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Urban Outfitters plans to boost sales with booze at its latest clothing store in Brooklyn, New York.
Urban Outfitters storefront. (CC/Minnaert)
Published: May 21, 2013 at 10:48 AM
By KRISTEN BUTLER, UPI.com

National hipster clothing chain Urban Outfitters is planning to serve booze in a new outlet in Brooklyn, and the purveyor of ironic t-shirts is likely hoping beer-drinking shoppers will buy more when they're buzzed.

The New York Post reports that the chain has applied for liquor and restaurant licenses and is set to unveil its plans before a community review committee on May 30. Urban Outfitters has already introduced food and alcohol at two of its “Terrain” stores, in Connecticut and Pennsylvania, which specialize in garden and home décor.

Entrees at one location include $29 Lancaster Pork Loin, $18 artisanal cheese and a $50 five-course chef’s tasting menu. Terrain president Wendy McDevitt told Bloomberg in November that dining and drinking can double customers' browsing time.

Brooklyn resident Allicia Lawson, 25, told the Post she has a history of making “bad shopping decisions” when “drunk.”

“It’s the nature of the beast," said Brooklyn activist Phil DiPaolo. “If people have a buzz, they are going to spend more money."

Amy Nicholas, manager of the Sweetwater restaurant across the street, said she’s not worried about the competition, noting the sit-down restaurant has a different demographic. Nicholas added that people who try drinking and buying could end up with a serious case of "shoppers' remorse."

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A 52-year-old gospel singer is suing McDonald's claiming she lost her voice after biting into a McChicken sandwich that had a piece of glass in it.
File. UPI /Monika Graff. 
License photo
Published: May 21, 2013 at 9:31 AM

A gospel singer from Brooklyn is suing McDonald's after she chewed on a piece of glass bigger than a penny while eating a chicken sandwich at a lower Manhattan restaurant.

The New York Post reports Jaqueline Simpson, 52, is filing a suit at the Brooklyn Supreme Court claiming biting the piece of glass in May of 2010 cost her her voice.

“Now when I sing, I have a hoarse, rattly voice,” Jacqueline Simpson said. “I still sing alto, but I can’t sing soprano like I used to.”

Simpson, who works as a clerk for the state Attorney General's Office, said the incident had changed her voice so dramatically she constantly had to explain she wasn't a man.

“Before [the incident], that never happened,” she said.

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The Governor of New York sent a cease and desist letter to Khloe Kardashian's fashion line, Rich Soil, over copyright infringement in one of their designs.
Andrew Cuomo speaks at the podium after being elected the next Governor of New York State during a Democratic Election Night Party at the Sheraton Hotel and Towers in New York City on November 2, 2010. UPI/John Angelillo 
Published: May 21, 2013 at 9:30 AM

New York Governor Andrew Cuomo warned reality TV star Khloe Kardashan that the logo on a shirt sold in her high-end clothing line, Rich Soil, may violate copyright law.

According to CS Monitor, the governor sent Kardashian a pro-forma letter advising the designer that the logo featured on one of the articles of her clothing line is almost identical to the New York Deparment of Agriculture's logo.

Both logos feature a Statue of Liberty over plow rows inside a circle. And while Kardashian's logo reads "Rich Soil New York," the DOA's reads "Pride of New York."

Kardashian's line pulled the shirt from its website after receiving the cease and desist letter that threatened to sue if the brand didn't stop selling the item and disclosed an estimate of the money made off the design, The Daily News reported.

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Potato blight strain HERB-1 discovered as cause of the historic Irish potato famine of the nineteenth century.
The effect of potato blight, caused by Phytophthora infestans. (PD/U.S. Department of Agriculture)
Published: May 21, 2013 at 9:30 AM
By KRISTEN BUTLER, UPI.com

A team of molecular biologists from Europe and the U.S. have found that a unique strain of potato blight they call HERB-1 triggered the deadly Irish potato famine of the mid-19th century.

Phys.org reports that the international team decoded the genomes of 11 historical samples of Phytophthora infestans from potato leaves collected and preserved over more than 50 years. A modern strain called US-1 was long thought to have been the cause of the fatal outbreak but a strain new to science -- one possibly now extinct -- was responsible.

The HERB-1 strain of Phytophthora infestans likely emerged in the early 1800s and continued its global spread throughout the 19th century. In the twentieth century new potato varieties were introduced, and HERB-1 was replaced by another Phytophthora infestans strain, US-1.

Researchers examined the historical spread of the fungus-like oomycete pathogen and found connections to historical events and human activity. First contact between Europeans and Americans in Mexico coincides with a dramatic increase in the genetic diversity of Phytophthora.

The dried potato leaves tested for the study are between 170 and 120 years old, and were preserved in the herbaria of the Botanical State Collection Munich and the Kew Gardens in London. This study marks the first time scientists have decoded the genome of a plant pathogen and its plant host from dried herbarium samples, open up new research possibilities.

"The degree of DNA preservation in the herbarium samples really surprised us," said co-author Johannes Krause. Kentaro Yoshida notes that this study shows the effect of plant breeding on the evolution of a pathogen. "This type of work paves the way for the discovery of many more treasures of knowledge hidden in herbaria," he said.

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Kate Hudson will star as Zach Braff's wife in his upcoming film, "Wish I Was Here."
Kate Hudson. File. UPI/Christine Chew 
Updated May 21, 2013 at 10:18 AM
Published: May 21, 2013 at 9:29 AM

Kate Hudson is the latest celebrity to announce she'll be joining Zach Braff's upcoming project, the film "Wish I Was Here."

The Atlantic Wire reports Hudson will be cast in the movie as Braff's wife.

Last month, the "Garden State" star launched a Kickstarter campaign to fund his self-written film so he wouldn't have to make any creative sacrifices.

Braff, who sought to collect $2 million in 30 days, met his goal only four days after launching the campaign.

Mandy Patakin and Josh Gad have also joined the cast of the film.

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Josh Portis was pulled over for speeding, and reportedly registered above the legal blood alcohol limit, on May 5.
Seattle Seahawks' quarterback Josh Portis (L) File/UPI/Jim Bryant 
License photo
Published: May 21, 2013 at 8:37 AM
By GABRIELLE LEVY, UPI.com

Seattle Seahawks backup quarterback Josh Portis will be arraigned next week after he was reportedly arrested on May 5 for driving under the influence of alcohol.

Portis was pulled over after 9 p.m. on Cinco de Mayo while driving 80 miles an hour in a 60 mph zone, the Seattle Times reported, citing a Washington State Patrol report.

The 25-year-old "had watery bloodshot eyes" and "a strong odor of intoxicants coming from the vehicle," the report said, and later blew .092 on a blood alcohol breath test.

The incident report describes Portis as refusing to get out of his car, denying he had anything to drink.

A passenger in the car "stated Portis was a Seahawk player and he did not have to get out of the car," the trooper wrote.

“Portis asked me if I knew who he was and I stated yes,” the report read. “(The passenger) exited the vehicle and began to cry. (The passenger) stated I was arresting a Seahawk, and I was going to ruin him. … (The passenger) shouted at me and stated she couldn’t believe that I was from Seattle, and was arresting a Seahawk.”

Once at the State Patrol headquarters, Portis admitted to drinking tequila at a Cinco de Mayo party.

Portis's agent refuted the story on Twitter, denying his client had been arrested or had failed a sobriety test.

"Want to clarify a story that is out there on our client Seahawks QB Josh Portis: he was NOT arrested at all for anything..." agent JR Rickert tweeted.

"Was pulled over for speeding and passed every sobriety test... story of an arrest is completely false," he wrote. "I have reviewed the police report and spoken to Josh's attorney. The matter is still under investigation and no charges have been filed."




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A fourth-grade bully who insulted another girl's clothes was forced to wear thrift store outfits to school and see how it felt.
A Salvation Army thrift store. (CC/JG Klein)
Published: May 21, 2013 at 8:26 AM
By KRISTEN BUTLER, UPI.com

One Utah woman was notified by a teacher that her 10-year-old step-daughter Kaylee was relentlessly bullying another student for the way she dressed, and devised a clever punishment to teach empathy and nip the bully in the bud.

“She would take her out on the playground and call her names, and tell her she was a slob and tell her she dressed like a sleaze,” Ally, whose last name was omitted to protect her daughter's privacy, told Fox13. “Someone not wanting to go to school anymore based off of something that one other little person said to them. I mean, that’s huge, that’s damaging.”

But when Ally addressed the issue, Kaylee did not show any remorse for what she had done. So she went to a local thrift shop and bought about $50 worth of clothes she knew Kaylee would never want to wear.

When Kaylee woke up to find the outfit she was ordered to wear to school, she says, “I died. I did." She admits she cried when she had to wear the clothes, and became the target of insults at school.

After two days wearing the embarrassing clothes and being talked about behind her back, Kaylee said she understands the lesson. When her sister asked why she should not bully people, Kaylee replied, “Because it’s stupid and it’s mean. It hurts them.”

Dr. Douglas Goldsmith of the Children’s Center said that while Kaylee may have learned an important lesson, not all bullies would respond the same way to forced humiliation, becoming more angry instead of having a change of heart.

Goldsmith suggested the parents of some bullies take them to volunteer where there are poorer people to teach them empathy indirectly.

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A man escaped with his life after the floor of a warehouse where he was operating a forklift collapsed underneath him.
Published: May 21, 2013 at 8:14 AM
By GABRIELLE LEVY, UPI.com

A forklift and its operator were swallowed whole when the ground opened up underneath him while he was working in a warehouse in East Rutherford, New Jersey Monday afternoon.

The worker was transported to nearby Hackensack University Hospital with non-life threatening injuries after extracting himself from the machinery, the South Bergenite reported.

Rescuers said the forklift likely saved the worker's life, shielding him from being crushed when the floor collapsed beneath him.

Investigators determined a 40-foot-by-40-foot structural collapse under the rear of the warehouse had rendered the building unsafe, East Rutherford Assistant Fire Chief John Giancaspro said. The warehouse and the buildings on either side were evacuated as a precaution.

Engineers are still trying to determine the exact cause of the floor collapse.

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Kristen and Robert's relationship has been rocky for months, and Katy and Rob's mutual crush may not have helped matters.
Katy Perry; Robert Pattinson and Kristen Stewart. File/ UPI 
Published: May 21, 2013 at 7:36 AM
By GABRIELLE LEVY, UPI.com

Rumor has it that "Twilight" power couple Robert Pattinson and Kristen Stewart are once again on the outs, and a certain singer may be -- at least partly -- to blame.

Katy Perry, a longtime friend of Pattinson's, "played a role, as one of many reasons," in the split, a source told E! News.

Pattinson was spotted moving out of the home he shared with Stewart Sunday after spending their respective birthdays separately. Both attended the annual Met Gala on May 8, but while Stewart walked the red carpet alone, Perry and Pattinson were photographed together, and later seen together after the ball.

“Katy was Kristen’s friend first, but she gets on with Rob brilliantly," a source told Heat magazine. "It’s clear to everyone that Rob’s got a bit of a crush on Katy and she totally plays up to it. They wouldn’t act on it, but it still makes Kristen feel insecure.”

But if anyone was to blame for the 3-year relationship falling apart, it's Stewart, whose affair with "Snow White and the Huntsman" director Rupert Sanders last summer disrupted what appeared to be a solid relationship.

The two eventually reconciled a few weeks later, even moving back in together, but began fighting and "living virtual separate lives."

And if Perry and Pattinson do start dating, it shouldn't come as much of a surprise: Perry reportedly admitted she had been nursing some more-than-friends feelings too -- and "would love to date him" if he were ever single.

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A blind man had his vision restored by an experimental stem cell treatment -- going from 20/400 to 20/40.
Intermediate age-related macular degeneration in a human eye. (Credit National Eye Institute/National Institutes of Health)
Published: May 21, 2013 at 7:29 AM
By KRISTEN BUTLER, UPI.com

People undergoing an experimental stem-cell treatment have experienced modest improvements in their vision since the trial began in 2011, but one man had his vision restored from 20/400 -- basically blind -- to 20/40.

"There's a guy walking around who was blind, but now can see," said Gary Rabin, CEO of Advanced Cell Technology, the Massachusetts company that devised the treatment. "With that sort of vision, you can have a driver's license."

The man was taking part in a trial examining the safety of using human embryonic stem cells (hESCs) to reverse two common causes of blindness, reports New Scientist.

In all, ACT has treated 22 patients who either have dry age-related macular degeneration, a common condition that leaves people with a black hole in the centre of their vision, or Stargardt's macular dystrophy, an inherited disease that leads to premature blindness.

In both diseases, people gradually lose retinal pigment epithelial (RPE) cells. These cells recycle protein and lipid debris that accumulates on the retina, and supply nutrients and energy to photoreceptors -- the cells that sense light and transmit signals to the brain.

The company is testing treatments for both conditions by turning hESCs into new RPE cells, then giving each trial participant a transplant of the cells beneath the retina in one eye.

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