Joseph Ngwenya scored his second goal in the 85th minute to give the Houston Dynamo a 2-1 win over Pachuca on Thursday night in the first game of SuperLiga's Group A.
Ngwenya's header from the left of the box made it just inside the near post off a Corey Ashe free kick to give Houston a 2-1 lead in the 85th minute and a leg up toward advancing to the knockout round …
Changes slight since West Pullman LSC fires principal
Almost two weeks after the Local School Council of West Pullman Elementary School voted unanimously to relieve Principal Jonadab Omeke of his duties, conditions at the far South Side school remain mostly unchanged, parents said.
Outraged teachers there have complained about hazardous conditions in the 107-year-old building, inadequate supplies of textbooks in nearly all courses and at all levels in the kindergarten through 8th grade school and of a pattern of misogyny on the part of Omeke.
During its Nov. 14 meeting, LSC Chair Felicia Hayes announced the vote as an action taken against Omeke, now in his 17th month …
The Tennessee Titans want a Nevada judge to quash a lawsuit seeking damages for a strip club employee paralyzed in a triple shooting that followed a fracas involving suspended NFL player Adam "Pacman" Jones.
A judge is due Wednesday to hear arguments by an attorney for the team who contends the Titans had nothing to do with Jones going to the Minxx Gentleman's Club last Feb. 19, and that the team doesn't have enough ties to Nevada to establish jurisdiction for the lawsuit.
It would be "unreasonable" to require the team to defend itself in Las Vegas against a case by the paralyzed man, Tommy Urbanski, and his wife, lawyer Nathaniel Hannaford …
Police have renewed their appeal for witnesses after a crash lefttwo teenage women seriously injured.
The two 17-year-olds were left unconscious after their car leftthe A96 Aberdeen to Inverness road near Pitcaple.
They were taken under police escort to Aberdeen Royal Infirmaryafter the crash on Saturday at 2pm.
A Grampian Police spokesman said: "We would also like to speak toanyone who may have seen a red Vauxhall Corsa which was travellingwestwards on the A96 between Inverurie and Inveramsay Bridge."
The car is thought to have struck a tree …
Agriculture conservation funds totaling $200 million are available to U.S. farmers as specified in the farm bill passed earlier this year. Under the Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP), the government shares the costs of managing manure and farmland runoff. "These additional funds will enable farmers and ranchers to enhance and …
ISTANBUL, Turkey - Pakistan's legislature unanimously condemned Pope Benedict XVI. Lebanon's top Shiite cleric demanded an apology. And in Turkey, the ruling party likened the pontiff to Hitler and Mussolini and accused him of reviving the mentality of the Crusades.
Across the Islamic world Friday, Benedict's remarks on Islam and jihad in a speech in Germany unleashed a torrent of rage that many fear could burst into violent protests like those that followed publication of caricatures of the Prophet Muhammad.
By citing an obscure Medieval text that characterizes some of the teachings of Islam's founder as "evil and inhuman," Benedict inflamed Muslim passions and …
Crystal-studded boots that Michael Jackson intended to wear on his planned comeback tour fetched ⁈ ($14,650) at a celebrity fundraiser chaired by his sister, Janet.
The charity event, held on the sidelines of Milan Fashion Week, attracted such fashion luminaries as Donatella Versace and model Linda Evangelista, as well as rapper and producer Kanye West.
Organizers say the event late Monday netted a total of $1.1 million (⁈0) for the American Foundation for AIDS Research (amfAR), a nonprofit organization that supports HIV/AIDS research.
The event included a charity dinner in a central Milan palace and continued into the early hours of …
Q. Your assessment of the game?
A. "We had an opportunity to get in the hunt again and our guysresponded. That's all. I'm tired."
Q. Were you surprised by the success of fullback Raymont Harris?
A. "It was a real good game plan by Ron Turner. He got thelinebackers out and softened up the defense."
Q. Although running back Lewis Tillman didn't see the ball verymuch, were you happy with his play in the fourth quarter?
A. "We weren't getting the ball to him as much as usual early,but in crunch time in the …
WASHINGTON (AP) — Obama says he instructed Cabinet to …
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| J.Adduci lf 5 0 1 0 Patterson cf 4 1 2 1 |
| Fukudome rf 1 0 0 0 Pennington ss 4 1 2 0 |
| B.Guyer rf 2 0 0 0 Ellis 2b 2 0 1 0 |
| Colvin cf 4 0 0 0 E.Sogard 2b 1 0 0 1 |
| Nady dh 3 0 0 0 Suzuki c 3 0 0 0 |
Hooray to Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials forremoving Elvira Arellano from our great country! I couldn't havebeen happier to open the paper [Monday] morning. I hope that whenall the marching and protests start, we will have …
WASHINGTON (AP) — Pentagon: US to 'pursue all actions …
SUNNYVALE, Calif. Atari Corp., the personal computer and videogame producer, said Monday it will make a move into electronicsretailing by acquiring Federated Group Inc. in a deal worth about $67million.
Federated Group, based in City of Commerce, Calif., operates 67stores in California, Texas, Arizona, New Mexico and Kansas.
The chairman of Federated, Wilfred Schwartz, said its purchaseby Atari means expansion for the retailer.
"Our aspiration is to become a national retailer. Atari bringsnot only a national, but a global perspective to our business," hetold Reuters.
The move into retailing marks a dramatic change for Atari, whichhas found recent success with a new line of high-powered personalcomputers introduced by new owners led by former CommodoreInternational Ltd. chief Jack Tramiel. He is known in the industryas a cost-slasher who produces low-priced computers but not as astore operator.
"Mr. Tramiel is known for his skills in electronics . . . andI'm sure he's going to put the same energy into this new venture,"Schwartz said.
Federated sells Atari products now and Schwartz foreseesincreased marketing efforts on behalf of Atari. "If Atari is my papayou can assume there will be a good presentation of Atari products,"he said.
Tramiel's group bought the assets of Atari in 1984 after itsprevious owner, Warner Communications Inc., racked up big losses asthe computer video game business went sour and its pioneering homecomputers lost favor to more versatile models.
Personal computer sales account for about 10 percent ofFederated's sales. Atari did not say how it would incorporate itscomputer business with the Federated stores and company officialscould not be reached for comment.
Federated markets home entertainment products, deriving 28percent of its revenues from video playback equipment. Audio systemscontribute about 21 percent of sales, television and TV-relatedproducts some 14 percent.
The money-losing Federated property will represent anotherchallenge for Tramiel, a hard-driving executive who made Commodoreinto the biggest and most profitable maker of cheaper home computersbefore he left to launch his own company.
Federated had a loss of $895,000 in its first fiscal quarterended May 31 on sales of $91.1 million.
Although a partnership led by Schwartz has agreed to tender its55 percent stake in Federated, Schwartz will remain chairman of thefirm. He said current personnel will stay in force.
Atari said it will offer to buy remaining shares at the sameprice of $6.25 a share. Federated stock on the over-the-countermarket Monday was quoted at $6.12 1/2.
Atari, whose stock fell 75 cents on the American Stock Exchangeto $13.50 after the announcement, said the offer is subject to theapproval of Federated's lenders.
Federated has about 10.8 million shares outstanding.
Under the terms of the agreement, Atari will start its tender onor before Friday.
Atari earned $15.3 million in this year's first fiscal quarter,an impressive improvement over the $2.7 million earned in thecorresponding year-ago period.
WASHINGTON - President Bush is telling lawmakers he will send thousands more U.S. troops to Iraq's two most troubled regions, in a plan that Democrats are resisting as a major escalation of a 31/2-year-old war.
On Tuesday, Senate Armed Services Committee Chairman Carl Levin, D-Mich., said he expects Bush to announce that up to 20,000 additional troops will be sent to Iraq, but will not say how long the extra forces will be there. Levin, who spoke to reporters a day after meeting with White House national security adviser Stephen Hadley, said he thinks Bush will signal that the overall U.S. commitment in Iraq is not open-ended.
Levin said he will not back the president's plan if Bush says only that the Iraqis must take on more responsibility, rather than setting conditions for U.S. help.
"If they don't? Then what?" Levin asked. "That's the part that's been missing."
The extra forces would be sent to Baghdad, which has been consumed by sectarian violence, and the western Anbar Province, a base of the mostly Sunni insurgency and foreign al-Qaida fighters, Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison, R-Texas, and others said following the session with Bush.
A day before Bush's nationally televised speech describing his proposal, Sen. Edward Kennedy, a longtime critic of Bush and the war, will propose legislation denying him the billions needed to send more troops to war unless Congress agrees first. Though it was unclear whether the bill would ever reach the full Senate, it could at least serve as a rallying point for the most insistent foes of the Iraq conflict.
Democrats seem divided on whether to block funds for troop increases, but many were not ruling it out. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., said Democrats would "look at everything" in their power to curb the war, short of cutting money for troops already in the field.
He said he would only consider an increase in U.S. forces in Iraq if Bush agreed to start withdrawing troops within six months.
"We've got to focus the attention of the Iraqis on their responsibility for their own country," Levin told the Detroit Free Press. "The only way to tell them is that we're going to redeploy our forces in 4 to 6 months."
The bill by Kennedy, D-Mass., is guaranteed to fuel the debate among lawmakers on how far they should go to try to force the president's hand on the unpopular war.
Under the Constitution, the president has broad war-making powers, while Congress controls spending. Democratic leaders have swiftly rejected any suggestion of withholding money from troops already in combat zones.
"The Congress has the power of the purse and what we are saying is before the president sends additional American troops into the civil war, the president has to come back to the Congress and get the authority for that deployment," Kennedy said Tuesday on NBC's "Today" show.
"The American people ought to have a voice and a vote and members of Congress should be held accountable. We ought to take this step and stop the surge," Kennedy said.
In prepared remarks he was to deliver later Tuesday to the National Press Club, Kennedy said: "The best immediate way to support our troops is by refusing to inject more and more of them into the cauldron of a civil war that can be resolved only by the people and government of Iraq."
If brought to the floor by Democratic leaders, Kennedy's proposal would force Republicans to put themselves on record regarding the war for the first time since the Nov. 7 elections, when the GOP lost control of Congress to the Democrats in large part because of the war. Most Republicans say they back the president, or are at least willing to hear him out, but a few GOP moderates say there is no indication U.S. troops would make a difference.
According to senators who attended the meeting Monday with the president, a promise to send more troops to Iraq would be conditioned on criteria met by the Iraqi government, such as reaching political deals on sharing the nation's oil resources and dispatching more of its own troops to Baghdad.
Bush told the senators that Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki suggested the plan when the two met in late November in Amman, Jordan. The senators said the president expressed confidence that the Iraqi government could meet certain milestones in exchange for additional U.S. support.
But several of the senators remained skeptical.
"We've had these benchmarks before and to no avail," Sen. Olympia Snowe, R-Maine, said after meeting with Bush. "Why should we increase our exposure to risk?"
But whether Snowe and other GOP skeptics of Bush's plan, including Gordon Smith of Oregon and Sen. Susan Collins of Maine, will agree to Kennedy's plan is doubtful.
"It would be a dishonorable thing for the Congress to budget away the bullets at a time when their commander in chief had ordered them to hold their place in the battlefront," said Smith.
AOMORI, Japan - The United States defeated the Czech Republic on Monday, while defending champion Sweden was upset on the third day of the women's world curling championship.
Debbie McCormick's rink, which lost to Canada and Sweden on Monday, took a 6-4 lead into the 10th end where the Czech Republic had a chance to win with the last-rock advantage.
Czech skip Hana Synackova could have scored three points with a double takeout, but left a U.S. stone in the house, allowing the Americans to steal another point for a 7-4 win.
"It was scary at times," McCormick said. "I felt like we played well. I missed a couple of my last shots and they called a good game."
The United States, which won the tournament in 2003 under McCormick, improved to 3-2 in the round-robin draw while the Czechs dropped to 1-4.
"We're getting better, but we haven't found our `A' game yet," McCormick said.
In the day's biggest upset, two-time defending champion Sweden was defeated by Switzerland, a team that entered Monday's games with just one win.
In the 10th end, Switzerland skip Silvana Tirinzoni made an open hit for four to win after Sweden skip Anette Norberg wrecked on a guard.
The four in the 10th gave Switzerland a surprise 8-6 win over the Olympic champions. Switzerland improved to 2-3, while Sweden dropped to 3-2.
Canada, which improved to a perfect 5-0, scored three in the fifth on its way to a 9-0 thrashing of winless Italy which conceded after Kelly Scott's rink scored two in the sixth end.
"It was harder than it looked," said Scott. "A lot of points were scored on the last rock. We're pretty precise on our shotmaking right now and that's making things easier for us."
Canada will have a chance to improve to 6-0 when it takes on host Japan later Monday.
Earlier, Japan, led by Skip Moe Meguro, scored two in the sixth on its way to a 6-5 win over Italy and improved to 3-2. Scotland defeated China 6-5 to pick up its fourth win against one loss, while China fell to 3-2.
The world championship, the first to be held in Asia, runs from March 17-25 and features 12 countries.
Five teenagers were taken into police custody Saturday inconnection with the attempted armed robbery of Ald. Tom Tunney lessthan a block from his 44th Ward office on the North Side, ChicagoPolice said.
Tunney, who could not be reached for comment, was walking alonein the 3300 block of North Seminary around 1:30 p.m. Saturday whenhe was approached by five young men who demanded his wallet, policesaid.
One of the suspects had a weapon that "appeared to be a gun butcould have been a replica," Chicago Police spokeswoman Monique Bondsaid.
Bond said the teens did not know who Tunney was. She called therobbery attempt "a completely random approach."
A few hours earlier, there was a similar robbery attempt in thearea, apparently involving the same crew, Bond said.
"It appears that this is a group of teenagers just in the area,taking an opportunity," she said.
Tunney gave the suspects his wallet, but they returned it becausethere was no money in it, then ran away, Bond said.
"It was kind of an odd robbery, but fortunately, the alderman wasnot harmed," Bond said.
Police said they were able to track down the suspects near thecrime scene using descriptions Tunney and the earlier victim gavethem.
After they were taken into custody, two of the teens wereidentified by Tunney, Bond said.
No charges had been filed as of Saturday night.
Bond said attempted crimes like the one against Tunney are morelikely to happen during the holiday season.
Here's a job that will make you sweat.
First, create an antiperspirant for both sexes. Then design anad campaign that reaches both. The ads for women will run on TVshows that few men watch. But the ads using men must run on showsthat are watched by women as well as men. By the way, the ads can'toffend anyone.
"It is hard to be successful," acknowledges Maureen Collins,category director for Chicago-based Helene Curtis. Collins is incharge of a new marketing campaign for Curtis' Degreeanti-perspirant, a six-year-old brand.
The new campaign, which officially debuts Saturday, consists ofa National Football League sponsorship and ads featuring NFL rookiessweating it out to make their teams this season. The ad debutsduring a pre-season game on Fox between the San Diego Chargers andthe San Francisco 49ers. Later, ads featuring female doctors inmaternity wards staying cool and dry with Degree will air onnon-football shows.
Trouble is, women watch football, too. And that presented botha challenge and an opportunity for Curtis.
"The secret is to treat each gender individually," she said."In the maternity ward, we show emotional stress." And in the NFLspots, she said, players get sweaty during practice, but they alsoundergo mental stress from coaches and veteran players in trying tomake their teams - supposedly a nod to female customers.
Walking the line of an equal opportunity advertiser is a trickyone in this day of political correctness, but marketing experts saidthe NFL spots, at least, were a shrewd move for Curtis, which wastaken over by consumer products giant Unilever this year.
"It's financially less prohibitive to work with first-yearplayers than a Steve Young or Troy Aikman," said Sean Brenner, editorof Team Marketing Report, a Chicago newsletter. "Companies aretrying to attach themselves to hot properties early on."
China's exports of textile goods to India have increased in certain sectors.
For instance, exports of raw silk, silk yarn and silk fabrics to India increased by 23.52% during January-October 2005 from the year before to US$347.61 million, and those of man-made filaments and fabrics climbed 42.31% to US$186.95 million. Cotton yarn and fabrics also grew by 65.78% to US$94.29 million.
"Timing and luck are 90 percent of this business," Oslin said."Talent and perseverance are the rest of it. Whatever clicked,people were ready to hear my music. They were ready to hear a voicelike mine.
"They were ready to accept someone a little older than youusually see, not a raving beauty, not model-thin. Five years fromnow, it may not work. Five years ago, it didn't work at all. I knowthat firsthand."
Entertainers want to hit big when they are young because "we allwant to be wild and rich and famous," she said. But Oslin, whonever tries to hide her age, 46, said she feels more like 28.
A native of Crossett, Ark., Oslin grew up in Houston and beganher singing career as a folk artist in the 1960s. She triedBroadway, then wrote advertising jingles. She tried Nashville againbut flopped and returned to the big city. Then she made one more tryand it clicked.
One reason for the second-time-around success is that today'saudiences are different.
"Baby boomers are very influential in this country," Oslin said."They are in their late 30s or 40s and don't feel old. They havegone through any number of kinds of music. Baby boomers have reallybeen involved in music.
"They don't necessarily relate to rock 'n' roll all over again,but they still groove to the music. So they search for the musicthey can relate to, and it's becoming more country."
Oslin said country music is evolving and changing, and some ofthe "old guard" is on the way out.
"For years and years, I didn't like country because all itconnoted to me was men singing songs about about being drunk onwhiskey and missing the girlfriend they had cheated on and treatedbadly or the wife that they had cheated on and treated badly, andhere I am drinking again.
"That was all it meant to me. It said nothing to me as a younggirl. It didn't apply to me. If you notice, those kind of songsdon't exist much anymore. We don't sit at the bar crying in ourbeer. We have other thoughts. The wider the thoughts, the wider theaudience."
If there is anyone who has developed her own theme in Nashville,it's Oslin. Her first No. 1 single, " '80s Ladies," has a line thatgoes, "We burned our bras, we burned our dinners and we burned ourcandles at both ends."
"I try to make the women in my songs as strong as they can be inthe particular situation they are in, which is usually a veryvulnerable situation," Oslin said.
"I don't write songs about rolling down the highway with myknapsack on my back, that sort of ambiguous `hit the road' that youcan do as a man.
"Women deal with emotions," she said. "Women are emotionalcreatures, and it drives men nuts. But that's the way we are. Iwrite songs about women in a particular situation. And I don't wanta woman to be a wimp, a victim, weak or unrealistic. She's not madeup to be a super person, but I try to give her strength where I can,because we need that."
New security checkpoints set up around Beijing ahead of next month's Olympics caused massive traffic jams when they went into effect Tuesday as drivers were forced to wait in long lines in China's muggy July heat.
Hundreds of checkpoints have been installed on expressways and highways leading into the capital under the "Three Lines of Defense" security program, the official Xinhua News Agency said. Security was also stepped up at the airport and on major train routes coming into Beijing.
Cars awaiting checks by armed police with sniffer dogs were backed up. Frustrated drivers read newspapers or walked impatiently along the roadside.
"Now the bad guys can't get in, but neither can the good guys," said Wang Guoqing, who was stopped on a bus at the Baimiao checkpoint east of the city.
"I've been waiting for three hours, and now I've been walking for nearly an hour down the expressway," he told AP Television News.
Car drivers and their passengers now have to show identity cards to enter Beijing, and their vehicles have to be searched for "dangerous goods," Xinhua said.
Roads leading into the city are the first line of defense, meaning mandatory police checks, with random checks planned on suburban roads and major inner-city roads as the other lines of defense, Xinhua said.
"They don't have any bomb detectors and they let cars go when they feel like it," said Huang Jiaqiang, who lives in the eastern outskirts of Beijing and goes into to town for business every day.
"I think it's only a show. They're trying to show people they are doing something, but not really doing it in an efficient way," he told AP Television News.
But traffic officials said they hadn't heard of any delays caused by the increased security.
"As long as people don't bring guns or illegal drugs into the city, they should not be concerned about the inspections," an official at the Beijing Traffic Management Bureau said. He did not give his name, as is common with officials in China.
"Inspections have been going smoothly all day and I have not heard of any delays or mishaps," he said.
China is mounting a huge security push for the Olympic Games, surrounding venues with thousands of police, saying the games are vulnerable to terrorist attacks. China has prepared an anti-terror force of nearly 100,000 commandos, police and troops, Xinhua said.
Beijing residents deemed a security threat _ such as petitioners seeking redress for grievances in the capital, vagrants, migrant workers and prostitutes _ have been cleared out of the city or are being monitored by police. Temporary residence permits have been introduced for those who do not have Beijing resident permits.
Security checks were also introduced on the city's subway last month.
On Monday, a senior Chinese security official stressed that security checks had to be both strict and convenient, Xinhua said.
"During the Olympics security work, we should not only stick to strictness and details, but also ensure civilized and convenient inspections for people," said Zhou Yongkang, who handles law and order issues on the Communist Party's supreme nine-member Politburo Standing Committee.
The U.S. Open will be held at Torrey Pines, a public course that has become Tiger Woods' private domain.
He won the Junior World Championship there as a teenager, and his record at the Buick Invitational on the U.S. PGA Tour is astounding. He has won six times, including the last four in a row, and has never finished out of the top 10 or more than four shots behind.
Woods shot a 67 on the South Course in his first round of the 2008 season, and a caddie standing behind the 18th green said, "He just won two tournaments with one round." Woods wound up at 19-under par and won by eight shots to set a tournament record.
"What he's going to do is screw the U.S. Open up for everyone else," Fred Couples said that day.
But that was before Woods had surgery on his left knee two days after the Masters, his second such surgery in five years. And that was before the world's No. 1 player sat out two months, leaving him without a competitive round until he tees it up on Thursday on a Torrey Pines course set up for the U.S. Open, long known as golf's toughest test.
Now who's the favorite?
"That's a great question," Couples said. "In March, it was an easy one to answer."
So much has changed since Woods showed up at Torrey Pines in January to start his season. He said the Grand Slam was "easily within reason."
Two days after a runner-up finish at the Masters _ so much for the Grand Slam _ Woods had arthroscopic surgery on his left knee that cleaned out cartilage, among other things. Only those in his inner circle saw it coming. He said it had been bothering him since last year, and Woods used the offseason to strengthen his leg with hopes of avoiding surgery.
The recovery was supposed to be six weeks, in time for a trial run at the Memorial. But he said he wasn't ready, and there was a slight limp during his press conference that week to promote his AT&T National tournament.
"It's not like I haven't been down this road before," Woods said, alluding to his '03 victory in the Buick Invitational after missing two months with knee surgery. "I know what it takes to win a tournament after having a procedure done, and it's just a matter of being prepared, getting all my practice time in, making sure my shots are how I want them, trying to understand what my misses might be.
"But you don't really know until you get under tournament heat what your misses are going to be."
No one really knows anything.
Swing coach Hank Haney went to Florida when Woods started hitting balls a week before the Memorial. Woods said some practice sessions were long, others he cut short. With a week to go before the U.S. Open, he had not played an 18-hole round.
"He's progressing," Haney said. "But there's no way to predict progression. When I was there, he hit as good as I've ever seen him hit it. It's the stamina for the walking. He was hitting it great, drivers, everything. No problem at all. It's more of a walking issue."
It helps that the U.S. Open is held at Torrey Pines, a course he has been playing since a kid and knows his way around. It is different from Winged Foot in New York, where Woods missed the cut in the 2006 U.S. Open _ the only time he has done that in a major _ after missing nine weeks to cope with his father's death.
What might not help is that it's the U.S. Open, the major Woods has won the fewest times (twice).
Torrey Pines will be nothing in June like it was in January, with warmer air, faster fairways and rough that is a blend of kikuya, rye and poa annua grasses _ the kind that grabs the club on impact.
"It will be interesting to see how the golf course is, the speed of it," Woods said. "You know the greens are going to be hard and fast. We have played them hard, but not really this fast."
Adding to the odds against him is Phil Mickelson, the No. 2 player in the world and Woods' biggest rival. Mickelson grew up in San Diego, won the Buick Invitational three times and feels at home at Torrey Pines. He also is coming off a victory in the Colonial, making him the only player besides Woods to win multiple times on the U.S. PGA Tour.
"I know he's preparing as hard as he can physically that will allow him to be ready for the U.S. Open," Mickelson said. "And his 80 percent is still pretty darn good. So I've got to be ready."
One reason Woods began working with Haney in 2004 was to retool his swing to alleviate the enormous pressure on his left knee. He figured out the changes late in 2004, and has won five majors over the last three years.
He also missed the cut at Winged Foot, which Woods says now was more a product of not having his head in the game. This is different. Woods is eager to return to competition, and said even if it weren't the U.S. Open, he would still be playing.
Even so, no one is sure what to expect.
A U.S. Open that once looked to be so predictable now has only question marks.
Tiger or Phil?
"If Tiger is healthy, I still put him ahead of Phil," Couples said. "If his knee is wiggling, it's going to be hard. Even if he takes this week off (Memorial), it's not going to hurt him. He's still the guy to beat."
A court's ruling that Parmalat's founder bore the brunt of the responsibility for the dairy company's stunning 2003 bankruptcy disappointed millions of ordinary investors hoping to squeeze damages from the banks that had sold them bad Parmalat bonds.
A Milan court on Thursday convicted Calisto Tanzi of market-rigging and other charges, sentencing him to 10 years, but acquitted seven other remaining defendants in the trial, including three former Bank of America employees.
The first verdicts assigning responsibility for what remains Europe's largest corporate failure came five years after Parmalat collapsed under crushing debt of euro14 billion ($19.5 billion) _ eight times what it had disclosed to investors.
Lawyers representing 40,000 defrauded bondholders were disappointed that the court did not give them the possibility to seek compensation directly from Tanzi, as they would have from banks and other financial institutions in the case of a guilty verdict.
"We won't get anything, because Tanzi used a lot of nice words, giving fault to the banks, but he never offered any restitution, not even symbolic," said Marisa Costelli, a lawyer for the consumer advocacy group Adusbef. "We have a sentence we can hang on the wall like a painting ... Even if we find one day that Tanzi has a little treasure, or a big treasure, we can't get it without a civil case."
Carlo Federico Grosso, a lawyer representing 32,000 bondholders, said he'd have preferred convictions for the former Bank of America employees "from a financial and economic point of view."
"But that didn't happen because according to the court's view, Bank of America didn't agree to market-rigging with Tanzi."
The banks have always denied wrongdoing, claiming they were equally duped as the investors.
Tanzi, meanwhile, blamed the banks for the labyrinth of shaky deals that on the one hand helped the once simple dairy business grow into a global empire with operations in more than 30 countries, and on the other, led to its collapse. He has always denied having a secret account where the lost investments are stashed.
Bondholders also are seeking damages in two other trials: one against the banks under way in Milan and the other being the highest-stakes case, charging Tanzi and others of fraudulent bankruptcy, in Parma, Parmalat's headquarters.
Tanzi, who turned 70 last month, likely won't have to serve prison time since defendants his age usually are spared jail in Italy. While seven were acquitted Thursday, two others will have their fate decided separately next year. Another 20 received plea agreements in earlier phases, including former CFO Fausto Tonna, who was sentenced to 2 1/2 years.
Tanzi reportedly was shocked at being the only one convicted, according to remarks to his lawyers that were reported by the Ansa news agency. "The sentence seems too high in relation to my responsibility," Tanzi reportedly said. His lawyers could not be reached for confirmation.
While coming out of Milan market-rigging empty-handed, Grosso said his clients have already recouped 16 percent of their initial investment _ which totaled euro400 million ($584 million) for the 32,000 investors _ in out-of-court settlements with the accounting firm Deloitte&Touche, UBS, Deutsche Bank and Morgan Stanley.
"It turned out to be a good choice," to seek out-of-court settlements, Grosso said.
Costelli said that Adusbef's clients will received between 4 percent and 6 percent of their investments in a deal with Deloitte&Touche, and that they were still negotiating with UBS, Deutsche Bank and Morgan Stanely.
There remains a possibility to receive damages in the market-rigging case from the auditor Italaudit, formerly Grant Thorton, but Costelli said that remains thin because Italaudit has solvency issues of its own. The judicial fate of two Italaudit defendants will be decided in February, after the court rejected plea bargain attempts as inadequate.
The new Parmalat, which reorganized and relisted on the Milan stock exchange, separately has collected some euro1.9 billion ($2.78 billion) to date in damages in a settlements, clawbacks and lawsuits. Shares of Parmalat were trading down slightly at euro1.21 ($1.77).
LOS ANGELES - Britney Spears won modified visitation rules Thursday that allow her two boys to spend one overnight a week with her, and the pop star's attorney requested her mother become the required court-appointed monitor.
Spears made a surprise appearance in court after Superior Court Commissioner Scott Gordon held a morning hearing on her emergency request to expand visitation but declined to rule. He gave attorneys for Spears and her ex-husband, Kevin Federline, who was recently granted custody, more time to discuss the matter outside court.
Spears was previously allowed monitored visits with the children but no overnight stays. Neither she nor her attorneys spoke to reporters after the closed, afternoon hearing.
During the earlier open hearing, Spears' attorney, Anne Kiley, argued that overnight visits were critical for Spears to bond with her sons, 2-year-old Sean Preston and 1-year-old Jayden James.
"I do think it is an emergency for them not to have overnights with their mother, which they've always had," she told Gordon.
"What possible concern can he (Federline) have if there are monitors present?" she asked.
Superior Court spokesman Allan Parachini announced the new visitation order but he could not say who would be the overnight monitor.
Federline, who was not at the hearings, agreed to the modification, his attorney, Mark Vincent Kaplan, said outside court.
"He agreed - didn't have to - but he agreed that he would allow that additional time ... provided that there were additional assurances in place that made him feel the kids were protected," Kaplan said.
Spears' attorney had asked the court to consider her mother, Lynne Spears, as the monitor.
Kaplan would not say when the first overnight would occur or who the monitor would be, but he said he opposes use of family members as court-appointed monitors because of a conflict of interest.
Spears, 25, and Federline, 29, were married in October 2004 and divorced last July. They both must appear in court Oct. 26 for a status hearing.
In the original Oct. 1 order requiring Spears to relinquish custody, Gordon granted her some visitation but said a monitor must be present and the visits could be cut short if the monitor decided Spears' behavior endangered the children.
When he took the children away, Gordon said Spears had engaged in "habitual, frequent and continuous use of controlled substances and alcohol." He ordered her to undergo random drug and alcohol testing twice a week.
He reiterated Thursday that he worried that the pop star's troubles could harm the children.
He also criticized Spears for not complying with previous court orders, repeatedly saying that the current custody order taking her children away resulted from her own choices.
Gordon told Kiley he had not received any of Spears' drug test results directly from the lab, as he had ordered, although he had an attorney's declaration that she has passed them.
Federline's attorney, Kaplan, said it was frustrating that Spears' lawyers would try to change the Oct. 1 custody order so soon after it was issued.
"If she could remedy all of those problems ... in one week, that would be a miracle," he said.
When Spears arrived at the courthouse dressed in blue jeans, a long black sweater and wearing aviator sunglasses, she said "I'm doing good." She sipped from a Coca-Cola can as she approached the courtroom. An attorney took it from her and placed it on a bench as she entered.
Spears played nervously with her jeans pocket as she stood to be sworn in.
The commissioner allowed Spears to keep her dark sunglasses on, telling her, "I understand you have a medical condition." The condition was not disclosed.
Reporters were then asked to leave and the hearing continued behind closed doors.
She spent about an hour in the courtroom, then drove off in a white Mercedes-Benz swarmed by news media at a stop light. She escaped only after sheriff's deputies ran from the courthouse to aid her.
---
Associated Press writer Raquel Maria Dillon contributed to this report.
(This version corrects the color of Spears' sweater to black instead of dark blue.)
These are the Sun-Times-endorsed candidates for todday'smunicipal election for citywide offices and for City Council.
This list may be taken into the voting booth. Mayor
Richard M. Daley City Clerk James J. Laski City Treasurer Miriam Santos City Council 1st Ward: C. Victoria Almeida 2nd Ward: Madeline L. Haithcock 3rd Ward: Dorothy J. Tillman 5th Ward: Barbara Holt 10th Ward: John J. Buchanan 16th Ward: Shirley A. Coleman 27th Ward: Walter Burnett Jr. 29th Ward: Sam Burrell 30th Ward: Michael A. Wojcik 35th Ward: Louis Lara 39th Ward: Margaret Laurino
The most wonderful time of the year
Ah, the signs of spring: cherry blossoms, warmer weather, and longer days. And membership dues. Yep, it's that time of year we all know and love: dues time.
While the vast majority of members pay their dues on time-and we thank you-that still leaves a small number in arrears. From an ethical perspective, I find this troubling. After all, failure to pay membership dues on time leads to late penalties (at the very least) and expulsion (at the very worst). You remember how hard it was to earn your CA designation; are you really eager to throw it away? Do you really want to pay a $250 application fee, on top of late penalties and dues, to get your designation back?
For providing the following information, I thank Anna Piccolo, the ICABC's member records coordinator and assistant accountant, and Jennifer Neher, our member records and accounts receivable representative. These two know first-hand the lengths the Institute must go to when chasing down outstanding dues.
Now I'd like to share this information with you.
The "skinny" on late penalties
Every year, the annual membership dues billings arc sent out in April, with May 31 as the deadline for payment without penalty.
To ensure that the vast majority of our membership doesn't have to pay for the few who don't pay on time (many of whom are repeat offenders), the ICABC levies significant penalties: 10% of the dues total is charged as a late penalty on June 1; July 1; and again on August 1.
We don't enjoy charging late penalties, so we make every effort to remind members of their obligations. This year, we'll send out an email reminder one week prior to the May 31, 2004 deadline to those for whom we have email addresses. And, as always, late payers will receive statements after each late penalty kicks in.
"Dialling for Dollars"
Would you believe that in August, after the third set of late penalties have been levied, a number of the Institute's senior directors and managers participate in what has come to be known as "Dialling for Dollars"? Each member of our DD team is given a list of members and asked to track them down in order to convince them to pay their membership dues and penalties.
In many cases, the contact information on file is no longer valid, so staff members have to search "people-finder" wcbsitcs and contact relatives and previous employers. Never mind the administrative costs for issuing and processing late penalties, does forcing Institute staff to play detective sound like the most effective way to put your membership dollars to work? I think not. That's why it's so important to keep your membership records up to date. It's easy to clo: just email records@ica.bc.ca.
If members still fail to pay their dues and penalties by August 31, their names are put before Council for suspension. Continued failure to pay dues and penalties by September 30 results in cancellation of membership.
Sound harsh? Bear in mind that other professional organizations offer no leniency at all.
Excuses, excuses...
Here are some doozies we heard last yeat:
* "I ran out of cheques and forgot to reorder them."
* "I was on a sabbatical in Bora Bora and not getting my mail."
* "I thought my company paid my dues directly."
* "I WOULD pay on time if you sent the invoice AFTER tax season."
* "I've lost my invoice on my desk. Tax season can be pretty messy."
* "I thought I'd paid it, so I threw it away."
* "I didn't update my address when I moved, so I didn't receive my invoice. How was I to know to pay my dues?"
And the list of lame-duck excuses goes on...
Options for those with legitimate difficulties
Some CAs have legitimate financial and/or medical difficulties. If you fall into this category, all we ask is that you let us know in advance of the May 31, 2004 deadline so we can discuss some options with you. For example, fee waivers are available for financial hardship or medical disability. There's also a waiver for members out of the workforce caring for dependants. And, with some members, we may set up a payment plan. To discuss your waiver options, contact Registrar Stephanie Langley at 604-488-2636 or by email at langley@ica.bc.ca.
Let us know what's going on so we can help. We treat all situations with complete confidentiality.
The message
I can't stress enough how important it is to pay your membership dues. Failure to do so not only costs you significant penalties, it can cost you your designation.
Dues questions? Contact Anna Piccolo at piccolo@ica.bc.ca or 604-488-2617; or Jennifer Neher at neher@ica.bc.ca or 604-488-2616.
Please note: For further details about annual membership dues and our member services, please visit our website www.ica.bc.ca under Member Resources/Dues.
[Sidebar]
Having difficulty paying your dues?
Contact us. We can help!
[Author Affiliation]
By Chris Utley, CA, Director of Ethics
LONDON (AP) — Two German men have pleaded guilty to terrorism charges in a London court.
Christian Emde, 28 years old, and Robert Baum, 24 years old, were arrested on July 15 in the English port town of Dover.
The two pleaded guilty Thursday at a London court to possessing information useful for terrorist acts. Emde pleaded guilty to four offenses, including possessing copies of the al-Qaida magazine, Inspire, which contained articles with headlines such as "Make A Bomb In The Kitchen Of Your Mom."
Baum admitted to one charge under the same act for having an article titled "39 Ways Of Participating Or Serving In Jihad."
The two will remain in custody until their sentencing Feb. 6.
Another important FlexRay milestone has been passed with the introduction of a FlexRay-enabled data logger developed specially for the automotive industry.
The Telemotive blue PiraT (which stands for processing information, recording and analyzing tool) is a device to monitor communication of the bus systems in vehicles. The recorded data can be downloaded via Ethernet to be analyzed on a laptop or PC.
The eight year old Telemotive's motto its "wedrive your ideas". The company says its' goal is to actively speed up developments and be customer-oriented in its approach. Founded in 2000, the German company specializes in engineering consulting and system integration of complex, interlaced systems - as well as the development and the production of control electronics in the automobile industry. The company has more than 200 employees with experience in hardware and software and overall OEM system experience. "We provide services in this area based on more than 10 years of successful project processing in the OEM / embedded system development," says the company.
The Telemotive blue PiraT 2C2FR is a scalable, high-speed communication system for MOST, CAN, RS232/RS422 serial interfaces and two FlexRay channels, with the information stored on a 40GB hard drive. The data logger records synchronous time stamps between MOST, CAN and FlexRay. The earlier blue PiraT 2c did not cater for FlexRay.
Synchronous time stamps are required as certain vehicle functions use several bus systems together for their implementation. To verify that the data has been sent among these bus systems with the correct order and timing, it must be possible to compare different data sources at the same moment in time. Telemotive has also introduced the 6C2L2FR, which has six CAN and two LIN connectors.
The blue PiraT systems can be finetuned for specific applications. "Our specialists are happy to adjust blue PiraT to individual bus system worlds. The power management, which includes a lowpower standby mode, fast wakeup and low power consumption mean the blue PiraT can be directly built into the vehicle without problems," says Telemotive.
[Sidebar]
"The adoption of FlexRay as the standard will afford the automotive industry many design and cost efficiencies by simplifying the manufacturing and design of vehicles, controlling the cost of the microcontrollers and electronic systems that go in them."
[Sidebar]
"Synchronous time stamps are required as certain vehicle functions use several bus systems together for their implementation."
| All Times Eastern |
| American League |
| Tampa Bay vs Boston, 7:05 p.m. |
| Toronto vs N.Y. Yankees, 7:05 p.m. |
| Cleveland vs Texas, 8:05 p.m. |
| Baltimore vs Minnesota, 8:10 p.m. |
| Kansas City vs Chicago White Sox, 8:11 p.m. |
| Detroit vs Oakland, 10:05 p.m. |
| L.A. Angels vs Seattle, 10:10 p.m. |
| National League |
| Cincinnati vs Philadelphia, 7:05 p.m. |
| Houston vs Pittsburgh, 7:05 p.m. |
| Florida vs Atlanta, 7:10 p.m. |
| St. Louis vs Washington, 7:10 p.m. |
| Arizona vs Milwaukee, 8:05 p.m. |
| Chicago Cubs vs San Diego, 10:05 p.m. |
| Colorado vs L.A. Dodgers, 10:10 p.m. |
| N.Y. Mets vs San Francisco, 10:15 p.m. |
| National Basketball Association Playoffs |
| No games today. |
| National Hockey League Playoffs |
| No games today. |
| WNBA Basketball |
| Minnesota vs Atlanta, 7 p.m. |
| Seattle vs New York, 7:30 p.m. |
| Los Angeles vs Chicago, 8 p.m. |
| San Antonio vs Houston, 8:30 p.m. |
| Washington vs Phoenix, 10:30 p.m. |
| Major League Soccer |
| No games today. |
MILWAUKEE Look at it this way: Mike Devereaux got off to a greatstart last year and finished up batting a career-low .203. So we'llassume Devereaux's forgettable White Sox debut is simply a sign ofgood things to come.
Just trying to look at the bright side on a cold, rainy andbasically horrible day for the new Sox right fielder, who must havechecked his calendar when he got home to make sure it wasn't Fridaythe 13th.
A sample of Devereaux's plight: He arrived at County Stadium to find his jersey, which is supposedto be No. 8, hadn't been made yet. On his first at-bat with the Sox, with bases loaded, one out and theSox leading 1-0 against starter Ricky Bones, Devereaux rapped into adouble play. Hard hit, but right at Bones. End of inning. On the first fly ball hit to him, by Darryl Hamilton with a runneron second in the second inning, Devereaux drifted back to the warningtrack, but let the ball bounce off his glove for a two-base error.The Brewers scored two runs in the inning to take a 6-1 lead. He went 0-for-4. To top things off, a fan in the right-field bleachers tossed a beercan at him.
"At least it was full," Devereaux said.
Devereaux got off to a much better start with the Orioles lastyear. He hit three home runs and had seven RBI in the first week.Tuesday at Wrigley Field, he hit his first home run of the springagainst the Cubs, seemingly a good omen.
Then he gets to the ballpark and has no shirt.
"I don't know. I don't have a jersey," said Devereaux, who pickedNo. 52 from a supply of extras.
"That will be the last time I wear 52," he said. "That's myexcuse."
Devereaux, who committed only one error in 85 games last season,said he had no excuse on the botched fly ball.
"That was terrible. I should have been back to the wall before Ieven had to worry about it. The ball was drifting back and back, andI missed it."
"Very uncharacteristic," Sox manager Gene Lamont said.
It seemed like every time Devereaux got involved in the game,unusual things happened. When he popped up behind home plate tocatcher Joe Oliver leading off the sixth inning, the Brewers ball boysitting near the screen reached out in an attempt to make the catch.
Devereaux seemed to take the bad day in stride. He smiled aboutit, but wasn't laughing it off.
"It's not already forgotten," he said, "but there are a lot ofgames. If you deal with your bad days on a consistent basis . . .then that's another story."
Devereaux wasn't alone. The Sox' other key off-seasonacquisition, designated hitter and cleanup man Chris Sabo, also went0-for-4. And Alex Fernandez was rocked in his debut as the Sox' No.1 starter.
"It seemed like we were all a little flat today," Devereaux said."We're going to leave here, learn from our mistakes and hopefully getup higher for the ballgame (today).
"We'll be ready."
Dons boss Jimmy Calderwood leads his troops into battle tonightdetermined to record the club's biggest result for 25 years.
Aberdeen face star-studded Bayern Munich at a packed Pittodrie inthe last 32 of the UEFA Cup.
The Germans are hot favourites to avenge a 3-2 defeat at thesame ground in 1983, a game that is regarded as the greatest-everseen at Pittodrie.
But Calderwood is convinced his side can rise to the challengeand make tonight one the present generation of Dons fans will neverforget.
"If we win it will send a shock wave around Europe," saidCalderwood.
"People would remember it for years, long after we've leftPittodrie.
"I'm sure …
Greek Prime Minister George Papandreou says new austerity measures must be taken for his debt-ridden country's survival, as negotiations on the details of a rescue plan with the International Monetary Fund and the European Union enter the final stretch.
The talks over what extra steps Athens must take as part of the rescue, which will provide euro45 billion this year and up to a reported euro120 billion over several years, are expected to be completed over the weekend.
Speaking in Parliament Friday, Papandreou said economic measures "are necessary for the protection of our country, for our survival, for our future."
Indications that help will soon be approved for Greece has partly calmed markets. Greece's borrowing costs fell for the second day on financial markets.
An unceasing winter storm unleashed multiple dangers across the Northeast on Friday, blasting the coast with hurricane-force winds, causing flooding and power outages and flight cancelations.
In New York City, 17 inches (43 centimeters) of snow had fallen before dawn and more was expected. A man was killed by a falling snow-laden tree branch in Central Park, one of at least three deaths being blamed on the storm.
Airports around the region were dealing with heavy cancellations and telling passengers to check with airlines before trying to get to airports.
The real threat was expected to be the strong wind that could create blizzard conditions. The highest wind reported was 91 mph (146 kph) in Portsmouth, New Hampshire _ well above hurricane force of 74 mph (119 kph). Gusts hit 60 mph (100 kph) or more from New York's Long Island to Massachusetts.
Hundreds of thousands of people were without power in areas of the northeastern U.S.
New York Mayor Mike Bloomberg, who had said Thursday that the largest U.S. public school district would stay open, changed his mind. Friday was the second snow day of the month there, but only the fourth in six years.
In Hampton, New Hampshire, winds helped spread a fire that started in an unoccupied oceanfront hotel, damaging another six to eight businesses, including a restaurant and a games arcade, fire Capt. David Lang said. No injuries were reported, and no cause had been identified.
The storm was packing wet, heavy snow that could dump a foot or more in some areas and powerful, damaging winds could complicate any cleanup.
Much of the region, particularly Philadelphia and southern New Jersey, only recently finished cleaning up from a pair of storms a few weeks ago.
___
Contributing to this report were Associated Press writers Kathy McCormack in Hampton, New Hampshire; Geoff Mulvihill and Randy Pennell in Philadelphia; Kiley Armstrong and Ula Ilnytzky in New York City; Chris Carola in Albany, New York; Shawn Marsh in Trenton, New Jersey; Samantha Henry in Newark, New Jersey; Wilson Ring in Montpellier, Vermont, Michael Rubinkam in Allentown, Pennsylvania.
World Fest will tell.
Sunday, thousands will gather at the New World Music Theatre inTinley Park to catch some of the top names in Christian music - AmyGrant, Steven Curtis Chapman and Michael W. Smith. All three are inthe top 25 on the Billboard Christian music charts.
A slew of supporting artists, plus an assortment of productbooths and food stands, will fill the seven-hour,afternoon-to-evening spectacular.
Christian music has exploded in recent years and is …
NINEWA / Aswat al-Iraq: Joint forces on Tuesday 11 arrested armed infiltrators on the borders along Syria, west of Mosul, the U.S. army said in a statement.
"Iraqi-U.S. forces arrested on Tuesday (April 6) 11 Iraqi infiltrators on borders with Syria, west of Mosul," said the statement received by Aswat al-Iraq news …
Personal: Wife, Nanette; daughters Eden, 23, Heather, 21, and McKenzie, 18.
Hobbies: Singing (with the Mendelssohn Club of Albany and the Suburban Sounds Community Chorus in Guilderland), gardening, hiking, camping. Salary: $53,000-$57,000
WHAT HE DOES
State survey coordinator of the Cooperative Agricultural Pest Survey, part of the state Department of Agriculture. The survey uses a statewide network of state and federal workers who monitor agriculture for exotic insects, diseases and weeds that threaten New York crops. The survey also sets traps for pests to see what's in New York, and works with a national target pest program that helps make …
Broadcast equipment-maker Leitch has enlarged its business. The company just bought Inscriber Technology, known for its graphic and character-generation technology, for approximately $14.5 million.
"Graphics has been a major hole in our product offerings," says Leitch CEO Tim Thorsteinson. "We want to be viewed like Thomson Grass Valley or Sony, not simply as a player in the modular or server market."
Leitch's product line runs the gamut from routing switchers to nonlinear editing systems to storage units. And Thorsteinson is aggressively moving to add more items in 2005.
Upping the company's offerings goes beyond growing its inventory. In the …
| Saturday |
|---|
| Ogden, Utah |
| Fourth Stage |
| 11 lap-stage through thr streets of Salt Lake City |
1. Javier Acevedo, 2 hours, 56 minutes, 18 seconds.
2. Javier Megais, 2:56.23
3. Rubens Bertogliati, 2:56.24.
4. Francsico Mancebo Perez, 2:56.24.
5. Chad Beyer, 2:56.24.
6. Lucas Euser, 2:56.24.
7. Pat McCarty, 2:56.24.
8. Timothy Duggan, …
Defenseman Scott Niedermayer of the New Jersey Devils was awardeda record-tying $7 million contract for next season by an NHLarbitrator on Friday.
The award matches the $7 million given to Philadelphia Flyersforward John LeClair in 2000.
Niedermayer, last season's Norris Trophy winner as the NHL's bestdefenseman, had requested a five-year contract reportedly worth $45million.
Niedermayer had 14 goals and 40 assists and averaged nearly 26minutes of ice time per game last season.
*Goaltender Evgeni Nabokov avoided salary arbitration with the SanJose Sharks, agreeing to a two-year contract worth more than $8.8million shortly before his hearing was set to …
(ADPnews) - May 25, 2010 - Brazil's environmental regulator Ibama has issued a preliminary environmental licence for the 62 MW Minuano wind park in the southernmost Rio Grande do Sul state.
The facility, developed by Minuano Energia Eolica, will be installed in the municipalities Chui and Santa Vitoria do Palmar.
Among the conditions Ibama set are that the interconnection networks inside the project's area …
Byline: Amber Miles
May 26--The latest in-ground pools aren't the ordinary you-buy-it, you-clean-it, you-maintain-the-chemical balance labor-inducing backyard pits you grew up with. Today, there are low-maintenance, high-tech pools with spa and landscape features designed to create an entire experience.
"We have a lot of people looking for pools to showcase their home and backyard, and also to give them that backyard resort-type feel," says Jamie Georgelos, pool and spa division manager at Alpin Haus in Amsterdam. "The thing about these pools today is they can be used to cool off, but with the lighting at night, it gives another aspect for entertaining."
Although pools at Alpin Haus start at about $20,000, higher-end installations typically range from $40,000 to $90,000, Georgelos says, and although heated swimming …
Byline: TIM WILKIN Staff writer
For the New York Giants, training camp started a long time before they landed on the campus of the University at Albany.
During the month of June, the National Football League team gets together four days for an hour of workouts at the practice field at the Meadowlands.
When the Giants take to the UAlbany fields for training camp Friday, they won't ease into anything.
``When we come to Albany, the team will be full pads the first practice,'' said Pat Hanlon, the Giants director of media relations. ``We will already have gotten a lot of work in when we get there.''
The 27-day stay in Albany …
British Airways is believed to be developing a short-haul airline brand with consultancy Interbrand. The company has previously stated that it is investing in its short-haul services this year. …
Stocks fluctuated Thursday, dipping in and out of positive territory, after a regional manufacturing report pointed to slumping U.S. demand and rising prices.
Another report, from a private business group, said its forecast of future economic activity ticked higher by 0.1 percent in May. The findings from the New York-based Conference Board were in line with expectations but indicated that the economy is slack.
The manufacturing picture from the Philadelphia Federal Reserve stirred some concern that a drop in demand and increases in prices for commodities like oil are buffeting some businesses.
The reports ultimately did not give investors much …
The Bears saw enough of Desmond Howard last year to know what atop-flight return man can do for an NFL team.
That's one of the reasons they jumped back into the free-agencymarket Friday and signed return specialist Tyrone Hughes to athree-year contract worth $2.6 million.
The team also signed tackle Andy Heck to a three-year, $9million extension of his contract, which was to expire at the end ofthe upcoming season. Heck, who is scheduled to make $2.2 millionthis year, received a $4 million signing bonus.The Bears outbid the San Francisco 49ers for Hughes, 27, whoplayed four seasons with the New Orleans Saints, making one Pro Bowland setting eight NFL …
Despite the global recession and slow economic recovery, the European wind power market showed robust growth in 2009, with an annual addition of more than 10 GW in installed capacity, according to "European Wind Power Markets: Trends and Outlook-2010-2015," a new study from Synergyst. Wind power accounted for almost 40% of all the electricity generated in Europe during the year, with investments in the wind sector reaching 13 billion in 2009.
Spain emerged as the largest market in 2009, with one-fourth of annual installations, followed by Germany, Italy, France and UK. In terms of total installed capacity, Germany is still the market leader, with installed capacity in …
Q: I recently was driving north on the Thruway, approaching Exit 19 at 7:40 p.m. when I saw a sign warning of a delay and advising me to tune in the Thruway radio station (1610 AM) for instruc tions. The radio message reported an accident between exits 19 and 20 and said to expect delays; it also said it was last updated at 6:20 p.m.
I assumed matters couldn't be that bad without an update, so I didn't exit to take Route 9W.
Just past Exit 19, there was a large dump truck with an "Accident Ahead" sign. Within a mile, we were stopped. It took an hour and 45 minutes to travel the next three miles.
If they had time to deploy the dump truck, didn't they have time to update the radio message?
Also, "delays" does not not describe a 35-minutes-per-mile pace. Why not tell people before they commit to passing Exit 19 that the traffic ahead is not moving? Finally, why …
For many who viewed former Lt. Col. Oliver North as a hero, Thursday's jury verdict will be hard to accept. Facing 12 counts in connection with the Iran-contra scandal, he was acquitted of nine but convicted of three. Was that justice for a loyal Marine who thought he was serving his country, and who assumed tacit approval by his commander in chief?
It was if the verdict is seen in the proper light. Iran-contra was not about one Marine's loyalty or naivete. It was about a government within a government, a secret operation that generated funds by selling arms at a profit, and used the profits to carry out foreign policy - all of it outside the parameters of …
Republican John McCain has been slow to take advantage of his potential head start for the presidency against Democrats, who are better organized and generate more excitement among voters.
McCain enters a November-focused campaign with distinct disadvantages, his aides and advisers acknowledge: his party's unpopular incumbent president, his unwavering support for the war in Iraq and the Democrats' unmistakable fundraising potential. Yet the Arizona senator and his party have inched toward blunting the shortcomings instead of racing to erase them.
"This has given us time," said Frank Donatelli, vice chairman of the Republican National Committee and a …
