actofblogs

NKorean wage demands could jeopardize factories

2012-03-15T07:19:00.000-07:00

A joint project between the Koreas to build an industrial park in the North was hailed as a symbol of detente, but it has now become another point of friction between the two countries.

Drawn by cheap North Korean labor, more than 100 South Korean companies have set up factories at Kaesong. The North says the labor is too cheap, a position that some South Korean analysts said Wednesday could threaten the existence of the complex itself.

North Korean workers in the complex just north of the heavily armed border are paid about $70 a month on average _ about half that of Chinese laborers at South Korean factories in China, according to the South Korean …

Illinois Criterium set for tour de force

2012-03-15T04:55:00.000-07:00

American Greg LeMond's victory in the Tour de France will havean impact on Sunday's Sun-Times Illinois Criterium Championships,according to director Ken Carl.

The 16-race program in Downers Grove has drawn more than 600riders. When the Crit made its debut fives years ago, there were 172riders. Last year, 550 cyclists competed. Race day registrationwill start at 8 a.m.

"We're expecting a strong increase in participants due to thepopularity of cycling and LeMond's success," Carl said. "There's beena big effect from that."

This year's Illinois Criterium field will not only be bigger,it will be much faster. Professionals will ride for the first timein …

Scientist pleads guilty to attempted espionage

2012-03-15T02:33:00.000-07:00

WASHINGTON (AP) — An accomplished former government space scientist admitted in court Wednesday to trying to sell classified information to Israel, but federal agents say they believe they stopped him from actually passing any secrets. Not that they can know for sure.

The investigators say the undercover sting operation that caught Stewart David Nozette might never have been launched if he hadn't been cheating on his taxes. But it has ended with Nozette facing 13 years in prison.

Nozette pleaded guilty to one count of attempted espionage, admitting he tried to provide Israel with top secret information about satellites, early warning systems, ways of retaliating against …

Injured Yao Ming enjoying team owner role in China

2012-03-15T00:10:00.000-07:00

Sidelined by a foot injury, Houston Rockets star Yao Ming says he's finding a new kind of satisfaction as owner of his former Chinese team, the Shanghai Sharks.

Yao bought out the financially troubled team's former owners in July for an undisclosed sum in a bid to revive its fortunes.

The club is in fourth in the 17-team Chinese league, two points out of first place.

"I bought the Sharks to give them a boost and do something on behalf of Chinese basketball," Yao said in an interview with the official Xinhua News Agency appearing in newspapers Thursday.

"To be honest, they've played well this season, beyond my …

On the alert for converts // Spirit-filled Christians' goal: billions

2012-03-14T21:49:00.000-07:00

INDIANAPOLIS Spirit-filled, tongue-speaking Christians are on aroll.

They now represent one of every five Christians across theglobe, hoping to expand their numbers into the billions by the turnof the century.

While those figures enlivened the hearts of some 30,000Pentecostals and charismatics gathered here last week, the throng wasdead serious about getting on with their task.

The goal: Convert at least half the world's 5.3 billion peopleto Christianity by 2000 and the balance in due time.

Atheists and those of no faith aren't the only objective.Moslems, Hindus, Buddhists and Jews also are targets.

The thousands descended on the …

Building Public Trust: The Future of Corporate Reporting

2012-03-14T19:29:00.000-07:00

by Samuel A. DiPiazza Jr., CEO of PricewaterhouseCoopers, and Robert G. Eccles, president of Advisory Capital Partners Published by John Wiley & Sons Inc. 188 pages $24.95

In the wake of the Enron bankruptcy, public trust in those responsible for reporting corporate performance information has been shaken to its foundation. Investors and other …

Credit crunch enters the dictionary

2012-03-14T17:08:00.000-07:00

The terms credit crunch, carbon footprint and wardrobe malfunction have become such staples that they have won entry into the new version of The Chambers Dictionary, the publisher announced Thursday.

The new words reflect "today's preoccupations" with the environment, the faltering economy and _ of course _ celebrity gossip, the dictionary's Edinburgh, Scotland-based publisher said.

Chambers is the second British dictionary to announce inclusion in its pages of credit crunch _ "a sudden and drastic reduction in the availability of credit" _ indicating how deeply Britons are feeling the effects of the economic turmoil on their …

Beavers haven't played a total game

2012-03-14T14:48:00.000-07:00

DAILY MAIL SPORTS EDITOR

Fred Simon's Christmas wish list consists of two items, whicharen't his front teeth.

The Bluefield High School football coach simply wants his offenseto play well and his defense to shine - on the same night, in thesame game.

Oh, and you can throw special teams in there too.

Simon said the Beavers have yet to put together a completeperformance this season, one in which the offense excels, thedefense is rock solid and the special teams are truly special.

Bluefield has teased its coach with flashes of brilliance in allof those areas this season. But it seems like when the Beavers arepounding opposing offenses, their defense …

House approves bill that addresses epidemic for Blacks

2012-03-14T12:27:00.000-07:00

The Illinois General Assembly unanimously passed a bill Thursday that will coordinate the efforts of several state agencies in addressing the AIDS crisis in the African American community.

House Bill 2578, also known as the African American HIV/AIDS Response Act, was introduced in February by Rep. Connie Howard (D-32nd).

Howard told the Chicago Defender the state now recognizes the "extreme emergency" existing in our community.

The bill provides for state agencies to coordinate with local health organizations to conduct HIV/AIDS testing and counseling; for Chicago State University's Research Department to study the connection between incarceration and HIV infection; …

Redd, Villanueva lift Bucks over Raptors

2012-03-14T10:07:00.000-07:00

Michael Redd had a season-high 35 points and Charlie Villanueva scored 13 of his 25 in the fourth quarter, leading Milwaukee to its first win without Andrew Bogut in 21 months, 107-97 over the Toronto Raptors on Monday night.

Milwaukee, which finished the game on a 13-0 run, lost its previous nine games _ including four this season _ without Bogut, the former No. 1 pick who missed his second straight game Monday with back spasms.

But instead of relying on their defense, which has been much better of late, the Bucks simply outscored the Raptors down the stretch, getting 11 points each from Charlie Bell and Ramon Sessions and sending one of the NBA's most …

Contras refuse to give up arms

2012-03-14T07:47:00.000-07:00

MANAGUA Leaders of Nicaragua's U.S.-backed contras rejected apeace proposal offered Sunday by the Sandinista government, saying itwould require contra forces to surrender their arms before movinginto cease-fire zones.

Contra leaders called the proposal a setback that raises doubtsover whether the war can be ended.

"There are new elements in the proposal that didn't existbefore," contra leader Pedro Joaquin Chamorro said. "Some are verydangerous steps that could potentially affect this process and beginthe war once again."

The contras said the proposal requires the disarmament of allrebel forces before they gather into seven cease-fire zones for a60-day …

Phoenix Takes WNBA Title With 108-92 Win

2012-03-14T05:26:00.000-07:00

AUBURN HILLS, Mich. - The tattoo on Cappie Pondexter's arm was inked when she was still in high school. It features the WNBA logo, and reads "The Future."

That future is now for Pondexter and the Phoenix Mercury, who beat the Detroit Shock 108-92 on Sunday and wrapped up their first league title in the deciding Game 5 of the championship series.

A fast start helped Phoenix become the first team in the WNBA's 11-year history to claim the title on the road. Pondexter, in her second year in the league, scored 26 points and was chosen as the series MVP.

"It's been a long time coming," said Pondexter, who didn't win an NCAA championship while at Rutgers. "It's …

Lieberman: We can break barriers

2012-03-14T02:53:00.000-07:00

LOS ANGELES Joseph Lieberman, vowing to "break down barriers,"made history Wednesday night as he became the first Jewish nominee ona major party's ticket.

"Is America a great country or what?" asked the Democratic vicepresidential nominee.

The Connecticut senator drew a parallel between himself and JohnF. Kennedy, who 40 years ago broke down another barrier when hebecame the first Roman Catholic elected to the presidency.

"Forty years ago we came to this city and crossed a new frontier,"Lieberman said. ". . . I believe that the next frontier isn't just infront of us, but inside of us-to overcome the differences that arestill between us, to break down the barriers that remain; and to helpevery American claim the limitless opportunities of our own lives."

Lieberman paid tribute to Democratic presidential candidate AlGore for defying ancient prejudices in choosing him for the ticket.He also acknowledged their occasional policy differences and hailedhim as a man of faith.

"I've known Al Gore for 15 years," he said. "I know his record andI know his heart. I know him as a public servant and I know what itis like to sit with him around the dining room table. We havediscussed, sometimes even debated, policy issues. And we have sharedprivate moments of prayer."

Drawing a contrast with the Republicans, Lieberman said, "I'm gladthe GOP has changed their rhetoric, but I wish they would changetheir policies."

Lieberman asserted that Texas Gov. George W. Bush's proposals toimprove the nation's schools were inadequate.

"It's a good thing that our opponent talks about education.Schools need to be held to the highest standards of performance andaccountability," he said. "But I'm sad to say their plan does notprovide the resources our schools need to meet those high standards.I've read their plan. To me, it seems like their idea of schoolmodernization means buying a new calendar for every building."

Gore's running mate spoke of his family's influence in shaping hisvalues, recalling that his father was raised in an orphanage and wenton to drive a bakery truck and own a store in Stamford, Conn.

"Sometimes I try to see this world as my dad saw it from hisbakery truck. About this time, he'd be getting ready for the all-night run. I know that somewhere in America right now, there isanother father loading a bakery truck, or a young man programming acomputer, or a parent dreaming of a better future for their daughteror their son. If we keep the faith, then 40 years from now, one oftheir children will stand before a gathering like this, with a chanceto serve and lead the country that we love."

Earlier in the day, Gore arrived at Burbank Airport and wasgreeted by Lieberman. The vice presidential nominee urged the crowdto "help me win one for the Tipper," a reference to Mrs. Gore and aplay on Ronald Reagan's famous line to "win one for the Gipper."

For the third day, there were angry confrontations outside theconvention hall between demonstrators and Los Angeles police.

In contrast with the Philadelphia convention, where the Bushcampaign allowed few GOP senators and congressmen to have speakingroles, Democratic legislators have been prominently showcased.

House Minority Leader Richard Gephardt, with whom Gore has haddifferences, told the party faithful Wednesday night: "Al Gore is agood man. He is a decent, caring man. He loves his family. He lovesthis country. He could be the best president this country will everhave."

Gore wraps up the four-day convention tonight in a speech thatspokesman Doug Hattaway promised to "go beyond the surface." Gore waspolishing the final draft today, and it's not clear yet if he will beas blunt in his assessment of rival Bush as the Texas governor was ofGore in his acceptance speech in Philadelphia.

"He's going to talk about the era of prosperity as a uniqueopportunity that we need to use wisely," Hattaway said.

Poland late president's brother thanks supporters

2012-03-14T00:01:00.000-07:00

The twin brother of Poland's late president Lech Kaczynski has made his first appearance since announcing he would run for office in his brother's place, saying he wants a powerful and just Poland.

Jaroslaw Kaczynski, appeared briefly Thursday at his Law and Justice party headquarters to thank supporters for some 1.6 million signatures of support for him in the presidential race.

A minimum of 100,000 signatures is required of registered candidates.

Poland called early elections June 20 after the incumbent was killed April 10 in a plane crash in Russia.

Kaczynski, a former prime minister, is trailing in the polls behind acting president, Parliament Speaker Bronislaw Komorowski.

Caption Only [Color Photo: Claudio Scaccini, AP / BLOODY THURSDAY:...]

2012-03-13T21:09:00.000-07:00

Caption text only.

Bangladesh: Government Intensifies Trade with Australia

2012-03-13T18:18:00.000-07:00

Bangladesh held a trade fair in Sydney, Australia for the first time in April. 53 participants concluded contracts with Australian firms centering on knitted wear, hand woven fabrics, and footwear, etc. According to the Export Promotion Bureau, the trade balance shows a deficit for Bangladesh as imports from Australia exceed Bangladesh's exports to Australia. Imports amounted to US$220 million against the estimation, of US$36 million for 2002-2003. In order to expand trade between the two countries, the Australia-Bangladesh Chamber of Commerce and Industry was established in January 2004. The statistics of EPB show that exports to Australia decreased 17% for 20032004 as a result of exporters' reluctant deals with deregulation or quota-free business. Bangladeshi exports to Australia amounted to US$30.586 million for 2003-04. The government plans to intensify export promotion by demonstrating their textile products at international trade fairs.

Stephen Hawking suggests 'theory of everything'

2012-03-13T15:24:00.000-07:00

"The Grand Design" (Random House, $28), by Stephen Hawking and Leonard Mlodinow: Cosmologists, the people who study the entire cosmos, will want to read British physicist and mathematician Stephen Hawking's new book.

"The Grand Design" may sharpen appetites for answers to questions like "Why is there something rather than nothing?" and "Why do we exist?" — questions that have troubled thinking people at least as far back as the ancient Greeks.

Hawking likes the tale of the old lady who accused a lecturing cosmologist of talking nonsense: She knew for a fact that the whole universe lies on a flat plate, borne on the back of an enormous turtle.

"What does the turtle stand on?" the lecturer asked.

"Another turtle," she replied. "It's turtles all the way down."

For some readers, the answer from Hawking, known for his work on black holes and author of the best-selling "A Brief History of Time," and physicist Leonard Mlodinow, may not be much more satisfying.

The "grand design," says Hawking, is to be found in M-theory, an idea launched in the mid-1990s.

Annoyingly, there's no agreement on what the "M'' stands for. The authors suggest "master," ''miracle" or "mystery." Others have also been proposed, but none of these names offers the layman much help in answering the basic questions.

"According to M-theory, ours is not the only universe. Instead, M-theory predicts that a great many universes were created out of nothing. Their creation does not require the intervention of some supernatural being or god," the book says. "Rather, these multiple universes arise naturally from physical law."

This idea may trouble anyone who was fair at high school math but didn't major in the subject in college.

"M-theory has solutions," the book says later, "that allow for many different internal spaces, perhaps as many as 10 (followed by 500 zeros), which means it allows for 10 (followed by 500 zeros) different universes, each with its own laws."

A layman may wonder if one of those multitudinous laws might furnish a simple explanation of why something exists instead of nothing — and also wonder if there might be no such law in any of the possible universes.

Hawking writes that M-theory is a unified "theory of everything" that Albert Einstein was looking for but never found.

"If the theory is confirmed by observation, it will be the successful conclusion of a search going back more than 3,000 years. We will have found the grand design."

___

Online:

http://www.hawking.org.uk/

Ronaldo does not plan return to Europe

2012-03-13T12:26:00.000-07:00

Ronaldo is content finishing his career in Brazil, and the prolific striker does not plan a return to Europe.

"I think that phase of my career and my life has concluded," the Brazilian said in an interview with the Gazzetta dello Sport on Wednesday. "It was a great adventure, but logic and (my) heart tell me it's over.

"I'm going to conclude my career in Brazil and the most natural thing will be to do it with Corinthians."

The 32-year-old Ronaldo signed a one-year contract with Corinthians late last year and has played four games for the Brazilian club. He is working his way back into form after a third knee operation.

Ronaldo began his European career with PSV Eindhoven in 1994 and went on to play for continental powerhouses FC Barcelona, Inter Milan, Real Madrid and AC Milan.

His last European match came with AC Milan in February of last year, when he ruptured a tendon in his left knee in a Serie A game with Livorno. He was released by Milan at the end of the season.

As the all-time leading World Cup scorer with 15 goals, Ronaldo is still hoping for a return to Brazil's squad in time for next year's tournament in South Africa.

"First I've got to score 30 goals (with Corinthians), then we'll discuss it with (coach) Dunga," Ronaldo said. "Playing in the World Cup was always my biggest joy."

Ex-bodyguard who admitted role in 1994 attack on Olympic skater Nancy Kerrigan dies at 40

2012-03-13T09:25:00.000-07:00

Brian Sean Griffith, a former bodyguard to figure skater Tonya Harding who admitted a role in the attack on her rival Nancy Kerrigan during Olympics tryouts, has died. He was 40.

Griffith died Wednesday of what his doctor reported as natural causes, according to the Washington County medical examiner's office. The specific cause of death is expected to be listed when the doctor files a death certificate, which could take two weeks, the medical examiner's office said.

Formerly Shawn Eckardt, Griffith had changed his name since the attack in an attempt to put it behind him.

Griffith, of Beaverton, was Harding's bodyguard when the Portland-born skater competed for a spot on the U.S. Olympic figure skating team in 1994.

That January, an assailant clubbed Kerrigan in the knee, forcing her out of the competition. The International Committee of the U.S. Figure Skating Association granted Kerrigan a spot anyway, and she recovered in time to win a silver medal at the Olympics.

Days after the attack, Griffith confessed, detailing a plan that he and Harding's ex-husband, Jeff Gillooly, had hatched. The investigation also eventually netted convictions of Shane Stant, the actual attacker, and Stant's uncle, Derrick Smith, who drove the getaway car.

Griffith was sentenced to 18 months in prison for racketeering but was released four months early, in September 1995.

He started a computer business, Applied Information Systems Inc., in 2001, but state records show it was dissolved in 2005. He was also sentenced to three years' probation for misdemeanor assault in 2001.

Family members refused Friday to comment on Griffith's life before or since the infamous attack.

"Shawn Eckardt died a long time ago," his brother, Mike Skinner, told The Oregonian. "There is no other person than Brian Griffith."

Harding has always said she did not know of the plan. She pleaded guilty to conspiracy to hinder an investigation and was banned from U.S. Figure Skating Association competitions.

PLUS BUSINESS

2012-03-13T05:40:00.000-07:00

Leeson's Release Sought Nicholas Leeson's attorneys filed a 160-page brief with Germanauthorities in their attempt to prevent the extradition to Singaporeof the young trader accused of breaking Barings Bank. The legalpapers, filed with German authorities on the very last daypermissible, demanded Leeson's immediate and unconditional release,said prosecutor Hans-Hermann Eckert. Leeson, 28, is charged withforgery and fraud in Singapore, where he was based when his tradingon Asian futures markets were blamed for bringing down Britain'stradition-rich Barings Bank. Leeson has been in a Frankfurt jailsince he was arrested in Germany on March 2 on his way home toBritain. Home Resales Jump 5% in July Sales of previously owned homes shot up 5 percent in July to thehighest level in more than a year as low mortgage rates kept housingcosts within reach of many buyers. The National Association ofRealtors said that sales of existing single-family homes totaled aseasonally adjusted annual rate of 3.99 million, up from 3.80 millionin June and the highest since a 4.01 million rate in June, 1994. Itwas the third straight monthly advance. Sales rose in every regionexcept for the Midwest, where they fell 1 percent. The median pricein the Midwest was $96,500. First USA Acquiring 2 Firms First USA Inc. said it will acquire the nation's two largestindependent direct marketing credit card processors in separate stockand cash deals for undisclosed terms. Dallas-based First USA, one ofthe nation's largest providers of Visa and MasterCard services, saidit will offer its stock to acquire Litle & Co., of Salem, N.H., andpay cash for DMGT Corp., of Nashua, N.H. Litle and DMGT processed$10.2 billion in Visa; MasterCard transactions in the fiscal yearended June 30. Of that, about 58 percent was processed through FirstUSA in connection with its existing relationship with Litle. GM Seeks European Growth General Motors Corp. said it hopes to continue gaining market sharein Europe in the second half of 1995 after posting strong growth inthe first six months. "We've had a very strong first half in termsof market share," GM International President Louis Hughes said. TheU.S. automaker's European unit last month said its western Europeanmarket share rose to 12.8 percent in the first six months of thisyear, up from 12.5 percent in the same 1994 period. Hughes saidgrowth in the overall European auto market was mixed so far thisyear. Tokyo Stocks Drop Stocks slipped in Tokyo, with the Nikkei average falling 151.31points to 17,770.68. Outlook Raises Corn Prices Corn futures prices rose modestly today on the Chicago Board ofTrade amid talk of crop disease and lower production prospects. Oatfutures also rose while wheat and soybeans ended mixed. Reports ofspreading gray leaf spot fungus in southern Iowa underpinned cornprices, although analysts said the damage probably will be limited.Another type of fungus, aflatoxin, has been reported in southern cornstates, which include Georgia, Kentucky and North Carolina. "Theymay not be the biggest corn producers compared to the Midwesternstates, but you need those states to come through with good yields toget the high national yields the Agriculture Department is lookingfor," said grain analyst Jack Scoville of the Linn Group in Chicago.He said crop conditions are worse than previously thought in some ofthe historically top-producing areas of Iowa and Minnesota. "Ifthey're not going to come through with the crop yields, then there'sa chance the USDA crop production estimates were seriouslyoverstated," Scoville said. Earlier this month, the USDA predicted acorn crop of 8.12 billion bushels. The agency will revise its cropforecasts Sept. 12. Wheat for September delivery slipped 1/4 centto $4.40 3/4 a bushel; September corn rose 2 1/2 cents to $2.88 3/4 abushel; September oats climbed 4 1/2 cents to $1.69 a bushel;September soybeans slipped 1/4 cent to $5.96 3/4 a bushel.

Rockets' brass, fans pin blame on Olajuwon

2012-03-13T02:13:00.000-07:00

The Houston Rockets are the first winning team not to make theplayoffs since the league increased the postseason field to 16 teamsin 1983.

Rockets fans and management generally think center HakeemOlajuwon is as much to blame as anybody, and management would like totrade him for the rights to Louisiana State center Shaquille O'Nealor for Philadelphia 76ers bad boy Charles Barkley.

The Rockets were 37-30 when Olajuwon, who already had missedeight games with injuries, said he had a hamstring injury and refusedto play despite medical clearance. The Rockets said Olajuwon wasfeigning the injury because he was unhappy with the progress of hiscontract talks.

The Rockets went 0-5 while Olajuwon sat out and never recovered.They needed to win only one of their last three games, but they lostthem all.

The only significant veterans dropped from the final playoffrosters submitted to the league Monday were San Antonio Spurs guardWillie Anderson and Phoenix Suns guard Negele Knight.

Suns forward Tom Chambers was left on roster despite beinginjured. So was Spurs center David Robinson, whose hand is expectedto be healed if the Spurs make it into the later rounds.

Detroit Pistons coach Chuck Daly said the only problem beingnamed the Olympic coach caused him this season was the fact he hadthree players - Isiah Thomas, Dennis Rodman and Joe Dumars - selectedby the Olympic committee.

"Somehow, they thought I had a vote on the selection committee,but I didn't," Daly said. "In fact, one of the stipulations I madewhen I accepted the post was that I would not have a vote."

Some members of the USA Basketball Olympic selection committeewould like to see two more NBA players added to the team in the nexttwo weeks.

"I just don't see any college players out there better than NBAplayers we could put on the team," one committee member said.

The trials and tribulations of Barkley in Philadelphia thisseason is simply another warning to owners not to keep players whodon't want to play for them. They will end up being more harmfulthan helpful.

North Korea Says Nuclear Test Successful

2012-03-12T23:13:00.000-07:00

SEOUL, South Korea - North Korea said Monday it has performed its first-ever nuclear weapons test. The country's official Korean Central News Agency said the test was performed successfully and there was no radioactive leakage from the site.

"The nuclear test is a historic event that brought happiness to the our military and people," KCNA said.

South Korea's Yonhap news agency said the test was conducted at 10:36 a.m. (9:36 p.m. EDT Sunday) in Hwaderi near Kilju city, citing defense officials.

BOJ Leaves Interest Rate Unchanged

2012-03-12T20:19:00.000-07:00

TOKYO - The Bank of Japan held its benchmark interest rate steady at 0.5 percent at a two-day policy meeting that ended Tuesday after lifting it a quarter point last month.

Government data released earlier this month showed that consumer prices were flat for the first time in eight months in January, fueling speculation that the central bank would hold off for quite awhile before raising interest rates again.

Recent market volatility has also clouded the outlook for the Japanese economy.

Some analysts speculate the BOJ will wait until midyear parliamentary elections in Japan before deciding to raise rates again.

South Side Couple Will Keep Trying to Make a Difference Series: NEIGHBORHOOD HEROES

2012-03-12T16:24:00.000-07:00

A week with Otis Monroe and Virginia Hardrict is like a crashcourse in the problems of urban America.

The husband-and-wife community activists might be cajoling abank to open a branch in a South Side neighborhood on one day. Thenext, they'll be out persuading gangbangers to trade in theirbaseball caps for mortarboards.

By the end of the week, they could be on a street corner passingout condoms along with warnings about risky sex, or telling a younggirl that an education, more than a baby, will bolster herself-esteem.

In an area that includes the West Lawn, Gresham, Englewood,Roseland and South Shore neighborhoods, they do everything fromhelping find funds for other small community groups to operating asafe house in Englewood for repentent gang members.

It's a job that comes with long hours, little thanks and lots ofnaysayers.

"And not much money," Hardrict said, laughing. "I didn't getinto this because of the money. I have a genuine interest in thisarea. My grandmother used to say, `Nothing beats failure like atry.' And we are going to try until we know for ourselves thatnothing is going to happen."

The couple also run the Englewood Streets Alternative Project,funded through the Chicago Community Trust, which seeks to get gangmembers off the streets and into jobs or anti-gang work. During thesummer, the project ran a safe house in Englewood where workers andgang members could talk.

Monroe and Hardrict also direct the Monroe Foundation from anoffice in their Gresham neighborhood home. The foundation givesassistance and modest grants to community organizations.

They run a program called Project Loan, which seeks to bring abank or a credit union to the Auburn-Gresham area. Most of theirwork is done quietly.

"We're just seeing what kind of options we can create," Monroesaid. "Everything doesn't always have to be done by marching up anddown someplace or yelling and screaming."

They counsel teenagers. "For a lot of them, their self-esteemis dragging on the ground," Hardrict said of the girls she helps."Some of them need to know that there is more to being a black womanthan having a baby . . . that you have to love yourself before anyonecan love you."

Monroe and Hardrict married in 1990 after doing community worktogether in West Englewood.

The Monroe foundation was born a year later, Hardrict said.

"One day we were sitting up talking about dreams and he said,`You know what my one big dream is? A foundation,' " she said. "Onour first anniversary, I set up a meeting with several bankpresidents and said, `Here's your anniversary present. You wanted afoundation? Here's some people to back it.' "

"Virgina is the rock when I'm feeling down," Monroe said."People come around and try to discredit us and tell us we don't havea purpose, but she is the rock and very much is the strength thatkeeps this whole thing tied together."

SKorea hosts ASEAN leaders amid NKorea tensions

2012-03-12T12:42:00.000-07:00

South Korea and Thailand criticized North Korea on Sunday, saying the country's nuclear test threatens world peace and stability and harms efforts to prevent atomic proliferation.

The two nations' leaders discussed Pyongyang's latest nuclear blast on the sidelines of a summit between South Korea and Southeast Asian countries being held amid heavy security.

The event was planned months ago, but North Korea's underground nuclear test and a series of short-range missile launches last week threatens to steal the limelight from economic matters, the main focus of the agenda.

South Korean President Lee Myung-bak and Thai Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva agreed that the test goes against international efforts to prevent nuclear proliferation and "undermines peace and stability not only in East Asia but also in the whole world," Lee Dong-kwan, the South Korean president's chief spokesman, told reporters.

They also agreed to exert diplomatic pressure to assure North Korea complies with U.N. Security Council resolutions and "promptly returns to six-party talks" aimed at ridding it of nuclear weapons.

The summit venue of Seogwipo _ on the island of Jeju off the southern coast _ is the South Korean city farthest away from the North. Still, the nervous South Korean government is taking no chances, positioning a surface-to-air missile outside the venue aimed toward the north.

Some 5,000 police officers, including approximately 200 commandos, and special vehicles that can analyze sarin gas and other chemicals have been deployed nearby, security authorities said in a press release. Marines, special forces and air patrols also kept watch on the island.

Leaders of the 10 members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations began arriving for the two-day summit, which officially begins Monday and commemorates 20 years of relations between South Korea and the bloc. South Korea's president planned to use Sunday for individual meetings with ASEAN leaders.

But concerns about North Korea's most recent bout of saber-rattling loomed. South Korean officials said Saturday that spy satellites had spotted signs that the North may be preparing to transport a long-range missile to a launch site.

The North has attacked South Korean targets before, bombing a Korea Air jet in 1987 and trying to kill then-President Chun Doo-hwan in Myanmar in 1983. But Pyongyang has largely abandoned such overt tactics in the past two decades.

The U.N. Security Council is still weighing how to react to the North's belligerent moves that have earned Pyongyang criticism from the U.S., Europe, Russia and even the North's closest ally, China.

U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates said Saturday that North Korea's progress on nuclear weapons and long-range missiles is "a harbinger of a dark future" and has created an urgent need for more pressure on the reclusive communist government to change its ways.

Gates, speaking at an annual meeting of defense and security officials in Singapore, said Pyongyang's efforts pose the potential for an arms race in Asia that could spread beyond the region.

An incensed North Korea said last month that it was quitting the six-party negotiations after the U.N. Security Council condemned its April 5 rocket launch, widely believed to be a test of its long-range missile technology. The Security Council has imposed sanctions against the North over its first nuclear test in October 2006.

The six-party framework, which began in 2003, consists of the two Koreas, China, Japan, Russia and the United States.

ASEAN consists of Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam.

In addition to the summit, a gathering of South Korean and Southeast Asian business leaders began Sunday with addresses by Lee and Abhisit, who both called for further cooperation to overcome the global economic crisis.

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Associated Press writers Hyung-jin Kim in Seogwipo, Lara Jakes and Vijay Joshi in Singapore, Kwang-tae Kim in Seoul, and AP photographer Bullit Marquez in Seogwipo contributed to this report.