‘Jewish Spirituality’ lecture series to start Dec. 16

Temple Israel of Greater Miami will kick off its Jewish Spirituality Series on Sunday with Rabbi Arthur Green, who was named one of the "top 50 rabbis in America for 2012," by Newsweek Magazine.

Green will speak on the topic, "Spirituality for a New Era."

A highly respected scholar, teacher and expert in the field of contemporary Jewish spirituality, Green is rector of Hebrew College Rabbinical School and professor emeritus at Brandeis University. He also is the author of several books, including Radical Judaism: Rethinking god and Tradition. His most recent book is titled Hasidic Spirituality for a New Era.

The event will start at 9:30 a.m. with a light breakfast followed at 10 a.m. by the program, at which time Green will engage participants in an open conversation about the future and how each person can play a more active role shaping it.

The series will continue on Jan 22, when Nathan Katz, who arranged for the Dalai Lama to come to Miami three times, will speak on "Contemporary Global Spirituality."

According to a press release from the temple, more and more Americans describe themselves as "spiritual but not religious." In his lecture, Katz will focus on the question, "What is spirituality, and can it truly be separated from religion?"

The author of 15 books, including Who Are the Jews of India, a National Jewish Book Award finalist, and his recent memoir, Spiritual Journey Home, Katz is a Florida International University research professor in the School of International and Public Affairs, the Bhagwan Mahavir professor of Jain Studies, academic director of the Jewish Museum of Florida-FIU, and director of the Program in the Study of Spirituality, which is a co-sponsor of the series.

Rabbi Rami Shapiro, an award-wining author, poet, educator and the founding rabbi of Temple Beth Or in Miami, will close out the series on March 1, with the topic, "Amazing Chesed."

According to the press release, many Jews do not believe that grace is a central concept in Judaism, and an essential element in living "Jewishly." Shapiro disagrees and will draw from many facets of Jewish wisdom to answer that question in the affirmative.

Shapiro is recognized as one of the most creative figures in contemporary American Judaism and his prayers are included in worship services across the denominational spectrum of American congregations.

Admission to the series is free and open the public, and will be held in the Wolfson Auditorium at Temple Israel, 137 NE 19th St.

For more information call the temple at 305-573-5900 or email info@templeisrael.net.

New dean

Warm congratulations to the Very Rev. Douglas Wm. McCaleb, who recently was elected the new dean of the Episcopal North Dade Deanery.

McCaleb, the spiritual leader at Trinity Episcopal Cathedral at 464 NE 16th St., was elected at the 43rd Annual Diocesan Convention.

The Diocese of Southeast Florida is composed of six deaneries, divided geographically for both administrative purposes and for representation on the diocese’s Executive Board. McCaleb is the executive head of the deanery, which is responsible for the planning and financial aspects of the deanery, as well as being responsible for the study of the needs and opportunities of the church and to evaluate diocesan programs. In his position of leadership, McCaleb will also delegate the necessary authority and responsibility to carry out such work.

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Barbara Walters Names Most Fascinating Person of 2012

Who topped the list this year?

Tonight, Barbara Walters crowned General David Petraeus as her Most Fascinating person of 2012.

"David Petraeus was not chosen this year for his war record or his exemplary service to his country," said Walters. "This is about military honor, colliding with sex and lies in the digital age."

The former head of the CIA stepped down in November after an extramarital affair was discovered with his biographer Paula Broadwell.
Petraeus, 60, was also given the number one spot in 2010. 

VIDEO: One Direction on What They Look for in a Girl 

Additionally, the legendary journalist sat down with Argo actor/director Ben Affleck, British-Irish boy band One Direction, Olympic gymnast Gabrielle Douglas, Family Guy creator Seth MacFarlane, 50 Shades of Grey author E.L. James, Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton and New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie.
Prince Harry and Honey Boo Boo were also featured on the list, but were not interviewed.

This is Walters' 20th season highlighting some of the year's biggest names in entertainment, sports and popular culture.

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Up to bat

Jennifer Gould Keil

GIMME SHELTER

Derek Jeter is looking for a massive bachelor pad, and he’s willing to pay a heavy rent after selling his gargantuan Trump World Tower home for $15.5 million in October.

The Yankee captain recently checked out a $25,000-a-month, 4,000-square-foot, five-bedroom, four-bathroom duplex rental at 129 W. 20th St. That’s less indoor space than the 5,425 square feet he had at Trump but more than enough room to stretch out. It also comes with 2,000 square feet of outdoor space. And Jeter still, of course, has his oversized 30,000-square-foot Tampa mansion, famously dubbed St. Jetersburg.

Getty Images

Derek Jeter

The Chelsea pad Jeter visited “is like a private home on top of a loft building,” our spy says. Jeter arrived at the listing looking sharp and well-rested in jeans and a blazer. Over the years, the unit has been eyed by other celebrities known for, um, playing the field — from Jude Law, who had an affair with his nanny, to Russell Brand, who was once married to Katy Perry.

Citi Habitats’ Jason Saft has the listing.

Marcus moving

Marcus Samuelsson, fresh off a (fully clothed) Playboy shoot for a feature about hot NYC chefs, has put his 2,250-square-foot, three-bedroom condo on West 118th Street on the market for $1.65 million.

The Harlem duplex, listed by Angela Holton of Brown Harris Stevens, includes a windowed chef’s kitchen and a terrace with a high-end barbecue grill.

We hear that Samuelsson, who added heat to the area with his Red Rooster restaurant, is upgrading his digs to a historic Harlem townhouse that he’s in the process of purchasing.

Model ‘shows’ all

Trish Goff, a former model who has appeared in Victoria’s Secret shows and international editions of Vogue, got her real estate license in July. The Douglas Elliman broker now has a hot property on the market — a 20-foot-wide Greek Revival townhouse owned by fashion stylist Alessandra Gambaccini, CEO of Sciascia Gambaccini. It is on the market for $5.495 million.

The four-story townhouse, in the Gold Coast of Greenwich Village at 45 W. 12th St., dates back to 1846 and has been renovated by Milan architect Roberto Gerosa. The home includes hand-painted walls by Italian decorator Marina Spinola.

Rollin’ in Greene

The Fugees’ resident real estate aficionado, Pras, has rented a stunning apartment at the 60 Greene St. condo building after a lengthy search.

The full-floor, 3,900-square-foot unit, with just one bedroom and two bathrooms, is designed for entertaining. It was listed for $30,000 a month.

An elevator opens into the apartment, which has cast-iron columns and 13-foot ceilings. It iss furnished in all white, with a dining area that seats 12 at a table cut from a single slab of white marble.

We also bet Pras loves the high-tech sound system and the bedroom area with a 72-inch drop-down TV screen separated by floor-to-ceiling translucent drapes.

Meier buys Meier pad

Good taste runs in the family.

Furniture designer Ana Meier has plunked down $6.5 million for an apartment at 165 Charles St. That’s one of the West Village buildings designed by her starchitect father, Richard Meier.

Ana Meier now has the condo, which was sold by gallery owner Barbara Gladstone, available for rent at $27,500 a month.

Town Residential listing broker Bill Kowalczuk declined to comment.

The glassy building suffered damage during Hurricane Sandy, but the lobby is restored and amenities will be back up and running by February, we’re told. Meier’s two nearby towers on Perry Street did not fare as well. Celebrity residents there, including Calvin Klein and Jean-Georges Vongerichten, won’t be able to move back in for several months.

Chalk up another One

One Fifth Avenue, the subject of a Candace Bushnell novel, is still going strong. A unit in the stately, 27-story landmarked building was snapped up for its full $1.39 million asking price shortly after it was put on the market. The seller, Weill Cornell Medical’s
Larry Schafer, is unloading the 930-square-foot co-op to insurance exec Richard
Press and his wife, Jeanne, who worked with broker Carol Staab of Douglas Elliman. The deal is expected to close next week.

The listing broker is the Corcoran Group’s Laurie Karpowich. Building residents have included Blythe Danner and Jessica Lange.

We hear . . .

That Elizabeth Ann Stribling-Kivlan is the new president of Stribling and Associates as her mom, Elizabeth Stribling, becomes chairman. Superbroker Kirk Henckels becomes vice chairman . . . That Joseph Sitt and Joseph Moinian hit Town Residential’s holiday party.

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Lennar to borrow $1.7 billion from Chinese bank

Miami-based Lennar Corp. has gotten approval on $1.7 billion in loans from China Development Bank to fund the development and construction of two major projects in San Francisco, according to a person familiar with the transaction.

The contract, set to close by Dec. 31 subject to various conditions, would mark the first U.S. loan by the big state-owned Chinese bank. One condition — tagged the “Chinese component”— is that China Railway Construction Corp. be included as a general contracting partner in the project, the person said.

Closing by year’s end is crucial because of new tax rules set to take effect, the person added.

The agreement, first reported in The Wall Street Journal, would provide funding for the first six years of what is envisioned to be a 20-year project.

The loan agreement, reached Dec. 7 after Lennar officials met in China with bank officials, provides for $1 billion in financing to a partnership led by Lennar to redevelop Hunters Point Shipyard-Candlestick Point, a site in southeast San Francisco spanning more than 700 acres, the person said. Plans for the mixed-use community call for nearly 12,000 residential units on the site. Construction is expected to begin in the first quarter of 2013.

Under the pact, the Chinese bank would provide another $700 million to a partnership of Lennar, Stockbridge Capital Group and Wilson Meany, a real estate investment and development firm, to redevelop Treasure Island and Yerba Buena Islands in San Francisco Bay. Some 8,000 units of housing are planned for the mixed-use project on 535 acres. The U.S. Navy is set to turn over the first parcel of land to the development company in late 2013.

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Parents of students at Broward school warned of Legionnaires’ Disease exposure

Parents of students at Olsen Middle School in Dania Beach were being informed on Tuesday that their children may have been exposed to someone diagnosed with Legionnaires’ Disease, Broward School District officials said.

The person with Legionnaires’ Disease was not a student, district spokeswoman Nadine Drew said. They did not say if the infected person was a teacher.

Automated ‘robo-calls’ were made to the telephones of Olsen Middle School parents that explained how the district was working with the Broward Health Department

To read the entire Sun Sentinel story click here.

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Hugh Hefner's Fiancee Shows Off Engagement Ring

If the size of the diamond is any indication of Hugh Hefner's love for bride-to-be Crystal Harris, it's a safe bet to say that he's head over heels.

RELATED: Hugh Hefner Gets Marriage License?

Harris revealed her engagement ring on Tuesday, via her Twitter feed.

"My beautiful ring from [Hugh Hefner]," Crystal posted along with photos of the giant sparkler.

The couple is reportedly planning to wed on New Year's Eve.

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JFK guards threaten strike, could snarl holiday travel plans

Just in time for Christmas, security guards at JFK Airport are threatening to walk off their jobs and create a holiday nightmare for travelers.

The 300 workers, employed by two private companies, do several key jobs.

Most importantly, they inspect planes takeoff, looking for weapons, explosives and contraband.

They also check out maintenance crews, mechanics and caterers who board the aircraft.

Others direct traffic in front of the terminals and check that gates leading to the tarmac are secure.

The guards, who are not in a union, say they want better training and equipment.

If they strike, company managers could replace some of them.

Port Authority cops might also be assigned some duties, like traffic control. But the unionized police officers would not be asked to inspect aircraft, a source said.

Another problem would be getting replacement workers “Secure Identity Display Areas’’ credentials. That can take weeks because background and fingerprint checks are required.

If the workers strike, planes would stay on the ground much longer, throwing off schedules and causing delays at destination cities. On the ground, the confusion could make it difficult for travelers to get to their gates.

The workers will vote tomorrow, and are expected to authorize a strike starting Dec. 20.

About 200 guards work for Air Serve; the others are employed by Global Elite Group.

They’ve filed several dozen grievances with the Transportation Security Administration, claiming management failed to provide them with training and gear, such as functioning two-way radios or security wands.

They say they’ve been forced to rely on their own cellphones and stick to unrealistic “productivity’’ schedules.

“These security officers feel responsible for the safety and security at JFK Airport. They feel it is their duty to bring attention to these gaping holes in preparedness and safety standards,” said Michael Allen, a spokesman for Service Employees International Union, which is advising them.

He claimed management “retaliated against workers for speaking out.”

Air Serve did not return a call for comment, and a Global official said the firm has no knowledge of a threatened walkout.

Port Authority spokeswoman Lisa MacSpadden did not return calls for comment, but a senior PA official told The Post a strike could be a “challenge.’’

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With spam, it’s better not to give or receive

Q. Recently I’ve been unable to send emails from my home email address. In addition, my incoming email contains several notices of undeliverable emails that I didn’t send that are addressed to people I don’t know. I suspect that my computer is infected by some malicious software and is being used to send spam email — and that those that are undeliverable are being returned. What should I do?

Joseph Campbell Burnsville, Minn.

I agree that your PC has been taken over by hackers and is being used to send spam.

The fact that you aren’t able to send emails from your home account supports this theory, since it indicates that your Internet service provider believes you are spamming and has temporarily blocked your ability to send email to anyone.

I suggest you download and run the free version of security program Malwarebytes (go to www.tinyurl.com/cwbd73f and click “free download.”) If that doesn’t work, try Windows System Restore to eliminate recently installed software (see www.tinyurl.com/y9q9apj and www.tinyurl.com/ykgps6.) Then call your Internet service provider; explain what happened and what you’ve done to fix it. If your PC is clean, you’ll be allowed to send email again.Q. I’ve recently received a lot of spam, including some that appear to be from people I know — except that the messages come from the wrong email address. How does a spammer use a familiar name with a fake email address and send it to me?

Also, is there a way to find out the identity of the people who send spam emails? I’ve read that the email address of the sender is not always accurate.

Ginger Bramlett Rockwall, Texas

The bogus email that appeared to be from your friend, but came from the wrong email address, is from a spammer who is trying to trick you into opening the email.

Why did this happen? Your friend’s email may have been hacked and his or her address book stolen, providing the spammer with a host of addresses where an email bearing your friend’s name might be opened by the recipient.

It’s hard to find out who actually sent spam, because originating email addresses are easy to fake.

I suggest you send these emails to your spam filter so that you and others may be spared at least some spam in the future. In addition, your Internet service provider allows you to block spam that comes from a specific domain name — the part of the email address that follows the symbol, such as Yahoo.com. See www.tinyurl.com/cxmq4m7.

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South Florida pols sticking to party lines on fiscal cliff

WASHINGTON --
Don’t expect South Florida’s congressional delegation to stray too far from party lines when it comes to dancing on the edge of the fiscal cliff, the end-of-the-year spending cuts and tax increases set to take effect if Congress and the president don’t address them.

Democrats are firmly with President Barack Obama, whose proposal seeks to raise $600 billion over a decade by eliminating tax deductions and $960 billion over the same period by raising tax rates for the top 2 percent of income earners. Many Democrats sounded as though the highly charged presidential campaign was still under way.

Republicans are just as committed to their party.

There’s been "no evidence thus far" that Republicans are truly interested in the middle class, said Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz, of Weston, who the president just asked again to head the Democratic National Committee.

"We need to continue to focus on rebuilding our economy from the middle class out," she said during an appearance on MSNBC.

"President Obama talked eloquently and passionately during the campaign about making sure that we can get a handle on this deficit, that we can rebuild our economy from the middle class out, that we can focus on creating jobs and getting the economy turned around," she added.

Equally firm: South Florida Democratic Reps. Alcee Hastings, of Miramar and Frederica Wilson, of Miami. Both are members of the Congressional Black Caucus, which released a statement of principles this week calling for the Bush-era tax cuts to expire on the wealthiest Americans.

Social Security should be completely off the table, the caucus warned, and it said it would oppose any plans that change the eligibility for Medicare or cut Medicaid, the statement said.

Some Democrats made conciliatory moves, however. Sen. Bill Nelson said that during his campaign, voters told him they want consensus and an end to partisan gridlock.

"They want bipartisanship," he said in a video message. "They want to stop the ideological rigidity."

It’s the only way to rebuild the economy and reduce the federal deficit, while preserving Social Security and Medicare, he said. He called on people of both political parties "to reach across the aisle and work together so America doesn’t go over the cliff."

That’s unlikely to come from his Republican counterpart, Sen. Marco Rubio, who along with former vice presidential candidate Rep. Paul Ryan of Wisconsin was featured in a speech this week in Washington.

Rubio blamed the "complicated and uncertain tax code" for "hindering the creation of middle-class jobs." He gave no hint he would be interested in supporting the president’s tax proposal on the wealthiest Americans.

"You can’t open or grow a business if your taxes are too high or too uncertain. And that’s why I personally oppose the president’s plan to raise taxes," Rubio said. "This isn’t about a pledge. It isn’t about protecting millionaires and billionaires. For me, it’s about the fact that the tax increases he wants would fail to make even a small dent in the debt but it would hurt middle-class businesses and the people who work for them."

Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, of Miami, was one of the few Republicans from South Florida to suggest she’d be open to tax reform, saying there needs to be a review of the tax code "to remove special interest tax loopholes used by the wealthy."

But she warned that the country’s debt exists "not because tax rates are too low, but because government spends too much."

Republican Rep. Mario Diaz-Balart, also of Miami, said he was less optimistic about a resolution now than he was right after the election.

He said he feels as though Republicans have moved closer to the president without getting credit for it.

"I’m very disappointed with the president’s response," he said in an interview.

"The speaker put forward a proposal, and whether you agree with it or not, there are a couple of things beyond debate: He’s gotten closer to the president’s position."

Even those on their way out of Congress made no move to cross party lines. Republican Rep. Allen West, of Plantation, who was ousted by Democrat Patrick Murphy, warned constituents in a letter that he didn’t think there was a true plan to reduce spending.

Rep. David Rivera, a Republican who lost his re-election bid and who will be replaced by Democrat Joe Garcia, did not respond to a request for comment.

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Will and Jaden Smith Survive After Earth

Will Smith and his son Jaden haven't shared the big screen since 2006's The Pursuit of Happyness. Now the father-son duo pair up once more for M. Night Shyamalan's post-apocalyptic thriller After Earth, and we're showing you the new trailer.

RELATED: Will Smith Surprises Jada on The Talk

In the film, opening June 7, 2013, a father and son crash land on a now-abandoned Earth. While the father, General Cypher Raige lies dying after the accident, his 13-year-old son Kitai must play the soldier, searching for the rescue beacon -- their only chance to be saved.

Watch the video for more.

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