Prince Charles 'Thrilled' About Kate Middleton's Pregnancy

Prince Charles has given his first reaction to the news that Prince William and Kate Middleton are expecting their first child. 

Speaking to reporters Thursday in London, the Prince of Wales said he is looking forward to the prospect of becoming a grandfather to the royal offspring. "I'm thrilled, it's marvelous. It's a very nice thought of grandfatherhood in my old age, if I may say so, so that's splendid."

Video: Prince William Visits Kate in the Hospital

Prince Charles also spoke about Kate's recent hospitalization while she recovered from acute morning sickness. "I'm very glad my daughter-in-law is getting better -- thank goodness," he said. Kate -- whose formal title is the Duchess of Cambridge -- was discharged from the hospital on Thursday. 

When first approached by reporters, the Prince joked: "How do you know I'm not a radio station?" The remark referred to the incident earlier this week in which DJs from an Australian radio station called the hospital posing as Queen Elizabeth and Prince Charles and were able to obtain information about Kate's condition from a nurse. 

RELATED: Kate Middleton's Hospital Apologizes for Prank

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NJ Transit suffered $400M damage from Sandy

New Jersey Transit – which has faced criticism for storing trains in flood-prone areas during Sandy – suffered $400 million in storm-related damages, including $100 million in rolling stock, the executive director testified today.

The staggering losses include heavily damaged dual-powered locomotive engines – which were brand new – and dozens of multi-level rail cars that need repairs, NJ Transit head James Weinstein said at a US Senate commerce sub-committee hearing on the storm’s impact.

Weinstein, however, defended the agency’s decision to place trains in Hoboken and Kearney, two flood-prone areas that were completely inundated in the storm of the century.

“Based on the information that we had … there was a likelihood in the 80 to 90 percent range that no flooding would happen there,” he said. “And that combined with the history that the Meadowlands [Kearney] … has never flooded in the history of our railroad led us to conclude that that was the appropriate place to put the equipment.”

He said it takes 12 hours to shut down the entire NJ Transit rail system, so they were making decisions well before the storm hit.

In addition, the agency – which is conducting an internal review to its response to the storm – was leery of storing trains in its Pennsylvania facility because that area ended up cut off when last year’s tropical storm Irene damaged the northeast corridor.

“Obviously we’re informed by this storm and we’ll make adjustments in the future,” he said.

US Senator Frank Lautenberg – who chaired the sub-committee – said that it seemed the agency did the best it could.

“It doesn’t sound like there were other choices,” he said.

MTA Chairman Joseph Lhota and Port Authority Executive director Pay Foye also testified.

Foye said that all of the PA’s facilities were impacted by the storm, but that the PATH system took the hardest hit.

The New Jersey-New York subway system is still running limited service.

MTA head Lhota said that the subway is still running fewer trains because of damaged sustained during Sandy.

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Macy’s to open round the clock for last minute shopper

Last minute shoppers will have a marathon opportunity to finish their holiday purchases at Macy’s during any hour of the day or night.

The department store chain announced Thursday that the majority of its stores across the country -- including South Florida -- will be open round the clock for 65 hours straight starting at 7 a.m. Friday, Dec. 21 through midnight, Sunday, Dec. 23. Macy’s will be offering a special holiday One Day Sale for 48 hours running from 7 a.m. Friday until 7 a.m. Sunday.

Macy’s began the tradition of keeping stores open 24 hours in 2006 in New York. Over the years it was offered in a couple dozen locations, but never at any stores in South Florida.

“Our customers love it,” said Melissa Goff, Macy’s southeast spokeswoman. “It’s a planned customer centric opportunity that we’re rolling out nationwide.”

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Get your decorated home into our Holiday Lights showcase

It’s that time of year to decorate your home and tell us how wonderful it looks!

We’re seeking all entries for our annual Holiday Lights showcase. Tell us about your home, your decorations and where you live. Send this information to Lidia at ltzdinkova@gmail.com. by Monday, Dec. 10 or to Joan Chrissos, Holiday Lights, Miami Herald, 1 Herald Plaza, Miami, Fl., 33132. Please include a daytime phone number.

We will feature the homes in Neigbors on Sunday, Dec. 16.

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PlayStation 3 was the world’s No.1 Netflix streaming device this year

There are dozens of devices that can stream Netflix (NFLX), but only one can machine be crowned the king of the living room. According to Netflix, that device is Sony’s (SNE) PlayStation 3 console. Without revealing any specific figures, Netflix announced on its blog “in the U.S. and globally, PS3 is the largest TV-connected platform in terms of Netflix viewing” and that “at times, PS3 even surpassed the PC in hours of Netflix enjoyment to become our No. 1 platform overall.” 

Netflix’s blog is quick to mention why the PS3 is the most popular streaming device this year, applauding it for being the first console to have 1080p HD video and 5.1-channel Dolby Digital Plus surround sound, post-play, second screen controls, subtitles and easy app updates.

While the Xbox 360 is gaining ground in terms of how many hours users spend watching videos on it, streaming video services such as Netflix requires an Xbox LIVE Gold subscription. One reason why the PlayStation 3 might be leading Netflix streaming is because it doesn’t require a subscription fee to have access to the Netflix app, or any other streaming video app such as Amazon (AMZN) Instant Video.

“The PlayStation and Netflix communities both share a strong passion for high quality entertainment,” Sony Computer Entertainment of America CEO and president Jack Tretton said. “Netflix provides a fantastic experience for watching TV shows and movies on PS3, and our joint development will continue to produce innovations for our customers that further demonstrate PS3 as the true home for entertainment in the living room.”

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Gaming News Headlines – Yahoo! News

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Paula Deen Delivers Holiday Hams to Storm Victims

ET caught up with celebrity chef Paula Deen as she traveled to storm-devastated Staten Island this week to deliver food aid and provide recipes to help feed victims of Hurricane Sandy. 

Deen said she'd been trying to get to the area for weeks before finally being able to make her visit on Tuesday. "We've been trying for a month to get here because you could see on TV what horrible, horrible shape all these people were in, especially Staten Island and Atlantic City."

VIDEO: Paula Deen Opens Up About Diabetes & New Diet

The TV chef said she wanted to see in person the devastating damage and pointed out that just two blocks from the location of her visit to Staten Island, 24 lost their lives after drowning in storm waters. "I can't come this far from Savannah and not want to see what the power of this storm did to this part of our country," she said. 

Deen -- who showed up with holiday hams in her partnership with the company Smithfield -- called the volunteers working in the area "angels" and said that sometimes disaster can bring out the best in people. "Tragedy is sometimes a wonderful reminder to us about out sisters and brothers that share this country with us -- the generosity and love and compassion they have in them."

VIDEO: Paula Deen on Battling Her Anxiety Disorder

Watch the video to also hear Deen give a health and diet update and to find out the recipe she brought to the on-site "soup master."

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FDNY safety inspector gets 2 1/2 years for pocketing bribes in day-care scam

A corrupt FDNY safety inspector was sentenced today to 2-1/2 years in the slammer for pocketing $61,000 in bribes to help a ring of crooked day-care center operators run a massive scam on the city.

Carlos Montoya pleaded guilty earlier this year to falsifying records and overlooking violations at centers run by "the Congregation," a group of Russian immigrants who soaked taxpayers for more than $1 million by falsely claiming to care for needy kids.

Defense lawyer Robert Osuna argued in court that Montoya, 54, only kept $5,000 from the bribes he was paid and passed along the rest to an unidentified architect who allegedly assisted him in the scheme.

Chad Rachman/New York Post

Carlos Montoya in January

But Manhattan federal Judge Paul Gardephe said, "whether he kept the money or chose to give it to someone else is not relevant," noting the "long history" of city inspectors who have been convicted of taking bribes.

"It must be understood by city employees with inspection responsibilities, that if they betray the public trust, they will go to jail," Gardephe said.

Montoya, a 20-year FDNY veteran who resigned in disgrace after his guilty plea, admitted making "a bad judgment."

"I apologize to my colleagues in the Fire Department," he said.

"We are a brotherhood, and I brought shame to their office and the city of New York, which I served so faithfully for so many years."

City Department of Investigation Commissioner Rose Gill Hearn noted that Montoya was among six city employees convicted of taking payoffs from "the Congregation."

She said the case -- dubbed "Operation Paycare" -- "delivers the clear message that the city and its law-enforcement partners will uncover corruption and protect the safety of infants and children in city-administered day care.”

Mastermind and ringleader Liudmila Umarov is awaiting sentencing after pleading guilty earlier this year to charges including mail fraud and bribery.

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Innovate MIA puts spotlight on startup community

If you think the next week is all about art, you may be surprised to learn there are also six entrepreneurship events vying for your time.

And that is all by design.

In much the way that Art Basel helped put Miami’s arts community on the international map, organizers of the first Innovate MIA hope their weeklong grouping of events will shine a light on the city’s growing tech startup community and its position as the gateway to Latin America.

Many of the events — ending with Florida International University’s Americas Venture Capital Conference — are after Art Basel. That’s also why the third annual AVCC was moved to Dec. 13-14 from its previous mid-November dates.

“Our message is come for Art Basel, and stay for AVCC,” said Juan Pablo Cappello, a lawyer, entrepreneur and investor who is on the steering committee of the venture capital conference and several other Innovate MIA events. And all week, there will be plenty of opportunities for Miami’s entrepreneurs, creatives and investors to mingle with their counterparts from all over the Americas and beyond.

In addition to the AVCC, there’s Incubate Miami’s DemoDay, where its class of startups present their companies, the martial arts-inspired TekFight and HackDay, which dangles a $50,000 cash prize. Endeavor, the global nonprofit that promotes high-impact entrepreneurship in emerging economies, is bringing its two-day International Selection Panel to Miami, and Wayra, an international accelerator, is holding a one-day event to showcase its promising startups from Latin America and Spain. It’s all part of Innovate MIA week: “I don’t think anything like it has ever been organized here in South Florida,” Cappello said.

The AVCC will be the big draw, with about 300 people expected to attend the two-day event at the JW Marriott Brickell. The conference, themed “Data, Design & Dollars,” will feature thought leaders from all over the world, particularly Latin America, and presentations by 29 selected companies. This year, the format has been overhauled and energized, with lots of short talks and more time for question-and-answer sessions and networking, said Jerry Haar, associate dean of FIU’s College of Business, director of the Pino Global Entrepreneurship Center and AVCC co-chair.

The AVCC’s 36 speakers include Martin Varsavsky, Argentine tech entrepreneur, investor and founder of Viatel, Ya.com, Jazztel and FON; Hernan J. Kazah, co-founder and managing partner at Kaszek Ventures and co-founder of Mercadolibre; and Jason L. Baptiste, CEO and co-founder of Onswipe. There’s also Michael Jackson, former COO of Skype and now a venture capitalist; Albert Santalo, founder and CEO of Miami-based CareCloud; and Bedy Yang of 500 Startups.

Chosen from more than 100 applicants, the 29 presenting companies hailing from all over the Americas will be giving either two-minute or five-minute pitches, fielding questions from a panel of judges and competing for prize packages valued at about $50,000. Eight of the startups are from South Florida: itMD, Kairos, Trapezoid Digital Security, Esenem, LiveNinja, OnTrade, Rokk3r Labs and Zavee.

The presenting companies have “proven innovation, proven management teams and the ability to scale well and be a pan-regional player,” said Faquiry Diaz Cala, president of Tres Mares Group and co-chair of AVCC. “The word is out this is a great place to come and pitch to great investors in addition to potentially being one of the prize winners.”

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State elections officials to investigate voting problems in Miami-Dade, Broward and Palm Beach counties

TALLAHASSEE --
Florida Secretary of State Ken Detzner told a Senate committee Tuesday morning that he plans to dispatch a team of experts to Miami-Dade next week to investigate more fully the “problems” with the recent election, including long lines at the polls and an overwhelming surge of last-minute absentee ballots.

Detzner, who is Gov. Rick Scott’s chief elections officer, said Miami-Dade is one of five Florida counties his staff will make fact-finding visits to, beginning in Tampa next week.

Referring to Miami-Dade Mayor Carlos Gimenez, Detzner said: “The mayor gets it. He knows what the problem is in Dade County and how to solve the problem.”

Testifying before the Senate Ethics and Elections Committee, Detzner said the “problem” could be anything from a lack of early voting sites to a lack of money for office operations. He said his office will spend a week in Broward, Palm Beach, Lee and St. Lucie counties, and that his office will first visit a sixth county, Hillsborough, where Supervisor of Elections Earl Lennard is retiring and where “a couple of issues” need attention.

“He had some lines,” Detzner said. “I want to use him as a benchmark in our first interview process as a good performer, to benchmark some of the other counties.”

The 13-member elections panel is chaired by Sen. Jack Latvala, R-Clearwater, who began the two-hour session by emphasizing the need to reform not only the voting process but the ethics laws, which Senate President Don Gaetz, R-Niceville, has said are too lax in Florida.

“There’s always a few that would bring disgrace to all of us,” Latvala said. “Our job is to make that a little harder to happen in the future.”

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Is the iPad Mini as Good as the iPad?

The iPad Mini‘s screen doesn’t have the same “resolutionary” Retina display as its bigger brother, but don’t worry: the Apple snobs appear to have gotten over that. After spending time with his new baby-tablet, The New York Times‘s Nick Bilton gave in, calling the gadget his new “Desert Island Device.” (It replaced his iPhone, by the way.) The inferior screen had worried Bilton like it had others, but no longer: ”I used it for two weeks and my concerns about the screen’s quality are completely irrelevant.” It’s not that Bilton prefers the “fuzzy” screen, as he called it. But the portability of the lightweight Mini outweighs that for him, making this tablet, in his opinion, really the best tablet Apple has ever made.

RELATED: Prepare for an iPad Mini This Month

Considering all the fawning over the Retina display on the iPad proper, it’s pretty amazing to see reviewers toss that upgrade for something that Steve Jobs forbid the company to create. Bilton’s not the only one to prefer the new cousin, even if it is technically worse. Noted Apple-phile Jonathan Gruber said he hadn’t touched the fourth-generation iPad that Apple released this year as well “I’ve gone small and fuzzy,” he wrote. When the Retina display first came out, Gruber called it “pure joy” for his “dream iPad.” But a funny thing happened on the way out of the hype cycle: Apple put out something the masses were supposed to like more than the techies, and that just made everyone like it even more. Call it a holiday miracle, but the Apple snobs may be snobs no more.

Gadgets News Headlines – Yahoo! News

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