Wednesday, February 22, 2012

If it ain't broke, break it.


The Town of Surfside is still a nice enough place to live. It encapsulates why people move to South Florida. Essentially they do so on the promise of a lifestyle paved with affordable luxury.


Folk mostly just want to be left alone behind a thick curtain of ficus, a fragile fortress of illusion.


All is fine so long as the maintenance is kept up, so long as our elected leaders look out for our collective best interest, take care of the people's business.


The mandate is status quo, out with the old and in with the new. This means mortgaging the family farm while ignoring fiscal responsibility, disregarding the urgency of frugality.


Concurrently Surfside is now hawked up to its sand dunes in capital improvement costs for the promise a cleaner care-free future, an indeterminate tomorrow that will never arrive for whomever is here later. Those who follow will bear the burden of their own version of progress, i guarantee it.


We today are in the throws of tearing up our otherwise quite streets and replacing all the water and waste systems to the tune of millions and counting. We are using miles of cheap plastic tubing that has a life expectancy of 30 years. Funny when discussing budget approval,no one mentioned externalized costs such as car wash compensation or diminished lung capacity due to yucky air quality in an otherwise really clean place.



Bottom line is we now live in a dirty slow world of diversions, detours, rubble, delays and dust. yet in fairness to the planners the elaborate infrastructure upgrade operation is proceeding marvelously according to neighbors who embrace progress for the sake of a betterment, whatever that means.



Enough said of compliance and complacency. Finally, be sure if you park here, it is no more than 12 inches from the curb or else...


Irony has its signs.


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Sunday, February 19, 2012

Feed the Animals



IN THE VALLEY OF DARKNESS,
SHINE'S A LIGHT SO BRIGHT,
EVEN IF YOU WERE HEARTLESS,
IT WOULD SHOW YOU WRONG FROM RIGHT.
IN TIMES OF WORRY,
IT CAN EASE YOUR PAIN,
ALL YOU MUST DO,
IS BELIEVE..
O'GRIME!


Miami's own O'Grime makes 2Live Crew look like Sunday school.



The Swiffer Picker Uppers, Chris and Robbie of Metro Zu tame the savage beats.

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Monday, February 6, 2012

a final swampy opening

Swampspace Gallery
presents

Last Call Wrecking Ball

a collective retrospective

Join the Community of Design District Artists to Commemorate a Decade of Emergence and Fruition.

Opens February 11, 2012

6-12 pm


Cristina Lei Rodriguez - Wendy Wischer - Nektar De Stagni - Naomi Fisher - Frances Trombly - Jim Drain - COOPER - Leyden Rodriguez- Friends W U - Roberto & Rosario - Bhakti Baxter - Jason Hedges - Daniel Arsham - - Domingo Castillo - Nicolas Lobo - Martin Oppel - Adler Guerrier - Tao Rey - Daniel Newman - David Rohn - OliSan


3821 NE 1 Court Miami Design District

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Saturday, February 4, 2012

305 a Sense of Place




People who want to ride off into the sunset move to South Florida.


Some carbon-footprint conscious types peddle their way towards the sunset on weekends.


The me-firsters are unconcerned about the trail of emissions they leave behind.


The otherwise considerate are all too often in no big hurry to pick up after their doogies.


For some, 305 is a place to get down with the business of resort town trappings.


For a few it is a place of inspiration, no matter how bleek the urbanisation may be.


The swamp is actually a place of spontaneous combustion... or was that a cigabutt from the 33rd floor balcony.


Designed from the top/down on paper towels, Miami is a place best seen from a distance.


Having almost completely defoliated the tropics, experts and other planners are now busy (wink, wink) fixing things.


The rear view mirror tells the tale of a "progress" that is our burden for an indeterminate future that never arrives.



But at least we have places like this Peruvian joint to feast on mounds of fried calamari and beer.

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