arriveinweb

Johnson beats Dodgers lowers ERA to ML-best 1.70

2012-03-15T07:30:00.000-07:00

Josh Johnson scattered six hits over eight innings and lowered his major league-leading ERA to 1.70 to help the Florida Marlins to a 4-0 victory over the Los Angeles Dodgers on Wednesday night.

Johnson (9-3) threw 117 pitches and came within three outs of his first shutout in 94 big league …

Researchers study compost effects on farm soils

2012-03-15T05:06:00.000-07:00

On Kip Wooten's south-central Idaho farm between Kimberly and Hansen, University of Idaho scientists have begun a five-year research study "to put science into the art of adding compost to agricultural soils," writes Marlene Fritz of the University. With 160,000 dairy cows in the Magic Valley region, the raw materials to make compost and apply it at rates up to 20 tons per acre on typical crop rotations are available. (As reported in July BioCycle, a regional company called Compost West, Inc. is processing and marketing cow manure.)

According to Bob …

3 British residents return to U.K. after release from Guantanamo

2012-03-15T02:44:00.000-07:00

Three longtime British residents held in the U.S. prison camp at Guantanamo Bay returned to Britain on Wednesday and two were arrested on suspicion of preparing terrorist acts, police said.

Jamil el-Banna, 45, of Jordan, Libyan-born Omar Deghayes, 38, and Abdennour Sameur, 34, of Algeria, landed at Luton airport, north of London, at about 1900 GMT, said Clive Stafford Smith, a lawyer for the British legal charity Reprieve, which has assisted the men.

Police said officers accompanying the three arrested Deghayes and Sameur under the Terrorism Act shortly before their chartered aircraft landed. They were arrested on suspicion of preparing acts of terrorism …

Far-out theory: Earth once had two moons

2012-03-15T00:20:00.000-07:00

Earth once had two moons, astronomers now think. But the smaller one smashed into the other in what is being called the "big splat."

The result: Our planet was left with a single bulked-up and ever-so-slightly lopsided moon.

The astronomers came up with the scenario to explain why the moon's far side is so much more hilly than the one that is always facing Earth.

According to the theory, outlined Wednesday in the journal Nature, this happened about 4.4 billion years ago, long before there was any life on Earth to gaze up and see the strange sight of dual moons. The moons were young, formed about 100 million years earlier when a giant planet smashed into …

Indian Politics Stymie U.S.-Indian Nuclear Deal

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

With U.S. officials warning that time is iunning out on an initiative to rollback restrictions on global nuclear trade with India, that country's coalition government failed March 17 to persuade its leftist allies to drop their opposition to the U.S.-Indian effort. Another meeting to sway the holdouts is supposed to take place sometime in April.

The government of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh is trying to win over the leftist parties because they have threatened to withdraw support for the ruling coalition if it takes certain steps toward implementing what the leftists charge is a deal that will erode India's sovereignty and security. Such a split could trigger early elections that …

21 Palestinians, 1 Israeli Soldier Killed

2012-03-14T19:39:00.000-07:00

BEIT LAHIYA, Gaza Strip - Palestinian militants armed with AK-47s and rocket-propelled grenades battled Israeli helicopters and tanks Thursday in the bloodiest day since Israel invaded Gaza over a soldier's capture. At least 21 Palestinians and one Israeli soldier died.

Israeli troops retook three empty Jewish settlements nearly a year after abandoning them, seeking to carve out a temporary buffer zone in the northern Gaza Strip to prevent militants from firing more rockets into Israel.

After touring Gaza main hospital, Palestinian Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh of the Islamic militant group Hamas called for international intervention to stop the Israeli offensive, which …

Rashied Ali, free-jazz drummer, dies in NYC at 76

2012-03-14T17:19:00.000-07:00

Rashied Ali, a free-jazz drummer who backed John Coltrane and accompanied him in a duet album in the final months of the jazz master's life, has died. He was 76.

The Philadelphia native died at Manhattan's Bellevue Hospital of a blood clot in his lung on Wednesday, said his wife, Patricia Ali.

When Coltrane decided to use two drummers at a performance at the Village Gate in November 1965, he chose Ali to back up drummer Elvin Jones. He recorded with both men on the 1965 album "Meditations," and accompanied Coltrane alone on the duet album "Interstellar Space," recorded shortly before Coltrane died of cancer in 1967.

After the …

Bishops Try To Meld Faith with African Life

2012-03-14T14:58:00.000-07:00

VATICAN CITY Roman Catholic bishops from Africa, meeting in Romeat a special congress, are seeking to match the demands of theirfaith with the social, political and economic needs of a hungry andoften violent continent.

For about 300 bishops from the 53 nations of Africa attendingthe monthlong synod, "inculturation" - the melding of RomanCatholicism with African traditions - is as an overriding concern."It is the marriage of faith and life," said the group's interimdocument.

The secular context for a church transported to Africa in thelast century by European missionaries emerges with painful clarity asthe bishops recite a litany of continental need.

…

Today in History

2012-03-14T12:38:00.000-07:00

Today is Wednesday, Nov. 24, the 328th day of 2010. There are 37 days left in the year.

Today's Highlight in History:

On Nov. 24, 1859, British naturalist Charles Darwin published "On the Origin of Species," which explained his theory of evolution by means of natural selection.

On this date:

In 1784, Zachary Taylor, the 12th president of the United States, was born in Orange County, Va.

In 1863, the Civil War Battle of Lookout Mountain began in Tennessee; Union forces succeeded in taking the mountain from the Confederates.

In 1939, British Overseas Airways Corp. (BOAC) was formally established.

In 1944, during World War II, U.S. bombers …

Strong earthquake rattles buildings around Japan

2012-03-14T10:18:00.000-07:00

A strong magnitude 6.6 earthquake hit off the eastern coast of Japan on Sunday, rattling buildings across a broad swath of the country, including the crowded capital.

There were no reports of casualties, with only light damage to structures near the epicenter, according to local officials.

The quake hit at 5:08 p.m. and was felt most strongly in central Fukushima prefecture about 130 miles (210 kilometers) northeast of Tokyo, according to the Japan Meteorological Agency.

"It was fairly strong, but didn't knock over anything in the office," said Ken Yoshida, a town official in Naraha, one of the hardest-hit areas. He said an earthen wall in …

$48,000 ring recovered; Woman gives it back after engagement ends

2012-03-14T07:57:00.000-07:00

NAPERVILLE - It's better to have loved and lost -- unless thewoman keeps your $48,000 engagement ring and threatens to sell it.And that's just what the former fiancee of businessman RichardPhebus did, his attorney said.

Now, after having to go to court, he has the ring back.

Phebus popped the question to 43-year-old Renee Mingilino inDecember and presented her with a 5.03 carat, center pear-shapeddiamond engagement ring. The ring's value was appraised at a cool$48,000.

But the love affair soured soon after and, by February, theNaperville couple was meeting with a counselor in hopes of savingtheir rocky relationship, court papers indicate. The …

Fed-up girlfriend calls 911 on pot-smoking beau

2012-03-14T05:37:00.000-07:00

LEBANON, Mo. (AP) — A 35-year-old man was charged in Missouri with possessing marijuana after his girlfriend called 911 and said she was tired of him smoking pot all day instead of working. Dispatchers in the southwestern Missouri town of Lebanon got a 911 hang-up call Saturday night from a motel room. Police said officers went to the motel and were told by the woman that her boyfriend did nothing …

READY TO ROCK AND ROLL

2012-03-14T03:06:00.000-07:00

Caption text only.

City says video casino violates ordinance: Woman wanted to establish business in Kanawha City

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

A Clarksburg woman involved with opening a new video lotterycasino at the former Risk's 35th Street Farmers Market said she hadno idea Charleston officials had determined the establishment is aviolation of a city ordinance.

Nancy Stumpo of Clarksburg applied for a city business license forThe Hot Spot, which would be operated by the Fraternal Order of theOwls. Stumpo said she talked Monday to Lottery Commissioner JohnMusgrave and he never mentioned the venue would be denied itslicense.

"The commissioner didn't come out and say we would not be able toput an establishment in (Risk's) with video lottery machines," Stumposaid. But Musgrave, like Stumpo, was unaware of the city'sconclusion.

Charleston Mayor Danny Jones announced at Monday's City Councilmeeting that the city attorney determined the establishment is inviolation of a city ordinance. Councilman Mark Sadd did some researchand sent a letter to the city planning director stating that theordinance does apply to the proposed business.

The ordinance, passed Feb. 2, regulates a new business with videolottery machines from opening within 2,000 feet of an alreadyestablished video casino. The former Risk's building is that close toMurad's at 35th Street and the Park-Mart Sunoco, which both housevideo lottery machines.

Jones said the ordinance doesn't state that any establishment inthe process of applying for a lottery license is grandfathered in andbecause the proposed casino has yet to get its license it violatesthe ordinance.

When the lottery commission reviews The Hot Spot's application forits lottery license, Jones said the city would recommend the licensebe denied because of the violation.

"It's exciting to see the distance requirements put on theseestablishments actually work," said Councilwoman Mary Jean Davis, aco-sponsor of the ordinance.

Councilman John Miller from Kanawha City shared Davis' excitement.He, along with State Senate Minority Leader and Kanawha City residentVic Sprouse, organized a community meeting last week to rallyresidents against the establishment.

"It sounds like really good news from the city perspective,"Sprouse said.

Sprouse said he can't imagine the lottery commission granting thebusiness its license now.

Stumpo declined to answer most questions about the city'sopposition, but said: "Hopefully, we'll do what we can. Nothingofficial has really happened."

She said her partners planned to meet with Musgrave today todiscuss the license. She said they took into consideration the twonearby video lottery venues but chose the former Risk's marketbecause of its location and price.

Building owner Thomas King of Marmet declined comment.

Also at Monday's meeting, council:

* Authorized the mayor to invest $20,000 in the Florida StreetStreetscape project. The money for the West Side NeighborhoodAssociation Grant originally was approved to be used for housingprojects, but the funds cannot be used for private property projects.

* Agreed to reimburse the Charleston Housing Authority 50 percentof funds received from the Federal Emergency Agency for repair tostorm sewers damage by flooding.

Writer Mike Andrick can be reached at 348-1796 or by e-mail atmandrick@dailymail.com.

Netwatch: Your guide to business and accounting on the Internet

2012-03-13T21:22:00.000-07:00

Your guide to business and accounting on the Internet

As accountants, we're immediately tagged as number experts, regardless of the career we are in. But even the trusted number-cruncher will occasionally deal with calculations that don't easily come to mind.

When we get a tad rusty, we might need a wee bit of a refresher, or even some help with certain types of calculations. And that's perhaps one of the benefits of the Internet from an accounting perspective: you can use it to locate a vast number of financial calculators that come in handy for many different circumstances.

For example, there are online calculators for mortgages, RRSPs, taxes, loans for buying a car or other matters. At these Web pages, you can enter some financial information and get the results instantly.

The level of sophistication and range of options available through these calculators is impressive. Take the issue of mortgages, for example. If you are considering a new home purchase, or selling your existing home for a larger one (or advising a client on such matters), online mortgage calculators can help you explore the ramifications of various financial approaches. These calculators let you examine the mortgage decision from a variety of perspectives, such as your total monthly costs, or how much of a mortgage you could obtain based on current income.

There are also specialized financial calculators available on the Web that relate to business activities, such as the internal rate of return, net present value and other common financial concepts. SolveIT!, a company that develops software that makes these nifty e-- tools tick, has placed a variety of very good financial calculators on its site that you can access and use for free.

One caveat, though: many of these calculators are developed in the US, so the results won't always add up for Canadians. For example, you can't use US retirement calculators for RRSP decisions (US retirement plans differ from ours) or for mortgages (mortgage interest is tax deductible in the US). Hence, you should be sure to use Canadian-specific financial calculators whenever possible.

Two good starting points for Canadian-specific calculators are the Independent Online Financial Marketing site and Dinkytown. The websites of most major Canadian financial institutions are also excellent resources, since they feature a number of calculators worth exploring.

If you want to go beyond Canadian-specific calculators, take a look at investment site TheStreet.com as well as AccountingWeb, both of which feature a variety of innovative calculators. Finally, the best overall directory for online calculators is Martindale's Reference Desk - it features more than 14,000 models. Some are Canadian-specific, and a number of others can be used for any purpose.

[Sidebar]

Choice calculators

[Sidebar]

Independent Online Financial Marketing www.independentfinancial.on.ca/calculators.htm DinkYtown

[Sidebar]

www.dinkytown.net/java/ca.html Martindale's The Reference Desk Calculators www-sci.lib.uci.edu/HSG/Ref.html AccountingWeb

www.accountingweb.com/tools/calculators.html TheStreet.com

www.thestreet.com/tsc/financenter/FC_calc.html

[Author Affiliation]

Jim Carroll, FCA, is a wellknown keynote speaker, author and columnist. He can be reached via e-mail at jcarroll@ jimcarroll.com or log on to his website at www.jimcarroll.com

Setback to C.B. could be first sign of a Super screwup

2012-03-13T18:31:00.000-07:00

The gaudy ambition is the Super Bowl in Miami, amid the palms andthongs and Colin Farrell wannabes, which couldn't be further awayspiritually from a sleepy campus in Kankakee County where a slingsupports Cedric Benson's arm. As it is, we have no idea if RexGrossman can stay in one piece long enough to prove if he's any good,and we have no idea if his receivers are of ample quality to help.

Now, the anointed No. 1 running back is out with a shoulder injurythat complicates an already controversial situation and prompts aserious question about the Bears: Are they going to be a one-dimensional letdown again, a champ defense bogged down by a chumpoffense, a team that should win a mushy division but can't hang withCarolina, Seattle, Washington and Dallas when it counts?

"Super Bowl," is what the coaches are selling.

"Super Bowl," is what the players are echoing.

But is it a legitimate quest? And does anyone dare buy into it asthe scorch marks only begin to heal from Steve Smith's afterburners,the latest in the succession of one-and-done postseason bummers onthe lakefront?

Saturday brought news that Benson's left shoulder isn't broken,that he'll apparently miss weeks and not months. Still, I want toknow if he'll stay healthy for his guaranteed $16million, and rightnow, I'm less sure about Benson and the ever-critical running gamethan I am about Rex the Hex. If I paid a guy that kind of up-frontmoney to carry a football, I sure as hell wouldn't let my defensiveplayers treat him like a Brett Favre dummy in effigy, as they havemuch of camp. I might even put him in an off-limits red jersey, ifnot a hermetically sealed bubble, and let him lush out until thepreseason games.

Yes, this is a violent, traumatic sport that requires fierce formsof contact to acclimate a player to a long season.

But I also know Benson, in a curious move, had been promoted atopthe depth chart because Thomas Jones -- a 1,335-yard rusher last yearand a well-respected favorite of offensive and defensive players --

didn't attend offseason "voluntary workouts" at Halas Hall. Thisis the sort of political wedge that can create a conspiracy theory,if not a dangerous locker-room chasm. Was it coincidence thattacklers have been taking uncommonly aggressively licks at Bensonsince the first grunts of camp, leading to speculation he was beingtargeted by teammates who like Jones, didn't appreciate Benson's longholdout last year and are demanding he prove his worth as a featuredback for a contending team?

Constant shots

These are the questions that drive men to bourbon in Bourbonnaisafter Benson, 37 days from the first regular-season game, was cartedaway Friday evening. No one is accusing Brian Urlacher and Mike Brownof conspiring to awkwardly double-whammy Benson after he caught aflip from Grossman. The hits were love taps compared to the abuseBenson had taken in earlier practices, including crunching shots fromUrlacher and Lance Briggs and a borderline-dirty clothesline tackleby Ricky Manning, he of the alleged assault of a computer nerd atDenny's. So sore was Benson last week, when he missed practicebecause of soreness in his right knee, he alluded to the beatings.

In a Saturday chat with reporters in Bourbonnais, he admitted towondering about intent. "Initially you tend to think bad things,"Benson said. "You start to wonder why they hit you and if they arelooking to hit you, but we watched the film, and I definitely don'tthink they were trying to hurt me or anything like that. ... It wasjust a combination of bad timing, where I got hit, and it's just badluck."

Certainly, the Bears suffer more August bad luck than most. Lastyear, Grossman saw much of his season dashed in a preseason game inSt. Louis. Now the victim is Benson, who has received rave reviewsfrom the coaches in their persistent mission to push him into thestarting role ahead of Jones. Even if you agree with me that Jones isthe better man for the job this year -- given his experience,dependability and proven performance level -- the Bears have to beconcerned after spending the fourth pick in the 2005 draft on aplayer who keeps limping away.

How can Jerry Angelo and Lovie Smith make Benson the alpha dogwith so much at stake? Last season, as the Bears were trying to easehim into situations and get him carries, he missed the last six gameswith a strained knee ligament. If he isn't reliable, Smith shouldreturn the starting job to Jones, whose slight hamstring strainlikely will disappear immediately. Unless, of course, he and smarmyagent Drew Rosenhaus start stumping again for a contract extension,now that they have new leverage. Stop the talk, by the way, abouttrading Jones.

"We said all along you need two, possibly three good running backsto make it through an entire season. We're just using up ourmulligans a bit earlier," said Smith, who has Adrian Peterson as afallback. "I'd say Cedric was having an excellent camp, just like hehad an excellent offseason."

Could force the proper call

In the end, the injury could be a blessing. Not that I wish to seeanybody nicked, but it's hard to entrust an unproven second-year backwith such an important role. Armed with a potentially magnificentdefense, the Bears need their runner to control the ball. WillBenson, in the tradition of first-round busts Rashaan Salaam andCurtis Enis, be a fumbler and a bumbler? Though his pounding stylefits the formula of controlling the ball and draining the clock,Jones already has proved himself a fine fit in the offense.

Team-wide credibility is especially vital at quarterback andrunning back. Jones has it. Benson does not, at least not yet. Ithasn't stopped him from talking big, though.

"If they want to see C.B. shine, put me in the game, and I'llshine," C.B. said one day.

"I have never thought of myself as being anything less than agreat player," C.B. said another day.

As for his minicamp prediction of a 1,700-yard season, he wassmart enough to put a lid on that talk. Sort of. "That was just somefun stuff," Benson said last week. "I mean, it's back there, yeah.Once we get close to it, I'll start bringing it back up again."

For now, how about staying on the field and playing a while beforemaking sassy forecasts? Same goes for the Bears, a team that nevershould press its luck. Twenty-one years since their last one, theSuper Bowl is a dream they should whisper and never, ever broadcast.

Jay Mariotti is a regular on "Around the Horn" at 4 p.m. on ESPN.Send e-mail to inbox@suntimes.com with name, hometown and daytimephone number. Letters run Sunday.

Carlos Sastre wins key 16th stage of Giro

2012-03-13T15:36:00.000-07:00

Carlos Sastre won the grueling 16th stage of the Giro d'Italia in an uphill finish Monday made even tougher by severe heat.

Denis Menchov held onto the overall leader's pink jersey.

Sastre clocked 7 hours, 11 minutes, 54 seconds over the lengthy 237-kilometer (147-mile) leg from Pergola to Monte Petrano, over three major climbs.

The temperature at the base of the final climb measured 38 degrees Celsius (100 Fahrenheit).

Menchov finished second, 25 seconds behind, and Danilo di Luca was third, 26 back.

After a rest day Tuesday, the race resumes Wednesday with another uphill finish in a short 83-kilometer (52-mile) stage from Chieti to Blockhaus.

The race ends May 31 in Rome.

Ex-Puerto Rico Gov. Says Tipped Off FBI

2012-03-13T12:41:00.000-07:00

For former Puerto Rican Gov. Carlos Romero Barcelo, the federal indictment of the current governor is sweet revenge indeed.

Barcelo, now a statesman for the main opposition party, had previously identified himself as the person who alerted the FBI to possible corruption by Gov. Anibal Acevedo Vila.

And at a news conference Friday, Romero did a bit of gloating, saying he decided to finger Acevedo after his rival raised questions about his own campaign finances almost a decade ago.

"He who is responsible pays for it," Romero said, using a Spanish adage whose English equivalent is: "You've made your bed, now lie in it."

Romero told reporters he alerted federal investigators in September 2004 to suspicious fundraising for Acevedo's bid to become resident commissioner, the island's nonvoting member in the U.S. Congress. He said he went to the media with the same information the same year, but little came of it.

"There is something rotten there and it smells," Romero said. "To the press it didn't stink."

The FBI, apparently, did smell something.

The federal indictment handed down Thursday accuses Acevedo and a dozen associates of raising and concealing thousands of dollars in illegal campaign contributions, much of it from Philadelphia-area businessmen.

Luis Fraticelli, the special agent in charge of the FBI in Puerto Rico, would not reveal the name of the tipster but said Thursday that he launched the investigation after meeting in 2004 with a "complainant" who provided specific allegations and witnesses' names.

Romero was governor from 1977 to 1984 and later served as resident commissioner _ until losing the position to Acevedo in the 2000 election.

During the campaign, Acevedo had urged authorities to investigate a witness' claim that Romero received an illegal $175,000 donation. The witness later recanted.

Thursday's indictment alleges Acevedo won the resident commissioner seat in 2000 with the help of illegal fundraising schemes. It also claims he used illegal contributions during his 2002 campaign for resident commissioner, and in his 2004 bid for governor.

Fashion designers shiver as economic crisis hits

2012-03-13T09:40:00.000-07:00

In the cutthroat world of fashion, a designer can quickly lose rising star status _ a fact that Alessandra Facchinetti knows only too well.

For the second time in her career, the 36-year-old designer on Friday faced the prospect of losing her job after only two seasons at the helm of a major design house.

Rumors that Italian label Valentino was on the verge of replacing Facchinetti spread like wildfire at the Paris ready-to-wear shows, sending shivers of fear through other designers who, as a result of the global financial crisis, face growing pressure to deliver results quickly.

"The very class of people that have driven the whole boom in all these international brands are the very people who are going to lose their jobs in the financial sector," Godfrey Deeny, senior fashion critic at Fashion Wire Daily, told AP Television News.

"I think in the West, it's really going to hurt the bottom line and I think heads will roll."

VALENTINO

Facchinetti was hired last year to replace the house's founder, Valentino Garavani, who retired in January after 45 years in business.

Stefano Sassi, chief executive of Valentino Fashion Group, said the company would make a statement in the next few days to clarify its position.

"We know there are a lot of rumors regarding Alessandra and her future at Valentino," Sassi told reporters backstage. "The board of directors has every intention of making things as clear as possible for the market."

Trade newspaper Women's Wear Daily reported on possible replacements Friday. Facchinetti declined any comment.

The situation was eerily reminiscent of events at Italian label Gucci three years ago. Facchinetti was replaced after two seasons as its women's designer by Frida Giannini, also an accessories specialist.

Friday's uncertainty overshadowed a fine collection that contrasted clean lines with lavish embellishment.

A charcoal gray silk tunic dress with a scalloped hem was embroidered with circles of black and gold sequins. One-shouldered draped chiffon vestal gowns came in Valentino red or a barely there shade of beige.

Cedric Charbit, general merchandise manager at French department store Printemps, deplored the quick turnaround of designers at major brands.

"You have to give people the time to settle in, or not, as the case may be," he told The Associated Press.

"Facchinetti is being told, give us Facchinetti, but put in some red, because it's Valentino. So you end up with something that is slightly mixed. It's neither a blatant failure, nor a resounding success," he added.

CHANEL

If anyone is immune to the impending shakedown in the luxury goods sector, it is Chanel supremo Karl Lagerfeld. Retailers have described the French brand as a safe haven in turbulent times.

The German designer gave them what they came for, staging a spring-summer show worthy of a Hollywood production on a film set reproducing Chanel's headquarters in the exclusive rue Cambon _ five-storey facade, pavement and all.

Models stepped out of a mock Chanel boutique wearing the house's classic tweed suit, updated with an oversized grid pattern in graphic white or holographic sequins. A self-confessed compulsive shopper, Lagerfeld offered leather tote versions of the label's paper carrier bags.

"It's a little wink. And in the times we are living in, I think the guarantee of quality and stability of the big brands is what will survive in the end," he told reporters after the show.

ALEXANDER MCQUEEN

British designer Alexander McQueen gave evolution a helping hand, unveiling a radical silhouette combining hourglass hips with androgynously slim legs.

With the debate over skinny models still unresolved, it seemed unlikely that women's bodies will naturally morph into this kind of shape anytime soon.

For the time being, they will have to rely on the padding that underlaid his thigh-grazing molded dresses, which were heavily encrusted with mineral looking crystals that sparkled like a million stars.

Models emerged between a Noah's Ark of life-sized stuffed animals that underlined McQueen's evolution theme.

A skintight sheath with cutout panels at the hips featured a black-and-white vertebra print on the back and a skull-like pattern on the chest. Lest the mood get too pensive, the designer took his bow dressed in a rabbit suit.

SHORTORDERS

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

Stain prevention

Don't you hate that orange stain left in your plastic containersby foods like spaghetti sauce and chili?

Next time, try this tip, courtesy of Fine Cooking magazine:

Lightly spray the container with cooking spray before pouring inthe tomato-based sauce and the container will wash out like new.

Emergency food

My middle desk drawer is reserved for some very important officesupplies: emergency food.

This stash is for afternoons when I just can't make it untildinner, days when I forget to pack my lunch or days when it's justtoo hot, cold, rainy or snowy to run out and pick something up.

This desk pantry can vary, but often includes: a can or two ofsoup (I also keep a bowl, can opener and spoon handy), peanutbutter, energy bars or granola bars, crackers and packets of instantoatmeal.

I try to have stock that is good enough for days when I'm reallyhungry, but not so good I'm tempted to eat constantly (no M&Ms orpotato chips, for example).

Co-workers tell me they keep things like tea, cereal, peanuts,Pop-Tarts and microwave popcorn.

Fall promise

Once school starts, so do all the extracurricular activities.

And a couple nights a week, I'm faced with panic over dinner: Iforgot to take something out of the freezer in the morning, I'mtired and we're all hungry. And it's 6 p.m.

I remain determined not to rely on fast food on these nights.

It really isn't hard to come up with quick dinners, as long as westay prepared.

Linda Gassenheimer's "Dinner in Minutes: Memorable Meals for BusyCooks," (Houghton Mifflin Co., 1995) reminded me that keeping astocked pantry is key.

If you have items like pasta, canned or bottled pasta sauces,tomato sauces and prepared pizza crust, you can come up with a 20-minute dinner that even the kids will eat.

A quick salad or some cut up or canned fruit rounds out one ofthese meals (and helps allevi- ate any guilt over nutrition).

COMPILED BY

MONICA OROSZ

Trying to Get The Feeling Again

2012-03-13T02:26:00.000-07:00

You don't have to travel to Woodstock to experience the shrewdmarketing of a pop culture happening. Like losing your virginity,Woodstock happens only once. Its feeling cannot be re-created. Yetthese are a few of the folks who are trying: Lettuce Entertain You's flagship restaurant, R.J. Grunt's, 2056 N.Lincoln Park West, is hosting a "psychedelic special event" with itsSalute to the 25th Anniversary of Woodstock Friday through Aug. 14.According to a press release, waitresses will be dressed "hippiestyle" with "flowers in their hair." Grunt's is encouragingcustomers to dress the same, and they should plan to "enjoyWoodstock-related contests and sing-alongs" while 1969 music is pipedthrough the restaurant.

Lettuce Entertain You missed the boat. It should have turnedEd Debevic's into Ed Sanders', in tribute to the Fugs founder andlongtime Woodstock resident. Tower Records, 2301 N. Clark, is handling a line of officalWoodstock T-shirts, golf shirts, baseball caps and jean jackets. Inmid-July, Tower administrative assistant Cherie Breaux ordered justone blue-denim jean jacket that retails for $115. No one has boughtit yet.

"Right now, there's no interest," Breaux said last week. "Butthe actual event hasn't taken place. Once there's televisionfootage, people might get more interested."

Breaux said Tower plans to cross market its Woodstockmerchandise, incorporating clothing, books, music and the CD-ROM andCD-video combination that's being peddled through late-nightinfomercials. Woodstock promoter Michael Lang dreams of bring out an entire lineof Woodstock clothing and even starting a bunch of Woodstock Cafes,not unlike the Hard Rock Cafe chain.

Next weekend's festival will have its own electronicnewsletter, published on-site by Apple, and automatic tellermachines. Pepsi-Cola, one of several corporate sponsors, will sellsoft drinks in commemorative Woodstock cans.

US missionary convicted in Haiti, but free to go

2012-03-12T23:26:00.000-07:00

The last of 10 Americans detained while trying to take 33 children out of Haiti after the Jan. 12 earthquake was freed Monday when a judge convicted her but sentenced her to time already served in jail.

Laura Silsby, the organizer of the ill-fated effort to take the children to an orphanage being set up in the neighboring Dominican Republic, returned to her cell briefly to retrieve belongings before quickly heading to the Port-au-Prince airport.

"I'm praising God," Silsby told The Associated Press as she waited for a flight out of Haiti. She declined to answer further questions before clearing immigration and heading through a gate to catch a plane to Florida. The flight she was supposed to be on landed in Miami on Monday night, but waiting journalists couldn't locate her.

In Idaho, Mel Coulter, the father of missionary Charisa Coulter, who was released in March, said Monday night that friends and relatives were excited about Silsby's release and looking forward to a celebration Tuesday at the Boise airport.

"The 10th of 10 is coming home and we'll rejoice when we see her tomorrow," he said.

The judge's decision "may not have been exactly what we were looking for," Coulter said of the conviction, but he added, "We're very thankful."

"We knew the motives and the intent of the 10 people who went down to Haiti and there was absolutely no intent for wrongdoing," he said. "It was simply a mission of mercy."

Coulter said he and his daughter, as well as Silsby's father, John Sander of Twin Falls, Idaho, flew to Haiti on May 2, with Charisa Coulter and Sander remaining "to help Laura and give her the moral support she really needed." The three were returning to Idaho together, Coulter said.

The Idaho businesswoman had been in custody since Jan. 29. She was originally charged with kidnapping and criminal association, but those charges were dropped for her and the nine other Americans who were previously released. Silsby was convicted of arranging illegal travel under a 1980 statute restricting movement out of Haiti signed by then-dictator Jean-Claude Duvalier.

Prosecutor Jean-Serge Joseph said she was convicted and sentenced to the 3 months and 8 days she spent behind bars. Last week, the prosecution had recommended a six-month sentence and she faced a maximum of three years on the charge.

"She is free," Joseph said.

The 40-year-old Silsby told the court earlier she thought the children were orphans whose homes were destroyed in the earthquake. But she lacked the proper papers to remove them from the country at a time when the government was restricting adoptions to prevent child trafficking in the chaos that followed the disaster.

An AP investigation later revealed all the children had at least one living parent, who had turned their children over to the group in hopes of securing better lives for them.

Silsby and others in the group, mostly members of the same Baptist church in Idaho, insisted they had only come to Haiti to help. They unwittingly helped draw attention to the dark side of the adoption industry in Haiti, where children for many years have been abandoned by their parents or sold into slavery.

In February, a Haitian judge released eight of the Americans after concluding they had not knowingly engaged in any crime. The judge released Coulter, Silsby's friend and former nanny, in March.

Silsby was held the longest because she organized the venture and prosecutors insisted she knew that she did not have the proper authorization to take the children out of Haiti.

She was prosecuted with Jean Sainvil, an Atlanta-based pastor born in Haiti who allegedly helped find the children for the missionaries. The pastor, facing the same charge as Silsby, was not in Haiti and was being tried in absentia. The status of his case was not immediately clear.

21 Killed in Colombia Mine Collapse

2012-03-12T20:31:00.000-07:00

BOGOTA, Colombia - A landslide at a makeshift mine in southern Colombia killed at least 21 people and injured another 18 on Saturday after local residents began digging for rumored deposits of gold, authorities said.

Efforts were under way to find about 10 people missing and presumed trapped under the wave of dirt and rock in the open pit mine, located near the town of Suarez, 220 miles southwest of the capital, Bogota.

"There are still a lot of people to rescue, and we don't know what conditions they're in," police officer Jose Delgado said by telephone from the mine. "Initially they said there were around 50 people trapped."

Officials had recovered 21 bodies and rescued 18 people who were hurt in the morning accident in the open pit mine, Delgado said.

The landslide occurred after local residents began digging in the mine following reports that gold had been found underground, Delgado said. He added that many of them appeared to have little experience in tunneling or mining, and that rescue efforts were hampered by the lack of any registry or count of how many people entered the mine.

Rich in resources, but with limited government presence across much of the country, Colombia is home to many such makeshift mines, particularly in zones where gold or emeralds have been found.

With little to no oversight, mining accidents are a frequent occurrence in this Andean country.

In February a mine explosion killed 32 people. The same month another accident killed 8 more miners.

Eggs of evil?

2012-03-12T16:40:00.000-07:00

Myth: Eggs are orbs of death.

Truth: Eggs may be the most maligned food in history-British cuisine notwithstanding. Seems all they're good for these days is pelting hapless motorists on Halloween. But the cholesterol in eggs doesn't translate into cholesterol in your blood-and is much less harmful to your arteries than saturated fat. So unless you have high triglycerides and need to cut your cholesterol intake aggressively, an omelet now and then is no nutritional sin. Unless, of course, you fry it in tons of butter, and serve it with hash browns and rashers of bacon. Do that on a regular basis, and your arteries will clamp shut tighter than a pit bull on a mailman's leg.

Officials shift focus to floods in Arizona

2012-03-12T12:55:00.000-07:00

PHOENIX - The biggest forest fire in Arizona history is all butcontained, and authorities are shifting their focus to preventingmassive flood damage as summer storms begin to hit.

The specialized firefighting management teams that had battledthe blaze in eastern Arizona's Apache-Sitgreaves National Forestpulled out Tuesday. Patrolling the completed fire lines andcorralling the last 5 percent is now up to local forest officialsand the White Mountain Apache Tribe.

Officials say rains will be the next disaster to avert, since asubstantial part of the fire area suffered severe soil damage. Theysay the worst runoff will happen where the fire burned the hottestand prevented the soil from absorbing rainfall.

Two other major fires that burned in recent weeks will raise thesame concerns.

Apache County engineer Ferrin Crosby says a small thunderstormMonday night quickly turned the Little Colorado River into a ragingtorrent. Such a storm normally wouldn't affect flows.