Historic Miami Beach theater could get a second act

The business of photography and filmmaking in South Florida is a fraction of what it used to be. So what is a South Beach studio owner to do?

That's the question that has hung over Eugene Rodriguez for years, only now he may have an answer: Keep the studio, but add an entertainment venue.

Losing money on the historic Paris Theater, Rodriguez is about to set off on a scouting and recruiting mission in Europe, looking for talent to come to Miami Beach and turn the film and photography studio into a one-of-a-kind, weekend nights hot spot.

``The idea is to create a really great destination for people who want to be entertained not only by what they're seeing, but by what is around them as well,'' Rodriguez said Dec. 16, one day after receiving the go-ahead from Miami Beach's Planning Board to pursue his concept for a theater and lounge. Rodriguez needed board approval because he wants to serve alcohol.

Rodriguez said he isn't replacing the Paris Theater's daytime operations as a studio, but is adding a new, night-time component to supplement declining business from the photo and movie market, which he said is ``wiped out.''

Paris Theater has previously been operated as a nightclub, but Rodriguez stresses that he's not creating a DJ-driven dancehall.

He said he plans only minor renovations, and the segmented studios in the building will be opened up to create one lounge and theater area.

``Right now we have furniture changes, props, and sets. Basically, it's going to be a studio as it is now,'' he said. ``When Ralph Lauren comes in now, we change sets. It's the same thing we always do, except all of the sudden there's an audience sitting in the middle of it.''

His project is still in its infancy, but ideas swirl in his head.

Rodriguez talks about establishing a creative entertainment venue inside the 26,000-square-foot, historic 1935 building, which he purchased in 1992 for just under $1 million in order to create a studio for the film and photo industry.

Since then, artists from Madonna, to U2, to the Red Hot Chili Peppers have used the studio, an aspect Rodriguez hopes will add to the energy and allure of the venue.

Rodriguez says international performers could come for a three-month stint, or entertainment could consist of 15 to 20-minute vignettes. Celebrity chefs may come for a stay and the theater's big screen may be unfurled as eye candy.

He still plans to open for special events, which in the past have included fashion shows and poker nights.

With about 10 months before the next tourist season begins, Rodriguez says his main focus is getting the word out about his new project and recruiting talent. He said he leaves Christmas Day for a trip to London and Paris, and later to New York.

``From now until September it's all about coming up with ideas,'' he said, ``and seeing what's out there and seeing what's coming our way.''

The Conservative Renaissance is Here

First, I must measure up the statute title as it looks to propose a nefarious collusion between the rules about which this article is designed, which is neither the lawsuit nor my intent. I will support the title, however, on the evidence that the evident ensnarement of Rahm Emanuel is all the indicant needed to reason that, as accidental as the scene of the trap may have got got been, it yielded the same consequences of one who would have intentionally put it.

Rush Limbaugh brought the house down at the CPAC convention on Saturday, something I am benchmarking as the beginning of the Conservative Renaissance, and the death of broad laterality in the early 21st century. Oddly enough, I also applauded the election of Michael Sir Richrd Steele to RNC Chair a few hebdomads ago, and as fate would have got got it, he and Haste have go embroiled in a spot of a tiff. What a delectation for the chief watercourse mass media who have got made a bungalow industry out of misquoting Limbaugh for personal gain.

Michael Sir Richrd Steele was being interviewed by CNN's D.L. Hughley on Saturday nighttime shortly after Limbaugh's address to CPAC. During one exchange, Sir Richrd Steele referred to Rush's show as "incendiary and ugly", something that begot an divine response from the radiocommunication host on today's show. Michael Sir Richrd Steele was speedy to rectify himself, saying that he said something he didn't mean. To be honest, I am usually disbelieving when person kicks of being taken out of context, but I believe Sir Richrd Steele in this instance.

The problem, however, is the ground that he said what he said at all, and that was made abundantly clear in Limbaugh's tirade. Michael Sir Richrd Sir Richrd Steele establish himself in a place with Hughley that - in Steele's mind, at least - compelled him to act in precisely the mode of which Limbaugh kicks where alleged conservativists are concerned; he briefly abandoned unity for the interest of appearing to understand the left's contempt for Limbaugh.

This have got go an unconscious wont amongst conservativists who for too long have felt inferior to - and therefore in demand of - a degree of credence from the left. What Limbaugh have got been trying for quite some to clip to acquire across is our ability to lift up and fight, and blessing and credence by the resistance be damned.

Make no mistake, progressives are the resistance and they have been stepping on our pharynxes for much too long. They railing on about Limbaugh's wishing for Obama's docket to fail, yet they predicted, hoped for, and ultimately claimed that President Shrub had failed. At least Limbaugh is honorable about it, even as the mass media deliberately falsifies his words.

The reaction of the crowd at the CPAC address was heartening. Steele's hastiness in apologizing is also encouraging. The lone thing that tin maintain us down this clip is for the Obama disposal to suddenly co-opt our philosophy. I am not worried in the least about that ever happening.

The Conservative Renaissance is Here

First, I must measure up the statute title as it looks to propose a nefarious collusion between the rules about which this article is designed, which is neither the lawsuit nor my intent. I will support the title, however, on the evidence that the evident ensnarement of Rahm Emanuel is all the indicant needed to reason that, as accidental as the scene of the trap may have got got been, it yielded the same consequences of one who would have intentionally put it.

Rush Limbaugh brought the house down at the CPAC convention on Saturday, something I am benchmarking as the beginning of the Conservative Renaissance, and the death of broad laterality in the early 21st century. Oddly enough, I also applauded the election of Michael Sir Richrd Steele to RNC Chair a few hebdomads ago, and as fate would have got got it, he and Haste have go embroiled in a spot of a tiff. What a delectation for the chief watercourse mass media who have got made a bungalow industry out of misquoting Limbaugh for personal gain.

Michael Sir Richrd Steele was being interviewed by CNN's D.L. Hughley on Saturday nighttime shortly after Limbaugh's address to CPAC. During one exchange, Sir Richrd Steele referred to Rush's show as "incendiary and ugly", something that begot an divine response from the radiocommunication host on today's show. Michael Sir Richrd Steele was speedy to rectify himself, saying that he said something he didn't mean. To be honest, I am usually disbelieving when person kicks of being taken out of context, but I believe Sir Richrd Steele in this instance.

The problem, however, is the ground that he said what he said at all, and that was made abundantly clear in Limbaugh's tirade. Michael Sir Richrd Sir Richrd Steele establish himself in a place with Hughley that - in Steele's mind, at least - compelled him to act in precisely the mode of which Limbaugh kicks where alleged conservativists are concerned; he briefly abandoned unity for the interest of appearing to understand the left's contempt for Limbaugh.

This have got go an unconscious wont amongst conservativists who for too long have felt inferior to - and therefore in demand of - a degree of credence from the left. What Limbaugh have got been trying for quite some to clip to acquire across is our ability to lift up and fight, and blessing and credence by the resistance be damned.

Make no mistake, progressives are the resistance and they have been stepping on our pharynxes for much too long. They railing on about Limbaugh's wishing for Obama's docket to fail, yet they predicted, hoped for, and ultimately claimed that President Shrub had failed. At least Limbaugh is honorable about it, even as the mass media deliberately falsifies his words.

The reaction of the crowd at the CPAC address was heartening. Steele's hastiness in apologizing is also encouraging. The lone thing that tin maintain us down this clip is for the Obama disposal to suddenly co-opt our philosophy. I am not worried in the least about that ever happening.

Poverty - Who Are the Poor?

After the Katrina catastrophe more people talked about the mediocre and of course of study the authorities and large concern would love to maintain the Numbers low as possible on just how many mediocre there are. This is to do things look better than they really are. In respective news narratives I've heard respective different numbers: between 35 million to 50 million mediocre in the U.S. Last year, 1.1 million more than people joined the ranks of the poor, that is up by 12.7% from 2004. Person even said, if you had a room-full of economic experts you could acquire almost as many Numbers and what defines person as mediocre as there are economists. National statistics states anyone devising roughly $10,000 or less is poor. Who can dwell on so little?

Here is how I define poor: Anyone not making at least a Living Wage is poor. So, what is a Living Wage? Here are the classes and Numbers I utilize to demo monthly expenses: (Keep in mind, the cost of life is not all the same across the U.S. These are only general figs to supply an illustration here.)

Rent $795, Food $550, Clothing $90, Toiletry $30, Telephone $45, Transportation System $95, Checkup $85, Education $80, Retirement $250, Emergency Savings $200, Taxes $580 – for a sum monthly income of $2,800. These Numbers are based on numerous conversations with a big figure of people I have got worked with, met in java houses or online, on the autobus and anywhere else I would ran into someone.

How did I come up by these categories? Simple. Nothing on the listing is extravagance, all of them are necessary. I don't believe the basics: rent, food, clothing, toiletry can be disputed because we all usage them. As for the telephone and transportation, they are both necessary to maintaining a job. As more than than employers cut down employee benefits, the cost of things like medical disbursals displacement into the custody of the individual employee and is therefor included in this list.

We have got all heard the news about societal security and the demand for people to salvage more of their ain money, so a retirement class was added. Since we never cognize when we might go unemployed and current recommendation by fiscal advisor's is that we salvage up for 12 calendar months of unemployment or what if we confront unexpected medical disbursals which, which is the ground for the exigency nest egg fund. Lastly, the taxations are in this listing because we don't have got a pick in whether or not we can pay income taxes. That conveys it to a annual sum just under $35,000 a year. Not a batch to inquire for in a Living Wage.

You might inquire yourself at this point, so why aren't employers paying a Living Wage? Profits. Pure and simple, it is the greed of those at the top of big corporations, keeping reward low. Companies like McDonalds and WalMart have got lobbyist to maintain the lower limit pay from being raised above the poorness degree just to maintain their net income growing. So, it is up to you to raise your voice if you experience differently, or the figure of mediocre volition only increase and we will go a 3rd human race state leading in poverty.

Sound far fetched? Not at all when you look at the definition of a 3rd human race state which is one that importations more than it exports and it can not pay it's debt to the world. That's where we are at right now. So, believe again, then make something about it, or a state like People'S Republic Of China may just demand payment on our debts and you may just have got to larn what's in those small redness books. Can you say, Mao!

Poverty - Who Are the Poor?

After the Katrina catastrophe more people talked about the mediocre and of course of study the authorities and large concern would love to maintain the Numbers low as possible on just how many mediocre there are. This is to do things look better than they really are. In respective news narratives I've heard respective different numbers: between 35 million to 50 million mediocre in the U.S. Last year, 1.1 million more than people joined the ranks of the poor, that is up by 12.7% from 2004. Person even said, if you had a room-full of economic experts you could acquire almost as many Numbers and what defines person as mediocre as there are economists. National statistics states anyone devising roughly $10,000 or less is poor. Who can dwell on so little?

Here is how I define poor: Anyone not making at least a Living Wage is poor. So, what is a Living Wage? Here are the classes and Numbers I utilize to demo monthly expenses: (Keep in mind, the cost of life is not all the same across the U.S. These are only general figs to supply an illustration here.)

Rent $795, Food $550, Clothing $90, Toiletry $30, Telephone $45, Transportation System $95, Checkup $85, Education $80, Retirement $250, Emergency Savings $200, Taxes $580 – for a sum monthly income of $2,800. These Numbers are based on numerous conversations with a big figure of people I have got worked with, met in java houses or online, on the autobus and anywhere else I would ran into someone.

How did I come up by these categories? Simple. Nothing on the listing is extravagance, all of them are necessary. I don't believe the basics: rent, food, clothing, toiletry can be disputed because we all usage them. As for the telephone and transportation, they are both necessary to maintaining a job. As more than than employers cut down employee benefits, the cost of things like medical disbursals displacement into the custody of the individual employee and is therefor included in this list.

We have got all heard the news about societal security and the demand for people to salvage more of their ain money, so a retirement class was added. Since we never cognize when we might go unemployed and current recommendation by fiscal advisor's is that we salvage up for 12 calendar months of unemployment or what if we confront unexpected medical disbursals which, which is the ground for the exigency nest egg fund. Lastly, the taxations are in this listing because we don't have got a pick in whether or not we can pay income taxes. That conveys it to a annual sum just under $35,000 a year. Not a batch to inquire for in a Living Wage.

You might inquire yourself at this point, so why aren't employers paying a Living Wage? Profits. Pure and simple, it is the greed of those at the top of big corporations, keeping reward low. Companies like McDonalds and WalMart have got lobbyist to maintain the lower limit pay from being raised above the poorness degree just to maintain their net income growing. So, it is up to you to raise your voice if you experience differently, or the figure of mediocre volition only increase and we will go a 3rd human race state leading in poverty.

Sound far fetched? Not at all when you look at the definition of a 3rd human race state which is one that importations more than it exports and it can not pay it's debt to the world. That's where we are at right now. So, believe again, then make something about it, or a state like People'S Republic Of China may just demand payment on our debts and you may just have got to larn what's in those small redness books. Can you say, Mao!

Quit Your Complaining! Please

OK modern times are tough, admitted. We listen to the Judgment Day studies on the day-to-day news, everyone is talking about it. Some folks are pulling money out of the depository financial institution and squirreling it away. Others throw on hoping the newly elected president is going to moving ridge his magic wand and set an end to the worry.

If you clear your head enough from the outpouring of bad news for a couple of proceedings and recognize that there are two sides to every narrative (but the other side doesn't sell newspapers), you will recognize that there is hope for you yet. Let's research the other side, shall we?

*When Iodine was a child gas was about 50 cents a gallon, and it was better gas too!

Yes, but your auto only got 10 statute miles to the gallon and it had no safety features, except a lap strap to maybe maintain your dead organic structure with the car.

* Bread was only 25 cents a loaf of breadstuff back in the day.

They advertised that it helped your organic structure turn about a twelve ways but turns out it had zero nutrition.

*You never had a fearfulness of losing your job, you could work in one topographic point forever.

They didn't pay much, that's wherefore bread was 25 cents and gas was 50 cents.

* The terms at the large box supplies are even getting out of manus these days.

Start supporting your neighbours by shopping local so you will maintain them from going out of business, and turning those large box supplies into monopolies.

*once upon a clip you could purchase a place for $30,000.00

That same place sells for $250,000.00+ today. Nice profit!

*The grocery shop store terms are killing me.

Eat out once in a while; if you remain away from the fanciest restaurants, it can actually be cheaper than making the same repast at home, and you might maintain another neighbour from shutting their business.

I won't beat out a dead Equus caballus any longer. All Iodine inquire is that you happen a ground to smile! It's not alteration that's devising you fear, its likely fearfulness of change that's devising you nervous.

Be willing measure out of the box and make something different for a while. It's our ability to accommodate that beef ups us and do us better prepared for what come ups our way. If you're not stepping out of your comfortableness zone and doing something new each day, then you are not going to be ready when alteration is forced upon you. If things aren't changing then beware, the human race have stopped turning.

I assure you that the glass is half full and you're going to be just good (unless you would rather be miserable?).

Matthew Lombardi

Consumers, Not the Government, Have Power to Fix the Economy

When I was immature talking about millions of dollars impressed me. When I was aged talking about billions of dollars aghast me. Now, regular talking about millions of dollars, especially authorities spending, nauseates me. People never look to larn that they command the fate of the American economy.

It is far too easy to fault in bad modern modern times or give thanks in good times Wall Street, the government, or super-rich and powerful fiscal entities. In existent fact it is always the disbursement of money by the general population on consumer merchandises and services, housing, cars, or investings that thrusts the economy. The core job is that the public makes not move in concert to function its ain involvements but, instead, takes its cues from the external human race and sets its trust in the incorrect people and entities.

In other words, besides all the incrimination that rightfully can be heaped on many others for the current recession, it is also true that the public through its dollars drove the state and the human race into the current meltdown, mostly by using far too much borrowing. They got suckered into using easy credit. True, in many cases, they acted on wrong and intentionally deceptive information and were taken advantage of. But so much of this consumer behaviour was driven by greed or stupidity. Assurance was placed in authorities regulation, Congress, mortgage and other fiscal companies, banks, and more than generally in the plutocracy that tallies everything that matters. We had delusional prosperity because most of the population had willingly allow themselves be deluded or manipulated by the powerfulness elites running the authorities and the economy. In essence, consumer powerfulness was usurped or pirated by the worst people in our society.

Here is the most critical fact. Consumers control over two one-thirds of the economical activity of the nation. Long before the current economical meltdown I kept writing about the possible political powerfulness of consumers. To acquire desired authorities actions, billions of consumers could endanger to cut their disbursement in order to acquire actions, like fillet the Republic Of Iraq warfare or impeaching Saint George W. Bush. But without leading consumers just kept adoption and spending, maintaining the delusional prosperity that they themselves propelled. Now they must move to repair things.

Now that the economical meltdown have hit us very, very difficult it is critically of import for people to understand that depending on the usual powerfulness groupings to turn the economic system around is dumb. Thinking that President Obama, United States Congress and assorted federal agencies, in particular, will salvage us is continuing the delusional thought that have been like a chronic disease.

American consumers must understand that literally within years and hebdomads THEY themselves could turn around the economy. I was struck by information from the Federal Soldier Modesty that there is, even after the monstrous economical meltdown, presently a historical amount of hard cash is in depository financial institution and money marketplace accounts, an dumbfounding $8.85 trillion. Look at that figure again. Relative to all the authorities bailouts and likely actions to excite the economy, that figure is remarkable. That thumping amount of hard hard cash (not the value of places and investments) come ups to about $29,000 for every man, adult female and kid in the nation, or roughly $88,000 per household.

Your first idea may be "I don't have got that sort of cash!" In fact, economical inequality have risen terribly in recent years, helped by assorted populace policies, making the flush rich and the rich super-rich (and most of the center social class poorer). This agency that much of this national hard hard cash belongs to a relatively little fraction of the population, perhaps 20 to 30 million people.

No substance how much cash we have, we must set our religion in ourselves more than than the authorities or the concern and investing sectors to turn the economic system around. The more than hard cash you have, of course, the greater your possible powerfulness to force economical recovery. We often hear about consumer confidence. Whether people are in the temper to pass or whether they have got go too afraid for their personal fiscal security, causing them to pass as small as possible.

To bend the stock marketplace and just about every section of the private sector around, 10 to 20 million Americans must catch their built-in consumer powerfulness and begin disbursement and investment with gusto, from place appliances, computers, cars, clothing, furniture, new homes, travel, and so on.

The stock marketplace would immediately begin to climb up up, retail supplies would halt closing, the automotive sector would restart producing cars, companies would begin rehiring and the news mass media would start pumping out good news that, in turn, would trip still more than consumer assurance and spending. Suddenly, a positive spiral of economical activity replaces the billboard of hard cash that have driven the negative economical spiral.

Think of that figure $8.85 trillion again. Think of it relative to the millions and millions constantly talked about to spur economical recovery through bailouts and other authorities actions, all of which must somehow conduct money into consumers' pockets or do recognition for them more than available. A modest fraction of all that cash, state a quarter, have the economical powerfulness to make more than good than anything the authorities does. Better than all those authorities actions is the absolute certainty that rapid additions in consumer disbursement and investing would definitely drive the economic system upwards. Positive consumer assurance can feed on itself psychologically, go a viral message that shoots the economic system forward, changes by reversal unemployment, make pillory and common finances and, therefore, retirement business relationships more valuable, and so on.

We sure could utilize some national leading that motivates and inspires utilize of consumer power, rather than all the blabbering about what the authorities should or should not do. Americans have got the pick to depend on politicians or to depend on themselves. Either usage YOUR cash-power Oregon stay victims of greed and corruption, as well as the inevitable incompetency of politicians and authorities officials. Consumer powerfulness expects you. The state necessitates it to avoid still more than monolithic federal shortages and adoption and inevitable taxation increases. We the people must make much than vote; we must utilize our dollars to salvage our ain fiscal health. Unless we switch our thought and spend, we will remain in economical Hell for a long time. We with hard cash are the economical stimulation solution we've been waiting for. Economic inequality produced a big Upper Berth Class; they benefitted from many populace policies in recent old age and it is THEM that must begin spending. If we wait for the bulk of Americans to recover fiscal wellness to begin disbursement we will wait A VERY long TIME.