
My husband and I have visited
Killarney in February several times. I love the smell of burning peat (called turf in Ireland) in the air, and though the trees
…
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Added by Pat McDermott on March 5, 2010 at 3:40pm —
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NEW YORK – Shoppers returned to the nation's malls last month, buying a surprising amount of spring clothing and other items and helping stores post the strongest retail sales since November 2007, a month before the recession began.
The better-than-expected 3.7 percent gain reported Thursday showed that Americans are still thrifty, but they are letting go of some of the frugality brought on by the economic downturn. And many are willing to spend for certain higher-end goods.
Consumers "are now s…
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Added by Alissa Gomez on March 4, 2010 at 5:20pm —
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PROVIDENCE, R.I. – A superintendent who fired all the teachers in one of Rhode Island's worst-performing high schools says she's willing to negotiate after their union promised to support reforms.
Central Falls Superintendent Frances Gallo said Wednesday an offer from the teachers gives her hopes differences can be resolved without mass firings.
The Central Falls school board voted last week to fire 93 teachers and staff after the end of the school year.
Teachers' union president Jane Sessums sa…
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Added by Alissa Gomez on March 3, 2010 at 5:01pm —
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MIAMI – A killer whale that dragged a trainer to her death eluded SeaWorld workers who furiously unfurled nets while it swam pool-to-pool during the attack last week, according to witness statements released Monday.
After minutes of frenzied work to save Dawn Brancheau, the whale was finally corralled but still refused to unclench its teeth, according to the investigative reports released by the Orange County Sheriff's Office. Investigators have said before that she died from multiple traumatic…
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Added by Alissa Gomez on March 1, 2010 at 5:34pm —
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PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti – The earthquake in Chile was far stronger than the one that struck Haiti last month — yet the death toll in this Caribbean nation is magnitudes higher.
The reasons are simple.
Chile is wealthier and infinitely better prepared, with strict building codes, robust emergency response and a long history of handling seismic catastrophes. No living Haitian had experienced a quake at home when the Jan. 12 disaster crumbled their poorly constructed buildings.
And Chile was relat…
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Added by Alissa Gomez on March 1, 2010 at 9:38am —
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VANCOUVER, British Columbia -- After watching their heroes in action during the 2010 Winter Games, somewhere out there are the next Shaun White, Apolo Anton Ohno, Shani Davis, Bode Miller and Lindsey Vonn - and the U.S. Olympic Committee wants to find them.
The USOC released a guide to the eight Olympic federations for winter sports: biathlon, bobsled and skeleton, curling, figure skating, hockey, luge, ski and snowboard and speedskating. The guide includes a list of suggestions on how to get s…
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Added by Alissa Gomez on February 28, 2010 at 4:18pm —
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It’s never easy making it all the way through Hollywood Week and then getting the boot after your first performance as one of American Idol’s Top 24, but Season 9’s early exits were pretty accepting and gracious. Janell Wheeler, Ashley Rodriguez, Joe Munoz and Tyler Grady spoke to the press about what-ifs, judges, friends, and giving your fans what they want. – Cynthia Wang
Only One Regret: Janell Wheeler, the 24-year-old from Orlando who demonstrated star power during Hollywood Week with her r…
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Added by Alissa Gomez on February 27, 2010 at 4:37pm —
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Elcie mclaughlin 8 lbs 14 oz 21/4 in at 2::30pm 2-19-10


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Added by John Pascual on February 22, 2010 at 9:51pm —
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WASHINGTON — In a crucial week of high wire politics, Barack Obama is seeking to transform his top priority health care plan, now a liability for his presidency, into a trump card to outwit Republicans.
But ahead of the president's bipartisan health "summit" on Thursday, Republicans also think they may have a winning hand, after building their resurgence on blanket opposition to the plan and Obama's wider agenda.
The White House said it would release details of the plan on its website Monday.…
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Added by Alissa Gomez on February 22, 2010 at 3:15pm —
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WASHINGTON — In a crucial week of high wire politics, Barack Obama is seeking to transform his top priority health care plan, now a liability for his presidency, into a trump card to outwit Republicans.
But ahead of the president's bipartisan health "summit" on Thursday, Republicans also think they may have a winning hand, after building their resurgence on blanket opposition to the plan and Obama's wider agenda.
The White House said it would release details of the plan on its website Monday.…
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Added by Alissa Gomez on February 21, 2010 at 3:11pm —
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Oscar-winning actor Sean Penn was charged Friday with battery and vandalism for allegedly attacking a photographer and breaking his camera outside Brentwood Country Mart in October, officials said.
Penn faces up to 18 months in jail if convicted of the misdemeanor charges of battery and vandalism stemming from the Oct. 2 run-in with a photographer.
The charges were filed by the L.A. city attorney's office. The incident was captured on video and broadcast on TMZ, the celebrity website.
"We are…
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Added by Alissa Gomez on February 19, 2010 at 3:52pm —
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Paramount Pictures looks to have something on its hands this weekend that has become a rare commodity in Hollywood: a hit R-rated drama.
The release of the Martin Scorsese-directed thriller "Shutter Island," which stars Leonardo DiCaprio, was delayed from October to Friday because of financial concerns at Paramount. The postponement, which came after some marketing materials had already released, doesn't seem to have hurt the movie's chances, however.
Pre-release surveys of potential moviegoer…
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Added by Alissa Gomez on February 18, 2010 at 5:04pm —
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Three employees of Tesla Motors Inc. were killed Wednesday morning in the crash of a small plane in East Palo Alto, the electric car maker's chief executive said in a statement.
"We are withholding their identities as we work with the relevant authorities to notify the families," Elon Musk, Tesla's CEO, said in a statement.
The plane crashed into a residential neighborhood shortly before 8 a.m., sparking house fires, downing power lines and damaging several cars, but authorities said no one ot…
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Added by Alissa Gomez on February 17, 2010 at 5:02pm —
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WHISTLER, British Columbia — New medal. Same old Bode.
Or is it?
Depends on whether you listen to what others say or what Bode Miller himself says.
Before heading off to collect his bronze from the men's Olympic downhill Monday, the ever-enigmatic Miller sounded off on so many subjects, the way he so often has.
Never a dull moment with this guy.
He talked about how he "relaxed a bunch of my animosity toward the commercialism of the Olympics from the last time. I can't personally change that…
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Added by Alissa Gomez on February 16, 2010 at 1:42pm —
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LOS ANGELES — Kevin Smith says he's "way fat," but that shouldn't stop him from flying.
The director and actor says a pilot ejected him from a Southwest Airlines flight from Oakland to Burbank, Calif., saying he didn't fit properly in a single seat.
Smith raised a stink about the incident on his Twitter page Sunday, saying "I'm way fat, but I'm not there just yet," and "If you look like me, you may be ejected from Southwest Air."
He posted a picture of himself sitting on the plane with his ch…
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Added by Alissa Gomez on February 15, 2010 at 2:52am —
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The spirit of Alfred Hitchcock is clearly alive and well, and is currently residing in Martin Scorsese’s latest film, Shutter Island, which is competing for the top prize at this year’s Berlin Film Festival. This rain-lashed adaptation of Dennis Lehane’s psych ward thriller employs so many Hitchcockian tropes that it could probably be classified as a fully fledged homage to the master of suspense.
A word of caution though — to enjoy fully the film and its deviously convoluted plot, avoid watchi…
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Added by Alissa Gomez on February 14, 2010 at 5:11pm —
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VANCOUVER, British Columbia — More than 200 masked Olympic protesters splattered red paint and smashed windows of a popular downtown department store Saturday on the first day of competition at the Vancouver Games.
Police say the group marched through the upscale shopping district, vandalizing cars and stores. Witnesses say protesters threw metal newspaper boxes into the display windows of Hudson's Bay Company, where Olympic souvenirs are sold.
Police in riot gear quickly moved in and quashed…
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Added by Alissa Gomez on February 13, 2010 at 3:48pm —
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Ever have one of those days when the Muse just isn't cooperating? When you wonder if you shouldn't just give up on that dream? That's when I dust off some of my favorite quotes for a little inspiration.
Check them out here: http://cynwrites1.wordpress.com/posts/
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Added by Cynthia Owens on February 12, 2010 at 6:37pm —
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"I'm 40 now," Alexander McQueen said in one of his last known interviews. "When I'm dead, hopefully this house will still be going."
A day after his apparent suicide, the fashion world is confronted by a familiar question: Can his company thrive without his inspiration?
Many brands have succeeded: When Gianni Versace was gunned down in Miami Beach, his sister Donatella took over.
But McQueen's work is considered so unique that some are voicing serious doubts.
"It is a very powerful brand, bu…
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Added by Alissa Gomez on February 12, 2010 at 1:47pm —
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George Lopez portrays a florist who is luckier in love than Ashton Kutcher's character in "Valentine's Day," an ensemble comedy with a monster cast.
The sitcom and standup star, otherwise known as G.Lo, plays the man with all the answers amid an assortment of misguided romantics.
Making the movie, directed by Garry Marshall, Lopez had a chance to take revenge on Kutcher for a "Punk'd" stunt five years ago. The comic was tricked into believing his home was going to be demolished. But there was…
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Added by Alissa Gomez on February 11, 2010 at 3:44pm —
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