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Gotta Watch: Craziness on the highway
In what may be one of the most expensive car wrecks in history, 14 high-end luxury cars were demolished in a highway pileup in Japan this weekend. The totaled supercars included eight Ferraris, three Mercedes-Benz cars and a Lamborghini. Today, we decided to take a look back at some of the craziest highway moments.
Multi-million dollar wreck – A group of luxury car enthusiasts were driving on Chugoku Expressway in southwestern Japan when witnesses say one driver skidded out of control and started a chain-reaction crash. Several drivers were hospitalized but no one was seriously injured.
[cnn-video url=http://www.cnn.com/video/#/video/world/2011/12/05/vo-japan-luxury-car-pile-up.cnn]
Gotta Watch: Shopping frenzy
The madness of Black Friday is behind us. Despite an increase in sales it was a day marred by violence at several stores. As we enter Cyber Monday, bargain hunters will be able to take advantage of sales online instead of having to risk hand-to-hand combat in the aisles. While you browse the Web for deals, take a look at some of the craziest moments from Black Friday, from shoppers rioting over a waffle iron or going to great lengths to get a spot in line.
Woman pepper-sprays shoppers – Police say a woman pepper-sprayed fellow customers on Black Friday to make sure she got a hold of a deal at a Los Angeles Wal-Mart. The woman then proceeded to pay for her items and leave before police arrived.
Californians not getting their Thanksgiving crabs
A couple of turkeys got a Thanksgiving pardon from President Obama at the White House on Wednesday, but beneath the Pacific Ocean, thousands and thousands of crabs will be around for a holiday they normally experience from a pot and a plate.
Dungeness crab have traditionally been served on Northern California tables along with the turkey and trimmings for Thanksgiving. This year, however, a price dispute between crab fishermen and processors has left market shelves and restaurant menus bereft of the crustaceans, according to media reports from the Bay Area.
Crab fishermen want $2.50 a pound for their catch, but processors are offering only $2, so the fishermen are staying in port, and traps aren't going into the sea, the San Francisco Chronicle reports.
"I feel terrible, because I know everyone loves Thanksgiving crab, but we can't work for nothing," Larry Collins, head of the San Francisco Crab Boat Owners Association, told the Chronicle.
Black goo disables hundreds of vehicles on Pennsylvania Turnpike
If you hear about a sticky Thanksgiving travel mess, images of crowded airport security lines and jammed freeway interchanges probably come to mind. Your car sitting on the freeway in a mass of a black goo probably isn't what you think of.
But that's exactly what drivers on the Pennsylvania Turnpike faced Tuesday night after a tanker truck carrying driveway sealant sprang a leak and spread the goo over a 37-mile stretch of highway.
"This is Thanksgiving. Now we have to turn around and go back home," Laura Frick, who was traveling from Cleveland to New Jersey for the holiday, told CNN affiliate WTAE-TV in Pittsburgh. "It's horrible."
The tar-like sealant was spilled in the turnpikes eastbound lanes between the New Castle and Allegheny Valley exits in western Pennsylvania, according to the turnpike's website. The truck's driver noticed the leak when he stopped at the Oakmont travel plaza, according to the WTAE report.
Gotta Watch: Revenge of the turkeys
Thanksgiving may just be the most perilous day to be a turkey— after all, we call it Turkey Day. When the birds are under all that stress, who can blame them for wanting to take a little revenge? From chasing after mail trucks to pecking at presidents, you’ve Gotta Watch these turkeys unleash their wrath.
Wild turkey chase—A turkey might not seem like a very menacing animal — until it’s chasing you. One Sacramento TV producer went to check out reports of a turkey named “Terrible Tom” terrorizing a neighborhood. She got a lot more than she bargained for. See her hilarious reaction to this wild turkey.
[cnn-video url="http://www.cnn.com/video/#/video/us/2011/10/07/turkey-attacks-producer.kxtv"%5D
Occupy targets retailers on Black Friday
The Occupy movement is taking on the biggest retail day of the season, calling on protesters to occupy major retailers on Black Friday, the day after Thanksgiving.
"OCCUPY BLACK FRIDAY by occupying/boycotting large chain stores and publicly traded retail" is the message posted on the website stopblackfriday.com.
The movement contends that 1% of the country is making money at the expense of the other 99%.
"The credit cards the 99% overcharge will allow the 1% to enrich themselves gluttonously on the backs of hardworking people who simply want to provide a memorable time for their families," the website says.
"So just imagine what would happen to the 1% if the 99% did not spend on Black Friday."
The site asks protesters to target only "publicly traded large businesses" and support small businesses "that serve our local communities."
The site lists Abercrombie & Fitch, Amazon.com, AT&T Wireless, Burlington Coat Factory, Dick's Sporting Goods, Dollar Tree, The Home Depot, Neiman Marcus, Office Max, Toys "R" Us, Verizon Wireless and Wal-Mart as businesses that should be boycotted or occupied.
"We are NOT anti-capitalist, just anti-crapitalist," the site says.
Are you participating in an Occupy Black Friday protest? Send your iReport.
Black Friday 2010 gets a Thursday start
Black Friday, the day after Thanksgiving, typically marks the start of the annual holiday gift-buying marathon.
Eager to jumpstart Black Friday sales, more large national retailers broke their norm by opening on Thanksgiving Day.
Keeping safe in the kitchen: From smoke alarms to goggles
The leading cause of Thanksgiving fires is residential cooking, FEMA says.
Amid all the shopping and chopping and cooking and baking tonight and tomorrow, followed by more preparation for Black Friday, fire prevention probably isn't at the forefront of most people's minds going into the holiday weekend.
But it should be, according to the U.S. Fire Administration, who says the leading cause of all Thanksgiving fires is cooking in the home.
An estimated 2,000 fires occur each on Thanksgiving in the United States, resulting in an average of five deaths, 25 injuries and $21 million in property loss each year, said the agency, an entity of the Department of Homeland Security's Federal Emergency Management Agency.
Fires occur most frequently from noon to 4 p.m., prime time for roasting turkeys/tofurkeys, boiling potatoes and vegetables and baking pies. Smoke alarms were not present in 20 percent of Thanksgiving Day fires that occurred in occupied residential buildings, the agency said.
So, what to do? Make sure your smoke alarms work, which I'm sure you already do, as a practical matter of everyday life. And here are a few more tips that may seem like common sense, but are always good to be reminded of:
- Keep a close watch on your cooking. You should never leave cooking food unattended.
- Keep oven food packaging and other combustibles away from burners and heat sources.
- Heat cooking oil slowly and watch it closely; it can ignite quickly.
- Don't wear loose sleeves while working over hot stove burners. They can melt, ignite or catch on handles of pots and pans.
- Have a "kid-free zone" of at least three-feet around the stove and areas where hot foods or drinks are prepared or carried.
- Keep a lid nearby to smother small grease fires. Smother the fire by sliding the lid over the pan and turn off the stovetop. Leave the pan covered until it is completely cool.
And, if you must deep fry a turkey, which is basically not recommended in good faith by any fire safety or prevention agency, remember to wear your goggles, keep children and pets far, far away, and this stuff, too:
- Turkey fryers should always be used outdoors a safe distance from buildings and any other flammable materials.
- Never use turkey fryers in a garage or on a wooden deck.
- Make sure the fryers are used on a flat surface to reduce accidental tipping.
- Never leave the fryer unattended. Most units do not have thermostat controls. If you do not watch the fryer carefully, the oil will continue to heat until it catches fire.
- Never let children or pets near the fryer even if it is not in use. The oil inside the cooking pot can remain dangerously hot hours after use.
- To avoid oil spillover, do not overfill the fryer.
- Use well-insulated potholders or oven mitts when touching pot or lid handles. If possible, wear safety goggles to protect your eyes from oil splatter.
- Make sure the turkey is completely thawed and be careful with marinades.
- Oil and water do not mix, and water causes oil to spill over causing a fire or even an explosion hazard.
- The National Turkey Federation (NTF) recommends thawing the turkey in the refrigerator approximately 24 hours for every five pounds in weight.
- Keep an all-purpose fire extinguisher nearby. Never use water to extinguish a grease fire. If the fire is manageable, use your all-purpose fire extinguisher. If the fire increases, immediately call the fire department for help.
On the Radar: 'Brink of war' for Koreas, 'Opt Out' and the TSA
North and South Korea conflict - North Korea is blaming South Korea for driving the two "to the brink of war," a day after the North shelled a South Korean island and killed four people. North Korea said the South provoked the shelling of Yeonpyeong Island by holding a military drill off their shared coast in the Yellow Sea. One Korea historian called the situation a manufactured crisis on the part of North Korea.
Now we're hearing from survivors of the attack, who said they were dazed and shocked. We also take a look at Seoul, a metropolis that lives in the gun sights of North Korea, one of the most dangerous states on the planet. The border is just 40 miles (64 kilometers) north of downtown Seoul, and although no strangers to North Korean hostility, Seoul residents see this attack as different. And as the story continues to develop, all eyes are on China, after its neighbor North Korea provoked threats of "enormous retaliation."
'Opt Out' day and the TSA - The controversy over Transportation Security Administration measures may peak Wednesday, one of the nation's busiest travel days every year, as a group is urging air travelers to protest at airports nationwide.
Wintry weather could pose Thanksgiving travel problems in some spots
As millions of Americans prepare to hit the roads and take to the skies for Thanksgiving travel, wintry weather may snarl plans for many in the West, while air travel may be complicated because of a controversy over security measures.
The motor club and travel organization AAA has estimated some 42.2 million people will travel at least 50 miles from home during the Thanksgiving travel period, which stretches from Wednesday to Sunday. However, some of those may be planning to head out Tuesday, particularly with bad weather forecast in some regions.
The vast majority of those - 94 percent, or 39.7 million people - will be driving, AAA reported. Thanksgiving travel is projected to increase from last year because of "modestly improved economic conditions," the organization said.
WebPulse: Screening, sweating and The Situation
The online chatter-battle over how much bod one should share with airport security screeners continues as Thanksgiving travel begins. If you're curious which airports have body scanning technology, find that here. When we're traveling, we'll be loading up on headache soothing apps and a few drinks. (Starbucks is giving away certain menu items until November 21.)
Ooh, yeah ... that makes us sing Kanye's catchy old "Workout," ditty ("All them mocha lattes/ya gotta do Pilates") ... Pause for little WebPulse dance. Ok ... Where were we? Oh, yeah, getting fat. There's no doubt you'll hear someone lamenting that they need to get in the (high-concept) gym after stuffing themselves with turkey. Beat 'em all to it and get on that treadmill and sweat for a few. Rest assured that no one expects you to be Tom Cruise. Look, America's most beloved Scientologist is sitting on the world's tallest building! You will never be as physically able as Tom Cruise, and in that you should find peace.
We're not sure how to transition to discussing a weird ad about safe sex featuring Bristol Palin and The Situation. There are so many cheap jokes to be had here. We don't know where to start, so we'll leave it to you. Just watch.
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