Gov. Scott's teacher pay raises would cost $480 million

TALLAHASSEE --
Gov. Rick Scott says his proposed across-the-board pay raise for all full-time Florida teachers would cost nearly half a billion dollars next year. That would consume all of a tentative projected budget surplus of $437 million.

Scott said his plan would cost $480 million statewide. He declined to say what the percentage pay hike he’s recommending until he unveils the details at a Wednesday afternoon appearance at Ocoee Middle School near Orlando.

"I’ve traveled the state and I’ve talked to teachers," Scott told reporters. "They’re working tirelessly to make sure our students have achievement. I’m very appreciative of what our teachers do."

Scott said he remains supportive of a merit pay plan tied to student progress on standardized test scores. Merit pay became law two years ago but the state has provided no money for it and teachers are challenging it in court.

The governor’s call for an across-the-board pay increase for teachers will be a recommendation to the state Legislature, which writes the annual state budget.

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Three reasons to root for RIM

I have expressed skepticism that RIM (RIMM) will really be able to pull off an epic comeback and reestablish BlackBerry as a legitimate contender with the iPhone and the barrage of Android smartphones that get released every year. But that doesn’t mean I don’t want it to happen. Quite the contrary, I’m hoping that RIM proves all us nasty skeptics wrong, defies the odds and produces a big hit with the BlackBerry Z10 that’s set to be released over the next couple of months.

[More from BGR: As data gets cheaper for Verizon to transmit, customers are paying more]

So why am I rooting for RIM even if I’m dubious of its prospects for success? Three specific reasons come to mind.

[More from BGR: Success with BlackBerry ‘diehards’ isn’t the key to BlackBerry 10′s future]

First, I think the mobile market will benefit from having a third option besides iOS and Android, and it doesn’t look as though Microsoft (MSFT) is up to the task just yet. Sure, Windows Phone devices have started to make some progress in Europe, but in North America the platform’s market share has remained largely flat despite the large piles of money Microsoft is spending to promote it. This gives RIM an opportunity to elbow itself into the discussion in the United States and Canada as a legitimate contender for consumers who have moved on to iOS or Android but who still miss their BlackBerry phones of old.

Second, I think CEO Thorsten Heins has some interesting and ambitious ideas for where he’d like to take the company in the future. Sure, there are times when I can’t tell whether he really has a plan to boldly remake BlackBerry or is just insane, but when I hear him talk about integrating BlackBerry 10 into cars, I am intrigued. Heins is also easy to root for when you consider how well he’s played the thoroughly lousy hand he was dealt when he took over as RIM CEO last year — the fact that he’s generated significant support from both carriers and app developers at a time when it looked like the company could collapse at any moment has been impressive.

And finally, I’ve come to really love RIM’s crazy fans over the past year, even if they don’t like me all that much. Every time I’ve written a post critical of RIM or BlackBerry, they were there to immediately pounce on me, declare me a hopeless “iSheep” and tell me how stupid I’ll feel when RIM emerges triumphant and stomps all over the iPhone and Android. I’m not sure such dedication to a product is emotionally healthy, but it is something I have to respect and I hope that BlackBerry 10 will, at the very least, make RIM’s loyal and long-suffering fans happy.

So now’s the time, RIM. Next week will be your chance to make me look like a fool for ever doubting the power of BlackBerry 10. And for all the reasons I listed above, I hope you take it.

This article was originally published on BGR.com

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White Collar 2013 Jeff Eastin Interview

The explosive (how cool was that fire thing Neal did with the kiln?!?) White Collar season premiere may have answered one big lingering mystery -- Sam Phelps a.k.a. James Bennett is Neal's father and is not a cop killer -- but set up countless new questions.

In an attempt to gain some season 4.5 clarity, I caught up with EP Jeff Eastin to find out who's coming back, who's leaving for good and what the finale holds for our White Collar crew!

ETonline: Neal ended the premiere by hugging his father. Where does that relationship go from here?

Jeff Eastin: Since season one, we've been working off this idea that Neal doesn't know who he is because he didn't know who his family was. There was a line early on where he said, "If I'm not my father's son, who am I?" Now, he's had the chance to meet his father and it's very much a case of be careful what you wish for. He finds a shadowy reflection of himself in James and that’s hard for him to deal with. This season is about Neal starting to fall back in love with his father.

RELATED - Matt Bomer Designs White Collar-Inspired Clothing Line

ETonline: We've also watched Peter realize that sometimes you have to do bad things to yield good results. Will he continue to struggle with straddling that line this season?

Eastin: That's very much Peter's journey in these episodes. He's been flirting with that, and I can say that this season, Hughes [Peter's F.B.I. boss played by James Rebhorn] is forced out of his job and that makes everyone realize they're dealing with forces that are stronger than anything they've faced in the past. But when Hughes leaves the office, he doesn't leave the show -- he becomes a clandestine mentor for Peter and he factors in heavily to Peter trying very hard to go back to the right and wrong morality he's used to. With Hughes being forced out, Peter realizes the bureau has kind of turned on him. As much as he's told to be careful or he'll turn into Caffrey, it's the realization that to restore law and order, Peter has to basically become Neal -- that's his big arc this season.

ETonline: The fans love when Elizabeth gets in on the caper, and in the exclusive season-long teaser we posted, Elizabeth was seen wielding a gun. Does she continue to get more involved with Peter's job this season?

Eastin: Yeah. There's a couple good episodes for her this season. On the emotional side, she factors heavily into Neal accepting his father and Peter accepting that he needs to do evil to do good. But we've also got a great episode where Peter and Elizabeth get kidnapped together. Elizabeth definitely has a much bigger part in this season than she ever has before.

EXCLUSIVE VIDEO - First Look at Jeff Eastin's New Show, Graceland

ETonline: With Neal re-evaluating everything about himself in light of meeting his dad, will we see Sara Ellis (played by Hilarie Burton) return?

Eastin: I always thought it was so funny that when I first introduced Sara, the fan reaction was decidedly negative. I think she brought a lot of baggage from her last show [One Tree Hill]. One time I straight up asked her, "What did you do over there? Geez!" [laughs] There seemed to be a lot of negativity, but when I moved away from that relationship, suddenly all the hate turned into love, so Hilarie will be back for several episodes this season. It all goes back to Neal wanting Peter's life. It's like Goldilocks in a way: Kate was too pure, Alex was too far on the criminal side, but Sarah is just right. She could enjoy Neal's dangerous side, but at the same time, she had a great moral compass of her own. This season, they've learned friends with benefits is a good place to be, which takes a lot of the pressure off since both were resistant to anything heavier. But Sterling Bosche will offer Sara the chance to head up their UK office and that suddenly puts the pressure back on because it's like, "Wow, this could be the end for us."

ETonline: You always seem to try and top your previous season finale, so what can you say about this year's ender?

Eastin: I'm really excited about our finale, it's big this year. We shot it in The Empire State Building, up on the 103rd floor, which is the secret top deck that only celebrities can see. It's pretty intense. We got to shoot Neal and Sara up there, for good reasons -- it starts out as part of the con they're running, but it ends with the two of them up there and it's really beautiful and emotional. We can always come back to those two if we want, but it's also a fantastic summation of their relationship. As for season five, it's very much a continuation of where season four ends. Once that carry over wraps up, Peter does help Neal answer the question of who he is. In Neal's mind, it's always been about meeting his father and learning who he is as a result of that. But Peter is able to convey to Neal that your father doesn't define you, you define you. That realization allows Neal to look forward in season five.

White Collar airs Tuesdays at 10 p.m. on USA.

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2 NJ men suing Subway over shorter footlong sandwiches

MOUNT HOLLY, NJ — Two New Jersey men have sued Subway, saying the world's biggest fast-food chain has been shorting them on its so-called footlong sandwiches.

The filing made Tuesday seeks compensatory damages from the company and a change in practices.

Plaintiffs' lawyer Stephen DeNittis says the company should either make their sandwiches 12 inches long or stop advertising them as footlongs.

He said he's measured sandwiches from 17 area shops and not one has been 12 inches long.

The issue got widespread attention last week when a man posted a photo of a sandwich and a ruler on the company's Facebook page.

Brian Zak

This subway footlong only measures about 11 inches.

Milford, Conn.-based Subway did not immediately return a call to The Associated Press.

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Miami Dolphins slam Norman Braman, Marlins Park deal

The Miami Dolphins ramped up their public campaign for a tax-funded stadium renovation this week, buying full-page ads against their top critic and trying to distance the plan from the unpopular Marlins deal.

The team bought an ad in Tuesday’s Miami Herald and El Nuevo Herald knocking auto magnate Norman Braman’s criticism of the Sun Life Stadium deal, which would have Florida and Miami-Dade split the costs with owner Stephen Ross for a $400 million renovation. The Dolphins would pay at least $201 million, with taxpayers using state funds and a higher Miami-Dade hotel tax to pay $199 million.

In a fact sheet sent to media Tuesday morning, the Dolphins listed ways their deal differs from the 2009 Marlins deal. First: Ross, a billionaire real estate developer, would use private dollars to fund at least 51 percent of the Sun Life effort, compared to less than 25 percent from Marlins owner Jeff Loria. Second, Sun Life helps the economy more than the Marlins park does.

“Just because the Marlins did a bad deal doesn’t mean we should oppose a good deal where at least a majority of the cost is paid from private sources and more than 4,000 local jobs are created during construction alone,” the fact sheet states. And while the Dolphins’ Miami Gardens stadium has hosted two Super Bowls since 2007 and is in the running for the 2016 game, “Marlins Stadium does not generate the ability to attract world-class sports events -- other than a World Series from time to time depending on the success of the team.”

NFL teams play eight home games a year if they don’t make the playoffs, while baseball teams have 81.

Miami and Miami-Dade built the Marlins a $640 million stadium at the site of the Dolphins’ old home at the Orange Bowl in Little Havana. The Marlins contributed about $120 million and agreed to pay between $2.5 million and $4.9 million a year for 35 years to pay back $35 million of debt the county borrowed for the stadium. As a publicly owned stadium, the Marlins ballpark pays no property taxes. Most of the public money came from Miami-Dade hotel taxes, along with $50 million of debt tied to the county’s general fund.

Sun Life is privately owned and pays $3 million a year in property taxes to Miami-Dade. It currently receives $2 million a year from Florida’ s stadium program, a subsidy tied to converting the football venue to baseball in the 1990s when the Marlins played there. The Dolphins also paid for a second full-page ad with quotes from leading hoteliers in Miami-Dade endorsing the stadium plan. Among them: Donald Trump, whose company recently purchased the Doral golf resort. “Steve Ross’ commitment to modernize Sun Life Stadium -- while covering most of the construction costs -- is the right thing for Miami-Dade,’’ the ad quotes Trump as saying.

Also on Tuesday, Ross and team CEO Mike Dee sent a letter to Miami-Dade Mayor Carlos Gimenez and county commissioners requesting negotiations over the stadium deal. The letter said the deal Ross unveiled last week is a “baseline for debate” and asked for talks. The letter also urged the commission to adopt a resolution proposed by Commissioner Barbara Jordan endorsing the state bill that would allow taxes for Sun Life. The resolution is on the agenda for Wednesday’s commission meeting.

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Growers want state to give them 30-year no-bid access to Everglades land

TALLAHASSEE --
Gov. Rick Scott and the Florida Cabinet will be asked on Wednesday to agree to a no-bid contract to allow two major agriculture companies to farm on Everglades land for another 30 years, a deal that would include pouring tons of phosphorous-laden fertilizer onto the site the state is spending billions to clean-up.

The request from Florida Crystals and A. Duda and Sons is supported by the state Department of Environmental Protection Secretary Herschel Vinyard and South Florida Water Management District officials. But environmentalists aren’t happy.

“The State of Florida is putting 13,952 acres of state land off the table as a possible solution to future problems,’’ said Charles Lee, director of advocacy for Audubon of Florida at a meeting of the Cabinet aides last week. “It is passing up an opportunity.”

Environmentalists have agreed to allow Florida Crystals to continue sugar farming 7,862 acres in the Everglades Agricultural Area because they believe the company is “holding the state hostage” and won’t allow a crucial next step to go forward in the Everglades clean-up plan if they don’t get the deal.

But environmentalists strongly oppose the Duda deal, which would allow that company to continue to grow vegetables farm 6,089 acres of land and pump 339 tons of fertilizer each year into the Everglades, exacerbating the clean-up problem the state is spending billions to fix. They want the state to require Duda to reduce its phosphorous run-off in exchange for the favorable no-bid contract.

According to emails obtained by the Miami Herald/Tampa Bay Times Tallahassee bureau, Tracy Peters of the Division of State Lands initially suggested that Florida Crystals reduce its pollution levels in exchange for the lease extension. But the attorney for the company, Silvia Morell Alderman of Akerman Senterfitt, responded that such requirements “would be deal breakers” because the company has been improving its phosphorous levels for 17 years.

Peters then backed off and, on several occasions, asked Alderman’s permission to make other minor changes to the proposal, the emails show.

Under a 1994 Everglades Forever Act, the companies were to give 20-year leases to farm land in the Everglades Agricultural Area in exchange for reducing polluted run-off that is choking the Everglades. The proposal to be voted on by the governor and Cabinet Wednesday will extend five of those leases, which are set to expire between 2015 and 2018, and allow them to continue for another 30 years.

In September, Scott formally signed off on $880 million worth of Everglades cleanup projects that will expand efforts to stem the flow of polluted farm, ranch and yard runoff into the famed River of Grass. The agreement between the state, sugar growers and the Environmental Protection Agency, would allow the state to move forward with building stormwater treatment projects and meet a series of discharge limits beginning in 2018.

Lee told the Cabinet aides that the state may not have the legal authority to negotiate the lease renewal in the first place but, if it does, it should attempt to reduce phosphorous loads onto the land. A similar deal was cut three years ago when the state renewed agricultural leases as part of a land-purchase deal with U.S. Sugar and the company agreed to reduce phosphorous levels on the land in exchange for the deal.

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Russell Crowe Compares Costume To Britney Spears' Toxic

A fan of Russell Crowe's noticed something pretty amazing about the tough guy's Les Miserables costume -- it greatly resembles Britney Spears' stewardess getup in her video Toxic.

Crowe, 48, retweeted Boris Prso's split pic of the celebs in costume on Monday, with Boris writing: "hey @britneyspears did you see @russellcrowe in #lesMis maybe he is fan of you."

RELATED: Worn Out? Stars Step Out In Same Style

The tweet was a hit, getting nearly 500 retweets.

Check out Spears' super-fun Toxic video below and let us know: Who wore it best: Britney or Russell?

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Is Facebook envy making you miserable?

LONDON (Reuters) – Witnessing friends’ vacations, love lives and work successes on Facebook can cause envy and trigger feelings of misery and loneliness, according to German researchers.

A study conducted jointly by two German universities found rampant envy on Facebook, the world’s largest social network that now has over one billion users and has produced an unprecedented platform for social comparison.

The researchers found that one in three people felt worse after visiting the site and more dissatisfied with their lives, while people who browsed without contributing were affected the most.

“We were surprised by how many people have a negative experience from Facebook with envy leaving them feeling lonely, frustrated or angry,” researcher Hanna Krasnova from the Institute of Information Systems at Berlin’s Humboldt University told Reuters.

“From our observations some of these people will then leave Facebook or at least reduce their use of the site,” said Krasnova, adding to speculation that Facebook could be reaching saturation point in some markets.

Researchers from Humboldt University and from Darmstadt’s Technical University found vacation photos were the biggest cause of resentment with more than half of envy incidents triggered by holiday snaps on Facebook.

Social interaction was the second most common cause of envy as users could compare how many birthday greetings they received to those of their Facebook friends and how many “likes” or comments were made on photos and postings.

“Passive following triggers invidious emotions, with users mainly envying happiness of others, the way others spend their vacations and socialize,” the researchers said in the report “Envy on Facebook: A Hidden Threat to Users’ Life Satisfaction?” released on Tuesday.

“The spread and ubiquitous presence of envy on Social Networking Sites is shown to undermine users’ life satisfaction.”

They found people aged in their mid-30s were most likely to envy family happiness while women were more likely to envy physical attractiveness.

These feelings of envy were found to prompt some users to boast more about their achievements on the site run by Facebook Inc. to portray themselves in a better light.

Men were shown to post more self-promotional content on Facebook to let people know about their accomplishments while women stressed their good looks and social lives.

The researchers based their findings on two studies involving 600 people with the results to be presented at a conference on information systems in Germany in February.

The first study looked at the scale, scope and nature of envy incidents triggered by Facebook and the second at how envy was linked to passive use of Facebook and life satisfaction.

The researchers said the respondents in both studies were German but they expected the findings to hold internationally as envy is a universal feeling and possibly impact Facebook usage.

“From a provider’s perspective, our findings signal that users frequently perceive Facebook as a stressful environment, which may, in the long-run, endanger platform sustainability,” the researchers concluded.

(Reporting by Belinda Goldsmith, editing by Paul Casciato)

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Tuiasosopo apologized to woman whose picture was used to portray fake Te'o girlfriend

The woman whose photo was used as the "face" of the Twitter account of Manti Te'o's supposed girlfriend says the man allegedly behind the hoax confessed and apologized to her.

Diane O'Meara spoke to NBC's "Today" show Tuesday. She says Ronaiah Tuiasosopo used pictures of her without her knowledge in creating a fake woman called Lennay Kekua. Te'o asserts he was tricked into an online romance with Kekua and, until last week, believed she died of leukemia in September.

O'Meara went to high school with Tuiasosopo, but she says they're not close. She says he called to apologize Jan. 16, the day Deadspin.com broke the hoax story, but "I don't think there's anything he could say to me that would fix this."

Photo of the image used to portray Manti Te'o's imaginary girlfriend Lennay Marie Kekua.

The 23-year-old O'Meara is a marketing executive in Los Angeles. She says that for five years, Tuiasosopo "has literally been stalking my Facebook and stealing my photos."

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Brickell Avenue drawbridge stuck in up position

Traffic chaos spread throughout downtown Miami Tuesday when the southbound span of the heavily traveled Brickell Avenue drawbridge became stuck in the up position after the locking mechanism sustained damage during a test operation at dawn.

Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) officials said they did not know how long emergency repairs, now in progress, will take but indicated it could be several days before the southbound lanes reopen. The northbound lanes remained open.

“Oh my God. It was awful,” said Therese Gagné, a commuter who was near the Brickell Avenue Bridge returning home in Key Biscayne from Miami Beach. “Cars were cutting each other off. I was stuck for more than 15 minutes before I was able to loop around and head north on U.S. 1 and then get onto I-95 to avoid the mess. I’m never taking this bridge again.”

Transportation officials said southbound traffic on the on the bridge was being re-routed to eastbound SE 4th Street.

Drivers were asked to proceed north on SE 3rd Avenue, west on SE/SW 2nd Street, south on SW 2nd Avenue, east on SW 8th Street and then back to Brickell Avenue.

Drivers could also bypass the area by staying south on I-95 and then circling back to Brickell Avenue northbound from the Key Biscayne exit.

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