Controversial trolley garage in West Grove violates zoning code, experts say




















A controversial trolley garage being built in Miami’s predominantly black West Grove neighborhood violates the Miami 21 zoning code, the ambitious blueprint approved three years ago to give order to the sometimes haphazard and inconsistent development in the city, according to the University of Miami’s Center for Ethics and Public Service.

The garage, the center argues, should be considered industrial, not commercial as suggested by the city, and therefore not allowed.

“Industrial use includes government-operated,” Zach Lipshultz, a fellow at the center’s Environmental Justice Clinic, explained at a meeting of the Ministerial Alliance Saturday. “The question we’re raising is in defining that government-operated facility. Why is it deemed a commercial establishment?”





Residents have been fighting to stop the 12-bay garage being built in the 3300 block of Douglas Road because it will back up against a single-family, residential neighborhood. The garage is part of a deal Astor Development struck with the city of Coral Gables to swap land. Astor wants to build a luxury 7-story apartment, office and retail center on Le Jeune Road where the Gables’ current trolley garage sits.

Last week residents started an online petition and Saturday held a rally at the site. About 30 people, far fewer than organizers hoped for, chanted and held signs, including one that read, “Don’t throw your trash in our neighborhood.”

In recent weeks, the residents have been sparring with City Commissioner Marc Sarnoff, who brokered a deal with Astor to give $250,000 to improve football fields at nearby Armbrister Park to garner support. Sarnoff argues the zoning code permitted the garage and tied the city’s hands. So he tried to make the best of a bad situation.

When he met with the Alliance, a group of 15 ministers working in the West Grove area, the group asked the UM law school center to look into it. Center director Anthony Alfieri also sits on its board.

At the meeting Saturday, about 40 people attended, including Miami planning director Francisco Garcia, Sarnoff, ministers, residents and football coaches.

“There’s no need for me to shove anything down anyone’s throat,” Sarnoff told the group. “I could have kept my fingerprints off this and there would be no benefit at all.”

Garcia explained that under the code, auto-related commercial uses are allowed.

“This particular trolley depot, under our code, is not an industrial use,” he said. “The kind of work is so minor, it’s essentially the same as would happen in any other car garage.”

But Lipshultz, who had help from UM’s architecture school, found that “government vehicle maintenance facilities” are considered an industrial use under Miami 21. And industrial uses are not allowed in the area.

Garcia conceded that zoning can be open to interpretation and ambiguous.

“Some areas are very clear cut and straightforward,” he said. “Then there’s a broad middle. This falls into the broad middle.”

Garcia told the group he would look into the finding and “if we’ve made mistakes, we’re happy to own up to it and learn from it.”

In addition to looking at legal issues, Lipshultz also investigated health hazards and found solid evidence linking health hazards to diesel exhaust. The World Health Organization, he said, recently reclassified diesel emissions as a major carcinogen. If the garage is built, he said, it should be monitored for toxic emissions.





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Biden seeks video game industry input on guns






WASHINGTON (AP) — Looking for broader remedies to gun violence, Vice President Joe Biden is reaching out to the video game industry for ideas as the White House seeks to assemble proposals in response to last month’s massacre at a Connecticut elementary school.


Biden is scheduled to meet with video game representatives Friday as the White House explores cultural factors that may contribute to violent behavior.






The vice president, who is leading a task force that will present recommendations to President Barack Obama on Tuesday, met with other representatives from the entertainment industry, including Comcast Corp. and the Motion Picture Association of America, on Thursday.


Friday’s meeting comes a day after the National Rifle Association rejected Obama administration proposals to limit high-capacity ammunition magazines and dug in on its opposition to an assault weapons ban, which Obama has previously said he will propose to Congress. The NRA was one of the pro-gun rights groups that met with Biden during the day.


NRA president David Keene, asked Friday if the NRA has enough support in Congress to fend off legislation to ban sales of assault weapons, indicated it does. “I do not think that there’s going to be a ban on so-called assault weapons passed by the Congress,” he said on NBC’s “Today.”


In previewing the meeting with the video game industry, Biden recalled how the late Sen. Daniel Patrick Moynihan of New York lamented during crime bill negotiations in the 1980s that the country was “defining deviancy down.”


It’s unclear what, if anything, the administration is prepared to recommend on how to address the depiction of violence in the media.


White House press secretary Jay Carney last month suggested that not all measures require government intervention.


“It is certainly the case that we in Washington have the potential, anyway, to help elevate issues that are of concern, elevate issues that contribute to the scourge of gun violence in this country, and that has been the case in the past, and it certainly could be in the future,” Carney said then.


In a statement, a half dozen entertainment groups, including the Motion Picture Association of America, said they “look forward to doing our part to seek meaningful solutions.”


On gun control, however, the Obama administration is assembling proposals to curb gun violence that would include a ban on sales of assault weapons, limits on high-capacity ammunition magazines and universal background checks for gun buyers.


“The vice president made it clear, made it explicitly clear, that the president had already made up his mind on those issues,” Keene said after the meeting. “We made it clear that we disagree with them.”


Opposition from the well-funded and politically powerful NRA underscores the challenges that await the White House if it seeks congressional approval for limiting guns and ammunition. Obama can use his executive powers to act alone on some gun measures, but his options on the proposals opposed by the NRA are limited without Congress’ cooperation.


Obama has pushed reducing gun violence to the top of his domestic agenda following last month’s mass shooting at an elementary school in Newtown, Conn., where a gunman slaughtered 20 children and six adults before killing himself. The president put Biden in charge of an administration task force and set a late January deadline for proposals.


“I committed to him I’d have these recommendations to him by Tuesday,” Biden said Thursday, during a separate White House meeting with sportsmen and wildlife groups. “It doesn’t mean it’s the end of the discussion, but the public wants us to act.”


The vice president later met privately with the NRA and other gun-owner groups for more than 90 minutes. Participants in the meeting described it as an open and frank discussion, but one that yielded little movement from either side on long-held positions.


Keene told NBC there is a fundamental disagreement over what would actually make a difference in curbing gun violence.


Richard Feldman, the president of the Independent Firearm Owners Association, said all were in agreement on a need to keep guns out of the hands of criminals and the mentally ill. But when the conversation turned to broad restrictions on high-capacity magazines and assault weapons, Feldman said Biden suggested the president had already made up his mind to seek a ban.


“Is there wiggle room and give?” Feldman said. “I don’t know.”


White House officials said the vice president didn’t expect to win over the NRA and other gun groups on those key issues. But the administration was hoping to soften their opposition in order to rally support from pro-gun lawmakers on Capitol Hill.


Biden’s proposals are also expected to include recommendations to address mental health care and violence on television, in movies and video games. Those issues have wide support from gun-rights groups and pro-gun lawmakers.


As the meetings took place in Washington, a student was shot and wounded at a rural California high school and another student was taken into custody.


During his meeting with sporting and wildlife groups, Biden said that while no recommendations would eliminate all future shootings, “there has got to be some common ground, to not solve every problem but diminish the probability that our children are at risk in their schools and diminish the probability that firearms will be used in violent behavior in our society.”


Several Cabinet members have also taken on an active role in Biden’s gun violence task force, including Attorney General Eric Holder. He met Thursday with Wal-Mart, the nation’s largest firearms seller, along with other retailers such as Bass Pro Shops and Dick’s Sporting Goods.


The president hopes to announce his administration’s next steps to tackle gun violence shortly after he is sworn in for a second term. He has pledged to push for new measures in his State of the Union address.


___


Follow Julie Pace at http://twitter.com/jpaceDC


Gaming News Headlines – Yahoo! News





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Buzzmakers: Dina Lohan's Black Eye And New The Voice Clips

What had ET readers buzzing this week?

1. Dina Lohan's Black Eye Photos

Following Dina Lohan's shocking claims that her husband Michael abused her during their marriage (and Michael's denial), ET has obtained vintage photos of the mother of four with a black eye.

Click here for the shocking pics.

2. 'The Voice' Coaches Dish on New Season

It looks like Adam Levine is off the hook for the upcoming season of The Voice, as Blake Shelton has a new man crush on Usher.

During the Television Critics Association Press Tour, the singers revealed that Shelton's uncomfortable advances towards Levine -- done in jest -- have now been turned to the newest male addition on the coaching panel.

"He's left me for Usher now," Levine joked. "So he gets to spend the season making Usher feel uncomfortable."

"And I think I'm doing a really good job of that, by the way," Shelton added. "I've said and done about everything that crosses the line."

While Shelton's focused on Usher, the rest of the fellas seem to have eyes for Shakira, who will also be joining the show for the upcoming season.

"She's so sexy," said host Carson Daly.

"She's a sweetheart," Levine agreed.

Season four of The Voice premieres March 25 on NBC. Click here for the panel's new interviews!

3. Miranda Lambert Defends Her Chris Brown Comments

Country crooner Miranda Lambert has no intention of retracting her statements made this past year about R&B singer Chris Brown and his domestic abuse in 2009 towards his on-again, off-again girlfriend Rihanna.

At the Grammy Awards this past year, Lambert, 29, tweeted following Brown's performance, writing: "He beat on a girl. not cool that we act like that didn't happen."

"I didn't feel right about not saying something. The loudmouth that I am, I say what I think," she told Redbook magazine of the tweet. "I wanted everyone to know that I don't agree with the message it's sending to young women."

Adding to her opinion of Brown, Lambert, who is married to The Voice judge Blake Shelton, said, "It's not okay. At all. To be celebrated after doing something like that. I don't think it's right, I never will, and I will stand by what I said till the day that I die."

4. Diane Lane After Husband Josh Brolin's Arrest

As news broke of Josh Brolin's New Year's Day arrest, ET caught up with Brolin's wife Diane Lane at the Palm Springs International Film Festival, where she appeared sans her husband.

Lane arrived cheerful and relaxed alongside her Nights of Rodanthe co-star Richard Gere, whom she presented the Chairman's Award.

"[Brolin] is actually with my wife [actress Carey Lowell] tonight, so everything's fine," joked Gere when asked how Brolin felt about missing the event.

"We have an arrangement," Lane kidded. "It's all good."

5. Fierce Fashions: The 2013 People's Choice Awards

The sparkling stars of film, TV and music donned their red carpet best as they kicked off awards season Wednesday night at the 2013 People's Choice Awards in Los Angeles.

Visit our gallery for all the stunning styles!

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Hundreds of French troops drive back Mali rebels








AP


French Mirage 2000 D jets flying to N'Djamena, Chad, as part if the French intervention in the Mali crisis.



BAMAKO, Mali — The battle to retake Mali's north from the al-Qaida-linked groups controlling it began in earnest Saturday, after hundreds of French forces deployed to the country and began aerial bombardments to drive back the Islamic extremists.

At the same time, nations in West Africa authorized the immediate deployment of troops to Mali, fast-forwarding a military intervention that was not due to start until September.

The decision to begin the military operation was taken after the fighters, who seized the northern half of Mali nine months ago, decided earlier this week to push even further south to the town of Konna, coming within 50 kilometers (30 miles) of Mopti, the first town held by the government and a major base for the Malian military.




Many believe that if Mopti were to fall, the Islamists could potentially seize the rest of the country, dramatically raising the stakes. The potential outcome was "a terrorist state at the doorstep of France and Europe," French Defense Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian said Saturday.

France scrambled Mirage fighter jets from a base in neighboring Chad, as well as combat helicopters beginning the aerial assault on Friday. They have also sent in hundreds of troops to the front line, as well as to secure the capital. In just 24 hours, French forces succeeded in dispersing the Islamists from Konna, the town the fighters had seized in a bold advance earlier in the week, Le Drian said.

Malian military officials said they were now conducting sweeps, looking for snipers.

"A halting blow has been delivered, and heavy losses have been inflicted on our adversaries, but our mission is not complete," French President Francois Hollande said after a three-hour meeting with his defense chiefs in Paris. "I reiterate that it consists of preparing the deployment of an African intervention force to allow Mali to recover its territorial integrity."

However, in a sign of how hard the battle ahead may be, the extremists succeeded in shooting down a French helicopter, the defense minister confirmed. The pilot died of his wounds while he was being evacuated. The Islamists are using arms stolen from ex-Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi's arsenal, as well as the weapons abandoned by Mali's military when they fled their posts in the face of the rebel advance.

They have outfitted SUVs with high-caliber machine guns, and have released videos displaying their collection of anti-aircraft weapons.










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Miami Beach builder Robert Turchin looks back — and ahead




















If former Miami Beach vice mayor Robert Turchin had been a Miami decision maker during the recent vote that decided the fate of The Miami Herald building, he would probably have voted with the ‘nays’ allowing its demolition.

“There’s nothing special about it,” says the 90-year-old Turchin as he cruises Collins Avenue between 63rd and 48th streets, a strip dense with buildings from the same period as the Herald’s — specimens of post-war Miami Modern (MiMo) architecture that he constructed.

It is no exaggeration to say that Turchin built much of post-war Miami Beach, collaborating with Melvin Grossman, Morris Lapidus and other MiMo period architects. From 1945 to 1985, his firm was the busiest in the building trade. Royal York, Montmartre, Moulin Rouge, King Cole, Charter Club, Four Ambassadors — the list goes on, numbering upward of 100 buildings.





“I grew up when Miami Beach was a small town. It was 1945, and the hotels would close during the summer for renovations because they had no air conditioning. I couldn’t wait for summers, when I would return from school and work on the construction sites,” Turchin says.

In an era when hotel signs sometimes read “No Jews or dogs,” Turchin’s father was a successful builder who hoped his son would be a diplomat. It was not to be. After serving in World War II, for which he recently received a French Legion of Honor medal, he started his first project. Like subsequent ones, it broke the mold.

“The GI Bill made housing affordable for veterans, but it was single-family housing. I wanted to build a four-family unit under the bill,” Turchin says. It was an unprecedented proposal that went from city to state to federal agencies before it was approved. The multi-unit buildings launched the concept of condominiums.

As did other builders, he began to experiment with air conditioning. “Once we were able to air condition them, the hotels stayed open year-round. The beach boomed then,” he says.

Buildings came down to make way for new ones. Turchin’s Morton Towers went up where Carl Fisher’s circa 1920 Flamingo Hotel stood on 15 acres. “The land had become more valuable than the building,” he explains.

Turchin became known as “the builder’s builder” for riding to the top floor of construction sites on the hook of a crane, and walking the beams to inspect the work. His view of the built landscape was daring, pragmatic, and often at odds with those of preservationists like Nancy Liebman, a Miami Beach city commissioner from 1993 to 2001 who served with Turchin on the city’s first historic preservation board.

“A lot of the beautiful mansions on the bay and beach were lost to that kind of development,” laments Liebman. “It was the typical mentality of throw it away and build something new.”

But Turchin was building for the next generation. To him, the Art Deco buildings of his father’s generation — Edgewater Beach, the Sands and the Sea Isle where he honeymooned with his wife — were old school.

“They made no sense. They were all building with a few trees in front. They weren’t called Deco back then. Curlicues on concrete is how we thought of them,” he says.





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Despite commission vote, South Miami manager won’t fire police chief




















South Miami commissioners passed a resolution Tuesday to send a message to the city’s new interim city manager — we can’t fire the police chief, but if we could, we would.

Commissioner Bob Welsh introduced the resolution, which passed 3-2. Vice Mayor Joshua Liebman and Commissioner Valerie Newman were the dissenting votes. This was the first commission meeting for interim city manager Steven Alexander, the former city manager of Cutler Bay, who is vying for the manager job at Miami Beach.

“I am the only person who can fire or hire the chief,” Alexander said Friday. “If the commission would have directed me to fire the chief, it would have been a violation of the charter.”





The resolution “was intended as a message, but it’s clearly not a direction,” he added.

Alexander said he did not have a “reason at this point to suspend” the chief. Meanwhile, Newman described the resolution as an “assault” on the chief. And she accused Welsh of trying to “micromanage” the city.

“When a vote of no confidence is brought against a police chief, it’s generally the police officers that do this through the” Police Benevolent Association, Newman said. “It is not in the commission’s place.”

South Miami’s PBA representative, Officer Jose Lopez, said that’s unlikely to happen. The union endorsed Liebman and Newman, and recognized Police Chief Orlando Martinez de Castro with its leadership award May 19, 2012.

Commissioners “have been hurting the police department,” Lopez said. “Something like that would hurt the city.”

Welsh, also known as Bicycle Bob, believes that it is in the best interest of the city to hire a police chief “who is more frugal” and “ethical.” He said his mistrust started when he found out Martinez de Castro was a good friend of Camilo Padreda, a convicted felon and former FBI informant.

As the former president of the Latin Builder’s Association and the former Republican Party finance chairman, records show Padreda has been involved in U.S. politics since the 1960s.

Before leaving Cuba, Padreda “was a member of Fulgencio Batista’s Bureau for the Repression of Communist Activities,” Welsh said Thursday. “You don’t want to be associated with him -- and they are close friends.”

In South Miami, Padreda has supported Mayor Philip Stoddard’s opponents Julio Robaina and Newman.

Martinez de Castro believes Stoddard’s mistrust is linked to a Jan. 15, 2012, incident when a resident called police to complain about a Stoddard campaign volunteer “soliciting” door-to-door. The 911 dispatcher sent officers to the area, because she understood that soliciting was not allowed in the city. Stoddard complained.

“He is exercising his First Amendment right. Since when is South Miami not part of the United States?” Stoddard said to the 911 dispatcher. Political campaigning is “guaranteed by the Constitution and the Bill of Rights.”

After auditing records, Stoddard published his findings in his blog and has been complaining that city staff skipped a few steps when the state forfeiture account was used.

“This is about the chief’s failure to follow state forfeiture rules and his unethical behavior,” Stoddard said. “This is about him misusing his power.”

Martinez de Castro has not responded to any of the accusations in public meetings. He is also dealing with a pending case with The Miami-Dade Commission on Ethics and Public Trust about the city doing business with his wife’s tag agency.

“I’m very proud of all that I have accomplished during my tenure. I have improved technology and given my officers everything they need to do their job,” Martinez de Castro said. “I know the city is safer. ... People were getting shot, and drug dealers were getting away before I came back” in 2010.

Martinez de Castro supporters in and out of City Hall include several restaurateurs in downtown South Miami and leadership from First National Bank of South Miami, Baptist Health South Florida and Larkin Community Hospital.

“Except for a handful, the community is very happy with the police department,” Liebman said. “This shouldn’t be happening. From a business standpoint the city stands to lose a lot of money, if he is fired. ... The truth is our constituents are losing confidence in the commission because of actions such as this.”

If Martinez de Castro was fired, the city would have to pay him at least $320,000.

In other business, commissioners authorized the city manager to buy a $13,500 Global Electric Motors vehicle for the parking management program, $2,500 in paint work for the Sylva Martin building renovation, $9,715 in software, and about $15,000 in athletic field products. Commissioners also approved renewing two grants with Miami-Dade — $26,775 for after-school tutoring and $18,400 for senior meals.





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Factbox: Video game industry meets with Biden gun task force






WASHINGTON (Reuters) – Representatives from the companies that make “first-person shooter” games such as “Call of Duty,” “Medal of Honor” and “Grand Theft Auto” met with Vice President Joe Biden on Friday as the Obama administration looks for ways to curb U.S. gun violence.


Biden is heading a task force formed after a gunman shot dead 20 children and six adults last month at a Connecticut elementary school. Biden plans to make recommendations on reducing gun violence to President Barack Obama by next Tuesday.






The vice president has held discussions with a wide range of groups including gun retailers, gun owners, the National Rifle Association gun rights lobbying organization, the film industry, victims of gun violence, and law enforcement authorities.


Following is a list of groups present at Friday’s meeting with Biden, Attorney General Eric Holder and Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius.


Activision Blizzard Inc


Electronic Arts Inc


E-Line Media


Entertainment Software Association


Entertainment Software Ratings Board


Epic Games


GameStop Corp


Joan Ganz Cooney Center at Sesame Workshop


Take-Two Interactive Software Inc


Texas A&M University


University of Wisconsin at Madison


Zenimax Media Inc


(Reporting by Roberta Rampton; Editing by Will Dunham)


Gaming News Headlines – Yahoo! News





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Shay Mitchell Pretty Little Liars 3B Interview

At Thursday's Pretty Little Liars Television Critics Association Tour panel, executive producer Marlene King spoke about the heightened reality of Rosewood -- and while she was referring to the girl's clothes, it also applies to the way all the characters deal with the life and death situations they're constantly caught in.

That's why I was so surprised to see Paige forcing Emily to confront what happened -- both in the lighthouse and on the Halloween train to hell -- in a new sneak peek from Tuesday's episode, titled Mona Mania.

But that's just the start of an exciting new arc for Paige, as EP Oliver Goldstick told me, and star Shay Mitchell reinforced when we chatted at TCA. Not only did she gush about Paily, but Mitchell teased the return of Dr. Sullivan and explained why she loves Emily so much.


ETonline: Emily killed a man in the mid-season finale, but it wasn't really addressed in the Halloween episode or the season premiere. Will we see more of that in the coming weeks?


Shay Mitchell: Definitely. It's one of the things Emily goes through big time this year. I'm sure there's a lot of behind-the-scenes stuff you won't see, with her talking to her parents, but eventually there is a bit of a breaking point. A moment where she says, "Wow, I took someone's life" and ends up seeking therapy.


RELATED - 6 Burning PLL Premiere Questions Answered


ETonline: When she gets back on Dr. Sullivan's couch, what kind of stuff is she dealing with?


Mitchell: Emily always wants to give people the benefit of the doubt, but she ended up trusting someone who said they were the cousin of her dead girlfriend. I mean, that's a pretty sick person for her to have trusted. Because of that, she not only risked her life, but Paige's as well. So she's working on patching up their relationship and moving forward. But Paige wants to know what the hell is going on, so Emily explains as much as she can to Paige about what they've all been dealing with. Emily is going to try and not keep as many secrets this year.


ETonline: So where are we now with Paige and Emily's relationship?


Mitchell: I feel like it's finally gotten to a point where they have the support of Emily's friends. Before the Halloween episode, everybody was thinking Paige could be on The "A" Team, and she had reason to be. I love Paige's arc this season. She came on and no one liked her. Emily fans especially would always Tweet me, "She tried to drown you! We hate her!" For a while they did not want to see Emily with Paige, especially after Maya. I had Maya fans wanting to kill Paige, but Marlene really turned her around in the fan's eyes, and now I have so many Paily supporters out there. I love that relationship, and I'm so glad other people do too.


VIDEO - PLL Stars Take The Ultimate Quiz


ETonline: Why do you think Emily was so quick to give Paige a second (and third) chance after some of the crazy things she had done, like try to drown her?


Mitchell: Emily has always given everyone the benefit of the doubt and always wants to know why people do certain things before passing judgment. If Emily finds out about Toby, that's what she's going to want to know. She had such a special bond with him, Toby understood her like no one else could at the time. She basically came out to him before anyone else, so it will be interesting. More so than anger, it will be about why. Just explain the "why" to Emily and you're golden. She doesn't hold grudges or resentment. She just wants to understand your side so she can back you up, and that's one of the qualities I love about her so much -- she's not quick to dismiss.


ETonline: What are you excited for the fans to see this season?


Mitchell: I'm really excited to see if and when Toby gets revealed -- and how Spencer handles that. I mean, could you imagine? One season you're in bed with someone and the next season they're 'A' -- I can't wait to see how she deals with that. Spencer's family isn't the kind you can fall back on. I mean, this is the closest person to her, and she'll lose all her trust in him.


RELATED - Janel Parrish Talks Mona 2.0


ETonline: During a video shown before today's panel, Ashley Benson said she's praying Hanna is actually 'A' -- do you feel the same with Emily?


Mitchell: Oh yes! You know, I've played a sweet girl for a long time. Whenever I get to be a bit of a badass, I love it. Whether it's stabbing someone or whatever, it's fun for me and I think everybody likes to play the villain once in a while. We're always coming up with excuses for the characters, and Emily's would be that no one would expect her to be 'A' -- Emily is so innocent ... but maybe she's not. Maybe her and Alison made a pact that they'd do this together.


ETonline: I feel like your fans would riot if that happened.


Mitchell: [laughs] I think so too! If Emily goes bad, then there's no hope in life. You might as well give up and move far, far away because nobody is good if that’s the case.


Pretty Little Liars
airs Tuesdays at 8 p.m. on ABC Family.

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SEE IT: A tsunami of red dust








The red dust storm heading towards the Australian town of Onslow.The red dust storm heading towards the Australian town of Onslow.

REUTERS

The red dust storm heading towards the Australian town of Onslow.



As Australia braced itself for the first hurricane of the year a gigantic wall of dust slammed into the north-eastern part of the country.

Images of the terrifying red storm were caught by tugboats near the town of Onslow, according to the Daily Mail.

On a beautifully clear day the storm could be seen looming on the horizon miles before it reached shore but once it hit visibility was reduced to around 300 feet and 7 foot waves lashed the shoreline.

Dust storms are a common weather occurrence in deserts but are rarely seen in such dramatic circumstances over open ocean.




The red dust storm heading towards the Australian town of Onslow.The red dust storm heading towards the Australian town of Onslow.

REUTERS

The red dust storm heading towards the Australian town of Onslow.



The dust storm is the latest cataclysmic natural event to hit Australia in recent weeks.

SEE: SEE HARROWING SCENE FROM WILDFIRES TERRORIZING AUSTRALIA

Wildfires have ravaged the south east while a record heat wave blanketed the entire country. On Monday a record was set for the highest ever recorded national average temperature of 104.59 degrees.










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Legal feud over Spanish-language TV leads to federal suit in Miami




















What began as a highly-touted affiliation between a new Spanish-language national television network and a popular independent local station in Miami has dissolved into a legal dispute of David and Goliath proportions.

MundoFox Broadcasting, part of the family of communications giant News Corporation, filed suit in the U.S. District Court Southern District of Florida against the parent company of America Tevé Channel 41-WJAN, America-CV Network, for breaching two agreements forged in May.

The complaint alleges that in South Florida "MundoFox’s initial launch had less exposure, viewership was lower, soliciting advertisers became more difficult and advertising revenue decreased,” because the network was swapped to inferior channel positions by cable providers.





In a statement, America-CV Network, denied the allegations in the complaint and announced that it will defend itself vigorously.

— DANIEL SHOER ROTH





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‘It’s all lies’: Ex-inmate talks about confession in Rilya case




















Robin Lunceford, the state’s star witness in the Rilya Wilson murder case, admitted to lying about hearing a key confession while in prison, an ex-inmate testified Thursday.

“You know it’s all lies. All of it,” Cindy McCloud, testifying for the defense, recalled Lunceford telling her.

Lunceford is the colorful, sharp-tongued felon who claims that Geralyn Graham confessed to her in jail that she smothered foster child Rilya Wilson, burying the body near a canal or lake in South Miami-Dade.





Graham, 66, is on trial for the murder of 4-year-old Rilya, a foster child whose disappearance rocked the Florida Department of Children and Families. Rilya’s body has never been found.

Graham was indicted for murder after Lunceford came forward to authorities in 2005.

Lunceford, who got a life-prison term for armed robbery reduced to 10 years for her cooperation, told jurors her story over four days of testimony.

The platinum-blonde McCloud was Lunceford’s former roommate at Lowell Correctional Institution in Ocala.

Convicted of possessing methamphetamines, McCloud was released from prison in June after serving four years. With 27 felonies on her rap sheet, she now lives in Lakeland.

The defense called McCloud on Thursday to chip away at Lunceford’s credibility.

McCloud characterized Lunceford as frequently bragging about her cooperation with the state.

She claimed she witnessed Lunceford and another inmate, Maggie Carr, concocted a scheme to get Carr involved in the case as a snitch. Last week, Carr testified that Graham suggested to her that she disposed of the little girl’s body.

Carr is serving 25 years to life in prison for murder. She is eligible for parole but has no deal with prosecutors. A third inmate also testified that Graham confessed to killing the child.

As for McCloud, she insisted that she did not want to testify, although she admitted she reached out to defense attorneys, not prosecutors to expose Lunceford.

“I’d hate to be on trial and convicted because of someone else’s lies,” McCloud said.

Prosecutor Joshua Weintraub has called McCloud, 41, a “spurned lover.”

“You’re here because Robin Lunceford got you and some friends … arrested in state prison, isn’t that correct?” Weintraub barked “That’s why you’re here — to get even with Robin.”

McCloud denied being Lunceford’s lover.





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Jimmy Dushku: The 25-year-old who is North Korea’s one true Twitter friend






Mother Jones takes a look at a globetrotting young investor who’s the only American — and the only human being — Pyongyang follows


Google Chairman Eric Schmidt capped a controversial four-day visit to North Korea on Thursday with a call for the country’s censorship-happy communist government to give its people access to the internet, or face further economic decline due to the country’s global isolation. It was a strong message from one of the web’s most powerful figures, although North Korea watchers seem pretty confident the country’s young leader, Kim Jong Un, will ignore it. There’s one American, however, Pyongyang does appear to listen to. That would be Jimmy Dushku, a young investor who is one of exactly three Twitter users Kim’s government follows on Twitter. What’s the story behind this unlikely online bromance? Here, a guide:






Who is Jimmy Dushku?
He’s a 25-year-old financial whiz kid from Austin, Texas. Dushku, who also goes by the nicknames “Jimmer” and “Jammy,” started a website development business when he was 14, according to Mother Jones, and he parlayed his early earnings into investments that now include everything from construction projects in Europe to real estate in Texas to mines in South America. He’s also a rabid Coldplay fan, and when he isn’t jetting around the world, he says he likes to play Rachmaninoff on his piano and zoom around on his Ducati Monster motorcycle.


SEE MORE: North Korea’s rocket launch: 3 consequences


So how did he become buddies with North Korea?
Dushku tells Asawin Suebsaeng at Mother Jones he’s not really sure. “People always ask me how it happened, and I honestly can’t remember,” he says. “It started sometime back in 2010. I was initially surprised.” North Korea followed him, he followed North Korea “out of courtesy.” He tweeted back, “Hello my friend,” and a relationship was born. Then, the North Korean government, which has piled up some 11,000 followers in two-and-a-half years on Twitter, abruptly whittled down the number of accounts it follows, leaving just three. Dushku made the cut (along with a Vietnam account and another official North Korean handle).


What has Dushku gotten from the relationship?
Death threats, for one thing. Not long after he linked up with North Korea’s account, which goes by @uriminzok (or “our nation”), Dushku says he started getting angry messages from exiles and South Koreans. Since then, he has mostly kept a low profile, just to be safe, although he does occasionally grant interviews to foreign publications. For its part, North Korea gets a rare glimpse at the outside world through Dushku, as his is the only account North Korea follows that is regularly updated — the other two haven’t tweeted in months. He’s also the only human being in the bunch.


Will @JimmyDushku and @uriminzok ever meet in real life?
That’s always the question for acquaintances who meet online, isn’t it? Dushku says his friendly relationship has won him a standing offer to visit North Korea. Casual observers, however, advise him to proceed with caution. “Am I the only one thinking they picked some random guy so they can lure him into North Korea and use him as a political prisoner/bargaining chip?” one commenter at Gizmodo said. Another suggests that Dushku play it cool, without making Pyongyang angry, saying, “Never unfollow anybody with nuclear weapons.”


Sources: Austinist, CNN, Gizmodo, Mother Jones


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'Life of Pi' Director Shocked at Affleck & Bigelow Oscar Snubs

Oscar winning director Ang Lee received wonderful news this morning when he received his third Best Director nomination for Life of Pi. But after learning of his fellow nominees in the category, he tells ET Canada that he was shocked that Ben Affleck and Kathryn Bigelow were snubbed by the Academy, despite their respective movies (Argo and Zero Dark Thirty) being nominated for Best Picture.

ET's Complete Oscar Coverage

"I was shocked," says Lee. "It's not that I don't think the others should have been nominated -- I'm happy for everyone including myself -- but these two seemed to be the sure thing from the beginning. They didn't miss any of the [other award season] nominations."

In fact, both Affleck and Bigelow were just announced to be the finalist for the Directors Guild of America's top honor alongside Lee, Steven Spielberg (Lincoln) and Tom Hooper (Les Miserables). Both Affleck and Bigelow also received director noms for the BAFTA Film Awards, Critics Choice and Golden Globes.

Despite not landing what Lee calls "the last one, the big one" of the entire awards season, he says he is is looking forward to meeting them at the DGA this week.

Related: Stars React to Oscar Nominations

Lee reveals that he found out about Life of Pi's 11 nominations from his assistant on the phone: "I heard heavy breathing on the other end, and I thought, 'Oh this is gonna be good.'" He adds, "I was expecting a lot less, so this is more than I could have hoped for."

Hosted by Seth MacFarlane, the 85th Academy Awards will air live from Hollywood Sunday, February 24, 2013 on ABC.

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Supervalu sells five grocery chains for $100m








Supervalu Inc. is selling off five of its grocery chains, including Albertson's and Jewel-Osco, after years of being squeezed by intensifying competition.

The nation's No. 3 traditional supermarket operator said Thursday that the sale of 877 stores to an investor group led by Cerberus Capital Management will also include Acme, Shaw's and Star Market. The group already owns about 200 Albertson's in the South and Southwest.

Following the sale, Supervalu will focus on its Save-A-Lot discount stores, as well as its smaller regional chains Cub, Farm Fresh, Shoppers, Shop 'n Save and Hornbacher's. It will also keep its wholesale business that distributes groceries to stores.




The investor group will pay $100 million in cash for the stores, and the new company will assume $3.2 billion in existing debt. Cerberus will also offer to buy up to 30 percent of the remaining Supervalu for $4 per share after the deal closes.

Supervalu has struggled for years to turn around its business. The broader supermarket industry has been facing growing competition from big-box retailers such as Target, drugstore chains and dollar stores. While bigger chains such as Kroger Co. have adapted by tweaking store formats and improving discount programs and product offerings, Supervalu has scrambled to keep pace.

This summer, Supervalu fired its CEO and tapped Chairman Wayne Sales to lead a turnaround. The company said at the time that it was reviewing its options, such as putting itself up for sale. In the meantime, it has closed stores and cut jobs as part of an effort to reduce costs. Those efforts to fix its business will continue after the sale of its grocery chains is complete, the company said. Sam Duncan, who most recently was CEO of OfficeMax, will replace Sales as head of Supervalu after the deal closes.

On Thursday, Supervalu also reported a profit of $16 million, or 8 cents per share, for the third quarter. The results were boosted by a gain related to a settlement with credit card companies. A year ago, the company lost $750 million, or $3.54 per share.

However, total revenue for the period declined 5 percent to $7.9 billion. Sales at locations open at least a year fell 4.5 percent, and 4.1 percent at Save-A-Lot. Its profit margins also fell, in part because the company said it boosted promotions and cut prices for shoppers.

Bob Miller, who heads the Albertson's already owned by the Cerberus-led investment group, said the performance at the newly acquired Albertson's could be improved.

"In 2006, we acquired a set of stores that lacked investment and were in tough shape," he said, noting that those stores have grown into a "solid regional supermarket chain with growing sales."

A representative for the buyers noted that the transaction is still subject to approvals and declined to say whether any job cuts were planned for the newly acquired Albertson's, or whether the other chains would keep their names.

Supervalu's shares rose 15 percent to $3.51 in morning trading.










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Cellphone use hits a record during BCS snoozer




















How boring was the BCS game? Fans were turning to their cellphones in record numbers.

AT&T announced Thursday it had never seen so much cellphone use at a sporting event than it did for the Monday night game at Sun Life Stadium, when the Alabama Crimson Tide quickly dominated the Notre Dame Fighting Irish. In fact, data traffic was 150 percent more than the 2012 Super Bowl in Indianapolis when the New York Giants eked out a 21-17 win over the New England Patriots.

At least part of the spike had nothing to do with the game itself: the still-growing popularity of smart phones, the increasing amount of data that can be streamed easily, the enhanced coverage at Sun Life for the large event. But the lopsided 42-14 game certainly didn’t provide much distraction. Spectators sent and received more than 360,000 texts and 75,000 calls — roughly one call per ticket holder.





DOUGLAS HANKS





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Vehicle repairs top list of Miami-Dade consumer complaints for 6th year




















Miracle vitamins that don’t work, mail-order mattresses that don’t live up to the testimonials, never-ending magazine subscriptions: These are some of the things people call Miami-Dade’s Consumer Protection Mediation Center to complain about.

“We get every type of complaint you could imagine,” said Alejandra Castro-Nunez, public relations specialist with the Miami-Dade County Business Affairs Division.

But for the sixth year in a row, consumers’ biggest gripe is vehicle repairs, with 696 written complaints filed in 2012, according to a report by the Department of Regulatory and Economic Resources’ consumer protection center.





The next-highest number of complaints came from for-hire transportation, at 394 complaints. About a quarter of those complaints were related to lost-and-found issues.

Other categories high on the list were housing service (175 complaints in 2012), towing (171 complaints) and automotive sales (153 complaints).

Vehicle repair complaints saw a 29 percent decrease from 2011. Castro-Nunez attributes this in part to multiple citations starting to catch up with vehicle repair businesses.

“They’re getting the message,” she said.

A big portion of the vehicle repair complaints are about mechanics. Drivers who aren’t auto experts are susceptible to getting ripped off.

“It’s very easy to scam someone and tell them something’s wrong that’s not wrong. So it’s an industry that’s very high in scams,” she said.

Castro-Nunez said the county’s consumer advocates can still cite businesses they don’t regulate, but if there’s a pattern of complaints against such a business, they usually sue for unfair and deceptive business practices.

To file a complaint, a consumer must submit a written claim to the Consumer Protection Mediation Center.

Sometimes, an investigation can get thousands of dollars back.

Once, a tourist from New York called the department after coming to Miami on vacation.

She’d been to a psychic, who she said hypnotized her and later charged her $10,000 for the visit. A consumer advocate was able to get back $8,500.

Last year, the center garnered about $1.2 million in reimbursements.

Castro-Nunez said it depends on the case, but most of the time, the consumer gets some money back.

To prevent that entire process, though, people can call the county o find out if complaints have been filed against a company.

Mainly, she said, “we want to protect the businesses that are doing the right thing and we want to protect consumers.”

Gabe Cortez, owner of Plaza Tire & Auto Center near midtown in Miami, doesn’t receive many complaints from customers.

The key to his success, he said, is strong supervision, guidelines for employees and maintaining communication with customers.

“There are procedures,” he said. “There’s nothing magic about it.”

Cortez started his business in 1977 with one mechanic. He now has six, but he said the principles are the same.

“Treat the customer with friendliness and professionalism, and that’s about it.”





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Men and Women of (Limited) Letters: Must-Follow Twitter Accounts of 2013






Scientific American editors voted in recent weeks on the 20 most informative Twitter accounts to stay abreast of the latest ideas, issues and developments in science and technology. We weeded through hundreds of lists and feeds to select the most brilliant and engaging, as well as the quirkiest of the bunch.Our picks are often witty, sometimes eccentric and occasionally silly, but each brings valuable insights to his or her area of expertise. For the latest, greatest tweets on science, technology, journalism, astronomy, physics, mathematics and more, check out these top 20 Twitter accounts of 2013, listed here in alphabetical order.





 Must-Follow Twitter Accounts of 2013Next »
BBC Science
@BBCscience

 Pay attention to BBC Science for breaking science and environmental news from a global perspective. Tweets are most often serious, with the occasional story about whether a toilet seat really is the dirtiest item in the house. The BBC offers variety suitable to both the casual consumer and the diehard nerd.









« Previous
Intro
Must-Follow Twitter Accounts of 2013Next »
Deborah Blum
@DeborahBlum

Deborah Blum’s tweets about poison, murder and other interesting articles and quips aren’t all that make her Twitter feed unique. It also stands out for her insights into science journalism. Blum often posts jobs, tips and tricks of the trade that will motivate any aspiring science blogger to break out the laptop and start posting.
By day, Sean Carroll is a theoretical physicist. By night he’s a “truth vigilante.” The Caltech researcher writes lofty pieces about eternity and dark matter, and tweets fascinating facts about his field.


 This NASA Twitter account gained notoriety when the car-size rover Curiosity landed on Mars in August 2012. With its witty persona, pop culture references and updates on its forays across the surface of the Red Planet, @MarsCuriosity is a must-follow for 2013—and the rest of its multiyear tour. Also check out the “Curiosity Explorer” badge on Foursquare and watch the rover’s New Year’s Eve message on YouTube
David Dobbs is an accomplished science journalist who is big on audience engagement in the new media milieu. His Twitter feed is punctuated with responses to readers weighing in on a wide variety of topics, especially cognitive science. Dobbs also tweets sporadically about his personal life and his work for Wired. He’s working on his fifth book.
Maryn McKenna, a specialist on food policy, public health and infectious disease, has built and cultivated a dedicated online following. Her tweets and posts are smart, quirky and highly informative. A seasoned science journalist, she uses social media to nerd out on a daily basis, so join in the geeky fun.
Former Scientific American special projects guru Christopher Mims isn’t shy. Opinionated and straightforward, the technology and sustainability journalist, now at QuartzNews, stays ahead of the pack. Mims frequently engages with his audience and uses crowd-sourcing to gather material for many of his stories.
Scientific American editors enjoy checking in on Nature News‘s hard-nosed, clever twitter feed.  One might suspect that our favor for it derives from the fact that Scientific American is also part of Nature Publishing Group, but we actually operate as editorially independent units. Follow Nature News especially for investigative reporting on science scandals and international science policy, as well as the latest important biomedical and physics news.


 Founder and CEO of O’Reilly Media Tim O’Reilly reports technology trends and comments on advocacy issues. His Twitter feed is dominated by references to Silicon Valley and e-book deals. Follow his tweets for insightful coverage of the technical world.
John Allen Paulos is a PhD with character. He’s wearing a bow tie in his profile picture, and his favored emoticon is a winking smiley face. Paulos’s tweets can be a tad cryptic for the layperson, but the mathematician has such a great sense of humor that you’re sure to laugh out loud at some point—even if you don’t quite understand the joke.
Accomplished blogger Phil Plait has just migrated his popular “Bad Astronomy” blog to Slate. The author, skeptic, father and punster primarily covers the ins and outs of the solar system. The best part about Plait’s Twitter feed is his daily #BAFact, wherein he throws strange-but-true scraps of science to his curious followers.


 Veteran science journalist Paul Raeburn has turned his eye in recent years to good-natured meta-media, covering science reporting itself for the Knight Science Journalism Tracker while also covering reseach on fatherhood. Raeburn takes reporters to task for sloppy thinking, points out inaccuracies and addresses ethical dilemmas. Follow his account just to read the back-and-forth between him and his targets.
Andy Revkin is a leader in the environmental reporting field, covering everything from fracking to global warming. Check out Revkin’s DotEarth blog in The New York Times too for his breaking news coverage—it’s all the environmental news that’s fit to cover.


 Science Friday, part of National Public Radio’s Talk of the Nation radio program, packs its Twitter feed with tantalizing links that just beg to be clicked on. @SciFri looks at daily news through a scientific lens, including live tweets to provide context during the weekly broadcast. The result is an entertaining bundle of scientific discoveries, intrigues and debunkings.
Scientific American‘s contributors are a brilliant group of reporters, bloggers and commentators, if you’ll pardon this moment of pride. Creativity, skepticism and authoritative context are a big part of what makes our coverage so engaging and worthwhile. Check out this Twitter list and follow your favorites.
Nate Silver, the most celebrated political statistician of the 2012 election, started out as a forecaster of baseball player performance. When he turned his attention to U.S. presidential elections, using statistical models to accurately predict what was thought to be unpredictable, he became a sensation. Although this past year’s electoral frenzy is behind us, Silver is still at work making predictions we’d be foolish to ignore.
Steven Strogatz holds the esteem of math wunderkinds as well as those who are iffy on formulas. He’s hardly a typical numbers-cruncher. The Cornell University professor has a knack for taking on complex topics and making them interesting, even to full-on mathphobes. In his recent book, The Joy of X, discussions range from the number of people one should date before settling down to how HBO’s The Sopranos can help us understand calculus. His Twitter account is similarly entertaining.
Not following Neil DeGrasse Tyson on Twitter? Beware: science nerds who don’t wake up each morning to the rational witticisms of NGT in their feed risk losing all geek cred. If you fit this description, please remedy that situation—now.
Blogger Ed Yong diligantly weaves a love of data into his prose, while still managing to craft posts that are accessible to readers with little to no science background. By covering new findings skeptically and tweeting prolifically, he has built a readership that relies on him for science news. Join the club.
A self-described “champion of underappreciated life-forms,” Carl Zimmer tends to tackle stories about parasites, viruses and quantum earthworms. Follow his feed, probably the most followed of any science writer, for solid reporting and captivating writing.





« Previous
Ed Yong
@EdYong209
Must-Follow Twitter Accounts of 2013Restart the list »
Introduction

Follow Scientific American on Twitter @SciAm and @SciamBlogs.Visit ScientificAmerican.com for the latest in science, health and technology news.
© 2013 ScientificAmerican.com. All rights reserved.
Social Media News Headlines – Yahoo! News





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Beyonce Shows Incredible Post Baby Body on GQ Cover

Nearly a year to the day after giving birth to her first child Blue Ivy, Beyonce is ready to unveil her unbelievable post-baby body!

Pics: Beyonce Shares Blue Ivy Moments

The GQ February 2013 cover girl shows off her killer abs (and her football spirit) for the special issue highlighting the 100 sexiest women of the 21st century. The list, starting with Bey, also recognizes Megan Fox, Kate Upton and Mila Kunis with the enviable distinction.

The racy cover, leaked to the web on Wednesday, created an internet frenzy which prompted the magazine to release the official photo ahead of schedule.

You can check out the entire spread online at GQ.com Tuesday, January 15.

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Cuomo proposes gun, ammo magazine limits








ALBANY — New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo called for closing loopholes on a state ban on assault weapons and ammunition magazines that carry more than 10 bullets as part of a wide-ranging gun control package he proposed in his State of the State speech Wednesday.

"Guns have both a noble and a tragic tradition in America and in New York state," Cuomo stated in remarks provided before his speech. "They are a sign of our nation's fiercely defended independence and self-reliance ... (but) in the wrong hands, guns are also weapons of untold destruction and heartbreak.





Shannon DeCelle



Gov. Cuomo





"The tragic events of just the last few weeks in Newtown, Conn., and West Webster, N.Y., have indelibly taught us guns can cut down small children, firefighters and policemen in a moment."

The state already has among the most restrictive gun control laws in the nation, but a deal is expected soon that could make New York one of the first states to pass gun control laws following the Dec. 14 shooting, in which 20 first-graders and six educators were gunned down with a powerful weapon at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Connecticut. The shooter also killed his mother and himself.

New York's effort was hastened further by the Christmas Eve killings of two firefighters in western New York by a man who set his neighborhood on fire, lay in wait with a high-powered rifle for responders, shot them and killed himself. Webster residents related to the firefighters were honored guests at the State of State address.

"Some weapons are so dangerous and some ammunition devices so lethal that we simply cannot afford to continue selling them in our state," Cuomo said.

Cuomo would also require follow-ups for owners of handgun licenses to make sure they are still qualified to possess a gun based on criminal and other records. He would increase sentences for gun crimes including for using guns on school property and for gang activities.

Legislators were working Wednesday behind closed doors to reach agreement on the governor's demand for tighter controls on assault weapons and high-capacity ammunition magazines.

Democratic Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver and Republican Sen. Martin Golden agreed the closed-door talks has brought all sides to within 95 percent of a deal, which could be announced and acted on this week.

"New York leads the nation, it's time New York lead the nation in this," Silver said. His priorities are bans on assault rifles and high-capacity magazines of ammunition.

Golden, a leader in the Senate on crime-fighting measures, said in an interview that the final deal is expected to have some stiffer sentences for gun crimes, although not as severe as he hoped. Also, he said, the deal will crack down on the trafficking of illegal guns. The Brooklyn Republican, a former New York City police officer, said illegal guns are the weapons of choice in New York City crime.

The priority for Cuomo and Silver is to close what they say are loopholes that let some weapon designs escape a ban on assault weapons. They also want to outlaw the high-capacity magazines.

"I think we will come up with a reasonable definition and a reasonable closing of loopholes," Silver said.

Senate Republican leader Dean Skelos is insisting on changes to a state law that authorizes longer court-ordered mental health treatment for individuals who won't seek help but are deemed a safety threat.

Legislators are prepared to be called into session by Cuomo as early as Thursday if a deal is struck, though a Cuomo spokesman said he knows of no plan to call legislators into session that day. The Legislature isn't scheduled for regular session until Monday.

In other priorities, Cuomo proposes raising the minimum wage from $7.25 an hour to $8.75 an hour, an idea he also pitched a year ago; allowing three casinos for upstate New York and none in New York City; and making possession of up to 15 ounces of marijuana seen in "open view" punishable as a violation.

In addition, the governor would eliminate the Long Island Power Authority as part of measures to better protect New York City and Long Island and would "harden" the energy network that failed for millions of New Yorkers for as many as 21 days with the Oct. 29 superstorm. The governor said the Long Island Power Authority failed during the storm.

Other proposals include a statewide volunteer network of skilled New Yorkers, such as electricians and carpenters to respond to superstorms and other disasters, Cuomo said at a conference center in Albany.

The governor and legislative leaders are also in negotiations on initiatives, including changes to schools to improve student performance that could mean longer days and academic years; and restrictions on the New York City Police Department's stop-and-frisk procedures that critics say impinge on civil rights. Another Cuomo priority is legalizing casinos off Indian land.










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Florida company provides electrical power for the world




















More than 4,000 miles from its home base in Doral, Energy International is helping keep the lights on and the power grid humming in Gibraltar, the British territory on the southern tip of the Iberian Peninsula.

Energy International, a global provider of power plants and energy solutions, sent a temporary plant that will provide power for at least the next two years while a more permanent fix is sought for the territory’s erratic and aging electrical system.

The Doral company was founded 14 years ago as MCA Power Systems and its initial goal was to pursue energy contracts in Latin America. It began in 2000 with a name change and in recent years its focus has become global.





“The world needs energy,’’ said Brett Hall, EI’s vice president of finance.

While the 2007-2008 recession curtailed the growth of worldwide energy demand, the U.S. Energy Information Agency has projected that global demand for electricity will increase by 2.3 percent annually from 2008 to 2035.

The potential is especially strong in developing nations. The International Energy Agency estimated that in 2009, 21 percent of the world’s population — 1.4 billion people — didn’t have access to electricity. In sub-Saharan Africa, the percentage of people without power rises to 69 percent.

Energy International has expanded sales from Latin America and the Caribbean to Europe, Africa and the Middle East, boosting revenue from $100 million annually in 2009 to more than $300 million today, Hall said. This year, EI is anticipating revenue of $350 million to $375 million.

In the next seven years the company, which is privately owned by American shareholders and affiliated with Gecolsa — the Caterpillar dealership in Colombia — hopes revenue will top $1 billion, he said.

Even though Energy International is based in the United States, it does little work domestically. Its sweet spot is emerging economies and projects that require an investment on its part of $100 million or less.

“Our focus is to do whatever makes the most economic sense for a particular market,’’ said Hall.

“We’re not going to be building a nuclear power plant,’’ he said. But EI will accommodate its solutions to local fuel supplies whether it’s biofuel, natural gas or heavy fuels that are more prevalent.

When it comes to the type of temporary power solution needed by Gibraltar, which had been plagued by a string of power outages at its archaic electrical facilities, EI can have a temporary plant up and running in 30 to 40 days, supplying the engineering, rental turbines and other equipment and doing the installation.

“We were able to support Gibraltar’s power needs on short notice,’’ said Andres Molano, EI’s vice president of sales. “Some of their equipment required major maintenance and they needed to stop their plants.’’

EI, one of the world’s largest suppliers of interim energy solutions, signed a $12 million contract with the government of Gibraltar in November and the plant was operational by Dec. 21. The agreement includes an option for a three-year extension.

The equipment now in use in Gibraltar is considered part of EI’s fleet and will move on to other energy emergencies when its service in the territory famed for the Rock of Gibraltar is complete.

But when it comes to its permanent power plants, EI will build a facility for a client looking to generate its own power or construct a plant, run it and sell power directly to the final user.

“We can do all the work ourselves. We have all the skills in house — finance, design, operations, maintenance, building and the equipment,’’ said Hall.

Energy International moved into the Middle East last year, completing projects in Oman and Yemen and establishing a subsidiary in Dubai to pursue business in Africa and the Middle East, said Molano.

“Africa is new to us, but we believe there are opportunities there,’’ he said.

The company also is looking for continued growth in Latin America, especially in Colombia, which is now attracting foreign investors who previously had been spooked by violence.

Remote areas of the Amazon where temporary power solutions are needed also represent opportunity for the company.

“EI is very fortunate to be in a position in which we have more excellent opportunities than capital.’’ said Hall, so this year it will be concentrating on raising equity to finance growth.

“One of our biggest challenges in 2013,’’ Hall said, “will be to find investors or joint venture partners to provide capital that will enable EI to perform these projects so our aggressive revenue growth targets can be achieved.’’





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Man run over by construction equipment in Miami-Dade




















A man died in a construction accident Tuesday in Southwest Miami-Dade.

The man, who hasn’t yet been identified by Miami-Dade police, died after he became trapped under a piece of Bobcat construction equipment at about 11:40 a.m. at 15351 SW 208th Ave.

This report will be updated as more information becomes available.








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Google offers New York City neighborhood free WiFi






(Reuters) – Google Inc and a New York redevelopment organization are providing a Manhattan neighborhood with free public WiFi Internet access, making it the largest area of coverage in New York City.


The search giant and the non-profit Chelsea Improvement Co are making Internet access available outdoors in Chelsea, which is home to Google’s New York offices and several technology start-ups.






The neighborhood is also home to many students, as well as residents of one of the city’s public housing developments.


Google does not plan to extend the program, a company spokesman said on Tuesday.


The company also provides free Internet access to the city of Mountain View, California, where its main campus is located.


New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg and U.S. Senator Charles Schumer helped unveil the initiative.


(Reporting by Jennifer Saba in New York; Editing by Dan Grebler)


Tech News Headlines – Yahoo! News





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McConaughey Basks in Awards Glow at NYFCC Event

Matthew McConaughey, Rachel Weisz, Sally Field and more were on hand Monday night in Manhattan to receive their prestigious New York Film Critics Circle honors, and ET was there!

Related: Matthew McConaughey Welcomes Baby No. 3

Watch the video to see if the stars are ready for the awards season onslaught, and to hear McConaughey talk about his serious weight loss and gain for a recent role – and about being a new dad again!

Related: Weisz & Day-Lewis Top NYFCC Picks Alongside 'Zero'

McConaughey was named Best Supporting Actor for his performances in both Bernie and Magic Mike, while The Deep Blue Sea star Weisz was awarded the top female acting award of 2012 alongside Daniel Day-Lewis as Lincoln. Field was named Best Supporting Actress for Lincoln, and Zero Dark Thirty was named Best Picture, with its helmer Kathryn Bigelow nabbing the Best Director award.

CLICK HERE for the complete list of NYFCC awards.

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WATCH: New video shows drunk, moaning passenger being taped to seat









That's one rough flight!

New video has emerged of the drunk airline passenger on a trans-Atlantic flight between Reykjavik and Kennedy Airport.

Gudmundur Karl Arthorsson, 46, was en route to the Caribbean to meet his fiancée when he got smashed aboard an Icelandair flight and tried to choke and grope several passengers — and at one point yelled that the plane was going down.

Cops picked Arthorsson up at Kennedy Airport after the flight arrived at about 6:30 p.m. on Thursday and took him to Jamaica Hospital.

There he spent the night being treated for alcohol poisoning, sources said.



Boozy Arthorsson, a civil engineer in Trinidad and Tobago, was home in Reykjavik over the holidays visiting family.

Arthorsson, an Icelandic citizen, visits his homeland often to see family.

He earned infamy when he was depicted on the cover of The Post duct-taped to his seat, with his arms and feet bound.

Before boarding the plane, he’d stocked up on Grand Marnier, whiskey and schnapps at a duty-free store.

Federal authorities declined to prosecute the case.










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South Broward SCORE offers workshops for startups and small businesses




















South Broward SCORE said Tuesday that it offer several workshops in the coming months, geared to help startups test their ideas, and give small business owners the tools to import and export goods and learn the essentials of sales and marketing.

The workshops are led by SCORE volunteers, who are either retired business owners or are currently in business, the organization said.

In January, South Broward SCORE will offer a series of five weekly workshops, beginning from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. on Wednesday, Jan. 23, entitled “Simple Steps - A business boot camp for startups.” The cost is $100.





From 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. on Monday, Jan. 28, the organization will hold a workshop on Import/Export principles. The cost is $40.

To learn more about the workshoips and sign up, visit www.southbroward.score.org.

INA PAIVA CORDLE





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Mystery of empty Cuban raft found on Black Point appears to be solved




















The mystery of the Cuban raft found over the weekend near Black Point in south Miami-Dade appears to be solved.

The cruise ship Carnival Valor rescued four Cubans on Dec. 30 aboard a Styrofoam raft that appears to be the same one that washed up empty, sparking fears that its passengers had drowned.

U.S. Coast Guard spokesperson Marilyn Fajardo confirmed Monday that the Valor picked up four Cubans and transferred them to a cutter, but added that officials were still checking whether the two rafts were the same.





A passenger on the Valor on Monday emailed El Nuevo Herald cell phone photos of the Cubans and the raft, which looked to be the same one that was found Saturday near the Black Point Marina in Cutler Bay.

The brief email noted the four rafters were picked up by the Valor at about midnight on Dec. 30. The U.S. Coast Guard was “a few miles away and was witness to the rescue,” it added, and the four “were returned to the American Coast Guard on Saturday 5 January.”

The passenger did not reply to emailed requests for an interview or further details, and could not be independently located.

The discovery of the empty raft Saturday sparked fears that its occupants might have died.

Nancy Perez, who spotted the beached raft during a nature walk and took photos of it, told El Nuevo Herald Sunday that a Florida Fish and Wildlife agent at the scene told her the occupants probably died. An agency spokesman Monday denied its agents made any such comment.

Perez also noted the raft contained an altar to Eleguá, a god of Afro-Cuban religions, and a Cuban national ID card. “No one abandons an Eleguá. If you believe in that and you put it in the raft, you don’t,” she added.

Cuban citizens who set foot on U.S. territory can stay under the “wet-foot, dry-foot” policy. Those who are intercepted at sea are returned to Cuba by the Coast Guard unless they indicate a “credible fear” of persecution if repatriated.

The raft found near the Black Point Marina was made of Styrofoam blocks and wood planks, had an olive green tarp for sail and four oar posts.

It contained a large water container, several small bottles with sugared water and honey, empty juice cans, plastic bags with food crumbs, a blue lighter and what seemed to be a container of coffee.

U.S. authorities intercepted more than 1,270 Cuban migrants at sea during the 12 months that ended Sept. 30. Another 350 rafters made it to U.S. shores during the same period.





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Mark Zuckerberg faces fine in Germany over Facebook privacy violations









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KCET's Huell Howser Dead at 67

California's Gold host Huell Howser passed away in Palm Springs Sunday of natural causes, KCET confirmed on Monday.

Pics: Most Shocking Celebrity Deaths of All Time

The TV icon, best known for his enthusiasm and folksy demeanor, was 67 when he died at his home just months after retiring due to health concerns.

Howser made a name for himself as a reporter for Entertainment Tonight and CBS news. He went on to specialize in programs dedicated to small towns, landmarks, and places of interest in California.

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Blustery restaurateur blames everyone else for Meatpacking cafe flop








An international restaurateur is pointing fingers in every corner of the Meatpacking District over the September flop of her bistro and nightspot, according to papers filed in Manhattan Supreme Court.

After failing to pin blame for the failure of MPD on her former hotspot-promoting partners — who are suing her in federal court for trademark infringement — Tatiana Brunetti is now casting a litigious glare at the new Whitney Museum outpost being built at the southern end of the High Line.

“Crippling, unreasonable disturbance caused by deafening noise,” from the construction site on Ganesvoort Street forced the restaurant’s closure,” claims Brunetti in her lawsuit filed today in Manhattan Supreme Court.





Handout



An artist rendering of the Whitney Museum outpost under construction at the southern end of the High Line. Tatiana Brunetti blames the failure of her Michelin recommended restaurant MPD on construction noise emanating from the Whitney.





Brunetti is co-owner of the Ginza Group, which runs hotspots like the upscale karaoke bar at the Dream Hotel in midtown and the Flatiron Russian restaurant Mari Vanna.

She also has claimed that MPD’s former promoters, brothers Daniel and Derek Koch, sabotaged the eatery by turning it into a “seedy nightclub,” according to an affidavit.

Turner Construction, which is also named as a defendant in the suit, broke ground on the new Whitney, which is adjacent to the defunct 73 Gansevoort St. restaurant, in May 2011.

“Heavy construction vehicles with their engines idling loudly,” drove customer’s from MPD’s smog-choked outdoor café “around the clock,” the filing states.

The svelte Brunetti, who touts her global success in the restaurant industry in the lawsuit, said she couldn’t pay the rent after the noise drove away customers, according to the documents. Two years after opening in 2010 she was evicted and lost her $5 million investment, the filing states.

Neither Turner nor the Whitney immediately returned messages seeking comment.

The real reason for the closure of MPD, which earned a Michelin recommendation in 2012 for its saffron-crusted rack of lamb, was Brunetti’s sacking of the Koch brothers, their attorney Rick Savitt said.

“My guys are miracle workers. They turn places around, bring the crowd, do everything,” said Savitt, who’s fighting two lawsuits against Brunetti, the federal trademark issue and a state court battle over a $85,000 loan.

The brothers run the wine bar and model hangout Chateau Cherbuliez in the former Limelight space.

The Koches earned a 10- to 15-percent commission from the restaurant’s receipts until Brunetti ended the partnership last winter, according to the federal case.

“The fall from grace was so drastic they terminated my guys in January and the place shut down for good in September,” Savitt said.

In a March 2012 affidavit Brunetti asserted the MPD concept was her idea and charged the Kochs with manipulating reservations, incurring liquor license violations and badmouthing her to vendors.

Brunetti’s attorney did not immediately return calls.

julia.marsh@nypost.com










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For Canes fans, BCS national title game is like the Pick Your Poison Bowl




















The college football national championship game might as well be the “Pick Your Poison Bowl” for Miami Hurricanes fans.

It’s tough for many to decide who they dislike more playing for all the glory on their team’s home turf: The Alabama Crimson Tide or the Notre Dame Fighting Irish?

Notre Dame, a long-hated rival, whipped the struggling Hurricanes this year. Alabama, which dismantled the Hurricanes and denied them a repeat national championship in the 1993 Sugar Bowl, would repeat as the nation’s top team if it wins Monday at Sun Life Stadium.





“My TV won’t be able to turn to that particular channel. I won’t watch,” said Randall “Thrill” Hill, one of the greatest University of Miami receivers who played during the height of the rivalry against Notre Dame from 1987 to 1991.

“If I had to have one of those two teams win – oh my goodness, I can’t believe I’m saying this – it would have to be Notre Dame,” Hill said.

Hill said it’s less about loving the Irish and more about seriously disliking Alabama’s head coach, Nick Saban, who – despite his denials -- took the job in 2006 after a disappointing tenure leading the Miami Dolphins.

“I’m a fan of my community,” Hill said. “And I just do not like the way Saban, with his attitude and personality, came down here and left the South Florida area.”

Saban’s Dolphins legacy – or infamy – haunted him as soon as he landed Wednesday at Miami International Airport, where reporters hit him up with questions about his time in South Florida.

“I made my comments about all that,” he said, occasionally referring to himself in the third person. “We really love South Florida. We have a lot of great relationships here.”

The Crimson Tide’s football-operations director, Joe Pannunzio, coached at UM until 2011. And its offensive line coach, Jeff Stoutland, held the same post at the University of Miami, where he was named interim coach in 2010, when the Hurricanes lost in the Sun Bowl to Notre Dame.

“I know these guys,” said Don Bailey Jr. a UM center from 1979-1982. “It’s real simple for me: I’m not rooting for Notre Dame.”

Bailey remembers that, before playing against Notre Dame, he and his roommate, a linebacker, were dissed during a hotel elevator ride by a few hulking players from South Bend.

“They asked us if we were in the Miami band,” Bailey chuckles. “From that day forward, it made it real easy for me to root against Notre Dame.”

One of the Hurricanes most die-hard fans, Liberty City rapper-turned-football-coach Luther Campbell, said he isn’t conflicted.

“I root against Notre Dame. I hate them,” he said.

“Notre Dame is treated like someone special, like they’re bigger than anybody else, bigger than anything in college football,” he said. “’They have their own network contract. They’re not affiliated with any conference and they still get to go to the national championship game, all they have to do is go undefeated. They could play cookie-cutter teams and go undefeated. That’s the pope’s team. I like the pope. But I’m not ok with Notre Dame.”

Also, as a coach for Northwestern High School, Campbell has a special bond with Alabama’s star receiver, Amari Cooper, a Northwestern graduate who wanted to play for the Hurricanes at one point.

For filmmaker Billy Corben, who directed “The U” documentary about the Hurricanes, the national-title game can be summed up as two sappy movies about each of the storied programs: “It’s Rudy vs. Forrest Gump.”

“As a filmmaker, a story teller, it’s a lot easier to paint Alabama as the bad guys. Notre Dame is the underdog,” he said. “Ultimately, I’d enjoy an Alabama loss more.”

But there’s not much to enjoy, Corben said, likening the title game to an election. He wants a third party.

“If the national title game was a presidential race,” he said, “I’d vote for Gary Johnson to play.”





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Riches in niches: U.S. cops, in-flight movies may be model for Panasonic survival






TOKYO (Reuters) – Panasonic Corp’s answer to the brutal onslaught on its TV sales may be in a product the Japanese firm launched 17 years ago and which is a must-have for U.S. police cars.


Two thirds of the 420,000 patrol cars in the United States are equipped with the company’s rugged Toughbook computers, and Panasonic chief Kazuhiro Tsuga sees the niche product as a model for how the sprawling conglomerate can make money beyond a gadget mass market increasingly dominated by Samsung Electronics and Apple Inc.






“What we need are businesses that earn, and they don’t necessarily have to have big sales,” Tsuga told reporters after his appointment as company president was approved in June.


Tsuga also sees avionics – Panasonic is the world’s leading maker of in-flight entertainment systems – automated production machinery, and lighting as profit earners as income from TVs and other consumer electronics dwindles.


Panasonic, Sony Corp and Sharp Corp have been hit hard by South Korean-made TVs, Blu-ray players and mobiles and Apple tablets that threaten to wipe out Japan as a global consumer electronics hub. The Toughbook, sold only to businesses and governments, was conceived as a response to the type of profit sapping competition that is now roiling TVs.


“At the time, we were losing in personal computers to Compaq and IBM,” said Hide Harada, who heads the Toughbook unit from the group’s headquarters in Osaka, western Japan. IBM later sold its laptop business to China’s Lenovo Group and Compaq was absorbed by Hewlett Packard.


“It was a guerilla strategy,” Harada said, recalling the Toughbook’s launch in 1996. Panasonic’s promotion campaign included driving jeeps over its computers, dropping them on the ground and dousing them with coffee on morning TV shows.


At rival Sony, too, signs of a niche strategy are emerging in a battle with Apple and South Korean brands that are making gains from a weaker won currency. Combining technologies from several divisions – from projectors to video cameras and headphones – Sony’s 3D Viewer head-mounted visor gives users the feel they are sitting in the middle of a 500-seat movie theater.


The target audience, says product manager Hideki Mori, are those consumers looking to immerse themselves in computer graphics and high quality movies. “Demand has been greater than anticipated,” he said, declining to give specific sales numbers.


LOSING GROUND


The two Japanese firms will show off their wares at this week’s annual CES consumer electronics show in Las Vegas, an event usually dominated by prototypes for next-generation TV technology. Tsuga is due to deliver the event’s keynote speech.


In the past, the Japanese have showcased ultra high-definition 4K televisions, while Samsung and LG Electronics Inc have displayed their ultra-thin OLED (organic light-emitting diode) screens. But, at a price tag likely 10 times that of conventional LCD screens, consumers will take a while to make the generational leap.


Meanwhile, losses at Panasonic, Sony and Sharp mount up. Panasonic has predicted a net loss of $ 8.9 billion in the year to end-March, while Sharp, which has been bailed out by banks, expects an annual loss of $ 5.24 billion. Helped by asset sales, Sony should eke out a small profit.


Japan’s share of the flat panel TV market has shrunk by around a quarter in the past two years, to around 31 percent, according to the Japan Electronics and Information Technology Industries Association. Amid a prolonged strong yen squeeze, the industry lobby expects Japan’s share of the DVD and Blu-ray disc player market to have dropped to around half last year from nearly two-thirds in 2010. Just 8 of every 100 mobile phones sold globally are now Japanese. Manufacturers have shifted TV production overseas, with output in Japan now less than a tenth of what it was two years ago.


Tsuga, who acknowledges Panasonic is a “loser” in consumer electronics, has warned his business units they will be closed or sold if they fail to match Toughbook’s success, giving each two years to deliver at least a 5 percent operating margin.


Any niche-winning strategy that takes his company away from mass market products means Tsuga will need fewer workers, investors say. Panasonic is Japan’s biggest commercial employer with a workforce of more than 300,000. It plans to axe 10,000 jobs in the year to March on top of the 36,000 that were cut in the previous year. More big cuts in Japan, where major lay-offs are uncommon and severance packages expensive, won’t be easy, said Yuuki Sakurai, CEO at Fukoku Capital Management in Tokyo, which manages assets worth $ 18.4 billion, but doesn’t own Panasonic stock.


“It’s like trying to chase the course of a battleship. If they want to become a light cruiser or destroyer, they’ll have to lose employees,” Sakurai said.


GLOBAL STANDARD


Workers Panasonic will likely keep are those in Kobe in western Japan who build the Toughbook PCs – a category defined by a U.S. military quality benchmark that serves as a de facto global standard. Its market share is on a par with Apple’s in tablets, with most U.S. police departments willing to pay as much as $ 3,000 for the rugged laptops which can withstand bumpy high-speed chases and other rigors of street policing.


“They have been near bullet-proof. We had a patrol car catch fire and after all the heat, smoke and water dissipated the computer continued to function,” said Bill Richards, logistics commander for the Tucson police in Arizona, whose force owns close to 650 Toughbooks that connect patrol cars with dispatchers, license records and other police databases.


Other customers include the New York Police Department, California Highway Patrol, Brazilian Military Police and British and U.S. military, which use them on unmanned aerial drones.


“Panasonic is the bellwether, the most recognized brand. The Toughbook is almost synonymous with rugged notebooks,” said David Krebs, a vice president at VDC Research.


While margins in the global PC market are getting slimmer – research firm IHS iSuppli sees annual sales growth of around 7 percent over the next four years from about 216 million PCs last year – the premium-price, fatter margin, rugged PC niche is seen growing by around 10 percent a year to nearly 1.2 million computers by 2016, according to VDC Research.


ANALOG EDGE, DIGITAL SAMENESS


At the Kobe factory, Toughbooks are put through their paces: hosed down to test water resistance, baked to 50 degrees Celsius, chilled to minus 20 degrees and dropped on their tops, bottoms, sides and corners.


Harada describes it as an analog edge in digital products.


“Whoever makes them, the insides of a computer are pretty much the same. It’s the mechanical side that makes us different,” he explained.


The creators of Sony’s 3D Viewer, too, are looking for mechanical appeal as much as electronic prowess. A second, redesigned model, which is now on sale in Japan, is 25 percent lighter at 330 grams, has a better grip and gives users the option of headphones or earplugs, said Mori. “We want to make it lighter,” he added, noting engineers are looking to slim down the heaviest component, the lenses.


While Sony keeps chasing consumers, Panasonic is pursuing a business-to-business niche market model that Tsuga has put at the heart of his revival plan. High on Harada’s target list for the Toughbook are Japanese police forces, which don’t yet buy the computers.


There are no plans, he said, to make cheaper mass market models – which could protect some jobs in the group.


“We aren’t going to put it in Best Buy or Walmart. I don’t think it would turn out well.”


($ 1 = 85.9250 Japanese yen)


(Editing by Ian Geoghegan)


Gadgets News Headlines – Yahoo! News




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