Miami Herald to Fidel: "Die already!"

"The problem is that just when you get attached to them, they die on you." -Fidel Castro on why he once declined to accept a long-lived Galapagos tortoise as a pet.

...
The Herald has big plans for the day Castro dies. Who knew?

What does Miami's most prestigious information source have in store for the day that Fidel croaks?

Anders Gyllenhaal, the Herald's executive editor tells Editor and Publisher:

"There is no other story like this. What happened in Cuba, in many ways, built Miami."

Gyllenhaal declined to offer too many specifics for the plan, other than to say a special section is likely and possibly an extra edition: "depending on when the news comes out."

Manny Garcia is the Herald's Senior Editor for News revealed in a column Sunday that he travels everywhere with what he calls " 'the Cuba plan,' a three-ring binder with every possible scenario for when Fidel dies. Calling-tree diagrams. Bank accounts. Satellite phones. Fixers. Fast boats."

Hey Anders and Manny, here's a tip: Don't make any plans for next April 10!

Damn, it's cold!

West Ave. and 9th Street, Miami Beach, Wednesday at 4:52pm
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The bad news: "The National Weather Service issued a South Florida wind-chill warning from 1 to 8 a.m. [Thursday morning]."

The good news: "It should be the last frigid morning, for now, with no more cold fronts on the radar."

No parking? No problem!

So there you are stuck in an office downtown or on Brickell Avenue contemplating your drab and tedious existence.

You're bemoaning the fact that there's almost no excitement in your daily routine and your life has become mind-numbingly dull.

Last week you watched "Bonnie and Clyde" on TV and now you're thinking "wouldn't it be great to just chuck it all and take the wife and go on a cross-country crime spree?"

But then there's the prospect of getting caught and spending all your money on lawyers and the next 30 years in jail. If the idea of breaking the law appeals to you but the idea of getting caught doesn't, there is another option.

Just jump in your "Beamer" or "Benz" and drive on over to the Starbucks on West Ave. and 10th Street on Miami Beach.



Directly in front of the coffee shop you'll see three restricted parking spots. One is a handicapped spot. Another is marked "NO PARKING - COMMERCIAL LOADING ZONE." And the third is marked "NO PARKING ANYTIME - TOW AWAY ZONE."

Just pull into any of the three spots and waltz into the Starbucks and grab your favorite hot brew.

The beauty of this is that you'll be breaking the law but you'll never get caught.


All day long the "I'm more important than you" crowd shuttles in and out of these three spaces; knowing that they'll never get ticketed.

Sure they're lawbreakers. But instead of carrying guns and wearing ski masks, they wear Manolo Blahniks and carry Chloe handbags and Blackberries and drive very expensive automobiles. And they're way too important to pay attention to "No Parking" signs. Besides they're only going to be there a minute.

(By the way, the blue BMW in these pictures was there at least 20 minutes.)

In all the years I've been going to this Starbucks I've never seen a Miami Beach police officer or parking enforcement officer issue a citation to illegally parked cars at this location. Ever!

So if it's excitement you're looking for and if you want to flout the law and get away with it, Tenth and West is the place to be! Just be prepared to circle the block, after all these "spots" are always full!

And if by chance a cop does write you a ticket, just run outside and tell him "Hey, I was only going to be a minute!"

Obama's Blackberry

Matt Bai, who writes about politics for the New York Times Magazine, has put together a very funny compilation of Barack Obama's Blackberry messages for the LA Times. My fave exchange:

10:33 a.m.

To: George W. Bush

From: BHO

U were right about the nuke codes gag. Joint Chiefs have zero sense of humor. Your move in online Scrabble, BTW.

---

10:13 p.m.

To: George W. Bush

From: BHO

FYI, "talkation" is not a word. I challenged.

stolen from SFDB

Pics from a proud dad!

My longtime friend Joe is a photojournalist.

He's not a big e-mailer and only recently joined Facebook.

So when he sends me a photograph I know it's a big deal!

In the past 18+ years he's sent me exactly two photographs.

The first was back in the summer of 1990.

Joe sent me an extraordinary photograph of his brand new baby girl who was just two months old.

Joe was hired to shoot a gathering of of the original Mercury 7 astronauts and took baby Molly along for the ride.


That's Molly in the center being held by the widow of Mercury 7 astronaut Gus Grissom and surrounded by Scott Carpenter, Gordon Cooper, John Glenn, Alan Shepard, and Deke Slayton.

Fast forward some 18 years. Joe sends me an e-mail last June 6 and attaches another pic of Molly who's all grown up. And hanging out with another American who has his sights set high.


Seems like she'd been working on Barack Obama's campaign for a few months and was part of an advance team that helped with a town meeting in Bristol, VA. and was lucky enough to have her picture taken with the "the boss."

Molly's on vacation now in Rome with her boyfriend (at left in above picture) and she just posted a note on her Facebook page that she can see the Pope's bedroom from the balcony of her apartment.

As for Joe, he tells me that he can't be prouder of Molly!

But that goes without saying.

Molly tells me in an e-mail that she doesn't think she's all that interesting.

A few of us beg to differ Molly! You're something special!

Brickell Ave. and SE 8th St., Feb. 2, 2009. 2:10pm