Well, Hollywood Mayor Mara Giulianti is at it again, proving that she's a superior American and that those who oppose her are little more than small, rather disgusting, burrowing rodentia.

It started with a complaining e-mail from Angela Jackson, an activist who was arrested a while back in Hollywood during a peaceful protest. (If anyone wants to fill in the story on Jackson, please do so in the comments section. I'd like to hear it). Granted, Jackson's letter of civil protest, written on September 13, wasn't very nice.

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Here's to Ray McKinney.

Who is Ray? He's just a retired fellow in Fort Lauderdale who doesn't like corruption. He called me after I wrote stories about Southwest Ranches last year and said he was going to do something about it. Based on the stuff I'd dug up, he filed an ethics complaint based on the reporting. Specifically it was about Broward County Commissioner Diana Wasserman-Rubin, whose husband, Richard (had this as Rick -- thanks for the heads-up Scooter) Rubin, was collecting obscene payof--, er, payments, for helping the town receive parks grants from the county. Guess who was rooting those grants along and voting for them? His wife, of course, Diana Wasserman-Rubin.

When I first started questioning city officials about it, they changed Rick Rubin's contract to end the incentive bonuses he received on county grants. But it was too late to completely abandon ship -- he'd already taken at least $15,000 in bonuses linked to his wife's votes.

All these months later, the Florida Commission on Ethics has finally acted and, God Bless them one time, has found probable cause that Wasserman-Rubin violated the rules. I know this is true because Buddy Nevins reported it on the top of the Local front in the Sun-Sentinel. That's good news. But it was typical half-ass Sentinel stuff (God forbid they actually mention that NT broke the story that led to ethics charge). For instance, that real estate broker Nevins mentions at the end of the story is Ira Cor, a convicted felon and political sleaze who somehow has gotten a free ride from the Big Daily. You want to know about Cor, start here and finish here.

But here's the sad thing. It takes a good fellow like McKinney, who works on his own time, to get things done in this corrupt sinkhole of a county. People walk around like it's not happening, even as they're slipping on the slime in their own government halls. Reporters too often are like zombies in their own coverage areas, blind to it or, worse, guarding it in some strange way. It's not just Wasserman-Rubin. It's Ilene Lieberman. It's Josephus Eggelletion. It's Ben Graber. It's Al Capellini. It's Mara Giulianti. It's Keith Wasserstrom. It's John Bertino. It goes on and on. Go into any city and open your eyes and you'll find that a good portion of the public officials are committing crimes and should be put out of office. And the toothless ethics commission shouldn't be handling these cases. Unfortunately, State Attorney Michael Satz is out to lunch.

I want every reporter who reads this thing to make a vow today to uncover some corruption this year. Go all the way. Don't just touch it and say you're finished. Close the fucking deal. And then fight for it against the sap-headed editor who quit living years ago and doesn't want to actually feel anything like adrenaline touch his or her tepid bloodstream. It's time to wake up.

Below is an e-mail from Hollywood Mayor Mara Giulanti responding to her many critics. The mayor was adding her voice to a series of e-mails that began about the Mach eminent domain victory over the city. She was responding, as best as I could tell, to an e-mail from Howard Sher, a long-time critic of the city's payment of millions of dollars in incentives to lobbyist Alan Koslow-backed developers to build in Hollywood. He had written that the city, in all, had already spent or was planning to spend a total of $130 million in incentives to developers. I haven't reported out that number, but here's what Giulanti had to say about it:

From: mgiulianti@hollywoodfl.org
To: Bottjohnjack@aol.com; Dogbrown6123@aol.com; HLSCA@aol.com; sherteebal@aol.com; aboynton@bellsouth.net; astieb@bellsouth.net; eloewe@bellsouth.net; pcbrew@bellsouth.net; auclaira@comcast.net; namllov@comcast.net; lb_wilson@earthlink.net; sarnan2@earthlink.net; marialyj@gmail.com; stevwel@gmail.com; twright@herald.com; wdemarzo@herald.com; bob.norman@newtimesbpb.com; lschecter@pobox.com; ijrodriguez@sun-sentinel.com; jholland@sun-sentinel.com; mmayo@sun-sentinel.com; cyn1greene@yahoo.com; ruby38us2470@yahoo.com; trevoraaronson@yahoo.com
Cc: annmhollywood@aol.com; civicred28@aol.com; drossi3024@aol.com; imskincaid@aol.com; lemkallop@aol.com; Lenorach@aol.com; LESincorp@aol.com; Marilynvh@aol.com; sshagoury@aol.com; unoshken@aol.com; apessola@bellsouth.net; bunnym8504@bellsouth.net; KGS5413@bellsouth.net; satorisurge@bellsouth.net; shiranie@bellsouth.net; suscelfo@bellsouth.net; peter@boberlaw.com; jlebovich@herald.com; Beam Furr ; cpep54@juno.com; cdeminico@msn.com; dianapitt@yahoo.com
Sent: Monday, June 26, 2006 10:05:43 PM
Subject: [Fwd: Fwd: [Fwd: Re: [Fwd: Hollywood loses eminent domain fight]]]

Your figures are absurd, obviously made-up. I really do feel sorry for so many of you who have so little to offer but anger and slander. I honestly hope some day you will achieve the happiness and peace that most of our 147,000 other wonderful, hard-working residents have. They wouldn't waste their time poisoning the atmosphere; they are too busy leading productive, loving, caring lives.

Mara Giulianti, Mayor
CITY OF HOLLYWOOD
954.921.3321
mgiulianti@hollywoodfl.org

Yes, yes. So listen to the mayor and keep your uncomfortable views to yourself. Don't "poison the atmosphere" with civic action and political discourse. Be a happy, peaceful, loving, wonderful, productive, hard-working, caring drone, er, I mean, resident like everyone else. The good people of Hollywood work so hard they don't have time to pay attention to anything at all. And then, at night, they sleep well in their pods, er, I mean, beds. So please, stop thinking altogether, er, I mean go achieve peace and happiness. Mara and the leaders of the evil alien army -- er, I mean lobbyists and developers -- will handle the city.

-- Good Jim reared his head in the Miami Herald today. Todd Wright quotes Mayor Jim Naugle:

"I think the ugliest side of local politics are the developers and vendors give thousands of dollars to candidates. For that money they get access. If you got a major contributor, you are going to return that phone call quicker than most."

That's the thing about Naugle. He really means that and, as far as his relationship to the developer/lobbyist crowd, he's as clean a politico as there is in South Florida. Something to be said for that. The eternal question: Does Good Jim outweight Bad Jim?

(By the way, to find that Smirking Chimp link, I searched for "naugle" and "schlub" so I could find that now-famous housing quote. Well, only a few things came up because Naugle used the word "schlock," which, as a few commentators note, is a total mis-use of the language. C'mon Naugle, if you're going to use Yiddish in your hate speech, use it correctly. It's a schlub sitting on the sofa drinking beer, not a schlock).

Hey, at least he's got a good side. I haven't seen a positive thing from Mayor Mara Giulianti. Ever. Naturally, she opposed Peter Bober's less-than-robust attempt to take some of the money out of politics. She argued that wealthy candidates will still be able to put unlimited cash in their campaigns and will therefore have an unfair advantage. She's right. Shouldn't a candidate like Mara, who is totally sold out to developers and lobbyists, be able to raise as much money from special interests as a some schlub can take from his own bank account?

"No one up here is going to sell their soul for $500," Wright quotes her. "If you can be bought for $500 then you can be bought for $200."

What we love about Mara is that she sold her soul for much, much more than that.

-- Put this story from the Herald's Wilfredo Cancio Isla in the "one man's terrorist is another man's freedom fighter" file. Which one are they to you?

-- This clear-eyed story by Linda Kleindienst and Mark Hollis in the Sentinel is a lesson to all reporters: Never overestimate human nature, especially when it comes to humans in powerful positions. It often sinks to levels that seem unfathomable.

There's been a lot of controversy lately regarding the New Times' takeover of the Village Voice and the resulting carnage at the legendary weekly in New York. Blood has been spilled, great reporters have left or been fired, a lot of people are concerned.

I don't pretend to understand what's happening. But there is one small issue that I think needs to be settled and it starts back in February when Mark Jurkowitz of the Boston Phoenix quoted then-Voice media critic Sydney Schanberg about NT/VV Executive Editor Michael Lacey's fateful visit with staff.

"[Lacey] said he didn't want any stories that referred to other people's work," Schanberg said.

I don't understand that quote, but I wasn't there, and that may have been exactly what was said. Later that month, Schanberg, whose reporting in Southeast Asia won him a Pulitzer Prize and was the basis for the movie "The Killing Fields," quit his job. Gawker reported that Schanberg felt "that the company was no longer interested in media criticism."

On April 13, Schanberg told Amy Goodman of Democracy Now : "My assumption was [Lacey] didn't want to cover the press. His other papers, other New Times paper(s), don't have a press column. He's not interested in that."

Here Schanberg acknowledges that he made an "assumption." But then he flatly states that New Times papers don't have any press columns, obviously without bothering to check his facts. And when Schanberg speaks, people listen. Like Marisa Demarco at the Weekly Alibi in Albuquerque, who wrote in her column this week:

"Village Voice was the first alternative weekly paper in the country, carrying some of the best media critiques the newspaper biz has ever seen. Lacey walked into a room of talent and started hacking away, looking to make the Voice like all the other weeklies in the chain (none of which have a media criticism space)."

When New Times editor Tony Ortega told Demarco that it wasn't the truth, the newspaper quickly took the fallacious line -- "none of which have a media criticism space" -- off the Internet version. Readers of this blog know all too well how much NT values media criticism. I've been writing off and on about local newspapers for long while in the New Times and the blog is all about the media in South Florida.

You'd be hard-pressed to find a better digger into the Miami Herald than Miami New Times editor Chuck Strouse. And at Denver Westword, Michael Roberts has been covering the media for several years now. He's not hard to find, Romenesko has him listed on his "Media People" links.

In fact, I challenge anyone to find a New Times newspaper that has failed to do any media criticism in the past year. It can't be done. So let's get this straight: The New Times -- and the Village Voice -- do media criticism. And they'll keep doing it, no matter what people say or write.

(See Sydney Schanberg's response in comments below).

Hollywood's Political Love Boat

This is a press release sent from the publicly financed Hollywood Art and Culture center, you know the agency made famous by the leather Alan Koslow vampire suit. I think it speaks for itself as a testament to the evil of Hollywood politics, but one question I have: Who the flying hell would pay $110 to be waited on by Peter Bober? Mayor Mara, I understand. I mean she's the point person for the people who run Hollywood and it would be worth it just to make her run back and forth to the kitchen. But Bober?

130-FOOT LUXURY CHARTER YACHT IS SETTING FOR CUISINE FOR ART

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE April 20, 2006

Contact: Charmain Yobbi, Manager

Hollywood, Fla. - The Ninth Annual Cuisine for Art, the Art and
Culture Center of Hollywood's innovative fund-raiser where public and
appointed officials become celebrity waiters, will be held on Thursday, May
18 from 6 to 10 p.m. aboard Sun Dream Yacht Charters' Catalina, a
beautifully appointed 130-foot luxury charter yacht. This is the first time
that this event has been held onboard a luxury vessel. During the evening,
the Catalina will remain docked at the Diplomat Landing, located across the
street from the Westin Diplomat Resort and Spa at 3220 S. Ocean Dr.,
Hollywood.

Guests decked out in business casual attire will be able to come
and go as they please at Cuisine for Art, which will feature wine and
Absolut cocktails compliments of Southern Wine & Spirits; passed hors
d'oeuvres; meat carving, pasta, and cheese and fruit stations; a silent
auction for one-of-a-kind items; as well as a raffle for fabulous prizes.
(Winner need not be present to win.)

State Senator Steven Geller, State Representatives Ken Gottlieb
and Tim Ryan, Broward County Commissioners Sue Gunzburger and Lois Wexler,
and City of Hollywood Mayor Mara Giulianti will be among the "servers" at
this fund-raiser.

Other celebrity waiters include City of Hollywood Commissioners Cathy
Anderson, Peter Bober, Beam Furr, Fran Russo and Keith Wasserstrom; City of
Hollywood Assistant City Manager Rick Lemack; City of Hollywood Fire, Rescue
& Beach Safety Department Chief Virgil Fernandez; City of Hollywood Police
Department Assistant Chief Louie Granteed; Downtown Hollywood Community
Redevelopment Agency Executive Director Neil Fritz; Hollywood Beach
Community Redevelopment Agency Executive Director Gil Martinez; and Greater
Hollywood Chamber of Commerce Executive Director Don Dalton. Cuisine for Art
co-chairs are Patty Asseff, Tracy Lyons and Drazia Rubenstein.

Southern Wine & Spirits, Sun Dream Yacht Charters and Westin Diplomat Resort
& Spa are sponsoring this year's Cuisine for Art.

Tickets are $90 per person in advance or $110 per person at the
door.

A reader has correctly answered the burning question: Who is the third wheel in that weird Alan Koslow/Mara Giulianti photograph? The answer: Joy Satterlee, director of the Art and Culture Center of Hollywood. The winner: Asa Boynton, the famed Hairy Fairy and neighborhood crime fighter. He gets a veritable potpourri of gifts, including an official New Times trucker hat. Congratulations, Asa. For those of you who didn't win, there's still hope. We're still waiting for some lucky reader to tell us precisely where and when the strangely ghoulish photo was taken.

Driving Us To Distraction
The Palm Beach Post, not content with the content on its 752 already existing blogs, has added "The Cone Zone." It's a blog about traffic written by the venerable Chuck McGinness which the newspaper is marketing pretty heavily. And it definitely proves the old adage that reading about traffic is almost -- almost -- as good as the real thing. You feel like you're in a horrible five-mile back-up on I-95 after just the first couple posts.

Psycho Killer, Qu'est Que C'est?
Look, I'm almost done writing about this sick pup, but in the interest of understanding the true nature of evil, I offer yet another snippet from Oklahoma child-killer and wannabe people-eater Kevin Underwood's blog (which is still up and now has reached about 200,000 visits). This is a questionaire he filled out a couple years ago (I've highlighted the more interesting parts):

GENERAL*
-Name: Kevin Underwood
-School: None. When I was in College, I went to The University of Science and Arts of Oklahoma.
-Mascot: They were The Drovers.
-Age: 24
-Siblings/names: Marci

*OTHER STUFF ABOUT YOU*
-Who are your best friends?: Chris, Alicia, and Melissa, in no certain order.
-How many people are on your buddylist?: 3.
-Are you on a sports team?: God, no. I fucking hate sports.
-Plans after high school: I've been out of school since 1998, and I still don't know what the fuck I'm going to do with my life.
-Best feeling in the world?: Oral Sex. Just kidding. I know what it really meant. Not that I'd know much about it, but the best feeling in the world is when your love for someone is actually returned.
-Worst feeling?: Well, I've lived most of my life suffering from depression and social anxiety, so I'd have to say that's one of the worst feelings. Being so nervous around people you can barely leave the house.

-Do you have a job?: A sucky one, yes.
-Are you bored?: Almost always.
-Whats your religion?: None. I'm not really religious at all, but the few beliefs I do have are a complex mix of at least a dozen different religions and cults.
-Do you have any stuffed animals?: Several. I prefer the term "plushies" though. They are dolls of anime and comic book characters.
-Are you a vegitarian?: No. I love meat.
-Do you smoke?: Very occasionally.

*LAST*
-CD you bought: The Polyphonic Spree, Together We're Heavy. I highly recommend this cd.
-Movie you saw in the theater: Damn, uhhh. Fahrenheit 9/11, I think.
-Person you kissed: Answer withheld. Though I will say I've only kissed two people in my life.
-Phone number you called: The Landlady, to report the domestic disturbance going on next door, but noone was there.
-TV show you watched: I don't have TV. So the last thing I watched was probably Wheel of Fortune over at my parent's house about a week ago. I watch a lot of DVDs though, some of them are of TV shows.
-Time you were on a plane: Only once, a couple of years ago, when I went to Nevada to see Chris.
-Went swimming in the ocean: Never. I've hardly ever even seen the ocean. I've seen San Francisco Bay, and that's it.
-Cursed at someone: Today at work. Though not to their face.
-Gave someone the finger: Never, except as a joke. I've never seriously flipped anyone off.
-Went skinny dipping: Never

*HAVE YOU EVER*
-Went skiing: No.
-Talked to yourself: Constantly.
-Went to a professional baseball game: No, and I don't plan on ever going to one.
-Ate sushi: Yes, once. Finally, I've been wanting to for years. It was this really cheap buffet sushi, it was barely even real sushi. I want to try some real, authentic sushi soon.
-Wanted to die: Yes.
-Scared to get a shot: Yes. I fucking hate shots. Just thinking about it hurts.
-Thought you were in love: Yes, and I usually am. I fall in love very easily.
-Had an online relationship: Ugh, several. Never again. And I mean that this time.
-Gotten caught: Doing what? Sneaking out of the house? Masturbating? I don't think I've ever been caught doing anything I shouldn't have been.
-Gone to another country: No.
-Wet the bed: I wet the bed until an embarrasingly late age.
-Broken the law: Who hasn't? Nothing major though, just stuff like speeding.
-Killed someone in your thoughts: Constantly.
-Been beat up: Pretty much constantly for the first 16 years of my life.
-Beaten up someone before: No.

*FAVORITES*
-Movie: Too many to name. A few of my absolute favorites would be "Fight Club," "Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas," "Silence of the Hams," and "Monty Python and the Holy Grail."
-Season: Winter.
-Love song: Alicia said "Love Song by the Cure." That is one of my all time favorite songs, but I'd have to say that my favorite love song is probably "To Love Somebody," by the BeeGees.
-Do you have a boyfriend/girlfriend?: No, and I've never really had one. There was a girl I went out with a few times, but she didn't want a real relationship.
-Are you a virgin?: No.
-If not do you wish you were still?: No. I wish I'd had lots more sex than I have.
-Big turn-on?: Not really sure what my biggest turn on is. My "type" is definitely smart, I hate stupid people. Also, she has to have a sense of humor, a weird one is best. Oh, my biggest turn on would probably be glasses. I love girls with glasses. I also have a major "thing" for Asian girls, especially Japanese.
-Do you want anyone right now?: Yes.

*WHO*.......
-Is the last person you said "i love you" to: I haven't told anyone I loved them except for my parents. And I haven't even told them that since I was a very young child.
-Is the last person to tell you they love you: My mom.
-Would you want to meet: I don't know. If it was anyone in history, I'd want to meet Albert Einstein, John F. Kennedy, and Lee Harvey Oswald. If it's someone alive right now, I'm not sure. Gary Oldman [who played Oswald]?
-Was the last person to make you smile: I don't know. No one, today.
-What is your most prized object?: Probably my computer. Though there's nothing really special about this computer, it could be any computer, as long as it had my files on it.
-What are you wearing right now?: You really want to know? Nothing. I'm a part-time nudist. If I'm at home alone, 99% of the time I'm naked.

This photograph, which I acquired a while back, speaks volumes about Hollywood. In the center there is Hollywood lobbyist Alan Koslow. He represents just about every developer in Hollywood while his law firm, Becker and Poliakoff, also has a contract to lobby for the city. Yeah, it's incestuous, but it's not near as big a crime against nature as that coat he's wearing. That, friends, is what people with more money than taste wind up wearing. How many cows do you think died for that thing?

Anyway, next to him (on his left, our right) is Mayor Mara Giulianti. Talk about cozying up to special interests.

Look at those grins. Look at those clothes. That's H-wood, baby.

Miscellaneous merchandise will be awarded to whomever can:

A) Name the unidentified woman on the left.
B) Tell me where and when this awful picture was taken.