Attorneys for the SuperSonics have asked a federal judge to prohibit Seattle's deputy mayor from testifying in the city's lawsuit against the team.
Seattle lawyers plan on calling Tim Ceis (SEES) to testify Thursday that city officials were not aware of a "poisoned …
"New cars today can tell us what's wrong with them. They know whena tune-up or an oil change is needed. Why …
ABSTRACT Static and dynamic light scattering measurements have been used to characterize the size, size distribution, and shape of extruded vesicles under isotonic conditions. Dynamic light scattering was then used to characterize osmotically induced shape changes by monitoring changes in the hydrodynamic radius (Rh) of large unilamellar vesicles (LUVs). These changes are compared to those predicted for several shapes that appear in trajectories through the phase diagram of the area difference elasticity (ADE) model (Jaric et al. 1995. Phys. Rev. E. 52:6623-6634). Measurements were performed on dioleoylphosphatidylcholine (DOPC) vesicles using two membrane-impermeant osmolytes (NaCI and …
Somalia's government is welcoming a call by the United States to have international authorization to hunt Somali pirates on land.
Somali government spokesman Abdi Haji Gobdon said Thursday that the government will offer any help it can.
The U.S. circulated a draft …
A concert by Elton John has tested the limits of Morocco's drive for modernity, probing this Muslim nation's complex and ambiguous attitudes toward homosexuality like rarely before.
Islamists in the North African kingdom were outraged by the gay pop star's visit, while the royal palace, government and his many fans backed his appearance Wednesday night.
No riots or violence was reported, said Rabat's governor, Hassan Amrani. Authorities had beefed up security with thousands of police and plainclothes officers.
In a sign of John's popularity, several thousand of his fans appeared to know his lyrics by heart even though most people in this French and …
AS the 2007 regular session of the Legislature slogs to a mercifulend, there has emerged a ray of hope that these two months will beremembered for something other than casinos and Delegate RonThompson's mental health.
The idea is one that in all likelihood most lawmakers are tootired or too preoccupied with their own bills to consider before thesession ends next Saturday night.
But these proposals I'm talking about are the most daring of thesession.
They are beautiful in their simplicity and profound for theireconomic soundness.
Simply put, they cut taxes.
They reduce the corporate net income tax from the current 8.75percent to 6.5 percent over …
RENTON, Wash. (AP) — With John Carlson expected to miss the season, the offseason acquisition of Zach Miller is looming even larger for the short-handed Seattle Seahawks.
Coach Pete Carroll announced this week that Carlson would undergo season-ending surgery to repair his injured shoulder.
Carlson was injured in practice on Aug. 13 diving for a ball in one-on-one drills then aggravated it blocking later in the practice.
The Seahawks hoped it was an injury that would come around with rest and rehab, but it didn't progress the way they had hoped.
"The decision was kind of made by my shoulder," Carlson said. "It kind of resolved itself by not coming along as far as we …
BRUSSELS (AP) — The commander of NATO's operation over Libya says alliance airstrikes have destroyed 25 of the Libyan regime's tanks near the cities of Misrata and Ajdabiya.
Lt. Gen. Charles Bouchard says the strikes were necessary because civilians were being shelled by forces loyal to Moammar Gadhafi's regime.
Bouchard said Sunday, "To help protect these civilians …
Ransom Notes
It was billed as UNITY, and during this time of cutbacks, buyouts and downsizing, the only unity seemed to be unity in despair for the future of newspapers.
Since I work at a newspaper, I know about that despair. Few newspapers are hiring and this year has been the worst ever for newsrooms. Many of those journalists who gathered in Chicago last week were the lucky ones, the ones who still had jobs. But the ink-letting is not over, and some of those UNITY attendees will go home to pink slips.
But for me, UNITY, and meetings of its member organizations: Asian American Journalists Association, National Association of Black Journalists, National Association …
| W L Pct GB |
| Florida 14 10 .583 _ |
| Philadelphia 14 11 .560 1/2 |
| New York 12 11 .522 1 1/2 |
| Atlanta 12 12 .500 2 |
| Washington 8 17 .320 6 1/2 |
| Central Division |
| W L Pct GB |
| Chicago 16 8 .667 _ |
| St. Louis 15 10 .600 1 1/2 |
| Milwaukee 14 10 .583 2 | …
PHOENIX--Cubs catcher Damian Miller was upset with himself Sundaywhen he struck out in the second inning with the bases full and noneout. That threat led to no runs.
But Miller redeemed himself with a leadoff double in the sixth onwhich he eventually scored and also made two major defensive stops.He saved Matt Clement a wild pitch in the sixth that would havescored a run, and he blocked a ball in the dirt in the ninth thatwould have advanced runners to second and third with one out if ithad gotten past him.
"I had an …
Kanawha County school board members today named Ron Duerring asinterim superintendent.
The board, by a 3-2 vote, named Duerring, 45, an assistantsuperintendent for the Sissonville/ South Charleston area, to serveas superintendent through June 30, 1999, the date at whichSuperintendent Jorea Marple's contract ended.
He will be paid at a rate of $80,000 a year. His salary will bepro-rated for the term that he serves.
Board President John Luoni and members Cheryle Hall and BillRaglin approved Duerring's contract. Members Betty Jarvis and PeteThaw voted against it.
Jarvis and Thaw nominated associate superintendent Charlene Byrdto the post. Ironically, both had voted against Byrd during theboard's August search for an interim superintendent.
"I think the board and myself can work together for the good ofthe students," Duerring said. "As long we keep our focus on thechildren, we can work together."
Duerring fills a slot left vacant when Marple resigned her postjust two weeks before the start of school.
The board then named Capital High Principal John Clendenen toserve as interim superintendent for four months.
Clendenen last week stepped down from the post, a decision he saidhe made when board members began saying they wanted to place someonein the position through June. He recommended Duerring to the slot.
Duerring is in his second year as assistant superintendent for thearea that includes South Charleston and Sissonville high schools andtheir feeder elementary schools, middle schools and junior highs.
He was principal at Grandview Elementary for 11 years and ateacher at Spring Hill Elementary for 10 years before that.
Duerring has a doctorate in educational administration, a master'sdegree in special education and is certified as a principal andteacher.
Principals and teachers who have worked with Duerring have said hestays in touch with what is happening in his schools.
He expects principals to do their jobs and doesn't impose hisopinion unless he is asked.
They said he is skilled at resolving conflicts between parents,teachers and principals.
Bridget Bradburn can be reached at 348-4824.
His first season at Northwestern was rocky, but football coachRandy Walker is having recruiting success in his first offseason as aWildcat. His latest coup came Monday, when fullback Dan Pohlman ofBarrington made an oral commitment.
Pohlman, a 6-2, 218-pounder, had 1,302 yards and 11 touchdowns in225 carries for the Broncos this fall. Entering the season, the Sun-Times listed him as the area's No. 2 prospect behind Joliet Catholiclinebacker Mike Goolsby, who committed to Notre Dame.
Pohlman visited NU the weekend of Dec. 4 and Illinois lastweekend. He canceled a visit to Miami (Fla.) this weekend and anotherto Duke in January.
"(NU) did a good job recruiting him," Barrington coach Al Kamradtsaid. "They've been right with him from the very start. He felt realcomfortable there."
Pohlman is the second blue-chip local recruit the Wildcats havegotten away from the Illini. Illinois also was recruiting Schaumburgkicker Brian Huffman, who committed to NU.
"Generally, from a recruiting standpoint, we really wanted toprioritize Chicagoland," NU running backs coach and recruitingcoordinator Jeff Genyk said. "We really wanted to be out there as faras visiting the high schools, meeting the coaches and recruiting thekids. We're satisfied but not elated because we still have a numberof young men to recruit and positions to fill."
Walker was on the road recruiting and unavailable for comment.
Pohlman's signing is particularly important to the Wildcats, wholost their only true fullback when Ian Miller decided not to comeback for his senior season after suffering two concussions this year.
Although Pohlman played three years at tailback, Kamradt said:"Dan's pretty much the kind of guy that'll play wherever the teamneeds him. He'd like a shot at running back, but if they want him atfullback or linebacker, he'd be fine with that."
TAMPA, Fla. (AP) — Mitt Romney routed Newt Gingrich in the Florida primary Tuesday night, rebounding smartly from an earlier defeat and taking a major step toward the Republican presidential nomination. Gingrich vowed to press on despite the one-sided setback
Romney, talking unity like a nominee, said he was ready to take the Republican helm and "lead this party and our nation." In remarks to cheering supporters, the former Massachusetts governor unleashed a strong attack on Democratic President Barack Obama and said the competitive fight for the GOP nomination "does not divide us, it prepares us" for the fall campaign.
"Mr. President, you were elected to lead, you chose to follow, and now it's time to get out of the way," he declared.
Returns from 98 percent of Florida's precincts showed Romney with 46 percent of the vote to 32 percent for Gingrich, the former House speaker.
Former Pennsylvania Sen. Rick Santorum had 13 percent, and Texas Rep. Ron Paul 7 percent. Neither mounted a substantial effort in the state.
For the first time in the campaign, exit polls showed a gender gap, and it worked to Romney's advantage.
He was leading Gingrich 52-28 among women voters and was winning men by a far smaller margin of 41-36.
Ominously for the thrice-married Gingrich, only about half of women voters said they had a favorable view of him as a person, compared to about eight in 10 for Romney.
Nor was Romney's victory a narrow one. His winning percentage approached 50 percent and a majority that would demolish Gingrich's oft-stated contention that the voters who oppose Romney outnumber those who favor him.
Still, the former speaker said, "We're going to contest everyplace and we are going to win."
As in Iowa, New Hampshire and South Carolina, about half of Florida primary voters said the most important factor for them was backing a candidate who could defeat Obama in November, according to exit poll results conducted for The Associated Press and the television networks.
Not surprisingly, in a state with an unemployment rate hovering around 10 percent, about two-thirds of voters said the economy was their top issue. Nearly nine in 10 said they were falling behind or just keeping up. And half said that home foreclosures have been a major problem in their communities.
The winner-take-all primary was worth 50 Republican National Convention delegates, by far the most of any primary state so far. That gave Romney a total of 87, to 26 for Gingrich, 14 for Santorum and four for Paul, with 1,144 required to clinch the nomination.
But the bigger prize was precious political momentum in the race to pick an opponent for Obama in a nation struggling to recover from the deepest recession in decades.
That belonged to Romney when he captured the New Hampshire primary three weeks ago, then swung stunningly to Gingrich when he countered with a South Carolina upset 11 days later.
Now it was back with the former Massachusetts governor, after a 10-day comeback marked by a change to more aggressive tactics, coupled with an efficient use of an overwhelming financial advantage to batter Gingrich in television commercials.
Gingrich brushed aside any talk of quitting the race.
"We are going to contest everyplace," he said, standing in front of a sign that read "46 states to go."
"It is now clear that this will be a two-person race between the conservative leader, Newt Gingrich, and the Massachusetts moderate," he said.
Santorum disagreed, and said so. In Nevada, where he was campaigning for the state's caucuses on Saturday, he said, "Newt Gingrich had his chance, had his shot, had a big boost and win out in South Carolina and couldn't hold it." He said the voters are "looking for a different conservative and alternative to Mitt Romney now."
Already, Romney and restore Our Future, an organization that supports him, were outadvertising the field in Nevada. Figures provided to the AP showed the two combined had spent $370,000 so far. Paul has spent $209,000, but neither Gingrich nor Santorum had aired any commercials.
Romney won the Nevada caucuses four years ago and is favored to repeat his triumph this Saturday. Caucuses in Colorado, Minnesota and Maine follow, with primaries in Wisconsin on Feb. 21 and in Michigan and Arizona at the end of the month.
Gingrich, from neighboring Georgia, swept into Florida from South Carolina, only to run headlong into a different Romney from the one he had left in his wake in South Carolina.
Romney, the former Massachusetts governor, shed his reluctance to attack Gingrich, the former House speaker, unleashing hard-hitting ads on television, sharpening his performance in a pair of debates and deploying surrogates to the edges of Gingrich's own campaign appearances, all in hopes of unnerving him.
Restore our Future, an outside group supporting Romney, accounted for about $8.8 million in the ad wars, and the candidate and the "super PAC" combined outspent Gingrich and Winning The Future, the organization backing him, by about $15.5 million to $3.3 million, an advantage of nearly 5-1.
Gingrich responded by assailing Romney as a man incapable of telling the truth and vowed to remain in the race until the Republican National Convention next summer. He won the endorsement of campaign dropout Herman Cain and increasingly sought the support of evangelicals and tea party advocates, a former House speaker running as the anti-establishment insurgent of the party he once helped lead.
Bombarded by harsh television advertising, some Floridians said they had soured on both candidates.
"The dirty ads really turned me off on Mitt Romney," said Dorothy Anderson, of Pinellas Park, adding she was voting for Gingrich. She said of Romney, "In fact if he gets the nomination, I probably won't vote for him."
At the same polling place, Romney supporter Curtis Dempsey expressed similar feelings but about Gingrich. "The only thing Newt Gingrich has to offer is a big mouth," he said.
Voters frequently say they are offended or appalled by negative ads. But polls show consistently that the commercials are able to sway the opinions of large numbers of voters, and they are a staple of nearly all campaigns.
Santorum had no money for television ads to back up his strong debate performances. He left the state at one point, saying he was going home to Pennsylvania to prepare his income tax returns. But he stayed longer than anticipated, because of the hospitalization of his 3-year-old daughter with pneumonia. The girl has a rare genetic disorder, Trisomy 18.
Santorum and Paul both also campaigned in Colorado on Tuesday as Florida Republicans were voting. The state has caucuses on Feb 7, the same day as Minnesota.
Even before that come caucuses in Nevada, a state that Romney won when he sought the nomination in 2008 and is favored to capture again.
By contrast, both Romney and Gingrich campaigned across Florida on primary day as the polls opened.
Exuding confidence, the former Massachusetts governor said — even though the figures said otherwise — that he had been outspent in South Carolina.
"I needed to make sure that instead of being outgunned in terms of attacks, that I responded aggressively, and hopefully that will have served me well here," he told reporters.
Gingrich, combative as usual, said the race for the nomination won't be decided until summer, "unless Romney drops out."
NEW YORK - The baseball commissioner's office intends to investigate reported remarks by Jason Giambi that the sport should apologize for use of performance-enhancing drugs and the Yankees star's comment that he was "wrong for doing that stuff."
Rob Manfred, executive vice president for labor relations in the commissioner's office, spoke Friday with Yankees president Randy Levine about the matter, a baseball official with knowledge of the conversation said, speaking on condition of anonymity because baseball officials didn't want the matter publicly discussed.
"I was wrong for doing that stuff," Giambi was quoted as saying in Friday's editions of USA Today. "What we should have done a long time ago was stand up - players, ownership, everybody - and said: 'We made a mistake.'
"We should have apologized back then and made sure we had a rule in place and gone forward. ... Steroids and all of that was a part of history. But it was a topic that everybody wanted to avoid. Nobody wanted to talk about it."
Giambi told a grand jury during the BALCO investigation in December 2003 that he used steroids and human growth hormone, the San Francisco Chronicle reported in December 2004. Before the start of spring training in 2005, Giambi made repeated general apologies at a news conference but wouldn't discuss whether he used steroids or admitted to the grand jury in 2003 that he did.
"The commissioner's office, I think, is going to be looking into this, and so at this point I just can't comment," Yankees general manager Brian Cashman said before Friday's game against the Mets. "Let the commissioner go through the process he needs to go through, and we'll go from there."
Giambi refused to talk about the USA Today story on Friday.
Cashman was troubled by the notion that fans are owed an apology by Major League Baseball.
"There's an implication that there was a lot of people that were involved that would know that, what was going on, and I can tell you that's false," Cashman said. "We've spoken to that in the past, so I do have a problem with that, without a doubt, because I can tell you - I can speak from being right there, too - that whatever goes on individually with these guys, is really on them."
Giambi, whom USA Today said was interviewed on Wednesday, was quoted by the paper as saying he's thankful for baseball's testing program for steroids and amphetamines that was revised before the 2006 season. MLB does not test for human growth hormone and Giambi said he does not use the drug.
"Unfortunately, (the rumors) are going to be a part of it. But that's OK. I'm probably tested more than anybody else. I'm not hiding anything," he was quoted as saying. "That stuff didn't help me hit home runs. I don't care what people say, nothing is going to give you that gift of hitting a baseball."
Eighteen-year-old sensation Eden Hazard scored a goal and set up two in Lille's 3-0 victory over Le Mans on Sunday in the French league.
The victory allowed Lille to leapfrog Montpellier and move into third place with 31 points, but Lyon could take that spot away from them with a victory at Monaco later on Sunday.
Meanwhile, Toulouse drew with Auxerre 1-1.
Bordeaux routed Lorient 4-1 on Saturday to earn the unofficial title of winter champion at the season's halfway stage. Bordeaux tops the standings with 40 points from 18 matches, eight clear of second-place Marseille which has a game in hand.
Lille stretched its winning streak in the league to five games.
Cameroon international Aurelien Chedjou headed in a free kick from Hazard to put Lille ahead in the 12th minute.
Lille nearly doubled the lead two minutes later but Florent Balmont's penalty kick crashed against the bar after Ibrahima Camara had fouled Ivory Coast forward Gervinho.
Belgium international Hazard then passed to Gervinho, who poked the ball home in the 27th to take his goal tally to nine for the season and make it 2-0.
Hazard added a third with a solo run just two minutes later, dribbling past three defenders before beating goalkeeper Didier Ovono.
In Auxerre, Roy Contout salvaged a last-gasp draw for the home team.
Daniel Niculae diverted a cross from Dennis Oliech toward the far post where Contout flicked the ball home.
Brazilian midfielder Luan opened the scoring for Toulouse on a counterattack in the 20th off a pass from Daniel Braaten.
Toulouse midfielder Etienne Didot was sent off four minutes from time for picking up a second yellow card.
Also Saturday, it was: Saint-Etienne 0, Marseille 0; Montpellier 0, Nancy 2; Valenciennes 0, Lens 0; Rennes 1, Paris Saint-Germain 0; Grenoble 1, Nice 1.
The match pitting Boulogne against Sochaux was postponed because of heavy snowfalls.
Many of America's small and mid-sized companies will be acquiring other firms and forming partnerships with larger companies to survive and grow during the next five years, a trend which will affect banks' marketing approaches to these businesses.
A new study from The Conference Board, titled Managing Growth: Smart Strategies for Smaller and MidSized Companies and covering 184 small and mid-sized firms in a wide range of industries, finds that nearly 40% plan to acquire other companies in coming years.
Faced with competitors with greater scale and more clout, smaller firms often have had to choose between trying to buy up other firms, in order to increase market share and compete, or be bought out themselves. Rising numbers of firms are also forming strategic partnerships with larger companies in order to get cheap capital. Almost a quarter of the responding companies said that alliances will be the principal way they will finance their growth.
Surveyed firms say the three major drivers of the growth will be new customers, new products and services, and acquisitions.
About 75% of the firms surveyed sell their goods and services outside the U.S. Many plan to step up their global sales in coming years. Large numbers of smaller firms are already selling their products in Canada, Western Europe and Asia.
"For a mid-sized company, this is a very dangerous period," says Francois de Visscher, a Greenwich, Conn.-based financial consultant and investment banker whose firm works with closely held, mid-sized companies. "If you are a $100 million company, a $500 million, or a $1 billion company, you're not a small business anymore. You've built an infrastructure that's too costly to focus on just one or two niches, but you're not big enough to compete with the 'big boys: You have to either downsize and become a real niche player, which is difficult to do, or grow faster than you ever thought of doing."
CEOs were asked to identify the three management tools and structures they deem most essential for growth in the next five years. Strategic planning emerged as the number one requirement. The number two and number three essentials: a reward system tying compensation to achievement of growth objectives, and a human resources department that can recruit people with the skills required and retrain current staff.
Bankers in Missouri can take comfort in the fact that their new hires in the future will be well grounded in mathematics. Last month, the Missouri Department of Economic Development unveiled the Missouri Mathematics Academy, which plans to overhaul instruction through professional development of math and science teachers.
Experts say the lag in producing top-caliber mathematicians in the U.S. could harm future competitiveness. Also testifying to the need for the Missouri Mathematics Academy, the first program of its kind in the nation, according to the recent K-16 Report on Mathematics in Missouri, the achievement of students in mathematics is not acceptable for today's technological society. The report also revealed what appears to be a disconnect in understanding the relevance of mathematics to today's industry needs.
Banks' corn producer customers can now track their peers' fields as well as their own on the Internet with electronic speed. CornTrak.com, powered by Doane Agricultural Services and fueled by in-field crop consultants, provides weekly snapshots of growing conditions in 11 key Midwestern states.
Consultants are posting their findings after turning their trained eyes to field conditions in 50 U.S. counties. County reports include information on stress levels, insect pressures, diseases and weeds. In addition, Doane's chief economist Rich Pottorif provides his overall corn report each week on CornTrak.com.
The new Internet service provides a weekly state wrap-up as well as an extensive scouting report from each of the 50 sample counties. This service is free, thanks to the sponsorship of Syngenta.
Whether you are involved in trade shows as an attendee, sponsor or vendor, you should be aware that customer attitudes about trade shows have changed due to the turbulent economy. In April 2001, Allen Konopacki, president of the Incomm Center for Research & Sales Training, interviewed senior level executives who attend shows, and asked them how their attitudes have changed.
- 91 % said the economy is not a factor in determining whether they will attend; the major factors are time poverty and the inability to get away from the office.
- 34% said they now visit every other year and hope to catch up with that they missed the previous year.
- 64% said they have changed their attitudes about attending because something at their companies has changed, such as their jobs, a merger or downsizing.
Konopacki said exhibitors should expect:
- Fewer people taking weekend days to visit a show since show visits are on business time, not personal time;
- People not seen in two or three years (intermittent showgoers) and not the same faces year to year;
- People with a limited amount of time that have specific agendas instead of people just cruising the aisles; and
- Fewer on-site decisions made, a more intensive evaluation process, and more cautious buyers.
Konopacki s research finds that in 2001 there may be fewer attendees, but they are generally of higher quality. According to the more savvy show-goers, exhibitors need to first of all use shows as business meetings - not entertainment.
Wall Street enjoyed an Election Day rally Tuesday, surging as investors brushed off more weak economic data and looked forward to putting the uncertainty of the presidential voting behind them. The Dow Jones industrial average soared more than 200 points and appeared headed to its highest close in four weeks, while the other major indexes rose more than 2 percent.
The market held on to the improving tone it has seen in recent sessions, although volume was very light, which tends to skew price moves and make it appear that the market is stronger than it actually is. Still, analysts saw more optimism on the Street, in part because the election was finally at hand.
"This has been a tremendously long campaign," said Bernie McGinn, chief executive of McGinn Investment Management. "I think that part of the problems that we had could have been compounded by the fact that we were right smack in the middle of a heated election."
Analysts predict stocks are headed for a recovery no matter who is elected, as the policies of both John McCain and Barack Obama will likely be guided by the weak economy and the recent flood of government support designed to keep the global financial system from collapsing.
Matt King, chief investment officer of Oakland, Calif.-based Bell Investment Advisors, said investors are moving into the market in anticipation of the economy improving.
"It's pretty typical of how bear markets end," King said. "The stock market recovers well ahead of the economy."
The market again looked past a downbeat economic report, as it did on Monday, when investors calmly received a report of a big slowdown in manufacturing before the Dow finished essentially flat.
The Commerce Department said Tuesday that factory orders fell 2.5 percent in September from August levels, much worse than the 0.7 percent drop analysts predicted. But investors generally expect data from September, and even October, to be extremely weak, as credit markets began to seize up in mid-September. Analysts believe much of the bad news is already factored into stock prices; last week saw the Dow rise 11.3 percent _ its best weekly gain in 34 years.
"The risk of a depression is off the table," said Ben Halliburton, chief investment officer of Tradition Capital Management.
Still, analysts say the market's gains might not be sustainable. Though the uncertainty surrounding the election will be cleared, they said there are still many economic challenges, and some of the market volatility seen in October, in the weeks and months ahead.
"In the next couple of days, people are going to focus on the fact that we still have these issues," McGinn said, referring to the worsening economy. "They aren't resolved."
In late afternoon trading, the Dow rose 207.56, or 2.23 percent, to 9,527.39. The Dow last closed above 9,500 on Oct. 6, when it finished at 9,955.50.
The broader indexes also rose. The Standard & Poor's 500 index gained 28.33, or 2.93 percent, to 994.63, while the Nasdaq composite index rose 35.33, or 2.05 percent, to 1,761.66.
The Russell 2000 index of smaller companies rose 1.55, or 0.29 percent, to 540.05.
Advancing issues outnumbered decliners by about 5 to 2 on the New York Stock Exchange, where volume came to a light 914.9 million shares.
Energy and industrial stocks led the market higher, while health care names, often a defensive investment, showed more modest advances. Exxon Mobil Corp. rose $1.61, or 2.2 percent, to $75.90, Alcoa Inc. rose 42 cents, or 3.5 percent, to $12.30. Johnson & Johnson advanced 58 cents, or 0.95 percent, to $61.74.
There were other signs of the market's confidence. Wall Street's fear gauge, the Chicago Board Options Exchange Volatility Index, known as the VIX, fell below 50 to its lowest level in about a month. The VIX normally trades below 30 and tracks options activity for the companies that make up the S&P 500.
As they did Tuesday, investors have overlooked a spate of bad economic data recently, including the report Monday from the Institute for Supply Management that revealed the worst monthly contraction in manufacturing activity. Additionally, automakers reported the lowest level of U.S. car sales in more than 17 years. The market closed narrowly mixed in light trading Monday, with the Dow making just a single-digit point decline _ something that has become unheard of in recent months in the midst of daily several hundred point swings.
"The economic activity in October is obviously very poor," said Halliburton, "and is going to have some very bad numbers reported, and I think that is going to continue in the fourth quarter." As such, investors have begun dipping their toes back in to the market to take advantage of some of the buying opportunities created by the violent swings last month.
The disruptions in the credit markets have been at the heart of the recent market volatility, as the evaporation in lending made it difficult for businesses and consumers to get loans, and sparked widespread panic about the economy's ability to avoid a severe downturn. While lending has eased somewhat, analysts contend that the state of the credit markets will remain one of the biggest land mines in the weeks ahead.
Some analysts dismissed the notion that the election was affecting the markets.
"I seriously doubt it has much to do with the election, other than we're all looking forward to it being over," said independent investment strategist Edward Yardeni.
The fact that Wall Street is in the final stretch of a tough year is probably lifting stocks more than the elections, he said. "It's almost been a classic textbook crash in September and October followed by a year-end rally."
The key bank-to-bank lending rate known as Libor fell to 2.71 percent from Monday's rate of 2.86 percent for three-month dollar loans. A fall in the London Interbank Offered Rate indicates that banks are more willing to lend to one another; a month ago, when the credit markets were paralyzed by banks' fear that they wouldn't be repaid on loans, it stood at 4.33 percent.
Investors' demand for short-term government debt remained high, however, a sign that they are still cautious and willing to take a very small return on their investments in exchange for security. The yield on the three-month Treasury bill, seen as one of the safest assets around, rose to 0.49 percent from 0.47 percent Monday. A low yield indicates high demand.
The yield on the benchmark 10-year Treasury note fell to 3.76 percent from 3.92 percent late Monday.
The dollar fell against most other major currencies, while gold prices rose.
Light, sweet crude jumped $6.79 to $70.70 a barrel on the New York Mercantile Exchange, a reaction to the slide in the dollar.
Overseas, Japan's Nikkei index soared 6.27 percent, Hong Kong's Hang Seng Index edged up 0.28 percent. Britain's FTSE 100 rose 4.42 percent, Germany's DAX index jumped 5.00 percent, and France's CAC-40 advanced 4.62 percent.
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On the Net:
New York Stock Exchange: http://www.nyse.com
Nasdaq Stock Market: http://www.nasdaq.com
Protesters alleging voting fraud clashed with Mongolian police Tuesday as election results indicated the ruling party is on course to win the majority it needs to pass a disputed law on sharing the country's natural wealth.
The protesters clashed with police outside the General Election Commission offices and the headquarters of the ruling Mongolian People's Revolutionary Party.
Additional police in riot gear were sent to the party's headquarters, where about 200 protesters threw stones at the police and the building.
"The demonstrators are acting like hooligans and violating social order," said police spokesman Sainbayar, who like some Mongolians goes by one name.
Other protesters pushed into the election commission offices to demand that they resign over voting irregularities and fraud. The specific nature of the protesters' complaints was not immediately clear.
According to preliminary results gathered from each voting district, the MPRP _ which also governed the country when it was a Soviet satellite _ won 46 seats in Sunday's vote. That would give the party far more than half of the 76 seats in parliament, called the State Great Khural.
The other major party, the Mongolian Democratic Party, took 26 seats. An independent won one seat and a minor party another. Results in two other seat were not clear yet.
The General Election Commission has until July 10 to announce the final results.
Mongolia, a mostly poor country sandwiched between China and Russia, is struggling to modernize its nomadic, agriculture-based economy. The government says per capita income is just $1,500 a year.
The two main political parties focused their campaigns on how to tap recently discovered huge mineral deposits _ including copper, gold and coal _ but disagreed over whether the government or private sector should hold a majority stake.
The difference meant the outgoing parliament was unable to pass an amendment to the Minerals Law, which kept the government from concluding investment agreements with international mining giants to develop mineral deposits in the Gobi Desert.
With a large majority, the MPRP may now be able to have parliament pass the new law.
The current Minerals Law gives the government the right to take up to a 50 percent interest in an important mineral deposit if state funds were used to discover it.
The proposed change would give Mongolia a minimum 51 percent stake. But while the MPRP wants the government to hold that stake, the Mongolian Democratic Party says private Mongolian companies should be able to hold it.
Parliamentary elections are held every four years. Mongolia, with a population 2.6 million, stopped being a satellite state of the Soviet Union in 1990.
PULSE Rating 2 out of 4
Mattie . . . . . . . . . Kristen Bell
Isabell . . . . . . Christina Milian
Dexter . . . . . Ian Somerhalder
Dimension Films presents a film directed by Jim Sonzero. Writtenby Kiyoshi Kurosawa and Wes Craven, based on Kurosawa's "Kairo."Running time: 88 minutes. Rated PG-13 (for intense sequences of sci-fi terror, disturbing images, language, sensuality and thematicmaterial). Now playing at local theaters.
'Pulse," yet another Americanized version of a Japanese horrorflick, is extremely high concept -- and trying very hard to be AboutSomething.
It's intended as an indictment of our overdependence oncommunications devices, but the premise is unbelievable: A computerhacker unleashes a wireless signal that sucks the life out ofeveryone who comes into contact with it, prompting mass suicides andurban chaos.
Its grotesque, quasi-human images come in jumpy blips and flashes,similar to those in the Japanese-inspired "Ring" movies. They cancome right at you through the screen, and they even know how to useprinters and Web cams!
Wireless laptops can trigger them, cell phones -- you name it,anything with a signal. Only by hiding in a dead zone can anyone hopeto live.
But you do have to give "Pulse" some credit: The film isincredibly intense and moody, with characters and dialogue that arefar more grounded in reality than those of most frightfests (maybethat's because horror master Wes Craven co-wrote the script, based onKiyoshi Kurosawa's original "Kairo"). Jim Sonzero directed the moviein varying shades of metallic green and gray.
"Veronica Mars" star Kristen Bell and Ian Somerhalder are amongthe college students fighting to survive in a paranoid world(specifically Columbus, Ohio) that resembles the apocalyptic settingyou'd see in a zombie movie. Bell, who stars as Mattie, watches herboyfriend succumb to this mysterious force, then tracks downSomerhalder's Dexter, who bought the villainous computer.
As previous computer-themed thrillers like "The Net" and"Firewall" have shown, it's hard to build suspense through keystrokes and letters and numbers on a screen. But the supernatural wi-fi element of "Pulse" allows the characters to become potentialvictims anywhere they go. It's just that easy!
Breast implants, nose jobs and facelifts - these are some of thecosmetic procedures women in the UK would undergo to please the menin their lives.
But the theory - based on the findings of a study by sociologylecturer Dr Debra Gimlin - has been rubbished by ladies in theNorth-east.
As revealed in yesterday's Evening Express, the University ofAberdeen research showed that British women were likely to have theops to suit the desires of a particular man, while their Americancounterparts did it for themselves.
But when our Evening Express reporter took to the streets to askwomen about the findings, fashionable females in the city put therecord straight.
Public relations student Matilda-Claire Blaauw, 23, said: "Iwouldn't have surgery for a man."
She added that if she did it, it would be for her own benefit.
The Old Aberdeen resident, who said she wouldn't mind a slimmerjaw line, added: "I think that if you had plastic surgery the wholeof your life would be improved."
Kamella Kefli, 25, from Aberdeen's West End and also a PR student,echoed her thoughts.
She said: "I would maybe get my breasts done, but only after I hadchildren.
"But it wouldn't be for a man, it would be for me."
But occupational therapist Emelie Fyvie had a different opinion.
The 25-year-old, from Fraserburgh, said: "I wouldn't have cosmeticsurgery unless it was reconstructive.
"I'm really happy with the way I look."
LONDON (AP) — Three British soldiers have been referred to a senior military prosecutor over allegations that they abused Iraqis in the aftermath of the U.S.-led invasion, the Ministry of Defense said.
If the allegations are substantiated, the soldiers could eventually be charged with war crimes.
The government said Tuesday the referral was made last month but refused to give any details about the soldiers, the nature of the alleged abuse, or when or exactly where in Iraq it is alleged to have occurred. The acknowledgment only came after lawyers acting for the Ministry of Defense announced the development to Britain's High Court, where the government is being sued over the alleged abuse.
The Ministry of Defense stressed that the allegations are just that, and one of the lawyers, James Eadie, told the court that war crimes charges were among a range of possibilities, if the claims were backed by solid evidence.
"It is a very big if," he said.
Still, the development is potentially explosive. The British army has only conducted a war crimes trial once before, in 2006, when Cpl. Donald Payne pleaded guilty to treating Iraqi detainees inhumanely at a court-martial. Six other British soldiers were acquitted.
The landmark trial — which included descriptions of savage beatings administered at British detention facilities where temperatures rose to nearly 140 degrees Fahrenheit (60 degrees Celsius) — tarnished the reputation of the country's armed forces.
But a prominent human rights law firm, Public Interest Lawyers, has long alleged that there were many more such cases, and is fighting to force the government to hold a wide-ranging public inquiry into how detainees were treated throughout British-occupied Iraq.
The group argues that an open investigation is the only way of delivering justice to the victims of British mistreatment, while the military says that such an inquiry would be costly and duplicate the work of its own investigative team.
Phil Shiner of Public Interest Lawyers called Tuesday's announcement a "breakthrough" that could help lay bare the details of Britain's interrogation policy, which he has equated to Abu Ghraib, the notorious American prison site where Iraqi detainees were beaten and sexually humiliated.
"There are remarkable similarities between everything that we know that the Americans did in Abu Ghraib and what we know from the evidence in this court," he said.
Some 46,000 British troops participated in the invasion of Iraq in 2003, taking responsibility for the country's south. Britain withdrew from Iraq in mid-2009.
Nagpur has replaced Mumbai as the venue of the third cricket test between India and New Zealand in November because Mumbai's Wankhede Stadium is under renovation.
The first test will be played at Ahmedabad from Nov. 4-8 and the second at Kanpur from Nov. 12-16. Mumbai was to be the venue for the third test from Nov. 20-24, but the local cricket association said it could not host the match because of renovations to its stadium ahead of next year's World Cup.
New Zealand will play five limited-overs internationals on tour, at Guwahati on Nov. 28, Mohali on Dec. 1, Hyderabad on Dec. 4, Begaluru on Dec. 7 and Chennai on Dec. 10.
India is hosting Australia for two tests and three limited-overs internationals in October.
The New Zealand squad will leave for Darwin, Australia this week for a series of warm-up matches ahead of its limited overs tri-series against Sri Lanka and India in Sri Lanka.
New Zealand will play Indian provincial team Maharashtra in three 50 overs matches as it attempts to acclimatize to warmer Sri Lankan conditions.
The matches will be played on July 26, 28 and 30 and New Zealand will fly to Sri Lanka on Aug. 1 ahead of its first tri-series match against India at Dambulla on Aug. 10.
"It will be a challenging few days (in Darwin) against some handy opposition," New Zealand coach Mark Greatbatch said. "The guys are itching to get out there against Maharashtra and get some game time under their belts.
"Net training is useful but match practice is different and will be vitally important for our guys."
Opening batsman Jesse Ryder withdrew from the New Zealand tri-series squad Wednesday because of an elbow injury. A replacement has yet to be announced.
"Due to the compressed nature of the tour and his speed of recovery so far we feel we have insufficient time to get Jesse fully fit and able to take part in any of the one-day matches," Greatbatch said.
MADRID, Spain - Spanish author Vicente Molina Foix has won Spain's Narrative Literature award, which highlights recently published work in Spanish or another of the country's official languages, the Culture Ministry said.
Molina Foix's Spanish language novel "El abrecartas" ("The Letter Opener"), which depicts history through a letter-writing relationship, claimed the government sponsored $21,225) prize, the ministry said in a statement.
Molina Foix, 61, was born in the town of Elche close to the Mediterranean near the eastern port city of Alicante and has lectured on Spanish literature at Oxford university in Britain.
The book, which the author called "a novel by letters," begins by describing a literary relationship between poet Federico Garcia Lorca, who was killed at the beginning of the Spanish Civil War, and one of his close friends.
HOUSTON - Luke Scott tripled home the winning run in the 11th inning and the Houston Astros dropped the Cubs out of a tie for the NL Central lead, beating Chicago 5-4 Tuesday night.
The Cubs wasted a bases-loaded threat in the top of the 11th and fell one game behind Milwaukee, which beat Pittsburgh 6-1. Chicago has lost four of its last six.
Down 4-1 early, the Astros rallied and ended a five-game losing streak.
Ryan Dempster (2-6) walked Mark Loretta with one out in the 11th and Eric Bruntlett pinch-ran. Scott followed with his game-winner to the wall in right-center field
Brad Lidge (4-2) escaped a jam in the 11th by getting Jacque Jones to fly out, stranding three runners.
Hunter Pence had a two-run triple as the Astros won for the fifth time in 13 games since Cecil Cooper replaced Phil Garner as manager on Aug. 27.
Mark DeRosa hit a three-run homer for the Cubs.
The Cubs put two runners on with one out in both the eighth and ninth innings. Carlos Lee made a diving catch in left-center on Ryan Theriot's liner to end the first threat and DeRosa grounded into a double play to stall the second.
Chicago reliever Bob Howry retired the six batters he faced in the eighth and ninth - striking out four - to force extra innings.
The Cubs took a 1-0 lead in the second when Jones singled and scored on Jason Kendall's double.
Scott singled in the second and moved up on a grounder and Jason Marquis' wild pitch. When another pitch skipped past Kendall - this one was ruled a passed ball - Scott scored to tie the game.
Houston starter Brandon Backe walked Cliff Floyd leading off the third, Aramis Ramirez singled and DeRosa hit his ninth homer of the season.
Backe, making his second start since a yearlong recovery from Tommy John surgery, retired the Cubs in order for the first time in the fifth inning. Humberto Quintero doubled in the Houston fifth, Jason Lane pinch-hit for Backe and singled, then lined a two-run triple to cut Chicago's lead to 4-3.
Lee led off the sixth with a single and Loretta hit a tying double.
Notes:@ Craig Biggio hit his 666th double in the first inning, passing George Brett and moving into fifth place all-time. Biggio has more doubles than any right-handed hitter in history. ... Alfonso Soriano, the Cubs left fielder, dropped Biggio's routine fly with one out in the third inning. He recovered in time to throw to second and force out Pence. ... Pence set a Houston rookie record with his 51st extra-base hit of the season. ... The Cubs have lost four in a row at Minute Maid Park for the first time since the ballpark opened in 2000.
The International Ski Federation has dismissed as "no big deal" an incident when a racer in the men's Olympic Alpine downhill nearly hit a course worker who fell near the finish line.
Race director Guenter Hujara conceded Monday the incident involving Australian skier Craig Branch "looked a little scary."
But he called it "no big deal" after an investigation showed official procedures to flag down racers for safety reasons were followed.
The volunteer had finished grooming the icy snow between runners and slipped as Branch approached the final jump.
Branch, who was No. 39 of 64 starters, skied directly ahead as the volunteer scrambled off the course. He placed 34th.
Hujara said the next racer was stopped until the track was cleared.
Jonathan Grimes rushed for 111 yards and a touchdown to lead William & Mary to a 34-24 victory over Rhode Island on Saturday.
The Tribe (5-2, 3-1 Colonial Athletic Conference) trailed 10-7 at halftime before scoring 24 second-half points.
Derek Cassidy was 27 of 41 for 225 yards, threw two touchdowns and ran for one for Rhode Island (2-7, 0-5), but also threw three interceptions.
William & Mary took a 14-10 lead on Jake Phillips' 18-yard pass to D.J. McAulay with 13:23 left in the third, and increased its margin to 21-10 on Courtland Marriner's 8-yard run about five minutes later.
Phillips was 15 of 24 for 207 yards and one touchdown.
Cassidy scored on a 1-yard run to cut the lead to 21-17 but David Caldwell returned an interception 62 yards for a touchdown and Brian Pate kicked two field goals to put the game out of reach.
It's tiny, but it's huge.
Who knew, when the first practical television remote control wasdeveloped in Chicago in 1956, that it would change our lives sothoroughly?
No matter what you call them - remotes, clickers or zappers -they make it possible to control our entertainment without using anymuscle except for the ones that control our thumb - or forefinger,depending on your technique."It's the idea that here's freedom," said Sammy Danna, acommunications professor at Loyola University. "You can just zipthrough the channels, and it opens up all sorts of possibilities.With the advent of so many channels the remote is a necessity, to beable to handle them …
An outspoken AIDS activist was charged with "subverting" China's government after security officers barged into his home and took him away, a watchdog group and lawyer said Saturday.
Hu Jia's whereabouts were not known after he was seized by about 20 officers Thursday, said China Human Rights Defenders, an international network of activists and rights monitoring groups. Hu has played a prominent role in helping other dissidents.
Hu was charged with "subverting state power," lawyer and friend Teng Biao said. The charge and other vague accusations have been used against Chinese activists, many of whom also have been detained, threatened or …
Byline: TOM ALESIA WISCONSIN STATE JOURNAL
There's a plane over an ocean with snakes. Poisonous snakes. So it goes in the film "Snakes on a Plane." Given the film's initial online buzz (no hisses yet), director David Ellis pushed the B-movie into deeper, darker and, yes, sexier directions.
As a result, star Samuel L. Jackson uses more profanity, characters face nastier violence and there's more nudity.
I'm going out on a limb here: The nudity will not be the snakes.
Instead, some unknown actress will use her shirt and bra for a tourniquet, perhaps.
"Snakes on a Plane" will make lots of money when it opens Friday -- far more than …
(BLANKS) ON A PLANE.(ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT)Byline: TOM ALESIA WISCONSIN STATE JOURNAL
There's a plane over an ocean with snakes. Poisonous snakes. So it goes in the film "Snakes on a Plane." Given the film's initial online buzz (no hisses yet), director David Ellis pushed the B-movie into deeper, darker and, yes, sexier directions.
As a result, star Samuel L. Jackson uses more profanity, characters face nastier violence and there's more nudity.
I'm going out on a limb here: The nudity will not be the snakes.
Instead, some unknown actress will use her shirt and bra for a tourniquet, perhaps.
"Snakes on a Plane" will make lots of money when it opens Friday -- far more than …
ABSTRACT We have studied the structural and viscoelastic properties of assembling networks of the extracellular matrix protein type-I collagen by means of phase contrast microscopy and rotating disk rheometry. The initial stage of the assembly is a nucleation process of collagen monomers associating to randomly distributed branched clusters with extensions of several microns. Eventually a sol-gel transition takes place, which is due to the interconnection of these clusters. We analyzed this transition in terms of percolation theory. The viscoelastic parameters (storage modulus G' and loss modulus G") were measured as a function of time for five different frequencies ranging from omega = …
The recent revelations concerning the extravagant use of expensive motorcars by South African government ministers, put me in mind of a story that is recounted of Willem Drees, the post-war prime minister of the Netherlands.
At the time of the introduction of the Marshal Aid Plan by the US, to assist Europe in recovering from the effects of World War II, the US ambassador to the Netherlands was asked by Washington to call on the Dutch prime minister to ensure that US aid would not be wasted.
The Dutch prime minister at that time had no official residence, so the ambassador went to the simple terraced house in which Mr Drees lived. The ambassador got out of his car, …
Byline: Associated Press
Harry M. Rosenfeld, editor of Capital Newspapers, is one of 65 editors nationwide chosen as nominating jurors to screen entries for the 1987 Pulitzer Prizes in journalism, Columbia University President Michael I. Sovern said.
The Pulitzer Prizes are awarded each spring by the …
Byline: James J. Coyne
In my 13 years as Albany County executive, I have lived through the adoption of 14 state budgets, every one of which has included arguments over the amount of state money that goes for local assistance. This is a marvelous catch- all label that conjures up images of great piles of state tax dollars being generously turned over to the locals for us to play with. These annual skirmishes come and go with little explanation of the reality of local assistance.
As a county official, my personal favorite local assistance program is Medicaid, the federally initiated programs that pays the medical (and related) expenses of those unable to afford …
The president of the organizing committee of the 2010 Central American and Caribbean Games has resigned from his post, reportedly as a warning that Puerto Rico is spending to much to host the event.
David H. Chafey, chairman of Banco Popular, told the newspaper El Nuevo Dia that he quit out of concern that the budget for the Games was growing beyond what is necessary to hold the games in the western city of Mayaguez.
Chafey, in a story published Friday, said the budget should not exceed $220 million (euro149.6 million) , but a government agency has said the plans will cost at least $320 million …
During a recent presentation to woo businesswoman Beth Kljajic asa new client, the head of an accounting firm continually referred tothe "girls in my office."
"I finally stopped him and asked, `How old are the people inyour office?' " said Kljajic, owner of Choice for Temporaries inChicago. "I thought maybe he was using high school kids."
He wasn't. He was referring to women who had graduated fromcollege as "girls."
Kljajic ended the interview there.
"I didn't see how I could work" with his firm, she said.
As a business owner, Kljajic had the power to stop the interviewand point out the sexism. When she confronted similarly …
PETERHEAD edged past Alloa and into the next round by the narrowest of margins with only a missed penalty in the shoot-out by Darren Young the difference between the two favourites for the Third Division title.</p><p>In a game of few chances in normal time, once the visitors equalised, extra time always looked likely. </p><p>The Blue Toon could and should have won during the additional half-hour but their 100% record from the penalty spot was to prove enough to pip a resilient Athletic who, like their hosts, have rung the changes big time since the end of last season.</p><p>Peterhead were looking to carry their perfect record in pre-season friendlies …
