Barack Obama Time Magazine Person of the Year

For 2012, Time Magazine has selected President Barack Obama as their Person of the Year.

"For finding and forging a new majority, for turning weakness into opportunity and for seeking, amid great adversity, to create a more perfect union, Barack Obama is Time's 2012 Person of the Year," Time's Managing Editor Richzard Stengel explained.

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He also cited both of the president's re-elections, snagging over 50 percent of the popular vote, as one reason he received this honor.

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This is the second year Time has tapped Obama as their Person of the Year -- he previously was selected in 2008 for becoming the first black president of the United States.

Time previously named the eight finalists for 2012's Person of the Year. They included: Bill and Hillary Clinton, Apple CEO Tim Cook, Malala Yousafzai (the Pakistani girl who was shot by the Taliban for her crusade for better girls' education), Yahoo! CEO Marissa Mayer, Egyptian president Mohamed Morsi and the three scientists who discovered the Higgs Boson particle.

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Russia gives initial OK to American adoption ban

MOSCOW — Russia's parliament on Wednesday gave overwhelming preliminary approval to a measure banning Americans from adopting Russian children, a harsh retaliatory move against US human rights legislation.

Top Russian officials have expressed unease about the proposal, an apparent indication that the Kremlin opposes the move.

The lower house of parliament, the State Duma, on Wednesday approved the second reading of a bill responding to the US legislation. The proposed adoption ban was not part of the original bill, but was added as an amendment.

To become law, the measure has to pass a third reading in the Duma, then clear the upper house before going to President Vladimir Putin for his signature.

Putin has not spoken publicly about the measure, but his spokesman Dmitry Peskov indicated Wednesday the Russian leader regards it as excessive. Peskov told the Interfax news agency that, although Putin understands the emotions that prompted the move, "the executive powers are taking a more restrained line."

Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and Russia's education minister both spoke out against the amendment and the speaker of the upper house, close Putin ally Valentina Matvienko, cautioned that the lower house was being guided by emotions rather than good sense.

But the overwhelming 388-15-1 vote in favor of the amendment Wednesday included lawmakers from the pro-Putin United Russia party. It was not clear if the opposition from top officials could bring about a reversal.

Many Russians have long resented the adoption of Russian children by Americans, sensitive to the implication that Russians are hard-hearted or economically unable to take care of their own. The resentment is fanned by cases of abuse or deaths of Russian children adopted by Americans.

Underlining the anger, the bill is named after Dima Yakovlev, a Russian-born toddler who died in the United States after his adoptive father left him in an car in the broiling heat for several hours. The father later was found not guilty of involuntary manslaughter.

The measure is in response to a new US law, signed last week by President Obama, which calls for sanctions against Russians assessed as human-rights violators.

That law stems from the case of Sergei Magnitsky, a Russian lawyer who was arrested by the Russian officials he accused of a $230 million tax fraud. He was repeatedly denied medical treatment and in 2009 died in jail. Russian rights groups have accused the Kremlin of failing to prosecute those responsible.

The amended passed by Duma on Wednesday also says any country that passes legislation similar to the Magnitsky Act also will be subject to an adoption ban.

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Stone-crab season suffers in the Keys

Despite rocketing prices for stone-crab claws, many Florida Keys commercial fishermen have nearly given up on the season only 2 months old.

"We may see record prices but also record pain," said Gary Graves, general manager of Keys Fisheries in Marathon. "Prices don't mean anything if you can't catch anything."

Harvests since shortly after the season opening Oct. 15 have been "as bad as I can remember during my 45 years in the business," Graves said. "It's just bleak."

Keys Fisheries, one of the state's leading wholesalers for stone crabs, has laid off half of its production staff, maybe 20 people, Graves said.

"We hate to do it to our people but we're probably not finished," he said. "Right now, a big day for us is 1,000 pounds [of claws]. It should be around 15,000 pounds. We're doing nothing."

Keys Fisheries has raised its dockside prices paid to fishermen several times to encourage fishermen to keep their traps in the water.

Graves said it costs a fisherman about $1,200 in fuel, labor and other expenses to make a day's trip. The fish house's current prices are $9 per pound for medium-size claws and $17 per pound for the coveted jumbos.

"Our wholesale sales prices are higher than that and retail is through the roof," Graves said. "But we can't fill the orders we have."

A Marathon community group recently canceled the organization's annual stone crab feast for members because no claws were to be found.

The season runs until May 15.

Last season, Monroe County produced about 1.1 million pounds of legal-size claws, accounting for a large portion of Florida's total 2.67 million-pound harvest worth an estimated $23.6 million to the commercial fleet.

About 1,000 people statewide are licensed to fish traps for stone crabs. Only the claws are kept. Historically, stone-crab harvests have topped three million pounds of claws.

"The last two years were good and the recruitment looked normal," Graves said. "The first round of trap pulling was fine but it went downhill from there — like falling off a cliff."

Fishermen and researchers are baffled.

"Blame it on global warming, blame it on BP [Deepwater Horizon oil spill], blame it on Mother Nature," Graves said. "Everybody's got an idea but nobody can say why. It's probably a combination of a bunch of things."

News reports from stone-crab fleets farther up the Florida Gulf Coast suggest an octopus population explosion. Crabs are a favorite food of octopus, which are smart enough to get into traps.

"We've seen more octopus in the 6- to 8-pound range, which is abnormal," Graves said. State experts have suggested warm winters may have triggered the octopus boom.

"Things could turn around," Graves said, "but realistically the chances of it happening this season are slim."

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Broward brothers face detention hearing in terrorism case

Two Pakistani brothers accused of a plotting a terrorist attack in the United States face a detention hearing in Fort Lauderdale federal court Tuesday.

The Oakland Park pair pleaded not guilty earlier this month to conspiring to deploy explosive weapons against an American target.

The brothers, 20-year-old Raees Alam Qazi and 30-year-old Sheheryar Alam Qazi, have each been charged with one count of conspiracy to use a weapon of mass destruction and one count of conspiracy to provide material support to terrorists.

The brothers, arrested in late November by the FBI, remain in custody at Broward County Jail. Prosecutors said that the Qazi brothers were born in Pakistan, but are both naturalized U.S. citizens.

Federal authorities disclosed few details of the ongoing investigation, but they said the alleged plot was “disrupted.” They declined to comment on the weapon type, the target, the terrorism organization or the alleged plot.

Authorities said the indictment was not the result of a sting operation.

Given the nature of the charges, it is likely the defendants won’t be eligible for bail before trial. The brothers and their attorneys may choose not to challenge their detention.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Karen Gilbert disclosed in court papers that the case was built on surveillance of the brothers’ phones, including presumably their conversations with foreign contacts. The evidence was obtained under the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act, a law that has been strengthened after 9/11.

Prosecutors said that starting in July 2011, the brothers conspired to provide transportation, money, lodging and other aid toward a plan to use a large-scale weapon somewhere in the United States.

“Any potential threat posed by these two individuals has been disrupted,” Wifredo Ferrer, the U.S. attorney for the Southern District of Florida, said in a statement issued after the brothers’ arrests. “Since September 11, 2001, the top priority of the Department of Justice and this U.S. Attorney’s Office has been to deter and prosecute acts of terrorism.”

The case is being investigated by the FBI’s South Florida Joint Terrorism Task Force.

If convicted, the Qazis each face a sentence of up to 15 years in prison on the material support charge, and a potential life sentence on the weapon of mass destruction charge.

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Oscars Flashback: Halle Berry 2002

At the 2002 Academy Awards, Halle Berry won an Oscar for the drama Monster's Ball. While the award was a first for her, it was more importantly a landmark win for the Oscars. After an emotional acceptance speech, she continues to succumb to emotion when thinking about the enormity of the moment.

In the prior 74 Academy Awards ceremonies, a woman of black descent had never won the Best Actress Award, but that changed in 2002 when Berry was awarded the prestigious award. Reiterating from her acceptance speech, she marvels at the broader significance of the award.

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"This moment, although I'm standing here...it's really not just about me," Berry says in the pressroom after the show. "It's about so many people that went before me that paved the way and people who are fighting alongside with me and the ones that will come along whose path will be indelibly easier because of everyone.

"So, it's not really about me as much as it's about so many other women of color who have tried to permeate this system for so many years, and today this meant hope. That glass ceiling was broken wide-open and that just feels good for me and for all of them too."

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The first woman to chip away at that glass ceiling was Dorothy Dandridge, whom Berry had portrayed a few years prior in the television film Introducing Dorothy Dandridge. Coincidentally, Berry had received the highest accolades for television (SAG Award, Golden Globe, Emmy) for the first time for portraying Dandridge in the TV film.

While her Monster's Ball role yielded her a historical Oscar, the part nearly went to another actress and Berry had to adamantly reiterate to the film's director and producer that she was a good fit for the role. As she assess, the fruition of her persistence is a major encouragement.

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"I think fighting has always been my way, so I don't think now I'll change," the then-35-year-old Berry says. "I'm sure I'll still have to fight and pave the way, but this just inspires me and lets me know that it's all worth it and if I have to fight ten more years before I make another inroad then I guess that's what I'm going to do."

Berry has since been nominated for Emmys and Golden Globes but has not received an Oscar nomination since making history in 2002. As she predicted, another inroad has had to wait over ten years but may be soon on its way.

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Westchester County won't host gun show

Westchester County will not host a gun show early next year in the wake of the massacre in Newtown, Conn.

County Executive Rob Astorino said it would be inappropriate for the county to hold the event.

Former County Executive Andrew Spano had banned the show after the 1999 Columbine school shootings in Colorado. The ban remained in effect for more than a decade.

Astorino brought back the show in 2010.

His decision comes after Greenburgh Town Supervisor Paul Feiner called on the county to cancel the show at the government-owned building.

Westchester Board of Legislators Chairman Ken Jenkins said banning such shows at the County Center was part of the answer to curbing gun violence.

The show's promoter, Westchester Collectors, didn't return respond to calls for comment.

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American Airlines adds new agreements, flights in South America

In a nod to the importance of Latin America for its business, American Airlines on Monday announced new codeshare agreements with airlines in the region as well as new routes.

American has agreed to codeshare with TAM Airlines, based in Sao Paulo, and LAN Colombia, both part of LATAM Airlines Group.

The airline also said that it will add new routes in late 2013 between Miami and two destinations in Brazil: Curitiba and Porto Alegre. American also plans to add service between Dallas/Fort Worth and Bogota late next year.

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

What began as a jealous argument almost turned deadly for a Key Largo man involved with a woman in an open marriage, Monroe County police say.

Candice Lee, 37, allegedly shot her former lover, Shakir Muilam, 45, with a .22-caliber rifle after the two argued over her relationship with a new boyfriend, said Deputy Becky Herrin, spokeswoman with the Monroe County Sheriff's Office.

Lee and her husband, whom the Sheriff's Office did not identify, are in an open relationship, which allows them to have other sexual partners, Herrin said.

Lee and Muilam were in a relationship but broke up recently. However, she and her husband allowed Muilam to live with them when he was diagnosed with cancer.

While living with her husband and Muilam, Lee began a new relationship with yet another man. Muilam found Lee and her boyfriend talking early Thursday outside of their home at 217 St. Croix Pl. and became angry, according to police. Lee reportedly told Muilam that if he didn't approve of her new relationship, he could move out. Sometime during the argument, Lee reportedly fell and hit her head.

She went inside the house and came back outside with the rifle and pointed it at Muilam. Lee told investigators that as she and Muilam argued, he reached behind himself and she shot him in the thigh.

Lee said she ran to her next-door neighbor's home to call the police. She then ran back to her home and applied pressure to Muilam's wound.

When deputies arrived, Lee pointed to where the gun was leaning up against a bookshelf. Deputies booked Lee into jail, where she is being held on no bond facing a charge of aggravated battery with a deadly weapon.

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Modern Etiquette: A bit of netiquette will keep Christmas real

LONDON (Reuters) – Christmas is a convivial time of year when people get together for celebrations and conversation. It’s all about human contact so it’s important that you’re discriminating about how you use your digital devices.

It’s fine if they’re used to facilitate get-togethers and spread seasonal cheer. But Christmas is a real, not a virtual event, so it’s important to discard the phones, tablets and computers and enjoy festive celebrations in the real world.

Christmas cards are still an invaluable and personal way of keeping in touch with far-flung friends and relations.

In these straitened times, however, you might want to cut down the number of cards you send, so it’s fine to explain to your nearest and dearest that you won’t be sending them cards – a personalized seasonal message by text, phone call or email, sent out to individuals, is quite acceptable.

Avoid sending out generic e-cards. They’re lazy and impersonal, and many people will find them lacking in Christmas spirit or just baffling.

If you’re emailing instead of sending a Christmas card, make sure that you send out unique – and individual – messages to each of your recipients. Group emails, like round robins, are to be avoided.

It’s fine to put general seasonal messages on social networking sites, but avoid posting compromising photos.

This is the time of year when we all let our hair down, but not everyone will appreciate the evidence being posted for all to see in cyberspace.

Don’t get too carried away with seasonal cyber-cheer. Spamming your friends and followers with endless Christmas wishes and updates will soon get tedious.

Christmas Day is all about socializing with family and friends, and enjoying good food and good conversation. So don’t spend the big day glued to your phone, rather than interacting with your family.

Ban all phones from the Christmas table.

Eating together is all about sociability and it’s a real insult to the host and/or cook to be transfixed by your texts rather than the turkey and table talk.

Be a good digital host.

Technology is part of our everyday life and Christmas is no exception. If you have friends or family staying in your home, make sure that you have your WiFi password to hand. Offer them access to your network, and hope that everyone adheres to good festive netiquette.

Christmas is the perfect time to make a video call, but choose your timing carefully. Nobody wants to be talking to virtual visitors during lunch or present opening.

Remember the power of the written word.

If you are the lucky recipient of a generous present or lavish hospitality, then hand-writing a proper thank you letter is a much more elegant gesture than texting or emailing, and will be noted and appreciated. It is fine to email or text your thanks for small presents.

(This story has been refiled to fix dateline)

(Jo Bryant is an etiquette advisor and editor at Debrett’s, the UK authority on etiquette and modern manners (www.debretts.com). Any opinions expressed are her own. Debrett’s “Netiquette” is a definitive guide to digital dilemmas and outlines a code of manners for modern communication.)

(Editing by Paul Casciato)

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Lady Gaga Gimme Shelter With The Rolling Stones

On December 15, Lady Gaga watched (along with millions on Pay-Per-View) watched her dream come true as she performed Gimme Shelter with The Rolling Stones at their 50th Anniversary Concert in Newark, NJ's Prudential Center.

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"I had a life dream to be transported in a time machine to 1973 NJ, beer + badboys. Someone heal me it happened + then I sang with the Stones," she Tweeted after the performance. Clad in a Ray Brown jumpsuit, which made Gaga feel "like a star," the Born This Way hitmaker strutted all over the stage as she and Mick Jagger delivered a dynamic duet.

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The performance aired on Pay-Per-View, but in case you missed the magic, watch The Rolling Stones and Lady Gaga tackle Gimme Shelter!

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