A-Rod's Miami Beach Mansion and a Neighbor's Complaint

Alex Rodriguez' Miami Beach mansion
(photo: CBS/Miami)

A-Rod has managed once again to find himself a lightning rod for criticism. It seems the New York Yankee star has a nine-bedroom Miami Beach mansion which Rodriguez occasionally rents to film and TV firms for their shoots. Well, according to a story in today's Miami Herald, Rodriguez' next-door neighbor thinks there are far too many commercials, segments, and reality shows occurring in his one-percenter residential area. The neighbor, a retired New Jersey plastics manufacturer who happens to like Rodriguez personally, has unsurprisingly made his opinion known via his attorney.

As the Herald article notes, Miami Beach is home to a thriving media industry, thanks to its combination of iconic setting, readily available sunshine, and even more available celebrities. Glamorous homes are made available for the media's insatiable thirst for image. Reality television has only accelerated this trend.

Ironically, A-Rod has put his digs, which are less than two years old, on the market for $36 million. Maybe he just doesn't like the neighborhood anymore.

Marco Rubio's "Emergency Landing" and The Second Malfunctioning Aircraft

Marco Rubio at a campaign event in Las Vegas, NV,
prior to "emergency landing"

It's been an interesting weekend for Florida GOP senator and VP consideration Marco Rubio. As was reported largely by TV networks, Rubio's private plane, on a flight from Las Vegas to Des Moines, had to make an emergency landing in New Mexico. The CBS/Miami story offers the most succinct, factually based account of the incident.

The publicly stated cause for the unscheduled stop was an indication of an electrical failure on the aircraft. What's curious about the story was that Rubio had changed aircraft earlier that day. The plane Rubio, his wife, and others originally intended to fly was also grounded due to mechanical issues.

Rubio did display some gallows humor in his Tweet about the incident, stating "Now I know how to take a hint!"

What are the odds that two private aircraft will develop mechanical issues on the same day?

This event occurred while presumptive GOP presidential candidate Mitt Romney was out of the country.