Miami Commissioner Michelle Spence-Jones running for reelection

Eight years have passed since Michelle Spence-Jones was elected to the Miami City Commission.She isn’t willing to leave just yet.Spence-Jones — who was charged with bribery and grand theft in 2009, suspended from office, acquitted and reinstated to her post — is seeking reelection, she announced Friday. She represents District 5, which includes Overtown, Little Haiti and...

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4 tips for creating a successful Twitter parody account

The guy behind @GowanusDolphin learned his lesson the hard wayA chorus of Twitter elite got really angry on Friday when an opportunistic user decided to register @GowanusDolphin, a horrible account that premised itself on a dolphin trapped in New York‘s murky Gowanus Canal. Not sure how I feel about parody account @gowanusdolphin. Poor guy. Don’t find funny at all.SEE MORE: Connecticut...

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Report: J.J. Abrams to Direct New 'Star Wars' Movie

Disney/ Andrew H. Walker/ Getty ImagesThe Force is with J.J. Abrams. The prolific producer/director has agreed to direct the next installment of the Star Wars franchise, confirms Walt Disney Studios.Pics: Must-See Movies of 2013"I've consistently been impressed with J.J. as a filmmaker and storyteller," said George Lucas of Abrams in an official statement. "He's an ideal choice to direct the new...

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24 people killed as militant groups clash in Pakistan

PESHAWAR, Pakistan — 'Two Islamic militant groups clashed Saturday over control of a prized valley in northwest Pakistan, killing at least 24 people and wounding dozens more, officials said.Arshad Khan of the Khyber tribal region said the fighting between the two Islamic militant groups began Friday in Tirah valley, near the Afghan border, when the militant...

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Fed aims for a 6.5% jobless rate

Six and a half percent unemployment in America would mean almost 2.1 million more people working than today. At the rate the country has been creating new jobs each month, it would take more than a year to find work for that many people.Keep 6.5 percent in mind this week when the Federal Reserve meets Tuesday and Wednesday to talk about its efforts to push interest rates...

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Broward contractor accused of accepting bribe for Florida Keys roadwork

A Pompano Beach contractor has been charged by federal authorities with bribery for accepting money to steer a state Department of Transportation contract to a subcontractor working on traffic signals in the Florida Keys, the U.S. Attorney's Office said.Ron Capobianco Jr., 40, is charged with committing bribery in connection with programs receiving federal funds. If convicted,...

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James Franco, Rachel Weisz Oz The Great and Powerful Posters

Oh My! The release of Oz the Great and Powerful is just over a month away, and in anticipation for the return of this famous story to the big screen (there is a twist of course), Disney released some rather telling character posters. One of which shows Rachel Weisz (Evanora) in her best witch wear, and in the...

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Al Shabaab says enemies closed its Twitter account

MOGADISHU (Reuters) – Al Shabaab on Friday said its Christian enemies had closed its Twitter account, which the Somali militant group used to parade hostages, mock rivals and claim responsibility for bombings and assassinations.The group’s official Twitter account, which has thousands of followers, was offline on Friday with a message saying “Sorry, that user is suspended”.It was not immediately clear...

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Bloomberg on micro living: I did it for 10 years

He invented the industry-shattering "Bloomberg Box," but young Mike Bloomberg was a flop when it came to putting up a single bookshelf. The billionaire mayor, one of the wealthiest men in the US, got to reminiscing about his about his early days in New York in the '60s when the discussion on his weekly WOR radio show turned to the 55 "micro" apartments...

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Lennar design accommodates multigenerational families

In some cases, it may be Grandma moving in with the family. Other times, it may be a recent college graduate returning to the nest. For all sorts of reasons — financial, medical, personal — a rising number of Americans are moving into extended family households.Spotting a niche in the growing trend, Lennar Corp. has launched a new concept tailor-made for multigenerational...

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Miami-Dade County Commission helps Miami Dolphins more than voters

If deceptive inconsistency were currency, the Miami-Dade County Commission could make a mint.And the Miami Dolphins would be happy for it. That way, the county commission could simply give the money away to help cover the football club’s $400 million stadium renovation plan.Unable to do that, the commission Wednesday urged the Legislature to give the county the authority...

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Samsung’s iPad mini rival, the Galaxy Note 8.0 tablet, revealed in leaked images

While Samsung (005930) has had tremendous success over the past year with its Galaxy brand of smartphones, the company hasn’t been able to generated the same amount of buzz for its Galaxy tablet line just yet. But now SamMobile points us to the first leaked pictures of Samsung’s new Galaxy Note 8.0 that the company hopes will become its flagship tablet in 2013. The pictures, posted on Italian website...

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Allison Williams Impersonates Dad Brian Williams

Allison Williams admits that when your dad is NBC Nightly News anchor Brian Williams, the man who knows "a lot about a lot," it's hard to tell him anything he doesn't already know. But as his daughter, the Girls star shares with Jimmy Kimmel some inside embarrassing information about the news man and does an impression of her father reading her obituary. It's not as eerie as it sounds!"I have never...

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WATCH: Te'o and Couric on his phone calls with 'Lennay Kekua'

Manti Te'o remains doubtful that accused hoaxer Ronaiah Tuiasosopo was the voice he spent hours talking and listening to over the phone, according to a new preview of his interview with Katie Couric, which is set to air in full today.Te'o reportedly had 1,000 calls with someone he thought was "Lennay Kekua," including one in which he claims to have heard...

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Miami Dolphins slam Norman Braman, Marlins Park deal

The Miami Dolphins ramped up their public campaign for a tax-funded stadium renovation this week, buying full-page ads against their top critic and trying to distance the plan from the unpopular Marlins deal.The team bought an ad in Tuesday’s Miami Herald and El Nuevo Herald knocking auto magnate Norman Braman’s criticism of the Sun Life Stadium deal, which would have Florida...

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Judge to rule on Miami-Dade absentee ballot ordinance

A judge will rule Wednesday whether Miami-Dade County’s ordinance governing the collection of absentee ballots is constitutional.The ruling will come in the criminal case against Sergio Robaina, who prosecutors say illegally collected ballots, and filled out two against the wishes of two voters, one of them a woman with dementia. Robaina insists he was just helping elderly...

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Bachelor Alum Helene Eksterowicz Engaged

Though it turns out it wasn't meant to be with Bachelor Aaron Buerge from season two of ABC's hit The Bachelor, it looks like Helene Eksterowicz has found love after all.Helene, 37, who Aaron proposed to in the season finale but split just five weeks later, is engaged to Andrew Goodman, a senior technology consultant for IBM. The two have been dating for a year and a half, and she couldn't be happier.Pics:...

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Google Earnings Reveal Beginnings of a Facebook Problem on Search Revenue

Google beat Wall Street expectations with its fourth-quarter revenues of $ 14.42 billion, but the value of its ads continue to decline, an especially tricky problem with the company’s new search competition from Facebook. Google’s average cost-per-click decreased 6 percent from one year ago, meaning each ad it runs on its biggest business has less value than it did a year ago, continuing a fairly...

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'Princess Bride' fan causes stir on Qantas flight with 'Prepare to die' shirt

For most folks on this side of the pond, the classic Inigo Montoya quote from "Princess Bride" is an unforgettable part of childhood.Unfortunately for a flier on a New Zealand-bound flight, fellow passengers didn't feel the same way about his T-shirt featuring the movie's most famous quip.Wynand Mullins was on a Sydney-to-Auckland trip Sunday when a flight...

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Miami Dolphins slam Norman Braman, Marlins Park deal

The Miami Dolphins ramped up their public campaign for a tax-funded stadium renovation this week, buying full-page ads against their top critic and trying to distance the plan from the unpopular Marlins deal.The team bought an ad in Tuesday’s Miami Herald and El Nuevo Herald knocking auto magnate Norman Braman’s criticism of the Sun Life Stadium deal, which would have Florida...

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Six finalists chosen for Miami-Dade Police director

County Mayor Carlos Gimenez has chosen six finalists to become the next director of the Miami-Dade Police Department.Gimenez and his top deputies plan to interview the finalists next week and make a decision soon thereafter. The department has been without a permanent leader since former Director James Loftus retired early last August. All of the finalists come from within...

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Beyonce GQ Cover Shoot BRoll

Earlier this week, ETonline revealed that Beyonce had been named Miss Millennium in the February issue of GQ and now we've got some behind-the-scenes video of her steamy photoshoot! VIDEO - Beyonce's Beautiful Inauguration Performance Titled Home Alone with Miss. Millennium, the video chronicles Terry Richardson's sexy shoot with the new mom (although you'd never know it judging from her bangin' bod)!VIDEO...

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College student sues NYPD over Empire State Building shootout

REUTERSA security official places signs to identify evidence after a shootout at the Empire State Building on August 24, 2012.A University of North Carolina student wounded in last summer's shooting outside the Empire State Building is suing New York City police department.Chenin Duclos and eight other bystanders were wounded by police gunfire, ricochets...

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Series for Miami’s emerging art collectors begins Thursday

For art enthusiasts interested in bring their interest home, Miami’s Bakehouse Art Complex is hosting a lecture series for emerging collectors. The first panel, slated for Thursday at 6 p.m., features arists and curators who will talk about fine tuning your taste and learning to make informed decisions. The second session, Feb. 7, is oriented to the mechanics of purchasing....

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Cuban exile mother of inaugural poet Richard Blanco now in spotlight

At first, Geysa Blanco thought her son was kidding. "He said, ‘Mom, I have news for you,’ " Blanco said, recalling the telephone call from her son a few weeks ago. "Between English and Spanish, he told me that they had chosen him to write and read a poem at the presidential inauguration,” she said. But Richard Blanco, a child of exiles who was raised...

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Ex-Mayor Diaz to talk about new book at alma mater

Congratulations to my friend and former Miami Mayor Manny Diaz, who has will be presenting his new book at 9:45 a.m. in the Roca Theater at his alma mater, Belen Jesuit Preparatory School, 500 SW 127th Ave. in West Miami-Dade.His book is titled Miami Transformed: Rebuilding America, One Neighborhood, One City at a Time.Born in Cuba, Diaz really is a Miami success story....

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Google says Wall Street estimates need adjusting

SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) – Google Inc issued a rare advisory to Wall Street on Friday that analyst estimates for its fourth quarter financial results are flawed.The world’s No.1 search engine, which reports its quarterly results on Tuesday, said most analysts have not adjusted their estimates to reflect the pending $ 2.35 billion sale of the Motorola Home business.The business must be presented separately...

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VP Joe Biden sworn in for second term

AFP/Getty ImagesVice President Joe Biden, with his wife Jill Biden, holding the Biden family Bible, shakes hands with Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor after taking the oath of office at the Naval Observatory.WASHINGTON — Formally embarking on a second term, Vice President Joe Biden took the oath of office Sunday, surrounded by family and friends in...

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Investors await word from Apple

No company today elicits such devotion and dedication among its customers and shareholders like Apple. The fervor felt by Apple fans for its products, its leaders and its business underscore the company’s technological eco-centric strategy. While that loyalty has made for rich rewards over the long term, it will mean very little to a myopic stock market when Apple reports...

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