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Warning: htmlspecialchars() expects parameter 1 to be string, object given in /hsphere/local/home/promenad/ftlauderdalenews.net/libraries/joomla/document/feed/renderer/atom.php on line 96 Ray BrastedThe Promenade Newspaper is circulated in Greater Fort Lauderdale from Hollywood to Pompano Beach. It is your independent community newspaper of Greater Fort Lauderdale. Publisher Ray Brasted has over 35 years of experience as a community journalist.http://www.ftlauderdalenews.net/index.php/component/k2/itemlist/user/632010-09-10T01:26:27ZJoomla! 1.5 - Open Source Content ManagementDuo Coming up on the South Florida Music Scene2010-06-27T14:51:54Z2010-06-27T14:51:54Zhttp://www.ftlauderdalenews.net/index.php/people-places-and-organizations/item/47-lulu--corrado<p><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: x-large;"><span style="font-size: 24px; line-height: normal;"><strong>Review </strong></span></span></p>
<p><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 24px; line-height: normal; font-weight: bold;">Lulu & Corrado - Making Great Music Together...</span></p>
<p>Lulu Valentine and Anthony Corrado combine their musical talents and their obvious love for one another into a musical event you will be telling your friends about. Song, dance, comedy sketches and audience interaction are just the beginning. This couple is very talented and are eager to share their music with their audiences.</p>
<p>Corrado is more than proficient on just about any instrument and during a given set may play the saxophone, flute, guitar, doumbek drum or trumpet. He also has a good voice. Lulu Valentin exudes a sensuality in her vocals along with the feeling that she is just having a lot of fun singing.</p>
<p>Watch this space for updates on their performance schedule.</p><p><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: x-large;"><span style="font-size: 24px; line-height: normal;"><strong>Review </strong></span></span></p>
<p><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 24px; line-height: normal; font-weight: bold;">Lulu & Corrado - Making Great Music Together...</span></p>
<p>Lulu Valentine and Anthony Corrado combine their musical talents and their obvious love for one another into a musical event you will be telling your friends about. Song, dance, comedy sketches and audience interaction are just the beginning. This couple is very talented and are eager to share their music with their audiences.</p>
<p>Corrado is more than proficient on just about any instrument and during a given set may play the saxophone, flute, guitar, doumbek drum or trumpet. He also has a good voice. Lulu Valentin exudes a sensuality in her vocals along with the feeling that she is just having a lot of fun singing.</p>
<p>Watch this space for updates on their performance schedule.</p>Designated Driver Company Gets You Home2010-04-27T21:26:46Z2010-04-27T21:26:46Zhttp://www.ftlauderdalenews.net/index.php/people-places-and-organizations/item/44-zingo-is-its-name<p> </p>
<p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; text-align: justify; font: 24.0px Arial;"><strong>Driver Service Will Get You</strong></p>
<p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; text-align: justify; font: 24.0px Arial;"><strong>Home After that Late Party</strong></p>
<p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; text-align: justify; text-indent: 7.0px; font: 12.0px Arial; min-height: 14.0px;"> </p>
<p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; text-align: justify; text-indent: 7.0px; font: 12.0px Arial;">There is a new company in Greater Fort Lauderdale that just might save your life and the life of others. The company is called ZINGO, a designated driving service that drives you home in YOUR car.</p>
<p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; text-align: justify; text-indent: 7.0px; font: 12.0px Arial;">If you have been drinking too much and are afraid or too responsible to drive your own car, company drivers will come to you on a folding motorized scooter and then stow the scooter in the trunk of your car and drive you home. There is no limit on distance, which is an intriguing aspect of the service. Want to go to California? You got it!</p>
<p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; text-align: justify; text-indent: 7.0px; font: 12.0px Arial;">The cost is $20 for pick up and the first two miles. After that it is $2 per mile (tips are not included.)</p>
<p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; text-align: justify; text-indent: 7.0px; font: 12.0px Arial;">If you think you might need the service you can even reserve the drive home in advance by calling 954-523-8887 or sending a text to 954-790-1818. Demand in peak hours mean a 20-30 minute wait but otherwise it is just ten to fifteen minutes.</p>
<p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; text-align: justify; text-indent: 7.0px; font: 12.0px Arial;">ZINGO also drives patients home after surgery when they can't drive themselves and are available for birthday and bachelor and bachelorette parties. The company is fully insured and the client signs a customer service contract.</p>
<p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; text-align: justify; text-indent: 7.0px; font: 12.0px Arial;">Visit www.zingoftlauderdale.com for all of the details.</p>
<p> </p><p> </p>
<p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; text-align: justify; font: 24.0px Arial;"><strong>Driver Service Will Get You</strong></p>
<p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; text-align: justify; font: 24.0px Arial;"><strong>Home After that Late Party</strong></p>
<p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; text-align: justify; text-indent: 7.0px; font: 12.0px Arial; min-height: 14.0px;"> </p>
<p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; text-align: justify; text-indent: 7.0px; font: 12.0px Arial;">There is a new company in Greater Fort Lauderdale that just might save your life and the life of others. The company is called ZINGO, a designated driving service that drives you home in YOUR car.</p>
<p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; text-align: justify; text-indent: 7.0px; font: 12.0px Arial;">If you have been drinking too much and are afraid or too responsible to drive your own car, company drivers will come to you on a folding motorized scooter and then stow the scooter in the trunk of your car and drive you home. There is no limit on distance, which is an intriguing aspect of the service. Want to go to California? You got it!</p>
<p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; text-align: justify; text-indent: 7.0px; font: 12.0px Arial;">The cost is $20 for pick up and the first two miles. After that it is $2 per mile (tips are not included.)</p>
<p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; text-align: justify; text-indent: 7.0px; font: 12.0px Arial;">If you think you might need the service you can even reserve the drive home in advance by calling 954-523-8887 or sending a text to 954-790-1818. Demand in peak hours mean a 20-30 minute wait but otherwise it is just ten to fifteen minutes.</p>
<p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; text-align: justify; text-indent: 7.0px; font: 12.0px Arial;">ZINGO also drives patients home after surgery when they can't drive themselves and are available for birthday and bachelor and bachelorette parties. The company is fully insured and the client signs a customer service contract.</p>
<p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; text-align: justify; text-indent: 7.0px; font: 12.0px Arial;">Visit www.zingoftlauderdale.com for all of the details.</p>
<p> </p>Rock Opera2010-04-11T23:44:10Z2010-04-11T23:44:10Zhttp://www.ftlauderdalenews.net/index.php/movie-theater-book-dining-reviews/item/40-with-work-it-could-become-a-hit<p> </p>
<p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; text-align: justify; font: 18.0px Arial;"><em>Theater Review</em></p>
<p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; text-align: justify; font: 24.0px Arial;"><strong> "The 12" is a Rocking Show,</strong></p>
<p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; text-align: justify; font: 24.0px Arial;"><strong> But Needs to Find its Pace</strong></p>
<p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; text-align: justify; text-indent: 9.0px; font: 12.0px Arial; min-height: 14.0px;"> </p>
<p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; text-align: justify; text-indent: 9.0px; font: 12.0px Arial;"><strong>By Ray Brasted</strong></p>
<p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; text-align: justify; text-indent: 9.0px; font: 12.0px Arial;">There is a lot of passion in "The 12", the rock opera that had its world premiere at the Broward Center for the Performing Arts on April 1. There had better be, the story is based on the tribulations and confusion experienced by the 12 apostles following the crucifixion of their leader, Jesus Christ.</p>
<p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; text-align: justify; text-indent: 9.0px; font: 12.0px Arial;">As the show begins, "Peter" (Ron Bohmer) emerges from the front of the audience in an agitated state. Their leader is lost. Will the show go on? This opening is clever on one hand, but a bit disconcerting on the other. The audience has to quickly get up to speed because just moments after Peter's appearance, the first of 20 songs "Walk Away" begins. The numbers are strung together with minimal dialogue to set them up and almost no set pieces or costumes.</p>
<p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; text-align: justify; text-indent: 9.0px; font: 12.0px Arial;">There is a lot of singing talent on stage and the music and lyrics by Neil Berg are on point and reflective of the angst and uncertainty the band members feel. Bohmer's Peter is torn with guilt and it comes through in in raging lyrics and anguished screams.</p>
<p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; text-align: justify; text-indent: 9.0px; font: 12.0px Arial;">Jeremy Kushnier as Tom (Thomas) is the doubter of the 12 and it takes some convincing to make him believe that the group should carry on their leader's work and his desire to bail out on the band comes through in his emotionally charged solo, "I'm No Hero".</p>
<p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; text-align: justify; text-indent: 9.0px; font: 12.0px Arial;">There was inspired casting in the choice of Dan Spitz, one of the founding members of the heavy metal band Anthrax. Director Richard Seyd makes sure Spitz gets the spotlight and some ripping guitar solos in several of the numbers. Spitz, as the apostle Philip has no lines in the show. He lets his guitar do the talking.</p>
<p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; text-align: justify; text-indent: 9.0px; font: 12.0px Arial;">With 12 men on stage, it is necessary to make sure there are some strong female voices and Sophia Ramos as Mary Magdalene and Elaine Caswell in several roles (Mother Mary / the Devil / Roadie) offer some of the best numbers of the show.</p>
<p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; text-align: justify; text-indent: 9.0px; font: 12.0px Arial;">It is early in the run, but there seems to be some steps that can be taken to ensure The 12 finds its place in rock opera history. Performers should have head set microphones and not rely on hand mikes that limit their movement.</p>
<p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; text-align: justify; text-indent: 9.0px; font: 12.0px Arial;">The audience should be given a chance to get into the scene before the first song is belted out. And sure, this is a rock band and everyone wears what they came to work in, but a bit more effort at costuming wouldn't hurt. Pacing is a challenge with so many people on stage, but at under 90 minutes the show has room to set up transitions and add some dialogue. We have great singers, we just need a bit more acting.</p>
<p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; text-align: justify; text-indent: 9.0px; font: 12.0px Arial;">This is a great story and concept but to reach the kind of wide audience that helps ensure long term success, patrons have to identify with the characters on some level. We have mothers, lovers, friends and traitors in this story. Define them a bit more and The 12 can have a long life because there is no doubt this musical rocks out.</p>
<p> </p><p> </p>
<p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; text-align: justify; font: 18.0px Arial;"><em>Theater Review</em></p>
<p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; text-align: justify; font: 24.0px Arial;"><strong> "The 12" is a Rocking Show,</strong></p>
<p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; text-align: justify; font: 24.0px Arial;"><strong> But Needs to Find its Pace</strong></p>
<p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; text-align: justify; text-indent: 9.0px; font: 12.0px Arial; min-height: 14.0px;"> </p>
<p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; text-align: justify; text-indent: 9.0px; font: 12.0px Arial;"><strong>By Ray Brasted</strong></p>
<p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; text-align: justify; text-indent: 9.0px; font: 12.0px Arial;">There is a lot of passion in "The 12", the rock opera that had its world premiere at the Broward Center for the Performing Arts on April 1. There had better be, the story is based on the tribulations and confusion experienced by the 12 apostles following the crucifixion of their leader, Jesus Christ.</p>
<p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; text-align: justify; text-indent: 9.0px; font: 12.0px Arial;">As the show begins, "Peter" (Ron Bohmer) emerges from the front of the audience in an agitated state. Their leader is lost. Will the show go on? This opening is clever on one hand, but a bit disconcerting on the other. The audience has to quickly get up to speed because just moments after Peter's appearance, the first of 20 songs "Walk Away" begins. The numbers are strung together with minimal dialogue to set them up and almost no set pieces or costumes.</p>
<p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; text-align: justify; text-indent: 9.0px; font: 12.0px Arial;">There is a lot of singing talent on stage and the music and lyrics by Neil Berg are on point and reflective of the angst and uncertainty the band members feel. Bohmer's Peter is torn with guilt and it comes through in in raging lyrics and anguished screams.</p>
<p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; text-align: justify; text-indent: 9.0px; font: 12.0px Arial;">Jeremy Kushnier as Tom (Thomas) is the doubter of the 12 and it takes some convincing to make him believe that the group should carry on their leader's work and his desire to bail out on the band comes through in his emotionally charged solo, "I'm No Hero".</p>
<p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; text-align: justify; text-indent: 9.0px; font: 12.0px Arial;">There was inspired casting in the choice of Dan Spitz, one of the founding members of the heavy metal band Anthrax. Director Richard Seyd makes sure Spitz gets the spotlight and some ripping guitar solos in several of the numbers. Spitz, as the apostle Philip has no lines in the show. He lets his guitar do the talking.</p>
<p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; text-align: justify; text-indent: 9.0px; font: 12.0px Arial;">With 12 men on stage, it is necessary to make sure there are some strong female voices and Sophia Ramos as Mary Magdalene and Elaine Caswell in several roles (Mother Mary / the Devil / Roadie) offer some of the best numbers of the show.</p>
<p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; text-align: justify; text-indent: 9.0px; font: 12.0px Arial;">It is early in the run, but there seems to be some steps that can be taken to ensure The 12 finds its place in rock opera history. Performers should have head set microphones and not rely on hand mikes that limit their movement.</p>
<p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; text-align: justify; text-indent: 9.0px; font: 12.0px Arial;">The audience should be given a chance to get into the scene before the first song is belted out. And sure, this is a rock band and everyone wears what they came to work in, but a bit more effort at costuming wouldn't hurt. Pacing is a challenge with so many people on stage, but at under 90 minutes the show has room to set up transitions and add some dialogue. We have great singers, we just need a bit more acting.</p>
<p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; text-align: justify; text-indent: 9.0px; font: 12.0px Arial;">This is a great story and concept but to reach the kind of wide audience that helps ensure long term success, patrons have to identify with the characters on some level. We have mothers, lovers, friends and traitors in this story. Define them a bit more and The 12 can have a long life because there is no doubt this musical rocks out.</p>
<p> </p>Cruising Musings2010-04-05T16:09:04Z2010-04-05T16:09:04Zhttp://www.ftlauderdalenews.net/index.php/rays-blog/item/38-celebrity-solstice-provides-food-and-food-for-thought<p> </p>
<p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; text-align: justify; text-indent: 9.0px; font: 24.0px Arial;">Cruising Musing</p>
<p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; text-align: justify; text-indent: 9.0px; font: 12.0px Arial; min-height: 14.0px;"><em><strong>By Ray Brasted</strong></em></p>
<p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; text-align: justify; text-indent: 9.0px; font: 12.0px Arial;">This not so much a review as it is a reflection of my random thoughts following a week cruising on the Celebrity Solstice out of Fort Lauderdale, FL.</p>
<p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; text-align: justify; text-indent: 9.0px; font: 12.0px Arial;"><strong>Departure:</strong> A ten minute taxi ride, a fifteen minute boarding process and we were on the ship and soon in our stateroom, followed shortly by our luggage. We embarked through Terminal 18, the largest terminal in the world for a single ship, the Oasis built by Royal Caribbean.</p>
<p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; text-align: justify; text-indent: 9.0px; font: 12.0px Arial;"><strong>The Food: </strong>We started eating as soon after we unpacked and pretty much did not stop until the day we got back off the ship in Fort Lauderdale. The phrase "it's all good" took on a special meaning on this week. It was boring to keep putting down excellent on our comment cards so I threw in a couple of very goods to keep it real.</p>
<p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; text-align: justify; text-indent: 9.0px; font: 12.0px Arial;"><strong>Entertainment: </strong>This is tough because as Cruise Director John Grantham put it, entertainment is subjective. Just go with the flow and you will have a good time because these are professionals who really give it everything they've got. I was giving a standing ovation more often then not.</p>
<p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; text-align: justify; text-indent: 9.0px; font: 12.0px Arial;"><strong>The Captain's Club.</strong> This is a perk for VIP and frequent cruisers and a nice perk it is. Getting your clothes washed and folded and your formal night shirt pressed is special. And then there is the private club where you can sip cocktails before dinner. No additional comments needed here.</p>
<p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; text-align: justify; text-indent: 9.0px; font: 12.0px Arial;"><strong>Visiting in the ports of call:</strong> I will always remember the driver and tour guide of the small bus we took for an hour tour in San Juan, Puerto Rico. They took four less passengers so they could fit a mobility scooter on the seat for a passenger who could not walk. They had to dismantle the scooter and put it back together which they did without fanfare.</p>
<p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; text-align: justify; text-indent: 9.0px; font: 12.0px Arial;"><strong>Arguing:</strong> Shouting matches and verbal sparring seems to be part of the island culture in the Caribbean. Don't confuse these sometimes vitriolic exchanges with real fighting. Apparently it is a way to blow off steam and you usually find out the individuals involved are close friends or family. Still it can be off-putting to some travelers who think nothing of engaging with ongoing and more damaging spats with their partners.</p>
<p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; text-align: justify; text-indent: 9.0px; font: 12.0px Arial;"><strong>Cruise Passengers:</strong> We encountered many friendly and helpful folk, many of who were more experienced in this mode of travel then we were. They were eager to give us tips and advice about activities on board and the ports of call. You have to do your own investigation however, because frequent cruisers can become a bit jaded and their assessments tempered with experiences you might be seeing for the first time.</p>
<p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; text-align: justify; text-indent: 9.0px; font: 12.0px Arial;"><strong>Verandas: </strong>If you can afford it get a stateroom with a veranda. To sit there reading a book while the ocean slides away below is one of the most soothing experiences I have had. At night, with the sliding door ajar, I was gently rocked to sleep while the waves swoosh along in rhythm. And after two days in open sea I was in awe that I had not seen land or another ship in all that time. Great reality check.</p>
<p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; text-align: justify; text-indent: 9.0px; font: 12.0px Arial;"><strong>Coming Home: </strong>Somehow you are ready and not ready at the same time. Watching the cargo hold being loaded with supplies for the turn-around just a few hours away, I realized we had been part of something unique in human culture. A cruise ship is a time machine that travels on waves of fantasy and ultimately we were like the swells rolling beneath the ship. We went to sea, but ultimately it was time to return to the shore.</p>
<p> </p><p> </p>
<p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; text-align: justify; text-indent: 9.0px; font: 24.0px Arial;">Cruising Musing</p>
<p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; text-align: justify; text-indent: 9.0px; font: 12.0px Arial; min-height: 14.0px;"><em><strong>By Ray Brasted</strong></em></p>
<p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; text-align: justify; text-indent: 9.0px; font: 12.0px Arial;">This not so much a review as it is a reflection of my random thoughts following a week cruising on the Celebrity Solstice out of Fort Lauderdale, FL.</p>
<p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; text-align: justify; text-indent: 9.0px; font: 12.0px Arial;"><strong>Departure:</strong> A ten minute taxi ride, a fifteen minute boarding process and we were on the ship and soon in our stateroom, followed shortly by our luggage. We embarked through Terminal 18, the largest terminal in the world for a single ship, the Oasis built by Royal Caribbean.</p>
<p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; text-align: justify; text-indent: 9.0px; font: 12.0px Arial;"><strong>The Food: </strong>We started eating as soon after we unpacked and pretty much did not stop until the day we got back off the ship in Fort Lauderdale. The phrase "it's all good" took on a special meaning on this week. It was boring to keep putting down excellent on our comment cards so I threw in a couple of very goods to keep it real.</p>
<p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; text-align: justify; text-indent: 9.0px; font: 12.0px Arial;"><strong>Entertainment: </strong>This is tough because as Cruise Director John Grantham put it, entertainment is subjective. Just go with the flow and you will have a good time because these are professionals who really give it everything they've got. I was giving a standing ovation more often then not.</p>
<p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; text-align: justify; text-indent: 9.0px; font: 12.0px Arial;"><strong>The Captain's Club.</strong> This is a perk for VIP and frequent cruisers and a nice perk it is. Getting your clothes washed and folded and your formal night shirt pressed is special. And then there is the private club where you can sip cocktails before dinner. No additional comments needed here.</p>
<p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; text-align: justify; text-indent: 9.0px; font: 12.0px Arial;"><strong>Visiting in the ports of call:</strong> I will always remember the driver and tour guide of the small bus we took for an hour tour in San Juan, Puerto Rico. They took four less passengers so they could fit a mobility scooter on the seat for a passenger who could not walk. They had to dismantle the scooter and put it back together which they did without fanfare.</p>
<p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; text-align: justify; text-indent: 9.0px; font: 12.0px Arial;"><strong>Arguing:</strong> Shouting matches and verbal sparring seems to be part of the island culture in the Caribbean. Don't confuse these sometimes vitriolic exchanges with real fighting. Apparently it is a way to blow off steam and you usually find out the individuals involved are close friends or family. Still it can be off-putting to some travelers who think nothing of engaging with ongoing and more damaging spats with their partners.</p>
<p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; text-align: justify; text-indent: 9.0px; font: 12.0px Arial;"><strong>Cruise Passengers:</strong> We encountered many friendly and helpful folk, many of who were more experienced in this mode of travel then we were. They were eager to give us tips and advice about activities on board and the ports of call. You have to do your own investigation however, because frequent cruisers can become a bit jaded and their assessments tempered with experiences you might be seeing for the first time.</p>
<p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; text-align: justify; text-indent: 9.0px; font: 12.0px Arial;"><strong>Verandas: </strong>If you can afford it get a stateroom with a veranda. To sit there reading a book while the ocean slides away below is one of the most soothing experiences I have had. At night, with the sliding door ajar, I was gently rocked to sleep while the waves swoosh along in rhythm. And after two days in open sea I was in awe that I had not seen land or another ship in all that time. Great reality check.</p>
<p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; text-align: justify; text-indent: 9.0px; font: 12.0px Arial;"><strong>Coming Home: </strong>Somehow you are ready and not ready at the same time. Watching the cargo hold being loaded with supplies for the turn-around just a few hours away, I realized we had been part of something unique in human culture. A cruise ship is a time machine that travels on waves of fantasy and ultimately we were like the swells rolling beneath the ship. We went to sea, but ultimately it was time to return to the shore.</p>
<p> </p>Former Stuntman Loves His Career Change2010-04-05T15:13:54Z2010-04-05T15:13:54Zhttp://www.ftlauderdalenews.net/index.php/people-places-and-organizations/item/37-john-grantham-gets-involved-with-people-in-his-new-job<p> </p>
<p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; text-align: justify; font: 17.0px Arial;"><strong>Cruise Director Takes a Fall from Time to Time</strong></p>
<p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; text-align: justify; font: 35.0px Arial;"><em>Former Stuntman Not Afraid </em></p>
<p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; text-align: justify; font: 35.0px Arial;"><em>to Become Part of the Show</em></p>
<p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; text-align: justify; text-indent: 12.0px; font: 12.0px Arial;">Ray Brasted</p>
<p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; text-align: justify; text-indent: 12.0px; font: 12.0px Arial;">John Grantham is not your usual cruise director and that can be claimed even if one hasn't experienced a lot of cruises. How many former hollywood stuntmen do you know who emcee cruise line shows, mingle with guests aboard ship and lines up entertainment for the pleasure of passengers?</p>
<p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; text-align: justify; text-indent: 12.0px; font: 12.0px Arial;">A big man with broad shoulders and ready smile, Grantham spent twenty years falling off horses, being shot at and beat up in the name of show business and is not what you would imagine when asked to describe a typical cruise director. And Grantham understands that. "It really is amazing. It isn't something I aspired to do," he said with a smile.</p>
<p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; text-align: justify; text-indent: 12.0px; font: 12.0px Arial;">A chance conversation brought the Naples, FL native to the attention of Celebrity Cruises and he was quickly hired. Having worked as an actor and stuntman in Las Angeles for many years and having been around many well known professionals in the theater and movies gives Grantham an insight into talent and working with entertainers.</p>
<p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; text-align: justify; text-indent: 12.0px; font: 12.0px Arial;">Finding the right blend of entertainment and special programs is an art in its own right and pleasing several thousands passengers week to week takes the courage of a man used to falling off horses. "Entertainment is very subjective. Something I like, might not be liked by the next person," Grantham noted.</p>
<p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; text-align: justify; text-indent: 12.0px; font: 12.0px Arial;">But he keeps his eyes open for up-and-comers and on the first night of recent cruise introduced Will Foraker to the audience. Grantham "discovered" the 22-year-old playing in a hidden corner of the Celebrity Solstice and was wowed by the young man's talent.</p>
<p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; text-align: justify; text-indent: 12.0px; font: 12.0px Arial;">Foraker did not disappoint and for the rest of the cruise drew ever increasing crowds to his corner of the ship. We agree that many who read this will one day be able to say they knew him "when".</p>
<p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; text-align: justify; text-indent: 12.0px; font: 12.0px Arial;">Maybe it is because of his years of auditioning for parts, and learning to move forward when faced with rejection, but Grantham brings a sensitivity to his job when working with the artists who put on a show every night.</p>
<p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; text-align: justify; text-indent: 12.0px; font: 12.0px Arial;">"I think I can connect with our audience," he added.</p>
<p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; text-align: justify; text-indent: 12.0px; font: 12.0px Arial;">Ed. Note: At the time of this interview Grantham was preparing to leave the Celebrity Solstice for a vacation and then to join the Celebrity Equinox in Europe.</p>
<p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; text-align: justify; text-indent: 12.0px; font: 12.0px Arial; min-height: 14.0px;"> </p>
<p> </p><p> </p>
<p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; text-align: justify; font: 17.0px Arial;"><strong>Cruise Director Takes a Fall from Time to Time</strong></p>
<p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; text-align: justify; font: 35.0px Arial;"><em>Former Stuntman Not Afraid </em></p>
<p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; text-align: justify; font: 35.0px Arial;"><em>to Become Part of the Show</em></p>
<p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; text-align: justify; text-indent: 12.0px; font: 12.0px Arial;">Ray Brasted</p>
<p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; text-align: justify; text-indent: 12.0px; font: 12.0px Arial;">John Grantham is not your usual cruise director and that can be claimed even if one hasn't experienced a lot of cruises. How many former hollywood stuntmen do you know who emcee cruise line shows, mingle with guests aboard ship and lines up entertainment for the pleasure of passengers?</p>
<p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; text-align: justify; text-indent: 12.0px; font: 12.0px Arial;">A big man with broad shoulders and ready smile, Grantham spent twenty years falling off horses, being shot at and beat up in the name of show business and is not what you would imagine when asked to describe a typical cruise director. And Grantham understands that. "It really is amazing. It isn't something I aspired to do," he said with a smile.</p>
<p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; text-align: justify; text-indent: 12.0px; font: 12.0px Arial;">A chance conversation brought the Naples, FL native to the attention of Celebrity Cruises and he was quickly hired. Having worked as an actor and stuntman in Las Angeles for many years and having been around many well known professionals in the theater and movies gives Grantham an insight into talent and working with entertainers.</p>
<p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; text-align: justify; text-indent: 12.0px; font: 12.0px Arial;">Finding the right blend of entertainment and special programs is an art in its own right and pleasing several thousands passengers week to week takes the courage of a man used to falling off horses. "Entertainment is very subjective. Something I like, might not be liked by the next person," Grantham noted.</p>
<p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; text-align: justify; text-indent: 12.0px; font: 12.0px Arial;">But he keeps his eyes open for up-and-comers and on the first night of recent cruise introduced Will Foraker to the audience. Grantham "discovered" the 22-year-old playing in a hidden corner of the Celebrity Solstice and was wowed by the young man's talent.</p>
<p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; text-align: justify; text-indent: 12.0px; font: 12.0px Arial;">Foraker did not disappoint and for the rest of the cruise drew ever increasing crowds to his corner of the ship. We agree that many who read this will one day be able to say they knew him "when".</p>
<p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; text-align: justify; text-indent: 12.0px; font: 12.0px Arial;">Maybe it is because of his years of auditioning for parts, and learning to move forward when faced with rejection, but Grantham brings a sensitivity to his job when working with the artists who put on a show every night.</p>
<p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; text-align: justify; text-indent: 12.0px; font: 12.0px Arial;">"I think I can connect with our audience," he added.</p>
<p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; text-align: justify; text-indent: 12.0px; font: 12.0px Arial;">Ed. Note: At the time of this interview Grantham was preparing to leave the Celebrity Solstice for a vacation and then to join the Celebrity Equinox in Europe.</p>
<p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; text-align: justify; text-indent: 12.0px; font: 12.0px Arial; min-height: 14.0px;"> </p>
<p> </p>Captain and Hotel Manager Talk About Leadership on a Cruise Ship2010-04-05T14:45:13Z2010-04-05T14:45:13Zhttp://www.ftlauderdalenews.net/index.php/travel-features/item/36-celebrity-solstice-a-team-approach-to-daily-operations<p> </p>
<p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; text-align: justify; font: 24.0px Arial Narrow;">Experience, of Course; But Self Confidence</p>
<p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; text-align: justify; font: 24.0px Arial Narrow;">and Good Humor are Key Leadership Ingredients</p>
<p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; text-align: justify; font: 24.0px Arial Narrow;">When Managing a Cruise Ship</p>
<p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; text-align: justify; font: 12.0px Arial;"><strong>By Ray Brasted </strong></p>
<p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; text-align: justify; text-indent: 9.0px; font: 12.0px Arial;">Dimitrios Kafetzis is the kind of person I want being in charge of a cruise ship carrying thousands of passengers and crew across open seas. Not only because he is trained, which he is. Not only because he worked his way up the ranks, which he did. Not only because he has strong leadership qualities, which he does. I also want him in charge because he has a sense of humor and a perspective about life that sets him apart. Those leadership qualities seem to pass down throughout the crew until it reaches passengers. The result? Everyone seems to be having a good time.</p>
<p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; text-align: justify; text-indent: 9.0px; font: 12.0px Arial;">With the timing of a stand-up comedian he held the attention of passengers aboard the Celebrity Solstice Cruise Ship with wry observations about the ship and his job. After assuring everyone that we would get to our first port, San Juan, Puerto Rico, safely, he offered a toast and we all raised our glasses and sipped our champagne. As he was about to take another sip, he stopped. "If I drink any more you can kiss Puerto Rico goodbye," he deadpanned.</p>
<p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; text-align: justify; text-indent: 9.0px; font: 12.0px Arial;">He was the same when we had a chance to interview him for this article. "My main goal when I use humor is to have people paying attention. I feel comfortable with myself and I want to sell the idea of professionalism to others," he added.</p>
<p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; text-align: justify; text-indent: 9.0px; font: 12.0px Arial;"><strong>Damien O'Conner</strong></p>
<p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; text-align: justify; text-indent: 9.0px; font: 12.0px Arial;">Damien O'Connor, the ship's hotel manager, with fifteen years in the industry, said Captain Kafetzis leads by example, and that includes interacting with staff from the officers to cabin stewards. "On the Solstice we are a second family on board. We strive to exceed the expectations of our guests and we do it naturally and happily," he said. He added he believes that is why many guests return to cruise again.</p>
<p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; text-align: justify; text-indent: 9.0px; font: 12.0px Arial;">Crew members come from all over the world, representing over fifty nationalities and everyone from the Captain down the line eats in the same dinning room. "Training is ongoing, it never stops", said O'Connor, "and we also promote from within whenever possible."</p>
<p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; text-align: justify; text-indent: 9.0px; font: 12.0px Arial;">Unlike most of the staff who work regular shifts, the senior officers are on call 24 hours a day, depending upon port arrivals, unexpected emergencies or changes in the weather. "I don't have a typical day. Each day depends on many factors," Captain Kafetzis said. If everything is a code green, decisions are routine, but if the Captain deems a situation a code yellow or code red, the experience and training of the officers is crucial. "We are ready to do our jobs when there is a real emergency," Captain Kafetzis emphasized.</p>
<p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; text-align: justify; text-indent: 9.0px; font: 12.0px Arial;">As the Celebrity Cruise Line plans to roll out new and larger ships, there will be job opportunities for many positions. "We have started to recruit more in the U.S. where it can be difficult to find individuals who can leave their families for months at a time," O'Connor said. But for those who do make the career move, it can be a great experience. "This is a fantastic industry," O'Connor concluded.</p>
<p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; text-align: justify; text-indent: 9.0px; font: 12.0px Arial;"> </p>
<p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; text-align: justify; text-indent: 9.0px; font: 12.0px Arial;"><strong>Ed. note</strong>: Visit www.celebritycruises.com for more information.</p>
<p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; text-align: justify; text-indent: 9.0px; font: 12.0px Arial; min-height: 14.0px;"> </p>
<p> </p><p> </p>
<p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; text-align: justify; font: 24.0px Arial Narrow;">Experience, of Course; But Self Confidence</p>
<p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; text-align: justify; font: 24.0px Arial Narrow;">and Good Humor are Key Leadership Ingredients</p>
<p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; text-align: justify; font: 24.0px Arial Narrow;">When Managing a Cruise Ship</p>
<p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; text-align: justify; font: 12.0px Arial;"><strong>By Ray Brasted </strong></p>
<p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; text-align: justify; text-indent: 9.0px; font: 12.0px Arial;">Dimitrios Kafetzis is the kind of person I want being in charge of a cruise ship carrying thousands of passengers and crew across open seas. Not only because he is trained, which he is. Not only because he worked his way up the ranks, which he did. Not only because he has strong leadership qualities, which he does. I also want him in charge because he has a sense of humor and a perspective about life that sets him apart. Those leadership qualities seem to pass down throughout the crew until it reaches passengers. The result? Everyone seems to be having a good time.</p>
<p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; text-align: justify; text-indent: 9.0px; font: 12.0px Arial;">With the timing of a stand-up comedian he held the attention of passengers aboard the Celebrity Solstice Cruise Ship with wry observations about the ship and his job. After assuring everyone that we would get to our first port, San Juan, Puerto Rico, safely, he offered a toast and we all raised our glasses and sipped our champagne. As he was about to take another sip, he stopped. "If I drink any more you can kiss Puerto Rico goodbye," he deadpanned.</p>
<p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; text-align: justify; text-indent: 9.0px; font: 12.0px Arial;">He was the same when we had a chance to interview him for this article. "My main goal when I use humor is to have people paying attention. I feel comfortable with myself and I want to sell the idea of professionalism to others," he added.</p>
<p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; text-align: justify; text-indent: 9.0px; font: 12.0px Arial;"><strong>Damien O'Conner</strong></p>
<p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; text-align: justify; text-indent: 9.0px; font: 12.0px Arial;">Damien O'Connor, the ship's hotel manager, with fifteen years in the industry, said Captain Kafetzis leads by example, and that includes interacting with staff from the officers to cabin stewards. "On the Solstice we are a second family on board. We strive to exceed the expectations of our guests and we do it naturally and happily," he said. He added he believes that is why many guests return to cruise again.</p>
<p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; text-align: justify; text-indent: 9.0px; font: 12.0px Arial;">Crew members come from all over the world, representing over fifty nationalities and everyone from the Captain down the line eats in the same dinning room. "Training is ongoing, it never stops", said O'Connor, "and we also promote from within whenever possible."</p>
<p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; text-align: justify; text-indent: 9.0px; font: 12.0px Arial;">Unlike most of the staff who work regular shifts, the senior officers are on call 24 hours a day, depending upon port arrivals, unexpected emergencies or changes in the weather. "I don't have a typical day. Each day depends on many factors," Captain Kafetzis said. If everything is a code green, decisions are routine, but if the Captain deems a situation a code yellow or code red, the experience and training of the officers is crucial. "We are ready to do our jobs when there is a real emergency," Captain Kafetzis emphasized.</p>
<p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; text-align: justify; text-indent: 9.0px; font: 12.0px Arial;">As the Celebrity Cruise Line plans to roll out new and larger ships, there will be job opportunities for many positions. "We have started to recruit more in the U.S. where it can be difficult to find individuals who can leave their families for months at a time," O'Connor said. But for those who do make the career move, it can be a great experience. "This is a fantastic industry," O'Connor concluded.</p>
<p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; text-align: justify; text-indent: 9.0px; font: 12.0px Arial;"> </p>
<p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; text-align: justify; text-indent: 9.0px; font: 12.0px Arial;"><strong>Ed. note</strong>: Visit www.celebritycruises.com for more information.</p>
<p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; text-align: justify; text-indent: 9.0px; font: 12.0px Arial; min-height: 14.0px;"> </p>
<p> </p>U.S. Virgin Islands Host Media Event2010-03-18T19:31:47Z2010-03-18T19:31:47Zhttp://www.ftlauderdalenews.net/index.php/travel-features/item/33-u.s.-virgin-islands<p> </p>
<div>
<p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; text-align: justify; font: 22.0px Arial;"><strong>A U.S. Virgin Islands Experience</strong></p>
<p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; text-align: justify; text-indent: 6.0px; font: 12.0px Arial;">Representatives from the U.S. Virgin Islands welcomed media and guests to a special party on March 17 at the Raleigh Hotel on South Beach. The Florida skies turned sunny as they should for an island party.</p>
<p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; text-align: justify; text-indent: 6.0px; font: 12.0px Arial;">Guests sipped Cruzan Rum cocktails and cuisine prepared by famed St. Thomas Chef Leslie "Theos" Gumbs.</p>
<p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; text-align: justify; text-indent: 6.0px; font: 12.0px Arial;">One of the many events held in the islands each year is the St. Croix Food & Wine Experience which will be held April 13-18. Katherine Pugliese co-founded the event ten years ago with a girlfriend. Katherine and her husband, Frank, own a restaurant on the island.</p>
<p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; text-align: justify; text-indent: 6.0px; font: 12.0px Arial;">Visit www.stcroixfoodandwine.com. The event sells out quickly so it may be good to plan for next year. To learn more about the U.S. Virgin Islands visit www.visitusvi.com</p>
</div>
<p> </p><p> </p>
<div>
<p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; text-align: justify; font: 22.0px Arial;"><strong>A U.S. Virgin Islands Experience</strong></p>
<p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; text-align: justify; text-indent: 6.0px; font: 12.0px Arial;">Representatives from the U.S. Virgin Islands welcomed media and guests to a special party on March 17 at the Raleigh Hotel on South Beach. The Florida skies turned sunny as they should for an island party.</p>
<p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; text-align: justify; text-indent: 6.0px; font: 12.0px Arial;">Guests sipped Cruzan Rum cocktails and cuisine prepared by famed St. Thomas Chef Leslie "Theos" Gumbs.</p>
<p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; text-align: justify; text-indent: 6.0px; font: 12.0px Arial;">One of the many events held in the islands each year is the St. Croix Food & Wine Experience which will be held April 13-18. Katherine Pugliese co-founded the event ten years ago with a girlfriend. Katherine and her husband, Frank, own a restaurant on the island.</p>
<p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; text-align: justify; text-indent: 6.0px; font: 12.0px Arial;">Visit www.stcroixfoodandwine.com. The event sells out quickly so it may be good to plan for next year. To learn more about the U.S. Virgin Islands visit www.visitusvi.com</p>
</div>
<p> </p>South Florida News, People and Events2010-03-08T20:50:51Z2010-03-08T20:50:51Zhttp://www.ftlauderdalenews.net/index.php/people-places-and-organizations/item/31-wrap-up-news-reflecting-south-florida<p> </p>
<p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 14.0px Arial;"><span style="font: 24.0px Arial;">Fort Lauderdale News and Events - </span>A Wrap Up Reflecting the Many Aspects of South Florida Living</p>
<p style="text-indent: 14px; font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Arial; min-height: 14px; text-align: center; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;"><br /></span></p>
<p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Arial;"> </p>
<p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; text-align: justify; text-indent: 9.0px; font: 12.0px Arial;"><strong>Bonnet House Museum & Gardens </strong>was the latest location for filming of <em>The Glades, </em>a new television series that began shooting throughout Florida this summer. The filming took place June 24 through the early hours of June 26. The dramatic series features Australian actor Matt Passmore (Underbelly, McLeod’s Daughters) as Jim Longworth, an attractive, brilliant, yet hard to get along with homicide detective from Chicago who gets shot by his captain after being wrongfully accused of sleeping with his wife.</p>
<p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; text-align: justify; text-indent: 9.0px; font: 12.0px Arial;">After being exiled from the department, Longworth relocates to the sleepy, middle of nowhere town of Palm Glade, Florida, where the sunshine and golf are plentiful and crime is seemingly at a minimum. Only this town outside the Florida Everglades isn’t quite as idyllic as he thought, as he finds people keep turning up murdered.</p>
<p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; text-align: justify; text-indent: 9.0px; font: 12.0px Arial;">The new A&E drama series was produced by Fox Television Studios. “This new series will be viewed by millions of people throughout the United States and we are thrilled to have Bonnet House as one of the locations used for filming,” says Bonnet House CEO, Karen Beard. We hope it will attract more people to the Bonnet House Estate to explore all of the natural beauty and history it has to offer.</p>
<p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; text-align: justify; text-indent: 9.0px; font: 12.0px Arial;"> </p>
<p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; text-align: justify; text-indent: 9.0px; font: 12.0px Arial;"><strong>About Bonnet House:</strong></p>
<p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; text-align: justify; text-indent: 9.0px; font: 12.0px Arial;">Bonnet House is located one block south of Sunrise Blvd. between Ft. Lauderdale Beach Blvd., (A1A) and the Intracoastal Waterway at 900 North Birch Road, Fort Lauderdale, FL 33304. Bonnet House is open Tuesday – Saturday, 10 a.m. -4 p.m. and Sunday, 11 a.m. – 4 p.m. Admission prices are $20 for individuals, $18 for senior citizens, $16 for children ages 6 – 12 and $10 for the grounds only. Group tours are also available at a discounted price. For more information, call (954) 563-5393 or visit the estate’s website, <a href="http://www.bonnethouse.org/"><span style="color: #0000ff;">www.bonnethouse.org</span></a>.</p>
<p> </p>
<p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Arial;"><strong>Tree Planting Commemorates Super Bowl</strong></p>
<p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Arial;">Seventeen new trees now growing at Weaver Park in Pompano Beach symbolize the end of Super Bowl XLIV in South Florida and the beginning of Super Bowl XLV to take place in Arlington, Texas, in 2011.</p>
<p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Arial; min-height: 14.0px;"> </p>
<p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Arial;">The trees were planted by Broward County Commissioner Kristin Jacobs, members of the National Football League (NFL), the Miami Dolphins and Pompano Beach city officials on Monday. The "Plant It Forward" tree planting event marks the passing of the Super Bowl experience from region to the next and completes the final Super Bowl XLIV Urban Forestry project in Broward County. <br /> <br /> "There's more to the Super Bowl than just the game. The trees planted in Weaver Park complete a series of environmental projects that took place in South Florida as we hosted the 2010 Super Bowl. Now we pass that legacy on to Texas, where a tree from Broward County will grow to provide shade, oxygen and beauty for years to come," said Commissioner Jacobs. <br /> <br /> A tree from South Florida and a shovel used at Monday's planting will be sent to a tree planting celebration in Arlington on June 17. Each year, the NFL plans a series of high profile urban forestry events to offset the carbon emissions that occur with such mega events as the Super Bowl. <br /> <br /> "When I was a kid, trees were there for one reason -- to climb," said former Miami Dolphins wide receiver Nat Moore. "The NFL and the Miami Dolphins plant these trees for the enjoyment of kids in this community." <br /> <br /> The Miami Dolphins purchased the trees and played a significant role in the urban forestry projects before, during and after Super Bowl 2010. Broward County and the City of Pompano Beach will provide long-term care and maintenance of the trees. <br /> <br /></p>
<p style="font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica; margin: 0px;"><span style="white-space: pre;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; white-space: normal;">All trees planted as part of the NFL Environmental Program will be included in a database of "Super Bowl trees" that will be monitored for environmental impact by state and federal forestry officials. This NFL tree database will also include trees planted over the past six years in Miami, Detroit, Jacksonville, Tampa and Phoenix. </span> </span></p>
<p style="font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica; margin: 0px;"> </p>
<p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; text-align: justify; text-indent: 14.0px; font: 12.0px Arial;"><strong>Sea Turtles on the Move This Summer.</strong> Life after dark takes on new meaning this summer as endangered sea turtles make their way onto Greater Fort Lauderdale's eight moonlit beaches to lay their eggs deep in the sand, as they have done since the age of dinosaurs more than 150,000,000 years ago.</p>
<p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; text-align: justify; text-indent: 14.0px; font: 12.0px Arial;">Of the eight species of sea turtles worldwide, the three that nest on Greater Fort Lauderdale's golden sands from March through October include: the threatened Loggerhead sea turtle, which formed 1,809 nests in 2009, the endangered Green sea turtles, which had 71 nests in 2009, followed by the Leatherback turtles, which had 45 nests in 2009. After 45-55 days of incubation, more than 1,900 nests hatched in Broward County resulting in more than 150,000 hatchlings making their way to the ocean last year.</p>
<p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; text-align: justify; text-indent: 14.0px; font: 12.0px Arial;">During the months of June and July, the museum will hold their <em>Moonlight, Sea Turtles and You!</em> program, giving participants a chance to watch a 400-pound Loggerhead sea turtle venture out of the ocean to lay her eggs, nature permitting. Guests will also meet "Dulce," the museum's resident female Loggerhead sea turtle. The program starts at the Museum of Discovery & Science at 9pm and ends at approximately 1am. Participation is $19 for non-members and advance reservations are required. Additional information and reservations are available at 954-713-0930, or by visiting <a href="http://www.mods.org/"><span style="color: #0000f0; text-decoration: underline;">www.mods.org</span></a>.</p>
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<p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 7.0px; text-indent: -7.0px; font: 12.0px Arial;"><span style="font: 14.0px Arial;"><strong>The Fort Lauderdale International Film Festival (FLIFF)</strong> </span>is now accepting entries for its 25th annual festival which will be held October 22 - November 11 at venues through out Fort Lauderdale. FLIFF accepts entries in three competitions Professional, Collegiate, and High School.</p>
<p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 7.0px; text-indent: -7.0px; font: 12.0px Arial;"><strong>Professional Submissions - </strong>Features, Documentaries, Shorts, Animation, Experimental, Florida-made, Children's;</p>
<p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 7.0px; text-indent: -7.0px; font: 12.0px Arial;">Collegiate Submissions - Narrative (20 min or longer), Short (under 20 min), Documentary, Animation;</p>
<p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 7.0px; text-indent: -7.0px; font: 12.0px Arial;"><strong>High School Film Competition -</strong> (entries should be no longer than 5 minutes, however, we will accept some exceptions): Short, Doc, Music Video, Experimental/Animation, Public Service Announcement</p>
<p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 7.0px; text-indent: -7.0px; font: 12.0px Arial;">Email Bonnie Adams at Bonnie@fliff.com with any questions or go to www.fliff.com.</p>
<p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 7.0px; text-indent: -7.0px; font: 12.0px Arial; min-height: 14.0px;"> </p>
<p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; text-indent: 11.0px; font: 12.0px Arial;"><span style="font: 14.0px Arial;"><strong>The University of Miami Lowe Art Museum </strong></span>will greet spring with a faculty exhibition, featuring the internationally collected glass artist, Endowed Chair, and UM Art Department Professor William Carlson. The UM Faculty Exhibition, William Carlson: Aquila Non Capit Muscas (An Eagle Does Not Catch Flies) will be on view at the Lowe Art Museum through June 6, 2010.</p>
<p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; text-indent: 11.0px; font: 12.0px Arial; min-height: 14.0px;"><span style="font: 14.0px Arial;"><strong>The Broward County Council of the Navy League</strong></span><strong>, </strong>through Al and Shelly Stein, has been supporting the marines in Iraq and Afghanistan for the last five years. Capt. Neville spoke of how important the packages we send have been and how much they appreciate our efforts. If you would like to become a part in the effort to support our families and friends who are in the military reserves Call George Reeves at 305-285-4845.</p>
<p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; text-align: justify; text-indent: 10.0px; font: 12.0px Arial;"><strong>The Navy League of the United State</strong>s - Broward County, FL Council is working with <strong>Seafarers’ House,</strong> another non-profit organization to provide care packages to our military serving in Afghanistan.</p>
<p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; text-align: justify; text-indent: 10.0px; font: 12.0px Arial;">Seafarers' House, of Fort Lauderdale, in cooperation with the Broward County Council of the Navy League donated numerous boxes of personal care items for military personnel at the Joint Command in Kabul, Afghanistan. Joe Giambrone, Navy League South Florida Area President, is a volunteer at Seafarers’ House and helped with the Seafarers’ House Christmas shoe box program. He worked with Chaplain Gregory Worch and Executive Director Lesley Warrick to obtain their assist with the Broward County Council’s care package program.</p>
<p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; text-align: justify; text-indent: 10.0px; font: 12.0px Arial;">Broward County Council Directors Al and Shelly Stein have been responsible for providing care packages to deployed Marines and Sailors for many years. To date more than 300 packages have been sent. Seafarers’ House and the Broward County, FL Council of the Navy League look forward to continuing their partnership of supporting our military and seafarers from around the world.</p>
<p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; text-align: justify; text-indent: 10.0px; font: 12.0px Arial;">Seafarers' House at Port Everglades is a cooperation among all faiths, labor, business and civic leaders with a mission "to offer refuge, resources, renewal and respect to the maritime community through multi-faith service.” With the help of its supporters and volunteers, Seafarers' House offers low cost international phone calls, free transportation, Internet access, counseling services, liaison with authorities as well as recreational facilities.</p>
<p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; text-align: justify; text-indent: 10.0px; font: 12.0px Arial;">To find out more about the Navy League, visit <a href="http://www.navyleague.org/"><span style="color: #0000ff; text-decoration: underline;">www.navyleague.org</span></a> or to find out about the Broward County Council, visit <a href="http://www.bcnavyleague.org/"><span style="color: #0000ff; text-decoration: underline;">www.bcnavyleague.org</span></a>. Seafarers’ House; visit <a href="http://www.seafarershouse.org/"><span style="color: #0000ff; text-decoration: underline;">www.seafarershouse.org</span></a>.</p>
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<p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; text-indent: 14.0px; font: 12.0px Arial;"><strong>The Broward Cultural Division </strong>distributed federal grant stimulus funds to, among 16 others organizations, the Old Dillard Museum. These funds directly affected twelve local musicians within the Museum’s performance portfolio, including Melton Mustafa and Alexis Caputo who have now been re-hired for two more concerts, previously slated for cancellation in December 2009 and June 2010 due to financial cut backs. For further information on the list of grantees, or this program, visit the Broward Cultural Division website at <a href="http://www.broward.org/arts">www.broward.org/arts</a>; or contact Jim Shermer 954-357-7502; e-mail: <a href="mailto:jshermer@broward.org">jshermer@broward.org</a>.</p>
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<p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; text-indent: 14.0px; font: 12.0px Arial;"><strong>Knitting clubs in South Florida </strong>are contributing to the cause by donating their time and talent to produce more than seven dozen scarves, skull caps, and helmet liners for the troops serving in Afghanistan. The Broward County Council of the Navy League provides the funding for the mailing, including boxes and cards.</p>
<p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; text-indent: 14.0px; font: 12.0px Arial;">To contribute contact Shelly Stein at 954-472-0285. The post office charges $12.50 per box.</p>
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<p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; text-indent: 14.0px; font: 12.0px Arial;"><strong>Broward County has received for than $584 million in federal stimulus funding for 2010. </strong>A recovery web site has been created at www.broward.org/recovery to track and update the implementation of various projects. The money will go to airport improvements, the arts, crime prevention, food and shelter programs, homelessness prevention and housing, community block grants, transportation and reducing green house gas emissions, among other projects.</p>
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<p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 14.0px Arial;"><span style="font: 24.0px Arial;">Fort Lauderdale News and Events - </span>A Wrap Up Reflecting the Many Aspects of South Florida Living</p>
<p style="text-indent: 14px; font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Arial; min-height: 14px; text-align: center; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;"><br /></span></p>
<p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Arial;"> </p>
<p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; text-align: justify; text-indent: 9.0px; font: 12.0px Arial;"><strong>Bonnet House Museum & Gardens </strong>was the latest location for filming of <em>The Glades, </em>a new television series that began shooting throughout Florida this summer. The filming took place June 24 through the early hours of June 26. The dramatic series features Australian actor Matt Passmore (Underbelly, McLeod’s Daughters) as Jim Longworth, an attractive, brilliant, yet hard to get along with homicide detective from Chicago who gets shot by his captain after being wrongfully accused of sleeping with his wife.</p>
<p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; text-align: justify; text-indent: 9.0px; font: 12.0px Arial;">After being exiled from the department, Longworth relocates to the sleepy, middle of nowhere town of Palm Glade, Florida, where the sunshine and golf are plentiful and crime is seemingly at a minimum. Only this town outside the Florida Everglades isn’t quite as idyllic as he thought, as he finds people keep turning up murdered.</p>
<p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; text-align: justify; text-indent: 9.0px; font: 12.0px Arial;">The new A&E drama series was produced by Fox Television Studios. “This new series will be viewed by millions of people throughout the United States and we are thrilled to have Bonnet House as one of the locations used for filming,” says Bonnet House CEO, Karen Beard. We hope it will attract more people to the Bonnet House Estate to explore all of the natural beauty and history it has to offer.</p>
<p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; text-align: justify; text-indent: 9.0px; font: 12.0px Arial;"> </p>
<p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; text-align: justify; text-indent: 9.0px; font: 12.0px Arial;"><strong>About Bonnet House:</strong></p>
<p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; text-align: justify; text-indent: 9.0px; font: 12.0px Arial;">Bonnet House is located one block south of Sunrise Blvd. between Ft. Lauderdale Beach Blvd., (A1A) and the Intracoastal Waterway at 900 North Birch Road, Fort Lauderdale, FL 33304. Bonnet House is open Tuesday – Saturday, 10 a.m. -4 p.m. and Sunday, 11 a.m. – 4 p.m. Admission prices are $20 for individuals, $18 for senior citizens, $16 for children ages 6 – 12 and $10 for the grounds only. Group tours are also available at a discounted price. For more information, call (954) 563-5393 or visit the estate’s website, <a href="http://www.bonnethouse.org/"><span style="color: #0000ff;">www.bonnethouse.org</span></a>.</p>
<p> </p>
<p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Arial;"><strong>Tree Planting Commemorates Super Bowl</strong></p>
<p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Arial;">Seventeen new trees now growing at Weaver Park in Pompano Beach symbolize the end of Super Bowl XLIV in South Florida and the beginning of Super Bowl XLV to take place in Arlington, Texas, in 2011.</p>
<p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Arial; min-height: 14.0px;"> </p>
<p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Arial;">The trees were planted by Broward County Commissioner Kristin Jacobs, members of the National Football League (NFL), the Miami Dolphins and Pompano Beach city officials on Monday. The "Plant It Forward" tree planting event marks the passing of the Super Bowl experience from region to the next and completes the final Super Bowl XLIV Urban Forestry project in Broward County. <br /> <br /> "There's more to the Super Bowl than just the game. The trees planted in Weaver Park complete a series of environmental projects that took place in South Florida as we hosted the 2010 Super Bowl. Now we pass that legacy on to Texas, where a tree from Broward County will grow to provide shade, oxygen and beauty for years to come," said Commissioner Jacobs. <br /> <br /> A tree from South Florida and a shovel used at Monday's planting will be sent to a tree planting celebration in Arlington on June 17. Each year, the NFL plans a series of high profile urban forestry events to offset the carbon emissions that occur with such mega events as the Super Bowl. <br /> <br /> "When I was a kid, trees were there for one reason -- to climb," said former Miami Dolphins wide receiver Nat Moore. "The NFL and the Miami Dolphins plant these trees for the enjoyment of kids in this community." <br /> <br /> The Miami Dolphins purchased the trees and played a significant role in the urban forestry projects before, during and after Super Bowl 2010. Broward County and the City of Pompano Beach will provide long-term care and maintenance of the trees. <br /> <br /></p>
<p style="font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica; margin: 0px;"><span style="white-space: pre;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; white-space: normal;">All trees planted as part of the NFL Environmental Program will be included in a database of "Super Bowl trees" that will be monitored for environmental impact by state and federal forestry officials. This NFL tree database will also include trees planted over the past six years in Miami, Detroit, Jacksonville, Tampa and Phoenix. </span> </span></p>
<p style="font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica; margin: 0px;"> </p>
<p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; text-align: justify; text-indent: 14.0px; font: 12.0px Arial;"><strong>Sea Turtles on the Move This Summer.</strong> Life after dark takes on new meaning this summer as endangered sea turtles make their way onto Greater Fort Lauderdale's eight moonlit beaches to lay their eggs deep in the sand, as they have done since the age of dinosaurs more than 150,000,000 years ago.</p>
<p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; text-align: justify; text-indent: 14.0px; font: 12.0px Arial;">Of the eight species of sea turtles worldwide, the three that nest on Greater Fort Lauderdale's golden sands from March through October include: the threatened Loggerhead sea turtle, which formed 1,809 nests in 2009, the endangered Green sea turtles, which had 71 nests in 2009, followed by the Leatherback turtles, which had 45 nests in 2009. After 45-55 days of incubation, more than 1,900 nests hatched in Broward County resulting in more than 150,000 hatchlings making their way to the ocean last year.</p>
<p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; text-align: justify; text-indent: 14.0px; font: 12.0px Arial;">During the months of June and July, the museum will hold their <em>Moonlight, Sea Turtles and You!</em> program, giving participants a chance to watch a 400-pound Loggerhead sea turtle venture out of the ocean to lay her eggs, nature permitting. Guests will also meet "Dulce," the museum's resident female Loggerhead sea turtle. The program starts at the Museum of Discovery & Science at 9pm and ends at approximately 1am. Participation is $19 for non-members and advance reservations are required. Additional information and reservations are available at 954-713-0930, or by visiting <a href="http://www.mods.org/"><span style="color: #0000f0; text-decoration: underline;">www.mods.org</span></a>.</p>
<p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; text-align: justify; text-indent: 14.0px; font: 12.0px Arial;"> </p>
<p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 7.0px; text-indent: -7.0px; font: 12.0px Arial;"><span style="font: 14.0px Arial;"><strong>The Fort Lauderdale International Film Festival (FLIFF)</strong> </span>is now accepting entries for its 25th annual festival which will be held October 22 - November 11 at venues through out Fort Lauderdale. FLIFF accepts entries in three competitions Professional, Collegiate, and High School.</p>
<p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 7.0px; text-indent: -7.0px; font: 12.0px Arial;"><strong>Professional Submissions - </strong>Features, Documentaries, Shorts, Animation, Experimental, Florida-made, Children's;</p>
<p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 7.0px; text-indent: -7.0px; font: 12.0px Arial;">Collegiate Submissions - Narrative (20 min or longer), Short (under 20 min), Documentary, Animation;</p>
<p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 7.0px; text-indent: -7.0px; font: 12.0px Arial;"><strong>High School Film Competition -</strong> (entries should be no longer than 5 minutes, however, we will accept some exceptions): Short, Doc, Music Video, Experimental/Animation, Public Service Announcement</p>
<p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 7.0px; text-indent: -7.0px; font: 12.0px Arial;">Email Bonnie Adams at Bonnie@fliff.com with any questions or go to www.fliff.com.</p>
<p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 7.0px; text-indent: -7.0px; font: 12.0px Arial; min-height: 14.0px;"> </p>
<p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; text-indent: 11.0px; font: 12.0px Arial;"><span style="font: 14.0px Arial;"><strong>The University of Miami Lowe Art Museum </strong></span>will greet spring with a faculty exhibition, featuring the internationally collected glass artist, Endowed Chair, and UM Art Department Professor William Carlson. The UM Faculty Exhibition, William Carlson: Aquila Non Capit Muscas (An Eagle Does Not Catch Flies) will be on view at the Lowe Art Museum through June 6, 2010.</p>
<p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; text-indent: 11.0px; font: 12.0px Arial; min-height: 14.0px;"><span style="font: 14.0px Arial;"><strong>The Broward County Council of the Navy League</strong></span><strong>, </strong>through Al and Shelly Stein, has been supporting the marines in Iraq and Afghanistan for the last five years. Capt. Neville spoke of how important the packages we send have been and how much they appreciate our efforts. If you would like to become a part in the effort to support our families and friends who are in the military reserves Call George Reeves at 305-285-4845.</p>
<p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; text-align: justify; text-indent: 10.0px; font: 12.0px Arial;"><strong>The Navy League of the United State</strong>s - Broward County, FL Council is working with <strong>Seafarers’ House,</strong> another non-profit organization to provide care packages to our military serving in Afghanistan.</p>
<p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; text-align: justify; text-indent: 10.0px; font: 12.0px Arial;">Seafarers' House, of Fort Lauderdale, in cooperation with the Broward County Council of the Navy League donated numerous boxes of personal care items for military personnel at the Joint Command in Kabul, Afghanistan. Joe Giambrone, Navy League South Florida Area President, is a volunteer at Seafarers’ House and helped with the Seafarers’ House Christmas shoe box program. He worked with Chaplain Gregory Worch and Executive Director Lesley Warrick to obtain their assist with the Broward County Council’s care package program.</p>
<p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; text-align: justify; text-indent: 10.0px; font: 12.0px Arial;">Broward County Council Directors Al and Shelly Stein have been responsible for providing care packages to deployed Marines and Sailors for many years. To date more than 300 packages have been sent. Seafarers’ House and the Broward County, FL Council of the Navy League look forward to continuing their partnership of supporting our military and seafarers from around the world.</p>
<p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; text-align: justify; text-indent: 10.0px; font: 12.0px Arial;">Seafarers' House at Port Everglades is a cooperation among all faiths, labor, business and civic leaders with a mission "to offer refuge, resources, renewal and respect to the maritime community through multi-faith service.” With the help of its supporters and volunteers, Seafarers' House offers low cost international phone calls, free transportation, Internet access, counseling services, liaison with authorities as well as recreational facilities.</p>
<p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; text-align: justify; text-indent: 10.0px; font: 12.0px Arial;">To find out more about the Navy League, visit <a href="http://www.navyleague.org/"><span style="color: #0000ff; text-decoration: underline;">www.navyleague.org</span></a> or to find out about the Broward County Council, visit <a href="http://www.bcnavyleague.org/"><span style="color: #0000ff; text-decoration: underline;">www.bcnavyleague.org</span></a>. Seafarers’ House; visit <a href="http://www.seafarershouse.org/"><span style="color: #0000ff; text-decoration: underline;">www.seafarershouse.org</span></a>.</p>
<p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; text-align: justify; text-indent: 10.0px; font: 12.0px Arial;"> </p>
<p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; text-indent: 14.0px; font: 12.0px Arial;"><strong>The Broward Cultural Division </strong>distributed federal grant stimulus funds to, among 16 others organizations, the Old Dillard Museum. These funds directly affected twelve local musicians within the Museum’s performance portfolio, including Melton Mustafa and Alexis Caputo who have now been re-hired for two more concerts, previously slated for cancellation in December 2009 and June 2010 due to financial cut backs. For further information on the list of grantees, or this program, visit the Broward Cultural Division website at <a href="http://www.broward.org/arts">www.broward.org/arts</a>; or contact Jim Shermer 954-357-7502; e-mail: <a href="mailto:jshermer@broward.org">jshermer@broward.org</a>.</p>
<p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; text-indent: 14.0px; font: 12.0px Arial;"> </p>
<p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; text-indent: 14.0px; font: 12.0px Arial;"><strong>Knitting clubs in South Florida </strong>are contributing to the cause by donating their time and talent to produce more than seven dozen scarves, skull caps, and helmet liners for the troops serving in Afghanistan. The Broward County Council of the Navy League provides the funding for the mailing, including boxes and cards.</p>
<p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; text-indent: 14.0px; font: 12.0px Arial;">To contribute contact Shelly Stein at 954-472-0285. The post office charges $12.50 per box.</p>
<p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; text-indent: 14.0px; font: 12.0px Arial;"> </p>
<p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; text-indent: 14.0px; font: 12.0px Arial;"><strong>Broward County has received for than $584 million in federal stimulus funding for 2010. </strong>A recovery web site has been created at www.broward.org/recovery to track and update the implementation of various projects. The money will go to airport improvements, the arts, crime prevention, food and shelter programs, homelessness prevention and housing, community block grants, transportation and reducing green house gas emissions, among other projects.</p>
<p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; text-indent: 14.0px; font: 12.0px Arial; min-height: 14.0px;"> </p>
<p> </p>Chef John Gray Hosts Reception at SOBE Wine & Food Festival2010-03-02T21:29:03Z2010-03-02T21:29:03Zhttp://www.ftlauderdalenews.net/index.php/people-places-and-organizations/item/29-dorcester-hotel-welcomes-guests-to-event<p> </p>
<p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; text-indent: 12.0px; font: 12.0px Arial;"> </p>
<p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 24.0px Arial;"><strong>Taste of Mexico - Ambiance of</strong></p>
<p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 24.0px Arial;"><strong>South Beach: As Good as it Gets</strong></p>
<p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; text-indent: 12.0px; font: 12.0px Arial;">Sometimes there is a moment when we appreciate living in South Florida even more than usual and on a sunny afternoon in February we experienced just that when we attended an "intimate" cocktail reception at the Dorchester Hotel on Collins Avenue in South Beach.</p>
<p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; text-indent: 12.0px; font: 12.0px Arial;">Our congenial host was owner Lloyd Mandell who also serves as Executive Manager and, on this day, impromptu parking attendant. "Just park there, we know where to find you," he advised.</p>
<p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; text-indent: 12.0px; font: 12.0px Arial;">The reception was for Chef John Gray, the only chef representing Mexico during the 2010 South Beach Wine & Food Festival's "BubbleQ" evening on Feb. 25. "I was very pleased to have been contacted to attend this event," Chef Gray told us. "I've been in Mexico for quite a while."</p>
<p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; text-indent: 12.0px; font: 12.0px Arial;">In the two decades he has been in Mexico he has built a reputation as a pioneer for his upscale cuisine that features the "textures and taste" of Mexico.</p>
<p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; text-indent: 12.0px; font: 12.0px Arial;"> </p>
<p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; text-indent: 12.0px; font: 12.0px Arial;"><span style="font-style: italic;">John Gray's Kitchen opened in Puerto Morelos in 2002; John Gray's Place in Playa del Carmen in 2004; La Suegra de John Gray in Puerto Morelos in February 2008; John Gray's Downtown in Cancun in 2008; The Den at John Gray's Place opened in 2009.</span></p>
<p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; text-indent: 12.0px; font: 12.0px Arial;"><em><br /></em></p>
<p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; text-indent: 12.0px; font: 12.0px Arial;">For this event Gray worked over an open grill presenting special delights for guests who sat in the quaint courtyard of the Dorchester. They could also sit in "The Floating Bed", a new addition which offers guests the chance to swing gently with the breezes.</p>
<p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; text-indent: 12.0px; font: 12.0px Arial;">It is nice to be in South Florida in February.</p>
<p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; text-indent: 12.0px; font: 12.0px Arial;"><strong>Ed. Note:</strong> To learn more about the John Gray Restaurant Group visit www.johngrayrestaurantgroup.com. To find out about the Dorchester Hotel go to www.thesuitesofdorchester.com. And if you wish to find a "floating bed" check www.floatingbed.com.</p>
<p> </p>
<p> </p><p> </p>
<p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; text-indent: 12.0px; font: 12.0px Arial;"> </p>
<p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 24.0px Arial;"><strong>Taste of Mexico - Ambiance of</strong></p>
<p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 24.0px Arial;"><strong>South Beach: As Good as it Gets</strong></p>
<p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; text-indent: 12.0px; font: 12.0px Arial;">Sometimes there is a moment when we appreciate living in South Florida even more than usual and on a sunny afternoon in February we experienced just that when we attended an "intimate" cocktail reception at the Dorchester Hotel on Collins Avenue in South Beach.</p>
<p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; text-indent: 12.0px; font: 12.0px Arial;">Our congenial host was owner Lloyd Mandell who also serves as Executive Manager and, on this day, impromptu parking attendant. "Just park there, we know where to find you," he advised.</p>
<p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; text-indent: 12.0px; font: 12.0px Arial;">The reception was for Chef John Gray, the only chef representing Mexico during the 2010 South Beach Wine & Food Festival's "BubbleQ" evening on Feb. 25. "I was very pleased to have been contacted to attend this event," Chef Gray told us. "I've been in Mexico for quite a while."</p>
<p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; text-indent: 12.0px; font: 12.0px Arial;">In the two decades he has been in Mexico he has built a reputation as a pioneer for his upscale cuisine that features the "textures and taste" of Mexico.</p>
<p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; text-indent: 12.0px; font: 12.0px Arial;"> </p>
<p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; text-indent: 12.0px; font: 12.0px Arial;"><span style="font-style: italic;">John Gray's Kitchen opened in Puerto Morelos in 2002; John Gray's Place in Playa del Carmen in 2004; La Suegra de John Gray in Puerto Morelos in February 2008; John Gray's Downtown in Cancun in 2008; The Den at John Gray's Place opened in 2009.</span></p>
<p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; text-indent: 12.0px; font: 12.0px Arial;"><em><br /></em></p>
<p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; text-indent: 12.0px; font: 12.0px Arial;">For this event Gray worked over an open grill presenting special delights for guests who sat in the quaint courtyard of the Dorchester. They could also sit in "The Floating Bed", a new addition which offers guests the chance to swing gently with the breezes.</p>
<p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; text-indent: 12.0px; font: 12.0px Arial;">It is nice to be in South Florida in February.</p>
<p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; text-indent: 12.0px; font: 12.0px Arial;"><strong>Ed. Note:</strong> To learn more about the John Gray Restaurant Group visit www.johngrayrestaurantgroup.com. To find out about the Dorchester Hotel go to www.thesuitesofdorchester.com. And if you wish to find a "floating bed" check www.floatingbed.com.</p>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>Special Event at SOBE Wine & Food Festival2010-02-28T17:51:18Z2010-02-28T17:51:18Zhttp://www.ftlauderdalenews.net/index.php/rays-blog/item/28-interactive-dinner<p> </p>
<p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 24.0px Arial;">Going the Extra Mile at</p>
<p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 24.0px Arial;">Barilla Interactive Dinner</p>
<p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; text-align: justify; text-indent: 12.0px; font: 12.0px Arial;">You really have to give it up for Lidia Bastianich, the award winning chef, restaurateur, cookbook author and television cooking show host. She could just have put on a food event at the South Beach Wine & Food Festival (Presented by Food&Wine). She could have invited people come in to eat and drink and then go home full and happy.</p>
<p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; text-align: justify; text-indent: 12.0px; font: 12.0px Arial;">But she chose to put on an interactive dinner where people who did not know each other learned to work as a team to prepare a meal. Open gas stoves at each table, uncooked plates of fish and vegetables overseen by different personalities offers up a lot of possibilities.</p>
<p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; text-align: justify; text-indent: 12.0px; font: 12.0px Arial;">We had a ball. Most of us at our table took a turn at cooking a portion of the meal and as the evening and the wine flowed along we soon were chatting like family members. And that is the idea. The message is clear, food brings people together. It has from the beginning of time.</p>
<p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; text-align: justify; text-indent: 12.0px; font: 12.0px Arial;">Each presentation was received with a applause and the cook of the moment was given congratulations for a job well done. If you are used to sitting down and being served this might not be your event. But if you enjoy people, love to cook and have an adventurous spirit, put an interactive dinner on your list of things to do at the next South Beach Wine & Food Festival.</p>
<p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; text-align: justify; text-indent: 12.0px; font: 12.0px Arial;"><strong> Ray Brasted Article and Photos - ftlauderdalenews.net</strong></p>
<p> </p><p> </p>
<p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 24.0px Arial;">Going the Extra Mile at</p>
<p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 24.0px Arial;">Barilla Interactive Dinner</p>
<p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; text-align: justify; text-indent: 12.0px; font: 12.0px Arial;">You really have to give it up for Lidia Bastianich, the award winning chef, restaurateur, cookbook author and television cooking show host. She could just have put on a food event at the South Beach Wine & Food Festival (Presented by Food&Wine). She could have invited people come in to eat and drink and then go home full and happy.</p>
<p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; text-align: justify; text-indent: 12.0px; font: 12.0px Arial;">But she chose to put on an interactive dinner where people who did not know each other learned to work as a team to prepare a meal. Open gas stoves at each table, uncooked plates of fish and vegetables overseen by different personalities offers up a lot of possibilities.</p>
<p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; text-align: justify; text-indent: 12.0px; font: 12.0px Arial;">We had a ball. Most of us at our table took a turn at cooking a portion of the meal and as the evening and the wine flowed along we soon were chatting like family members. And that is the idea. The message is clear, food brings people together. It has from the beginning of time.</p>
<p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; text-align: justify; text-indent: 12.0px; font: 12.0px Arial;">Each presentation was received with a applause and the cook of the moment was given congratulations for a job well done. If you are used to sitting down and being served this might not be your event. But if you enjoy people, love to cook and have an adventurous spirit, put an interactive dinner on your list of things to do at the next South Beach Wine & Food Festival.</p>
<p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; text-align: justify; text-indent: 12.0px; font: 12.0px Arial;"><strong> Ray Brasted Article and Photos - ftlauderdalenews.net</strong></p>
<p> </p>Barilla Interactive Dinner - South Beach Wine & Food Festival2010-02-28T17:37:47Z2010-02-28T17:37:47Zhttp://www.ftlauderdalenews.net/index.php/movie-theater-book-dining-reviews/item/27-chef-lidia-bastianich-and-a-cast-of-hundreds<p> </p>
<p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 24.0px Arial;"><strong>Cooking with Strangers, </strong></p>
<p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 24.0px Arial;"><strong>Dining with Friends, An</strong></p>
<p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 24.0px Arial;"><strong>Interactive Experience</strong></p>
<p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica;"><strong>Ray Brasted and Susan Lazarus</strong></p>
<p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica;">We didn't know what to expect as we walked into the Biltmore Hotel in Coral Gables for the South Beach Wine & Food Festival's Barilla Interactive Dinner. We were actually going to cook with strangers? How was that going to work?</p>
<p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica;"> </p>
<p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica;">We found our table in the banquet hall and introduced ourselves to our new cooking colleagues. We were already feeling a lot more relaxed thanks to the champagne we sipped while waiting for the doors to open. A bit more wine was served at the table and we were ready to cook.</p>
<p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica;"> </p>
<p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica;">The evening was facilitated by Lidia Bastianich, award winning chef, author and Public Television cooking show host. She was joined by her son, Joe Bastianich who owns a number of award winning restaurants and three wineries. Also on the podium were Lorenzo Boni, Executive Chef of Barilla America, Cody Hogan, Chef at Lidia's Kansas City, Fortunato Nicotra of Felida New York and Phillippe Ruiz of the Palme d'Or restaurant at the Biltmore Hotel.</p>
<p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica;"> </p>
<p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica;">With such an illustrious team helping us out, how could we go wrong? After enjoying the already prepared Academia Barilla, consisting of Cherry Tomatoes and Academia Barilla Shaved Pecorino and a plate of Organic Goat Cheese Terrine with Black Olive Tapenade, Roasted Italian Sausage and locally grown greens, we were ready to cook.</p>
<p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica;"> </p>
<p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica;">In turn, members of our table prepared Montasio Frico with Potato and Crab Filling and then moved on to Fish Soup with Barilla Ditalini and Academia Barilla Cherry Tomatoes. The main course was Ahi Tuna, Radicchio and Balsamic-Beet Vinaigrette and we finished up with the already prepared Pistachio Brownie Napoleon. Along the way we enjoyed wine pairings with each dish.</p>
<p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica;"> </p>
<p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica;">By the end of the evening we had made new friends and discovered the joy of cooking with a team. "This is a fantastic way of giving a cooking lesson," said Chef Lidia Bastianich. "You can really get into it and these recipes reflect who we really are."</p>
<p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica;">Participants left with a copy of "Lidia Cooks from the Heart of Italy - A Feast of 175 Regional Recipes", assorted Barilla products and wonderful memories of an interactive experience.</p>
<p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica;"> </p>
<p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica;">Learn more about the festival at www.sobe.com and mark your calendars for next year's events. (Photo by Ray Brasted)</p>
<p> </p><p> </p>
<p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 24.0px Arial;"><strong>Cooking with Strangers, </strong></p>
<p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 24.0px Arial;"><strong>Dining with Friends, An</strong></p>
<p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 24.0px Arial;"><strong>Interactive Experience</strong></p>
<p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica;"><strong>Ray Brasted and Susan Lazarus</strong></p>
<p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica;">We didn't know what to expect as we walked into the Biltmore Hotel in Coral Gables for the South Beach Wine & Food Festival's Barilla Interactive Dinner. We were actually going to cook with strangers? How was that going to work?</p>
<p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica;"> </p>
<p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica;">We found our table in the banquet hall and introduced ourselves to our new cooking colleagues. We were already feeling a lot more relaxed thanks to the champagne we sipped while waiting for the doors to open. A bit more wine was served at the table and we were ready to cook.</p>
<p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica;"> </p>
<p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica;">The evening was facilitated by Lidia Bastianich, award winning chef, author and Public Television cooking show host. She was joined by her son, Joe Bastianich who owns a number of award winning restaurants and three wineries. Also on the podium were Lorenzo Boni, Executive Chef of Barilla America, Cody Hogan, Chef at Lidia's Kansas City, Fortunato Nicotra of Felida New York and Phillippe Ruiz of the Palme d'Or restaurant at the Biltmore Hotel.</p>
<p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica;"> </p>
<p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica;">With such an illustrious team helping us out, how could we go wrong? After enjoying the already prepared Academia Barilla, consisting of Cherry Tomatoes and Academia Barilla Shaved Pecorino and a plate of Organic Goat Cheese Terrine with Black Olive Tapenade, Roasted Italian Sausage and locally grown greens, we were ready to cook.</p>
<p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica;"> </p>
<p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica;">In turn, members of our table prepared Montasio Frico with Potato and Crab Filling and then moved on to Fish Soup with Barilla Ditalini and Academia Barilla Cherry Tomatoes. The main course was Ahi Tuna, Radicchio and Balsamic-Beet Vinaigrette and we finished up with the already prepared Pistachio Brownie Napoleon. Along the way we enjoyed wine pairings with each dish.</p>
<p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica;"> </p>
<p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica;">By the end of the evening we had made new friends and discovered the joy of cooking with a team. "This is a fantastic way of giving a cooking lesson," said Chef Lidia Bastianich. "You can really get into it and these recipes reflect who we really are."</p>
<p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica;">Participants left with a copy of "Lidia Cooks from the Heart of Italy - A Feast of 175 Regional Recipes", assorted Barilla products and wonderful memories of an interactive experience.</p>
<p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica;"> </p>
<p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica;">Learn more about the festival at www.sobe.com and mark your calendars for next year's events. (Photo by Ray Brasted)</p>
<p> </p>FIU Students Learn and Support Scholarships at Wine and Food Fest2010-02-06T19:04:05Z2010-02-06T19:04:05Zhttp://www.ftlauderdalenews.net/index.php/community-news-briefs-a-events/item/25-south-beach-wine-and-food-festival---fiu-beneficiary<p> </p>
<p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; text-align: justify; font: 12.0px Arial;"><span style="font-size: 24px;">FIU Students Work Hard, Raise Money for </span></p>
<p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; text-align: justify; font: 12.0px Arial;"><span style="font-size: 24px;">Scholarships at Wine & Food Fest</span></p>
<p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; text-align: justify; text-indent: 8.0px; font: 12.0px Arial;">When the greatest names in the restaurant industry converged for FIU School of Hospitality annual fundraiser: 2010 South Beach Wine & Food Festival, February 25 – 28, 2010 it was not only good food and good fun, it was also for a good cause: Florida International University’s School of Hospitality and Tourism Management. More than $2 million dollars has been raised for FIU School of Hospitality for student scholarships, and to enhance the experience of students by investing in program, faculty and facility enhancement.</p>
<p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; text-align: justify; text-indent: 8.0px; font: 12.0px Arial;">For the 2010 Festival celebrity chefs and personalities such as Rachael Ray, Emeril Lagasse, Ming Tsai, Paula Dean, Bobby Flay, Michael Lomonaco joined famed South Florida based chefs such as Michelle Bernstein, Kenny Lyon, Michael Schwartz, Jonathan Eismann and Allen Susser – to name just a handful of participants -- to once again position Miami-Dade County as the culinary capital of the world during the festival. Everyone is drawn to the event, not just for the celebration, but also for the opportunity to benefit one of the leading hospitality programs of its kind in the world.</p>
<p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; text-align: justify; text-indent: 8.0px; font: 12.0px Arial;">Formerly known as the “Florida Extravaganza”, proceeds from the South Beach Wine & Food Festival benefit FIU’s School of Hospitality. Over the past 10 years, over a $6 million dollars has been raised to enhance the students experience at the School of Hospitality by expanding the School of Hospitality Teaching Restaurant and the Southern Wine & Spirits Beverage Management Center. Hundreds of thousands of dollars were set aside for student scholarships.</p>
<p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; text-align: justify; text-indent: 8.0px; font: 12.0px Arial;">“The students of FIU are the real winners of this festival. They provide tireless support for the four-day weekend of events while reaping indispensable real world industry experience,” says Joan Remington, Interim Dean, FIU School of Hospitality.</p>
<p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; text-align: justify; text-indent: 8.0px; font: 12.0px Arial;">FIU Hospitality Management senior AJ Mindermann, assistant culinary manager at the 2009 festival, knows first hand the value of working with industry leaders in a real-world experience. “The experience is priceless,” Mindermann said. “You can’t put a number on it. I got so many internship opportunities from chefs last year. The networking is terrific. It’s probably one of the biggest career-jumpers there is.”</p>
<p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; text-align: justify; text-indent: 8.0px; font: 12.0px Arial;">Having just completed his second year in a leadership role at the Festival, Arthur was honored with the Barilla Best FIU Student Chef Award, and a $1500 cash prize. Barilla established this award to recognize students at FIU’s School of Hospitality and who exhibit their commitment to and passion for the culinary arts.</p>
<p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; text-align: justify; text-indent: 8.0px; font: 12.0px Arial;">Hundreds of other students benefit from real-world experience at the Festival. Experiences range from fulfilling thousands of ticket orders to restaurant solicitation, sponsorship fulfillment to meeting and greeting guests at myriad activities throughout the annual four-day festival. Overall, some 850 Hospitality majors – most with excellent internship experience already under their belts – worked in a variety of key capacities both before and during the festival.</p>
<p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; text-align: justify; text-indent: 8.0px; font: 12.0px Arial;">“I hear comments like ‘the experience changed my life’,” said FIU Chef-Instructor and South Beach Wine & Food Festival Culinary Director, Michael Moran. “You don’t expect to go to school and have a teacher say that there’s a field trip to cook barbecue for 500 people.”</p>
<p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; text-align: justify; text-indent: 8.0px; font: 12.0px Arial;">Students are required to work 1,000 hours in the hospitality industry and then complete a 300-hour internship. Upon graduation, students are prepared to compete for top positions in every aspect of the hospitality industry. To date, the School’s graduates have a 100% career placement record.</p>
<p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; text-align: justify; text-indent: 8.0px; font: 12.0px Arial;">For more information, visit www.hospitality.fiu.edu.</p>
<p> </p><p> </p>
<p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; text-align: justify; font: 12.0px Arial;"><span style="font-size: 24px;">FIU Students Work Hard, Raise Money for </span></p>
<p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; text-align: justify; font: 12.0px Arial;"><span style="font-size: 24px;">Scholarships at Wine & Food Fest</span></p>
<p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; text-align: justify; text-indent: 8.0px; font: 12.0px Arial;">When the greatest names in the restaurant industry converged for FIU School of Hospitality annual fundraiser: 2010 South Beach Wine & Food Festival, February 25 – 28, 2010 it was not only good food and good fun, it was also for a good cause: Florida International University’s School of Hospitality and Tourism Management. More than $2 million dollars has been raised for FIU School of Hospitality for student scholarships, and to enhance the experience of students by investing in program, faculty and facility enhancement.</p>
<p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; text-align: justify; text-indent: 8.0px; font: 12.0px Arial;">For the 2010 Festival celebrity chefs and personalities such as Rachael Ray, Emeril Lagasse, Ming Tsai, Paula Dean, Bobby Flay, Michael Lomonaco joined famed South Florida based chefs such as Michelle Bernstein, Kenny Lyon, Michael Schwartz, Jonathan Eismann and Allen Susser – to name just a handful of participants -- to once again position Miami-Dade County as the culinary capital of the world during the festival. Everyone is drawn to the event, not just for the celebration, but also for the opportunity to benefit one of the leading hospitality programs of its kind in the world.</p>
<p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; text-align: justify; text-indent: 8.0px; font: 12.0px Arial;">Formerly known as the “Florida Extravaganza”, proceeds from the South Beach Wine & Food Festival benefit FIU’s School of Hospitality. Over the past 10 years, over a $6 million dollars has been raised to enhance the students experience at the School of Hospitality by expanding the School of Hospitality Teaching Restaurant and the Southern Wine & Spirits Beverage Management Center. Hundreds of thousands of dollars were set aside for student scholarships.</p>
<p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; text-align: justify; text-indent: 8.0px; font: 12.0px Arial;">“The students of FIU are the real winners of this festival. They provide tireless support for the four-day weekend of events while reaping indispensable real world industry experience,” says Joan Remington, Interim Dean, FIU School of Hospitality.</p>
<p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; text-align: justify; text-indent: 8.0px; font: 12.0px Arial;">FIU Hospitality Management senior AJ Mindermann, assistant culinary manager at the 2009 festival, knows first hand the value of working with industry leaders in a real-world experience. “The experience is priceless,” Mindermann said. “You can’t put a number on it. I got so many internship opportunities from chefs last year. The networking is terrific. It’s probably one of the biggest career-jumpers there is.”</p>
<p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; text-align: justify; text-indent: 8.0px; font: 12.0px Arial;">Having just completed his second year in a leadership role at the Festival, Arthur was honored with the Barilla Best FIU Student Chef Award, and a $1500 cash prize. Barilla established this award to recognize students at FIU’s School of Hospitality and who exhibit their commitment to and passion for the culinary arts.</p>
<p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; text-align: justify; text-indent: 8.0px; font: 12.0px Arial;">Hundreds of other students benefit from real-world experience at the Festival. Experiences range from fulfilling thousands of ticket orders to restaurant solicitation, sponsorship fulfillment to meeting and greeting guests at myriad activities throughout the annual four-day festival. Overall, some 850 Hospitality majors – most with excellent internship experience already under their belts – worked in a variety of key capacities both before and during the festival.</p>
<p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; text-align: justify; text-indent: 8.0px; font: 12.0px Arial;">“I hear comments like ‘the experience changed my life’,” said FIU Chef-Instructor and South Beach Wine & Food Festival Culinary Director, Michael Moran. “You don’t expect to go to school and have a teacher say that there’s a field trip to cook barbecue for 500 people.”</p>
<p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; text-align: justify; text-indent: 8.0px; font: 12.0px Arial;">Students are required to work 1,000 hours in the hospitality industry and then complete a 300-hour internship. Upon graduation, students are prepared to compete for top positions in every aspect of the hospitality industry. To date, the School’s graduates have a 100% career placement record.</p>
<p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; text-align: justify; text-indent: 8.0px; font: 12.0px Arial;">For more information, visit www.hospitality.fiu.edu.</p>
<p> </p>Rock Musical2010-02-06T17:00:20Z2010-02-06T17:00:20Zhttp://www.ftlauderdalenews.net/index.php/movie-theater-book-dining-reviews/item/24-broward-center-is-april-1-2010-venue<p> </p>
<p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; text-align: justify; text-indent: 7.0px; font: 24.0px Arial Narrow;">Rock Musical "The 12" World</p>
<p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; text-align: justify; text-indent: 7.0px; font: 24.0px Arial Narrow;">Premiere, April 1 at Broward Center</p>
<p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; text-align: justify; text-indent: 7.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica;">If the World Premiere of "The 12" scheduled for April 1 at the Broward Center has half the passion as the show's composer and lyricist Neil Berg and show producer Adam Friedson, audiences will be in for a very special treat.</p>
<p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; text-align: justify; text-indent: 7.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica;">This is an original rock musical that seeks to join the ranks of Jesus Christ Superstar, Hair, Rent and Spring Awakening. The story and concept are by Berg who expressed a "life long fascination with religion" when he spoke at a recent Fort Lauderdale press conference. The show is written by Pulitzer Prize winning playwright, Robert Shenkkan.</p>
<p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; text-align: justify; text-indent: 7.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica;">"This was written from the heart," Berg told reporters at a special screening of a 12 minute "showcase-type" performance recently held in a New York City club. "I wanted to explore the dramatic questions surrounding one of the most important events in human history." Berg developed the music, lyrics and story concept.</p>
<p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; text-align: justify; text-indent: 7.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica;">Berg said that he was a rock and roller at heart and a musician with a love of the history of the genre. "I wanted to write an authentic rock and roll show," he emphasized.</p>
<p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; text-align: justify; text-indent: 7.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica;">Producer Adam Friedson said it was his goal to bring together the b
<script src="plugins/editors/tinymce/jscripts/tiny_mce/themes/advanced/langs/en.js" type="text/javascript"></script>
iggest names in contemporary theater to create a "great fusion" of Broadway talent. The show has cast Ron Bohmer (Phantom, Les Miserables, Ragtime) as the apostle Peter; Jeremey Kushnier (Rent, Footloose) as apostle Thomas; Pattie Russo (featured singer from Meatloaf, Trans Siberian Orchestra) as Mother Mary and The Devil; Michael Lanning (Broadway's The Civil War) as Simon; Sophia Ramos (VH1s Best Undiscovered Artist), as Mary Magdelene. One of the great surprises was the casting of Palm Beach resident and former lead guitar player from the heavy metal band Anthrax, Dan Spitz.</p>
<p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; text-align: justify; text-indent: 7.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica;">Spitz said that he and Berg have known each other for a long time but was still surprised when offered a part in the musical. "Neil came to me and said, you need to be a part of this," Spitz said. This is another in a series of dramatic changes in the life of Spitz who gave up the music scene and left Anthrax to become a master watchmaker and founder of Spitzwatch.</p>
<p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; text-align: justify; text-indent: 7.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica;">The rock and roll production will be set in the context of a modern day underground rock band whose members face a crisis in their lives when their leader is murdered. The team behind the show expects "The 12" to appeal to a wide range of audiences and are doing a lot of preliminary ground work to let the religious community know about the show and what it seeks to accomplish. They say it is about how people react under pressure and how they interact with each other. It won't hurt that, judging from the samples of music from the production, at heart it will be a rock and roll event with great vocal talent and great music.</p>
<p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; text-align: justify; text-indent: 7.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica;">The show will play in several small markets as the cast and music is fine tuned and then open April 1 at the Au-Rene Theater at the Broward Center for the Performing Arts. For ticket information visit www.browardcenter.org. <strong>(Story and Photo by Ray Brasted - Promenade News)</strong></p>
<p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; text-align: justify; text-indent: 7.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica; min-height: 14.0px;"> </p>
<p> </p><p> </p>
<p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; text-align: justify; text-indent: 7.0px; font: 24.0px Arial Narrow;">Rock Musical "The 12" World</p>
<p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; text-align: justify; text-indent: 7.0px; font: 24.0px Arial Narrow;">Premiere, April 1 at Broward Center</p>
<p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; text-align: justify; text-indent: 7.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica;">If the World Premiere of "The 12" scheduled for April 1 at the Broward Center has half the passion as the show's composer and lyricist Neil Berg and show producer Adam Friedson, audiences will be in for a very special treat.</p>
<p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; text-align: justify; text-indent: 7.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica;">This is an original rock musical that seeks to join the ranks of Jesus Christ Superstar, Hair, Rent and Spring Awakening. The story and concept are by Berg who expressed a "life long fascination with religion" when he spoke at a recent Fort Lauderdale press conference. The show is written by Pulitzer Prize winning playwright, Robert Shenkkan.</p>
<p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; text-align: justify; text-indent: 7.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica;">"This was written from the heart," Berg told reporters at a special screening of a 12 minute "showcase-type" performance recently held in a New York City club. "I wanted to explore the dramatic questions surrounding one of the most important events in human history." Berg developed the music, lyrics and story concept.</p>
<p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; text-align: justify; text-indent: 7.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica;">Berg said that he was a rock and roller at heart and a musician with a love of the history of the genre. "I wanted to write an authentic rock and roll show," he emphasized.</p>
<p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; text-align: justify; text-indent: 7.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica;">Producer Adam Friedson said it was his goal to bring together the b
<script src="plugins/editors/tinymce/jscripts/tiny_mce/themes/advanced/langs/en.js" type="text/javascript"></script>
iggest names in contemporary theater to create a "great fusion" of Broadway talent. The show has cast Ron Bohmer (Phantom, Les Miserables, Ragtime) as the apostle Peter; Jeremey Kushnier (Rent, Footloose) as apostle Thomas; Pattie Russo (featured singer from Meatloaf, Trans Siberian Orchestra) as Mother Mary and The Devil; Michael Lanning (Broadway's The Civil War) as Simon; Sophia Ramos (VH1s Best Undiscovered Artist), as Mary Magdelene. One of the great surprises was the casting of Palm Beach resident and former lead guitar player from the heavy metal band Anthrax, Dan Spitz.</p>
<p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; text-align: justify; text-indent: 7.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica;">Spitz said that he and Berg have known each other for a long time but was still surprised when offered a part in the musical. "Neil came to me and said, you need to be a part of this," Spitz said. This is another in a series of dramatic changes in the life of Spitz who gave up the music scene and left Anthrax to become a master watchmaker and founder of Spitzwatch.</p>
<p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; text-align: justify; text-indent: 7.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica;">The rock and roll production will be set in the context of a modern day underground rock band whose members face a crisis in their lives when their leader is murdered. The team behind the show expects "The 12" to appeal to a wide range of audiences and are doing a lot of preliminary ground work to let the religious community know about the show and what it seeks to accomplish. They say it is about how people react under pressure and how they interact with each other. It won't hurt that, judging from the samples of music from the production, at heart it will be a rock and roll event with great vocal talent and great music.</p>
<p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; text-align: justify; text-indent: 7.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica;">The show will play in several small markets as the cast and music is fine tuned and then open April 1 at the Au-Rene Theater at the Broward Center for the Performing Arts. For ticket information visit www.browardcenter.org. <strong>(Story and Photo by Ray Brasted - Promenade News)</strong></p>
<p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; text-align: justify; text-indent: 7.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica; min-height: 14.0px;"> </p>
<p> </p>Connie Francis Promotes Great American Beach Party2010-01-30T17:16:19Z2010-01-30T17:16:19Zhttp://www.ftlauderdalenews.net/index.php/people-places-and-organizations/item/23-the-50th-anniversary-of-the-movie-<p><strong>"Where the Boys Are"</strong></p>
<p>On January 29, 2010, Singer Connie Francis exited from a vintage muscle car, escorted by modern day muscle men, to promote the 50th Anniversary event remembering the movie "Where the Boys Are" filmed on Fort Lauderdale Beach, across from the famous Elbow Room, which still remains. Francis recalled that when she visited the beach for the first time she thought there was nothing there. Little did she know at the time that the movie would inspire millions of spring breakers for the next four decades.</p>
<p>Mayor Jack Seiler announced plans for a special event May 28-29, 2010 to celebrate the anniversary of the film.</p>
<p> </p>
<p> </p><p><strong>"Where the Boys Are"</strong></p>
<p>On January 29, 2010, Singer Connie Francis exited from a vintage muscle car, escorted by modern day muscle men, to promote the 50th Anniversary event remembering the movie "Where the Boys Are" filmed on Fort Lauderdale Beach, across from the famous Elbow Room, which still remains. Francis recalled that when she visited the beach for the first time she thought there was nothing there. Little did she know at the time that the movie would inspire millions of spring breakers for the next four decades.</p>
<p>Mayor Jack Seiler announced plans for a special event May 28-29, 2010 to celebrate the anniversary of the film.</p>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>Promenade Movie Review2010-01-20T14:43:05Z2010-01-20T14:43:05Zhttp://www.ftlauderdalenews.net/index.php/people-places-and-organizations/item/22-crazy-heart<p> </p>
<p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 30.0px Arial Narrow;"><strong><em>"Crazy Heart"</em></strong></p>
<p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 30.0px Arial Narrow;"><em> Acting of Jeff Bridges; script</em></p>
<p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 30.0px Arial Narrow;"><em> Put "heart" into familiar theme</em></p>
<p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Arial; min-height: 14.0px;"> </p>
<p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; text-align: justify; font: 12.0px Arial;"><strong>Movie Review by Susan Lazarus and Ray Brasted</strong></p>
<p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; text-align: justify; text-indent: 6.0px; font: 12.0px Arial;">You don't have to like country music to like this movie, but it helps. Jeff Bridges, one of our favorite and, we believe, sometimes undervalued actor, shines in the role of Bad Blake in the movie <strong><em>"Crazy Heart".</em></strong></p>
<p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; text-align: justify; text-indent: 6.0px; font: 12.0px Arial;">Bridges melds into the personality of a talented, but aging country singer on the skids. We first meet him, drunk and his pants unbuckled, driving to his next gig at a bowling alley. We are looking at a man who was once famous enough that people immediately recognize him. They know his songs and want to hear them over and over. But his life is as empty as the terrain of the vast southwestern states he drives through on his way to each job.</p>
<p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; text-align: justify; text-indent: 6.0px; font: 12.0px Arial;">Booze, cigarettes and sometimes aging female groupies are his companions and he hasn't written or recorded a hit song in years. Got the picture? This would be a somewhat stereotypical movie of aging star in a downward life spiral if it weren't for the acting of Bridges who channels singer-songwriter Kris Kristofferson, who would have been perfect for the role a few years back.</p>
<p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; text-align: justify; text-indent: 6.0px; font: 12.0px Arial;">Who can change his life? Not his agent. Not the young country superstar he mentored. He has no family, no friends and is killing himself. Hmmm. Maybe a woman could turn his life around.</p>
<p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; text-align: justify; text-indent: 6.0px; font: 12.0px Arial;">Enter Jean (played by a coquettish Maggie Gyllenhaal) who is a reporter seeking to interview Bad for her newspaper. They have chemistry and she isn't turned off by his cigarette and booze breath or slept-in clothes. Or the fact he is more than twenty years older than her and she has a four-year-old son who needs a father figure in his life. Bad doesn't have a chance. He is totally captivated.</p>
<p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; text-align: justify; text-indent: 6.0px; font: 12.0px Arial;">Their relationship hangs together out of genuine love and also their own individual need to find a future. We watch Bad struggle with being a responsible person while trying to reunite with his fan base with the encouragement of the young singer he helped to fame (played by a miscast, but adequate, Colin Farrell). But will the 57-year-old Bad work it all out before he keels over for good?</p>
<p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; text-align: justify; text-indent: 6.0px; font: 12.0px Arial;">He has the help of the always dead-on actor, Robert Duvall, who provides wisdom, support and friendship as an old friend. Duvall was one of the producers of the movie and his part probably wasn't necessary to film, but the on-screen time between Bridges and Duvall offered up some nice moments.</p>
<p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; text-align: justify; text-indent: 6.0px; font: 12.0px Arial;">Finally we learn that Bridges can sing. He does his own vocals and was totally believable in the roll of a former star trying to find his long lost center. Sounds like a story line for a song. Maybe call it Crazy Heart, or something like that.</p>
<p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; text-align: justify; text-indent: 6.0px; font: 12.0px Arial;">Although we start out thinking we know the outcome of each scene, the script doesn't take the easy way out and we are kept guessing what will happen next.</p>
<p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; text-align: justify; text-indent: 6.0px; font: 12.0px Arial;">You will like Crazy Heart.</p>
<p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; text-align: justify; text-indent: 6.0px; font: 12.0px Arial;"><strong>Ed. Note:</strong> Crazy Heart was written and directed by Scott Cooper. Producers, in addition to Robert Duvall were Scott Cooper, Judy Cairo and Rob Carliner. It screened at Cinema Paradio, Fort Lauderdale's year-around Art Theater which features movies, special events and programs. Learn more by visiting their web site at www.fliff.com.</p>
<p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; text-align: justify; text-indent: 6.0px; font: 12.0px Arial; min-height: 14.0px;"> </p>
<p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; text-align: justify; text-indent: 6.0px; font: 12.0px Arial; min-height: 14.0px;"> </p>
<p> </p><p> </p>
<p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 30.0px Arial Narrow;"><strong><em>"Crazy Heart"</em></strong></p>
<p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 30.0px Arial Narrow;"><em> Acting of Jeff Bridges; script</em></p>
<p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 30.0px Arial Narrow;"><em> Put "heart" into familiar theme</em></p>
<p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Arial; min-height: 14.0px;"> </p>
<p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; text-align: justify; font: 12.0px Arial;"><strong>Movie Review by Susan Lazarus and Ray Brasted</strong></p>
<p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; text-align: justify; text-indent: 6.0px; font: 12.0px Arial;">You don't have to like country music to like this movie, but it helps. Jeff Bridges, one of our favorite and, we believe, sometimes undervalued actor, shines in the role of Bad Blake in the movie <strong><em>"Crazy Heart".</em></strong></p>
<p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; text-align: justify; text-indent: 6.0px; font: 12.0px Arial;">Bridges melds into the personality of a talented, but aging country singer on the skids. We first meet him, drunk and his pants unbuckled, driving to his next gig at a bowling alley. We are looking at a man who was once famous enough that people immediately recognize him. They know his songs and want to hear them over and over. But his life is as empty as the terrain of the vast southwestern states he drives through on his way to each job.</p>
<p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; text-align: justify; text-indent: 6.0px; font: 12.0px Arial;">Booze, cigarettes and sometimes aging female groupies are his companions and he hasn't written or recorded a hit song in years. Got the picture? This would be a somewhat stereotypical movie of aging star in a downward life spiral if it weren't for the acting of Bridges who channels singer-songwriter Kris Kristofferson, who would have been perfect for the role a few years back.</p>
<p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; text-align: justify; text-indent: 6.0px; font: 12.0px Arial;">Who can change his life? Not his agent. Not the young country superstar he mentored. He has no family, no friends and is killing himself. Hmmm. Maybe a woman could turn his life around.</p>
<p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; text-align: justify; text-indent: 6.0px; font: 12.0px Arial;">Enter Jean (played by a coquettish Maggie Gyllenhaal) who is a reporter seeking to interview Bad for her newspaper. They have chemistry and she isn't turned off by his cigarette and booze breath or slept-in clothes. Or the fact he is more than twenty years older than her and she has a four-year-old son who needs a father figure in his life. Bad doesn't have a chance. He is totally captivated.</p>
<p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; text-align: justify; text-indent: 6.0px; font: 12.0px Arial;">Their relationship hangs together out of genuine love and also their own individual need to find a future. We watch Bad struggle with being a responsible person while trying to reunite with his fan base with the encouragement of the young singer he helped to fame (played by a miscast, but adequate, Colin Farrell). But will the 57-year-old Bad work it all out before he keels over for good?</p>
<p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; text-align: justify; text-indent: 6.0px; font: 12.0px Arial;">He has the help of the always dead-on actor, Robert Duvall, who provides wisdom, support and friendship as an old friend. Duvall was one of the producers of the movie and his part probably wasn't necessary to film, but the on-screen time between Bridges and Duvall offered up some nice moments.</p>
<p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; text-align: justify; text-indent: 6.0px; font: 12.0px Arial;">Finally we learn that Bridges can sing. He does his own vocals and was totally believable in the roll of a former star trying to find his long lost center. Sounds like a story line for a song. Maybe call it Crazy Heart, or something like that.</p>
<p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; text-align: justify; text-indent: 6.0px; font: 12.0px Arial;">Although we start out thinking we know the outcome of each scene, the script doesn't take the easy way out and we are kept guessing what will happen next.</p>
<p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; text-align: justify; text-indent: 6.0px; font: 12.0px Arial;">You will like Crazy Heart.</p>
<p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; text-align: justify; text-indent: 6.0px; font: 12.0px Arial;"><strong>Ed. Note:</strong> Crazy Heart was written and directed by Scott Cooper. Producers, in addition to Robert Duvall were Scott Cooper, Judy Cairo and Rob Carliner. It screened at Cinema Paradio, Fort Lauderdale's year-around Art Theater which features movies, special events and programs. Learn more by visiting their web site at www.fliff.com.</p>
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<p> </p>City of Dania Beach and County Officials Break Ground for New Library2010-01-09T18:43:34Z2010-01-09T18:43:34Zhttp://www.ftlauderdalenews.net/index.php/community-news-briefs-a-events/item/21-rain-and-cold-weather-couldn\'t-stop-event.<p>Under a tent, golden shovels lift up the ceremonial dirt for what could be many major projects in this historic city. See related story on this web site, and watch for more more details in the upcoming edition of the Promenade News in print in February.</p><p>Under a tent, golden shovels lift up the ceremonial dirt for what could be many major projects in this historic city. See related story on this web site, and watch for more more details in the upcoming edition of the Promenade News in print in February.</p>City of Dania Beach Breaks Ground for New Library2010-01-09T18:27:32Z2010-01-09T18:27:32Zhttp://www.ftlauderdalenews.net/index.php/community-news-briefs-a-events/item/20-first-phrase-of-planned-city-center<p> </p>
<p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; text-align: justify; font: 14.0px Arial;"><strong>City of Dania Beach Breaks Ground for New Library</strong></p>
<p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; text-align: justify; text-indent: 9.0px; font: 12.0px Arial;"><strong>January 9, 2010:</strong> On a chilly, rainy Saturday morning, the visionaries and the government officials whose job is to attend such events (in some case they were one and them same) gathered outside of Dania Beach City Hall to break ground for a new library and parking garage.</p>
<p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; text-align: justify; text-indent: 9.0px; font: 12.0px Arial;">Golden shovels in hand, city and county officials scooped up the wet soil marking the beginning of what planners hope will be a new Dania Beach, complete with a major City Center that will retail stores, parks and components of a major marine industry.</p>
<p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; text-align: justify; text-indent: 9.0px; font: 12.0px Arial;">"We are going to bring restaurants, shops and tourists to our community," said Anne Castro, City of Dania Beach Mayor. Other speakers included Broward County Mayor Ken Keechl who recalled how important libraries were to him as a boy who was often too poor to buy books.</p>
<p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; text-align: justify; text-indent: 9.0px; font: 12.0px Arial;">The mayor recognized Jeremy Earle, Executive Director of the Dania Beach Community Redevelopment Agency. Earle envisions a major marine industry and, in the coming years, new bridges, hotels and facilities that can accommodate all requirements of the $10 billion marine industry, even the owners of the mega yachts that will come there from around the world.</p>
<p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; text-align: justify; text-indent: 9.0px; font: 12.0px Arial;">But that is in the future. And it all has to start somewhere, and the new Paul DeMaio Branch Library is a fitting beginning. Keep your eye on Dania Beach, South Florida, the best is yet to come.</p>
<p> </p><p> </p>
<p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; text-align: justify; font: 14.0px Arial;"><strong>City of Dania Beach Breaks Ground for New Library</strong></p>
<p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; text-align: justify; text-indent: 9.0px; font: 12.0px Arial;"><strong>January 9, 2010:</strong> On a chilly, rainy Saturday morning, the visionaries and the government officials whose job is to attend such events (in some case they were one and them same) gathered outside of Dania Beach City Hall to break ground for a new library and parking garage.</p>
<p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; text-align: justify; text-indent: 9.0px; font: 12.0px Arial;">Golden shovels in hand, city and county officials scooped up the wet soil marking the beginning of what planners hope will be a new Dania Beach, complete with a major City Center that will retail stores, parks and components of a major marine industry.</p>
<p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; text-align: justify; text-indent: 9.0px; font: 12.0px Arial;">"We are going to bring restaurants, shops and tourists to our community," said Anne Castro, City of Dania Beach Mayor. Other speakers included Broward County Mayor Ken Keechl who recalled how important libraries were to him as a boy who was often too poor to buy books.</p>
<p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; text-align: justify; text-indent: 9.0px; font: 12.0px Arial;">The mayor recognized Jeremy Earle, Executive Director of the Dania Beach Community Redevelopment Agency. Earle envisions a major marine industry and, in the coming years, new bridges, hotels and facilities that can accommodate all requirements of the $10 billion marine industry, even the owners of the mega yachts that will come there from around the world.</p>
<p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; text-align: justify; text-indent: 9.0px; font: 12.0px Arial;">But that is in the future. And it all has to start somewhere, and the new Paul DeMaio Branch Library is a fitting beginning. Keep your eye on Dania Beach, South Florida, the best is yet to come.</p>
<p> </p>Oasis of the Seas - Is Bigger Better?2009-12-13T18:42:21Z2009-12-13T18:42:21Zhttp://www.ftlauderdalenews.net/index.php/travel-features/item/16-world\'s-largest-cruise-ships-sets-sail<p> </p>
<p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; text-align: justify; font: 24.0px Helvetica;">Is Bigger Always Better?</p>
<p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; text-align: justify; text-indent: 7.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica;">Okay... how do you start to talk about the largest cruise ship in the world? The Oasis of the Seas, whose home is in Fort Lauderdale, went on its first voyage in early December and that is where the reviews will begin to come out.</p>
<p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; text-align: justify; text-indent: 7.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica;">On a recent three hour walking tour we found that the inside of the Oasis is impressive. Theaters, pools everywhere, restaurants and, of course, Central Park, an atrium where inside cabins with balconies provide occupants a wonderful view.</p>
<p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; text-align: justify; text-indent: 7.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica;">We sampled several of the restaurants and checked out the spa, gaming area and clubs. We asked to view the rooms but were told they were not available. We were particularly interested in checking out the rooms designed to be accessible to persons with disabilities but, unfortunately, that was not to be.</p>
<p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; text-align: justify; text-indent: 7.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica;">Media colleagues who were invited on a two day cruise indicated that the size of the ship gears it more towards families then couples. One reason given is that reservations are needed for the shows and events. When you have over 5,000 people on board it is necessary to schedule everything.</p>
<p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; text-align: justify; text-indent: 7.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica;">This might not be a problem for some, but does contradict the long accepted concept that when you are on a cruise you have flexibility and freedom to be spontaneous. This is not a practical idea with five thousands fellow passengers trying to get into the same venue that might hold 1,400.</p>
<p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; text-align: justify; text-indent: 7.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica;">Our impression is that although the Oasis is beautiful, once you step on board you could just as well be in a grand hotel or even an upscale mall. You have to pay for some services such as the steam room in the spa, even if you pay for a massage, and there are other add-ons.</p>
<p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; text-align: justify; text-indent: 7.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica;">The cruise industry has been ahead of the curve in offering choices and upscale adventures, and there has been a lot of effort to make the Oasis of the Seas an attractive and very special ship. However, with more mega ships coming, it is our sense that there will be marketing challenges.</p>
<p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; text-align: justify; text-indent: 7.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica;">We are already hearing, "it is beautiful, but it is just too big."</p>
<p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; text-align: right; text-indent: 7.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica;"><em>Ray Brasted - Publisher, Ftlauderdalenews.net</em></p>
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<p> </p><p> </p>
<p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; text-align: justify; font: 24.0px Helvetica;">Is Bigger Always Better?</p>
<p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; text-align: justify; text-indent: 7.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica;">Okay... how do you start to talk about the largest cruise ship in the world? The Oasis of the Seas, whose home is in Fort Lauderdale, went on its first voyage in early December and that is where the reviews will begin to come out.</p>
<p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; text-align: justify; text-indent: 7.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica;">On a recent three hour walking tour we found that the inside of the Oasis is impressive. Theaters, pools everywhere, restaurants and, of course, Central Park, an atrium where inside cabins with balconies provide occupants a wonderful view.</p>
<p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; text-align: justify; text-indent: 7.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica;">We sampled several of the restaurants and checked out the spa, gaming area and clubs. We asked to view the rooms but were told they were not available. We were particularly interested in checking out the rooms designed to be accessible to persons with disabilities but, unfortunately, that was not to be.</p>
<p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; text-align: justify; text-indent: 7.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica;">Media colleagues who were invited on a two day cruise indicated that the size of the ship gears it more towards families then couples. One reason given is that reservations are needed for the shows and events. When you have over 5,000 people on board it is necessary to schedule everything.</p>
<p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; text-align: justify; text-indent: 7.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica;">This might not be a problem for some, but does contradict the long accepted concept that when you are on a cruise you have flexibility and freedom to be spontaneous. This is not a practical idea with five thousands fellow passengers trying to get into the same venue that might hold 1,400.</p>
<p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; text-align: justify; text-indent: 7.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica;">Our impression is that although the Oasis is beautiful, once you step on board you could just as well be in a grand hotel or even an upscale mall. You have to pay for some services such as the steam room in the spa, even if you pay for a massage, and there are other add-ons.</p>
<p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; text-align: justify; text-indent: 7.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica;">The cruise industry has been ahead of the curve in offering choices and upscale adventures, and there has been a lot of effort to make the Oasis of the Seas an attractive and very special ship. However, with more mega ships coming, it is our sense that there will be marketing challenges.</p>
<p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; text-align: justify; text-indent: 7.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica;">We are already hearing, "it is beautiful, but it is just too big."</p>
<p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; text-align: right; text-indent: 7.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica;"><em>Ray Brasted - Publisher, Ftlauderdalenews.net</em></p>
<p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; text-align: justify; text-indent: 7.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica; min-height: 14.0px;"> </p>
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