how drastically the urban fabric had changed in the area these last few years. Today tall condos surround the Miami Circle (ca. 10,000-30,000 years old) located at the intersection of Biscayne Bay and the Miami River while boutiques and eateries are flourishing everywhere. Not an easy task considering that less than 10 years ago the area was a “no man’s land” after 6pm The Chop House, Miami, is a classy, lunch-dinner steak house that caters to young hipsters after the work day comes to an end. Indoors it’s cool and elegant while the wrap-around outdoor terrace offers guests an ample bar and a perfect vantage point for people watching. The occasion was a cocktail party hosted by Haworth & JC White and when we arrived, guests were already enjoying luscious hors d’oeuvres as well as fresh Mojitos and a variety of other adult beverages, (haworth.com). Haworth Inc. is a global leader in the design and manufacture of organic workspaces and serves markets in more than 120 countries through a global network of over 600 dealers. Their goal is to understand what people need, discovering how they learn, work, and create and then finding the best solutions for their clients. KC White is a full service architectural interior products distributorship company that offers clients flexible interiors which can change with organizational needs over time. (jcwhite.com) Assistant Chef at the Chop House in downtown Miami, Christopher Castano prepared all of the yummies for the cocktail party and told me that they will be part of this year’s Miami Spice Months. He assured me that they will offer a scrumptious three course lunches for $22 and an equally delicious three course dinner for $35 p/p.
RICK HERNANDEZ, EDMUNDO PACHECO, FRANK PRESTA, PHYLLIS PRESTA, ARLYN HERNANDEZ, AND TONY GOICOURIA WHO FORM THE TEAM AT 'PULSE DESIGN STUDIO
Food
a
ROBERT PLANT
COLUMN
Spicy Times in South Florida Again By Marguerite Gil What has become a yearly mouth-watering tradition is back again, and it’s deliciously fierce. The Greater Miami Convention & Visitors Bureau (GMCVB) hosted the 1st Annual Miami Spice Kickoff Event & Fundraiser last weekend at the Miami Beach Convention Center and needless to say… it was yummy. The goal according to Steven Hass CHARMING GREETER AT THE ENTRANCE STEVEN HAAS SMILING AT PATRONS (one of the founders of the promotional endeavor), was to sell 2,500 tickets to hungry patrons for this first-time-one-night eating extravaganza. That fundraising goal was easily reached by early Saturday morning (7/31/10) and as Hass commented during the opening night festivities, “It’s a great feeling to know that all of the work that has been done to make this event successful will help local restaurants as well as Share Our Strength and Madison’s Wish.” August and September are the slowest months for filling seats in Miami restaurants according to the GMCVB. Nine years ago some of our local dignitaries decided to create Miami Spice Month in the hopes that lower prices for lunches and dinners would lure locals into tasting, fine foods in eateries that they might normally avoid, because of hefty prices. The concept became so popular that restaurateurs agreed they would extend the one month, prix-fixe special menu for an additional month. From August 1st through September 30th, the public is encouraged to go out and enjoy three course lunches ($22.00 p/p) and dinners ($35.00 excluding taxes and gratuities) in some of the areas, most exclusive dining establishments (The Forge and the Delano, immediately come to my mind), and discover delectable appetizers, entrees and desserts that are discounted from 30-50% off of the regular value. Over 115 restaurants are represented this year with dishes prepared by some of the world’s renowned chefs, for budget minded diners. Besides benefiting various charities DELICIOUS DESSERTS as well as a variety of businesses, the Kickoff Fundraiser and the upcoming, two-month culinary feast, add pizzazz to our image. One NY couple, who I met at the VIP fundraiser, told me that they had a great time during the week they spent here and were delighted to end their stay sampling hundreds of culinary treats in one grand location. As for me, over the last few Spicy years, I’ve noticed that in many cases, it’s less expensive (and stressful) to go out and eat, rather than to cook at home. Bon appetite! For additional information visit: ilovemiamispice.com
Music Crowded House – Time Stands Still By Alan Sculley For Nick Seymour and the other guys in Crowded House, making a record has always been about capturing something magical when they pick up their instruments and begin playing a song. “You’re just trying to capture a moment where musicians come together and time kind of stands still for the time that the actual music is being recorded,” Seymour observed at one point during a mid-July phone interview. “If you can capture an integrity and a very positive feeling in the studio on that day, that song should live forever.” Crowded House’s latest CD, Intriguer may still be too new for Seymour to judge whether the band created many timeless songs, but it’s clear that the group fully followed its quest for finding the studio magic this time around. “Pretty much we were going for (complete) takes,” Seymour said. “Like if anyone made a mistake, we’d go that’s not the version we want. And we just kept doing takes until we got it absolutely bulletproof.“ Although most songs these days are assembled from multiple takes – or even from synthetically created parts, Seymour said the more organic old fashioned approach to recording seemed like a natural progression after the way Crowded House had created its newest music in the first place. On tour behind the 2007 CD, Time On Earth, bassist Seymour and his bandmates, singer/guitarist/songwriter Neil Finn, keyboardist/guitarist Mark Hart and drummer Matt Sherrod, had used sound checks and free time at the venues and hotels to write and arrange much of the material that now appears on Intriguer. Many of the songs were performed in concerts during the latter stages of the tour. “We developed a lot of these ideas (while touring), which really was indicative of how well the band has been playing together and the chemistry that exists within the band,” Seymour said. “So when we got into rehearsal…we already had a good many of these songs ready for scrutiny, close scrutiny.” The close scrutiny to which Seymour referred was his way of saying that the group felt it needed to refine, rework – and in some cases entirely re-invent – songs to make them work in the studio. “There are a couple of songs, like Twice If You’re Lucky, that took a lot of recording,” Seymour said. “It was a real struggle in a way. I almost thought that we had lost it a couple of times. It was actually the last song that we recorded in the studio with Jim, just determined to not lose it. “There’s one song called Isolation, which I think
is a standout track on the record,” he said. “That was a three/four kind of folk song at one stage, and we were playing it that way in front of people. Then we got to the studio and we, I think we only took the chorus off of the previous version and redefined the verse.” That Crowded House is at a point where the musicians can write music together while touring and accept the idea of tearing apart and rebuilding songs they assumed were finished says a lot about how the group has progressed over the past four years or so. Finn had formed Crowded House in 1985 in Melbourne, Australia after the demise of his previous band, Split Enz. Originally a trio of Finn, Seymour and drummer Paul Hester, the group enjoyed immediate international success with its 1986 self-titled debut album. The songs Don’t Dream It’s Over and Something So Strong both became a multi-format hits. The band never equaled the success of that first album, but over the course of three more albums notched several more radio hits (Chocolate Cake, It’s Only Natural and Locked Out). It also continued to win critical acclaim as Finn established himself as one of music’s finest writers of highly melodic and imaginative pop songs – skills that are on display in such Intriguer songs as Saturday Sun, Amsterdam and Falling Dove. But within the group, there were tense times and a couple of personnel changes before the band split in 1996. The musically gifted Hester, who suffered from bouts of depression, was especially unpredictable. Sadly, he never overcame his emotional issues and committed suicide in March 2005. The death of their former bandmate, though, gave Finn, Seymour and Hart (who joined for the 1993 album Together Alone) reason to reconnect. Gradually what started as a Finn solo album evolved into a Crowded House reunion on Time On Earth, and with addition of Sherrod after that album was completed, a renewed life and creative chemistry within the group. Though steadier as a live unit now compared to the years in which Hester was in Crowded House, Seymour said the band is still plenty spontaneous. He noted that the group has more than 80 songs it can play during concerts and its song selection tend to change from night to night, in part because the group likes to take a few audience requests during shows. “It (the show) just ends up being pretty much around two hours, and if it’s not two hours, it’s longer,” Seymour said.
www.sunpostweekly.com • SunPost Weekly • Thursday, August 5, 2010 • Page 19
The 411
Allison Brady, Donna Karan, and Chip Brady at the Art for Life Gala
WPLG Miami news anchor Calvin Hughes, Chef Allen Susser and Laurie Jennings, WPLG Miami news anchor at Taste of the Nation. photo credit: Manny Hernandez
COLUMN
We Love Miami Spice By Maryanne Salvat maryannesalvat@miamisocialholic.com Photos by Mary Jo Almeida-Shore
Allison Brady, Chris Bosh, and Chip Brady at the Art for Life Gala
Cassandra Martino and Jillian Sanz at the Webster Rooftop Happy Hour
Hanging out on the Webster Rooftop
Just when you thought things couldn’t get any hotter or spicier, South Florida gears up for the 9th annual Miami Spice Restaurant Month. Joining the delectable venture is the highly revered Fontainebleau Resort. Gotham Steak, Scarpetta and Hakkasan, as well as its modern American café Vida, are all offering $35 three-course prix-fixe dinner menus. In addition, Hakkasan is offering an impressive family-style Dim Sum lunch menu for only $22. The iconic resort is also providing discounted valet parking to restaurant patrons. The prix-fixe prices do not include tax and gratuity and reservations are highly recommended. Here is a quick preview of the Miami Spice menu offered at these fine dining establishments from August 1 through September 30, 2010. Warning: Mouth-watering may occur as you read through. Gotham Steak offers Local Heirloom Tomato Salad (refreshes your bouche as it is amused), Summer Corn & Jumbo Lump Crab Risotto (mouthwatering and tantalizing), Grilled Prime Hanger Steak (tender and cooked to perfection), Miso Marinated Black Cod (elegant and refined), Berkshire Pork Ribs (tangy and flavorful), and Chef Portale’s classic Tuna Tartare with Shiso, Lime, and Ginger (light and inviting). Delectable desserts include Passion Fruit Mousse, Tiramisu Brownies and Milk Chocolate Candy Bars. Hakkasan includes Grilled Shanghai Chicken Dumplings (absolutely amazing, a mouthful of happiness), Sweet Corn Soup (soul warming), Wok-Fried Silver Cod in XO-Marmite Sauce, StirFry Wild Mushroom with Water Chestnuts, Crispy Szechuan
Page 20 • Thursday, August 5, 2010 • SunPost Weekly • www.sunpostweekly.com
Shredded Rib-Eye Beef (tempting and pleasing all at once), StirFry Scallops (scrumptious), Vegetable Fried Rice, and Wild Mushroom Hand Pulled Noodles. Designed for parties of two or more, Hakkasan’s Miami Spice Dim Sum lunch menu appeals to both non-vegetarians and vegetarians alike. Highlights include a variety of classic Steamed, Grilled and Fried Dim Sum such as Chinese Chive Dumpling, Three Style Mushrooms Cheung Fun, Char Sui Bun, Siew Long Bun, Grilled Shanghai Chicken Dumpling, Enoki Mushroom Roll, Pan-Fried Turnip Cake and Sweet & Sour Prawn Wonton. The specialty menu also features Congees with meats, poultry and vegetables, Stir-Fried rice & noodle dishes, Barbecue dishes & platters, Wonton & Noodle Soup and a selection of ice cream or sorbets for dessert. Scarpetta presents Spaghetti with Tomato & Basil and Creamy Polenta with a Fricasse of Truffled Mushrooms, (luscious, scrumptious, and enjoyable). Additional highlights include Mediterranean Branzino, Spice Roasted Chicken and Bone-In Prime Aged Sirloin of Beef. Sweet treats include Amedei Chocolate Cake and Mocha Swirl Cheesecake. For additional information go to fontainebleau.com.
TOAST TO TASTE OF THE NATION Share Our Strength’s Taste of the Nation Miami 2010 was huge success, with the help and participation of over 40 of South Florida’s finest restaurants and chefs. The premiere culi-
Sexy Circus Sideshow at La Fee Verte
nary benefit that raises awareness and critical funds to help end childhood hunger, made its way back home to the distinguished Fairmont Turnberry Isle. Participants included: The Forge, Gotham Steak, SushiSamba dromo, Asia de Cuba, Shake Shack, Red the Steakhouse, Joe’s Stone Crab, Preston’s, and Chef Allen’s just to name a few.
CELEBRITY SIGHTINGS: Jeffrey Donovan, our favorite Burn Notice front man, was seen dining solo at Macaluso’s last Tuesday night, where he enjoyed the eatery’s famous homemade meatballs (yum!). During the Webster Rooftop Happy Hour, which was very popular, Pharrell Williams shopped throughout the boutique. Rapper TI was seen dining at Philippe with a group of friends this past Sunday. Last week, Miami’s finest headed up to the Hamptons where the Heat’s Chris Bosh joined Tracy Wilson Mourning, Donna Karan, a pregnant and just-married Alicia Keys with new husband Swizz Beatz, John Legend, Jason Binn, and host Anthony Anderson to celebrate South Florida’s Allison & Chip Brady who were being honored at Russell Simmons‘ RushPhilanthropic.org annual “Art for Life“ gala. The event, with auction items by country singer Keith Urban, celebrity chef Todd English, and John Legend, was co-sponsored by LSN Partners, a business development firm in Miami and Fort Lauderdale, Target, and Bounty. While making his acceptance speech as co-honoree, Swizz Beatz’s handsome young son Prince Nasir stepped up to the podium to announce to the art-loving crowd that his favorite artists were “Swizz Beatz and Basquiat”. The Bradys continue their charitable endeavors by co-hosting a September 10th shopping event at De Beers to benefit GeneSpotlight.org as part of Bal Harbour Shops’ “Fashion Night Out.”
Back Row - Carl Giammanese (The Buckinghams), Rob Grill (Grass Roots), Howard “Eddie” Kaylan, Micky Dolenz and Mark “Flo” Volman. Front Row – Hilda Ratley, Josie Lou Ratley, Rick Shaw (President of the Majic Children’s Fund) and Bernie Dillon (Photo Credit: Tom Craig/Seminole Hard Rock)
Bernie Dillon (Sr. VP of Entertainment, Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino) and Rick Shaw (President of the Majic Children’s Fund) present a check to Josie Lou Ratley and her mother Hilda Ratley at Hard Rock Live at the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino prior to the Happy Together concert. (Photo: Tom Craig/Seminole Hard Rock)
Steak dish at Gotham at the Fontainbleau
Dim Sum at Hakassan Restaurant for Miami Spice
Dim Sum at Hakassan
Delicious Steak Scarpetta at Gotham for Miami Spice
www.sunpostweekly.com • SunPost Weekly • Thursday, August 5, 2010 • Page 21
SunPost Parties at Bar 721
411
The Pacheco’s with Jeannette Stark
Above: Finlay Davidson and Stuart Davidson of Aquafit. Above Right: The great Dr. Ferdie Pacheco with Bar 721 owner Dan Sehres.
Mitch Wentworth, Jeannette Stark, Nick, Edna Gene Davidson and George
Emanuel Viscuzo, Commissioner Micheal Gongora, Dan Sehres
Page 22 • Thursday, August 5, 2010 • SunPost Weekly • www.sunpostweekly.com
GO!
and meditation at DHARMA STUDIO, located in the heart of Coconut Grove. A special Indian-inspired prix fixe dinner menu will be enjoyed at the Sonestaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Panorama restaurant offering spectacular views of Coconut Groveâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s sailboat bay. LOVE: Sunday, August 15 is the day for romantic discovery as guests are invited to explore the bohemian and intimate corners of Coconut Grove by bike, foot or sailing around Biscayne Bay. Reserve online: sonesta.com/coconutgrove with a code: EPL08, or call 1.800.SONESTA (766.3782).
UPCOMING SOCIAL EVENTS
On GO-ing! By Maryanne Salvat maryannsalvat@aol.com
RECYCLE THE ZOO DOO! Zoo Miami needs your votes to win a $250,000 grant from the Pepsi Refresh Project to purchase a large-scale accelerated composter that will allow them to recycle herbivore waste and landscape debris and turn it into a fertilizer. This will reduce the Zooâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s environmental impact and expenses by lessening the use of commercial fertilizers, mulch, landfill space and by reducing disposal quantities. The Pepsi Refresh Project is a program that provides grants each month to projects that benefit others in a neighborhood, city or on a national level. Projects are voted on by the public and the ideas with the most votes receive the grant. Voting runs through August 31, 2010, so vote once a day to help make this happen. Go to refresheverything.com/zoodoo and Clickâ&#x20AC;? Vote for this ideaâ&#x20AC;?.
A BIRTHDAY BASH AT LA FEE VERTE On Saturday, August 7th at 9 p.m. La Fee Verte, South Floridaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s first and only tease burlesque and absinthe club, will host and celebrate one of the most popular parties of the summer â&#x20AC;&#x201C; the birthday of TARA, Inkâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s principal, Nick Dâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;Annunzio. Miamiâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s list of Whoâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Who are encouraged to channel their favorite Parisian icon and dress in the haute-est fashion while enjoying complimentary V Georgio Vodka cocktails and hors dâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;oeuvres courtesy of French Bistro Lemon Twist. Everyone in attendance will witness a performance by lead temptress Nicole Soden of the clubâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s tantalizing Madames du Mischief and dance the night away to the beats of South Floridaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s latest stylish DJ duo Ess & Emm (Sasha Lauzon and Michelle Leshem, Canadian-Miamian transplants). In lieu of gifts, the guest-of-honor has requested that party-goers consider making a donation to his charity of choice, The Susan G. Komen Foundation in honor of his late mother Gail Paglia. To RSVP to this event go to NJD@taraink.com or call 305.864.3434 ext. 255.
CAMELOT SALON AND SPA Camelot Salon & Spa in Coral Gables is sponsoring The Gold-Diggers, Inc.â&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Third Annual Cut-A-Thon charity event. Centrally located in the heart of Coral Gables, Camelot Salon & Spa is opening its doors on Sunday, August 15, 2010 from 12:00 PM to 4:00 PM for a salon experience like no other, all in the name of charity. Guests at the salon can receive a haircut for $20, nail polish change for $5 and/or a relaxing chair massage for $10. Gourmet â&#x20AC;&#x153;coutureâ&#x20AC;? will be served from Cupcakes Nouveau and Giardino Gourmet Salads; fitness tips from Gables Fitness. The GoldDiggers, Inc. is a 501(c)(3) organization, now in its 33rd year, and has raised over one million dollars for its beneficiaries, The Leukemia and Lymphoma Society of South Florida and The Food for Life Network. The Gold-Diggers, Inc. is made up of 40 women from Miami-Dade and Broward Counties who raise money for these charities through fall fundraisers and their annual spring musical revue. Visit gold-diggers.org for more information or Camelot Salon & Spa, 2600 Galiano Street, camelotspa.com, 305-986-3133.
LOBSTER 305 Kitchen 305 at the Newport Beachside Hotel & Resort invites those with big appetites and a love for seafood to enjoy a delicious, all-you-can-eat Maine lobster dinner every Wednesday for $35 now through October (and then Stone Crabs). For a little more than the market price of a tail, guests can fill themselves with as much of this scrumptious crustacean as they can palette. Alongside the â&#x20AC;&#x153;Maineâ&#x20AC;? act, the restaurant will serve-up a bowl of New England Clam Chowder soup and a Wedge Salad with Applewood smoked bacon. The dinner special includes fresh bread and a choice of two sides including rice pilaf, mashed potatoes, coleslaw, grilled Portobello mushrooms, charred-cheddar wrapped beefsteak tomatoes, and creamed spinach. In addition, Kitchen 305â&#x20AC;&#x2122;s supper club guests can enjoy live music and entertainment, enticing cocktail choices and kid-friendly menu options. For more information, visit kitchen305.newportbeachsideresort.com.
LUCKY STRIKE SAVES THE DAY Lucky Strike Lanes and Lounge has come up with the perfect cure for the â&#x20AC;&#x153;Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;M BORED!â&#x20AC;? blues that Moms throughout South Florida dread when Summer arrives. Every Wednesday through August 11th, LSL&L offers a â&#x20AC;&#x153;Mommy and Meâ&#x20AC;? program for only $15 per child (advance purchase) or $20 (same-day purchase) where Moms and tots can enjoy unlimited bowling and shoe rental, baskets of fresh popcorn and hot pizza, soft drinks, and cartoons and kidsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; movies displayed on Lucky Strikeâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s 22 state-of-the-art projection screens. For more information call 305.532.0307.
ARTS AND CRAFTS AT BUCK15
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During the months of August and September, Buck15 will be hosting monthly art competitions where locals are given a sneaker and t-shirt to use as a blank canvas. T-shirts, sponsored by Puma, will be given out the first weekend in August to anyone that wants to participate. Artists have until August 6th to hand in their masterpieces, which will be displayed on the walls of Buck15 along with voting cards throughout the month. Buck15 patrons will have until August 24th to vote for their favorite piece. The winner will be announced that evening at 11:30pm, and will be awarded a $75 gift certificate to La Epoca Department Store, located at 200 East Flagler Street in Downtown, and a $75 bar comp to Buck15. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Celebrityâ&#x20AC;? Judges include: Craig Stevens, Daisy D and Maisi Baserva. For art inquiries, Cesar@Buck15.net.
FENOMINAL TASTING On Saturday, August 7, from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m., fenom Modern Absinthe - the clear, modern absinthe that exclusively hit the South Florida market in May is offering free samplings this weekend . Locals are invited to stop by and sample what is becoming the perfect choice for at home cocktails or for an evening out! Attendees can sample the product and even purchase a bottle! You can learn what mixes best with this hot, new spirit as well as what this absinthe craze is all about. The tasting will be hosted by Flamingo Liquors, 1505 Bay Road, Miami Beach. For more information call 305.510.2919.
EAT, PRAY, LOVE IN COCONUT GROVE While most of us canâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t afford to travel to Indonesia, India, and Rome, the setting for Elizabeth Gilbertâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s famed novel, Eat, Pray, Love, the Sonesta Bayfront Hotel Coconut Grove and the new Paragon Grove 13 luxury movie theater have created an exclusive weekend taking guests on a gastronomic and meditative voyage celebrating the debut of the movie August 13 - 15. The special package, from $199 per person, includes relaxation and rejuvenation journeys offering snap shots mirroring themes from the film. EAT: Friday, August 13 guests check-in to the Sonesta Bayfront Coconut Grove before heading to the new Paragon Grove 13. There they can sit back and indulge in an Italian â&#x20AC;&#x153;picnic dinnerâ&#x20AC;? from the comfort of their own seats while sipping on their choice of champagne or wine as they watch â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Eat, Pray, Loveâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; in a private theater. Special handmade canolis will await them to finish off the night in their Sonesta Bayfront Coconut Grove hotel room. PRAY: Saturday, August 14 guests will cleanse mind, body and soul by practicing wellness
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www.sunpostweekly.com â&#x20AC;˘ SunPost Weekly â&#x20AC;˘ Thursday, August 5, 2010 â&#x20AC;˘ Page 23
Bound COLUMN
A Six Pack of Kickass A Half Dozen More Heist Books from Richard Stark By John Hood
Gotta luv the folks at University of Chicago Press. Not only have they decided to bring back Richard Stark’s belovedly badass Parker novels, but they’ve been doing so in sequence, with a niftily packed series that smacks back to the ‘60s beginning and – Zeus-willing – won’t let up till its 21st century end. The beginning, for those few who don’t know, was The Hunter (1962), which was reissued two years ago alongside the next eight in the long and lauded run. It was no happy accident that the initial nine reprints coincided with the author’s death. (Stark, nee Donald E. Westlake, died on New Year’s Eve 2008.) What was a happy accident though, as John McNally so helpfully pointed out in a Summer ’09 Virginia Quarterly Review piece on Parker called “A Stark World”, is the series itself, which simply began as a way for Westlake to publish more books.
As Westlake told Charles L. P. Silet in a 1996 interview: “[T]here’s always been a belief in publishing that [a publisher] can’t publish more than one book a year from any one author. So I thought it would be interesting to have a pen name… to aim for a paperback original this time. So I did this book with the assumption that the bad guy has to get caught at the end . . . I sent [The Hunter] to Bucklin Moon at Pocket Books, who said, ‘I like this book and I like this character. Is there any way you could change the book so that he would escape at the end and then you could give me three books a year about him.’ And I said, ‘I think so.’” Within two years Westlake, writing as Stark, would have three Parker novels in the pulp paperback racks. And by the time he was finished there’d be a total of twenty three. And while 23 books in 46 years might not sound like a whole helluva lot, remember Westlake was writing Parker as a sideline, and in addition to his Dortmunder series of capers (14 novels, beginning with 1970’s The Hot Rock), he left behind over 100 novels. But we’re here to talk about Parker, the stoic, merciless, heist man. And it is Parker to whom pulpdom owes its love of bad guy heroes. Or anti-heroes. Okay, so Jim Thompson did that bad-guy-as-hero thing before Westlake (or Stark) or anyone else. But as McNally also points out, though Thompson “took darkness to new depths, [he] used humor to offset the bleakness surrounding his characters’ lives.” Not so Parker. In fact if there’s one instance where the man even smiles, I don’t remember it. And laugh? Forget about it. Though some of the hurdles he and his “string” have to heave over during the course of their various heists would be incredibly comic if they weren’t so damn absurd. Page 24 • Thursday, August 5, 2010 • SunPost Weekly • www.sunpostweekly.com
Then again when the heists are as daring as those Parker and his crew undertake, absurdity is pretty much a given. Take The Seventh (1966) and its robbing of a college football game’s game day take. Or take The Handle (’66) and its knocking off of an entire island casino. Or take The Score (‘64), where he and his endeavor to rob an entire town. Each begins as a brilliant plan. And each descends into a whirlwind of violence and vengeance. And through them all, Parker remains, resolute and ever ready to do whatever is required, without a hint of hesitation. The six-pack of kickass that most recently racked consists of The Green Eagle Score (’67), The Black Ice Score (’68) and The Sour Lemon Score (’69), as well as Deadly Edge (’71), Slayground (’71) and Plunder Squad (’72). As you might suspect from their titles, the first three are pretty much straightforwardly crooked heist stories (the targets are, respectively, an Air Force base, an African nation’s treasures, and a bank). But not one heist goes off the way they were intended, and Parker is left to pick up – and often eliminate – the pieces. Deadly Edge, too, is a heist story, and the rock concert Parker and company knock off gives it a decidedly different beat. In Plunder Squad Parker goes head-to-head with a former accomplice who soured things in The Sour Lemon Score and it’s got the giddy undercurrent of payback written right through it. Slayground, in contrast, finds Parker caught in an amusement park after knocking off an armored car, and the mobsters and cops who want what he’s got never get know what hits them, even as it – and him – stares them down in the face. Any one of the above is a worthy romp through a remarkably different America, when crime was crime and criminals took some pride in its commission. And any one of the above will leave you itchy for more.
Best though would be to begin at the beginning with The Hunter, so you can see just how circumstances created the man Parker would come to be. But whether you decide to hop on at the beginning, in the middle or at the end, you’re gonna wanna hold on. Because the Parker series doesn’t come with seat belts or safety nets, and it’s very easy to be thrown from this kinda wild ride. BTW: If you dig this series – and you will, trust me – Hard Case Crime also has a buncha Stark/Westlake titles to choose from, including Lemons Never Lie (with Parker’s occasional sidekick, Alan Grofield) and The Cutie (Westlake’s debut, which was originally published as The Mercenaries).
“Each begins as a brilliant plan. And each descends into a whirlwind of violence and vengeance. And through them all, Parker remains, resolute and ever ready to do whatever is required, without a hint of hesitation.”
We have a new website. What you love about our print edition is on our website, plus a whole lot more. Check it out right now.
sunpostweekly.com
Style INTERVIEW
Falling: Trends and Must-Have Fall 2010 Pieces By Jennifer Fragoso (jennifer@sunpostweekly.com) Summer is still here but right about now we could all use some cool treats. Thus we come bearing gifts for the fashion famished. Sit back, put the A/C on full blast, and take a look at these Fall 2010 finds. Fur Vests were all the rage on the runways from Derek Lem to Phillip Lim and J. Mendal to Michael Kors. SP has taken the trouble of sourcing a few PETA friendly options that won’t break your bank. Rebecca Taylor’s Faux Fur Gilet is on the higher end of our options but not a total budget buster at $245.00 on net-a-porter.com Our mid-priced option is the Ashland fur vest by BB Dakota. Priced at $90.00 this find has a low sticker price but gives your wardrobe miles and miles of style. Log on to karmaloop.com to get one for yourself. P.S. Use code SOFR33 for free shipping. (Offer may expire so don’t forget to look for details on line and at checkout.) The BKE faux fur reversible vest is on sale for $50.00 and kills two trends with one purchase by incorporating “animal” print while the reversible interior satin lining is an added bonus. Log on to buckle.com before the sale ends. For footwear this season you need only need to know one word—clogs. The shoes we all know and love are back and in more variations than you could have ever imagined. From high heels to booties all you need to do is pick. Vince Camuto Shoes brings a little edge to the traditional clog with the Christies clog. The buckle, stacked heel and silver toned studs make a bold statement for a little over $100.00. Log on to macys.com for more info. Via Spiga offers you another two-for-one trend purchase with the Allston clog priced at $185.00. This 4” peep-toe platform comes in a deep red hue that is big this season and will inject a jolt of color when accessorized with all of the camel pieces you have been coveting from the fall collections. Log on to piperlime.com to scoop these puppies up. Free shipping and returns are in place just in case. Steven by Steve Madden is offering us boots and clogs all in one. The Geraldyn (around $260.00) is a boot with a wooden heel and classic brass nail head trim found on clogs. You can pair them with skirts, dresses and over your favorite pair of skinny jeans or wear them under a wide leg trouser to give the illusion of a more traditional clog. Log on to nordstrom.com or call Nordstrom in Aventura. Pants are always in for some of us but the myriad of styles and widths available for Fall 2010 seem to suggest a pant-a-thon is upon
ABOVE: REBECCA TAYLOR’S FAUX FUR GILET. LEFT: VIA SPIGA CLOGS. RIGHT: J. BRAND CARGO PANT.
Page 26 • Thursday, August 5, 2010 • SunPost Weekly • www.sunpostweekly.com
us. The Gap has quite a number of pants that are both on trend and under $100.00 this season. The perfect fit pinstriped pants are perfectly priced at $59.50. Log on to gap.com to get this on line exclusive delivered right to your door. The Always Skinny jean got a little bleach in all the right places. Hurry into your favorite Gap location to buy these jeans on sale for $49.50. The J. Brand Houlihan skinny cargo is the chic utilitarian choice at around $230.00. Go to shopbop.com to grab these babies while they are hot. Do you have a trend you want to talk about? Log on to sunpostweekly.com and share your thoughts on all things Fall 2010.
CLOCKWISE FROM ABOVE: GAP ALWAYS SKINNY JEAN. 1. STEVE MADDEN BOOT CLOG. 2. VINCE CAMUTO BLACK LEATHER CLOG. 3. BKE RESERVIBLE VEST. 4. GAP PINSTRIPED PANT.
Pantoni Chair $265
Classifieds HELP WANTED VACANCIES A Leading Company in the manufacturing of arts & galleries components requires suitably qualified candidates
KMP FURNITURE SHOWROOM: 6444 Biscayne Blvd., Miami • 305-438-1797 kmpfurniture.com
GENERAL REQUIREMENTS: Computer Proficiency in relevant software AGE: 18 years and above EXPERIENCE: Not less than a year in a similar position EDUCATIONAL QUALIFICATION: Some Colledge / BSC in a related discipline Marketing Manager: In addition to general requirements, candidates must be a holder of an MBA. Have ability to work on a spread sheets Production & Operations Manager: In addition to general requirements, minimum of 2 years experience in an art and galleries firm Admin / Account officer: See general requirement Marketing Executive: See general requirement Stores Officer: See general requirement Secretary/Personal Assistant to CEO: See general requirement. Some accounting and admin background with ability to create spread sheet is a requirement Applicant should within 2 weeks of this publication, forward application letters and resume indicating post applied for to : shauncarter16@rocketmail.com
Chevrolet Chrysler Jeep
FOR SALE
HELP WANTED EXPERIENCED TUTOR NEEDED I SEEK AN EXPERIENCED TUTOR FOR MY 12 YR OLD DAUGHTER, 5TH GRADER. HOURS ARE FLEXIBLE, YOU CHOOSE SUITABLE TIME BETWEEN 8 AM - 8 PM AND LESSONS SHOULD LAST ABOUT 60 MIN/PER DAY, SO YOU HAVE JUST 1HR TO TUTOR DAILY AND 3 DAYS IN A WEEK. SUBJECTS: MATH, SCIENCE, HISTORY & ENGLISH. I AM OFFERING $45 PER HOUR. IF INTERESTED, CONTACT MY EMAIL: DCOLEMAN6070@LIVE.COM
HELP WANTED
FOR HIRE PRIVATE SUMMER TUTORING in Spanish Language Babies to Teens Daily + Weekends in Your Home
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COMPANY TRANSPORT DRIVER: AmeriGas/Propane Transport. CDL-A 3 yrs T/T & 1 yr tanker req. 250K miles over the road, no more than 1 ticket in 2 years, No felonies/must pass screenings. Ken: 866-364-4361
HELP WANTED WE ARE SEEKING PRIVATE INVESTIGATORS TO SHOP AND GET PAID.
You will be paid for what you love doing at [should be during] your leisure hours. MYSTERY SHOPPING is a well established industry used by thousands of top retail and food service companies. Virtually every top retailer in the nation uses shoppers like YOU to help them test out. Interested applicant should contact the hiring manager via email: jmarketshopper@aol.com
EXPERIENCED NURSES AID ASSISTANT NEEDS POSITION TO CARE FOR (ONE OR ANY) ELDERLY
CALL 786-318-7749 (DAY ONLY LIVE-OUT)
HELP WANTED PT/FT CASHIERS & RECEIPT CLERK NEEDED we are seeking for a sales receipt, account rep as to work as our cashier's representative on parttime/full time job basis, the job is suitable for a trustworthy and very humble applicant and must be over 20 yrs of age. If you are interested and need more information. send resume to petersmth112@gmail.com
REAL ESTATE : FOR SALE
ADVERTISE IN THE CLASSIFIED SECTION CALL: 305.482.1785 GREAT SUMMER RATES!
FOR SALE
WIDE SELECTION OF USED PARTS & SERVICE 8880 Biscayne Blvd., Miami • 305.754.7551 www.TropicalAutoGroup.com
Bellini Nursery Set Annie Crib, Jessica 3 - draw Dresser Dutalier Rocking Chair Natural finish. Great condition. $600 obo Call 786-955-8074
REDUCED OCEANFRONT/OCEAN ACCESS 2/2 CONDO ON MILLIONAIRES ROW. RENOVATED CORNER UNIT WITH 1296 SQ.FT. IN RENOVATED PRIVATE BUILDING. 5775 COLLINS AVE. APT # 905, $335,000 Josephine Pampanas, P.A., GRI Miami Beach Broker-Associate Office 305.674.4051 • Cell 305.343.0517 • Fax 305.672.1499 Josephine@josephinepampanas.com
www.sunpostweekly.com • SunPost Weekly • Thursday, August 5, 2010 • Page 27
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