NJ Cops Clean Site of Wall Street Protest

State police and sanitation workers on Friday started removing belongings from Occupy Wall Street protesters left at the World War II Memorial in Trenton after police told them they could not keep any "permanent structures" at the site.

A handful of protesters have been at the site since Oct. 6, with a few staying around the clock.

On Thursday, protesters took down tents and canopies erected at the site after state troopers told them to do so. They were warned on Friday to remove plastic bins and a generator, among other items, otherwise the items would be removed.

By noon, state police kept their word and started carting away coolers and other items as about five protesters, who were outnumbered by reporters, watched.

"These are items people in a public park would bring with them on any given day to any public park," said protester Alexander Higgins, a 31-year-old blogger from Brick who has been at the site nearly every day since Oct. 6. "People go into parks and set up tables all the time. If we were playing chess at the table, this wouldn't be a problem."

The memorial is run by the state Military and Veterans Affairs Department. A spokesman for the attorney general's Office, which represents the department, said the department is within its rights to enforce rules at the memorial that were already in place before the protest started.

"Protesters have a right to demonstrate but not a right to take over the park," said Lee Moore, a spokesman for Attorney General Paula Dow. "We have safety issues there and we have to make sure this property is available to anyone who wants to enjoy it."

He said any property confiscated would be placed in storage and could be claimed within 24 hours.

Protesters said they had straightened up their belongings and weren't bothering anyone. They saw the removal of property as a tacit way of evicting them.

In New York City, where the protests began, the city backed off ordering people out of a park in order to clean it after demonstrators complained the effort was a pretext to eviction.

Higgins, who was using the generator to power his laptop and a live video feed to the site, said the power to the outlets was cut off Friday morning.

Higgins, who has two small children and was laid off from two computer jobs at pharmaceutical companies recently, said he would continue protesting corporate greed as long as he could.

"These jobs are being shipped oversea so that they can be done, basically, by slave labor," he said. "This country is no longer for the majority of people. It's for the majority of money."

Suspect Identified in La Jolla Cab Driver Killing

Homicide investigators have issued an arrest warrant for a suspect in the death of cab driver Mir Sahou.

Sahou, a 68-year-old self-employed cab driver was found shot to death next to his green and white taxi on La Jolla Scenic Drive Sept. 28. 

Witnesses told police they saw the cab pulled over, heard an argument and then gunfire.

The cab then drove off heading northbound on La Jolla Scenic Drive North police said. The empty taxi was found around 2:20 a.m. Thursday parked on Coast Boulevard near the Children's Pool.

On Oct. 11, San Diego police homicide detectives identified Ismael Raul Lopez, 28, as the leading suspect in Sahou's death.

Police have issued an arrest warrant for Lopez. Anyone with information regarding his whereabouts is asked to call the San Diego police department at (619) 531-2000.

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Noose Drawings at IUP Not Racist

Some chalk drawings depicting hangings on trees on the Indiana University of Pennsylvania campus have been misconstrued as racist.

Tiana Reid, the vice president of the IUP Black Student League, tells KDKA-TV she was "outraged" when she first saw the drawings. Many other students jumped to the conclusion the drawings were racially motivated because they were discovered a day after a tolerance rally on campus.

But it turns out the drawings were put there by another campus group trying to do a good thing. Members of the Student Anti-Genocide Coalition say they did the drawings -- and some chalk sketches on university sidewalks -- to call attention to genocide in the African country of Sudan.

They say when rain washed away the sidewalk drawings, the tree drawings were viewed out of context.

Hopkins, Bozella Ready for Saturday Fights

Bernard Hopkins defied serious odds 23 years ago when he left Graterford State Penitentiary and never went back. Since then, he has thwarted all conventional wisdom about athletes and aging with a thriving boxing career into the back side of his 40s.

If Hopkins can figure out a way to beat Chad Dawson, the Executioner has topped himself one more time. The 46-year-old Hopkins (52-5-2, 32 KOs) realizes the enormity of the task he accepted at Staples Center on Saturday night. He has spent a half-decade warily circling Dawson (30-1, 17 KOs), the former light heavyweight champion who ranks among the most gifted fighters of his generation--and is 17 years younger than Hopkins.

``He could almost be my son, but I'm used to that,'' Hopkins said. ``Not many guys who couldn't be my son are still fighting at my level.''

Dawson sees the fight as nothing less than the defining moment of his career. He has been angling for this bout since shortly after he won his first title in early 2007, figuring a win over Hopkins will establish him as the world's greatest 175-pounder. Bad Chad coaxed, prodded and insulted Hopkins, but still couldn't get him in the ring until he leveraged a lucrative HBO pay-per-view slot and a mandatory shot at Hopkins' WBC light heavyweight belt.

``I want to be in the position Bernard is in, so I've got to move him out of the way,'' Dawson said. ``I'm not going to say I'm a nightmare, but I can be a problem for him, and I think he knows that. I think deep down, he knows this is going to be a tough fight.''

The main event is a chess match pitting two impressive athletes who prefer tactics over brawls. That's just one reason not many fans are likely to turn up at the cavernous Staples Center to see two East Coast-based boxers who rarely put on crowd-pleasing fights. Even with a strong undercard featuring Kendall Holt's 140-pound brawl with Danny Garcia and bouts for steady pros Jorge Linares and Paulie Malignaggi, the promoters know they'll struggle to fill the House That Kobe Built. Promoter Gary Shaw even tried to give away 100 tickets Thursday night on Twitter.

The card also features the pro debut of 52-year-old Dewey Bozella, who spent 26 years in prison for a murder he didn't commit. Bozella trained with Hopkins in recent weeks, and he showed off his readiness by ripping off his shirt during the pre-fight news conference on Wednesday.

Yet the main attraction is Hopkins, who beat Jean Pascal last May to become the oldest man to win a significant world title. Hopkins is no George Foreman-style novelty act, however: His skills haven't significantly eroded, but his veteran guile and gamesmanship have grown.

Dawson's combination of quickness and activity could be a brutal matchup for the shorter, slower Hopkins, but while the champion is aware of Dawson's dangerous hands, he's not terribly intimidated by the challenger's head. Dawson has acknowledged struggling for motivation and focus at various points in his career, and he makes no apologies for his nonchalant personality.

Hopkins' inner fire and ascetic lifestyle are the stuff of boxing lore. He also relishes the mind games played at boxing's highest level, and he has taken both potshots and subtle jabs at Dawson during the promotion.

``I know that he has doubt, because his personality represents doubt,'' Hopkins said. ``It doesn't mean he can't be a winner. It just means I have to exploit and expose that doubt. I will make him fight harder than he ever had to before, and we'll see if he can answer that challenge. He's knows what's capable of happening, what he'll lose if he loses.''

Hopkins has never been stopped, and Dawson is an unlikely candidate to do it. Dawson acknowledges he doesn't try to knock out most of his opponents, preferring to befuddle them with technique and work rate-but he can dream.

``Which is my favorite scenario? A knockout,'' Dawson said.``Hit him with a nice, crispy left hand and watch him go down. I know Pascal put him down three times, and I'm stronger than Pascal. I don't expect Bernard to sit there and try to trade with me. I think he's going to try to lull me to sleep, but it's not going to happen.''

Hopkins' confidence can't be shaken by any physical mismatch. He already has begun lobbying the media for the Fighter of the Year award after he beats Dawson, saying it would be an appropriate cap to a remarkable year for an athlete who could redefine all expectations of age by beating the most talented fighter in his division.

``It takes discipline not to crack that champagne bottle when they tell you you're the best,'' Hopkins said. ``When I win this fight, I'm going to go back to work just like I did before. I'm not retiring until I'm 50, and I'll still be the best light heavyweight out there.''

LinkedIn and Social Business: Your Take is Right

If there’s one thing I’ve learned during the course of my social media practice, it’s that there is no right or wrong answer to any given question. There are good and bad ideas. Additionally, there are no social media experts. There are people who spend a great deal of time on the sites, know their way around them and can communicate ideas on how to use them effectively.

I am a lifelong student of human communication. Since 2006, when the social media tsunami began its crest, I have focused on how people interact online and have questioned thousands of people on how they use the Internet for business. Certainly, the majority offer responses that fall into several distinct categories. Those who have integrated digital media into their daily business activities swear by it. Others are skeptical, intimidated, or hide behind their hectic schedules as an excuse to avoid it. At whatever side of the continuum, people are at the very least passionate about their beliefs. Passion is a good thing. In my humble opinion, your humble opinion is what truly matters. Only you know if or how social will work for you.

There are enough seminars, summits, workshops, consortiums, convergences and after-hours soirees to drive home the point to businesspeople that they should be on LinkedIn. There’s really no play on both sides of the fence here; either you’re on it and leveraging it, or you’re watching from the sidelines. To get at the heart of what drives social business -- that is, how professionals use LinkedIn advantageously -- you need to break it down to its simplest components.

To gain traction on LinkedIn, you must first:

Survey the Social Landscape

As with any meaningful undertaking, you have to do your homework on social and determine your appropriate level of engagement. Not everything will have relevance for you. Not every conversation will fall into your sweet spot. Not every session will produce results. But study your options, see where you fit in (and where you don’t) and when you’re ready, opt in with purpose.

Define Your Social Business Persona

Does your social personality mirror your real world personality? The degree to which you want to represent online will allow a glimpse into your abilities, experience and qualifications. But how you express yourself in a professional setting, and to what extent, will determine your standing in the online business community. If you have clearly established a real world role for yourself in business, the social component will follow.

Develop Your Social Voice

Whereas so many were so resistant or so skeptical for so long, there is now a collective awareness that there may be something to this LinkedIn thing after all. In order to realize your full potential on LinkedIn, you must convert activity into habit. Free yourself of any inhibitions, allow your natural instincts to come to the fore and contribute to the conversation. We are encouraged to be authentic on social media.

Have a take, an outlook, a perspective. Whatever it is, it’s right. That’s because it’s yours.

Moral of the story: when it comes to creating value, LinkedIn is a reciprocal platform. Learn from others and let others learn from you.

GERSHBEIN, CEO of OWLISH COMMUNICATIONS, is a specialist in the Art and Science of LinkedIn. He is a trusted asset to top executives, managers, entrepreneurs, professional service providers, salespeople, and those involved in the search for their next great opportunity. J.D. offers unrivaled strategic direction to individuals and firms—ranging from small to medium-sized businesses (SMB’s) to Fortune 500 companies— in using LinkedIn to build brand and generate revenue. Dubbed “LinkedIn’s #1 Brand Ambassador” and “The LinkedIn Black Belt,” J.D. is considered one of the top LinkedIn strategists in the world and a pioneer in the design and delivery of LinkedIn educational programs. A highly sought-after international speaker, J.D. draws upon his background in marketing communications, industrial psychology, neuroscience, improvisational comedy and broadcast media to inspire opportunity-oriented professionals in all walks of business. J.D. is also an Adjunct Professor at the Illinois Institute of Technology’s Stuart Graduate School of Business where he teaches the school’s first-ever course in social media. His first book, a treatise on communication for social business, will be available in early 2012.

'Plugging in' at the Mall

If you're driving an electric car, now you can charge up your vehicle while you shop at the Philadelphia region's largest mall.

The King of Prussia Mall opened two electric vehicle charging stations Friday at the upper level parking deck in front of Nordstrom.

The mall is one of the first retail centers in Pennsylvania to install EV stations.

The devices will allow drivers of electric cars to ‘pull up and plug in’ while they shop.

Officials with the mall's management company, Simon Property Group, say they're looking to cater to the growing market of EV drivers. 

Mall officials say two more EV units will be installed later this year on the Upper Level Deck of the Court, near Bloomingdale’s.

 

Injured Robber Charged in Home Invasion

The attempted armed intruder who was overpowered by the Englewood homeowner he was trying to rob now faces charges.

James Williams, 34, of the 4400 block of South Michigan has been charged with one count of armed home invasion, Chicago police said.

Williams and another man approached Perry Pearce, a Chicago Water Department employee, around 6:45 a.m. Thursday as Pearce was headed to work. 

They forced him back into his home at 5722 S. Ada St. at gunpoint, demanding he take them to his safe and open it, police said.

A fight ensued, and Pearce managed to snatch Williams' gun, shooting him in the abdomen. He was taken to Stroger Hospital.

Williams' partner fled and remains at large.

Pearce told reporters outside his home Thursday evening that he thought he was going to die.

"They put a machete to my head and they said they were going to cut my ears off," Pearce said. "I was saying, 'God, this is not my time, and I know you're going to see me go out like this.'"