BON JOVI, AC/DC, U2, LADY GAGA, METALLICA AMONG TOP 10 WORLDWIDE CONCERT ATTRACTIONS

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AC/DC, U2 and Metallica all made concert industry tracker Pollstar's top 10 list of the year's biggest live attractions worldwide, according to a report released Tuesday (December 28th). Topping the list was Bon Jovi, which sold $201 million worth of tickets around the globe in 2010 despite a soft concert market and low sales for the band's latest record. AC/DC was Number Two with $177 million in sales, while U2 grossed $160 million to land at Number Three after topping the list in 2009.

Lady Gaga came in at Number Four with earnings of nearly $134 million, while Metallica rounded out the top five with $110 million. The rest of the acts in the Top 10 included Michael Buble, the "Walking with Dinosaurs" arena show, Paul McCartney, the Eagles, and Roger Waters' production of The Wall.

While some acts took massive stage productions on the road with them, Metallica went the other way with a simple presentation, as drummer Lars Ulrich told us earlier this year: "We had initially a very next level, kind of multi-million-dollar stage planned that all kinds of gadgets and walkways and it would make breakfast for all the fans -- I mean, it was like, you could land helicopters, I mean it was, the whole thing was crazy. And one day we kind of looked at it and was like, 'This is too OTT.' And we actually went completely in the other direction to just scale it down."

Lady Gaga was perhaps the hardest-working artist among the Top 10, playing 138 gigs in 2010 while Bon Jovi played 80, AC/DC logged 40 and U2 performed 32.

In North America alone, Bon Jovi was the top draw, followed by Waters, Dave Matthews Band, Buble and the Eagles.

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Seattle Seahawks End St Louis Rams Season - Seahawks 16, Rams 6

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Rams fail to make playoffs

Their 16-6 loss leaves both teams 7-9, but Seahawks advance with better division record.


Game Recap:

First Quarter:
The Seahawks got a quick TD, a 61-yard pass from Charlie Whitehurst (who started the game) to ex-Rams WR Ruvell Martin on the second play from scrimmage ignites the Seahawks. A key holding penalty on Rams CB Ron Bartell keeps the drive alive, the Seattle scores on a 4-yard pass from Whitehurst to WR Mike Williams. Whitehurst was 5 for 5 for 85 yards on the drive.

The Rams could not get anything going on offense. The Rams mustered just 27 yards in the period to Seattle's 118.


Second quarter:

The Rams put together their first offensive burst of the night, marching from their 3-yard line. They reach the Seattle 14, but then the drive stalls. Under a chorus of boos, ex-Seahawks kicker Josh Brown boosts a 32-yard FG.

The St. Louis Rams had a tough time getting much going on offense partly because of poor field position.  They scuffled throughout the first half.   Seattle finished the Half with a yardage of 167 yards to 121, including a 145-87 edge in passing yardage.

Third quarter:

The Rams continued to sputter on offense, unable to sustain drives.  RB Steven Jackson, recently elected to the Pro Bowl, had carried just nine times, for 40 yard and caught four passes for 39 yards thru three quarters.

CB Ron Bartell stripped the ball from Seahawks RB Marshawn Lynch after a short pass, and James Laurinaitis recovered for the Rams at the Seattle 21-yard line.
Rams failed to take full advantage of the great field position. A holding penalty on WR Laurent Robinson set them back, and they had to settle for a 27-yard Josh Brown field goal at 8:59, Seahawks 7, Rams 6.




Seattle responds to the Rams' field goal with one of its own. The Seahawks get a 24-yard run from Marshawn Lynch and a 21-yarder by Justin Forsett in the drive, which ends with a 31-yard FG by Olindo Mare at 3:04, Seahawks 10, Rams 6.

Forth Quarter:

A dropped pass by TE Daniel Fells ended another 3 and out for the St. Louis Rams, who generated nothing on offense against the NFL's 30th-ranked defense.  


This time it's Seattle that can't capitalize on good field position. After taking over at the Rams 48-yard line, the Seahawks could get no farther than the 19. But Olindo Mare's 38-yard field goal stretches their lead at 10:53, Seahawks 13, Rams 6.

The Rams finally got good field position after a Seattle three and out. They took over at their 40-yard line with 9:23 to go.  After a 14-yard gain on a pass to WR Brandon Gibson, Bradford's next pass is intercepted by linebacker Will Herring.

A 13-play Seattle drive knocks 7:05 off the clock and ends with a 34-yard FG by Olindo Mare, in effect finishing the Rams' season.
1:37, Seahawks 16, Rams 6



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Hermann Missouri, Near Normal Dry Weather for First Work Week In 2011

365...24 Hours 7 Days a Week Weather Coverage In the Box Above Our News Sories

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5-Day Forecast for ZIP Code 65041

Monday	Tuesday	Wednesday	Thursday	Friday
43° F | 20° F	36° F | 22° F	43° F | 25° F	38° F | 23° F	34° F | 16° F
Clear	Clear	Partly Cloudy	Partly Cloudy	Partly Cloudy
Hourly	Hourly	Hourly	Hourly	Hourly
Tomorrow is forecast to be Warmer than today.

	Public Information Statement
Statement as of 3:28 PM CST on January 2, 2011 ... Two Washington tornadoes surveyed... National Weather Service personnel conducted a survey of Franklin County a few miles south of Washington Missouri today and found damage resulting from two short track tornadoes. The first tornado touched down along Country Club Road and produced minor tree damage. It continued northeast and struck a farm where it removed the majority of the roof from a large metal pole barn. Another outbuilding sustained roof damage and the residence had some shingles blown off. The damage to the pole barn is rated EF1 intensity while the rest of the damage at this location is EF0. The tornado crossed Country Club Road near a sharp curve to the west. A house had shingles missing at this location as well as minor tree damage. The tornado lifted just past this point. The maximum intensity is rated EF1 with maximum wind speeds near 90 mph. The path width was 100 yards and a path length of three quarters of a mile. A second weaker tornado formed near the intersection of Country Club Road and Country Club Lane where it blew over a Road sign and produced minor trim damage to a home. The tornado continued northeast and passed through a new subdivision and produced minor tree damage. The tornado lifted before reaching Highway 47. The intensity of this tornado is rated EF0 with a path width of 50 yards and a path length of one half mile.

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1993 Hermann High School Grad. Jess Cundiff - A Stand Out at Harvard University

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Local High School Graduate 1993 -
A Stand Out at Harvard University

Jessica Cundiff has been at the MCZ since February of 2001. During this time she has worked on a NSF funded collection renovation, a NSF funded website project, digitization of collections data, and general care and curation of the collection. Her responsibilities as Curatorial Associate include overseeing the day to day activities in the collection, supervising departmental staff, developing collection policies, working with visiting researchers, approving loan requests, and establishing curation procedures.
. Click Here for more info.

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“National Security” Means Tyranny - Obesity, Global Warming Now Considered Threats

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by Jack Hunter
“National Security” Means Tyranny

The term “national security” has become like the word “racism.” It has been applied so liberally for so long that its overstretched usage has rendered it meaningless. Definitions necessarily require a limited and fixed meaning. If everyone is a “racist” then no one is. If everything becomes “national security” then nothing is.

Former Surgeon General Richard Carmona announced this month that obesity “affects our national and global security.” We also learned this month that the Department of Homeland Security believes that “climate change has the potential to accelerate and intensify extreme weather events which threaten the nation’s sustainability and security.” Being fat is a matter of “national security?” Global warming falls into the category of “national security?” Really?

The entire WikiLeaks controversy has hinged upon the question of whether or not the whistleblower group has compromised America’s national security. Defense Secretary Robert Gates says it has not, yet adds, “The initial assessment in no way discounts the risk to national security.” So there you have it. WikiLeaks’ mere existence represents a permanent threat to national security. As dictated and defined by whom? The federal government, which not-so-coincidentally continues to vaguely say that everything WikiLeaks does is a potential threat to national security, while never being able to cite anything specifically, per Gates’s admission.

Given the free and open nature of the internet, as enjoyed by WikiLeaks, Sen. Joe Lieberman has introduced the “Protecting Cyberspace as a National Asset Act of 2010,” which would allow government regulation of the internet in the name of protecting the nation’s financial security, even giving the president a “kill switch” ability to shut down the entire internet.  Despite Congress denying the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) such power and federal courts declaring it unconstitutional, last week the FCC pushed forward. Said Sen. Jim DeMint of this legislation, “Americans loudly demanded a more limited federal government this November, but the Obama Administration has dedicated itself to expanding centralized government planning. Today, unelected bureaucrats rammed through an internet takeover, even after Congress and the courts warned them not to.” Apparently, Sen. DeMint does not understand the government’s unlimited concept of “national security.”

When the United States invaded Afghanistan to rout the Taliban after 9/11, most Americans agreed that going after those who harbored al-Qaeda was a legitimate national security interest. A decade later, Americans are not so sure why we’re still there. Aren’t we just nation-building at this point? When are we coming home?
. Click Here for more info.
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Baby Boomers Start To Turn 65 In 2011, 10,000 Per Day, Retirement Crisis Bubble Looming

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In 2011 The Baby Boomers Start To Turn 65: 16 Statistics About The Coming Retirement Crisis That Will Drop Your Jaw

Do you hear that rumble in the distance?  That is the Baby Boomers - they are getting ready to retire.  On January 1st, 2011 the very first Baby Boomers turn 65.  Millions upon millions of them are rushing towards retirement age and they have been promised that the rest of us are going to take care of them.  Only there is a huge problem.  We don't have the money.  It simply isn't there.  But the millions of Baby Boomers getting ready to retire are counting on that money to be there.  This all comes at a really bad time for a federal government that is already flat broke and for a national economy that is already teetering on the brink of disaster.

So just who are the Baby Boomers?  Well, they are the most famous generation in American history.  The U.S. Census Bureau defines the Baby Boomers as those born between January 1st, 1946 and December 31st, 1964.  You see, after U.S. troops returned from World War II, they quickly settled down and everyone started having lots and lots of babies.  This gigantic generations has transformed America as they have passed through every stage of life. Now they are getting ready to retire.

If you add 65 years to January 1st, 1946 you get January 1st, 2011.

The moment when the first Baby Boomers reach retirement age has arrived.

The day of reckoning that so many have talked about for so many years is here.

Today, America's elderly are living longer and the cost of health care is rising dramatically.  Those two factors are going to make it incredibly expensive to take care of all of these retiring Baby Boomers.

Meanwhile, the sad truth is that the vast majority of Baby Boomers have not adequately saved for retirement.  For many of them, their home equity was destroyed by the recent financial crisis.  For others, their 401ks were devastated when the stock market tanked.

Meanwhile, company pension plans across America are woefully underfunded.  Many state and local government pension programs are absolute disasters.  The federal government has already begun to pay out more in Social Security benefits than they are taking in, and the years ahead look downright apocalyptic for the Social Security program.

If we are not careful all of these Baby Boomers are going to push us into national bankruptcy.  We simply cannot afford all of the promises that we have made to them.  The following are 16 statistics about the coming retirement crisis that will drop your jaw.....

#1 Beginning January 1st, 2011 every single day more than 10,000 Baby Boomers will reach the age of 65.  That is going to keep happening every single day for the next 19 years.
#2 According to one recent survey, 36 percent of Americans say that they don't contribute anything at all to retirement savings.
#3 Most Baby Boomers do not have a traditional pension plan because they have been going out of style over the past 30 years.  Just consider the following quote from Time Magazine: The traditional pension plan is disappearing. In 1980, some 39 percent of private-sector workers had a pension that guaranteed a steady payout during retirement. Today that number stands closer to 15 percent, according to the Employee Benefit Research Institute in Washington, D.C.
#4 Over 30 percent of U.S. investors currently in their sixties have more than 80 percent of their 401k invested in equities.  So what happens if the stock market crashes again?
#5 35% of Americans already over the age of 65 rely almost entirely on Social Security payments alone.
. Click Here for rest of the list.
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What a Pear, Annoying Orange Picks on Apple - Fruit Wars VIDEO

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2010 Total Movie Industry Box Office Down 30% year-over-year - 3D Results Disappointing

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Total movie industry box office is down over $152M or 30% year-over-year. And 4th quarter-to-date, box office is now down over 8% and could easily end the quarter down 9% given how poorly newly opened films are performing. In turn, attendance for Q4 2010 will likely be down around 12% - a staggering number for an industry that expected 3D technology to motivate people to get out of their houses and go to the movies. 

U.S. consumer is becoming increasingly less interested in 3D movies. While the horror and gross-out comedy genres may benefit from 3D (think Saw 3D or Jackass 3D), the vast majority of 3D movies this year have been disappointing at best (the exceptions being Alice in Wonderland, Toy Story 3, and Despicable Me).
. Click Here for more info.

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St. Louis Rams go from 1-15 to One Win Away from Playoff-Bound

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By R.B. FALLSTROM, AP Sports Writer 

One year removed from a one-win season, the St. Louis Rams are one win away from the postseason.

All they need is a win Sunday night at Seattle, where they haven't prevailed since 2004, to win the NFC West. And after the misery of 2009, they're overjoyed to have the challenge.

It'll be in prime time, too. The NFL used its flexible scheduling policy to move Rams (7-8) vs. Seahawks (6-9) to an evening time slot. If the Seahawks win, they'll become the first division champion with a losing record in league history.

A win would give the Rams, the sad sacks who were 6-42 from 2007-09, their first playoff berth since '04 and their first division title since '03, when the Greatest Show on Turf was still going strong. So what if they'd be only 8-8? They'd open at home in the playoffs.

Cornerback Ron Bartell chuckled when asked how tough it would be playing in Seattle, then said, "With the opportunity we have, who cares who we play and where?"

This time last year, nobody could have envisioned this chance - even if the division title up for grabs is the NFL's weakest.

"It's great for the team. It's kind of another step in the whole thing," coach Steve Spagnuolo said. "We're hoping we can take a big step and then get on the bottom of another mountain and try to climb that one."

The Rams showed spunk in their home finale, rebounding from losses to the Chiefs and Saints by rallying from a two-point halftime deficit behind a defense that shut down the 49ers. Troy Smith passed for 356 yards in the 49ers' overtime victory in San Francisco last month. In the rematch, also Mike Singletary's last game as coach, Smith got benched in the fourth quarter.

"We tried to get somebody in his face all the time," middle linebacker James Laurinaitis said. "No quarterback likes somebody in his face."

The Rams opened the playbook a bit, starting with a four-wideout set. Danny Amendola's option pass for rookie Danario Alexander drew an interference call that led to Steven Jackson's 1-yard run the next play. They also ran a few end-arounds with Brandon Gibson.

Alexander had his best day with six catches for 99 yards, including a 46-yarder to the 3 that led to a touchdown. Sam Bradford was 16 for 20 in the second half, hitting his rhythm with quick tempo passes.

Spagnuolo makes no apologies for finishing the game in a shell, a conservative approach that gave San Francisco three shots to force overtime. He denied being influenced by Bradford's lost fumble on a sack at the 49ers 10 in the first quarter.

Amendola's 84-yard kickoff return was a rapid response to Jeff Reed's 47-yard field goal that cut the deficit to five points with 5:46 left. Perhaps to protect Bradford, the Rams were content to burn about two minutes of clock time while calling three Jackson handoffs before settling for Josh Brown's third field goal.

Time for two more 49ers possessions. They made it to the Rams 42 the first series before Chris Long stripped Alex Smith on a sack for a turnover. On the second chance, the 49ers ran out of time at their own 34.

St. Louis nearly squandered a 17-point cushion in a three-point victory over the Chargers, used up most of a 20-point lead in a three-point win at Denver, and lost by a point in the final minute at Tampa Bay.

"There may be another game going forward where you'd do it differently," Spagnuolo said. "We chose to do it this way and it happened to work out, so this time we were right.

"Could it have bitten us in the butv? Maybe, yeah."

Now comes an opponent that had beaten the Rams 10 straight before their 20-3 victory at home in October. St. Louis is healthier and trending up, while the Seahawks have dropped seven of nine and have questions at quarterback, with Matt Hasselbeck likely to be limited all week by a hip injury.

"It's going to be awesome," Laurinaitis said. "It's what you play for."

. Click Here for Last weeks Press Conference by Head Coach Steve Spagnuolo

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2011 New Year Brings Glimmers Of Economic Hope

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by Marilyn Geewax

The old year could not have ended soon enough for the millions of Americans who spent 2010 struggling to find jobs or avoid foreclosure notices. Now it's a new year, and many economists are seeing reasons for optimism.

They note that consumer expenditures have been rising for half a year, and take-home pay has increased 3.4 percent over the last 12 months. Manufacturing also is perking up, with orders for civilian capital goods rising briskly.

The upticks have prompted economists to raise growth estimates for 2011. Surveys of economists show most now expect an expansion rate of 3 percent to 3.5 percent in 2011. That pace would be up sharply from the start of 2009, when the recession was deepening and the economy shrinking by more than 6 percent.

Still, the 2011 pace of expansion will not be quick enough to provide paychecks for all of the 15 million workers seeking employment. As a result, most economists are estimating the current 9.8 percent unemployment rate will ease only slightly, down to about 9 percent for the year.

On the housing front, most see a recovery coming, but not until later in the year. Mark Zandi, the chief economist of Moody's Analytics, said, "Housing hits bottom in 2011."

Zandi expects more price declines and foreclosures in the first half of the year. But by the second half, "I think the price declines will be over," he said. "By the end of the year, [the market will see] some price stability, and by 2012 some price growth."

Consumer prices could be a wild card for 2011. Some economists fear consumer demand will remain so slack that prices could fall in the new year.
. Click Here for more info.

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In 2011, $5 Gas, Tea Party Power, E-Book Boom, Social Media Slowdown?

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by NPR Staff

What's in store for the new year?

Some predictions: gas prices will hit $5 a gallon, Republican governors will set their sights on the 2012 presidential campaign and the "share-everything" social media trend will plateau.

Fear Pushing Gas Prices Up?

Prepare to fork over $5 for a gallon of gasoline by 2012, former Shell Oil president John Hofmeister says. That's nearly $2 more than the current average price of $3.05 per gallon, according to the Department of Energy.

American demand for gasoline has returned to pre-recession levels, while demand from Asian countries has increased beyond levels in 2007 and 2008, says Hofmeister, author of Why We Hate the Oil Companies: Straight Talk From an Energy Insider.

"There's a psychology of oil pricing based on fear — fear of shortage, fear of lack of supply," he tells NPR's Jacki Lyden. The Obama administration sent a shock to the world trading marketplace when it said the U.S. is not going to pursue more off-shore drilling at a time when the world needs more crude oil.

Republican Vs. Republican?

In 2010, the Republicans and Democrats fought for control of Congress. This year, it might be the Republicans and, well, the Republicans who duke it out on Capitol Hill, Reid Wilson, editor-in-chief of National Journal Hotline, tells NPR's Jacki Lyden.


The Tea Party-backed candidates of 2010 campaigned on a pledge to cut spending — and it worked. But now they're in office, and the first thing the Republican leadership is going to ask them to do is to vote to allow the government to spend more.

"I think you're going to see a lot of these Tea Party members really sort of understanding the ways of Washington quickly, getting their feet in the fire and having to realize, 'Yeah, we have to vote to raise the debt ceiling, even though we've promised to cut spending,' " Wilson says.

$50 E-Book Readers?

Last year the price of e-books readers began a nosedive that won't end in 2011.
"I think by the end of [2011] you’ll see [e-book readers] getting blown out in clearance for like 50 bucks," tech writer Clive Thompson says. "When [an e-book reader] becomes almost as disposable as a pocket calculator, you'll see the vast majority of people switching over."

Social Media Slowdown?

In the last few years, online users have swarmed social networking sites, revealing everything from their first kiss to their least favorite co-worker.

But Thompson, contributing writer for the New York Times Magazine and Wired, says that the "share-everything" tide is beginning to turn.

"A lot of people are becoming uncomfortable with how much they're putting out there," he says. "This is the year we're going to see them scale back a little bit and become a little more guarded."

As unlikely as it sounds, Thompson's prediction is based on a technology trend from the past.
. Click Here for more info.

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IRS Says 50 million taxpayers must delay filing income tax

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Itemize your tax deductions? Itching for a refund? You're going to have to wait.

The IRS said that it needs until mid- to late-February to reprogram its processing systems because Congress acted so late this year cleaning up the tax code. The bill, which includes deductions for state and local sales taxes, college tuition and teacher expenses, wasn't signed into law until Dec. 17.

The bill ensured that the federal income tax rates would not change, and itemized deductions will continue to be allowed in full for high-income taxpayers.

As a result, the 50 million taxpayers who itemize their deductions will have to hold off for a bit before they file. Of course, not everyone files early: only about 9 million of the 140 million U.S. tax filers filed in January or February of last year.

"The majority of taxpayers will be able to fill out their tax returns and file them as they normally do," said IRS Commissioner Doug Shulman in a statement. "The IRS will work through the holidays and into the New Year to get our systems reprogrammed and ensure taxpayers have a smooth tax season."

The delay affects both paper and electronic filers who itemize deductions on Form 1040 Schedule A. That includes those claiming the new Educator Expense Deduction, which credits grade school teachers for out-of-pocket expenses of up to $250.

It also includes those claiming deductions for college students, covering up to $4,000 of tuition, which is claimed on Form 8917, though the IRS said there will be no delays for those that claim other education tax credits.

Though itemizers can work on their tax returns before the IRS is ready to accept them, the government said people should not send them in before it is ready to process the returns.

The IRS hasn't yet said exactly what day it will be able to begin processing the impacted tax returns, but it expects to announce that date "in the near future."
 . Click Here for more info.

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