Article: Freight train burning after derailment in N. Dakota

Freight train burning after derailment in N. Dakota
http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2013/12/30/north-dakota-train-derailment/4253543/

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Article: Duck Dynasty Pair Due on Fox News’ NYE Show

Duck Dynasty Pair Due on Fox News' NYE Show
http://entertainment.time.com/2013/12/30/duck-dynasty-pair-due-on-fox-news-nye-show/

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Jose A. Aviles

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Rev. Jackson: Phil Robertson 'More Offensive' Than Rosa Parks Bus Driver

Jesse Jackson has decided to weigh in on the inflammatory comments that Phil Robertson made to GQ about gays and African Americans.

In an interview with Drew Magary, the "Duck Dynasty" star said the Nazis needed Jesus, that he never saw the mistreatment of African Americans while growing up in Louisiana before the civil rights era and that homosexuality was a sin.

A&E has already suspended Robertson, but Reverend Jackson, his Rainbow PUSH Coalition and GLAAD are demanding to meet with network execs, along with Cracker Barrel's CEO, to discuss the future of all "Duck Dynasty" memorabilia or content.

"These statements uttered by Robertson are more offensive than the bus driver in Montgomery, Alabama, more than 59 years ago," Jackson said in a statement obtained by ABC News.

"At least the bus driver, who ordered Rosa Parks to surrender her seat to a white person, was following state law. Robertson's statements were uttered freely and openly without cover of the law, within a context of what he seemed to believe was 'white privilege.'"

The release, dated Dec. 23, requests a meeting within 72 hours with A&E and Cracker Barrel execs and urges the network to uphold Robertson's suspension.

Jackson and GLAAD said they believe it's not right for a personality with such a large platform to benefit from such comments.

On Sunday, Robertson defended his comments about gays and blacks to a small Bible study group in West Monroe, La.

"I will not give or back off from my path," he reportedly said Sunday.

Robertson added that his GQ comments were quotes from the Bible. "I didn't think much of it at all, but it seems a lot of other people did," he said.

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Dying man says goodbye to his dog

Last week, Mike Petrosino, a 21-year-old who was recently diagnosed with terminal cancer, was given a chance to say goodbye to his dog, Rusty, who was brought to Massachusetts General Hospital for a final visit.

Not surprisingly, the heartbreaking photo of the moment — shared by Petrosino's family members — has gone viral since a friend posted it to Reddit.  

“My friend Mike was diagnosed with cancer in the 8th grade," the friend explained on Saturday. "He was given a 3% chance to survive the first year. Two days ago we found out that after 8 years, the amputation of his leg, and four rounds of cancer that there’s now nothing that they can do. This picture was taken by his brother yesterday."

“Rusty was very emotional when Mike said his finale goodbye,” John Petrosino, Mike's brother, told The Blaze. “Every time I come home these past two days, he sits near Mike’s favorite couch and whines, which is rare from him.”

An online fund to help pay Petrosino's medical bills has raised more than $7,600. "I just got back from Mass General and got to say goodbye with a bunch of old friends,” the friend added. “He’s the bravest guy I’ve ever met and all he did the entire day was make sure everyone else was okay.”

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NYPD: Father throws son, himself off building

A father threw his young child off the roof of a 52-story Manhattan apartment building in a murder-suicide on the first day he was allowed to be alone with the boy amid an ugly custody battle with the mother, police officials said Monday.

"There was a history of domestic turmoil," Police Commissioner Raymond Kelly told reporters.

Dmitriy Kanarikov picked up his 3-year-old son at 10 a.m. Sunday at a Manhattan police precinct — a neutral site negotiated in advance by the parents — to spend time with him for the first time "outside of some sort of institutional setting," Kelly said.

"He picked up the son and we all know now tragically he went to a building. ... (and) took the son to the roof," the commissioner said. "All indications are he threw him off and that's when he jumped himself."

A friend of Kanarikov had once lived in the building, located a short distance away from Columbus Circle and Lincoln Center. Investigators recovered a security video showing the father and son entering without being stopped by the doorman, and located Kanarikov's Lexus parked outside.

Officers responding to an emergency call reporting two jumpers from the building on the Upper West Side around noon Sunday found Kanarikov, 35, of Brooklyn, and the boy on the lower rooftops of two separate nearby buildings.

The man was pronounced dead at the scene and his son, Kirill Kanarikov, was pronounced dead at a hospital, police said. A witness said the boy was wearing Christmas pajamas.

The motive behind the tragedy remained murky on Monday. Kelly said there was no note found, and investigators have no evidence Kanarikov ever threatened to harm his son. However, at one point, he had told his wife that "unless she signed over the house to him and some undisclosed property, he was going to take the child," Kelly said.

Kanarikov and his wife married in 2009 and lived in Brooklyn, where their son was born a year later. They separated last year, and the mother and son moved to New Jersey and got an order of protection.

It's the second time this year that a parent and child have been involved in a fatal plunge from a New York apartment building.

In March, a woman clutching her baby son in her arms plunged eight stories out of a Harlem apartment window to her death, but the 10-month-old survived. Authorities found a suicide note in her home.

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Today's Verse

Isaiah 7:14 KJV

"Therefore the Lord himself shall give you a sign; Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel."

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Cracker Barrel We Know How the Wind Blows Phil's Products are Back

Cracker Barrel execs have cracked after just one day ... lifting their ban on Phil Robertson's merchandise ... and it's the ultimate hypocrisy.

A Cracker Barrel rep now says the company had no choice but to cave after "Duck Dynasty" fans blasted them via email, phone and social media. 

Cracker Barrel decided to pull the products because it was so concerned about "equal treatment of all people" and "mutual respect."  In other words, they felt Phil was loathsome.

But so much for principles when the almighty dollar gets in the way.  Cracker Barrel now says, "You told us we made a mistake and you weren't shy about it ... you flat out told us we were wrong." 

And this is precious ... They say, "We apologize for offending you."

So here's the upshot.  On Saturday Cracker Barrel apparently felt Phil had offended gays and that's why they took a stand.  But 24 hours later they realized a bigger problem than offending gays is offending customers who pay for Cracker Barrel stuff.

So now the Cracker Barrel rep took the position the company should have taken in the first place:  "We respect all individuals' rights to express their beliefs."

How do Cracker Barrel execs move from office to office??? ... hard to do when you don't have a spine.

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Ashton Kutcher and Mila Kunis Enjoyed the Iowa-Penn State Wrestling Match

Mila Kunis and Ashton Kutcher took in the Iowa-Penn State wrestling match yesterday and sat near Hawkeyes coaching legend Dan Gable. A completely unscientific study suggests fans were more excited about the guy who doesn’t act.

To be fair, Gable has 16 more national titles and one more gold medal than the power couple combined.
Iowa City is turning into a hotbed of celebrity activity lately, as evidenced by the presence of Mike Golic at a swimming meet earlier this month.
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Prince (Artist formerly known as Prince) - Purple Rain MSG concert 2012

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US sends envoy to violence-plagued South Sudan

The United States and other foreign powers stepped up pressure on South Sudan’s feuding ethnic factions to settle their differences, as Washington dispatched an envoy to the violence-wracked region.

US Secretary of State John Kerry said he was sending a special envoy to encourage talks between opposing factions in the world’s newest country, which has erupted into brutal fighting with a mounting death toll.

“Now is the time for South Sudan’s leaders to rein in armed groups under their control, immediately cease attacks on civilians, and end the chain of retributive violence between different ethnic and political groups,” Kerry said, as he announced plans to dispatch Ambassador Donald Booth, his special envoy for Sudan and South Sudan, to the region.

The announcement came one day after President Barack Obama said in a message to Congress that the United States has deployed 45 troops to protect US personnel and assets in South Sudan.
African ministers also were stepping up pressure on President Salva Kiir to start talks with his former vice president Riek Machar, and met with the president Friday in the capital, Juba.

United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-moon denounced the violence for the second time in as many days, issuing an appeal Friday for renewed efforts to restore peace.
He called for “all parties to exercise restraint, and to cease hostilities”, one day after an attack on a UN base killed at least 11 civilians and two Indian peacekeepers.

Violence erupted after a meeting last week of leaders of the ruling Sudan People’s Liberation Movement (SPLM) failed to ease tensions in the party.

Kiir has accused Machar, whom he fired in July along with his entire cabinet, of staging an attempted coup. The former vice president has denied the charge, but his whereabouts are unknown.
Even as diplomatic initiatives were multiplying in South Sudan, the death toll continued to climb as violence spread between rival ethnic groups.

Six days into the battles between followers of Kiir, an ethnic Dinka, and Machar, a Nuer, at least 500 people have been killed in Juba alone.

Foreign governments meanwhile scrambled to get their nationals out of harm’s way.
Obama said Thursday that the contingent of US troops sent this week “will remain in South Sudan until the security situation becomes such that it is no longer needed”.

“Although equipped for combat, this force was deployed for the purpose of protecting US citizens and property,” he added.

Obama has warned that hopes for South Sudan at its independence from Sudan in July 2011 are now “at risk”.

Britain sent a second military transporter to Juba on Friday to evacuate 93 people from the country.
China National Petroleum Corporation started pulling its workers out of South Sudan’s oil fields and other Chinese firms followed the move, China’s foreign ministry said.

Uganda said it also deployed special forces to get its nationals out of Juba and help secure the city.
The ethnic divide grew with reports from around the country of killings of Dinka and Nuer.
UN officials reported that up to 3,000 armed youths had gathered around a camp where 14,000 people have sought refuge at Bor, the main town in Jonglei state.

France’s UN envoy Gerard Araud said after emergency UN Security Council talks Friday that there was “heavy fighting” in Bor and worries about where the youths might be heading.
Troops loyal to Machar seized Bor on Wednesday.

The UN says more than 35,000 people are sheltering in its compounds across the country, and Juba airport was packed with foreigners scrambling to escape the chaos. Sphere: Related Content

‘Nymphomaniac’ Will Screen Uncut Version at Berlin Film Festival

The Berlin Film Festival will debut the uncut version of the first installment in Lar von Trier’s “Nymphomaniac.”

The grunting and grimacing epic stars Charlotte Gainsbourg, Jamie Bell, Uma Thurman and Shia Labeouf, and is hotly anticipated both because of von Trier’s controversial status and because its scenes of coitus are expected to be envelop-pushing.

The film unfolds with a sex addict (Gainsbourg) recounts her between the sheets past to a charming bachelor who finds her beaten up in an alley. The film will screen out of competition.

“The aesthetic [von Trier] has created in ‘Nymphomaniac’ is impressive and radical,” Berlinale director Dieter Kosslick said in a statement.

The original of “Nymphomaniac” was over five hours long, but has been whittled down in length and will be released in the United States in two parts. A shorter version will open in theaters beginning Dec. 25, 2013, making for a potentially awkward family excursion to the movies.

“Nymphomaniac,” the latest work by Danish director Lars von Trier, is drawing plenty of attention for its provocative trailers and NSFW advance clips. Now the filmmaker has revealed what’s really in the movie.

As you might expect, the film has no shortage of sex scenes. You will see Charlotte Gainsbourg getting spanked in one scene in the movie and in another having sex with Shia LaBeouf, who later will have intercourse with Mia Goth – but only after she has been in bed with Gainsbourg.
Pretty much every major character in the movie has sex at one point or another in the four-hour movie, the latest release from von Trier’s production company Zentropa.

“Provocation has been part of Zentropa’s strategy since its very beginning. Lars von Trier stands for artistic movies which should be anti-bourgeois and if he makes a sex-film, that would be even more titillating. Hence all the media attention,” said Anne Mette Lundtofte, author of a book about Zentropa.

In advance of its release,“Nymphomaniac” has been called “film porn,” a “sex-epic,” and a “porn-drama.”

But after seeing “Nymphomaniac” at one of its very first previews in Copenhagen, it’s clear that although sex is a major part of the movie, it’s not whole story.

In a classical porn movie the sole reason for a plot is to give the viewer a slight pause between sex scenes.

“Nymphomaniac” does have a real plot–it’s about a woman’s sexual journal. In the beginning Joe (in her young years played by Stacy Martin and by Gainsbourg when older)  together with her friend B. (Sophie Kennedy Clark) wanders around in a train and chases the men sitting in the compartments. The two girls have a competition: the one that gets the most men during the trip wins a bag with chocolate sweets.

In general, apart from scenes with oral sex, the onscreen activity is not as graphic as in adult fare (In addition, unlike in real porn, body doubles are used). Also, the film often portrays sex as a mechanical, unemotional act. Von Trier seems to want to show that appetite for sex is human, but that it also sometimes makes humans act inhuman.

Like in other movies by the Danish director, such as “Antichrist” or “Dogville,” things get worse and worse towards the end of the film which closes with the kind of ambiguous note you won’t find in porn movies.

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Nikki Haley: Governor and Bad Mother-Shut-Yo-Mouth

On Wednesday, Governor Nikki Haley of South Carolina gave the people of her state reason to think twice about crossing her.
After Haley was presented with an honorary 4th degree black belt by Donna Smith from the state’s largest tae kwon do tournament, she broke a board with an open-handed punch. She even posted about it on her Facebook page.

Recently, Haley’s husband, Capt. Michael Haley, returned home from Afghanistan.
“Seeing him, I felt like I took my first breath in a year,” Haley said. “I think we will just appreciate this Christmas more because you truly do understand your blessings. When you know you could lose a loved one and to think of that every day, it reminds you truly to be thankful for what you have, and it really helps you understand that a lot of the small things don’t matter.”
Wednesday was the first time Capt. Haley spoke of his service in the Helmand provice of Afghanistan. While his unit was deployed, there were tense moments like when an explosive device hit his convey not once, but twice. Luckily, no one on his agricultural support team were injured.
Wednesday also brought about criticism of the Palmetto State’s governor. The 2013 report card from the state’s democratic leader gave Haley D’s and F’s on 11 matters, according to Carolina Live.

Jamie Harrison, chairman for the South Carolina Democratic Party, says that his state continues to fall further behind in education, economic mobility and safety for women.
“We need a governor for all the people of South Carolina, not just one segment of the population, but all of the people of South Carolina. These things are just systematic of the larger issue that we don’t have real leadership in this state,” said Harrison.
Good thing Harrison isn’t made of wood.
Governor Haley had previously declared the last Saturday of September as Tae Kwon Do Day in South Carolina. Her new black belt is emblazoned with her name in both English and Korean.
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Miley Just Released the Album Art for "Adore You" and You're Going to Be Shocked when You See It

Last week, Miley Cyrus announced that "Adore You" will be the third single off her sizzling hot Bangerz album. And while the song's official radio debut is still a few weeks away, she's already hinted at what the music video might look like-last night our Queen of Surprises Instagrammed the album art, and there's not a house party nor a construction tool nor a crop top in sight. This time, the boundary-pushing megastar is letting us see her softer side. See for yourself below!

Just like the love-laden track, it's totally sweet and romantic, but has a hint of melancholy, too. Swapping her signature bright red lip for a demure pastel hue, Miley poses with a bouquet of pink roses-AKA, the international symbol of "be mine." But instead of fresh, pristine blooms, the petals have already started to wilt and turn brown. The image has a faded effect, giving it a vintage kind of vibe. And it's not emblazoned with any eye-catching graphics, either-the name of the song is simply spelled out in tiny white letters. Sure, it's a much more minimalist approach than we'd expect from the statement-making singer, but it sure is worth a thousand words. And if there's one thing Miley's great at, it's keeping us guessing. 

The track itself is already a fan favorite (and top 10 song on iTunes), but it'll reach a whole new level of popularity once it officially takes over the radio on January 6. And while it's easy to speculate that the endearing slow jam will have an equally sentimental video to match, we're definitely not holding our breath-you just never know with this girl!


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'Duck Dynasty' Star Phil Robertson Also Under Fire for African-American Statements

Phil Robertson's anti-gay comments aren't the only part of his interview with GQ causing controversy.

The 67-year-old "Duck Dynasty" star was suspended by A&E Wednesday for calling homosexuality sinful — and putting gay people in same category as terrorists. While those quotes quickly went viral, it wasn't his only brow-raising statement in the interview; he also implied that African Americans were happier living under Jim Crow laws.

"I never, with my eyes, saw the mistreatment of any black person. Not once," the reality star said of growing up in pre-Civil-Rights-era Louisiana. "Where we lived was all farmers. The blacks worked for the farmers. I hoed cotton with them. I'm with the blacks, because we're white trash. We're going across the field ... They're singing and happy. I never heard one of them, one black person, say, 'I tell you what: These doggone white people' — not a word!"

Robertson continued, "Pre-entitlement, pre-welfare, you say: Were they happy? They were godly; they were happy; no one was singing the blues."

Needless to say, that hasn't gone over well either. A spokesperson for the NAACP shared a copy of the letter that they, along with the Human Rights Campaign, sent to "Duck Dynasty" network A&E. In addition to asking for the network to "denounce and repudiate Robertson's comments," they demanded that Robertson "apologizes for his vitriolic comments."

"We want to be clear why Phil Robertson's remarks are not just dangerous but also inaccurate," the letter stated, in part. "Mr. Robertson claims that, from what he saw, African Americans were happier under Jim Crow. What he didn't see were lynching and beatings of black men and women for attempting to vote or simply walking down the street."

Noting that the remarks "go beyond being outlandishly inaccurate and offensive" and are actually "dangerous and revisionist, appealing to those in our society who wish to repeat patterns of discrimination," the letter said Robertson's "words show an unbridled lack of respect for African Americans and LGBT people, and the ongoing challenges members of our communities continue to experience on a daily basis."

"Surely a brand like A&E does not want to be associated with such racist and homophobic remarks," it concluded.

Robertson’s remarks about African Americans could ultimately be more damaging in the longterm than what he said about homosexuals, according to one expert.

"Racial comments are often career killers — as are scandals involving children and animals," David E. Johnson, who is the CEO of public relations and branding agency Strategic Vision, tells Yahoo TV. "Yet, looking at the demographics who are attracted to 'Duck Dynasty,' we see an older, more conservative, and evangelical audience. These people will take the comments with a grain of salt. This is because Phil Robertson and the 'Duck Dynasty' brand is one that is viewed as politically incorrect and says what is on their mind. So, in that light, the comments are unlikely to do damage — unless African Americans begin emerging and demonstrating he has discriminated against [them]."

However, "Barring that, overall, his comments and the controversy has in all likelihood strengthened the brand," adds Johnson.

On Wednesday night, the cable network did denounce the "Duck Dynasty" patriarch. In addition to suspending him indefinitely from filming, they said in a statement, "We are extremely disappointed to have read Phil Robertson’s comments in GQ, which are based on his own personal beliefs and are not reflected in the series 'Duck Dynasty.' His personal views in no way reflect those of A+E Networks, who have always been strong supporters and champions of the LGBT community. The network has placed Phil under hiatus from filming indefinitely."

Earlier in the day, Robertson clarified his words — though he didn't come close to apologizing.

"I myself am a product of the '60s; I centered my life around sex, drugs and rock 'n' roll until I hit rock bottom and accepted Jesus as my Savior," the TV star said in a statement. "My mission today is to go forth and tell people about why I follow Christ and also what the Bible teaches, and part of that teaching is that women and men are meant to be together. However, I would never treat anyone with disrespect just because they are different from me. We are all created by the Almighty and like Him, I love all of humanity. We would all be better off if we loved God and loved each other."

Not everyone is offended by Robertson's statements. A petition called IStandWithPhil.com was launched by a group called Faith Driven Consumer and calls for A&E to reinstate Robertson — and apologize to the "Duck Dynasty" watchers who share the TV's star's beliefs.

"Mr. Robertson’s comments in GQ magazine are simply reflective of a Biblical view of sexuality, marriage, and family — a view that has stood the test of time for thousands of years and continues to be held by the majority of Americans and today’s world as a whole," it says on the site. "While the LGBT community may be offended by his opposing viewpoint, your rash, discriminatory, and unfair treatment toward Mr. Robertson — a recognized symbol of the faith community — is a slap in the face to Faith Driven Consumers and everyday Americans alike."

Needless to say, this controversy won't be dying down anytime soon.

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Phil from 'Duck Dynasty' Rips Homosexuals ... Man Ass Can't Compare to Vagina

"Duck Dynasty" patriarch Phil Robertson is blasting gays ... and not in the usual Bible-thumping way -- instead he's going off about the benefits of vagina as compared to a man's a**hole.

Robertson went on a rant about religion, homosexuality, and a bunch of other things in an interview with GQ -- saying, "It seems like to me, a vagina -- as a man -- would be more desirable than a man's anus. That's just me."

He adds, "There's more there! She's got more to offer. I mean, come on dudes! But hey, sin: It's not logical, my man."

Phil continued his verbal attack by claiming society's become too accepting of sin. He says, "Start with homosexual behavior and just morph out from there. Bestiality, sleeping around with this woman and that woman and those men ... they won't inherit the kingdom of God. It's not right."

As for whether his comments will affect "Duck Dynasty" ratings -- Phil doesn't seem concerned about the show's long term future, saying ... "It's a TV show. This thing ain't gonna last forever. No way."

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Netflix's New Deal For 'Breaking Bad' Spin-Off 'Better Call Saul' Could Be A Game Changer

After spending a year releasing original series, breaking entire distribution models and playing a game of moneyball with cancelled shows, the folks over at the internet’s most talked about new-media platform are at it again. Following the success the platform saw with recently concluded AMC series Breaking Bad, Netflix has struck a deal with Sony Pictures Television to bring the upcoming prequel/spin-off series Better Call Saul’s first season to the subscription based service the day after the conclusion of its freshman season. While other platforms such as iTunes and Amazon have offered services that allowed for next day episodes during the run of television seasons (including Breaking Bad), the move threatens to make Netflix the main-platform for casual viewers.
If audiences will be able to watch the first-season of Better Call Saul immediately following the season one finale through their standard $8 a month fee with Netflix, will they bother spending $20-$30 for a season pass through iTunes and Amazon? It’ll be interesting to find out come 2014. But there’s another, far more interesting fact to the deal that needs to be addressed, that of Better Call Saul’s international airing rights.
The international market has become a major player in television, as we learned with the Doctor Who 50th Anniversary Special.  According to the new deal, Netflix will be the exclusive home of Better Call Saul in Europe and Latin America, and the series will be made available to the overseas territories shortly after it begins airing in the United States. As television becomes more and more worldwide (HBO, for example, has begun releasing episodes of fantasy series Game of Thrones at the same time across all US and international territories through HBO Go) networks, like movie studios, are beginning to realize media isn’t just about the U.S. anymore.
While this isn’t the first time Netflix has tried closing the gap between first run and home release (the service attempted to release episodes of ABC Family series Greek the day after they would air on the network), it could end up being the most important. Thanks to the success of Breaking Bad, Netflix knows just what kind of audience they can expect for the series, and with that knowledge, one can only assume this is a smart play for a service that’s continuing to disrupt everything about a business that just wants things to stay the same. Sphere: Related Content

Mall at Short Hills victim defending wife from carjackers when shot: source

The victim, Dustin Friedland, 30, wasn't protecting his luxury SUV, says a source close to the investigation — but his beloved wife Jamie, already in the car. One thug had come close to her and ordered her out, but 'she got a look at him,' says the source.

The Hoboken lawyer killed by carjackers at an upscale New Jersey mall gave up his life — to protect his wife.
Dustin Friedland had just let his beloved Jamie into their luxury SUV and was walking around to the driver’s side when he was ambushed by two crooks who demanded the keys, a source close to the investigation told The Daily News.
“He knew his wife was in there and he refused,” the source said Monday.

Instead, the brave lawyer resisted and in the struggle four shots were fired, one of which mortally wounded Friedland, police said.
“Then one of them comes to her door and says, ‘Get out of the car’,” the source said. “She got a look at him.”
Friedland died later Sunday night with his heartbroken wife by his side.

His 2012 Range Rover, which is worth at least $70,000, was found Monday in the back of an abandoned Newark house, police said.
Heartbroken relatives described the 30-year-old Friedland as a sensible man who would avoided violence if at all possible.
But Jamie Friedland’s boss at the Manhattan law firm where she works as an attorney said he would have fought like a lion for her.

“Dustin was rational, intelligent and had great judgment,” said Adam Leitman Bailey. “I highly doubt that he fought the attackers to save his car. I do believe he would fight for his wife’s life.”

Bailey said the young couple had been planning to start their own family.

“She would just light up when he would walk in the room,” he said. “She was so happy to be married.”
The Adam Leitman Bailey law firm has offered a $10,000 reward for information leading to the arrest of those responsible.
“What happened is unconscionable,” said Bailey. “Everybody is crying.”

Investigators suspect Friedland was targeted at The Mall at Short Hills by members of a carjacking ring who were after his silver-colored SUV.

The suspects were spotted scoping out potential targets while cruising through the parking lot in a green Subaru shortly before they attacked Friedland around 9 p.m. Sunday, officials said.
"We’re leaving all options open at this time,” said Katherine Carter of the Essex County Prosecutor’s Office, when asked about the reported ring. “We haven't eliminated anything at this juncture.”

In Hoboken, Yiba Diez, a waitress at Zafra restaurant, mourned the handsome young couple that regularly came by for brunch with pals on the weekends.
“He would come in early with his wife,” Diez, 40, said. “They were always happy, very happy together. Especially him, he was very friendly."
Diez said they were stunned when they heard what happened to one of their favorite customers.

“We were like, ‘Oh my God, no way’,” she said. “Very sad.”
Reached in Michigan, Friedland’s uncle said the killers didn’t need to shoot his nephew.

“I hope they catch and kill him,” he said. “I’m not a violent person, but this criminal doesn’t deserve to breathe.”
Friedland's parents live in Toms River, N.J., and their neighbors seconded the grieving uncle.
“Dustin would have given them the car,” one woman, who asked not to be identified, told the Newark Star-Ledger newspaper. “Dustin was sweet, kind, gentle, giving. I just can't believe God took him away so soon. He didn't deserve it."

Both Friedland and his wife were graduates of Syracuse University's law program, Bailey said. The slain man also had an engineering degree from Bucknell University.
Of late, Friedland was working as a project manager at Epic Mechanical, a firm based in Neptune, N.J., that "analyzed construction-related legal claims," according to his LinkedIn profile.
A woman who answered the phone at Epic declined to comment.

Meanwhile, police were asking for the public’s help in identifying the carjackers, who vanished after dumping the SUV.

 

The Range Rover has been impounded and crime investigators were looking for physical evidence that could help identify the culprits.
"We do not know why that car (was targeted), but it obviously was a car with some value," Essex County Prosecutor Carolyn Murray said earlier.
The mall, which includes high-end stores like Bloomingdale’s, Neiman Marcus, Nordstrom and Saks Fifth Avenue, usually closes at 6 p.m. on Sundays. But it was open later for holiday shoppers.

Workers arriving for their shifts said they were frightened.
"I hope the mall will take extra precautions and add security,” said an employee at Stuart Weitzman who declined to provide her name. “I’m not sure what the mall can do but it doesn’t feel so safe — especially after last night.”
The area where Friedland was gunned down continued to be cordoned off by police.
Mall officials declined to comment on the deadly shooting or on what safety measures they have taken in its aftermath. But this is not the first time the shopping mecca has been hit by carjackers:
- In 2009, a 56-year-old woman was carjacked by a knife-wielding Hillside man who forced his way into a car and demanded her dough.
- Back in 2006, a gun-toting crook robbed two women outside of a mall restaurant of their 2004 Jeep Liberty.
- And in 2002, a carjacker made off with a 76-year-old woman’s Cadillac from the parking lot near the Saks Fifth Avenue store.
Last month, the Westfield Garden State Plaza in Paramus, N.J., was terrorized by a troubled pizza deliveryman with a death wish who killed himself with a high-powered rifle before cops closed in.

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Mega Millions jackpot climbs to $586 million

The Mega Millions jackpot inched toward a U.S. lottery record Monday as it soared to $586 million amid a frenzy of ticket purchases, raising the possibility that the prize could pass the once-unthinkable $1 billion mark by Christmas Eve should nobody win before then.

Paula Otto, executive director of the Virginia Lottery and lead director for Mega Millions, said ticket sales are ahead of projections for Tuesday's drawing, increasing the likelihood it could shatter the current record of $656 million, set in a March 2012 Mega Millions drawing.

That was enough for Drew Gentsch to buy one ticket Monday morning. The attorney from Des Moines never plays, but the ballooning jackpot was too good to pass up.

"I think it's ridiculous but you have to dream big," he said. "The odds of winning are so low, there's no real reason to play. But it's fun to do so once in a while."

The large Mega Millions prize is the product of a major game revamp in October that dramatically lowered the odds of winning the jackpot. If a winner isn't selected Tuesday night and it rolls over past the next drawing scheduled Friday night, Otto predicts the jackpot will reach $1 billion — an unheard of amount for Mega Millions or Powerball, the nation's two main lottery games.

"We had predicted last week that if we are still on the same roll on Christmas Eve, we'll definitely be over a billion," she said.

Scott Norris, a mathematician from Southern Methodist University, said he estimates around 700 million more tickets must be sold without producing a winner for the jackpot to reach $1 billion on this run. He puts the odds of that around 6 percent.

Norris emphasized his calculation does not take into account the extra $1 that players can throw in for the Megaplier option, which allows them to increase their non-jackpot prize by up to five times.

John Hagerty, a spokesman for the Virginia Lottery, said officials can't confirm Norris' calculation. He said there's no clear number for sales if the jackpot rolls past Tuesday, so they can't accurately calculate what percentage of the possible combinations will be covered.

The current jackpot, which is the fourth largest in U.S. history and closely trails the $587.5 million and $590.5 million set by Powerball, has had heavy sales over the last several days. Otto noted that the higher the jackpot, the higher the sales. For example, when the jackpot was $99 million on Nov. 5, lottery officials sold just over $20 million worth of tickets. For Friday's then-$425 million jackpot, $168 million worth of tickets were sold.

Otto said it's likely the jackpot will be increased again after lottery officials meet Tuesday morning to discuss sales. Between 65 and 70 percent of the roughly 259 million possible number combinations will be in play when the numbers are drawn, Otto estimated.

"Lotto players are procrastinators. They tend to buy on the day of the draw," she said.

Some players were taken aback by the growing jackpot and the possibility that it could keep getting bigger if it rolls for a 22nd consecutive time.

Natali Justiniano Pahl, 47, bought five tickets Monday morning from a convenience store in downtown. She said the growing jackpot made her excited, albeit somewhat weary.

"It gets the excitement up, but there's a point when it's too much," said Justiniano Pahl, who works in human resources. "$5 million would be good; $550 million would be good. Either one would change your life."

Otto said officials have never had such a huge jackpot around this time of year, and it's unclear how holiday shoppers are driving sales.

"To have that kind of money on the line the week before Christmas, we've never had that happen before," she said, "What fun."

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Bindi Irwin Continues Dad’s Work

Bindi Irwin, daughter of the late Steve Irwin, is very mature for her age of only fifteen, and has vowed to continue her dad’s work as a Wildlife Warrior.
Steve Irwin, known to many as the crocodile hunter, dedicated his whole life to his love of animals, especially reptiles. Sadly, in 2006, Steve suffered a tragic death after he was pierced in the heart by a stingray. Despite his death, Steve’s family has continued to work with the animals and the wildlife park Steve opened that is now called the Australia Zoo.
“I have spent my entire life living in a zoo, which is pretty crazy. Not many kids get to say that,” Irwin told E!News, “and it took me until I was about three years old to realize that we didn’t just come to the zoo every day, that we actually lived here.”
“Every day we’d wake up and come to the zoo and I’d think, ‘We’re coming to the zoo again. This is great!’ Until it hit me that we live here,” Bindi continued. “We literally live right in the middle of the zoo and it means that every day is a new experience and so much fun.”

Bindi went on to talk about what an amazing conservationist her father was, and how she plans on continuing his legacy.

He was the greatest dad on the planet. He was our inspiration, who we looked up to the most and, for us, we wanna carry on his legacy. We wanna make sure that his message of wildlife and conservation continues, because he was the world’s greatest conservationist and so we never want that message to die. With dad, he was the ultimate wildlife warrior and we admired him more than anything. Dad honestly was incredible. We never got nervous about him with animals, but I do remember he gave me a piece of advice that has stuck with me forever. He said, ‘You have to treat animals the way you wish to be treated.’ Which is so true. And I think that applies to all animals.
If you treat animals how you want to be treated, you’re a lot better off. So when he was working with venomous snakes or cheetahs, he just treated them in a way…it was never trying to overpower them or anything like that. He was just loving them. And he was teaching other people about how beautiful they are. Telling people how to respect snakes and respect crocodiles and to love them. And I think if you go about it with that kind of attitude, it’s brilliant.

Bindi hopes that by sharing their story and their love for the cause, that it will make more people want to become “Wildlife Warriors” as well. “We’ve shared what our passion is with certain people and hopefully empowered others to want to make a difference on planet earth,” Bindi said. “And so if we’re able to talk to people and encourage people to become wildlife warriors, then that’s brilliant.”

“You’ve got to think about the difference between normal and common. Because for us, our life is certainly not common,” she continued. “We live in the middle of a zoo. We’ve gotten to travel the world with our family and share our passion and love for wildlife with the world.” Sphere: Related Content