Road bike specially made for ex-NBA center stolen

MURRAY, Utah (AP) — At 7-foot-6, former NBA center Shawn Bradley needs just about everything custom-made, from clothes and chairs to countertops and doorways.

Yet the Utah resident remained dumbfounded Thursday over why someone would steal a bike so large it is probably useless to anyone but him.

The road bike has an 80 centimeter carbon fiber-aluminum frame — about 50 percent larger than that for a normal-sized person. Trek never even included a serial number when it built the bicycle in 2006 because it is so unique.

"It's a stolen bike, not the end of the world," Bradley said from his home in Murray, about 10 miles south of Salt Lake City. "It's just kind of a weird …

Michelin grants 3rd star to French eatery

There are three new stars in the firmament of French gastronomy: "L'Auberge du Vieux Puits," in a village in southern France, has climbed to the Michelin Red Guide's top ranking, where it joins 25 others at the summit of fine dining, Michelin announced Monday.

One restaurant, "La Maison de Marc Veyrat," on Lake Annecy in the Alpine foothills, lost its perch at the top _ and all of its stars _ with the departure a year ago of chef Marc Veyrat, always distinguishable by his large black hat.

In the Michelin Red Guide's 2010 edition, 10 eating establishments in France gained two-star status, bringing the total in that category to 77.

…

False start just a bump on Tracy's road to victory

ELKHART LAKE, Wis. On a day where driver after driver yanked offhis helmet and climbed out of his car in disgust, no one's daystarted worse than Paul Tracy's.

On the front straightaway of the first lap, a malfunctioningthrottle sensor shut off Tracy's Honda engine. After spending half aminute restarting his engine, he was 23rd-dead last among the cars onthe track after one lap.

No one's day wound up being better, though. In a race ofattrition, Tracy guided his Team Kool Green Reynard to victory Sundayin the Motorola 220 at Road America.

"It's always satisfying to win, but this is one of the mostsatisfying wins I've ever had," Tracy said after a race in which …

Tigers 9, White Sox 1

…

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Vizquel 2b	3 0 1 1		Rhyms 2b	4 1 1 0
Lillirdg 2b	1 0 0 0		Damon dh	5 1 2 2
Rios cf	3 0 0 0

Palestinians: Israel must back 2-state solution

Israel must declare its support for the eventual establishment of a Palestinian state if peace talks are to resume, the chief Palestinian negotiator said Saturday.

In neighboring Jordan, senior officials from several Arab states reiterated their support for an Arab peace initiative offering recognition to Israel in exchange for an Israeli withdrawal from the territories it occupied in the 1967 Mideast War, including land the Palestinians want for a state.

However, Israel's previous centrist government did not accept the initiative, and it is even less likely to win the support of the new right-wing coalition led by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

…

Forecasts

It'll be chilly for the first week of January with highs around40 Monday and …

Australia Ferry Crash Kills 3

SYDNEY, Australia - A passenger ferry collided with a pleasure boat under Sydney's iconic harbor bridge Wednesday night, killing at least three people and injuring eight others, officials and witnesses said.

The ferry plowed over the smaller boat, throwing its passengers into the water in the collision, which occurred about 10:45 p.m., witnesses and New South Wales state police said.

All of the casualties were aboard the smaller boat. Two men and a woman were killed, and police divers were searching Thursday for a 14-year-old girl who was thrown from the wooden pleasure cruiser, police said.

"The boat basically just disintegrated," said witness Clive Marshall, …

Company puts off launch of luxury trains to Tibet

The launch of the first luxury train service from Beijing to Tibet has been postponed from April until next spring, the operator said Monday, amid China's economic slowdown and a security crackdown.

"Our official launch has been rescheduled to spring 2010," Erena Chan, sales and marketing director for Tangula Luxury Trains, said Monday in an emailed response to questions.

"The decision was taken by our management in light of the current business climate and all the financial indicators in the near term," she said.

Chan said that some trips would be available later this year, however, ahead of the train's official launch.

…

Zion residents oppose dump expansion

A standing-room crowd of about 120 residents jammed Zion's cityhall Wednesday night to urge the zoning board to block a 200-acreexpansion of a waste dump bordering the far north suburb.

"For $300,000 now, we're going to sell out Zion for the next 20years," said Lois Fisch. "What about our grandchildren?"

Browning-Ferris Industries of Houston, the second-largest wastemanagement firm in the country, has proposed that Zion annex andrezone about 200 acres of unincorporated Lake County so the companycan enlarge its 150-acre dump site.

"Look at the people here," said Desiree Brush. "Why would youwant to put manufacturing in a residential area? Where are …

BC-GLF--Qatar Masters Scores,1st Ld-Writethru

BC-GLF--Qatar Masters …

Gunmen hold hostages in Pakistan army headquarters

Heavily armed militants were holding between 10 and 15 soldiers hostage inside army headquarters Saturday after they attacked the complex in an audacious assault on Pakistan's most powerful institution.

The attack, which left at least 10 people dead, was the third major militant strike in Pakistan in a week and came as the government was planning an imminent offensive against Islamist militants in their strongholds in the rugged mountains along the border with Afghanistan.

It showed that the militants retain the ability to strike …

Austin's Girls just want to have fun

Remember when you played tag as a kid? There was always anobject - a pole, a big rock, a tree - that was designated as a "free"zone. If you were tagged while touching the free zone, you stillweren't "it."

Austin is a similar place of refuge for anyone in Texas who is alittle different and doesn't want to be hassled by small-mindedrepressors. Austin is San Francisco with a hot summer and betterMexican food. If you're a homosexual, poet, songwriter, punk rocker,political activist or hippie, you move to Austin or suffer rednecks.If you're all of the above, as are the four members of Two NiceGirls, there is no other place in Texas you want to live.

Two Nice Girls is …

Planned Community Act worries lawyers

The devil, they say, is in the details. And at least one attorney believes the details of the year-old Uniform Planned Community Act could become a nightmare for some of his clients.

Attorney William H. Poole Jr. of York said the act expands the definition of a planned community to include small single-family developments, and that could cause some trouble down the road for those residents. And Poole said his clients aren't prepared to deal with bureaucratic and legal snafus that could result from the change.

The Uniform Planned Community was an effort to consolidate a number of laws which governed condominiums and other types of residential developments, according to Poole. The act included a definition of a planned community, something that had not existed previously in the other laws.

That definition is the crux of the problem, according to Poole.

Say, for example, you move into a development with a restrictive covenant in which all of the residents have agreed to pay for any future repairs to a retention pond in the development. If the pond needs repairs in the future and you are assessed fees for that, you will now fall under the act.

What triggers the act, Poole said, is the creation of a homeowners' association and the assessment of fees. So, if the retention pond holds water and you are never assessed any fees for repairs, you're not subject to the act, according to Poole.

Home buyers who ask for disclosure statements with special homeowners' association covenants might run into problems because the agreements are often made orally and no documentation exists, Poole said.

Poole also believes a municipality may have some financial responsibility under the act. For example, he said, if a homeowners' association builds a retention pond and later abandons maintenance on it, the municipality may be forced to assess taxpayers a fee to pay for any pond repairs, if needed.

UPCA's chief draftsman David Haas, an attorney with the Philadelphia law firm of Duane, Morris and Heckscher, sees things differently.

According to Haas, UPCA was an effort to serve as a "comprehensive guide" for the creation, governance management and marketing of all planned communities, especially those communities that didn't fall under previous state regulations governing condominiums and cooperatives.

The definition of a planned community in the act, according to Haas, is one having common facilities or improvements, such as streets, water management, recreational facilities, etc., whose maintenance or repair is the responsibility of the development owners under terms of covenant, easements or agreements imposed on the property.

A planned community must also be "declared" -- plats and plans filed say the area is being developed as a planned community -- and common elements are defined, Haas said. Also, the act creates a governing body for the planned community.

In addition, other interests are spelled out: rules governing ways the community can be expanded or changed; time requirements for selling any rights and responsibilities to common areas; anything agreed to be done for the community association must be done or have a promise of its being completed, including a third-party guaranty, bond, escrow or letter of credit.

The UPCA protects the rights of property buyers, Haas said. Disclosure statements containing a community description, options reserved by the property's owners, financial information, how the community is organized and other critical information are the chief means of buyer protection. Any deposits made on the property prior to its purchase remain in escrow until closing.

"The UPCA reflects a balancing of the interests of developers, lenders, homeowners, managers of planned communities, government authorities and those who provide service to planned communities in Pennsylvania," according to Haas. "While it does create substantive requirements for existing and newly created planned communities, it places significant emphasis on disclosure as a means of promoting market-based controls."

Haas said UPCA's greatest contribution is that it serves as a "comprehensive framework for all common interest ownership communities and developments in Pennsylvania ..." and that it replaces "a hodge-podge of common law schemes based on private restrictive covenants with no consistency, community-to-community or project-to-project."

Pete Andrews, a York attorney with Countess, Gilbert and Andrews, shares some of Poole's reservations about UPCA.

"The biggest problem is that it is a disruption of the orderly transfer of property," Andrews said. "Sellers don't know what obligations are to be met. Buyers don't know how to meet the proper obligations."

Andrews said the bill is meant to impose a condominium-like set of rules on any development. Andrews sees UPCA as very similar to existing state condominium and resort regulations. "It almost mirrors them," he said. "The structure is the same, it's complicated, difficult for people who didn't know they were in a planned community to comply."

Andrews said trying to use condominium regulations to resolve a "relatively small" problem of defining and regulating properties that were planned with common ground is part of UPCA's problems.

Andrews also said many area home buyers and homeowner associations don't know about UPCA's regulations. Realtors are aware of the regulations, he said.

Rob Sowers, residential and condominium manager and vice president for Clabell Management, part of Lancaster's Horst Group, said UPCA is not a problem for his business. Sowers manages a number of homeowners associations and 3,500 condominiums.

"Most statues are written to protect people from people who would take advantage of them," Sowers said. "UPCA is not at all a problem for us. We've always done business that way."

Sowers said UPCA helped clarify some nebulous issues surrounding planned communities by bringing regulations governing homeowners associations more into alignment with those covering condominiums.

He said Horst/Clabell was already using disclosure statements and other documentation similar to UPCA's requirements.

"We found that this was really just good business. The new act didn't do anything all that strange," Sowers said.

"I'm not a big believer in lots and lots of rules," Sowers said. "But the Condominium Act helped clarify some significant problems before this. UPCA is a good attempt to get everything under same umbrella."

Walt Zehring of Rausch Real Estate in Lebanon manages nine residential units. Zehring said he had no problems with UPCA regulations. However. keeping people up on current information within the homeowners association is not easy unless people get active and go to association meetings, Zehring said.

Zehring could understand why municipalities would have problems with UPCA, especially when they might be asked to cover costs of properties formerly governed by association rules.

Haas said UPCA's future is linked to an education process about the bill. As more people become aware of the bill's provisions and how these rules affect them, the process will get smoother.

No. 25 West Virginia Pummels St. John's

MORGANTOWN, W.Va. - Darris Nichols scored a career-high 20 points and No. 25 West Virginia beat St. John's 73-46 on Saturday for its second ever 3-0 start in the Big East.

Frank Young added 12 points and Joe Alexander had 10 as the Mountaineers (13-1) won their eighth straight.

West Virginia, picked to finish 12th in its 11th season in the conference, has already beaten three teams picked higher in the preseason poll. The Mountaineers have trailed for just 2:24 in 120 minutes of Big East play and are holding opponents to less than 50 points per game.

West Virginia, which led 30-23 at halftime, used a 12-0 run to go up 49-30 with 12 minutes left.

Nichols made a 3-pointer and layup on consecutive possessions for a 61-38 lead with 5:12 remaining and St. John's never got closer than 21 points.

Lamont Hamilton had 15 points for the Red Storm (10-5, 1-1), who lost their sixth straight to the Mountaineers. Daryll Hill, who had averaged nearly 25 points in his last three games against West Virginia, was held to five.

The Red Storm, coming off a 65-53 win over DePaul in their Big East opener, lost for only the second time in 10 games.

West Virginia is off to its best start since the 1981-82 team started 24-1. The Mountaineers go on the road for six of the next eight, including games at No. 17 Notre Dame and No. 15 Marquette.

West Virginia's only other 3-0 start in Big East play came last season when the Mountaineers won their first eight league games but skidded to a third-place finish.

THE XCERTS The Xcerts, who [...]

THE XCERTS The Xcerts, who play Moles tonight, were originallyformed by 13 year olds Murray Macleod and Jordan Smith after meetingin the headmasters room at their school in Aberdeen.

After relocating to Brighton to progress as a band in 2006, TheXcerts parted ways with their old drummer Ross.

A replacement was found in Tom Heron, originally from Exeter.

Their debut album, In The Cold Wind We Smile, was recorded withDave Eringa in Wales, and secured the band supports with Funeral ForA Friend, My Vitriol, Fightstar, Feeder and Idlewild, and wasgreeted as warmly by indie-pop fans as fans of heavy rock.

Labelling themselves "distorted pop," they had a combination ofsweetness and angst akin to a colder, darker, cosier Jimmy EatWorld.

Support comes from What Now. Admission costs Pounds 5 and doorsopen at 8pm.

Visit www.thexcertsband.com for further information.

UN nuclear watchdog says no major damage to quake-hit Japanese plant

There was no significant damage to a nuclear plant in northern Japan shuttered since last summer after it was hit by a strong earthquake, the U.N. nuclear watchdog agency said Friday.

A 12-member team from the International Atomic Energy Agency drew that conclusion after a four-day visit to Tokyo and the Kashiwazaki-Kariwa nuclear complex, which was rocked by a magnitude-6.8 quake July 16.

The quake, which killed 11 people and injured more than 1,000, caused malfunctions and leaks at the plant _ the world's largest by capacity _ and raised concerns about safety at Japan's nuclear power stations.

"The first objective of the team has been to confirm that there appears to be no significant damage to the integrity of the plant," team leader Phillipe Jamet said in a statement.

The team was able to view key internal components in the plant inaccessible during its first visit last August and meet with regulatory officials, the plant's operators, and other experts, the statement said.

Efforts to collect further information about the quake and its impact were ongoing, but all data would need to be interpreted to fully assess the temblor's impact, it said.

The statement also quoted IAEA Director-General Mohamed ElBaradei as saying that an international response to the quake was appropriate because of its relevance to other nuclear plants worldwide and that he welcomed Japan's continued cooperation with the effort.

The complex was shut down after the quake, and U.N. nuclear agency officials have said it may take another year of repairs and inspections before it can be safely restarted.

TEPCO officials said they had not foreseen such a powerful quake hitting the facility. Studies of the surrounding area have shown that a fault line may extend next to, or even directly below, the nuclear power plant.

Japan relies heavily on its nuclear program, which supplies about 30 percent of its electricity. The country plans to build another 11 reactors by 2017, eventually boosting nuclear power's share of electricity production to 40 percent.

DJ AM's death ruled accidental drug overdose

DJ AM died accidentally from a lethal cocktail of prescription drugs and cocaine, the medical examiner's office ruled Tuesday.

The toxicology report showed the 36-year-old had in his system cocaine, OxyContin, Hydrocodone or Vicodin, antianxiety drugs Xanax and Ativan, Klonopin which also controls anger, Benadryl, and Levamisole, a drug apparently used to cut cocaine.

The cause of death was acute intoxication due to the combined effects the drugs, the medical examiner's office said. The dosage of each drug was not released.

The celebrity, whose real name was Adam Goldstein, had openly discussed past addictions to crack cocaine, Ecstasy and other drugs.

He was found Aug. 28 in his apartment in New York City's trendy SoHo neighborhood after a friend called 911. Paramedics had to break down the door before they found him, shirtless and wearing sweat pants, in his bed around 5:20 p.m.

Six pills were found in his stomach and a pill in his throat when he was found dead in his apartment. The pill in his throat appeared to be OxyContin. A crack pipe and prescription pill bottles were discovered there.

In October, MTV was to debut his reality show, "Gone Too Far," in which he and concerned families staged interventions for drug abusers. MTV hasn't said whether Goldstein's show will air. A call Tuesday to the network wasn't immediately returned.

Goldstein was critically hurt in a plane crash last September in Columbia, S.C., that killed four people. He was flying in a Learjet after a performance with Travis Barker, a drummer for the pop-punk band Blink-182 and Goldstein's partner in the duo TRVSDJ-AM.

Barker and Goldstein were burned. Goldstein had to get skin graft surgery but resumed performing about a month later.

Goldstein was known for his mashups _ blends of at least two songs. He performed in clubs, on concert stages and at exclusive Hollywood parties. He was famous in part for his personal life _ he dated actress-singer Mandy Moore and reality TV star Nicole Richie.

Pentagon says intel contractors went too far

WASHINGTON (AP) — A military contractor says he'll fight Pentagon accusations that his people went too far in gathering intelligence in Afghanistan that ended up being used to target militants.

A high-level Defense Department inquiry concluded that defense contractor Michael Furlong, a retired Army officer, ran what amounted to an illegal spying ring of private military contractors.

The 15-page classified report into the matter, obtained by The Associated Press, says Furlong's human intelligence collection program, known as "Information Operations Capstone," amounted to a "violation of executive orders" and Defense Department policy.

Drafted by Michael Decker, the Pentagon's assistant secretary for intelligence oversight, and initialed by Defense Secretary Robert Gates, the inquiry calls for further investigation by the Air Force Office of Special Investigations.

In an interview, Furlong denied the accusations and said he never was questioned by the investigators nor has the Pentagon shared the report with him so he can answer the charges. He currently is on administrative leave, pending final review of the case.

The dispute over the Capstone operation centers on the military's struggle over the past two years to ramp up intelligence gathering to support counterinsurgency. The strategy includes elements of nation-building, which requires more social, civil and economic data, as well as the tactical intelligence needed for targeting.

The outgoing head of military intelligence operations in Afghanistan, Maj. Gen. Michael Flynn, wrote a controversial public critique of intelligence-gathering in the war zone earlier this year. Flynn criticized the military intelligence gathering structure as too focused on hunting al-Qaida, to the exclusion of building a multilayered picture of Afghan civil society.

The program criticized by the Pentagon inquiry was set up to provide just that sort of non-targeting intelligence.

Furlong says that the contractors — retired CIA officers and special operations veterans, in addition to local Afghans — were tracking social and civil society for the U.S.-led NATO war effort and that if and when they sometimes came across militant plots, they passed that information on to the relevant authorities as outlined in their contract.

Former officials who worked under the program say the contractors also refused to ask any follow-up questions of their sources when military authorities asked them to pursue leads from their initial reports, to keep their contract intelligence collection separate from military capture-and-kill activities.

The former officials who worked under the program spoke on condition of anonymity because the $22 million operation, which ended May 30, is now part of the legal dispute.

But the inquiry concluded that Furlong's program was carrying out "unauthorized" human intelligence operations by what it termed "nongovernment personnel under the guise of gathering and reporting 'Force Protection Atmospherics.'"

The inquiry also accuses Furlong of "deliberately misleading" the military leadership on the "legal basis" for the program.

The inquiry further recommends that the Pentagon clarify what is legal, and what's not, when it comes to human intelligence and information operations, a recommendation initialed by Gates as "approved."

Since it was shut down in May, the Furlong program has been replaced by an enhanced structure of intelligence collection, along the lines of Flynn's blueprint. Flynn, who has been tapped for a top job working for the director of national intelligence, added new layers of collection and analysis, including a staff with field operatives who travel and function like media reporters.

Furlong says his team operated in much the same way.

The Capstone contract was run by Lockheed Martin and staffed by subcontractors including Strategic Influence Alternatives and International Media Ventures, a communications company based in St. Petersburg, Fla., with Czech ownership.

There are two more Pentagon investigations under way into the matter, including one by the Defense Department inspector general, in addition to the Air Force investigation.

Men's World Cup Slalom Results

Results Sunday from a men's World Cup Slalom race on the Ganslern course (run times in parentheses):

1. Jean-Baptiste Grange, France, 1:45.04 (55.21-49.83).

2. Jens Byggmark, Sweden, 1:45.19 (55.54-49.65).

3. Mario Matt, Austria, 1:45.56 (55.43-50.13).

4. Julien Lizeroux, France, 1:45.71 (55.51-50.20).

5. Rainer Schoenfelder, Austria, 1:45.98 (56.36-49.62).

6. Felix Neureuther, Germany, 1:46.14 (55.56-50.58).

7. Benjamin Raich, Austria, 1:46.23 (56.46-49.77).

8. Ted Ligety, United States, 1:46.24 (55.95-50.29).

9. Ivica Kostelic, Croatia, 1:46.33 (56.16-50.17).

10. Manfred Moelgg, Italy, 1:46.44 (55.69-50.75).

11. Steve Missillier, France, 1:46.54 (56.80-49.74).

12. Andre Myhrer, Sweden, 1:46.67 (55.91-50.76).

13. Reinfried Herbst, Austria, 1:46.80 (57.37-49.43).

14. Bode Miller, United States, 1:46.84 (56.67-50.17).

15. Michael Janyk, Canada, 1:47.08 (56.13-50.95).

16. Akira Sasaki, Japan, 1:47.25 (57.13-50.12).

17. Bernard Vajdic, Slovenia, 1:47.35 (57.40-49.95).

18. Sandro Viletta, Switzerland, 1:47.39 (57.35-50.04).

19. Cristian Deville, Italy, 1:47.53 (57.04-50.49).

20. Wolfgang Hoerl, Austria, 1:47.55 (58.05-49.50).

21. Patrick Biggs, Canada, 1:48.06 (57.66-50.40).

22. Patrick Thaler, Italy, 1:48.24 (57.90-50.34).

23. Johan Brolenius, Sweden, 1:48.54 (57.93-50.61).

24. Kalle Palander, Finland, 1:48.66 (55.91-52.75).

25. Paul Stutz, Canada, 1:48.93 (58.15-50.78).

26. Giuliano Razzoli, Italy, 1:56.41 (58.33-58.08).

Did Not Finish Second Run

Markus Larsson, Sweden; Daniel Albrecht, Switzerland; Giorgio Rocca, Italy; Truls Ove Karlsen, Norway.

___

Combined

1. Bode Miller, United States, 3 minutes, 39.86 seconds (1:53.02-1:46.84).

2. Benjamin Raich, Austria, 3:40.79 (1:54.56-1:46.23).

3. Rainer Schoenfelder, Austria, 3:42.04 (1:56.06-1:45.98).

(tie) Ivica Kostelic, Croatia, 3:42.04 (1:55.71-1:46.33).

5. Ted Ligety, United States, 3:42.95 (1:56.71-1:46.24).

6. Andrej Jerman, Slovenia, 3:46.85 (1:54.63-1:52.22).

7. Paul Stutz, Canada, 3:47.26 (1:58.33-1:48.93).

8. John Kucera, Canada, 3:47.63 (1:54.30-1:53.33).

9. Didier Cuche, Switzerland, 3:48,14 (1:52.75-1:55.39).

10. Christof Innerhofer, Italy, 3:48.50 (1:56.32-1:52.18).

___

World Cup Slalom Standings

(After 6 races)

1. Jean-Baptiste Grange, France, 376 points.

2. Jens Byggmark, Sweden, 256.

3. Benjamin Raich, Austria, 252.

4. Felix Neureuther, Germany, 239.

5. Manfred Moelgg, Italy, 231.

6. Mario Matt, Austria, 205.

7. Julien Lizeroux, France, 203.

8. Marc Gini, Switzerland, 165.

9. Ivica Kostelic, Croatia, 160.

10. Ted Ligety, United States, 152.

World Cup Combined Standings

(After 3 races)

1. Bode Miller, United States, 210 points.

2. Daniel Albrecht, Switzerland, 180.

(tie) Jean-Baptiste Grange, France, 180.

4. Benjamin Raich, Austria, 130.

5. Ted Ligety, United States, 122.

6. Rainer Schoenfelder, Austria, 96.

(tie) Ivica Kostelic, Croatia, 96.

8. Andrej Jerman, Slovenia, 71.

9. Markus Larsson, Sweden, 64.

10. Ondrej Bank, Czech Republic, 60.

Overall World Cup Standings

(After 24 races)

1. Benjamin Raich, Austria, 860 points.

2. Bode Miller, United States, 831.

3. Didier Cuche, Switzerland, 794.

4. Daniel Albrecht, Switzerland, 572.

5. Jean-Baptiste Grange, France, 556.

6. Ted Ligety, United States, 517.

7. Manfred Moelgg, Italy, 458.

8. Michael Walchhofer, Austria, 402.

9. Kalle Palander, Finland, 367.

10. John Kucera, Canada, 365.

(tie) Didier Defago, Switzerland, 365.

12. Mario Scheiber, Austria, 349.

13. Mario Matt, Austria, 340.

14. Christoph Gruber, Austria, 329.

15. Hermann Maier, Austria, 319.

(tie) Andrej Jerman, Slovenia, 319.

Woman likely victim of hit-and-run accident

WEIRTON - A woman whose body was found along U.S. 22 apparentlywas the victim of a hit-and-run accident, Weirton police say.

Early Saturday, a motorist found the body of 24-year-old NatashaCatherine Olashuk of Avalon, Pa., near the eastbound Colliers Wayramp of U.S. 22.

An autopsy confirmed she died from blunt force trauma consistentwith being struck by a moving automobile, said Weirton police ChiefD. Lance Scott.

Investigators said Tuesday that a tip led them to what theybelieve is the vehicle that struck Olashuk as she walked along thehighway. Scott said Brooke County Prosecutor David B. Cross willdetermine whether charges will be filed.

Olashuk was a native of Follansbee and a 1999 graduate of BrookeHigh School and 2001 graduate of ICM School of Business and MedicalCareers of Pittsburgh.

4 Killed in SoCal Sandstorm Wrecks

LANCASTER, Calif. - Wind advisories were extended Wednesday following blinding sandstorms that helped trigger several car pileups north of Los Angeles that killed at least four people and injured dozens of others, authorities said.

The sandstorms struck Tuesday as wind gusted to 55 mph in the arid high desert.

Advisories warning of gusts up to 50 mph were extended through late Wednesday, and more strong wind was likely in the area from late Thursday into Friday, the National Weather Service said.

Strong winds and zero visibility Wednesday forced the closure of a stretch of state Highway 58, site of two fatal crashes Tuesday.

The largest crash scattered vehicles across state Highway 14 just west of Edwards Air Force Base on the northern edge of Los Angeles County.

Two people were killed and 25 were taken to hospitals, two of them in critical condition, Los Angeles County Fire Inspector Ron Haralson said.

At least 19 vehicles were involved in five separate collisions on a mile-long stretch of Highway 14, California Highway Patrol Lt. Andria Witmer said. The crashes were still being investigated, but authorities said poor visibility and high wind played roles.

"It was just boom, boom, boom, boom, boom for 10 or 15 minutes," Gary Goerges, a Northern California motorist passing through, told the Antelope Valley Press.

Nearby at the town of Mojave, two people were killed and eight were injured in separate accidents about 1,000 yards apart along state Highway 58, CHP Lt. Dana Leach said. About six vehicles were involved in the crashes.

Like the rest of California, the Antelope Valley has been bone-dry this year, receiving less than 2 inches of rain.

"It's not unheard of for the area to experience a dust storm, but it's not an everyday type of thing," said meteorologist Jaime Meier in the weather service's Oxnard office.

The Highway 14 accidents occurred about 40 miles northeast of the Interstate 5 tunnel where a blazing truck pileup killed three people Friday night in Santa Clarita.

The cause of that crash, which killed three people and injured 10, was still under investigation. Authorities said it involved 31 vehicles, including one passenger car and dozens of tractor-trailer rigs.

Sutil leads 1st practice at German GP

Adrian Sutil of Germany set the fastest time in his Force India in a wet first practice for the German Grand Prix on Friday.

Sutil was more than a second faster than Ferrari's Brazilian driver Felipe Massa in the morning session. Jenson Button of Britain was third in his McLaren, while teammate Lewis Hamilton, the championship leader, skidded off the track and slammed into the tire wall, damaging the rear end of his car.

Seven-time Formula One champion Michael Schumacher had a poor homecoming in his comeback season and was next to last in his Mercedes, seven seconds behind Sutil.

Sutil's fastest lap on the 4.6-kilometer (2.8-mile) Hockenheimring circuit was 1 minute, 25.701 seconds.

Massa was second in 1:26.850 and Button clocked 1:26.936.

Rubens Barrichello of Brazil was fourth in a Williams.

The Red Bull duo of Sebastian Vettel and Mark Webber, who are trying to close the gap to the leading pair of Hamilton and Button, were about three seconds off the pace. Germany's Vettel was 11th and Webber, the Australian who won the British Grand Prix two weeks ago, was 14th.

Hamilton leads the standings with 145 points, followed by Button on 133, Webber with 128 and Vettel on 121.

Sunday's German GP starts the second half of the F1 season.

Ceremonies on 150th anniversary of Manassas battle

MANASSAS, Va. (AP) — It was Manassas where the greatest army ever assembled in North America first gave battle 150 years ago.

It was Manassas where a Confederate colonel earned one of the most enduring nicknames in American history.

And it was Manassas where Americans in both the North and the South came to the grim realization that their conflict was destined to be a long, bloody Civil War.

On Thursday Virginia Gov. Bob McDonnell and others commemorated the 150th anniversary of Civil War's first major land battle, gathering on the hill on Manassas National Battlefield Park where much of the battle was fought.

"The nation got its first real look at civil war," said Jonathan Jarvis, director of the National Park Service, which maintains the battlefield. "It dispelled the notion that this war would be a quiet affair."

Up until then, both sides expected the war to be settled quickly, perhaps with a single battle.

The North, with its superior numbers and industrial might, thought it could deliver a knockout blow at Manassas and end the war quickly by marching on to the Confederate capital in Richmond, less than 100 miles away. The South thought a strong showing in defense of its native soil would convince the Yankees that preserving the union by force was a fool's errand.

Union forces held an early advantage in the battle, but the Confederates turned the tide in part due to the unyielding stance of Col. Thomas Jonathan Jackson, who earned the name "Stonewall" in the course of the fighting. Once the Confederates turned the tide, the battle turned into a rout, and spectators who had come out to view the battle in what they imagined would be a picnic-like setting found themselves caught in a wild Union retreat.

After the fighting in Manassas, Abraham Lincoln put out a new call for volunteers — this time asking for three years of service rather than three months — setting the stage for the roll call of bloody battles to follow over the next four years from Antietam, to Gettysburg, to Chancellorsville to Appomattox with hundreds of other battles in between.

Manassas was important strategically as a vital railroad junction. Its tracks carried people and supplies to and from Richmond, said University of Richmond President Edward Ayers, a Civil War expert who gave a keynote speech at Thursday's commemoration.

The fighting was marred by confusion — the initial Confederate flag looked just like the U.S. flag, and militia with more than 200 different uniforms converged at the battle, making it difficult for each side to know who was friend and who was foe amid the billowing smoke of combat.

"You need to imagine immense confusion, with mistakes and failures and brilliance and bravery all swirled together," Ayers said.

Thursday's ceremony drew nearly 1,000 spectators, who listened among costumed re-enactors in the sweltering heat.

Tom Moncrief of Monroe, N.C., attended with his son Christopher and his mother-in-law. He said they are trying to attend most of the major Civil war commemorations over the next year as part of Christopher's home schooling.

"You're able to see the re-enactors, ask them questions. ... They're bringing history to life," Moncrief said.

Brandon Bies, a National Park Service ranger at Arlington House, Robert E. Lee's Virginia home, said the 150th anniversary has brought increased interest from the general public, which he said is more knowledgeable about the conflict than ever before.

The 35,000 Union troops under Gen. Irvin McDowell had been the largest Army ever assembled on the continent at that time, Bies said, taking on a Confederate force that swelled to about 32,000 by the time the battle was fully engaged. As massive as those armies were, they were dwarfed by the numbers of forces at later battles. Gettysburg, for instance, had a combined 165,000 soldiers and roughly 50,000 casualties, compared to 67,000 soldiers and 5,000 casualties at First Manassas.

Thursday's events kick off a weekend of activity, including a battle re-enactment this weekend. Organizers believe the various events could draw nearly 150,000 spectators. The battle re-enactments on Saturday and Sunday will be held on a farm near the battlefield site; the Park Service does not allow battle re-enactments on its property.

Consumer confidence rises only slightly in October

NEW YORK (AP) — A monthly survey shows Americans' confidence in the economy rose only slightly in October from September.

Worries about the job market are still crimping shoppers' outlook heading into the key holiday shopping season.

The Conference Board, a private research group, says Tuesday that its Consumer Confidence index rose to 50.2 from a revised 48.6 in September. Economists surveyed by Thomson Reuters were expecting 49.2.

It takes a reading of 90 to indicate a healthy economy. That level hasn't been approached since the recession began in December 2007.

Economists watch confidence closely because consumer spending accounts for about 70 percent of U.S. economic activity and is critical to a strong rebound.

Memoria y Farsa en la Tragedia

La renuncia de Fidel Castro a la presidencia de Cuba, es una nueva farsa en medio de la tragedia que vive Cuba desde el primero de enero de 1959. Quiz�s pocos recuerdan que ya desde ese entonces Fidel Castro mandaba en Cuba a trav�s de la televisi�n, mientras el presidente Urrutia y el primer Ministro miraban los toros desde la barrera. Tanto que a Urrutia lo apodaron "cuchara" (ni pincha de corta). Ra�l Castro tiene la virtud de la lealtad comunista que en otras latitudes es sin�nimo de obsecuencia.

Desde mi punto de vista, pues, no ha ocurrido en Cuba nada trascendente, y podr�a decir que pienso que Ra�l Castro s�lo ser� presidente de Cuba en tanto Fidel est� vivo.

Por supuesto esto es una especulaci�n (mirada al futuro) que siempre tiene un margen de error. Como bien dijera Kari Popper: "Si el conocimiento de dentro de diez a�os fuese posible hoy, ya no ser�a el conocimiento de dentro de diez a�os sino el de hoy".

El d�a que Fidel desaparezca realmente de la escena pol�tica de Cuba, porque Cronos finalmente se apiade de los cubanos, Ra�l desaparecer� como por arte de magia. Como antes dije, su m�rito reside en la obsecuencia y esta no es una virtud id�nea para asumir un liderazgo pol�tico que jam�s ostento, pues de haber tenido estas cualidades no hubiera sobrevivido 49 a�os como at l�tere de Fidel. S�lo la mera popularidad le cost� la vida a Camilo Cienfuegos al poco tiempo de la revoluci�n. Tanto m�s en un medio pol�tico ignoto cual es la verdadera estructura de poder que subyace detr�s del miedo que impera como regla de oro en todo sistema totalitario.

Es un hecho que en los sistemas comunistas reina el principio opuesto al dictum de Descartes: "Pienso luego existo". No. El que rige es: "existo luego no pienso," pues el que piensa ha violado la lealtad, y su consecuencia es la muerte o la c�rcel. El reciente discurso de Ra�l Castro, donde expresa lo que en otros medios podr�a considerarse una apertura al di�logo, no es m�s que una faceta de la ret�rica sustentada en la estructura del sistema comunista. Y �l fue claro al decir que se puede discutir porque en Cuba ha desaparecido "la lucha de clases", Falacia universal que fue expuesta claramente por Milovan Djilas en su obra hoy un tanto olvidada: "La Nueva Clase".

En el sistema comunista, donde el poder de la nueva clase es absoluto, existen igualmente dos clases, pero no la lucha pues al que se opone lo matan. Como bien senalara Lu�s Alberto de Herrera en su obra: "La Revoluci�n Francesa y Sur Am�rica": "Mientras se aclaman las mayores temeridades igualitarias y se reniega de preciosas y saludables diferencias de clases, se crea un odios�simo sistema de castas, la casta de los oligarcas adue�ados del poder contra la voluntad popular y la casta de los ciudadanos privados del poder".

El enfrentamiento dial�ctico con Estados Unidos, basado en la supuesta lucha contra el imperialismo americano, es el sustento ideol�gico con el que se pretende justificar la opresi�n interna. Toda expresi�n de libertad es considerada como traici�n a la patria y consecuentemente un contubernio con la C�A.

�Existe alg�n r�gimen totalitario que haya sido derrotado por la oposici�n interna? Si mal no recuerdo tanto Hitler como Mussolini fueron derrocados por los tanques Sherman: Stalin muri� en su cama... El fin del comunismo en Rusia provino precisamente de la propia estructura de poder interna que decidi� un cambio, y cay� el Muro de Berl�n. Y el que provocara el cambio el Sr. Gorbachev hab�a pertenecido a la KGB, pero fue el primer gobernante ruso que no particip� de la revoluci�n de 1917. Mao casi destruye a la China con la denominada Revoluci�n Cultural, pero all� qued� hasta su muerte despu�s de liquidar al "gang of four". En fin creo que es una ilusi�n de una noche de verano el que se pueda esperar un cambio en Cuba surgido del levantamiento del pueblo contra el actual r�gimen.

Tampoco podemos olvidar que en ese anti-imperial�smo que prevalece en la mente latinoamericana, aun sin haber le�do a Len�n, que se sustenta el apoyo obvio o larvado de los pa�ses latinoamericanos a Fidel Castro. Y por supuesto a la figura "egregia" del criminal Che Guevara, al que parece que ahora admira tambi�n Obama en Estados Unidos. En esa misma l�nea podemos considerar el di�logo de la Iglesia Cat�lica con el criminal m�s oprobioso que han producido las entra�as de este continente, mientras el Vaticano rechaza el placet al embajador Iribarne por estar divorciado. E insisto en que mantener la amistad y el di�logo con Fidel Castro y rechazar a las FARC es una contradicci�n evidente, pues Castro es y ha sido la FARC en el poder por los �ltimos 49 a�os.

Pero m�s importante es indudablemente el definir qu� significa el "cambio". Como muy bien dijera S�neca: "Al que no sabe d�nde va, no hay viento que le favorezca". Y ya Ayn Rand nos recordara que el capitalismo no cre� la pobreza, la hered� (SIC). Entre tanto el socialisme convertido en Io que Jefferson denominara un despotismo electivo, aparece como el s�mbolo de la generosidad frente al materialismo capitalista. As� tomando la riqueza como un dato, algunas veces proveniente de Dios y otras de la Raz�n en la historia... permite el acceso al poder de los que lloran por los pobres creando m�s pobres y haci�ndose ricos desde el poder de la Nueva Clase.. Y consecuentemente mientras m�s pobres m�s votan por los que reparten en desmedro de la seguridad jur�dica de los derechos individuales. En esta falsa dicotom�a �tica se sustenta el poder absoluto y la verdadera raz�n de ser de las diferencias de ingresos en los pa�ses en desarrollo

Por tanto creo que el problema ideol�gico, y no la cultura prevaleciente en Cuba y no el sufrimiento, del hambre y la falta de libertad trasciende al continente.. Ah� tenemos a Venezuela, Bolivia, Ecuador, Argentina, Nicaragua, Guatemala, etc, en el camino de la pobreza y del reparto desde el poder absoluto. Por supuesto el mejor ejemplo es Venezuela, aprendiz de Castro, donde escasean los alimentos en el medio de la opulencia de un barril de petr�leo de 100 d�lares.

Me abruma y me entristece el cinismo colectivo internacional que pretende ignorar la criminalidad de Fidel Castro en el supuesto �tico falaz de una distribuci�n de la riqueza, y a la que se ha sumado la Iglesia Cat�lica con esta nueva visita del Cardenal Bertone a los Castro, supuestamente por el cambio de gobierno y por la celebraci�n del d�cimo aniversario de la visita de Juan Pablo II al chacal del Caribe, solicitando la supresi�n del embargo (No bloqueo). Como se recordar� en su primera visita El Cardenal Bertone felicit� a Fidel Castro por su preocupaci�n por la pobreza y por la solidaridad. Parecer�a un chiste sino fuera tan dram�tico.

Pero igualmente me preocupa la aparente ignorancia de los principios liminares establecidos en Estados Unidos por los Founding Fathers por parte de los candidato dem�cratas -Obama y Hillary y no por la raza ni el sexo sino por las ideas, que como bien dijera Len�n son acciones. As� parecen haber olvidado que los derechos individuales no pueden ser violados en nombre de las mayor�as. Este es el populisme que reina en Am�rica Latina determinante de su pobreza, y perdamos al verdadero baluarte hist�rico de la libertad que ha sido y sigue siendo el baluarte de la libertad en el mundo por m�s que se le ataque por imperialista. De no haber sido por los americanos el mundo hoy habr�a sido Nazi o comunista. Y como bien dijera Alberdi hace m�s de ciento cincuenta a�os: existe una barbarie ilustrada m�s perniciosa para la civilizaci�n que la barbarie de todos los salvajes de Am�rica del Sur"

GM car and truck prices to climb 3%

General Motors Corp. said Tuesday its 1992 cars will cost 3.1percent more and light trucks will be about 3 percent more expensivethan 1991 models. Chrysler Corp. said its base car prices will beabout 1.4 percent higher than last year and popular options will comein specially priced packages. GM said it has made features such aspower door locks and tilt steering standard on some models. To alesser degree, anti-lock brakes have been made standard on somemodels. GM said the price increases were needed to meet higherproduction costs brought on by federally mandated safety equipment,especially passive restraint devices being installed in all 1992cars. Ford Motor Co. has yet to announce prices, but the No. 2automaker said last month its pre-introduction prices for 1992 modelcars would be 3.7 percent higher than 1991 models. The sticker priceon trucks will be 3.9 percent higher. Air traffic: United and Delta airlines Tuesday reported healthyincreases in July traffic from a year ago, while Midway had a steepdrop due to closing its Philadelphia hub. Systemwide, United'srevenue passenger miles grew 11.2 percent last month due to a bigjump in trans-Atlantic operations, while the Pacific traffic was off0.3 percent. Domestic RPMs increased 4.5 percent. Its load factorwas up 1.7 points to 72.7 percent. Delta, which doesn't break outinternational results, had a 13 percent increases in RPMs and itsload factor increased nearly 2 points to 65.6 percent. Midway, dueto the phase out of its Philadelphia hub, had a 30.8 percent decreasein traffic and its available seat miles dropped nearly 28 percent.American Airlines is expected to report its July results today. Pan Am bids: Transportation Secretary Samuel Skinner said Tuesday hewanted to insure that all potential buyers interested in Pan Am Corp.have a fair chance to bid for all or part of the troubled airline.He said the regulatory agency was willing to look at any bids for theNew York-based airline company, including those that wouldrestructure it to keep Pan Am flying. "We're going to look at all ofthe options," Skinner told Reuters. Stead to AT&T: Jerre L. Stead, the outgoing chairman and chiefexecutive officer of Square D, will become president-businesscommunications systems at AT&T Sept. 1. He will replace Jack Bucter,who is moving to another job within AT&T. T-notes fall: Yields on three-year Treasury notes fell in Tuesday'sauction to the lowest level since 1987 as the government began arecord $38 billion quarterly refunding. The average yield was 6.92percent, down from 7.09 percent at the last auction on May 7. Thenotes will carry a coupon interest rate of 6 7/8 percent with each$10,000 in face value selling for $9,988.00. A total of $14.1billion in notes were sold out of bids totaling $42.8 billion. Therefunding continues today with the sale of $12 billion in 10-yearnotes and concludes tomorrow with the offering of $12 billion in30-year bonds. Thrift merger: First of America Corp. said Tuesdayit has signed a letter of intent to buy Champion Federal Savings &Loan Association, Illinois' fifth-largest thrift, for an undisclosedsum. If the deal is approved by federal regulators, Kalamazoo,Mich.-based First of America would increase its presence in Illinois,where it already operates 72 offices. Champion has 31 offices, mostin the Chicago metropolitan area and central Illinois. Hair spray labels: Melrose Park-based Alberto Culver Co. has agreedto sell off existing supplies of aerosol hair spray labeled"ozone-friendly." Alberto labeled seven brands of its hair spray"ozone-friendly" because they didn't contain chlorofluorocarbons,which depletes the ozone layer. The brands, however, did containpropane and isobutane, which is also harmful to the atmosphere.Last March, the company voluntarily agreed to remove most of theproducts but some still remained. The firm will pay each of the 10states that pursued the issue $5,000 for the cost of theinvestigation. The company has 60 days to sell-off its supplies. Marmon takes over TIE: Chicago-based Marmon Group Inc. has takenover operations at TIE/communications after the firm failed to repaya Marmon Group subsidiary a substantial amount of money. HCRPartners lent TIE/communications an undisclosed amount of moneyseveral years ago, but TIE filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy recentlyand was unable to repay the debt. As part of TIE's reorganization,Robert A. Pritzker was elected chairman of the firm's board ofdirectors replacing Thomas L. Kelly Jr., TIE's founder. Kellyremains on the board. TIE is a telecommunications equipment salesand service company headquartered in Seymour, Conn. Marmon Group isa management consulting services company that advises Marmoncompanies. Marmon Group is controlled by the Pritzker family, whichowns Hyatt Hotels. Gloom in manufacturing: The construction andmanufacturing industries showed little improvement over the pastthree months and probably won't do much better anytime soon, Dun &Bradstreet Corp. said in two surveys released Tuesday. The surveys,done in mid-July by the New York-based provider of businessinformation, gave new evidence that the economic recovery justgetting under way could falter and help push the nation back into arecession. D&B's monthly survey of 1,000 manufacturers showedproduction levels and new orders both went down while export ordersremained steady. The manufacturers predicted continued decline forthe coming three months. In the construction survey, companies saidproduction and employment were down during the past three months,prices weakened sharply, and expectations for the coming three monthsremained low.

Final day in European swimming championships

On the final day of the European swimming championships, Therese Alshammar and Laszlo Cseh won their second gold medals at the event and there were also victories for Frederick Bousquet, Yuliya Efimova, Katinka Hosszu and Rebecca Adlington.

Alshammar clocked 24.45 seconds in the women's 50-meter freestyle on Sunday, the Swede finishing 0.21 seconds ahead of Dutch swimmer Hinkelien Schreuder. Francesca Halsall of Britain was 0.01 seconds behind Schreuder, adding a bronze to the gold and two silvers she won earlier.

"It's going so well for me, so why should I retire? The 2012 Olympics are a great goal," said Alshammar, a four-time Olympian who turns 33 later this month.

Alshammar also won silver and bronze in Budapest to extend her medal collection at major tournaments to nearly 70.

Cseh led David Verraszto in a Hungarian 1-2 in the men's 400 individual medley to finish in 4:10.95 and win the event for the fourth straight time at the Europeans. Verraszto was 2.01 seconds back, with Gal Nevo of Israel 4.15 seconds behind Cseh.

Cseh's post-race comments bordered on rudeness, but his margin of victory backed him up.

"I knew that I would not have too much to do to win this race," said Cseh, who also won the 200 individual medley and was the Olympic silver medalist behind Michael Phelps in Beijing. "That is why I swam very relaxed on the last 100 meters."

Nevo's first medal in a long-course European championships wasn't enough to quell his frustration.

"Always the same people, always the Hungarians in the top positions," Nevo said. "I finally want to get closer to them. That's my great goal for the coming years, but it will be damn difficult."

Bousquet of France claimed the men's 50 freestyle. The European record holder won in 21.49 seconds, 0.20 faster than Stefan Nystrand of Sweden and 0.27 ahead of teammate Fabien Gilot.

"I came to these European championships to win the 50-meter freestyle _ and I did it," said Bousquet, the silver medalist in the 50 butterfly.

In the women's 50 breaststroke, Efimova of Russia set a new meet record of 30.29, beating Kate Haywood of Britain and Jennie Johansson of Sweden.

Despite a nagging injury, Efimova won the 100 breaststroke on Wednesday but later skipped the 200 in the discipline. She is the defending world champion in the 50 and 100 breaststroke.

"I had great back problems during the entire season," Efimova said. "I can manage the problems in the sprints. When I get back home, I'll have a medical check at the hospital."

Hosszu and Zsuzsanna Jakabos gave Hungary a 1-2 finish in the women's 200 butterfly _ repeating the order from Thursday's 200 individual medley _ after Hosszu moved from fifth at the halfway stage to finish in 2:06.71 and win by 0.35 due to a fast last lap.

"At the 150-meter turn, I put everything I had into it. I believed I could catch up with Zsuzsanna," said Hosszu, the silver medalist in the 400 individual medley.

Adlington won the women's 400 freestyle in 4:04.55, the Briton beating Ophelie Cyriell Etienne of France by 0.78 seconds. Lotte Friis, who won the 800 and 1,500 freestyle events, was third.

"After an awful performance in the 800-meter free, this race was very important to me," said Adlington, who was seventh in the longer distance Thursday. "I was mentally strong enough to come back and I also noticed that the French girl was leading for a long time."

In other finals, Britain took gold in the women's 4x100 medley relay and France was victorious in the men's version.

Burundi, rebels repledge peace

A joint statement by the Burundi government and the country's last remaining rebel group says the two sides have signed a "cessation of hostilities."

The statement says Monday's pact has been signed by Evariste Ndayishiniye for the government and National Liberation Force spokesman Pasteur Habimana.

A previous cease-fire signed in 2006 failed to hold after the two sides disagreed on its implementation _ although neither side renounced it.

At least 17 people died in fighting between the rebels and government last month. The rebels were also blamed for shelling the capital of Bujumbura in May.

Brum's not so secret squirrel.

THE red squirrel has returned to Birmingham - in a BIG way.

In fact this one seen at Bridge House, near Masshouse Circus (inset), stands more than 100ft tall, dwarfing one of the workmen who helped erect it.

The giant poster is being used by Yellow Pages to promote its latest advertising campaign - although it could drive onlookers nuts trying to work out the connection.

"The Birmingham banner is the first of a number of advertising banners which will appear in key locations across the UK," said Nigel Marson, marketing communications controller of Yellow Pages.

Other locations being used for the poster campaign include the London Underground and on buses across the country.

Brum's not so secret squirrel.

THE red squirrel has returned to Birmingham - in a BIG way.

In fact this one seen at Bridge House, near Masshouse Circus (inset), stands more than 100ft tall, dwarfing one of the workmen who helped erect it.

The giant poster is being used by Yellow Pages to promote its latest advertising campaign - although it could drive onlookers nuts trying to work out the connection.

"The Birmingham banner is the first of a number of advertising banners which will appear in key locations across the UK," said Nigel Marson, marketing communications controller of Yellow Pages.

Other locations being used for the poster campaign include the London Underground and on buses across the country.

Reasons to Doubt

SOPHOMORE JINX

Between appearing in McDonald's commercials and coming into campout of shape, second-year closer Bobby Jenks spent some time in OzzieGuillen's doghouse this spring. While Jenks is armed with a 100 mphfastball, he struggled with control at times, as well as with theunderstanding that what he did last year was in the past. If Jenksstruggles in his role, an already delicate bullpen will take a hit.

TOP DOG

Scott Podsednik's importance at the top of the Sox' lineup lastseason was felt when the leadoff hitter went on the disabled list inAugust. With the speedy outfielder on the shelf, the Sox went 5-10,allowing Cleveland to get back in the …

Managing the managers: legislation targets managed care cost-cutting, quality.

WASHINGTON - Asserting that broad federal rules are needed to govern managed care plans, two Democratic lawmakers have introduced a bill in both chambers of Congress that would regulate how HMOs and other networks treat patients.

Sen. Edward M. Kennedy, D-Mass., and Rep. John D. Dingell, D-Mich., last week submitted the Quality Assurance and Patient Protection Act, nicknaming it the "Health Insurance Bill of Rights Act." Both argued that an overly tenacious emphasis on cost-cutting among health plans and employers had created a worrisome lack of regard for quality issues and many discontented patients.

The bill, which the Democrats have not yet offered to their Republican counterparts for bipartisan sponsorship, includes rules on how managed care plans must grant medical care to patients and mandates on keeping track of patient treatment data.

The bill, H.R. 820 in the House and S. 353 in the Senate, specifies in some detail what rights patients would have in obtaining emergency and specialist care through their plans. Plans could not deny …

DEALS DAWN EARLY ON BLACK FRIDAY.(MAIN)

Byline: JO-ANN JOHNSTON Business writer

Light rain, 45 weather and a hot economy made retailers happy on Black Friday, the traditional start of the Christmas shopping season.

A record 6,000 people mobbed Crossgates Mall in Guilderland at 7 a.m., when many of the stores opened.

Some shoppers started even earlier. Jamie Bickel of Slingerlands and her sister Dawn Thompson of Troy made a point of getting to the 6 a.m. opening of KB Toys in Crossgates.

``That's when all the super deals are,'' Bickel said. And she had to get Pokemon merchandise, which has been subject to spot shortages, even counterfeiting.

But it's not just the toys …

Hargreaves scores on Man City debut in cup win

LONDON (AP) — Owen Hargreaves marked his return to competitive football with a debut goal for Manchester City in a 2-0 win over defending champion Birmingham in the League Cup on Wednesday.

The England midfielder, who struggled through three injury-plagued years before being released by City's neighbor Manchester United in the offseason, fired in City's opener from 25 meters (yards) in the third-round victory over the cup holders.

Hargreaves, who has had operations on both knees in recent years, managed to complete 57 minutes before being substituted. It was the Canadian-born player's longest appearance since completing United's match against Chelsea exactly three years …

Obadele joins GOP in backing Rev. Dr. Bullock

Obadele joins GOP in backing Rev. Dr. Bullock

Making no apologies for his decision, Minister Bamani Obadele joined the Illinois Minority Coalition Alliance, a group of Black independents and Republicans, in endorsing the candidacy of Rev. Dr. Christopher Bullock for Cook County Board President.

"We're standing firmly behind Rev. Bullock," said the activist preacher. Referring to Cook County Comm. Bobbie Steele, Obadele said: "Bobbie Steele can't question his integrity when she just four-months ago tried to put people out of their homes to build a courthouse."

Percy Coleman, executive director of the Illinois Minority Coalition Alliance, said: "We're supporting our …

Creative Labs SoundBlaster Extigy. (Over $300).

Answering the prayers of many notebook users who have put up with inferior sound, the Extigy provides a variety of analog and digital connectors including coaxial and optical S/PDIF and MIDI DIN in/out. The device connects to a PC or notebook via a USB interface, and then is automatically configured as the primary audio device without the user being required to uninstall, remove or tamper with the existing sound card and setup.

Audio specifications include a form of 24 bit/96KHz audio with a stated signal-to-noise ratio of 100dB. The Extigy also comes with Dolby …

Report from Europe.

Report from Europe

Task force to support UKs healthcare firms

A BBI Staff Report

The UK government last month announced the establishment of a new task force bringing together representatives of the government and the healthcare industry to work together to support the industry and maximize the benefits for patients.

The first initiative of its kind between the government and the healthcare sector, the Healthcare Industries Task Force (HITF) will operate for one year under the joint chairmanship of Health Minister Lord Warner and Sir Christopher ODonnell, chief executive officer of Smith & Nephew (London). Other participants will include Science Minister Lord Sainsbury from the Department of Trade and Industry; Mike OBrien, minister of state for trade, investment and foreign affairs, and senior executives from manufacturers of medical products.

The HITF has been charged with delivering recommendations which should benefit patients, encourage the best use of National Health Service (NHS) resources and stimulate science and industry in the UK to improve growth in manufacturing, investment, employment and exports.

In announcing the establishment of the task force, Warner said, The healthcare industry is important to this country, both in terms of developing products to support better healthcare in the NHS, and as an important economic sector. He said the task force will help us to gain a better understanding of how government and industry can work together for mutual benefit. Noting that great advances are being made in medical technology, Warner said, I want to ensure we harness this expertise and maximize the benefits for the NHS, patients, industry and the national economy.

ODonnell termed the UK healthcare industry one of Britains most successful industrial sectors as well as making a major contribution to the health of the British people. However, he said, there are further opportunities by partnership with the medical professions and …

No citation in warship fire; Group maintaining Slater will not face action from Rensselaer Fire Department after accidental blaze.(Capital Region)

Byline: BOB GARDINIER Staff Writer

RENSSELAER - The organization that maintains the historic USS Slater will not be cited for an accidental two-alarm fire that broke out aboard the vessel last week at its winter berth in the Port of Rensselaer, officials said.

Eight retirees, who are Navy veterans and volunteer their time, were working in a maze of com partments below deck, in the bow of the World War II destroyer escort, when a metal cutting torch sparked the blaze. The fire was contained to the chief petty officer's mess, which is a 10-square-foot compartment, said Tim Rizzuto, the ship's superintendent.

Rensselaer Assistant Fire Chief Jay …

ANTHONY I. CUDEMO.(CAPITAL REGION)

TROY Anthony I. Cudemo of Lexington Avenue died Monday in Samaritan Hospital in Troy.

Mr. Cudemo was born in Nassau. He was a graduate of Colonie High School and Hudson Valley Community College in Troy.

He retired two years ago from Watervliet Arsenal, where he worked as a production controller for 22 years.

Mr. Cudemo was a member of the Watervliet Arsenal Bowling League, and was a communicant of St. William's Church in Troy.

He was a Navy veteran.

Survivors include his wife, Christine M. Powers Cudemo of Troy; …

Scoping the realities of black women's lives: a team examines the effects of shifting roles to adjust for race and gender.(the writing life)

With this issue, Black Issues Book Review introduces THE WRITING LIFE, a department for authors, editors, writers and others engaged in producing the written word. For this premiere, we asked Charisse Jones, a New York correspondent for USA Today and coauthor of Shifting: The Double Lives of Black Women in America (HarperCollins, September 2003, $25.95, ISBN 0-060-09054-4), to share the experience of preparing her first book, an inventive nonfiction work based on original research conducted with Kumea Shorter-Gooden, Ph.D.

From a literary standpoint, it will be my firstborn. Shifting: The Double Lives of Black Women in America speaks of the masks we black women don, the emotional ripples that we weather trying to survive in the face of relentless racism and sexism. It speaks of how we hurt, but also of how we fight back and lean on family and faith to cope, thrive and soar.

As an African American woman, I understood the concept of shifting implicitly. I had done it my entire life, as when I took care not to use slang when speaking with my white peers or when I debated whether to report the cab driver who brazenly passed me by or to snuff my rage, pushing the slight into the recesses of my mind. All the changing, ignoring, self-affirming and …

Essayist and novelist Wilfrid Sheed dies in US

BOSTON (AP) — The stepdaughter of novelist and essayist Wilfrid Sheed says the English-born American writer has died. He was 80 years old.

Stepdaughter Phoebe Alexis Ungerer says Sheed died Wednesday in Great Barrington, Massachusetts, and had long suffered from polio and more recently cancer of the mouth.

Born in London in 1930 to prominent Catholic publishers, Sheed was the author of a …

Residents' dry spell ending

Construction worker Allan Hawkins applies rubber gaskets to pipefittings as part of a construction project designed to bring waterto residents on Newhouse Branch Road. The project …

Toyota beats two million sales milestone for hybrids.

Auto Business News-4 September 2009-Toyota beats two million sales milestone for hybrids(C)2009 ENPublishing - http://www.enpublishing.co.uk

Auto Business News - 04 September 2009(c)2005 - Electronic News Publishing - http://www.enpublishing.co.uk

Japan-based automaker Toyota Motor Corporation (TYO: 7203) has reported worldwide sales of its hybrid vehicles have passed the two million unit milestone.

The automaker launched its first hybrid …

REPORTS INDICATE BRIGHTER OUTLOOK.(BUSINESS)

Byline: JEANNINE AVERSA Associated Press

WASHINGTON -- Falling costs for gasoline, clothes and cars gave shoppers a break and helped to keep overall consumer prices flat in May.

That, along with another government report Tuesday showing housing construction last month jumped by 11.6 percent, the largest increase in nearly seven years, offered a dose of good news for the unfolding economic recovery.

The recovery has been progressing at a modest pace, but improvements have been spotty. With inflation under control, Federal Reserve policy-makers will have leeway to maintain short-term interest at 40-year lows to help the rebound keep rolling, economists …

Telco TV: smaller is quicker: two southern phone companies are almost ready to deliver video.(Progressive Rural Telephone)

While telco giants grapple with the challenges of delivering TV over telephone lines on a massive scale, two relatively tiny telcos in the deep South are already racing ahead with video delivery. Within a matter of months, the Farmers Telephone Cooperative in Kingstree, S.C., and Progressive Rural Telephone in central Georgia plan to begin offering TV to subscribers-over existing copper phone lines. Farmers has 60,000 customers; Progressive has 5,500.

Meanwhile, behemoths like Verizon and SBC don't expect to be able to send video over their expensively upgraded fiber-optic lines until the end of the year or later.

What makes the little guys so nimble? Internet Protocol television (IPTV) technology, which facilitates the otherwise impossible task of sending TV over copper phone wires. IPTV works because it is more …

London subway drivers get extra Olympics pay

LONDON (AP) — British transport authorities will give subway train drivers extra cash for working erratic hours during the 2012 London Olympics.

London Underground's managing director Mike Brown said the 3,500 drivers will receive a one-time payment of 500 pounds ($790) for agreeing to have their normal schedules disrupted during the games. They will also receive overtime pay for …