| April, 2011

The Fourth Question

Posted on 21 April 2011 by LeslieM

During the Passover Seder, there is a part that is usually reserved for the youngest person in attendance. It is known as The Four Questions. Why is this night different from all other nights of the year?

Most are familiar with the first of the questions asked pertaining to why we eat only matzah; but it is the fourth question that I wish to focus on today. The fourth question asks why on this night we all eat reclining. In our Haggadoth, many of us read the response as “To recline at mealtimes in ancient days was the sign of a free man. On this night of Passover, we demonstrate our sense of complete freedom by reclining during our repast.” But let me ask you something, which way do you lean? Do you lean to the left or do you lean to the right? And, exactly how far do you lean?

I posed these questions at one of the Seders and someone who was trying to be funny attempted to show just how far they could lean to one particular side. Do you know what happened? That’s right, (or maybe I should say, that’s left), they fell off their chair and wound up down on the floor.

Somebody chided that the reason the person had fallen was that they leaned to the wrong side. And to prove the point, this other person leaned himself all the way to the opposite side. And guess what? That’s right; he wound up falling off his chair as well.

So let me give you another way of looking at the question ‘Why do we recline?’ When you hear the word recline, you might envision your favorite chair … you know, one of those soft, comfy recliners. Those chairs are meant to make you comfortable. But if you think about it, Archie Bunker had his favorite chair and G-d forbid anyone else ever try and make themselves comfortable by sitting in it.

Archie was worried about his comfort, not anyone else’s. He didn’t care what he said that hurt others. He looked down on anyone who was different from him. He disliked anyone who viewed the world differently. He even felt his wife was so subservient that, in his mind, it was okay to refer to her as ‘dingbat.’

Let me get back on track and focus on the word ‘recline.’ In the dictionary, it says, “To cause or permit to incline backwards.” Let me be the first to tell you that there is a big difference between CAUSING someone to lean over backwards and PERMITTING them to do so.

Causing someone to lean over backwards is a form of slavery. Permitting one to do so is a form of freedom. On Passover, we are supposed to feel as though we, personally, were freed from slavery. So this year, stop causing yourself to be enslaved by leaning too far to the right or the left. This year, permit yourself to look at things from a different angle. Perhaps, it will open up a whole new world for you and give you a greater sense of freedom than you have had in a very long time.

Shalom My Friends,

Rabbi Craig H. Ezring

 

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Neighborhood candy man molests Pompano boy

Posted on 21 April 2011 by LeslieM

A 31-year-old man who sells candy to neighborhood children has been charged with molesting a boy who was 12 when the abuse began.

Detectives from the Broward Sheriff’s Office Special Victims Unit say Wadenby Beauvais befriended the child’s family and began hugging and touching the boy inappropriately around mid- 2009. The touching progressed to sexual abuse that happened in the child’s home, the suspect’s home and the van from which Beauvais sold candy to children and teens in the apartment complex where he lived.

Beauvais was arrested Tuesday and charged with four counts of lewd and lascivious battery on a victim under 16. Detectives say it’s possible there are other victims.

To report possible sexual abuse by Beauvais, contact BSO Detective Julie Bower at (954) 321-4240 or anonymously report information to Crime Stoppers of Broward County at (954) 493-TIPS (8477) or online at www.browardcrimestoppers.org.

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FPL begins removing overhead lines in Deerfield

Posted on 21 April 2011 by LeslieM

On April 20,  FPL began to remove electrical poles and wires along Hillsboro Boulevard, which were previously de-energized as part of the Hillsboro Boulevard Streetscape project. Overnight work by FPL crews will continue over the next several weeks, with this portion expected to be complete by May 20, 2011. This phase is proceeding during evening hours to lessen the impact on traffic in the busy corridor. Work on Hillsboro Boulevard will commence at the A1A intersection and proceed west to the Federal Highway intersection. There will be temporary lane closures associated with this work. For more information about the project, call the Community Redevelopment Agency at 954-480-4263 or the Environmental Services Director at 954-770-4246.

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Crime Watch

Posted on 20 April 2011 by LeslieM

DEERFIELD BEACH

April 11 A home on North Ocean Drive was burglarized and jewelry, crystals and a fabricated egg worth $17,500 were stolen.

April 11 Unknown person smashed the driver’s window of a car and stole a purse with a T-Mobile cell phone, iPod and $1,000.

April 12 A suspect had previously been warned not to fly a motorized gas-powered kite on Deerfield Beaches. On this date, he was caught flying one that landed on the sand and was issued a citation to appear in court.

April 13 Two thieves went into Bellissima Bride and stole $600 worth of hair pieces.

April 13 A suspect led a victim to a residence to sell the victim men’s suits. When the victim exited the car with the suits, the thief got in the man’s car and drove away.

April 14 An apartment on NW 2 Street was burglarized when the front door was pried open and a TV stolen.

April 15 A Toyota was burglarized at 1 E. Sample Rd. and a purse was taken from a smashed window.

April 17 Three Hispanic men from Miami were arrested on burglary charges at Cabin Sports Bar after they attempted to steal $500 from a coin-operated machine. They attempted the same recently at Rosie’s in Pompano Beach and are suspected in other similar crimes.

DEERFIELD– District 4

April 13 Suspect from earlier purse snatching apprehended.Detectives from the Deerfield Beach District and BSO Robbery Unit worked jointly today to swiftly identify and apprehend the suspect in the robbery of an elderly woman’s purse.
BSO has had a large police presence in the Deer Run neighborhood today in pursuit of a robbery suspect.The suspect was charged with Strong Arm Robbery.

BSO is to be commended on their quick work in resolving this crime.

LIGHTHOUSE POINT

April 6 A 2011 GMC Sierra 2500 HD 4WD Onyx was stolen from Sheehan Pontiac.

April 7 Police arrived at a home on NE 39 Street to find a sinking boat. Police responded and used a boon boat to alleviate the issue till the homeowner got home.

April 12 A victim walked into the Lighthouse Point police department to report that someone filed taxes under his Social Security number.

 

 

 

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Deerfield Beach selected for U.S. EPA assistance with Fiscal Health Assessment

Posted on 20 April 2011 by LeslieM

U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator Lisa Jackson announced this month that Deerfield Beach is among 32 communities in 26 states that will receive assistance with tools that can help them get the type of development they want. The City of Deerfield Beach is the only community in Florida to be selected for this opportunity. Under the Sustainable Communities Building Blocks program, the selected communities will get help on a specific development-related challenge as well as explore general sustainable communities strategies. The City of Deerfield Beach requested assistance with an assessment of smart growth strategies, which can help the community become stronger economically and fiscally.”EPA has seen a demand for tools and resources to help communities strengthen their economies, protect human health and the environment, and create more housing and transportation choices at the local level,” said EPA Administrator Lisa P. Jackson. “The Building Blocks program will bring in private-sector experts to train communities to use tools that have been applied successfully in other places, spreading our technical assistance program’s positive effect to our nation’s communities.” 

In consultation with the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) and the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT), EPA selected the 32 communities through a competitive process. Each community chose a specific, proven tool to be the focus of the assistance from a list that included zoning code reviews, walkability assessments, economic and fiscal health assessments, complete streets evaluations, water quality audits, and sustainable design guidelines. The City of Deerfield Beach will receive guidance in using smart growth to produce fiscal and economic health. At an upcoming day-long session with EPA-funded, private-sector experts, the city along with key stakeholders, will explore the selected tool, as well as other ways to make progress toward community goals for environmentally responsible, economically healthy development.

“In this economic climate, the city is looking for new ways to maintain services with a significantly smaller budget,” said Planning and Growth Management Director Gerald Ferguson. “This training will focus on how smart growth can stimulate private investment, provide fiscal stability in times of economic uncertainty, reduce the tax burden, and spur job creation.”

The Building Blocks program is part of the Partnership for Sustainable Communities, a joint effort between EPA, HUD, and DOT to coordinate federal actions on housing, transportation, and environmental protection. This interagency collaboration’s primary goal is to invest federal funding more efficiently in infrastructure, facilities, and services that meet multiple economic, environmental, and community objectives.

Mayor Peggy Noland believes this assistance comes at an essential time for Deerfield Beach. “Across the board, we have to do more with less. This is an opportunity for city leaders to bring together stakeholders from both the private and public sectors, so that we can develop plans for our future.”

In addition to Deerfield Beach, the selected communities are Bemidji, Minnesota; Bluffton, South Carolina; Cambridge, Maryland; Chelmsford, Massachusetts; Dover, New Hampshire; Erie County, New York; Essex, Connecticut; Fitchburg, Wisconsin; Granville, Ohio; Helena, Montana; Hellertown, Pennsylvania; Jersey Shore, Pennsylvania; Kayenta Township, Arizona; Lincoln, Nebraska; McKinney, Texas; Muskegon, Michigan; Nashville/Davidson, Tennessee; Northampton, Massachusetts; Oak Ridge, Tennessee; Oklahoma City, Oklahoma; Portland, Maine; St. Louis, Missouri; Pike’s Peak Council of Governments, Colorado; Ranson, West Virginia; Reedsburg, Wisconsin; Renton, Washington; Rockport, Texas; Shelburne, Vermont; Spencer, North Carolina; Syracuse, New York; and Wichita, Kansas.

EPA received 354 letters of interest requesting assistance through the Building Blocks program. This level of interest shows how many places around the country want to improve their development planning to spur economic development while safeguarding the environment and public health.

The workshop date for Deerfield Beach will be announced in the coming weeks.

More on the Building Blocks program

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Pompano Seafood Festival brings huge crowd

Posted on 16 April 2011 by JLusk


Weekend long, April 15-17, Pompano’s beach on Atlantic Blvd. & A1A is awash with people, seeking good eats and a fun time. The Pompano Seafood Festival has been around for 27 years providing entertainment and great seafood. The Publix Seafood City Food Court had colorful displays filled with not only conch, shrimp, fish and other delicacies from the sea, but also falafel, gyros, Mexican food, turkey legs, roasted corn and more. Bands, such as Sister Hazel and The Guess Who,  performed, their music wafting from those enjo

Music of all types entertained the crowd at the Pompano Seafood fest

ying the food and libations to those dancing on the sand.

Proceeds benefit a huge group of non-profit organizati0ns, everyone from Children Home Society to the Boy Scouts of America. For more information on the festival and the schedule, visit www.pompanoseafoodfestival.com.

See video on ObserverTV.

Story & photo by Rachel Galvin

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Donald J. Trump in Boca Raton

Posted on 16 April 2011 by JLusk

On April 16, Real Estate mogul and TV celeb Donald Trump visited Sanborn Square in Boca Raton to speak at the 3rd Annual Tax Day Rally for the Tea Party. Trump was joined by other guest speakers including Congressman Allen West, Bill Nelson, Adam Hasner and radio personality Joyce Kaufman, who emceed.

Trump is considering running for President in 2012, but he will not make an official announcement yet. “Sometime before June,” he continues to say. But, he had plenty to say at the rally about everything from inflation and gas prices to trade with China and our involvement with Libya. He also seemed to have plenty of support from the large crowd that had gathered.

See Video here: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/21134540/vp/42625344#42625344

Photo and story by Rachel Galvin

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Governor suspends Poitier

Posted on 15 April 2011 by LeslieM

Poitier fights back

By Diane Emeott

As of 5:58 p.m., Thursday, April 14, Governor Rick Scott issued an executive order to suspend Deerfield Beach District 2 commissioner Sylvia Poitier from public office.

“Until a further executive order is issued, or as otherwise provided by law” –she is prohibited from performing any official act, duty, or function of public office, from receiving any pay or allowance, and from being entitled to any privileges of office.

She is charged with four counts of falsifying or avoiding a record, one count of falsifying proceedings – a first degree misdemeanor.

Poitier has said she is not going to resign from office while fighting those charges.

“This community will still continue to stand behind Commissioner Poitier – that’s all I can say at this time,” said her campaign manager and community activist Terry Scott.

On Friday, city officials were in meetings, trying to determine what comes next.

By definition, suspension –“to cause to cease or become inoperative for a time; stop or withhold temporarily”– is less final than being permanently removed from office.

The city has experience with removal from office but not so much with suspension of commissioners.

Following the December 2008 arrests of both former mayor Al Capellini and former District 4 commissioner Steve Gonot on unrelated felony corruption charges, Gonot resigned, Capellini was removed from office by the governor.

 

 

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Gov. Scott suspends Poitier from Deerfield commission

Posted on 14 April 2011 by LeslieM

Deerfield Beach commissioner Sylvia Poitier has been officialy removed from official duties. Late Thursday night, April 14, Gov. Rick Scott issued an executive order suspending Poitier after she was charged with four counts of falsifying or avoiding a record in violation of Florida Statuutes. In addition she is facing one charge of falsifying proceedings.

Poitier turned herself into Broward County Jail on Wednesday, April 14. See previous article here.

See the Governor’s suspension orders including comments from the Broward State ATtorney’s Office by clicking 2011 4 14 EO 11-78 Poitier executive order.

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The Conspirator & Bill Cunningham New York

Posted on 14 April 2011 by LeslieM

By Dave Montalbano

www.AdventuresofCinemaDave

After being involved with box office duds recently, Redford directs his first historical motion picture about the assassination of America’s first Republican president. The Conspirator opens with the murder of President Lincoln by John Wilkes Boothe. After a national manhunt, Boothe was shot in a burning barn and five associates were arrested and put to trial in a military tribunal. This is the most exciting and energetic portion of the movie.

When the court is in session (in candlelight — in a world without electricity) the pace of The Conspirator slows down and becomes a courtroom drama. Union Civil War Veteran Frederick Aiken (James McAvoy) becomes the public defender of Mary Suratt (Robin Wright), proprietor of the bed & breakfast where the assassination was planned. Surratt invokes the 5th Amendment and doesn’t speak to defend herself. While her actions are seen as a presumption of guilt, her motives are maternal; Surratt wants to protect
her daughter Anna  (Evan Rachel Wood) and son, John (Johnny Simmons), a young man implicated because he was friends with John Wilkes Booth.

As Mary Surratt, Robin Wright will be considered for an Oscar. Her stoic actions are only betrayed by the windows of the soul, her eyes. With his work in Atonement and the new X-Men movie being released this summer, James McAvoy will become a household name in the movies. As Aiken, McAvoy is the film’s narrator and masters a transitional performance. Enjoying the wigs, beards and 19th Century clothing, veteran actors Kevin Kline (as Edwin Staton) and Tom Willinkson (as Reverdy Johnson), sink their teeth into character roles. The new generation of ensemble players, Evan Rachel Wood, Alexis Bledel and Justin Long acquit themselves in this fine, but dark, drama.

• On a lighter note, Bill Cunningham New York is a cheerful documentary about a New York fashion photographer. Cunningham contributes to the Sunday edition of the New York Times  by photographing strangers on the street and noting the clothes they are wearing. From his randomly taken photographs, Cunningham and his assistants review patterns, trends and fads while fashion moguls like Anna Wintour, Annette De La Renta and Mrs. Vincent Astor are interviewed.

• And finally, the last local festival of the season –Downtown Boca Film Festival—held in Boca and Delray, concludes this weekend. For tickets and information, visit www.dbff.us.

 

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