Rising Consumer Optimism Fuels an Annual Spree

Worries about the economy and fiscal austerity be damned. On Black Friday, consumers were ready to shop till they dropped. And some even did, dozing off on the furniture displays in department stores offering predawn deals. Consumers have voiced increasing optimism in recent months as employment rises and their home values (finally) go up, or at least stabilize, even as government talks about...

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Secret message found with carrier pigeon may never be deciphered

British man finds carrier pigeon skeleton in his fireplace with unbreakable secret code (Reuters)Before military forces had secure cell phones and satellite communications, they used carrier pigeons. The highly trained birds delivered sensitive information from one location to another during  World War II. Often, the birds found the intended recipient. But not always.A dead pigeon was recently...

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'Dallas' star Larry Hagman dies in Texas

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Larry Hagman, whose predatory oil baron J.R. Ewing on television's long-running nighttime soap opera "Dallas" became a symbol for 1980s greed and coaxed forth a Texas-sized gusher of TV ratings, has died. He was 81.Hagman, who returned as J.R. in a new edition of "Dallas" this year, passed away Friday afternoon due to complications from his battle with cancer, according to a statement...

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Scientists See Advances in Deep Learning, a Part of Artificial Intelligence

Hao Zhang/The New York TimesA voice recognition program translated a speech given by Richard F. Rashid, Microsoft’s top scientist, into Mandarin Chinese. Using an artificial intelligence technique inspired by theories about how the brain recognizes patterns, technology companies are reporting startling gains in fields as diverse as computer vision, speech recognition and the identification of promising...

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TV Sports: Change in YES Ownership Unlikely to Alter Yankees-Heavy Format

Michael Heiman/Getty ImagesNews Corporation on Tuesday agreed to purchase a 49 percent stake in the YES Network. Fear not, Yankees fans: the YES Network’s Yankees propaganda will continue even if News Corporation increases its ownership stake in the channel from 49 percent, which it agreed to purchase Tuesday, to as much as 80 percent in three years. The deal cedes to the Yankees continued...

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Lido Beach Journal: Lido Beach Towers Face Major Work After Storm

LIDO BEACH, N.Y. — In the beginning were the marshy sandbars on the Atlantic bought in 1906 by a flamboyant entrepreneur for $3 million, envisioned as the site of an American Venice. Over the years, there was a little of everything — the elephants brought to Long Beach Island as a publicity stunt for the construction of the Boardwalk; the pink, six-story, 300-room Moorish-style Lido Beach...

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Halle Berry's ex arrested after fight at her house

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Halle Berry's ex-boyfriend Gabriel Aubry was arrested for investigation of battery Thursday after he and the Oscar-winning actress's current boyfriend got into a fight at her Hollywood Hills home, police said.Aubry, 37, was booked for investigation of a battery, a misdemeanor, and released on $20,000 bail, according to online jail records. He's scheduled to appear in court Dec....

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Recipes for Health: Pear Clafoutis — Recipes for Health

Andrew Scrivani for The New York Times NYTCREDIT:If you don’t want to make a crust but want something tartlike for your Thanksgiving dessert, a clafoutis, which is something like a cross between a flan and a pancake, is a great choice. It’s a very easy dessert, yet it’s always impressive. 2 tablespoons pear eau-de-vie or liqueur (optional) 2 tablespoons...

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News Analysis: Case Casts a Shadow on a Hedge Fund Mogul

In 2010, the billionaire hedge fund manager Steven A. Cohen gave a rare interview to Vanity Fair. He said that he wanted to combat persistent rumors that his firm, SAC Capital Advisors, routinely violated securities laws by trading on confidential information.“In some respects I feel like Don Quixote fighting windmills,” Mr. Cohen said at the time. “There’s a perception, and I’m trying to fight that...

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Egypt Leader and Obama Forge Link in Gaza Deal

Lefteris Pitarakis/Associated PressIsraelis in the town of Sderot watched a Palestinian missile on Wednesday, before a cease-fire. WASHINGTON — President Obama skipped dessert at a long summit meeting dinner in Cambodia on Monday to rush back to his hotel suite. It was after 11:30 p.m., and his mind was on rockets in Gaza rather than Asian diplomacy. He picked up the telephone to call the Egyptian...

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Chevy Chase is leaving NBC's sitcom 'Community'

LOS ANGELES (AP) — The NBC series "Community" will finish the season without Chevy Chase.Sony Pictures Television said Wednesday that the actor is leaving the sitcom by mutual agreement with producers.His immediate departure means he won't be included in the last episode or two of the show's 13-episode season, which is still in production.Chase had a rocky tenure playing a bored and wealthy man who...

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Recipes for Health: Apple Pear Strudel — Recipes for Health

Andrew Scrivani for The New York TimesThis strudel is made with phyllo dough. When I tested it the first time, I found that I had enough filling for two strudels. Rather than cut the amount of filling, I increased the number of strudels to 2, as this is a dessert you can assemble and keep, unbaked, in the freezer. Filling for 2 strudels: 1/2 pound mixed dried fruit, like raisins, currants,...

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U.S. Seeks Truce on Gaza as Enemies Step Up Attacks

JERUSALEM — Efforts to negotiate a cease-fire between Israel and Hamas were set to continue Wednesday but the struggle to achieve even a brief pause in the fighting emphasized the obstacles to finding any lasting solution. Overnight, as the conflict entered its eighth day, the Israeli military said in Twitter feeds that “more than 100 terror sites were targeted, of which approximately 50...

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Elmo left behind on 'Sesame Street' as actor exits

NEW YORK (AP) — Sesame Street's beloved Elmo character will continue despite the resignation of the puppeteer behind the character following sexual abuse allegations.Fifty-two-year-old Kevin Clash resigned Tuesday after a young man sued him and accused him of engaging in sexual behavior with him when he was 15.Clash did not address the allegations directly but said in a statement that he is "looking...

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Recipes for Health: Pear Cranberry Galette — Recipes for Health

Andrew Scrivani for The New York TimesI used Bartlett pears for this juicy galette, but pretty much any variety will work, as long as they’re not overly ripe. 1 dessert galette pastry (1/2 recipe) 2/3 cup dried cranberries 2 pounds pears, ripe but not too soft, peeled, cored and sliced (about 8 to 12 wedges per pear, depending on the size; if the pears are very large, cut the...

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Clinton to Visit Israel in Effort to Defuse Gaza Conflict

PHNOM PENH, Cambodia – President Obama is sending Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton to the Middle East to try to defuse the conflict in Gaza, the White House announced on Tuesday. Mrs. Clinton, who has been accompanying Mr. Obama on his three-country Asia trip, will leave directly from Asia, traveling first to Jerusalem to meet with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel, then...

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People turn to Twitter for CPR information: study

(Reuters) – Amid snarky comments and links to cat videos, some Twitter users turn to the social network to find and post information on health issues like cardiac arrest and CPR, according to a U.S. study.Over a month, researchers found 15,234 messages on Twitter that included specific information about resuscitation and cardiac arrest, said the study...

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Fight over 'Modern Family' star returns to court

LOS ANGELES (AP) — A judge is scheduled to wade into the messy family dynamics of teen actress Ariel Winter and determine whether the "Modern Family" star should stay away from her mother, who has been described in court filings as physically and emotionally abusive.At a hearing Tuesday, Superior Court Judge Michael Levanas will consider whether the 14-year-old should continue living with her sister,...

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Recipes for Health: Apple Walnut Galette — Recipes for Health

Andrew Scrivani for The New York Times NYTCREDIT:A great rustic apple pie for Thanksgiving, this has very little butter in the pastry and a minimum of sweetening. It’s all about the apples. 1 dessert galette pastry (1/2 recipe) Juice of 1/2 lemon 2 pounds slightly tart apples, like Braeburns, peeled, cored and cut in wedges (about 1/2 inch thick...

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