How to Travel With Your Pets: Suggested Tips from Heidi Ganahl

1) Check all airline requirements before boarding a plane. See if your pet can travel in a carrier that can be kept under a seat in the cabin or if your pet must travel by freight.

2) Familiarize your pet with its carrier. Pets like familiarity. If you plan on keeping your pet inside a carrier while traveling, allow your pet to get used to the environment by placing it in the carrier for a few minutes each day. Gradually lengthen the time until your pet seems at ease with being placed in the carrier.

3) Don?t try sneaking your pet on the plane. Although it may seem like a good idea if your pet is small enough to fit in a carrier beneath your seat, do not sneak animals of any size on a plane. There will be repercussions for doing so. Instead, look into travel alternatives such as Pet Airways, which was created specifically for traveling with pets. Although routes are limited, traveling on pet-friendly airlines may reduce times that pets are required to be in a carrier.

4) Feed your pet no less than five or six hours before flight time. Give the pet a drink of water no less than two hours before flight. It is very easy for your dog or cat to become sick in transition.

5) Find a hotel that will allow your pet to spend the night. Most pet-friendly hotels will not allow pets to be left in the room alone, so also consider taking your dog to a nearby Camp Bow Wow doggie day care facility if you want to do things during the day. It will cost less than paying for damage incurred by leaving a dog along in a hotel room.

6) Make the animal feel at home. Use familiar dishes, blankets, toys and other items from your home to create a sense of comfort for your pet.

7) ?And If Fido can?t travel with you, leave him at one of Camp Bow Wows 100+ franchises and watch him while on-the-go, via Camp Bow Wow?s unique iPhone Application, which has a web-cam feature that is hooked up at every franchise across the country!

(Source: Heidi Ganahl, CEO and Founder of Camp Bow Wow,?http://www.campbowwow.com/)?

Source: http://www.eastcobber.com/how-to-travel-with-your-pets-suggested-tips-from-heidi-ganahl/

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Microsoft's Windows battles slack PC sales (Reuters)

SEATTLE (Reuters) ? Microsoft Corp's fiscal second-quarter profit fell very slightly as lagging computer sales to cash-strapped consumers in the United States and Europe hurt its core Windows business.

Companies and emerging markets are still hungry for new PCs, according to the latest data, but customers in mature markets are ditching their Windows-powered netbooks in favor of Apple Inc's iPad, Amazon.com Inc's Kindle or postponing a PC purchase until the economy improves.

"There's really three things that impacted the consumer side," said Peter Klein, Microsoft's chief financial officer, reflecting on the dip in computer sales.

"The supply chain from Thailand, there's some macro (economic factors) and certainly some competition from alternative form factors such as tablets and readers."

Tech research firm Gartner reported a 1.4 percent decline in global PC sales for the fourth quarter, aggravated by a shortage of hard disk drives caused by recent floods in Thailand.

Microsoft went further, estimating the PC market fell between 2 percent and 4 percent in the quarter, almost entirely due to the collapse in the market for netbooks, the small laptops which accounted for one in 12 PC sales last year.

As a result, Microsoft's key Windows unit reported a 6 percent dip in sales to $4.7 billion. The situation shows no immediate signs of improvement.

The company warned that the disruptions in Thailand will continue to affect PC sales in the first part of this year, while it has yet to feel the benefit of new lightweight laptops -- dubbed "Ultrabooks" by chipmaker Intel Corp -- which are just starting to hit stores.

There is also uncertainty over Windows 8, Microsoft's new, tablet-friendly operating system, which is expected later this year but has no firm arrival date.

"The PC environment is tough and this is reflected in the results," said Global Equities Research analyst Trip Chowdhry. "The question remains, what is going to be the growth catalyst? It's still too early to say whether Windows 8 will be the answer because it won't be released until later this year."

BEATS STREET

Overall, the world's largest software company reported net profit of $6.624 billion, or 78 cents per share, compared with $6.634 billion, or 77 cents per share, in the year-ago quarter.

The per share figure rose as Microsoft had fewer shares outstanding in the most recent quarter. It beat Wall Street's average forecast of 76 cents.

Sales rose 5 percent to $20.9 billion, in line with analysts' forecasts, helped by its Office, server software and Xbox businesses.

The figure was also boosted by the first inclusion of revenue from Skype, the online phone firm Microsoft bought last year, and a one-time gain of $225 million from favorable foreign currency rates.

"The results are pretty much in line with my expectations. We all expected the PC market to be weak and the Windows business was down because of that. But the server and tools business is growing well," said Sunit Gogia, an equity analyst at Morningstar.

Microsoft shares rose 3 percent after hours to $28.95 after closing at $28.12 on Nasdaq. The shares are level with their price a year ago, compared with a 3 percent gain in the Nasdaq.

XBOX, SERVERS GROW

Microsoft's other major units performed much better than Windows. The Office unit increased sales 3 percent to $6.3 billion, helped by relatively strong business tech spending, which is holding up much better than consumer spending.

The server and tools unit, which provides the software and services behind Microsoft's "cloud" -- or Internet-centric computing platform -- posted an 11 percent rise in sales to $4.8 billion.

The entertainment and devices unit reported 7 percent higher sales, largely due to booming sales of the Xbox game console, which has been rejuvenated by its hands-free Kinect sensor add-on. Microsoft has yet to see any jump in revenue from the new range of Windows phones made by Nokia and others, which it is now rolling out.

Microsoft's perennially money losing online services unit posted a 10 percent gain in sales, as the Bing search engine grabbed more market share, now taking 15 percent of U.S. Internet searches, just ahead of Yahoo Inc but still well behind market leader Google Inc.

The online unit managed to cut its losses 18 percent in the latest quarter to $458 million, helped by higher advertising sales. But Microsoft has lost more than $5 billion in the unit since it launched Bing in mid-2009, as it invests heavily to catch up with Google.

(Additional reporting by Alistair Barr; Editing by Bernard Orr)

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/business/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20120119/bs_nm/us_microsoft

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Classic matchups for spots in Super Bowl

New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady looks on during practice at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Mass., Friday, Jan. 20, 2012. The Patriots are scheduled to host the Baltimore Ravens in the AFC championship game on Sunday, Jan. 22. (AP Photo/Winslow Townson)

New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady looks on during practice at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Mass., Friday, Jan. 20, 2012. The Patriots are scheduled to host the Baltimore Ravens in the AFC championship game on Sunday, Jan. 22. (AP Photo/Winslow Townson)

New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady signals to his bench during the second half of an NFL divisional playoff football game against the Denver Broncos Saturday, Jan. 14, 2012, in Foxborough, Mass. (AP Photo/Elise Amendola)

New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady reaches back to pass during the second half of an NFL divisional playoff football game against the Denver Broncos Saturday, Jan. 14, 2012, in Foxborough, Mass. (AP Photo/Charles Krupa)

New England Patriots wide receiver Wes Welker celebrates after scoring on a seven yard touchdown pass during the first half of an NFL divisional playoff football game against the Denver Broncos Saturday, Jan. 14, 2012, in Foxborough, Mass. (AP Photo/Charles Krupa)

New England Patriots wide receiver Wes Welker (83) after scoring the first touchdown of an NFL divisional playoff football game Saturday Jan. 14, 2012 in Foxboro, Mass. (AP Photo/The Denver Post, Hyoung Chang)

No complaining about these championship matchups: prolific offense vs. stingy defense, or old foes renewing a storied rivalry.

Whichever suits your preference, the NFL has it this weekend.

When the New England Patriots host the Baltimore Ravens on Sunday for the AFC title, four players who have come to represent the highest levels of achievement will be on each side of the ball. Tom Brady, seeking a fifth start in a Super Bowl, and Wes Welker on New England's offense, Ray Lewis and Ed Reed on Baltimore's defense.

How juicy.

"They've got a lot of guys over there that are very explosive," said Reed, the Ravens' star safety. "Obviously, they score a lot of points, and we've all seen that. It's going to be an all-day affair for our defense."

The other championship affair Sunday is at Candlestick Park, where the New York Giants and San Francisco 49ers have played some memorable games, regular season and postseason. Despite the geographic separation, these franchises have quite a history with each other.

"You know there are a lot of memories," former Giants quarterback Phil Simms said of the rivalry. "They went from maybe the greatest to the worst in lots of ways. The games were awesome."

It could shape up as an awesome weekend. Certainly an intriguing one.

New England (14-3) hasn't won the AFC crown since 2007, when it was unbeaten until the Giants pulled off a shocker in the Super Bowl. The Patriots' last NFL title came in January 2005.

To get their fourth league championship under coach Bill Belichick and with Brady at quarterback, they'll need to have their offense in high gear, which it has been nearly all season. The Patriots scored at least 27 points in all but three games and averaged 32.8, including last week's 45-10 rout of Denver, their ninth straight victory.

But New England didn't beat an opponent that finished with a winning record, and lost to its two most difficult foes, Pittsburgh and the Giants.

Baltimore (13-4) most assuredly presents a difficult challenge, with a defense that yielded 266 points, more than only two teams.

"I think we have a lot of confidence, we are a confident type team, have a lot of good players and they feed off each other," All-Pro receiver Welker said. "We feel someone will step up and make a play ... and it makes it tough on defenses.

"I understand we are playing a great football team this week and have to be on top of everything. No mental errors, no bad mistakes, knowing your job and taking care of your business."

Brady usually does that, although before the romp past Denver, he and the Patriots had lost three straight postseason games. He is 4-0 in regular-season meetings with the Ravens, but lost their only playoff matchup.

If he isn't at his best, it will be because of Lewis, Reed and that staunch Baltimore D. The Ravens are as physical as anyone, and one thing that historically has slowed Brady has been when a defense gets in his face, disrupts his rhythm ? and hits him. Many times.

"It's more important that we stop their whole offense," said Reed, whom Belichick called the greatest safety he has faced during his coaching career. "We can't focus on one particular player, because Brady doesn't. Brady throws it to everybody. I've been saying that all week. He'll throw it to an offensive lineman. We're looking at everybody that's eligible that's going out on a route and not going out on a route. We're paying attention to everybody. Everybody has a responsibility. They have 11 guys on the field. We have 11 guys on the field. Everybody has to do their responsibility."

The 11 guys on each side of the ball at Candlestick Park for the NFC championship game will carry on a tradition of notable meetings that dates back to when the 49ers (14-3) and Giants (11-7) were dominating the conference in the 1980s. Their only faceoff in the title game was in January 1991, when New York kicked five field goals for a 15-13 victory, preventing San Francisco from going after a third straight Super Bowl trophy.

While it's fun to conjure up memories of Joe Montana, Jerry Rice, Ronnie Lott, Lawrence Taylor and Matt Bahr, this year's participants are more concerned with adding to a winning legacy. This is the 49ers' first playoff appearance since the 2002 season, when they won a wild 39-38 wild-card game against the Giants. New York, of course, won it all four years ago.

"Winning is what it's all about and it definitely makes coming to work a lot better than hearing, Who's going to be your new head coach or defensive coordinator?' All-Pro defensive tackle Justin Smith said. "I'll take this over the other for sure."

No worries on the coaching front after Jim Harbaugh made his first year in charge one of the most successful for any rookie coach. Harbaugh doesn't have much of a feel for Giants-49ers, though; he didn't play for either team.

Giants coach Tom Coughlin, who was on the 1990 championship staff, knows all about it.

"I have thought about that and we will talk about some of the things that occurred there," Coughlin said, "but only from the standpoint of the history and the tradition and what a great event that was at that particular time. That was a long time ago and I think some of our players, because they are historians, will know a little about that game and the great players that played in that game."

More appropriate, perhaps, is the 27-20 win by the 49ers in November, a game decided only when Smith blocked Eli Manning's last-minute pass deep in San Francisco territory. It was the latest installment of a grand rivalry.

Until Sunday.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/3d281c11a96b4ad082fe88aa0db04305/Article_2012-01-21-Championship%20Weekend/id-b054a17bbddf4409b9d2a37c99183496

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Trial set for man accused of killing Hudson family

CHICAGO (AP) ? A judge on Thursday ordered a man charged in the 2008 Chicago slayings of Jennifer Hudson's mother and two other family members to stand trial in April, despite the objections of his attorney, who said she was not ready.

After listening to William Balfour's attorney say she's still building her case, a clearly exasperated Judge William Charles Burns said it didn't appear she was making any progress and set a date.

Burns, who suggested he wanted to start the trial next month, instead ordered jury selection to start April 9 and testimony to begin April 23. He said he expected the trial to last about three or four weeks.

Amy Thompson, a deputy public defender, said despite working 12 to 14 hours a day on the case, she could not answer that she was ready for trial, as prosecutors had done.

"We're not prepared for trial at this time," she said.

Balfour, 30, is the estranged husband of Hudson's sister, Julia Hudson. He is charged with first-degree murder in the October 2008 slayings of the Hudson sisters' mother, Darnell Donerson, their brother, Jason Hudson, and Julia Hudson's 7-year-old son, Julian King.

Prosecutors allege that Balfour, using a gun he stole from Jason Hudson, shot the three in a jealous rage because he was angry that Julia Hudson had been dating another man. He is accused of shooting Donerson and Jason Hudson in their South Side home, and then grabbing the boy and shooting him inside Jason Hudson's SUV. The boy's body was found three days later in the vehicle on the city's West Side.

In 2008, Balfour's attorney at the time said that there was no fingerprint, blood or other forensic evidence linking Balfour to the slayings. But prosecutors have said there is evidence linking Balfour to the slayings of the Oscar winner's family members, including gunshot residue on the steering wheel of his car. They also have said detectives have disproven some statements Balfour made to them.

Thompson left quickly after Thursday's hearing and did not immediately return a call seeking comment.

At Thursday's hearing, Assistant State's Attorney James McKay objected to a defense motion to turn over Jennifer Hudson's home address and telephone numbers to Balfour's attorneys out of concern for her privacy. He did agree to make Hudson available to defense attorneys to be interviewed.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/4e67281c3f754d0696fbfdee0f3f1469/Article_2012-01-19-Jennifer%20Hudson-Slayings/id-3cb6f77c92464c7f9180a3c7bdf6f00f

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Waltrip headlines NASCAR's 3rd Hall of Fame class

FILE - In this July 19, 2011 file photo, former NASCAR driver Darrell Waltrip sits in his Franklin, Tenn., office. Waltrip has made a living from running his mouth, with a trash-talking style that helped him become a NASCAR superstar and led to a second career as a television analyst. Now the three-time champion is headed into NASCAR's Hall of Fame. (AP Photo/Mark Humphrey, File)

FILE - In this July 19, 2011 file photo, former NASCAR driver Darrell Waltrip sits in his Franklin, Tenn., office. Waltrip has made a living from running his mouth, with a trash-talking style that helped him become a NASCAR superstar and led to a second career as a television analyst. Now the three-time champion is headed into NASCAR's Hall of Fame. (AP Photo/Mark Humphrey, File)

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) ? Darrell Waltrip was nicknamed "Jaws" as a driver for his outrageous trash-talking. His loquaciousness launched his second career, as one of NASCAR's most recognized ? and outspoken ? television analysts.

But on the eve on his induction into the NASCAR Hall of Fame, 'ol DW has no idea what he's going to say in Friday night's ceremony.

"I've written 10 speeches and after the 10th one, I threw it away, and said 'I can't write a speech,'" Waltrip said. "I'm pretty spontaneous, so I'm just going to get up and say what I think and hope it's the right thing."

Waltrip hasn't always said the right thing in a career that dates back to his 1972 debut in NASCAR's top series. He angered his rivals as a driver, and his strong opinions as an analyst for both Fox Sports and Speed have made him one of the more polarizing commentators in NASCAR.

Some might even think it cost him a shot in last year's voting, when despite three championships and 84 victories, Waltrip was shut out of the second Hall of Fame class. Waltrip had signed on with Speed as an analyst for voting day, and from his perch on the stage at the back of the Great Hall, his face couldn't hide his heartbreak over not making the second class.

He tried not to get his hopes up this time around, but everybody knew how badly Waltrip wanted to be included in the third class. Brian France called his name last June, Waltrip rushed onto the podium and kissed the NASCAR chairman.

Waltrip goes into the Hall of Fame with three-time champion Cale Yarborough, NASCAR modified great Richie Evans, innovative crew chief Dale Inman and Glen Wood, one of NASCAR's original team owners.

The show will belong to Waltrip, though, who knew as a child he wanted to be an entertainer and found a way to incorporate his desire to perform into his NASCAR career. He was brash and bold and loved being in front of the cameras.

His style, his showmanship, was like nothing NASCAR had ever seen before and paved the way for more personality from the drivers.

"I always thought it would be fun to be an actor, or a comedian, but I guess race car driving suited me," he said. "I like to make people laugh, which is better than making them cry, right? Some people take the path of least of resistance, but I take the path I couldn't resist. I looked at everything I did, what if I did everything that everybody else is doing as they go down that path.

I figured there's a lot more room going in this other direction then there is in that direction with all the other guys who chewed Skoal and wore belt buckles and cowboy hats. I'm not making fun of them, I just chose not to go down that route, to be more upscale, in a class by myself. I was a Penske guy living in an Earnhardt world."

He will be again on Friday night when his larger-than-life personality is sure to outshine Yarborough, Inman and Wood. Evans, winner of nine NASCAR national modified championships over a 13-year span, was killed in a 1985 accident at Martinsville Speedway. He was 44.

Yarborough from 1976-78 became the first driver in NASCAR history to win three consecutive championships, a record that stood until Jimmie Johnson's run of five-straight titles. He finished second in the standings another three times, and ended his career with 83 victories ? sixth on the all-time list.

Yarborough was a four-time Daytona 500 winner, but decided in 1980 to run only partial schedules for the final nine years of his career.

"I realized I had three daughters growing up and I was away from them all the time," he said. "Even though racing was very important in my life, I felt like they were a little more important so I was going to spend some more time with them and be with them in their growing-up years. There's no telling how many wins I left on the table, but I definitely made the right decision."

Inman led his cousin, Hall of Famer Richard Petty, to a record seven championships. The crew chief won an eighth title with Terry Labonte. From 1958 to 1992, he led drivers to 193 wins and 129 poles.

His standout year was 1967 when he guided Petty to a NASCAR-record, 27 races ? including 10-straight ? in a single car built a year earlier.

"Dale was a racing benchmark," Petty said. "He was the sport's first official crew chief and people modeled themselves after him. He knew what, when and where ? and when he made a mistake he wasn't afraid to admit it. Everyone respected him for that. Nobody even comes close to the number of wins that Dale has recorded."

Wood, at 86 the oldest member of this incoming class, formed a race team that still competes today in Stuart, Va., with his four brothers. Trevor Bayne won the Daytona 500 last year for the Wood Brothers, giving the team its 98th victory spanning seven different decades. Bayne's win was the team's fifth Daytona 500 victory, and the Wood Brothers also won the 1965 Indianapolis 500 with Jim Clark.

Wood's brother, Leonard, choreographer of the modern pit stop, is a NASCAR Hall of Fame nominee.

"It's such a long trip from 1950 to now. It's sort of hard to believe," Wood said. "It's one of the biggest honors you could have. I didn't come here alone; I had a lot of help. There's five of us brothers. All of those helped at one time or another."

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/347875155d53465d95cec892aeb06419/Article_2012-01-19-CAR-NASCAR-Hall-of-Fame/id-518b717bcacb40f88c441c8d249826d3

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