Neil Friedman, president of U.S. operations for Toys “R” Us, is a veteran of 40 Christmas seasons in the toy industry. As president of the preschool division of Tyco Toys, he created the first Tickle Me Elmo craze in 1996. This year, Friedman said, he doesn’t see another Tickle Me Elmo-level craze out there, but he sees something better for the industry ― multiple hot toys that sell out when shipments arrive.A season with high-demand toys is good for Wayne, New Jersey-based Toys, because the ret

Let’s say you are confronting one of the most important decisions of your life. But first, you must answer this:My favorite thing about last Tuesday?And do it in 25 words or less.The query may seem like it’s taken from Twitter or an online dating survey, but it is designed for a match of a different sort: Getting into college.The essay question is new for 2012 applications to the University of Maryland and is just one example of a wave of quirkiness and brevity that has swept the usually staid w

BELLEFONTE, Pennsylvania (AP) ― Former Penn State assistant football coach Jerry Sandusky stunned a packed courtroom and backed out of a preliminary hearing at the last minute Tuesday, avoiding a face-to-face confrontation with accusers who his lawyer said were just trying to cash in by making up stories of child sex abuse.Sandusky pleaded not guilty and vowed afterward to “stay the course, to fight for four quarters.”His lawyer, Joe Amendola, then took the defense to the courthouse steps and sp

DUBAI (AP) ― Michelle Wie is looking for a strong finish to a season she calls “a work in progress” after being hindered by injuries and tinkering with her swing.The 22-year-old American has fallen to 17th in the rankings after spending much of 2010 in the top 10. And with only two second-place finishes this season, she called this year “a work in progress.”“I had a couple of good finishes. But it is frustrating just because sometimes weeks didn’t go my way, but at the same time you learn every

JACKSONVILLE, Florida (AP) ― Already No. 1 in the world, Luke Donald now is No. 1 in the eyes of PGA Tour players.Donald capped off a sensational season Tuesday by winning PGA Tour player of the year, the most significant of the postseason awards because it’s a vote of the players.He became the first British player to win the award since it began in 1990. “It’s a great honor to cap off what has been an amazing year for me,” Donald said from the Australian Masters in Melbourne. “Thank you to all

Interpreters in KBL say job is tough There are only two men on the bench during a Korean basketball game that wear a suit and tie: the manager and the interpreter.In the Korean Basketball League, each team has at least one overseas player and one interpreter.Coaches say foreign players are crucial for their teams as they usually score the most points. And as the demand for foreign players grew, so did the importance of interpreters in the KBL.On a Wednesday night game between the Samsung Thunder

Roberto Murga, a construction manager from Barcelona, loved his platinum gray Porsche Cayenne until the debt crisis made the sport-utility vehicle’s leather interior and electronic seats expendable. The 66,370-euro ($88,800) status symbol is now unnecessary ballast for Murga, 33, who like other Spaniards has been forced to cut spending because of the country’s weakening economy. Car demand, which has halved since peaking in 2007, probably won’t recover this decade, analysts predict. “I can’t spl