Stocking stuffers and last-minute gift ideas

In the portable electronic world, stocking stuffers are easy to find. Here are some for those last-minute holiday gifts on everyone’s list.•  WATER-POWERED CLOCK: Aside from telling time, the eco-friendly Bedol Water Clock is a portable alarm that is also waterproof in the event you feel like standing in a rain storm or showering with it. It’s battery-free so all you...

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Miami-Dade court program helps young inmates change their lives

It was a graduation without pomp and circumstance. There was marching in combat boots. No gowns.The remarks by Miami-Dade Circuit Judge Beth Bloom were full of the hallmarks common at any graduation. She spoke of goals and achievement and of the opportunity. But were it not for the “I’m Ready” program, many of Monday’s graduates would not be anticipating...

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What If Nothing or Nobody is to Blame for Adam Lanza? Guns, Video Games, Autism or Authorities

What if there is nobody or nothing to blame for Adam Lanza‘s heinous acts? Other than Lanza, of course.What if school security and the school psychiatrist kept an eye on Lanza since his freshman year? The Wall Street Journal has a compelling narrative about the red flags addressed.What if he had a form of autism that has little or no link to violent behavior? Lanza may have had Asperger’s syndrome...

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Hillary Clinton’s head fake

Secretary of State Hillary Clinton was set to face a grilling from Congress this week over the terrorist attacks in Benghazi when she started channeling the late poet Shel Silverstein.“I have the measles and the mumps / A gash, a rash and purple bumps,” said Clinton, in effect, informing the House and Senate (with regrets!) that she was suffering too many...

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Miami in spotlight at AVCC, other entrepreneurship events

Entrepreneurs from around the world took the stage during this packed week of entrepreneurship events in Miami: Florida International University’s Americas Venture Capital Conference (known as AVCC), HackDay, Wayra’s Global DemoDay and Endeavor’s International Selection Panel.The events, all part of the first Innovate MIA week, also put the spotlight on Miami as it continues...

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Sperm whale dies off Pompano Beach coast

The carcass of a 40-foot sperm whale that apparently died as it neared the shore off of Pompano Beach on Sunday afternoon later drifted back out to sea, ending a drama that had drawn the attention of beachgoers and scientists alike.The whale was spotted about noon offshore near the 600 block of North Ocean Boulevard, according to the Broward Sheriff’s Office.Read the full...

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SNL Pays Somber Tribute to Sandy Hook Victims

Saturday Night Live forwent their usual comedic cold open last night to pay their respects to the innocent lives lost at Sandy Hook Elementary School on Friday.Related: President Fights Tears as He Addresses NationThe New York Children's Chorus sang Silent Night in memory of the 20 children and six teachers and administrators shot and killed by a gunman who opened fire, and later shot himself dead,...

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Losing by Winning?

Amir Taheri With the first leg of Egypt’s constitutional referendum completed, it looks as if President Muhammad Morsi has secured the victory he had hoped for. Yet it may prove to be a hollow victory, if not the first step toward the derailment of Morsi’s troubled presidency.On Saturday, half of Egypt’s provinces, including Cairo and...

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Five years after the recession, a slow recovery plods on

Five years ago this month, the Great Recession began. Which leads to this question: How much longer until South Florida can erase the damage?Officially, the recession ended in June 2009. According to the National Bureau of Economic Research, the national economy began contracting in December 2007 and did not grow again for 19 months. Using taxable sales figures, it’s probably...

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Brownsville resident wins historic preservation award

A warm Friends and Neighbors salute to our very own Enid Pinkney, who in November was awarded the Peter H. Brink Award for Individual Achievement in Historic Preservation at the National Preservation Conference in Spokane, Wash.Pinkney, who was selected from among nominees from throughout the United States, said, "I proudly received the award, but I realize that I could not...

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