Review: ' Avengers' a smackdown

(CNN) -- A celebration of specialness, Joss Whedon's slick blockbuster "The Avengers" presents what may be the ultimate team: half a dozen Marvel Comics superheroes for the price of one.

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Cancer claims Adam Yauch at age 47

(CNN) -- Adam "MCA" Yauch, a founding member of the pioneering rap band Beastie Boys, died Friday after a nearly three-year battle with cancer, the band's publicist said.

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Miami beyond the beaches

(CNN) -- Everyone knows the beach is the thing in Miami, and specifically South Beach, where all the beautiful people go to see and be seen. But what if you're traveling with children or grandparents or people who don't want to be covered in suntan lotion and little else all day? We asked for your recommendations beyond the beach, where you go when you're not lying on a towel. "There are so many Miamis to visit when you are here," one iReporter said. Here are a few of our iReporters' favorites.

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Chen case is another human rights issue for Obama

Washington (CNN) -- Iran, Syria, and now China. President Barack Obama faces a third front of vulnerability on his administration's record of defending human rights with the muddled situation involving activist Chen Guangcheng.

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Review: ' Avengers' a smackdown

(CNN) -- A celebration of specialness, Joss Whedon's slick blockbuster "The Avengers" presents what may be the ultimate team: half a dozen Marvel Comics superheroes for the price of one.

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Green Mountain shares sink 40% on weak outlook

It's been a rough ride for Green Mountain shares over the past few months.

NEW YORK (CNNMoney) -- Green Mountain Coffee Roasters shares plummeted in late trading Wednesday after the company reported quarterly revenue that missed estimates and lowered its guidance for 2012.

Green Mountain (GMCR) shares sank more than 40%, dipping below $30 after closing earlier in the day at $49.52.

The company's quarterly earnings came in line with expectations at 64 cents a share, though its $885 million in sales missed estimates of $972 million.

Green Mountain also reduced its fiscal 2012 sales guidance from between $4.3 and $4.5 billion to between $3.8 and $4 billion. The full-year earnings-per-share projection was cut from between $2.55 and $2.65 to between $2.40 and $2.50.

In a conference call with analysts, Green Mountain executives said they didn't have a full explanation for why sales were weaker than expected. They suggested that low brewer machine sales and weak demand for holiday drinks during the warm winter -- like cider and hot cocoa -- were partially to blame.

"We're very positive about this business going forward, but there's a lot of moving parts," Green Mountain CEO Larry Blanford said.

Green Mountain currently dominates the single-serving coffee market with its popular Keurig, or K-Cup, machines.

It was one of the fastest-growing companies of the past decade and one of the best-performing stocks, handing investors 110% gains on an annualized basis until last fall.

Things changed in October, when hedge fund manager David Einhorn of Greenlight Capital outlined a case for why Green Mountain would see its market share crumble, citing its expiring patents. He also raised concerns about the firm's accounting.

More recently, Green Mountain's stock took a hit after Starbucks (SBUX, Fortune 500) unveiled its own single-cup home-brewing machine. Shares gained some of this ground back after the two companies announced they were joining forces to sell Starbucks-branded single-serving coffee packs for Green Mountain's newest coffee machine, the Vue.

Green Mountain and Starbucks first paired up to sell Starbucks' coffee in Green Mountain K-Cup machines in March 2011.

Today's featured rates:

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Getting away, celebrity style

(CNN) -- Do you find yourself enviously clicking through pictures of celebrity homes on your lunch hour? Instead of turning green over the multibillion-dollar estates of George Clooney or Brad and Angelina, why not follow their lead? Plan your own getaway in a place where the stars have found solace, far from the fray.

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The facts must decide the case

Orlando, Florida (CNN) -- If George Zimmerman were a 28-year-old black man who shot and killed a 17-year-old white teenager under the same circumstances as alleged in Trayvon Martin's death, would he have been immediately arrested? After 30 years as a trial attorney, I can unhesitatingly say, "Of course."

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New Orleans between meals

(CNN) -- Last week we asked readers to weigh in on New Orleans' best dishes, and boy, did you deliver. We received delicious descriptions of beignets and bacon sundaes, shrimp po' boys and alligator sausage cheesecake. But a person can only eat so much.

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Senate renews Violence Against Women Act

(CNN) -- The U.S. Senate voted to renew a law designed to combat domestic abuse Thursday after Republicans stepped back from what was becoming a politically risky fight over some of the expansions they oppose .

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Witness: Gunmen attack Nigeria campus

(CNN) -- Gunmen attacked Christians worshipping on a Nigerian university campus on Sunday, with witnesses reporting multiple explosions and gunfire.

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3 dead in California-Mexico boat race

(CNN) -- Three people are dead and another is missing after a boat race Saturday from Newport, California, to Ensenada, Mexico, the U.S. Coast Guard said.

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