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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Suicide bombers attack mobile phone firms in Nigeria

KANO, Nigeria (Reuters) – Two suicide car bombers attacked the offices of mobile phone operators India’s Airtel and South Africa’s MTN on Saturday in Nigeria’s northern city of Kano, killing themselves but no civilians, police said.Islamist sect Boko Haram has previously targeted phone firms, blowing up telephone masts and offices, saying the companies help the security forces catch its members.“The...

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NYPD report analyzes Newtown massacre, other active shooter incidents

Building security checks, evacuation drills and access systems could diminish the risk of an active shooter attack such as last week's Newtown, Conn. school massacre, according to an NYPD report."Active Shooter: Recommendations and Analysis for Risk Mitigation" was updated to include the Dec. 14 school rampage, in which shooter Adam Lanza killed 20 children...

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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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Weather alert: South Florida to feel ‘freezing’

Get ready to say, “Brr.”South Florida temperatures will dip into the 40s Friday night, but the wind chill will leave Miami-Dade and Broward feeling more like the 30s.Although a freeze watch is in effect late Friday through Saturday morning, the cold front will be mostly dry. There is a 30 percent chance of isolated thunderstorms Friday morning, but no chance of rain late...

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Facebook tests $1 fee for messages to non-friends

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Facebook says it is testing a service that will charge users $ 1 to guarantee that messages they send to people they are not connected to arrive in users’ inboxes, rather than in an often-ignored folder called “other.”Launched in 2011, the “other” folder is where Facebook routes messages it deems less relevant. Not quite spam, these include messages from people you most likely...

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Jennifer Lawrence Fashion Time Warp

"It" girl Jennifer Lawrence is getting a lot of attention this year, and with good reason! The recent Golden Globe nominee has proven herself worthy of the big-screen hype thanks to the box office success of The Hunger Games and Silver Linings Playbook. On top of that, the beauteous bombshell has become a fashion-forward phenomenon.Related: Five Things You Don't Know About Jennifer LawrenceJoin...

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Storm brings heavy rain and wind to NYC, flight delays to La Guardia and JFK

Dan GoodA storm system has brought rain and wind to the region, with travel delays expected across the northeast today.Better bring the umbrella.A storm system brought gusty wind and heavy rain to the northeast this morning, making for a messy New York City commute and causing travel delays across the region.A five-story scaffold fell about 1:30 a.m. in...

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Cuba lashes out against U.S. fines on foreign banks

The Cuban government Thursday denounced what it called the “unjust and illegal” multi-million dollar fines the U.S. government slapped on two foreign banks for violating Washington’s sanctions on the island. The U.S. actions show that its “ferocious persecution of financial and commercial transactions by Cuba and those with legitimate relations … has only changed but has...

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Florida schools buy emergency toilets for extended lockdowns

TRINITY -- The Seven Spring Middle School eighth-graders warily eyed the white plastic bucket.Is it for carrying cleaning supplies? Moving mulch?Then they noticed the black plastic seat on top. Their eyebrows raised, their noses crinkled, as it dawned on them that this was a portable toilet, designed for use during emergency lockdowns in classrooms without restrooms. ...

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Upstate brewery to produce 'Game of Thrones' beer

COOPERSTOWN — A new line of beers linked to the hit HBO drama "Game of Thrones" is being produced for the series by an upstate New York brewery.Brewery Ommegang in Cooperstown will bring out Iron Throne Blonde Ale in time for the premiere of the show's third season on March 31. The company says another beer will be released in the fall and others are planned...

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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...

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Weather alert: South Florida cold front to bring low-50s by Friday night

As if right on cue, a cold front is moving in as Christmas nears.Thursday night lows in South Florida will drop to the mid- to upper-60s. And then, by Friday night, say “ahh.”Friday night lows are forecast to dip to near 50, according to the National Weather Service in Miami-Dade. The cool will be accompanied by a breeze with gusts as high as 24 mph. Saturday...

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Angelina Jolie to Direct Unbroken Film

Angelina Jolie is in final negotiations to direct her second film, Unbroken, based on the story of Louis Zamperini, an Olympian-turned-World War II prisoner of war, according to Deadline. Video: Angelina Jolie Talks Kids, 'Blood and Honey' "I was so moved by Louie Zamperini's heroic story, I immediately began to fight for the opportunity to make this film," said The Oscar-winning actress in a statement....

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French judges keep Strauss-Kahn pimping charges

PARIS — French judges decided Wednesday not to drop pimping charges against former International Monetary Fund chief Dominique Strauss-Kahn, his lawyers said. They quickly vowed to appeal.The case is the last remaining legal headache involving alleged sex-related crimes for Strauss-Kahn. The 63-year-old one-time Socialist presidential hopeful resigned from...

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iOS apps you need right now

If you’ve just gotten an iPhone 5 or an iPad Mini, you’re going to want to play with it. And if you’re looking for apps to try out on your new iOS device, these old and new favorites are perfect — not to mention cheap or free. PHOTOTOASTER Rating: 4.5 stars out of 5 (Outstanding) The good: PhotoToaster is one of the best ways to add effects to your images,...

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Miami-Dade commission to take up annexation, Jackson proposals

Miami-Dade commissioners will take up a pair of proposals regulating the expansion of existing cities on Tuesday during their last meeting of the year.The board is scheduled to take final votes on two annexation measures, both sponsored by Commissioner Javier Souto. One would prohibit cities from annexing portions of communities exploring cityhood bids of their own. Another...

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YouTube Announces Top 10 Videos of 2012

YouTube has just released their top 10 videos of 2012 along with one dazzling video bound to become a viral sensation in its own right.Watch the clip to see the Rewind YouTube Style video featuring the website's biggest stars acting out a parody of Gangnam Style and Call Me Maybe. The video was shot at the new YouTube Space in Los Angeles, a place for YouTube creators to come learn, collaborate, and...

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Parents nationwide relaxing rules after Newtown horror, grateful kids are safe

There's snow on the ground in Londonderry, NH, nearly 200 miles to the north of the still-raw slaughter at a Connecticut elementary school, and dad Eric Heenan found himself in a routine fuss with his 9-year-old son over boots."It's not cool to wear snow boots to school," he said Monday, "and then I was like, you know what, God forbid the last conversation...

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American Airlines adds new agreements, flights in South America

In a nod to the importance of Latin America for its business, American Airlines on Monday announced new codeshare agreements with airlines in the region as well as new routes.American has agreed to codeshare with TAM Airlines, based in Sao Paulo, and LAN Colombia, both part of LATAM Airlines Group.The airline also said that it will add new routes in late 2013 between Miami...

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Key Largo man shot in argument over open relationship, police say

What began as a jealous argument almost turned deadly for a Key Largo man involved with a woman in an open marriage, Monroe County police say.Candice Lee, 37, allegedly shot her former lover, Shakir Muilam, 45, with a .22-caliber rifle after the two argued over her relationship with a new boyfriend, said Deputy Becky Herrin, spokeswoman with the Monroe County Sheriff's Office.Lee...

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Google could emerge unscathed from federal web search probe – WSJ

(Reuters) – Google may not face any major repercussions from the Federal Trade Commission‘s (FTC) two-year-old anti-trust investigation into its web search business, the Wall Street Journal reported, citing people familiar with the matter.The FTC might drop the investigation sometime this week based on voluntary changes Google will make to its search practices, rather than making the company sign...

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Newtown plans victims' burials as school's future debated

REUTERSA woman and a child pray over candles outside Saint Rose of Lima Roman Catholic Church a day after a shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Connecticut Saturday.NEWTOWN, Conn. — A grieving Connecticut town braced itself Monday to bury the first two of the 20 small victims of an elementary school gunman and debated when classes could...

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Five years after the recession, a slow recovery plods on

Five years ago this month, the Great Recession began. Which leads to this question: How much longer until South Florida can erase the damage?Officially, the recession ended in June 2009. According to the National Bureau of Economic Research, the national economy began contracting in December 2007 and did not grow again for 19 months. Using taxable sales figures, it’s probably...

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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...

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Facebook unveils new privacy controls

SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) – Facebook Inc began rolling out a variety of new privacy controls on Wednesday, the company’s latest effort to address user concerns about who can see their personal information on the world’s largest social network.New tools introduced on Wednesday will make it easier for Facebook’s members to quickly determine who can view the photos, comments and other information about...

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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 NationAs President Barack Obama touched on in his tear-jerking...

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Remembering the kids gunned down in the Newtown massacre

First-grader Jesse Lewis loved working on hismom’s farm. Six year old James Mattioli had chubby cheeks, wore his hair in a mohawk and liked to sport an “Angry Birds” shirt. Friends of his family described him as a “sweet angel.”Grace McDonnell, 6, had blond hair and eyes so blue that neighbors said she “was like a little doll.” They all went to Sandy Hook...

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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...

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