Prosecutors, public guardians deserve pay-hike justice

If it's galling to you, as a taxpayer, to see Cook County payingsix figures to someone who has no clear duties, imagine what a wearyprosecutor must be feeling. Assistant state's attorneys have beendenied raises for several years due to the county's fiscal mess, yetthe county somehow finds a way to pay Gerald Nichols, former CountyBoard President John Stroger's patronage chief, $114,000 a year.Raises have also gone to the unionized lawyers in the publicdefender's office, while prosecutors got nothing.

The result is a disparity in pay between public defenders andprosecutors that is undermining morale in the state's attorney'soffice and threatening to create an exodus of …

5 Killed, Over 500 Hurt in Japan Quake

KASHIWAZAKI, Japan - A 6.7-magnitude earthquake rocked Japan's northwest coast on Monday, killing at least five people and injuring more than 500. The area was plagued by a series of aftershocks, the strongest of which was magnitude 5.8.

The quake flattened hundreds of buildings and triggered a fire at a nuclear power plant.

Five people in their 70s and 80s - four women and one man - died after being crushed when buildings collapsed on them in the quake, said Takashi Morita, a spokesman for the National Police Agency in Tokyo.

"I was so scared - the violent shaking went on for 20 seconds," Ritei Wakatsuki, an employee of convenience store Lawson, told The …

Geithner: Major banks have raised $48 billion

Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner says banks identified in stress tests as having capital shortfalls have raised $48 billion of the $75 billion that the government said they needed to get through an adverse turn in the economy.

Geithner told the Senate Banking Committee in written testimony that the government's review of the nation's 19 biggest banks has helped increase …

PROFILES OF CLINTON PICKS

Robert Reich hardly fits the conventional mold of secretary of labor,in fact, he might more properly be named secretary of the workplace.A fast-talking intellectual who has been controversial when writingabout economics, Reich is a strong advocate of the working person.He believes the fate of the economy lies not with corporations butwith laborers' skills.

Reich is 46 and a friend of President-elect Clinton's since theysailed off to Oxford University and then attended Yale Law Schooltogether, and his ideas formed the basis for many of the economicproposals in the campaign.

The reaction from organized labor to Reich was swift andoverwhelmingly favorable. Reviews …

Silence: True Communication/SILENCE, VRAIE COMMUNICATION

Abstract:

This paper examines the issue of communication in Harold Pinter's The Dumb Waiter. The main characters Gus and Ben are simple characters and their means of communication are the central theme in this play. It shows that even though the two characters interact and talk and discuss, they don't really communicate. The essence of the difference between just talking and really communicating is analyzed.

Key words: Silence, communication

R�sum�: L'article pr�sent examine le probl�me de communication dans Le Serveur muet de Harold Pinter. Les personnages principaux Gus et Ben sont des figures simples, et leur sens de communication est le th�me central de cette …

Relief in Washington over Taiwan's election of president looking to engage with China

After eight years of often strained U.S.-Taiwan relations, the United States is welcoming with relief Taiwan voters' choice of a president committed to engage, not antagonize, rival China.

President-elect Ma Ying-jeou has promised to defuse tensions and expand trade with China. As always, the United States did not take sides in Saturday's vote. But President George W. Bush said later in a statement that the election "provides a fresh opportunity" for Taiwan and China to begin peacefully settling their differences. The two sides split in 1949 during China's civil war.

Taiwan potentially is the most sensitive issue in U.S.-China relations. Beijing …

Blaze rips through family fish factory Fire ripped through a family owned fish factory leaving the building badly damaged.

Fire ripped through a family owned fish factory leaving thebuilding badly damaged.

Flames could be seen pouring from the side of the building whenfirefighters arrived.

The ground, first and mezzanine floors of A Christie Junr Ltd werebadly damaged in the blaze, which 35 firefighters spent two hoursbattling.

Two workers were in the building at the time of the blaze.

Grampian Fire and Rescue were called to the North Esplanade Westfactory at 5.30am to deal with the fire.

Station manager Alan Fleming said: "When the fire was discoveredflames were coming out of the side of the building through the edgeof the metal cladding.

"In response we sent …

Structural analysis of DNA-chlorophyll complexes by fourier transform infrared difference spectroscopy

ABSTRACT Porphyrins and metalloporphyrins are strong DNA binders. Some of these compounds have been used for radiation sensitization therapy of cancer and are targeted to interact with cellular DNA. This study was designed to examine the interaction of calf thymus DNA with chlorophyll a (CHL) in aqueous solution at physiological pH with CHL/DNA(phosphate) ratios (r) of 1/160, 1/80, 1/40, 1/20, 1/10, and 1/5. Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) difference spectroscopy was used to characterize the nature of DNA-pigment interactions and to establish correlations between spectral changes and the CHL binding mode, binding constant, sequence selectivity, DNA secondary structure, and structural …

Dara Torres has minor shoulder surgery

Dara Torres, the U.S. swimmer who won three silver medals in the Beijing Olympics at age 41, had surgery on her right shoulder on Wednesday.

Dr. Joseph Chalal shaved the outer end of Torres' collarbone during the arthroscopic procedure.

Torres, who missed gold by a …

Back to the basics ; For the life insurance industry, one of the few bright spots in the economy currently, the slowdown has been a good time to refocus its priorities.

For the life insurance industry, one of the few bright spots inthe economy currently, the slowdown has been a good time to refocusits priorities. As heady economic growth numbers taper down, theindustry is back to the basics of making invested capital work. Asthe equity markets have tanked, unit linked plans the engine forgrowth in recent times have taken a back seat. However, the CEO of atop insurance company says,from a posttax perspective ULIPs willcontinue to be attractive.That apart, for existing players it alsomeans that instead of chasing new business, the focus is now onprofitability and metrics such as persistency and agentproductivity.Insurance expert, Ashvin Parekh of …

Brown Returning to 76ers as Executive VP

PHILADELPHIA - Exit Allen Iverson. Enter Larry Brown. And so it goes with the Philadelphia 76ers, who rehired Brown for their front office nearly three weeks after trading away the player who tormented him during much of his six years as their coach.

The 76ers said early Saturday that Brown returned as an executive vice president. He will assist team president Billy King and the basketball operations department, and work on special projects.

"Oh yeah, I think he's very happy back in Philly," said Brown's agent, Joe Glass.

The move was expected after Philadelphia traded Iverson to Denver last month. The day after the deal, King said he was talking to Brown about …

Sri Lankan military says its jets have destroyed Tamil rebel base in embattled north

Sri Lankan air force jets destroyed a Tamil Tiger naval base in the country's north Thursday, a day after a fierce sea battle and a wave of infantry attacks killed at least 66 rebels and 14 troops, the military said.

Separately, a bomb blast blamed on the rebels killed four civilians in the north, the military said.

There were no immediate details on casualties from the airstrike, which came amid weeks of heavy fighting between the military and ethnic Tamil separatists in the dense jungles of northern Sri Lanka.

President Mahinda Rajapaksa said he aimed to crush the rebels, who have been fighting for a separate Tamil homeland for more than two …

Didymus, Chalcenterus (of the Brazen Guts)

Didymus, Chalcenterus (Of the Brazen Guts), Greek scholar and grammarian of Alexandria who flourished from c.80 to 10 B.C. He earned the nickname of Chalcenterus for his large output of books, which is said to have numbered about 3,500 vols. He wrote a tract on music, now known only by an epitome of Porphyry's, and some quotations by Ptolemy. In his system the octave of the diatonic genus is formed by 2 precisely similar tetrachords, and in all 3 species of tetrachord (diatonic, chromatic, enharmonic) the ratio for the interval of the major third is 4:5. He also recognized the difference between the major and minor whole tone; this difference (9/8:10/9 = 81:80) is, therefore, rightly termed the "comma of Didymus." Salinas and Doni have written on his musical system.

—Nicolas Slonimsky/Laura Kuhn/Dennis McIntire

Myanmar junta defends cyclone response as 'prompt,' with schools set to reopen

One month after a cyclone left more than 130,000 people dead or missing, Myanmar's military government reopened schools Monday in several areas despite worries that the extent of the damage could put children in harm's way.

Foreign aid workers also criticized the regime for continuing to drag its feet on allowing them speedy and full access to survivors of the disaster.

The junta had promised U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon that foreign relief workers would be allowed into the areas worst affected by the storm in the Irrawaddy delta after they were initially barred.

"Access remains problematic both for logistic staff inside Burma to the delta and for staff trying to get in from the outside. There has been a lot of talk about process but little results we can see," said Lionel Rosenblatt, president emeritus of U.S.-based Refugees International.

Faced by international censure for its inept handling of the catastrophe, Deputy Defense Minister Maj. Gen. Aye Myint told an international security conference in Singapore on Sunday that the junta broadcast warnings about the cyclone more than a week in advance, and moved quickly to rescue and provide relief to the estimated 2.4 million survivors.

"Due to the prompt work" of the military government, food, water and medicine were provided to all victims, the defense minister said. "I believe the resettlement and rehabilitation process will be speedy."

In its struggle to return to normalcy, the junta reopened many schools Monday in areas hit by the cyclone, though some were scheduled to reopen in July.

UNICEF said more than 4,000 schools serving 1.1 million children were damaged or destroyed by the storm and more than 100 teachers were killed. As a result, the government planned to train volunteer teachers and hold some classes in camps and other temporary sites, the U.N. Children's Fund said.

"What is normally a safe space can become an unsafe space," said Gary Walker, a spokesman for the U.K. charity Plan. "Sending (children) to what can be unsafe buildings with ill-trained and ill-equipped teachers can actually set them back rather than leading them on a road to speedy recovery."

Anupama Rao Singh, UNICEF's regional director, said reopening schools in the delta Monday "may be too ambitious," since construction materials were still on the way and there was not enough time to rebuild schools and train new teachers.

Myanmar's generals have also come under sharp criticism for kicking homeless cyclone survivors out of shelters and sending them back to their devastated villages.

Hundreds, if not thousands, of displaced people have recently been expelled from their temporary shelters in schools, monasteries and public buildings, Human Rights Watch said Saturday.

"The forced evictions are part of government efforts to demonstrate that the emergency relief period is over and that the affected population is capable of rebuilding their lives without foreign assistance," Human Rights Watch said.

Some international aid agencies said their staffers were still meeting survivors deep in the delta who have not received any help since the storm hit.

In Geneva, the U.N.'s top human rights official said the world's long record of tolerating rights abuses in Myanmar allowed the country's government to obstruct international aid in the wake of the May 2-3 cyclone.

"The obstruction to the deployment of such assistance illustrates the invidious effects of long-standing international tolerance for human rights violations," U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights Louise Arbour said Monday.

Arbour, who leaves office at the end of the month, made her comments in a speech to the Geneva-based U.N. Human Rights Council.

In March, the 47-member council criticized Myanmar for its record of violently suppressing pro-democracy groups and extending the house arrest of opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi. The Nobel Peace Prize winner has been detained for 12 of the past 18 years since her party won a 1990 general election that the junta refused to acknowledge.

Partying South African fans get glimpse of Brazil

Jumping and chanting, thousands of South African fans showed up Friday to watch Brazil's first practice ahead of the Confederations Cup.

Roughly 5,000 fans were able to get a glimpse of Kaka, Robinho and the rest of the Brazilian players at the Seisa Ramabodu Stadium in the poor township of Rocklands, outside Bloemfontein.

The fans sang nearly nonstop during the training session, Brazil's first in South Africa in preparation to defend its Confederation's Cup title.

"I can't believe it's the Brazilian players," said 13-year-old Tahbang Zaza. "It's great to see Kaka and the other Brazilians from up close."

Fans chanted loudly when the players made their way onto the practice field and the Brazilians rewarded them by going near the fences to wave to the supporters.

Kaka and Robinho were the most greeted by the fans, mostly school kids from the township. Kaka was greeted loudly as he ran around the field and waved to the fans.

"We want to party with the Brazilian players," said 10-year-old Tshwanelu Tlhabanelu, who was one of the thousands of fans without a ticket outside the stadium before the practice began.

Fans were distributed free tickets for the 16,000-capacity venue, but they were gone quickly, police officer Mosola Adam said.

Brazil has gone into seclusion at Bloem Spa Lodge on the outskirts of Bloemfontein and fans are not allowed to get anywhere near the hotel. But each of the eight nations participating in the Confederations Cup were required to have an open training session to the public before the competition gets under way.

Brazil will make its debut in Group B of the Confederations Cup against Egypt on Monday in Bloemfontein.

Brazilian players underwent a light training session as they are still recovering from the long trip from Brazil a day earlier. On Wednesday, they played a World Cup qualifier against Paraguay, winning 2-1 to move into first place of the South American group.

The Brazilian delegation arrived in South Africa Thursday night on a charter plane, boarding a bus on the tarmac and going straight to the hotel. Only a small group of Brazilian fans, holding a banner welcoming the team, was able to get near the hotel's entrance.

"Security is tight here," hotel guard Godfrey Kealeboga said. "We are not allowed to let anyone too close to the players. The fans won't be able to see anybody here." Fans are stopped about one kilometer (0.6 miles) from the hotel's entrance.

Before last year's World Cup in Germany, Brazil gave fans plenty of access to its players and opened nearly all of its practices to the public at its base in Switzerland. Directors of the Brazilian football confederation later said that it eventually damaged the team's preparation for the tournament. Then coach Carlos Alberto Parreira also complained at the time.

Despite playing with Kaka, Ronaldinho, Ronaldo and Adriano, Brazil was eliminated by eventual runner-up France in the quarterfinals of the 2006 World Cup.

Brazil, which qualified for this year's tournament by winning the 2007 Copa America, won the 2005 Confederations Cup in Germany and is the defending champion in South Africa. It will also play the United States and Italy in Group B.

Lebanon Hariri says he will seek premiership again

BEIRUT (AP) — Lebanon's caretaker prime minister said Thursday he will seek the post again after the militant group Hezbollah toppled his government, escalating fears the country's political crisis could descend into street battles.

Saad Hariri's Western-backed government collapsed last week in a dispute over a U.N. tribunal investigating the assassination of his father, former prime minister Rafik Hariri. Many fear Hezbollah — widely expected to be indicted by the court — will react violently if accused.

Hariri's defiant comments heighten an already tense faceoff with Hezbollah and its allies, who have insisted they will not accept Hariri as a candidate for prime minister again in talks due to start on Monday.

Hariri said Hezbollah's stance torpedoed attempts by Qatar and Turkey to find a compromise to defuse the crisis.

"Their demand that I do not return as prime minister stopped the move toward a solution," said Hariri, 40, speaking in front of a poster of his father, who was killed in a massive truck bombing along Beirut's waterfront in 2005. "Their aim is to sideline me from the political process and assassinate me politically."

Hariri insisted he would continue efforts to solve the crisis diplomatically.

"We will go to the consultations and we will give our opinion while committed to my nomination for the prime minister's post," he said.

Hariri also appealed for calm, saying: "Any drop of blood that falls from any Lebanese citizen is more important to me than any post."

Lebanese special police forces tightened security around the government palace and other official buildings Thursday amid growing fears that the country was headed toward violence.

A senior security official confirmed to The Associated Press that the security measures in and around Beirut stem from "concerns of movements on the ground by some parties." The official spoke on condition of anonymity in line with regulations.

Special police forces hauled cement barriers and erected reinforcements around government buildings and banks. Armored personnel carriers deployed in many areas of the city.

The beefed up security followed the departure from Beirut of Qatari and Turkish mediators after two days of talks that apparently failed to resolve the differences between Lebanon's main rival factions and bring them back together in a coalition government.

Hezbollah denies any role in Rafik Hariri's killing and forced the government's collapse last week when Saad Hariri refused to renounce the tribunal and to pull Lebanon's funding for the court. Eleven ministers from Hezbollah and its allies resigned from the Cabinet, enough to force the government to fall.

The militant group says the tribunal is a conspiracy by Israel and the United States.

There are concerns that Hezbollah supporters may take to the streets, setting the stage for sectarian fighting similar to Shiite-Sunni street clashes that killed 81 people in 2008.

Hariri was Lebanon's most prominent Sunni leader.

The collapse of Lebanon's Western-backed government was a blow to the United States and its Arab allies, including Saudi Arabia and Egypt. It also suggests the competition over influence in Lebanon is tipping in favor of Hezbollah and its patrons Iran and Syria.

On Thursday, Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton said any mediation from the outside must lead to stability and "a commitment to bringing those who committed the murders of Prime Minister Hariri and 22 others to account."

"I think that over the next days you will see a lot of activity within Lebanon itself," Clinton said. "And we stand ready, as do others in the region and beyond, to be of assistance."

___

Associated Press writers Elizabeth A. Kennedy and Zeina Karam in Beirut and Matthew Lee in Washington contributed to this report.

Conservatives Must Accept Blame

George F. Will (column, Nov. 26) recently lent his voice to thechorus of public figures and commentators bemoaning what passes forentertainment in our society. Putting aside the usual debate oversexuality as depicted in the arts, it is true that much of popularentertainment seems to cater to a degenerate, post-literate culture -a place where violence is preferable to the difficulties of conflictresolution and where opposing views shout gibberish at each other.

Television, which once carried with it the promise to enlightenand inform on an unprecedented scale, has instead been encouraged toreplace the popular carnival freak show of another supposedly lessrefined time.

The call of the modern conservative is to return to the church,pray in schools, respect the flag and embrace good old-fashionedfamily values and personal responsibilities, forcing pornographersback into the shadows. Laws can then be drafted to keep them there,away from both the aberrant and the innocent.

Left unacknowledged is the part that 20th century conservativephilosophy has played to encourage the growth of this cesspool we allnow swim in.

When the free market can be used as a barometer to determine thecontinued existence of entire species, how then are we to believe itis not good enough to determine how shallow or base our preferredentertainment may become?

It was the free market that demanded the government turnpublicly owned airwaves over to private interests and the free marketthat mandated those interests to act for the enrichment of theirshareholders, public be damned.

With conservative Republican policy encouraging the creation ofever larger media conglomerates, concentrating an exploding array ofinformation resources in always fewer hands, is there good reason tobelieve that in the future, altruism will win out over the bottomline?

A generation or so ago, we began to realize that market forceswould have us drinking chemical swill for water and breathingindustrial fumes for air. The same market forces encourage privategrazing, mining and drilling on public land, with public subsidy.This is not lifestyle, it is about dollars.

It is the current conservative philosophy that has rushed in tofill the vacuum created when liberal thinking in this country becameso fuzzy-headed as to believe that such things as values, morals andsimple decency were strictly relative concepts and so defied bothdefinition and persuasion.

If conservatives have a problem with the state of popularculture in this country, then they should look to their own house andacknowledge those responsibilities that they have long since sold formean profit.

They can then return to the American public to present aphilosophy more coherent than the present one, which in this caseamounts to little more than the old parental admonition, "Do as Isay, not as I do."

Frank J. Hutton lives in the Portage Park neighborhood.

Storm rally past Mystics to improve to 4-0

Sue Bird and Tanisha Wright scored 16 points each and the Seattle Storm rallied from 10 down in the second half to beat the Washington Mystics 82-76 on Tuesday night.

Swin Cash and Lauren Jackson added 14 points each to help the Storm improve to 4-0 for the first time in franchise history. Seattle is one of two remaining unbeaten teams in the WNBA, joining Atlanta which has also opened with four wins.

After trailing by 10 late in the third quarter, the Storm went on a 31-10 run to take a 72-61 lead on Wright's 3-pointer with 3:11 to go.

"I said the same thing at halftime I said before the game except I was a little bit more pointed," Seattle coach Brian Agler said. "I don't consider what I said to them the difference-maker, but I do think that they regrouped and there was a little bit different team playing in the second half."

Camille Little's jumper with 1 minute left in the third quarter started Seattle's 10-0 run and Svetlana Abrosima capped it with a 3-pointer to tie the score at 51-all with 8:35 to go in the fourth.

"Sometimes it just takes one person to kind of spark the rest of the team," Bird said of Little. "You could tell, it trickled down and at the end everyone made big plays."

Bird, who scored 11 points in the fourth quarter, made a 3 about 2 minutes later to give the Storm a 60-57 lead _ their first since midway through the first quarter _ and they never trailed again. Jackson scored seven consecutive points, including four free throws and a 3-pointer to push Seattle's advantage to 67-59 with 4:46 left.

After Wright's 3 gave the Storm a double-digit lead, Lindsey Harding and Monique Currie scored four points each during the Mystics' 10-2 run that pulled them to 74-71 with 1:09 to go.

The Mystics (3-2) rallied to plull within three on Currie's runner off the backboard about 2 minutes later, but Bird made six free throws in the final 33 seconds to secure the Storm's win.

Seattle scored 36 points in the fourth quarter and outscored Washington 55-38 in the second half.

"We gave up like four or five wide open threes in the fourth quarter that really got the crowd in the game and brought them back," Mystics coach Julie Plank said. "Thirty-six points in the quarter _ that's not going to do it. We held them below that in a half so it was just a defensive breakdown in the fourth quarter especially."

Currie finished with 24 points and Harding had 15 for Washington, which lost its second straight after opening with three wins.

"This was definitely a game we could have won and should have won," Currie said. "We had some breakdowns in the second half and the game got away from us. There are stome things we can learn from this, but we're dissapointed that we lost."

After going scoreless in the first half, Little had 11 points in the third quarter to keep the Mystics from pulling away and helping the Storm rally after Currie's free throws gave Washington a 51-41 lead with 1 1/2 minutes left in the quarter.

"She was focused. She was poised, she finished," Agler said of Little. "That sort of got us going."

Marissa Coleman made consecutive 3s to cap the Mystics' 15-2 that gave them an 11-point lead in the opening minute of the second quarter. Washington scored seven consecutive points, including five by Crystal Langhorne, to take a 33-18 lead with 3:44 to go in the second quarter.

Wright made two free throws in the final minute of the first half to cut the Mystics' lead to 38-27 at the break.

City shine in all weathers

FOOTBALL Bath City Youth under-13s defeated Amesbury 6-1 in amatch which started during a hail storm and ended in sunshine.

City were profligate in front of goal at the start, which undidtheir quality build-up play, but eventually Ben put them ahead. AsCity continued to squander chances, their lead was preserved by Finin goal who, despite feeling under the weather, pulled off the firstof three incredible saves.

In the second half City continued to create chances but it wasAmesbury who registered first with an unstoppable shot from 16yards.

City responded by forcing Amesbury back. First Pat and then Seanput the home side in the ascendency with neat finishes. Sean wasbeating players at will and he drilled home number four.

Jacob and Charlie combined neatly and substitute Bradley made aninstant impact when his shot was deflected for Mark to volley homenumber five. Maxi completed the scoring.

The under-13s Colts won 10-0 at Cameley and Temple to continuetheir pursuit of the title.

A disciplined display saw the team stick to their positions andtheir finishing was clinical. City welcomed back Michael after along injury absence and he netted five times, with Deklan scoringthree and Kage two.

The defence were happy after keeping another clean sheet and Alexpulled off some good saves.

45 BEACON: MEET THE AMS

Asacollegestudent studying English at Bates College, Jennifer Giblin never dreamed her first job would in any way involve the sciences. In fact, after completing her core science requirements her first year, she managed to avoid any courses ending with the suffix "-ology." But when looking for jobs in publishing alter graduation, [en came across a position as editorial assistant in AMS's Publications Department. Hive years later, she's the managing copy editor for the journals and enjoying the mix of science and English in her day-to-day work.

As copy editor, Jennifer edits journal articles tor grammar and style. Though she leaves the math and science to the technical editors, her knowledge ot weather terminology has increased dramatically over the past few years.

"The copy editors here, who were nearly all English majors, quickly learn 'areal' is not a typo, and that when we hear the word 'Noah,' it's probably spelled NOAA," she says.

As managing copy editor, Jen is responsible for a staff of nine copy editors and two editorial assistants. The position is a new one, created as part of ongoing efforts to grow and reorgani/e the department in the face ot an ever-increasing volume of papers submitted to AMS journals. In the past year, Jen has overseen the hiring and training of two additional copy editors as well as a new editorial assistant.

"It takes at least six months to fully train a new copyeditor," she says. "There's a learning curve not only because of the intricacies of AMS style, but also because that person has to learn the editing software we use."

In tact, the department is in the final stages of a conversion to an all-electronic publishing process. Less than three years ago, everything from submission to publication was paper-based. Jen is confident that the new process, together with the larger staff, will ensure faster production in the future.

In addition to her editorial and managerial duties, Jen has also worked at the exhibit check-in desk at the past three AMS Annual Meetings. She enjoys the chance to interact with some of the students and authors who publish with the AMS-and especially enjoys listening to their feedback.

"The copy editors do occasionally get feedback from the authors, but it's rare that an author will contact us directly," she says. "Hearing from authors keeps us on our toes, and reminds us that people do notice our editorial decisions."

Jen's passion for the English language extends well beyond her work at the AMS; she has been working part-time toward a master's degree in English literature at University of Massachusetts in Boston. She will be finishing her degree this spring after writing her master's thesis on little-known nineteenth-century Scottish poet Ellen Johnston.

-RACHEL S. THOMAS-MEDWID

Top of the 2nd

WVU Sat: FB vs. Rutgers, noon Sat: MBB at Miami (Fla.), 4 p.m. Sat: WBB vs. High Point, 6 p.m.

Charleston Sat: WBB vs. Alderson-Broaddus, 6 p.m. Sat: MBB vs.Alderson-Broaddus, 8 p.m.

FB: Football MBB: Mens basketball WBB: Womens basketball MarshallSat: MBB at Ohio, 2 p.m.

State Sat: WBB vs. W.Va. Wesleyan, 5:30 p.m. Sat: MBB vs. W.Va.Wesleyan, 7:30 p.m.

WVU Tech Tue: MBB at Cleveland State, 7 p.m.

HYCATDecember Invitational set for Saturday

The Huntington Y Charleston Aquatic Team at Charleston, Inc.(HYCAT) is sponsoring its 20th annual December High SchoolInvitational on Saturday at the University of Charleston'snatatorium.

Capital High School is hosting the event, which includesapproximately 275 swimmers from 13 West Virginia high schools. Thisis the first time the meet has been held since 2008, as a snowstormwiped out the 2009 competition.

The Charleston Catholic girls and George Washington boys won teamtitles two years ago, while the Patriots will be defending theircombined girls/boys team title from 2008.

Among the top competitors in the meet at Charleston Catholic'sJacob Crain, Spring Valley's Benjamin Davis, Winfield's FritoIngehammar and Josh Shaffer, George Washington's Thomas Moore andCapital's Tate Warden.

Some of the top girls' competitors are Megan Clemens and EmilyRoss of Nitro, Alley Dupay of Charleston Catholic, Kaley Gregory andErika Poling of Hurricane and Courtney Miller of Buckhannon-Upshur.

Teams competing are Buckhannon-Upshur, Cabell Midland, Capital,Charleston Catholic, George Washington, Herbert Hoover, Huntington,Hurricane, Nitro, St. Albans, St. Joseph, Spring Valley andWinfield.

Admission is free to the public and the meet starts at 1:20 p.m.

For more information contact meet director Greg Olson at 304-357-4825, 304-357-4936 or by e-mail at golson@hycat.org.

CRAIG CUNNINGHAM/DAILY MAIL George Washingtons Thomas Moore willbe among the top competitors at Saturdays HYCAT DecemberInvitational at the University of Charleston.

UC's Vincent 2nd team All-America soccer player

For the second consecutive year, University of Charleston men'ssoccer captain Rob Vincent has earned a spot on the Daktronics NCAADivision II All-America second team.

Vincent, of Liverpool, England, led the WVC with eight assistsfrom his midfield position in helping the No. 6 ranked Golden Eaglesto a 16-4-1 record. He was second on the team and in the conferencewith 26 points overall.

Capital's Wright Gatorade Player of the Year

Capital High School senior Keion Wright, who ran for 2,157 yardsand 24 touchdowns on 214 carries this season, was named the 2010Gatorade Player of the Year, as chosen by ESPN RISE in collaborationwith Gatorade.

Wright, who has maintained a 3.79 grade point average, is amember of the National Honor Society and the school's Science Club.He has volunteered locally on behalf of a literacy-outreach programand as part of a fundraising campaign to benefit Altzeimer's diseaseresearch.

Last year's winner was Parkersburg's Allan Wasonga. The lastKanawha Valley player to win the award was Aaron Slusher, who won in2008.

Winning the state award qualifies Wright for the national award,which includes winners includes Mark Sanchez (2004-05), Wes Welker(1999-2000) and Anquan Boldin (1998-99).

Suddenlink to broadcast two Super Six title games

Suddenlink Communications and Network West Virginia willtelevise, on a tape-delay basis, the Class AA and Class A Super SixWest Virginia state football championships on Suddenlink's NWVstations.

The Class AA title game, scheduled for 7:30 p.m. today atWheeling Island Stadium and pitting Ravenswood against Magnolia,will be broadcast at 8 p.m. Saturday.

The Class A championship, which is set for 7 p.m. Saturday inWheeling and involves Wahama and Wheeling Central, will be broadcastat 8 p.m. Sunday.

The Class AAA championship, which is scheduled to include SouthCharleston and Martinsburg, has been delayed by a court order.

For more information, call Network West Virginia's Clint Morrisat 304-422-6088, ext. 151 or Michelle Pannell at 304-422-6088, etc.106.

Herd hoops plans alumni weekend game

HUNTINGTON - The Marshall University Department of Athletics isinviting all former men's basketball players to participate in aspecial men's basketball alumni weekend that will include an alumnigame prior to the Thundering Herd's home game with SMU on Feb. 26,at the Cam Henderson Center.

The alumni game is scheduled for 5 p.m. and will be approximatelyone hour. Fans are welcome to attend, however they must purchase aticket for the 7 p.m. men's game with SMU in order to gainadmission.

Marshall basketball legends Sonny Allen and Charlie Slack arescheduled to participate in the alumni weekend and serve as honorarycoaches for the alumni game.

Former Marshall Players who are interested in participating areasked to contact Associate Athletic Director Frank Giardina atgiardina1@marshall.edu 304-696-4367.

Nationalsports

Former WVU fullback scores in Eagles' victory

PHILADELPHIA - Former West Virginia University fullback OwenSchmitt scored on a 5-yard pass from Michael Vick with 4:18remaining to seal Philadelphia's 34-24 victory over the HoustonTexans on Thursday night.

Vick threw for 302 yards and accounted for three touchdowns,rallying the Eagles.

It was the first time Vick led the Eagles (8-4) back from afourth-quarter deficit. They led 14-3 in the first half beforefalling behind 24-20. Matt Schaub had 337 yards passing and twoscores for the Texans (5-7).

COMPILEDFROMSTAFF, WIREREPORTS

Hersha Hospitality raises $117.3M in share sale

Hersha Hospitality Trust on Wednesday said it raised $117.3 million in a public share offering.

The real estate investment trust, which owns upscale hotels in the Northeast, California and Arizona, said 27.6 million shares were sold, including 3.6 million sold in an overallotment option exercised by underwriters.

The proceeds were calculated without deducting the underwriting discount and offering expenses.

Hersha said it will use its profit from the sale to repay outstanding debt under its revolving line of credit and for general corporate purposes.

Bank of America Merrill Lynch, Raymond James and UBS Investment Bank acted as the joint book-running managers for the offering. Baird acted as a lead manager for the offering. Barclays Capital, Citadel Securities, FBR Capital Markets, JMP Securities, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods, Oppenheimer & Co. and Stifel, Nicolaus & Co. acted as co-managers for the offering.

Hersha Hospitality shares closed Wednesday trading up 36 cents, or 7.6 percent, at $5.13, after hitting a 52-week high of $5.30 during the session. The shares traded as low as $1.48 in the past 52 weeks.

Source: Las Vegas Sands to detail plans next week

Casino giant Las Vegas Sands Corp. will detail its plans to handle its debt crisis early next week, according to a person close to the company, a development that may ease bankruptcy worries and could include another capital infusion by billionaire founder Sheldon Adelson.

The person did not elaborate and requested anonymity because the plan had not been finalized.

The company told the Securities and Exchange Commission in a filing Thursday that it may violate promises it made to lenders and default on $3.8 billion in debt Dec. 31 if its operating earnings this calendar year don't equal at least 13 percent of net debt, which subtracts cash on hand. The debt at issue is a credit facility secured by the company's Palazzo and Venetian casinos in Las Vegas and an attached mall and convention building.

A default could set off the company's collapse.

Las Vegas Sands said it has four options: It could boost earnings in Las Vegas, which likely would require big cost cuts and might result in layoffs. Or the parent company could cut spending on development around the world, raise financing to reduce the debt of the Las Vegas operations or contribute up to $50 million in capital to the Vegas operations, or a combination of all four.

As of December 2007, the company had $9.21 billion in long-term debt.

The company has an ace in the hole in the form of deep-pocketed founder and chief executive Adelson, 75, who with his wife Miriam Adelson, controls 67 percent of the company's shares.

In March 2006, Adelson raised $2.18 billion in cash by selling 180.8 million shares at $49.14 each. The Adelsons personally loaned the company $475 million this fall to avoid a funding crunch, and it is unclear how much cash the couple has left.

In an October interview with The Associated Press, Adelson said Las Vegas Sands was looking to raise $2 billion in debt financing from Asian banks to finish work on some Macau expansion projects.

The company also said last month that the Adelsons intend to participate in a capital raising program, along with an unnamed investment bank, but didn't reveal details.

In related developments, Las Vegas Sands said Friday it hired a new chief financial officer, CB Richard Ellis Group Inc. CFO Kenneth Kay, to start Dec. 1.

It also said officials from the Singapore government and senior executives from the resort developer met to discuss the completion of the proposed $1.4 billion Marina Bay Sands resort in Singapore amid continued concern about tightness in the credit markets.

Las Vegas Sands said those discussions included construction and marketing efforts to bring more conventions and exhibitions to Singapore.

"In light of recent turmoil in the global markets, I felt the need to personally reaffirm our commitment to the success of Marina Bay Sands," Adelson said in a statement Friday.

The Singapore government's support of the project "remains strong," he said, and he noted the casino could expand the number of table games to up to 1,000, from the original 600 planned.

The chief executive of Southeast Asia's biggest bank, DBS, on Friday told Reuters that Las Vegas Sands Corp. hadn't given signs of financing problems at its project in Singapore.

"There's been no default, no indication of default. The project is still going along," CEO Richard Stanley said. "I do expect there will be an integrated resort in Marina Bay in Singapore in 2010."

Morgan Stanley analyst Celeste Brown said Las Vegas Sands had never been in danger of defaulting on its loans in Singapore but that the increase in tables could make it easier to raise finances with the promise of higher returns.

"In terms of the Singapore default, we were never concerned with the Singapore credit facility, Las Vegas Sands' covenant issues are associated with its U.S. loans," she wrote in a note.

OUT AND ABOUT

Some cultural traditions never grow old.

Consider: The age-old craft of quilt-making is experiencing arevival and is one of the country's fastest-growing art forms, saythe folks at Gallery 1756 in Old Town.

"Improvisational Quilts . . . the Adventures of a LiberatedArtist" will run through Jan. 17. The gallery is at 1756 N.Sedgwick. For more information, call (312) 642-6900.

Shock Send Lynx to 6th Loss in 7 Games

MINNEAPOLIS - Just 24 hours after getting blown out by the Phoenix Mercury and high-scoring rookie Cappie Pondexter, the Detroit Shock had to deal with another young standout in Minnesota's Seimone Augustus.

This time Detroit was up for the challenge. Swin Cash scored 19 points and Kendra Holland-Corn added 15 in the Shock's 92-80 win over the Lynx on Friday night.

"Whenever you get knocked upside your head like we did last night, it's always good to come back with a game the next night and regroup," Cash said. "I thought we did that."

Detroit sent the Lynx to their sixth loss in seven games by posting its highest scoring game of the season.

Katie Smith, traded from Minnesota to Detroit last July 30, finished with 11 points and five assists in her first game back at the Target Center. Cheryl Ford added 14 points for the Shock.

"(Minnesota) gave us a big shot in the first half," Smith said. "They were hitting everything they threw up and we just had to withstand that. Once we made our run we put it out of reach and maintained the rest of the ball game."

Augustus, a rookie, led all scorers with 26 points. But she was frustrated in the game's final three quarters by the aggressive Detroit defense.

"We tried to put some bigger players on her at times," Detroit coach Bill Laimbeer said. "But they also went away from her a little bit. She was taking every shot and then they went away from her and they struggled a little bit."

Augustus scored 13 of Minnesota's first 20 points, but was held scoreless the rest of the first half after sinking a jumper at 9:43 of the second quarter.

Detroit (12-6) went on a 20-3 run to end the second quarter and took a 50-31 lead at halftime. Cash finished the half with 14 points and five rebounds, while Ford had nine points at the break.

"Where to begin?" Lynx coach Suzie McConnell Serio asked. "We didn't defend. Everything we've emphasized since Day 1 has been team defense, and for whatever reason, we continue to struggle with it. I know we can play good defense if we want to, we just have to be consistent with it."

Minnesota (6-12) cut its deficit to 11 at 5:05 of the third quarter, but a pair of jumpers from Deanna Nolan and Cash extended the Shock's lead to 15.

Nolan finished with 13 points for the Shock.

Svetlana Abrosimova added 12 for the Lynx.

Minnesota acquired guard Chandi Jones as part of the Smith trade but Jones has not played this season while recovering from a torn meniscus in her left knee. McConnell Serio hopes to have her back after the All-Star break.

"We need to try different things," she said. "What we're doing now just isn't working. (Jones) will get every opportunity to work her way into the lineup."

BOISE'S HIDDEN PATIOS

SECRET SUNNY SPOfS G0 SOAK UP SPIRITS

We've all had those afternoons. Maybe you tied one (dozen) on the night befpre.and need a' sunny spot to hide behind your aviators and lap up a plate of eggs benny. Or maybe you're bored with all the usual patio suspects and want to sip a cocktail in an unfamiliar outdoor oasis. Well, here's BWs answer to your secret patio prayers, ranked by smoking availability, shade (three fair-skinned gingers means maximum freckle protection) and the probability you'll run into someone you know. In the name of the lawn chair, the sun and the boozy spirits. Amen.

DARLA'S DELI

250 S. FIFTH ST., 208-38 1-0034

In the kingdom of secret rjatios, Darla's is a particularly elusive species. Not only is there a special access code to ascend to the penthouse deli on the roof of the C.W. Moore building but also the space is only open Monday-Friday from 8 a.m.-2 p.m. But if you happen to work downtown and want to catch a few rays while snacking on a reasonably priced avocado BLT, Darla's Is your bird's nest. And while;you won't be able to make it a hazy, martini-soaked lunch, Cjarla's does serve up an array of espresso drinks and a refreshing, alcoholic-ln-name-only scotch and soda (Sprite, vanilla syrub and fresh lemon).

PROS: Awesome view of downtown, pretty flowers, cheap eats.

CONS: Limited hours, not muijh shade, no hooeh.

BOISE FRY COMPANY

111 PROADWAY AVE., STE. 111, 208-495-3858

Most pommes frites conjnejsseurs have waltzed past Boise Fry Co.'s Broadway-facing strip-mall parking lot patio and winced at the thought of scarfing a burger and fries while Inhaling a lung-full of car exhaust. Well, fret hot, fry-munching friends, Boise Fry Co. recently opened a new patio - a semi-secret patio- that you access from inside the restaurant.

Christened a few short wejeks ago by local indie lad James Orr, Boise Fry Co.'s new patio is a wooden oasis featuring a handful of tables and colorful flowers. Shaded by the side of the building, the patio is the perfect place to linger over BFCs super sweet happy hour: two-for-one drafts and small fries Monday through Friday from 4-6 p.m.

PROS: Enjoy your meal al fresco without being rubbernecked by Broadway's rush-hour masses.

CONS: No smirking at the dancing Statue of Liberty tax mascot.

36TH STREET GARDEN CENTER AND BISTRO

3823 N. GARPEN CENTER WAY 208-433-5108

In a neighborhood rich with garden shops, the sprawling 36th Street gardening compound on 36th Street and Hill Road has a leg up on the competition. Not only can you pick up a variety of starts, seeds, watering cans, garden gnomes and fancy gloves, you can relax from all that backbreaking shopping with a llmespritzed crisp white wine and a fresh salad on one of Boise's swankier hidden patios.

Whoever designed the 36th Street Garden Center patio has undoubtedly taken a few trips to Europe. The centerpiece of the two-tiered brick patio is a bubbling fountain adorned with a surprisingly un-gaudy assortment of parrots and toucans. Patio diners can choose to sit under a partially shaded pergola surrounded by leafy bushes in planter pots or out In the direct sunlight closer to the fountain. Like an Italian piazza minus the catcalls, the 36th Street Garden Center and Bistro patio is a mini European vacation that's only a cruiser ride away.

PROS: Too many to name.

CONS: No full bar.

SUPER SUSHI

208 N. EIGHT ST., 208-385-0123

While not necessarily hidden, the Superb Sushi patio is most definitely underground. Literally. Located in the basement of the Idaho building, Superb Sushi serves up a consistently fresh array of specialty rolls and sashlmi. Whether you're in the mood to save some dough on the lunch special - $7.99 for nine pieces of sushi, an inari pocket, Asian slaw and miso - or chill out with microbrews and sake in the evening, the Superb patio is a welcome retreat from the chaos of Eighth Street.

And though the patio may be lacking In flowery frills - it's a simple square space with a few umbrella-clad tables and a staircase that runs up to Falcon Tavern - it nonetheless fills the need for fresh air and fresh fish. Smoking is allowed on the patio in the colder months but is frowned upon once the restaurant's large windows are cracked open in the summertime.

PROS: A quiet escape in the middle of downtown Boise.

CONS: No full bar. No smoking in the summer months.

TAVERN AT BOWN GROSSING

31111 S. TOWN WAY 208-345-2277

Set aside any comparisons of Bown Crossing to Stepford for a sec and listen up. In addition to the prime people-watching street-side patio Bown Tavern has out front, it also has a sprawling, oft-overlooked rooftop patio with- get this - a full cantinastyle bar.

Monday through Friday from 4-6 p.m. and Saturday from 2-5 p.m., Bown Tavern also has a rad happy hour deal: $5 specialty cocktails, $1 off drafts, discounted wines by iheglass, and $2.95 Califorriianand Sake sushi r�lfswAna' now that all the crazy Parkcenter bridge construction mess is over, you can pedal out to Bown Crossing via the Greenbelt and take full drunken advantage of all that cheap sushi and discounted hooch.

PROS: Rooftop bar. Full view of the Foothills. Plenty of umbrellas, shade and seating. Lush happy hour.

CONS: It's in Bown Crossing.

Capital defeat stuns Rangers Kris Boyd left Tynecastle with four stitches in a head wound - the unwanted souvenir of Rangers' first defeat of the season.

Kris Boyd left Tynecastle with four stitches in a head wound - theunwanted souvenir of Rangers' first defeat of the season.

He now hopes the 4-2 humbling against Hearts will not result in alingering headache for the rest of the team.

The result was enough to knock Rangers off top spot in the PremierLeague and Celtic gleefully replaced their rivals as leaders with a 5-0 pounding of Inverness hours later.

Having suffered the first real setback of the latest Walter Smithera, Rangers now face the challenge of proving they are made ofstronger stuff than the team who would have folded under Paul Le Guen12 months ago.

Wednesday's Champions League group stage opener at home toStuttgart provides the ideal opportunity to demonstrate an ability tocompete on all fronts.

"I'll be fine for the game," said Boyd, who was involved in aclash of heads at the half-time whistle.

"Some folk maybe wish I was concussed," he added wryly, in areference to his critics this term.

"We have to raise our game or else we will be embarrassed on aworld stage so it is up to us to show that we are good team andbounce back from a disappointing performance. We will give it ourbest shot.."

Rangers' 100% record was ripped to shreds inside 26 minutes in thecapital. That is how long it took Hearts to turn the defence insideout and establish a comfortable lead through Andrew Driver andIbrahim Tall.

A Daniel Cousin penalty despatched coolly from 12 yards provided aglimmer of hope before Michael Stewart and Kestutis Ivaskeviciuswrapped up the points. DaMarcus Beasley's late strike was scantconsolation.

Labrador was rich experience for Scheifeles

How do you honour a contract to plant 100,000 trees when nobody wants the job? As a Mennonite Central Committee coordinator in Labrador, Nelson Scheifele called the provincial correctional centre nearby for help.

This was just one of Nelson and Joy Scheifele's experiences as MCC Canada program coordinators in Labrador for six years. Their jobs included administration, supervising up to 10 MCC workers, development and education work, and Ten Thousand Villages sales. They recently returned to Waterloo.

The tree-planting began as a government make-work project for people on social assistance, but low pay and costs would have left them no better off. So Nelson arranged for …

UNICEF: Measles hits tens of thousands in Africa

The U.N. children's agency says 16 countries in West and Central Africa are experiencing a measles outbreak this year.

UNICEF said Thursday that 185 people have died among more than 22,000 cases. The agency says it is $16 million short in its measles immunization campaign in Africa.

UNICEF says most countries in West and Central Africa have …

In-migration is fueling Triangle growth, with five counties exceeding 20% between 1990 and 2000. (Triangle).(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)

 In-migration is fueling Triangle growth, with five counties exceeding 20% between 1990 and 2000.                          % Gain  Johnston                  41.5 Wake                      35.3 Franklin … 

Antarctic Ice Loss Speeds Up, Nearly Matches Greenland Loss.

Byline: Jet Propulsion Laboratory

PASADENA, Calif., Jan. 23 (AScribe Newswire) -- Ice loss in Antarctica increased by 75 percent in the last 10 years due to a speed-up in the flow of its glaciers and is now nearly as great as that observed in Greenland, according to a new, comprehensive study by NASA and university scientists.

In a first-of-its-kind study, an international team led by Eric Rignot of NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, Calif., and the University of California, Irvine, estimated changes in Antarctica's ice mass between 1996 and 2006 and mapped patterns of ice loss on a glacier-by-glacier basis. They detected a sharp jump in …

WATERVLIET ISN'T MUCH LIKE SINGAPORE THERE, A VANDAL WILL BE FLOGGED. PUNISHMENT HERE IS FAR LIGHTER.(CAPITAL REGION)

Byline: VINCENT JACKSON Staff Writer

WATERVLIET Michael Fay, the American teenager who vandalized 18 cars in Singapore, faces a professional flogging with a cane on his buttocks.

In the case of whoever flattened the tires of five vehicles in Watervliet sometime between Monday night and Tuesday morning, ``You have to look at the circumstances,'' said city Police Chief Francis Landrigan. ``There are too many variables in this country to say what will happen once arrested.''

Vandalism ``is very difficult to deal with. It takes a moment to cut a tire,'' said Landrigan.

He noted that it is easy to cause more than $250 worth of damage to a …

Former Dallas mayor gets backing for trade job

Former Dallas mayor Ron Kirk, apparently on course to be the next U.S. trade representative, told senators Monday that his main objective as the nation's top trade official will be enforcing existing law and insisting that U.S. trade partners play by the rules.

He made clear that trade policy under President Barack Obama would differ from that of the Bush administration, when the emphasis was on cementing new free trade agreements.

Kirk, generally supported by the business community as an advocate of expanded trade, said he did not come to the job with "deal fever" and would make his top priority assuring that existing trade partners live up to …

Hinrich scores 30 to lead Bulls past Timberwolves

CHICAGO - Malik Allen went to the hospital. Chris Duhon's nightended when he took a shot to the face.

And after all that pain, Chicago Bulls forward Tyson Chandlerstill called it "a good game overall."

The Bulls put those scary moments aside and hung on for a 111-100victory over the Minnesota Timberwolves on Tuesday night, as KirkHinrich scored a season-high 30 points and tied a career-high with 13rebounds.

"I think we definitely appreciate the win, especially being short-handed," Hinrich said. "I think we appreciate it more. I hope we canget healthy as soon as possible."

The injuries hit in the second quarter.

Allen was injured when he rotated to …

New rules on financial privacy spark furor; Credit bureaus, direct marketers protest limits on selling customer info.(Brief Article)

Credit bureaus and direct marketers are hopping mad over the anticipated impact of new financial privacy legislation.

Marketers did not expect the Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act to have much effect on the way they do business. But as part of 159 pages of rules implementing the act, the Federal Trade Commission bans credit companies from selling name and address information from credit reports unless consumers have been given the chance to opt out. The ban becomes effective July 1, 2001.

While limited in scope, the so-called "header" information is widely used by marketers to verify information on prospective customers and to update lists. It is also used by …

Taylor, Shirley L.(Capital Region)

WATERFORD Shirley L. Taylor, 78, of Hudson River Road, Waterford, died at Northwoods at Rosewood Gardens, East Greenbush on Thursday, October 9, 2008 after a long illness. She was born and educated in Troy and was the daughter of the late Raymond and Hazel Luce. She was an avid seamstress and a homemaker. Shirley is survived by her husband, Harry Taylor of Waterford; her children, Sandy (Richard) LeBlanc of Waterford, Susan (Timothy) Dingley of Gansevoort, N.Y. and Shirley Dingley of Clifton Park; stepmother of Paul Taylor of Pa. and Sandra …

LIEBERMAN PROPOSES $150B TO FIGHT DISEASES.(MAIN)

Byline: SUSAN MILLIGAN Boston Globe

WASHINGTON -- Democratic presidential candidate Joseph Lieberman, jumping into the campaign debate on health care, on Wednesday proposed spending $150 billion over 10 years to speed up the development of cures for chronic diseases such as cancer and AIDS.

The Connecticut senator said he would create an ``American Center for Cures'' that would work with academics and private companies to coordinate and speed up research on prolonged diseases he said affect 100 million Americans. The organization would not replace the National Institutes of Health, but would tap market forces to encourage businesses to develop cures, …

MUSIC MACHINE A BREAKTHROUGH.(Preview)

Byline: Howard Blumenthal United Feature Syndicate

In 1961, Miss Bartel, my fourth-grade teacher at P.S. 113, told me to learn to play the flute. I was not an especially patient student. Since four days of what I considered to be hard practice yielded not a single decent note, I did what I had to do. I threw the flute out the school bus window.

The flute incident turned me off to playing an instrument for years. In time, I became intrigued with the piano, and if I'm alone with a piano in the room, I'll try to pick out a few notes. I suspect that my latent desire to play is the reason why I have been so intrigued with a new product from Yamaha, a very portable music sequencer, synthesizer and drum machine.

Before I explain the product, let's get a few terms …

Clashes, blasts for 3rd day in besieged Bangkok

Thai troops clashed with protesters for a third day in Bangkok on Saturday as streets in the center of the Asian metropolis became battlegrounds and authorities struggled to contain demonstrators demanding the prime minister's resignation.

Explosions and street fighting have killed 17 people and wounded nearly 160 since the government attempted Thursday to seal off the 1-square-mile (3-square-kilometer) zone the Red Shirt protesters have occupied in one of the capital's most upscale areas.

Fighting spread Saturday to several streets leading to the encampment, and the army set up barricades in an attempt to seal off the area, where all shops, hotels and …

AP Interview: Moussa says he warned Mubarak

CERNOBBIO, Italy (AP) — Amr Moussa, a leading candidate for the presidency of Egypt, said Friday that he had warned Hosni Mubarak days before his fall to call off security forces who attacked demonstrators but was ignored by an authoritarian ruler who seemed convinced he could ride out the popular uprising.

In an interview with The Associated Press at an economic conference in Italy, Moussa predicted that embattled Syrian President Bashar Assad would fall as well — and that democracy would spread across the region.

"I hope that all of them, including the Syrian regime, will understand that this is a historic trend. There's no U-turn in it. People have spoken. They cannot get …

Let the games begin; with the Winter Olympics earlier this year, the World Cup set to begin in Japan and Korea later this month, as well as the 2008 Olympics to be hosted in China on the distant horizon, broadcasters are, understandably, quite preoccupied with sports. (Sports Broadcast).(Brief Article)

Sports coverage has become one of the fastest growing and competitive areas of broadcasting, a fact that seems to be fuelling an explosion in new production technology. But while viewers demand that each anguished expression and throbbing temple is captured on screen with crystal clear precision, increasingly what they see during half time is far from real.

This partly explains why despite the perceived downturn afflicting television worldwide, virtual technology specialist Orad saw a significant boost in sales in the three months to last November, especially in Europe and South America--and the demand is expected to continue.

"According to Kagan World Media, total sports rights expenditures in Europe are expected to grow from US$3.3 billion in 1998 to $7.5 billion in 2008," says Avi Sharir, Orad's president and CEO. Most observers anticipate a similar expansion worldwide.

Orad's particular growth areas are in virtual advertising, sports graphical overlays, play simulations and analytical replay tools, based on recent R&D efforts in the run-up to the forthcoming FIFA 2002 World Cup in Korea and Japan (May 31 to June 30).

The superimposition of virtual advertising onto the pitch or even across existing perimeter billboards is a style issue where audience reaction is sharply divided along regional lines. Northern Europe is in the vanguard of the anti lobby, while elsewhere, broadcasters welcome the extra revenue stream these placements provide.

For instance, Mexican Telecom specialist Genetix has signed a four-year contract to supply virtual ads for live events to several Mexican broadcasters using Orad's market-leading IMadGINE system, in which Orad will receive percentage of advertising sales.

Last year, US sports graphics company Sportvision supplied the first virtual billboard system ever used on the hallowed World Series baseball games, featuring the ability to differentiate ads shown to the US domestic feed on Fox and the global feed produced by MLB International. Broadcaster ESPN has since announced it will use the system on all Sunday Night Baseball broadcasts throughout the 2002 Major League Baseball season.

More recently, sponsors' messages were inserted into the international telecast of April's West Asian Games in Kuwait City--including for example a corporate logo on the goal sides during football matches and on the floor in hand-ball--using the Epsis Virtual Imaging system from Symah Vision of France.

As well as real-time advertising and sponsorship tools, Symah's product range includes on-air graphics, enhanced reality, 3D analysis and media management, all working on standard NT platforms with proprietary software and parallel computing hardware. The …

'L 'of a row over driving instructors.

Buxton-based driving instructor Paul Stubbs is furious at being faced with the prospect of having to take a test himself because of new Government legislation.

He must pass a new theory test in order to continue practising his trade after the Government drove through Parliament controversial plans to make experienced instructors take the same Hazard Perception Test which now forms part of pupils' theory exam.

Newly-trained driving instructors already have to take the new test, but from the autumn, all instructors must pass the exam or face being removed from the Approved Driving Instructors register.

Many are furious about the plans and are calling …

ANGLERS ADVISED ON FISH CONSUMPTION.(CAPITAL REGION)

ALBANY -- The state Health Department, citing mercury contamination, warned Thursday against eating too many smallmouth bass taken from two popular Adirondack Mountain lakes.

Department officials said people should eat no more than one meal a month, or a half-pound, of the popular game fish taken from Cranberry Lake …

Salmedix Inc (Privately-held).(ISIS Pharmaceuticals Inc. names new chief operating officer)(Brief Article)

SAN DIEGO CA -- Andrew Dorr, M.D., new COO, was …

Preaching workshops spark enthusiasm

Plum Coulee, Man.

I have been preaching since 1957 and I still get nervous," said John Neufeld, pastor and professor of preaching at Canadian Mennonite University. "Experience doesn't remove the butterflies but it helps them to fly in formation."

Neufeld recently gave three Saturday workshops on "Preaching matters" for seasoned pastors and others in Manitoba. Not only did the Winnipeg, Brandon and Plum Coulee workshops offer help with realigning butterflies, they reactivated an excitement for preaching.

"Leading the church in its ongoing conversation with the Bible" is an exciting and vital part of being a pastor, said Neufeld.

"Churches avoid discussing …

Findings from University College provide new insights into forestry.

"The present study aimed to investigate the prey preference of the omnivorous bug Dicyphus tamaninii Wagner (Heteroptera: Miridae) among 5 different prey species, and its interaction with 3 different natural enemies commonly used in greenhouses. Moreover, the survival duration of the predator was studied in response to different nutritional sources," scientists in Jordan report.

"In multi-choice trials all developmental stages of the predator tested, namely N-3, N-5, and adult female, showed a clear preference for Aphis gossypii Glover over other prey species offered. Nonetheless, a considerable number of Tetranychus urticae Koch, Frankliniella occidentalis (Pergande), and …

DINER TOLD TO CLEAR THE AIR.(CAPITAL REGION)

Byline: MIKE FRICANO Staff writer

The owner of a Western Avenue restaurant that has been the subject of numerous complaints about cooking and garbage odors agreed to install a new odor-abating device Wednesday under threat of being closed.

For three years, residents near the Metro 20 Diner have asked the town to enforce its ``odor-free'' regulations and order diner owner Demetrios Michael to get rid of the odors of grease, fish, garlic, etc. that have polluted their air.

Michael said at Wednesday's Zoning Board of Appeals meeting that he would raise the fan, which expels the air from the restaurant, about five feet and make it spin faster. If it …

Clinton says NATO's door still open to Ukraine

U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton told Ukrainian leaders Friday that the door to membership in the NATO alliance remains open.

Clinton alluded to the newly elected Ukrainian government's closer alignment to Moscow and its decision to steer away from NATO membership.

Slowing her delivery to emphasize the NATO issue, Clinton told the government officials she wanted to make it clear that the U.S. would not pressure Ukraine to join NATO. She said it is up to Ukraine to choose its own …