NOTEWORTHY

With one game left in the season, Doug Collins has a chance tocontinue the trend of an improved second season during his NBAcoaching tenure. His overall won-lost …

Historic vote on integration at Alberta sessions

A room full of upraised hands, each grasping a pink or blue slip of paper, was the sight of history in the making. This moment defined the reality of two Mennonite conferences coming together.

The occasion was the first joint vote in the first joint business session of the Conference of Mennonites in Alberta (CMA) and the Northwest Mennonite Conference (NWC) here February 26-28. After discussing programs already shared and the wider church movement toward integration, delegates of both conferences approved a motion toward more regional integration.

Nick Dyck (moderator of CMA) and Jim Miller (NWC moderator) opened the joint meeting with a visual warning--they exchanged …

Bills: Pro Bowl LT Peters joins team

Buffalo Bills Pro Bowl left tackle Jason Peters has ended his holdout and reported to the team.

Bills spokesman Scott Berchtold said Peters reported Saturday and that questions about his physical and roster status won't be answered until after Sunday's home game against Seattle. Peters …

We respond to market trends ; Britain's biggest footwear brand, Pavers, is a relatively new entrant in India but is ramping up aggressively.

Britain's biggest footwear brand, Pavers, is a relatively newentrant in India but is ramping up aggressively. Stuart Paver,President & Chairman, Pavers England Footprints Ltd, spoke to BT'SShamni Pande.

It's true that many footwear brands have gone back from India.This is because they have chosen to treat India as an outpost bydumping it with products that work in the European markets. Theresult is that Indian suppliers are saddled with stocks that don'tmove. Brands then do not ship new products until the old ones clearout.

We, on the contrary, have invested $3 million in our R&D plant inChennai to respond to and …

Election Results From the West

A glance at election results in the West:

ALASKA:

The governor's race was a three-for-all - Republican Sarah Palin and former Gov. Tony Knowles locked in a tough tussle complicated by independent Andrew Halcro. Don Young, seeking his 18th term as the state's congressman, barely acknowledged his opponent, Democrat Diane Benson.

ARIZONA:

No high-profile Republican candidate for governor, so incumbent Democrat Gov. Janet Napolitano won her bid for a second term easily.

In his quest to unseat Republican Sen. Jon Kyl, millionaire mall-builder Democrat Jim Pederson positioned himself as the protest choice and was giving the incumbent stiff opposition. …

Syria troops fire on protesters, killing 8

BEIRUT (AP) — Syrian security forces opened fire on protesters in several parts of the country on Friday, killing at least eight people and wounding scores, while masked gunmen burst into an apartment in the predominantly Kurdish northeast and shot dead one of Syria's most prominent opposition figures.

Another leading opposition figure was beaten up by pro-government gunmen and rushed to a hospital in Damascus, activists said.

The slaying of Mashaal Tammo, a 53-year-old former political prisoner and a spokesman for the Kurdish Future Party, was the latest in a string of targeted killings in Syria as the country slides further into disorder, seven months into the uprising …

Yankees 12, Royals 6

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People&Events

Iowa City, Iowa-The lush corn fields of Iowa provided the backdrop for the annual Mennonite Medical Association and Mennonite Nurses Association Conference held June 22 to 25. The theme for the conference was "Taking Christ...into the fields." Participants spent three days networking with fellow professionals and gleaning insights into how healthcare providers in a variety of settings take their Anabaptist values into the workplace or "the fields." Dr. Roger Gingrich of the University of Iowa shared how, in his role as an oncologist, viewing his patients as holistic beings is one of the values of Anabaptist faith that he takes into his field of healthcare. Dr. Carol Farran, a nurse …

Reports: American's blood places her in Italy apartment the night roommate was slain

A single fingerprint and a trace of blood belonging to American student Amanda Knox were found in the Perugia apartment where her British flatmate was slain, but the apartment was otherwise cleaned, news reports said.

Investigators have concluded that the blood was left on the bathroom faucet sometime between Nov. 1 and 2, the ANSA news agency reported, placing Knox in the apartment either the night Meredith Kercher, 21, died or the next morning.

Knox has acknowledged she was home the night Kercher was killed by a knife wound to the neck, and returned the next morning, but has denied any wrongdoing.

Calls to Knox's attorney were not answered …

What Willowbrook means to me

Willowbrook means three things to me, something that schools talk about -- pride, tradition and excellence -- things that Willowbrook always has had. There is a rich tradition of excellence in the classroom and athletics and extracurricular activities. The auto, arts, theater and music departments have all been recognized for excellence at the state level.

I grew up in Villa Park and have been a resident for 45 years, being a part of the community and the school. You gravitate toward the school, and it gravitates toward the community. I'm one of 17 graduates who teaches at Willowbrook. We want to give back to the school.

It taught me a lot of life lessons. It gave me …

Forty Under 40: John O. Campbell, 39, Vice President and Office Manager of Personal Trust Administration

Allfirst Trust Co., Harrisburg

When Santa Claus decides to retire, John O. Campbell says he is ready to step into his boots and make children's wishes come true, helping them grow and maximize their talents and abilities.

Until that day comes, Campbell will continue serving the financial needs of clients in Allfirst's Harrisburg office of personal trust administration. He manages the resources of Allfirst Trust Co.

Campbell joined Allfirst as a management trainee in 1986. Climbing the ranks through the trust department, he became a vice president in 1996.

Campbell says he enjoys the responsibility and the challenge of leading his staff of trust administrators …

Cuba deports American fugitive to US on charges of sex tourism, abuse of minor

Cuba on Friday turned over to U.S. authorities an American fugitive sought on charges of sexual abuse of a minor and possession of child pornography.

Cuban authorities said they arrested Leonard B. Auerbach, a 61-year-old mortgage specialist from Orinda, California, on the island on May 7, acting on information from U.S. officials.

U.S. immigration officials in Miami and authorities at the U.S. Interests Section in Havana did not immediately respond to messages requesting comment.

Cuban authorities say the investigation showed that Auerbach arrived on the island on April 8, and he was deported Friday. Such cooperation is unusual between the U.S. …

Employment Report Indicates Recovery Plus Jobs

CHEM ECONOMICS

The March employment report was the economic event of the month: After a loss of 8.4 million jobs since the start of the recession, followed by nearly a year of a jobless recovery (CEP, Oct. 2009, p. 12), payrolls finally began to increase. The report featured private sector job creation (even in high-paying sectors), upward revisions to January and February statistics, and even an increase in the participation rate as formerly discouraged workers, seeing an improvement, re-entered the labor market. The report was indicative of an improving economy, and potentially an earlier emergence from the jobless recovery than had been expected.

Despite the positive nature of this report, the unemployment rate will likely remain above 9.0% through the rest of the year, as expectations for a jobless recovery and high unemployment levels persist.

How does this recovery stack up against history? The American Chemistry Council examined how long it took for non farm payrolls to starting increasing after the business cycle trough (or end of recession), as well as how long it took for an improvement in the unemployment rate to occur after the trough. The data appear in the table at the right, which shows the record for the current recovery, the jobless recoveries of 2001 and 1991, and the quickest and slowest improvements for recoveries from 1949-1982.

The results are encouraging. Most business economists peg the recent recession's end in June 2009, and it then took seven months for a slight gain in nonfarm payrolls to emerge in January. This is faster than the comparable 12 months of the 2001 recovery, but is somewhat slower than the 1991 recovery and the record slowest recovery during 1949-1982. Looking at improvements in the unemployment rate, however, it took only five months for an improvement to occur in this recovery. This is much less than the 34 months it took after 2001 and in the middle of the band for 1949-1982.

There is reason to believe that job market improvements may occur at a quicker pace than currently anticipated. Productivity gains have been very strong during the recession and recovery, although significant improvement in capital spending will be needed to generate further gains in hiring. Similarly, temporary hiring has been soaring, and although this is not sustainable, steady increases in temp hiring signals significant increases in labor demand. This bodes well for stronger payrolls in the near term, and as businesses become more confident in the recovery, temp-to-permanent hiring will commence. Also, a sharp decline in the reported average duration of unemployment suggests that the unemployment rate is moving lower.

The current recovery provides potential for job creation, but the job market is a long way from a full recovery. It will take time to reabsorb the jobs lost during the recession and also to provide opportunities for newly graduated engineers and other entrants to the labor force. In addition, long-term unemployment (over six months) has doubled in the past year and presents many challenges.

[Author Affiliation]

-T. Kevin Swift

American Chemistry Council

kevin_swift@americanchemistry.com

Grimson helps put some fight into Hawks

As Stu Grimson patiently, thoughtfully and articulately answeredquestions after the Blackhawks' 5-2 victory Saturday over Minnesota,it was difficult to believe this was the same guy who an hour earlierhad squared off with North Stars enforcers Basil McRae and ShaneChurla in second-period slugfests.

"They're both well-rehearsed fighters who believe in physicalconfrontation," Grimson said. "It's important for a guy in myposition to confront them when they try to take liberties with someof our players. That's not solely my role, but it's certainly partof it."

When the Hawks selected left wing Grimson in the NHL waiverdraft from the Flames in October, he had played in four NHL games.Most of Grimson's career had been spent at the Flames' Salt Lake farmclub, where the 6-5, 220-pounder earned a reputation as a brawler. He picked up 716penalty minutes and just 43 points in the last two seasons.

The Hawks were looking for help after the Nordiques made leftwing and enforcer Wayne Van Dorp the first player taken in the waiverdraft.

"Coming to Chicago has been a breath of fresh air," Grimsonsaid. "It was obvious Calgary didn't have plans for me, so this wasan ideal situation."

Grimson was with the Hawks for all 80 games but played in just35. He scored one point off an assist and picked up 183 penaltyminutes.

Always eager to drop the gloves and mix it up, Grimson hasbecome a favorite of Hawks fans because of his fighting prowess.

On Saturday, he took on McRae and Churla for three-minute fightsless than five minutes apart and appeared to win a decision overeach. His teammates reacted warmly. When Grimson took theadvantage over McRae with a couple of solid right hands, Hawks goalieEd Belfour banged his stick on the ice in approval.

Players affectionately patted Grimson on the behind with theirsticks as he headed to the dressing room after the Churla exchange.The fans roared in appreciation both times.

"I guess fighting is kind of an accepted tradition in hockeybecause it's basicaly a release of aggression," Grimson said. "Therelease valve is opened, things settle down and you get back toplaying hockey."

Said Hawks enforcer Bob McGill: "I've been doing it 10 years,and you don't get much credit. You have to take some beatings forplayers sometimes. But it's a good job, and you're getting paid wellto do it. A lot of times, it can sway a game."

And maybe a series.

Nation & world

July 4 partiers in

Ala. fall 3 stories

HOOVER, Ala. - A wooden deck crumpled under a group of Fourth ofJuly partiers in Alabama, killing one person and injuring sixothers.

Seven partygoers plummeted three stories when the deck at anapartment complex in the Birmingham suburb of Hoover collapsedSunday night. Two uninhabited decks below were crushed by thefalling debris.

Hoover Fire Department spokesman Rusty Lowe said one person waspronounced dead at the hospital, another is in critical and threeare hospitalized with serious injuries. Two were treated for minorinjuries and released.

The coroner did not immediately return a call for comment on thedeath.

The cause of the collapse is being investigated.

Lowe said it was fortunate the lower decks were empty. He said:"It definitely could have been worse."

Romanian military

plane crashes

BUCHAREST, Romania - Officials say a Romanian military plane hascrashed in Romania near the Black Sea, killing 10 people andinjuring three.

The Defense Ministry says the Antonov AN-2 plane with 13 peopleon board took off Monday for parachuting training. It says theaircraft crashed soon after takeoff.

Health officials say one of the three injured people is inserious condition.

The cause of the crash was not known, and authorities launched aninvestigation.

Royal family costs

small for Britons

LONDON - Buckingham Palace says the royal family cost Britons 62pence ($0.94) per person last year, 7 pence less than in 2008-2009.

Accounts released Monday show the total cost of supporting themonarchy was 38.2 million pounds in the year to March 31, more than3 million pounds less than the year before.

Britain's public sector is facing cuts as the government tries toeliminate a huge deficit, and Alan Reid, Keeper of the Privy Purse,said the royal household "is acutely aware of the difficult economicclimate."

The queen receives 7.9 million pounds of public money each yearto pay for staff and other costs.

The accounts show she also drew an extra 6.5 million pounds froma reserve fund built up over the years by saving portions of herallocated budget.

Fishermen help

catch dumped cars

NEW CASTLE, Del. - A couple of fishing buddies from Delaware havebeen catching more than just bass. They've been helping police reelin cars.

Larry Newirth and Dan Cathell spotted a white BMW 750 sedan onJune 17. Then on Friday, they found a late-model Honda Accord.

Police say the cars were stolen and abandoned. No arrests havebeen made.

Newirth, a 63-year-old retired carpenter, jokes that he andCathell better stop finding cars or the police will think they'rethe ones stealing them.

Cathell, a 44-year-old millwright, says he hopes the thieves stopdumping the cars from the boat ramp so police don't close the dockto the public.

COMPILED FROM WIRE REPORTS

Water supplies at risk from fires in dead forests

Water supplies for 33 million people could be endangered if millions of acres of beetle-ravaged forests in the Rocky Mountains catch fire, a U.S. Forest Service official said Tuesday.

Rick Cables, the chief forester for the Rocky Mountain region, told a House panel that the headwaters of the Colorado River, an important water source for residents of 13 states, are in the middle of 2.5 million acres of dead or dying forests in Colorado and southern Wyoming. Severe fires, fueled by these trees, could damage or destroy reservoirs, pipes and other infrastructure that supply water to millions of people in the Rocky Mountain region.

Moreover, wildfires can "literally bake the soil," leaving behind a water-repellent surface that sheds rain and leads to severe erosion and debris, he said. The loss of so many trees also will reduce shade in the region, which in turn could reduce water supplies in the hot, dry summer months and accelerate snowmelt in the spring, he said.

A Forest Service analysis indicates people in San Diego, Los Angeles, Phoenix, and Tucson, Ariz. who get their tap water from the Colorado River get one quart of every gallon from national forests in the Rocky Mountain region.

"The arid West absolutely depends on national forests as the source for their water," Cables said. "The reach of this watershed is unparalleled in the West."

While bark beetle outbreaks are naturally recurring events in the West, the current outbreak _ which has killed nearly 8 million acres of trees _ is the biggest in recorded history, Barbara Bentz, a research entomologist with the Forest Service, told the committee.

Besides Colorado and Wyoming, other states especially hard hit include Idaho, Montana, Oregon and eastern Washington. In Canada, more than 22 million acres have been affected and scientists suspect that the death of so many trees is altering local weather patterns and air quality.

Officials from affected states who testified said they need help to avoid a potential catastrophe. Local officials said they want more money to clear trees from buildings, transmissions lines and other facilities. They also are seeking government help for companies trying to turn dead trees into wood products, especially pellets that can be burned to produce energy. If a market can be created for the dead trees, it can help offset their costly removal, they said.

"We need resources on the ground," said Sloan Shoemaker, executive director of the Wilderness Workshop, a Colorado conservation group.

Protecting lives is the top concern. At least a dozen Colorado towns are surrounded by dead forests and another dozen towns border the forests. The region is also home to ski resorts like Vail, Breckenridge and Winter Park. Trees falling across roads, blocking potential evacuation routes in event of a fire are also a concern.

Another concern is the 13,000 miles of electricity transmission lines that run through the forests. There is a possibility that multiple fires at the same time could cause widespread regional power outages, Ron Turley, special projects manager for the Western Area Power Administration, told the committee.

"This could have significant regional and potentially national consequences," Turley said.

Of the $1.5 billion the Forest Service received in economic stimulus funds, about $26 million has so far been directed to the Rocky Mountain region to deal with beetle-related problems, chief forester Cables said.

Cables said that a year ago he also requested $213 million in emergency aid over three years to deal with safety threats. He said about $20 million has been received so far.

"We have a lot of work being done and a lot of work on the shelf," Cables said. "We're trying to be as effective with the money as we can."

___

On the Net:

House Natural Resources Committee: http://resourcescommittee.house.gov/

German Football Results

Results from the 25th round of the Bundesliga, the German first-division football league (home teams listed first):

Friday's Games

Borussia Moenchengladbach 0, Bochum 1

Saturday's Games

Borussia Dortmund 1, Werder Bremen 0

Arminia Bielefeld 0, Wolfsburg 3

Hoffenheim 2, Hannover 2

Bayer Leverkusen 1, Eintracht Frankfurt 1

Stuttgart 2, Hertha Berlin 0

Bayern Munich 1, Karlsruhe 0

Energie Cottbus 0, Cologne 2

Sunday's Games

Schalke 1, Hamburg 2

Orchestra will play live tunes for 'toons

While living here two years ago, conductor and composer GeorgeDaughtery came up with a funny idea: to use a live orchestra toaccompany classic Bugs Bunny cartoons.

This brainstorm might seem odd coming from a man who led BalletChicago, the Grant Park Orchestra and won an Emmy for his work on thePBS ballet "Die Fledermaus" with members of the Chicago SymphonyOrchestra. But the 35-year-old musician had a secret. He was alifelong Bugs fan, and as such had impeccable standards for cartoons.

"It has nothing to do with classical music. This is not `Peterand the Wolf,' " he said. "These cartoons were designed to be seenin a theater. They're great on television . . . but you need a liveaudience, 50-foot wide image, with cartoons bigger-than-life. Whenseen in that setting, they are just the most entertaining thingsaround."

When Daughtery approached Warner Bros. with his plan, studio bigshots didn't shoo him away like some modern-day Elmer Fudd. Instead,they liked the idea. After endless hours of transcribing lostmusical scores and re-editing soundtracks, Daughtery's dream ofcombining a 50-person live orchestra with big-screen animation cametrue. "Bugs Bunny on Broadway," a sweeping replay of eight greatWarner Bros. cartoons starring the carrot-chomping wiseguy (with theoriginal Mel Blanc voice tracks), opened to raves last year.

Daughtery, who left Chicago for Hollywood, will have ahomecoming at 8 p.m. Sunday when he will bring "Bugs Bunny onBroadway" and the Warner Bros. Symphony Orchestra to the PoplarCreek Music Theatre in Hoffman Estates. And amidst classics rangingfrom Rossini's "The Barber of Seville" to classy send-ups such asCarl Stalling's "A Corny Concerto," the spirit of Bugs should comethrough loud and clear.

Tickets are $24.50 for pavilion and $17 for lawn seats. PoplarCreek is at 4777 W. Higgins. Call 559-1212 for tickets.

Hybrid tech

Comparing the design, engineering and systems of the cars that we pioneering the 21st century automobile.

As brand-new vehicles go, Hondas Insight and Toyota's Prius won't be busting any U.S. sales charts soon. Most buyers shopping for 2000-model vehicles won't even be aware of the hybrid-electric cars, much less seriously consider them. High fuel economy and superclean exhaust emissions are just not what, the American public wants in its cars and trucks - at least not today.

However, the auto industry's radar screen has far greater scope than the public's, and that's why other automakers and suppliers are keenly interested in Insight and Prius. As the world's first hybrid production cars, they're powered by a combination of gasoline-fueled internal combustion (IC) engines and electric motors. They don't have the limited range and charging hassles that plague pure EVs. You can tank them up at any gas station. And they'll return stunning mileage. In fact, Insight recently became the EPAs fuel economy king, with a rating of 70 mpg highway, 60 city. (See Cars Worth Noting, p. 14).

Such performance comes from the cars' pioneering technologies. Electric drive systems, sophisticated power controllers and software, and lightweight structures are "the building blocks of mass-produced future vehicles," says Mike Robinet an industry analyst with CSM Worldwide in NorthviIle, Mich He predicts that today's hybrid drives will prove-out the technology preparing it for fuel cells later on.

For now, however, Honda and Toyota are the Neil Amistrongs of the auto industry. They got there first. That pays dividends with federal and state legislators and regulators, to whom Honda showed the Insight after its media debut in Washington, D.C., last September. Automakers hope that hybrids will help convince government that the industry can create better environmental solutions. Hybrids may also help automakers get partial credit for meeting the 2004 California zero-enussions laws.

Worldwide, however, fuel economy and emissions issues are pressing concerns. "Hybridization allows you to unprove both of those things, while having room for passengers and packages, makes the car practical and useable," explains DaveHermance, executive engineer, environmental engineering at Toyota's U.S. technical center.

Toyota got the jump on Honda in launching its hybrid, but it will not beat Honda to the U.S. because of poor forward planning. The Prius, which went on sale in Japan in December 1997, and has since sold neariy 30,000 units, was not originally designed for left-hand steer. When engineers tried to modify it late in 1997, they realized they would need to redesign the power electronics to accommodate the steering column. The U.S.-spec Prius that debuts at the Detroit auto show next month will have this change and other upgrades, including revised styling. It will differ from the Japan-market car we used for this story. Toyota hopes to sell 12,000 in the U.S. next year.

While Toyota went for sedan practicality, Honda aimed for pure economy with the Insight, notes Chief Engineer Koichi Rikuo. Thus a slick (0.25 Cd) coupe that's priced under $20,000 and aiming for about 10,000 sales worldwide (4,000 in the US.) next year. Fresh out of the blocks, here's how Insight compares with Prius.

[Sidebar]

Honda Insight

Slippery coups body is less practical than Prius, but for more aerodynamic

Tapered rear end has Kamm-type tail, rear track that's 4.3 in. narrower than front to reduce turbulence

Skirted rear wheelhouses,underbody pans help achieve 0.25 Cd

1,856-lb. curb weight is 077-lb. lighter than Prius, 503-lb. lighter than bass Civic hatchback

Body structure is aluminum with nylon-reinforced ABS plastic front fenders and rear skirts

Chassis is 160-lb. lighter than Civic's. Strut-type front suspension has aluminum lower arms, knuckles, be rod, brake calipers

Electric rack-andpinion steering adopted from NSX saves power

[Sidebar]

Toyota Prius

Curb weight is 2,733 pounds about 250 pounds heavier than a Corolla, and 330 pounds more then a Ford Focus sedan.

At 1683 inches overall length, Prius is slightly shorter than a Focus.

Five-passenger layout gives far better utility than Insight

Body is in high-tensile steel, generously reinforced for rigidity.

Underbody airflow is carefully managed using covers under engine and rear floor, air dams ahead of front tires and flat-bottom fuel tank.

To boost A/C efficiency, special coating on side glass and rear window reduces solar load by 13%. Foam panels in roof also keep out heat

Ducktail on body's trailing edge also helps achieve drag coefficient of 0.30 Cd.

Update on anaerobic digestion feasibility study

The Bluestem Solid Waste Agency retained R.W. Beck Inc. last autumn to conduct an anaerobic digestion (AD) feasibility study for Linn County as part of its integrated solid waste management system. Bluestem's objective is to meet and exceed Iowa's 50 percent waste reduction and recycling goal.

According to Robert Craggs and Mary Chamberlain of R.W. Beck, a survey of potential AD feedstock generators in the Bluestem planning area has been completed. Its purpose was to determine types of organic wastes, quantities, present management methods, estimated management costs, and level of interest from the organic waste generators in utilizing AD. Of the total covered by the survey respondents, 82 percent was reported to be organic.

"Chicken Little", Encantadora Comedia de Aventuras

Walt Disney Feature Animation agrega toda una nueva dimensi�n a su legado de personajes memorables, narraci�n extraordinaria e innovaci�n t�cnica con "Chicken Little", la primera pel�cula del estudio totalmente animada por computadora. Pionera en la utilizaci�n de la computadora en la animaci�n desde comienzos de la d�cada de los a�os ochenta, Disney brinda su caracter�stico estilo de realizaci�n cinematogr�fica y enfoque a este emocionante medio, junto con una gran cantidad de innovaciones t�cnicas. El resultado es una pel�cula que captura las m�s extraordinarias cualidades de la animaci�n de Disney con una imagen y un sentimiento nunca antes vistos por el p�blico. Agregando a la emoci�n, "Chicken Little" est� siendo presentada en, cines selectos a lo largo del pa�s en Disney Digital 3D TM una nueva y revolucionaria experiencia digital verdaderamente en tres dimen-siones. Disney se asoci� con la din�mica compa��a de efectos Industrial Light & Magic (ILM) para presentar la cinta en 3D, y la pel�cula ser� exhibida utilizando sistemas especialmente instalados de Dolby(R) Digital Cinema.

El cielo es el l�mite en "Chicken Little" de Walt Disney Pictures, una encantadora comedia de aventuras que le da un giro sofisticado y sat�rico a la cl�sica f�bula. Ha transcurrido un a�o desde el "desafortunado incidente de la bellota" cuando Chicken Little caus� un gran revuelo en su pueblo natal de Oakey Oaks al proclamar que el cielo se estaba cayendo luego de ser golpeado en la cabeza por lo que aparentemente era una bellota. Sin contemplaciones, el valiente pollito se une al equipo local de b�isbol con la esperanza de restablecer su reputaci�n y ganarse el respeto de su padre, Buck Cluck. Cuando �l conduce al pueblo a una inesperada victoria, se convierte en el centro de toda la atenci�n.

Pero tan pronto como el pollito campe�n es redimido, vuelve a recibir otro golpe en la cabeza. �Y esta vez el cielo s� se est� cayendo! Temeroso de ser tachado una vez m�s de loco, se rehusa a decirle a nadie lo que ha sucedido. En lugar de eso, recluta la ayuda de sus amigos m�s cercanos - Runt of the Litter, Abby Mallard (alias Patito Feo), y Fish Out of Water - en un intento por salvar el mundo sin hacer que todo el pueblo entre nuevamente en p�nico.

"Chicken Little" fue dirigida por Mark Dindal y producida por Randy Fullmer, los mismos talentosos realizadores cinematogr�ficos responsables de la comedia animada surrealista de Disney de 2000, "The Emperor's New Groove". La historia es de Dindal y Mark Kennedy, y el gui�n fue escrito por Steve Bencich & Ron J. Friedman, y Ron Anderson. Peter Del Vecho ejerci� como el productor asociado de la pel�cula. John Debney, nominado al Osear en 2004 por su m�sica para "The Passion of the Christ" y colaborador en "Groove", compuso y dirigi� la m�sica original. La banda sonora de la pel�cula ostenta nuevas actuaciones por populares artistas discogr�ficos como Barenaked Ladies, John Ondrasik, Patti LaBelle y Joss Stone, y las Cheetah Girls.

Article copyright El Bohemio News.

Williams weathers boos, gets 10 points

ORLANDO, Fla. New Bulls forward Brian Williams began his NBAcareer with Orlando. He was the Magic's first-round selection (No.10 overall) in the 1991 draft.

But Williams' two seasons here were turbulent and he wastraded to the Denver Nuggets after the 1992-93 season for AnthonyCook and Todd Lichti.

Williams, who was plagued by depression and other problems,played in just 21 games his final season with the Magic.No one in management thought he would be productive playerbecause of those problems.It has been nearly four years since he left town andWilliams said he doesn't have any remaining connection with the city."It's probably only slightly more familiar than Milwaukee,"he said.But the fans haven't forgotten Williams and greeted himwith boos when he entered the game in the Bulls' 110-94 victory overthe Magic on Sunday."I can't believe they booed me like that on my birthday,"said Williams, who turned 28. "Maybe they should have flashed one ofmy baby pictures up on the board."Williams celebrated his birthday with 10 points on 4-for-9shooting and four rebounds in 20 minutes."With the injuries we have now, he's a ray of sunshine,"Michael Jordan said. "We have to bring him along slowly. It's toughtrying to learn our system, but he's coming along. I think he'sgoing to be a big help."Because of injuries in the frontcourt, with Dennis Rodman,Toni Kukoc and Bill Wennington sidelined, the Bulls have thrownWilliams into action without much practice time. They were pleasedwith the results."Brian's really an aggressive basketball player," Bullscoach Phil Jackson said. "He plays all out, he's plays 100 percentevery time he's out on the floor. He doesn't always do the rightthings, but he gives you a good effort."That's all we're looking for, a big guy who can do somethings and be aggressive. He'll find his way in our offense. Maybenot right now, but I think that by the playoffs he'll be all right."Besides working his way into a new system, Williams istrying to work his way back into shape. He hadn't played all seasonafter knee surgery in the fall. He still needs to improve hiscondition."It's coming, it's definitely coming," Williams said. "It'sbeen good. The guys are incredibly accommodating. They're trying tomake the transition as smooth as possible. Basically, the onus is onme to adapt and get acclimated with the philosophy of Bullsbasketball."Said New York's Charles Oakley: "I just want to know whyguys the rest of the league thinks are crazy end up in Chicago?"

Board's Objective

The 1993 school crisis goes beyond a debate over salaries anddeficits. It goes to the heart of how Chicago public schools dobusiness.

The School Board is attempting to win concessions in union workrules and benefits: Principal control over hiring assistantprincipals, maintenance staff, security guards, lunchroom personneland teachers; increased teaching time; first-time contributions tomedical premiums; increased pension contributions; streamlining thetime it takes to dismiss a staff member.

It's the first time in decades that a board has requested suchwide-reaching givebacks - and that a Chicago mayor has agreed withthe approach.

Here are some examples of what that would mean for Chicagoschools.

Correction: Blue Angels-Stand-down

PENSACOLA, Fla. (AP) — In a May 23 story about The Blue Angels flight team canceling a practice and show, The Associated Press reported that four fighter jets flew below an 8,000-foot ceiling established for the show. The entire show was performed below the 8,000-foot ceiling and four of six jets violated a lower, minimum altitude that has not been made public.

Powell and Gay to go head-to-head at London Grand Prix two weeks before Olympic Games

World 100 meter record holder Asafa Powell will race world champion Tyson Gay at the London Grand Prix meet in July, two weeks before the Beijing Olympics.

The July 25-26 meet at Crystal Palace stadium, which is also set to feature Olympic pole vault champion and world record holder Yelena Isinbayeva, will likely be the sprinters' only head-to-head before the 100 meter final in Beijing on Aug. 16.

"He has the title of being the world record holder and I have the title of being the world champion," Gay said. "If I run back-to-back rounds in London that will catapult me to the Olympics, so I am really looking to run fast times in London."

Powell ran the 100 meters in 9.74 seconds last year to break the record.

Gay beat Powell to win last year's World Championships in Osaka, Japan, with the Jamaican runner finishing third behind the Bahamas' Derrick Atkins _ apparently giving up when he realized he was out of contention for the gold medal.

The winner of the 100 meters will win 25,000 pounds (US$49,527; euro31,436), with 360 athletes from 35 nations expected to attend.

UK Athletics chief executive Niels de Vos said Friday it was the "strongest grand prix lineup ever seen in the UK."

British sprinters Marlon Devonish and Craig Pickering are also using the event as part of their preparations for the Aug. 8-24 Olympics.

Editorial -- Adopt state superintendent's school budget

Adopt state superintendent's school budget

Money buys opportunity and educational opportunity leads to high income. Education also brings good health, friends, personal fulfillment and all of life's good things.

Anyone seeking proof of these axioms need only to take a stroll on the graceful campus of the University of Chicago, whose endowment is worth nearly $3 billion or the campus New Trier High School, whose Winnetka parents happily spend nearly as much per capita on students as a city laborer earns in annual salary.

Alumni of these fine institutions lead the nation in earnings, in the importance of their work, in the quality of their lives -- in all ways, from the superiority of their health care to their enviable vacation spots.

That's inevitable, inevitable as taxes, as inevitable as the fact that our government will spend our tax dollars.

As the Illinois State legislature cobbles its fiscal year 2002 budget next month, we demand that our statesmen allocate sufficient money to educate the State's youngsters at the level proposed by the state's top educator.

State Superintendent of Education max McGee is proposing a fiscal year 2002 budget of $7.9 billion, down $9 million from last year's budget. We trust our lawmakers will do no less than adopt his budget, a smaller budget than last year's, despite the fact that two constituent groups are increasing in number and in need.

The percentage of Illinois's low-income students has increased in the last decade to 37 percent of the State's 1.9 million elementary and high school students, up from 28 percent and the percentage of minority students rose to 39 percent, an increase from 34 percent in 1990.

We argue that these students need state financial support even more than students such as New Trier's, not as any kind of compensatory support, but in recognition of the fact that the state must meet its responsibility to give low-income and minority kids a fighting chance.

McGee wants increases in five key programs which he says will help mitigate the effect of dozens examples of substandard state facilities and programs.

One glaring deficiency is inadequate teacher training. In many high schools, up to 40 percent of classes in high-poverty areas are taught by underqualified teachers, teachers who lack even a college minor in the field they teach, according to McGee.

McGee's budget would add $5 million to make sure the state's learning standards are taught in all classrooms and he wants to add $7.2 million to the state's early childhood education program and start it before kids enter kindergarten.

He wants to improve teaching quality by strengthening the state's mentoring program, at a cost of $4.4 million over last year. The program would use the State's outstanding teachers to actually show others how it's done, from the use of videotaped classroom sessions to the use of rigorous teacher-training materials by teachers who need more training.

He wants $10.5 million more next year for support for schools in academic difficulty, a component of which is help for youngsters on the verge of dropping out or being expelled, from after-school and alternative school programs to school-to-work and extended-day programs.

McGee reported to the legislature that some 100,000 Illinois kids are at risk due to poverty, family breakdown, teen pregnancy, gangs, crime, alcohol and drug abuse. "We cannot continue to let them fail," is the way he put it.

For all these reasons, and for the hundreds of others covered in the superintendent's 261-page budget and report to the legislature, we urge passage of the proposed budget.

Janet Knupp, head of Chicago Public Education Fund, likes to say that we must spend money to educate the 25 percent of our population that are students for the sake of 100 percent of our future.

We concur and we insist that our sState's lawmakers adopt McGee's budget and buy into the future, for the sake of all our kids, rich and poor.

Article Copyright Sengstacke Enterprises, Inc.

FDA OKs Pearly Pigments to Color Pills

WASHINGTON - If you think beauty can't go more than skin deep, swallow this: Health officials on Thursday said drug companies could start gussying up their pills with pigments like those that give cosmetics a pearly sheen.

The pearlescent pigments can be used in any drugs that are swallowed, including pills, tablets and liquids, the Food and Drug Administration said. As a result, drugs may never look the same again.

The pigments can produce sparkly metallic, satiny and shimmery finishes, as well as different hues of red and gold, depending partly on the color of the underlying drug.

The FDA's publication of a final rule approving their use came eight years after EMD Chemicals Inc. of Gibbstown, N.J., first petitioned the agency. The chemical and pigment maker is part of the German drug company Merck KGaA. That company is entirely separate from U.S.-based Merck & Co. Inc.

EMD Chemicals hopes the pharmaceutical companies it supplies will seize on the technology to give their drugs a look that is unique and hard to copy, said Dan Giambattisto, sales and marketing director for Candurin Pigments at EMD Chemicals.

The pigments are made by coating the mineral mica with either titanium dioxide or iron oxide - or both. The FDA approved using the two separate combinations to color contact lenses in 2002.

Similar pigments also are used in makeup, including lipstick, eye shadow and nail polish, as well as in inks and automotive paint.

Titanium dioxide already can be used in drugs. The new rule allows mica to be used to color drugs meant to be swallowed and increases the amount of synthetic iron dioxide allowed in those medicines. The pigments cannot make up more than 3 percent of the weight of a drug, the FDA said.

In the rule, first published on July 22, 2005, the agency said it "concludes that there is no toxic potential when ingested at levels estimated by the agency." The FDA delayed making the rule final until Thursday, after it answered the objections of critics.

Gatewood Organization LLC, a regulatory consulting group in Hazlet, N.J., had questioned whether the pigments would put some drugs off limits to patients who must watch their intake of iron and whether they would affect the shelf life of drugs.

The FDA denied the group's objections, saying it had provided no "factual information" to back up its claims.

EMD Chemicals also is seeking FDA approval to use the pearly pigments in cereals, candies, chewing gum and other foods. In June, the FDA approved the use of titanium dioxide and mica pigments in some foods; the agency continues to review pigments made with synthetic iron oxide.

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On the Net:

Food and Drug Administration: http://www.fda.gov/

Iraq Study Officials Question March Goal

WASHINGTON - The co-chairs of the Iraq Study Group said Monday they were unsure whether the panel's goal of pulling combat troops out of Iraq by March 2008 remains valid.

The blue-ribbon panel's five Republican and five Democratic members concluded six months ago that most combat troops could be out of Iraq by the 2008 date if certain steps were taken. They said a smaller contingent could be left behind to train Iraqi security forces and conduct other narrowly defined missions.

The report received a tepid response by the White House and Congress until recently, as administration officials contemplate their next step in Iraq and congressional Republicans look for a solution to end the politically unpopular war.

Addressing a National Press Club luncheon, James Baker and Lee Hamilton said they believed the group's findings were still meaningful.

But the 2008 date "would, of course, be something different, in my view at least, because we were talking that date when we came with the report in December of 2006. This is now June of 2007," said Baker, secretary of state during the first Bush administration and Republican co-chairman of the group.

Hamilton, the panel's Democratic co-chairman and a former Indiana congressman, told a reporter he doesn't disagree that the goal might be outdated.

"But I'm not sure I want to retreat from that date," he said. "I would still push for that goal."

Baker and Hamilton told the audience they believed the Bush administration was moving toward embracing more of the group's findings. Since the study's release, the Bush administration has accepted some of its key recommendations, including reaching out to Iran and Syria to discuss the violence in Iraq and placing conditions on U.S. aid to Iraq. Privately, Bush has told lawmakers he is considering adopting more of the panel's recommendations but wants to do so on his own timetable.

"Looks to me like they might be moving ... in our direction," Baker said. "I think that would be good. We're not going to be able to do what we have to do in terms of a responsible disengagement (from) Iraq if the country is not unified."

Hamilton said the performance of the Iraqi government in recent months had been "hugely disappointing" and that he is losing confidence in Baghdad's ability to reach a political settlement that could ease sectarian tensions.

"I don't really think the situation is much improved in Iraq since we left," he said of the panel's brief 2006 trip to Baghdad.

When asked whether the invasion of Iraq had made the U.S. more or less vulnerable to another major terrorist attack, both Baker and Hamilton said there was no telling.

"One thing I do know and believe very affirmatively, and that is if Iraq was not the center of the war on terror before we went in there, it certainly is now," Baker said.

Ernst Ludwig Kirchner

Ernst Ludwig Kirchner

MICHAEL WERNER GALLERY

This survey of twenty late paintings by Ernst Ludwig Kirchner is an important if ambiguous event. Even when taking into account the historic achievements of both Der Blaue Reiter (Kandinsky and Company) and Die Br�cke (founded by Kirchner, Karl Schmidt-Rotluff, and Erich Heckel), it seems fair to say that the greater glory of that moment was captured by the French: by Matisse and the Fauvists, by Picasso and the Cubists. Certainly Kirchner's own adaptation of Cubist tropes, the parallelizing and fanning stroke typical of his famous urban scenes of streetwalkers, for example, had, by World War I, already gone far in transforming the chromatic fervor of his earlier, Fauvistically touched Expressionism.

During the Weimar years, Kirchner's painting began to be seen as old hat, owing to the emergence of an obsessively observed realist mode practiced by artists including Otto Dix, Christian Schad, Max Beckmann (to a degree), even George Grosz: Neue Sachlichkeit. Still, Kirchner maintained his iconic role as the national modern painter, a status questioned under Neue Sachlichkeit, rejected by the Nazis, and wobbly but still intact when, in the 1960s, Joseph Beuys, Sigmar Polke, and Gerhard Richter took pride of place. Indeed, Kirchner has never really been dislodged from his high station in modern German painting, an eminence that only throws the limitations of his final phase into sharper relief.

In 1917, following many years dogged by scandal and nervous collapse, Kirchner retired to the comforts of Davos, Switzerland, where the works in this exhibition were painted. (Despite the immense literature on Kirchner, the nature of his breakdowns remains vague, though it strikes me that they reflect a persecution complex, an interpretation also hinted at in Paula Kort's admirable essay that accompanies the exhibition.) He died in 1938, prior to the worst excesses of the Third Reich but not before he saw his works purged from public view for their so-called "degeneracy" when, in 1937, he was especially vilified as an entarteter K�nstler.

Kirchner's humiliation, while surely painful and traumatic, in no way blinds one to the mediocrity of the Davos paintings. The artist's own characterization of them as "the unexpected new" whistles in the dark. Still, in all fairness, it should be noted that the dubious achievements of other artists, lesser and greater, have been revalorized: Matisse of the middle-Nice period, Picasso in Antibes and Mougins, collaborationist Picabia in Nice, Mario Sironi's Blackshirt propaganda, even the Nazi classicism of Arno Brecker all enjoy topical apology today. Why, then, is it so difficult to breathe life into Kirchner's Davos work?

The problem owes much to the academization of the progressive graphic design of the 1920s, those compositional devices fostered at the Bauhaus and taken up internationally, not only by designers but by painters too. This kind of designer-ish painting quickly became formulaic, quasi-geometric decoration-occasionally animated by a biomorphic lyricism-despite the Utopian high-mindedness that first inspired it.

Kirchner's version of this mode tends toward largish compositions of intersecting figures, or figures in interiors engulfed in a kind of nature-inspired patchwork-modernistic potboilers. (Andre Lhote would be a French equivalent.) Not that Kirchner utterly failed to introduce a certain glum originality into the work-with his monumental figures that were indebted to the Oceanic nudes of Gauguin; his often-quirky Mannerist sense of color (pink, lavender, celadon, black-an unusual palette under any circumstances); the overtone of Nordic lyrical Symbolism echoing Munch. These aspects of the Davos works are not without merit and may yet provide the clues that could lead to a broad redemption. That this work is already esteemed for its period interest goes without saying. Such condescension is far from admitting them wholesale into the twentieth-century canon, but in this case it is a first and necessary step. One wonders how the Davos pictures-for they are rather more pictures than paintings-will look twenty years from now.

-Robert Pincus-Witten

Innovative new works brings trash to life

Led by genre trashing British percussionist, Joby Burgess, Import/Export is Powerplant's biggest tour to date and opens in Bath's ICIAon Saturday, with visuals by local, Bristol-based artist, KathyHinde.

For the first time, Powerplant has commissioned two major newmultimedia works: British minimalist, Graham Fitkin'stechnologically advanced and innovative new work Chain Of Commanduses the xylosynth - a cross between a xylophone and synthesizer - with live electronics, motion tracking and live visuals to deliverits global political message.

While Gabriel Prokofiev's Import/Export uses items of scrap, woven together with live electronics and film, to explore …

Other relievers who got away

An effective stopper might have vaulted the Cubs into the pennantrace, but the Cubs have had many wear their uniform: BILL CAUDILL

Acquired from the Cincinnati Reds in October, 1977, with WoodieFryman for Bill Bonham. In three seasons as a starter and reliever,Caudill was 6-18 with a 4.27 ERA and one save. Bonham pitched sevenyears for the Cubs, was 53-70 with a 3.99 ERA and 11 saves. He was astarter for three seasons for the Reds and was 22-13 with a 4.02 ERA.

Caudill was traded in a three-way deal involving the New YorkYankees and Seattle Mariners, the Cubs trading Jay Howell and Caudilland getting Pat Tabler, Howell going to the Yankees and the Yankeestrading Caudill to the Mariners for Gene Nelson and Bobby Brown.Caudill pitched two seasons for the Mariners, going 14-17 with 3.53ERA and 52 saves. He was 9-7 with a 2.71 ERA and 36 saves in oneseason with the Oakland Athletics and in two seasons with the TorontoBlue Jays was 6-10 with a 4.59 ERA and 16 saves. WILLIE HERNANDEZ

Played 6 1/2 years with the Cubs, compiling a 25-28 record, 3.85ERA and 19 saves. Traded to the Philadelphia Phillies in May, 1983,for Dick Ruthven and Bill Johnson. He pitched for the Phillies forone season, was 8-4 with a 3.28 ERA and eight saves, then was tradedto the Detroit Tigers in 1984, where he was voted league MVP and CyYoung winner for the world champion Tigers, going 9-3 with a 1.92 ERAand 32 saves. He pitched five more seasons for the Tigers, going27-28 with 88 saves and a 3.74 ERA.

Ruthven pitched four seasons for the Cubs, going 22-26 with a4.75 ERA. Johnson appeared in 14 games as a reliever in two seasons,going 1-0 with a 3.57 ERA. DENNIS ECKERSLEY

Acquired in May, 1984, from the Boston Red Sox with Mike Brumleyfor Bill Buckner. Pitched three seasons for Cubs as a starter, going27-26 with a 3.75 ERA. Traded in 1987 to the Athletics for minorleaguers David Wilder, Brian Guinn and Mark Leonette. Eckersley wasconverted to relief by the A's. Entering the 1991 season, he was14-10 with a 2.31 ERA and 94 saves. This season, he's 1-2 with a2.53 ERA and 33 saves.

Wilder, Guinn and Leonette never played in the majors. BRUCE SUTTER

Played five seasons with the Cubs, compiling a 32-30 record,2.42 ERA and 133 saves. Was traded in December, 1980, to the St.Louis Cardinals for Leon Durham, Ken Reitz and Tye Waller. In fourseasons with the Cardinals, Sutter was 26-30 with a 2.83 ERA and 127saves. The Atlanta Braves signed him as a free agent in 1985. Hepitched three seasons for them, going 10-11 with a 4.53 ERA and 40saves.

Durham played seven seasons for the Cubs, hitting .279 with 138homers and 482 RBI. Reitz played one season with the Cubs, hitting.215 with two homers and 28 RBI. Waller played in 47 games in twoseasons with the Cubs, hitting .253 with three homers and 14 RBI. LEE SMITH

Played eight seasons for the Cubs, compiling a 40-51 record,2.95 ERA and 180 saves. Traded in December, 1987, to the Red Sox forpitchers Calvin Schiraldi and Al Nipper. Pitched two seasons withthe Red Sox, compiling 8-2 record, 2.73 ERA and 29 saves. Traded tothe Cardinals in May, 1990, where he was 3-4 with a 2.10 ERA and 27saves last season. This season, he is 6-3 with a 2.59 ERA and 31saves.

Schiraldi pitched 1 1/2 seasons with the Cubs, going 12-19 with a3.95 ERA before being traded to the San Diego Padres in 1989 withoutfielder Darrin Jackson and first baseman Phil Stephenson foroutfielder Marvell Wynne and infielder Luis Salazar.

Nipper, who in five seasons for the Red Sox was 42-43 with a4.20 ERA, pitched the 1988 season for the Cubs, going 2-4 with a 3.04ERA and one save before being released. MITCH WILLIAMS

Pitched three seasons with the Texas Rangers, compiling 18-19record, 3.81 ERA and 32 saves. Acquired in December, 1988, withpitchers Paul Kilgus, Steve Wilson and infielder Curtis Wilkerson forfirst baseman Rafael Palmeiro and pitchers Jamie Moyer and Drew Hall.In two seasons with the Cubs, he compiled a 5-12 record, 3.28 ERA and52 saves. Was traded in April to the Phillies for pitchers BobScanlan and Chuck McElroy.

Kilgus pitched one season with the Cubs, going 6-10 with a 4.39ERA and two saves. Was traded to the Blue Jays in December, 1989,for pitcher Jose Nunez.

Wilson was 6-4 with a 4.20 ERA and two saves in 1989 and 4-9with a 4.79 ERA and one save in 1990. He has spent most of the 1991season at Class AAA Iowa.

Wilkerson hit .244 with a homer and 10 RBI in 1989 and .220 with16 RBI in 1990. Wilkerson signed as a free agent with the PittsburghPirates.

Palmeiro hit .247, .276 and .307 for the Cubs in 1986-88. Hehit .275 for the Rangers in 1989, .319 in 1990. This season, he ishitting a league-leading .343 with 156 hits, 20 homers and 64 RBI.

Moyer was 28-34 with a 4.54 ERA in three seasons for the Cubsand 6-15 with a 4.76 ERA in two seasons with the Rangers.

Hall was 3-4 with a 6.37 ERA in three seasons with the Cubs and2-1 with a 3.70 ERA for the Rangers in 1989.

Scanlan is 5-5 with a 3.93 ERA and no saves; McElroy is 5-1 witha 1.60 ERA and three saves.

Larry King, 7th wife each file for divorce

LOS ANGELES -- Larry King filed for divorce Wednesday, shortlybefore his seventh wife also sought to end the couple's nearly 13-year-old marriage. The 76-year-old host of CNN's "Larry King Live"filed hours before Shawn King filed her own petition. Both cited"irreconcilable differences."

The couple were married in a hospital room in 1997 three daysbefore Larry King underwent surgery to clear a clogged blood vessel.They have two sons, ages 11 and 9. The petitions differ in thatLarry King is seeking joint custody, while his 50-year-old wifewants physical custody.

Larry King is also asking a judge not to award his wife anyspousal support and to invalidate an agreement in …

Larry King, 7th wife each file for divorce

LOS ANGELES -- Larry King filed for divorce Wednesday, shortlybefore his seventh wife also sought to end the couple's nearly 13-year-old marriage. The 76-year-old host of CNN's "Larry King Live"filed hours before Shawn King filed her own petition. Both cited"irreconcilable differences."

The couple were married in a hospital room in 1997 three daysbefore Larry King underwent surgery to clear a clogged blood vessel.They have two sons, ages 11 and 9. The petitions differ in thatLarry King is seeking joint custody, while his 50-year-old wifewants physical custody.

Larry King is also asking a judge not to award his wife anyspousal support and to invalidate an agreement in …

PAY IT AGAIN, SAM: SEQUELS CASH IN

A good sequel is like money in the bank. But is it also anoxymoron?

Not necessarily, as proven by a couple of this summer's biggestfollowups.

During its first three days of release, "Austin Powers: The SpyWho Shagged Me" made $1 million more than the original "Powers"grossed during its entire theatrical run.

Yeah, baby!

With a $54.7 million opening, "The Spy Who Shagged Me" became thetop-opening comedy, the top June opener and the No. 2 non-holidayweekend opener (behind a little film called "Star Wars: Episode One -The Phantom Menance"). Not bad for a second installment, whichtraditionally isn't expected to generate more revenue than …

CNA, Berkshire deal eliminates legacy liability; National Indemnity to take CNA's asbestos risk for $2 billion.(NEWS)

Byline: JUDY GREENWALD

CNA Financial Corp.'s agreement to cede $1.6 billion in net asbestos and environmental pollution liabilities to Berkshire Hathaway Inc. and pay a $2 billion premium to Berkshire for $4 billion in reinsurance coverage removes a potentially major legacy liability for CNA, experts and analysts say.

The agreement between several CNA units and Berkshire unit National Indemnity Co. will cover credit risks on existing third-party reinsurance related to the liabilities, CNA said last week.

"We believe this transaction is consistent with our focus on financial stability and delivering improved levels of operating consistency as we effectively …

BUS VANDALISM CLOSES SCHOOLS.(CAPITAL REGION)

Byline: BRUCE A. SCRUTON Staff writer

BERLIN -- The Berlin Central School District will reopen today after canceling classes Monday to repair 22 buses that had their air-brake lines cut, officials said.

Three buses were about to leave the garage just before 6 a.m. when the drivers noticed there was no air pressure in the brake systems, said Toni Diamond, superintendent of the 1,050-student district.

``They notified the supervisors, and an inspection was done on the rest of the buses,'' she said. At least five vehicles from the 35-bus fleet were already on their routes and were recalled.

Because the buses have air brakes, gauges and warning …

MediGene AG.(Other News To Note)(Phase II trial of its Polyphenon E Ointment )(Brief Article)

MediGene AG, of Martinsried, Germany, said results of a Phase II trial of its Polyphenon E Ointment (15 percent) for the treatment of actinic keratosis, a precursor of skin cancer, showed that the drug demonstrated immunomodulatory properties, though …

Swedish defense firm Saab buys Sensis for $155 mln

STOCKHOLM (AP) — Swedish aerospace and defense company Saab AB says it has signed a deal to buy the American company Sensis Corp. for around $155 million.

Saab says Sensis provides air traffic management solutions and surveillance technology and will help it increase its presence in North America.

Saab said Wednesday it will pay $155 million upfront and up to $40 million more by 2014 …

TODAY

Annual art and craft fair begins today in Ripley

Art and craft fans will be able to purchase "Works of Heart" atthe 36th annual Mountain State Art and Craft Fair, which begins inRipley today.

"Works of Heart" is the theme of this year's fair, held at theCedar Lakes Conference Center. More than 200 juried artisans andcrafters will be displaying and selling their work.Special events at the fair include a quilt show, daily herbworkshops, sheep shearing demonstrations on Friday, a Civil War re-enactment camp on Saturday and Civil War church service at 11 a.m.Sunday, and three tents filled with Appalachian music each day.The fair is open from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. today …

ANCYL rebels prepared to play ball now.(News)

BYLINE: Xolani Mbanjwa Political Bureau

INTERVENTION by senior ANC leaders in the affairs of Julius Malema's youth wing seem to have stemmed fears of rigged conferences and stolen elections in provinces that must yet hold elective conferences.

An ANC task team, led by Deputy President Kgalema Motlanthe and including Sport Minister Makhenkesi Stofile, ANC deputy secretary-general Thandi Modise and Deputy Communications Minister Dina Pule, was hard at work in the rebellious Limpopo and Eastern Cape provinces.

Gauteng youth league leaders expect their provincial conference, starting tomorrow in Ekurhuleni, to go off without a hitch. About 700 …

MEETINGS.(Capital Region)

CASTLETON

PLANNING BOARD

July 18

Administered the oath of office to Joseph Keegan, new member.

Approved a revised plot subdivision proposed by Joseph and Theresa Scandurra for their property at 110 Green Ave. The property line was moved to retain a mature tree.

Resolved to correspond with the property owner at 49 S. Main St. and arrange for an evaluation of the property. The owner sought a demolition permit based on hardship.

Discussed code recommendations that would authorize the Planning Board to take action in cases of boarded-up property.

Upcoming: Next meeting, 7 p.m. Aug. 15

POESTENKILL

…

`WALL STREET JOURNAL' CHARGING ONLINE FEE.(BUSINESS)

Byline: Associated Press

NEW YORK -- The Wall Street Journal is expanding its presence on the World Wide Web, making the newspaper's full contents available today but also charging a fee to electronic subscribers for the first time.

The Journal and its parent company, Dow Jones & Co., have provided free stock market and investment information updates on the Web since last fall.

Its new Web site, called Wall Street Journal Interactive, will provide the full Journal, …

Iger offers 'compensation stabilization.' (ABC TV President Robert Iger) (Brief Article)

ABC Television Network Group President Robert Iger, in his first address to ABC affiliates last week, promised not to cut compensation and sour network-affiliate relations, according to executives at the Washington meeting.

The affiliates sources said Iger spoke of instituting a "compensation stabilization plan."

According to one executive, Iger "expressed his conviction ... that compensation would not be reduced and …

Sudanese president to visit Turkey

Sudanese officials in Turkey say Sudan's President Omar al-Bashir is to visit Turkey on Monday.

Officials at the embassy and consulate of Sudan said Monday that al-Bashir was to arrive in Istanbul later in the day to attend a three-day …

Freedom fighter or traitor? Harry Hopkins stood by his country and his president throughout a Great Depression and a world war

He was among the great public officials of his time.

Harry L. Hopkins (1890-1946), a native of Iowa who spent part ofhis youth in Chicago, played a critical role in lifting the nationout of the Great Depression and in forging the alliance that defeatedNazi Germany in World War II. He was a fighter for freedom.

During Franklin D. Roosevelt's New Deal, Hopkins put millions ofAmericans back to work as chief of the Works Progress Administrationand Civil Works Administration. As director of the Federal ReliefAdministration, this former social worker fed the hungry. Nobody didmore for the unemployed and their families.

Hopkins then moved to the world stage. Speaking …

Best practices for a delivery sales rep.(OCS UPDATE)

A delivery salesperson is often expected to make decisions that affect the account and company. Following is a best practices summary for the delivery sales representative.

Being personable is a big part of the job. It is also important to do things right the first time. This involves ordering product correctly, maintaining the equipment, cleaning the break area, knowing what products the company carries, reporting service issues, and taking initiative to repair or trouble shoot minor equipment malfunctions.

[ILLUSTRATION OMITTED]

CUSTOMER SERVICE CHECKLIST

Following are some pointers for good customer service.

* Be personable. A rep's …

IN CLIFTON PARK *LAWSUIT THREATENED ON VARIANCE.(Local)

Byline: Marc Carey

Calling it an "outrage," a top civic official in Vischer Ferry has threatened a lawsuit to overturn a town zoning board of appeals ruling granting a variance for a subdivision within the hamlet's special-residential district.

"If this decision holds, it will establish a dangerous precedent for the Vischer Ferry area and for the town as a whole," said Peter R. Borrelli, chairman of the zoning committee of the Vischer Ferry Association and chairman of the Vischer Ferry Nature and Historic Preserve. "This is an outrage that must not be condoned."

The zoning board of appeals and the planning board chairman, however, said the developer …

BIG CROWD WATCHES AS WHALEN SWORN IN.(Local)

Byline: Elizabeth Schwartz Staff writer

With hundreds looking on, Thomas M. Whalen III was sworn into office Sunday evening for his second full term as the mayor of Albany.

Whalen was sworn in at about 6:40 p.m., just after the city's First Night parade down Washington Avenue and just prior to the festivities of Albany's fourth annual New Year's Eve celebration.

Judge James T. Foley, senior judge of the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of New York, administered the oath of office. Whalen's wife, Denis,

held the Bible used in the ceremony.

During a short speech, Whalen vowed not to use urban problems in Albany as an excuse for not improving …

Delta: Body of woman, 61, found in plane bathroom

Flight attendants discovered the body of a 61-year-old woman in the restroom of a plane shortly before the flight landed in Atlanta Wednesday morning, a spokeswoman for the airline said.

It was unclear how Michaele O'Neil Carnahan died, and how long she was in the restroom.

The crew on the Los Angeles-to-Atlanta flight noticed the restroom was occupied on final approach, just before Flight 950 touched down at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport at 5:51 a.m., spokeswoman Keyra Johnson said. Atlanta police were notified and met the plane at the gate, Johnson said.

"Delta extends its condolences to the family and commends our …

What happened to Ernesto?

MIAMI -- The fizzling of Tropical Storm Ernesto was a perfectexample of what forecasters constantly tell residents of hurricane-prone states: Scientists are far better at predicting where a stormwill go than determining how powerful it will be.

"It's like having a jigsaw puzzle with a million pieces," said MaxMayfield, director of the National Hurricane Center. "Some have nocolors. Some pieces are missing. It's hard."

Ernesto hit Cuba on Sunday as a Category 1 hurricane, andforecasters predicted it would …