Mixed Stocks at the Close of Volatile Week

Comstock/Thinkstock(NEW YORK) -- Stocks end the week basically unchanged with the Dow closing up 25 points, the Nasdaq losing 15 and the S&P giving up just a fraction of a point.
 
Investors balanced positive signs for the U.S. economy with a looming deadline for the Congressional Budget Super-committee. That deadline is Wednesday.
 
The Conference Board's Index of Leading Indicators rose more than analysts were expecting -- a sign that the economy may pick up in the coming months.
 
Oil prices dropped below $98 a barrel, ending a volatile week that stirred concerns about Europe's debt with the prospect of tighter oil supplies and improving economic conditions in the U-S.  The Oil Price Information Service says a gallon of regular gasoline costs a national average of $3.38 a gallon.

Copyright 2011 ABC News Radio

Free App for Checking Video Game Ratings

ABC News/Activision(NEW YORK) -- Wanna check the rating on a video game without looking at the package?  There’s an app for that.  Patricia Vance, president of the Entertainment Software Ratings Board, says it is now offering a free mobile app that features voice recognition technology so users can simply say the name of the game to obtain a ratings summary.  The app works for over 20-thousand video game titles.

Vance says, “There's really no excuse for parents to be surprised when they bring these gifts home for the holidays and then the kid starts to play the game and they discover that's there's some sort of content that they weren't aware of.”

Copyright 2011 ABC News Radio

McDonald's Dumps McMuffin Egg Factory over Health Concerns

Tim Boyle/Getty Images(NEW YORK) -- McDonald's will be looking for a new source of eggs for many of its hugely popular Egg McMuffins.

The fast food company says it "will no longer accept" eggs from one of the country's biggest egg companies, Sparboe Farms.  The egg producer is the subject of an ABC News investigation to be broadcast Friday on 20/20 and World News with Diane Sawyer, and was cited Thursday by the Food and Drug Administration for "significant…and serious violations" in the production of eggs.

In one of the most forceful enforcement actions since last year's salmonella egg outbreak, the FDA issued a company-wide warning letter to Sparboe Farms, the country's fifth-largest egg producer.  Citing "serious" and "significant violations" at five different locations, the FDA noted at least 13 violations of the recently-enacted federal egg rule meant to prevent dangerous salmonella outbreaks.

"This is a warning that there is a systemic problem, not just at one barn or one location," said former FDA food safety chief David Acheson, now an industry consultant.

The ABC News broadcast will include undercover video taken over the summer inside Sparboe facilities in three states by an animal rights group, Mercy for Animals.  The footage appears to show unsanitary conditions and repeated acts of animal cruelty.

Until Friday, the Sparboe facility in Vincent, Iowa had produced all eggs used by McDonald's restaurants west of the Mississippi River.  In its statement, McDonald's said its decision to discontinue its relationship with Sparboe was based on concerns about "the management of Sparboe facilities."

"McDonald's expects all of our suppliers to meet our stringent requirements for delivering high quality food prepared in a humane and responsible manner," the company said in a statement released overnight to ABC News.

The Mercy for Animals activist who went undercover to record the video inside Sparboe told ABC News chief investigative correspondent Brian Ross, "I saw workers do horrendous things to birds, they were thrown, grabbed by the neck, they're slammed in and out of cages."

Nathan Runkle, the executive director of Mercy for Animals, said the video shows how health hazards can be linked to large-scale, low-cost egg producers, so-called "factory farms."

"They're the model of efficiency but they place an emphasis on profit over animal welfare," said Runkle, who says he and his members eat no animal products because of the animal cruelty they have seen.

Sparboe executives told Ross the employees seen on the tape abusing the chickens were all fired.

"We have a zero tolerance policy," said Ken Klippen, Sparboe's director of government relations.  "People who violate that policy, we take that very seriously."

On a one-hour guided tour of the Sparboe facility in Vincent, Iowa, the source of all McDonald's eggs for restaurants west of the Mississippi, Klippen told Ross the Sparboe's facilities are "state of the art.

Sparboe has never had a single egg or chicken detected with salmonella, said Klippen, who added "there was no cause for any enforcement action."

A 2010 salmonella outbreak in the U.S. affected more than 1,900 people and was traced to a different Iowa egg producer, Wright County Eggs.  More than a half-billion eggs had to be destroyed, and the episode produced a nationwide health scare over the safety of eggs.

Salmonella in eggs is easily killed when both the white and the yolk are cooked until they are hard.  Many of those sickened last year ate custard at a California catering hall that used eggs from Wright County Eggs.

Since that outbreak, federal authorities promised stepped-up inspections and enforcement, and FDA officials said this week's action against Sparboe Farms was part of that effort.

McDonald's says its customers should have no health concerns because all of it eggs are thoroughly cooked before being sold.

"This is not a food safety issue for our menu items," McDonald's said in its statement.  "We can assure our customers that eggs in our entire supply chain meet McDonald's high standards for quality and safety."

As to the allegations of animal cruelty, a spokesperson said the behavior seen on videos provided by 20/20 was "disturbing and completely unacceptable."

Copyright 2011 ABC News Radio

Nintendo Unveils Life-Sized Mario Karts

Nintendo(LOS ANGELES) -- Mario Kart jumped out of the screen and raced into the showroom at the L.A. auto show Thursday when Nintendo unveiled two life-size Mario Karts it commissioned from West Coast Customs.

The working models of Mario’s personal race car and Luigi’s Bumble V car were built to promote Mario Kart 7, which hits stores Dec. 4 as the franchise’s first 3-D game.

Visitors to the auto show can view the cars and play Mario Kart 7 at Nintendo’s display. Unfortunately for die-hard fans, the glider attachment on Mario’s car and the rear propeller on Luigi’s car don’t actually work, so the cars won’t be flying high or exploring the deep just yet.

Copyright 2011 ABC News Radio

5 Inexpensive Wines for Thanksgiving Dinner

Stockbyte/Thinkstock(NEW YORK) -- Worried about what wine to serve with your Thanksgiving meal? Looking for an inexpensive hostess gift to give to your friends?

Mandy Oser, owner of Ardesia wine bar and director of strategic partnerships for Le Bernardin, picks her top five budget friendly wines that pair well with Thanksgiving dinner.

1.  Sauvignon Blanc, Tramin, Alto Adige 2010 $12.   This light and refreshing crowd-pleaser willl stand up to heavy food but won’t overpower it.

2.   Chardonnay, Catena, Mendoza 2009 $15.   This style of Chardonnay is not overpowering with hints of oak and not overly high in alcohol so you can enjoy it all the more.

3.  Touraine, Domaine de la Charmoise, Henry Marionnet, Loire Valley, 2010. $13.   My go-to choice for Thanksgiving, light-bodied, bright fruit and light enough to drink throughout the meal.

4.  Tinhof, “Blau + Red”, Burgenland, Austria  2009 $10.   This is an off-beat choice, with a blend of Zweigelt and Blaufränkisch (native Austrian grapes).  It’s also light in body with refreshing fruit flavors and a touch of spice.

5.  Torrontez Sparkling, Deseado Schroeder, Patagonia, Argentina NV $13.   End your evening with a slightly sweet sparkler that pairs perfectly with pies and other sweet desserts.

Copyright 2011 ABC News Radio

Occupy Protests Take Toll on City Budgets

Scott Eells/Bloomberg via Getty Images(NEW YORK) -- It's unclear what the Occupy protests have accomplished, but police have received a bonanza of overtime, making up a large part of at least $10.3 million in costs incurred by nine cities since the protesters began gathering near Wall Street two months ago.

Occupy Wall Street catalyzed dozens, if not hundreds, of protests across the world. New York City alone has spent about $6 million on costs related to Occupy Wall Street, not including the eviction on Tuesday, according to Howard Wolfson, the mayor's deputy for government relations.

Philadelphia racked up $492,000 in unanticipated police overtime through last week, according to Rebecca Rhynhart, the city's budget director. Rhynhart said they're estimating that costs could reach $2.5 million if the protest lasts through the fiscal year, or June 30.

Oakland spent over $1 million to pay police overtime, according to the Washington Post.

Portland estimated $750,000 so far for police overtime, while damage related to its parks has cost $50,000 to $100,000, according to Amy Ruiz, communications director for Mayor Sam Adams.

In Seattle, protests will cost $625,999 from the week that ended in Oct. 14 to the end of Nov. 25. The largest portion goes to overtime for Seattle police: $580,468. The extra costs to Seattle's parks comprise $21,471 of the total.  The department of finance and administrative services, which just gave protesters permission for a permit to use part of city hall's plaza on Tuesday, made up the rest at $24,060.

The Boston police department estimated overtime costs related to the Occupy Boston movement to be about $575,000 so far, according to Elaine Driscoll, director of communications of the department.

In Atlanta, protests cost $451,691 from Oct. 7 to 25, with almost three-quarters going to overtime to police, said Mayor Kasim Reed on Nov. 2.

Occupy Denver led to overtime for various city departments during five days of protest in October at about $365,000, according to the Denver Post. The protests are estimated to cost $200,000 a week for the rest of the year. This week, the police department asked for an increase of $6 million in its budget, "citing Occupy as a small but unspecified portion of the cost," the Post reports.

Cincinnati has spent about $128,000 in police overtime, according to the Cincinnati Enquirer last week.

Copyright 2011 ABC News Radio

Overseas Stocks Drop; Will Wall Street Follow?

Comstock/Thinkstock(NEW YORK) -- Can Wall Street bounce back from its losses this week and end on a high? 

Maybe.  But if overseas stocks are any indicator, it doesn't look likely.

U.S. stock futures are slightly up ahead of Friday's opening bell.  The previous day, the Dow Jones Industrial Average shed 135 points, the Nasdaq lost 52 and the S&P 500 dropped 21.

Fears are still mounting over Europe's debt crisis, which took another hit on Thursday when Spain's borrowing costs rose.  The news sent overseas stocks tumbling -- a trend that continued into the next day.  European stocks are trading lower on Friday, and Asian ones closed down.

South Korea’s Kopsi plunged two percent, Australia’s S&P/ASX 200 lost 1.91 percent, China's Shanghai Composite fell 1.89 percent, Hong Kong’s Hang Seng sank 1.73, and Japan’s Nikkei index dipped 1.23 percent.

Copyright 2011 ABC News Radio

Coming Soon: An iPad in Your Car's Center Console?

Alex Stone/ABC News(LOS ANGELES) -- The next car you drive could have a major high-tech upgrade.

The big automakers are giving people a preview of the technological advances they have in the works at the Los Angeles Auto Show, which opened to the public on Friday.

While eco-friendly cars are still popular, they say consumer demand for high-tech vehicles is even bigger.

“They want voice activated controls and they want to be able to customize the interior of their car like they would their tablet device,” says Jim Farley, vice president of sales at Ford.

Ford, General Motors and Toyota have flashy new systems they hope will attract buyers.

At Cadillac, which is owned by GM, engineers have designed a new system called Cue that is equivalent to putting an Apple iPad into the center console of their vehicles.  Drivers can move from screen to screen with the slide of a finger, and the pinch and stretch features popular on the iPad can be used to move maps in the car navigation system.

“We’ve really taken the interface that people are used to using in their everyday consumer electronic products like tablets and brought that user experience into the automotive space,” Stuart Norris, the engineer behind Cadillac’s Cue System, told ABC News Radio.

Toyota’s new system for its cars, premiering in the Camry, will allow users to use their center console screen to make dinner reservations on Open Table or buy tickets.  Apps will be downloaded and available much like they are on an iPhone and stored on the computer system within the car.

At Ford, the automaker is updating its MyFordTouch system, which has been criticized recently by some drivers who have become more accustomed to newer systems for being hard to use or finicky.

“We’re making it simpler, faster to respond and easier to use,” explains Alan Hall, an engineer on MyFordTouch.  “It launches on the new 2013 Escape, and Edge, and Flex.”

Current owners won’t have to take their Ford to a dealer to get updated.  Instead, Ford will be mailing USB drives to current owners of their compatible vehicles so they can update their MyFordTouch system themselves.

There are critics who believe giving drivers too much information and access to services like the Internet while driving is not a good thing.  TrueCar Vice President Jesse Toprak says automakers are walking a very fine line right now of giving customers what they want without giving them too much, such that it will distract their attention from the road.

“How badly do you need to check your Facebook updates while you’re driving?  Can’t you wait until you get home?” asks Toprak.

He also sees the other side of the issue, and says if car companies don’t offer the technology in their vehicles, drivers will seek it out on their phones anyway.

Most of the new iPad-like systems will be launching in the 2013 model year vehicles.

Copyright 2011 ABC News Radio

Energy Secretary Defends Loan Made to Now-Bankrupt Solyndra

David Paul Morris/Bloomberg via Getty Images(WASHINGTON) -- Energy Secretary Steven Chu offered a spirited defense Thursday of the administration's decision to provide now-bankrupt solar panel company Solyndra with a $535 million loan guarantee in 2009.

Republicans on the House Energy and Commerce Committee kept pressing Chu to admit that political favoritism was the ultimate factor in approving the loan since Solyndra's biggest investors were backed by George Kaiser, a major contributor to President Obama.

Despite four hours of hard questions from the GOP lawmakers, Chu held his ground, repeatedly stating that politics had no role in Solyndra acquiring over a billion dollars from his department despite trepidation by some within the administration that the company was not financially solvent.

Resisting calls for his resignation, Chu said he took responsibility for the loan.  Given the benefit of hindsight, he admitted it was "extremely unfortunate" and "regrettable."

As far as knowing that Solyndra was a risky bet, Chu told lawmakers, "The range of predictions being made by financial analysts ... the average of those were not expecting [solar panel] prices to plummet.  These companies and others got caught in a very bad tsunami."

But Chu refused to offer an apology for what he did or the eventual outcome even while acknowledging that there was virtually no chance that the government would recover its money.

Copyright 2011 ABC News Radio

Select Salvation Army Bellringers to Accept Credit Cards This Year

Scott Olson/Getty Images(SAN FRANCISCO) -- The image is familiar: a bright red bucket and a Salvation Army volunteer ringing a powerful bell with a wooden handle, and coins clinking into the bucket.

From classic movies like Miracle on 34th Street and It's a Wonderful Life to modern favorites like TV's Friends, the red kettle is a symbol of giving during the holiday season.

The Salvation Army bellringer is now moving into the digital age with a new feature: Square.

Square is both the name of a product and the San Francisco-based company that produces it, co-founded by Jack Dorsey, the co-founder of Twitter. The postage-stamp-sized device connects to iPhones, iPad and Androids through the headphone jack and turns the gadget into a cashier with the ability to swipe credit cards and make secure payments through a free downloadable app.

The increasingly popular gadet is already being used around the country in food trucks, salons, pumpkin patches and even lawyers' offices.

And starting around Thanksgiving, 10 Salvation Army kettle volunteers in San Francisco, Dallas, Chicago and New York will be equipped with a Square in addition to their bell and kettle.

"We have to be aware of where consumers make transactions. Many people don't want to keep cash in their pockets and are working from credit or debit cards to make donations," Major George Hood, the National Community Relations and Development Secretary for the Salvation Army, told ABC News. "We think it's a way to stay in touch with the consumer who doesn't carry money in their pockets."

The Red Kettle Campaign began on a San Francisco wharf in 1891 when a Salvation Army officer was trying to find a unique way collect food for the needy during the holiday season. He put out a big pot and asked people to donate food, which they did, but he also noticed that people were throwing money in.

"It worked. And from that, it spread all across the country, from West to East," said Hood, who even recalls his own days as a 12-year-old schoolboy volunteering for the Salvation Army and collecting money outside of his local Sears.

Over the past 120 years, the practice has become a tradition and a pop culture standard. Now, the bellringer force is made up of more than 25,000 people each year.

In 2010, people tossed more than $142 million into the kettles, helping buy food, toys and other holiday necessitates for the needy. All of the money donated to local kettles stays in the community.

But Hood said that over the past decade, he began to notice "a transition from a traditional fundraising model to an electronic world and a digital model taking over."

The organization tried credit card terminals at the kettle stands, but found that people did not want to stand around, often in the cold, waiting for the process. But, last summer, Hood was introduced to Square and was instantly interested.

"We just said, 'This is so simple, we've got to try it at the kettle,'" he said. "We've gone from collecting from an old pot to state-of-the-art credit card reading technology."

Hood said he already has Salvation Army members all over the country calling and asking to be part of the move into the digital age, and he said there's a good chance expansion of the technique is in the organization's future.

Copyright 2011 ABC News Radio