| Land of lakes
Thanks to its location far from Interstate highways and sizable cities, this little town in western Maine has stayed much the same for decades. The biggest news in the past couple of years has been about the expanded and relocated IGA supermarket, the addition of a Thai restaurant, and a new ski lodge at Saddleback Maine. The region known as Rangeley Lakes has 110 lakes, ponds, and streams, and it includes the small village of Oquossoc 7 miles west. Surrounded by mountains, the area is largely undeveloped, though more and more houses are being built along winding dirt roads in the woods. While Rangeley became legendary as a hunting and fishing mecca, now it attracts nature lovers year-round. RestIf you want to stay "downtown," you can't beat The Rangeley Inn and Motor Lodge (2443 Main St., 800-666-3687, rangeleyinn.com).
Third-party PS3 developers targeted as Sony halves fees
TOKYO - Sony has halved the fees it charges for a software development kit for the PlayStation 3 video game machine to encourage outside designers to make more games for the struggling console. Sony's gaming unit, Sony Computer Entertainment, said prices for the development package for the PlayStation 3 will be reduced to US$10,250 in North America, US$8,600 in Japan and US$11,250 in Europe. The move follows the price cuts on the PS3 around the world that the company announced last month in an attempt to woo buyers. Tokyo-based Sony will also strengthen backup support for making new games for the PS3 in an effort to make the machine more popular, it said in a statement. Although its predecessor the PlayStation 2 dominated the gaming market, the PS3 has struggled against the hit Wii console, the rival offering from Nintendo Co., which makes Pokemon and Super Mario games.
Moms want alternatives to "bad" dolls
Moms are hunting through toy aisles for more wholesome-looking dolls, concerned that the scantily clad Bratz dolls with their Party Palaces and Magic Make-up Studios are sending their daughters the wrong message about how they should dress and act. .
China's badminton dominance dwindling
China's domination in badminton has suddenly been called into question after its best shuttlers suffered a string of losses during the recent IBF Super Series China Open, leaving many concerned about China's prospects for next year's Beijing Olympic Games. The China Open concluded at Tianhe Gymnasium in Guangzhou on Sunday as the host settled for only two out of the five titles, China's worst showing in 14 years at the tournament. .
CoD4, EE3, GoWPC, SupCom: FA Ship To Stores
Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare, Empire Earth III, Gears of War PC and Supreme Commander: Forged Alliance have all shipped to U.S. stores today: �We�ve set out to create the most intense, visceral experience in Call of Duty 4,� said Infinity Ward Studio Head Grant Collier. �From the beginning, our team has been focused on pulling players into an unfolding, well-paced and relentless action experience that includes: fast-roping from attack helicopters in the dead of night; utilizing a camouflage Ghillie suit as you inch behind enemy lines; or being immersed in fun, competitive action in multiplayer that enables gamers to create classes, unlock new abilities and taunt opponents as they level up.� "The Empire Earth series is a multi-million unit selling franchise that has a growing appeal among strategy gamers and the third iteration of this popular PC game is truly giving players access to the entire globe," said Pascal Brochier, president, Global Retail for Vivendi Games.
Lutheran South settles for fourth place plaque
WARRENSBURG - As they gathered on the bleachers for an extended series of pictures with their fourth-place state plaque, the Lutheran South Lancers lingered.South's players, particularly its four seniors, weren't ready for their second straight state final four appearance to come to an end. Especially not the way it went down."After the (St. Francis) Borgia game, I think we left our best game back in St. Louis," said senior middle hitter Emily Mack, in reference to the Lancers' quarterfinal victory. "We were at least expecting to get some revenge from our loss last year, but we just didn't play our best tonight."Mack was refering to Saturday night's third place match at the University of Central Missouri Multipurpose Building, where the Lancers took on Reeds Spring for the second year in a row.
Simple fun with simple toys
Guitar Hero blasts a Lynyrd Skynyrd riff on the Xbox. Infant gyms in psychedelic plastic flash and beep and play "Yankee Doodle." Diego has a talking rescue centre. Santa's elves must be getting more than their share of headaches at the workshop these days, judging from the sensory overload induced by this season's hot toys. But amid the din of Bratz handbag-boomboxes, crashing Transformers and the chirping of the High School Musical crowd, there's a peaceful oasis forming in toyland. A small but growing group of toymakers and parents is harkening back to a time when toys were more about the wonder of kids than the wonders of technology. At The Toy Space in Toronto, owner Randal Lee stocks toys made with all-natural and sustainable materials like reclaimable rubberwood, organic textiles and vegetable dye.
For your gamer's wish list
Someday Mario and Master Chief might replace Santa Claus as spokespeople for the holidays. Mario and Master Chief are the main characters of two of this season's hottest video games, and unlike jolly ol' St. Nick, all kids believe in Nintendo and Xbox. As always at this time of year, video games — specifically, the latest video game systems — are on the top of many wish lists. But what kid has the cash to drop on a new piece of hardware that can cost upwards of $500? It's up to the parents to pony up the coin. "X-Box 360 rocks 'cause the first-person online experience of 'Halo 3' is seamlessly integrated with the wireless technology." Um. What? Discussing video games with your child requires learning a somewhat foreign language. Don't worry about it; we'll keep it simple.
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