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Stocks Slip After Rally, Profit Warnings

2012-03-15T06:52:00.000-07:00

NEW YORK - Stocks pulled back Wednesday as investors weighed profit warnings and debated the Federal Reserve's next move on interest rates.

While a retrenchment might be expected after sharp gains seen Wednesday - the Dow Jones industrial average and the Standard & Poor's 500 index finished at new highs - investors also faced concerns about the health of corporate profits. The likes of Alcoa Inc., International Paper Co. and Chevron Corp. also moved lower on profit news.

Economic news, a mainstay of Wall Street's diet in recent weeks as it tried to determine the likelihood of a Fed rate cut, appears to have briefly faded in import this week as the third-quarter …

Game 4 of NBA finals draws strong ratings for ABC

2012-03-15T04:26:00.000-07:00

Game 4 between the Los Angeles Lakers and Orlando Magic was the most-watched fourth game of the NBA finals in five years.

The game drew about 16 million viewers for ABC, a 16 percent increase over Game 4 last year between the Lakers and Boston Celtics. It was the best performance for a Game 4 since the Lakers and Detroit …

Helping Kids Get Jobs Should Be Priority, Panel Told

2012-03-15T02:05:00.000-07:00

Networking to boost your own career is important, but gettingdisadvantaged kids into good jobs is imperative, ethnic leaders inChicago told a gathering of working women on Thursday.

"Our most important issue this year is how we as women of colorcan deal with issues of children. They're in trouble and it'sscary," said Francis I. Wilkins, who founded Networking Together inChicago in 1980. "We have a special responsibility to prepare themto move in our footsteps," she said.

The regional group's conference, "Rainbow of Color: JoiningTogether for Empowerment, Leadership & Survival," runs throughtomorrow at the Bismarck Hotel. The annual program started inChicago in …

Pentagon's second thoughts on Iraq withdrawal

2012-03-14T23:42:00.000-07:00

WASHINGTON (AP) — Eight months shy of its deadline for pulling the last American soldier from Iraq and closing the door on an 8-year war, the Pentagon is having second thoughts.

Reluctant to say it publicly, officials fear a final pullout in December could create a security vacuum, offering an opportunity for power grabs by antagonists in an unresolved and simmering Arab-Kurd dispute, a weakened but still active al-Qaida or even an adventurous neighbor such as Iran.

The U.S. wants to keep perhaps several thousand troops in Iraq, not to engage in combat but to guard against an unraveling of a still-fragile peace. This was made clear during Defense Secretary Robert Gates' visit …

Headley's 4 hits lead Padres over Nationals in 14

2012-03-14T21:21:00.000-07:00

Chase Headley had four hits, including a tie-breaking triple that keyed a five-run 14th inning, and the San Diego Padres beat the Washington Nationals 11-6 on Friday night.

It was a game between the teams with the worst records in the National League. Both began the game, which lasted 5 hours, tied with 58-95 marks.

With the score tied at 6, Kevin Kouzmanoff led off the 14th and was hit by a pitch by Levale Speigner (0-1), Washington's ninth pitcher which tied a club record. Headley, who also had two doubles and a single, tripled off the right field wall to score Kouzmanoff. Nick Hundley's single scored Headley. Brian Giles walked with the bases loaded and …

Time running out for awards

2012-03-14T19:01:00.000-07:00

Food and drinks companies are being encouraged to enter the 18thannual Grampian Food Forum Innovation Awards.

Pioneering businesses have until Wednesday to put forward theirproducts for …

More new students at seminary

2012-03-14T16:40:00.000-07:00

Elkhart, Ind.--Associated Mennonite Biblical Seminary welcomed the largest incoming group of students in three years: 46 new students are enrolled, a jump from 32 new students in 2001 and 31 in 2000. This increase is significant in several ways: the number of new Mennonite students is double that of last year; full-time enrolment is more than double that of last year; and the …

Jankovic wins Kremlin Cup title

2012-03-14T14:20:00.000-07:00

Top-ranked Jelena Jankovic beat Russia's Vera Zvonareva 6-2, 6-4 on Sunday to win the Kremlin Cup and her third straight title in as many weeks.

The 23-year-old Serb was coming off back-to-back titles at the China Open and the Porsche Grand Prix in Germany.

It was her fourth title this season and the eighth in her career. She was also runner-up twice this season, losing to Serena Williams in Miami and at the U.S. Open.

The No. 9-ranked Zvonareva could not challenge Jankovic in the first set and was broken twice.

After trading service breaks early in the second, Jankovic took a 3-2 lead with a break in the fifth game, but Zvonareva …

Are you the face of Clarks?

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

The hunt is on for former Clarks employees who could findthemselves the stars of a new advertising campaign.

Shooteurope, a Paris-based photography agency will be coming toSomerset to take photographs of the Clarks Family - people who havebeen employed by, or are related to people who were employed by thefirm.

"We're going to be shooting at the end of February, so it's morethan a little urgent," said Jessica Bradbury, a spokeswoman for thefirm.

"We want to get across the feeling of just how much of a familythe Clarks brand is - so we're looking for people who used to workthere, the grandchildren of the people who used to work there -everyone from …

Report: Security Is Key to Iraq Success

2012-03-14T09:39:00.000-07:00

WASHINGTON - A much-anticipated intelligence assessment on Iraq says success depends on improving poor security, which is fueling sectarian violence, hurting the government and slowing reconstruction, a senior intelligence official told senators Tuesday.

The highly classified National Intelligence Estimate from the nation's 16 spy agencies has been in the works for months, with lawmakers increasingly eager to get intelligence analysts' views on Iraq and the government of Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki. President Bush recently announced a revised strategy for Iraq, which includes sending in 21,500 additional troops and putting more pressure on the Iraqis to repair the security …

Cleveland man accused in slayings kills himself

2012-03-14T07:19:00.000-07:00

A man suspected of killing his newlywed wife, his sister-in-law and three young children killed himself Friday after police forced their way into the home he had fled to and found him hiding in the bathroom, authorities said. Across the street from the home where Davon Crawford shot himself in the head, several dozen people lined up behind yellow police tape and cheered as a sheet-covered stretcher was removed from the house.

Crawford's wife, Lechea, was killed about four miles away in the couple's home Thursday night, along with her sister and the sister's 4-year-old daughter and 2-year-old twins. Another child was wounded.

A relative said the Crawfords had …

Chance to obtain 12 hours' free coaching and mentoring with new scheme

2012-03-14T04:59:00.000-07:00

Large firms have considerable experience using coaches andmentors to unlock the potential of their high flyers.

This focused, one-on-one support is now being offered to theleaders of smaller, high-growth firms. As part of our GrowingBusiness - the Big Conversation campaign, we look at this promisingnew initiative.

A new programme, Coaching for High Growth, is being launched thismonth to give coaching and mentoring support to local firms with thescope to achieve strong growth.

Funded by the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF), thisinitiative is being delivered by GWE Business West and its partnersacross the South West.

The service, …

Turkey buries 15 soldiers slain in rebel attack

2012-03-14T02:18:00.000-07:00

Tens of thousands of Turks in cities across Turkey attended the funerals Sunday of 15 soldiers slain in a Kurdish rebel attack.

Turkey has vowed an all-out fight against the rebels following the killing Friday of the soldiers in a raid near the Iraqi border. Twenty soldiers were wounded and two more were missing, the government said.

Dozens of protesters gathered outside Parliament early Sunday chanting, "Down with the PKK."

Since the attack, Turkish troops have killed at least 23 rebels in southeastern Turkey and northern Iraq in the deadliest battle in eight months. The rebels belonged to the Kurdistan Workers' Party, or PKK, which has been fighting for autonomy in Turkey's southeast since 1984.

Turkey's civilian leaders vowed to respond harshly.

"Whatever the cost, the fight will go on full force," President Abdullah Gul said in televised address Saturday.

The military did not say whether Turkish soldiers crossed into Iraq on Friday, but said the rebels attacked the soldiers near a military outpost in Aktutun, Turkey, close to the Iraqi border, and Turkish warplanes, helicopters and artillery units pounded insurgent positions in northern Iraq.

Next week, Turkey's Parliament is scheduled to vote on whether to extend for another year authorization for the military to conduct cross-border operations against Kurdish rebel bases in northern Iraq. The current authority expires Oct. 17.

___

Associated Press writers Gulden Alp in Ankara contributed to this report.

Lights, gingerbread, parades: Holiday happenings

2012-03-13T23:27:00.000-07:00

NEW YORK (AP) — Elaborate gingerbread houses, boat parades, train shows and dazzling light shows that illuminate entire neighborhoods are all part of the holiday fun this year for the Christmas and New Year's season. Here's a selection of beautiful things to see and interesting things to do around America now through early January.

In Manhattan, the Rockefeller Center tree stays lit until Jan. 7. This year it's a 74-foot(22.5-meter)-tall Norway spruce illuminated by 30,000 lights. You can go skating at the rink onsite, see the Christmas show at nearby Radio City Music Hall or visit St. Patrick's Cathedral on Fifth Avenue. Other favorite Christmas trees around Manhattan include the tree and Neapolitan Baroque creche at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, up through Jan. 8, and the origami holiday tree at the American Museum of Natural History through Jan. 2. Elsewhere in the city, through Jan. 16, the Children's Museum of Manhattan is hosting an exhibit called "America's Parade: Celebrating 85 Years of the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade," with posters, audio, video, artwork and models of floats and characters from the annual event kicking off the Christmas season.

In Washington, you'll find the National Christmas Tree, a 26-foot(7.9-meter) Colorado blue spruce, located on the Ellipse, a park that lies between the White House and the National Mall. The tree was planted earlier this year to replace a previous one that had blown down.

Mardi Gras is not the only holiday celebrated in style in New Orleans. The Big Easy offers Creole traditions and other festivities throughout the Christmas season, including a holiday light display in City Park, filled with twinkling 100-year-old oak trees; holiday displays at the Botanical Garden and Storyland; and New Orleans Reveillon, an old French Creole holiday dining tradition available in restaurants around the city with prix fixe menus and dishes like absinthe oyster soup and sugarcane smoked duck.

They don't get much snow, but a Christmas tradition in many Florida towns is the holiday boat parade. There are nearly 50 of them held from Pensacola to Key West this time of year, with lighted boats illuminating waterways and harbors. A good directory of the parades is online at http://www.floridabywater.com/component/content/article/1647-boat-parades.

Holiday train shows are a tradition at a number of botanic gardens with model trains running through elaborate scale replicas of landscapes and landmarks. At the New York Botanical Garden in the Bronx, the holiday train show on display through Jan. 16 in the Enid A. Haupt Conservancy features miniature versions of Yankee Stadium, the Statue of Liberty and the Brooklyn Bridge. At the Chicago Botanic Garden, through Jan. 1, the Wonderland Express holiday train exhibit includes more than 80 miniature Chicago landmarks including Navy Pier, Soldier Field, the Art Institute, and more. At the Krohn Conservatory in Cincinnati, "Trains, Trestles and Traditions" includes poinsettias, trains and lights, through Jan. 1.

Many ski resorts offer special events at holiday time. Taos Ski Valley hosts torch light parades on Christmas Eve and New Year's Eve. The resort says that "crowds gather at the bottom of the mountain to watch as skiers make their way down the mountain in the dark with flares as their only means of light."

Making a gingerbread house is no longer a simple activity done at home with children. Many hotels are now hosting displays of elaborate gingerbread houses created by pastry chefs and artists. The Capital Hotel in Little Rock, Arkansas, The Clifton Inn in Charlottesville, Virginia, and The Jefferson, in Washington, D.C., are all hosting ornate gingerbread displays. Mohegan Sun, a casino in Connecticut, is hosting a 24-foot(7.3-meter) lifesize gingerbread house. At Le Parker Meridien hotel in Manhattan, through Jan. 6, some of the city's top bakeries have contributed gingerbread masterpieces for a display that benefits City Harvest, which provides food to nearly 600 community programs.

At Universal Studios Hollywood in California, CityWalk is hosting a "Holiday Lights Spectacular." At Universal Studios in Orlando, the Macy's Holiday Parade is held every evening through Jan. 1 with some of the same floats, characters and balloons that were seen on the streets of Manhattan Thanksgiving Day. And at Universal theme parks in both California and Florida, you can take in a "Grinchmas" show and meet the Grinch and the Whos.

In North Carolina, Christmas at the Biltmore estate in Asheville features 57 Christmas trees in the Biltmore House and nearly 500 wreaths around the estate. Thousands of lights illuminate the National Historic Landmark and grounds, and the estate offers a variety of tours and other events throughout the holiday season. Christmas celebrations have a long tradition there, going back to Christmas Eve 1895, when George Washington Vanderbilt first opened Biltmore House to family and friends.

In Riverside, California, The Mission Inn Hotel & Spa is hosting its 19th annual Festival of Lights, with 3.6 million lights through Jan. 8, plus horse-drawn carriages, carolers, and more. Over 300,000 people visited the Mission Inn last year during the holidays to see the free display.

Arkansas is offering a downloadable "Trail of Holiday Lights" brochure at http://www.arkansas.com/things-to-do/trail-of-lights/ with details on lighting displays and other events in more than 60 communities around the state. Of course Arkansas' most famous lighting display has been transported to Disney's Hollywood Studios in Florida, where visitors can see the Osborne Family Spectacle of Dancing Lights through Jan. 7. The massive display of 3.2 million lights originated at the home of Jennings Osborne in Little Rock, but the spectacle drew complaints and eventually a lawsuit from neighbors. Osborne passed away in July; the light show has been at Disney since 1995.

In Wheeling, West Virginia, the Oglebay Resort & Conference Center hosts the Winter Festival of Lights through Jan. 8. The show covers more than 300 acres over a six-mile drive with larger-than-life lighting displays including a Ferris wheel, dinosaurs, a poinsettia wreath, and "The Twelve Days of Christmas."

In Dallas, a huge electronic music event is scheduled for New Year's Eve called "Lights All Night." The festival features six top DJs — Tiesto, Laidback Luke, Dada Life, Wolfgang Gartner, Benny Benassi and Porter Robinson — and many other performers, and will take place Dec. 30 and 31 at the Dallas Convention Center.

In Minneapolis, the free Target Holidazzle parade draws thousands of spectators with lights, floats, bands and costumed characters. The parade takes place Thursday to Sunday at 6:30 p.m. through Dec. 18 on the Nicollet Mall from 12th Street to Fourth Street.

India scuttles protests with lockdown in Kashmir

2012-03-13T20:35:00.000-07:00

SRINAGAR, India (AP) — It's a perplexing strategy. Every week anti-India separatists in restive Kashmir release a detailed calendar of their upcoming protests that essentially dares the security forces to stop them.

And they almost always do.

Last week, when the separatists called for supporters to strike and hold protests throughout the day — and open for business at night — Indian authorities hit back by imposing a round-the-clock curfew and called out the military for crowd control.

Protest leaders say even though telegraphing their intentions gives authorities a chance to quash their plans, it is worth it because it instigates the authorities to hit back with a heavy hand, further delegitimizing Indian rule in the eyes of Kashmiris.

At least 107 people, mostly teenage boys and young men in their 20s, have died in the crackdown on the often-violent demonstrations since June, with every death stoking public anger and more protests.

The demonstration schedules are part of a "Quit Kashmir" campaign that started in June aimed at winning independence from Hindu-dominated India or a merger with mostly Muslim Pakistan.

"The resistance calendars are our means of expression to seek India's clear acknowledgment of what we want, and simultaneously challenge the silence of the international community," said Syed Ali Shah Geelani, one of the separatist leaders spearheading the ongoing protests.

Since 1989, an armed uprising and the ensuing crackdown by Indian security forces have killed an estimated 68,000 people in the Himalayan region, divided between India and Pakistan but claimed by both in its entirety. While that rebellion has been largely suppressed, public opposition to Indian rule remains deep and the resistance is now principally through street demonstrations.

Indian officials have repeatedly said the protests are orchestrated by the separatist leaders to disrupt normal life in Kashmir.

"Their sole objective is to make the government defunct and run a parallel system as part of a nefarious design. But our legal system has many provisions to deal with it, and we'll not let them have their way," said Taj Mohi-u-Din, an influential Cabinet minister in the state government.

The separatists, who say they are only channeling the public mistrust of Indian rule, amended their program Thursday, ending their call for daytime strikes for four days to allow normal life to briefly return to the region. However, the government has continued with its massive security lockdown, which has greatly curtailed the protests.

Analysts say releasing the protest schedule shows the government the separatists are not cowed and intend to push ahead with their fight.

"The continued racheting up of the methods and intensity of the protests means that in supporting the calendars people are trying to force a meaningful dialogue, not a dialogue defined by New Delhi," said Prof. Siddiq Wahid, head of the Islamic University of Science and Technology in Kashmir.

However, security officials, buoyed by the recent curfew-enforced calm, have begun to reach out to Kashmiris locked in their homes and desperately looking for ways to meet their emergency needs.

Police stations have been directed to ensure "essential medicines and commodities are made available" to public, according to a police statement. Police have set up special help-line numbers and are allowing limited movement of people for marriages scheduled during the curfews, and started running public distributions of grain and cooking gas.

"Come what may, we'll not allow the separatist policy of paralyzing the government and demoralizing security forces to work anymore," said a senior police officer who spoke on condition on anonymity because he was not authorized to discuss the security strategy with the media.

"People will finally understand that it is the state that caters to their needs, not the separatists," he said.

With their backs to the wall, the conflict-weary residents may soon be forced to seek assistance from the troops they openly resent and fight on the streets.

"They're creating a situation for us where we've to choose between our fight for freedom and dependence on police for daily survival," said Bilal Ahmed, a Srinagar resident. "This dilemma makes life much tougher."

Red Sox DH Ortiz expects to be in cast 2-3 weeks

2012-03-13T17:42:00.000-07:00

The long black cast stretched from the middle of David Ortiz's left biceps to just above his knuckles.

Doctors are optimistic that when it comes off in about two to three weeks, the injury to his left wrist should be healed and he can begin working his way back into the Red Sox lineup.

Boston's home run and RBI leader suffered a partial tear of the sheath that surrounds his tendon while swinging Saturday night at Baltimore. He was placed on the 15-day disabled list Tuesday.

"The integrity of the tendon hasn't been comprised at all," general manager Theo Epstein said before Tuesday night's game against the Tampa Bay Rays. "So that's why the doctors are pretty confident that if it's immobilized in this hard cast for a period of time that there's a pretty significant chance that it'll heal itself in that time period."

Manny Ramirez filled Ortiz's role as designated hitter and Jacoby Ellsbury took over Ramirez's spot in left field against the Rays.

Manager Terry Francona has said surgery is "very unlikely."

But if he has an operation, Ortiz said, he'd probably miss the rest of the season.

"Hopefully not," he said. "That would be too much for me to take."

Ortiz went on the disabled list, retroactive to Sunday, for the first time since he joined the Red Sox before the 2003 season. The Red Sox called up right-hander Justin Masterson, who started Tuesday night, and outfielder Chris Carter from Triple-A Pawtucket and optioned outfielder Jeff Bailey to Pawtucket.

Ortiz was hurt in the ninth inning of Boston's 6-3 win over the Orioles and left with a 3-and-2 count.

"The doctor says 70 to 80 percent of the people that have this, when they get a cast, it normally goes back (to normal)," Ortiz said. "I have clicking when I move my hand. If the pain goes away, that's the main key.

"If the pain goes away and I still have the clicking, then I can probably play through it and maybe fix it after the season. Otherwise, if I still have the pain, I'm going to be out."

Ortiz is batting .252 with 13 homers and 43 RBIs in 54 games after a very slow start. Last season, he hit .332 with 35 homers and 117 RBIs despite playing with a knee injury that required offseason arthroscopic surgery in which damaged cartilage was removed.

He didn't have any problem with his left wrist until he hurt it Saturday night, Ortiz said.

"I swing 1,000 times like that," he said. "It's weird, just a normal swing. It wasn't even a check swing."

Manager Terry Francona and trainer Paul Lessard came out of the dugout and talked with Ortiz at home plate before he was removed from the game.

"I knew it was bad because I'm not the kind of guy who comes out of the game that easy," Ortiz said. "I'm not used to it. That's the thing. I don't know what to do when I'm not playing."

With Ortiz sidelined, first baseman Kevin Youkilis batted in his third spot in the lineup. Francona said Mike Lowell and J.D. Drew also could be used there _ until Ortiz returns.

If the pain and tenderness are gone from the wrist "when he gets out of the cast," Epstein said, "then it will have resolved itself and he can start a progression" toward getting back in the lineup.

The campaign's got your number, and your bar code

2012-03-13T14:50:00.000-07:00

Barack Obama, a former community organizer, is spending untold millions of dollars to identify and mobilize voters, and Republicans acknowledge that John McCain's team probably will be outspent and outmanned. They hope it won't be outmaneuvered.

This is an unusual situation for Republicans, masters of the ground game: the contest of phone calls, door knocks, literature drops and text messaging that can make the difference in close contests. It's a contest so sophisticated on both sides that if you're a voter in their sights, chances are they've got a computer barcode just for you.

Look no farther than the 2000 presidential race that showed Democrats and Republicans alike the importance of getting a party's supporters to polls. George W. Bush's disputed 537-vote victory in Florida gave the Republican the White House over Democrat Al Gore. Four years later, Democrat John Kerry ramped up the party's efforts but it wasn't enough to thwart Bush's narrow re-election.

This year, Democrats say they are determined not to let the White House slip from their grasp for a third-straight election and Obama has made turnout efforts a true priority. "We're waging a very aggressive campaign to use our network of neighborhood volunteers to persuade voters wherever they are," said Jon Carson, Obama's national field director.

Republicans hope their battle-tested operation will deliver victory for McCain in a difficult year. They know the Democrats are pressing hard on the ground.

"They've definitely got the bodies, and they've definitely got the money," said Rich Beeson, the Republican National Committee's political director. Yet what matters most is knowing whom to mobilize on Election Day, "and we've got the advantage there."

Both sides are mindful of this: Nothing else in the campaign matters if voters don't show up. Thus, Democrats and Republicans are combining new technological tools with timeworn shoe-leather tactics to find voters, persuade undecideds, rally hard-core backers and, the hardest part, get them all to the polling stations.

____

Volunteers are key.

Inside the Republicans' southeastern Pennsylvania field office in Blue Bell, McCain's volunteers crowded around a table, counting and bundling McCain-Palin door hangers for canvassers. The Philadelphia Eagles game was on but no one was watching. Boxes of pizza went virtually untouched.

Stefanie Zarych, 29, drove 80 miles (129 kilometers) from Ventnor, New Jersey, to lend a hand in a more competitive state. "Think about what John McCain has done on so many Sundays, and this is nothing," she said. "His life has been about service."

Across the table strewn with rubber bands, Michael Santillo, 65, of King of Prussia, Pennsylvania, said: "I'll be here every day that I can." The Vietnam veteran cap he wore served as explanation enough for backing McCain, a 5 1/2-year prisoner of war in Hanoi.

A six-day-a-week volunteer who coordinates canvassing walks, Ann Pilgreen, 63, of Gwyneed Valley, Pennsylvania, wasn't supposed to be at the center on the seventh _ a Sunday _ but couldn't help herself. "I feel strongly about this election, and I have the time to do it."

____

One morning earlier, some 50 Obama supporters climbed in a charter bus in Largo, Maryland, bound for Richmond, Virginia, 120 miles (193 kilometers) away. Out West, Californians headed for Nevada. These volunteers, from two safe Democratic states, were putting their energy into neighboring battlegrounds.

"This is why he's going to win _ when you get this many people out here giving up a weekend," said Noluthando Crockett-Ntonga from Laurel, Maryland, as she looked at the crew undergoing a 15-minute training session at Obama's Virginia headquarters.

Staffers distributed packets of names and addresses of voters, along with those computer-generated barcodes, for the assembled volunteers to contact. They handed out campaign literature, neighborhood maps and a script to read. The goal: collect information on each voter, including who they are supporting. If Obama, encourage them to volunteer.

"You have a really good case to make," said Obama field organizer Kristen Dore, 22, a "Hope" tattoo on her right foot. "Tell them, 'I'm in your backyard and I'm from Maryland, why aren't you in your backyard?'"

____

Massive databases filled with extraordinarily detailed information on individual voters form the foundation of each campaign's efforts.

The Republican Party has been honing its voter file for more than a decade; Democrats have made strides since 2004 in building theirs. Democratic operatives privately agree with their Republican counterparts that the Republican information is more precise and Republicans probably are more advanced on the technological aspects of manipulating it.

Each database contains information culled from various sources to create a snapshot for each individual. State election records show party identification and voting frequency; driver's license files provide birth dates and demographic details; Census data disclose if a person is married, owns a home, has children; consumer information purchased from vendors gives lifestyle hints, through magazine subscriptions, preferred hobbies and shopping habits.

Campaigns use all that to group each individual _ strong supporter, undecided, strong opponent _ and tailor pitches through mail, phone calls and visits. The files are updated constantly, essentially allowing campaigns to market their candidate like storm windows or a mattress sale.

In the final weeks, the databases are used to identify who will vote, how they'll vote, the best way to make sure they vote, and how many times they've been contacted.

____

Money is a huge factor, too.

A prolific fundraiser, Obama opted out of the taxpayer financing system and has a huge war chest.

Democrats say he has devoted potentially record-breaking sums to registering new voters, primarily blacks and youth, and building neighborhood-by-neighboorhood networks to create a "persuasion army" to court friends, relatives and neighbors. Social networking Web sites and text messaging are central.

Obama's campaign has made aggressive pushes to register voters on campuses and in the black community, for instance establishing voter-information outposts in barber shops and beauty salons. TV and radio commercials echo that effort.

Voter registrations across the country attest to excitement over the historic nature of his candidacy among those drawn to the prospect of a first black president and a relatively youthful one _ Obama is 47. Democratic sign-ups dramatically exceed Republican by the tens of thousands in battlegrounds such as Pennsylvania, Nevada, Ohio and Florida.

Also, Obama campaign offices and paid field staffers far outnumber McCain's in Iowa, New Mexico and Wisconsin, if not every other state.

____

MCain's field operations were slow to start in the spring and summer, but his advisers express confidence in how much they've built upon previous success. Republican officials say the party's volunteer operations made 600,000 more contacts last week than in the comparative week in 2004, and the trend is continuing.

The party's rank-and-file has been depressed all year. But Republican operatives say McCain's selection of conservative Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin for the ticket roused the conservatives who do the vital work in the ground game of the final weeks.

Unlike Obama, McCain is limited to spending $84 million this fall because he accepted public financing and its spending limits. But the Republican National Committee is supplementing that. It brought in nearly $225 million this year, including a record $66 million last month alone.

Much of the money goes toward ground-game operations that have been tested and tweaked over the past four election cycles. This includes the Republicans' 72-hour program _ a final three-day push that Republicans credit with helping them make gains in 2002 and win the presidency in 2004 after narrowly losing the popular vote in 2000.

Among the party's advances this year: phone-bank telephones linked directly to the Internet that allow volunteers to upload data quickly into the voter file instead of entering it manually.

____

"Hello, my name is Paul and I'm a volunteer calling on behalf of the McCain-Palin presidential ticket. If you haven't already received your absentee ballot in the mail one will arrive shortly ..."

And so ended Paul Ventresca's daily three-hour phone-bank stint in the Philadelphia suburbs; he volunteers whenever he's not working his day job at a transportation company.

The 36-year-old from Willow Grove, Pennsylvania, easily logged 200 calls. His last caller didn't pick up so he pushed a button on the party's new system to note that he had left a message. Then, he hung up _ and the information zipped across cyberspace and updated the party's voter file.

At one point during her weekly six-hour shift, Gail Sine, 45, of Harleysville, Pennsylvania, reached the husband of a targeted voter. She pressed a button to note a call answered.

"I'm just following up to see if she's received her absentee ballot."

The man _ who apparently had not requested an absentee ballot and, thus, wasn't on the day's call list _ said yes and Sine pushed another button.

And, he said, his wife planned to vote for McCain. Yet another button pushed.

"Very good, sir. Thank you very much," Sine said, ending the call and updating the database in one swoop.

Door-to-door canvassers get bubble sheets to fill out. They are scanned, automatically turned into computer files and quickly uploaded to the database.

All that's intended to ensure that McCain's team has the most accurate, up-to-date information possible to steer messages to the right people _ and make sure everyone votes.

_____

Obama's campaign puts heavy emphasis on face-to-face contacts.

Maryland volunteer Yolanda Jackson, 37, hadn't reached her first house in Richmond when the homeowner beat her to the punch. "I'm planning to vote for Obama," Kathy Monday, 58, said with a grin and a wave. "Absolutely committed" to both voting and volunteering.

It wasn't that easy for canvassers Linda Ransom, 49, and Charles Sloger, 69, at the large brick home next door.

"I'm undecided about everything," Mary Baylor, 54, said on her front stoop. "I usually wait until the last minute." After they left, Baylor said she appreciated the information sheet they provided though "I noticed it's all Barack and that's nice but I'll go look up about McCain."

Lillian and Glenn Kersey, both age 55, had even less luck.

Of the first four houses they approached, one person wasn't home, another didn't plan to vote, and two backed McCain, including one elderly woman who yelled: "If you're coming into my yard to talk about Obama, I don't want to talk to you!"

Even so, the couple from Maryland kept in good spirits.

"It's certainly not a waste of time," said Mrs. Kersey, recalling her march as a North Carolina teenager to the board of education during the civil rights movement as white men bearing guns taunted her and other blacks. "We fought the fight then, we're fighting the fight now."

___

On the Net:

McCain campaign: http://www.johnmccain.com/

Obama campaign: http://www.barackobama.com/index.php

Pa. eatery stirs interest in nations in conflict

2012-03-13T11:51:00.000-07:00

The takeout restaurant with its bright blue storefront and large, sunny yellow lettering sits among a city block of plain white brick buildings. There's no place to sit, and there's only one item on the menu: a wrap sandwich from Iran called a kubideh.

In a few months, the menu will change to food from Afghanistan, then perhaps North Korea.

This is Conflict Kitchen, a takeout cafe designed and run by artists hoping to start conversations with customers about countries in conflict with the U.S.

"For us, it's not about being experts in Afghanistan, North Korea or Venezuela. It's a chance for the public to start thinking," said Jon Rubin, 46, an assistant professor of art at Carnegie Mellon University.

The colorful storefront is what attracts most customers. Some people order the sandwich and leave. But others ask questions about the unusual restaurant, which leads to conversations about Iran, ethnicity or other topics related to the country. On Saturday, the restaurant will host a live online discussion and meal with a group of people in Iran.

Rubin came up with the idea with artists John Pena, 28, and Dawn Weleski, 29. Conflict Kitchen evolved from a friendly competition with a neighborhood hot dog stand; the artists wanted to offer more than just food.

"The Conflict Kitchen is about possibilities," Rubin said. "We see it as an experimental public artwork."

The artists say most people only know about certain countries through what they read or hear in the news. So they decided to use food from different countries as a medium to get people thinking. They started with Iran, partly because of a small but vibrant group of Iranians in Pittsburgh that could be a good resource. A local agency gave them a $7,000 grant for the project.

"I think it's about trying to have an open dialogue," Weleski said.

Nearly everything about Conflict Kitchen leads to a discussion.

What language is that on the restaurant's sign? It's Farsi.

Why do you only serve one thing? "We're interested in a small amount of confusion. Just a small amount, I think, (and) peoples' minds open up," Rubin said.

Want to throw your sandwich wrapper away when you're done? Don't. The blue, yellow and green wrapper when opened up contains writings about topics including poetry, fashion and nuclear power in Iran. The stories are written in the first person, but the writers aren't identified.

"Most Americans who I have encountered think that Iranians are ugly, aggressive, violent, terrorists, Islamists, and uncivilized," one person writes. "Iranians like Americans but they hate American government. So far, what I have experienced suggests that Americans like Iranians, too, but they dislike the Islamic republic establishment."

Conflict Kitchen sits next to the Waffle Shop, also founded by Rubin. The sit-down eatery is part restaurant and part university classroom, where besides eating waffles customers can participate in live streaming Web shows on any topic they like.

Both eateries are in the city's East Liberty neighborhood, a community undergoing a revival with new housing, restaurants and big box stores. It's one of the more diverse neighborhoods in Pittsburgh, a largely white city of about 320,000 people.

"These are places that don't exist in the city, or in lots of cities," Rubin said.

Rubin, Pena and Weleski worked with an Iranian living in Pittsburgh to come up with the food. The wrap sandwich is served on a flat bread called barbari, with a grilled ground beef patty spiced with turmeric, cumin, cinnamon and other spices.

In the storefront's small kitchen, which is shared with the Waffle Shop, three bistro tables covered in aluminum foil sit on a black and white checkerboard of linoleum floor tiles. Work-study students from Carnegie Mellon stand at the tables, rolling out the dough for the wraps and thinly slicing onions.

Weleski stands at one table, mixing the meat and spices by hand in a large stock pot, then forms the mixture into long patties. Then, in the ultimate east meets west, the meat and bread are grilled _ separately _ on George Forman grills.

They all take turns working at the storefront window, where the wraps sell for $5 each. The students say that's their favorite part _ talking to people who approach the window and getting the conversation going.

"We start it. We tell people what's going on and then it keeps going," said Hilary Baribeau, 21, a Carnegie Mellon senior majoring in English and global studies.

Kim and David Kir, both 41, stood out front eating the sandwiches with their 3-year-old daughter, Stella, last Saturday. The family lives in the neighborhood and has eaten different kinds of food before, but this was their first taste of Iranian food.

"If nothing else, it would make people aware," Kim Kir said. "It's not like this big bad country. People live there and have their local food that they eat. ... Obviously, it's a little more than that. It humanizes it."

Jennifer Thomas, 26, and her mom, Susan, drove an hour from St. Clairsville, Ohio, to eat at an Ethiopian restaurant in East Liberty and shop for unique food in the city's iconic Strip District. As they walked the neighborhood, though, they happened upon Conflict Kitchen and bought two wraps to take home.

"It's like we went to Iran today," Jennifer Thomas said.

The restaurant plans to change to a new country every four months.

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Online:

http://www.conflictkitchen.org

Upbeat Obama says Senate near health care passage

2012-03-13T08:44:00.000-07:00

President Barack Obama urged restive Senate Democrats not to lose perspective amid intense intraparty battles when they are on the brink of passing health care reform legislation that has eluded presidents and lawmakers for decades.

Obama met Tuesday for the second time in less than two weeks with Senate Democrats, telling them they were "on the precipice" of victory, not breakdown, in enacting historic legislation.

The legislation includes "all the criteria that I laid out" in a speech to a joint session of Congress earlier in the year, he said. "It is deficit-neutral. It bends the cost curve. It covers 30 million Americans who don't have health insurance, and it has extraordinary insurance reforms in there to make sure that we're preventing abuse."

The meeting followed an intense two days in which Democrats struggled _ apparently successfully _ to keep the legislation moving forward despite a flare-up over a proposal to expand Medicare _ the government-run program that provides health care benefits to those 65 and older _ to uninsured men and women as young as 55.

Majority Leader Harry Reid was still scrambling to secure the 60 votes he needs to overcome a Republican filibuster _ a legislative maneuver to block a final vote on a bill.

One holdout _ Connecticut independent Sen. Joe Lieberman _ was coming around fast. Another _ Nebraska moderate Sen. Ben Nelson _ was still uncommitted, criticizing the bill's restrictions on abortion funding as too lax.

Lieberman announced on Sunday he opposed the proposal to expand Medicare, and he threatened to join Republicans in opposition if it stayed in the bill. With Democrats ready to jettison the Medicare change, "I'm going to be in a position where I can say ... that I'm ready to vote for health care reform," Lieberman said Tuesday.

That left Nebraska's Nelson as the only known potential holdout among the 60 senators who are members of the party's caucus, a group that includes 58 Democrats, Lieberman and Sen. Bernie Sanders, an independent from Vermont.

The concessions disappointed more liberal Democratic senators. The government-run health insurance option supported by most Democratic senators appeared dead in the Senate, as well as the fallback proposal to expand Medicare coverage.

"The president and vice president pointed out that you take your victories when you can and nothing prevents you from fighting on for the things you believe should have been achieved," said Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse of Rhode Island. "But why spurn a victory in hand?"

"There was frustration and angst," West Virginia Sen. Jay Rockefeller, a leading liberal, said after the meeting at the White House. "Everybody has things they want, and they didn't all get what they want and that includes me, big time."

But Obama got their attention, said Rockefeller, describing a health care remake to cover tens of millions now uninsured as "the biggest thing since Social Security."

"It's hard to ignore that," Rockefeller said.

The United States is the only major industrialized country without universal health care coverage.

Sen. Mary Landrieu of Louisiana, a moderate who had been on the fence, said Tuesday night it's time to pass the bill.

The White House meeting came as Democrats awaited a final cost analysis from the Congressional Budget Office on the latest version of the bill, and the full Senate defeated an amendment to permit the importing of low-cost prescription drugs from Canada and elsewhere.

At its core, the legislation is designed to spread coverage to 30 million Americans who now lack it, impose new consumer-friendly regulations on the insurance industry and try to slow the rate of growth in health care spending. Most Americans would be required to purchase insurance, and the government would establish new insurance supermarkets called "exchanges" through which consumers could shop for policies.

The measure includes hundreds of billions in subsidies to defray the cost of insurance for families with incomes up to about $88,200 a year for a family of four. Additional assistance would go to small businesses.

Large companies would not face a requirement to cover their employees. But the government would impose charges if any of them did not do so and any of their workers qualified for federal subsidies to help them afford private coverage. It would be financed with tax increases and Medicare cuts.

Democratic leaders mapped out a timetable that envisioned passage before Christmas _ but just barely. The House approved its version of the bill earlier this fall, and final negotiations between the two chambers would follow a vote in the Senate.

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Associated Press writers David Espo and Erica Werner contributed to this report.

S.L. County is delaying vote on district split

2012-03-13T04:50:00.000-07:00

Salt Lake County leaders are waiting until the last possiblemoment to make -- or break -- the fate of a possible split of theGranite School District.

The County Council will likely wait until Aug. 7, after citiesinvolved have already made up their minds, to decide whether toleave the district's fate up to voters in November.

So why all the fuss about the county's vote?

"Someone (at the county level) made the deliberate decision thatwe're going to let the cities decide first, and it's up to Salt LakeCounty to pull the plug on this and go forward," Councilman JoeHatch said. "So we're either the bad guys or the good guys,depending on your point of view."

Earlier this year, the Legislature passed a law granting citiesthe power to break off from Utah's large school districts and formsmaller, locally controlled school districts.

Holladay, South Salt Lake and areas of unincorporated Salt LakeCounty, including the Millcreek Township, are considering breakingoff from the Granite School District and starting their own, to theconsternation of some county residents, particularly those on thewest side. Those critics say such splits would leave the west sidewith no alternative but to raise taxes to fund operations andconstruction of schools.

But all this waiting by the County Council still won't answer thenagging question of how to equalize the burden of schoolconstruction and operations on a county-wide level.

County leaders are at odds with one another over the issue. Somecouncil members argue that the district needs to be split now andanswer questions later, while Mayor Peter Corroon and other membersof the council are more cautious, wanting all of the informationbefore asking voters to make the ultimate decision.

Corroon doesn't want to even think about splitting the districtuntil the equalization question is answered. But Councilmen MarkCrockett and Jeff Allen believe the Legislature will solve theproblem in due time through a special session.

Although Allen acknowledges that he doesn't have all the answers,he said the county needs to take the lead in putting the question onthe ballot. He said the Legislature won't do anything to fix theproblem unless the county acts and puts the split decision beforevoters.

"Leadership is making a decision in the absence of absoluteknowledge. That's what I think we are charged to do, is to lead outon this," Allen said. "If you don't have all the answers, you need aleader, and a leader needs to make a decision based off of, 'Is thisa good policy? Are small school districts a good policy?' Yes, theyare."

Answers to the financial questions are in the works. On July 18,the Education Interim Committee voted to ask Gov. Jon Huntsman Jr.to call the Legislature into session either this summer or fall toclear up some of the financial questions, in case the school-district splits go before voters.

To date, Huntsman hasn't responded to that call.

House Speaker Greg Curtis, R-Sandy, has proposed a bill thatwould equalize school construction on a county-wide basis, so thatall school building and renovation funds would go into one pot andthen be divvied as needed.

Sen. Carlene Walker, R-Cottonwood Heights, who sponsored the 2007small school district bill, said the issue has come a long way,"even in the last week, in terms of solutions," and she's sure thatthe funding issues on the west side will be resolved.

"We've always said this was a process. And it is. In any bigchange, you don't make one big fell swoop and it's solved. You needfine tuning to make it work, and that's what we're doing," sheadded. "I don't think a vote would pass if the part that's breakingoff feels they're really damaging or if that wasn't viable."

County Council Chairman Mark Crockett said he is confidentlegislators will equalize capital funding and operations issueslater.

"Now that the homework has been done to point out the inequitiesin capital funding, I think it's obvious we have to do something,and I believe they will do it."

However, Councilman Jenny Wilson isn't so sure.

She said everyone should slow down and wait a year before makingany rash decisions on splitting Granite School District.

"To me, it's such an overwhelming policy change that I think moretime -- an additional year -- will put us where we need to be,"Wilson said.

The County Council is scheduled to discuss the school districtsplit on July 31 and will take public comment. The council willlikely vote on the issue Aug. 7.

Contributing: Amelia Nielson-Stowell

E-mail: ldethman@desnews.com

Rios' Gift Helps Red Sox End 6-Game Skid

2012-03-13T01:36:00.000-07:00

BOSTON - A game finally went Boston's way when Toronto right fielder Alex Rios slapped the ball the wrong way. Rios accidentally swatted Alex Cora's fly ball into the stands from about 10 feet in front of the wall for a two-run homer in the seventh inning that gave the Red Sox a 6-4 win Thursday night and snapped their six-game losing streak.

Rios drifted onto the warning track and tried to catch the ball over his left shoulder. It bounced off his glove and dropped to his waist where he attempted to catch it with his barehand but, instead, pushed it over the three-foot high fence.

"It was a reaction play," he said. "I was in a weird position to catch the ball so it was a little tougher play."

The homer off Roy Halladay (16-5) was a rare bright spot for the Red Sox who ended the night eight games behind the New York Yankees in the AL East and three ahead of third-place Toronto.

"If wishing and blowing on it helps, I was helping" manager Terry Francona said. "Sometimes you need a break. We played ourselves into position where a break helps us win a game, not gets us back within four."

Boston traded lefty David Wells, one of its best starters, to San Diego early in the game for a player to be named. Julian Tavarez started for Wells, who had been scheduled to pitch Thursday.

"That's why the game's funny," said Mike Lowell, who hit a three-run homer in the first. "You say you trade David Wells, start Tavarez against Halladay, you'd say we have no chance, but look what happens."

Boston's injury-depleted lineup resembled a spring training split-squad road game, missing designated hitter David Ortiz (heart palpitations), outfielders Manny Ramirez (knee), Trot Nixon (biceps) and Wily Mo Pena (sore wrist), catcher Jason Varitek (knee) and shortstop Alex Gonzalez (oblique muscle). Ortiz was released from a hospital Thursday and hopes to play Saturday.

"I don't care what lineup they have out there," Toronto manager John Gibbons said. "This is a tough place to win."

Dustin Pedroia was on first when Cora came to the plate with two outs and the score 4-4. Cora, who had not homered in 245 at-bats since Aug. 15, 2005, lofted a fly to right. Halladay gestured in exasperation back in the infield. Cora was 0-for-8 in his career against Halladay before his homer.

"It was a freaky play that you don't see very often," Halladay said. "He's been a pretty good outfielder for us and, hopefully, he can put it behind him."

Manny Delcarmen (2-0) pitched the sixth and seventh for the win, Mike Timlin got the first two outs in the eighth, and Jonathan Papelbon finished for his 35th save in 41 chances.

Tavarez, making his first start since Sept. 17, 2002, allowed three runs and five hits in three innings. Halladay gave up six runs and seven hits in seven innings.

Lowell's three-run homer was the first time in eight games in which the Red Sox scored more than one run in an inning. Toronto tied it on an RBI double by Aaron Hill in the second and a two-run double by Lyle Overbay in the third.

"It just felt like we've always been playing behind the last week or two. To get a three-run lead, I think, is a little different," Lowell said. "I think we showed more after they came back and tied it up and then we went ahead again."

Javy Lopez put the Red Sox ahead when he hit into a run-scoring double play in the sixth, but the Blue Jays tied it in the seventh on Vernon Wells' infield single following Frank Catalanotto's triple.

"It's good to walk away with a win," Papelbon said. "Win one tomorrow, it's a winning streak. Yeah, it's a good feeling"

Notes:@ The Red Sox obtained RHP Kevin Jarvis from the Arizona Diamondbacks and assigned him to Triple-A Pawtucket. ... Nixon went 0-for-4 in a rehabilitation assignment at Triple-A Pawtucket. ... Vernon Wells has hits in all his 11 games against Boston this year. ... Hill has three RBIs in four games after going 12 games without one.

Texas' McCoy Hurt on TD Dive

2012-03-12T22:37:00.000-07:00

MANHATTAN, Kan. - Texas quarterback Colt McCoy was hurt on a touchdown carry in the first quarter of the fourth-ranked Longhorns' game against Kansas State on Saturday night.

McCoy, who went up the middle from a yard out on fourth-and-goal to put Texas up 7-0, was buried under a pile of defenders on the play.

He was holding his right shoulder after the play and he later left the sideline.

The redshirt freshman, whose 27 touchdown passes this year are a school record and two shy of the NCAA freshman record, was replaced by freshman Jevan Snead.

It was the first action of the year for Snead, who had pushed McCoy hard for the starter's job this summer. He was 0-for-2 and had one carry for 14 yards on his first possession.

Airbus gets $15 billion in orders, commitments

2012-03-12T19:46:00.000-07:00

LE BOURGET, France (AP) — European jet maker Airbus SAS took in orders and commitments for 142 aircraft worth $15 billion at list prices on the first day of the Paris Air Show, the company said Monday.

Of note were firm orders for 90 of its A320neo, a version of the workhorse jet that's been revamped to make it more fuel efficient.

GE Capital Aviation Services and Sweden's SAS AB in combination made firm orders worth over $8 billion for the A320neo, a jet that Airbus is expected to begin delivering in 2015. Los Angeles-based Air Lease Corporation also made a commitment for 50 of the aircraft including 14 options.

The European planemaker announced the deals at the Paris Air Show, where the search for a cheaper and cleaner way to fly is emerging as a major theme.

With airlines squeezed by skyrocketing fuel prices, Airbus has booked 470 orders and commitments for the A320neo since its commercial launch last December, even though the plane won't be available for another four years.

GE Capital Aviation Services ordered 60 A320neo jets worth about $5.5 billion at list prices, though buyers often strike discounts.

Swedish airline group SAS ordered another 30 for around 18 billion kronor ($2.8 billion) as part of an effort to renew its fleet. SAS's order includes an option to buy an additional 11.

Delivery of SAS' aircraft will start in the second half of 2016 and should be completed during 2019.

The acquisition is part of SAS's move to concentrate its short-and medium distance fleet into two types of aircraft: Airbus A320 and Boeing's 737NG.

Air Lease Corporation's commitment, which is not yet a firm order, is for 50 A320neos including options for 14 more. ALC also made a firm order for 11 Airbus A330s and one A321.

Airbus also announced an order for four of its A330-300 aircraft from Saudi Arabian airlines. The wide-bodied, twin-engined medium to long range A330-300 has a list price of euro223 million ($318 million). The Saudi airline already has 8 of the 330-300s in service.

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Greg Keller can be reached at http://twitter.com/Greg_Keller

Monkey Steals Tourist's Glasses in India

2012-03-12T15:47:00.000-07:00

LUCKNOW, India - A South Korean tourist has filed a formal complaint against a monkey he says stole his reading glasses during his visit to the Hindu holy city of Varanasi in northern India.

Kim Dang Hoon says he opened his hotel room window for fresh air when the monkey made his move.

"He headed straight to the table where my glasses were kept and took it away," Kim said in the statement.

Part of the frame later was recovered by hotel staff and Kim said he filed the report so he can make a damages claim on his travel insurance.

Thousands of wild monkeys roam Varanasi, dotting the trees on the banks of the Ganges River and scampering through the city's many temples, where they are venerated as manifestations of the Hindu monkey god Hanuman.

On Tuesday, police combed Varanasi's alleys searching for the monkey.

"It is difficult to trace the monkey but I am trying my best to locate the rogue," investigating officer Inspector Govind Singh said from Varanasi, some 185 miles southeast of Lucknow.

Problems with monkeys harassing tourists in the city are common, Singh said.

"But we can't do anything. We cannot shoot them or beat them as Hindus worship monkeys," he said.

Global Deals Network

2012-03-12T12:06:00.000-07:00

In Detail:

Sartorius and Stedim Join Hands for Disposables

Sartorius AG (Goettingen, Germany) has acquired a substantial stake in the biopharmaceutical supplier Stedim Biosystems S.A. (Aubagne, France) and combined its biotechnology division with Stedim. Upon completion of this transaction, Sartorius will become Stedim's majority owner controlling the combined company. The combined company will be named Sartorius Stedim Biotech S.A. "Given the strong double-digit growth rates in the biopharmaceutical markets and the shift in our markets toward disposable solutions, this is the ideal time for our biotech division and Stedim to come together," said Dr. Joachim Kreuzburg, CEO and chairman of the executive board of Sartorius.

Nautilus Biotech Inks Korean Deal

Nautilus Biotech (Evry, France) has signed a collaboration and license agreement with HanAll Pharmaceutical (Seoul, Korea) to develop and commercialize three Nautilus Biotech products in South Korea: Belerofon (Interferon alpha); Vitatropin (human growth hormone); and EporalTM (erythropoietin). The three Nautilus Biotech proprietary proteins included in the agreement have been designed for extended half-life and oral availability. By reducing the number and frequency of treatments needed and offering oral administration, these new drugs will enhance patient convenience and compliance. Under the terms of the agreement, HanAll Pharmaceutical will develop, manufacture, and market the licensed products in the territory of South Korea.

Vaccinex and Teva Team Up for Antibody Development

Vaccinex, Inc. (Rochester, NY) has entered into a collaboration with Teva Pharmaceutical Industries, Ltd. (PetachTikva, Israel) to develop and commercialize VX15, a novel human antibody discovered by Vaccinex. VX15 represents a new targeted therapy that has the potential to improve efficacy in treating multiple sclerosis by suppressing the body's autoimmune response and blocking damage to the central nervous system. According to the terms of the agreement, Teva will make an equity investment in Vaccinex and pay undisclosed fees, development milestones, and royalties on product sales. Vaccinex retains rights to oncology indications and will continue to conduct all preclinical development activities, which will be funded by Teva.