you keep showing this
i2cREAD SDA,SCL,%11010000,$00,var
it should be (apart from what michelj has pointed out)
i2cREAD SDA,SCL,%11010000,0,[var]

yet to be addressed :-
none of the code you have posted seems to have the correct syntax for i2c commands .
do you have a accurate schematic of your setup ?
can you flash a led with your pic ? do the scl,sda pins do anything ?
do you have a oscilloscope or a logic analyser to check output ?
what do you get when you read the command and status regs of the ds3231 (0x0e,0x0f) ?