Mary J. Blige joining Sandy benefit concert

NEW YORK (AP) — Mary J. Blige was added to the bill of NBC's Friday telethon benefiting victims of superstorm Sandy, and HBO has agreed to televise it.The telethon is scheduled to air at 8 p.m. Eastern and Western times, with Bruce Springsteen, Jon Bon Jovi, Billy Joel, Sting and others performing to benefit the American Red Cross and its disaster relief efforts.The event, with Matt Lauer as host,...

Read More..

Floods render NYC hospitals powerless

NEW YORK (AP) — There are few places in the U.S. where hospitals have put as much thought and money into disaster planning as New York. And yet two of the city's busiest, most important medical centers failed a fundamental test of readiness during Superstorm Sandy this week: They lost power.Their backup generators failed, or proved inadequate. Nearly 1,000 patients had to be evacuated.The closures...

Read More..

The strategy: Grind it out, get out the vote

WASHINGTON (AP) — For President Barack Obama, winning re-election rests on a workman-like, get-out-the-vote strategy aimed at protecting key territory in the Midwest, ramping up minority turnout and building early voting leads that could protect against a late surge by Republican challenger Mitt Romney.It's a far cry from the lofty rhetoric and gauzy closing argument advertisements that defined Obama's...

Read More..

No pigeons, planes, pingpong balls at China meet

BEIJING (AP) — Don't roll down the taxi windows. Don't buy a remote-controlled plane without a police chief's permission. And don't release your pigeons.Beijing is tightening security as its all-important Communist Party congress approaches, and some of the measures seem downright bizarre. Kitchen knives and pencil sharpeners reportedly have been pulled from store shelves, and there's even a rumor...

Read More..

Microsoft pushes new Windows to developers

SEATTLE (Reuters) - Days after launching Windows 8, Microsoft Corp is mounting a strong campaign to win over the software developers it needs to kick-start its new operating system. A lack of apps is Microsoft's Achilles heel as it attempts to catch Apple Inc and Google Inc in the rush toward mobile computing. Windows 8, the new Surface tablet and a range of Windows-based...

Read More..

NBC to hold Sandy benefit, Bon Jovi urges donation

NEW YORK (AP) — NBC will hold a benefit concert Friday for victims of Hurricane Sandy featuring some artists native to the areas hardest hit.Bruce Springsteen and Jon Bon Jovi, both famously from New Jersey, and Billy Joel, whose own Long Island was hard hit, are scheduled to appear at the concert, hosted by "Today" show co-host Matt Lauer.Other performers include Christina Aguilera, Sting and Jimmy...

Read More..

The Sandy 15? Superstorm comfort-eating on menu

Jamie Sanders went to the grocery store in the aftermath of superstorm Sandy with good intentions. Cucumbers and apples were on her list.But her local supermarket hadn't gotten any new supplies — and with the prospect of working in her Upper East Side apartment for several days ahead, she joined the hordes of East Coast residents holed up in their homes who found comfort in the bottom of a crinkly...

Read More..

Exasperation builds on Day 3 in storm-stricken NYC

NEW YORK (AP) — Frustration — and in some cases fear — mounted in New York City on Thursday, three days after Superstorm Sandy. Traffic backed up for miles at bridges, large crowds waited impatiently for buses into Manhattan, and tempers flared in gas lines.Mayor Michael Bloomberg said the city would send bottled water and ready-to-eat meals into the hardest-hit neighborhoods through the weekend,...

Read More..

Afghans set presidential poll date; Taliban jeer

KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) — Afghans will elect a new president in the spring of 2014 in a ballot considered crucial for their country's stability and security after more than 11 years of war.Afghan politicians and the country's foreign backers hailed Wednesday's announcement as a step toward a peaceful transition of power. The Taliban, who could make or break the poll, denounced it as meaningless and...

Read More..

Facebook shares fall as lock-up period expires

'},"otherParams":{"t_e":1,".intl":"US"},"events":{"fetch":{lv:2,"sp":"1197280665","ps":"LREC,MON","npv":true,"bg":"#FFFFFF","em":escape('{"site-attribute":"_id=\'a73226fd-e7a7-3a3a-9b0f-3757ecea62be\' sensitivity=\'0\' rs=\'lmsid:a0770000002GZ5iAAG\' ctype=\'fn_news;News\' ctopid=\'2299500;1542500;1550000;1577000;1547500;1560000;1092500\' can_suppress_ugc=\'1\' content=\'no_expandable;ajax_cert_expandable;\'...

Read More..