ShowMeBlog

Lizard by Miami Canal

  One thing I will miss about FL is things like this… I walked up to Subway today and by a canal I saw this lizard.  It must have been about two feet in length.  I got my camera out and got this fast photo of him before he jumped into the canal.

Last FL Casino Visit

 
  Ken and I went to the Miccosukee Indian casino.  We have been a number of times.  Why we go to it I never know.  We never win… never see or hear about anyone winning. 
  I lost $60.00 tonight.  If you come to Miami FL for vacation…Enjoy the weather, the beaches and everything here except, my advice, skip all of the casinos. 

Last days in Miami FL

  I have not heard from the apartment people yet but I think I am counting down my last days in Miami FL.  I am going to miss Florida.  So I may sit in Fort Worth and dream of Florida and wish that I had done things when I was here for five years.  I think I am to old to be moving back again.  I am going to be 69 in March and I think it is time for me to pick a spot.

  I almost never get a flu shot.  I was not planning to get flu shots this year.  But I hear that the flu is bad in Texas.  I am not sure if it is the Texas media or if they do have problems.  There is talk that they did not get enough vaccine.  I wonder if someone someplace, in Texas, did not order enough because they do not believe in it or that they are not going to have someone in Washington telling them things…  They might need to do an investigation.  Hell…The governor of Texas has talked about Texas leaving the United States of America!  What am I getting myself into going to Texas.

  My insurance company has been contacting people and telling us to get our flu shot right away.  The supply of vaccine is running out and there will be no more vaccine until next year. 
  The problem with all this is that more people will get the flu and more of them will pass it on to others. 

Goodbye Miami Video

  Here is a little video I made about moving to Fort Worth.  When I am in Texas I can watch this video and remember the good old days.

America’s Most Expensive Cities 2009

  Yahoo! Real Estate has the list of America’s Most Expensive Cities for 2009. 
Check out the article but here is the list starting with the most expensive;  New York, Los Angeles, White Plains (NY), San Francisco, Honolulu, Miami (FL), Chicago, Boston, Houston (TX) and Washington DC.
  Now that I look at the article I see it is Yahoo! got it from Forbes. 
  The list looks sort of correct to me but I just do not like some of the data they used to come up with the list. 
  I do know that Miami is a very expensive city but there are a lot of poor people that live here.  There are a lot of people that live here and do not make much money but they party all the time.
  It is a strange place. 
  I recommend Miami to come and visit and vacation …but I can not recommend it as a place to move to and try and live here.
  The price of homes is down here.  If you got the money you can get a real good deal on some homes.  Homes and condos that cost $250K or $300K you can get for $100K or less.  The problem is the association dues, taxes and insurance.  Good luck getting insurance.

Man mistakenly kills fiancee

  I will try and make this the last one of these stories that I post because it happens all the time…You can fill a blog with these sad stories…
  People grab a gun to defend their life or their home and they kill the wrong person.

 

Any tree experts or flower experts?

  Today I walked up to Subway to get something to eat.  One block from here I passed a tree next to the street.  It had this flower growing out of the tree. 

  Do we have any tree or flower experts out there in ShowMeBlog land?  What kind of flower is this?  It appears to be part of the tree.

Comment on Space Station to be shut down

  The following is a comment from Dick Williams:

"Bad enough we can't reach the ISS without the Russians after the Shuttle is mothballed next year - now the continued operation of the ISS is in question. The commitment of the government and the public for space exploration and even commercial use of a resource like the ISS is waning fast. I read recently of Space X - a private launch service that soon be able to handle manned launches under contract to NASA from their launch site on an old pad at the Kennedy Space Center. Sounds like a cheaper follow on to the Shuttle and maybe no higher than the 50 million per flight the Russians charge us. Would hate to see the ISS abandoned - maybe the Europeans and Asians can become primary tenants. From the Zarella report it sounds like our long term support is in question. We struggled to get the Space Station completed - I'm not sure it's complete yet. Very disappointed to hear talk already that it may not be supported beyond 2015. Remember Skylab in the 70s. That was allowed to come out of orbit and burn up it the atmosphere in July 1979. Skylab was never seen as a long term project the way the ISS has been portrayed. All the scifi depictions of long term colonies in space are looking a lot more like the "fi" than the "sci" part of scifi."
 

CNN reports Jobless lose lifeline as Senate stalls

“As thousands of jobless Americans lose their weekly unemployment checks, Congress is still debating who should qualify for a benefits extension. The House passed a bill last month extending benefits by 13 weeks. But the proposal has languished in the Senate. CNMoney reports Sen. Max Baucus is pushing legislation that would lengthen benefits for the jobless nationwide by four weeks… “ full story..

  My grandson is one of those people that has had his unemployment money come to an end.  It is extra hard for him to find work because he does not speak Spanish.  He also does not have a car.  It is not as hard here in Miami to find a job without a car because bus and rail service is pretty good.  (Except from 0100 to 0500 hours.  Smile)

  I think they should keep the unemployment money going until the end of the year and then I think they should keep it going in areas with very high un-employment. 

High-Speed rail line Miami –> Orlando –> Tampa

“BY ALFONSO CHARDY

achardy@MiamiHerald.com

The Florida Department of Transportation formally committed itself Friday to building the first segment of a high-speed rail line from Miami to Tampa -- so long as the federal government awards the state the $2.53 billion it wants for the project.

Competition is intense, but transportation experts said Florida is well positioned -- along with California and Illinois -- to share the $8 billion the Obama administration is offering to develop a national high-speed rail network. Awards will be announced in December…”   Miami Herald

  I think a high-speed rail line would be great for Florida and for the United States.  I am 68  years old and I do not think I would live long enough to see it complete but I still think it would be great.
  It would create some good jobs here and that is an extra.
  It would be built in phases and the first would be Orlando to Fort Pierce, then Fort Pierce to West Palm Beach and then from West Palm Beach to Miami.  The route would run from Orlando International Airport to Miami International Airport. 
  Just think you could fly down to Orlando for all that Orlando stuff and then get on the high-speed rail and pop on down to Miami for all our stuff.  It would make this an even better place to visit for vacation.  I hope it gets built. 

Monarch butterfly born on patio

  I have a milkweed plant out on the patio.  A few weeks ago the monarch caterpillars ate all the leaves off the plant.  They will grow back.
  After that I saw a pod hanging from the flower pot.  It was green.  I been watching it for about two weeks.  I should have been taking some photos.  Today I looked outside and the pod looked dark.  I  went out and it was very thin and you could see the wings of the Monarch butterfly inside the pod. 
  About 15 minutes later I saw the Monarch butterfly outside of the pod and hanging on as his wings got dry.

Where will I be in six months

  I will be moving in six months.  I could move sooner if I find the right place.  What is a very odd feeling …is that I can live anyplace in the United States…I am 68 years old and free to move anyplace and live anyplace.
  I do like FL.  I love the weather and the beaches.
  I am looking at places to rent.  Today I was looking, using Realtor.Com and I found a place with 400 sq ft.  It is in Miami Beach, Fl and it rents for $650.00 a month.  (I know $650.00 is a LOT of money for 400 sq ft.)  All utilities are included.  How much electric power could you use in 400 sq feet?  Smile
  Just think it is in Miami Beach and you can fish in your own backyard.

 The lowest priced rental of the 37 listed was one for $450.00 with 400 sq feet but it has been listed for two months so I think they just have a number of rental units in the building and they just leave that same one up.
  One nice thing about Miami Beach they are soon going to have free WiFi for the entire city.  
  Think of all the photos I could take for ShowMeBlog and it is just a short distance to Haulover Beach. I been in Miami for over five years and have not made it to Haulover Beach and if I got a place in Miami Beach I could walk to Haulover Beach everyday.

Museum Day

  What a great idea.  Today is Museum Day and you and a friend can enjoy free general admission to hundreds of museums and cultural venues across the United States.
   I wish I had found about this sooner.  I checked and there are about six or seven events just in Miami.  The Miami Zoo is one place taking part in this event.  I think the normal price to get in the zoo is about $15.00 so you could save about $30.00 just at the Miami Zoo today.
   This is a nation wide event check it out:  Museum Day

  Want to thank Dick Williams for bring this event to my attention.

House jobless benefits bill passes

“WASHINGTON — With no end in sight to the country's job market woes, the House has agreed to give the jobless in a majority of states another 13 weeks of unemployment insurance benefits.

The bill, which passed the House 331-83 , approves the extra three months of benefits for those jobless living in 27 states, plus the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico, with unemployment rates topping 8.5 percent. Similar legislation is pending in the Senate. The longtime unemployed in states with lower levels of joblessness would not get the extension.

The job market appears to be the last to recover from a recession that officially began in December 2007. Jobless benefits have already been extended to record lengths through federal intervention.

States offer 26 weeks of benefits, with the average payment about $300 a week. But with federal help, including provisions from the economic stimulus bill, the unemployed in states hardest hit by the recession can receive up to 79 weeks of assistance…”  AP News by Jim Abrams

  Great news and great report by Jim Abrams of AP.  Read the complete story for full details.