Kramer to apologize for shove

Dutch speedskater Sven Kramer will apologize and give a small gift to an Olympic volunteer he pushed aside after he was disqualified from the 10,000-race he had been favored to win.

His coach Gerard Kemkers says the …

Dynamic duo has inspired Stevenson // 3-year starters key volleyball team

Leanne Ulmer knew Mike Maksymec and Gerrit Polidoro were specialeven when she coached them as freshmen on the junior varsityvolleyball team at Stevenson.

"I could tell then that they were talented," said Ulmer, now inher second year as varsity coach.

Both cracked the varsity starting lineup as sophomores. Nowseniors, they've been there ever since."I had some competition at my spot (outside hitter), but when Imade the team, I knew I was going to play, because they usually don'tbring up sophomores to sit on the bench," said the 5-11 Maksymec."I got to start (at middle hitter), I guess, because of myaggressiveness," said the 6-3 Polidoro. "Everyone thrives off …

Egypt crisis puts pressure on US allies in Mideast

RAMALLAH, West Bank (AP) — Jordan's king fired his Cabinet on Tuesday and the Palestinian president promised to hold long-delayed elections as America's Mideast allies came under pressure for democratic reforms because of the popular uprising sweeping Egypt.

But the Western push for reform in this tumultuous region has backfired in the past, strengthening Islamists at the expense of pro-U.S. moderates.

The Egyptian revolt against President Hosni Mubarak's 30-year rule has raised two urgent questions: Will it spread and perhaps destabilize other countries, and will it bring more democracy to the Arab world?

The democracy question is particularly pressing for U.S. allies …

Big Mexican drug ring hit by Atlanta-area busts

JONESBORO, Georgia (AP) — Federal and local law enforcement agents have arrested 45 people and seized cash, guns and more than two tons of drugs as part of an investigation into the Atlanta-area U.S. distribution hub of a major Mexican drug cartel, authorities said Thursday.

Operation Choke Hold began in May 2009 and targeted the Atlanta-area operations of La Familia Michoacana, authorities said at a news conference at a suburban Atlanta courthouse. Known as La Familia, it is one of Mexico's largest and most brutal cartels.

"It has been widely reported that the Atlanta metropolitan area has become a major distribution center for drug cartels based in Mexico," said Jack …

Puzzle Quest is addictive

"PUZZLE QUEST: CHALLENGE OF THE WARLORDS," PSP, D3, rated E10+for Everyone ages 10 and up (reviewer's rating: 9 out of 10)

Sure, puzzle games are fun, but most are like chewing gum: Theylose their flavor fast. But who would have thought to combine apuzzle game with a role-playing game? The folks at D3 did, and withaddictive results.

The game itself you might find familiar if you've played otherpuzzle games, such as "Bejeweled." Starting out with a grid of multi-colored gems, players swap two gems to line up three, four or fiveof the same color to get points, but that's just the beginning.

That simple game then becomes the battleground against opponentsin a tale …

Russian Suspect Says He's Just a Witness

LONDON - The man reported by British media to be the prime suspect in the radioactive poisoning death of former KGB agent Alexander Litvinenko said in a television interview Monday that police had told him he was just a witness.

Andrei Lugovoi told Sky News in Russia that he had fully cooperated with British authorities investigating the death of Litvinenko and that they had not named him as a suspect.

"I want to stress that officially I am a just a witness and not even a suspect," Lugovoi said. "I was told that by Scotland Yard when they were in Moscow."

Speculation that the British police had identified their prime suspect mounted last week, with several media …

Clijsters to announce plans amid comeback rumors

Former top-ranked Kim Clijsters will hold a news conference Thursday amid reports she is planning a return to the WTA Tour.

The 25-year-old Belgian, who retired two years ago, will "unveil her plans for 2009" at the tennis center where she has been recently training.

"At this time, Kim has not contacted the Tour regarding entry into Tour events," WTA spokesman Andrew Walker wrote in an e-mail to The Associated Press.

The Het Belang van Limburg regional newspaper said she was set to enter top-level tournaments. The VTM television network said she may target the U.S. Open, where she won her only Grand Slam title in 2005, as the …

Judge says Marcos is too sick for trial

NEW YORK A federal judge ruled Monday that ousted PhilippinePresident Ferdinand Marcos is too ill to stand trial with his wife,Imelda, and seven others on fraud and conspiracy charges.

But Judge John Keenan said that if Marcos's health improves hewill be added to the trial of the eight others.

The …

Hurricanes Win With 0.5 Seconds Left

ATLANTA - Ray Whitney scored on a tip-in with one-half second left in the third period Friday night, lifting the Carolina Hurricanes past the Atlanta Thrashers 4-3, the defending Stanley Cup champion's first win of the season.

Cam Ward stopped 31 shots for the Hurricanes, who were off to an 0-3-1 start.

An overtime period seemed inevitable until Whitney's first goal of the season in the final second. Whitney tipped in a shot by Eric Staal.

The last-second shot capped a frustrating night for Atlanta goaltender Kari Lehtonen, who gave up three first-period goals and then shut out the Hurricanes until Whitney's game-winner.

Craig Adams scored two goals for …

Car crashes into Conn. hospital's empty lobby

Police say a car carrying two men and a dog crashed through the front doors of a Connecticut hospital and ended up in the lobby.

Authorities say no one was in the lobby and no one injured when the car slammed into the Hospital of Central Connecticut in Southington just before 3 a.m. Friday.

The two men and dog fled the scene. …

Hornets Give Bulls Fuel for Playoffs

After becoming the first team to win at the United Center thisseason, posting a surprising 98-97 victory Monday night, theCharlotte Hornets held a brief on-court celebration before runningoff the court.

That scene perhaps will be one the Bulls will remember if theyhappen to face the Hornets in the first round of the playoffs.

Another might be an exchange between Hornets coach Allan Bristowas he passed the Bulls' Dennis Rodman, although Bristow denied sayinganything."Allan Bristow knows what he said," Rodman said. "He said,`We'll see you in the playoffs,' and called me some kind of name. Helooked directly at me and I said, `OK, great, we'll see you in …

Yahoo hires former News Corp. exec to fill void

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Yahoo Inc. is turning to a former Internet sharpshooter at News Corp.'s media empire to fill a big hole on its management team.

In a hiring announced late Wednesday, Ross Levinsohn will be Yahoo's executive vice president in charge the company's advertising sales, media division and business partnerships in North America, Central America and South America. He will report to Yahoo CEO Carol Bartz, although he will be based in the company's Santa Monica office instead of its Sunnyvale headquarters.

Although he left News Corp. nearly four years ago, Levinsohn is still best known for orchestrating that company's $580 million acquisition of the online hangout …

TERRI MCKINSEY // Flight Nurse

In the mid-1980s as an intensive care nurse at Georgia BaptistMedical Center in Atlanta, she would hear the rotors of thehospital's helicopter and get butterflies in her stomach. "I wasalways intrigued." In 1986, the center's Life Flight service added asecond aircraft, and the call for flight nurses went out. "I said,what the heck, and I applied and got it!" She said her background inICU work is what got her the job because most emergency air servicerequires that type of previous training or extensive emergency roomexperience. A registered nurse, she worked in ICU at a small areahospital before Georgia Baptist. The she was in the cardiac surgicalICU and cardiac trauma unit. In 1986, she trained in Life Flight forsix months, learning such things as altitude physiology and thephysical effects of gravitational force on the body. She met herhusband, Jim, at Georgia Baptist, where he was then a resident (nowhe is a vascular surgeon at the University of Chicago Hospitals).When he transferred to Chicago in 1992, she was able to land at theU. of C. Aeronautical Network. She currently is grounded because sheis expecting a daughter, Laura, this week. Waiting for . . .

Her job literally is waiting for an accident to happen. Orthere may be a transport of a patient from one place to another for avariety of reasons. "We're here waiting for a call from the state police or emergencymedical services, usually when there are multicasualties somewhere.We go ahead and lift off, even if we don't have an exact locationyet. We call it `scene response.' We lift off because every minutecounts." While en route, "We get as much information as we can, ifthere were cars, trucks, rollovers, fires. That way we can getthings ready, like burn sheets out ready to go, or pain medicationsor equipment for head injuries, airway problems, IV fluids" and soon. At the other end, she said police and other emergency agencyworkers have been trained by hospital pilots and staffers how toprepare for incoming helicopters, things like selecting the bestlanding site, usually marked by flares or sectioned off by policecars. "We're very quiet in the back, the pilot needs to be talkingto the ground or airport tower. Our job in the back is to look forother aircraft, we are the pilot's second and third sets of eyes."She said a normal flight consists of the pilot (most are Vietnamcombat veterans), a physician and a nurse. Another nurse may beadded. The helicopter (an American Eurocopter-Dauphin 2) can taketwo patients out from a casualty scene. "We can fly within about 200miles, but we can go farther." Depending if paramedics have already"appropriately packaged" an accident victim, the helicopter can be inand out in as little as four minutes. She's been on the ground forlonger than an hour for drivers in penned-in automobiles. No reservations

"I love flying, I love aviation. I don't have a pilot'slicense, but someday I will. My son, J. T. (2 1/2), loves thehelicopter. He sits in it, puts my helmet on and smiles. My husbandsays, `Where does he get that?' I think my husband gets a littlenervous sometimes (about her job). But I've never been in asituation where I was afraid."

This job is for "people with assertive personalities, people whoare independent. Floor nurses work very hard, but I couldn't take 15patients. I enjoy the autonomy."

BUT: "There is a waiting line to be a flight nurse. There is arunning joke . . . you have to take a contract out on a flight nurseto get to be one. Our crews' lowest years of nursing experience is10."

13 Tibetan protesters detained in Indian capital

NEW DELHI (AP) — Police have detained more than a dozen Tibetan exiles demonstrating outside the Chinese Embassy in the Indian capital.

The Tibetan Youth Congress says Sunday's demonstration was organized as a show of solidarity following recent self-immolation protests by Tibetans against the Chinese government.

The protesters waved red and blue Tibetan flags and chanted "Free Tibet" and "We want freedom." They were blocked by New Delhi police as they rushed toward the Chinese Embassy.

M.P. Saini, a police officer, says 13 protesters were detained for violating a law prohibiting more than four people from gathering in the area around the embassy.

Five Tibetans have set themselves on fire in southwest China's Sichuan province in the past two weeks.

Neil Diamond discusses new CD & his best year yet

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Neil Diamond has been a hit maker for more than four decades, but the 70-year-old singer-songwriter says that when he's alone in his studio, he sometimes wonders who will hear his music.

The answer, of course, is almost everyone, as evidenced by a stellar year that saw the "Sweet Caroline" singer inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, become a Kennedy Center Honoree, earn his 13th Grammy nod and release a career-spanning collection of greatest hits.

"The Very Best of Neil Diamond," featuring 23 songs, was released last week, just after he returned from the Kennedy Center Honors in Washington, D.C., where he shook hands with President Barack Obama.

Diamond is planning a North American tour to support the album next year, and he's also planning to marry his love, Katie O'Neil.

Diamond said 2011 has "definitely been one of the best years ever."

Still soaring from the Kennedy Center celebration, he talked with The Associated Press about his new bride and his banner year.

___

AP: What were the Kennedy Center Honors like? (The ceremony will air as a special on CBS on Dec. 27.)

Diamond: It was like a fairy tale, really, because the White House is really done up for Christmas and I got the chance to bring my kids with me and three of my older grandkids, who all had the chance to say hello to the President and Mrs. Obama, and they were of course thrilled. That was, to me, the best part of it — being able to share it with them. It was a grueling gauntlet of praise and adulation and I'm going to have to work extra hard on this upcoming tour to feel as though I deserve it.

AP: What inspired you to release a career-spanning collection?

Diamond: I don't think I've ever had the original studio recordings of these songs all together on one disc. ... It's like a Fellini party for me. I know all the names and places. I have recollections about each of these songs, I was able to write them down and include them in the little booklet that comes with the CD, and it was like old home week for me. ... It was all the warm things that you would expect when you make a connection to something from your past that's very pure and direct and unaltered. That's what this entire album is all about and I love it for that reason.

AP: You announced that your 2012 tour will feature your classic hits. How do you bring energy to these songs you've performed thousands of times?

Diamond: I've never, never just gone out and sung a song. I go out and try and breathe life into an original creation and I try to do it every night, and I think that's what it takes. There's no point in doing it if you can't create some kind of a moment, a very special moment of connection between the audience and the performance, and that's what I go for. ... My audience has been so loyal and so warm and giving to me over the years that I'd have to be cruel and heartless not to want to give at least as much back to them, and I do.

AP: Congratulations on your engagement. What can you share about it?

Diamond: It's great to be in love again. It's definitely a positive and inspirational place to be. I'm lucky enough to have a wonderful gal and I talked her into marrying me and I'll try to make it the right decision for her. I think she's just terrific. And of course life that's led alone and in a solitary way is life that's only half lived. And I refuse to accept living only half a life. I want to share it with someone and I've been blessed to find this beautiful person to share my life with, so I'm a happy guy. I'm walking around with a smile on my face 24-7.

AP: In the notes included with your latest album, you say you longed for and finally found "a personally satisfying life for myself beyond the music." What do you mean?

Diamond: Music can absorb your entire existence and it has for me for many, many years, and of course people who you love and who are near and dear to you pay a price, and I've always felt some sort of guilt about that. ... But you do need time away, time to clear your mind, time to experience the basic things of life, the simple, wonderful fact of existence and coexistence with the world around you — not only people but with nature. I never really had that until just recently and it's been a further inspiration to me, as if I needed any further inspiration. It's another bonus.

___

Online:

http://www.neildiamond.com

___

AP Entertainment Writer Sandy Cohen can be reached at www.twitter.com/APSandy .

Poll Picks Knicks

Once again, the naysayers abound in a poll of NBA reporters andcelebrities regarding the Bulls' chances of winning a thirdconsecutive title.

In a poll of 18 beat writers and one celebrity fan, seven pickthe Knicks to win the championship and six pick the Suns. Only fourpick the Bulls. The Houston Rockets and Portland Trail Blazers eachgot one vote. Tim Povtak, Orlando Sentinel and The Sporting News - The Suns: "Thisis Charles Barkley's year." Ira Winderman, Ft. Lauderdale Sun Sentinel - The Knicks: "Thuggeryis in vogue." Joe Menzer, Willoughby (Ohio) News Herald - The Suns: "Simplybecause I don't want to pick the Bulls." Corky Meinecke, Detroit Free Press - The Bulls: "Because I pickedthem at the beginning of the season." Fred Kerber, New York Post - The Knicks: "Bill Cartwright is nolonger as effective defensively as he used to be defending againstPatrick Ewing." Bob Burns, Sacramento Bee - The Suns: "Charles Barkley!" Mike Fine, Patriot Ledger (Quincy, Mass.) - The Suns: "CharlesBarkley!" Lee Shappell, The Arizona Republic - The Rockets: "They are thehottest team going into the playoffs and the Suns are hurting." Steve Brunner, Indianapolis News - The Trail Blazers: "They arebeing seriously overlooked, but their experience will finally payoff." Spike Lee, movie director and native New Yorker - The Knicks: "Ilove Michael Jordan. He's my man. But the three-peat will beimpossible because of a weaker bench without Cliff Levingston." Bob Ryan, Boston Globe - The Knicks: "I picked them at the beginningof the season and see no need to back down now." Cliff Brown, New York Times - The Suns: "They've been the best teamall season and they have enough offensive weapons to offset theirdefensive deficiencies." Sam Goldaper, retired NBA writer - The Knicks: "If they are allowedto play their game, nobody can beat them." Ahmad Rashad, NBC-TV reporter - The Bulls: "I believe in miracles." Jan Hubbard, Newsday - The Bulls: "Michael Jordan!" Barry Cooper, Orlando Sentinel - The Knicks: "They will find a wayto keep Barkley in check." Marty McNeal, Sacramento Bee - The Knicks: "I don't think you'veseen the real Rolando Blackman that you're going to see in theplayoffs." John Peoples, Seattle Times - The Bulls: "Michael Jordan wants threechampionships." Scott Howard-Cooper, Los Angeles Times - The Suns: "They're the bestteam right now with Charles Barkley."

Triana completes its purchase of Columbia Natural Resources

Charleston-based Triana Energy Holdings LLC has completed itspurchase of Columbia Natural Resources from NiSource Inc., and haslaid off 31 employees.

The company will be renamed Columbia Natural Resources LLC andoperate out of CNR's old headquarters in Charleston, Triana VicePresident Jim Dissen said.

The natural gas exploration and production company will have 380employees, including 290 in West Virginia.

It will be led by Henry Harmon, Triana's chairman, president andchief executive officer. Harmon resigned as president of CNR in 2000,about the time NiSource completed its purchase of the Columbia EnergyGroup. Triana formed the following year.

Dissen said 31 CNR employees lost their jobs as a result of themerger, but will receive severance packages.

Another 13 were transferred to other jobs at NiSource, he said.

"The number of employees affected was very small," Dissen said."The main thing is the headquarters remains in West Virginia and inCharleston. What you often see with mergers like this is theheadquarters moving out of state."

In July, NiSource, a utility holding company, reported the salewas worth $330 million in cash. Morgan Stanley Capital Partnersteamed with Triana in the deal.

Fletcher to miss Scotland's match vs Liechtenstein

GLASGOW, Scotland (AP) — Scotland captain Darren Fletcher will miss Saturday's European Championship qualifier against Liechtenstein because of illness.

The Manchester United midfielder has tonsillitis and has not joined up with the squad, although Scotland manager Craig Levein expects the player to be available for the team's final Group I game against Spain on Tuesday.

Scotland is third in the group, two points behind second-place Czech Republic, which also has two matches remaining.

Whichever team finishes second will take part in a two-legged playoff to reach next year's finals in Poland and Ukraine.

Virginia's method of lethal injection upheld

A federal appeals court on Thursday upheld Virginia's method of executing inmates by lethal injection, ruling that it prevents them from experiencing excruciating pain.

In a 2-1 decision, a panel of the 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals rejected condemned inmate Christopher Scott Emmett's argument that Virginia's procedure was unconstitutional.

Emmett's lawyers claimed the procedure risks substantial harm because it does not allow for a second dose of anesthesia to make sure an inmate is unconscious before paralyzing and heart-stopping drugs are injected.

The appeals court said there is no evidence that the first dose of anesthesia has ever failed to render an inmate unconscious.

The ruling came on the day another Virginia inmate _ Kent Jermaine Jackson _ was executed by lethal injection for killing his 79-year-old neighbor. The 26-year-old Jackson, sentenced to death for the 2000 killing of Beulah Mae Kaiser, was pronounced dead at 9:18 p.m.

Emmett is scheduled to be executed July 24 for the 2001 bludgeoning death of a co-worker in Danville.

The appeals court said Virginia's protocol for administering the three-drug concoction is "largely identical" to that of Kentucky, which was upheld by the U.S. Supreme Court in April.

In his dissent, Justice Roger Gregory argued that Virginia's protocol is different enough from Kentucky's to require further study.

Kentucky administers 3 grams of sodium thiopental, which results in a deep, coma-like unconsciousness, while Virginia uses only 2 grams.

Also unlike Kentucky, Virginia uses the so-called "rapid flow" technique, in which the lethal chemicals are administered quickly one after the other without pause. Kentucky corrections officials pause between the first and second doses of drugs to make sure the inmate is properly sedated.

While the majority found those to be "minor variations," Gregory said they made a difference in whether an execution was humane.

"A cocktail of the very same three drugs has the potential to end in quiet, painless death or excruciating, silent torture depending upon how those drugs are administered," he wrote.

Emmett's lawyer, Matthew S. Hellman, said he was disappointed with the ruling but declined to comment on whether he'll appeal to the full appeals court or the U.S. Supreme Court.

Attorney General Bob McDonnell's office was pleased with the ruling.

"This is yet another confirmation by the courts that lethal injection as authorized in the commonwealth is constitutional," said David Clementson, a spokesman.

Emmett was convicted of beating John Fenton Langley to death with the base of a brass lamp in a motel room, taking his wallet and using the money to buy crack cocaine. Langley and Emmett were friends and had been working together in Danville as part of an out-of-town roofing crew.

___

Associated Press Writer Larry O'Dell contributed to this article.

McDonald's speeds up use of quick cash card

McDonald's plans to allow all U.S. stores to use a new cash cardthat customers can wave in front of a machine to make payments in amatter of seconds.

The world's largest restaurant chain will offer MasterCardInternational's Pay Pass service in more than 13,600 U.S. storesafter introducing it in about 7,500, said Cathleen Conforti,MasterCard's global Pay Pass product manager. The service uses radiofrequencies to allow customers to pay for transactions simply bytapping or waving the card near a McDonald's checkout counter.

The new technology cuts wait times 12 to 18 seconds, Confortisaid. McDonald's is stepping up use of the technology as it has beenadopted by competitor Yum Brands, owner of the Pizza Hut and KFCchains, as well as retailers such as 7-Eleven, CVS and some NationalFootball League stadiums.

"We have actually gotten so much more interest from both theissuers' banks and the merchant side that we are going to be in manymore markets than we expected to be in by the fourth quarter,"Conforti said. "They find that they get a lot more activity, a lotmore revenue, because they've got more customers that they can get inand out faster."

McDonald's began testing Pay Pass last August in New York andDallas. The average total weekly amount spent by consumers using thenew cards increased 28 percent, Conforti said.

Shares of Oak Brook-based McDonald's fell 42 cents to $31.20.Before Thursday, they had dropped 1.4 percent this year.

Second-quarter sales at McDonald's stores open at least 13 monthsrose 2.8 percent, the slowest in two years. The company has had morethan two years of sales gains by expanding beyond burgers and fries,adding a $2.99 fruit-and-walnut salad to spur U.S. growth.

Lewis University forum on Black entrepreneurs scheduled Thursday

Lewis University forum on Black entrepreneurs scheduled Thursday

Lewis University will present a forum on "Black Entrepreneurs" at 2 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 17, as part of the Lewis Black History Month Celebration.

Yorli Huff, owner of "Just for You Balloons," will speak at the forum and discuss starting her own business. She is a a resident of Bolingbrook and a 1999 graduate of Lewis University,

Open to the public, the forum will take place in the Academic Building, Room Al 33 on the Lewis main campus, Route 53 in Romeoville. Admission is free.

A Christian Brothers university, Lewis offers bachelors degrees in more than 60 majors, accelerated degree completion options for working adults in business administration/ management, aviation maintenance management, computer network administration and social & community studies; a variety of aviation programs, pre-professional programs, and master's degrees in business administration, counseling psychology, criminal /social/ social justice, education, nursing, and school counseling & guidance. A masters degree in leadership studies is available in an accelerated format. The first of its kind in the Chicagoland area, an on-line program leads to the Master of Science in Nursing (MSN) degree in case management.

An MSN/MBA option also is available plus a Certificate of Advanced Study in education. Certificate programs also are offered in aviation flight dispatch, business, education and nursing (case management or nursing administration).

Article Copyright Sengstacke Enterprises, Inc.

Such sweep sorrow

The White Sox are waiting for that hot streak.

That run of victories that would catapult them atop the American League Central. That defining stretch of the season.

The wait continues.

Facing their 11th opportunity to sweep a team in a three- or four-game series, the Sox let the Oakland Athletics off the hook, losing 3-2 on Sunday. Mark Ellis won it with a home run with two outs in the ninth off closer Bobby Jenks.

The Sox missed their chance to sweep a series in Oakland for the first time since 1997. They also had their four-game winning streak at the Coliseum snapped. It was their longest run since a five-game streak from Aug. 1, 1996, to Aug. 5, 1997.

The Sox failed to take advantage of the Detroit Tigers' loss and remained 2� games out of first place. And failing to take advantage of another chance to sweep -- they're 2-9 in such situations -- might be something they regret all winter.

''Obviously, if we get into a situation where we miss out by a game or two, we're going to look back and wish we had played better in certain stretches,'' pitcher John Danks said after getting the no-decision.

The Sox continued to make life difficult for themselves, wasting another dominant performance by Danks. They missed out on scoring chances and failed to make the big play in the key moment.

With the Sox leading 2-1 in the eighth, Rajai Davis doubled to left-center, and manager Ozzie Guillen summoned reliever Octavio Dotel. After Kurt Suzuki popped out for the second out, Scott Hairston lifted a ball to deep left field. Scott Podsednik was in position to making a difficult -- but by no means impossible -- catch near the wall.

Podsednik appeared to misjudge the distance between him and the wall, jumping short of it. The ball dropped out of his reach and ricocheted back in play, allowing Davis to score easily.

Guillen was asked if the ball was catchable and took the high road.

''I have to see the replay,'' Guillen said. ''It was too far away for me to see it.''

An inning later, in came Jenks (2-4) and out went a 1-0 offering to Ellis over the left-field wall. Enjoy the long plane ride home after the 3-3 West Coast road trip.

''The way the division has shaped up, even the team that wins the division, I mean the winner of this division might finish in the mid-80s in wins,'' Paul Konerko said. ''You have no choice but to say, 'We left some things out on the table there.' But I think we're in position.

''We have a tough part of the schedule coming up, but if we could get down to the last 15 or 20 games being in first place or right around it, that's what we're shooting for. We're hoping to stay close with the schedule we got, be within striking distance and then at some point we have to make a run, have that 7-2 winning streak over nine games, and then see where you're at. We have to trust that the schedule will give us enough time to catch up.''

The hard-luck hurler was Danks, who went 7� innings, allowing two runs and eight hits. But after the game, the lefty already was turning the page.

''We know we're one of the stronger-minded clubs, and we're going to go out there and try and win every game,'' Danks said. ''We're not going to let this bother us.''

Comment at suntimes.com.

- - -

THE RECAP

AT THE PLATE

The Sox wore throwback jerseys from 1929. After scoring two runs with eight hits in the loss, they might want to make sure those jerseys aren't worn again. Only Mark Kotsay had multiple hits. Jim Thome was forced out of the game with a sore left foot and likely won't play today.

ON THE MOUND

John Danks did everything he could to give the Sox a chance to win, pitching 7� innings and allowing two runs, but he was not involved in the decision. Octavio Dotel blew the save and then Bobby Jenks picked up the loss.

PIVOTAL POINT

With two outs, it looked as if Jenks would work his way out of the ninth. Mark Ellis had a different idea, ending the game with a walk-off solo homer. He also ended the Sox' chance to sweep the Athletics in the Coliseum for the first time since 1997.

- - -

BOXSCORE

SOX AB R H BI BB SO Avg.

Podsednik lf 5 1 1 1 0 1 .296

Beckham 3b 3 0 1 0 1 1 .306

Dye rf 3 0 1 0 1 0 .273

Thome dh 2 0 0 1 0 1 .250

a-Konerko ph-dh 1 0 0 0 0 0 .274

Rios cf 4 0 0 0 0 1 .259

Pierzynski c 4 0 1 0 0 1 .311

Al.Ramirez ss 4 0 1 0 0 1 .276

Kotsay 1b 3 1 2 0 0 0 .262

J.Nix 2b 3 0 1 0 0 1 .228

Totals 32 2 8 2 2 7

Oakland AB R H BI BB SO Avg.

Kennedy 3b 4 0 0 0 0 0 .287

R.Davis cf 3 1 2 0 1 0 .300

K.Suzuki c 4 0 0 0 0 0 .277

Hairston lf 4 0 2 1 0 0 .262

Garciaparra dh 4 1 2 0 0 1 .267

Crosby ss 4 0 1 0 0 1 .225

Everidge 1b 4 0 0 0 0 2 .236

M.Ellis 2b 3 1 2 2 0 0 .283

Cunningham rf 3 0 1 0 0 0 .151

Totals 33 3 10 3 1 4

SOX 000 002 000--2 8 0

Oakland 000 000 111--3 10 1

Two outs when winning run scored.

E--Cunningham (2). LOB--SOX 8, Oakland 6. 2B--Beckham (22), Pierzynski (16), Kotsay (6), R.Davis (12), Hairston (7), Crosby (8). 3B--Podsednik (4). HR--M.Ellis (6), off Jenks. RBIs--Podsednik (34), Thome (71), Hairston (21), M.Ellis 2 (42). SB--J.Nix (8), R.Davis (24). S--Kotsay, J.Nix. SF--Thome, M.Ellis.

Runners left in scoring position--SOX 6 (Thome, Rios, Podsednik 3, Pierzynski); Oakland 4 (Cunningham 2, Hairston, Garciaparra).

GIDP--J.Nix, K.Suzuki, Crosby.

DP--SOX 2 (J.Nix, Al.Ramirez, Kotsay), (Al.Ramirez, J.Nix, Kotsay); Oakland 1 (Crosby, M.Ellis, Everidge).

SOX IP H R ER BB SO NP ERA

Danks 7.1 8 2 2 1 3 90 3.96

Dotel BS, 3-3 0.2 1 0 0 0 1 13 2.72

Jenks L, 2-4 0.2 1 1 1 0 0 5 3.89

Oakland IP H R ER BB SO NP ERA

Cahill 6 6 2 2 2 2 98 4.97

J.Marshall 1 0 0 0 0 1 7 0.00

Wuertz 1 1 0 0 0 3 27 3.16

A.Bailey W, 5-3 1 1 0 0 0 1 22 2.05

Cahill pitched to 2 batters in the 7th.

Inherited runners-scored--Dotel 1-1, J.Marshall 2-0.

Umpires--Home, Bill Hohn; First, Paul Emmel; Second, Gary Darling; Third, Todd Tichenor. T--2:30. A--20,241.

HOW THEY SCORED

White Sox sixth Kotsay doubled. J.Nix sacrificed, Kotsay to third. Podsednik tripled, Kotsay scored. Beckham walked. Dye walked, Beckham to second. Thome hit a sacrifice fly, Podsednik scored, Beckham to third. Two runs. White Sox 2, Athletics 0.

Athletics seventh Garciaparra singled. Crosby doubled, Garciaparra to third. Everidge struck out. M.Ellis hit a sacrifice fly, Garciaparra scored, Crosby to third. One run. White Sox 2, Athletics 1.

Athletics eighth Kennedy grounded out. R.Davis doubled. Dotel pitching. K.Suzuki fouled out. Hairston doubled, R.Davis scored. One run. White Sox 2, Athletics 2.

Athletics ninth Jenks pitching. Crosby flied out. Everidge lined out. M.Ellis homered to left on a 1-0 count. One run. Athletics 3, White Sox 2

Color Photo: Ben Margot, AP / Scott Podsednik fails to catch a ball near the wall in the eighth inning. Rajai Davis scored on the play to knot the score at 2. ; Color Photo: Ben Margot, AP / Bobby Jenks leaves the field after giving up the game-winning home run to Mark Ellis with two outs in the ninth inning. ;

England reach 126-0 at lunch against Australia

Andrew Strauss and Alastair Cook gave England a flying start to the second Ashes test against Australia on Thursday, punishing wayward pace bowler Mitchell Johnson as they reached 126 without loss at lunch on day one at Lord's.

Cook was 67 not out at the interval and captain Strauss, who won the toss in good batting conditions, was on 47.

Johnson had conceded 53 from his eight overs in the session, while Cook reached his half-century with his 11th boundary to emphasize Australia's lack of control. Cook had scored 14 boundaries at the break and faced 95 balls.

Johnson conceded four boundaries in six balls at one point as Strauss punished the left-arm paceman for bowling offline. Two of the fours were square cut from short, wide deliveries and the others were clipped off his legs through midwicket.

His first four-over spell cost 26 Australia runs before he was replaced by Peter Siddle at the Pavilion End.

One rare moment of danger for England came when Cook edged the more impressive Ben Hilfenhaus towards Ponting at second slip in the seventh over but the Australian could not get a hand on the ball, which sped to the third man boundary.

When Johnson changed to the Nursery End the results were the same. His first two balls were short and wide, which Cook hammered through cover for boundaries. Johnson, with head bowed and shoulders drooping, looked a man low on confidence.

Ponting kept faith with Johnson but he conceded two more boundaries in his seventh over to have conceded 47 runs. Conversely, Hilfenhaus allowed 16 from his first nine, with six maidens. Johnson still bowled an eighth to show Ponting's lack of options.

Andrew Flintoff earlier passed a fitness test after pain in his right knee to play his final Lord's test after announcing Wednesday this will be his last test series because of his injury struggles.

England, seeking to regain the Ashes it lost in 2006-07, drew the first test which ended on Sunday. It has not beaten Australia in an Ashes test at Lord's for 75 years.

Spain's pregnant defense minister visits troops in Afghanistan

Spain's first woman Defense Minister, Carme Chacon, arrived in Afghanistan on Saturday to visit peacekeeping troops, a ministry spokesman said.

Chacon, 37, who is seven months pregnant, was accompanied by a medical team including a gynecologist, the spokesman said, on condition of anonymity in keeping with government rules.

She arrived at 09.15 GMT at Spain's military base in Herat, northwest Afghanistan, having left Madrid around 10 hours earlier.

Chacon is recently re-elected Prime Minister Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero's most visible symbol of gender equality in a government that has brought in sweeping social legislation designed to rid traditionally male-dominated Spain of discrimination.

Zapatero's cabinet contains nine women and eight men. Women's rights advocates have praised Chacon's appointment while some conservatives have raised objections.

Right-leaning newspapers and some retired officers have criticized her lack of military background but so far no one has said her pregnancy is a problem.

Chacon is also due to visit Spanish peacekeeping troops in Lebanon in the next few days, press reports said, citing unnamed government sources.

Marina Abramovic

MARINA ABRAMOVIC

SEAN KELLY GALLERY

Marina Abramovic's The House with the Ocean View, 2002, may well be one of the most important live artworks of the decade, but not for obvious reasons. Not only because the artist produced an elegant work that continues themes from a thirty-year career that has included performances of extreme endurance. Nor because she connected with her audience at a time when intimacy between artist and viewer is rare in immaculate Chelsea galleries. But because House is a work of pure theater. Without a single word, and with a minimum of means, Abramovic created a deeply existential drama on the nature of living in the "here and now," as she refers to the present tense.

For twelve days and nights, and in full view of audiences during gallery hours, Abramovic theatricalized the rituals of daily life: sleeping, drinking, going to the bathroom. Dressed in a tunic and pants reminiscent of Alexander Rodchenko's Constructivist uniforms (a fresh color for each day), she composed a series of slow gestures and deliberate turns that transformed her activities into somber ceremonies: removing clothes, folding each garment, stepping into the shower, opening the faucet. Each action was constructed to produce an indelible picture of the grace of ordinary acts. Some movements recalled figures from art-- historical tradition, such as bathers, when she draped a large bath towel across her body following a shower.

The stage set for this drama took the form of a diagram of domestic essentials; "bedroom," "bathroom," and "living room" occupied three cantilevered platforms set six feet off the ground. But the words in the title, house and ocean view, made this simple elevation into an architectural alcazar of the imagination, suggesting a narrative for a structure that was not really there. The fact that Abramovic remained alone each night in her self-imposed confinement made palpable the watchfulness of buildings left empty; four walls, generic furniture, light fixtures, a drywall floor, kept Abramovic company as she continued her private theater without anyone there.

Abramovic's script, composed of only a set of restrictions-no food, no talking, no reading, no writing-was posted on the wall at the gallery entrance and executed with the concentration of a religious acolyte. The cast, on the other hand, was entirely unexpected: Random members of the crowd became spontaneous players in the work, taking part in improvised exchanges with the artist. For instance, one man, almost entirely alone in the gallery, stared up at Abramovic, and she down at him, for a quarter of an hour. Only the tick lock of a metronome punctuated the intensive activity-the business of their thinking-that was the subtext to this scene. If indeed the eyes are windows to the soul, Abramovic's eye contact with so many viewers easily crashed through the intractable third wall of theatrical tradition.

The finale on the twelfth day was a directorial feat. The gallery was crowded to capacity with mesmerized followers sitting on the floor. What would happen at six? At ten minutes to the hour, gallery assistants gestured to the audience to stand; two hundred upturned faces watched Abramovic intently. At 6:05 PM, she changed out of her clothes into a pristine bathrobe and slippers and descended the ladder that had been brought to her. "This work is as much you as it is me," she told her audience. Her audience, now performers all, applauded in gratitude.

-RoseLee Goldberg

Low rates squeeze savers and may hold back economy

WASHINGTON (AP) — Super-low interest rates haven't done what they usually do after a recession. They haven't ignited economic growth or revived the home market or persuaded consumers to spend freely again.

They have, though, caused misery for retirees and others who depend on interest income. Such income plummeted 27 percent from 2008 to last year.

Now, some economists worry that low rates might be hurting the economy itself — defeating the purpose of the Federal Reserve's low-rate policies. When savers earn less, they spend less. And spending by individuals drives about 70 percent of the U.S. economy.

Those concerns arise 2½ years after the Fed pushed short-term rates to near zero, part of an effort to combat the gravest recession since the 1930s. It's kept rates there since.

The Fed is "turning the faucet, and nothing's coming out," says William Ford, a former president of the Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta. "I don't see any pluses on the plus side of the ledger ... But they're ignoring the strong negative effect that they're having. They're killing savers. Retirees are earning nothing on their life savings."

The Fed this month announced plans to keep short-term rates near zero through mid-2013 unless the economy improves. And in a speech Friday, Chairman Ben Bernanke will likely lay out options for lowering long-term rates even further below the current near-record lows.

One option is a third round of Treasury bond purchases by the Fed. Such purchases would be intended to nudge rates even lower, to encourage spending and borrowing and raise stock prices. But additional rate declines would likely also further drive down rates on savings vehicles.

Low rates have already hurt retirees and other savers. Savings accounts, on average, are yielding 0.15 percent, 1-year CDs 1.15 percent and even 5-year Treasury notes only 1 percent.

Americans' total interest income dropped from $1.38 trillion in 2008 to $1.01 trillion in 2010, according to the federal Bureau of Economic Analysis. That time span has coincided with a period in which the Fed kept its main interest-rate lever, the federal funds rate, at a record low of zero to 0.25 percent.

Pension funds are also being hurt. Largely because of low rates, the nation's 100 biggest pension funds were $254 billion short of what they need to meet obligations to retirees at the end of July. That was up from a $186 billion shortfall in June, according to the consulting firm Milliman.

Low rates are a tool that Fed officials have long used to boost weak economies. In recessions past, when the Fed slashed rates, a drop in borrowing costs led companies to hire and expand.

More people bought homes, too. Stronger home sales encouraged builders to erect houses and hire construction workers. They also increased consumer spending as new homeowners bought appliances and furniture. That's why a housing recovery normally energizes the entire economy.

It hasn't worked that way this time. This recession followed a devastating financial crisis that damaged the banking system and made lower interest rates less effective.

It's true the Fed's easy-money policies may have kept the economy from getting worse. And they might have prevented a dangerous deflationary spiral of falling prices, wages and profits — a threat that had worried Bernanke a year ago.

But super-low short-term rates and two rounds of Treasury bond purchases haven't delivered a robust recovery. The Dow Jones industrial average is down 11 percent since July 21, partly on fears that the economy might slip back into a recession.

Businesses aren't feeling expansive, not even with the prime lending rate for banks' best business borrowers at a low 3.25 percent. Corporations are sitting on nearly $2 trillion in cash. They're waiting to be convinced that the economy is improving before they'll spend much of it.

And consumers are still too intent on paying down the debts they piled up through the mid-2000s to go on many credit card-charged spending sprees.

Even with mortgage rates near record lows, home sales remain weak. The average sales price of an existing home has dropped 30 percent since before the recession.

Many homeowners can't trade up to a more expensive house because they can't sell their homes. They owe more on their mortgages than their houses are worth.

New homeowners might not qualify for mortgages because banks have tightened lending standards after absorbing loan losses during the recession. And a vast inventory of foreclosed homes will likely depress housing prices for years.

"You're trying to stimulate an industry that has so much garbage sitting on top of it that it won't work," says Ford, now a finance professor at Middle Tennessee State University.

The bottom line, Fed critics say, is that super-low rates aren't stimulating the economy enough to make the financial pain to savers worthwhile.

"Someone is paying a price for ultra-low interest rates: the patient and uncomplaining saver," writes Raghuram Rajan, a University of Chicago finance professor.

Oil up after surprise drop in US crude stocks

Oil prices are rising after the government reported a surprise drop in U.S. crude stockpiles.

The Energy Information Administration said crude supplies fell by 1.5 million barrels to 290.2 million barrels for the week ending Sept. 19. Analysts surveyed by energy information provider Platts had expected oil stocks to rise by 1.6 million barrels.

Investors viewed the drawdown as more evidence of shrinking U.S. crude output after Hurricanes Gustav and Ike forced widespread shutdowns of energy installation in the Gulf of Mexico.

Light, sweet crude for November delivery was up $1.28 at $107.89 a barrel on the New York Mercantile Exchange.

White home for black girl denied

Cook County Public Guardian Patrick Murphy charged in a JuvenileCourt petition Aug. 13 that the Illinois Department of Children andFamily Services refused to place a 15-year-old black girl in a whitefoster home in Wisconsin because of race.

But child welfare officials in both states rarely approvecross-state placements in any case, officials said.

In a July 29 letter to Murphy's office, the Wisconsin Departmentof Health and Family Services also had said it wouldn't approve theteen's placement.And DCFS quit approving such placements several years agobecause of the soaring costs and the difficulty of monitoring thehomes, said DCFS Director Jess McDonald."If (Murphy) wants to make the connection to race in this case,it's strained at best," McDonald said.

David B. Cohen

David B. Cohen, 85, a retired Jewish educator, died Wednesday atthe Buckingham Pavillion nursing home.

Mr. Cohen, who lived in Chicago and Sunrise, Fla., taught atseveral conservative synagogue schools in a 50-year career. Amongthem were the former Logan Square Congregation and the B'nai ZionCongregation in Chicago and Beth Hillel in Wilmette. He was activein local Zionist organizations.

He is survived by a daughter, Corinne Lane; four grandchildren;a brother, and a sister.((ERROR: See CORRECTION field))

Services will be at noon Friday at Piser-Weinstein MenorahChapel, Wilmette. Burial will be at Shalom Memorial Park, Palatine.

Offended black firefighters aim to leave union Election of man who wore blackface is an insult, activists say

African-American firefighter activists announced Saturday thatthey will seek to break away from the city's white-majorityfirefighters union, outraged by the election of a white unionpresident who once appeared in blackface to protest an affirmativeaction measure.

"We are preparing ourselves to get out of the union," said Capt.Ezra McCann, who is African-American.

McCann and other black firefighters met with the Rev. JesseJackson on Saturday to plan a response to the election this month ofJames E. McNally as president of Chicago Fire Fighters Union Local 2.The group will launch a letter-writing campaign, McCann said, aimedat "changing the law that tied us into this …

New Zealand beats England 32-22

Jerome Ropati scored two tries as New Zealand beat England 32-22 on Saturday to reach the final of the Rugby League World Cup.

Ropati's tries on either side of halftime allowed New Zealand to sustain a fluctuating advantage over England and to win the right to face the winner of Sunday's second semifinal between Australia and Fiji in the tournament final.

England clawed back deficits of 16-0 in the first half, to trail 16-10 at halftime, and 22-10 and 28-16 in the second spell before Ropati locked in the result with his second try.

England's tenacity saw the lead see-saw wildly before New Zealand edged to their third straight victory at the 11th World Cup at which Australia is favored to win its 10th world title.

"We were disappointed to let the lead go as we did. We let our guard down but we're just happy to get through to the final," said playmaker Benji Marshall, who made his mark with a try and the conversion of New Zealand's final try.

New Zealand captain Nathan Cayless praised England's fighting spirit.

"We thought we had the game in the bag a couple of times but they kept coming back at us," he said.

New Zealand forged a 16-0 lead in the first half, with tries to Ropati, Sam Perrett and Lance Hohaia but England exploited Kiwis mistakes and defensive weaknesses to close to six points at halftime.

A try to Bronson Harrison _ his first in three years in Kiwis colors _ extended New Zealand's lead to 22-10 in the second half but England closed again as Danny McGuire and Jamie Peacock took dominating roles.

McGuire scored two tries and Peacock one in an England team which refused to concede defeat.

Marshall's try took New Zealand to a 28-16 lead but England revived again, scoring through Martin Gleeson, to cut the lead back to six points and to leave the match in the balance until the final minutes.

Ropati's second try finally decided the issue and propelled New Zealand into a World Cup final Cayless said it was convinced it could win.

Fiji was equally confident it could cause the largest upset in rugby league history by beating Australia in Sunday's semifinal.

Coach Joe Dakuitoga called Australia's massive favoritism "a blessing in disguise.

"This is what they did to us against France but we managed to come out on top and we will do the same against the Australians," he said.

___

New Zealand 32 (Jerome Ropati 2, Sam Perrett, Lance Hohaia, Bronson Harrison, Benji Marshall, tries; Jeremy Smith 3, Benji Marshall goals), England 22 (Danny McGuire 2, Jamie Peacock, Martin Gleeson, tries; Rob Burrow, 3 goals). HT, 16-10.

FTSE-100 down 88.65 at 4,516.57

Share prices on the London Stock Exchange were lower at midday Wednesday.

At noon, the FTSE 100-share index was down 88.65 points at 4,516.57.

Leaving Is Hard When Daughter Can't Cut It

She went to the same hairdresser for 10 years.

And then one day she had to divorce her.

Only here comes the worst part: HER HAIRDRESSER WAS HERDAUGHTER!!!

Yes, all of us have known the pain and anguish of HairdresserDivorce. But consider what happened to Nancy - a woman who sufferedconsiderably more than the usual guilt pangs of abandoning a triedand true beautician. Yes, ladies and gentlemen, Nancy had to bailout on her own flesh and blood!!!

"I tell you," she recalls, "there is no good way to unload thewoman who does your hair, but when that woman is your very own child,it is really is traumatic. I had stomachaches for months before Icould do …

MR. PATERSON STATES HIS CASE.(Opinion)

The issue:

Governor Paterson opens his campaign.

The stakes:

This race is more about what he does than what he says.

No other candidate in this year's gubernatorial race has the chance that David Paterson does: To not just tell us how he would perform as governor, but to show us.

Whether he likes it or not, what Mr. Paterson does in the coming months will tell New York voters everything they need to know to decide whether to give him four more years. Whether that's an advantage or a disadvantage is up to him.

So far, it doesn't seem to be doing him much good. A Siena poll released Monday found that only 35 percent of …

WILDFIRE ROUTS 2,000 IN COLORADO.(MAIN)

Byline: Associated Press

GLENWOOD SPRINGS, Colo. -- Twenty homes were destroyed and 2,000 people evacuated near this resort community Sunday as a wind-fanned wildfire raged at the base of Storm King Mountain.

There were no reports of injuries. Much of the damage was in trailer parks, said Nan Sundeen, spokeswoman for agencies fighting the fire.

The Colorado National Guard sent 100 soldiers to control access and security.

With flames visible on the hillside above during a news conference at the …

'Group Loop' receives WebAward for cancer support website from marketing firm.

2004 OCT 12 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- The Wellness Community (TWC), a nonprofit organization that provides free support and education for all people affected by cancer, announced that its Group Loop: Teens. Talk. Cancer. Online. website received the Outstanding Website WebAward for a Non-Profit Organization in the 2004 WebAwards competition.

The competition is organized by The Web Marketing Association, a Boston-based international organization dedicated to setting a high standard for Internet marketing and web development on the Internet.

This international award is presented in recognition of TWC's Group Loop website, which was launched by TWC in March …

North Korea Fires Series of Missiles

TOKYO - A defiant North Korea test-fired a long-range missile Wednesday that may be capable of reaching America, but it failed seconds after launch and fell into the Sea of Japan, U.S. officials said. The White House called the exercise "a provocation."

The audacious military test - which included two shorter range missiles - came despite stern warnings from the United States and Japan. The isolated communist nation carried out the tests as the U.S. celebrated the Fourth of July holiday and launched the space shuttle Discovery.

"We are urgently consulting with members of the Security Council," said John Bolton, the U.S. ambassador to the United Nations.

None of …

Don't squander tobacco money Tobacco prevention and cessation programs save lives and have proven to be cost-effective.

FEATURED LETTER

On the eve of Gov. Blagojevich's first budget address, the newsabout tobacco prevention funding in Illinois is gloomy.

While Illinois receives about $300 million annually as part of the1998 Master Settlement Agreement with tobacco companies, it continuesto cut funding for critical tobacco prevention and cessationprograms. What's more, some legislators are proposing to sell futuresettlement payments for mere pennies on the dollar, violating theintent of the settlement, which is to improve the health of Illinoisfamilies.

The Illinois Coalition Against Tobacco appeals to Blagojevich andthe General Assembly to use the tobacco settlement funds as …

CARE rates Siva Ventures Ltd's short-term debt at PR1+.

(ADPnews) - Apr 19, 2010 - Indian rating service CARE on Friday assigned its structured obligation (SO) rating of PR1+ to the short-term debt issue of clean energy, shipping and infrastructure firm Siva Ventures Ltd.

The top-notch rating concerns INR 3 billion (USD 68m/EUR 50m) of debt and denotes strong repayment capacity.

The rating is based on the support derived from the earmarked liquid investments which include cash and cash equivalents up to a certain amount as stipulated by CARE. These earmarked liquid investments …

Hospitals advance tentative merger plans; Ellis and St. Clare's share vision, but key details remain unresolved; Bellevue continues opposition.(Business)

Byline: ALAN WECHSLER - Business writer

SCHENECTADY - Ellis and St. Clare's hospitals painted their vision for merging on Monday. But the picture was rather blurry.

And it's a picture Bellevue Woman's Hospital in Niskayuna continues to fight.

As officials at Ellis and St. Clare's discussed the news with reporters, Bellevue's chief executive, Anne Saile, was on her way to meet with an aide to Gov. Eliot Spitzer to find a way to keep the tiny hospital open.

In the meantime, the Schenectady hospitals say they are ready to hear from the community about their plans, although details are lacking.

The hospitals say they have no idea how …

TRADE BRINGS JAGUAR BACKUP QB TO BUFFALO.(SPORTS)

ORCHARD PARK -- The Buffalo Bills acquired quarterback Rob Johnson from the Jacksonville Jaguars, and coach Wade Phillips immediately named him the starting quarterback.

The Bills sent Jacksonville their first and fourth-round selections in this year's National Football League draft for Johnson.

…

Residents raise concerns about Athens, Ga., multimillion-dollar sewer project.

Byline: Lee Shearer

Jan. 15--Athens-Clarke County's Public Utilities Department is set to begin its biggest expansion of sewer lines in two decades with a multimillion-dollar project that will extend sewer service north nearly to Madison County.

The project drew some criticism when initially proposed, with critics saying it could open up for development parts of the county's designated green belt.

That wasn't the sort of question people had a Thursday night public hearing on the sewer line design of the so-called "Trail Creek West Interceptors Project # 2," however.

Most of the more than 30 people who came to an Athens Technical College …

Obama faults McCain; Clinton mulls delegate fight

Barack Obama criticized likely general election rival John McCain on Wednesday where it could hurt most _ the Arizona senator's reputation as a champion of ethics. Hillary Rodham Clinton, meanwhile, raised the possibility she might carry her fight to the Democratic convention floor.

With more superdelegate endorsements after Kentucky and Oregon primaries the night before, Obama was just 64 delegates short of the 2,026 needed to clinch the nomination.

The Illinois senator confidently detoured from the three remaining Democratic primary states _ Puerto Rico, Montana, South Dakota _ to campaign in Florida, a crucial state in the November election. He also kept his …

Highland Park Challenger Edges Two-Term Mayor

Ray Geraci, a retired advertising executive, bested two-termincumbent Dan Pierce by 184 votes to be elected mayor of HighlandPark, Lake County's third largest town.

Geraci, 66, defeated Pierce, a Chicago attorney and formerDemocratic state legislator, with a heavy barrage of newspaperadvertising, campaign appearances and local newspaper endorsements.

Geraci, who served as mayor in the 1970s and most recently onthe city council, pledged a "hands-on" approach to government.

Pierce had eschewed lawn signs, calling lawn signs used byGeraci backers "visual pollution."

Geraci, who served as mayor in the 1970s and most recently onthe city council, …

Relatives of people reported missing demand death sentence for killers at meeting with President Otunbaeva.(Conference news)

President of Kyrgyzstan Roza Otunbaeva met with relatives of people reported missions since eruption of violence in the city of Osh in June.The people said their relatives are missing since the very first days of disorders, the dead bodies of most people were found in the Uzbek districts or in Uzbekistan.They demanded death sentence for …

Mandela's oldest son succumbs to AIDS.(Main)

Byline: Associated Press

JOHANNESBURG, South Africa - Former President Nelson Mandela announced Thursday that his eldest son died of AIDS-related complications, saying the only way to fight the disease's stigma was to speak openly about it.

Makgatho Mandela, who had been the former president's only surviving son, was admitted to Linksfield Park Clinic last month. He died Thursday at age 54.

"Let us give publicity to HIV/AIDS and not hide it, because the only way of making it appear to be a normal illness, just like TB, like cancer, is always to come out and say somebody has died because of HIV," Mandela said at a news conference at his residence. …

TRANSACTIONS.(Sports)

BASEBALL

American League

BOSTON RED SOX: Announced the retirement of OF Gabe Kapler and named him manager of Greenville of the South Atlantic League. Named Arnie Beyeler manager of Portland of the EL.

DETROIT TIGERS: Declined to tender a contract offer to OF Alexis Gomez.

LOS ANGELES ANGELS: Declined to tender a contract offer to RHP Jason Bulger.

NEW YORK YANKEES: Declined to tender a contract offer to INF-OF Aaron Guiel.

TORONTO BLUE JAYS: Named Bill Masse manager of New Hampshire of the EL. Agreed to terms with INF Jason Smith on a one-year contract and OF Matt Stairs on a minor league contract.

…

Pentagon releases declassified memo that justified harsh interrogation tactics

The Pentagon has released a now-defunct legal memo that approved the use of harsh interrogation techniques against terror suspects on grounds that President George W. Bush's authority during wartime trumps any international ban on torture.

The Justice Department memo, dated March 14, 2003, and released Thursday, outlines legal justification for military interrogators to use harsh tactics against al-Qaida and Taliban detainees overseas so long as they did not specifically intend to torture their captors.

Even so, the memo noted, the president's wartime power as commander in chief would not be limited by the U.N. treaties against torture.

"Our …

A wipeout, and it’s lights out

NBC is going "Ninja."

On Monday night, the network airs the third-season finale of "American Ninja Warrior," the extreme-obstacle-course athletic event carried by its tiny cable sibling G4 that could prove a test of the show's viability on a major network.

Already it's G4's highest-rated series. Now NBC viewers will see 10 finalists who weathered tryouts and a training "boot camp" trek to Japan to compete in the four-stage course for the chance to win a $500,000 endorsement contract.

Unlike ABC's "Wipeout," played for broad laughs, "Ninja Warrior" is serious business, a variation on a niche sport known as parkour. It's an Americanized version of "Sasuke," a …

owner defends firm hired to run polls.(News)

BYLINE: Moshoeshoe Monare

POLOKWANE: Accusations of vote-rigging plots overshadowed the first two days of the ANC national conference.

This was precipitated by the fact that the company contracted to run the elections was only established 19 days ago.

But the owner of Elections Agency, Dren Nupen, defended her company's integrity, saying she has been involved in running ANC elections since 1991 under different entities.

"I was invited to do the ANC elections. To do elections, I need a structure, that was the reason (we set up 19 days ago). We could not run this election from my personal bank account. There is no mischief, nothing," said …