A year after Sarah Palin's abrupt resignation as Alaska governor, interest in her and the small town she put on the map hasn't gone away.
While it's not at the fever pitch it reached during Palin's run for vice president, there remains a steady stream of pilgrims to Wasilla.
At least one tour company builds old Palin haunts into a trip that includes a musk ox farm visit.
…
ABSTRACT
Human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2) overexpression has been associated with increased invasiveness in mammalian breast cancer cell lines, but the effects of overexpression on key underlying cell migration properties such as translational speed and directional persistence are not understood. Moreover, the differential effect of HER2 activation through heterodimerization with epidermal growth factor receptor versus human epidermal growth factor receptor 3 (HER3) on cell speed and persistence has not been studied. To investigate these issues, we developed a high-throughput wound closure assay in which individual cell locomotion and wound closure kinetics were …
Wall Street skidded lower in another erratic session Tuesday as investors grappled with the possibility of further trouble for the housing market and mortgage lenders like Countrywide Financial Corp. The Dow Jones industrials fell nearly 180 points.
Investors tried to take the market higher, but succumbed to another stream of bad news.
In the morning, the National Association of Realtors said Tuesday its index tracking pending U.S. home sales fell 2.6 percent in November, a larger decline than the market expected. Jitters about Countrywide and KB Home, which posted a disappointing fourth quarter loss, kept Wall Street on edge throughout the day, and comments by …
Health staff are gearing up for one of the busiest times of theyear.
NHS 24 is ready to provide clinical assessment, referral to otherhealth services and to offer advice and information from a range ofexperts.
On any normal day NHS 24 in Scotland - which has one of itsthree centres in Aberdeen - receives an average of 100 calls every15 minutes.
During winter this can rise significantly.
And on Boxing Day and January 2, more than 13,000 calls canbe received - many from people who …
Anxiety Disorders Fearing Others: The Nature and Treatment of Social Phobias Ariel Stravynski. New York (NY): Cambridge University Press; 2007. 432 p. US$56.95
Reviewer rating: Good
Social phobia, or social anxiety disorder as it is commonly referred to in North America, has moved over 20 years from its status as "a neglected anxiety disorder"1 to a condition that receives attention in the public media and is the subject of volumes of scholarly publications. Psychiatrists are aware from their clinical experience that the boundaries of social phobia are not absolutely clear. They are also confronted with the fact that social phobia rarely presents as a solitary disorder. At …
BOSTON - A bust of the Rev. Louis Toma, an icon at the East Boston church where he served for 50 years, has been removed by the Boston Archdiocese at the request of parishioners who said the late cleric sexually abused children.
About 16 people, including some who said they were victims, watched as the bust was lifted Friday from the grounds of St. Lazarus Church and a bulldozer pushed over its marble pedestal, The Boston Globe reported.
Women complained to Cardinal Sean O'Malley last year that Toma had abused numerous young girls during his decades as pastor and asked that the statue be taken down.
Barbara Thorp, director of the Victims' Support Office of the …
The headaches began just after Hermogenes Marrero arrived on Vieques, the small Puerto Rican island where the young U.S. Marine guarded stores of Cold War-era chemical weapons.
The retired sergeant, now 57 and terminally ill with cancer and other ailments, blames exposure to toxins released while he was stationed there from 1970 to 1972. By coming forward to support similar claims by island residents, he has become the public face of a new and bitter battle over Vieques, the Navy bombing range-turned-tourist destination off the U.S. territory's east coast.
"I've been sick since I left Vieques," said the wheelchair-bound Marrero, who now lives in an …
When Helen Hulpinski asked Swap Shop for a yeast coffeecakerecipe, many folks sent in their favorites. Nathan Caliendo,however, contributed three of them!
Caliendo makes them all, changing an ingredient when it suitshim. He is "approaching 84," he says, and proudly told us that hisentire brood - three children, 10 grandchildren and fourgreat-grandchildren - are good bakers. "The boys really know how tocook," he said.
So does he. Caliendo cooks three meals a day as he takes careof his wife, now bedridden. He even has time to raise a sizablevegetable garden behind his South Side bungalow.
Here's one of Caliendo's yeast breads: Kolacz (Cheese coffeecake) …
SAN DIEGO (AP) — The red carpet is in place and the fans are lining up as Comic-Con prepares for its first Hollywood-style movie premiere.
"Cowboys & Aliens" will make its world premiere Saturday night at the San Diego Civic Theatre.
Director Jon Favreau and stars Harrison Ford, Daniel Craig and Olivia Wilde are among the celebrities expected to attend, along with hundreds of Comic-Con attendees, …
Zhejiang Geely Holding Group appeared set to sign a binding deal Sunday to buy Sweden's Volvo Cars from Ford Motor Co., in a coup for the ambitious Chinese automaker, and also a challenge.
Geely earlier had said it expected to reach a final agreement on the deal by the end of March. Chinese Vice President Xi Jinping is visiting Sweden, and a signing ceremony could be timed to coincide with his visit.
Xi was due to visit Goteborg, Sweden, where Volvo is headquartered, on Sunday, the official Xinhua News Agency reported. No more specific details of Xi's schedule were available.
Ford, which purchased the Swedish car maker in 1999 for $6.45 million, …
* Bankruptcy filings
The following people filed petitions in U.S. Bankruptcy Court forthe Southern District on March 25, 2002:
* Ricky Carl and Vivian Eugenia Weikle, P.O. Box 18, Union.Chapter 7. No schedule provided.
* James Madison and Theresa Diane Hamilton, 420 Union St.,Bluefield. Chapter 7. Assets: $82,690. Liabilities: $84,150.
* Barbara Ann and Ronald Odell Lyle, 348 Maxey Road, Spanishburg.Chapter 7. Assets: $35,023. Liabilities: $44,763.45.
* Bonnie Kay Skeens, 21892 State Route 141, Waterloo, Ohio.Chapter 7. Assets: $15,535.71. Liabilities: $60,410.75.
* Patsy Ann and Thomas Harold Blackburn, P.O. Box 22, Huddy, KY.Chapter 7. …
PARIS (AP) — The French football federation has awarded former national team coach Raymond Domenech €975,000 ($1.38 million) in compensation after being fired last year.
FFF president Noel Le Graet says "the Domenech issue is closed" and he will receive €575,000 ($817,00) relating to the years he had worked for the FFF and "an additional compensation of …
When the Nikon D2X Digital Single Lens Reflex (DSLR) camera waslaunched in 2004 with a 12.4 megapixel sensor, the largest sensortill date, experts predicted the end of the megapixel wars. Amegapixel basically means 1,000,000 pixels which is the amount ofpixels the sensor of a digital camera can capture. A camera with asensor measuring 1024x768 pixels is a one megapixel sensor. But inlate 2008, Nikon launched the D3X, a monster of a camera with a 24.8megapixel resolution. At the same time, Nikon's Compact Digitalcamera range wearing the Coolpix brand began to feature devices with12 megapixel sensors.
So, do we really need more megapixels? Yes, says Makoto Kimura,Director, Nikon Corp. I do not believe that DSLR's have maxed outmegapixels just yet. Just wait till later this year to see what webring out. However, when it comes to compact digital cameras, Kimurafeels that more megapixels may not be the way forward. While compactdigital cameras are facing challenges from mobile phones, it will bethe clarity and quality of the images that will distinguish themfrom mobile phones, says Kimura. He does not believe that the mobilephone has dented sales of compact digital cameras. In fact, hethinks it has helped them. In countries like India, where thepenetration of digital cameras is low, mobile devices give peoplethe taste of digital photography. Then they want the real thing, andbuy a Coolpix or a similar device, he says.
Kimura says that Nikon is fighting back against mobile phonecompanies. The latest Nikon cameras feature wireless printing andGlobal Positioning Sensors, which can record the location where apicture has been shot. They can also directly upload images from thecamera onto photo sharing services on the Internet. We are stillworking on our user interface, which could do with some tweaking,but that is in the future, he says.
New in Camera
Worried that mobile phones are stepping on to their turf, cameramakers are putting more features in their devices.
Global Positioning System (GPS) modules: to record the geographiclocation of images
Wireless printing directly from the camera after editing theimage on the camera itself
Directly uploading images from the camera on to photo-sharingservices on the Internet
Kushan Mitra
It is from one valley to another for a growing smokehouse once itmoves into a boarded-up pub.
Small family business The Valley Smokehouse, based in ChewValley, now owns Stone Allerton's Wheatsheaf Inn.
It bought the premises off Punch Taverns last week, but ownerJonathan Newberry is not bothered by the 5,000-year lease attachedto the property.
Century-spanning leases are not uncommon in the Cheddar Valleyand properties attached to them regularly go ahead for sale, withlittle danger of the freeholder arising.
Mr Newberry said: "We are a little smokery but produce qualityproducts.
"It stems from my cooking background and we do everythingtraditional with no chemicals and all done by hand.
"This is a really exciting year for us.
"The pub's been closed for a year and needs a lot of work.
"It will have a restaurant and, hopefully, a bakery."
The business expects to move from a small farm in Dundry, nearBristol, in late spring or early summer once the Wheatsheaf has beenrefurbished and planning permission obtained to adapt the pub'sexisting buildings.
The former chef and his wife have run the business for 21 yearsafter he packed up his chef's whites.
He now smokes food for top restaurants and chefs includingRaymond Blanc and Taunton chef turned television cook Phil Vickery.
AFTER a break of two weeks from competitive rugby, Narberth andWhitland will be back in action when division one west leaguefixtures resume this Saturday.
The Otters will be home to Bridgend Athletic and the Borderersaway to the students of Uwic in Cardiff.
For the Borderers it will be their first league fixture for threeweeks as their last scheduled fixture at Bridgend Athletic could notbe played as the pitch was waterlogged.
Carmarthen Athletic are away to second-placed Tata Steel.
The round of return league fixtures started early in December,but after a period of regular league and cup rugby each week, theremainder of the season will be interrupted by enforced breaksbecause of the Six Nations internationals in February and March.Lead At present Narberth lead the league table with 46 points from14 matches but they are only seven points ahead of CarmarthenAthletic in sixth place, who like the other teams in the top sixhave a game in hand over the current leaders. Narberth are twopoints ahead of Tata Steel, but only three points separate theremaining top six teams, who include Whitland in fourth place on 40points.
Players, supporters and club treasurers thrive on regular matcheseach week and players get rusty without match practice, and withoutregular club rugby fans lose the incentive to attend or simply getmixed up as to when the next home game is.
In the intensity of competition in division one west it isdifficult to predict the table on Saturday night, and even more of alottery to forecast which team will end up as champions at the endof the season.
In the Carmarthen Tyre Services Championship West Wales PremierLeague, fourth-placed Whitland Wanderers will hold the aces at hometo bottom-of-thetable Narberth in the local derby, and CarmarthenDruids are home to Dunvant.
Like maybe a batting title?
Don't look now, but shortstop Starlin Castro has put himself into the thick of the batting race, even if you can't find his name among the league leaders.
When he singled in the first inning Friday off St. Louis Cardinals starter Jake Westbrook, he moved one point ahead of NL batting leader Carlos Gonzalez of the Colorado Rockies, at .323, but was 17 plate appearances short of qualifying among the leaders.
He finished 1-for-4, putting his average at .319.
''Isn't that wonderful?'' manager Lou Piniella said. ''This kid here is a player. He's gotten better and better as the season's progressed. You know, he makes his rookie mistakes, but we live with him and work with him, and he's really coming along.''
Playing every day and batting second, Castro should have enough plate appearances to qualify by the end of the month.
And the way he's hitting -- .403 since July 10 -- he might be on track for a lofty debut among the league leaders.
''One thing I've noticed is that he's tightened up his strike zone a little bit,'' Piniella said. ''He doesn't walk much, and it's because he doesn't swing and miss all that much either; he puts the ball in play. He's got good hand-eye.
''He's gotten better; there's no question about it. And I'm sure that these other teams are starting to pay more attention to him -- where he's at in the lineup and how to pitch to him and so forth. So far, I haven't seen one specific way to [effectively] pitch the young man.''
NOTES
The Cubs activated Derrek Lee from the bereavement list Friday and optioned Micah Hoffpauir back to Class AAA Iowa to make room. Lee missed the four-game series in San Francisco to tend to his ailing grandfather.
- Third baseman Aramis Ramirez missed his third straight game because of rib-cage soreness he said had improved Friday. Piniella was optimistic Ramirez would return to the lineup today.
- Jeff Baker was in Friday's original lineup at third base until he experienced back pain during early pregame work. He's day-to-day.
- Darwin Barney made his major-league starting debut Friday at second base with Blake DeWitt taking Baker's place at third.
TODAY'S GAME - CUBS (48-68) AT CARDINALS (65-49) - 3:10, FOX-32, 720-AM
Carlos Zambrano
3-6, 5.46 ERA
'10 vs. Cardinals: 0-0, 0.00 (2 G)
Career vs. Cardinals: 10-6, 3.50 (24 GS)
Zambrano vs. Cardinals
Pujols: 16-for-61, .262, 5 HR, 14 RBI
Lopez: 14-for-40, .350, 2 HR, 7 RBI
Y. Molina: 7-for-32, .219, 4 RBI
Miles: 8-for-31, .258, 2 BB, 2 K's
Schumaker: 10-for-29, .345, 3 RBI
LaRue: 5-for-28, .179, 13 K's
vs.
Chris Carpenter
13-3, 2.89 ERA
'10 vs. Cubs: 1-0, 2.63 (2 GS)
Career vs. Cubs: 10-3, 2.79 (19 GS)
Carpenter vs. Cubs
Lee: 16-for-52, .308, 6 RBI, 10 K's
Ramirez: 15-for-51, .294, 4 2B
Soriano: 13-for-39, .333, 2 HR, 7 RBI
Byrd: 6-for-17, .353, RBI, 3 K's
Fukudome: 2-for-13, .154, 2 BB
Zambrano: 6-for-10, 2B, 2 K's
Color Photo: (See microfilm for photo description).
It's not many cottages that can plot changes made over foursuccessive centuries, but then Hall Cottage isn't your average home.
This surprisingly spacious building adjoins the memorial hall inHinton Charterhouse, hence its name, and has had quite a role invillage history.
Chris Brammer has lived there for nearly 21 years and hasuncovered all sorts of fascinating details in his time there -literally.
There's the Elizabethan fireplace upstairs, for instance, and theshovel unearthed among the foundations.
"I had that dated by Devizes Museum and was told it was medieval."
From that he deduced that the cottage was built as a much longersingle-storey building by monks attached to Hinton Priory in the1480s.
One hundred years later and it had become the village farmhousewith an upper storey added.
In the 1680s, a kitchen was added at the front. He discovered acoin from the reign of James II in the slots in one of the ceilings.
And then, in the 1780s, a very handsome Georgian sitting room wascreated at the far end of the house, although Chris reckons theactual room existed before that in Elizabethan times. He's alreadyremoved several fireplaces to expose the elegant Georgian one butbelieves there's a larger Elizabethan one behind it.
A robust woodburner sits in the fireplace and there's a prettyGeorgian arched recess on one side.
This room is panelled and it took Chris 18 painstaking years toremove layer after layer of paint before getting back to the wood sothat he could prepare it for his neutral colour scheme.
By the 1880s the farm, as it was then, had become part of HintonHouse Estate and when a much grander farmhouse was built next door,the farm manager lived in Hall Cottage.
And then it became redundant, and the estate decided to give it tothe village.
And it became the Reading Room with a billiard room above.
More recently, part of the cottage was used as kitchens for theMemorial Hall until a new purpose-built extension was planned.
When Chris bought the cottage - "I fell in love with it as soon asI looked through the window" - it hadn't been lived in for more thana year and was "falling down a bit".
Someone had sawed partway through one of the main beams in theroof, so that had to be rectified quickly, and beams across thelovely big sitting room were rotting at one end so that entire sidehad to be brought in four inches.
Rooms upstairs were inter-connected so he moved the staircase inthe oldest, central part of the cottage to create a narrow landing,with bedroom, bathroom and study off it. This also meant creating anew entrance to the main bedroom, the one with the Elizabethanfireplace.
"We discovered a secret passageway that went up to it and it waspacked full of extraordinary things, 18th century show buckles, pigbones and bottles."
And the loft space under the stone roof - it's the only house inthe village still to have this type of covering - was obviously usedfor storing farm equipment. You tend to come out covered with tracesof madder, the red dye used for marking sheep, says Chris.
Part of the cottage's charm is that remnants of its history arestill so evident. The room in the middle of the ground floor has awonderful bowed ceiling and two windows set into five foot deepsills. One of them is very narrow and was covered up when Chris movedin. He believes that it's Elizabethan.
The other one, somewhat larger, has arched frames and could wellhave come from the priory, he feels.
There's an equally deep sill in the kitchen, plenty wide enough totake a hob.
Throughout the exhaustive re-design, Chris has tried to recycle asmuch as possible. Parts of the Victorian staircase he removed havebeen used to construct engaging arched doorways that somehow suit therandom layout of the upstairs.
There are vast aged beams in the second bedroom and the bathroom,and the huge master bedroom has a decided slope to it - in factthere's a one-foot difference between one side and another, saidChris.
The garden at the front is big enough for a table and chairs inone part, a lower area complete with a grotto, and a parking spaceand it's the sort of quirky home that will appeal to people with aninterest in history, who don't want their rooms to have perfect rightangles.
Kenny Rogers and Eric Gagne are headed to the disabled list, while Ria Cortesio is ticketed for the minors again. If she can make it back to the big leagues, though, that would be something.
Cortesio became the first female umpire to work a major league exhibition game since Pam Postema in 1989 when she was on the bases Thursday for the Chicago Cubs' 7-4 victory over an Arizona Diamondbacks split squad in Mesa, Ariz.
Cortesio hustled all over the infield and made her calls with an emphatic fist pump. Always in the right position, she did what every umpire hopes to do during a ballgame: She blended in.
Her performance before a HoHoKam Park record crowd of 12,917 was pretty much like the sunny 64-degree day. It was flawless.
"It was pretty uneventful. I didn't have much," Cortesio said.
At least not on the field. Her phone started ringing early Thursday morning as the hype surrounding her assignment began to build.
"When I found out I had this game, my plan was to sneak in, work the game and sneak out and hope no one noticed," she said. "That didn't happen."
Working with major league umpire Mike Winters on the bases while another minor league ump, Jason Kiser, handled the plate, Cortesio was at first base for the first two innings before she switched across the diamond to third and then back again a couple of times. The moving around from side to side is standard for spring training games.
With a dark blue hat, light blue short-sleeved shirt and gray slacks, Cortesio looked very much like the other two umps - just a bit thinner.
Cortesio knew several players in the game because they were also in the minor leagues where she worked.
"I got a lot of, 'Hey Ria, where are you going to be this year?' That's the question. As of right now, I'm going back to the Southern League, but that's subject to change at any minute. As soon as a spot opens up at Triple-A, it's mine," she said.
Cortesio is the only female umpire in professional baseball. At 30, she is starting her ninth year overall and fifth in Double-A.
Once she makes it to Triple-A, she'll be evaluated by major league umpire supervisors.
If she's judged good enough, she would be invited to the Fall League, then to a full schedule of major league spring training games and finally to a spot as a fill-in in the majors.
No female umpire has ever worked a regular-season game in the majors. Cortesio obviously hopes to be the first.
"Absolute best-case scenario, we're looking at 2009 to get a couple of games," she said.
Cubs manager Lou Piniella, known for his run-ins with umpires over the years, saluted Cortesio's pursuit.
"I think it's good. I really do," Piniella said. "I think there is a place for women in the umpiring ranks - they're certainly as qualified as anybody else. I'm sure if they get the same opportunities, the same schooling that their male counterparts do, they'll do a really nice job."
At Lakeland, Fla., Rogers was placed on the 15-day disabled list with a tired arm, making Chad Durbin the Detroit Tigers' fifth starter.
The move, retroactive to Sunday, sends Rogers to the DL for the first time since 2001. Manager Jim Leyland said the 42-year-old left-hander will miss only one start.
"No. 1, you're concerned about Kenny Rogers and make sure he's OK. The other part will take care of itself. We'll march on and hopefully this won't be a very long period of time," Leyland said before Detroit's 3-1 win over Houston.
Texas will put Gagne on the DL to start the season, giving the closer more time to come back from elbow and back operations.
The Rangers said Gagne hasn't had any health setbacks. The 2003 NL Cy Young Award winner has pitched only 15 1-3 innings over the past two seasons.
"I feel pretty good, but I think this is going to help the team," Gagne said in Surprise, Ariz., after throwing 15 pitches in a minor league game.
This is the third straight season since his dominating run as the Los Angeles Dodgers' closer that Gagne will be on the disabled list before pitching. Akinori Otsuka, who converted 32 of 36 save chances last season, will handle the closing duties until Gagne returns.
The DL move will be retroactive to Wednesday, meaning Gagne could rejoin the Rangers on April 13 for the start of a series in Seattle. He will pitch for Double-A Frisco and Triple-A Oklahoma until then.
At Bradenton, Fla., NL batting champion Freddy Sanchez went 2-for-8 in a minor league intrasquad game, the first time the Pittsburgh Pirates' infielder ran the bases and played in the field since hurting his knee March 6.
"I just tried to get out there and push it," Sanchez said.
He thought he did that successfully - increasing the chances he might be able to play in the Pirates' season-opening series that starts Monday in Houston.
At Jupiter, Fla., Jim Edmonds finally looked ready for opening day, just in time for the St. Louis Cardinals to begin making their way north.
Edmonds got his first hit and RBI of spring training in the Grapefruit League finale for the World Series champions, who tied the Florida Marlins 4-4. It was only the fourth game for Edmonds, who missed much of the exhibition schedule while recovering from shoulder and toe surgeries.
But afterward, manager Tony La Russa said he's still being cautious with the eight-time Gold Glove winner.
"He's getting closer," La Russa said. "I think you live with doubts. When you walk around with no doubts, that's when you get sucker-punched. We'll watch him closely and we'll try to do the right thing."
A few days ago, Edmonds sounded doubtful about being ready for the season opener Sunday night against the New York Mets because of the injuries that had kept him out of action since the World Series celebration.
Now, it seems as though he could be in the lineup.
"Things have been responding well," said Edmonds, who says the toe still pains him and acknowledges some extra shoulder stiffness from time to time. "There's some things that are getting stronger in there."
In other news, Los Angeles Angels reliever Scot Shields agreed to a $14.6 million, three-year contract extension through 2010, and Oakland first baseman Dan Johnson will begin the season on the DL with a hip injury.
Cory Lidle's wife and son will throw out the ceremonial first pitch Monday on opening day at Yankee Stadium. The 34-year-old pitcher was killed in a plane crash Oct. 11 in New York after finishing last season with the Yankees.
In other games:
Padres (ss) 5, Diamondbacks (ss) 3
At Phoenix, Randy Johnson struck out five in three shutout innings. Five months after back surgery, he gave up two hits in his second start of the spring and first against major leaguers.
Padres (ss) 6, Mariners (ss) 1
At Peoria, Ariz., Jake Peavy needed only 44 pitches to get through his final tuneup of the spring. San Diego's opening-day starter threw three shutout innings.
Giants 4, Mariners (ss) 0
At San Francisco, Barry Zito gave up three hits in six innings during his final spring training tuneup for the Giants. Barry Bonds went 2-for-3 with a pair of singles.
Devil Rays 3, Red Sox 3
At Fort Myers, Fla., Tampa Bay starter Edwin Jackson allowed one run in six innings and finished spring training with a 1.74 ERA. He was chosen Wednesday as the Devil Rays' fifth starter.
Indians 8, Braves 2
At Kissimmee, Fla., Fausto Carmona pitched six hitless innings and Cleveland touched up Tim Hudson for three runs in the fourth. New Atlanta setup man Rafael Soriano gave up two-run homers to Trot Nixon and Casey Blake in the fifth.
Phillies 5, Pirates 5
At Bradenton, Fla., Ryan Howard hit a long home run that landed on a practice field. Pat Burrell followed with another shot off Pittsburgh starter Shawn Chacon.
Royals 7, Rangers 5
At Surprise, Ariz., Sammy Sosa returned after missing four games with a stomach virus and hit his fifth homer of the spring.
Mets 13, Dodgers (ss) 2
At Vero Beach, Fla., Lastings Milledge, fighting for one of the final spots on New York's roster, returned to action after missing three games because of a bruised right hand and went 1-for-2 with an RBI. David Newhan had four hits, including two solo homers, for the Mets.
Angels (ss) 6, Dodgers (ss) 1
At Los Angeles, Gary Matthews Jr. doubled home a run and prevented another with a great catch for the Angels, who turned their third triple play of spring training.
Brewers 4, Angels (ss) 2
At Phoenix, Geoff Jenkins doubled twice and drove in three runs. Chris Capuano allowed one run in five innings.
Twins 10, Reds 2
At Sarasota, Fla., Carlos Silva followed his worst performance of spring training with his best, pitching five shutout innings for Minnesota. Cincinnati's Bronson Arroyo gave up seven hits and three runs in five innings. Ken Griffey Jr. was hitless in three at-bats, leaving him 4-for-15 in five games this spring.
Yankees 6, Blue Jays 3
At Dunedin, Fla., Alex Rodriguez, Robinson Cano and Derek Jeter hit opposite-field homers. Rodriguez has hit all four of his home runs in the past week.
Orioles 3, Nationals 3, 10 innings
At Columbus, Ohio, Daniel Cabrera struck out seven in four scoreless innings for Baltimore, and Melvin Mora hit a two-run single.
Rockies 5, White Sox (ss) 5
At Tucson, Ariz., Colorado lefty Jeff Francis pitched two-hit ball for five scoreless innings. He struck out six and walked one. Matt Holliday hit a three-run homer off Chicago starter Jon Garland.
White Sox (ss) 5, Barons (AA) 4
At Hoover, Ala., Brian Anderson hit a go-ahead, three-run homer in the eighth for Chicago, which beat its Double-A affiliate and stopped a seven-game skid.
Athletics 11, River Cats (AAA) 10
At West Sacramento, Calif., Esteban Loaiza was scratched from his scheduled start because of tightness in his upper back and neck. He is day-to-day. Mike Piazza hit a home run and a three-run double. Nick Swisher homered twice against Oakland's Triple-A farm team.
Astros (ss) 6, Express 4
At Round Rock, Texas, Jason Jennings settled down and finished with a flourish in his final spring training tuneup. Houston's No. 2 starter gave up two runs - one earned - in four innings, striking out the side in the fourth against Triple-A Round Rock.
Health bosses at cashstrapped Weston-super-Mare General Hospitalsay they will balance their budget by the end of the financial year.
Weston Area Health Trust, which runs the Grange Road hospital, ismore than GBP1.2 million in the red. But the trust's deputy chiefexecutive, Meredith Collins, is banking on the sum being clawed backby April.
He said about GBP1.5 million would be raised by the sale ofresidential accommodation in Uphill, GBP367,000 should be recoveredfrom the Somerset Coast Primary Care Trust and the trust hoped toreceive GBP240,000 from North Somerset PCT for funding patients fromout of the area.
Amtrak says ridership dropped by about a million passengers over the past year, but it was still the second-highest year in the railroad's history.
Figures released Monday by the nation's intercity rail operator show Amtrak carried 27.2 million passengers during the 12 months ending Sept. 30. Amtrak's record was 28.7 million passengers during the previous year.
Still, ridership was up over two years ago by 5.1 percent.
Amtrak President and CEO Joseph Boardman blamed the decline in ridership to the weakened economy. Business ridership was off in the popular Northeast corridor, although travel on some short distance routes and the railroad's 15 long distance trains was up.
NEW YORK - Wall Street traded sideways Monday as investors awaited further hints about the economy's direction in economic data to be released this week.
Reports that begin rolling out Tuesday with existing home sales data for August and the Richmond Fed's regional manufacturing survey will help drive stocks. Many investors hope readings on durable goods and consumer spending will give the Fed room to cut rates still further.
However, lower rates - and the potential for more cuts - continued to weigh against the U.S. dollar. The U.S. currency dropped to a 15-year low against six other major currencies.
There are no economic reports due Monday. However, speeches are expected from Fed Chairman Ben Bernanke, Dallas Fed president Richard Fisher, and Chicago Fed governor Charles Evans.
In midmorning trading, the Dow Jones industrials fell 4.47, or 0.03 percent, to 13,815.72.
Broader indicators were mixed, with the Standard & Poor's 500 index fell 2.58, or 0.17 percent, to 1,523.17, while the Nasdaq composite index rose 1.33, or 0.05 percent, at 2,672.55.
Bonds edged lower, with the yield on the benchmark 10-year Treasury note rising to 4.64 percent from 4.63 percent late Friday. Treasuries have rallied since last week's rate cut.
The dollar fell against major currencies, while gold prices dipped.
Oil prices fell as a tropical depression in the Gulf of Mexico dissipated without causing damage to key oil and gas infrastructure. A barrel of light sweet crude dropped 82 cents to $80.80 on the New York Mercantile Exchange.
In corporate news, General Motors Corp. faced a morning deadline in contract talks as United Auto Workers have threatened to strike if a new contract isn't reached. Talks continued with a union strike deadline of 11 a.m EDT. GM shares rose $1.08, or 3.1 percent, to $36.02.
Ford Motor Co. shares rose 25 cents, or 3.1 percent, to $8.48 after Chief Executive Alan Mullaly said the auto maker is in talks with potential buyers of the company's Jaguar and Land Rover Brands. The company also began operations of its newest joint-venture factory in China, where it will produce both the Ford and Mazda brands.
Limits on Fannie Mae's and Freddie Mac's investment portfolios could be lifted in February if they begin filing timely and audited financial statements, a top regulator told The Wall Street Journal. Under the plan, the Office of Federal Housing Enterprise Oversight would allow the two government-backed mortgage providers to be given more flexibility and to expand.
Fannie Mae shares fell 52 cents to $62.20.
Dell Inc. rose 28 cents to $28.04 as it said it will launch a retail presence in China by selling computers through the country's biggest chain of electronics stores. The deal extends Dell's strategy of expanding beyond its traditional Internet-and-phone sales model into retail to better compete with rivals.
Xerox Corp. fell 3 cents to $16.99 after it launched a system promising to slash the cost of color printing for high-volume users willing to pay more for machines.
The Russell 2000 index of smaller companies fell 3.55, or 0.44 percent, 809.56.
In European trading, Britain's FTSE 100 rose 0.26 percent, Germany's DAX index fell 0.22 percent, and France's CAC-40 shed 0.03 percent.
In Asia earlier, Japan's Nikkei index fell 0.62 percent and Hong Kong's Hang Seng Index rose 2.74 percent.
REGION
The beginning of 2010 has brought a mixed bag of news to homebuilders trying to pull their industry out of the economic slump.
Sales of new homes remain lackluster nationally, but federal tax credits and other incentives are attracting the attention of potential buyers.
Across Pennsylvania and in the midstate, homebuilders' reactions to these trends are just as mixed. Some firms continue to struggle to earn enough revenue to stay afloat, while others see their fortunes rising in the second quarter.
"Some of our members are saying that it's their best year ever, while others are going out of business," said Scott Elliott, spokesman for the Lemoynebased Pennsylvania Builders Association.
Generally, PBA members in the western half of the state appear to be having more trouble emerging from the housing slump than their counterparts in the eastern half, Elliott said. And lower- and medium-priced homes tend to be selling better than luxury homes.
Many association members continue to turn to other lines of business to bring in muchneeded revenue, Elliott said. Some have turned to remodeling or light commercial construction work One unnamed contractor earned a mention in the March issue of the association's member magazine, Keystone Builder, for supplementing his income by providing DJ services at parties and other events.
Lisa Cooper turned to remodeling to help pay her firm's bills last year and thinks the same might be true for much of 2010.
"I'm looking for the light at the end of the tunnel, but I don't see it coming in the next quarter," said Cooper of Cooper Custom Homes in East Hempfield Township, Lancaster County. "The traffic at open houses is decent, but there's no urgency among buyers. That's the problem."
Perry L. Cisney is even less optimistic. Like Cooper, Cisney"s business, Perry L. Cisney Custom Contractor in Springettsbury Township, York County, has relied on remodelingworkas it waits for home sales to rebound. But that hasn't happened, and now demand for remodeling projects also is slowing, Cisney said.
"I don't expect any major change this year," he said. "I've been in the business for 38 years, and it's the worst I've seen. It's terrible."
But Cooper and Cisney don't necessarily reflect the experience of all homebuilders in Central Pennsylvania. Some of their counterparts said they have seen signs of recovery during the first three months of 2010.
Stephen Black of Stephen Black Builders Inc. in Elizabeth Township, Lancaster County, said he has noticed a shift among his firm's new contracts toward homebuilding and away from remodeling. And the new homes the firm is building are not scaled-down versions of the firm's traditional offerings, Black said.
The optimism is even more apparent at Triple Crown Corp. Inc. in Lower Paxton Township, Dauphin County. The company expects its sales of new homes to double over last year as a sense of normalcy slowly returns to the market and the upcoming expiration of federal tax credits forces potential homebuyers to purchase quickly, said Mark DiSanto, Triple Crown's CEO. Consumers trying to take advantage of the $8,000 firsttime homebuyer tax credit or the $6,500 repeat homebuyer tax credit must sign binding sales contracts by April 30.
Obviously, we have gone through a recessionary period, but we think we have hit the bottom of this recession," DiSanto said. "There still is a need for homes. People continue to get married, and people continue to have babies. And you can only live with mom and dad for so long."
The housing industry's struggles have even provided new business opportunities for some homebuilders. In the past year, Triple Crown has purchased and revived four partially finished residential communities on the West Shore. And Cooper has discovered that she likes the remodeling business, even though she wishes her company was doing more homebuilding.
"I like the interaction with the customers," Cooper said. "It's amazing how we can take a house that's worn and make it feel like it's a brand-new house."
[Sidebar]
-"I'm looking for the light at the end of the tunnel, but I don't see it coming in the next quarter."
Lisa Cooper, Cooper Custom Homes
[Sidebar]
Recipe for recovery
What will it take for 2010 to be the year when homebuilders' fortunes finally turn around for good? Depending on who you ask, the answer is either about practicality, politics or psychology.
Many members of the Lemoyne-based Pennsylvania Builders Association report that access to financing remains a significant challenge for consumers, said association spokesman Scott Elliott. Until they have access to the funds necessary to buy new homes, many potential buyers will not be able to move forward with purchases, he said.
Pennsylvania contractors also are contending with new building code mandates that the PBA estimates could add thousands of dollars to the cost of new homes.
Stephen L Edris said the recovery is tied to consumer attitudes. The generally conservative nature of the midstate is holding people back from buying new homes, even if they have enough money to afford the purchase, he said. It may take this region longer to fully bounce back than in other, more freespending markets, he said.
"(During) the boom we went through a free-for-all. People were rampant with money from their investments," said Edris of Stephen L Edris Custom Contractor in Rapho Township, Lancaster County. "But now people have to reel in and figure out what their next step is. People are only going to act if they absolutely need to or if they feel confident enough in their ability to afford a new home."
[Author Affiliation]
BY CHRISTINA REARDON
Contributing Writer
South Woodham Amateur Theatre Association brings its nextproduction to the village hall from March 24-26.
It's a double bill featuring two short comedies in one evening,Waiting for Gordon by Derek Webb and Smalls Talk by Sue and CliveRead.
Tickets are Pounds 7/Pounds 6 on 07531 471072 or atwww.theswats.org.uk
South Africa's police commissioner said Friday his job will be made easier if the United States is knocked out of the World Cup in the first round, avoiding the massive security challenge of a visit by President Barack Obama.
General Bheki Cele told a parliamentary police committee meeting in Cape Town it was "50-50" whether Obama would visit Africa's first World Cup, but they had been told that if the Americans make the knockout stage of the tournament then Obama might jet in.
"One challenge is the American president, who is coming, not coming, coming, not coming," Cele said. "It's 50-50 as we stand.
"Our famous prayer is that the Americans don't make the second round. (That) they get eliminated and they go home."
Cele then paused and said "don't print that" to laughter from the audience that included members of parliament and police officials.
"We are told if they go to the second or third stage, the American president might come," Cele said. "It's one big challenge that we will be facing."
South Africa's top policeman said he had provisional confirmation that 43 heads of state would go to the World Cup, and "those 43 will be equal to this one operation" if Obama made the trip.
Cele said he had met with a senior FBI official who said he did not know if Obama would travel to the World Cup.
Cele also described to the parliamentary committee how he was summoned to an emergency meeting with FIFA secretary general Jerome Valcke on January 27 after the gun attack on the Togo team bus at the African Cup of Nations in Angola earlier that month.
"We were a bit annoyed that they (FIFA) were calling us like schoolboys called by the principal," Cele said. "But understanding the seriousness of the World Cup we complied and we met the secretary general at (Johannesburg's) OR Tambo airport.
"The secretary general was almost in tears because of the pressure he was under ... and people pushing to withdraw it (the World Cup) from South Africa," Cele said.
Cele told the committee it was then decided that South African police officials would travel to Zurich to present their plans to security experts from the participating countries.
South Africa's security forces are still under pressure to protect teams and fans at the June 11-July 11 tournament.
Along with the host country's high rate of violent crime, there are growing racial tensions in South Africa following the murder of a white supremacist leader last month. Police say the killing of Eugene Terreblanche on April 3 was caused by a wage dispute with two of his black farm workers.
On Thursday, South Africa's police ministry said it had confiscated a large cache of weapons and arrested suspects linked to right-wing groups.
A spokesman for Police Minister Nathi Mthethwa told The Associated Press that police acting on tips raided sites in the capital Pretoria and a town in the Western Cape and found large caches of explosives, illegal guns and ammunition. The spokesman said there was a "strong linkage to right-wing operations."
Fears have been raised in South Africa that right-wing groups could target the World Cup. Soccer is viewed as the sport of black people in South Africa.
Earlier Thursday, Mthethwa referred to the World Cup during his regular budget speech in parliament, saying his forces were prepared for the tournament.
"Our readiness ranges from personnel to state-of the-art equipment, information communication technology and cooperation with the security agencies from the 31 participating countries," Mthethwa said.
WEST Virginia's political climate is changing, at a rate manypeople could not have imagined a few years ago. That pace likelywill accelerate in the next 14 months.
Consider:
When Sen. Robert Byrd died, Gov. Joe Manchin, a conservative,fiscally responsible, pro-economic-growth Democrat, won the Senateseat over the even more pro-growth Republican candidate, John Raese.
Then every Democrat and his brother ran for the Democraticnomination to succeed Manchin as governor. Senate President Earl RayTomblin, another conservative Democrat who has worked hard toimprove the state's financial footing, won the day handily.
Tomblin prevailed again Tuesday against an even more growth-focused Republican, businessman, Bill Maloney.
But it wasn't a comfortable victory.
Tomblin is an experienced politician much praised for his abilityto broker compromises. He enjoyed widespread support - from laborgroups that had trashed him in the primary to business groupsgrateful for his work on policy changes that have improved WestVirginia's fiscal situation and economic prospects.
But a substantial portion of the electorate was not satisfiedwith what many interest groups were.
In a special election expected to generate little interest, 25percent of registered voters made the effort to cast ballots.
Tomblin, who has been on ballots since 1973, won 150,751 votes -almost 50 percent of the vote.
Republican Maloney, who has never run for public office, captured142,906 votes for almost 47 percent.
In a state where Democrats have a 2-1 advantage in voterregistration, that's a surprisingly thin margin for Tomblin.
Maloney tried to harness public dissatisfaction with longstandingpoverty and the policies of progressive Democrats like PresidentBarack Obama. Those themes surely contributed to Maloney'ssurprising showing.
But the president wasn't on the ballot Tuesday.
On Election Day 2012, Obama likely will head the Democraticticket. That could make a big difference.
West Virginians have had it with business as usual. They wantpolicies that will fix the state's economy, and they want it fast.
The party that delivers pro-growth policies quickly likely ownsthe foreseeable future.
PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) — Oregon Steel Mills is moving its headquarters to Chicago in a move its parent company hopes will boost business in Oregon, where its manufacturing plant will remain.
Evraz Inc. North America is moving about 60 managers from Portland to Chicago, The Oregonian reports.
Mike Rehwinkel, CEO of Evraz North America, said Oregon may actually profit from the $3 billion Russian-owned company's move to a centrally located city where managers can increase business for the Portland plant.
Oregon Steel, which traces its Portland origins to 1928 and employs about 500 in the city, makes steel pipes and plates.
Rehwinkel said in an interview the move has nothing to do with Portland's business climate or voter approval last year of Oregon ballot measures 66 and 67, which raised taxes on corporations and high-income earners.
"It's about growing jobs in Portland for Evraz, which means we need to be in Chicago to do that," Rehwinkel said. "Oregon is a key ingredient to our future endeavors."
Portland Mayor Sam Adams said Thursday he had no advance notice of the company's plans to move.
Adams said Rehwinkel made it clear there was nothing the city could do to change the decision, which was driven by a desire to get the company's sales force closer to key customers.
"Obviously, you want to keep all the headquarters you can," Adams said.
Joe Cortright, an economic consultant in Portland, said Evraz is a global company, and cities like Chicago offer a host of advantages.
The loss of headquarters is symbolic, just as it was when Seattle lost Boeing Co.'s headquarters to Chicago. But the principal asset for Portland is the manufacturing jobs, Cortright said.
Evraz plans to open its Chicago headquarters in June, closing its home base on the 22nd floor of a downtown Portland office tower. Portland headquarters employees who don't want to move with the company will receive severance packages.
___
Information from: The Oregonian, http://www.oregonlive.com
With job losses soaring nationwide, Senate Democrats reached agreement with a small group of Republicans Friday night on an economic stimulus measure at the heart of President Barack Obama's plan for combatting the worst recession in decades.
"The American people want us to work together. They don't want to see us dividing along partisan lines on the most serious crisis confronting our country," said Sen. Susan Collins of Maine, one of at least two Republican senators who pledged their votes for the bill.
Democratic leaders said the concessions they had made to Republicans and moderate Democrats to trim the measure had cleared the way for its passage. It seemed likely a final vote would take place Saturday or Sunday.
Democrats put the cost of the measure at $780 billion, including Obama's signature tax cut of up to $1,000 for working couples. Much of the new spending in the bill would be for victims of the recession, in the form of unemployment compensation, health care and food stamps.
Republican critics said that the price tag was actually higher, and that billions were ticketed for programs that would not create jobs. Official cost figures were not yet available.
The agreement capped a tense day of backroom negotiations in which Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, joined by White House chief of staff Rahm Emanuel, sought to attract the support of enough Republicans to give the measure the needed 60-vote majority.
Uncertain of the outcome of the talks, Democrats called Sen. Edward M. Kennedy back to Washington in case his vote was needed. The Massachusetts senator, battling brain cancer, has been in Florida in recent days and has not been in the Capitol since suffering a seizure on Inauguration Day more than two weeks ago.
In addition to Collins, Republican Sen. Arlen Specter said he would vote for the bill. Several Democratic senators said Olympia Snowe, another Republican, also had agreed to vote for it, but her office said she was uncommitted.
Bridgeport police said they snared a 47-year-old man who broke into a local church to play the drums. Police said Michael Smith, of Weston, was driving by the Holy Ghost Deliverance Church on Monday afternoon when he spotted a drum set through its window.
He was charged with criminal trespass and breach of peace after allegedly breaking into the church, where officers found him in a spirited solo after the church's alarm system went off.
Smith is scheduled for arraignment Nov. 5 in Bridgeport Superior Court. A telephone listing was not available for him.
If you were not at the Organic Theater Greenhouse on North ClarkStreet Saturday night - and I know most of you weren't - you missedwhat was probably the farewell stage performance of one of our mostcelebrated actors.
Well, our most celebrated alderman-actor, anyway. Our only one,actually, if you don't count the histrionics in the City Council.
Thespian-Alderman Berny Stone of the 50th Ward brought down thehouse in his starring role as Cliff, a skinflint retired dentist andfather of three dizzy daughters in "Three Sisters Not By Chekhov."
He also bought the house - putting up about $1,300 to buy all 75tickets for Saturday's closing performance.
Which put him in the art-for-art's sake hole financially sincehis "first paycheck as an actor" totaled only $25 for his three-nightrun.
Back in the workaday world of City Hall on Monday, Stone told mehe's not sure he wants to do another play. It's tough work"memorizing all those lines," said Stone who is 67, and, "It getsharder as you grow older."
He still hopes, though, to be discovered by the movies, or maybeget some parts in TV commercials as has the woman who played his wifeGrace in the play and also has appeared in some Empire Carpetcommercials.
Stone, as you may know, started taking acting lessons at theCenter Theater at Devon and Glenwood only weeks ago and his role in"Three Sisters," a "light, frothy comedy," as he calls it, marked hisstage debut as well as his apparent goodbye to the boards.
"I don't know about anybody else," he said, "but I had a goodtime."
Actually he did pretty well. Didn't blow any lines that Inoticed, though he was concerned enough about that happening that hewrote on his invitations to Saturday's performance, "Be nice to the`old man' if I forget my lines."
Stone did get a lot of laughs, took two curtain calls (he wasreally great in his bows to the audience) and was presented withthree bouquets of flowers.
Of course he knew everyone in the audience, which included suchCity Hall friends as Aldermen Bob Shaw (9th), Ed Smith (28th), GingerRugai (19th), Building Commissioner Cherryl Thomas and former CHAexecutive Graham Grady.
Unfamiliar with life behind the footlights, Stone said hecouldn't see anyone beyond the first row. But even in the dark herecognized Shaw's laugh.
What the play is about is that just as Cliff and Grace aresettling into retirement and planning a trip around the world, theirthree offbeat adult daughters suddenly all move back into the house.
(The whole cast Saturday night were understudies so their nameswere not in the program. Stone was the only alderman among them.)
At one point Cliff, a sweet old guy except for being so cheap,had to carry one of the daughters, who sleeps all day, offstage. Onemember of the audience worried out loud that "Berny could get ahernia."
Stone got his biggest laugh when, with Grace nagging him to takeher to a sexy new movie, he asked, "Why should we pay $16 to watchother people doing what we can do for nothing at home?"
Grace, though, got an even bigger laugh from Stone's friendswith her line about there being "nothing worse than a cheap sexmaniac."
In the City Council, where he's been performing for years, Stonesaid, "I can always ad lib" speeches and get away with it. But onthe stage, he said, "If I ad lib my lines the other actors don't gettheir cue from me."
All that memory work is too much for him, Stone said Monday.Which is why he'd rather work in movies or TV, where "you get to dotakes over and over again if you foul up."
He's already had an offer to do another play, Stone says, buthe's also losing his enthusiasm for working for next to nothing, likethat $25.
"I want something that'll pay a couple bucks," he said.
Is Hollywood ready for Berny? I don't know. But Berny's readyfor Hollywood. Just ask him.
UAL Corp., the bankrupt parent of United Airlines, asked a judgeto give it until the end of the year to file its recovery plan.
UAL asked U.S. Bankruptcy Judge Eugene Wedoff in a court filingFriday to give the Elk Grove Village-based company the exclusiveright to submit a plan through Dec. 31. Creditors would be precludedduring that time from offering competing proposals. The currentdeadline is Aug. 30.
The parent of the world's second-largest airline said it neededthe extra time to obtain exit financing after the U.S. AirTransportation Stabilization Board denied its application for a loanguarantee in June.
Extending the period would allow United to focus on …
The party of detained Myanmar opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi quietly commemorated the anniversary Thursday of its victory in elections 20 years ago and stood by its decision not to register for new polls to be held later this year.
A faction of the party, however, has split off to participate in the balloting.
About 70 party members gathered at the residence of party Vice Chairman Tin Oo to celebrate the party's 1990 victory.
"We will continue our struggle for democracy and we will continue to carry out our political activities," Tin Win, a senior National League for Democracy leader, said at the quiet celebration.
The NLD cannot officially hold gatherings at its headquarters since it was disbanded for refusing to register as a political party. It won Myanmar's last elections in 1990, but the military junta never allowed it to take power.
It declined to re-register for elections planned for this year as stipulated by new election laws. The NLD says the new laws are unfair and undemocratic because Suu Kyi and other people convicted of political offenses are barred from taking part in the vote.
But a faction of Suu Kyi's party applied Thursday for party registration with the Election Commission, said Than Nyein, a former senior NLD member who is expected to serve as the new party's chairman.
The faction calls itself the National Democratic Force.
Through her lawyer, Nyan Win, Suu Kyi expressed dissatisfaction with the new group's decision to register.
The exact date of the elections has not been announced.
Critics say the elections will be engineered so that military officers, many of whom have already shed their uniforms to enter politics, would be assured of victory.
An apparent U.S. missile attack destroyed a suspected militant compound in a tribal region of northwestern Pakistan on Tuesday, killing at least nine people, intelligence officials said.
It was not immediately clear who was targeted in the strike, in the Datta Khel region of North Waziristan, the two officials said on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to talk to the media. An unknown number of people were injured.
The area is the home of Hafiz Gul Bahadur, a powerful warlord whose fighters are battling U.S. and NATO forces in Afghanistan.
The CIA has stepped up missile strikes on militant positions in Pakistan's tribal regions since December, when a suicide bomber killed seven CIA employees in neighboring Afghanistan.
Pakistan publicly criticizes the U.S. missile attacks, saying they violate its sovereignty and fuel more anti-Americanism among the population, but Islamabad is widely believed to be sharing intelligence with the Americans on at least some of the strikes.
Washington refuses to publicly discuss the program, which uses unmanned drones, but Pakistani intelligence and government officials say privately the attacks have killed several senior al-Qaida and Taliban commanders in recent years.
An anti-Taliban militia in Kurram, another tribal region along the Afghan border, killed 10 Taliban fighters Tuesday, local police official Nasim Gul said.
The Taliban were surrounded and attacked after trying to kidnap a group of tribesmen, Gul said. The militia fighters also captured seven wounded insurgents.
Meanwhile, in the eastern Pakistani city of Lahore, police on Tuesday uncovered the second major weapons cache in as many days. Police, searching a fruit market warehouse, found 4,400 pounds (2,000 kilograms) of explosives, three suicide jackets and four machine guns.
A day earlier, police had discovered a weapons stash that included suicide jackets and more than 3,300 pounds (1,500 kilograms) of explosives. They were hidden inside an unused shop elsewhere in the city.
Lahore has been battered by a string of explosions in recent days. On Friday, two suicide bombers targeting soldiers on patrol killed 55 people and injured about 100 more in coordinated explosions.
In Karachi, police arrested a commander of the Pakistani Taliban as he rode in a jeep on the outskirts of the sprawling coastal city.
Salman Mehsud, who was wanted for kidnapping and a variety of other charges, was captured with 4 pounds (2 kilograms) of explosives and a pistol, senior police officer Sarwar Comando said.
___
Associated Press writers Babar Dogar in Lahore, Hussain Afzal in Parachinar and Ashraf Khan in Karachi contributed to this report.
While Fenwick was on its way back to Oak Park after survivinganother scare with its best player on the bench, Mount Carmel wasworking overtime in practice gear, upstairs in its cozy gymnasium fora late-night jam session.
If these Catholic League North foes meet again, maybe theCaravan will find a way to stop Chris Williams, who poured in 15 ofhis 19 points in the fourth quarter to lead Fenwick (4-0) past hostMount Carmel 55-48 Friday night in the league opener.
Fenwick's 6-6 super-soph Corey Maggette fouled out with 5:07 toplay, with just eight points and 11 rebounds and his team trailing bythree after Victor Junious sank the ensuing free throws. ButWilliams …
NYSERDA announces new data center energy award
ALBANY -- The New York State Energy Research and Development Authority announced it is sponsoring a new award to recognize firms that improve the energy efficiency of their data centers.
The award will be called the New York State Data Center Energy Efficiency Leadership Award.
Commercial, government and nonprofit organizations may submit applications by April 29 at NYSERDA's Web site, http://www.nyserda.org/ipe. The winner will be announced May 19.
The annual energy consumption by data centers in New York is equal to that of 700,000 homes.
-- Larry Rulison
GlobalFoundries, …
Byline: Associated Press
GREENSBORO, N.C. -- With an ever-present smile and a 5-foot-7 frame, Shigeki Maruyama doesn't look like much of a threat on the golf course.
But he's not nicknamed the ``Smilin' Assassin'' for nothing.
Maruyama reeled off nine birdies en route to an 8-under 64 Friday and a commanding lead after two rounds of the Chrysler Classic of Greensboro.
Maruyama, who is at 15-under 129, leads at the halfway point by five shots over Brad Faxon, who lost in a playoff here in 1997.
Maruyama laughed when asked about his nickname.
``I'm not as dangerous as an assassin,'' he said with a smile.
Faxon, …
PITTSBURGH -- A new class of robots has been inducted into the Robot Hall of Fame, an institution that honors both real and fictional robots and their creators in recognition of the increasing benefits robots are bringing to society. This year's inductees include Honda's humanoid robot ASIMO; Shakey, the first mobile robot with reasoning capability; Astro Boy, a Japanese cartoon robot with a soul; Robby the Robot, from MGM's 1956 science-fiction epic "Forbidden Planet"; and C-3PO, the gold-colored, multilingual robot from the "Star Wars" series.
[ILLUSTRATION OMITTED]
The robots join previously inducted hall-of-famers the HAL-9000 computer from "2001:A Space …
NEW YORK (AP) — An Oscar-winning songwriter's son was having trouble accepting his breakup with his swimsuit designer girlfriend, prosecutors said Saturday as he was charged with trying to kill her at a swanky New York City hotel.
Nicholas Brooks, 24, was ordered held without bail during his initial court appearance where he was charged with attempted murder and strangulation in the investigation surrounding Peruvian-American Sylvie Cachay's death.
Prosecutors said an apology letter from Brooks to Cachay was found in her purse and showed Brooks hadn't accepted that their relationship was ending.
Brooks' attorney, Jeffrey C. Hoffman, said Saturday before his court …
ATHENS, Greece -- Allen Iverson (right) could have taken his mindoff the U.S. basketball team's stunning loss Sunday to Puerto Rico bymarveling at the splendor of the Parthenon.
But that would have entailed leaving his room.
Coming to Greece and realizing how popular he is internationallyhas shocked Iverson "more than you could imagine," he said, and ithas made him more apprehensive than usual.
"I know how popular I am at different arenas in the UnitedStates," he said Monday.
As for his worldwide appeal, he said: "I tried to sum it all upand put it together in my head, but I don't actually know why.
"I know who I am. The people who are close to me …
Pancreaze has been approved by the FDA to treat exocrine pancreatic insufficiency. The clearance is a result of Johnson & Johnson Pharmaceutical Research and Development's response to the …
ALBANY - A former Citizens Bank employee pleaded guilty on Friday to stealing almost $30,000 in donations meant for local businesses and charities.
Sherlord Tyrone Ferguson, 36, of 61 Walnut St., Clifton Park, stole $29,146 from the bank between Aug. 1, 2005, and Dec. 26, 2006, by depositing the money into his bank account.
Ferguson made false entries for gift card …
Byline: -- New York Times
BRUSSELS -- Tough new controls on the production of lamb were demanded Monday by European Agriculture Commissioner Franz Fischler, who warned that he had evidence that ``mad cow'' disease could be passed to sheep.
Although BSE is thought to have developed in cattle which consumed feed containing the remains of sheep suffering from scrapie, a brain disease, Fischler said he had received …
"What the business enterprise needs is a principle of management that will give full scope to individual strength and responsibility, and at the same time give common direction of vision and effort, establish team work and harmonize the goals of the individual with the common weal The only principle that can do this is management by objectives and self-control. It makes the common weal the aim of every manager."
The Practice of Management. By PETER F. DRUCKER. New York: Harper & Row, 1954. Pp. ix, 404.
This year, 2004, marks the fiftieth anniversary of the publication of Peter Drucker's The Practice of Management. This work belongs in the category of "Great Books" because it introduced the seminal business concept of "management by objectives" and is one of the first expansive analyses of what managers do and how they should do it. While Drucker's concepts may seem obvious to today's reader, in 1954 they were considered revolutionary. Perhaps more than any other of the great books we could revisit in this series, The Practice of Management can still be read for its practical application to current challenges in public administration management.
Drucker was born in 1909 in Vienna, Austria. When The Practice of Management was published, he was professor of management in the Graduate School of Business at New York University. He had gained prominence as a business consultant, after General Motors approached him to study the company's management policies and structure. The result, The Concept of the Corporation, was published in 1945 and launched Drucker's career as a management thinker, writer and teacher. He is presently Marie Rankin Clarke Professor of Social Science and Management (Emeritus) at Claremont Graduate University, Claremont, California. He is also consultant to businesses and non-profits and continues to publish books and articles on management.
When first published, reviewers noted The Practice of Management's new and revolutionary ideas. Reviewing the book in the Saturday Review, Alexander R. Heron noted, "The serious reader of The Practice of Management cannot fail to gain a concept that is nothing short of a new faith." The Business Week …
Call it campaign growing pains. Or bad luck. Or a combination of the two.
By any name, Sen. John McCain is hampered by missteps and self-generated controversy in the early days of the general election campaign for the White House.
Take his most recent trip through several states and the Canadian capital, a five-day span during which he courted conservatives and independents alike, raised more than $10 million and began detailing his considerable differences with Sen. Barack Obama on energy policy.
Still, on Tuesday, he criticized his rival for proposing a windfall profits tax on the oil industry. The attack was complicated by McCain's earlier …
Paul Molitor hit his third career grand slam and Matt Lawtonadded a three-run homer in a seven-run second inning as the MinnesotaTwins beat Detroit 10-6 Thursday night for a season-openingthree-game sweep.
Lawton's 441-foot drive to right-center field erased a 3-0Tigers lead, and Molitor's slam made it 7-3. Molitor came up withthe bases loaded again in the seventh, but he struck out swingingagainst Mike Myers.
The homers helped rookie Todd Ritchie get the victory in hisfirst major-league appearance. Ritchie, who surprised the Twins witha strong spring, replaced starter Scott Aldred to start the fourth.Ritchie gave up hits on his first two pitches but allowed …
