WIND THREATENS TO GROUND BALLOONS IN MACY'S PARADE

Wind threatens to groundballoons in Macy's parade
NEW YORK -- As the giant Snoopy and Big Bird balloons began to inflate Wednesday, forecasts for powerful wind gusts threatened to keep them grounded during the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade instead of floating through the corridors of Manhattan. City guidelines, established after a woman was seriously injured by a wayward balloon in 1997, call for the event's trademark inflatable characters to be grounded if winds reach 23 mph and gusts exceed 34 mph. The National Weather Service said wind gusts could reach 35 mph today, and rain and temperatures in the 40s were forecast. Seven newly installed wind-measuring devices along the parade route will help city officials decide before the parade starts at 9 a.m. whether conditions are safe enough for the balloons to fly. "We are able to check every location, and it will allow us to adjust how high or low to fly the balloons," said Jarrod Bernstein, a spokesman for the New York City Office of Emergency Management. "I'm extremely confident that we have done a lot of work to make this parade as safe as it possibly can be." If the weather does not cooperate, parade organizers have some flexibility in flying the balloons. Some of the balloons could be tethered to vehicles and essentially act as floats. The parade will also have a handful of "balloonicles" -- balloons powered by motorized vehicles -- that are less susceptible to wind conditions. Nine years ago, 45 mph winds sent a Cat in the Hat balloon careening into a metal pole during the parade, leaving a woman in a coma.
Israel steps up offensive
BEIT HANOUN, Gaza Strip -- Israel stepped up its offensive against Palestinian rocket squads Wednesday, sending troops and tanks into two Gaza towns in a sign that intensified diplomatic efforts are facing tough obstacles. After nightfall, two Palestinian civilians were killed by Israeli gunfire in northern Gaza -- a 16-year-old youth and a 39-year-old woman, Palestinians said. The military said there were no exchanges of fire for several hours around the time the killings were reported. Earlier, two Hamas militants were killed. The Israeli operation failed to stop rockets from slamming into southern Israel, and one hit a school just before pupils arrived. No one was hurt. In the northern Gaza Strip, Israeli snipers positioned themselves on more than a dozen rooftops in the towns of Beit Hanoun and Jebaliya as ground troops fanned out, Palestinian security officials said. Three teenage Palestinian girls were wounded by Israeli gunfire outside a school in Beit Hanoun, hospital and security officials said.
Surgery done on baby bornwith heart outside chest
MIAMI -- Using a piece of Gore-Tex fabric to make their repairs, doctors performed corrective surgery on a baby born with his heart outside his chest, and said Wednesday that the youngster should be able to lead a close-to-normal life. Naseem Hasni underwent surgery to put his heart inside his chest hours after being delivered by Caesarean section Oct. 31 at Holtz Children's Hospital. He remained in critical but stable condition Wednesday. "He's not going to be able to play certain kinds of sports where a blow to the sternum to you and me wouldn't be a problem, but in him it would be. So I think some competitive sports are going to be out," said Dr. Eliot Rosenkranz, a cardiothoracic surgeon, "but he's going to be able to participate in other sorts of activities." He added: "Certainly the goal is as normal a childhood as he can achieve." Before the surgery, Naseem's heart looked like a peeled plum sitting atop his pink chest, with the aorta diving back underneath the skin. Nevertheless, the heart was beating away normally.
Associated Press