Browse: August 2007

Audition to be a bright and friendly face on Plum, the new channel 5 on the Beach. One hint: be yourself. We're in search of the authentic, not canned. Headshot and resume useful but not required.

We'll be at Lummus Park (7th St. and Ocean Drive) on September 10th. Here's the breakdown of audition times, determined by the first letter of your last name:

A - D at 4:00 p.m.

E - J at 4:30 p.m.

K - N at 5:00 p.m.

O - S at 5:30 p.m.

T - Z at 6:00 p.m.

We’ll see you soon!

Ramon Puig is the King of the Guayabera. The Cuban native and longtime Miami resident has been making the classic Cuban shirts for over 60 years and has designed for the likes of Ronald Reagan, George Bush Sr. and Denzel Washington.

The four-pocket guayabera earns its name from the Spanish word Guayaba, meaning fruit. Cuban men traditionally wore the shirts on their way to harvest fruit and used its pockets to tote goods home. Step inside Puig’s world in our video below.

For more info, visit Las Casa de Las Guayaberas, 5840 SW Eighth St, 305-266-9683

> Full coverage

Cardiologist Arthur Agatston, M.D. just might be Miami’s most famous resident. The native New Yorker and third-generation doctor started a diet revolution when he published The South Beach Diet in the mid-90s. We talked to him about eating, exercising and living on South Beach and how it’s all changed in the past 30 years.

Visit SouthBeachDiet.com for more information about Dr. Agatston.

While we’re complaining of the heat here at the beach, things are really heating up in Sun Valley, Idaho. Wildfire is burning much of the area, threatening many structures and lives. Luckily, our Plum family in the valley is faring okay.

It’s the weekend, and even better, it’s a LONG weekend. Here are some highlights, don't forget to check out the calendar for more events.

THURSDAY

You’ve worked hard, why not splurge a bit? Head to the Bentley Hotel for Orangia's fashion preview of its new collection and walk away with a new awareness of global poverty (you knew we’d sneak something educational in there). Make a date for a stress-reducing massage at Grove Isle’s SpaTerre - Miami-Dade and Broward residents enjoy $50 off through October. You can’t forget dinner, we vote for Gnu Restaurant's “Sing-a-long Thursdays,” where Billy Joel, Barry Manilow and the like compliment Caribbean and Italian-inspired dishes.

FRIDAY

Cardiologist Arthur Agatston, M.D., is arguably Miami’s most famous resident. The native New Yorker and third-generation doctor is the author of The South Beach Diet. We talked to him about eating, exercising and living on South Beach and how it’s all changed in the past 30 years.

Visit SouthBeachDiet.com for more information about Dr. Agatston.

> Full coverage

Head’s up photogs and foodies – we’re dishing out more free food! Our Miami Spice reader reviewer contest was such a success we’re coming back for more.

This time we’re looking for fun, fabulous photos (and captions) of you enjoying a good meal on the Beach. The shot can be at any restaurant on the island and the meal doesn’t have to be part of Miami Spice. Only stipulation is that the restaurant must still be in business. Otherwise, it’s up to you.

Send us your pics by Wednesday, Sept 5. We’ll run entries and announce a winner the following week. Good luck!

The Art in Public Places program has been making Miami Beach a more beautiful place to live for over two decades. Created in 1984, the city program has commissioned and installed nearly a dozen outdoor sculptures, monuments and other projects throughout the island. Projects include:

• Roy Lichtenstein’s Mermaid outside the Jackie Gleason Theatre
• Barbara Neija’s Red Sea Road outside City Hall
• Alberto Cimolai’s Art Bridge on Sunset Island II

Check out our video below and step inside the program with Max Sklar, director of tourism and cultural development, and participating artists Jim Morrison (the Julia Tuttle Causeway) and Connie Lloveras (North Shore Park & Youth Circle).

For more information on the Art in Public Places program visit MiamiBeachFl.gov.

The City of Miami Beach established the Art in Public Places program in 1984 to enrich and enhance the public environment. Over two decades later, nearly a dozen sculptures and monuments have been installed throughout South, Mid and North Beach.

We step inside the ongoing project with Max Sklar, director of tourism and cultural development, and participating artists Jim Morrison (the Julia Tuttle Causeway) and Connie Lloveras (North Shore Park & Youth Circle).

> Full coverage

Let’s face it: we spend a lot of time at work. While we look at ways to make our homes a little greener, why not do the same for our work space? This week, Earth Bytes gives a few ways to save energy and money in the office.

• Use natural light whenever possible. It saves on electrical lighting usage and is easier on the eyes.
• Use energy savings settings for power adapters and battery life (if using a laptop).
• Turn PCs, monitors and copiers into sleep mode at the end of the day. Energy costs can fall up to 50 percent.
• Unplug seldomly used equipment. Anything plugged into the wall (phone chargers, scanners, etc) draw energy whether they're in use or not.
• Replace Google with Blackle. The search engine uses an energy-conserving black background to save up to 15 watts of energy on some monitors (varies by monitor type, size and manufacturer).

Hit up sdge.com or treehugger.com for more ways to save energy in the office.

Bet ya didn't know:

• A 150-pound person burns 250 calories in just 30 minutes of moderate swimming.
• Swimming recruits all the major muscle groups, including shoulders, back, abs, legs, hips, and glutes.
• Water affords 12 times the resistance as air in every direction, making swimming an excellent stregth training exercise.

Ready to get wet? We chatted with Gladys Dixon, the aquatic coordinator and pool manager at the Scott Rakow Youth Center, about proper swimming techniques that will help you swim stronger and safer.

What’s the best stroke to start off with?