Maine mall fires Santa after rudeness complaints

Santa Claus has been fired.A mall in Maine has sacked Santa after children and parents complained he was rude, grumpy and wouldn't even let one child sit on his lap.Officials at the Maine Mall in South Portland say they're looking for a jollier Santa and hope to have him in place Thursday.Jessica Mailhiot and her 6-year-old daughter, Chantel, went to see...

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South Florida foreclosure sales up in third quarter

Miami-Dade County’s foreclosure-related sales rose 43.9 percent in the third quarter from the second quarter and jumped 21.8 percent from a year earlier, as banks sold off more properties, according to RealtyTrac.In Broward County, third-quarter foreclosure-related sales rose 38.9 percent from the prior quarter, but were down 24.5 percent from a year ago, the real estate...

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On shared stage, Sen. Marco Rubio and U.S. Rep. Paul Ryan take steps toward 2016

WASHINGTON -- Just days after he was sworn in, Sen. Marco Rubio was trying to knock down speculation."This is the one job that I wanted. I wanted to be a U.S. senator, not a vice presidential candidate, not a presidential candidate," he told a radio interviewer in January 2011. "I didn’t run to use it as a stepping-stone."But Tuesday night at the Mayflower Renaissance Hotel,...

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'Zero Dark Thirty' Stars on Emotional 9/11 Connection

The true-life tale of the tracking and killing of Osama bin Laden is depicted with intensity in director Kathryn Bigelow's Zero Dark Thirty, and the ensemble drama's Jessica Chastain, Jason Clarke and Kyle Chandler explain how seeing the final cut of the film carried an incredible emotional punch.Video: How 'Zero Dark Thirty' Copied Bin Laden's Compound "The movie allows us to move on, I think," Chandler...

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Armed bandits rob Bronx deli

Two gun-toting thieves were caught on surveillance video robbing a deli in The Bronx, authorities said.The one suspect, with a handkerchief covering his face, can be seen waving his gun around inside of the store on East 161st Street in Melrose on Nov. 28 around 11 p.m.The duo allegedly ordered everyone to the ground and forced the cashier to open the register,...

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iPad’sdominance limits apps for other tablets

Q. When are companies going to start writing applications for tablet computers other than the iPad? I own a Pandigital tablet, and when I try to download apps, I’m told they’re either for the iPad or iPhone. LeRoy Hilton, Oro Valley, Ariz. You can expect more apps for non-Apple tablet computers when those devices gain more market share. How soon, or if,...

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Son of slain Miami Gardens car wash owner: ‘He put his own life before someone else’

When Dameion Peart got the phone call from his uncle, he didn’t believe it. He drove to his father’s Miami Gardens car wash to see for himself. He hoped the news wouldn’t be too bad, or maybe the shooting happened someplace else.He pulled up, saw flashing lights and police tape, and knew it was true.His father, Errold Peart, had been trying to protect a customer Sunday afternoon...

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Student group to go to court over Facebook privacy policy

VIENNA (Reuters) – An Austrian student group plans to go to court in a bid to make Facebook Inc, the world’s biggest social network, do more to protect the privacy of its hundreds of millions of members.Campaign group europe-v-facebook, which has been lobbying for better data protection by Facebook for over a year, said on Tuesday it planned to go to court to appeal against decisions by the data protection...

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Oscars Flashback: Steven Spielberg 1994

Hailed filmmaker Steven Spielberg has one of the most beloved bodies of work in film history, but it took him some time to witness his hard work become cast in shiny medal at a major awards ceremony. However, the deep resonation of Schindler's List amongst audiences and critics helped him win his first Oscars in 1994.A professional filmmaker since the late '60s, Spielberg had been in the business...

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Lawyer Dominic Barbara busted for stalking, attempted extortion of ex-wife: Rice

Dominic Barbara seen in his mug shot today.Lawyer Dominic Barbara has been arrested and charged with harassment, stalking and trying to extort $200,000 from his ex-wife – with alleged dirty pictures, says Nassau County DA Kathleen Rice.Barbara, 67, was busted today for attempted fourth degree grand larceny, second degree aggravated harassment and fourth...

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