North Florida private killed in Afghanistan

A Florida soldier who was on his first deployment to Afghanistan was killed this weekend in an explosion, the Pentagon said Monday.Army Pfc. Markie T. Sims, 20, of Citra, north of Ocala, died Saturday in Panjwal, Afghanistan, of wounds suffered when enemy forces attacked his unit with an improvised explosive device, according to a Defense Department statement.A combat engineer...

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Angry Birds, YouTube among top apps of 2012

TORONTO (Reuters) – Angry Birds, Instagram and Facebook continued to be among the most downloaded apps of the year but rising stars also earned coveted spots on smartphones and tablets.This year consumers spent on average two hours each day using mobile applications, an increase of 35 percent over last year, according to analytics firm Flurry. The number is expected to continue growing in 2013.“2012...

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A New Year's Tradition: Dick Clark Rocks On

New Year's Eve will never quite be the same without the faithful presence of the beloved, late Dick Clark to ring in the New Year, and we're looking back at the rich life of the entertainment icon whose legacy lives on. Watch the video!Pics: Legend Dick Clark & Music's Biggest NamesDespite overcoming a devastating stroke, Dick seemed in good health and full of good humor when America saw him welcome...

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Jackson family members won't be prosecuted in fight with Michael's kids: report

None of the Jackson family members will be prosecuted over their violent scuffle in July outside the home of family matriarch Katherine Jackson, according to an online report.The case is now closed because no one from the Jackson family would speak to cops, according to TMZ. Singer Janet Jackson allegedly slapped her teenage niece Paris and called...

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Florida recovery picks up the pace

A Federal Reserve index shows a big improvement for Florida’s economy.Each month, the Fed’s Philadelphia bank issues state-by-state indices that combine wage, employment and manufacturing data. And while most states have been improving since 2009, Florida’s index for October saw the biggest jump in seven years. The so-called coincident index by the Philadelphia Fed tracks...

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Manhunt continues for Miami man suspected of killing ex-girlfriend

Miami police detectives on Sunday were still looking for the man suspected of killing his ex-girlfriend outside a Little Havana drugstore Friday afternoon.Investigators said Ifrain Quintana is armed and extremely dangerous. Quintana is believed to be driving a 2001 Blue Ford Explorer with a Florida tag.Quintana is wanted for questioning in the daylight shooting of Ariadna...

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Microsoft Surface trampled at the bottom of the tablet pile this Christmas

While it does have drawbacks just like anything else, Microsoft’s (MSFT) Surface is a great slate for those looking for a fresh new take on the modern tablet. Unfortunately, it doesn’t look like very many people were looking for a fresh new take on the modern tablet this holiday season. In a recent note to investors, R.W. Baird analyst William Power recounted recent conversations had at retailers...

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Golden Globes Flashback: Alec Baldwin 2007

Alec Baldwin was known as a film actor until undertaking debatably the best role of his career on television as "Jack Donaghy" on 30 Rock. After decades in the industry, he experienced immediate, tangible success through the show and was stunned by it all.While he had previously been nominated for awards, including both Oscar and Golden Globes nominations for his 2003 film The Cooler, Baldwin had...

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'The Hobbit' stays atop box office for third week

LOS ANGELES — "The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey" continues to rule them all at the box office, staying on top for a third-straight week with nearly $33 million.The Warner Bros. fantasy epic from director Peter Jackson, based on the J.R.R. Tolkien novel, has made $222.7 million domestically alone.Two big holiday movies — and potential awards contenders — also had strong openings. Quentin Tarantino's...

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Week brings startup launches, social media advice for 2013

Jared Kleinert, a South Florida entrepreneur, plans to soon launch Synergist, a platform that allow social entrepreneurs to meet potential co-founders online, collaborate and crowdfund their new projects. He also just launched AliveNDead, a blog about risk-taking, and he interns for a Silicon Valley startup. And when he’s not doing all that, he’s going to class — he’s a...

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Port strike for east and gulf coasts averted for 30 days, talks continue

A looming longshoremen’s strike set for midnight Saturday, which threatened havoc at 15 ports along the eastern seaboard and Gulf Coast, has been averted for at least a month. The two sides, the International Longshoreman’s Association and the U.S. Maritime Alliance, announced Friday morning they would continue to negotiate after a couple of days of tense mediation. After...

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Apple still said to account for 87% of North American tablet traffic as Kindle Fire, Nexus 7 gain

Apple’s (AAPL) share of the global tablet market is in decline now that low-cost Android slates are proliferating, but the iPad still appears to be the most used tablet by a huge margin. Ad firm Chitika regularly monitors tablet traffic in the United States and Canada and in its latest report, Apple’s iPad was responsible for almost 90% of all tablet traffic across the company’s massive network.[More...

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Selena Gomez, Taylor Swift Have Double Date Ski Trip

Best friends Taylor Swift and Selena Gomez reportedly put their romantic relationships to the test out on the slopes during a Park City, Utah double-date trip earlier this month. Swift, 22, and One Direction heartthrob Harry Styles, 18, along with Gomez, 20, and her on-again, off-again beau Justin Bieber, 18, were spotted at The Canyons resort for an athletic pre-Christmas weekend, People.com reports....

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Victim of brutal subway shove ID'd after attacked caught fleeing on tape

Sunando Sen, 46The victim of last night’s senseless and deadly subway shove has been identified as a hardworking native of Calcutta, India, who loved music and had recently started his own business.Sunando Sen, 46, was pushed into the path of an oncoming 7-train at the elevated 40th Street station around 8 p.m. by a mumbling madwoman who remains on the...

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Port strike for east and gulf coasts averted for 30 days, talks continue

A looming longshoremen’s strike set for midnight Saturday, which threatened havoc at 15 ports along the eastern seaboard and Gulf Coast, has been averted for at least a month. The two sides, the International Longshoreman’s Association and the U.S. Maritime Alliance, announced Friday morning they would continue to negotiate after a couple of days of tense mediation. After...

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Crime Watch: New computer for Christmas? Use it safely

Last week I received several emails from readers who wanted me to write again about computer safety since many got a computer for Christmas. Therefore, I pulled some information from one of our crime prevention partners, The National Crime Prevention Council, and here are tips you need to take seriously whether you are a senior or a parent:• Use anti-virus software and...

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Tarantino Details 'Killer' 'Django' Trilogy Cap

Quentin Tarantino is riding high on the solid box office, critical acclaim and, of course, controversy over his new gunslinging slavery epic Django Unchained, and now he's revealing details of the planned trilogy cap to Django and Inglourious Basterds,potentially called Killer Crow, that would incorporate characters from Basterds -- and surely court more controversy.Pics: New Pics: Jamie & Leo...

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Man busted for DUI after driving on Alcoholic Anonymous co-founder's lawn

DORSET, Vt. — Vermont State Police say a man faces a drunken driving charge after driving onto the lawn of a historic home once owned by the co-founder of Alcoholics Anonymous.Police say 55-year-old Donald Blood III of Marlborough, Mass., was ordered to appear in court in Bennington on Jan. 14.Police say Blood thought he was driving into a parking lot,...

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Deadline to apply for free foreclosure case reviews is Monday

Florida residents who believe they suffered from shoddy foreclosure practices have through Monday to apply for a free case review that could net them up to $125,000 if wrongdoing is found.The program, which is overseen by the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency, began in November 2011 with an estimated 4 million eligibility letters mailed nationwide.As of late September,...

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Outdoorsy fun for the New Year’s holiday

So, as Miss Ella once sang, What Are You Doing New Year’s Eve?Many of you, of course, will ring in 2013 with champagne and dancing at one of the clubs in Miami Beach or downtown Miami — and many of these same people will wake up with a hangover Tuesday only to wonder why they spent $2,000 to be in the same space as R&B/hip-hop act Drake and a DJ at the Fontainebleau...

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Ouch, Charlie! YouTube Sensation Kids Talk Christmas Toys

The infamous “Charlie Bit My Finger” video has surpassed half a billion views on YouTube — not bad for a 56-second clip of a one-year-old kid biting his older brother’s finger.Charlie and Harry, now six and eight, returned to the web earlier this year with a new series through Viral Studios. The mini-episodes focus on the boys and their younger brother, Jasper, as they talk about toys, viral videos...

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Ryan Murphy Adopts Son

Ryan Murphy had a very merry announcement this holiday season: he's a father!According to E! News, Murphy and partner David Miller welcomed a son into their family recently, with the couple announcing their new addition on Christmas Eve to friends and family via email. RELATED - Ryan Murphy Named One of 2012's Most Important CelebritiesThe announcement revealed the boy, named Logan Phineas Miller...

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Small fire reported at WTC site

FDNY crews have responded to a report of a small fire at the World Trade Center site.The report of a fire in a tool shed came in at about 11:30 a.m. today.An FDNY spokesman said firefighters were still on the scene, but it appeared the fire didn't spread far.There were no reports of injuries. @FDNYIncidents via Twitter ...

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Miami Dade College to launch a Social Entrepreneurship Academy

Miami Dade College is launching a Social Entrepreneurship Academy, which aims to teach people about how to start a socially entrepreneurial business, how to market a “green” business and how to embrace a lifestyle that values sustainability and social responsibility, among other offerings.Future non-credit classes will also include topics such as Socially Responsible Investing,...

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Ronald Poppo, victim of causeway attack, finds peace but not healing in special care

When Ronald Poppo was a kid in the 1950s and ’60s, a family Christmas in Brooklyn meant wind-up model trains circling the tree, Italian dinners of lasagna and stuffed squid, and, because Dec. 25 was also his father’s birthday, ricotta-filled cassata cake.There was always music, because the Poppos have musical talent. Ronnie, as his older sister and two older brothers called...

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China may require real name registration for internet access

BEIJING (Reuters) – China may require internet users to register with their real names when signing up to network providers, state media said on Tuesday, extending a policy already in force with microblogs in a bid to curb what officials call rumors and vulgarity.A law being discussed this week would mean people would have to present their government-issued identity cards when signing contracts for...

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Jessica Simpson Pregnant With Second Child

After weeks of speculation, Jessica Simpson has confirmed that she is pregnant with her second child! PHOTO - Does Jessica Look Pregnant? This morning she Tweeted, "Merry Christmas from my family to yours," along with a photo of daughter Maxwell sitting above a message written in the sand. It read: "Big Sis." VIDEO - Jessica on Reaching 50 Pound Weight Loss Goal Simpson, who gave birth to Maxwell...

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Upstate NY madman left chilling suicide note before torching town and luring firefighters to death

William H. Spengler Jr.A homicidal maniac -- bent to “do what I like doing best: killing people" -- left a chilling suicide note before torching his neighborhood and murdering two firefighters, police said today.Ex-con William Spengler Jr., a loser mama’s boy who once spent 17 years in prison for beating his grandmother to death, penned a murderous three-page...

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Miami: We’re still busiest cruise port

Florida’s ports are steaming bow-to-bow in the race to be the world’s businest cruise ship port. Though some publications have reported Port Canaveral in the lead with 3,761,056 million for its fiscal year ending Sept. 30, PortMiami officials Monday said they had hosted 3,774,452 passengers during the same period, putting it slightly ahead. Fort Lauderdale’s PortEverglades...

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South Florida Christians immerse themselves in the spirit

In the days leading up to Christmas, Brenda Lans, a Miami law-firm administrative assistant, sang religious carols with other Lutherans to harried travelers at Miami International Airport.Jorge Rollo, an office manager, oversaw the sprawling Gift of Bethlehem tableau on the grounds of St. John Neumann Catholic Church in southwest Miami-Dade.Teenage siblings Coraliz and Dennis...

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Mariah Carey All I Want For Christmas Is You Covers

While never an underperformer, it's safe to say that Mariah Carey's All I Want For Christmas Is You became infinitely more popular following it's rousing inclusion in 2003's Love Actually. PHOTOS - Sexy Celebrity SantasSince Olivia Olson smashed the song in Richard Curtis' new holiday classic, it's been covered everywhere from Glee to the Today show -- even Mariah herself has re-released a version...

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Gunman dead after killing 2 firefighters, 3 others wounded at scene of blaze near Rochester

@jgermano1 via TwitterJamie Germano tweeted this photo: "Fire on Lake Rd in Webster where firefighter were shot at upon arrival."A sadistic gunman killed two firefighters and wounded three other first responders in western New York this morning after setting a blaze to lure victims into shooting range, officials said.The murderer traded gunfire with cops...

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Lawyer takes child-support practice on the road

Her clients know her as “the child support lady with the cool truck.”Chantale Suttle thinks that’s a pretty good description of her and her months-old business, DADvocacy. For almost 20 years, she’s dealt with child support issues. In law school at the University of Miami, she interned in the child support office, and she went on to handle child support issues as a prosecutor,...

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Two customers killed in grocery store hold-up in Palm Beach

Two customers at a grocery store in Delray Beach were shot and killed Sunday morning when two men burst in and began spraying bullets from semi-automatic handguns at employees and customers, police said. One of the homicide victims was found dead at Community Market, 945 W. Atlantic Ave., in Palm Beach and the other died 90 minutes later at Delray Medical Center, according...

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Video games and shooting: Is the NRA right?

After a week of silence following the Sandy Hook school shooting that killed 20 first graders and six staff in Newtown, Conn., the National Rifle Association blamed the entertainment industry – specifically the producers of violent video games for inciting what has become a pattern of gun violence in the United States.In describing the industry, NRA Vice President Wayne LaPierre said, “There exists...

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Buzzmakers: New X Factor and Miss Universe Winners

What had ET readers buzzing this week?1. 'The X Factor' Crowns A Winner!And the $5 million recording contract goes to…Tate Stevens! The 37-year-old country crooner beat out runner-up 13-year-old Carly Rose Sonenclar for the top prize Thursday night. 35 million votes were cast Wednesday to determine victory for L.A. Reid's mentee.Near tears, the Raymore, Missouri native thanked his fans for their overwhelming...

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NYC starts new program for mentally ill defendants

New York City is making a new effort to channel mentally ill people who get arrested into treatment instead of jail, if they don't need to be there.Mayor Michael Bloomberg announced the initiative on his weekly radio show Sunday.Bloomberg says the effort will start next year and set out to work with 3,000 people annually.Expert teams will assess the defendants'...

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Time’s up for holiday shopping procrastinators

Last minute shoppers like Josette Tyne are in luck this year.With a long weekend before Christmas, retailers want to make it easier for procrastinators to finish their gift buying. Macy’s for the first time is keeping all its stores open around the clock from Friday until Sunday at midnight. Toys “R” Us and Walmart Supercenters will be open non-stop until Christmas Eve.Even...

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On Saturday, Bay of Pigs invasion veterans mark 50 years since their release

In the days before Christmas 50 years ago this weekend, 1,113 Bay of Pigs fighters captured by Fidel Castro’s forces and imprisoned for 20 months were finally released to a heroes’ welcome in Miami.The first planeload of POWs arrived at Homestead Air Force Base on Dec. 23, 1962. Gaunt and betrayed by the John F. Kennedy administration, members of the proud Brigade 2506 were...

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