90-year-old real estate baron Jay Kislak is forever young

Real estate baron Jay I. Kislak discovered a Fountain of Youth of sorts that springs from an inquisitive and acquisitive mind.At 90, Kislak is wheeling and dealing in real estate, and he’s exploring history and art with the fervor of a man generations younger.The patriarch of The Kislak Organization marked 74 years in real estate this year, 59 spent in Miami. ...

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Amid tragedy, we can still find peace

Dear Friends and Neighbors:By now, we have kind of wrapped our heads around the tragedy that happened in Newtown on Dec. 14. I say, "kind of," because I am still finding it hard not to tear up when I think about the victims, and also the family of the person who did the shooting.That this happened at a time when the world is celebrating the birth of the Prince of Peace, is...

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Buzzmakers: New X Factor and Miss Universe Winners

What had ET readers buzzing this week?1. 'The X Factor' Crowns A Winner!And the $5 million recording contract goes to…Tate Stevens! The 37-year-old country crooner beat out runner-up 13-year-old Carly Rose Sonenclar for the top prize Thursday night. 35 million votes were cast Wednesday to determine victory for L.A. Reid's mentee.Near tears, the Raymore, Missouri native thanked his fans for their overwhelming...

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Staten Island man killed in early-morning house fire

A Staten Island man was killed when an early-morning fire swept through his home, police and relatives said.Jameek Champagne, 23, died in the third-floor attic of the home on Osgood Avenue in Clifton. His brother and grandfather escaped the blaze uninjured.A neighbor reported the blaze after seeing flames erupt from the house at about 5:40 a.m. He banged on the door in a frantic effort to awaken its...

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Time’s up for holiday shopping procrastinators

Last minute shoppers like Josette Tyne are in luck this year.With a long weekend before Christmas, retailers want to make it easier for procrastinators to finish their gift buying. Macy’s for the first time is keeping all its stores open around the clock from Friday until Sunday at midnight. Toys “R” Us and Walmart Supercenters will be open non-stop until Christmas Eve.Even...

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Great-grandmother leads annual Miami-Dade, Monroe toy drive

Beginning in August, Bunchy Gertner puts aside her social life, her needs and even her great-grandchildren to head over to the “North Pole,” the place where she stores, wraps and distributes thousands of toys destined for foster care children in Miami-Dade and Monroe counties.“This is top banana,” said Gertner referring to the nonstop volunteer work she has done for the past...

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Guns in our households: protecting or killing us?

The Issue: America’s gun-control laws and the commercial availability of military-like weapons. ***When our forefathers wrote our right to bear arms into the Constitution, the arms they referred to fired one bullet at a time and took a while to reload (“Adam Lanza’s Weapons,” Editorial, Dec. 18). Our country was in its infancy and laws and civility were...

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Investors shuffling assets ahead of fiscal cliff

Some citizens aren’t waiting to find out if the White House and Republicans in Congress will be able to reach a last-minute deal to pull the country away from the “fiscal cliff.” They are selling securities while capital gains tax rates are still low or transferring millions into trusts for the benefit of children and grandchildren before estate tax laws become more stringent....

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Bay of Pigs invasion veterans mark 50 years since release

In the days before Christmas 50 years ago this weekend, 1,113 Bay of Pigs fighters captured by Fidel Castro’s forces and imprisoned for 20 months were finally released to a heroes’ welcome in Miami.The first planeload of POWs arrived at Homestead Air Force Base on Dec. 23, 1962. Gaunt and feeling betrayed by the John F. Kennedy administration, members of the proud Brigade...

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B’Berry users decline for first time, to 79M

Research in Motion shed BlackBerry users for the first time ever last quarter, the company reported yesterday.The number of BlackBerry users dipped to 79 million in the three months ended Dec. 1 from 80 million the previous quarter, it said.Despite losing an average of 11,000 users a day in the period, the Waterloo, Ont.0, company’s results topped analyst...

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