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Toll increases on Port Authority bridges and tunnels kick in Sunday

Written By Unknown on Jumat, 30 November 2012 | 20.49

FORT LEE, NJ — Motorists will pay more as the next phase of toll increases kick in at Port Authority bridges and tunnels on Sunday.

Cash tolls on the George Washington Bridge, Holland Tunnel, Lincoln Tunnel, Goethals Bridge, Bayonne Bridge and Outerbridge Crossing will increase $1 to $13.

Tolls for E-ZPass users will go from $9.50 to $10.25 during peak commuting hours and from $7.50 to $8.25 during off-peak hours.

The Port Authority last raised tolls in September 2011.

The bistate agency said it needed to offset security-related projects following the 9/11 attacks, a drop in revenue caused by the global economic slump, and the $11 billion World Trade Center complex.

Port Authority tolls will next go up on Dec. 1, 2013 unless a lawsuit against the increase is successful.


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WATCH: Did Maryland man win the Powerball lottery?

ABC7

Surveillance video from a Maryland gas station shows a man celebrating a Powerball lottery win.

We might have our winners.

Maybe.

According to ABC 7 WJLA, one of the two winning Powerball tickets may have been sold to a highway or construction worker who walked into a Prince George's County, Maryland gas station Thursday and showed employees the winning ticket. That winning ticket would have been bought 2,500 miles away in Arizona.

Surveillance video shows the man, clad in yellow, checking his Powerball numbers - then pumping his fists in celebration before double-checking the numbers with employees and customers.

If that ticket is a winner, it's worth nearly $200 million. Winners have 180 days to redeem their prize.

REUTERS

A man leaves the Trex Mart gas station in Dearborn, Missouri where one of two winning tickets in a $587.5 million Powerball lottery was sold.

We won't have to wait long to learn the identity of the other Powerball winner. Lottery officials in Missouri are holding a press conference this morning to introduce America's newest multi-millionaire, believed to be Mark Hill, 52. The winning ticket was reportedly sold at a Trex Mart gas station in Dearborn, a 500-population town located north of Kansas City.

Wednesday's Powerball jackpot - $587.5 million - was the second-largest in US lottery history, trailing March's $660 Mega Millions jackpot.

Ironically, that Mega Millions win also focused on Maryland, with ill-informed McDonald's employee Mirlande Wilson bragging to co-workers that she won - and telling reporters she hid the ticket at work before ultimately losing it.

No, Wilson was never a lottery winner. Three educators later came forward to collect their share of the jackpot. Seven months later and another Maryland resident is striking lottery luck or daze, this time from 2,500 miles away.

With AP


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Dominique Strauss-Kahn, hotel maid to settle

AFP/Getty Images

Nafissatou Diallo (R) accused former IMF head Dominique Strauss-Kahn of sexual assault, but the two have reportedly settled.

Word of a settlement agreement between former International Monetary Fund chief Dominique Strauss-Kahn and a hotel maid who accused him of trying to rape her could bring an end to a saga that has tarnished Strauss-Kahn's reputation, ended his hopes for the French presidency and renewed a debate about the credibility of sexual assault accusers.

But it might not mean the end of legal troubles for Strauss-Kahn. He is awaiting a ruling on whether he is linked to "pimping" in connection with a French prostitution ring.

A person familiar with the New York case said Thursday that lawyers for Strauss-Kahn and the housekeeper, Nafissatou Diallo, made the as-yet-unsigned agreement within recent days, with Bronx Supreme Court Justice Douglas McKeon facilitating that. A court date is expected next week, though the day wasn't set, the person said.

The person spoke to The Associated Press on the condition of anonymity to discuss the private agreement.

Details of the deal, which comes after prosecutors dropped related criminal charges last year, weren't immediately known and likely will be veiled by a confidentiality agreement. That could prevent Strauss-Kahn and Diallo from speaking publicly about a May 2011 encounter that she called a brutally sudden attack and he termed a consensual "moral failing."

Strauss-Kahn lawyer William W. Taylor III declined to comment. Lawyers for the housekeeper didn't immediately respond to phone and email messages.

Diallo, 33, and Strauss-Kahn, 63, crossed paths when she arrived to clean his luxury Manhattan hotel suite. She told police he chased her down, tried to yank down her pantyhose and forced her to perform oral sex.

The allegation seemed to let loose a spiral of accusations about the sexual conduct of Strauss-Kahn, a married diplomat and economist who had long been dubbed the "great seducer."

With DNA evidence showing a sexual encounter and Diallo providing a gripping description of an attack, the Manhattan district attorney's office initially said it had a strong and compelling case. But within six weeks, prosecutors' confidence began to ebb as they said Diallo had lied about her past — including a false account of a previous rape — and her actions after leaving Strauss-Kahn's room.

Diallo, who's from Guinea, said she told the truth about their encounter. But the district attorney's office dropped the charges in August 2011, saying prosecutors could no longer ask a jury to believe her.


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'Santa' showers $100 bills on Sandy victims in NY and NJ

A wealthy Missouri man posing as "Secret Santa" stunned New Yorkers, handing $100 bills to many in Staten Island who had lost everything to Superstorm Sandy.

The Kansas City businessman is giving away $100,000 this holiday season, and spent the day in New Jersey and New York giving away thousands. But he says money is not the issue.

"The money is not the point at all," said the anonymous benefactor on Thursday as he walked up to surprised Staten Island residents and thrust crisp bills into their hands. "It's about the random acts of kindness. I'm just setting an example, and if 10 percent of the people who see me emulate what I'm doing, anybody can be a Secret Santa!"

AP

Carol Hefty hugs Secret Santa after he gave her a $100 dollar bill while she was looking for supplies in Staten Island yesterday.

A police motorcade with sirens took him across the borough, passing a church ripped from its foundations and homes surrounded by debris. At a nearby disaster center run by volunteers, a woman quietly collected free food and basic goods.

"Has anyone given you any money?" he asked her.

"No," replied Carol Hefty, a 72-year-old retiree living in a damaged home.

"Here," he said, slipping the money into her hand.

"But this isn't real money!" said Hefty, glancing at the red "Secret Santa" stamped onto the $100.

"It is, and it's for you," he told her.

She broke down weeping and hugged him.

And so it went, again and again.

Secret Santa started his daylong East Coast visit with stops in Elizabeth, N.J. Keeping close watch over the cash handouts was his security entourage — police officers in uniform from New York and New Jersey, plus FBI agents and former agents from various states. Some have become supporters, wearing red caps marked with the word "elf" and assisting "Santa" to choose locations where people are most in need. He himself wears an "elf" cap and a red top, plus blue jeans.

The group must choose stops carefully, and refrain from simply appearing outdoors in a neighborhood, lest they be mobbed by people hearing that cash is being handed out.

At a stop at a Staten Island Salvation Army store, one woman was looking over a $4 handbag. "But you get $100!" he told her, offering the bill.

"Are you serious?" said Prudence Onesto, her eyes widening. "Really?"

"Secret Santa," he deadpanned, breaking into a broad grin.

The 55-year-old unemployed woman opened her arms and offered him a hug.

An aisle over, 41-year-old Janice Kennedy was overwhelmed: She received four $100 bills.

Unemployed with a 2-year-old daughter, she lost her home in the storm and lives with her boyfriend. The money will go toward Christmas presents and her toddler's next birthday.

"You're not alone. God bless you!" the Missouri stranger told Phillip and Lisa Morris, a couple in their 30s whose home was badly damaged — but now had an extra $300 in cash for rebuilding.

Secret Santa took up the holiday tradition from a close Kansas City friend, Larry Stewart, who for years handed out bills each December to unsuspecting strangers in thrift stores, food pantries and shelters. Stewart died in 2007 after giving away more than $1 million to strangers in mostly $100 bills.

The current Secret Santa will not divulge his name. Nor does he allow his face to be photographed. But he said he's been to cities across America, from San Diego to Chicago to Charlotte, N.C.

A reporter asked whether he might be a sort of Warren Buffett of Kansas City. He smiled mysteriously and said only that he admires Buffett for his philanthropy. "And I hope I give all my money away before I die."

Then, as suddenly as he arrived, the generous stranger left for the airport and home, riding in the volunteer motorcade he jokingly calls "my sleigh," zipping with ease through red lights and city traffic.


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Egypt Islamists hurriedly approve new constitution

CAIRO — Islamists approved a draft constitution for Egypt early Friday without the participation of liberal and Christian members, seeking to pre-empt a court ruling that could dissolve their panel with a rushed, marathon vote that further inflames the conflict between the opposition and President Mohammed Morsi.

The vote by the constituent assembly advanced a charter with an Islamist bent that rights experts say could give Muslim clerics oversight over legislation and bring restrictions on freedom of speech, women's rights and other liberties.

The draft, which the assembly plans to deliver to the president Saturday, must be put to a nationwide referendum within 30 days. Morsi said Thursday it will be held "soon."

The opposition has called for a major rally Friday in Cairo's Tahrir Square, where some demonstrators have camped out in tents since last week to protest decrees Morsi issued to grant himself sweeping powers. Hundreds gathered in the plaza for traditional Friday prayers, then broke into chants of "The people want to bring down the regime!" — echoing the refrain of the Arab Spring revolts, but this time against a democratically elected leader. Other cities around Egypt braced for similar protests.

The Islamist-dominated assembly that has been working on the constitution for months raced to pass the charter, voting article by article on the draft's more than 230 articles for more than 16 hours. The lack of inclusion was on display in the nationally televised gathering: Of the 85 members in attendance, there was not a single Christian and only four women, all Islamists. Many of the men wore beards, the hallmark of Muslim conservatives.

For weeks, liberal, secular and Christian members, already a minority on the 100-member panel, have been withdrawing to protest what they call the Islamists' hijacking of the process.

"This constitution represents the diversity of the Egyptian people. All Egyptians, male and female, will find themselves in this constitution," Essam el-Erian, a representative of the Brotherhood, declared to the assembly after the last articles were passed just after sunrise Friday.

"We will implement the work of this constitution to hold in high esteem God's law, which was only ink on paper before, and to protect freedoms that were not previously respected," he said.

The sudden rush to finish came as the latest twist in a week-long crisis pitting Brotherhood veteran Morsi and his Islamist supporters against a mostly secular and liberal opposition and the powerful judiciary. Voting had not been expected for another two months. But the assembly abruptly moved it up in order to pass the draft before Egypt's Supreme Constitutional Court rules on Sunday on whether to dissolve the panel.


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Signing Wright a good start for the Mets

UPI

David Wright is returning to the Mets.

The job isn't complete for the Mets now; in fact, it only begins, only becomes more complicated. But say this: the Mets punched back late last night, for the first time in a long, long time. They stood up. It's a good start.

They re-sign David Wright early Friday morning, according to WFAN. They signed him to a seven-year, $122 million extension, the deal adding up to an eight-year, $138 million contract, north of Johan Santana's $137.5 million pact.

It's the richest deal in club history, and that is a good thing. Wright almost certainly will be a lifetime Met, and by doing that he sets aside years of punch lines and offers this piece of hope for the future:

If it's good enough for Wright, maybe it's good enough for me.

This is a move that signals that if the Mets' financial issues aren't solved, they are at least no longer so ruinous as to keep the Mets completely out of the conversation when dollars and sense are discussed. Wright already has many of the important records in team history; by the time his career is over he will have all of them.

For a team that has had exactly one lifetime player of any substance — Ed Kranepool — this is a significant step. For a team whose own fans have doubted its very credibility, and viability, is sends an important message. The Mets may not be ready for a parade anytime soon but they no longer work under complete austerity, either.

Now comes the hard part.

Because while most Mets fans will delight waking up to this news, will be happy to know the time they have invested in No. 5 was not spent in vain, that will fade soon. And the last thing the Mets can be now is halfway with this. Wright has to be the first step of a larger plan, he can't be the whole plan.

Eight years ago, in a different financial time and a different era the Mets signed Pedro Martinez as a symbol as much as a player: the message was if its good enough for Pedro it was good enough for others. Carlos Beltran followed soon thereafter, and within two years the Mets were one game from the World Series. Pedro provides credibility. And Omar Minaya built something around him. The blueprint is there.

Maybe there isn't a Beltran on the horizon; but there has to be something else. Signing Wright was the right thing to do. But it can't be the only thing they do.


18.18 | 0 komentar | Read More

Report: Wright signs big deal with Mets

Finally, the Wright answer.

David Wright can count on spending the rest of his career with the Mets after reportedly reaching agreement early Friday morning on an eight-year contract worth $138 million to remain the Face of the Franchise.

The deal, first reported by WFAN, ended a saga that carried on for several weeks, beginning with general manager Sandy Alderson's visit to Wright in October to make his sales pitch.

The extension will carry Wright, who turns 30 this month, through 2020 and give the Mets a cornerstone on which to build.

Wright's deal, in terms of overall dollars, surpasses the $137.5 million contract Johan Santana received before the 2008 season, and ranks as the richest in franchise history.

The new money involved encompasses seven years and $122 million beginning in 2014. When combined to the $16 million for which the third baseman was under contract for 2013, the two sides can frame the deal as a franchise milestone.

Wright had said he wanted discussions completed before spring training and wouldn't negotiate once the season began.

With an offer extended to Wright, general manager Sandy Alderson's next focus will be clarifying R.A. Dickey's status. The Mets have offered Dickey a two-year extension beyond 2013, and the knuckleballer has countered, but discussions were recently tabled to address Wright's status.

mpuma@nypost.com


18.18 | 0 komentar | Read More

Pecora: No excuses for Fordham’s loss

Tom Pecora is not one to make excuses, so his team should not either.

Pecora, in his third season as Fordham's coach, told his players before Thursday night's 65-58 loss to Manhattan in The Battle of the Bronx, that they cannot play the victim.

"I'm not making excuses," Pecora said. "I told these guys in the locker room. 'We're not young, we're not inexperienced.' I don't want to hear that garbage. We're six games into a season, we have to find a way to win basketball games."

If it wanted to, Fordham could credit a number of factors that have deterred them early on this season, including against the Jaspers. The Rams (1-5) will have played just one of their first 11 contests at Rose Hill Gym, a place that they had a winning non-conference home record in last season. Fordham does not return to The Bronx for a home game until Dec. 23, when it faces Siena.

"I don't like losing at all, but if it's possible I dislike it even more if it's at home," Pecora said. "We practice here, we sweat here every day and you can't allow people to come in here and [beat you]. It's a crazy schedule, you'll never see a schedule like this again."

In addition to a schedule that has seen Fordham travel to Texas State, Pittsburgh and Lehigh, it is without its best player and one of just three upper classmen in Chris Gaston, who is expected to miss another two-plus weeks after undergoing arthroscopic surgery on his knee.

Fordham was outrebounded 42-22, with Gaston, the team's leading rebounder for the past three seasons, watching from the bench.

"Chris is a big part of everything we do, obviously," Pecora said. "I don't think we are going to get outrebounded by 20 if Chris Gaston is in the game because he's a double-double machine. We're missing his experience, but so what. It's opportunities for someone else. You can't sit there and wait and say we're not going to win until then."

Pecora's small lineup couldn't be to blame either. As he has done for his entire coaching career, Pecora played three guards, with Jermaine Myers, Jeff Short and Branden Frazier getting the bulk of the minutes. The trio combined for 29 points on 8-of-32 shooting.

"I'm looking at our guards, we're trying to play small and [Mandel Thomas] has one rebound in 20 minutes," Pecora said. "He's not the only culprit; Bryan Smith only had one rebound. I've played three guards my whole career as a coach and we've never had rebounding issues, they were tough. Maybe that has to change with this group."

The lone bright spot for the Rams came from an unlikely source. Sophomore center Ryan Canty continuously ignited the Rose Hill Gym with momentum-shifting baskets and finished with a career-high 18 points and added four blocks before fouling out.

"I think Ryan Canty did a very good job," Pecora said. "I was enthused by his big, physical presence on the floor. [Trayvion] Leonard and [Ryan] Rhoomes have got to see that and they have to follow suit."

Canty answered the call and led by example, something that the Rams needed on a night where they could have made excuses but there were none to be had.

"It's time to step up," Canty said. " I tried to do it tonight and play hard."

asulla-heffinger@nypost.com


18.18 | 0 komentar | Read More

O/U Rico!

Rico continued his winning ways last week, going 9-7 (2-1 Best Bets) on the Over/Unders. The season record is 68-103-4 (13-22-1). The selections for Week 13 are:

OVERS: Bears / Seahawks; Packers / Vikings; Niners / Rams; Patriots / Dolphins; Raiders / Browns; Cowboys / Eagles; Giants / Redskins.

UNDERS: Falcons / Saints; Jets / Cardinals; Panthers / Chiefs; Lions / Colts; Bills / Jaguars; Texans / Titans; Broncos / Bucs; Ravens / Steelers; Bengals / Chargers.

BEST BETS: Panthers (Under); Cowboys (Over); Bills (Under).

LEAGUE (Overs listed first)

LAST WEEK: 6-10.

SEASON: 84-87-4.


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Former IMF chief Dominique Strauss-Kahn, hotel maid to settle: AP

AFP/Getty Images

Nafissatou Diallo (R) accused former IMF head Dominique Strauss-Kahn of sexual assault, but the two have reportedly settled.

NEW YORK — Word of a settlement agreement between former International Monetary Fund chief Dominique Strauss-Kahn and a hotel maid who accused him of trying to rape her could bring an end to a saga that has tarnished Strauss-Kahn's reputation, ended his hopes for the French presidency and renewed a debate about the credibility of sexual assault accusers.

But it might not mean the end of legal troubles for Strauss-Kahn. He is awaiting a ruling on whether he is linked to "pimping" in connection with a French prostitution ring.

A person familiar with the New York case said Thursday that lawyers for Strauss-Kahn and the housekeeper, Nafissatou Diallo, made the as-yet-unsigned agreement within recent days, with Bronx Supreme Court Justice Douglas McKeon facilitating that and a separate agreement to end another lawsuit Diallo filed against the New York Post. A court date is expected next week, though the day wasn't set, the person said.

The person spoke to The Associated Press on the condition of anonymity to discuss the private agreement.

Details of the deal, which comes after prosecutors dropped related criminal charges last year, weren't immediately known and likely will be veiled by a confidentiality agreement. That could prevent Strauss-Kahn and Diallo from speaking publicly about a May 2011 encounter that she called a brutally sudden attack and he termed a consensual "moral failing."

Strauss-Kahn lawyer William W. Taylor III declined to comment. Lawyers for the housekeeper didn't immediately respond to phone and email messages.

Diallo, 33, and Strauss-Kahn, 63, crossed paths when she arrived to clean his luxury Manhattan hotel suite. She told police he chased her down, tried to yank down her pantyhose and forced her to perform oral sex.

The allegation seemed to let loose a spiral of accusations about the sexual conduct of Strauss-Kahn, a married diplomat and economist who had long been dubbed the "great seducer."

With DNA evidence showing a sexual encounter and Diallo providing a gripping description of an attack, the Manhattan district attorney's office initially said it had a strong and compelling case. But within six weeks, prosecutors' confidence began to ebb as they said Diallo had lied about her past — including a false account of a previous rape — and her actions after leaving Strauss-Kahn's room.

Diallo, who's from Guinea, said she told the truth about their encounter. But the district attorney's office dropped the charges in August 2011, saying prosecutors could no longer ask a jury to believe her.


18.18 | 0 komentar | Read More

Lindsay Lohan arrested for fighting at NYC nightclub: police

Written By Unknown on Kamis, 29 November 2012 | 20.49

Seth Gottfried

Lindsay Lohan leaves the 10th precinct covered with a jacket this morning.

Lindsay Lohan is in hot water again.

The troubled starlet, 26, was arrested early this morning after getting into a fight at a New York City nightclub, police told The Post.

LiLo was at club Avenue in Manhattan — and after exchanging words with a fellow clubgoer, she punched Tiffany Eve Mitchell, 28, causing bruising and swelling to the victim's face, cops said.

A police source said that Mitchell and Lohan were sitting in separate VIP sections when a fight broke out nearby and both women stood up to watch.

Mitchell and Lohan bumped into each other and words were exchanged but both returned to their seats, the source said.

Then Lohan allegedly got back up and punched Mitchell in the face.

Police were called, and Mitchell identified Lohan as her attacker. Lohan was later taken to the 10th Precinct Station House for processing, accused of misdemeanor assault. She received a desk appearance ticket, sources said.

Lohan and a large group exited the precinct around 7:30 a.m. with her head covered by a dark coat as they walked to a waiting car.

She was heard yelling at someone "get out of the car Gavin, get of the car now" several times.

"It's become a pastime to use her name and fame and blame things on her," said Gavin Doyle, a Lohan assistant.

Earlier this morning, a dark-haired man and two blondes left the precinct, one of whom is believed to be Mitchell.

The women didn't speak but the man said, "Lindsay Lohan got drunk and went crazy...hit my wife."

The arrest comes days after Lohan's latest career comeback attempt, the Lifetime movie "Liz & Dick," debuted.

John Shearer/Invision/AP

Lindsay Lohan at a dinner celebrating the premiere of "Liz & Dick" last week

But the legal sidetracks continue to build. As TMZ reported last week, Lohan is expected to be charged with lying to LA police about a June traffic accident.

Lohan was accused of clipping a pedestrian with her car outside of the Dream Downtown Hotel earlier this year, but Manhattan prosecutors decided not to pursue a case.

She is currently on probation from a July 2011 jewelry theft. Other previous offenses include DUIs and failed drug tests, ongoing issues for the "Mean Girls" actress whose career once seemed so bright.

Lohan discussed her troubles and growth in an interview last week with Jay Leno.

"I kind of am still a kid, in a way. I'm 26," she said. "You get caught up in everything, and it's important to kind of find yourself and keep yourself through that, and I went through that."

Lohan was actually banned from Avenue years ago, after tweeting about Justin Timberlake's dating blunders, but that ban was later lifted.


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Win at Redskins would virtually lock up another NFC East title for Giants

They may be the only real threat to the Giants, the only team capable of standing in the way of a second consecutive NFC East crown. When Victor Cruz takes a look at the Redskins he sees a team that is "definitely on the rise, for sure.'' But Cruz doesn't see a team on the level of his Giants.

"I think they're still a couple of pieces away from actually being contenders and legitimate talks for playoffs and things like that,'' Cruz said yesterday of the Giants' next opponent. "They're still a few pieces away, whether it be defensively or whatever they're missing. They've got a good team, they play good football, they hold the ball for a long time and they really do some good things. I'd definitely put them in that conversation, for sure.''

Reuters

HALL OF A PLAY: It may not have been rocket science, but Victor Cruz torched DeAngelo Hall (23) and the Redskins' secondary for a 77-yard, game-winning touchdown during the teams' game last month.

Of course, Cruz not only puts the Giants in the conversation, he puts his team right where it ended up a year ago: at the top.

"I think we're still the same team from last year, we have the same pieces in place,'' Cruz said. "We have the same mindset. We have the same coaching, the same type of development and I think we're in a prime position to make another push for the playoffs and another push for the Super Bowl.''

That push gets a huge boost Monday night at FedEx Field if the first-place Giants (7-4) dispose of the Redskins (5-6), a team riding a two-game winning streak and enlivened by the play of precocious rookie quarterback Robert Griffin III, who has turned skeptics into believers in the nation's capital. The Redskins are in the hunt but would be in much better shape had they been able to finish the job back on Oct. 21 at MetLife Stadium.

It certainly looked as if RG3 and the Redskins had completed a marvelous comeback — and the Giants had staged a late collapse — when Griffin hit Santana Moss for a 30-yard touchdown with only 1:32 remaining. The Redskins were ahead 23-20 and to that point Eli Manning had thrown two interceptions and no touchdown passes.

It took only 19 seconds off the game clock for the Giants to secure the winning points. When Cruz bolted through a gaping hole in the Redskins secondary, Manning hit him in stride and 77 yards later Cruz was doing his salsa in the end zone and the Giants had a three-game winning streak.

Cruz says that play is one of his career highlights.

"It's definitely pretty high up there,'' he said. "To have a game-winning touchdown of 70-plus yards, it's just what you dream of.''

Cruz was supposed to be double-teamed. He lined up in the slot, stayed inside and easily ran by cornerback Josh Wilson. Safety Madieu Williams stayed too far outside and, once Wilson got beat, Williams could not slide over quickly enough to prevent Cruz from hauling in the pinpoint pass at the Washington 43-yard line and racing untouched the rest of the way.

Afterward, cornerback DeAngelo Hall was not impressed.

"I don't feel like he made that play,'' Hall said of Manning. "I feel we gave him that play. I could have thrown that ball and he would have scored. It wasn't something where he was a rocket scientist and he figured something out.''

Hall didn't back off his initial assessment yesterday, saying, "I could have made that throw.'' He also said, "Eli's made a lot of great throws in his career, but like I said, it didn't take a rocket scientist to figure out the guy was wide-open.''

As for the blown coverage that set Cruz free, Hall added, "We won't blow that this time, that's for sure.''

Cruz said he doubted Hall's slight will carry much weight this week as far as motivational fodder because it wasn't all that belittling to himself or Manning.

"We feel like what he's saying isn't that detrimental to what we did,'' Cruz said. "It didn't take a rocket scientist to throw the ball or me to catch it, or whatever it was.''

Asked if he has a newfound respect for actual rocket scientists, Cruz said, "Exactly. I mean, rocket scientists are pretty smart people, I gather. They have to be doing something, some good things if it wasn't as easy as me catching that ball. I have a lot of respect for rocket scientists now.''

paul.schwartz@nypost.com


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NYC hotel rooms for Sandy victims paid for with public money have been vacant for weeks: report

Scores of hotel rooms paid for with public money for people displaced by Superstorm Sandy have been vacant for weeks.

The Wall Street Journal says it reviewed documents that 120 rooms at the Milford Plaza Hotel in midtown-Manhattan haven't been used since mid-November. They're part of the city's network of emergency housing for storm victims.

The paper says the cost for the vacant Milford rooms will be just under $1 million.

The Department of Homeless Services says some unused rooms are reserved so they are available if more seek shelter.

After the city closed down temporary shelters, it relocated people to 29 hotels. That will remain in place until they can secure permanent homes.

Seth Gottfried

The Milford Plaza Hotel

The city expects FEMA to reimburse it for the hotels.


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Iraq bombings kill at least 39 people

BAGHDAD — A wave of bombings targeting Shiite Muslims in two major cities south of Baghdad killed at least 39 people and wounded more than 100 on Thursday morning, Iraqi officials said.

The deadliest of the attacks was in the city of Hillah, where back-to-back explosions in a busy commercial area killed at least 27 people and wounded up to 90, a police officer said. Insurgents first detonated a roadside bomb that was followed by a car bomb explosion when rescuers rushed to the scene, he added.

Among the victims in Hillah, 60 miles south of Baghdad, were Shiite mourners who were commemorating the 17th century martyrdom of the Prophet Muhammad's grandson, Imam Hussein, he added.

REUTERS

The site of a car bomb attack in Karbala

Twisted and charred remains of vehicles were seen outside damaged shops as shop owners collected their strewn merchandise from the bloodstained pavement, littered with debris.

Just hours earlier, a parked car bomb went off at one of its gates of the city of Karbala in the nearby province by the same name, killing six people and wounding 20, another police officer said. The explosion took place less than half a mile away from the shrine of Imam Hussein.

Shiite religious ceremonies have often been targeted by Sunni militants who view the Shiites as heretics. Iraq has seen repeated deadly attacks against Shiites commemorating the anniversary of Imam Hussein's death, but Thursday's attacks were the deadliest since ceremonies started last Sunday.

Karbala, 55 miles south of Baghdad, is one of the holiest cities in Shiite Islam and the place where Imam Hussein and his brother, Imam Abbas, are buried. Hundreds of thousands of Shiites flock to their golden-domed shrines every year.

Also Thursday, a suicide bomber drove his explosives-laden car into a police checkpoint in the city of Fallujah, 40 miles to the west of the capital, killing three policemen and wounding 11 others, another police official said.

And in the northern city of Mosul, a parked car bomb went off next to a passing police patrol, killing two people and wounded two, police said. Another police patrol was hit by a roadside bomb in the in the town of Balad Ruz, 45 miles northeast of Baghdad, killing one policeman and wounding six others.

Three health officials confirmed the causality figures. All officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to talk to the media.

Although violence has ebbed since the peak of insurgency several years ago, attacks are still frequent against security forces, government officials and civilians. No one claimed responsibility for Thursday's bombings, but car bombs, shootings and roadside devices are the hallmark of al Qaeda in Iraq.


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Tiffany & Co.'s third-quarter results miss Wall Street estimates as jewelry company cuts 2012 outlook

Tiffany & Co.'s third-quarter net income fell 30 percent, stung by a higher-than-expected tax rate, ongoing economic weakness and high precious metal and diamond costs.

The jewelry company's results missed Wall Street's expectations and it cut its full-year earnings forecast.

Shares dropped $5.58, or 8.7 percent, to $58.15 in premarket trading Thursday.

For the period ended Oct. 31, the company known for its blue boxes earned $63.2 million, or 49 cents per share. That's down from $89.7 million, or 70 cents per share, a year earlier.

Analysts polled by FactSet forecast earnings of 63 cents per share.

Chairman and CEO Michael J. Kowalski said in a statement that Tiffany had expected its quarterly results would be affected by ongoing economic softness and tough year-ago comparisons. But he added that the retailer's gross margin rate of 54.4 percent — down from 57.9 percent in the prior-year period — was weaker than expected and its tax rate was higher than expected. Gross margin, a key performance metric, is the amount of each dollar in revenue a company actually keeps.

While cautious about worldwide economic conditions, Kowalski said that the company anticipates results improving during the holiday season partly because of easier year-over-year sales comparisons but also because of new stores and new products.

The holiday season is critical for retailers, as it can make up to 40 percent of stores' annual revenue.

Revenue increased 4 percent to $852.7 million from $821.8 million. Wall Street expected $858.8 million.

Sales rose 6 percent in Europe and 3 percent in the Americas region. Asia-Pacific sales climbed 2 percent, while Japan sales rose slightly. Tiffany said that its other sales jumped 73 percent as it converted five stores in the United Arab Emirates from independently-run distribution to company-run stores.

Tiffany now expects 2012 earnings of $3.20 to $3.40 per share. Its prior outlook was for earnings of $3.55 to $3.70 per share.

Analysts predict earnings of $3.59 per share.

Tiffany had 272 stores at quarter's end.


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NYPD Daily Blotter

Written By Unknown on Rabu, 28 November 2012 | 20.49

Manhattan

***

The body of a man was found floating in the Hudson River off the Upper West Side yesterday.

The corpse was spotted off the Henry Hudson Parkway at West 82nd Street at about 7:15 a.m. by someone who called 911.

The victim, in his 30s, was fully clothed, and there were no obvious signs of trauma.

The cause of death will be determined by the city's medical examiner.

Brooklyn

***

A man is wanted for spraying a female subway conductor with a substance in a Prospect Lefferts Gardens station, authorities said.

Enrique Tirado, 38, was riding on the northbound 4 train at about 3:50 p.m. on Oct. 21 when he got off at the Sterling Street station, police said.

Enrique Tirado

Enrique Tirado

The suspects (one pictured above) knocked on the 49-year-old victim's door at his home on Cypress Avenue at 1 p.m. Sept. 26 and flashed police shields and identified themselves as officers, cops said.

The suspects (one pictured above) knocked on the 49-year-old victim's door at his home on Cypress Avenue at 1 p.m. Sept. 26 and flashed police shields and identified themselves as officers, cops said.

A group of thieves (one pictured above) attacked and robbed a man on the subway in Crown Heights, authorities said.

A group of thieves (one pictured above) attacked and robbed a man on the subway in Crown Heights, authorities said.

He walked off the train at the same time as the MTA employee, and then allegedly sprayed her with an unknown substance before fleeing the station.

He is 5-foot-8 and 170 pounds.

***

A group of thieves attacked and robbed a man on the subway in Crown Heights, authorities said.

The victim was on a southbound 4 train near the Utica Avenue station at around 10:45 p.m. on Oct. 5 when the trio approached him, police said.

The suspects, in their 20s, punched the man in the face and snatched the watch off of his wrist, cops said.

The three fled the train at the Utica Avenue-Eastern Parkway station.

***

A Bushwick teen was shot in the head on Wyckoff Avenue late Saturday night and died two days later, cops said yesterday.

The victim, Jorge Rosario, 17, had prior arrests for criminal possession of a weapon and possession of a controlled substance, cops said.

Staten Island

***

Cops busted two men who allegedly robbed an Elm Park steakhouse.

Patrick Henry, 21, and Donnell Walters, 18, went into the Hibachi Grill and Supreme Buffet on Forest Avenue near Barrett Avenue after it closed at 11:30 p.m. on Nov. 18, court records say. There they allegedly grabbed an iPhone and cash.

Cops nabbed Henry minutes later and found the phone in his pocket and the stolen cash in his wallet, authorities said.

***

An enraged man bashed another man in the face with a bottle in Port Richmond, authorities said.

Eric Ortiz, 22, attacked the victim at Port Richmond and Post avenues at 1 p.m. on Sept. 9, court papers say.

Ortiz was arrested on Nov. 20.

Queens

***

Two men posing as cops are wanted for trying to rob a home in Ridgewood, authorities said.

The suspects knocked on the 49-year-old victim's door at his home on Cypress Avenue at 1 p.m. Sept. 26 and flashed police shields and identified themselves as officers, cops said.

He allowed the men, who were carrying guns, into his home, cops said.

The men fled from the home without taking anything, police said.


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3 BP employees to be arraigned on criminal charges over Deepwater Horizon spill

NEW ORLEANS — Two BP rig supervisors and a former BP executive were scheduled to be arraigned Wednesday on criminal charges stemming from the deadly Deepwater Horizon rig explosion and the company's response to the massive 2010 spill in the Gulf of Mexico.

BP well site leaders Robert Kaluza and Donald Vidrine were indicted this month on manslaughter charges in the death of 11 rig workers. The federal indictment accuses them of disregarding abnormal high-pressure readings that should have been glaring indications of trouble just before the blowout of BP's Macondo well.

Reuters

Fire boat response crews battle the blazing remnants of the offshore oil rig Deepwater Horizon in April 2010.

Former BP executive David Rainey was charged separately with concealing information from Congress about the amount of oil that was leaking from the well.

Their defense attorneys have vowed to fight the charges.

The hearing comes a day after a BP lawyer entered a not-guilty plea for the company as it was arraigned on related criminal charges. The plea Tuesday in federal court was a procedural move paving the way for the company to plead guilty at a later date.

BP announced earlier this month that it will plead guilty to manslaughter, obstruction of Congress and other charges and pay a record $4.5 billion in penalties to resolve a Justice Department probe of the disaster.

Attorneys for BP and the Justice Department are scheduled to meet Dec. 11 with a federal judge to discuss a date for pleading guilty.

The Deepwater Horizon oil rig, owned by Transocean Ltd. but operated on behalf of BP, was drilling in the Gulf of Mexico about 50 miles southeast of the Louisiana coast the night of April 20, 2010, when it was rocked by an explosion. The rig burned for about 36 hours before sinking to the Gulf bottom a mile below the surface.

The bodies of 11 workers were never recovered.

The blast led to the nation's worst offshore oil disaster as millions of gallons of crude oil spewed from BP's well.


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French court delays ruling on DSK's role in suspected prostitution ring

PARIS — A French court has pushed back a ruling on whether to drop aggravated pimping charges against Dominique Strauss-Kahn, the former IMF chief who has successfully fought accusations linked to his "libertine" lifestyle.

The Sipa news agency reports that prosecutors say the court set a new date of Dec. 19 on Strauss-Kahn's demand to annul the charges linking him to a suspected prostitution ring run out of a luxury hotel in the northern city of Lille.

Two of the four people implicated have asked that charges be dropped.

Lawyers for Strauss-Kahn claim the investigating judges were biased.

AFP/Getty Images

Dominique Strauss-Kahn

The economist admits attending "libertine" gatherings but denies knowing that some women present were paid.

New York prosecutors dropped charges of sexual assault against Strauss-Kahn by a New York hotel maid in May 2011.


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FedEx donating portion of Pack and Ship transactions to NY, NJ food banks

MEMPHIS, Tenn. — FedEx Office is helping the victims of Superstorm Sandy by donating $1 to New York and New Jersey food banks for each Pack and Ship transaction through Dec. 2.

According to the company, each dollar donated will provide five warm meals through the Food Bank For New York City or $10 worth of groceries through the Community Food Bank of New Jersey.

Brian Philips is president and CEO of FedEx Office. He said the company has been supporting the two food banks for years and is eager to provide this additional aid while the demand for their services is so high.

The company will donate up to $50,000 through the Pack and Ship promotion.


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Van Gogh, John Lennon letters coming to NY auction

The second page of a handwritten letter from John Lennon to Eric Clapton.

AP

The second page of a handwritten letter from John Lennon to Eric Clapton.

An upcoming auction of over 300 historical documents includes rare letters written by Vincent van Gogh, George Washington, John Lennon and other iconic figures.

The property of an anonymous American collector is being offered by Profiles in History in an online and phone auction on Dec. 18.

Among the highlights is a two-page letter from Washington to an Anglican clergyman.

Another top item is a signed van Gogh letter, written in 1890, to Joseph and Marie Ginoux, who were proprietors of the Cafe de la Gare in Arles, France, where the Dutch post-impressionist artist lived for a time.

Each of those letters is estimated to bring $200,000 to $300,000.

A handwritten letter from John Lennon to Eric Clapton has a pre-sale estimate of $20,000 to $30,000.

The collection will be exhibited Dec. 3-9 at Douglas Elliman's Madison Avenue art gallery.

Information on how to bid is available on www.profilesinhistory.com.

Washington's letter was written on Aug. 15, 1798, to the Rev. Jonathan Boucher, amid an undeclared naval war with France. Washington thanks Boucher for sending him his "View of the Causes and Consequences of the American Revolution," a book of 13 discourses Boucher preached.

"Peace, with all the world is my sincere wish, I am sure it is our true policy — and am persuaded it is the ardent desire of the Government," the former president and Founding Father wrote.

In a Jan. 20, 1890, four-page letter, handwritten in French to his friends Monsieur and Madame Ginoux, van Gogh wishes the ailing proprietress a speedy recovery.

"Illnesses are there to make us remember again that we are not made of wood," the artist wrote. "That's what seems the good side of all this to me. Then afterwards one goes back to one's everyday work less fearful of the annoyances, with a new store of serenity." Van Gogh died less than seven months later.

He suffered from acute anxiety and bouts of depression throughout his life. Madame Ginoux and the cafe were frequent subjects of his work.

The eight-page letter from Lennon is a draft he wrote to Clapton on Sept. 29, 1971, and signed "John and Yoko." The whereabouts of the final version is unknown.

Lennon writes candidly about his admiration for the great British guitarist and suggests forming a "'nucleus' group (Plastic Ono Band) . — and of course had YOU!!! In mind as soon as we decided." He writes that drummer Jim Kelnter, artist Klaus Voormann, pianist Nicky Hopkins and producer Phil Spector "all agreed so far" to join.

"Anyway, the point is, after missing the Bangla-Desh concert, we began to feel more and more like going on the road, but not the way I used with the Beatles — night after night of torture. We mean to enjoy ourselves, take it easy, and maybe even see some of the places we go to! We have many 'revolutionary' ideas for presenting shows that completely involve the audience ."

Other luminaries whose papers will be sold include Lou Gehrig, Louis Pasteur, Sigmund Freud, Charles Darwin, Marie Curie, Giuseppe Verdi, Peter Tchaikovsky, Cole Porter, King Henry II and Napoleon I.

The December auction is the first of several sales that will be held over two years. The entire collection contains 3,000 items.


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Garodnick Compt me out

Manhattan Borough President Scott Stringer's entrance into the city comptroller's race is pushing out the only other declared candidate, The Post has learned.

City Councilman Dan Garodnick (D-Manhattan) has told insiders he will drop out of the race to replace embattled Comptroller John Liu next year, a source told The Post last night.

Stringer has raised $2.7 million for a citywide race, compared with Garodnick's $1.2 million.

Stringer also has better name recognition, in part because he floated his name as a mayoral candidate for the past year before announcing last week he'll run for comptroller.

Garodnick is likely to seek re-election to the council, and may vie for speaker.


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NYPD Daily Blotter

Manhattan

***

The body of a man was found floating in the Hudson River off the Upper West Side yesterday.

The corpse was spotted off the Henry Hudson Parkway at West 82nd Street at about 7:15 a.m. by someone who called 911.

The victim, in his 30s, was fully clothed, and there were no obvious signs of trauma.

The cause of death will be determined by the city's medical examiner.

Brooklyn

***

A man is wanted for spraying a female subway conductor with a substance in a Prospect Lefferts Gardens station, authorities said.

Enrique Tirado, 38, was riding on the northbound 4 train at about 3:50 p.m. on Oct. 21 when he got off at the Sterling Street station, police said.

Enrique Tirado

Enrique Tirado

The suspects (one pictured above) knocked on the 49-year-old victim's door at his home on Cypress Avenue at 1 p.m. Sept. 26 and flashed police shields and identified themselves as officers, cops said.

The suspects (one pictured above) knocked on the 49-year-old victim's door at his home on Cypress Avenue at 1 p.m. Sept. 26 and flashed police shields and identified themselves as officers, cops said.

A group of thieves (one pictured above) attacked and robbed a man on the subway in Crown Heights, authorities said.

A group of thieves (one pictured above) attacked and robbed a man on the subway in Crown Heights, authorities said.

He walked off the train at the same time as the MTA employee, and then allegedly sprayed her with an unknown substance before fleeing the station.

He is 5-foot-8 and 170 pounds.

***

A group of thieves attacked and robbed a man on the subway in Crown Heights, authorities said.

The victim was on a southbound 4 train near the Utica Avenue station at around 10:45 p.m. on Oct. 5 when the trio approached him, police said.

The suspects, in their 20s, punched the man in the face and snatched the watch off of his wrist, cops said.

The three fled the train at the Utica Avenue-Eastern Parkway station.

***

A Bushwick teen was shot in the head on Wyckoff Avenue late Saturday night and died two days later, cops said yesterday.

The victim, Jorge Rosario, 17, had prior arrests for criminal possession of a weapon and possession of a controlled substance, cops said.

Staten Island

***

Cops busted two men who allegedly robbed an Elm Park steakhouse.

Patrick Henry, 21, and Donnell Walters, 18, went into the Hibachi Grill and Supreme Buffet on Forest Avenue near Barrett Avenue after it closed at 11:30 p.m. on Nov. 18, court records say. There they allegedly grabbed an iPhone and cash.

Cops nabbed Henry minutes later and found the phone in his pocket and the stolen cash in his wallet, authorities said.

***

An enraged man bashed another man in the face with a bottle in Port Richmond, authorities said.

Eric Ortiz, 22, attacked the victim at Port Richmond and Post avenues at 1 p.m. on Sept. 9, court papers say.

Ortiz was arrested on Nov. 20.

Queens

***

Two men posing as cops are wanted for trying to rob a home in Ridgewood, authorities said.

The suspects knocked on the 49-year-old victim's door at his home on Cypress Avenue at 1 p.m. Sept. 26 and flashed police shields and identified themselves as officers, cops said.

He allowed the men, who were carrying guns, into his home, cops said.

The men fled from the home without taking anything, police said.


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Anti-frisk judge to make ruling

A federal judge who already has taken shots at the NYPD's stop-and-frisk program will decide if it unfairly targets minorities in violation of their constitutional rights.

Manhattan federal Judge Shira Scheindlin said yesterday that she had no choice but to preside over a nonjury trial because four plaintiffs challenging stop-and-frisk have waived their right to money damages.

"It's a tactical decision that the plaintiffs are entitled to make, and they made it," Scheindlin said.

She called the move "kind of unfortunate" because her decision won't be "the verdict of the community."

She also noted that the class-action case would be decided by someone "whose views have been expressed a number of times," but she promised to "do my best . . . to be fair and impartial."

Earlier this year, Scheindlin ruled that there is "overwhelming evidence" that stop-and-frisk has resulted in "thousands of unlawful stops."

She also ruled that the crime-fighting program's effectiveness has nothing to do with its constitutionality.

The plaintiffs' lawyer, Darius Charney of the Center for Constitutional Rights, said, "It's really the federal judiciary's role" to decide whether "the policies and procedures of stop-and-frisk are constitutional or not."

He also insisted that the only "tactical" consideration involved was streamlining the March 18 trial so that it moves more quickly.

bruce.golding@nypost.com


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‘Shark’-hunting cops’ jaw-dropping catch

It's a thug supergroup.

The FBI busted a loan-sharking ring featuring an unlikely trio of associates: an alleged Gambino crime-family member, a Westies gangster and a motorcycle gang member, authorities said yesterday.

NYPD Commissioner Ray Kelly likened the bust to hitting it big at the racetrack.

"With alleged involvement of the Gambinos, Westies and Hells Angels, this case hit the trifecta of loan-sharking and extortion," Kelly said.

Brooklyn-based feds pinched reputed Gambino James Ferrara, Westies gang member Daniel Hanley and Demon Knights motorcycle thug Peter Kanakis for running the menacing outfit, officials said. The Knights are a spin-off of the Hells Angels.

Authorities said those who didn't repay loans were threatened with brass knuckles, bats and, in one victim's case, a bullet that narrowly whizzed by him as he left his house for work.

"If you default on a loan from a financial institution, you may lose property pledged as collateral. If you borrowed from these alleged gangsters, you risked losing life and limb," said Mary Galligan, the FBI's acting assistant director.

Assistant US Attorney Loretta Lynch said the thugs had a lot in common because they "spoke the same language of violence, threats and intimidation to their victims."


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‘Monster’ rabbi: Girl’s chilling testimony

A Brooklyn teen yesterday took the stand against a prominent Orthodox Jewish leader accused of sexually abusing her — and her gripping testimony provided a rare glimpse into a cloistered Hasidic community.

The now-17-year-old girl was just 12 when Rabbi Nechemya Weberman (pictured), 54, began abusing her after her parents sent her to him for counseling because she wasn't following the strict rules of her ultra-religious Satmar sect, prosecutors say.

The pretty blond — whose testimony brought some female Orthodox observers in the courtroom to tears — told the Brooklyn Supreme Court jury about the school discipline problems that led her parents to bring her to Weberman.

NY Post: Spencer Burnett

HEAVYHEART: Protesterswore this emblem yesterday to highlight "silent" sex abuse in the Orthodox community.

"You had to wear tights that are very thick so there's no way anybody can see your legs," she said. "I was sent to the principal's office every day because my tights weren't thick enough."

She said her father decided she needed the counseling because he thought she had spoken to a neighborhood boy, and she asked teachers questions like, "How do you know God exists?"

Because the Satmar sect provides no sexual education to women until just before they marry, the teen said, she didn't understand what Weberman was doing during their first counseling session. It was the first time she had been touched by a male outside her family, she said.

During the alleged fondling, "My whole body froze,'' she recounted tearfully. "I didn't know how to fight back."

The teen said her parents brought her to a rabbinical court in an unsuccessful attempt to convince her to drop the charges.

About 50 Orthodox Jews, many of them her supporters, packed the courtroom to capacity. Women in long dresses cried during the graphic testimony.

"The community needs to understand you can't cover up sexual abuse anymore," said Ari Rubinstein, 42, an Orthodox Jew from Kensington who watched the testimony yesterday.

"If the community sees him go down, they'll realize they have to take action. It'll be a wake-up call."

The teen recently married, and plans to start college next year. She wore a Star of David necklace and black Ugg boots to court

Defense lawyers say their client is innocent and have argued that the teen is accusing Weberman only to retaliate for a bizarre incident in which he and her father secretly filmed her having sex with her boyfriend in an attempt to file statutory-rape charges.

jsaul@nypost.com


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Veteran Kidd misses historic game with back spasms

Written By Unknown on Selasa, 27 November 2012 | 20.49

Knicks fans finally got to see Carmelo Anthony start a game at the small forward position last night.

Of course, the circumstances were not what they wanted.

The Knicks went big against the Nets in Brooklyn when Jason Kidd, the man who did more to fuel the Knicks-Nets rivalry than anybody during his stay in New Jersey, was a late day scratch because of lower-back spasms. Kidd did not accompany the Knicks to Barclays Center for the first ever Knicks-Brooklyn Nets game. Kidd's status for the Knicks' game in Milwaukee tomorrow was not clear.

In his pre-game meeting with the media, Knicks coach Mike Woodson shed little light on the situation.

Getty Images

Jason Kidd

"Don't know who's going to start," Woodson said before he answered a direct question about Kidd's condition with "don't know, I'll know more when I get in there [locker room]."

Woodson several times alluded to the Nets' size and the only hint he would counter with a Kong edition lineup was when he said, "They have a big front line and that gives us a chance to look at our bigs as well."

And the big he was looking at specifically at the beginning was veteran Kurt Thomas, who got his initial start of the season. Woodson opted to go big rather than simply insert J.R. Smith as the starting two guard.

Woodson has been comfortable with Smith's role as a dynamic offensive sixth man. The insertion of Thomas also allowed Anthony, averaging 25.6 points, to play his natural small forward position. With Amar'e Stoudemire out with a knee injury, Anthony has been playing the four spot all season.

And so Kidd, who was on the Nets' radar in the offseason before their available money ran low and he signed with the rival Knicks, sat out the historic encounter. Kidd signed for three years and $9 million with the Knicks.

Kidd when he arrived in New Jersey prior to the 2001-02 season, boldly proclaimed that the Nets would not be second best to the Knicks in the standings for long, a wild prediction because the Knicks routinely drop-kicked the Nets in the regular season. Kidd's words, though, proved prophetic as the Nets compiled a sterling 20-6 record against the Knicks during his time in New Jersey.

The move of the defensively sound 6-foot-7 Ronnie Brewer to the two guard instead of Kidd, gave the Knicks more size against 6-7 Joe Johnson.

fred.kerber@nypost.com


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2 men impersonated NYPD during attempted robbery in Qns.

The NYPD is seeking the public's help in identifying two men who posed as police officers during an attempted robbery of a Queens home.

Police say the victim allowed the suspects into his Ridgewood home on Sept. 26.

The suspects, who were armed and displayed police shields, fled without taking anything. No injuries were reported.

Anyone with information is asked to call the Crime Stoppers hot line at 1-800-577-TIPS. All calls will be kept confidential.


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Obama to launch tax hike p.r. blitz

WASHINGTON – The campaign never ends.

President Obama today is launching a new p.r. campaign to rally popular support behind his push to raise tax rates on the rich – the cornerstone of his plan to avoid the so-called fiscal cliff that is set to wreck the economy Jan. 1.

Obama's tax-the-rich scheme also is the chief obstacle to a deal with Republicans to stop the fiscal cliff, when massive tax increases hit nearly every American and huge government spending cuts take effect automatically.

Obama will tout his plan by hosting White House events with small business leaders today and with middle-class Americans tomorrow.

He'll cap the week Friday with a campaign-style tour of a manufacturing business in Pennsylvania.

Obama has vowed to hang tough for his plan to raise taxes on the rich, despite stiff Republican opposition.

"The president has made clear that he will not sign a bill that extends the Bush-era tax cuts for those making more than $250,000. That is a firm position," declared White House Press Secretary Jay Carney.

Republicans also aren't budging on tax rates, although some Republicans have agreed to raising more tax revenue by closing loopholes and deductions for wealthy Americans.

"We've been clear about what we'll do and what we won't. And yet we remain at an impasse," said Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.). "The time for campaigning is over. It's time for the President to lead."

The fiscal cliff will hit Americans with $700 billion in automatic tax hikes and spending cuts next year, likely triggering a recession.

The average American family will pay an extra $2,000 to $3,000 in taxes after all of the Bush-era tax cuts expire Jan. 1, and about 1,200 government programs will experience spending cuts.

Obama is meeting with small business leaders today at the White House to underscore how their businesses will suffer when the fiscal cliff hits.

The event, which includes several prominent New York business leaders, also is designed to help beat back the Republican argument that tax hikes on the wealthy will hurt small business.

The president tomorrow will surround himself with a group middle-class Americans at a White House event to highlight how they'll be adversely impacted by the fiscal cliff.

Obama travels to Friday to Hatfield, Penn., to tour style the Rodon Group manufacturing plant.

The Rodon Group is the sole American manufacturer for K'NEX Brands, a construction toy company whose products include Tinkertoy, K'NEX Building Sets and Angry Bird Building Sets.

The Rodon Group and K'NEX Brands, both third-generation family businesses, employ over 150 people at their Hatfield facilities, according to the White House.

The president is taking a tour of the factory to showcase how the business depends on middle-class consumers and "could be impacted if taxes go up on 98 percent of Americans at the end of the year," said the White House.

smiller@nypost.com


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Experts exhume Arafat's remains, test for poison

RAMALLAH, West Bank — Yasser Arafat's political heirs on Tuesday opened his grave and foreign experts took samples of the iconic Palestinian leader's remains as part of a long-shot attempt — eight years after his mysterious death — to determine whether he was poisoned.

Arafat died in November 2004 at a French military hospital, a month after suddenly falling ill at his West Bank compound, at the time besieged by Israeli troops.

The immediate cause of death was a stroke, but the underlying reasons were unclear, leading to widespread belief in the Arab world that Israel poisoned the 75-year-old symbol of Palestinian nationalism.

Getty Images

Secretary General of the Palestinian Presidency Tayeb Abdel Rahim places a wreath of flowers at the tomb of Yasser Arafat during a ceremony Tuesday.

Israel has denied involvement in Arafat's death.

The exhumation began before dawn Tuesday, under the cover of huge sheets of blue tarpaulin draped over Arafat's mausoleum in his former government compound in the West Bank city of Ramallah. By mid-morning, the grave was reclosed, and officials from Arafat's Fatah movement and the Palestine Liberation Organization laid wreaths at the mausoleum.

Palestinians had launched an investigation after Arafat's death, but made no progress. The probe was revived this summer when a Swiss lab detected elevated traces of a lethal radioactive substance, polonium-210, in biological stains on his clothing.

The lab said the tests were inconclusive and that it needed to examine the remains for a clearer picture.

Arafat's successor, Mahmoud Abbas, authorized the exhumation despite strong cultural and religious taboos against disturbing a gravesite, apparently to avoid any suggestion that he was standing in the way of a thorough investigation.

Abbas was absent during Tuesday's proceedings, instead heading to the United Nations to seek a General Assembly acceptance of Palestine as a non-member observer state. Abbas has said the request, strongly opposed by the U.S. and Israel, is meant to strengthen his leverage with Israel.

In Ramallah, workers have been drilling through thick layers of concrete encasing the tomb since mid- November. The grave was opened before dawn Tuesday, said Tawfik Tiraqi, head of the Palestinian team investigating Arafat's death.

A Palestinian official initially said some of the remains were moved to a nearby mosque. However, Palestinian Health Minister Hani Abdeen later said samples were taken without having to move the remains to another location.

The exhumation was attended by experts from Switzerland, France and Russia who will examine the samples in their home countries, said the official, speaking on condition of anonymity to discuss the exhumation. Earlier, samples were also taken from Arafat's bedroom, office and personal belongings, he said.


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The confetti blunderer: Office staffer brought shredded Nassau cop docs to parade

A bumbling Nassau County Police Department employee brought mounds of shredded sensitive documents to the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade last week and tossed it as confetti, sources told The Post.

An office staffer took the shredded documents from a precinct house and brought them to the annual bash to toss along with other revelers at the beginning of the parade, a source said.

It's unclear if the employee is a cop or a civilian worker.

Internal-affairs investigators know who took the paperwork and are considering punitive action, sources said.

Stunned paradegoers noticed that the confetti contained the names of police officers, Social Security numbers, license- plate numbers and information relating to other people involved in police business.

Some of the paperwork even discussed details of Mitt Romney's visit to Hofstra University in October for a presidential debate.

Investigators came to Manhattan yesterday to visited one of the paradegoers who found the documents; they retrieved piles of shredded paper.

A Nassau County spokesman would not comment yesterday, but said the department is investigating the issue and reviewing their document-removal procedures.


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Seoul long, Jill

South Korea will revoke an honorary title given to the socialite tied to a scandal involving former CIA director David Petraeus, officials in Seoul said today.

Jill Kelley misused her title as honorary consul by raising it in personal business dealings, a Foreign Ministry official.

A New York businessman said Kelley was introduced to him at the GOP Convention in Tampa in August as someone whose friendship with Petraeus would help facilitate a no-bid deal with South Korea on a coal-gasification project. But she demanded a 2 percent commission, said Adam Victor, president executive officer of TransGas Development Systems.

Kelley had complained that Petraeus' mistress, Paula Broadwell, had sent her threatening emails, telling her to stay away from the former general.


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Veteran Kidd misses historic game with back spasms

Knicks fans finally got to see Carmelo Anthony start a game at the small forward position last night.

Of course, the circumstances were not what they wanted.

The Knicks went big against the Nets in Brooklyn when Jason Kidd, the man who did more to fuel the Knicks-Nets rivalry than anybody during his stay in New Jersey, was a late day scratch because of lower-back spasms. Kidd did not accompany the Knicks to Barclays Center for the first ever Knicks-Brooklyn Nets game. Kidd's status for the Knicks' game in Milwaukee tomorrow was not clear.

In his pre-game meeting with the media, Knicks coach Mike Woodson shed little light on the situation.

Getty Images

Jason Kidd

"Don't know who's going to start," Woodson said before he answered a direct question about Kidd's condition with "don't know, I'll know more when I get in there [locker room]."

Woodson several times alluded to the Nets' size and the only hint he would counter with a Kong edition lineup was when he said, "They have a big front line and that gives us a chance to look at our bigs as well."

And the big he was looking at specifically at the beginning was veteran Kurt Thomas, who got his initial start of the season. Woodson opted to go big rather than simply insert J.R. Smith as the starting two guard.

Woodson has been comfortable with Smith's role as a dynamic offensive sixth man. The insertion of Thomas also allowed Anthony, averaging 25.6 points, to play his natural small forward position. With Amar'e Stoudemire out with a knee injury, Anthony has been playing the four spot all season.

And so Kidd, who was on the Nets' radar in the offseason before their available money ran low and he signed with the rival Knicks, sat out the historic encounter. Kidd signed for three years and $9 million with the Knicks.

Kidd when he arrived in New Jersey prior to the 2001-02 season, boldly proclaimed that the Nets would not be second best to the Knicks in the standings for long, a wild prediction because the Knicks routinely drop-kicked the Nets in the regular season. Kidd's words, though, proved prophetic as the Nets compiled a sterling 20-6 record against the Knicks during his time in New Jersey.

The move of the defensively sound 6-foot-7 Ronnie Brewer to the two guard instead of Kidd, gave the Knicks more size against 6-7 Joe Johnson.

fred.kerber@nypost.com


18.18 | 0 komentar | Read More

Nets prevail in OT thriller in 1st city showdown

The Nets and Knicks finally took their fight for city supremacy to the court in Brooklyn last night.

Give the first round to the Nets.

Thanks to a virtuoso performance from Deron Williams, the Nets came away from their first regular-season game in Brooklyn against the Knicks with a thrilling 96-89 overtime victory in front of a divided — but definitively pro-Nets — sellout crowd of 17,732 at Barclays Center.

"We gave the fans a show," Williams said after putting together a spectacular game, finishing with 16 points, 14 assists, six rebounds and three steals.

NBAE/Getty Images

BLOCK PARTY: Brook Lopez, who had five blocks to go with his team-high 22 points, rejects a shot by J.R. Smith during the Nets' overtime victory.

It was a game that truly lived up to the hype that had been heaped upon it for the past several months, ever since the matchup — which had originally been scheduled as the season opener for both teams before being postponed because of Hurricane Sandy — was placed on the schedule this summer.

"I thought this was a big game in general for us," Williams said. "The Knicks are a great team this year, they have a great record and it's hard to deny the atmosphere and media buzz around this game. So, I mean, it was definitely an exciting game for us, we were up to the task and I'm glad we were able to come out of it with a victory."

The Knicks were without Jason Kidd — the point guard who had helped build the rivalry when he was on the other side of it in the last decade missed the game with back spasms — but nearly had enough in Carmelo Anthony and Tyson Chandler. Anthony scored a game-high 35 points and Chandler added a career-high 28 on 12-of-13 shooting to go with 10 rebounds, and both were impressed by the excitement in the building.

"It was a great atmosphere,'' Chandler said. "Both teams wanted it. Both teams had something at stake. It was a good game. We didn't pull this one out and it was a disappointing loss.''

Right from the opening tip, the game had the feel of a playoff game in May or June as opposed to a regular-season one in late November. Not only was the intensity high on the court, but it was high in the stands, as the Nets had a legitimate advantage in fan support for a home game — something they rarely, if ever, did while playing in New Jersey.

The split was about 60-40, but the Nets fans made their presence felt throughout the game, and particularly as the final seconds ticked off the clock in overtime and the victory was in hand.

"Every time some sort of Knick contingency started to cheer, our fans got louder," Nets coach Avery Johnson said. "This is what we have been dreaming about since I have been here.

"It is a nice feeling and I am glad we rewarded our fans with a victory — they deserved it."

It looked like the Nets were on their way to a victory in regulation when they took a 81-76 lead with 4:01 remaining after a 3-pointer from Jerry Stackhouse was followed up by a fast-break dunk from Brook Lopez off a pass from Williams.

But after Lopez secured a defensive rebound after a miss by Raymond Felton, he brought the ball down low enough for Felton — who endured a miserable night, scoring five points on 3-of-19 shooting and had five assists and five turnovers — to poke it away and into the hands of Chandler.

Chandler then kicked the ball out to a wide-open Carmelo Anthony, who knocked down the 3-pointer to pull the Knicks to within two. That sparked an 8-0 run for the Knicks, capped by a Chandler put-back dunk with 1:38 remaining to give the Knicks a 84-81 lead with 1:38 remaining.

"We thought we had the game in hand in regulation," Johnson said, "and then it disappears."

But after Lopez's miscue allowed the Knicks back into the game, it was the big center, who finished with 22 points, 11 rebounds and five blocks, who pushed the game to overtime. Lopez scored the final three points of regulation, finishing a layup over Chandler with 1:27 left and then drawing a foul with 24.1 seconds remaining and hitting one of the two free throws.

That set the stage for Anthony, who finished with 35 points and 13 rebounds, to be the hero, but his 16-footer from the right side went just long.

"That's the look I wanted," Anthony said. "I'll take that shot all day. Perfect look at it. I missed it. But that's the look I wanted."

A last-second heave from Williams missed to the right, sending the game to overtime.

Chandler scored the first points of the extra session on a dunk, but the Nets scored the next eight , capped by a Gerald Wallace layup with 2:22 remaining that gave the Nets a 92-86 lead.

"I'm just glad we got the win," Joe Johnson said. "This is what the fans live for … everybody wanted to see this game, Nets versus Knicks.

"With so much hype around it, we just came out and showed we were the better team tonight."

tbontemps@nypost.com


18.18 | 0 komentar | Read More

Family swept to sea in effort to save dog - who eventually got out of the water on its own

Written By Unknown on Senin, 26 November 2012 | 20.49

EUREKA, Calif. — A couple died and their 16-year-old son went missing after being swept into sea in Northern California while trying to save their dog, authorities said Sunday.

The family was at Big Lagoon, a beach north of Eureka, Saturday afternoon when the dog chased after a thrown stick and got pulled into the ocean by eight to ten foot waves, said Dana Jones, a state Parks and Recreation district superintendent.

Jones said the boy went after the dog, prompting his father to go after them. She said the teenager was able to get out, but when he didn't see his father, he and his mother went into the water looking for him.

"Both were dragged into the ocean," Jones said.

The Times-Standard reports (http://bit.ly/UmSP2P) the couple's daughter called police.

Jones said a park ranger had to run a half mile to get to the beach because his car wasn't made to handle the terrain. When he arrived, he wasn't able to get to them because of the high surf, she said.

Rescuers eventually retrieved the mother's body and the father's body washed up.

The Coast Guard deployed a helicopter and two motor life boats to search for the teenager, but the aerial search was suspended Saturday evening by thick coastal fog.

A call seeking the status of the Coast Guard's search on Sunday wasn't immediately returned.

The dog got out of the water on its own, Jones said.


20.49 | 0 komentar | Read More

Weird but true

That ain't roadkill — its BBQ.

Bar 3 Bar-B-Q in Montana has settled its lawsuit against a phone-book company that had accidentally listed the restaurant under its "Animal Carcass Removal" section.

The tentative settlement includes payments to the eatery, whose meat comes from traditional sources.

***

There has to be a huge whipped-cream burglary coming next.

Thieves stole 180 pumpkin pies from a refrigerated trailer parked outside a Bristol Farms market in South Pasadena, Calif., police said.

The pies were stored in 20 boxes, and the crooks probably thought they were scoring turkeys, cops said. At least they have dessert.

***

A senior citizen in Sacramento, Calif., went all "Hunger Games" on a suspected burglar.

Don Kiefert, 75, caught a man in his back yard and held him for police by pointing a homemade bow and arrow at the suspect, officials said.

Kiefert has been burglarized before, so he thought this guy was coming back for more. Cops found no evidence the man was there to steal, so he was released.

***

A California caviar purveyor is going where luxury dining has never gone before — the vending machine.

Beverly Hills Caviar is selling fish eggs, truffles and escargot from an automated vendor at the Burbank Towne Center. The products cost $50 to $500.

***

Kids are bad for business, especially if your clients are accused pervs.

Criminal defense lawyer Roland Milliard threatened legal action against the town of Dracut, Mass., after officials approved a day-care center in the same office building as his practice.

Millard represents many clients accused of sex crimes, and he fears the presence of kids could hurt his business.


20.49 | 0 komentar | Read More

Haunted for life

"The Amityville Horror" is still a nightmare for a Queens man who spent part of his childhood in the world's most famous haunted house, he says.

Daniel Lutz and his family called 112 Ocean Ave. in Amityville, LI, home for just 28 days before fleeing for their lives in the middle of the night nearly 37 years ago, when Lutz was 10 years old.

The family's real-life scary movie was chronicled in the 1977 book and 1979 movie "The Amityville Horror'' — and Lutz now details their harrowing ordeal himself for the first time in a new documentary, "My Amityville Horror."

NIGHTMARE LIVES ON: Daniel Lutz is now telling his family's story of living in the famously haunted

AP

NIGHTMARE LIVES ON: Daniel Lutz is now telling his family's story of living in the famously haunted "Amityville Horror" house.

Daniel Lutz as a kid

Facebook

Daniel Lutz as a kid

"My job was to haul boxes inside," Lutz, now 47, recalled of his family's move into the four-bedroom house on Long Island's South Shore in early 1976. "Then I went into the house's playroom to find about four or five hundred flies buzzing about.

"I stood there with a newspaper smashing them on the walls, smashing them on the window. I killed about a hundred in five minutes. Then I ran downstairs to tell Mom, and when I came back up, the dead flies had gone. Even the newspaper had gone."

The documentary, which does not yet have a scheduled release date, is making the rounds at industry film festivals.

"I believe evil can manifest itself in any way, shape or form it chooses and that I was a victim of that," Lutz said in the film. "My mom used to say, 'Good things happen to good people, and bad things happen to bad people. But sometimes, bad things happen to good people.' "

Lutz said his mother, stepfather and two younger siblings moved into the house despite its macabre history: A year earlier, drug addict Ronald DeFeo Jr., 23, had slaughtered his mother, father and four brothers and sisters as they lay in their beds.

DeFeo said the "voice of God" told him to do it. He is serving a life sentence in prison.

The Lutz family moved in, and their lives would never be the same.

There were spooky incidents involving levitation, visits from unseen spirits and a bedroom sighting of an angry pig with wolf-like teeth, Lutz said.

"A spirit came into the house, bumps into my mother, walks through my hands, knocks a peanut-butter knife down onto the floor and sits down," Lutz said. "Then, in three seconds, it was gone."

Many believed that the family made up the story because they couldn't afford their mortgage or that the tales were connected to the now-dead stepfather's alleged interest in the occult. But Lutz, who lives in Whitestone and drives a delivery van, dismisses the naysayers, saying he's coming out now to confront his past.

"I stopped trying to persuade people about this a long time ago," he said.

Lutz said he still remembers his final day in the house.

"My brother and myself shared a levitation experience in our beds," Lutz said. "We both woke up, and our headboards and footboards were smashing each other and banging off the ceiling.

"Mom said, 'Go pack a bag. We're going to Grandma's. We're getting out of here.' I didn't know we were never coming back. "

leonard.greene@nypost.com


20.49 | 0 komentar | Read More

Cyber Monday likely to be the year's busiest online sales day

AP

Cyber Monday is likely to be the year's busiest online sales day.

Bye-bye Black Friday. So long Small Business Saturday. Now, it's Cyber Monday's turn.

Cyber Monday, coined in 2005 by a shopping trade group that noticed online sales spiked on the Monday following Thanksgiving, is the next in a series of days that stores are counting on to jumpstart the holiday shopping season.

It's estimated that this year's Cyber Monday will be the biggest online shopping day of the year for the third year in a row: According to research firm comScore, Americans are expected to spend $1.5 billion, up 20 percent from last year on Cyber Monday, as retailers have ramped up their deals to get shoppers to click on their websites.

Amazon.com, which is starting its Cyber Monday deals at midnight on Monday, is offering as much as 60 percent off a Panasonic VIERA 55-inch TV that's usually priced higher than $1,000. Sears is offering $430 off a Maytag washer and dryer, each on sale for $399. And Kmart is offering 75 percent off all of its diamond earrings and $60 off a 12-in-1 multigame table on sale for $89.99.

Retailers are hoping the deals will appeal to shoppers like Matt Sexton, 39, who for the first time plans to complete all of his holiday shopping online this year on his iPad tablet computer. Sexton, who plans to spend up to $4,000 this season, already shopped online on the day after Thanksgiving known as Black Friday and found a laptop from Best Buy for $399, a $200 savings, among other deals.

"The descriptions and reviews are so much better online so you can compare and price shop and for the most part get free shipping," said Sexton, who lives in Queens, N.Y., and is a manager at a utility company.

Sexton also said that it's easier to return an online purchase to a physical store than it had been in previous years. "That helps with gifts," he said.

How well retailers fare on Cyber Monday will offer insight into Americans' evolving shopping habits during the holiday shopping season, a time when stores can make up to 40 percent of their annual revenue. With the growth in high speed Internet access and the wide use of smartphones and tablets, people are relying less on their work computers to shop than they did when Shop.org, the digital division of trade group The National Retail Federation, introduced the term "Cyber Monday."

"People years ago didn't have ... connectivity to shop online at their homes. So when they went back to work after Thanksgiving they'd shop on the Monday after," said Vicki Cantrell, executive director of Shop.org. "Now they don't need the work computer to be able to do that."

As a result, the period between Thanksgiving and Cyber Monday has become busy for online shopping as well. Indeed, online sales on Thanksgiving Day, traditionally not a popular day for online shopping, rose 32 percent over last year to $633 million, according to comScore. And online sales on Black Friday were up 26 percent from the same day last year, to $1.042 billion. It was the first time online sales on Black Friday surpassed $1 billion.

For the holiday season-to-date, comScore found that $13.7 billion has been spent online, marking a 16 percent increase over last year. The research firm predicts that online sales will surpass 10 percent of total retail spending this holiday season. The National Retail Federation estimates that overall retail sales in November and December will be up 4.1 percent this year to $586.1 billion

But as other days become popular for online shopping, Cyber Monday may lose some of its cache. To be sure, Cyber Monday hasn't always been the biggest online shopping day. In fact, up until three years ago, that title was historically earned by the last day shoppers could order items with standard shipping rates and get them delivered before Christmas. That day changes every year, but usually falls in late December.

Even though Cyber Monday is expected to be the biggest shopping day this year, industry watchers say it could just be a matter of time before other days take that ranking.

"Of all the benchmark spending days, Thanksgiving is growing at the fastest rate, up 128 percent over the last five years," said Andrew Lipsman, a spokesman with comScore.


20.49 | 0 komentar | Read More

Family swept to sea in effort to save dog - who eventually got out of the water on its own

EUREKA, Calif. — A couple died and their 16-year-old son went missing after being swept into sea in Northern California while trying to save their dog, authorities said Sunday.

The family was at Big Lagoon, a beach north of Eureka, Saturday afternoon when the dog chased after a thrown stick and got pulled into the ocean by eight to ten foot waves, said Dana Jones, a state Parks and Recreation district superintendent.

Jones said the boy went after the dog, prompting his father to go after them. She said the teenager was able to get out, but when he didn't see his father, he and his mother went into the water looking for him.

"Both were dragged into the ocean," Jones said.

The Times-Standard reports (http://bit.ly/UmSP2P) the couple's daughter called police.

Jones said a park ranger had to run a half mile to get to the beach because his car wasn't made to handle the terrain. When he arrived, he wasn't able to get to them because of the high surf, she said.

Rescuers eventually retrieved the mother's body and the father's body washed up.

The Coast Guard deployed a helicopter and two motor life boats to search for the teenager, but the aerial search was suspended Saturday evening by thick coastal fog.

A call seeking the status of the Coast Guard's search on Sunday wasn't immediately returned.

The dog got out of the water on its own, Jones said.


18.18 | 0 komentar | Read More

Weird but true

That ain't roadkill — its BBQ.

Bar 3 Bar-B-Q in Montana has settled its lawsuit against a phone-book company that had accidentally listed the restaurant under its "Animal Carcass Removal" section.

The tentative settlement includes payments to the eatery, whose meat comes from traditional sources.

***

There has to be a huge whipped-cream burglary coming next.

Thieves stole 180 pumpkin pies from a refrigerated trailer parked outside a Bristol Farms market in South Pasadena, Calif., police said.

The pies were stored in 20 boxes, and the crooks probably thought they were scoring turkeys, cops said. At least they have dessert.

***

A senior citizen in Sacramento, Calif., went all "Hunger Games" on a suspected burglar.

Don Kiefert, 75, caught a man in his back yard and held him for police by pointing a homemade bow and arrow at the suspect, officials said.

Kiefert has been burglarized before, so he thought this guy was coming back for more. Cops found no evidence the man was there to steal, so he was released.

***

A California caviar purveyor is going where luxury dining has never gone before — the vending machine.

Beverly Hills Caviar is selling fish eggs, truffles and escargot from an automated vendor at the Burbank Towne Center. The products cost $50 to $500.

***

Kids are bad for business, especially if your clients are accused pervs.

Criminal defense lawyer Roland Milliard threatened legal action against the town of Dracut, Mass., after officials approved a day-care center in the same office building as his practice.

Millard represents many clients accused of sex crimes, and he fears the presence of kids could hurt his business.


18.18 | 0 komentar | Read More

Haunted for life

"The Amityville Horror" is still a nightmare for a Queens man who spent part of his childhood in the world's most famous haunted house, he says.

Daniel Lutz and his family called 112 Ocean Ave. in Amityville, LI, home for just 28 days before fleeing for their lives in the middle of the night nearly 37 years ago, when Lutz was 10 years old.

The family's real-life scary movie was chronicled in the 1977 book and 1979 movie "The Amityville Horror'' — and Lutz now details their harrowing ordeal himself for the first time in a new documentary, "My Amityville Horror."

NIGHTMARE LIVES ON: Daniel Lutz is now telling his family's story of living in the famously haunted

AP

NIGHTMARE LIVES ON: Daniel Lutz is now telling his family's story of living in the famously haunted "Amityville Horror" house.

Daniel Lutz as a kid

Facebook

Daniel Lutz as a kid

"My job was to haul boxes inside," Lutz, now 47, recalled of his family's move into the four-bedroom house on Long Island's South Shore in early 1976. "Then I went into the house's playroom to find about four or five hundred flies buzzing about.

"I stood there with a newspaper smashing them on the walls, smashing them on the window. I killed about a hundred in five minutes. Then I ran downstairs to tell Mom, and when I came back up, the dead flies had gone. Even the newspaper had gone."

The documentary, which does not yet have a scheduled release date, is making the rounds at industry film festivals.

"I believe evil can manifest itself in any way, shape or form it chooses and that I was a victim of that," Lutz said in the film. "My mom used to say, 'Good things happen to good people, and bad things happen to bad people. But sometimes, bad things happen to good people.' "

Lutz said his mother, stepfather and two younger siblings moved into the house despite its macabre history: A year earlier, drug addict Ronald DeFeo Jr., 23, had slaughtered his mother, father and four brothers and sisters as they lay in their beds.

DeFeo said the "voice of God" told him to do it. He is serving a life sentence in prison.

The Lutz family moved in, and their lives would never be the same.

There were spooky incidents involving levitation, visits from unseen spirits and a bedroom sighting of an angry pig with wolf-like teeth, Lutz said.

"A spirit came into the house, bumps into my mother, walks through my hands, knocks a peanut-butter knife down onto the floor and sits down," Lutz said. "Then, in three seconds, it was gone."

Many believed that the family made up the story because they couldn't afford their mortgage or that the tales were connected to the now-dead stepfather's alleged interest in the occult. But Lutz, who lives in Whitestone and drives a delivery van, dismisses the naysayers, saying he's coming out now to confront his past.

"I stopped trying to persuade people about this a long time ago," he said.

Lutz said he still remembers his final day in the house.

"My brother and myself shared a levitation experience in our beds," Lutz said. "We both woke up, and our headboards and footboards were smashing each other and banging off the ceiling.

"Mom said, 'Go pack a bag. We're going to Grandma's. We're getting out of here.' I didn't know we were never coming back. "

leonard.greene@nypost.com


18.18 | 0 komentar | Read More

Cyber Monday likely to be the year's busiest online sales day

AP

Cyber Monday is likely to be the year's busiest online sales day.

Bye-bye Black Friday. So long Small Business Saturday. Now, it's Cyber Monday's turn.

Cyber Monday, coined in 2005 by a shopping trade group that noticed online sales spiked on the Monday following Thanksgiving, is the next in a series of days that stores are counting on to jumpstart the holiday shopping season.

It's estimated that this year's Cyber Monday will be the biggest online shopping day of the year for the third year in a row: According to research firm comScore, Americans are expected to spend $1.5 billion, up 20 percent from last year on Cyber Monday, as retailers have ramped up their deals to get shoppers to click on their websites.

Amazon.com, which is starting its Cyber Monday deals at midnight on Monday, is offering as much as 60 percent off a Panasonic VIERA 55-inch TV that's usually priced higher than $1,000. Sears is offering $430 off a Maytag washer and dryer, each on sale for $399. And Kmart is offering 75 percent off all of its diamond earrings and $60 off a 12-in-1 multigame table on sale for $89.99.

Retailers are hoping the deals will appeal to shoppers like Matt Sexton, 39, who for the first time plans to complete all of his holiday shopping online this year on his iPad tablet computer. Sexton, who plans to spend up to $4,000 this season, already shopped online on the day after Thanksgiving known as Black Friday and found a laptop from Best Buy for $399, a $200 savings, among other deals.

"The descriptions and reviews are so much better online so you can compare and price shop and for the most part get free shipping," said Sexton, who lives in Queens, N.Y., and is a manager at a utility company.

Sexton also said that it's easier to return an online purchase to a physical store than it had been in previous years. "That helps with gifts," he said.

How well retailers fare on Cyber Monday will offer insight into Americans' evolving shopping habits during the holiday shopping season, a time when stores can make up to 40 percent of their annual revenue. With the growth in high speed Internet access and the wide use of smartphones and tablets, people are relying less on their work computers to shop than they did when Shop.org, the digital division of trade group The National Retail Federation, introduced the term "Cyber Monday."

"People years ago didn't have ... connectivity to shop online at their homes. So when they went back to work after Thanksgiving they'd shop on the Monday after," said Vicki Cantrell, executive director of Shop.org. "Now they don't need the work computer to be able to do that."

As a result, the period between Thanksgiving and Cyber Monday has become busy for online shopping as well. Indeed, online sales on Thanksgiving Day, traditionally not a popular day for online shopping, rose 32 percent over last year to $633 million, according to comScore. And online sales on Black Friday were up 26 percent from the same day last year, to $1.042 billion. It was the first time online sales on Black Friday surpassed $1 billion.

For the holiday season-to-date, comScore found that $13.7 billion has been spent online, marking a 16 percent increase over last year. The research firm predicts that online sales will surpass 10 percent of total retail spending this holiday season. The National Retail Federation estimates that overall retail sales in November and December will be up 4.1 percent this year to $586.1 billion

But as other days become popular for online shopping, Cyber Monday may lose some of its cache. To be sure, Cyber Monday hasn't always been the biggest online shopping day. In fact, up until three years ago, that title was historically earned by the last day shoppers could order items with standard shipping rates and get them delivered before Christmas. That day changes every year, but usually falls in late December.

Even though Cyber Monday is expected to be the biggest shopping day this year, industry watchers say it could just be a matter of time before other days take that ranking.

"Of all the benchmark spending days, Thanksgiving is growing at the fastest rate, up 128 percent over the last five years," said Andrew Lipsman, a spokesman with comScore.


18.18 | 0 komentar | Read More
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