Hialeahcraze Blog: August 2015

Monday, August 31, 2015

Walker goes full Forrest Gump, says Canadian border wall is “legitimate issue for us to look at”

Update: Readers who hunger for more mockery of Scott Walker should check out the #CanadaWall tag on twitter. ————————————– Today on Meet the Press, Scott Walker said that a border wall between the United States and Canada is “a legitimate issue for us to look at”. I expect his campaign will tomorrow release a “clarifying” more »

Sunday, August 30, 2015

Walker goes full Forrest Gump, says Canadian border wall is “legitimate issue for us to look at”

Thursday, August 27, 2015

Puerto Rican project management firm opens in Coral Gables, aims to hire 100

Caribbean Project Management has opened a Coral Gables office with eight employees and plans to expand that to 100 over the next five years. CPM is one of Puerto Rico’s largest infrastructure consulting and project management firms with over $5.1 billion in projects under management since it was founded in 1991. It also has an affiliate in Panama. CPM specializes in public private partnerships, which are becoming more common in South Florida infrastructure and transportation projects. New affiliate…

Wednesday, August 26, 2015

Gov. Rick Scott and Florida GOP: the public interest be damned ... by gimleteye

With the obstruction of the law in fulfilling the mandates of Fair Districts, Gov. Rick Scott and the GOP-led Florida legislature have shown a complete disregard for one of the most important provisions of democratic protections. Their failure to follow a Florida Supreme Court order to draw Fair Districts is not an isolated example: it is the normal practice of a ruling elite that is impervious to criticism.

Consider the following. The state's regional water management districts are powerful entities, supervised by appointees of Gov. Rick Scott.

Although water district governing boards have always skewed towards Big Ag and developers, Gov. Scott takes the micromanagement of district affairs to be a crucial way to enforce loyalty of regulated industries. It is a signature example of one hand washing the other, far from the view of the public.

According to the following news report, today the governing board of the Southwest Florida Water Management District could vote to ignore an administrative law court order, objecting to a permit for mangrove destruction.

This issue is properly filed in the folder: "the devil is in the details". Gov. Scott has proven nearly as skillful in papering over his tracks with those details as he was in private life, where he accumulated a fortune -- buying his way to the governor's mansion -- gaming the medical reimbursement system. Smart, yes. "Good for the public" never enters in the equation.

There are no overarching principles to guide this governor's sense of democracy, other than what is good for a narrow band of special interests who are alternately giddy and compliant, so long as their profits are protected.

In other words, the public interest be damned.

Permit Recommendation Denying Mangrove Destruction for Neal’s Perico Development Could be Approved by SWFMD on Tuesday
Bradenton Times, August 22, 2015
by Staff Report

BRADENTON — Pat Neal’s development needs a permit by SWFMD to destroy mangroves in order to build four homes on Perico Island. SWFMD approved a permit for destroying the high quality mangroves on the island, adjacent to the pristine Florida waters of Anna Maria Sound. Though an administrative law judge has recommended that the water management district's board deny the order, the board will cast a final vote on Tuesday.

When it comes to dining out in Miami-Dade County, the simpler the restaurant, the better, it seems. Business review website Yelp ranked the Top 50 non-chain eateries in the area based on its online reviews, and a "hole-in-the-wall" took the top spot. Sweet Dogs in Miami was No. 1 on the list with a 5-star rating and more than 350 reviews. Yelp created the list by comparing the restaurants' star ratings and number of reviews, giving more weight to recent reviews. Whether Sweet Dogs is truly better…

Monday, August 24, 2015

Quinnipiac poll of FL,OH,PA: fortunes of Walker and Clinton sink as Biden’s rise

Notice that in the crucial state of Ohio, Scott Walker is only at 2%. This is all come to a poll looking for these days: Walker’s failure. But other people are paying attention to the bigger picture, of course. Rubio is the only Republican polling ahead of Clinton in Ohio. Quinnipiac Poll: @MarcoRubio is the more »

Sunday, August 23, 2015

Scott Walker flip flops on birthright citizenship. Blames tiredness.

"Scott Walker said he accidentally took a position on [citizenship] because he was 'tired'" https://t.co/BBMDYMZQJo pic.twitter.com/vqBv0rSU8b — Billmon (@billmon1) August 21, 2015 At the Iowa state fair, Walker was for elimination of birthright citizenship. By Friday he had “no position” on it. “I’m not taking a position one way or the other,” Walker said in an more »

Saturday, August 22, 2015

Scott Walker flip flops on birthright citizenship. Blames tiredness.

Grove Isle Bigwigs: growth management gone and so is your view ... by gimleteye

The turmoil at Grove Isle over a developer's plan to erect a new high rise condominium blocking the million dollar views of current residents has a certain irony. Auto magnate Gus Machado and former Miami Herald publisher Alberto Ibarguen are among the powerful residents of Grove Isle who have taken their objections against the developer's plans to court, the same way as Venetian Causeway defenders of their right to view.

Although the legal wrangling is taking place in Miami-Dade court, with attorneys arguing over the fine points of local zoning law, the arguments take place in an atmosphere deprived of state land use planning regulations.

While it is true that Growth Management laws -- stripped by the Governor-in-Thief Rick Scott -- would not have blocked a local zoning controversy from gaining traction for residents, it is indisputably the case that the goal of growth management was to provide a framework for placeholders, including developers and residents, emphasizing an overarching principle to guide community growth.

Grove Isle residents are scarcely the only coastal residents snake-bit by indifference to the importance of good land use regulation. Florida is so much the poorer for Governor Rick Scott, the GOP legislature and the collapse for which they are largely responsible; state land use planning.

I can hear the lawyers for the developer in the Grove Isle case complaining; that's not what this is about. But anyone with a modicum of knowledge can't dodge this Lilliputian arrow: if you had fought for growth management laws instead of blocking them through indifference or support of growth-at-any-cost, your view would not be so threatened.

Developer's plans roil Grove Isle tranquility
MIAMI HERALD
August 22, 2015

BY ANDRES VIGLUCCI
aviglucci@MiamiHerald.com

Grove Isle, the gated island enclave just off Coconut Grove prized by residents for its tranquility and panoramic bay views, has been less than tranquil lately.

Ranking the 2016 Presidential Candidates Based on Tennis Ability

The 2016 presidential election is a mere 445 days away, so naturally the entire nation is talking about who’s going to be the next leader of the free world (You seriously need to chill, America.)

In the months leading up to the primaries, the press has a field day following each candidate’s every move, from chowing down on corn dogs at the Iowa State Fair to making outlandish remarks at the podium. I wanted to join in on the fun because this might be a tennis blog, but that doesn’t mean we can’t talk politics. Here’s the ranking of POTUS hopefuls based on their tennis ability because you definitely don’t want a prez who can’t hit a topspin serve.

* Note: these rankings are based on tennis ability only and do not reflect my own political views. I really cannot emphasize this enough.

1. Jeb Bush

Pretty much all the Bushes play tennis, and Jeb was actually captain of the University of Texas varsity team. I really don’t feel like digging through the UT athletics archives to find Jeb’s win-loss record, so no word on how good he actually was. I do have this quote from Jeb’s friend about an overhead smash that he once saw the tennis star hit: “It was like, ker-blam! It bounced so high it went on the roof.” Ker-blam, you say? That’s impressive.

2. Donald Trump

WOW. That video is major lolz. I’m ranking Trump second because he sorta-kinda had a two-shot rally with Serena Williams, which is more than any of us can say. The power on that forehand is pretty solid. Footwork not great, but I’ll cut him some slack and blame it on the constrictive suit.

3. Bobby Jindal

Jindal played tennis competitively throughout high school, but that’s about the only information I can find on the matter. I’m gonna assume he’s decent because Wikipedia never lies.

4. Hillary Clinton

Okay, I have zero evidence that Hillary Clinton has ever played tennis in her life, but according to her friend Phyllis, Hillz promised she would play tennis with her if she didn’t go for the presidency. This is all hearsay from a People magazine article, but apparently Hillary said: “Hmm. Should I run for president or play tennis with Phyllis? I think it would be easier to run for president. I think you are very competitive.” Phyllis must be a pretty damn good tennis player for Hillary to back down so fast. (Btw, Is anyone else picturing Phyllis from The Office in this scenario?) I also included this photo of the former Secretary wearing a visor because I can totally picture her rocking this look on the courts.

5. All the other candidates

Last Place: Ted Cruz

Cruz apparently tried to play tennis once to impress his boss and sucked beyond belief. In a memoir, the Texas senator wrote that the justice for whom he clerked purposely hired skilled tennis players and actually required that they play tennis with him as part of the job. In an effort to fit in, Cruz hired a coach, took lessons and still lost the doubles matches he played against the Justice and top clerk 6-0, 6-0, 6-0. (Then the Justice begrudgingly gave Cruz his partner so the teams would be more fair.) Shoulda hired a coach from MyTennisLessons.com, Ted.

The post Ranking the 2016 Presidential Candidates Based on Tennis Ability appeared first on The MyTennisLessons Blog.

Thursday, August 20, 2015

Marquette U. Poll of Wisconsinites: 39% approve of job Walker is doing as Guv, 57% disapprove

The most significant bit of news in this poll, in my opinion, is the fact that Wisconsinites are taking a dim view of Scott Walker’s performance. His 39% “job approval” rating is down 2 points from where it was in April when 41% approved of his performance as Governor. Walker’s doing much worse than Obama more »

Wednesday, August 19, 2015

Bouchard Wins a Match! And other Cincinnati Updates

Bouchard Finally into the Second Round!

It’s a miracle! Eugenie Bouchard has won her first match in what seems like forever! Only her third win in the last ten matches, this first round victory over Katyrena Bondarenko is kind of a big deal for the 2014 Wimbledon finalist. Bouchard has what has to be the most disappointing 2015 season of anyone. We can only hope she gains just a little bit of confidence in Cincinnati. When wins come so few and far between, she has to take advantage of them whenever they arise.

Other Canadians Don’t Have as Much Luck

While one Canadian may be finding a little bit of her stride again, the other Canadians aren’t having much luck. Milos Raonic and Vasek Pospisil both struggled with injuries earlier on in the summer. Remember when neither could play for the Davis Cup? Their luck hasn’t seemed to turn around when both were faced with tough early round opponents. In the first round, Feliciano Lopez broke Milos Raonic just once but it was all he needed to take the match in straight sets. After Pospisil defeated rising American star Denis Kudla, he drew Grigor Dimitrov for his second round match, another player that has struggled with his rhythm this year. Both sets went to tiebreakers, but Dimitrov pulled out the win in the end.

The Withdrawals

Maria Sharapova and Venus Williams made the tough decision to pull out of Cincinnati. Sharapova is nursing a right leg strain and wants to make sure that her entire body is healthy going into the US Open. Venus Williams, who suffers from an autoimmune disease, felt under the weather going into her second round match. She is disappointed that she can’t have more matches going into the US Open, but she says, “I have to use my experience” to prepare for the US Open, something that she definitely does not lack.

The End of Isner’s Run

John Isner has had a stellar US Open season. He won the Atlanta Tennis Championships and was runner-up at Citi Open. All good things must come to an end though, and the 6’10” American lost to fellow countryman Sam Querrey in the first round.

American Survivors

Women: Varvara Lepchenko, Madison Keys, Coco Vandeweghe, and of course Serena Williams

Men: Sam Querry, Jack Sock, and Wild Cards’ Mardy Fish and Jared Donaldson

The post Bouchard Wins a Match! And other Cincinnati Updates appeared first on The MyTennisLessons Blog.

Wednesday, August 12, 2015

Bar Louie to open its first Broward location

A Michigan-based franchisee is bringing Broward County's first Bar Louie to the Promenade at Coconut Creek plaza this fall. Curt Lommen from the Bar Louie Development Group says his company will open the national brand's first area restaurant and bar in September, and has been granted the development rights to open at least four more locations in South Florida. "It's a great area," he said of the plaza at 4443 Lyons Road where his Bar Louie is opening. "We like the open-air setting and it's the…

UM scientists awarded $721K to study stem cells link in Alzheimer’s disease

A duo of University of Miami Miller School of Medicine researchers won a three-year $721,423 grant from the U.S. Department of Defense to study a potential link in Alzheimer’s disease, the school announced Tuesday. Miller professors Margaret Periack-Vance, Ph.D., and Derek Dykxhoom, Ph.D., will serve as co-principal investigators on the grant, along with Dr. Richard Mayeux of New York-based Columbia University. Periack-Vance and Dykxhoom’s work centers around a certain type of stem cell, which…

Tuesday, August 11, 2015

Galleria Mall to revamp food court, remodel and relocate stores

The Galleria Mall will look very different by the year's end. It's changing up its stores, opening a new food court, and announcing new retailers. Representatives of the Fort Lauderdale mall near A1A announced that Free People, a women's clothing store, will open next to Michael Kors in late August in the mall. REM French Riviera, a women's jewelry and perfumes retailer from France, also recently opened next to Neiman Marcus. In addition to its new retailers, the mall will reveal a new food court…

Saturday, August 8, 2015

The List: Commercial Printers

A Sunrise-based company ranked first on the South Florida Business Journal’ s list of commercial printers. The company earned the top spot based on its 177 South Florida employees. To see who topped the list, click through the slideshow included with this post. Newcomers or returnees to the list include Associated Photo & Imaging, Banyan Printing, Big Red Q Printing Services, Dutton Press, Fastkit Corp., Franklin Dodd Communications, Ritters Communication and Vista Color Corporation. The complete…

Thursday, August 6, 2015

John Doe developments: Walker was target in 2011, Appeal impending

Eagle Scout integrity: “Gov. Scott Walker was under criminal investigation in 2011 for misconduct in office — even as he insisted he wasn’t — over a proposed real estate deal when he was Milwaukee County executive, according to records filed Wednesday in federal court” Source: Despite denials, Scott Walker was target of probe in 2011 more »

Tuesday, August 4, 2015

Proof: Scott Walker’s aide Archer lied. Maltreatment she claimed rec’d during #JohnDoe raid refuted by newly released recording

Recorded audio from the FBI-assisted raid of Cynthia Archer’s home has been released. “The audio of the raid is being released now in an attempt to rebut claims Archer makes in her suit. For instance, she said in her filing that officers stormed into her house “throwing the (search) warrant at her without giving her more »

Monday, August 3, 2015

Bring on the American oligarchy: law makers get richer too ... by gimleteye

In "Lawmakers in Tallahassee continue to get richer", the Miami Herald's Michael Auslen reports, "In the wake of the Great Recession, which left the average Florida family struggling to make ends meet, at least one group of people continues to get richer: It pays to be elected to the state House or Senate. Of the 160 lawmakers elected to the state Legislature, 114 have increased their own personal wealth while in office, a Herald/Times analysis of officials’ financial statements found."

Crony capitalism is defined by the unrestricted ability of regulated industries and their top shareholders to manage legislative and governmental purposes that are nominally democratic to their own ends. One of the best examples is the domination of water management infrastructure in Florida by agricultural interests like Big Sugar. It is also a reciprocal relationship. Making sure that elected officials are financially well-off and "taken care of" is a key feature of crony capitalism: one hand washes the other.

U.S. flag flying over the Bridgeport ferry, "PT Barnum"

In a recent interview with Tom Hartmann, President Jimmy Carter pounced on the theme as he has, in the past: "Now it (the United States) is just an oligarchy with unlimited political bribery being the essence of getting the nomination for president or elected president. And the same thing applies to U.S. senators and congress members. We've seen a complete subverstion of our political system as a payoff to major contributors, who want and expect and sometimes get favors for themselves after the election is over."

Along the same lines, the New York Times has investigated IRS filings and Federal Election records to analyze the shocking concentration of political giving by the nation's wealthiest families. In "Small Pool of Rich Donors Dominates Election Giving," the Times writes, "Fewer than four hundred families are responsible for almost half the money raised in the 2016 presidential campaign, a concentration of political donors that is unprecedented in the modern era. The vast majority of the $388 million backing presidential candidates this year is being channeled to groups that can accept unlimited contributions in support of candidates from almost any source. The speed with which such “super PACs” can raise money — sometimes bringing in tens of millions of dollars from a few businesses or individuals in a matter of days — has allowed them to build enormous campaign war chests in a fraction of the time that it would take the candidates, who are restricted in how much they can accept from a single donor."

"A New York Times analysis of Federal Election Commission reports and Internal Revenue Service records shows that the fund-raising arms race has made most of the presidential hopefuls deeply dependent on a small pool of the richest Americans. The concentration of donors is greatest on the Republican side, according to the Times analysis, where consultants and lawyers have pushed more aggressively to exploit the looser fund-raising rules that have fueled the rise of super PACs. Just 130 or so families and their businesses provided more than half the money raised through June by Republican candidates and their super PACs."

While it is fair to say that wealth and power have always traveled hand-in-hand in the United States, the concentration of wealth and of power is having a massive, damaging effect on the majority of Americans who are outside the small circle of cronyism. The devastation is proceeding exactly along the lines of federal AND state control. Voters, largely asleep at the switch, seem hypnotized by message machinery and information delivery systems like Fox News, organized to dull the senses.

It is no simple arithmetic that, according to The Herald, "On average, lawmakers’ net worth has more than doubled from the year of their first campaign through 2014. Their incomes have generally risen, too, by 63 percent on average. For some legislators, years spent in elected office have accompanied multi-million-dollar increases to their net worth." It’s a stark contrast to the reality most Floridians face. The average worker’s pay is higher now than in 2010, but it still falls short of the paychecks Floridians brought home before the 2007 downturn, when adjusted for inflation. Many who saw their home values plummet and 401(k)s shredded have never recovered."

Senate President Andy Gardiner (Republican), one of the clear beneficiaries of crony capitalism, tells the Herald, "The best thing the Legislature and government in general can do is to provide an environment where the free market can thrive,” defining what, in former President Carter's words, "... violates the essence of what made America a great country in its political system.

Pay attention in the first "debate" of the Republican presidential how many times the free market is invoked, because this is not your grandfather's "free market"; this is systematic looting of the public trust in an age of scarcity by insiders who take what they want because voters are too confused to tell the difference.

Sunday, August 2, 2015

Big Sugar's Scandalous Profits Protected By Corporate Welfare Will Not Be Revealed By The Miami Herald, Although Conservatives Line Up To Criticize ... by gimleteye

Historically, the Miami Herald has been unenthusiastic about helping readers understand the corruption inherent in the U.S. Farm Bill through the sugar subsidy. The reason is clear enough: the influence of the Fanjul billionaires as expressed through downtown law firms, partners and their wealthy Cuban American clients who rub shoulders with Miami Herald publishers and top editors.

There are a few sacred cows in Miami that the Miami Herald will only criticize through Jim Morin's (excellent) cartoons or Carl Hiaasen's (occasional) OPED's. Reporting? Investigations? Not so much.

One has to go back to Martha Musgrove, former (intrepid) editorial writer, for a Miami Herald presence on issues related to Big Sugar, but even in Musgrove's time there was scant coverage of the harm Big Sugar did to Miami. (A former top editor of the Herald during these years, Joanna Wragg, went to work for Big Sugar as a public relations specialist after retiring from the newspaper.)

For example, the Herald scarcely published on the ascent of Marco Rubio to the US Senate thanks to the major political support from the Fanjuls, infuriated by Charlie Crist's attempt to purchase critical lands in the Everglades Agricultural Area owned by its competitor, US Sugar, or -- for that matter -- any of the chess moves by the Fanjuls to maintain their domination of the Everglades Agricultural Area at the expense of the Everglades.

The cozy relationship between sugar barons and the Miami Herald meant that news about Big Sugar, including the Fanjul's oppressive working conditions in the Dominican Republic, would have to be disclosed by other non-traditional media, like Al Jazeera's recent excellent report on the Fanjuls, noted by EOM this week.

As a historical matter, Big Sugar provided business opportunities for local influential Cuban Americans like Jorge Mas Canosa, whose first business included selling farm equipment in the Everglades Agricultural Area.

For many years, the bitter animosity between Mas Canosa and hard liners toward the Herald colored the newspaper's coverage of any possible detente between the US government and the Castro regime. That is quickly fading, overtaken by events, but one of the legacies is that Cuban Americans remain paradoxically protective of the sugar industry; billionaires industry who have done so little for them in Florida.

Interesting, too, that the sugar industry -- under intense civic attack in Martin and Palm Beach Counties because of filthy water discharged from Lake Okeechobee -- is responding with full page ads in papers but sees no need to do so in South Florida. The reason: the Miami Herald is indifferent to highlighting these facts for readers.

It is hard to know what is in the minds of Miami Herald publishers who feel no need to explain their business model as expressed through news coverage and choices. As Miami and South Florida urbanized, one of the collateral effects was to lessen the connections to an understanding by Herald readership how Big Sugar's command of fresh water resources -- including the domination of the Everglades by mismanagement of water infrastructure -- penalized people at the expense of crony capitalists. The Fanjuls sit atop the economic order, manipulating state and federal farm policy, like despotic royalty, but find a Miami Herald report to say so.

Here is a Wall Street Journal OPED that mostly takes the position that Big Sugar's subsidy should be eliminated because it costs Americans billions of dollars a year in artificially high food prices. You can also read the Al Jazeera report on the Fanjul billionaires, by clicking here.

The bottom line: Big Sugar poisons people, poisons democracy, and poisons the Everglades.

Wall Street Journal: The Sugar Scandal
Congress takes a run at an egregious business welfare scheme.
July 29, 2015 7:22 p.m. ET

Americans pay nearly twice as much per pound as foreigners do for sugar, thanks to U.S. import restrictions and subsidies. We’ve tilted at this corporate welfare for decades, but new political forces are aligning to take another run.

The absurdity of the federal sugar program is legendary. Every year the government grants sugar processors nonrecourse loans linked to the amount of sugar the government says they can produce at a set price per pound: 18.75 cents for raw cane sugar and 24.09 cents for refined beet sugar. If the market price is below the loan price when it’s time to sell, the processors simply forfeit their crop to the U.S. Department of Agriculture in lieu of repaying the loan. They can still make a profit thanks to the price guaranteed by the loan.

To ensure that imported sugar doesn’t drive down U.S. prices, provoking a sugar dump on Uncle Sam, there are also import quotas. Anything above the quotas gets hit with a hefty tariff—16 cents a pound on refined sugar.

Yet all of this central planning is harder than it sounds. According to a January 2014 USDA report, for the 2013 crop year the government’s net cost “to remove” sugar from the marketplace was $258 million. But sometimes there’s not enough sugar, as in 2010, and prices skyrocket. If the secretary of agriculture decides that shortages will drive prices too high, he can increase the quota. But he has to make sure that more imports won’t mean lower prices and thus sugar forfeitures to the feds. All the risk lies with consumers or taxpayers—not producers.

The Congressional Budget Office estimates that the loan program will cost some $115 million over the next 10 years. But the greater cost is to the economy. The food and drink industry, which has sales of some $387 billion, is less competitive when it has to pay twice the world price for sugar. In a July 2 letter to U.S. Trade Representative Michael Froman, the Coalition for Sugar Reform estimated the program has cost American consumers and businesses $15 billion since 2008 and 120,000 jobs since 1997.

The relatively few sugar cane and beet producers have grown fat and happy off this racket, but they are losing support. Growers of other crops had their subsidies cut in the last farm bill, and many are asking why sugar gets a pass. Last month the Corn Refiners Association, which produces high-fructose corn syrup, began lobbying on Capitol Hill for a level playing field with sugar.

They’re allied with Republican tea party Members of Congress who dislike business subsidies, led by Joseph Pitts (R., Pa.). In 2013 he led a floor revolt with an amendment to the farm bill that would have permitted more foreign sugar to enter the U.S. and reduced the price guaranteed by the federal loan. He lost 221 to 206.

Mr. Pitts is now seeking another opportunity for a vote to limit the size of the nonrecourse loan to any single sugar processor, and we hope he gets it. This wouldn’t end all of the political help that guarantees profits for sugar producers. But it would be a start, and a sign that American democracy isn’t so calcified by special interests that it can’t reform one of Washington’s worst welfare schemes.

Mayor Carlos Gimenez's PAC: The VERY STRANGE expense and donation. By Geniusofdespair

Photo from New York Magazine 2013 - Why is Carlos Gimenez taking money from these guys?

ASK YOURSELF WHY THESE NEW YORK SLICKSTERS MADE A $20,000 DONATION TO A MIAMI-DADE MAYOR!

Let's revisit a Post I did that has been on my mind. It is really bothering me. You might say do a public records request of the Mayor's calendar. Well, I did a public records request to Jack Osterholt on June 30th at 2:45pm on something else. I have not heard back. I copied the chair so I have proof it was sent. Not a peep back. That is a violation but that is not what I want to talk about today.

There were 2 expenses on Gimenez's known PAC, MIAMI DADE RESIDENTS FIRST, in New York City. One was for a 3 night's (at least) stay in June or for 3 rooms in the amount of $1,049.78 at the Empire Hotel. The other expense was for a one way cab ride to or from the airport I suppose. No food expenses, no cab ride back. The PAC posted a donation soon after from the owners of the Empire hotel, Amsterdam Hospitality (Podolsky Family) for $20,000.

There is feuding going on between the Homeless Trust and Cammilus House on housing the Homeless. There is not enough room. They are having the homeless sleep on mats under a porch at Cammilus and The Homeless Trust (Ron Book) is pissed. It is front page news. City of Miami Commissioner Mark Sarnoff and Ron Book are trading barbs. Who is going to offer a solution?

Coincidentally Amsterdam buys run down buildings and with public subsidies houses the homeless. They own about 40 buildings in the New York area bought through shell corporations. According to New York Magazine:

The Podolskys take pains to keep a deniable arm’s length from the shelter business. It operates behind a firewall of arcane lease arrangements and interrelated holding companies, many of which have been placed in the maiden names of the brothers’ wives, Shirley and Sharon. “It may appear that it’s all in the family,” Satnick says, but he claims the structures reflect both the brothers’ status as “passive owners” and the wives’ interests as independent investors. “Stuart and Jay have much bigger fish to fry than what their wives are doing in their business.” (During a legal dispute over a hotel purchase in 1999, a court-appointed referee found it “credible” that Jay and Stuart were “the real players” in the disputed transaction and that their use of their wives’ maiden names in that instance “was to avoid state/city scrutiny” owing to their felony convictions.)

The Podolskys don’t deal with the city; they lease the shelter buildings to companies run by Alan Lapes, a building contractor who has long worked with them. “These buildings are not owned by Mr. Lapes,” Satnick says. “They are owned by the Podolsky family in one way or another.” But Lapes, a blustery guy, serves as a manager and a lightning rod. Over the years, his facilities have been investigated by the police (over criminal activity by a manager and tenants in a Times Square location the Daily News dubbed the “Hell Hotel”) and cited by the city comptroller’s office for safety violations and bookkeeping irregularities. In a recent e-mail, Lapes called those allegations “old [stories] that are on google and for the most part are not true” and said journalists should “look for the good in all of the hard work that I do to help homeless New Yorkers.”

AND:

The city government does not publicize the addresses of shelters, citing the privacy of its homeless “clients.” But a list obtained via a Freedom of Information request suggests the industry is dominated by a handful of competitors. There’s Shimmie Horn, whose father, a notorious slumlord, willed him an empire of hotels. There is a consortium of investors who administer a portfolio of tenement shelters from an unmarked office above a Brooklyn laundromat. Most players operate through shell companies and front men, obscuring their interests, and the Podolskys are particularly secretive. But the evidence suggests the family is among the largest shelter providers, and they are expanding aggressively.

Altogether, public records indicate that the Podolskys own or control close to 40 shelter properties, which house at least 1,300 homeless families, about 11 percent of the city’s total. (Families now make up the vast majority of the homeless population.) A calculation based on city records suggests that the Podolsky-related shelters have generated rents in the range of $90 million since 2010.

AND:

Hess, who earns at least $250,000 annually, has since capitalized on city demand for new shelters, boosting the nonprofit’s revenues to $57 million last fiscal year. DHS officials have said there is no conflict of interest in his dealings with the agency he ran for four years.

The Podolsky shelter business has two prongs. There are a dozen or so Manhattan hotels, some of which the Podolskys have owned since the Koch era. Then there is a collection of outer-borough residential buildings that operate as “cluster” sites—basically, apartments rented by the city to house homeless families. The city’s largest shelter cluster encompasses fourteen locations in the Bronx. All but one of the buildings are owned by the Podolskys.

The cluster shelters still typically open under per diem arrangements, providing minimal social services. In a deposition last year, Hess said that the approach circumvents a “rather lengthy and cumbersome procurement process,” allowing the shelter system to expand and contract “like an accordion.” But it’s controversial, because clusters usually operate with scant oversight. In a recent decision, a state judge likened the city policy to “a CIA black op, spending unbudgeted funds without apparent restraint.”

If you want the quotes to make sense, read the entire article but we are dealing here with unsavory business practices and maybe unsavory people. So, my point is, with the homeless housing front and center, why is Mayor Carlos Gimenez dealing with these New York "businessman," homeless housing specialists? Is he going to SAVE the day with his new pals that New York would like to rid themselves of? They are probably already here. Apparently they are good at hiding behind corporations.

2 of the 24 comments from the NEW YORK MAGAZINE article:

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MTL Coach of the Month: Erik W. in Westminster, CO

MyTennisLessons would like to congratulate Erik W. in Westminster, CO, for being chosen as our coach of the month for July. Erik has taught in both the Indianapolis and Denver areas with MyTennisLessons and found new clients through our service when he relocated. As a former college player who studied tennis management, Erik is capable of catering his teaching style to a wide range of students, but loves working with developing junior players. Meet Erik, our coach of the month!

1. As a former Division I tennis player, what advice do you have for students hoping to reach that level?

Develop a routine and stick to it. Work hard; listen to your coach. Do things that other players aren’t willing to do to get better. Don’t be afraid of competition and losing. In the end, it will make you a better person and player. Play players better than you.

2. You graduated with a degree in business with an emphasis in tennis management. How has that contributed to your coaching style?

It has help me to learn to deal with people, and the many different personalities they have and to sometimes cater my teaching style to their personality — optimize my skillset. It has help me to organize my time and treat my time like a commodity.

3. You like to emphasize cardio in your tennis lessons. What sort of drills or exercises can a client expect from you?

Clients can expect a high impact aerobic workout with instruction. Through my experiences people want less talking and more hitting, with instruction when they’re repeatedly making mistakes. I can cater my teaching style to whomever I’m teaching and their ability level to make sure they’re learning and having fun. This includes everyone from kids to adults. You can’t talk someone into being a better tennis player. Students need to hit tennis balls and a lot of them.

4. What’s one of your favorite success stories with a student?

I have a recent success story, A young boy signed up recently for a package of lessons with me. He is really great kid with a very good attitude, very eager to learn and puts forth great effort. His mother told me after our first lesson how much fun he had and how much he was looking forward to the next lesson. Recently his coach of a few years moved, whom he really enjoyed and his mother wasn’t sure how he’d react to a new pro so soon. We had our second lesson earlier this week, and the lesson went by so fast he didn’t want to go and couldn’t believe it was over and can’t wait to get back on the court again. I love teaching kids like this and will bend over backwards to make sure they get the most out of their ability.

5. Can you talk about your experience with MyTennisLessons? How has it furthered or changed your career in tennis?

MyTennisLessons has been great for me. My wife and I moved to Denver from Indianapolis last August for her job and I have been accruing lessons ever since. I enjoy getting the new lesson package signup email and believe the staff puts their best foot forward for their teaching professionals. I look forward to many more productive years with MyTennisLessons.com

The post MTL Coach of the Month: Erik W. in Westminster, CO appeared first on The MyTennisLessons Blog.

Saturday, August 1, 2015

Milwaukee Bucks arena is product of bizarre and bipartisan bedfellows

It takes an incestuous bipartisan pile of snakes to foist this expense upon Wisconsin when only 9%* of the Wisconsin public wants to help fund it AND when the administration is slashing public education funding. Steve Horn and Michael Arria have a long and interesting piece out on Truthdig that exposes backroom bipartisanship and public more »