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Season's Top Toys; Avoiding Travel Delays; Japanese Doctors Test New Procedure
Aired November 22, 2008 - 16:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN CENTER: Well, these failures join the Pasadena-based Indymac which went under in July and the September failure of Washington Mutual, which is the largest bank collapse in U.S. history. The FDIC stepped in then as it will now.
Is there a difference? We're joined on the phone by FDIC spokesman Andrew Gray.
And so is there a difference, Andrew, between what is taking place with Downey and what we saw with Indymac?
ANDREW GRAY, FDIC SPOKESMAN: Yes, there's a big difference, actually. The first one I would say would be the size. Indymac had about $13 billion in assets and Downey's assets at the time of their failure was around $13 billion. So it's much smaller. But I'd also say that in this case, it was a very quick and easy acquisition by U.S. bank. They have come in. It's been business as usual over the weekend. They'll open for business on Monday, as usual, and all deposits are protected, both the insured and the uninsured. So no one has anything to worry about in terms of if they'd lost any money.
WHITFIELD: I know that's offered that no one has anything to worry about, if you bank with Downey or if you bank with anybody else, to hear that a bank has gone under that it may have been on that list, at the beginning of the year there were 80 banks that could be in trouble and could suffer from this demise. It's still hard for a consumer to feel really comfortable about the banking industry. So what do I need to do? What do I need to know about how potentially vulnerable my money is or how safe it is or what I should do about moving it? How do I ensure its safety?
GRAY: Well, I think what customers should know is that as long as they're under FDIC deposit insurance limits they're 100 percent protected. Congress has recently raised these limits to $250,000. There's increase coverage for different account categories but the FDIC stands behind that guarantee. If they're underneath deposit insurance limits, there's absolutely no reason that they would ever lose a penny of those insured money. We're celebrating our 75-year history this year and in that time we've never lost a penny of insured deposits. So what I would advise for customers to do if they have questions is to go on our website. We have a new website, it's myfdicinsurance.gov where they can logon, check their deposit insurance coverage, and if they're underneath those limits, they have absolutely nothing to worry about.
WHITFIELD: All right. Myfdic.gov. GRAY: Myfdicinsurance.gov. Yes.
WHITFIELD: OK. Insurance.gov. All right. Andrew Gray of the FDIC, we appreciate your time. Thanks so much.
So when the government seizes control of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, there was a collective sigh of relief from Wall Street to Main street for the most part. Well most view the move as a very necessary response to the country's financial crisis. But for some it just simply made matters worse. Here's CNN's Kate Bolduan.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
KATE BOLDUAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Facing a mortgage meltdown the government took over mortgage finance giants Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac in September to prevent them from collapsing. A save that could have unintended victims.
JUDITH DITTMAN, ALTERNATIVE HOUSE: For the past four years we've had funding from them of about $50,000 that has helped to make this program, the success that it is.
BOLDUAN: The program is the alternative house in Virginia. A place for young homeless mothers like Ana Ventura.
ANA VENTURA, MOTHER: They've done so much for me. At first I felt like, I was weak, but now I feel like I'm strong, and that I'm ready to be out there on my own.
BOLDUAN: 14 percent of the Alternative House's budget comes from Freddie Mac's charitable arm. It's one of many programs Freddie helps. The foundation says it's given nearly $225 million in the D.C. region since 1991, but future donations are now on hold as the government reviews all of the corporation's investments.
DITTMAN: With the current financial crisis, we're not sure whether or not that funding will be coming through this year.
BOLDUAN: Meanwhile, mothers like Latasha Ekeh still need help.
LATASHA EKEH, MOTHER: My daughter is not going to have to struggle like I did with my mom . And I just -- you know, if there wasn't programs like this, I would probably have been homeless on the street right now. Me and my daughter.
BOLDUAN: Ekeh and the entire program face an uncertain future as they're forced to consider cutting back services and staff if they lose their funding from Freddie Mac.
DITTMAN: We can't have young mothers on our streets homeless with no place for them and their baby. And we can't have children sleeping under bridges. That's just unacceptable.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
BOLDUAN: And it's not just a problem of losing Freddie's donations. The reality is, in a struggling economy, charitable donations in general are often the first thing to drop off. Then it just makes matters worse, Fredricka, that this program's biggest donor is currently frozen for review.
WHITFIELD: And so might there be a forecast on when those funds might be released again?
BOLDUAN: Unfortunately, it's kind of unclear right now. The director of the program says that they hope to hear something by the end the year, and a spokesperson for Freddie Mac didn't say much. Only saying that the review process is ongoing.
WHITFIELD: All right. Kate Bolduan in Washington, thanks so much. Appreciate it.
All right. Barack Obama, he's announced a plan to breathe new life, perhaps, into the struggling economy. CNN's Ed Henry is in Chicago with all the details, plus lots of moving parts on his transition team, and picks for cabinet. There's a lot going on.
ED HENRY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: That's right, Fred. It's interesting, in the weekly democratic radio address the president-elect really trying to deliver some sobering talk to the American people about the current financial crisis, talking how they've already been about 1.2 million jobs lost this year alone and he warned that millions more jobs could be lost next year without dramatic action. So he laid out sort of a bolder economic stimulus plan in broad talk and broad terms than he had talked about during the campaign trail. Basically vowing that he wants to either restore or create some 2.5 million jobs in his first two years in office. He wants to do this by January 2011. He wants to do it through infrastructure project, building roads and bridges and also creating those so-called green jobs through alternative energy projects. Take a listen to what he had to say.
(BEGIN AUDIOTAPE)
VOICE OF SEN. BARACK OBAMA (D), PRESIDENT-ELECT: We'll put people back to work rebuilding our crumbling roads and bridges, modernizing schools that are failing our children. And building wind farms and solar panels, fuel efficient cars and the alternative energy technologies that can free us from our dependence on foreign oil and keep our economy competitive in the years ahead.
(END AUDIOTAPE)
HENRY: Now, beyond that, the president-elect was very light on the actual details of how he plans to create those 2.5 million jobs. Instead it seems like his goal in this radio address was to really start warning the American people, get them prepared that things could get worse before they get better. Obviously he wants to lay the groundwork for that before he takes office, because this is obviously going to be priority number one once sworn in on January 20th, Fred.
WHITFIELD: All right. Ed Henry in Chicago, appreciate it. Thanks so much. Of course, everybody's worried about the economy and what might be next, and we're asking you about how you're going to handle the holiday season. Just a week from now it's going to be black Friday, and a lot of retailers are counting on you to spend your dollar, but will you do that? We've been asking you to send us your views, your e-mails, about how you might be modifying your spending this holiday season and Josh Levs has been inundated with a whole lot. What you got?
LEVS: Yes, they're coming and they're great. You know it's amazing I was running back and forth to the computer, over here, right. Grabbing them, throwing them on this board behind me so you can see these great ideas that we're getting from the viewers.
I want to start off with this one. It's just a great point. "This Christmas is philanthropic. I'm lieu of gifts for family, I am donating in each person's name to a charity that helps children or the homeless. The spiraling economy just intensifies the urge to give to those less fortunate." Fred, check this out. "Where I will be black Friday? Instead of hitting the stores at midnight, I'm heading to Mexico City to transport 150 teddy bears to Nuestros Pequenos Hermanos, an orphanage outside Cuernavaca." That's from Michell Payer in Miami. Great. Thank you, Michelle.
"This year I will not be spending more than $500. My family members will be receiving cards. I've been explaining to the kids, this is going to be an unfortunate Christmas as per gifts and must be grateful because some will not be able to purchase their children any gifts. That's from F.I. Gadson.
A couple more here. "I've accumulated quite a few rewards point on my credit card, as have a lot of Americans, all that credit card debt. Decided to cash them in my reward points for gift cards. I use them to purchase gifts for younger family members and give gift cards to some of the older ones. My only caution," It's a good point. "My only caution is to check various watchdog websites for companies going out of business that may still offer gift cards."
WHITFIELD: Yes, that's the very thing about gift cards.
LEVS: I know because what if -
WHITFIELD: Be careful.
LEVS: If they go bankrupt, then you can't use them at all. I think I got time for one more here. Let's do this. I plan to do the same as I did last year which is no gift exchange at all. It's just a day spent with family, friends, good food and conversation. It eliminates a lot of wasteful packaging and wrapping, too.
WHITFIELD: Good for the environment.
LEVS: From Tim of San Diego, California.
Giving the gift of time this holiday season. Fred, you see we're getting all of these great ideas. WHITFIELD: I know and I love it. We still have time. We got another 50 minutes to go to receive more e-mails from folks. Some suggestions on what you're doing or not doing this holiday season in regards to spending.
LEVS: We'll be back in a few minutes to read more.
WHITFIELD: Perfect. Thanks, Josh. Appreciate it.
All right. Well, the economy of course is issue number one. And we're spending the hour looking at it from all the angles. We'll explore how the financial crisis is impacting this year's Los Angeles auto show as well. And how even the early cold weather just might be impacting our wallet.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
WHITFIELD: All right. General Motors says it will meet the deadline to prove to Congress it can be a viable company again and pay back any government aid. GM's chief executive told reporters this week that he's already shared a confidential plan with the Bush administration and key staffers in Washington. Congress has said that it wants a detailed accounting of the big three auto company's financial condition by December 2nd, before it would vote on any such aid. GM and Chrysler say they are perilously close to having only the minimum amount of cash needed to operate.
And then some car dealerships are in big trouble, already finding themselves dead in the water. Denny Hecker, one of Minnesota's largest car dealers, announced that he is closing six dealerships and selling three others. That means pink slips for 400 employees.
And one of San Diego's longtime dealerships is merging with a competitor to actually stay in the game. Pearson Ford dates back to the 1950s and in Alabama, a longtime family business goes kaput while a dealership in Montgomery has pulled the plug on an operation that goes down to 1919.
So many of the major carmakers are debuting their new models at the Los Angeles auto show, and a few of them are actually hybrids. CNN's Ted Rowlands is at the auto show. And so you have to wonder, Ted, if the primary focus there is fuel efficiency or if it's really kind of like, here's the candy. Look at it. Enjoy. Fantasize later.
TED ROWLANDS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Please buy it, but nobody really has the money. Don't touch kind of scenario. It's very bizarre. This auto show. Because normally it's a celebration. It's the new products. It's the, yes, and the ooh and the aah. But there is a strange undercurrent of doomsday going on throughout it as well. Especially the manufacturers, as you got the big three looking for cash on capitol hill. Look, great stuff, but the reality, there's shelling for cash on Capitol Hill. They are here with a happy face sort of look at our great stuff but the reality is there's real concern. And you can feel it sort of here. You talk about those auto dealerships, you know, literally people are waking up this morning without a job because of the industry and the economy, and this so tightly wound, especially the automotive industry. So there's a sense of that here. They went along with plans, though. They're spending hundreds of thousands to put this auto show on and the rest of the auto shows on.
Ford, for example, I talked to them. They say you know what are we going to do? We have to have or products out there. We have to get people jazzed up because when they do come back, we want them to buy our cars. So from their point of view this isn't really a big waste of money.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You know, efficiency, dependability. You know if they can make cars that have 500 to 600 horsepower, they have the engineering and technology to do that. Then they should be able to make cars that all get 30 to 35 miles to the gallon.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ROWLANDS: And that was a person here at the auto show talking about what kind of car he was looking for, and he talked about affordability on one end but the green cars are the biggest hit here, besides the Lamborghinis and the things nobody can afford. You see the Chevy volt getting a lot of attention. People over there huddling around it. The Chevy has a lot invested in that. It won't be ready until 2010 but still generating a lot of interest. Ford has got a couple of products, too, generating some interest but they're on that side. The economy really is playing into this and the idea of owning a hybrid, in California, in the L.A. show, really a big deal. And that's what we're seeing in terms of things getting a lot of attention. The Mini Cooper has an all electric vehicle , a lot of attention on that as well. But the big question, the big looming question, the elephant in the room or the Hummer in the room, I guess, when are these customers going to take these things and put them in their actual garages?
WHITFIELD: Yes. And I guess while some of them are enjoying these sights of you know American made, the Volt and it's not going to be ready for at least another year or so. Maybe a lot of folks are feeling they may be seeing the brand new American made for the last time, unless the big three really get that loan or are able to sustain itself to actually put out some of these promises once they are expected to hit the showrooms.
ROWLANDS: Yes, you know there's still a lot of nostalgia and a lot of interest in the high powered big engine vehicles. We see that here today. It just jazzed people up. But on the same token, the price of these cars are getting higher and higher and the people just don't seem to have the money. We'll see. It's going to turn around eventually. Can it turn around quick enough for the big three survive?
WHITFIELD: Yes. Big question. All right. Ted Rowlands, thanks so much, in Los Angeles. Appreciate it.
Now let's check in with our Jacqui Jeras and get a view of the weather picture. It's been pretty cold and nasty in most places, and something tells me you're about to reveal some scary temperatures behind you?
JACQUI JERAS, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Yes. Ready?
WHITFIELD: Look at that. No!
JERAS: Yes.
WHITFIELD: 15 in Knoxville?
JERAS: Knoxville, Tennessee.
WHITFIELD: Are we talking wind chill?
JERAS: 15 degrees. We're not talking wind chill.
WHITFIELD: Actual temperature.
JERAS: This is actual temperature.
WHITFIELD: Wow.
JERAS: This is what it was like this morning in Knoxville, Tennessee. These are all records. So it is unusually cold. So you certainly have the right to complain a little bit today. But the good news is, is that most of these temperatures tomorrow morning are going to be a little bit higher. We think we're kind of bottomed out today. We're going to continuing to see some reinforcing shots of cold air mostly into the upper midwest throughout the great lakes and then into the northeastern corridor, but you know when you start out with temperatures like this today, you know, it's tough to recover. So we're still looking at lots of 30s here. Got some 40s yet across the southeast. Even New Orleans only up to 61 degrees. It's 37 right now in St. Louis, 32 in Minneapolis. Boston near 28 but the winds are really brisk in New England right now. So it's feeling like teens at this hour. So if you're heading out tonight in the northeastern quarter, you're really going to need to bundle up. Those winds will lack a little for tomorrow, but you're going to still be seeing temperatures well below that freezing mark, and this is early for this time of the year to be getting down this cold. 24 tonight in Atlanta. Even 49 in Tampa. These record temperatures did make its way all the way down to Florida.
Tomorrow you're going to be into the 70s then instead of seeing some of these 60s. So we'll recover just a little bit for you. In terms of other weathermakers today, rain, snow events, not a lot going on. We've got some lake-effect snows. And these are really hefty, and in fact a few of you over here in upstate New York and also into the tughill plateau area, you could see over a foot of snow total. We're looking at maybe another three to five inches on top of what you already have. Clear across much of the nation's midsection, we might see pop-up showers and thundershowers across parts of Texas and the Pacific northwest it's going to be very active in the coming days as we have a series of systems that are already moving on through.
All right. We got thanksgiving. That's coming up right around the corner for this coming Thursday. A lot of kids have the week already off of school. So they're planning their travel, and unfortunately with computers - there we go. OK. San Diego, pushing two hours. We got low clouds and fog there and delays under an hour for you into the northeast. Newark and JFK both having trouble because of those winds that we were talking about.
WHITFIELD: Really? Cold weather and winds kind of costing them time?
JERAS: Yes. Well you know, you got to go when we have one runway, when you got crosswinds and things like that that you got to deal with and it's going to hold you up a little bit.
WHITFIELD: It makes sense. Safety first.
You know this cold weather, too, costing a lot of people money. Whether it means to heat up their homes or maybe they got to go out and buy more mufflers and scarves, gloves all that, bundle up.
JERAS: Think about that. When it's cold outside, you know especially if it happens earlier than normal you might spending more money on some of those necessities like buying things like mittens and gloves and scarves earlier than you had planned on doing and certainly playing for on your utility bills, because you spend more time inside, and it costs more to heat up your home certainly. NOAA this week put out a winter outlook. And this is what they're expecting now from December through February. So that's your meteorological winter. And the good news is, if you live, say, from Dallas up towards Chicago into Detroit, St. Louis, Kansas City area, they're predicting warmer than normal temperatures. So hopefully that's going to keep your bills down a little bit.
The heating industry really focuses on prices particularly across the upper midwest and into the northeast, because they get more of those cold air intrusions than anywhere else. There we're looking neurologically at equal chances of having above normal, below normal or normal temperatures. So kind of looking a little iffy at this time. As you know Hurricane Ike played a little bit of an impact on the natural gas prices because the hurricane went through those areas but prices after that peak in January had been slowly dropping since that time. So hopefully, things will get a little better.
WHITFIELD: K. That would be nice. A lot of folks really tried to lock in some of their rates, too, in anticipation of an early start to the cold season, or, you know, bigger bills. All right, Jacqui. Appreciate it. Thanks so much.
So while it's a season for cold weather. Guess what? Also the season to start shopping, perhaps? Or maybe not? More of your e-mails on how the financial meltdown is shaping your holiday plans. Will you be spending money or not?
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
WHITFIELD: All right. The big push to spend for the holidays is upon us. But will you be spending money or even modifying your plans this holiday shopping season? We've been taking in some of your e-mails. You've given us some great responses and even some great ideas. CNN's Josh Levs has been thumbing through it all.
LEVS: Yes, it's great. We just grabbed them, throwing them on the screen right here. Sp many good ideas and we keep getting different perspectives. That's one thing. I'm going to show you right now. Let's start off. A lot of people with ideas like this similar to this. Draw names. Set a limit on costs if you like. Draw names at Thanksgiving or do it by phone. Result: you buy one gift this year instead of the 24 or more you usually buy. That's from Peggy.
Now, this next one is interesting, it's a different angle. Even though we can afford to spend more, we're not going to, because we want to put emphasis on the true meaning of Christmas, our faith and spending time with family and most importantly letting those who are hurting know that we care and think about them, too. It just doesn't seem right to spend lots of money when so many are hurting. We're involved with the Goodfellows organization which helps families at Christmas. That will be our big emphasis. That's from Mary Barns in Brenham, Texas.
We got time for a couple more. Maybe this one here. We started a change jar in September for Christmas. Any leftover change from our pockets went into it. Next month we should have enough to get a few gifts. And that will be it. Far more important to be together than just spend a whole lot of money on things we don't need. That's from Becky.
Check this out, Fred. Music is specially meaningful at Christmas. We're exchanging one CD per person. That's from Babs McKnight in Toronto. And no one is stopping me so we're going to do one more. This Christmas -
WHITFIELD: Keep going.
LEVS: -- instead of buying Christmas cards I'm going to save money and paper by sending holiday cards electronically. Most of them are free and have a lot more to offer than the typical card. See. So you can see, Fred, we're getting all sots of really interesting ideas. Different angles based on your perspectives on how you're handling the holiday season and of course, we'll keep getting them obviously throughout the day.
WHITFIELD: I now. It's great. We've asked a simple question, on how might you change or modify your spending this holiday season and, boom we got a huge host of ideas and thoughts. It's been great. So we want more - n
LEVS: We want more. So productive.
WHITFIELD: We got time. We got 30 minutes more which to receive more e-mail. So you want to send them our way and then Josh will get them on the air.
LEVS: Weekends@cnn.com.
WHITFIELD: Teamwork. All right. Thanks, Josh.
LEVS: Thanks, Fred. I'll be back in a few.
WHITFIELD: Appreciate it.
OK. So while lots of stores are offering discounts, whether you want to spend your money or not, how about those toy manufacturers. Do they have any deals for you?
And something to think about. The next time your doctor orders an x- ray. How many of you had in your life? And does radiation exposure add up? Judy Fortin explains.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JUDY FORTIN, CNN MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT(voice-over): Radiation. It's a natural occurrence coming from the ground and the sky. And yet depending on the dosage it can be deadly.
DR. KIMBERLY MANNING, EMORY SCHOOL OF MEDICINE: Well, what radiation does is when one is exposed to radiation at the cellular level it changes DNA. So if you get repeated exposures to radiation and then eventually what can happen is that those cells can become abnormal and can eventually lead to cancer later on.
FORTIN: According to the Environmental Protection Agency about 80 percent of the radiation we're exposed to comes from natural sources. The last 20 percent is from man-made radiation sources. Primarily medical x-rays, and it's those x-rays we might want to be wary of.
MANNING: If it's medically necessary, then certainly the benefit will outweigh any risk that you have of any radiation exposure. But the time to really be empowered is when your doctor tells you that you need a test and you're not 100 percent sure on how it will change the doctor's management. So patients should absolutely be entitled to say doctor when you get this C.A.T. scan of my chest or my head, how will that change what you're going to do for me?
FORTIN: And while typically the risk of cancer from radiation is low, there are times when concern is warranted.
MANNING: If you are very young, when you first get your radiation exposure, or if you have repeated exposures to radiation, then that's when it becomes an issue.
FORTIN: To find out precisely how much radiation comes from each x- ray, simply search for radiation dose chart on your computer. But remember, before you decide to forgo any tests, check with your doctor. Because while it is your body, in the end, you don't want to make decisions that might end up compromising your health. Judy Fortin, CNN, Atlanta.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
WHITFIELD: OK. So this afternoon we've been receiving your e-mails about how you are spending or how you're not spending this holiday season. And in the last hour we've heard some interesting things about the luxury gifts, how those are recession-resistant, and how retailers are slashing a lot of prices well before we even get into next week's scheduled Black Friday.
What about toys? We are going to be joined now by an industry analyst, Chris Byrne, who is also with timetoplaymag.com.
Did I get that right?
CHRIS BYRNE, TIMETOPLAYMAG.COM: You did.
WHITFIELD: All right. Good to see you, Chris.
BYRNE: Nice to be with you.
WHITFIELD: So I heard something new, recession-resistant, and that would be luxury items. So would that mean toys as well? Not that they're luxury items, but because that's kind of the thing that very seldom goes on sale. Does that mean it is also recession-resistant?
BYRNE: It really is. Toys, people tend to buy toys in the downturns in '87, 2001, the various downturns. They were good years for the toy industry. We don't see as much movement in the higher-end toys, but definitely basics, because parents and adults will shortchange themselves rather than not give toys to kids.
WHITFIELD: You know, but this is interesting, because last year the toy industry took a huge hit because there were so many manufacturer flaws. There were all kinds of tainted toys on the market, and folks were refraining from buying toys.
So is the toy industry really hoping for a big rebound this year even though the economy is terrible?
BYRNE: Well, I think the toy industry has recovered from the lead scare and the recalls from last year, but I don't think anybody's looking at a huge increase this year. I think we're going to see probably a flat to slight increase in revenues, but unit sales actually going to be down. People are being careful, they're not buying the incremental or the impulse purchases, but they are helping Santa fulfill those wish lists.
WHITFIELD: OK. So what is on that wish list? What are the hot toys? What's likely to end up under your tree?
BYRNE: Well, if you've got a boy 7 and up, he's going to want Bakugan.
WHITFIELD: What is that?
BYRNE: It's from Spin Master Toys. These are transforming spheres, it's a whole game. It's a huge phenomenon. They've been marketing this since October. The good news is the basic sets are only $4.99.
You can be in this for not much money. A really hot collectible because it's not just the game play. It's the social interaction among boys.
You roll them on to magnetic cards and they pop open into monsters. It's all about trading and powers and all of that good stuff. Really, really exciting for them.
WHITFIELD: Ooh, and I like that you said it was inexpensive. You said like $4?
BYRNE: $4.99 for the basic starter set. So, you know, kids at that age, they don't know. They have no play value. They don't necessarily know financial value, so that's good for a mom and dad, too.
WHITFIELD: Oh, that's good.
BYRNE: Barbie's having a great year, she's been recovering. She's got some recovering to do overseas, but that tends to follow in the U.S.
WHITFIELD: What do you mean recovering? I thought Barbie always was queen, she rules.
BYRNE: Well, Barbie rules. I don't want to mess with Barbie, but she's had her challenges in the past few years.
A lot of those have dropped away. And she really is reigning again in the movie "Barbie and the Diamond Castle." She's out there, she's got a doll that sings along with the other dolls. It's a wonderful story. It's about $24.99 for the doll.
We hear from retailers that Barbie's having a very good fourth quarter so far. So, you know, it's classic doll play.
And the last of the big ones that we're going to see that's going to be really big is Disney Clickables collection from Techno Source. It's work with a Web site called pixiehollow.com, which is a girls' interactive Web site.
The jewelry -- keep track with me on this. The jewelry connects to the Web site, to the computer, to the Web site. You download from the Web site into the jewelry. You click the together, and you're sharing it with all your friends.
WHITFIELD: Oh, no.
BYRNE: Oh, yes.
WHITFIELD: Way to complicated.
BYRNE: Well, it's really simple in operation.
WHITFIELD: Really?
BYRNE: And it's classic doll play. It's really social doll play. But it goes online and the pixiehollow Web site... WHITFIELD: Well, that sounds expensive. You've got to -- you have to have a few tool tools at home. You need to have a computer, a laptop, or something, for starters. And then how much is that gift -- or that toy?
BYRNE: Well, you know, most homes -- a lot of homes have the computer or the laptop, but you're in this for about $6.99 to $9.99 for the basic charms and friendship bracelets. The jewelry box is under $30. It's $29.99.
And what we love about it is, it's not just that, you know, you're online, but it's immersive play. Kids will spend a lot of time with it. So that's where the play value is really way beyond the financial value.
WHITFIELD: Neat. All right. Well, hopefully the kids will have a great Christmas whether there are toys like this under the tree or not, because we've been getting all kinds of e-mails, Chris. I don't know if you've been sticking around the last hour to hear from people who are saying they are going to be very careful about spending, many households are not spending any money at all this holiday season. So...
BYRNE: Yes. I think that's wonderful.
WHITFIELD: So you have to wonder if retailers are going to feel it.
BYRNE: Yes. They are going to feel it somewhat, but I think it's wonderful people are doing that. It's just great.
WHITFIELD: Yes. Chris Byrne, timetoplay mag.com.
Thanks so much. Appreciate it. Happy holidays.
BYRNE: Same to you. Thank you.
WHITFIELD: All right. Thanks so much.
All right. Will Santa's bag be a little bit lighter this year? You heard about all these options. Something tells me yes, because a lot of you are e-mailing us and telling us about how you are modifying your spending or you're not spending at all.
Josh Levs is going to be reading a lot more of your e-mails coming your way.
All right. Meantime, if you're flying over Thanksgiving holiday, you'll want to avoid delays, of course. So you just might be interested in this computer program being tested at New York's JFK Airport.
Our Reynolds Wolf reports.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
REYNOLDS WOLF, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Most of us look forward to the holiday season. What we don't look forward to is getting stuck at the airport waiting for a flight out.
RICH DELAURA, MIT SCIENTIST: Most of the delays are related to the problems in the major airports.
WOLF: Problems like weather delays. At JFK International Airport in New York City, those backups can ripple across the United States to smaller airports. Now to solve that problem, MIT researchers are testing a computer program at JFK called the Route Availability Planning Tool, or R.A.P.T.
DELAURA: It takes a look at where the storms are going, takes a look at where the departing aircraft trajectories are headed, and tries to predict when and where the aircraft will encounter storms that pilots might wish to avoid.
WOLF: R.A.P.T. tells air traffic managers to decide which flights take off and which don't. Each flight route is color-coded according to weather conditions. Green routes are safe to depart, but routes in red, they'll have to wait.
The computerized tool is made for large airports like the ones in New York City, where air space can get very crowded.
DELAURA: There are probably somewhere around 250 flights coming into or out of the three major airports in New York every hour. A flight is taking off or landing every 15 seconds. So decisions have to come like this.
WOLF: Making fast decisions about aircraft departures is critical to avoiding runway gridlock, and it can be mentally taxing for many air traffic controllers.
DELAURA: Well, if we we're talking about 60 percent chance of rain for Boston or New York, we're talking about the likelihood of a thunderstorm or a little patch of space that might be a few miles wide.
WOLF: R.A.P.T. could save millions of dollars in operating costs and thousands of hours in flight delays. So if you're flying this holiday season...
DELAURA: Actually, if you're sitting in LaGuardia and getting out on time, there's a good chance this software has something to do with it.
WOLF: Reynolds Wolf, CNN.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
WHITFIELD: All right. You are pinching the pennies this holiday season. That's what you've been telling us as you've been e-mailing us. And Josh Levs has been going through all the e-mails, as we've been asking. How are you modifying or changing, or maybe not even spending at all this holiday season?
Josh.
JOSH LEVS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Can I just say, we are getting the best ideas from the viewers today.
WHITFIELD: I know. And I'm taking notes.
LEVS: Seriously, these are fantastic ideas. I just want to say to all of you, thank you, because, look, we always get a lot of responses when we give you questions, but you are spending us really nice stories and really great ideas. I don't want to yap over them, so let's get straight to them.
Check this out. "For the past 15 years we have organized an angel party."
This is nice, Fred.
WHITFIELD: Angel party?
LEVS: "We invite young children to a two-hour creative arts party where they have an opportunity to make at least four different angels that they can take home and give as gifts."
WHITFIELD: Oh, that's sweet.
LEVS: "Last year we also adopted a less fortunate family. Instead of buying gifts for each member of our family, we bought clothes for the children and household items for that family." And then she also says, that "At the angel party, we ask each child to bring one toy for the children in the family."
That's the Delbert Ortiz and Portillo families. All right.
WHITFIELD: That's sweet.
LEVS: "We used to make our own coupons and exchange them for gifts, and I plan on reinstating this. Coupons can be for 'I'll wash your car,' wash dishes..."
WHITFIELD: I like that.
LEVS: ... "baby-sitting, a fishing trip, et cetera."
Let's have this one now. "Making quick breads, like banana bread, pumpkin, cranberry, et cetera, cookies, or mason jar mixes are a great way to give something inexpensive and personal. They can also be frozen, so someone can take then out over time and enjoy even after Christmas."
WHITFIELD: Oh my God.
LEVS: These are just the latest great ideas we're getting.
WHITFIELD: The ideas get better and better every minute.
LEVS: Seriously. I mean, this is, what, the fifth time I've talked to you in the last hour and a half? And every time, we're finding great, completely original, at least to me, ideas.
WHITFIELD: Original to me too.
LEVS: I'm going to compile these somehow and put them on a list somewhere so people can just get these and share their own.
WHITFIELD: Good. All right. Thanks so much. It's been very instructive, and it's nice to get an idea how people are approaching the holiday season as well.
LEVS: Yes. Sure thing.
WHITFIELD: All right, Josh. Appreciate it.
LEVS: Thanks, Fred.
WHITFIELD: All right. Well, on this week's "Edge of Discovery," Japanese doctors use stem cells to replace a breast lost to cancer.
Please be aware that this story does include pictures of surgery that some people might just find a little unsettling.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
KYUNG LAH, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Japanese doctors at work on what they call cutting-edge stem cell surgery. Not to regenerate organs or nerves, but to enlarge breasts. This woman lost her left breast to cancer.
"I hope women are able to choose this type of surgery," she says. It is controversial.
Doctors remove fat from a woman's body and separate fat and stem cells in a lab. Fat contains stem cells similar to ones found in bone marrow.
The patient's own fat stem cell mixture is injected into her left breast. The doctor describes the results as a natural, soft and augmented breast.
(on camera): While still experimental, they hope it will give women another option to the silicone implact.
Right now are you convinced that it is safe?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes.
LAH (voice-over): Dr. Koturo Yoshimura (ph) has performed cell- assisted lipotrans (ph) for more than 250 times. He says while he can't promise the grafts will always take, short-term studies show promise.
Clinical trials are moving forward in the U.S. Many plastic surgeons aren't sold on the technique.
DR. JOAN LIPA, UCLA PLASTIC SURGEON: So the idea here for the breast augmentation fat transfer, is that they're hopefully going to turn into fat cells. But how do we know that they aren't going to turn into something else?
LAH: After the surgery, our patient says she looks forward to her future, one that will be watched by doctors around the world.
Kyung Lah, CNN, Yokohama, Japan.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
WHITFIELD: All right. Much more of the NEWSROOM coming up. Don Lemon is here to let us know what's ahead.
DON LEMON, CNN ANCHOR: Yes. So I'm going to ask you this. Are you nervous at all about the economy? Are you doing anything to cut back?
WHITFIELD: I think it's hard not to be nervous.
LEMON: Yes.
WHITFIELD: And yes, we're cutting back.
LEMON: Yes.
I was at dinner last night with a friend who is a big wig in a financial services place, and he says we're only reporting on the very tip of the iceberg, he says. It's going to get...
WHITFIELD: Yes, a lot of people have forecast that.
LEMON: ... much, much worse.
WHITFIELD: It's going to get worse before it gets better.
LEMON: And he actually scared me last night. So what we're going to do, Fred, we're going to be talking about the financial crisis, its impact on every person in the country.
And at the top of the hour we'll have a special focus on the auto industry. What's at stake for you and me if these big companies bail?
We are -- it is a frightening time for all of us. We're asking one simple question. How scared are you about the economy right now?
I want you to take a listen to this response from a worker at GM in Ohio.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GARY TUCHMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: How scared are you?
KEVIN HOWARD, GM EMPLOYEE: Well, until someone asks, you know, you try not to think about it. You know, I'm very scared. But, you know, you try not to the think about it. You know, we're waiting until the last moment I guess to be scared.
TUCHMAN: Tell me about the fear. Now that we're thinking about it, on December 23rd you don't have a job any more and there's no severance. What do you do?
HOWARD: Well, I call my creditors and tell them that I'm going to start being late.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LEMON: A lot of people in the same boat there.
We're also hearing a lot of outrage from viewers over the way the big three CEOs handled themselves in Washington earlier this week, flying in on private jets. We heard about that.
We'll be taking your comments throughout the hour. Tell us what's on your mind.
And we will be talking to you about your Thanksgiving dinner table. What will you be talking about?
Brick and Click (ph), this is one person who wrote to me. He says, "Don, I will be thankful I'm not in line for gruel and stale bread yet." That's what he says.
One other person. It sounds funny, but it's true. She wrote to me on Facebook. Her name is Ashley Brown (ph). She says, "Ashley Brown (ph) is going natural involuntarily. Can't even afford one box of relaxer," is what she says about her hair.
So log on to MySpace, Twitter...
WHITFIELD: Everything included when we talk about cutting back.
LEMON: It's true. It's true.
WHITFIELD: Absolutely.
LEMON: She can't get her hair relaxed because she can't afford it. But I mean, you know, it sounds funny, but it's the absolute truth in all of this.
WHITFIELD: Well, you know, you talk to a lot of small business owners, whether it be the beauty salon, the mom and pop store, the meat market, all of them are saying that they're feeling it, that people, consumers are spending less. A lot of their regular customers are no longer coming and saying, you know what? Keep me on the list. Hopefully I'll be able to call you once things get better, but for now, I'm looking for kay ways to cut.
And so -- what was her name again?
LEMON: When and if it gets better. It's Ashley Brown (ph).
WHITFIELD: So Ashley (ph) is not alone. Actually, there are a lot of Ashleys (ph) out there who are talking about how to cut back. So it is very serious business.
LEMON: There's one bright side to all of this. There's one bright side.
WHITFIELD: Just one?
LEMON: Yes. I think that it's showing people...
WHITFIELD: Bright side to what?
LEMON: ... to this -- if there's a bright side in all this, I think it's showing people what actually is important in life. And that's relationships with people and your family, rather than all the gifts, all the other things that are superfluous. Yes.
WHITFIELD: Yes. That is nice. And we heard a lot of that through the e-mails that we've been getting throughout the afternoon about how people were spending or not spending.
People were saying, you know what? I'm investing in the family, spending time together. And that's a beautiful thing.
All right. We look forward it seeing more of you, Don.
LEMON: Thank you, Fred. Always good seeing you.
WHITFIELD: Always good to see you too.
Top of the hour, more of the NEWSROOM.
All right. Well, a garden, preschoolers, what a great combination, and a lesson in giving. A story to feel really good about.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
WHITFIELD: OK. So right now Americans seem pretty unwilling to spend on most things. But they are parting with some pretty big cash this weekend to see a hot new movie. It's called "Twilight," and it's filling the theaters around the country.
Brooke Anderson reports "Twilight" is just part of the latest teen fixation -- really good-looking vampires.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE, "TWILIGHT": Say it.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE, "TWILIGHT": Vampire.
BROOKE ANDERSON, CNN ENTERTAINMENT CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): It's not your grandpa's Count Dracula.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE, "TWILIGHT": Aren't you afraid to be out here alone with a hungry vampire?
ANDERSON: Meet the new modernized vampires currently taking a bite out of entertainment. From the film's "Let the Right One In" and "Twilight"...
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's a bad guy.
ANDERSON: ... to television's "True Blood" on HBO...
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE, " TRUE BLOOD": You're first. Vampire.
ANDERSON (on camera): Since Bram Stoker created "Dracula" in his 1897 novel, the popularity of the undead has been on the rise. Even theme parks like Universal Studios Hollywood have attractions like this House of Horrors featuring, you guessed it, vampires.
ERIC NUZUM, AUTHOR, "THE DEAD TRAVEL FAST": They're popular now, they were popular 50 years ago, 100 years ago, 1,000 years ago. I think one of the reasons they're popular now is because it makes us possible to talk about things that may not be socially permissible, like race and sexuality and things we might not want to admit about ourselves and the way we feel on these subjects. So we can put a pair of fangs on it and all of a sudden it becomes OK to talk about it.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE, "TRUE BLOOD": Do you know how many people are having sex with vampires these days?
NUZUM: Back in the 1920s and '30s, what they thought this ultimate dark person would be was an Eastern European aristocrat wearing a nice tux, wearing a medallion, walking down stairs, and then if you look at our vampire today, they look like rock stars.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You brought a snack.
ANDERSON: Both "True Blood" and "Twilight" are based on best-selling novels. A sequel to "Twilight" is already in development.
Meanwhile, True Blood's weekly viewership is up to about 6.5 million per episode.
NUZUM: As long as there's evil in the world, as long as there are dark feelings in the world, as long as there are things we secretly lust after, or are kind of ashamed to say we're afraid of, there will always be vampires.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Go on in. Good luck getting out.
ANDERSON: Brooke Anderson, CNN, Hollywood.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
WHITFIELD: I'm Fredricka Whitfield. Don Lemon is here to suck your blood.
