webaudience

Wisc. Shooting Kills 6, Wounds Toddler

2012-03-15T06:50:00.000-07:00

DELAVAN, Wis. - A shooting inside a home killed six people, and a toddler was found in a nearby vehicle with a gunshot to the chest, the police chief said Sunday.

Police found the bodies while investigating a report of shots fired Saturday night in the small southern Wisconsin town, Chief Tim O'Neill said. Police interviewed friends and relatives of the victims Sunday morning, but released no details on the investigation or whether they had identified a suspect.

The wounded child, a 2-year-old girl, was listed in serious condition Sunday at the University of Wisconsin Hospital in Madison, O'Neill said.

O'Neill withheld the victims' names and declined to take …

Judge upholds $100M Mattel verdict over Bratz

2012-03-15T04:24:00.000-07:00

A federal judge upheld a $100 million jury verdict Monday for Mattel Inc. in a lengthy legal battle over rights to the Bratz doll, a rival to Mattel's Barbie.

U.S. District Judge Stephen Larson also confirmed in his ruling late Monday that the Bratz doll _ marketed by MGA Entertainment Inc. since 2001 _ is Mattel property. He appointed a temporary federal receiver to take control of the Bratz brand and MGA's assets.

The receiver will decide who produces the doll and under what terms, but the order authorizes the receiver to maximize profits by "selling Bratz-branded dolls and other goods through appropriate channels of trade and distribution."

…

Title insurance not tied to hike in home value

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

Q. When I bought my house many years ago, I got a titleinsurance policy in the amount of its cost. The house is now worthmany times over what I paid for it. Shouldn't I have increased theamount of my title insurance to keep pace with the rising value ofthe house, just as I do with my fire insurance? Am I grosslyunderinsured?

A. You don't have to increase the amount of title insurance ona house as it increases in value. Title insurance is not like fireinsurance. It's greatly different from any other kind of insuranceyou have.

Regardless of the amount of title insurance listed on thepolicy, the mere fact that a title insurer was willing to insure yourtitle in …

Monday, October 4

2012-03-14T23:40:00.000-07:00

Today is Monday, October 4, the 277th day of 2010. There are 88 days left in the year.

Highlights in history on this date:

1830 - The provisional government of Belgium proclaims the country's independence from The Netherlands.

1853 - Turkey declares war on Russia, which occupied modern Romania three months earlier. Later Britain, France and Sardinia join the Crimean War on Turkey's side.

1865 - Napoleon III of France agrees to Prussian supremacy in Germany and to a united Italy after meeting Otto von Bismarck in Biarritz.

1895 - The first U.S. Open golf tournament is held, at the Newport Country Club in Rhode Island.

1910 - Portugal's King Manuel II …

Tens of thousands of South Koreans protest against US beef

2012-03-14T21:20:00.000-07:00

Tens of thousands of people demonstrated in South Korea's capital Saturday against U.S. beef imports, as a pro-government group staged a counter rally calling for an end to weeks of sometimes-violent protests.

Police estimated that 50,000 people jammed a plaza in front of Seoul's City Hall and an adjacent 14-lane boulevard, holding candles and anti-government signs. The protesters, including Catholic priests and Buddhist monks, sang songs and chanted slogans.

About 20,000 riot police were deployed around the site, but there were no immediate reports of clashes.

It was the second-largest rally in a series of near-daily protests held for the past …

Doctor's wife and two kids murdered

2012-03-14T18:59:00.000-07:00

Raiders murdered a doctor's wife and two daughters after breakinginto their house.

Dr William Petit, who was severely injured, told police inCheshire, Connecticut, his family had been held hostage for hours.

Then a family member, who has not been identified, was taken tothe bank with a suspect to withdraw cash.

But …

Preparing for a crisis [Suggestions from the Bible]

2012-03-14T16:39:00.000-07:00

One could get the impression from news sources that January 1, 2000 will bring some crisis to all of us. For those who think the crisis will be large, preparations are time consuming and expensive -- storing up food and water, purchasing a generator, having adequate cash on hand, and possibly being ready to defend yourself against the breakdown of law and order.

Suggested preparations are almost entirely individual or, at best, family. We also notice that they are primarily physical. Neighbourhoods do not seem to be sponsoring seminars on how to resolve conflicts in a crisis.

Is there something we can learn from the Bible about preparing for a crisis? There are texts about …

Security keeps public away from Olympic sponsors

2012-03-14T14:18:00.000-07:00

Organizers promised Tuesday to let more people into the tightly guarded Olympic Green after sponsors complained that security restrictions kept visitors away from their promotional pavilions, a marketing official said.

General Electric Co., Coca Cola Co. and others that spent tens of millions of dollars to link their brands to the Olympics created colorful, costly displays on the plaza beside the Bird's Nest stadium and other key venues. But access was limited to ticket holders for sports events. So at many pavilions, the staff outnumbered the handful of visitors.

Organizers agreed to give out passes to allow thousands more people on the Olympic Green every …

News briefs

2012-03-14T11:58:00.000-07:00

Mother, children

shot to death

SYLVAN TOWNSHIP, Mich. - A woman and two of her children werefound shot to death in their home after a third child who waswounded called her grandmother and said, "Somebody shot mommy." Police said they were not looking for a suspect but would notelaborate.

"We don't have any indication there was an intruder in this houseor an altercation that occurred inside. We don't feel the need toseek out a suspect," State Police Lt. Beth Moranty said Tuesday.

Police were called shortly after 8 a.m. Moranty said 12-year-oldSydney Young called her paternal grandmother.

Police found a .38-caliber revolver in the house that they …

The Eagle has landed

2012-03-14T09:38:00.000-07:00

Ezer Weizman served Israel with power and independence

HE WAS, DOUGLAS DAVIS WROTE IN THE Jewish Star in 1993, generally stereotyped in the political realm as a "super-hawk-turned-superdove".

But Ezer Weizman -- among the founder's of Israel's air force and the country's seventh president, who died April 24 only a few week's prior to Israel Independence Day -- was neither.

In "appearance and temperament," Davis wrote, "he bears a closer resemblance to an eagle -- powerful and independent, unpredictable and volatile, poised at any moment to swoop on his unsuspecting prey."

The nephew of Chaim Weizmann, Israel's first president, and the brother-in-law to Moshe …

Good luck getting around D.C. on Inauguration Day

2012-03-14T07:17:00.000-07:00

On a typical weekday, hundreds of thousands of people commute to the nation's capital, snarling roads and packing subway trains and buses during peak hours.

Imagine multiplying that several times for Barack Obama's inauguration Jan. 20.

"I don't want in any way to discourage anyone," said the District of Columbia's city administrator, Dan Tangherlini. "I just don't want them to come and be completely shocked by what they find."

It won't be pleasant, Tangherlini and other officials say.

The Washington area's transit system is telling passengers to expect extraordinarily long lines for trains and buses. Airports will be …

Business briefs

2012-03-14T04:57:00.000-07:00

United Bankshares lowers earnings estimate

United Bankshares Inc. said merger-related expenses and otheronetime charges will reduce earnings to an estimated 29 cents pershare in the fourth quarter and $1.17 for 1998.

Analysts had estimated United would post fourth quarter earningsof 39 cents a share and 1998 earnings of $1.50 a share.United said charges include costs associated with the merger ofFed One Bancorp Inc. in the fourth quarter and George MasonBankshares Inc. in the second quarter; and costs associated withloans warehoused for a third party.The Parkersburg-based company said analysts are forecasting recordearnings for 1999. United has 79 offices in West …

Britain's PM presses Kenyan leaders to urgently hold talks

2012-03-14T02:16:00.000-07:00

British Prime Minister Gordon Brown on Sunday appealed for Kenya's political leaders to urgently hold talks to end a political deadlock that sparked a week of deadly riots.

Brown spoke after opposition leader Raila Odinga said he was ready to join mediated talks with President Mwai Kibaki, who he accuses of rigging the Dec. 27 election to stay in power.

"I think Mr. Odinga and Mr. Kibaki both recognize that unless they make a change, unless something happens that brings them together, the prospects for Kenya are very poor indeed," Brown told British Broadcasting Corp. television.

"We have been working night and day behind the scenes to see what we can do to bring the sides together," Brown said.

The prime minister said he had spoken to Ghanian President John Kufuor, chairman of the African Union, who he said is expected to arrive in Nairobi by Tuesday to mediate.

"I think there is a chance of reconciliation," Brown said.

Britain, the former colonial power in Kenya, appealed last week for both sides to consider sharing power, but the opposition has rejected an offer from the president to form a unity government.

Sox hope to snap Canada dry spell

2012-03-13T23:25:00.000-07:00

The last time the White Sox won a game in Toronto was June 1, 2007, when they salvaged one of four games from the Blue Jays.

Since then, they've dropped 10 in a row at the Rogers Centre, where they open a four-game series tonight. Last season, the four-game sweep saw the Jays outscore the Sox 21-8.

The Sox only won one of three games against the Jays at U.S. Cellular Field in 2009.

It seems timing has been everything when it comes to playing the Jays, who have gotten off to good starts in recent years only to fade in the American League East. This year is no different with the Jays at 5-1.

''They're playing good again early in the season,'' manager Ozzie Guillen said. ''I don't remember winning a game there [the Sox are 7-17 in Toronto under Guillen]. I know the Blue Jays will never hire Ozzie Guillen as a manager.''

With the Minnesota Twins unveiling their open-air Target Field this season, the Rogers Centre and Tropicana Field in St. Petersburg, Fla., are the last domed stadiums in the AL, though the Rogers Centre has a retractable dome.

''A lot of weird things happen in that place,'' Guillen said. ''Hopefully, things will turn around there, and we can come back with a smile on our face.''

Alex Rios will be returning to Toronto for the first time after the Jays let him go through waivers in August.

''I'm a little excited to see the guys, but it's another team we have to beat,'' said Rios, who was Toronto's first-round draft choice in 1999 and a two-time All-Star. ''They always start out well. We have to beat them.''

NO-NAME STARS

The Twins have shown no signs of problems without closer Joe Nathan, out for the season after elbow surgery in the spring.

Former Sox draft pick Jon Rauch was given the job and has four saves in their first five victories. Rauch came to the Twins last August in a trade with the Arizona Diamondbacks.

''He's doing fine,'' Twins manager Ron Gardenhire said. ''He's not trying to do too much. He's throwing the ball over the plate and taking his chances. He's just making his pitches.''

The workmanlike approach is true for the Twins' bullpen in general. In the first week of the season, they have held opponents to a .223 average.

''One of the things [pitching coach Rick Anderson] and I felt was important was to get them in place and let them know their roles and not have them scrambling,'' he said. ''They know where they fit, and that helps.''

Guillen believes the Twins have one of the better bullpens in the division, no small factor in how the season plays out.

''They don't have [well-known] names, but they get people out,'' Guillen said.

CATCH-UP

Backup catcher Ramon Castro could be out for some time after a setback in his recovery from a right heel injury. But Guillen is satisfied with rookie Donny Lucy.

''He handles the pitching staff,'' Guillen said. ''The pitchers like throwing to him. And the one game he started [Friday], he had good at-bats.''

Photo: Paul Beaty, AP / Paul Konerko follows the flight of his two-run home run in the first inning off Twins right-hander Nick Blackburn.

Unreleased ABBA track on new album

2012-03-13T20:32:00.000-07:00

STOCKHOLM (AP) — Mamma Mia, here they go again.

ABBA fans will soon again be saying "Thank you for the music" with the release of a new track on a special edition of the disbanded 70's pop group's "The Visitors" album.

The album, including new track "From a Twinkling Star to a Passing Angel," is the first official new release by the Swedish group in 18 years.

Universal Music Group spokeswoman Mia Segolsson said Friday that the special edition of "The Visitors" — originally released in 1981 — will be available in stores from April 23.

ABBA — Agnetha Faeltskog, Benny Andersson, Bjoern Ulvaeus and Anni-Frid Lyngstad — split in 1982. The band has never reunited.

Known for catchy hits in the 70s and 80s — such as "Dancing Queen," ''Money, Money, Money" — ABBA have sold 400 million records worldwide.

Romero Holds Lead at Delayed Senior Open

2012-03-13T17:40:00.000-07:00

HAVEN, Wis. - Eduardo Romero and Vicente Fernandez believe Argentinian golf is only getting better. Romero made timely putts and used his long, straight drives to overcome the more than 1,300 bunkers at Whistling Straits to take a first-round lead after shooting 6-under 66 on Thursday.

Fernandez is three strokes behind after shooting a 69, along with Jon Fiedler and Ron Vlosich. Half the field of 156 did not finish the first round after thunderstorms followed a brisk wind in the afternoon and suspended play. Loren Roberts, Bruce Vaughan and Jim Woodward were all 3-under par with several holes left in their first rounds.

The 78 players who didn't finish the round were to resume at 7 a.m. CDT on Friday.

Romero used his own money to sponsor Angel Cabrera, last month's U.S. Open winner, when Cabrera was trying to make it on the European Tour.

Cabrera, in turn, gave Romero some advice after winning at Oakmont.

"He said to me, 'If you go there, try to win the tournament, because two U.S. Opens in one month is fantastic,'" Romero said. "And I said, 'Angel, I know it's hard, but I'll try my best.'"

Romero said he knows he has a long way to go despite shooting the fourth-best opening round in U.S. Senior history by hitting 11 of 14 fairways and 15 of 18 greens in regulation. He also sank a 50-foot eagle on No. 16.

"The opening round is very good and probably Angel Cabrera (is) trying to celebrate, but three more rounds to go, you don't know what happens - especially in this golf course, especially in the U.S. Senior Open, because there are a lot of good players behind me," Romero said. "I have to be very careful, you know?"

Cabrera was just a 10-year-old caddie when Romero's father, a club pro in Argentina, proclaimed the boy had the potential to become a pro player. Fernandez thinks many more will follow.

"We have about 50 youngsters playing worldwide on different tours," said Fernandez, the only other Argentine in the tournament. "Argentinian boys are doing very well on every tour. They're winning everywhere. So I'm not surprised."

Cabrera's victory at Oakmont was only the second in a major championship by an Argentine, and the first since Roberto De Vicenzo won the 1967 British Open. De Vicenzo was a hero to Romero and other Argentinian golfers. He also won the 1980 U.S. Senior Open.

Now, golf's popularity is growing rapidly, in part, Fernandez said, because of a different approach in developing talent by letting promising players join a variety of different tours to test their mettle.

"They need a little bit more support from our federation and our PGA to get better," Fernandez said. "We're doing very well, I mean, those youngsters, they're practicing and they're training and they take care of themselves very well."

Romero teed off from the 10th hole on Thursday morning, sinking back-to-back birdie putts at No. 12 and No. 13 before rolling in an eagle putt on the par-5 16th hole to go 4-under par.

The ball nearly skipped past the hole, bouncing up before dropping in the cup, but Romero had three more birdies on the back nine, and his lone bogey of the round came on No. 7.

Whistling Straits had calm winds on Thursday morning until thunderstorms rolled in later that afternoon. It led to lower scores at the relatively tree-free course that boasts a flock of about 40 Scottish Blackface sheep that roam the knobby hills.

But the links weren't kind to everyone.

Two-time U.S. Senior Open champion Hale Irwin struggled, triple-bogeying the par-four 15th hole after needing two shots to get out of a sand trap followed by a three-putt. He also bogeyed three of his final five holes to finish 4-over par.

Allen Doyle, trying to become the first player ever to win three straight U.S. Senior Opens, didn't have much luck in his afternoon round, either. He double-bogeyed No. 10, his first hole, and added five more bogeys to stand at 7-over through 13 holes.

Divots:@ Three players have shot 7-under in the first round of the U.S. Senior Open since it began in 1980. The most recent was Craig Stadler in 2005. ... Play was suspended at 5:05 p.m. CDT and called for the day at 6:15 p.m. .... Romero's eagle was the first of 10 made Thursday.

Apples and lung cancer

2012-03-13T14:48:00.000-07:00

A 1997 STUDY in the American Journal of Epidemiology carried out by researchers from Finland's National Public Health Institute (Helsinki) discovered that the flavonoids from apples play a role in decreasing the risk of lung cancer.

According to the research team, quercetin, a flavonoid found in high concentration in apples, provided 95 percent of the total flavonoid intake in the population studied, which consisted of 9,959 men and women.

Among the apple-eaters in the study. the likelihood of developing lung cancer fell by 58 percent compared to those who ate a tiny-to-nil amount.

Other notable sources of flavonoids in the diets of those studied included: onions, fruits, vegetables, and two not recorded: tea and red wine.

[Source: "Dietary Flavonoids and the Risk of Lung Cancer and Other Malignant Neoplasms," American Journal of Epidemiology 146(3):223230.]

Cure for the Common Life: Living in Your Sweet Spot

2012-03-13T11:48:00.000-07:00

Cure for the Common Life: Living in Your Sweet Spot by Max Lucado. 2005. Nashville, TN: W Publishing Group. 220 pages, Hardback, $22.99

Intended Audience: A, B, C, E, F

Major Headings from Table of Contents:

Use Your Uniqueness; Make a Big Deal Out of God; Every Day of Your Life; Sweet Spots: Two People Who Found Theirs; Sweet Spot Discovery Guide

How is the book most useful for its intended audience?

For career changers, it helps them discover their uniqueness and use their strengths to find the best career fit. For career coaches and counselors, it can add a spiritual perspective to their work with clients who want that perspective.

The top five things you learned from reading this book:

1 . To trust God with my career.

2. To give more attention to what I enjoy doing rather than doing things just because they pay well.

3. To "think outside the box" with myself as well as my clients.

4. To use some new techniques with clients who are open to adding a faith/spiritual perspective to their career exploration.

5. To appreciate even more than before each person's uniqueness and special place in God's universe.

We all have an idea about what it's like to live in your sweet spot. It is that place where you are so engaged in the present moment that time Stands still and you are transfixed by the activity in which you are engaged. Max Lucado, best-selling author and pastor, begins Cure for the Common Life with the premise that God gave each person a region in which they were made to do well. He tailored each life to fit an empty space in his jigsaw puzzle." He further explains that life makes sweet sense when you find your sweet spot. This is not a new idea. Rick Warren, in The Purpose Driven Life, wrote that we were all created by God for His purposes and we will never be totally fulfilled until we find our purpose in life. Lucado, like Rick Warren, uses Biblical references to back up his beliefs.

After discussing your sweet spot, he begins Section One with stories of people from George Washington Carver to Moses to illustrate how God gave them all the "tools" they needed to perform great things. He then encourages each reader to study their own S.T.O.R.Y, an acronym for: Strengths; Topics (interests); Optimal Conditions (motivations); Relationships (how you like to interact with others); and Yes! (those moments when you feel your "sweet spot"). Lucado then cautious the reader to not consult their greed, because greed can cause you to lose purpose as you pursue greater monetary rewards and seduce you out of your sweet spot.

In Section Two, Lucado encourages readers to use their uniqueness to "make a big deal out of God" through how they live every day. He uses the parable of the three servants who were given varying talents (money) while the master went away on the trip. When the master returned, he asked for an accounting of what the servants had done with his money. The first and second servants were given 5 talents and 2 talents respectively, and each had doubled their money. To both, he said "well done, good and faithful servant. You have been faithful over a few things; I will make you ruler over many things." The third servant had received one talent, which he buried in the ground, because he feared losing it. The Master had harsh words for the third servant because he failed to use his talent. Lucado challenges the reader to discover and use their talents for the good of God and the world, and to not be deterred by fear of failure.

Lucado makes a strong plea for those who are not Christian believers to accept the gift and grace of salvation. He states, "God grants us an uncommon life to the degree we surrender our common one." He suggests that ego often gets in the way of faith; "When you're full of yourself, God can't fill you."

In Section three, Lucado challenges readers to 'Take your job and love it." He encourages the reader to examine their attitude and to work as if they were working for God. He concludes that if everyone worked to please God, they would work to the best of their abilities. They would not cheat, overcharge their customers, engage in work that is negative to the overall good, or demeans others. Lucado encourages readers to take their time away from work to "Pause on Purpose." He remarks that to stay centered in your sweet spot, you must stop, withdraw, and recalibrate. It is in these times that each person can refocus in order to move forward in their work or change to work that is more fulfilling.

Lucado shares how a purposeful pause pulled him out of a spiritual desert in his ministry. He said his church was growing, enthusiasm was mounting, and they were making plans for a new building, but he was feeling "hollow, robotic, and mechanical." A friend encouraged him to clarify his sweet spot. He sought the help of an executive coach, Rick Wellock, and wrote out his S.T.O.R.Y. This system of exploration and discovery was developed by People Management International, Inc.

Cure for the Common Life includes a section called Sweet Spot Discovery Guide, which guides the reader step-by-step through the process of discovering and analyzing your sweet-spot experiences. Reminiscent of the exercises in Richard Bolles' What Coloris Your Parachute? the first assignment is to write about some of the occasions in your life in which you did something well and enjoyed doing it. Next, the guide outlines how to summarize those experiences to develop your own S.T.O.R.Y: your Strengths, how you get things done using your unique gifts; your Topics, what you want to work with; your Optimal conditions for motivating you to effectively accomplish the tasks; your Relationships, the roles and relationships to others you seek in the tasks; and Yes! the moments that you feel the joyous affirmation that you are fulfilling the purpose for which you were designed (your "sweet spot"). The Guide is filled with good examples of people's stories and good ideas for how to implement the process in your own life. It also includes a study guide for those who would like to study the book in more depth, either individually or in a group discussion.

This book can be an excellent tool for career coaches to use with clients who want to include a spiritual perspective in their career exploration and planning. It is well written with many interesting examples of people who found their sweet spot and accomplished their unique purposes in life. It will challenge and inspire, as well as give hope to those who have lost perspective.

Reviewed by Joyce Shoop

[Author Affiliation]

Joyce Shoop, Career Action Associates, 8350 Meadow Road #272, Dallas, TX 75231, 214-378-8350, joyshoop@sbcglobal.net

With Lin's emergence, Knicks games added in Asia

2012-03-13T08:41:00.000-07:00

NEW YORK (AP) — Jeremy Lin is making the New York Knicks must-see TV in Asia.

The NBA says on Thursday its Asian TV partners have added Knicks games to their broadcast schedules following the emergence of Lin, the first American-Taiwanese NBA player.

Sina in China will show Friday's game against the Los Angeles Lakers, while stations in Taiwan will televise five Knicks games this month. ESPN Philippines also added the Feb. 17 New Orleans Hornets game in New York.

Lin, an undrafted guard from Harvard University, has led the Knicks to three straight wins, scoring more than 20 points in each game.

Ironically, his performances are missed by many in New York. A dispute between Time Warner Cable and MSG Network is keeping the Knicks off that system.

Skins place high hopes on Marshall

2012-03-13T04:48:00.000-07:00

WASHINGTON Coach Joe Gibbs says he doesn't expect WilberMarshall to play like Superman this season for the WashingtonRedskins, despite the $6 million, five-year free agent contractawarded to the two-time all-pro linebacker.

"We don't expect Superman, but we'd take Batman," Gibbs said."We're expecting him to be awful good."

It's safe to say the Redskins have high expectations forMarshall after making him the highest paid defensive player in NFLhistory, luring him from the Chicago Bears as a free agent.

"If he plays just the way he did against us when he was with theBears, he'll fit in real well," Gibbs added.

Marshall is also setting lofty goals for himself.

"I want to be the best linebacker in the league and, hopefully,the best defensive player in the league before I get out of thisgame," Marshall said. "Obviously, I'm going to be here the next fiveyears, so this is the place to do it."

The Super Bowl champions hope Marshall can provide them with adominant defensive player in the mold of Lawrence Taylor of the NewYork Giants, although Marshall's role likely will be more restrictedthan Taylor's free-wheeling style.

Marshall, a rare package of speed, power and intensity, hasearned his way into the NFL's corps of elite linebackers in his fourNFL seasons, earning Pro Bowl berths the last two seasons with theBears and helping Chicago to its triumph in Super Bowl XX. Now theRedskins are waiting to see how quickly Marshall, 26, picks up theteam's defense and how well he meshes with his new teammates.

Marshall has been generally well received by the Redskinsplayers, despite some initial resentment over the size of hiscontract. Marshall, whose placid personality seems to fit in betterwith the low-key Redskins than with the high-strung Bears, has beenslow to develop friendships with his new teammates.

"I don't hang around a lot of guys. I don't go out drinking ordoing all that stuff with them. I don't care to do all that stuff,"Marshall said. "That's just the way I am. I just kind of cool outand do my own thing. When it's time to play, time to be with theguys, I'm there for them and they're there for me. That's how itshould be.

"I'm a quiet person, anyway, so I just do my job and that's goodenough for me," Marshall added. "I get my job done, go home and rest,listen to a little jazz and take it easy."

It's a lot easier to take it easy under Gibbs and the Redskinsthan under Coach Mike Ditka with the Bears. Gibbs consciously triesto avoid any public airing of differences within the team, whileDitka thrives on trying to rile up his team with comments to the press.

Marshall said he is happy to be away from that kind ofenvironment.

"This is nothing like the Bears," Marshall said. "They try tomake stories during the week - somebody says something or somebodydoes something really wild, like (quarterback Jim) McMahon. Everyonehere is pretty low key and trying to get it together."

Marshall said he was not close to Ditka, the fiery coach andHall of Fame tight end.

"I never talked to him. He was busy fighting with McMahon.Those guys stayed together, fighting with each other all the time,"Marshall said. "I played my heart out for the Bears and never saidanything. But to keep the players sharp after I left, he'd say,`Wilber ain't so-and-so. He didn't want to play for the Bears.' It'sjust the way Ditka is. He'd just make up a lot of stuff. He's acharacter."

Marshall said he was comfortable with the Bears, but couldn'tpass up the kind of money the Redskins offered.

After he signed Washington's $6 million, five-year offer sheetin March, the Bears refused to match the offer, making Marshall thefirst player in 11 years to change teams as a free agent under theNFL's restrictive free agency policy.

The Redskins surrendered first round draft choices in 1988 and1989 to the Bears as compensation for signing Marshall.

"I'm thinking about my future. My future, just like everyoneelse's, is in the money you make," Marshall said.

"I don't think anyone could ever have imagined that this couldhave happened. I just play as hard as I can and I guess that's myreward for just hustling and trying to be the best outside linebackerthere is. "As long as you bust your rear end and play as hard asyou can, good things will happen for you," he said.

Cecil seeks extra spring in his step

2012-03-13T01:34:00.000-07:00

Julian House's funding manager Cecil Weir is again raising moneyfor the charity by taking part in the Nationwide Bath Half Marathon.

This will be Mr Weir's eighth half marathon and, to make sure hegets round the course, he has been kitted out by specialist shop Running Bath, based in The Corridor.

"I have to confess that I was one of those people who didn't paymuch heed to footwear," said Mr Weir.

"Then someone encouraged me to look at how I was running which iswhy I would recommend anyone thinking about new shoes to see theteam at Running Bath. They have equipment which monitors how anindividual's foot strikes the ground.

"Given that you take about 34,000 strides during a half marathon,even a little correction is going to make things easier on thebody."

This will be the seventh year Julian House has taken part in thehalf marathon, with a team of more than 70 runners taking part inMarch's event.

Although public entries for the Nationwide Bath Half have allgone, Julian House has a number of places still available.

Mr Weir said an important tip for runners was to keep the body'sfluid levels up.

"Although the event organisers provide several drinks stations onthe route, little and often is the best way to stay hydrated," hesaid.

"For the 2008 event we will be offering the option of a Hillywater bottle belt which means runners can keep their hands free forrunning and sip their drink as they run."

Print off an entry form from the website www.julianhouse.org.uk, or contact Mr Weir on 01225 354652.

Saints euphoria sweeps New Orleans past Katrina

2012-03-12T22:35:00.000-07:00

On his feet, his insides roiling like a butter churn, Percy "PJ" Williams Jr. pulled his leather Saints helmet over his face and closed his eyes.

"Look! Look! Watch this game, baby!" his wife gushed.

"I can't do it!" PJ blurted, hiding his face. Over and over again he cried: "Please, Lord, let this guy make this field goal ... Please, Lord, let this guy ... Please, Lord ..."

The scene: Jan. 24, Section 302 of the Superdome, row 14, seats 15 and 16. Two die-hard Saints fans. The play: Overtime, and Garrett Hartley readies for a 40-yard field goal to send the Saints on their first trip to the Super Bowl.

Snap. Kick. Victory. Then, the roar.

Everywhere around the city of New Orleans, people cried, or screamed, or both. Nuns danced. Grannies, toddlers, waiters, yogis and jazzmen _ all of them donned black and gold. Friends embraced. Shoot, even strangers embraced. Behind PJ, a man and woman wept together.

For a moment, PJ himself was speechless. All he could do was listen to the roar.

It wasn't the roar of the hurricane he remembered so well, tearing the roof off the Dome. It wasn't the roar of his neighbors, the people he helped with an M16 rifle slung on his back _ the barefoot children crying, elderly slumped in wheelchairs moaning, families sweating in the stadium's dark, waiting for relief.

On this night, the 33-year-old soldier and Saints season-ticket holder opened his eyes to the roar of a lifetime: The Saints had kicked away the Katrina blues, patched a city's scars, and put New Orleans in the Super Bowl _ touching off the biggest party the Gulf Coast has seen since maybe the end of World War II.

Saints 31, Vikings 28.

At the end of season 43, the football gods had finally smiled on his hapless Saints.

____

Few of the 71,276 people at the NFC championship last Sunday night had the same kind of perspective or same raw emotions that PJ did, living from nadir to zenith in New Orleans.

On Aug. 29, 2005, the day Katrina hit, his Louisiana National Guard platoon of MPs was sleeping on the floor of the visitors locker room, almost directly under the season-ticket seats he'd bought a few months prior.

Williams and his men had the mission of manning the biggest, smelliest, weirdest lifeboat ever seen as they watched their hometown, and homes, drown. A few days later, he'd take a flatboat to his childhood home in Hollygrove, float over the fence in the front yard and dock on his porch.

Now, he was hollering: "The Saints are going to the Super Bowl!"

Later, he reflected on it all: "Every time I walk up to the Dome, we walk up through Gate A, I look down, I remember seeing people come up on boat, it brings chills.

"Little children, they didn't have no shoes, so they tied MRE bags around their feet. We had some people looting and stuff. One guy had 30 brand new tennis shoes. We took them off him and distributed them to people who needed shoes."

Running on two hours of sleep a night, Williams pushed the sick and elderly in wheelchairs out of the Dome to the relative comfort of the nearby basketball arena; on patrols, he walked the Dome 40 times a day ("a good hump") amid the sea of people.

"To see people in such need, people of all walks of life coming, this was their life raft, this was their foothold on life and now, strangely, it's the same thing, but just in reverse. This is New Orleans' foothold, right there, this is a way of healing a city by winning," Williams said. "Any other city would have folded. This is the mentality of this city. We have lemons, we're going to make lemonade."

___

Obviously, New Orleans and the Saints didn't fold in the wake of Katrina.

But at one time it sure felt like they could.

When you ask Bob Remy, the unofficial Saints historian and official statistician, about that 2005 season interrupted by Katrina, he strangely draws a blank.

A man who's filed away just about every Saints newspaper article, team guide, stat and ticket or press pass since the first game at Tulane Stadium in 1967 has a hard time recalling what happened when the Saints went homeless.

"It's all a blur," Remy said, poring over the meticulous, day-by-day calendar he keeps of Saints seasons, and his own affairs.

He laughed. "Look, I ordered a washer, dryer and refrigerator on the day of the Giants game." That was the team's first "home" game after Katrina on Sept. 19. With the Dome torn up and waterlogged, it was transferred to the Meadowlands.

It was also the day Remy missed his first home game _ ever. His sports memorabilia-packed suburban home was flooded with about a foot of water and he had to rebuild.

That 2005 regular season started with him in a hotel in Jackson, Miss., on Sept. 11. He walked down to the hotel lobby. The game, Saints at Panthers, wasn't even on the TV. He headed to another hotel.

"There I was, sitting in the lobby by myself, watching the game. Never forget that," Remy said, a tear struggling at the edge of his eye.

At 72, Remy can say he has seen just about everything there's been to see in Saints history. With his horn-rimmed glasses, he was there in the first line of men in trench coats, ties and flattop haircuts that stretched down the block, on March 6, 1967, to buy the first Saints season tickets. He was third in line.

Much of the nearly 43 years since hasn't been pretty.

It took the Saints two decades just to get their first winning season, and it wasn't until 2000 when they won their first playoff game. The Saints were so bad fans wore paper bags over their heads in 1980 and called them the "Aints."

Fans grumbled, and, it being New Orleans, people talked about a "curse." Maybe, they said, it was because the Dome was built close to, some say atop, the former Girod Street cemetery.

Against that dismal background, the 2005 season was the team's lowest point, Remy said.

The team was relocated to San Antonio. It lived out of hotels and did weight training at Gold's Gyms. They went 3-13 and for a while practiced at a high school. San Antonio's mayor said he'd set up talks with team owner Tom Benson about moving the club to Texas. The future of the Dome was in doubt.

It got so bad, Benson swatted at a television camera at the Saints' first game back in Louisiana on Oct. 30 at Tiger Stadium in Baton Rouge. Then, he issued a statement saying he wasn't going to games in Baton Rouge because he feared for his life. Rock bottom.

By the start of the 2006 season, though, the stars had begun to align.

The Dome was fixed up. Coach Sean Payton and quarterback Drew Brees had been brought in. Heisman Trophy winner Reggie Bush was obtained by a stroke of good fortune in the draft and the Saints sold out their season tickets.

That year, they got to the NFC championship, and lost.

____

Standing in his back yard under a blue sky, Remy explained the euphoria.

"When we were going through the poor years, it's a beautiful day like this, and it's in the third quarter, and they're losing 35-3, half the people are gone, the other people are drunk in the stands, and I got two small children at home, my wife's at the park with them. You get my picture? And you say, 'Why am I here?' We had so many of those Sundays.

"You say to yourself, 'Let's make our way through this.' And of course, it all does (pay off) on Sunday night."

Ever the keeper of Saints history, Remy, tipsy on beer like everyone else, and his stats crew went down to the field after the game. He kneeled at the 30-yard line, pointed down at the hash mark where Hartley planted his foot. Snap. He'll frame that photo.

New Orleans is changed. Stunned. In the throes of love and hope.

At the Zulu Social Aid and Pleasure Club, Kenny "Kool Breez" Battiste, a deejay by profession, shakes his head. "It's like they said: We'd never have a black president, we'd never make it to the Super Bowl. Now, we got a black president and we're going to the Super Bowl!"

At the Impressive Hair Design, a neighborhood barber shop, old friends met up for the first time since the game and hollered Tuesday morning.

"Who Dat nation!" ... "Black and gold to the Super Bowl!"

"The violence is going to stop!" Fabian Pace shouted. "No love. But the love is coming back. We need this win. We need this sense of hope. Just when we thought there was no daylight. It's not a black and white city. It's a black and gold city!"

Farther along on the street, Beverly Netter, a retired hospital worker, said she'd frame her Times-Picayune newspaper from the day after "the kick."

"We kick butts!" the elderly woman said, grinning.

"Who Dat! Who Dat!" Catherine Tate, her friend, said. The Saints, Tate hoped, would inspire the young, the "lost generation," in her words. She was thinking about her 17-year-old grandson shot down and killed: "He loved sports."

In the French Quarter, Ray and Karen Baker waved from their balcony, where a banner reads: "Announcing: Hell freezing over," a reference to the late Saints sportscaster Bernard "Buddy D." Diliberto, a legend in these parts. He said the Saints would make it to the Super Bowl when hell froze over. He was the first to wear a bag over his head.

Karen, 66 and ardently religious, said: "I believe he (Drew Brees) has been empowered by God to lead us out of the wilderness. I really do."

Out at Musicians' Village in the 9th Ward, where rows of homes were built after Katrina for displaced musicians, one with the help of Brees and students from his old fraternity house at Purdue University, trumpeter Shamarr Allen played his instrument, adorned with a fleur-de-lis and Brees' signature.

"Forty-plus years, it's time. It was written for it to happen," Allen said.

"If you take a look back and remember that the Saints had to play in Mississippi (a preseason game in 2006) and practice in a school yard," he said, searching for the moral of the story, "it's one of those things that make you realize, man, look how far they came in a short period of time. My situation is bad, but it can always get better."

Toyota No. 3 Car Seller in U.S. in 2006

2012-03-12T19:43:00.000-07:00

DETROIT - Toyota Motor Corp. continued to gobble up market share in 2006, passing DaimlerChrysler AG as the No. 3 auto seller in the U.S. for the first time during a full calendar year.

Toyota, which includes the Toyota, Lexus and Scion brands, ended the year with 15.4 percent of the U.S. automotive market, compared with DaimlerChrysler's 13.3 percent, according to figures released Wednesday by Autodata Inc.

Toyota's market share rose more than 2 percentage points, up from 13.3 percent at the end of last year. The company had its best year ever in 2006, with sales up 12.9 percent for the year at more than 2.5 million vehicles.

Industry analysts say the Japanese automaker benefited from its reputation for quality and fuel efficiency as gasoline prices sent consumers fleeing to cars from trucks and sport utility vehicles during much of the year.

Industrywide, U.S. sales dropped 2.6 percent for the year to about 16.5 million from just under 17 million in 2005, Autodata said.

Ford Motor Co. was able to hold off Toyota and keep its title of No. 2 for 2006 after Toyota's sales surpassed Ford's for the first time in July and again in November. Ford ended the year with 16.4 percent of the U.S. market, and it has forecast a 14 percent to 15 percent market share for the next several years. That means Ford almost certainly will be passed by Toyota as No. 2 sometime next year.

"They've got a lot of momentum going into 2007, and we don't see the momentum slowing anytime soon," said Joe Barker, senior manager of global sales forecasting for CSM Worldwide, an automotive forecasting firm in Northville.

Ford has said it is not focused on keeping market share, but rather wants to sell cars at a profit. The company lost $7 billion during the first three quarters of 2006 and is in the midst of a major restructuring plan to shrink its factory capacity to match lower consumer demand.

Ford sales dropped nearly 13 percent last month compared with December 2005, and they were off 8 percent for the year at about 2.9 million vehicles. Ford attributed the decline to a drop in truck and sport utility vehicle sales and the end of production for the Taurus sedan.

DaimlerChrysler, including the Chrysler Group and Mercedes-Benz, sold 218,530 vehicles in the U.S. last month, a 1 percent decline from a year ago due largely to a dip in Mercedes sales. Chrysler's sales rose 1 percent, but Mercedes sales dropped 10 percent.

For the full year, DaimlerChrysler's sales were down 5 percent to more than 2.39 million compared with 2005. Chrysler was off 7 percent, while Mercedes was up 11 percent.

Ford sold a total of 231,900 light vehicles in December, with Toyota just behind the Dearborn-based automaker at 228,322. But Toyota's sales for the month continued to increase, up more than 12 percent compared with December 2005.

General Motors Corp., the world's largest automaker, reported December sales fell 13 percent to 334,501, and its sales for the 2006 dropped 8.7 percent compared with the previous year. Its market share was 24.3 percent for the year, with just over 4 million vehicles sold.

Jesse Toprak, chief economist for Edmunds.com, a research Web site for car buyers, said that of the major automakers, only Honda Motor Co. and Toyota saw increased market share. He predicted Toyota will take the No. 2 spot by the summer and win it for the year.

Some analysts, including Toprak, had expected Ford's sales would drop enough in December for Toyota to take the No. 2 spot for the month. But even though truck sales declined dramatically for the month, Ford's car sales rose enough to stay ahead of the Japanese automaker.

GM's skid was led by a nearly 19 percent decline in truck sales, while its car sales were off 1.6 percent.

Ford's decline for the month was led by the F-Series pickup, the top-selling vehicle in the U.S., whose sales were down 21 percent from a strong December 2005, the company said.

Ford sold 70,580 of the F-Series trucks last month compared with 89,491 in December 2005. For the year, the F-Series was down nearly 12 percent, ending the year with sales of 796,039 compared with 901,463 in 2005.

The company has said that softness in housing construction and higher fuel prices were responsible for the sales decline.

If the F-Series doesn't recover, it spells serious trouble for Ford later this year, even though it has some new products in the pipeline and its Ford Fusion, Mercury Milan and Lincoln MKZ midsize cars are selling well, Toprak said.

"They must have healthy F-150 sales in order to survive in the long term," he said.

Honda said its U.S. sales slipped 0.8 percent in December as a decline in Honda-brand sales offset gains for Acura.

The Japanese automaker said it sold 131,778 Honda and Acura vehicles in the U.S. last month, from 132,800 in December 2005. Honda sales fell to 112,722 vehicles from 114,179, while the Acura line sold 19,056 last month, from 18,621.

For the full year, Honda said sales grew 3.2 percent to 1.5 million vehicles. Its market share rose from 8.6 percent last year to 9.1 percent this year.

At Nissan Motor Co., a 23.7 percent increase in car sales offset a 19.7 percent drop in trucks for the company to end December with an increase of just over 0.5 percent. Nissan, which includes the Nissan and Infiniti brands, sold 91,775 vehicles last month compared with 91,253 in December 2005.

For the year, Nissan's sales were down about 5 percent. The company sold just over 1 million vehicles last year and finished 2006 with 6.2 percent of the market, down slightly from the prior year.

GM shares fell $1.27 to close at $29.45 and Ford shares finished unchanged at $7.51 on the New York Stock Exchange. Toyota's U.S. shares rose 99 cents to end at $135.30, and DaimlerChrysler's U.S. shares rose 62 cents to settle at $62.03.

---

On the Net:

DaimlerChrysler AG: http://www.daimlerchrysler.com

Ford Motor Co.: http://www.ford.com

General Motors Corp.: http://www.gm.com

Honda Motor Co.: http://www.honda.com

Toyota Motor Corp. http://www.toyota.com

Nissan Motor Co.: http://www.nissanusa.com

Wind-whipped L.A. wildfire burns mobile homes

2012-03-12T15:45:00.000-07:00

Intense Santa Ana winds swept into Southern California Monday morning and whipped up a 3,000-acre wildfire, forcing the closure of a major freeway during rush hour and burning mobile homes and industrial buildings.

"This is what we feared the most," said Los Angeles County fire Capt. Mark Savage. "The winds that were expected, they have arrived."

The blaze, 20 miles north of downtown Los Angeles, began Sunday and was calm overnight, but flared up early Monday when winds gusting to 65 mph moved in.

Re-energized flames jumped the Foothill Freeway, which was then closed in both directions for a three-mile stretch in northern Los Angeles amid the morning rush hour, officials said.

"That was quite a jump, that's an eight-lane fire break," said fire spokesman Paul Hartwell.

Fire Inspector Ron Haralson said the blaze had reached a mobile home park and an industrial area, but could not say how many structures had burned. The park was evacuated earlier Monday before flames reached it, he said.

The fire sent about 1,200 people from their homes over the weekend. All remained evacuated Monday morning, when the winds arrived and marked the start of the region's serious fire season.

About 100 evacuees had gathered at San Fernando High School, where some had seen news footage of their homes burning, said Red Cross spokesman Nick Samaniego.

"You can imagine, it's a devastating situation," he said. "A lot of people on pins and needles waiting to hear news about their communities."

Jim Williams, 72, a retired city utility worker, was woken around 6 a.m. by police officers driving down his street telling residents to leave immediately.

Williams grabbed his medication, comb and toothbrush and was out of his house within five minutes. He went to the nearby Hansen Dam Aquatic Center, a 40-acre water recreation facility.

"I thought I would be safe here," Williams said. The longtime resident said the area hadn't burned since a large brush fire tore through in 1974.

"I didn't expect it again," Williams said. "The trees there at the time burned and didn't grow back, only brush. I felt relatively safe that if the brush burned, it would only be a small fire, nothing like this."

The cause of the fire wasr under investigation. It was 20 percent contained and no serious injuries were reported. One home was destroyed Sunday.

Water-dropping helicopters returned to the air after sunrise after they were grounded amid the wild winds. The helicopters returned to the air after sunrise. Television showed one helicopter attempting to drop water on a building, but the winds blew the water away long before it could reach the structure.

The fire had burned through at least 3,200 acres of rugged terrain in the Angeles National Forest.

A "fire weather watch" was declared through Tuesday for all of Southern California except the deserts.

___

Associated Press Writer Thomas Watkins contributed to this report.

House Fails to Override Health Bill Veto

2012-03-12T12:04:00.000-07:00

For the second time in three months, the House failed Wednesday to override President Bush's veto of a bill that would greatly increase spending on a popular children's health insurance program.

Democratic leaders fell 15 votes shy of obtaining the two-thirds majority needed for an override. The final vote was 260-152, with 42 Republicans siding with Democrats.

The result was expected, even as override supporters pointed to the slowing economy as another reason to spend another $35 billion on the State Children's Health Insurance Program over the next five years.

"Hardworking American families are struggling and in dire need of assistance," said Rep. James Clyburn, D-S.C.

But Republicans held strong in their opposition to the spending increase. They said Congress had already set aside enough funding to ensure that current SCHIP enrollees could continue their health coverage through March 2009. They criticized Democrats for delaying an override vote to coincide more closely with next week's State of the Union address from President Bush.

"I think it's important to highlight that this is simply a political exercise," said Rep. Dave Camp, R-Mich.

The legislation that Bush vetoed would have increased enrollment in the children's health program from 6 million to 10 million over the coming five years. The revenue needed for that enrollment increase would come from a 61-cent increase in the federal excise tax on a pack of cigarettes, as well as comparable tax increases on other tobacco products.

White House press secretary Dana Perino said President Bush strongly supports reauthorizing the program, but that long-term extension has to put poor children first.

"He is pleased the House of Representatives voted today to sustain his veto of misguided legislation that would have expanded SCHIP to higher income households while increasing taxes," Perino said.

The president's second veto occurred in December. He said the bill encouraged too many families to replace private insurance with government-subsidized health coverage. He vetoed a similar bill in October. Democratic leaders then fell 13 votes short in their attempt to override that particular veto, so they actually lost ground Wednesday.

The children's health program serves families that earn too much to qualify for Medicaid, but not enough to afford private insurance.

Several Democrats cited the economy in arguing for the override, which was a new tack from previous SCHIP debates.

"The issue comes down to what is happening in America's households today. Unemployment is up, housing starts are down. The price of gasoline and food and health care is up, the stock market is down," said House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif.

Pelosi said those indicators required Congress to take a new direction.

But Republicans said expanding SCHIP was not an economic stimulus.

"We don't want to squander money to pay for health insurance for those who can afford it themselves," said Rep. Phil Gingrey, R-Ga.

Rep. Gene Green, D-Texas, said Republicans wanted to save money on SCHIP to pay for an economic stimulus, but didn't have a similar rule for spending on Iraq.

"It's amazing how frugal they are when they want to be," Green said.

Both sides said they were willing to sit down after the vote to try to reach a compromise. Republicans contend the current bill does not go far enough to prevent adults and illegal immigrants from getting health coverage through SCHIP.

But Democrats said such claims were greatly exaggerated. The bill maintains a prohibition on illegal immigrants participating in Medicaid and SCHIP, but Republicans objected to letting some participants into the program based on a Social Security number rather than through an original birth certificate or passport.

House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer, D-Md., said the House would continue to focus on expanding SCHIP during the coming election year.

"This won't be your last opportunity this year to address this issue," Hoyer told lawmakers during the debate.