UN: Uzbeks face torture, abuses in Kyrgyzstan

The United Nations says it has received reports of torture and other atrocities by Kyrgyzstan forces against ethnic Uzbeks in the Central Asian nation.

Hundreds of Uzbeks are being imprisoned because of their ethnicity, and there are reports of forced confessions, beatings, police intimidation of families and extortion, U.N. human rights chief Navi Pillay said in a statement Tuesday.

Hundreds of minority Uzbeks were killed in rampages last month by ethnic Kyrgyz and hundreds of thousands of Uzbeks fled their homes ahead of arson mobs. Tensions are still noticeable in the southern part of the country.

Pillay said local authorities are …

PNC moves into York County with private banking

PNC Bank Corp. is charging into York County full steam ahead after nibbling at the edges from branches in Lancaster, Adams, Cumberland and Dauphin counties.

In January, PNC will open a new 3,200-square-foot office at the York Executive Center, 2555 Kingston Road, that combines private banking services for individuals and corporate banking services, along with another subsidiary, PNC Mortgage.

The new office is designed to provide customized packages of loan and investment services to affluent customers. But PNC officials recoil at the suggestion that their new office will be a branch.

"Technically it's a branch, but operationally it's not," said Rob Rutz, PNC Bank …

Denmark names new chief of staff, military intelligence boss

NATO-member Denmark on Tuesday named Fleet Rear Adm. Tim Sloth Joergensen as its new military chief of staff.

Sloth Joergensen will replace retiring army Gen. Hans Jesper Helsoe as the top military commander of Denmark's armed forces on Aug. 1.

Denmark, which withdrew combat troops from Iraq last year, has some 600 troops in Afghanistan, most of them based …

Silver Circle; TV Academy honors all-star lineup for contributions on and off the air

An all-star class of Chicago TV veterans -- including a belovedand iconic clown, a respected lawyer and a brilliantly creativeexecutive -- will be inducted this spring in the industry's SilverCircle.

Bestowed by the regional chapter of the National Academy ofTelevision Arts and Sciences, the honors single out those who havecontributed significantly to Chicago broadcasting over 25 years ormore.

The 2008 recipients are:

- Bob Bell (posthumously), legendary children's show host andstaff announcer at Tribune Co.-owned Channel 9, who played Bozo theClown for 23 years. He died in 1997.

- Renee Ferguson, "Unit 5" investigative reporter for …

passion for prevention

Health and lifestyle tips from nutritionally oriented physician and author Mark Moyad, MD, MPH

Mark Moyad, MD, MPH, is the Jenkins/Pokempner director of preventive and alternative medicine at the University of Michigan Medical Center in Ann Arbor. His job is a combination of research, seeing patients, and teaching medicine at home and abroad. His position is supported by an endowment funded by grateful patients, enabling him to carry out independent research and to treat patients in a more comprehensive way than is typical in today's insurance-driven health care system.

Moyad's interest in nutrition began in college, when the results of his first nutrition-oriented study …

North Korea Says Nuclear Test Successful

SEOUL, South Korea - North Korea's official news agency said …

Mistras Group shares rise on first day of trading

Mistras Group Inc. stock rose Thursday, its first day of trading, after the engineering services company priced its initial public offering of shares at a price below its initial target.

The Princeton Junction, N.J., company said Wednesday that 8.7 million shares will be offered at $12.50 per share. That would raise $108.8 million before expenses related to the offering.

Mistras initially indicated it would price its shares at $14 to $16 per share, which would have yielded up to $139.2 million before expenses.

The company provides nondestructive …

Canty Brilliant in All-Star Game

ALTOONA, Pa. After 15 points, five steals and two blocked shots,there was only one thing left for Dominique Canty to try inSaturday's Women's Basketball Coaches Association all-star game.

A dunk.

Canty planted herself under the basket. A long pass came herway. Canty went up . . . but the ball went past.

"I was concentrating on going up, and the ball went through myfingers," said Canty, the star guard/forward at Whitney Young HighSchool who can dunk. "I was going to try. I've never really triedin a game."

Canty's White team defeated the Red team, 100-71, in front ofabout 1,800 fans in Altoona High School's fieldhouse. Canty's basketwith one …

2010's world gone wild: Quakes, floods, blizzards

This was the year the Earth struck back.

Earthquakes, heat waves, floods, volcanoes, super typhoons, blizzards, landslides and droughts killed at least a quarter million people in 2010; the deadliest year in more than a generation. More people were killed worldwide by natural disasters this year than have been killed in terrorists in the past 40 years combined.

"It just seemed like it was back-to-back, and it came in waves," said Craig Fugate, who heads the U.S. Federal Emergency Management Agency. It handled a record number of disasters in 2010.

"The term '100-year event' really lost its meaning this year."

And we have ourselves to blame most of the time, …

Phillies 3, Yankees 0

Philadelphia @ New York @

ab r h bi @ ab r h bi

Rollins ss 2 0 0 0 Jeter ss 3 0 0 0

Valdez ss 2 0 0 0 K.Russo 3b 1 0 0 0

Polanco 3b 4 0 2 0 Thames dh 3 0 1 0

Ransom 3b 1 0 0 0 Winn ph-dh 1 0 0 0

Utley 2b 4 0 1 0 Teixeira 1b 3 0 0 …

NATIONAL

Hi Lo Otlk

Anchorage 26 23 Cldy

Baltimore 46 22 PCldy

Boston 40 28 Clr

Chicago 35 28 Cldy

Dallas-Ft Worth 45 40 Rain

Denver 43 14 PCldy

Detroit 32 26 Cldy

Honolulu 82 71 Clr

Houston 60 49 Rain

Indianapolis 36 25 Snow

Kansas City 40 30 Cldy

Las Vegas 56 35 PCldy

Little Rock 44 32 Rain

Los Angeles 71 46 Clr

Memphis 48 …

AP finds execution drug shortage widespread in US

An Associated Press review of the 35 states with capital punishment finds that most are about to run out of a key lethal injection drug or already have.

The drug called sodium thiopental has become so scarce over the past year that a few states have had to postpone executions. Those delays could soon become widespread …

Averted strike would save Selig's image

Ticker Tape Bud: The greatest comeback artist in baseball history?Let Bud Selig work out a compromise in baseball's contractnegotiations, and he'd have my vote.

After saving the game from what promised to be an excruciatinglyembarrassing lawsuit involving the owners of the Mets, if Selig canprevent a strike, he'd go from a laughingstock who couldn't even runan All-Star Game to superhero action figure overnight.

Stop me before I spend again: The Rangers' Tom Hicks sounds like acandidate for Owners Anonymous when he swears his team's payrollwould never be high enough to qualify for a luxury tax. This from theguy whose signing of Alex Rodriguez to a $250 million deal, which hejustified as making good business sense, made so many owners willingto risk a strike to stop people like him.

You can't blame me this time: Jerry Reinsdorf doesn't talk to theChicago press much these days, but he spoke briefly to the LosAngeles Times over the weekend to deny the paper's report that he ispart of a group of hard-line owners telling Selig to hang tough.Reinsdorf said he is not involved in the negotiations, and hisadviser, former agent Dennis Gilbert, said, I think Jerry was sovilified in 1994 that he has made a conscious effort to stay out ofit this time. He has no desire for any kind of work stoppage. Hewants a settlement."

To listen to Joe Girardi, the Cubs' player representative, is toget a real education in the players' mind-set. Girardi says theowners asked for four things--steroid testing, an internationaldraft, increased revenue sharing and a luxury tax--and they got themall. The deal on the table, he says, is considerably better than thecurrent basic agreement. As for the public's understanding theplayers' position, Girardi says he has given up hoping it could everhappen. The players realize the fans are against them. They'll justhave to live with it.

And furthermore ...

Harvard law professor Robert Weiler, who has often written onlabor law and sports, says the owners' proposed luxury tax isinequitable.

The owners of the Red Sox spent $720 million to buy this team,"Weiler told the Boston Globe. Are you going to tax them and give someof their money to a multimillionaire like Carl Pohlad in Minnesota,who bought the team for $34 million and has a payroll of just $40million? Are you going to tax the owner of the San Francisco Giants,who just built a beautiful new ballpark with money out of his ownpocket, and give the money to Milwaukee, who won't spend on thepayroll and had their stadium paid for by the state?"

Oscar Robertson, who filed a key suit against the NBA that led tofree agency and higher salaries, says he was blacklisted by theleague after his playing days were over to the extent that someowners even objected to his broadcasting games on television. Of thecurrent baseball negotiations, Robertson told the CincinnatiEnquirer, There are some veteran players, union leaders, who willnever play again. The owners are going to replace them with minor-leaguers, and you'll never hear from them anymore."

I was about to ask Bruce Kimm if it was OK for Cubs fans to sleepthrough the games, but I see now they're too busy booing.

Probably just as well

Quick Hits can't get back from vacation soon enough: AnnaKournikova showed up at a tennis tournament in Montreal recentlywearing a bandage on her stomach. One theory is that she was coveringa tattoo. ... The Florida Marlins will hold an all-comers talentevaluation camp at the home of their Midwest League farm team, theKane County Cougars, in Geneva on Aug. 22. They might want toconsider an attendance evaluation camp, too. The Cougars areaveraging close to 7,500 fans per game, while the Marlins are theworst draw in the majors at barely 10,000. ... Dear Phil Mickelson:Oh, sure, now you shoot a 68. Swell.

And finally ...

On the Beem: Win or lose, you've got to admit that watching golfon television is a lot more fun when Tiger Woods is five strokesbehind when he starts his round on Sunday than when he's five shotsahead.

E-mail Ron Rapoport at rjr@suntimes.com.

No minimum on stupidity when it comes to age limits

David Stern wants to raise the NBA age minimum to 20. I'd like toraise the age minimum of someone taking my order at Taco Bell to 25. (Think about it, folks: How much responsibility do you need to sit atthe end of the Clippers' bench for three years? You pretty much justhave to remember which locker you left your Nikes in. But at a fast-food joint, you're taking dinner orders, handling money, touchingbeef and related meat products -- I mean, this is my one square mealof the day, so the fact that some pimply teenager with a Clearasilfix is coordinating this culinary effort sort of takes the bite outof my appetite.)

The NBA commissioner's position might be good business for the NBA-- it allows the NCAA marketing machine to create marquee names forthe league and keeps owners from signing high-risk youngsters to long-term contracts -- but I believe it violates one of the basic tenetsof American life:

You do what you want to do whenever you want to do it withwhomever you want to do it.

That -- and greed -- pretty much has defined America since, oh,the mid-1770s or so.

Pacers forward Jermaine O'Neal, who went to the NBA in 1996straight out of high school, disagreed with Stern's aim, saying, Youdon't hear about it in baseball or hockey. To say you have to be 20,21 to get in the league, it's unconstitutional. If I can go to theU.S. Army and fight the war at 18, why can't you play basketball for48 minutes and go home?"

Indeed, at 18, you can vote for president, drive in the fast laneand fight in foreign lands, but if you want to play for pay in theNBA, it's a moral quandary. Then again, as for O'Neal asking why youcan't just play ball and go home," the problem is many NBA playersdon't go home; they go to someone else's home and -- bang! -- ninemonths later, they're sending one of their posse to Target forHuggies.

The sporting public is fickle on this issue. Fans marvel at MaryLou Retton as a gold-medal gymnast at 15, Michelle Wie playing on theLPGA Tour at 13, Freddy Adu in Major League Soccer at 14. But when ahigh school star wants to play in the NBA, it threatens the veryfabric of this nation's values.

Part of this is the need we have to embrace the mythology ofintercollegiate sports. We love celebrating the student-athlete, thatgreat balance of mind and body wandering our idyllic, hilly campusesof higher learning, when, in fact, college basketball and collegefootball have absolutely, positively nothing to do with college.

(Of course, the exception is Duke, because Coach K doesn't justteach basketball, he teaches life skills -- and proper management ofrevenue from American Express commercials.)

Anyway, we should embrace these prodigies, not encumber them.

After all, Yo-Yo Ma made his cello debut at 5.

Pablo Picasso exhibited his first works at 13.

Wolfgang Mozart began composing at 5.

Jackie Earle Haley played Kelly in The Bad News Bears" at 14.

(Personal Note I: Not to brag, but I was watching television at 15months, knew how to use the clicker by 2 and could program a BetamaxVCR by 3. In addition, I gave a series of instructional seminars onthe mute button as a first-grader.)

(Personal Note II: If David Stern were commissioner of journalism,Couch Slouch might not be here today. Heck, if I couldn't pursuenewspaper work as an adolescent, I might've turned to a life of three-card monte and Metamucil.)

(Personal Note III: I started earning a sportswriting paycheck at16. My first written words as a professional: Larry Bird might be thebest shooter in all of French Lick, but his total basketball game isso lacking, it appears he's either on the road to nowhere or on theroad to Burger King.")

What's the bottom line? There should be no age minimums ormandatory retirement ages.

Ask The Slouch

Q. Whom do you blame more for the Fenway Park incident -- the RedSox fan or Gary Sheffield? (Rick Avery; De-Kalb, Ill.)

A. We are a nation in cultural decline, largely traceable to theday Johnny Depp trashed a $1,200-a-night New York hotel room in 1994.

Q. I graduate soon. Any ideas on what I can do with a degree insports management, or did I just waste four years and $100,000?(Bobby Cantwell; Orlando, Fla.)

A. I hope you kept a receipt.

You, too, can enter the $1.25 Ask The Slouch Cash Giveaway. Just e-mail asktheslouch@aol.com, and if your question is used, you win$1.25 in cash!

Mironov might not play today

ST. LOUIS--Defenseman Boris Mironov, who returned to theBlackhawks' lineup Thursday for the 2-1 Game 1 victory over the St.Louis Blues, didn't practice Friday. He is bothered by the groinstrain that kept him out of the last six games of the regular season.

Coach Brian Sutter used Mironov only five minutes, 41 seconds inthe first game of the Western Conference quarterfinal series andmight replace him with Joe Reekie, Chris McAlpine or Vlad Chebaturkintoday. Sutter hasn't ruled out Mironov's return, however.

"To say Bo gave us a gutsy effort [in Thursday's] game was anunderstatement," Sutter said. "I expect him to give it a go. I knowhis heart wants him to go."

TICKET TAKERS: The first game at the Savvis Center wasn't asellout, and neither is Sunday's third game at the United Center--the first of the series on the Hawks' home ice.

Thursday's game was about 1,200 tickets short of a sellout. TheHawks haven't sold out the games Sunday or Tuesday. They anticipate abig demand for tickets and will open will-call windows around theUnited Center to expedite ticket distribution.

BUSY BODY: The late-season injuries to Mironov and AlexanderKarpovtsev have changed the life of fellow defenseman Steve Poapst.His playing time doubled in the last month, and coach Brian Suttercalled on him for 26 minutes, 25 seconds in the first game of theseries. That was more than every Hawk except Lyle Odelein's 28minutes, 21 seconds.

Poapst, who played two seasons in the East Coast League and sevenin the American Hockey League before catching on with the Hawks,isn't complaining.

"It's been a big adjustment here, but I've played a lot of minutesbefore," Poapst said. "This is just the first time it's come at thislevel."

CRITICAL GAME: If the Hawks beat the Blues today, they will have avirtual lock on the series--at least if you go by past results. TheNHL went to seven-game playoff series in 1939. During that time only32 of 243 teams--just 13.2 percent--have fallen behind 2-0 and comeback to win.

WOUNDED: Christian LaFlamme, a former Hawk, and Marc Bergevin werehit by pucks during the Blues' practice Friday. Both were shaken upbut are expected to play today.

From Flints To Fish And Chips - And Not A Speck Of Dust

The building North Somerset Museum now occupies was formerly ownedby Weston-super-Mare Gaslight Company. It is easy to find this out;all you have to do is look up at the front of the building and it iscarved into the Bath stone of the frieze.

Before the gas company took over the site, there were otherbuildings and trades operating there.

The last 200 years have seen substantial changes right across thecountry in almost all aspects of society. North Somerset was notisolated from these changes.

A recent talk by Sharon Poole to the Friends of the Museum on theGeorgian history of Weston highlighted the fact that Weston startedits development into the town it is today in the 18th century.

Although it evolved into a mass-tourism town in Victorian timesand in the 20th century, it owes its roots to an earlier time.

There are few buildings that continue operating unaltered for anylength of time these days. So I find it a little surprising that, assoon as a building is converted to a museum, there is an expectationthat it is suddenly fixed in time, with "dusty old cases".

The essence of the museum is the objects that are kept and caredfor. At the same time, we have to make those objects available,enjoyable, meaningful and relevant. And we need to change thingsaround and to find new ways to do it.

We have been very busy in the museum over the last few monthsdoing just that.

The result is a new display and an exciting addition to anexisting display.

Food is fundamental to existence. For many it is as much a leisureactivity as a necessity. Some of the earliest human artefacts - boneand flint tools - were used to catch or prepare food. For centuriesthe majority of people in the area were involved in producing food.

There are still many food producers locally, as well as all therestaurants and cafes. This heritage is important to North Somersetand we have created a new exhibition -Food, glorious food! - to tellthis story from flints to fish and chips, from Roman herbs to Italianice cream.

In addition, the exhibition has allowed us to put some rarely-seen material on display, such as a Land Girl uniform and paintingsfrom the collections.

Another way of getting more of the museum's material on display isby using "new technology", and we have done that in the SeasideHolidays gallery. Thanks to the Friends of the Museum, we now have anew computer interactive in the gallery, packed full of informationabout the growth of seaside holidays, with lots of local details.

We had to change the gallery around a little, but there is now amuch fuller picture of all aspects of seaside holidays.

There is even a sing-along song to try - karaoke comes to themuseum.

So, although we may be using old display cases, they aren't dustyand they are worth a second look - you don't know what you might seethere.

Hospital Set To Open Nursery

Plans for a GBP320,000 nursery at Weston-super-Mare GeneralHospital for the children of health service workers are likely to beapproved tomorrow.

The Weston Area Health Trust has secured enough funding for the 50-place facility and to help meet running costs for the first year.

It says the nursery will help it recruit and retain staff who willbe able to leave their children in the complex.

The L-shaped, single-storey building is due to be built on a pieceof land currently used as an overflow car park.

The proposal is being recommended for approval by North SomersetCouncil's west area committee.

But it is being opposed by the occupants of Elm Cottage, which isclose to the site.

They are worried about a loss of privacy, noise disturbance andpossible light pollution.

The health trust hopes to overcome these concerns by fittingobscure glass in all the windows facing Elm Cottage and not havingany outside lights.

The nursery's outdoor timber-decking play area will be situated onthe opposite side of the building from Elm Cottage so that thenursery itself will act as a noise buffer.

A report to tomorrow's meeting says: "Overall, while there issympathy with the occupants of Elm Cottage that the nursery is closeto their property, it is considered that the proposal would not giverise to an unacceptable level of disturbance." Officers aresuggesting 15 conditions, including restrictions on opening hours andoutside play.

When the nursery scheme was fist announced in October, JohnEdwards, director of human resources at Weston General, said: "Thiswill help provide a significant boost to all of our efforts torecruit and retain key NHS professionals in the North Somerset area."Weston Area Health Trust chief executive, Roger Moyse, said: "Ourstaff have been telling us for some time how desperately they need anursery for their children.

"This will be an excellent facility to help attract staff to ourexpanding local hospital." The nursery is due to be open by nextspring.

New pastor

Russell Reid, the former youth pastor at Cornerstone Church Mennonite in Saskatoon, is becoming senior pastor of the congregation. The new youth director will be Kristin Clark. Cornerstone has a membership of almost 300 and a staff of four pastors.

Judge to consider Chrysler franchise terminations

Chrysler heads back to bankruptcy court Thursday to ask the judge overseeing its case to allow it to terminate the franchise agreements of 789 of its dealers, despite the protests of many dealers who say the move could shutter their businesses for good.

U.S. Judge Arthur Gonzalez is expected to hear testimony from Chrysler LLC executives and dealers during what's expected to be a lengthy hearing. The proceedings start at 8 a.m. EDT (1200 GMT).

Auburn Hills, Michigan-based Chrysler maintains that it needs to reduce its dealer base by about 25 percent to a leaner network of about 2,400 dealers in order to emerge from bankruptcy protection as a stronger company.

But the dealers argue that they don't cost the automaker anything. They say that if Gonzalez approves Chrysler's motion it will result in the shuttering of hundreds of dealerships and thousands of workers will lose their jobs.

A group representing about 300 of the dealers slated to lose their franchises have filed an objection. They also earlier objected to Chrysler's motion to sell the bulk of its assets to a group led by Italy's Fiat Group SpA, because it was tied to the plan to eliminate the dealerships.

Thursday's hearing comes a day ahead of Chrysler's appearance in front of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit in New York.

Late Tuesday, that court halted Chrysler's sale of most of its assets to Fiat pending an appeal by a trio of Indiana state pension and construction funds. Arguments are scheduled for Friday afternoon.

"We are pleased the Court of Appeals has agreed to hear our arguments," Indiana Treasurer Richard Mourdock said in a statement. "As we have stated from the beginning, Indiana retirees and Indiana taxpayers have suffered losses because of unprecedented and illegal acts of the federal government."

Chrysler has maintained that the deal with Fiat is its only hope of avoiding selling itself off piece by piece. If the sale doesn't close by June 15, Fiat has the option of pulling out of the deal.

In addition, production at Chrysler's manufacturing plants remains halted pending the sale's closing.

"We are pleased that the Court of Appeals is setting this schedule and has recognized the sense of urgency Chrysler has to preserve and protect its going concern value," Chrysler said in a statement released Wednesday afternoon. "We look forward to an expeditious conclusion to this matter and to getting back to building vehicles."

The funds, which include the Indiana State Police Pension Fund, the Indiana Teacher's Retirement Fund, and the state's Major Moves Construction Fund, claim that the deal as structured unfairly favors the interests of Chrysler's unsecured stakeholders ahead of those of secured debtholders such as themselves.

They also challenged the constitutionality of the U.S. Treasury Department's use of Troubled Asset Relief Program, or TARP, funds to supply Chrysler's bankruptcy protection financing.

Late Sunday, U.S. Judge Arthur Gonzalez, the bankruptcy judge overseeing Chrysler's case, issued a ruling approving the sale following three marathon days of testimony and arguments. Gonzalez also ruled that the funds do not have the standing to challenge the use of TARP money because they will receive their fair share of the $2 billion set aside for secured debtholders, which is more than they would have received if Chrysler had liquidated.

Under the terms of the agreement, a United Auto Workers union retiree health care trust will receive a 55 percent stake in the new company, while Fiat will get a 20 percent stake that can increase to 35 percent. The remaining 10 percent of the company will be owned by the U.S. and Canadian governments.

In the days leading up to Chrysler's bankruptcy protection filing, the automaker struck a deal with the majority of secured lenders to give them $2 billion in cash, or 29 cents on the dollar, to erase the $6.9 billion in debt. But some of the debtholders balked and the automaker was forced to file for bankruptcy protection on April 30.

The Indiana funds hold $42.5 million, or less than 1 percent, of Chrysler's total $6.9 billion in secured debt. They bought the debt in July 2008 for 43 cents on the dollar.

Boskie may be out year

Shawn Boskie's worst fear came true Wednesday when the bone chipin his pitching elbow shifted, causing excruciating pain.

The Cubs rookie will have the chip removed surgically Monday atNorthwestern Memorial Hospital and probably is out for the year.

"It moved to a new location," Boskie said after throwing in thebullpen before the game. "I tried to let it go (fastball) and felt asharp pain. Then I tried to straighten my arm and couldn't.

"I'm tired of this whole thing. I'd like to get it done rightnow." Boskie, who had been disabled last week, has a 5-6 record and3.59 ERA. Rick Sutcliffe could be pitching to Damon Berryhill at Class AAAIowa next week. General manager Jim Frey said he was so "surprisedand pleased" with Sutcliffe's pitching against live hitters Mondaythat he may assign Sutcliffe to the I-Cubs on rehabilitationassignment. "He's still not ready (for the Cubs), but he's definitely come a long way," Frey said. Sutcliffe hasn't pitched this seasonfollowing May 7 cartilage surgery. Sutcliffe, who will pitch four simulated-game innings tomorrow, waspleased. "I'll go anywhere they want: The minors, the InstructionalLeague, winter ball," he said. Les Lancster hopes the Cubs won't trade him. "I love this city andthe guys here, but if I've got to go, I've got to go," he said. "Ijust come to the park every day, put on my uniform and wait until Zim(manager Don Zimmer) gives me a chance to pitch." Ryne Sandberg, who has a nine-game hit streak of .316, could be thefirst second baseman to lead the league in home runs since RogersHornsby's 39 in 1925. Sandberg needs two more to be the first secondbaseman ever with consecutive 30-homer seasons. Bobby Grich led theAmerican League in 1981 with 22 for California. Luis Salazar with 11 homers isn't predicting 20. "With 450 at-bats,I could," he said. Salazar only has 292 ABs because of a broken toelate in spring training. The Braves, owners of the major leagues' worst record, are weekendfoes after today's day off.

Industry loses writer and educator Silvie Licitra

NEWSBITS

Salvatore "Silvie" Licitra devoted 70 of his 83 years to working, writing and teaching in the collision repair industry. The highly regarded author of more than a dozen books passed away on Feb. 4. His debut in the industry began in his early teens, as he began working at Truck Body Works. He later opened his own shop in 1938, which he named Silvie's Collision Works.

When war beckoned, Licitra enlisted in the Army in 1940. He served for more than two years in the Pacific Theater during World War II.

When the war ended, he returned home and reopened Silvie's Collision Works under the name Silvie's Autobody Rebuild.

In 1949, he enrolled in the State University of New York (SUNY) with the intent of earning a degree in vocational education. As a student, he produced an analysis of the collision repair and paint industries. Based upon this work, Licitra developed two courses for the New York City Board of Education on body shop management and automotive claims adjustment. He easily made the transition from shop owner to educator as he began teaching adjusters and other shop owners at the Brooklyn High School of Automotive Trades. At the same time, he made his foray into journalism by publishing a newsletter to communicate with those in the industry.

He worked with the Auto Body Repair Association, and his newsletter evolved into a magazine, titled, The Herald. In 1962, Licitra's magazine merged with Auto Body News & Good Car Care, which was owned by Stanley Publishing in Chicago. He became vice president and editorial director for the newly formed publication. This magazine was re-titled Automotive Body Repair News (ABRN). ABRN celebrated its 40th anniversary in 2002.

Licitra's work in the collision repair, education and publishing fields earned him international recognition as an industry leader, and he was the recipient of many awards. He is a member of the collision repair industry's Hall of Eagles.

He also worked as administrator for the Truck & Axle Repair Association (TARA). After retiring as administrator, he continued to contribute to the association in a public relations role. He also continued writing for ABRN through the 1990s.

Champs start cricket nets

PREPARATIONS for the new cricket season start in earnest atLlandysul this week.

After a glorious time last season culminating in the Teifisiderslifting the South Wales Cricket Association Division Four title,there is considerable enthusiasm within the camp and a determinationto consolidate at a higher level.

Head coach and first XI skipper Darrel Griffiths is overseeingpre-season activity which gets under way with indoor training onFriday.

It will continue every Friday for seven weeks before outdoortraining starts.

Training arrangements: 3.30pm-4.30pm Juniors (3-6 years); 4.30m-6pm (7-9 years); 6pm onwards senior teams, including school years 10and above.

The club are also looking for new players, as well as those whohave served the club well in the past.

Arch Coal 3Q tumbles, but co. sees recovery signs

Arch Coal Inc. said Friday its third-quarter profits plunged on lower coal prices, but the coal miner suggested that improving operating margins in all regions reflect an emerging turnaround in once-struggling coal markets.

"In light of the 'Great Recession' of 2009, we're pleased to be profitably managing through a severe downturn in energy markets," said Steven Leer, Arch's chairman and CEO. "We are also seeing domestic and global economies begin to transition from recession to recovery."

Arch, which fuels about 8 percent of all U.S. electrical generation, said it is seeing improvements in markets for metallurgical or coking coal used in steelmaking, though the company cautioned that high stockpiles at U.S. power plants likely will dampen steam coal markets in the first half of next year.

Arch Coal earned $25.2 million, or 16 cents per share, on $615 million in revenue in quarter. That's down from profit of $97.8 million, or 68 cents per share, on $769.5 million in revenue during the same period last year.

Analysts surveyed by Thomson Reuters expected earnings of 4 cents per share on revenue of $605.1 million.

The St. Louis-based company,tightened its earnings guidance for the year, saying it now expects 28 cents to 43 cents per share, compared with a July forecast of 25 cents to 55 cents per share.

Analysts have been closely watching the third-quarter performances of coal-mining interests as a gauge of the strength of a recovering manufacturing economy. Observers especially were keeping an eye on sales of metallurgical coal. It's produced in smaller quantities than steam coal for utilities, but sells for more than double the price, often boosting profits.

Arch said it sold 29.1 million tons of coal in the third quarter, an improvement from the 27.4 million tons during the previous three months but down from 34.8 million tons in the third quarter of 2008. John Eaves, Arch's president and chief operating officer, said the company is on pace to sell 2 million tons into the metallurgical and pulverized coal injection markets this year, with plans to more than double it next year.

Eaves also said it would continue efforts to supply the fast-growing Asia-Pacific market with coal used for electricity generation against the backdrop of a "potentially muted" steam-coal market in the U.S. next year.

The average per-ton sales price during the quarter was $20.05, up from $19.43 the previous quarter but lower than $20.38 a year earlier. Arch's per-ton margins improved to $1.86 from 69 cents in the second quarter, but still down from $3.73 during last year's third quarter.

"We are strongly positioned for the upturn which we believe is just beginning to be reflected in coal demand," Leer said. He added that "looking ahead, it's our view that ongoing supply constraints here at home and around the world _ coupled with a rebound in energy demand globally _ will exert upward pressure on coal prices over the long term."

Daniel Scott, an analyst with Dahlman Rose & Co., wrote in a research note that Arch's better-than-expected earnings can be attributed to very strong cost control and higher sales volume in the so-called Western Bituminous region spanning southern Wyoming, Colorado and Utah after various operating troubles crimped results earlier this year.

Still, Scott cautioned that "the continued deterioration of market conditions in the (Arch's key operations in Wyoming's Powder River Basin) may mean third-quarter results are not sustainable."

Arch raised its 2009 sales volume forecast to a range of 121 million to 125 million tons from a prior forecast of 114 million to 118 million tons, excluding coal purchased from third parties. The increased output partly reflects Arch's newly completed $764 million purchase of a Wyoming coal mine from Rio Tinto Ltd. The deal expanded Arch's foothold in Wyoming's Powder River Basin, which Arch described as the largest, fastest-growing and most cost-competitive coal supply region in the United States. The Jacobs Ranch mine last year produced 42.1 million tons of sub-bituminous coal for sale to U.S. power generators.

Shares of Arch Coal slipped 44 cents to $22.66 in midday trading.

___

On the Net:

Arch Coal Inc., http://www.archcoal.com

Nordic World Ski Championships Results

Results Wednesday from the Nordic World Ski Championships:

Men

6x1.6-kilometer Team Cross-Country Sprint Classical Style

1. Norway (Ola Vigen Hattestad, Johan Kjoelstad), 22 minutes, 48.5 seconds

2. Germany (Tobias Angerer, Axel Teichmann), 22:49.0.

3. Finland (Ville Nousiainen, Sami Jauhojaervi), 22:49.0.

4. Russia (Andrey Parfenov, Nikita Kriukov), 22:50.7.

5. France (Jean Marc Gaillard, Cyril Miranda), 22:51.5.

6. Sweden (Mats Larsson, Emil Jonsson), 22:52.8.

7. Kazakhstan (Alexey Poltaranin, Nikolay Chebotko), 22:54.3.

8. Estonia (Aivar Rehemaa, Andrus Veerpalu), 22:57.2.

9. Canada (George Grey, Devon Kershaw), 22:58.2.

10. Japan (Shohei Honda, Yuichi Onda), 22:58.8.

___

Women

6x1.3-kilometer Team Cross-Country Sprint Classical Style

1. Finland (Aino Kaisa Saarinen, Virpi Kuitunen), 19 minutes, 43.7 seconds.

2. Sweden (Anna Olsson, Lina Andersson), 20:03.7.

3. Italy (Marianna Longa, Arianna Follis), 20:07.5.

4. Japan (Masako Ishida, Madoka Natsumi), 20:08.9.

5. Norway (Astrid Jacobsen, Ingvill Oestberg), 20:31.4.

6. Canada (Sara Renner, Perianne Jones), 20:47.3.

7. Germany (Katrin Zeller, Evi Sachenbacher Stehle), 20:51.7.

8. Kazakhstan (Oxana Jatskaja, Svetlana Malahova), 20:52.8.

9. Russia (Evgenia Shapovalova, Natalia Matveeva), 21:23.4.

10. Czech Republic (Ivana Janeckova, Kamila Rajdlova), 21:37.9.

Kazakhstan reshuffles Cabinet

ALMATY, Kazakhstan (AP) — Kazakhstan's prime minister has carried out a Cabinet reshuffle just days after President Nursultan Nazarbayev was comfortably reelected.

The government resigned Friday as required by the constitution after Nazarbayev was sworn in for a new five-year term. Prime Minister Karim Masimov was reappointed later the same day.

New Cabinet officials appointed Monday include the heads of the foreign, agriculture and economy ministries.

Masimov said on his Twitter account that the appointments had been approved by the president.

Masimov said in a recent interview that a strong mandate for Nazarbayev would ensure a strong impetus for economic and political reform.

PUBLISHER'S ANNALS

This week we made a hard decision. We decided to postpone the Pole-Pedal-Paddle (P�) competition Boise Weekly was planning for this spring. If you didn't know what P� was then you won't miss it. If you were already training for this unique triathalon, we just gave you at least another year to prepare. We hope to spend a little more effort organizing it for next year.

This week we also moved our office around, another hard decision. We flip-flopped our editorial and advertising departments and for a short while, it was quite a mess. Books, papers, computer cables and long-forgotten food particles littered the floor and desks. It was disgusting. I tried to stay out of the quagmire and remain in my kitchen-office in the back by the garage but occasionally I was coerced out of my hole to assist in reconnecting the network cables to the staff's new desks.

Now I'm not one to complain about messes. My own kitchen-office is quite messy with books, boxes of knick-knacks, stacks of papers and my own old food collection. It is mine to adore and bitch about. I basically know where everything is, but I do have a secret desire. I would love to have a more organized office, some idealized IKEA functionality where everything has its place. But to be organized you have to have time to do so, or an assistant, and that isn't happening anytime soon. My accountant said she gets an assistant before I do.

My mess is a testament to how busy I am. I can't have a perception of organization because there is no time to clean. My truck is just as messy. So is my garage at home. Heck, even our storage unit is in shambles. I don't even have room on my desk to plop down a plate of food I've gotten to go because I have no time for lunch anymore. And these are supposed to be the slow months.

In New York, anniversary of Malcolm X killing is marked by discussions

Khalil Islam has always maintained his innocence in the killing of black civil rights leader Malcolm X, despite a conviction and 22 years in prison.

He said Thursday _ the 43rd anniversary of the assassination _ that he should be cleared of the crime. Elsewhere, admirers of Malcolm X marked the occasion with a forum at the Audubon Ballroom, where he was gunned down on Feb. 21, 1965.

Islam told a gathering at a Harlem bookstore that he saw Malcolm X nearly every day on the streets of New York's Harlem neighborhood, and if he had wanted to kill him, the opportunity was there.

"I need to be exonerated," Islam, 73, told about 75 people at the Hue-Man Bookstore & Cafe. "I had to walk 22 years in prison."

Earlier Thursday, about 40 blocks north at the Audubon Ballroom, admirers marked the anniversary near an almost life-size statue of Malcolm X.

Former U.S. congresswoman Cynthia McKinney called for more details of the assassination investigation to be made public.

"We have to have the truth," she said. "We must search for the truth."

McKinney said she has pressed for the release of federal files that could shed light on what role the FBI's COINTELPRO, or Counter Intelligence Program, might have played in the deaths of Malcolm X and the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr.

The FBI launched the program in 1956 and later used it against what it termed "black hate groups" and other activists, such as the Weathermen and the Socialist Workers Party. FBI Director J. Edgar Hoover's operation used fake documents and letters, infiltrators and informants against the Black Panthers as part of a plan to discredit and disrupt civil rights and anti-war groups.

James Small, a City University of New York professor on the panel, voiced his suspicions: "This was an outright government assassination."

The FBI did not immediately return a telephone call seeking comment Thursday.

Malcolm X, a Nation of Islam member, split from the group about a year before his death. He was fatally shot while speaking after a disturbance broke out at the Audubon. Three former Nation of Islam members were convicted in the killing, but theories and murkiness surrounding it persist.

Islam was released from prison in 1987.

A video played at the bookstore showed a conversation between Islam and Abdullah H. Abdur Rassaq, a close friend of Malcolm X who does not believe Islam was responsible for the killing.

"This brother spent 22 years of his life in prison for something that happened in the Audubon Ballroom, and he wasn't at the Audubon Ballroom," Rassaq said.

The ballroom forum, aired on Sirius Satellite Radio, was organized by the Malcolm X & Dr. Betty Shabazz Memorial and Educational Center and the Coalition on Political Assassinations. Malcolm X was also known as El Hajj Malik El-Shabazz; Betty Shabazz was his widow. She died from injuries sustained in a 1997 house fire.

The nonprofit center, which plans to open officially at the Audubon after it receives a certificate of occupancy from the city, honors the lives of Malcolm X and Shabazz by promoting civil and human rights.

Speakers at the forum included Baba Zak Kondo, who wrote the book "Unraveling the Assassination of Malcolm X," and A. Peter Bailey, a charter member of the Organization of Afro American Unity, which Malcolm X founded soon after his 1964 pilgrimage to Mecca.

Organizers have no plans to move Australian Open

Australian Open organizers have no intention of moving the tennis major from Melbourne despite overtures from other cities in the Asia-Pacific wanting to bid for the tournament.

Melbourne Park, adjacent to Melbourne's downtown area, has a contract to host the tournament until 2016, although backers of a new facility in Sydney have publicly stated they'll try to poach the event from the southern city.

Other reports suggest that Shanghai, China, among other Asian cities, wants to stage host one of tennis' four Grand Slam events.

"We've got a business case study going on right now as to what the future needs to deliver for us _ we are very happy with the way in which things are operating," in Melbourne, Tennis Australia CEO Steve Wood said at the launch Tuesday of the new Brisbane International, a men's and women's tournament that will kick off the Australian Open Series on Jan. 4. "It's a good news future for us in Melbourne.

"Any city in the world would love to have a Grand Slam facility and run the event ... Grand Slams have that sort of interest.

"Australia is really behind the event as a Grand Slam. It's a good event in Melbourne."

The other three Grand Slam tournaments have long been entrenched at Wimbledon, in London's leafy southwest, Paris and New York.

Melbourne Park has hosted the Australian Open since 1988 when the tournament switched to a hardcourt event and moved across town from the Kooyong Lawn Tennis Club, where it had been held since 1972.

The Australian championship, or Australasian Championship as it began in 1905, has been held predominantly in Melbourne but also in Australia's other mainland state capitals of Sydney, Brisbane, Adelaide and Perth and twice in New Zealand.

After All That, It's Up to the Jury

The trial of U.S. Rep. Mel Reynolds, with its900-sex-number-style testimony, flip-flopping witnesses and shades ofcamp, goes to the jury Monday.

And after 21 days, the case's rough spots stand out.

For instance, no state witness testified to seeing Reynoldshaving sex with accuser Beverly Heard when she was a minor. Heard, aformer campaign volunteer, told the jury it was true, but she said itonly after being jailed for previously refusing to testify.

The defense has its problems, too.

Reynolds testified that Heard made the charges against him afterhe turned down her request for $15,000, which he suggested wasextortion. But only days later, he called police and federalofficials to ask if he was under investigation and to complain aboutHeard, but he never mentioned the $15,000, the officials testified.

A jury of seven men and five women armed with evidence,testimony and the law of the state of Illinois will have the finalruling on Reynolds' fate and the debate that has captivated all: Hasthe state proven its case?

The state contends that Reynolds had sex with Heard while shewas underage and used his role as her mentor to continue to have sexwith her.

Prosecutors argued he pressured Heard to continue therelationship when she returned from a hitch in the Air Force lastyear. But Heard wasn't interested and went to police about theiralleged affair. They say the congressman then persuaded Heard'smother to move her daughter to Tennessee to block the investigation.Heard also signed affidavits saying her allegations were false.

Defense attorneys have their own spin, saying the two never hadsex and that Heard made up the charges when Reynolds turned down herrequest for $15,000. They said Reynolds helped put together theaffidavits Heard signed, not to obstruct justice but to create awritten record of the truth.

Heard helped the prosecution by telling jurors Reynolds had sexwith her when she was underage. She described how he allegedlymasturbated on their first date and later asked her to do an R-ratedstrip tease for one of his friends at his West Pullman congressional office.

But according to veteran defense attorney George Howard, Heardmay have cost prosecutors as much as she gained them. Heard admittedon the stand to signing sworn affidavits recanting her claims againstReynolds and said she didn't want him to go to jail. Ironically,Heard was jailed for refusing to testify in the case.

"That kind of witness is a defense attorney's dream," Howardsaid. "She goes to jail to keep from testifying; I don't know how (ajury) could put much credibility in a witness like that."

She also was unable to provide much information for the state'sobstruction of justice charges against Reynolds.

Heard testified she left Chicago for Tennessee during the earlydays of the investigation because she feared the stress of the probewould affect her sickly mother - not because Reynolds directed her.Heard also testified she believed the recant affidavits she signedwhile in Tennessee were provided by her lawyer Dan Wolff, notReynolds.

Reynolds' co-defendant, Eddie McIntyre, also was charged withobstruction of justice for helping move Heard to Tennessee, but hewas dismissed last week after Judge Fred G. Suria ruled the state hadlittle evidence to try him.

DePaul University law Professor Leonard L. Cavise saidMcIntyre's disappearance from the witness table could have an illeffect on the state's obstruction of justice case against Reynolds.

"They have to have less respect now for the obstruction charge,"Cavise said of the jury. "They're thinking, `The prosecution doesnot have the nice neat package they told us they had. This wholething smells a bit.' "

The graphic telephone conversations police taped between Heardand Reynolds were crucial to the state's case. Prosecutors used thetapes in an attempt to show the jury that Reynolds made references tothe alleged illegal relationship he once had with Heard.

Jurors heard Reynolds use blue language to express his sexualdesire for Heard. He also asked Heard to take pictures of thebreasts and other private parts of a 15-year-old Catholic school girlinvented by Heard. This request got him indicted on solicitation ofchild pornography charges.

Reynolds testified that the calls were nothing more than sexualfantasy talk, more akin to the $2.99-a-minute discussions people haveon sex hotlines than a reminiscence on old times. He said they hadsimilar phone conversations in the past.

"That certainly strengthened the state's case," Howard said."That was the only thing that there's no denying. That there werephone conversations between them and there were close ties, by thesounds of the voices there."

The cornerstone of the defense case was provided by Reynoldshimself. He spent three days on the witness stand denying he had sexwith Heard. He used his rags-to-riches story in an attempt to winjuror sympathy.

"I thought he looked like a lousy witness," Cavise said. "Itlooks like he got on the stand and said, `I'm an impressive person.Why should I go to jail?' "

But he also lost his composure under cross-examination, talkingconspiracy and "Gestapo tactics."

It remains to be seen what the jury thought of his temper.

Finishing line nears in race for statue

It Is a two-horse race in the battle to find a winning design fora memorial to one of Scotland's greatest heroes.

Councillors will tomorrow finally pick which monument will standin Aberdeen in memory of Robert the Bruce.

It has taken two public votes to get the contest to this stage.

Now councillors will chose between a design from Benjamin Victorfrom Aberdeen, South Dakota, and Alan Herriot from Midlothian.

The result of the original poll, which also featured a designfrom Fife artists David Annand, was called into question when it wasalleged to have been hijacked by voters living in the US.

Council chiefs re-ran the poll, intended for Aberdeen …

Mexico's 'Familia Burron' cartoonist dies at 95

Gabriel Vargas, the creator of "La Familia Burron," one of Mexico's most-loved comic strips, died Tuesday. He was 95.

The National Council of the Arts and Culture said Vargas died at his home in central Mexico City. It said his health had been failing in recent years, but did not give a cause of death.

La Familia Burron was "one of the greatest representatives of the golden age of Mexican comics" and an "undeniable reference point for the nation's popular culture," the council said in a statement.

The cartoon, which Vargas started in 1937, described in quirky detail the travails of a lower-class Mexican family, their extended family and the barrio where they lived.

Comprised of father Regino Burron, a stolid barber, and his inventive and irrepressible wife, Borola Tacuche de Burron, the family wrestled with poverty and neighborhood disputes on a weekly basis.

The weekly, stand-alone comic books sold as many as 500,000 copies a week for decades, until the 1970s.

Vargas was awarded Mexico's National Journalism Prize in 1983 and the National Sciences and Arts Prize in 2003.

Inspired and influenced at first by American comics, Mexican cartoons quickly took on a life of their own through strips like Vargas'.

Often sold in small, pocket-sized formats, serial comic-book publications remain popular in Mexico.

A memorial viewing for Vargas was held at a Mexico City funeral home Tuesday.

Diamondbacks beat Rangers 9-3 in split-squad game

Josh Hamilton promised his oldest daughter a home run on her birthday and delivered Sunday afternoon.

Hamilton hit his first home run of the spring, a two-run shot in the bottom of the first inning, in the Texas Rangers' 9-3 loss to the Arizona Diamondbacks in a split-squad game.

"I forgot about it until I was rounding the bases, then remembered and was like 'Yeah! Thank you, Lord!'," Hamilton said.

Hamilton had been slowed by a contusion on his left shoulder as the games started but is starting to find a rhythm now that he's returned to the everyday lineup.

"I've been fine-tuning things," Hamilton said. "If it doesn't feel good, then I take it to the cage until it feels good. It felt good today."

Justin Upton went 3 for 4 with his third home run and Rusty Ryal also homered for the Diamondbacks, who won their fourth straight. Upton has driven in 13 runs this spring.

"There may be a dark cloud in the sky but you don't look at it," said Arizona bench coach Kirk Gibson, who managed the split squad. "He's maturing nicely."

Chris Young added an RBI double for Arizona.

Diamondbacks starter Billy Buckner, one of the contenders for the fifth spot in the Arizona rotation, allowed three hits including Hamilton's home run, over four innings with a walk and three strikeouts.

Buckner is the first Diamondbacks pitcher to throw four innings so far.

"I was glad to get that fourth in," Buckner said.

Rangers starter Colby Lewis struggled in his third appearance, allowing six earned runs and six hits in 3 1/3 innings with a walk and four strikeouts. Lewis retired the first three hitters, but allowed seven of his last 14 batters to reach base.

"He got through the first inning but then he got his fastball up," Rangers manager Ron Washington said. "He's just got to do better next time. When they put up nine runs in five innings, there's no way you're coming back from that."

NOTES: Rangers RHP Warner Madrigal, who has been slowed with tightness in his right forearm, will have an MRI on Monday. ... Rangers second baseman Ian Kinsler, who rolled his ankle during Friday morning workouts, will be out at least a week. ... Arizona shortstop Stephen Drew went 2 for 4 to raise his spring average to .450 (9 for 20).

WORLD BRIEFS

Papandreou on Life Support Doctors attending Greek Prime MinisterAndreas Papandreou said he was in grave condition, kept alive bylife-support machines. Papandreou, 76, was admitted to Athens'Onassis Heart Center 10 days ago with pneumonia. Senior members ofPapandreou's socialist political party have maintained a publicsilence on the question of choosing a successor. But sources insidethe party said the wheeling and dealing was intense. Tamil Citadel Near Collapse The Sri Lankan army had captured more than half of the Tamil Tigerrebel stronghold of Jaffna and is expected to capture the rest of itwithin a "couple of days," a military spokesman said. The separatistTamil Tigers have …

Infiniti holds price on restyled QX56.(NEWS)(Brief article)

Byline: Lindsay Chappell

Infiniti will hold the sticker price and raise destination charges $85 when the restyled and re-engineered QX56 shifts from a U.S.-built to an imported SUV this summer.

"We showed this to dealers last night, said Ben Poore, vice president of the Infiniti Business Unit at Nissan North America Inc. "They asked, "How much are you going to take it up in price?' I said: "Is flat OK?'

The two-wheel-drive 2011 QX56 will carry a $56,700 sticker price plus a $950 destination charge. The four-wheel-drive model will have a sticker price of $60,750, including freight.

Both models have additional standard equipment, such as an …

ASSEMBLY HAS SUCCESSES ON ADIRONDACKS, TOO.(MAIN)

Byline: JOHN F. SHEEHAN Director of Communications The Adirondack Council Albany

A Nov. 4 article on the Adirondack Council's annual state of the park report seems to have left an impression with your readers that we did not intend. There should have been more emphasis on some of the accomplishments of the state Assembly during the past year.

It's true that the Assembly left undone some legislative priorities for the …

Runge to speak at congress.(News)(Brief Article)

The nation's chief vehicle safety officer will speak at the 2005 Automotive News World Congress.

Dr. Jeffrey Runge, administrator of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration since 2001, heads the agency that is rewriting fuel-economy rules and pressing for safer cars, trucks and components.

His top priorities at the start of the second Bush administration are tougher rules on vehicle roof strength and an overhaul of the familiar five-star crashworthiness rating system.

The …

IOC worried about flood control near Maracana

RIO DE JANEIRO (AP) — The Internacional Olympic Committee has questioned Rio de Janeiro authorities on work being done to avoid flooding near Maracana, which will host the opening and closing ceremonies of the 2016 Olympics.

Rio State Transportation Secretary Julio Lopes says on Thursday an IOC member showed concern after heavy rains flooded the area around the stadium this …

Athens can't easily block out scandal

Greek Olympic officials eager to put the drug case of their twoleading sprinters in the past had better not look out the window.

Images of Kostas Kenteris and Ekaterini Thanou -- two of the hostnation's most famous athletes -- lingered today in shop displays, onphone cards and on 25-foot-high billboards covering buildings aroundAthens. Kenteris, who with Thanou quit the Olympics on Wednesday,even has a city tram line named after him.

While sponsors such as Cosmote SA say they don't have time toremove the Olympic medalists from phone cards, others are makingquick plans. Adidas-Salomon AG, the world's No. 2 sporting goodsmaker, said it's pulling down giant posters of …

Stacy Quinn.(Newsmakers)(Healthcare Businesswomen's Association)(Brief article)

Roche public affairs director Stacy Quinn has been selected as a …

Gannett drops Tribune deal.(Business)

Byline: Bloomberg News

Tribune Co. and Gannett Co. canceled the $73 million sale of two southern Connecticut daily newspapers after Gannett rejected an arbitrator's order to abide by terms of a labor contract at one of the publications.

The contract covered some newsroom workers at The Advocate, in Stamford, the Chicago-based Tribune said Friday. Tribune, the second-largest U.S. newspaper publisher, agreed to sell The Advocate and …

IT'S OFFICIAL: GRETZKY IS A RANGER.(SPORTS)

Byline: KEN RAPPOPORT Associated Press

NEW YORK -- Wayne Gretzky is now the center of attention in New York.

The Great One officially joined the Rangers on Sunday, ending a free-agent odyssey of three weeks that had stretched from one end of the continent to the other.

``It's been a hard three weeks for me,'' Gretzky said after the Rangers announced at a press conference at Madison Square Garden that he had been signed to a two-year contract. ``So many teams were so nice to me and made some very lucrative offers. The hard part was, I could only choose one team.''

At the end, Gretzky was in a New York state of mind. He admitted a big factor …

Cooled monochrome CCD.(Image Analysis And Microscopy)

DP30 cooled monochrome CCD camera, offered for low-light microscope imaging applications, provides full-resolution live preview, vibration-free performance, and 12-bit low noise images. Developed for fluorescence microscopy applications, the camera's live preview rate facilitates focusing (15 frames per second at 1360 x 1024 pixels for 8-bit images) while minimizing specimen exposure to excitation light. Three user-selectable CCD sensitivities allow user images to be collected …

AP: Pakistan's ambassador urges patience from US

Pakistan's new ambassador to the United States is urging patience for those in Washington frustrated with his government's pursuit of peace deals with tribes along the lawless Pakistani-Afghan border.

Ambassador Husain Haqqani said in an interview with Associated Press reporters and editors Friday that the United States should judge the outcome of talks being conducted by Pakistan's "fledgling democracy," not the often contentious process of negotiating.

That may be difficult advice for U.S. critics who say peace talks have removed military pressure from the region and allowed terrorists to regroup and stage attacks on U.S. forces operating in …

Don't whitewash reality; just teach kids judgment, values

"Not everything's for children; not everything's for everybody."

- R. Crumb

I was once at a lecture at a squeaky clean religious school -OK, it was Wheaton College.The talk was about how bad and dangerous pornography was, andjust in case anyone was unfamiliar with the subject, the speaker hadbrought a big stack of grade Z smut, which he piled in a glossy moundnear the podium.After he was done talking, he invited his audience to come upand see for themselves "just how bad it was."There was a moment of silence, as the offer sunk in, and thenthe entire room of students, as one, whoosed up to the front. In mymemory there was a breeze. I left at that point, turning …

Hormel joint venture to buy Don Miguel.(Vending MARKETWATCH.COM)

TSG Consumer Partners LLC, a private equity firm and leading investor in branded consumer companies, has entered into a definitive agreement …

Noteworthy.(Capital Region)

Grief support group

The Community Hospice of Schenectady, 1411 Union St., will hold a grief recovery education and support group from 3 to 4:30 p.m. and 6 to 7:30 p.m. today. The group is open to anyone grieving a loss. The topic for the meeting is "support can lead to recovery." For more information, call 377-8846.

Community dialogue

The Schenectady County League of Women Voters will hold a community dialogue titled "What does a community look like that cares about girls?" from 7 to 9 p.m. today at the First Reformed Church of …

SHOUT ROUTS INTRUDER IN LATEST TROY BREAK-IN.(Local)

In the latest in a string of burglaries around Frear Park, a Troy couple awoke Sunday morning to a burglar in their bedroom.

"I knew this was going to happen," said Harvey Heller, of 58 Point View Drive, one of a number of streets around the park that have seen repeated break-ins since February. According to police, some 20 burglaries have occurred in the neighborhood, and Heller said he was anticipating the Sunday morning break-in as sure as spring.

"I knew when we took out the storm windows and put in the screen," said Heller, who noted that the list of victims included his next-door neighbor, and the woman across the street. "It's one thing to go through …

King's first grandchild born at Atlanta hospital

The first grandchild of slain civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr. is a girl.

A family spokeswoman says Arndrea Waters King, wife of Martin Luther King III, gave birth to Yolanda Renee King on Sunday at Northside Hospital in Atlanta. Spokeswoman Sandra Tarver says the mother and baby are healthy.

The baby was named …

Benitez puts the wraps on Reds skipper Gerrard

Steven Gerrard's days of being patched-up and sent out to play forLiverpool are numbered.

Manager Rafael Benitez believes he has a strong enough squad nownot to take risks with his most-prized asset.

Admittedly he took that risk with Gerrard just over a week agoagainst Chelsea when he played with a hairline toe fracture after apain-killing injection but that was a special case.

Gerrard will not play tonight against Toulouse in the second legof the Champions League third qualifying round.

He will be monitored ahead of Saturday's home Premier Leaguematch with Derby.

The injury could throw Gerrard's involvement with England in Euro2008 qualifiers …

Records released in brutality case.(Capital Region)

Byline: KENNETH C. CROWE II - Staff Writer

TROY - City police have turned over records of interviews regarding brutality allegations made against two city police officers, the special prosecutor investigating the case said Wednesday.

Michael P. McDermott, a former Albany County chief assistant district attorney who is now in private practice, said Troy Police have given him copies of interviews with the civilians who witnessed the arrest of Jamel T. "Bird" DeWitt and Marquese D. "Bud dah" Hill on Jan. 18 in Menands, after a car chase.

Terence Kindlon, whose law firm represents the two defendants, asked Albany County District Attorney David Soares to …