FLORIDA DIGEST February 12, 2007

**IF YOU CAN'T ACCESS THE FULL ARTICLE, CONTACT US ATrays.list@comcast.net and we'll be happy to send the full article.

=

The New York Times

http://travel.nytimes.com/2007/02/11/travel/11miami.html?pagewanted=print

February 11, 2007

Is South Beach Growing Up?
By MARK BITTMAN

THE sheer scale of the Restaurant at the Setai — South Beach's most opulentdining spot, and perhaps one of the most interestingly and arguablyperfectly designed restaurants in the world — is astounding. An enormouscourtyard is dominated by a huge reflecting pool, and there are 20-footceilings, domes of 500 tightly grouped roses and an elaborate array ofmaterials used to build the minimalist but intricate walls and floors:pressed metal, carved wood, imported antique brick, slate, stone, tile andfabric. Down the hall is a strikingly long bar, whose top is
mother-of-pearl.

Once you settle back into your chair, and the appetizers (which start at$20) are delivered to your precisely set table, the sticker shock may setin. You may also look around and be impressed, as I was, by the fact thatEveryone Is More Beautiful Than You. This is what happens when you eat amongglobe-trotters, who seem to compose much of the haute dining crowd on MiamiBeach.

Even without the gambling, South Beach is on the verge of becoming the Vegasby the Ocean, drawing millions of design dollars and brand-name chefs fromall over the world to create some of the priciest restaurants in thecountry, many of which have opened just this season. When the local paperruns stories about Christian Delouvrier (late of Ducasse at the Essex Housein Manhattan), Govind Armstrong (of Table 8 in Los Angeles), and DavidBouley (of three TriBeCa establishments, and among the three or four mostrespected indigenous American chefs) you know Miami has become one ofAmerica's food towns.



=

The Sun-Sentinel

http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/local/southflorida/sfl-cpedssafety12feb12,0,3775140,print.story

Success in reversing pedestrian deaths in Broward has been elusive

High-tech signals, strict enforcement offer some hope
By Angel Streeter
South Florida Sun-Sentinel

February 12, 2007

Shortly after 2 on a Sunday morning, a man walked out of a Wilton Manorsnightclub and was struck by a truck as he crossed Wilton Drive.

City officials feared there would be other accidents as the thrivingdowntown -- with a mix of boutiques, restaurants and nightclubs -- attractedmore foot traffic along a four-lane highway.

So began their lobbying effort to get the Florida Department ofTransportation to narrow Wilton Drive, a state road, from four to two lanesand extend medians and sidewalks. If that doesn't pan out, the city will addcrosswalks that light up when drivers approach.


=

The Miami Herald

http://www.miami.com/mld/miamiherald/16678547.htm

Posted on Mon, Feb. 12, 2007

STREETWISE

Everglades Skyway concept has broad support

BY LARRY LEBOWITZ
llebowitz@MiamiHerald.com

It is, on its face, a highly unusual coalition: hard-coreenvironmentalists arm-in-arm with tourism boosters and the developmentinterests that dominate most chambers of commerce.

But the Everglades Skyway isn't your garden-variety transportationpipe dream: replacing 11 miles of Tamiami Trail from just west of KromeAvenue to an area near the ValuJet crash site memorial with a signaturebridge -- and a view unlike any other.

''You have to admit it, it's a pretty rare day when the environmentalcommunity is banding together with the business community, the chambers ofcommerce, to promote a road project or a bridge,'' said Jonathan Ullman ofthe Sierra Club and the brains behind the Build the Skyway coalition. ``Butthat's what's happening here.''



=


The Sun-Sentinel

http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/opinion/sfl-12forum13feb12,0,5105215,print.story?coll=sfla-news-opinion

FREE EXPRESSION

Stand up for peaceable speech
By Tane S. Danger

February 12, 2007


As a former student at Hollywood Hills High School, I've followed theConfederate flag debate from a distance, but with a knowing disappointment.

One group circulated a petition urging the school's administration to banthe display of Confederate paraphernalia on clothing, the same way they bangang symbols. A second petition urged the school to continue the currentpolicy and allow students to display the flag.

The petitions were both getting large numbers of signatures and creatingquite a buzz -- until Principal Joyce Ferguson halted them.

The administration may have swept the tempest under the rug, but I'll betit's still raging under there. Driving students out of the public forum andinto the alleys behind the lunchroom shouldn't be how we react to toughissues.



=

The Sun-Sentinel

http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/local/broward/sfl-cdarwin12feb12,0,2245851,print.story?coll=sfla-news-broward

Atheists celebrate life of Darwin

Evolutionist's work the focus of party
By Georgia East
South Florida Sun-Sentinel

February 12, 2007

DAVIE · It was a birthday party for a guest of honor everyone knew wouldn'tshow up.

After all, Charles Darwin would have turned 198 today. But that didn't stopa group of Broward atheists and others from gathering to celebrate the lifeof one of the foremost experts on evolution with some chocolate cake andmusic.

About 75 people came out to Flamingo Gardens for the six-hour party andworkshop, where various speakers expounded on Darwin's theories with slidepresentations, songs and some debate.

In a crowd filled with people ages 3 to 80, some said they came out to theparty sponsored by the Center for Inquiry and the Atheists of Broward Countyto hear more and mingle with others who have an open mind about Darwinism.



=

The Miami Herald

http://www.miami.com/mld/miamiherald/news/state/16678548.htm?template=contentModules/printstory.jsp

Posted on Mon, Feb. 12, 2007


FLORIDA LEGISLATURE
'Morning-after pill' for rape victims urged

State lawmakers will consider a bill requiring doctors andnurses to offer the so-called ''morning-after pill'' to rape victims.
BY BETH REINHARD
breinhard@MiamiHerald.com

The well-publicized case of a Tampa rape victim who was deniedemergency birth control exposes a little-known fault line in Florida'streatment of sexual assault: Whether a victim gets medication to preventpregnancy depends on where she ends up after the attack.

Rape victims treated at hospitals instead of specialized crisiscenters frequently are not offered emergency contraception, advocates say,even though it has been available over the counter at major drugstores sincelast year. In the state-recommended forensic exam after a sexual assault,offering the medication is optional.

But outrage over the Tampa case could give momentum to a billfiled by two South Florida lawmakers demanding that doctors and nurses makeemergency birth control available to rape victims.



=

The Sun-Sentinel

http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/local/southflorida/sfl-ppedssafety12feb12,0,7370431,print.story

High-tech signals, strict enforcement offer some hope for Palm Beach Countywalkers

By Angel Streeter
South Florida Sun-Sentinel

February 12, 2007



Highland Beach · Drivers beware. Yield to pedestrians or face theconsequences: a $118 ticket and three points against your license.

It's not an idle threat. In this coastal town, police officers daily stakeout crosswalks to snag drivers who don't follow the law. In 11 months, thePolice Department issued 160 warnings and 132 citations to drivers notstopping for pedestrians at crosswalks.

"I would stand in a crosswalk in uniform and vehicles would not stop," saidHighland Beach Police Chief Glenn Goss.

For years, transportation officials have tried to protect pedestrians wherecars are king. But Palm Beach County regularly ranks among the top fivecounties with the highest pedestrian deaths in the state, along with Browardand Miami-Dade. Florida has the highest pedestrian fatality rate in thenation.


=


Wine Tasting Benefit on Thursday - RSVP ASAP


Naked Grape Hosts Wine Tasting Benefit for MHA Broward

The Naked Grape Wine Co. will host a wine tasting from 7 to 9 PM onThursday, February 15, 2007. Proceeds from the event will go to support themany programs of the nonprofit Mental Health Association of Broward County.The Naked Grape Wine Co. is located at 2039 Wilton Drive in Wilton Manors,which is across the street from Hagen Park. Tickets are $20.00.

The event is open to the public; however, space is limited. To RSVP andpurchase tickets, call the Naked Grape Wine Co. at 954-563-5631 or stop bythe store in advance of the event. Organizers expect the event to sell out.For more information about the Mental Health Association, go online towww.mhabroward.org. For information about The Naked Grape Wine Co. go onlineto www.nakedgrapewineco.com.



[ Send your comments about any of the articles in Ray's List Digest toRays.List@Comcast.net]

#####