The Lord Taketh and the Lord Giveth: Florida Food & Farm magazine (Spring 2015 Issue)

We're still mourning the loss of an ALWAYS FREE publication here in our little City of Lake Worth but have some very good news for those in the throes of despair!

Keep your eye out for this new free publication that is headquartered right here in Lake Worth called Florida Food & Farm. Here is the Facebook page and here is their web page.

Front cover of Florida Food & Farm.

Back cover of magazine. Many major advertisers have ads, including Chipotle Mexican Grill.

Soon I'll have information on where you can pick up your free copy. Now and then I am going to post some excerpts from articles in Florida Food & Farm from writers such as Chris Felker, Dan Millot, Angie Francalancia and others. 

Share this information with your family and friends. When you pick up a copy make sure you give it to a neighbor when you're finished. 

In the magazine are some local restaurants listed you might recognize:

• Aioli
• The French House
• Mother Earth Sanctuary Café 
• Paradiso Ristorante
• Rustico Italiano
• South Shores Tavern & Patio Bar
• Suri Tapas Bar

Make sure you pick up your copy soon!

The Palm Beach Post: Above the Fold & Below the Fold, priorities askew

Yesterday I attended an event and someone very familiar with the recent upheaval in Tallahassee was there. Several people sat around and the main topic of conversation was the dysfunction in Tallahassee vis-à-vis the House walkout and still no state budget. This is an incredible political story not just statewide but has ramifications all the way to Washington, D.C. (and beyond). This story affects literally everyone in Florida.

The Palm Beach Post acknowledges this in an article by John Kennedy which appears below the fold:

Here is how Wikipedia describes the difference between "Above the Fold" and "Below the Fold":

Above the fold is the upper half of the front page of a newspaper where an important news story or photograph is often located. Papers are often displayed to customers folded so that only the top half of the front page is visible. Thus, an item that is "above the fold" may be one that the editors feel will entice people to buy the paper. Alternatively, it reflects a decision, on the part of the editors, that the article is one of the day's most important.

Here is what the editor(s) of The Palm Beach Post chose as the most important news in Palm Beach County:

This is the actual headline in the print edition of The Palm Beach Post. Not a photoshop. No doubt this story should be on the front page, sans the hysterical headline, but above the fold? Right next to the "LINE OF FIRE" probe of PBSO Sheriff Bradshaw? What kind of message are they trying to send? And to whom?

[Update] Crime Walk today in Lake Worth (and controlling the message)

The Lake Worth Herald has this on the front page this week, above the fold:

     The public is invited to attend a Crime Walk uniting Lake Worth Neighborhoods against crime scheduled for Sunday May 3. Participants will gather in the City Hall parking lot at 4:30 pm. and the walk will begin at 5 pm. City Hall is located at Dixie Highway between Lake Ave. and Lucerne Ave. 
     Tammy Panza, the spark plug of the event , said residents will team up with Palm Beach County Sheriff’s deputies to raise awareness of crime in Lake Worth. The walk will take place on local streets and in alleys in neighborhoods surrounding the area. 
     Panza says, “during the walk, we will discuss our concerns and document the event with pictures and notes. With PBSO and our attentive neighbors “Making the Call,” we hope to make a difference.” 
     There will be another Crime Walk on May 17, same time. Stay tuned for more details.

This is a great effort for the City, the public, and PBSO and everyone knows good-hearted, caring people are organizing this event.

But I am very concerned and here's why. A few days ago Bill DiPaolo at The Palm Beach Post did a story about the Guatemalan community in Jupiter and their concerns about recent events in their community. They had their meeting in a community resource center and maybe we'll hear more about what happened and the result from that meeting in the near future.

When you have a community meeting in a controlled environment you can control the message, and that's important. The stated purpose for the crime walk this Sunday is to unite neighborhoods, raise awareness, and getting the community to make "the call". All laudable and responsible goals.

But all it takes is one person to monkeywrench the entire message. Let's say you have a hundred people and one person carrying the sign below, what picture do you think is going to make it in The Palm Beach Post and the CBS12/WPEC News?

From an earlier protest in Lake Worth.

I support the message but I see too many opportunities for certain people, and everyone knows who I'm talking about, to try and steal the message. I hope I'm wrong. 

My point is this: keep your eyes out, note any unfamiliar faces, make sure everyone is clear what the stated goals are, and keep your message "YOUR MESSAGE". You own it, you created it. Some politically opportunistic people out there will steal it if they have the chance. They're pros; they've been doing this stuff for a long time. 

If everything goes well this week then great and that will bode well for many more crime walks in other parts of the City. If it doesn't go as planned there are many indoor venues that could also be utilized in the future. Either way, indoors or outdoors, it's a great idea and a big "Thank You" to the organizers.

Alexandra Clough and the little City of Lake Worth

"Some residents also erroneously believed a portion of the beach might be sold."

—Excerpt from Alexandra Clough's article in The Palm Beach Post, 4/30/15.

The story by Alexandra Clough finally made the print edition today, in Sunday's 'Business' section. The very first line is this: "The fortunes of Lake Worth’s beachside casino and pool complex are troubled."

She quoted Commissioner Ryan Maier and being a business writer I'm sure she had to check her notes more than a few times to make sure she really heard what she did. Being an elected official and responsible for how tax dollars are used it was enlightening: he has no problem with taxpayers subsidizing the failing Casino and pool. Don't blame me. I didn't vote for him.

Must admit it's a guilty pleasure watching the hysteria in the community. There are a few sentences in the article that the unhinged will hold dear as they wail uncontrollably. "You see! I told you! They're stealing our BEACH!"

Check back in a few days and will have many excerpts from the article. A very good effort by the Post's business writer fairly representing all sides of this very important issue. 

Jonathan Beaton at CBS12/WPEC, despite the Orson Welles impression. . .

Jonathan Beaton does a real good news segment in West Palm Beach about the bike valet service at Sunfest. He's still transitioning from radio to TV news, though. I still remember his first news segment for WPEC; it sounded like a rendition of Orson Welles' War of the Worlds.

Here is the link to the segment and I encourage everyone interested in West Palm Beach's efforts to better integrate walkability and bikeability into their current and future planning to watch.

Here is an excerpt from the text of Jonathan Beaton's news segment:

     CBS 12 found out valet services are being offered for bicyclists, who may now drop their rides off right in front of the festival’s gates, which officials hope will relieve traffic congestion.
     Promoting health, staying green, and keeping traffic moving are just a few of the benefits Teneke James with the West Palm Beach Development Authority touts [emphasis added] with cruising to SunFest on your two-wheeled ride.
     “West Palm Beach is growing. It’s becoming more pedestrian and bike friendly,” said James.
     The free program isn’t new but we’re told it’s catching on fast. Already 4,300 people have taken part in years past.
     It’s a sensible, practical option that officials hope continues to be used to combat our dependency on driving.

You can also read about this at the West Palm Beach Downtown Development Authority. You can see the promotion of a bike valet service is an effort to get the public used to the idea. And a great idea it is. It's free now but eventually a small fee will be added. This is in context with All Aboard Florida service and the Coastal Link after that.

Alert: High Rip Currents Expected ALL DAY TODAY through Evening

Rip Current Statement for Coastal Palm Beach County

COASTAL HAZARD MESSAGE 

NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MIAMI 

COASTAL PALM BEACH-COASTAL BROWARD-COASTAL MIAMI DADE

HIGH RIP CURRENT RISK IN EFFECT FROM SUNDAY MORNING THROUGH SUNDAY EVENING.

IMPACTS...STRENGTHENING ONSHORE WINDS ALONG THE ATLANTIC COAST, ALONG WITH A 1 TO 3 FOOT NORTHEAST SWELL SUNDAY, WILL LEAD TO A HIGH RISK OF RIP CURRENTS ALONG THE ATLANTIC COAST. THE WORSE CONDITIONS ARE EXPECTED DURING THE AFTERNOON AS THE SWELL PEAKS AT THE SAME TIME AS LOW TIDE IN THE MID AFTERNOON.

IF YOU BECOME CAUGHT IN A RIP CURRENT...YELL FOR HELP. REMAIN CALM...DO NOT EXHAUST YOURSELF AND STAY AFLOAT WHILE WAITING FOR HELP. IF YOU HAVE TO SWIM OUT OF A RIP CURRENT...SWIM PARALLEL TO SHORE AND BACK TOWARD THE BEACH WHEN POSSIBLE. DO NOT ATTEMPT TO SWIM DIRECTLY AGAINST A RIP CURRENT AS YOU WILL TIRE QUICKLY.

The Pee and Flush Heard Around the World: IT'S LOUDER IN TEXAS

You are not going to believe this until you watch the video. A councilman in Texas forgets to take his mike off and goes to the bathroom and EVERYBODY HEARS THE WHOLE THING. The pee, the flush, and HE DOESN'T WASH HIS HANDS. This is just too funny:

Press Release, City of Lake Worth: Bryant Park boat ramp & 5th Annual Women 5K Race

     The Fifth Annual Women for Women 5K Race will be held on Saturday May 09, 2015. The City will be closing down the Bryant Park boat ramps on Friday, May 08, 2015 at midnight and will reopen on Saturday May 09, 2015 at 10:00 a.m.
     For any further information on the 5K race or boat ramp closure please contact the Leisure Services Department at 561-586-1600.

Welcome to Bike Month

Lake Worth Critical Mass ride tonight (5/1/15): Had a great time and nice job Corkers!

Getting ready. A couple of minutes before the start. My guess there were between 90 and 100 riders. Huge turnout.

Yours Truly.

On Dixie Hwy, heading north towards Worthmore Drive. The 'corkers' are in charge of keeping traffic away from riders and alerting drivers. Great job tonight!

Making the turn on Worthmore Drive, heading west towards 'A' Street. Only a few people know what the route is, by the way. 

It's about 7:50 now and the sun's setting. The ride ended about 8:40 in the Downtown. The driving public seemed surprised and pleasantly accommodating; it's not something you see every day. Mission accomplished!

It's at times like this when we feel this way...how do you say "Tribune" in Korean?

"Newspaper" in Korean.
신문 sinmun

From Facebook, Margaret Menge's Farewell Pity Party: "Dear Readers of The Lake Worth Tribune"

"I want to thank those of you who have told me over these last few months how much you enjoy the paper, and to let you know, with regret, that I could not make it work as a business, and so have to close up shop.

I began with the the idea, the conviction, that residents of Lake Worth needed more information about their community -- that they were hungry for it, and that they deserved it as citizens and taxpayers.

I tried every week to give you the information that I thought you would want to know, and to present it in a way that was highly readable.

I started with about $15,000 in savings, and took out a loan for $15,000. My father bought $600 worth of stock in the corporation and I assigned stock to an old friend from New York who once gave me $1000 when I was working to start a paper in Key West.

I had a plan. That plan showed us selling enough advertising to cover the expense of printing and distributing a newspaper every week, and a little more. Unfortunately, I faced a number of obstacles. Many of them I expected. I knew going in, for example, what happens when you start publishing a spirited newspaper that shines a light on some things that some people would like to keep hidden. The bullets fly. This is a very good sign and I was cheered by it.

But I didn't expect a sitting city commissioner to go to our downtown businesses and tell them not to advertise in the Tribune. And I didn't expect people to go up and down Dixie Hwy. stealing stacks of newspapers after the chair of a city board encouraged them to do it.

I'm sad for Lake Worth that we have these sorts of people here. This is a wonderful town, in so many ways, and we have so many intelligent and kind people living here.

Speaking of...I had lots of help with the paper. A number of friends helped in a number of ways. I won't soon forget it.

I'm sorry I couldn't keep it going. Lake Worth really does deserve a good newspaper. It's a heck of a town.

Margaret Menge, Editor and Publisher
The Lake Worth Tribune"

[To the top, by request] Tony Doris at The Palm Beach Post: look at what you've wrought!

[This post is from last Tuesday, 4/28. It's the cause of some hilarity in the City because it proves the general level of dysfunction and hysteria that an issue can create, despite all evidence to the contrary. So, without further ado, look at what Tony Doris has wrought...]

Yesterday published a post about a neighborhood meeting in West Palm Beach. You can read that here. Thanks to the hard work by West Palm Beach Commissioner Shanon Materio (and Lake Worth business owner) and many others, people are starting to look at the C-51 Canal in a different way.

The Post reporter Tony Doris was at that meeting and he wrote 6 words, that as soon as I read them, knew a certain unhinged woman with a blog would absolutely lose it. Here are those 6 words Mr. Doris wrote:

coordinating efforts with neighboring Lake Worth

When you combine the following elements, Mr. Doris, you're certain to create unhinged hysteria:

• West Palm Beach
• Lake Worth 
• Coordination
• Shanon Materio

Put those elements in any story and Weetha Peebull's dosage increases, you're happy Lake Worth doesn't have tall buildings, and no one is surprised to see a naked woman running down the street yelling at the top of her lungs.

So, for the edification of Mr. Tony Doris, here is a sample of the unhinged hysteria you created as evidenced on a loony blog here in Lake Worth (this is just a sample; have it from a 3rd party source the comments are nearing 60 and climbing):

Note: West Palm Beach Commissioner Shanon Materio gets mentioned IN THE FIRST SENTENCE!

"Secret meetings"

"Muther Fuc$ers"? So charming isn't it?

How did Jimmy Fallon get mixed up in this?

"Please refrain from personal attacks; I won't let that happen on MY BLOG". Huh?

The "Falkirk Wheel"? Getting a little off topic here?

The Lake Worth CRA, as everyone knows, is a Shadow Government.

Bringing all the facts together and explaining the obvious: Kimberly Mitchell is the Devil!

Digital Domain. NOW I UNDERSTAND! How come I didn't understand this before?

Conspiracy exposed. 

Preview to the "Problems at the Lake Worth Beach" post to come (more research needed)

These are pictures of the crowd that assembled in the Commission Chambers last Tuesday (4/28) for the ITN Selection Committee meeting. Public comment was not allowed during the meeting and those assembled were generally well-behaved.

I'm in the process now of going through the videos I took and summarizing the weaknesses of the beach site plan and places at the beach operations/facilities that need improvement. There has been a reluctance to do this. Perhaps some people don't want the likely finger-pointing at previous City Commissions. The problems there are all our problems now and we really should strive to improve what has continually been referred to as the crown jewel of the city and let the chips fall where they may.

How can we fix the problem if the problem isn't clearly defined?

"The beach" certainly can spark an emotional response. Political opportunists use these sort of issues to rally people, get their attention and then try to maintain that steam over time to determine future elections.

More than a few people have pointed out that if the actual people that attended the meeting on Tuesday night went to the pool or the beach on a regular basis, it would result in a few different outcomes. One is that the city would have more money in its coffers through parking revenue and pool admission fees. And the other is that people would also have a good idea about what is wrong with the property's layout and function, experience it for themselves through unfiltered eyes.

This is only a small example on the first of many issues to explore. There is no relationship or connection between the NEW casino building and the pool.

This picture is of the southwest corner of the Casino building and the northeast corner of the pool deck. Here we have the required ADA ramp connecting the two areas, but I have never seen it used. There is a gate at the top of the ramp that is always closed. People do line up here, behind the gate, and the area on the second level just above here, and look at the pool. You can read people's minds as you see them from the pool and they must be thinking, "Gee, that looks like a nice pool. But, how do you get in? Is it open to the public? What are its hours of operation? Huh, let's get some pizza."

The truth is this: the "new" Casino building was constructed without regard to the pool; like it wasn't even there. Was the original plan to have two entrances, with two people taking entrance fees, and double the coverage for safety issues?

You can also see the staining of the cast stone (the cast stone could have been one of those items that was value-engineered out of the building, but we have it). There is a scupper right above the middle of the column that attempts to eliminate the water from the walkway around the second floor. It's placement makes the staining that you see on the cast stone. It's this way all around the building and it looks terrible. In the picture, you can also see where the paint is peeling from the fence, gate or cage, depending on how you want to refer to it. And this reflects the quality of materials used on the building. This shouldn't be happening to a building that has yet to reach its third anniversary.

I know, the building is susceptible to the effects of salt water. Ludicrous. And I'll also deal with that ridiculous notion.

More to come as I review the video from Tuesday night. In the meantime, if you haven't been to the pool, I encourage you to go.

Job Search and Resume Workshop

The Lake Worth Public Library in cooperation with “Can U Start” is sponsoring a “by appointment only” Job Search and Resume Workshop Wednesday, May 13th. There will be help there for you to put your best “you” forward along with providing job placement services to more than 1000+ readily available jobs. The workshop will be held at the City Hall Annex Building’s Commission Room located at 414 Lake Ave., Lake Worth.

This is a free event. For your appointment, please email “Can U Start” at Yes@CanUStart.com, or call 305-928-8011. Workshop hours are 10 am-11 am, 11 am-12 pm, and 12 pm-1 pm, reserve your spot today!