January 2008 Archives

Metro is meeting today to discuss the “subway to the sea,” which doesn’t exist yet. But transit to downtown does. However, higher gas prices, closed off streets and high parking fees really make going to downtown Los Angeles inconvenient on the weekends. Weekdays too. Weekdays, maybe you don't have a choice about whether to go, but you do have a choice on weekends, and that could mean you're skipping a downtown happening.
But if you use the Metro, you won't have to.
A visit to the Metro Web site will not only help you plan your trip, but it'll also let you know what's happening near a Metro station.
For example: Next month, in China Town, there will be New Year's celebration from Feb. 9 to 11. And on Feb. 24, the 2008 Amgen Tour of California bicycle race will end at the Rose Bowl, and Metro and Pasadena will provide a shuttle link from the Gold Line to the Rose Bowl.

This year, L.A. County public health officials have too much of a good thing. In an attempt to use up a surplus of flu shots (which will expire if not used this year), the Department of Public Health is offering free vaccinations to anyone who wants one.

"It seems it's either feast or famine," Dr. Jonathan Fielding, director of the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health, said Tuesday. "It's never an easy thing to forecast exactly how much we'll need, so we always want to err on the side of protecting the public."

The shots are especially recommended for young children, the elderly and those with weakened immune systems, but any person of any age -- with or without health insurance -- can get a flu shot at the public health clinic in Torrance. You can find more clinics at the department's Web site.

With elections right around the corner, you want to make sure your vote goes to the best candidate. FactCheck, run by a bipartisan organization, can help you decipher a candidate's true position and find the truth from the spin. Click here to get the facts behind the candidate. And if you're curious about something President Bush said in the State of the Union Address on Monday, the folks at FactCheck went through the whole speech. There are interesting assessments of his takes on pork barrel spending, Iran and tax deductions.

The air in the South Bay is usually pretty clear. But if you're traveling or commuting inland, you might want to check the air quality before you go. This comprehensive site has links listing air quality and UV forecasts.

It's voting season and awards season, and the Bloggies offers you a fix in both areas. Not familiar with the Bloggies? Get the details on the Bloggies Web site, but the basics are that the best blogs in several categories have been nominated, and it's your job, as a blog reader, to vote for the winner. Categories you can vote in include politics, fashion, Europe and humor. Some of these blogs will be familiar to some of you -- TMZ, Cute Overload and Gawker -- others are a bit more obscure -- Iceland Weather Report, The Rural Juror and Greeblemonkey. Maybe you can help the Daily Link blog be in contention for an award in 2009.

Today is the last day to request vote-by-mail ballots for the Feb. 5 vote. Registered voters who want a mail ballot must submit a written request containing the voter’s name, home address, mailing address and signature, so you cannot apply online. However, you can get the application online. It must be turned in to the L.A. County Clerk's Office by 8 p.m.

Torrance-area biomedical firm's work could prove helpful for people with cancer and Alzheimer's disease. "Determination of Protein Synthesis in vivo Using Labeling from Deuterated Water and Analysis of MALDI-TOF Spectrum" was published by a team of researchers at the Los Angeles Biomedical Research Institute. Read the study.

A revamped online file-sharing service that debuted Sunday offers free, unlimited song downloads, with the blessing of major recording companies, The Associated Press reports.
New York-based Qtrax lets users tap into file-sharing networks, but downloads come with copy-protection technology that prevents burning copies to a CD. The music can, however, be stored indefinitely on PCs and transferred onto portable music players.

In addition, the service promises its selection of up to 30 million tracks will be playable on iPods as early as March. As of now, iPods only play tracks that use Apple's proprietary copy-protection technology.

UPDATE: Qtrax has postponed its launch while it finalizes some licensing deals. However, you can still visit the site to find out more about the service.

A so-called tantric master stood immersed in ice for 72 minutes, breaking his own world record of 68 minutes, The Associated Press reports.

Wim Hof’s feat, performed in an ice-filled container on a Manhattan street Saturday, was the kickoff of BRAINWAVE, a series of New York events exploring how art, music and meditation (which Hof says he used to withstand the cold) affect the brain.

Full-body ice contact isn’t Hof’s only trick, though he does seem fond of cooler temperatures. His Web site claims he has also swam under ice without oxygen and climbed snow-covered mountains with bare feet. Read more about Hof and his feats of endurance at his personal Web site.

And if you’re looking to test your mind and body, you can contact Hof about joining him on an adventure.

Is there such a thing as a healthy map? Sorta! Gmaps Pedometer not only gives you mileage, but it will act as a pedometer for you. Enter your weight and route and it will tell you exactly how far you’ve walked and how many calories you burned in the process. Next time you want that Starbuck’s Cinnamon Dolce Latte with whipped cream, you might want to walk to the store in order to indulge.

You can report the location of abandoned shopping carts to the California Shopping Cart Retrieval Corp. via a toll-free phone number or online.
California Shopping Cart Retrieval Corp. is authorized to pick up most but not all shopping carts, according to the toll-free number. Carts are usually picked up within 24 to 48 hours.
Look for the Report Cart Location link on the left side of the page.
People are asked to provide the city, street address and nearest cross street of where they saw the shopping cart and details such as the store name on the cart and if it is in a difficult spot to find, like an alley.

Are you on MySpace? How about your pet?

Two Marina del Rey residents have created PoochSmooch, a Web site where pet owners and their four-legged companions can meet and network. Check out the site and create a profile.

You read about the controversial Manhattan Beach blogger, who gives his take on the local real estate market. Read his writing at Manhattan Beach Confidential.

I got a children's clothing catalog today that has an art contest in it. We normally try not to do shameless plugs for companies in this blog, but I figured with the rain and all, you might need something to amuse the kids, so here it is.

BodenUSA is having a Monster Design contest. You have your kids (or yourself, I guess) draw a monster that would work in the clothing company's building, write a job description for it, and mail it in. They'll choose three winners, design a T-shirt with your monster on it and send it to you, along with $500 worth of clothes.

You can see some samples of the monsters the Boden designers have done on the company's Web site. And if you want an idea of what kind of drawings win, check out the winners from the UK contest.

Send your drawing, monster's job description, the artist's name and age, address, phone and email address and send it to:
Monster of a Competition
JP Boden USA LLC
180 Armstrong Road
Pittston, PA 18640

It has to be there by Feb. 15, 2008.

Keep up with South Bay globetrotters with the new blog links we've added to the links column at the right.

Jamie Roach, a Redondo Beach native, is blogging about his experiences in Uganda where he works to rebuild war-ravaged areas.

The Mathers, a Redondo Beach family that set sail in 2005 for a five-year journey, are blogging about their voyage around the world. You can also track them on a map and see a lot of photos from the places they have visited so far, including a gorgeous pic of the kids in Malaysia.

There are only 29 days to prepare yourself for the Academy Awards by watching video previews of nominated movies, reminiscing on last year'snominees for each category.

Fed up with all those drivers who just can't drive in the rain? Tell them to check out these rainy-day driving tips. The site offers driving advice based on current weather conditions in specific ZIP code. It can also provide an overview of driving techniques for all weather conditions, just in case you may be driving in weather you've never experienced.

If you’re fascinated by outer space and all those twinkling stars, you should enjoy Heavens Above. By using their sky charts you can identify constellations and track satellites overhead. They’ll even customize pages in real-time specifically for your location and time zone!

Harbin, China, comes alive in January when the highs may only be 10 degrees above zero. The cold doesn’t seem to stop tourists from flocking to the incredible city built each year where the huge buildings are all ice, with lighting from within that makes them shimmer in the evening sky. But if the cold is too much for you to handle in person, you can enjoy beautiful — and eerie — pictures of the 2007 Harbin Ice and Snow World from a warm living room.

If photography and nature sound like a winning combination to you, check out National Wildlife's Photo Zone, where it really is. Highlighting the winning work from the magazine’s annual contests, the site also provides details on how to enter your own work.

The Los Angeles Department of Recreation and Parks is conducting an online survey about what should be done with San Pedro's parks.

If you're passionate about this issue, you can find out more about the assessment on the L.A. Parks Web site or read the blog about the process.

The Redondo Beach-based International Association for Freedom and Equality United is offering scholarships to help disabled veterans from the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan who want to go back to school. The deadline for the first round of scholarships is Jan. 25. To apply or donate, go to www.iafeunited.org or call 310-297-3610.

You think your home is small? Check out the digs at Apartment Therapy.

For the third year, Apartment Therapy is holding a contest for the smallest and coolest apartment. If you’ve set up your primary residence in less than 650 square feet and designed it yourself, you could win up to $2,500 in store credit at Design Within Reach. The entry deadline is April 16.

If you don’t think your place is cool enough, check out the photos of last year’s winning entries. They might inspire you, and you can always enter the contest next year.

If your place isn’t small enough, you still might find some design concepts that strike your fancy. After all, there are no small ideas, just small spaces.

Now that the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors is trying to reduce plastic bags, it might be a good time to bite the bullet and make your own reusable bags. Added bonus: Many grocery stores give a 5-cent rebate for each bag you bring in when you shop.

Jan Andrea's craft site has tips on fabric, a pattern and detailed instructions.

Make-it-easy has instructions for visual people.

Etsy Labs has an innovative idea: fusing several plastic bags together to make one strong, reusable one. So, you can recycle the bags you have now and make a cool looking reusable bag for the future.

If you would rather knit than sew, The Purl Bee has a pattern for a pretty knitted bag.

And, (this is rather amazing) My Recycled Bags has a tutorial for making yarn out of old plastic bags that you can then crochet into things like a large market bag, a grocery tote with a granny square, or dozens of other things.

It's been awfully rainy and cold here lately, but it's summer in Australia, where the world's best tennis stars have taken to the courts. So bask in others' ability to play a few sets in the sunshine and enjoy the terrific play. Get official schedules, news, photos and more at Australianopen.com. Schedules are updated every evening. If the time zone difference is giving you trouble, go to the World Clock. Select "Australia - Victoria - Melbourne" for one time zone and "U.S.A. - California - Los Angeles" for the other. For U.S. TV listings, go to ESPN, the network broadcasting matches. If you stay up late, you can watch live matches. Rebroadcasts come in the afternoon. It's your own fault if you miss any of the action.

Idealbite.com, which bills itself as a sassy, eco-friendly blog for real people with busy lives, just launched a Los Angeles-based newsletter. Subscribers can get the newsletter and a daily tip sent to their email address of choice.

The blog was way ahead of the curve on the plastic grocery bag issue that the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors is set to vote on today. In September 2006, they published a list of some sites where you can buy reusable shopping bags.

If you want to know more about Ideal Bite, you can read up about the founder in a cool little profile in February's Domino magazine.

Are you in the habit of throwing money in the trash? You may not realize it, but that's just what you might be doing when you throw a bottle or can away instead of recycling. At Bottles and Cans find out just what can be recycled and how much you can make with little effort.

Today is a day for honoring a man who resisted the status quo and called a nation into action. Click here for a biography on Dr. King.

His widow, Coretta Scott King, offers an inspiring message about the meaning of Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. holiday here.

And although you have probably heard Dr. King's "I have a Dream" speech, you can find other sermons and speeches online as well. Click here to listen to an audio excerpt from "The Drum Major Instinct", a 1968 sermon by Dr. King.

If you want to test your knowledge on how much you know about the civil rights leader after reading those links, try taking a trivia game here.

As the Patriots and Giants prepare to face off in Super Bowl XLII, we thought you might appreciate some Web destinations dedicated to the gridiron -- or at least mentioning it. First, check out the official Super Bowl XLII site for all the official news, merchandise, etc.

Then, if you get confused because of all the Roman numerals, head here for a refresher on how the Romans used to do math and for a handy converter.

Then if you're planning a party but want something more than beer, grub and football, check out these ideas for Super Bowl parties. Some of you may think that a "Sopranos" party is a little excessive when such a big game is on, but this one is for those of you who don't.

Last, get your fill of Super Bowl commercials. It's not a comprehensive collection, but it's pretty close.

... to come back to our blog, we bring you The Shark Is Still Working. It's a Web site devoted to -- you guessed it -- "Jaws" and everything even tenuously linked to that horror film of horror films. You'll find information about a documentary, discussion boards, fan info galore and goofy references to the film peppered throughout -- "can't beat that with a compressed air tank." Because, you know, sometimes you just can't get enough "Jaws."

From the San Jose Mercury News:

Attention old analog TV set users: If you haven't already, you may want to apply for the $40 coupons the government is offering for converter boxes that will allow your old and faithful TV to receive digital signals.
The U.S. plans to abandon traditional analog broadcasts on Feb. 17, 2009.

Under the federal program each household is entitled to two coupons. They can be requested online at www.dtv2009.gov or by calling 1-888-DTV-2009.

EchoStar, the parent company of Dish Network, announced that it will sell a digital TV converter box for $39.99. The company said its TR-40 converter box will be available in limited quantities in March and unlimited quantities in June.

Other companies have announced that their converter boxes will cost around $60 to $70.

The feds have received requests from more than 1 million households since Jan. 1, according to the Commerce Department, which is overseeing the program.

The coupon program is aimed at owners of traditional analog sets who view over-the-air broadcast TV. Those sets will not work after the digital switch without a converter box. If you receive your TV signals via cable or satellite, you will not be affected.

Analog is the process of taking an audio or video signal and translating it into electronic pulses. Digital, on the other hand, breaks the signal into a series of ones and zeros. Congress ordered the switch to digital television because it will free up valuable airwaves for other uses, such as for police and fire departments. The change should also lead to improved picture and sound for TV viewers.

Richard “Rich” Knerr, the co-founder of the company that brought us the Hula Hoop, the Frisbee, the Slip ’N Slide and the Hacky Sack, died this week at the age of 82.

While the Hula Hoop was arguably Wham-O’s most popular product (“No sensation has ever swept the country like the Hula Hoop,” Richard A. Johnson wrote in his 1985 book “American Fads”), demand for it ebbed quickly (“because every household in America had two and they lasted forever”), and the multimillion-dollar company is credited with introducing hundreds of other toys.

Here are some of their products, with links to videos of some of the commercials that helped make them famous:
- Water Wiggle (introduced in 1962)
- Wheelie Bar (introduced in 1964)
- Super Ball and Super Elastic Bubble Plastic (introduced in 1966)
- Silly String (introduced in 1972)
- Bubble Thing (introduced in 1984)

The number of abortions in the United States dropped to 1.2 million in 2005, the lowest level since 1974 (the year after the Roe v. Wade decision) and down 25 percent from the all-time high of 1.6 million in 1990, according to a report issued Thursday.

California had one of the highest rates, but that included abortions performed on nonresidents who came to the state for the procedure. Find out more about state trends and how they compare with others at the Web site for the Guttmacher Institute, which conducted the survey.

The resources include a slideshow overview of abortion in the U.S. and a slideshow on trends since 1973, as well as state-by-state facts and state-by-state trends.

The makers of Scrabble are in a scrap over a free online version that is one of the most popular applications on Facebook. El Segundo-based Mattel and Hasbro announced Wednesday that they’ve sent cease-and-desist notices to the parties behind “Scrabulous,” and they hope an agreement can be reached. Otherwise, Hasbro says it will shut down what it calls “an illegally copied version of the world’s most popular word game.”

So what’s a Scrabulous fan to do?

Check out the free Scrabble-inspired games Scrabble Blast and Scrabble Rack Attack. (How many words can you make from a rack of seven letters?)

Join the “Save Scrabulous” group on Facebook (you must be a registered Facebook member to do this).

Give old-school Scrabble and socializing a try by joining a club or entering a tournament. Find some at the National Scrabble Association’s Web site.

Bide your time and wait for a resolution while building your skills with the official Scrabble dictionary — also a useful tool for settling word challenges — and the word builder — which will help you make sense of those difficult tiles.

You just finished watching a great movie with the most exciting chase scene through a residential neighborhood. It took place in Florida, but those houses looked so familiar. Was it filmed in the Sunshine State, or did the crew actually set up shop right around the corner from you? Scout the location at Film in America, which lists where all sorts of movies and some TV shows have been filmed. The cool site offers many screen shots with specific addresses and/or descriptions of their filming sites.

And if you’d like to have your front door (and George Clooney knocking on it) on the silver screen, check out Film in America’s sister site, Go for Filming, a subscription service where you can list your property as a potential Hollywood backdrop.

Identity theft is a hot topic and not even your child's identity is safe these days. Thieves can create a credit history with your child's social security number that can take months to correct.
Learn how to protect your child's - and your - credit identity.

The folks at Women's Media want to help women succeed in male-dominated professions. They have great articles on all sorts of women’s topics, as well as a free weekly podcast that keeps you in the know in 10 minutes or less.

Now you can get your critter fix from the comfort of home. See exotic animals as diverse as fishing cats (do they use a fishing pole?), naked mole-rats (will someone please put a coat on them?), cheetahs and gorillas, or watch sea otters playing. The Smithsonian National Zoological Park offers lots of great critter Web cams and tons of information on our furry and feathered friends. It's your chance to frolic with the flamingoes.

When you think of immigration, you probably think of Ellis Island, where millions first set foot on American soil. Castle Garden, at the tip of Manhattan, was also an entry point for millions from 1830 to 1892. Whether you're searching for an ancestor or just interested in historical information, Castle Garden is a fascinating place to visit.

They used to be in the corners of arcades, in the back of restaurants and alongside walls at laundromats. But slowly, the classic games have become almost obsolete. If you're looking to reminisce on the days of moving a silver ball around with flippers, try out this link, which offers an array of different pinball games that you can play for free online.

Then this is the site for you. Mapmyrun.com allows you to map how long your runs are and helps you search for trails and recommended running spots in your area. You can also keep track of your training schedule, look for local races and events and even take part in running forums.

Want to know which candidates your neighbors and coworkers are supporting for the 2008 election? Or, are you curious about which celebrities are politically active, and how much they give to their respective causes? This site answers those questions and more--including an overview of past and present elections, new contribution limit guidelines and details on which parties are raising the most. Click here to start looking up contributions by donors you may know.

Macworld Conference and Expo, taking place in San Francisco, is the world’s largest Macintosh event, bringing together loyal Apple users and showcasing the latest products and services. To hear Steve Jobs’ keynote address, go to Apple's Web site today.

According to a daily log on the American Cetacean Society’s Web site, observers have spotted one northbound and 57 southbound gray whales since Dec. 1. The southbound migration peaks in mid-January, with about 15 whales spotted each day. February numbers are between five and 15 whales per day, and up to 25 can be seen per day in March, during the northbound migration. The site also offers tickets for whale watching tours and information on how to get more involved.

Want to know why you hit a nail on the head and go to hell in a handbasket — not a handbag? www.idiomsite.com explains the roots of the idioms that bring color into everyday gabbing.

The next time your child starts sniffling, head over to "My Child Has," a great feature from the Children's Hospital in Boston that can help you diagnose, treat or prevent illness. All you have to do is enter your child’s symptoms. And if you already know what you’re up against, you can also look up detailed information on specific diseases.

Have you been victimized by bad etiquette and need to vent? Or maybe you were the culprit and would like to it off your chest? Open up at Etiquette Hell, which bills itself as “the Internet’s largest repository of bad manners.”

The site divides the offenses by category (the wedding section includes bridesmaids and “beastmen”; the everyday section has “foot in mouth disease”) and also includes a discussion board where you can ask for opinions or offer your own.

The site also has a political blog, a forum for news about current events, pop culture and politics from an etiquette perspective.

If you’re planning a wedding, check out the new Ceremonies and Civility blog, a wedding-specific forum that includes resources such as how to pull off a double wedding, warnings about photographer “substitutions” and online sources for choosing invitations.

Eddie “Bozo” Miller, who once ate 27 2-pound chickens at one sitting (for a bet), died this week. Among his accomplishments, he had slurped down more than 300 ravioli and he told the Oakland Tribune that he once chowed down 12 club sandwiches.

He had diabetes and other health problems, but the 5-foot-7-inch man — who once weighed 330 pounds — lived 89 years, and “never really had indigestion,” he told the Tribune.

Reading about Miller made us curious about other eating records, like the fastest consumption of a 12-inch pizza and the most Ferrero Rocher chocolates unwrapped and eaten in one minute. Guinness World Records has documented them (and other “unusual skills,” like turkey plucking).

And if you’re interested in other competitive eating news, dig in at Eat Feats, which includes a database of records (search by location, participants and results) and a calendar of future events.

How would you recognize your favorite sports team without its logo? For an unusual twist on sports trivia, Sports Logos presents a historical reference guide. Look into the the evolution of logos and uniforms, even for leagues that no longer exist.

National Public Radio, in one of its fantastic Radio Expeditions co-produced with the National Geographic Society, has interviews, photos and reports on Sir Edmund Hillary and adventures on Mount Everest. Adventurers -- and adventurers-at-heart -- won't want to miss this in-depth presentation.

It's easy to find information about collecting Barbies, but what about poor Ken, always waiting patiently in the shadows? If you've got a Ken and you want to know how old he is and what he is worth, this is the site for you. At Man Behind the Doll Web site shows how Ken has evolved through painted, flocked, and Afro-haired variations. It also has information on collecting and identifying the dolls, a full history, and a shop for resale. This site is not affiliated with Mattel, but you can read about the superfan who built the elaborate site.

The tax season will be here before you know it and it's painful to see how much you earn compared to how much you net. Predicting your net income after taxes is difficult. There are calculators at Paycheck City that can help you predict your bottom line, and whether salaried or hourly, taxes and other considerations are deducted.

Research the background of candidates and elected officials at www.vote-smart.org. The site is the work of thousands of volunteers who have collected information campaign contributions, voting records, text of speeches and work histories for thousands of politicians.

The group also invented the "Political Courage Test," which ranks politicians on their willingness to state a position on a topic.

The site has packaged all the information on the presidential candidates so you can quickly compare their positions on the the issues that matter to you. Or, you can go back and read an inspiring speech or see how their messages have evolved over time.

If you know someone who might benefit from a large-print or audio version of the California primary voter guide, order one at the secretary of state's Web site. The versions to help the visually impaired are available in English, Spanish, Chinese, Japanese, Vietnamese, Tagalog and Korean.

Because housing is one of your biggest monthly expenses you want to make sure you're getting your money's worth. Find out how your home stacks up here. You might also find this site handy if you have a house to lease.

It's time to get your tickets for the sixth annual Palos Verdes Art Center Win Your Dream House Raffle, in which one $150 ticket could land you in a $1,555,000, two-story home in a gated Rancho Palos Verdes community. And even if you don't win, the money goes to a good cause -- the construction of a new art center building.

The first of a total of seven drawings will be held Feb. 26, but you can download your entry form now, or see photos of the house at the official Web site. The grand prize will be awarded May 20.

Staff writer Megan Bagdonas has more details on this year's drawings and prizes, which include cash awards of $50,000.

Two weeks ago, NASA scientists said the chances that a 160-foot-long rock would collide with Mars were 1 in 75. Now they say it’s 1 in 28.

And for the change, they can credit Andrew Puckett, a 30-year-old astrophysicist conducting post-doctoral research at the University of Alaska Anchorage, the Anchorage Daily News reports.

Working on his own, Puckett discovered archival data that led to the forecast refinement.

If the asteroid hits the Red Planet — creating an explosion equivalent to a 3-megaton nuclear bomb — it would leave a crater about a half-mile wide. Exploring it could allow scientists to answer questions about whether life has ever existed on other planets.

“I hope it happens,” Puckett told a university publicist, noting it would also draw attention to the threat asteroids pose toward Earth.

Read the Discovery Channel’s report on the asteroid here.

Find an explanation of Puckett’s recalculation here.

When Mark Malkoff thought about where he could stay while his New York City apartment was being fumigated for cockroaches, he quickly ruled out friends’ places (too small) and hotels (too expensive).

Instead, the comedian and filmmaker decided to move into an Ikea store in suburban New Jersey, where Monday he unloaded two suitcases into a spacious bedroom.

When the store is closed, he says he’ll play laser tag with security guards and plans to host a housewarming party.

“The fact that Ikea is letting me do this is mind-boggling,” said Malkoff, lounging on a bed in his new room. “There’s no way I’m going back. I love this way too much.”

Malkoff, who works for Comedy Central’s “The Colbert Report” as a ticket handler, is allowed to stay until Ikea closes at about midnight Saturday; the store, famous for its low-cost do-it-yourself furniture, is closed Sundays.

Malkoff, 31, is known for his 2007 video “171 Starbucks,” which documents his visits to all of the coffee chain’s Manhattan stores in a single day.

Deputy store manager Julie Mott said Malkoff contacted the store about three weeks ago and presented a proposal to move in.

“We thought it would be a lot of fun and interesting,” Mott said. “We’re not really sure what this week holds.”

He is being followed by a camera crew documenting his stay for a video, which will be shown on his Web site, www.marklivesinikea.com.

But despite the hospitality, Malkoff did find a few problems: The sinks don’t work, and neither does the toilet, refrigerator, flat-screen TV or the washer and dryer.

“Is anything real in this place?” he asked. He must shower in the staff locker room and will have access to the staff cafeteria to cook his own meals, if he chooses, Mott said.

However, the Ikea display does offer more spacious living than his two-bedroom Queens apartment.

“I feel like I’m on the set of ‘Friends,’” he said, adding that he has met a few new faux friends — customers who wandered into his new digs.

His wife of 22 years, Christine, isn’t as thrilled with his new digs and has instead opted to stay with relatives in Upstate New York.

“For some reason,” he said, “she doesn’t want to live in a store.”

— The Associated Press

Does Rover respond if you call him "Refrigerator"? Can he get to a treat placed under a soup can in under five seconds? These and other exercises can help you determine your dog's IQ -- if you want to know that sort of thing. Two Web sites offer similar tests. ABC TV Science walks you through the exercises and has videos of dogs performing optimally and not so well (poor Gus). And Pets First has the IQ test along with recipes for pet treats, advice about your pets' health, and a few good jokes to make pet owners chuckle.

Susan, the blogger over at Random Madness in Torrance, has revamped her Web site for the new year. She's also set up a shop at Cafe Press where fans can buy t-shirts and bumper stickers with her wacky logo on it. We're hoping coffee mugs are next....

The Associated Press lets us in on the details:

Julie Foudy, Brandi Chastain and Alexi Lalas will help Mia Hamm and her husband, Nomar Garciaparra, host a charity soccer match on Jan. 26 at the Home Depot Center on the campus of Cal State Dominguez Hills.
The proceeds from the Celebrity Soccer Challenge will benefit bone marrow transplant patients and their families at Childrens Hospital in Los Angeles. Hamm’s brother, Garrett, died of a bone marrow disease in 1997.
Abby Wambach, Kristine Lilly, Cobi Jones, Landon Donovan and other current and former members of the women’s and men’s national soccer teams will join Hollywood celebrities at the match.
“We are looking forward to sharing this special day with soccer fans at the Home Depot Center and promise there will be plenty of fun as we watch Hollywood celebrities try to keep up with the best soccer players in the world,” Hamm said.

For every new show that makes it to the TV screen, there must be dozens left on the cutting room floor. For whatever reason, they weren't chosen to grace the airwaves. Thanks to the Internet, though, they are not totally lost to us. The good folks at Brilliant But Cancelled have saved some of the better discards and you can watch them with just a click of your mouse.

You walk all over them, you drive all over them, and you probably don't give them a second glance. They are all big, heavy and round, and while some are rather ugly, many are surprisingly lovely. Japan's could almost be considered a work of art. Click here and you'll see some rather amazing covers from all over the world.

The nation's first presidential primary election is set for Tuesday, but the state whose motto is “Live Free or Die” has other things going for it, according to the state’s tourism Web site. Bordered on the north by the Canadian province of Quebec, the state has a population of about 1.3 million. It has the oldest statehouse in continuous use in the nation and the state sport is skiing. When citizens aren't voting on Tuesday, many of them will be skiing in the Nordic Meister, the largest weekly cross-country citizen race series in the United States. For eight weeks, skiers of all abilities challenge themselves on a 5 km course with prizes awarded in age categories and through a raffle. Go to the state's tourism site for more info.

Once upon a time, New Year's Day was filled with the biggest bowl games and essentially signaled the end of the college football season. In 1998, after years of debate about the need to decide a consensus national champion on the field, the Bowl Championship Series was instituted and the college football season ended with a matchup between two teams chosen by a complex formula as the best teams in the nation. The system has drawn more controversy than consensus, however, and has left football fans and pundits hollering for a playoff system.
Tonight, Ohio State and LSU will meet in New Orleans at 7:30 on KTTV Channel 11 to determine which is the best team in the nation. To get prepared for the game, check out www.bcsfootball.org/bcsfootball for background on this year's match-up and for the history of BCS.

Emperor Hudson, Charlie Tuna, The Real Don Steele. If you grew up in the 1960s in the L.A. area, you know who these guys are. They were the DJs who ruled the airwaves and played all the top songs to date, dream and surf to. But what have they done since? Consult this handy history of Southern California radio broadcasters (and their off-air colleagues) to find out.

Joshua Fruhlinger likes to point out that he reads comic strips -- even the really bad ones -- so you won't have to. And he offers daily commentary at Joshreads.com. Generally, his comments (and those of his readers) are funnier than the intended content.

They also can contain words and themes that you wouldn't find in, for example, "Family Circus," so parents might want to discourage their younger ones from visiting the site, called Comics Curmudgeon.

Fruhlinger, a Baltimore freelance writer, takes on all strips, but his favorites are some of the oldest and soapiest: "Mary Worth," "Apartment 3-G," "Archie" and "Rex Morgan, M.D." And if not for Joshreads.com, would you even know that "Dick Tracy" still exists?

If one of your resolutions for 2007 is to reduce your carbon footprint than you should check out Eco Mall. The Web site connects users with merchants who can provide you with equipment to solar-power your home or contractors who can do the job for you. The Web site proudly heralds its tree-hugger roots, but it's a convenient location to find solar powered appliances and solar-powered chargers for that pda, cell phone or laptop.

Brides can now check, verify, and/or review every wedding vendor they might need or use from the dressmaker to the florist at one convenient location, City News Service reports. Weddingsolutions.com has added Wed Reviews, allowing newly married couples to praise businesses they used — or warn other brides and grooms. The site also lets businesses tell their sides of the stories. Couples can rate their wedding service providers in four major categories: price, professionalism, service and quality.

The Associated Press has another sobering report about the state of the U.S. dollar:

At least one of the seven wonders of the world is now off limits if you have only U.S. currency in your pocket. India’s tourism minister said Thursday that the dollar will no longer be accepted at the Taj Mahal and other national tourist sites.

For years tourists visiting most sites in India were charged either $5, or 250 rupees.

After falling 11 percent in 2007, hitting nine-year lows to hoover around 39 rupees, the dollar is out.

Charging only rupees now seems more practical and will save tourists money because “the dollar was weaker against the rupee,” Tourism Minister Ambika Soni told the CNN-IBN news channel. “Before the dollar lost its value, there was a demand to have (admission tickets) just in rupees,” he added.

The Taj Mahal, India’s famed white marble monument to love, began refusing dollars in November.

It means just one more place where American tourists will have to shell out more money — now nearly $20.

The dollar hit record lows of $1.4967 against the euro on Nov. 23, the weakest since that currency began trading in 1999, and was down against almost every major currency Thursday.

Imagine for a moment that you're an Iowan and you have to figure out the caucus system for real. The Des Moines Register has an interactive graphic on their site that give an explanation of how the caucus system works, what the latest polling numbers were and how to choose a candidate with a breakdown of where they stand on the issues.

A reader asked our "Ask Us" reporter, Stephanie Walton, how exactly the Iowa caucuses work. She'll be answering the question in tomorrow's Ask Us column in the paper, but we thought if you're wondering the same thing, you might like to read this explanation of how the caucus worksbefore you find out the results tonight. There is also a frequently asked questions feature where people from around the country have asked caucus questions and had them answered.

The city of Torrance created a comprehensive, interactive list of recycling centers in the South Bay. Here's how it works: Choose a category, select the item you want to recycle and you'll get all the locations that you could choose from laid out on a google map. From there, it's one click to driving directions.

In addition to being a good place to find a nearby recycling center, the site has a long list of items that are considered hazardous waste. (Who knew about moth balls?)

The site also contains a pretty cool explanation of why it's important to recycle oil.

Our weather page says it's supposed to rain today. So, if you're stuck inside with kids, here's a little children's rain project to keep them from doing something crazy like smearing hot fudge sauce all over the house like mine did this morning. And this project is educational, too.

You’re already sick of hearing about it, but now it’s really time to pay attention. Tonight, the most wide-open presidential race in a half-century or more kicks off — officially — with the Iowa caucus. Follow the results and learn more about Iowa and its primary equivalent at www.iowavotes2008.com and www.iowacaucus.org.

Polls predict an unpredictable race, with a quarter of likely caucus-goers saying they hadn’t made up their minds for sure. But while nearly 20 candidates are in it, five — three Democrats and two Republicans — seem the ones to watch. See what they have been saying and how their campaigns act and react to the caucus on their blogs:

• Hillary Clinton (D)


• John Edwards (D)


• Mike Huckabee (R)


• Barack Obama (D)


• Mitt Romney (R)

A special adoption day with reduced fees will be held from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturday, Jan. 5 at the Harbor Animal Shelter at 735 Battery St., San Pedro.
The Los Angeles city shelter, between Channel Street and Capitol Drive off North Gaffey Street, offers dogs, cats and rabbits for adoption. All pets are spayed or neutered, microchipped and fully vaccinated.

There is a list online of pets that are available for adoption.

L.A. Animal Service's Web site has a matchmaking service that asks you to enter information about your dream pet and shows you some options of animals available at the shelter.

If the images of New Year's Eve fireworks from around the world left you clamoring for more, click here.You can learn how they are made, read up on the history, see videos clips of 18 different varieties and become familiar with the differences.

Before you go to see the Rose Parade floats, go to one of these Web sites to download a free podcast about the floats that you can listen to as you view them. Or, download and listen during your commute if you missed the parade on TV.

iTunes: 2008 Rose Parade Floats Audio Tour

Amazon.com/mp3: 2008 Tournament Of Roses Audio Tour

Wondering what happened to the the DooDah parade that usually rolls through Pasadena a few weeks before the Rose Parade? This year, it will be in Old Town Pasadena on Jan. 20. Sometimes risque, the other parade, or alternative parade, pokes fun at the Rose Parade and parades in general. It begins at 11:30 a.m. on Jan. 20 ,and it's recommended that you arrive by 10:30 to ensure a good spot on the Doo Dah day.

The Associated Press lets us in on the strange year Berkeley resident Ari Derfel has had:

Ari Derfel leads a trashy life. He just wants to remind everyone else that they do, too.
The 35-year-old Berkeley caterer said he has saved every piece of trash he has generated over the past year to see how much garbage one person creates. In his case, it was about 96 cubic feet.
The experiment began as a way to examine his own consumption habits, Derfel said, but grew into a statement about consumerism and the environment.
“When we throw something away, what does ‘away’ mean?” Derfel said. “There’s no such thing as ‘away.’”
The refuse — including every tissue, receipt, food wrapper and plastic bottle — lies in bins in the kitchen and living room of Derfel’s apartment. He composts his food scraps.
Derfel said he eventually hopes to donate his accumulated waste to a sculptor.

Who knew getting fit could involve so much research and bookkeeping? Get some help from Fit Day, a free diet & weight loss journal that helps keep track of how many calories you’ve consumed and how many you’ve burned.

The action starts early this year, with the California presidential primary on Feb. 5. If you’re not registered yet, you have three weeks to get your form in. Go to the California secretary of state's Web site to fill one out. After your online submission is received, you'll be sent a typed registration to sign and mail.