Chaz Bono is asking a judge to formally change his name and gender.
The 41-year-old writer, activist and reality-TV star, was born a girl to Sonny Bono and Cher. He filed a petition to change his name and gender last week.
Bono's doctor filed a declaration with the court indicating he …
GREENWOOD, Ind. -- U.S. Rep. Mike Pence (R-Ind.) said he chosehis words poorly when he compared a Baghdad market to one in Indianaafter returning from a two-day trip to Iraq with a delegation offederal lawmakers.
On Monday at a Greenwood Rotary Club meeting, he said he wasreferring to the atmosphere, not the safety of a Baghdad market hevisited when he told the Washington Post it was like a "normaloutdoor market in Indiana in the summertime."
"I actually described the physical setting as …
CAPE CANAVERAL, Florida (AP) — NASA is returning to the moon four decades after landing men there.
A set of robotic twins will measure lunar gravity while chasing one another in circles around the moon. The two spacecraft are each about the size of a washing machine and will be launched together.
They're due to blast off Thursday aboard an unmanned rocket and will separate an …
Arkor, André d', Belgian tenor; b. Tilleur, near Liège, Feb. 23, 1901; d. Brussels, Dec. 19, 1971. He studied with Malherbe and Seguin at the Liège Cons. He made his operatic debut in 1925 as Gérard in Lakmé at the Liège Théâtre Royal; then sang in Ghent …
KEEPING our community safe is an around-theclock job for Dyfed-Powys Police.
One of the key areas the force deals with is the protection ofadults and children under the umbrella of its MAPPA scheme (Multi-Agency Public Protection Arrangements).
Journal chief reporter IAN LEWIS spoke to Detective InspectorGary Mills about his unit's work and the introduction of a newpublic referral unit for the force at its headquarters inLlangunnor.
THE work of the force's public protection agency brings togetherthe police, probation and prison services, and nationally MAPPAdraws together each of the 42 areas in England and Wales.
DI Mills explained: "We …
As of Saturday, June 16, 2007, at least 3,522 members of the U.S. military have died since the beginning of the Iraq war in March 2003, according to an Associated Press count. The figure includes seven military civilians. At least 2,885 died as a result of hostile action, according to the military's numbers.
The AP count is nine higher than the Defense Department's tally, last updated Friday at 10 a.m. EDT.
The British military has reported 150 deaths; Italy, 33; Ukraine, 18; Poland, 20; Bulgaria, 13; Spain, 11; Denmark, seven; El Salvador, five; Slovakia, four; Latvia, three; Estonia, Netherlands, Thailand, two each; and Australia, Hungary, Kazakhstan, Romania, …
Brazilian stocks are falling for the second day in a row because of increased fears from investors on the impact of swine flu for the delicate global economy.
Sao Paulo's Ibovespa index was down 1.1 percent to 45,319 during the first 30 minutes of trading _ after slumping 2 percent during the previous session.
…
Yes, the reindeer are on the road again, spreading Yuletidecheer in shopping malls from Virginia to San Diego.
Early Christmas morning, their year's work done, the last teamwill return home to their reindeer ranch here in central Oregon.Soon afterward, it will be antler-shedding season, then a summer atpasture, then breeding season, then another Santa season and anothercommand performance impersonating Dasher, Dancer, Prancer, Vixen,Comet, Cupid, Donner and Blitzen.
And, of course, Rudolph.
Basically, theirs is a two-month annual stint. "There's notmuch call for them in July," said Mike Gillaspie, who with …
LOS ANGELES (AP) — An expert in the powerful anesthetic blamed for Michael Jackson's death has told jurors there is no way the pop star could have caused his own death by swallowing the anesthetic propofol.
Dr. Steven Shafer is testifying on what is expected to be the final day of the prosecution's involuntary manslaughter case against Dr. Conrad Murray.
Shafer's testimony is a direct …
The number of unemployed in Germany rose in December by 60,000 amid the global economic downturn, pushing the jobless rate up to 7.8 percent, official figures released on Tuesday showed.
The Federal Labor Office said the German unemployment rate grew by 0.2 percentage points from November. A total of 3.27 million people were without jobs in Germany at the end of last year, compared with 3.22 million people in November.
For the full-year of 2009, an average of 3.423 million Germans were out of work, an increase of 155,000 as compared with 2008.
The current jobless rate is close to the sensitive 8 percent level but less than expected.
…
Veteran Chicago Sun-Times handicapper Dave Feldman selected sixwinners in the 12 races Thursday at Calder Race Course in Florida.
His winners were Eager Eater (third race, paid $3.80), FlipChart (fourth, …
Dell Inc. said Tuesday that an industrywide shortage of computer storage drives resulting from recent flooding in Thailand is likely to hurt the computer maker for a couple quarters. As a result, Dell now expects its revenue for the full year to be near the low end of the guidance it gave in August, which was for growth of 1 percent to 5 percent and was itself a reduction from an earlier forecast.
During a conference call with analysts to discuss the company's third-quarter results …
The U.N. chief on Saturday called for close collaboration between Congo's government and the U.N.'s beleaguered peacekeeping mission there, but said its mandate is to support, not substitute for, action by Congolese authorities.
U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon's visit to the sprawling Central African nation comes after humanitarian groups and others have accused the U.N. mission, known as MONUC, of failing to protect more than 1,500 civilians who have been slaughtered by Ugandan rebels since September.
Ban has defended the peacekeepers, saying the mission has "saved tens of thousands of lives."
"MONUC's mandate is to support, not to substitute for, action by Congolese authorities and institutions," Ban said Saturday following a meeting with Congolese President Joseph Kabila. "MONUC is committed to helping extend state authority and establish the rule of law, which are the only guarantees of peace and stability in the region."
Critics say the 17,000-member U.N. mission has foundered, despite being the largest and most expensive in the world _ and with the strongest mandate ever issued to U.N. troops to use force to protect civilians.
U.N. officials say they simply do not have enough boots on the ground to perform effectively in Congo, a country that is bigger than Western Europe but with only 300 miles (500 kilometers) of paved roads.
The U.N. chief also said Saturday he was "particularly encouraged by the new spirit of cooperation between (Congo) and other states in the region."
Troops from former enemies Rwanda and Uganda have carried out joint operations against armed militias in Congo's east, with the Rwandan troops pulling out earlier this week.
Congo allowed the Rwandans to enter Congolese soil in January in order to hunt down the remnants of an extremist Hutu militia accused of orchestrating the slaughter of more than 500,000 people, mostly ethnic Tutsis, during Rwanda's 1994 genocide.
Rwanda has long accused Congo of offering refuge to the Hutu militia and twice invaded Congo in the 1990s, plunging the Central African nation into war. Congo, in turn, has accused Rwanda of funding a Tutsi-led rebel group.
The U.N. chief is on a nine-day African tour, which also has included stops so far in South Africa and Tanzania.
Passing Through by Colin Channer One World/Ballantine Books, June 2004 $13.95, ISBN 0-345-45334-4
Channer combines the emotionally titillating eroticism of his first book, Waiting in Vain, with the psychic depth of his second, Satisfy My Soul. In a cycle of seven interrelated short stories, he outlines the interconnected lives of characters who pass through the fictitious Caribbean island of San Carlos. Native or visitor, young or old, privileged or poor, each is on a quest for fulfillment, many of them "ghosts in search of love."
The journeys begin with an American, Eddie Blackwell, half-black and half-Irish, an orphan-turned-priest. Father Eddie's cathartic liaison with two women, Eugenia Campbell and Roselyn Thompson, spawns a Marquez-like web of relations that becomes the familial framework for the novel. It is Eddie and Eugenia's son, St. William Rawle, and Eddie and Roselyn's granddaughter, Estrella Thompson, who become the glue that holds the story together.
Passing Tlwough takes the reader from the early 190Os to the present day. In using a fictitious island as the setting for his story, Channer captures the nuances of various Caribbean islands-their history, language, customs, ethnicities, landscape, culture, politics. In the stories, we witness the development of the island, but we also witness development in the characters, most notably the long-suffering Estrella.
The stories are bound together by letters to the editor, written primarily by St. William Rawle. These letters provide links between the stories, and provide the reader with an overall sense of the larger tale: the politics of power and race that undergird life in this island community.
Channer's natural flair for symbolism and irony runs unforced throughout Passing Through, but it is most evident in the work's three key stories-"The High Priest of Love," and "The Girl With the Golden Shoes." With Passing Through, Channer continues to show his skills with evocative narrative, stimulating imagery, on-point descriptive details and fluid dialogue.
-Reviewed by Denolyn Carroll
The state on Thursday revoked the licenses of a crematorium accused of inappropriately disposing of human remains.
The Mississippi Board of Funeral Service pulled the licenses of crematory owner Mark Seepe for failing to provide documents, including cremation and embalming logs and proof his crematory chamber had been fixed, officials said.
In March, a former employee released photos taken inside Seepe Funeral Home and Crematorium that appeared to show human bones and ash being commingled and heaped into a 55-gallon barrel. The photos also showed a large hole in the bottom of the crematory retort _ the actual chamber where cremations take place.
The Associated Press went to the crematorium March 27 and found what appeared to be bone fragments in the trash bin. Authorities later confirmed the fragments were human bone.
Seepe's lawyer, Tom Royals, and officials from the state attorney general's office, which represents the state board, met Wednesday to discuss a possible agreement for a partial revocation of the licensees.
But board members refused to go into executive session Thursday to discuss the agreement, leaving Royals saying he felt blind-sided.
"They double-crossed me," Royals said, adding that he would file an appeal, likely through the court system.
Seepe did not comment.
Some relatives of people who had been cremated at Seepe's business celebrated the board's decision.
"I don't want him ever doing business in this state again," said LeiAn Adams of Brandon, whose brother was cremated by Seepe in 2004.
Adams said she's not sure the cremated remains she received belonged to her brother because there was no tag or label on the box she received.
The state attorney general is also conducting a criminal investigation into the crematorium, agency spokeswoman Jan Schaefer said.
A small plane crashed Saturday in waters off Kodiak island in southern Alaska, killing at least five of the 10 people on board, authorities said.
The Piper Navajo Chieftain crashed soon after take off at 1:48 p.m. in shallow waters, according to the Coast Guard.
A private float plane from a fish processing company pulled four people from the wreckage. Another person managed to swim to shore, said State Troopers spokeswoman Megan Peters.
Troopers pulled five bodies from the water after the tide receded, Peters said. The pilot was among the dead, she said.
Four of the survivors are in stable condition at Providence Kodiak Island Medical Center and the status of a fifth survivor is unknown, according to a Coast Guard statement.
No information about anyone on board has been released pending notification of family members.
The plane was headed to Homer, a quick flight north, on the Kenai Peninsula, according to Kodiak radio station KMXT.
The aircraft is owned and operated by Servant Air, a local company that serves half a dozen communities on the large island in south-central Alaska, 225 miles southwest of Anchorage. The flight service started in 2003 as a one-plane operation and has grown to a fleet of seven small aircraft.
A message left for Servant Air owner Terry Cratty was not immediately returned.
The National Transportation Safety Board is investigating the cause of the crash.
(This version CORRECTS SUBS lede to correct time element to Saturday)
At a NATO summit in Lisbon, Portugal, in mid-November, U.S. representatives reaffirmed the likelihood of American troops remaining in Afghanistan through the end of 2014. The potential end date extends President Obama's proposed drawdown date of summer 2011 by more than three years.
The announcement echoed what Secreta ry of Defense Robert M. Gates stated earlier in the month. At a media roundtable in Melbourne, Australia, Secretary Gates, referring to President Obama's original time line, told reporters, "1 hope the Taliban think [July 2011 is] an end date because it's not, and they're going to be very surprised come August, September, October and November, when most American forces are still there and still coming after them."
With the current emphasis on training, the expectation is that Afghan forces would be numerous and welltrained enough by the end of 2014 to take over primary security for much of the country. As security is established and Afghan forces prove competent, responsibility will be transferred to them district by district. The most restive areas, those in the country's south and east, where most U.S. troops are fighting, will be transferred last. Ultimately, however, any drawdown would be based on conditions on the ground. In mid-December, there were some 100,000 U.S. troops and 50,000 coalition forces in Afghanistan.
Some U.S. commanders have voiced concern over the difficulty of training Afghan troops, many of whom cannot read and are often undisciplined and unreliable in the eyes of U.S. soldiers. The late November killing of six men assigned to 4th Brigade Combat Team, 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault), by an Afghan border policeman in eastern Afghanistan's Nangarhar Province has been seen by some as testimony not only to the danger of working with the local security forces, but also to the risk of their changing loyalties.
By mid-November, 2010 had already become the bloodiest year of fighting for coalition forces in Afghanistan since the war began. Despite media assessments of the fight there as grim, in December, GEN David H. Petraeus remained positive. The top U.S. commander in Afghanistan told the Associated Press, "We believe that we have arrested the momentum that the Taliban achieved in recent years in many areas of the country. Not all, but that we have reversed it in some important areas, including right here, in Kabul, which is home to one-sixth or one- fifth of the country."
Upcoming Deployments. In November, DoD announced the deployment of four major units to Afghanistan. As part of upcoming rotations of forces, two headquarters totaling about 1,600 soldiers and two Infantry brigade combat teams (IBCTs) composed of 6,800 personnel will begin deploying in early 2011 and continue through the fall. The deploying headquarters units are 1st Cavalry Division Headquarters, Fort Hood, Texas, and 82nd Airborne Division Headquarters, Fort Bragg, N.C. The Infantry brigade combat teams are the 170th IBCT, Baumholder, Germany, and the 172nd IBCT, Grafenwoehr and Schweinfurt, Germany.
HOA Training. In December, leaders of the Combined Joint Task ForceHorn of Africa (CJTF-HOA) headquarters staff that deploys to Djibouti this month engaged in a two- week handson exercise at the Joint Warfighting Center complex in Suffolk, Va. The training is critical for a smooth transition.
CJTF-HOA, which focuses on East Africa and Yemen, will partner with African countries to help build their capabilities, thus promoting regional security and stability. CJTF-HOA is part of U.S. Africa Command, originally led by GEN William E. (Kip) Ward. Upon confirmation, GEN Carter F. Ham will become the next commanding general.
MilGaming Portal Expands. With gaming being one of its most costeffective training methods, the Army in iate November expanded its MilGaming portal. The online forum for gamers, educators, gaming developers and trainers launched in February and offers officially sanctioned military wargames such as Virtual BattleSpace. The downloadable software on the site - rrdlgammg.army.mil - now includes a suite of PC-based virtual tiaining applications and tools. Since the site's inception, more than 12,000 users have logged some 10,000 hours downloading software and sharing scenarios, models, terrains and videos they have created. As they play, the gamers hone their own reflexes and training.
The site is accessible to anyone with a DoD Common Access Card and allows people to exchange knowledge, tips and ideas on military gaming at home station or while deployed. Soldiers have the opportunity to add their personal contributions to the forum based on their own experience.
The portal now includes mobile applications that can be used with i Phones, iPads and Androids as well as interactive language programs.
In addition, the expansion allows instant access to technical support, training events and online instruction.
The U.S. Army Combined Arms Center-Training's National Simulation Center and the U.S. Army Program Executive Office for Simulation, Training and Instrumentation also added updates that included Virtual BattlesSpace 2 and Vignette Planning and Rehearsal Software, a program that allows users to design and build their own scenarios representing asymmetric aspects of conflict. Another software program is a 3-D simulation that enables users to practice conducting meetings and negotiation.
The web site will be expanded further: Scheduled for release in April is a program for practicing battle command in counterinsurgency operations. Officials are developing games that will allow soldiers to train beyond simply first-person shooting, such as scenarios that teach the importance of cultural impact, mannerisms and behaviors.
Fort Hood Update. Following a military court hearing at Fort Hood, Texas, for MAJ Nidal Hasan, the Army psychiatrist accused of killing 13 and wounding 32 in a shooting at the installation in 2009, COL James Pohl, who oversaw the proceedings, recommended in November that the American-born Muslim officer stand trial and face the death penalty.
More than two dozen soldiers wounded in the November 5, 2009, shooting at a crowded medical building on the post testified, some via video link from Afghanistan or Iraq, at the Article 32 hearing that began in October. COL Pohl also reviewed recordings of emergency calls and footage that MAJ Hasan recorded on his cell phone showing a gun-store manager demonstrating how to use a gun. The defense did not present any evidence, and MAJ Hasan declined to comment.
COL Pohl found cause to "support 13 specifications of premeditated murder and 32 specifications of attempted premeditated murder" and "reasonable grounds to believe an aggravating factor exists to authorize capital punishment." The report was submitted to COL Morgan Lamb, Special CourtMartial Convening Authority, at Fort Hood, who was also waiting for results from a mental competency and responsibility board assigned to evaluate MAJ Hasan. If COL Lamb agrees with the court-martial recommendation, it will be forwarded to a commanding general who will make the filial decision.
Wounded Warrior Web Site. In November, U.S. Army Warrior Transition Command (WTC) launched a new web site - www.WTC.army.mil - that is a comprehensive source of information on Army warrior care in an effort to improve care and meet soldiers' needs. To be eligible for assignment to a Warrior Transition Unit (WTU), wounded, ill and injured soldiers require at least six months of complex medical care. The new web site contains information helpful not only to those warriors in transition, but to other wounded soldiers.
The Army asked for feedback from soldiers at 29 WTUs located throughout the United States and Europe as well as severely wounded Army veterans. According to the 1,650 respondents, among their most urgent needs was having one comprehensive web site that would help users navigate the benefits system and would offer accessible and reliable resources. COL Darryl Williams, commander of WTC, said the new site is "designed to clearly outline each step of the way for wounded warriors and their families, covering administrative processes, benefits and resources."
The web site, with some 30 pages of content and images, contains information on the Army Physical Disability Evaluation System, the Army Wounded Warrior Program, career and education options, and resources for families and caregivers. It also explains the comprehensive transition plan for all wounded warriors, a six-part recovery and transition process that includes a plan customized by the soldier.
IED Update. The director of the Pentagon's Joint Improvised Explosive Device (IED) Defeat Organization, LTG Michael L. Oates, stated in a counterIED update briefing in early December that IED attacks in Iraq have greatly decreased while IED incidents in Afghanistan, where the bombs differ significantly from those used in Iraq, have increased considerably in the last year and a half.
Although the number of IED attacks in Afghanistan has increased to about 1,300 to 1,400 a month, the number of events is small when compared with the monthly average of 4,000 events at the height of the fighting in Iraq. LTG Oa tes pointed out, however, that IEDs in Afghanistan come with different challenges. They are homemade, usually based on fertilizers such as ammonium nitrate and potassium chlorate, so they have very low or no metallic content, making them harder to detect. Furthermore, they have simple detonation systems, as opposed to those found in Iraq that frequently had remote-control detonation capability. IEDs in Afghanistan are primarily detonated by pressure plates; they are "victim operated," killing indiscriminately - civilians as well as soldiers.
As U.S. and other coalition forces have surged troops into Afghanistan, LTG Oates stated, the Taliban have "conducted their own surge," and in the last few months there has been a significant rise not only in IEDs, but also in direct fire.
Quality of Life Awards. In December, the Army announced it is seeking submissions for its third annual Secretary of the Army Quality of Life Awards, which recognize individual and command efforts in improving soldier and family quality of life during 2010. The submission deadline is February 1, 2011, and the awards will be presented during the 2011 Association of the United States Army Installations Symposium and Exposition to be held in San Antonio, Texas, in April.
The competition is open to all Army commands, service-component commands and direct-reporting units as well as Army Reserve and Army National Guard units and personnel. For more information, visit www.acsim. army.mil/awards.html.
[Sidebar]
GENERAL OFFICER CHANGES*
LTG M.D. Barbero from Dep. CG for Advising and Training, USF-I. OND, Iraq, to Dir.. JIEDDO. Arlington, Va.
LTG H.B. Bromberg from Sr. Cmdr. for Fort Bliss, Texas, to Dep. CG/CoS, FORSCOM, Fort McPherson. Ga.
aLTG M. Ferriter from CG, MCoE and Fort Benning, Ga., to Dep. CG for Advising and Training, USF-I. OND.
Brigadier Generals: R.O. Baker from Dep. CG (M), 1st Armored Division/Dep. CGEast, USD-C, OND, Iraq, to Dir. for Operational Plans and Jt. Force Development, J-7, The Jt. Staff, Washington, DC; S.F. Donahue from CG, USA Engineer Division, South Pacific, San Francisco, Calif., to Dir., J-7, USF-I, OND; CK. Haas from Cmdr., SOCAFRICA. AFRICOM to Cmdr., CFSOCC Forward-Afghanistan, OEF, Afghanistan; F.B. Hodges from Dep. Cmdr.. Stability, RC-S, ISAF, NATO, Afghanistan, to Dir., PACC The Jt. Staff, Washington, DC.
* AFRICOM-US. Africa Command; CFSOCC- Combined Forces Special Operations Component Command; CoS - Chief of Staff; FORSCOM-U.S. Army Forces Command; ISAF- International Security Assistance Force; JIEDDO - Joint Improvised Explosive Device Defeat Organization; MCoE - U.S. Army Maneuver Center of Excellence: NATO - North American Treaty Organization; OEF-Operation Enduring Freedom; UND-Operation New Dawn; PACC- Pakistan/Afghanistan Coordination Cell; RC-S-Regional Command-South; SOCAFRICA- Special Operations Command Africa; USD-C-US. Division-Center; USF-I-U.S. Forces-Iraq.
* Assignments to general officer slots announced by the General Officer Management Office, Department of the Army. Some officers are listed at the grade to which they are nominated, promotable or eligible to be frocked. The reporting dates for some officers may not yet be determined.
COMMAND SERGEANTS MAJOR CHANGES*
CSM RA. Grippe from I Corps, JB Lewis-McChord, Wash., to SEA, USCENTCOM. Fla.
CSM R.J.Wells from U.S. Army Engineer Regiment, Fort Leonard Wood, Mo, to U.S. Army MSCoE and Fort Leonard Wood.
* JB-Joint Base; MSCoE- Maneuver Support Center of Excellence; SEA - Senior Enlisted Advisor; USCENTCOM-U.S. Central Command.
* Command sergeants major positions assigned to general officer commands.
[Sidebar]
Army Casualties in Afghanistan
The following U.S. Army soldiers were reported killed in Operation Enduring Freedom from November 1 to November 30, 2010. All names have been released through the Department of Defense; families have been notified.
SPC Shane H. Ahmed, 31
SGT Edward H. Bolen, 25
SPC Jacob C. Carroll, 20
CPL Jacob R. Carver, 20
SPC Shannon Chihuahua, 25
SGT Aaron B. Cruttenden, 25
SPC Justin E. Culbreth, 26
SPC Jonathan M. Curtis, 24
CPL Shawn D. Fannin, 32
SSG Sean M. Flarvnery, 29
PVT Devon J. Harris, 24
SFC Todd M. Harris, 37
PFC Kyle M. Holder, 18
SPC Andrew L. Hutchins, 20
SPC Dale J. Kridlo, 33
SPC Brett W. Land, 24
SPC Nathan E. Lillard, 26
SPC David C. Lutes, 28
SGT Jason J. McCluskey, 26
PFC Andrew N. Meari, 21
SPC William K. Middleton, 26
SPC Scott T. Nagorski, 27
SSG Kevin M. Pape, 30
SGT Michael F. Paranzino, 22
PFC Shane M. Reifert, 23
SSG Juan L. Rivadeneira, 27
SPC David S. Robinson, 25
SSG David P. Senft, 27
SPC Jesse A. Snow, 25
SPC Anthony Vargas, 27
PFC Christian M. Warriner, 19
SPC Blake D. Whipple, 21
SPC James C. Young, 25
Army Casualties in Iraq
The following U.S. Army soldiers were reported killed in Operation New Dawn from November 1 to November 30, 2010. All names have been released through the Department of Defense; families have been notified.
SSG Loleni W. Gandy, 36
SGT David J. Luff Jr., 29
Iowa's ban on ATM surcharges is being challenged by five national banks. Filing suit in U.S. District Court in Iowa were Metrobank, Davenport, Iowa; Wells Fargo Bank Iowa, Des Moines; Bank of America, Charlotte, N.C.; Firstar Bank, Cincinnati; and U.S. Bank, Minneapolis.
In the filing, the banks maintained that federal law and regulations pre-empt the Iowa law for national banks. The banks are seeking temporary and permanent injunctions to prohibit the state from enforcing the ban on ATM surcharges.
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Barack Obama is back on the basketball court, though this time with two players less likely to throw an elbow his way — his daughters.
The White House says that Malia and Sasha Obama joined their father Sunday morning for some hoop time at the gym inside the building that houses the Interior Department.
On Friday, Obama took an elbow to the mouth while playing a pickup basketball game with friends at Fort McNair. He received 12 stitches to close a cut to the left side of his lower lip.
| All Times Eastern |
|---|
| National Football League |
| Atlanta 20, Tampa Bay 10 F |
| Chicago 37, Detroit 23 F |
| Buffalo 30, Indianapolis 7 F |
| Cleveland 23, Jacksonville 17 F |
| Houston 34, New England 27 F |
| Carolina 23, New Orleans 10 F |
| Minnesota 44, N.Y. Giants 7 F |
| Pittsburgh 30, Miami 24 F |
| San Francisco 28, St. Louis 6 F |
| Baltimore 21, Oakland 13 F |
| Green Bay 33, Arizona 7 F |
| Kansas City 44, Denver 24 F |
| Dallas 24, Philadelphia 0 F |
| Tennessee 17, Seattle 13 F |
| San Diego 23, Washington 20 F |
| N.Y. Jets 27, Cincinnati 0 -2 |
| National Basketball Association |
| Charlotte 91, Cleveland 88 F |
| New York 132, Indiana 89 F |
| Toronto 91, San Antonio 86 F |
| Philadelphia 98, Denver 87 -4 |
| L.A. Lakers 30, Dallas 13 -2 |
| National Hockey League |
| Ottawa 7, Philadelphia 4 F |
| Buffalo 1, Montreal 0 F |
| Florida 6, Pittsburgh 2 F |
| Chicago 5, Anaheim 2 F |
| Top 25 College Football Playoffs |
| No games today. |
| Top 25 College Basketball |
| Duke (7) 74, Clemson (21) 53 F |
| Kansas St. (12) 91, South Dakota 69 F |
| Georgetown (13) 67, DePaul 50 F |
| Michigan 73, Ohio St. (15) 64 F |
| Texas Tech (20) 86, UTEP 78 F |
| Wisconsin (23) 63, Penn St. 46 F |
| Top 25 Women's College Basketball |
| Tennessee (4) 96, Oklahoma (14) 75 F |
| Ohio St. (6) 59, Michigan 56 F |
| Duke (8) 88, Providence 63 F |
| Georgia (9) 52, Alabama 44 F |
| LSU (11) 70, South Carolina 58 F |
| Florida St. (12) 77, Temple 64 F |
| Michigan St. (16) 53, Indiana 44 F |
| Vanderbilt (18) 86, Mississippi 72 F |
| UCLA 74, Arizona St. (19) 56 F |
| New Mexico St. 61, Kansas (21) 60 F |
| Drexel 68, James Madison (25) 67 F |
Wadsworth, Ohio
Nearly 140 years ago, an 800-pound bell called students to study and worship at the first Mennonite institution of higher education in North America. On October 20, that bell was given to Associated Mennonite Biblical Seminary (AMBS) so it once again can call students to worship.
Originally the bell hung in the cupola of Wadsworth Institute, which offered training for ministers and church workers from 1868-78. Although the school operated for only 10 years, it gave a foundation to other church schools: Halstead Seminary in Kansas which led to the founding of Bethel College in 1888; Witmarsum Theological Seminary, which was part of Bluffton College from 1914-31; and Mennonite Biblical Seminary, which began in Chicago in 1945 and became part of AMBS in Indiana in 1958.
After the Wadsworth Institute closed, the property eventually became the site of a public school. When the building was razed in 1923, the bell lay on the lawn until 1949 when it was placed on a platform. In 2002, Denton Croyle, retired dentist and archivist for the Mennonite church in Wadsworth, negotiated with the local board of education to give the bell to AMBS.
[Graph Not Transcribed]
"The bell going to Elkhart is a grand closure to a long history," Croyle said.
On October 20, as the Wadsworth Mennonite Church celebrated its 150th anniversary, a symbolic transfer of the bell was included in the service. AMBS hopes to have the bell restored and given a prominent place.
Nelson Kraybill, AMBS president, said, "AMBS is heir to the various attempts at formal pastoral and theological education. This bell represents that legacy. It also represents the central place worship has in the life of a seminary community. This bell, if it can be restored, will call the seminary community to worship God."
John H. Oberholtzer, who supervised the construction of the Wadsworth Institute, promoted college-seminary education in a less than enthusiastic Mennonite constituency. He purchased the bell from a company in Cincinnati and it was installed a few days before the dedication of the school on October 13, 1866.
Church historian H. P. Krehbiel wrote: "Very early on the morning of the thirteenth, I, in company with several friends, started for Wadsworth.... When yet some little distance away we saw the little cupola towering above the new building, and soon was heard the bell in it sounding forth its mellow tones and inviting the people to the celebration."
John Ellsworth Hartzler, in Education Among the Mennonites of America, stated: "Perhaps one of the greatest results of the Wadsworth school is in the closer union which it brought and made possible in American Mennonitism."
"It is fitting," Kraybill said, "that AMBS, which has been a forerunner of integration in the Mennonite Church today, will now be able to use this same bell to continue to build unity among people from Mennonite congregations in the US, Canada and around the world, as well as with people from other Christian faith traditions."--AMBS release by Mary E. Klassen
ALBANY, N.Y. - New York's judges have taken their long-standing battle for bigger paychecks into court, suing the state for higher salaries and back pay.
The lawsuit filed Wednesday comes about two months after Gov. Eliot Spitzer and state lawmakers ended the legislative session at an impasse over legislative and judicial salaries.
The complaint argues that connecting the two violated the state constitution's separation of powers doctrine. New York's highest paid state judge makes $156,000 a year.
It also argues that the governor and the Legislature have "unlawfully impounded" $69.5 million they allocated in the budget for judicial salary increases.
"The concept of judicial independence goes back to the founding of our country," said lead attorney George Bundy Smith, who's a former New York Court of Appeals associate judge. "By connecting judicial salaries to legislators' salaries and to political issues of the executive and legislative branches, the state undermines the independence of judges."
The lawsuit asks the court to order release of the money allocated for judicial pay raises as well as cost-of-living adjustments of 9 percent per year dating back to 2000.
Christine Anderson, Spitzer's spokeswoman, said Wednesday that the governor wants the state's judges to get raises, but he doesn't believe litigation is the way to get them.
The governor has left it up to the Legislature to call itself back to Albany for a special session to deal with the matter, Anderson said.
The suit could put some judges - who haven't had a pay raise since 1999 - in the unusual position of presiding over a case that ultimately will affect them personally.
Four judges - three in New York city and one in Cattaraugus County - are named as plaintiff's in the suit. The New York Law Journal reported on its Web site Wednesday that three other judges have filed a similar suit in Albany County.
Dear Action Time: You've assisted me before, so here I am again.
In September, Zayre advertised a small desk on sale for $19.99, asavings of $10 to $20 off the regular price. I thought a mini-deskwould be just right for my daughter, but the store was out of them.I was issued a rain check. I've called the store several times andam always told, "When the manufacturer sends us the desk, we'llnotify you." Come on! How long am I supposed to wait? It's beenseveral months. My girl probably will be finished with collegebefore Zayre figures out what's going on. IMPATIENT
Dear Impatient: Zayre wants you to shop somewhere else - and onan expense account, no less! A consumer affairs representative forthe company apologized for the delay, explaining that the reorderingand delivery process usually takes less than six or eight weeks.
Since the item still is not available, she came up with anunusual solution: Find the same desk, or a comparable one, at any oneof Zayre's competitors. Buy it and she'll arrange for the storemanager to reimburse you fully.
We hope your daughter won't keep her desk as messy as ours hereat Action Time.
Dear Action Time: My stomach hurts. The reason is simple: I'mhungry.
Last fall, I applied for food stamps and received them. Exactlyone month later, I went to pick up the next batch at the currencyexchange, but was told the stamps had been sent back to Public Aidbecause I hadn't picked them up in time.
I didn't understand, but my caseworker quickly filled me in. Shesaid the system is set up so that the first two books are deliveredin the first month. In short, I had the wrong pickup date.
Well, I have found a job since then. But I still need a fewbucks for groceries to tide me over until that first paycheckarrives. My caseworker no doubt has been trying to unravel theproblem, but this paperwork bunk is practically starving me to death.
HUNGRY
Dear Hungry: Get your grocery list together. Our Public Aidcontact assured us $87 worth of food stamps have been mailed.
Dear Action Time: Being an avid football mom and appreciatingthe efforts of high school athletes, I wanted to congratulate theMount Carmel High school players and their coaches for winning thestate championship.
I sent a congratulatory telegram to the school, but laterdiscovered, to my disappointment, the wire was never received.
Western Union was on the ball, though, when it came to adding thecharge, $28.06, to my phone bill. When I contacted the company, asupervisor said she couldn't remove the charge. I don't believe it.
FAN
Dear Fan: Don't believe it and cheer up. A Western Unioncustomer relations representative said he has resolved this matter toyour satisfaction. Senior/action Banging the store's radiator draws heat
Dear Action Time: A friend of mine is 79 years young. I usethat description because she usually feels she can do it all. Well,this time she can't.
She bought a new furnace from Sears a few years ago, with theunderstanding she could purchase new radiators down the line. Butwhen she finally returned to Sears, she was told radiators are notsold separately; they are included only in a furnace package.
The best Sears could do was suggest places scattered about thecity where she could shop. Hey, that's fine for a much youngerperson, but not for an elderly woman who has dizzy spells and othermedical problems. She has no family, either.
If I had a car, boy, I'd take her anywhere. But I don't. I'mnot signing my name, just hers. If you can find a solution, I'drather Sears contact her and say there was a mixup or something.She's very proud and won't accept help. NEIGHBOR
Dear Neighbor: Gotcha. Mum's the word with us, and we havereason to believe the woman's local Sears did its part.
We understand she accepted the store's offer to drop by and giveher an estimate on what she needs. Evidently, your friend still hasher dignity.
Senior/action appears Tuesdays and Fridays. The Action Time staff includes Charles McWhinnie, Bill Cunniff andRoy Smith
Federal police on Monday captured a long-sought, alleged Texas-born gang kingpin who faces drug trafficking charges in the U.S. and has been blamed for a vicious turf war that has included bodies hung from bridges and shootouts in central Mexico.
The announcement came just hours after the government said nearly 10 percent of the federal police force has been fired this year as part of a campaign to root out corruption.
The arrest of Edgar Valdez Villarreal, alias "the Barbie," was the culmination of yearlong intelligence operations, said Alejandro Poire, the government's security spokesman.
"This capture constitutes a blow of great impact against organized crime," Poire said.
President Felipe Calderon also announced the capture on Twitter, calling Valdez "one of the most-wanted criminals in Mexico and abroad." Calderon said operations to bring down this trafficking gang will continue.
Valdez, 37, was captured in the state of Mexico, which borders the capital of Mexico City, the Public Safety Department said in a statement.
It was accompanied by a photograph of Valdez _ whose fair skin and blue eyes earned him his nickname _ sporting stubble as he kneels on the ground, a police officer's hand on his shoulder.
Poire said the government would release further details Tuesday on the operation that led to the capture.
Valdez _ the third major drug lord brought down by Mexico's security forces in less than a year _ was charged in May in U.S. District Court in Atlanta with distributing thousands of pounds of cocaine from Mexico to the eastern U.S. from 2004 to 2006.
U.S. authorities had offered a reward of up to $2 million for information leading to his capture, and the Mexican government offered a similar amount.
There was no word from Mexican authorities on any extradition plans.
Mexican authorities say Valdez has been battling for control of the Beltran Leyva cartel since its leader, Arturo Beltran Leyva, was killed in a December shootout with marines in Cuernavaca, a favorite weekend getaway south of the Mexican capital.
The fight against Hector Beltran Leyva _ a brother of Arturo _ has made a battleground of what was once a relatively peaceful pocket of the country and brought the drug war ever closer to Mexico City. Their fight has spread westward toward the resort city of Acapulco.
The U.S. State Department says Valdez headed a group of assassins for the Beltran Levya gang. He "is the person most responsible for pushing the battle into central and southern Mexico," the department says on its website.
Valdez's capture is the government's latest victory against the crumbling Beltran Leyva cartel. Two other Beltran Leyva brothers have been arrested under Calderon's government, which in late 2006 deployed thousands of federal police and soldiers to fight drug traffickers in their strongholds.
That offensive has brought down several major traffickers.
Aside from the Beltran Leyvas, drug lord Ignacio "Nacho" Coronel was killed in a gunbattle last month when soldiers raided his home in Guadalajara. Coronel was the No. 3 in the Sinaloa cartel, one of the world's most powerful drug trafficking gangs.
The Sinaloa cartel was aligned with the Beltran Leyvas until they split in 2008, one of the many divisions among Mexican cartels in recent years that have fueled the country's gruesome gang violence.
Valdez was born in the border city of Laredo, Texas, and belonged to the Sinaloa cartel before its split from the Beltran Leyvas. Much of the most recent violence in central Mexico has been directed at his allies.
The decapitated bodies of four men were hung from a bridge in Cuernavaca last week, along with a message threatening allies of "La Barbie" and signed by the gang led by Hector Beltran Leyva. Two more bodies later were hung from bridges near Acapulco later in the week, although no gang claimed responsibility.
U.S. prosecutors say they used a federal wiretap of a related case in Atlanta in January 2008 to identify Valdez as the source of thousands of kilograms of cocaine that were imported into the U.S. from 2004 to 2006.
Witnesses said some truckloads traveling from Laredo to Atlanta carried more than 650 pounds of cocaine. The workers made shipments of money, often containing several million dollars in cash, back to Mexico in tractor-trailer trucks, according to the court records.
He is also charged in a 1998 indictment in Texas and a 2002 indictment in Louisiana, according to the State Department.
Poire said Valdez directed a criminal enterprise that spanned four states, and included extortion and money laundering as well as drug smuggling.
Mexican authorities had been closing in La Barbie's allies in recent weeks. On July 10, marines raided a house in Acapulco and captured Gamaliel Aguirre Tavira, suspected regional chief of the Valdez faction.
Despite the major arrests, Mexico's drug gang violence has only grown bloodier since Calderon launched his crackdown in 2006, claiming more than 28,000 lives.
In the latest violence, a 12-hour battle between troops and gunmen left killed seven people in the eastern town of Panuco.
The gunmen opened fire and launched grenades at a government electricity station as they tried to escape the soldiers, causing a power outage in a large part of town, said Salvador Mikel Rivera, attorney general in the Gulf coast state of Veracruz, where Panuco is located.
The battle started Sunday night when gunmen in six cars ignored orders to stop from soldiers at a checkpoint, Rivera said. Soldiers, along with state and local police, started a chase that ended at two houses where the gunmen tried to hide, he said. The shootout at the houses lasted until Monday morning.
One soldier and six gunmen were killed.
Panuco is just south of the northern border state of Tamaulipas, where marines discovered the bodies of 72 Central and South American migrants believed to have been gunned down by the Zetas drug gang after refusing to smuggle drugs, in what may be the deadliest cartel massacre to date.
The lone survivor, an 18-year-old Ecuadorean, returned to his home country over the weekend after declining a humanitarian visa that would have let him stay in Mexico, the Foreign Relations Department announced Monday.
The dead migrants were discovered at a ranch about 100 miles (160 kilometers) from the U.S. border in Tamaulipas.
Violence has surged in northeastern Mexico this year since the Zetas broke ranks with their former employer, the Gulf cartel.
Also on Monday, Mexico's government announced that it has fired nearly 10 percent of its federal police force this year for failing checks designed to detect possible corruption.
Mexico's approximately 35,000 federal police are required to undergo periodic lie detector, psychological and drug examinations, and the government routinely investigates their finances and personal life.
Federal Police Commissioner Facundo Rosas said 3,200 officers have been dismissed this year for failing to meet the agency's standards.
The agents are barred from taking jobs in any other security force _ a recurring problem that Mexican governments have vowed to solve for many years.
Meanwhile, for the first time in its history, the border city of Ciudad Juarez is canceling its traditional Sept. 15 celebration of Mexico's independence from Spain, Mayor Jose Reyes announced Monday.
Reyes said authorities had not received any specific threat surrounding the event but decided it would be too dangerous for large crowds to gather in the city, which has become one of the world's most dangerous amid a turf war between the Sinaloa and Juarez cartels.
___
Associated Press writers Istra Pacheco in Mexico City, Miguel Angel Hernandez in Veracruz and Olivia Torres in Ciudad Juarez contributed to this story.
Japan will play Paraguay next month in a friendly rematch of their round of 16 game at the World Cup.
Japan will play Paraguay at home on Sept. 4, JFA president Junji Ogura said Tuesday. It will be Japan's first match under a new coach, who has yet to be named.
Takeshi Okada led Japan to the round of 16 for the first time on foreign soil in South Africa but stepped down from his post after the World Cup.
Paraguay beat Japan 5-3 on penalties after the two teams played to a 0-0 draw in the second round of the World Cup.
By some estimates, it will take a heroin user at least sixattempts to kick the habit.
Jack Krecker, deputy police chief of Franklin Park, knows allabout drug use and addiction from his years working narcotics.
And when his own son, Joseph, came to him in April for help withhis heroin addiction, the family embraced him.
They found him a rehabilitation program and worked with his highschool, Maine South, to make sure he got all of the care he needed.Joseph's brother attended Narcotics Anonymous meetings with him.Krecker came to appreciate rehabilitation, especially the two hoursor more he would spend each week in therapy with his son, finding outwhat a good kid he was.
Even with all of this support, it might have taken his son severalattempts to get clean, Krecker said.
Except when Joseph Krecker returned to Chicago on June 6 to buydrugs, he bought heroin laced with fentanyl, a powerful pain-killer.He died in a car in the 2400 block of North Monitor with packets ofheroin still in one hand.
ONLY SIGN WAS SLIPPING GRADES
"I often thought that my son could survive a heroin addiction,"Krecker said in a Sun-Times interview weeks ago. "Had it not been forthe fentanyl, he probably would have. He might have gone throughrehab three, four, five times. He doesn't have that chance."
Krecker doesn't know for sure how his son got started on heroin.But like a good cop, he has taken a look at his son's phone recordsand bank accounts to try to figure it out.
His best guess is Joseph's habit started in January, about thetime he started dating a new girlfriend. He watched his son fall inlove, aching to spend every day -- even his lunch breaks at O'HareAirport, where he worked cleaning crews -- with her.
Back then, his main concern was talking to his son about safe sex.There were no other obvious signs, Krecker said.
His son came home on time, even when he griped about it. He gotalong with his family. His physical appearance did not change -- at 6-foot-1 and 173 pounds, he still had the body of a teenager who wasworking out regularly. Joseph had played hockey until he decided hecouldn't work, keep his grades up and play the sport, his dad said.About the only sign of trouble, looking back, was that Joseph'sgrades started slipping midway through his senior year.
Krecker has since found out that the girl -- whom he has not seensince his son died -- had been in rehab several times.
CLEAN FOR 10 WEEKS
When Joseph finally asked his family for help, he worked hard, hisfather said. He picked up his studies and was able to graduate withhis class at Maine South. He and his family talked about thewhispering that might go on at the ceremony, considering the time hehad missed from school. But he said he'd do it anyway.
That was two days before he died. He had been clean for 10 weeks.
On the morning of his son's death, Jack Krecker talked to him onthe phone about his upcoming enrollment at Oakton Community Collegeand about what he should wear to sign up for a new drug counselingclass he was taking. He decided on the blue shirt he wore forgraduation. And when Krecker asked his son whether he was feeling toomuch pressure about deciding what to do with his life, Joseph said hewas OK.
Then they planned to have lunch.
"All I told Joe was, 'Don't limit yourself,' " he said. "That waspart of our last conversation. . . . I'll tell you, it hit us like afreight train. Never saw it coming. . . . It's a pain I wouldn't wishon to anyone. Not my worst enemy. It's unbearable."
Thousands of people change jobs every day, and more and more of us are changing careers in addition to changing jobs. For Frank Byrne, M.D., and Michael Schatzlein, M.D., the career change was dramatic--from physician and surgeon to hospital administrator.
The differences emerge in the paths Dr. Byrne, president of Parkview Hospital; and Dr. Schatzlein, senior vice president of Lutheran Hospital, took in recognizing both their personal medical ambitions and their subsequent shifts into hospital administration.
Dr. Byrne says he wasn't a teen-ager who realized that medicine was his calling. "In school, my counselor said I was good in math and science so I should consider engineering. As a result, I entered Notre Dame as an engineering major. I realized in my second semester it wasn't what I wanted to do.
"That summer, my grandmother, a nurse, got me a job as an orderly in a nursing home. I found that I enjoyed the environment and the work, so I changed my major to pre-med and continued working in the nursing home throughout the remainder of my undergraduate work and medical school," Dr. Byrne says.
For Dr. Schatzlein, the entry to medical school was more automatic, both because he felt the desire and because his family physician was a key role model and mentor. At the same time, though, because he had grown up with the family retail business, Dr. Schatzlein was also interested in business. "I was always interested in business, so I started medical school with the intention of pursuing an MBA in addition to medical training," says Schatzlein. "I soon realized, though, that I couldn't do both in college. That became apparent later in life, too, when as a practicing surgeon I became involved in the administrative aspects of my group's practice. Together, both are simply too time consuming and intense."
Each then found his medical specialty niche through example and experience.
"My idol was my family physician," says Dr. Byrne, "but when I was in the family practice rotation of medical school, I found that dealing with sick children was too emotionally draining for me. I then migrated to internal medicine and found, as I spent more and more time in pulmonary and critical care, that I truly enjoyed both the adrenaline rush of critical care and the personal, long-term relationships I could develop with adult patients through pulmonary medicine."
Dr. Schatzlein decided heart surgery was his medical specialty of choice when he worked with heart surgery pioneers during his medical training at Indiana University. "I idolized my physician mentors, and for me, thoracic surgery was the specialty I enjoyed most."
Once they became immersed in medicine, both say they couldn't then imagine themselves doing something else with their lives. They loved what they did in caring for patients and saving lives.
"I found it truly gratifying to pull a person through their most desperate hours," says Dr. Byrne, "and I found tremendous satisfaction in the ability to care for and develop long-term relationships with patients suffering from chronic, long-term pulmonary disease."
"I loved surgery," says Dr. Schatzlein, "and I found heart surgery especially rewarding. Then, as we developed the heart transplant program in Fort Wayne, I learned that it is more than sewing in a new heart--it was also important to coordinate all the aspects of the process that meant the best care and the best results for the patients."
For Dr. Schatzlein, that aspect of coordination initially pulled him into the business aspects of health care and ultimately into hospital administration.
"I began to see how important coordination is to medicine and patient care overall," he says. "I had always known I was an organizer, and I was involved in the administrative aspects of our group practice.
"However, I realized I didn't want to be at the scrub sink part-time and in the board room part-time. I knew I should be in one or the other 100 percent of the time, so I finished my MBA and moved full-time into administration."
"For me," says Dr. Byrne, "the progression from medical practice to administration began when my physician colleagues elected me as an Medical Staff officer and then as Medical Staff President. Through those roles, I found myself on the Parkview Hospital Board of Directors, where I met a tremendously dedicated group of community leaders. I was fascinated by the 'big picture' planning and decision-making of these leaders, and I found myself thinking it would be fun to be part of making the system better."
Today, both Dr. Byrne and Dr. Schatzlein say they enjoy the roles they play in making the patient care their hospitals provide better for every patient. In their administrative positions, Dr. Byrne as president of Parkview Hospital and Dr. Schatzlein as senior vice president, each find that they can make a difference for every patient, not only the ones they could have directly touched as physicians.
"I find it incredibly exciting to be able to improve the health care delivery system for all patients we serve, and as importantly, for our community overall," says Dr. Byrne. "This broad focus is especially energizing, because I'm now making a difference for the thousands of patients who enter our hospital each year."
Dr. Schatzlein feels a similar satisfaction. "I know I am helping to maximize people's access to Lutheran's services and integrating each patient's care by fitting together and improving so many aspects of today' s health care," he says.
The change both Dr. Byrne and Dr. Schatzlein especially recognized early in their administrative medicine careers was the shift from immediate gratification to long term results and satisfaction.
"In practice, I knew at the end of the day what I had accomplished. I had immediate feedback in the Intensive Care Unit when I adjusted a patient's respirator, for example," says Dr. Byrne. "Today, my results are far more abstract. I won't know for two months or two years that I made the right decision."
Dr. Schatzlein echoes those same feelings. "As a surgeon, gratification was immediate. I made a patient well and he or she went home. In administration, 50 percent of what I do takes a long time to be processed or might not even happen, 25 percent gets done and 25 percent I'm still waiting to complete. The rewards and milestones are not as direct as those I experienced as a practicing physician."
Dr. Schatzlein has, he says, gained a new-found ability to control his personal time, now that he isn't always on call or waiting for the heart match that will make a transplant possible. "While as administrators we work long hours, they are hours that are more specifically scheduled and planned," he acknowledges.
Dr. Byrne agrees, saying his job now is "no less stressful and not any easier than medical practice. Yet, because clinical practice continues to be an important part of who I am, I keep a stethoscope in the office. I also maintain my medical staff membership and continuing medical education, as well as on-going clinical involvement through volunteer service at Matthew 25."
The U.S. Department of Agriculture's U.S. Forest Service unit - Olympic National Forest - issued the following press release:
With a warming and drying trend forecast for the next two weeks and the likelihood of "high" fire danger returning to the Olympic Peninsula, Olympic National Park and Olympic National Forest have jointly instituted restrictions on all open campfires on both park and forest lands, to take effect at 11:00 PM, Tuesday, August 1, 2006.
"With the forecast return of warm, dry weather, along with the busy fire season throughout much of the rest of the country, we are taking this precautionary measure to avoid another human-caused forest fire on the Peninsula," said Bill Laitner, Olympic National Park superintendent.
Dale Hom, Olympic National Forest Supervisor added, "Given the continuing dry conditions, the number of fires burning throughout the west as well as one here on the Olympic National Forest, we feel these restrictions are appropriate at this time."
Open campfires throughout the forest and park will be prohibited, with the following specific exceptions:
In Olympic National Forest:
* Campfires are permitted in fireplaces provided at the forest's designated campgrounds and cabins. Designated campgrounds are identified by the presence of large campground entrance signs, with the exception of Lena Lake Campground. Fires are not allowed in the backcountry, wilderness or at dispersed campsites along forest roads, however, fuel stoves are allowed.* The forest has also placed a restriction on smoking, and effective Tuesday night, will only allow smoking in vehicles, developed recreation sites and on forest development roads.
In Olympic National Park:
* Campfires will be permitted only in established fire grates at established front-country campgrounds. Along the park's Pacific Coast, campfires will be permitted only along the beach below the high tide line.* Backpacking stoves are allowed for use in the park's wilderness backcountry.* Smokers should only smoke in bare areas such as river bars, rock areas, beaches, roads and clearings and well away from vegetation or forest duff.
All park and forest visitors, along with area residents are encouraged to be especially cautious with open flame. Camping stoves should be operated well away from flammable vegetation and forest litter.
People are urged to notify the park or forest at the following numbers to report abandoned campfires or smoke.
Within Olympic National Park: Call park headquarters at (360) 565-3000 Within Olympic National Forest: Call the forest's dispatch center at (360) 765-2223.
PARK, FOREST PLACE RESTRICTIONS ON OPEN FIRESThe U.S. Department of Agriculture's U.S. Forest Service unit - Olympic National Forest - issued the following press release:
With a warming and drying trend forecast for the next two weeks and the likelihood of "high" fire danger returning to the Olympic Peninsula, Olympic National Park and Olympic National Forest have jointly instituted restrictions on all open campfires on both park and forest lands, to take effect at 11:00 PM, Tuesday, August 1, 2006.
"With the forecast return of warm, dry weather, along with the busy fire season throughout much of the rest of the country, we are taking this precautionary measure to avoid another human-caused forest fire on the Peninsula," said Bill Laitner, Olympic National Park superintendent.
Dale Hom, Olympic National Forest Supervisor added, "Given the continuing dry conditions, the number of fires burning throughout the west as well as one here on the Olympic National Forest, we feel these restrictions are appropriate at this time."
Open campfires throughout the forest and park will be prohibited, with the following specific exceptions:
In Olympic National Forest:
* Campfires are permitted in fireplaces provided at the forest's designated campgrounds and cabins. Designated campgrounds are identified by the presence of large campground entrance signs, with the exception of Lena Lake Campground. Fires are not allowed in the backcountry, wilderness or at dispersed campsites along forest roads, however, fuel stoves are allowed.* The forest has also placed a restriction on smoking, and effective Tuesday night, will only allow smoking in vehicles, developed recreation sites and on forest development roads.
In Olympic National Park:
* Campfires will be permitted only in established fire grates at established front-country campgrounds. Along the park's Pacific Coast, campfires will be permitted only along the beach below the high tide line.* Backpacking stoves are allowed for use in the park's wilderness backcountry.* Smokers should only smoke in bare areas such as river bars, rock areas, beaches, roads and clearings and well away from vegetation or forest duff.
All park and forest visitors, along with area residents are encouraged to be especially cautious with open flame. Camping stoves should be operated well away from flammable vegetation and forest litter.
People are urged to notify the park or forest at the following numbers to report abandoned campfires or smoke.
Within Olympic National Park: Call park headquarters at (360) 565-3000 Within Olympic National Forest: Call the forest's dispatch center at (360) 765-2223.
PARK, FOREST PLACE RESTRICTIONS ON OPEN FIRESThe U.S. Department of Agriculture's U.S. Forest Service unit - Olympic National Forest - issued the following press release:
With a warming and drying trend forecast for the next two weeks and the likelihood of "high" fire danger returning to the Olympic Peninsula, Olympic National Park and Olympic National Forest have jointly instituted restrictions on all open campfires on both park and forest lands, to take effect at 11:00 PM, Tuesday, August 1, 2006.
"With the forecast return of warm, dry weather, along with the busy fire season throughout much of the rest of the country, we are taking this precautionary measure to avoid another human-caused forest fire on the Peninsula," said Bill Laitner, Olympic National Park superintendent.
Dale Hom, Olympic National Forest Supervisor added, "Given the continuing dry conditions, the number of fires burning throughout the west as well as one here on the Olympic National Forest, we feel these restrictions are appropriate at this time."
Open campfires throughout the forest and park will be prohibited, with the following specific exceptions:
In Olympic National Forest:
* Campfires are permitted in fireplaces provided at the forest's designated campgrounds and cabins. Designated campgrounds are identified by the presence of large campground entrance signs, with the exception of Lena Lake Campground. Fires are not allowed in the backcountry, wilderness or at dispersed campsites along forest roads, however, fuel stoves are allowed.* The forest has also placed a restriction on smoking, and effective Tuesday night, will only allow smoking in vehicles, developed recreation sites and on forest development roads.
In Olympic National Park:
* Campfires will be permitted only in established fire grates at established front-country campgrounds. Along the park's Pacific Coast, campfires will be permitted only along the beach below the high tide line.* Backpacking stoves are allowed for use in the park's wilderness backcountry.* Smokers should only smoke in bare areas such as river bars, rock areas, beaches, roads and clearings and well away from vegetation or forest duff.
All park and forest visitors, along with area residents are encouraged to be especially cautious with open flame. Camping stoves should be operated well away from flammable vegetation and forest litter.
People are urged to notify the park or forest at the following numbers to report abandoned campfires or smoke.
Within Olympic National Park: Call park headquarters at (360) 565-3000 Within Olympic National Forest: Call the forest's dispatch center at (360) 765-2223.
The board of Woolworths Group PLC met late Wednesday to approve plans to put the two principle operating businesses of the century-old company into administration after failed attempts at a fire sale..
A person familiar with the talks said earlier Wednesday that the board had decided to put the company's 800-store retail business and its EUK subsidiary that distributes music and videos to retailers, in the hands of administrators. He spoke on condition of anonymity because the meeting was ongoing at the time.
"The board of Woolworths retail and EUK have resolved to take the necessary steps to enter administration," the person said. That will leave …
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. - The nation's aging, overweight population is fueling demand for personal trainers skilled at prodding the out-of-shape of all ages to get fit.
But there's no guarantee those buff trainers know the best workout for a 65-year-old man with heart disease or an obese woman in her 50s with diabetes.
Virtually anyone can become a certified trainer because there are no national educational standards for the field. Numerous Web sites offer personal trainer certification after just a few hours of online training - and a few hundred dollars.
That situation galls personal trainers like Ken Baldwin, who has seen people become disillusioned or injured by …
The Victorian has always been a very popular style because of its high level of detailing, charming porches, and elegant heritage. This Victorian has been nicely updated with a modern kitchen, spacious family room, master bedroom with cathedral ceiling, and a handy bonus room.
Specs
…
Byline: MARK SINGELAIS - Staff Writer
ALBANY - Albany Conquest coach Pete Costanza was skeptical when he learned they were taking the iron out of ironman football.
The Arena Football League and its offshoot, arenafootball2, made a rule change this season that largely phases out the two-way players who made the sport a unique throwback since its inception in 1987.
Now teams are allowed to substitute without restriction, which reduces the need for anyone to play both offense and defense. It's a more specialized game now, much like the NFL.
"Your kind of knee-jerk reaction was, 'Well, it's going to take away from the nuances of the game and …
Byline: IRA BERKOW New York Times
She was in a hurry as she strode to the elevator behind the press box, trailed by her small party and the smoke from the cigarette clenched between her teeth. This was in Riverfront Stadium, home of the Cincinnati Reds.
The woman, with her salt-and- pepper hair cut short, was sturdily built and wore a white-and-red sweater and fire-engine red slacks - the colors of her team - and brown loafers.
At the elevator, she turned her back to the steel door and kicked it with repeated thuds. Very shortly, the elevator door slid open.
"Hello, Mrs. Schott," said the elevator operator, looking concerned.
"What took you so long?" she said to him in a kind of raspy voice.
There were times when Marge Schott, owner of the Reds, kicked so hard for the elevator - it was her signal - that the heel of her shoe fell off. Sometimes her kicks destroyed the …
No one had ordered strippers for the 30th birthday party _ but the two policemen who arrived after midnight to quiet the raucous celebration found themselves greeted by a round of applause.
Female partygoers in western Germany mistook the real-life officers for fake ones who entertain parties by peeling off enticing man-in-uniform outfits.
Police spokesman Bernd Hoffmann said Monday the case of …
AUBURN HILLS, Mich. After losing 108-91 to the Detroit Pistonson Sunday, the Bulls no longer can match their 72-10 record of lastseason. That might be for the best; the Bulls haven't produced aseason that equals their accomplishments of a year ago.
The breaks haven't gone their way this season. They've …
Intensive hands-on lab courses in protein technology and cDNA cloning and gene expression are being offered through the Carolina Workshops at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
The workshops are designed to teach such skills as isolation of insert and vector DNA, litigations, electrophoretic analysis and elution from gels, blotting techniques, and protein purification.
In the protein technology course, set for May 19-June 2, participants will synthesize peptides by both manual and automated methods, and will learn a variety of biochemical and immunological techniques as applied to synthesis, isolation and characterization of peptides and proteins. …
