December 2008 Archives

The Tournament of Roses has partnered with KTLA to allow viewers to vote for their favorite float in the new Viewers' Choice Award.

On Thursday, parade fans can visit the KTLA website to cast their vote for the Viewers' Choice Award.

Video of the Rose Parade in its entirety will also be available on the KTLA site for viewers to see the floats again or catch the Parade for the first time if they missed it on television.

Voting will take place from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Thursday. The winner of the award will be announced at the Post Parade Showcase of Floats, in front of the float, via the KTLA Morning News on Friday.

The 120th Rose Parade -- themed "Hats Off to Entertainment -- begins at 8 a.m.

It's Christmas Day, and you've probably scored some cool spoils ... as well as a messy pile of wrapping paper, ribbons and boxes.

Every holiday season, dedicated holiday recyclers find ways to reclaim wrapping paper, containers and bows. Here are some tips to reusing wrapping paper:

+ Gift wrap with few tears, folds or dangling tape can be ironed, tissue paper with no tears can be smoothed and flattened for storage, bows can be steamed and fluffed, fabric bags gently cleaned, and ribbons pressed and rewound for use good as new.

+ If you have no intention of chasing down gift boxes or bags after turning them over to friends, family or colleagues, you can cover store logos with inexpensive decals or seasonal fabric as a way to encourage receivers to pass them on rather than throw them out.

+ Check out http://craftstew.com/recycled-crafts/10-crafty-ways-to-recycle-wrapping-paper and http://tinyurl.com/a2jq52 for more ideas.

... The Associated Press

The big day is at hand. The preparations are complete. The halls are decked, the chestnuts roasted on an open fire, the stockings stuffed, the gifts wrapped, and the eggs nogged.

Now rest, ye merry gentlemen and ladies before a computer and follow these links for some Yuletide joy.

FunTrivia, which in the title bar claims to be the "world's largest trivia and quiz site!," has a very special Christmastime quiz section. Try your hand at any of 30 quizzes that test Noel knowledge. They even track who has been naughty or nice — in this case right and wrong — and reveal how many cohorts answered the questions correctly. Good luck!

For those who wish to give their eye-hand coordination some exercise, free Web-based game repository Miniclip has a collection of games just right for the season.

These games are sure to have your bells jingling.

Noah Galuten spent the past three months eating his way around the world -- all within a day's drive of his Santa Monica apartment.

The Associated Press reports:

The 25-year-old playwright was broke and unemployed when he decided to eat cuisine from a different country every day and write about it on his "Man Bites World" Web site.

Galuten figured he could stomach 60 traditional dishes from a different country on consecutive days until he ran out of options and was sated. But the project took him further than he ever imagined, stamping his culinary passport with food from 102 cultures by his final bite of Slovakian poppy seed cake more than three months later.

That he could cross so many borders so close to home is both a testament to Los Angeles' cultural melting pot and the help he got from strangers who invited him into their homes to share traditional meals. "If there's anywhere you should be more inclusive, it's eating," he said.

The final feast -- plum brandy, roasted chestnuts, sheep milk feta with paprika and caraway, homemade gnocchi, and a traditional Christmas soup -- was home-cooked by Peter Simon, a Slovakian immigrant who offered his homeland's best.

The end tasted bitter and sweet: The adventure was over, but he was relieved because it was exhausting -- and expensive.

The international noshing left Galuten with $4,000 in credit card debt, which he hopes to erase by writing a book about his experiences. His girlfriend, Jackie Honikman, 25, a Web designer who covered his rent and other costs, gained about 15 pounds.

When the experiment came to a close this month after he failed to find Somalian food, he returned to his own roots, where he was comforted by a childhood treat -- turkey Bolognese cooked by his mom.

Every woman has had that dreadful moment in a store's dressing room where she wonders "does this make me look fat?" One Web site has taken this ever-so-common occurrence into its own hands.

MyShape.com has created an online personal shopper with the goal of helping women have style while wearing clothes that fit and flatter their body shape. And the best part about it? It's completely free. All you have to do is go to the Web site and enter a few details about yourself, including your personal style (are you romantic, glamorous, artistic, classic, trendy, or modern?), style variety, risk level and other questions that allow your Personal Shop to cater to your wants and needs. To fully complete your profile you must enter your measurements and fit preferences. The site is secure, so don't be shy.

Once you're done, it's time to shop! Your Personal Shop will pick out clothes in styles and sizes that flatter your body type based on the measurements and preferences you entered. With designers like Ella Moss, Michael Kors, Kenneth Cole and Donna Morgan, you're sure to find some pieces to add to your wardrobe. If you're confidant in your ability to shop on your own, you can forgo a Personal Shop and comb through the unfiltered myShape Marketplace yourself. But beware, only those with a Personal Shop enjoy free shipping and returns.

Redondo Beach has launched a Web site to draw visitors to the pier, King Harbor and International Boardwalk.
The site promotes hotels, restaurants, shops, parks and boating services, among other amenities, and makes suggestions for weekend getaways and family vacations.
Check out maps, photographs and videos from residents and images from a beach Webcam at www.redondobeachresort.org.

So you fancy yourself a singer, eh? ... Alone, in your car, with the windows up, when no one's looking.

Well, now you can test your pipes against Martina McBride and Elvis Presley in private, and if you like what you hear, you can share them with your friends via email. As a promotion for the "Elvis Presley Christmas Duets" album, Sony BMG Music Entertainment has created a Web site that allows you to record "Blue Christmas" as a duet with Presley, singing McBride's part from the album.

The site, www.singwiththeking.com, provides a phone number and access code so you can belt out your lines over the phone. If you're pleased with the recording, you can send it in a Christmas e-card. Or, if you discover you sound more like Alvin and the Chipmunks than Presley and McBride, you can send the album version of the song instead.

The whole thing is free.

"Someone in our digital area came up with the concept," said JJ Rosen, executive vice president of Sony BMG Music Entertainment's Commercial Music Group. "It fits the duets concept of the album so well."

Because the campaign leans heavily on technology, Rosen said it brings Presley and his music to a younger generation. "We're always trying to keep the Elvis brand alive."

The site launched Dec. 5 and has already drawn 30,000 people from nine countries. It's scheduled to end sometime in January.

-- The Associated Press

Children of all ages, want to know when Santa Claus is coming to town after making and double-checking his list?

Verizon is teaming up with the North American Aerospace Defense Command, or NORAD, to track Kriss Kringle's whereabouts on Christmas Eve and pre-dawn Christmas Day. A volunteer force of more than 1,000 strong will track Santa's whereabouts using the world's most sophisticated military tracking technology — presumably while simultaneously defending North American air space.

From 3 a.m. Dec. 24 to 2 a.m. Dec. 25, Santa-seekers can call 877-HI-NORAD (446-6723) or visit NORAD's Santa tracking Web page. The Web site can be read in seven languages and has a YouTube video, information on how to track Santa in 3D on Google Earth and most importantly, a frequently asked questions section.

According to the FAQ, NORAD and its predecessor, the Continental Defense Command — with the equally cool acronym CONAD — have been tracking Santa's path since 1955, and while the command doesn't have his exact route, it knows from previous patterns that the man in red starts around the international date line and works west from Asia to the Americas.

• The San Francisco Chronicle reported on this paper alternative:

The eco-friendly company Fwrap, maker of fabric book covers and gift wrap, has a new line of packaging for the holidays, the Petals collection.

Fwrap uses remnants and scraps of fabric in ways that will make the giver want an equally well-wrapped gift in return. In fact, true friends will use their newly acquired Fwraps on gifts for the person who gave them.

The Petals collection contains irises and tulips.

The Fwraps range from $8 to $13.

• If you're looking to save some green while being green, consider recycling old calendars as wrapping paper or plucking decorations for your packages from your yard. Get six more eco-friendly wrapping options at the Office Supplies blog.

• If you choose to stick with more traditional gift wrap, here's one more tip, from the Eco Chick blog: "Avoid wrapping paper with foil accents. Metallic and foil papers usually can't be recycled, and in some recycling facilities, if they end up in the mix with other paper, they can ruin a whole batch, making it totally unusable."

There's no question that Americans love their Christmas lights. Last year, Home Depot sold enough strands to circle the Earth 1.6 times. If you're worried about all the energy those lights will consume, you may want to look into LED lights. Here's a primer on the difference:

Incandescent bulbs use an electrically charged filament that burns white-hot, producing light. However, the heat has a tendency to burn out or break the glass bulb and must be replaced.

LEDs are a form of semiconductor technology, which uses light-emitting diodes to produce light. They are made in the same shapes and varieties as standard incandescent lights, but are more durable because the lamp is made of solid plastic, not glass. Since 2002, manufacturers have made LED lights bigger, brighter and with more colors.

According to the Department of Energy, if every household and business in the United States switched to LED holiday lights, the savings would be equivalent to the annual electricity consumption of almost 500,000 households.

Advantages of LEDs over conventional holiday lights include:
- In 2007, running incandescent lights on a 6-foot Christmas tree for 12 hours per day for 40 days costs $23.95 in electricity. LEDs cost 54 cents. Click here to calculate your own energy savings by using LEDs.
- LEDs are low voltage and run cooler than incandescent bulbs so there is no risk of electric shock or fire. In the United States about 300 fires each year involve Christmas trees.
- LED holiday lights last longer with a life span of about 20,000 hours (40 holiday seasons) 30 times longer than incandescents.

Also, LEDs produce light of a given color without requiring a filter, and they produce focused light without a reflector. Because LED holiday lights use less power, you can safely connect multiple string lamps end-to-end without overloading the wall socket.

If you want to recycle your old lights and get a discount on buying new LEDs, you can do so by visiting this site.

If you haven't already banished those plastic and paper grocery bags, you're going to want to do it Thursday, which will be Los Angeles County's second annual "Day Without a Bag."
With the goal of encouraging area shoppers to use reusable totes, an assortment of businesses will offer special incentives -- promotions and giveaways -- that day.
These promotions are good at all Los Angeles County locations:

99¢ Only Stores: Free bag with $29.99 purchase

Ralphs: Double "Reuse-a-bag" rebate when shoppers use Ralphs membership card

Whole Foods Market: Free bag with $50 purchase

These promotions are good at select stores in the area:

Albertsons Sav-On: Giveaways at Marina Del Rey, Santa Monica and Burbank stores while supplies last (1,000 bags)

Bed Bath & Beyond: Free bag with a $50 purchase at Hollywood, Beverly Center and West Los Angeles locations

Fred Segal Santa Monica: Free bag with a $10 purchase while supplies last

You can also get free bags at more than 50 other sites. Go to www.healthebay.org/nobagday to find out where and when.
And if freebies aren't enough to persuade you, consider this: California municipalities spend nearly $50 million each year just to collect and dispose of plastic bag waste. Fewer than 5 percent of plastic grocery bags are recycled each year in Los Angeles, so the remaining bags clog precious landfills, litter public spaces and harm animal life when the bags infiltrate waterways.

Health officials are urging the public to get flu shots or the FluMist nasal spray vaccine to protect themselves during the flu season, which can last until spring, according to news services.

Flu activity across the nation is low right now, according to Google Flu Trends, which uses aggregated Google search data to estimate flu activity in your state.

It shows the strongest flu presence on the southeast coast of the U.S., though activity there is still only moderate.

But you should still get that shot.

"Many people mistakenly believe that there is no benefit to getting a flu vaccine after November," said Dr. Jonathan E. Fielding, Los Angeles County's Director of Public Health.

"In fact, influenza activity does not often peak until after the start of the new year and can continue through March, so vaccinations received in December provide protection at the time when people are most likely to catch the flu."

Fielding said free vaccines continue to be offered through public clinics for those who do not have a regular doctor or insurance. Learn more at the Web site of the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health.

Ways to simplify gift giving and the holiday rush are always welcome. In the middle of a major economic downturn, money-saving strategies are even more so. Several Web sites offer online resources for organizing economical group gifts and computerizing the popular but complicated "Secret Santa" exchange. Some even offer tips and links to gift-giving sites.

SecretSanta.com, a gift exchange planner, helps registrants with such exchange tasks as keeping track of gifts, choosing themes, e-mails, invitations and other pesky details. Hanukkah and Kwanzaa theme packages are available, as are general gift exchanges and swaps for other times of the year (Yankee Swaps and White Elephants).

Other sites have somewhat broader missions. FrumUs.com guides the user to the creation of a group gift page which can be linked to PayPal Premier and will aid with account setup if needed. It also links to gift sites in various categories (teacher, coaches, him, her, kids, and so on).

Elfster.com also plows the gift exchange turf, but in a media-intensive way. A video demonstration is a nice feature so you can learn how to use the site before you register. Particiants can set up their own wish lists.

With these sites, givers and organizers can conserve time, energy and pass the gift "hat" even among far-flung families or office locations.

The world's first collaborative online orchestra is finally a reality.

And you can thank YouTube.

Known officially as the "YouTube Symphony Orchestra Project," the groundbreaking project will allow musicians to join an online orchestra through video audition and selection.

The project will entail three stages: an online audition, musician selection, and a musical summit at Carnegie Hall in April.

From Dec. 1 through Jan. 28, musicians are invited to submit videos showcasing their personal style. A panel of musical experts from leading orchestras around the world will narrow the field of entries. Then, the YouTube community will be invited to vote on the semifinalists from Feb. 14 through Feb. 22.

The YouTube Symphony Orchestra Channel has more information, including official entry rules.