dillervip: 2012

Thursday, March 15, 2012

Korea: Daegu weaving district faces crisis

There is a clear and rising trend toward bankruptcy and the closure of business in the Daegu weaving district because exports of polyester filament woven fabrics have not shown any signs of recovery and both weaving and dyeing industries are continuing at low levels. In this situation, some people have even begun to suggest that the weaving district is going to collapse.

Exports of polyester filament woven fabrics showed a recovery trend in summer last year, but order bookings became slow again in the fourth quarter and these exports have moved without any signs of an upturn since the start of this year. Many weavers consider, "The current order booking is about half of last …

AMERICAS NEWS AT 0500 GMT

For every $1 sent to Uncle Sam, state gets back $1.61

West Virginians are some of the country's biggest consumers ofpork.

And we're not talking pig here.

When it comes to channeling federal dollars toward their homestate, members of West Virginia's congressional delegation are top-notch.

Government money coming West Virginia's way includes one-timeprojects and ongoing programs and employment. Public sector dollarshave helped spur economic development in the state.

Two of the five-person delegation - Sen. Robert Byrd and Rep. AlanMollohan - sit on the powerful Senate and House appropriationscommittees. The committees decide how and where federal money willbe spent.

Byrd, the former Senate majority …

Wednesday, March 14, 2012

Musculoskeletal case 19. Presentation

A 33-year-old man presented with a 2-year history of intermittent, progressive, aching pain of his right knee. He had also lately noted some restriction of movement On examination there was mild tenderness over the medial joint line, with minimal swelling. Plain radiographs were initially obtained to evaluate the cause of his pain (Figs. 1 and 2). On the basis of the plain radiographic findings, magnetic resonance imaging was performed. Fig. 3 is a representative sagittal T^sub 2^-weighted gradient echo image and Fig. 4 is a representative transaxial T^sub 2^-weighted image. From these imaging characteristics, what is your diagnosis?

For the diagnosis and discussion see page 468. …

Spain sees good demand in debt auction

MADRID (AP) — Spain raised nearly euro4 billion ($5.5 billion) Thursday in bonds in an auction that showed good investor interest despite the turmoil hitting markets on the fringes of the eurozone.

The government meanwhile moved on two other fronts — tax policy and labor market reform — to try to chip away at the budget deficit and a 21 percent unemployment rate.

The Finance Ministry said it sold euro3.95 billion in bonds of three different maturities, just shy of the euro4 billion ceiling the government had set.

These bonds, which mature in July 2019 and April and October of 2020, were an installment of a 10-year issuance carried out months ago. So yields in Thursday's …

'Gossip Girl' star Crawford arrested on pot charge

Texas authorities say "Gossip Girl" heartthrob Chace Crawford faces a marijuana possession charge after being arrested in the Dallas suburb of Plano.

Police spokesman Rick McDonald says Crawford was arrested in a parked vehicle early Friday morning. He was booked and later released on a misdemeanor charge of possessing less than two ounces of marijuana.

Crawford's …

Tariff issue divides steel makers, other manufacturers

Lawmakers, steel companies and unions urged a trade panel to keepsteel tariffs on some foreign imports for five more years. Carmakersand appliance manufacturers said it's time to let competition backinto the market.

The U.S. International Trade Commission is reviewing penalties putin place in 1999 to stop a flood of low-priced hot-rolled steel fromBrazil, Japan and Russia. A second wave of steel imports from 11other countries led to additional tariffs in 2002, which PresidentBush lifted in late 2003.

"Unfortunately, unfairly traded imports of hot-rolled steel havecontinued to plague this industry and continued to harm steel workersand their families," Rep. Ted …

US envoy visiting Pakistan talks to Bhutto ahead of meeting Musharraf

Washington's No. 2 diplomat was due for an all-important sitdown with President Gen. Pervez Musharraf on Saturday after talking by phone overnight with one of the his chief rivals, hoping that face-to-face diplomacy would convince the general to move back on the path to democracy.

U.S. Deputy Secretary of State John Negroponte's trip was seen as a last best chance to avoid political turmoil in Pakistan, which has seen its Supreme Court purged and thousands of protesters detained since Musharraf declared emergency rule on Nov. 3.

Negroponte phoned opposition leader Benazir Bhutto overnight, the U.S. State Department said, in the highest-level U.S. contact …

One-Minute Critic

Rating 4 out of 4 Superior Rating 3 out of 4 Recommended Rating 2 out of 4 OK Rating 1 out of 4 Time-waster NR Not reviewed NA Not available

* Reviewed today

Search the Ebert Review Database on the Web: www.suntimes.com/ebert

- - -

Alexandra*

Rating 3 1/2 out of 4

An old lady rides a military train to a remote Russian army outpost. . She bonds with a local woman she meets at the market. Starring opera icon Galina Vishnevskaya, directed by Alexander Sokurov ("Russian Ark"). (Not rated, 91 min.) Roger Ebert

Baghead

Rating 1 1/2 out of 4

Four would-be filmmakers hole up in a cabin in the woods to collaborate on a …

Daschle Chosen to Spearhead Health Reform

Former Senate majority leader Tom Daschle has been chosen to become the new secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). Daschle has been a close advisor to president-elect Barack Obama, and his long experience on Capitol Hill makes him a prime choice to steer health legislation through Congress. Reform advocates consider the selection a sign that the Obama administration will fulfill its promises to make health reform a top priority.

Daschle's familiarity with health policy issues is evident in the book he recently co-authored: Critical: What We Can Do About the Healthcare Crisis. But with less administrative experience than the governors who preceded him, …

UN reports Iran work 'specific' to nuke arms

VIENNA (AP) — The U.N. atomic agency said for the first time Tuesday that Iran is suspected of conducting secret experiments whose sole purpose is the development of nuclear arms, an assessment that draws on 1,000 pages of intelligence and nearly a decade of research.

The report by the International Atomic Energy Agency is its most unequivocal yet suggesting that Iran is using the cover of a peaceful nuclear program to produce atomic weaponry. Based on years of trying to probe Tehran's secretive activities, its release will stoke debate on whether it's time to jettison failed diplomatic efforts to end Iran's nuclear defiance and replace them with force.

The 13-page annex to …

Greece's premier: Opposition invited to join debt deal negotiations

ATHENS, Greece (AP) — Greece's premier: …

Spelling Bee Winnows Down Finalists

WASHINGTON - Jonathan Horton opened the finals of the Scripps National Spelling Bee with his usual quirky routine, whispering the letters into his hand as he spelled his word. This time, it didn't help.

The 14-year-old boy from Gilbert, Ariz., a favorite this year after a sixth-place finished last year, couldn't get a handle on the pronunciation of "girolle," going back and forth a dozen or so times with pronouncer Jacques Bailly before attempting the word - a type of mushroom.

Finally, he gave it a try with "g-i-r-o-l," and with that he was eliminated and given a rare standing ovation from his fellow competitors.

Jonathan was one of 15 youngsters contending for the title of nation's best speller Thursday night, when the increasingly difficult words were stumping even the cream of the crop. Tia Thomas, 12, of Coarsegold, Calif., competing for the fourth time, misspelled "zacate" (a grassy plant) and had to settle for a big hug from her father and a seat on his lap as the competition continued.

A startling eight spellers were eliminated from the first round of the finals, leaving just seven on the lonely right side of the Grand Hyatt ballroom stage. One of those surviving was 13-year-old Nate Gartke of Spruce Grove, Alberta, who spelled "partitur" (a musical score) and heard cheers from supporters waving Canadian flags.

The spellers were competing for a trophy and $35,000 in cash, plus a $5,000 scholarship, a $2,500 savings bond and a set of reference works. The day began with 59 spellers remaining from the record 286 who started the competition Wednesday.

The first bit of humor in the finals came from Joseph Henares, who exclaimed, "Oh, my God," when he was given the word "punaise." When told it was a bedbug, the 14-year-old boy from Avon, Conn., replied, "I like bedbug better." His eyes grew huge when told he had spelled it without a flaw.

Connor Spencer, 14, of Platte City, Mo., was even more astounded when he correctly spelled "helzel" (a poultry skin). Connor's style involved whispering the letters behind his placard before speaking them aloud.

Fourth-time bee participant Matthew Evans, 12, of Albuquerque, N.M., who wants to be a pastor someday, conquered the word "genizah," a storeroom in a synagogue.

With the finals on ABC in prime time for the second consecutive year, the bee again had to play the foil to the trappings of television. Spectators were asked to perform a contrived standing ovation at the start of the telecast, with the spellers standing onstage with goofy grins while waving to the audience.

At one point a cameraman said to the spellers, "Everybody laugh," as he lined up a particular shot, and much of the competition was spent idly waiting for long commercial breaks to end.

If Joseph and Connor appeared surprised at spelling their words correctly, the shock was nothing to close to the stunning moment several hours earlier, when perennial favorite Samir Patel was eliminated in his fifth and final bee. Samir, who last week likened the prospect of not winning to "Dan Marino not winning the Super Bowl," had the audience gasping in disbelief when he misspelled "clevis."

The 13-year-old Texan spelled out the word for a type of fastening device as "c-l-e-v-i-c-e." After placing third, 27th, second and 14th in his previous bees, he ended his bee career with a tie for 34th. Like Hall of Fame quarterback Marino, Samir will go down as one of the greatest at his craft never to win the big prize.

Samir wiped away tears as he talked about his gaffe.

"The first thing I thought was c-l-e-v-i-s, and if I had been slow and cautious like I always am, I would have got it right," he said. "But I just outsmarted myself. It was an easy word. I just made a stupid mistake."

Samir's mother, Jyoti, appealed his dismissal, based on subtle differences in the way the word's final syllable could be pronounced. Officials interrupted the following round to replay pronouncer Bailly's exchange with Samir, and later announced that the appeal had been denied.

"In the end, I think I said it right," Bailly said. "I really wanted him to get it right, and I'm really sorry that he or his family have some questions about it."

---

On the Net:

Scripps National Spelling Bee: http://www.spellingbee.com

Tuesday, March 13, 2012

Cholera Ebbs, but Perils For Rwandans on Rise

GOMA, Zaire The existence that passes as living for the 1 millionRwandan refugees in this country has gotten better, and worse, andall the while more tangled and troubling in recent days.

Finally, the rising tide of cholera, which killed thousands, hasbeen declared medically contained. The squalid camps spread northand south of here are even beginning to show faint sparks of vigor.But with vigor has come new tensions, killing and the threat ofspreading political discontent.

"The cholera epidemic is over," said Panos Moumtsis, spokesmanfor the UN High Commissioner for Refugees. "The curve of death, aswe call it, is going down."

By that, the agency said it was expressing the consensus of themany relief groups assisting here on the Rwandan border. But only bythe abstract medical definition is the epidemic anywhere near over.

The brutal, humiliating death of uncontrollable diarrhea anddehydration will take 700 more lives today, and hundreds more in thedays to come.

But since the number of deaths has decreased from last week'sdaily high of about 2,000 and the number of new cases of cholera alsohas declined, the technical conditions of epidemic have passed. TheUN refugee agency said, however, that deaths from dysentery aremounting each day.

Refugees also face renewed fears from the robber instincts ofthe underpaid soldiers from Zaire.

Thursday, refugees pounced on a Zairian guard outside theoutlying camp called Katale and hacked him to death with machetes.On Friday, food supplies to about 250,000 refugees at Katale weresuspended and fatal gunfire broke out at another camp as tensionsboiled over between destitute Rwandans and Zairian soldiers.

Relief officials say refugees have suffered repeated robberiesand extortion by Zairian soldiers. In the incident Thursday, acheckpoint sentry reportedly had demanded money from a Rwandanrefugee who tried to drive into the camp in his car. Refugees withcars, radios and other possessions are presumed to be people of meansand quick targets for soldiers, who are paid virtually nothing inZaire.

All over Goma, Zairian soldiers can be seen driving confiscatedvehicles. Independent relief workers and journalists also havereported extortion by soldiers.

Tensions also are mounting between Goma's civilians and therefugees. The huge influx here has driven up the cost of living. A50-cent bottle of beer now costs $8, a $25 bag of sugar more than$60. Local farmers say Rwandans are ravaging their bananaplantations and vegetable crops.

Farmers this week demanded that Zairian authorities take firmercontrol of refugees, and at least one camp was ordered evacuated andrelocated farther from town.

Relief officials, meanwhile, continue to try to spread the wordthat it is safe for refugees to return to Rwanda and to entice themwith promises of food.

But they could not offer promises of protection againstvengeance by Tutsis, whose families were massacred in untold numbersin the short, sharp civil war.

The defeated government of Rwanda, its army and nearly all therefugees here are Hutus, who recently accounted for 85 percent ofRwanda's population. The Rwandan Patriotic Front, which won the war,is predominantly Tutsi.

Rangers-Lightning Sums

N.Y. Rangers	0 0 3—3
Tampa Bay	2 3 0—5

First Period_1, Tampa Bay, Malone 4 (Stamkos, St. Louis), 7:06 (pp). 2, Tampa Bay, Malone 5 (Stamkos, Purcell), 15:37 (pp). Penalties_Callahan, NYR (holding), 6:05; Boogaard, NYR (hooking), 14:47.

Second Period_3, Tampa Bay, Stamkos 21 (Downie, St. Louis), 4:53. 4, Tampa Bay, Clark 5 (Downie, Purcell), 11:05 (pp). 5, Tampa Bay, Hedman 1 (Ritola, Bergenheim), 16:56. Penalties_Dubinsky, NYR (boarding), 7:52; Lundqvist, NYR, served by Prust (diving), 8:34; Malone, TB (interference), 8:34; Staal, NYR (roughing), 10:08; B.Jones, TB (holding), 13:31.

Third Period_6, N.Y. Rangers, Eminger 1 (Stepan), 3:58. 7, N.Y. Rangers, Boyle 10 (Staal, Prust), 12:51 (sh). 8, N.Y. Rangers, Stepan 5 (Gaborik, Del Zotto), 18:56 (pp). Penalties_Hall, TB (delay of game), 5:13; Avery, NYR, minor-major-misconduct (instigator, fighting), 11:26; Ohlund, TB, major (fighting), 11:26; Prust, NYR (elbowing), 14:59; Moore, TB (delay of game), 17:57; Ohlund, TB (delay of game), 18:26; Dubinsky, NYR (slashing), 20:00; Hedman, TB (slashing), 20:00.

Shots on Goal_N.Y. Rangers 5-2-13_20. Tampa Bay 11-14-9_34.

Power-play opportunities_N.Y. Rangers 1 of 4; Tampa Bay 3 of 6.

Goalies_N.Y. Rangers, Lundqvist 7-8-1 (34 shots-29 saves). Tampa Bay, Smith 8-3-0 (20-17).

A_17,806 (19,758). T_2:28.

Referees_Rob Martell, Dean Morton. Linesmen_Derek Nansen, David Brisebois.

China Says Dalai Lama Rejects Dialogue

Chinese state media accused the Dalai Lama on Sunday of closing the door to talks over Tibet's future, an apparent response to rising international calls for Beijing to negotiate with Tibet's exiled Buddhist leader.

In a lengthy article, Xinhua News Agency cited past actions and statements attributed to the 72-year-old Nobel Peace Prize winner that it said contradicted or undermined his calls for negotiations.

"It was the Dalai Lama clique that closed the door of dialogue," Xinhua said, using China's standard term for the Tibetan government-in-exile.

The statement came a day before the arrival in Beijing of the Olympic torch, which has become a magnet for Tibetan activists and other groups seeking to use the August Games to draw attention to their cause.

China has accused the Dalai Lama of orchestrating protests in Tibet's regional capital Lhasa and other heavily Tibetan areas that started peacefully among Buddhist monks, but turned deadly on March 14. Beijing says 22 people were killed in Lhasa, while Tibetan exiles put the overall death toll at 140.

China's Premier Wen Jiabao told Hong Kong media in Laos Sunday that Lhasa is "basically stable," and that "social order has returned to normal."

Wen reiterated China's position that it is open to talks with the Dalai Lama if he gives up his desire for independence, and acknowledges that Tibet and Taiwan are inseparable from China.

Officials with Lhasa's municipal government described the city as calm Sunday, a day after a protest reportedly broke out at a monastery there. The officials said they were sending text messages to area residents telling them not to "believe or pass on rumors of unrest."

A woman who answered the phone at Lhasa government headquarters said the reported protest on Saturday was merely a rumor.

"You shouldn't believe such things," said the woman, who hung up without giving her name. No new incidents were reported on Sunday.

Xinhua said in another report Sunday that a suspect in the riots confessed that the security department of the Tibetan government-in-exile asked him to distribute leaflets about the "Tibetan people's uprising movement" to monasteries and laypeople in Tibet that encouraged the March 14 riots.

The Dalai Lama has condemned the violence and urged an independent investigation into the protests, the most serious anti-Chinese demonstrations in the region since 1989.

Xinhua said late Saturday police had found guns and explosives at a monastery in Aba county in western Sichuan province, where state media first acknowledged police had fired at protesters March 16, wounding four.

The police found 30 guns, hundreds of bullets, along with explosives and knifes at the Geerdeng monastery Friday, Xinhua said. Flags of Tibet's government-in-exile and banners with "Tibet Independence" written on them were also found in monks' rooms, the report said. Police confiscated satellite phones, receivers for overseas TV channels, as well as fax machines and computers, the report said.

Calls to the monastery rang unanswered and officers who answered the phone at police headquarters in Aba county and the surrounding prefecture said they had no information about the reports.

"The monastery has been very quiet these days," said a woman who answered the phone at county police headquarters. None of the officers gave their names as is common among Chinese government officials.

While Beijing has imposed a massive military clampdown, a new protest was reported to have broken out Saturday in Lhasa as diplomats wrapped up a visit organized by Beijing in an effort to blunt criticism of its handling of the unrest.

According to the Washington-based International Campaign for Tibet, the demonstration at Lhasa's Ramoche monastery lasted several hours. Calls to Ramoche rang unanswered on Sunday and receptionists at hotels in the area said the monastery was closed to the public.

People also protested at the Jokhang Temple, a major Buddhist site in Lhasa, the Tibetan government-in-exile said on its Web site.

Diplomats from the United States, Japan and Europe returned to Beijing on Saturday after a tightly controlled two-day visit to Lhasa.

The diplomats toured damaged areas of the city and met people selected by Chinese authorities, who accompanied them at all times, the American Embassy said in a brief written statement. It gave no other details but repeated Washington's appeal to China to show restraint.

The unrest has been a public relations disaster for communist leaders, who want to use the Olympics to showcase China as a prosperous, stable society.

A group of foreign reporters was taken on a similar trip to Lhasa earlier in the week. That effort backfired when about 30 monks burst into a briefing room shouting that there was no religious freedom in Tibet.

The protests, led by monks, began peacefully March 10, on the anniversary of a failed 1959 uprising against Chinese rule. Tibet had been effectively independent for decades before Chinese communist troops entered in 1950.

The United States and other foreign government's have urged Beijing to talk with the Dalai Lama, who has repeatedly said he would be willing to meet with Chinese officials.

Meanwhile, officials were tightening up security for the Olympic torch's Monday arrival in Beijing, requiring journalists covering the event to pick up their accreditation in person.

The torch is due to arrive in Beijing aboard an Air China plane and be displayed at a gala ceremony in Tiananmen Square, the heart of the Chinese capital.

Tanker Ship Explosion Kills 8 in Mexico

COATZACOALCOS, Mexico - A spark touched off an explosion aboard a gasoline tanker ship Tuesday at a Mexican port, killing eight people and injuring nine others, officials said.

Four hundred workers were evacuated from the area of the ship, owned by Mexico's national oil monopoly Petroleos Mexicanos, or Pemex, company spokesman David Lartundo and civil protection official Daniel Martinez told The Associated Press..

Firefighters put out the blaze at Pemex's Pajarito marine terminal in the city of Coatzacoalcos Tuesday evening, after battling it for several hours.

Lartundo told reporters the explosion occurred while the ship was unloading gasoline at around 1 p.m. He said a spark from welding work on one of the tanker's cranes ignited the gasoline and caused the blast.

But Pemex said in a news release that the ship was empty of fuel and that the explosion occurred when repair work on the crane caused a spark that came contact with residual gasoline left in the tanker. The discrepancies could not immediately be resolved.

The company's news release said the blast killed three Pemex workers, three workers from repair company Lopez Garcia and two others who had not yet been identified. Nine more people were hospitalized for injuries, the company said.

Martinez said the explosion was felt in his office located more than 12 miles from the Pajaritos terminal in the gulf state of Veracruz.

"The whole building shook," Martinez said.

Bailout details ease Greek borrowing costs

Greece's borrowing costs dipped Monday in positive early market reaction after eurozone countries filled in key details of a financial backstop aimed at quelling fears the heavily indebted country could default.

On Sunday, eurozone governments said they would make euro30 billion ($40 billion) in loans available to Greece this year if Athens asks for the money, while the International Monetary Fund would contribute about another euro10 billion.

The finance ministers of the 16 eurozone nations also agreed on a three-year financing formula that would mean a fixed interest rate of "around 5 percent," while the variable rate would be around 4 percent, officials said.

The rate is still above what IMF aid recipients usually pay. But it is less than markets had been demanding in recent days.

But the downward trend in Greek borrowing costs as markets opened Monday will lead to relief in Athens, which has said it cannot go on paying the even higher interest rates demanded by jittery bond investors to loan the country money.

The hope is that the mere fact the loans are available will calm markets. That would let Greece borrow normally at acceptable interest rates by selling bonds.

The interest rate gap, or spread, between Greek 10-year government bonds and the German equivalent, considered a benchmark of stability, narrowed by more than 50 basis points to below 340 basis points, or 3.4 percentage points, Monday morning.

The narrower the spread, the lower the cost to borrow and the greater the confidence in Greece.

The promise filled in details of a March 25 pledge of joint eurozone-IMF help. That pledge failed to calm investors because it omitted key details and imposed strict conditions that made the money difficult to get.

A French finance ministry official said Sunday's accord was "necessary and satisfactory."

"Everyone is happy" with the deal, the official said, speaking on condition he not be named as he was not authorized to speak. "And clearly the market has reacted positively," he added, noting the rebound in Greek bonds and the euro's strengthening versus the dollar.

While the plan could be activated as soon as Greece asks for it, Athens insists it prefers to borrow on the market rather than use the rescue.

"The aim is, and we believe we will continue to borrow unhindered on the markets," Greek Finance Minister George Papaconstantinou said as he welcomed the decision Sunday.

Greek finance ministry officials said the deal exceeded their expectations, and the total amount of funds on the table was more than the country needed for this year. They said they would wait to see how the market reacts "in the coming days and weeks" before deciding whether to ask for the plan to be activated.

Greece has long said it needed something that would calm the markets and allow it to borrow at more normal rates than the above 7 percent it was facing last week, in order to allow it breathing space to implement a harsh austerity program it announced in early March. At those market rates Greece would be paying twice what Germany does to borrow.

"Short-term, Greece needs lower interest rates. If the rates do not go down, I think they will use the mechanism," said independent economist Vangelis Agapitos. "I think it's been a case of a domino. Greece promised, now Europe has promised, now Greece has to take the gun and use it if the spreads do not go down."

But the newly announced details of the aid package are expected to calm markets that had been critical of the vaguely-worded pledge made in Brussels in March. The uncertainty, fueled by rumors that were later denied that Athens was seeking to re-negotiate the plan, had sent Greek borrowing costs spiraling to record highs last week.

"The rescue package promised to Greece covers a longer-than-expected period of three years, a large sum is made available and the interest rate is below the market rate," said Joerg Kraemer, chief economist of Germany's Commerzbank AG.

"Greek government bonds with a remaining lifetime of up to three years should clearly benefit from all this," he said, but noted that given the "still existing long-term risks" the spreads of Greek government bonds are not likely to narrow to pre-crisis levels.

Similarly the euro "should continue to benefit from the more detailed support package as well," Kraemer said, but added that a major rally was unlikely as Greece's fundamental problems remain unresolved.

____

Associated Press writers Greg Keller in Paris and Matt Moore in Warsaw contributed.

National League Standings

W L Pct GB

Philadelphia 48 38 .558 _

Florida 45 44 .506 4 1/2

Atlanta 43 44 .494 5 1/2

New York 42 45 .483 6 1/2

Washington 25 61 .291 23

Central Division

W L Pct GB

St. Louis 48 42 .533 _

Milwaukee 45 43 .511 2

Houston 44 43 .506 2 1/2

Chicago 43 42 .506 2 1/2

Cincinnati 42 45 .483 4 1/2

Pittsburgh 38 50 .432 9

West Division

W L Pct GB

Los Angeles 56 32 .636 _

San Francisco 49 38 .563 6 1/2

Colorado 46 41 .529 9 1/2

Arizona 38 50 .432 18

San Diego 35 52 .402 20 1/2

___

Saturday's Games

Chicago Cubs 5, St. Louis 2

Washington 13, Houston 2

Milwaukee 6, L.A. Dodgers 3

Philadelphia 8, Pittsburgh 7

N.Y. Mets 4, Cincinnati 0

Atlanta 4, Colorado 3

Arizona 5, Florida 1

San Francisco 2, San Diego 1

Sunday's Games

Chicago Cubs 7, St. Louis 3, 1st game

N.Y. Mets 9, Cincinnati 7

Philadelphia 5, Pittsburgh 2

Houston 5, Washington 0

L.A. Dodgers 7, Milwaukee 4

St. Louis at Chicago Cubs, 8:05 p.m., 2nd game

Atlanta at Colorado, 3:10 p.m.

San Diego at San Francisco, 4:05 p.m.

Florida at Arizona, 4:10 p.m.

Monday's Games

No games scheduled

Tuesday's Games

No games scheduled

Sunderland close to signing West Ham's Ferdinand

Sunderland was expecting to complete the signing of defender Anton Ferdinand from fellow Premier League club West Ham on Tuesday.

"Anton is up this morning for a medical, we're looking to tie it up today," Sunderland manager Roy Keane said. "I met him last week and it went well. He will be a good addition to our squad and it will keep people on their toes."

Ferdinand, the brother of Manchester United and England defender Rio Ferdinand, would be Sunderland's ninth signing since it finished 15th in last season's Premier League. Keane said he would like to take the number of acquisitions to 10 before the transfer window closes on Monday.

"I will be delighted if I can get him (Ferdinand) and another one, and then we can concentrate on the season," Keane said.

Ferdinand would be just the latest player to leave West Ham, which a year ago was hiring lavishly and appeared to be relatively affluent. John Pantsil, Bobby Zamora, Richard Wright and Fredrik Ljungberg have all left since the end of the season, while striker Dean Ashton has also been linked with a move elsewhere.

The 23-year-old Ferdinand has never played for another club, making 163 appearances and scoring five goals since his debut in August 2003.

He would follow Teemu Tainio, Nick Colgan, Pascal Chimbonda, El-Hadji Diouf, Steed Malbranque, David Healy, David Meyler and the on-loan Djibril Cisse in joining Sunderland, which got its first win of the season on Saturday with a 2-1 victory at Tottenham.

Car bomb kills more than 50 at Baghdad market

A car bomb tore through a market area in a mainly Shiite neighborhood in Baghdad on Tuesday, killing more than 50 people and wounding dozens, officials said, the deadliest such attack in more than three months.

The attack occurred just before 6 p.m. as the market in the northwestern Hurriyah neighborhood was packed with shoppers preparing for their evening meals.

Nobody claimed responsibility for the attack, but it bore the hallmarks of al-Qaida in Iraq, which is known to use car bombs and suicide attacks.

A soft drink vendor who witnessed the blast, Kamil Jassim, said the car that exploded was parked near a two-story building with shops on the bottom floor and apartments on top. He said a nearby generator caught on fire, partially collapsing the building and burning several other houses.

The casualty toll spiked to at least 51 people killed and 75 people wounded after rescue crews extinguished the blaze and found the bodies of dozens of victims who had been trapped inside or buried in the rubble, a police officer said, speaking on condition of anonymity because he wasn't authorized to release the information.

Most of those killed were burned to death or suffocated, he added.

The blast shattered the relative calm in the capital amid stepped up security measures. American commanders have consistently said they have al-Qaida in Iraq on the run but warned that the insurgents retain the ability to stage high-profile attacks.

Haider Fadhil, a 25-year-old metal worker, said he was shopping with his two friends when the force of the blast tossed him through the air and knocked him out.

"When I regained consciousness, I found that my left hand and leg were broken," he said from his hospital bed. "Thanks be to God for saving me and thanks to those who carried me in their pickup truck to the hospital."

Tuesday's attack was the deadliest car bombing since March 6, when a twin bombing killed 68 people in a crowded shopping district in the central Baghdad district of Karradah.

Monday, March 12, 2012

Emily, Jacob again top list of most popular baby names in US

Emily again topped the list of most popular baby girl names in th U.S. last year, registering as No. 1 for the 12th straight time. Jacob led among names for boys for the ninth year in a row.

New parents did not stray far from past habits in 2007 when naming their babies. Only one name _ Elizabeth _ is new to the top-10 list, returning after a two-year absence. Samantha, which previously ranked 10th, dropped to No. 12, according to the latest list released Saturday by the Social Security Administration.

Biblical names continued to dominate the boys' list. Besides Jacob, other top picks for boys were Michael, Joshua and Matthew.

For girls, Isabella, Emma and Ava came after Emily, which has been the most popular female name since 1996.

Rounding out the top 10 for girls, in order, were Madison, Sophia, Olivia, Abigail, Hannah and Elizabeth.

The list for boys also includes Ethan, Daniel, Christopher, Anthony, William and Andrew.

Name experts have said the staying power of the top names may have something to do with appealing to multiple ethnic or religious groups and having no widespread negative connotations. Emily also has literary associations, including Emily Dickinson, evoking images of a woman who is both beautiful and smart, professors say.

For male twins, parents were most likely to combine Jacob with Joshua, Matthew with Michael and Daniel with David. The most popular combination for female twins was Ella and Emma.

Also popular in 2007 were names for girls that were based on spiritual and philosophical concepts. Rising to No. 31 was Nevaeh, or "heaven" spelled backwards; it previously ranked 43rd. Also represented in 2007 were Destiny (No. 41); Trinity (No. 72); Serenity (No. 126); Harmony (No. 315) and Miracle (No. 461). Cutting against the trend was Armani (No. 971).

Parents were less likely to name their sons based on spiritual concepts, although the 2007 list includes Sincere (No. 622) and Messiah (No. 723).

Social Security began compiling the name lists in 1997. The agency offers lists of baby names for each year since 1880 on the agency's Web site at http://www.socialsecurity.gov.

`Upscale' railroad town bans train horns

WINTER PARK, Colo. The railroad, once the engine that drove theeconomy around here, is on a collision course with the new moneymachine: tourism.

Despite a railroad history so rich that the ski runs have nameslike Rail Bender, Derailer and Cannonball, this resort community highin the Rocky Mountains has passed an ordinance threatening engineerswith a $300 fine or 90 days in jail if they blow their horns whiletraveling through town.

Seems the people who ski, raft, bicycle, hike and visit duderanches do not like being rudely awakened by a blast from anearly-morning train.

Complaints have picked up steam in the last couple of years,ever since the Union Pacific RR started routing more freight trainsthrough Winter Park because another stretch of track was closed.Mayor Nick Teverbaugh says the number of trains has doubled to about30 a day.

"All of a sudden it seems like they're blowing their hornsreally loud, and they blow their horns way past the intersection,which is uncalled for," says Kathee Thomure, who lives next to thetracks.

Lee Reynolds, owner of the Pines Inn at Winter Park, says he hasnever received so many complaints from his guests as he has in thelast year.

"I don't think they have to lay on the horn. A couple of shorttoots would do it," he says. "We're awakened a couple of times anight."

Federal law requires trains to start blowing their horns aquarter-mile from a crossing to warn drivers and pedestrians. WinterPark has three crossings, one with no signals.

Ed Trandahl, a spokesman for Union Pacific, says that federallaw supersedes local law and that the railroad will ignore the town'sordinance.

"If we don't blow the horns and there is a collision, there aremany lawyers very happy and willing to sue us with great diligence,"he says.

When the Winter Park ski resort was developed in the late 1930sand '40s, it borrowed names from the railroad industry. In recentyears, condominiums, second homes and lodges - landmarks of the "new"West - have grown up around the railroad, where the flat land isconcentrated between the steep mountains. The year-round populationof 615 people rises during summer and grows to about 8,000 duringski season.

The lonesome whistle of a train in the middle of the night is nolonger a romantic sound, because Winter Park is no longer a lonesomeplace.

Teverbaugh says his town is trying to strike a balance betweenits past and its future.

But Winter Park businessman Tim Flanagan, who grew up with thesound of the train and figures he probably couldn't sleep at night ifthe horns stopped blowing, opposes the ordinance. The railroads,after all, were here first.

"This tourism thing is an add-on that came later," he says.

Similarly, Patrick Brower, who publishes several localnewspapers, says: "People want to bring what they have somewhere elseand impose what they have here. People come up here and build secondhomes and want to know why the road isn't paved. The train is partof here."

The ordinance was adopted in July by the town council. Nocitations have been issued, even though trains are still blowingtheir horns.

Brower says Winter Park is not going to win this fightagainst the railroads.

"I suggest they give earmuffs to people who complain," he says."They could put the Winter Park logo on them."

Bush links optimism for Mideast reform to democratic Israel

President Bush said Wednesday that 60 years of Israel's existence is cause for optimism for democratic change throughout the Middle East. "What happened here is possible everywhere," Bush said, opening a trip divided between ceremonial duties and a new push for Israeli-Palestinian peace.

The president, trying to hold together peace talks in his waning months in office, said modern Israel gives him a strong example to preach optimism to other nations in the region.

"I suspect if you looked back 60 years ago and tried to guess where Israel would be at that time, it would be hard to be able to project such a prosperous, hopeful land," Bush said during a meeting with Israeli President Shimon Peres. "No question, people would have said, 'We'd be surrounded by hostile forces.'"

Yet troubling realities offset Bush's rosy message.

A weakened Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert fended off corruption allegations. New bursts of violence erupted in the Gaza Strip. And an Israeli Cabinet minister claimed he's won approval to expand settlement activity in the West Bank, a development that could undermine peace talks with Palestinians.

Bush has expressed confidence, though more tempered lately, that an Israeli-Palestinian peace agreement would be struck before his term ends. But he and his aides are holding out little hope for a major breakthrough during this five-day trip to Israel, Saudi Arabia and Egypt.

Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said ahead of the trip that reaching a deal to end one of the world's longest-running and most difficult disputes within the next eight months "might be improbable, but it's not impossible."

Meanwhile, the violence continued.

A rocket fired from Gaza exploded in a shopping center in the southern Israeli city of Ashkelon, wounding at least three people and leaving at least two trapped under the rubble, officials said. Two other people were killed in recent days in attacks by Palestinian militants on Israeli communities outside Gaza, even as an Egyptian mediator met with Israeli officials to try to work out a truce between Israel and Gaza's Hamas rulers.

"What happened today is entirely intolerable and unacceptable," Olmert said. "The government of Israel is committed to stopping it, and we will take the necessary steps so that this will stop."

The White House also condemned the attack. "It's clear Hamas isn't interested in peace or helping the people of Gaza lead better lives," Bush spokesman Gordon Johndroe said. "Political goals will never be achieved by launching rockets from Gaza onto innocent women and children."

In a speech Thursday before the Knesset, the Israeli parliament, Bush plans to discuss his vision for the country "on its 120th anniversary" _ a vision that includes peaceful coexistence with a Palestinian state, Johndroe said.

Bush will say the celebration of Israel's founding is a time to look forward, as well as back.

"The United States and Israel share a belief that all people have the right to live in peace, that democracy is the best way to ensure human rights, that religious liberty is fundamental to civilized society and that using violence to achieve political objectives is always wrong," Johndroe said in a preview of the address' themes.

While focusing primarily on celebrating Israel's birthday, Bush also will use the speech to acknowledge _ briefly _ that Palestinians view the anniversary much differently, said a senior administration official, speaking on condition of anonymity. Israel's establishment resulted in the displacement of hundreds of thousands of Palestinians, so they call the milestone "al-naqba" or the catastrophe.

Bush planned to state his concern for the daily lives of Palestinians and the Israeli responsibility for helping to improve them, the official said. Olmert, in Bush's view, is a partner who agrees with this. The president also was to meet Thursday with international Mideast envoy Tony Blair for an update on progress for improving Palestinian civic institutions and economic conditions. He spoke about the issue in his meetings Wednesday with both Olmert and Peres, the official said.

Peres, meeting with Bush in the trellis-covered sandstone portion of his gardens, backed Bush's hope for an accord, saying Israelis want to work with Palestinians.

"We would like to see the Palestinians living together," he said. "They have suffered a great deal of their life. The separation is a tragedy for them and for the rest of us."

Israel has imposed a closure on the West Bank and Gaza Strip during Bush's visit, though, preventing Palestinians from entering the country. Normally, tens of thousands of Palestinians are permitted into Israel each day for work, health care and family visits.

And just hours before Bush arrived, Eli Yishai, a right-wing minister in Olmert's Cabinet, said the prime minister had agreed to the construction of hundreds of homes in a West Bank settlement. Olmert spokesman Mark Regev disputed the claim, saying no decision had been made. In current peace talks, the Palestinians demand that Israel stop building in areas they both want for a future state, and Israel's failure to do so _ despite pressure from the Bush administration _ has increased Palestinian disappointment and frustration.

Also Wednesday, Israeli military raids on the Gaza Strip killed two Palestinian civilians and three militants, Palestinian medical officials said.

Israel frequently raids Gaza to try to stop militants from firing rockets and mortars at Israeli border communities. But the attacks occur almost daily, and Olmert threatened a larger Israeli military incursion into Gaza after two hours of meetings with Bush at his official residence.

"We will not be able to tolerate continued attacks against innocent civilians," he said, Bush looking on soberly by his side. "We hope we will not have to act against Hamas in other ways with military power that Israel hasn't yet started to use in a serious manner."

In the Gaza Strip, Hamas called the Bush visit a "bad omen."

"No greetings to you, Bush, on our holy land," said Hamas strongman Mahmoud Zahar. "Your people will punish you one day."

And in Tehran, Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said Wednesday that Israel is dying and that its 60th anniversary celebrations are an attempt to prevent its "annihilation."

Peres chastised Hezbollah for aiming to destroy Lebanon and accused Hamas of working to prevent the creation of a Palestinian state. The U.S. has labeled both as terrorist groups.

Upon Bush's arrival at the airport at Tel Aviv, he hugged Olmert, the subject of a new criminal investigation that could push him from office. Earlier, broadcasters' microphones had picked up Olmert's assurances to Hadley: "Holding on, holding on, don't worry."

Olmert has rejected charges that he accepted illegal campaign contributions and possibly bribes. But he has also pledged to step down if he is indicted.

Bush, who visited Israel for the first time as president in January, was set to speak Wednesday night at a conference in Jerusalem celebrating the Jewish state's birthday. The conference, convened by Peres, includes former Secretary of State Henry Kissinger, writer and Holocaust survivor Eli Wiesel, and other Jewish Nobel laureates.

A huge cheer erupted as Bush and his wife, Laura, entered the large theater at the convention center, their images visible on giant screens for those too far back to see the floor. Then came a gasp when the moderator opened the evening's program by delivering news of the Ashkelon attack.

Shop owners, others participate in fundraisers for kids' cancer camp

Industry organizations hold creative events to raise the $200,000-plus still needed

Members of the collision repair industry are hitting softballs, dodging sharks while swimming from San Francisco to Alcatraz and riding motorcycles across the country to help Camp Mak-A-Dream achieve its $500,000 fund-raising goal. One repairer and his family even visited the camp on vacation to find a way to help.

Camp Mak-A-Dream, the Gold Creek, Mont., camp for kids and young adults battling cancer, must raise $500,000 by the end of December to take advantage of a matching grant by the MJ. Murdoch Charitable Trust. The camp needs $1.3 million to build a new medical facility on its premises.The facility will be named in the collision repair industry's honor for its commitment to raising the money. With just two months left, Dan Risley, executive director of the Society of Collision Repair Specialists (SCRS), says, "As the deadline for this project rapidly approaches, the worst decision you can make is not making a decision at all. If you are thinking about helping, stop thinking and just do it. This project requires the help of the industry, and it's time we all rose to the occasion."

And that's exactly what the industry is doing.

Dodging Sharks

Farzam Afshar, a former collision repair shop owner who is now an independent industry consultant, on Aug. 3 swam to Alcatraz. "I did it. No shark bites or near drownings on my part, but there were definitely moments when I contemplated whether entering this event was a good idea," Afshar says in an industry-wide letter. "Thanks to your support, I did not entertain these thoughts for long. The currents were strong, causing the sensation of 'swimming in place' at times."

But even the cold water didn't discourage him flom reaching his goal. "I was inspired knowing that you were in partnership with me in an even bigger struggle...helping kids who are fighting for their lives against cancer."

Afshar says he is often "moved by the abundance of good fortune" in his life, which made the challenge of this swim mean even more."I realize how fragile life is and that any one of us could be taken away from this beautiful earth at any given time," he says. "The young people who go to Camp Mak-A-Dream and their families never thought they would be touched by cancer,just as many of us have probably believed." But, Afshar says he believes that joy and friendship are often a catalyst for healing, and Camp Mak-A-Dream provides this opportunity.

Understanding the Survival Challenge

It's this same cause that prompted Mike Molter, president of Twin City Collision Repair Inc. in Lafayette, Ind., and his family to visit the camp during their vacation. After reading about Camp Mak-a-Dream in ABRN, Molter immediately wanted to get involved.

This hit closely wanted to home for Molter. His wife is a cancer survivor, so he has experienced how trying the disease can be as well as the joy of his wife's healing. So Molter, his wife and two sons took a side trip up to the camp from their vacation in Idaho.

"We were impressed," Molten says. "The facility was very nice...there appeared to be something for everyone. The camp [is] on a hillside overlooking the Gold Creek valley with a view of the mountains in the distance. [It's] a very nice place serving a very good cause."

Molten was so impressed with the camp that he ordered 30 camp T-shirts and Frisbees for his staff to use for fundraising. At press time, Molter also planned to purchase $2,000 worth of drawing tickets from SCRS, which is holding the drawing to raise money. Molter planned to advertise in local newspapers during September to sell the drawing tickets, with his goal to raise $5,000 through ticket sales and donations.

Hoping for a Fund-raising Home Run

The CAPSTAR Chicagoland Business Group and a group of Chicagoarea State Farm agents on Aug. 21 showed they are good sports when it comes to the collision repair industry's efforts to raise money for the camp.

Together they held two softball games at Thillen Baseball Stadium in Chicago: CARSTAR East vs. State Farm East and CARSTAR West vs. State Farm West.

The State Farm agents secured sponsors to support the individual players and company teams.

"Caring for our community is vitally important to everyone at CARSTAR," says Teresa Kostick, CARSTAR Chicagoland Business Group chairwoman, in a written statement about the event. "Besides local and regional efforts, we also strongly support programs on a national level..we are honored to volunteer our time to raise funds for the camp's new medical facility"

[Author Affiliation]

By Tina Grady

Senior Associate Editor

Aerobics class

KINGSDOWN: A step aerobics class is held at Kingsdown Spor tsCentre, Por tland Street, on Thursdays at 8pm. Call 942 6582.

Pa. health coverage better

Although more and more people nationwide are going without health insurance, Pennsylvania seems to be bucking the trend.

In 1996, Pennsylvania had the fifth lowest percentage of residents without health insurance among U.S. states.

But that figure, though low nationally, means just over 1 million Pennsylvanians, or 11.1 percent of the state's 10.2 million residents, went without medical coverage during that year, according to figures released by the Washington, D.C.-based Employee Benefit Research Institute.

The state with the highest rate of uninsured persons was Arizona with nearly 28 percent, and the state with the lowest was Wisconsin with 9.5 percent. Nearby Maryland had an uninsured rate of nearly 13 percent and West Virginia weighed in at 17.9 percent.

The Blues are taking credit, at least in part, for the low figures in Pennsylvania.

According to Heidi Irwin of Capital Blue Cross, health-insurance programs developed by Pennsylvania's Blue Cross and Blue Shield plans for children and low-income individuals contributed to the state's high percentage of insured residents.

Paul Fronstin, an EBRI economist who authored the study, agreed that "something" was going on in Pennsylvania. "I can't say it all has to do with the Blues' activities, but their statement is justified at least in part," he said.

He added that the percentage of uninsured individuals nationwide has barely increased since 1993, although the absolute numbers may have risen as a consequence of population increase. But even then, the rate of increase of those without health insurance has slowed down from year to year, Fronstin said.

Irwin pointed out that the Blues, as insurers of last resort, offer insurance to anyone regardless of health condition or occupation. "Wherever possible, we will continue to do our part to keep uninsured numbers as low as possible," she said.

According to the study, nationwide, 82 percent of Americans under the age of 65 had private or public health insurance in 1996. A full 71 percent had private insurance, and 64 percent held it through an employment-based plan. Sixteen percent had public health insurance.

The study also found that the percentage of uninsured Americans has been increasing since at least 1987.

According to Fronstin, since 1993 the number of individuals falling under Medicaid coverage has gone down as a percentage of the total. "People are being moved out of public-sector health insurance," he said.

He believes this is part of a larger trend. "More sick people and uninsured are putting interesting pressures on the health-care system," he said.

Uninsured people, in particular, put greater pressure on the system because they tend to use more expensive care, such as emergency-room care which taxes pay for, he said.

Although she was pleased to hear that Pennsylvania's numbers are impressive compared to most of the rest of the nation, Diane McCormick still thought the state's uninsured rate was too high. "If the figures are correct, then 11.1 percent is still a big number," said the spokeswoman for state Minority Whip Rep. Ivan Itkin, D-Pittsburgh, who is expected to run for governor against Gov. Tom Ridge.

"Despite all that, Blue Cross and Blue Shield have still filed for rate hikes," McCormick said. And we can only wonder what the figures will look like for 1997 if another study should be done, she added.

Rep. William R. Lloyd, D-Somerset, admitted he was surprised by Pennsylvania's uninsured figures. "I'm not sure how those figures were arrived at and would want to see the way they were calculated," he said. Assuming the numbers are correct, however, Lloyd thinks the state should develop a program to remedy the situation.

"We should develop a program for adults similar to the Childrens Health Insurance Program program, go to the Blues and find out how much it would cost to have the state pay for a bare-bones package for some people." CHIP is a state-funded program that provides free and low-cost children's health insurance to families lacking Medicaid or employment-based coverage.

"What if we took $35 (million) or $40 million out of the surplus and spent it on that?" Lloyd asked.

The fact that more people are uninsured has little to do with public health and has more to do with the fact that health insurance is generally linked to employment, said economist Bill Styring, a senior fellow at the Hudson Institute, a public policy think-tank in Indianapolis.

"People are usually uninsured when they are unemployed," Styring said, "and if you look over time, say six months, and then ask the question 'to what extent are people uninsured?' then you'll get a somewhat different answer."

A lot of people today, such as young parents or young singles, make a conscious decision not to be insured, he said. "The argument that being uninsured is a catastrophe really is not correct," he said. "In fact, it may be a perfectly rational choice."

Some employed persons voluntarily forego employer-sponsored health insurance coverage, another recent study found. In the Medical Expenditure Panel Survey, taken by the Rockville, Md.-based Agency for Health Care Policy and Research, an arm of the federal government, co-authors Barbara Schone and Philip Cooper found that as many as 6 million Americans chose not to accept health insurance, even when it was offered to them.

The study found that although the number of workers offered health insurance through their employer rose significantly between 1987 and 1996, the number of workers declining that coverage jumped by a staggering 140 percent. Employees declining coverage tended to be under age 25, Hispanic or black, not married, or those earning under $7 per hour.

Schone believes a number of factors have contributed to the phenomenon. "Many workers decline coverage because it has become too costly," she said.

Her study also blamed declining real incomes, higher employee contribution rates, state-level mandates which have pushed up health insurance costs and expanded Medicaid coverage for employees opting not to be covered.

Wednesday, March 7, 2012

Gag Order Denied in Dragging-Death Trial

CASTLE ROCK, Colo. - A judge refused Thursday to impose a gag order in the case of a man accused of dragging his girlfriend to death behind a vehicle, despite defense claims that heavy publicity could prevent a fair trial.

District Judge Paul King ordered court and police officials to abide by conduct rules regarding publicity, but said no additional guidelines were required.

Mexican immigrant Jose Luis Rubi-Nava, 36, is charged with murder and kidnapping in the slaying of Luz Marie Franco Fierros, 49. Her battered and disfigured body was found Sept. 18 about 20 miles south of Denver.

In seeking the news blackout, defense attorney Tamara Brady cited a Sept. 21 House speech by Republican Rep. Tom Tancredo, who mentioned the case when describing the U.S. border as porous. The speech was broadcast on the cable network C-SPAN.

Investigators said Franco Fierros was dragged behind a vehicle for more than a mile, leaving a bloody trail. Preliminary autopsy results said she died of asphyxiation and head injuries from being strangled as she was dragged.

Prosecutor Darren Vahle said the county sheriff's office would only comment through a spokeswoman and with the approval of the district attorney's office.

Rubi-Nava listened to the proceedings through an interpreter but did not speak during the hearing. The murder charge carries a sentence of death or life in prison, thought prosecutors have not said what sentence they will seek.

He was being held without bail. His next court appearance is Nov. 1

Gag Order Denied in Dragging-Death Trial

District Judge Paul King ordered court and police officials to abide by conduct rules regarding publicity, but said no additional guidelines were required.

In seeking the news blackout, defense attorney Tamara Brady cited a Sept. 21 House speech by Republican Rep. Tom Tancredo, who mentioned the case when describing the U.S. border as porous. The speech was broadcast on the cable network C-SPAN.

Investigators said Franco Fierros was dragged behind a vehicle for more than a mile, leaving a bloody trail. Preliminary autopsy results said she died of asphyxiation and head injuries from being strangled as she was dragged.

Prosecutor Darren Vahle said the county sheriff's office would only comment through a spokeswoman and with the approval of the district attorney's office.

He was being held without bail. His next court appearance is Nov. 1

Disney visitor collapses on water-park ride, dies: Officials say the man had a pre-existing heart problem; he fell ill at Blizzard Beach.

Byline: Pedro Ruz Gutierrez

Mar. 16--A visitor to Walt Disney World's Blizzard Beach water park collapsed of an apparent heart attack Thursday afternoon and later died at a hospital, theme-park officials said. Deputy Chief Bo Jones of the Reedy Creek Fire Department said the man began climbing the stairs of a water ride between 1 and 1:30 p.m. when "he told his wife, 'Hey, I'm not feeling too well.' " "The man turned around and said, 'I'll meet you downstairs,' " Jones said. "When he got to the bottom of the mountain, he fell and went into cardiac arrest."

Jones said the man, whom authorities would not identify Thursday night, was then pronounced dead at nearby Florida Hospital Celebration Health. Disney spokeswoman Jacquee Polak said the Disney guest and his family were on the Downhill Double Dipper water slide on Blizzard Beach. Polak said the man's family notified the company that he had died and said the man had a pre-existing heart condition. Polak said the company offered its "deepest sympathies" to the family. The death is the 10th involving Disney World rides and water-park attractions since late 2004. It was unclear Thursday night whether the man was on his first attempt to ride the Downhill Double Dipper or had gone down the slide already. The Walt Disney World Web site places the slide in the "Big Thrills" category and says visitors can "blast down the slopes at 25 miles per hour" in side-by-side speed slides.

In December, a 73-year-old man died of a heart condition three days after losing consciousness at the Magic Kingdom's Space Mountain ride. A terminally ill boy visiting from Israel also died last year after riding Space Mountain and fainting Aug. 1. However, he suffered from terminal cancer of the lungs, abdomen and spine. And in June, a 12-year-old boy died after riding a roller coaster at Disney-MGM Studios and losing consciousness. The boy had a genetic heart defect that often goes undetected until it causes the person's sudden death, according to the Orange-Osceola Medical Examiner's Office. Lynn Osgood of the Sentinel staff contributed to this report. Pedro Ruz Gutierrez can be reached at pruz@orlandosentinel.com or 407-420-5620.

Distributed by McClatchy-Tribune Business

News.

For reprints, email tmsreprints@permissionsgroup.com, call 800-374-7985 or 847-635-6550, send a fax to 847-635-6968, or write to The Permissions Group Inc., 1247 Milwaukee Ave., Suite 303, Glenview, IL 60025, USA.

TICKER SYMBOL(S): NYSE:DIS

Disney visitor collapses on water-park ride, dies: Officials say the man had a pre-existing heart problem; he fell ill at Blizzard Beach.

Byline: Pedro Ruz Gutierrez

Distributed by McClatchy-Tribune Business

News.

TICKER SYMBOL(S): NYSE:DIS

Disney visitor collapses on water-park ride, dies: Officials say the man had a pre-existing heart problem; he fell ill at Blizzard Beach.

Byline: Pedro Ruz Gutierrez

Jones said the man, whom authorities would not identify Thursday night, was then pronounced dead at nearby Florida Hospital Celebration Health. Disney spokeswoman Jacquee Polak said the Disney guest and his family were on the Downhill Double Dipper water slide on Blizzard Beach. Polak said the man's family notified the company that he had died and said the man had a pre-existing heart condition. Polak said the company offered its "deepest sympathies" to the family. The death is the 10th involving Disney World rides and water-park attractions since late 2004. It was unclear Thursday night whether the man was on his first attempt to ride the Downhill Double Dipper or had gone down the slide already. The Walt Disney World Web site places the slide in the "Big Thrills" category and says visitors can "blast down the slopes at 25 miles per hour" in side-by-side speed slides.

Distributed by McClatchy-Tribune Business

News.

TICKER SYMBOL(S): NYSE:DIS

Disney visitor collapses on water-park ride, dies: Officials say the man had a pre-existing heart problem; he fell ill at Blizzard Beach.

Byline: Pedro Ruz Gutierrez

Distributed by McClatchy-Tribune Business

News.

TICKER SYMBOL(S): NYSE:DIS

Monday, March 5, 2012

To summarize: Trust is a must; That's key to Martz's scheme

On Feb. 1, hours after the Bears hired Mike Martz as offensive coordinator, two-time MVP quarterback Kurt Warner gushed about his former coach's newest charge.

Warner raved to me about Jay Cutler's confidence and physical tools, but he wondered about the young quarterback's ability to execute one of the essentials of Martz's high-scoring, high-flying offense.

''It was so much about anticipation,'' Warner said. ''When I've watched Jay -- not that it's a bad thing, but he looks like a guy who relies more on his physical gifts, and he watches things develop and buys some time.

''I wonder how that's going to mix. I'm not saying he can't anticipate, but I just …

Atlanta.

[ILLUSTRATION OMITTED]

Caption: Artaissance hosted a field trip to its facility in Atlanta for Margaret Fain Elementary School to introduce students to potential careers in art. Students learned about graphic designing, color …

DOROTHY SMITH.(CAPITAL REGION)

CLLIFTON PARK, NY -- Dorothy Smith, 82, of Wheeler Drive in Clifton Park, and formerly of the Bronx, died suddenly Wednesday January 1, 1997 at St. Clare's Hospital in Schenectady. Born April 11, 1914 in Brooklyn, NY, she was the daughter of the late Edward and Sarah Igo Bradley. She was educated in the Manhattan School Systems. Mrs. Smith wasa communicant of St. Edward the Confessor Church in Clifton Park and was a member of the Clifton Park Senior Center. Beloved mother of Virginia Volk of Clifton Park; mother-in-law of Carolin McNamara of New City, NY; sister of Mary Peteson of NorthPort, Long Island; loving grandmother of Robert Volk of Saratoga Springs, Patricia Volk and …

911 call reveals Mich. girl's pleas to help mother

Her mother shot and dying in a Detroit home, an 8-year-old girl desperately pleaded to a 911 dispatcher for help. But Monica Botello's daughter didn't know where she was or how to tell police to get there.

"My mommy's in the basement and, I need, emergency, and I need ... hello?" the girl said during the frantic call Monday night from Botello's cell phone.

"Where at?" the dispatcher replied in the recording police released Friday.

"Um, I'm at ... I'll go ask my mommy," the distressed girl told the woman who was on the other end of the phone.

"Mommy?" the girl yelled. But it wasn't clear if her mother …

Huellas. Memoria de resistencia (Argentina 1974-1983)

Mar�a del Carmen Sillato, Coordinaci�n, edici�n e introducci�n Huellas. Memoria de resistencia (Argentina 1974-1983) San Luis: Nueva Editorial Universitaria, 2008.

Huella es se�al, marca, pisada, pista, rastro, impresi�n, estela, surco, rodada, traza, estigma, cicatriz, recuerdo, memoria, evocaci�n, remembranza, indicio, menci�n, alusi�n, resto, vestigio, sedimento. Su ant�nimo es el olvido, seg�n nos instruye la autoridad del diccionario.

Huellas. Memorias de Resistencia es precisamente un testimonio contra el olvido. Mar�a del Carmen Sillato, profesora de literatura latinoamericana y jefa del Departamento de Espa�ol y Estudios Latinoamericanos de la universidad de …

Game Show Network.

Steve Webster to VP-corporate communications and marketing …