The following recall has been announced:
_International Desserts & Delicacies is recalling Uncle Eddies Vegan Peanut Butter Chocolate-Chip Cookies because they could be contaminated with salmonella. This organism can cause serious and sometimes fatal infections, …
The sometimes bitter negotiations between Trammell Crow Co. andpartners who split off to form Hamilton Partners here were concludedWednesday with both sides expressing satisfaction with the divisionof more than $1 billion worth of real estate between them.
Negotiations were concluded by an agreement signed at thecompany's Hamilton Lakes project, named for the leader of thedissident group, Allen Hamilton. One of the big losses Hamilton'sgroup had to accept was Crow's retention of most of that highlysuccessful project in Itasca. The split between Trammell Crow andthe partners occurred earlier this year.
"It was emotionally disappointing to Allen and I," said …
WASHINGTON - A former House clerk faces investigators Thursday in possibly the most important testimony yet on how GOP leaders dealt with allegations about ex-Rep. Mark Foley's behavior toward pages. That includes their secret handling last fall of a complaint to a congressman who testified Wednesday.
The questioning of the former clerk, Jeff Trandahl, is coming after Rep. Rodney Alexander, R-La., spent three hours with ethics investigators. He sought to explain how his office dealt with the complaint from a former page about too-friendly e-mails from Foley.
GOP leaders are facing scrutiny over whether they or their aides did too little to stop Foley's inappropriate …
The governor of Massachusetts has named former Democratic Party chairman Paul G. Kirk Jr. to temporarily fill the late Sen. Edward Kennedy's seat.
Gov. Deval (deh-VAHL') Patrick's announcement Thursday means Kirk will serve in the post until voters pick a replacement in a Jan. 19 special election.
Patrick says the issues before Congress are "too important to Massachusetts for us to be one voice short."
Kirk is a Kennedy family friend who served on the late senator's staff for eight years and is chairman of the JFK Library Foundation.
Kennedy's widow, Vicki Kennedy, and son Edward Kennedy Jr. had urged Patrick to pick Kirk.
…
She recently agreed to an offer that's roughly 37 percent below her initial asking price, joining many other sellers who've had to revamp their expectations in what remains an ailing housing market here.
A report from the Illinois Association of Realtors on Tuesday showed the end of federal tax credits and a continuing weak economy pushed home sales in the Chicago metropolitan area down 25.1 percent in July from a year earlier. And major market improvements aren't forecast soon.
The median price sank 9.6 percent to $193,000 from $213,500, the …
SsangYong Motor, South Korea's smallest and most obscure automaker, plans to sell sportutilities in the U.S. early next century, but it may look for cash here much sooner as it considers a major equity sale to GM. SsangYong is deep in debt after setting up to begin licensed productionof Mercedes-based cars and engines this summer.
SsangYolg Motors new president Lee Chong-Kyu, has offered up to 49% of the automaker to GM and other foreign companies. An investor would get access to the heavily protected Korean market ill addition to the automaker's R&D facilities, 4wd expertise and car and truck capacity.
SsangYong s debt is estimated at over $3.5 billion. …
Pakistan's ambassador to Afghanistan was freed unharmed three months after he vanished in a tribal area in Pakistan's border region, a foreign ministry official and a relative said Saturday.
Tariq Azizuddin disappeared Feb. 11 along with his driver and bodyguard as they drove from the Pakistani city of Peshawar toward the border.
In a video aired April 19 on an Arab satellite channel, Azizuddin said Taliban militants had abducted them.
His brother, Tahir Azizuddin, told The Associated Press that authorities informed the family on Saturday the ambassador had been released, was in good health and would be home soon.
The diplomat was …
A Campaign has been launched to stop council workers facingviolent attacks.
Aberdeenshire Council's zero-tolerance campaign aims to endunacceptable behaviour.
A spokesman said that employees should not have to put up withviolence and aggression while they were working.
Chief executive Alan …
Jesse decries AIDS' issues
With HIV and AIDS being the latest "killing field" for people of color across two continents, the Rev. Jesse L. Jackson Sr. said it's time to get real about a malady that has risen 68 percent in Chicago's Black community.
Saying there is no room for morality during this rise of AIDS, Jackson said "it's time to get real" about this disease that accounts for four percent of these cases among youth 13-24 in the U.S. and are nine out of 10 new HIV cases among African children under 15 years old.
Admitting there is a reluctance by school officials to teach students sex education, Jackson said there is a contradiction when through subliminal …
Sen. Ted Stevens is asking the Justice Department to investigate the conduct of federal prosecutors who participated in the trial that led to his conviction for lying about home renovations and gifts he received from a wealthy businessman.
The Fairbanks Daily News-Miner reported Tuesday that Stevens attorney Brendan Sullivan requested an investigation into "numerous, serious constitutional violations" by government prosecutors.
In the letter to Attorney General Michael Mukasey, Sullivan asked that immediate steps be taken to preserve all Justice Department information related to its investigation and prosecution of Stevens. He also asked Mukasey to …
Planners at Mendip are due to make a decision on plans for a newsupermarket for Glastonbury.
On Wednesday night the planning board will meet to decide if aTesco can be built on the site of the former Avalon Plastics factoryin Beckery New Road.
The 25,000 square foot store - roughly the size of the Tesco inWells - is expected to bring 225 new jobs to Glastonbury.
The new supermarket would be made of a sustainably-sourced timberframe, larch cladding and include a combined heat and power plant,wind catchers, natural light, and efficient lighting and energyequipment.
If approved, Tesco says that "with a fair wind" the store couldbe open for …
The popular one-hour police drama Miami Vice aired on NBC from 1984 to 1989. Miami Vice combined elements from traditional "cop shows" with an emphasis on high fashion, exotic locations, and music-video sequences. The show depicted an interracial pair of detectives who battled the narcotics trade in southern Florida. The series starred Don Johnson (1949–) and Philip Michael Thomas (1949–) as undercover detectives Sonny Crockett and Ricardo Tubbs. Miami's glamorous beaches and resorts were contrasted with the city's under-belly of corruption, violence, and tragedy that resulted from drug trafficking.
Miami Vice was the brainchild of NBC executive Brandon Tartikoff (1949–1997), who envisioned a show about "MTV cops." Michael Mann (1943–) executed Tartikoff's idea and crafted a series where style was more important than substance. The detectives' clothing, cars, and romances were more important than the standard "cops and robbers" plots. The series was filmed on location in Miami and made expert use of the city's unique architecture, geography, and Latin flavor. Johnson emerged as a sex symbol and sparked a casual-chic fashion trend. It became common to see men who, like Johnson on the show, wore expensive Italian sports jackets over T-shirts (see entry under 1910s—Fashion in volume 1) along with baggy linen slacks and slip-on shoes without socks. Johnson's perpetual five o'clock shadow became his trademark and was copied by many men during the mid-1980s. Miami Vice also helped Miami reclaim its title as a playground for the rich and famous.
By the third season, ratings fell as viewers grew tired of the Miami Vice fad. Producer Mann attempted to recapture the public's attention by abandoning the pastel color scheme for darker tones that reflected more intense plotlines. These surface changes were unsuccessful, and Crockett and Tubbs left the air in 1989. Miami Vice is now recalled as a cultural artifact showcasing what was most hip and trendy in 1980s America.
—Charles Coletta
Benedek, Emily. "Inside Miami Vice." Rolling Stone (March 28, 1985): pp. 56–62, 125.
Buxton, David. From The Avengers to Miami Vice: Form and Ideology in the Television Series. New York: Manchester University Press, 1990.
Feuer, Jane. Seeing Through the Eighties: Television and Reaganism. Durham, NC: Duke University Press, 1995.
Miami Vice Chronicles.http://www.wildhorse.com/MiamiVice/ (accessed April 3, 2002).
Miami-Vice.org.http://www.miami-vice.org/ (accessed April 3, 2002).
TOKYO (AP) — Japan's central bank cut its key interest rate to virtually zero in a surprise move Tuesday and is looking to set up a $60 billion fund to buy government bonds and other assets as it tries to inject life into a faltering economy.
The Bank of Japan's nine-member policy board voted unanimously to set its overnight call rate target to a range of zero to 0.1 percent, returning to zero rates for the first time in more than four years.
The decision underscores growing worries about the Japanese economy, which is being battered by a strong yen and persistently falling prices. The central bank had left rates untouched since December 2008 when it lowered the target to 0.1 percent.
Recent economic indicators point toward deteriorating exports, industrial production and corporate sentiment. Authorities intervened in currency markets last month to weaken the yen, but the impact was short-lived. Lawmakers repeatedly called on the Bank of Japan for more help.
"Although Japan's economy still shows signs of a moderate recovery, the pace of recovery is slowing down partly due to the slowdown in overseas economies and the effects of the yen's appreciation on business sentiment," the central bank said in its statement.
The rate cut is the first step of a three-pronged approach outlined by the central bank to answer critics who had disparaged previous efforts as inadequate. It did nothing at its last meeting in early September, which followed an emergency meeting in late August when it expanded a low-interest credit program.
"It's a good move," said Kyohei Morita, chief economist at Barclays Capital Japan. "All that they announced today is something that is beyond my expectations."
Other analysts agreed. Junko Nishioka, chief economist at RBS Securities Japan, said the central bank "made major progress" Tuesday.
Part two of what the BOJ describes as a "comprehensive monetary easing policy" is a pledge to maintain the zero rate policy until prices start rising again. That will probably take three or four years, which means rock-bottom rates are here to stay for a while, Morita said.
Japan last period of zero rates lasted for five years starting March 2001. Through its "quantitative easing" policy to boost the economy, the central bank flooded markets with excess liquidity to hold short-term interest rates near zero.
The final piece of the central bank's strategy is the creation of a temporary 5-trillion-yen ($60 billion) fund to purchase financial assets such as government securities, commercial paper and corporate bonds in an attempt to stimulate the economy by lowering longer-term interest rates and risk premiums. About 70 percent of the fund will be used to buy long-term government bonds and treasury discount bills.
The central bank will offer another 30 trillion yen ($359 billion) through its loan program.
The rate cut gave an immediate boost to the stock market, with the Nikkei 225 index jumping 1.5 percent to 9,518.76 after spending much of the day in the red.
Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshito Sengogku said he welcomed the central bank's announcement. The decision stands "in concert with the government's efforts to overcome deflation," he told reporters, according to Kyodo news agency.
In addition to a 915 billion yen stimulus package announced last month, Prime Minister Naoto Kan is expected to unveil new spending through a supplementary budget that could be as big as 5 trillion yen.
The central bank's government bond purchases will help fund Kan's extra budget, which could spur some growth, said Christian Carrillo, head of Asia-Pacific interest rate strategy at Societe Generale. But it's unclear whether the Bank of Japan's steps will have a meaningful impact on the overall economy.
"I wouldn't say it's something that will strongly stimulate the economy," Carrillo said.
Tuesday's news comes amid speculation that other central banks may also ease monetary policy. Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke fanned expectations Monday when he said that the economy could be helped by another round of asset purchases by the central bank.
The Fed, which meets next on Nov. 2-3, is considering launching a new program to buy government debt, a move aimed at driving down rates on mortgages, corporate loans and other debt. During the recession, the Fed ended up buying a total of roughly $1.7 trillion of mortgage securities and debt, as well as government bonds.
Slowing growth in the U.S. is just one of the headaches facing Japan, which has relied on overseas demand to fuel its recovery. Figures last week showed that core consumer prices in August fell for the 18th straight month as a strong yen pushed import prices south.
While lower prices may boost individual purchasing power, deflation hamstrings an economy. It plagued Japan during its "Lost Decade" in the 1990s, curtailing growth by dragging company profits, sparking wage cuts and causing consumers to postpone purchases. It also can increase debt burdens.
The GOP choice of Wayne County executive Lucas, 58, to challengepopular incumbent Democrat James J. Blanchard is loaded with boldmessages from organized U.S. conservatives to the country's blackcivil rights leadership, including this memo: The ultraconservatives believe that black leaders such as OperationPUSH's Jesse L. Jackson, the NAACP's Benjamin L. Hooks, and the UrbanLeague's John Jacob do not speak for the majority of blacks when theydeal harshly with President Reagan's domestic and foreign policies.
They believe that at local or state levels, blacks will switchfrom the Democrats to the GOP when Republicans produce an attractivelocal Reaganite and color him black. After Lucas's Tuesday victory,Detroit Mayor Coleman A. Young, a national Democratic leader,predicted a close race, but he called Lucas a man whose "philosophycan hardly be distinguished from that of President Reagan on mostissues." During the primary, Lucas had near excessive praise forReagan. The new conservative strategy includes mobilization of itsown black battalions in its war against the moderate and centristsupporters of the two major parties.
While blacks are among the sharpest critics of "Reaganomics,"Reagan recruiters have been busy corralling a few black scholars,ministers, and religious fundamentalists to support Reagan's war onaffirmative action, and what the right calls "Great Society giveaway"programs for the poor.
Rep. John Conyers Jr. (D-Mich.), an outspoken member of theCongressional Black Caucus, compares this strategy with SouthAfrica's: "Not only does South Africa arm black men to shoot downblack freedom fighters, it also recruits tribal leaders such as thepopular Zulu Chief Gatsha Buthelezi, to help defend (President P. W.)Botha."
"Keep in mind," Conyers continued, "Buthelezi says he is againstapartheid, but he ends up talking against sanctions. Buthelezi isprotected and sponsored by Botha - just like Lucas is sponsored byReagan and the ultraconservatives."
Concern about Lucas's backers is not limited to vocal blackDemocrats. That's why Republican Gov. William G. Milliken neverendorsed Lucas although he conceded that of all four GOPgubernatorial candidates, Lucas stood the best chance of winningWayne County (Detroit) against Blanchard.
Milliken, a moderate, told a Detroit newspaper that "one of myreal concerns is that he (Lucas) has attracted some of the hard-lineright." It is no secret that the hard-core right focused on Lucasfrom the moment he switched from the Democrats to the Republicans inMay of 1985. And Lucas showed a broad enough GOP appeal to win 35 ofMichigan's 83 counties, including Wayne.
However, the 20.7 per cent turnout was down 9 points from the1982 primary, and there was no great switch of blacks to the GOP.
But the conservatives believe that by November, color willoverwhelm common sense. Michigan's black Reagan will prevail, theyhope.
ST. LOUIS (AP) — Ken Hitchcock's debut as St. Louis Blues coach was a huge success — even if he had quibbles with his first game behind the bench in nearly two years.
"I think far and away the weakest player was me," the 59-year-old Hitchcock said after the Blues beat the Chicago Blackhawks 3-0 on Tuesday night. "I'm going to have to get a little bit further up to speed because it was a playoff atmosphere with a playoff-style game."
Jaroslav Halak shrugged off his shaky start to the season with 29 saves and Chris Stewart scored on the power play to end a 10-game goal drought. T.J. Oshie had a goal and an assist, and defensemen Barret Jackman and Kevin Shattenkirk had two assists apiece.
The Blues' 6-7 start cost coach Davis Payne his job, and several players mentioned the Hitchcock hire as a "wake-up call." Their penalty kill was impressive, blanking the Blackhawks on nine chances.
"Guys were buying in all over the ice, making plays," said captain David Backes, who was plus-2. "Jaro was outstanding, he bailed us out when we needed it at critical times in the game."
Stewart's deflection in the second period was only the fourth goal in 41 power-play opportunities for St. Louis, which entered as the NHL's worst team with the man advantage.
At his introductory news conference Monday morning, Hitchcock said it would take only one practice to fix the power play.
"To be able to grasp a couple of the concepts this quick on the power play is a real good sign," Hitchcock said. "And our penalty kill battled like crazy."
Hitchcock coached his first game since getting fired by Columbus in January 2010. He encountered a mental challenge after Scott Nichol was sidelined by an upper-body injury in the first period.
"I was down to 11 forwards and I was like, lost," Hitchcock said. "I was up to speed for a little while but when it really got going I need to improve."
Corey Crawford made 20 saves for Central Division-leading Chicago, which has lost three in a row. The Blackhawks were blanked for the second time, and the power play took the brunt of the blame.
"Right now who cares about the stat?" forward Jonathan Toews said. "We know we've got to be better, so we've got to keep working on it. I don't know what else you want me to say."
Blackhawks coach Joel Quenneville had little to say that was positive.
"Our puck possession, our puck movement, was terrible," Quenneville said. "It's certainly unacceptable."
Hitchcock was the third straight Blues coach to face the Blackhawks in his first game at home. The first to win, too, after Payne lost 6-3 in 2010 and Andy Murray fell 3-2 in 2006.
Hitchcock became the first Blues coach to win in his debut, period, since Mike Keenan on Jan. 20, 1995.
Halak entered 1-6 with a 3.35 goals-against average and has been splitting time with backup goalie Brian Elliott. Halak was especially strong during several scrambles in front of the net, earning his first shutout since last season's finale against Nashville.
"When a coaching change happened so fast, we just needed to probably look in the mirror and ask yourself if that was the best you have," Halak said. "Everybody did their best."
Stewart, who finished last season with 15 goals in the last 28 games, scored his third of the season and first since Oct. 13 for a 2-0 lead at 1:23 of the second. Stewart, who was planted in the slot to redirect a feed from Oshie, totaled just one assist during his slump.
The Blues blunted a late charge by the Blackhawks when Oshie scored his third goal in three games on an innocent-looking shot from the left circle at 13:54.
Vladimir Sobotka drove to the net and wedged the puck past Crawford midway through the first period for his first goal since March 30. He has four points in the last four games.
NOTES: The Blues paid tribute to Pavol Demitra and Igor Korolev, who died in the plane crash that wiped out a Russian KHL team, in a pregame ceremony attended by Korolev's wife and two daughters along with several former teammates, including Brett Hull. The Blues wore patches with the No. 38, worn by both Demitra and Korolev, and placed a mural honoring Demitra in the lower bowl concourse. ... Blues forward Scott Nichol (upper body) was sidelined in the first period. ... Hitchcock coached his 1,043rd game, sixth-most on the active list. Quenneville is third with 1,096. ... The attendance of 19,150 was the Blues' 46th sellout in a row.
Bobby Hull listened to Wolves executive Wayne Messmer introducehim before a 4-3 loss Saturday to the Milwaukee Admirals at AllstateArena and said, "I didn't know I did all that."
He did, though. The Hockey Hall of Famer, who scored 604 of his610 NHL goals with the Blackhawks and starred on the Hawks' lastStanley Cup winner in 1961, received a standing ovation from 9,627screaming fans before dropping the ceremonial first puck and headingfor the lobby to sign thousands of memorabilia items.
Hull, who will turn 67 on Jan. 2, declined an invitation to put ona uniform for pregame drills.
"Do I look like I can still skate?" he said, laughing.
Actually, he does.
Hull does more than that now. His charity work Saturday was for ahandful of organizations that benefit children. The line of fansseeking autographs snaked its way through the South Gate lobby andinto a special room.
"Wherever I go, parents of kids from Mighty Mites and Atoms toPeewees and Bantams ask me, `Mr. Hull, what advice can you give to myson for him to get better in hockey?"' Hull said. "My answer isalways, `Good things will happen if you always do your best, nomatter what you're doing."'
It was coincidental that Wolves center Kip Miller scored the firstgoal of the game eight minutes into the first period. He had noticedHull wearing a No. 9 Wolves jersey in the runway before introductionsand pointed to his own No. 9 jersey.
"Hey, good number, Miller," Hull said.
Miller's goal didn't hold up. The Wolves (9-12-1-3) had a 30-23advantage in shots on goal, but the Admirals (18-7-1-1) got third-period goals from Sheldon Brookbank and Libor Pivko against goalieJani Hurme to rally from a 3-2 deficit after two periods.
Brandon Segal scored the first two goals for the Admirals. ScottBarney and Karl Stewart scored in the second period for the Wolves.
"We aren't getting breaks, [but] we also aren't taking advantageof our chances," Wolves coach John Anderson said. "The only peoplethat are going to get us out of this rut are the guys in that lockerroom."
jgoddard@suntimes.com
| All Times EST | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| EASTERN CONFERENCE | ||||
| Atlantic Division | ||||
| W | L | Pct | GB | |
| Boston | 12 | 4 | .750 | — |
| New York | 9 | 9 | .500 | 4 |
| New Jersey | 6 | 11 | .353 | 6½ |
| Toronto | 6 | 11 | .353 | 6½ |
| Philadelphia | 4 | 13 | .235 | 8½ |
| Southeast Division | ||||
| W | L | Pct | GB | |
| Orlando | 12 | 4 | .750 | — |
| Atlanta | 11 | 7 | .611 | 2 |
| Miami | 10 | 8 | .556 | 3 |
| Charlotte | 6 | 11 | .353 | 6½ |
| Washington | 5 | 11 | .313 | 7 |
| Central Division | ||||
| W | L | Pct | GB | |
| Chicago | 9 | 6 | .600 | — |
| Indiana | 8 | 7 | .533 | 1 |
| Cleveland | 7 | 9 | .438 | 2½ |
| Milwaukee | 6 | 10 | .375 | 3½ |
| Detroit | 6 | 11 | .353 | 4 |
| WESTERN CONFERENCE | ||||
| Southwest Division | ||||
| W | L | Pct | GB | |
| San Antonio | 14 | 2 | .875 | — |
| Dallas | 13 | 4 | .765 | 1½ |
| New Orleans | 12 | 5 | .706 | 2½ |
| Memphis | 7 | 10 | .412 | 7½ |
| Houston | 5 | 12 | .294 | 9½ |
| Northwest Division | ||||
| W | L | Pct | GB | |
| Utah | 13 | 5 | .722 | — |
| Oklahoma City | 12 | 6 | .667 | 1 |
| Denver | 10 | 6 | .625 | 2 |
| Portland | 8 | 8 | .500 | 4 |
| Minnesota | 4 | 13 | .235 | 8½ |
| Pacific Division | ||||
| W | L | Pct | GB | |
| L.A. Lakers | 13 | 4 | .765 | — |
| Golden State | 8 | 9 | .471 | 5 |
| Phoenix | 8 | 9 | .471 | 5 |
| Sacramento | 4 | 11 | .267 | 8 |
| L.A. Clippers | 3 | 15 | .167 | 10½ |
___
| Sunday's Games |
|---|
Atlanta 96, Toronto 78
New York 125, Detroit 116, 2OT
San Antonio 109, New Orleans 95
Utah 109, L.A. Clippers 97
Houston 99, Oklahoma City 98
New Jersey 98, Portland 96
Denver 138, Phoenix 133
Indiana 95, L.A. Lakers 92
| Monday's Games |
|---|
Miami 105, Washington 94
Oklahoma City 95, New Orleans 89
Dallas 101, Houston 91
Milwaukee at Utah, 9 p.m.
| Tuesday's Games |
|---|
Detroit at Orlando, 7 p.m.
Boston at Cleveland, 7 p.m.
Portland at Philadelphia, 7 p.m.
New Jersey at New York, 7:30 p.m.
L.A. Lakers at Memphis, 8 p.m.
Indiana at Sacramento, 10 p.m.
San Antonio at Golden State, 10:30 p.m.
| Wednesday's Games |
|---|
Memphis at Atlanta, 7 p.m.
Washington at Toronto, 7 p.m.
Oklahoma City at New Jersey, 7 p.m.
Detroit at Miami, 7:30 p.m.
Portland at Boston, 7:30 p.m.
Orlando at Chicago, 8 p.m.
Charlotte at New Orleans, 8 p.m.
L.A. Lakers at Houston, 8:30 p.m.
Minnesota at Dallas, 8:30 p.m.
Indiana at Utah, 9 p.m.
Milwaukee at Denver, 9 p.m.
San Antonio at L.A. Clippers, 10:30 p.m.<
New applications for unemployment benefits dropped last week from a seven-year high, the Labor Department said Thursday, though they remain at elevated levels that indicate recession.
Initial claims for jobless benefits dropped 20,000 to a seasonally adjusted 478,000, the department said, the same level that Wall Street economists expected.
The department said Hurricanes Ike and Gustav were responsible for adding about 20,000 claims on a seasonally adjusted basis. That's down from approximately 45,000 the previous week.
The four-week average, which smooths out fluctuations, rose to 482,500, the highest since October 2001. The number of Americans continuing to claim unemployment benefits rose to 3.66 million, above analysts' estimates of 3.6 million. That's the highest total in more than five years.
Meanwhile, the financial markets are expected to rise in early trading in response to comments by Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson and other administration officials indicating the government is considering taking ownership stakes in troubled U.S. banks.
The move would be intended to unclog the credit markets that have made all kinds of loans, from interbank lending to consumer loans, harder to get.
Some economists have argued for such a step as a way to more directly provide capital to ailing banks, as opposed to the administration's initial bailout plan of buying bad mortgage-related assets from the banks.
The housing slump and resulting credit crisis has hit the economy hard, causing consumers to cut spending and businesses to eliminate jobs.
In response to what has become a global credit crisis, the Federal Reserve and six other central banks on Wednesday announced a coordinated interest rate cut. The Fed reduced its target interest rate to 1.5 percent from 2 percent.
The Fed's cut means borrowing money becomes cheaper. Home equity loans, credit cards and other floating-rate loans all fluctuate depending on what the Fed does.
Jobless claims have come in above 400,000, a level economists consider a sign of recession, for 12 straight weeks. Claims stood at 316,000 a year ago.
The International Monetary Fund on Wednesday joined a chorus of private economists and predicted the U.S. economy will contract in the final quarter of this year and the first quarter of 2009, meeting one classic definition of a recession.
Many economists expect that consumer spending, which accounts for two-thirds of economic activity, will decline in the July-September quarter. That would be the first quarterly decline in 17 years.
Federal Reserve chairman Ben Bernanke said on Tuesday that economic activity will likely remain "subdued" for the rest of this year and into next year.
The Labor Department said in a separate report last week that the economy lost 159,000 jobs in September, the fastest pace of job cuts in five years. Employers have eliminated 760,000 jobs so far this year.
The unemployment rate remained at 6.1 percent in September, up from 5.7 percent in July and 4.7 percent a year ago.
Several companies announced job cuts in the past week, including eBay Inc., Kraft Foods Inc. and MetLife Inc.
Airlines prepared for passenger backlogs Wednesday from hundreds of flights grounded by storms that chased people from flooded homes and deluged roads in the nation's midsection, killing at least two people in Missouri and sweeping a teen down a drainage pipe in Texas.
The National Weather Service posted flood and flash flood warnings from Texas to Ohio, with tornado watches in Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi and Tennessee.
Emergency officials in Mesquite, Texas, searched for a 14-year-old boy apparently swept away by floodwaters as he and a friend played in a creek. The friend was able to swim to safety, authorities said.
In northern Arkansas, rescuers searched for a man whose truck was believed to have been swept from a low-water bridge in West Fork. Authorities found only the vehicle.
Heavy rain began falling Monday and just kept coming. Forecasters said parts of Missouri could get 10 inches or more. The storms were expected to finally stop Wednesday.
Cape Girardeau County had received nearly 8 inches of rain by Tuesday afternoon, trapping some residents in their homes. About 50 roads were closed in Christian County after 7 inches of rain fell.
More than 6 inches of rain drenched areas around Dallas, including record rainfall at Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport, where more than half of the 950 scheduled flights Tuesday were canceled.
Winds of more than 100 mph were briefly reported at the airport, which received a single-day record of 2.35 inches of rain, according to the National Weather Service. The previous high of 1.52 inches was set in 1984, the weather service said.
By early Wednesday morning, the airport had opened all security checkpoint lanes in preparation for an early rush of stranded passengers. Airport officials said the backlog of flights would take most of Wednesday to unwind.
"Everybody did a great job overnight of hanging in there and trying to get some rest," airport spokesman Ken Capps said. "The airlines will be working the lines early to try to get as many people rebooked and out of here as quickly as possible."
Cots and blankets were given to stranded travelers overnight. The airport early Wednesday also received several hundred new passengers who were bussed from airports as far as Louisiana, after they were unable to make flights to DFW the day before.
Federal Aviation Administration officials evacuated the airport's west tower for about 15 minutes Tuesday morning after seeing a funnel cloud. By Tuesday night, the airport was accepting about 50 arrivals and departures an hour _ less than half the usual 120 flights that use the airport's seven runways every hour, officials said.
Hundreds of people in Lancaster, south of Dallas, were advised to evacuate their homes as the Ten Mile Creek rose. By evening, the creek waters had receded. One woman was rescued from her yard and four people were rescued from their vehicles, city spokeswoman Ciciely Hickmon said.
In Arkansas, residents in parts of Baxter, Madison, and Sharp counties were evacuated because of rising floodwaters, said Tommy Jackson, a spokesman for the Arkansas Department of Emergency Management.
The Spring River was rising at a rate of 6 inches per hour Tuesday, and debris flowing in it included full-size trees. Officials said dangerous flows were occurring in Mammoth Spring and Salem, where the river was out of its banks.
To the north, Gov. Matt Blunt activated the Missouri National Guard on Tuesday as high water closed hundreds of roads.
About 300 of the 900 homes in Piedmont, Mo., were evacuated when the McKenzie Creek flowed over its banks and caused flooding 2 to 3 feet deep in the center of the town, about 125 miles south of St. Louis. Dozens of people were rescued in about 15 to 20 boat trips.
Up to 30 homes were evacuated in Winona, and some residents of Cape Girardeau were trapped in their homes, according to the State Emergency Management Agency. In Ellington, as many as 50 homes and half the businesses were evacuated, officials said.
The body of an 81-year-old man was found in the water at Ellington, said Missouri State Water Patrol Lt. Nicholas Humphrey. A 21-year-old state Department of Transportation worker was killed near Springfield when his dump truck was hit by a tractor-trailer as he helped out in a flooded area, officials said.
Scott and Marilyne Peterson and their 25-year-old son, Scott Jr., scurried out of their mobile home in Piedmont after watching the water rise 3 feet in five minutes. The family had just enough time to grab some essentials, a few clothes and the family dog.
"You didn't have time to worry," Scott Peterson Sr. said. "You just grab what you can and go and you're glad the people are OK."
___
Associated Press writers Betsy Taylor in Piedmont, Mo., and Chuck Bartels in Little Rock, Ark., contributed to this report.
The Netherlands 4x50-meter women's medley relay team equaled the world record at the European short-course championships on Saturday.
Marleen Velthuis, Hinkelien Schreuder, Moniek Nijhuis and Ranomi Kromowidjojo finished in 1 minute, 45.73 seconds to match the mark set by Australia last April at home in Canberra.
President Barack Obama promises his economic stimulus law will save hundreds of thousands of teaching jobs, but some states could end up spending the money on playground equipment or wallpaper _ and the president might not have the authority to stop them.
Obama says nearly all of the education money in the Recovery Act, which will start going out to states this week, is designed to retain teachers.
Education Secretary Arne Duncan threatens to "come down like a ton of bricks" on anyone who defies the administration's plans to bring relief to states like California where 26,500 teachers have gotten pink slips. Across the country, 9 percent of teachers _ about 294,000 _ may face layoffs because of budget cuts, according to a University of Washington study.
But plans for the money are pulling in other directions, particularly in states with Republican governors:
_ Hawaii Gov. Linda Lingle wants to fill a budget gap.
_ Idaho Gov. Butch Otter wants to hold the money in reserve.
_ South Carolina Gov. Mark Sanford wants to pay down debt; he's been turned down by the White House budget office and is threatening to refuse some of the money, as is Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin.
There are loopholes in the stimulus law for both states and school districts.
Of the $100 billion for education in the stimulus bill, $40 billion comes as part of a fund to stabilize state and local budgets that has fewer strings attached. As the bill made its way through Congress, lawmakers decided not to prohibit states from using the stabilization money to replace precious state aid for schools. That means instead of getting extra help to weather tough times, school districts could wind up with the no additional state aid even as local tax revenues plummet.
State lawmakers and governors in Kansas, Rhode Island and Texas are among those seeking to use their federal stimulus dollars to replace state aid, rather than add to it.
In addition, the law was written so broadly that most of the stabilization dollars can be spent on just about anything _ carpet, wallpaper, playground equipment, even new school construction _ which may bother Senate moderates who insisted on dropping a new school construction program before they would vote for the bill.
That's because school districts can spend the money as federal impact aid, a relatively small program for poorly funded districts. By contrast, most federal education dollars are supposed to be spent on teacher salaries or academics.
"Congress opened a Pandora's Box to allow districts to use the funds for impact aid," said Michael Brustein, a Washington attorney who represents several state education agencies. "How you enforce against that is anyone's guess."
Santa Ana, Calif., English teacher Isa de Quesada is waiting to hear whether the stimulus dollars will bring her and 10 other teachers back to their school this fall. If not, class sizes at her school and others could swell, hurting the emphasis on quality education.
"Right now, I have 40 in two of my classes; we could go to 50 to 55 next year," she said in an interview.
Recently, de Quesada had the chance to ask Obama about it in person when the president visited for a town hall meeting: "How are we going to make sure that money comes to our districts?" she said.
Obama replied that "the lion's share" of the money is to keep teachers on the job.
Duncan said he can come down hard on states that don't comply because he is releasing the money in installments, and because he will award billions of dollars in competitive grants later this year.
"And if we see an instance or two, or whatever it might be, where folks are not operating in good faith," he said, "we will both withhold that second set of money, and we will eliminate them from any possible competition to receive these billions of dollars in discretionary money."
Duncan also said last week he is looking for ways to force money to states where governors have said they would refuse it.
The administration could also face intense political pressure from members of Congress if stimulus money for their states is withheld.
"The jury is really still out on how forceful the Obama administration is going to be on this," said Amy Wilkins, a lobbyist for Education Trust, a children's advocacy group.
"We've heard a lot of secretaries of education talk about rigorous enforcement and, `We are really going to hold them accountable,'" she said. "We rarely get that."
The administration lobbied successfully to attach other strings to the money. In their applications, states must show improvement in teacher quality, data systems, academic standards and tests and supporting struggling schools.
Applications for the stabilization dollars will be available this week, and two-thirds of the money for education, $27 billion, will be released within two weeks of an application's approval. K through 12 dollars are another reason why it may be tough to keep teachers from losing their jobs.
That money goes to states through a formula tied to state spending. The less a state spends on education, the less federal money it gets _ and that works against states in the worst financial shape.
Cleanup hitter Brian Coll decided a battle of Mid-Suburban Northunbeatens at Barrington Friday with situation hitting.
Coll's single in the bottom of the eighth scored Tony Mensikfrom second base and gave Barrington a 3-2 victory. It settled apitchers' duel between Barrington's Dave Anderson and Palatine's MikeFalcone.
"I was just trying to make contact," Coll said. "(Falcone) wasreally tough, especially his curveball. He threw me his curve and I just got the end of the bat on it. It was agreat feeling seeing that ball go over the second baseman's head."
Mensik's leadoff single in the eighth broke a string of 14straight batters retired by Falcone. Falcone's roll began when heinduced Byron Bradley into a third-inning-ending double play with thebases loaded and score tied 2-2.
Mensik stole second with one out before Coll drove him in.
Barrington (8-0, 3-0) scored a run in the first on KevinMinchk's bases-loaded single to left that scored Adam Sobocienski(two doubles). Coll became the second base-running victim on theplay when he was thrown out at home by left fielder Jeff Forsberg.
Barrington took a 2-0 lead in the second when Byron Bradleysingled, stole second and scored on Jason Huddelston's single toright field.
Palatine (9-1, 2-1) notched its two runs in the third after twowere out. Dan Marzec tripled and scored on Jim Pfeifer's single.After a passed ball and wild pitch, Dave Sharkey singled home Pfeiferto make it 2-2.
Six major league scouts were on hand to watch Anderson, a 6-4senior right-hander who improved to 3-0.
"My location wasn't as good as I wanted early in the game," saidAnderson, who allowed seven of 11 hits in the first three innings. "Iwas getting the ball right over the middle. As the game went on, Ichanged my locations and speeds and kept the ball in play."
| 00Indians 13, Rangers 9 | |||
| CLEVELAND @ TEXAS @ | |||
| ab r h bi @ab r h bi | |||
| Szmore cf 4 0 0 0 Kinsler 2b 5 1 3 0 | |||
| BFrnco lf 5 1 2 3 MiYong ss 5 2 3 1 | |||
| VMrtnz c 5 1 1 0 Hmlton rf 4 2 2 2 | |||
| Garko 1b 6 2 2 0 Brdley dh 3 1 0 0 | |||
| Peralta ss 6 2 3 0 DaMph lf 5 1 1 0 | |||
| Dllucci dh 5 2 2 2 MByrd cf 4 1 2 4 | |||
| Blake 3b 5 2 3 7 Shltn 1b 3 1 2 1 | |||
| Choo rf 2 2 1 0 Ctlnotto ph 1 0 0 0 | |||
| FGtrrz rf 0 0 0 0 Sltlmch c 5 0 2 1 | |||
| ACabra 2b 4 1 2 1 Metcalf 3b 4 0 0 0 | |||
| Totals @ 42 13 16 13 Totals @39 9 15 9 | |||
| Cleveland 023 300 230_13 | |||
| Texas 012 050 100_ 9 | |||
| DP_Cleveland 2, Texas 1. LOB_Cleveland 11, Texas 8. 2B_Peralta (9), Dellucci (8), Blake (12), ACabrera (7), Kinsler (15), Shelton (5). HR_BFrancisco (3), Dellucci (6), Blake 2 (6), Hamilton (16), MByrd (2). CS_MByrd (1). | |||
| IP H R ER BB SO | |||
| Cleveland @ | |||
| Laffey 5 11 8 8 2 2 | |||
| Kobayashi W,3-2 1 2-3 1 1 1 1 3 | |||
| RPerez 1 1-3 3 0 0 1 3 | |||
| Borowski 1 0 0 0 0 0 | |||
| Texas @ | |||
| Mathis 3 2-3 12 8 8 3 4 | |||
| Tejeda 2 1-3 0 0 0 2 1 | |||
| Guardado L,0-1 2-3 1 1 1 0 1 | |||
| Benoit 1 3 4 4 4 1 | |||
| CWilson 1 1-3 0 0 0 0 1 | |||
| HBP_by Laffey (Bradley). WP_Benoit. | |||
| Umpires_Home, Fieldin Culbreth | First, Jim Reynolds | Second, Tim Timmons | Third, Gary Cederstrom. |
| T_3:41. A_17,247 (48,911). |
When Polish Communist leader Mieczyslaw Rakowski pleaded forhelp from Mikhail Gorbachev on the long distance telephone last week,he received no promise of assistance but some no-nonsense advice:When swimming in a swift current, don't swim upstream.
Rakowski, the wily former editor who took over Communist reinslast month, called Gorbachev - not the other way around, as waswidely reported. He made the call at a crucial point in Poland'sgovernmental crisis, just after Solidarity leader Lech Walesa toldhim to "stop rocking the boat" and making "threats" during efforts toform a new government.
Gorbachev's advice ended the immediate threat to theSolidarity-bossed regime headed by Prime Minister Tadeusz Mazowiecki.But Rakowski, perhaps the current Communist leader most hated bySolidarity, can be counted on to obstruct sweeping economic reforms. Eradicating Boll Weevils
Rep. Charles Stenholm's picnic on his farm in Stamford, Texas,Sept. 8 will be attended by two prestigious guests intent oneradicating a renewed infestation of the dreaded Boll Weevils: HouseSpeaker Thomas Foley and Majority Leader Richard Gephardt.
"I'm speaker of all the Democrats," Foley told us when asked whyhe would journey all the way to rural Texas for one conservativeDemocratic congressman's picnic. In fact, his and Gephardt'sattendance is regarded as a fence-mending mission to break up anyrenewed coalition between Republicans and right-of-center Boll WeevilDemocrats. Stenholm was a major figure in the coalition that passedRonald Reagan's tax and budget legislation in 1981.
The omission of Southerners from the House Democratic leadershipthis year was followed by a revived Boll Weevil coalition in theHouse Ways and Means Committee, led by Democratic Rep. Ed Jenkins ofGeorgia, in support of capital gains tax cuts. When Foley andGephardt started pressuring Democrats, Jenkins was defended byStenholm - a warning signal to the Democratic leaders. Bush deal
The decision to name one of the most powerful liberal stafferson Capitol Hill to a coveted 15-year term on the Court of VeteransAppeals is a top drawer deal between President Bush and SenateDemocratic Whip Alan Cranston.
The selection of Jonathan Steinberg, a key Cranston aide, issupposed to make life easier for Bush in the Senate. But it disturbsBush's own aides as well as conservatives. Steinberg was a hairshirt for President Reagan, disrupting his proposals and nominees.No veteran, he spent the Vietnam War as a peace activist. Cuomo complaint
Deputy Secretary of Energy W. Henson Moore is near the top ofGov. Mario Cuomo's enemies list after the New Yorker's conferencewith President Bush about the Shoreham nuclear power plant on LongIsland.
Cuomo lit into Moore during the White House meeting, contendinghe did not have his facts straight. But what really irked thegovernor were comments to reporters after the meeting by the formerRepublican congressman from Louisiana. "It is the world upside down,"said Moore, in referring to Cuomo's plans to abandon the plant.
Evans & Novak are nationally syndicated columnists of theChicago Sun-Times.
Bears running back Anthony Thomas was named the NFL Rookie of the Year Tuesday.
Not even a starter at the beginning of the season, Thomas set a Bear rookie rushing record with 1,183 yards.
Thomas, a second-round draft pick out of Michigan, was a backup to James Allen at the start of the season. By midseason, he was an overpowering presence in the Bears' backfield, helping them to the NFC Central title.
"A lot of people didn't think I could do it," Thomas said. "But Chicago had faith in me and gave me an opportunity, and I tried to make the best of it."
He did precisely that, operating behind an improved line and keying a balanced attack that complemented a superb defense. Thomas rushed for 1,183 yards and seven touchdowns, with four 100-yard efforts. He compiled his impressive numbers despite missing two games with a hamstring injury and totaling three carries for 9 yards in the first two weeks of the season. But when he got on track, Thomas was showed why his nickname is "A-Train."
"It's a good offense for a running back," he said. "Our offensive line did a great job and our receivers always do a great job of blocking downfield to help me out. I think it always help when you're a part of a good team that is jelling at the right time."
IN OTHER NFL NEWS:
As expected, the family of the late Korey Stringer on Tuesday filed a $100 million wrongful death lawsuit against the Minnesota Vikings, claiming the team was negligent in the events that led to the death of the Pro Bowl tackle.
Family attorney Stanley M. Chesley announced in November that the lawsuit would be filed Tuesday.
Stringer died Aug. 1 in training camp due to complications from heat stroke. He was 27.
The lawsuit, filed by Stringer's widow, Kelci, and Stringer's parents, claims that the Vikings exhibited disregard for Stringer's safety.
The Minnnesota Occupational Safety and Health Division cleared the Vikings of any wrongdoing.
Former Vikings coach Dennis Green and Mike Tice, who replaced Green before the final game of the season and previously served as the offensive line coach, were among the individuals named in the lawsuit, which also claims that the team has not paid $8 million in non-guaranteed money to the family.
Article copyright REAL TIMES Inc.
Photograph (Anthony Thomas)
Lisa Marie Presley and rock musician fiance John Oszajca arebreaking up, although Presley says they plan to remain "very goodfriends."
Lisa Marie and
boyfriend split up
NEW YORK - Lisa Marie Presley, Elvis' twice-married daughter andsole heir to the King of rock 'n' roll's fortune, is single again.
Presley, 33, and her rock musician fiance, Hawaiian-born JohnOszajca, have parted ways, People magazine online reported.
Presley and Oszajca plan to remain "very good friends," Presley'spublicist told People, adding that Presley is not currently datinganyone.
Presley, who has two children, divorced musician Danny Keough in1994 and later married then divorced pop icon Michael Jackson.
She met Oszajca in May 1999, and the two were engaged byChristmas after receiving permission from her mother, Priscilla.
McCartney buys
Hollywood home
LOS ANGELES - Paul McCartney, tired of staying in hotels, hasbought a $4 million, 4,700-square-foot house in the Hollywood Hills.
The former Beatle purchased the French Country-style house fromrocker-actress Courtney Love, who bought it in 1997 from EllenDeGeneres.
McCartney and his late wife, Linda, lived primarily in afarmhouse in England, but spent much time at their ranch in Tucson,Ariz.
His privacy will be guaranteed at the new home, which is built onnearly two acres and has a long, gated driveway and stone walls.
Before closing escrow about a week ago, McCartney had beenleasing the home from Love.
Love bought a $2.8 million loft in New York in November, andplans to keep a smaller home in Los Angeles.
Fans gobble up
Harry Potter tapes
LONDON - Devotees of the young British wizard Harry Potter havesnapped up more than a million advance copies of his latestadventure on audiotape.
The cassettes were to go on sale today in Britain for about $70.Fans can also pick up the 21-hour CDs for about $128 and listen toactor Stephen Fry reading every word of "Harry Potter and the Gobletof Fire."
Author J.K. Rowling is full of praise for Fry, who has also readthe earlier adventures of the schoolboy magician on tape.
"He has a very, very attractive voice. It's quite patrician - butthere's a touch of anarchy that's just right for the books," Rowlingsaid. "He's like somebody's uncle who's really good at readingaloud. It's a very intimate feeling."
DALLAS -- The Dallas Stars want to carry the momentum from a 12-2-2 season-ending run into the playoffs against the VancouverCanucks.
The Blackhawks want to one day be in their class.
Mike Modano scored with 3:49 left, and the Stars tuned up for thepostseason with a 3-2 victory over the Blackhawks on Sunday. It washis 507th career goal, extending his record for U.S.-born players.
The Stars finished with 50 wins and 107 points to wrap up thesixth seed in the Western Conference, capping the regular seasonwith a three-goal third-period flurry against the Hawks.
"Just the win itself and getting to the 50-win plateau, those arethings that give you that momentum and that belief system you needgoing into the playoffs," Stars coach Dave Tippett said.
The Stars had little else to play for against the Hawks becausetheir playoff seeding already had been determined. The Stars and SanJose Sharks finished with the same point total, but the Sharks wonthe tiebreaker with one more victory to earn the fifth seed.
The Stars take on the No. 3 seed, the Northwest Division-champion Canucks, with Game 1 in Vancouver.
"This was not the easiest game to get up for," Philippe Bouchersaid. "We need to play strong third periods in the playoffs, andwe've been getting them."
With the score 2-2 and the teams 4-on-4, Modano skated to the netalong the right side and beat Hawks goalie Nikolai Khabibulin aftera centering pass from Boucher for his 22nd goal of the season.
The Hawks, who missed the playoffs for the eighth time in thelast nine seasons, finished with 71 points, tied with the EdmontonOilers for third-fewest in the West.
The Hawks failed to convert on three power-play opportunities.Their last one came with five minutes left, but they lost it after54 seconds when Duncan Keith was penalized for hooking.
"We played well for 55 minutes, and then we shot ourselves in thefoot," Hawks coach Denis Savard said. "But that sums up our year."
Bryan Bickell gave the Hawks a 2-1 lead at 12:27 of the thirdperiod with a one-timer from the high slot for his second goal inhis third NHL game. But Sergei Zubov got the tying goal for theStars at 13:36 of the third, notching his 12th of the season on ashot from the point.
Brenden Morrow broke a scoreless game with his 16th goal at 5:56of the third period while the Stars were on a power play. JasonWilliams' deflection for his 15th goal came a minute later.
Dallas and Vancouver split their four regular-season meetings,all ending in 2-1 scores. Much will depend on the goaltenders --Vancouver's Roberto Luongo and Dallas' Marty Turco.
"One thing for sure, we're used to playing tight, one-goalgames," Boucher said. "Roberto Luongo is one of the best in theleague, and he's played well against us. We have strong goaltending,too, and we're going up there with a lot of confidence."
HAWKS RECAP
Blackhawks 0 0 2 -- 2
Dallas 0 0 3 -- 3
First Period--No scoring. Penalties--Bourque, HAWKS (tripping),16:48.
Second Period--No scoring. Penalties--Sharp, HAWKS (hooking),3:12; Zubov, Dal (hooking), 16:08.
Third Period--1, Dallas, Morrow 16 (Jokinen, Boucher), 5:56 (pp).2, HAWKS, Williams 15 (Salmelainen, Keith), 6:56. 3, HAWKS, Bickell2 (Hamilton, Arkhipov), 12:27. 4, Dallas, Zubov 12 (Modano), 13:36.5, Dallas, Modano 22 (Boucher, Nagy), 16:11. Penalties--Ott, Dal,major (fighting), 2:08; Seabrook, HAWKS, major (fighting), 2:08;Barker, HAWKS (hooking), 4:20; Nagy, Dal (tripping), 8:48; Robidas,Dal (hooking), 15:00; Keith, HAWKS (hooking), 15:54.
Shots on Goal--HAWKS 10-8-6--24. Dallas 7-15-11--33.
Power-play opportunities--HAWKS 0 of 3; Dallas 1 of 4.
Goalies--HAWKS, Khabibulin 25-26-5 (33 shots-30 saves). Dallas,Turco 38-20-5 (24-22).
Referees--Kelly Sutherland, Ian Walsh. Linesmen--Mike Cvik,Darren Gibbs. A--17,932 (18,532). T--2:18.
Footprint
pounds 16.99
PRACTICAL, concise, and almost encyclopedic in its scope. Adviceranges from best border crossings and hiking routes to when to visitbeaches for optimum surfing or whale-watching. The Mexico sectioncomprises more than 500 pages. But be warned; the maps and the printare minuscule, and it can be a challenge to find the section youneed. There are also some lapses in detail: the weight of the Tlalocrain deity in Mexico City's Anthropological Museum may be listed, butanyone plodding around the Zocolo in search of the Aztec Templo Mayoris told merely that "it's to the side of the cathedral", even thoughit's nearly two blocks away. The selection of hotels and restaurantsis not extensive, but usually steers you well enough, though thetelephone numbers are sometimes out of date.
Insight
pounds 16.99
I WOULD have been heartbroken to leave this guidebook out in therain and damage its stunning photographs - at least one on everypage. Informed essays read more like magazine articles than guidebooksummaries, and cover topics ranging from madonnas to guerrillas. Thedetailed maps are cross-referenced to the text, but the nifty historytimeline stops at 1997. The chapters are far from comprehensive, butthey do cover most of the gringo trails. Tulum is treated only as anarchaeological site, though - no mention that it is a rave centre forthe backpack and hammock set. A third section, Travel Tips, hides thefood and lodging listings at the back. It seems patchy, but coversemergencies like how to draw out cactus spines with candle wax andtweezers, and how to bribe a traffic warden.
Lonely Planet pounds 14.99
THIS backpacker's bible is garrulous, opinionated and budget-wise. Directions for buses and the metro are very helpful and, on thewhole, reliable. The downside is that whenever Lonely Planet extols aplace as cheap or good (or both) it soon gets overcrowded - sometravellers even end up using LP's listings of cheap caffs as placesto avoid. Internet facilities are given plenty of space, but the textis a communal effort, and the seams sometimes show. "Myriad ofoptions", for instance, is a recurrent phrase, and one vacuousintroduction to the arts starts off, "today Mexico is spattered withmurals and littered with galleries". It rates a US steakhouse inMexico City's Zona Rosa as best venue in town for meat, when thereare dozens of superb Argentinian restaurants. But the section onartisans is a big plus.
Rough Guide pounds 12.99
THIS GUIDE is not nearly so rough as the name implies and coversthe tourist range from hammocks to haciendas. There are glaringcontradictions, however. The book shrugs off the entire north as "adull land, arid and sparsely populated", in the introduction, but ina later section describes the Copper Canyon railway as windingthrough "splendid" gorges. Every effort is made to detail precisetravel advice, the hotels and restaurants are well-picked and varied,and the reading list is a gem. Overall, the text is well informed, soit is irritating when it fails to mention the Dolores Olmeda Museum,housing Frida Kahlo's paintings in Mexico City, after writing up theartist's bio. Another blooper is describing the traditional rawtomato/onion/green chilli, a relish known as pico de gallo, as"California style".
Moon Travel
pounds 14.99
THIS HAS the same door- stop shape as a Lonely Planet guide but isquirkier, with distinct viewpoints by a trio of writers. It featuresadventure sports, ecology, micro-climates and offbeat historicalanecdotes, and offsets irritating political correctness with humour -peyote and gringos don't mix, it cautions. The section on the capitalis extensive and warns visitors against rogue taxi drivers and over-exertion at 2,240 metres. Restaurants are carefully chosen. MambaRumba, a hot dance bar, is listed, but the biggest salsa club, Salon21, is missing. Time for another update?
Odyssey
pounds 15.99
PART OF this guide's charm is unexpected short excerpts fromeyewitnesses to history: Hernando Cortes on the slaughter of theAztecs, Jack Kerouac whoring in the Fifties or director Luis Bunuelsounding off on gun culture. The book also includes excursionsoutside the capital into five surrounding states although it does notpurport to be authoritative on the entire country. But it touchesplaces where other guides don't go: Aztec sacrifices, maskedwrestling, the pleasures of drinking pulque and the terror spread bythe 1842 brigand, Maldonado. The skimpy restaurant and hotel listingsseem like an afterthought and it resorts to a hasty checklist of theAnthropology Museum's rooms. But, supplemented by a current list ofhotels and eateries, it's like having a well-read companion at yourside.
Hey gringos, want to know where to find whales or an Aztec temple? Guide to the guides: Jan McGirk compares a selection on Mexico and gives you the low-down on which ones tell you whatFootprint
pounds 16.99
PRACTICAL, concise, and almost encyclopedic in its scope. Adviceranges from best border crossings and hiking routes to when to visitbeaches for optimum surfing or whale-watching. The Mexico sectioncomprises more than 500 pages. But be warned; the maps and the printare minuscule, and it can be a challenge to find the section youneed. There are also some lapses in detail: the weight of the Tlalocrain deity in Mexico City's Anthropological Museum may be listed, butanyone plodding around the Zocolo in search of the Aztec Templo Mayoris told merely that "it's to the side of the cathedral", even thoughit's nearly two blocks away. The selection of hotels and restaurantsis not extensive, but usually steers you well enough, though thetelephone numbers are sometimes out of date.
Insight
pounds 16.99
I WOULD have been heartbroken to leave this guidebook out in therain and damage its stunning photographs - at least one on everypage. Informed essays read more like magazine articles than guidebooksummaries, and cover topics ranging from madonnas to guerrillas. Thedetailed maps are cross-referenced to the text, but the nifty historytimeline stops at 1997. The chapters are far from comprehensive, butthey do cover most of the gringo trails. Tulum is treated only as anarchaeological site, though - no mention that it is a rave centre forthe backpack and hammock set. A third section, Travel Tips, hides thefood and lodging listings at the back. It seems patchy, but coversemergencies like how to draw out cactus spines with candle wax andtweezers, and how to bribe a traffic warden.
Lonely Planet pounds 14.99
THIS backpacker's bible is garrulous, opinionated and budget-wise. Directions for buses and the metro are very helpful and, on thewhole, reliable. The downside is that whenever Lonely Planet extols aplace as cheap or good (or both) it soon gets overcrowded - sometravellers even end up using LP's listings of cheap caffs as placesto avoid. Internet facilities are given plenty of space, but the textis a communal effort, and the seams sometimes show. "Myriad ofoptions", for instance, is a recurrent phrase, and one vacuousintroduction to the arts starts off, "today Mexico is spattered withmurals and littered with galleries". It rates a US steakhouse inMexico City's Zona Rosa as best venue in town for meat, when thereare dozens of superb Argentinian restaurants. But the section onartisans is a big plus.
Rough Guide pounds 12.99
THIS GUIDE is not nearly so rough as the name implies and coversthe tourist range from hammocks to haciendas. There are glaringcontradictions, however. The book shrugs off the entire north as "adull land, arid and sparsely populated", in the introduction, but ina later section describes the Copper Canyon railway as windingthrough "splendid" gorges. Every effort is made to detail precisetravel advice, the hotels and restaurants are well-picked and varied,and the reading list is a gem. Overall, the text is well informed, soit is irritating when it fails to mention the Dolores Olmeda Museum,housing Frida Kahlo's paintings in Mexico City, after writing up theartist's bio. Another blooper is describing the traditional rawtomato/onion/green chilli, a relish known as pico de gallo, as"California style".
Moon Travel
pounds 14.99
THIS HAS the same door- stop shape as a Lonely Planet guide but isquirkier, with distinct viewpoints by a trio of writers. It featuresadventure sports, ecology, micro-climates and offbeat historicalanecdotes, and offsets irritating political correctness with humour -peyote and gringos don't mix, it cautions. The section on the capitalis extensive and warns visitors against rogue taxi drivers and over-exertion at 2,240 metres. Restaurants are carefully chosen. MambaRumba, a hot dance bar, is listed, but the biggest salsa club, Salon21, is missing. Time for another update?
Odyssey
pounds 15.99
PART OF this guide's charm is unexpected short excerpts fromeyewitnesses to history: Hernando Cortes on the slaughter of theAztecs, Jack Kerouac whoring in the Fifties or director Luis Bunuelsounding off on gun culture. The book also includes excursionsoutside the capital into five surrounding states although it does notpurport to be authoritative on the entire country. But it touchesplaces where other guides don't go: Aztec sacrifices, maskedwrestling, the pleasures of drinking pulque and the terror spread bythe 1842 brigand, Maldonado. The skimpy restaurant and hotel listingsseem like an afterthought and it resorts to a hasty checklist of theAnthropology Museum's rooms. But, supplemented by a current list ofhotels and eateries, it's like having a well-read companion at yourside.
Drug cartels are sending a brutal message to police and soldiers in cities across Mexico: Join us or die.
The threat appears in recruiting banners hung across roadsides and in publicly posted death lists. Cops get warnings over their two-way radios. At least four high-ranking police officials were gunned down this month, including Mexico's acting federal police chief.
Mexico has battled for years to clean up its security forces and win them the public's respect. But Mexicans generally assume police and even soldiers are corrupt until proven otherwise, and the honest ones lack resources, training and the assurance that their colleagues are watching their backs. …
NEW YORK - Wall Street kicked off the third quarter with a sharp advance Monday as mild manufacturing and construction data lifted hopes about interest rates and energized investors in light pre-holiday trade.
Stocks saw a solid early start on news of a possible alliance between General Motors Corp. and Nissan Motor Co., although Dow Jones industrial GM slumped ahead of its June sales results. Meanwhile, takeover speculation at Alcoa Inc. left the aluminum maker among the Dow's biggest gainers.
A slowdown in monthly manufacturing activity and construction spending was unexpected but nonetheless reinforced views that a moderating economy would keep the Federal Reserve from …
Dow Closes Up 78, Nasdaq Finishes Up 18NEW YORK - Wall Street kicked off the third quarter with a sharp advance Monday as mild manufacturing and construction data lifted hopes about interest rates and energized investors in light pre-holiday trade.
Stocks saw a solid early start on news of a possible alliance between General Motors Corp. and Nissan Motor Co., although Dow Jones industrial GM slumped ahead of its June sales results. Meanwhile, takeover speculation at Alcoa Inc. left the aluminum maker among the Dow's biggest gainers.
A slowdown in monthly manufacturing activity and construction spending was unexpected but nonetheless reinforced views that a moderating economy would keep the Federal Reserve from …
The Supreme Court of Canada has refused to hear an appeal by the Interfaith Coalition for Marriage and Family on changes to the traditional definition of marriage. The Evangelical Fellowship of Canada (EFC) is lead partner in the coalition. "We have lost an important opportunity to express the concerns of millions of Canadians," said Bruce Clemenger, EFC president. The coalition questioned whether the Charter …
Cemented stems are said to reach a better initial stability, probably by cement penetrating in the graft layer. For non-cemented stems used in combination with the grafting technique developed, additional means to guarantee initial stability are said to be needed.
To reconstruct intramedullary bone stock in revision surgery of failed total hip arthroplasties, a method was developed using impacted trabecular bone grafts. In an in vitro model in the femora of the goat, the initial stabilities of both cemented and non- cemented hydroxyapatite-coated stems in …
Feb. 7--SCHENECTADY -- The chairman of the Metroplex Development Authority told members of the Schenectady County Legislature that 2006 was a good year for economic development and the outlook for this year is just as good. Ray Gillen, in his state of Metroplex address Monday night, said he was optimistic about the year ahead, noting that the county has just completed another year of promising growth. Over the past three years the county has welcomed 31 new commercial properties to the tax rolls. At the same time, many others have been upgraded to help strengthen the county's tax base, he said. "Growing the commercial tax base provides a relief for homeowners, and …
Byline: Laura Vecsey Staff writer
Coming home.
Some Cohoes veterans who served in wars overseas will tell you the phrase may sound a little hokey, but it has real meaning.
Coming home is the reason these Cohoes vets are especially full of pride and enthusiasm. This week, a Veterans of Foreign Wars Post was re-established here.
"I think it's good to bring home local veterans of foreign wars," said city Assessor Jeff Moryl, who was elected commander at the post's first meeting Tuesday.
Moryl, a former Army staff sergeant who earned two bronze stars during two tours of duty in Vietnam, said some Cohoes vets "scattered to other VFW …
The daughter of slain former Indian Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi has visited the only conspirator who remains jailed for his assassination in 1991, family members said Tuesday.
Priyanka Vadra met Nalini Sriharan in the southern Indian city Vellore, where Sriharan is serving a life sentence, Vadra's brother, Rahul Gandhi told reporters.
"I needed to make peace with all the violence in my life ... I don't believe in anger or violence and I refuse to let it overpower me. Meeting Nalini was my way of coming to terms with my father's death," the CNN-IBN news channel quoted Vadra as saying.
Vadra's family has been India's main political …
