U.S. daily deals website Living Social to cut 400 jobs: WSJ












(Reuters) – U.S. daily deals online firm Living Social Inc is expected to announce on Thursday it is cutting 400 jobs, representing 9 percent of its workforce, as demand for daily deals and emailed daily discounts dries up, the Wall Street Journal reported, citing a source familiar with the plans.


The Washington-based company’s workforce has increased nearly 10-fold since the beginning of 2010 and it currently employs about 4,500 people worldwide, the Journal said. (http://link.reuters.com/rus34t)












Retail website Amazon.Com Inc owns a 30 percent stake in Living Social and booked a third-quarter charge of $ 169 million on the holding.


Living Social declined to comment to Reuters on the Journal report.


(Reporting By Neha Dimri and Alistair Barr; Editing by Muralikumar Anantharaman)


Internet News Headlines – Yahoo! News


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Phoning in homework








When your kids say they’re doing homework on the phone, they may be telling the truth.

More than a third of US tweens and young teens are using smartphones to do homework, with Hispanic students using them at a higher rate than African-Americans or whites, according to a survey released yesterday by the research firm TRU. Smartphones were used for homework by 39 percent of 11-to-14-year-olds.

“These middle school students are using mobile devices for more than entertainment purposes,” said Kristi Sarmiento, research director at TRU, in an interview. “They have grown up with this technology.”












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City National Bank of Florida and its Spanish parent have four years to evaluate the Miami bank’s future ownership




















City National Bank of Florida, the Miami bank purchased by Bankia (formerly Caja Madrid) of Spain in November 2008, said Wednesday that its parent has a “four-year window to evaluate alternatives” for the bank’s future ownership and will work closely with management in Miami during the process.

The Spanish government has reached and agreement with the European Union related to Spain’s financial system problems, which will result in a recapitalization of Bankia and other institutions, the bank said. The agreement calls for Bankia to sell non-core assets and its holdings outside of Spain so that Bankia will emerge with a solid capital position and be more focused on its core domestic business.

“Because City National Bank is so well capitalized, profitable and well positioned in the marketplace, we are going to take our time to fully evaluate all of our strategic alternatives,” City National Bank President and CEO Jorge Gonzalez said in a statement. “This does not impact our ongoing strategy of profitable growth and diversification or our commitment to the markets we serve. Our focus continues to be taking excellent care of our clients and employees. ”





City National, founded 65 years ago, has $4.32 billion in assets and 26 branches from Miami-Dade County to the greater Orlando area.

INA PAIVA CORDLE





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Weatherman conned by SoBe “Bar Girls” now has Twitter account hijacked by Playboy fiancée




















A former TV weatherman who testified 12 days ago in a Miami federal courtroom that Latvian “Bar Girls” swindled him out of $43,000 on Miami Beach was back in the spotlight Tuesday over suggestive photos and tweets sent from his Twitter account.

John Bolaris, who was suspended from his job as a weather anchor for Fox affiliate WTXF in Philadelphia last year amid his allegations that as a tourist in South Florida in 2010 he was drugged and robbed, apparently was asleep Sunday when his fiancée Erica Smitheman drunkenly took over his Twitter account and promised to send out nude photos of herself, the New York Daily News is reporting.

The former Playboy model started her Twitter binge by writing: “Hello this is Erica…love John, he loves you all, I guess it’s ok if I send you all a naked photo or two…don’t tell my love.”





She continued to write suggestive tweets referring to her modeling past and hinting that she’d taken over Bolaris’ account while he slept, the newspaper reported.

“This is Erica, I did pose in Playboy…so what,” she wrote. “I will post my naked pictures…John has no clue... I am tweeting, he’s sleeping.”

Bolaris, who now appears on the Howard Stern radio show, has nearly 13,000 followers.

Smitheman did not post nude photos, only one suggestive one, but her offer caused a stir in the Twitterverse.

To read the New York Daily News story click here.

Bolaris last made headlines earlier this month in Miami when he testified about his misadventures in the hands of a Latvian crime ring, which used two beautiful women to lure him from a club and back to his hotel and in the process ran up his credit card, he said.

Here’s the story that ran in MiamiHerald.com on Nov. 16, the day after Bolaris testified in court:

More than two years after his “nightmare on South Beach,” former TV weatherman John Bolaris remains a little foggy about his close encounter with a couple of Latvian “Bar Girls” who swindled him for $43,000 in bogus booze charges billed to his AMEX card.

On Friday, Bolaris testified in Miami federal court that he didn’t have sex with them, though the thought crossed his mind after meeting the duo at the Delano Hotel in late March 2010. Bolaris, 55, was asked whether the B-girls suggested they go to his room at the Fontainebleau Hotel for a “threesome.”

“No, sir,” Bolaris told defense attorney Roderick Vereen. “In my right state of mind, I would not do that.” Vereen shot back: “What about in your intoxicated state of mind?”

Bolaris, who was fired last year from his job as a weatherman for FOX TV in Philadelphia, regaled a Miami jury with his tale of woe in the federal trial of four men who ran a ring of Russian-style clubs that fleeced Miami Beach tourists by deploying B-girls to seduce them.

The puppet master behind the alleged scam: admitted Russian mafioso Alec Simchuk, 46, a naturalized U.S. citizen who pleaded guilty to fraud and testified last month in the trial of his partners and associates.

In 2010, Miami Beach police and the FBI launched an undercover investigation into the B-girl network after Bolaris and other customers complained to their credit card companies about the outlandish bar tabs. A total of 18 defendants were charged in the fraud conspiracy.





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The Complete List: 'Dancing with the Stars' Winners


The Complete List: 'Dancing with the Stars' Winners


On Tuesday night, TV personality and former Bachelor contestant Melissa Rycroft became the latest Dancing with the Stars victor! Click through the gallery for a look back at all the previous mirror ball winners.


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‘Half Men’ teen apologizes to co-stars








The teen star of “Two and a Half Men” spoke out for the first time last night since a video of his religious rant against the show went viral.

Angus T. Jones, 19, released a statement apologizing “if my remarks reflect me showing indifference to and disrespect of my colleagues and a lack of appreciation of the extraordinary opportunity of which I have been blessed.”

“I am grateful to and have the highest regard and respect for all of the wonderful people on ‘Two and Half Men’ with whom I have worked over the past 10 years and who have become an extension of my family.”





OUT OF TUNE: Angus T. Jones (left), with his “Two and a Half Men” co-stars Ashton Kutcher (center) and Jon Cryer, last night released a statement insisting he respects them — even if does think their sitcom is “filth.”

CBS/Warner Bros.





OUT OF TUNE: Angus T. Jones (left), with his “Two and a Half Men” co-stars Ashton Kutcher (center) and Jon Cryer, last night released a statement insisting he respects them — even if does think their sitcom is “filth.”





Jones shocked his colleagues by blasting as “filth” the CBS sitcom, which is making him nearly $8 million per season — and urging viewers to turn it off before they go to hell.

Now, his fate is in the hands of producer Chuck Lorre after other executives headed for the hills.

“This is going to be up to Lorre, what to do,” said a Hollywood insider. “[Jones] works for Chuck.”

Another source told The Post, “There are two problems with this. First, he’s still a kid. No one wants to ruin his life.

“And two, this about religion. It’s not like Lindsay Lohan or something . . . No one questions the sincerity of his beliefs.

“Everyone wants to stay quiet and just hope it goes away.”

Another source said simply, “There’s just no way to win here.’’

Last year, Lorre had to deal with the crazed behavior of Charlie Sheen, whose diatribes and show-bashing got him fired.

Sheen yesterday sympathized with his former co-star, and blamed more mysterious forces.

“With Anguss Hale-Bopp-like meltdown, it is radically clear to me that the show is cursed,” Sheen told People magazine.

Jones’ 20-minute rant, posted on YouTube by Internet preacher Christopher Hudson, took his colleagues by surprise.

Jones had never spoken to them about religion or his sudden distaste for the raunchy show.

“I’ve been talking to people all day and, from what I can tell, they were all like me — not a clue this was coming,” said an insider.

Most are trying to downplay the controversy.

“He’s not the first actor to say, ‘My show stinks,’ ” said one executive, who added that Jones is not in violation of his contract.

Lorre had nothing to say.

Jones was hiding at his father Kelly’s LA home yesterday. Nobody answered the door, although people could be seen inside.

Jones’ mother, Carey, said she fears that her son’s new congregation, the Valley Crossroads church, which says it’s associated with the Seventh-Day Adventist denomination, is really a cult.

“I’m concerned he’s being exploited by the church,” she told the Daily Mail.

Hudson, the teen’s spiritual mentor, has made bizarre claims, saying President Obama’s health- care policy “embodies the policies that were found within Adolf Hitler’s health-care plan.”

Hudson also said that Jay Z released his latest album on 9/11 because of the number 11, which “represents . . . the eternal kingdom of the anti-Christ.”

Jones’ family has a troubled history. His mom, Carey, 42, had his dad, Kelly, arrested in 1997 after he allegedly pushed her out of a car. And she herself was busted in 1992 for allegedly ripping the meter out of a taxi and punching a cop.

Kelly, 50, also has been arrested for gun and pot possession.

“Two and a Half Men’’ has shot about half its episodes for this season. Jones won’t be on set for the next two weeks of filming before the holiday break because he’s not featured in the episodes.

If a decision is made to get rid of him, it won’t be hard, because his character, Jake Harper, has already enlisted in the military and can easily be shipped out.

m.shain@nypost.com










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Gift ideas for the techie on your list




















The holidays are coming fast, and if you’re like me, you’ve probably gotten very little of your gift shopping done.

Here are suggestions for a variety of gifts for the techie and the not-so-techie people on your list.

Some of these items can be found in stores and some are only available online, but you should be able to order them in time for Christmas or Hanukkah.





IOMEGA EZ MEDIA & BACKUP CENTER

What is it? A hard drive that lives on your home network so you can share files, store all your photos and music and back up your home computers. Works on Macintosh, Windows and Linux computers.

The EZ Media & Backup Center is available in 1-, 2- and 3-terabyte capacities. It is simple to set up. It lives next to your home router and plugs into the network via Ethernet.

Major features include a built-in iTunes server so your music is available to all connected computers, Time Machine support for easy Macintosh backups and Iomega’s Personal Cloud to access your data from any Internet connection.

It can also stream your video files to your TV if you’ve got a compatible streaming box or an Internet-connected TV.

Software for backing up Windows PCs is also included.

Who’s it for? Any family that wants central storage for their digital lives. This is a great home for your digital photo, music or video library.

What does it cost? One terabyte for $169.99, two terabytes for $209.99, three terabytes for $279.99.

Where can you get it? Online at www.iomega.com, Amazon, Best Buy, Apple store, Fry’s.

NETATMO URBAN WEATHER STATION

What is it? A wireless indoor/outdoor weather station that displays through an application on your Apple or Android mobile device.

There are two parts, one that lives in your house and one you place outside.

The indoor component plugs into the wall and monitors the temperature, humidity, barometric pressure, carbon dioxide level and even the sound level in decibels.

The outdoor module is battery-powered and measures temperature and humidity.

Once you connect the Netatmo to your home Wi-Fi network, you can download the free app and see your weather stats from anywhere.

Setup was easy enough, and you can set the app to notify you when carbon dioxide rises to levels that you should be warned about — which is great.

Who’s it for? Weather geeks and people who like to know what the temperature is without having to fire up a browser.

What does it cost? $179

Where can you get it? www.netatmo.com

3M LED ADVANCED LIGHT

What is it? 3M’s first foray into the home light bulb market is with the LED Advanced Light, which uses light-emitting diodes (LED) to produce 800 lumens (the light of a 60-watt bulb).

The Advanced Light has a life span of 25 years and costs just $1.63 per year if it’s turned on for three hours per day.

The bulb lights instantly and is dimmable.

It’s a little intimidating to start buying light bulbs that might outlive me, but my wallet approves.

Who’s it for? Anyone who wants to save money or wants a bulb that might not have to be changed until 2035.

What does it cost? $25

Where can you get it? Select Wal-Mart stores. For more information, go to www.3mlighting.com/LED.

STEM IZON 2.0 WI-FI VIDEO MONITOR

What is it? A small, wireless video camera that you can monitor remotely with an iOS device.





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Survivor of flea-market police shooting is charged




















Two Miami men shot Sunday by Miami-Dade police outside a flea market were identified Monday, and the survivor was charged with battery.

Michael Nathaniel Parks, 21, faces charges of battery on a law-enforcement officer and resisting an officer with violence. The second man, who had been driving the van the pair had been in, and who died at the scene, was identified as LeBron Warren, 23.

The shooting took place shortly before 3 p.m. Sunday at Flea Market USA, near Northwest 79th Street and 30th Avenue. Police said the victim of a nearby home-invasion robbery followed the robbers’ vehicle to the flea market and told police about it.





Officers found a van matching the description there, with Parks and Warren inside.

When officers approached, Warren put the van in reverse and accelerated toward them, hitting a police vehicle. Officers fired, and the van tried to get away, hitting other parked cars before it came to a stop, police said.

No officers were hurt.





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HTC confirms 5-inch ‘Deluxe’ smartphone won’t launch in Europe












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How Zero Dark Thirty Copied Bin Laden's Compound

Oscar-winning director Kathryn Bigelow reteams with her Hurt Locker screenwriter Mark Boal for Zero Dark Thirty, a chronicling of the hunt for Osama bin Laden, and the two opened up to Nightline about how they recreated bin Laden's compound.

VIDEO: Zero Dark Thirty Trailer

The filmmakers built a full-scale version of the compound in Jordan, and Bigelow says that everything from the carpet to the marks on the walls were taken from ABC News footage that she studied frame by frame.

"Everything we could find from that video we replicated," Bigelow said. "Every conceivable piece of information that we could find we replicated."

As to the controversy over whether or not the filmmakers received classified information to make the movie, Mark Boal says, "I certainly did a lot of homework, but I never asked for classified materials. To my knowledge I never received any."

Zero Dark Thirty, starring Jessica Chastain, Kyle Chandler, James Gandolfini, Chris Pratt and Jennifer Ehle, hits theaters January 11.

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