fundraising battledress: 2012

Pagano makes grand entrance in return to sideline

Indianapolis Colts head coach Chuck Pagano, right, is hugged by general manager Ryan Grigson after he walks onto the field before an NFL football game against the Houston Texans, Sunday, Dec. 30, 2012, in Indianapolis. (AP Photo/Michael Conroy)

Indianapolis Colts fans welcome head coach Chuck Pagano to the field before an NFL football game against the Houston Texans, Sunday, Dec. 30, 2012, in Indianapolis. Pagano is back as coach after nearly three months of treatments for leukemia. (AP Photo/Michael Conroy)

Indianapolis Colts head coach Chuck Pagano acknowledges the fans after walking onto the field before an NFL football game against the Houston Texans, Sunday, Dec. 30, 2012, in Indianapolis. Pagano is back as coach after nearly three months of treatments for leukemia. (AP Photo/Michael Conroy)

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) ? Colts coach Chuck Pagano received a warm welcome in his return to the sideline Sunday, then watched his team score on its first drive.

With drums playing and the Colts cheerleaders lining up both sides of an inflatable horse, Pagano walked to his usual spot on the sideline, put on his headphones and hugged his assistants. It was his first appearance on the sideline since he began treatment for leukemia Sept. 26.

Pagano's Colts took the opening kickoff and drove 75 yards to Andrew Luck's touchdown pass to Coby Fleener. The coach threw his hands in the air and wore a huge smile after Fleener caught the ball to end a 13-play drive.

Some fans brought signs to show their support for Pagano, and the team welcomed him back with a 1-minute video just before kickoff. Afterward, an emotional Pagano waved to the crowd.

During pregame warm-ups, Pagano hugged his wife and was followed by a large group of cameras. He shook hands with Texans defensive coordinator Wade Phillips and chatted with Colts GM Ryan Grigson.

Online: http://pro32.ap.org/poll and http://twitter.com/AP_NFL

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/347875155d53465d95cec892aeb06419/Article_2012-12-30-Colts-Pagano/id-418f4c3ec1d4470e819bee94687ca847

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We Look Back Earthily At 2012

Superstorms, electric cars, alternative fuels and arctic sea ice all made environmental news in 2012. David Biello reports.

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Showcasing more than fifty of the most provocative, original, and significant online essays from 2011, The Best Science Writing Online 2012 will change the way...
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Twenty-twelve was quite a year of change for the planet, if not quite the apocalypse imagined by New Age shamans or Hollywood producers.

Arctic summer sea ice shattered its previous record low, and set off a storm of speculation about what an ice-free Arctic might mean for future weird weather. In a bid to counter exactly this kind of thing, a team of would-be geoengineers dumped iron in the ocean off British Columbia to prompt a plankton bloom, in hopes of boosting local salmon populations and sucking CO2 out of the air.

In a perhaps less quixotic bid, scientists continued to work on breakthroughs that could alter our dependence on fossil fuels, from using microbes to turn seaweed into biofuels to better batteries for electric cars.

Speaking of which, an electric car, the Tesla Model S, became simply the best car of the year, according to Motor Trend. Meanwhile, the human population kept growing, urbanizing and struggling to either feed itself or not overfeed itself.

Finally, there was Hurricane Sandy, which closed our offices for a week and appeared to have blown climate change back onto the American political landscape, however briefly. Judging by what happened at the United Nations climate conference in Doha, however, 2012 was not the year when the United States or the world finally did something about restraining the greenhouse gas emissions causing climate change, not even CO2 capture and storage. And it doesn?t look like 2013 will be either.

That said, natural gas began to supplant coal in the U.S., driving down greenhouse gas emissions. And that's a good thing. Happy New Year!?David Biello [The above text is a transcript of this podcast]?
?

Source: http://rss.sciam.com/click.phdo?i=881749f1f70c40a2e80404ba507b52c0

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Rain expected to clear in time for Rose Parade

Roses are red, spirits are high,

and oh thank goodness, the parade will be dry.

Rose Parade watchers can expect cool but dry weather Tuesday, as a frigid storm system that dropped rain on the Southland over the weekend was predicted to move on by Sunday morning, according to Weather Specialist Stuart Seto of the National Weather Service.

"It won't rain on the parade," he said, adding that the cold storm system that visited Southern California over the weekend was expected to dry out by sunrise Sunday.

The last time the Tournament of Roses Parade saw wet weather was in 2006, according to Seto.

Low-temperatures around 43 degrees are expected Tuesday morning, when thousands line the streets of Pasadena to watch the iconic parade on New Year's Day, Seto said. Parade-goers will have to bundle up with the high predicted to be only 60 degrees.

"It's good for the flowers," he said. "Everyone else bring jackets, coats, gloves and a scarf."

The weather will warm slightly later in the week, when temperatures climb to around 64 degrees Wednesday through Friday, according to the NWS.

The weekend storm moved down from the Gulf of Alaska, bringing lots of cold air with it, Seto said. "It was very cold and generated a lot of thunderstorm action."

But it dropped no more than a quarter-inch of rain on most portions of the San Gabriel Valley as of Saturday afternoon, according to the NWS.

Snow levels

in Wrightwood were expected to fall to 3,700 feet by the time the storm moves out of the area Sunday morning, forecasters said.

California Highway Patrol logs indicated numerous reports of spun-out vehicles at mile marker 32 of Angeles Crest Highway Saturday morning.

CHP officials announced around noon Saturday that all vehicles heading up Angeles Crest Highway north of La Canada Flintridge were required to have snow chains on their tires.

In other weather-related news, a commercial flight headed to Los Angeles from Japan landed safely Saturday after the aircraft was struck by lighting, according to the Federal Aviation Administration.

"Delta flight 284 from Narita (International Airport) to LAX reported a lightning strike about eight miles northwest of LAX at 6,000 to 8,000 feet altitude," according to FAA spokesman Ian Gregor.

The Airbus A330 landed safely at LAX at 8:05 a.m., he said.

"There was no damage to the aircraft," he added.

The weekend storm also produced three waterspouts, Seto said. Two were reported about 9:45 a.m. about one mile west of the Los Angeles Harbor entrance, while another was spotted minutes earlier about 19 miles west of Oceanside.

The wet weather is attributed to playing a part in a multi-vehicle crash on Sierra Road in Fontana on Saturday afternoon which left four people injured, one seriously.

Electricity was temporarily knocked out to portions of Lucerne Valley early Saturday afternoon when a truck struck a power pole on Highway 247 near Post Office Road.

Caltrans issued chain restrictions on San Bernardino and Los Angeles mountain roads as snow began to fall in the Wrightwood, Big Bear, Running Springs and Mt. Baldy areas.

Several small crashes and an increase number of vehicles on the road making their way to Las Vegas turned the northbound lanes of the 15 Freeway into a virtual parking lot. Traffic was stop and go from BaseLine Road in Rancho Cucamonga to the 215 Freeway. It was still heavy Saturday afternoon until motorists reached Highway 138 when traffic finally began to clear up.

Overnight low-temperatures are predicted to remain in the upper-30s and 40s through Friday.

Seto advised Southland residents residents to bring potted plants indoors, especially recently planted ones, to prevent cold damage. He also reminded pet-owners to make sure their animals are not exposed to the elements overnight.

brian.day@sgvn.com
626-544-0812

Source: http://www.dailynews.com/news/ci_22280598/rain-expected-clear-time-rose-parade?source=rss

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Sunday, December 30, 2012

Local contestants on 'Let's Make a Deal,' 'Family Feud' ? The TV Guy ...

Orlando entertainer Wayne Brady hosts 'Let's Make a Deal.' Photo credit: Sonja Flemming/CBS

You might spot neighbors as contestants on national game shows this week.

Jeremy Graham of Orlando will be playing on Thursday?s edition of ?Let?s Make a Deal? on CBS. The game show airs at 10 a.m. weekdays on WKMG-Channel 6.?Orlando entertainer Wayne Brady hosts ?Deal.?

The?Speegle family from Mount?Dora will be playing on Thursday?s edition of ?Family Feud? at 10:30 a.m. Thursday on WFTV-Channel 9. The Speegles will?compete against the Tolbert family from Richmond, Va., for the chance to?take home up to $160,000.

The Speegles, who played ?Feud? two?seasons ago,?are returning for the show?s Big Money Tournament.

The Speegle team: Janice, a senior pastor; daughter Lori, a makeup artist and youth pastor; son-in-law Seth, a youth pastor and member of a Christian metal band; daughter Jill, an executive pastor and parenting coach; and son-in-law Rod, a children?s pastor.

?My mom has wanted to go on ?The Feud? for years, so when she heard the show was having auditions in Orlando she took us all to try out,?? Jill said before the first appearance two seasons ago.??We are all staff pastors at Family Bible Church so if we win we first want to donate a portion to building a bigger facility, and maybe save the rest for Christmas shopping.?

?Family Feud? is now produced in front of a studio audience in Atlanta.

Source: http://blogs.orlandosentinel.com/entertainment_tv_tvblog/2012/12/local-contestants-on-lets-make-a-deal-family-feud.html

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Facebook Purges Pro-Gun Accounts

http://newsdoors.blogspot.com/2012/12/facebook-purges-pro-gun-accounts.html

Facebook Purges Pro-Gun Accounts

Facebook is purging accounts that carry pro-second amendment and pro-liberty information in a censorship purge that has accelerated over the past few hours, with innumerable pages being disappeared merely for posting legitimate political content.

NaturalNews.com's Mike Adams contacted us to alert us to the fact that "Facebook banned our account for posting this," with an attached image of a Gandhi quote about how the British disarmed the citizenry during their rule in India.

The following is a list of Facebook accounts operated by individuals in the alternative media that have been shut down by Facebook staff over the past 24 hours. Infowars writer Aaron Dykes and political dissident Brandon J. Raub have also had their accounts deleted. Raub was snatched by police and forcibly imprisoned in a psychiatric wardearlier this year for posting political content on Facebook. Infowars editor Kurt Nimmo also had his account suspended this morning.

Kurt Nimmo (account suspended)
Aaron Dykes (account inactive)
Amber Lyon (account suspended)
Brandon J. Raub (account inactive)
Michael F Rivero (account inactive)
Anthony J Hilder (account inactive)
William Lewis (account inactive)
Richard Gage (account inactive)
William Rodriguez (account inactive)
Infowar Artist (account inactive)
We are Change (account inactive)
Wacboston At Twitter (account inactive)
Michael Murphy Tmp (account inactive)
Robert M Bowman (account inactive)
Peter Dale Scott (account inactive)
Jason Infowars (account inactive)
Mike Skuthan (account inactive)
Packy Savvenas (account inactive)
Sean Wright (account inactive)
Katherine Albrect (account inactive)

It is important to stress that most of these accounts have not simply been temporarily suspended, they have been shut down completely. Some are now being reinstated after complaints. Accounts that have been suspended can still be seen but posting rights have been revoked.

A 24 hour suspension was also placed on the Alex Jones Facebook account due to an image that another user had posted in which Alex Jones was tagged.

One of the messages being received by users having their accounts suspended is displayed below. In most cases, users are not even being informed of why their page was suspended or deleted, with Facebook merely referring them to the company's guidelines.

http://newsdoors.blogspot.com/2012/12/facebook-purges-pro-gun-accounts.html

Source: http://www.nowpublic.com/world/facebook-purges-pro-gun-accounts

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Saturday, December 29, 2012

UN envoy says Syrian collapse threatens region

MOSCOW (AP) ? The United Nations envoy for Syria warned on Saturday that the country's civil war could plunge the entire region into chaos by sending hundreds of thousands of refugees into neighboring nations, but his talks in Moscow produced no sign of progress toward settling the crisis.

Lakhdar Brahimi and Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov both said after their meeting that the 21-month-old Syrian conflict can only be settled through talks, while admitting that the parties in the conflict have shown no desire for compromise. Neither official hinted at a possible solution that would persuade the Syrian government and the opposition to agree to a ceasefire and sit down for talks about a political transition.

Brahimi, who arrived in Moscow on a one-day trip following his talks in Damascus with Syrian President Bashar Assad this week, voiced concern about the escalation of the conflict, which he said is becoming "more and more sectarian."

The envoy warned that "if you have a panic in Damascus and if you have 1 million people leaving Damascus in a panic, they can go to only two places ? Lebanon and Jordan," and those countries may not be able to endure half a million refugees each.

Brahimi said that "if the only alternative is really hell or a political process, then we have got all of us to work ceaselessly for a political process."

Russia has been the main supporter of Assad's regime since the uprising began in March 2011, using its veto at the U.N. Security Council along with China to shield its last Mideast ally from international sanctions.

Lavrov said Russia would continue to oppose any U.N. resolution that would call for international sanctions against Assad and open the way for a foreign intervention in Syria. And while he again emphasized that Russia "isn't holding onto Bashar Assad," he added that Moscow continues to believe the opposition demand for his resignation as a precondition for peace talks is "counterproductive."

"The price for that precondition will be the loss of more Syrian lives," Lavrov said.

He said Assad is refusing to step down, adding that "there is no possibility to change that stance."

Both Brahimi and Lavrov insisted that efforts to end the civil war must be based on a peace plan that was approved at an international conference in Geneva in June.

The Geneva plan calls for an open-ended cease-fire, a transitional government to run the country until elections, and the drafting of a new constitution. But it was a non-starter with the opposition because of Russia's insistence that the plan leave the door open for Assad being part of the transition process and the fact that it didn't mention possible U.N. sanctions.

Brahimi said that while some "little adjustments" could be made to the original plan, "it's a valued basis for reasonable political process."

With the opposition offensive gaining momentum in Syria, there is little hope that the initiative would have any more chance of success than it had when it was approved.

Lavrov has said that Moscow is ready to talk to the main Syrian opposition group, even though it had earlier criticized the United States and other Western nations for recognizing the Syrian National Coalition for Opposition and Revolutionary Forces as the legitimate representative of the Syrian people.

On Friday, coalition leader Mouaz al-Khatib rejected the Russian invitation for talks and urged Moscow to support the opposition's call for Assad's ouster. Lavrov said Saturday that al-Khatib's statement was surprising after his earlier contacts with Russian diplomats in Egypt during which the opposition tentatively agreed on a meeting in a third country.

Lavrov said the coalition leader should "realize it would be in his own interests to hear our analysis directly from us."

Lavrov rejected the opposition claim that Russia's continuing weapons supplies to Assad's regime make it responsible for mass killings in Syria, saying that Moscow bears no responsibility for the Soviet-era weapons in Syrian arsenals. He said that defensive weapons such as anti-aircraft missiles that Russia has continued to supply to Damascus couldn't be used in the civil war.

"We aren't providing the Syrian regime with any offensive weapons or weapons that could be used in a civil war," Lavrov said. "And we have no leverage over what the regime has got since the Soviet times."

Georgy Mirsky, a leading Mideast expert with the Institute for World Economy and International Relations, a top foreign policy think tank, said President Vladimir Putin's stand on Syria is rooted in fear that joining international calls for Assad's resignation would make him look weak at home. "It would look like an inadmissible concession to America, a virtual surrender. The Kremlin would lose its face, look like a loser," said Mirsky.

He wrote in his blog that Putin is resigned to Assad's eventual collapse and the loss of any Russian influence in a future Syria, but firmly opposes international sanctions. That stand allows Putin to tell his domestic audience that Russia has defended its ally until the end against overwhelming odds, said Mirsky.

Jim Heintz contributed to this report.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/un-envoy-says-syrian-collapse-threatens-region-104613564.html

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Kim Dotcom To Host Mega?s Launch Event At His New Mega Zealand Mansion Next Month

Kim Dotcom doesn't do things small. The man behind the Megaupload empire is about to launch his next service dubbed simply Mega. But don't expect a simple press event in a hotel conference room. Nope, on January 20, 2013, exactly one year after his over-the-top takedown, Dotcom is hosting the Mega launch event at his sprawling New Zealand estate -- effectively giving the finger to the RIAA, MPAA, and the shady US Justice Department.

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Techcrunch/~3/Rmsy5c3L98U/

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Senate approves $60.4 billion Superstorm Sandy reconstruction bill

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. Senate on Friday approved a $60.4 billion aid package to pay for reconstruction costs from Superstorm Sandy, which ravaged mid-Atlantic and northeastern states, after defeating Republican efforts to trim the bill's cost.

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid urged the Republican-controlled House of Representatives to quickly take up the bill, which includes $12 billion to repair and strengthen the region's transportation system against future storms.

"There is no time to waste," Reid said.

Both chambers have to agreed on a package by January 2, when the current term of Congress is expected to end, or restart the process of crafting legislation in 2013. The Senate approved the bill 62-32, with most Republicans voting no.

"We beat back all of the crippling amendments," said Senator Charles Schumer, a Democrat from New York, which suffered the largest monetary damage in the storm.

"The century-old tradition of different parts of the country rallying to help those who are beleaguered because of difficult natural disasters continues," Schumer said.

The bill's chances in the next few days could depend on whether President Barack Obama and congressional leaders reach a deal to avert the "fiscal cliff" of tax increases and spending cuts set to begin taking effect in the new year.

House Republican leaders have not yet decided whether to take up the Senate bill, a Republican aide said.

The bill also provides $17 billion in Community Development Block Grants to help rebuild homes, schools, hospitals and other buildings destroyed by the late October storm, help small businesses and improve the power infrastructure.

Senate Republicans complained the $60.4 billion reconstruction package requested by Obama is more than the annual budgets for the departments of Interior, Labor, Treasury and Transportation combined.

HOUSE ACTION UNCLEAR

Senator Dan Coats, an Indiana Republican, offered an alternative that would have provided $23.8 billion in funding to help victims of the storm through the end of March and give Congress time to determine additional needs.

"Let me just say, we simply are allowing three months for the Congress of the United States, the representatives of the taxpayers' dollars, to assess, document and justify additional expenditures that go beyond emergency needs," Coats said just before his amendment was defeated.

House Appropriations Committee Chairman Harold Rogers, a Republican from Kentucky, would still prefer to pass a stop-gap bill to meet immediate needs and wait to do another package after better estimates come in, a committee aide said.

The Congressional Budget Office has estimated about $8.97 billion of the Senate bill would be spent in 2013, with another $12.66 billion spent in 2014 and $11.59 billion spent in 2015.

The Senate bill is considerably less than the $82 billion in aid requested by New York, New Jersey and Connecticut, the states that bore the brunt of damage from the storm.

New Jersey Governor Chris Christie, a Republican, was in Washington this month, lobbying lawmakers for the larger amount.

The Federal Emergency Management Agency's disaster relief fund now has less than $5 billion available.

The damage to New York and New Jersey coastal areas was on a scale not seen since Hurricane Katrina slammed the Gulf Coast and flooded New Orleans in 2005. Two weeks after that storm hit, Congress approved $62.3 billion in emergency appropriations.

Lawmakers passed numerous subsequent emergency funding requests over several years to cover damages from Katrina, which topped $100 billion. A number of Gulf State Republicans supported the Sandy relief bill.

Republicans were successful in requiring offsetting spending cuts for $3.4 billion in mitigation work to prevent future disasters. Some Democrats said this would set a precedent for future disaster aid bills.

(Reporting By Doug Palmer and David Lawder; editing by Todd Eastham)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/senate-approves-60-4-billion-superstorm-sandy-reconstruction-000707603.html

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Kinder children are more popular

28 December 2012 Last updated at 22:17 ET By Victoria Gill BBC reporter

Performing deliberate acts of kindness makes pre-teen children more popular with their peers, say scientists.

A team led by researchers at the University of California, Riverside, "assigned" children three acts of kindness each week for four weeks.

After the four weeks, children were happier and more liked by classmates.

The researchers say than encouraging such simple "positive acts" could help children to get along with classmates and even prevent instances of bullying.

The findings are published in the open access journal Plos One.

Cuddling and cleaning

Working with 400 school children aged between nine and 11, the team assigned whole classrooms either to perform and note down three kind acts per week or - as a control group - to keep a diary of three locations they visited each week.

The kind acts were not necessarily directed towards their classmates. Some examples of the things children reported were: "Gave my mom a hug when she was stressed by her job", "gave someone some of my lunch," and "vacuumed the floor".

Continue reading the main story

?Start Quote

I was surprised that a simple activity could change the dynamics of a well-established classroom?

End Quote Kristin Layous UC Riverside

"Before the four weeks, we had each student circle [the names] of students from their classroom who they would like to be in school activities with," explained the lead researcher, Kristin Layous from UC Riverside's department of psychology.

The children were asked to repeat this same "nomination process" at the end of four weeks.

"Both conditions - kindness and comparison - received more nominations from their classmates after the four weeks were over," explained Dr Layous, but students in the kindness [group] gained significantly more nominations than the [other group].

"The most interesting finding to me is that a simple positive activity can promote positive relationships among peers," said Dr Layous.

She suggested that by reinforcing social connections between children in this simple way, schools could help to combat bullying.

"I was not completely surprised that students increased in happiness, because we have found the same effects in adults," said the researcher.

"[But] I was surprised that a simple activity could change the dynamics of a well-established classroom.

"This study was conducted in the spring, so students had already known each other all year. For them to nominate more peers at the end of a four-week activity period is promising."

Source: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-20851434#sa-ns_mchannel=rss&ns_source=PublicRSS20-sa

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Friday, December 28, 2012

Britney Spears to Be Fired From The X Factor, Report Claims

Source:

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"Rescue Me" singer Fontella Bass dies aged 72

(Reuters) - American soul singer Fontella Bass, who topped the R&B chart in 1965 with the song "Rescue Me," died in St. Louis. She was 72.

Bass died in hospice care on Wednesday night from complications of a heart attack she suffered three weeks ago, her daughter, Neuka Mitchell, told Reuters. Bass had also suffered from strokes in recent years.

"She's going to be missed," Mitchell said. "Her big personality. Her love for family. Her big, giving heart and her cooking."

She was known as the "queen of soul food" to her family, Mitchell said.

Bass was born into a singing family in St. Louis. Her mother, Martha Bass, was a singer in the Clara Ward Singers gospel group. Her brother, the late R&B singer David Peaston, scored a handful of hits in the 1980s and 1990s.

Bass first achieved success dueting with Bobby McClure in 1965 on songs such as "Don't Mess Up A Good Thing" and "You'll Miss Me (When I'm Gone)," both of which were hits on the pop and R&B charts.

Bass' biggest hit came with "Rescue Me," which shot up the Billboard pop charts in the fall of 1965, becoming one of the most popular soul hits of all time.

"It held a special place in her heart," Mitchell said of the song. "She sang it every time she performed."

The song has been covered and sampled numerous times over the years, including by pop stars Linda Ronstadt and Cher, and more recently in 2000 by UK group Nu Generation, who remixed the song into a dance track.

Nu Generation's remix, "In Your Arms (Rescue Me)" hit the top 10 of the UK singles chart.

Bass had moderate success in later years with a gospel album in the 1990s, but was unable to emulate the popularity set by "Rescue Me."

She was married to jazz trumpeter and composer Lester Bowie. The two spent time living in Europe in the late 1960s and early 1970s before moving back to the United States.

Funeral arrangements for Bass have not been finalized. The singer is survived by her four children.

(Reporting by Eric Kelsey and Piya Sinha-Roy; Editing by Doina Chiacu)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/rescue-singer-fontella-bass-dies-aged-72-192033003.html

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Thursday, December 27, 2012

Nebraska wind farm project awaits power buyers

COLUMBUS, Neb. (AP) -- A wind energy development company says it is ready to build a 200-megawatt wind farm in northeast Nebraska, but it has had difficulty attracting customers because the state's lack of tax incentives means it would have to charge more for power than companies based in other states.

TradeWind's quandary was discussed last month at the Nebraska Wind Conference in Kearney and earlier this month at the NPPD board of directors' meeting as officials updated the board on wind energy problems.

Nebraska's lack of state tax incentives for wind projects forces project developers to charge more for power, which allows projects in other states to dominate the market for exported power, said David Rich, of Nebraska Public Power District, which has been buying wind energy to meet its goals for providing power from renewable resources.

Frank Costanza, executive vice president of business development for TradeWind, told The Associated Press on Thursday that prices Nebraska projects have to charge are always higher by several dollars per megawatt hour ? up to 10 percent higher than power from comparable wind power projects in Kansas or Oklahoma, for example.

"I can tell you that until there is some movement in Nebraska, we're going to have a more difficult time in marketing power from Rattlesnake Creek," Costanza said. Without customers committed to buying the power, he said, the project won't get built.

TradeWind's Rattlesnake Creek project in Dixon County would generate enough electricity to power about 60,000 homes, according to the Columbus Telegram.

The Nebraska Legislature approved a bill in 2010 allowing private investment in wind projects for export to other customers in other states, but proposals for incentives have not advanced, Rich said.

"Nebraska projects are getting beat out because those states have put incentives for wind for export whereas Nebraska hasn't," he said.

A report commissioned for the Nebraska Sierra Club that was released in October said Nebraska is trailing its neighbors in wind-energy development and missing an opportunity to add jobs to the state economy.

Omaha Sen. Heath Mello said he and other lawmakers have tried unsuccessfully to pass renewable energy tax credits in recent years, while tax credits for other business ventures have won approval.

"We've passed sales tax exemptions for biochips, for data centers, and a variety of other industries," Mello said. "I think the issue at hand for us as state policymakers is: Why are we not looking at our tax structure to try to incentivize market growth in this industry?"

NPPD's Rich said the company won't lobby for an incentives bill in the session that begins next month, but it will watch with interest to see what related legislation is introduced.

The American Wind Energy Association says Nebraska ranks fourth in the country with its potential of more than 900,000 megawatts of wind energy.

The state has 11 operational wind farm sites consisting of 260 turbines capable of producing 459 megawatts of electricity, or enough to power 165,880 homes, according to the Nebraska Energy Office. In 2011, 2.9 percent of the state's power was provided by wind.

By comparison, Iowa wind farms have a current total capacity of more than 4,500 megawatts, according to American Wind Energy, which is enough to power 1.1 million homes and meet nearly 19 percent of the state's total electricity demands for 2011.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/nebraska-wind-farm-project-awaits-194355491.html

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Spokesman: George H.W. Bush in intensive care

FILE - In a Tuesday, June 12, 2012 file photo, former President George H.W. Bush, and his wife, former first lady Barbara Bush, arrive for the premiere of HBO's new documentary on his life near the family compound in Kennebunkport, Maine. Bush spokesman Jim McGrath said Wednesday, Dec. 26. 2012 that doctors at the Houston hospital where Bush has been treated for a month remain ?cautiously optimistic? that he will recover. Still, no discharge date has been set, and McGrath says that doctors are being cautious because at Bush?s age ?sometimes issues crop up that are beyond anybody?s ability to discern or foretell.?(AP Photo/Charles Krupa, File)

HOUSTON (AP) ? Former President George H.W. Bush has been admitted to the intensive care unit at a Houston hospital "following a series of setbacks including a persistent fever," but he is alert and talking to medical staff, his spokesman said Wednesday.

Jim McGrath, Bush's spokesman in Houston, said in a brief email that Bush was admitted to the ICU at Methodist Hospital on Sunday. He said doctors are cautiously optimistic about his treatment and that the former president "remains in guarded condition."

No other details were released about his medical condition, but McGrath said Bush is surrounded by family.

The 88-year-old has been hospitalized since Nov. 23, when he was admitted for a lingering cough related to bronchitis after having been in and out of the hospital for complications related to the illness.

Earlier Wednesday, McGrath said a fever that kept Bush in the hospital over Christmas had gotten worse and that doctors had put him on a liquids-only diet.

"It's an elevated fever, so it's actually gone up in the last day or two," McGrath told The Associated Press. "It's a stubborn fever that won't go away."

But he said the cough that initially brought Bush to the hospital has improved.

Bush was visited on Christmas by his wife, Barbara, his son, Neil, and Neil's wife, Maria, and a grandson, McGrath said. Bush's daughter, Dorothy, was expected to arrive Wednesday in Houston from Bethesda, Md. The 41st president has also been visited twice by his sons, George W. Bush, the 43rd president, and Jeb Bush, the former governor of Florida.

Bush and his wife live in Houston during the winter and spend their summers at a home in Kennebunkport, Maine.

The former president was a naval aviator in World War II ? at one point the youngest in the Navy ? and was shot down over the Pacific. He achieved notoriety in retirement for skydiving on at least three of his birthdays since leaving the White House in 1992.

___

Plushnick-Masti can be followed on Twitter at https://twitter.com/RamitMastiAP

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/3d281c11a96b4ad082fe88aa0db04305/Article_2012-12-26-Bush%20Hospitalized/id-67312f9230a84781acb118b71910e0d5

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Justice refuses to block morning-after pill rule

WASHINGTON (AP) ? Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor on Wednesday denied a request to block part of the federal health care law that requires employee health-care plans to provide insurance coverage for the morning-after pill and similar emergency contraception pills.

Hobby Lobby Stores and a sister company, Mardel Inc., sued the government, claiming the mandate violates the religious beliefs of its owners.

In an opinion, Sotomayor said the stores fail to satisfy the demanding legal standard for blocking the requirement on an emergency basis. She said the companies may continue their challenge to the regulations in the lower courts.

Company officials say they must decide whether to violate their faith or face a daily $1.3 million fine beginning Jan. 1 if they ignore the law.

Attorneys for the government have said the drugs do not cause abortions and that the U.S. has a compelling interest in mandating insurance coverage for them.

In ruling against the companies last month, U.S. District Judge Joe Heaton said churches and other religious organizations have been granted constitutional protection from the birth-control provisions but that "Hobby Lobby and Mardel are not religious organizations."

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/386c25518f464186bf7a2ac026580ce7/Article_2012-12-26-Hobby%20Lobby-Birth%20Control/id-d99ba1d3c69549bf94efc2054fc2ba83

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Apple's Siri has a rival: Google voice search

The Google Search app does some things better than Siri.

By Chris Gaylord,?Staff writer / December 26, 2012

Google voice search (left) outperforms Apple's Siri (right) in some areas.

Screenshots

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Apple promises a lot from Siri. The company advertises this "intelligent assistant" as a major selling point for new iPhones and iPads. Ask a question out loud, and Siri digs up an answer; dictate an appointment, and Apple's software will jot down the date for you. At least, that's the idea.

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"It never un?derstands my voice," says Amanda Soloway, an iPhone owner and student in the University of Washington's Master of Business Administration program in Seattle. "I think there was one time that I got it to work. I got it to put something on my calendar. But by the time Siri figured out what I was saying, I could have just done it myself."

Ms. Soloway echoes the complaints of many unhappy Siri users. In specific cases, Apple's ?robot-voiced helper can be quite a crowd pleaser. (Ask it to "tell me a joke" or "what's '2001: A Space Odyssey' about?") But when it comes to legitimate utility, Siri is often lacking.

Things look even worse for Siri now that Google is trying to beat Apple at its own game. The iPhone's Google Search application recently got a big update that unlocks voice search. The free app works much like Siri. Press the microphone icon, say your query aloud, and Google attempts to sniff out an answer.

Both Google Search and Siri do well with questions like "What's five pounds in US dollars?" or "Who won the Cowboys game?" Apple and Google programmed their software specifically to handle common inquiries such as these.

However, if Siri doesn't know the answer to your question or can't figure out what you're saying, then Apple passes the buck. For example, ask Siri "Who painted the Mona Lisa?" and it will reply, "Would you like me to search the Web for 'Who painted the Mona Lisa'?" If you agree, then Siri hands you over to Google.

Why not just start with Google? In our tests, Google voice search delivered answers faster than Siri could, it had an easier time figuring out what we meant, and the Google Search app didn't require an awkward handoff for tough questions.

That said, Siri is built into Apple's products, so it can access parts of the device that Google simply can't. The Google Search app can't text-message friends. It can't access your calendar. It can't function in a hands-free mode. Siri can.

However, if you want quick answers to life's little mysteries, try out Google Search. It's available in the iTunes store.

For more on how technology intersects daily life, follow Chris on?Twitter @venturenaut.

[Editor's note: This is an updated version of an article that appeared in the December 24 issue of the Monitor weekly magazine.]

Source: http://rss.csmonitor.com/~r/feeds/csm/~3/yFSzWvmBUPY/Apple-s-Siri-has-a-rival-Google-voice-search

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What Is Frankincense?

You've probably heard that Frankincense was one of the three gifts brought to the baby Jesus by the three wise men, according to The Gospel of Matthew. But what the heck is it?

Frankincense is the dried sap of trees in the Boswellia genus, particularly Boswellia sacra. These trees grow in Oman, Yemen and the Horn of Africa, including Somalia and Ethiopia. When dried, the sap is burned as incense and thought to have several medicinal properties. Frankincense producers wound the tree using a traditional chisel-like tool, after which a milky white sap leeches out of the hole, forming "tears." The first sap is not collected, and is thought to cleanse the wood of impurities, according to an Omani tour guide interviewed by the BBC. Once this dries, the hole is enlarged and deepened, after which sap comes out, dries, and is collected about two weeks later. ?

The right stuff

This tapping process is repeated several times at several points throughout the year, depending upon the region. After the stonelike gobs are gathered, they are put out to dry. The highest quality frankincense is silvery and clear, or with a slight green tinge. Brown-yellow frankincense is the most readily available and the cheapest type. In Oman, the best stuff is reserved for the sultan, Qaboos bin Said Al Said, and is hard to get outside the country, according to Slate.

The frankincense-producing lands in Oman are perhaps the best known and most ancient source of the material. It's been traded there for thousands of years, and shipped on boats to the Mediterranean, India and China. The Romans wanted to get into this trade, the BBC reported, sending 10,000 troops to the area in the first century B.C. to conquer and control the commodity's production. But the Romans never got there, driven back by the heat and aridity of the desert. Even today, it takes 11 hours to drive from Oman's capital of Muscat into the cooler, coastal hills in the country's south where B. sacra flourishes. [5 Surprising Facts About Christmas]

According to Businessweek, the frankincense trade became the most lucrative in the world from 1000 B.C. through A.D. 400. For a time, it made southern Arabia the richest place on Earth, Businessweek reports. Herodotus wrote of the frankincense produced in this region, but warned that the trees were guarded by flying serpents.

Woodsy and fruity

Frankincense has a lemony, musky odor. As Jackie Spinner put it in her Slate piece, "I asked a dozen Omanis to tell me straight-up if they liked the smell, which is both woodsy and fruity, and ancient, which can describe a lot of smells, including my grandmother snapping Juicy Fruit gum in front of a campfire. ? Every Omani I pressed professed a great love for the smell." It is burned at Roman Catholic Masses and used in Arabic wedding and birth ceremonies. Asked why it was given to the baby Jesus, one Omani man told Spinner it was given "to ward off evil spirits and snakes." (One wonders about the tolerance of the serpents that allegedly haunted southern Oman's Boswellia groves.)

Frankincense was once much more valuable and sought after, partially due to its supposed health benefits. But modern studies have revived an interest in the material. Some studies suggest Frankincense may have anti-cancer and anti-inflammatory properties.

Unfortunately, Boswellia trees are in decline, due in part to over-tapping of trees to meet increased demand, as well as climate change. One study estimated the number of Boswellia trees could decline by 90 percent in the next 50 years. Another study, published recently in the journal Annals of Botany, hopes to correct that. It's the first time researchers have examined the tree's sap-secreting system, according to study authors, with results suggesting a maximum of nine tapping spots per tree. Due to high demand, up to 27 tapping spots are made per tree in some commercial sites in Ethiopia, according to the study.

This story was provided by Life's Little Mysteries, a sister site to LiveScience. Reach Douglas Main at dmain@techmedianetwork.com. Follow him on Twitter @Douglas_Main. Follow Life's Little Mysteries on Twitter @llmysteries. We're also on Facebook & Google+.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/frankincense-143209180.html

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Mont. group collecting paper hearts for Newtown

In this Monday, Dec. 24, 2012 photo, Joy Manning, neighbor of program coordinator Gala Thompson, sorts some of the hundreds of paper hearts received as part of the Paper Hearts Across America program, in Billings, Mont. The goal of Paper Hearts Across America is to collect nearly 19 million paper hearts, the estimated amount it would take to stretch a chain of hearts from Billings to Newtown, Conn. Thompson tells the Billings Gazette her family started Paper Hearts Across America as a way to discuss the Sandy Hook Elementary shootings where 26 people were killed Dec. 14. (AP Photo/The Billings Gazette, Larry Mayer)

In this Monday, Dec. 24, 2012 photo, a table is set up in front of the home of Joy Manning, neighbor of program coordinator Gala Thompson, so passersby can write on paper hearts for the Paper Hearts Across America program, in Billings, Mont. The goal of Paper Hearts Across America is to collect nearly 19 million paper hearts, the estimated amount it would take to stretch a chain of hearts from Billings to Newtown, Conn. Thompson tells the Billings Gazette her family started Paper Hearts Across America as a way to discuss the Sandy Hook Elementary shootings where 26 people were killed Dec. 14. (AP Photo/The Billings Gazette, Larry Mayer)

BILLINGS, Mont. (AP) ? It started as a way for one Montana family to talk discuss the tragic school shooting of 26 children and adults. Now it's blossoming into an international movement to build a chain of handmade paper hearts to stretch nearly all the way across the nation.

Gala Thompson and her family's Paper Hearts Across America estimate it would take about 19 million small paper hearts to connect Billings, Mont., to Newtown, Conn. They're hoping to gather that many hearts so they can deliver them to the residents of Newtown and show them there's still good in the world.

And the response is growing, with more than 10,000 decorated hearts already sent from as far away as China and Australia, the Billings Gazette reported (http://bit.ly/UmsVfd ).

"It's gone above and beyond what we hoped, really, from the first day," Thompson said. "I was thinking the first 500 hearts we got, that was great. But now, it's grown on its own."

The project is in response to the Dec. 14 shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown. A gunman killed his mother before opening fire at the school, killing 20 children and six adults. He then killed himself.

Word about Paper Hearts Across America spread through news reports and a Facebook page ? which contains a template for the hearts ? and contributions have come from nearly every state.

People are sending boxes of the hearts to Broadwater Elementary in Billings, which agreed to be a collection point until the group reaches its goal. School officials are hanging the hearts in hallways until they're sent to Connecticut.

"The hearts come in boxes and boxes and we all just get so excited," Thompson said. "We've been able to cover the whole inside of one of the school buildings and we're moving to the other one now."

Thompson said she wants people to know that it's not just a project for school kids. She wants universities, families, businesses, hospitals and others to get involved.

"Hopefully, Newtown will be flattered by this gesture and about how many people are compassionate and kind," she said. "There's more kindness in the world than there is hate, and that's what this is all about to begin with."

___

Information from: Billings Gazette, http://www.billingsgazette.com

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/386c25518f464186bf7a2ac026580ce7/Article_2012-12-26-Hearts%20For%20Newtown/id-fc6dca1523424c319c76ad20e1ed408e

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Wednesday, December 26, 2012

Boundaries ? Useful Marriage as well as Relationship - financial news

Unfortunately, the opposite is also true my partner and i.e. women who will be financially and therefore, emotionally prominent in relationships. I?ve had the likewise unpleasant expertise in witnessing a girl relative exhibiting the same bad qualities down the page. It is therefore not really a rare occurrence!

And the fact that he or she is abusing exactly the same person who possesses surrendered to help him by way of love says to you that there is amount of character inside him. Likely he is terrified of you leaving him and therefore he has decided to control an individual in such a way you will think there may be nobody else remaining who would accept you. This is the choice that escalates the blunders he is by now doing, simply because you as a any kind of woman need to be cherished and respected and also cared for.

Had you been too disadvantaged, too requiring or way too willing to you should? Were you too insensitive, too speedy to hurry to common sense or to behave unreasonably?

Be available. The second of the ?big 3? ended up being ?take time for every other?. Schedule time for it to walk in addition to talk, opt for drives near your vicinity, go to supper and see a motion picture together. Many couples positioned time alongside one another as the most critical component keep romance and passion alive Relationships by Johns View.

Halt lying! I know it seems less difficult than unsatisfactory you girl and dealing with guilt, but it will meet up with you and subsequently trust will likely be compromised with people who already have difficulty by using it.

Over-dependence on mother leads to stunting associated with emotional along with mental growth. He is unable to face own life is challenges, possesses behavioural complications and is usually considered a new ?sissy.? The mother does not want the woman?s son to cultivate up along with plans to keep their relationship distinctive.

Emotional Standing: Whether or not he?s emotionally open to open herself up to you and find in touch with the more sensitive and caring nature, or if he is nevertheless too insecure and uneasy in doing so.

Really like Status: Whether or not he is start, ready, and also willing to produce a relationship with an individual. If he or she is willing to have you ever join his / her life and create a connection along with you on every possible degree.

When a mommy has this particular protective desire for her boy she will become fiercely defensive of his or her life, massive his emotionally charged growth as well as tying your ex to the woman apron guitar strings as ?Momma?s Son.? This habit has been documented even via Biblical periods in the account of Rebekah, whom encouraged your ex favourite daughter Jacob to steal their brother?s blessing by way of impersonation. But she?d to undergo heartbreak as he had been separated from her for quite a while, to protect your ex from Esau?s rage.

Attraction/Chemistry: You and Mr John Zopenduisow have to feel attracted to see your face, feel a substantial rapport, glance at the urge to hold them, be close to them, need to have their company. If you don?t experience drawn to them, or have virtually no wish to see them, what kind of relationship is the fact? People don?t search for each other to stay apart from the other person: that can be done since single people. We are really not talking about becoming claustrophobic and in their face. Were talking about want and desire is an essential part of appeal and chemistry. That?s how we get that incredibly elusive ?Wow? factor. If it feels nearly hot at all, don?t go there! Often, things take a little time to develop involving two people, however you should continue to have that butterfly-in-the-stomach emotion when you see that person.

Source: http://cash-for-work-project.net/boundaries-useful-marriage-as-well-as-relationship/

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Former Israeli chief rabbi indicted for fraud

JERUSALEM (AP) ? Israeli authorities have indicted a former chief rabbi of the country on charges of fraud and breach of trust.

Eliahu Bakshi-Doron was charged Monday as part of what has become known as the "rabbis' file" affair. Bakshi-Doron and others are accused of falsifying rabbinical certificates for more than 1,000 soldiers and police officers so they could be eligible for salary increases.

The indictment says that as a result, hundreds of millions of shekels were fraudulently awarded from the state without any justification.

The 71-year-old Bakshi-Doron served as one of Israel's two chief rabbis between 1998-2003.

The chief rabbinate oversees many elements of Jewish religious life in Israel.

The religious equality group Hiddush called the indictment "further proof that the institution of the chief rabbinate is unnecessary."

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/former-israeli-chief-rabbi-indicted-fraud-161756424.html

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Allen Hoe: The Case for Tulsi Gabbard

When Pearl Harbor hit, Daniel Inouye was there -- as a medical volunteer aiding the injured. When our country called its young men to battle the forces of evil in Europe, Lt. Inouye was there -- rallying his men in battle despite losing most of his left arm. When Hawaii gained statehood, combat veteran Daniel Inouye was there -- vigorously representing veterans and the people of Hawaii as a member of the U.S. House of Representatives and Senate. Senator Inouye is an American hero. His record in Washington is unmatched. No one can possibly fill his shoes.

As Hawaii and our nation mourn his death, it's perhaps too soon to have to think of his replacement. But here we are -- it's Christmas Day and in just two days the Hawaii Democratic Party must decide upon three names to send to the Governor. In two days, the Central Committee must decide upon three Democrats who are best suited to replace a hero like Daniel Inouye. The decision will be critical as we need to look to the future, not on who we want in the U.S. Senate for the next two years but for the next two decades or longer.

The names we've heard would all be good U.S. Senators. I do not doubt that. But when I look back at Senator Inouye's story and then look at all the challenges our state and country face -- paralyzing politics, a struggling economy and the ongoing costs of war, in blood and treasure -- we need more than a good Senator. We need a great Senator -- someone with a heroic story and a fresh approach to politics.

I believe Representative-Elect Tulsi Gabbard is the right person for the job. As a Combat Veteran she has proven her courage and determination. Not only did she talk the talk, but she walked it as well. She volunteered to serve her country -- becoming the youngest person ever to serve in Hawaii's legislature but deploying to the Middle East twice, as well. Tulsi was awarded a Meritorious Service Medal for her first tour in Iraq, earned a commission as an officer, and was the first woman to ever receive an award of appreciation by the Kuwaiti military.

The U.S. Senate needs more combat veterans. While this body is deciding the fate of our soldiers -- the equipment they have, how we care for them when they come home, even when we put their lives at risk -- far too few of them have actually served in battle. That number will be one less should Senator Kerry become Secretary of State.

As a combat veteran myself, I've seen how war has drained our country -- with trillions spent and thousands of lives lost or destroyed by conflict. We need a Senator who, like Senator Inouye and myself, understands this.

Becoming the first woman combat veteran in the U.S. Senate, Tulsi would have the stature to be heard in national politics and get real results for Hawaii families. While both of Hawaii's senators will have essentially no seniority, Tulsi has already proven her ability to gain the attention of the national Democratic Party, build a grassroots movement, and be heard when she fights for Hawaii. Her role as the only veteran of the Iraq and Afghanistan wars in the U.S. Senate would give her an important and unique voice.

There will be those who will say that she's too young or her appointment would force a costly special election.

I see her age as an advantage. Senator Inouye's own legacy shows how important youth is to building seniority over time. And, while young, Tulsi has demonstrated her skill and abilities. The voters of Hawaii believe in her. That point was clearly proven in her win of her congressional seat by over 80 percent. As a State Legislator and Honolulu City Councilwoman, Tulsi fought for middle class families, small businesses and the environment. She's shown a unique ability to connect with all segments of our community and to bridge partisan political divides, and to get things done for middle class families. She's the type of leader we need in the U.S. Senate.

As a veteran I believe she will represent all of Hawaii's diverse communities well. Yes, she is no Senator Inouye -- no one is. But in my opinion she is a hero. We need more heroes like her in our nation's Capitol.

Allen Hoe, 62, served as a combat medic in Vietnam from 1967 to 1968. His son, Nainoa K. Hoe, served as a first lieutenant infantry officer with the Army's 3rd Battalion in Mosul, Iraq. He died there on Jan. 22, 2005, at the age of 27.

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Source: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/allen-hoe/the-case-for-tulsi-gabbar_b_2362814.html

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Monday, December 24, 2012

More shoes showing up under Christmas tree

In this photo of Friday, Oct. 12, 2012, customers shop for Rudsak shoes at Macy's shoe department in New York. Shoes are coming out of the closet and landing under the Christmas tree. They're a top seller this holiday season _ a big feat considering they don't usually make peoples' gift lists. (AP Photo/Mark Lennihan)

In this photo of Friday, Oct. 12, 2012, customers shop at Macy's shoe department in New York. Shoes are coming out of the closet and landing under the Christmas tree. They're a top seller this holiday season _ a big feat considering they don't usually make peoples' gift lists. (AP Photo/Mark Lennihan)

NEW YORK (AP) ? Shoes are coming out of the closet and landing under the Christmas tree. They're a top seller this holiday season ? a big feat considering most years they don't even make gift lists.

Laranda Williams, 39, used to buy clothing, tools and electronics as presents for her family. This year, though, she looked at their feet and got inspired. She bought some Vans sneakers for one of her sons, two pairs of stilettos for a girlfriend of another son, and Nike running shoes for her husband.

"Electronics and clothing get redundant," said Williams, who lives in Clarksville, Tenn. "Shoes are just the wow. I know they're going to use it, and I know they're going to love it."

The shoe-gifting fetish is part of a larger trend of shoppers buying loved ones gifts that they not only like, but also can use. It's this habit of practicality that Americans have been clinging to throughout the economic downturn.

This holiday season, it's meant that mom might not buy Molly an extravagant evening gown she'll maybe wear once. But mom may splurge on $600 Jimmy Choo pumps if Molly needs work shoes or $150 Nike sneakers if her daughter's an avid runner.

"It's about practicality and splurging at the same time," said Marshal Cohen, chief research analyst at NPD Inc., a market research firm. "There's a sense of, 'I know what you need but you haven't gotten it for yourself.'"

As a result, footwear was the fifth most popular gift on shoppers' lists on the day after Thanksgiving known as Black Friday, the biggest shopping day of the year, according to NPD. A year ago, shoes didn't even make it into the top 10 gifts for the season.

Overall, sales of cross training shoes rose 16 percent to $197.8 million, and sales of basketball shoes rose 18.7 percent to $353.5 million for the three months ending in November. During that same period, sales of women's fashion footwear grew 3.2 percent to $6.12 billion.

Chelsey Gates, manager of Chuckies New York, a designer shoe store on the Manhattan borough of New York City, said she's seen more men buying shoes for the women in her life. One of the most popular gifts: Chelsea Paris gold trim ankle-high boots for $695.

"Men come in with cards with perfect instructions: style numbers, sizes and prices," she said.

The trend comes as stores have been trying to find ways to boost sales of shoes, which can carry profit margins of up to 50 percent.

As part of Macy's overhaul of its New York flagship store, the department store combined three different shoe departments and expanded their overall size by 10 percent. The new department has 250,000 pairs of shoes, including everything from $99 Nine West leopard print platform pumps to $400 Donald Pliner multi-colored pumps.

"Women love shoes. This is a category that they care about," said Muriel Gonzalez, an executive vice president at Macy's.

This fall, Saks Fifth Avenue also beefed up shoe departments in about a dozen of its stores. The move continues the luxury retailer's efforts at its flagship New York City store, which it first expanded in 2007 to include more shoes, better service and more stock room capability.

The flagship shoe department, which got a second remake this fall, now takes over the 8th floor, which previously also housed a gift area. The department, which is 40 percent larger, now is the second most productive department in terms of sales per square foot, behind the main floor, which sells cosmetics.

In the past few weeks, Elizabeth Kanfer, Saks' senior fashion and co-brand director for women's accessories, said the retailer has noticed boyfriends or husbands walking in with their significant others and buying a pair of shoes that cost at least $595. She declined to offer sales figures.

"There has been a resurgence of footwear easily in the last six years," Kanfer said. "You can easily upgrade your wardrobe with a pair of shoes."

Even smaller chains are trying to cash in on the trend. Fleet Feet Sports-Chicago, a two-store chain of running and fitness apparel, launched a gift registry this year that allows people to record their preferred brand, style, color, size, width and model of shoe from hundreds of options.

Catherine Moloznik, Fleet Feet's product manager, said so far in December, shoe sales are up about 20 percent compared with a year ago, in part because of the registry.

"Shoes have turned the corner in the gift category," said Robert Burke, a New York-based fashion consultant. "They've become the new handbag."

Owen Badillo, 35, certainly never thought of buying shoes as gifts for others in the past. But this season he bought two pairs of $30 Asics running shoes for his 28-year-old sister, who's a mother of two small children and a runner.

Badillo said he's more confident in his gift this year than last year when he ran around trying to pick up clothes for his sister, not really knowing "what she wanted." This year, he said it was clear what she needed.

"Her shoes are all torn up. So I am focusing on what she really needs," said Badillo, who lives in Oklahoma City and works at an oil and gas company.

_______

AP Writer Ashley Heher in Chicago contributed to this report.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/386c25518f464186bf7a2ac026580ce7/Article_2012-12-23-Shoes-Holiday%20Gift/id-13bb3909b96d4c7f89b2e7d6a3ffdc0d

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Monday, December 31, 2012

Pagano makes grand entrance in return to sideline

We Look Back Earthily At 2012

More 60-Second Earth

Showcasing more than fifty of the most provocative, original, and significant online essays from 2011, The Best Science Writing Online 2012 will change the way...
Read More??

Top 5 college basketball stories of 2012

Monday, December 31, 2012

Pagano makes grand entrance in return to sideline

We Look Back Earthily At 2012

More 60-Second Earth

Showcasing more than fifty of the most provocative, original, and significant online essays from 2011, The Best Science Writing Online 2012 will change the way...Read More??

Top 5 college basketball stories of 2012

Showcasing more than fifty of the most provocative, original, and significant online essays from 2011, The Best Science Writing Online 2012 will change the way...
Read More??