Range Rover maintains its regal reign

Still big, burly and brawny, but always with a regal air, the 2014 Range Rover holds its spot as the aristocrat of full-sized SUVs. Battling able competitors such as the Mercedes-Benz, Cadillac Escalade and Lexus LX 570, Range Rover rules not because of its luxury, but because it still wants to careen through nearly 3 feet of water and not get your feet wet.

In 2013, Range Rover trimmed down the fleet king by almost 800 pounds, and year 2 of the revamp features only a noteworthy tweak — a new 3.0 liter 340- horsepower supercharged V-6 engine replaces the 5.0 liter V-8. And it runs strong and smoothly mated to the slick eight-speed automatic. Gas mileage in this all-wheel-drive titan is 17 miles per gallon in the city and 23 on the highway — an improvement of nearly 4 mpg over earlier models. The V6 is quick, powerful and has excellent acceleration through traffic. It's hard to believe, but this truck easily bests many performance sports sedans, reportedly doing 0-60 mph in 7.1 seconds.

Three trim levels are available and our tester was the base model. All feature the Response 2 Terrain system that can be used either manually or automatically to adjust height and suspension for any type of terrain. Having recently tested and enjoyed driving the top level Range Rover Supercharged, the base model does not disappoint. The classic angular design continues to set this SUV apart from others in the class and, coupled with refined interior components, Range Rover strives to remain atop the competitive pile.

One drawback is that I do not find the driver's seat particularly comfortable to sit in. It feels stiff, a bit bench-like to me. The leather on the base model is nice but not as supple as the Oxford leather the HSE trim features, although it still outpaces many other manufacturers in quality. Fit and finish of the interior is pristine. The blend of soft touch surfaces, leather panels, metal and hard plastics creates a solid and sensible interior that is also very inviting.

The ghostly electronic virtual dash display is standard across the fleet and is subtle yet feeds you all the information you need. This tester had the stock 380-watt 13-speaker system and its sound is terrific. The 8-inch touch screen is easy to use and I found it quite intuitive. All the controls are redundant, responding to voice commands or the steering wheel controls.

As always the high driver's position makes for easy driving and fine sight lines. The rear seats provide plenty of legroom and a quick flip of a lever drops the seats down to create a cavernous deck. The split tailgate makes a nice spot to sit on if you've a picnic packed.

At $86,895, the Range Rover price slots in the middle of the mix of luxury SUVs, but delivers top- notch performance and creature comforts.

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Ariad’s stock soars after drug approved by FDA

Ariad Pharmaceuticals' stock rose 16 percent yesterday after the company announced that the Food and Drug Administration had approved revised prescribing information and other steps the FDA required to allow Ariad to resume marketing and distribution of its leukemia drug, Iclusig.

Commercial distribution of the drug is expected to begin by mid- to late-January after the Cambridge company agreed to change Iclusig's label to include new warnings about the risks of blood clots and heart failure, and to revise recommendations about dosage and administration of the drug.

"We are committed to ... helping patients and their physicians make informed decisions about the most appropriate use of Iclusig in the context of the revised product label," said Dr. Frank Haluska, Ariad's senior vice president and chief medical officer.

At the FDA's request, the company agreed on Oct. 31 to voluntarily suspend marketing of the drug because of concerns that patients taking it could suffer life-threatening blood clots.

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Patriots fan’s paradise

The owner of this new Brookline home will be neighbors with Patriots owner Robert Kraft and quarterback Tom Brady.

The 6,000-square-foot shingle-style home at 324 Heath St. occupies nearly an acre in the wealthy Chestnut Hill enclave of south Brookline, on one of two pieces of land recently sold by Pine Manor College. The other parcel, which is 5.2 acres, went to Brady, whose palatial home is scheduled to be completed by next summer.

Designed by Cambridge architect Peter Quinn, 324 Heath is elegant without being ostentatious, with some farmhouse-style touches such as low-set windows and a wraparound covered rear deck. It has hand-stained oak floors, high-quality window and door moldings, coffered ceilings, stone fireplaces and lots of windows to bring in natural light. Each of its six bedrooms has an en-suite bathroom, and there are porches off most of them.

The home, with expansive living spaces and an attached three-car garage with a media room/guest bedroom above, is on the market for $4,699,000, just reduced by $200,000.

There's a low stone wall in front of the property, and much of its front yard is a U-shaped paver driveway for outdoor parking that also connects to the garage.

The exterior of the home is gray clapboard with large gables with second-floor porches and rounded bumpouts in the back. The covered front entrance is flanked with stone walls, and you enter a two-story foyer with hand-stained oak floors, coat closets, a turning staircase with a Rococo chandelier, a built-in display cabinet and even a stone chimney wall.

To the right is a formal living room where the other side of the chimney wall is a gas fireplace with a carved wood mantel above. There's a backlit coffered ceiling, recessed lighting and five windows.

On the other side of the foyer is a formal dining room with paneled wainscoting, a back-lit coffered ceiling and a Rococo chandelier. Off this room is a butler's pantry with gray granite countertops and a wine cooler.

The formal living spaces open into a huge open family room/kitchen area. The high-end kitchen features white cabinets, gray granite counters and gray glass mosaic tile backsplashes. There's a large center island with built-in microwave. Appliances are high-end stainless steel G.E. Monogram, including an oversized refrigerator, a dishwasher and professional grade gas stove with a white marble tile backsplash and a stainless steel hood. The eat-in area has seven windows overlooking the backyard and a door out to a wraparound covered back deck.

The backyard has a large bluestone patio and grass area edged by a stone wall. From this vantage point you can see some of the acreage of the Kraft and Brady properties on either side.

Back inside, the adjacent family room has a backlit ceiling as well as a rounded bumpout with a wall of windows also overlooking the backyard.

There's a second front entrance on the far left end of the home, with a foyer with a porcelain-tiled half bathroom, direct access to the garage and a set of back stairs to the second floor.

The main foyer's staircase leads up to the oak-floored master bedroom suite with recessed lighting and a gas fireplace with a wood mantel set into a stone chimney. There's a large walk-in closet with custom wardrobe built-ins. The showpiece of the master bathroom is a freestanding soaking tub. It also features porcelain tile floors that are radiant heated, a white marble-lined steam shower, and a granite-topped vanity with two sinks.

The other bedrooms all have oak floors, large closets and en-suite radiant-heated porcelain tile bathrooms. The second bedroom has cathedral ceilings and glass doors out to a balcony. The third bedroom opens onto a back porch. There's a wall of windows in the fourth bedroom. The large fifth bedroom, which also makes a great family/media room, sits above the garage and has three closets,

Also on this floor is a laundry room with a long granite countertop for folding, a sink and storage cabinets.

The sixth bedroom and full bathroom is on the first floor, down a set of back stairs.

The home is prewired so a smart-home. surround sound and alarm systems can be easily installed.

There's a huge unfinished basement that can accommodate more living space. The basement also houses the home's five-zone gas-fired heating and central cooling system.

Broker: Scott Miller of Realty Executives at 617-216-9260

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Federal prosecutors in NY charge 3 in drug website

NEW YORK — Three more men face charges for their alleged roles in the online black market website known as the Silk Road, federal prosecutors in New York City revealed Friday.

An indictment unsealed in Manhattan federal court charges Andrew Michael Jones of Charles City, Va., Gary Davis of Wicklow, Ireland, and Peter Phillip Nash of Brisbane, Australia with one count each of narcotics conspiracy, conspiracy to commit computer hacking and money laundering conspiracy.

Jones, 24, went by the online handle "Inigo" and Davis, 25, used the online moniker "Libertas" while they monitored user activity and responded to customer service questions as site administrators for Silk Road, according to prosecutors. The 40-year-old Nash — who prosecutors say used online aliases including "Samesamebutdifferent" and "Batman73" — allegedly moderated a site forum.

Jones and Nash, who were arrested this week, and Davis, who is believed to be in Ireland, were paid between $50,000 and $75,000 a year for their work, prosecutors said.

The lawyer who represented Jones in Virginia said Friday his client waived his right to a bond hearing there and was transferred to New York in the custody of U.S. Marshals. It wasn't clear if Davis and Nash had lawyers.

Authorities have said the site's San Francisco operator generated more than $1 billion in illicit business from January 2011 through September by running the drug-dealing website that used a tough-to-track digital currency called Bitcoin.

Ross William Ulbricht, 29, was arrested in October and is being held in New York for various charges, including for arranging a failed murder-for-hire plot. Prosecutors charge he operated Silk Road under the "Dread Pirate Roberts" alias — an apparent reference to a swashbuckling character in "The Princess Bride," the 1987 comedy film based on a novel of the same name.

Ulbricht hasn't yet entered a plea. His lawyer has said his client is innocent and is not the person who used the "Dread Pirate Roberts" alias.

Last month, another man pleaded guilty in federal court in Baltimore to a drug conspiracy charge for his role in the website.

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Feds eye food defense vs. terrorism

The Food and Drug Administration yesterday proposed a rule that would require the largest food businesses to take steps to prevent its facilities from becoming the target of terrorists trying to contaminate the food supply.

The proposed rule would apply to both domestic and foreign facilities that manufacture, process, pack or hold food and are required to register as a food facility under federal law. The rule does not apply to farms or to businesses that have less than $10 million in total annual sales of food.

"This is not being triggered by new intelligence about a potential attack," said Don Kraemer, senior policy advisor at the FDA's Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition. "It's a low-probability event, but the potential consequences could be quite devastating."

The FDA has identified four key activities within the food system that are most vulnerable to attack: bulk liquid receiving and loading, liquid storage and handling, the handling of secondary food ingredients before they are combined with the primary one, and activities such as mixing.

Facilities would be required to review their production system to determine if they have any of these types of activities or complete their own vulnerability assessment. They would then be required to implement a written food defense plan that identifies steps to reduce the risk of intentional contamination, establish monitoring procedures and corrective actions, verify that the system is working, ensure that employees assigned to the vulnerable areas receive training and maintain records.

The proposed rule will be available for public comment from Dec. 24 to March 31.

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Mass. card users a big fraud Target

Some 947,000 of the 40 million credit and debit cards to which hackers had access during a security breach at Target Corp. were used for purchases at Massachusetts stores, the chain revealed yesterday.

But the Minneapolis retailer said it can't pinpoint the number of Bay Staters affected by the Nov. 27 to Dec. 15 cyber attack because its point-of-sales terminals don't capture customers' mailing addresses. That leaves it unable to provide written notification to those affected, Target said in a letter yesterday to the state Office of Consumer Affairs and Regulation.

Target, which announced the breach of customer payment information at its 1,700 U.S. stores Thursday, yesterday said it so far had heard "very few reports of actual fraud."

Government investigators believe overseas hackers were responsible for the cyber attack and did not have inside help, a person familiar with the matter told Reuters yesterday.

The blogger who first broke news of the breach, Brian Krebs, said stolen customer data already had begun flooding underground markets that sell stolen credit cards. KrebsOnSecurity.com reported that stolen cards were being offered at "card shops" for $20 to more than $100 each.

Target yesterday sought to placate customers by offering a 
10 percent discount at its stores today and tomorrow, and by reassuring them that they wouldn't be held financially responsible for any credit card fraud.

"And to provide guests with extra assurance, we will be offering free credit-monitoring services," CEO Gregg Steinhafel said in a statement. "We will be in touch with those impacted by this issue soon on how and where to access the service."

Target experienced a second day of problems with its website and call center, which has buckled under the pressure of significantly increased volume.

Massachusetts Office of Consumer Affairs and Business Regulation Undersecretary Barbara Anthony, meanwhile, said she still expects to be notified of the exact number of Bay State residents affected by the breach and their names.

"We certainly hope that Target and the banks involved will be cooperating with each other, and that the appropriate notices will be sent to consumers as soon as possible," said Anthony, who said she shopped at Target and her own information may have been compromised. "Obviously, there are thousands upon thousands of Massachusetts consumers that are affected."

Herald wire services contributed to this report.

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Boston OKs new farming rules

Boston officials are hoping to open up new opportunities for urban farmers by debuting city land-use regulations that make clear businesses growing fresh produce for inner city consumers are not only accepted, but welcomed.

Outgoing Mayor Thomas M. Menino this week announced the Boston Zoning Commission approved new zoning rules, after a three-year push to raise urban agriculture to a commercial level. The effort brought together city agencies and companies that had pioneered farming in the city.

"Growing food within our city limits means better access to food and economic empowerment, all while cultivating a sense of neighborhood unity and greening our city," Menino said, indicating he will sign the new rules into law.

The Boston Redevelopment Authority worked with the mayor's office in 2010 to launch two pilot "micro-farms" on city-owned land in Mattapan that helped shape the new zoning rules.

Jessie Banhazl, owner of Green City Growers, a Somerville firm that builds horticulture projects in city spaces, said Boston ordinances did not discourage city farming but neither did they regulate it, leaving urban farmers worried about how they would weather opposition from neighbors.

"I think, because of the visibility the ordinances bring to urban agriculture, it will make people more confident to take this on as a career choice," Banhazl said. "I think there's no limit to what will be possible."

There are other communities ahead of Boston, she said, but the new regulations put the Hub at the forefront of big cities in the country pushing commercial agriculture in urban patches and on rooftops.

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Obama names China envoy, economic ties in mind

WASHINGTON — The nomination of veteran Sen. Max Baucus as U.S. ambassador to China reflects the importance to Washington of advancing the economic relationship with the Asian power despite recent strains on security issues.

The Montana Democrat lacks foreign policy credentials but has a track record in pressing Beijing over trade barriers and its currency exchange rate. If his appointment is confirmed by the Senate, he will be looking to see that U.S. companies can benefit from market reforms the ruling communist party promised in November.

While the economic relationship between the countries is loaded with its own problems, including accusations of rampant Chinese cybertheft of U.S. trade secrets, it is one where their national interests are more aligned than on security, as China challenges decades of U.S. military pre-eminence in the Asia-Pacific.

China's declaration of an air defense zone over disputed territory in the East China Sea and a near-collision of U.S. and Chinese naval vessels this month brought those concerns to the fore. Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel on Thursday described China's conduct in the Dec. 5 incident in the South China Sea as "irresponsible."

But when President Barack Obama announced Friday his intent to nominate Baucus as ambassador, he was stressing the senator's work over two decades on economic agreements with China that he said have created millions of American jobs. "He's perfectly suited to build on that progress in his new role," Obama said in a statement and called for a swift confirmation.

Baucus pushed for China's inclusion in the World Trade Organization in 2001, a key step in its integration in the world economy. Since then China has emerged as world's second-largest economy after the U.S., and America's second-largest trading partner. Two-way trade is projected to reach $558 billion in 2013.

But China's record on its WTO obligations is mixed, and trade with the U.S. is skewed heavily in China's favor. As chair of the powerful Senate Finance Committee, which oversees trade, Baucus has in recent years sponsored legislation to punish China for undervaluing its currency to benefit its exporters. The measure never made it into law. He's also criticized China for shutting out U.S. beef imports. But he's remained a strong advocate of expanding trade.

"The economic and financial relationship with China is crucial," said Cheng Li, a China expert at the Brookings Institution, a Washington think tank. "If that part of the relationship is healthy it can spill over and have a positive effect in other areas. But if it's jeopardized it can adversely affect other areas, including on security."

He expected China's leaders to welcome Baucus' appointment, given his stature as a six-term senator and close ties with Obama.

China's Global Times newspaper, which is affiliated with the ruling party, said Baucus' experience made him a good pick for the job.

"We hope and believe that Mr. Baucus can bring his Capitol Hill experience and personal relationship with the president to use in furthering U.S.-China trade ties and the building of a new type of major state-to-state relationship," the paper said, using Beijing's buzzword for its desire to be treated by Washington as an equal.

Comments on China's Twitter-like Weibo microblogging service were also largely positive, although some wondered whether the 72-year-old would be able to adapt to the Chinese capital's notorious smog.

The incumbent is former commerce secretary Gary Locke. As the first Chinese-American ambassador to Beijing, Locke has been a well-known and generally well-liked figure in China. He created a buzz among ordinary Chinese even before he arrived in Beijing after he was photographed wearing a backpack and trying to use a coupon to buy coffee at Seattle's airport. Many Chinese Internet users pointed out the contrast with Chinese bureaucrats, who routinely have aides carry their bags and attend to minor tasks.

Locke has navigated choppy waters in the relationship, notably when dissident lawyer Chen Guangcheng in 2012 sought refuge in the U.S. Embassy on the eve of high-level U.S.-China talks in Beijing. China subsequently allowed Chen to leave for New York, and the talks proceeded.

The latest turbulence has centered on China pressing its territorial claim against U.S. ally Japan in the East China Sea. China's effort to control air space in the region was criticized this week by Secretary of State John Kerry, who said it "clearly increases the risk of a dangerous miscalculation or an accident."

Given the prickly state of the relationship, Bonnie Glaser, a China expert at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, voiced surprise that Obama did not select an envoy with more clout on hard security issues.

She said the nomination of Baucus reflected the president's tendency to focus on the economic aspects of the relationship with China, as he seeks to boost exports and reduce unemployment at home.

His administration wants to "level the playing field" for American companies: curb cybercrime and theft of intellectual property and improve market access, particularly in the heavily restricted services sector. The U.S. has welcomed China's intent to open state-dominated industries wider to private competition and ease limits on foreign investment.

Erin Ennis, vice president of the U.S.-China Business Council, said a key U.S. priority for Baucus should be to negotiate a strong bilateral investment treaty. She said discussions on a text are expected to start early next year, and as new ambassador, Baucus could help China understand what it will take for an agreement to win Senate ratification.

_____

Associated Press writer Christopher Bodeen in Beijing contributed to this report.

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Rough health law fallout tightens key Senate races

GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — Democrats are bracing for tough Senate races in states they hoped to win easily just two months ago.

That's thanks to the fiasco following the launch of President Barack Obama's health care law.

There were weeks of problems with the enrollment website and much anxiety over policy cancellations for millions of people.

It's all hurt Democratic candidates Gary Peters in Michigan and Mark Udall in Colorado — and Republicans now see a better shot at retaking the Senate.

The GOP needs to pick up six seats to do that. Winning Michigan or Colorado would be a huge boost.

Both Peters, a three-term congressman, and Udall, a first-term senator, voted for the 2010 law. They also echoed Obama's now disproven claim that people could keep the health insurance they had.

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Emotions run high in Pinelands gas pipeline plan

PEMBERTON TOWNSHIP, N.J. — A New Jersey agency tasked with protecting the largest tract of open space between Virginia and Boston will decide next month whether to side with a forest sitting atop 17 trillion gallons of some of the most pristine water in the United States, or with a power plant seeking to switch from coal to cleaner natural gas.

A hotly debated plan to run a 22-mile natural gas pipeline through the protected Pinelands region of southern New Jersey is heading for a final vote Jan. 10.

Environmentalists oppose the plan, saying it will harm the fragile forests, wetlands and wildlife of the 1.1-million acre Pinelands.

But union workers and business leaders say the plan will provide jobs and reliable energy to southern New Jersey.

South Jersey Gas wants to build the pipeline to connect with the BL England power plant in Cape May County. So that the coal-burning plant can switch to cleaner natural gas.

It would pay $8 million to the New Jersey Pinelands Commission for land preservation and an educational center.

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RV users help Amazon keep up with holiday rush

CAMPBELLSVILLE, Ky. — Twinkling lights, decorated trees and bustling campgrounds. Those are signs of the Christmas season in Campbellsville, Ky., where the Amazon.com distribution center recruits an armada of RV owners as seasonal workers to help fill holiday orders.

They're dubbed the "CamperForce" by the world's largest online retailer. The hundreds of temporary workers are assigned packing, sorting and collection duties at Amazon facilities in Kentucky, Kansas and Nevada, roles meant to keep orders flowing during the yuletide rush.

Swarms of workers take up temporary residence in campgrounds. For many, it's another short-term stint on a nonstop journey. It's a lifestyle and mindset for the retirees, empty nesters and younger parents who shuck traditions of home and work to roam from campsite to campsite, job to job.

The stints last about three months.

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Get your mall buys delivered

Massachusetts mall-goers, who don't want to be saddled with their shopping bags, soon may have a new way to get their purchases home.

California startup Deliv has jumped into the same-day delivery fray, offering the service to malls through crowdsourced drivers.

And Simon Property Group, the largest owner of malls in Massachusetts, hopes eventually to roll out same-day delivery to its customers at Bay State retail centers.

Shoppers at Simon's Stanford Shopping Center in Palo Alto, Calif., now have two options for shopping hands-free.

They can have their purchases from participating mall retailers sent to their homes for $10, as long as they're within 15 miles of the center.

Or they can have them sent to a central mall location and pick them up when they're done shopping, or have them loaded into their cars curbside, for free.

Simon started the service Monday to "elevate" its customer service, according to spokesman Les Morris.

"Our expectation is that it will be successful, and we can roll it out to more properties," Morris said. "At the end of the day ... if, because of this delivery system, there are stores that are even more productive, it's a win-win."

Approximately 50 retailers are participating in Deliv's same-day service, which also is offered online.

At the Stanford Shopping Center, they include Sony, Hugo Boss, Lucky Brand, Bose, Johnston & Murphy, Kate Spade, Crate & Barrel and White House/Black Market, Morris said.

Founded in 2012, Deliv has raised $7.8 million in venture capital funding from companies including Cambridge's General Catalyst Partners.

Its service is now offered in nine malls in California and Chicago.

Deliv generates revenue from fees paid by the retailers and malls — currently $5 to $15 per delivery — who can opt to charge customers or offer free deliveries, according to founder and CEO Daphne Carmeli.

The key to the business model is getting as many packages and as many stops per route, so the cost of delivery comes down, said Carmeli, whose company hires the drivers.

"What I wanted to do was build a company where we would not have to be a two-sided marketplace, where we would have to acquire demand in every city," Carmeli said.

"We wanted to find an opportunity where we could immediately plug into a demand stream."

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Springfield family build boomerang business

SPRINGFIELD, Mass. — He hasn't quit his day job yet, but a Springfield engineer is hoping to grow his grass roots boomerang business. Jeffrey LeBeau, an engineer who started Big Daddy Boomerangs about a year ago, has involved his whole family in his business, with his three sons testing out his new designs and his wife, Kari LeBeau, painting designs on them.

Jeffrey LeBeau said he first discovered boomerangs, the curved-shaped lightweight devices that return to the thrower if thrown just right, when he was a teenager. He was in a science museum in Canada when he discovered a book on making boomerangs in the gift shop.

"I started dabbling in it, making some cross stick-type boomerangs," he said. "I got them to work, and shared them with my friends at that time."

He then didn't pick up a boomerang for years, until he was married with three boys, and wanted to share his love for boomerangs with his children.

"My kids (ages 11, 12 and 14) called me 'Big Daddy' growing up, so that's how I got the name for the business," LeBeau said. "They are my product testers. They'll help me design different shapes and colors. It's a family business."

The boys and their mother paint the wooden boomerangs after LeBeau carves them and tests them.

"The kids help out with some new ideas for shapes," he said.

Kari LeBeau helps with painting. Big Daddy will create custom paint designs by request for customers.

Kari, whose passion is throwing pottery, said she doesn't love boomerangs quite as much as her husband does, but she enjoys contributing to the artistic aspect of the boomerangs he produces.

"I love painting and being a part of that process," she said. "And he is a great role model for our boys. With every fair, with every order, with every minute he spends in his 'boom shop,' he shows our children it's never too late to chase your passions."

LeBeau's sport wooden boomerang is made out of Baltic birch plywood. He said it's a good material for beginner boomerangs, rather than competition level boomerangs, which he hasn't attempted yet.

"I really want to introduce people to the sport," he said. "Teaching them that they really work — that's part of the excitement."

LeBeau said a boomerang can be made out of almost any shape.

"The key is to have proper ratios of width to length for the wing, he said. "(There's also) the thickness of the wing and the air foil shape. There is a lot of science to it. "

He said there's a lot of trial and error.

"I've had a bunch that don't work," he said. "I either abandon it or I re-tool it. But for the models that do work, which give me results I'm happy with, I make a template of. I use power tools, but they're all hand shaped, unique and different."

In addition to Big Daddy's wooden boomerangs, LeBeau created a boomerang that folds up and fits in a pocket.

"I came up with the idea because I wanted portability," he said. "I had a different product line with plastic and I can't put it in my pocket. I wanted some to carry with me while I'm out hiking, at the beach or at the park."

He envisions the three-wing Pocket Boom as a popular, new, backyard game.

"Instead of playing Frisbee or lawn darts, let's play Pocket Boom," he said. "You have an instant game ready to go, and you don't have to worry about this thing breaking."

LeBeau has a patent pending on the Pocket Boom. He buys the plastic from Delaware and a company from Agawam laser cuts it for him. LeBeau and his wife do the post-processing of the wings. He said he tries to use only materials from the U.S.A.

Throwing a boomerang takes practice and skill, but LeBeau said he can teach anyone to throw one. He said kids as young as 5 or 6 can successfully throw the Pocket Boom, and kids 10 or 11 can handle the wooden boomerangs.

"You do need a little athletic ability," he said. "If you can throw a baseball or softball, you can do it. Boomerang is more of a finesse sport than a muscle sport. It takes practice."

How a thrower holds the boomerang, the way they throw it and the direction and speed of the wind are all factors in a boomerang's performance.

For now, LeBeau is marketing through his website, bdbooms.com, on Facebook and Twitter, and word of mouth. He's also attending craft and market fairs. He said he has attended nine such fairs in the past year. People seem to love the pocket boomerangs.

"I've sold close to 240 Pocket Booms, so I know there's traction there, which prompted me to pursue my passion," he said.

Eventually, he hopes to see his products in independently owned toy shops, and hopefully, sporting goods stores.

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Wash. leaders press for union vote on Boeing offer

SEATTLE — National, state and local political leaders called for a vote Friday on a proposed contract between Boeing and Puget Sound machinists, even though local union leaders have already rejected the company's latest offer in the high-stakes negotiations to keep thousands of jobs in the state.

The contract would secure work on Boeing's new 777X airplane at a time when 22 states are competing for those jobs. Gov. Jay Inslee said in a statement that union membership gives each worker a say in his or her future and they should have the opportunity to exercise that right.

"That should happen soon, as I have become increasingly concerned that we are at a perilous point in our effort to bring the 777X to Washington state," said Inslee, who was endorsed by the local Machinists union in his campaign for governor last year.

U.S. Rep. Rick Larsen echoed those comments, expressing concern about the region's aerospace future if no labor agreement is in place and saying "the time to vote is now." Everett Mayor Ray Stephanson and Snohomish County Executive John Lovick also urged the Machinists in their area to hold a vote and also urged them to approve the contract.

State Senate Majority Leader Rodney Tom, a Democrat, and Senate Republican Leader Mark Schoesler sent a joint letter Friday to local union leaders, urging a vote.

"We trust that your members will make the best decision," the two senators wrote. "We respectfully ask, however, that you allow them to make that choice for themselves."

Leaders in the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers publicly differed Friday on whether to bring Boeing's latest contract offer to a vote, exposing tensions within the union over how to handle the negotiations.

National union spokesman Frank Larkin said Friday that officials were exploring the idea of a vote after hundreds of members demanded an opportunity to have a say on the contract to secure work on the 777X. Larkin said members have always had the final say and they have every right to vote on the terms of the offer.

But local union officials said Friday they don't see any point in bringing it to a vote because it's too similar to a contract the union rejected a month ago by a 2-to-1 margin.

"So, until Boeing changes its conditions, we don't have an offer to vote on," District 751 President Tom Wroblewski said in a statement.

The latest round of contract talks collapsed Thursday after local Machinists officials said they could not recommend Boeing's latest proposal to members. Local union spokesman Bryan Corliss said Boeing has withdrawn the contract offer.

Boeing Co. spokesman Doug Alder said, however, that the offer was rejected by the union, not withdrawn. He declined further comment Friday.

Local union officials have seemed to disagree with their national leaders in recent weeks on how to handle Boeing's offers. That division was clear last month, when local members voted to reject a contract negotiated by Machinists leadership.

Boeing made changes this week to its original contract offer, backing away from a proposal that would slow the rate at which employees rise up the pay scale and adding an additional $5,000 in bonus pay. The biggest sticking point appears to be the company's insistence that workers move from a traditional defined-benefit pension to a defined-contribution savings plan.

The local Machinists said the company's latest proposal was too high of a price to pay to secure the 777X.

"I think you'll agree these were very minor changes, and not nearly enough to offset the things Boeing was trying to take away from you, and for the Machinists who will join us in the future," Wroblewski wrote in a message to members Friday morning.

Looming over the talks is the prospect that the company could build the airplane elsewhere. Chicago-based Boeing said it has received proposals from 22 states eager for the 777X jobs, with some proposing multiple sites. The company said 54 sites are now being evaluated.

In its own bid to win the 777X jobs, Washington state recently approved tax breaks for Boeing valued at $9 billion over the coming years, along with legislation to improve aerospace training programs and the permitting process.

Boeing began offering the 777X in May, but it's still finalizing plans for the plane and aiming to deliver the first aircraft by the end of the decade. Boeing has said it is expected to carry as many as 400 passengers and be more fuel efficient than the current 777.

Boeing received orders for 225 such planes from three airlines at the Dubai Airshow last month.

___

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Politics color governors' decisions on Medicaid

WASHINGTON — Partisan politics are coloring governors' decisions on whether to expand Medicaid in their states.

The question of whether more low-income people receive Medicaid coverage may have less to do with their need than with how their states vote in governors' races.

Medicaid is the government health insurance program for the poor. Every Democratic governor has called for accepting larger-than-usual federal subsidies to expand coverage.

But the nation's 30 Republican governors are split. Eight agreed to expand Medicaid — and most of them are from states President Barack Obama won.

At least 20 GOP governors have declined the offer. In doing so, at least one rejected advice from the commission he assigned to study the question.

Critics say some governors fear a tea party challenger in next year's Republican primaries.

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JP condos have energy to spare

New contemporary townhouses in the Woodbourne section of Jamaica Plain are designed to create more energy than they use so that utilities cost nothing.

Part of Boston's Energy Positive Green Building Program, GFC Development partnered with Hub architecture firm Utile to build the just-completed two-unit attached townhouse at 64-66 Catherine St. on land owned by the city. The purpose of this and other such projects in the city is to show that housing can be designed to be both completely energy independent and stylish without costing a huge amount more to build. This project meets the LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) Platinum designation, the highest rating.

The three-story townhouses on Catherine Street are on the market for $595,000 each. They feature high-end white kitchens, tiled bathrooms, 8-foot doors throughout and third-floor master bedroom suites with cathedral ceilings and a skylight.

The exterior of the building is dark-brown Hardie Plank, with unfinished shiplap cedar clapboard accents and a rear sloped roof pointed 42 degrees south that holds 21 photovoltaic electric panels for each unit.

These panels provide all the energy needed for the electric-only townhouses, producing 8 percent more energy than they use, according to preliminary testing. Homeowners will earn credits from electricity given back to the grid.

The townhouses are 
superinsulated, with 8 inches of icynene foam insulation in the walls, Alpen windows and a multilayered rubber roof. Windows are deep-set to attract winter sun and the first-floor concrete floor acts as a thermal mass to retain heat. The condos are heated and cooled when needed by wall-mounted Mitsubishi electric AC/heat pumps.

We took a look at staged model Unit 1, a 1,416-square-foot three-bedroom that has a fenced-in backyard and a driveway that will fit two cars.

You enter the unit through a foyer with polished cement floors, a wood bench and a closet holding the unit's 80-gallon solar hot water heater.

To the right sits an open living/dining area with large windows and a glass back wall with a door to a cedar fence-enclosed backyard. There's a patio with Hanover permeable pavers and a rainwater irrigation system.

Back inside, an adjacent open kitchen has recessed compact fluorescent lighting and polished cement floors. There's Parapan high-gloss white cabinets, many pantry sized, above and below white quartz countertops. There's an island with a stainless-steel sink and Mirabelle single-handle faucet. The white appliances are high end, including a Kitchen Aid refrigerator, a Jenn-Air oven, a Whirlpool electric stovetop with a Cristal range hood and a Bosch dishwasher.

Behind the kitchen sits a half bath with a white solid-surface IKEA vanity.

Stairs with white ash treads lead to the second floor where there are two ash-floored bedrooms and a full bathroom off a hallway that holds a closet with a high-efficiency Bosch washer and dryer.

The recessed-lit bedrooms on this floor have big windows with transoms, but are on the smaller side. Between them is a bathroom with beige porcelain tile floors and surround for a Grohe showerhead and deep soaking tub. There's also a white IKEA vanity with Grohe fixtures and a built-in linen closet.

The entire third floor of the unit is a master bedroom suite that features a good-sized bedroom with large windows with transoms, recessed lighting and a skylight. There are three closets, one a large walk-in that could serve as a nursery.

The en-suite master bathroom has slate-colored porcelain tile floors and surround for a walk-in shower with a glass partition. There's a linen closet built in and a white IKEA vanity with Grohe fixtures.

The townhouse is built on slab and does not have a basement.

But there is a dedicated driveway that will hold two vehicles next to the unit, with permeable Hanover pavers that allow grass to grow between the stones. The yard will be landscaped with low-water-use plants and grass.

• Address: 64-66 Catherine St., Unit 1, Jamaica Plain
• Bedrooms: Three
• Bathrooms: Two full, one half
• List price: $595,000
• Square feet: 1,416
• Price per square foot: $420
• Annual taxes: To be determined
• Monthly condo fee: $240
• Features: Architect-designed two unit townhouse designed for high energy efficiency; lots of large windows with transoms; open living/dining area with glass wall and door to back yard; kitchen with high-gloss cabinets, white quartz countertops and high-end appliances; third-floor master bedroom suite with ash floors, cathedral ceiling, skylight and large walk-in closet; porcelain-tile bathrooms; ash floors on top two floors; 40 solar panels on south-facing sloped roof; cedar-fence-enclosed backyard with rainwater irrigation system; driveway holds two vehicles L Location: About a mile from Forest hills Orange Line T station and retail offeringsalong Hyde Park Avenue; two miles from Jamaica Plain centerL Built in: 2013
• Broker: Coldwell banker agents Ellen grupert at 617-256-8455 and Janis Lippman at 617-869-0496

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Corolla’s a true compact contender

The roomier and more fuel efficient 2014 Toyota Corolla makes it a true contender in the compact sedan segment.

The redesigned Corolla has an aggressive appearance with a longer, lower, and wider stance. Our $19,510 tester painted in a brown sugar metallic looked sharp and was trimmed with Toyota's LE eco package.

The Corolla boasts a 35-miles-per-gallon average despite its slightly larger size. The eco package attaches drag reducing panels to the underbody and includes low-resistance 15-inch tires. A 1.8 liter, four-cylinder engine produces 140 horsepower and is mated to a continuously variable transmission. These tweaks stepped our test Corolla's highway fuel economy up to 42 mpg.

The Corolla has an improved CV transmission that provided a smooth power transition when accelerating, unlike past versions of the CVT that have been anything but smooth. The sedan handled modestly and braking was solid. I found an adequate amount of power even with two adults and three children in the back.

I was surprised at how easily our three children with their boosters and backpacks fit in the back seats. I was even more surprised by the amount of space when I climbed in the back to photograph the interior. The sedan had an abundance of backseat foot- and leg-room for a compact. The Corolla's trunk space is limited, but the 60/40-split folding rear seats do provide some added capacity for moving large items.

I found the Corolla's 6.1-inch touch screen with a backup camera a useful size that didn't overwhelm the cockpit. A Bluetooth smartphone connection not only provided hands-free use of my phone, but also allowed me to play my music wirelessly through the sedan's audio system. Steering wheel-mounted controls also were included. Despite these features, the Corolla's interior had a spartan feel.

Toyota starts the Corolla out at $16,800 and does offer a manual transmission. Heated and power adjustable front seats can be found on the LE Premium edition. The Corolla's roomy back seat and fuel economy do give it a slight edge within the compact sedan market and it's definitely worth a look when considering a Camry. Other cars to consider are the Chevy Cruze, Honda Civic, Ford Focus or Kia Forte.

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Wash. leaders press for union vote on Boeing offer

SEATTLE — Political pressure is building in support of letting Puget Sound machinists vote on a Boeing contract proposal in high-stakes negotiations to keep thousands of jobs in Washington state.

Leaders in the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers publicly differed Friday on whether to bring Boeing's latest contract offer to a vote, exposing tensions within the union over how to proceed.

National, state and local political leaders called for a vote, even though local union leaders have already rejected the company's latest offer.

The contract would secure work on Boeing's new 777X airplane at a time when 22 states are competing for those jobs. Gov. Jay Inslee said in a statement that union membership gives each worker a say in his or her future and workers should have the opportunity to exercise that right.

"That should happen soon, as I have become increasingly concerned that we are at a perilous point in our effort to bring the 777X to Washington state," said Inslee, who was endorsed by the local Machinists union in his campaign for governor last year.

U.S. Rep. Rick Larsen echoed those comments, expressing concern about the region's aerospace future if no labor agreement is in place and saying "the time to vote is now." Everett Mayor Ray Stephanson and Snohomish County Executive John Lovick also urged the Machinists in their area to hold a vote and also urged them to approve the contract.

State Senate Majority Leader Rodney Tom, a Democrat, and Senate Republican Leader Mark Schoesler sent a joint letter Friday to a local union leader, urging a vote.

"We trust that your members will make the best decision," the two senators wrote. "We respectfully ask, however, that you allow them to make that choice for themselves."

National union spokesman Frank Larkin said Friday that officials were exploring the idea of a vote after hundreds of members demanded an opportunity to have a say on the contract to secure work on the 777X. Larkin said members have always had the final say and they have every right to vote on the terms of the offer.

But local union officials said Friday they don't see any point in bringing it to a vote because it's too similar to a contract the union rejected a month ago by a 2-to-1 margin.

"So, until Boeing changes its conditions, we don't have an offer to vote on," District 751 President Tom Wroblewski said in a statement.

The latest round of contract talks collapsed Thursday after local Machinists officials said they could not recommend Boeing's latest proposal to members. Local union spokesman Bryan Corliss said Boeing has withdrawn the contract offer.

Boeing Co. spokesman Doug Alder said, however, that the offer was rejected by the union, not withdrawn. He declined further comment Friday.

Local union officials have seemed to disagree with their national leaders in recent weeks on how to handle Boeing's offers. That division was clear last month, when local members voted to reject a contract negotiated by Machinists leadership.

Boeing made changes this week to its original contract offer, backing away from a proposal that would slow the rate at which employees rise up the pay scale and adding an additional $5,000 in bonus pay. The biggest sticking point appears to be the company's insistence that workers move from a traditional defined-benefit pension to a defined-contribution savings plan.

The local Machinists said the company's latest proposal was too high of a price to pay to secure the 777X.

"I think you'll agree these were very minor changes, and not nearly enough to offset the things Boeing was trying to take away from you, and for the Machinists who will join us in the future," Wroblewski wrote in a message to members Friday morning.

Looming over the talks is the prospect that the company could build the airplane elsewhere. Chicago-based Boeing said it has received proposals from 22 states eager for the 777X jobs, with some proposing multiple sites. The company said 54 sites are now being evaluated.

In its own bid to win the 777X jobs, Washington state recently approved tax breaks for Boeing valued at $9 billion over the coming years, along with legislation to improve aerospace training programs and the permitting process.

Boeing began offering the 777X in May, but it's still finalizing plans for the plane and aiming to deliver the first aircraft by the end of the decade. Boeing has said it is expected to carry as many as 400 passengers and be more fuel efficient than the current 777.

Boeing received orders for 225 such planes from three airlines at the Dubai Airshow last month.

___

Contact Mike Baker on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/mikebakerap

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Appeals court allows horse slaughterhouses to open

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. — Companies in New Mexico and Missouri could begin slaughtering horses within a few weeks after a federal appeals court removed a temporary ban that was preventing domestic horse slaughter from resuming for the first time since 2007.

The 10th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Denver lifted an emergency injunction Friday that it had issued in November after animal protection groups appealed the ruling of a federal judge in Albuquerque. The judge said the U.S. Department of Agriculture followed proper procedure in issuing permits to Valley Meat Co. in Roswell, N.M., Rains Natural Meats of Gallatin, Mo., and Responsible Transportation in Sigourney, Iowa.

The appeals court's order Friday said the groups "failed to meet their burden for an injunction pending appeal."

Blair Dunn, an attorney for Valley Meat and Rains Natural Meats, said the order lifts the emergency status of the case, meaning it will likely be months before a final decision is issued.

Dunn said the plants are ready to open, although they could agree to remain shuttered if the plaintiffs agree to post a sufficient bond to cover the companies' losses should they ultimately prevail.

"They are getting ready to go as quickly as they can. It shouldn't take too long. Not more than two weeks," he said.

The Humane Society of the United States said, however, that "the fight for America's horses is not over."

"We will press for a quick resolution of the merits of our claims in the 10th Circuit," said Jonathan R. Lovvorn, the group's senior vice president of animal protection litigation and investigations.

The plants would become the first horse slaughterhouses to operate in the U.S. since Congress effectively banned horse slaughter by eliminating funding for inspections at the plants. Congress restored that funding in 2011, but the USDA did not approve the first permits for horse slaughterhouses until this summer.

The issue has divided horse rescue and animal welfare groups, ranchers, politicians and Indian tribes about what is the most humane way to deal with the country's horse overpopulation, and what rescue groups have said are a rising number of neglected and starving horses as the West deals with persistent drought.

The companies want to ship horse meat to countries where it is consumed by humans or used as animal feed.

Valley Meat and Responsible Transportation were set to begin horse slaughter operations in August, but U.S. District Judge Christina Armijo blocked their plans while she heard the lawsuit by The Humane Society of the United States, Front Range Equine Rescue and others. The groups claimed the plants should have been forced to undergo environmental reviews under provisions of the National Environmental Policy Act.

Responsible Transportation abandoned its horse slaughter plans and converted its plant to cattle before Armijo dismissed the lawsuit in November.

Attorneys for the plants have argued that the plaintiffs are simply in court because they are morally opposed to horse slaughter and are looking for a way to delay the plants while they lobby Congress for a ban.

Proponents of a return to domestic horse slaughter point to a 2011 report from the federal Government Accountability Office that shows horse abuse and abandonment have increased since domestic horse slaughter was banned. They say it is better to slaughter the animals in humane, federally regulated facilities than have them abandoned to starve across the drought-stricken West or shipped to inhumane facilities in Mexico.

Wayne Pacelle, president and CEO of The Humane Society of the United States, calls the practice barbaric and has said blocking a return to domestic horse slaughter "is an issue of national importance and scale."

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Chamber lists priorities for next Boston mayor

BOSTON — Boston business leaders are out with a list of priorities for the city's incoming mayor.

The Greater Boston Chamber of Commerce unveiled a "growth agenda" that outlines four key initiatives the group hopes Mayor-elect Martin Walsh will focus on after taking office on Jan. 6.

The chamber is calling for Walsh to work with business and government leaders throughout Greater Boston on infrastructure improvements including the expansion of South Station, upgrades to the Port of Boston and new international connections from Logan International Airport.

The report also asks Walsh to work toward lowering of the city's commercial property tax rate, a streamlining the permitting process and relaxing the current cap on charter schools in Boston.

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Sturdy Swede quite sporty

Always on the fringe of the sports sedan market, Volvo hurtles into the mix with the impressively reworked 2014 S60 T6 R-Design.

When mentioning the class led by luminaries BMW, Audi and Mercedes -Benz, the sturdy Swede rarely gets a nod. But the S60 R needs to be considered when test-driving the field.

Sporting a 3-liter inline six cylinder twin-scroll turbo producing 325 horsepower and all-wheel-drive geared through a six-speed automatic transmission, the Volvo is a quick and powerful machine. Spinning on blacked-out 19-inch Platinum Edition Ixion spoked wheels, the low-profile tires confidently cut into the road, gaining traction from the race-inspired front MacPherson struts and multilink rear suspension. The firm driver feedback through the rack-and-pinion steering not only gives the driver a confident ride but also makes handling the car a breeze.

The turbo purrs to life and needs little prompting to get you scooting comfortably and quickly down the road. The upgraded blue digital display lets you know when the turbo is demanding more, although the seat of your pants is a better indicator. Premium gas mileage for this sporty Scandinavian is 18 miles per gallon around town and 25 on the highway.

Aside from the mechanicals, what helps separate this car from wannabe sports sedans is the interior refinements highlighted by elegant piped leather seats — perhaps some of the more comfortable I've sat in — clean intuitive controls, brushed aluminum trim, and a robust 160-watt 8-speaker sound system. A 7-inch LCD monitor with back up camera, blind spot monitoring, Xenon active bending headlights and a sunroof round out some of the details of the car.

Sweeping body lines flow from the rakishly lowered front end with a small grille into a well-tied-together revamped rear end accented with a small spoiler, giving the sedan a striking presence on the road. The rear seats suffer some though and passengers will be a touch cramped. The trunk space is limited but both rear seats can fold down to make for extra room. There's also a ski slot through the armrest.

The base MSRP of $42,700 for the R-Design quickly gets to $49,315 with the Platinum Package, blind-spot monitoring and heated seats added in, and this is the one spot I'll pick on. Oddly, a car that has always led the industry in safety innovation and includes "City Safe" stopping does not include blind-spot monitoring or back-up warnings as part of its base cost. And extra for heated seats? In a car from the north country? After all, these are quite common features in even lower-priced cars.

The R-Design is the top of three trim levels although you can get a nice driver in a base S60 for about $33,000. I really enjoyed driving this car and, despite some expensive options, this is a good value if you're considering a sports sedan.

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Brockton vocational class teaches business savvy

BROCKTON, Mass. — The design and screen printing program at the Keith Center in Brockton pushes students to use their creativity to produce a product, said Robert Leary, who teaches the course.

He noted, however, that the class does more than just teach students how to design apparel.

"I think it helps them by giving insight into how a small business would run," he said. "They know what things cost and how to meet customers' demands. It also gives them the opportunity to use their creativity when designing the shirts."

The students do good work, he added.

For instance, you might have spotted players and coaches of two high school football heavyweights, Brockton and Bridgewater-Raynham, sporting sweatshirts designed by the budding designers during the Cape Cod Cafe Bowl, he said

The sweatshirts for that event were sponsored by Tuxedos by Merian and Cape Cod Cafe, who also purchased the screens, he said.

The class, at 175 Warren Ave., has enrolled 34 students who attend alternative schools The Goddard School, B.B. Russell and Champion High School.

Before taking it on, Leary taught design and screen printing at Southeastern Regional High School as well as to inmates at the Plymouth County Correctional Facility, he said.

In the course, the process of designing and printing the shirts is done by the students, with Leary supervising. First, students create a design, or that of their client's, and enter it into the computer. Then it gets printed, he said.

From there, the artwork is placed on a silk screen for exposure, then washed. It's then put on the press, where Leary said the ink is wiped off. The item is then dried in an oven. Students then prepare the merchandise for delivery.

Besides designing the garb for the football game, students also designed apparel for the South Shore Boxing Club and Brockton Children's Fund.

Still, Leary said he and his class welcome more business.

"I'm hoping that nonprofits and businesses consider us when they're doing events like a walk," he said. "We'd be happy to do them."

Proceeds made from any sale go to the Brockton Educational Fund, he said.-

-DAFNEY TALES, The Patriot Ledger

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Casino foes win hand but face AG in push to repeal gambling

Casino opponents collected enough certified signatures to continue pursuing a proposed ballot question that would repeal the state's 2011 gambling law, Secretary of State William Galvin said yesterday.

The group Repeal the Casino Deal submitted more than 90,000 signatures, well over the 68,911 that were required by last Wednesday's deadline to proceed with its goal of putting the question on the November 2014 ballot.

"We have determined there are sufficient signatures on the repeal casino petition, so they've gotten by that hurdle," Galvin said. "So far it's going forward. It's conceivable this question will be before the voters next November. It puts people on notice that casinos could be repealed."

Galvin said official certification of the signatures will be made by his office next week.

"It's really incredible what we were able to accomplish," said John Ribeiro, chairman of the Committee to Repeal the Casino Deal. "We've always known that when people had the facts, they would decide against casinos."

Several communities already have had referendums. But supporters of repeal also face a significant legal hurdle. They'll have to convince the state's highest court to overturn an earlier ruling by Attorney General Martha Coakley that the proposed question is unconstitutional.

No casino licenses have yet been awarded in Massachusetts, although several could be given out by the state Gaming Commission before next November.

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Fort Point loft is perfect combination

One of the largest condos in South Boston's Fort Point district, this 3,009-square-foot loft was designed by well-known Hub architect David Hacin.

Hacin, who also designed the FP3 condo complex and the District Hall innovation center in the neighborhood, combined two fourth-floor units in Fort Point Place, a 126-unit complex at 21 Wormwood St. that was converted to condos in 2000-01.

The combined Unit 415 was made into a three-bedroom corner loft with a large, open living/kitchen area and adjacent dining room, and a large master bedroom suite with dressing/exercise room. It has original wood beams and exposed brick and ductwork throughout, as well as maple floors. The architect has designed built-ins, room dividers, shelving and pocket doors that enhance the space. The condo, which includes two deeded parking spaces, one in a garage below, is on the market for $1,649,000.

The complex features contemporary art in the lobby and has a semi-industrial look, with jelly jar lighting in the common hallways and stainless-steel doors on the units.

Unit 415 has two entrances and foyers, each with closets for two gas-fired heating and cooling systems as well as built-ins for clothes storage. Both foyers lead to a wide central hallway with wide-plank maple flooring that is featured throughout the unit.

At one end of the hallway sits an open kitchen/living area with eight large windows with Financial District and Seaport District views. The track-lighted living area has wood-beam ceilings, maple floors and exposed brick walls and ductwork.

The adjacent kitchen has a large built-in at one end, as well as a central custom-made bi-level wood island with a breakfast bar that seats four. There are white-painted wood cabinets, including several that are pantry-sized, above and below Uba Tuba granite counters. Appliances are Jenn-Air stainless steel, including a refrigerator, dishwasher and four-burner gas stove with microwave above.

Behind the living area is the third bedroom, now used as formal dining room, a long narrow space with brick walls and one window and a pocket-door entrance. The room feels a little claustrophobic, especially with the pocket door closed.

But the other two bedrooms are open and airy, particularly the master bedroom suite off the far end of the hall, which has pocket doors to close it off from the rest of the loft if desired. The sunny master bedroom has four large windows with nice views of Fort Point and the Seaport District. It also has maple floors, wood-beam ceilings, brick walls and has track lighting and built-in storage areas. A curving custom-made room divider has bookcases on the bedroom side and wardrobe storage shelves on the other, which has been partitioned off into a dressing/exercise room. Adjacent to the dressing area sits the maple-floored master bathroom with two large closets, one of which holds a stacked Asko washer and dryer. There's a white ceramic-tiled shower with glass doors and rainhead fixture and a cultured marble-topped vanity.

The second bedroom, currently used as a den/family room, is also good-sized with exposed brick walls and built-ins as well as a divider that creates a dressing area. There's a home office area fronting on the hallway, and this whole area can also be closed off if desired.

Across the hall is a second full bathroom with a pocket-door entrance and maple floors. This bathroom has a stainless-steel vessel sink, a white subway-tile shower with glass doors and two large closets.

The unit comes with two deeded parking spaces, one in a garage below the building and the other in an outdoor lot behind the building. There is no common outdoor space, but there is a pocket park across the street and a small urban market on the building's first floor.

Broker: Richard Greer of Kimball Borgo Real Estate at 857-919-4368.

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Hiring splurges, but consumers stay frugal

The economy still has some trouble spots, but analysts are seeing signs of a gathering rebound that could lift off if consumers decide to open their wallets and jump in with both feet.

"The economy is improving and corporate profits are strong. They grew a little more than 8 percent in the third quarter," said Paul Edelstein of Lexington-based IHS Global Insight.

The job market also is showing signs of gains, with the Labor Department reporting yesterday that employers added 203,000 jobs in November and the unemployment rate fell to
7 percent, a five-year low. The Dow Jones industrial average jumped 198 points.

Boston University School of Management executive-in-residence Mark T. Williams, a former Federal Reserve Bank examiner, said stock market prices are indicators of future expectations in the economy.

"The stock markets across the board are hitting new highs, suggesting blue skies ahead," Williams said.

A key factor, though, is how willing consumers are to spend. Consumer confidence in December hit its highest level in five months, according to the Thomson Reuters/University of Michigan preliminary report released yesterday. But retail numbers show shoppers spent less over the Thanksgiving weekend than the year before.

"In general, consumers can express frustration, but keep on spending as if nothing is wrong," said Edelstein. We've seen that many times."

Edelstein said the improving job numbers can hide some dark clouds, as well.

"The unemployment rate is one number and it is falling more than expected, but it's falling because people are leaving the job market," Edelstein said. "It's schizophrenic, but overall the labor market is improving."

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Gov seeks Asian partners

Over the next 10 days Bay State executives will tour some of the state's biggest trade partners in Asia, hustling for new business and looking for partnerships that could bring home jobs and investment.

Gov. Deval Patrick, who is leading the delegation, pointed to companies that brought employment and new products to Massachusetts after his trips to Britain, Israel, Brazil and Chile in 2011, and to Colombia and Canada this year.

"In order for Massachusetts to create lasting growth and opportunity for our residents, we must compete for jobs on the global playing field," Patrick said before leaving yesterday for the trip. "This mission offers us a tremendous opportunity to strengthen our relationships with Asia's fastest growing economies."

The trip includes stops in the Japanese cities of Kyoto and Tokyo, as well as Singapore and Hong Kong.

"This mission provides us with the opportunity to share Massachusetts' thriving entrepreneurship culture and leading technology sectors with business and policy leaders across Asia, while helping to open new markets for technologies made in the commonwealth, said Pamela Goldberg, CEO of the Massachusetts Technology Collaborative, one of the members of the mission.

Patrick and members of the delegation are scheduled to meet with top government and industry leaders, and learn more about transportation technologies at work in the Far East.

"We are bringing representatives from government who handle the innovation sectors, the life sciences and biotech, IT through the Mass Tech Collaborative, and clean alternative energy community, and we'll be meeting with our counterparts there," Patrick said.

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Cities to make bets on Revere

North Shore community officials will hold a press conference Monday to announce their support for a Mohegan Sun casino at Suffolk Downs, one day before the state Gaming Commission will decide whether the project can be shifted from East Boston to Revere.

In addition to Revere Mayor Daniel Rizzo and Lynn Mayor Judith Kennedy, who organized the event, officials from Chelsea and Salem and representatives from area chambers of commerce will argue the benefits of a Mohegan Sun casino would extend throughout the North Shore.

"(Rizzo) is really in favor of the jobs it would create," Miles Lang-Kennedy, the mayor's spokesman, said yesterday. "This is something that would benefit the city and the region."

Although both Mohegan Sun and Las Vegas billionaire Steve Wynn, who has proposed his own casino in nearby Everett, have designated Chelsea a surrounding community — which entitles it to money for impacts such as increased traffic and crime — the city is close to an agreement only with Mohegan Sun, said Chelsea City Manager Jay Ash.

"We received a call right away from Suffolk Downs' people" after the racetrack agreed to be Mohegan Sun's landlord, he said, "and I was introduced to a representative of Mohegan Sun."

Ash said he is "100 percent in support" of the Mohegan Sun project.

"I can't say that at all about Wynn," he said. "I have concerns about Wynn."

Salem Mayor Kim Driscoll said her city doesn't technically meet the definition of a surrounding community.

"But that hasn't stopped Suffolk Downs from reaching out to us and trying to make sure that regionally, this is a positive thing," Driscoll said.

In addition to proposing improvements to Route 1A, the racetrack recently held two sold-out events in Salem to give vendors the opportunity to do business with it, she said, and track officials have talked with her about how the city and Suffolk Downs can do cross-promotions.

"Wynn hasn't reached out to us," Driscoll said.

A Wynn spokesman declined to comment.

Malden Mayor Gary Christenson, however, said he has met with Wynn representatives about a dozen times and negotiated a surrounding community agreement that calls for the company to give the city 
$1 million if Wynn receives a casino license and $1 million annually after that.

"You can put me in there as supporting the Wynn proposal," Christenson said. "But I do understand that some of our residents and business owners are skeptical."

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Chinese firm paid US gov't intelligence adviser

WASHINGTON — A longtime adviser to the U.S. Director of National Intelligence has resigned after the government learned he has worked since 2010 as a paid consultant for Huawei Technologies Ltd., the Chinese technology company the U.S. has condemned as an espionage threat, The Associated Press has learned.

Theodore H. Moran, a respected expert on China's international investment and professor at Georgetown University, had served since 2007 as adviser to the intelligence director's advisory panel on foreign investment in the United States. Moran also was an adviser to the National Intelligence Council, a group of 18 senior analysts and policy experts who provide U.S. spy agencies with judgments on important international issues.

The case highlights the ongoing fractious relationship between the U.S. government and Huawei, China's leading developer of telephone and Internet infrastructure, which has been condemned in the U.S. as a potential national security threat. Huawei has aggressively disputed this, and its chief executive, Ren Zhengfei, has said the company has decided to abandon the U.S. market.

Moran, who had a security clearance granting him access to sensitive materials, was forced to withdraw from those roles after Rep. Frank Wolf, R-Va., complained in September to the intelligence director, James Clapper, that Moran's work on an international advisory council for Huawei "compromises his ability to advise your office."

"It is inconceivable how someone serving on Huawei's board would also be allowed to advise the intelligence community on foreign investments in the U.S.," Wolf wrote.

Moran, who earlier had declined to discuss the matter, said in a statement Friday to the AP, "I was totally transparent." He said he told the National Intelligence Council in 2010 about his membership on Huawei's advisory panel.

"I complied with all conflict of interest reports and procedures of the National Intelligence Council," Moran said.

A spokesman for Clapper's office confirmed Friday that Moran was no longer associated with the intelligence council "effective September 2013" but declined to answer further questions, citing the U.S. Privacy Act.

Moran's resignation also was confirmed by Wolf and two federal officials who spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss the case publicly.

"If he wants to make a lot of money advising Huawei, that's his prerogative," Wolf told the AP. "But he shouldn't be on a critical advisory board that provides intelligence advice on foreign investments in our country."

In a policy paper distributed by Huawei, Moran wrote in May that, "targeting one or two companies on the basis of their national origins does nothing for U.S. security in a world of global supply chains." Moran criticized what he described as "a policy of discrimination and distortion that discourages valuable inward investment from overseas, while providing a precedent for highly damaging copycat practices in other countries."

The House Intelligence Committee last year said Huawei and another firm, ZTE, posed a threat that could enable Chinese intelligence services to tamper with American communications networks. The committee said it could not prove wrongdoing but recommended that the companies be barred from doing business in the country.

"To the extent these companies are influenced by the state or provide Chinese intelligence services access to telecommunication networks, the opportunity exists for further economic and foreign espionage by a foreign nation-state already known to be a major perpetrator of cyber espionage," the committee wrote in its report.

Huawei's vice president for external affairs, William Plummer, declined to discuss Moran's resignation, but said U.S suspicions about Huawei have created "a political smokescreen." He said the controversy amounted to a "political game that's holding Huawei hostage to somehow gain leverage with the Chinese government. Huawei is no threat to U.S. networks and data."

Plummer said Moran and other advisers discuss trade, policy and commerce with Huawei's executives.

Earlier this year, as a condition of allowing SoftBank Corp. to buy Sprint for $20.1 billion, the Obama administration forced the companies to promise not to use Huawei equipment and seek approval for future vendors.

In 2007, Huawei joined with Bain Capital, the private equity firm founded by Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney, to buy 3Com Corp., an American computer equipment firm. Romney had left the firm by then. The bid collapsed amid national security concerns cited by Congress and the U.S. Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States, an inter-agency panel that scrutinizes financial moves by foreign firms inside the U.S.

Last month, two Senate committee chairmen asked Clapper about the potential national security threat posed by Huawei's growing partnership with South Korean telecom firms.

The intelligence director's office would not describe Moran's duties for its panel on foreign investment or the National Intelligence Council. It was not immediately clear whether Moran's previous work was being reviewed for possible bias or if the government was investigating whether other intelligence advisers also may have been paid by foreign companies. It also did not explain why Moran was forced to step down now, three years since he had been hired by Huawei and after he had disclosed his affiliation as early as 2011 in biographical material published as part of his participation in a conference in Vienna.

Wolf, in a letter to the intelligence director, asked for a list of other members and advisers to the National Intelligence Council and a copy of its conflict-of-interest policy but he never received the information.

___

Associated Press writer Nedra Pickler contributed to this report.

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Obama calls on Congress to extend jobless benefits

WASHINGTON — President Barack Obama is calling on Congress to extend benefits for the long-term unemployed before they expire at the end of the year.

In his weekly radio and Internet address, Obama says more than one million Americans will lose benefits if lawmakers don't act. He says unemployment insurance is one of the most effective ways to boost the economy and that providing benefits does not stop people from trying to find work.

House Speaker John Boehner, R-Ohio, has said he is willing to consider extending the jobless benefits.

In the Republican weekly address, North Carolina Rep. Renee Ellmers calls on Obama to delay his health care law's requirement that all Americans purchase insurance. She says the law is particularly impacting women, who often make health care choices for their families.

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Economic bright spots not a sure boost for Obama

WASHINGTON — To a struggling White House, the economy that was supposed to be a political millstone is losing some drag.

An uptick in growth and a downturn in unemployment give the president a stronger story line going into the 2014 congressional election year. They also provide Democrats with a counterpoint to Republican attacks on Obama's health law.

The economy has pushed ahead despite a government shutdown, edge-of-the-cliff deals on the debt, and indiscriminate budget cuts that were supposed to hold back the recovery.

But Obama's fortunes have seesawed for months, marked by ups and downs on foreign and domestic policy.

Whether this economic trend accelerates remains to be seen.

President Ronald Reagan faced remarkably similar circumstances in 1986. Politically, it didn't turn out so well.

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Mass. promotes locally-grown Christmas trees

BOSTON — State officials are urging residents to buy locally-grown Christmas trees this season.

State agriculture commissioner Greg Watson joined other state and local officials for Friday's annual tree-cutting ceremony at Crane Neck Christmas Tree Farm in Groveland.

Watson said locally-grown trees and renewable and recyclable, and an important part of the state's economy.

According to the latest U.S. Department of Agriculture figures, there are 284 Christmas tree farms in Massachusetts, producing more than 75,000 trees each year.

The vast majority of Christmas trees are grown on farms, limiting damage to forests.

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Pioneering offshore wind project faces deadlines

BOSTON — As it seeks investors, a project off the Massachusetts coast that aims to be the nation's first offshore wind farm must reach fast-approaching benchmarks or risk missing out on hundreds of millions in critical funding.

To qualify for a tax credit that would cover a major portion of its capital costs, Cape Wind either must begin construction by Dec. 31 or prove it's incurred tens of millions of dollars in costs by then.

Also, a $200 million investment — the only one of a specific dollar amount Cape Wind has announced — is conditioned on whether developers can fully finance the rest of the project by year's end.

With less than two months until the deadline, Cape Wind isn't publicly discussing financing efforts. It also has yet to start on-site construction and isn't detailing how it can qualify for the tax credit, only that it expects to.

Even if Cape Wind fails to qualify, spokesman Mark Rodgers said, "We will move this project forward, we will secure financing and we will construct the project."

The 130-turbine, $2.6 billion Cape Wind project was proposed for Nantucket Sound in 2001 and touted as a large, clean energy source near a high-demand coastal area. It's been delayed by a thick bureaucracy and opponents who say the project will ruin the sound and threaten wildlife and maritime traffic.

Cape Wind has sold about three-quarters of its planned power output to two local utilities and aims to be producing power for homes and businesses in Massachusetts by 2015.

First, it must continue to lock down what financing it has and get more of it.

Of two major federal tax subsidies available to renewable energy projects, Rodgers said Cape Wind is pursuing one, an investment tax credit, which could cover a hefty 30 percent of its capital construction costs.

But to qualify for the credit, the project must have begun construction by Dec. 31. Alternatively, Cape Wind can qualify if developers incur 5 percent of the wind farm's cost by year's end.

If the project doesn't qualify for the credit, Cape Wind would be left to fill a huge financing hole. And under its deals with the utilities, failure to obtain the credit would increase the starting price of its power from 20 cents per kilowatt hour to 22.7 cents, with 3.5 percent annual increases.

It's unclear how that would impact the average utility customer's bill. But estimates when the utilities struck their deals (and Cape Wind's starting price was projected at a lower 18.7 cents per kilowatt hour) indicated their average ratepayers would pay about $1 to $1.50 extra per month for Cape Wind's power.

Any further bump in price is sure to inflame critics, who frequently note that Cape Wind's power is far more expensive than other energy sources, including more than double that of land wind.

Though Cape Wind hasn't started erecting turbines in Nantucket Sound, IRS regulations provide other ways to qualify as having begun construction, said Arnold Grant, a tax law expert at Reed Smith, which helps develop renewable energy projects but isn't tied to Cape Wind.

For instance, if an offshore wind farm's turbine supplier is doing significant work off-site, that can count toward having begun construction.

Grant also said meeting the 5 percent costs milestone doesn't even require the company to spend the money by Dec. 31. The delivery of goods from a large equipment contract, for example, can help a company meet the threshold, even the company hasn't paid the contract by year's end.

The bottom line, Grant said, is that companies looking to qualify for the investment tax credit can usually figure it out.

"The rules are out there. You need to satisfy them, but there are different ways of doing it," he said.

Audra Parker of the Alliance to Protect Nantucket Sound, a Cape Wind opponent, said the fact construction hasn't started in the sound speaks to Cape Wind's slow progress, whether it gets the credit or not.

"They can't begin physical construction in Nantucket Sound, so any other means of wasting taxpayer money on Cape Wind would be obtained through a loophole," Parker said.

It may be a steeper climb for Cape Wind to secure more than $2 billion in financing by year's end to meet the conditions of the Danish pension fund PensionDanmark's $200 million investment.

Even if PensionDanmark comes through with a commitment, the project appears well short of the needed financing, said Parker. Cape Wind is pursuing a loan guarantee from the Department of Energy, but it's unknown when a decision will be made.

Parker said she doubts Cape Wind can be financed without it.

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Maine appoints members to lobster marketing board

AUGUSTA, Maine — Maine's Department of Marine Resources has appointed members to a new board aimed at boosting the state's marketing effort in the lobster industry.

The Maine Lobster Marketing Collaborative Board will include state officials like George Gervais, the commissioner of the state's Department of Economic and Community Development, as well as lobstermen and marketing experts.

The 11 board members will devise strategies and tactics on marketing lobsters to consumers, restaurants and retailers.

The Maine Lobster Marketing Collaborative Board is part of a five-year initiative by the state to increase sales of the state's best-known seafood. The annual marketing budget for lobsters increased more than six-fold to $2.2 million under a law that took effect in October.

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Small Business Saturday puts focus on independent retailers

Mom-and-pop stores today are gearing up for a Small Business Saturday that they hope will top the bustle of Black Friday.

"(Today) for us is usually bigger — by double," said Philip Celeste, owner of On Centre, a specialty gift and accessory store in Jamaica Plain. "We're expecting to have a very good holiday season. Looking at November, we're already way ahead of last year."

On Centre opted not to have a sale yesterday or today, instead relying on their unique products and the know-you-by-name customer service that most big box stores and online retailers simply can't provide.

Down the street, at Boing! Toy Shop, Kim Mitchell and her staff gift wrap every purchase for free and have a loyalty program to reward frequent customers. "I'm also here, and I'm active, and if people have a question or a complaint, they know who I am," she said.

Still, many small business owners are acutely aware that their competition increasingly is not only big box stores but the Internet. So at Fire Opal in Coolidge Corner, Sue Stein has heightened her Web presence and advertises on social media. Stein also has the benefit of being located in a neighborhood that has a strong shop-local ethic.

"People should keep in mind that more than half of the money they spend in a small business stays in their town," said Jack Mozloom, a spokesman for the National Federation of Independent Business. "You're helping your neighbors, you're helping to create jobs in your community."

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Monday the deals shift to the Web

Black Friday shoppers have collapsed on their couches and finally gotten a chance to digest that turkey after a hectic day of deal-hunting, but it all starts again Monday on the Internet.

"Online shopping has been very, very strong," said Chris Christopher, a retail analyst with IHS Global Insight. "Right now, a little over $1 of every $20 spent is spent online."

Online shopping is the only retail sector growing at a double- digit pace, with online sales expected to generate $78 billion this holiday season, a
15 percent increase over last year.

Still, Christopher said, Cyber Monday may have lost some of its exclusivity this year because online retailers such as Amazon have been offering deals to compete with brick-and-mortar stores opening on Thanksgiving.

"A lot of them had to up their game because they didn't have the luxury of people staying at home," he said.

Jon Hurst, president of the Retailers Association of Massachusetts, said online retailers can take a chunk out of local sales, but the Internet also opens up possibilities for small stores.

"There's a lot of smaller companies that are finding it as a growth opportunity," he said.

Jasmine Raines, a 24-year-old Dorchester resident, hit Legacy Place in Dedham on Black Friday, planned on shopping again today, and then finish off her spree with some online shopping. "Then I'll wait for Cyber Monday," she said.

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Bill would ban "fracking" in Mass. for 10 years

BOSTON — A bill aimed at temporarily banning the natural gas drilling technique known as hydraulic fracturing — or fracking — is making its way through the Massachusetts Statehouse.

The Legislature's Joint Committee on Environment and Natural Resources has approved a bill that would create a 10-year moratorium on the technique in Massachusetts.

Environmental activists argue that fracking can lead to water contamination, illness, and damaged rural landscapes.

Supporters say the technique is safe and is a way to extract natural shale gas that would otherwise remain trapped underground, helping keep energy prices down.

There could be limited shale gas deposits in western Massachusetts.

The bill must still be approved by lawmakers and signed by Gov. Deval Patrick before becoming law.

Vermont last year became the first state to ban hydraulic fracturing.

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Troubled Vatican bank names consultant as manager

VATICAN CITY — The troubled Vatican bank announced its new top manager Saturday, promoting an outside consultant who had stepped in when the bank's top two managers resigned amid scandal last summer.

Rolando Marranci had worked for Promontory Financial Group advising the Institute for Religious Works on cleaning up its accounts when he was named acting deputy director July 1. The bank's senior managers, Paolo Ciprianni and Massimo Tulli, had been forced out after a Vatican accountant with close ties to the bank was arrested for trying to bring 20 million euros ($26 million) into Italy from Switzerland without declaring it at customs.

At the time of the ouster, the bank's president, Ernst Von Freyberg, was named acting director while he continued on as president and board member, a seeming conflict of interest that appears to be resolved now that Marranci has taken over day-to-day operations of the institute.

Von Freyberg remains on as president.

Marranci's appointment was announced Saturday, days before the Vatican is due to be evaluated by the Council of Europe's Moneyval committee on its progress complying with international norms to fight money laundering and terror financing.

The Vatican passed Moneyval's first test in the summer of 2012 but received poor or failing grades for its financial watchdog agency and the IOR, specifically the bank's ability to ensure that its customers and transactions were clean.

Promontory has been going through the IOR's accounts to ensure they comply with international norms. That task was due to have been completed at the end of 2012 but has dragged on. The Holy See has also passed a series of new laws to respond to Moneyval's recommendations ahead of the new evaluation round.

At the same time, Pope Francis named a commission of inquiry to look into the bank's legal structure and activities as part of his overall reform of the Holy See's finances.

Marranci, 60, retired in 2011 from Italy's Banca Nazionale del Lavoro, where he had held several accounting positions and, among other jobs, was chief financial officer of BNL's London branch.

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VP Biden trying to show US still focused on Asia

WASHINGTON — It's up to Vice President Joe Biden to show that the U.S. effort to realign its gaze toward Asia hasn't fizzled out.

Biden is set to arrive Monday in Tokyo on a weeklong trip to Asia, which is watching carefully to see how committed the Obama administration is to increasing America's influence in the region as a hedge against an increasingly assertive China.

In meetings with leaders in Japan, China and South Korea, the vice president will seek to show that while the administration has been preoccupied with Mideast flare-ups and a series of domestic distractions, the U.S. remained determined to be a Pacific power.

At the same time, disputes among Asian nations seem to be boiling over, threatening instability in a region that's vital to the U.S. economy.

American allies Japan and South Korea are barely speaking. China is butting heads with its neighbors and with the U.S. about Beijing's new air defense zone over a group of tiny islands that have exacerbated long-simmering territorial conflicts. The U.S. on Friday advised American carriers to comply with China's demand that it be told of any flights passing through that defense zone.

Early in his presidency, Obama declared the U.S. was "all in" when it came to the Asia-Pacific. His administration pledged to increase its influence, resources and diplomatic outreach in the region, and to bolster the U.S. military footprint so that by 2020, 60 percent of the Navy's warships would be based there, compared with 50 percent now.

The concern was that as China came into its own as a superpower, its sway over other Asian nations would grow, too.

But in Obama's second term, Iran, Syria and Egypt have absorbed the president's attention on foreign policy matters. At home, the administration has been consumed with a health care rollout that's become a major political problem, while intense gridlock in Congress has bogged Obama down in domestic disputes.

To cap it off, Obama had to scrap a much-anticipated trip to Asia in October because the federal government was shut down. His absence led many in the region to wonder if it remained an Obama priority.

Obama's national security adviser, Susan Rice, said recently it does. She announced that President Barack Obama will visit Asia in April and promised that the U.S. will keep deepening its commitment to Asia "no matter how many hot spots emerge elsewhere."

But Rep. Steve Chabot, R-Ohio, said he's heard loud concerns as he's traveled the region as the chairman of the House subcommittee dealing with Asia.

"In each country I've gotten this feedback: 'When do you think the president is going to put some meat on the bones?'" Chabot said. "It's been mostly just talk, and mostly diplomatic engagement. They want to get beyond just talk."

On his first stop, Biden will meet with Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe before focusing on women's issues with the new U.S. ambassador, Caroline Kennedy. In Beijing, Biden hold talks meet with China's president, Xi Jinping, vice president, Li Yuanchao, and premier, Li Keqiang.

After meeting with South Korean leaders in Seoul, Biden will give a major speech on the U.S.-Korea relationship at Yonsei University and lay a wreath at a cemetery honoring fallen U.S. troops.

The trip comes at a critical time.

The U.S. is trying to complete a major trade agreement by year's end, but it's not certain the deadline with be honored. The Trans-Pacific Partnership involving the U.S., Japan and 10 other nations could clear the way for much greater trade with Asia, in line with Obama's ambitious goal to double U.S. exports by 2015.

Issues of market access, environmental protections and intellectual property remain controversial. It's also unclear whether Congress will approve the pact without making changes, potentially derailing the deal.

For Xi and Biden, their visit will be something of a reunion. The two exchanged official visits when Xi was vice president, spending hours together as the U.S. tried to learn as much as possible about the man who would become party leader in 2012.

Biden's visit comes two weeks after China's leaders outlined a market reform plan that could be the country's most significant economic overhaul in at least two decades. The Communist Party conference marked the unveiling of Xi's vision.

But China's new air defense zone over the East China Sea may overshadow Biden's mission. The administration said Biden would raise the issue directly with Chinese leaders.

China announced last week that all aircraft entering the zone — a maritime area between China, Taiwan, South Korea and Japan — must notify Chinese authorities beforehand and that it would take unspecified defensive measures against those that don't comply.

Neighboring countries and the U.S. have said they will not honor the new zone, which is believed aimed at claiming disputed territory, and have said it unnecessarily raises tensions.

China's defense ministry said fighter jets identified and monitored the two U.S. reconnaissance aircraft and a mix of 10 Japanese early warning, reconnaissance and fighter planes during their flights through the zone early Friday.

The U.S. has tried to stay out of such territorial disputes, but treaty obligations to Japan sometimes get in the way. As China, Japan and others adopt increasingly aggressive military stances, the U.S. worries about an increased likelihood of a mishap spiraling quickly out of control.

In South Korea, the nuclear threat from an unpredictable North Korea is a chief item on Biden's agenda.

The deal the U.S. helped strike with Iran to temporarily freeze its nuclear program is a stark reminder of the impasse in negotiations with North Korea. Unlike Iran, North Korea is believed to already have a nuclear bomb, and there's worrying evidence it is pressing ahead with weapons development.

Meanwhile, state media in the North claimed Saturday that an elderly U.S. tourist detained for more than a month has apologized for alleged crimes during the Korean War and for "hostile acts" against the state during a recent trip. The apology couldn't be independently confirmed.

Biden may try to play mediator between South Korea and Japan, whose long-troubled relations are souring over painful legacies from Japanese colonialism and World War II. Nationalist sentiments in Tokyo have been pitted against Seoul's desire for more public remorse from Japan over its use of Korean sex slaves during the war, and other injustices.

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Reach Josh Lederman on Twitter at http://twitter.com/joshledermanAP

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Americans kick off first holiday shopping weekend

Millions of Americans turned out as the holiday buying season started earlier this year on Thanksgiving Day. But there's still a lot of shopping left.

While figures aren't yet available on how many people shopped on the first two days of the holiday shopping season, crowds came early and often as more than a dozen major U.S. retailers stayed open for 24 hours or more on Thanksgiving through the day after known as Black Friday.

But overall, The National Retail Federation predicts that 140 million shoppers planned to shop during the four-day holiday weekend that begins on Thanksgiving Day. And of those, about 23 percent, or 33 million shoppers, planned to do so on the actual holiday.

So the challenge for retailers is to keep the momentum going through the weekend — and beyond. In years past, stores have had a robust start to the season by offering deep discounts only to see crowds disappear until the final days before Christmas when the big bargains pop up again.

Overall, the retail trade group expects retail sales to be up 3.9 percent to $602 billion during the last two months of the year. That's higher than last year's 3.5 percent growth, but below the 6 percent pace seen before the recession. And retail experts said it's going to be difficult for stores to get shoppers to keep coming back into stores without bargains.

"Can stores continue the momentum after a promotional November?" said Laura Gurski,a partner and global leader of the consumer product & retail practice at A.T. Kearney, a global management consultancy. "How do you top it in December?"

Despite that there is a lot of the holiday shopping season left, this year may cement the transformation of the start of the holiday shopping season into a two-day affair.

Black Friday had been the official start of the shopping season between Thanksgiving and Christmas. It was originally named Black Friday because it was when retailers turned a profit, or moved out of the red and into the black. Retailers opened early and offered deep discounts.

But in the past few years, store chains have been opening on Thanksgiving.

This year, several welcomed shoppers for the first time on Thanksgiving night, while Gap Inc., which owns Banana Republic, Gap and Old Navy, opened half its stores earlier on the holiday.

Wal-Mart stores, most of which stay open 24 hours, has for the past several years offered doorbusters that had been reserved for Black Friday. And Kmart planned to stay open 41 hours starting at 6 a.m. on Thanksgiving.

That has led some to question how much further Black Friday will creep into Thanksgiving, which along with Christmas is one of only two days a year that most stores are closed.

"Black Friday is now Gray Friday," said Craig Johnson, president of Customer Growth Partners, a retail consultancy.

The earlier openings have met with some resistance.

Workers' rights groups and some shoppers had planned protests on Thanksgiving and Black Friday to decry the way some store employees were forced to miss holiday meals at home. But as of Thursday afternoon, there were no reports of widespread protests.

Judy Espey ducked out of a Thanksgiving family dinner to buy a 50-inch flat-screen TV at Wal-Mart near Clifton Park, N.Y., for $288. But "I don't really dig the Thanksgiving night thing," she confessed. "I feel bad for the workers."

Vinnie Gopalakrishnan pledged not to hit the stores after seeing TV footage of people shopping on Thanksgiving. But he flip-flopped after his cousin told him about a deal on a big-screen TV.

"I said, 'I'm not going to do it. Those people are crazy,'" Gopalakrishnan said before heading to a Wal-Mart on Friday.

It's unclear whether the early openings will lead shoppers to spend more over the two days or simply spread sales out.

Last year, sales on Thanksgiving rose 55 percent from the previous year to $810 million, as more stores opened on the holiday, according to research firm ShopperTrak. But sales dropped 1.8 percent to $11.2 billion on Black Friday, though it still was the biggest shopping day last year.

Store sales numbers won't be available until Saturday. But IBM Benchmark, which tracks e-commerce for 800 retailers, said online sales on Thanksgiving were up 19.7 percent from last year. Online sales on Black Friday rose 9 percent, based on preliminary data.

There are signs that stores fared well, too.

Wal-Mart, the world's largest retailer, started its holiday sales events at 6 p.m. on Thanksgiving, two hours earlier than last year. Wal-Mart said customers bought at least 2.8 million towels, 2 million TVs, 1.4 million tablets, 300,000 bicycles and 1.9 million dolls.

Terry Lundgren, Macy's CEO, said the 15,000 people who showed up for the opening of the flagship store was the most ever, up from 11,000 last year. "Clearly people are in the shopping mood," he said.

Of course, not every retailer saw robust crowds.

At Woodland Hills mall in Tulsa, Okla., the owner of Bags and Bangle complained that he had to stay open from 8 p.m. on Thanksgiving to 10 p.m. on Friday. Suhail Zaidi, who was required by the mall to keep his booth open, said Thanksgiving was somewhat busy, but business had died down by 3 a.m. On Friday morning, he said he had seen only about 20 customers.

"We ruined the holiday," Zaidi said. "Black Friday is a good shopping day, but opening up on Thanksgiving is ridiculous."

___

AP writers Chris Carola in Clifton Park, N.Y., and Kristi Easton in Tulsa, Okla.; AP Retail Writer Mae Anderson in New York; and AP Business Writer Sarah Sell in Portland, Ore., contributed to this report.

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