tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-372482442009-11-22T08:16:48.283-05:00Revealing analysis of national trends and local news you won't find in Miami's mainstream media. Dedicated to ethical government, saving tax dollars and a healthy environment. We aim to break the chokehold of Miami's developers and lobbyists on local government and the public commons. We offer our forum to that end.Geniusofdespairhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01105559930040615945geniusofdespair@yahoo.comBlogger3223125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37248244.post-80117150616019377282009-11-22T00:27:00.004-05:002009-11-22T00:27:00.348-05:00

I have been hearing rumblings about Senate candidate Crist becoming a Democrat. That would save me the trouble of registering as a Republican which was my plan in an effort to stymie that scary Rubio from winning the primary. We all know that the radicals vote in primaries. I don't think there is a Democrat running that could beat either Crist or Rubio, thus, I would much prefer Crist as my

Geniusofdespairhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01105559930040615945geniusofdespair@yahoo.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37248244.post-38798518661300288202009-11-21T08:14:00.012-05:002009-11-21T09:04:47.966-05:00

Jimbo does have a way of stating the truth...eventually. Not saying he is a liar because he is not, but he does have colorful stories and jokes that take you in circles sometimes but have a grain of truth at their core. In the final line in the Miami Herald article (and video) he said: "The still photographers don't come anymore because there's nothing there anymore."That is right Jimbo. The city

Geniusofdespairhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01105559930040615945geniusofdespair@yahoo.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37248244.post-58230712534976156462009-11-21T07:07:00.005-05:002009-11-21T07:35:34.464-05:00

The PR says that the new Royal Caribbean "Oasis of the Seas" is five times larger than the Titanic. It has its own climate and Wikipedia page. It is a small floating city for 4500. I live in a city. Why would I pay, to go to sea in floating one? I look at this vessel, and all I can see is a market top. In fact, the ship was commissioned at the peak of the housing asset bubble in the US. Bigger

Gimleteyehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05730237496093952571noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37248244.post-60708657713236322742009-11-21T07:05:00.000-05:002009-11-21T08:28:11.306-05:00

Longtime staff member for Tomas Regalado, over 10 years, Tony Crapp, Jr. is now the gate keeper. I thought you might want to know what he looks like in case you bump into him at City Hall. He always has been friendly to me, he is very personable. He made a salary of about $65,000 in 2007. The good looking guy on the right is also Tony Crapp. Tony E. Crapp, Sr. was appointed Executive Director of

Geniusofdespairhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01105559930040615945geniusofdespair@yahoo.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37248244.post-18662944737808219232009-11-20T11:52:00.006-05:002009-11-20T12:03:38.723-05:00

Jim Morin's cartoon in the Miami Herald today had me on the floor laughing. He certainly did capture the Commissioner we all love to hate, Natacha Seijas, on her previously reported county jet-setting on our taxpayer dime. Hot air balloon, works for me!

Geniusofdespairhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01105559930040615945geniusofdespair@yahoo.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37248244.post-49201124197869690762009-11-20T06:35:00.010-05:002009-11-20T07:42:48.077-05:00

The economic collapse and decline of print media has created a void slowly filling by pretender, quasi-news sources that pretend to be fair and balanced journalism. These look and "feel" and advertise themselves to be, from all appearances independent journalism. But they are not. These are not blogs, like ours. Nor are they websites that clearly state for readers their political preferences,

Gimleteyehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05730237496093952571noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37248244.post-15538538366349036092009-11-20T00:10:00.009-05:002009-11-19T23:38:35.846-05:00

Removed from her seat by the Governor (after she was charged with grand theft) didn't deter Michelle Spence Jones, she is running again for City of Miami Commissioner. If you live in the district, I implore you, please don't put her back in. Why didn't they appoint Flowers rather than have an election? Rundle's office bungled this one big time. Spence Jones should have been arrested before the

Geniusofdespairhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01105559930040615945geniusofdespair@yahoo.com23tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37248244.post-753017936906629732009-11-19T07:22:00.004-05:002009-11-19T08:17:45.343-05:00

No advance notice is given to the public when a financial institution is closed:On Friday, November 13, 2009, the Florida Office of Financial Regulation closed Orion Bank, Naples, FL. Subsequently, the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) was named Receiver. To see if your bank might be in trouble, check the bank's star rating. To see who has been embezzling at banks recently (like at

Geniusofdespairhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01105559930040615945geniusofdespair@yahoo.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37248244.post-63809504877642890322009-11-19T07:01:00.001-05:002009-11-19T11:51:08.649-05:00

Rumor has it, Mr. Mayor, there are good looking women looking for you...26 women to be exact! At the Miami-Dade Commission on Women meeting on Wednesday evening, it was pointed out that those ladies are looking for a face-to-face meeting with you, Mayor Alvarez, and have been for at least SIX weeks but the volunteers that represent the largest constituency in the county can’t get past your 29th

Geniusofdespairhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01105559930040615945geniusofdespair@yahoo.com17tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37248244.post-19483999569806299872009-11-19T06:53:00.002-05:002009-11-19T07:36:00.074-05:00

I'm intrigued-- if that is the right word-- how the mainstream media highlights volunteerism in our communities. NBC Nightly News, for instance, has a segment "Making a Difference". It is along the lines of 1000 Points of Light: remember those from the first Bush White House? Miami Today has its "Newsmaker" feature. It is basically an extension of the Chamber of Commerce. The Herald is AWOL,

Gimleteyehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05730237496093952571noreply@blogger.com13tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37248244.post-12156594113052005272009-11-18T15:15:00.015-05:002009-11-18T15:52:14.931-05:00

Very high on the Barf Meter: Vile Natacha Seijas talking about anything green is akin to Pat Buchanan or Rush Limbaugh posing as progressives to the dumb clucks in Washington DC.This morning, Vile County Commissioner Seijas joined Massachusetts Senator John Kerry, Virginia Senator Mark Warner, and other leaders from Florida; South Carolina and Virginia to demonstrate how local governments are

Geniusofdespairhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01105559930040615945geniusofdespair@yahoo.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37248244.post-69551055143429947202009-11-18T06:55:00.000-05:002009-11-18T06:58:14.605-05:00

The owners of this swimming pool in South Miami, Philip Stoddard and Gray Read, began construction in their backyard in 2004. From this first photo, the pool looks no different from millions of swimming pools in Florida. This pool's owners have a leg up on the general public in thinking through an amazing design that recreates a natural habitat with minimal engineering inputs. Stoddard is a

Gimleteyehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05730237496093952571noreply@blogger.com13tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37248244.post-38927771588004184062009-11-18T06:45:00.002-05:002009-11-18T07:52:23.304-05:00

The Community Council 14 vote was a unanimous 4 against a formal soccer field in the middle of agriculture land. Here is the whole story by Youbetcha' and it is a good one:The attorney and his client did not seem at all concerned about the Urban Development Boundary or that they were plotting this 240 person stadium and 180 car parking area smack-dab in the middle of farmland. Yes, they knew that

Geniusofdespairhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01105559930040615945geniusofdespair@yahoo.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37248244.post-67618372497245020042009-11-18T06:31:00.006-05:002009-11-18T06:49:53.854-05:00

Dear Miami Herald, thanks for your coverage of the corruption scandals at the City of Miami. Here is what you missed: an analysis of business interests and their financial contribution to the campaigns of the fallen. In all cases, they are contributors tied one way or another to the Growth Machine. At the county commission, the public records of campaign contributions tell a clear story of the

Gimleteyehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05730237496093952571noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37248244.post-38593932334430022612009-11-18T01:58:00.000-05:002009-11-18T15:36:44.984-05:00

St. Lucie County is trying to make solar power affordable to residents, according to the TCPalm:The county is hoping to partner with other Treasure Coast governments and financial institutions to create a non-profit bank known as a community development financial institution that could lend money at low-interest rates for energy improvements to qualified applicants. And: The county plans to apply

Geniusofdespairhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01105559930040615945geniusofdespair@yahoo.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37248244.post-44096223730294750662009-11-18T00:30:00.003-05:002009-11-18T08:02:04.249-05:00

According to Miami Today - I am told this came out in August but I never heard this:Operating a new Museum of Science at Bicentennial Park may require a new tax of some sort, the museum's president and CEO says."They've had special taxes allocated toward other sources," Gillian Thomas said Tuesday. "They could do that for cultural causes as well."Keep dreaming Gillian, we just had that county

Geniusofdespairhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01105559930040615945geniusofdespair@yahoo.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37248244.post-75010359390469915872009-11-17T22:01:00.009-05:002009-11-17T22:37:05.153-05:00

In City of Miami's District 4 race Francis Suarez won as I predicted he would on Oct. 4th. It was close, Suarez had 51.45% to Manolo Reyes 48.55%. In Miami Beach's two run-offs: Jorge Exposito won with 52.83% of the vote and Michael Gongora won with 59.8%.Voter turnout was 18.23%. And at least two of the winners, Suarez and Gongora, raised wads of money compared to their rivals. Money is the key

Geniusofdespairhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01105559930040615945geniusofdespair@yahoo.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37248244.post-64725447293671873412009-11-17T16:17:00.004-05:002009-11-17T16:48:56.698-05:00

Can someone please find a decent candidate to run for this seat in the City of Miami? Charles Flowers, a retired pilot, was being vetted for appointment but he won't run for the seat. I was told his wife would murder him if he did.

Geniusofdespairhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01105559930040615945geniusofdespair@yahoo.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37248244.post-81739266379053062342009-11-17T07:31:00.009-05:002009-11-17T11:12:39.847-05:00

This is why you all NEED the Miami Herald. We can't do this in depth research even though we reported on the waste at International Trade Consortium over and over. The reporter duo of Haggman and Dolan say that since 2007 the trips cost us about a quarter of a million dollars with no visible results. However, the reporters should add in the budget of the ITC which was $1.7 million since 2007 (

Geniusofdespairhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01105559930040615945geniusofdespair@yahoo.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37248244.post-3077230207987321832009-11-17T06:51:00.006-05:002009-11-17T07:49:20.270-05:00

The idea that county commissioners take foreign junkets worth hundreds of thousands of dollars to generate jobs for Miami holds as much water as the boy in the balloon. Matt Haggman and Jack Dolan do a stellar job amplifying a subject we've noted frequently on Eyeonmiami: county commissioners taking trips worth hundreds of thousands of dollars under the fiction that these are "trade missions"

Gimleteyehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05730237496093952571noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37248244.post-70935628715676666332009-11-16T14:18:00.004-05:002009-11-16T15:28:00.041-05:00

Judge Approves Historic EPA Settlement: EPA and Florida Must Set Limits on Fertilizer and Animal Waste Pollution in State Waters. The Polluters’ Arguments Rejected in Favor of the EnvironmentA federal judge in Tallahassee today approved a historic consent decree which requires the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to set legal limits for the widespread nutrient poisoning that triggers harmful

Geniusofdespairhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01105559930040615945geniusofdespair@yahoo.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37248244.post-26664190918059905512009-11-16T11:21:00.005-05:002009-11-16T14:33:20.853-05:00

Is it possible, that Miami is about to get Steve Shiver back, with an assist from city government? They don't call it The Magic City, for nothing.The Mountaineer, a North Carolina journal, reports, "... plans are in the works to take Ghost Town to Miami — a move expected to generate revenue that will help boost the 2010 season in Maggie and keep certain workers employed through the winter. M

Gimleteyehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05730237496093952571noreply@blogger.com16tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37248244.post-90152600594482697222009-11-16T07:28:00.003-05:002009-11-16T07:58:33.146-05:00

Bloomberg reports: "Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. Chairman Sheila Bair said using the Troubled Asset Relief Program to pump capital into banks was “not a good idea” and helped erode confidence in the regulatory system. “I just see all the problems it’s created now, the horrible public outcry,” Bair said on PBS’s “The NewsHour with Jim Lehrer” yesterday. “It’s had a terrible, terrible impact on

Gimleteyehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05730237496093952571noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37248244.post-55721541391955395972009-11-16T05:34:00.006-05:002009-11-16T22:31:49.521-05:00

Yesterday I went to the last day of the Miami Book Fair. I saw a panel discussion with George Packer on Interesting Times: Writings from a Turbulent Decade, Chris Hedges on Empire of Illusion: The End of Literacy and the Triumph of Spectacle and Sam Tanenhaus on The Death of Conservatism. I also caught 3 speakers of the panel with Edna Buchanan, James Grippando and Heather Graham.I even bought a

Geniusofdespairhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01105559930040615945geniusofdespair@yahoo.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37248244.post-27465246236123741902009-11-15T08:58:00.005-05:002009-11-15T09:03:03.816-05:00

In the warm-up to Copenhagen, the world's leaders are backing away from tough numerical standards to reduce carbon emissions. Last night, according to The Miami Herald, 100 protesters representing the Tea Baggers etc. showed up to demonstrate against Al Gore's appearance and speech on climate change. At the same time, streets on Miami Beach were flooding again as the new moon approaches. We've

Gimleteyehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05730237496093952571noreply@blogger.com7