apologizeforzed

French tennis player Nathalie Dechy retires

2012-03-15T05:57:00.000-07:00

French tennis player Nathalie Dechy is retiring to concentrate on her family life.

The French tennis federation said in a statement Tuesday that the 30-year-old Dechy has decided to end her career as she is expecting a child.

Dechy reached the Australian Open semifinals in 2005, but is currently ranked …

`Beautiful Day' for N.Y. Musicians

2012-03-15T03:31:00.000-07:00

NEW YORK South Africa's best known musicians, singer MiriamMakeba and trumpeter Hugh Masekela, cast their votes Tuesday in theircountry's election under billowing tents set up on the grounds of theUnited Nations.

"It's the most beautiful day of my life - aside from the factsome of my people are dying," said Makeba, 62, who has been in exilefor three decades and whose powerful, …

Iran puts Guard death toll at 18 in base blast

2012-03-15T01:08:00.000-07:00

TEHRAN, Iran (AP) — Iran on Wednesday said 18 members of the powerful Revolutionary Guard were killed in an explosion that struck the force's base in the country's west a day earlier.

The state IRNA news agency said 14 other Guard troops were wounded in Tuesday's blast in the city of Khoramabad, some 300 miles (500 kilometers) southwest of the capital, Tehran. The injured were taken to hospitals in Khoramabad.

The report said the blast was caused by a fire that had reached the ammunition storage area, but there was no word on what had ignited the blaze. In their first reports of the blast late Tuesday, most Iranian media said the explosion was an accident.

Although …

Postseason NHL Schedule

2012-03-14T22:47:00.000-07:00

All Times EDT

FIRST ROUND

(Best-of-7)

EASTERN CONFERENCE

New Jersey vs. Philadelphia

Wednesday, April 14

Philadelphia 2, New Jersey 1

Friday, April 16

New Jersey 5, Philadelphia 3

Sunday, April 18

Philadelphia 3, New Jersey 2, OT

Tuesday, April 20

Philadelphia 4, New Jersey 1

Thursday, April 22

Philadelphia 3, New Jersey 0, Philadelphia wins series 4-1

___

Buffalo vs. Boston

Thursday, April 15

Buffalo 2, Boston 1

Saturday, April 17

Boston 5, Buffalo 3

…

[ London . . . ]

2012-03-14T20:27:00.000-07:00

London . . .

Prince Charles got gobsmacked!

A clash of diary dates on the royal calendar caused a nightmarefor Charles when the Vatican decided to conduct Pope John Paul II'sfuneral on his wedding day!

Not since Britain's King Henry VIII severed his ties to Rome whenthe pope refused to grant him a divorce has the papacy given theBritish royal family such a headache.

It's no secret the heir to the British throne's marriage todivorcee Camilla Parker Bowles has become a catalog of crises and alitany of disasters, but the pope's death might be the worst yet.

To wit: The Vatican's decision to conduct the papal funeral Fridayresulted in Prince Charles …

Entropy and heat capacity of DNA melting from temperature dependence of single molecule stretching

2012-03-14T18:06:00.000-07:00

ABSTRACT When a single molecule of double-stranded DNA is stretched beyond its B-form contour length, the measured force shows a highly cooperative overstretching transition. We have measured the force at which this transition occurs as a function of temperature. To do this, single molecules of DNA were captured between two polystyrene beads in an optical tweezers apparatus. As the temperature of the solution surrounding a captured molecule was increased from 11degC to 52degC in 500 mM NaCl, the overstretching transition force decreased from 69 pN to 50 pN. This reduction is attributed to a decrease in the stability of the DNA double helix with increasing temperature. These results …

AT&T: Long-delayed BlackBerry to go on sale Nov. 4

2012-03-14T15:46:00.000-07:00

AT&T Inc. says that the new flagship BlackBerry model that was initially expected this summer, the Bold 9000, will go on sale Nov. 4.

Ralph de la Vega, head of AT&T's consumer business, supplied the launch date on the company's third-quarter earnings conference call Wednesday.

When BlackBerry manufacturer Research in Motion Ltd. revealed the model in …

Dog mess situation gets worse and is spreading across town

2012-03-14T13:26:00.000-07:00

Several weeks ago, the head teacher of St Benedict's JuniorSchool in Glastonbury wrote to the editor regarding the concerningamount of dog poo on the stretch of Benedict Street outside theschool, a similar letter was sent to the town council and brieflydiscussed by the councillors at the last meeting with the ratherunsatisfactory conclusion that if anyone sees the culprit(s) theyshould take a photo so that they can be dealt with accordingly.

For the record this situation has worsened, in fact on March 28it was like playing a game of "spot the pavement" and it is notmerely on Benedict Street.

The owners of Priory House, next to St Mary's Church, had to …

Monarchs Beat Lynx for 9th Straight Time

2012-03-14T11:05:00.000-07:00

MINNEAPOLIS - Kara Lawson scored 19 points and the Sacramento Monarchs continued their recent dominance over the Minnesota Lynx with a 74-64 victory Sunday night.

The Monarchs have now won nine straight games against Minnesota, with their last loss coming July 11, 2004, at Target Center. But the defending Western Conference champions had to work for this victory against the West's worst team a year ago.

After taking a 13-point advantage into halftime thanks to 15 second-chance points, Sacramento was outscored 18-10 in the third and saw its lead dwindle to four on three occasions in the final period.

But Lawson hit a pivotal 3-pointer and a pair of free throws in …

Eschborn-Frankfurt City Loop results

2012-03-14T08:45:00.000-07:00

Results Friday from the 190-kilometer (118-mile) Eschborn-Frankfurt City Loop road race, with rider, country, team:

1. Fabian Wegmann, Germany, Milram, 4 hours, 35 minutes, 40 seconds.

2. Karsten Kroon, Netherlands, Saxo Bank, same time.

3. Christian Knees, Germany, Milram, 19 seconds behind.

4. Bert De Waele, Belgium, …

U.S. OPEN 1991

2012-03-14T06:24:00.000-07:00

Thursday's highlights

Sixth-seeded Pete Sampras advanced when Wayne Ferreira suffereda sprained ankle. Sampras led 6-1, 6-2, 2-2 at the time. Amongother seeded men, No. 1 Boris Becker, No. 4 Jim Courier and No. 11David Wheaton all won in straight sets. So did Jimmy Connors. Onthe women's side, No. 1 Steffi Graf blanked Catherine Mothes. Today's top …

Pastor who questioned hell discusses his departure

2012-03-14T04:04:00.000-07:00

GRANDVILLE, Mich. (AP) — The pastor of a West Michigan megachurch who raised a storm of controversy within evangelical Christianity this year with his book questioning traditional beliefs about hell has told his congregants they'll do fine without him.

The Grand Rapids Press says (http://j.mp/pQ4eqr ) Rob Bell made the comment Sunday at Mars Hill Bible Church in Grandville. He announced plans to leave last week.

Bell says he and the …

Former Croatian Serb Leader Convicted

2012-03-14T01:12:00.000-07:00

THE HAGUE, Netherlands - The Yugoslav war crimes tribunal convicted a wartime leader of Croatia's rebel Serbs of murder, torture and persecution Tuesday and sentenced him to 35 years in prison for a brutal ethnic cleansing campaign of non-Serbs in Croatia.

Judges said Milan Martic, 52, was responsible for hundreds of murders from 1991 when Serbs in the Krajina region of southern Croatia rebelled and set up a breakaway ministate until 1995 when Croatian forces recaptured the area.

He also was convicted of ordering two days of indiscriminate cluster bomb shelling of the Croatian capital, Zagreb, in May 1995 that killed at least seven civilians and injured more than 200.

Most of the crimes were "committed against elderly people, persons held in detention and civilians. The special vulnerability of these victims adds to the gravity of the crimes," said presiding judge Bakone Moloto.

Martic stood still and showed no emotion as Moloto read out the verdict and his sentence.

The three-judge U.N. panel said Martic was deeply involved in a criminal plot with other Serb leaders including Slobodan Milosevic, Gen. Ratko Mladic and Radovan Karadzic to carve out an ethnically pure "greater Serbia" as Yugoslavia crumbled that would include about one third of Croatia.

"It is clear that Milan Martic endorsed the goal of creating a unified Serb state," said Moloto.

Martic was indicted in July 1995, just two months after ordering the shelling of Zagreb.

The indiscriminate attack using rockets loaded with cluster bombs over two days hit buildings including a school, a children's hospital and the Croatian national theater, said Moloto. In media interviews, Martic admitted ordering the shelling to retaliate against Croatian attacks on Serbs and warn against further attacks, Moloto said.

Describing attacks on Croat villages by Martic's forces, Moloto said that after the initial military push by Serb forces subsided, "acts of killing and violence were committed against the civilian non-Serb population who did not manage to flee. Houses, churches and property were destroyed and widespread looting was carried out."

In the villages of Hrvatska Dubica and Cerovljani in October 1991, Croats were forced from their homes, beaten and used as human shields by Serbs. When they fled, Serbs moved into their homes, Moloto said.

On Oct. 20, 1991, more than 40 villagers were detained at a local fire station by Croatian Serb forces. Eleven were released or managed to escape, but the next day the remaining prisoners were taken to the banks of a nearby river and killed, Moloto said. Their bodies were dumped in several graves, including a mass grave judges visited during the trial.

Martic turned himself into the U.N. court in May 2002 and pleaded not guilty to all 19 charges of war crimes and crimes against humanity.

He was convicted Tuesday of 16 counts and acquitted of the charge of extermination, saying the number of deaths involved did not justify the charge. Judges dropped two other charges, saying they were covered by another charge in the indictment.

Prosecutors called 45 witnesses to testify against Martic, including another Croatian Serb Milan Babic, who was sentenced to 13 years for his involvement in the atrocities and later committed suicide in the tribunal's detention unit after testifying against Milosevic.

The Croatian general, Ante Gotovina, who drove the rebel Serbs out of the Krajina in 1995 also is on trial at the U.N. court for offenses committed in Operation Storm that successfully reclaimed the region.

`Urban Legends: Final Cut' premieres

2012-03-13T22:20:00.000-07:00

`Urban Legends: Final Cut' premieres

"Urban Legends: Final Cut," starring Jennifer Morrison, Matthew Davis, Hart Bochner, Joseph Lawrence and Loretta Devine, is currently slated to open in theaters nationwide Friday, Sept. 22.

Amy (Morrison), Travis (Davis) and Graham (Lawrence) are student filmmakers who would love to make it big in Hollywood. But first they have got to survive their last semester at Alpine University, where their thesis film will vie for the prestigious, career-making Hitchcock Award. From the producers of "I Know What You Did Last Summer" and "Urban Legends: Final Cut," about a contest where the competition is killer -- and someone's killing the competition.

"Urban Legends: Final Cut" also stars Anthony Anderson, Eva Medes, Michael Bacall, Jessica Cauffiel and Marco Hofschneider.

The Phoenix Pictures presentation is distributed by Columbia Pictures. It is directed by John Ottman from an original screenplay by Paul Harris Boardman and Scott Derrickson. Neal M. Moritz, Gina Matthews and Richard Luke Rothchild produce. Michael McDonnell is co-producer; Brad Luff and Nicholas Osborne are executive producers.

Amy, a down-to-earth documentary film student, wants to take a crack at the Hitch-cock. During a chance meeting with Reese, the new campus security guard, Amy is inspired by the story of an urban legend at Pendleton University, Reese's former place of employment.

Taking a break from documentaries, Amy decides her thesis film will be a fictional, psychological thriller about those contemporary tall tales known as urban legends.

After writing the script, storyboarding the shots and casting her actors, Amy and her crew of fellow students prepare to roll camera, even though Vanessa (Eva Mendes), Amy's boom operator, is more interested in girls than rolling sound; Simon (Marco Hofschneider), her cameraman, is a womanizing, chain-smoking European; and Stan (Anthony Anderson) and Dirk (Michael Bacall), her two special effects geeks, live for latex and pray to Lucas (George, that is).

Article Copyright Sengstacke Enterprises, Inc.

Photo (Anthony Anderson)

Stock futures lower after jobs report

2012-03-13T19:29:00.000-07:00

Stock futures are extending their decline as the June unemployment rate hit a 26-year high.

Overseas markets are also lower after a report showed unemployment in the 16 countries that use the euro rose to a 10-year high in May.

The reports reinforced concerns that any recovery in the global economy will take time.

The U.S. Labor Department's unemployment figures showed the jobless rate rose to 9.5 percent last month from 9.4 percent in May. Economists had predicted a rate of 9.6 percent.

Recession-weary employers cut a larger-than-expected 467,000 jobs in June, suggesting that the economy's road to recovery will be a bumpy one.

"This is part of the market recovery," said Roy Williams, CEO of Prestige Wealth Management. "You're going to get bad news."

Williams expects the unemployment rate is likely to reach 11 percent.

However, he noted unemployment is a lagging indicator and other recent data has shown the economy is beginning to improve. After the market's surge from March lows, Williams said data such as the jobless figures will give investors pause and sell stocks.

"Whenever you have runs like that, you have pullbacks before you can run again."

Ahead of the market's open, Dow Jones industrial average futures fell 119, or 1.41 percent, to 8,329. Standard & Poor's 500 index futures declined 12.90, or 1.4 percent, to 906.30, while Nasdaq 100 index futures fell 13.25, or 0.90 percent, to 1,465.50.

Investors will also get a reading on factory orders later Thursday morning. Orders to U.S. factories likely increased in May. Economists project factory orders rose 0.8 percent in May after a 0.7 percent increase in April. The Commerce Department will release the report Thursday at 10 a.m. EDT.

Markets kicked off the third quarter on Wednesday with gains after getting some reassuring data on manufacturing and housing. Traders were encouraged by a report showing more stable manufacturing activity and another indicating the fourth straight monthly rise in pending home sales. The Dow rose by 0.7 percent. The S&P gained 0.4 percent, while the Nasdaq composite index rose 0.6 percent.

Bond prices mostly rose early Thursday. The yield on the benchmark 10-year Treasury note, which moves opposite its price, fell to 3.51 percent from 3.54 percent late Wednesday. The yield on the three-month T-bill, considered one of the safest investments, rose to 0.17 percent from 0.16 percent late Wednesday.

The dollar mostly rose against other major currencies, while gold prices fell.

Overseas, Japan's Nikkei stock average fell 0.6 percent. In afternoon trading, Britain's FTSE 100 fell 1.8 percent, Germany's DAX index declined 2.6 percent, and France's CAC-40 fell 2.2 percent.

Thanks for helping Holy Family through fire This historic Chicago building was saved from almost certain catastrophe when it survived a small but ferocious fire thanks to the good effort of several people.

2012-03-13T16:34:00.000-07:00

Chicago's second-oldest church, Holy Family at Roosevelt Road andMay Street, which survived the Great Chicago Fire of 1871 and wasthreatened with demolition in 1990, has been saved once again ["Blazein landmark church is cut short," metro story, July 26]. Thishistoric (1857) Chicago building was saved from almost certaincatastrophe when it survived a small but ferocious fire, thanks tothe good effort of several people.

We're very grateful to an alert passerby who noticed smoke andflames coming from the basement entryway to our food pantry andrushed across Roosevelt Road to alert the Chicago Fire Department'soldest active unit, Engine Co. 18. We're thankful that thefirefighters responded so promptly and carefully struck a fire thatthreatened this beautifully restored pre-Victorian Chicago structure.

We're also especially thankful for the generosity of Bank One CEOJamie Dimon, who recently equipped every firehouse in the city withthermal-imaging cameras. Using the new camera's infrared radiationtechnology, firefighters were able to see through heavy smoke, locatehot spots in the ceiling and walls and quickly extinguished the firewithout any damage to the main church or to themselves.

Thanks to these wonderful people and to all who have respondedwith prayers and offers of assistance, Holy Family is back servingthe growing Near West Side community with a 9:45 a.m. Sunday mass,weddings and special events as scheduled. Our food pantry will bereopened just as soon as we can fully restore the basement area.

The Rev. Jeremiah Boland,

administrator,

Holy Family Church

Novak's mistaken

Robert Novak's pessimistic outlook (column, Aug. 4) on recentevents in the Middle East peace process and unfair criticism ofIsrael is both misleading and false. In fact, many members of theSenate would be surprised to read his report that they did not meetwith Prime Minister Ariel Sharon while visiting Washington in lateJuly.

In fact, Sharon met with several members of the Senate ForeignRelations Committee, including the chairman, Richard Lugar (R-Ind.),ranking member, Joseph Biden (D-Del.), and Sam Brownback (R-Kansas).The prime minister also met with other Senate leaders and committeechairmen.

Not only did Sharon meet with them, Novak can rest assured thatthe issue of the Seam Line Security fence did arise and was explainedthoroughly by the prime minister. The idea of a security fence is notsinister, as some conspiracy theory advocates believe, but hopefullya short-term solution to the unbearable problem of terror. Savinglives is the sole reason for this endeavor.

Indeed, Novak might be so eager to force facts to fit his viewsthat he made yet another error. He was severely critical of IsraeliForeign Minister Silvan Shalom during his appearance before theSenate Foreign Relations Committee for stating (in Novak's words)that the wall "would not come down until the Palestinian Authoritycompletely suppresses Hamas, Hezbollah and other terrorist groups."Israel does not expect the impossible. So far, the Palestinians seemto refuse to meet their obligations to dismantle Palestinianterrorist groups--a task they committed themselves to by acceptingthe "road map" for peace. Hezbollah is a fundamentalist Islamicterrorist group that operates out of Lebanon and is sponsored by Iranand Syria. While the dismantling of Hezbollah is a worthy goal, it isnot one demanded of the Palestinians.

Attention should be focused not on the fence, but on the nearlythree years of Palestinian terrorism that made building such abarrier an unpleasant but unavoidable necessity. If constructing thesecurity fence compels the Palestinians to finally fulfill theircommitments to combat terrorism with deeds instead of just words, itwill be considered one of Israel's best investments.

David Roet,

deputy consul general

of Israel to the Midwest

Holt made the right call

Judge Leo Holt deserves better than the "Judge walks Sox brawler"headline that ran on Aug. 7. Sixty days in Cook County jail, 80 hoursof community service, a 90-day curfew, a felony conviction and 30months of invasive and intensive probation is serious punishment, asanyone who has visited Cook County Jail knows.

As a former prosecutor and current defense attorney, I know thatin a less-publicized battery case with similar injuries and facts,felony charges would probably not be approved, and judges would bevery reluctant to sentence such a defendant to any term of jail--much less the 60 days the defendant served in this case. A moreimportant question is do we want to sentence a man to five years inthe penitentiary when he has voluntarily undergone a 21-day rehabprogram, attends Alcoholics Anonymous and counseling and has madesuch strides to correct the criminal behavior that was so clearlyalcohol-related? Do we want to sentence him more harshly than allothers at 26th and California to satisfy public opinion? Don't we allagree it is better to reform this man than burden the state withincarcerating him for years at the taxpayers' expense?

The founders of our country set up our judiciary as part of asystem of balances designed to protect our citizens. Good judges,like Leo Holt, follow the law and don't succumb to ignorant mobsscreaming for blood.

John Berg, McKinley Park

Khan's wrath unjustified

In response to the Aug. 1 article about Northwest Airlinesprofiling Ali Khan ["Feds, airline profiled me: lawsuit"]: Why theMuslim community resents profiling is beyond my comprehension. Anysteps taken to prevent terrorism are justified because we haveblatant proof that some of them are terrorists!

My last four flights were as humiliating as Khan's. I was pulledout of line, made to take off my shoes and gone over with a metal-detecting device. My name, actions and appearance do not fit anyprofile, but I didn't complain because I want my government toprotect every citizen, including Muslims, as long as they are notadvocates of terrorism.

Profiling in these times is a necessary evil to assure thesurvival of true Americans, who shouldn't resent it!

George Staudohar, Burbank

A good time for a job hunt

I served jury duty [July 28], and it is astonishing that no onehas ever considered combining jury duty and the unemployment office.I mean, you do nothing but just sit there. Why not have computers setup for people to do job searches and resume-writing?

And if a jury is needed, there would be plenty of people to selectfrom, and they would probably appreciate the money.

It'll never happen, though. Too efficient.

Arlen Salley, Schaumburg

Rush out for himself

I am appalled by the comments by Rep. Bobby Rush (D-Ill.)[Letters, Aug. 1] in response to Steve Neal's column on July 22. Iabsolutely concur with Neal that Rush plays the political process toincrease the coffers of himself, his family and friends.

As a lifelong resident, I have seen little gain for the 1stCongressional District under Rush's leadership. His comments that hehas analyzed the situation and feels that Hull will be who's best forhis constituents is ludicrous. Like everything else, Rush's supportof Blair Hull will benefit only Rush.

Rush cared little about affordable housing when Bronzeville homesbegan being sold at exorbitant prices, driving out moderate- and low-income residents, and he waited more than a year after Rep. DannyDavis began holding home ownership conferences, sponsored by theCongressional Black Caucus, to do the same for his district.

It is shameful that black leaders like Rush feel that they deserveundying loyalty. Yet he will not support a well-educated man like[state Sen.] Barack Obama, the only candidate running with aconnection to Rush's district and the only candidate with alegislative background.

Lori Hendricks, Douglas

Hoekstra scores twice

Dave Hoekstra has done it again with two dynamic feature articlesin the Showcase section Aug. 3. "First soul superstar back in thespotlight," about the great singer Sam Cooke, and "The sun never willset on this music legend," about famed record producer Sam Phillips,were great.

Hoekstra has to be the Babe Ruth and the Johnny Van der Meer offeature writers. Van der Meer was the only major league pitcher topitch back-to-back no-hitters. He pitched for the Cincinnati Reds,and his record yet stands. Great work, Dave.

Tony Mathis,

Chicago Heights

MY TWO CENTS

"I served jury duty [July 28], and it is astonishing that no onehas ever considered combining jury duty and the unemployment office.I mean, you do nothing but just sit there. Why not have computers setup for people to do job searches and resume-writing?" --Arlen Salley

23 suspects to stand trial in China for CCTV fire

2012-03-13T13:43:00.000-07:00

Twenty-three people will go on trial this week for alleged involvement in a deadly fire triggered by an illegal fireworks display that gutted a hotel at the new headquarters of China's main television network last year, a court official said Monday.

The trial follows a high-level government investigation into the Feb. 9, 2009, blaze at China Central Television's striking new downtown Beijing complex that killed one firefighter and injured eight others.

The case will be heard starting Tuesday at the Beijing No. 2 Intermediate Court, a duty officer at the court said. He refused to give his name like many Chinese officials.

The suspects have been charged with causing an accident with dangerous goods, a report by the state-run China News Web site said Monday. The charge carries a maximum punishment of seven years' imprisonment.

Those charged include the former head of CCTV's construction bureau, Xu Wei, and six other CCTV staffers as well as six employees from two construction companies that were responsible for fire prevention and security during the fireworks display, the report said. It did not identify the other 10.

CCTV had arranged and paid for the Lunar New Year fireworks display. Earlier news reports alleged that Xu had ignored safety warnings and ordered that the powerful pyrotechnics be used.

The 520-foot (159-meter) Mandarin Oriental hotel was only weeks away from opening when the blaze engulfed it. The building has stood untouched since then, its charred metal skin twisted and peeled. The 5 billion yuan ($731 million) complex also houses the network's headquarters _ a pair of enormous, leaning buildings of black glass and steel that were not damaged in the blaze.

The disaster prompted mocking from some Chinese who resent CCTV for producing dull propaganda-style programming while enjoying a monopoly on nationwide broadcasting. The company also has drawn jeers for spending lavishly on what are seen as grandiose vanity projects such as the new complex, designed by Dutch architects Rem Koolhaas and Ole Scheeren.

Earlier this month, state media reported that an investigation by the State Council, China's Cabinet, had found 71 people responsible for the fire, including 44 who were to face criminal charges. The State Council also ordered CCTV to pay a 3 million yuan ($440,000) fine.

'Alternative vote' works for Aussies and Irish, so why not us? ; Letters

2012-03-13T10:42:00.000-07:00

"AV is complex, expensive and unfair", says Michael J Clarkson(Chronicle Letters, March 10). I disagree.

On an AV ballot paper, you mark the candidates (as many or as fewas you like) 1, 2, 3 etc. in preference order instead of putting anX by one name.

The Australians and the Irish have been doing this successfullyfor over 90 years - it is not too complex for them.

Is Mr Clarkson implying that the British are too stupid to cope?An AV count in which one candidate gets an absolute majority isidentical to the counts we are used to.

If it is necessary to transfer votes, an AV count will takelonger, and may therefore be a little more expensive, than a first-past-the-post count.

It is not necessary to count AV by machine, nor have any plansbeen made to purchase any.

Any extra cost of AV would be due entirely to the longer count,and would be insignificant compared with the total costs of runningthe election. If, in an AV election, candidate A gets most firstpreferences but B is the winner, then there are more voters whoprefer B to A than there are who prefer A to B.

SIMON GAZELEY London Road West, Bath I'd like to add my voice insupport of a 'yes' vote for the AV referendum on May 5. If we lookat the history of voting improvements in the UK, we can see a steadyevolution from the days of King John (literally one man one vote) tothe present day where all people, male and female, over the age of18 have a vote. It is not so long ago that females were excluded,and not so long after that the voting age came down to the present18.

The voting system is still pretty crude but I see that AVrepresents our first opportunity to move on to the next, moreproportional, stage where the person actually selected to be our MPhas the greatest support in depth of all candidates. This means thatthe people speaking for us in Westminster are more likely to berepresentative of the national view rather than those just fortunateenough to squeeze 'first past the post'.

Since 1979 we have seen the consequences of being locked intogovernments whose claim to represent the national view has beenflimsy at best. And apart from the specific AV element of thereferendum we are also being offered a chance to gain the power toremove sitting MPs who abuse their positions, such as claimingexpenses for duck houses or non-existent mortgages. This representssuch an opportunity to clean up politics that I think we must graspit now, by voting 'Yes' on May 5.

COUNCILLOR IAN GILCHRIST Widcombe Bath

Mass grave holds soldiers killed in Tet Offensive

2012-03-13T07:21:00.000-07:00

A mass grave has been found containing the remains of 30 communist soldiers believed to have been killed during the Tet Offensive, seen by many as the turning point to the Vietnam War.

Authorities had searched unsuccessfully for the grave in Quang Tri province in central Vietnam for three years based on information provided by American veterans who said some 158 soldiers may be buried there, said Maj. Col. Tran Trong Trung of the provincial military command.

A villager digging holes to plant rubber trees found the mass grave recently and reported it, Trung said. Excavators still are looking for more remains. None have been identified, but the site includes personal effects such as watches, belts and raincoats.

The soldiers were believed to have been killed while attacking an American base during the Tet Offensive, Trung said.

Thousands of Viet Cong guerrillas attacked major towns across southern Vietnam during the Tet Offensive in January 1968. Quang Tri was the front line, and fierce fighting took place there.

The war ended in 1975 when communist North Vietnamese forces overran Saigon, the former capital of South Vietnam, now known as Ho Chi Minh City. About 58,000 Americans and 3 million Vietnamese were killed in the conflict.

Sides gird for Thomas nomination fight

2012-03-13T03:31:00.000-07:00

WASHINGTON A tough battle is brewing over President Bush's choiceof conservative judge Clarence Thomas to be the second black SupremeCourt justice in the court's 202-year history.

The fray appears to be dividing the nation's blacks. Severalleadership groups, notably the NAACP, have declared opposition to thenomination, but many other blacks appear to favor it.

The Senate Judiciary Committee is due to start its confirmationhearings in about a month.

Bush nominated Thomas, 43, a federal appeals court judge, onJuly 1 to succeed black liberal Thurgood Marshall, who announced hewould retire when the Senate confirms a successor for him on thenine-judge high court.

White House and congressional sources say that, while thenomination will spark fierce debate and some loud opposition in theDemocratic-controlled Senate, they expect him to be confirmed by morethan the necessary 51-vote majority.

It appears that some key middle-road Democrats who have opposedsome nominations in the past are in Bush's corner this time and thatthe Thomas nomination, while very controversial, does not arousequite as much passionate opposition as that of Robert H. Bork in1987.

The Senate alone acts on judicial appointments.

Leading the opposition are liberal groups and the highlyinfluential NAACP, the largest and oldest of the country's blackadvocacy organizations.

The NAACP, which came out against the nomination July 31,accused Thomas in particular of "reactionary" views in opposingaffirmative action laws to help more blacks get into college and intojobs.

It also denounced his record as chairman of the U.S. EqualEmployment Opportunity Commission for eight years in the 1980s.

Supporters of Thomas, and even some of his detractors, give himmuch credit for rising from the poverty of his youth in Pin Point,Ga., to graduate from Yale Law School and obtain high governmentposts.

NAACP Executive Director Benjamin Hooks acknowledged the dilemmafacing the organization, telling reporters it was a difficultdecision for the board of directors.

"No question we wanted to see an African-American on the court,"Hooks said.

The board's chairman, William Gibson, said, "In the finalanalysis, Judge Clarence Thomas' judicial philosophy is simplyinconsistent with the historical position taken by the NAACP."

Despite this stand from the mainstream black group, however,others in the black community say Thomas would bring a perspective tothe all-white court that a white conservative - who could benominated if Thomas were defeated - would not carry to the nation'scourt of last resort.

An example of the national division can be seen in the positiontaken by National Urban League, another major black-dominated civilrights organization that decided not to take a stand on Thomas.

In addition, a USA Today poll among blacks in July showed 54percent approved the Thomas nomination, while 17 percent disapprovedand 29 percent said they did not know. However, since the poll wastaken before the NAACP announced its opposition to the nomination,there could be some erosion of support for Thomas among blackswilling to follow the lead of the civil rights group.

While the 25 Democratic members of the Congressional BlackCaucus opposed Thomas, the lone black Republican member of Congress,Republican Gary Franks of Connecticut, endorsed him.

A number of prominent white-led liberal groups have announcedtheir opposition to Thomas, arguing that his thinking was outside themainstream of judicial thought.

The AFL-CIO, the nation's largest alliance of labor unions,followed the NAACP's lead when its leadership came out againstThomas.

Lane Kirkland, president of the 14.1-million-member AFL-CIO,said, "As with the nomination of Robert Bork, the president's resolveto make the court the preserve of the far-right wing leaves us noother choice but to oppose Judge Thomas."

Leaders of 2 Koreas Open Talks

2012-03-13T00:27:00.000-07:00

SEOUL, South Korea - Leaders of the two Koreas began formal talks Wednesday at the first summit between the divided countries in seven years, and North Korea's Kim Jong Il appeared to warm to his South Korean visitor after an initial chilly reception.

According to South Korean pool reports, South Korean President Roh Moo-hyun told Kim he was concerned about flooding in the North, where this year's seasonal summer rains left some 600 people dead or missing and tens of thousands homeless. North Korea delayed the summit from its original late August date due to the disaster.

Before talks began at a state guesthouse in Pyongyang, Roh presented gifts to the North Korean leader that included a bookcase full of South Korean DVDs, featuring popular soap operas and films starring Lee Young-ae, believed to be Kim's favorite starlet. Kim is a known cinema buff who has a vast film library and purportedly has helped produce several movies.

Kim appeared animated and smiled repeatedly Wednesday as he greeted Roh, a contrast from his dour attitude the day before when the two first met briefly at an outdoor welcoming ceremony.

The two men posed seated for a photograph along with other delegation members before starting their meeting. Kim was accompanied at the talks only by his spy chief, while Roh was joined by four top officials.

This week's summit is only the second time leaders of the North and South have met since the Korean peninsula was divided after World War II.

Wednesday was expected to be dominated by the leaders' talks, for which no specific agenda was publicly known, before Roh was scheduled to view an evening performance of the North Korean propaganda spectacle known as the "mass games." It was not known if Kim would also attend.

The show features thousands of synchronized gymnasts performing in front of a mural formed along the entire wall of a stadium by children turning colored pages of books.

Conservatives have criticized Roh for going to the show, which extols the purported virtues of the North's communist regime. The North has excised potentially embarrassing sections for the summit, and South Korean officials have noted other visitors have viewed the event - including then-U.S. Secretary of State Madeleine Albright in 2000.

On Tuesday, despite rapturous cheers from hundreds of thousands of North Koreans as Roh arrived, Kim was reserved.

The words "I'm glad to meet you" were apparently the only ones he uttered during the brief welcoming ceremony that launched the three-day summit.

Kim did not hold more meetings with Roh on Tuesday. Instead he let his deputy, the country's nominal head of state Kim Yong Nam, deal with the South Koreans for the rest of the day. They held talks and the North hosted a banquet where Roh offered a toast to Kim Jong Il's health.

The North Korean leader's apparent snub contrasted with a friendly reception that the North's leader gave to Roh's predecessor, Kim Dae-jung, at the first-ever summit in 2000.

The White House said it hoped the talks would contribute to peace and security.

"Ultimately, it needs to lead to the denuclearization of the Korean peninsula," White House press secretary Dana Perino said Tuesday.

The North's vice-minister for foreign affairs, Choe Su Hon, told the U.N. General Assembly on Tuesday that the summit will open up new possibilities for "peace, co-prosperity and the reunification" of the Korean peninsula.

Roh has said he wants to use this week's summit to start a genuine peace process with North Korea instead of the current reconciliation track, which has seen halting progress in reducing military tension on the Cold War's last frontier.

The two Koreas remain technically at war since a 1953 cease-fire ended the Korean War, despite seven years of warming ties.

Both Roh and Kim also hope to keep the surging conservatives from winning South Korea's December presidential election.

Roh's eager embrace of the North has also caused friction with Seoul's ally Washington, which wants improvement in relations between the Koreas to only follow progress in the North scaling back its nuclear ambitions.

Roh made the 125-mile journey to Pyongyang by road, pausing in the center of the Demilitarized Zone that divides the Koreas to walk across the border - the first time any Korean leader has crossed the land frontier.

The summit, which runs through Thursday, takes place amid rare optimism at international talks on the North's nuclear programs that include the U.S. and other regional powers.

North Korea shut down its sole operating nuclear reactor in July that produced material that could be used in bombs, and has agreed in principle to disable its atomic facilities by year-end in a way that they cannot be easily restarted.

The progress after years of tortuous talks followed the North's first-ever nuclear bomb test a year ago, which prompted the U.S. to reverse its earlier hard-line policy on Pyongyang and offer concessions in exchange for disarmament.

A senior State Department official said the U.S. and North Korea are working on the planned removal of the North from the U.S. terror sponsorship list.

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Associated Press writers Burt Herman and Kwang-tae Kim contributed to this report.

Chef Profile/Aaron Horsewood

2012-03-12T21:29:00.000-07:00

Age: 37

Restaurant: Eighteen One

Number of years in the restaurant business: 23

Past Experience:

A fourth-generation chef, began under Ray DILuIo at the Grove Hotel, personal chef to Bill Cosby and Stevie Nicks, appeared on the Food Network's Iron Chef of America as a sous chef to Beau MacMillan. Executive chef and founder of the Cowboy Restaurant and Brewery, the first restaurant in America to win the World Cup Hefeweizen award for food and beer pairings.

What did you have for breakfast this morning?

Chorizo and egg sandwich with new potatoes.

Throughout your career in Idaho, how has the restaurant scene changed and how have you adapted to those changes over time?

Food in Idaho has moved from the traditional steak and potatoes to a more modern, refined style that embraces those hearty roots, yet seeks to be progressive in menu and recipe construction. I have tried to keep the focus of my menus on the substance of those hearty ingrethents and add my own fresh, nouveau interpretation.

What do you look to as inspiration for new recipes?

Family, friends and accidents (in the kitchen).

How do you innovate without excluding diners?

I have had the most success with utilizing traditional components and preparations with a modern, more artistic take on the presentation. Simplicity is key when dealing with tradition. Too much noise on a plate makes the diner uninterested, and an uninterested diner doesn't return very often.

What dish would you like to include on your menu, but worry that it might be too forward-thinking for this market?

Kobe coulotte. It Is the cap muscle off a Kobe sirloin, with no gristle or tendons. It is virtually void of natural fats, so cooking it is not for the faint of heart. When done correctly, this is about as clean and unfiltered as red meat comes. The flavor profile is intense and to the point. The subtleness of preparation and the cost of the product are the main reasons this dish probably wouldn't survive in this market.

What won't you eat?

Lima beans. Ever.

What's the one ingrethent you can't live without in your kitchen?

Stocks.

What one great meal do you fix only for yourself?

Sweet tamales.

What's the strangest ingrethent you've ever put in a dish?

Tobacco.

Who is the most famous person you've cooked for?

Personal chef to Stevie Nicks.

Where do you like to eat in town?

Brick 29 Bistro in Nampa and Epl's in Meridian.

What's the most outrageous thing that's happened in a kitchen where you've worked?

A gas line leaked and we ended up with a 30-foot wall of fire on the line, leaving me and four other chefs bailing over the expo wall during prom night dinner service.

If you were stranded on a deserted island and could only eat three things the rest of your life, what would they be?

Quesadillas, Basque chorizo and my grandmother's pork tacos.

Describe the restaurant you would create if cost and demographic were not an issue.

My restaurant would be centered around the chef's table idea. Being able to interact with the customer and share my personal experiences and motivations with regard to their dish is priceless. Even in this hypothetical place, my restaurant would not regard cost or demographic so much as It would serve as a place for those who love fellowship and food to come together.

Wallabies and Boks prepare for Wellington weather

2012-03-12T18:03:00.000-07:00

WELLINGTON, New Zealand (AP) — The wet and windy Wellington weather could have just as big an impact on Sunday's Rugby World Cup quarterfinal as the skills of Australia's backs or the power of South Africa's forwards.

With the heavy, gray skies above New Zealand's capital dumping almost constant rain on Wellington Regional Stadium so far this week, both sides are prepared to adapt their game to the conditions.

Australia flyhalf Quade Cooper says the wind is an even bigger concern as "you might have to hold onto the ball because there's no point kicking and it going back over your head."

Both teams trained on a wet Wednesday morning, aiming to get a feel for the conditions if things fail to improve for the weekend.

SPORTS

2012-03-12T14:13:00.000-07:00

Bears waive cornerback Carter Forget those two years left oncornerback Tom Carter's contract with the Chicago Bears. Carter,whose contract ran through 2001, was waived today. After starting sixof the first seven games this season, Carter lost his starting roleseven weeks ago and dropped all the way down to the inactive list forthe Bears' last game. The move will cost the Bears $1.8 million, theremainder of his signing bonus. Carter, signed in 1997 as arestricted free agent from Washington, started 26 games for theBears. The Bears also agreed to terms with kicker Jaret Holmes of theNew York Giants practice squad. That gives the Bears two placekickerson the active roster. Boxing federation chief takes leave IBFpresident Robert Lee Sr. is taking a leave from his job so he canprepare for his legal defense against charges that he took bribes torig his organization's rankings. The IBF said today the move givesfederal prosecutors reason to drop their attempt to install a court-appointed monitor for one of boxing's major governing bodies. Leeoffered to stay on leave until the criminal charges are resolved. TheIBF's executive committee accepted Lee's offer and appointed one ofits vice presidents, Hiawatha Knight of Detroit, to serve aspresident during Lee's absence. An indictment and a governmentlawsuit brought last month accuse Lee and others of taking $338,000in bribes to change the organization's rankings. The rankings play abig role in determining fights and purses for boxers.

No arrest in Spain rape case

2012-03-12T10:43:00.000-07:00

Police have yet to make an arrest after an Aberdeen football fanwas allegedly raped in Madrid.

The woman was attacked in the Spanish capital 24 hours before theAberdeen UEFA cup game against Atletico Madrid in November.

Spanish police said they were still investigating the incident,but have not made any arrests.

Police also confirmed the woman was able to return home after theincident while investigations continued.

The match was marred by ugly scenes and Dons fans brandedSpanish police "animals" and said they had launched an "unprovokedbaton attack" on fans.

A total of 11 arrests were made before the game.

One Dons fan spent the night in intensive care as Spanishsupporters clashed with police and fans.

Aberdeen FC bosses protested and the Spanish side was later hitby fines totaling pounds10,000 after fans let off flares inside thestadium.