Social movement

Delphi should stand alone

2012-03-15T06:40:00.000-07:00

In anticipation of a public offering, General Motors has begun separating the operating results of its Delphi Automotive Systems from those of vehicle assembly. It appears that GM will spin-off about 20% of that parts business in the not too distant future. Wrong move. Splitting off the entire operation is the only way to make Delphi competitive.

GM's parts group has been undergoing a transformation since the 1980s. Back then. none of the components divisions knew its own costs, let alone if it was competitive with outside suppliers. Lacking the discipline of the marketplace made Delphi lazy; tolerant of aging technology and outmoded plants. and unresponsive to the needs of GM, …

US provides surveillance as Afghans hunt for 870 escaped inmates after daring jailbreak

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

U.S. and NATO troops aided Afghan forces with reconnaissance in a hunt for about 900 inmates who escaped prison after a sophisticated Taliban assault that even NATO conceded was a success for the militants.

A roadside bomb, meanwhile, killed four U.S. Marines sent to southwestern Afghanistan to help train the country's fledgling police. The deadliest attack on American forces this year came one day after U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates highlighted the fact that more American and allied troops were killed in Afghanistan than in Iraq last month.

Afghanistan's deputy interior minister, Munid Mangal, said about 1,000 prisoners were housed in Kandahar's …

Benson impasse simply stinks If GM Jerry Angelo doesn't take a huge part of the blame here, then why does he even have a job?

2012-03-15T01:54:00.000-07:00

It figures, doesn't it? Your world non-champion Bearsare the only team in the NFL without their first-round draft choicesigned.

The draft was months ago, training camp has been going on for 26days, three preseason games remain -- only two after the Bears'Saturday game against the Colts in Indianapolis -- and fourth overallpick Cedric Benson and the Bears might as well be two dogs sniffingeach other's tails for the first time.

Lord, Chicago, how do we luck into this stuff?

Eight losing seasons in the last decade, three head coaches, 15starting quarterbacks, an offense that, rankings-wise, could not getworse and now the holdout of the highest-drafted …

Jesse urges everyone to attend annual conference

2012-03-14T23:30:00.000-07:00

Jesse urges everyone to attend annual conference

by Chinta Strausberg

staff reporter

Rev. Jesse L. Jackson Sr. is urging all to attend his annual conference "One Big Tent: Pursuing the American Dream," being held Aug. 8th-12 at the Hyatt Regency Chicago Hotel.

The topics from Jackson's conference range from "HIV in Prison" The Relationship Between Disease Transmission, Corrections and the Community," which will be held at 7 p.m. Wednesday, Aug. 8, at 151 E. Wacker Dr., to 1,000 churches and to a forum by Rev. James T. Meeks, executive vice president of PUSH, who will give tips on financial literacy.

On Thursday, August 9, Jackson is holding a session on …

Virgin Atlantic pilots in UK to strike over pay

2012-03-14T21:10:00.000-07:00

LONDON (AP) — Britain's main pilot union says Virgin Atlantic pilots have voted in favor of strikes in a dispute over pay.

The British Airline Pilots Association says that of the members who voted, 97 percent of Virgin's pilots called for industrial action for the first time in the airline's history. It said the voting turnout was 94 percent.

Spokesman Richard Toomer …

Al-Maliki bloc says 750,000 Iraqi votes in doubt

2012-03-14T18:49:00.000-07:00

Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki's political party claimed Sunday its investigation into the March 7 parliamentary election has thrown into question some 750,000 votes, enough to change the results of the nationwide poll.

The State of Law alliance trailed by just two seats behind former Prime Minister Ayad Allawi's party in the vote, which produced no clear winner because neither side got enough seats to govern alone. Al-Maliki has demanded an official recount as both sides struggle to cobble together a ruling coalition.

"We estimate the volume of vote manipulation is up to 750,000 votes," Hajim al-Hasani, the spokesman of the State of Law …

Savor flavors of Hanukkah

2012-03-14T16:29:00.000-07:00

Hanukkah, which continues through Sunday, is a family celebrationbuilt around an event that occurred more than 2,000 years ago.

Foods cooked in oil, such as potato pancakes or jelly doughnuts,are traditional to celebrate the miracle of the oil in the templethat lasted eight days when it should have lasted only one.

The baked version of potato pancakes here still uses oil (not asmuch as when you fry them, though) but does not require as much last-minute attention as the fried pancakes.

Potato pancakes can be served as a meal, but they also make agreat side dish with tender juicy brisket, another favorite Jewishdish. Cheese pastries also are symbolic to honor the …

Authorities say death toll from Joplin, Mo. tornado now at 122; more than 750 people injured

2012-03-14T14:09:00.000-07:00

JOPLIN, Mo. (AP) — Authorities say death toll from …

AMERICAS NEWS AT 0500 GMT

2012-03-14T11:48:00.000-07:00

VUTEk Continues to Think Big

2012-03-14T09:28:00.000-07:00

The honeymoon seems to be going strong for EFI VUTEk in Meredith - even two years after its marriage to EFI. VUTEk, a manufacturer of super-wide format printers and inks, was acquired by EFI - a publicly traded digital print products giant based in Foster City, Calif. - in June 2005.

Since then, EFI has been aggressively investing in EFI VUTEk, particularly in engineering and marketing, and reaping results. "Since EFI came in two years ago, business levels are up more than 30 percent," says Chet Pribonic, senior vice president and general manager of EFI VUTEk.

EFI's investment in the company included bringing Pribonic on board in February. A high-tech industry veteran, …

CONCACAF Champions : De Rosario leads Dynamo to 3-1 win over CSD Municipal

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

Dwayne De Rosario helped the Houston Dynamo advance to the CONCACAF Champions Cup semifinals, scoring twice in a 3-1 victory over CSD Municipal of Guatemala on Wednesday night in the second leg of the quarterfinal series.

Two-time defending Major League Soccer champion Houston advanced to the semifinals for the second straight year. The Dynamo will play the winner of Thursday night's game between Atlante of Mexico against Deportivo Saprissa of Costa Rica.

The Dynamo and Municipal played to a scoreless tie in the first game of the quarterfinal series a week ago in Guatemala.

That defensive play continued for both teams in the scoreless first half …

Germany to award coach national honor

2012-03-14T04:47:00.000-07:00

Germany's president says he will award coach Joachim Loew the country's Federal Cross of Merit for taking the national team to third place at the World Cup.

President Christian Wulff said in a televised press conference Sunday that the players will be decorated with the Silver Laurel.

About 300,000 people were reported to have gathered at public …

Wife of Briton accused of faking death stands trial

2012-03-14T02:04:00.000-07:00

The wife of a British man who faked his own death played a crucial role in his attempt to fool officials, defraud insurance companies and even deceive their own children, a prosecutor said Monday.

Anne Darwin was a full partner in husband John's plot to stage his own death and collect on his insurance and pension, Andrew Robertson told Teesside Crown Court in northern England. Anne Darwin has pleaded not guilty to 15 charges of deception and using criminal property.

John Darwin drew worldwide attention in December when he turned himself in to police in London and claimed to be suffering from amnesia _ five years after he was thought to have drowned in front of his home in Seaton Carew, 260 miles north of London.

But his bizarre "back from the dead" story fell apart as reports came out alleging that the couple had been in contact _ and had been trying to set up a new life in Panama. John Darwin admitted to deception and fraud, but his wife has maintained her innocence.

Before her arrest, she was quoted as saying she was pressured by her husband to keep his fakery a secret. Robertson said Anne knew the plan all along.

"The initial idea may well have been John Darwin's rather than Anne's but, in the (prosecution's) submission, it was a scheme in which Anne Darwin not only played an equal and vital role but it was a role which she played with superb aplomb," Robertson said.

"It was obviously going to require a considerable amount of guile, convincing pretense, persistence and guts on the part of Anne Darwin to see it through .... Her nerve did not fail her, and it is clear in our submission that at no stage in the ensuing 5 1/2 years before this fraud came to light did Anne Darwin's nerve ever fail her."

Robertson said she even managed to convince her own sons that their father had died.

Hit the streets of Keynsham

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

Runners of all ages and abilities will be taking to the streetsagain this weekend for the 22nd Keynsham Road Race.

Olympic relay gold medallist Jason Gardner will get the raceunderway at Cadbury's at 11am on Sunday.

More than 500 runners took part last year and this year'sentrants will be competing for numerous prizes, including pounds100in vouchers for the winner of the men's and ladies' races.

There are also cups for the first Keynsham male and femaleresident to finish.

This year's race - which will be preceded at 10am by a children'sfun run within the grounds of Cadbury's - is raising money for twocharities, Young Carers and the 1st Keynsham Scout Group, which iscelebrating its centenary.

Entry forms can be obtained from Charles Sanders on 0117 986 5104or runners can register on the day, although this costs pounds2 inaddition to the pre-event fee.

For more information visit www. 1stkeynshamscouts.org.uk/roadrace.

Also on Sunday is the 10th Cowpat Canter 12k multi-terrain racefrom Midsomer Norton Rugby Club, starting at 11am.

Entries will be taken on the day as long as the limit of 250 hasnot been reached. Call Andy Manley on 01761 419160 for furtherdetails or visit www.somerac.org.uk.

Bradbury's 'Dandelion' sequel a 'Farewell' to youth

2012-03-13T20:21:00.000-07:00

Fiction

Farewell Summer

By Ray Bradbury

William Morrow, 211 pages, $24.95

- - -

American literary icon Ray Bradbury has finally published thelong-awaited sequel to his now classic young adult novel, DandelionWine. Set once again in Greentown, Ill., Farewell Summer continuesthe story of young Douglas Spaulding as the summer of 1928 turnsinto fall.

Bradbury worked on the sequel on and off over the years but onlyrecently reached the point where he felt it was ready to send outinto the world.

The sequel began as the back half of the original manuscript ofDandelion Wine, but an editor suggested to Bradbury that he hadwritten not one but two novels. Wise man that editor. Now, 50 yearslater, we see how right he was.

The edgier Farewell Summer is about a war between children andold people, whereas Dandelion Wine is about an intense nurturingbond between the old and the young. Read together, the juxtapositionis jarring as the time continuum suddenly shifts between childhoodand young adulthood for 13-year-old Doug.

In Farewell Summer, Doug and his friends, lamenting the end ofsummer -- no more fireflies, lemonade and staying up late -- devisea plan to stop time so they can be boys of summer forever. Theirenemy is the large clock in the town square; their weapon is a roundof firecrackers.

In the process, Doug and his gang come up against four old-timers, led by the cantankerous school board president, CalvinQuartermain, who berates them to grow up. As the old man "chewed onhis hatred," the youngsters taunt him with their cap guns, determinehe is "not human" and plot to never end up that way.

In and around the action, Doug learns his first lesson about whatit means to be a man. There's also a first kiss involved.

Farewell Summer will be of little interest to anyone who has notread Dandelion Wine. Both books grew out of Bradbury's memories ofhis idyllic Midwest childhood spent in Waukegan and that palpablefeeling of small-town life is the force that drives them both.

Yet, despite some beautiful imagery and well-crafted prose,Farewell Summer doesn't develop much of a plot but rather meandersalong to a predictable end. The best bits in the slim novel are whenBradbury allows himself to wander around in the imaginative minds ofold men and young boys.

Despite a promising start, Farewell Summer, with its incessantmessages about growing up, loses that glow of discovery and good-hearted exuberance found in Dandelion Wine. This is a darker,tougher Doug who is just beginning to understand that thosechildhood days are not going to last forever.

Mary Houlihan is a Sun-Times feature writer who grew up in small-town Wisconsin and couldn't wait to get out.

Dirt Band rides new popularity boom

2012-03-13T17:28:00.000-07:00

NASHVILLE, Tenn. With its recording of "Home Again in My Heart," theNitty Gritty Dirt Band is playing for the sons and daughters of thepeople it entertained two decades ago.

"I would hope to double our success," said John McEuen, theband's banjo, fiddle, guitar and steel guitar master musician. "Whatwe look forward to is being a garage word and hope to become ahousehold word."

For the record, the band plans to celebrate its 20th anniversaryin May with a concert, perhaps in Denver.

"We broke up five times the first week," said lead vocalist JeffHanna.

The Dirt Band was formed in Long Beach, Calif., in 1966 byHanna, then an aspiring folk singer, and at one time was called the"Illigitimate Jug Band."

Besides Hanna and McEuen, the members are Jimmie Fadden, drumsand harmonica; Bob Carpenter, keyboards, and Jimmy Ibbotson, bassand vocalist.

The group's first big hit, "Buy for Me the Rain," was in 1967.There have been ups and downs over the years, but its star has beenon the upswing for the past couple of years since the band switchedto country.

"Before we would even talk about breaking up, we had to do thisthing right," McEuen said. "We haven't made it. We have to take thisthing further. Since radio became so fragmented in the late '70s, wehad to find a home, and it felt like our only home would be in thecountry music direction.

"Not that we changed the music to adapt. We more or less facedthat direction we were playing to. We were going to let them know wewere there."

Hanna said the style of music is similar to the music the bandwas playing on albums in the early '70s. "It is a mixture of acousticand electric instruments."

McEuen said, "We've changed, but within our own framework. It'snot exactly like a bunch of spinal tap changes."

Hanna admitted that there have been disagreements within theband over the years, "But we have a common love of music. Sometimeswhen you feel bad about what you are doing, you go out on the stageand play and say, `This is pretty cool.' We've had a lot of thatfeeling in the last several years and that has bolstered the way wefeel about the band - the fact that we haven't wasted our time."

Today's concerts by the Dirt Band bring some humorous reactionsfrom fans.

"One came up to say, `I was real depressed until my olderbrother gave me this album of you guys when I was 12 years old.'Another, `I saw you first in 1967.' I don't feel like we're gettingold. Fifty is just another number and I'm over 10 years away fromit," McEuen said.

Playing to a second generation of fans is "real interesting,"Hanna said.

"Because the band has been together 20 years, people think we'reolder than (former Eagle) Don Henley, and he's three weeks older thanme," Hanna said. "In rock 'n' roll, the funny fact is that 20 yearsago people lied about their age. It was like you couldn't be marriedor over 30. People have forgotten that. Look at Tina Turner.What's she, 45 or 46? She's playing to 13- and 14-year-old kids.

"I just don't think that age has as much to do with it as itused to. The fact that we have new fans whose parents literally grewup with our music is tremendous and incredible," he said.

McEuen said, "Rock 'n' rollers are like football players. We'remore like golfers. Our stroke is getting better with age."

The band members are not worried about old age.

"Another 20 years? I think in country music that is within therealm of possibility because of loyalty and the longevity of theacts," Hanna said.

"In the '70s," McEuen added, "we had periods where recording wasa chore because of a lack of focus. There were years that we didn'tpay respect to the fact that we had the privilege of recording.There was internal confusion.

"When we got started, I never had any intention of this being mylife's work," he said. "I thought about doing it just for fun. Butit didn't take but a couple of months of doing it to realize thatthis is a lot easier than washing dishes or working."

"I thought of it being my life but not work," McEuen said.

Syrian human rights group says death toll has risen to 16 people in nationwide protests

2012-03-13T14:36:00.000-07:00

BEIRUT (AP) — Syrian human rights group says death toll has risen to 16 people in nationwide protests.

Finnish student kills 8 in school rampage that stuns peaceful Nordic nation

2012-03-13T11:36:00.000-07:00

An 18-year-old student opened fire at his high school in this placid town in southern Finland, killing eight people before shooting himself in a rampage that stunned a nation where gun crime is rare.

Police were analyzing YouTube postings that appeared to anticipate the massacre, including clips in which a young man calls for revolution and apparently prepares for the attack by test firing a semiautomatic handgun.

Investigators said the gunman, who was not identified, shot himself in the head, but survived and was taken to a hospital in "extremely critical condition" after his shooting spree at Jokela High School in Tuusula, some 50 kilometers (30 miles) north of the capital, Helsinki.

He shot the victims _ five boys, two girls and the female principal _ with a .22-caliber pistol, police said, adding about a dozen other people were injured as they tried to escape from the school.

Witnesses described a scene of mayhem in this leafy lakeside community, in which the assailant scoured the school for victims shouting slogans of "revolution."

Police chief Matti Tohkanen said the gunman belonged to a gun club and got a license for the pistol on Oct. 19. He did not have a previous criminal record, Tohkanen said. "He was from an ordinary family," he said.

Investigators were searching for a possible motive in the YouTube postings that appeared to reveal plans of the deadly attack.

One video, titled "Jokela High School Massacre," showed a picture of a what appeared to be the Jokela school and two photos of a young man holding a handgun. The person who posted the video was identified in the user profile as an 18-year-old man from Finland. The posting was later removed.

The profile contained a text calling for a "revolution against the system."

Another YouTube video clip showed a young man clad in a dark jacket loading a clip into a handgun and firing several shots at an apple placed on the ground in a forested area. He smiled and waved to the camera at the end of the clip.

A third clip showed photos of what appeared to be same man posing with a gun and wearing a T-shirt with the text "Humanity is overrated."

Police said they would investigate any possible connection the gunman might have had to the video.

Kim Kiuru, a teacher at the school, said the principal announced over the public address system just before noon (1000GMT) that all students should remain in their classrooms.

"After that I saw the gunman running with what appeared to be a small caliber handgun in his hand through the doors toward me after which I escaped to the corridor downstairs and ran in the opposite direction," Kiuru told reporters.

Kiuru said he saw a woman's body as he fled the building.

"Then my pupils shouted at me out of the windows to ask what they should do and I told them to jump out of the windows ... and all my pupils were saved," Kiuru said.

Terhi Vayrynen, 17, a student at the school told The Associated Press that her brother Henri Vayrynen, 13, and his classmates had witnessed the shooting of the principal outside the school through the classroom window.

She said the gunman then came into Henri Vayrynen's class shouting: "Revolution. Smash everything."

When no one did anything, he shot the TV and the windows of the class room but did not fire at the students. Then he ran out and down the corridor, Terhi Vayrynen said.

Vivianna Korhonen, a student at the high school, told Finnish broadcaster YLE she feared for her life as news of the shooting spread through the school.

"We were terrified and afraid, we thought that we might die, as he (the shooter) was still able to come to our classroom," she said. "We were informed all the time, we were calling our friends and asking for information."

More than 400 students aged 12 through 18 were enrolled at Jokela, officials said.

Residents in Tuusula, a town of 34,000 people, said such attacks were unheard of in the area.

"Mostly nothing happens here, this is nice surroundings and not any criminals to talk of. This was a total surprise," said Reijo Pekka, whose son Arttu Siltala was at the school.

Students at the school said the killer often wore the same clothes to school: a brown leather jacket, black trousers and a checkered shirt. He almost always carried a brief case.

Tuomas Hulkkonen, a student at the school, said he knew the gunman well, and that he had been acting strange of late.

"He withdrew into his shell. I had noticed a change in him just recently, and I thought that perhaps he was a bit depressed, or something, but I couldn't imagine that in reality he would do anything like this," Hulkkonen told Finnish TV broadcaster MTV3.

Gun ownership is fairly common in Finland by European standards, but deadly shootings are rare. Finnish media reported that in 1989 a 14-year-old boy shot and killed two students, apparently for teasing him.

Experts warned the Finland shooting could inspire copycat attacks in other parts of the world.

"An event like this in Finland might have an effect in the U.S.," said Christopher P. Lucas, a psychiatry professor at New York University.

He added that YouTube provides a ready way for shooters to publicize their acts and provide some sort of justification.

Finnish Prime Minister Matti Vanhanen described the situation as "extremely tragic," and declared Thursday a day of national mourning with flags to be flown half-staff.

___

Associated Press writers Matti Huuhtanen in Helsinki, Finland, and Malin Rising, in Stockholm, Sweden, contributed to this report.

How water oiled the wheels of the city

2012-03-13T08:27:00.000-07:00

CHEW valley lake, the vast manmade reservoir that supplies most ofthe Bristol area with its water, may be only 30 per cent full afterthis long dry spell but nobody - even Bristol Water- seems to beparticularly worried.

When full the reservoir holds enough water to supply the regionfor 60 days before it runs dry - and we should surely get somerainfall before that happens.

In 1976, a memorable hot, dry, summer, it didn't rain for 38 days,but that's exceptional.

But imagine what it was like in early Victorian times, before anyof the reservoirs tapping the copious Mendip springs were built, andthere were no taps to just turn on for the thirsty citizens ofBristol.

For their needs they had only their age-old wells and springs.

In medieval times Bristol was known as a healthy city but by mid-Victorian days it had the reputation as the third most unhealthy cityin the country, being beaten only by Liverpool and Manchester in themortality stakes.

So what went wrong?

Long ago Bristol's position on an elevated freedraining sandstoneridge between two rivers - the Avon and the Frome - was envied.

With copious springs coming off Brandon Hill and the slopes ofKnowle, the citizens seemed to be especially endowed by God - ornature - with as much fresh water as they needed.

Nearly every street could boast its ample, canopied supply or awooden water trough presented to the people by nearby monks.

At least two churches - St Nicholas' on the city walls and ChristChurch - had wells within their walls for ecclesiastical use.

Water was seen as so important that the clergy offered lifeeverlasting "to all who shall bestow upon a monastery a healingspring".

The building of even a small reservoir was regarded as of equalimportance to, say, the erection of a bridge: "Letting out of ponds",or the deliberate wasting of water, was seen as a crime equivalent towitchcraft and carried the death penalty.

The most important water source for Bristolians living in thehistoric heart of the city - where Castle Park is today - was StEdith's, well-known locally as Edywell.

It was very close to St Peter's Church, then one of the mostimportant buildings in the city but now - thanks to Nazi bombers -just a ruin.

Here, a natural spring in the sandstone rock was enclosed by astone building which protected people from the elements as they weredrawing water and helped to stop contamination of the supply.

The stone building - or "Castellette" as it was called - wasrebuilt in the 15th century with money left by Bristol's most famousmerchant prince, William Canynge.

Looking to secure his safe place in the afterlife, Canyge hadactually left the money to William Spencer, who was the Mayor in1474, for purposes that would benefit his soul in purgatory.

But Spencer was nothing if not practical and instead of using themoney to hire priests to pray for Canynge's soul - as was common inthose days - he sank a well, put in a pump and built an almshouse.

I'm sure that this was greatly appreciated by Bristol's citizens,if not its clergy.

In 1586 Ralph Dole, following in Spencer's footsteps, left 20shillings (one pound) per annum towards the well's upkeep.

In Victorian times this sum was still being handed over by thechurchwardens to the Corporation, who had by then taken over themaintainance of the pump - which was now known as St Peter's Cross orPump, after the church nearby.

The well was the focus of community life - with much coming andgoing - and we know that there were May Day celebrations around amaypole here in 1661.

But in 1766 the Corporation decided to do away with the buildingand the cross as they were causing traffic congestion and they weresold - along with the ancient High Cross - to wealthy banker HenryHoare. He fitted them into his landscaped gardens which were thenbeing constructed for him at his mansion at Stourhead, in Wiltshire.

We should be grateful, as they are preserved there to this day,and would otherwise be lost to us forever.

At this time another well, but keeping the old name, was sunknearby, tapping the same watercourse as the old spring andcontinuing to supply future generations with fine, sparkling water.

By 1887, however, the rivers Frome and Avon had becomecontaminated due to sewage and industrial waste and this affectedmany of the old wells in the city.

With a new, pure water supply from the Mendips coming on stream,the old well was closed down.

The risk of cholera, typhoid and dysentery, all of which hadplagued the city in the past, was just too great to justify keepingit open.

Other wells which had served the city for centuries, such as ThePithay, or Wine Street Conduit, were also closed.

Another well, situated where the St James roundabout is today,called St Marie's Well and yet another, the Beggar's Well - firstrecorded in 1248 - in what is now St Pauls.

Where Lower Park Row meets Colston Street was an ancient meetingof five ways and a popular public water source, the Stype StreetFountain. This was well known because of the cross erected on itsroof.

Lastly, there was a Pilgrim's Well at the rear of what is now theThistle Hotel in Broad Street. For those who couldn't get to thewells, or other public supplies, there was the water -leder, orcarrier.

In London these gentlemen bore yolks across their shoulders - justlike old time milkmaids with buckets - called tankers or tynes.

These men, the Guild of St.Christopher, guarded their ancientprivileges. They appointed officer and fixed their scale of chargesaccording to the trade being serviced, such as cooks, brewers etc.

There must have been something similar in Bristol as a 14thcentury archive makes a reference: "That no water-leder take water atthe Avon or Froom, or in any other place whatsoever, except it bepure and clear, under a penalty of 12 pence so often as may be."

The last descendants of these old time "leders'"sold water at apenny a bucket from the Paddywell, at Stoke Bishop, to the cooks andservants at the big houses on Durdham Down.

The disused pump on the pavement of Parry's Lane was,unfortunately, taken away for scrap iron as part of the war effort of1942.

Softbank lowers Japan fee for popular iPhone

2012-03-13T04:32:00.000-07:00

Japanese will be able to use the iPhone at a lower fee depending on the amount of their Internet use, with payments starting as low as 2,990 yen (US$27.7) a month, less than half the cost at its introduction here last month.

Softbank Corp., the carrier that offers the iPhone in Japan, said Tuesday the new charges will kick in for all iPhone owners this month.

People will pay a staggered fee on a scale depending on the amount of data transmission they use but won't exceed the initial pricing of 7,280 yen (US$67.4) a month being charged for unlimited use, the Tokyo-based carrier said.

The change is aimed at wooing more people to iPhone, not just the niche heavy Internet users that Softbank initially thought would be attracted to the product from Apple Inc.

The revamped iPhone 3G drew an enthusiastic response in Japan with hundreds of people lining up at stores from daybreak to get one when it was introduced July 11.

The handset sold out in Japan. But Softbank said Tuesday it will start accepting reservations for orders starting Wednesday, although it's unclear how long a buyer may have to wait to get one.

Chief Executive Masayoshi Son said he decided on offering the lower fee after the company checked to make sure its networks can handle the anticipated surge in iPhone wireless use.

CHESS

2012-03-13T01:21:00.000-07:00

TOURNAMENT ANNOUNCEMENTS

Idaho Novice Championship-Saturday, January 20, Boise. This tournament is open only to scholastic (K-12) students who have never played in a chess tournament outside their own school. Last year's event drew over 100 entrants. New chess club members this year, who have not played in a tournament, should ALL plan to enter. (If a student has entered only one tournament and didn't win a game, being truly a beginner, contact Dick Vandenburg, 342-2056, or rsvandenburg@juno. com to discuss eligibility). The games will be played at Cynthia Mann Elementary, 5401 Castle Dr. There will be three separate playing sections: grades K-3, 4-6, and 7-12. Five games for everyone. FREE ENTRY. Individual awards will be presented in each grade, and team awards for schools in each section. Two players from a school can constitute a team, but the top three places from each school will be counted in figuring team totals. All players must check in between 8 a.m. and 8:30 a.m. even if pre-registered. Games should be over by approximately 4 p.m. Free advance registration may be sent to Dick Vandenburg (see phone number and e-mail address above) and must be received by 6 p.m., Thursday, January 18, or a $5 registration fee will have to be paid at the door. Visit the ICA Web site at www.idahochessassociation.org for more information.

Idaho Closed State Championship-Saturday-Monday, February 17-19 (President's Day weekend), Boise. 6SS, 30/120, SD/60. Horizon Elementary School, 730 N. Mitchell. Open only to Idaho residents. Entry fee $25 if received by Feb. 10, $35 if received after. E-mail entries to jroland@cableone.net. Winner is Idaho state champion! Visit the ICA Web site at www.idahochessassociation.org for more information.

Idaho Girls (K-12) Championship-Saturday, February 24, Boise. Open to all girls residing in Idaho, grades K-12.

Idaho State Scholastic Championship-Saturday, March 17, Boise. The state scholastic individual and team championship. Don't miss this one!

THIS MONTH'S PROBLEM

White to play for something BIG.

TOURNAMENT RESULTS

Western Idaho Open-Held in Boise at Horizon Elementary School over the December 9-10 weekend, there were 12 entrants in the Open section and 25 in the Reserve. The Open winner was Kenrick Barkell (rating = 1735), who scored 4-1 with two draws in five games. Tied for second were Janos Fucsko (1778) and Jeffrey T. Roland (1706), 3-2. Tied for 4th - 6th with three points were Paul M. Johnson (2031), Garrett Reynolds (1923), and John P. Nahlen (1363). In the reserve, Sam Seiniger (unrated) placed first, winning all five games. Second place was Carl H. Harmon (1165), 4-1. Tied for 3rd with 3-1/2 points were Graeme K. Faulkner (1027), Sean A. Barry (824) and Jarred Long (unrated).

Wednesday's College Basketball

2012-03-12T22:23:00.000-07:00

EAST

No scores reported from the EAST.

SOUTH

No scores reported from the SOUTH.

MIDWEST

N.J. Tech 70, North Dakota 57

SOUTHWEST

Houston Baptist 80, Chicago St. 77

FAR WEST

Texas-Pan American 56, Utah Valley 53

TOURNAMENT

Big 12 Conference

First Round

Nebraska 75, Missouri 60

Oklahoma St. 81, Oklahoma 67

Texas 82, Iowa St. 75

Texas Tech 82, Colorado 67

Big East Conference

Second Round

Cincinnati 69, Louisville 66

Georgetown 69, South Florida 49

Marquette 57, St. John's 55

Notre Dame 68, Seton Hall 56

Big Sky Conference

Championship

Montana 66, Weber St. 65

Big West Conference

First Round

Cal Poly 73, UC Irvine 69

Cal St.-Fullerton 84, CS Northridge 76

Conference USA

First Round

Houston 93, East Carolina 80

Southern Miss. 57, Tulane 47

Tulsa 73, Rice 62

UCF 69, SMU 53

Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference

Quarterfinals

Delaware St. 57, Bethune-Cookman 55

Morgan St. 84, N. Carolina A&T 57

First Round

Md.-Eastern Shore 64, Coppin St. 58

Mountain West Conference

First Round

Air Force 59, Wyoming 40

Northeast Conference

Championship

Robert Morris 52, Quinnipiac 50

Pacific-10 Conference

First Round

Oregon 82, Washington St. 80, OT

Southland Conference

First Round

SE Louisiana 79, Texas St. 78, OT

Sam Houston St. 62, Nicholls St. 57

Stephen F.Austin 77, Texas-Arlington 54

Texas A&M-Corpus Christi 78, UTSA 66

Southwestern Athletic Conference

First Round

Ark.-Pine Bluff 69, MVSU 66

Grambling St. 65, Jackson St. 57

Microscopic kinetics and energetics distinguish GABA(A) receptor agonists from antagonists

2012-03-12T19:32:00.000-07:00

ABSTRACT Although agonists and competitive antagonists presumably occupy overlapping binding sites on ligand-gated channels, these interactions cannot be identical because agonists cause channel opening whereas antagonists do not. One explanation is that only agonist binding performs enough work on the receptor to cause the conformational changes that lead to gating. This idea is supported by agonist binding rates at GABA^sub A^ and nicotinic acetylcholine receptors that are slower than expected for a diffusion-limited process, suggesting that agonist binding involves an energy-requiring event. This hypothesis predicts that competitive antagonist binding should require less activation energy than agonist binding. To test this idea, we developed a novel deconvolution-based method to compare binding and unbinding kinetics of GABA^sub A^ receptor agonists and antagonists in outside-out patches from rat hippocampal neurons. Agonist and antagonist unbinding rates were steeply correlated with affinity. Unlike the agonists, three of the four antagonists tested had binding rates that were fast, independent of affinity, and could be accounted for by diffusion- and dehydration-limited processes. In contrast, agonist binding involved additional energy-requiring steps, consistent with the idea that channel gating is initiated by agonist-triggered movements within the ligand binding site. Antagonist binding does not appear to produce such movements, and may in fact prevent them.

INTRODUCTION

Conversion of an ion channel from a stable closed state to an open state is extremely rare unless an external force drives the channel open. At equilibrium, the ratio of closed to open channels defines the Gibbs free energy difference between the two states (Wentworth and Ladner, 1972). The external force shifts this ratio by altering the free energy difference. In voltage-gated channels, the electrostatic force associated with the transmembrane potential moves charges within the membrane, triggering the opening of the pore (Hille, 1992). The energy required for these movements can be calculated from the state transition rate constants measured in voltage jump experiments. Molecular and fluorescence techniques have been used to estimate the number and location of the charged residues and the distance that they move, providing a quantitative picture of voltage-dependent gating (Hille, 1992; Yang et al., 1996; Cha et al., 1999; Glauner et al., 1999).

The situation is much less clear for ligand-gated channels. From an experimental standpoint, it has been more difficult to make rapid agonist applications than rapid voltage steps. Thus, information about ligand gating has come largely from steady-state single channel records and from macroscopic dose-response curves using relatively slow ligand applications. Furthermore, gating charge movements, which are invaluable for studying gating steps in voltage-gated channels, especially those involving closed states, are not commonly observed in ligand-gated channels. Although molecular techniques have identified residues that may participate in binding and gating (Amin and Weiss, 1993; Schmieden et al., 1993; Xu and Akabas, 1996; Changeux and Edelstein, 1998; Paas, 1998; Wilson and Karlin, 1998; Boileau et al., 1999; Matulef et al., 1999; Wagner and Czajkowski, 2001) and electron diffraction measurements have revealed the structure of a ligand-gated channel to 4.6-A resolution (Miyazawa et al., 1999), such methods provide a relatively static picture of channel structure. In contrast, these channels normally function under highly nonequilibrium conditions. Kinetic studies thus provide a valuable link in understanding the relationship between ligand binding and channel gating.

A few common themes have emerged from studies of several families of ligand-gated channels. For example, agonist binding appears to involve multiple, discontinuous protein domains, often from separate receptor subunits (Dennis et al., 1988; Schmieden et al., 1992; Vandenberg et al., 1992; Amin and Weiss, 1993; Stem-Bach et al., 1994; Paas, 1998; Boileau et al., 1999; Wagner and Czajkowski, 2001). Binding could thus involve a type of chelation or "induced fit" process (Koshland et al., 1966; Fersht, 1985) in which separate regions of the receptor come together to interact with the agonist. A chelation mechanism implies that the agonist may reciprocally organize separate regions of the receptor into a relatively rare conformation such as an open state. Such reciprocal interactions between agonist and receptor are likely because channel opening is rare in the absence of agonist (Jackson, 1984), but when channels are open, agonists can be trapped at the binding site (Benveniste and Mayer, 1995; Chang and Weiss, 1999).

Agonist binding rates are often slower than expected for a diffusion-limited process (Sine and Steinbach, 1986; Zhang et al., 1995; Akk and Auerbach, 1996; Jones et al., 1998), implying that an energy-requiring process precedes or accompanies binding (Jones et al., 1998). Under the agonist chelation hypothesis, this process would correspond to structural rearrangements in the binding site that lead to channel opening. This hypothesis therefore predicts that ligands capable of opening the channel must bind slower than the diffusion limit, whereas ligands that do not open the channel (i.e., competitive antagonists) should bind more rapidly than agonists.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

Slice preparation and electrophysiology

We thank Drs. Sanjive Qazi and Jan Behrends for helpful comments on the manuscript, and Dr. Boris Barbour and three anonymous reviewers for helpful criticism.

M.V.J. was sponsored in part by the American Epilepsy Society with support from the Milken Family Medical Foundation. Y.S. was supported by a Core Research for Evolutional Science and Technology program from the Japanese Science and Technology Corporation. This work was supported by National Institutes of Health grant NS26494 (G.L.W.), Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft grant Jo-248/2-1 (P.J.), and a grant from the Human Frontiers Research Program Organization.

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Duittoz, A. H., and R. J. Martin. 1991. Antagonist properties of arylaminopyridazine GABA derivatives at the Ascaris muscle GABA receptor. J. Exp. Biol. 159:149-164.

Fersht, A. 1985. Enzyme Structure and Mechanism. (2nd ed.) W.H. Freeman and Co., New York. 263-346.

Glauner, K. S., L. M. Mannuzzu, C. S. Handhi, and E. Y. Isacoff. 1999. Spectroscopic mapping of voltage sensor movement in the Shaker potassium channel. Nature. 402:813-817.

Hamann, H., M. Desarmenien, E. Desaulles, M. F. Bader, and P. Feltz. 1988. Quantitative evaluation of the properties of a pyridazinyl GABA

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Hille, B. 1992. Ionic Channels of Excitable Membranes (2nd ed.) Sinauer Associates, Inc., Sunderland, MA. 423-503.

Jackson, M. B. 1984. Spontaneous openings of the acetylcholine receptor channel. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A. 81:3901-3904.

Jonas, P., J. Bischofberger, and J. SandkUhler. 1998. Corelease of two fast neurotransmitters at a central synapse. Science. 281:419-424.

Jones, M. V., Y. Sahara, J. A. Dzubay, and G. L. Westbrook. 1998. Defining affinity with the GABAA receptor. J. Neurosci. 18: 8590-8604.

Jones, M. V., and G. L. Westbrook. 1997. Shaping of IPSCs by endogenous calcineurin activity. J. Neurosci. 17:7626-7633.

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Levy, S. 1995. Three dimensional geometry: quadrics. In Standard Mathematical Tables and Formulae. (30th ed.). D. Zwillinger, editor. CRC Press, Boca Raton, FL. http://www.geom.umn.edu/docs/reference/CRCformulas/book.html.

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Macdonald, R. L., C. J. Rogers, and R. E. Twyman. 1989. Kinetic properties of the GABAA receptor main conductance state of mouse spinal neurones in culture. J. Physiol. (Land.). 410:479-499.

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Miyazawa, A., Y. Fujiyoshi, M. Stowell, and N. Unwin. 1999. Nicotinic acetylcholine receptor at 4.6 A resolution: transverse tunnels in the channel wall. J. MoL Biol. 288:765-786.

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Paas, Y. 1998. The macro- and microarchitectures of the ligand-binding domain of glutamate receptors. Trends Neurosci. 21:117-125. Ragozzino, D., R. M. Woodward, Y. Murata, F. Eusebi, L. E. Overman,

and R. Miledi. 1996. Design and in vitro pharmacology of a selective y-aminobutyric acid, receptor antagonist. Mol. Pharmacol. 50: 1024-1030.

Schmieden, V., J. Kuhse, and H. Betz. 1992. Agonist pharmacology of neonatal and adult glycine receptor a subunits: identification of amino acid residues involved in taurine activation. EMBO J. 11:2025-2032.

Schmieden, V., J. Kuhse, and H. Betz. 1993. Mutation of glycine receptor subunit creates 0-alanine receptor responsive to GABA. Science. 262: 256-258.

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Sine, S. M., and J. H. Steinbach. 1986. Activation of acetylcholine receptors on clonal mammalian BC3H-1 cells by low concentrations of agonist. J. Physiol (Lord.). 373:129-162.

Stem-Bach, Y., B. Bettler, M. Hartley, P. O. Sheppard, P. J. O'Hara, and S. F. Heinemann. 1994. Agonist selectivity of glutamate receptors is specified by two domains structurally related to bacterial amino acidbinding proteins. Neuron. 13:1345-1357.

Twyman, R. E., C. J. Rogers, and R. L. Macdonald. 1990. Intraburst kinetic properties of the GABAA receptor main conductance state of mouse spinal chord neurones in culture. J. Physiol. (Lond.). 423:193-220.

Ueno, S., J. Bracamontes, C. Zorumski, D. S. Weiss, and J. H. Steinbach. 1997. Bicuculline and gabazine are allosteric inhibitors of channel opening of the GABAA receptor. J. Neurosci. 17:625-634.

Vandenberg, R. J., C. A. Handford, and P. R. Schofield. 1992. Distinct agonist- and antagonist-binding sites on the glycine receptor. Neuron. 9:491-496.

Wagner, D. A., and C. Czajkowski. 2001. Structure and dynamics of the GABA binding pocket: a narrowing cleft that constricts during activation. J. Neurosci. 21:67-74.

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Wilson, G. G. and Karlin, A. 1998. The location of the gate in the acetylcholine receptor channel. Neuron. 20:1269-1281.

Xu, M., and M. H. Akabas. 1996. Identification of channel-lining residues in the M2 membrane-spanning segment of the GABAA receptor al subunit. J. Gen. Physiol. 107:195-205.

Yang, N., A. L. J. George, and R. Horn. 1996. Molecular basis of charge movement in voltage-gated sodium channels. Neuron. 16:113-112. Zhang, Y., J. Chen, and A. Auerbach. 1995. Activation of recombinant

mouse acetylcholine receptors by acetylcholine, carbamylcholine and tetramethylammonium. J. PhysioL (Loud.). 486:189-206.

[Author Affiliation]

Mathew V. Jones,* Peter Jonas,^ Yoshinori Sahara,^^ and Gary L. Westbrook(sec)

[Author Affiliation]

*Department of Physiology, University of Wisconsin, Madison, Wisconsin 53706 USA, ^Physiologisches Institut der Universitat Freiburg, D-79104 Freiburg, Germany, ^^Department of Maxillofacial Biology, Tokyo Medical and Dental University, 113 Tokyo, Japan, and (sec)Vollum Institute and Department of Neurology, Oregon Health Sciences University, Portland, Oregon 97201 USA

[Author Affiliation]

Received for publication 28 March 2001 and in final form 27 July 2001. Address reprint requests to Mathew V. Jones, Dept. of Physiology, Univ. of Wisconsin-Madison, 127 SMI, 1300 University Ave., Madison, WI 53706-1510. Tel.: 608-263-4495; Fax: 608-263-6120; E-mail: jonesmat@physiology.wisc.edu.

June 1962

2012-03-12T15:27:00.000-07:00

As Artforum turns forty this month, senior editor Eric Banks looks back at the magazine's inaugural issue, launched in San Francisco by founding editor-- publisher John Irwin as a medium for the "free exchange of critical opinions."

"ARTFORUM IS AN ART MAGAZINE published in the west-but not only a magazine of western art. We are concerned first with western activity but claim the world of art as our domain." With this declaration of manifest destiny and a blurry, mysterious, uncaptioned cover image-a shadowy Jean Tinguely thingamajig that looks like a Jurassic Park escapee in repose-Artforum came into being in June 1962 with a forty-six-page issue weighted heavily toward exhibition reviews, which bookended a feature section titled "Forum." The design was a bit quirky-- heavy-stock burnt orange dividers literally segregate the parts of the magazine-but the Pisani Printing Company's foray into art publishing had begun.

Say what you will about turning forty; we'll say a lot about it in the coming months as Artforum celebrates its fourth decade in existence. Founded by John Irwin, a salesman for Pisani, the magazine reflected its mission statement in its modest debut (the new publication was in fact nearly christened "Art West"). An article comparing American sculptor George Rickey and the Swiss-born Tinguely all but turns them into precursors of the California Light and Space movement. A feature on the most significant Northwest Coast artist at the time, Mark Tobey, begins, "The West Coast looks over the Pacific and beyond to the Orient-and so a West Coast magazine of art begins by honoring Mark Tobey." In an interview, James Johnson Sweeney, a former director of the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, grasps for a connection between Northern European painting and what he saw as the "frontier" experiences reflected in Bay Area art. "I began to wonder: how about northern Europe? How did this almost Oriental character develop in its expressionist painting? It was the northern influx of nomad peoples from the Orient. They had carried this running, zooamorphic [sic], animal pattern of design across northern Europe, to Ireland where it had influenced the Irish illuminated manuscripts up to the Carolingian time."

Notwithstanding a certain fixation on "the Orient" and the rather extravagant ethnographic postulation, the drawing card of Artforum no. 1 is the issue's extensive if largely regional set of reviews. Although the back cover hopefully boasts "NEXT MONTH: . . . Mexico City joins the reviews section with a letter from Toby Joysmith," the first number kept close to home. Correspondents checked in from Dallas and Seattle, Portland and Phoenix (the droll Dr. Harry Wood begins his lengthy review of doings in the last city with "Arizona, a natural paradise of exotic beauty, has always drawn artists from everywhere-- much better than artists have drawn Arizona!"). But dominating the reviews section are San Francisco and Los Angeles, the metropolis to which the magazine would relocate in 1965. To read those reviews-pithy, often one-paragraph notes that collectively cut a swath across the two locales-is to get an impression of early-'60s West Coast gallery culture.

In LA the talked-about show was a Robert Motherwell exhibition at the Pasadena Art Museum ("He is more of an idea man than an executioner and his powers of executing things without conscious reasoning seem limited," wrote Arthur Secunda); and Edward Kienholz, already bigger than life locally for his scabrous sculptural tableaux vivants, showed up with an exhibition at Ferus Gallery (an "unreservedly tasteful and sophisticated replica of a 1943 American house of ill repute"). San Francisco is represented by a whopping twenty-nine reviews, ranging from an extended treatment of MOMA'S traveling "Art of Assemblage" exhibition, then at the San Francisco Museum of Art, to John Coplans's curiously dismissive short notice of a survey of Matisse's late gouaches at the same institution, to succinct write-- ups of shows featuring San Francisco artists like Bruce Conner and the momentarily fashionable sculptor Wilfrid Zogbaum. Judging by the pages of material on the Bay Area alone, Art West may not have been such a bad choice of name after all.

Twenty-six years after the magazine's debut, Ingrid Sischy concluded her tenure as editor by publishing a theme issue titled "Age," which included a bound-in reprint of the June 1962 Artforum. Among the interviews Sischy ran in her February 1988 swan song was a conversation with Sidney Geist, whose "On Criticism" had been the first feature to appear in Artforum. In the early '60s Geist's magazine Scrap played a role analogous to that of the young Artforum. (Of the short-lived Scrap, he says, "Part of the reason [to create a forum for criticism] was our objection to a certain silence around art. We wanted to open a discourse.... It's just not true and not possible to have art without words.") Artforum outgrew its San Francisco roots to become a national magazine, but however much the publication's mission changed, Geist's testament to critical writing could have served as the editorial creed of the magazine in 1962 or 2002. As he put it, "There is no danger of saying too much. There is always the risk of saying the wrong thing; the danger is only of saying nothing."

In this ongoing series, Artforum looks back on an essay of note from our pages ten, twenty, thirty, or forty years ago to the month. Visit artforum. com to view the contents of all four issues and read selected articles from each.

Offer to MJ Made Cents to A's

2012-03-12T11:51:00.000-07:00

Michael Jordan was guaranteed a spot on a major league roster onOpening Day.

In Oakland.

Seems when the White Sox were trying to decide whether to eveninvite the AWOL two guard to spring training, A's general managerSandy Alderson contacted Jordan's people and offered him a spot asthe 25th man on Tony La Russa's roster. True fact.

"The extra revenue he would've generated for us would haveallowed us to make several other significant improvements to theballclub," Alderson told the Boston Globe.

Thing is, Jordan wouldn't even be the best NBA guard as abaseball player. Phoenix's Kevin Johnson would.

The All-Star point guard was signed as a shortstop by Oaklandand even played two minor league games before the University ofCalifornia decided he needed to go to summer school.

"He would've been an outstanding shortstop," Alderson said.

And he still might be. Johnson showed up at Oakland's springtraining camp recently and hit several balls over the fence.

JUST ASKING: If Jordan buys a luxury bus for his tour of theSouthern League, where do you suppose they'll put the blackjacktable?

TONY AWARD: A note about the Blackhawks' game with Calgarytonight at the Stadium: Newcomer Tony Amonte probably will end upskating against the man he was almost traded for, Joel Otto.

According to a co-conspirator of this column, the Flamesseriously considered dealing their hulking center for the speedyAmonte, but backed off because he's too valuable as a checker andfaceoff man.

That's when the Hawks were able to pawn off Brian Noonan andStephane Matteau to the N.Y. Rangers to get Amonte.

THE CREDIT BUREAU: Cowboys owner Jerry Jones and coach JimmyJohnson fought about who gets the credit. But just remember thatwith them, quarterback Troy Aikman, receiver Michael Irvin and thatdefense, nothing good happened until tailback Emmitt Smith ended hisholdout.

BURY SWITZER: The good thing about Barry Switzer coaching theCowboys is that we'll see the first Super Bowl champion placed onprobation.

HE'S NUTS: Every time you get all riled up at the Big Wonks ofyour local sports teams, just think about how lucky you are that noneof them is Donald Sterling, the space-cadet L.A. Clippers owner.

Recently, he called his coaches together and told them to listento a peanut vendor at the Sports Arena who, apparently, had his ownideas on who should play for the Clippers. True fact.

"Even the peanut guy says you aren't doing it right," Sterlingreportedly told coach Bob Weiss and friends, "and he has been herefor a long time and he has seen it all."

And you wondered why Danny Manning wanted out.

MAGIC'S ACT: A former NBA coach thought it was great for NBAbasketball that Magic Johnson was coaching the Lakers. That, atleast, is what he says on the record.

"Off the record," he said, "I think it's a pile of crap."

YOUR HONOR: From Pittsburgh columnist Bob Smizik on KevinMcReynolds: "You've heard of guys being called clubhouse lawyers?He's an entire bar association."