Are gun maker stocks in your portfolio?




















Are there guns in your investment portfolio? It’s an issue that some politicians and gun-control advocates are raising after recent mass shootings prompted calls for tougher laws.

Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel wrote letters to six mutual fund companies asking them to sell their stock in gun manufacturers Smith & Wesson and Sturm, Ruger & Co. It’s a critical concern in Chicago, where more than 500 people were murdered last year.

Fund companies should “send a clear and unambiguous message to the entire gun industry that investors will no longer support companies that profit from gun violence,” Emanuel wrote in his letters last week.





Other city leaders, including those in Los Angeles and Philadelphia, are considering similar steps with their pension funds.

Gun control is the kind of issue that can wake investors up to the fact that money in a fund portfolio or 401(k) affects more than just their retirement security. The financial markets support all kinds of companies, including many that an investor may believe aren’t contributing to the greater good.

But whatever one thinks about gun control, removing such an investment from a portfolio on moral grounds isn’t always a simple matter. There are potential costs from putting your principles before profits.

Recognize that over the last 10 years Smith & Wesson has posted an average annualized return of 17 percent, compared with the 8 percent return of the broader market. Similarly, Sturm Ruger, the largest publicly traded gun company, has returned an annualized 23 percent over that time. The vast majority of gun manufacturers are privately held.

LEGAL HURDLES

There would be other potential costs if fund companies or 401(k) managers were to sell gun maker stocks in response to the recent controversy. These companies have obligations to serve the financial interests of vast numbers of individual fund shareholders and plan participants with varying opinions about guns.

For employers sponsoring 401(k) plans, their hands can be tied unless the plan established a mandate to avoid investing in gun makers, says Kathleen McBride, founder of consulting firm FiduciaryPath.

She advises financial professionals who are fiduciaries, a legal designation requiring them to act in the best financial interests of their clients. That obligation is a chief concern cited by Vanguard, among the six fund companies that Emanuel is pressuring. A Vanguard spokeswoman said mutual funds “are not optimal agents to address social change.”

A spokesman for American Funds, which also received a letter from Emanuel, said: “If social issues may have an effect on the investment potential of a company, we take those issues into account as part of the investment process.”

For example, a stock fund manager might expect that gun laws are likely to become more restrictive. That would cut into industry sales, leading the manager to conclude that stocks of gun makers are bad long-term investments. Such a fund manager could justify selling such stocks as beneficial for shareholders. But the manager wouldn’t be justified in selling simply because of moral objections.

INDEX FUNDS

Making changes only gets more complicated with low-cost index funds, which own all the stocks in a given market index.

If such a fund doesn’t track the index closely, then it ceases to be an index fund — no matter whether some of the stocks may be viewed as morally objectionable by some investors.





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Cashing in on state contracts becomes growth industry




















Even for Tallahassee standards, the scene was notable: lobbyist Brian Ballard dining with a nursing home executive, Gov. Rick Scott and a top aide at a pricey restaurant just blocks from the Capitol.

That Ballard’s clout could command a private dinner with the governor for a client speaks to the influential lobbyist’s fundraising finesse. But equally important, and less celebrated, is Ballard’s talent for helping his clients land lucrative state contracts: $938 million this year alone, according to a Herald/Times analysis of contracts in the $70 billion state budget.

“Is that all?’’ joked Ballard, who said he had never added it up. “A big part of my business is protecting contracts, and outsourcing. Outsourcing saves [the state] money.”





Ballard is not alone. The lobbying offices that line the moss-covered streets of Tallahassee have grown exponentially larger in the last two decades as governors and legislators have steered a greater share of the state’s budget to outside vendors.

No one is keeping track of the total, but Chief Financial Officer Jeff Atwater last year estimated the total contract spend for Florida’s 2011-12 budget cycle at $50.4 billon — 72 percent of the budget. The bulk of it, nearly $42 billion, was for health care contracts and service sector grants that often are never competitively bid.

“We probably privatize, or outsource, more than some of the Northeastern states — and we have a lot more volume,’’ said David Wilkins, a retired business executive who was tapped by the governor to review the state’s byzantine contracting process. He also is secretary of the Department of Children and Families.

Vendors — from giant computer firms and health care HMOs, to purveyors of office supplies, parking spaces and even prison services — each compete for a piece of one of the biggest spending pies in the Southeast: the state of Florida. The infusion of state cash into private and non-profit industries has spawned a cottage industry of lobbyists who help vendors manage the labyrinth of rules and build relationships with executive agency officers and staff so they can steer contracts to their clients.

There are now more people registered to lobby the governor, the Cabinet and their agencies — 4,925 — than there are registered to lobby the 160-member Legislature — 3,235.

Dozens of former legislators and their staff populate that industry, as well as former utility regulators, agency secretaries, division heads and other employees.

The most high-profile newcomer to the executive branch lobbying corps is Dean Cannon, the former speaker of the House from Orlando. Even before he retired from office in November, he had set up a lobbying shop just a block from the Capitol and started signing up clients to lobby the executive branch.

Cannon’s swift lawmaker-to-lobbyist turnaround has spawned a backlash from former colleagues. Senators are proposing that lawmakers leaving office wait two years before they can lobby the executive branch — similar to the aw that applies to former lawmakers who lobby the legislature.

“One minute you can be overseeing a budget and the next you’re lobbying a state agency,’’ said Sen. Jack Latvala, R-St. Petersburg, who is shepherding the Senate ethics bill. “That’s a revolving door and that’s wrong.”





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Double Take Celebrity Lookalikes



Stacy Keibler and Heidi Klum







ETonline has found the lookalikes to the stars and, it turns out, it's
their Hollywood peers. Click the pics and let us know if you think these
celebs bear a resemblance to one another. 








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Child, 8, reportedly killed in LI apartment fire, more than 200 left homeless








HEMPSTEAD — Police say an apartment fire that spread to several buildings has forced 250 people from their homes, killed one and sent 11 to hospitals on Long Island.

Nassau County police say one victim is in critical condition after fire Saturday morning in Hempstead. The rest have injuries that aren't seen as life-threatening.

Police haven't released the identity of the person who died. Newsday says that victim is an 8-year-old boy, and another is a pregnant woman who suffered a heart attack.

Detectives are trying to determine what caused the fire. They don't believe it was set deliberately. It started in a third-floor apartment on Paul Road North around 6:20 a.m.



Some 300 firefighters were called in from 13 departments. It took several hours to extinguish the fire.










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Sign up for Feb. 21 Miami Herald Small Business Forum




















Prepare your best pitch for the Miami Herald’s Small Business Forum, Feb. 21 at the south campus of our sponsor, Florida International University.

In addition to how-to panels and inspirational stories from successful entrepreneurs, our annual small business forum will include interactive opportunities with experts to learn about financing options and polish your personal and business brands.

During our finance panel, audience volunteers will be invited to explain their financing needs to the group. During our box-lunch session, they will be invited to pitch their business or personal brand to our coaches.





Those who prefer just to listen will be treated to a keynote address by Alberto Perlman, co-founder of the global fitness craze Zumba. Panels include success stories from the local entrepreneurs who founded Sedano’s, Jennifer’s Homemade and ReStockIt.com; finance tips from experts in small business loans, venture capital, angel investments and traditional bank loans; and insiders in the burgeoning South Florida tech start-up scene.

Plus, it’s a real bargain. $25 includes the half-day seminar, continental breakfast and a box lunch.

Register here.

Program

8 a.m.

Registration and continental breakfast, provided by Bill Hansen Catering

8:30 a.m. Welcome

Host: David Suarez, president and CEO, Interactive Training Solutions, LLC

•  Jerry Haar, PhD, associate dean & director, FIU Eugenio Pino and Family Global

Entrepreneurship Center

•  Alice Horn, executive director, Network for Teaching Entrepreneurship (NFTE South Florida)

•  Jane Wooldridge, Business editor, The Miami Herald

Miami Herald Business Plan Challenge Overview:

•  Nancy Dahlberg, Business Plan Challenge coordinator, The Miami Herald

8:45 a.m. Session I – Success Stories

Moderator: Jerry Haar, PhD, associate dean & director, FIU Eugenio Pino and Family Global

Entrepreneurship Center

Speakers:

•  Jennifer Behar, founder, Jennifer’s Homemade

•  Matt Kuttler, co-president of ReStockIt.com

•  Javier Herrán, chief marketing officer, Sedano’s Supermarkets

10 a.m. Session II – All about Tech

Moderator: Jane Wooldridge, Business editor, The Miami Herald

Speakers

•  Susan Amat, founder, Launch Pad Tech

•  Nancy Borkowski, executive director, Health Management Programs, Chapman Graduate School of

Business, Florida International University

•  Mark Slaughter, CEO, Cohealo.com

•  Chris Fleck, vice president of mobility solutions at Citrix and a director of the South Florida Tech Alliance

11:15 a.m. Keynote

Speaker: Alberto Perlman, CEO and co-founder of Zumba® Fitness

Introduction: Jane Wooldridge, business editor, The Miami Herald

11:45 a.m. Session III – Show me the money: Financing your small business

An interactive session featuring audience volunteers who will be invited to make a short investment pitch before a panel, including experts in microlending, SBA loans, traditional bank loans, venture capital and angel investing. Audience volunteers should come prepared with a two-minute presentation that includes details about current backing, how much money they are seeking and a brief synosis of ow that money would be used.

Moderator: Melissa Krinzman, founder and managing director, Venture Architects

Panelists:

•  Marjorie Weber, chairman, SCORE of Miami-Dade

•  Cornell Crews, Jr., program director, Partners for Self Employment

•  Darius G. Nevin, co-founder, G3 Capital Partners, a mid-market and early-stage investment company

•  Boris Hirmas Said, chairman of the board, Tres Mares S.A. (Santiago, Chile) and entrepreneur in

residence at the Eugenio Pino and Family Global Entrepreneurship Center

1 p.m. Lunch session - Polish your Pitch, Brighten Your Personal Brand

An interactive session featuring audience volunteers who will be invited to make short pitches about their businesses and themselves. Audience volunteers should come prepared with a two-minute presentation.

Coaches: Melissa Krinzman of Venture Architects and Michelle Villalobos of Mivista Consulting

advise audience volunteers on how to best pitch themselves and their products.

Box lunch provided by Bill Hansen Catering

All speakers confirmed unless otherwise noted. Agenda is subject to change without notice .





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Feds indict 11 So. Floridians for stealing IDs, filing taxes for 2,700 dead people




















A South Florida ring accused of plotting to fleece $34 million from the U.S. government by filing phony tax returns in the names of thousands of dead people was indicted this week.

The indictment charged 11 defendants with conspiring to defraud the Internal Revenue Service by stealing the identities of nearly 7,000 people, including more than 2,700 who were dead, to file fraudulent tax returns, according to federal prosecutors.

The case marks the latest federal crackdown on the escalating crime, which costs the U.S. government billions of dollars every year. Earlier this week, the U.S. attorney’s office announced the recent prosecutions of 14 defendants in similar fraud cases.





U.S. Attorney Wifredo Ferrer said the double-barreled crime of ID theft coupled with tax refund scams is the “new Medicare fraud” in South Florida.

According to the latest indictment, the defendants recruited “knowing participants and unknowing victims” to put businesses, bank accounts and electronic filing ID numbers in the perpetrators’ names to carry out their schemes, prosecutors said.

“To avoid having the fraud discovered, the defendants negotiated the fraudulently obtained income tax refund checks at each other’s businesses,” they said in a statement.

Prosecutors are seeking to seize $443,449 from bank accounts, a 2011 Cadillac Escalade EXT Premium Sport, a 2010 Nissan Maxima, a 2011 Infiniti M37, and a 2010 Porsche.

Charged in the indictment were: Henry Dorvil, 35, of Hollywood; Herve Wilmore Jr., 29, of Aventura; Dukens Eleazard, 33, of Pembroke Pines; Marie Eleazard, 32, of Miami; Jesse Lamar Harrell, 26, of Miramar, and Luckner St. Fleur, 32, of Miami.

Also: Ruth “Princess” Cartwright, 30, formerly of Plantation; Miguel Patterson, 35, of Miami; Brandon Johnson, 29, of Miami Gardens; John Similien, 24, of Plantation; and Marc Leroy Saint Juste, 26, of Tamarac.

On Friday, Dorvil, Harrell, Patterson, Johnson and Saint Juste made their initial appearances in federal court in Fort Lauderdale. Cartwright was arrested in Georgia and will make her initial appearance there. Wilmore, both Eleazards, St. Fleur and Similien remain at large.

On Thursday, in a separate case, three defendants were sentenced for filing false income-tax claims with the IRS using the stolen identities of foreign nationals.

Christian Andres Perin, 40, of Miami, was sentenced to more than seven years in prison. Venancio Oscar Pio, 52, of Doral, and Olga Rosana Garcia, 46, of Miami, were sentenced to about six years.

The defendants were also ordered to pay restitution of $1.15 million.





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Jerry Lewis Max Rose Set Visit

Hollywood legend Jerry Lewis explores the dignity of aging, the value of family, and the power of marriage in his new movie Max Rose. The octogenarian star exclusively shares a day on the set of the upcoming film with ET, and also gives our young interviewer Tatiana Toomer a hard time – just for the fun of it.

Pics: 13 Must-See Movies of 2013

Asked to explain his character in the film, he replies, "You want to hear about that? Buy at ticket." Tatiana then tries another approach and asks him to describe the scene they're shooting that day. He jokes, "Today is the day I operate on my own appendix."

The man with a self-proclaimed reputation "that says I'm not easy" was, however, quick to praise his Max Rose director Daniel Noah along with the hard-working crew. He was also happy to talk about his upcoming birthday.

"Eight-seven, baby! I'm going to have a bottle of Dom Perignon and I'm going to pour champagne for my daughter and my wife and me and my puppies," says Jerry about his upcoming March celebration. "Like New Year's, every year we go to bed about 20 minutes to 10. We look at one another and say, 'Well, after 35 years I'm still crazy nuts over you.' And we give one another a kiss and we go to bed."

Max Rose follows the story of an 82-year old jazz pianist and recent widower who revisits key moments in his life when a discovery, made days before his wife's death, causes him to believe his marriage was a lie. Claire Bloom, Kevin Pollak, Kerry Bishé, Mort Sahl, Lee Weaver, Rance Howard, Fred Willard and Dean Stockwell also star.

"It's got action, animation, truth, sensitivity, honesty, a wonderful cast of wonderful actors and a crew that's the best you ever saw in your life," says Jerry. "They are so nice and so good that I work my heart out so that I don't come up empty, because they deserve more."

Video: Meryl Streep 'Hope Springs' Bloopers

Prompted to reflect on his legacy, Jerry quipped, "My legacy? I don't believe in legacies. I believe that if you want to say something good about me, do it while I can I can hear it."

He then added, "I don't like to have to go back and remember what's gone. I'd rather go forward anticipating what's coming, and I know that this film, if I know anything about the work, we're going to shake up some people, because it has an emotional nub to it."

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Deers of joy: Seemingly dead fawn pulled from icy waters 'licked' back to life by family of deer








It’s like the Enchanted Forest out there.

Suffolk County cops pulled a seemingly-dead fawn out of icy waters in Fire Island today — and a family of deer came up to it and licked it back to health!

Suffolk County police officer with the fawn.Suffolks County police officer feeding fawn popcorn.

Suffolk County PD



Marine Bureau officers Robert Femia and Peter Bogachunas were nearing the Davis Park Marina on their boat about 1:04 p.m. when they noticed a little baby deer’s head among pieces of ice and slush floating on the water about 30 yards from shore.

“They don’t know how long it’s been there, so they maneuver their boat close to the deer, pick it up and throw it into the boat,” said Lt. Raymond Epp, of the Suffolk County Police Marine Bureau, who met the officers on the dock as they tried to rescue the little animal.




The cops quickly covered the brown-eyed deer in several thick blankets but, despite their best efforts, the little guy remained freezing wet and motionless.Suffolk County police officer with the fawn.Suffolks County police officer feeding fawn popcorn.

Suffolk County PD

Suffolk County police officer with the fawn.



Suffolk County police officer with the fawn.Suffolks County police officer feeding fawn popcorn.

Suffolk County PD

Suffolks County police officer feeding fawn popcorn.



“It wasn’t flailing or kicking, it was just sitting there,” Epp said. “We weren’t sure if it was in shock of hypothermia.”

That’s when the Enchanted Forest-like miracle happened: Three deer — an adult and two young babies that appeared to be members of the fawn’s family — came out of the woods and began to lick the little guy.

Slowly, he started to come back to life, first blinking its big brown eyes, then getting up slowly and moving around the dock.

The officers took the fawn over to the station house and fed it warm popcorn, which the little guy took gladly. “We had limited food,” Epp explained.

After a few minutes, the fawn started to get even more alert and ran off with the other deer.

“I couldn’t wait to go home and tell my daughter about it,” said Epp, who has an 11 year old. “It was just such a nice, heartwarming story.”










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Miami startup that turns text to video receives $1 million in seed funding




















Guide, a new technology startup based in Miami, announced Tuesday it has closed a $1 million round of seed funding from investors including the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation, Sapient Corp., MTV founder Bob Pitman, actor and producer Omar Epps, and early Google employee Steve Schimmel. The Knight Foundation is supporting Guide through its new early-stage venture fund, the Knight Enterprise Fund.

Led by CEO and founder Freddie Laker and COO Leslie Bradshaw, Guide’s team of seven is focused on turning online news, social streams and blogs into video for users who may be cooking, exercising, commuting or getting ready in the morning. The free application offers consumers a selection of about 20 “anchors” — including a dog, a robot and an anime character — that will read the article and present the accompanying photos, pull-out information and video clips in its video presentation. Revenue drivers for Guide could include in-app purchases, advertising-based anchors and customizations from publishers, said Laker, a former vice president at SapientNitro.

Laker and his team plan to launch a public beta next month, which they plan to do with a splash at the huge technology conference South by Southwest (SXSW) in Austin, Texas.





Read more about Guide here on the Starting Gate blog. Follow Nancy Dahlberg on Twitter @ndahlberg





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Ramp repairs after dangling-truck wreck to begin next week at I-95, S.R. 84




















Repairs will begin as early as Tuesday on a State Road 84 ramp at Interstate 95 after a fatal accident that left a bakery truck dangling over the edge for hours early Wednesday.

Florida Department of Transportation spokeswoman Barbara Kelleher said repairs were on hold until a hazardous-materials crew could dig up the soil under the spot where the truck was hanging due to diesel fuel and engine fluids that leaked from the truck.

The accident, which killed one person, happened on the westbound ramp to State Road 84 from northbound I-95.





About 10 feet of concrete barrier wall will need to be replaced on the right shoulder. “There will be intermittent closures because they are going to try and work from the outside,” Kelleher said.

Repairs are expected to take no more than a day or two, Kelleher said.





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Lohans hit with court papers over Long Island manse








A process server slapped Lindsay and Dina Lohan with court papers today — part of Chase Bank’s years-long battle to foreclose on their Long Island mansion, sources said.

The server tacked the court papers on the front gate of the troubled Starlet’s childhood house in Merrick — where Dina and Lindsay brawled in October.

Today’s court documents — which a source said names both Lindsay, 26, and her mom, Dina, 50 — were inside an envelope notes that simply: “Important Information Enclosed.”

The delivery man confirmed to The Post that he was a process server and that the papers were related to a “Chase Bank” mortgage issue.





Splash News



Lindsay Lohan arriving at amfAR gala.





Financial woes run in the family.

Hard-partying Dina has racked up over $1 million in debt in the past decade, barely avoiding foreclosure on the $1.3 million house in 2005 and 2012, court documents show.

In October, Lindsay helped her mom pay the loans, plunking down a reported $40,000.

That set off an October brawl between Lindsay and her mother — which took place in the driveway at the house — there the starlet demanded Dina pay back the huge loan.

“I was like, ‘Give me my money back! Give me my 40 grand back, that I just gave you!’” the actress said, recounting the fight to her father, Michael, in a phone conversation he recorded.

“You gave Mom $40,000?” Michael asked.

“Because she needs to keep her house,” Lindsay responded.

Lohan owes more than $200,000 in back-taxes — which Charlie Sheen reportedly help her pay in November 2012.

“Thank you Charlie Sheen for having Lindsays back!” Dina tweeted today.

But in December, the IRS froze Lindsay’s accounts.

In 2005, Dina Lohan took out a loan totaling more than $700,000 and now holds a $422,723 mortgage on the property, records show.

In 2008, she was forced to pay off a $301,715 lien for money borrowed from another lender, records show.










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Lauderhill seniors are the model of elegance




















Gert Packman has never looked her age.

During the Great Depression, movie theaters wouldn’t let her in to see some films, because she didn’t look 16. (She was older).

After retiring and moving to Florida, she got skeptical looks when she asked for the senior citizen discount. (She qualified).





At 96, Packman showed a room full of people Wednesday that you don’t have to be young to be glamorous.

She was joined by six other resident-models, all in their 80s or 90s, in an informal fashion show at Forest Trace, a Lauderhill senior living community. The event also welcomed New York author Ari Seth Cohen, who has written “Advanced Style,” a pictorial book on elegance and aging.

The seven models decked out in fashions furnished by Sondro Boutique, sashayed across a ballroom at Forest Trace for an audience of about 75 people.

There were no shapeless shifts or housecoats here — the women wore slim-cut pencil skirts, sparkly tailored jackets and jewel-toned evening gowns. They strutted proudly, showing off their style and panache.

“It’s uplifting,” Forest Trace executive director Campbell Epes said of the show. “The attitude, the power and the strength — it makes you forget the age. You see her and say, ‘She’s gorgeous.’”

Cohen, 31, has long been fascinated with stylish older women. Growing up in San Diego, he spent long afternoons with his grandmothers, Bluma and Helen, who introduced him to the films and fashions of Old Hollywood beauties like Marlene Dietrich.

Bluma always told Cohen he should move to New York to pursue his creativity, and when she died seven years ago, he did.

On the streets of Manhattan, he found older women who reminded him of his grandmothers.

They dressed in furs and feathers, capes and caftans, with animal prints and bold colors. Cohen began photographing them, and eventually, befriending them.

“It was a way to connect with older people,” he said. “I wanted it to be a celebration of age and a celebration of style.”

When “Advanced Style” hit the shelves last spring, Cohen said he got a lot of different reactions.

Older women told him they were glad to see themselves represented in fashion, an industry that tends to forget about women over a certain age. Likewise, younger women told Cohen they weren’t afraid of growing older after seeing the women he photographed.

“I think it’s important not to give up, and I think it’s important to not feel like you have to give up,” Cohen said. “Style, for me, is a reflection of how vital [the women] are.”

On Wednesday, the senior models were a picture of vitality.

Phyllis Ellsweig, 85, donned a bright orange jacket for the fashion show. She usually opts for a more understated look — her favorite clothing shop is Talbot’s — but she said the colorful jacket from Sondro is something she would wear.

“I like to look nice,” the retired psychologist from Pennsylvania said.

Packman sported a black sequined evening jacket and stretch pants that “only Gertrude could get away with,” the announcer said as the nonagenarian sauntered past, her copper hair perfectly coiffed.

The secret to staying young, she said before the show, is mostly in the genes — but it helps to eat healthy, watch your blood pressure, and above all, maintain a sense of humor.

“I’m a free spirit,” Packman said. “My sense of humor has gotten me through. Without that I think I would fail miserably.”





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Miami startup that turns text to video receives $1 million in seed funding




















Guide, a new technology startup based in Miami, announced Tuesday it has closed a $1 million round of seed funding from investors including the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation, Sapient Corp., MTV founder Bob Pitman, actor and producer Omar Epps, and early Google employee Steve Schimmel. The Knight Foundation is supporting Guide through its new early-stage venture fund, the Knight Enterprise Fund.

Led by CEO and founder Freddie Laker and COO Leslie Bradshaw, Guide’s team of seven is focused on turning online news, social streams and blogs into video for users who may be cooking, exercising, commuting or getting ready in the morning. The free application offers consumers a selection of about 20 “anchors” — including a dog, a robot and an anime character — that will read the article and present the accompanying photos, pull-out information and video clips in its video presentation. Revenue drivers for Guide could include in-app purchases, advertising-based anchors and customizations from publishers, said Laker, a former vice president at SapientNitro.

Laker and his team plan to launch a public beta next month, which they plan to do with a splash at the huge technology conference South by Southwest (SXSW) in Austin, Texas.





Read more about Guide here on the Starting Gate blog. Follow Nancy Dahlberg on Twitter @ndahlberg





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Supermodel Victoria's Secret Angels Share Valentine's Day Tips

Victoria's Secret Angels Lily Aldridge and Candice Swanepoel shared Valentine's Day tips with ET's Brooke Anderson and Rob Marciano via ooVoo's video chat service. Read on to learn how you can make this Valentine's Day a memorable one for your special lady.

PICS: Hollywood's Most Dateable Stars

When asked for advice on how to sweep a woman off her feet, Aldridge replied with a laundry list of trickets: "I'd say flowers, rose petals, chocolates, bags, candles, lingerie ... go crazy!"

Aldridge also named the Victoria's Secret fragrance Temptation as another sexy gift to get your significant other in the mood.

While Aldridge and Swanepoel have made a living out of wearing sexy outfits, their off-time is spent a little more casual.

"For me, it's about comfort," said Swanepoel, describing her attire for lounging around the house. "I'm in my sweats or just cotton underwear."

Click the video for more.

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Inwood man confesses to setting wife's head on fire with blowtorch








First he bought his wife coffee. Then he set her head on fire.

Officials today released the confession of the Inwood man charged in last month's blowtorch revenge attacks on his wife and ex-boss -- admissions eerie in their mix of the mundane and the maniacal.

"I woke up this morning around 6 a.m. with the plan already made," Carlos Diaz, 35, told cops of the morning he doused wife Cathy Zappata in the face with accelerant, than blasted her with a blow torch as she sat in her car in a Pathmark parking lot.

"I went to Dyckman Bakery to buy her coffee," he told cops in the confession, released as Diaz pleaded not guilty through an interpreter to two counts of attempted murder.





Steven Hirsch



Carlos Diaz, 35, hit his estranged wife in the head with the blowtorch, poured a liquid accelerant in her hair and lit her on fire.





"I did that to buy more time so that I could take my kid to school and then there wouldn't be as many people in the mechanic's shop," he said.

Diaz told cops he'd wanted to lure his wife to the 10th Avenue garage, so that he could attack both her and his ex-boss, shop owner Helson Marachena, at the same time.

"She suspected something," though, he told cops of his wife, so he doused her on the spot in his car, he said.

"I sprayed her with starting fluid in her face and everywhere and lit her with a blow torch," Diaz told cops.

Lead prosecutor Scott Leet was asked today by Manhattan Supreme Court Justice Gregory Carro to recount the facts of the case, and the prosecutor told the judge that Zappata suffered second degree burns throughout her neck and face.

"Parts of her hair were singed down to the scalp," Leet told the judge, who set Diaz's next date for April 10.

The ex-boss, Marachena, fared better, the prosecutor told the judge. Diaz admittedly walked to the nearby mechanic's shop and doused Marachena with accelerant too, according to police and Diaz's own confession.

"But the torch wouldn't light," Diaz told cops.










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Report calls Florida business incentives “corporate welfare’’




















A government watchdog group and a conservative advocacy group blasted Florida’s government Tuesday for the hundreds of millions of dollars it gives to corporations, blaming the state’s public-private jobs agency for “pay-to-play” cronyism and “corporate welfare.”

A new report by Integrity Florida and Koch brothers-funded Americans for Prosperity highlights several problems with the state’s economic incentives program, which gives tax breaks to companies that set up shop in Florida.

“We’re concerned about the appearance of pay-to-play,” said Dan Krassner, director of Integrity Florida, outlining a number of tax breaks that have gone to politically connected companies and other deals that have failed.





Enterprise Florida Inc. and Gov. Rick Scott, its chairman, immediately hit back, claiming that the organization has been instrumental in bringing high-paying jobs to the state. Enterprise Florida CEO Gray Swoope slammed the report as tainted because it was funded by Americans for Prosperity.

“Integrity Florida has claimed to be a non-partisan, non-profit organization with no policy agenda,” Swoope wrote. “However, a report on economic incentives for job creation funded by a group that so publicly opposes these incentives is deeply troubling.”

Martin Dyckman, a former St. Petersburg Times associate editor and a board member at Integrity Florida, resigned after finding out that the report was funded by Americans for Prosperity. He also said it was “deeply troubling” that AFP sponsored the report, stating that it created “the perception that a well-researched report is an attack by Americans for Prosperity.”

Integrity Florida brushed aside concerns about the funding of its report, saying all of its funders are publicly listed. On Tuesday, the good-governance group focused on the findings of the report during a news conference.

Among the findings:

• Enterprise Florida has failed to meet its job-creation objectives, with companies creating only 103,544 jobs after receiving tax breaks, far short of the 200,000 envisioned by the Legislature in 1992 when EFI was created.

• Enterprise Florida has failed to get 50 percent funding from the private sector, instead relying on 85 percent taxpayer funding to support the public-private partnership

• Enterprise Florida has “the appearance of pay-to-play,” since it receives an average of $50,000 from some of its corporate board members. Those board members also get private contracts to do work on EFI’s behalf as well as tax-break deals processed by EFI.

Slade O’Brien, Florida director of Americans for Prosperity, said Florida’s practice of doling out economic incentives amounts to government manipulation of the free marketplace.

“What’s wrong here is the policy that’s in place,” he said. “Too often, we create winners and losers.”

Several bills in the Florida House and Senate seek to demand more transparency from Enterprise Florida and the economic incentives program. A bill voted out of committee Thursday morning would make Enterprise Florida submit to a slew of new performance reviews moving forward.

Enterprise Florida responded to what it called “troubling accusations” in the report by sending legislative leaders a lengthy letter about the virtues of its operation.

“Through the legislation that you supported two short years ago, Florida now has a seamless economic development team focused on creating jobs for Florida families, increasing capital investment in our communities and providing a significant return on the investment made by the state’s taxpayers,” reads a letter signed by the company’s board.





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Carpet Countdown: Oscars Luncheon

In today's Carpet Countdown, ET's Nancy O'Dell sits down with the Oscar frontrunners (including Hugh Jackman, Quevenzhane Wallis, Bradley Cooper, Naomi Watts and Jennifer Lawrence) after the Motion Picture Academy's Nominees Luncheon.

PICS: Hot Looks of the Oscar Luncheon



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Car swiped in Bronx -- with baby in back seat









A 2005 Jeep Grand Cherokee left idling outside a cell-phone store in The Bronx was swiped tonight — with an 8-month-old baby in the back seat, cops said.

Police are now frantically scouring the area for the silver Jeep, which has blue fog lights, tinted windows and the Pennsylvania license plate RR84L2.

The child’s dad had hopped out of the car — leaving it running with the mom and his baby daughter still inside — after pulling up to the store at Morris Avenue and East Knightsbridge Road around 6:18 p.m., authorities said.

The mom then got out for just a minute, she told cops — and the thief hopped in.



The crook then sped off. It's unclear if he knew there was a child inside.










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Minority Chamber holding job fair on Tuesday




















The Minority Chamber of Commerce will hold an “Expedited Job Fair” Tuesday, Feb. 5, in Sweetwater.

The event is advertised as having immediate openings to fill, including positions for sales executives, warehouse workers and managers. The free event will be held at the Minority Chamber of Commerce Convention Center at 10720 West Flagler St. in Sweetwater. It begins at 11 a.m. and runs through 3 p.m.








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Member of Miami-Dade marijuana growhouse ring pleads guilty




















An operative in the Santiesteban family’s alleged marijuana growhouse ring pleaded guilty Monday to conspiring to kidnap a rival gang member, admitting he witnessed the man’s murder after the target stole 50 pounds of pot from the Miami-Dade clan.

Juan Felipe Castaneda’s plea agreement signaled a major development in the federal government’s crackdown on one of South Florida’s largest suspected growhouse operations. The ring is accused of running a distribution network stretching to New York.

Castaneda admitted he collaborated with alleged ringleader Derrick Santiesteban, accused shooter Norge Manduley and other members of the syndicate in June 2009, when they kidnapped Fidel Ruz Moreno after carjacking his Chevy van.





While en route to one of the Santiesteban’s grow houses in southwest Miami-Dade, Castaneda said in a court statement that he witnessed Manduley struggle with Ruz in the back of the van and then shoot him with a revolver.

After Ruz’s body was tossed out into the street, Castaneda said he saw Manduley “approach [the] prone body and repeatedly strike [Ruz] about the head with the butt of revolver that Manduley was wielding,” according to a statement filed with the plea agreement in Miami federal court.

Castaneda, a growhouse caretaker who fled the area last June when FBI agents arrested most of the 16 Santiesteban-syndicate members, is the first defendant to plead guilty to the main charge of conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute more than 1,000 marijuana plants. He also pleaded guilty to the kidnapping conspiracy.

In April, he faces a minimum-mandatory sentence of 10 years for the drug charge and up to life in prison for the kidnapping. His cooperation with prosecutors William Athas and Pat Sullivan could help them put pressure on other defendants to cut plea deals, according to the plea agreement.

The Ruz kidnapping and slaying — along with the possibility of a second, unrelated homicide, as well as suspicions that a Miami-Dade police officer was working with the Santiesteban clan — elevated the case beyond a routine pot-trafficking investigation.

At a detention hearing, Athas and Sullivan described Derrick Santiesteban, the lead defendant in the case, as the “mastermind behind the [Ruz] kidnapping.”

Investigators are zeroing in on a Miami-Dade officer who is suspected of playing a role in the family’s alleged drug syndicate. The officer, Roderick Silva, worked patrol in the Hammocks area of West Kendall. He was suspended with pay in June 2009, records show. He is the brother of another of the Santiestebans’ accused growhouse caretakers, David Silva.

Homicide detectives are also trying to determine whether an unsolved April 2006 slaying of a teenager in West Kendall is linked to an alleged Santiesteban growhouse in the area.

After going to visit a girlfriend near Southwest 172nd Terrace and 153rd Place, Angelo Lopera, 17, was attacked and shot multiple times. Investigators believe Lopera may have been killed because he was mistakenly suspected of visiting the neighborhood to steal harvested marijuana plants from the Santiestebans’ house at 17231 SW 153rd Pl., according to sources familiar with the probe.

The Santiesteban indictment was built around a dozen cooperating witnesses, most of whom were involved in the family’s alleged drug organization and have or will be separately charged, court records show.

The case was spearheaded by Miami-Dade police homicide detective Rich Raphael and FBI agent Michael Gualtieiri, working as part of a federal drug task force. Court records show the task force cultivated the witnesses, including two who were present during the Ruz kidnapping and eventually identified Manduley as the shooter.

Last July, Manduley was sentenced to 10 years in state prison after pleading guilty to weapons charges involving a domestic dispute with his ex-girlfriend in 2010. Manduley shot a .357 revolver twice into the air while threatening the ex-girlfriend and three other people.





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Live action: Twitter grabs Super Bowl spotlight






NEW YORK (AP) — Beyonce’s splashy show, a freak power outage, and —oh, yeah— a captivating game of football combined to generate a record 24.1 million posts on Twitter during Sunday night’s Super Bowl.


That’s up from 13.7 million last year — and that doesn’t even include chatter surrounding the ads.






Twitter said in a late Sunday blog post that about half of the more than 50 national TV spots that aired during the game included a “hashtag,” a word or phrase preceded by a number sign that’s used to organize subjects on the short messaging site. During last year’s game, only one in five ads included one. Brands ranging from Oreo to Tide and Budweiser, meanwhile, captured online buzz by linking the blackout to their brands in humorous tweets.


Super Bowl XLVII, like the London Summer Olympics and the U.S. presidential election, was yet another moment in which Twitter became the platform for millions of people to share quick reactions and participate in a massive, public conversation. Though it’s not as popular as Facebook Inc. or its buttoned-up cousin LinkedIn Corp., Twitter’s surging popularity during big events is a testament to its reach and utility. The question is whether these moments can translate into revenue for the 7-year-old company.


The company makes money by charging advertisers to promote individual tweets, accounts or trends designed to spark a conversation. Research firm eMarketer estimates that Twitter will book advertising revenue of $ 545.2 million this year, up 89 percent from 2012. Next year, worldwide ad revenue is expected to hit $ 807.5 million, a 48 percent increase from 2013.


Tweetable events such as the 34-minute Super Bowl power outage are ripe with marketing potential, provided that brands act quickly.


“It’s really clear right now that Twitter has a lock on real-time conversation on the Internet,” says eMarketer analyst Debra Aho Williamson.


To capitalize on this, Twitter has to show advertisers that it pays to promote their tweets — even though fans are likely to spread the catchiest slogans on their own, free of charge.


That’s what happened with a certain cream-filled cookie on Sunday.


It took Oreo’s marketers roughly 10 minutes after the power went out to tweet a picture of an Oreo cookie in the half-dark with the words: “You can still dunk in the dark.” As of Monday afternoon, the image had been shared on Twitter more than 15,000 times. Tide followed suit with the slogan “we can’t get your blackout. But we can get your stains out” with more limited success. The message was re-tweeted about 1,300 times. Calvin Klein, meanwhile, tweeted a video of a shirtless, chiseled male model doing crunches “since the lights are still out…”


Such “real-time marketing” is still in its infancy, but Williamson expects this to change, as more companies develop the ability to respond to events immediately.”


“To do what Oreo did actually takes a lot of pre-planning,” she says.


Laurie Guzzinati, spokeswoman for Oreo owner Mondelez says the power outage was a natural moment to engage consumers. The cookie’s TV ad had a planned social media component asking people to follow Oreo on Twitter and post photos on Instagram. The company had set up a “social media command center” that included people from Oreo’s brand team, the ad agency 360i and other partners whose job was to follow the Super Bowl and interact with fans on Facebook, Twitter and elsewhere.


Mondelez likely spent the going rate of as much as $ 4 million on its Super Bowl television spot. But Guzzinati says the company didn’t pay Twitter anything for the “dunk in the dark” picture. Still, Twitter says advertisers moved quickly following the outage.


Matt McGee, editor-in-chief of the blog Marketing Land, counted 26 Twitter mentions in the 52 national spots that aired during the game. Facebook, meanwhile, got only four shout-outs, while Google Plus walked away with zero (though Google Inc.’s YouTube scored one mention from Hyundai).


“When it comes to second-screen advertising, it’s Twitter’s world now and there’s no close second place,” McGee wrote in a blog post late Sunday night. “Last year, brands split their focus on Twitter and Facebook with eight mentions each. This year, brands recognize that Twitter is where they need to try to attract the online conversation around one of the world’s biggest events.”


David Berkowitz, vice president of emerging media at 360i, which worked on the Oreo campaign, says Twitter has done a good job tying itself into major television events.


“If you look at (Twitter’s) trending topics any day especially during prime time or major events, they’re heavily fueled by television,” he says. “So TV is responsible for Twitter’s growth in general.”


He thinks Twitter has done a better job than other social media sites like Tumblr and Pinterest in proving it’s the place to be when it comes to talking about big events online.


“A large part of it right now is just showing this is where the conversation is happening and building their brand around that,” he says. “Even with other very successful social media sites, no one is better at conversation than Twitter.”


__


AP Retail Writer Mae Anderson contributed to this story.


Social Media News Headlines – Yahoo! News





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Bruce Willis Cracks Up At Vintage 'Die Hard' Intv

Bruce Willis is back for his fifth Die Hard movie as veteran cop John McClane, and the junket for A Good Day to Die Hard proved to be the perfect opportunity to show Bruce some old footage of himself during our on-set interview for 1990's Die Hard 2: Die Harder.

Pics: 13 Must-See Movies for 2013

"This should be on your show, this is terrific," Bruce told ET's Christina McLarty with a laugh. "Holy mackerel."

In the vintage ET interview, we asked Bruce if he would do another one, and he replied, "Another Die Hard? I don't think so. I was trying to get them to kill me in this one. I wanted my character to be killed off in this one, but they wouldn't let me do it. … I don't think so, but who knows? Ask me a couple years from now."

"Well, it's very tongue-in-cheek, but that is totally adorable," said Bruce with a sly grin. "I was very glib in those days."

Video: Bruce Willis Unveils Massive 'Die Hard' Mural

In theaters February 14, A Good Day to Die Hard finds Bruce's John McClane in Russia, fighting alongside his son (Jai Courtney), who turns out to be a CIA operative working to prevent a nuclear-weapons heist.

Asked if he has any special Valentine's Day plans, Bruce jokes, "My wife wants to take me [to the movie]. She's always in charge of Valentine's Day. ... It's a heck of a date movie."

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Hero cop Figoski's blood-stained badge revealed at trial










There was blood on his badge.

Chilling photos of slain Brooklyn cop Peter Figoski’s blood-stained shield and uniform were revealed in the first-degree murder trial of his killer today – bringing tears to the hero cop’s mom as she watched from the courtroom gallery.

Career criminal Lamont Pride, 28, shot Figoski once in the face when the decorated cop and father-of-four responded to a call at the East New York apartment where Pride and four other thugs were robbing a drug dealer.

Pride remained motionless as his deadly handiwork was projected onto courtroom screens.




The crime scene photos showed how Figoski’s blood soaked his bulletproof vest and uniform and spattered his shield after the December 2011 shooting.

While the slain cop’s mother became emotional over the gruesome photos, all four of his daughters stayed away from Brooklyn Supreme Court for the first time since the trial opened last month.

“When I opened the door, I saw the police officer laying on the floor with his legs up in the air,” testified Carlos Feliciano, 52, owner of the building where Figoski was gunned down.

“Was he moving?” asked assistant district attorney Howard Jackson.

“No,” Feliciano answered.

Prosecutors have said that Feliciano’s nephew, Nelson Morales, 28, picked out the drug dealer who rented his uncle’s ratty basement apartment as an easy stick-up target.

Feliciano said he called the cops after the violence downstairs woke him up.

“I heard people yelling, ‘Give it! Give me the money!” said Feliciano.

He added that when cops arrived he pointed them downstairs and told them to be careful.

After the shooting Feliciano’s nephew Morales and another crook even pretended they weren’t robbers and were trying to help the beat-up dealer.

“I asked him what the hell you doing down there? He was the last person in the world I expected to see down there,” Feliciano testified he said when investigators brought his nephew into his apartment.

In other testimony, a NYPD detective said he caught getaway driver Michael Velez by tracking his cell phone to a Bushwick apartment.

Pride has admitted he shot Figoski but claims the gun went off accidentally as he tried to escape. He faces life in prison without parole.

Getaway driver Velez, Pride’s co-defendant, faces second-degree murder charges in the same trial – and could get 25 years to life.

Morales and fellow thug Kevin Santos, 31, will face trial later this year. Another robber, Ariel Tejada, 23, flipped on the other crooks and is expected to testify tomorrow in exchange for an 18-year-sentence.

Pride’s trial is expected to close Wednesday.

jsaul@nypost.com










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Digital Debrief: David Klock getting down to Business




















David R. Klock took the helm of Florida International University’s College of Business as dean, on Oct. 1, after serving in a similar role at the University of Alabama-Birmingham’s School of Business.

A milkman’s son who earned a doctorate in finance, Klock’s career has spanned leadership positions in both academia and business.

Soon after he arrived at FIU, Klock began holding open forums for students, where he has laid out his priorities, including hiring more faculty members.





Eager to learn more about Klock, we sent him these questions, and he emailed his responses:

Q.You have an interesting background for an academician, in that you were chief executive and chairman of CompBenefits Corp. Please tell me about that entrepreneurial experience.

In 1980, while at the University of Central Florida, a former student asked my wife Phyllis and me to get involved in CompBenefits, a dental benefits company. It was barely a year old, with no full-time employees. We started as unpaid consultants. Our friends at the university thought we were crazy, but we saw potential.

By 1986, the company had grown substantially. My involvement as a consultant steadily increased, and in 1991, I resigned my position at UCF and went to work full-time as president of CompBenefits.

Just after I arrived in Atlanta, the chairman of the company told me he was selling the company. I said, “I just gave up my tenured position, and now you’re selling?” His response: “Oh, don’t worry, you and Phyllis will buy it. It’s $25 to $30 million, and you’ll find the money.” I thought he was joking, but sure enough, we did. When the deal was done, Phyllis and I were the only original shareholders left.

From there, the company took off. After several acquisitions, we went public in 1995. In 1998, with the company still thriving, the stock valuation hit a snag. Our original investment bankers came back to us and suggested we take the company private, which we did in 1999. We operated the company for six more years, growing with acquisitions, including Oral Health Services out of Miami and Vision Care Plan in Tampa, a new line of business for us. After five years as a private company, it was time to sell, and Humana emerged as the buyer in 2005. When the deal closed in 2006, we were providing benefits to just under 5 million members in 23 states, with over $350 million in revenue.

Q. You also have experience in the corporate world, serving as a director. Please tell me about that.

In addition to serving on the board of CompBenefits when I was chairman and CEO, I have served on several corporate boards. The first was Province Healthcare, a chain of rural hospitals based in Nashville. While I was dean of the business school at Cal Poly in Pomona, I was invited to be on the board of directors and chair the Special Litigation Committee of Cheesecake Factory. I’m now on the board of Mayer Electric, a $600+ million private company in electrical equipment distribution, based in Birmingham.

Q. Now that you are here, what are your academic goals at FIU’s College of Business?

Before I arrived at FIU, the college went through an intensive strategic planning process, and made a decision to focus on three thematic areas: healthcare, entrepreneurship and international business. Our primary mission is developing, nurturing and supporting world-class faculty dedicated to leading the institution in those themes.





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Giraffe injured at Zoo Miami fleeing amorous advances




















A female giraffe at Zoo Miami took a nasty tumble Sunday afternoon fleeing the unwanted advances of a suitor.

The accident played out within view of patrons watching the animals in the public feeding area.

Zoo officials said Kita, one of six giraffes at the zoo, tried to avoid the unidentified suitor and ran into a rocky area to get away, but fell down. The 29-year-old female was then unable to pick herself back up.





“She got caught up in the rocks and went down in a bad position,” said Ron Magil, Zoo Miami spokesman.

Some patrons thought Kita, who is 7-feet tall and weighs 1,500 pounds, had broken one her thin legs in the fall.

Magil said it took nearly a dozen staff members to lift the giraffe, as concerned patrons watched the rescue.

“We were able to put some straps on her to help her stand,” Magil said. No bones were broke, he said.

Veterinarians will be monitoring Kita, but say they believe she did not suffer a serious injury.

“She should be fine,” he said.

Back in June, Kita made news when she gave birth to a male calf named Titan, the 46th giraffe born at the Zoo Miami.





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BlackBerry Z10 Smartphone Already Going for $1,500 on eBay






The new BlackBerry Z10 smartphone won’t be out for weeks, but you can already get your hands on it via eBay for about $ 1,500.


BlackBerry — the company formerly known as Research In Motion (RIM) — announced the new smartphone at an event earlier this week and handed out samples to guests and members of the press in attendance. It didn’t take long for the Z10, which could potentially turn around the struggling company, to pop up on eBay.






[More from Mashable: BlackBerry’s Secret Weapon: Women]


One page notes “this particular device was given to all attendees of the Jan. 30, 2013 product launch.”


[More from Mashable: Don’t Hold Your Breath for More BlackBerry Tablets]


BlackBerry didn’t tell attendees what they can or can’t do with the device, which comes unlocked, according to the listing, and without a SIM card.


Four units are currently being sold on eBay, with bids starting at $ 800 and rising quickly. The auction for the one going for $ 1,500, which has eight bids so far, will end this afternoon.


Images by Mashable and via eBay, eBay


Click here to view the gallery: BlackBerry Z10 Review


This story originally published on Mashable here.


Gadgets News Headlines – Yahoo! News





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Stars Pick Sides at Hot Super Bowl Parties

ET correspondent and Ravens fan Rocsi Diaz seemed out numbered over the weekend in terms of her football affiliation, which sparked a little friendly competition with Jenny McCarthy.

RELATED: Super Bowl Star Pics

As a 49ers fan, Jenny agreed to a wager: the loser has to buy the other dinner and drinks when they get back to Los Angeles.

"Girls night out," said Jenny. "You go out with my posse if I win and I go out with your posse if you win."

"And you cannot stop until the other person says the night is over!" Rocsi added.

Rocsi and Jenny were able to make things interesting during the day, but it wasn't until night fall when the action really got rolling.

DIRECTV's Super Saturday Night party has earned the title of biggest pre-Super Bowl bash for good reason. Fans (which included big name stars such as Jon Cryer and Peter Facinelli) were ecstatic about Justin Timberlake's return to the stage after a six-year concert hiatus.

VIDEO: Justin Timberlake Performs New Music

"I want to see if he's bringing sexy back," said Peter.

Check out the video to see who your favorite celebs are rooting for to win the big game.

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Deadly deserts









headshot

Ralph Peters









Violence in Allah’s name in northern Africa won’t end in my lifetime — and probably not in yours. The core question is: To what extent can the savagery be contained?

From the Atlantic coastline to the Suez Canal, struggling governments, impoverished populations and frankly backward societies struggle to find paths to modernization and to compete in a ruthless global economy. Religious fanatics for whom progress is a betrayal of faith hope to block development.

Still, if the only conflict was between Islamist terrorists and those who want civilized lives, the situation could be managed over time. But that struggle forms only one level in a layer cake of clashing visions and outright civil wars bedeviling a vast region. Much larger than Europe, the zone of contention encompasses the Maghreb, the countries touching the Mediterranean, and the Sahel, the bitterly poor states stretching down across desert wastes to the African savannah.





AFP/Getty Images



Figthers of the Islamic group Ansar Dine





The Sahel is the front line not only between the world of Islam and Christian-animist cultures in Africa’s heart, but between Arabs and light-skinned tribes in the north, and blacks to the south. No area in the world so explicitly illustrates the late, great Samuel Huntington’s concept of “the clash of civilizations.”

If racial and religious differences were not challenge enough, in the Maghreb the factions and interest groups are still more complicated. We view Egypt as locked in a contest between Islamists and “our guys,” Egyptians seeking new freedoms. But Egypt’s identity struggle is far more complex, involving social liberals, moderate Muslims, stern conservative Muslims (such as the Muslim Brotherhood) and outright fanatics. The military forms another constituency, while the business community defends its selfish interests. Then there are the supporters of the old Mubarak regime, the masses of educated-but-unemployed youth and the bitterly poor peasants.

Atop all that there’s the question of whether the values cherished by Arab societies can adapt to a globalized world.

The path to Egypt’s future will not be smooth — yet Egypt’s chances are better than those of many of its neighbors. Consider a few key countries in the region:

Mali

Viva la France! (Never thought I’d write that in The Post.) Contrary to a lot of media nonsense, the effective French intervention in Mali demonstrates that not every military response to Islamist terror has to become another Afghanistan: The French are welcome.

As extremists invariably do, al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM) and its allies rapidly alienated their fellow Muslims — after hijacking a local uprising. The local version of Islam is far more humane and tolerant than the Wahhabi cult imposed by Islamist fanatics. To the foreign extremists, the Malian love of Sufi mysticism, ancient shrines and their own centuries of religious scholarship are all hateful — as is the Malian genius for music that’s pleased listeners around the world.



Have a comment on this PostOpinion column? Send it in to LETTERS@NYPOST.COM!










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