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California's top court upholds gay marriage ban

2012-03-15T05:56:00.000-07:00

California's Supreme Court upheld the state's gay-marriage ban Tuesday but said the 18,000 same-sex weddings that took place before the prohibition passed are still valid _ a ruling decried by gay-rights activists as a hollow victory.

Demonstrators outside the court booed, wept and yelled, "Shame on you!" Activists said they would go back to the voters as early as next year in a bid to repeal the ban.

In a 6-1 decision written by Chief Justice Ron George, the court rejected arguments that the ban approved by the voters last fall was such a fundamental change in the California Constitution that it first needed the Legislature's approval.

…

Mickey dons Gallic ears // Euro Disneyland opens this weekend amid cheers, jeers

2012-03-15T03:30:00.000-07:00

PARIS C'est Mickey Mouse! Et Minnie! And Tina Turner, Cher andthe Temptations, who will be on hand this weekend to celebrate theinauguration of the new $2 billion-plus Euro Disneyland.

Not everyone's enchanted by the Magic Kingdom's latest outpost.Despite such French touches as "La Belle Au Bois Dormant" - SleepingBeauty - critics complain that the theme park is nothing less than anassault on French culture.

Max Gallo, a former spokesman of the Socialist government, toldthe newspaper Le Figaro on Monday that Disney characters like MickeyMouse and Donald Duck "are to culture what fast food is togastronomy."

"It's not culture. It's commerce," he …

Police charge 149 over London protest disorder

2012-03-15T01:06:00.000-07:00

LONDON (AP) — British police have charged 149 people after disorder broke out during a mass protest against government cuts in London.

More than 250,000 people marched peacefully on Saturday, but several hundred stormed through central London, smashing windows, lighting fires and spray-painting graffiti.

The Metropolitan Police said Monday that 138 …

Iraqi police: Suicide blasts in Baqouba kill 6

2012-03-14T22:45:00.000-07:00

Three suicide bombings killed six and wounded 20 people in the city of Baqouba on Wednesday, police said, just days before Iraqis head to the polls in key parliamentary elections.

Police spokesman Capt. Ghalib al-Karkhi in the capital of the volatile Diyala province said the blasts struck in quick succession in Baqouba, 35 miles (60 kilometers) northeast of Baghdad.

First, a car bomb targeted a local government housing office next to an Iraqi Army facility. Within minutes, another suicide bomber driving a vehicle struck the headquarters of the provincial council.

A third suicide bomber, wearing an explosive vest, walked into the city's emergency …

Illinoisan dies in grenade attack in Iraq

2012-03-14T20:25:00.000-07:00

MALDEN, Ill.--A 27-year-old Army engineer killed in a grenadeattack in Iraq had transferred to a different military unit sevenmonths ago because he wanted a better shot at going into combat, hisfather said Tuesday.

Staff Sgt. Lincoln Hollinsaid left his job as a desert warfaretrainer at Fort Irwin, Calif., in October and joined the battle-ready 3rd Infantry Division at Fort Stewart, Ga., said DanHollinsaid.

"He wanted to go. He was proud of what he did. He was proud of theArmy," said Hollinsaid, sitting at the kitchen table in the family'shome in this rural town of 380, just north of Interstate 80 aboutfive miles from Princeton.

The 1993 Princeton High School …

ANIMAL SOLDIERS

2012-03-14T18:04:00.000-07:00

Among the brave troops fighting for our country are canine soldiers. Several military sources confirm that dogs are being used in Operation Iraqi Freedom for explosive, mine and drug detection, as well as for protection work.

The exact number of dogs deployed from the United States and England remains unclear but they're out there, and on the front lines. According to BBC news reports, Buster, an English springer spaniel, and his handler, Sgt. Danny Morgan, of Hampshire, England, unearthed a hidden cache of arms at an enemy camp in Safwan, Iraq. Buster's haul included AK47 assault rifles, a pistol, grenades and bomb-making materials.

Iraqis in the area denied having weapons, …

Botafogo beats Cruzeiro 1-0

2012-03-14T15:44:00.000-07:00

Lucio Flavio successful penalty in the 79th minute lifted Botafogo over Cruzeiro 1-0 and into third place in the Brazilian league on Wednesday.

The top four qualify for the next Copa Libertadores, and Botafogo, after its seventh straight win, was only two points behind second-placed Cruzeiro.

Gremio, playing on Thursday, led with 44 points, followed by Cruzeiro on 39, Botafogo and Palmeira on 37, Sao Paulo with 36 and Coritiba on 35.

Cruziero midfielder Camilo was sent off in the 68th for a hard foul on attacker Wellington Paulista but it wasn't until Thiago Heleno fouled Wellington Paulista in the area in the 79th that Botafogo received its best …

THISWEEKEND

2012-03-14T13:24:00.000-07:00

Huntington museum

features realist work

Bob Timberlake, whose inspiration to paint came from artistAndrew Wyeth, will attend the opening reception of "Painting onFamiliar Ground: The Art of Andrew Wyeth & Bob Timberlake" Sunday atthe Huntington Museum of Art. The exhibition features 22 works byWyeth and 27 works by Timberlake and will be on display through Dec.30. Three other Wyeth works are on display concurrently as part ofthe museum's Daywood Collection.

Wyeth, known by many as America's pre-eminent realist painter,has had exhibitions at the Metropolitan and Whitney museums in NewYork, the National Gallery in Washington, D.C., the Art Institute inChicago, …

$14 MILLION FOR BIOMASS RESEARCH ANNOUNCED BY USDA AND DOE

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

In late November 2005, the U.S. Department of Agriculture and the U.S. Department of Energy announced a joint solicitation for applications for financial assistance addressing research and development of biomass-based products, bioenergy, biofuels and related processes. This is the fourth year in which the agencies have jointly solicited R&D under the Biomass Initiative. This funding is intended to promote greater innovation and development related to biomass. It also supports Federal policy calling for greater use of biomass-based products, feedstock production, and processing and conversion.

Up to $2 million in DOE funding and $12 million in USDA funding is expected to be …

Editorial Roundup

2012-03-14T08:43:00.000-07:00

Excerpts from recent editorials in newspapers in the United States and abroad:

March 4

Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, on state gun laws in the wake of charges against 11-year-old in fatal shooting:

Not one but several tragedies mark the unfortunate case of Jordan Brown. First is the victim, Kenzie Marie Houk, whom police say Jordan shot and killed while she lay in bed; she was the pregnant fiancee of Jordan's father.

There is 11-year-old Jordan, the subject of custody disputes years ago and now the defendant charged by police in Lawrence County with the homicides of Ms. Houk and her unborn child.

You can also count Chris Brown, …

Lemieux' 5 goals lift Penguins // 4 tallies in first period

2012-03-14T06:22:00.000-07:00

Mario Lemieux tied NHL playoff records with four first-periodgoals, five over all and eight points Tuesday night as the PittsburghPenguins beat the visiting Philadelphia Flyers 10-7 to take a 3-2lead in the Patrick Division finals.

Lemieux, listed as questionable before the game with a neckinjury, scored a hat trick in the first 6:55 of play to give thePenguins, who led 9-3 entering the final period, a 3-0 lead.

In a playoff performance rivaling any by the once-incomparableWayne Gretzky, Lemieux made it 5-1 with his fourth goal at 17:09,tying the league record for playoff goals in a period set by theFlyers' Tim Kerr against the New York Rangers in …

Tuesday funeral for former 'Cosby' grandmother

2012-03-14T04:02:00.000-07:00

NEW YORK (AP) — Funeral arrangements have been made for the actress and comedian who gained fame playing a grandmother on "The Cosby Show" and "Sesame Street."

A public viewing will be held for Clarice Taylor on Tuesday from noon to 4 p.m. at Canaan Baptist Church on 116th Street in New York.

A private wake will be held from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m., …

New Study Shows Analysts Getting Favors

2012-03-14T01:09:00.000-07:00

WASHINGTON - Conflicts of interest may still be rampant on Wall Street, with a new study showing that nearly two-thirds of investment-firm analysts received favors from executives of companies they cover and suggesting that the companies get favorable ratings in return.

The academic study published Friday outlines a culture of blatant back-scratching on Wall Street as company executives bestow professional and personal favors on analysts - putting them in touch with top executives of other companies, recommending them for a job - and their companies receive positive ratings and evade stock downgrades. At the same time, executives punish analysts for negative reports by refusing to answer their phone calls or their questions.

For their study, management professor James Westphal of the University of Michigan and accounting professor Michael Clement at the University of Texas sent 4,500 questionnaires to financial analysts between 2001 and 2003 and follow-up surveys to hundreds of executives at the large and mid-size public companies covered by the analysts.

The 51-page study, to be presented at the Academy of Management's annual meeting next month, found that the more a company's earnings slipped below analysts' consensus forecasts, the more favors the company's executives showered on the analysts covering it - especially at big investment firms.

The study comes four years after a crackdown by the Securities and Exchange Commission, then-New York Attorney General Eliot Spitzer and other state regulators exposed Wall Street conflicts that skewed analysts' research, and forced the big investment firms to alter their research practices and pay a total $1.4 billion in a landmark settlement. The regulators found that analysts at the powerhouse investment firms - including Citigroup, Merrill Lynch and Credit Suisse - misled investors with stock recommendations designed to win their firms investment-banking business and lucrative fees.

As part of the settlement, the investment firms agreed to sever the links between analysts' research and investment banking, and to pay hundreds of millions of dollars for independent stock research for their customers and to compensate them for losses caused by biased recommendations.

Wall Street's biggest lobbying organization, the Securities Industry and Financial Markets Association, on Friday downplayed the significance of the new study.

Its authors "are using old data from a survey conducted before many of the new rules on analysts' behavior had been fully implemented," said spokesman Travis Larson. He cited a December 2005 study by the New York Stock Exchange and the NASD, the brokerage industry's self-policing organization, which found the analyst conflict-of-interest rules that came after the crackdown have been effective and brought more accurate research for investors.

"Therefore we don't think this is a systemic issue, but where individual problems are found we expect the regulators to vigorously enforce the rules," Larson said.

Kurt Schacht, executive director of the Center for Financial Market Integrity at the CFA Institute, which represents financial analysts, said the sort of favor-trading depicted in the study "would be a flat-out violation of our standards and our code of ethical conduct."

The organization has not heard of many instances of such behavior, Schacht said, noting that many securities analysts are not members of it.

Spokesmen for the SEC had no immediate comment.

The new study found that doing two favors for an analyst after a company released lower-than-forecast earnings reduced by half the likelihood of the analyst downgrading the company's stock. Sixty-three percent of the analysts surveyed received favors from CEOs, chief financial officers and other top executives.

Frequent favors done by corporate executives for analysts, according to the study:

-Putting the analyst in touch with a top executive of another company, the most frequently reported favor representing 28 percent of all favors.

-Giving the analyst career advice, 20 percent.

-Offering to meet with an analyst's clients, 13 percent.

-Providing advice to the analyst on a personal matter, 11 percent.

-Providing industry information to the analyst, 10 percent.

-Recommending the analyst for a job, 8 percent.

-Helping the analyst gain access to a private club or non-professional organization, 6 percent.

"Our findings provide multifaceted evidence for social influence and reciprocity in relations between top executives and the analysts who cover their firms," Westphal and Clement wrote. "The results suggest that favor-rendering is used as a social-influence tactic by top executives in their relations with (securities) analysts."

In addition, they say, bestowing such favors brings more positive stock recommendations from the analysts who receive them. Negative recommendations lead to retaliation by executives - which in turn deters such "non-cooperative behavior" on the part of other analysts.

"Our theory and supportive results contribute to an understanding of how corporate leaders influence the behavior of external constituents toward their firms," the two experts wrote. "In some respects, the social-influence process examined in this study could be likened to an act of bribery."

On the Net:

Academy of Management: http://www.aomonline.org

ON THE PULSE

2012-03-13T22:17:00.000-07:00

53% think things are going very badly or moderately badly for theUnited States in Iraq -- down from 59% last month.

Space Shuttle Lands in California

2012-03-13T19:26:00.000-07:00

EDWARDS AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. - Atlantis and its seven astronauts took a cross-country detour and landed safely in the Mojave Desert Friday, ending a two-week mission of construction on the international space station and bring a crew member home from the outpost.

Atlantis' homecoming was the 51st time a space shuttle touched down at the Edwards Air Force Base since 1981.

"It's just great to be back on planet Earth," shuttle commander Rick Sturckow said while standing on the tarmac. "There were a lot of challenges on this mission and they were all dramatic. All the solutions worked well."

NASA had hoped to bring Atlantis home to Florida, but bad weather two days straight forced them to divert it to California - a move that will cost $1.7 million because the shuttle has to be ferried back to Kennedy Space Center atop a jumbo jet.

NASA's first manned flight of the year provided a much needed image boost for the space agency. It had been dogged by distractions this year including a bizarre astronaut love triangle and a murder-suicide involving a disgruntled contractor that sullied its reputation.

"It's a good day for NASA," NASA associate administrator Rex Gevden said during a post-landing news conference.

Shortly before 1 p.m., Atlantis swooped out of the blazing desert sky and glided down a concrete runway about 80 miles north of Los Angeles. Its return was marked by crackling twin sonic booms that were heard from San Diego to Los Angeles.

"Welcome back," Mission Control told Atlantis. "Congratulations on a great mission." Controllers praised the crew for providing a "stepping stone to the rest of NASA's exploration plan."

Astronaut Sunita "Suni" Williams returned to Earth on Atlantis after spending more than six months at the space station. She set an endurance record for the longest single spaceflight by a woman at 195 days. During her stay, she also set the record for most time spacewalking by a woman.

She told reporters two days before landing that she looked forward to a slice of pizza and walking on the beach with her husband and dog, Gorby. But she was going to miss the space station.

"When you've been somewhere for six months, it becomes your home and it's hard to leave," Williams said.

Also returning were pilot Lee Archambault and mission specialists Patrick Forrester, James Reilly, Steven Swanson and Danny Olivas. The Atlantis crew declined to speak with reporters.

After touchdown, six of the astronauts stood on the tarmac and examined the shuttle's underbelly. Archambault said the shuttle was "in great shape."

Only Williams was not present, fueling speculations about her health. Bill Gerstenmaier, NASA associate administrator for space operations, insisted Williams was fine. He said he expected her to fly to Houston Saturday with the crew to reunite with their families.

Atlantis delivered a 35,000-pound addition to the space station and Clay Anderson, who replaced Williams as the U.S. representative at the station. He will live with cosmonauts Fyodor Yurchikhin and Oleg Kotov for the next four months.

The last time a shuttle landed at Edwards Air Force Base was in 2005, the first flight after the Columbia disaster in 2003.

While at the space station, the astronauts installed a new truss segment, unfurled a new pair of power-generating solar arrays and activated a rotating joint that allows the new solar arrays to track the sun.

The shuttle originally had been scheduled to launch in mid-March, but a hail storm a few weeks beforehand forced NASA to scrub that date. The shuttle was moved back to its hangar so that technicians could make repairs to thousands of dings on its external fuel tank.

Atlantis lifted off on June 8 on a 5.8-million mile journey to the space station. NASA hopes to have three more launches this year.

Two days were added to the mission so that Olivas could staple up a thermal blanket that had peeled back during launch. An extra spacewalk - the fourth of the mission - was added to get the task done.

The mission was then extended to 14 days after weather prevented Atlantis from landing on Thursday.

There were some tense moments. Computers that control orientation and oxygen production on the Russian side of the space station crashed while Atlantis was at the outpost, forcing NASA officials to talk publicly about the remote possibility that the station would have to be abandoned because of the problem. Engineers in Houston and Moscow worked around the clock to come up with a fix.

Atlantis' thrusters helped maintain the station's orientation until the computers resumed operating last weekend. Some lights, computers and cameras were turned off Atlantis to extend the power supply in case an extra day was needed at the station to give engineers on the ground more time to figure out what went wrong.

The station's computers were restored when Yurchikhin and Kotov used a cable to bypass a circuit board. The shuttle wasn't cleared to undock from the station until the computers had passed a test to control thrusters on the station's Russian side.

During Atlantis' undocking from the station, a piece of debris was spotted floating away, but was later determined to be harmless. Engineers also concluded that that material known as gap filler that appeared to be sticking out of a wing could withstand the heat and aerodynamics of re-entry.

Atlantis will remain in California for a week before returning to Florida.

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Associated Press writers Mike Schneider in Cape Canaveral, Fla., and Juan Lozano in Houston contributed to this report.

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On the Net:

Space shuttle: http://www.nasa.gov/mission-pages/shuttle/main/index.html

Winning,

2012-03-13T16:32:00.000-07:00

Sometimes when coach Tom Thibodeau sounds warning bells about defensive lapses, they fall on deaf ears. Not this time.

After blowing a 22-point third-quarter lead and nearly getting Sun-burned Tuesday, the long faces in the Bulls' locker room said it all.

They survived Phoenix' comeback 97-94 before 21,873 worried fans at the United Center. But they weren't thrilled about the way they won — or the playoff fever that's getting in the way of their one-step-at-a-time approach.

''We didn't play well,'' Thibodeau said. ''We didn't play tough with the lead. Our shot selection hurt us; our defensive transition hurt us. We were fortunate in the end to get the win.

''But, boy, we have to do a lot better, and we have to clean up a lot of things.''

With the Bulls nursing a 91-89 lead, Grant Hill set up to take a charge as Derrick Rose drove the lane. Rose got the call for a three-point play and a 94-89 lead with 1:52 left.

''I thought I was there,'' Hill said. ''Derrick's the MVP at home. It's not the first time there's been an MVP in this building down the stretch. It was one of those calls that could go either way. He made the call, and you live with it.''

Rose, who finished with 19 points on a frustrating 6-for-15 night, added a key 19-foot pull-up jumper with 33 seconds left. But he still had a bad taste in his mouth afterward.

''I don't feel like I won tonight,'' Rose said glumly. ''We're taking a step back.''

Center Joakim Noah wouldn't go so far as to say it felt like a loss.

''I don't think we should look at it like that,'' said Noah, who had 12 points on 6-for-7 shooting in his first game back after missing three with a sprained ankle.

''It's hard to win in this league. It's important to remember that. There's no question we have things to do to get better. We didn't play our best basketball. But a win is always a positive.''

With the win, their eighth in nine games, the Bulls took another step closer to the top seed in the Eastern Conference.

Their magic number is three. They lead the Heat, which was idle, and the Celtics, who beat the 76ers, by three games.

They also remained one game in the loss column behind San Antonio, which beat Atlanta, in their quest for the NBA's best overall record.

The Bulls are 34-5 at home, tied with the Spurs for the best home record.

They can take a big step when the Celtics come to town Thursday. But they can't do it unless they get back to the basics that have brought them this far.

What the Bulls need to do, forward Luol Deng said, is tune out all the playoff chatter.

''There's a lot of distractions going on right now, [fans and media] skipping the games and talking about the playoffs,'' Deng said. ''We can't get caught up in that. Boston is next. We have to lock in. We don't like what happened tonight. We still got the win. Be positive about it, but really try not to skip games with everyone talking about the playoffs.''

Vince Carter, who scored 19 of his 23 points in the second half, led Phoenix, which trailed 76-54 with 3:44 left in the third quarter.

''We started playing their game,'' said Deng, who had 18 points. ''Once we took the [big] lead, we started thinking offensively instead of playing our game.''

''You're going to miss shots,'' Rose said. ''But, defensively, we're trying to do something special. We can't come out and play like we did.''

Bulls guard Keith Bogans strips the ball from Suns forward Grant Hill in the first half Tuesday night. | Jim prisching~apJim Prisching

Fact Box: 3. celtics 52-233 GBFriday: Lost to Hawks 88-83

Director learns how to `Trust'

2012-03-13T13:40:00.000-07:00

"This is not a Molly Ringwald movie," said 32-year-old directorHal Hartley.

That's an understatement. "Trust" finds high school dropoutMaria (Adrienne Shelly) slapping her angry father after announcingthat she's pregnant. He dies of a heart attack minutes later; she'skicked out of the house.

Matthew (Martin Donovan) defines his own young adult angst bystoring a hand grenade in his pocket and smashing a television set atthe local repair shop where he works. "TV," he retorts, beforeputting his boss' head in a vise, "gives you cancer."

The kids are not all right. Maria's mom gets her prettydaughter's boyfriend drunk so he will sleep with her dumpy, divorceddaughter. Matthew's dad is an abusive clean freak who makes himscrub the bathroom four times. Maria tells her boyfriend, a highschool football star, about her pregnancy, and he wants to knock herhead off. "I have my SATs tomorrow," he bellows, "and you want toruin my life."

Matthew and Maria are a natural pair, but neither is willing totrust - for good reason.

"It's almost like you shouldn't trust someone you love. Or thatyou can't love someone who first requires your trust," said Hartley,who also wrote and directed the underground hit "The UnbelievableTruth" (1990). "This is a story about two young people trying tofind a love that doesn't require possession and trying to achieve apeace of mind that doesn't require vengeance." "Trust" is one of the few teenage pregnancy films that addressesabortion; it ends up with Matthew taking Maria to a local clinic.Sitting with 20 twitching, pregnant girls and their pale boyfriends,Maria asks Matthew how he feels. "I feel like smashing things up,"he replies.

"Here is a film about a 17-year-old girl who is pregnant,"Hartley said. "She has to decide to have this baby. Abortion is anatural choice, although most teen films are too afraid to bring itup. To ignore abortion or wash over it would be cheap to theaudience. We deal with it responsibly and articulately."

"A critic said I was dealing with people who are trapped bymiddle-class life and middle-class choices, but that's not true,"Hartley said. "These people are trapped by something missing inthemselves. And you cannot trust until you know yourself. And youcan't know yourself until you go looking."

Swedish Football Results

2012-03-13T10:40:00.000-07:00

STOCKHOLM (AP) — Results from the 14th round of Allsvenskan, the Swedish first division (home teams listed first):

Sunday's Games

Mjallby 2, Orebro 1

GAIS 2, Malmo 0

Djurgarden 1, Hacken 0

Trelleborg 1, AIK 2

Gefle 1, Goteborg 0

Monday's Games

Elfsborg 2, Syrianska 1

Halmstad 1, Helsingborg 2

Norrkoping 1, Kalmar 2

Royal wedding fashion: tradition and modernity

2012-03-13T07:17:00.000-07:00

LONDON (AP) — There was tradition and modernity, sober styles and touches of whimsy: the wedding of Prince William to Kate Middleton showcased Britain's fashion roots, as well as the claim it's staking at the forefront of haute couture.

All eyes, of course, were on the bride's dress — and it immediately became the stuff that dreams are made of.

The gown, whose details were kept secret until Middleton stepped out of the Goring Hotel to travel to Westminster Abbey, was a magnificent ivory confection with lace floral detail designed by Britain's Sarah Burton, creative director at Alexander McQueen.

A plunging neckline added an edgy touch to an otherwise traditional dress with lace-covered sleeves that ended at the wrists. Her hair was half up, half down, lightly curled and decorated with a tiara. She wore drop earrings.

"The dress itself was a glorious mix of modernity with a hint of historic reference and a wonderful silhouette to complement the architectural beauty of the abbey," said Avril Graham, Harper's Bazaar executive fashion and beauty editor.

Maid of honor Pippa Middleton wore a simple cream column dress also designed by Burton, with a deep neckline, and naturally styled hair. Her bridal tones and sashaying walk down the aisle behind her sister caught the eye of several commentators.

"Her dress was exceptionally fitted, and it was basically white," said Mark Niemierko, a wedding planner who has organized some of London's most extravagant nuptials. "For a bridesmaid that's always been a no-no but I think the idea could really catch on."

The flower girls also were decked out in cream dresses with full skirts and flowers in their hair.

Queen Elizabeth II looked stately yet cheerful in a primrose Angela Kelly dress and matching hat.

Carole Middleton, the bride's mother, wore a sky blue wool crepe coatdress with matching satin piping over a sky blue silk shantung day dress. Both were designed by the Catherine Walker label. Middleton's hat was created by British designer Jane Corbett.

Middleton often dresses youthfully like her daughters, but on wedding day she looked very much the matriarch.

The duchess of Cornwall wore a champagne silk dress and a duck egg blue and champagne coat by Anna Valentine, along with a Philip Treacy hat and Jimmy Choo shoes. Anna Valentine designed Camilla's dress for her 2005 wedding to Prince Charles.

Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg's wife Miriam Gonzalez Duantez — a Spanish attorney — sent tongues wagging with a body-hugging dress draped with lace and a red hat but most guests were more conservative, wearing simple suits and knee length dresses in pastels and blues. Jewelry was understated, too — small earrings and strings of pearls.

On their heads however, guests wore a riot of color, sculpture and design.

Irish designer Treacy made most of the hats for royals attending the wedding — 36 in all that included creations for Prince Charles' wife, the duchess of Cornwall, Princess Beatrice, Princess Eugenie, Princess Michael of Kent, Queen Anna-Marie of Greece and Princess Mathilde of Belgium.

He also designed a hat for Hollywood royalty: Victoria Beckham wore a midnight blue Treacy hat. And dozens of less famous guests wore his creations — many resembling architectural works meant to elongate and frame the face.

"The wedding is an incredible boost for British fashion and for Britain," said Harold Tillman chairman of the British Fashion Council, which promotes British fashion abroad.

"There is nothing better than a morning suit for men — every man looks good in it. And all the guests looked wonderful. Most were beautiful and elegantly understated, with all the wildness and exaggeration in the hats."

Princess Beatrice, 22, the daughter of Prince Andrew and Sarah Ferguson, was wearing an ensemble of Valentino couture and gloves by Cornelia James with Treacy hats that rose like a modernist building from her hair.

Her sister, Princess Eugenie, 21, was wearing an outfit by Vivienne Westwood with an equally dramatic hat and a ring by Solange Azagury-Partridge with a Union Jack design. The two sisters love playing with fashion, trying out cutting edge styles many of their aristocratic peers would be too nervous to wear.

"The princesses are young and they wanted to make a statement. They wanted to have a little fun, which they should," said Tillman.

Prime Minister David Cameron's wife, Samantha, broke with tradition: she wore a sparkly hair clip instead of a hat. Her dress was a tight Burberry teal affair set off by a striking necklace by Erickson Beamon for Erdem.

"Her dress and jewelry were great, but I was disappointed she didn't wear a hat," said Niemierko. "She could have easily carried one off."

Zara Phillips, the queen's granddaughter who will also get married later this year, was wearing Paul Costelloe. The couple's friend, Tara Palmer Tomkinson was wearing Deborah Milner.

The wedding presents a golden opportunity for designers. Many replica hats and dresses are expected to be in shops this week.

Victoria Beckham wore a dress of her own design: the dark tones of the smock-like maternity gown had a slightly funereal look. Her husband David was one of the few guests to not wear a British designer, choosing wore a top hat with tails designed by Ralph Lauren, with a medal signifying that he is an officer of the order of the British empire pinned to his jacket.

Singer Elton John wore a purple tie and ivory waistcoat, while his partner David Furnish wore a light gray waistcoat and light-gray tie.

A handful of Italian designers are making appearances. Prince Harry's on again off again girlfriend, Chelsy Davy, chose two custom-made Alberta Ferretti looks — an aqua green satin dress for the abbey and an asymmetric, midnight blue satin gown for the evening.

The crowds outside were more eclectic. Most made sure they dressed warmly for an overcast British spring day, but accessorized with flags and photographs of the newlyweds.

Hats were as popular outside the abbey as inside. Some women wore hats shaped like a wedding cake, others wore plastic bowler hats with a union jack pattern, and some simply wore children's party hats.

Negotiators to start writing Mideast peace pact

2012-03-13T03:27:00.000-07:00

Israeli and Palestinian negotiators have agreed to start drafting elements of a proposed peace accord, the chief Palestinian negotiator said Friday.

Ahmed Qureia, the veteran negotiator heading the Palestinian team, made it clear the decision did not necessarily reflect agreement on major issues. But this would be the first time since negotiations resumed more than six months ago that anything would be committed to paper.

"We agreed with the Israelis to begin writing the positions," Qureia told reporters late Friday.

Israeli government officials would not comment and Qureia did not explain why the two sides had agreed at this point to begin drafting a text.

However, the timing coincides with a corruption scandal in Israel that threatens to unseat Prime Minister Ehud Olmert.

Should Israel find itself going to early elections, polls show Benjamin Netanyahu, who opposes major territorial concessions to the Palestinians, becoming Israel's next premier. However, drafting during previous rounds of peace talks has not always meant that those positions were then preserved for future negotiators.

Qureia did not say what issue the two sides would start with. If they reach agreement on any issue, then they will draft a single provision, he said. If not, they will lay out on paper their divergent views, he added.

Israel and the Palestinians resumed peace talks in late November under U.S. prodding. Continued Israeli settlement construction and Israeli security concerns have clouded negotiations, and both sides have expressed doubt about achieving the declared goal of clinching a final accord by the end of the year.

Qureia confirmed that Israeli peace negotiators have offered the Palestinians land in exchange for territory where major West Bank settlements lie, but he termed their offer "unacceptable."

Palestinians would like to incorporate all of the West Bank into a future state, but their moderate president, Mahmoud Abbas, has acknowledged that Israel, with U.S. backing, likely will hold on to blocs where tens of thousands of settlers live. In exchange, Abbas is prepared to relinquish some West Bank land for an equal amount of Israeli land.

Qureia would not say how much territory Israel offered, where it is located or how much West Bank land the Jewish state proposed to keep under a final peace accord with the Palestinians.

"The Israelis presented a land swap offer, but this offer is unacceptable to us," he said.

Other Palestinian officials have said Israel has presented maps giving it 10 percent of the West Bank in exchange for southern Israeli territory near the Gaza Strip.

Last-known member of 1944 failed plot to kill Hitler dies

2012-03-13T00:24:00.000-07:00

Philipp Freiherr von Boeselager, believed to be the last surviving member of the inner circle of plotters who attempted to kill Adolf Hitler in 1944 with a briefcase bomb, has died. He was 90.

The German military said in a statement Friday that the former army major died Thursday night. It did not give a cause of death.

Von Boeselager was part of a group of officers who tried to kill Hitler on July 20, 1944, supplying the explosives for the operation led by Col. Claus Graf Schenk von Stauffenberg.

Von Stauffenberg placed the bomb in a conference room where Hitler was meeting with his aides and military advisers but escaped the blast when someone moved the briefcase next to a table leg, deflecting much of the explosive force.

Almost immediately afterward, von Stauffenberg and many of his cohorts were arrested and executed in an orgy of revenge killings that saw some hanged by the neck with piano wire. Though many of those rounded up by Nazi officials were tortured in the hopes they would give up other conspirators, von Boeselager's name was never divulged and he was never found out.

Still, he carried a cyanide capsule with him until the end of the war in case his secret was revealed.

Von Boeselager, who lived in Altenahr, near Bonn, was first recruited by von Stauffenberg coconspirator Maj. Gen. Henning von Tresckow in 1942, he told the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung in an interview three weeks ago that was published Friday.

He said he knew that Jews were being systematically killed and that Germany was waging a war of annihilation along the Eastern Front with Russia and that he never considered declining taking part in the plot.

By 1942, he said that "It was no longer about saving the country, but about stopping the crimes," FAZ quoted him as saying.

Von Boeselager was assigned to the army high command as an aide to coconspirator Field Marshal Gunther von Kluge. The plotters first arranged for von Boeselager to try to shoot both Hitler and SS-chief Heinrich Himmler at a meeting in 1943.

Von Kluge, who committed suicide a month after the 1944 attempt on Hitler, called the assassination off at the last minute after learning that Himmler would not be at the meeting.

Von Boeselager followed Kluge's orders, but told the FAZ the decision to do so never ceased to haunt him.

"I always see Hitler from here to the fireplace in front of me and think 'What would have happened if you had shot him,'" he told FAZ, describing a distance of maybe half a meter, or about two feet, with his hands.

He also recalled when he joined the von Stauffenberg plot: his brother called him in the spring of 1944, asking for his help in providing explosives.

Von Boeselager recommended English-made explosives as the best, and _ as part of his assignment to an explosives research team _ was able to acquire them without drawing any suspicion.

He delivered them to Maj. Gen. Helmuth Stieff, packed into a suitcase. Stieff was later executed for his role in the plot, and von Boeselager's brother was killed in fighting on the Eastern Front.

Had the bombing succeeded, von Boeselager said he was assigned to lead a 1,000-man unit into Berlin to secure the capital.

Von Boeselager told FAZ that in the years immediately after the war, he spoke with his wife, Rosa, about his role in the resistance, but otherwise said little else.

"There was nobody one could talk with about it," he said. "They were all dead, and with others it would just have been bragging."

There was also the fact that immediately after World War II, the July 20 plotters were widely viewed as traitors, a label the Nazis gave them that stuck for years.

"For a long time, it was not believable to normal Germans that the government was criminal..." he recalled. "And as soon as one thought they had pushed that out of the way, then people just didn't want to know."

The von Stauffenberg plot is the basis for the upcoming Tom Cruise film "Valkyrie" in which the American actor plays the aristocratic colonel.

In a 2007 interview with FAZ von Boeselager weighed in on the controversy in Germany of casting a prominent Scientologist as Germany's most famous anti-Hitler plotter, saying he had no objections so long as the film was not used by Cruise to lobby for the church.

"But in general there is nothing one can say against a huge actor playing von Stauffenberg _ for the resistance and spreading knowledge of it, that can only be good," he was quoted as saying.

Von Boeselager never met von Stauffenberg himself, saying that it would have been too dangerous for them to speak with one another.

"I saw him a couple of times, and we shared a nod and a wink with one another, but never said one word," Von Boeselager said. "Not even 'good day.'"

Massive Haiti-bound cargo ship smolders in Miami

2012-03-12T21:27:00.000-07:00

A massive cargo ship that caught fire over the weekend is smoldering in Miami.

The 200-foot freighter caught fire on the Miami River as it was carrying cars, mattresses and bicycles to Haiti.

A Miami-Dade Fire Rescue spokesman said Tuesday that about 60 firefighters are still working to control the embers. Extinguishing the remnants has been difficult because the ship was packed with goods.

The spokesman says the ship had started to tilt but was being secured with tugboats and lines. Crews say they expect it to reignite as they keep working.

More than 100 firefighters spent three hours Saturday night putting out the fire and it briefly rekindled Monday. Investigators don't know the cause.

ORIGINS

2012-03-12T17:58:00.000-07:00

Belly Deep Slough: You'd think this Palos Hills fishing holenear U.S. 45 would be named by someone who waded through the waters.Not so. The name, belly deep, was chosen just for the heck of it,Cook County Forest Preserve District records show. Districtofficials were looking for "folksy names that people talk about,"when they named the marsh and several others, including HogwashSlough in Lyons Township and Laughing Squaw Slough in Palos Park.The natural marsh was reconfigured in the '30s so that it wouldretain water and serve as a flood basin. Today, fishermen catchsunfish, bass and bullheads there.

Want to share an interesting story on the suburbs? Write toSuburban Report, Chicago Sun-Times, P.O. Box 3346, Chicago, IL60654-3346.

Napoli slumps to 2-1 loss at Lecce in Serie A

2012-03-12T14:10:00.000-07:00

MILAN (AP) — Napoli fell four points behind second-place Inter Milan in Serie A on Sunday after slumping to a 2-1 loss at Lecce in which leading scorer Edinson Cavani was sent off.

Daniele Corvia gave Lecce the lead with a penalty before he was sent off himself. Giuseppe Mascara equalized, but any hopes Napoli had of winning disappeared down the tunnel with Cavani 16 minutes from time.

His fellow Uruguayan Ernesto Chevanton then hit a spectacular, but controversial, winner with a half volley from the edge of the area that Napoli claimed had not crossed the line.

"Lecce won with a great shot, but there was a penalty before that we should have been given," Napoli coach Walter Mazzarri said.

"It has been a long season for Cavani since the World Cup and he's tired. He got frustrated today because the more he tried to score, the less likely it seemed."

Inter meanwhile bounced back from losing its league title to city rival AC Milan on Saturday, with a convincing 3-1 win at home to Fiorentina.

To rub salt into Cavani's wounds, his rival for the leading scorer title — Antonio Di Natale — scored twice in Udinese's 2-0 win over Lazio to take his tally to 28, two more than Cavani.

Lazio's loss means Napoli is guaranteed a place in next year's Champions League, but if it loses its last two games and Udinese wins both, then Udinese will take the automatic qualification place as it won both matches between the sides this season.

At the bottom of the table Brescia was relegated after a 2-1 loss to Catania. Also Bologna and Parma drew 0-0, while Cesena won 2-0 away to Cagliari. Juventus and Chievo Verona were playing on Monday.

Mauro Boselli hit a goal six minutes into injury time to give Genoa a 2-1 victory over Sampdoria the Genoa derby. Antonio Floro Flores gave Genoa the lead in first-half injury time before Nicola Pozzi hit an equalizer for Sampdoria midway through the second half.

Giandomenico Mesto was sent off shortly before the final whistle and defender Kakha Kaladze had a goal ruled out for offside before Boselli struck to leave Sampdoria in the final relegation place, two points behind Lecce.

Lecce had the best chance of a scrappy first half early on, but Gianni Munari shot into the side netting from close range.

Soon after the break the host took the lead, when Corvia fired home a penalty after Ruben Olivera was brought down by Hugo Campagnaro.

Soon after the striker was sent off when he was booked for a second time for tripping Ezequiel Lavezzi. It didn't take Napoli long to take advantage of its numerical superiority when Mascara was left unmarked to head in Juan Zuniga's cross from close range.

In the 74th Cavani allowed his frustrations at not scoring boil over and received a second yellow card for taking his protests to the referee too far.

Lecce took advantage two minutes from time when Chevanton struck. The ball bounced over the line, Napoli goalkeeper Morgan De Sanctis quickly grabbed the ball and claimed it hadn't, despite replays showing the opposite.

"The ball looked like it had gone over the line," Lecce coach Luigi De Canio said. "The referee took the chance to confirm it and his assistant let him know over the radio."

At the San Siro, Fiorentina had the first chance of the match, but Julio Cesar tipped Alberto Gilardino's volley onto the bar.

Two minutes later Inter hit the woodwork after Pazzini turned and shot, but Artur Boruc flicked his effort onto the bar.

There was nothing the Polish goalkeeper could do to stop Pazzini from opening the scoring in the 25th. Samuel Eto'o crossed and Pazzini held of Cesare Natali to turn and shoot low past Boruc.

Inter was two goals ahead three minutes later when Cambiasso flicked Eto'o's freekick over Boruc for his seventh goal of the season.

"It was a difficult match to get to grips with," Inter coach Leonardo said, "but the way we took control and adapted is a step forward for our maturity and cohesion as a team."

Just before the break Alessio Cerci stabbed Gaetano D'Agostino's low cross wide and Boruc used his legs to stop Maicon's low drive.

Gilardino gave Fiorentina some hope when he beat the offside trap to volley past Cesar, but moments later Coutinho curled a freekick over the wall to take Inter's lead back to two goals.

"I'm pleased for him," Leonardo said. "He's a good player with excellent technique, but he hasn't been able to find a place in the team because it has changed so much."

Udinese gave Lazio notice of its attacking intent in the 29th, when Alexis Sanchez and Mauricio Isla linked up to create a chance for Di Natale that he hit wide.

Six minutes later though Sanchez and Di Natale took advantage of more lax Lazio defending to open the scoring. Sanchez chipped over the defense to Di Natale, he took one touch and shot past Fernando Muslera.

Udinese doubled the lead before halftime and again Di Natale capitalized on build up play by Isla and Sanchez. Sanchez again sprung Lazio's offside trap, Isla squared to Di Natale and he only had to stroke the ball into the empty net.

Lazio brought on captain Tommaso Rocchi and he made an immediate difference. Udinese defender Gabirele Angella clumsily brought him down and was sent off. Mauro Zarate tried to chip Samir Handanovic with the penalty, but the Slovenia 'keeper stood tall to make his sixth penalty save of the season.

Zarate made amends when he crossed for Libor Kozak to volley Lazio's first and while the Rome side came close again it couldn't find another way past Handanovic.

"What really pleases me is the fact that this team is very young," Francesco Guidolin said. "Di Natale uses his experience to help the team, but we've not achieved anything yet and know that the last two games will be very tricky."

Braves 11, Astros 5

2012-03-12T10:41:00.000-07:00

79Braves 11, Astros 5
ATLANTA @ HOUSTON @
ab r h bi @ab r h bi
JAndsn cf 5 2 3 3 KMatsu 2b 4 1 1 0
Prado 3b 5 2 2 0 Bourn cf 5 1 1 0
KJhnsn 2b 5 1 2 0 Tejada ss 5 1 1 1
Ktchm 1b 4 2 2 0 Brkmn 1b 4 0 1 1
Frncur rf 5 3 3 3 Blum 3b 4 0 1 1
BJones lf 5 0 2 3 Pence rf 3 1 1 1
Smmns c 5 0 1 0 Wggntn lf 4 0 0 0
Lllbrdg ss 5 0 2 2 Qintero c 3 1 2 0
Parr p 3 1 1 0 Backe p 0 0 0 0
VNunez p 0 0 0 0 Cassel p 1 0 0 0
Norton ph 1 0 0 0 Sacmno ph 1 0 1 1
Acosta p 0 0 0 0 Brkwsk p 0 0 0 0
Julio p 0 0 0 0 Nwhan ph 1 0 0 0
CJones ph 1 0 0 0 FNieve p 0 0 0 0
MGnzlz p 0 0 0 0 WWrgh p 0 0 0 0
Erstad ph 1 0 0 0
Geary p 0 0 0 0
Totals @ 44 11 18 11 Totals @36 5 9 5
Atlanta 360 000 002_11
Houston 011 120 000_ 5
E_Lillibridge (5). DP_Atlanta 2, Houston 1. LOB_Atlanta 7, Houston 7. 2B_Francoeur 2 (33), BJones (10), Lillibridge (6), Bourn (10), Tejada (38), Quintero (6), Saccomanno (1). 3B_Lillibridge (1). HR_JAnderson 2 (3), Pence (25). SB_Berkman (18).
IP H R ER BB SO
Atlanta @
Parr 4 1-3 8 5 4 2 0
VNunez W,1-2 1 2-3 0 0 0 0 1
Acosta 1 0 0 0 0 3
Julio 1 1 0 0 0 1
MGonzalez 1 0 0 0 0 2
Houston @
Backe L,9-14 1 1-3 8 8 8 1 1
Cassel 2 2-3 4 1 1 0 2
Borkowski 2 3 0 0 0 2
FNieve 1 0 0 0 0 3
WWright 1 0 0 0 0 2
Geary 1 3 2 2 0 0
HBP_by Julio (Pence). WP_Acosta, Backe.
Umpires_Home, Ed Hickox	First, C.B. Bucknor	Second, Joe West	Third, Ed Rapuano.
T_2:57. A_37,491 (40,976).