2 girls arrested in Florida bullying case

WINTER HAVEN, Fla. (AP) — Two Florida girls who were primarily responsible for bullying a 12-year-old girl who killed herself were arrested after one of them acknowledged the harassment online, a sheriff said Tuesday.

Police in central Florida have been investigating the death of 12-year-old Rebecca Sedwick, who climbed a tower at an abandoned concrete plant Sept. 9 and hurled herself to her death. Authorities said as many as 15 girls may have bullied Rebecca and the investigation was continuing.

Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd said the arrests of the girls, ages 14 and 12, were hastened when the older girl posted Saturday on Facebook, saying she bullied Rebecca but she didn't care.

"We decided that we can't leave her out there. Who else is she going to torment, who else is she going to harass?" Judd said.

The 14-year-old girl was accused of threatening to beat up Rebecca while they were sixth-graders at Crystal Lake Middle School, telling her "to drink bleach and die" and saying she should kill herself, the sheriff said. The older girl convinced the younger girl to bully Rebecca, and they both repeatedly intimidated her, called her names and once the younger girl even beat Rebecca up, police said.

Both girls were charged as juveniles with third-degree felony aggravated stalking. If convicted, it's not clear how much time, if any at all, the girls would spend in juvenile detention because they did not have any previous criminal history, the sheriff said.

"Time may not be the best trainer here. We've got the change this behavior of these children," Judd said.

The sheriff's office identified the two girls, but The Associated Press generally does not name juveniles charged with crimes.

Judd said the bullying began after the 14-year-old girl started dating a boy Rebecca had been seeing. The older girl didn't like that and "began to harass and ultimately torment Rebecca," Judd said.

A man who answered the phone at the 14-year-old's Lakeland home said he was her father and told The Associated Press "none of it's true."

"My daughter's a good girl and I'm 100 percent sure that whatever they're saying about my daughter is not true," he said.

At the mobile home, a barking pit bull stood guard and no one came outside despite shouts from reporters for an interview.

Neighbor George Colom said he had never interacted personally with girl but noticed her playing roughly with other children on the street.

"Kids getting beat up, kids crying," Colom said. "The kids hang loose unsupervised all the time."

A telephone message left at the 12-year-old girl's home was not immediately returned and no one answered the door to her home.

The girls were arrested Monday night and released to their parents' custody. Judd said the 14-year-old was "very cold, had no emotion at all upon her arrest."

The girls remain on home detention.

The younger girl was Rebecca's former best friend, but the sheriff said the older girl turned her and others against Rebecca, out of fear they would be bullied, too.

Before her death, Rebecca changed one of her online screen names to "That Dead Girl" and she messaged a boy in North Carolina: "I'm jumping." Detectives found some of her diaries at her home, and she talked of how depressed she was about the situation.

Last December, Rebecca was hospitalized for three days after cutting her wrists because of what she said was bullying, according to the sheriff. Later, after Rebecca complained that she had been pushed in the hallway and that another girl wanted to fight her, Rebecca's mother began home-schooling her in Lakeland, a city of about 100,000 midway between Tampa and Orlando, Judd said.

This fall, Rebecca started at a new school, Lawton Chiles Middle Academy, but the bullying continued online, authorities said.

Judd said he was upset the girls who were arrested still had access to social networks, even after Rebecca's suicide.

"If we can find any charges we can bring against their parents, we will," Judd said.

___

Kay reported from Miami.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/2-girls-arrested-florida-bullying-case-164108414.html
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Dutch police arrest 'cocaine smuggling' Schiphol workers

The Hague (AFP) - Dutch police have arrested several airport workers at Amsterdam's Schiphol who allegedly picked up cocaine packages stashed aboard planes arriving from Latin America, a gendarme spokesman said on Tuesday.

A total of 15 people have been arrested since July, seven of them employed by the same company at Schiphol, spokesman Robert van Kapel told AFP, declining to name the company.

"Further arrests are not excluded," he added.

The men, aged 23 to 65, are Dutch, Turkish and Colombian citizens, he said.

They were arrested in raids on homes in and around Amsterdam.

Van Kapel said "tens-of-kilos" of cocaine had been hidden on flights from Central and South America, but he declined to say where on the planes the drugs were stashed.

"The flights were never put in danger as a result," he added, saying the investigation was ongoing.

The 15 men are to face charges of drug smuggling and some also face illegal weapons charges, Van Kapel said.

Last year Dutch authorities arrested 12 airport workers suspected of helping to smuggle cocaine from the Caribbean.

In March last year, gendarmes at Schiphol confiscated 300 kilos of cocaine from South and Central America with an estimated street value of 12 million euros ($16 million).

The haul was one of the largest in recent years at the airport.

Schiphol is Europe's fourth-busiest airport with between 120,000 to 140,000 passengers passing through daily.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/dutch-police-arrest-cocaine-smuggling-schiphol-workers-130444276.html
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Migrants say they were fired upon leaving Libya

VALLETTA, Malta (AP) — Migrants who were rescued after their smugglers' boat capsized in the Mediterranean say they were shot at as they left a Libyan port, making plain that perilous seas are not the only dangers refugees face when they flee their homes for Europe.

A Syrian man who would not give his name told a small group of reporters that the boat they were on was chased by another as soon as it left Libya and that "shots were fired" toward them. He did not want to be identified for fear of reprisals against family members still in Syria.

The U.N. Refugee Agency says three were injured in the shooting, citing migrant accounts.

The rickety boat packed with as many as 400 migrants by some survivor accounts —mostly people fleeing civil war in Syria — capsized 65 miles south of the Italian island of Lampedusa on Friday. At least 34 died, while 202 survivors were taken to Malta and Sicily. Search operations continued Sunday.

It was not clear who was behind the shooting. But the account highlights that refugees fleeing war and repression in Africa and the Middle East face many dangers even before they hit the open waters of the Mediterranean, where hundreds have died in a string of shipwrecks over the last 10 days.

Many make their way by land to Libya where they pay smugglers to ferry them to Europe's nearest shores — Lampedusa or the island nation of Malta. Libya has been riven by turmoil and has been struggling with militias since the ouster of dictator Moammar Gadhafi.

Another survivor, Emd Hassan, told The Sunday Times of Malta that he paid $1,000 for the boat trip from Zwara, Libya, but said refugees who left from Egypt paid as much as $3,000 to $4,000.

The 38-year-old Damascus University graduate said he could not travel via normal routes because he has no travel documents and could not get any due to the conflict in Syria. "I had no alternative," the paper quoted him as saying.

The boat left Zwara at midnight and, apart from the early shooting incident, experienced smooth sailing until the weather conditions changed and the vessel started taking on water, capsizing at 4 p.m. Friday, according to Hassan.

"It was horrible. I had three children with me and I could not see them, even though they were right beside me," he said.

On Sunday, Malta's prime minister, Joseph Muscat, made an unannounced visit in Tripoli to discuss the refugee flow with Libya's prime minister, Ali Zidan.

The prime minister's office said the leaders stressed the importance of better cooperation between Europe and Libya, but the statement did not identify any concrete proposals.

"Smugglers have gained long experience," Zidan told reporters in the capital Tripoli, but "we are determined to solve illegal immigration and we have asked the European Union to train and help supply us with equipment."

Muscat said there were conflicting reports about the shooting, but he pledged an investigation. "Some people say the naval forces and others say militias," he said.

The U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees Antonio Guterres called for an investigation into the shooting incident to bring the perpetrators to justice. He also expressed concern that Syrians fleeing conflict have sought to reach Europe by such a perilous route, calling it "inhumane."

"They escaped bullets and bombs only to perish before they could ever claim asylum," he said.

The tragedy came just eight days after at least 365 people, mostly Eritreans, died when their boat sank within sight of Lampedusa, in one of the worst verified migrant sea tragedies in the Mediterranean. A ferry with 150 caskets of the victims arrived in Sicily on Sunday.

Despite the dangers, the boats keep coming. Authorities have rescued hundreds more at sea this weekend.

Italian Prime Minister Letta has announced that Italy will reinforce its naval and aircraft presence along the most-traveled corridors this week.

"The operation is needed in order to guarantee that the Mediterranean Sea could became a safer sea, especially where the Mediterranean Sea has become a graveyard these days," Letta said this weekend.

____

Colleen Barry in Milan, Maggie Michael in Tripoli, Libya, and Andrea Rosa in Agrigento, Sicily, contributed to this report.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/migrants-were-fired-upon-leaving-libya-154927094.html
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'Gravity' keeps spinning with $43.2M at box office

"Gravity" isn't leaving orbit.

The Warner Bros. astronaut adventure starring Sandra Bullock and George Clooney landed in the top spot at the box office for the second weekend in a row, earning $43.2 million and raising its domestic total to $122.3 million.

Sony's pirate drama "Captain Phillips" starring Tom Hanks launched in second place with a $25.7 million.

The animated Sony movie "Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs 2" rolled into third place in its third weekend with $13.7 million, bringing its domestic haul to $77.6 million.

The weekend's only other new wide release, the gun-filled sequel "Machete Kills," opened in fourth place with $3.8 million.

___

The top 20 movies at U.S. and Canadian theaters Friday through Monday, followed by distribution studio, gross, number of theater locations, average receipts per location, total gross and number of weeks in release, as compiled Monday by Rentrak, are:

1. "Gravity," Warner Bros., $43,188,256, 3,660 locations, $11,800 average, $122,323,175, 2 weeks.

2. "Captain Phillips," Sony, $25,718,314, 3,020 locations, $8,516 average, $25,718,314, 1 week.

3. "Cloudy With A Chance Of Meatballs 2," Sony, $13,774,742, 3,874 locations, $3,556 average, $77,611,419, 3 weeks.

4. "Machete Kills," Open Road, $3,837,183, 2,538 locations, $1,512 average, $3,837,183, 1 week.

5. "Runner Runner," Fox, $3,770,288, 3,026 locations, $1,246 average, $14,159,246, 2 weeks.

6. "Prisoners," Warner Bros., $3,635,392, 2,855 locations, $1,273 average, $53,590,271, 4 weeks.

7. "Insidious: Chapter 2," FilmDistrict, $2,720,492, 2,156 locations, $1,262 average, $78,517,509, 5 weeks.

8. "Rush," Universal, $2,385,655, 2,130 locations, $1,120 average, $22,222,924, 4 weeks.

9. "Don Jon," Relativity, $2,369,453, 1,996 locations, $1,187 average, $20,170,603, 3 weeks.

10. "Baggage Claim," Fox, $2,033,062, 1,320 locations, $1,540 average, $18,230,540, 3 weeks.

11. "Enough Said," Fox, $1,911,256, 606 locations, $3,154 average, $8,162,855, 4 weeks.

12. "Pulling Strings," Lionsgate, $1,270,218, 428 locations, $2,968 average, $4,244,686, 2 weeks.

13. "We're the Millers", Warner Bros., $1,101,318, 1,150 locations, $958 average, $146,525,205, 10 weeks.

14. "Instructions Not Included," Lionsgate, $1,041,966, 711 locations, $1,465 average, $42,716,454, 7 weeks.

15. "Lee Daniels' The Butler," Weinstein Co., $623,672, 980 locations, $636 average, $113,544,443, 9 weeks.

16. "The Family," Relativity, $583,845, 1,050 locations, $556 average, $35,808,194, 5 weeks.

17. "Grace Unplugged," Roadside Attractions, $524,412, 502 locations, $1,045 average, $1,748,324, 2 weeks.

18. "Romeo and Juliet," Relativity, $520,116, 461 locations, $1,128 average, $520,116, 1 week.

19. "Despicable Me 2," Universal, $505,615, 434 locations, $1,165 average, $363,060,130, 15 weeks.

20. "Monsters University," Disney, $356,823, 235 locations, $1,518 average, $267,047,978, 17 weeks.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/gravity-keeps-spinning-43-2m-box-office-211950264--finance.html
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Majandra Delfino: Why I Pierced My Daughter’s Ears

"Her name is Cecilia Walton and she's totally my coloring so she looks totally like a white girl, and it's kind of a bummer," Delfino admits.Source: http://feeds.celebritybabies.com/~r/celebrity-babies/~3/Gvrgl8lrhHM/
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Alan Rickman On 'CBGB' And The Importance Of Listening

Alan Rickman tells NPR's Arun Rath he wasn't familiar with CBGB or the punk scene until he began working on the film.

Beau Giann/XLrator Media

Alan Rickman tells NPR's Arun Rath he wasn't familiar with CBGB or the punk scene until he began working on the film.

Beau Giann/XLrator Media

After several failed musical ventures and two bankruptcies, New Yorker Hilly Kristal decided to try something new. In 1973, he opened a bar in Lower Manhattan intended to showcase sounds not so indigenous to the urban landscape: country, bluegrass and blues. And so came the name for the dive bar CBGB.

Eventually bands flocked to the venue, but with a sound far from what Kristal had intended. The bar became a hub for the emerging punk rock scene. Bands from the Ramones to Blondie and the Talking Heads performed on its stage. For more than 30 years, Kristal gave unrehearsed, outlandish bands a space to grow and be discovered.

"[Kristal was] rigorous about saying to the groups that he never expected to be supporting, 'OK, you can come and play here, but only original music, no covers,' " actor Alan Rickman tells Arun Rath. Rickman plays Kristal in the new film CBGB. "That's a brave thing to say at that time. And that puts him in the forefront of being a kind of revolutionary.

"Music moved on because of him, because he allowed a marketplace to happen."

CBGB closed in 2006 and Kristal died almost a year later.

The London-born actor, perhaps best known for his role as Professor Severus Snape in the Harry Potter movies, says he didn't know about CBGB before the film.

"When the club started in the '70s, of course, I was back in England, very much an art student or a drama student," Rickman says. "I didn't really come to New York for any length of time until the mid-80s."

Rupert Grint — who starred with Rickman in the Harry Potter films — plays Cheetah Chrome, guitarist for the real-life punk band The Dead Boys.

Beau Giann/XLrator Media

Rupert Grint — who starred with Rickman in the Harry Potter films — plays Cheetah Chrome, guitarist for the real-life punk band The Dead Boys.

Beau Giann/XLrator Media

To prepare for the role, Rickman immersed himself in watching Kristal on tapes and DVDs.

"It's an incredible luxury now to be able to, if you're playing somebody that recent in time, to have hours of him walk and talk," he says.

Rickman talks about the challenges of playing historical characters and how directing and acting in different platforms has shaped his career.

Interview Highlights

On playing historical characters

If you're playing somebody who has lived, the difference is that you become ultimately very protective of them ... because the most important thing that you should never do with someone you're playing is to judge them. And, obviously with someone like Reagan or Louis XIV — people have a lot of opinions and lots of books have been written. You have to have both feet firmly in both camps, if you see what I mean so that you don't judge the character.

On acting in film, television and on stage

I think that being lucky enough to have worked in film, with hindsight, actually helps you in the theater because it encourages you to know that to watch somebody thinking is interesting and also to watch somebody listening is interesting. So I think that's been quite a profound influence to me on stage as an actor and as a director.

And, I would say that if I have learned anything that boils down to one phrase it would be that acting is about accurate listening.

On editing films as an actor

It's thrilling and painful. I think it's certainly true that a film tells you what it wants to be at some point. You have a script, and then you shoot it, and some of it's planned and some of it's improvised. You have to kind of work around the weather and the budget and time and how long you're at a location or not. And then, a mysterious force called film tells you what to cut and what to keep.

Source: http://www.npr.org/2013/10/13/229872362/alan-rickman-on-cbgb-and-the-importance-of-listening?ft=1&f=1045
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India Post inks deal with UAE firm for instant money transfer

New Delhi, Oct 11 (IANS) India's Department of Posts Friday said it has signed an agreement with Wall Street Exchange, a unit of UAE based Emirates Post Group, to facilitate instant transfer of money, especially by the Indian diaspora in the Gulf.

The first transfer of money under the "instant cash" facility was done from the United Arab Emirates (UAE) to India Post or department of posts, here this week.

"The service will be rolled out nationally in a phased manner and will be made available at approximately 17,500 post offices across India by next month," the communications ministry said in a statement here.

The service will be provided through the International Financial System (IFS) of Universal Postal Union.

"This tie-up offers the Indian diaspora worldwide - especially in the Gulf region - a safe, secure and reliable money transfer service for their families back home," it said.

India is the world's largest recipient of remittances with over $70 billion annually, half of which come from the Gulf countries.

Under the new facility money will be made available to the customers within minutes of completing the transaction.

"Recipients will be able to receive their payment at any of the identified 17,500 post offices by producing the unique transaction number along with their identity and know your customer (KYC) documents," the statement said.

India Post is the largest postal network in the world with 1.55 lakh Post Offices in the country, of which more than 1.39 lakh are in the rural area.

Besides mail, India Post also provides various financial services like small savings instruments under Post Office Savings Bank and money remittance, both domestic and international.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/india-post-inks-deal-uae-firm-instant-money-102403279--finance.html
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AP Newsbreak: Stabbed fan's dad to speak

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) ? The father of a Dodgers fan fatally stabbed Wednesday during a melee following a Giants baseball game is planning to make a public plea for witnesses after San Francisco's district attorney said he lacks evidence to charge a suspect who has been released.

A family member said the victim's father plans to speak outside the Giants' stadium at noon before the scheduled 1:05 p.m. PDT Sunday game with the San Diego Padres.

The suspect, Michael Montgomery, 21, was released from custody Friday night after District Attorney George Gascon said police had insufficient evidence to charge him in the death of Jonathan Denver, 24.

Gascon said police had not spoken with any independent witnesses who may have witnessed the fight Wednesday night. The victim's father, Robert Preece, believes someone may have recorded the melee with mobile phones, said Preece's sister Jill Preece Haro.

"We have reason to believe someone recorded this," Haro said in a phone interview, adding that Denver's father and others with him saw bystanders were using cellphone cameras. "We're calling on them to come forward to help both families find out what happened."

Haro said the victim's father, who works as security guard at Dodger Stadium, and other family members were motivated to travel from his Southern California home to make his public plea after Montgomery's release and Gascon's explanation for not charging Montgomery.

"The San Francisco Police Department has provided us an initial investigation," Gascon said in a written statement Friday night. "However, not all witnesses have been interviewed, nor have any independent witnesses of the incident been interviewed. We have requested this and other evidence be collected before we can make an assessment on whether charges should be filed."

The San Francisco Police Department didn't return phone calls Saturday.

Haro said the father plans to issue his call for witnesses to come forward at the ballpark's Willie Mays statue. The victim's mother and brother also will be present.

"This is how he wants to address the media," said Haro, who said she divides her time living in Pittsburgh, Pa., and Covina, Calif. "We are still formulating a plan, but we're coming up."

Denver was stabbed to death after attending the game with his brother, father and two others to celebrate his father's 49th birthday. Denver lived in Fort Bragg, a Northern California city about 170 miles north of San Francisco.

The group, many wearing Dodger garb, left the park after the 8th inning for a nearby bar. At some point, they got into a shouting match over the Dodgers with Montgomery and a few friends who were bar-hopping in the trendy South of Market area. At least one was wearing a Giants cap.

"The back and forth, 'Go Dodgers!' 'Go Giants!'" Police Chief Greg Suhr said. "And it deteriorated from there."

Suhr said Montgomery made "incriminating statements" that led to his booking the night after the stabbing.

Montgomery's father told the Lodi News-Sentinel that his son was jumped during the fight, and he stabbed Denver in self-defense after Denver and others yelled "Giants suck." The father told the News-Sentinel that his son alleged Denver hit him over the head with a chair during the fight a few blocks from the stadium.

A second suspect was questioned and released by police Friday. Two others were being sought.

The stabbing was the latest incident over the years stemming from one of the most passionate rivalries in sports.

Two years ago, Giants fan Bryan Stow suffered permanent brain damage when he was attacked in Los Angeles.

There was a moment of silence for Denver before the Dodgers hosted the Colorado Rockies on Friday night.

"I just can't understand how, sporting event aside, society's gotten like this," Giants general manager Brian Sabean said Friday. "It's bizarre to me."

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/ap-newsbreak-stabbed-fans-dad-speak-233557524--spt.html

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October Is Home Eye Safety Awareness Month | - Optical Vision ...

Hilco Safety Eyewear

CHICAGO (Sept. 25, 2013) ? Each year in the United States, more than 2.5 million eye injuries occur and 50,000 people permanently lose part or all of their vision, according to the American Academy of Ophthalmology.? And, a recent report from Prevent Blindness America, the nation?s oldest volunteer eye health and safety organization, shows that the annual costs related to eye injuries are more than $1.3 billion.

Because more eye injuries occur in and around the home, Prevent Blindness America has declared October as Home Eye Safety Awareness Month to help educate the public on steps that can be taken to avoid painful and costly injuries.? Free information can be found at the group?s dedicated web page, PreventBlindness.org/eye-safety-home.

Eye injuries can occur from a variety of common sources, such as flying debris from lawn mowers or trimmers, or splashes from household cleaners, paints or solvents.? Prevent Blindness America urges everyone to wear protective eyewear approved by the American National Standards Institute (ANSI) when performing household activities.? The eyewear should have the ?Z-87? logo stamped on the frames.? For those who wear prescription glasses, many safety glasses or goggles will fit over regular glasses.? Regular eyeglasses do not always provide enough protection, and may even cause further injury upon impact.

?Because most eye injuries can be avoided by wearing proper eye protection, we want the public to be diligent about protecting their vision even when doing the most mundane tasks,? said Hugh R. Parry, president and CEO of Prevent Blindness America.? ?Accidents can happen in an instant but have an impact on eye health for the rest of your life.?

Knowing what to do for an eye emergency can save valuable time and possibly prevent vision loss. Prevent Blindness America offers a free ?First Aid for Eye Emergencies? sticker in both English and Spanish that can be placed on the inside of a medicine cabinet.? Basic eye injury first aid instructions include:

Chemical Burns to the Eye

• Immediately flush the eye with water or any other drinkable liquid. Hold the eye under a faucet or shower, or pour water into the eye using a clean container. Keep the eye open and as wide as possible while flushing. Continue flushing for at least 15 minutes.
• DO NOT use an eyecup. DO NOT bandage the eye.
• If a contact lens is in the eye, begin flushing over the lens immediately. This may wash away the lens.
• Seek immediate medical treatment after flushing.

Specks in the Eye

• DO NOT rub the eye.
• Try to let tears wash the speck out or use an eyewash.
• Try lifting the upper eyelid outward and down over the lower lid.
• If the speck does not wash out, keep the eye closed, bandage it lightly, and see a doctor.

Blows to the Eye

• Apply a cold compress without putting pressure on the eye. Crushed ice in a plastic bag can be taped to the forehead to rest gently on the injured eye.
• In cases of pain, reduced vision, or discoloration (black eye), seek emergency medical care. Any of these symptoms could mean internal eye damage.

Cuts and Punctures of the Eye or Eyelid

• DO NOT wash out the eye with water or any other liquid.
• DO NOT try to remove an object that is stuck in the eye.
• Cover the eye with a rigid shield without applying pressure. The bottom half of a paper cup can be used.
• See a doctor at once.

For more information on how to protect the eyes at home, eye protection recommendations, or to request the First Aid for Eye Emergencies sticker, call Prevent Blindness America at (800) 331-2020 or visit preventblindness.org/eye-safety-home.

About Prevent Blindness America

Founded in 1908, Prevent Blindness America is the nation?s leading volunteer eye health and safety organization dedicated to fighting blindness and saving sight.? Focused on promoting a continuum of vision care, Prevent Blindness America touches the lives of millions of people each year through public and professional education, advocacy, certified vision screening and training, community and patient service programs and research.? These services are made possible through the generous support of the American public.? Together with a network of affiliates and regional offices, Prevent Blindness America is committed to eliminating preventable blindness in America.? For more information, or to make a contribution to the sight-saving fund, call 1-800-331-2020. Or, visit us on the Web at preventblindness.org or facebook.com/preventblindness.

Source: http://opticalvisionresources.com/october-is-home-eye-safety-awareness-month

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Batman & Robin (1966 Film) Sixth Scale Figure by Hot Toys Coming ...

[unable to retrieve full-text content]Sideshow Collectibles and Hot Toys are excited to introduce the Batman and Robin 1966 collectible figures from the classic 1966 Batman movie ($205 for Batman and $190 or Robin). ... Radio, Restaurant / Bar, Review, Sale / Promotion, Science, Science Fiction, Secret, Service, Shopping, Software, Spoilers, Sports & Recreation, Stamps, Statues, Stephen King, Store, Technology, Television, Theater, Tools, Tours, Toys & Action Figures, Transportation, Travel, Trends ...

Source: http://firewireblog.com/2013/09/20/batman-robin-1966-film-sixth-scale-figure-by-hot-toys-coming-in-april-2014/

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Sultan of Brunei?s luxury group to manage Eden luxury hotel in Rome

Sultan of Brunei?s luxury group bought Eden luxury hotel in Rome.?

Dorchester Collection, the luxury hotel group controlled by the sultan of Brunei, announced it has bought Rome?s landmark Hotel Eden from Britain-based Starwood Hotels & Resorts. Hotel Eden is one of the world?s most majestic and iconic hotels in a superb setting in central Rome. Eden was built in 1834 and converted to a hotel in 1889. The new owner plans to renovate the 121-room hotel regularly hosts royalty and celebrities.

?Its landmark status, heritage and individuality complement the style and locations of our other nine hotels in the UK, France, Switzerland, Italy and the US. A presence in Rome, one of the epicentres of classicism, additionally creates synergies with our hotel in Milan, Hotel Principe di Savoia,? Christopher Cowdray, chief executive officer of Dorchester Collection commented on the transaction.

Brunei Investment agency, the sovereign wealth fund of Brunei, owns ten properties in Europe and the United States, looking to expand into Asia and the Middle East.If you like it, then please subscribe to our Feed By Mail service.Thank you!

Source: http://www.2luxury2.com/sultan-of-bruneis-luxury-group-to-manage-eden-luxury-hotel-in-rome/

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Longtime Nintendo President Dies Aged 85

Hiroshi Yamauchi, a longtime president of Nintendo (1949-2002) and the predecessor to current boss Satoru Iwata, has passed away today at the age of 85, Nikkei reports.

Formerly the richest man in Japan, Yamauchi also owned Seattle's Major League Baseball team, the Mariners (though he famously never attended a game).

A champion of the efforts to develop home consoles like the NES, Yamauchi abandoned his university studies to take up the position when his grandfather suffered a stroke. He led the company through it's great transition from a maker of children's toys and card games to its position today as one of the world's great video game studios and platform holders.

Yamauchi passed away in a Kyoto hospital, where he had been suffering from pneumonia.

??????????????85? [Nikkei]..

Source: http://kotaku.com/longtime-nintendo-president-dies-aged-85-1347380487

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Michael's Lowest Prices of the Season + $50 Giftcard Giveaway

This post may contain affiliate links. Read my disclosure policy here.

by Tracie on September 16, 2013 ? 5 comments

Michael?s has a new offer available which you will want to check out. ?All this week, they are offering the Lowest Prices of the Season Daily Deals! ?You can visit their store and find all sorts of deal from custom framing, to craft supplies, to home accents and even seasonal decor! ?You will even be able to save 50% off of one regular priced item this coming Saturday, September 21st!

You will want to check out this week?s Michael?s Weekly Ad to learn more and check out all of the deals. ?Which is your favorite?

THE GIVEAWAY:

Two readers will receive a $50 Michael?s Gift card!

This contest will be open until at September 20, 2013 11:59 p.m. CST. The winner will be chosen at random and contacted via email. Said winner will have 48 hours in which to provide me with their mailing address so that the prize can be forwarded to them. GOODLUCK!!!

Penny Pinchin? Mom received nothing in exchange for hosting this giveaway. All opinions contained within this post are her own and were not influenced by any other parties. Be entering this giveaway/sweepstakes, you are attesting that you have read and can comply with the Giveaway Terms & Conditions.

Source: http://www.pennypinchinmom.com/michaels-giveaway-lowest-prices-of-the-season/

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North Carolina Teacher Disciplined For Playing Macklemore's 'Same Love' Video In Class

Murs

Los Angeles-based rapper Murs, though straight, recently released a video, "Animal Style," which features a brief, though intimate, kiss between two men, and explores the damage that homophobia can cause.

Frank Ocean

Frank Ocean, R&B artist and part of the Odd Future collective, <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/07/04/frank-ocean-rb-singer-comes-out_n_1649079.html" target="_hplink">released a poetic coming out statement</a> on his <a href="http://www.frankocean.com/" target="_hplink">web site</a>, without mentioning sexual orientation. Here is an except: <blockquote>"In the last year or 3 I've screamed at my creator, screamed at the clouds in the sky, for some explanation. Mercy maybe. For peace of mind to rain like manna somehow. 4 summers ago, I met somebody. I was 19 years old. He was too. We spent that summer, and the summer after, together. Everyday almost... Sleep I would often share with him. By the time I realized I was in love, it was malignant. It was hopeless. There was no escaping."</blockquote>

Kanye West

When closing-out this 2008 concert, Kanye's spoke about gay rumors aimed at him and learning acceptance: <blockquote>"Hip hop, you know how many people came to me, called me gay, 'cause I wear my jeans the fresh way? Or because I said 'Hey, dude, how you gonna say "fag" right in front of a gay dude's face and act like that's okay?' That shit is disrespectful! And it took me time to learn that, coming from Chicago, where if you saw somebody that was gay, you was supposed to stay ten feet away. It took me time to break out of the mental prisons I was in, the stereotypes... accepting people for who they are... open your minds and live a happier life, don't hate on people so much."</blockquote>

Azealia Banks

In this excerpt from a February 2012 <em>New York Times</em> piece, up and coming hip hop presence Azealia Banks <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/02/02/azealia-banks-rapper-comes-out-bisexual_n_1249996.html" target="_hplink">nonchalantly addresses her sexuality</a> and the problem of tokenization that can happen in the music industry: <blockquote>"The aggression in "212" is palpable, not just in the beat but also in the crass lyrics, in which she asserts her dominance over a male opponent. Ms. Banks considers herself bisexual, but, she said: 'I'm not trying to be, like, the bisexual, lesbian rapper. I don't live on other people's terms.'"</blockquote>

Fat Joe

In a 2011 interview with <a href="http://www.vladtv.com/" target="_hplink">VladTV</a>, rapper <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/11/09/fat-joe-gays-hip-hop-rap_n_1084855.html" target="_hplink">Fat Joe said</a>, "There's millions of gay people in the world, girls too... 2011 you gotta hide that you're gay?... Be real!... The hip hop community is owned by gay... I happen to think there's a gay mafia in hip hop... they are in power... if you're gay, rep your set."

A$AP Rocky

"I don't give a fuck about your business," A$AP Rocky said in a <a href="http://www.spinner.com/2012/02/17/asap-rocky-hip-hop-homophobia/" target="_hplink">2012 interview with Spinner</a>, adding: <blockquote>"Man, if you're gay we can be friends. If you're straight, we can be friends. I'm not gay, I don't plan on being gay, I don't condone it and I'm not sayin' I'm against it. I really don't give a fuck and I don't think anyone should care about what another man's preference is... unless he's interested, if you know what I'm sayin'. People need to leave gay people the fuck alone. Like, who cares? If you still care about shit like that you need to just hang yourself like the rest of them KKK motherfuckers. For real. Who gives a fuck?... I don't care and it's like fucked up that hip-hop is so retarded. They don't want to accept nothing."</blockquote>

The Game

In an interview with <a href="http://www.vladtv.com/" target="_hplink">Vlad TV</a>, rapper The Game said: <blockquote>"Beyonce should have said 'Who run the world? Gays!'... It's a free country, be gay, you can do that. Game don't have a problem with gay people, Game has a problem with people that are pretending not to be gay, but are gay. Because, the number one issue with that is that you can be fooling somebody and you can give them AIDS and they can die, and so that in the closet shit is real scary... it's just not fair to other people... there's a lot of man fans in hip hop."</blockquote>

Jay-Z

In a CNN interview, Jay-Z reached to Obama's endorsement of gay marriage, saying: <blockquote>"What people do in their own home is their business. You choose to love whoever you love. It's no difference than discrimination against blacks, it's discrimination, plain and simple... [Obama endorsing same-sex marriage] is not about votes, it's about people...it's the right thing to do as a human being."</blockquote>

Nicki Minaj

"I think there have been many gay rappers, they just haven't come out of the closet," Minaj said in a <a href="http://www.out.com/entertainment/music/2010/09/12/curious-case-nicki-minaj?page=0,0" target="_hplink">2010 interview with <em>OUT</em> magazine</a>. She added: <blockquote>"Yup, lots of them. They're lurking around the industry now... obviously, the majority of the men in hip-hop don't want you to think they're gay. That's just the reality of it...I'm a woman, so I have a lot more flexibility. And I don't lose credibility in any way if I say I think girls are dope and sexy."</blockquote> She's also stated that one of her alter egos, Roman Zolanski, is gay (see above video).

Lil Scrappy

In an interview with TMZ about Frank Ocean coming out, rapper <a href="http://www.tmz.com/2012/07/07/lil-scrappy-tmz-live-frank-ocean-aids-gays/" target="_hplink">Lil Scrappy controversially said</a>: <blockquote>"I'm glad that he came out so all the real women that love to mess with real men -- the straight men -- we can keep the AIDS situation down, you feel me?...[Homosexuality] is a doorway to AIDS, scientifically... Half the rappers are gay, you feel me? The 'real gangsters' and all that, they're gay, but they ain't coming out... you a coward if you don't stand-up... at the end of the day, a person will respect if you say you would rather be Adam and Steve."</blockquote>

T.I.

In response to Hot 97's Cipha Sounds and Rosenberg Show asking him what he though of Jay-Z coming out in support of gay marriage, rapper T.I. responded, "To be honest with you, I don't care. I don't see what the big deal is, why some people are so against it. Why could you be so against it if it doesn't effect you or your lifestyle?... If something doesn't effect you, you should not take a strong position against it."

Omarion

Faced with a press release that said, "Teen idol Omarion announces that he's bisexual," and a Twitter uproar fueling speculation, Omarion called Hot 97's Funkmaster Flex to clear up the rumors: "I did not release that statement. Whatever people like is their business, but I'm not gay, or bisexual. I love women, and that's just what it is."

40 Glocc & Zoo Life

Speaking about Young Money, Lil Wayne's record label, rappers 40 Glocc and Zoo Life said, "The majority of the industry is gay, all you dudes is fags. You know you dudes is fags," and, "You n***as is hugging each other in the studio, kissing each other and shit. What kinda shit is that?" Some other low points: "Young Money is the new 'Brokeback Mountain'," and, "Make sure you put a cork in your butt, 'cause your shit is wide open."

Russell Simmons

The following is a July 2012 <a href="http://globalgrind.com/entertainment/russell-simmons-letter-to-frank-ocean-gay-bi-sexual-comes-out-photos#ixzz20XAvuyks" target="_hplink">letter to The Global Grind</a> about Frank Ocean coming out, from rap mogul Russel Simmons: <blockquote>"Today is a big day for hip-hop. It is a day that will define who we really are. How compassionate will we be? How loving can we be? How inclusive are we? I am profoundly moved by the courage and honesty of Frank Ocean. Your decision to go public about your sexual orientation gives hope and light to so many young people still living in fear. These types of secrets should not matter anymore, but we know they do, and because of that I decided to write this short statement of support for one of the greatest new artists we have. His gifts are undeniable. His talent, enormous. His bravery, incredible. His actions this morning will uplift our consciousness and allow us to become better people. Every single one of us is born with peace and tranquility in our heart. Frank just found his. Frank, we thank you. We support you. We love you."</blockquote>

Lady Sovereign

In an interview with <a href="http://www.divamag.co.uk/category/arts-entertainment/lady-sovereign-britain's-out-lesbian-rapper.aspx" target="_hplink">Diva Magazine</a>, UK rapper Lady Sovereign confirmed rumors that she was, in fact, a lesbian: <blockquote>"Magazines would always ask about it but [questions about my sexuality] would get stopped by my publicists. It was my choice, too, because I was a bit worried about it but now I don't really give a shit. You can't hide away forever. It's just stupid and now I've come out I feel a lot more comfortable with myself. But it was a bit scary back then because some people do have horrible opinions."</blockquote>

Tyler, the Creator

The Los Angeles-based hip-hop collective, Odd Future, has faced criticism about its use of homophobic slurs, to the point that the group <a href="http://www.gaynz.com/articles/publish/2/article_11002.php" target="_hplink">was disinvited</a> from the New Zealand's Big Gay Out music festival, after <a href="http://www.gaynz.com/articles/publish/2/article_11002.php" target="_hplink">complaints</a>. Collective front-man, Tyler The Creator,<a href="http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1665860/tyler-the-creator-defends-lyrics.jhtml" target="_hplink"> told MTV news</a>: "Well, I have gay fans and they don't really take it offensive, so I don't know. If it offends you, it offends you." When fellow Odd Future member Frank Ocean <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/07/04/frank-ocean-rb-singer-comes-out_n_1649079.html" target="_hplink">came out</a>, Tyler, The Creator <a href="https://twitter.com/fucktyler/status/220409501487079424" target="_hplink">tweeted support</a>.

50 Cent

In a July 2012 <a href="http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1689598/50-cent-frank-ocean-gay-support.jhtml" target="_hplink">interview with MTV News</a>, 50 Cent spoke about <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/07/04/frank-ocean-rb-singer-comes-out_n_1649079.html" target="_hplink">Frank Ocean coming out</a>: <blockquote>"Anyone who has an issue with Frank Ocean is an idiot... I could care less about what his personal preferences in his actual bedroom. To say you don't like Frank Ocean is to say maybe you don't like Luther Vandross or maybe you don't like Kenny Greene. 'Cause there's artists before him that have made these choices, just not, they haven't made the choice to expose it or the general public before an actual release of music... The results of how popular [Frank Ocean's] music becomes now would say how cool or uncool it is to be in the open... Obama is for same-sex marriage... If the president is saying that, then who am I to go the other way?"</blockquote>

Beyonc?

Pop star Beyonc?, who is married to hip hop mogul Jay-Z, and has acknowledged and voiced support for <a href="http://www.pridesource.com/article.html?article=48242" target="_hplink">her gay fans</a>, <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/07/09/beyonces-shows-support-for-frank-ocean_n_1660031.html" target="_hplink">posted a poem</a> to her <a href="http://www.beyonce.com/news/frank-ocean" target="_hplink">web site</a> in support of Frank Ocean coming out.

Eminem

In an interview with Anderson Cooper on "60 Minutes," Eminem addressed his frequent use of the word "faggot" (skip to 9:00): <blockquote>"The scene that I came up in, that word was thrown around so much, you know? Faggot was, like, it was thrown around constantly, to each other, like in battling...I don't have any problem with nobody, you know what I mean. Like, I'm just whatever." </blockquote> Eminem has also discussed gay marriage in the past and told the <em>New York Times,</em> "I think if two people love each other, then what the hell?... I think that everyone should have the chance to be equally miserable, if they want."

Source: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/09/12/teacher-discipline-macklemore_n_3909253.html

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'How I Met Your Mother' Season 9 Premiere Preview: 15 Hints About 'The Locket' And 'Coming Back'

In just under two weeks, the "How I Met Your Mother" Season 9 premiere will air on CBS, kicking off the final season of the long-running comedy. The "Mother" has been revealed and Barney's (Neil Patrick Harris) wedding to Robin (Cobie Smulders) is underway.

Can't wait two weeks? You're in luck. HuffPost TV got a sneak preview of the heartfelt hour-long debut and to tide fans over, we're sharing 15 hints about what you can expect from the show's return, without spoiling any of the big stuff.

Check out the new "Mother"-heavy promo above, then read on for our teases from the two-part premiere episodes, titled "The Locket" and "Coming Back."

1. The premiere kicks off 55 hours before the wedding, and in addition to the remaining slaps that Marshall (Jason Segel) still has to bestow upon Barney, there's also plenty of time for Lily (Alyson Hannigan) to get in more than one tackle over the course of the weekend.
2. You might be surprised to learn how far Ted (Josh Radnor) is prepared to go in order to return Robin's locket. Far enough to involve air travel, perhaps.
3. Marshall's eventful journey to the wedding begins with a potentially damning Facebook photo, and involves a mode of transportation that would give Al Gore a heart attack.
4. Wayne Brady performs both parts of the Dolly Parton/Kenny Rogers duet "Islands in the Stream," because Wayne Brady rocks.
5. Lily's rising stress level leads her to become wholly dependent on a hotel employee called Linus who has very quick reflexes.
6. We'll take a trip back to Moscow in 1807 to learn the surprising origins of the Stinson Curse -- which includes Russian accents, a shirtless carriage driver and an awesome guitar solo.
7. Two of our characters do something very disturbing with an erotic cake.
8. Roger Bart plays the world's most sympathetic desk clerk, and poor Ted is the focus of his "pity."
9. As the newly released promo (above) proves, Lily is the first member of the gang to meet the still-unnamed mother. Although their encounter involves physical violence and "sumbitch" cookies, Cristin Milioti certainly won our hearts in her first extended appearance.
10. Prepare to hear a very different version of the "Bang Bang" song.
11. Robin and Barney realize that they've invited a whole set of wild cards to the wedding, including many of Robin's "Canuckin' nuts" Canadian relatives. If someone's going to ruin the nuptials, though, our bet is on the ring bear.
12. Barney amends his most Legendary catchphrase in honor of the wedding, and we think it's even better than before.
13. At Comic-Con, creator Craig Thomas told us that there was a "Game of Thrones" reference in the premiere, and we're glad to say it made the cut, because it's hilarious, and says a lot about Barney's personality.
14. The Mother and Ted have way more in common than we originally realized. Cristin Milioti wasn't kidding when she called her character "nerdy."
15. Bonus Scoop: The entirety of Season 9 has been compared to the "Seinfeld" series finale, which brought back countless guest stars from prior seasons. As previously announced, expect to see plenty of Brady, along with John Lithgow and Frances Conroy as Barney's parents, plus many more from the show's past.

The hourlong "How I Met Your Mother" Season 9 premiere debuts Mon., Sept. 23 at 8 p.m. on CBS.

• "Coming Back"

• "Coming Back"

• "Coming Back"

• "Coming Back"

• "Coming Back"

• "The Locket"

• "The Locket"

  Pictured: Sherri Shepherd, Jason Segel

• "The Locket"

• "The Locket"

• "The Locket"

• "Coming Back"

• "The Final Page, Part One And Two"

  Jason Segel, Seth Green, Alyson Hannigan

• "The Final Page, Part One And Two"

  Jason Segel, Seth Green, Alyson Hannigan, Neil Patrick Harris

• "The Final Page, Part One And Two"

  Jason Segel, Seth Green, Alyson Hannigan

• "The Final Page, Part One And Two"

  Jason Segel, Seth Green, Alyson Hannigan

• "The Final Page, Part One And Two"

  Jason Segel, Neil Patrick Harris, Alyson Hannigan

• "The Final Page, Part One And Two"

  Jason Segel, Seth Green, Alyson Hannigan, Neil Patrick Harris

• "The Final Page, Part One And Two"

  Jason Segel, Neil Patrick Harris, Alyson Hannigan, Josh Radnor

• "The Final Page, Part One And Two"

  Jason Segel, Seth Green, Alyson Hannigan

• "The Final Page, Part One And Two"

  Jason Segel, Seth Green, Alyson Hannigan

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Source: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/09/11/how-i-met-your-mother-season-9-premiere_n_3908334.html

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Key milestones _ and potholes _ in President Barack Obamas health care overhaul law

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Source: www.albuquerquenews.net --- Wednesday, September 11, 2013
Medicare was signed into law on July 30, 1965, and within a year seniors were receiving coverage. President Barack Obama signed the Affordable Care Act on March 23, 2010, and the uninsured start getting coverage more than three years later on Jan. 1, 2014. Some key dates in the saga of Obama's signature legislation: ___ March 23, 2010 -- Obama signs the Patient Protection and Affordable ... ...

Source: http://www.albuquerquenews.net/index.php/sid/217015974/scat/3a8a80d6f705f8cc

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Apple iPhone 5S Arrives Sept. 20, Gold Version Added

Apple today revealed its long-awaited next-generation smartphone, the iPhone 5S, which for the first time will be available in gold.

Specifically, the iPhone 5S will come in silver, gold, and space gray. It will be available in 16, 32, and 64GB flavors for the standard $199, $299, and $399. Pre-orders begin online on Sept. 13 and it will be in stores on Sept. 20 in the U.S., Australia, Canada, China, France, Germany, Japan, Singapore, and U.K.

The 5S will run Apple's new A7, 64-bit chip, the first ever in a phone, according to Apple. All built-in apps have been re-engineered to 64-bit. The A7 is up to two times as fast as the previous generation system, and 40 times faster than the first iPhone. Graphics performance is 56 times better than original iPhone, according to Apple.

The A7 includes a new part called the M7, which is a motion co-processor that measures motion data without having to wake up the A7 chip - from the accelerometer to gyroscope to compass support. That should help with fitness gadgets, like Nike+ and Fitbit.

Apple promised up to 10 hours of 3G talk time, 10 hours of LTE browsing, 10 hours of video, 40 hours of music, and 250 hours of standby times.

The camera of the 5S, meanwhile, packs a 15 percent bigger sensor; pixels land at 1.5 microns. Bigger pixels make a better picture, said Apple's Phil Schiller. A new flash known as True Tone addresses clashing color temperatures. It has dual LEDs, one cooler white and another warmer amber. There's also auto image stabilization, a burst mode, a 28-megapixel panorama, and slow motion.

With slow motion, you can select which parts of the video you want slowed down - show someone running around a pool and then switch to slow mo for when they jump in.

The iPhone 5S includes a new, fingerprint-based security option known as Touch ID. It "uses a key you have with you everywhere you go," Schiller said. The touch ID sensor is 170 microns thin with 500ppi resolution, and 360-degree readability. It scans the sub-epidermal skin layers, the firm said.

Touch ID will be built into the home button. You can teach it about more than one finger, or turn your finger in any orientation. It will also allow for multiple fingerprints. Perhaps more importantly, you can use your fingerprint to make iTunes purchases, so no more typing in your password when buying apps.

For those concerned that Apple might be starting a database of its users' fingerprints, the company said that the data is not stored on the iCloud servers or backed up to iCloud. The information is stored within the A7.

The 5S will run iOS 7, which will also be available to existing iOS device owners as a free upgrade, starting Sept. 18.

Apple today also unveiled a low-cost, multi-colored iPhone 5C, which starts at $99.

For more, check out our live blog from today's Apple event and the slideshow above, as well as our first hands-on video with the 5S below.

Source: http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2424217,00.asp?kc=PCRSS05039TX1K0000762

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Merkel may get help from Bavarian ally in German vote

By Annika Breidthardt

ABENSBERG, Germany (Reuters) - Angela Merkel's bid for a third term as chancellor could get a boost from her Bavarian allies who are set to extend their 56-year reign over the rich southern state in a vote on Sunday, just one week before Germany's federal election.

Bavarians, proud of their "laptop and lederhosen" economy which outperforms most of the country, are forecast to give the Christian Social Union (CSU) - the sister party of Merkel's Christian Democrats (CDU) - at least 47 percent of the vote.

That would signal a recovery from the Bavarian party's 2008 result of just over 43 percent - their worst state election in six decades - and encourage conservative voters across Germany as well as undermining the opposition Social Democrats (SPD).

"Bavaria could have an influence on the federal vote. If the CSU gets an absolute majority that will give momentum to the conservatives," said political scientist Frank Decker in Bonn.

Merkel, who has been chancellor since 2005, has ruled with a coalition made up of the CDU/CSU and the pro-business Free Democrats (FDP) since the last federal election in 2009.

Bavaria, home to 12.5 million of Germany's 80.5 million people, is the only state with a regional party - the CSU - in parliament. It is not possible to vote for Merkel's CDU on a ballot paper in the state but the CSU makes up nearly a quarter of her conservative bloc in parliament.

The CSU has run Bavaria since 1957.

"Our problem is that it's the tradition to vote for the CSU," complained Christian Ude, the SPD mayor of Munich who is running for state premier against the CSU's Horst Seehofer.

Coming close to the national election, Bavaria's vote could undermine the SPD just as their candidate for chancellor, Peer Steinbrueck, got a late boost to his campaign from strong performances on TV and in the Bundestag.

A rout for the center left in Munich would send a message that "the SPD's result won't be too strong on the federal level either", said Klaus-Peter Schoeppner, head of Emnid pollsters.

One risk for Merkel is a weak result for her junior coalition partner, the FDP, in Bavaria.

Pollsters say the FDP might struggle to clear the 5 percent hurdle for getting into the state assembly and the Bundestag. This would mean the end of the center-right coalition.

FDP failure to clear the hurdle in Bavaria could scare conservatives into voting FDP in the national election, which could weaken the CDU result.

NATIONAL PRESSURE

Merkel and Steinbrueck have both campaigned in Bavaria, which exerts pressure on national policy when it comes to issues ranging from the euro to energy and the family.

If Bavaria were a country it would have the euro zone's sixth largest population and economy.

"I know no region in Europe that could compete with Bavaria," Seehofer, a burly 64-year-old, roared to a crowd of 3,000 in a beer tent at the annual Gillamoos festival last week.

Polls predict his party will fall short of historic heights of over 60 percent but is on track for a recovery from 2008, its worst result since 1954 at 43.4 percent.

Voters seem willing to shrug off headlines about nepotism in the state assembly that have tarnished the CSU's reputation.

"Bavarians are experienced when it comes to scandals and just don't view them as all that bad," said Manfred Guellner, head of the Forsa polling institute. "It's apparently acceptable as long as the state is doing well."

Ude, speaking to a smaller, quieter crowd a few meters away from Seehofer, said Bavarians knew the SPD had better policies "but have not yet come to the conclusion to vote for us".

"Why should we vote for anyone else?" asked Franz, a Seehofer supporter clad in lederhosen with a felt hat sprouting a tuft of animal hair. "We're doing well here in Bavaria."

The CSU is proud that it kept its independence from the other Christian-conservative parties when they joined together to form the CDU in the 1950s.

But Seehofer knows he must strike a balance between defending state interests and working on national issues with Merkel, who is almost as popular as him in Bavaria.

Seehofer calls her a "stroke of luck" for Germany but sometimes pushes his luck, for example when he proposed a toll for foreigners using the autobahn high-speed road network. He said it would be a key demand in federal coalition talks, prompting a rebuff from Merkel.

With polls showing seven out of 10 Bavarians support such a toll - which might violate European law - he knows the issue has traction in a car-loving state that is home to BMW and Audi.

"We are who we are and nobody can tell us what to do," Seehofer said.

(Editing by Stephen Brown and Anna Willard)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/merkel-may-help-bavarian-ally-german-vote-143528616.html

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Economic Alliance of Greater Baltimore wins $520K grant to push biotech jobs

Creatas Images

The Economic Alliance of Greater Baltimore has won a federal grant to promote biotech jobs.

The Economic Alliance of Greater Baltimore has received a $520,000 federal grant to bolster the state's biotechnology industry.

The Economic Alliance of Greater Baltimore (EAGB) will work with BioHealth Innovation in Montgomery County to develop a ?Healthcare Regional Innovation Cluster? with the grant. The grant was awarded by the U.S. Department of Commerce?s Economic Development Administration.

The innovation cluster will be an effort to better coordinate existing medical technology resources and expand services to improve the flow from research labs to the commercial market. Better connecting the state's research institutions and federal assets, such as the National Institutes of Health and National Institute of Standards and Technology, will be a core goal.

?Medical research is our best hope for finding cures and improving treatment, but it?s also essential to Maryland?s economy,? Congressman C.A. Dutch Ruppersberger said in a statement. ?This grant is a common sense public investment in jobs and community that will help even more Maryland families support themselves.?

The federal grant will build on an existing partnership between EAGB and BioHealth Innovation, said EAGB CEO J. Thomas Sadowski.

With the grant, the two groups will try to take inventory of the state's existing health care, research and biotech resources in order to identify gaps and needs.

The grant will also be used to help scientists determine if their research could have commercial relevance and help them move their research to market, Sadowski said.

A health IT accelerator is also in the works as part of the grant. EAGB expects to release more details about the accelerator program in a few weeks.

Sarah covers health care, higher education, biotech and technology.

Source: http://feeds.bizjournals.com/~r/bizj_baltimore/~3/ufkeIhyVI8E/economic-alliance-of-greater-baltimore.html

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9/11 anniversary to be marked with tributes

The Tribute in Light rises above the lower Manhattan skyline and One World Trade Center, center, in a test of the memorial light display, Monday, Sept. 9, 2013 in New York. The twin beams of light will also appear Wednesday, Sept. 11, twelve years after the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2011. The Statue of Liberty and Empire State Building are far left. (AP Photo/Mark Lennihan)

The Tribute in Light rises above the lower Manhattan skyline and One World Trade Center, center, in a test of the memorial light display, Monday, Sept. 9, 2013 in New York. The twin beams of light will also appear Wednesday, Sept. 11, twelve years after the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2011. The Statue of Liberty and Empire State Building are far left. (AP Photo/Mark Lennihan)

The Tribute in Light rises above the lower Manhattan skyline and Four World Trade Center, center, and One World Trade Center, left, in a test of the memorial light display, Monday, Sept. 9, 2013 in New York. The twin beams of light will also appear Wednesday, Sept. 11, twelve years after the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2011. (AP Photo/Mark Lennihan)

A test of the twin beams of the Tribute in Light intersect with still-under construction Tower One as they rise behind the building and above lower Manhattan, Monday, Sept. 9, 2013, in New York. The memorial, sponsored by the Municipal Art Society, will light the sky on the evening of Sept. 11, 2013, in honor of those who died in the Setp. 11, 2001, terror attacks on the United States. (AP Photo/Kathy Willens)

NEW YORK (AP) ? Sept. 11 victims' loved ones will gather at ground zero to commemorate the attacks' anniversary with the reading of names, moments of silence and serene music that have become tradition.

At Wednesday's ceremony on the 2-year-old memorial plaza, relatives will recite the names of the nearly 3,000 people who died when hijacked jets crashed into the World Trade Center and the Pentagon and near Shanksville, Pa., as well as the 1993 trade center bombing victims' names. Beforehand, Gov. Andrew Cuomo, musician Billy Joel, firefighters and others are expected to join in a tribute motorcycle ride from a Manhattan firehouse to ground zero.

Name-reading, wreath-laying and other tributes also will be underway at the Pentagon and at the Flight 93 National Memorial in Shanksville while the commemoration unfolds at ground zero, where the mayor who has helped orchestrate the observances from their start will be watching for his last time in office. And saying nothing.

Continuing a decision made last year, no politicians will speak, including Mayor Michael Bloomberg.

Over his years as mayor and chairman of the National Sept. 11 Memorial & Museum, Bloomberg has sometimes tangled with victims' relatives, religious leaders and other elected officials over an event steeped in symbolism and emotion. But his administration has largely succeeded at its goal of keeping the commemoration centered on the attacks' victims and their families and relatively free of political image-making.

Memorial organizers expect to take primary responsibility for the ceremony next year and say they plan to continue concentrating the event on victims' loved ones, even as the forthcoming museum creates a new, broader framework for remembering 9/11.

"As things evolve in the future, the focus on the remembrance is going to stay sacrosanct," memorial President Joe Daniels says.

Wednesday's anniversary also arrives with changes coming at the Flight 93 National Memorial in Shanksville, where officials gathered Tuesday to herald the start of construction on a visitor center. At the Pentagon, plans call for a morning ceremony for victims' relatives and survivors of the attacks and an afternoon observance for Pentagon workers.

Around the world, thousands of volunteers have pledged to do good deeds, honoring an anniversary that was designated a National Day of Service and Remembrance in 2009.

When Bloomberg and then-Gov. George Pataki announced the plans for the first anniversary in 2002, the mayor said the "intent is to have a day of observances that are simple and powerful."

His role hasn't always been comfortable. When the ceremony was shifted to nearby Zuccotti Park in 2007 because of rebuilding at the trade center site, some victims' relatives threatened to boycott the occasion. The lead-up to the 10th anniversary brought pressure to invite more political figures and to include clergy in the ceremony.

By next year's anniversary, Bloomberg will be out of office, and the museum is expected to be open beneath the memorial plaza.

While the memorial honors those killed, the museum is intended to present a broader picture of 9/11, including the experiences of survivors and first responders.

But the organizers expect they "will always keep the focus on the families on the anniversary," Daniels said.

That focus was clear as relatives gathered last September on the tree-laden plaza, with a smaller crowd than in some prior years.

After the throng and fervor that attended the 10th anniversary, "there was something very, very different about it," says Charles Wolf, whose wife, Katherine, was killed in the trade center's north tower. "It felt almost cemetery-ish, but not really. It felt natural."

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Follow Jennifer Peltz at http://twitter.com/jennpeltz

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/3d281c11a96b4ad082fe88aa0db04305/Article_2013-09-11-US-Sept-11-Anniversary/id-6401d71ebe164ff085ffd6787828ae72

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Kiwis win America's Cup Race 5 in a runaway

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) ? Defending America's Cup champion Oracle Team USA could be in deep trouble against scrappy Emirates Team New Zealand.

The American powerhouse was so soundly beaten by the Kiwis in Race 5 Tuesday that Larry Ellison's syndicate had to call timeout.

Ellison, the software billionaire who runs Oracle Corp., has made crew changes before, and some could be coming after a major blunder by his team let Team New Zealand speed off to a resounding victory of 1 minute, 5 seconds on San Francisco Bay on Tuesday.

Not long before the scheduled start of Race 6, Oracle Team USA radioed in to the race committee that it was playing its one postponement card of the regatta, meaning the race was scrubbed until Thursday.

The Kiwis crushed the momentum Oracle gained with its heart-stopping win in Race 4 on Sunday.

Team New Zealand leads 4 to minus-1 and needs five more wins to claim the oldest trophy in international sports for the Royal New Zealand Yacht Squadron.

Oracle was docked two points by an international jury and wing sail trimmer Dirk de Ridder was booted from the regatta in the biggest cheating scandal in the 162-year history of the America's Cup. It needs 10 wins to keep the Auld Mug.

Skipper Jimmy Spithill said Oracle Team USA needs to regroup and make some changes. Whether they're to the 72-foot catamaran, the crew or tactics ? or all three ? remains to be seen. Oracle has made numerous errors this regatta and Team New Zealand continues to make strong gains sailing upwind.

Either way, it was a stunning move for the well-funded, deep sailing team that won the America's Cup in 2010.

After Oracle announced it was playing its card, Spithill hopped onto a chase boat and conferred with syndicate CEO Russell Coutts, who won the first two of his four America's Cups as skipper of Team New Zealand in 1995 and 2000.

Spithill declined to recap that conversation.

"Oh, we were just talking about rugby, weather," Spithill cracked. "No, I can't, actually. I'd love to tell you, I really would. But no."

Asked how safe he feels, the Australian said: "You can be a rooster one day and a feather duster the next, mate."

It's unlikely Spithill would get the boot. Early speculation was that tactician John Kostecki, a San Francisco native, could get subbed out.

Spithill was asked if Kostecki would be on the boat Thursday, when Races 6 and 7 are scheduled.

"I can't guarantee anything," he said. "I probably can't guarantee I'll be on there. It's too early to make a decision right now. It's really part of the reason why we played the card. We need time to assess our program and the boat. We need to get it heading in the other direction. We've got time, fortunately. There are a lot of races left."

Kostecki usually attends post-race news conference with Spithill. On Tuesday, rising star Tom Slingsby, a gold medalist for Australia at the London Olympics and a strategist and grinder for Oracle, accompanied the skipper.

Spithill said he was just rotating things around and it was too early to say whether Kostecki would be replaced.

Coutts said in a text to The Associated Press that he didn't think replacing Kostecki was an option.

"But we might look at other options," Coutts said.

Kiwi skipper Dean Barker seemed a bit stunned when Team New Zealand was told Oracle was playing its card.

"Oracle just pulled the pin, boys," he told his crew. "Is that 100 percent?"

It was.

It was an intriguing development, considering that Oracle Team USA practiced its upwind sailing and tacking on Monday, an off day, while the Kiwis chose to stay ashore.

Wednesday is an off day. Oracle plans to go out and practice. The Kiwis plan to stay ashore, work on the boat and use their simulators to try to improve their starts, the one area where they're weak.

Spithill said Oracle's boat is fine, which makes playing the postponement card now that much riskier, in case there is a breakdown later in the regatta.

"We're not going to go back and massage each other's egos, I can guarantee you that," Spithill said. "But you've got to be smart about it. If all things were great, we wouldn't have played it. But we have to be honest with ourselves. We're very, very candid with each other and we're very direct. It was obvious that unless we make some changes, there's a real chance we weren't going to win the second race of the day."

Oracle Team USA led on the first two legs Tuesday and then called for a foiling tack, a radical, quick turn around the downwind mark. The crew botched the tack and practically came to a stop, costing it almost all of its 150-meter lead.

"Yeah, I think it was a mistake in the end," Slingsby said. "We wanted to cover the right-hand side but ideally we probably should have kept going straight and tacked when they tacked."

Oracle has made a number of mistakes. This was just the latest, and perhaps the biggest.

"In this racing, you only need to make a couple little mistakes here and there and they add up very quickly," Spithill said. "As we've seen in these boats, what's good or bad, depending on if you're in the lead or behind, you make a mistake, you get absolutely punished for it."

Barker steered Team New Zealand into the cone of Alcatraz, which offers protection from the flood tide as the boats sail upwind toward the Golden Gate Bridge. By the time the 72-foot catamarans had passed Alcatraz, the Kiwis were in the lead. Their advantage was more than 300 meters halfway up the leg.

"Obviously we're very pleased to take the win," Barker said. "It's difficult because these guys are getting off the line well and leading around mark one, so they get to dictate a little bit what's going on down the run. But the boat is going really well upwind. The guys are doing a really, really good job with the maneuvering, tacking and everything. We're taking some pretty nice little gains there."

Besides being hurt by mistakes, Oracle Team USA continues to struggle upwind against the faster New Zealand boat. Once Barker took control, the Kiwis sailed higher and faster against the wind. Oracle had no chance to catch up.

Spithill won the start and flew around the reaching first mark at more than 43 knots, or just more than 50 mph. He led by 4 seconds around the buoy and onto the downwind second leg.

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Follow Bernie Wilson on Twitter at http://twitter.com/berniewilson

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/kiwis-win-americas-cup-race-5-runaway-204826525--spt.html

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