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M O N T H LY

N O V E M B E R 2 0 12 / CO RAL G ABLE S

Automotive pg. 44

Home Improvement pg. 52

Marketplace pg. 62

CONTENTS November 2012

04 10 24 34

THE HUNT FOR THE “COCAINE GODMOTHER” Griselda Blanco had quite a few nicknames: the godmother, the queen of cocaine, the black widow. Regardless of what she went by she left a lasting impression on South Florida’s history.

TAX REFUND FRAUD VICTIMS GETTING LEFT BEHIND Tax refund fraud has kept federal prosecutors in South Florida busy as the crime continues to grow in popularity. Just this year, two former NFL players pleaded guilty to taking part in tax refund fraud.

CBS4 INVESTIGATES: DOES YOUR VOTE COUNT? Ion Sancho, one of the most veteran election supervisors in the state of Florida, thinks there’s plenty for him and his colleagues to lose sleep over. What keeps him awake at night? Whether you can trust the machine you will be voting on.

SAVING MONEY WITH PREPAID SMARTPHONES Love your smartphone, but hate the bill? You may want to consider signing up for prepaid wireless because even the most popular smartphones are available for prepaid users. So it may be worth considering if you’d like to shave some bucks on your cell plan.

INHERITANCES 13 SHRINKING BLAMED ON BAD ECONOMY

28 CALENDAR OF EVENTS NEIGHBORHOOD BARS 30 BEST IN MIAMI: CORAL GABLES FRIGHTENING REALITY 37 THE OF FACE BLINDNESS

PRINTED IN THE USA, COPYRIGHT © 2012 BY MARCO G, INC. All rights reserved. The CBS4 News Magazine, a free publication, is published monthly by MARCO G, Inc. Material in this publication must not be stored or reproduced in any form without permission from Marco G. Inc. or WFOR CBS4. Requests for permission should be directed to: info@cbs4newsmagazine.com. CBS4 and/or Marco G. Inc do not assume any liability for products and/or services claimed in advertisements herein. CBS4 and its logo (s) are protected through trademark registration. The use of logos, content and/or artwork in whole or in part is strictly prohibited. For more information please contact 305-477-1699.

[ 4 ] November 2012 CBS4 News Magazine Coral Gables

MIAMI (CBSMiami.com)

Photos courtesy of CocaineCowboys.com Photos courtesy of Rakontur.com

Griselda Blanco had quite a few nicknames: the godmother, the by queen of cocaine, the black widow. Regardless of what she went she left a lasting impression on South Florida’s history. Authorities say she imported thousands of kilos into South Florida in the 1970’s and 80’s and killed anyone who got in her way. Recently CBS4 sat down to interview the man who took her down. DEA agent Robert Palombo spent 11 years of his life chasing a ghost.

Reporting David Sutta

“I don’t wish death on anybody, but if anybody deserved the ultimate punishment…it was her,” he told CBS4’s David Sutta. On Labor Day 2012, the 69-year-old Blanco was assassinated in a butcher shop in Colombia. She had lived longer than anyone expected. She escaped jail sentences, the electric chair, and dozens of enemies eager to kill her. It was the final chapter in a story that began years ago. In 1983, Miami Vice’s Crockett and Tubbs were rounding up drug dealers on television, in reality though the drug dealers were winning. “We were outgunned by them; outnumbered,” Palombo said.

Palombo started his career in New York. He seemed to gravitate to Colombian drug cases. Suddenly, he was re-assigned to a South Florida task force waging war against a bloody drug trade. “Violence was the mainstay,” Palombo said. “It was as if the cocaine distribution was a byproduct of the violence rather than vice versa.” In the aftermath of a shooting at the Dadeland Mall that left two dead, authorities discovered what they coined a war wagon. The steal reinforced armored truck, labeled Happy Time Complete Party Rentals, was loaded with a cache of weapons. Palombo had no idea it was linked to a woman named Griselda Blanco.

November 2012 CBS4 News Magazine Coral Gables [ 7 ]

“I mean you just can’t make this up. It was the final chapter.”

“I made her stand up and at the point I just went over and gave her a kiss on the cheek. She was bewildered. Had no idea why I did it,”

“Griselda never showed on the radar. Her name was mentioned but she was never physically seen by any of us.” Palombo said. He had actually been chasing the ghost of Griselda from a 1974 drug case in New York. She vanished and he assumed she was living in Colombia. It was by sheer chance he came across her in Miami when a tip came in. His partner was on duty answering a tip line. “He happened to take a call from a woman, a Miami native who was complaining that her daughter was dating this Hispanic low-life, obviously involved in some sort of illegal activity and more than likely drugs,” Palombo remembered. Uber Blanco was the “low-life.” Palombo soon realized he was on to one of Griselda Blanco’s four sons. Uber lived the high life in Turnberry Isle. With the help of a Colombian arrested in Oklahoma, now turned informant, Palombo got close to Blanco’s children. Each one bragged to the informant about how important they were according to Palombo. He recorded them using hidden microphones in an attaché. “He was talking about how he and his brothers had really taken over the business from mom,” Palombo said. “They

[ 8 ] November 2012 CBS4 News Magazine Coral Gables

were moving tremendous amounts of cocaine both on the West Coast and as well as Miami. And that mom had taken a semi-retirement role.” The investigation was moving along. The informant moved small amounts of money for the brothers. Forty-thousand dollars here; $50,000 there. The DEA was building a case against the Blanco brothers when a huge break came in. “Out of the blue the informant gets a call and low and behold it’s Griselda,” Palombo said. “He was shocked and unnerved about the call.” He had the informant set up a meeting in California where she was. Palombo remembers the first time he saw her entering the Newport Beach Marriott lobby. “When she turned and walked past us again; we took one look and we could see the dimples and the cleft and we just looked at each other and it was ‘this is it. It’s her,’” Palombo said. After the meeting was over with the informant they didn’t move in. She left them $500,000 to get to her bank accounts in Panama. Palombo said they began to peel back her massive operation for about a year. The DEA, through the informant, began money laundering for Griselda. They moved millions of dollars for her. They tracked her violent orders. No one knows exactly her many her henchmen killed, just that it was more than serial killers Jeffery Dahmer and Ted Bundy combined. “Does it make a difference whether it’s 50 or 100. I don’t think so,” Palombo said. “I would say that conservatively I would say anywhere between 75 and 100.” Their case hit a wall though when the DEA tried to get drugs from Griselda. A misunderstanding led the trail to go cold overnight. Palombo explained he had coached the informant to make the request without scaring Blanco. “You basically want to say something to the effect that you are having a party and you need a couple people taken care of. So you need a few things and see what she says,” Palombo told the informant. When the conversation went down Griselda told the informant it wouldn’t be a problem and gave them the pager number for Jorge “Riverito” Ayala. Ayala was one of Blanco’s hitman. The informant met with Riverito at Victoria Station on 36th street in Miami. Palombo said everything was going fine until the informant asked for the drugs. “He looked at me like I had 10 heads. And he said, ‘what

are you talking about.” Palombo told CBS4’s Sutta the meeting ended abruptly. “The informant tried to connect with Griselda and she wasn’t returning his calls. We became extremely upset and concerned.” Palombo’s world was collapsing. “During the time we had lost touch with her, she was giving me premature gray hair. And my wife was not very happy that I was spending all this time, long periods of time, in southern California when I had two young children,” Palombo explained. “It was becoming a bit of a strain. When is this going to end? So one day I just blurted out if I ever catch her. I’m going to give her a kiss of death because she is driving me crazy.” The veteran DEA agent returned back to Blanco’s weakness…her sons. Osvaldo Blanco was a car nut. Palombo knew he visited a Beverly Hills dealership often. They sat in the Beverly Hills Willshire Hotel for days watching the dealership. When Osvaldo appeared, Palombo had his informant accidentally bump into him. “It worked like a charm. They partied all night long,” Palombo said. They tracked bodyguards back to Griselda’s home in Irvine California and early on February 17, 1985 Palombo finally moved in. With the house covered they watched as Michael Corlone, her 6-year-old son at the time, walked out the front door with a nanny. On the front porch Griselda suddenly appeared to give him a kiss. He headed off with the nanny to the park. Griselda went back inside. Palombo said he walked up to the front door and knocked. An old woman answered. To this day he’s unsure who she was but speculates it could have been her mother. As they cleared the house, Palombo made his way up the stairs. He came upon a room and discovered Griselda sitting in bed. “She was at that point in bed propped up reading the bible. You can’t make this up. She looked up at first in a bit of a shock,” Palombo said he leaned in and said, “Griselda we finally meet.” She had no clue who he was. He then delivered on his promise. “I made her stand up and at the point I just went over and gave her a kiss on the cheek. She was bewildered. Had

no idea why I did it,” Palombo said. Blanco never really said anything to investigators. They found a gun on the nightstand. She never made an effort to reach for it though. She was booked and Palombo finally felt relief. He still had no idea how big the case was until he noticed what happened to crime stats. “The fact that the homicide rate dropped dramatically after she was arrested,” Palombo said. Blanco would be sentenced to 15 years in prison on drug trafficking charges. Palombo believes the sentence was rigged. He thought the judge over the case, Eugene Spellman, played favorites with Blanco’s lawyers. “She should have received a minimum of 35 years,” said Polombo. After just 10 years Blanco was released from federal prison. By then, Miami-Dade prosecutors had three murder cases against her. Griselda appeared headed for the electric chair when the prosecution became caught up in a sex scandal with a key witness. It ended with a plea deal. She served just 7 years. “Betrayal. That’s the best way to describe it. We felt betrayed by the system,” Palombo said. He believed they shouldn’t have thrown a good case away. “The homicide prosecution was totally salvageable,” he said. “There was another witness that had nothing to do with the sex case that was ready willing and able to get up and testify to the same basic evidence.” In 2004, when Griselda exited the state prison she was deported back to Colombia. He assumed she was dead the moment she landed, yet somehow she held on eight years. The on Labor Day 2012 in Medellin a motorcycle assassin pulled up to butcher store. The cyclists with his helmet still on pulled out a gun and shot Blanco twice in the head. Palombo called it poetic justice. “Here we have a butcher being killed in a butcher shop. By an individual who employs the very technique, the motorcycle technique that she kind of invented,” Palombo said. “I mean you just can’t make this up. It was the final chapter.” Palombo now works as a consultant. As for Blanco she was buried earlier this month in the same cemetery as notorious drug trafficker Pablo Escobar. It appeared she was out of the drug trafficking business.

November 2012 CBS4 News Magazine Coral Gables [ 9 ]

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Tax refund fraud has kept federal prosecutors in South Florida busy as the crime continues to grow in popularity. Just this year, two former NFL players pleaded guilty to taking part in tax refund fraud.

“Identity theft,

tax refund scams are really no less than a tsunami that is barreling towards us,” said U.S. attorney Wifredo Ferre. For victims like South Dade’s Lauri King, waiting for help from the Internal Revenue Service is getting harder. She still doesn’t know when the agency may get around to mailing out her refund. “I think they are overwhelmed,” King said of the IRS. “I think this is something they never planned for, never expected to happen.” King filed her tax refund seven months ago. She expected to get her refund a few months later, but continues to wait for the IRS to finally act. “Just two weeks ago, I mentioned to my husband, did we ever get our IRS refund and he said, ‘No,’” King said. “So we called and actually got to talk with a person and she informed us that we had an issue with identity theft.” Miami has the highest fraudulent tax return rate in the nation according to Ferre. “Over 74,000 potentially fraudulent returns filed in Miami resulting in $280 million in bogus returns in 2010,” Ferre said. “The city of Miami per capita numbers of fraudulent returns based on id theft was 46 times the national average…this is absolutely outrageous.” While the IRS investigates an estimated $5.2 billion dollars worth of phony tax refunds nationwide, tax payers like Lauri King are running out of patience while she waits for her tax refund. “I feel like I’m nobody; I feel like whatever happens, happens,” King said. “It’s a very defeating feeling, you work all year long, you’re one little bit of change you get can back to have a little freedom with. Nope, just a name, just a number that’s all.” Several weeks ago CBS4 News asked the IRS how many identity theft victims were still waiting to get their tax refunds? The agency said it’s not releasing that information publicly and wouldn’t even let CBS Miami go inside its Plantation Customer Service Center with a camera to talk with taxpayers who are critical of the way the agency’s treating them. The agencies local customer service offices are so crowded, warning signs are often posted before noon that they don’t have any more time to meet with taxpayers. “I don’t see anything to assist them with getting a refund or getting the credit processed and going foward in any kind of expedited basis,” Miami tax lawyer Kevin Packman said. Packman said federal prosecutors are making progress arresting the scammers, but he believes more needs to be done to help the victims and warns victims like Lauri, “Could

still be dealing with this somewhere for 12-18 months.” CBS4’s Al Sunshine asked if he’s heard of people dealing with this for more than a year? Packman answered “Yes, definitely.” The IRS insists it’s changing procedures, tightening up its electronic processing systems to avoid more scams next season. But what about getting tax fraud victims’ legitimate refunds back this year? In a prepared statement, the I-R-S said: “Refund times can vary depending on the complexity of the case, and we understand the frustration that taxpayer may have that have been identity theft victims. Along with taking steps toward faster resolution of identity theft cases, we are continuously improving the way we track and report on the status of all identity theft cases. We believe these improvements will reduce the time to work identity theft cases in coming filing seasons so that honest taxpayers will receive their refunds sooner. Additionally, better tracking and reporting means that we can spot – and correct – any flaws in the system more quickly.” - Michael Dobzinski, IRS Media Relations Specialist Still, with bills mounting and the holiday shopping season right around the corner, victims like Lauri think seven months is way too long for the IRS to get her refund back to her. “The working public needs help to resolve issues like this,” King said. “It’s hard enough going to work every day and now you’re having your money stolen on top of it and then you have to prove your identity to make sure you’re the correct person. I don’t know how far it’s gone, is it just the IRS check, is it other things? Where does it stop, how does the IRS stop it from happening again? Where does it end, does it happen next year, does it happen a year after that?” A recent Inspector Generals’ report warned these scams could cost Uncle Sam $21 billion dollars in fraudulent tax refunds over the next 5 years. The IRS continues to ask victims to be patient while they wait for their legitimate refund checks to be mailed out. But it still declines comment on what it’s doing to make sure next year taxpayer refunds end up with the people who earned them, and not the criminals who’ve been so successful stealing them.

For more Information: http://www.irs.gov/uac/Identity-Protection http://www.ftc.gov/bcp/edu/microsites/idtheft/ www.irs.gov/pub/irs-pdf/f14039.pdf http://www.treasury.gov/

November 2012 CBS4 News Magazine Coral Gables [ 13 ]

MIAMI (CBSMiami.com)

Shrinking Inheritances Blamed On

Bad Economy Reporting Al Sunshine

Monopoly money might be the only inheritance many baby boomers ever see. Chalk it up to changing expectations of how to spend the golden years. Sam Tosone’s still travelling.

“I took a cruise a couple of months ago, which is kind of childlike for two 82-year-old men. There is a lot of fun to be had I guess,” he said. A recent survey found that only 14% of baby boomer’s parents feel they owe their kids an inheritance. That’s down from 22% in 2005. “We didn’t save the money for our children, we saved it to make sure we had enough until we leave this earth,” explained Ed Clarke. The economy’s another complication. Many portfolios were devastated during the Great Recession and may never have time to catch up. From 2000 to 2010, middle class families lost 28% of their wealth. Jack and Mary Daniels are an example of the “new normal.” “Life expectancy for someone like me is longer and I will

be lucky if I made the right financial decisions for me to be able to live my life to the end the way I want,” said Mary. “Grannies are not being greedy,” according to Emil Ronchi, a financial planner who believes the difficult start many young people have today is another factor. “Instead of waiting until they are 45 and getting the inheritance, they are getting it now when they are 25 and 35.” The wealthy get one set of habits, and everyone has another set of habits the expectations for an inheritance in the middle class is going to keep getting lower and lower and lower. Some economists worry that could trigger a ripple effect in the overall economy. Many inheritances are used for bigticket purchases like vacation homes, tuitions, and cars. And if that spending is cut back…. it could continue to slow down the national recovery, instead of potentially boosting it even stronger. November 2012 CBS4 News Magazine Coral Gables [ 15 ]

Government Eases

Travel Restrictions HAVANA (CBSMiami.com)

For Citizens

Cuba will scrap broad travel restrictions starting in January, easing most Cubans’ exit and return, in the communist island’s first major immigration reform in half a century.

The Cuban government imposed restrictions on travel starting in 1961 to try to stop a mass migration of people fleeing after the 1959 revolution that put Fidel Castro in power. The government will lift the much reviled requirements to obtain an exit visa and letter of invitation and allow Cubans to simply show a passport and a visa from the country they’re travelling to if needed, the Communist Party newspaper Granma said. “The Cuban government, in full function of its sovereignty, has decided to eliminate the procedure of soliciting the Permission to Exit for trips outside the country and to make ineffective the requirement for a Letter of Invitation. Starting on the 14th of January 2013, a current passport will be the only requirement and a visa for the destination country if required,” the anchor read on state-run television. The changes are part of work “to update the current migratory policy adjusting it to prevailing conditions in the present

and foreseeable future,” the paper said. The statement added: “Certain measures will be maintained to preserve human capital created by the Revolution from the theft of talents practiced by the powerful nations.” The travel changes will take effect starting Jan. 14, Granma said. It is the most significant advance this year in President Raul Castro’s five-year plan of reform that has already seen the legalization of home and car sales and a big increase in the number of Cubans owning private businesses.

“It is the most significant advance this year in President Raul Castro’s five-year reform plan.”

November 2012 CBS4 News Magazine Coral Gables [ 17 ]

Secrets (CBSMiami.com)

Beneath The Sea Call Out For

Change Reporting Michele Gillen

Beneath the Atlantic Oceans’ shining waters lies a potential risk and experts are raising alarming questions about the health of our oceans and the impact it could have on the life above and below the sea. CBS4 Chief Investigator Michele Gillen recently looked into the problem with an undersea explorer who has the ocean in his blood.

Meet Fabien Cousteau, he’s a third-generation ocean explorer who sees a lifeline for humans in desperate trouble. “When you look out at this magnificent ocean what do you see?” Gillen asked Cousteau. “I see the future. I see mystery. I see a place that really needs to be understood,” Cousteau said. But he is also sounding out a warning: “What we are putting in our water system is coming back to haunt us.” Cousteau, the grandson of the great granddad of the seas Jacques Cousteau, carries on the late pioneer’s passion to fight poisoning of our oceans, which is now reflected in face of sick and mutant fish. “We’re injecting chemicals by the tens of thousands into the ocean,” Cousteau said. “That ends up in our plates, through that fish, through that sea life.” CBS4’s Gillen also asked him about recent reports of fishermen pulling up shrimp with no eyes. “With no eyes, with too many legs or that are all one sex,” Cousteau added. An undersea photographer and advocate for the world’s aquatic backyard, Cousteau is raising awareness over disfigured and sick fish turning up with open sores, lesions and tumors that researchers believe are harbingers of human health. “We are actually seeing three-eyed fish. We are seeing alligators with stunted genitals. We are seeing bass that grow all female because of all the estrogen in the water,” Cousteau said. Cancer causing PBC’s, mercury, arsenic, DDT are all showing up in fish, which we may eat. Gillen said, “Unfortunately, so many more even more toxic chemicals are showing up in our fish.” “Unfortunately, you are right,” Cousteau added. He says the contaminants in the sea impact our health. “There’s a garbage patch in every ocean. That plastic lasts forever. It ends up in the food web and it ends up in orcas, in ourselves,” he said. “The orcas are a good example of an animal, a mammal that’s a direct reflection in the oceans. Orcas are now getting cancer rates. They are born with physical disabilities.” And that’s why he’s trying to make a difference. “When you open your eyes to the mysterious underwater world it’s impossible to turn your back on it. I guess in a sense it’s been infused in my blood,” Cousteau said. He took his first dive with his grandfather at 4 years old,

a man he remains in awe of. “I think my grandfather was a pioneer and a visionary,” he said. Now, some three decades later, he works to expose problems, offer solutions, and make an imprint in Florida taking Gillen on his mission to plant red mangrove seeds at John U. Lloyd State Park. “Some might say it’s a dirty job, but this one seedling could make a huge difference,” he said. As the mangroves provide the environment for fish to breed- he’s christened his campaign -plant a fish. “It’s planting things that fish depend on. Mangroves, corals which are the rainforests of the sea. Sea turtles which are iconic and the gardeners of the sea,” he said. “I’m walking a fine line, that blue line between land and sea. Selfishly, I’m much more comfortable underwater. But in order to invite others to my world I want to get them to walk on the beach. On a river, next to a lake, anywhere where the circulatory river of life connects us. At the end of the day it’s not about hugging sharks, it’s not about loving whales. It’s about ourselves. The survival of our species.” Cousteau’s biggest concern remains the impact of the BP Oil spill in the Gulf. Researchers, fisherman and Cousteau say that while the disaster has largely vanished from the headlines, the potential effects may just be becoming more visible.

November 2012 CBS4 News Magazine Coral Gables [ 19 ]

MIAMI (CBSMiami.com)

List Of

Reporting Vanessa Borge

Free Online

University Courses

Grows

Ever dream of an Ivy League education? It’s possible to get one for free. Schools like Princeton, Harvard and Stanford are offering courses online at no cost.

“There were

40,000 students enrolled in the class this summer,” said Prof. Mitchell Duneier from Princeton University. Forty-thousand students took professor Duneier’s “Massive Open Online Course” or “MOOC” for free, thanks to a partnership between Princeton University and Coursera, an education startup founded by 2 Stanford professors in 2011. “If you are a working professional, it’s tough to go back to school every Tuesday and Thursday to take classes. But with online education, now it is much more convenient,” said Andrew Ng, Coursera co-founder. MOOCS are reshaping the higher education landscape and they are catching on. Coursera now has partnership with 16 top universities including Brown, Columbia, Emory, and Vanderbilt universities, as well as Berklee College of Music and Mount Sinai School of Medicine. The foreign universities added are Hebrew University of Jerusalem, University of British Columbia, University of London, University of Melbourne, and Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, Coursera said. New additions include five public institutions: Ohio State University, the University of Florida, University of Pittsburgh, University of Maryland and University of California, Irvine. So who’s taking these free classes and what are they doing with them? “I think it will help lend credibility to some of the concepts that I’m talking to my clients about,” said Meghan Wilker, a Coursera student. “To do my consultancy better, to help my customers better, I needed to get a depth of knowledge in a subject area,” said Andrew Woodward, another Coursera Student. A Coursera survey found a majority of students taking a machine learning class last summer were working professionals, hoping to improve their skills for their current job, or get themselves a better one. Only 3-and-a-half percent were unemployed. “There is a gap between training and unemployment that can be addressed. And I think that if you are unemployed,

a good way to spend some of your time is conducting some training, so that you maintain your skills and also develop new skills,” said Debra Wheatman, president of Careers Done Write. For now, you can’t get a degree from Coursera or college credit. Coursera students admit that’s not all that’s missing from the free class; they don’t get the college experience, making friends on an actual campus. “That’s the kind of experience that someone taking an online class unfortunately will not have. Many of the people that I had in my class this summer were not choosing between a Princeton class and an online class, they were choosing between an online class and no class at all,” Wheatman said. Some of the classes offered by Coursera include Mathematical Biostatistics Boot Camp from Johns Hopkins University and Writing in the Sciences from Stanford. November 2012 CBS4 News Magazine Coral Gables [ 21 ]

MIAMI (CBSMiami.com)

Study:

More Colleges Reviewing

Applicants’ Social Media Profiles Reporting Al Sunshine

With college applications, teens are finding it’s not just what’s on paper that matters, but also what’s on the web.

[ 22 ] November 2012 CBS4 News Magazine Coral Gables

For 17-year-old

Emily Caramelli, it’s taken lot more than just cracking the books to get into college. “I have been doing research on what to write my personal statement about, so I can come off as a cool person to the colleges and they’ll want to accept me,” Caramelli said. This teen is more than just book smart. “I definitely know colleges are getting online and looking at your social media because that is out there,” the aspiring college student said. Caramelli is among the growing number of college-bound students who say their online reputation could be at stake when it comes to applying for college. “I’ve heard horror stories about someone saying they see them with a drink in their hand and not accepting them. Because I don’t think that is fair, I don’t want to put myself in that position,” Caramelli said. A nationwide survey revealed top colleges across the nation admitted to using social networking sites to assess prospective students. The research done by Kaplan, a company which provides test prep and admissions help to students, asked 320 college admissions officers. They found that 10 percent admitted to using social media for college entrance review. And companies, such as Experian SafetyWeb, are tapping into the findings. “Students today have so many obstacles getting into college. Their social media profile shouldn’t be one of those obstacles,” Experian SafetyWeb’s Senior Vice President of Marketing Ken Chaplin said. Chaplin said there is more to be said when it comes to a student’s online reputation. Experian SafetyWeb scans millions of sites to see how their clients are represented online. They offer feedback on how students can represent themselves for who they really are. Experts recommend using a search engine to find out what’s out there. “Enter some claims you make on your application and see what comes up,” Chaplin said. He also recommends checking your profile photo. “A lot of people have profile photos that are very expressive socially, and talk about who they are. Make sure that’s a photo you want admissions officer wants to see,” Chaplin said. Chaplin advises students to clean up old posts. “Go back through your profile and make sure all your posts that are there are ones that you want there,” Chaplin said. Students should set their accounts to private, so only the people they want seeing their information can see it. “Set limits to the ability for people to tag you. On your

“I’ve heard horror stories about someone saying they see them with a drink in their hand and not accepting them. Because I don’t think that is fair, I don’t want to put myself in that position,”

profile, upload photos of you or the like,” Chaplin said. Caramelli has already taken a lot of these tips into account. “I try to keep everything online really clean and appropriate. I always try to say: What if my grandmother saw this? How would she feel?” While not all colleges use social media as a tool for admissions, experts say it’s still wise to manage your online reputation.

November 2012 CBS4 News Magazine Coral Gables [ 23 ]

MIAMI (CBSMiami.com)

CBS4 Investigates:

Does Your

Count

The Overvote Worries

Reporting Michele Gillen

Imagine going to the polls and casting your vote for President Barack Obama or Governor Mitt Romney and somehow the machine thinks you voted for both candidates. That’s called an overvote, and your vote may be thrown out. Sound impossible? It isn’t.

“You are getting to the crux of the problem with this technology. We are supposed to trust what goes on back there blindly,” voting rights advocate and attorney Lida Rodriguez-Taseff told CBS4 Chief Investigator Michele Gillen. Rodriguez-Taseff has spent a decade battling to pull back the curtain on election transparency. She helped get the touch screen machines tossed in Florida in favor of getting voters a paper ballot and paper trail – only to learn that the variety of optical scan machines now in use now across America and Florida may have flaws no one could have predicted. Or could they have? “Nobody has done and in-depth study to determine how well those machines are really working,” Rodriguez-Taseff cautioned Gillen. “It absolutely leaves me pause that we’re not looking at those machines more closely. The technology that is used for voting is generally inferior to the computing technology that most people have in their homes. And in their cars and their iPhones and cell phones. So the fact that we’re not looking more closely at this technology is really troubling to most people yes,” said Rodriguez-Taseff. Kitty Garber knows the optical scan ballot and its history in Miami-Dade. She is the co-founder of the Florida Fair Election Center, and she’s worried about the optical scan system Miami-Dade county residents will cast their ballots on this presidential election. In fact, she’s been concerned over how we cast ballots here for the past five years.

At the heart of Garber’s concern is how often the machine – the ES&S DS200 in Miami Dade County, registers an overvote. That’s when, according to the machine, a voter has voted for two candidates in the same race. Their vote may then be invalidated… thrown out. Where does MiamiDade Stand in terms of overvotes visa vie the whole state of Florida? “It’s the worst,” said Garber referring to the top two races studied by the state of FLorida in 2010 and in the top race, she said, “Miami-Dade again came up with 43% of all the overvotes statewide. It’s awful. It’s terrible. There should be virtually no overvotes,” said Garber. What concerns voting rights advocates? A lack of answers as to what’s causing this problem? “The problem could arise from many different places. It could arise from the fact that voters need to be trained not to overvote. It could arise from the fact that oncevoters overvote… they aren’t being properly notified and it could arise from the fact that voters are not being made to correct their ballot. Lastly of course it could arise from the fact that the machine has a problem and is recording overvotes when it shouldn’t be,” said Rodriguez-Taseff. That’s exactly what was just discovered to have happened in a 2010 race in the Bronx NY. “It became obvious that this was a machine error and not a voter error,” says Larry Norden of NYU’s Brennan Center of

Law who helped expose that that the machine misread dozens of votes as overvotes– with no one noticing. “It is unacceptable. The whole point of elections is for people to make their choices known And we should have technology that is able to do that,” says Norden. It was what Norden says was the alarming number of overvotes detected in Miami- Dade races, that caught his attention and led the Brennan Center to investigate the ES&S DS200 machines in use in a 2010 race in the Bronx. “We looked at the record in Florida and saw that there were very high numbers of over votes, particularly in Miami-Dade county which was using this machine but particularly in all of the counties that were using this particular voting machine in Florida,” Norden added. According to Norden, after the machines were left on for a few hours of voting— one machine wrongly read dozens of votes as over votes… and all those votes were lost. The conclusion of the manufacturer was essentially summed up this way. “It appears that the unit was out of calibration and when the unit heated up over a period of time, the scanned image was distorted and the system recorded votes that were not marked.” “It is absolutely chilling to hear their account of what happened with the machines. The problem is they can make whatever diagnosis they want. They can say, oh it was the temperature of the machine you don’t know. There’s no way for outsiders to know,” said Rodriguez-Taseff. Keep in mind, that while Miami Dade and the Bronx both use the DS200, our investigation finds that the software in the machines are different versions. Could that affect or prevent the same problem from having happened here, or happening in the future? CBS4 investigates has tried to find out. Despite the Bronx meltdown making New York headlines and raising questions about the machines in use around the country – the Supervisor of Elections in Miami-Dade and the department’s supervisor have denied our requests for an interview regarding the optical scanners, the problems in NY and whether anything has been done to prevent, preclude or

“The advocates do not have the information required to make a real analysis of whether or not the problem can happen here,” said Rodriguez-Taseff. “And part of the problem is that the technology is considered proprietary so they don’t give access to anyone other than the state. And even the state has limited access. The manufacturer has written CBS4 Investigates that following the Bronx problem: it “issued a best practices technical bulletin to all DS200 users reminding them of the need to properly calibrate and clean units prior to an election.” Broward County Supervisor of Elections, Brenda Snipes sat down with Gillen and answered a wide range of questions on the machines and concerns raised over what happened in the Bronx. Asked if she found out that a similar problem affected her machines, would she be outraged? ”That goes without saying,” said Snipes. “Now do I have the ability or the resources to go in and test… what do we have… 12-13 hundred machines? No I don’t. No I don’t,” she pointed out and added, “It appeared to be that it was isolated to the Bronx. Broward County’s Department of Elections has given CBS4 Investigates access to shoot their machines. They too use the DS200 with software different from that used in Miami-Dade or in the Bronx. Unlike Miami-Dade, Broward does not have what voting observers consider a red flag number of overvotes. “It is unacceptable. The whole point of elections is for Because of the potential fallibility of people to make their choices known And we should the current machines— Taseff says its more urgent than ever that elections have technology that is able to do that.” audit as many of the paper ballots as possible. Currently, by law in Florida, the identify a similar problem here. departments are only allowed to audit a very small sample On why they refuse to do an interview on the subject: “The of the paper ballots, and only after the winner is declared Department cannot comment on the issue that was experiand certified. enced in New York with one of their voting units. However, we “We need to pay more attention to what is going on behind can confidently state this has no impact on voting in Miamithese machines so we can make sure that the next elecDade County,” said Deputy Supervisor of Elections, Christina tion is actually successful and every vote is counted,” said White, in a prepared statement sent to CBS4 Investigates. Rodriguez-Taseff. November 2012 CBS4 News Magazine Coral Gables [ 27 ]

What’s In Your Shower Could Be

Reporting Josh Benson

Making You Sick MIAMI (CBSMiami.com)

Katie Keating couldn’t understand what was happening to her. “You don’t have the strength to do anything,” Keating said. “Initially, I thought bronchitis.” She was out of breath, had a constant cough and was rapidly losing weight. “I thought that it would go away,” said Keating.

She went to doctor

after doctor but her symptoms only got worse and nobody knew what was wrong. Finally, Keating learned she had an illness called nontuberculous mycobacteria or NTM, and even more shocking– she likely got it from her shower. “They are small bacteria. They cause disease in humans, pulmonary disease,” said Keating. You don’t just contract this illness from the shower. It can come from any water. The microscopic bacteria are also in bath water. We cook with them and even drink them. Dr. Joseph Falkinham is a biologist who knows all about these bacteria. “Humans are surrounded by these organisms,” Dr. Falkinham said. As household water became cleaner most bacteria were killed off, but NTM bacteria are extremely resilient and now more and more people are becoming sick as the bacteria silently destroys lung tissue.

“We’ve created a better environment for these organisms,” said Dr. Falkinham. The cleaner the water experts say–the more these bacteria thrive. Pulmonologist Dr. David Camelhar says most people are not susceptible to the bacteria. But for those who have a history of lung and bronchial problems, for elderly patients and for people with compromised immune systems, NTM can be life threatening. And the proof is right in front of us. Dr. Falkinham took off a shower head and revealed the source of some of the trouble. For Keating, life has changed dramatically. She no longer takes showers and she only drinks bottle water, but at least she is feeling better.

November 2012 CBS4 News Magazine Coral Gables [ 29 ]

CORAL

GABLES

CALENDAR OF EVENTS / NOVEMBER 2012

Sister Cities Wine & Spirits Series NOVEMBER 15, 2O12 305/603-8067 www.coralgablesmuseum.org Sister Cities Wine and Spirits Series continues with the Spirits of Colombia. Tasting, cocktails, food and a lecture on the history of spirits in Colombia. $15 for members, $20 for non-members. 6 p.m.

Jazz At Pinecrest Gardens: Spam Allstars NOVEMBER 10, 2012 305/669-6990 www.pinecrestgardens.com Latin Grammy nominated Spam Allstars is one of the pioneer bands of the new Miami-fusion sound, blending vintage funk, Latin groove, true jazz improvisation, soul, hip-hop, and electronic. Gates open at 6:30 p.m.; performance begins at 8 p.m.

Miami Book Fair International Granfondo Miami NOVEMBER 10-11, 2012 www.granfondo-world.com An Italian-inspired cycling experience comprised of twelve long distance, mass participation cycling events. This year’s GranFondo World series will include six all new United States based events in San Diego, Los Angeles, Philadelphia, Vail, Reno and Miami. Visit the website for details.

NOVEMBER 11-18, 2012 305/237-3940 www.miamibookfair.com One of the nation’s finest and largest literary gatherings treats book lovers to more than a week of cultural and educational activities, including author readings, book signing, the Evenings With series, the IberoAmerican Authors program, the popular Street Fair on the actual closed streets of downtown Miami surrounding the campus, Children’s Alley, and much more.

Friday Nights: Carnival! NOVEMBER 16, 2012 - 305/532-4006 Let your hair loose and throw out the rules. It’s Friday night and Carnival is ready to get started. Show girls, contortionists, fire priests, saxophonists, artists, percussionists and Samba dancers are just a few of the performers that bring cultures from the Caribbean, South + Central America, Europe and Asia to South Beach in a global-style show. Starts at 8 p.m.

Florida Grand Opera:

La Bohème NOVEMBER 17 - DECEMBER 02, 2012 800/741-1010 - www.fgo.org/ To be young, in love, and in Paris…the magic of the famous Latin Quarter and Puccini’s unmatched ability to capture in his music love’s passion, hope, and sorrow have made La bohème one of the world’s best loved operas.

Miami Short Film Festival NOVEMBER 21 - DECEMBER 1, 2012 305/586-8105 www.miamishortfilmfestival.com MSFF’s goal year after year is focused on motivating directors, screenwriters, actors, and producers to make their films and share them with fellow film makers and industry professionals. The ultimate goal is to bring exposure to independent up-and-coming filmmakers.

Downtown Miami Riverwalk Festival & Boat Parade NOVEMBER 10, 2012 305/416-6868 www.miamiriverwalkfestival.com This special multicultural event provides an opportunity for local residents and visitors to explore and interact among local arts and culture vendors, while also showcasing the unique surroundings at the mouth of the Miami River. FREE. 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.

November 2012 CBS4 News Magazine Coral Gables [ 31 ]

Best Of MiaMi

Best Neighborhood Bars in Miami:

Coral Gables [ 32 ] November 2012 CBS4 News Magazine Coral Gables

The Bar

Coral Gables is one of the oldest communities in South Florida, first established in the early 1920s. Villas with gardens in Mediterraneaninspired style, the famous Biltmore Hotel and the most renown private schools can all be found in a community that is predominantly family oriented and old school. The neighborhood feel of Coral Gables can be easily found among its bars and local hangouts.

www.gablesthebar.com Decorated with that dark English pub feel that shies away from the sunlight, wooden oak booths, old bottles and stained glass lamps, The Bar surprises patrons with its dual personality. Early in the evening in a relaxed atmosphere you may sit at the bar and enjoy one of the largest variety of imported beers in the neighborhood. Later in the night, the volume gets loud and the bar area transforms into a dance floor. The Bar is not a dive where you may end up playing board games, but is intimate enough for a first date and warm enough to host a birthday party. The acclaimed Key Lime Pie is not to be missed.

The Local Craft Food & Drink www.thelocal150.com Limited seating and cozy ambiance make this restaurant and bar a place where you want to meet with friends after work and unwind with a chilled specialty beer and some tapas, or as the The Local Craft calls it, gastropub flare. Frequented by a young crowd of twenty-something professionals that have share a passion for great American craft beer and conversation, this is a college student’s dream bar. The 24 rotating taps means that there’s always something new to sip on. Just save room for dessert––the bacon beignet with rosemary maple syrup and whipped cream is a must-try.

Tarpon Bend www.tarponbend.com In Miami, a restaurant that’s been in business since 1999 is the equivalent of an old staple, hands down. Part of a small chain, Tarpon Bend still maintains its warm and casual atmosphere, welcoming its aficionados mainly for lunch and happy hour. This is the destination on the Mile for oysters and seafood and its famous Thursday Mojito Madness.

Titanic Brewery www.titanicbrewery.com The original concept for Titanic Brewery was a maritime themed microbrewery, and it was then extended to a fish and seafood restaurant (even the menu has ships everywhere) and a stage for live entertainment. Understated, unpretentious and laid back are the best attributes of both the crowd and the décor, since the center of the attention is behind the bar where you can see the beers being brewed as you drink them. Titanic is that typical hangout place to meet friends after work or to chill after a fishing excursion. As a drink to choose, with The Sampler you can have a taste of six of the brewery’s nine homebrewed beers to find your favorite.

19th Hole Sports Bar and Grill www.biltmorehotel.com 19th Hole Sports Bar and Grill is the best kept secret in Coral Gables. Whether you are finishing up your 18 holes or coming out of the Baltimore Hotel’s spa, 19th Hole is a pleasant venue overlooking the course. This is the perfect place to enjoy a quiet lunch or a chilled drink at sunset with pals. There’s a spectacular view with a breeze and the waterfall of the pool serves as a soundtrack while enjoying a salad or a burger in a mini escape in your own backyard.

November 2012 CBS4 News Magazine Coral Gables [ 33 ]

MIAMI (CBSMiami.com)

You’re Not

Did You Know

Sleeping Alone? Did you know you’re not sleeping alone? Millions of mites live in your pillows, your mattress, stuffed animals and even your car.

All of these creepy

crawly creatures may really creep you out, especially when you realize that you’re sleeping with millions of them every night but there is something you can do about it. Erick Machadu realized mites were affecting him in a terrible way. “Every time I would wake up in the morning. I would have a rash, a little itch,” said Machadu. Elie Andray said she had terrible allergies too. “When I woke up in the morning it was the worst,” said Andray. Millions of Americans have allergic reactions to mites but it’s not exactly the mites they are allergic too but the mites feces people inhale while they sleep. Some people can also have a reaction to the dead bodies of the mites that turn to dust. “As long as you have hair and skin that shed and they can drink from air, they can flourish,” explained Dr. Bassem Chahine. Dr. Chahine said mites eat hair and skin particles and with the humidity levels in Florida, they drink from the air without a problem. The issue is particularly bad in South Florida thanks to the constant humidity.

So what can you do about it? “Basically your bed may be loaded with these particles, you just seal them in.” If you get the proper pillow and mattress covers you can seal them in. Also, a dehumidifier helps and if you are still sneezing, stuffy and itchy, you can get a vaccine that’s effective in 4 out of 5 people. Machadu said it worked for him and Andray agreed. If you are prone to this allergy like 10-percent of the population is, you will have problems unless you address it. If you are not prone to this allergy, than not sleeping alone, won’t affect you at all.

“Mites eat hair and skin particles and with the humidity levels in Florida, they drink from the air without a problem. The issue is particularly bad in South Florida thanks to the constant humidity.”

November 2012 CBS4 News Magazine Coral Gables [ 35 ]

MIAMI (CBSMiami.com)

Saving

Money

Prepaid Smartphones

With

Reporting Al Sunshine

Love your smartphone, but hate the bill? You may want to consider signing up for prepaid wireless because even the most popular smartphones are available for prepaid users.

So it may be worth considering

if you’d like to save some bucks on your cell plan. Saving money is important when you have six kids and that’s why Tiffany Wong switched to a prepaid wireless smartphone. “If I can get the same service for less than half the money, I’m going for it,” said Tiffany. Tiffany got a prepaid droid which includes: unlimited texting, internet and phone calls for forty-dollars a month. Her old “contract based carrier” bill was about one hundred dollars a month for the same services and benefits. The sixty dollars a month savings was such a good deal, she got her son Ryan a prepaid smartphone too, which he uses to surf the web. “Since there’s eight people in my family, someone’s almost always using the computer,” said Ryan. We found the prepaid smartphone market is ringing off the hook. Sales more than tripled over the past year. Customers ditching those annual contracts are now one of the fastest growing smartphone segments in the U.S. With prepaid mobile you don’t make any contract commitments to one carrier, and you pay a set flat monthly fee upfront. That eliminates any surprise overage charges, which may come in handy with tweens. “You wouldn’t want to give them a high end smartphone with an expensive post paid plan where they might get overages on and blow out your family budget,” said John Breyault with the National Consumers League. The latest news in the prepaid market involves the iPhone. Virgin Mobile and Leap-Cricket are now offering prepaid iPhone service. T-Mobile says if you currently have an iPhone, ask your carrier to unlock it, bring it to their store, they’ll pop in a new SIM card and you can get inexpensive prepaid service. “Often those customers find even with a penalty to cancel a contract they’re able to save money by switching,” according to T-Mobile’s Larry Petrone. Some drawbacks to having contract-free cell service? If you want a smartphone, you’ll pay the entire retail cost of the device, which can be more than five hundred dollars in some cases. Also very few prepaid family plans are available, so you really need to figure out the savings for your household. “You have to incorporate the higher upfront cost of the device itself versus the cost of keeping, adding another line to your family plan,” explained Breyault.

“T-Mobile says if you currently have an iPhone, ask your carrier to unlock it, bring it to their store, they’ll pop in a new SIM card and you can get inexpensive prepaid service.” Even though Tiffany had to pay full price for two new smartphones, she says she’s still coming out ahead. One analyst says right now the prepaid market is primarily younger, less affluent users, who are “highly mobile” and “live” on their smartphones.

November 2012 CBS4 News Magazine Coral Gables [ 37 ]

MIAMI (CBSMiami.com)

The Frightening

Reality Of

Marybel Rodriguez

Face Blindness

Imagine you couldn’t recognize people’s faces, and even your own family looked unfamiliar. It’s a puzzling and disabling neurological disorder that prevents sufferers from being able to recognize the faces of people that they see every day.

The rare disorder is known as prosopagnosia or face blindness. It doesn’t cause victims to forget people but it does make it impossible for them to recognize them. “I literally have walked right past my kids on the street and not known it was them,” said James Cooke. “I don’t forget people, I just can’t recognize them,” Dori Frame said. “I have shaped my life so I don’t have to come in contact with people and rely on recognizing people.” The disorder can prevent a victim from being able to recognize a person who they have known for years. “The first 49 years of my life, I could walk in a room and just scan the room and know who I knew and who I didn’t know. Now, I don’t even bother looking,” James Cooke said. Experts say the disorder only affects 3 percent of the population and that while some people are born with it, others may develop it later in life as a result of an accident or other medical condition.

“Stroke, traumatic brain injury, degenerative causes,” were all among factors listed by Dr. Todd Feinberg, a neurologist, as possible causes of prosopagnosia. Frame said that she has developed a system of techniques to help her distinguish different people. She uses the sound of a person’s voice or distinctive features like short hair, or a crooked mouth to identify people. Help may be on the way for sufferers in the form of specially trained dogs who can recognize family members and close friends while out in public or at large social functions. “All I have to say is, ‘find Greg’ and he’s off like a shot through the crowd,” Frame explained. The disorder can be difficult to deal with for those who are close to its victims as well. “I really didn’t understand at first. What do you mean you can’t recognize me? You’re my dad,” said Cooke’s son, Tommy. There is no cure or treatment for face blindness and some people may not even realize that they have it. November 2012 CBS4 News Magazine Coral Gables [ 39 ]

MIAMI (CBSMiami.com)

Tourist Fights and Beats

Miami Red Light Camera Ticket Reporting Al Sunshine

Red light traffic cameras are automatically documenting violations all over South Florida and generating traffic tickets for drivers who run red lights. But a recent visitor from Maryland said he got no help at all trying to fight a Miami red light ticket which charged him with basically being in two places at the same time.

Harry Connolly recently booked

a trip to Key West for a vacation in paradise. He wanted to visit his brother who lives in the Florida Keys. It was also celebration of his sons’ college graduation Back in May, the Townsend, Maryland family flew into Ft. Lauderdale and the freelance photographer rented a car for a drive down to Key West. But a few weeks later he got an unexpected bill from the rental company: A $176 ticket for running a red light in Miami. Harry couldn’t understand it. “In June we got a letter from Enterprise car rental indicating the car we rented had run a red light in Miami on May 19th on a Saturday evening around 7:30 at night. And I went back to our calendar and I realized on May 19th we were in Key West, not in Miami,” said Connolly. He checked the website of the company that administers the cameras for the city and found a car that looked like his rental running a red-light off NW 27th Avenue and 7th street. “I called Enterprise car rental and they basically washed their hands and said they don’t handle this,” said Connolly, “They were going to charge me an $18 administration fee on top of the $158 dollar ticket.” A few weeks later Connolly got a formal ‘notice of violation’ and the fine had grown to $277. Connolly complained to the administrators of Miami’s red light camera program. “Somebody’s wrong here and they insist their day and

time are always correct. The Enterprise car rental, they haven’t helped a bit. The ticket people, they have no interest in helping me, they’re collecting money for Miami,” said Connolly. “None of them have been of any help whatsoever. It’s ridiculous.” Veteran Miami traffic lawyer David Brenner said in many cases, local red light cameras are documenting legitimate safety violations. But, he adds, the camera program still has its problems. “I think the system has many flaws in it and it’s new. It’s only been around for a couple of years, maybe less and they are still working on it. But I think there are flaws, there are glitches in the system,” said Brenner. “There are problems when it’s a rental car, there are problems when you fill out an affidavit and try to assign it to somebody else, there are problems with it. I think it can be better.” After checking out Connolly’s complaint and documentation along with check with the company that runs the camera program, Miami police finally dismissed his ticket. Investigators said they believe the car rental agreement had the wrong license plate number and it probably wasn’t Connolly’s rental car that ran the red light.

“I think the system has many flaws in it and it’s new. It’s only been around for a couple of years, maybe less and they are still working on itBut I think there are flaws, there are glitches in the system.” It’s not uncommon, said Brenner, for mistakes to be made on car rental forms and you don’t even realize it. “Sometimes you’ll see the tag on the vehicle does not match the tag on the ticket, or the car is different, or the color of the car is different and that would be a reason to dismiss it,” said Brenner. Enterprise Car rental said the red light camera misidentified Connolly’s license plate. The company which runs the red light camera program said they may have been provided with the wrong information from the car rental agency. Connolly said nothing happened to his repeated complaints to both companies until after asking CBS Miami to check them out. He’s glad the ticket was finally dismissed and he does plan on visiting South Florida again.

November 2012 CBS4 News Magazine Coral Gables [ 41 ]

MIAMI (CBSMiami.com)

Makeup &

Beauty Products For

Men

Reporting Lisa Petrillo

BooMing

If you’ve noticed more men shopping around the beauty department, your eyes aren’t playing tricks on you. An exploding number of skincare and cosmetic products are being designed with guys in mind.

One look in Scott

Lazerson’s bathroom and you might think his wife has taken over but the piles of beauty booty he has all over the counter are actually his. “Every day I am cleansing my face. Once a week I’m putting a clay mask on,” said Scott Lazerson who likes men’s grooming products. Scott said the products help him put his best face forward and he’s not alone. Made-for-Men grooming products are expected to hit more than $3 billion by 2016, up from an estimated $2.6 billion this year. Jesse Ashlock with Details Magazine said men today simply want to look and feel their best. “You can gain a personal and professional advantage by paying attention to these things,” said Jesse Ashlock of Details Magazine. From the drugstore to specialty and department stores, men’s beauty brands are taking up serious shelf space, with everything from anti-aging potions, moisturizers, lip balms and shaving oils. At Sephora in the Aventura Mall, sales are up when it comes to male grooming products. “Definitely, especially here in the Miami and here in the Florida market, men are more inclined to take care of their skin and their hair so definitely grooming has increased and our male clients have increased as well,” explained Sephora

makeup artist Mary Aguilar. Once a year, Stefan Andersen comes from Europe to buy his products here at the Aventura Mall. “There used to be a stigma with men who put creams on, or anything on their face,” said Andersen. But now, that’s not the case anymore. “I think that’s passed I really do,” said Andersen. Some men are even stocking up on makeup like tinted moisturizer, concealer, and bronzers. “We actually now have a catered section for men. I think they feel more open, more inviting for men now,” said Aguilar. It’s more inviting for men because the word makeup is never used. Instead, the descriptions are bit more masculine like “Beard Lube”, “The Core Collection”, and “Cool Fix.” “They’re not like makeup in the way that women use makeup, but they’ll do something to smooth skin tone, obscure a blemish, get rid of tired eyes, in a way that nobody out there will know that you’re wearing makeup,” said Jesse Ashlock of Details Magazine. Scott Lazerson’s skincare regimen is nothing to blush about. “I really, really believe that doing something daily for my skin has definitely made me look younger,” he said. These days, you can even find subscription based beauty services for men, like Birchbox, for a monthly fee, which sends samples of grooming and lifestyle products sent straight to your door. November 2012 CBS4 News Magazine Coral Gables [ 43 ]

MIAMI (CBSMiami.com)

No-Chip Nail Polish Lasts Longer, But

At What Price? Reporting Cynthia Demos

A new manicure claims

to last two to three times longer than a traditional manicure but at what cost? The system is called the nail gel system. A University of Miami Miller School of Medicine study looked into what kind of damage the fast, long-lasting manicure may cause and it may cause you to second-guess whether you want it. “We found that after the manicure the nail plate became thinner,” said Dr. Antonella Tosti. Dr. Tosti is a world reknowned nail expert and author who helped conduct a study of the effects of the new gel nail system. So how does the no chip nail process work? A base coat, two coats of polish and a sealer are cured between each layer by uv light. The process that makes it last however also makes it more difficult to remove than a regular manicure. Pads soaked in acetone are supposed to be wrapped around the nail for 10 to 40 minutes, or more, depending on the brand.

Manicurist Jessica Knepper said beware of manicurists taking shortcuts. “They’ll try to scrape it off and pry off the nail for speed,” Knepper said. “That is not the proper way to do it.” Improper removal led to Catherine Mcbride partially losing a nail. “The nail bed was raw and bleeding,” McBride said. Four patients in the study had problems after having shallac manicures including weakness, brittleness, and thinning. A 5th subject who had an opi-axium manicure suffered diminishing in 20 percent of her nails. Manufacturers of CND Shallac and OPI said there is no nail damage when the tech follows the directions. Dr. Tosti says the UM study focused on improper removal! “People need to know when they get the manicure they go back to the professional using the same brand for the removal otherwise they are going to ruin the nails,” Tosti said. Consumers say to them the lesson is learned that if you take a short cut you pay the price. Dr. Tosti told CBS4 if the manicure is removed improperly and your nail suffers damage it would take about six months to fully repair. November 2012 CBS4 News Magazine Coral Gables [ 45 ]

Automotive M O N T H LY

AUTOMOTIVE

How To Check Tire Pressure & Inflate Tires Drive Safely While Saving Money and Gas by Philip Reed, Senior Consumer Advice Editor Source: www.edmunds.com

Underinflated tires might cause an accident that could kill you. Need another reason for inflating your tires? Underinflated tires increase tire wear, which could burn through a set of $400 tires a year early. Need another reason? Underinflated tires waste gas. How much gas? The Department of Transportation estimates that 5 million gallons of fuel per day are wasted due to low tire pressure. That’s more than 2 billion gallons per year, just because people don’t take the time to inflate their tires properly. OK, OK, you get the point. Inflating your tires to the specified pressure is important. So make it a habit to check and refill your tires once a month. And remember, you can’t tell if a tire is underinflated just by looking at it. If it actually looks underinflated, it is way underinflated. Checking Your Tire Pressure Here’s how to check the pressure in your tires with the least amount of muss and fuss. Buy a digital tire gauge and keep it in the car. (This will only set you back about $10.) Consider buying a small notebook that you can use to record your tire pressure and, later, your increased fuel economy. Find the tire pressure level required for your car. This information is usually on a yellow sticker in the doorjamb on the driver side (and it is also contained in the owner’s manual). It might call for different pressure levels for the back tires and the front tires. Check the pressure when the tires are cold. Tires heat up as they drive. They take about a half hour to cool down. Or you can just check the tires first thing in the morning. Unscrew the valve cap and set it to the side or in a pocket where you won’t lose it. Press the tire gauge onto the valve stem. There might be a slight hiss as you press down on the valve stem and again as you release it. You only need to do this for a second or two, long enough to get an accurate reading. Read the tire pressure on the digital gauge. You might consider writing down the pressure of the tires as you go around the car. You can refer to this when you fill up the tires. Now you can compare the tire pressure readings you got with the specified amount called for by the manufacturer (on the doorjamb or in the manual). If the level of pressure in your tires is below the specified amount, you need to fill the tires with air. For example, the sticker on the doorjamb may say that the recommended level is 32 psi (pounds per square inch). When you check your tire you find it is 29 psi. You need to bring your tire pressure up to spec. It’s estimated that for every 3 psi below spec, you burn 1 percent more fuel (and add 10 percent more tire

wear). It’s not uncommon to be 10 psi below spec, which would waste 3 percent more fuel and increase tire wear by 45 percent. Filling Your Tires There are at least two ways to refill your tires to bring them up to specification. You can go to an auto parts store and get a portable air compressor. If you do this you can refill your tires at your house or in your garage. Some of these compressors are cheap and not really up to the task of quickly inflating your tires. Spend a few extra dollars to upgrade to a higher level compressor that connects to your battery terminals rather than running off the cigarette lighter. Most people, however, will just refill their tires at the gas station. Even though many air compressors charge 50 cents, you can usually get the attendant to turn on the machine for free. Adjusting Your Tire Pressure Here are the steps needed to adjust the pressure in your tires: Pull your car in close to the air compressor so the hose reaches all four tires. Turn on the air compressor. (You will hear the compressor motor beginning to run.) Remove the stem caps and set them to the side or in a pocket. Press the hose fitting down on the valve stem and press the lever. You should feel air flowing through the hose and hear it inflating the tire. This can take a little effort to hold the hose on the valve stem. Check to see when you have enough air pressure in the tires by releasing the inflation lever. The gauge on the hose fitting will show if you have approximately enough air pressure. You can check it again later with your own gauge. At this point, it is better to slightly overinflate the tire. Adjust the pressure in all the tires in the same way. (Note: If the tires are warmed up, inflate the tire pressure to 3 psi over the specified amount.) Recheck the tire pressure with the digital gauge. If the pressure is too high, press the gauge down just far enough to release some air from the tire. Check it again. Replace the valve caps on all the tires. If you get in the habit of checking your tire pressure once a month, you will eventually find a good gas station that has a conveniently located air compressor. Now it’s time to enjoy improved fuel economy, reduced tire wear and — above all else — safe driving.

AUTOMOTIVE

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Home Improvement M O N T H LY

Source: www.lowes.com

Outdoor decorating for the holidays can be a fun

plants, such as holly, mistletoe and Christmas cactus.

experience for the whole family and add color and charm

Make your own Christmas stars from twigs, cover them

to your home for the Christmas season. While bright

with string lights and hang them from the porch banisters

lights and holiday displays are an important part of any

or ceiling. Tie red ribbons around a lattice basket, and fill

holiday dĂŠcor, you can adorn your home and landscape

it with evergreen boughs. If you have a red sled, decorate

with other items that don't run up your utility bill. With

it with greenery, and prop it up against your porch. A

a little careful planning and creativity, decorating your

pair of ice skates next to the sled enhances the holiday

home's exterior for Christmas doesn't have to be a

theme.

competitive or expensive project.

HOME IMPROVEMENT

Tips for Decorating the Outdoors

Embellish Your Lampposts You can add lights and bows to your lampposts, and

Outdoor DĂŠcor for the Holidays

string white or multicolored lights around them. For a traditional look, tie a pine garland or wreath around the lamppost, securing it at both ends with a wire. You can also use red and white ribbons to create candy canes, and then wrap the ribbons around your lampposts. Spruce Up Your Trees Consider decorating your yard's trees with string lights and small plastic ornaments that don't weigh down the branches. Fill Your Birdbath Consider filling your birdbath with greenery, pine boughs, pine cones and twigs for a fashionable wintery display. Add some miniature lights for a bright nighttime look. Cover Your Front Yard Christmas stepping stones add holiday cheer to any porch or walkway. Most come with holiday designs, like

Decorate Your Door

a Santa or snowflakes. Likewise, many birdhouses come

Attach a large wreath, garland, evergreen or brightly

with Christmas designs during the holidays. You can also

colored bow to your front door, and add a small

purchase or make Christmas planters to replace your old

Christmas ornament in the center. Highlight the display

flower pots. String some long plastic garlands along the

by adding some string lights, or shine a spotlight on the

top sides of your fence, and add red Christmas bows

wreath.

and string lights. Use ornament hooks to attach your

Create Seasonal Window Boxes

favorite Christmas ornaments onto your fence.

Display poinsettias or potted winter plants on your windowsills. For a natural look, use pine boughs or pine cones as a base, and mix in seasonal produce (e.g.,

Light Your Outdoor Displays Nativity scenes, inflatable Santas, reindeers,

corn, pumpkins, gourds).

snowmen and other Christmas characters are popular

Adorn Your Porch

holiday yard displays. For a more dramatic look, use an

Hang some grapevine wreaths of different sizes on

outdoor floodlight or spotlight to illuminate the displays.

the walls of your porch, and then add some seasonal

HOME IMPROVEMENT

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HOME IMPROVEMENT

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HOME IMPROVEMENT

What Can I Create for You?

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HOME IMPROVEMENT

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Marketplace M O N T H LY

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