| Sony halves fees for PlayStation 3 software development to encourage outside game designers
TOKYO -- Sony halved the fees it charges for a software development kit for the PlayStation 3 video game machine Monday to encourage outside designers to make more games for the struggling console. Sony Corp.'s gaming unit, Sony Computer Entertainment Inc., said prices for the development package for the PlayStation 3 will be reduced to US$10,250 in North America, 950,000 yen (US$8,600; ��5,900) in Japan and ��7,500 (US$11,250) in Europe. The move follows the price cuts on the PS3 around the world that the company announced last month in an attempt to woo buyers. Tokyo-based Sony will also strengthen backup support for making new games for the PS3 in an effort to make the machine more popular, it said in a statement. Although its predecessor the PlayStation 2 dominated the gaming market, the PS3 has struggled against the hit Wii console, the rival offering from Nintendo Co., which makes Pokemon and Super Mario games.
Dolls gone wild: Unhappy moms want wholesome alternatives
Moms are hunting through toy aisles for more wholesome-looking dolls, concerned that the scantily clad Bratz dolls with their Party Palaces and Magic Make-up Studios are sending their daughters the wrong message about how they should dress and act. With their heavily made-up faces, short shorts and halter tops, Bratz are the No. 2 best-selling dolls in the country, just behind Barbie, but creeping up on her with their own lines of clothing, school supplies, video games and, most recently, a live-action movie playing in theaters. And some Moms are not happy about it. "I don't want my daughter viewing herself that way," says Gloria Baca of Tempe, Ariz., who has steered her daughter, now 10, away from Barbie and Bratz in favor of an American Girl doll by Mattel named Josefina.
September 2007
Alice L. Baumann, 86, of Watertown, died Thursday afternoon, Sept. 27, 2007, at the Watertown Memorial Hospital, from pneumonia, following a major stroke. She was proud to have survived two courageous bouts with cancer.Funeral services will be held on Tuesday at 10:30 a.m. at the Hafemeister Funeral Home in Watertown with the Rev. Ray Bezanson of the Advent Christian Church of Watertown, presiding. Burial will be at the River Road Cemetery in Ixonia.Family and friends may call to pay their respects on Monday at the Hafemeister Funeral Home in Watertown from 5 to 8 p.m. and on Tuesday from 9:30 a.m. until the time of the service. Memorials may be given to the Advent Christian Church or to the charity of choice.Alice was born in Watertown on June 13, 1921, daughter of the late John and Edna (Schroeder) Fredrich.
Local News
Amélie Guertin will be remembered as an energetic, unselfish girl who was a hard worker and never took no for an answer. When she was three or four years old she wanted a dog, but her parents said no. For the next two months she pretended she was a puppy; walking on four legs, panting, barking, rubbing her ear, said Am‚lie's mom Lynne with tears in her eyes and a smile on her face, "until we gave in and got her a dog." The dog, named Lady, would become one of many animals who would receive love and care from the Timmins girl affectionately known as "belle blonde." Dogs were her favourite animal, but she also liked reptiles, bugs and a gerbil named Speedy. "She used to feed grey jay birds at our cottage," said Lynne. "They would come right up and sit in her hand.
Empty Stockings
This Empty Stockings feature is printed every year on the Sunday after Thanksgiving to present the Wish and Need lists of Helena area nonprofit organizations that assist families and individuals in various ways throughout the year.It is heartwarming to see, year after year, your outpouring of love, time, gifts, donations and contributions to help these organizations and agencies help our neighbors in need. A pair of mittens, a basket of food, items such as pencils or a playground ball can make a difference.On behalf of the IR and the organizations who have sent us their lists, thank you � the individuals, families, groups, businesses, clubs � everyone in our community, for your warmhearted response to past Empty Stockings requests. Happy holidays!RMDC HEAD START200 South Cruse Ave.457-7308 .
Dear Santa: Here's what Humboldt kids want for Christmas
Every year, it seems, there's that one toy -- the one all the Saturday-morning commercials are pushing, all the kids are clamoring for and all the parents are elbowing each other to score. But, according to Sydney Knight, an employee at The Toy Box in Henderson Center, there's no runaway favorite this holiday season, no frenzy-inducing, mob-attracting hot item. Or, as she put it, "There's no Tickle Me Elmo." Instead, say local toy store workers, kids are falling back on time-honored favorites -- the kind of classic toys that their parents, or even grandparents, may well have enjoyed. "Pirates are big," said Dawn Craghead, manager of Moon's Play & Learn. "They've always been big, but since the movies, they're even bigger. And science kits. Those are always popular." Toy Box owner Michelle Knight pointed to animal figurines called Safari Adventure Outpost, colorful trucks and tractors made by Wow and a line of fantasy-themed toys, including unicorns, dragons and princesses, from the German company Schleich as their most sought-after items.
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