Sunday's Sports Scoreboard

All Times Eastern
Interleague
Cleveland 5, Cincinnati 3 F
N.Y. Mets 6, Minnesota 0 F
Detroit 10, Atlanta 4 F
Philadelphia 11, Toronto 2 F
Baltimore 4, Washington 3 F
Arizona 2, Tampa Bay 1 F
Chicago …

Transportation department tests best-value contracting

In May 2004, Tucker Ferguson and Rich Wagman went on a trip to Canada and Europe. The PennDOT bureau director and highway contractor, respectively, didn't do much sightseeing. They spent their time learning about international-transportation projects as part of a federal government-sponsored program. They returned to the U.S. enthused about a common international practice that is just starting to become popular stateside: best value contracting.

PennDOT has used best value once, in Somerset County. It's about to award another best-value contract on a bridge project in Washington County. Instead of selecting a contractor through a low-bid process, the agency is picking one based on …

3 killed, 7 injured in hotel fire in northern Serbia

An overnight hotel fire in northern Serbia killed three people and injured seven, police said Wednesday.

The fire in the Putnik hotel in Novi Sad, some 50 kilometers (30 miles) north of Belgrade, started around midnight and was extinguished early Wednesday, police said.

"The fire started in the basement, …

Rumsfeld may face his day of reckoning

He was going to get away with it.

It appeared that Donald Rumsfeld, the defense secretary under President George W. Bush who made besmirching the Constitution a national policy, was going to escape responsibility for the torture and abuse of prisoners that happened under his watch.

President Barack Obama didn't want to touch it, and the courts were showing the same yellow streak. Rumsfeld was going to spend his retirement writing self-congratulatory books and picking up hypocritical honors like the "Defender of the Constitution" Award bestowed on him this year by the American Conservative Union.

Not so fast.

Two cases this month, including one by a federal …

`Junk' chief takes Fifth

((PHOTO …

Israel Answers Attack With Lethal Blows

BEIRUT, Lebanon - Hezbollah and Israel traded rocket and missile barrages for a sixth day Monday, as warfare that has erupted in the Middle East showed no sign of easing. Hezbollah rockets struck deep inside Israel, killing eight people in the northern city of Haifa, and Israel retaliated with waves of missiles from Lebanon's north to south and into the Bekaa Valley near Syria.

The toll on both sides rose to above 200, most of them civilians, as strikes continued into Monday. In addition to the Israeli victims at a rail repair facility in Haifa, an Israeli rocket blew up a Lebanese army position, killing eight soldiers, and a sea-launched missile killed at least nine people in the …

US, Venezuela restoring envoys after expulsions

The United States said Thursday it is sending its ambassador back to Venezuela more than nine months after he was expelled by President Hugo Chavez, creating an opening for a less hostile relationship even though many disagreements remain.

The pending return of ambassadors to Washington and Caracas indicates both sides are testing the waters and aiming to re-establish channels of communication after Chavez and President Barack Obama had a warm first encounter at a summit in April.

Venezuela said Ambassador Bernardo Alvarez will return to work in Washington on Friday, while the U.S. State Department said veteran diplomat Patrick Duddy will be back in Caracas …

Upstart Skimble Will Make Some Noise at Arlington

Here's everything I know. You Broken Down Horseplayers shouldknow it, too. I hate to write that I haven't heard of the filly Skimble, but shefigures as the favorite in tomorrow's $150,000-added ArlingtonBudweiser Breeders' Cup Handicap. Seven fillies and mares have beenentered in the 1-1/16 mile turf feature.

Skimble, a Kentucky homebred owned by Khalid Abdullah'sJuddmonte Farm, failed against top fillies in England last year soshe was sent to Bobby Frankel. Frankel has so many horses owned bythe Arabs he's a cinch to have oil in his motor for the rest of hislife.

Since coming to the states, Skimble has won two minor stakes atLouisiana Downs and May Meadows. …

Malaysia police kill hostage taker at kindergarten

KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia (AP) — A machete-wielding man who took 30 children and four teachers hostage for six hours in a Malaysian kindergarten has died after being shot by police, an official said Friday.

None of the captives was harmed during the tense hostage drama Thursday in the southern city of Muar in Johor state.

Muar police Chief Mohammed Nasir Ramli said Loi Hui Chung died in a hospital Thursday night, five hours after being shot in the head by a single bullet.

Loi, 40, was unemployed and had been previously detained in drug-related cases, Nasir said. Police are investigating whether he was the person who attacked and injured children outside two other …

US museum rejects monument to mark secession

A South Carolina museum has voted against erecting a Civil War monument to the state's secession from the Union almost 150 years ago.

The board of the Patriots Point Development Authority on Tuesday split 3-3 on whether to allow the Sons of Confederate Veterans to place a granite monument to the signers of the secession ordinance at the maritime museum. The tie killed the proposal.

…

What a waste: Fancy toilets catch fire

TOKYO -- A Japanese toilet maker is offering free repairs for180,000 bidet toilets after wiring problems caused several to catchfire, the company said Monday.

Toto Ltd.'s Z series caught fire in three separate incidentsbetween March 2006 and last month, said company spokeswoman EmiTanaka. The bidet sent up smoke …

Phillies top sinking Mets 6-4

NEW YORK (AP) — Domonic Brown hit a tiebreaking single in the ninth inning as the Philadelphia Phillies scored three runs off star closer Francisco Rodriguez to beat the sinking New York Mets 6-4 on Friday.

Jimmy Rollins drove in three runs for the Phillies and Roy Oswalt had an RBI single to go with six innings on the mound. With runners at the corners, Ryan Madson got Daniel …

ICBA criticizes Wal-Mart/TD Bank financial action

The announcement that FDICinsured deposits would be provided through Wal-Mart stores has drawn sharp criticism from the Independent Community Bankers of America (ICBA).

Kenneth A. Guenther, ICBA president and CEO, charged that the agreement between TD Bank Financial Group, Toronto, and Wal-Mart "flies in the face of the Congressional determination that banking and commerce should remain separate. By closing off the ability of commercial companies to own thrift institutions in the Gramm-Leach-- Bliley Act of 1999, Congress thwarted Wal-Mart's attempt to buy a thrift and get into the banking business."

He said that regulators should reject the TD Bank/Wal-Mart application.

TD Bank Financial Group announced that its TD Bank USA, FSB would offer banking products and services in as many as 100 Wal-Mart stores, subject to the regulatory approval. TD Bank anticipates expanding its checking and savings accounts offerings to other Wal-Mart locations in the United States as well as offering Internet and telephone banking.

In Canada, the TD organization operates 74 in-store branches in Wal-mart stores, as well as providing automated banking machines and cash management services. TD is already offering retail financial services to some two million U.S. customers through self-directed brokerage TD Waterhouse and its affiliate, TD Waterhouse Bank.

Wal-Mart said it has no plans to change in-store banking agreements that now exist. TD Bank USA will provide in-store banking services at U.S. Wal-Mart stores going forward.

Fiji over disappointment, recharged for Wales

TAURANGA, New Zealand (AP) — The time for hurting has passed, and smiles are back on Fiji's faces.

The Fijians needed a couple of days to process the bitter disappointment of losing to Samoa 27-7 last Sunday, a result which has virtually eliminated them from making the World Cup quarterfinals a second time.

But returning to Tauranga, the North Island port city where they started in New Zealand, has served to recharge the Fijians' bodies and help focus their minds on an opponent they know they can top, Wales in Hamilton this Sunday.

Fiji coach Samu Domoni said he hasn't had to try to perk up his players. They have restored their motivation themselves.

"You can see they are laughing and enjoying themselves," he said Wednesday.

Captain Deacon Manu added: "We just want to have fun. In the preparation, we've really tried to enjoy ourselves off the field. We haven't been enjoying the journey too much over the past three weeks. So we've been trying to get our minds off rugby."

Fiji retain a slim mathematical chance of advancing from Pool D, but it might have better luck grasping a fishing line with a shark hooked on the end.

At the very least, the Fijians want to leave a better impression on World Cup fans than what they showed in the hidings inflicted by South Africa and Samoa. Against the Springboks, Fiji was competitive, but the manner of the defeat to Samoa in front of 60,000 at Eden Park left a bitter taste.

Fiji didn't fire a shot against Samoa until the match was nearly over. Nicky Little, Fiji's caps and points record-holder and Manu were moved to apologize for the woeful effort.

"It's been disappointing," Manu said. "We've played well in phases. We set high standards for ourselves, especially after the last World Cup, so we wanted to emulate that. We haven't been able to do that."

Pio Tikoisuva, the manager and acting chief executive of the Fiji Rugby Union, was also prompted to warn team critics, including national selector Mosese Taga, that now was not the time to be pointing fingers or seeking heads to roll.

"We fully understand the emotional consequences of the loss to Samoa," Tikoisuva said. "We have a game to go and we are trying to get our boys to focus on this game. We are not looking beyond the Wales game. Our focus is on Wales at the moment."

Domoni and Manu promised to shake up the lineup. There was a need for a boost of enthusiasm and determination.

"This Sunday is a critical and emotional game," Domoni said "We will inject some energy at selection."

Nine of Fiji's 30-man squad have yet to start in the World Cup, including front-rowers Setefano Somoca, Waisea Nailago and Talemaitoga Tuapati, flanker Rupeni Nasiga, scrumhalf Vitori Buatava, centers Albert Vulivuli and Ravai Fatiaki, winger Michael Tagicakibau and fullback Iliesa Keresoni.

Tagicakibau was the only squad member yet to see any action. He injured both of his shoulders in the draw with Wales in Cardiff last November, then had shoulder surgery in February. One of his first matches back was in a World Cup warmup last month against Tonga.

"That game against Tonga was a pretty shocking game for me personally, it was my first game in five months," Tagicakibau said. "It didn't go very well and dented my confidence a little bit and it took me a while to get over that mentally."

He was disappointed not to have a chance to oppose his brother, Samoa winger Sailosi, last weekend, and hoped he was picked to play Wales.

"I've been waiting for an opportunity to get up there in this World Cup," he added. "This week is probably the biggest week for me. I'd like to go out there and have a good game against Wales."

Fiji have had no problems with Wales lately. They beat the Welsh 38-34 in an epic World Cup match four years ago to reach the last eight, then they drew 16-16 less than a year ago in Millennium Stadium.

"We love playing Wales," Manu said. "The second-last time we beat them and last time we drew with them at their home ground. They won't take us lightly now, so we've got to be prepared for a challenge and make sure we finish on a high. We need to get things right tactically. We need to play in the right areas and have a good mix."

Town arranges for collection, composting of commercial food residuals

Bellport, New York

This community on Long Island has begun collecting and composting food residuals from all 13 restaurants and supermarkets in a diversion program directed by Bellport mayor Frank Trotta and a citizens Compost Committee. "The systematic program to compost food waste from commercial enterprises" is described in a recent EDF Letter, since members of the Environmental Defense Fund comprise the Compost Committee. EDF has been a leader internationally in focusing on major antipollution projects, so its involvement in composting has special potential for advancing organics utilization. Staff at restaurants, delis and supermarkets put food residuals in special containers that are transported by haulers to small-scale composting units (Earth Tubs) with capacity of 600 lbs/day. The New York Department of Environmental Conservation provided Bellport with a grant that covered part of program costs. A rough estimate indicates that the project will pay for itself in five years, if not sooner, through savings on tip fees at a local incinerator, notes the EDF Letter.

Specialty Council Report

Specialty Council Chair, Alexandra Sciaky, attended the American Board of Physical Therapy Specialties (ABPTS) meeting on September 18 & 19, 2004 in Alexandria, VA. The following Specialty Council Goals and Objectives for 2005 were shared with ABPTS:

a. Complete orientation of new Council member, Anne Swisher.

b. Produce approximately 50 items at the 2005 Item Writer's Workshop in New Orleans.

c. Complete meeting with revalidation task force and consultant, Laurie Hack to develop competency statements and pilot survey for revalidation of the CV&P Description o Specialty Practice (DSP).

d. Develop final survey of revalidation process for DSP.

e. Complete standard setting at NBME for exam constructed in 2004.

Update on Item Writing Activities, including SACE and CCE Activities:

* Angela Abeyta Campbell is our item review coordinator.

* ABPTS has appointed Jeffrey Rodrigues to the Specialty Academy of Content Experts (SACE) for a 2-year term beginning January 1. 2005"and renewed appointments for SACE members Mary Bourgeois, Joan Drevins, Scot Irwin, and John Lowman.

* ABPTS reappointed Tammy Burlis to the Cardiovascular and Pulmonary Committee of Content Experts (CCE).

* ABPTS appointed Ethel Freese to the Cardiovascular and Pulmonary CCE.

* All item writers and Specialty Council members will be receiving information regarding attendance at the 2005 Item Writers' Workshop, SACE I and SACE II from Andrea Blake, Director, Specialist Certification Department at APTA. The workshop is scheduled to take place on Tuesday, February 22, 2005 in New Orleans, EA. All item writers are being invited to attend.

Specialty-Related Activities to Attend at CSM 2005:

* CSM Opening Ceremonies, Wednesday, February 23rd. 2005, New Orleans, LA. All 2004 newly certified and re-certified clinical specialists will be recognized and welcomed by their Specialty Council Chair at this ceremony. All section members are encouraged to make plans to attend and join in the celebration.

* Forum for Certified Specialists, Thursday, February 24, 2005 for 1:00-3:00 pm in New Orleans. The Forum will be cosponsored by the Pediatrics, Neurology, Geriatrics, Orthopaedics, and Health Policy and Administration sections. This session is designed to enhance the consultation skills of clinical specialists through a presentation to audience members of patient case studies with multiple impairment diagnoses requiring the management skill of different physical therapy specialties. The presentations will be followed by small group discussion to develop the diagnosis, prognosis, and plan of care with projected outcomes for each case. The audience will then come back together and the consultation findings for each case will be presented. Physical therapists considering sitting for a specialty exam are encouraged to attend, all are welcome.

[Author Affiliation]

Respectfully submitted,

Alexandra Sciaky, PT, MS, CCS

Specialty Council Chair

APEC Nations Wrestle With Climate Change

SYDNEY, Australia - Pacific Rim nations agreed Thursday that climate change was of "vital interest," but officials squabbled over whether their leaders should include energy efficiency targets in a statement at their annual summit.

As officials worked for a third day to craft a statement about climate change that would be acceptable to all 21 leaders at their weekend summit, familiar battle lines resurfaced over the issue of greenhouse gas emission targets.

The U.S. and Australia want leaders of the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation group to embrace a new approach to climate change that would require China - one of the world's biggest polluters - and other developing countries to agree to reduction targets on greenhouse gases.

But developing Asian countries were opposing a U.S.-backed Australian plan for the APEC leaders to include targets in their statement. Those countries maintain that APEC, a consensus-based, trade-oriented group, is no place to discuss the details of a new approach to tackling global warming.

The specifics of Australia's plan were sketchy, but officials said they involved loosely defined aims to reduce "energy intensity" - the amount of energy needed to produce one unit of gross domestic product - rather than greenhouse gas emissions.

At a news conference with Australian Prime Minister John Howard, President Hu Jintao of China said Thursday that any APEC statement should make clear that U.N. negotiations "should remain the main channel for the international efforts to tackle climate change."

Highlighting the gulf between the U.S.-backed and developing world positions, Hu said any APEC statement should recognize "common but differentiated responsibilities" - meaning developing nations should not bear the same burden as developed ones in cutting emissions.

Australia achieved a step toward its aim of marking Sydney as the climate change APEC summit, however, when foreign and trade ministers included the subject in their concluding statement from two-days of talks on trade, security and other matters.

"Climate change, energy security and clean development are of vital interest to APEC economies and will be a key theme for APEC leaders," said the statement released Thursday, which is separate from the one being crafted for the leaders.

The ministers said they "welcomed initiatives that encourage individual economies to set goals and formulate action plans for improving energy efficiency."

The United Nations has called a meeting in Indonesia in December to start work on a successor to the 1997 Kyoto Protocol, which excludes developing nations for emission targets. The U.S. and Australia were the only industrialized countries to reject Kyoto, arguing that agreeing to emission targets for themselves while booming developing countries did not was unfair.

Foreign Minister Alexander Downer said the Australian proposal at APEC was not an attempt to "pre-empt" the U.N. framework, but an effort to get more nations to work together to curb global warming.

"We would like the world to move ... to a position where all countries make a common commitment to stabilizing and eventually reducing CO2 emissions," Downer told Australia's Nine Network television Thursday.

GOLF ROUNDUP Clutch putt gives Tiger NEC title

The World Golf Championships were created seven years ago to bringtogether the best players from around the world. Tiger Woods hasturned them into an annuity.

Woods overcame some shaky putting Sunday by making the one thatmattered, an 18-foot birdie putt that broke sharply into the rightside of the cup on the 16th hole, sending him to a one-shot victoryover Chris DiMarco in the NEC Invitational in Akron, Ohio.

"I've had that putt for three or four years, and I miss it lowevery time," said Woods, who won the tournament for the fourth time."I made sure I threw the ball out there a little bit more ... and itjust snapped at the end. I thought it was going to lip out, which washow my whole day was going. But it lipped in, which was sweet."

The victory wasn't secure, however, until Woods punched a 9-ironthrough the trees and onto the 18th green for a two-putt par to closewith a 1-over-par 71 and a 72-hole total of 6-under 274.

Woods has won nine of the 18 World Golf Championship events he hasplayed, and he has earned about $11.6 million from those tournamentsalone -- more than 20 percent of his career earnings.

"You started these too late," he said jokingly.

Woods missed five putts inside eight feet and trailed Kenny Perryby two shots when they made the turn. Even the birdie putt that gavehim the lead required an approach from 189 yards over the water. Andit wasn't over until he made another escape from the trees.

Woods earned $1.3 million for his fifth victory of the year, onemore than Vijay Singh and Phil Mickelson. Considering that two of hisother victories came in the Masters and British Open, that's likelyenough to end any debate about PGA Tour player of the year.

DiMarco, who lost to Woods in a playoff at the Masters, thought hemight get another shot at him when he closed with a 2-under 68 tofinish at 275. Playing four groups ahead of Woods, DiMarco had a 20-foot birdie putt on the 18th that grazed the edge of the cup. Hewatched Woods play the last three holes from the dining room.

"If you're hoping for him to make bogey [on the last hole], youdidn't do what you needed to do out there," he said.

Woods now has 45 career victories, one more than Walter Hagen forseventh on the all-time list. Twelve of those have come in threetournaments, with four victories apiece at the NEC Invitational, theMasters and the Bay Hill Invitational.

Paul McGinley, one of four players who had at least a share of thelead in the final round, fell out of contention with a bogey on the17th and shot a 2-over 72 to tie for third with Singh (3-under 67)and Ryan Palmer (1-under 69). Perry bogeyed five of six holes duringone stretch on the back nine and wound up tied for sixth after a 4-over 74.

PGA: Vaughn Taylor successfully defended his title in the Reno-Tahoe Open, shooting an even-par 72 to beat Jonathan Kaye by threestrokes in Reno, Nev. Taylor, who set a tournament record with a 72-hole score of 21-under 267, joined Vijay Singh (twice) and StuartAppleby as the only players to successfully defend titles this year.The two Reno-Tahoe victories are the only ones he has on tour.

LPGA: Soo-Yun Kang earned her first tour victory, closing with a 3-under 69 to post a four-stroke triumph over Women's British Openwinner Jeong Jang in the Safeway Classic in Portland, Ore. Kangcompleted 54 holes in 15-under 201 to lead a South Korean sweep ofthe top three spots. Gloria Park was third, five shots back.

CHAMPIONS: David Eger shot a 4-under 67 to earn a three-strokevictory over Tom Kite in the inaugural Boeing Greater Seattle Classicin Snoqualmie, Wash. Eger finished 54 holes in 17-under 199.

AP

Six steps to repair your credit

YOUR MONEY Really Matters

We've all seen the ads. "Bad credit-no problem." "Create a new credit identity," "We'll fix your credit" "These ace scams that promise, foi a fee, to lead the consumer to credit heaven. Don't believe them! Save your money and possibly avoid a rip-off scheme, which may .later cause major financial and legal problems," says Solomon Harge, Executive Director of the non-profit Consumer Protection Association in Cleveland. There are two ways to repair damaged credit; either do-it-yourself or work with a legitimate non-profit credit-counseling service.

An individual can have damaged credit for two reasons. The most obvious reason is a poor payment and credit history. However, according to a 2004 study by the Public Interest Research Group, 25 percent of the credit reports surveyed had serious errors that could result in credit denial, 79 percent contained other serious mistakes and errors and 30 percent contained credit accounts that had been closed by the consumer, but remained listed as open.

Steps to cedit repair

The Fair Credit Reporting Act sets the standards that credit reporting bureaus and creditors must follow in reporting credit files. The act also gives individuals the right to challenge the accuracy of their credit report, request a reinvestigation within a reasonable amount of time and have errors corrected or deleted.

Get a copy of your credit reports. You can get a free copy from all three reporting agencies by going to www.annualcreditreport.com. You can also get your credit score for a small fee. Review your credit reports and look for errors, inaccuracies and negative credit items.

Write dispute letters to the credit, bureaus on the items you believe tire errors or inaccuracies. Send your letters by certified mail with a return receipt requested. Keep copies of your letters and mau receipts. The Federal Trade Commission has sample dispute letters and more detailed information on the website www.ftc.gov.

The credit bureaus must reinvestigate the disputed items by contacting uie information provider and requesting an investigation of their file and a follow-up report.

The credit bureau is required to repot the results of the reinvestigation to (he individual. If there is an error or inaccuracy it must be corrected. However, if the information provider confirms the original information, the individual has the right to appeal. If there is no response from the information provider in a reasonable amount of time, the disputed item must be corrected or deleted.

After the reinvestigation is completed, the credit bureau is required to provide the individual with written results and a free updated copy of their credit report.

Dealing with Real Debt

If an individual has damaged credit because of a poor payment or credit history, there are two primary options. The self-help option works for most people. The first step of this option is to create a realistic budget. Then, develop a twelve-month plan to either eliminate or substantially reduce high interest rate debt. The overall objectives should be to reduce the total debt level, lower interest rates and reduce the number of creditors.

If self-help is not enough, contact a legitimate non-profit credit or debt counseling service. The counseling service can set up a payment plan, in which the individual makes one monthly payment to the counseling agency, which then pays each of their creditors. The service can save money by negotiating lower payments and possibly lower interest rates.

No Quick Fix!

There is no quick fix for repairing damaged credit. Avoid the scams and either do-it-yourself or seek help from a legitimate credit counseling service.

[Author Affiliation]

Michael G. Shinn, CFP

[Author Affiliation]

Michael G. Shinn can be reached at shinnm@financialnetwork.com.

MGM Mirage changes name to MGM Resorts Int'l

MGM Mirage is now MGM Resorts International after shareholders of the casino operator approved a name change Tuesday in a move to emphasize the brand's scope.

Shareholders approved the rebranding at the company's annual meeting in Las Vegas. It took effect immediately.

Company officials have said the new name better reflects the resort developer's global presence as it expands in Asia, the Middle East and elsewhere.

MGM Resorts CEO Jim Murren told The Associated Press after the board meeting Tuesday that the new name has been in the works since early 2009 and reflects other changes at the company.

"We had outlived the usefulness of the (MGM Mirage) name," Murren said.

The company expects to launch an initial offering on the Hong Kong market this year with its Macau joint venture partner and is selling its name and expertise to develop Bellagio, MGM Grand and Skylofts hotels in Dubai that are expected to open in 2013. Its hospitality division, now MGM Resorts Hospitality, has worked to make deals with developers to create non-gambling hotels that may be designed and run _ though not owned _ by MGM Resorts.

Murren said the company also plans to revamp its loyalty program, which will be relaunched in phases starting this summer at resorts in Mississippi and Detroit. He said MGM Resorts has spent about $15 million on the technology and software to link its properties through its new M Life loyalty program.

M Life is similar to Harrah's Entertainment Inc.'s Total Rewards and other loyalty programs.

MGM Resorts International has stakes in 16 properties in the United States and China. Its resorts include 10 properties on the Las Vegas Strip, including MGM Grand Las Vegas, The Mirage and Luxor. Its joint ventures include MGM Grand Macau and CityCenter, the company's latest Strip resort that cost $8.5 billion to build.

The company, in which billionaire investor Kirk Kerkorian is a major investor, became MGM Mirage in 2000 after the $4.4 billion buyout of Steve Wynn's Mirage Resorts Inc. by Kerkorian's MGM Grand. MGM Grand initially offered $3.5 billion to take over Mirage Resorts. Mirage's board disagreed at first but eventually agreed to the deal, which made Wynn $483 million but left him out of the new company.

Wynn is now chief executive of Wynn Resorts Ltd., which runs the Wynn Las Vegas and Encore Las Vegas casinos on the Las Vegas Strip as well as two properties in Macau.

Murren said the company's name was changed to MGM Mirage after that deal to embrace employees of The Mirage resort, which Wynn opened in 1989, and help them feel secure in the company fold.

Tuesday's vote purged "Mirage" from the corporate name, though Murren told investors the company doesn't plan to sell The Mirage casino in Las Vegas, where the company's annual meeting was held last year. Tuesday's was at the Aria Resort & Casino, CityCenter's centerpiece.

The Las Vegas-based company lost $96.7 million, or 22 cents per share, during the first quarter this year. That compares with net income of $105.2 million, or 38 cents per share, for 2009's first quarter. Revenue fell 3 percent to $1.46 billion.

The company reported total debt of $13 billion as of March 31, including $845 million in new notes due 2020 that were used to pay down debt due earlier.

Online books project founder dead in US at 64

URBANA, Illinois (AP) — Long before the Kindle, Nook or iPhone, there was Michael S. Hart and his Project Gutenburg, a network of volunteers dedicated to providing free online access to as many books as they could.

Hart, who is also considered the founder of the e-book, died Tuesday at his Illinois home, said Stephanie Gabel of Renner-Wikoff Chapel and Crematory. He was 64. Gabel did not know the cause of death.

Hart was a University of Illinois student when he founded Project Gutenberg 40 years ago.

Hart often said he got started in 1971 by typing the text of the U.S. Declaration of Independence into a computer network that he and about 100 others had access to. In an interview last year, he said the project and a variety of partners it works with have made more than 100,000 books available for free online.

His obituary posted on Project Gutenberg's website said Hart worked as an adjunct professor — someone who works without tenure and has to effectively be rehired ever year. But in interviews over the years, he and friends made clear the project was his life's work and joy.

"I get little notes in the email, saying 'Hey! I just (found) Project Gutenberg, and this is great stuff," Hart told WILL radio in Urbana in a 2003 interview. "You get people that (it) just tickles their fancy, and they just read and read and read, and they're so happy about it."

Hart was born in Tacoma, Washington, in 1947, and grew up in Urbana. He served in the U.S. Army before graduating from the university with a liberal arts degree.

Books added to Project Gutenberg initially had to be typed by Hart and others into computers for distribution. The project has sometimes been criticized for errors and typographical mistakes.

Hart said he just wanted to distribute as many books as possible.

"This mission is, as much as possible, to encourage all those who are interested in making eBooks and helping to give them away," Hart wrote on the project's website, then later noted: "Project Gutenberg is not in the business of establishing standards."

___

Online: http://www.gutenberg.org/

Mo. Tourism Commission picks new leadership team

Missouri tourism officials selected a new leadership team, including a new director for the Division of Tourism and a new chairman for the state Tourism Commission.

Katie Steel Danner, who had been the deputy director for the Department of Economic Development, was named the new Tourism Division director. Danner, a former lawmaker and former president of a public relations firm, begins her new job immediately. Former director Bob Smith is to remain with the agency as an adviser during the transition.

Tourism commissioners on Tuesday also selected Marci Bennett as the panel's new chairwoman. Bennett works as the executive director of the St. Joseph Convention and Visitors Bureau.

She replaces Lt. Gov. Peter Kinder, who announced this fall that she was leaving the post. Kinder will remain on the commission.

Commissioners who supported Bennett's selection said her budget experience was important, given the state's financial hardships.

Financial difficulties facing tourism also were evident during the meeting. Commissioners voted to approve $1.6 million in budget cuts, aimed at advertising, in response to a directive from Gov. Jay Nixon. Those cuts are in addition to $7 million that Nixon ordered trimmed earlier this fiscal year from the tourism division's nearly $24 million budget. The state fiscal year began July 1.

For next year, the commission is preparing for a budget between $11 million and $16 million.

Bush warns Russia to pull back in Georgia

With a crisis of Cold War proportions brewing, U.S. President George W. Bush is demanding that Russia withdraw its troops from Georgia, agree to an immediate cease-fire and abandon any thought it might have about toppling the country's pro-Western government.

"Russia has invaded a sovereign neighboring state and threatens a democratic government elected by its people. Such an action is unacceptable in the 21st century," Bush said from the White House on Monday just an hour after he returned to Washington from attending the Olympics in China.

In his strongest comments since the fighting erupted over Georgia's separatist South Ossetia region last week, Bush told Russia to end a "dramatic and brutal escalation" of violence in Georgia and accept international mediation to end the crisis, as Georgian leaders have.

"The Russian government must reverse the course it appears to be on and accept this peace agreement as a first step toward solving this conflict," the president said. He added that he is deeply concerned that Russia, which Georgian officials say has effectively split their country in two, might bomb the civilian airport in the capital, Tbilisi, and take the city.

Bush said Russia's escalation had "raised serious questions about its intentions in Georgia and the region" and had "substantially damaged Russia's standing in the world."

A senior U.S. official said the U.S. and its allies suspected Russia had been planning an invasion for some time and deliberately instigated the conflict through attacks on Georgian villages by pro-Russian forces in South Ossetia despite outwardly appealing for calm and promising to rein in the separatists.

The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss internal Bush administration deliberations, said there were numerous "unpleasant precedents" for the current situation, including the 1979 Soviet invasion of Afghanistan and the 1968 Soviet invasion of Czechoslovakia.

Despite the tough talk in Washington, there was no specific threat of any consequences Russia might face if it ignores the warnings. American officials said they were working with U.S. allies in Europe and elsewhere, as well as with the Russians, to defuse the crisis.

Earlier Monday, the U.S. and the world's six other largest economic powers issued a call similar to Bush's for Russia to accept a truce and agree to mediation as conditions deteriorated and Russian troops continued their advances into Georgian territory.

Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and her colleagues from the Group of Seven leading industrialized nations pledged their support for a negotiated solution to the conflict that has been raging since Friday, the State Department said.

"We want to see the Russians stand down," deputy State Department spokesman Robert Wood told reporters. "What we're calling on is for Russia to stop its aggression."

Rice and the foreign ministers of Britain, Canada, France, Germany, Italy and Japan spoke in a conference call, during which they noted that Georgia had agreed to a cease-fire and wanted to see Russia sign on immediately, Wood said.

The G-7 diplomats called on Russia to respect Georgia's borders and expressed deep concern for civilian casualties. Urgent consultations at the United Nations and NATO were expected, according to Wood.

Wood said the U.S. was hopeful that the U.N. Security Council would pass a strong resolution on the fighting that called for an end to attacks on both sides as well as mediation, but prospects for such a statement were dim given that Russia wields veto power on the 15-member body.

A senior U.S. diplomat, Matthew Bryza, is now in Tbilisi and is working with Georgian and European officials on ways to calm the situation.

Meanwhile, the State Department said it has evacuated more than 170 American citizens from Georgia. Wood said two convoys carrying the Americans, along with family members of U.S. diplomats based in Georgia, left Tbilisi on Sunday and Monday for neighboring Armenia.

The U.S. Embassy in Georgia has distributed an initial contribution of $250,000 in humanitarian relief to victims of the fighting and is providing emergency equipment to people in need, although those supplies would have run out Monday, the department said.

The Pentagon said it had finished flying some 2,000 Georgian troops back home from Iraq on C-17 aircraft at Georgia's request.

It said it had informed the Russians about the flights before they began in order to avoid any mishaps, but Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin harshly criticized the step, saying it would hamper efforts to resolve the situation by reinforcing Georgian assets in a "conflict zone."

Wood rejected the criticism, saying, "We're not assisting in any conflict."

Defense Department spokesman Bryan Whitman said the U.S. flew the Georgians out of Iraq as part of a prior agreement that transport would be provided in case of an emergency.

Pentagon officials said Monday that U.S. military was assessing the fighting every day to determine whether U.S. trainers, who number less than 100, should be pulled out of the country.

There had been about 130 trainers, including a few dozen civilian contractors, but the civilians had been scheduled to rotate out of the country and did so over the weekend, Whitman said. The remaining uniformed trainers were moved over the weekend to what officials believe is a safer location, he said.

___

Associated Press writer Pauline Jelinek contributed to this report.

TV news crews scramble for gulf footage

NEW YORK It's a simple assignment: Get out there to the PersianGulf and film whatever is going on.

A boat, a plane, a helicopter and several thousand dollars a daylater, and the evening newscast features a hazy long shot of a shipin an ocean, perhaps with some helicopters hovering around it.

Since the United States agreed to reflag Kuwaiti tankers andescort them through gulf waters mined by Iran, U.S. networks havehired every reasonable form of transportation to search for tankersand U.S. Navy escort vessels that are specks in the long stretch ofsea.

"It's like a needle in a haystack," NBC correspondent MartinFletcher said by telephone from Dubai.

Editors stateside must make news decisions in the middle of thenight, morning in the Middle East. The gulf waters stretch about 800miles, so sometimes the action is in the north and a network's crewis on a ship in the south.

For the networks, finding the news is not enough. The tape mustget to the network.

NBC put a BBC crew on an out-of-work oil supply ship leased for$3,000 a day. A helicopter that costs $1,000 a day has to fly outand dangle a shipping bag over the deck to pick up the tape.

That's if there is footage to pick up. News crews are alsodealing with a number of Middle East governments, not all of whomapprove of coverage of the Iran-Iraq war.

At one point, a Bahrainian coast guard vessel apprehended theBBC crew and detained them for 12 hours, Fletcher said.

Correspondents sign off with generic "so-and-so in the PersianGulf" or even just "in the gulf" because of sensitivity by the Arabsto the term "Persian." Also, certain governments in the region do notwant Iran to know they are helping U.S. journalists, so they do notwant their names used in datelines.

Getting from one country to another can also be time-consumingbecause of red tape.

"Not only is it hopping on helicopters and boats, but you'realso visa-hopping from country to country," said Jeanee von Essen, aCable News Network vice president.

The U.S. Navy is not too hospitable, either. Fletcher said whena NBC helicopter apparently came closer to a U.S. warship than a Navyhelicopter liked, they were told to get away or face "appropriatedefensive measures."

ABC News Vice President Robert Murphy said he did not think newscrews had missed anything significant, despite the problems.

"It has required that we be out in a helicopter or boat,patrolling around almost from dawn to dusk, but nonetheless, it's afairly small enough area that it can be done," he said.

In fact, the news media have been ahead of the militaryofficials in some cases. Four of the nine mines found in the gulfwere located by news crews.

Fletcher spotted one with an oil tanker only 200 yards away.

"It hits you in the stomach when you suddenly see that round,First World War object with spikes, and it's shocking," he said.

He and his crew tried to radio the captain of the tanker, butcould not, so they landed on the deck.

"He was a bit surprised, until we told him there was a minenearby," Fletcher said.

Aldermen rip Monteagudo, but official reprimand fails

A proposal to reprimand Lourdes Monteagudo, the beleaguereddeputy mayor for education, was defeated 23-15 by the City Council onFriday after Mayor Daley allowed her critics a forum to express theiranger.

Daley called the proposed resolution "politically motivated" andhad enough votes to easily prevent its sponsors from bringing it tothe Council floor for a debate.

The mayor conceded that Monteagudo's remarks had raised concernsamong aldermen and community leaders, so he allowed an hour ofdebate.

In a March 27 interview with the Chicago Sun-Times, Monteagudosaid she had enrolled her daughter in an exclusive Winnetka schoolbecause no city public high school was "good enough."

Monteagudo also said that Daley's school reform program wouldhelp improve the system so that someday she could urge her two otherchildren to enroll in Chicago high schools when they graduate fromelementary school.

The proposed resolution, introduced by Ald. Robert Shaw (9th),called for the $88,416-a-year deputy mayor to appear before theEducation Committee to explain her comments.

Although Shaw was short of the 34 votes he needed to suspend theCouncil's rules and allow immediate debate on the proposal, Daleysignaled to his floor leader, Ald. Edward M. Burke (14th), to allowShaw to speak.

"Ms. Monteagudo indicted the entire school system by herremarks," Shaw said. "She misrepresented the facts when she said thatno (high) school had accepted her daughter. She was accepted at twoof the best schools in the city: Lane Tech and the Whitney Young Mathand Lab School. But they were not good enough for her, and I suspectthe entire school system is not good enough for her."

Thirteen other aldermen joined Shaw in support of the measure.

"If teachers and public officials put their kids back in thesystem, we would have a better school system," said Ald. DorothyTillman (3rd), who noted she had five children in the city's schools.

Ald. Luis V. Gutierrez (26th) offered the strongest defense forMonteagudo, saying: "I have my first responsibility to my children. .. . If you can't be a good parent, how can you be a goodpolitician?"

In other matters, the City Council: Deferred a vote on a proposal to impose a 1.5 percent-a-monthpenalty on the late payment of water and sewer charges. Sent to committee proposals jointly introduced by Daley andGutierrez to revamp the Building Code to allow limited use of plasticpipe and to allow the sale of up to 1,000 vacant lots for the mayor'saffordable-housing program. Sent to committee a proposal by Ald. Lemuel Austin Jr. (34th) toincrease the fines for individuals who violate the law that prohibitsthe placement of political campaign signs on city property. Theproposal would increase the range of fines to $50 to $500 from $10 to$200.

Zimbabwe beats Kenya by 109 runs in 1st ODI

Zimbabwe allrounder Elton Chigumbura scored 79 and claimed two wickets to lead his team to a 109-run win over Kenya in the first of a five-match limited-overs series.

He smashed 79 off 38 balls as Zimbabwe reached 306-7 for its equal eighth highest limited-overs total. Chigumbura then took the opening two wickets to leave Kenya on 16-2 in the sixth over before it was bowled out for 197 in the 47th.

Chigumbura hit seven sixes and three boundaries to help Zimbabwe put on 62 in the final 22 balls after Vusi Sibanda (77) and Hamilton Masakadza (71) had put on an opening stand of 111 at Mombasa Sports Club Ground.

Kenya never recovered from Chigumbura's opening spell, with only Jimmy Kamande (74) hitting a half century. Chigumbura took 2-23, while Ed Rainsford claimed 2-19, Ray Price 2-40 and Graeme Cremer 2-28.

The second match is Thursday at the same venue.

Zimbabwe captain Prosper Utseya won the toss and elected to bat. The openers were untroubled until Masakadza was caught by Lameck Onyango off left-arm spinner Hiren Varaiy in the 22nd over. Masakadza hit 11 boundaries and a six in 61 balls.

Offspinner Steve Tikolo dismissed Stuart Matsikenyeri for 6 to leave Zimbabwe on 124-2 four overs later. Sean Williams was out for 11 before Tikolo added the wicket of Sibanda, who collected eight fours and a six in 130 deliveries. Tikolo took 2-32 in 10 overs.

Forster Mutizwa and Chigumbura put on 56 before Mutizwa was run out for 20 with the total on 244.

Kenya's reply took a hit when Chigumbura struck in the fourth and sixth overs to remove Maurice Ouma for 3 and Alex Obanda for 6. The team then lost 4-77 to plummet to 93-6 before Kamande and Varaiy (34) put on 90 runs to add some respectability.

Tikolo hit 37 and Seren Waters 32 for the only other Kenyan batsmen to reach double figures.

Officer responding to break-in nabs dead turkey

A police officer investigating an apparent break-in at a Kalamazoo business instead nabbed a dead 10-pound turkey, police said.

Officer Paula Hensell was conducting checks on local businesses Sunday morning when she noticed that a business's front window had been shattered, the police department said in a statement.

Hensell entered the store assuming a burglar was still inside, but instead found a wild turkey lying dead on a table.

Police said the turkey apparently died after flying through the window.

COMINGS & GOINGS

To submit items for Comings & Goings, e-mail <editorial@catalyst-chicago.org>

SCHOOL FOR ARTS About 115 people attended a kickoff breakfast to announce plans to create Chicago Public Schools' first citywide high school for fine and performing arts. The Elizabeth Morse Charitable Trust and its sister institution, The Elizabeth Morse Genius Charitable Trust, have already provided planning grants. "Performing arts organizations have been looking at ways to improve diversity among professional performing artists in Chicago," says Polk Bros. Foundation President SANDRA P. GUTHMAN, who is involved with the planning and noted that Chicago is the only urban school district that …

Last whale stranded in Australia dies

The last survivor among a group of 45 sperm whales that became stranded on a remote Australian sandbar died Sunday, ending a long and disappointing rescue effort.

The whales became stuck on a sandbar just off the island state of Tasmania's northwest coast on Thursday. Officials who rushed to the site to help survivors found only seven alive, and began pouring water over the semi-submerged mammals to keep them cool as they tried to devise a plan to free them.

But survivor numbers dwindled each day. The last one, which had hung on for more than three days but was hemmed in behind the bodies of others in the pod, died Sunday afternoon.

"We were …

Wind-Whipped Calif. Fire Damages 2 Homes

ANAHEIM, Calif. - Encouraged by cooler temperatures and calmer winds, firefighters were battling a wind-whipped blaze early Monday that earlier chewed through thousands of acres of parched hillside in what is shaping up to be one of the driest years ever recorded in Southern California.

Authorities were hoping to have the blaze fully contained by late Monday, a day after it had charred 2,036 acres. The 3-square mile fire was 30 percent contained late Sunday.

"Things are looking good," Orange Fire Capt. Ian MacDonald said Sunday night.

Stoked by hot dry winds and fueled by chaparral, the fire spread south and west quickly in an unincorporated part of Orange County …

Secrets of a gecko's sticky fingers.(Brief Article)

Industrial chemists can learn a thing or two about sticking to their task from the behaviour of the gecko.

These small tropical lizards are the undoubted masters of the art of climbing vertical surfaces. They can even scurry up sheets of ultra-smooth polished glass on the tips of their strange, bulbous-tipped fingers. But, until now, after decades of investigations into the anatomy of the lizards' feet, scientists have been unable to explain how these powerful adhesive forces are generated.

Now, it appears that the gecko's exceptional climbing ability is due to van der Waals forces, weak electrostatic forces of attraction between molecules, according to a …

New charges for DWI killer; Man convicted in fatal crash with wedding limousine charged with corrupting DNA evidence.(Main)

Byline: FRANK ELTMAN - Associated Press

MINEOLA - A man convicted of murder last year in a notorious drunken driving case that killed a wedding limousine driver and 7-year-old flower girl was indicted Thursday on new charges that he tried to corrupt a DNA test that was taken during the trial.

Martin Heidgen, 26, was indicted on one count of tampering with evidence after prosecutors said a DNA sample ordered during the trial revealed the presence of not only Heidgen's genetic profile, but that of another inmate incarcerated with him in the Nassau County Jail.

If convicted, Heidgen could see four years added to the 18-year sentence he is already …

STRIKE IDLES 2 GM ASSEMBLY PLANTS.(Business)

Byline: Associated Press

A strike at a General Motors Corp. metal stamping plant forced GM on Friday to shut down two car assembly plants that ran out of parts made by the struck facility, including the one making hot-selling Saturns.

Because most GM assembly plants close on weekends, the next effects of the strike by United Auto Workers Local 1714 against the stamping plant at Lordstown, Ohio, are not expected until Monday.

Early in the morning, the assembly line was idled at the Saturn plant at Spring Hill, Tenn. The plant does not stockpile body parts it receives from Lordstown.

GM's Lordstown assembly plant - next door to the striking …

9 Australians wounded fighting Taliban

Australian troops clashed with Taliban fighters in southern Afghanistan late Tuesday in fighting that left several insurgents dead and nine Australian soldiers wounded, the military said.

The fighting reflected rising violence in southern Uruzgan province, where attacks on foreign forces by the resurgent Taliban have increased in recent months.

Australian Defense spokesman Brig. Brian Dawson said the battle occurred as commandoes took part in an ongoing Australian operation to disrupt Taliban networks. It was not immediately …

MIDWEST CALENDAR

Crazy Quilters 11th Annual Quilt Show, Mukwonago, Wis., April 18.More than 250 quilts, from full-sized bed quilts to wall hangings,quilt-making seminars, fabric sales. Call (414) 363-8756. Dickens Day, Lebanon, Ill., April 18. Chuck visited in 1842. Tourthe house he stayed at, ride a trolley through the historic districtand watch "period craftspeople" at work. Call (618) 537-8420.

Dogwood Festival, Camdenton, Mo., April 16-19. There's nothingquite like a spring stroll through Ha Ha Tonka State Park toappreciate the state tree. Call (800) 769-1004.Earth Day Celebration, Kalamazoo, Mich., April 18. Celebrate allthings fresh and natural during this annual rite of springtime at …

THE REGION: NOTE:

The monthly statistics we provide on U.S. trade with the Caribbean Basin, and U.S. textile/apparel imports from the Caribbean Basin were not available due to the U.S. Government shutdown, caused by …

Metal thieves bring Durban industries to a standstill.(News)

BYLINE: Sinegugu Ndlovu

DURBAN: Metal thieves have blacked out a large part of the south of this city - inflicting losses of millions of rand on major industries, while the culprits stand to gain only about R200 for their loot.

It is expected that Prospecton, which is home to the Toyota plant, KwaMakhutha, Isipingo and Umlazi will be without power for several days.

The thieves removed bolts and struts from an electricity transmitting tower, causing the tower to collapse and high-voltage cables to fall across Umbumbulu Road, between Lotus Park and Isipingo.

Although it is suspected the metal was stolen for its scrapyard value, police are …

ISLAMIC MILITANTS SUSPECTS IN BLAST.(MAIN)

Byline: INDIRA A.R. LAKSHMANAN and DEWI LOVEARD Boston Globe -

BALI, Indonesia -- Indonesian security officials on Sunday blamed the car bombing of a crowded nightclub on alleged Islamic militants based in Indonesia as the death toll climbed to 188, the single deadliest terror attack anywhere since Sept. 11, 2001.

One official suggested the attackers had targeted foreign tourists on the majority-Hindu resort isle of Bali to minimize Muslim casualties among locals.

With at least 188 people believed dead and some 300 wounded -- the vast majority of them young Australian, Canadian and European vacationers -- the death toll from the attack outside the Sari Club late Saturday night is the worst in Indonesian history. Two Americans were killed, while three were among the injured.

The U.S. ambassador to Indonesia, Ralph L. Boyce, said the attack ``highlights the mounting threat to Americans wherever they are …

SCREENWRITER UNEARTHING SITE OF SILENT 'TEN COMMANDMENTS'.(Show)

Byline: Christopher Reynolds Los Angeles Times

An ancient Egyptian eye, unblinking in the sandy wind, stared up at Peter Brosnan. And Peter Brosnan, a bearded Angeleno with $10,000, a borrowed ground-penetrating radar system and a crazy dream, stared back.

"Take a look at this guy," said Brosnan. "That's the Pharaoh."

And that's why Brosnan, 38, a screenwriter, teacher and documentary film maker, started digging in the dunes near this Northern California city of 5,500 in 1983.

This is where Cecil B. DeMille filmed the silent movie version of "The Ten Commandments" in 1923, and where DeMille buried and abandoned one of the largest sets in …

US House panel sets hearing on White House breach

The Secret Service director and the couple who crashed the Obama administration's first state dinner have been called to testify before Congress on Thursday about the incident.

Rep. Bennie Thompson, the top Democrat on the House Homeland Security committee, said he wants answers about the Secret Service's security deficiencies that allowed Michaele and Tareq Salahi into the Nov. 24 White House dinner, even though they were not on the guest list.

"This is a time for answers," Thompson said in a statement Monday. "This is not the time for political games or scapegoating to distract our attention from the careful oversight we must apply to the …

Snow Storm Rolls Across Plains; 8 Dead

OMAHA, Neb. - A winter storm marched across the Plains, causing numerous accidents that killed at least eight people in three states, including four in Nebraska.

Heavy snow hit parts of Nebraska on Saturday, limiting visibility and creating hazardous driving conditions.

A car slid across the median on Interstate 80 near Kearney in central Nebraska and was struck by a tractor-trailer, killing the car's 28-year-old driver and her two children, ages 5 and 3, police said.

On U.S. 281 south of St. Paul, a 76-year-old man was killed when the car he was in crossed the center line and was struck by a pickup. The man's 59-year old wife was seriously injured.

In …

Digest.(multiple topics)(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)

Mazda considers making other Fords

TOKYO - Mazda Motor Corp., which builds the Ford Escape at its Hofu plant in Japan, is considering the production of other Ford vehicles in Japan, a spokesman confirmed last week. But no decisions have been made, he said. Earlier, Hiroshima Gov. Yuzan Fujita said that Henry Wallace, Ford Motor Co.'s CFO and a former Mazda president, had told him that Ford was likely to build the Focus subcompact at a Mazda plant in Japan. If so, it would be the first time Mazda has built in Japan a model designed entirely by Ford.

CarMax raises forecast

RICHMOND, Va. - CarMax Auto Superstores Inc. raised earnings expectations for …

Top US literary prize.(DOMINICAN REPUBLIC)

Dominican-born author Junot Diaz has won the US National Book Critic Circle Award for Non Fiction for his most recent work "The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao," reports DR1 Daily News (March 7, 2008). Oscar Wao tells the tragic story of a young Dominican-American man's search for love. …

AFFIRMING SPIRITUALITY OF GAYS.(RELIGION)

Byline: REV. JEFFREY MATTHEWS Community United Methodist Church in Slingerlands

When you think of religion and the lesbian and gay community, what comes to mind first? Nothing much? Discomfort with the question? A sense of love and inclusivity?

For many gay and straight alike, our first thoughts are of those who would deny lesbians and gay men their jobs, their families, and even their religion and do so in God's name. Radical right, religiously affiliated groups organize counterdemonstrations, economic boycotts or letter-writing campaigns at the first hint of progress for the lesbian and gay community.

But such groups do not accurately reflect the …

Ad featuring Hitler angers Italians

An ad for a clothing shop featuring a pink-clad Adolf Hitler has outraged citizens in Sicily and led World War II resistance fighters to ask that it be taken down.

The resistance fighters said in a statement posted on their website Monday that the poster "offends those who fought to defeat Nazi-Fascism."

Citizens wrote to the Italian president to express their …

Campaign Ad Rates: Going Up, Up and Away?

Several recent studies have added fuel to the debate over political news and advertising on TV as Congress considers campaign finance reform.

One study, conducted by the Alliance for Better Campaigns, alleges that TV stations "systematically gouged" campaigns, parties and issue advocacy groups for key air time.

The study showed that candidates paid an average of 65 percent more than stations' lowest ad rates during the last month of the campaign, though under current law, stations must provide bulkrate advertising to candidates to defray the cost of campaigning. But ads at those rates can be pre-empted, and stations pushed candidates to buy costlier ads that could not be …

Studies from University of California further understanding of biomedical optics.(Report)

According to recent research published in the Journal of Biomedical Optics, "The purpose of this study was to develop a dynamic tunable focal distance graded-refractive-index lens rod-based high- speed 3-D swept-source (SS) optical coherence tomography (OCT) endoscopic system and demonstrate real-time in vivo, high-resolution (10-mu m) imaging of pleural-based malignancies in an animal model. The GRIN lens-based 3-D SS OCT system, which images at 39 fps with 512 A-lines per frame, was able to capture images of and detect abnormalities during thoracoscopy in the thoracic cavity, including the pleura, chest wall, pericardium, and the lungs."

"The abnormalities were confirmed by …

LAWMAKERS HONOR NAVY HERO.(CAPITAL REGION)

Francis Brown, a Troy man killed in the 1967 attack on the naval vessel USS Liberty, was honored at the Rensselaer County Honor-a-Deceased Veteran ceremony this week.

Brown was a crewman on the Liberty when the vessel was attacked during patrol in the eastern Mediterranean. He was recognized for performing heroic and selfless deeds during the attack, and was posthumously awarded the Navy Cross.

``Francis Brown performed above and beyond the call of duty and was recognized by his commanding officer as having sacrificed his life to save the lives of his fellow crewmen,'' said Legislator Ralph Vartigian, R-North Greenbush, who chairs the Veterans Committee and …

F1 champ Alonso wants to start cycling team

Two-time Formula One champion Fernando Alonso wants to start a cycling team and is already eyeing Tour de France champion Alberto Contador to be part of it.

Alonso told Radio Monte Carlo that time was likely too short to get the team running from next year, so 2011 was a better possibility.

"Cycling is a sport that I enjoy and, yes, I'd like to start a team but it's not easy," Alonso said from the Hungarian Grand Prix. "We're already in July and that leaves us at risk for being ready for next year."

Alonso was at the start of this year's …

Business Appraisers; BUSINESS & MACHINERY & EQUIPMENT APPRAISALS, EXPERT WITNESS.

Business Evaluation Systems ,since 1973, has been involved in the appraisal of over 16,000 companies,covering almost every industry on a national and international basis, ranging in value from $50,000 to over $7 billion. Our experience has qualified us to meet the requirements of the Appraisal Foundation, the Internal Revenue Service, lending institutions, and courts of law around the country. Business Evaluation Systems performs appraisals for institutional financing, divorces, partnership buy-outs, estate planning for gift and inheritance taxes, issues involving economic damages, and loss of profits or bankruptcy.Our reputation and years of …