Village Voice apologizes for criticizing Post fotog

The dramatic photo of a subway train bearing down on a doomed passenger became a story in its own right — and brought about a flurry of criticism, including from the Village Voice.

On Wednesday, the Post published a first-hand account from freelance photographer R. Umar Abbasi where Abbasi detailed his ordeal on the platform.

Today, the Village Voice published an open apology to Abbasi, citing their original criticism of the photo and Abbasi's actions.

"The truth is, we don't know if there was anything Abbasi could have done that he didn't do -- it's easy to play Monday morning quarterback from the comfort of an office in the East Village, especially as the Post ran one of Abbasi's photos of the man just seconds before his death on its cover on Tuesday."

David McGlynn

R. Umar Abbasi

"Our apologies to Abbasi for our uninformed suggestions," the Voice said.

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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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Michael Douglas as Liberace Matt Damon Behind The Candelabra

Inside 'Behind'

Next year Michael Douglas will bring flamboyant music icon, Liberace, to life in a new HBO Movie titled Behind The Candelabra and a new HBO 2013 promo revealed a brand new look at the Oscar nominee as the sparkly singer!

VIDEO - Michael Talks Liberace Preparation

Directed by Steven Soderberg, Candelabra takes a look at Liberace's life and loves as recounted by his former lover, Scott Thorson.

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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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Miami-Dade Commission reinstitutes prayer before meetings

Instead of a moment of silence, Miami-Dade Commission meetings soon will start with a nondenominational prayer uttered by a local religious leader or a commissioner.

The commission voted 8-3 Tuesday to reinstitute prayer before meetings, a controversial issue that sparked lengthy debate and commentary.

Voting for the ordinance were Commissioners Jose “Pepe” Diaz, Jean Monestime, Rebeca Sosa, Xavier Suarez, Juan Zapata, Bruno Barreiro, Esteban “Steve” Bovo and Audrey Edmonson. Commissioners Sally Heyman, Barbara Jordan, and Dennis Moss voted against. Lynda Bell and Javier Souto were absent.

Diaz sponsored the item after 18 months of intense lobbying from the Christian Family Coalition and its leader, Anthony Verdugo. Verdugo called Tuesday’s vote the end of “eight years of discrimination.”

The last time meetings opened with prayer at County Hall was 2004. The practice ended at the behest of former Commissioners Barbara Carey-Shuler and Katy Sorenson.

It will start again before the commission’s Dec. 18 meeting.

On Tuesday, Diaz did agree to some changes in his proposed format: Instead of having the county clerk compile a database of local religious leaders to give the prayers, commissioners will rotate choosing someone or lead the prayer themselves. That will save the county about $26,000 in projected costs for the database. Sosa sponsored the change.

The commissioner can choose to lead a moment of silence instead of a prayer.

Diaz also changed his original proposal by moving the timing of the prayer, so it will be said prior to the roll call of commissioners, similar to the way it’s done at the state and federal levels of government.

Before the vote, Moss expressed dissatisfaction with the Christian Family Coalition and positions it has taken in the past that he said discriminated against blacks and immigrants. He noted that the group was an offshoot of the Christian Coalition that fought the county several years ago over an equally controversial human-rights bill.

“It’s like the nose of the camel under the tent. I have a real concern with the group that was pushing this issue,” he said.

Also opposed: the American Civil Liberties Union of Florida, which has warned the county that promises to keep public prayer nondenominational — instead of in the name of Jesus, for example — have fallen to the wayside in the past. The ACLU has not said if it plans to file a lawsuit.

Commissioners also gave the nod to construction of a massive warehouse and industrial park in the heart of the old Westview neighborhood, even as residents and their lawyer complained they were not consulted on new plans submitted by the developer, Rosal Westview.

Later Tuesday, commissioners are expected to take up Jordan’s push to take down an online database that shows the salaries of all county employees. Though Jordan said she supports the information being available to the public, she said removing it would diminish “safety and security” concerns. Heyman has joined Jordan as a cosponsor for the bill.

As part of a transparency initiative, County Mayor Carlos Gimenez started listing the salaries online earlier this year. The mayor has said he believes every government transaction should be online and available to the public. If the resolution passes, Gimenez could veto it, though he hasn’t stated his intentions.

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China goes crazy for iPhone 5: Preorders hit 100,000 units in under 24 hours

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Video: Prince William Visits Kate in the Hospital

News broke Monday that royal bride Catherine Middleton, the Duchess of Cambridge, is expecting her first child with Prince William, and ET has new footage of the prince visiting Kate at the hospital.

PICS: Baby on the Way: Will & Kate's Royal Romance

Her Royal Highness is hospitalized with hyperemesis gravidarum -- a severe form of morning sickness. William looked like he was in good spirits as he exited King Edward VII Hospital in London on Tuesday evening.

ET can confirm that the queen and other members of the royal family found out about Kate’s pregnancy on Monday. Sources tell People.com that the queen won't be visiting her granddaughter-in-law while she remains in the hospital, mainly because her visit would interfere with the running of the hospital.

Watch the video for more, and keep checking ETonline for the latest on the Duchess' health.

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Albany pols confirm agreement to team up

ALBANY - Coalition government is coming to Albany.

The state Senate's Republicans and a group of five breakaway Democrats announced agreement today that they're teaming up to run the chamber next year, as first reported in today's Post.

Senate Majority Leader Dean Skelos (R-Nassau), and Sen. Jeff Klein of the Bronx, leader of the Independent Democratic Conference, announced a power-sharing arrangement that will make each man "conference leader" of his respective group.

The deal gives Skelos and Klein joint control over state budget negotiations for the Senate, what bills come to the Senate floor, leadership and committee assignments for their respective groups and appointments to state and local boards.

The two men will alternate every two weeks in the largely ceremonial position of temporary president of the Senate - which is second in line to succeed the governor after the lieutenant governor.

One source said Gov. Cuomo was aware of the developments.

Insiders say the deal will likely allow Senate votes on key legislation such as increasing the minimum wage and partial taxpayer financing of state campaigns - bills the GOP has bottled up.

“All decisions on what bills come to the floor will be made jointly by Sens. Skelos and Klein after receiving input from members of the coalition,” said Skelos spokesman Scott Reif.

The IDC also formally announced that Sen. Malcolm Smith of Queens has joined the conference - as The Post reported exclusively in today's editions.

It's an unprecedented arrangement for the state Legislature, but the Senate could wind up with none of the three conferences having enough members to claim an outright majority next year pending the outcome of two close upstate races.

Republicans now control the Senate 33-29 but could be down to 30 seats in an expanded, 63-seat Senate next year. Brooklyn Democrat Simcha Felder has said he'll caucus with the GOP when he takes office in January.

"Having dedicated the past two years to a serious, policy-driven agenda, this agreement delivers on the IDC’s pledge to become a permanent third conference within the State Senate and to have a major voice in all policy decisions moving forward," Klein said.

"Senator Klein has proven to be a thoughtful and effective leader, and I look forward to partnering with him to move this state forward,” added Skelos.

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