Family Tours Are Focusing On Adventure

Remember when vacationing families were thankful to find a resortwith a pool, baby-sitting, and a stash of cribs and high chairs?

Families have become a lot more demanding since those simplerdays, and the travel industry has responded with not only moreamenities at traditional resorts but also an innovative range oforganized adventures that expand the notion of a family vacation.Kid-friendly dude ranches, mountain lodges, and beach resorts stillabound. But now the brood also can cycle the Pacific Northwest orMaine Coast, raft through rapids in Utah, hike the Canadian rockies,or dig into history at a Colorado archeological site.

Every branch of the travel …

Summary Box: Service sector expands in May

SERVICES GROW: The service sector, which employs 90 percent of the nation's work force, grew for an 18th straight month in May.

INDEX UP: The Institute for Supply Management's index tracking the health of service industries increased to 54.6 in May compared …

Twin suicide bombs kill 43 in Pakistani city

Two suicide bombers killed 43 people in near-simultaneous blasts, the fourth major attack in Pakistan this week and a clear sign that militants have the power to strike targets despite months of army offensives and U.S. missile strikes.

Friday's twin bombings in the eastern city of Lahore, which also wounded about 100 people, raised fears of a new wave of attacks by Islamic militants. With no explanation of why the violence is surging now or how long it could last, Pakistanis have been left to guess at how bloody the situation could get.

"This is an attack against our people, our country," said senior Lahore official Sajjad Bhutta, calling on law …

SPORTS SUPPLEMENT BRAND NAMES

SPORTS SUPPLEMENT BRAND NAMES

In the aftermath of the death of Northwestern football playerRashidi Wheeler, the Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association's HealthyCompetition Foundation on Monday reissued an educational advisory tohelp athletes identify potentially dangerous sports supplements bybrand name. The health warning urges athletes of all ages to consultwith a doctor before taking sports supplements, especially thosecontaining ephedra, androstenedione, creatine or related substances.Here are the names of some of the widely marketed products in eachcategory:

ANDROSTENEDIONE*

3-Andro Xtreme

Andro-Gen

Andro-Stack

Androstat

Animal …

Credits where credits are due

To ensure the recovery of input tax credits on startup expenses, businesses should register for the goods and services tax without delay

When a business is in startup mode, it must cope with a multitude of new, often confusing, issues and procedures. In this context, it's not surprising that certain tax-planning opportunities may be overlooked, including the opportunity to claim input tax credits (ITCs) on startup expenses (which can run to thousands, and even millions, of dollars).

To claim an ITC for the 7% goods and services tax or the 15% harmonized sales tax (HST) paid on a business expense, the business must, generally, be a GST / HST registrant when the expense is …

Vote switchers on financial bailout

Sixty lawmakers Friday switched from their previous position on the huge Wall Street bailout measure. Fifty-eight switched from "no" to "yes," one switched to oppose the measure and a lawmaker who was absent on Monday voted "yes." Here's the breakdown by party and state:

Republicans, No to Yes (25)

Arizona _ John Shadegg.

Florida _ Vern Buchanan, Ileana Ros-Lehtinen.

Illinois _ Judy Biggert

Louisiana _ Rodney Alexander, Charles Boustany.

Michigan _ Joe Knollenberg, Peter Hoekstra.

Minnesota _ Jim Ramstad.

North Carolina _ Howard Coble, Sue Myrick.

…

Scurrilous: Chicago's No. 1 Couch Potato

IT'S DUSTIN, JUST IN PASSING

Dustin Hoffman took a stroll right into a cameo in "The Holiday."

The picture was written and directed by Nancy Meyers. Co-starJack Black told the Irish Examiner: "We were doing a scene in aBlockbuster store, and Dustin apparently was just walking down thestreet in his neighborhood ... and he saw a bunch of cameras andlights. ... So he walks in and he knows Nancy ... and she said,'Come over and watch this scene,' " and next thing you know he wasin it.

The item doesn't say where this happened. The movie was shot …

National Parks Case May Affect Access

YOSEMITE NATIONAL PARK, Calif. - The plunging waterfalls and soaring crags chiseled by the Merced River draw millions of visitors each year, but the crowds are precisely what threatens the waterway and the park.

Efforts to safeguard the Merced have spawned a court battle over the future of development in Yosemite National Park's most popular stretch. The case may come down to the challenge facing all of America's parks: Should they remain open to everyone, or should access be limited in the interest of protecting them?

In November, a federal judge barred crews from finishing $60 million in construction projects in Yosemite Valley, siding with a small group of …

Freedom Tower has a new preferred name

The Freedom Tower is out. One World Trade Center is in.

The agency that owns ground zero confirmed Thursday that the signature skyscraper replacing the towers destroyed on Sept. 11, 2001 will be more commonly known as One World Trade Center.

The building under construction at the site was named the Freedom Tower in the first ground zero master plan. Officials …

U.S. alert in Panama // Bases guarded after slaying

PANAMA CITY, Panama American soldiers in battle gear stood guardoutside their bases Sunday after a U.S. officer was killed, a secondwounded and a Navy couple beaten in the worst U.S.-Panamanianconfrontation in 25 years, U.S. officials said.

Panamanian troops used trucks and buses to block streets leadingto Gen. Manuel Antonio Noriega's headquarters after the violenceSaturday night. Panamanian officials said the Americans wounded aPanamanian soldier and two civilians.

Col. Ronald Sconyers of the Panama-based U.S. Southern Commandsaid the officer, gunned to death in a melee Saturday involving fourU.S. servicemen, Panamanian soldiers and civilians, was unarmed …

GE to build largest US solar power plant

NEW YORK (AP) — GE is taking aim at the world's biggest solar company in a bid to expand into a fast-growing renewable energy market.

General Electric Co. announced Thursday that it would spend $600 million to build the nation's biggest solar panel factory. It would build the same type of so-called thin film solar panels manufactured by First Solar Inc., the biggest producer of solar panels in the world.

GE also announced Thursday that testing by a government laboratory showed that its panels set an efficiency record for this type of thin film panel, made from the elements cadmium and tellurium.

"It's demonstrated to be the cost leader in the marketplace and we think we …

Trailblazing pool wants more blacks swimming

Over the sound of R&B music piped through a loudspeaker, a group of mostly black children whooped with delight as they splashed around the crystal blue waters of an outdoor pool.

It's a scene that wasn't possible more than 50 years ago in Yeadon, a Philadelphia suburb where black households wanting to join the local private pool were turned away because of their skin color.

But in 1958, a group of eight black residents banded together to create the Nile Swim Club. The trailblazing facility is now celebrating its 50th year even as USA Swimming, the sport's national governing body, tries to recruit more minorities and reduce their lopsided drowning …

People, places and products ; Here is a take on people, places and products doing the rounds these days.

GWYN SUNDHAGUL

Bettering Indian Lives

After a successful career as a Director on the Board of TescoLotus, Thailand, Gwyn Sundhagul, 47, chose to test the retailweather in India. He joined Reliance Retail as CEO (Value Formats)and a member of the Board. Soon after completing his 100 days inoffice, the first thing that Sundhagul did was to share his five-year business plan with the senior leadership team at a 'Let's TalkGrowth' meet held in Mumbai recently.

With the initial plan focussed on building a value chain startingfrom farmers to consumers, the new plan articulates the brandstrategy that is going to be driven by the core purpose of"Bettering the lives of Indians everyday". "It is vital to create apeople-centric culture and demonstrate our care and respect forthree key stakeholders- customers, community and colleagues.

We will use this strategy as one of our core principles in theway we do our business," says Sundhagul. A BA in Economics fromCornell College, US, Sundhagul is also armed with a Certificate ofInvestment Banking from Chulalongkorn University, Thailand, and aCertificate of the Senior Executive Program jointly run by SasinGraduate Institute of Business Administration, Kellogg School ofManagement and Wharton School.

- Anusha Subramanian

SAVITA MAHAJAN

Breaking New Grounds

The first campus of Indian School of Business (ISB) outsideHyderabad is coming up in Mohali at a cost of Rs 200 crore and it isan important milestone for Savita Mahajan, 51, Deputy Dean and ChiefExecutive of the new campus. Says Mahajan, who has been with ISBsince its inception in 2001 and was Associate Dean (StrategicInitiatives) earlier: "In the first week of June, we will start theconstruction at Mohali and the idea is to start the first class herein 2012 with 140 students."

Last month, ISB signed a Memorandum of Understanding with MITSloan School of Management, to develop two new institutes at Mohali-The BML Munjal Institute for Manufacturing Excellence and Innovationand The Punj Lloyd Institute for Physical Infrastructure Management.

As an Associate School, MIT will provide faculty support,curriculum design and offer joint executive education programmes.MIT faculty will teach at both the Hyderabad and Mohali campus. Thewife of Vijay Mahajan, a veteran in the Indian microfinance space,she says: "I learn more about livelihoods each time he is talking toothers on the phone!"

- E. Kumar Sharma

EA SPORTS-FIFA 2010 WORLD CUP SOUTH AFRICA EDITION

Virtual World Cup

Every four years, Electronic Arts (EA) releases a World Cupversion of its leading football video game. Some fans might arguethat Pro Evolution Soccer (PES) is a better game, but, through theyears, EA has built up one of the strongest global franchises invideo games, thanks to its 'official' FIFA badge.

The 2010 iteration of the World Cup games allows you to choosefrom all 199 football associations and play in all the 10 stadiathat will actually be hosting the World Cup. Using the improvedcontrols that were introduced in the 2008 version of the game, youcould even steer India to a FIFA World Cup win if you so want, evenif you know that the chances of that happening in our lifetimes isslimmer than the disc the game comes on. PRICE: Rs 2,499; AVAILABLEON: PC, Xbox 360, Playstation 3, Wii.

- Kushan Mitra

Munnar

One of Asia's Best

Munnar, known for its lush green mountains, pristine valleys andsprawling tea plantations, has been rated as the second-best Asiantourism destination after Tokyo by TripAdvisor, a travel guide andresearch website that has 15 million registered members, more than34 million monthly visitors, and 30 million traveller reviews andopinions. Located in the Kerala's Idukki district, Munnar has beenattracting tourists who are looking for a hill station that is notcompletely commercialised.

They preferred Munnar over Ooty and Kodaikanal in South India,thanks to its relatively undisturbed beauty. Its topography has beenattracting adventure tourists, who enjoy paragliding, trekking androck climbing. Nature lovers prefer to visit Eravikulam NationalPark, which is home to the endangered Nilgiri Tahr, a stocky goatwith short, coarse fur and a bristly mane, and a whole lot of othercolourful wildlife. That characteristic of Munnar could well be lostsoon as its popularity continues to rise.

- N. Madhavan

VINEET TANEJA

Phones to Connections

Vineet Taneja, former Marketing and Go-to-market Head at NokiaIndia, has moved from selling handsets to selling the connectionsthat power those handsets. He is switching over to the country'slargest mobile operator, Airtel, where he will be heading thesouthern region.

The move has surprised many industry watchers, but may not bethat surprising in light of the recent 3G auction where Airtelbagged 3G licences for Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka fora total of Rs 4,418 crore and Taneja, who did not comment on hisswitch, might have the unenviable task of selling 3G down south.With his experience promoting multimedia and data-rich services, hemight just be the right person to convince people to make the switchto 3G.

- Kushan Mitra

Padres Go Deep 5 Times to Defeat Cubs

CHICAGO - This time, the big swings came at the plate. Mike Cameron hit two homers and the San Diego Padres knocked a season-high five in all in an 11-3 victory over the Chicago Cubs on Sunday.

One day after a bench-clearing altercation, the Padres had no trouble connecting against the Cubs.

Cameron hit a two-run shot to center in the first inning and followed Adrian Gonzalez's two-run drive in the third with a homer off Rich Hill (5-5) that made it 5-1. Khalil Greene added a three-run homer off Sean Gallagher in the fifth, and Rob Bowen hit a solo drive against Michael Wuertz in the eighth.

That was plenty for Greg Maddux (6-3), who allowed three runs and seven hits in his second start against the Cubs since they traded him to the Los Angeles Dodgers at the deadline last July. He struck out one and did not walk a batter in winning his 339th game.

Gonzalez went 4-for-5 and scored four runs, and Cameron had three hits, drove in three runs and scored three times as the NL West leaders won for the fourth time in five games. The Padres tied a season high for runs.

Hill lasted just three innings, allowing five runs and five hits in his shortest outing this season. The three home runs he allowed tied a career high set at Cincinnati in September, and all those big hits capped another wild weekend at Wrigley Field.

On Saturday, Carlos Zambrano took a no-hitter into the eighth and then gave up a home run to Russell Branyan in the ninth as the Padres beat the Cubs 1-0. San Diego's Chris Young also hit Derrek Lee on the wrist with a pitch in the game and Lee threw a punch at Young, igniting a bench-clearing altercation.

Lee, Young, Cubs hitting coach Gerald Perry and Padres pitcher Jake Peavy were ejected, but there was no word from the league on any punishment.

That incident came about two weeks after Zambrano got into a fight with Michael Barrett that started in the dugout during a game against Atlanta, resumed in the clubhouse and ultimately left the catcher with a black eye and busted lip that needed six stitches. A day later, manager Lou Piniella kicked dirt at an umpire, resulting in a four-game suspension.

The Cubs are 9-6 since Piniella's tirade, but Hill had another unpleasant outing.

There was a heated exchange with Barrett in the dugout during his previous start, and he immediately found trouble in this one.

Gonzalez doubled high off the wall in center with two out in the first, and Cameron made it 2-0 with a drive to center.

The Cubs got a run in the second when Ryan Theriot singled in Jacque Jones with two out, but the Padres broke it open in the third.

Cruz walked with one out, and two pitches later, the Padres had a 5-1 lead.

Gonzalez drove Hill's first pitch over the left-field wall for his 14th homer, and Cameron followed with his eighth. Cameron and Gonzalez also went deep back-to-back in the third inning against Chicago on May 22, and Cameron hit two homers in that game.

Notes:@ Cameron has two multihomer games this season and 12 in his career. ... Padres 3B Chase Headley got his first major league hit when he singled to center in the second. ... Manager Lou Piniella said Daryle Ward would likely fill in at first if Lee gets suspended. Ward (strained left hip) is expected to be activated from the 15-day disabled list before Tuesday's game at Texas.

Japan: "Clarino" JV in China

Kuraray Co., Ltd. plans to establish a joint venture for "Clarino", microfiber man-made leather in a tie-up with a man-made leather marketing company in Zhejiang, China. Capitalized at US$10.50 million, this new company is 66.6% funded by a local company and 33.4% by Kuraray. Investments will amount to approximately 1.6 billion yen. Operations are scheduled from next spring. The annual production capacity is 4 million sq. meters.

With an integrated production system from basecloth, Kuraray expects to increase business in accordance with the development of markets for sport shoes and interior goods in China.

Jose Acasuso upset, Fernando Gonzalez reaches Vina del Mar semis

Pablo Cuevas of Uruguay ousted former champion Jose Acasuso 6-3, 6-3 to reach the semifinals of the Movistar Open on Friday.

Cuevas, playing in his first ATP quarterfinal, broke 2006 champion Acasuso of Argentina, who hadn't dropped a set, four times.

Next up for Cuevas will be top-seeded Fernando Gonzalez, who pleased home fans by dispatching Carlos Berlocq of Argentina 7-5, 6-0 without losing his serve.

Gonzalez remained on course to put a Chilean in the final for a seventh straight year. He won the title in 2002 and 2004.

Third-seeded Juan Monaco beat fellow Argentine Juan Pablo Brzezicki 6-2, 6-3.

Monaco's second semifinal in a month will be against Santiago Ventura of Spain, who defeated first-time quarterfinalist Fabio Fognini of Italy 6-3, 6-3.

"This is the best match I've played in this tournament," said Monaco, who converted four of his 14 break point chances.

He said Brzezicki "probably didn't play as well as he had been playing until now. But for me the important thing was to continue to advance, and be prepared to play Ventura. It won't be an easy match because he is a very talented player."

Ventura was into the final four of an ATP event for the first time since April at Valencia. He and Monaco have never met.

Intriguing lives intersect in 'Lawless Heart'

LAWLESS HEART

***

Dan Bill Nighy

Nick Tom Hollander

Tim Douglas Henshall

Corrine Clementine Celarie

David Stuart Laing

Leah Josephine Butler

Judy Ellie Haddington

Charlie Sukie Smith

Darren Dominic Hall

Stuart David Coffey

Fine Line presents a film written and directed by Tom Hunsingerand Neil Hunter. Running time: 102 minutes. Rated R (for strongsexuality/nudity and language). Opening today at Pipers Alley,Evanston CineArts 6.

'The Lawless Heart" begins with a funeral, which, like allfunerals, assembles people who may not often see one another but havepersonal connections--old, new, hidden and potential. The dead man,named Stuart, ran a restaurant on the Isle of Man, off the Britishcoast. To his funeral come Nick, who was his lover; Dan, who was hisbrother-in-law, and Tim, a childhood friend who has been long absentfrom the village.

The film opens with the reception after the funeral. We meet thecharacters and get to know them a little, we think, and we hear thekinds of profundities and resolutions which people utter whenreminded of the possibility of their own deaths. The conversation isbright and quick, the people are likable, and at the end of theafternoon they go their various ways.

It's then that the film, written and directed by Tom Hunsinger andNeil Hunter, reveals its own hidden connections. It follows the threemen, one after another, in sequences which take place at the sametime but change their meaning depending on the point of view, so thatthe sight of a man crouching out of sight behind a car makes perfectsense, or no sense at all, depending on what you know about why he isdoing it.

Nick (Tom Hollander) helped Stuart run the restaurant, and ifStuart had left a will, we learn, he would have left the business tohis lover. But he left no will. Stuart's sister Judy thereforeinherits the business, but discusses with her husband Dan thepossibility of giving it to Nick anyway.

Nick, meanwhile, discovers that the long-lost friend Tim (DouglasHenshall) is broke and homeless, and lets him stay in the house heshared with Stuart. Tim moves in, drinks too much and throws a party.The next morning Nick finds a girl named Charlie (Sukie Smith) in hisbed, and she wants to know if they had sex. She had sex, all right,but not with the gay Nick--who throws out Tim but begins a friendshipwith Charlie that leads, to his own amazement, to them having sexafter all. Judy discovers this heterosexual excursion by herbrother's lover and takes it as a reason (or an excuse) to keep therestaurant for herself.

Meanwhile, her husband Dan follows up on an intriguingconversation he had at the funeral with Corrine (Clementine Celarie),a French woman who lives in the town, thinks he is single and boldlyinvites him to dinner. Will he accept? The way that he handleshimself on the crucial night is true, funny and ultimately ironic.

These intrigues and others are all interconnected, as we graduallyunderstand. "The Lawless Heart" is an exercise in interlockingnarratives, in which the same scene means first one thing and thenanother, the more we know about it. But it isn't simply an exercise;the characters are full-bodied and authentic, capable of surprisingthemselves, and their dialogue is written with a good ear for howsmart people try to be truthful and secretive at the same time.

We discover, for example, that the reason Tim threw his apparentlysenseless party at Nick's was to create a place to which he couldinvite Leah (Josephine Butler), who he met at the funeral. What Timdoesn't know is that his brother David had an unhappy affair withLeah. Tim is in love with Leah himself, or thinks he is, and theoutcome of this liaison is one that none of the three could haveanticipated.

My description of the plot no doubt makes it sound like a jigsawpuzzle, and yet it's surprising how clear all these relationshipsbecome when we're actually seeing and hearing the characters. They'reso well-drawn, so clear in their needs and fears, that we get drawninto the plot just as we might get drawn into the intrigues of a realvillage; the movie watches its characters like a nosy neighbor,changing its view as more information surfaces.

The purpose of the movie is perhaps to show us, in a quietlyamusing way, that while we travel down our own lifelines, seeingeverything from our own points of view, we hardly suspect the secretsof the lives we intersect with. We tend to think people exist when weare with them, but stay on hold the rest of the time. Our lives goforward--but so, "The Lawless Heart" reminds us, do theirs.

Iraq official: No vote change with Baghdad recount

Iraq's electoral commission on Sunday affirmed the victory of a Sunni-backed bloc in the March election a partial recount of votes in Baghdad failed to back up the Shiite prime minister's claims of fraud.

Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki demanded the recount after losing out by two seats to challenger Ayad Allawi. Baghdad province accounts for so many seats in parliament that a significant change in the vote tally could have tilted the overall results in al-Maliki's favor.

"The number of the seats are still the same and didn't change," electoral official Qassim al-Abboudi told reporters, adding that results of the recount, "are compatible" with the original results announced in March.

"I hope that all political blocks are satisfied now that the electoral process was honest and all allegations of fraud and forgery were totally incorrect."

The recount and other challenges to the March 7 election have prevented the seating of Iraq's new 325-member parliament and raised fears that insurgents will try to exploit the political vacuum caused by the prolonged political bickering to unleash a new wave of violence just as U.S. troops prepare to go home.

While the recount results were a setback for al-Maliki, they do not give Allawi the mandate to form the next government. Neither coalition has been able to secure the 163-seat majority needed to do so.

Al-Maliki appears close, however, after his State of Law bloc formed an alliance early this month with another Shiite coalition, the Iranian-backed Iraqi National Alliance. Together, the Shiite allies are only four seats short of the needed majority.

The alliance is already struggling with internal bickering, but if their agreement holds, the Shiite parties are almost certain to form the next government, possibly cutting out Allawi's Iraqiya list altogether.

The difference in the Baghdad recount amounted to about 3,000 votes, al-Abboudi said, which did not change al-Maliki's two-seat win over Allawi in Baghdad or the overall outcome across the country.

The election results must still be ratified by Iraq's Supreme Court and other challenges to the election results that have delayed the formation of a new government also need to be resolved.

Al-Abboudi said the recount results can be appealed, but added that "we hope that no one will do that."

Baghdad accounts for about a fifth of the parliament seats. Al-Maliki beat out Allawi in Baghdad but not enough to give him the lead around the country.

Allawi's party gained heavy support from Iraq's minority Sunni community in the election, and the bloc's members said they were satisfied with the recount's results.

"We are happy with the results that are compatible to the previous ones," said Myosin al-Damlouji, a spokeswoman for the Allawi's bloc.

Meanwhile, the insurgent group that commands al-Qaida in Iraq named a new leader to replace their former commander, who was killed in a joint U.S.-Iraqi raid in April near Saddam Hussein's hometown Tikrit.

The deaths were billed by U.S. and Iraqi authorities as a severe blow to the insurgent group which has responded with a spate of bombings and shootings that authorities have said are designed to show the group's continued relevance.

The Islamic State of Iraq said Sunday it has chosen Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi al-Husseini al-Qurashi as emir, or leader, according to an announcement posted on a militant website.

Al-Qurashi replaces Abu Omar al-Baghdadi, who was killed by U.S. and Iraqi forces on April 18 along with al-Qaida in Iraq's last leader, Egyptian Abu Ayyub al-Masri.

The group also named Abu Abdullah al-Hassani al-Qurashi as deputy to the emir and prime minister. The two men are not related, but both use a last name that implies descent from the Prophet Muhammad's tribe, Quraish. According to the group's ideology, its leader should be a descendant of Quraish.

"The two virtuous sheiks have deep knowledge of theological sciences and ... jihad," the statement said. "We ask God to help them continue the road of their predecessors, the martyr sheiks."

Iraqi authorities have blamed Sunni insurgents for recent attacks targeting Shiites and accuse al-Qaida of trying to provoke a backlash against ordinary Sunnis to re-ignite sectarian fighting that brought the country to the brink of civil war in 2006-2007.

A measure of fragile calm has returned in the past two years. But there are fears of a resurgence in sectarian bloodshed after inconclusive elections in March raised tensions between Shiites and Sunnis over who will control the next government.

History talks set to give glimpse of bygone age

History enthusiasts are to hold a series of talks over the wintermonths.

Cheadle Historical Society, established in 1951, will hold eventsfeaturing discussions ranging from banking to architecture.

Secretary John Cartlidge said: "The programme of talks covers awide range of subjects with an emphasis on the history of the localarea."

Staffordshire Moorlands District Council conservation officerChris Drage will be the guest of honour at a meeting on Wednesday,November 10.

Historian Ray Poole will give a talk on Leek within living memoryon Wednesday, December 8.

A talk on early church architecture will be held on Wednesday,January 19, by David Steele.

Pam Sambrook will give a talk on trouble with servants onWednesday, February 16 and on Wednesday, March 23, a talk from AlanHayhurst will focus on banking in a gentler age.

The meetings will all be held at Cheadle High School, in StationRoad, and start at 7.30pm.

Annual membership costs Pounds 5 with a possible additional sumcharged for special events.

For details email jcartlidge.histsoc@talktalk.net or call 01538751294.

Cards, Ryan Deny Pursuit Of Eagles QB Cunningham

Arizona Cardinals coach Buddy Ryan on Thursday attempted to quella rumor regarding the team's reported interest in Philadelphia Eaglesquarterback Randall Cunningham.

ESPN reported this week that the Cardinals have had "internaldiscussions" about Cunningham, who will become an unrestricted freeagent at the end of this season.

"To tell you the truth, Mr. B. (team owner Bill Bidwill) and Italked about a quarterback a couple of weeks ago, but it wasn'tRandall Cunningham," Ryan said.

"If anybody else in the organization is discussing quarterbacks,all they are doing is beating their gums because nobody else is goingto make any decisions except Mr. B. and me, and we haven't talkedabout Randall."

Cunningham played for Ryan on the Eagles from 1986 to 1990 andsent him a letter and a potted plant when Ryan got the Cardinals'coach-general manager job in February.

MONTANA RETIRING? Joe Montana, one of the greatest quarterbacksin NFL history, plans to retire at the end of the season, the NewYork Daily News reported today.

The report cited unidentified league sources, and there was noelaboration. A call to Kansas City Chiefs spokesman Bob Moore earlytoday was not immediately returned.

Montana, 38, is finishing his second season with the Chiefsafter spending 14 seasons and winning four Super Bowls with the SanFrancisco 49ers.

PENALTY UPDATE: Players guilty of flagrant late hits onquarterbacks could be forced to sit out 14 to 16 plays under aproposal sent to the Competition Committee by San Francisco 49ersvice president John McVay.

Steve Young, who has had to absorb his share of late hits asquarterback of the 49ers, said he hopes the league gives McVay'sproposal serious consideration. Coach George Seifert also endorsedthe notion of disqualifying offending players for a certain number ofplays.

Unlike hockey, which penalizes players by putting them in apenalty box and forcing the team to play shorthanded, McVay said hisproposal would allow a replacement to fill in.

"With so many concussions and so many quarterback injuries, it'ssomething that is worth the committee giving some consideration to,"McVay said.

THOMAS TIRADE: A Buffalo Bills fan accused running back ThurmanThomas of cursing his 10-year-old grandson and insulting the boy'smother when the child asked for an autograph earlier this season.

George Schmelzer, who lives across the street from Rich Stadiumin Orchard Park, N.Y., said the boy approached Thomas after theBills' loss Sept. 4 to the New York Jets. Schmelzer said Thomas usedan obscenity in telling the child that he does not give autographs.

Schmelzer said his grandson answered, "Well, I don't know if Iwant it anyway," which prompted Thomas to make a lewd remark aboutthe boy's mother.

Schmelzer said Bills director of media relations Scott Berchtoldwitnessed the incident and apologized on behalf of the team.

Second firm warns of concern after Dutch hack

AMSTERDAM (AP) — A company that sells certificates guaranteeing the security of websites, GlobalSign, said Tuesday it is temporarily halting the issuance of new certificates over concerns it may have been targeted by hackers.

GlobalSign, the Belgium-based subsidiary of Japan's GMO Internet Inc., is one of the oldest such companies globally, and large, but much smaller than industry giants VeriSign and GoDaddy.

It said in a statement it does not know whether it has actually been hacked, but is taking threats by an anonymous hacker seriously in the wake of an attack on a smaller Dutch firm, DigiNotar, that came to light last week.

The DigiNotar attack is believed to have allowed the Iranian government to spy on thousands of Iranian citizens' communications with Google email during the month of August.

Fallout from the Dutch hack continued Tuesday as the Dutch government, which used DigiNotar to authenticate many of its sites, continued to seek replacements.

Meanwhile the Netherlands' national prosecutors said they were investigating DigiNotar, a subsidiary of Chicago-based Vasco Inc., for possible criminal negligence.

The company did not return phone calls seeking comment.

A Dutch government review of the incident conducted by external information technology experts found that DigiNotar — whose business is ensuring digital security — had itself used weak passwords, failed to update software on its public servers and had no antivirus protection on its internal servers.

The company first acknowledged it had been hacked on Aug. 30, a day after Google publicly stated that fake and unauthorized DigiNotar certificates for Google sites were circulating in Iran. Google marked the company's certificates as dubious, and other web browser makers followed suit.

Only then did DigiNotar acknowledge being hacked on July 19, saying that hackers had issued fake certificates for "a number" of domains. The company said it believed it had withdrawn them all, but missed Google.

On Sept. 3, the Dutch government seized control of DigiNotar's operations, saying certificates the company had issued to guarantee the safety of numerous Dutch government websites could also no longer be relied on.

The external review by Fox-IT found that the company was actually hacked on June 17th and that hackers had issued 531 bogus certificates for 344 domains in all, including most major Internet communications companies.

The fake Google certificates had been used by 300,000 IP addresses by then, more than 99 percent of them in Iran.

Fox-IT and other experts have concluded the hackers were helping the Iranian government spy on citizens who thought they were accessing Google email securely due to the bogus DigiNotar seal of approval.

"We are definitely going to look at...whether this is culpable negligence by the company that they didn't report this," Interior Minister Piet Hein Donner said at a news conference late Monday.

The government also is investigating who was behind the hack, though that may be difficult to verify without help from Tehran.

An unknown hacker who claimed responsibility for a similar breach of U.S.-based certificate issuer Comodo Inc. in March, has also claimed responsibility for the DigiNotar hack.

In a posting on Pastebin.com under the handle "ComodoHacker" on Monday, he or she offered a user name and password for an administrator's account at DigiNotar as evidence.

The post also boasted of having hacked four other "high profile" certificate providers, including GlobalSign.

"GlobalSign takes this claim very seriously and is currently investigating," the company said in a statement.

"ComodoHacker" has used phrases in the Farsi language spoken in Iran in previous posts to Pastebin — including a phrase that also was found by Fox-IT in a message left on DigiNotar's servers. Monday's post cited anti-Dutch political motivations for the attacks.

Donner said that in the wake of the incident the Dutch government is considering legislation that would make it mandatory for companies to disclose computer hacks and data leaks.

ETA's gala 'Shaping The Future' was fantastic

Three decades and one year ago a young lady Abena Joan Brown actively inaugurated her vision at the Harris YWCA. With intestinal fortitude, her objective continued to manifest itself in the year of 2002. Brown, her Board of Directors and artitist's staff can rejoice because that vision has become a reality

Saturday's ETA Gala 2002 and the entire day was evidence of her faith in the fact that she is definitely "Shaping The Future." Saturday morning ground was broken for another facility that will be housed across the street.

It is amazing that what was once a auto junk yard and a former juice factory has now been transformed into a cultural oasis where senior citizens, adults and youth may collaborate in keeping alive the genius of black tradition, the brilliance of innovative genius and the preparation of a glorious future at Creative Arts Foundation.

During the years this writer has been involved in recording the trend of African American creativity. One has witnessed hundreds of children develop and become professional artists, visually, in music, dance and the written word expressed in drama.

With the direction of Nancy C. McKeefer, chairman of the board of directors of eta Creative Arts Foundation and her members, the Chicago community has become active and the ground-breaking that morning was definitely the addition of a developing haven where the creative souls of artists will delight to keep house.

ETA's 2002 Gala was shaped in three areas, first was the reception and dinner. Not only was the food delicious, it was healthy and visually wonderful. It wasn't just a snack that individuals could taste, rather, it was a dinner in which one could really satisfy hunger.

Following this delectable dinner was the presentation of those individuals who have contributed in various ways to African American culture including Dr. Na'im Akbar, a distinguished psychology, vocalist Erykah Badu with a contemporary style, Dr. Donald Bogle who has brought to the world the facets of development of film personalities and their characters; Warrick Dunn, an All-American running backwith the Atlanta Falcons, Dr. Michael Eric Dyson, a dynamic minister and journalist, Tom Joyner, known as the "Fly Jock", humorist Bernie Mac, Artist Lorenzo Pace who has sculpted the largest outdoor site-specific bronze statue of a tribute to African Americans; Arthur Robertson, who is molding young lives, vocalist Jill Scott, a great singer, Dr. Barbara Ann Teer, a giant who has helped to sustain the artistic legacy of our people, Dr. Barbara Eason-Watkins, Chief Edication Officer for the Chicago Public Schools; Walt Whitman, Jr. a musician wh has. changed the lives of many children.

As the honorees were lauded, between the presentations, entertainers performed in a fantastic program produced by Runako Jahi, associate director of eta.

Muntu Dance Theater introduced the evening's entertainment with a provocative and elaborate dance that was fiercely intense.

Vocalist Dee Alexander, one of Chicago's most prominent jazz interpreters of songs communicated with "Black Orpheus" and "Softly, As In A Morning Sunrise".

Woody Bolar offered two songs "Close The Door" and "Hold On".

Following Bolar's songs a trio of dancers perform Brazilian style choreographic dances that was amazing including Geri Williams, Nicole Noland and Edward Johnson.

George Gershwin's "Summertime" from "Porgy & Bess" was exquisitely rendered by soprano Jessica Usherwood. Jesse Standford presented a modern version of "Angels Watching Over Me" and the gospel tune "Thank You Master For My Soul".

Evidence of Mr. Whitman's influence was witnessed when Donica T hornton sang "Next Lifetime".

The entertainment finaly was "Keep Your Head To The Sky" thatr was presented by the entire cast of performers.

Photograph (Muntu Dance Theater)

Saturday's NHL Sums

Philadelphia 0 2 0_2

Montreal 0 0 1_1

First Period_None.

Second Period_1, Philadelphia, Upshall 2 (Richards, Alberts), 5:30. 2, Philadelphia, Carter 11 (Gagne, Coburn), 15:36.

Third Period_3, Montreal, Tanguay 8 (Koivu, Bouillon), 9:44.

Shots on Goal_Philadelphia 9-18-4_31. Montreal 10-7-8_25.

Goalies_Philadelphia, Biron. Montreal, Halak. A_21,273 (21,273). T_2:20.

___

At Uniondale, N.Y.

Ottawa 0 0 2_2

N.Y. Islanders 0 2 1_3

First Period_None.

Second Period_1, N.Y. Islanders, Bergenheim 3 (Weight, Sutton), 3:54. 2, N.Y. Islanders, Sim 4 (Nielsen, Streit), 9:54 (pp).

Third Period_3, N.Y. Islanders, Campoli 3 (Jackman, Sim), 3:59. 4, Ottawa, Heatley 10 (Alfredsson, Fisher), 13:29 (pp). 5, Ottawa, Spezza 6 (Heatley, Kelly), 18:27.

Shots on Goal_Ottawa 15-14-11_40. N.Y. Islanders 7-16-8_31.

Goalies_Ottawa, Auld. N.Y. Islanders, J.MacDonald. A_13,722 (16,234). T_2:15.

___

At New York

Boston 0 2 0 0_2

N.Y. Rangers 0 0 2 0_3

N.Y. Rangers won shootout 1-0

First Period_None.

Second Period_1, Boston, Chara 2 (Kessel, Savard), 8:44. 2, Boston, Wideman 5 (Savard, Yelle), 12:25 (sh).

Third Period_3, N.Y. Rangers, Dawes 2 (Korpikoski, Fritsche), 13:55. 4, N.Y. Rangers, Naslund 6 (Dubinsky, Mara), 19:07.

Overtime_None.

Shootout_Boston 0 (Wheeler NG, Kessel NG, Axelsson NG, Bergeron NG), N.Y. Rangers 1 (Dawes NG, Zherdev NG, Sjostrom NG, Drury G).

Shots on Goal_Boston 11-7-3-4_25. N.Y. Rangers 6-12-10-3_31.

Goalies_Boston, Thomas. N.Y. Rangers, Lundqvist. A_18,200 (18,200). T_2:44.

___

At Newark, N.J.

Washington 2 1 2 0_5

New Jersey 1 2 2 0_6

New Jersey won shootout 1-0

First Period_1, New Jersey, Clarkson 4 (Madden, Pandolfo), 1:09. 2, Washington, Fleischmann 6 (Backstrom), 6:59 (pp). 3, Washington, Ovechkin 6 (Sloan, Backstrom), 19:09.

Second Period_4, New Jersey, Langenbrunner 3 (Parise, Zajac), :41. 5, New Jersey, Elias 6 (Zajac, Parise), 3:27 (pp). 6, Washington, Kozlov 2 (Backstrom), 16:43.

Third Period_7, New Jersey, Elias 7 (Zajac, White), 6:06. 8, Washington, Backstrom 2 (Kozlov, Ovechkin), 8:11. 9, New Jersey, Gionta 3 (Oduya, Elias), 11:40. 10, Washington, Ovechkin 7 (Backstrom, B.Gordon), 19:59.

Overtime_None.

Shootout_Washington 0 (Kozlov NG, Ovechkin NG, B.Gordon NG), New Jersey 1 (Parise G, Elias NG).

Shots on Goal_Washington 8-10-10-2_30. New Jersey 13-9-11-0_33.

Goalies_Washington, Theodore. New Jersey, Clemmensen. A_17,051 (17,625). T_2:41.

___

At Vancouver, British Columbia

Toronto 0 0 2_2

Vancouver 2 2 0_4

First Period_1, Vancouver, Wellwood 7 (Demitra, O'Brien), 7:13. 2, Vancouver, Kesler 5 (Ohlund, Demitra), 18:02 (pp).

Second Period_3, Vancouver, Mitchell 1 (Burrows, Hansen), 3:35. 4, Vancouver, D.Sedin 6 (Nycholat, Demitra), 8:31.

Third Period_5, Toronto, White 3 (Finger, Stralman), 14:53. 6, Toronto, Stajan 5 (Kaberle, Ponikarovsky), 17:30 (pp).

Shots on Goal_Toronto 13-5-12_30. Vancouver 6-3-6_15.

Goalies_Toronto, Toskala, Joseph. Vancouver, Luongo. A_18,630 (18,630). T_2:29.

___

At Pittsburgh

Buffalo 1 1 0_2

Pittsburgh 0 1 4_5

First Period_1, Buffalo, Pominville 7 (Sekera, Mair), 8:14.

Second Period_2, Pittsburgh, Malkin 7 (Goligoski, Fedotenko), 11:07 (pp). 3, Buffalo, Vanek 13 (MacArthur, Roy), 19:14 (pp).

Third Period_4, Pittsburgh, Goligoski 4 (Crosby, Malkin), 11:43 (pp). 5, Pittsburgh, Staal 6 (Cooke, Ty.Kennedy), 15:27. 6, Pittsburgh, Fedotenko 4 (Malkin, Sykora), 16:29. 7, Pittsburgh, Staal 7 (Malkin, Sykora), 19:36 (en).

Shots on Goal_Buffalo 11-6-6_23. Pittsburgh 6-10-9_25.

Goalies_Buffalo, Miller. Pittsburgh, Fleury. A_17,132 (16,940). T_2:23.

___

At St. Paul, Minn.

Columbus 1 0 1 0_2

Minnesota 1 0 1 0_3

Minnesota won shootout 2-0

First Period_1, Minnesota, Pouliot 5 (Belanger, Zidlicky), 17:36 (pp). 2, Columbus, Huselius 6 (Brassard, Nash), 19:29.

Second Period_None.

Third Period_3, Minnesota, Reitz 1 (Brunette, Burns), 1:48. 4, Columbus, Nash 8, 7:20.

Overtime_None.

Shootout_Columbus 0 (Huselius NG, Brassard NG), Minnesota 2 (Brunette NG, Zidlicky G, Miettinen G).

Shots on Goal_Columbus 4-8-9-5_26. Minnesota 9-7-12-2_30.

Goalies_Columbus, Mason. Minnesota, Backstrom. A_18,568 (18,064). T_2:32.

___

At Phoenix

Dallas 1 2 0_3

Phoenix 0 2 0_2

First Period_1, Dallas, Eriksson 7 (Ribeiro, Robidas), 17:06.

Second Period_2, Phoenix, Reinprecht 3 (Yandle, Doan), 2:32. 3, Dallas, Parrish 4 (Zubov, Ribeiro), 8:13 (pp). 4, Dallas, Eriksson 8 (Petersen, Ribeiro), 19:05. 5, Phoenix, Porter 3 (Boedker, Hanzal), 19:22.

Third Period_None.

Shots on Goal_Dallas 9-6-4_19. Phoenix 6-15-6_27.

Goalies_Dallas, Turco. Phoenix, Bryzgalov. A_15,508 (17,125). T_2:24.

___

At Edmonton, Alberta

Colorado 1 0 1 0_3

Edmonton 1 1 0 0_2

Colorado won shootout 2-1

First Period_1, Edmonton, Nilsson 3 (Gilbert, Horcoff), 6:44 (pp). 2, Colorado, Smyth 5 (Hejduk, Stastny), 11:18.

Second Period_3, Edmonton, Reddox 1 (Pisani, Cogliano), 7:25.

Third Period_4, Colorado, Tucker 4 (Leopold, Salei), 19:49 (pp).

Overtime_None.

Shootout_Colorado 2 (Wolski G, Hejduk NG, Svatos NG, Smyth NG, Tucker G), Edmonton 1 (Gagner G, Hemsky NG, Nilsson NG, Pouliot NG, Horcoff NG).

Shots on Goal_Colorado 11-10-9-2_32. Edmonton 12-9-13-1_35.

Goalies_Colorado, Budaj. Edmonton, Roloson. A_16,839 (16,839). T_2:40.

___

At Los Angeles

Nashville 0 1 2_3

Los Angeles 0 1 0_1

First Period_None.

Second Period_1, Nashville, Arnott 8 (Dumont, Erat), 10:26. 2, Los Angeles, Handzus 4 (Quincey, Harrold), 15:06.

Third Period_3, Nashville, Dumont 4 (Arnott, Koistinen), 17:32 (pp). 4, Nashville, Weber 8, 19:12 (en).

Shots on Goal_Nashville 5-9-8_22. Los Angeles 12-15-7_34.

Goalies_Nashville, Ellis. Los Angeles, Ersberg. A_14,135 (18,118). T_2:16.

Fore! Woods' split with GM a warning for athletes

When Tiger Woods mutually ended his nine-year relationship with General Motors this week, it offered yet another snapshot of how badly the American economy has deteriorated.

Woods is one of the world's most marketable athlete with an estimated $100 million (80 million euros) in endorsements a year. If his agreement with one of the world's most active sports sponsors dissolved, some experts wonder if any endorsement or sponsorship deal is really ironclad in these tough times.

"The real story here isn't Tiger," says Marc Ganis, the president of Sportscorp Ltd., a Chicago-based sports consulting firm. "It's the (U.S.) auto industry. ... There are a lot of parties who are going to have some difficulties finding sponsors to substitute for what the auto industry used to provide."

The NBA's LeBron James ($28 million in endorsements according to Sports Illustrated's 2007 figures), Roger Federer ($20 million) and those in the top-circle elite don't have so much to worry about because, like Woods, they have multiple deals spread over several industries.

As for everyone else _ well, Ganis believes they will feel the pain. If money from the auto industry and financial world dries up, athletes and events that are lower in the pecking order will get thirsty.

"You've just got to be much more creative," said Evan Morgenstein, an agent for Olympic gymnastics champ Nastia Liukin.

Morgenstein says sponsors have become so fidgety that his phone actually rings more on days the stock market is doing well, less when it's not.

"I think for the first and second quarter of 2009, it's going to be tenuous at best," he said. "It's more about cold calling, contacting people, pitching ideas. There's some stuff that may not actually close, but we've got to look at this as building for the next four years."

Calls to the representatives of about a half-dozen top-name athletes and their agents by The Associated Press showed that Woods and those in his stratosphere will have very little trouble making endorsement money, even in a rough economy.

James and Microsoft have ended a two-year marketing partnership, though James' manager, Maverick Carter, didn't mention the Microsoft deal this week when he responded to an AP e-mail asking if the economy might hurt James' endorsements.

"We have long-term deals with great partners who aren't going anywhere," Carter said.

James was similarly upbeat.

"I know I have great relationships with the partners that I have," he said. "All of them are long-term deals, so I can only comment on what I have. And looking forward there's always going to be deals out there."

The agents for David Beckham ($48 million, including salary, according to SI) and Maria Sharapova (between $28 million and $30 million) all said their clients were also on solid footing _ entrenched in long-range deals, much like the one Woods had with Buick.

"The only thing I have is sponsors trying to get shoots and do stuff with Maria to market her," said Max Eisnebud, Sharapova's agent at IMG, when asked if any of his client's deals might be in jeopardy.

Ganis thinks the future of another hallmark of sports endorsement and sponsorship _ the beer industry _ could be up in the air. The recent purchase of Anheuser-Busch _ makers of Budweiser, Beck's, Stella Artois, and Kirin among others _ by InBev will essentially push the Busch family out the door, he says. They were always big proponents of sports advertising and nobody is quite sure how the InBev bosses will approach it.

Ganis also says it's easy to project that the drain on America's biggest businesses will hurt athletes' pocketbooks _ not just the endorsement side, but the salary side, too.

Cash-strapped companies should be buying less signage in the stadiums, fewer corporate suites and ticket licenses. Credit is no longer as easy to obtain, even for billionaire owners. Meanwhile, the sacred cow of these leagues, TV dollars, could eventually get squeezed if advertising money dries up.

None of it bodes well for cash flow. NFL commissioner Roger Goodell acknowledged he's looking at 2009 as a barometer of how far the bad economy reaches into the NFL.

There also is the issue of the collective-bargaining agreement, which needs to be renewed by February 2010 to avoid a season without a salary cap.

"There's a reasonable chance the NBA and NFL are going to have periods of time when their sports are not playing, unless their players associations get a serious dose of reality," Ganis said. "Owners have decided that continual exponential growth in cheap and available credit are both history, and that they're not going to accept a generally break-even proposition while paying players extraordinary amounts they're paid."

Said Morgenstein: "Those people used to making $12 million sitting on the bench in the NBA, those guys are going to get crushed. The system has to change. They're naive thinking it's not."

Add it all up and it means many athletes are going to have to rethink their strategies for making more money off the field.

How much money is there to be had? That's the multimillion-dollar question.

"We see what's going on in the world, we see what's happening," says Eisenbud, who manages Sharapova. "I don't think any business is immune to what's going on."

___

AP Baseball Writer Ronald Blum and AP Basketball Writer Brian Mahoney in New York, AP Sports Writer Tom Withers in Cleveland, and AP Tennis Writer Howard Fendrich in Washington contributed to this report.

[ BIZ BRIEFS ]

Nicor shareholders OK plan

A majority of Nicor Energy shareholders approved an advisoryproposal presented by one stockholder that would require the companyto submit any poison-pill plan to a vote by all investors, and notjust the board of directors. Nicor chairman and chief executiveThomas Fisher said 59.4 percent of shareholders voted for the plan atthe company's annual meeting Thursday; the company opposed theproposal. The passage of the advisory proposal means that Nicor'sdirectors will consider the plan, but don't have to act on it.

CBOT exceeds 4 mil. contracts

The Chicago Board of Trade reported that total exchange tradingvolume climbed above 4 million contracts Wednesday for the first timeever. Volume reached 4,012,691 contracts, besting the prior record of3,789,424 contracts, set on March 5. Open interest at the exchangealso hit a new high of 11,578,124 contracts.

Illinois jobless rate falls

The jobless rate in Illinois fell to 6 percent in March from 6.6percent in the year-ago period and from 6.2 percent in February. TheMarch decline put the rate at its lowest level in 28 months. Thenumber of people counted as unemployed stood at 383,300, down 15,000or 3.8 percent. That was the lowest level since November 2001.

Abbott unit sues Hershey

Abbott Laboratories' Zone-Perfect Nutrition unit filed a trademarklawsuit against Hershey Foods and diet book author Barry Sears overtheir plans to market a nutrition bar. Hershey announced the bars,based on Sears' "Zone Diet," in February, saying it planned to launchthem in the third quarter. Abbott alleges the logo of Hershey's"SmartZone" bar looked just like the one used by ZonePerfect. Hersheyand Sears could not be reached for comment. The suit was filed inU.S. District Court in Boston.

Boeing gets Taiwan orders

Taiwan's largest carrier, China Airlines, said it is ordering two747-400 freight planes from Chicago-based Boeing for delivery in 2006to keep up with strong demand in the cargo market. The announcementcame just two days after Taiwan's second-largest carrier, EVAAirways, said it will buy eight long-haul Boeing 777 passenger jets.

UAL fuel costs soar

United Airlines parent UAL Corp., which has been in bankruptcyprotection since December 2002, said in a court filing that its fuelcosts this year will be $450 million higher than forecast last year.UAL said the higher cost was partly the result of a limited abilitywhile in bankruptcy to reach agreements that would let it avoidrising fuel prices.

Another celeb thrown off 'Dancing With the Stars'

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Kurt Warner's "Dancing With the Stars" stint is over, but the Super Bowl champion quarterback is still a crowd pleaser.

The studio audience and Warner's fellow contestants cheered "M-V-P! M-V-P!" as he was eliminated from the hit ABC television dance competition show Tuesday.

Even judge Bruno Tonioli, who insulted Warner on Monday's episode by saying, "Obviously there are people that are better than you," praised the quarterback's gentlemanly nature.

"He has proven a true sportsman," Tonioli said before Warner was dismissed. "His attitude has been immaculate, incredible manners, and regardless of what happens, you have achieved a lot. You really are an American idol."

Warner embodied that attitude after learning his fate, thanking his partner, the show, the fans, his wife and their seven children.

"I learned a long time ago that life isn't always about winning and losing competitions, but it's about relationships, it's about impacting people," he said. "And so I thank everybody at 'Dancing With the Stars' because it gave me an opportunity to impact people and build relationships, and that's really what it's all about."

Warner and his professional partner, Anna Trebunskaya, came into Tuesday's episode a point away from last place. Judges had praised the pair's waltz and chacha — "I've never seen you dance with so much charisma," judge Carrie Ann Inaba said — but the couple only collected 24 points out of 30 for each dance.

Judges' scores are combined with viewer votes to determine which celebrity is ousted each week.

Tuesday's episode also included performances by John Legend and The Roots, Taio Cruz, and two pint-sized couples (ages 9 and 10) dancing a jive accompanied by celebrated 9-year-old pianist Emily Bear.

Football star Jerry Rice and sportscaster Kenny Mayne, both previous "Dancing" contestants, discussed the remaining competitors during their mock sports segment, "Dance Center." Rice wore false eyelashes and a low-cut sequined top. Mayne also wore sequins.

Warner joins previously eliminated contestants Rick Fox, David Hasselhoff, Michael Bolton, Margaret Cho, Florence Henderson and reality stars Audrina Patridge and Mike "The Situation" Sorrentino.

Competing in Monday's semifinal round will be actors Jennifer Grey and Kyle Massey, singer-actress Brandy and Bristol Palin.

___

Online:

http://abc.go.com/shows/dancing-with-the-stars/index

BlueClaws feel Alley Cats' heat: Charleston is 20-4 with seven-game North Division lead

ALLEY CATS ON DECK Today: Lakewood Blueclaws, 6:05 p.m. Todayspitchers: Lakewood TBA vs. Charleston RH Tom Mastny (1-1, 1.42)Wednesday: Hagerstown Suns, 6:05 p.m. Thursday: Hagerstown Suns,10:35 a.m. Friday: Hagerstown Suns, 6:05 p.m. Saturday: LakewoodBlueclaws, 6:05 p.m. Sunday: Lakewood Blueclaws, 2:05 p.m. Nexthomestand: May 19-21 vs. Lake County Captains Tickets: $4, $6, $7Radio: WBES, 1240-AM Call: 344-CATS

Charleston's Watt Powell Park has recently been called a lot ofthings.

Most of them are not printable.

Formerly a Class AAA minor league baseball park, the 55-year-oldstadium has aged less than gracefully and will, construction pending,be replaced next season by a new multi-million stadium on the city'sEast End.

Yet in its final season of existence, the old park is finallyproviding what many hope the new stadium will deliver every year.

A fan-filled, home-field advantage.

After dropping their home opener, the Charleston Alley Cats havereeled off 13 straight wins at Watt Powell including Monday night's 4-2, 1-0 doubleheader sweep of the Lakewood BlueClaws.

A crowd of 605 - OK, so not fan-filled every night - braved chillytemperatures to watch as the South Atlantic League Northern Division-leading Alley Cats improved to 20-4 on the season. Lakewood fell to 8-16.

"I'm glad to be back at the park," Alley Cat second baseman RyanRoberts said. "To be honest with you, people (opponents) don't wantto play here. You can see it when they go on the field.

"But the field's not that bad. It helps give us an advantagebecause while they're worrying about the field, we're getting readyto play."

Alley Cat Manager Ken Joyce also believes the park is helping out,but credits his team's desire to win for its hot start, as well.

"This has been a great home field," Joyce said. "This field hasits advantages, but I give a lot of credit to our players. We knewwhen we had them together in the final days of spring training thatthese guys would come out and play hard for nine innings.

"It would be nice to play in front of 5,000 people every night andto play on a perfectly manicured infield. But whether it's in frontof 10 people or 5,000 people, these guys are going to come out andplay. I credit them for their attitudes."

Along with attitude and an unexpected home-field boost, the AlleyCats have used timely hitting and dominant pitching to build theirfirst-place perch.

Monday was no different as the Cats received sterling pitchingperformances by starters Shaun Marcum and Davis Romero.

Marcum retired the first 12 hitters he faced in improving to 4-0.A third-round pick in 2003, Marcum allowed five hits and two runs,while striking out six and walking one in six innings.

Brian Reed pitched the seventh inning for his fifth save.

"I'm pitching okay, but it's more the team scoring runs andplaying defense behind me that's helped me so far," said Marcum, anExcelsior Springs, Mo., native.

"My objective is to throw strikes and work quickly. I'm a commandpitcher. I try to change speeds and control the pace of the game.

"I try to make it an up-tempo game. I don't like long games andthat helps keep the defense on its toes."

After falling behind 2-0, Charleston answered with a pair of fifth-inning runs on a solo homer by Mike Galloway and a two-out, RBIsingle by Roberts.

Charleston took the lead in the sixth when Morrin Davis' fielder'schoice scored David Smith with the go-ahead run and a throwing errorscored Galloway with an insurance run.

In the nightcap, Davis Romero (1-0) stymied BlueClaw batters byallowing just one hit over five innings, striking out four andwalking none.

Reliver Felix Romero fanned five and allowed one hit in the finaltwo innings to earn his third save.

"I was just taking advantage of the opportunity to pitch," Romerosaid his second start this season.

"In spring training, I had some work as a starter, so the key wasto just focus on throwing strikes and locating my fastball andbreaking pitch."

A first-inning, RBI single by Clint Johnston scored lead-off manJuan Peralta for the game's only run.

Familial Overlap Between Bipolar Disorder and Psychotic Symptoms in a Canadian Cohort

Background: Although they were once considered separate nosologic entities, there is current interest in the etiologic overlap between bipolar disorder (BD) and schizophrenia. A critical issue concerns the familial basis of the overlap, specifically, the possibility of a distinct familial subtype of BD with psychotic features.

Methods: We recruited individuals with BD from the community and compared them with a matched group diagnosed with no mental disorder to confirm familial aggregation for BD, schizophrenia, and psychotic symptoms. We then compared BD probands both with and without first-degree relatives with psychotic symptoms on several clinical indicators to determine the …

Polygamist leader convicted of child sex abuse

SAN ANGELO, Texas (AP) — A Texas jury has convicted polygamist leader Warren Jeffs on child sexual assault charges in a case stemming from two young followers he took as brides in what his church calls "spiritual marriages."

The 55-year-old head of the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints stood stone-faced as the verdict was read.

The …

First timers: three of New York's latest literary debuts ...(Brief Article)

NAME Toure AGE 31

LIVES IN Brooklyn

DAY JOB Contributing editor, Rolling Stone

BOOK The Portable Promised Land

PLOT Stories that use magical realism to reveal "the brilliance that we [black people] have"

PLANS Already finished next book, a novel

FACT Once ranked twenty-fifth in the U.S. Tennis Association's Eastern Section

NAME Bill Scheft AGE 45

LIVES IN New York

DAY JOB Head monologue writer, Late Show With David Letterman

BOOK The Ringer …

Late freeze expected to threaten fruit crops.

After suffering through tornadoes and flooding, Arkansas was expected to be hit by a late freeze threatening fruit crops and other plants. (Arkansas …

CALI DRUG CARTEL LEADER SURRENDERS IN COLOMBIA.(MAIN)

Byline: CHRIS TORCHIA Associated Press

BOGOTA, Colombia A leader of the Cali drug cartel who is suspected of involvement in a bombing that killed 29 people surrendered to authorities on Monday.

Henry Loaiza, alias ``The Scorpion,'' is considered to be a hard-line cartel member who had wanted to respond to police pressure on the cartel with violent revenge attacks. He is accused of involvement in several massacres.

His surrender comes after the June 9 capture of Gilberto Rodriguez Orejuela, believed by U.S. officials to be the strategic planner of the cartel, which supplies 80 percent of the world's cocaine.

The surrender also follows a …

Phoenix bishop sentenced for church bell noise

A Phoenix church leader has received a suspended 10-day jail sentence because his tolling church bells violated a city noise ordinance.

Bishop Richard Painter says he'll appeal.

The bells at the Cathedral of Christ the King in northwest Phoenix normally chime at the top of every hour from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m.

…

NIGHTMARE: NOT OVER

Like cornered rats, GOP losers more dangerous than ever

NEW YORK-"My fellow Americans," assured incoming president Gerald Ford hours after the Watergate scandal forced Richard Nixon to resign, "our long national nightmare is over."

I'm tempted, in the aftermath of the widest and most stunning electoral repudiation of Republicanism since Watergate, to mark the Democratic recapture of governorships, the House of Representatives and the Senate as the beginning of the end of Bush's fascism lite, and thus a long overdue vindication of what I've been saying about him since his December 2000 coup d'�tat.

Back in 2001 and 2002, state-controlled media called me radical. Now, …

Jitney-Jungle to divest 89 supers.(Brief Article)

JACKSON, Miss. -- Jitney-Jungle Stores of America Inc., which has been operating under federal bankruptcy protection for the past year, agreed late last month to sell 89 of its 137 supermarkets to Winn-Dixie Stores Inc. and Bruno's Supermarkets Inc.

In addition to divesting the bulk of its outlets, Jitney Jungle will sell 34 of its 42 gas stations and five of its nine liquor stores to Winn-Dixie and Bruno's. All of the deals are expected to be completed in January.

These transactions represent a significant step in the resolution of Jitney-Jungle's bankruptcy," notes chief executive officer Ronald Johnson.

"We have greatly improved operations while …

The ActionScript 3.0 Migration Guide.(Brief article)(Book review)

The ActionScript 3.0 Migration Guide

Kris Hadlock

New Riders

c/o Pearson Technology Group

801 East 96th Street, #300, Indianapolis, IN 46240-3759

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Many Flash developers have hesitated to switch from …

CORNELL TO STUDY PROBLEMS OF ORGANIC DAIRY FARMING.(CAPITAL REGION)

ITHACA -- Cornell researchers will watch five upstate New York dairy herds to learn about the problems of converting from conventional to organic farming.

Linda Garrison-Tikofsky, the veterinarian who is leading the project for Cornell's Quality Milk Production Services, said researchers will monitor and try to understand changes in animal health, milk quality and milk safety.

For dairy products to be certified as organic, the animals must be fed organic feeds, have access to unspoiled pasture and not be treated with antibiotics, hormones or certain other conventional therapies.

The study, paid for by a $1 million grant, will be conducted over three …

IN COURT FIGHT, ABORTION FOES DEFEND PICKETING OF CLINICS.(Local)

Byline: Jane Gottlieb Staff writer

Against accusations of intimidation and interfering with patients' rights, a corps of abortion protesters Wednesday told a federal judge why they should be allowed to continue their pickets outside several Planned Parenthood clinics.

In the second day of hearings, 19 individual abortion opponents and organizations named by Upper Hudson Planned Parenthood sought to discredit charges that they use well-orchestrated protests to harass and threaten patients entering and leaving Planned Parenthood clinics in Albany, Troy and Hudson, where abortions are performed.

The Schenectady clinic, where abortions are also performed, is not covered in the action because it is …

35 people killed in bomb blasts at Pakistan shrine

Two suicide bombers struck a popular Muslim shrine in Pakistan's second largest city, killing 35 people and wounding 175 others in the second major attack in Lahore in a month.

The bombers attacked late Thursday as thousands of people visited the Data Darbar shrine, where a famous Sufi saint is buried. Lahore has experienced a growing number of attacks as Taliban fighters along the northwest border with Afghanistan have teamed up with militant groups once supported by the government in the country's heartland.

Security video from the scene showed the blasts scattering terrified worshippers as white plumes of smoke blanketed the area.

The first …

NORAD intercepts small plane near Camp David

WASHINGTON (AP) — NORAD says two F-15 fighters had to intercept a small aircraft that had no radio communication and was flying near the presidential retreat at Camp David, Maryland.

A statement said the fighter jets met the Beechcraft Bonanza on Saturday afternoon about 11 miles from Camp David and escorted it …

Selling Cable in the Land of Rabbit Ears.

Byline: JON LAFAYETTE

Minneapolis is a tough place to sell television.

You would think the snow and cold weather would drive Minneapolitans indoors where they could warm themselves by the glow of the boob tube. But you'd be wrong, according to Eric Brown, president of Time Warner Cable's Minneapolis division.

"People here don't let the winter get in the way of being active," Brown said.

That translates into relatively low penetration for pay television. Combined penetration for cable and satellite TV is just 54%, far lower than the national average.

"My neighbors take pride in having only one TV in their house and having rabbit ears on it," said Brown. People there don't talk about The Sopranos or The West Wing, he said. Instead, they're very involved in community activities. "You hear them talking about their kids and the Lutheran Circle," Brown said. "TV is not the centerpiece of their lifestyle."

The family-oriented nature of the market "has a very definite impact on how people view technology and what their appetites are for entertainment and communications services," Brown said.

Fortunately for Time Warner Cable, while Minneapolis is traditional and family-oriented, it's also an upscale market in which high-speed Internet access is an easy sell.

"We do recognize that high-speed data is our growth engine, and we focus on growing our penetration there," Brown said. "About 25% of our customers have high-speed access, and it's growing every month."

Brown arrived in the market about a year ago from Los Angeles, which is a bit warmer. "It's been an absolutely delightful transition," he said. "The Twin Cities are very cosmopolitan. It's much more diverse than I was expecting, particularly in the city, which is our service area."

The city is the home for several major corporations, including Best Buy, ADC, 3M, American Express's IDS division, Target and Northwest Airlines.

"There is a very healthy corporate community," Brown said. "That makes for a community with a high level of education, a lot of dual-income families."

These are the folks scarfing high-speed service. Time Warner has offered Road Runner since 2000 and is now a multiple-ISP provider, with Earthlink, America Online, Max.Inter.net and BigNot available.

Still, Time Warner needs to sell its video products and has been refining new strategies to do that. In a market like Minneapolis, where television is deemed less …