Items by geniusofdespair

• Something Fishy in Hialeah? By Geniusofdespair

  —EYE ON MIAMI

  Number of comments: 1
  What the hell is going on here? Former Beauty Queen/Current Hialeah Councilwoman Katherine Cue and Mayor Julio Robaina have written a children's book together called "When I Grow Up." Something more is brewing in Hialeah than meets the eye. I just have a strong hunch on this duo. I can't' [...]
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  Posted: December 20, 2009, 11:50am EST
  by Geniusofdespair

• The Governor said he will take Commissioner Spence Jones out if she is reelected. By Geniusofdespair

  —EYE ON MIAMI

  Number of comments: 4
  City of Miami Commissioner Michelle Spence-Jones, facing criminal charges (detailed by reporter Scott Hiaasen in the Miami Herald today), was removed from office by the Governor on November 13th. The City is spending $200,000 for a special election, a lot of dough when you are having a financial meltdown. All [...]
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  Posted: December 20, 2009, 8:51am EST
  by Geniusofdespair

• Have an Opinion on Health Care Reform? By Geniusofdespair

  —EYE ON MIAMI

  Number of comments: 5
  Email Your opinion on Health Care Reform to Joe Lieberman. He is apparently the only one that matters. [...]
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  Posted: December 19, 2009, 7:59am EST
  by Geniusofdespair

• The Recall Video. By Geniusofdespair

  —EYE ON MIAMI

  Number of comments: 5
  If you watch the Recall video two chanting Sikh videos come up when it is done as "related." Hmmm. I liked the Sikh video better, it had 336,337 visits compared to 90 to Recall. [...]
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  Posted: December 19, 2009, 6:00am EST
  by Geniusofdespair

• The December Deluge in South Florida. By Geniusofdespair

  —EYE ON MIAMI

  Number of comments: 3
  Check out the flooding slide show on the Channel 4 website (the photo above is from their slides). They said that "by noon Friday, about 14.2 inches of rain had fallen on North Miami Beach. Some employees of Aventura Mall businesses reportedly spent the night in the mall, unable to" [...]
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  Posted: December 18, 2009, 7:38pm EST
  by Geniusofdespair

• Bigger Mess: Merrill Stevens Boat Yard Closing by End of Day. By geniusodespair

  —EYE ON MIAMI

  Number of comments: 5
  I called on the phone to double check and was informed by a choked-up operator it was indeed true, it is their last day. Merrill-Stevens was the oldest continually operating business in the State of Florida. The company employed about 250 at its height in 2008 (170 at the shipyard) [...]
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  Posted: December 18, 2009, 11:43am EST
  by Geniusofdespair

• "Miami Today" on Javier Souto 'Seeing the Light'. By Geniusofdespair

  —EYE ON MIAMI

  Number of comments: 3
  Seems like me (I called it a lucid moment) and Michael Lewis agree on County Commissioner Souto's crusade for ethics, transparency and good government within the County. In his December 17 Editorial, Lewis said:Unfortunately, Mr. Souto has broken the code of the governmental underworld: he has squealed on wrongdoing — [...]
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  Posted: December 18, 2009, 8:00am EST
  by Geniusofdespair

• Ya Gotta Love Commissioner Ray Judah. By Geniusofdespair

  —EYE ON MIAMI

  Number of comments: 5
  No matter what party you favor, this Republican is tops because he says it like it is. Naples News reported in October that Lee County Commission Chairman Ray Judah laid out for a business group precisely when and under what circumstances he would support drilling off Florida beaches in the [...]
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  Posted: December 18, 2009, 12:39am EST
  by Geniusofdespair

• Do Not Sign the Petition to Recall Mayor Carlos Alvarez. By Geniusofdespair

  —EYE ON MIAMI

  Number of comments: 19
  Yes, there are always some things you don't like about any politician's voting record but you have to put it in perspective. You have to be open to agree to disagree on some issues. I disagreed with County Mayor Alvarez on the Stadium funding. But wasn't it one of his [...]
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  Posted: December 17, 2009, 7:00am EST
  by Geniusofdespair

• Senator Marco Rubio? My worst nightmare may come true! By Geniusofdespair

  —EYE ON MIAMI

  Number of comments: 2
  According to the Rasmussen Reports: 12/16: Governor Charlie Crist and former state House Speaker Marco Rubio are now tied in the 2010 race for the Republican Senate nomination in Florida. A new Rasmussen Reports telephone survey of likely GOP Primary voters finds Crist and Rubio each with 43% of the [...]
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  Posted: December 16, 2009, 8:12pm EST
  by Geniusofdespair

• Good News for Miami-Dade Foreclosures? By Geniusofdespair

  —EYE ON MIAMI

  Number of comments: 2
  The November 2009 numbers are finally posted. There were 3,860 foreclosures, that is down a bit over a thousand from last November. It is the least we have had in a month since January 2008 (3,544). I hope this is the beginning of a downward trend. In 2007 we had [...]
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  Posted: December 16, 2009, 1:40am EST
  by Geniusofdespair

• Miami Herald is Accepting Donations...Somewhere. By Youbetcha'

  —EYE ON MIAMI

  Number of comments: 3
  Fox News reported that YOU have an opportunity to save the Miami Herald by pressing a link at the bottom of online stories to make a donation. Sort of like supporting your church...or a panhandler. Oh Dang! I can't find the button. I was ready to give them some money' [...]
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  Posted: December 16, 2009, 12:01am EST
  by Geniusofdespair

• I have been distracted by a 102 year old with a broken leg. By Geniusofdespair

  —EYE ON MIAMI

  Number of comments: 16
  Mom-in-law fell about 10 days ago and broke her Femur bone. She blamed a faulty walker. Not so. She is a frail 102 year old. I figured death sentence. Doctor said indeed it was unless he operated. He did, hammered in a steel rod. She is back, no longer complaining [...]
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  Posted: December 15, 2009, 8:25am EST
  by Geniusofdespair

• They will Incinerate you for a special price, unless you are fat. By Geniusofdespair

  —EYE ON MIAMI

  Number of comments: 4
  Only 4 days left to lock in that cremation special. I was wondering what "No Oversize" meant in the ad so I called. He said that is for people over 450 to 500 pounds. Damn, I forgot to ask how much extra he charges per pound. So if you are [...]
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  Posted: December 14, 2009, 12:30pm EST
  by Geniusofdespair

• Two County "Bad Behavior" Issues in “Miami Today.” By Geniusofdespair

  —EYE ON MIAMI

  Number of comments: 3
  When Javier Souto is the voice of reason, you have to wonder how cold it must be in Hell.The Miami Herald Ombudsman hinted at the despicable behavior of most of the County Commissioners on Sunday, when Barbara Jordan said the Miami Herald reporters Dolan/Haggman shouldn’t make news, they should just [...]
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  Posted: December 14, 2009, 7:58am EST
  by Geniusofdespair

• Epic Holel In Downtown: Legionnaires' Disease. By Geniusofdespair

  —EYE ON MIAMI

  Number of comments: 3
  Update 12/18: The Health Dept. backtracked and they say the Legionnaires' Disease did NOT orginate at the Epic Hotel. They said they know where the people contracted it but mysteriously the Health Dept. won't tell the public where that is. Sorry Epic.The Miami Herald reported the luxury Epic hotel, by [...]
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  Posted: December 13, 2009, 4:56am EST
  by Geniusofdespair

• FPL: Sneaky and underhanded trying to get rate hike. Geniusofdespair

  —EYE ON MIAMI

  Number of comments: 1
  The Miami Herald said FPL Staff members spilled the beans to them and the St. Pete Times:"...sources and documents say that FPL is also working behind the scenes with hardball tactics that include using people inside and outside the company to investigate state utility regulators, challenge their impartiality and post" [...]
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  Posted: December 13, 2009, 12:08am EST
  by Geniusofdespair

• Florida Hometown Democracy's Amendment 4: A battle for the remains of Florida. Guest Blog By weRwatching

  —EYE ON MIAMI

  Number of comments: 10
  Stung by negative public opinion, over-development, a housing industry in shambles, environmental degradation and lost quality of life, the growth machine (developers, chambers, big farmers and insurance) is trying to keep their favorite son position by any means possible. High on their list is defeat of Florida Hometown Democracy's Amendment [...]
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  Posted: December 12, 2009, 8:05am EST
  by Geniusofdespair

• Duties of the County Commissioners. By Geniusofdespair

  —EYE ON MIAMI

  Number of comments: 3
  What are the powers of the County Commissioner, in other words, what do they have to do to earn that hefty $6,000 a year?Following are their duties (some have been left out/edited for space -- from the Home Rule Charter): Provide and regulate arterial, toll, and other roads, bridges, tunnels, [...]
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  Posted: December 12, 2009, 6:25am EST
  by Geniusofdespair

• Rev. Gaston Smith Found Guilty of Squandering Church Funds! By Geniusofdespair

  —EYE ON MIAMI

  Number of comments: 5
  You all remember the pastor from the Michelle Spence-Jones saga...well read about the closing arguments at his trial in Miami New Times. My favorite part:Smith "sat at the defense table reading from a book of Psalms." [...]
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  Posted: December 11, 2009, 9:47pm EST
  by Geniusofdespair

• Elections: Natacha Seijas Supports Lobbyist Miguel Diaz de la Portilla for State Senator. Enough Said? By Geniusofdespair

  —EYE ON MIAMI

  Number of comments: 27
  The question is: Who is going to help Julio Robaina? He is going to get out-gunned money-wise in the 2010 election for this Fl. Senate seat. Lobbyist Miguel Diaz de la Portilla has already raised $316,594.34 and $250 of that came from Vile Natacha Seijas. That should say a lot. [...]
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  Posted: December 11, 2009, 12:10am EST
  by Geniusofdespair

• Lobbyists Suck and I Guess the Ethics Commission Does Too. By Youbetcha'

  —EYE ON MIAMI

  Number of comments: 11
  You want to know what is wrong with the county? It boils down to money. Look at this December 9th press release from the "never find anyone guilty" Ethics Commission:Three related complaints (C 09-16, C 09-17 and C 09-18) were dismissed by the Ethics Commission. Attorneys Juan Mayol, Joseph Goldstein [...]
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  Posted: December 09, 2009, 5:36pm EST
  by Geniusofdespair

• What is Rodney Barreto Up To This December? By Geniusofdespair

  —EYE ON MIAMI

  Number of comments: 5
  Keeping tabs on lobbyist Rodney is a good filler for this blog. The Miami Herald reported yesterday that he is paving the way for getting public funds for Land Shark Stadium:But, for the changes the NFL wants in Land Shark Stadium before putting more Super Bowls in it, there could [...]
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  Posted: December 09, 2009, 12:23am EST
  by Geniusofdespair

• Reporter Jack Dolan off to the West Coast. By Geniusofdespair

  —EYE ON MIAMI

  Number of comments: 7
  Jack got an offer from the L.A. Times he couldn't refuse. We will miss him here at Eye on Miami. Dolan and Haggman have been breaking all those Miami Dade County stories, like about the globe trotting County Commissioners and the Mayor's pay raises to staff.' [...]
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  Posted: December 08, 2009, 3:41pm EST
  by Geniusofdespair

• City of Miami Police Chief Exposito: Ugh! By Geniusofdespair

  —EYE ON MIAMI

  Number of comments: 44
  It is looking very bad at the City of Miami Police Department with Miguel Exposito at the helm. Do I smell Cronyism with a capital "C"? And, worse, look at this quote from the Miami Herald article by Daniel Shoer Roth:"All city employees, with few exceptions, supported Regalado. It would" [...]
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  Posted: December 08, 2009, 7:59am EST
  by Geniusofdespair

• What is the County doing with $230 Million in Stimulus Money?

  —EYE ON MIAMI

  Number of comments: 12
  According to Miami Today Miami Dade County got $230 million dollars to create jobs. So far, 49 jobs have been created and 38 of them were through contractors: That is $4.7 million per job. This has to be a Believe it or Not classification in our index. The paper says [...]
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  Posted: December 08, 2009, 7:44am EST
  by Geniusofdespair

• To Get County Housing Bucks You Need to live in Opa Locka. By Youbetcha'

  —EYE ON MIAMI

  Number of comments: 8
  1.2 million dollars available for rehabbing houses...it must be an election year. They are offering up to 30k a household. How great is that? My house certainly could stand to have its leaky roof fixed, the cracked, falling off stucco put back on its exterior, not to mention, a fresh [...]
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  Posted: December 07, 2009, 12:36pm EST
  by Geniusofdespair

• My Art Basel Trip. By Geniusofdespair

  —EYE ON MIAMI

  Number of comments: 6
  I liked this one, as you might expect from Genius of Despair. Actually, the color in the sky is what got me (hit on the image to see it). Regular readers: You might be happy to note, by these photos, that I got a new cell phone with a decent [...]
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  Posted: December 06, 2009, 10:31am EST
  by Geniusofdespair

• Which Billion Dollar Con Artist is Worse: Rothstein or Stanford? By Geniusofdespair

  —EYE ON MIAMI

  Number of comments: 7
  I think Scott Rothstein is worse than Allen Stanford because Rothstein put money into politics in Florida and that money helped shape our State. Political influence was not a big piece of what Stanford was doing, I couldn't find anything on him in Open Secrets. So Rothstein's taint went into' [...]
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  Posted: December 06, 2009, 10:02am EST
  by Geniusofdespair

• Attorney Erica Wright running for Spence-Jones seat. By Geniusofdespair

  —EYE ON MIAMI

  Number of comments: 12
  Former City of Miami Attorney, who worked for years with the Virginia Key Beach Park Trust, Erica Wright has announced she is running for the Spence-Jones seat in the City of Miami. Erica gave up her post on the Miami Dade Ethics and Public Trust Commission to run.I could support [...]
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  Posted: December 05, 2009, 12:43am EST
  by Geniusofdespair

• Recall Petition of MayorAlvarez: Form Approved Today. By Geniusofdespair

  —EYE ON MIAMI

  Number of comments: 13
  Lázaro R González' recall petition of Mayor Alvarez is off and running -- the clock is ticking, González has 60 days to get the petitions in - 10% of registered county voters on the day the petition is approved - will force a new election. Last recall we had was' [...]
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  Posted: December 04, 2009, 4:57pm EST
  by Geniusofdespair

• County Commission: Whittling Away At Good Government. By Geniusofdespair

  —EYE ON MIAMI

  Number of comments: 2
  Who am I kidding with "whittle", the County Commission has hacked the hell out of any vestige of good government long ago, but this is another small cut. Doing away with Board term limits is on the agenda for the Housing & Community Development Committee Dec. 9th. It shows the [...]
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  Posted: December 04, 2009, 9:51am EST
  by Geniusofdespair

• Should We Be Sending More Troops Into Afghanistan? By Geniusofdespair

  —EYE ON MIAMI

  Number of comments: 7
  No. [...]
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  Posted: December 04, 2009, 7:09am EST
  by Geniusofdespair

• Nationwide Bank Failures. By Geniusofdespair

  —EYE ON MIAMI

  Number of comments: 3
  Reposting this (I wrote it Thursday night before Amtrust and 5 other banks went belly-up) as the Miami Herald reported today, Regulators on Friday shut down Ohio's AmTrust Bank, the fourth-largest bank to fail this year. They also closed five others, bringing to 130 the number of U.S. banks to' [...]
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  Posted: December 04, 2009, 1:13am EST
  by Geniusofdespair

• An Open Letter From Wacky-Wordy County Commissioner Javier Souto. By Geniusofdespair

  —EYE ON MIAMI

  Number of comments: 15
  An alert reader forwarded Javier's press release/letter with the line: "Hello Pot, meet Kettle....." While reading this you have to remember that SOUTO IS A PART OF THIS GOVERNMENT he is criticizing and he has always voted in lockstep with the worst of them as a member of the unreformable [...]
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  Posted: December 03, 2009, 12:30am EST
  by Geniusofdespair

• Remember the Slide Ruler? How about a Checkbook? By Geniusofdespair

  —EYE ON MIAMI

  Number of comments: 12
  Yes, like the newspaper, the U.S. Post Office, the buggy whip and the slide ruler so too is going the checkbook. A young professional friend active in the business world informed me she couldn't send a check as she didn't have a checkbook. Perplexed, I questioned her further. She said:"We" [...]
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  Posted: December 02, 2009, 2:22pm EST
  by Geniusofdespair

• Mayor Rosner: A Guy in a Wheelchair Takes on Disney. By Geniusofdespair

  —EYE ON MIAMI

  Number of comments: 7
  This is one of those topics to be avoided. Who wants to kick around a guy in a wheelchair poised to sue the deep pockets of Disney, who comes off arrogant in a Herald article? But I do have some legitimate questions. In the Miami Herald article yesterday North Miami [...]
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  Posted: December 02, 2009, 11:39am EST
  by Geniusofdespair

• How Flood Prone is Turkey Point? By Geniusofdespair

  —EYE ON MIAMI

  Number of comments: 2
  The Miami Herald wrote about FEMA's new maps today so I decided to look up the nuke plant. Looking at the FEMA flood map of Turkey Point you can see just how vulnerable our nuclear power plant is to storms (hit on image to enlarge it).FEMA on flood zones and [...]
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  Posted: December 01, 2009, 9:30am EST
  by Geniusofdespair

• Dog Park Etiquette. Guest Blog By Dog Trainer Janet Goodman

  —EYE ON MIAMI

  Number of comments: 3
  Miami has specially designed canine-friendly parks where dog owners bring their pets to play with other dogs on city owned properties. This kind of environment can offer a great opportunity to socialize your dog while giving him/her necessary exercise. With a little caution and a lot of common sense, the [...]
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  Posted: December 01, 2009, 6:55am EST
  by Geniusofdespair

• Lennar: Get Free Crepes Dec. 5th...and There Are Homes for Sale Too! By Geniusofdespair

  —EYE ON MIAMI

  Number of comments: 3
  Here is a unique marketing strategy. Show up Dec. 5th to buy a Lennar property and get free crepes cooked to order. Be sure to RSVP for the event. I am getting hungry just looking at the reverse side of this flyer with a big plate of Blueberry crepes...no houses [...]
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  Posted: November 30, 2009, 9:02am EST
  by Geniusofdespair

• The Lance Loud I Knew - America's First Reality Show Super Star. By Geniusofdespair

  —EYE ON MIAMI

  Number of comments: 8
  It is a slow news day, so time for a story from my past.I got a job for the Rock Magazine "Circus," working under the Publisher Gerry Rothenberg, managing the classified page and doing anything else that no one else would do.It was the mid 70's, "Blondie" and Alice Cooper' [...]
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  Posted: November 29, 2009, 8:57am EST
  by Geniusofdespair

• More Than Thirty Cuban Migrants Land at a Nuclear Plant Site. Finally Call Security After 8 Hours! By Geniusofdespair

  —EYE ON MIAMI

  Number of comments: 16
  Thirty people plus from a foreign country come ashore at Turkey Point Nuclear Reactor site and THEY finally had to call security, after having been there approximately 8 hours, never having been detected by a single nuke plant guard. Does that blow you away?This is where they want to put [...]
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  Posted: November 28, 2009, 9:13am EST
  by Geniusofdespair

• Follow the Money. By Youbetcha'

  —EYE ON MIAMI

  Number of comments: 5
  The Human Services Coalition, a group of non-profit agencies in Miami, is rallying their community members to learn more about lobbying. The HSC must have watched the results of lobbying in Miami Dade County and finally came to the same conclusion that the Eye on Miami bloggers have been preaching [...]
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  Posted: November 28, 2009, 6:40am EST
  by Geniusofdespair

• Lennar New Home Sales: Piss-Poor Downpayments. By Geniusofdespair

  —EYE ON MIAMI

  Number of comments: 5
  I looked up a random sample of new home sales for Lennar in Miami Dade County (There were 72 deeds between August 15th and November 15th, out of that 47 were to Carlos E. Martines(z) as Trustee to the Baywinds Land Trust at Lennar's address). So, there were about 25' [...]
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  Posted: November 27, 2009, 9:21am EST
  by Geniusofdespair

• Turkey Day.... By Geniusofdespair

  —EYE ON MIAMI

  Number of comments: 2
  What to do? Probably will watch the video from last year of Sarah Palin prattling on... [...]
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  Posted: November 26, 2009, 5:01am EST
  by Geniusofdespair

• Will Willie Gort be coming back? By Geniusofdespair

  —EYE ON MIAMI

  Number of comments: 7
  Remember City of Miami Commissioner Willie Gort? Well, rumor has it he is going to run for Angel Gonzalez's vacated seat. It was decided today at the City of Miami Commission meeting that there will be an election in January to fill the seat. [...]
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  Posted: November 25, 2009, 7:07pm EST
  by Geniusofdespair

• Airports from Hell: Miami ranks second...from Hell! By Geniusofdespair

  —EYE ON MIAMI

  Number of comments: 8
  Out of a ranking done at the Daily Beast, today, limited to the 27 American airports that had one million or more total aircraft operations from 2006 through this summer, Miami Dade made it to second worst, at number 26 it is only behind Newark. This news adds to a [...]
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  Posted: November 24, 2009, 1:11pm EST
  by Geniusofdespair

• Miccosuke Tribe: You can call me stupid. By Geniusofdespair

  —EYE ON MIAMI

  Number of comments: 5
  I knew the Miccosuke Tribe had a golf course but I just assumed it was over there on 8th Street by their casino. Stupid me. I have looked at their property a dozen times and never noticed that a golf course wasn't there. I found it, off SW 146th Avenue,' [...]
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  Posted: November 24, 2009, 8:11am EST
  by Geniusofdespair

• Bloggers' Meet-up Saturday. By Geniusofdespair

  —EYE ON MIAMI

  Number of comments: 5
  Bloggers' meet-up, I was there, see the video.... Very nice group of people. The Burger Beast, recently in the Miami Herald, was getting into shape for a 4 pound hamburger he was scheduled to eat later so he did not partake in the tasty food provided.' [...]
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  Posted: November 24, 2009, 8:01am EST
  by Geniusofdespair

• Headless Florida Panther Found Along Road in Central Florida. By Geniusofdespair

  —EYE ON MIAMI

  Number of comments: 3
  A headless, decaying panther was found Friday, alongside the Florida Turnpike. What more can you say? This is human cruelty I cannot comprehend. I found this on another blog, Lauren's close encounter with a Florida panther, let it serve as the panther's eulogy:"Oh my gosh!We have a real, BIG, Florida" [...]
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  Posted: November 23, 2009, 7:50am EST
  by Geniusofdespair