Pure RHETORIC

New concentration

2006-10-05T13:12:00.000-05:00

SOrry I have not been updating in such a long while. I have decided that having 2 blogs, working and having a social life is just too much to handle. So I will be concentrating on my other blog MiamiNights.com. THis blog is strictly about Miami entertainment, nightlife, art etc. You can keep track of my rants and that of my other contributors there. Bookmark it and visit it often, I plan to make it Miami's premier site for nightlife junkies. ANyhow, thanks for sticking with Pure Rhetoric. Now lets move on to MiamiNights.com

George Bush is "the devil"

2006-09-20T12:56:00.000-05:00

Well according to Hugo Chavez.

Like an Inmate

2006-08-30T09:43:00.000-05:00

That's how I felt returning from Europe. Just checking into my flight in Heathrow, London I had to undergo a myriad of security checks. From taking off my shoes, socks, belt, jacket, emptying pockets, opening bags and the worst insult of all was I couldn't buy that HUGE/CHEAP bottle of Jagermeister in duty free because of US travel restrictions. WHAT BULL! I seriously thought I was being admitted into a penitentiary...and that jail is the US. Jeez, who the hell wants to go to the US if they get treated like criminals the moment they enter an airport with flights traveling to the US mainland. I spent 3 months in Europe backpacking and not ONCE in those 3 months was I treated the way I was at the airport....And don't you dare say 9/11 didn't happen in Europe...Remember Spain bombings? What about London's? Remember the Olympic hostage situation in Germany? Yet I traveled through about 13 countries on the continent of Europe and not once was I expected to drop my pants for a security check. Terrorism does not top the list of priorities in Europeans minds. If it did they would be in the same situation as the almighty US, involved in 2 wars in addition to the war on terror, diminishing popular support and tremendous deficits with no good outlook for the future. It's no wonder Europe and the rest of the world is on the rise and the US is on the decline.

Please post comments with different points of view. I would love to read them.

Overblown

2006-08-30T06:58:00.000-05:00

Is it me or is Hurricane coverage totally OVERBLOWN these days? Ernesto was a slack tropical storm yet the MSM coverage made it seem like Hitler's Luftwaffe was crossing the Atlantic to blitz Florida. AM I the only one who thinks this way??

Miami, Day 1

2006-08-29T08:04:00.000-05:00

SO I get back last night from my 3 month long adventure in Europe and how does Miami greet me??? I fucking Hurricane by the name of Ernesto.....I havent been back more than 1 day and I hate life already.

Roman pub crawls

2006-08-07T08:53:00.000-05:00

So we decided to partake in a pub crawl in Rome. At first we were excited with the prospect of jumping from pub to pub and a few clubs throughout Rome. When we arrived to the Spanish Steps we were made aware all of a sudden is was a Roman Toga Pub crawl. Needless to say, 75 toga bearing people stumbling the streets of Rome was one hell of a party. Anyone know if there are such things as pub crawls in Miami??? Might make an intersting venture to undergo.

Rome, Day 1

2006-08-01T05:46:00.000-05:00

So I have already been to Rome before but no matter how many times you visit the sheer granduer of all the ruins can never be tamed. But on our first night in Rome, getting off the train we are rushed by my friend (who we are staying with Raul and Ana MAria) to a free concert infront of the Colosseum featuring Billy Joel and BRyan Adams....and once again it is FREE. Europe has much more to offer in the summer than the US. Maybe ill escape every summer to be freed of the boredom that is Miami.

Barcelona, San Sebastian, Pamplona Spain

2006-07-20T10:34:00.000-05:00

***You can click the thumbnail images for a larger view. Also formatting on blogger takes a while so i didnt bother. And yes the pics are all mine.***
FInally here it is. After being in some pretty small towns where suprisingly internet access was scarce I finally have the time to put up some pics and thoughts of Spain...and some of Italy (though ive only been here a few days).

Lets start with Barcelona. If I had any incling of missing home and the beach and the sun...and yes the ladies, it was completely erased the moment we stepped of the train. Barcelona is hot (minus the killer humidity of Miami), has an amazing
beach, and a extremely lively pedestrian street that stretches for miles called the Ramblas. This street is constantly full of locals and tourists alike simply shooting the breeze, shopping or eating. THe moment we found a place to sleep the only thing on my mind was BEACH! After nearly an entire summer of being denied the sun, sand, ocean and view I finally had the chance to take part in a guilty pleasure. What was nice also were the endless amount of topless women. It seems in Europe exposing your breasts isnt a mortal sin with reprocussions of senate hearings and a media frenzy. More Americans should just get used to the fact women have them, and wanna tan em.
We spent roughly 5 days in Barca just lounging about, going to clubs, bars and parties. Of course the scenic thing was done but what the hell, ive been sightseeing for nearly 2 months and some relaxing, heavy drinking and dancing was due.

After Barca we decided to head to San Sebastian, on the other side of Spain (yet another beach town) because it was near to Pamplona where we would be participating in the Festival San Fermin (Running of the Bulls). I wasnt quite sure what to expect from San Sebastian but when we got there I was in love again....BETTER than Barca, with NICER beaches.
This city has 2 beaches, one for surfers (the one above) and the other for the casual beachgoer (below).
THe SUrfer beach was my favorite with waves anywhere from 5-10 feet. Depending on the time of day. Once again, the first order of business was relaxing on the beach (while the other people I was with slept in the room at mid-day....SLeep can be had for another time!!!!). Sadly they all missed out on the beach while in San Seb, their loss...haha. Again a sea of topless women (loving spain I tell ya). And at mid-day, on a tuesday the beach was PACKED. I couldnt believe what I was seeing......ANd not with tourists but with locals and tourists alike. I thought to myself, what on earth do these people do for a living...Then thought better of myself, Europeans just live funner more relaxed lifestyles. THe city was small enough that I could walk it in about 5 hours. Everything from churches to pedestrian streets, fountains, surf shops etc etc etc. If you go to Spain definately go to San Sebastian. You will not be disappointed.

WHile in San Seb we took a train to Pamplona to see the spectacle that is The Festival San Fermin.....It was about a 2.5 hour train ride. The only problem was the earliest train in the morning got there after the running and the latest train out of San Seb got us there at 2am....We took the late train and said we would stay up and wait for the running to start at 8am.
Little did we know that this city is absolutely full of revelers at all times of the day. We got to the city and there must have been at least 30-50 thousand drunken people dancing, singing and partying. Once again, I couldnt believe my eyes. Such a small city, so much life (obviously because of the festival). And not just drunk, but REALLY drunk. THis went on from 2am to about 6am. At 6am everyone gets a kip, sobers up and prepares for the run. I have had my mind set on the run for nearly 3 years now. I was going to do it, no looking back, not questions about it.
We purchased the traditional white pants, red scarf around our neck and the sash around the waist...We looked like regular Pamplonans!! haha .As the time approached naturally I got a bit worried, started asking myself if this is really a good idea, what if a something happens (this day before an American was paralysed). But my determination was absolute, I was going to do it. ANd not just run to the Plaza de Torros before the bulls reached me but actually run with the herd and try to touch them. What the hell ya??

We made our way up the course to the front where the ran began. It was rammed with people, adding some tension to my thoughts. THe possibility of tripping, getting triped, or trampled are very high with so many people and such a narrow street. 10 minutes before the run started (7:50am) the chanting began...Imagine thousands of people on the course, thousands of spectators, and thousands of people on the balconies singing " Al goooool....Al gooool....Al Gol, Al Gol, Al gol.....nos qureeeemos emborracharnos....Al resultado nos da igual.." until BOOM, the rocket explodes. THis signifies the release of the bulls (about 10 bulls in this run). A madhouse I tell you.
People start going crazy and running like madmen. You start running at a trot looking back waiting for the bulls to near, hopping up and down trying to see past the crowd as you jog. People start running faster....People start getting frantic.....You start getting frantic, start running faster. Heart beating, sweat running, legs burning.....ANd then the mad sprint! THe bulls are 10 meters behind me, I start to run as fast as I can staying in the middle of the course and a bit off center.....ANd there they are, 4 giants 1 ton animals barelling down the street smashing people out of the way, trampling anyone and anything in their way.
I get to run along side the pack for about 20 seconds before their pace cannot be matched...at arms length from the bulls you no longer feel terror but complete and sheer euphoria! I was doing it, It was amazing.

THen...I get tripped up by someone behgind me.....At that moment you no longer think like a normal human being. You go into survival mode, doing whatever it takes to not get trampled by the stampede. I landed on my right knee very hard ripping my pants and getting a nasty scrape...but I didnt think of it. I had to get up or get trampled (by bulls or poeple). Literally running on my knees I manage to grip someones waist and heave myself to my feet continuing the sprint to the Plaza de Torros......Again another group of bulls speeds by, people jumping out of the way. Again another group passes at arm length mindlessly running to the plaza....ANd then there it is, the Plaza itself...WHen you enter the plaza you are greeted as a hero by the spectators, all cheering madly as you enter the the ring....Myself, I felt like a king. A survivor. My arms in the the air yelling and screaming, hugging random people for the accomplishment of making it to the plaza and not jumping out of the course......

ANd then something I didnt know happened during the run. To my knowledge the run was over but its not! THey close the gate to the plaza de torros and lock the 400+ people inside......THen they release small, adolescent bulls with tapped horns into the ring. Mind you when I say small im not being literal. THese things are huge as well, I would say about 500lbs. Enough to paralyze you if knocked full force (like the american from new york a few days before)......Everyone in the in the plaza becomes a Matador. Everyone wanting to taunt the bull and get chased, throwing caution to the air and possible consequences aside. Once I saw this I felt I had to participate as well. Why the hell not. I just ran 500 meters being chased by them. SO you taunt the bull, clap, yell kick sand at the beast until it charges...then you like like a chicken with its head cut of trying not to get gorged (mind you they have caps on the horns). Again the adrenaline swells, your muscles feel no pain from the sprint just minutes before, your mind sees no wrong in risking your life. One of the novelties I also noticed is trying to smack the bulls ass. While it is distracted on other poeple you make a run and give it a good smack and hope it doesnt turn and horn you.....In total i managed 3 smacks....and one horn in my ass. A bit bruised but nothing serious...WHat excilliration! What fun! What ablosute insanity! The crowd explodes in cheers when people get bowled over, when people can Ole the bull, when poeple smack it.....Just pure enjoyment......This event in the ring last 45 minutes with about 6 adolescent bulls released within that time....SO you can imagine I was quite tired after the entire event was through. From running, to being the matador, to smacking bulls asses...I was drained of energy...Now the long trip back to San Seb

As if running wasnt enough of a day when we return to San Sebastian we realize they are finalizing the set up of an immense stage on the surfers beach....Who would be playing we asked...probably a local spanish band.....But to our suprise....it was the one and only, the legend, the myth, the extremely old BOB DYLAN!!
HAHAHAhahaH....what a day indeed. And to top of the fact Dylan would be playng in San Sebastian the concert was FREE! with a fireworks diaplay to finish the night off.
An idol, a legend of rock and of our country. Who could ask for anything more. Life alsmost feels complete. I could die happy and with no regrets in the world. Ciao from Europe!!!

random pics:

back you vultures!!!

2006-07-18T11:29:00.000-05:00

I know i promised pics but these small european cities have no freaking internet cafe`s....and when they do they cost 5 bucks the hour...pffft, im a broke student on a budget....ill get them up when I can....oh ya, and marsaille is pretty nice but at night it reminds me of New Orleans after Katrina...scary..

Spain

2006-07-11T17:56:00.000-05:00

Well, today 7-11-06 was quite a day. Today was the 4th day of the Festival San Fermin (for you non-travellers that the Running of the Bulls thing). I decided to run...it was terrifying....it was excillirating....the perfect combination....and to top it all off....there was a free concert in San Sebastian (where im staying) on the beach headlining Bob Dylan.....Ill have more to say and pics up a.s.a.p

cheers

World Cup experience

2006-06-30T04:32:00.000-05:00

I have been in Germany for almost 10 days now experiencing the greatest sporting event in the world and have a few pics and words to say. First off there is nothing, nothing, nothing in this world that can possibly compare to the WC experience. The sheer amount of people who come to this event to support their country, the energy each person brings with them with the hopes of giving their players that extra push to score the winning goal, the hospitality of the host country to the millions who are here hoping their team loses in the first round and the general euphoria felt by everyone attending is unique and unforgetable. I have been fortuante enough to visit several cities in Germany that are hosting WC matches thanks to the incredibe rail system the country has in place (cough one up for Socialism) and several other cities that do not have mega huge state of the art stadiums. Of the cities visited I have been to Munchen (thats how the Germans say it ok!), Stuttgart, Karlsruhe, Kaiserslaughtern, Schwanfeld, Nurnberg (again, how the Germans say it), Essling....and I think thats pretty much it.

A little about the WC set up in Germany. Each city that is hosting matches has set up a Fan Fare in the center of the city.THese fan fares are basically a festival type set up with food vendors, music, apparel vendors etc etc...

They also have set up these beach like gathering areas where the games are displayed on several GIANT HUMUNGOUS tv's for those who could not make it into the matches. For each match you can expect to see anywhere from 70,000-150,000 people in the fanfare watching the match, eating, meeting new people, or just getting piss drunk (love that German beer). So as you can imagine each match has a unique individuality about it depending on which team is playing.

For example, I went to Stuttgart to catch the Croatia v. Australia match. This is the city where the actual game was being played so the FanFare of Stuttgart was OVERFLOWING with Croats and Aussies. Both enjoying the pre game drink up and getting ready to battle it out with songs and chants to see who would be the loudest that day. Just imagine 30k Croats and 20K Aussies roaming the streets with beers and air horns screaming, yelling, dancing, singing, talking and just having a blast. Whats amazing is with the amount of people and alcohol there has been no violence (with the exception of the 300 engligh arrested and 150 germans....). These poeple are here to make friends and cheer on their patria. If you ever get a chance you have to experience this amazing world event even if you dont like football meeting new people and experiencing SEVERAL new cultures is a memorable experience.

The Miami Heat, Champions

2006-06-24T12:26:00.000-05:00

I wasn't going to post anything about it since every blog in S. Florida will be putting up the same generic "Yay the Heat are number 1" kinda crap but I figured I could get some hits by adding key words. So here we go:

The Miami Heat
Shaquille O'Neal
Dwayne Wade
The Flash
NBA Champions
Eastern Conference Champions
Dwayne Wade FInals MVP
Pat Riley
Biscayne Blvd
Miami
Gary Payton
Alonzo Mourning
Stan Van Gundy (oops, omit that please)
The Diesel
Udonis Haslem
etc
etc
etc
etc

Sorry if you were brought to this site expecting some kind of punditry and realized you were dooped by some key words. Feel free to add this site to your favorites and continue visiting for future updates.

Finally some LIFE!

2006-06-16T10:16:00.000-05:00

It took nearly the entire match but FINALLY the boys from England showed some life towards the end when Rooney was sub'd in for a very slow, un-impressive Micheal Owen. THe match ended 2-0 in Englands favor and the Queens men secured a spot in the round of 16. Now we have to beat Sweden to secure the top position in the group and avoid playing Germany in the next round...How bad would that suck..England vs. Germany..actually it sounds pretty damn good. But I would much rather let someone else take on the home team in the next round. I have a feeling England need a few more games to get all their wheels turning.

It would be nice

2006-06-15T04:36:00.000-05:00

TO wake up tomorrow and read that Shaq actually did something useful in game 4. GO Heat!

Oh ya, and it would be nice if my guest bloggers got off their asses and worked dammit!!! lol jk. Where are they though...It's tough being the boss and across an ocean...hahah

Brasil 1 : Croatia 0

2006-06-14T07:00:00.000-05:00

Finally the much anticipated Brasil opener took place last night after a week of being stuck to the boob tube watching every single match (the advantages of being on vacation in Europe for 3 months). My friends and I decided to go to a Brasilian bar that had set up a big screen tv in a courtyard to enjoy the game. WHen we got their we werent dissapointed to see the Danes and Brasilians had started the party already well ahead of the match. Besides the the beautiful women dancing about and what seemed to be an endless amount of beer the night was alot of fun. Not to mention the carioca boys took their opener 1:0.

While I would have preferred to see a more dominating performance by the reigning world champs throughout the entire game they still played well enough in the first half to secure the win. My only problem is with Ronaldo....I dont think Im the only person who noticed he is putting on some serious weight...Can he even compete at this level dragging around that extra baggage? Would Perreira be better off starting Robinho, the 22 year old phenom? I dont know, a win is a win even though the Croats took it to the BRasilians in the second half nearly scoring a few times down the stretch. DOesnt matter though, 3 points is 3 points! Vamo carra Brasil!

Below are some pics of the event during, and after the game. Erik was so excited Brasil won he decided to go for a drunken evening ride on one of the many free bicycles Denmark offers to crazy tourists. (Click the pic for an enlarged view)

USA World Cup opener thoughts

2006-06-12T17:04:00.000-05:00

To put is simply, the US attempt at football in their world cup opener against the Czech Republic was completely pathetic. Not one single player on the squad showed any sort of competence and they were steam rolled by a far better team. I think the only player I saw the entire game who actually looked like he knew how to attack was Eddie Johnson, to bad he was a second half substitution. The Czech's controlled every aspect of the game. The US midfield was completely absent and that gave the Czech's Pavel Nedved (2003 European Player of the Year) the ability to control the entire game. And where the hell was Donovan?? I think that maybe if he had decided to stay in Germany and tough if out in a better football league he would have improved dramatically for this Cup. But his decision to return to the MLS because he wasn’t getting enough playing time in a better league showed his game hasn’t improved since the '02 cup.

You know what it might have been.....Maybe it was the pre-game talk Bushy gave the team. If its anything like his marvellous speeches then I wouldn’t be surprised if the players were more confused after Bush got off the phone. Honestly after seeing the performance by the US today and seeing how well Italy controlled the pretty good Ghana team we have no chance of advancing. Sad, it would have been a great statement to the world that the '02 cup results wasn’t a fluke.

NET for Them, NOT for Us

2006-06-05T17:59:00.000-05:00

Google slow, VerizonSearch.com fast. eBay SLOW, BellsouthAuctions.com FAST. Blogger.com ssllllooooowww…. AT&TBlog.com F>ST. This could be the internet of the future as the Internet Service Provider giants continue to lobby Congress for massive changes. These changes would allow the giants to limit the bandwidth of certain users and increase it for others. If these changes occur, one can expect to see a huge decrease in online competition.

The network giants plan to charge large websites like eBay, Google, etc. higher fees for the amount of bandwidth that users currently use up when they visit their sites. (Ref 1) The result for us would be an increase in the fees we pay to use these sites (like for selling on ebay) or in much slower use of the sites.

Another effect would be limited use of personal bandwidth like downloading music and videos. The ISPs could add controls to automatically slow down your internet access when certain data files are detected. Of course, the downloads of movies from VerizonMovies.com would go at max speed!

But wait, it’s not just the ISPs that want changes to the internet. The Department of Justice wants laws passed that require the ISPs to keep user Data for up to two years! This includes all the websites one visits and all the files they download. (Ref 2) First our phones, now our internet??

So, by now you might be wondering, “What can I do?” Check out this website: http://www.itsournet.org/ From here, you can sign up and a letter can be sent in your behalf to an involved Congress member telling him or her how you DON'T want this legislation to go through. It’s a very quick process. The site also has links to many relevant articles on this topic.

1.Business Week

2. Another Link

Dammit from Brussels!!

2006-06-03T14:51:00.000-05:00

I wrote this beautiful post about my travels so far and all of sudden blogger timed me out and I lost the whole post. So in summary, the trip is great so far though the EU is way expensive. Cities and people are great and the beer is fantastick (I have decided that Miller and Bud are sorry attempts for beer). Anyhow, time is running out and I will end he post with pics. Fucking blogger!! (Try this link, have more pics on photobucket http://s24.photobucket.com/albums/c38/bcrossland/Europe/)

Brussels Tube

The little pisser (Brussels)

If you dont know this stop reading my blog please

Bacca, Rick and Erik. Paris tube. (Bacca let us stay in his house, THANKS!)

Paris

Again, refer to the text under the Eiffel Tower

A bum, picadilly circus

Rooting for the Heat?

2006-05-23T17:20:00.000-05:00

Well even if you're not, check out these two great articles. Hurry... the game's just about to start!

http://www.miami.com/mld/miamiherald/sports/14644070.htm

http://www.miami.com/mld/miamiherald/sports/14643073.htm

P.S. Thanks to Bryan for the opportunity to post on this Blog. "I'm not worthy!"

Leaving to Europe

2006-05-23T16:48:00.000-05:00

The time has finally come and as of tomorrow I will be trekking through Europe for 3 months. "Holy fuck three months!!" is the most popular response I get when people ask where I am going. Along with "Don't you work", to which I reply "Nope" and the always amusing "Oh man you gotta go to Amsterdam and smoke that wowy Maui", which the only response is "Wowy what?". Naturally traveling through Europe is a dream trip but the true gem of my travels is the arrival to Germany June 18th to experience and immerse myself in the revelry that is the World Cup. Uh, the mothereffing MUNDIAL. I am going to be reporting from the World Cup on MiamiNights.com. So if you want a first hand experience of this event and all the crazy parties and people that accompany it keep an eye on MiamiNights.com. Other than that I will do my best to bring you along my travels through Europe via this blog on what promises to be an unforgettable trip.

P.S. As I will have less time to maintain Pure RHETORIC I have asked a few individuals to act as guest bloggers (and if they don't completely suck maybe full time blogger) to keep you appraised of Miami events. So enjoy and and feel free to run the guest blogger off if they don't meet your standards (actually, be nice I need them....for now). PEACE OUT!

Back in town......for now

2006-05-22T18:52:00.000-05:00

So I'm back from Peru and rushing about like a fucking mad man trying to finish up last minute things before I abandon this hole of a city (I kid, I kid) for the next three months. Among those running around things was to go watch The Davinci Code since the book rocked my world. If you haven't read it Dan Brown is a very good author whose novels flow very nicely and keep you guessing and reading. I didn't have high expectations for the movie being they can never fully capture the essence of a book (Only natural). The only movies I've watched that have come very close to capturing the excitement and misticism of a book were Lord of the Rings, but that's because it had an over obsessive fat man directing them and even then they weren't perfect. I digress. The movie on a scale from 1-10 landed a solid 6.5....nearing 7. The acting was ok. Tom Hanks is decent enough as Langdon and the French chick was a nice change from your usual American chick faking a terrible French accent. Go see the movie, and above all else read the book. Peace

Update from Peru

2006-05-18T22:13:00.000-05:00

I lost the digi cam on the second (or third, I dont really wanna remember) day of the trip....Im such a spaz christ......I drank water from a 500 year old Inca resiviour at 3,000 meters above sea level and got a mad case of the sh*ts......took some anti-diahreal prescription medication (without a prescription mind you) and had a nasty allergic reaction which caused my skin to break out in hives at 5am the morning we were going to Machu Picchu...FAK! but still made it up to the the most breath taking ancient civilation site I have ever seen (Absolutely blowing Tikal in Guatemala out of the water, though Tikal is an also a spectacular site too see)...

Will get pics and more in depth info once I get back to Miami the 21st. Until then revel in my misfortune and be envious of my incredible summer that has just begun..HA! Peace out.

-B.A.C

Reporting from Peru!

2006-05-12T12:57:00.000-05:00

Hello readers and fellow bloggers! My incredible summer has offically begun starting in Peru, the home of my Mother´s side of the family. It is the first time since I was 5 yrs old that I have returned to Peru and am very excited. The picture above is of the city Cusco (in quecha that means Bellybutton of the World), the capital of the Inca civilization. My initial impression of the city can be expressed in one word, incredible. I´ll try to get more info later after I start seeing the sites. I´m dying to see Machu Picchu. This is B.A.C signing out

Hooray it's back

2006-05-09T17:00:00.000-05:00

May 12th at Studio A. Don't miss it =)

Hearing rumors

2006-05-09T16:52:00.000-05:00

I've been hearing from the grape vine (lol, i always hear shit last) that the State legislature has sidelined Hialeah's plans to build a baseball stadium in their already decrepid city. Anyone got a link or something I can read?

CHA CHING!

2006-05-09T16:45:00.000-05:00

Well well, our lovely commisioners want us to raise their salary from $6,000 to $89,000. WTF! Thats the frist thing that came to my mind when I read this. C'mon guys lets be reasonable. How about you give us better roadways, less traffic and a better transportation system before we even consider making you wealthy louts that sit in comfortable leather chairs. You work for the people, not a corporation. Your public service should be exactly that, a service.

Pathetic

2006-05-09T11:45:00.000-05:00

Vince carter only scores 27 points and the Heat nearly get blown out. I love the Heat but if the Nets can string together a dominating performance with their best player only scoring 27 were doomed. bah! Naturally D. Wade put on a good performance but the maddeningly inconsistent performance by Shaq this playoff run has got to come to an end if we expect to make it to the finals.

It's that time again!

2006-05-08T16:14:00.000-05:00

Time for another Bushims of the day! Maestro, drum roll pelase...........

As a boy I never even saw a soccer bal
Interview with the Bild am Sonntag newspaper

Is there any doubt as to how great a leader Bushy is now? Of course not, what with his knowledge in world cultures and stuff like that.

Planning on moving to S. FLorida?

2006-05-08T10:53:00.000-05:00

Seven feet of seawater swamps Key Biscayne and 45 miles of coastline from Miami Beach to Deerfield Beach. Saltwater surges through some houses in Hollywood, Coconut Grove and elsewhere. Waist-deep freshwater blankets vast regions of suburban Broward and Miami-Dade counties.
Ferocious winds crush tens of thousands of roofs and gut numerous office buildings. Residents who defy orders to evacuate skyscrapers in Miami Beach, on Hollywood's beach and along Miami's downtown corridors could be blown out of their apartments. Power outages persist for months rather than weeks.

An article posted on the Herald.com tells of a grim possibility of catastrophic hurricanes the likes we have never seen before in South Florida. Had Katrina or Wilma hit the Miami Beach, Hollywood Beach, Key Biscayne area the outome would have made New Orleans look like Overtown on a busy day. Don't think this kind of cataclysmic event isn't possible. I mean don't go thinking were all gonna die under a giant wave of destruction. But after what hapenned in N.O. and the piss poor government response one can't completely disregard these types of events happening. (I'm not trying to be the a downer or anything, I fucking love Miami.)

"We know that it happened in Southeast Florida before, and there's no doubt in my mind that it will happen again," said Max Mayfield, the hurricane center's director and a resident of Kendall. "I can't tell people when, but I can guarantee that it will happen." (We all know max is a bad ass when it comes to hurricanes)

Remember, the hurrican season starts June 1st and lasts six months. Last year we had what 25 named storms and like 4 that passed through Florida (correct me if i'm wrong please). If something as devastating as Katrina or Wilma had hit South Florida we would have been stuck in the stone age for months rather than weeks. God imagine months of that annoying generator humming sound. It would drive me insane! Don't get me wrong any excuse to not go to work and extend deadlines is a godsend but theres no way in hell I can stand sweating and stinking in the humid summers of Miami for months on end (What would the ladies think?)

Dirty Arkansa

2006-05-08T09:18:00.000-05:00

Gotta love those live TV gems:

Arkansas Razorback players Clarke Moore, Brett Goode and Casey Dick need to stop hanging out on the sidelines.

Props: Kimy

Oh my aching head

2006-05-05T13:42:00.000-05:00

I went club hopping last night (and the night before for that too) and am suffering at work. As I get older I have begun to realize that not only is my first step in b-ball not quite what it used to be but I can no longer stay out till 6am and go to to work the next day at 9am. Its depressing. I think I'm just gonna crawl into bed when I get outta work and dream of my younger more boisterous days when my legs never tired and my crave for older women was insatiable. Then I'm gonna wake up, go out for Cinco de Mayo and get completely shattered. Sounds like a great weekend to me.

2003 FTAA Protests

2006-05-04T13:19:00.000-05:00

The 2003 FTAA protests (Which I am proud to say I attended) was marred by excessive police force. Naturally the police claimed they only arrested and shot unruly activists, however the thousands who attended the protest had a completely different story. To get a better idea of what transpired that day the Miami Civilian Investigative Panel (CIP) conducted a review of policing efforts that day. I was shot that evening in the back with a rubber bullet (god it hurt like hell) and pepper sprayed on several occasions all while protesting peacefully. Seeing the police corral people and shoot them with rubber bullets mercilessly left me in absolute shock. I have two very vivid memories of that day. The first is of a woman in a suit standing about 100 feet infront of the police. As she stood there the police began marching forward. The woman would not move, the police kept getting closer and begun yelling at her to move. A moment after they warned her she was hit with a barrage of paint balls filled with pepper powder (She ended up on the floor writhing). The other image is of a reporter who got shot in the face with a rubber bullet not 5 feet from me. His forehead was swollen and bleeding profusely. The police didn't help him, the "scum bag" kids protesting did (Good for nothing pigs). I personally think the Miami PD is a department full of resentful fat asses hiding behind guns and riot shields, but that's my personal opinion.

Here are some excerpts from the report:

“instances of police misconduct were observed” and, except for a few groups of people, “the protestors and demonstrators were not violent or disruptive.”
“An overwhelming majority of the arrests made during the FTAA did not result in prosecution or findings of guilt.”
“In certain instances, the MPD did not adequately protect the First Amendment rights of demonstrators…The overwhelming presence of police dressed in riot gear intimidated demonstrators and deterred them from exercising their First Amendment rights.”
“Tasers were employed during the FTAA.” (Thank god I wasn't tasered)
“Some demonstrators were profiled, unlawfully searched and detained.”

Click here to read entire article

Edit: Added some things I left out from the original draft. Hope you don't mind.

Florida Marlins stadium chatter

2006-05-04T11:27:00.000-05:00

Heeeeeere we go again. I thought we finally got rid of that hemorrhaging team but apparently they still got some life left in 'em. The Miami Herald reports that the state Senate will vote before the upcoming recess (Is it me or are law makers always on recess?) on whether to grant the Marlins a subsidized tax break to help them build a retractable roof stadium. It was pretty apparent before the UDB hearings that the Marlins were history and we could finally get that lame duck team out of Florida and into a city that appreciates baseball (San Antonio has been bidding for the Marlins for months now). All of a sudden though once Hialeah managed to manipulate the Miami-Dade commissioners and move the UDB back for their industrial park they decide to make an offer to have the stadium built. Well where the hell are they gonna put a giant baseball stadium? Do you really need an answer to that question? The land being proposed (near Florida's Turnpike and Northwest 170th Street) is owned by the same developer who was just successful in pushing the UDB back, Armando Codina.

Is that not at all suspicious? It sure as hell is to me. Before the UDB was moved and that area had no plans for construction the Marlins were DEAD IN THE WATER. Negotiations were pretty much at a stand still and it looked like another city was making strong bids to move the Marlins away. Once Hialeah and its bed partner The Codina group were granted their industrial park and the moving of the UDB rumors exploded about Hialeah's offer to the state to build a stadium. I expect things in Miami to be underhanded, I mean the dominant culture is Latino and we all know how those governments work. But here has to be some kind of transparencies between city officials and wealthy lobbyist. This is another case of money winning over the people.

Wave bye bye to school vouchers......for now

2006-05-04T08:47:00.000-05:00

Once again our all knowing governor Jeb Bush has decided to try and resurrect his stupid school voucher program. And once again he failed. By one vote the governors plan to send students to private schools on taxpayers money failed with 4 Republicans jumping ship. Why does Jeb think sending kids to private schools is a good thing? Are the public school in Florida that terrible that we need to take them out of state care and place them into religious schools. Cause that's what his voucher program presents. I don't think its fair for the state and taxpayers to subsidize private schools. The terrible state in which our public schools are in should be resolved and not brushed under the rug. The voucher program basically acknowledges our schools are terrible and attempts to right the wrong by sending kids to more expensive schools that have an agenda: Religion. There is a reason the state Supreme Court ruled the voucher program unconstitutional. The real sneaky and underhanded part of this whole charade of a program and the vote to strike it down is the fact that Senate Majority Leader Villalobos (a Miami Senator) was removed from his position because he voted against the religious lobby and the Governor. Let that be a lesson for those who want to run for the Republicans. If you don't vote how the boss (aka Jeb Bush, aka George Bush) tells you then you can expect to be humiliated on the capitol floor in front of all your peers. That's a great way to shore up support for your crappy educational programs Jeb. Bot to worry though, Jeby will bring this back up to the senate with different wording and hope he gets it on the next ballot for voters. He is on a mission to make his Gubernatorial legacy anything less than a complete wash.

My little town on the MAP!

2006-05-03T09:42:00.000-05:00

Not in the best light naturally....Article there

Pirates of the Carribean 2 Trailer

2006-05-02T14:43:00.000-05:00

Anyone like the first one? I thought I'd put the sequals trailer up in case none of you have seen it yet. It looks very good.

Monday protest pics

2006-05-02T11:22:00.000-05:00

Here are some pics from the protest in Miami. The pics are courtesy of Criticalmiami.com

The turnout in Miami was not very large, as expected. Why is that? I'm not sure but here's why I think people in Miami have less to lose than those in the rest of the nation. Miami doesn't really have an Illegal Immigrant problem. Believe it or not most of the immigrants here are llegal (Those from Cuba at least). The reason they don't go out to support their brethren is because they just don't care. Were pretty selfish here in Miami and if its not a problem for us, then we don't care. Because the immigrants are a large socio-economic sector here in Miami alone they are already a large force to be reckoned with. They don't need a voice in S. Florida, they've had one for years now. For example, the '04 campaign trail had Bush making several stops in Miami speaking to Cuban leaders to shore up votes. That's how much sway the latin community holds here in Miami. Why would they go out and protest in the hot sun to help people in the same situation they were once in? You would think empathy would wash over their hearts....wrong. It could also be the fact the Miami Police (You know, that corrupt department that protects us?) have been out in force lately rounding people up. What better way to stop large public gatherings than to instill fear into such individuals before they go out? Who knows, Miami is a complex city with a convoluted weaving of cultures and ethnicities. I could talk about this for hours, go figure.

Happy Anniversary

2006-05-02T08:57:00.000-05:00

It is now 1,095 days since "major combat operations" finished in Iraq. Here is what we've managed to ~~accomplish~~ screw up since that pompuos day on the USS Abraham Lincoln:

	May 1, 2003	Today
U.S. Troops Wounded	542	17,469
U.S. Troops Killed	139	2,400
Size of U.S. Forces	150,000	132,000
Size of Iraqi Security Forces	7,000-9000	250,500
Number of Insurgents	5,000	15,000-20,000
Insurgent Attacks Per Day	8	75
Cost to U.S. Taxpayers	$79 billion	$320 billion
Approval of Bush’s Handling of Iraq	75%	37%
Percentage of Americans who Believe The Iraq War Was “Worth Fighting”	70%	41%
Bush’s Overall Job Approval	71%	38%

*Table courtesy of DailyKos

Just GREAT...

2006-05-01T13:54:00.000-05:00

The World Cup is just 38 days away. Just 38 days. The single most important event in soccer, for fans and players alike, and England's best striker might not be healthy enough to play in his first world cup. All hopes for England are pretty much gone....that's how explosive Wayne Rooney is. And what did Sir Alex Furguson, Manager for Manchester United, have to say about playing Rooney in a game that wouldn't have decided anything important for Man U:

'Fortunately for us we'll only be without him for two games, but without doubt it's a crippling blow for England.'

Fortunately he will only be out two games for Man U. Screw you Furguson. This is a great squad England was sending to Germany, with Rooney as it's crowning piece. It's nice to see how remorseful you are for killing our chances. Don't worry though, I'm sure the hooligans know where you live in the event we lose.

In S. Florida we....

2006-05-01T10:51:00.000-05:00

Attack our star football players out of road rage! Here in S. Florida we are all equals, even our million dollar studs. So if your looking for equality on the roads, this is the place.

Driving in S. Florida tip: If you are considering moving down to Miami make sure you have enough money to afford a personal driver. It's better he takes a beating or gets shot in a bout of road rage with another commuter than you do.

Today is the day

2006-05-01T09:42:00.000-05:00

It's almost as if Doomsday were today as every business in the United States and Miami await the walk out by thousands if not millions of immigrants as a show of their importance to the US economy. Heaven forbid some rich swank won't have Sonia there to wipe his ass with gold inlaid toilies. What is a wealthy, country club, industrial type individual to do without the poor immigrants he/she uses to make their millions? Oh I dunno, spread rumors maybe about Migra raids, threaten to fire them from their crappy low paying jobs, or maybe just threaten to have their entire family deported. It really hits a nerve when people in the USA get scared that their cheap, undocumented, overworked, underprivileged labor will strike for a day yet support laws that would criminalize their own workers.

I guess it serves all those businesses right to have their operations stalled for one day because their HIGHLY undervalued and underprivileged work force has finally decided to take their destiny into their own hands instead of cowering under the threat of being fired or exposed. Now it is those execs that are cowering and being exposed. I truly hope that today's boycott sends a very clear message to the US Legislature that they can no longer curtail to the wealthy lobby that abuses these workers in exchange for camping finance. These people are gonna make a huge difference in future elections and the future of our economy. If today is successful maybe then they will get a clearer image of this problem. Maybe after today they will feel compelled to do something this year rather than wait till after '06. We shall see.

FIU big winners @ National Convention in Vegas

2006-04-28T16:39:00.000-05:00

MIAMI, Fla. (April 26, 2005)—A team of four FIU construction management students won the Grand Champions Award at the 6th Annual Associated Builders and Contractors (ABC) Student Chapters Construction Management Competition, held in March during the 2006 ABC National Convention in Las Vegas....

Full article here

What so great about this you say? Well, the David like FIU managed to slay the Goliaths of the intellectual world including the University of Florida (hahaha, you better watch it UF. Your football team blows and FIU is coming up quick in the academics.),Auburn University and Brigham Young University and others. Go Panthers!

Miami construction shutdown

2006-04-28T14:36:00.000-05:00

You can expect all construction in Miami to be on hold or delayed because of this....

That's what I wrote yesterday in my post Immigration in Miami in reaction to the scores of Miami police in downtown this past Wednesday raiding homes in the poorer sections of Miami (where all the illegals live), and the ~~rumored~~ national immigration sweep that nabbed nearly 1,000 illegals. Now the Miami Herald reports that several construction sites have effectively been shut down due the lack of workers that showed up.

"At one, he said, there were 450 workers on the job before Tuesday and yesterday just 112; at another site there were 114 and now there is no one. He said the problem is widespread in Broward also."

What people have a hard time understanding is that these illegals keep the country going. Case in point: Downtown Miami construction projects. There are approximately 11 million illegal immigrants in the country that slave away in the shitiest working conditions imaginable. They make our Florida orange juice, change the oil in your tricked out '98 civic (I wish I had a button to destroy all those annoying civics and their owners), and make my favorite pincho on 8th St. So don't jump to conclusions when you hear politicians and friends scream bloody murder that these immigrants are sucking our country dry. On the contrary, they are keeping it afloat.

Ayyy, dime what you can see mang

2006-04-28T11:22:00.000-05:00

The star spangled banner in spanish. Need I say more?

Read more here

Bushism of the day update

2006-04-27T14:41:00.000-05:00

drum roll please................

"I aim to be a competitive nation."—San Jose, Calif., April 21, 2006

Stayed tuned for futue Bushism's!

A stripper's rant

2006-04-27T10:48:00.000-05:00

Saw this on DoubleViking.com. Craiglist attracts the weirdest shit I swear.

7) Stop asking me if my tits are real. There are as real as my affection for you.

Best of Craiglist: A Stripper's Rant

Nifty tool

2006-04-27T10:28:00.000-05:00

This is a great website considering gas prices are killing mine and yours wallet. Just enter your zip code and it will find the cheapest gas in your area. Cheers.

Update: Found this also. This site gives a clearer picture of gas prices in Miami.
Props:Luis

Immigration in Miami

2006-04-27T08:44:00.000-05:00

You can expect all construction in Miami to be on hold or delayed because of this. What's truly disgusting is this:

Opponents, they suggested, could be spreading rumors of raids just to scare workers away from political events.

The immigration issue is a political hot potato right now. Not one single politician wants to touch this thing and you can expect that nothing will happen till after the Nov congressional/senatorial elections are through. It's pathetic we have to wait till after November to get this huge national issue resolved. It is also alarming some people are spreading these rumors to affect the illegal immigrants. What they are actually doing is affecting our economy. These immigrants work, believe it or not, and by having them not show up to work you effectively shut down construction projects, and businesses. Think about that.

Americans without insurance up.......again

2006-04-26T10:58:00.000-05:00

Interesting article here about a study finding more Americans are having to forego treatments and doctor visits because they cannot afford it. Here are the choices you have basically if you don't have insurance:

Skip treatment for a week to buy food and other necessities.

Buy your treatment and get your exams done and forget about spending money on anything else until you can pay back what you owe.

Pretty crappy choices if you ask me.

Money Quote:

"For an uninsured person who is unlucky enough to get sick, it is easy to see how quickly they can fall into a downward spiral of debt, forgone care, and poorer health,"

100th POST!!!

2006-04-26T08:13:00.000-05:00

This post will be dedicated to the fallen holistic, dread head, yoga loving running back we all know and love. Ricky Williams. Our good friend and Miami Dolphin RB lost his appeal to the NFL and will sadly be suspended for 1 year, after which he may apply to be reinstated. But we all know that after a year off Ricky will not make the money he deserves and will no longer be the same RB we saw in the green and teal. Apparently the drug in question was related to his interest and study in Holistic Medicine. Again I reiterate my opinion that if a persons personal life, beliefs and religion entail that he take certain substances (as long as they are not performance enhancing and not during the regular season) such person should not be punished. I think its all a bunch of bull. So Ricky, this post is dedicated to you man. You did the Dolphins proud and we'll miss ya. Hopefully Ronnie Brown can fill the gap while you gone. PEACE!

I know its kinda a lackluster 100th post but I am just so lazy right now.

All the F's you could ask for in Scarface

2006-04-25T14:54:00.000-05:00

Warning - This is full of obscenities, but its so F'ing hilarious

Miami Nights

2006-04-25T14:06:00.000-05:00

Plenty of new posts and reviews on Miami Nights. Feel free to leave comments and such. Spread the word if you lke what you read.

p.s. tell them how great B.A.C's posts are!!

Microsoft IE7 Beta2 available

2006-04-25T13:53:00.000-05:00

So basically the new IE7 is a near replica of Mozilla Firefox. I havent had the opportunity yet to test the new features of IE7 but hopefully its better and more secure than previous beta releases. I still think I will remain a loyal Firefox user until I can find substantial reason to move to IE7. DOWN WITH GATES and his commy friend HU!

Where was this in '04

2006-04-25T11:20:00.000-05:00

"The true defeatists today are not those who call for recognizing the facts on the ground in Iraq. The true defeatists are those who believe America is so weak that it must sacrifice its principles to the pursuit of illusory power.

The true pessimists today are not those who know that America can handle the truth about the Administration's boastful claim of 'Mission Accomplished' in Iraq. The true pessimists are those who cannot accept that America's power and prestige depend on our credibility at home and around the world. The true pessimists are those who do not understand that fidelity to our principles is as critical to national security as our military power itself.
And the most dangerous defeatists, the most dispiriting pessimists, are those who invoke September 11th to argue that our traditional values are a luxury we can no longer afford," - John Kerry, last Saturday.

If you had the cojones to speak this powerfully to the people in '04 we might not be in the conundrum we are now. Make sure you hire a completely different campaign staff if you decide to run again in '08.

Politics at work!

2006-04-25T11:13:00.000-05:00

Its always good to see State legislature working hard on the pressing issues of our time. Especially the battle on Dildoes!!!

Bill would make sale of sex toys illegal in South Carolina

Instead of concentrating on ways to lower our budget deficit, getting out of Iraq, lowering gas prices or the plethora of other problems this country has its good to know the boys holding state position have their priorities straight. Keep up the good work boys!

Bush orders gas price probe

2006-04-25T08:24:00.000-05:00

Now that gas has skyrocketed nationwide and poll numbers show that 69% of respondents say the rising fuel costs have cost them personal hardships and that they trust Democrats more than Republicans about fixing the issue our government has decided to do something. We have a President who touted his Energy Policy Act of 2005 as a giant leap forward to helping Americans with the rising cost of energy. But we learned that once it was signed the bill actually gave oil companies HUGE tax breaks and benefits.

It also includes an estimated $85 billion worth of subsidies and tax breaks for most forms of energy -- including oil and gas, "clean coal," ethanol, electricity, and solar and wind power.

The petroleum industry got new incentives to drill in the Gulf of Mexico -- as if $60-a-barrel oil wasn't enough of an incentive.

Now the president has to cover his ass by ordering a "probe" into the oil industry. I personally don't think this is gonna fly with the American people. Bush and the Republicans made it easier for companies to pollute as a result of the '05 bill, gave them huge tax breaks when the oil industry was experiencing record profits (as a result of gouging the consumer), and the fact that the bill benefited Texas companies the most adds to the speculation that this probe is just hot air. are gas prices gonna go down? Probably not. Can the President do anything about it? Probably not. Could he have done something by passing a better evergy bill? Probably yes. For those who have small 4 cylinder cars the burden will not be as great, it will still be a burden though. For those who bought useless, tax incentive (yes, the President passed law giving people who buy SUV's tax breaks, good one dude), gas guzzling behemoth SUV's......well, your f'ed. Bigger aint always better ya heard.

I told you they were idiots

2006-04-24T14:08:00.000-05:00

Reiterating from my previous posts about what kind of idiots we have running the City with regards to all the building projects and lack of foresight about traffic has been realized by the Miami Heralds article below:

Miami gridlock is a map of poor leadership, plans

What you won't find is a lot of extra roadway capacity. Now imagine those same roads supporting traffic from 70,000 new condominium units, a Performing Arts Center, two new museums in Bicentennial Park, 600,000 square feet of stores at Midtown Miami, and another 10-story mall across from the PAC called City Square.

You can thank our greedy politicians for the lack of management they displayed when authorizing this development boom. I wonder if traffic jams and future roadway capacity were even discussed in the preliminary meetings. Even the most mundane individual can figure out that if you add 70k condos your going to tax an already bleeding transit system....Maybe I should run for office.

Haslem suspended for game 2

2006-04-24T14:01:00.000-05:00

Heat forward Udonis Haslem received a one-game suspension for his mouthpiece-throwing incident during Saturday's playoff opener against the Bulls.

What bull, Udonis gets ejected for throwing his mouthpiece in frustration for not getting a foul call (It was obviously a foul) and now he has to sit out for tonight's game? That's crap. I can understand suspending Ron Artest for elbowing Manu Ginobili but Haslem for throwing a mouthpiece? The Heat deserve better treatment from the NBA during the playoffs. It's understandable for suspending someone who retaliates with an elbow, but for someone who just threw a mouthpiece? Give me a break.

Heat's Haslem suspended for tonight's game

Quickly approaching

2006-04-24T09:03:00.001-05:00

It is officially 1 month till my trip to Europe. On May 24th I will be traveling to Europe for 3 months. I won't be studying, or working. I will just be vagabonding. I have to admit that when I think about it now I get a little nervous at the thought that I will be across the Atlantic with no hotel reservations and no set itinerary, just me and my two great friends hopping from country to country with no expectations, just an open mind. This trip has been in the works for years now, ever since I graduated from H.S. but couldn't make it because I had to work and start college. But now that I am a College Graduate (pat myself on the back for that accomplishment) I have the time and the money to do something I have been dreaming about since I was 17 yrs young. Travel the great continent of Europe.

It makes me sad to think that I will be leaving my comfort zone of Miami for 3 months. I mean, this has been my home all my life (Minus the three incredible years I spent in Guatemala) but I'm certain I just have the jitters. Be that as it may as my travel date approaches those butterfly's get more violent, and become harder to ignore. I wonder who will return from my trip. The B.A.C you all know and love or something completely different, changed by the experiences and culture of Europe. That's what freaks me out the most, knowing this is pretty much a life changing experience but having no control over how it will change me. I welcome the change openly though for better or for worse. I'll do my best to keep everyone up to date on my travels through this blog. I'll have pics and reviews etc etc.

Hopefully seeing and reading my travels with encourage some of you to get out and do the same before you get bogged down with a career. I've worked a couple of internships with some major companies and believe me, a career aint all that its hyped up to be. As the Euro's like to say, "Work to live, not live to work". Cheers!

So you missed Jimbo's bday

2006-04-21T13:59:00.000-05:00

Well fear not fellow Miamians. If you missed Jimbo's 79th bday take heed for there will be another bash and the Florida landmark in Virginia Key. Another party is being held this Saturday (4/22/06) to coincide with the release and screening of a documentary on Jimbo's. The movie will screen at 8pm but the party is likely going throughout the day. Cheers!

Organics in Miami

2006-04-21T12:03:00.000-05:00

Someone recently spoke to me about this Organic Coop in the Aventura area that I felt I should pass on. Delicious Organics isn't your overly priced and trendy cool thing to do Wild Oats kinda place. This is a big warehouse, run by a family in N. Miami Beach that offers everything organic and still try to maintain Coop prices (Unlike the overcommercialized Wild Oats). I actually know some people who are trying to get a group together in my home town to order in bulk and distribute the box between themselves, which sounds like a good idea. I prefer knowing my food isn't full of hormones and pesticides and all that weird toxic shit farmers put in our food these days.

The FDA has spoken

2006-04-21T11:18:00.000-05:00

Article here about an FDA announcement stating"it does not support the use of marijuana for medical purposes." The people at Marijuana Policy Project argue it is a politically driven statement by the Republican head of the House Government Reform subcommittee on drug policy. I would like to see a definitive study on the use of medical marijuana (and just regular ganja for that matter) so we can conclusively put this debate to rest. I'm pretty tired of hearing the "it's a drug so naturally its bad for you" or the "its gods gift so it gots to be good dude" arguments. Let's get some real scientific research done and stop speculating what is and isn't right. Once that information is out and conclusively upheld by other supporting research then people can make informed decisions as to their medical or social needs. When that gets done we can have informed discourse. But until the, don't assume. You know what they say about assumption.

About last night

2006-04-21T10:49:00.000-05:00

I ate the best freaking pinchos EVER last night somewhere off of NW 36 St near the Corrections Center.....I'll have a review on MiamiNights sometime soon. I was skeptical when I heard my friend call the sandwiches "Off the chain burgers" but I figured I've eaten worse in the back streets of Guatemala so this couldn't be so bad. It was great in a abandoned parking lot, back alley, unlicensed sort of way.

Yahoo! launches new airfare site

2006-04-21T10:29:00.000-05:00

Ok, so this one is actually pretty damn good. It searches dozens of travel sites for you and complies the results in a clean, easy to read page. It allows you to update search parameters real time so you don't have to annoyingly wait for the page to reload like so many other crapy search sites. I betcha those Google folks will come out with something better in 12 days.

Yahoo! Farechase

Ali G

2006-04-20T14:07:00.000-05:00

"wot da ride the punanni is Pure RHETORIC? bone dat and watch da ali g show!"

haha, Da Ali G Translator. If you never caught Da Ali G show I suggest you netflix it.

Staying High

2006-04-20T13:45:00.000-05:00

Gas prices are really starting to put a dent in my wallet. The worst part is we haven't started the summer driving season yet, which will spike prices HIGHER and the hurricane season hasn't started either. Can you imagine, were at $3 bucks a gallon already and if a hurricane were to hit (let's call it Hurricane Oswaldo for examples sake) prices are only gonna sky rocket. I remember last year waiting in line to fill up and paying $2.99 a gallon.....and that was LAST YEAR! I can only speculate what will happen if we lose power for a week or two from another storm. The oil companies are gonna rape us at the pump, post record profits (ahem Exxon) and then retire with a $400 million severance package at the expense of the working person. Three cheers for our complete and utter reliance on oil, and our governments (Democrat and Republican alike) complete lack of initiative to help curb this countries reliance on oil. They should worry less about arresting harmless pot smokers and worry more about our countries "addiction" to oil.

Miami Dade County Commission meetings

2006-04-20T08:50:00.000-05:00

These meetings are incredibly booooooooooring. Its good I got out though yesterday after work to support the "Hold the Line" campaign. Although one of the applications did get through, of all freaking places Hialeah, it was considered "one of the less egregious ones."Still it was an interesting experience seeing the Mayor of Hieleah, Mr. Something Robaina, make his case along with his developer buddies and the ex-mayor Raul Martinez, also in bed with his developer pals. It's sick to see how cozy the politicians in this city are with the people who have nothing on their minds but money and development at all costs. I could have sworn I saw the Codina Group (The developers) CEO with marionette strings hanging from his coat pocket.

Cheers to Katy Sorenson for being the lone vote against the Hialeah bid. And now the rumors are Hialeah is trying to put together a plan to build a baseball stadium for the Florida Marlins.........I am not pleased about that. All my Hialeah readers out there will have to excuse me but that city is a dump. It's a concrete jungle with terrible drivers, endless construction, AWFUL traffic, and where every other house has giant Virgin Mary's adorning paved lawns along with fountains surrounded by 10 flood lights, and fifty cars per household. Imagine adding a gigantic retractable roof baseball stadium. Not only will it be an eyesore to the already aesthetically deficient city, but it will create even more traffic to an already dire situation. JUST GREAT!

"A pacifistic song against war"

2006-04-19T14:07:00.000-05:00

"Come you masters of war
You that build all the guns
You that build the death planes
You that build the big bombs
You that hide behind walls
You that hide behind desks
I just want you to know
I can see through your masks

You that never done nothin'
But build to destroy
You play with my world
Like it's your little toy
You put a gun in my hand
And you hide from my eyes
And you turn and run farther
When the fast bullets fly

Like Judas of old
You lie and deceive
A world war can be won
You want me to believe
But I see through your eyes
And I see through your brain
Like I see through the water
That runs down my drain

You fasten the triggers
For the others to fire
Then you set back and watch
When the death count gets higher
You hide in your mansion
As young people's blood
Flows out of their bodies
And is buried in the mud

You've thrown the worst fear
That can ever be hurled
Fear to bring children
Into the world
For threatening my baby
Unborn and unnamed
You ain't worth the blood
That runs in your veins

How much do I know
To talk out of turn
You might say that I'm young
You might say I'm unlearned
But there's one thing I know
Though I'm younger than you
Even Jesus would never
Forgive what you do

Let me ask you one question
Is your money that good
Will it buy you forgiveness
Do you think that it could
I think you will find
When your death takes its toll
All the money you made
Will never buy back your soul

And I hope that you die
And your death'll come soon
I will follow your casket
In the pale afternoon
And I'll watch while you're lowered
Down to your deathbed
And I'll stand o'er your grave
'Til I'm sure that you're dead"
-Bob Dylan -- Masters of War (circa 1963)

UDB decisions to be made soon

2006-04-19T13:04:00.000-05:00

Pull out a green shirt and join the "Hold the Line" Campaign today at the Stephen P. Clark Government Center, 111 NW First St. and tell our commissioners that protecting the Everglades is more important that fattening developers already bloated wallets. You can also follow a semi-live blogger, GreenerMiami, who is there updating on the events that are unfolding inside the meeting.

Ahhh, gridlock Wednesday's

2006-04-19T11:45:00.000-05:00

It ain't over yet, and probably won't be till the end of today or early tommorow.

I love them billboards!

2006-04-19T10:29:00.000-05:00

Florida lawmakers are debating a bill that has passed the state House and is now before the Senate that would effectively prohibit local governments from obstructing the view of a billboard with trees. The bill plans to set up a 500 ft. area around the billboard in which the local government cannot plant or build anything that would beautify the city if it obstructs the view of the advertisement or else invoke fines or even force the city to pay for the cost of the billboard which would in turn cost the taxpayer!!!!

"It's basically allowing the billboard industry to regulate the government," Miami-Dade County Commissioner Katy Sorenson said. "They want to make county and city governments responsible for accommodating the visual pollution of billboard advertising."

Of course the bill is being sponsored by the nations "buy us and get legislation" political party, the Republicans. This is ridiculous. What would you prefer, a lovely row of palm trees lining US1 or a billboard selling Viagra with an old man hugging some wrinkled hag who all of a sudden has a huge smile on her face (The thought alone makes my skin tingle)? Or the "accident waiting to happen" mobile billboards that roam the streets. Naturally companies have the right to advertise and we live with billboards on a day-to-day basis. But now the view is we should cut down trees to see more billboards. Screw that mate! We should be taking down billboards to see more of the Miami skyline, and more trees. Our state legislators should do what they are elected to do, hear the voice of the constituents and not those of the wealthy business lobby. We don't vote you into office with the purpose of caving into the lobbyist demands only to screw the very people who put you there.

I honestly don't think tourists come to Miami to take in the wonderful sights of billboards! Can you imagine all the palm trees in the picture to your left being chopped down because they are an obstruction? Tourist come here to see the great scenery and experience the amazing weather. But of course our genius legislators think otherwise.

White House Press Secretary resigning

2006-04-19T09:14:00.000-05:00

I guess Scott McClellan just couldn't take the heat of lying to the American press Corp and the American people. Can you imagine a job like the Press Secretary of an administration like Bush's? Having to stand up everyday in front of the press and sidestep questions, or just flat out lie about the screwups by the administration. It's sad in a way, his children, friends and family will have to see news clips of him lying on TV to the people and looking like a complete tool. Scott, I feel bad for you man. I'm sure your a nice guy but your boss couldn't give three craps about that. All he cared about was covering his ass and putting you out in front of the firing squad to take the bullets for him.

Article: Scott McClellan steps down

X-Men 3: The Last Stand

2006-04-18T20:01:00.000-05:00

They finally published a website. This is my nerdy side coming out but it looks pretty fucking uber (Damn that sounded really nerdy.......).

X-Men: The Last Stand

TRAFFIC!!!!

2006-04-18T11:42:00.000-05:00

Things keep getting worse. If you live in Downtown Miami or were planning on going there FORGET IT! It's bumper to bumper (Image left), I-95 is completely backed up along with the Dolphin Expressway, and some poor migrant (I'm speculating here) construction worker has fallen to his death from a faulty crane. There needs to be some order in this chaos we call progress in Downtown. If this is what's gonna happen every time a crane collapses, scaffolding falls, a person falls etc etc then someone better apologize to the Miami commuters.

Another edition of late night funnies!

2006-04-18T11:29:00.000-05:00

"The bad news is Iran is capable of making a nuclear bomb. The good news is they have to drop it from a camel."
---David Letterman

"According to Washington insiders, White House Press Secretary Scott McClellan could be the next official to leave the Bush administration. McClellan says he'd like to spend more time lying for his family."
---Amy Poehler

"A UCLA study shows 7% of people still believe in the Easter Bunny. I believe these are the same people who believe President Bush is doing a good job in Iraq."
---Jay Leno

"The National Enquirer has reported that Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes were married eight months ago by a chaplain in the Church of Scientology. The groom wore a casual linen suit while the bride wore an expression of slowly-awakening terror."
---David Spade on The Showbiz Show

If your organization wants government grants

2006-04-18T09:01:00.000-05:00

You have some pretty strict guidelines to follow. This is the agenda the current administration is pushing on our society. The Administration for Children and Families (ACF) at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services has announced new guidelines for organizations seeking grants to fund abstinence only-education programs (From ThinkProgress):

In addition to being costly, inaccurate, and ineffective, the programs must now operate under a strict new definition of abstinence:

Abstinence curricula must have a clear definition of sexual abstinence which must be consistent with the following: "Abstinence means voluntarily choosing not to engage in sexual activity until marriage. Sexual activity refers to any type of genital contact or sexual stimulation between two persons including, but not limited to, sexual intercourse."

Later, the guidelines explicitly define marriage:

Throughout the entire curriculum, the term "marriage" must be defined as "only a legal union between one man and one woman as a husband and wife, and the word 'spouse' refers only to a person of the opposite sex who is a husband or a wife." (Consistent with Federal law

In other words if your single what the hell are you waiting for!!! Go out there and get married ASAP! And if your gay to bad, you choice of lifestyle is an abomination and prepare to burn in hell. Good message GWB.

The world is truly a better place for this

2006-04-18T08:07:00.000-05:00

Paris Hiltons next role....................Mother Theresa. I shit you not, click the link to find out more. Cheers.

I can die a happy man

2006-04-18T07:24:00.000-05:00

Well, almost. Once I've seen this match and completed my trip, THEN I can die a happy man. =) Eat your hearts out!!!! wuwu

Romario in Miami?

2006-04-17T10:57:00.000-05:00

I couldn't believe what I was reading, Romario would be playing for the United Soccer League (USL) team Miami FC. But upon further investigation it is true! The soccer great from Brasil, who has a World Cup Championship on his trophy case, will be starting his first match April 23rd playing the Montreal Impact in, of all places, Tropical Park!!! He is also joined by Zinho, another Brasilian player from the '94 World Cup squad. What better chance to catch one of the greatest footballers of all time than right in our own backyard? If you love football you cannot miss this chance to see a legend before he fully retires. And this guy still has it believe me. He was the leading scorer in the Brasilian league in '05 playing for Vasco da Gama notching 22 goals on top of being the oldest player at 39 years. Hope to see you April 23rd!

Save the Everglades. Hold the lines.

2006-04-17T07:31:00.000-05:00

There is only one Everglades in the world. Let's not stand by idly while a select few destroy it. If you live in Miami and have the time please attend today.

The Hold the Line campaign is holding a press event and rally at Bayfront Park Amphitheatre on Monday April 17th at 12:30 PM, the day before the final hearings on the applications to move the Urban Development Boundary (UDB). The UDB is the line that separates the urban areas in Miami-Dade County from the Everglades.

Hold the line equals protecting our quality of life, our agriculture industry (a necessary buffer for the Everglades restoration projects), and our water supply. Hold the line focuses our community's limited resources on solving the problems within the UDB instead of continuing costly sprawl. Hold the Line ensures a better Miami-Dade County for everyone.

Joining the Hold the Line press event is a great opportunity to tell
our elected officials to protect our environment and improve our quality of life. Miami-Dade County Mayor Carlos Alvarez will deliver the keynote address, followed by community leaders. We will have TV and newspaper media present.

The intention of this event is to remind the County Commissioners and the State of Florida that the "Community is Watching." To do this, we would like a large turnout of supporters behind the speakers holding signs and wearing green t-shirts, to create a visual effect for the TV and newspaper cameras.

Please contact me if you are planning on attending via email at jfurgang@audubon.org or on my cell 786-295-4954. And be sure to wear green to show your support for Hold the Line.

Thanks much-
Jamie L. Furgang
Everglades Policy Associate
Audubon of Florida
444 Brickell Avenue, Suite 850
Miami, Florida 33131
(305) 371.6399 ext. 132

Props: Emily

Love that SNL

2006-04-14T09:47:00.000-05:00

For your viewing enjoyment I bring you another SNL sketch. Enjoy!

UPDATE:I had to delete this sorry. I couldn't get the damn player to not start playing upon loading up. How annoying. Anyway I'll try to get something new up soon. Cheers

Sneaky Florida International University

2006-04-14T08:47:00.000-05:00

It's odd how we equate politicians, big business and religious groups (I'm missing other groups but whatever) as actually being sneaky and un-ethical enough to use budget legislation to get something done in their favor (Lord knows the current administration and congress have done this with no hint of remorse). After reading this article from the Miami Herald I am aware that public higher learning institutions can fall into this Machiavellian practice as well. And what's worse is it's my own Alma Mater. Why would a reputable University like Florida International even attempt to sell land they did not own, let alone attempt to slip a provision in a budget bill as to bypass the normal procedures in place?? It's devious and not in the best interest of FIU to even try that type of maneuver again, even if it's for a good cause.

This is truly "1984"

2006-04-13T19:33:00.000-05:00

When a kid dressed as a Ninja gets tackled and pinned on his head with a knee by an ATF (Alchohol Tobacco & Firearms Agency) agent you know this country is in a sorry state.

Shall I repeat? A kid, dressed as a ninja, gets tackled because he was viewed as a "suspicious individual". Why was he dressed as a ninja you ask? Well, for a school event where:

The event is designed as an offbeat way for students to meet others and invite them to the Wesley Foundation, the United Methodist group on campus, the student newspaper reported. "Ninjas" were to say, "Hi-YA doing?" and "pirates," "How arrrrrghhh you doing?" the paper reported.

Christ, were all buggered.

Ay chihuahua

2006-04-13T13:30:00.000-05:00

If you go to Google and type 'Failure' and click the I'm Feeling Lucky button you will go to the Whitehouse.gov page with President Bush's Bio. hahaha, not sure how long that will last. It's funny how the search for 'failure' gives you back GWB's bio, alot of people must be equating him with failure I guess.

Props:Tony

Very cool pic

2006-04-13T11:12:00.000-05:00

This is a link my dad sent me with a panoramic picture of Paris at night. Once the pic loads use the scroll bar at the bottom of the apge to view the entire picture. It's pretty amazing and makes me tingle at the thought I'm gonna be back in that amazing city in the summer. Enjoy.

Copy and paste the link below:

http://framboise781.free.fr/Paris.htm

Come to church and get a free $10 gift card!

2006-04-13T09:40:00.000-05:00

You know things are in a sorry state when a Miami church has to bribe youth to attend their services. Has the message the lord spoken not enough anymore to invoke people to attend services to save their souls? I suppose not, being these institutions are offering a free $10 gift card to Starbucks just for attending a service. I remember when I was a kid I voluntarily went to church in Hialeah every Sunday (Yes you heard right my peeps, B.A.C used to go to church every Sunday and attend bible school as well. I even went to a 5 day Christian retreat somewhere in the Carolinas. Alot of good that did, look at me now!!!). I didn’t need someone to lure me into the hallowed house of the lord.

Things must be pretty grave if they have to buy your faith. You mean telling people they are going to be tortured in hell, witness inhuman macabre like mutilations during the apocalypse, and the destruction of earth and all life as we know it is not enough to lure people into church? I guess not, being this organization of 2,800 churches is spending $35,000 on the campaign to buy your faith. You know what you can do with that $35,000? HELP SOME NEEDY PEOPLE in Miami. The last time I spoke to a bum in downtown I don’t recall him asking me for a cup of joe.

The secrets out #$^@$#!

2006-04-13T08:53:00.000-05:00

The Miami Herald has a list of Thrift Stores in the area (they missed a few important ones which will not be mentioned on this blog for obvious reasons). Now I would probably be more pissed had they included some of the better stores but they pretty much got the popular thrift locations. That's not to say I'm looking forward to seeing Miami hipsters invading these hallowed shopping grounds, but as long as they are thrown off the trail to the more "mainstream" stores then I guess I'm still a happy camper.

Talk about getting boo'd

2006-04-12T10:39:00.000-05:00

Vice Prez Dick Cheney threw out the first pitch for the Washington Nationals home opener to a chorus of boos, and you suck! (I added that one, I couldn't resist). He couldn't even get the ball to the catchers mitt, the ball hit the dirt before reaching home plate. Click here if you wanna see the fat man get razzed.

All you Myspacer's

2006-04-12T08:22:00.000-05:00

STOP POSTING USELESS SURVEYS ON BULLETINS EVERY 30 MINUTES!

I couldn't give three f*cks who the last person you kissed was, or how routinely you masturbate (for christs sake go get laid). If you have the time to do all these surveys on a daily, even hourly basis then you should consider turning your computer off, going outside and speaking to a human being in the flesh. Or better yet just jump off a building cause as things stand life for you must suck.

Bushism of the day

2006-04-11T14:10:00.000-05:00

I think this will become a repeating thread. It shouldn't be difficult really if you think about it. WIthout further adieu, I present the innugurating Bushism of the Day...Day...Day.....Day......:

"No question that the enemy has tried to spread sectarian violence. They use violence as a tool to do that."—Washington, D.C., March 22, 2006

Once again Mr. President, your ability to state the obvious is uncanny.

The Ricky Williams Saga

2006-04-11T11:47:00.000-05:00

Like sand through an hour glass these are the days of Ricky Williams' life. A best seller here in Miami and the national sports headlines, Ricky is once again the center of attention as all the Dolfan faithful await an appeal decision by the NFL as to whether Ricky will be suspended for his forth violation. A fourth violation would result in a 1 year suspension pretty much ending his career.

I know there are a lot of peeps out there thinking we are better off without Ricky, but just think of the possibilities for this season having 2 very capable RB's in the backfield along with Daunte Culpepper. In just 12 games last season Ricky ran for 700+ yards and 6 touchdowns, and that was coming off a 4 game suspension. He would have easily broke 1,000 yards had he played the entire season.

I have a sneaky suspicion the NFL is using Ricky as a scapegoat, a kind of limelight example to show the throngs of NFL viewers and players alike how "strict" they are regarding drug violations. In the wake of the MLB steroid scandal and the lack of leadership that sports commissioner has shown I feel the NFL is trying to emit an tougher stance. Look, Ricky lives a very different lifestyle than the rest of the NFL players do. He practices holistic medicine and was in India this offseason practicing yoga. When you live like that you are bound to take supplements of that lifestyle that appears to be "different" from the rest of the players thus making you stick out like a sore thumb. I believe that is what has happened to Mr. Williams. Let the man live his life, as long as he doesn't get caught pumping 'roids, snorting coke, or puffing the ganja leave him be.

Miami Nights update

2006-04-11T11:33:00.000-05:00

There are several updates on Miami Nights (including a few by yours truly). Some club/party reviews, restaurant reviews, and general Miami news. Go check it out.

Football fanatics

2006-04-10T13:22:00.000-05:00

From an article listing the 10 most intriguing objects thrown onto the playing field comes this gem at number 1:

A scooter. The story is fantastic on so many levels. In 2001, Inter Milan fans tried to throw a scooter onto the field during a home game against Atalanta. Yes, a scooter. From the upper deck. (Alas, they came up a bit short. It landed in an empty section below them.) The beautiful part is that it wasn't even their scooter. They stole it from an Atalanta fan before the game. They also tried to set it on fire before they tried to see if it would fly.

Behold, the never ending imagination of drunk, crazy, and otherwise retarded football fans (god I love this sport)!!!

Bored?

2006-04-10T10:58:00.000-05:00

Go check out these Japanese commercials, they're pretty hillarious.

Funny Jap commercials

Number 3 is pretty raunchy, check it out lol.

Downtown disaster

2006-04-10T09:36:00.000-05:00

I wonder if the City of Miami folks even considered the disgusting amount of traffic all that condo/road improvement construction would create. Where Downtown/Biscayne Blvd was once the proverbial stop and go commute, it has now become a "stop and good luck if you move for fifteen minutes without some yuppie getting out of his car and threaten to kill you for not moving an inch to nowhere commute"(phew, say that 10 times fast). It seems everything in Miami is under construction these days, from Lejune Rd to Brickell to the 826.

Do these city planners have any sense of construction management? Would you have authorized every freaking piece of building to begin at the same time? In an already congested city things just keep getting worse as greedy politicians cave to the developers demands of bigger is better and screw the constituents that voted for you. Anyone have a bike for sale, I think I just might start peddling.

V

2006-04-07T10:11:00.000-05:00

What a f*ucking great movie. I'm a sucker for big explosions and nifty fight scenes but this had more than that. It had plot, good acting, good dialogue and most importantly Natalie Portman (drooool). And the fact it played on one of my fav books, 1984, and was able to suggest a world of never ending war, government controlled news and abuse of people's fear to control added to it's greatness. The one thing that turned me off were the many different sub plots and sub stories towards the end. They all got a little too convoluted, but other than that the movie was well worth the $7 admission. My Verdict (get it, Verdict...oh whatever)...It was immediately added to my top 50 list. Yes, it was that good.

November elections are looking good

2006-04-07T07:37:00.000-05:00

The latest poll numbers show how deep a hole those so called conservatives have dug themselves.

MoneyQuote:

“These numbers are scary. We’ve lost every advantage we’ve ever had,” GOP pollster Tony Fabrizio said. “The good news is Democrats don’t have much of a plan. The bad news is they may not need one.”

Like music to my ears. =)

Our President the hypocrite

2006-04-06T14:44:00.000-05:00

For someone to state that leaking classified information ( what he said about the illegal wiretapping of Americans) is a disservice to our nation and the fight on terror, it must be perplexing for those conservative lapdogs to hear straight from the Vice Presidents indicted Chief of Staff say that the President actually authorized him to leak classified information (article here). And for what reason? To discredit an op-ed piece by a former American diplomat who was sent to Niger, Africa to investigate Saddam Hussein's "alleged" purchase of uranium. And the fallout from the leak the President authorized? The disclosure of an under cover CIA agent (such diplomats wife) who works on counter proliferation. Great job George, help the terrorists by revealing undercover CIA agents trying to stop them from getting nukes.

Money Quote:

"The fact that the president was willing to reveal classified information for political gain and put interests of his political party ahead of Americas security shows that he can no longer be trusted to keep America safe," Democratic National Committee Chairman Howard Dean said.

What a tangled web we weave, huh Mr. President?

The Gospel of Judas

2006-04-06T13:52:00.000-05:00

Very interesting article here and here, and even more interesting view of the relationship between Jesus and Judas. Can it be Jesus asked Judas to betray him in order to be crucified? According to this Gospel, yes. Sure goes against everything Christians indoctrinate their young with.

The homeless plight

2006-04-06T09:57:00.000-05:00

This is some really sad news to read. While our President treks the country touting the economic "boom" the country is experiencing as a result of his controversial tax cuts there is more than one side to his rhetoric. There have been several articles and research, including this article, that state how the tax cuts on investments greatly benefit the wealthy being they invest the most. Of course these cuts are good for the middle class, but when the middle class doesn't have money to spend how can we expect them to invest? And when they have invested, i.e. real estate, they take out these disastrous no interest, no principal loans and mortgages that in a few years as interest rates continue rising will bankrupt them. What's more appalling is these tax cuts do nothing for the poor and homeless, let alone the monstrous budget and trade deficit the country is currently running. Why cut taxes for the people with an income of $10 million a year? Has toilet paper gotten to expensive for them? Why can't we take these tax cuts and provide the homeless with food and accommodations? How about job training? Shit, there are tons of jobs in New Orleans. Instead of giving these jobs to illegal immigrants the government should be penalizing companies for hiring illegals and start employing the homeless who want to work. Here are some sad statistics from the article I linked at the start of this post:

Statistics on Homelessness and Families, 2005-2006:
Families with children make up approximately 40% of the homeless population.
More than 1.3 million children are homeless at some time each year.
The average age of a person who is homeless in the United States is nine years old.
Between 25% and 40% of the homeless population are employed.
Minimum wage earnings no longer lift families above the poverty line.
A minimum-wage worker would have to work 87 hours each week to afford a two-bedroom apartment at 30 percent of his or her income, which is the federal definitionof affordable housing.
The gap between the number of affordable housing units and the number of people needing them is currently the largest on record, estimated at 4.4 million units.