adjustpeople

Gun show re-enactor faces up to 20 years in prison

2012-03-15T05:34:00.000-07:00

RAPID CITY, South Dakota (AP) — An Old West gun battle re-enactor in South Dakota who wounded three onlookers when he fired live rounds instead of blanks faces up to 20 years in prison after a plea deal.

Paul Doering of Summerset pleaded guilty to a newly leveled charge of tampering Thursday in federal court in Rapid City. In exchange, prosecutors dropped the original charge of being a …

Swiss defender Senderos joins Fulham from Arsenal

2012-03-15T03:07:00.000-07:00

Switzerland defender Philippe Senderos is joining Fulham from Arsenal on a three-year contract.

The 25-year-old center back moved to Arsenal from Swiss side Servette in 2003, but struggled to win a regular starting place and joined Everton on loan for the second half of …

Don't swallow everything you hear about women's health

2012-03-15T00:44:00.000-07:00

Fact: Women are prescribed significantly more medications and take more over-the-counter medications than men. Some medications are life-saving treatments for women and girls with serious or chronic health conditions. But some medications may not be necessary or may be inappropriate, and may cause more harm than good.

Here's what to consider:

Women's health is big business: Women are often the target audience for prescription drug advertisements now common on TV, in magazines, newspapers and on the Internet. Prescription drugs have an important place in the health of Canadian women. But drug ads often overstate health benefits and rarely highlight potential health …

WORLD at 1700GMT

2012-03-14T22:23:00.000-07:00

HIGHLIGHTS:

Update: FINLAND-SCHOOL SHOOTING. Gunman kills 8 at high school.

Update: GEORGIA-OPPOSITION. President accuses Moscow of fomenting unrest.

Update: US-FRANCE. Sarkozy tells Congress US-French friendship and alliance are strong.

New: INTERPOL-IRAN. Interpol votes against Iran in Argentina terror case.

New: LEBANON-SHIITE CLERIC. Shiite cleric warns against attacking against Iran.

New: WAR CRIMES-SERBIA. Prominent Serb nationalist stands trial for war crimes.

NKorea cuts SKorean presence in factory complex

2012-03-14T20:03:00.000-07:00

North Korea ordered a sharp cut in the number of South Koreans permitted to stay in a joint industrial complex in its border city of Kaesong amid worsening relations between the two Koreas, Seoul's Unification Ministry said Monday.

The North demanded that the number of South Koreans allowed to stay without restriction in the sprawling factory park be limited to 880 _ a fifth of the 4,200 people with permits to travel to or stay in the enclave.

The drastic cutback at the complex _ the last remaining reconciliation project left between the two countries _ is one of a series of measures the communist nation is taking in anger over Seoul's hard-line stance …

It tastes like fat - but won't make you fat

2012-03-14T17:43:00.000-07:00

Like so many other significant discoveries, Olestra came aboutby accident.

A Procter & Gamble researcher, exploring how the body absorbsfat, was trying to come up with a product with increased fat contentto nourish premature infants. Instead, he found something that didquite the opposite.

Olestra is a sucrose polyster that can mimic virtually anyedible fat, with one big difference - it passes straight through thebody's digestive system, leaving behind no calories or cholesterol.Indeed, it is believed, it takes some of the body's cholesterol withit.

In short, a dieter's dream.

"From a product development point of view, I'm not amazed bymany …

Boldface Names Attend Clinton Initiative

2012-03-14T15:22:00.000-07:00

NEW YORK - There's a role for artists and other famous faces to play when it comes to global issues, Shakira said during her visit to the Clinton Global Initiative conference, a meeting that has its share of well-known attendees.

But boldface names are not enough for former President Bill Clinton, who started the initiative in 2005. He wants everyone to be involved. So CGI is expanding to college campuses, Clinton told The Associated Press on Thursday.

"My objective here is ... to try, in effect, to make this a habit of citizenship, to make this something that everybody does," he said.

CGI brings together attendees to discuss global issues and asks them to take …

Ex-Bears quarterback acquitted of drunken driving

2012-03-14T13:02:00.000-07:00

Former Chicago Bears quarterback Bob Avellini has been acquitted of driving under the influence of alcohol by a DuPage County judge.

It's the third time since 2005 the 55-year-old Avellini has been found not guilty of drunken driving charges in the suburban Chicago county. He was convicted in 2002.

Judge Robert Kleeman said Wednesday there wasn't enough evidence to convict in the June …

Korean pact spurs hope, but nuclear fears remain

2012-03-14T10:41:00.000-07:00

SEOUL, South Korea The prediction echoed in many quarters hereis: Sometime soon, Kim Il Sung, the reclusive dictator who has ruledcommunist North Korea for nearly five decades, will meet with Roh TaeWoo, the former general who presides over capitalist South Korea.And with that meeting, one of the last vestiges of the Cold War - therivalry of the two Koreas - will be headed for history.

The prediction seemed an understandable response to the dramaticnews that Seoul and Pyongyang had signed a nonaggression andreconciliation accord Friday, a pact that involves pledges ofcooperation and exchange in economic, cultural and other areasbetween two formerly implacable enemies. …

Top art collector Roy Neuberger dies at 107 in NY

2012-03-14T08:21:00.000-07:00

NEW YORK (AP) — One of the top U.S. modern art collectors has died. Roy Neuberger was 107.

Neuberger Berman investment firm spokesman Rich Chimberg says Neuberger died Friday at his home in New York City's Pierre Hotel.

Neuberger survived Wall Street's three major crises with enough money to build one of the nation's largest collections of major contemporary art, including hundreds of works by the likes of …

Ailing Nathan headed back to Minnesota for tests

2012-03-14T06:00:00.000-07:00

Twins closer Joe Nathan is headed back to Minnesota to get his surgically repaired right elbow checked out.

Nathan says he felt fine while he was working out before spring training games. But there was some soreness when he threw 20 pitches against the Boston Red Sox on Saturday.

Nathan was expected to fly …

Verizon moves $20.2B in pension losses to the past

2012-03-14T03:36:00.000-07:00

NEW YORK (AP) — Following in the footsteps of rival AT&T Inc., Verizon Communications Inc. on Friday said it is changing its accounting in a way that effectively moves $20.2 billion worth of future losses into the past.

The New York phone company said it will recognize losses and gains in its plans that fund pensions and other retirement benefits, like the health care, in the same year they occur rather than amortizing them over time, as is standard practice.

That allows Verizon to reduce previous years' results by $20.2 billion, an amount that will then not weigh on future results.

AT&T Inc. last week became the first company to announce similar accounting changes. Analysts expect the maneuver will be copied by other companies seeking to put the effect on their pension plans of the 2008 financial crash behind them, and out of future financial statements.

"We believe this change results in a better way to account for the impact of benefit plans on our results. It's more straightforward, aligns with fair-value accounting concepts, and it's more transparent," said Francis Shammo, Verizon's chief financial officer.

The adjustments mean that Verizon lost $8.6 billion in 2008, rather than the reported net income of $6.4 billion, as the financial meltdown hammered the value of pension-plan assets like stocks. On the other hand, the 2009 result improved, to $5.1 billion from $3.7 billion.

For 2010, Verizon will recognize a charge of $600 million when it reports fourth-quarter results on Tuesday.

The accounting change does not affect Verizon cash flow or pension funding requirements. Its pension and post-retirement benefit obligations totaled $59 billion at the end of 2009, the latest figure reported. The plan assets are $27 billion less. The accounting change means that some of that shortfall won't weigh on future results, though Verizon will still have to contribute cash to pay for benefits.

Verizon shares rose 21 cents to $34.82 when the market opened.

European markets up as euro rises from 4-year low

2012-03-14T00:43:00.000-07:00

European stock markets rebounded Monday, and the euro pushed back up above near four-year lows against the dollar, despite ongoing worries about the continent's sovereign debt crisis. U.S. stocks were flat after a soft manufacturing survey for the New York region.

In Europe, the FTSE 100 index of leading British shares was up 28.35 points, or 0.5 percent, at 5,291.20, while Germany's DAX rose 32.32 points, or 0.5 percent, to 6,089.03. The CAC-40 in France was 8.43 points, or 0.2 percent, higher at 3,568.79.

In the U.S., the Dow Jones industrial average was up about 3 points at 10,623.11 soon after the open, while the broader Standard & Poor's 500 index rose 1.64 points, or 0.1 percent, at 1,137.32.

Most attention continued to center on the European debt crisis as investors fretted that efforts to cut deficits and debt will kill growth by withdrawing government stimulus from economies in Greece, Spain and Portugal.

Last week's EU-led euro750 billion rescue package may have eased near-term concerns that a eurozone country will default on its debt but has done little to assuage worries that the fiscal stringency being planned will work. In an interview with German newspaper Der Spiegel on Monday, European Central Bank President Jean-Claude Trichet said Europe's economy "is in its most difficult situation since World War II or perhaps even since World War I."

Those worries had weighed on expectations before the open in Europe, but stocks have proved resilient _ for now.

"These pressures are likely to weigh as the week goes on and although stock markets look overdue for some sort of rally, the risk is that any resurgence could be short-lived as investors keep a wary eye on government debt," said David Jones, chief market strategist at IG Index.

The biggest casualty from the eurozone debt crisis has been the euro, which was up 0.2 percent on the day at $1.2373. Earlier it had fallen to a four-year low of $1.2237.

Analysts say that much of the bounce back involves largely technical factors as traders stock buy euros to meet previous trading obligations, but that the currency will continue to be pressured until such a time as the markets think that cogent budgetary actions are in place for all the highly indebted countries.

In a note Monday, Fitch Ratings said investors are deeply skeptical about the ability of governments to get a handle on their huge debt burdens.

"Investors now perceive record government borrowing as the principal risk to market stability and economic recovery," said David Riley, a managing director at Fitch.

Fitch estimates that European governments will need to borrow euro2.2 trillion in 2010 to finance large deficits and roll over existing debt _ up marginally on 2009, which was the largest borrowing requirement for decades.

"While the package of measures announced last weekend will moderate euro area governments' vulnerability to 'confidence shocks' and extreme market volatility, investor confidence will remain fragile until European governments, including the UK, are seen to be delivering on fiscal consolidation and the economic recovery is secured," Riley said.

Though the European debt crisis remains the focal point in the markets, U.S. economic figures still have the potential to move markets. That was clear in the reaction to a weak manufacturing survey: futures markets were anticipating a much stronger opening than emerged.

The under performance on Wall Street came after the Empire State manufacturing index, which gauges activity in and around New York, slid to a four-month low of 19.1 in May from 31.9 the month before.

Paul Ashworth, senior U.S. economist at Capital Economics, said the drop could be the first signal that the rebound in the factory sector is fading and cautioned that the turmoil in Europe could be cutting into orders.

"Disconcerting news but, without corroborating evidence, we would be careful about reading too much into it," said Ashworth.

Earlier in Asia, stocks slid as investors responded to the sharp falls in Europe and the U.S. Friday.

Japan's benchmark Nikkei 225 stock average dropped 226.75 points, or 2.2 percent, to 10,235.76, while South Korea's Kospi lost 2.6 percent to 1,651.51 and Australia's S&P/ASX 200 index was down 3.1 percent at 4,467.20.

Hong Kong's Hang Seng index lost 2.1 percent, while Thailand sank 2.1 percent.

Oil prices oscillated all day in line with changes in share prices. Benchmark crude for June delivery was down 61 cents to $71 a barrel in electronic trading on the New York Mercantile Exchange. The June contract lost $2.79, almost 4 percent, to settle at $71.61 on Friday.

____

Associated Press Writer Alex Kennedy in Singapore contributed to this report.

Today's people

2012-03-13T21:51:00.000-07:00

Bernard Shaw

leaves anchor desk

LOS ANGELES - It was a fitting farewell for a newsman: A CNNtribute to departing anchor Bernard Shaw was bumped by coverage ofthe Seattle earthquake. "As you've always said, Bernie, the newscomes first at CNN," colleague Judy Woodruff told him on the airWednesday.

Shaw was to return for what Woodruff called "a more full andappropriate goodbye" at 5 p.m. Friday during "Inside Politics."

With the focus Wednesday on the magnitude-6.8 quake that hit thePacific Northwest, Shaw said only a brief goodbye after serving aschief anchor for most major stories during CNN's two-decade history.

Woodruff, who shared anchor duties with Shaw on "InsidePolitics," will work solo on the program. "CNN World View," will bereplaced in April by a new program with CNN senior analyst JeffGreenfield.

Chris Rock flick

succeeds after all

NEW YORK - Chris Rock shrugged off the so-so reviews of his newmovie when it came out.

"What can you do?" he told The Associated Press in an interview.

But in the two weeks since then, "Down to Earth" has been a solidsecond to "Hannibal" at the box office.

"You gotta take the good with the bad," said Rock, who plays astandup comic who's accidentally killed and then returns in the bodyof an aging, rich white guy.

The film is a remake of Warren Beatty's "Heaven Can Wait" (1978)and that film's 1941 predecessor, "Here Comes Mr. Jordan."

Rock said reviewers should only expound on what they have anaffinity and affection for.

"It's weird with the critics," he said. "I believe you can onlycriticize things you're a fan of. For instance, I love Prince. I'mhis audience. So the fans of his audience could criticize him.

"I don't really listen to country music. If it's something Iwouldn't see, listen to in the first place, I am not qualified tocriticize it."

'Sopranos' son

wants normal role

NEW YORK - Will A.J. wind up in the family business on "TheSopranos"?

After all, he's the son of New Jersey mob boss Tony Soprano.

For now, Robert Iler, who plays Anthony Soprano Jr., hopes he'llget to be more of a normal kid on the show, which has its third-season premiere Sunday night on HBO.

Iler, 16, is into skateboarding and listening to music, and he'dlike viewers to see A.J. doing some of that, too.

He told reporters recently that when fans see him on the street,they either try to pump him for information or sell him a scriptidea.

"People always get mad at me when something happens in the showbut I don't write the episodes so it's not up to me what happens,"Iler said.

"People every day just walking down the street try to give meideas for a script."

Kyle Thompson leads Pebble Beach Invitational

2012-03-13T19:00:00.000-07:00

PEBBLE BEACH, California (AP) — Kyle Thompson, set to rejoin the PGA Tour after finishing 21st on the Nationwide Tour money list this year, had a hole-in-one and shot an 8-under 64 at Pebble Beach on Thursday to take a one-stroke lead after the first round of the Callaway Golf Pebble Beach Invitational.

Thompson aced the 109-yard seventh, his 16th hole of the round. He also had seven birdies and a bogey.

Jason Kokrak, a two-time winner this year on the Nationwide Tour who finished fourth on the developmental tour's money list, had a 7-under 65 at Del Monte. He had two eagles, seven birdies and four bogeys.

Matt Bettencourt, the 2010 Reno-Tahoe Open winner, was third after a 4-under 68 at Del Monte.

Glenbrook S. balance is key vs. Oak Park

2012-03-13T16:05:00.000-07:00

No. 2 Glenbrook South and No. 10 Oak Park each have twovolleyball starters who are first-team club players during theoffseason.

The difference during the high school season is in theirrespective supporting casts. That disparity was evident Thursday asGlenbrook South's balanced attack scored a 15-12, 15-5 win overvisiting Oak Park.

"We really keyed on their two players (Tom Trantow and JohnSchultz)," Glenbrook South coach Patty Iverson said. "We weren'ttrying to shut them down; we were just trying to decrease theirnumber of kills."Trantow finished with six kills and Schultz three for Oak Park(8-3).The Titans (5-0) countered with their tandem of Tim O'Brien(seven kills) and Eric Rapoport (four kills), along with Matt Harris(four kills), Chris Dimitropoulos and Dave Mattas."We have a balanced attack," Iverson said. "It isn't importantwhich players hit the ball. We are confident in all of them."O'Brien's left-handed jump serve scored two aces as the Titanstook a 9-7 lead in the first game. They stretched the margin to12-7 on a Harris ace."We got burned a little bit (on the serve)," Oak Park coach JohnKasik said.The Huskies closed within 14-12 on a block by Conor Galogly,but after an O'Brien kill forced a sideout, Oak Park's receivingerror gave the Titans the game.In Game 2, Glenbrook South took leads of 9-3 and 12-4. AnO'Brien block and a Rapoport kill closed the match."It wasn't necessarily that we prevailed, but Oak Park kind oflet up," Iverson said.

Voyager fuel OK despite storms, detours

2012-03-13T13:11:00.000-07:00

LOS ANGELES (AP) As Voyager headed for the halfway point in itsnonstop around-the-world flight, officials early today said theexperimental plane was expected to have enough fuel despite detoursto avoid storms.

Earlier in the day, designer Burt Rutan, brother of pilot DickRutan, 48, said numerous changes in the planned route and altitudehad reduced the aircraft's fuel efficiency. He said there wasconcern the flight might not be completed.

But Voyager spokesman Larry Cansler said several hours laterthere no longer is much concern about fuel. The aircraft's frontengine was stopped after running a day longer than planned tocircumvent Indian Ocean storms.

"Voyager is running efficiently on one engine at 11,000 feet,and we expect fuel consumption to be much better on the second halfof the flight," Cansler said.

Voyager passed over Sri Lanka in the Indian Ocean at 10:30 p.m.,Chicago time, yesterday, more than 11,000 miles on its 25,000-mileglobal flight. It was heading toward the southern tip of India,Cansler said.

At 10:15 a.m., pilot Rutan had radioed that Voyager was beingbuffeted by a storm over the Indian Ocean. On Tuesday, the planeflew past a typhoon to take advantage of its wind.

Larry Burch, the weather forecaster on duty, said he told Rutanto turn north and then head for Sri Lanka and the tip of India.

Burt Rutan said Voyager also deviated several times from its mostefficient altitude, which required running both forward and rearengines longer than planned. Cutoff of the forward engine had beenplanned to save fuel.

Voyager was approaching breaking two world records forlong-distance flights.

U.S. Navy Cmdr. T. D. Davies and three others set the previous"straight-line" long-distance record for piston-engine aircraft,11,235.6 miles, set 20 years ago aboard a revamped Navy bomber dubbedthe "Truculent Turtle."

Voyager officials said a more important mark is the worldabsolute straight-line distance of 12,532.2 miles set in 1962 by AirForce Maj. Clyde P. Eviely in a B-52.

Voyager completed the first third of its planned flight on theanniversary of the day the Wright brothers ushered in the era ofaviation with their historic first flight, on Dec. 17, 1903, at KittyHawk, N.C. The Voyager pilots have called their attempt to circle theglobe on one load of gas "aviation's last great adventure."

But famed test pilot Chuck Yeager, the first man to break thesound barrier, belittled the project. He compared it with "taking acar from Los Angeles and driving it to New York and putting a bigenough fuel tank in it so you don't have to stop."

"The technology in the Voyager is old technology - it's not abreakthrough," said Yeager, no relation to Voyager co-pilot JeanaYeager, 34.

Before the fuel worries, the main concern was crew fatigue.

Rutan and Yeager traded flying more regularly yesterday at theinsistence of flight surgeon Dr. George Jutila, who was concernedabout crew fatigue as the flight progressed. Rutan, 48, a former AirForce fighter pilot, had spent 12 hours guiding the plane past thefierce vortex of Typhoon Marge.

"Dick got six solid hours of sleep during the last 24-hourperiod period," Jutila said Wednesday.

The two-engine, propeller-driven plane's 109-foot wingspan islonger than a Boeing 727's, but the crew has only 43 cubic feetcabin-cockpit space, about half that of a Honda Civic auto. When onepilot sits in the 2-foot-wide cabin, the other has just enough roomto lie down.

Red Wings re-sign veteran Chris Chelios

2012-03-13T10:12:00.000-07:00

The Detroit Red Wings re-signed 46-year-old defenseman Chris Chelios for one year on Tuesday.

Chelios enters his 25th NHL season and his 10th with the Red Wings. He began his career with the Montreal Canadiens and also played for the Chicago Blackhawks. Last season, he became the second-oldest player in NHL history to appear in a game behind Gordie Howe.

Chelios has 948 points in 1,616 regular-season games.

Three stand out in Derby field

2012-03-13T06:42:00.000-07:00

The 123rd Kentucky Derby on May 3 will be something to behold.

Pulpit, a Kentucky-bred speedster who racesnear the lead, and Captain Bodgit, a great stretch runner with afront left leg that would keep him out of any chorus line because ofits bad bend, rate as co-favorites at probably 5-2. Give or take afew dimes here and there.

As good as they are, though, they'll have to contend withCrypto Star, a great stretch runner. He has won four of six starts,including two Grade I stakes: the $500,000 Louisiana Derby in NewOrleans and last week's $500,000 Arkansas Derby.But this Derby doesn't have great horses in it such asCount Fleet, Exterminator, Seattle Slew, Secretariat, Whirlaway,Count Fleet, Northern Dancer and other past winners.Pulpit is dangerous because he has fine speed and his sireis A.P. Indy, who won the Santa Anita Derby, Belmont Stakes andBreeders' Cup Classic in 1992. Pulpit won four of five starts, andthe fact that he's improving also gives him a high rating.But there is some doubt as to whether he can win at the 11/4-mile Derby distance. Don't hold me to this, but when Pulpit madehis first start at Gulfstream Park, I figured he's my Kentucky Derbypick. But lately, I'm weakening on his chances because he hasn'tindicated he'll enjoy the Derby distance. He may tire. Then againhe may not because he's back home in Kentucky.So where do we go from there? Captain Bodgit, who ran pastPulpit in the Florida Derby like he was standing still, is a powerfulthreat. A syndicate headed by Barry Irwin bought Captain Bodgit for$500,000 even with the suspicious leg.The syndicate won the Florida Derby and the Wood Memorial,which more than paid for his price. Captain Bodgit is a runningfool.The horse fanciers in Illinois should root for Crypto Starbecause the owners - Darrell Yates and his wife, Evelyn - are fromBethalto, Ill., just a 4 1/2-hour car ride from Arlington,Sportsman's Park and Hawthorne. Philip Teinowitz and Hargus andSandra Sexton, who bred Crypto Star, sold him to the Yates for only$100,000.The Yates rejected an offer of $3 million from a horseowner, maybe in a syndicate, for Crypto Star."My wife, Evelyn, and I love the colt, think he's going to be atop horse this year and maybe also next, so we turned down the fineoffer," Yates said."It's a lot of money, but I think he'll win the Kentucky Derby.He's a top colt who just loves to run.""We've got a great colt," said Wayne Catalano, a former jockeyand the trainer of Crypto Star. "He enjoys running, and I reallybelieve he'll win the Derby."His jockey, Pat Day, thinks the world of him: "Crypto is agreat stretch runner."Along with his four wins, Crypto Star has a second and athird.The Yates have four sons who work for them in their business.Yates' son Wendell reportedly bet $100 to win on Crypto Star at100-1 in Las Vegas. Crypto Star figures to be no higher than 7-2 onDerby Day.Pulpit won his first two starts, but when he tried to winthe Florida Derby at Gulfstream as an odds-on favorite, CaptainBodgit caught him nearing the wire in the 1 1/8-mile race. Butwhen Pulpit ran in the 1 1/8-mile Blue Grass Stakes at Keeneland, hedid it without a hitch, but there was no Captain Bodgit meeting him.Pulpit had something going for him in the Blue Grass. Heran with Lasix, which helps bleeders breathe better, and the lackof opposition in the race also helped him. If he continues toimprove, however, nobody, especially the Kentuckians, are going tocount him out of the Derby.Jockey Shane Sellers says he wouldn't trade places with anyother rider, and the colt's trainer, Frankie Brothers, is a tophorseman.I could go out an a limb and say the Derby is a three-horserace, but it seems that something always happens after a prediction.I'm not high on Pulpit anymore, but when they turn for home,I think Pulpit will be in front with Captain Bodgit and Crypto Starcircling the field, flying on the outside and catching Pulpit withevery stride.There may be 17 starters in the Derby, but only CaptainBodgit, Crypto Star and Pulpit have caught my eye.

Cornelys, T(h)eresa (nÃ©e Imer)

2012-03-13T02:56:00.000-07:00

Cornelys, T(h)eresa (née Imer)

Cornelys, T(h)eresa (née Imer) , colorful Italian singer; b. Venice, 1723; d. London, Aug. 19, 1797. After making her debut in Venice (c. 1741), she pursued her career in Vienna, Hamburg, Copenhagen, and the Low Countries; while in the latter, she married the dancer Pompeati but generally used the professional name of Cornelys. In 1746 she made her London debut in Gluck's Caduta de' giganti. In 1759 she settled in London, where she received the support of Casanova, with whom she was intimate. In 1760 she began giving concerts at Carlisle House in Soho Square, but these came to an inglorious end when she was indicted in 1771 for running an establishment of ill repute. She was convicted and spent her remaining years in the Fleet Street prison, being survived by a daughter born out of wedlock to Casanova. Although her contemporaries considered her a gifted singer, her reputation suffered as a result of the vagaries of her private life.

—Nicolas Slonimsky/Laura Kuhn/Dennis McIntire

Unsuitable Beach Ideas

2012-03-12T23:56:00.000-07:00

We're supposed to get to a point in our lives at which we becomecomfortable with our bodies, accept our physical imperfections andworry about something important for a change.

That's why I've been following strategic developments in thebathing suit industry as they relate to my thirty- andforty-something sisters.

We're holding up pretty well, considering most of us have kids.Privately, just between us, we admit that our best pictures weretaken five years ago. We laugh about it. We claim that after theindignities of pregnancy and childbirth, we're just happy to be aliveand alone under our skin.

We talk that way but when beach time comes, we still aim forperfection.

And the fashion industry has responded. In the last two years,it has given us swimsuit engineering on a par with the Stealthbomber. These new suits are scientifically designed. They haveslimming side panels, leg-lengthening cuts, bust-enhancing rufflesand strategic color schemes. They're reinforced with some sort ofmiracle fabric that simultaneously flattens tummies, sculptureswaistlines and firms rear ends. I'll bet you could heal a slippeddisc if you slept in one.

For suits like these, women of a certain age are paying upwardsof $100. Gladly. But whoa! Now Sports Illustrated swimsuit issuecover girl Christie Brinkley, 38, is saying "Enough!"

"This is it! I never want to pose in a swimsuit again!"Brinkley proclaimed last month from a magazine cover, encased in oneof these high-tech suits, a red spandex one-piece with underwires anda zipper. Brinkley, who has a young daughter, explained, "It'sgotten too hard to suck my stomach in."

"Way to go Christie," I thought, even though I only half believeher. Maybe she's sincerely ready to lead her generation around thisturning point. But somehow I just can't see her walking the beachwearing gym shorts over her bathing suit, as my girlfriends insist ondoing no matter how dorky it looks.

Counterbalancing Ms. Brinkley's purported good sense comestroubling news from Cole of California, the swimsuit manufacturinggiant.

Last week, Cole announced a technology breakthrough it calls"Top Secret" - an inflatable bikini top which operates like pumpsneakers.

"Need a little more uplift? Pffft. Does your cup runneth over?Pssst. Let some air out," explained a fashion wire story.

Two things occurred to me. First, has Top Secret been approvedas a flotation device? And second, why is this $72 suit part ofCole's junior line? What do teenagers need with high-tech swimwear?They wouldn't know a cellulite dimple if they fell into one!

But of course, it's very simple. The manufacturers are merelypriming the pump. They can't allow this "I'm OK, you're OK"feel-good-about-yourself bathing suit movement to get out of hand.Heck - people would hit the beach in any old thing! They'd sag andjiggle and not give a hoot. They wouldn't need to buy expensivebathing suits!

So they've hit on a new way to revive and perpetuate theartificial standard of perfection in the up-and-coming generation ofbeach beauties.

Surf's up, girls! Pffft.

Leslie Baldacci is on interim assignment as a member of theSun-Times editorial board.

Agriculture's Ed Madigan is cultivating controversy // Nutrition-initiative delays hint he's soft on industry

2012-03-12T21:00:00.000-07:00

WASHINGTON There's a giant copy of a newspaper headline hanging onthe office wall: "Ed Madigan says being the secretary of agricultureis easy."

A question mark has been penciled in at the end of the sentence.Edward Madigan did it several months ago, for comic relief.

Since then, the job of agriculture secretary certainly hasn'tgotten any easier - or funnier - for Madigan, who recently revealedthat he was the Cabinet's top check bouncer in the House ofRepresentatives' banking controversy. Madigan wrote 49 bad checkstotaling $30,000 during a three-year period while he served in theHouse.

Two days later, Madigan made the news again when he announcedsweeping regulatory changes for the U.S. Agriculture Department.Among them was a one-year postponement of mandatorynutrition-labeling of processed meat and poultry products.

All of this attention is a change for Madigan, perhaps theCabinet's least visible member and a man who is repeatedly describedas low-key.

It has also been a break from his usual routine as agriculturesecretary, a job that consists largely of giving speeches and holdingmeetings with his constituency - everyone from cattle ranchers tocanola growers to consumer groups.

Agriculture is America's largest industry, and the USDA is thefederal government's fourth-biggest agency, with a budget of $55.4billion - more than the total national budget of most countries.

While much of what the USDA does relates to the needs andinterests of the nation's 2 million farmers, more than 50 percent ofthe agency's budget goes to food and nutrition programs that helpfeed 100 million Americans daily.

It runs the nation's school breakfast and lunch programs, thefood stamp program, the Supplemental Food Program for Women, Infantsand Children, and the Nutrition Program for the Elderly. It is thelead government agency for nutrition education. It also inspects thenation's meat and poultry plants.

It is in the role of nutrition educator and inspector that theagency has come under fire. Madigan admits that the agency'sperformance in inspecting the nation's meat and poultry plants lackscredibility.

As for his own credibility, Madigan, a moderate Republican fromDownstate Lincoln, has surprising bipartisan support.

The extension given recently to the meat industry to implementmandatory labeling has led some to say that Madigan's reputation hasbeen tarnished when it comes to nutrition initiatives. Yet hemaintains that the one-year delay still puts the department in thedirection it wants to go. The industry had asked for a three-yeardelay, he said.

Many observers have commented that Madigan acts too much like amember of Congress, fixating on how things will "play" on CapitolHill.

As for his nutrition initiatives, "I can't say it's more thanwindow dressing," said Rodney Leonard, a USDA official during theKennedy and Johnson administrations. But at least it's more than hisprevious Republican predecessors did, Leonard added.

At least nutrition appears to hold a personal interest forMadigan. He lowered his blood cholesterol 100 points to 180 byexercising regularly and eating less meat and more fruits andvegetables. Madigan's typical lunch at the USDA consists of skimmilk and a plate of vegetables - a diet that probably would surprisehis steak-loving constituency.

Madigan says he is committed to improving nutrition education.That commitment led to what Madigan calls a "cause celebre" - theEating Right pyramid.

The pyramid, which had been under development by USDA for almostthree years, was to have replaced the "Basic Four Food Groups" foodwheel. The proposed chart represents the various food groups aslayers on a pyramid, with vegetables, fruits and grains at the broadbase, meat and dairy products in a narrow band near the top and fatsand oils at the tip.

Madigan, who had been in office for a short time and didn't knowthe pyramid existed until he read about it in a newspaper articlelast April, yanked it before its implementation.

Allegations followed that he had been pressured by the meatindustry, which didn't like its positioning on the chart. Madiganmaintained that he was concerned that the graphic had not been testedon low-income consumers or children, and that he had gottencomplaints from many groups.

But he said the criticism came from not only "the beef people,"but from members of Congress, medical experts and the poor.

So the USDA went back to the drawing board, paying $700,000 to aprivate contractor to retest various graphics. Madigan said thedecision, which is promised soon, is between the pyramid once again,or a rice bowl that depicts the food groups with vertical bands.

The pyramid gets across the low-fat message better; the bowl ispreferred by low-income groups, although it doesn't convey the ideaof proportionality as well. Madigan said he is still unsure;whichever decision he makes is likely to be controversial.

SAMUEL C. MARAGOS 1922-2005; Ex-judge, lawyer worked 'tirelessly' for causes

2012-03-12T17:18:00.000-07:00

Former Cook County Judge Samuel C. Maragos, 83, died Tuesday ofcongestive heart failure.

An attorney who specialized in municipal law, wills, tax,commercial and trust law, Mr. Maragos practiced with his son, Dean,at Maragos & Maragos until he took ill a few months ago.

As a state representative and state senator from South Chicagofrom 1968 to 1980,he helped pass the no-fault insurance law, the lawagainst panic-peddling and bills related to the Illinois PortAuthority, which he served on as vice chairman. He voted for openhousing and the Equal Rights Amendment.

Mr. Maragos served several terms as an appointed Cook County judgein the early 1990s.

Mr. Maragos was born in Sioux City, Iowa, in 1922 to Greekimmigrant parents. During the Depression, the family moved toChicago, where Mr. Maragos attended Bowen High School, then workedhis way through the University of Chicago, graduating with abachelor's degree in 1943.

In 1943 he joined the Army, leaving in 1946 as a lieutenant. In1948 he graduated from the John Marshall Law School and began acareer in law and public service. He later served as chairman of JohnMarshall's board of trustees.

He was one of the original organizers of the Retail Clerk's Unionin 1939 and prided himself on a 100 percent pro-union voting recordin 1980 in the state Senate.

He was a founding member of the Hellenic Bar Association, on theexecutive committee of the United Hellenic American Congress and wasactive in the Greek Orthodox Church.

When Massachusetts Gov. Michael Dukakis ran for president in 1988,Mr. Maragos was one of his most active supporters in Illinois.

"There are not so many Greek Americans in public life, and SamMaragos had just the best reputation in Springfield, honest,incorruptible, capable, he was just the best," said U.S. DistrictJudge Charles Kocoras. "He worked tirelessly for every cause he wasinvolved in."

He headed up the South Chicago Chamber of Commerce, the SouthChicago American Legion Post 493 and served on the executive board ofthe Chicago Area Council of the Boy Scouts.

In addition to Dean, Mr. Maragos is survived by his wife, Cleo;sons A. John, Dr. James and George; and seven grandchildren.

His funeral will be at 9:30 a.m. today at S.S. Constantine andHelen Greek Orthodox Church, 11025 S. Roberts Rd., Palos Hills.Internment will follow at Fairmont-Willow Hill Cemetery.

Dumas, Miller Help Suns Make It to Top

2012-03-12T13:38:00.000-07:00

The Suns, who are on track to finish in the neighborhood of65-17, might have the best rookie tandem in Richard Dumas and OliverMiller, who has slimmed down to 285.

"I weighed more than 335 pounds last summer," Miller saidrecently.

"So I've lost more than 50 pounds. And I can really feel thedifference.

"I was on the way to killing myself, trying to run the floorwith that much weight.

"My goal is to lose about five more pounds and then work withour trainer (Robin Pound) on toning and getting my power back."

The 6-7 Dumas is a slasher who averages 16 points and 4.6rebounds. He is a 53 percent shooter. Miller ranks 10th on the14-player roster in minutes played, but is third in blocked shots,sixth in rebounds and is scoring 5.7 points a game.

Report on Iraq Shows Mixed Results

2012-03-12T10:02:00.000-07:00

WASHINGTON - The Iraqi government has made only mixed progress toward fulfilling goals for political, military and economic reform, the Bush administration said Thursday in a report certain to inflame debate in Congress future U.S. war strategy.

In an interim assessment required by Congress, the administration accused Syria of fostering a network that supplies as many as 50 to 80 suicide bombers per month for al-Qaida in Iraq. It also said Iran continues to fund extremist groups.

The report said that despite progress on some fronts by the government of Nouri al-Maliki, "the security situation in

Iraq remains complex and extremely challenging," the "economic picture is uneven" and political reconciliation is lagging.

At a news conference that coincided with the report's release, President Bush said, "I believe we should succeed in Iraq and I know we must."

In remarks clearly aimed at his critics, he added, "When we start drawing down our forces in Iraq, it will (be) because our military commanders say the conditions on the ground are right, not because pollsters say it'll be good politics."

Bush was still answering questions at the White House when Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., responded. "It is time for the president to listen to the American people and do what is necessary to protect this nation. That means admitting his Iraq policy has failed, working with the Democrats and Republicans in Congress on crafting a new way forward in Iraq, and refocusing our collective efforts on defeating al Qaida," he said in a statement.

The report warned of "tough fighting" during the summer, as U.S. and Iraqi forces "seek to seize the initiative from early gains and shape conditions of longer-term stabilization."

While Bush announced last winter he was ordering thousands of additional troops to the war zone, the full complement has only arrived in recent weeks. "The full surge in this respect has only just begun," the report said.

In an evident jab at critics of Bush's war policies, the report also said progress toward political reconciliation was hampered by "increasing concern among Iraqi political leaders that the United States may not have a long term-commitment to Iraq."

The report was issued in the fifth year of a war that has taken the lives of more than 3,000 U.S. troops, and is costing the United States an estimated $10 billion a month.

In all, it credited the Iraqi government with satisfactory progress on eight benchmarks, unsatisfactory progress on another eight and mixed results on the other two.

At the White House, press secretary Tony Snow said the fact that "satisfactory progress" has been made in several security areas "should provide some space for the government of Iraq to make progress on key political benchmarks."

"The report is balanced and sober," he said in a statement. "It documents the challenges faced by U.S. and Iraqi forces and provides a basis for measuring progress as the surge enters the stage of full implementation."

The report was designed as an interim assessment of the shift in policy that Bush announced last winter, in the wake of Republican defections in an election in which the war played a significant role.

A second report is due in September from Gen. David Petraeus, the commander of U.S. forces in Iraq.

The new assessment landed as both houses of Congress debated legislation to order the withdrawal of U.S. troops by next spring. The House appeared on track to approve its version of the bill later in the day, but opponents in the Senate appear to have the strength to prevent a final vote next week in the Senate.

In either event, Bush has pledged to veto the legislation, and has enough support to make his rejection stick.

Still, with polls showing scant public support for the war, and the U.S. casualty count climbing, Republicans whose names will be on the 2008 election ballot have shown increasing signs of restiveness in recent weeks.

Several veteran Republicans have called on Bush to change course, and Sen. Gordon Smith, R-Oregon, on Wedneday became the first member of his party to announce on the Senate floor that he will support legislation that orders a troop withdrawal to begin within 120 days, to be completed by next April 30.

That announcement, along with other calls for a dramatic change in policy, prompted an acerbic response from Rep. John Boehner, R-Ohio. "Wimps," he called fellow GOP lawmakers who part company with the president on the war.

Bush in recent days rejected calls for any shift in strategy before September.

But neither he nor administration officials have speculated about what might happen after that.

The administration's report, however, referred repeatedly to the Iraq Study Group that issued a report last winter that drew widespread praise in Congress.

The bipartisan panel said Bush should start handing off the combat mission to the Iraqi forces and pave the way for a drawdown of U.S. forces in 2008.

"While all of those conditions have not yet been met, and the new strategy is still in its early stages, there are some encouraging signs that should, over time, point the way to a more normalized and sustainable level of U.S. engagement in Iraq, with a decreasing number of U.S. combat forces increasingly focused on a core set of missions, such as those set out by the bipartisan Iraq Study Group," the report states.