WE SUPPORT GRACE SOLARES

    We are having an important city election in two weeks.  Voters will choose Coconut Grove's (and District Two's) city commissioner.  Of the nine candidates, Grace Solares is the best person to represent us in City Hall.

    
   Francesca and I got to know her when the three of us served on the committee to fight for Scotty's Landing two years ago.  We learned that Grace's involvement in our community goes back nearly 20 years. The North Grove resident is the President of  Miami-Roads Neighborhood Association, Vice-President of Miami Neighborhoods United, and the President of the Urban Environment League.  She's served on many city and county committees.  None of the other candidates have anything close to her experience.

   We invited her to our house to meet the neighbors.  They left impressed by her background (UM grad, Phi Beta Kappa), her zeal (not afraid to take on big issues) and extensive background in law and community affairs.
   Francesca and I know most of the other candidates.  Ken Russell and Javier Gonzalez are good people as well.  When they get more experience in the civic arena they will be better qualified. There is nothing in Teresa Sarnoff's background that would make her a good commissioner.  There will probably be a run off and we hope she is not in it.
    Both of us have spent time campaigning with Grace. She is smart, savvy, and she has a big heart.  We hope you'll be giving her your vote on November 3d.

In South Coconut Grove,
Glenn Terry & Francesca Violich
   

WHAT'S HAPPPENED TO THE MIAMI HERALD?

      A thousand of us marched in downtown Miami three days ago to protest sea level rise but you'd never know it if you read the Miami Herald. 

When I picked up my paper the next morning there was nothing there  (yes, I later heard there was a blurb in the digital edition but its not the same).  Our local paper no longer has the resources to cover every important story. It's not their fault.

     Like other newspapers, Miami's main source of reliable information continues to downsize.   Veteran Florida journalist, Diane McFarlin, points out,

“The math says it all: Most newsrooms are half the size they were 10 years ago. As a result, elected officials and bureaucrats are operating in the shadows to a greater extent than ever before … The scariest part of this is that citizens don’t know what they don’t know.”

   People marching in the streets are one thing but if newspapers die, how will anyone keep an eye on those intent on making our lives more difficult?  Who will dig in and report the truth?

    Maybe no one. Maybe we'll have 1984 in 2024.  The digital revolution has left an ominous gap and it's getting wider as newspapers become smaller.  Who would have thought that more information would give us less?

    I love the Miami Herald and so did my parents.  I have been reading it for sixty years.  Ten years ago they asked me to be a bi-weekly columnist for their Neighbors section.  It was a thrill and an honor to be a small part of the Herald team. They were reducing their staff then and five years later I got a phone call. My editor told me, as nicely as she could, that I was no longer needed. Hundreds of full-time Miami Herald writers, much more talented than me, got these calls. I'm sure every one was heart breaking.

     We'd like to blame the paper or the corporation that owns it but the fault really lies with us.  If we're not buying (and reading) newspapers, their owners must cut costs. They reduce staff, the size of the paper, and try new formats to boost circulation.

   The Herald's latest one, introduced last month, is a doozie.  If you still read it you know it has a very different look, more tabloid-like with huge photographs and       large       white       spaces.  

            Writers look uncomfortable in 3/4 photographs posing with their columns.   

Heck, New Times is easier on the eyes.  Too bad their content stinks.

    I use to grab the local section first but no longer; it is mixed in with national, business, entertainment, and international news.  It feels like the waiter is bringing me my appetizer, entree, and dessert all at once. 

     But again, I love our local paper and know what's left of the talented staff is cloistered -at their new, reduced-sized  headquarters- doing the best they can. No doubt their jobs have lousy hours, low-pay and are increasingly difficult. 

    My hat's off to them. I'll continue to subscribe to their diminishing attempt to spread the word as long as they can deliver. We will always need to hear "the truth" from people with the skills to find it.

    I appreciate their efforts as I want "to know what I don't know". We need to support professional journalists and newspapers like the Miami Herald. They are our best link to reliable information.

                          ______________

MARCHING FOR CLIMATE JUSTICE

    A thousand of us marched up Biscayne Boulevard  yesterday trying to keep Miami from sinking into the ocean. 

   

Sea level rise may soon do that.  
    

We were one of a dozen climate change rallies across the country.  We marched from County Hall to Biscayne Bay and up the boulevard.


We were encouraging people, especially our leaders, to take take global warming more seriously.




      It felt good to be marching in the street  for this important cause.


 
                                   
                           ___________





After the rally ended we started walking back to our car. The historic Olympia theater was lit up.
People were seated the opulent lobby listening to free, live music.

     More than a hundred jazz fans were enjoying the sounds, each other, and libations.  It happens every Wednesday at 6:30.
                          _______________

    

FREE TERESA STUFF

        Every voter in Miami's District 2 can now get  free stuff from Teresa's Sarnoff's well-funded campaign for city commissioner.
A young Teresa fan came to my door last week despite my roadside signs pushing her rival, Grace Solares.

    He seemed harmless enough, a college student with a dozen dog leashes draped around his neck. One hand held "Teresa, Savior of Our Community" postcards and the other, "Vote Teresa!" shopping bags (with lots of Teresa stuff inside).  Seeing my dog he started with, "Could you use a new dog leash?"  It had something silly on it like "Let Teresa Lead the Way".

   I told him, "Thanks", I had too many leashes already.  I went on to say what I really wanted was a decent person to replace Teresa's husband, Commissioner Marc Sarnoff. The street walker told me he was supporting Teresa because Marc and his dad were friends and that Sarnoff had done many good things for Miami.  When I asked him to name one he pointed out that Mr. Sarnoff was replacing Scotty's Landing with a glitzy, new steakhouse.
   I told him, "That's a bad thing. Coconut Grove loves Scotty's".  
   When he told me Scotty's bathrooms were dirty I replied, "So what? We go there for the cold beer, to see our friends and the best bay view in Miami. The Sarnoffs are taking that away from us."
   He told me Marc Sarnoff's wife -the actual candidate-had done good things too like helping the homeless. He had no answer when I asked him why she only started helping them after she had decided to run.
   I pointed out that my choice, Grace Solares, had been helping our community for over twenty years -and- she fought to save Scotty's. 
    I told him that even though he was working for the least qualified candidate, I appreciated his getting involved in politics. Lord knows most of his brethren don't even bother to vote.
    As the UM student was leaving he asked once more if I wanted any of the free stuff he was offering.  He had no pencils so I opted for the wine stopper.  
                      ________________



Okay, truth be told, I accepted one of his smiling Teresa postcards which my friend, Carlos, quickly turned into a wine accessory. We may need a lot of inebriating beverages before this election is over.

30 Feet on the Ocean, $40

    We're so spoiled. We don't go camping in the Florida Keys unless we can have our own private beach. Yesterday we  got lucky finding a camping spot at Long Key State Park.  Every site is on the ocean. 

There was plenty of time to admire clouds.

  We were glad we brought dinner.  The fish weren't biting
    


We later built a fire and began staring out at the great, dark Atlantic.  As the new moon hid, we imagined the faintest of glows on the horizon. Could it be Havana?  Above us the Milky Way was strewn across the sky like a handful glitter.  Eight hours later,

    the sun made its usual entrance

and I enjoyed a dip in the pool

surrounded by clouds, cool water and and sun-drenched air.  Every morning should begin like this.
                    ______________________

GREAT GROVE CONCERT SUNDAY NIGHT!

EVERY NOW AND THEN Coconut Grove rocks.
     It will on Sunday night when one of our favorite bands, Iko-Iko. takes the stage at the Barnacle.  Gates open at 5:30 and ten bucks gets you in.  Bring a blanket and picnic dinner to fun-lovin' annual affair.  The blues begins at 6:30. We look forward to seeing you there.  
                             ____________ 

ZOO FOR FREE

     I was face-to-face with a three-hundred pound gorilla last week with just a window separating us.   I've been having many amazing moments lately because someone keeps giving us free tickets to cool stuff.

    It's my librarian.  Go to the check-out counter of any public library in Miami-Dade County.  Ask, "What passes do you have?".
     The librarian will show you a list of a dozen or so local attractions.  If you show her a library card she will give you a ticket for four, good for a week.
The zoo deal alone saved us $72.
 

"Family of four" usually means four adults. At some places they interpret it to be two adults and two kids.  
    
We have used library passes for admission to the zoo, the Perez and Lowe art museums, and the Fruit and Spice Park lately.  If you want to try this call your local library first.  They can only give one 4-person pass to one attraction per week.  If they don't have what you want, call another one or ask, "When will the (zoo) pass be available again?". 

     There are three libraries within two miles of our house.  We usually use Coconut Grove's. Having less traffic than others, it always had a few of them available.
    It's a great opportunity and who knows? While you're there you just might want to check out a book.  They're free too.
                         ____________

Window in the Lowe's glass collection