Avonte Oquendo Spotted Riding The Subway? Boy In Photo Resembles Missing Autistic Teen

UPDATE: Police said Thursday that a boy seen in a photo riding the subway is not Avonte Oquendo, the autistic New York City teen who's been missing for nearly a month.
From The AP:

A 13-year-old snapped the picture Tuesday and later posted it on his Facebook page. Authorities said Thursday that the boy shown in the photo went with his mother to see police.
The boy resembles 14-year-old Avonte Oquendo (ah-VAHN'-tay oh-KEHN'-doh), who was last seen on Oct. 4 walking out of his Queens school.
The teen who took the photo approached the boy and asked if he was Avonte. But the boy didn't respond.
Avonte's parents had said they couldn't be sure that the photo showed their son.

Bryan Sweatt 911 Call Captures Minutes Before 6 Shot Dead

GREENWOOD, S.C. -- GREENWOOD, S.C. (AP) — Facing problems with the law and in his personal life, 27-year-old Bryan Sweatt called a police dispatcher to vent. When she asked him what was wrong, he replied he was "stressed out" and about to kill himself.
With a woman's voice crying in the background, the dispatcher asked if he had a gun. His reply: "a 44." Then the phone line went dead.
The chilling call was the first clue that something had gone terribly wrong inside a one-story rural home in this tight-knit community of 23,000 people where six people, including Sweatt, were found shot to death.
Police say Sweatt broke into his girlfriend's parents' house Tuesday and waited for them and the girlfriend to come home. When they did, Sweatt fatally shot her, her parents and two children living there and himself, said Greenwood County Sheriff Tony Davis said.
"Once you see a horrific scene like this it never leaves you. It's with you day in and day out," he said.
The victims were identified as Richard Fields, 51; his wife, Melissa Fields, 49; their daughter Chandra Fields, 26; and two of the couple's grandchildren who lived with them: William Robinson, 9; and Tariq Robinson, 11.
Sweatt was in the middle of a custody fight with Chandra Fields over their 7-month-old daughter, who was not among those killed. He also was facing a burglary charge that could have put him behind bars for years.
Richard Fields had warned him to stay away from his house and the dirt track Sweatt had built in the backyard for his all-terrain vehicles.
Davis didn't specify a motive for the shootings, but said it appears they stemmed from a "domestic violence situation."
He said Sweatt felt that Chandra Fields wasn't allowing him to see their infant child often enough.
It's unclear how many — if any — victims had been shot before he made the call at 5:54 p.m. Tuesday from the home. A police report said a dispatcher heard a woman in the background say: "Do not point that at me" before the call was disconnected.
Sweatt allowed four children to escape — his 7-month-old daughter, the infant's cousin and two neighborhood children who came to the door after school to play with the Fields' grandchildren.
No one knows why Sweatt let them live and shot the others, Davis said.
"I cannot tell you at this point that I have all the answers for you," he said.
While they're still searching for clues, one thing is clear: Sweatt was facing serious problems.
Sweatt had a lengthy arrest record that dates back nearly a decade, according to state police records. Most of his charges were related to property crimes, such as burglary or forgery, although he was arrested once on aggravated assault charges.
He was supposed to be in court Tuesday on a burglary charge, Davis said. The sheriff didn't have many details about the hearing, but said Sweatt faced up to 30 years if he was convicted.
On July 6, 2012, a woman filed a complaint, saying she wanted to have Sweatt checked out because he was threatening suicide, according to a Greenwood County sheriff's office report. She also said she was afraid of him. No charges were filed.
Neighbors said that a few months ago, Richard Fields started allowing Sweatt to store his recreational vehicles on his property on a rural stretch of road south of Greenwood in northwestern South Carolina.
Neighbor Jeff Hicks said he didn't mind initially, but things quickly changed. Strangers began showing up and racing the four-wheelers long into the night, he said. Fields had complained about the noise and said he was going to ask Sweatt to stop coming around.
"He just couldn't take it anymore. He was just fed up," Hicks said.
Hicks said he had frequently talked with his quiet, friendly neighbor about hog hunting and other outdoor activities.
"It's a shame. It just tears you up," said Hicks, who last saw Fields on Tuesday morning. "I waved to him, and now I'll never see him again. That's how short life is."
Sheriff Davis said Fields also believed Sweatt had stolen property from him and told him "not to come back."
Officers went to the home after receiving the 911 call from Sweatt. Davis said while police were on their way, a neighbor called 911 saying four children from that address had arrived at her house and told her a shot had been fired.
On the tape released Wednesday, the neighbor was frantic.
"I just got four kids at my door and they said somebody just killed their momma," the woman told the dispatcher.
When the dispatcher asked what happened, one of the children replayed the scene. She said Sweatt had taken her mother to the "back of the room ... and heard the gun go off."
"You just take care of those children for us," the dispatcher told the woman.
After about an hour and "several unsuccessful attempts" by officers to make contact with anyone in the home, SWAT entered and discovered the bodies, authorities said.
"This is a tragedy," said neighbor Ansel Brewer. "It just so hard to imagine something like this going on here. Why would someone do this?"
___
Associated Press writers Meg Kinnard and Jeffrey Collins in Columbia and Lisa J. Adams in Atlanta contributed to this report.

Terrelle Pryor scores on longest QB run in NFL history

On the very first play from scrimmage, Oakland Raiders quarterback Terrelle Pryor kept the football and ran 93-yards for a touchdown.
MORE: Week 8 in photos | Week 8 live blog | Raiders' DC gives official the bird
The run was the longest QB run in NFL history. Pittsburgh's defense didn't even get a finger on him. It was also the longest run from scrimmage in Raiders' history.
That's a history that includes Bo Jackson and Marcus Allen if you're trying to put that in perspective. The previous record was 92 yards, set by Jackson in 1989.
The run came on a read-option on the Raiders' first offensive play of the game. Pryor took the snap, cut to the outside and never looked back.

5 Things Super Successful People Do Before 8 AM: Forbes

Rise and shine! Morning time just became your new best friend. Love it or hate it, utilizing the morning hours before work may be the key to a successful, and healthy, lifestyle. That’s right, early rising is a common trait found in many CEOs, government officials, and other influential people. Margaret Thatcher was up every day at 5 a.m.; Frank Lloyd Wright at 4 am and Robert Iger, the CEO of Disney wakes at 4:30am just to name a few. I know what you’re thinking – you do your best work at night. Not so fast. According to Inc. Magazine, morning people have been found to be more proactive and more productive. In addition, the health benefits for those with a life before work go on and on. Let’s explore 5 of the things successful people do before 8 am.
1. Exercise. I’ve said it once, I’ll say it again. Most people that work out daily, work out in the morning. Whether it’s a morning yoga session or a trip to the gym, exercising before work gives you a boost of energy for the day and that deserved sense of accomplishment. Anyone can tackle a pile of paperwork after 200 ab reps! Morning workouts also eliminate the possibility of flaking out on your cardio after a long day at work. Even if you aren’t bright eyed and bushy tailed at the thought of a 5 am jog, try waking up 15 minutes early for a quick bedside set of pushups or stretching. It’ll help wake up your body, and prep you for your day.
2. Map Out Your Day. Maximize your potential by mapping out your schedule for the day, as well as your goals and to dos. The morning is a good time for this as it is often one of the only quiet times a person gets throughout the day. The early hours foster easier reflection that helps when prioritizing your activities. They also allow for uninterrupted problem solving when trying to fit everything into your timetable. While scheduling, don’t forget about your mental health. Plan a 10 minute break after that stressful meeting for a quick walk around the block or a moment of meditation at your desk. Trying to eat healthy? Schedule a small window in the evening to pack a few nutritious snacks to bring to work the next day.
More from Forbes:
--The Most Common Practices Of Super-Achievers
--16 Things You Should Do at the Start of Every Work Day
--16 Things You Should Do At The End Of Every Work Day
3. Eat a Healthy Breakfast. We all know that rush out the door with a cup of coffee and an empty stomach feeling. You sit down at your desk, and you’re already wondering how early that taco truck sets up camp outside your office. No good. Take that extra time in the morning to fuel your body for the tasks ahead of it. It will help keep you mind on what’s at hand and not your growling stomach. Not only is breakfast good for your physical health, it is also a good time to connect socially. Even five minutes of talking with your kids or spouse while eating a quick bowl of oatmeal can boost your spirits before heading out the door.
4. Visualization. These days we talk about our physical health ad nauseam, but sometimes our mental health gets overlooked. The morning is the perfect time to spend some quiet time inside your mind meditating or visualizing. Take a moment to visualize your day ahead of you, focusing on the successes you will have. Even just a minute of visualization and positive thinking can help improve your mood and outlook on your work load for the day.
5. Make Your Day Top Heavy. We all have that one item on our to do list that we dread. It looms over you all day (or week) until you finally suck it up and do it after much procrastination. Here’s an easy tip to save yourself the stress – do that least desirable task on your list first. Instead of anticipating the unpleasantness of it from first coffee through your lunch break, get it out of the way. The morning is the time when you are (generally) more well rested and your energy level is up. Therefore, you are more well equipped to handle more difficult projects. And look at it this way, your day will get progressively easier, not the other way around. By the time your work day is ending, you’re winding down with easier to dos and heading into your free time more relaxed. Success!

Health Care Website Will Take Month To Fix, Obama Administration Says

WASHINGTON -- WASHINGTON (AP) — It should be working well by the end of November. That's the Obama administration's rough timetable for completing a long list of fixes to HealthCare.gov, the new, trouble-plagued website for uninsured Americans to get coverage.
Summarizing a week's worth of intensive diagnostics, the administration acknowledged Friday the site has dozens of complex problems and tapped a private company to oversee fixes.
Jeffrey Zients, a management consultant brought in by the White House to assess the extent of problems, told reporters his review found dozens of issues across the entire system. The site is made up of layers of components that are meant to interact in real time with consumers, government agencies and insurance company computers.
It will take a lot of work, but "HealthCare.gov is fixable," Zients declared.
The vast majority of the issues will be resolved by the end of November, he asserted, and there will be many fewer screen freezes. He stopped short of saying problems will completely vanish.
The troubles have been nightmarish for the White House, which had promoted enrollment to be as simple as making a purchase on Amazon.com. This week, President Barack Obama declared himself frustrated by the setbacks while still trumpeting the benefits of the health care law and encouraging consumers to apply by phone if the website proved a hindrance.
In his weekly radio and internet address Saturday, Obama vowed that "in the coming weeks, we are going to get it working as smoothly as it's supposed to." In the meantime, he encouraged the public to call 1-800-318-2596 or visit LocalHelp.HealthCare.gov.
"We're only a few weeks into a six-month open enrollment period, and everyone who wants insurance through the marketplace will get it," he said.
As part of its effort to repair the system, the administration said it is promoting one of the website contractors, a subsidiary of the nation's largest health insurance company, to take on the role of "general contractor" shepherding the fixes.

Quality Software Services Inc. — owned by a unit of UnitedHealth Group— was responsible for two components of the government's online insurance system. One is the data hub, a linchpin that works relatively well, and the other is an accounts registration feature that initially froze and caused many problems.
HealthCare.gov was supposed to be the online portal for uninsured Americans to get coverage under Obama's health care law. Envisioned as the equivalent of Amazon.com for health insurance, it became a huge bottleneck immediately upon launch Oct. 1. The flop turned into an embarrassment for Obama and will likely end up as a case study of how government technology programs can go awry.
The briefing from Zients came a day after executives of QSSI and the other major contractor, CGI Federal, told Congress that the government didn't fully test the system and ordered up last-minute changes that contributed to logjams. Next week, Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius is scheduled to testify.
Visiting a community health center on Friday in Austin, Texas, Sebelius said that "in an ideal world there would have been a lot more testing" but added that her department had little flexibility to postpone the launch against the backdrop of Washington's unforgiving politics. House Republicans trying to defund the nation's health insurance program precipitated a government shutdown.
In the Republican address, Rep. Fred Upton of Michigan, the chairman of the House Energy and Commerce Committee, asked whether the problems evident now foreshadowed future troubles with the health care law.
"In a few short months, families across the country will be subject to penalties under the law's individual mandate," he said. "How can the administration punish innocent Americans by forcing them to buy a product many cannot afford, from a system that does not work?
Zients gave some new details about the extent of the problems, but administration officials are still refusing to release any numbers on how many people have successfully enrolled. Although 700,000 have applied for coverage through the new online markets, it's believed only a fraction of that number actually managed to sign up. Before the website went live, an administration estimate projected nearly 500,000 people would sign up in October alone.
The marketplaces are the gateway to obtaining health insurance under the new health care law, which requires most Americans to have coverage by Jan. 1. Middle-class people who don't have insurance on the job can purchase a private plan with new tax credits to make the premiums more affordable. Low-income people will be steered to an expanded version of Medicaid in states that agree to extend the safety net program.
The federal government is running the insurance markets or taking the lead in 36 states. The rest were set up by states themselves.
Consumers have until Dec. 15 to sign up for coverage to take effect Jan. 1. Under the law, pre-existing medical conditions will no longer be a barrier. But the markets also need lots of young, healthy customers to keep premiums affordable. Open enrollment season extends until Mar. 31.
Zients said almost daily fixes are already having an impact. For example, more than 90 percent of users can now complete one of the first steps, creating an account.
But the application process, which involves submitting and verifying personal information and income details, remains "volatile," he said. At one point, as few as one-third of users were getting through that part.
Zients said there are two big categories of problems. Performance issues involve the speed and reliability of the website. Functional issues are bugs that keep the software from working as intended. Among the high-priority issues is that insurers are getting enrollments with incomplete, incorrect or duplicative information.
___
Online:
Obama's address: http://www.whitehouse.gov
Republican address: http://www.gop.gov

Quincy Jones Sues Michael Jackson's Estate

LOS ANGELES -- LOS ANGELES (AP) — Quincy Jones sued Michael Jackson's estate claiming he is owed millions in royalties and production fees on some of the superstar's greatest hits.
Jones' lawsuit Friday seeks at least $10 million from the singer's estate and Sony Music Entertainment, claiming the entities improperly re-edited songs to deprive him of royalties and production fees. The music has been used in the film "This Is It" and a pair of Cirque du Soleil shows based on the King of Pop's songs, the lawsuit states.
Jones also claims that he should have received a producer's credit on the music in "This Is It." His lawsuit seeks an accounting of the estate's profits from the works so that Jones can determine how much he is owed.
The producer worked with Jackson on three of his most popular solo albums, "Off the Wall," ''Thriller" and "Bad."
Jackson's estate wrote in a statement that it was saddened by Jones' lawsuit. "To the best of its knowledge, Mr. Jones has been appropriately compensated over approximately 35 years for his work with Michael," the statement said.
An after-hours message left at Sony Music's New York offices was not immediately returned.
Jackson's hits "Billie Jean," ''Thriller" and "Don't Stop 'Til You Get Enough" are among the songs Jones claims were re-edited to deprive him of royalties and his producer's fee.
Jones' lawsuit states the producer's contracts called for him to have the first opportunity to re-edit or alter the songs, in part to protect his reputation.

Prince George's christening day: see the first pictures of little George since August!

Update: The ceremony has ended and guests will gather at a private tea in Clarence House. Guests were served slices of christening cake, which is a tier taken from The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge's wedding cake.

At the christening, the Duchess of Cambridge arrived wearing a stunning cream Alexander McQueen dress with a matching fascinator and classic jewelry. Prince William was seen wearing a dark blue suit with a blue tie while the baby of the hour, Prince George, arrived in a stunning replica of a royal christening robe, which was first made in 1841.

 

Apple's New iPads Will Likely Be Unveiled On Tuesday

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Apple is expected to round out its line-up of gadgets for the holiday shopping season with the Tuesday unveiling of its latest iPads.
The San Francisco showcase is likely to feature remodeled versions of Apple's standard-sized iPad with a 10-inch (25-centimeter) display screen and the iPad Mini with a nearly 8-inch (20-centimeter) screen. Hewing to its usually tight-lipped ways, Apple Inc. hasn't shared details about what's on the agenda. The Cupertino, California company merely sent out invitations that said, "We still have a lot to cover."
Apple's secrecy notwithstanding, glimpses of the revamped iPads have been showing up in videos posted on the Internet, including on websites that provided early — and accurate — peeks at the new iPhones Apple rolled out last month.
It will be a shock if Apple isn't taking the wraps off new iPads on Tuesday because it has been nearly a year since the previous generation came out. This would be the fifth generation of Apple's tablet computer. The original iPad debuted in early 2010 and accelerated the consumer shift away from traditional laptop and desktop computers. Tablets, including rival devices inspired by the iPad, are now outselling laptops.
If the unauthorized previews of the new iPads are correct, this year's standard-sized model is getting a more noticeable makeover than last year. It's expected to be even thinner and lighter than its predecessor and designed more like the iPad Mini with slimmer sides and tighter curves on the back. To conform with the new look, Apple is also expected to introduce new versions of its smart covers — the polyurethane shields that attach to iPads to protect the screen. The covers also can be detached and folded into a stand for the device.
Apple will probably add its high-definition "Retina Display" to the iPad Mini to stay competitive with recent upgrades to the smaller tablets sold by Google Inc. and Amazon.com Inc.
Both sizes of iPad almost certainly will come with iOS 7, Apple's latest mobile operating system, already installed. The new operating software has been available to download on most of the previous generations of the iPad since last month. Some iPad owners have complained that iOS 7 doesn't look as good or run as well on older tablets.
The new iPads may also come equipped with a biometric sensor that enables a user's fingerprints to serve as a password instead of typing a numeric code to unlock the device. The fingerprint technology is part of the iPhone 5S, Apple's latest high-end smartphone.
If Apple is consistent with its past practices, the prices on the new iPads won't change. Prices on the standard-sized iPad usually start at $499 and the cheapest iPad Mini goes for $329. That has left Apple's tablets more expensive than rival models, but the company has maintained the iPad is worth it.
The higher prices nevertheless have eroded the iPad's market share. The research firm Gartner Inc. estimates that tablet's running Google's Android operating system will end this year with a 50 percent share of the worldwide market versus 49 percent for the iPad. Just two years ago, the iPad commanded a 65 percent market share compared to 30 percent for Android tablets, according to Gartner.
The introduction of a new iPad could also herald the end of the line for the iPad 2, a tablet that Apple released more than two years ago. The iPad 2 currently serves as Apple's discount tablet with a $399 price tag.
It's also likely Apple will use Tuesday's event to announce the release dates for the polished version of its Mavericks operating system for Mac computers and a new Mac computer. Both the operating system and a desktop computer called the Pro were previewed at an Apple conference in June. New MacBook laptops are also possible Tuesday.

CeeLo Green Pleads NOT GUILTY to Ecstasy Charge TMZ reports

CeeLo Green just pled not guilty to a charge of giving a woman ecstasy last year before having sex with her.

The singer had arrived with his lawyer Blair Berk to the criminal court house moments ago to be arraigned. He is currently posting $30,000 bond and is expected to turn himself in to authorities for booking within 24 hours.

Another hearing has been set for next month. CeeLo must be present. If convicted, he faces up to four years in state prison.

Due to insufficient evidence, prosecutors cleared Green of charges he also sexually assaulted the woman during the incident.

On his way into court, CeeLo told us he's relieved and not scared -- relieved that he's not being charged with sexual assault, and not scared of the drug charge.

CeeLo's attorney tells us, “We are pleased that the Los Angeles County District Attorney has completed its investigation and concluded that the evidence did not support the false and unfounded claims made over a year ago." She said any sexual contact between the two was consensual.

She adds, "As it relates to the one charge of furnishing or sharing ecstasy, Mr. Green will responsibly address that matter in a court of law."

Read more: http://www.tmz.com/2013/10/21/cee-lo-arraignment-ecstasy-sexual-assault/#ixzz2iSybTcWk
Visit Fishwrapper: http://www.fishwrapper.com

Kanye & Kim K. Yeezus! Engaged with a 15 Carat Rock

Kim Kardashian is officially on lockdown ... again -- Kanye West pulled off a huge birthday surprise by renting out an entire baseball stadium and asking Kim to marry him Monday evening.

Naturally, Kanye went super-baller for the proposal -- sources connected to the couple tell us Yeezy flew Kim to San Francisco, blindfolded her, and whisked her off to AT&T Park ... home of the Giants.

Ye secured the ballpark for the event -- and we're told he had a full orchestra there playing Lana Del Rey's "Young and Beautiful" ... one of Kim's favorite songs.

We're told Kanye went traditional for one part ... getting on one knee in the middle of the field and popping the question with a 15 CARAT DIAMOND RING!!! (15ct. was not the traditional part).

Read more: http://www.tmz.com/2013/10/21/kanye-west-kim-kardashian-engaged-to-be-married-san-francisco/#ixzz2iSxCVdC4
Visit Fishwrapper: http://www.fishwrapper.com

Shocker ... she said yes. Family and friends then joined the couple on the field to celebrate.

The engagement comes 4 months after Kim and Kanye's daughter North was born -- and 18 months after they went public as a couple.

Monday was Kim's 33rd birthday. This will be her third shot at "til death do us part," and Kanye's first.

BTW -- In case you're interested, it costs $35k to rent out the field.  We're guessing he can afford it.

'Dancing With The Stars' Results: No One Eliminated In Week 6

The "Dancing with the Stars" results are in, and they're pretty shocking: No one was eliminated in Week 6.
Although Bill Engvall and Emma Slater were at the bottom of the leaderboard in Week 6 with 24 points, they remained safe at the end of the Oct. 21 episode.
Tom Bergeron explained that due to technical difficulties during last week's East Coast and Central broadcasts -- which resulted in the wrong telephone numbers being displayed for the wrong couples -- the producers decided to discard all of last week's viewer votes. The judges' scores and bonus points will be carried over to next week's results when another couple will be sent home.
"Dancing with the Stars" airs Mondays at 8 p.m. ET on ABC.

Ice T Speaks On The State Of Hip Hop, Old School And More!!

Ice T sat with RollingStone to discuss the current state of Hip Hop which to him includes materialistic filled values, rappers hiring stylists and much more! The OG rapper makes a great point about aging in Hip Hop and the effects of success, hit the jump to gain some knowledge from the Hip Hop vet!

Adriela Batista
As Ice T sat down with RollingStone, he made some very valid points when it came to explaining the state of today’s Hip Hop. When asked, if Music still excited him, he responded by naming some of the top lyricists out right now:
“I’m just disillusioned with the hip-hop sound right now. It’s too materialistic. You know, I’m the kind of guy . . . I can’t do that. If you track my movement, you’ll never see a picture of me with any girl that wasn’t mine, or my own car. My jewelry, my clothes. What kind of gangsta rapper has a stylist? A stylist?! So now that game? I gracefully bow out, but then you got beasts. You got Lupe Fiasco, Kendrick [Lamar], all these cats that can really spit. I don’t know. I’m just different, and I’m cool with it. The key to the game is “do you.”
Ice T also went into explaining that he feels as though rappers who’ve been in the game for a while do not know how to age gracefully, stating:
“I’m going to say this: you can rap forever, but you have to have broken by 30 [years old]. If you broke by 30, you can tour forever. Big Daddy Kane is out touring. Raekwon, me, Ultramagnetic [MCs]. You have a fan base, like Frank Sinatra. Tonight, nobody wants to hear my new music. They want to hear something I did. They want me to take them back and transform them back to that moment. I don’t have any desire to put out the hottest record, because my mind is really on film and television. Music is something I do, but my Body Count album is gonna kill, because I’m passionate about that”
Read more of the interesting interview on RollingStone

Escaped Killers Joseph Jenkins And Charles Walker Captured In Panama City Beach

PANAMA CITY BEACH, Fla. -- PANAMA CITY BEACH, Fla. (AP) — With two convicted killers back in police custody, authorities have shifted attention to finding out who made the phony court documents that led to the mistaken inmate releases that rocked Florida's judicial system.
Joseph Jenkins and Charles Walker, both 34, were captured Saturday night without incident at the Coconut Grove Motor Inn in Panama City Beach, a touristy area of putt-putt courses and go-kart tracks. Hours earlier, their families had held a news conference in Orlando — some 300 miles away — urging them to surrender.
"Now that we have them in custody, we're hoping to get something from the interviews with them," Florida Department of Law Enforcement Commissioner Gerald Bailey said. "We seized printers from the prisons, now we're going to be able to throw a lot of resources at this part of the investigation. We're already working it."
A woman who answered the phone at the motel said she saw police coming and they went into room 227. After authorities left, the parking lot of the two-story motel next to Big Willy's Swimwear was mostly empty. Authorities think the men had been in the area since Wednesday.
Jenkins and Walker were both serving life sentences at the Franklin Correctional Facility in the Panhandle before they walked free without anyone realizing the paperwork, complete with case numbers and a judge's forged signature, was bogus. The documents seemingly reduced their life sentences to 15 years.
Jenkins was released first on Sept. 27. His uncle and father figure, Henry Pearson, said when prison officials called him in Orlando he jumped in the car with fresh clothes for Jenkins and picked him up from prison.
He drove him to see his mother and grandmother. Jenkins hung around Pearson's home for some days and registered as a felon Sept. 30 at an Orlando jail, as he was required by law. He filled out paperwork, had his photograph taken and his fingerprints were checked against a database to make sure he didn't have any outstanding warrants for his arrest.
The Orange County jail official who interacted with him had no idea he was supposed to be locked up, Sheriff Jerry Demings said.
Pearson planned a birthday party for Jenkins on Oct. 1, but he didn't show. Pearson thought little of it because Jenkins had friends in the area, and after all, he had been locked up since the 1998 killing and botched robbery of Roscoe Pugh, an Orlando man.
About a week later, on Oct. 8, Walker was let out of the same prison when similar legitimate-looking documents duped prison officials. His mother, Lillie Danzy, said the family thought their prayers had been answered when she got a call saying her son was being released. She called prison officials back to make sure it was actually happening.
There wasn't time to pick him up, so prison officials took him to a bus station, gave him a ticket — as they would any other ex-inmate — and sent him along.
Walker had been in prison since his conviction of second-degree murder in the 1999 Orange County slaying of 23-year-old Cedric Slater. Like Jenkins, he registered at the Orange County jail three days after his release without raising any alarms.
He knocked around town and went to church last Sunday. But at some point, he and Jenkins went underground.
On Tuesday, one of Pugh's relatives contacted the state attorney's office to let them know Jenkins had been let out. Pugh's family had been notified by mail, which is typical for families of violent crime victims.
Prosecutors reviewed Jenkins' case file and quickly discovered the forged paperwork, including motions from prosecutors to correct "illegal" sentences, accompanied by orders allegedly filed by Judge Belvin Perry within the last couple of months. The orders granted a 15-year sentence.
They soon discovered Walker's paperwork also was falsified, and a manhunt was launched for both men.
At this point, Jenkins had been free for more than two weeks. Walker had been out for a week. Had Pugh's family not contacted prosecutors, it's not clear how long they may have been out unnoticed.
For the past four days, authorities believe the men were in the Panama City area, said Frank Chiumento, a chief inspector with the U.S. Marshals Service.
Bailey said authorities were able to track down the men through interviews with people who visited them at the prison, called them there or made deposits into their canteen account. Those people included relatives, ex-girlfriends and others, he said.
"The key piece of this was an individual or individuals that had made deposits into their canteen accounts at the prison," Bailey said.
The men weren't planning on staying in Panama City Beach very long, he said. Someone from Atlanta was coming to pick them up and take them somewhere else, Bailey said.
In light of the falsified documents, the Corrections Department changed the way it verifies early releases and prison officials will now verify with judges — not just court clerks — before releasing prisoners early.
Pearson said he was shocked to learn earlier this week that his nephew was not supposed to be out of prison. He said it took him a day or two to process events.
On Saturday night, he heard about the captures while watching TV. Soon after, a law enforcement agent called his home unexpectedly and let Jenkins talk to his wife.
"He just said that he was OK and that he loved us," Pearson said. "We have a great sense of relief because we did not know how this would end up."
___
Farrington reported from Tallahassee. Associated Press photographer John Raoux in Orlando and reporter Jonathan Drew in Atlanta also contributed to this report.

These Best-Dressed Stars Seriously Shone This Week (PHOTOS)

This week's best-dressed list was filled with stars in perfectly fitted minimalist looks. Allison Williams stood out in a simple black halter dress, while Carey Mulligan proved that you can look fabulous in yellow.
Meanwhile, Sandra Bullock continued to hit it out of the park in an incredibly sexy lace dress (this lady is one to watch), and Rooney Mara proved that she is still one of Hollywood's best-dressed celebs.
Check out our picks for best-dressed and let us what you think.
Allison Williams In Dior

Now this is a dress! What makes this gown so special is the silhouette. The halter neckline shows off William's toned arms and creates simple, clean lines which make the actress appear taller than she is.
Carey Mulligan In Dior

Yellow can be a tricky hue to wear given not all shades of the color are very flattering. But Mulligan seems to have nailed it with this strapless dress. The boning towards the top helps to give her a nice hourglass shape, while her pink lipstick and black pumps compliment the delicate look.
Michelle Pfeiffer In Alexander McQueen

Clearly, Pfeiffer knows how to put together a balanced outfit. The strong shoulder pads on her blazer are nicely countered by her fitted white dress shirt and slightly flared pants. (Not to mention the fact that her legs look about 12 feet long).
Freida Pinto In Burberry

Pinto understands how to wear a statement piece. The actress' metallic jacquard pencil skirt is the standout garment in her outfit, so she kept the rest of her look simple, allowing us to be wowed, once again, by her fashion-forward ways.
Rumer Willis

We were happily suprised to see Willis on the best-dressed list this week. We think the young star has finally learned that less is more. This classic black dress, with a slight slit and a deep-V, is showing off all her best assets.
Jennifer Hudson In Donna Karan

Ruching and wrapping are always figure-flattering, so Hudson was smart to pick this style of dress. The singer's strappy sandals further elongate her legs, while her sexy cat-eye makeup amps up the sex appeal. A+, Hudson.
Queen Maxima Of The Netherlands

Who says royalty can't be fashion-forward? We love how Queen Maxima elevated her simple grey dress with bold accessories. Her oversized hat, metallic clutch and gold hoop earrings ensure that she is best-dressed material.
Rooney Mara In Proenza Schouler

The queen of minimalism is finally wearing color (alright, a little bit of color). This dress looks fabulous on Mara because it's refined yet of the moment. The leather top, combined with the tummy cut-out and pleated metallic strips, stay true to the actress' avant-garde style, but are still slightly unexpected.
Li Bingbing In Elie Saab

Now this is show-stopping gown! The Chinese actress may be wearing a revealing dress, but the high neckline, delicate beading and long hemline ensure that it reads very classy.
Sandra Bullock In Stella McCartney

Bullock is on fire in the fashion department lately, and this dress is no exception. The long sleeves on her black lace dress are balanced out nicely by the frock's short hemline, while her deep red lips and tousled locks make the entire look totally effortless.

JPMorgan Reaches Tentative $13 Billion Settlement With Justice Department: WSJ

JPMorgan Chase has reached a tentative $13 billion settlement with the Justice Department over a number of investigations related to to the bank's residential mortgage-backed securities business, according to The Wall Street Journal.
Tweets from The Wall Street Journal and CNBC broke the news Saturday.
News of the deal comes just a day after a JPMorgan was reported to have reached a tentative $4 billion settlement with the Federal Housing Finance Agency over claims it sold bad mortgages to government agencies ahead of the financial crisis
At $13 billion, the potential settlement with the Justice Department exceeds estimates in September that JPMorgan would end up paying as much as $11 billion over the allegations. If finalized, the settlement would be the largest the U.S. government has ever made with a single company, according to WSJ.
JPMorgan may still also face criminal charges, according to a tweet by CNBC reporter John Harwood:
More from Reuters:

WASHINGTON, Oct 19 (Reuters) - JPMorgan Chase & Co has reached a tentative $13 billion agreement with the U.S. Justice Department to settle government agency investigations into bad mortgage loans the bank sold to investors before the financial crisis, a source said on Saturday. The tentative deal does not release the bank from criminal liability for some of the mortgages it packaged into bonds and sold to investors, a factor that had been a major sticking point in the discussions, the source said.
As part of the deal, the bank will likely cooperate in criminal inquiries into certain individuals involved in the conduct at issue, the source, who declined to be identified, said.
Officials at JPMorgan and the Justice Department declined to comment.
Another source close to the discussions characterized a deal as likely, but cautioned that parts of the agreement are still being hammered out, and the settlement could conceivably fall apart.
The record settlement could help resolve many of the legal troubles the New York bank is facing. Earlier this month JPMorgan disclosed it had stockpiled $23 billion in reserves for settlements and other legal expenses to help cover the myriad investigations into its conduct before and after the financial crisis.
The deal is being hammered out by some of the most senior officials at the Department of Justice and the largest U.S. bank. Attorney General Eric Holder and JPMorgan Chief Executive Jamie Dimon spoke on the phone on Friday night to finalize the broad outlines of the broad deal, the first source said.
The bank's general counsel Stephen Cutler and Associate Attorney General Tony West are negotiating a statement of facts that will be part of a final agreement, the source said.
Long considered one of the best-managed banks, JPMorgan has stumbled in recent years, with run-ins with multiple federal regulators as well as authorities in several states and foreign countries over issues ranging from multibillion-dollar trading losses and poor risk controls to probes into whether it manipulated a power market.
In September, as the Justice Department prepared to sue the bank over mortgage securities that the bank sold in the run-up to the financial crisis, JPMorgan tried to reach a broader settlement with DOJ and other federal and state agencies to resolve claims over its mortgage-related liabilities stemming from the bust in house prices.
Dimon went to Washington to meet with Holder on Sept. 25, and discussed an $11 billion settlement at that point.
Some of the problems relate to mortgage bank Washington Mutual and investment bank Bear Stearns, two failing firms that JPMorgan took over in 2008.
The bank and the Justice Department have been discussing a broad deal that would resolve not only the inquiry into mortgage bonds it sold to investors between 2005 to 2007 that were backed by subprime and other risky residential mortgages, but also similar lawsuits from the Federal Housing Finance Agency, the National Credit Union Administration, the state of New York and others.
The broader settlement is a product of a government working group created nearly two years ago to investigate misconduct in the residential mortgage-backed securities market that contributed to the financial crisis. Officials from the Justice Department, the New York Attorney General and others helped to lead the group.
Reuters reported late Friday that JPMorgan and FHFA had reached a tentative $4 billion deal. That agreement is expected to be part of the larger $13 billion settlement.(Full Story)

Chinese Mummy Unearthed But Then Suddenly Vanishes

spooky.
Media outlets in China reported last week that construction workers there had unearthed a surprisingly well-preserved mummy along with two skeletons -- but that all three vanished soon thereafter.
The remains were discovered in a tomb unearthed at a construction site in Xiangcheng City, in China's Henan province, Sina News reported. The skeletons weren't in great shape but the mummy was astonishingly well-preserved.
“The mummy’s face was black but his facial features could be seen clearly," a witness said, according to Sina News. "He wore a robe of Qing dynasty and a long braided ponytail."
The Qing dynasty, which lasted from 1644 to around 1910, was the last of China's imperial dynasties. During this time period, Han Chinese males often wore a long braided ponytail, called a queue.
What explains the mummy's remarkable condition? Dr. Lukas Nickel, professor of art and archaeology at the University of London, told The Huffington Post in an email that it was not customary to embalm bodies at that time. But under certain conditions, he said, "bodies can be preserved, especially if the coffin was airtight and protected against environmental influences."
A famous example of such preservation is the Marquise of Dai mummy, Nickel said. Discovered in China's Hunan province, the Marquise was buried in nested, lacquered coffins surrounded by charcoal that perfectly preserved the ancient remains.
While the Xiangcheng City mummy might have been an opportunity for further archaeological study, it now appears that the mummy was removed from its burial site -- and there have been no reports as to where it went. Strange.
The disappearance was of great concern to the local villagers, who believe the mummified remains belonged to a male ancestor, and that the two skeletons are those of his two wives, Sina reported in a follow-up story. Unless the remains are located and given a proper reburial, the villagers worry that their ancestors will beunable to rest in peace, according to a translation of local news site Dayoo.com.

Joe Jonas' Alleged Drug Addiction Behind Jonas Brothers Tour Cancellation, Tabloid Claims

A recent tabloid report claims Joe Jonas' alleged drug use was the reason the Jonas Brothers decided to cancel their 19-date tour.
Last week, People magazine reported the Jonas Brothers had decided to axe the tour because of a "deep rift within the band," according to spokesman Jesse Derris.
Although a source told People the cancellation was due to "creative differences," Star magazine is now reporting that it roots back to Joe's purported drug habit.
“He’s been dealing with substance abuse issues for quite some time,” a source told the tabloid. "The tour would have never survived with how Joe was behaving.” Those close to him “have been begging him to seek help."
“At this point, Nick and Kevin don’t care what is going on with the band, they just want to see their brother healthy,” an unnamed source added. “They’ve had discussions with Joe about their fears for him and the importance of getting help.”
A rep for Joe declined to comment on the matter when contacted by The Huffington Post.
Although this talk of drugs may be one big fabrication, both TMZ and E! News noted that Joe has been accompanied by addiction specialist Mike Bayer recently. Bayer is the CEO and founder of Cast Recovery Services and once worked with Demi Lovato, who dated Joe back in 2010.
"It's still too early to tell if the singer is employing Mike Bayer as his sober companion, or if the two are simply just friends," E! News wrote.
Rumors of Joe's alleged drug use first surfaced in March when Blind Gossip published a report about a Joe Jonas sex tape. The tape was said to feature the 24-year-old singer and his girlfriend, Blanda Eggenschwiler, "drinking, doing drugs, and engaging in sex using a number of sex toys and BDSM devices, including dildos, a gag ball, and a slapper paddle."
The former Disney star's rep denied the salacious claims to E! News.

Kim Kardashian's Hollywood Walk Of Fame Dreams Dashed Again

Here we are another year later, and Kim Kardashian still doesn't qualify for a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
While Kardashian's boyfriend, Kanye West, made it known in his Oct. 9 appearance on "Jimmy Kimmel Live" that he thinks the mother of his only child shouldn't be shut out from receiving the honor because she's a reality star, the spokeswoman for the Hollywood Chamber of Commerce reiterates that she's not eligible.
"We don't have reality stars on the Walk of Fame," Ana Martinez tells omg Yahoo, explaining that they don't have a category for it. "We're happy to consider reality stars once they get nominated for, or win, an Emmy, a Grammy, an Oscar. We'll consider them when they're legitimate actors or singers."
Of course, the Hollywood Chamber of Commerce has honored others who don't qualify under the categories she listed. In the past, animated characters including Mickey Mouse and Donald Duck have received stars, as did the Apollo 11 crew, Magic Johnson for his ownership of a theater, and Muhammad Ali.
While Kardashian may not "qualify," it's the Hollywood Chamber of Commerce that makes the rules, and doesn't appear to want to bend them one bit for Kardashian, or grow with the times to accept there are some out there who could want to see reality stars as deserving of such accolades.
But when challenged on this, Martinez appears rather defensive, changing the subject back to Kardashian, telling omg Yahoo, "I hate to say it, but a lot of people just don't like like her. No one has ever nominated her."
Though it seems unlikely that Kardashian will be nominated anytime soon, she does have a few acting credits to her name. And even so, the 32-year-old has faith that others will come around to embracing reality TV as a true art form.
"I think [reality] is still a new form of entertainment that was kind of an unexpected thing," she told V magazine in 2012, adding that it's not unlike the progression and acceptance of rap music.
"It reminds me of rap music. When rap music first came out, people were like, We don’t understand this, what is this, it’s just a fad. But rap music is definitely here to stay, and I think reality shows have proven they are as well. But when something is newer, people don’t really understand it," she theorized for the magazine.

Montel Williams' MS Routine: A Juice Diet and Regular Exercise

Montel Williams has launched a new online health and fitness show that will bring viewers  health and science news. We caught up with Williams to get the skinny on the show, and how he stays healthy while living with multiple sclerosis. The TV host told us about his low-calorie diet, rigorous exercise routine and mental calming techniques.

Everyday Health: Tell us about your new show. How will it address MS?
Montel Williams: It’s called "Living Well With Montel." Every week we’ll have a brand new show, and in January, we’ll have two.
I’m launching what I think is going to be a new format for TV. I’m going to launch the show only within an online community. We have a premium membership that will have access to the show but also tons of other innovative new information – all health and wellness-related.
The site will have a considerable amount of information about MS. I’m also going to be sharing my personal journey. [But] it’s not just going to address MS. We’ll discuss everything from women’s health issues to men’s health issues to children’s health issues.
I intend to provide information to people so that they can look at their own health and seek out the information that’s pertinent to them. Most of the medical shows, it’s like I’m watching "Captain Kangaroo" – it’s dumbed down information. We’re going to have information about exercises, about health, about recipes, and then we’re going to invite our community to exchange information that we’ll validate.
We need to be our own medical sleuths and learn about the illness before we walk into the doctor’s office so we know the right questions to ask.
EH:  How do you use diet to stay healthy and manage your chronic condition?
MW: I’m eating a different diet. It’s extremely anti-inflammatory.
Studies have proven that green vegetables and fruits of color are high in antioxidants that you can’t get anywhere else. I go to the store – anything that’s got color in it I buy it. I liquefy whole fruits and vegetables. I blend the entire fruit, and I just make smoothies.
Every one of my smoothies has coconut water in it. I use that as the base and then I mix with it four or five fruits: watermelon, pineapple, apple and blueberries, and I put spinach in it and drink that throughout the day.
I can drink 15 pieces of fruit in a day. Nobody is going to sit down and eat that. I drink about 48 ounces a day. That constitutes about 50 percent of what I eat. And then I have one meal a day, some protein. I restrict calories.
EH: What is your exercise routine like?
MW: When it comes to exercise, everybody has to find what works for them. I watch my body. I look at myself in the mirror once a week – not because I’m vain, but I’m looking for moles and changes in my body.
For me, I exercise every morning. I exercise every day. I work out about an hour and 20 minutes, which is aerobics and resistance training. I work on agility and balance. I work on the things that are going to help my condition. I do agility training. I walk on a treadmill. I use an elliptical. I use weights.
It doesn’t matter whether my time is 20 minutes or an hour. I’m moving, which means I walk better for the rest of the day. This is information that we all can use.
EH: You’ve gone through some severe bouts of mental illness. What are you doing to take care of your mind?
MW: The best thing I did for my emotional health was getting a correct diagnosis. I had every MS doctor diagnose me as having clinical depression, but the truth of the matter is that I’ve been diagnosed with emotional lability – an inability to control crying.
It’s a disorder that is brought on by brain damage. When you look at MS, the scars in my brain are minuscule brain damage.
I don’t suffer or feel I suffer from anything that’s not normal. We want to be happy all the time, but real human beings experience feelings and learn how to cope with them. When those feelings are predominant, like you walk away and you’re sad all the time, then you have a problem. But most times sadness is not depression. [For] a lot of people who have MS, depression is part of the disease, [but] it’s not a lifetime situation.
We go through periods when we feel worse then better. We need to stop beating ourselves up for feeling as bad as we think we feel. Let’s get a real diagnosis. Let’s make sure we’re really depressed, and let’s start working on those things we can work on. Even if you’re clinically depressed, doctors are trying to bring you out of that hole.
We are in more control than we think. The second I started to realize that, instead of walking around identifying myself as someone who was depressed, I had better days. This is the Montel Williams philosophy.
You can talk yourself into a good emotional state. I stop for a second, take a deep breath and think about something that’s beautiful. A beautiful thought for me is cutting the umbilical cord for my child. I can guarantee you that your emotional state will change.
EH:  What’s your greatest health challenge, and what are you doing to overcome it?
MW: Right this minute, I’m trying to overcome this reduction in my pain threshold. I have to figure out how to cope with a raised pain threshold. I can hurt myself and not know that I’ve done so because I don’t feel pain the same way other people do. I’m trying to get a grip on how to handle this in the future.
I exercise every day, but I also push myself a little hard, and I need to figure out how to not do that anymore. I broke my knee cap [but still] worked out on it every day.
I broke a rib, and it wasn’t until that happened [that] I went to the doc and said, "It hurts but not that bad." That’s the idiot I am. If someone had a correct pain threshold it would have hurt enough to convince me to go to the doctor.
I could kick a curb and not realize I broke a toe. I’m working with a podiatrist and a therapist to realign my workouts.
EH:  What advice do you have for those who are newly diagnosed with MS?
MW: Seek out as much information as you can, and become your own medical advocate. You need to go online, study, learn as much as you can. Arm yourself before you see the doctor so you have the appropriate questions.
Photo courtesy of Montel Williams

Dead Fetus Found In Teen's Bag By Security Guard At Herald Square Victoria's Secret: Police

A security guard at the Victoria's Secret in New York City's Herald Square uncovered a dead fetus in the bag of a teenage customer Thursday afternoon, authorities said.
According to the Daily News, security personnel stopped two teenage girls at the midtown store to question them about shoplifting when the deceased baby was found.
"It was discovered that one of the females had what we believe to be a fetus [in her bag]," Sgt. Lee Jones of the New York Police Department told Business Insider.
One of the teens was taken to Bellevue Hospital for evaluation after the incident, which occurred at 1:24 p.m., a police department spokesman confirmed to The Huffington Post.
A medical examiner will perform an autopsy on the fetus to determine the cause of death.
It's not clear whether one of the teen girls is the mother of the child. However, according to NBC New York, the hospitalized 17-year-old told police that she had suffered a miscarriage on Wednesday.
This story is developing.

Obama: 'Coolest Thing' About Being President Is Everyone Takes Your Phone Calls

President Barack Obama revealed in an interview Tuesday what's coolest about being commander-in-chief.
"I think the coolest thing is that if there’s somebody interesting who’s doing anything -– a scientist, a sports figure, a writer, anybody in the world –- if I want to call 'em up and talk to 'em, they will answer my phone call. And that’s a pretty cool thing," Obama told New York's WABC.
That statement was a response to a question from a reporter's daughter, who said she thought the coolest part of being president would be spending time with Beyonce and Jay Z.
"You can tell your daughter that that is a view shared by Malia and Sasha," Obama told the reporter.

Highest Paid TV Actors: Ashton Kutcher, 'Two And A Half Men' Cast Top List Of Stars

The "Two and a Half Men" cast is very well paid. Ashton Kutcher, Jon Cryer and Angus T. Jones all made Forbes' list of TV's highest paid actors.
Former "Two and a Half Men" star Charlie Sheen -- who previously topped this list -- is still present, but in a much lower spot. "Grey's Anatomy's" Patrick Dempsey, yes, McDreamy, also made the list.
Forbes' calculated the stars' earnings between June 2012 and June 2013, with help from producers, managers, agents and other industry professionals. The list also takes into account other "entertainment-related endeavors." Taxes and other expenses are not accounted for.
See the gallery below to see the full list. Head over here for the highest paid TV actresses.

What's Life In A Sweatshop Like? Ask This 9-Year Old Manager

 

http://jobs.aol.com/articles/2013/10/14/sweatshop-child-labor-bangladesh/?ncid=webmail28


What's it like to work in a sweatshop? The underbelly of global labor is rarely exposed to the light of day, but one reporter for the Toronto Star successfully landed a gig over the summer working undercover trimming threads at a garment factory in Bangladesh for the purpose of documenting the experience. And very early in her tenure, Raveena Aulakh found out just how extreme such a workplace can be -- her manager was a 9-year old girl named Meem. Aulakh documented the experience in a series, entitled, "Clothes On Your Back."

Meem's official title is "sewing helper" in the factory. The report said the factory has no name, employs about 45 people, and is run by a man named Hamid. It's located in the Bangladeshi capital of Dhaka in an area "clogged with rickshaws, crowded buses and fancy cars," according to the Toronto Star report.

Factory life
The factory had poor to no windows or lighting, no fire extinguishers and a toilet that qualified as more of a hole than a passable restroom, according to the report. (The report didn't specify which retailers work with the factory, but the country's factories are known to serve western retailers.) Meem, for her part, ended up in the job as the result of a "fairly common story among poor Bangladeshi families: too many mouths to feed, too few bringing in money," according to Aulakh.

In Meem's case, her mother recently had to give up a job working as a domestic helper in a wealthy household when she found out she was pregnant. Other family demands forced Meem to seek out the job in Hamid's factory. Setting aside Meem's age, and the gig would have still run afoul of many countries' labor standards: the job offered no weekends, except for a half-day every Friday, no sick leave and no holidays. But in a country where roughly a third of the population is living in poverty, according to the World Bank, this was in fact a "prized job," even for a nine-year old, according to the report. It paid around $30 a week.

And Meem apparently only beamed positivity. During the reporter's four days on the job, Meem showed up early to her 12-hour days, which spanned from 9 am to 9 pm, so she could prep her threads. She maintained a sunny disposition, dancing jigs and humming Bengali songs. (She was yelled at for the latter.) And even at her tender young age finding herself in such a situation, she was still hopeful about her career path. "When I become a sewing operator, I will make very good shirts," she said. "No one will yell at me."

The child worker
Her story is shockingly common. According to statistics compiled by UNICEF, one out of six children in the world today is involved in child labour, "doing work that is damaging to his or her mental, physical and emotional development." Areas with high concentration of child labor are the Asia-Pacific region and Sub-Saharan Africa.

With their near-perfect eyesight, small fingers and little recourse for complaining about their working conditions, the system "works for everyone" as Smitha Zaheed, of the Dhaka-based Independent Garment Workers' Union Federation, told the Toronto Star. "Factory owners get workers who are not demanding . . . while the parents get to keep what the kids earn because the kids don't know any better."

But those hopeful for change may have reason to believe a better day lies ahead for workers like Meem. The Star's report was inspired by the this April at the Rana Plaza factory, at which 1,129 died. And the fallout has resulted in much more than a piece of investigative journalism. More than 100 retailers have signed agreements promising to pay millions to improve safety. And the garment workers have begun organizing for better rights. According to the Toronto Star, there are now 50 workers' unions for the country's 5,000 factories.

Putting Away the Phone and Being Present

Is there one place you choose to honor with your full attention? Our "Sacred Spaces" series explores where your phone is unwelcome. From the mundane to the truly unique -- from yoga class to family dinner to your bath tub -- we are spotlighting the environments where you are truly unplugged. Want to share your own? Send us your story here.
During the summer months, I try to work from home as much as possible and be with my kids. But I've noticed some changes in the behavior of my budding toddler, now 21 months old. She's been more aggressive, frustrated, and well... just not as happy. She could be just growing up, or trying to communicate, but irritated that she can't form the words yet. Or she could be trying to get my attention. I've also observed her constantly going after my phone... or pretending everything she picked up was a phone -- and saying "ello?" It was like a light bulb went on when I realized, hmmm, maybe I should put my phone away. Like now.
So I have, cold turkey. And the results have been pretty substantial and a little surprising.


Enjoying an early morning hike with my daughter in Breckenridge, Colo. this summer. Peek-a-boo! (Ironically, captured this image on my iPhone)
Now let's not get crazy, I still use my iPhone as soon as I wake up to check email, Twitter, Blogger and Facebook. I also try to send out all of my emails before my kids wake up, which isn't always possible... because I'm exhausted. I (try to) wake up a full hour before the littlest one to get in a work out on the elliptical, while I type away furiously on my iPad. Multitasking at its best! But once I drop my 4-year-old daughter off at preschool and return home, I've started to put my phone back in the master bedroom from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. This enables me to fully be present with my toddler.
What do we do on these non-working mommy days? Go to the park with friends, go for a walk, do puzzles, an art project, or chores, go to a baby class, and sometimes (like today) run errands. I've noticed a big change in her in the past two weeks. She's less attention-seeking and more focused. She's thriving with some new skills -- cutting and pasting, for example -- and learning new words like "crazy." Prior to this, I noticed boredom, hitting, throwing, and sometimes even biting. Now that I'm not on the phone constantly, or texting, or completely distracted with work, she is getting the attention and praise she needs. She's receiving more attention, conversation from me, and more one-on-one interaction. Isn't this what all kids need? I believe this has had a huge influence on her behavior... or maybe she's just getting older. Most likely, it's both.


Emylia enjoying our porch swing this morning
I also have started to put the phone away from 3 p.m. to 7 p.m. as well, when my oldest gets home from preschool. It's not 100 percent of the time, but most days I try my best to give them both my undivided attention. We sculpt masterpieces with Play-Doh, swim, feed the ducks, and swing on the swing set. I've also purchased them both aprons and kitchen stools so they can help me prep dinner, rather than just turning on Nick Jr. I'm even thinking of telling my employers to call between the nap time hours of 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. on days I'm home, or if they really need me to call my home phone. It's so incredibly tough to juggle my freelance work and the kids... and I totally don't want to miss out on any other work opportunities. But I've found that so far, as long as I check my email and texts in the mornings, and by 1 p.m., I'm usually not missing anything urgent.
After nap time today, I ran with my girls over to the local children's museum Young At Art in Davie, Fla. It was amazing to see all the kids playing and having fun... and the parents sitting on the side scrolling through their phones. I observed only one or two parents out of 10 or so there actually playing with their kids. Raise your hand if you've done this. Yeah, me too! I mean we need a break, and the kids ARE having fun. But it was interesting that the children causing problems -- pushing my daughter off the slide, or not sharing -- were the ones whose parents were on their phones. They were completely distracted and unaware their child was causing harm to another.
I recently stumbled upon Brooke Burke's website www.modernmom.com and found this wonderful blog post titled "Take Time to Stop and Smell the Flowers" by Danielle Simmons. If you have a moment, please read it. It was a lovely reminder of how precious this time is with our little ones. It also made me realize how putting my phone away was my first step to being present with them, and I didn't even know it.
by, Kristen Hewitt

Georgia teen’s autopsy reveals organs were removed: He was stuffed with newspaper

On January 11, 2013, Kendrick Johnson, 17, was found dead rolled up in a wrestling mat at his high school in Valdosta, Ga. An athlete, Johnson was found dead in an upright athletic mat behind the bleachers in the school’s gym on January 11, 2013.
The first autopsy performed by the Georgia Bureau of Investigation (GBI) on the teen revealed he died from “positional asphyxia” and his death was ruled an accident. A second autopsy was performed by a private pathologist, Dr. Bill Anderson, at the request of his parents, Kenneth and Jacquelyn Johnson, who believe their beloved son was murdered revealed something more horrible. His organs – brains, heart and lungs – were missing and replaced with balls of crumpled newspaper.

What Apple Employees Say About The Company's Corporate Culture

Apple is so secretive that it makes us all wonder what it must be like to work on the inside.

We know it's intense -- a fantastic story in the New York Times recently described the extreme lengths Apple's engineers went to to get the iPhone ready for its 2007 launch.

But we wanted to hear what it was like from the employees themselves, and not just those picked to be at the center of its flagship projects.

What is it like in the cafeteria, walking the halls? Are staff really encouraged to let their creativity flow?

Luckily, there is a Quora thread devoted to answering this question. We put together some edited quotes from the more interesting answers. Some of their answers date back to the Steve Jobs era, and some of them are more recent.

Justin Maxwell, user interface designer: First rule of Apple, don't talk about Apple.

"If I was still at Apple, I would not be responding to this question, nor would I feel wronged for not being able to.

... The general idea is this: You are part of something much bigger than you. The ideas you talk about in the hall, the neat tricks you figured out in CSS, the new unibody machining technique, that's part of your job, something you are paid to do for Apple's success, not something you need to blog about to satisfy your ego. Don't f--- it up for everyone."
Anonymous employee as reported on Macrumors: The cafe is awesome.

"The Apple Campus itself is an amazing place, with the huge building surrounding a central Quad with grass and sidewalks and the amazing cafeteria: You get trays and silverware just exactly like in College, and go pick from a large handful of sushi, Mexican, make-your-own sandwich or salad, or countless other options, then check out at a register before sitting down inside or in their little Outdoor Cafe in the Quad. Even the food is running at 100% throttle, with the Cafeteria crowded and bustling, and even the Chefs dressed perfectly and clean-white smocks with black Apple hats on, doing their part to keep everyone fueled and running their war at 100% efficiency."

Read more of this account here.

"They desire and demand a collaborative atmosphere. Your work is peer-vetted -- we had to present our work to the team and take feedback.

Brandon Carson, contractor: "Your work is peer-vetted."

APApple employees walk between buildings at Apple headquarters in Cupertino, Calif.

At first I found this a bit disruptive, cause I'm used to working on my own projects in a silo, but at the end of the day, the collaboration ensured a better product. And the work didn't progress too far without checks and balances.

More companies need to operate like that internally."

Chad Little, former Apple designer: When Steve was alive, he got what he wanted.

"Apple is a pretty divided mix of typical corporate red tape and politics mixed in with startup level urgency when the direction comes from Steve. If you have a project that Steve is not involved in, it will take months of meetings to move things forward. If Steve wants it done, it's done faster than anyone thinks is humanly possible. The best way to get any cross departmental work done was to say its for Steve and you'd probably have it the same day."

Simon Woodside, program manager in Core OS: We terrified engineers into secrecy.

"The best example I can give was something of a side-project that I worked on in 2001, called Marklar. This was actually the beginning of the effort to port OS X back to the intel platform...

...Each time we moved forward we would discover some part of the system that needed some changes. My job was to find the right person to make those changes -- but to do it without revealing Marklar to anyone else. So I would go to the director of their group and inform them about Marklar... They would then identify a specific engineer for me.

uncleboatshoes/Flickr

Next I'd scare the engineer by telling them how bad things would be if anyone inside or outside knew what I was going to ask them to do. They would verify with their director, and hopefully be able to fix the relevant problem. We'd slip them some PC hardware if needed or preferably use Virtual PC or the like to be more inconspicuous. They certainly couldn't tell their co-workers about this work.

Personally, I didn't talk either... my close friends and family knew I was working on some secret project but they didn't find out what until Steve himself made the announcement. Apple had total control of the message. The secrecy paid off big time for the company."

Anonymous: It's awful, but the food is nice.

"Generally speaking it is a pressure cooker and all communication is one directional (guess which way that is).

...Paranoid management, disrespect, constant tension, and long hours sum up most of the real culture in operations... Most of the people in SDM (supply demand management) see it as something they need to suck up for a few painful years after b-school so they can move on to a better gig with the Apple brand on their resume. Like the investment banking of tech. Culture here is strictly top down: any attempt to streamline, impact change, or even discuss a better way to do anything is strictly frowned upon when it comes from the bottom. Work longer/harder, don't complain or try to fix any of the myriad broken systems or processes, and don't forget that there are 10 people lined up outside to take your spot (your manager won't forget).

Work here at your own risk. On the upside, cafe food is pretty good and dress is casual."

FlickrApple headquarters

Richard Francis, formerly of Intel, who worked on a project with Apple: "all the maple surfaces in all the retail stores are harvested at one particular time of the year in Canada so they all look the same."

"1. There is a fairly heavy corporate controlling hand governing a lot of what Apple locally can/can't 'do' as a business. That made for a fair degree of tension with some senior staff coming in from other parts of the technology industry.

2. The brand is guarded with a zeal that borders on zealous obsession. For instance - I heard (unconfirmed) that all the maple surfaces in all the retail stores are harvested at one particular time of the year in Canada so they all look the same. The store layouts are closely monitored for consistency - often Jobs would go along to the local ones on the West Coast of the US just to 'observe' them.

3. The atmosphere is not as zanily creative as you might imagine. It's very structured, very process driven -- and that ties in with the comments from the ex-employees about launches coming together as a 'puzzle'."

APPhilip Schiller, Apple's senior vice president of Worldwide Marketing

Anonymous: "Everything, and I mean everything, is decided by the marketing team."

"Everything, and I mean everything, is decided by the marketing team at Apple, and 2 reviewers in east coast newspapers. I was shocked and flabbergasted at the role these reviewers had at Apple. As an engineer, I was told to tend to feature requests that were made by Mossberg and party. Scary, and makes me want to sell all my apple stock.

TC Dotson, position undisclosed: Apple is a walking contradiction.

"Apple is interesting. On one hand, you have 'Think Different' propaganda posters all over the wall (you have all seen these ad campaigns and know what they are about). On the other hand, Apple has the strictest rules of any place I have worked. Apple cares about its brand image above all else."

Gay boxer fights for world title

By Tim Dahlberg

AP Boxing Writer
LAS VEGAS (AP) -- Orlando Cruz won the fight of his life when he came out last year as the first openly gay fighter in boxing.
Now he's in a fight of another kind, a championship battle Saturday night that is the biggest bout of his professional career.
"It's my dream and it's my time," Cruz said. "I've been waiting a long time to fight for the championship and I plan to make history."
Cruz takes on fellow veteran Orlando Salido in a fight for a piece of the featherweight title on the undercard of Timothy Bradley's fight with Juan Manuel Marquez. He'll do it wearing rainbow colors on his boxing trunks, his way of showing support for others in the gay and lesbian community.

What Email From The Boss Can Drive Amazon Employees Crazy?

Jeff Bezos may run Amazon and he may be a billionaire. But he is very accessible to his customers with an easy-to-find email address, jeff@amazon.com. And when his customers aren't pleased, Bezos isn't either.

Businessweek's Brad Stone has written a lengthy cover story on Amazon that opens with a bit about Bezos' email style and shows how important customer service is to him.

When customers send Bezos an email complaining about something Amazon-related, Bezos forwards the message to the appropriate person at the company. The only addition Bezos makes to the email is one character:

"?"

The recipient then scrambles to solve the issue and must get his or her reply approved by multiple people before responding to Bezos.

Stone writes: "When Amazon employees get a Bezos question mark e-mail, they react as though they've discovered a ticking bomb. They've typically got a few hours to solve whatever issue the CEO has flagged and prepare a thorough explanation for how it occurred, a response that will be reviewed by a succession of managers before the answer is presented to Bezos himself. Such escalations, as these e-mails are known, are Bezos's way of ensuring that the customer's voice is constantly heard inside the company.

Kanye West on Jimmy Kimmel Live PART 1

PEOPLE MAGAZINE

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Kanye West and Jimmy Kimmel quickly dispelled the idea their so-called rap feud was a publicity stunt during a sometimes uncomfortable appearance on the comedian's TV show.

Speculation that the rapper's anger over a Jimmy Kimmel Live parody skit that mocked him was staged was immediate after West lashed out at Kimmel in late September.

But both said that their beef was authentic during a 30-minute interview on Wednesday night's show in which West discussed a range of topics including his artistry, paparazzi, family, fashion and the idea of celebrity.

Kimmel said early in the interview that he knows West personally and always found him friendly, but that he seems misunderstood.

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"I don't know if you know this, but a lot of people think you're a jerk," Kimmel said after West called himself an artistic genius. West was objecting to the idea that he's "just a celebrity."

"When you said you think you're a genius, I think that upsets people," Kimmel said. "But the truth is a lot of people think they're geniuses, but nobody says it because it's weird to say it. But it is most certainly more honest to say, 'I am a genius.' "

"I'm totally weird and totally honest and I'm totally inappropriate sometimes, and the thing is for me not to say I'm not a genius I'd be lying to you and to myself."

Kanye: 'Egos Can Flare Up'

The fight broke out the day after Kimmel hired a child actor to portray West in a recreation of an interview West gave on BBC Radio 1 in which he discussed the limitations he's faced as his fame has grown, among many other topics.

West told Kimmel he's often upset with his portrayal in the media but usually keeps his reaction to himself. This time, though, since he knew Kimmel, he felt he had a license to reach out by phone and discuss his disapproval man to man.

"That elevates sometimes," West said. "Jimmy does his thing, I do my thing, and at some point egos can flare up, and we kind of took it back to high school."

 

RELATED: Jimmy Kimmel Zings Kanye West Twitter Diss

Kimmel showed the highlights from West's resulting Twitter rant – "You should have seen the second set of Tweets," West joked – and admitted he'd just seen a few snippets of the BBC interview before approving the skit and didn't realize how personal it was.

"I really felt bad about all this stuff, I did," Kimmel said after West walked on stage. West responded: "Mmm huh," but smiled widely after watching a portion of the skit.

In a sometimes stream-of-consciousness delivery, West talked passionately about discrimination based on class, protecting his music publishing from covetous drug dealers, false humility and his thoughts on and experience with high fashion. He also ranted against the Hollywood Walk of Fame organization for denying his girlfriend, Kim Kardashian, a star and reflected on his recent negative interactions with paparazzi.

"The way the paparazzi talk to me and my family is disrespectful also, you know what I'm saying?" West said.

"We bring something of joy to the world. When people hear my music they have a good time, and I should be respected as such when I walk down the street. Don't ask me a question about something you saw on the tabloids. Don't try to antagonize me, because it's not safe for you in this zoo, you know? Never think that I'm not from Chicago for one second."

Though both denied it was a publicity stunt, they did take advantage of the opportunity. A commercial touting West's concert tour ran during the show and ABC's Nightline aired a segment on West in the wake of the appearance. West's appearance went long, pre-empting an appearance by Arctic Monkeys.

Kimmel thanked West for appearing on the show, and West responded: "Thank you for the platform."