Selena

Selena: Selena Gomez was spotted at LAX earlier on Thursday. She was heading for her flight to Belfast where she'll host the MTV European Music Awards.

The "Who Says" singer and former star of Disney's Wizards of Waverly Place was greeted by mobs of fans as she hurried through to catch her flight.

According to a report from Celebuzz, Selena didn't seem any worse for wear despite the rumor of her boyfriend Justin Bieber fathering a love child with 20-year-old Mariah Yeaton.

In faSelena Gomez ~ct, she didn't seem the least bit concerned. Does she have perfect faith in Justin and the fact that he's telling the truth when he says this woman is lying?

Justin Bieber is also supposed to be at the MTV EMAs but at this point in time it's uncertain if he'll still be able to make it. It likely depends upon what his legal team suggests he do to clear his name in this whole paternity suit matter.

Selena Gomez, however, plans to honor her responsibility to host the EMAs and thus is en route to Belfast at this very moment.

Do you think if Justin Bieber does get to the EMAs that there will be any stress apparent between him and Selena Gomez? So far Justin hasn't seemed worried and has gone about his business, including promoting his new Christmas album, Under the Mistletoe, that was released on Tuesday.

Hopefully this whole paternity issue will one day be nothing but a bad dream for Justin Bieber and Selena Gomez. In the meantime, kudos to both of them for carrying on with business as usual.

Best of luck to Selena Gomez as she hosts the MTV European Music Awards on November 6th.

Wow! Is that true? That’s what we through when we heard this news. Selena Gomez seems like she had a shock like never before and she confirmed iNewsToday that her decision is final.

Happened to be found that Justin have a 3 months old son which had fallen from sky for Selena. Justin tried to convince Selena to actg fake infront of the press in order to keep up his reputation. But Selena didn’t agreed with it so far.

In other point of view, Justin doesn’t seems to be a betrayer as his relationship with Selena was only eight months and the physical relation with the other women held approximately thirteen months early.

More or less every relationships have few common issues to have it’s full fun but this seems to be way too much for Justin to take control. However, it’s true that she admitted to leave Justin this way or that way.

After a survey few months back, 60 out of 100 were unhappy about such relationship and they think it’s not right for Selena to be his partner. Now it seems like Selena Gomez cannot handle Justin Biebier anymore in her life after such incident.

At this point while Selena is dumping Justin, we asked many people regarding this action. And unfortunately 90% of the user had confirmed that it’s good for both of them and not made for each other.

When we appeared to her and asked that whether Justin knows about her decision or not then she replied that media is there for him to get informed.

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San Diego Weather

San Diego Weather: Hear ye! Hear ye! Calling the whole lot of you beer lovers!!! Oh, you spoiled little San Diegans.

As though having year round perfect weather, beautiful beaches, the best Mexican food north of the border, and bearing the nickname

"America's Finest City" wasn't enough street cred to bask in, but you're also home to 33 breweries producing a dizzying variety of some of the hoppiest, most experimental, and greatest award-winning beers in the country.

 Amidst the warm weather and cool brews, local residents are furiously making preparations to paint the town sudsy with a ten day countywide festival honoring the thriving craft beer culture.

For this November 4 - 13, we proudly welcome San Diego Beer Week!

This year San Diego Beer Week will host 439 events at restaurants, pubs, bars and breweries all over town, including an official kickoff and a grand finale.

Get those taste buds in check, roll up your sleeves, and let out a notch in ye olde belt to make room for the tastings, tap takeovers, food pairings, classes, events, pint nights, brewery tours, beer breakfasts, brunches, lunches, dinners, meet the brewer and keep the glass events.

Continue reading on Examiner.com It's beginning to look a lot like San Diego Beer Week - San Diego Restaurants.

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Bank Transfer Day

Bank Transfer Day: Bank Transfer Day is scheduled for November 5, 2011. The idea behind this day is to have as many people as possible transfer their savings and checking accounts out of the hands of large banks and into the accounts of credit unions.

The supporters of the Occupy Wall Street movement say that Bank Transfer Day will deal a stunning blow to large corporate banks around the United States, helping to put ordinary citizens back in control of their own finances. However, there's a catch.

One of the primary corporate banks being targeted by Bank Transfer Day is Bank of America, who recently announced a new round of extremely unpopular fees for their basic account products.

Many people who currently hold accounts at Bank of America have decided to switch their accounts over to small local banks or credit unions anyway, citing their disapproval with not just the fee, but with customer service at Bank of America, as well. As of 2010,

Bank of America held a little over a billion dollars in deposit accounts, which was a little less than half the total assets of the company. This mass migration of account holders could very well topple the company, even if such a thing were remotely possible.

This move could potentially send shock waves through the entire economy, beginning with Bank of America and spreading through other banks, as well. Is it a bad thing?

Not only would the dissolution of Bank of America mean tens of thousands of people out of work, but there would then be repercussions in the investment sectors of these banks as well as in mortgages and small-business loans, which would then be sold to other banks or investors.

The worst-case scenario? The federal government gets involved, being the only potential purchaser of these loans if other large banks can no longer do so. Another key point is just how much can these credit unions absorb? Do they actually have the means to take on so many accounts? Probably not.

Here's the thing, though. Bank Transfer Day is bound to only attract a certain number of supporters. While it could have a significant effect on these bank's balance sheets, there really isn't going to be much in the way of real damage to the large banks themselves.

That would make November 5, 2011 less of a turning point, and more of a beginning, if that makes any sense. A return to real customer service? One would hope so. At the very least, Bank Transfer day should be good for that. It would be about time we had the big banks sucking up to consumers again for a change.

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Gmail App

Gmail App: Google Gmail for the iPhone may have had just an hour or two in the sunlight before Google pulled it, but that was more than enough time for people to decide they hated it.

The dislike didn’t discriminate. Users hated the feel, the lack of functionality  and the buginess. For me, though, I couldn’t stand the look of the thing. So stark, boxy and cold.

Google will solve the feature and bug issues and soon enough the Gmail app will be back on iOS devices. What Google is unlikely to change, though, is the design. Black, white and boring. What happened to Google’s signature use of color, its sense of impish fun?

Its name is literally built out of five, bright primary colors. This is the company that regularly brings us wonderfully imaginative Google Doodle logos which all do wild things with that simple, yet attractive logo. It’s the same company that has some of the most entertaining corporate offices I have ever seen.

Yet, something is happening in the halls of Google. Google’s new design language has, essentially, two words: black and white.

It’s not just this new HTML5-based Gmail that is awash in two-tone colors or that brings sharp edges to Apple’s always curved world. I’m reading Steve Jobs’s biography right now and learned that he hated HATED corners.

Everything had to be curved. He was obsessed with chamfers. Take a look at your iPhone or iPad and you’ll see that design sensibility. Google, though, is going the other way.

Gmail for the iPhone is all hard lines of black, white and gray. There are thin lines and black bars. The icons are simply reverses on their black backgrounds.There’s just a tiny bit of color and impishness in there, like the use of a 3.5-inch floppy icon for “Save.”

Otherwise, it’s the culmination of a trend that’s been running through all of Google’s products for months and accelerating in recent days. The new Google Reader, for example, is white, with gray accents and black type. It’s more open than the old version, but somehow less friendly and inviting.

This week, Google also waved the magic wand of starkness over Gmail for the desktop. No more color, no more bounding boxes.

It’s super stark and seems ready to slide apart. If I were making it into a game, I’d put it on a tablet and use the accelerometer to judge just how flat you’re holding the screen. If it tips one way or the other, part of Gmail’s interface simply slides off.

Google News was probably the first of Google’s many services to get the decolorization makeover.

It used to look a tiny bit like a newspaper layout, but no more. Google Apps are no better. The menu bar in Google+ is pretty much the same. Icons are gray, the discussions float in a sea of white and gray lines.

When I do see a colorful icon in any of Google’s products I’m now tempted to throw it a lifeline.

Seriously, who is Google’s interface designer these days, and why has he decided to drain all the fun and life out of every single Google product? Some might argue that this is a return to Google’s roots.

Its homepage is still essentially just its logo, a search box and an “I’m Feeling Lucky” search option. I’ve always appreciated that Google didn’t junk that up, but I have grown accustomed to Google’s different looks within its standalone apps and services.

Now someone is cracking the whip and shoving them all into monochromatic shape.

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Happy Halloween

Happy Halloween: Running back Frank Gore was feeling good a day after matching his career high of 31 carries, and coach Jim Harbaugh was still calling Sunday’s 20-10 slugfest with the Browns a “beautiful” win. Here are the highlights from their media sessions Monday:
 
With a four-game lead in the NFC West, the 49ers’ magic number to clinch is six. But the magic month is Decmember, at least in Harbaugh’s mind when it comes to spying the 49ers’ playoff position. “Get to December, see how many we have and how many wee need as it relates to the season,” said Harbaugh, adding that he’s always looking to the future to make the team as good as possible.

Harbaugh was the master of the obvious when he said Sunday’s second half wasn’t as clean as the first half. Specifically, he wished Braylon Edwards didn’t step out of bounds on a fourth-quarter catch, that Alex Smith didn’t overthrow Michael Crabtree on a deep pass, or that Ted Ginn didn’t get stopped for an 8-yard loss on a reverse.

 Wide receiver Michael Crabtree earned rave reviews, and not just because he had his first official touchdown catch. “I spoke with him after Detroit because I really think Michael has been playing great football the last three weeks,” Harbaugh said. “He keeps getting better and more confident. His abilities are shining through.” Harbaugh said Crabtree switched positions — from split end to flanker — on a week’s notice because his approach has been, “whatever he could do for the team.” Crabtree had a team-high five catches for 54 yards and again showed what Harbaugh termed “extraordinary” catching ability.

Harbaugh wouldn’t reveal the severity of a hamstring injury that forced defensive end Ray McDonald to miss the final 2 1/2 quarters.

Fullback Bruce Miller said X-rays were negative on his right thumb and downplayed the injury.

Gore ran 31 times for 134 yards. He also ran 31 times in the 2006 finale, for 153 yards at Denver. “I felt better yesterday than after a couple games before the bye. The bye week helped me good,” said Gore, noting that his right ankle got twisted in a pile and felt weak but it wasn’t severe enough to keep him from returning. After his media session, Gore spent 30 minutes doing a cardio workout before heading to the outdoor weight room to lift.

Gore moved past Roger Craig into the No. 2 all-time rushing spot on the 49ers, and that duo spoke after the game. “Yeah we talked last night. He’s happy for me,” Gore said. “Roger and I became really close these last two years. When I got injured, he called me a lot this offseason, telling me what I had to do and I’d be fine, that this year I’d come back and prove a lot of people wrong who thought I couldn’t be the guy I’ve always been.”

Told that the 49ers could clinch the NFC West before their Thanksgiving night game at Baltimore, Gore replied: “For real? That’d be great. … We just take one game at a time. We can’t look that far ahead. Now we’re worried about the Washington Redskins and we need to go out and win that game.”

The 49ers defense is ranked No. 1 in points allowed, and Harbaugh attributes a “huge” part in that to the run-stopping ability of the front seven. “Our guys take great pride in it and do a great job coming off the ball and knocking players back,” Harbaugh said.

Ever wonder what Patrick Willis says in those pregame team huddles after warmups? I did, so I asked Harbaugh to share. “It’s very team oriented. It’s offense. It’s defense. It’s special teams. It’s the mentality of starting fast. Those are things he emphasizes. He’s lets his passion out and lets it show. … Guys have gravitated toward him. They want and expect a shot of adrenaline from him in that situation.”

Yes, Harbaugh also would like to see more downfield completions. But he knows those attempts come with a risk. “Completion percentage will lower the farther you throw the ball down the field,” Harbaugh said. “It is nice to hit ‘em. We’d like to hit ‘em more.”

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Kris Humphries

Kris Humphries: Just 10 weeks after their lavish, made-for-TV wedding and less than a month after the wedding special aired, reality starlet Kim Kardashian is canceling her marriage to NBA player Kris Humphries.

The "Keeping Up With the Kardashians" star filed for divorce Monday, citing irreconcilable differences. "I hope everyone understands this was not an easy decision," she said in a statement. "I had hoped this marriage was forever but sometimes things don't work out as planned."

Humphries told TMZ he was "devastated" to learn his bride had filed for divorce and is "willing to do whatever it takes to make it work."

The filing in Los Angeles County Superior Court provided few details, other than to state the couple have a prenuptial agreement that will dictate how they divide up their assets. Kardashian is asking that both sides pay their own attorneys' costs and that a judge terminate Humphries' rights to spousal support.

Kardashian, 31, and Humphries, 26, were wed Aug. 20 in a star-studded, black-tie ceremony at an exclusive canyon estate in the seaside enclave of Montecito, Calif., near Santa Barbara. The couple's wedding registry at a Beverly Hills jeweler totaled $172,000 and included such items as a $1,650 coffee pot and two $1,250 sterling silver vegetable spoons.

It was the first marriage for Humphries, who last played for the NBA's New Jersey Nets, and the second for Kardashian, who was married to music producer Damon Thomas from 2000 to 2004.

Kardashian's sisters and TV co-stars Kourtney Kardashian, 32, and Khloe Kardashian, 27, served as co-maids of honor.

Kim Kardashian and Humphries began dating late last year and announced their engagement in May. He proposed on bended knee with a 20.5-carat ring by spelling out "Will you marry me?" in rose petals.

The couple's marriage was the subject of a two-part special on E! Entertainment Television, which televises Kardashian's show that follows the model and her family.

The special aired Oct. 9 and 10, two months after the ceremony, prompting online card company someecards.com to offer a greeting last summer that read: "Here's hoping Kim Kardashian's marriage lasts until her wedding special airs in October."

Entertainment media have breathlessly reported every available detail on the relationship since it began, including signs of trouble earlier this month. Court filings show that Kardashian signed the petition on Sunday.

Meanwhile, Kardashian appeared to be getting on with her life on Monday, tweeting that she was looking forward to Tuesday's opening of her Kardashian Khaos fashion boutique in Las Vegas. "We are so excited!! Kardashian Khaos has arrived!," said the message.

Kardashian's divorce attorney, Laura Wasser, did not return a phone message seeking comment. Humphries' sports agent, Marc Cornstein, also did not return a phone message.

Humphries played high school basketball at Hopkins before playing one season at the University of Minnesota. He was selected 14th overall in the 2004 NBA Draft by the Utah Jazz. Humphries spent last season with the New Jersey Nets, but is currently a free agent.

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Kim Kardashian

Kim Kardashian: After weeks of speculations, Kim Kardashian confirms that she is ending her 72 days of marriage to Kris Humphries.
 
While she said in a statement that divorce was not an easy decision, sources believe that her wedding to the New Jersey Nets was nothing but a "hoax and a publicity stunt".

A source close to the "Keeping Up with the Kardashians" production told Radar Online, "It was pretty much an arranged marriage right from the start.

" The inside source explained, "Kim was looking for a husband and Kris was selected for her, amongst others. She wasn't really into him but she hoped she would be able to develop some feelings, but it never happened."

"She was never particularly attracted to him, and by all accounts absolutely hated sleeping with him or even having to make out with him," added the source. "The whole wedding was a total hoax and a publicity stunt. It was great for ratings and it was an amazing money maker.

That's it though, period. Kris turned out to not be as malleable as everyone hoped he would be, he was pictured out partying with other girls, Kim really couldn't care less for him, she decided to end it."

The insider further noted that the divorce could turn out to be another publicity stunt. "It wouldn't surprise me, in the slightest, if Kim and Kris managed to 'reunite' and the divorce filing gets brushed aside as they go to counseling and couples therapy," so the source said. "Basically, Kim will do anything and everything for the maximum amount of attention and TV time."

Former friend and owner of JJ Public Relations, Jonathan Jaxson, also thinks that part of Kim's marriage was publicity. "She knew they were going to make a lot of money from her wedding.
 

It made them millions," he said. "I do think she fell in love but once she got to know him and being married she realized he wasn't her match."

"Everything is business for Kim now, she's lost the sense of quality of life," Jonathan added. "She doesn't want to commit the time to a relationship even though she wants one.

The breakup started two weeks ago because she didn't want to be in Minnesota, and she didn't want to make New York her home."

Kim, who married Kris on August 20, filed for divorce in Los Angeles Superior Court on Monday, October 31, which is listed as their date of separation as well.

Since the couple have a prenuptial agreement, she asked that the division of their assets was done accordingly. She also requested that each party pay their own court fees.

The 31-year-old beauty has since released a statement concerning the separation. "After careful consideration, I have decided to end my marriage," she told E! News.

"I hope everyone understands this was not an easy decision. I had hoped this marriage was forever, but sometimes things don't work out as planned. We remain friends and wish each other the best."

Kris, in the meantime, claimed to be left devastated by Kim's decision. In his statement, the NBA player said, "I love my wife and am devastated to learn she filed for divorce.

" He added, "I'm committed to this marriage and everything this covenant represents, and I'm willing to do whatever it takes to make it work."

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Ttim Tebow

Ttim Tebow: Tim Tebow lingered on the field after the game, sharing congratulatory hugs with teammates and handshakes with opponents. He was the last player to head for the locker room, and when he finally departed through the tunnel at a trot, a small cluster of remaining fans gave him one more ovation for a job well done.

Making his first start of the season, Tebow showed his characteristic flair for the dramatic and knack for winning Sunday. He overcame lots of ragged moments by throwing two touchdown passes in the final 2:44 of regulation to help the Denver Broncos beat the winless Miami Dolphins in overtime, 18-15.

“That’s Tim,” said Dolphins center Mike Pouncey, who was Tebow’s college teammate. “You saw what he can do today.”

The Broncos appeared beaten when they trailed 15-0 with 5:23 left and took over at their 20. At that point Tebow was 4 for 14 for 40 yards, and Denver was 0 for 10 on third-down conversions.

“It’s my fault that we were in that position in the first place,” Tebow said. “I just have to play better in the first three quarters so we don’t have to make that comeback.”

In the frantic final minutes of the fourth quarter, Tebow led TD drives of 80 and 56 yards sandwiched around a successful onside kick. He scored a 2-point conversion standing up with 17 seconds left to tie the game.

In overtime, Denver’s D.J. Williams sacked Matt Moore to force a fumble and recovered it at the Miami 36. Three plays later Matt Prater clinched the win with a 52-yard field goal.

The Broncos (2-4) became the first to rally from a deficit of at least 15 points in the final three minutes since at least 1983, according to STATS LLC. Miami (0-6) extended the NFL’s longest losing streak to nine games, leaving the status of embattled coach Tony Sparano even more tenuous.

“At this point in time, with where we are, you find out about the real mettle of the guys in that locker room,” Sparano said.

The Dolphins lost for the 12th time in their past 13 home games. Some Miami fans have started rooting against their team, hoping for a shot at Stanford quarterback Andrew Luck in next year’s draft.

“My Fins almost had it,” former Dolphin Ricky Williams tweeted. “All that ‘Suck for Luck’ chatter can’t be good for morale.”

While the Broncos were two time zones from home, lots of fans wore Tebow jerseys, and the popular quarterback drew a big roar trotting onto the field for his first series. Tebow won a 2005 high school state championship and the 2008 national title with the Florida Gators in the same stadium.

“This field has a lot of good memories,” he said.

Crowd loyalties were divided even at halftime, when the Dolphins paid tribute to the 2008 Gators, who drew a mix of cheers and jeers.

Tebow started for the benched Kyle Orton, and through much of the game the Broncos sputtered. Tebow was sacked seven times as he struggled to identify blitzes, and several throws landed nowhere near a receiver.

As he walked to the sideline after one short series stalled, spectators chanted his name in derision, and Dolphins linebacker Jason Taylor gestured to the crowd for more noise.

“He’s a polarizing figure,” Taylor said.

“When you get knocked down, you’ve got to keep getting back up,” Tebow said.

That’s what he did. With the Broncos on the verge of being shut out for the first time since 1992, he led an eight-play touchdown drive that got them back in the game.

Then came the onside kick. Miami receiver Marlon Moore leaped to catch the ball but bobbled it and the Broncos’ Virgil Green recovered at their 44 with 2:31 left.

“They made the play. I didn’t,” Moore said.

After the recovery, Tebow drove Denver to the 3. Then on second down he fooled the Dolphins by rolling left and throwing back to the right to Daniel Fells, who dived across the goal line for a 3-yard score.

Denver still needed a 2-point conversion to stay alive, and Tebow kept up the middle to score.

“I’m so proud of the guys,” he said, “and I’m very blessed that they believed in me for more than 60 minutes.”

Notes: Broncos RB Willis McGahee left the game in the third quarter with a broken hand. It was wrapped afterward, but he said he would be fine. Denver DE Robert Ayers sprained his knee, and DE Elvis Dumervil sprained his ankle. ... LeBron James tweeted: “Congrats to (at)TimTebow for that comeback win today. Impressive! He’s just a winner.”

Copyright 2011 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

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Once Upon A Time

Once Upon A Time: Jennifer Morrison of "House" fame says her new ABC show "Once Upon a Time" is a similar to "Harry Potter."

The 32-year-old actress is trading in the medical scrubs for a more fanciful role in ABC's fairy-tale inspired "Once Upon a Time," where she plays the daughter of Snow White, played by Ginnifer Goodwin, and Prince Charming, played by Josh Dallas.

Her character, Emma Swan, is a sassy bail bonds collector who appears to be a modern-day warrior princess. The Evil Queen is portrayed by Lana Parilla of "24" fame. The show was created and penned by "LOST" screenwriters Edward Kitsis and Adam Horowitz. The duo has recently compared the two shows, and pointed out that they're both "about the characters."

"It's a little bit complicated to explain, even though it makes total sense when you see it," Morrison told OnTheRedCarpet.com host Chris Balish during the ABC Press Tour in August. "It's as if every fairytale character ever created actually exists, and in a universe where there are happy endings, and the fairy tales are as they truly seem to be.
 
But they've been cursed by the evil queen to live in reality and part of the curse is that they don't know who they really are anymore -- so they're living amongst us not knowing who they are."

Morrison went on to explain her character's significance in the show.

"Within the show, it's prophesized that the child of Snow White and Prince Charming is going to come back and help reverse the curse," Morrison added. "I play the child of Snow White and Prince Charming, her name is Emma Swan, and she's been living in reality her whole life -- kind of had a tough life, just thought she was abandoned, not knowing that her parents were trying to protect her from the curse."

The actress described the magical show as something that's "kind of like Harry Potter."

"It's kind of like 'Harry Potter' coming into your house every week," Morrison added. "That kind of magic, and mystery and good versus evil, and the mythology of a show -- it's pretty cool."

Morrison is known for playing Dr. Allison Cameron on the hit medical drama "House M.D.", and was also in the 2011 film "Warrior."

"It's kind of reality, and fantasy and all sorts of exciting adventure," Morrison said.

Reporting by Chris Balish, co-host of KABC Television's entertainment show "On The Red Carpet"

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Lindsey Lohan

Lindsey Lohan: SHE’S not the Ronson who dated Lindsay Lohan.

That’s her fedora-wearing fraternal twin, Samantha, a celebrity D.J. and singer. She’s not the Ronson who in 2008 won three Grammys including one for producer of the year for working with the late Amy Winehouse. That’s her brother Mark, the recently married record producer.

Rather, the shy woman with enviable rocker-messy hair who was sitting, largely unnoticed, in the NoHo restaurant the Smile on a recent sunny Friday morning is Charlotte Ronson, the clothing designer, who in the last few years has quietly and somewhat surprisingly evolved into one of the most successful retail entrepreneurs of her generation.

Ms. Ronson, who began designing feminine grunge-inspired looks under the label C. Ronson in 2000 and who has shown at New York Fashion Week since 2006, has also scored deals with the cheap-chic chains Urban Outfitters and Uniqlo. Since 2009, she’s had a diffusion line, I Heart Ronson in J. C. Penney’s 600 stores, and last month her beauty collection arrived at Sephora, the makeup emporium’s first-ever collaboration with a fashion designer on a full-scale beauty line.

Ms. Ronson, who was born in London and raised in the more privileged downtown corridors of Manhattan by her mother, Ann Dexter-Jones, and a stepfather, Mick Jones, of the rock band Foreigner, has an aesthetic of studied nonchalance (her Sephora collection includes a hair spray called A Perfect Mess, intended to help achieve beachy, tousled locks) and a demeanor to match.

Sitting at the Smile, which is near her apartment, she resembled a cat perched on a ledge, waiting, watching, wary — and not smiling very much. Dressed in floral shorts and army-green canvas espadrilles of her own design, along with a 3.1 Phillip Lim gray, long-sleeve T-shirt, Ms. Ronson answered questions succinctly. She was hands-on with the Sephora collection, she said, making sure her lip gloss, flavored with lemon and mint, was “not sticky”; that the hair spray didn’t leave hair “crunchy”; and that her eyeshadows didn’t “crease.”

Lest you cynically suspect mere famous-name rubber-stamping: “We had over 30 rounds of design, an unusually high number,” Nancy Rappaport, the director of product development at Sephora, wrote in an e-mail later. “It was Charlotte who brought all of the elements together (the muse, the sketch image, the fabric inspiration, the textures).”

In a crowded market, Ms. Ronson, 34, has pulled off the rare feat of retaining indie cred — her Charlotte Ronson line is sold at boutiques like Blue & Cream in Manhattan and East Hampton, and online at shopbop.com — while also going truly mass.
 
“She is on a roll,” said Robert Passikoff, the president of Brand Keys, a New York research company that monitors consumer perception of brands. “I don’t think it’s happenstance. I think it’s a well-thought-out strategy in terms of expanding the brand. There are plenty of companies out there looking for just that, an association with someone like Ronson.”

Now that work has kicked up a notch and her twin, Samantha, lives in Los Angeles, they keep in touch by calling, e-mailing and texting frequently. “I just hire her for things so I can hang out with her,” said Charlotte jokingly, while eating cheese fries and a salad at the Coffee Shop in Union Square on another day. Asked if she was in a relationship, she replied, “Nothing serious.” (She had a brief consultation with her publicist, sitting next to her, and elaborated: “It’s always mine to have as my own — not that anyone cares.” Laughter.)

In a phone interview, Samantha Ronson said that Charlotte was born with a reserved nature. “She can be, I guess, standoffish,” she said. “She’s just careful — waits and watches to see if someone is good or not. I’m like ‘Hey, let’s be best friends.’ ”

The more sedate twin has proved just enough Ronson for J. C. Penney, which has already renewed its original deal with her twice. I Heart Ronson’s kittenish print dresses and back-studded leggings have helped raise the company’s profile among 18-to-30-year-olds, who otherwise think of it as “my grandmother’s and mother’s store,” said Elizabeth Sweney, its senior general merchandise manager. “She has an eye for mixing fabrics, that when combined, create a very special and individualistic item with a personality of its own,” Ms. Sweney added in an e-mail. “Charlotte also has an eye for taking a vintage print and making it new and relevant.” Many of her work-to-play dresses for $50 come with a belt, so as Ms. Ronson put it, it’s a “complete ensemble,” one priced to be recession-friendly.

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Pumpkin Seeds

Pumpkin Seeds: Fall is in full swing, and pumpkins are ready to be picked at your local farm stands.

The variety that trumps all is the Giant Pumpkin – colossal vegetables that are popular attractions at local fairs and fall festivals. At this year’s Hillsborough County Fair, the largest pumpkin weighed in at 1,173 pounds.

But it’s more likely that you’re looking for a pumpkin to enter in a carving contest or simply decorating your front porch, and you’re advised to act fast, as this year’s crop weathered some extreme conditions.

The early summer drought slowed growth and pressured growers to irrigate their pumpkins. Then, Hurricane Irene dumped inches of rain on the fields, producing mold diseases that cause pumpkins to rot more quickly, pressuring local growers to pick early. So, once you find the pumpkin that’s right for you, buy it before it’s too late.

Whether you’ll be carving your pumpkin in the classic jack-o’-lantern style or using a fancy template to mark out an intricate design, be sure to give some thought to selecting the right pumpkin for the job.

Typically, the Magic Lantern, Wolfe, Gladiator and Big Moose varieties are used for carving, but choose whatever inspires you. Many new varieties, such as The Red Warty Thing and the Cinderella, are attractive for their decorative and cooking qualities.

The Lumina’s ghostly white exterior contrasts with the deep orange interior when carved and lit with a candle. And the small, softball-size Ironsides is the perfect pumpkin for the kids to carry.

Choose a pumpkin that’s firm, but whose shell isn’t too hard to cut with a serrated knife. Tap the pumpkin and listen for a hollow sound. A dense pumpkin is good, but too dense, and the walls will be too thick and block the candlelight, and any carving details may be lost. Also, make sure your pumpkin can balance on its base.

For information about where to go in Greater Nashua for fresh pumpkins and pumpkin picking, visit www.pumpkinpatchesandmore.org/NHpumpkins.php and scroll down to Hillsborough County.

What will you do with your pumpkin the day after Halloween? Consider baking a pumpkin pie or yummy pumpkin soup, as pumpkins are extremely healthy and one of the most nutritious offerings of the fall season.

The bright orange of a pumpkin’s skin and woody flesh is a dead giveaway to its heavy concentration of beta-carotene, which is believed to reduce the risk of certain cancers and help fight heart disease. Pumpkin is also high in fiber, delivering 3-5 grams per serving.

For cooking, choose smaller to medium-size pumpkins, as large pumpkins tend to have a higher moisture content and mild flavor and may disappoint. The Cinderella, the Lumina or any sugar pumpkin will taste wonderful in a pie or pot of soup.

Be sure that your pumpkin is free of blemishes, feels heavy for its size and still has its stem attached. Store your cooking pumpkin in a cool, dry place or your refrigerator.

Pumpkin puree (not pie filling) has the highest concentration of fiber, as the puree is thickened by cooking it down, thereby concentrating the nutritional content.

To make puree for use in soups and baking, place your pumpkin whole on a pie plate and roast at 400 degrees for 60-90 minutes or until a fork pierces the flesh easily.

On smaller pumpkins, the skin is often thin and can be peeled away from the flesh after roasting. Remove the seeds and place the cooked pumpkin in a food processor to puree. If the puree is too wet, strain with a fine mesh strainer or cheesecloth to remove extra water.

Don’t forget about roasting your pumpkin seeds, as they’re also full of antioxidants, high in fiber and protein and easy to prepare. Rinse the seeds and dry with paper towels. Season them with a little olive oil and kosher salt, and cook in a 250-degree oven for about 45 minutes, turning occasionally.

Boost the nutrition of any meal by adding pumpkin. Place a scoop of fresh pumpkin puree on oatmeal and drizzle with maple syrup. Include pumpkin with any fruit pie or any pureed soup for added flavor and health benefits.

And, it’s easy to incorporate shelled pumpkin seeds purchased at the grocery store into your daily diet by substituting them for almonds or adding them to granola, salads or cookies.

PUMPKIN AND WHITE BEAN SOUP

Serves 6-8

1 3- to 4-pound sugar pumpkin

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 medium onion, diced

1 celery stalk, diced

1 carrot, diced

4 cloves garlic, chopped

6-8 cups vegetable or chicken stock

1 teaspoon dried thyme or 2 teaspoons fresh

Pinch of crushed red pepper

1 15-ounce can of cannellini beans, drained and rinsed

¼ cup heavy cream

¼ cup fresh flat leaf parsley, chopped

Kosher salt

Freshly ground pepper

1 cup cooked barley (optional)

¼ cup cilantro, chopped

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Cover a baking pan with tinfoil.

Cut the pumpkin in half lengthwise and remove the seeds.

Place the pumpkin halves cut side down on the baking pan. Bake until the pumpkin can be pierced easily with a fork, about 30-40 minutes. When done, remove the skin and discard.

While the pumpkin is roasting, heat the oil, onions, celery, carrot and garlic in a heavy-bottomed soup pot over low heat. Cook covered until the vegetables are soft, about eight to 10 minutes.

When the vegetables are cooked, add the stock, thyme, crushed red pepper, beans and cooked pumpkin. Bring to a simmer and cook for 30 minutes.

Finish the soup by adding the heavy cream and chopped parsley, and season with salt and pepper to taste.

If using the optional cooked barley and cilantro, add just before serving.

This article was written by Haley Barbour based on information provided by the Hollis Agricultural Commission. The mission of the commission is to promote local agriculture.

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Bernie Madoff

Bernie Madoff: Oct. 21 (Bloomberg) -- Andrew Madoff’s request to appeal a $198 million lawsuit by the liquidator of Bernard Madoff’s firm was “not warranted” and the case should go to trial, the trustee said.

Trustee Irving Picard won a court ruling last month permitting him to pursue most claims in a 2009 lawsuit alleging that the Madoffs treated the now-defunct firm, Bernard L. Madoff Investment Securities LLC, as their “family piggy bank.” The con man’s son, Andrew, asked a district judge to allow an appeal, saying the suit would result in a “massive expansion of liability” for bank and corporate managers who might be blamed for wrongdoing they hadn’t detected.

“Andrew Madoff seeks to mire this case in pre-trial motion practice by moving for leave to appeal the bankruptcy court’s well reasoned decision,” Picard said in a filing yesterday in U.S. Bankruptcy Court in New York.

Madoff family members were “ultimate” insiders at the Madoff firm, not employees at a big investment firm where a rogue trader might go undiscovered for a while, Picard said in the filing.

Andrew Madoff filed notice of his appeal request on behalf of himself and as executor of his late brother Mark’s estate in U.S. Bankruptcy Court in Manhattan on Oct. 6.

In his lawsuit, Picard said that Madoff family members profited from the fraud, including Bernard’s brother Peter Madoff, sons Andrew and Mark Madoff and niece Shana Madoff Swanson, all of whom held senior positions at the Madoff firm.

$198 Million

Instead of preventing the crime, they took $198 million in investor money from the New York-based money-management firm to finance a business venture and pay for restaurants, vacations and clothing, as well as to buy cars, boats and vacation homes, he said.

Picard didn’t try to prove in his complaint that the family “engaged in any kind of securities fraud, dishonesty, or deception,” only that they were derelict in their duty and misused company funds, he said in yesterday’s filing.

“Those claims are unrelated to any investment advice or decisions; they arise from the defendants’ derelictions of duty and faithless service as the senior supervisory and compliance officials at a firm where a massive fraud was perpetrated on their watch,” he said.

U.S. Bankruptcy Judge Burton Lifland dismissed some claims in the case while allowing Picard to file a new complaint.

Peter Madoff was chief compliance officer at New York-based Madoff Securities. Andrew and Mark were co-directors of trading, and Shana Madoff was compliance director.

Mark Madoff killed himself in December. In a memoir published this week, his widow, Stephanie Madoff Mack, said her husband was innocent of wrongdoing. She blamed his suicide on Bernard Madoff.

No Knowledge

Martin Flumenbaum, a lawyer for Andrew Madoff and Mark Madoff’s estate, has said the Madoff sons didn’t know of their father’s scheme and contacted prosecutors after their father told them of his fraud. Bernard Madoff is serving a 150-year prison term.

In refusing to dismiss Picard’s suit, Lifland said last month that the family’s failure to stop the fraud was “unsurprising given their close familial relationship with Madoff and proximity” to his firm. Picard’s suit contains “some correctable pleading deficiencies” that need to be amended in a new complaint, he said.

The case is Picard v. Madoff, 09-1503, U.S. Bankruptcy Court, Southern District of New York (Manhattan).

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Pete Seeger

Pete Seeger: The Occupy Wall Street protests have drawn their share of musical supporters over the past few weeks. On Friday night, Pete Seeger lent his voice to the cause, though the protesters had to go uptown to hear it.

Mr. Seeger, whose activist credentials go back at least as far as a benefit concert that he and Woody Guthrie did for California migrant workers in 1940 and who wrote or helped write populist ballads like like “Where Have All the Flowers Gone?” and “If I Had a Hammer,” had been performing at Symphony Space at Broadway and 95th Street with Arlo Guthrie, Woody Guthrie’s son, and others.

About 11 p.m., Mr. Seeger, 92, emerged from Symphony Space wearing a red knit cap and carrying two canes. He then set off south, walking at a brisk pace and accompanied by a crowd of about 600, some of them carrying placards declaring support for the self-declared 99 percent that have been occupying Zuccotti Park for five weeks.

The crowd sang as they marched in the October chill, their voices swelling softly and carrying words to songs Mr. Seeger helped popularize, including “Down by the Riverside,” and “We Shall Not Be Moved.”

“He’s a symbol of the peace movement,” said one of the marchers, Larry Manzino, a retired research scientist from Piscataway, N.J. “He’s a guy who never caved, a guy who had integrity, a guy who stood up and said no when he had to.”

Police officers on foot and in vans traveled with the march. People peered out at the crowd from storefronts. At West 79th Street, a man silhouetted in the lighted window of an apartment gave a thumbs up to the marchers below. The crowd began singing Woody Guthrie’s “This Land Is Your Land.”

T.J. Frawls, from Harlem, who said he was in an “apocalyptic punk metal band” called Universal Truth Machine marched along, strumming a guitar.

Despite the difference in their preferred genres, he said he was thrilled to be performing — sort of — with Mr. Seeger.

“He’s an icon of folk music, the people’s music.” Mr. Frawls said.

Shortly before 1 a.m. the crowd streamed into the center of Columbus Circle. There, surrounded by gushing fountains, musicians that included Arlo Guthrie, Tom Chapin and David Amram, joined Mr. Seeger on the base of the Christopher Columbus monument.

The crowd quieted. Guitars began strumming as Mr. Seeger began singing “We Shall Overcome,” a song that he introduced to the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

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Baby Lisa Irwin

Baby Lisa Irwin: The search for missing 10-month-old Lisa Irwin entered its second week today with Kansas City police searching the well of an abandoned house near the girl's home for several hours before hitting another dead end.

More than a dozen investigators and firefighters crowded around an opening created in the old wooden deck to access the well. A yellow and red tripod was set up to lower firefighters into the well. But several hours later, the well had been drained and nothing was found.

This was the latest attempt to make progress in a case that has baffled investigators and left them grasping for new ideas.

"It's an abandoned house, there's a well under the deck. We're searching it because it's the right thing to do," Capt. Steve Young told ABCNews.com today as police and firefighters dismantled part of the house's deck in order to access the well.

Young said the abandoned house is few blocks from the Irwin home.

This search came a few hours after a family member said Lisa's mother, Deborah Bradley, is preparing to be charged in connection with her baby's disappearance. The family member, Ashley Irwin, said the family thinks Bradley's arrest is "inevitable."

Ashley Irwin, who is Lisa's aunt, said in an exclusive interivew with ABC News that she believes police are spending more time focusing on the family -- in particular Bradley -- than on finding viable suspects.

"It's what the police do," Ashley Irwin said. "They don't have any leads, so they just have to pin it on somebody."

Baby Lisa has not been seen since last Tuesday, when her father Jeremy Irwin said he returned to their Kansas, City, Mo., home from working an overnight shift as an electrician and found his daughter's crib empty, the front door to the house unlocked, a window open and the family's three cell phones gone.

Bradley says that she was the last to see the baby when she put her to bed.

When asked if she has any doubt that Bradley or her brother Jeremy Irwin had anything to do with baby Lisa's disappearance, Ashley Irwin confirmed that she thinks there is no way that they could be involved.

"Anybody who spends any time with them, you know it's not true. She's genuine. She loves that child. It's her baby … She would never anything to hurt her," Ashley Irwin said.

"She doesn't care what happens to her, she doesn't care what people say about her, she doesn't care what people think about her. All she cares about is getting Lisa home," said Ashley, the only person speaking publicly for the family.

Kansas City police have been suspicious of the parents' story since their initial questioning. Bradley said that police accused her of having done something to her child, and also accused her of failing a polygraph test.

The relationship between police and the parents soured last week when police said the couple had stopped cooperating, but by Saturday the parents were again meeting with investigators.

In a separate development, Clay County grand jury subpoenas have begun arriving at least four Kansas City network affiliate television stations who did interviewing in their coverage of the case. Investigators are demanding unedited "footage of any interviews… given by neighbors, family or friends of the family..."

Sources say that the police may want to compare the footage for inconsistent statements from witnesses or anyone else interviewed surrounding the baby's disappearance.

So far police have only hit dead ends in their investigations, but have said that in the week since Lisa disappeared over 250 tips have come in.

"We're chasing down the ones we can, but still unfortunately nothing has really come from them," said Young.

Neighbors have said that they have been questioned about a homeless man seen in the neighborhood roughly two weeks ago, according to The Associated Press.

Crime scene investigators searched an overgrown drainage ditch behind the family home on Monday.

Police have also staged a re-creation of a hypothetical kidnapping scenario with an intruder breaking in through the family's window.

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Marco Rubio

Marco Rubio: U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio is raising his national profile through a series of major policy speeches on the economy and America's role in the world.

But one issue Florida's freshman Republican doesn't spend much time discussing is immigration. That's despite the fact his parents came from Cuba and he represents the state with the third-largest number of illegal immigrants. The issue has also garnered recent attention in the Republican presidential primary campaign because Texas Gov. Rick Perry supports in-state college tuition for illegal immigrants, a position Rubio once supported.

Rubio will talk in generalities about immigration but as the charismatic 40-year-old lawmaker's prominence grows, he will likely face more scrutiny on the issue. Despite his denials of interest, he is one of many Republicans who get mentioned as possible vice presidential nominees next year, and recently announced plans for a memoir.

"At the national level, he's not going to get a pass as he did in his Senate election," said Frank Sharry of the Washington, D.C. based pro-immigrant group, "America's Voice. Sharry said Rubio's views on immigration and on making English the official language "are going to be lifted up to the diverse immigrant communities in Florida and to the largely Mexican-American communities in the West."

That is in part why talking about immigration is complicated for Rubio. He's the darling of tea party conservatives and generally favors their position of securing the border first and dealing with the country's more than 10 million illegal immigrants later. Republicans also are frank about the charismatic senator's ability to attract Latinos to the GOP, a factor that could play a key role in swing states like Colorado, New Mexico and Florida next year. Rubio speaks glowingly about his immigrant parents' struggles to rebuild their lives in the U.S.

Still, the country's mostly Mexican-American Latino voters tend to support immigration reform that covers both border security and a path to legalization for qualified illegal immigrants, rather than delaying the latter. Meanwhile, even Florida's influential Puerto Ricans, who are U.S. citizens, and its Cuban-American immigrants, who get special permission to remain in the U.S., tend to be more sympathetic to the plight of illegal immigrants than the general public. They are also more concerned about laws that require police to check suspects' citizenship, fearing they will be the victims of racial profiling.

Former State Rep. J.C. Planas, a Miami Republican and Rubio's longtime House colleague, says Rubio is being unfairly pressed on immigration because he's Hispanic. Planas supports comprehensive immigration reform but said the entire GOP has moved to the right on the issue, and Rubio's position merely reflects that shift.

Rubio is still relatively unknown among Latinos outside Florida, and immigration is hardly the only issue they or the rest of the nation will judge him on.

But Arturo Vargas, head of the National Association of Latino Elected and Appointed Officials, says it's natural for Latinos to look to Rubio for leadership on the issue.

"It's not unreasonable for people to hope that individuals who are immigrants or children of immigrants and in policy-making positions would be sympathetic to the plight of immigrants," he said. "It's not just about when you talk, it's about using your authority to help make the plight of those individuals better."

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War In Iraq

War In Iraq: America's long and deeply unpopular war in Iraq will be over by year's end and all US troops ""will definitely be home for the holidays," US President Barack Obama declared on Friday.

Stretching more than eight years, the war cost the United States heavily: More than 4,400 members of the military have been killed, and more than 32,000 have been wounded.

The final exit date was sealed after months of intensive talks between Washington and Baghdad failed to reach agreement on conditions for leaving several thousand US troops in Iraq as a training force. The US also had been interested in keeping a small force to help the Iraqis deal with possible Iranian meddling.

The task now is to speed the pullout of the remaining US forces, nearly 40,000 in number.

Staying behind in Iraq, where bombings and other violence still occur, will be some 150-200 US military troops as part of embassy security, the defense attache's office and the office of security cooperation. That's common practice but still a danger to American forces.

Obama, an opponent of the war since before he took office, nevertheless praised the efforts of US troops in Iraq. He said American soldiers would leave "with their heads held high, proud of their success."

For Obama, Friday's announcement capped a remarkable two days of national security successes, though there's no indication how much they will matter to re-election voters more concerned with economic woes at home.

On Thursday, the president heralded the death of Libyan dictator Muammar Gaddafi and a day later the end to one of the most divisive conflicts in US history.

The wars in Iraq and Afghanistan have cost the US more than $1.3 trillion.

Obama did not declare victory.

He did speak, though, about the string of wins on his watch - none bigger than the killing of Osama bin Laden, the al-Qaida leader behind the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks. The Afghanistan war still rages, but there, too, Obama has moved to end the combat mission by the end of 2014.

This was, in essence, the third time Obama had pronounced an end to the war, allowing him to remind the nation he had opposed it all along - a stance that helped his White House bid in 2008.

Shortly after taking office, Obama declared in February 2009 that the combat mission in Iraq would end by Aug. 31, 2010. And when that milestone arrived, he said it was "time to turn the page" on Iraq and put the focus back on building up the United States. On Friday, he said: "After nearly nine years, America's war in Iraq will be over."

The US-led invasion of Iraq was launched in March of 2003 after reports, later discredited, that the country was developing weapons of mass destruction. By early April, American Marines were helping Iraqis pull down a statue of Saddam Hussein in Baghdad. Saddam was captured in December of that year and executed in 2006, but the war dragged on.

The ending was set in motion before Obama took office. In 2008, President George W. Bush approved a deal calling for all US forces to withdraw by Dec. 31, 2011.

At issue was whether that deal would be renegotiated to keep thousands of US forces in Iraq. The Obama administration and Iraqi government spent months debating whether the United States would keep troops to maintain a training force, to provide added stability in a country where spectacular attacks still occur, and to serve as a hedge against Iran.

Throughout the talks, Iraqi leaders refused to give US troops immunity from prosecution in Iraqi courts, and the Americans refused to stay without that guarantee.

Obama never mentioned that issue on Friday.

He said that after speaking with Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki, both were in agreement on how to move forward. Obama said the two nations will now deal with each other in the normal fashion of sovereign countries and will keep open the idea of how the United States might help train and equip Iraqi forces.

"Over the next two months, our troops in Iraq, tens of thousands of them, will pack up their gear and board convoys for the journey home," Obama said. "The last American soldier will cross the border out of Iraq with their heads held high, proud of their success, and knowing the American people stand united in our support for our troops."

The Associated Press first reported last week that the United States would not keep troops in Iraq past the year-end withdrawal deadline, except for some soldiers attached to the US Embassy.

"Both countries achieved their goals," said Iraqi government spokesman, Ali al-Moussawi. "Iraq wanted full sovereignty while the United States wanted its soldiers back home, and both goals are achieved."

In addition to remaining military forces, Denis McDonough, White House deputy national security adviser, said the US will have 4,000 to 5,000 contractors to provide security for American diplomats.

Defense Secretary Leon Panetta said the United States will now "turn our full attention to pursuing a long-term strategic partnership with Iraq based on mutual interests and mutual respect." He said the goal is to establish a relationship with Iraq similar to other countries in the region.

"Iraq is a sovereign nation that must determine how to secure its own future," Panetta said.

Obama's announcement was applauded by congressional Democrats, including Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, who called it "the right decision at the right time."

Republicans were more skeptical. Many praised the gains made in Iraq and gave Obama at least partial credit but expressed concern that getting troops out would bring that progress into question.

Sen Lindsey Graham, R-SC, said he feared that "all we have worked for, fought for and sacrificed for is very much in jeopardy by today's announcement. I hope I am wrong and the president is right, but I fear this decision has set in motion events that will come back to haunt our country."

GOP presidential hopeful Mitt Romney accused Obama of an "astonishing failure" to secure an orderly transition in Iraq, and said, "The unavoidable question is whether this decision is the result of a naked political calculation or simply sheer ineptitude in negotiations with the Iraqi government."

The US said repeatedly this year it would entertain an offer from the Iraqis to have a small force stay behind, and the Iraqis said they would like American military help. But as the year wore on and the number of American troops that Washington was suggesting could stay behind dropped, it became increasingly clear that a US troop presence was not a sure thing.

The issue of legal protection for the Americans was the deal-breaker.

But administration officials said they feel confident that Iraqi security forces are well prepared to take the lead in their country.

McDonough said that one assessment after another of the preparedness of Iraqi forces concluded that "these guys are ready; these guys are capable; these guys are proven; importantly, they're proven because they've been tested in a lot of the kinds of threats that they're going to see going forward."

The president used the war statement to once again turn attention back to the economy, the domestic concern that is expected to determine whether he wins re-election.

"After a decade of war," he said, "the nation that we need to build and the nation that we will build is our own."

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Winston Churchill

Winston Churchill: St. Catharines residents who want their say on the future of four city secondary schools are being encouraged to attend one of a series of public meetings the District School Board of Niagara is holding as part of an accommodation review for St. Catharines and Thorold.

Kernahan Park, Sir Winston Churchill, St. Catharines Collegiate, West Park and Thorold Secondary are all under the microscope during this initial review, and public meetings and tours at the schools are planned over the coming weeks. The first visit is Thursday, Oct. 20, with the meeting at Kernahan Park at 6 p.m. and Thorold Secondary School. Tours and meetings at the other schools will be held Thursday, Oct. 27, with Sir Winston Churchill at 5 p.m., St. Catharines Collegiate at 6:15 p.m. and West Park at 7:30 p.m.

DSBN trustee Lora Campbell, who sits as a trustee representative on the accommodation review committee (ARC), encourages the public to attend the meetings, and share their input. The public’s feedback, she said, is critical to the process of deciding the schools’ futures.

“We are hoping people will come out to these and we want to hear what they have to say, either for or against,” said Campbell. “We need to hear from them.”

The DSBN, which recently closed Niagara-on-the-Lake’s public high school after a similar review, said the outcome of the ARC involving the Thorold and St. Catharines schools could be school closures, merging or renovating schools, or building new schools. Campbell says the whole process is emotional — especially when considering a potential closure of a school — and now is the time for the public to share its input, rather than after the decision is made. While the ARC is leading the way over the coming months, with recommendations anticipated by about mid-February, the school board will have the ultimate decision at the end of the day.

“In a word, it’s gut-wrenching,” said Campbell. “(As a trustee) it’s very emotional for me too. It’s not easy.”

The whole process, she stresses, is not just about closing schools.

“It’s about whether or not the programming is being carried out and are the accommodations safe for our children. Do they have enough amenities? There are a lot of different questions that need to be addressed,” she said. “There are so many things to the building, and then there is the programming issues.”

One particular area of interest, said Campbell, is some of the age of some facilities. She said as they get older, they are more difficult to maintain, especially with a limited envelope of funding from the province. That’s where the tours, and meetings, are important for the public to see what resources the DSBN is dealing with, she said.

“They’ll find out the money is coming for a certain envelope and we have to prove the buildings are viable,” she said.
In a report to DSBN trustees in May, planning and transportation superintendent Marilyn Hyatt said about 80 per cent of the board’s schools are more than 40 years old, making them some of the oldest facilities in the province.
As those schools age, they become increasingly expensive to maintain, with everything from new roofs and heating systems to electrical upgrades and window replacements needed, Hyatt said.

Along with their age, many Niagara schools are seeing hallways get more and more empty: The five high schools are only running at about 69 per cent capacity, with 3,043 students in schools capable of handling 4,419, the report said.
 
Sir Winston Churchill is the anomaly of the schools being considered, coming in at over-capacity with 1,077 students enrolled in 2012 — 120 per cent utilization. Collegiate is at 62.3 per cent (731 students), West Park is 61.3 per cent (449 students) and Kernahan Park is at 50.1 per cent (388 students). Thorold Secondary School is the lowest of all five schools, with 398 students in a school capable of handling 849 — just 46.9 per cent of capacity.

Campbell said those who can’t attend the upcoming meetings are encouraged to submit their comments in other ways. People can give oral or written submissions, and residents are welcome to attend future ARC meetings. Information on the meetings, including the agendas, are on the DSBN website at .

While she doesn’t have a vote during the recommendation process — that role belongs to the ARC which is made up of representatives from the schools and community — Campbell is anxious to participate moving forward. A long-time trustee, she has been involved in the process in the past.
“I’m there as a resource and listener,” she said. “But I also want to hear what people say. This is the time.”

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Harry Belafonte

Harry Belafonte: Harry Belafonte, the singer and activist who once marched with Martin Luther King Jr., called black GOP candidate Herman Cain a “bad apple” who  did not represent the African-American community.

In a clip to air Friday on HLN, Belafonte told Joy Behar that Cain, a wealthy businessman who grew up in poverty, was not an “authority on the plight of people of color.”

“[Cain] doesn’t believe that racism holds anyone back, in any way now,” Behar told Belafonte. “What do you think about that statement?”

“It’s very hard to comment on somebody who is so denied intelligence – and certainly who is denied a view of history, such as he reveals. He knows very little. Because he happened to have good fortune, because he happened to have had a moment when he broke through – the moment someone blinked – does not make him the authority on the plight of people of color,” the singer said.

Belafonte, who in 2002 compared then Secretary of State Colin Powell to a house slave, again attacked Powell as well former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and other black Republicans.

“The Republican Party, the Tea Party, all those forces to the extreme right, have consistently tried to come up with representation for what they call black, for what they call the real Negroes  and try to push these images as the kinds of voices that Americans should be listening to,” Belafonte said.

“So we have Condoleezza Rice, we’ve got Colin Powell – they’re heroes for some people. But for a lot us, they’re not,” he said. ‘And Herman Cain is the latest incarnation of what is totally false to the needs of our community, and the needs of our nation. I think he’s a bad apple, and people should look at his whole card. He’s not what he says he is.

In a written response to the The Hill newspaper, Cain said calling him names would not work to quell his message.

“As far as Harry Belafonte’s comment, look, I left the Democratic plantation a long time ago. And all that they try to do when someone like me — and I’m not the only black person out there that shares these conservative views –  the only tactic that they have to try and intimidate me and shut me up is to call me names, and this sort of thing. It just simply won’t work,” Cain said.

Cain, the former CEO of Godfather’s Pizza, is currently running second in national GOP polls.

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