Langdon from Kendall

Cathy from Miami Lakes

Delila from Hialeah

Betsy from Aventura

All winners of an Elite Eye Serum courtesy of Miami’s own Skin Pro International.  Stay tuned for more Miami blog drawings and promotions in the future.

Today I heard a great story involving a young Miami Dolphin, and it was about none other than the Hawaii Rainbow Warrior himself, #15, wide receiver Davone Bess.  Bess was on the phone doing a call-in for my favorite radio station, 790 The Ticket, when he abruptly ended the phone call and told the listeners he needed to call 911.  Apparently Bess had witnessed an accident among a torrential downpour in Miami and was concerned for someone’s safety.  He called back to describe the scary scene and report that everything was ok.  It’s not every day you see something like that, and we’d like to give an official Miami Blog Shout-Out to Davone Bess.  Kudos to you, Davone.

by Terry Bender

Miami Sports blogger and avid 790 the Ticket Listener

Deliciously Customizable

If you like soda of different flavors, than Jones Soda is something you MUST try.  Jones Soda is a catchy, up-and-coming beverage company that puts the “P” in “Personality.”  The company offers many mouth-watering flavors of sodas, so there is certainly a flavor or two that will catch your attention.  There are even calorie-free diet versions for those of you who are watching your figures.

Perhaps the coolest thing about Jones Soda is the fact that you can order your own cases, complete with your own labels, right on their Official website.  That’s right, you can put a zany, serious, or even downright funny photo right on the front of your favorite beverage.  I recently made some labels with a photo of my son and I, and they turned out phenomenal.  Jones Soda is certainly an innovative company, and I’ve heard of people ordering custom soda’s for weddings, birthdays, and anniversary parties.  It’s a great memento to give someone you love.

And don’t forget, not only are the labels neat-looking, but what’s inside is simply delicious.

Click here to visit the Official Site of Jones Soda

If you find yourself doing a little home improvement, or just need to have some of the more manly tools around the house for the times when you just need to have the right tool for the job, Northern Tool & Equipment is just the place for you.  Since most people live in condo’s or high rise complexes in Miami, it’s not always pertinent to have tools and heavy machinery as there is really no place to store it.  But, if you are like me, a long-time Midwesterner who is used to the comfort a home can offer, you like to spread out and have things in place.  For me, there is nothing better than going into the garage and just working on stuff.  I could build all day, and thanks to the folks at Northern Tool & Equipment, I now have a place I can visit to buy power tools that are built to last.  Not only do they sell tools, but also power washers, generators, power inverters, winches, and all sorts of other stuff that blue-collar guys like me just love.

I frequent the North Miami Northern Tool & Equipment location, which is located conveniently off the Palmetto, whenever I need something to get the job done.  There is also a store in South Miami, as well as a few others spread out across the State of Florida.  The corporate headquarters are located in Minnesota, and this company was founded by a Minnesotan who recognized the value of having stuff that handymen needed at all times.  It’s now a global company with a huge mail order catalog business, but don’t get me wrong, the staff both on the phones and at the retail locations are very helpful and can suggest the best tool and apparatus for each job.

Northern carries many brands of tools & equipment, and they also manufacture their own brands.  Their dedication to customer service sets them apart from say a Home Depot, where you don’t always get the right response or quick checkout you get at Northern Tool.  I prefer Northern because they have every little bit and piece I need as I do projects.  You can also find some pretty cool stuff that you can use in your own creative building ways like engines and hydraulics.  In fact, early on in their existence, Northern was called exactly that, “Northern Hydraulics.”  The company has grown into a huge business to consumer AND business to business operation, and you can find Northern spread across 11 States in the USA if I am not mistaken.  Mostly on the East Coast and in the Midwest, Northern caters to that burly crowd of “do-it-yourselfers” who enjoy gardening, mulching, mowing, spraying, and building.  This is the ultimate destination for tool fanatics in Miami, and if you have not had the chance to visit Northern, I suggest you go ahead and do so now.  You won’t be let down by their massive store and helpful staff, and you certainly will come home with the tools you need for your job – or the tools you just want to mess around with!

Many beauty product users have really studied up on their stuff in recent years.  Your average skin care expert isn’t just your local dermatologist, it’s your neighbor who knits, your cousin who is a busy Mom, or your niece who is a college student trying to look her best.  The Internet has caused many beauty product consumers to do extensive research before buying skin treatments. It allows us to surf the web to not only find out the latest research reports, but also the most up-to-date consumer skin cream reviews.  These reviews allow us to see what others feel about a product before investing in it – something of major value to those of us who are scared to invest $100 on an eye cream, for example.  The web allows us to not only read, but also to share information.

In recent years many beauty product users have started talking about Argireline, known by it’s INCI (scientific) name of Acetyl Hexapeptide 3.  It’s commonly found in the best wrinkle treatments that are sold in “cream form.”  Many head formulators agree it’s ability to relax muscles is a very powerful wrinkle treatment, and it’s even been compared to Botox injections.

So what exactly makes this miracle ingredient so special?  Well, let’s take a look at the clinical tests done on this anti aging workhorse…..

According to an anti aging publication, in a clinical study published in the International Journal of Cosmetic Science, acetyl hexapeptide-3 at a 10% concentration has been shown to reduce the depth of wrinkles up to 30% after 30 days of use.

Wow!  The reason most wrinkles are so apparent on our skin is due to their extreme depth.  When your skin has been subject to damage, from the sun and other elements, it makes wrinkles appear.  When you can effectively treat wrinkles with a skin cream containing Argireline, it helps conceal wrinkles in a non-invasive, non-painful manner.  I can’t stand needles, so injections are out of the question for me.  Plus, I’ve heard stories of “botox gone bad” and read all sorts of bad reviews online.  I just don’t want that risk and pain…ugh, it freaks me out.

For my money, I’ll always search for the best skin creams online and do my homework on their ingredient mixes.  Ingredients can be researched rather easily online – I always look for the manufacturers website for information.  In the case of Argireline, it’s made by a company called Center Chem, and their website has all sorts of studies published talking about why it’s such a potent anti aging ingredient.

Here is a list of products that contain Argireline:  EliteSkin’s Wrinkle Eraser, Elite Serum, LifeCell’s Anti Wrinkle Cream.  They are all among the best selling online skin products and are held in high regard on many anti wrinkle consumer review sites.

Geneva is Miami Blog’s Beauty editor.  You can find her column at least once-per-week on MiamiBlog.com.  Miami Blog is the most up-to-date website on Miami news, gossip, real estate, and other information.  Miami blog is always unedited, uncut, and has a no-holds-barred approach to reporting the latest Miami news.

The Florida Marlins hung on for a 7-6 win last night at Citi Field in New York, despite a major letdown in the bullpen.  Starting pitching Ricky Nolasco pitched a gem, allowing only one run in the first inning of play.  Nolasco did walk the first two batters to start the seventh inning, but once he was replaced, the implosion started.

When Nolasco came out, Renyel Pinto gave up a single, then beaned a batter, and finally walked in a run.  After that, Jose Veras came in, and the wheels started to fall off.  I had to turn the game off when Veras let the game become tied at 6, and to be honest I didn’t stay up for the Marlins 10th inning win, mostly in part of my protest to the bullpen’s efforts, (or lack of.)

If the Marlins want to be a serious contender, the bullpen needs to improve. But I won’t harp on them after one bad outing, okay, two.  They are 1-1, but keep in mind they played the Mets, who nobody expects to do too much this year.  Keep in mind we faced their ace, Johan Santana, on opening day, and keep in mind, these games were on the road.  That in mind, I must give props when they are due, and there were three homers yesterday by the Fish.  Hanley Ramirez, Dan Uggla, and Jorge Cantu all went deep.  But that’s expected, at times, from the three best hitters on the squad.  At any rate, the Marlins are 1-1 and will have their home opener versus the Dodgers, (who are somehow 0-2 versus the lowly Pirates to start the year) on Friday night.

Other Miami Sports News…

Jason Taylor, who was the face of the Dolphin franchise for the better part of the last decade, visited the arch rival New York Jets on Wednesday.  Whether he signs with the Jets or not remains to be determined, but his visit shows the team here he wants to play, and he isn’t willing to wait around for the Dolphins.  The Dolphins don’t really respect Taylor, in my opinion, and what he has done for the Dolphin franchise is nothing short of amazing.  Sign the guy or watch him terrorize you next year, Mr. Parcells.

Tonight Ricky Nolasco takes the mound for the Marlins in a duel with the Mets second best pitcher this season, John Maine.  The Marlins dropped their opener to the Mets 7-1 when ace Josh Johnson got hit early, giving up a two run home run to David Wright in the first inning.  That’s just the tip of the iceberg for the sports season, and Miami has a lot to be excited about this spring.

The Miami Heat are playing their best basketball right now as they enter the stretch run, and it looks like they will face the Boston Celtics or Atlanta Hawks in the first round.  The Heat are young, but the way they are playing as of late has people excited the team could make a run at the Eastern Conference title.  To win that, they will have to certainly face old foe and teammate Shaquille O’Neal, who helped the Heat to their first NBA title just a few seasons ago.  It will be interesting to see how the playoffs pan out for Miami.

The Marlins host the Los Angeles Dodgers in their home opener this Friday in what sure is to be an exciting weekend of baseball.

Tiger Woods makes his return to golf as he enters Augusta National for the first time as a “non-favorite” at the Masters.

Nascar continues with a race this weekend after having last weekend off.

NHL playoffs are shaping up, and although the Panthers will not be there, it’s still an exciting time of year for any puckheads around the globe.

The NFL draft is next week, and the Dolphins look to fill some holes and patch up a team that had a “down year” last year by many people’s standards.  With Donovan McNabb moving to the Redskins, the NFL has shown that “anything can happen.”

Other Miami notes….

Reported by the Miami Herald…..a shooting in Miami Gardens strip club “Mint” left one person dead.

Dez Bryant continues to be on the Dolphins radar as the draft approaches.

The Florida Marlins started the season on a sour note, dropping their opening game in New York to the hated New York Mets and their ace, Johan Santana, by a score of 7-1.

There were several bad spots for the Fish, including Cameron Maybin’s three strikeouts.  He has had an issue with striking out and it’s what kept him off the Marlins roster for the bulk of the 2009 season.  The team also committed three errors, which is simply unacceptable if they are going to compete in the NL East.

The one bright spot was the franchise prize, Hanley Ramirez, collecting a pair of hits and showing off his improved defensive skills while turning a spectacular double play.  Ace Josh Johnson, coming off a very strong 2009 campaign, got off to a rough start when David Wright hit a two run home run in the first inning.  Things never got better for the Marlins…

A rough start, but by all means, it’s a very, very long season.  You can find Florida Marlins coverage and much more on a daily basis right here at Miami’s top news blog.

Andre Rison, who I had the pleasure of getting to know when he lived in my high rise in South Beach, has become the head high school football coach at Flint Northwestern High School, his alma mater.  Rison lived for years in the Mirador on South Beach, and was a local legend and true “man’s man” as he was always down to have fun.  I’ve been to Wet Willies with the man who goes by “Dre” as well as many other places. I even had the luxury of helping him out with his many parties he threw on South Beach.  (He hosted parties at Nikki Beach, State, among others.)

Why is this news in Miami, you ask?  Well, Andre Rison visits very often, and he’s a part-time Florida resident who can be found on Miami Beach quite often.  It’s no secret that many NFL football players choose South Florida to spend their off-season, including many of the ex-Hurricanes.

By the way, the “U” Documentary was on again last night, it brings tears to your eyes if you are a true Hurricane fan.

Getting to know a man who was often misunderstood helped me find the many idiosyncrasies that come with being a famous athlete like Andre Rison.  For a span of a decade, Andre was among the best wide receivers in the game, playing for the Falcons, Browns, Jaguars, Packers, and Chiefs during the 1990’s.  I’d just like to use this entry to wish Andre the best of luck in his new job.  If there is one person who can get through to kids, it’s Andre.  Best of luck, Dre.

More Miami news as it happens, right here on Miami Blog.

Not sure why they call it Good Friday, it’s been a rather bad day for me so far. Hopefully that will change over the next few hours as I start slamming beers on this hot sunny day in the 305.  Here are a few notes before we take off for the weekend.

Dwayne Wade is involved in a custody battle for his two sons, and may not play for team USA this summer. I’d like to wish D-Wade and his family the best during these trying times.  It’s a commendable decision by Wade.  Basketball isn’t everything, and I am glad he is doing all he can do make sure his sons are always part of his life and close to him.  There are enough games during the NBA season as it is, I think there are too many events post-season as it is.  Let the guy take a break and please don’t give him any guff while he does what is a noble thing – taking care of family business.

Many people know I am a fan of electronic cigarettes. I read an email this morning talking about the new Npro by Enjoy.  I’ve had a lot of electronic cigs in my day, and always prefer the two-part component system.  Apparently this model is of two parts and the price has been slashed by about 35%.  Good stuff for all the vapor smokers out there.  (I continue to see these things remain popular on places like Lincoln Road.)

Tiger Woods comes back to the golf world next week – my money says he wins the Masters and defies all of the hoopla that is sure to surround him post-scandal.  Tiger, I’ll be cheering for you.

Tennis action continues in Miami today – Rafeal Nadal is a favorite versus Andy Roddick in what is sure to be a well-attended match.

The Miami Herald reported that the Estefan’s, Emilio and Gloria, are hosting President Barack Obama during his visit to Miami at their Miami Beach home.

The Marlins season opens next week up in New York verus the division rival Mets.  They come home the next weekend to face the Manny Ramirez-led Los Angeles Dodgers.  Ramirez lives in Broward in the off-season and can be seen around the Pembroke Pines and Weston area filling up his Cadillac Escalade. I once saw him last year jumping up and down as he was getting gas on a COLD miami day.  Gotta love Manny Ramirez!

That’s it folks, have a nice Easter weekend and be safe.  Go Marlins!