Новости за 23.12.2015

NEW YORK (AP) — Painstakingly crafted over more than three years with occasional appeals for crowd-sourced financing, the stop-motion animated film "Anomalisa" was, ironically, the easy movie for screenwriter Charlie Kaufman. Starburns Industries, a stop-motion animation outfit formed for a "Community" special, approached Kaufman in 2011 about turning it into an animated movie. The resulting film is one of the most original movies of the year, a regular of top-10 lists (including this writer's) and year-end honors. Читать дальше...

NEWARK, N.J. (AP) — New Jersey Transit has named its general manager of bus operations to become interim executive director. An NJ Transit spokeswoman says a national search is under way to find a permanent replacement for Hakim, but gave no timetable.

Longtime adversaries, potential partners square off Last week was the emotional potential finale for the Chargers in San Diego. Both franchises, long-time adversaries as original AFL entries and then as AFC rivals, could be business partners very soon. "The makeup of this team has always been that we will never quit and we will fight to the end," said Chargers quarterback Philip Rivers, who is 14-5 against Oakland as a starter. Mostly losing, and the Chargers have a shot at the first overall draft pick. Читать дальше...

Donald Trump prepares to welcome the new year next week on Fox News — where else? — as he enjoys a big lead in the new CNN/ORC national poll, taken after last week’s Republican presidential candidates debate in Las Vegas. Will Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, make fighting same sex marriage a “top-three priority” if elected President.  “No,” he tells private fundraiser in New York. The survey, taken Dec. 17-21, puts the real estate mogul far in front with 39 percent of Republican and GOP-leaning voters, more... Читать дальше...

RUPERT, Idaho (AP) — A window painting of a Nativity scene has been removed from a southeastern Idaho city's post office after a national watchdog group said it violated the separation between church and state. The Freedom From Religion Foundation lodged a complaint against the Rupert Post Office, saying the life-size window painting was a religious symbol and therefore didn't belong on public property, according to The Times-News (http://bit.ly/1QLvSVg ). Rupert resident Gary Schorzman said stamps feature the Nativity scene... Читать дальше...

HOUSTON (AP) — Oilfield services company Baker Hughes Inc. says the number of rigs exploring for oil and natural gas in the U.S. declined by nine this week to 700. The Houston firm said Wednesday 538 rigs sought oil and 162 explored for natural gas amid depressed energy prices.

WASHINGTON (AP) — A teen driver who died a few days after a July car crash near Pittsburgh has been tentatively identified by the government as the eighth death in the U.S. due to an explosive air bag inflator made by auto parts maker Takata, federal transportation officials said Wednesday. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration officials also announced an expansion in the recall of vehicles with Takata airbags, already the largest and most complex recall in the agency's history. The... Читать дальше...

TV helicopter video showed Southwest flight 2547 landing at Oakland International Airport with a puff of smoke from its tires. KRON-TV reports (http://bit.ly/1OafsUg) the Chicago-bound flight took off from Oakland about 6 a.m. The station reported a front tire on the landing gear is blown out.

The Daily Astorian reports (http://is.gd/lzX4IR ) that the Astoria City Council has approved $9,500 for the celebration and the Astoria Regatta and the Astoria-Warrenton Chamber of Commerce are expected to help with planning. Organizers are hoping for a reunion of some of the workers who built the bridge, an engineering day for local schools and a series of lectures, slide shows and movies.

Review: 'Daddy's Home' a silly romp rife with stereotypes Ferrell and Wahlberg may play familiar, predictable archetypes, but they're still charming, charismatic movie stars being ridiculous onscreen. The tough guy-nice guy dichotomy is a setup for various showdowns of stereotypical masculinity: building stuff, handling bullies, even penis size (seriously). [...] if Brad is trying to win over his family with extravagant gifts like basketball playoff tickets, why would he buy a seat for Dusty? Brad is sterile... Читать дальше...

(AP) — The movie director sentenced to jail for the death of a camera assistant while shooting a film about singer Gregg Allman is asking a Georgia judge to set him free early. Former "Midnight Rider" director Randall Miller began serving a two-year sentence at the Wayne County jail in March after he pleaded guilty to charges of involuntary manslaughter and criminal trespassing.

In a statement issued at 8:20 p.m. EST Tuesday, the Commerce Department's Bureau of Economic Analysis said there had been an "inadvertent release" of some data pertaining to consumer spending during November. In its statement, BEA said it would "take steps to ensure that this does not happen again and will take all appropriate action to safeguard economic data."

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — The operator of a tour bus that crashed in San Francisco and injured 20 people failed a surprise post-accident inspection and could be shut down if problems persist, authorities said Wednesday. State inspectors immediately ordered four of the six buses to be taken out of service for having inoperable emergency exits, faulty brake lamps and in one case, a potentially serious fuel leak. The audit prompted the Motor Carrier Safety Unit of the California Highway Patrol to threaten... Читать дальше...

NEW YORK (AP) — Painstakingly crafted over more than three years with occasional appeals for crowd-sourced financing, the stop-motion animated film "Anomalisa" was, ironically, the easy movie for screenwriter Charlie Kauffman. Starburns Industries, a stop-motion animation outfit formed for a "Community" special, approached Kauffman in 2011 about turning it into an animated movie. The resulting film is one of the most original movies of the year, a regular of top-10 lists (including this writer's) and year-end honors. Читать дальше...

Energy stocks lead a market gain as oil price climbs NEW YORK (AP) — U.S. stocks were solidly higher for a third straight day on Wednesday, once again helped by higher oil prices, which lifted shares in oil and gas companies. Oil prices rose for a third day, bouncing back from 11-year lows hit earlier in the week, which helped lift the battered energy sector. The Commerce Department said factory orders for long-lasting goods such as autos, airplanes and electronics were flat in November, as the... Читать дальше...

Typical days involve feeding tubes, breathing treatments, medications and assembly-line showers, not to mention taking kids to school, making dinner and washing clothes. [...] routine only goes so far for the Springfield couple and their children, Zachary, 8, who has epilepsy and cerebral palsy; Tyler, 7, who has brain damage and autism; Jayden, 5, who has post-traumatic stress disorder and borderline behavior problems; and biological siblings Ryan and Mandie, 7 and 6, who both have PTSD. Families are paired with a team of helpers... Читать дальше...

Carter says most flights have been leaving as scheduled, but travelers heading to larger hubs such as Chicago, Atlanta and Charlotte should monitor the weather and check with their airlines for delays or cancellations throughout the day. No other details have been released, but sheriff's office assistant Ramona Woods says the death is storm-related. Reports of minor damage are trickling in from a storm system that's predicted to bring heavy rain, powerful winds and the risk of tornadoes to Arkansas. Читать дальше...

WASHINGTON (AP) — U.S. consumer sentiment rose in December to its highest level since July, lifted in part by low inflation, which has boosted Americans' purchasing power. The greater spending has offset drags on the economy from a strong dollar, which has depressed exports by making U.S. goods pricier overseas, and cheaper oil, which has caused widespread job cuts in oil patch states. Several positives such as lower gasoline prices, modest consumer price inflation and increasing consumer confidence... Читать дальше...

PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Authorities say a stolen vehicle has crashed head-on into a trolley in Philadelphia, leaving two teens in the car in critical condition and at least two dozen people in the trolley with minor injuries. Sgt. Eric Gripp of the Philadelphia Police Department says the stolen vehicle smashed into the Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority trolley just before 9:30 a.m. Wednesday in the city's Kingsessing section.

DALLAS (AP) — Airlines are shifting the timing of thousands of flights, even adding dozens of redeyes, as they try to avoid delays while hauling millions of passengers from now through the Christmas weekend. Rain and fog in the Northeast caused nearly 200 flight delays Wednesday morning in Boston, New York and Washington — the busiest part of the country's airspace. The catch: flights are extremely full over the holiday period, with most travelers unable to make changes in their schedule. Crowds like that mean that any hiccup in the system ... Читать дальше...

Apps like Curbside deliver orders directly to the trunk of your car, more retailers are offering incentives to buy online and pick up in store, and Amazon Prime Now and other same-day delivery services have vastly expanded this year. Other retailers are adding incentives so more people choose "buy online, pick up in store" options. [...] Macy's offered a $10 e-gift card on a purchase of $50 or more when an online order is picked up in store via coupon aggregator RetailMeNot, said Brian Hoyt, RetailMeNot vice president of communications. Читать дальше...

(AP) — Norfolk Southern still isn't interested in Canadian Pacific's sweetened offer of roughly $31 billion to buy the railroad. Norfolk Southern said if Canadian Pacific is serious about the offer, it should ask regulators for preliminary approval of the deal's proposed structure. Industry analysts expect Canadian Pacific's takeover offer to morph into a proxy fight ahead of Norfolk Southern's annual meeting, which is usually held in May. While Canadian Pacific insists the deal would be approved... Читать дальше...

(AP) — The National Transportation Safety Board says a small plane turned around shortly after takeoff and appeared to be preparing to land before it crashed near a posh Pennsylvania resort, killing all three people on board. The men from Rockville, Maryland had just taken off from Nemacolin's air strip when witnesses say they saw the pilot put down the landing gear and turn around, suggesting some type of emergency or malfunction prompted Terry Carlson to try to land.

PROVIDENCE, R.I. (AP) — Rhode Island Gov. Gina Raimondo said she will reveal the most likely locations for proposed new truck tolls, lifting a major political obstacle stalling her plan to raise money to fix the state's highway bridges. Raimondo tells The Providence Journal (http://bit.ly/1IoRHYj ) she is willing to share preliminary information on where each toll gantry should be located and how much money each would make for the state.

Just a few years back, manufacturers lined store shelves with 3-D TVs capable of projecting stereoscopic images into your living room — and on those shelves the sets stayed. Virtual reality requires people to wear large headsets that block out the real world, and immersive video has made some viewers nauseous (although its purveyors claim to have fixed that). If you chafe when your companions are glued to their phones at dinner, you'll want to watch your blood pressure when they start wearing VR headsets in the living room... Читать дальше...