society

Jay Leno, Bill Gates Host Party in Seattle

2012-03-15T06:28:00.000-07:00

REDMOND, Wash. Microsoft Corp.'s billionaire chairman, BillGates, and comedian Jay Leno launched the company's massivelypublicized Windows 95 operating system Thursday before a cheeringcrowd of 2,500 invited guests.

Under a huge tent on Microsoft's suburban Seattle corporatecampus, Gates and Leno gave the first major demonstration of the newsystem.

Leno came armed with quips and surprised Gates by straying fromthe script in the show broadcast live by satellite to Chicago andother cities.

Microsoft originally planned to sell the program in April, 1994,but was delayed repeatedly by trouble making it work with existingsoftware.

Rivals Apple and …

Border staff, teachers join 1-day UK strike

2012-03-15T04:02:00.000-07:00

LONDON (AP) — Airline passengers arriving in Britain escaped chaos early Wednesday despite dire predictions of long waits, as border staff joined teachers, hospital workers and weather forecasters in the country's largest strike in decades.

The one-day strike has been called to oppose government demands that public sector staff work longer before receiving a pension and contribute more money each month — plans which form part of a package of austerity measures designed to get a grip on the country's high borrowing levels.

Labor unions said as many as 2 million public sector staff were joining the strike, which would make it the largest since the infamous industrial dispute …

US senator: Stakes high on US climate bill

2012-03-15T01:41:00.000-07:00

Coastal areas could veto offshore drilling plans under long-awaited legislation to curb global warming backed by two leading U.S. senators.

Sen. John Kerry, a Democrat, says the stakes are "sky high" for the bill that he and Joe Lieberman, an independent, are introducing on Wednesday.

The legislation aims to cut by 2010 carbon dioxide and other …

Irish win at Coal Classic

2012-03-14T23:18:00.000-07:00

BECKLEY - Mount Hope basketball Coach Jim Maynor said thedifference between his Mustangs and third-ranked Charleston Catholicwasn't difficult to figure.

"They have five guys who can all get up and down the court,"Maynor said Monday night. "My team has never seen that before. Thatwas the difference. They simply beat us down the floor."

The result was an 89-54 Catholic win in a Class A first-round gameof the Mountain State Coal Classic.

After leading by 10 at the half, the Irish time and time againbeat the Mustangs down the floor in the fourth quarter for easy fast-break baskets.

The result was a 14-for-20 showing from the floor. That helpedCatholic go …

Adding Value

2012-03-14T20:58:00.000-07:00

STRAIGHT TALK

I am honored to serve as the 33rd chairman of the National Institute for Automotive Service Excellence (ASE). As a non-profit, cross-industry organization, ASE was chartered in 1972 to improve the quality of automotive service through voluntary technician certification. I believe the mission of ASE is as important today as when it first began.

We are experiencing a period of incredible change in automotive history. Great strides have been made in the areas of vehicle performance, safety, efficiency and the reduction of emissions through advanced technology. Hybrid gasoline/electric powertrains have become mainstream and are being adopted by all major vehicle …

Rockets-Spurs, Box

2012-03-14T18:37:00.000-07:00

HOUSTON (75)

Artest 8-16 0-0 18, Scola 2-6 0-0 4, Yao 5-9 3-3 13, McGrady 2-12 3-4 7, Brooks 6-17 0-0 14, Hayes 1-1 1-2 3, Landry 4-6 0-0 8, Head 0-2 2-2 2, Wafer 2-6 0-0 6. Totals 30-75 9-11 75.

SAN ANTONIO (77)

Udoka 0-2 0-0 0, Duncan 8-15 6-8 22, Oberto 2-4 0-0 4, Mason 3-8 1-2 9, Hill 8-13 0-0 17, Finley 2-6 0-0 5, Vaughn 1-4 2-2 4, Bowen 0-0 0-0 0, Thomas 1-7 1-2 3, Tolliver 1-2 0-0 2, Bonner 4-6 0-0 11. Totals 30-67 …

COLLEGE FOOTBALL: ; Reduction in bowls is possible for 2014

2012-03-14T16:17:00.000-07:00

It's the morning after Super Bowl XLVI, so let's stick with thebowl theme.

Speaking collegiately and Roman numerically, there were XXXV ofthose postseason football games this year - many of them no-so-super matchups. Well, a couple of seasons from now, things may bedownsized to something less than triple-X.

Too many Brand X teams have played in too many Brand X bowls fortoo long. Finally, there seems to be a growing - and healthy -momentum for the reduction from 35 major college bowl games.

Such a move is going to be easier said than done. Trust me. Justa bunch of people lobbying that a 6-6 record isn't good enough forbowl qualification doesn't …

U.S. Weighs Reducing Spotted Owl Habitat

2012-03-14T13:56:00.000-07:00

GRANTS PASS, Ore. - The Bush administration Tuesday proposed cutting 1.5 million acres from Northwest forests considered critical to the survival of the northern spotted owl, reopening the 1990s battle between timber production and wildlife habitat on public lands.

The owl, which became a symbol of the decline of the Northwest's timber industry, was declared a threatened species in 1990 due primarily to heavy logging in the old growth forests where it nests and feeds.

Recent research has noted that while old growth forests suitable for owl habitat have increased, owl numbers have continued to decline, and that the owl faces a new threat from a cousin, the barred owl, that …

Illinois man charged with strangling wife, 2 kids

2012-03-14T11:36:00.000-07:00

A southwestern Illinois man was expected to plead not guilty to using a cord to strangle his wife and two children earlier this month.

Chris Coleman, 32, is charged with three counts of first-degree murder, accused of using a ligature to kill his wife Sheri Coleman, 31, and her two sons, Garett, 11, and 9-year-old Gavin.

Their bodies were found May 5 at the family's home in Columbia, just south of St. Louis.

Coleman, wearing an orange jail jumpsuit with his arms shackled to his waist, refused to answer reporters' questions as police escorted him Tuesday night. He was being held without bond.

Defense attorney William Margulis said his …

NFL whistled for bias against older referees

2012-03-14T09:16:00.000-07:00

NEW YORK The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission filed suitTuesday, accusing the National Football League of not playing fairwith older referees.

The EEOC said the league practiced widespread discriminationagainst officials who are 60 and older.

"Since at least September, 1987, the NFL has engaged in and iscontinuing to engage in unlawful employment practices," the suitsaid.

The agency cited what it called a demotion in July, 1989, forBen Dreith, now 66, from referee to line judge. Dreith, who had morethan two decades' experience, received the same pay of $2,000 pergame in both positions.

Dreith filed a complaint with the EEOC after his …

3 car bombs kill 17 in Iraqi capital

2012-03-14T06:55:00.000-07:00

BAGHDAD (AP) — Three car bombs exploded Monday evening in the Iraqi capital and killed at least 17 people, authorities said. At least one appeared to target Shiite pilgrims, sinking the country deeper into a new wave of sectarian violence.

A second car bomb struck near a police vehicle in the Shiite neighborhood of al-Shaab, killing three policemen and four other people, police and hospital officials said. Earlier in the day, a roadside bomb killed two Shiite pilgrims in a Baghdad suburb.

The attacks were the latest in a wave of violence primarily targeting Shiites that has killed more than 90 people in less than a week.

Security forces discovered a third car bomb in a …

Radcliffe defends title, wins 3rd NYC Marathon

2012-03-14T04:35:00.000-07:00

Paula Radcliffe defended her title at the New York City Marathon on Saturday to become the second woman to win the race three times.

Marilson Gomes dos Santos of Brazil won the men's race for the second time in three years, passing Abderrahim Goumri with about 1.6 kilometers (1 mile) to go.

Unlike Radcliffe's tight victories in 2004 and '07, the world record holder from Britain pulled away from Ludmila Petrova during the 36th kilometer (22nd …

Arab League halts observer mission in Syria

2012-03-14T01:50:00.000-07:00

BEIRUT (AP) — The Arab League halted its observer mission in Syria on Saturday because of escalating violence that killed nearly 100 people the past three days, as pro-Assad forces battled dissident soldiers in a belt of suburbs on the eastern edge of Damascus in the most intense fighting yet so close to the capital.

The rising bloodshed has added urgency to new attempts by Arab and Western countries to find a resolution to the 10 months of violence that according to the United Nations has killed at least 5,400 people as Assad seeks to crush persistent protests demanding an end to his rule.

The United Nations is holding talks on a new resolution on Syria and next week will discuss an Arab peace plan aimed at ending the crisis. But the initiatives face two major obstacles: Damascus' rejection of an Arab peace plan which it says impinges on its sovereignty, and Russia's willingness to use its U.N. Security Council veto to protect Syria from sanctions.

Syria's Interior Minister Mohammed Shaar vowed the crackdown would go on, telling families of security members killed in the past months that security forces "will continue their struggle to clean Syria's soil of the outlaws."

Government forces launched a heavy assault on a string of suburbs and villages on the eastern outskirts of Damascus, aiming to uproot protesters and dissident soldiers who have joined the opposition, activists said.

Troops in tanks and armored personnel carriers attacked the suburbs of Kfar Batna, Saqba, Jisreen and Arbeen, the closest of which lie only a few miles from downtown Damascus, said the Local Coordination Committees activist network and the British-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights. Dissident troops were fighting back against the attackers, they said.

In a nearby suburb, Douma, gunmen ambushed a bus carrying army officers, the state-run news agency SANA, calling the attackers "terrorists." It said seven officers were killed.

The assault in the suburbs seemed to be a sign of the growing presence of dissident soldiers closer to the capital. Although the tightly controlled Damascus has been relatively quiet since the uprising began, its outskirts have witnessed intense anti-regime protests and army defectors have become more visible and active in the past few months.

"The fighting today is the most intense near the capital since the uprising began," said Rami Abdul-Rahman who heads the Observatory for Human Rights. "The Syrian regime is trying to finish the uprising militarily now that the case is being taken to the United Nations."

In Saqba, electricity and phone lines were cut off and mosque loudspeakers told residents to say in lower floors for fear high buildings might get hit in the fighting, said Omar Hamza, an activist in the district. "Random shelling and sound of explosions terrified the people," he told The Associated Press.

He said army defectors had managed to stop the advancing troops. The regime forces are putting all their force to finish the Free Syrian Army and protesters in the Damascus suburbs," Hamza said.

The Free Syrian Army force of anti-regime military defectors is based in Turkey, and its fighters frequently try to cross into Syria through the mountainous border area in the northwest. SANA reported that Syrian troops prevented gunmen from crossing in from Turkey on Saturday in fighting that it said left many of the infiltrators killed or wounded.

The LCC and the Observatory also reported intense fighting between troops and defectors in the town of Rastan near the restive central city of Homs.

The Observatory said at least 36 people, were killed across the country Saturday, including 17 civilians, three defectors and 16 troops, while the LCC said 20 died, half of them in Homs province, which has been one of the areas hardest hit by government crackdowns. The new deaths come after two days of bloody turmoil killed at least 74 people, including small children.

In the eastern oil-rich province of Deir el-Zour, an oil pipeline took a direct hit and caught fire as government troops shelled a nearby town, the two groups also said, reporting at least one person dead. State media blamed "terrorists" in the attack.

The month-old Arab League observer mission in Syria had come under widespread criticism for failing to bring a halt to the regime's crackdown. Gulf states led by Saudi Arabia pulled out of the mission Tuesday, asking the U.N. Security Council to intervene.

Arab League Secretary-General Nabil Elaraby said in a statement that the organization decided to halt the observers' work immediately because of the increasing violence, until the League's council can meet to decide the mission's fate.

He sharply criticized Damascus for the spike in bloodshed, saying the regime has "resorted to escalating the military option in complete violation of (its) commitments" to end the crackdown, Elaraby said. He said the victims of the violence have been "innocent citizens," in an implicit rejection of Syria's claims that it is fighting "terrorists."

Syria's state-run news agency quoted an unnamed official saying Damascus "regrets and is surprised" by the Arab League decision after Syria agreed to extend the observer's mission for another month. The official said the halt aims "to pressure the talks in order to call for external intervention in Syria's internal affairs," referring to the U.N. talks.

Elaraby's deputy, Ahmed Ben Heli, told reporters that the around 100 observers will remain in Damascus while their mission is "reevaluated." He suggested the observers could resume their work in the future...

Elaraby and the prime minister of Qatar were set to leave for New York on Sunday to seek U.N. support for the latest Arab plan to end Syria's crisis. The plans calls for a two-month transition to a unity government, with Assad giving his vice president full powers to work with the proposed government.

Syria has rejected the proposal, saying it violates its sovereignty. Elaraby had previously been due to travel Saturday, but his trip was pushed back to Sunday with no explanation.

The U.N. Security Council began closed-door negotiations Friday on a new Arab-European draft resolution aimed at resolving the crisis, but Russia's envoy said he could not back the current language as it stands.

Any resolution faces strong opposition from China and Russia, and both nations have veto power. Russia's U.N. Ambassador Vitaly Churkin told reporters that the text introduced by new Arab Security Council member Morocco has "red lines" for Moscow, but he's willing to "engage" with the resolution's sponsors.

Churkin said those lines include any indication of sanctions, including an arms embargo. "We need to concentrate on establishing political dialogue," he said.

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Batrawy reported from Cairo; Albert Aji in Damascus, Syria, contributed to this report.

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Bassem Mroue can be reached on twitter at http://twitter.com/bmroue

Death toll at 11 in Belgian building collapse

2012-03-13T22:58:00.000-07:00

Searchers pulled two more bodies from the rubble of a collapsed apartment block in this Belgian city, raising to 11 the death toll from what is believed to have been a gas explosion.

Officials said Friday they have identified only three victims so far. They said the force of the explosion early Wednesday that caused the five-story apartment building to collapse made it hard to identify victims.

Twenty-one people were injured in the blast, two seriously.

Officials said they did not expect to find any more bodies.

The building had only 14 registered residents. The explosion shattered windows in a wide area around the building. On Friday, workers tore down an adjacent building for fear it would collapse as well.

Gospel star Franklin reinvents himself for good

2012-03-13T20:06:00.000-07:00

KIRK FRANKLIN

- 8 p.m. Saturday

- Chicago Theatre, 175 N. State

- Tickets, $32.50-$62.50

- (312) 559-1212

- - -

NEW YORK -- A martyr. The Earth Wind and Fire of gospel music. Aman set free from an addiction to pornography.

Kirk Franklin, whose groundbreaking fusion of hip-hop and gospelhas galvanized youth and brought chart-topping crossover success,defines himself in many ways. But one title he doesn't like is"celebrity."

Now on his "Hero" tour with Mary Mary and Yolanda Adams (followinghis album of the same name), Franklin sat down to answer a fewquestions and once again challenge the entertainment industry.

Q. Why did you choose to make your past struggles with pornographypublic?

A. When I was working on this 'Hero' album, there's a song onthere called 'Let It Go' and I'm telling my story, and of course thatis part of my story and so I did it in the song. And when the Oprahpeople contacted me and asked me if I would be interested in comingon the show and talking about what I've gone through with it, talkingto my wife and talking to my pastor, they thought it was a good idea.

Q. What kind of backlash have you experienced?

A. I had a friend in Atlanta call me and he said, "Boy, you got'em coming out the woodworks like roaches now." He said, "You'remessing with men's 'golf.' " Because that's a lot of men's pastime.So, a lot of guys, a lot of people maybe got mad at me because Ipoured light on their secret.

Q. What about gospel music's response to Hurricane Katrina -- itdoesn't seem too evident.

A. The gospel community does a billion things when things go down.We just don't have the platform. When Harry Connick Jr. doessomething or Beyonce does something, the press is going to come outto it. We did a thing (for Katrina evacuees) in Dallas, Texas, at thePotter's House, over 14-15,000 people showed up. ... We raised --what was it, like $150,000 that night. It went straight to thepeople. We didn't have no press there. Really, we had nobody there.We had people from the gospel press. That's so sad. Don't nobodycome.

Q. That seems strange since gospel is crossing over so well.

A. My question is, though, is it really crossing over? Or do youjust have gospel artists that every now and then get urban play. Ithink that when hip-hop became 'pop,' not just Run-DMC became pop --LL Cool J became pop, Salt 'n' Pepa became pop, the Fugees becamepop, the whole movement became pop. You just didn't have a couple ofpeople that was just kind of hittin' and getting some urban radio.You had a whole movement.

Q. What's the take-home message from the 'Hero' tour?

A. Even in 2006, the gospel is still reliable, is still credible.... God is still real. These lights, cameras and this dancing andthis production is put together by people who are people of faith.This ain't a Kanye concert but it's just as crunk, it's just as crunkas a Lil' Jon concert. And we're also presenting something that haseternal value, instead of just a good time.

Amantle Montsho wins women's 400 at worlds

2012-03-13T17:14:00.000-07:00

DAEGU, South Korea (AP) — Amantle Montsho of Botswana nipped American rival Allyson Felix at the line to win the women's 400-meter race Monday at the world championships and earn the African nation its first gold medal at the competition.

Felix, a three-time world champion in the 200, was even with Montsho as they entered the final straight but couldn't overtake her down the stretch.

"I'm so happy today to win my gold medal. I still can't believe it," said Montsho, who won in a national record time of 49.56 seconds. "I want to thank all the athletes today. They made me run faster, especially Allyson Felix."

Felix was second in 49.59, while Anastasiya Kapachinskaya of Russia took third in 50.24. Defending champion Sanya Richards-Ross of the United States finished seventh in 51.32.

Felix, who was trying become the first woman to win both the 200 and 400 titles at the worlds, said it was the kind of tight race she had expected.

"I didn't want Montsho to get too far away from me. I probably could have moved a little bit earlier," the American said. "I knew it would be a battle down the home stretch. I felt like I gave it everything I had but came up short."

Felix said she was disappointed with second but wouldn't let it distract her from preparing to defend her title in the 200.

"The way I look at, I can't dwell on the defeat. I have more work to do," Felix said. "The 200 is my favorite event. I am excited for it. I have to go after it. I can't let this get me too down. I have to keep moving."

With her victory, the 28-year-old Montsho bolstered her reputation as a pioneer in sports in her country. She was the first woman to represent her country at the Olympics when she raced in the 2004 Athens Games and now hopes her win will inspire more boys and girls to take up sports in the southern African nation.

"Starting from here, I will be an example for the young athletes in Botswana," Montsho said. "They will work hard since they see me winning the gold medal here."

Born in Mabudutsa, in the far north of the country, Montsho was already impressing with her performances in the 100 and 200 in school. But without a coach to help her get to the next level, she relocated to Senegal.

That move yielded almost immediate results. She broke both the 200 and 400 national records, reached the semifinals at the 2007 worlds in Osaka and then the final in Berlin in 2009.

Legojane Kebaitse, the secretary general of the Botswana Athletics Association, was there to greet Montsho as she headed off the field draped in the country's blue-white-and-black flag.

"We have diamonds. We have beef. We said we wanted gold," Kebaitse said. "We wanted three gold and we got one. It means all those willing to come to Africa can see Botswana has talent."

Ortiz Says He's Playing on Ailing Knee

2012-03-13T14:22:00.000-07:00

BOSTON - David Ortiz has been playing with a torn meniscus in his right knee since the middle of the 2006 season, the Red Sox slugger revealed Thursday night.

Speaking to reporters after Boston returned from the All-Star break to beat Toronto 7-4, Ortiz said he hurt his knee during batting practice at Yankee Stadium last summer, probably during the series June 6-8. Ortiz said when he twisted his leg to field a bunt, his knee turned but his spike got caught in the netting that protects the grass in front of home plate.

Ortiz said he hasn't needed surgery because the knee is free of inflammation.

"It wasn't anything major," he said. "I just kept playing through it last year. This year, it's been bothering me more than it used to."

Ortiz was limping around after hitting the same knee with a foul ball in the eighth inning Thursday.

"It hurt, but I'm fine," he said.

The Red Sox designated hitter has 14 homers and 54 RBIs so far this season - far off the pace of last year when he had 54 homers and 137 RBIs. The Red Sox have a 10-game lead over the Yankees in the AL East, and Ortiz was asked if it might make sense to fix the problem now and be 100 percent for the playoffs.

"I don't want to get out of the lineup right now," he said. "I have days where I feel fine. I'm just going to get through the season."

Ortiz said it was not certain that he would need surgery, even after the season.

Ortiz said he doesn't think he aggravated the problem when he hit a hard foul ball off the same knee against Toronto. After a short visit from the trainer, he remained in the game and struck out.

Walking gingerly, he took a long time to get back to the dugout.

"I bet you it hurts," manager Terry Francona said. "He wasn't going to come out. He's just a big guy that hit a ball off his knee. We'll check it again tomorrow."

FDA chemist, son charged with insider trading

2012-03-13T11:21:00.000-07:00

WASHINGTON (AP) — A chemist with the Food and Drug Administration and his son were arrested Tuesday on charges of running a $2.27 million insider trading scheme.

Prosecutors say Cheng Yi Liang, 57, and his son, Andrew Liang, 25, used confidential information from a password-protected FDA tracking system to buy and trade the stocks of drug companies who had pending applications for products. Both were arrested Tuesday on charges including securities fraud and wire fraud and made an initial court appearance in U.S. District Court in Greenbelt, Md.

Their lawyers did not immediately return calls seeking comment.

A criminal complaint charges the men, both of Gaithersburg, Md., with trading on inside information from November 2007 to this month. Prosecutors say the father and son used the proceeds to pay for travel and credit card bills and to buy new cars, prosecutors said.

Prosecutors say that by accessing an internal FDA database used to track and receive drug applications, Cheng Yi Liang repeatedly obtained inside information on when the agency would make a decision on drug applications and what that decision would be.

He and his son would then use that information to purchase and trade the companies' shares days ahead of the FDA's formal announcement, according to the complaint. Federal authorities say software they installed on Cheng Yi Liang's work computer enabled them to take screen shots and keep tabs on his use of the database.

The database contains a warning to users that is for "U.S.-government authorized use only."

In one example cited by the complaint, the men allegedly acquired 48,875 shares of Clinical Data Inc. after learning through the secure database that the company's anti-depression drug, Viibryd, had been recommended for approval. The drug's approval was announced three days later, and the men sold their shares for a profit of more than $379,000, according to the complaint.

The FDA said in a statement that it was aware of the arrests. Cheng Yi Liang has worked for the FDA since 1996.

"The agency is cooperating fully with the authorities and will review the situation and take any appropriate action," the statement said.

In a related action, the Securities and Exchange Commission filed civil insider-trading charges against Liang. In a lawsuit filed in federal court in Greenbelt, the SEC is seeking unspecified restitution and fines against him.

"Liang victimized both the investors who were disadvantaged by his theft of inside information and the American citizens whose trust he violated by placing private gain above public good," SEC Enforcement Director Robert Khuzami said in a statement.

In addition, the agency named as relief defendants Liang's wife Yi Zhuge and the holders of the seven trading accounts he allegedly used. They are not accused of wrongdoing but the SEC is seeking to recover funds from them which it says they aren't entitled to. The account holders are named as Liang's mother Hui Juan Chen, his son Andrew, Shuhua Zhu, Zhongshan Chen and Honami Toda.

_____

Associated Press Writers Matthew Perrone and Marcy Gordon contributed to this report.

World stocks down on Europe, China growth doubts

2012-03-13T08:10:00.000-07:00

Global stock markets fell Thursday after weak manufacturing surveys provided new evidence that the world's biggest economies, from the U.S. to China and Europe, are slowing.

The euro, however, gained ground against the dollar _ trading 0.5 percent higher at $1.2297 _ on signs that European banks are less strapped for cash than feared.

The FTSE 100 index of leading British shares slid 1.19 percent to 4,858.42. Germany's DAX was down by 0.77 percent to 5,919.45, while France's CAC-40 was 1.76 percent lower at 3,382.2.

Negative manufacturing news out of China took the wind out of markets already smarting from Wall Street's slide overnight on news that U.S. consumer confidence dived in June. The purchasing managers' index in China declined to 52.1 in June, its lowest since February, indicating a cooling economy and dashing "any hopes that the Chinese economy would somehow come to the rescue with respect to risk appetite," said Michael Hewson of CMC Markets.

That news was followed quickly by confirmation that the eurozone's manufacturing activity lost momentum for a second month running in June, disappointing news since the manufacturing sector had been the most dynamic.

"The second successive drop in the PMI in June suggests that the eurozone's manufacturing upturn may now be flagging," said Howard Archer, chief European economist at IHS Global Insight. "This could be partly due to inventory corrections drawing to a close in some countries, but it may also be a sign that the eurozone debt crisis and an associated intensified tightening of fiscal policy in a number of countries is having a dampening impact on economic activity."

A day after receiving a warning about its credit rating, Spain reassured markets by successfully raising euro3.5 billion ($4.3 billion) Thursday in an oversubscribed bond sale.

A Treasury official said the oversubscription ratio showed the Moody's warning went "totally unnoticed."

Moody's upset the markets when it said late Wednesday it has placed Spain's AAA sovereign rating under review for a possible downgrade because of worsening economic prospects. Hewson said the move would not have come as a surprise and had probably already been priced into the markets.

Wall Street was set to recover some of its losses on the open. Dow Jones futures were up 9 points, or 0.9 percent, at 9,725 and S&P 500 futures were off 1, or 0.1 percent, at 1,025.60.

A key central bank report released Thursday showed business confidence among Japan's biggest manufacturers improved for a fifth straight quarter, but the Tokyo market was taking its cues from Wall Street, which closed out a painful second quarter Wednesday, leaving investors with heavy losses.

Japan's benchmark Nikkei 225 stock index closed down 191.04 points, or 2 percent, to 9,191.60 _ a seven-month low and extending losses from Wednesday's fall of nearly 2 percent.

On Wall Street, stocks had their worst quarterly performance since the financial crisis. The Standard & Poor's 500 index, considered by many professional investors to be the best measure of the market's health, lost 11.9 percent for the quarter. The Dow Jones industrial average lost 10 percent. Both indexes are at their lows for 2010.

South Korea's Kospi index shed 0.7 percent to 1,686.24, and Australia's S&P/ASX 200 tumbled 1.5 percent at 4,237.50.

The Shanghai Composite Index lost 1 percent to 2,373.79. Markets in Singapore, Malaysia and Taiwan also fell. Hong Kong's Hang Seng Index was closed for a public holiday.

In currencies, the dollar fell to 88.02 yen from 88.36 yen in New York late Wednesday.

Benchmark crude for August delivery was down 81 cents to $74.82 a barrel in electronic trading on the New York Mercantile Exchange. The contract fell 31 cents to settle at $75.63 on Wednesday.

Burst of hiring could mark turning point for jobs

2012-03-13T04:14:00.000-07:00

WASHINGTON (AP) — Companies added more workers in February than in any month in almost a year — a turning point for the economy that finally pushed the unemployment rate below 9 percent. Economists say the stronger hiring should endure all year.

The 222,000 jobs the private sector created more than offset layoffs by financially squeezed state and local governments. They slashed 30,000 jobs, the most since November.

The unemployment rate sank to 8.9 percent, the lowest since April 2009. The rate has now fallen almost a full percentage point in just three months — the sharpest drop in a generation.

Hiring last month was broad — factories, trucking companies, health care providers, construction firms, hotels and restaurants all added jobs.

"Bottom line: The labor market is turning the corner," said Michael Darda, chief economist at MKM Partners, an economic research firm.

The figures suggest the economy has entered a healthier phase typical of what economists call a virtuous cycle: Americans are spending more, which raises corporate profits, which leads to hiring and then more spending and growth.

At UPS, for example, revenue and profits have both risen because of the growing economy. The company has nearly 250 job openings for salaried positions, up from 100 this time last year, and is hiring hourly workers at 150 locations.

Normally, the company just rehires its temporary employees from the holidays if it needs them. But this year, "we've already hired a lot of those folks back, and we still have more needs," said Matt Lavery, UPS' head of recruiting.

During the recession, the cycle was more vicious than virtuous: Waves of layoffs suppressed consumer spending, which lowered corporate profits and triggered more job cuts.

On Wall Street, another spike in oil prices rattled investors and overshadowed the good news on hiring. The Dow Jones industrial average fell 88 points, one day after posting its biggest gain of 2011.

Other forces are still working against the economic recovery. State and local governments are expected to keep shedding jobs. And inflation and higher gas prices resulting from the Middle East unrest pose threats.

Still, economists now think private companies will feel comfortable enough to add 200,000 jobs a month through the rest of this year. That would be an improvement from the average of 150,000 jobs created over the past three months.

It takes about 125,000 new jobs a month just to keep up with population growth and hold the unemployment rate stable. It could take up to 300,000 to reduce the unemployment rate significantly, economists say.

Stronger job growth should put the economy on track to grow at a roughly 4 percent annual rate in the first three months of this year, economists said. That would be much better than the 2.8 percent pace in the final three months of 2010.

Job creation has been the missing ingredient in the economic recovery. The economy's service sector, which employs most of the work force, is expanding at the fastest pace in more than five years. Shoppers are spending more. U.S. exporters are selling more abroad. Stock prices have surged.

"The last piston in the economic engine has begun to fire, pointing to sustained economic growth," said economist Sung Won Sohn at California State University.

That said, 8.9 percent unemployment is high by historical standards. Economists predict it will take four or five years for it to drop to something more normal, near 6 percent. And as more people start looking for jobs later this year, the rate could rise. Government surveys of households don't count people without jobs as unemployed unless they say they're looking for one.

But for the moment, the jobs picture looks brighter than most people would have expected three months ago. The issue will be a key factor in President Barack Obama's expected re-election bid next year.

"Our economy's now added 1.5 million private-sector jobs over the last year, and that's progress," the president said at a stop in Miami where he talked about competitiveness in the global economy. "But we need to keep building on that momentum."

The report would have been even brighter if state and local governments had added jobs, as they normally do in economic recoveries, instead of cutting them. Historically, states and cities contribute 10 to 15 percent of the jobs created during recoveries.

Factoring in the government layoffs, the economy added 192,000 jobs last month. January's job gains were revised upward, to 63,000. Some of February's increase was due to people returning to payrolls after dropping off because of severe weather earlier this winter.

Still, the job gains were widespread. Factories added 33,000, the fourth straight month of gains. Manufacturers have created 190,000 jobs in the past year — the highest 12-month total for that sector since 1998.

Education and health care added 40,000 jobs last month, professional and business services such as engineering, architecture and computer design added 47,000, leisure and hospitality 21,000, and transportation and warehousing 22,000.

Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke told Congress this week that the Fed would start pulling back the money it pumped into the economy once the recovery firmly takes hold. The Fed could also raise interest rates from their record lows, though most economists think that won't happen for at least another year.

The number of unemployed people in the United States dipped to 13.7 million, still nearly double the number before the recession began in December 2007. Including part-time workers who would rather be working full time, plus people who have given up looking altogether, roughly 25 million are "underemployed." That's 15.9 percent of the work force, the smallest share in almost two years.

The number of "long-term" unemployed, or people out of work six months or more, sank by 217,000 to just under 6 million.

Workers' paychecks were mostly flat in February. Average hourly earnings rose to $22.87, up 1 cent from January. Workers have little bargaining power to demand big pay raises because the job market is still healing slowly.

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AP Economics Writers Christopher S. Rugaber and Paul Wiseman in Washington contributed to this report.

Texas Town Lures Industry, at a Cost

2012-03-13T01:06:00.000-07:00

PORT ARTHUR, Texas - There is a quiet battle for the future of this industrial town, one of America's most polluted places.

On one side is ex-mayor Oscar Ortiz, who in the waning days of his administration worried about one thing. But it wasn't the toxic chemicals that spew from petrochemical plants, the town's richest landowners, through the windows of its poorest residents.

What rattled white-maned, barrel-chested Ortiz, who ran Port Arthur for nine years, was that someday the petrochemical plants would go away.

"The only money here in the city of Port Arthur that amounts to anything comes from industry, from petrochemical companies," said Ortiz, leaning back in his chair in an office decorated with framed photographs of refineries. "If industry goes away, people might as well go away too because there'll be no money. That's the continued salvation of this city."

Hilton Kelley, like Ortiz born and raised in Port Arthur, is the opposition.

Kelley does worry about the toxic chemicals, the foul-smelling air and the west side residents who suffer from asthma, respiratory ailments, skin irritations and cancer. As the city's most visible environmental activist, Kelley has long campaigned for more restrictions on industrial construction and stricter monitoring of plant emissions.

"I grew up smelling the SO2 (sulfur dioxide) smell, the chemicals. I remember seeing little kids with sores on their legs, with mucus running in August. It's ridiculous what we've had to deal with," says Kelley, a former actor with the sonorous voice of a radio announcer. "We're not trying to shut doors of industry. We're just trying to push these guys to do what's right."

Ortiz calls Kelley an alarmist who likes to "stir things up" in the minority community Kelley accuses Ortiz of sacrificing the community's welfare in exchange for slim tax revenue from the plants.

One man represents Port Arthur the way it has always been; the other symbolizes a growing call for change.

But change, especially in a place like Port Arthur, never comes easily.

"This city is not going to change. It is a refinery town - tomorrow, next year, 100 years from now. It will always be a petro-chemical area," says Ortiz.

And if its residents are getting sick from the pollution?

Well, says Ortiz: "We've all got to die of something."

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Port Arthur, located next to the Louisiana line, sits in a corridor routinely ranked as one of the country's most polluted regions. Texas and Louisiana are home to five oil refineries considered among the nation's 10 worst offenders in releasing toxic air pollutants, emitting 8.5 million pounds of toxins together in 2002.

Yet even here, Port Arthur stands out.

Its skyline is framed by the smokestacks and knotted steel pipes of the refineries and chemical plants clustered along the edges of the town. Flares from the plants glow red against the night sky, as incinerated chemicals filter into the air.

The smell of rotten eggs and sulphur hangs stubbornly over the apartments and shotgun houses on the west side. Port Arthur, population 57,000, is on the EPA's list of cities with dangerous ozone levels, and the state has flagged its excessive levels of benzene.

Many cities along the Texas Gulf Coast are dotted with refineries. But the companies' high tax bills are used to improve schools, create green space and bulk up city coffers. Port Arthur waives most property taxes to lure industry.

Eric Shaeffer, a former EPA official who runs the Environmental Integrity Project in Washington, D.C., a nonprofit advocacy group, has written two studies on pollution in Port Arthur. "It's one of the worst I've seen," he said.

The Veolia Environmental Services plant in Port Arthur recently started incinerating nearly 2 million gallons of VX hydrolysate, the wastewater byproduct of a deadly nerve gas agent.

Besides the pollution the state and EPA allow as part of the cost of doing business, the plants spew more toxins during "upset events" - unpermitted releases caused by lightning strikes, human error, startups and shutdowns.

Plant officials cite statistics showing steady progress in reducing some emissions, but Shaeffer cites a continuing hazard.

"When you get releases, it really hits people right in the chest," said Shaeffer. "It's one thing to be driving past the plants on the highway. It's another thing for kids to be out on the swing sets when there's a release."

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Jordan, 5, and Justin, 7, play on the swings at Carver Terrace, the public housing project they live in next door to refineries run by Motiva and Valero that produce half a million barrels of oil a day and belch thousands of pounds of pollutants into the air.

Jordan's lungs are so weakened from a lifelong battle with asthma and bronchitis that he can't shout or call for help like other children, says their mother, LaShauna Green.

He must inhale medicine every four hours through a plastic mask that swamps his chubby face. Every two hours, he must take one of seven prescription drugs that keep his air passages from tightening.

Justin struggles to breathe after climbing just one flight of stairs.

Those troubles vanished when the Green family left the area for a year following 2005's Hurricane Rita. But two days after their return to Carver Terrace, Justin was rushed to a hospital twice in one day with respiratory attacks.

"When you start getting this kind of toxic chemical soup, we don't really know what the combination of all these things are doing," said Debra Morris, an assistant professor at the University of Texas Medical Branch in Galveston who studied Port Arthur-area pollution.

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Texas oil was first discovered near Port Arthur. For decades, the region nurtured industrial build-up with generous tax abatements. In return, the companies would promise to pay later and to create local jobs.

Ortiz defends the incentives as the only way to keep his city alive.

"The one main substance that keeps the city floating is the refineries," he said.

Refineries and chemical plants contribute about 67 percent of the city's budget through some taxes, Ortiz said. Still, without the abatements the city would have collected tens of millions of dollars more.

The city of Port Arthur has at least 28 tax-abatement deals with refineries and chemical plants. Surrounding Jefferson County has at least six, including with Motiva, Total, and Valero, which will pay no property taxes for the first two years of a nine-year contract, and then pay 10 percent of the taxes it would owe for the next seven.

Motiva will pay no taxes on a $3.5 billion expansion project for the next three years. Total taxes rise to $4.16 million by 2012.

Jeff Branick, assistant to Jefferson County executive Ron Walker, says the Motiva expansion is expected to create thousands of temporary construction jobs and 300 permanent jobs; Valero's project is expected to create 40 to 65 jobs, he said.

"It's going to be pumping a whole lot of money into the local economy," Branick said. "It creates hotel-motel tax revenue and will be attracting people from the outside who will be coming here to work and renting houses."

Ortiz also points to a new development on Pleasure Island, a resort with golf courses, new hotels and bustling shopping centers springing up on the city's south side. All, says Ortiz, spurred by the growth of the industrial complexes.

However, that prosperity bypassed Port Arthur's predominantly black west side and central city neighborhoods where singer Janis Joplin and sports legend Babe Zaharias were raised.

"This town is like a forgotten grandmother. It helped nourish the growth of the area, now all the wealth is moving (out)," said Kelley. "It's not fair to leave this entire community unnourished."

Despite the development, Port Arthur is not as prosperous as other refinery towns. Its median household income is two-thirds the Texas average; its homes are valued at less than half the state average. Port Arthur public high school students pass the test required for graduation at about half the state rate.

By comparison, the Houston suburb of Deer Park - home to its own refinery row - collects more taxes from its petrochemical complex. Before the state equalized school funding, its school district was nearly the richest in the state. The median home price is 25 percent higher than the state average and its median household income is 30 percent above the state average.

Both cities have roughly the same percentage of residents in chemical or construction fields.

Kelley is not the only one raising questions about how things are done in Port Arthur.

Some city officials have also started to question the benefits of the tax abatement deals.

In most, companies promise to "give Port Arthur residents a fair opportunity to apply for employment" but don't require jobs go to city residents. One company's pledge to use local labor and contractors defined "local" as covering a nine-county region.

Councilman Michael Sinegal says he frequently hears from residents who say they have been rejected for jobs at the plants. Overall unemployment here is about 6 percent, while among blacks it's 14 percent, he said; the state rate is 4 percent.

"The bottom line is that the people of Port Arthur are getting the negative byproduct from the plants, but should be getting an abundance of positive byproduct," Sinegal said.

Valero said the refinery has hired 161 people since Jan. 1, 2005. About 20 percent live in Port Arthur.

The city council recently ordered a study on contractors' hiring practices so it can devise a monitoring plan.

"We've let the community down," Sinegal said.

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In late August, a group of 28 state lawmakers joined Kelley and others in urging Texas Gov. Rick Perry to block further shipments of VX hydrolysate to Port Arthur. Perry declined to intervene.

The latest assessment by state environmental regulators of Port Arthur showed that benzene had dropped to acceptable levels for the first time since 2000. Valero officials said they reduced emissions by more than 82 percent between 1996 and 2005, and had reduced "upset" emissions by 98 percent. Residents, however, still suffer higher rates of progressive pulmonary diseases than people elsewhere in the state.

Last year, Motiva agreed to give $3.5 million to help fund medical care, air monitors and a revitalization program for Port Arthur's west side community. The agreement was part of a settlement with Kelley's Community In-Power Development Association, after it challenged the plant's expansion.

And, 50 years after Carver Terrace was built, the Port Arthur Housing Authority plans to demolish the units and move residents to new homes throughout the city.

Was Carver Terrace's proximity to the refinery the authority's prime motivation? No, said authority chief Cele Quesada. "Of course, in the back of everyone's mind, there is awareness that we are on the fenceline. We would rather see a green area here than 180 families."

The likely buyer? Motiva Enterprises.

Kelley, who was born in Apartment 1202-E in Carver Terrace, commented: "When you appeal to the conscience of man, how these things are impacting our children, you can get them to see our point. But a lot of the times, the bottom line still wins."

Swiss specialty knit producer relies on Monforts

2012-03-12T22:08:00.000-07:00

MILL REPORT

Christian Eschler AG, a Swiss producer of specialty knits for alpine skiwear, leisurewear and lingerie, has installed two Monforts stenters and a Monforts "Dynair" dryer at its B_hler facility. For environmental reasons, all machines in the plant are connected to a new Koenig ionization clean air system.

Founded in 1927, Christian Eschler produces approximately 1,500 tons of knitwear at its four plants, two in Switzerland and one each in Germany and Thailand. Renowned for its quality knits, the finished textiles are used for active sportswear such as skiing and cycling garments, leisurewear including fleeces (the company patented polyester fleece in 1988), lingerie and embroidery. The company also produces technical textiles for cleaning mops and protective clothing.

But it is in sportswear where the company has made its name; all the alpine national teams wear racing ski suits made from textiles manufactured by Eschler. The company is also recognized as the inventor of trouser pads for cycling pants, and today many of the world's leading cyclists wear Eschler manufactured pads.

At its Buhler facility in Switzerland, the company has two "Montex 5000" stenters and a "Dynair" relaxation dryer, all connected to a new Koenig "Air-Clean" ionization exhaust air cleaning system.

Two weeks before the company's planned 75th anniversary in September 2002, the Buhler plant was forced to close for two months because of flood damage. The nearby Rotbach River burst its banks and flooded the production area, machines and stored fabric rolls. The entire ground floor of the factory was under water, but today all signs of the devastation are gone, and the company and all of the machinery is back to full production.

The flood happened just after the company installed its first "Montex 5000" stenter, which after some thorough cleaning and maintenance is now operating normally, according to Alex Eschler, who is a managing director of the company along with his brother Peter.

This year, Eschler installed its second "Montex" stenter and a "Dynair" dryer. According to Alex Eschler, both "Montex" units were purchased to eventually replace two older stenters, thereby optimizing capacity.

The "Montex" units are oil -fired, with one unit having six chambers and the other four. Both of the stenters are equipped with the Monforts "Qualitex PLC" control system which incorporates a touch screen monitor.

"We decided to purchase Monforts stenters because of the company's reputation for quality machinery," says Alex Eschler. "After visiting another nearby plant using Monforts equipment, we were convinced the 'Montex' units were the right choice."

"We purchased one unit prior to the flood, but had to wait until our factory was back to full production before the second stenter was installed," explains Alex Eschler. After the flood, Eschler had to replace a damaged relaxation dryer, and decided on a "Dynair" unit as the best option.

Both the new "Montex" stenters and the "Dynair" dryer are connected to an installed Koenig exhaust air cleaning system featuring the new "Air-Clean" ionization unit. "We already knew of Koenig clean air systems prior to installing our new equipment," says Alex Eschler, adding "we already had an older Koenig system incorporated into the old stenters."

When the company purchased the new stenters and relaxation dryer, the "Air-Clean" system was also installed. "We must have an exhaust cleaning system to comply with local government environmental regulations, so we chose the Koenig system because of our previous experience with their systems," he says.

This new unit achieves substantial reductions in exhaust air pollution with reduced investment and maintenance costs. The first module of the exhaust air cleaning system cools down exhaust air via condensation (heat recovery system), and this results in a primary reduction of air-borne pollutants. The pollutant particles then pass through the new ionization unit where the particles receive an electrical charge. The charged particles subsequently cling to fine water droplets that are collected by a mist collector and siphoned off into a low volume separation tank.

The exhaust air fan finally expels the cleaned exhaust air into the atmosphere via three chimneys.

The new Koenig 'Air-Clean' system achieves improved results in the reduction of exhaust air pollutants and requires far less cleaning and maintenance than previous units.

"Clean air is very important as the B_hler plant is very close to residential buildings," says Alex Eschler. "Before we used to get a few complaints about the smell from the smoke, but since installing the Koenig system nobody has complained."

Harrison Ford will continue to lead program

2012-03-12T19:14:00.000-07:00

OSHKOSH, Wis. - Harrison Ford will stay on as chairman of anExperimental Aircraft Association program that introduces children toflying.

Ford, an avid pilot, has given more than 200 young people rides asa volunteer pilot for the program. He will serve as the EAA YoungEagles program chairman for another two years.

The actor made the announcement during the EAA's 53rd annualAirVenture fly-in and convention in Oshkosh, which ended Sunday.

"Our mission is to use aviation as a way to inspire and educateyoung people," EAA Young Eagles Executive Director Steve Buss said ina statement.

Fundraising fun day ; In brief

2012-03-12T15:05:00.000-07:00

INGRAVE: Pupils and staff at Ingrave Johnstone Primary Schoolraised Pounds 424.11 for Children in Need.

Apart from collecting Pounds 214.11 by paying for the privilegeof wearing their pyjamas to school, the School Council raked in afurther Pounds 150 by selling milkshake and biscuits to pupils whileenjoying a bedtime story.

Pupil Emily Barry, took part in a 22-hour sponsored silence andraised Pounds 60.

2 Wayward Humpbacks Swim Toward Ocean

2012-03-12T11:35:00.000-07:00

SAN FRANCISCO - Two whales lost on the Sacramento River swam 14 miles toward the ocean on Sunday after lingering for a week near a bridge about 70 miles from the sea, officials coordinating the rescue said.

The mother humpback and her calf passed under the Rio Vista Bridge and were spotted near the city of Pittsburg, near a confluence of the Sacramento and San Joaquin Rivers, said Greg Hurner, a senior adviser with the California Department of Fish and Game.

As efforts to coax the mother and calf back to the Pacific Ocean dragged into a third week, veterinarians earlier Sunday swabbed samples from bumps resembling blisters or lesions on the whales' skin.

The humpbacks' long exposure to fresh water has led to serious skin damage, biologists said, making them vulnerable to germs they would not face in their saltwater habitat.

"We really need to try to get them back into a more appropriate environment so they can start healing," said Trevor Spradlin, a marine mammal biologist with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

Officials weren't sure why the creatures started heading downriver again.

The whales were first spotted in fresh water May 13 and drew large crowds to the Port of Sacramento before swimming about 20 miles downriver.

Veterinarians think antibiotics injected into both whales Saturday could slow infections in deep gashes both whales suffered - likely from a run-in with a boat. It could take several days to determine whether the medicine worked, Spradlin said.

On Sunday, biologists also planned to capture exhalation vapor from the whales to help get a better sense of their health and show whether the calf is still nursing, but those attempts were abandoned after the whales started moving. The lack of the saltwater food shouldn't hurt the mother since humpbacks typically don't eat until the summer feeding season, scientists said.

"Whales are not people. They don't need three square meals a day," said Brian Gorman, a spokesman for NOAA.

The pair appeared to respond to Friday's effort to push them downriver by spraying them with fire hoses. Scientists planned to use three to five fire boats shooting streams of water Tuesday to drive the humpbacks at least 15 miles downriver, where saltier water could help their health.