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Last Update on January 05, 2009 05:06 EST

MADOFF MEMORABILIA

NEW YORK (AP) -- Don't look for victims of Bernie Madoff to bid on THESE items.

Former clients and employees of the man alleged to be behind a $50 billion Ponzi scheme are putting knick-knacks with his firm's name on it up for auction on eBay. Things like T-shirts, beach towels, tote bags, umbrellas, insulated coolers, binoculars, golf caps, and flashlights. Even a cigar humidor.

Several of the postings urge buyers to "own a piece of history!"

So, how's the stuff selling? Bidding for many items is not rising above $50. Maybe it's the struggling economy, which was apparently what did in Madoff.

MINNESOTA SENATE

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) -- It's the election that just won't end.

Two months after voters in Minnesota went to the polls to pick a new senator, the outcome is still up in the air. New York Sen. Charles Schumer says fellow Democrat Al Franken should be declared the clear winner now that a re-count is over. He leads incumbent Republican Norm Coleman by 225 votes.

But a leading Republican lawmaker says giving the seat to Franken would be premature. After all, this could all end up in court.

The Minnesota state Canvassing Board is expected to certify the results of the re-count today. Then, there will be a seven-day waiting period before an election certificate is completed. If any lawsuits are filed during that time, certification is conditional until the issue is settled in court.

Want to bet there'll be a lawsuit?

3-D PROMOTION

LOS ANGELES (AP) -- There will be a new twist to this year's Super Bowl commercials -- a 3-D twist.

DreamWorks Animation is giving away some 150 million 3-D glasses at 28,000 locations around the country so people can watch a 90-second sneak preview of an upcoming animated feature called "Monsters vs. Aliens."

DreamWorks' CEO Jeffrey Katzenberg calls it "perhaps the biggest media-advertising event in history." And how much will it cost? Katzenberg will only say, "tens of millions of dollars."

He promises the glasses won't be the lame, red-blue system that's been around for years. He says the new technology is superior.

So, where do you find these free glasses? They'll supposedly be available at Pepsi/SoBe Life Water displays at grocery, drug and electronics stores and big-box retailers.

ANOTHER PRESIDENT BUSH?

WASHINGTON (AP) -- Maybe it wasn't the best time for George Bush the Elder to bring it up.

When asked on "Fox News Sunday" if he'd like to see his son, Jeb Bush, run for a Senate seat in Florida, the first President Bush said yes, and added, "I'd like to see him be president someday."

His other son, the current President Bush, leaves office in 15 days with a dismal approval rating. Fairly or not, he's blamed for the economic and financial mess, and an Iraq war that many say should never have been.

The elder Bush admitted it's "probably a bad time" to be talking about a President Jeb Bush. But he feels his other son is as qualified and able as anyone he knows on the political scene.

BARBED WIRE BAN

NEWARK, N.J. (AP) -- According to the critics, it's a boon for burglars.

Business owners in Newark, New Jersey, say a ban on barbed wire that's now being enforced is behind the upsurge in burglaries. They've risen 17 percent from 2007 though November.

John DeSantis says he was told to remove the razor wire from atop the 7-foot fence around his auto repair business basically because the city was trying to create a new image, to attract new investment and development. He says he's had more than a dozen burglaries since the summer.

Newark's young, charismatic mayor says they understand the problem, and will review the ordinance.