| Chew This Over: Munchable Ice Sells Like Hot Cakes
When Kyle Burkhalter gets up in the morning, he goes into the kitchen and fixes himself a nice cup of ice. The 24-year-old director of research for a Web site chews the ice in the car on his way to work in Atlanta. He downs two or three more cups before lunch. He orders ice from drive-thru windows and dips into the office ice machine. Sometimes, his tongue gets so numb he can barely talk to clients. Still, he munches on. "It's something that you want to do and you think about doing on a constant basis," he says. Ice isn't just for chilling drinks anymore, or for packing fish and treating sprains. It's a hot snack. Some Sonic Drive-In franchises sell it in cups and in bags to go. Ice-machine makers are competing to make the best chewable ice, with names like Chewblet, Nugget Ice and Pearl Ice.
Animals Impounded, Building Nears Capacity
Norman, Okla. -- Officials in Norman impounded more than 30 dogs and cats this weekend. The animals are now at the Norman Animal Welfare Shelter, but overcrowding at the facility just became an even bigger issue. KSBI-TV's Kealey McIntire has more. Nearly 175 dogs and cats a week are taken to the Norman Animal Welfare Shelter. This weekend 23 cats and nine dogs were impounded and were taken to the shelter in addition to the normal activity. Major Jim Maisano, a Norman police officer, works closely with the animal welfare division. He says they're glad to help, but this weekend's activity adds to the overcrowding issue. "So that takes up a lot of our space not counting the average number of dogs and cats we take in during the week," says Maisano.
Japan stocks fall over 2 pct, erasing week's gains
U.S. crude oil CLc1 jumped to an all-time high above $100 a barrel on Tuesday, with supply constraints helping to drive up the costs of other raw materials, though it had fallen below that level in Asian trade on Wednesday. 'Investors bid up the market earlier this week on expectations that U.S. stocks would do well once Wall Street returned from a holiday, but those hopes were betrayed,' said Yutaka Miura, chief technical analyst at Shinko Securities. 'Taking this along with the high oil prices and worries about the U.S. economy, investors decided it was a good time to lock in profits.' At 0429 GMT the benchmark Nikkei .N225 was down 2.4 percent at 13,430.06, its lowest since Feb 15. The broader TOPIX index was down 2.4 percent at 1,312.84.
Konica Minolta (4902.T: Quote, Profile, Research) plunged 7.3 percent to 1,365 yen after Credit Suisse cut its rating to 'neutral' from 'outperform' citing a weak office equipment market, competition in the LCD film market and the impact of a strong yen.
BobVila.com's Top 5 Energy-Saving Ideas for 2008
BOSTON, Jan. 15 /PRNewswire/ -- Home improvement expert Bob Vila has been on the presidential campaign trail talking about energy efficiency. His popular web site shares five earth-friendly projects -- both large and small -- for your home in 2008. 1. Use energy-saving appliances. Refrigerators, freezers, dishwashers, furnaces, heat pumps, air conditioning units and water heaters all have high- efficiency models. Before buying a new appliance, compare labels to find one that uses the least amount of energy and water with the lowest operating costs. Appliances with the Energy Star label are up to 50 percent more efficient than standard models, saving you up to 30 percent on your electric bill. "I've been promoting Energy Star appliances for over a decade," Bob Vila says, "and it still makes sense to invest in them because of the energy savings you'll get." 2.
Committee sought to aid center face-lift
DEL CITY — City officials want volunteers for a steering committee to oversee a makeover of the community center. City Manager Mark Edwards said five to seven residents are needed to help plan the renovations. Along with attending committee meetings, members will tour centers in other communities. .
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