Wednesday, May 4, 2016

West Palm Beach invites everyone to come out tonight and join the conversation: The documentary "Contested Streets"

UPDATE: Location has changed to 522 Clematis Street, just a few doors east of the original location which was to be the outdoor showing of the movie. This change is due to likelihood of rain.

"Join us for this fun look at how New York City made huge changes to make streets better. Tonight, Wednesday, May 4th, 8:00 p.m."

ABOUT THE DOCUMENTARY: Contested Streets explores the history and culture of New York City streets from pre-automobile times to the present. This examination allows for an understanding of how the city—though the most well served by mass transit in the United States—has slowly relinquished what was a rich, multi-dimensional conception of the street as public space to a mindset that prioritizes the rapid movement of cars and trucks over all other functions.

Central to the story is a comparison of New York to what is experienced in London, Paris and Copenhagen. Interviews and footage shot in these cities showcase how limiting automobile use in recent years has improved air quality, minimized noise pollution and enriched commercial, recreational and community interaction.

Ft. Lauderdale's development history parallels our own in central, coastal Palm Beach County


The Florida East Coast Railway made it there two years after its arrival in West Palm Beach. The emphasis was on agricultural production and moving freight on the new rails. Ft. Lauderdale, and all of south Florida, experienced the boom of the 1920s and then the terrible hurricanes that hit at the end of the decade. Likewise, World War II established a military presence here at Morrison Field (now Palm Beach International Airport) and also in the Ft. Lauderdale area.

Many of those people who were stationed here during World War II decided to stay. Years of post-war prosperity led directly to the south Florida we see and experience today. Remember, Palm Beach County is now part of the Miami-Dade/Broward Metropolitan Statistical Area for Census purposes. Even though this County is the largest (or second largest, depending on which reference you use) it is still within a region, south Florida. It's important to remember that.

The Great Give continues today for a short time (this is a "Pinned Post"; please scroll down for new content)

The Great Give (use this link for Lake Worth organizations on the list, for example, the City's Library and Playhouse) is extended until 2:00 p.m. today:
One on the list is LULA. To contribute to LULA use this link:

"The mission of LULA Lake Worth Arts will unify the existing arts community around a shared vision, implement goals for strengthening the property value, improve access to the arts through educational programs, and invest in partnerships that support the talent and the creative community in Lake Worth."
The upcoming Screen on the Green is just one of many events organized by LULA.

Tuesday, May 3, 2016

Come play pickleball in Lake Worth every Wednesday! And you might be surprised to learn about all the parks in this City

Use this link to learn more about the City's parks. Here is a list of some you might want to visit some day:
  • Bryant Park
  • Bryant Park South (which includes the boat ramp)
  • Constitution Park
  • Howard Park
  • Lend a Hand Park
  • Harlod Grimes Memorial Park
  • Northwest Park and ballfields
  • Tropical Ridge Fitness Park
  • Pocket parks: Small, passive parks are all over the City
  • South Palm Park
  • Spillway Park
  • Sunset Ridge Park (where pickleball is played, see below)
  • And, of course, the Casino and beach complex
Bring a couple dollar bills and show up at Sunset Ridge Park for pickleball. Call 561-533-7363 for more information:

To learn more about Pickleball use this link and here is a video from NBC Nightly News!

Begins this Friday (May 6th), the Clay Glass Metal Stone Gallery and new upcoming exhibit—A "Surfer's Paradise":

"My name is Jennifer Love Gironda (aka Jenny, aka 'da Muse) Nice to meet you! I am an artist, an art teacher and a contributor for Art Hive Magazine. I make a piece of art everyday...sometimes five or ten. Daily pieces within monthly 'themed' series, fashion illustrations...and some art just because."
Use this link for Clay Glass Metal Stone Gallery's Facebook page. The gallery is located in downtown Lake Worth.

Letter from president/CEO of PBC Cultural Council to County Commission: The Post is "irresponsible" and there were no "secret meetings"

The Palm Beach County Commission votes today on the proposed penny increase in the sales tax going on the ballot in November. The Post has done a real good job of "poisoning the well" so to speak about cultural organizations here in the County. Maybe in an effort to distance themselves from their handiwork they have two articles in support of the penny increase which includes funds for cultural organization. The articles are about Belle Glade Mayor Steve Wilson and Harry Howell at the Norton Museum of Art.

Hopefully their opinions aren't too late to be part of the debate.

Below is the letter written by Rena Blades, the president and CEO of the Cultural Council of the Palm Beaches, and she pulls no punches. You can read the entire letter written to the PBC Commission using this link.

The Post has taken an advocacy position against our cultural organizations instead of staying on the sidelines. Raising the specter of "secrecy" and "conflicts of interest" is clearly trying to influence public opinion. Below are 3 short excerpts from the letter written by Rena Blades:

"April 4, 2016

Dear Commissioners-

     The Palm Beach Post article of April 3, 2016 related to the portion of the sales tax initiative dedicated to cultural facilities has many inaccuracies, which I would like to clarify. 
     The article insinuates that secrecy and conflicts of interest may have tainted the planning and recommendations made by the Cultural Council for a variety of cultural projects that will be undertaken during the next ten years. Though the article implies that decisions were made in secret by a handful of self-interested people, nothing could be farther from the truth." [emphasis added]

[and. . .]

     "The reporting by the Post is irresponsible, both because of the inaccuracies and because of the facts left out, this despite more than six hours of meetings with Post reporters and sharing of hundreds of pages of information they requested including: tax returns, working papers, and survey results. When the Post requested meetings, cultural and business leaders were happy to meet with them and provide them with almost everything they requested."

[and. . .]

     "There were no secret meetings to develop the list of cultural organizations that might receive funding. The Council undertook a thorough Needs Assessment in a variety of areas, one of which involved future capital projects. A series of meetings then occurred to consider whether public funding, like strategies used elsewhere in the Nation, could and should be deployed here. Through those meetings and with the help of experts, a plan was developed. The Post reporters were welcomed to all meetings they requested to attend. Furthermore, Council Board meetings are publically noticed and the regional meetings were advertised widely.".

Monday, May 2, 2016

Attending the 3rd Sea Level Rise summit in Ft. Lauderdale? Please. . . try to keep to the facts and avoid the hyperbole (especially attendees from Lake Worth)

Here is the link to a Miami Herald article by Jenny Staletovich on the Southeast Florida Regional Climate Compact meeting in Key West last December. Representatives from four south Florida counties (Palm Beach, Broward, Miami-Dade and Monroe) were part of the gathering which included some reports of good news amidst "doom and gloom of climate change" from across the region. Lake Worth and Palm Beach County were mentioned in the article albeit with glaring errors:

     "Around the region, they [local, state and federal officials] said, advances are being made in the war on rising seas, and not just in Miami Beach where pumps have drawn national attention.
     In Fort Lauderdale, sea walls are being built higher. Palm Beach County teamed up with Lake Worth to replace a crumbling sea wall protecting a municipal golf course with a 'living shoreline' inhabited by wildlife."

First, there is no seawall "protecting" the City's golf course. That job is being done by mangroves, sea grass, and other natural processes. Second, I have no knowledge of a "crumbling sea wall" along our Intracoastal waterway. If it is crumbling it's news to me and I bet a lot of officials in Palm Beach County as well. If it was "crumbling" wouldn't warning signs be installed to protect the community? And lastly, the "living shoreline" is at Bryant Park, south of the City's golf course and also south of the Lake Worth bridge.  

Wonder who supplied the reporter with all this false information?

In short, the "living shoreline" has nothing whatever to do with climate change or the rising sea level debate. That effort is about restoring the environment for native plants and animals such as birds. The City's municipal golf course floods from time to time and has throughout its history. I've heard reports of golfers seeing schools of snook in large low-lying parts of the course. If you didn't know, the golf course was originally designed for water run-off from western parts of the City and only later was in-fill added to create a golf course.
Lake Worth City Manager Michael Bornstein and Mayor Pam Triolo: The City's golf course made the news.
Whether or not any Lake Worth residents will be attending the sea level rise summit in Ft. Lauderdale beginning tomorrow (5/3) isn't known as yet but hopefully, if any do, they'll keep to the facts and avoid the hyperbole/myth-making such as claims that the City of Lake Worth is cutting down mangroves. That's not true despite what was said at a recent Treasure Coast Regional Planning Council meeting.

And perhaps if Lake Worth Commissioner Christopher McVoy, PhD, attends the summit this week he can explain why the City never properly inspected our beach seawall when the Casino was rebuilt and why the structure isn't on pilings, especially with the prospect of coastal erosion and any possible rise in sea levels. And there's also the failed bond vote in 2014, thanks in part to McVoy, which would have made this City more 'resilient' if we should have a hurricane strike this year. Look in the right-hand column of this blog for "Sea level rise, North 'J' St. in Lake Worth, and 2014 bond vote that failed by just 25 votes. . ." to read all about that.

Galleria Gilda open on Dixie Hwy in Lake Worth: Classes/workshops on photography, digital editing, painting, and more

Here is the news and an excerpt from The Rickie Report:

     "Galleria Gilda offers paintings, drawings, three dimensional works, sculpture, ceramics, jewelry, textiles, mixed media, dance, performance art, glass and photography."

IF YOU GO:
2211 North Dixie Hwy.
561-839-3054
Tuesday to Saturday: 11:00–6:00
Sunday: 1:00–5:00
And they are also on Facebook

And while you're in town check out our new pastry chef in Lake Worth just a few minutes away, across the street and a short stroll north, the The Sugar Monkey!

The Compass Center in Lake Worth: They've been part of the community for a very long time.

The video below taken with a small handheld camera is from 2009 and there are a whole lot of other videos on my YouTube channel. The little City of Lake Worth and surrounding areas have many new residents and many of them may have heard a thing or two about Compass. In his own words along with a quite funny line is now-State Senator Jeff Clemens who was once the mayor of Lake Worth at Compass' dedication: Compass is involved in many efforts throughout Palm Beach County and also here in the City. You can find out all about them using this link. If you want you can stop by Compass, look around and pick up information on what they do. They are located at 201 N. Dixie Hwy. and reached at 561-533-9699. If you're familiar with the City their building is the blue one across the street from the downtown Publix which has a utility box that looks like this:

A reminder. . . From the City's newsletter, Worth Noting: "3rd Annual Great Give, Palm Beach & Martin Counties"

Worth Noting, the City's newsletter is free and delivered to your email inbox each week. To sign up use this link. To see this week's edition about the 3rd Annual Great Give, use this link. Here are some excerpts:

The fundraising event will be held on Tuesday, May 3rd from midnight to midnight. Last year’s event raised more than $68 million nationally and $3.1 million locally, with our area ranking 7th in the nation.

What makes this fundraising event different?
Gifts made during the 24-hour period will be multiplied by additional dollars from a bonus pool that have been raised by the Community Foundation of Palm Beach and Martin Counties!
Did you know?
That LULA, Lake Worth Arts received funding through the Great Give and was able to underwrite the Screen on the Green Movies, as well as other FREE art events for the community?

Other Lake Worth non-profits participating in the Great Give include [a partial list from the newsletter]: 
  • The Cultural Council of Palm Beach County: The Cultural Council has a strategic relationship with the City of Lake Worth and is located downtown. The Cultural Council promotes, supports and provides education about the arts. Give Here 
  • LULA Lake Worth Arts: LULA is another strategic City partnership. LULA seeks to unify the arts in vision and goals. Give Here 
  • Friends of the Lake Worth Library: Provides support to the Lake Worth Library. Give Here 
  • Compass LGBT Community Center: Provides education and empowerment for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community. Give Here 
  • The Guatemalan-Maya Center: Assists families with the challenges of immigration, education and health care. Give Here 
  • Lake Worth Playhouse: The Lake Worth Playhouse has a strategic relationship with the City. The Playhouse provides live performances, independent and foreign films, and theater for students. Give Here

Information in an entertaining way: The folks at Vox do it again

You can subscribe to Vox and have this kind of information delivered to your in-box. They "Explain the News" with their own clever way of spinning things and you'll agree with some of their explanations and disagree with others. Regardless, it's always entertaining. They do other interesting things like explain stuff you've always wondered about, like "Why your laptop charger is so hot"? Enjoy this highly entertaining and informative explanation why that laptop converter box gets hot—the reason is rooted in decisions made many, many years ago:

Sunday, May 1, 2016

A factual error in the Palm Beach Post about the City of Lake Worth and union negotiations

[Update: A correction was never published and that's no surprise. But the error was a good one in that a lot of new residents got to learn more about the City's recent history and many of the past mistakes and bad decisions that were made. And. . . tomorrow is Monday, so that means it's Lake Worth's special day again!]

If you didn't know, Lake Worth is one of the six special cities in Palm Beach County, according to The Palm Beach Post. Every Monday from now on, each and every week, our City will be featured and other cities like Palm Springs, the Great Walled City of Atlantis, and Lantana will not. Why? Because we're very special for some reason.
The other special cities are Jupiter, Wellington, Boynton Beach, Palm Beach Gardens, and West Palm Beach.
In the print edition, which you can also read online, there's a factual error which needs a correction. Here is the excerpt:

     "In 2000, former City Manager Susan Stanton switched pension plans to save the city money, moving from a 20-year plan to a 30-year program. Workers say this was done without negotiating with the unions."

In 2000, 'Susan Stanton' was then known as Steve Stanton and hadn't undergone a sex change as yet. Stanton's tenure as the city manager only lasted 953 days in Lake Worth after being fired in December 2011 (in 2000 Stanton was probably still in Largo, FL). You can read about that and also learn more about the City's current city manager, Michael Bornstein using this link and an excerpt from a post from last December on this blog:

     "Today (12/23/15) marks 1,346 days since City Manager Michael Bornstein was hired on April 16, 2012. There is nothing significant about 3 years, 8 months, and 7 days except as a matter of perspective. The previous city manager, Susan Stanton, was fired on December 6, 2011 after 953 days on the job."

Hope that clears things up. Also note the recent union negotiations are another mess the current majority on the City Commission has to fix. It will take many more years to fix all the problems created by "The Best Commission Ever!"* led by Stanton.

If you happen to be a resident of Lantana, Greenacres, Palm Springs, or any other city that's not as special as Lake Worth and you're curious why, well, a lot of other people are also very curious. Seriously, how many times does the Post need to publish the phone number for the Parks Department?

If you have something you would like to share from the City of Lake Worth, suburban Lake Worth (unincorporated County), the Lake Worth Corridor, or Greenacres here is how you contact the Post reporter, Kevin Thompson:
Email: kthompson@pbpost.com
561-820-4573
Twitter: @kevindthompson1

*"The Best Commission Ever!" (or BCE for short) was the mantra by the sycophants during the Stanton era who ignored all the bad decisions being made and the consequences to come. For example, there is the failed Casino plan, unused Community Block Grant money, gutting of code enforcement, and many other terrible decisions as well.

The Tropical Ridge neighborhood meeting is tomorrow (Monday) at the Lake Worth Towers*

"Greeting Friends and Neighbors of Tropical Ridge Neighborhood Association (TRNA):

Our May meeting will be held on Monday, May 2nd, 7:00 pm., at the Lake Worth Towers, 1500 Lucerne Ave.

We will be discussing the rejuvenation/cleanup of TRNA's Fitness Park (and surrounding area) proposed for May 21st. Our guest speaker will be Darrin Engel who will tell us about Bryant Park's Derby Day Celebration.

Hope you can join us Monday.
 
Carolyn"

*About the TRNA:
The mission is to educate ourselves on matters of concern and interest to the people who live and work here.
Boundaries: The boundaries include the area from the east side of I-95 to the west side of Dixie Highway and from the south side of Lucerne Avenue to the south side of 10th Avenue North.
Membership: Everyone is welcome to attend meetings. Membership is open to all residents, property owners and licensed business owners within the neighborhood boundaries. We share more than simple geography; this is the special place we are proud to call home.

The 3rd Sea Level Rise Summit: May 3rd–5th in Ft. Lauderdale (and how many feet above sea level is Lake Worth City Hall?)

The last sea level rise summit in Key West, if you didn't know, was attended by our Lake Worth Vice Mayor Scott Maxwell and commissioners Ryan Maier and Chris McVoy. The presentation given at the City Commission meeting about that summit by Maier and McVoy didn't go very well. You can read all about that using this link.

Hopefully the next presentation given to the citizenry will be much better next time if any elected's from Lake Worth attend. Below is what the vice mayor took away from the summit in Key West:
If you want to attend the next summit in Ft. Lauderdale below is more information:

"On Day 1 we examine the science and impacts with experts from NASA JPL, NOAA, FWS and USF. Days 2 and 3 convene decision-makers and industry professionals to discuss public policy and private adaptation efforts."

Here is the link to see the full agenda and they're also promoting the summit on Twitter too:
There's no need to pack up and move if you live in Lake Worth any time soon. City Hall is about 16′ above sea level. Hopefully all of our elected's can concentrate on other things like the City's street lighting and fixing the roads to name just two.

Is your cat on a vegan diet? Have you ever been struck with the skull of a long-dead predator?

The bullet list below is from Facebook. The last item is quite satirically humorous. Enjoy!

"while I'm here:
  • aspartame does not give you cancer
  • gluten is not bad for you if you're not allergic/don't have celiac disease
  • superfoods aren't real, they're just healthy things with maybe some nicer levels of certain vitamins
  • vaccines do not cause autism or really anything else and the chemicals present in them that typically scare you are in such minute amounts that they do precisely ****-all in you body (we're talking scales of one part per million)
  • you cannot do a cleanse or diet to "rid your body of toxins," your kidneys and liver have that covered
  • GMO foods will not kill you; most genetic crop modification just makes our crops hardier and produce more food (and genetic modification doesn't inject more chemicals into your food, it's just minor altering of DNA that is made of the exact same stuff your DNA is made from)
  • if you feed your cat a vegan diet I will personally come to your home with the skull of a long-dead predator, point out the shape of it's jaw and teeth as indicators of predatory feeding habits, and then beat you with it"
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