On Saturday, Bay of Pigs invasion veterans mark 50 years since their 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 betrayed by the John F. Kennedy administration, members of the proud Brigade 2506 were bused to Miami’s Dinner Key Auditorium, where waiting relatives engulfed them with hugs at a massive reunion that made front-page news. Five days later, JFK and his wife Jackie would be at the Orange Bowl to welcome them, too.

On Saturday, the 50th anniversary of those pivotal days will be observed as surviving brigade members — now in their 70s and 80s — hold a and 11 a.m. Mass and reunion at the Bay of Pigs Museum in Little Havana.





The release of the men was the one bright spot in the disastrous April 1961 CIA-backed invasion to overthrow the two-year old Castro government. Yet the fighters’ return also sent the somber message that exiles would not reclaim Cuba. The Cuban Missile Crisis that October had set the course of U.S.-Cuba relations until today.

Back then, it was sinking in: The Cuban exile community was in Miami to stay.

A defeated Jose Andreu, now 76, the first brigade member to sign up for the invasion, was among those who arrived home that bittersweet day.

“My wife to-be was there to meet me, along with my sister and my father,” Andreu said. “I remember a lot of hugging and crying.”

Among the young people waiting at the auditorium that day in 1962 was a teen-aged Ninoska Perez Castellon, there with her family to welcome her brothers and uncle, all brigade members.

“I remember being in that packed auditorium ... I can truly say as a child I viewed those men as my first heroes. I still do,” said Perez-Castellon, who grew up to become one of Miami’s most influential radio personalities.

Perez and her family still have black-and-white snapshots of the joyful reunion, showing her late grandmother proudly hugging her son.

The behind-the-scenes negotiations that finally led to the release of the brigadistas 50 years ago this week were the stuff of Hollywood movies. They involved months of haggling with Castro by everyone from a former first lady to a high-profile diplomatic negotiator who led the group that finally succeeded — a group of the prisoners’ mothers, wives and fathers who made up the Cuban Families Committee.

Their effort resulted in a now-forgotten 7,857 exodus of Cuban refugees, many relatives of the brigadistas, who arrived in cargo ships at Port Everglades in Fort Lauderdale from December 1962 to July 1963.

Two women in the committee played key roles — one in Cuba, motivated by a mother’s love; the other in Miami, seeking to free her husband.

Havana socialite, Berta Barreto, whose oldest son, Alberto Oms Barreto, had been captured during the invasion, made the initial contact with Castro and promised that the ransom he had set for the men would be paid. Years later, her second son, Pablo Perez-Cisneros Barreto, wrote the definitive book on the negotiations called After the Bay of Pigs, soon to be published in Spanish. “What my mother and the others managed to do, with no experience in high-level negotiating, was extraordinary,” Perez-Cisneros Barreto said.





Read More..

Vatican says pope beats Justin Bieber on re-tweets






VATICAN CITY (Reuters) – Pope Benedict, white-haired, 85, and a neophyte to social media site Twitter, has beaten out 18-year old heartthrob Justin Bieber to set a percentage record for re-tweeting by his followers, the Vatican said on Thursday.


The Vatican newspaper said that as of noon Italian time on Thursday the pope had 2.1 million followers on Twitter, eight days after his first tweet was sent.






While Canadian singer-songwriter Bieber has roughly 15 times as many followers – 31.7 million – the Vatican newspaper said Benedict had beaten Bieber on re-tweets.


It said about 50 percent of the pope’s followers had re-tweeted his first tweet on December 12 while only 0.7 percent of Bieber’s followers had re-tweeted one of the singer’s most popular tweets on September 26, when he commented on the death by cancer of a six-year-old fan.


The Vatican said this was part of a wider trend in which people were looking for more spiritual content.


The pope already tweets in English, German, Italian, French, Spanish, Portuguese, Polish and Arabic. The newspaper said he will start tweeting in Latin and Chinese soon.


(Reporting By Philip Pullella, editing by Paul Casciato)


Internet News Headlines – Yahoo! News





Title Post: Vatican says pope beats Justin Bieber on re-tweets
Rating:
100%

based on 99998 ratings.
5 user reviews.
Author: Fluser SeoLink
Thanks for visiting the blog, If any criticism and suggestions please leave a comment




Read More..

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 support.

"This is the best day of my life," said an emotional Stevens.

Girl group Fifth Harmony, mentored by Simon Cowell, placed third in the competition. Earlier in the night, the holiday themed finale saw performances by One Direction and Pitbull.

Auditions for an all-new season of The X Factor USA have already begun online. In-person auditions will start on March 6, 2013 in Los Angeles.

The celebrity judging panel has yet to be announced, but L.A. Reid has already taken himself out of the running. Spears has expressed interest in returning to the show for season three, but nothing has been confirmed.

2. Miss Universe 2012 Crowned

Beauties from 89 countries strutted their stuff Wednesday night in pursuit of the Miss Universe crown, but only one woman would earn the coveted title.

In the end a panel of ten celebrity judges, including Cee Lo Green and U.S. Olympic gold medalist Kerri Walsh Jennings, appointed Miss USA Olivia Culpo the winner.

The 20-year-old Rhode Island native beat out Miss Brazil (Gabriela Markus) Miss Philippines (Janine Tugonon), Miss Mexico (Irene SofĂ­a Esser Quintero), and Miss Australia (Renae Ayris) for the distinction.

Culpo follows in the footsteps of Miss Angola, Leila Lopes, who earned the crown in 2011.

The two-hour show was broadcast live from Las Vegas with musical acts One Direction and Train lending their talents to the annual extravaganza.

3. Exclusive: Arsenio on His Late Night TV Return

Break out the Woof! Woof! fist pump: Arsenio Hall is coming back to late night TV in the Fall of 2013 after a 17-year break from the game, and only ET is behind the scenes with the timeless talk show host as he shoots his first-ever promo for The Arsenio Hall Show!

"[This is] the first time America will see anything on television about the show," says Arsenio. "Instead of a commercial where I do something like say, 'I'm baaaaack' -- and everybody's, 'Ugh' -- they've come up with a real, unique, creative angle that -- actually, I looked at dailies, and it scared me. I looked at the dailies and I frightened myself."

The trailer-length promo from CBS Television Distribution pays homage to horror movies and begins airing today on all Arsenio Hall Show affiliate stations, kicking off the campaign for the new late night syndicated talk show that will be seen all across the country next year.

"I'm real excited about this; so many things have changed in pop culture since I left the air," says Arsenio about his return to late night. "I can't wait."

The Arsenio Hall Show premieres on 9/9/13. Look for much more with Arsenio between now and then, only on ET!

4. Claire Danes Gives Birth

It's a boy!

Homeland star Claire Danes and her husband Hugh Dancy welcomed their very first child together on Monday, December 17, her rep confirms to People Magazine.

The proud parents named their bouncing baby boy Cyrus Michael Christopher Dancy.

Danes, 33, wed Dancy, 37, in 2009 after two years of dating.

5. President Obama is Time's Person of the Year

For 2012, Time Magazine has selected President Barack Obama as their Person of the Year.

"For finding and forging a new majority, for turning weakness into opportunity and for seeking, amid great adversity, to create a more perfect union, Barack Obama is Time's 2012 Person of the Year," Time's Managing Editor Richzard Stengel explained.

He also cited both of the president's re-elections, snagging over 50 percent of the popular vote, as one reason he received this honor.

This is the second year Time has tapped Obama as their Person of the Year -- he previously was selected in 2008 for becoming the first black president of the United States.

Time previously named the eight finalists for 2012's Person of the Year. They included: Bill and Hillary Clinton, Apple CEO Tim Cook, Malala Yousafzai (the Pakistani girl who was shot by the Taliban for her crusade for better girls' education), Yahoo! CEO Marissa Mayer, Egyptian president Mohamed Morsi and the three scientists who discovered the Higgs Boson particle.

Read More..

Funerals for three more kids killed in Newtown massacre set for today








NEWTOWN, Conn. — The funerals for the victims of a Connecticut elementary school shooting are wrapping up after a wrenching week of farewells in Newtown.

Services are scheduled Saturday in Connecticut for 7-year-old Josephine Gay and 6-year-old Ana Marquez-Greene. A service is also planned in Utah for 6-year-old Emilie Parker.

Twenty children and six adults were killed at Sandy Hook Elementary School on Dec. 14. The lone gunman also killed his mother before going on the rampage and then committing suicide.

A spokeswoman for the Connecticut Funeral Directors Association says the last funerals it knows of are taking place on Saturday, although some of the burials are private.











Read More..

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. Others are getting out of the markets and parking money in less risky accounts.

Miami financial planner Cathy Pareta has been counseling her upper middle class clients — “the Johnsons, not the Rockefellers” — on whether to adjust investment portfolios, accelerate income or realize capital gains sooner than planned.





“Some people are going to get hit hard,” said John Bacci, a financial planner in Linthicum, Md., who has gone down his client list and run projections on what higher taxes would look like for them. He’s looking at tax-friendly alternatives for some clients, such as annuities or rental property.

At year’s end, the country will leap off the “fiscal cliff” unless politicians reach a compromise on mandated spending cuts and the expiration of the Bush-era tax cuts.

For most investors, the expiring cuts will mean that the tax rate for long-term capital gains will rise from 15 percent to 20 percent. Dividends also will no longer be taxed at 15 percent but treated as ordinary income, which could mean a tax rate as high as 39.6 percent. And individuals with multimillion-dollar estates will find much more of their money subject to the federal estate tax.

Estate planning lawyers say the demand is so intense that they are putting in grueling hours to set up trusts.

“It’s very stressful. We are working day and night,” said Diana Zeydel, an estate planning lawyer with Greenberg Traurig in Miami. “Were doing three times what we normally do for end-of-the-year planning.”

Zeydel said many of her clients waited until after the elections in November to gauge how the political tide would affect their future finances. This gave them little more than a month to make major decisions about their wealth.

Most observing the political jousting in Washington expect taxes will go up even if the political leaders reach a deal — they’re just not sure how much. Many aren’t taking any chances.

Jim Ludwick, a financial planner in Odenton, Md., said one client in his late 50s cashed out stock and bond funds totaling $1.7 million not long after the election and stashed the proceeds in a money market fund.

The client, anticipating a market plunge due to the “fiscal cliff” and other issues, said he spent his entire working life building up a nest egg and wouldn’t have time to wait for his portfolio to recover, according to Ludwick. The client fears it won’t be safe to re-enter the stock market for another year.

“We have a number of clients who are taking capital gains this year, expecting that if they wait until next year, they will have to pay higher taxes on those same gains,” said Daniel McHugh, president of Lombard Securities in Baltimore. Some of those clients are realizing six-figure gains but are still willing to take the tax hit now, he said.

Of course, the downside is that the stock market could take off, and these investors will miss out on even higher gains, McHugh said. But, he added: “Given the state the economy is in, that’s a very small risk.”





Read More..

Stand Your Ground motion denied in Janepsy Carballo case




















It will be up to a jury to decide if Janepsy Carballo was justified in the killing of the man she said killed her husband.

The Stand Your Ground motion filed by her defense was denied on Friday, based largely on Carballo’s inadvertent confession to a confidential informant who was wearing a police wire to investigate an unrelated drug charge at the pain management clinic where she worked.

Miami circuit court judge Beth Bloom said the tape of that conversation and the circumstances of the shooting “belied the claims” of forced entry and self-defense.





In 2008, Carballo shot Ilan Nissim six times in the back and arm one month after her husband and toddler son were shot in front of her house. Her son survived; her husband did not. Nissim was a suspect in the murder.

The controversial 2005 Stand Your Ground law eliminated a citizen’s duty to retreat when using lethal force to meet a threat of harm. The law also allowed judges greater leeway to dismiss a charge based on a self-defense claim.

The law came under scrutiny earlier this year when police initially declined to charge a self-proclaimed neighborhood watchman in the killing of Trayvon Martin in Sanford.

Carballo will go to trial in April facing murder charges.

This article will be updated as more information becomes available.





Read More..

Investors shed shares of Blackberry maker






NEW YORK (AP) — Shares of Blackberry maker Research in Motion slumped more than 16 percent Friday with future revenue coming into question and a declining number of subscribers.


RIM’s stock jumped initially Thursday when the Canadian company released better-than-expected third-quarter results and a stronger cash position.






Shares reversed course during a conference call later, when executives said that the company won’t generate as much revenue from telecommunications carriers once it releases the new BlackBerry 10.


RIM’s stock had been on a three-month rally in which the stock more than doubled from levels not previously seen since 2003.


“Despite a solid quarter, the stock is trading down due to the introduction of a lower enterprise service tier and fears that RIM will not receive monthly services revenues for consumer BB10 subscribers,” said Jefferies analyst Peter Misek. He thinks RIM has offered carriers a lower-priced option in exchange for a bigger purchase commitment for the new device. He kept his “Hold” rating.


Sterne Agee analyst Shaw Wu kept maintained a “Neutral” rating on the stock, but lowered his earnings estimates, saying he continued to be concerned about RIM’s ability to compete with Apple and Google.


Shares of Research in Motion Ltd. fell $ 2.29 to $ 11.83 in morning trading.


Wireless News Headlines – Yahoo! News





Title Post: Investors shed shares of Blackberry maker
Rating:
100%

based on 99998 ratings.
5 user reviews.
Author: Fluser SeoLink
Thanks for visiting the blog, If any criticism and suggestions please leave a comment




Read More..

Jerry Seinfeld Makes Surprise Appearance on Late Night

Billy Crystal made an appearance on Thursday's Late Night With Jimmy Fallon for an encore performance of Who's On First?, and it included another funny man showing up on the scene!

Jerry Seinfeld surprised the audience when he came in on the Abbott & Costello sketch, finally revealing the identity of the St. Louis Wolves' first-baseman "Who" and their second-baseman "What."


RELATED VIDEO: Tom Cruise and Fallon Get In Water Fight

But wait, who is Seinfeld portraying? Check out the video to find out!

Read More..

Boehner says he's open to negotiations with President Obama on avoiding 'fiscal cliff'








WASHINGTON — House Speaker John Boehner signaled on Friday he's still open to negotiations with President Barack Obama on avoiding across-the-board tax increases set to hit taxpayers Jan. 1, but sounded pessimistic about reaching a grand deal with the president.

"How we get there, God only knows," Boehner told a Capitol Hill news conference just hours after his rank-and-file handed him a stunning tactical defeat.

The Republican leader was forced by his members to abandon legislation that would have raised taxes on millionaires. "We didn't have the votes to pass it," Boehner said glumly.





AP



Speaker of the House John Boehner, joined by House Majority Leader Eric Cantor, speaks to reporters about fiscal cliff negotiations at the Capitol in Washington today.





In the aftermath, Boehner said any deal with the president to avoid the looming "fiscal cliff" would require more compromise by Obama and greater involvement of Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., and the minority leader, Mitch McConnell, R-Ky.

"I'm interested in solving the major problems that face our country," Boehner said. "And that means House leaders, Senate leaders and the president are going to continue to have to work together to address those concerns."

House Majority Leader Eric Cantor, R-Va., who stood by Boehner's side, said, "We stand ready to continue in dialogue with this president to actually fix the problem."

Boehner dismissed suggestions that the embarrassment late Thursday night over the legislation would cost him his speakership, second in line to the presidency.

"While we may have not been able to get the votes last night to avert 99.81 percent of the tax increases, I don't think — they weren't taking that out on me," he said. "They were dealing with the perception that somebody might accuse them of raising taxes."

Obama has said he will press ahead with Congress in search of a deal.

White House spokesman Jay Carney said Obama's "main priority is to ensure that taxes don't go up on 98 percent of Americans and 97 percent of small businesses," citing statistics associated with Obama's campaign promise to increase top tax rates on households earning more than $250,000 a year.

"The president will work with Congress to get this done and we are hopeful that we will be able to find a bipartisan solution quickly that protects the middle class and our economy," Carney said. Pointedly, the statement didn't say whether Obama would work with Boehner to revive stalled talks or turn first to the Democratic-controlled Senate to try to salvage the situation.

Boehner's attempt to retreat from a longstanding promise to maintain Bush-era tax rates for all was designed to gain at least some leverage against Obama and Senate Democrats in the fiscal cliff endgame. Thursday's drama was a major personal defeat for the speaker, who retains the respect and affection of his tea party-infused conference, but sometimes has great difficulty getting them to follow his leadership.










Read More..

Miami-Dade jobless rate drops to 8.4 percent; Florida rate drops to 8.1 percent




















Florida’s unemployment rate dropped to 8.1 percent for November, down .4 percent over the previous month, bring it to November 2008 levels. It was the largest drop in month over month rates since October 1992, reported the state’s Department of Economic Opportunity.

In Miami-Dade County, the unemployment rate dropped to 8.4 percent when adjusted for seasonality; that represents a drop of .3 percent from October 2012 and 1.8 percent from November 2011.

In Broward County, the jobless rate dropped to. 7.0 percent, down .1 percent from October and down 1.8 percent from November 2011; seasonally adjusted numbers will not be released for Broward until later in the month.





Statewide, the total number of job postings increased sharply in November 2012 compared to the previous November by 29,522 (an increase of 12.4 percent), for a total of 267,310 openings (seasonally-adjusted), according to the Help Wanted OnLine data series from the Conference Board, Gov. Rick Scott’s office reported.

Broward County showed its first gain in construction jobs in 66 months. Miami-Dade continued to lose construction jobs for a 62th month.

Jane Wooldridge





Read More..

Religious leaders, students in South Florida remember Newtown tragedy with observances




















South Florida religious leaders will be remembering the 20 children and six adults killed in the mass shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Conn.

On Friday, all Archdiocese of Miami schools will have a moment of prayer at 9:32 a.m. The archdiocese’s churches also will ring their bells 26 times in observance of those killed.

On Sunday, Temple Judea in Coral Gables will offer an interfaith service that will be open to everyone. Rabbi Edwin Goldberg said the idea was to offer a chance for the community to come together after what happened in Newtown.





“The point of the service is to come together and find comfort and hope,” Goldberg said.

Here are some of the observances:

•  Interfaith service organized by South Florida Muslim community, 2:30 p.m. Friday, Darul Uloom Institute, 7050 Pines Blvd. in Pembroke Pines.

•  Spiritual bouquet for Newtown students by the students of St. Rose of Lima in Miami Shores, prayer service at 10 a.m. Friday.

•  Prayer jar by students at Good Shepherd School in Southwest Miami-Dade to be sent to Newtown students.

•  Interfaith service, 4 p.m. Sunday, at Temple Judea, 5500 Granada Blvd. in Coral Gables.

The service will start at 4 p.m. at Temple Judea, 5500 Granada Blvd. in Coral Gables.





Read More..

2012 Movie Supercut

From The Avengers to Zero Dark Thirty, 2012 was a stellar year for cinema and now Kees van Dijkhuizen Jr. has compiled the best moments from nearly every release into one absolutely breathtaking mash-up!


RELATED - ET's 12 Best Films of 2012

"Cinema is a friend, a teacher, a refuge and a safe place," Kees writes in the video description. "Here's to that dream."

And what a stunning fantasy it is.

Read More..

Booker rules out bid for NJ gov, eyes US Senate run








Newark Mayor Corey Booker ruled out a bid as New Jersey's governor but confirmed he was eyeing a run for the US Senate.

"Let there be no doubt - I will complete my full term as mayor of Newark, NJ," Booker said in a newly released video. "I will explore the possibility of running for the United States Senate in 2014."

Booker also thanked the city of Newark for accepting and embracing him.

"It's been the greatest privilege of my life to serve this city as mayor."



He tweeted today: "Thank you for your support up to this point. Read about my upcoming plans here: http://bit.ly/QnTP8 #finishingthework"

It had been speculated that Booker was going to challenge current Gov. Chris Christie, who in the wake of Hurricane Sandy, enjoyed a spike in popularity.










Read More..

Survey shows better lending climate




















Most Miami-Dade businesses believe they have easier access to borrowed money amid a slowly improving economy.

That’s one result from a recent survey of executives by Miami’s Bilzin Sumberg law firm. The online survey of about 200 top executives was conducted during the second half of 2012.

Nearly 60 percent of respondents said they thought the financing environment had improved since 2011, with venture capital funds and community banks identified as the top sources of potential capital. Fifty-two percent called the economy “growing slowly,’’ compared to 7 percent describing it as “strong and growing.” Only 16 percent described the economy as weak.





DOUGLAS HANKS





Read More..

New poll: Many Florida voters say they wouldn’t re-elect Scott as governor




















Gov. Rick Scott continues to suffer from poor approval ratings despite an improving economy and lowering unemployment, and a majority of voters say they wouldn’t vote to re-elect him, a new poll shows.

The poll found, among other things, that many voters are crediting the Obama administration with an improving economy, rather than Scott.

A Quinnipiac University poll released Wednesday showed Florida voters disapprove by 45-36 percent of the job Scott is doing, and 52 percent said he doesn’t deserve a second term, compared to just 30 percent who told pollsters Scott should be re-elected.





The poll also found that 55 percent of voters — including 53 percent of Republicans — say they’d like another Republican to challenge Scott for the GOP nomination in 2014.

Republican voters do give Scott a positive 63-19 percent job approval rating, however, and GOP voters say by a 55-26 percent margin that he deserves a second term.

“Obviously, the governor has almost two years to go until the election and anything is possible, but he faces a herculean task in changing public opinion to his favor,” said Quinnipiac pollster Peter Brown.

Scott, who has struggled with negative approval ratings since being elected in 2010, plans to seek re-election next year. The only declared candidate challenging him is Democratic former state Sen. Nan Rich. Former Republican Gov. Charlie Crist, who is now a Democrat, is considering a run, and Democrat Alex Sink, who narrowly lost to Scott in 2010, is thought to be mulling a rematch.

Crist, who was governor as a Republican from 2007 to 2011 and lost a bid as an independent in 2010 for the U.S. Senate, has a 47 percent favorable rating and 33 percent unfavorable mark among all voters, according to the Quinnipiac poll. His favorability among Democrats is 65 percent and among independents is 48 percent, but only 28 percent of Republicans have a favorable view of Crist, compared to 56 percent who have an unfavorable view.

Sink overall is viewed favorably by just 27 percent of voters and unfavorably by 14 percent, but 57 percent of respondents didn’t have an opinion.

Among four other possible Democratic challengers the poll asked about — Rich, Orlando Mayor Buddy Dyer, former Tampa Mayor Pam Iorio and South Florida businessman and former lawmaker Jack Seiler — none has a favorability score of more than 17 percent and the overwhelming number of respondents said they didn’t know enough about them to have an opinion.

The only other Republican the pollsters tested was Agriculture Commissioner Adam Putnam, thought by many to be a likely candidate for governor in the future. But 80 percent of voters don’t have an opinion currently about Putnam, a longtime former Congressman and former state legislator.

Respondents said they dislike Scott’s policies by 52 percent to 32 percent, though nearly half of voters say they’re at least somewhat satisfied with the way things are going in Florida — the highest so far during Scott’s term. The poll didn’t ask specifically what policies voters don’t like.

Scott has staked his success on creating jobs, and has been able to boast about a falling unemployment rate for several months. Florida’s jobless rate fell in October to 8.5 percent, its lowest level since December 2008, and non-farm employment has grown for more than 27 straight months. When Scott got elected, unemployment in the state was at 12 percent, so he has made good to some degree on his main promise of getting people back to work.

Pollsters found, however, that many voters are crediting the Obama administration with the improving economy. Twenty-seven percent of respondents said the president deserves “a lot” of the credit for the improving economy, to just 16 percent who think Scott deserves “a lot” of the credit. Similarly, though, those voters who believe the economy is getting worse, overwhelmingly blame Obama rather than Scott.

The poll also found a 52-30 percent approval rating for U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio, a Republican, and a 51-31 percent approval rating for U.S. Sen. Bill Nelson, a Democrat. The Legislature, generically, is seen negatively by 44 percent of respondents with just 35 percent approving of lawmakers on the whole.

The poll included 1,261 registered voters and was taken Dec. 11-17. It has a margin of error of plus or minus 2.8 percentage points.





Read More..

Facebook CEO Zuckerberg donating $500M in stock






SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg said he is donating nearly $ 500 million in stock to a Silicon Valley charity with the aim of funding health and education issues.


Zuckerberg donated 18 million Facebook shares, valued at $ 498.8 million based on their Tuesday closing price. The beneficiary is the Silicon Valley Community Foundation, a nonprofit that works with donors to allocate their gifts.






This is Zuckerberg’s largest donation to date. He pledged $ 100 million in Facebook stock to Newark, N.J., public schools in 2010, before his company went public earlier this year. Later in 2010, he joined Giving Pledge, an effort led by Microsoft Corp. founder Bill Gates and Berkshire Hathaway Inc. CEO Warren Buffett to get the country’s richest people to donate most of their wealth. His wife, Priscilla Chan, joined with him.


In a Facebook post Tuesday, Zuckerberg, 28, said he’s “proud of the work” done by the foundation that his Newark donation launched, called Startup: Education, which has helped open charter schools, high schools and others.


With the latest contribution, he added, “we will look for areas in education and health to focus on next.” He did not give further details on what plans there may be for funds.


“Mark’s generous gift will change lives and inspire others in Silicon Valley and around the globe to give back and make the world a better place,” said Emmett D. Carson, CEO of the foundation.


Social Media News Headlines – Yahoo! News





Title Post: Facebook CEO Zuckerberg donating $500M in stock
Rating:
100%

based on 99998 ratings.
5 user reviews.
Author: Fluser SeoLink
Thanks for visiting the blog, If any criticism and suggestions please leave a comment




Read More..

Killer Joe Exclusive Clip

When Matthew McConaughey first read the script for Killer Joe, he was at a loss for words. "I didn't get any of the humor," he says in ETonline's exclusive clip off the DVD's bonus features.


RELATED - McConaughey Opens Up About Shocking Weight Loss

McConaughey was so perplexed by the script, he nearly passed on the project. "It took me a couple days to shake that off," the actor says, adding that he searched out the advice of others in making the final decision. "[I talked to] some peers of mine, who I trust their reads on things, who said, 'No, it's hilarious.' And they pointed out how and why."


VIDEO - McConaughey's First ET Interview

And it looks like he made the right decision as the role not only scored McConaughey an Independent Spirit Award nomination for Outstanding Lead Actor, but also some of the best reviews of his career!

Although, it turns out, McConaughey wasn't exactly what the writer was looking for ... check out ETonline's exclusive clip off the Killer Joe DVD, in stores December 21, to find out how the actor ended up snagging the role. Then click here to pre-order!

Read More..

Cop in critical condition after elephant trunk attack








A cop is in critical condition after he was beaten in Hamilton Heights this morning with a broken piece of statue shaped as an elephant trunk, witnesses said.

The injured officer was trying to break up a domestic brawl between a crazed man and his grandmother inside a building on St. Nicholas Avenue and West 145th Street at 8:10 a.m., police said.

A bystander flagged down officers outside and led them to suspect Dominick Anderson, his family said.

“My son has psychiatric problems, he thinks my mother is doing the voodoo on him,” said Mary Anderson, mom of the suspect.





David McGlynn



Mary Anderson, the mother of Dominick Anderson who allegedly beat a police officer with an elephant trunk this morning in Hamilton Heights.





Mary Anderson couldn't believe what she had just seen: “Oh my God, oh my God.”

The officers went inside and tried to pry the suspect off 62-year-old Beverly Holmes, police and family said.

Dominick Anderson was swinging a broken off piece of an elephant statue -- the trunk -- and struck the officer in the head, cops and family said.

"He needs help, he's not a murderer,” Mary Anderson said. "I went to the hospital, my mother is in critical condition, they are trying to charge him with attempted murder."

The grandmother was taken to Harlem Hospital, also in critical condition, police said. She suffered a stab wound to the head, according to the FDNY.

The wounded officer was rushed to St. Luke’s Hospital in critical but stable condition, cops said.

"It's a family tragedy,” the heartbroken mom said. "He's a good boy."

Five other officers suffered minor injuries and were taken to area hospitals for treatment.

The suspect is in stable condition at Harlem Hospital, where he’ll undergo a psychiatric evaluation, officials said.

He’s in police custody but has not been formally charged yet, authorities said.










Read More..

Stone-crab season suffers in the Keys




















Despite rocketing prices for stone-crab claws, many Florida Keys commercial fishermen have nearly given up on the season only 2 months old.

"We may see record prices but also record pain," said Gary Graves, general manager of Keys Fisheries in Marathon. "Prices don't mean anything if you can't catch anything."

Harvests since shortly after the season opening Oct. 15 have been "as bad as I can remember during my 45 years in the business," Graves said. "It's just bleak."





Keys Fisheries, one of the state's leading wholesalers for stone crabs, has laid off half of its production staff, maybe 20 people, Graves said.

"We hate to do it to our people but we're probably not finished," he said. "Right now, a big day for us is 1,000 pounds [of claws]. It should be around 15,000 pounds. We're doing nothing."

Keys Fisheries has raised its dockside prices paid to fishermen several times to encourage fishermen to keep their traps in the water.

Graves said it costs a fisherman about $1,200 in fuel, labor and other expenses to make a day's trip. The fish house's current prices are $9 per pound for medium-size claws and $17 per pound for the coveted jumbos.

"Our wholesale sales prices are higher than that and retail is through the roof," Graves said. "But we can't fill the orders we have."

A Marathon community group recently canceled the organization's annual stone crab feast for members because no claws were to be found.

The season runs until May 15.

Last season, Monroe County produced about 1.1 million pounds of legal-size claws, accounting for a large portion of Florida's total 2.67 million-pound harvest worth an estimated $23.6 million to the commercial fleet.

About 1,000 people statewide are licensed to fish traps for stone crabs. Only the claws are kept. Historically, stone-crab harvests have topped three million pounds of claws.

"The last two years were good and the recruitment looked normal," Graves said. "The first round of trap pulling was fine but it went downhill from there — like falling off a cliff."

Fishermen and researchers are baffled.

"Blame it on global warming, blame it on BP [Deepwater Horizon oil spill], blame it on Mother Nature," Graves said. "Everybody's got an idea but nobody can say why. It's probably a combination of a bunch of things."

News reports from stone-crab fleets farther up the Florida Gulf Coast suggest an octopus population explosion. Crabs are a favorite food of octopus, which are smart enough to get into traps.

"We've seen more octopus in the 6- to 8-pound range, which is abnormal," Graves said. State experts have suggested warm winters may have triggered the octopus boom.

"Things could turn around," Graves said, "but realistically the chances of it happening this season are slim."





Read More..

Grinch stops traffic in Keys with a police radar gun




















The Grinch was out in full force in the Keys, but he wasn't stealing Christmas.

Instead, he was checking traffic speeds through the school zone at Stanley Switlik Elementary School around mile marker 49 in Marathon. Speeders going no more than 5 mph over the 20 mph limit got the option of a ticket or an onion. Obviously, most opt for the onion.

Chief Lou Caputo, third in line at the Monroe County Sheriff's Office, played the role of the Grinch, handing out about 10 onions.





He has been donning the outfit — while operating a radar gun — this time of year since 2000.





Read More..

Kristen Stewart I Apologize To Everyone For Making Them So Angry

Getting noticed in Hollywood is the toughest task facing every fledgling actor and every A-lister will tell you countless stories about the times they almost quit the business. Kristen Stewart did just that during a new interview with Newsweek, recounting the make or break audition that ultimately put her on the path to stardom.


RELATED - Kristen Auctions Gown Off For Charity

After being discovered during a school play, Stewart and her mother (Jules Mann-Stewart) drove from audition to audition with no luck. "I decided a year after not getting any commercials, 'F*ck it. I won't make my mom drive around Los Angeles anymore,'" Stewart says.

"I also got so nervous for every single audition. I was just dying. I had one appointment left and my mom said, 'Have a little integrity and go to your last one.' And it was The Safety of Objects. If I hadn't gotten that, I would have been done."


PHOTOS - Kristen & Rob's Style Showdown

One wonders if Stewart wished her cinematic journey ended all those years ago, as her high profile status led to one of the most memorable celebrity scandals of 2012. "It's not a terrible thing if you're either loved or hated," she says now, 5-months removed from the situation. "But honestly, I don't care 'cause it doesn't keep me from doing my sh*t. And I apologize to everyone for making them so angry. It was not my intention."

In the end, Stewart says she learned a lot from that experience -- particularly not to let the public dictate decisions made in her personal life. "It's a little annoying having to be so compartmentalized," she says. "I go from box to box to box. But I'm going out a lot more now. I was starting to get closed off and self-conscious, and I'm trudging forth into the world more often."


RELATED - Anatomy of K. Stew's Style

With Bella Swan and all those heartbreak headlines behind her, Stewart is endlessly excited about what the future holds. "The only relief when it comes to Twilight is that the story is done. I start every project to finish the motherfu*ker, and to extend that [mentality] over a five-year period adapting all of these treasured moments over four books, it was constantly worrying. But as long as people's perspective of me doesn't keep me from doing what I want to do, it doesn't matter."

For more from Kristen Stewart's Newsweek interview, click here!

Read More..

Court rejects hearing for final appeal for rape-trial cop








He's out of appeals -- but he's still trying to stay out of Rikers.

The highest court in the state has declined to hear the appeal of Kenneth Moreno, the disgraced East Village ex-cop tried in last year's notorious "Rape Cops" trial -- meaning both he and his former partner are now due to turn themselves in and head to Rikers on their official misconduct sentences on Thursday, Dec. 20.

But Moreno is planning a last-ditch stay-out-of-jail effort, his appeals lawyer tells the Post.

"I am presently preparing a habeas corpus writ that's going to federal court," the lawyer, Stephen Preziosi, said this morning. "I will be asking a federal judge for a stay of the sentence -- So it's not over."





Steven Hirsch



KENNETH MORENO





The writ will argue that constitutional violations during the "Rape Cops" trial -- including Moreno's longstanding accusations that the lead prosecutor improperly instructed the jury on the law -- warrant the overturning of his conviction, the lawyer said.

"That's a violation of his due process," the lawyer said. "The other thing is the insufficiency of the evidence for a conviction on official misconduct," he said.

Both Moreno and his ex-partner, Franklin Mata, had been acquitted in May, 2011 of raping a drunken young fashion executive who they'd been dispatched to help into her East 13th Street apartment.

But both were convicted of three counts each of official misconduct -- one for each time the pair were caught on surveillance video using the woman's keys to re-enter her apartment.

Mata, who prosecutors said played a more minor role of lookout, has been sentenced to serve 60 days jail, meaning 40 days with good behavior. He has exhausted his appeals and will be turning himself in, said his lawyer, Edward Mandery.

Moreno, a married father of two who prosecutors accused as the actual rapist, has been sentenced to serve one year, meaning closer to eight months with good behavior.

"Look, regardless of the outcome of the appeal we're grateful that justice was for the most part done in this case," said Moreno's trial lawyer, Joseph Tacopino.

"Ken would have been serving upward of 25 years if he had been convicted of the top charges, so we're grateful that this jury -- and they were truly remarkable -- saw through all the rhetoric."

Moreno had challenged his conviction on every level possible, starting with the trial judge, Manhattan Supreme Court Justice Gregory Carro, and then hitting the state Appellate Division.

Both Carro and a panel of appellate judges rejected his arguments that the evidence of misconduct was legally insufficient and that prosecutors misstated the law in summations.

In asking the Court of Appeals to reconsider the same arguments, Moreno had added an extra issue -- complaining in papers this month that a one year sentence was too much, given that Mata had only got 60 days for the same charge.

"Absurd," prosecutors argued in opposing papers. Moreno was clearly the leader in the misconduct, motivated by his "romantic" interests in the woman, they argued. The latest decision rejecting Moreno's application for permission to appeal was issued by Court of Appeals Judge Victoria Graffeo.

Moreno's latest bid for freedom will be filed either tomorrow or Thursday morning -- right on his deadline for surrender, Preziosi said. Asked if Moreno understood the very strong possibility that he'll have to surrender on Thursday regardless, the lawyer added, "We understand that is a possibility."

Mata, meanwhile, is resigned to beginning his jail stint, his lawyer said.

"My client was accused of some very serious crimes, and he was acquitted by a highly competent jury who heard all the evidence," Mandery said. "This last step will bring some closure to the case and allow Frank to move on with his life."










Read More..

Pipeline Brickell, a new co-working space, reaches 70% occupancy




















Pipeline Brickell, the shared workspace at 1101 Brickell Avenue that opened last month, announced it has reached 70 percent occupancy and is now home to dozens of startups, established companies and professionals. Company founders Todd Oretsky and Philippe Houdard said members of the 14,000-square-foot high-design co-working center include The Founder’s Institute, the world's largest startup accelerator; Pininfarina, an Italian-based design firm with clients including Ferrari and Maserati; Virgin Unite, a non-profit foundation founded by Richard Branson for the venture capital conglomerate Virgin Group; LearnerNation, a provider of interactive learning tools; and GuestBooker, a New York-based firm that specializes in booking high-profile talent on national TV networks. Pipeline Brickell, one of a wave of co-working spaces already opened or planned for Miami, also offers its members classes, workshops and networking events and has been hosting programs for community organizations.








Read More..

Rilya Wilson legal guardian testifying in murder trial




















The lover of the woman charged in the murder of foster child Rilya Wilson is on the stand Monday morning.

Pamela Graham, who was also the child’s legal guardian, is so far the most high-profile witness to appear in the 4-week-old murder trial of Geralyn Graham. The two are not related.

Geralyn Graham, 66, is on trial for the death of the 5-year-old foster child whose disappearance a decade ago roiled the state’s child welfare agency and led to a series of reforms. Rilya’s body has never been found.





Charged with first-degree murder, kidnapping and aggravated child abuse, Geralyn Graham faces life in prison if convicted.

Born to a drug-addicted woman, Rilya was under the supervision of the Florida Department of Children and Families nearly her entire life. In 2000, the agency placed her in the home of Pamela and Geralyn Graham, who were already caring for Rilya’s little sister.

Because a case worker failed to properly supervise the child for more than a year, DCF did not realize Rilya was missing until April 2002. Geralyn Graham has long insisted that a DCF employee, in January 2001, whisked Rilya away for mental health treatment, never to return.

Graham was not indicted for murder until 2005 after she allegedly confessed to a cellmate that she smothered the girl and dumped her body in a South Miami-Dade waterway. The cellmate, Robin Lunceford, may testify this week.

With no body, eyewitnesses to the slaying or confession, Miami-Dade prosecutors have spent weeks weaving a circumstantial case portraying Geralyn Graham as a lying, manipulative caregiver who gave multiple stories of how Rilya disappeared and appeared unconcerned that DCF supposedly took the child and never returned her.

Defense lawyers have laid blame on the DCF case worker who failed to properly supervise the child, and pointed to a lack of forensic evidence and questioned whether the child is even dead.

Pamela Graham, 48, agreed to cooperate with prosecutors, pleading guilty to child neglect and child abuse with no harm.

Prosecutors say that Pamela Graham, who was the legal custodian of the child, was cowered into lying by her dominating lover.

In her sworn statement, Pamela Graham told police that Geralyn never revealed to her what happened to the child, but forced her to lie to authorities.

“We were up like all night and I just kept asking her, and I was crying because I didn’t know what to do,” she said in a statement, adding: “I kept telling her that I was responsible for this child, and, you know . . . that eventually someone was probably going to come out [to check on Rilya], and then what? That’s when she told me, you know, just tell them someone from DCF came.”





Read More..

Clearwire accepts slightly sweeter bid from Sprint






(Reuters) – Clearwire Corp agreed to sell roughly half of the company for $ 2.2 billion to majority shareholder Sprint Nextel Corp, which would then have full ownership of spectrum that will help it offer high-speed wireless services.


The $ 2.97-per-share deal is only 7 cents per share higher than a bid many minority shareholders said was too low days before. Clearwire shares tumbled 12.2 percent to $ 2.96 in morning trading on Monday.






Sprint already owns slightly more than half of Clearwire. The company said owners of 13 percent of Clearwire shares – Comcast Corp, Intel Corp and Bright House Networks LLC – had agreed to vote for the deal.


But it was not immediately clear whether Sprint, the No. 3 U.S. wireless carrier, could win the backing of a majority of Clearwire’s minority shareholders, which it needs to take control.


“This is not going to be popular with the minority shareholders,” said Davidson & Co analyst Donna Jaegers.


But Clearwire’s top executive told analysts on a Monday call that the company had little alternative.


“Despite our efforts we have been unable to secure new partnerships,” said Clearwire Chief Executive Officer Erik Prusch. “Our existing governance agreements prevented us from offering third parties the governance rights they desired in a partnership.”


Shareholders with more than 13 percent of Clearwire shares said last week that they were not happy with the $ 2.90-per-share offer, and some have said Sprint should offer as much as $ 5 per share.


Crest Financial, which owns more than 3 percent of Clearwire, recently filed a lawsuit to stop the company from selling itself to Sprint.


After the deal was announced on Monday, Crest said it had amended the lawsuit to make it a class action.


Another shareholder, Mount Kellett, said last week that the $ 2.90-a-share deal “grossly” undervalued Clearwire.


Clearwire, which also counts Sprint as its biggest customer, has been seeking financing for a high-speed wireless network upgrade and to keep itself afloat.


While some analysts and shareholders said Clearwire did not need to rush into a sale to Sprint, others have said that move would be its best hope for survival.


Sprint, whose shares rose 1 percent to $ 5.61 on Monday, needs Clearwire’s substantial spectrum to better arm itself against larger rivals Verizon Wireless and AT&T Inc.


Reuters reported last week that Japan’s Softbank Corp, which recently struck a deal to buy 70 percent of Sprint, would not consent to a bid of more than $ 2.97 per share.


Softbank said on Monday that it supported the deal.


(Reporting by Sinead Carew in New York and Sayantani Ghosh in Bangalore; Editing by Rodney Joyce, Sriraj Kalluvila and Lisa Von Ahn)


Tech News Headlines – Yahoo! News





Title Post: Clearwire accepts slightly sweeter bid from Sprint
Rating:
100%

based on 99998 ratings.
5 user reviews.
Author: Fluser SeoLink
Thanks for visiting the blog, If any criticism and suggestions please leave a comment




Read More..

Homeland Finale Interview Alex Gansa Howard Gordon

Last night's season two finale of Homeland was not only hugely important for the characters, but the show itself since the last string of episodes drew a significant amount of criticism from fans and critics alike. Could one episode re-write all those wrongs?

The answer is yes. And no.

While there were massive strides in the right direction (including the literal and figurative bomb that functioned as a min-reset button for many of the surviving characters), this morning has found countless critics citing Carrie's episode ending decision as one more mistake in a string of bad choices. Personally, I love that season three will be simultaneously about Carrie's public hunt for fugitive Brody and private hunt for the person who seemingly framed him.

To find out what else season three could look like, and look back on the impact of season two, Homeland executive producers Alex Gansa and Howard Gordon were joined by exiting star David Harewood (R.I.P. David Estes) on a conference call with reporters to talk about the past, present and future of the Emmy-winning series.


Question: What was the thrust of the final season?


Alex Gansa: It was just getting to the moment where Nazir and Walden were dead, and there was this deluded possibility that Carrie and Brody could have a happy ending. Last season ended with Carrie as the only one who believed Brody was guilty and this season ends with Carrie being the only one believes Brody is innocent. That was the rough architecture for the year.


RELATED - Homeland Scores 4 Golden Globe Nominations


Question: Who moved Brody's car in front of the memorial service?


Gansa: We do have our ever-present mole who could have been responsible for moving the car in front of the auditorium. The investigators are going to believe that Brody was in that car when it exploded [and] he might be considered the one who moved it. If Brody was in his car when that bomb exploded, there's a good chance there would be nothing left of him. He would be incinerated to ash. Those are the possibilities running around in our heads.


Question: Should we believe that Brody is innocent?


Gansa: A lot of people have told me they still have a glimmer of doubt about Brody. If you watch his behavior throughout the finale, it's a little uncertain. Don't forget he was willing to blow himself up in the first season – this very well may have been a suicide play. It's up to you to interpret. We deliberately left the door open a little bit for that possibility. The ambivalence about Brody has been present since the pilot. His motivations and his allegiance have been called into question over and over again. I don't think you can end that definitely. I'm sure Carrie will have a moment or two of doubt next season if he was convincing in his arguments.


RELATED - Homeland Rocks The SAG Awards


Question: What can you tease about season three?


Gansa: Carrie has promised Brody she is going to clear his name. Brody does have a head start of a few days. He is privy to Carrie's best contacts. Brody has the benefit of that network. There is [also] the aftermath of what we consider the next 9/11, how the country responds to that and how the intelligence agency is going to pick itself off the ground and start functioning again. They're all open questions for us right now. I think Howard [Gordon] and me and the writing staff had a much clearer picture of what the first two seasons would be than we do about the third season. [Brody's] involvement and his family's involvement is very much up in the air with what happened in the finale.


VIDEO - What Happened Between Homeland Season 1 and 2?


Question: Can you ever envision a time when Homeland won't be about Carrie and/or Brody?


Gansa: I think that it's an open question, but inevitably that's going to happen. If you look at these two seasons, we've told a significant part of [the Carrie & Brody] story. If there's a chapter 3, it's going to have to be a reinvention of some kind. Carrie and Saul trying to keep the world safe.


Question: One of the biggest criticisms of the season involved Brody's involvement with Walden's death, and the lack of surveillance and follow-up from the C.I.A. -- can you explain why his phonecalls were no longer being monitored?


Gansa: Brody had delivered to the CIA all the info he knew about Nazir and the impending attack. Indeed all his information is correct; all the network except for Nazir was all rolled up. The assumption of the CIA was that his role was done. There was nothing more he knew. They had mistakenly stopped monitoring his movements and his phones.


Question: And why wasn't Brody questioned about Walden's death?


Gansa: There were no marks on Walden's body – this is a man who was known to have a bad heart. He died of the heart attack. Brody was in the room [and] got to play a death scene with him but was completely innocent in the eyes of the world. Indeed [he] ran to call for help and the paramedics saw that he had a heart attack. If there had been any trace of foul play ... but there wasn't, [so] there was no need for an interrogation or a debrief.


Question: Dana Brody's hit-and-run storyline was also the subject of some fan ire. What were you going for with that?


Howard Gordon: There was a deeper plan for it that morphed halfway through the season. Really it was about Dana’s degradation. It was about the emotional separation between Brody and Dana, which was such a strong part of last season. We always knew we wanted to erode that this year. It was as much about a loss of innocence for this character we think is extraordinary.

Gansa: It was meant to not only deliver to Dana, this lesson in how the world works, but it was also meant to characterize Walden as a villain in the piece. This was a man who was willing to subvert the law and not see justice come to pass and give a real sense of what he might be like as a president.


Homeland
season one is now available on DVD and season two can be seen on Showtime on Demand.

Read More..

Mom had final say over gunman's upbringing after divorce








STAMFORD, Conn. — When the parents of Connecticut school shooter Adam Lanza divorced, the settlement left his mother with a comfortable income and the comfort of knowing that the boy in her care would have his education paid for and his medical insurance covered.

If there was bitterness and anger between Nancy and Peter Lanza, it is not described in court papers. And there was no mention of any lingering mental health or medical issues for the then-teenage boy, nothing that could even hint at the horror he would unleash three years later.

Adam Lanza shot his mother in the head with a rifle Friday, then headed to Sandy Hook Elementary School armed with her high-power rifle, two handguns and enough ammunition to kill nearly every child in the building, authorities said. He killed 20 students and six adults before police arrived and he shot himself.




The Lanzas married in June 1981 in Kingston, NH. But the documents show Adam lived his whole life at the home in Newtown where his mother was found dead in her pajamas, on her bed.

Nancy Lanza filed for divorce in 2009 and the documents suggest little argument. The couple agreed to split up their jewelry, clothes and family photos. Adam would live with his mother, the couple agreed, and they agreed to talk about the important decisions.

If it turned out they couldn't agree on something related to Adam's upbringing, Nancy Lanza "shall make the final decision," according to the Sept. 24, 2009, settlement approved by Judge Stanley Novak.

There is nothing in the file that discusses the relationship's underlying problems. The file simply says the marriage "has broken down irretrievably and there is no possibility of getting back together."

Nancy Lanza, received $289,800 in alimony this year. It was to continue until December 2023, with slight increases each year for cost of living.

As part of the divorce, Nancy Lanza was ordered to attend a parenting education program. The provider, Family Centers Inc., certified that she completed the program on June 3 and June 10, 2009. The document says only that Lanza "satisfactorily completed the program."

Authorities pored over computer, cellphone and credit card records trying to piece together the Lanza family's days leading up to the shooting. Peter Lanza, in a statement this weekend, said that like everyone else, he could not comprehend what had unfolded.

"We too are asking why," he said. "We have cooperated fully with law enforcement and will continue to do so. Like so many of you, we are saddened, but struggling to make sense of what has transpired."










Read More..

Ryder CEO Greg Swienton retiring, COO getting promoted




















Trucking giant Ryder will get a new CEO in two weeks, as the Miami-Dade company announces the retirement of Gregory Swienton and the promotion of current COO Robert Sanchez to the top job.

Ryder, which leases commercial trucks and manages supply operations for companies around the world, saw revenues and profits increase this year, but has also been cutting costs and selling part of its fleet to combat slowing sales. Swienton, 63, joined Ryder as president in 1999 and was promoted to CEO a year later. Sanchez, 47, will become the company’s fifth CEO since its founding in 1933 by a Miami Beach construction worker named Jim Ryder.

Sanchez becomes CEO on January 1, and Swienton will retain the title of chairman of the board until Ryder’s annual meeting in May, when that title will pass to Sanchez, too, the company said in a press release issued Monday morning.





A 19-year veteran at Ryder, Sanchez has served as head of the company’s largest division, global fleet management solutions, and as chief financial officer.

E. Follin Smith, an independent director on the board, said in a statement in the company press release: “We sincerely thank Greg Swienton for leading Ryder to an improved sustainable business model, significantly enhanced financial performance, and an organization-wide commitment to business integrity.”

Ryder stock dropped 1.5 percent Monday, to $48.81 a share.





Read More..

7-year-old in critical condition after accident




















Police were investigating an accident involving a 7-year-old who was struck by a vehicle in a Lauderhill neighborhood late Saturday, Lauderhill Police spokesman Rick Rocco said.

The vehicle and its driver, who has not yet been identified, remained on scene after the incident near the intersection of Northwest 27th Court and 56th Avenue.

The child was transported to Broward Health Medical Center in critical condition immediately after the incident, police said.





Details of the accident were not immediately available.

This post will be updated as we receive more information.





Read More..

8 Christmas Light Shows That Will Rock Your Stockings Off






1. A Christmas Rock Medley



This mind-blowing video comes from South Dakota. Its creator uses the show’s publicity to help raise money for the Make-a-Wish Foundation.






Click here to view this gallery.


[More from Mashable: 63 Digital Media Resources You May Have Missed]


The winter celebration of the evergreen tree is not a modern tradition — it extends back to pre-Christian times and to cultures all over the world.


Maybe your holiday tradition involves stringing thousands of lights across your property for a majestic arrangement. Or perhaps your family just tours the neighborhood to see everyone else’s exhibits. Either way, YouTube is here to provide some sensational seasonal light shows for your viewing and listening pleasure, from festive homes all across the country.


[More from Mashable: 10 Adorable Dog Outfits for the Holidays]


Enjoy these creative displays, and maybe draw a little inspiration for next year’s decorations. If you’re worried about complexity, learn to do it yourself.


Have you seen an unforgettable holiday display we forgot to include? In the spirit of giving, let us know about it in the comments section below.


This story originally published on Mashable here.


Tech News Headlines – Yahoo! News


Read More..

Riveting Details Emerge from CT School Rampage

As morning turned to afternoon on Friday, further details continued to emerge from Newtown, CT, a tight-knit community shaken by a massacre at Sandy Hook Elementary School that took the lives of innocent students and teachers, in addition to the gunman, reportedly identified as Adam Lanza.

RELATED: President Fights Tears as He Addresses Nation

As President Barack Obama touched on in his tear-jerking press conference, this is not the first time the nation has witnessed a tragedy of this kind. The recent mass shooting at an Aurora, CO movie theater is just one instance of such violence. Columbine High School and Virginia Tech also resonate as prime examples.

Hollywood's biggest stars were quick to react to the news on Twitter and made an outcry for stricter gun control regulations.

Watch the video for ET's complete coverage of today's biggest headline.

RELATED: Celebs Tweet Reactions to CT School Shooting

Read More..

Conn. gunman killed self when he heard first responders coming; senators reveal new gun-control proposals








NEWTOWN, Conn. — Connecticut's governor says the elementary school gunman committed suicide when he heard first responders coming.

Speaking on ABC's "This Week," Gov. Dannel Malloy said Adam Lanza shot himself as police entered Sandy Hook Elementary School.

Malloy's comments raise the possibility that Lanza had planned an even larger, more gruesome massacre.

Malloy also reiterated that Lanza shot his way into the locked school.

"He used a weapon to open up the glass and then walked in," he said. "He discharged to make an opening and then went through it, went to the first classroom, as you know, went to the second classroom."





Splash News



Adam Lanza in a 2008 school yearbook from Newtown High School





"We surmise that it was during the second classroom episode that he heard responders coming and apparently at that, decided to take his own life," Malloy said.

Malloy offered no possible motive for the shooting and a law enforcement official has said police have found no letters or diaries left behind that could shed light on it.

Meanwhile, two senators are calling for a national commission to examine mass shootings in the United States, while a colleague says she's pushing to ban the sale of military-style assault weapons.

PHOTOS: SANDY HOOK ELEMENTARY SCHOOL SHOOTING

REMEMBERING KIDS KILLED IN NEWTOWN MASSACRE

MORE ABOUT EMILIE PARKER, 6, KILLED IN SANDY HOOK SHOOTING

HEROIC TEACHERS MADE THE ULTIMATE SACRIFICE FOR KIDS

The proposals are among the first to come from Congress in the wake of Friday's school shooting in Newtown, Conn. One of the most deadly school shootings in US history left 20 kids, all six or seven years old, and eight adults dead, including Adam Lanza and his mother, Nancy.

Sen. Joe Lieberman, a Connecticut independent, tells "Fox News Sunday" that a national commission could be used to scrutinize the nation's gun laws, mental health system and the role that violent video games and movies might play in shootings.

Also on Fox, Sen. Dick Durbin, D-Ill., agreed and said it's the nation reflected in a "thoughtful way."

Democratic Sen. Dianne Feinstein of California tells NBC's "Meet the Press" that she'll revive her plan to ban new assault weapons.

President Obama will visit Newtown tonight to meet with families of the victims and speak at a vigil.

SANDY HOOK ELEMENTARY SCHOOL NURSE'S BRUSH WITH DEATH

OBAMA, GOP PRESSURED TO ACT ON GUN CONTROL

COLUMN: OUR CULTURE OF KILLING

WATCH: 'SNL' PAYS TRIBUTE TO CONN. SHOOTING VICTIMS

Yesterday, it was revealed that Adam's mother took her shy son to shooting ranges.

“She’d take them to the range a lot . . . Nancy was an enthusiast — so much so that she wanted to pass it on to her kids,” said her former landscaper and occasional drinking buddy Dan Holmes.










Read More..

Miami in spotlight at AVCC, other entrepreneurship events




















Entrepreneurs from around the world took the stage during this packed week of entrepreneurship events in Miami: Florida International University’s Americas Venture Capital Conference (known as AVCC), HackDay, Wayra’s Global DemoDay and Endeavor’s International Selection Panel.

The events, all part of the first Innovate MIA week, also put the spotlight on Miami as it continues to try to develop into a technology hub for the Americas.

“While I like art, I absolutely love what is happening today... The time has come to become a tech hub in Miami,” said Miami-Dade Mayor Carlos A. Gimenez, who kicked off the venture capital conference on Thursday. He told the audience of 450 investors and entrepreneurs about the county’s $1 million investment in the Launch Pad Tech Accelerator in downtown Miami.





“I have no doubt that this gathering today will produce new ideas and new business ventures that will put our community on a fast track to becoming a center for innovative, tech-driven entrepreneurship,” Gimenez said.

Brad Feld, an early-stage investor and a founder of TechStars, cautioned that won’t happen overnight. Building a startup community can take five, 10, even 15 years, and those leading the effort, who should be entrepreneurs themselves, need to take the long-term view, he told the audience via video. “You can create very powerful entrepreneurial ecosystems in any city... I’ve spent some time in Miami, I think you are off to a great start.”

Throughout the two-day AVCC at the JW Brickell Marriott, as well as the Endeavor and Wayra events, entrepreneurs from around the world pitched their companies, hoping to persuade investors to part with some of their green.

And in some cases, the entrepreneurs could win money, too. During the venture capital conference, 29 companies —including eight from South Florida such as itMD, which connects doctors, patients and imaging facilities to facilitate easy access of records — competed for more than $50,000 in cash and prizes through short “elevator’’ pitches. Each took questions from the judges, then demoed their products or services in the conference “Hot Zone,” a room adjoining the ballroom. Some companies like oLyfe, a platform to organize what people share online, are hoping to raise funds for expansion into Latin America. Others like Ideame, a trilingual crowdfunding platform, were laser focused on pan-Latin American opportunities.

Winning the grand prize of $15,000 in cash and art was Trapezoid Digital Security of Miami, which provides hardware-based security solutions for enterprise and cloud environments. Fotopigeon of Tampa, a photo-sharing and printing service targeting the military and prison niches, scored two prizes.

The conference offered opportunities to hear formal presentations on current trends — among them the surge of start-ups in Brazil; the importance of mobile apps and overheated company valuations — and informal opportunities to connect with fellow entrepreneurs.

Speakers included Gaston Legorburu of SapientNitro, Albert Santalo of CareCloud and Juan Diego Calle of .Co Internet, all South Florida entrepreneurs. Jerry Haar, executive director of FIU’s Pino Global Entrepreneurship Center, which produced the conference with a host of sponsors, said the organizers worked hard to make the conference relevant to both the local and Latin American audience, with panels on funding and recruiting for startups, for instance.





Read More..