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The mayor of Miami Beach wants to cancel Spring Break as footage emerged of the moment a man was shot dead on a sidewalk during another wild weekend of partying. 'We haven’t asked for spring break in our city. We don’t want spring break in our city. It’s too rowdy, brings too much disorder and is simply too difficult to police,' said Democratic mayor Dan Gelber. The chaotic weekend saw two men shot dead and partygoers jumping on a car, brawling in streets and even trashing a slushie shop on the main drag despite the city instituting a curfew on...

Victor Light Opera Company--Gems from "Follow Thru" and "Hold Everything"

SYDNEY – Under explosive bursts of crimson, purple and blue, more than 1 million New Year revelers in Sydney got one of the world's biggest parties started Thursday — bidding farewell to the tough year that was 2009 and welcoming a new decade. As the family-friendly, pre-midnight fireworks show illuminated Australia's largest city, preparations were under way across the world for pyrotechnics, parties and prayers in the final countdown to herald the end of the period dubbed "the Noughties." The mood of celebrations was tempered in some places by the effects of the financial downturn, which bit hard in 2009,...

DALLAS, May 3, 2007 – Almost 200 deployed troops got a Texas-sized homecoming today as Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates joined hundreds of friends, family members and local residents to welcome them home from the Middle East for two weeks of rest and recuperation leave. Kimberly Smith embraces Army Spc. Corie Barran at Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport after he arrives home May 3 for two weeks of rest and recuperation leave from his deployment to Iraq. Photo by Donna Miles  (Click photo for screen-resolution image);high-resolution image available. Gates took his place alongside the flag-waving, banner-carrying, chanting revelers gathered at Dallas/Fort...

SYDNEY, Australia - Wind-swept revelers gathered around London's Big Ben to watch the fireworks, and thousands of Japanese climbed Mount Fuji and other peaks to watch the first sunrise of the New Year. But the Thai capital sent celebrants home after a series of evening bombs. Police estimated a million people crammed the shore in Sydney, one of the world's first major cities to greet the New Year, for the fireworks and daylong festivities, some staking their claims to the best view before dawn Sunday and pitching tents in case of rain. A series of evening bombings in Bangkok, Thailand,...

NEW YORK - Thousands of New Year's Eve revelers ignored the sleet and snow and packed into Times Square with their "2006" glasses, waving balloons and working noisemakers for the famous ball drop and countdown of the final minutes of 2005. "I love my spot!" said an excited Linda Smith, who had secured a prime view before noon after taking a bus from Columbus, Ohio, for the celebration. Fireworks burst above the square at 6 p.m. when the 1,070-pound Waterford crystal ball was raised. In Boston, ice sculptures, parades, parties and fireworks kicked off the annual First Night celebrations. Tyler...