JUSTICE BUILDING BLOG

WELCOME TO THE OFFICIAL RICHARD E GERSTEIN JUSTICE BUILDING BLOG. THIS BLOG IS DEDICATED TO JUSTICE BUILDING RUMOR, HUMOR, AND A DISCUSSION ABOUT AND BETWEEN THE JUDGES, LAWYERS AND THE DEDICATED SUPPORT STAFF, CLERKS, COURT REPORTERS, AND CORRECTIONAL OFFICERS WHO LABOR IN THE WORLD OF MIAMI'S CRIMINAL JUSTICE. POST YOUR COMMENTS, OR SEND RUMPOLE A PRIVATE EMAIL AT HOWARDROARK21@GMAIL.COM. Winner of the prestigious Cushing Left Anterior Descending Artery Award.

Friday, June 29, 2012

NEW CIRCUIT APPOINTMENTS

SUNDAY FOOTBALL UPDATE: Today at 2:30- Span/Italy for Euro2012. Predictions? 


UPDATE:  A rare Saturday update: The administrative order implementing the limited registry is out. Judge Brown issued it Friday at 3:55:42 PM EDST.  Whilst  you and your loved ones  are out frolicking during this semi-holiday weekend, a team of dedicated (not to mention unpaid) FACDL lawyers are parsing the order, legally poking it to find the its vulnerable underbelly. 
Our next post will discuss a Game Theory approach to defeating the limited registry. "Prisoner's Dilemma"  coming soon!


Your two new Circuit Court Judges are......
County Court Judge (and REGJB denizen) Cristina Miranda and
County Court Judge Rodney Smith.
Congratulations to both. One of these judges came very close to being elevated previously. In fact we know just how close, and we are sure the Judge has made the requisite "adjustments."


What is Rumpole Reading?
Many people want to know what we're reading as their summer vacations approach. We poured through Robert Caro's "The Passage of Power" (the must read of the summer) and now we've turned our attention to some old favourites.  There's something about Kazu Isihguro's third novel- Remains Of the Day, that just draws us back every summer or so. The genteel English Butler, adapting to a new american employer- so magnificently portrayed by Sir Anthony Hopkins in the movie-  is just the ticket for a lazy summer afternoon.  Of course to get our blood boiling for some upcoming trials,  we go back time and again to Henry V:
This story shall the good man teach his son,
And Crispin Crispian shall ne'er go by
From this day to the ending of the world,
But we in it shall be remembered,
We few, we happy few, we band of brothers.
For he today that sheds his blood with me
Shall be my brother; be he ne'er so vile,
This day shall gentle his condition.
And gentlemen in England now abed
Shall think themselves accursed they were not here,
And hold their manhoods cheap whiles any speaks
That fought with us upon  Saint Crispin's Day. 



Roy Black fancies himself a connoisseur of fine literature. He recommends aspiring attorneys plow through Ulysses. We took him to task on his blog and he responded. The "tete'-a-tete'" was of course conducted in gentlemanly discourse. 
Mr. Black currently finds himself enthralled with the fiction of Deon Meyer and his latest thriller- Trackers.  Mr. Meyer is a resident of one of the former African colonies. We  have yet to try Mr. Meyer's tome, but one could get a worse recommendation about a book than from Mr. Black (although not Ulysses. A monumental waste of time.) 


Enjoy your fourth of July weekend. Yankee doodle dandy and all that for you members of the former colonies. 

49 comments:

Fake Kenny Weisman said...

Cristina's new brown hair looks more fashionable on her.

Fake Kenny W said...

And I'd like to see her in an Adrianna Papell formal gown or a Catherine Maladrino business wear dress for her investiture. For Mr. Smith I'd like to see a return to formal wear for a formal occasion- his investiture. Jean Yves grey stripped formal morning coat with top hat or a more modern white Stephen Geoffrey morning coat would return the investiture to the times of simple "Kennedy-esque" elegance.

And for a change of pace, I will be putting the D'Artagnan kobe beef patties and organic lamb sausages and wild boar sausages on the grille this weekend. Well- I won't be putting it on the grille. The chef d'cuisine will. But I will be eating them.

FYI- 7:29 is a fake. Full last names as so 2007 on this blog. really.

Kenneth Weisman said...

Kudos to the Fake Kenny W. on the D'Artagnan call. Truly a superior product best known for their Pates, Foie Gras, Mousse and Terrine. For this weekend I would suggest you seek our locally produced "Proper Sausages". Try the sublime Prune and Cognac Sausage.

Anonymous said...

Lets turn our attention to the topic at hand. Miranda has something to prove. she can be a good judge with good temperament and a good understanding of the law. However, for the last few years she was mailing it in in county court. But- for the most part that is what happens- county court judges get bored. NB- Louise Krieger-Martin is an exception. She is the dean of county court judges. She never mails it in. Is always prepared and is a great judge. So Miranda will need to step it up in circuit. if she does, then it will be a good pick.
Not much info on Smith.

Kudos to Kenny for praising his fake. Nice to see a good relationship and not name calling on the blog.

fake Kenny W said...

I'm...well...I;m touched. Beyond honored. Truly at a loss for words. Eat your heart out Fake Tannenbaum. This is how it should be. I was just a young kid who took a shot, and now...well, I've made it. I'm accepted. And I promise to uphold the high standards I have strived for. To quote Dirk Diggler in Boogie nights:
"I'll promise to keep rocking and rollin to make better comments...we can always do better...I'm gonna keep trying if you guys keep trying. Lets keep rocking and rollin man!"

Anonymous said...

I am so turned on by watching this Zheng chick play Sereena at Wimbledon. Man when she's bending over to receive serve they just zoom in on her wiggling behind. Porn in the morn from Wimbledon.

Anonymous said...

The real Kenny is a mensch.

Anonymous said...

Say KFR, here's a crazy idea: If you want Republican votes in the primary, switch parties. OR Bob and Armando, if you want to vote for KFR in the Democratic party, then YOU could switch parties.

Or, go with the current plan: gin up a federal lawsuit, pretend you give a shit about what's "right" and try to change the rules after decades the second they stop working for you. Anything just to hold on to power.

If I weren't already going to vote against KFR -- and I was -- this would make up my mind.

Hot PD said...

Kenny is the bomb. Great guy.

Passage of Power is breathtaking. Great call Rump. Very interesting back and forth between you and Roy on his blog. His contention is that if an aspiring law student can plow through Ulysses there is nothing she can't do. You responded with a very reasoned "why bother?"

Point to....Rumpole. I agree that there is so much great literature out there that Ulysses is a waste of time. I also agree that an aspiring law student is- as you argued- better served reading and being able to quote from Ellison's Invisible Man than from Ulysses. Keep it up Rump.

shutterbug said...

Blog help please-
aspiring amateur photographer here about to drop between 1-2 K on a new DSLR.

The choices-
Nikon 7000- pro- the magnesium alloy body and the price: $1100
Con- stats don't match the Sonys. From pixels to speed, the Nikon is outclassed.

Sony:
A65- blows the Nikon away. Price: 950.
Con- plastic body
A77- absolutely the best around for my needs. More camera than I will ever use. Magnesium ally body.
Con: price- 2k.
Any advice would be appreciated.

Anonymous said...

Anyone else still waiting on their courthouse IDs? Its been over six Weeks and still myself and several others that I know are still waiting? What the deal

Anonymous said...

Kathy Rundle is acting like a crybaby. Miami- Dade’s Cuban mafia is freaking out that they might not have a hand picked state attorney who might not tend to look too closely at their big money “deals”, and shenanigans; plus horror of horrors Rod is black! Lets face it, Kathy had a sweet political ploy working for her and now she may be hoist on her own petard (grenade). Kathy always knew that she would get the overwhelmingly republican Cuban vote even running as a Democrat. Kathy’s popularity, backers, and donors money would scare off any democratic challenger and she walks in unopposed, neat. Problem is, Rod files as a democrat and two write- ins file as Republicans and now Kathy has to face off against a real Democrat in a real primary. Here comes the bellyaching! And said bellyaching is coming from whom? Republicans. Ha Ha Ha Ha HA ! The republicans are outraged that they wont get to vote in a Democratic primary! Why should that ever be allowed? Why should people registered to a particular party ever be allowed to vote in another parties’ primary? Here in Dade that would allow republican voters to pick weak or unelectable democrats who then are destined to loose in a general election. Talk about disenfranchisement!
Its funny how the disenfranchisement experts (yes the republicans brought you all those voter id laws and purging designed to hurt democrats), are now whining and filing law suits claiming they are being disenfranchised just because they can’t vote in another parties’ primary. Ha ha ha, ha ha! The irony and hypocrisy are fucking hysterical! I am neither registered as a democrat, or republican, nor have any ax to grind. I have nothing against Kathy and thinks she does a good job as state attorney. Conversely I Know Rod and think he would do a fine job as well. What I don’t care for is the sense of entitlement certain elected officials get. Politicians of all stripes begin to think they own their seat. this attitude of entitlement is offensive. There should be no such thing as a career politician. We don’t have professional jurors do we? So here’s some news for all you politicians. The chair belongs to the people; we the people let you sit in it. Every four or six years you have to convince us to let you keep your seat. So stop whining and convince us.
Jason Grey

Anonymous said...

Perfectly put Jason.

PAB

Marty Kohn said...

Right on the money.

Anonymous said...

jason grey is a "poet warrior in a classic sense."

Family first said...

Scum Chris Bosch gets 18mil a year from heat while his first daughter (age 4) and her mom are on food stamps. Bosch pays 1500 a month in Texas ordered child support. If he was to pay Fla child support guidelines his part would be 16K.
Meanwhile he's spent 2 mil on lawyers trying to shut her up.
Scum. Rumpole was right all along.

Anonymous said...

Shutterbug, here is the emes:

Get the new Fuji X Pro 1 and dispense with Nikon and Sony. I own the Sony a900 and while it is an excellent camera, it is big and unwieldy. The Fuji X Pro 1 and its outstanding 35mm lens will set you back about $2,500.00 of hard earned cash.

Forget the Sony a65 and 77. The focus peaking is a very sweet feature, but it they are hit or miss for some, especially those who are beginners. If you have to have one of these cameras buy one used.

But, remember that the camera is just a box. If you want to pixel peep and pixel count, you will never be happy. And remember this my son, the lenses are far more important than the bodies. If you have crappy lenses you will have crappy pictures regardless of the bodies. And if you don't have a clue about how to shoot, get a fixed focal length prime lens. One camera body and one lens for a year and your photography will improve by leaps and bounds.

For more on the Sony issue, go to www.getdpi.com and read up on the Fuji, Sony, and Leica comments. It is enough to rattle your brain but you will notice the one constant is the type of lens used. Also go to Dante Stella's Machine Planet for even better reviews of what cameras are all about.

Finally for what you are going to spend, get yourself a real camera, a used Leica M3 (no internal light meter), or a used Leica M6 TTL if you must (try not to), and shoot film. If you want to pimp up the camera body a bit, ask Kenny W. or Fake Kenny W. which skin to recover your camera body with.

DS said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Anonymous said...

6:29, David Sisselman = Barrister of Nallentrae?

Anonymous said...

Jason, Republicans would not pick Democrats in a primary when there is a Republican candidate for the general election. The open primary allowing voters from all parties to vote in it takes place only when there are no candidates of other parties in the general election.

The state's division of elections issued an opinion a few years ago saying than when there is a write-in candidate the primary is closed, even if there is no official party or independent candidate on the general election ballot. Write-in candidates do not appear in the ballot and do not pay a fileing fee. They are supposed to campaign to get voters to write their names in the ballot, but in practice, they are used to close primaries under that division of elections rule.

DS said...

Since Both the new Circuit Judges are going to be replacing Gayles and Rodriguez-Chomat in Division, its nice that they have a working Knowleadge of Criminal law.
Always hard when a new Criminal Judge hasnt practiced criminal nor done extensive Jury trials .

DS

Anonymous said...

Pretty shitty of Brown to sign the order at 3:55 p.m. On a Friday.

Anonymous said...

I seem to recall a controversy in the past in a similar situation.

Judge seniority?!?

Since Miranda has been in the building these many years, does she get to depose a sitting circuit court judge so she can take over better diggs??

Can't wait to see the sparks fly.

Anonymous said...

Jason is the man

Anonymous said...

Malone has my vote

Shutterbug said...

Thank you camera guy. I will take your advice. But I can't afford 2500. 2k for the a77 is pushing my budget. But I get your point- its all about the glass, right?

Anonymous said...

What about the camera that comes with the iPhone? It's pretty good.

Anonymous said...

Jason, based upon WHAT do you think Rod would be a good state attorney? Rod is a nice guy but hardly willing to put in the time or energy to make the SAO any better. It will just be the same old thing - only the second Rod gets into office he will be looking to run for another office. That will leave an opening for the Repugnicans to take back the office and put someone in like Rothenberg.

DS said...

Sat 6/12 @ 10:12 Said:

Say KFR, here's a crazy idea: If you want Republican votes in the primary, switch parties. OR Bob and Armando, if you want to vote for KFR in the Democratic party, then YOU could switch parties.


I disagree. The Democratic party is a large tent and room for all. KFR is a moderate, a little conservative and pro law and order. Nothing wrong with that.

After All the years I have worked for the local Demacratic party I say, She is welcome in the Party.

It aint after all, an organized political party.

She could have gone the easy route and been a good Cuban Republican. But she stood on her own and has been a loyal Democrat for Decades. The Party is big enough for KFR , Rod and Me.

We can disagree but still care for the average working person,. Mr and Ms Smith each deserve an equal break.

Of Course she plays politics. IT IS part of the Job, after all TheState's Attorney is a powerful local Elected Constitutional Office.

No one wants an incompetent nor a wimp as head of the SAO. Everyone looks at those in power and blames them, sometimes even fairly. Yes the SAO can be better .

Both Kathy and Rod would be fine State's Attorney. They both have qualities, lets discuss that instead of personalities.

DS

DS said...

Jason said it best

The chair belongs to the people; we the people let you sit in it. Every four or six years you have to convince us to let you keep your seat. So stop whining and convince us.
Jason Grey

Anonymous said...

I've known Rod for 15, or twenty years. Good lawyer, level head , serious trial experience, why not?
Jason

Anonymous said...

Shutterbug,

What will you be using the camera for? Will you shoot it on Program mode only in which the camera does everything for you, or will you use the various modes so you can control the camera?

In the film era, it really was about the glass. In the digital era, you have to factor in the sensor as well, which is why I mentioned the Fuji X Pro 1.

Leica has the best sensor going but if you need alot of coin even for a used M9 (close to 5k). The M8 and M8.2 are still great cameras but if pixel count and enlarging your images to 48x60 is important, than those cameras are not for you.

Nikon and Canon make nice cameras, so you might want to look at those. Buy a used high end Canon or Nikon so you can get a good body and still have money left over for lenses.

On another note, have you thought about the Nex system? The Nex 5n with the external viewfinder is sweet, especially at high iso. The Nex 7 is supposed to be great as well but because it has so many pixels crammed into a small body you might have issues with picture quality. You can pick up a used Nex 5n for a good price. The beauty of the Nex system is that you can buy a good adapter for almost any lens on the market. This means that you can use Sony lenses, Minolta lenses, Pentax lenses, Leica lenses, etc. You get the idea. The "con" with the Nex system is the lack of dedicated lenses. Sony has been remiss on this issue, but then again giants are not known for being fleet of foot.

If you want a great camera with a great sensor but short on megapixels (6) get the Epson R d1s. I sold mine for $500.00 plus a bit for shipping it to Switzerland. If you can get a good one for about a grand, get it. The only thing is that it is a manual focus rangefinder.

As I mentioned, I have a 24 mp full frame a900. It is a great camera but it is heavy to carry around. But the pictures are stunning and it is the best camera out of the box.

Gotta run. One of my kids is having a meltdown.

shutterbug said...

Here is the truth- I am about to turn 50- don't want (and can't afford) a porsche or vette Have had both and been there done that. I am interested in photography and want to make it a new hobby. My limited understanding is that the sony a77 with the translucent mirror technology is a game changer. The Nikon versus the a77 ( and there is a you tube video comparison) yields that the sony has more of everything (pixels, speed, act) but at a greater cost. Also- I am hung up on the magnesium alloy body. I am worried the plastic body of the a65 or the Nikon 5100 will break. Is that a valid worry?
Would love to buy a used a77. Where can I look for one from a reputable dealer/website?

costs of obesity said...

From Reuters
U.S. hospitals are ripping out wall-mounted toilets and replacing them with floor models to better support obese patients. The Federal Transit Administration wants buses to be tested for the impact of heavier riders on steering and braking. Cars are burning nearly a billion gallons of gasoline more a year than if passengers weighed what they did in 1960.

Anonymous said...

My prediction for the soccer game=very little scoring (like just about any other soccer game ever played).

Anonymous said...

RUMP! Two jackbooted thugs just showed up at my door, flashed "Health Care law inspector" badges and demanded to see my "health insurance papers". I gave them my insurance cards. They ripped them up right in front of me, made some notes in an iPad and said my health insurance was revoked.

"What will I do now?" i cried.

"Call the president" they laughed. "He's giving you insurance now."

Please help.

Anonymous said...

I like Rod also, but here's why not on Rod.....

The SAO is a major government agency, not a club. There are what, 1,000 employees? What experience does Rod have managing a significant number of people? Setting policy? Drafting a large budget and sticking to it? The SAO is not a training camp for aspiring executives. I wish Rod would run for something else and gain some experience before running for something as important as SA.

Also, I want an SA who works for whole community, not just a segment. I am HUGELY disappointed at how Rod's supporters have turned this campaign into a racial thing. KFR can be criticized for a lot, but she has ALWAYS bent over backwards to be inclusive. Rod should be (and I always thought was) man enough to denounce these kind of attacks and acknowledge that they're bogus. I wish Rod would settle down and run for an office on a platform involving us all.

BTDT

Angry Gurl said...

I (obviously) made the obesity costs comment.
Chubbers are going to bankrupt us.
And now we have the fourth of july weekend. And we all remember the federalist papers which so forcefully argued that to properly celebrate the birth of freedom in this country, all americans are obligated to stuff themselves with gallons of cola, pounds of chips, a few cheeseburgers (extra bacon please) one or two hot dogs (because after all this is the 4th) and then some cake and cookies, and because I'm watching my weight- some watermelon fruit which will magically erase the gluttony I just engaged in.

Meanwhile the bus that is lugging me to the park for the picnic needs new brakes because of the weight of me and my fellow passengers.

Can I offer a different 4th?
I'll post it in a minute or two.

angry Gurl said...

Wake up and try some deep breathing. Just lie in bed and take a few deep breaths in through the nose and out through the mouth.
While still lying in bed pull one arm over to the other side and then switch arms. Sit up and swing your arms over your head. Stand up and go to the kitchen and pour some filtered water (room temperature) into a glass and squeeze a half a lemon (organic) into the water.

Put on some loose fitting clothing and go out for a walk for an hour. Swing your arms. Break a sweat.
After ten minutes stop and do some light stretching with your legs. Repeat after 30 minutes. If you can do this on the beach, even better. Remember to drink lots of water (NO GATORADE). Finish your walk and go home and eat a boiled brown organic egg. Or some sliced organic turkey- any clean protein will do. Limit the fats. Drink some more water/lemon. Write down on a piece of paper "I am healthy and will eat healthy and will get even more healthy."
Close your eyes and say this to yourself a few times a day.
Go to the pool or beach. Read a book. Lie in the sun. Enjoy being healthy. Around 6pm repeat your walk. Then have some steamed broccoli or spinach or cauliflower and steamed wild salmon (eat as much as you like- garnish with some lemon and a bit of olive oil and balsamic vinegar).
Have some cold grapes for dessert. Listen to a concert. Relax. Drink your water and lemon. Get a good nights sleep. The next morning when you wake up you will be so much happier, You will be on your way to great health. Your body will start to respond and change. Like putting better fuel in your car, your body will start to lose aches and pains and you will have more energy and be happier. Good health is your right, its not a matter of luck. Enjoy.

Anonymous said...

KFR woke up one morning, and was naturally able to command an office of 1,000 people. Not really.

Everyone somewhere, somehow, at some point rises to a challenge and learns it like everyone else.

There should be no, "Well I've clinched this gig and will hang onto it until I'm ready to retire."

And I'm sorry but I will say what other people in the room have avoided saying: "KFR seems intoxicated sometimes." There I said it. She sobers up for the important events, but if you've seen her in some of the less visible events, not quite up to snuff. I know she's had some problems over the years that no person should have to go through, and likely suffers some depression. But self-medicating one's problems isn't the answer.

I disagree with Jason Grey a lot of times, but not on this one. She's not entitled to anything. She's been in the position too long. If she wants to keep having the position, earn it by not just trying to win on a Spanish name in Dade County with Hispanic Republican voters, and familiarity.

David S. Markus said...

If there was ever a time for unity, it is now. I am a named petitioner in a formal objection to the Administrative Order creating a limited registry. I hope that you will read the formal objection to the AO that will be filed Monday and decide that it is morally wrong to participate in the limited registry. The "ticket clinic" business model has no place in felony court. I believe if lawyers do NOT agree to be sub-compensated by the limited registry, Judge Brown will give greater consideration to our objection. Any attorney who agrees to be part of the limited registry will undercut our formal objection, and hinder our efforts to rescind this AO.
Carmen Vizcaino, Michelle Estlund, and Roy Wasson have spent many hours on this issue and have authored a powerful objection.
David S. Markus

David S. Markus said...

Times are tough for some attorneys and that we should not kick a brother/sister attorney when he is down, and out of financial desperation, joins the limited registry because there are no other options to keeps the practice alive. This attorney is an honorable person who will do the work in a professional manner and will be accept that he/she will be paid a substandard wage. He will do a good job because he is a professional who prides himself on being a professional. The client will get an attorney who provides effective assistance of counsel. There is nothing wrong with this scenario.......except that I don't think it exists in the real world.
The practical reality of the situation is that opportunists will sign up for the limited registry hoping, that few other lawyers will, with a business plan to perform high volume-low quality work. They expect that if they get fifty appointments, most of the cases will resolve with minimal work and if they have to try one or two, the volume will make up for that loss. The business model is designed for minimal work on each case-the client be damned. This attorney deserves our scorn because he cheapens our profession and the service we provide. Apart from screwing the client, it tells the public that the work we do is not valuable.
We must let these opportunists know that their actions will have professional consequences. As soon as the local list of limited registry attorneys becomes available, I will publicize it.
Fortunately, in the Eleventh Circuit, we have a way to fight this "ticket clinic" business model. We have a Screening Committee that has been tasked with establishing "qualifications for counsel for the respective registry[ies]". Our committee is made up of a group of dedicated, experienced criminal practitioners-Gene Zenobi, Rick Freedman, Sheryl Lowenthal, David Peckins, Clinton Pitts, Steven Potolsky, Greg Sams, Ken White, and Rafael Rodriguez- who are aware of these issues. They have the power, by setting registry qualifications, to restrict the number of appointments a limited registry attorney may accept, so that the "ticket clinic" business model becomes impossible. I don't know how court appointments are administered in other circuits, but indigent defendants in Miami-Dade County are lucky to have this group to ensure that their appointed lawyer will not be running a volume factory at the expense of their freedom.
In the interest of full disclosure, let me add that I do have a dog in this fight. I accept court appointments and I am proud of the service I have provided to these clients. Because of Makemson and the cases that followed, I have never had to think about putting my financial interests in front of my client's interest in quality representation- a luxury limited registry attorneys will not have.
In closing, let me return to Lloyd's post. I have helped financially struggling lawyers in the past and will do so in the future. I have represented lawyers in trouble for free and, hopefully, will not need to do so in the future. We should all have compassion for our brethren who struggle, but this issue is not about struggling lawyers- it's about morally bankrupt opportunists. We must all unite to ensure that this practice does not become the norm. If this practice succeeds, next year the Legislature will include death penalty cases in this registry.

Anonymous said...

You all are missing the point. Ben Vereen is going to get crushed by KFR. IT WILL NOT BE CLOSE. KFR will spend close to a million dollars over the next months. She owns the preachers and the unions. She has a work force behind her on election day. County wide elections are won on election day. Ben should stick to what he knows-dance.

Anonymous said...

I plan on quitting the SAO and signing up for the registry. I will do hallway interviews on anything that is not a PBL. If there is a co-defendant case I will participate in the depo that the PD or RCA take. I am opening up my firm with 3 other attorneys - all will join the registry.

I see so many attorneys who do no work on their cases now, so why is this any different.

I've gone to trial on life felonies where no depos were taken, and lost at trial.

Raising doubt a lot of time is not difficult, and no juror listens to depo impeachment - more embarrassing is almost no defense attorney does it correctly.

Publish the list, and see if we care. You all chose to sink or swim in the least intellectual facet of the law. Gravy train is over and now your crying. Evolve or move on.

Mikal said...

Photoman,

I am 50 and have been taking pictures / shooting for almost 15 years. It is fun, and can be expensive. Camera body and lens lust is a real disease that is not easily treatable.

The SLT in the a77 is a game changer, as is the focus peaking. If you want to see great photos taken with the a77, go to the www.getdpi.com site I recommended earlier. Hunt around, ask questions, and then buy. If you want a good used camera, the For Sale boards are a good place to start. If that doesn't work you can always go to www.bhphotovideo.com to see if one is for sale in their used department. They are closed from Friday night to Saturday night and all major and not so major Jewish holidays because the place is owned by Orthodox Jews. Stay away from ebay as most of the stuff is over priced. The sellers at getdpi.com might be on the high end but their stuff is 98% the same as advertised. Oh, another place to check is www.keh.com. They sell used stuff that is always top notch.

Once you get the camera, will you shoot it in RAW or .jpeg? Will you do any post processing (most digital files need post processing)? Shooting digital is not as easy as just turning on the camera and banging out shot after shot. It can be a complicated process depending upon what you are looking for. Many photographers will take their own shots, then have someone else "interpret" their vision in the printing process.

The good thing about Miami is that the custom digital printers in the city are for the most part, quite good. The best black and white printer, bar none, quit the business when he and his girlfriend split up years ago. The color printers here are excellent, some of the best anywhere.

This is my real first name. I am not that tough to find. If you want more advice, contact me and I will do my best, and will be happy to help you.

Anonymous said...

* 5:29 here....you are

Anonymous said...

With all this bashing, it is no wonder any of the "Traffic Ticket" attorneys won't join FACDL. The obvious contempt that the members have for them would keep me away too.

Of course when their friends or kid gets a $300 ticket, who do the sophisticated Felony Trial lawyers call to keep their insurance rates from skyrocketing, and save them the crazy fine???

I know this is all just jealousy, but maybe try to disguise it. Just because the ticket lawyers found a way to make more money by never working past 5, never spending a life shortening week in trial, never work weekends does not mean they deserve the bashing they are getting.

And I'm really not sure the same approach won't work for someone. If it is correct that between 20-40 cases a month are conflicted , then a firm that could secure 10 of them at $1500 could make a good living. Don't tell me how you take every case to trial. That is a lie.

They will plea 9, and try 1 or even less. Investigators, experts, and depos paid by the JAC. That's not a bad way for a good lawyer leaving the SAO or PD to have a steady income when they go to open their own firm.

Don't be too shocked when it happens. With 100,000 lawyers in Florida, you can bet the old ways of doing business are gone. Dinosaurs are going to die out.

Anonymous said...

Proper sausages are awesome. Freddy is great. get his emails. Call in advance and place your order and pick up at the Pinecrest market on Sunday. I am partial to the Lamb and Harrissa (sp). If Freddy is making his ragout don't pass it up. Yum Yum

Anonymous said...

Does Roderick Vereen keep running for office because he can't pay his taxes? He's had two IRS liens against him in the last few years for nearly $100,000 along with a number of other lawsuits against him.

See for yourself at http://www2.miami-dadeclerk.com/public-records/Search.aspx