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SMELLY PLANT: The Amorphophallus titanum, native to Indonesia, is famous for emitting an overwhelming stench of rotting flesh when it blooms.
COURTESY OF FAIRCHILD TROPICAL BOTANIC GARDEN

A 'titan' among stinkers

Q. What's the name of the plant with the stink at Fairchild Tropical Botanic Garden?

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THE LATEST

  • E-mail from 'IRS' looks legit, but beware

    Q. I received an e-mail purporting to be from the IRS, asking for my credit card information so my income tax refund can be sent to the card account.

  • Hunting down U.K. school certificates

    Q. In the late 1960s and early '70s, I attended school in the south of England. Having recently decided to further my education after a long hiatus, I need to get copies of various certificates of attainment.

  • Breach consumer privacy, and pay

    At last, proof that breaching consumer privacy can have consequences:

  • Bird-call mystery solved

    Thanks to more than two dozen readers, Carrie Millon Niedbala's mystery ''bird'' has been identified (Action Line, May 10) -- except that it's not a bird; it's a Tokay gecko. Audio Available

  • When fraud strikes, bank penalizes customer

    Q. I was a victim of identity theft on Feb. 19, although I didn't find out about it until March 8, when a Washington Mutual bank official alerted me that thieves had opened two bank accounts in my name.

  • Audio books come by mail, too

    Q My elderly dad is losing his sight. I've heard that there's a service for people like him to get talking books via the mail.

  • New pet rules take effect in Miami-Dade

    In an effort to better care for the pets and for the safety of Miami-Dade residents, the county code pertaining to animals has been revised.

  • Tricky gas pumps charge before fuel starts flowing

    Q. There is an Exxon station near the Tamiami Airport where the marquee price is often 10 to 20 cents less than the pump price.

  • Magazines never ordered, but threats ensue

    Q. I'd like you to investigate false and baseless allegations made against me by Southeastern Family Publishers, aka S. E. F. Publishers.

  • Refund from gas voucher a no-show

    Q. Last October, I went to a meeting about buying a time-share for an apartment. After the meeting, I was given a $40 free gas voucher from a program called Grand Incentives.

  • Do disasters have you sharing wealth?

    Last week, we asked readers whether the cost of fuel has them considering a more fuel-efficient car. Most are ready to make the switch: 77 percent said yes; 23 percent, no.

  • Sierra Club calling all hunters, anglers

    As mining, drilling, development and global warming increasingly threaten quality hunting and fishing opportunities, more and more hunters and anglers are following in Teddy Roosevelt's footsteps ...

  • Recycling nonexistent at condo

    Q. With all the hype about the need to recycle, I am perplexed that so many condo complexes could not care less. I live in one that doesn't recycle and, where I lived before, in Kendall, it was the same story.

  • Property tax refund slips through the cracks

    Q. I overpaid my real estate property taxes last Nov. 21 by $141.72, and I still haven't received a refund. Can Action Line help me get it?

  • AT&T 'Security Suite' disappears at start-up

    Q. I have AT&T Internet Security Suite on my computer. I have two other computers that are connected via a wireless router. Every time I restart a computer, I lose Internet Security on that computer.

  • Plants may deter trespassing teens

    About teenagers wrecking yards (Action Line, May 6): I'd suggest planting bougainvillea or Mysore raspberry.

  • Consumer inquiries on America TeVe

    On Wednesday, watch La Comunidad Denuncia: Línea de Acción on Spanish-language America TeVe, Channel 41, based in Hialeah Gardens.

  • Antibiotics best taken as directed

    The inappropriate use or overuse of antibiotics means that disease-causing bacteria have built up resistance to treatment. Until new ways to deal with infections are developed, one must be careful with what we have.

  • $12,223.71 needs to find rightful owner

    Q. Dear Action Line ladies: I recently returned from a month out of the country and, while opening the ''ton'' of mail awaiting me, I inadvertently opened the enclosed letter about a certificate of deposit renewal for the previous owner of my apartment.

  • $18,000 deposit on generator probably lost

    Q. I'm writing for my boss, who has exhausted all means with Genco. She paid $18,000 for a generator. The permits were pulled, and then everything stopped.

  • Milky appearance not normal for impact windows

    As one of the first manufacturers of impact resistant windows and doors in Miami, we are familiar with the glass used in Christine Leon's French doors (Action Line, May 9).

  • How did 'Mother's Day' get started?

    Q. My mother died many years ago, and although I still miss her greatly, I don't miss the pressure of having to do something ''special'' on Mother's Day. Can Action Line explain how did this whole commercial enterprise got started, anyway?

  • One year, three repairs later, TV still kaput

    Q. I bought a Magnavox LCD TV from Circuit City for $1,044.99 in Doral on Nov. 26, 2005. At the time, I also purchased a $399 protection/replacement plan, valid until Nov. 25, 2010.

  • 'Surfing' safely with Wi-Fi

    There are 68,000 Wi-Fi ''hot spots'' in the United States, at airports, coffee shops, hotels, bookstores, schools, and other locations where hundreds or thousands of people pass through every day.

  • Fight insomnia head-first

    Changing your behavior, rather than medication, may be the first step to a better night's sleep, reports Harvard's HealthBeat newsletter.

  • 'Persistence' not enough, sometimes

    ''Moral of the story: Be persistent,'' Action Line advised in the May 8 column. But the sad fact is that the reader was persistent -- and got nowhere until Action Line's intervention.

  • What's bird with staccato call?

    Q. Some eight to 12 years ago in Action Line, an ornithologist identified a specific birdcall for a reader. I don't remember what the bird was, but we have the same bird. We've tried to spot it but have never succeeded.

  • Reclaiming wastewater, generating rumors

    Q. Two years ago, I heard from an employee of Miami-Dade Water and Sewer that, in the near future, the county would begin treating waste water and pumping it back to our homes.

  • Beware firms offering to ''fix'' your credit

    Q. I'm calling about a problem with a company that's supposed to fix your credit. I paid it $400 a year ago, but it still hasn't done anything.

  • Could seat belt be fabric villain?

    A while back (Feb. 17), Action Line printed a letter from a reader who was regularly discovering small holes in the front of her shirts; it appeared that no one had an explanation.

Contact Action Line

Action Line cuts through red tape, gets answers, solves problems and stands up for your rights. You can contact Action Line by email at actionline@miamiherald.com, by writing Action Line, 1 Herald Plaza, Miami, FL 33132 or by calling 305-376-3000. Broward residents can call 954-463-0404.
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