good morning, mitt romney picks up speed in iowa trying to win the caucuses that a few months ago he didn't even think he would compete in. with four days to go we'll look at the potential winners and candidates that may not survive. better news on unemployment is raising hopes, again, of a better economy in 2012. we'll tell you what could still trip us up and we'll also look back on a wild year for wall street. united pilllets complain that the merger is making the skies less safe. why they think a retraining program is raising the dangers for passengers. and it was a great year to meet "bridesmaids." the highlights of a very successful year for women in

entertainment. early this friday morning, entertainment. early this friday morning, december 30th, 2011. captioning funded by cbs good morning, everyone. on this last day of the workweek. last friday of 2011. 2011 was weird. i like 2012 better. >> it has a good ring to it. >> good morning, everyone. i'm jeff glor. >> i'm rebecca jarvis. in just four days, iowa republicans will be the first to vote in the 2012 presidential campaign. >> still a tight race in the iowa caucuses and that means a busy weekend coming up for the candidates and those covering them. chief political correspondent jan crawford is in west des moines, iowa, this morning. jan, good morning. >> good morning, guys. that's right, as these candidates make their final push across iowa, one thing that is striking, mitt romney is on the rise and that alone makes this campaign very different than the one four years ago.

mitt romney's machine is powering through iowa, handing out yard signs and shaking hands andasking for votes. >> going to be caucusing this year. >> right up here. >> reporter: last night in ames, romney's bus roll under to another packed event and he continued to fire up crowds. >> i watched the president. he says, well, it could have been worse. that goes down there with, let them eat cake. >> reporter: he is going for a knockout blow in a state he wasn't expected to win. four years ago romney spent millions and had 52 paid staffers and lost. this time with only five full-time staff, the campaign feels he's peaking that right moment. >> a level of enthusiasm and excitement that i think is just innenergetic and just exciting. >> reporter: the newest polling is rick santorum who was boosted thursday by big crowds and press attention for the first time in this race. >> do not settle for someone who the media says they can win.

>> reporter: with santorum's rise in the polls, comes the first major attacks he has seen in the campaign. >> he was a proliffic earmarker. if we talk about the things that are wrong with washington, d.c., these earmarks are a great example of how the run away spending has occurred. >> reporter: rick perry is competing with santorum and michele bachmann for the religious conservative vote in iowa. bachmann tried to minimize the damage to her campaign by kent sorenstein saying they bribed him away. >> was the nervousness on the park of the campaign that they were losing steam in iowa. >> reporter: and perry polling in the low single digits acknowledged his political faith might be in the hands of a higher power. >> there's no -- >> well, you know, that's god's will. there might be an outcome that

he decides. >> is he caucusing? >> pretty sure he will be. >> now, another thing that's breaking mitt romney's way is that there haven't been an alternative to him that is able to coalesce those conservative like mike huckabee did four years ago. they say in politics, obviously, it takes a good strategy, but you also need a little bit of luck, too. breaking romney's way for a good second-place finish here on tuesday. rebecca, jeff? >> how high and how certain are those high expectations on the romney camp? >> well, listen, if you talk to romney's advisors, they still say we're happy with a second place finish and we didn't expect to show well here. iowa is a very conservative state not representative of republican politics across the country and, so, they're really still keeping those expectations low, but it's been fascinating as we've gone through the state. voters at this point are getting

serious about this campaign and about these candidates and about finding a candidate who they think will beat barack obama. and over and over, the voters that i've talked to said they believe now that it may be mitt romney. even though they may not agree with them on all the issues, he may be the guy it keep the one thing that they care about most, that is getting obama out of the white house. >> cbs' jan crawford in west des moines, iowa. thanks so much, jan. also in iowa covering the last rush of campaigning before the caucuses is jeff zeleney. good morning to you. thanks for being with us. >> good morning, jeff. >> so, i wondered, jeff, with all the momentum that mitt romney seems to have right now, i wonder if even a second place finish in iowa is considered a disappointment for that campaign now. >> you know, it's hard to imagine that a few months ago like jan said, mitt romney would have even been doing this well in iowa. i think they managed their

expectations fairly well but it depends who will come in first place. the romney campaign would be just fine with ron paul winning iowa. they believe that would discredit the result to some extent and give him a surge going into new hampshire. but the romney campaign is very confident because the vote among these social conservative candidates remains split. but if something would happen in the final days here, if michele bachmann would do something and something would happen with newt gingrich supporters, if they would coalesce behind one other candidate, romney could still be in a bit of trouble. some of hissed a vders are not counting all their chickens at this point. still a few days to go in this and everything is not completely sealed up for them. >> jeff, i want to ask you about rick santorum because we talked about the surge that he seemed to enjoy a couple days ago. that continues? >> you know, i think rick santorum is definitely the fruits of his labors are paying off. you talk to voters who say that they appreciate the time that

he's taken. they appreciate the fact that he answers questions for hours on end. i think he is rising somewhat, but there's a limit to his rise. his organization is still not nearly as strong as some of the other candidates in the race, even governor rick perry has spent millions here. rick santorum cannot compete with that. but he definitely has the hearts and minds of some of these evangelical voters. going into this final position, he is heartened by one thing. he's finally being attacked. governor rick perry has these radio ads attacking him and that's something he has been waiting for for a long time that shows he's a credible knlt in this campaign. >> we know he doesn't have much money left, how long does he stay in the race for? >> you know, that's a really good question. i think one thing as this race continues beyond iowa and it's going to. it will go to new hampshire, south carolina and florida, the thing that has kept newt gingrich in this race all along are debates. going to be more debates as this campaign continues and there's probably not much of a reason

for him to get out of the race, if he doesn't do very well here. so, i'm not sure that iowa is going to be the same as in year's past in terms of dwindling the field because people can stay in and keep debating. but newt gingrich has, he's getting some more attention in the final days. his crowds were fairly good in northwest iowa yesterday. i think his people are not counting him out just yet. he could have, i guess, a third life in his campaign. we'll have to see how he does. >> jeff, you mentioned michele bachmann or someone else potentially doing something in the last couple days that might change the race, again. what do you think that might be? >> that's a good question. i was not expecting her top adviser here to go to the ron paul campaign. we have accusations of pay for play going on. she is combustible and voltile. anyone knows what she can do. if some of her supporters all go to one person, if it's rick santorum or newt gingrich, that has the potential to change the

race here. but if she stays as strong as he can in the final days and holds on to what few supporters she has remaining, that will help mitt romney because it will keep all the support as defused as possible. >> very good to speak with you, sir, thanks for joining us this morning. >> jeff, thank you. >> here's rebecca. on this final business day of 2011, some positive news on one of the biggest issues facing our country right now and that is jobs. another sign of conditions possibly getting better in 2012, well, to answer that, we're joined by alexis christoforous. good good morning. >> good morning, rebecca. investors shifting through encouraging economic reports recently and a growing number of economists believe that momentum can continue in the new year. the u.s. economy is ending a year of uncertainty on a positive note. fewer americans are filing new claims for jobless benefits than

at any time since the end of the easing. >> we're certainly seeing momentum pick up in the economy. that's a really good sign for 2012. we've seen the job's market really improve over the last few months. >> reporter: the year began with 9% unemployment and peaked at 9.2% in june and fell to 8.6% last month. companies like the ambrose group which provides personnel for small businesses can see the difference. >> we added on 20% year over year and we're already slated to add another 10% next year. >> reporter: the struggling housing market is showing signs of life. the number of people signing contracts to buy a home last month hit the highest level in more than a year and a half and more than 5% of households say they plan to buy a home within the next six months. and shoppers spent a record amount of money this holiday season, as consumer confidence reached a six-month high. >> we're coming into the year with a lot more momentum. we certainly will need that momentum, given there is a lot

of head winds coming at us, as well. >> reporter: those head winds continue include the continuing debt crisis in europe and china's slowing economy and partisan gridlock in washington. and despite those challenges this year, the stock market has managed to weather the storm pretty well, with just one trading day left in the year, the dow is up more than 6%. the s&p is up about 0.5% and the nasdaq down a modest 1.5%. rebec rebecca? >> rebecca, that's the irony here when you look at the s&p 500. it's basically flat. so, for all the twists and turns of the year, the volatility, people didn't get much of a return on their investment, did they? >> volatility was the word of the year on wall street. the dow closed up or down triple digits, more than 100 times. given that, this is still not the most volatile year on record. that belonged to 2008 when lehman brothers collapsed and sparked the financial crisis. ruabecka? >> alexis christoforous.

>> thank you and happy new year. >> thank you. it is almost new year's. by the way, quick pop quiz. what is the best performing dow stock? >> of 2011? >> yes. >> all right, the big mac of them all, mcdonald's up 31%. i just like these little guys. >> stephanie turner bell over at the news desk. >> i have to say mcdonald's is my favorite stock, too. >> rebecca has the right color on, too. >> good morning to everybody and early happy new year. russian officials extinguished a fire. the fire broke out yesterday at a ship yard near the port of murmansk. some of the crew remains on board. the fire started on wood e scaffolding. military officials say there was no radiation leak, but nine crew members have been hospitalized. iran's military says it will

carry out missile drills, including long-range missiles tomorrow in the persian gulf. the iranian navy is conducting war games in the region and tehran has threatened to close oil shipping lanes from the gulf. and a new fee announced by verizon wireless. the country's largest cell phone company has touched off an angry bashlash among its customers. a convenience fee. bl b ginning january 15th they'll charge by paying wireless bills on phone or on line. the fee would not apply for those who pay by check or sign up for automatic payments. high-wind advisories and watches are in effect for parts of idaho, wyoming, nebraska and colorado. wind gusts could reach hurricane strength, 75 miles per hour or higher in some places. in colorado, high winds and

blowing snow yesterday made it tough for drivers on interstate 70. icy conditions forced the closing of some mountain passes. one man was killed when his truck slid off the cliff and flipped over. and in new orleans, poor

this may be the last weekend you have a chance to buy a 100 watt light bulb. >> they're being phased out under a law that eventually will affect every home and business. >> reporter: it wasn't until the 19th century that artificial light was first generated. the big leap came in the 1880s when thomas edison lit homes across america with the

incandescent bulb. for the next 130 years. they ruled the roads and especially the christmas tree. but today they're burning out. beginning with the new year, federal law will require all light bulbs to be 25% more efficient, leaving edison's beacon of late night fun out in the dark and flipping the switch to its more frugal counterpart, like the long-lasting compact fluorescent. >> you might install a light bulb in your foyer when your kids are born and that light bulb will still be in there working no problems when the kids go off to college. >> reporter: but not everybody is thrill would the change. for one thing, the alternatives are more expensive up front. >> this runs about $9 and this runs about $2. >> reporter: concerns over prices have even reached the campaign trail. >> i believe in liberty for light bulb. >> reporter: many consumer complain the newer bulbs just don't look right. >> there is a pushback from a lot of people who say, i'm

sitting in my living room, i want a warm, comfortable light and that's the word they use, warm. >> reporter: some of the early compact fluorescent products they were not ready for primetime. they buzzed, they had lousy color and made everything kind of grayish green. >> reporter: while compact fluorescents aren't winning any prizes -- phillips the world's largest lighting company won $10 million for work in leading alternative. l.e.d. lighting. >> integrated l.e.d. lights behind fabric panels. >> reporter: they produce a warm glow, similar to a standard 60 watt incandescent and they fit anywhere and powered by a mirror nine watts. while it will continue to burn bright in the near future, the most storeied invention may be head under to the light. >> it's the nature of technology. it has a lifetime. a start and an end. it's time to end. >> reporter: but with 4.7

billion sockets in the u.s. alone, the future looks brighter than ever. whit johnson, cbs news, new york. earlier this month, congress eliminated all funding to enforce the new law, which was signed in 2007 by then president bush. coming up, still ahead this morning, charges that a major airline merger might be putting the safety of your next flight at risk. pilots are struggling to learn new rules. >> they might not even have lights in the cockpit now, who knows. >> 14.7 billion. you're watching "the early show" right here on cbs. at h&r block,

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love your new normal or it's free. coming up here in a little bit, we will take a look back at a big year in entertainment, particularly good year for women, thanks to movies lie "bridesmaids." the year of the pop princess. all that and a lot more coming up.

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hundreds of bay area teens are coming home from a utah ski trip good morning. it's 7:25. in the headlines on this friday, hundreds of bay area teens are coming home from a utah ski trip today perhaps a little less hung over than expected to be. drugs and alcohol were found on five of the buses that they took to utah. police dogs searched the buses in elko, nevada, after somebody saw some of the kids smoking during a rest stop there. elko's police made no arrests. the suspect is finally in custody for the 1999 murder of alice sin. the 21-year-old from pinole was found shot to death in nevada. her boyfriend at the time is the suspect. he was arrested recently after returning to the united states from china. and bay area law officers have a busy weekend ahead

trying to keep drunk drivers off the road. they are planning extra patrols and some dui check points. over the last couple of weeks, there have been more than 1,000 dui arrests here in the bay area. traffic and weather and weather before the big holiday weekend coming up right after this. frore. like gate d12 for the next three hours. citibank for ipad. easier banking. standard at citibank. is as easy as... making breakfast. omelet? sure. scrambled eggs. [ male announcer ] actually, it's easier. citi financial tools. easier banking. standard at citibank.

good morning from the

traffic center. dealing with an accident in san francisco at 3rd street and 22nd. it's involving the t muni line and an sf patrol car. so lots of activity around that area. we are getting word of lanes blocked along 3rd until they wrap this up. t line also affected. that line has now been cancelled. bus bridges will be set up. bart, ace, caltrain on time. accident 880/237 possibly blocking lanes. northbound 280 at monterey an accident blocking the three right lanes. that's a look at your ride. elizabeth, how is the forecast? >> a lot of our cameras are fogged in, gianna, so we can't show you too many of them. here's one from our roof cam. coit tower out in the distance, foggy start and drizzly, as well. taking a look at your satellite and radar, so by the afternoon, we are going to see a chance of some light rain across the bay area. best chances are in the north bay. and just light rain but good day to pack your rain gear.

otherwise, dry for this weekend. temperatures above average by the middle of next week.

welcome back to "the early show" everyone. beautiful sunrise over new york city. i'm jeff glor along with rebecca jarvis. the year of the woman. taylor swift, adele, katy perry all hit the top of the charts. >> we'll also try to explain why the success of "bridesmaids" is sort of changing the way hollywood thinks about women. we talked about this before that. a rewatchable movie. >> it's a great movie. hysterical movie. first, though, this is a serious story. you don't want to be on a plane that is about to land without its wheels down, but that happened three times recently.

the pilots caught the mistake each time. >> united airlines merges with continental airlines, some are saying learning new cockpit rules is affecting safety in the skies. national correspondent lee cowan has more. >> reporter: when you get on an airplane, your best hope is the pilot's training is as good as it can be. if you ask some cockpit crews today, you might not get the confidence you're looking for. >> we're being tasked with learning that new procedure. we're just sitting at home in our arm chairs reading this. >> reporter: if you're having to relearn procedures to fly some of the world's busiest routes. it's all because united merged with continental and the new training practices for the brand-new combined airline are making some pilots feel like they're back in flight school. >> have to be one set of procedures. so, a lot of learning and a lot of retraining and that retraining requires a very

robust training program. >> reporter: united pilots union worries that the new airline is relying too much on internet-based learning and not spending enough times in simulators. >> it becomes part of your routine. >> reporter: there have already been incidents. how do they become so detracted by the new technique? made mistakes. forgot to put the landing gear down, for one. >> the procedures i see in my cockpit have been changed dramatically. >> reporter: the airline, though, denies the allegations, saying these claims are baseless and are an attempt to influence contract negotiations under a false guise of safety. >> nothing could be further from the truth. we had to take our attention from our contract negotiations away from contract negotiations and instead focus them on safety. >> reporter: with the clock ticking, the fda has given its blessings to make the two airlines one. so, for now, the train regimen

remains. >> you have to realize that there are many incentives to quickly emerge to different airlines and to achieve the synergies and realize economic benefits of the merger. the sooner that is done, the better the bottom line. >> reporter: merging two airlines is complicated enough, merging two training

up next, websites like linkedin, twitter, facebook, they are reshaping how people find their new jobs. some new ideas on how you can take advantage of that. you are watching "the early show" right here on cbs. it is friday.

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if it's your mission to land a new job in the new year, start using social media. >> job seekers show that the online trend has caught on in a major way and carmen wong ulrich is here. great to have you here. >> people think new year, possibly a new career and they want to use social media to get it. how do they? >> social media recruiting is focused recruiting and focus building your own brand. that's the thing. like your resume times ten. such an advantage to use social

media to show recruiters who you are, what you do, build your personal brand and they can focus, instead, on picking the right person for the job. so, it's a great opportunity on both ends to be more than just that piece of paper. >> and a big responsibility, though, too. >> a tremendous responsibility. >> it takes a lot of time and effort and work and thinking through who you want to be online. >> hey, facebook, i want a job. what do employers think of using social media? >> they love it. here are some numbers. the survey came out and showed that 89% of recruiters in 2011 have used social media to look for workers. now, that's up from 83% in 2010 and here's how the breaks down in terms of the three top social networks. it linked in and 99% of employers are using that's up from 78% last year. facebook 55% of recruiters are looking at that and with twitter 47%. those numbers keep growing every single year. you can assume that this is going to be the norm. >> by the way, not just finding

jobs. employers are looking at all these pages that they're going to have if they're going to hire you. so, don't, again, put -- >> do not put those pictures rom saturday -- or from new year's, do not put your pictures up, really. >> don't think about it. >> when it comes, though, to people actually finding jobs. we see they're looking at you, but are people finding the jobs? >> they are. they're really finding the jobs. one in six americans say social media helped them find a job this past year. that is up from one in nine of job hunters, which is a huge number. facebook alone, 18.5 million americans say that facebook helped them find a job. it could be as simple as someone messaging you, you're a friend of a friend and saying, here's my resume. it really, really helped. >> whether you're familiar with social media or not. what are things you can improve the way you're doing this? >> you want to know where your

people are. most likely facebook and twitter are where your people are going to be. much more popular with corporate and that's something you want to be mindful of. go to your affinity groups. if you have an association or a union you're a part of, online is a great place to find those groups and get invited to the events to get you away from the computer. >> great stuff, carmen, thank you. happy new year. >> happy new year. >> i will twit a picture to carmen wong ulrich. "bridesmaids" to entertainment. >> we'll look back at the top stories. stay with us. u a range of coverages to choose from. who is she? that's flobot. she's this new robot we're trying out, mostly for, like, small stuff. wow! look at her go!

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we're paying for all spill- related clean-up costs. and we've established a 500 million dollar fund so independent scientists can study the gulf's wildlife and environment for ten years. thousands of environmental samples from across the gulf have been analyzed by independent labs under the direction of the us coast guard. i'm glad to report all beaches and waters are open for everyone to enjoy. and the economy is showing progress with many areas on the gulf coast having their best tourism seasons in years. i was born here, i'm still here and so is bp. we're committed to the gulf for everyone who loves it, and everyone who calls it home. cigarette? you coming? umm, nah you go ahead. i'm good. alright. ♪

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in every segment of showbiz this past year. >> erica hill has been looking back at the past year with a little help from "entertainment weekly." >> it's been a pretty big year for entertainment news and a great year for women in that business. here to discuss is dave karger senior writer for "entertainment weekly" magazine. we love when it is a big year for women. it's the royal. "bridesmaids" was a total game changer. >> it came out in may and was an instant hit. made $169 million. i talked to so many people who said they never laughed so hard in their lives than when they watched this movie and before it came out, a lot of people in hollywood didn't think an ensemble female comedy would work. the hangover guys or adam sandler who were the comedy gods. but i think this is causing people to think differently. it didn't play like a chick flick. everyone needed to see

"bridesmaids." >> chris wragge's mom loved it, my mom loved it, it spans generations like that. >> so many memorable lines and characters and melissa mccarthy -- >> we love her at cbs. >> ended up winning the emmy award and all the best actterous nominees got up on stage. it was the stand-out moment from the emmys. >> do you think the movie through melissa mccarty is also having an impact on tv? >> absolutely. i think people are looking at what can be a comedic enterprise in hollywood, whether it's on tv or on stage or in the film. >> speaking of tv, put the women aside for a minute. so much talk this year about "two and a half men." how did it go? >> it was a really scary thing i

would imagine for cbs. their highest rated show. such a big flapship program for them and this daily soap opera of what waz happening with charlie sheen and came this solution to put ashton kutcher in the show which made no sense at all but then made all the sense in the world. the ratings were higher when he started. he's been a big hit on the show and kind of revitalized his career in an interesting way and reminded everybody how funny he could be. for cbs a situation that could have been a disaster, but they turned it into something good. >> a lot of changes because oprah and regis said good-bye. >> oprah's good-bye, particularly, was such an event. really lived up to the hype. her farewell couple of days was so spectacular. that really was a moving few episodes. and what her departure does and also regis in the same way, it kind of levels the playing field of the daytime world and it allows for new voices to come in and anderson cooper with his own show, "the talk" is doing better

this season and then you have katie curic and people coming into their new talk show seasons next year. so, i think with oprah being gone, there's just room for lots of different voices to come in and it's kind of exciting. >> we're looking forward to all of that. let's put the pictures aside for a minute, how about music? >> this was the year of the pop princess. in the wake of lady gaga's success it allowed for so many different female pop stars to come into their own. taylor swift and rihanna who seemed to have a new hit single every month. adele her album was number one for 13 weeks this year. that is unheard of. katy perry tied the long-standing record for most number one songs. five number one songs from one single album. >> that's pretty impressive. a big year for broadway on the stage. almost seems like broadway is getting new-found life, too. >> i live in los angeles and whenever you go out to dinner with people who work in

hollywood, we were so jealous of all the great theater that was going on and so many people were taking trips back here. hey, i'm in new york, i'm bored, i'm going to go see a show. you need to get to see "book of mormons" even "spiderman" i can't recall a year where there were so many super hot tickets on broadway and it reenergized the theater. >> daniel ratcliff had this incredible career, how important are the big names on broadway? >> very important. hugh jackman his star power is so big and now everyone in the theater community knows who nick james are because they were the stars of the show. so, it's great to see that it's almost, there's an equality there and be an a-list star and have a hit show or an amazing hit show like "book of mormon" i

have friend who saw that show four times. >> when they get tickts for the fifth one, send them to me first because i can't get them. >> you have to see it. >> james, great, thanks. we'll talk to you more in 2012. >> i'd like that. on cbs. at h&r block, you could get money that's both fast and free on an emerald card. just bring in your tax information... and get a refund anticipation check in 7-14 days, for up to $9,999. call 1-800-hrblock to make an appointment.

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the homicide r good morning. it's 7:55. get you caught up with some of the bay area headlines on this friday. the homicide rate in san jose has dropped sharply in the second half of 2011 but because of a bad start to the year, the city will end with its highest homicideally in 15 years. it's currently at 38, still lower than the 50 here in san francisco and the 102 in oakland. fremont mayor bob wasserman has passed away. he had been mayor of the bay area's fourth largest city since 2004 and was first elected to city council back in 1992. before that he was fremont's police chief for 15 years. a lot of service there. wasserman died yesterday while hospitalized for respiratory problems. he was 77. and two police officers are

injured after pair their patrol car was struck by a muni light rail vehicle in san francisco this morning. you see it there. two other people are also hurt. all of the injuries are considered minor, though. the intersection of 3rd and 22nd street closed and a bus bridge is taking care of light rail passengers in the area. we'll have an update on your traffic and weather coming right up. ♪

secondhand smoke affects everyone's health. it's not just irritating. it can cause heart disease and even death. speak up about secondhand smoke. your health and the health of your family depend on it. good morning from the traffic center. there is an accident in the

city of san francisco, 3rd and 22nd street blocked because of this accident. two lanes blocked on 3rd itself. so muni lines also affected. the t line has been cancelled. bus bridges are now in place. elsewhere, north 880 that ramp to westbound 237, the left lane blocked for an accident that went off the right side of the road there. northbound 280 at monterey boulevard, they are just wrapping up a sig alert here. they have the two left lanes blocked or two right lanes, rather. looks like things are moving at better speeds. check this out. lots of fog still this morning. so be cautious as you hit the roads. elizabeth? >> thanks, gianna. that's right. fog and low clouds to start us off with this morning. we can no longer see coit tower there off in the distance in san francisco. so yeah, it's pretty drizzly outside, as well. pretty -- a lot of moisture out there. that low pressure system we're going to hit the very southern end of it, the tail end of it, bringing a light chance of rain for most of the afternoon. best chances are in the north bay. but again, we're bringing those rain chances to all of the bay area. and temperatures going to climb up to the upper 50s to low 60s. we're drying out this weekend. and check out the middle of

next week. temperatures above average.

♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ welcome back to "the welcome back to "the early show." i'm rebecca jarvis with jeff glor. one of the last days of 2011. we're coming to you live from here in new york city. coming up, something that is close to a lot of our hearts here at "the early show." a high-tech execution to a common problem with alzheimer's patients. someone got the idea to put gps in shoes to help keep track of people with dementia who have a tendency to warned off and get into dangerous situations. >> we'll hear from one family who said it is changing their lives already. first debbye turner bell is at the news desk with some

headlines. >> good morning to you. a major fire on board a dry docked russian nuclear submarine that burned for nearly a day was extinguished this morning. the fire broke out yesterday at a ship yard. mark phillips has more. >> reporter: officials have said the fire, which began yesterday around the dry docked russian submarine has been brought under control, but not before injuring nine people and stranding several others inside. earlier fear that say there might have been nuclear material, either fuel or warhead on board, and that risks were dismissed by the russians. the subwas in dry dock for repairs with its reactor shut down and its consignments of missiles removed. officials have said there's been no indication of a radiation leak. the fire appeared to have begun on the scaffolding around the vessel and spread to its rubberized skin which is there to make it quieter and more difficult to detect. any russian sub accident

conjures of images of the explosion and fire in 2000 on the russian sub where crew members died. the official inquiry was said to be a whitewash. it was launched in 1984 and normally carried 16 nuclear-tipped ballistic missiles. mark phillips, cbs news, london. just four days into the iowa caucuses, mitt romney finds himself in a position to win a state that he had all but written off. at the same time, rick santorum attacked the idea that romney was the only republican candidate who can win come november. >> this idea that barack obama can only lose to mitt romney is just simply false, and you don't have to settle. >> meanwhile newt gingrich says he'll stay in the race even if he finishes fourth or lower in iowa. the employment outlook for the new year seems to be improving. the labor department reports

that over the last month, unemployment claims averaged 375,000 per week, the fewest since june of 2008. a new survey of economists says they expect 175,000 new jobs

this weather report sponsored by citibank. what's your story? citi can help you write it. learn more at stories.citi.com. i want everyone to listen closely now. this is a story you've been waiting for all morning, isn't it true, jeff? >> stop it. >> it could be the most important information you'll hear between now and next year. >> if you plan to celebrate the start of 2012, dr. holly phillips is here to help you avoid or treat the dreaded hangover. >> and you've been waiting for this story. >> can't wait. so we know it causes a hangover. what's actually going on inside the body? >> you know what, obviously it's from too much drinking, but the idea is that drinking causes you to produce more urine and that dehydrates you. that causes that sense of headache, nausea, fatigue. it also irritates your stomach lining, making nausea worse.

and then finally it lowers your blood sugar, which gives you that shakiness and just that whole sense of being out of it. it's not a good feeling. >> so what is the holy grail hangover cure? >> if there were a holy grail, i think we would have found it by now. people have been drinking for a very long time. but there are some new products that just hit the market in time for new year's eve. >> that claim to work. >> that claim to work. you know, the jury is still very much out on that. this one is called bytox. you put it on -- >> it's like a patch. >> yeah. put it on your forearm. >> do you want to try preemptively? >> how long do you wear the patch for? >> you put it on 45 minutes before having your first drink. >> well, she does shots after the show. >> i'm already in trouble. >> and then you wear it for eight hours after your last drink. >> where do you put it on? >> anywhere that doesn't have hair. so your forearm.

yeah, he can wear it right on his forehead. it claims that it works by replacing vitamins that are lost from alcohol. >> i was looking at the ingredients on the back. >> has the fda approved it? >> vitamin a, b -- it basically looks like a lot of vitamins. >> it's a lot of vitamins and they say that's how it works. the other one is called blowfish. it dissolves in a glass of water like this, which is good, because that forces you to rehydrate. it is a mix of aspirin, caffeine and an antacid just to soothe your stomach. the fda has not weighed in on this but they don't need to because the active ingredients don't require their approval. it's just caffeine and aspirin. >> that creeps me out a little bit. i would rather take an excedrin that i know has been fda approved or deal with a cure that maybe you can find in your own kitchen. >> exactly. or take the components separately. have a cup of coffee and take an

aspirin. >> so 60 milligrams in the blowfish. that's what excedrin is, right? >> pretty much. >> different alcohols, different effects? >> you know what, darker alcohols, sort of the brandies, scotch, they have something in them that gives the alcohol its flavor, but it's thought to create a worse hangover than clear things like vodka and gin. really if you drink too much of anything, you're going to be feeling the effects, so it's all about prevention for hangovers as opposed to the cure. >> and it seems like different people can drink different amounts of alcohol and have a much different impact. how different, do you know, are men from women in terms of alcohol habits and consumption? >> in general, men get hangovers less than women do. >> really? >> the same amount of alcohol. it has to do with body mass. men tend to be bigger and they also have more what we call

alcohol dehydrogenase in the liver so they win the contest on that one. >> we might have won the contest in hollywood this year but you guys win the drinking contest. >> holly, interesting stuff, so vitox and blowfish. but you're talking about taking vitamins and calf sgleffeine. >> and aspirin. this might make it a little better but if there was a magic cure, we would have found it by now. >> dr. holly phillips, thanks for being with us. happy new year. >> happy new year to you. coming up next, caring for someone with alzheimer's is hard, but technology is now making it easier. >> one family will tell us how gps is helping them a lot. you're watching "the early show" right here on cbs. going on vaca, so i used my citi thank you card to pick up some accessories. a new belt. some nylons. and what girl wouldn't need new shoes? we talked about getting a diamond.

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dementia can wander off, we've heard these stories and when that happens frantic family members have to search for them and call police if they can't find their family members. >> worst nightmare for so many families. there is another option. as we lane quijano reports, technology is starting to revolutionize how people can keep track of their loved ones. >> they'll give me peace of mind. when i lost him, you kind of panic. >> reporter: they are a pair of shoes with a built-in gps system which tracks people who wander. >> i had been leaving him and going to the bank. i'd say okay, go in, drink your tea, wait for me and i will come back. and he would do that. this time, i spent a little longer in the grocery store. got back maybe 45 minutes later and looked in mcdonald's and he wasn't there. i opened the bathroom door and hollered bill, no answer. >> reporter: joan johnston's

83-year-old husband, bill, had wandered away and near a main highway. >> i looked over and was looking all around in the parking lot and in the shopping center, across the street from mcdonald's i saw him. >> reporter: she picked him up and brought him home. >> he couldn't remember that i said that i would be back. when i wasn't there, then he -- well, where is she? i'll just walk home. >> reporter: bill johnston is one of an estimated 5.3 million americans who suffer from alzheimer's disease. wandering is one of the most common symptoms. >> 60% of these individuals will wander and become lost at least once during the progression of the disease and 70% of those individuals will become lost three or more times. >> reporter: which can make shoes like these, a literal life-saver and ease the burden often placed on primary caretakers. >> they're afraid to even turn their back on their loved one

for two or three minutes or even to go to the bathroom because they're afraid when they come out, they'll be gone. where this technology can help them is knowing that they'll have a chance at locating them. >> reporter: as the executive in residence of senior housing at george mason university, andrew carle saw a need to curb wandering and reached out to a california company which makes shoes with gps systems. they partnered on a model for the elderly. >> it looks like their regular shoe. the only difference is there's a slight pump on the back which is where the antenna is as well as the plug-in. the rest of the gps technology is basically in the heel of the shoe down here. >> here is home. >> reporter: seeking ways to control bill's wandering led joan and son alan johnston to george mason and andrew carle, who offered them a pair of shoes to test. >> we discussed it and we decided to try these shoes out on him and thought this would be a good match. >> reporter: a computer programmer, alan takes care of the technological side of things

for his parents. >> the shoes do give you more control. my mom can call me immediately and i can give her immediate feedback on his location. we' >> we're trying to maximize the odds that they're going to have this technology on them when it's needed. probably the single best location for that is to put knit their shoes. >> reporter: joan and bill hope it will make their lives easier, that and the philosophy joan lives by. >> you take it day by day and moment by moment and you try not to plan too far ahead of time. well, you don't plan. i don't plan more than a day ahead of time. and you take it today. >> reporter: elaine quijano, cbs news, new york. >> carle worked closely on the shoe with a company called aetrex. do you really want to know what to expect in the new year? >> we'll see what the zodiac signs reveal about everything

from jobs to the election. do you trust the zodiac? >> always. >> you plan your future accordingly? >> 100% accurate. >> you'll hear all about it coming up next on "the early show" on cbs. cbs over 65% on coats. ave over 65% on fleece and sweaters and over 65% on pajamas and robes for the whole family. plus it's the big denim event! get to sears. [ male announcer ] got a cold? [ sniffling ] [ male announcer ] not sure what to take? now robitussin® makes finding the right relief simpler than ever. click on the robitussin® relief finder. click on your symptoms. get your right relief. ♪ makes the cold aisle easy.

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we have asked top economists, political pundits was to expect next year and now time to set our sight higher and look to the stars. >> none of that matters what we talked about before. disregard everything. susan miller is here with her predictions of astrologyzone.com. >> you have green on. >> the color of money. the comeconomy is going to be better. when saturn leaves libra, the housing market will turn.

i said that years ago with harry smith years ago. we are coming out of the almost year. not the perfect year but getting better every single month. >> had which is when a lot of the experts say summer, fall? >> you know what? the job market will have more of a stacotta forward back, forward back. it's really up to us to be part of the recovery also. we can't just sit back. i think the banks will finally start getting the money to the entrepreneurs. that has been a problem. >> how do the stars differentiate between the banks, jobs, and housing? >> well, the banks are pluto and capricorn. >> why? how? >> i have the united states chart. >> oh, okay. hold it up. this is kind of interesting. >> that is really interesting. >> okay, sure, yeah. >> can we get a shot of that maybe? a tight shot. >> it's interesting. >> everything has its own sign

is. >> the occupy wall street thing is here to stay. the difference between the have's and have not's will continue. a kind of public forum of discussions, so to speak between now and march 2015. that is background music but things will continue to get better and what we all need to hear. by the way, no problem about december 21st. the world is not going to end, despite the rumors. >> i was going to ask you about the mians. i was just on the mian rivera. i'm glad i got out before 2012. >> the earth is going in front of a black hole. it's in the center. the center of the solar system is 26 degrees sagittarius. we don't really know what that means but the dalai lama said greater enlightenment. look back a hundred years and look where we were. >> it will not imimplode? >> it will not. i think horrifying movies we

watch at 11:00 before we go to sleep is not doing us any good! >> you got to watch news instead of the movies. >> news, yes, yes. >> presidential election. >> yes. newt gingrich is a gemini with four planets in gemini. do not count him out. >> really? >> he is colorful. >> he seems to be fading in the polls. >> i am not saying he will definitely be the candidate because in astrology there is no predestination. what i can say is i look for talent in each chart and when you have a good chart like he does and it's not even good yet, it's going to get good this summer, beginning july 11th, and going forward for a whole year. it means you do the best within yourself. so he may have a nice role coming up. he has a very youthful quality by his chart. he has aquarius rising. obama is going to come out of the gate really strong this spring and from now until june.

and will have a big victory at the end of april and beginning of may. so he -- i know he's been -- >> before the election? >> yeah, this first half he is going to do really well and he is going to get things passed so it will be good. >> one would think he wants a bigger victory at the end of the year. >> but all leos are going gang busters with their careers the first half of the year! >> what about cancer? you're a cancer, right, jeff? >> cancer is going to make all new friends and don't discount that. >> really? >> because it's who you know, not what you know at this stage. >> can i keep my old friends? i like jarvis. >> yes, you can. >> i want you to do more social networking and the libras will commit to something big in their life that can't be undone. >> i'm getting married! >> there you go! perfect! >> three and a half weeks, i'm getting married! >> three and a half weeks? >> no, no. all of the libras. i've been writing about this. it's all about printed.

>> thank you, susan miller. it's in the stars! >> jarvis is blushing. thank you, susan. still ahea

vehicle collided with morning. it good morning, everybody. it is 8:25. get you caught up with some of the bay area headlines on this friday before the big holiday weekend. a muni light rail vehicle collides with a police car this morning. it happened at 5:45 on the t line at the intersection of 3rd and 22nd street in the dogpatch neighborhood. four people, including two police officers, suffered minor injuries. the lrv broadsided the patrol car but was not traveling at a high rate of speed. we understand that the muni vehicle was on a manual setting at the time of that accident. san jose police are investigating an injury to a young sharks fan at a game. a teenaged girl actually wearing a vancouver canucks jersey suffered a concussion. the girl says the woman responsible had been harassing her, but the woman said it was

an accident during celebration. the girl had surgery four years ago for a brain tumor, but wednesday's blow did not affect that condition. got your traffic and your weather on this friday before the big new year's weekend coming up right after this.

good morning from the traffic center. better news from muni? >> the t line is back in service following an accident at 3rd and 22nd. no delays, may be activity off to the side. bart, ace, caltrain and ferries

on time this morning. other trouble spots north 880 ramp to the westbound side of 237 the left lane is blocked for a vehicle that went down the embankment. golden gate foggy heads up out of marin county but no major delays there. very light along 880 both directions. fog is rowing in. >> no metering lights. they haven't been on all week. quiet out there. hopefully you get to just stay inside, stay warm this morning. kind of a gray day out there. a lot of low clouds and fog. you can see from our roof cam, you can kind of not really make out the very top of the bay bridge this morning. so here's what's going on. satellite-radar, we have that low pressure system heading our way. the cold front. so it's going to bring us sprinkles this morning and a chance of light rain all over the bay area. by later on this afternoon, temperatures in the upper 50s to low 60s. and then we are staying dry and mild through the middle of next week. partly cloudy skies again could

see some fog in the afternoons or in the nights and mornings.

today, ted danson, how he's taken over csi. "the talk" on cbs. ♪ ♪ ♪ welcome back to "the early show," everyone. on a friday morning, the last friday of 2011. i'm jeff glor along with rebecca jarvis. >> happy new year, ring it in. >> with the new year coming, it's time to spice up your life and your cooking. coming up, we'll meet the so-called spice king. he creates unique blends of seasoning for some of the world's best dishes, very interesting story. he'll show us how to add big flavor to main dishes, desserts and even cocktails. it's not that complicated. also ahead a story from my hometown of minneapolis.

a woman who suffered one of the greatest losses a mother can have. it was the murder of her son. after many years she was able to heal and also to forgive with a lot of help from an unlikely neighbor. we'll have her story. jennifer egan has had a great year. her novel won a pulitzer prize and we are very pleased to have her here in studio this morning. p>> good morning. >> and won a pulitzer prize this year. many people read it, including myself. it's the end of the year and a lot of people reflecting back and "goon can we call it a novel, by the way? >> i don't tend to use that word but i don't really care. it's a work of fiction. i structured it like a record album, it has an a side and a b side and the pieces all sound very different from each other. the feeling of each chapter is the feeling ery different but t into one story. >> so the idea that you're skipping back and forth in

between time as one could potentially do as they're listening to a record in different tracks, the idea came from where? >> i never know. somewhere up there. >> okay. >> i had two real sources of inspiration that may seem like an unlikely pairing. one was a very long novel with time and memory and nostalgia, which i finally read in my late 30s and early '40s and the other was the television show "the sopranos." they had a lot in common. "the sopranos" is about time passing and a lot of time passed during the course of that series. the kids grew up. but i was interested in trying to capture the shocks and jolts of realizing that time has passed. >> have you heard like a "pulp fiction" comparison at all? >> i saw it for the second time recently and i felt i had plagiarized the movie. i was fascinated by tarantino's

scrambling of the timeline and i think it had a huge impact on me. >> you're a writer, so you clearly don't rest on your laurels. you want to do something, is it fair to say, completely different every time? >> yes. >> do you wait for that inspiration? >> i usually feel it kind of pushing forward as i'm finishing the prior book, and it often has the feeling of looking forward to doing something that's not this. you know, i write because i love to escape into another world. i don't write about my own life, i don't write about people i know, much to the relief of my friends and family, but i like to live a different life at the same time that i'm living my own very satisfying life. >> which is odd, because everybody says write what you know. are you not writing what you know? >> exactly the opposite. my weakest point as a writer is trying to write about myself. i don't like it and i don't do it very well. but i love that feeling of escaping into another reality. once i've written a book and been with it for a few years, that reality seems very familiar to me and i want to mix everything up and try something totally different.

>> what's next? >> well, i want to write a historical novel, which i've never really done, set in new york in the '40s. i'm especially interested in women who built and repaired ships. so rosie the riveter basically. i interviewed a lot of ladies who did that work. it's been very, very interesting working on an oral history of their stories and we'll see what it comes to. >> one of the cool things about "goon squad" it's not just the words on the page, it's the music. i've heard someone describe it that the music is pulsing on every single page. what do you listen to? >> well, i listen to different things all the time. while i was working on that book i used music to recalibrate from one chapter to another. there's one that takes place in the '70s during the punk rock moment there. there's another that takes place in the earlier '70s, i'm on a safari in africa. i hit the grunge moment of the early '90s in new york. but what i was really interested in was the way music is kind of a time machine. it moves us through time like almost nothing else.

and i think now that we all have our own devices with our own sound tracks, i think i feel more aware of that than ever. i walk around listening to my favorite songs and they carry me through different moments of my life all the time. >> do you gravitate toward any genre? >> not really. i almost 11-year-old is really into hip-hop. he'd gotten me into eminem, which i never thought possible but actually i really like eminem. i love classical, i love choppin, but i also just love pop music. lady gaga. >> and the idea -- finally, the idea in "goon squad" because one of the most inventive parts of it was a part that essentially saw a bunch of documents. it's a powerpoint presentation. the idea for that came from where? >> i wanted each chapter to feel very different from all of the others. that becomes hard to do 13 times so i was looking for all different ways to tell different kinds of stories. i got very interested in powerpoint because people were

using it all the time. and ultimately it let me tell a very sweet, kind of sentimental family story that i think would have sounded very shmaltzy if i had written it in a conventional way but powerpoint let me tell a story that would have been hard for me to tell otherwise. >> "a visit from the goon squad" is an insanely inventive book, not novel, we'll say. appreciate uyour time, jennifer. good luck with your next project and happy holidays to you. >> thanks, same to you. >> can't wait to see what's next. debbye turner bell is at the new desk with one more check of our headlines. >> good morning to you. in health news, an alert about dirty paper towels, including those you find in public restrooms. canadian researchers found that bacteria thrives on paper towels, even brand new, unused ones, and especially towels made

from recycled paper so germs could get on your hands after you've washed them, but the study says no illness was found to be linked to paper

flown lately? if you have, you know this past year can only be considered a turbulent one for air travel, with rising airfares, a major airline bankruptcy and new fees for pretty much everything. travel editor peter greenberg is here with a wish list of things he would like to see in 2011. good morning, peter. >> good morning, rebecca. >> i bet these are things a lot of people would like to see. you would like to go back to the future. what's that mean? >> remember when we used to travel? it's not happening these days. you're on a plane, it's a perfectly nice flight. when you land you taxi to 150 feet from the gate and the pilot

says sorry, folks, no gate available and you're delayed by an hour. very simple solution, two words, portable stairs. what people don't realize is behind every jetway, 150 feet behind it there are penalty boxes where they can park a plane. think about how simple this is. wheel up the portable stairs. the whole idea is to get us off the plane, get our bags off the plane, no misconnected passengers, no misconnected bags, no excessive fuel burn, it's a win-win for everybody. no one can answer this question for me. why can't we go back to portable stairs. >> why can't we? i would like to see this. i want research done on this. >> i want answers immediately. >> fees, fees, fees, big problem because they're on everything these days. >> yes. >> what would you like to see in terms of fees in 2012? >> other than just basic transparency to tell me when i'm going to book my flight what i'm really going to pay, stop insulting me with fees for no other reason that you want to make more money. the latest one, spirit air.

they should change their advertising to we're not happy until you're not happy. but forgetting that, spirit air -- >> is this a permanent grudge, peter? >> when you hear about this fee you'll understand why. >> okay. >> they want to charge you up to $34 to book your flight online. that makes no sense. every other airline says if you book it with a human being, we're going to charge you because they don't want the labor charge. spirit goes let's do one better. let's charge you to book online and say if you want to save that $34, you know how you book your flight? they force you to go out to the airport -- who goes to the airport to book your flight and stand in line behind everybody else for the one tired agent at the counter to book your flight? no. this is not the day you're traveling, this is just to book your flight. so they have got you. this is really bad and they should be ashamed of themselves. i'm not shy about that. >> delays clearly a huge issue in the airline industry. you look on flights and every single flight is delayed these days. >> we're coming to a weather season right now, wind, rain,

ice, snow, but the real key word is ice. and you've had this happen to you. you're at the gate and they want to do the safety thing and they're required to deice the plane. why would you deice the plane at the gate? then you go out to stand in line. by the time you're ready to take off, you have to go out and get deiced again. so a number of airports overseas have put it at the end of the runway so you taxi out and right before you take off, it's like going to a car wash. you go in, they deice you and you take off. this is ridiculous to have deicing done at the kbgate. let's stop it. >> and it's just as safe to do it at the end of the runway. >> it's safer because you're getting deiced right before you take off. >> you also have some wishes for lodging in 2012, hotels. >> yeah, i know. common sense, right? stop making me crawl around the floor looking for an electrical outlet when i check into the room. we all want to be connected. we don't change our lifestyle when we change our location association give me electrical outlets where i can see them and

give me more of them. >> got it. >> next up on the list, and this is -- i know, this is silly me. i can never program my vcr anyway, why do you expect me to program a thermostat in a hotel room. how about this, on, off. does that work for everybody? remember the old circular thermostats? that's easy. let's just do that. it's easy, it works and you're not freezing or you've not boiling. >> sounds like back to the future again as far as hotels are concerned. >> it's common sense. >> these are great things. what are the chances any of them will actually happen next year, peter? >> well, none. you said it was a wish list. but you know what, if enough people vote with their wallet, things will change. if enough people say we're not going to pay a $34 fee to book our flight, if enough people say i would like room with reasonable light in it and a hotel because people don't stay in their room to get mood lighting. mood lighting puts me in a bad mood. give me a 300-watt light bulb with a dimmer switch not a

40-watt light bulb with an on/off switch. >> and voting with your wallet counts when there's differentiation between companies. like the airline industry has all sort of gone the same way so it's a lot hard tore make a choice. >> look at southwest airlines. they said they weren't going to charge for checked bags, everybody loves southwest. you know what, it works. >> peter greenberg, we appreciate it. happy new year. >> same to you. >> now here's jeff. >> thank you very much. any cook except me can roast a chicken or salmon but a dash of just the right spice can make all the difference. katie lee visited a master spice blender. >> it may look like an art gallery but it's actually a spice and biscuit shop. and it smells amazing. the curator is lior. now, do you consider yourself an artist? >> in many ways i do.

i start by curating spices all over the world. the blends that i do are are inspired by people, by places, by memories appeared they each have a different story and i think that's the key of each and every one of them is that they tell a certain story. >> reporter: and what about people cooking at home, what do you suggest to them to spice up their cooking? >> start with salt and pepper. then when you're ready to move on to the next step, you can either try and make your own blends or you can come here and we can find something that fits your cuisine and your personality. >> reporter: do you think that you could find a spice blend to match my personality? >> we can definitely make something for you. i brought a few things that we can look at together. the first thing that i really love to use more and more is mace. so a lot of people think of mace as a spray, but it's actually the shell of the nutmeg. to that we're going to add a element of smoke and a touch of heat because it's important, you

know. so this is chile. we're going to use that together with the mace and then the first element we're going to add, we need a little bit of freshness, i think, and something a little bit more floral so we're going to use these starnys and use this very unique pepper. >> i've never smelled anything like that. >> it is part of the pepper family. and then we're going to add some coriander seeds. we'll bring a little texture and also a little bit of floral notes. and then we're going to add some pink peppercorn and bring a little bit of sweetness. last but not least are these beautiful rose buds. >> reporter: they're nice. see, guys, you can get your girlfriend roses and it's a spice. >> give it a few pulses and see what's going on in here. i think that's -- >> reporter: that looks good. >> that looks good.

>> reporter: can i taste it? >> sure. i'll put it in a bowl so you won't lose your finger. first you can smell it. >> reporter: my spice. mmm, i like it already. okay. now i get to taste it. mmm, i like that. it's really different. i like it. >> you get different textures, some are more ground, some are more coarse. as you eat, you're going to chew on some pink peppercorns and coriander and that's going to release a whole other layer of flavors. >> reporter: yeah, there's some spice in it, it's smoky. there's almost a noticed sweetness. i really like it. it's a little citrusy. it's really delicious. >> what spice are you? i mean you have the bright colors on, maybe some citrus? >> i like the citrus idea. i was thinking maybe a little cayenne pepper, some mole. how about you, what do you think? >> we were talking about it on the break and where does

tarragon come from? >> tarragon is kind of an herb so i don't know if it classifies as a spice, but it's elevated and has a refined flavor to it, just like you, you're so refined, jeff glor. >> whatever, i'll be tarragon. >> what do you want to be? >> spices are didn't, though. i don't know, i need more time. >> someone tweet

the woman we are about to meet if she if the woman we met decided not to forgive, we would understand. >> but she decided to use that power in a totally unexpected way. here's steve hartman. >> reporter: in a small apartment building in north minneapolis, a 59-year-old teacher's aide sings "praise to god" for no seemingly apparent

reason. indeed, if anyone was to have issues with the lord, it would be mary johnson. ♪ for all you've done for me >> he never had a chance. >> reporter: in february, 1993, mary's son, laramiun byrd, was shot to death during an argument at a party. he was 20, and mary's only child. >> my son was gone. >> reporter: the killer was a 16-year-old kid named oshea israel. >> i wanted justice. he was an animal. he deserved to be caged. >> reporter: and he was. tried as an adult and sentenced to 25 1/2 years, oshea served 17 before being recently released. he now lives back in the old neighborhood, close to mary. this close. >> he lives next door? >> next door. >> reporter: how a convicted murderer ended up living a door jamb away from his victim's mother is a story not of horrible misfortune as you might

expect, but of remarkable mercy. a few years ago, mary asked if she could meet oshea here at minnesota's stillwater state prison. as a devout christian, she felt compelled to see if there was some way, if somehow she could forgive her son's killer. >> what did she say to you? >> i believe the first thing she said was, look, you don't know me, i don't know you, let's just start with right now. >> reporter: oshea says they met regularly after that. when he got out, she introduced him to her landlord who, with mary's blessing, invited oshea into the building. today they don't just live close, they are close. clearly, mary was able to forgive. >> unforgiveness is like cancer. it will eat you from the inside out. it's not about the other person. me forgiving him does not diminish what he has done.

yes, he murdered my son, but the forgiveness is for me. it's for me. >> reporter: for oshea it hasn't been that easy. >> i haven't totally forgiven myself yet. i'm learning how to forgive myself and i'm still going towards trying to forgive myself and what i've done. >> reporter: to that end, oshea is now busy proving himself to himself. he works at a recycling plant by day and goes to college at night. he says he's determined to pay back mary's clemency by contributing to society. in fact he's already working on it, singing the praises of god and forgiveness at prisons, churches, to large audiences everywhere. >> forgiveness is a powerful thing. >> reporter: which explains why mary can sing her praise of thanks to her audience of one. steve hartman, cbs news, minneapolis. >> that's a powerful story. >> it's beautiful, it really is. >> something that we can all think about in the year ahead.

>> yep. >> letting go, if it's possible. >> it's great spending 2011 with you. >> wonderful spending

four people were hurt this morning when a muni light rail >> happy friday. 8:55, grace lee are your cbs 5 headlines. four people were hurt when a muni light rail vehicle broad sided a police car at 5:45 on the t line at third and 22nd streets. a transportation spokesman says the light rail was on a manual setting at the time. two police officers went to the hospital. also the muni driver and passenger had to go to the hospital as well. all other injuries are considered minor. fremont mayor bob wasserman has died. a city website said he died yesterday at kaiser medical center in fremont with his family at his side. he had been suffering from respiratory problems. wasserman was mayor of the bay area fourth largest city since 2004. he served on the city council

and he was police chief. he was 77 years old. we'll update your traffic and warmer weather coming up.

>> good morning, from the

traffic center we've got a surface street problem at wideside and middle field road, still foggy through pacifica. the toll plaza, you're in luck, no delays, metering lights were not turned on. foggy on the san mateo bridge, traffic is quiet on both directions. the golden gate no problems, foggy on the 880. >> hopefully you're enjoying the tv screen and you're watching some news programming from the comfort of your home. this is what it look likes. a live look from the roof cam, hard to see the top of the transamerica building this morning. the fog is getting thicker over parts of the bay area. we've got low clouds and it's drizzly as well. misty, drizzly start. low pressure system shed our way bringing us a chance of showers for the bay area by later on this afternoon. just some light rain, we're drying out saturday, sunday,

and temperatures will be slightly above average by the middle of next week.