Ashley & J.P. Rehearse First Kiss

Practice makes perfect and Bachelorette couple Ashley Hebert and J.P. Rosenbaum made sure their first kiss as husband and wife was everything they wanted it to be.

Playfully bickering whether to share one or two kisses at the altar, the two rehearsed their romantic smooch at their Pasadena, CA venue. Ashley teased her groom, "You want two kids, I want one. You want two kisses, I want one."

To see J.P. kiss his bride, tune in to The Bachelorette on Sunday night on ABC.

RELATED: 'Bachelorette' Wedding Full of Love, No Red Roses

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Alleged parent killer thinks DNA evidence is 'funny,' pleads not guilty

The Queens drug addict accused of killing both his parents 15 months apart callously tried to claim that DNA evidence against him was nothing more than a remnant of his doting mom’s affection for him, prosecutors said.

“Funny that you found DNA now, where did you find it — under her fingernails? My mother likes to run her fingers through my hair,” cocky alleged killer Gregory Cucchiara told detectives as they questioned him in the murder of his mother, Guisepina.

The chilling statement was read in Queens Supreme Court today as Cucchiara, 36, pleaded not guilty to killing both Guisepina, 66, in May 2011 and his father, Carmelo, 77, in August 2012.

Ellis Kaplan

Gregory Cuccchiara

Cucchiara — whose lengthy rap sheet includes DWI and disorderly conduct convictions — made the comment about his mother while in custody for killing his dad.

In court today, Cucchiara’s lawyer, Michael Anastsiou, entered the guilty pleas on his behalf in front of several weeping and disgusted family members.

The alleged killer scowled at his relatives as Assistant District Attorney Patrick O’Connor read from Cucchiara’s oral and written police statements.

Cucchiara claimed he’d gone out for a beer and come back to find his mom dead — and tried to pin his father’s death on his brother-in-law.

“I went to purchase beer on Bell Boulevard, and when I came back my mother was dead,” Cucchiara said. “I tried to give her CPR. Our relationship was good, I had nothing to do with her death.”

As for his father’s death, Cucchiara claimed his sister’s husband was the likely killer.

“My brother-in-law watches a lot of ‘CSI’ and knows how to make things look as though they may not really be,” Cucchiara said.

He also told detectives that has father was ill, and “suffering to the point of sudden death.”

That claim was refuted by family friend Michael Ronemus, who said the family was “unaware of any sickness.”

Guisepina Cucchiara was found drowned in a bathtub in the family’s Bayside manse on May 25, 2011. The medical examiner said she died of submersion of her head followed by blunt force trauma to the skull.

Her son continued to live in the family home after the murder.

Carmelo Cucchiara — who had told family members he was afraid of his son and moved into an Astoria apartment — was found dead there on August 21.

Cops found a blood splattered pillow, and the ME said the older man died of asphyxia from obstruction of the nose and mouth.

Gregory Cucchiara was arrested Nov. 13 and is being held without bail on Rikers Island, records show.

In court today, judge Kenneth C. Holder holder denied the accused killer’s bid for bail, citing a history of bench warrants.

Lawyer Anastasiou argued that his client was indicted by a “prejudice grand jury.”

Cucchiara was also indicted for assault against a police lieutenant and detective during an interrogation the day he was arrested.

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South Florida trade poised for a record year

International trade through South Florida was up more than 10 percent during the first nine months of the year, putting the Miami Customs District in position to finish among the nation’s Top 10 Customs districts for the first time.

The Miami Customs District, which includes airports and seaports from Palm Beach County to Key West, is expected to edge out the San Francisco district in the No. 10 spot. The value of imports and exports shipped via the Miami district totaled $102.6 billion through Oct. 1, a 10.17 percent increase from last October, according to an analysis released Tuesday by WorldCity, a Coral Gables-based media company that focuses on Miami’s role in the international economy.

“Miami is coming out of the economic slowdown in better shape than it entered,’’ said Ken Roberts, president of WorldCity. “For the first time, Miami will almost certainly finish the year as the nation’s No. 10-ranked Customs district. It has ranked as low as No. 14.’’

Trade through the Miami district is currently running at record levels. Roberts said total trade is expected to climb to $118 billion to $120 billion by year’s end, shattering the $112.8 billion record set in 2011.

Once again, Brazil will finish as the Miami district’s top trading partner. During the first nine months of the year, total trade with Brazil climbed to $13.7 billion — $1.1 billion more than the previous year. Trade with Colombia and Switzerland also increased, which will allow them to retain their rankings as South Florida’s second and third most important trading partners.

Miami International Airport is the nation’s top gateway for imported Colombian gold, which has pushed up the value of Colombian exports to South Florida. Switzerland owes most of its No. 3 ranking to the fact that is a big buyer of gold and scrap precious metal exported through the Miami district.

“Somewhat ironically, Miami has been able to capitalize on the economic weakness globally, becoming the nation’s top importer and exporter of gold, as investors have sought the security it offers. Mexico, Colombia and now Bolivia have become large suppliers of gold,’’ Roberts said.

Costa Rica moved past Venezuela and China to rank as South Florida’s fourth most important trading partner through the first nine months of 2012.

South Florida’s trade with Venezuela fell by $72.3 million to $5.5 billion through Oct. 1.

Other countries that saw their trade with South Florida decline during the first nine months of 2012 include the Netherlands, the Netherlands Antilles, Honduras, Paraguay, Japan, Sweden, Germany, Spain and Guatemala.

Earlier this week, the Economic Commission for Latin American and the Caribbean forecast that regional economies, which are the bread-and-butter trading partners for South Florida, are expected to grow 3.8 percent in 2013.

But it remains to be seen whether South Florida will continue its record trade growth next year.

“We have a lot of economic pressure around the world we’ll have to keep our eyes on,’’ said Dan Fisher, TD Bank’s director for North America, global trade finance. “We see a big slowdown in China.’’

The economy of China — marketplace to the world — will still grow by a very respectable 7.6 percent, he said, but that’s slow compared to the 9-11 percent growth of recent years.

Among other factors that will impact trade are: modest growth in the United States, how the U.S. resolves its fiscal cliff dilemma and continuing financial problems in Europe.

But Richard Biter, an assistant secretary with the Florida Department of Transportation, said, “We are really optimistic within Florida DOT.’’

Increased investment in transportation and port infrastructure, he said, translates into more jobs for Floridians.

Biter, who spoke at the WorldCity forecasting event, said DOT is working on a Florida Freight Plan that will be ready for the governor and state legislature by July 1. DOT is analyzing freight infrastructure within each Florida county and how it connects with the state economy so it can better prioritize state investments and market the importance of the trade and cargo industry.

“We’re letting people know that seeing trucks on a road is not a bad thing,’’ he said.

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South Florida students learn the effects of hatred

In a high school round table discussion, all eyes turned to 93-year-old Holocaust survivor Julius Eisenstein as he showed his identification tattoo: Number B-1208.

The tattoo was proof of the years he spent in the various concentration camps, but also proof of his survival.

Eisenstein was one of 70 survivors who shared their stories Tuesday at Student Awareness Day, organized by the Holocaust Documentation and Education Center’s prejudice reduction program to teach students the dangers of bullying, racism, hatred and bigotry.

“It begins with us, regardless of race, color, ethnic origin, sexual orientation, everyone has the right to live in freedom and harmony and we need to learn to respect each other,” said Rositta Kenigsberg, executive vice president of the Holocaust Documentation and Education Center.

More than 700 students from 20 schools in Miami-Dade, Broward and Palm Beach counties attended the workshop held at the Broward County Convention Center in Fort Lauderdale.

For 27 years, The Holocaust Documentation and Education Center has made it their mission to share the stories of the Holocaust survivors with the students in a nondenominational way.

“They are eyewitnesses that have experienced ultimate hate,’’ said Kenigsberg. “They talk to the students about what happens if they continue to hate and they become the mentors and the eyewitnesses.”

The stories varied like the life Leon Heller, who was part of the U.S. Army team that liberated Buchenwald concentration camp; Samuel Ron who told about the horror of losing his family and starving for long periods of time; and Rita Hofrichter who posed as a Christian to survive the Holocaust.

“It is necessary to tell the story so that everyone sees the steps that lead to the Holocaust. It didn’t start right away in camps, it started slow,” Hofrichter said. “I hope to show the students that hating someone hurts as much as being hated.”

The majority of the students had never met a Holocaust survivor, but at the event were able to ask questions and have one-on-one conversations.

“I think after this I have a lot more tolerance,’’ said Aeirian Exalien, a senior at Coral Gables High School. “This is better than anything you would read in a book.”

Eisenstein told the students about the separation from his family, living in one room with four families in a ghetto, experiencing severe hunger, picking up the dead bodies and arriving at various concentration camps, including Auschwitz.

“A small number of people can contribute a lot to the world,” said Eisenstein as he told the students about his life after the Holocaust. Despite his own experience as a victim of racism and hatred, Eisenstein told the students it was possible to persevere in life.

“I would never think that someone can go through all of that and still be here,” said Ashley Correa, a junior at Everglades High School in Miramar. “This teaches me to appreciate everything and not take anything for granted.”

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Obama election tweet most repeated but Olympics tops on Twitter

(Reuters) – An election victory tweet from President Barack Obama — “Four more years” with a picture of him hugging his wife — was the most retweeted ever, but the U.S. election was topped by the Olympics as the most tweeted event this year.

Obama’s tweet was retweeted (repeated) more than 810,000 times, Twitter said as it published a list of the most tweeted events in 2012. (http://2012.twitter.com/)

“Within hours, that Tweet simultaneously became the most retweeted of 2012, and the most retweeted ever. In fact, retweets of that simple message came from people in more than 200 countries around the world,” Twitter spokeswoman Rachael Horwitz said.

Twitter users were busiest during the final vote count for the presidential elections, sending 327,452 tweets per minute on election night on their way to a tally of 31 million election tweets for the day.

The 2012 Olympic Games in London had the most overall tweets of any event, with 150 million sent over the 16 days.

Usain Bolt’s golden win in the 200 meters topped 80,000 tweets per minute but he did not achieve the highest Olympic peak on Twitter. That was seen during the closing ceremony when 115,000 tweets per minute were sent as 1990s British pop band the Spice Girls performed.

Syria, where a bloody civil war still plays out, was the most talked about country in 2012 but sports and pop culture dominated the tally of tweets.

Behind Obama was pop star Justin Bieber. His tweet, “RIP Avalanna. i love you” sent when a six-year-old fan died from a rare form of brain cancer, was retweeted more than 220,000 times.

Third most repeated in 2012 was a profanity-laced tweet from Green Bay Packers NFL player TJ Lang, when he blasted a controversial call by a substitute referee officiating during a referee dispute. That was retweeted 98,000 times.

This was the third year running that the microblogging site published its top Twitter trends, offering a barometer to assess the biggest events in social media.

Superstorm Sandy, which slammed the densely populated U.S. East Coast in late October, killing more than 100 people, flooding wide areas and knocking out power for millions, attracted more than 20 million tweets between October 27 and November 1.

European football made the list of top tweets when Spain’s Juan Mata scored as his side downed Italy 4-0 in the Euro 2012 final — sparking 267,200 tweets a minute.

News of pop star Whitney Houston‘s death in February generated more than 10 million tweets, peaking at 73,662 per minute.

Romantic comedy “Think Like a Man” was the most tweeted movie this year, topping “The Hunger Games”, “The Avengers” and “The Dark Knight Rises.”

Rapper Rick Ross who notched his fourth No. 1 album on the Billboard 200 chart this year, was the most talked about music artist.

(Editing by Rodney Joyce)

Internet News Headlines – Yahoo! News

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A Chance to Win an ACA Gift Bag

Fresh off the heels of Monday night's American Country Awards, ET is giving you the chance to win an official gift bag from the award show.

CLICK HERE TO ENTER the American Country Awards Sweepstakes.

Bottero boots, a HaperCollins Publishers book and a Crabtree & Evelyn candle are just some of the contents to be found in the gift bag. Other products include items by Ballasox, CC Corso Come, Coulee Creek Designs, Dooney & Bourke Inc., GameMill Entertainment, Jeri Designs, McFadin, RU University/Resistol Ranch/Rancho Estancia, Teva, Alex Detail's Revolution written by Darren Campo, BootRugs, JT SplatMaster, Qdoba, SoCoolKids, Southern Audio Services, Inc, The Dahl House, The Good Home Company, Wood Snap and Zen Belly.

CLICK HERE FOR THE OFFICIAL RULES of the American Country Awards Sweepstakes.

NO PURCHASE NECESSARY. Open to U.S. residents 18 and older. Entries must be received by December 12, 2012 at 11:59 p.m. PST to be eligible.

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Father of former firefighter accused of beating transsexual lover describes son's motherless upbringing

He wants his mother.

There were more waterworks in the War of the Hoses assault trial today -- as beefy FDNY calendar boy Taylor Murphy called his own dad to the stand to talk about his motherless upbringing, and the anguished pair cried enough tears in open court to put out a small kitchen fire.

"I had custody [over Taylor and his two older brothers] from practically the time he was born," retired FDNY deputy chief Thomas Murphy, 65, told jurors in poignant testimony in the bizarre case, in which the son is accused of punching, biting and choking his glamorous pre-op transsexual lover.

"His mother gave birth to him -- he was a total blessing," the dad testified. The gray-haired, veteran smoke-eater's voice broke with emotion, and the son, facing him from his seat at the defense table, rubbed tears from his eyes.

"But she needed to -- she was an unfulfilled person," the dad continued awkwardly. "But I had custody. But it was difficult for him. . . For the first two years, I know it sounds incredible, but emotionally he didn't get hardly any nurturing,"

At that point, both the father and son broke into helpless-sounding sobs. Manhattan Supreme Court Justice A. Kirke Bartley called a recess to let the dad compose himself.

Back on the stand 15 minutes later, the dad picked up where he'd left off -- tearfully baring family secrets to help his son, a young man described to jurors by his own lawyer as a tortured, alcohol-abusing bisexual, attracted only to men who live as women.

"I don't seem to be what he needs," the dad told jurors, his face grief-wrenched. "There's a hole that's there and I don't fill it. What's he's always looking for, in my opinion, is the love of his mother."

The dad was barred by Bartley, for reasons of heresay, from giving the testimony he'd primarily been called to the stand for -- testimony detailing two phone calls he received from the alleged victim on the August, 2011 night of the alleged assault.

Charriez had kept hold of Taylor Murphy's phone that night, and was dialing her way through his phone contacts, jurors have been told.

In the first call, a furious Charriez told the dad that his son had attacked her during a love-spat in the Hotel Metro in Midtown.

"She needed to be soothed, and I soothed her," the dad explained, during a brief hearing outside the jury's presence. "I said to her, 'All I know, Claudia, is that Taylor says he loves you. And when I said that, she said 'What!' like that… I really think the phone call ended there."

Charriez called back a half hour later. "She expressed in words that she hoped that the police would dismiss the charges," the dad said.

"These were her exact words; I'll never forget it: 'I am a very jealous girl. My girlfriends are calling me and telling me that Taylor is having sex with them, and then she said he texts them in front of me. That's what she said."

Summations began this afternoon, with defense lawyer Jason Berland telling jurors that Charriez's own three days of testimony showed her to be a jealous, lying publicity-seeker. "For most of her testimony, Ms. Charriez was putting on a show," he told jurors.

Murphy is charged with felony strangulation and felony violation of an order of protection barring him from contacting Charriez.

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Armani Jeans opens in Miami Beach

The first Armani Jeans store in the U.S. opened last week on Lincoln Road.

Launched in 1981, the Armani Jeans brand features not just jeans, but a range of casual clothing, accessories, shoes, and small leather goods for men and women. Prices start at around $125 and go up to $650 for limited-edition products.

The 2,100-square-foot store is located at 741 Lincoln Road. The company has 33 Armani Jeans stores in London, China, and Japan. But until now in the U.S., the Armani Jeans brand has typically been sold at select Emporio Armani stores.

Elaine Walker

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Keeping your identity safe during the holidays

I have received many emails regarding identity theft, particularly during this time of the year.

I have turned to our FBI partners for information. Special Agent Darin M. Didier, a six-year veteran of the FBI who investigates identity theft for the FBI’s Miami Division, wrote this column.

Have you ever found unauthorized purchases on your credit card or tried to file a tax return only to find out someone else already filed a return in your name?

If you answered yes, you’re not alone – thousands of South Floridians have become victims of identity theft in recent years by these and other common schemes. Approximately 10 million Americans fall victim to identity theft each year at a cost of roughly $5 billion. The FBI, along with numerous other agencies, investigates many different types of identity theft scams that victimize individuals every day.

Simply put, identity theft is the use of someone’s personal information without their permission. Identity theft can be used to obtain new lines of credit, exploit existing credit cards or bank accounts, obtain a mortgage, file a fraudulent tax return or even to get a job.

What used to be a crime committed by criminals grabbing credit card offers from mailboxes has become a global issue that can be perpetrated by individuals thousands of miles away. With advanced technology, criminals exploit the internet as a means to quickly and anonymously find unsecure personal information. While a daunting problem, proper vigilance can help to safeguard your identity. You can help keep your identity safe by following these tips:

Check your credit report for free at least yearly – then follow-up with the credit bureau if you notice anything unusual.

Contact your credit card companies to close out your accounts that you no longer use – just because you paid off the balance does not mean the account was closed.

Regularly review your bank account and credit card statements to ensure no suspicious charges appear.

Never respond to unsolicited text messages, e-mails or phone calls asking for your personal information. If you have any doubt, use the contact number on your account statement to check on your account.

Ensure the websites you use have a secure connection, which is denoted by “https:” at the beginning of the web address and a lock icon displayed in the address bar.

Set up automatic updates for your antivirus and firewall protection.

Use a shredder to destroy all documentation you wouldn’t want others to see.

For more tips to combat identity theft, visit the Federal Trade Commission website at www.ftc.gov. Report all online crime including identity theft at www.ic3.gov. The FBI and its local, state and federal partners take the investigation and prosecution of identity theft seriously. Contact your local FBI offices at (305)944-9101 if you are a victim.

You can also call our office and we will be happy to send you brochures on this topic. We have English and Spanish brochures.

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New leaks suggest Microsoft Office for iOS could launch soon

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