What to watch: Will Santa be nice to investors?

(Photo: Ben Hider, AP) NEW YORK -- It's part lore, part statistical sensation. We're talking about stocks rising around Christmas, a late-year seasonal surge that Wall Street dubs the "Santa Claus Rally." The Stock Trader's Almanac claims it discovered the phenomenon more than 40 years ago. The definition of the Santa Claus Rally differs depending on to whom you talk. From the Almanac's...

Hotel websites embrace TripAdvisor, bad reviews and all

(Photo: Red Roof Inn) It's getting harder to avoid reading TripAdvisor hotel reviews on hotel chain websites. Last week, the 350-location budget hotel chain Red Roof Inn announced it will incorporate TripAdvisor reviews - whether good, bad or ugly - on its redroof.com website. The average customer pays about $60 a night to sleep in a Red Roof Inn property. The chain joins a group of about...

Ex-Olympian says escort work related to depression

Three-time Olympian Suzy Favor Hamilton sent shock waves through the running community Thursday by admitting she led a double life, secretly working as a call girl who earned $600 an hour for a Las Vegas escort service. In a story first reported by The Smoking Gun, the 44-year-old wife and mother from Wisconsin described her call girl work as "exciting." She used an alias but revealed her...

Russia pushes Facebook to open research center

Oct. 1, 2012: Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg looks on while waiting for a meeting with Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev at the Gorki residence outside Moscow. (AP Photo/Alexander Zemlianichenko) Oct. 1, 2012: Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev, left, speaks to Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg during their meeting at the Gorki residence outside Moscow. (AP Photo/Alexander...

YouTube to stream 2012 presidential debate

Oct. 1, 2012: A stagehand positions a backdrop in the Magness Arena at the Daniel L. Ritchie Center for Sports and Wellness, site of Wednesday's presidential debate, on the campus of the University of Denver. (AP Photo/Charlie Neibergall) Oct. 1, 2012: Debate moderator Jim Lehrer stands outside the Magness Arena at the Daniel L. Ritchie Center for Sports and Wellness, site...

Microsoft co-founders praise Windows 8

Microsoft founders Bill Gates, left, and Paul Allen pictured in 1981. (AP Photo) Microsoft Microsoft Next Slide Previous Slide NEW YORK –  They’re the original fanboys. Bill Gates and Paul Allen, who co-founded Microsoft Corp. on a snowy day in Dec. 1974 at the tender age of 21, both left the company they created for other pursuits. But both have stayed...

Forget golf or a massage, the latest trend at big resorts is guided grounds tours on Segways

Kingsmill Resorts director of sports, Kevin Dry, leads a Segway tour on the resorts grounds in Williamsburg, Va. (AP/Kingsmill Resort) NEW YORK –  Some couples celebrate their anniversary with a horse-drawn carriage ride. Others rent a romantic cabin in the woods. A few even jet off to Las Vegas and renew their vows in front of Elvis. Lori Kelly and her husband Gene...

Da Nang, Vietnam's Surf City

Vietnam ex-pat Tim Holland surfs rides a wave with the towering 220-foot-tall Linh Ung Buddha statue in the distance. (Bailey Seybolt) The long surfing season, bustling downtown and inexpensive lifestyle have made it increasingly popular with the global board brigade. Reporting from Da Nang, Vietnam ——  Three years ago, Quentin Derrick was eating clams at a beach-side...

Congrats, 2012 grads. And don't let the door hit you....

Students in Porto, Portugal, celebrate the end of the 1997 school year with a colorful procession down the city's main street.(Christopher Reynolds / Los Angeles Times / June 11, 2012) By Christopher Reynolds June 14, 2012, 5:30 a.m. Greetings, graduates, and nice timing. I have no idea how all of you people are going to find jobs. I’m not even sure how long mine...

Steelers coach Mike Tomlin looking for more on the ground

The Steelers running game has been one of the worst in football this season, but the return of Rashard Mendenhall could give it a huge boost. (US Presswire) Of course, Mike Tomlin isn't happy with the special teams he helps coach, primarily because they haven't contributed positively during a 1-2 start. He isn't content with a defense that hasn't played with its full complement of expected...