Sunday Morning Coming Down

The University of Miami Medical School is cutting back some staff and salaries.  Given that the economy in Miami is still in the slow zone and that the UM has some issues regarding its expansion and the financial problems at JMH this is not surprising.  Charles Dunn MD and graduate of the University of Miami Medical School a long time ago applauded the cuts in administrators salaries in a letter to the Miami Herald.  A few administrators making $800,000 were cut back to $400,000.  I think the UM Medical School and its faculty have made a great contribution to the Miami community but given the situation where money for medical research is in short supply, cut backs are going to happen and care for patients should be the highest priority. The overall situation is that this is what happens when government spending slows.  One of the lagging sectors in Florida's economy is in the governmental sector and that sector is approximately 20% of the employed in Sou...

There have been articles about the problems newspapers are having.  Miami's major metropolitan daily paper today is a prime example.  Section A has the "news and editorials" and 16 full page advertisements in a section of 26 pages.  Thank the dear lord for the sports section.  I'm not sure if the reader or advertiser is getting their money's worth.  Not much to read and unless you are in the market for a car or furniture even the advertising is a waste.

It was a game the Miami Heat really needed.  It was possibly one of the biggest games for the three stars that have dominated the Miami sports scene for the last two years. Could the team rally after the worst game in Dwayne Wade's career and his spat with the coach on the sideline? Would the teams big men be able to replace Chris Bosh in a meaningful way or would the Pacers just jam it down the Heat's throat? Would Lebron James be able to lift the team and carry them like the Miami fans expect him to do every game? The answer was yes to all three questions.  Wade must have gotten a good nights sleep because he played a great second half just like the old days. Udonis Haslem, Mike Miller, and Joel Anthony made key shots, blocks, and free throws to stop the Pacers every time they looked like they might be able to get a run put together. James did carry the team in the first half and kept the Pacers from getting too big a lead and made it possible for the rest of the...

There was an a news item about data mining and algorithms on NPR recently.  I know this stuff happens.  Advertisements about cars show up on facebook after you have been to a car site or look up the price of a used car. What if you listen to a music video a few times.  Is it just a coincidence that the movie related to the music video would show up on a cable movie channel?  Am I that big an opinion maker for the Internet? Diane Lane was the human star of "Secretariat".  I've watched the movie many times since it has hit cable TV.  Sort of like "Easy Rider" in the 1970's.  Then I remember a much younger Diane Lane in a very forgettable except for the music movie "Streets of Fire".  I watched the music videos from the movie a couple of times and mysteriously a few weeks later the movie shows up on a cable movie channel. I think this is pretty weird, but there is something about big numbers.  If I'm doing it probably a lot of other p...

I'll Have Another One won the Preakness and the speculation regarding the Belmont has started.  The connections need to be applauded on their efforts so far.  It's clear they had the best horse in the first two races of the Triple Crown. Winning the Belmont is in reach with a little help from the rest of the industry.  Tell the owners of Union Rags and other fresh horses to stay home.  Fill the field with seven furlong sprinters that have not run a mile, let alone a mile and a half.  The lure of black type is too strong and the winner's share of the pool will tempt owners from all over the world.  More than a few years ago there were bonuses if you ran your horse in all three Triple Crown races.  These days the horses are worth so much and are somewhat more fragile that unless you win the Derby the prudent thing seems to be to save your horse for a later day be it Saratoga and then the Breeder's Cup in November. I'm hoping the in...

Friday mornings I stop at a West Miami Dade Mc Donalds for a sausage burrito and a small diet coke.  The price of $2.14 is reasonable and a change from toast and peanut butter at home.  I work in the neighborhood and the place always has something interesting going on. Today I saw a single Miami Dade Fire Fighter.  Usually they travel in packs when they go buy groceries or are having a meal.  Usually they have travel in a big fire truck and the reason for that is related to response time.  The fire fighter was having oatmeal and coffee.  When I left McDs to go back to work I noticed his vehicle. Venom Response Unit was painted on the side of a county SUV.  This guy specializes in snake bites.  My MPA brain went into overdrive.  I imagine that there are a lot of rescue guys with training about how to deal with snake bites.  This is South Florida and you never know for sure what might be living under your house or near your house in ...

This is a quote from Abraham Lincoln.  I never served in the military.  My draft number was high enough that I did not serve in Viet Nam.  I'm thankful for that and I am thankful for all those that have served this country's military. Not everyone can or should serve in the military. However, I think there is a place for some sort of universal service . Working in health care, the environment, or a local community organization can benefit both the public and the worker.  This would also be a way to take advantage of younger workers that might not be able to find a job and give them some badly needed work experience to make them more competitive in the dysfunctional labor market we are experiencing now.  Working off student loans is a win win situation for college students and parts of the public sector that may need some help. Veterans of the recent wars in Iraq and Afghanistan have served this country well and we need to remember their service and fi...

Matt Kuchar wins the Players 2012.  This tournament is a Major.  I'm sure the field is better than the Masters.  Unfortunately, Jacksonville is not Augusta but the course is interesting and it has its signature holes  I like the par three 17th.  Island greens work in Florida.  Other greens have some interesting turns and twists and it always help to stay in the fairway.  Matt Kuchar is an admirable champion.  He has played a long time, since 1998 and this was his biggest victory on the tour and he is moving up the rankings.  275 and 13 under par and a three year exemption to the Masters and the Open and an exemption until 2017 on the rest of the tour. Kevin Na, the current Rick Ankiel of golf faded.  Waggle issues aside, this is just another golf headcase and something probably every professional golfer has had to deal with in some form at some time during their career. The coverage of golf being what it is these days gives too muc...

Voting addresses can be very important.  Senator Lugar sells his Indiana house in 1977 but still used it for voting purposes.  He owns a farm in state but never changed addresses.  He lives in or near Washington D.C.  Why this issue was not resolved a long time ago is a mystery to me.  Florida Representative Allen West lived in Debbie Wasserman Schultz district while representing West Miami Dade County.  Redistricting will probably push him to actually move to his new district should he actually run for election in November.  In Florida you are supposed to update your address when you move and vote in the correct precinct.  Early voting and absentee ballot voting make this a little more complicated but candidates don't really have much interest after they get your vote. Meanwhile they did some matching of records from the DMV(driver's licenses) and voting lists and there maybe some problems in Florida.  It's possible tha...

As a long time Unitarian Universalist this is not a really big issue at my denomination and has not been for a while.  I think most people would believe that people in loving committed relationships should be able to get married.  This has not always been the case in the history of man.  Things do get better.  The concept of family needs to expanded as well.  I'm glad President Obama has evolved on the issue enough to explain his support for this right.  Politically, I hope it doesn't hurt him too much, because sadly I think it might.  Jobs, health care, education, immigration policies, and good government are important to me as well.

Unless you have one in your own backyard or as part of your apartment or condominium there isn't one.  If you live in a house with a small lot there is probably not enough space to build one.  If you live in South Miami one of the biggest and best justifications for building a community swimming pool is to have a place to teach kids to swim.  Recreation on hot summer days, water exercise classes, a place for scuba diving lessons might also be reasonable uses for a pool. Learning how to swim in Florida is a safety issue.  Drownings are too common and the loss of some one's child because they can't swim and it was something that wasn't easily available to everybody.  This issue can also apply to adults.  The South Miami Commission voted to continue the process of designing/ building the pool 4-1.  There are still unresolved issues that might derail the Murray Pool related to grant funding and design issues. The Commission n...

One of the more recent developments in American politics is the "No Labels" idea.  There a few things people in the political class need to understand.  Congress has never had such low poll number and in my opinion there are three reasons for the ultimate contempt of the public for their elected representatives. The representatives play to the true believers in their parties.  Base Republicans believe government is bad, taxes are worse and unless you are a social conservative where women, minorities, gay rights, are at best marginally important.  Guns and the military and reactionary supreme court justices are also issues you can run on. Base Democrats never met a government program they did not like.  Government can solve all of our problems, let's throw some money at it.  The rich should pay all the taxes, the government should protect everybody, without guns or a military. Both Democrats and Republicans now have un...

Last Friday was the last show for In Plain Sight.  It took a little time to get going because of a writers strike the delayed the first season, but as with most things if you get hooked on a show, you realize once it's gone you are going to miss the show and the characters. I've been a fan of the USA Network and their character based shows.  Monk is still entertaining after all these years and by quirks of their schedules eventually you are able to catch up with missed episodes. The writers have worked hard trying to tie up all the loose ends.  Marshall gets promoted, Stan gets promoted.  Mary and her sister are reunited and there is finally some finality with the death of her father who comes in from the cold after a life on the lam. Personally, I thought the way Marshall and Mary resolved their personal issues was just OK.  This stuff never quite gets resolved once the issue is brought up.  However, I think that there have been more than a few ...

 I'm not at the Kentucky Derby.  This is probably a good thing.  I went to bed last night thinking of the contenders.  This year there are probably 15 horses you could make an argument for.  There are probably no horses you can say might not hit the board.  Five sentences and I've used the word probably three times.  I know where I was last night and I remember thinking about the race.  I'm not even sure if I will watch the race at home, in a sports bar, or at the local track and if I will make more than a token bet on the race. The numbers 4,5,6, and 15 will be featured in my wagers.  In any other race I would be called a chalk player with these horses but they will all fetch a good price.  I just think the speed horses will spit out the bit at the top of the turn and the closers will finish quite well. I doubt there will be a Triple Crown winner this year.  This is another easy prediction and I doubt I could get...

Marlins Park has opened and although it took almost a month I have been to my first game in person yesterday.   If I were the beat writer for the team it would have been hard to say many complimentary things about the game they played.   Sloppy baseball, errors a plenty, a poor outing for Mark Behurle, a ten hit game that was snuffed out by double plays, that was punctuated by home runs by the most unexpected players but it was baseball uninterrupted by rain in air conditioned comfort. Lots of schools must have given kids and more than a few teachers the afternoon off after almost two weeks of FCAT tests.   And by the look at the group of folks in the Clevelander   Pool Party in left field, an afternoon baseball game in Miami might be a hot venue for a power lunch by the swells in town or a place to entertain a client.   The fan cams were on fire and it looked like people were having fun but as in all things these days, a little discretion is advised. If...