PAWTUCKET, Rhode Island (AP) — Hasbro says its first-quarter profit tumbled 71 percent as weakness persisted in games, puzzles and several other product categories and the company spent money to develop new products and staff its joint-venture TV station.
The toy maker says net income fell 71 percent to $17.2 million, or 12 cents per share, in the January-March period while revenue was flat at $672 …
A missing Iranian nuclear scientist, who Tehran claims was abducted by the U.S., has taken refuge at the Pakistani embassy in Washington and is asking to return to his homeland, Iran said Tuesday.
It was the latest development in a case that has been shrouded in mystery since the scientist, Shahram Amiri, disappeared while on a pilgrimage to Saudi Arabia in June 2009.
Iran has repeatedly claimed that the U.S. abducted Amiri _ charges the Americans deny. U.S. media reported in March that the 32-year-old scientist had defected to the U.S. and was assisting the CIA in efforts to undermine Iran's disputed nuclear program.
Adding to the confusion, …
Two Army project teams were recently awarded the highest honor that DOD can bestow on acquisition professionals. The Project Manager for Close Combat Systems (PM CCS) Countermeasure (CM) Flares Team and Program Executive Office (PEO) for Intelligence, Electronic Warfare and Sensors Infrared Countermeasure (IRCM) Project Office both received the David Packard Excellence in Acquisition Award. The award is presented to civilian and military organizations that have significantly contributed or have demonstrated exemplary innovations and best practices in the defense acquisition process.
The CM Flares Team was recognized for their hands-on coordination with contractors to meet the …
Mikhail Saakashvili became a symbol of democratic reform in the former Soviet Union in 2003, after the brash young politician led large-scale street protests that ousted a graying veteran of the Communist era from power.
Now, the hero of Georgia's Rose Revolution faces a test of his own commitment to democracy in the Jan. 5 presidential election, in which he is accused of silencing critics and restricting independent media.
Despite sinking approval ratings, the U.S.-educated incumbent stands a good chance of winning a second term, benefiting from the failure of the opposition to unite around a single candidate.
But Saakashvili's credentials as a …
Defending champion Novak Djokovic is out of the Australian Open after retiring from his quarterfinal against Andy Roddick with a heat-related problem on Tuesday.
Roddick was leading 6-7 (3), 6-4, 6-2, 2-1 when Djokovic, who had just had his serve broken, went to Roddick's side of the court and shook the American's hand, …
First Security Federal Savings Bank's net income last year was$1.9 million on assets of $136 million, a 1.4 percent rate, whichkept it at a level well above the industry standard of 1 percent,president Julian Kulas said.
The Woodstock Institute's Community Lending Fact Book for 1986,the latest year compiled, shows First Security led all lenders in theChicago area by issuing $3.5 million …
CAMBRIDGE, Mass. - On the eve of the fifth anniversary of the Sept. 11 attacks, former Iranian president Mohammed Khatami condemned Osama bin Laden and suicide bombings but also defended groups such as Hezbollah for what he characterized as resistance against Israeli colonialism.
In a 30-minute speech given under tight security at Harvard University, Khatami repeatedly praised the concept of democracy but said American politicians, since World War II, have been infatuated with "world domination."
Khatami, who spoke in Farsi and had his speech relayed through a translator, said he was one of the first world leaders to condemn "the barbarous acts" of Sept. 11. Responding to …
Austrian cyclist Bernhard Kohl, who retired after admitting he used a banned blood booster during last year's Tour de France, says the top 10 finishing riders in the race could have all tested positive for doping.
Kohl finished third in the 2008 Tour and won the polka-dot jersey for best climber, but was then caught for using the blood-boosting hormone CERA when French anti-doping agency AFLD retested the race samples.
In an interview Tuesday with sports daily L'Equipe, Kohl said he knew he was going to test positive after AFLD's involvement.
"At first, I once again tried to reassure myself: 'OK, I was dead _ but we were all dead,'" …
Tell me, why doesn't Chicago - or anyone in Chicago, for thatmatter - seem excited about the prospect that the White Sox mightactually win their division championship?
I'm serious. What is going on here? I haven't even heard aloud argument yet about whether the Sox are or are not going to takeit in the American League West.
You'd think, given the dismal history of our local baseballfranchises, that a genuine chance of winning something, anything,even a division championship, would be enough to get people pumpedup.
And don't you just know they'd be going nuts on the North Sideby now if the sad sack Cubs - who, incredibly, are still outdrawingthe Sox at …
NEW YORK (AP) — As the best in his country for years, Andy Roddick has long been the man to turn to when questions about the future of American tennis come up.
On Friday night at the U.S. Open, he saw that future up-close in a player named Jack Sock — and made sure Sock didn't become the story line of the present.
Roddick beat the 18-year-old Sock 6-3, 6-3, 6-4 to close out a day filled with U.S. stories — some of them about success, some not.
The 29-year-old former champion has been on the decline of late. Once the world No. 1, he's seeded 21st at Flushing Meadows this year. But he's still a headliner, and during the prime-time match at Arthur Ashe Stadium, he pushed …
Three weather features were forecast to bring active weather to the U.S. on Tuesday.
A low pressure system continued tracking eastward along the Canadian border, which would create two frontal boundaries. A cold front would sweep through the Northern Rockies and into the High Plains, kicking up light showers with light snow at higher elevations. Strong winds would accompany this system, with gusts up to 45 mph over Montana and Wyoming. Less than a quarter of an inch of rain was expected along this front and snowfall remaining less than a half of an inch. Meanwhile, this low pressure system would also create a warm front that would stretch eastward and into the Upper …
NEW YORK (AP) — Moments after his team lost a day-night doubleheader at Yankee Stadium in late September, Joe Maddon wandered into the Tampa Bay clubhouse.
The twin defeats left the Rays in a precarious position with only a week remaining in the regular season. Rather than raise his voice, Maddon delivered a simple message.
"You guys are great," Maddon recalled telling them, "and I know you can still do this."
Eternally optimistic, Maddon won the AL Manager of the Year award Wednesday. He certainly clinched the honor in the last month, when Tampa Bay overcame a nine-game deficit and trumped Boston for the wild-card spot.
Kirk Gibson, meanwhile, took a more stern approach starting in spring training. He even brought three Navy SEALs to camp.
The SEALs wrote D, W and I on a board. The letters stood for a sense of purpose, not a traffic offense: "Deal With It."
"They bought into it," said Gibson, voted the NL Manager of the Year after the guiding the Arizona Diamondbacks to a worst-to-first finish.
Gibson was a clear choice for guiding the Diamondbacks to a runaway NL West title. A former MVP as a rough-and-tumble outfielder, he was honored in his first full season as a big league manager.
"I certainly had a vision," Gibson said during a conference call while on vacation in northern Michigan, adding, "It's certainly not all because of me."
Maddon was an easy pick in winning the AL award for the second time. The Rays made the biggest September rally in baseball history for a team that claimed a playoff berth, sealing it on the final day of the regular season.
"I like to think of it as a validation of the Rays' way of doing things," Maddon said of the award during a conference call while visiting family and friends in Hazleton, Pa.
Maddon led Tampa Bay to the playoffs for the third time in four years. After that, his name popped up in speculation about managerial openings with Boston, the Chicago Cubs and St. Louis. The Cardinals have already hired Mike Matheny.
"I don't want to have to go anywhere else," Maddon said.
The awards were announced by the Baseball Writers' Association of America. The NL Cy Young winner will be revealed Thursday, with Clayton Kershaw of the Los Angeles Dodgers the leading candidate.
Gibson and the Diamondbacks went 94-68, a year after he took over in midseason as Arizona went 65-97. Stressing fundamentals and details from the first day of camp, the 54-year-old Gibson pushed his team into the playoffs, where it lost to Milwaukee in the 10th inning of the deciding Game 5 in the opening round.
Gibson drew 28 of the 32 first-place votes and got 152 points. He was the only manager in either league to be listed on every ballot.
Ron Roenicke of the NL Central champion Brewers was second with three first-place votes and 92 points. Tony La Russa of the World Series champion Cardinals was third with the other first-place vote and 24 points. Voting was completed before the start of the playoffs.
Maddon added to the AL honor he won in 2008. The 57-year-old manager who likes to speak on a vast array of subjects — he mentioned Mozart, his iPad and a puppy on his conference call — never panicked during a trying year.
The Rays cut $30 million in payroll during the winter, losing the likes of Carl Crawford, Matt Garza and Carlos Pena. The Rays' big addition, slugger Manny Ramirez, retired during the first week instead of facing a 100-game suspension for a second positive test for a performance-enhancing substance.
The Rays overcame an 0-6 start and injuries to star Evan Longoria and others, relying on a pitching staff anchored by All-Stars James Shields and David Price and recently picked AL Rookie of the Year Jeremy Hellickson.
Tampa Bay won its final five games, rallying from a 7-0 deficit against the Yankees on the last day to finish 91-71 and earn a playoff spot. The Rays lost to Texas in the first round.
"My goal has been to make the Rays into the next century's Yankees, Red Sox, Cardinals," he said.
Maddon drew 26 of 28 first-place votes and had 133 points. Jim Leyland of the AL Central champion Detroit Tigers got the other pair of first-place votes and 54 points and Ron Washington of the AL champion Rangers was third with 31.
Gibson was a two-time World Series champion, winning with Detroit and the Dodgers. He was the fourth former MVP to win the manager award, joining Joe Torre, Frank Robinson and Don Baylor.
Gibson hit two especially memorable home runs during his 17-year career. He connected for the shot that clinched the 1984 crown for the Tigers in Game 5 against San Diego, and launched a bottom-of-the-ninth, pinch-hit homer off Dennis Eckersley to lift the Dodgers over Oakland in the 1988 opener, hobbling around the bases and pumping his arm.
As a player, Gibson acknowledged he sometimes was "a little emotional ... a little stupid."
"As a manager, you can't lose your composure," he said.
Gibson and Bob Melvin (2007) have won the manager award with Arizona. Gibson received a three-year contract extension after the season, with options for two more years.
"I still want to win a World Series as a manager," he said.
James Ealy is a violent repeat offender who was convicted ofmurdering three people (one of whom was pregnant) and raping a 3-year-old boy while he was free awaiting trial for another rape. Mr.Ealy admitted to the crimes. An appeals court, along with thepolitical powerhouse law firm of Jenner and Block, abdicated any andall societal responsibilities by overturning his conviction on anarguable technicality. One judge in the case was later convicted oftaking bribes to "fix" cases. This series of events has caused a bigstink to waft over Chicago and its legal elite.
John Skaritka, Elgin
Greg Harris had been waiting for another chance at CountyStadium for a long time.
He got it Saturday and pitched four innings of one-hit relief asBoston beat Milwaukee 3-1 in 14 innings on Ellis Burks' two-runbases-loaded single. The loss snapped the Brewers' eight-gamewinning streak.
On Easter Sunday, 1987, Harris was a reliever with Texas and wascalled on to protect a 4-1 lead in the ninth inning. But he gave upa three-run homer to Rob Deer and then a game-winning, two-run homerto Dale Sveum as the Brewers won 6-4.
"It was just that one day," said Harris (1-1). "That did stickin my mind when I came to Milwaukee. It was a game I'd like toforget and get revenge for. I was waiting for an opportunity to comein and pitch well."
The Red Sox, who broke a six-game losing streak, loaded the bases against Mark Knudson (4-4) on a walkto Luis Rivera, a single by Wade Boggs and a bunt single by MartyBarrett. Burks then lined a 1-2 pitch to center field to put the RedSox ahead.
Mike Boddicker carried a two-hitter and a 1-0 lead into theeighth inning when Greg Brock led off with his ninth homer.Boddicker pitched 10 innings and allowed three hits.
Nick Esasky gave the Red Sox a 1-0 lead with his 23rd homer inthe second inning.
Athletics 5, Twins 4: Minnesota right fielder Randy Bush droppedWalt Weiss' one-out fly ball in the 10th inning for a two-base errorand Carney Lansford followed with a run-scoring single off relieverJeff Reardon as host Oakland posted a come-from-behind victory.
Storm Davis (14-5) won his fifth straight decision whileallowing eight hits in 10 innings - his longest career outing.
The A's fell behind 4-0 after four innings, but Mark McGwire(No. 22), Rickey Henderson (9) and Dave Parker (17) hit solo homers.
Angels 7, Indians 4: Bert Blyleven (13-2) won his ninth straightdecision and Chili Davis drove in four runs as California toppledvisiting Cleveland. Blyleven, 38, unbeaten since May 20, yielded sixhits in 7 1/3 innings and struck out four, raising his career totalto 3,536 and moving him ahead of Gaylord Perry into fifth place onthe all-time list.
The Angels scored six of their runs on four homers - a three-runshot by Davis (No. 19) in the first inning and solo home runs byWally Joyner (11) in the fifth, Jack Howell (18) in the sixth andLance Parrish (16) in the eighth. California has amajor-league-leading 122 home runs.
Blue Jays 5, Orioles 1: Toronto's Jimmy Key returned from thedisabled list and held host Baltimore to four hits in seven innings.Key (8-13), who suffered from an inflammation of the left rotatorcuff, had lost seven consecutive decisions prior to going on thedisabled list Aug. 8. It was his first victory since June 21.
Tigers 5, Yankees 4: Gary Pettis hit a two-run single off theglove of second baseman Steve Sax with two outs in the eighth inningto give Detroit a victory over visiting New York and hand Bucky Denthis second straight defeat as the Yankees' new manager. Jack Morris(3-10) won for the first time since May 12.
Royals 13, Mariners 5: Jim Eisenreich drove in a career-highfive runs with his first career grand slam and a single and BoJackson hit his 25th home run and added four RBI as Kansas Citycruised at Seattle.
SAN FRANCISCO - Traffic flowed across Bay Area bridges during themorning commute today, despite threats of a terrorist attack. But itwas lighter than usual.
Security was notably increased, as National Guardsmen toured thebridges early in the morning to familiarize themselves withoverlooks, buildings and other features.
On Thursday, Gov. Gray Davis announced that federal officialshave "credible evidence" that terrorists may be targeting Californiabridges. He cited San Francisco's Golden Gate and Bay Bridges, theVincent Thomas Bridge at the Port of Los Angeles and San Diego'sCoronado Bridge as possible targets for attacks over the next fewdays.
After Davis spoke, the Justice Department confirmed that it hadwarned officials in eight Western states about possible attacks onbridges.
The alert was sent to law enforcement agencies in California,Washington, Oregon, Arizona, Nevada, Utah, Montana and Idaho onWednesday. "Reportedly, unspecified groups are targeting suspensionbridges on the West Coast," the FBI message said.
Davis' decision to reveal the potential threats had the supportof federal officials, although they didn't make the informationpublic until after he spoke out.
"I respect the decision Governor Davis made; he exercised hisjudgment," said Homeland Security Director Tom Ridge. "Had he chosennot to reveal, I would have respected that as well."
Attorney General John Ashcroft said Friday that the FBI warningabout possible attacks on West Coast bridges was based on a threatthat authorities deemed to have "relative credibility."
Many commuters opted not to alter their routines, saying thewarning wasn't specific enough to take seriously.
Sonoma resident Constance Kilgore commuted by bus across theGolden Gate Bridge on Friday to her work in San Francisco.
"I"m angry that I'm feeling anxious and afraid. Every time Icross the bridge I think about the terrorists and the way they aregoing to do it," she said. "I don't think our security is goodenough. There's no way they can monitor everything."
Many others crowded onto the subway.
Taking Bay Area Rapid Transit means tacking an extra 45 minutesonto her commute, but film editor Stephanie Shallberg of Lafayettesays she'll take the train rather than drive until year's end.
"There was no way I'd drive over the Bay Bridge," she said Fridaymorning. "On my way home last night, I thought I was going to passout."
Both Southern California bridges had moderate traffic with noreported problems Friday morning. At Vincent Thomas, camouflagedNational Guard troops carrying M-16 rifles stood below the spans.
"This bridge is probably as safe as it's ever been," said JaniceHahn, a city councilwoman who represents Los Angeles' Harbordistrict. California Highway Patrol officers and the U.S. CoastGuard also patrolled bridges and the water beneath them, but that'sbeen standard practice since the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11.
Although the FBI said the threat was uncorroborated, Davis toldThe Associated Press he felt he had an obligation to warn thepublic.
"If I failed to share that information and God forbid somethingwent wrong, I'd be kicking myself," the governor said in a telephoneinterview.
Justice Department spokeswoman Mindy Tucker said the informationthat prompted the warning to the Western states was "at a lowerlevel" than the reports that led authorities to alert the generalpublic Monday of the possibility of an attack somewhere in theUnited States.
Officials representing the agencies that operate the bridges saidthey were taking the threats seriously.
Pedestrians and cyclists are still allowed on the Golden GateBridge. On the vehicles-only Bay Bridge, officials were inspectingidentification badges and have welded shut potential access pointsto prevent trouble.
Officials in Oregon and Washington said the alert had triggeredadditional security precautions at some of the most heavily traveledbridges, including Washington's Tacoma Narrows Bridge. Oregon Gov.John Kitzhaber said the Coast Guard would be checking underneath hisstate's bridges more often and he urged people not to be afraid.
"It would be an unfortunate victory we would hand them if peoplesimply stopped driving," Kitzhaber said.
In San Francisco, tourists Sharon and Jeff Forrest of BloomfieldHills, Mich., were strolling across the Golden Gate Bridge about thetime Davis was making his announcement.
"It wouldn't change our plans at all," said Sharon Forrest."There was a lot of security on the bridge and we noticed the CoastGuard under the bridge. As far as we're concerned, you just keepdoing what you're going to do."
But Janet Vuoso, who lives near the Vincent Thomas bridge, saidshe is concerned about the safety of her family.
"I'm going to go home and tell my daughter to stay away from thebridge," said Vuoso, who teaches at a private medical school. "Idon't think it's a question of if, but a question of when."
A Marine wanted for the brutal slaying of a pregnant colleague who had accused him of rape was arrested Thursday night in Mexico after a three-month international manhunt, authorities said.
FBI agents and Mexican authorities arrested Marine Cpl. Cesar Laurean around 7 p.m. EDT (2300 GMT). He is charged with murder in the death of Marine Lance Cpl. Maria Lauterbach, whose burned remains were found in January in the back yard of his home near the Camp Lejeune military installation.
Magdalena Guzman, a spokeswoman for Michoacan, Mexico, state prosecutors office, said Laurean was detained by Mexican police on a street in the small town of Tacambaro, Michoacan. Police said Laurean matched a description circulated by U.S. authorities, Guzman said.
The FBI said Laurean is awaiting extradition to the United States.
"Laurean's swift arrest in Mexico was due to the diligence and dedication of the Mexican government and our law enforcement partners," Nathan Gray, the special agent in charge of the FBI's Charlotte office, said in a statement.
Onslow County District Attorney Dewey Hudson said after Laurean's arrest was announced that "it could be a year or two" before authorities are able to bring the personnel clerk back to North Carolina if he decides to fight the extradition process.
"The extradition process is one where you have a right to appeal," Hudson told The Associated Press. "I have no idea whether he would waive extradition."
Authorities believe Laurean killed the 20-year-old Lauterbach, who was eight months pregnant when she died, in mid-December. Detectives have said he left behind a note for his wife in which he denied killing Lauterbach but admitted to burying her remains.
In the note, Laurean said Lauterbach committed suicide by cutting her own throat.
Authorities rejected the assertion, saying evidence indicates Lauterbach died of blunt force trauma to the head.
Tipped by the note, and not long after authorities went public in their search for the Lauterbach, detectives discovered the charred remains of the missing Marine and her fetus in a shallow grave in Laurean's backyard.
Phone messages seeking comment left at Lauterbach's parents' home in Vandalia, Ohio, with Lauterbach's uncle Pete Steiner, and with family attorney Chris Conard were not immediately returned late Thursday. A woman who answered the phone at the home of Laurean's father-in-law, Bruce Shifflet, near Prospect, Ohio, hung up without commenting when told of the arrest.
Should Laurean be returned to North Carolina to stand trial, it would be unlikely he would face the death penalty. Hudson agreed not to seek an execution in order to win the cooperation of Mexico authorities, who refuse to send anyone back to the U.S. unless provided assurance they won't face a death sentence.
"We had intel that he had gone back to America to visit his family in Las Vegas and I was hoping they would arrest him in America," Hudson said. "But they didn't. This is a case that certainly is deserving to be tried as a capital case."
___
Associated Press writer Mark Stevenson in Mexico City contributed to this report.
The United States and Russia say they are resuming military cooperation suspended after Russia invaded its smaller neighbor Georgia last year.
The expected announcement came Monday, as President Barack Obama and Russian president Dmitry Medvedev met for their first summit in Moscow.
U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Admiral Mike Mullen and his Russian counterpart signed an outline for renewed military contacts. The White House announced that the two nations plan 20 exchanges and meeting this year.
For example, Russian military cadets will come to the U.S. Military Academy at West Point. The two countries also plan a joint exercise to respond to a plane hijacking.
U.S. and Russian relations were at a low point following the August 2008 conflict in Georgia.
A court document shows an Ohio schoolteacher accused of burning the image of a cross on a student's arm is in settlement talks with the district that fired him.
Former science teacher John Freshwater and the Mount Vernon school board asked a federal judge on Thursday for a gag order ahead of confidential negotiations. The request in U.S. District Court in Columbus says the order is needed to promote an environment conducive to exploring resolution in the case.
The school board fired Freshwater in 2008, citing an internal investigation that found he had preached his Christian beliefs in class. Freshwater also was accused of using a scientific device to mark a student's arm with a cross.
Freshwater is appealing his dismissal. He sued the school board last year.
HOUSTON - Brandon Backe pitched six strong innings and hit a home run Saturday night as the Houston Astros, with Craig Biggio catching up on old times, beat the Atlanta Braves 3-2.
In the next-to-last game of his 20-year career, Biggio caught for the first two innings. He primarily played the position for his first four seasons in the majors - he had not been behind the plate since switching to second base in 1992.
Backe (3-1), who missed most of the season after Tommy John surgery, made his fifth start of the year. He allowed a run on four hits and struck out four while walking none.
Brad Lidge pitched a scoreless ninth to earn his 19th save in 27 chances.
Jeff Bennett (2-1) made his second career start since coming up from Triple-A Richmond on Sept. 19. He also went six innings, giving up three runs.
Biggio doubled and Lance Berkman followed with his 34th home run for a 2-0 lead in the first. The Braves scored in the second when Jeff Francoeur reached on an infield single, went to third on Brandon Jones' single and scored on an infield out by Brayan Pena.
Backe, who started in the Tampa Bay organization as a position player, hit his second career home run and first this year in the fifth. Backe's first home run came on Sept. 9, 2004, against Cincinnati, also at Minute Maid Park.
Reliever Dennis Sarfate took over for Backe in the seventh inning and Francoeur led off with a double. One out later, he went to third on Pena's single and scored on Willie Harris' sacrifice fly.
Notes:@ Biggio hit his 667th double. He later singled for his 3,059th career hit. ... Biggio's last appearance at catcher came against Atlanta on Oct. 5, 1991 at Fulton County Stadium. He started 391 games there and made the All-Star team at the position once. ... Brad Ausmus started at 2B while Biggio was behind the plate, making it easy to switch the two in the third inning. Ausmus, who was making his first career start at any position besides catcher, handled one grounder in the first inning. ... Chipper Jones went 1-for-3 before being replaced in the bottom of the sixth. He has a a .339 average with one game left as he vies for the NL batting title.
A group of neighbors in the Auburn Park neighborhood are pushing to shut down a halfway house in their community.
The idea that ex-offenders, particularly registered sex offenders, could be living in a statelicensed transitional home in the 8100 block of South Morgan Street has a few neighbors, including Annette Outen, frightened and furious.
"We feel like we're in harm's way, but we're stuck in the mud because of the bureaucracy," Outen said. "This is a residential area. There are no signs advertising what that place is."
The neighbors, who discovered the purpose of the privately owned Carrie's Place facility nearly a year ago, are especially concerned about the home's proximity to Calumet High School at 8131 S. May St.
Carrie's Place sits a quarter of a mile - and more than 1,200 feet - from Calumet High School.
Illinois Department of Corrections spokeswoman Dede Short said Illinois law requires registered sex offenders to live no less than 500 feet away from a school park or playground.
Attempts to contact Carrie's Place Wednesday were unsuccessful.
One sex offender lives in the group home and was referred to the transitional facility after he was released from prison in 2004, according to Chicago Police spokesman John Mirabelli.
While the home is obviously a concern for the community, Mirabelli said police have had no contact with the 28-year-old sex offender since he moved into the home shortly after his release.
Additionally, a 2005 check of the immediate area surrounding the home - a two-block radius in each direction - netted no reports of sex crimes, Mirabelli said.
Still, since the purpose of the facility was discovered last March, neighbors near the Auburn Park facility have been working with Ald. Howard Brookins Jr., (21st), in an attempt to get the facility closed for a zoning violation, Outen said.
Though the halfway house is run out of a bungalow-style home, a special use permit is required, said Law Department spokeswoman Jennifer Hoyle.
The Law Department is reviewing the case, which was transferred from the Zoning Department last month, Hoyle said.
Brookins told the Defender that he is working with the neighbors and city departments to have the home shut down.
Brookins said he realizes those who are released from prisons need a place to go, but the state and the house's owners should have presented both the alderman and the community with a proposal before it opened its doors five years ago.
"Why bring sex offenders into the neighborhood? If they're coming from downstate, why are they coming here," said Brookins, who is working with other South Side aldermen to try to reduce the number of state-licensed transitional homes in their communities.
The state is not required to notify the city when transitional facilities open in Chicago. There are at least two in each of the 21st, 6th and 8th Wards, Brookins said.
Outen said though nothing has happened in the neighborhood that could be linked to Carrie's Place, she would rather see such a facility on a commercially-zoned strip on a well-marked site that clearly makes its purposes known.
"Those people made a conscious decision. Why make their problem our problem?" Outen asked.
Article copyright REAL TIMES Inc.
NEW YORK - Retailers' hopes for a successful back-to-school shopping season grew dim Thursday after they reported generally modest sales gains for June, extending a string of disappointments that began last winter.
As merchants reported their sales results Thursday, it was clear that consumers' uneasiness about higher good and gas prices and the weakening housing market was forcing many to think twice before spending on non-essentials - although consumer electronics like MP3 players and flat-screen TVs had a good month.
The disappointments included Macy's Inc., AnnTaylor Stores Corp. and trendy apparel chain Bebe Stores Inc. A notable exception was Wal-Mart Stores Inc., whose renewed emphasis on low prices helped drive sales gains above analysts' expectations.
Sales were not as weak as some analysts feared, but the fact that June, the second most important month in the retail calendar, was nonetheless sluggish did not augur well for back to school shopping that begins this month.
Ken Perkins, president of RetailMetrics LLC, a research company in Swampscott, Mass., said shoppers are "facing a long list of headwinds as they head into the rest of the summer."
Most obvious for most consumers is how much they're paying for gasoline - prices at the pump that fell after peaking in late May are again rising, and the national average price for a gallon of unleaded regular is above $3.
Still, there were mitigating factors that might help some retailers out in the months ahead - teens were spending again in June after a slower spring. That improvement was reflected in reports from retailers including Pacific Sunwear of California Inc. and Abercrombie & Fitch. And despite the concerns about back-to-school, J.C. Penney Co. said it saw a good response to its early fall merchandise.
The International Council of Shopping Centers-UBS sales tally of 50 stores rose 2.4 percent in June, compared to a 3.0 percent gain in the year-ago period. The tally is based on same-store sales, which reflect business at stores open at least a year and are considered a key indicator of a retailer's health.
June's results extended the slowing trend retailers have experienced since February.
For some stores, June results were depressed in part by a shift in the calender that moved the Memorial Day weekend business into May. But retailers of what are known as discretionary merchandise such as apparel and home goods are also coming under increasing pressure as consumers are forced to pay more for food and gas. The still-weakening housing market is also making shoppers shy about spending.
Meanwhile, apparel merchants have problems of their own, including a continuing absence of must-have fashions and competition from the latest electronic gadgets.
Craig R. Johnson, president of Customer Growth Partners, a retail consultancy in New Canaan, Conn., said hot gadgets like Apple Inc.'s iPhone are keeping sales of consumer electronics strong. The iPhone retails for $499 to $599 and combines a cell phone, media player and wireless Internet service.
"The fashion must-haves of the world are not apparel, but the iPhones of the world," said Johnson. "They are wearing technology as fashion."
The fact that the labor market is healthy is lending support to overall consumer spending levels. The Labor Department said Thursday the number of laid-off workers filing unemployment claims dropped to 308,000 last week, the lowest level in almost two months and a decline of 12,000 from the previous week.
Wal-Mart, the world's largest retailer, had a 2.4 percent gain in same-store sales, beating the 0.8 percent predicted by analysts polled by Thomson Financial. The company said its aggressive price reduction strategy helped boost results, and it promised more aggressive price cuts for the back-to-school season.
"Consumers continue to be challenged financially, with more pressure on discretionary spending," said Eduardo Castro-Wright, Wal-Mart Stores U.S. president and chief executive officer, in a statement. "Gas prices have moved to be their chief concern in our latest survey and they appreciate the opportunity to save on everything."
The company said grocery sales continue to be stronger than general merchandise. One exception was the entertainment category; flat-panel televisions, MP3 players and video game hardware enjoyed stronger gains compared to a year ago. Still, Wal-Mart continues to struggle with weak sales in its home and apparel areas.
Target Corp. had a 3.3 percent gain in same-store sales, in line with forecasts.
Meanwhile, Costco Wholesale Corp. reported a 6 percent gain in same-store sales, in line with the 6.1 percent estimate.
Department store operator Macy's suffered a 2.7 percent drop in same-stores sales, worse than the 0.8 percent decline expected. Macy's lowered its second-quarter guidance due to lower-than-expected sales.
J.C. Penney had a 1.5 percent decline in same-store sales in its department store business, less than the 3.6 percent analysts expected. The retailer said sales picked up toward the end of the month, reflecting a strong initial response to its back-to-school merchandise.
Limited Brands Inc. had a 3.0 percent gain, slightly better than the 2.9 percent forecast.
AnnTaylor suffered an 8.4 percent drop in same-store sales, dragged down by its lower-priced Loft division. Analysts expected a 4.7 percent decline.
Among teen retailers, Pacific Sunwear of California Inc. posted a 4.5 percent same-store sales increase, better than the 3.2 percent estimate. Abercrombie & Fitch had a 2 percent gain in same-store sales; analysts had expected a 2.8 percent decline.
But Bebe posted a 5.4 percent drop in same-store sales, worse than the 2.2 percent projected decline.
On Wednesday, American Eagle Outfitters Inc. reported a hefty 8 percent same-store sales gain, beating the 4.4 percent estimate.
Republican gubernatorial candidate Rob Capehart has asked rivalDan Moore to ignore six other primary candidates and engage with himin a series of one-on-one debates.
Capehart sent a letter Thursday to Moore requesting that theyengage in a series of Lincoln/Douglas-style debates beginning in twoweeks, the same week as Gov. Bob Wise's State of the State address.
The former tax and revenue secretary under Gov. Cecil Underwoodcited a Monday Associated Press story in which political analystsrated him and Moore as front-runners. The analysts also described thecrowded Republican primary as the most wide-open in recent WestVirginia history.
"Dan, this is a golden opportunity for you and I - and the party,for that matter - to take our case to the citizens," Capehart'sletter said. "West Virginia Republicans can raise the bar by movingbeyond packaged sound bites, vague platitudes and quick quips."
"We want to get a debate going between Dan and our campaign," saidJeremy Maynard, Capehart's campaign manager. "We don't want tooverwhelm the voters with four or five other candidates on onestage."
Moore, a Mingo County auto dealer and former bank executive, saidThursday that Capehart's request struck him as "premature."
Though Moore hadn't seen Capehart's letter, when a copy of it wasread to him he said, "I'm not sure what value would be gained by justthe two of us meeting. I think it might be presumptuous for us toexclude other candidates.
"At the proper time I would have no problem discussing the issueswith Mr. Capehart or anyone else, but it's presumptuous to do whathe's suggesting," Moore added.
State Republican Chairman Kris Warner said Capehart and Moorearen't the only serious candidates. He said Delegate Larry Faircloth,D-Berkeley, and Monty Warner and Dr. Doug McKinney all have a shot atwinning the nomination.
"Larry Faircloth, with the time he has served in the Legislature,has been elected many, many more times than Dan Moore or RobCapehart," Warner said "Dr. McKinney is a serious candidate. MontyWarner, with his ability and military career, is a serious candidate.To exclude those candidates would not be right for the RepublicanParty."
Other Republicans who have filed precandidacy papers for thegovernor's race could not immediately be reached.
The official filing period for the May 11 primary runs from Jan.12-31.
MOSCOW Up to 300 Crimean Tatars who gathered in a Moscow parkMonday were surrounded by police and would probably be sent out ofthe capital, dissident sources said, as the Soviet governmentcontinued its effort to smash a protest movement by the Moslemminority demanding the return of its Black Sea coast homeland.
Police barred Western reporters from approaching the group inIsmailovo Park, where the Tatars have been meeting since early Juneto campaign for the restoration of their historic homeland in theBlack Sea peninsula of the Crimea.
A dissident supporter of the Tatar cause said 250 to 300 Tatarswere involved and police had prevented some of them from leaving thepark afterward.
"They were surrounded by the police," Valery Senderov said,quoting a Tatar participant who telephoned him.
He said he had no details on how many people had been heldwithin the police cordon, but suspected the police would send themback to their homes, as was done with a dozen protest leaders lastweek.
Another dissident who has kept in close contact with the Tatarssaid many of those at Monday's gathering had just arrived in Moscowto join others who have participated in protests and meetings thelast two weeks.
Senderov, who estimated that 1,100 Tatars attended a similargathering at the park last Thursday, said most of them had beenreturned to Soviet Central Asia and areas of southern Russia and theUkraine where they live.
Under Soviet law, police can send home people who break internalpassport regulations by staying for extended periods withoutpermission in areas where they do not formally reside.
Nine days ago, some 300 Tatars held an unprecedented 24-hourdemonstration on the edge of Red Square, followed by a meeting withSoviet President Andrei A. Gromyko to discuss their demand to beallowed to return to the Crimea.
But Gromyko told the Tatars the situation could not be resolvedquickly, and the demonstrators vowed to continue their protests. Ifa confrontation occurs, it could mark the first real test of MikhailS. Gorbachev's policy of glasnost, or openness.
The entire Crimean Tatar nation of some 194,000 people wasdeported from the peninsula in 1944 when Joseph Stalin accused themof mass collaboration with the German occupation forces. Tens ofthousands died during and after the deportations.
What complicates the Tatar homeland issue is Nikita S.Khrushchev's 1954 decision to hand over the Crimea, whichhistorically had been part of Russia, to the Ukraine. In theintervening years, many of the old Tatar villages and virtually allthe mosques on that picturesque coast have been destroyed asUkrainians settled in the area.
The Bulls have not lost the first game of an opening-roundplayoff series in the '90s (they are 21-2 in the round in thedecade). One school of thought around the NBA holds that the onlygame more important than the opener in these best-of-five miniseriesis Game 5, if things get that far.
Despite all of the hype about Washington's young legs and strongfinish in the regular season, there is no reason to think MichaelJordan and Co. are going to reverse their winning pattern tonight.The Bullets, especially point guard Rod Strickland, are capable ofgiving the Bulls fits throughout, but in the end, Jordan's restedfire will be too much to overcome. Big nights from Luc Longley,Randy Brown or Steve Kerr would be enormous.
Jim O'Donnell's prediction: Bulls 99, Bullets 93.
KENOVA - A fleet of portable classrooms will replace KenovaElementary now that it has been closed by the threat of dangeroussinkholes.
Crews are setting up an expanse of portable classrooms on theCeredo-Kenova High School football field so students can make itback when class starts in Wayne County in a few weeks.
When asked whether or not the construction crews setting up the52-unit cluster will be able to finish by the first day of school onAug. 11, Assistant Superintendent Don Davis could only say "GoodLord willing."
The growing cluster of portables is more expansive than what wasoriginally predicted. It was thought that only between 19 and 21portable classrooms would be needed when the school closed in May.
As the portable school has taken shape over the past few weeks,Davis says that the support from the community and local governmentand business leaders has been overwhelming.
Given the nature of the move, they had to be.
Kenova Elementary, a 97-year-old school, was closed in May due tosinkholes that made the building unsafe.
The age of the school and rains that just wouldn't quit werepegged as reasons for the abrupt closure, which took students out ofschool four weeks early and caused them to miss the WESTEST 2 exam.
At the time, seeing the school close was an emotional blow to thecommunity, most of which attended Kenova Elementary. It was membersof the community that suggested the portables be placed on thefootball field.
"They want the best for their kids and grandkids."
The portable classroom units vary in size, depending on what theywill be used for, and the fleet has been locked down in a three-year lease from mobile building supplier Williams Scotsman, whichhas an office in Charleston.
Unlike most portable classroom setups, Kenova students will nothave to walk outside to get from class to class because of how eachindividual unit is connected via a long hallway. The self-containedschool will also include computer labs, a kitchen and a cafeteria.
The lease alone costs $1.6 million for three years, but Daviscould not say how much the construction and placement of theportables will run Wayne County schools at this point.
The state School Building Authority allocated $2 million inemergency funding for the temporary school. This did not come out ofthe $22 million handed out by the authority in June after matchingbonds failed in Upshur and Harrison counties.
Wayne County was not eligible for any of the $22 million becauseit had not submitted any construction proposals for the first roundof funds rewarded in April.
David Sneed, the chief of architectural services for the SBA, wasnot sure if any other school system in the state has more portablesthan Wayne County right now, but if he had to guess it would be no.
Even in Jefferson and Berkeley counties, which are bedroomcommunities to the Washington, D.C., area and see explosive growth,no single school has more portables than Kenova Elementary.
"These portables in Wayne are not your traditional layout; it'sbasically a school with an interior corridor. It's not like a tentcity or something," he said.
Originally, Wayne County school officials wanted to put thetemporary school in a field next to Ceredo-Kenova Middle School, butthat did not offer enough space.
"I don't think it would be feasible now either," Davis said.
Though the school will provide a space for the ousted KenovaElementary students, the football field their temporary home sits onhas been compromised.
It has been at least a decade since Ceredo-Kenova High School hasheld any students, but its football field has been used in recentyears by middle school sports leagues. They will now have topractice and play at Spring Valley High School, which is about threemiles away.
In the meantime, construction crews continue to work on theportables and are awaiting the second portion of units now and thefuture of the old Kenova Elementary building remains uncertain.
"They have been very supportive and it saddens us all like we'releaving our own home, but we go on, and I think the community andour parents understand that it has to be like this," Davis said.
CRAIG CUNNINGHAM/DAILY MAIL PHOTOS Construction crews lay wiringfor the temporary Kenova Elementary School. The school will be aconfiguration of portable classrooms connected by a hallway.
The portable classrooms that will make up the temporary KenovaElementary School are being positioned on the Ceredo-Kenova HighSchool football field.
Contact writer Amber Marra at amber.marra@dailymail.com or 304-348-4843.
Japan will stop pushing for legislation to charge royalties on the sales of iPods and other portable digital music players, giving in to opposition from electronics makers, officials said Thursday.
What is being dubbed here as "the iPod tax" has been tossed around for years. The tax would allow about 1 percent to 3 percent of the price of a digital recording device to go to recording companies, songwriters and artists.
The Agency for Cultural Affairs had hoped to submit legislation to Parliament as early as this fall.
But amid a flurry of criticism from electronics makers, a meeting of a panel studying the proposal failed to reach any agreement Thursday, agency official Masafumi Kiyota said.
"At this point, there is virtually no hope for getting the legislation passed," he said.
The panel agreed to continue talking, but no date has been set, Kiyota said.
Despite an aggressive push by the Japanese recording industry, a similar proposal to impose an "iPod tax" fell apart in December 2005.
The cultural agency proposed a compromise in May to charge only portable digital music players, such as Apple Inc.'s iPods, and digital hard disk recorders. But the manufacturers resisted, saying more equipment could be added as a source for royalties.
Older devices, such as minidisk and DVD recorders, are already subject to copyright fees in Japan. The payments are included in the price tag so most shoppers aren't even aware they're paying it.
Kiyota said both consumers and electronics makers should be held responsible for paying copyright fees, and the proposed bill follows a global standard. Such systems exist in European nations.
Opponents say the system is an obsolete way of monitoring purchases of digital music and other works at a time when they're growing more widespread. Others say consumers are getting charged twice because they are often already paying royalties on digital purchases.
EAST LANSING, Mich. - Rutgers played so well on the road, the Scarlet Knights probably won't mind doing it again. Kia Vaughn had 12 of her 16 points in the first half to help fourth-seeded Rutgers beat Michigan State 70-57 on its home court Tuesday night in the second round of the Greensboro Regional.
Rutgers' reward?
The Scarlet Knights (24-8) play the top-seeded Duke Blue Devils (32-1) Saturday in Greensboro, N.C. - about 50 miles from their campus.
Rutgers snatched command of the game with a 13-2 run in the first half while holding the Spartans without a field goal for nearly eight minutes.
That dominating stretch put the Scarlet Knights up 22-16 midway through the first half, and they maintained the lead with relentless defense and clutch shooting.
After trailing by 13 early in the second half, Michigan State woke up its fans by pulling within six, but Rutgers responded with five straight points to quiet the crowd.
Big Ten freshman of the year Allyssa DeHaan was held scoreless until the 12:42 mark of the second half, and she finished with six points - less than half of her average.
Victoria Lucas-Perry scored 17, Rene Haynes had 14 points and Aisha Jefferson added 13 for the Spartans (24-9).
Rutgers' Essence Carson had 15 points and freshman Epiphanny Prince scored 14.
Vaughn did more than just score in the first half.
The 6-foot-4 center grabbed four rebounds, blocked four shots, had two steals. She also used strength and aggressiveness to make the 6-9 DeHaan uncomfortable, pushing her out of comfortable spots on the block.
Vaughn didn't score as much in the second half, but she didn't have to because Prince scored 10 of her 14 after halftime and other teammates seemed to make shots whenever Michigan State seemed to generate momentum.
In the second half, Vaughn made both of the shots she attempted and finished with seven rebounds, six blocks and four steals.
It was a performance that didn't surprise Michigan State coach Joanne P. McCallie, who coached Vaughn last summer on USA Basketball's under-20 national team.
Rutgers earned a spot in the regional semifinals for the third straight year.
Michigan State, which advanced to the 2005 national championship game, fell to 2-5 in second-round games.
NEW YORK (AP) Revlon Group Inc.'s dominant stockholder launcheda bid yesterday to take the cosmetics giant private in a deal valuedat $721.5 million.
The $18.50-a-share tender offer begun by MacAndrews & ForbesHoldings Inc. was not a surprise. The private holding company led byRevlon Chairman Ronald O. Perelman said a month ago it might make anoffer at that price.
Revlon's common stock rose 37 1/2 cents a share to $19.25 - or75 cents higher than MacAndrews & Forbes' proposal - in activetrading on the New York Stock Exchange.
MacAndrews & Forbes already controls about 16.2 million, or 29percent, of Revlon's …
BARCELONA, Spain (AP) — Atletico Madrid coach Diego Simeone faces a difficult debut on Saturday as his team looks for its first away win of the Spanish season at Malaga.
The former Atletico midfielder has inherited a squad in 10th place and 10 points adrift of fourth-place Levante, which holds the last spot to qualify for next season's Champions League.
"We are very excited for the game against Malaga so we can have the best fresh start possible," said Atletico midfielder Eduardo Salvio. "We know the adversary is very tough and that it has good players, so it is going to be a test of fire for us."
Under former coach Gregorio Manzano, Atletico managed to earn only one …
Way back in 1990, CBS debuted a show about a sophisticated guyfrom New York who found himself transplanted to a small town inAlaska full of offbeat characters-- a little show called "NorthernExposure."
On Tuesday (9 p.m., Ch. 4), ABC debuts a show about asophisticated gal from New York who finds herself transplanted to asmall town in Alaska that's full of offbeat characters -- a littleshow called "Men in Trees."
The similarities aren't lost on "Trees" creator/producer JennyBicks, who called comparisons between the shows "inevitable."
"I liked 'Northern Exposure,' so I'm very flattered if peoplethink there's a comparison," Bicks told TV critics. "I think we'd …
ABC is climbing 'Trees'Way back in 1990, CBS debuted a show about a sophisticated guyfrom New York who found himself transplanted to a small town inAlaska full of offbeat characters-- a little show called "NorthernExposure."
On Tuesday (9 p.m., Ch. 4), ABC debuts a show about asophisticated gal from New York who finds herself transplanted to asmall town in Alaska that's full of offbeat characters -- a littleshow called "Men in Trees."
The similarities aren't lost on "Trees" creator/producer JennyBicks, who called comparisons between the shows "inevitable."
"I liked 'Northern Exposure,' so I'm very flattered if peoplethink there's a comparison," Bicks told TV critics. "I think we'd …
ABC is climbing 'Trees'Way back in 1990, CBS debuted a show about a sophisticated guyfrom New York who found himself transplanted to a small town inAlaska full of offbeat characters-- a little show called "NorthernExposure."
On Tuesday (9 p.m., Ch. 4), ABC debuts a show about asophisticated gal from New York who finds herself transplanted to asmall town in Alaska that's full of offbeat characters -- a littleshow called "Men in Trees."
The similarities aren't lost on "Trees" creator/producer JennyBicks, who called comparisons between the shows "inevitable."
"I liked 'Northern Exposure,' so I'm very flattered if peoplethink there's a comparison," Bicks told TV critics. "I think we'd …
Recent experiences in overseas combat operations have demonstrated that America needs an improved capability for medium airlift inside combat theaters and in support of the global war on terrorism. U.S. warfighters will soon experience that improved intratheater airlift capability through the recently awarded Joint cargo aircraft (JCA) program.
JCA began as an "Army-only" future cargo aircraft (FCA) studies program in the late 1990s. According to Army planners, the resulting "F-series" studies recognized a gap in the ability to meet U.S. Army direct-support requirements for time-sensitive, missioncritical cargo and passenger delivery to service elements. Meanwhile, the U.S. Air …
Baku, 06 May (AzerTAc) -- A delegation led by president of the International Judo Federation Marius L. Vizer has today visited the Alley of Honors to lay a wreath at the tomb of architect and founder of Azerbaijani state, national leader Heydar Aliyev. They put flowers at the grave of …
Byline: BRENDAN J. LYONS Senior writer
GOSHEN - Seven jurors were sworn in late Tuesday in the murder trial of Christopher Porco, putting the case on track for opening statements this afternoon, officials said.
The remaining panel members - five jurors and at least four alternates - are scheduled to be selected this morning.
During detailed questioning of potential jurors Tuesday, Porco's defense team tacitly unveiled portions of its trial strategy, asking the Orange County residents if they could look past Porco's calm demeanor and allegations he may have victimized his parents before they were bludgeoned inside their Delmar home 19 months ago.
Laurie Shanks, one of Porco's attorneys, stunned prosecutors when she inquired of potential jurors whether they could separate the evidence in the …
Byline: SEAN CALLAHAN
How strong is the mergers and acquisitions market in b-to-b media?
It's attractive enough that two companies which have had very public struggles since 2000 have put themselves on the market: Ziff Davis Media, publisher of PC Magazine, and Penton Media, publisher of IndustryWeek.
"We're deep into an M&A cycle, and it's the best market since the late 1990s,'' said Tom O'Connor, managing director at communications industry investment bank Berkery, Noyes & Co.
High-profile deals
The list of companies that have recently completed or contemplated deals is a long one. Among the most high-profile deals:
Forbes sold a minority stake for a reported $250 million to Elevation Partners, a private equity fund whose partners include Bono, the lead singer of rock band U2.
Valcon, a consortium of private equity firms, acquired VNU, which includes VNU Business Media, publisher of Billboard, for $9.7 billion.
1105 Media, headed by Neal Vitale, bought 101communications, publisher of Federal Computer Week, for an estimated $75 million.
Advantage …
BEIJING (AP) — Retired high-ranking generals from China and the United States held informal talks last month as part of efforts to build greater trust and communication following recent tensions.
The discussions touched on stabilizing Afghanistan, Pakistan and the Korean Peninsula, security in the South China Sea, and nuclear issues relating to North Korea and Iran, according to a statement issued late Thursday by the American side.
The sides also stated their concerns about Taiwan, the self-governing island that China claims as its own but whose defense the U.S. is committed to helping ensure. No outcome to that discussion was announced.
"Regardless of each side's point …
Michael Jordan tied Wilt Chamberlain for the third most 40-pointgames in a season. Jordan has 35 games of 40 or more. Chamberlainhad 35 in 1960-61, but he also had 52 in 1962-63 and 63 in 1961-62.Jordan needs 87 points to become the second player to score 3,000points in a season. Chamberlain did it three times. The Bulls, who play at Milwaukee tonight, have been terrible inback-to-back games. They are 7-16 overall on the second night ofconsecutive games and 2-8 when they play on the road after a homegame. They have also lost six straight on the road and 10-of-12.
Milwaukee will use Terry Cummings off the bench with a frontline of7-3 Randy Breuer, 6-11 Jack Sikma and 6-6 …
Baku, March 01, 2011 (AzerTAc) -- First Lady of Azerbaijan, President of the Heydar Aliyev Foundation, UNESCO and ISESCO goodwill ambassador, MP Mehriban Aliyeva met with Chairman of the Board of …
Banks are on the front Lines when unexpected emergencies strike. Whether it's a hurricane, a fire, or a biomedical crisis, when an emergency happens, customers want access to cash reserves and bank products. However, in a crisis scenario, delivering critical services to meet customer demand presents a challenge because your own operations may be disrupted.
Think it can't happen to you? In 2005, more than 200 financial institutions were directly impacted by hurricanes Katrina in New Orleans and Rita in Texas, according to the FDIC. As of March 2006, 85 branches in those states remained closed, while another 45 were operating from temporary offices. Now nearly two years later, many have yet to fully recover,
The NASD, one of …
Byline: PAUL GRONDAHL STAFF WRITER
The Pierce brothers, built powerful and low like linebackers, lumbered over hexagonal columns of ancient lava at land's end.
This stretch of Northern Ireland's northeastern coast is known as the Giant's Causeway as if a giant could step across all the way to Scotland, a dark and lumpy outline visible 11 miles across the ocean, where the volcanic rocks form a mirror image.
The brothers moved beyond warning signs with lifelines and floats attached and negotiated the dark, seaweed-slickened ring of rock where the great Atlantic waves came crashing.
From a distance, the two brothers appeared, like the buff-colored rocks they stood upon, as mirror images. Both wore jeans, tennis shoes and parkas zipped up tight around thick necks. Baseball caps one for the Chicago Bulls, the other NASA barely fit atop their heads.
The brothers looked down and scuffed the rock with their feet as they talked. Their words came haltingly and there was an awkwardness to this meeting, because the only common ground they had known for so long was the inside of a prison during fleeting visits.
For all their physical likeness, the two were strangers in a way, separated by an ocean of experience. They had been divided for nearly a quarter century by The Troubles, the armed conflict that raged through their Belfast neighborhood and tore at the fabric of families like theirs.
Two worlds
The oldest brother was visiting from America, a success story who fled the horrors of his war-torn homeland, but kept coming back to assuage his guilt and did what he could for the struggle from afar. The youngest was just out of prison, a soldier in the Irish Republican Army who paid the cost of the fight for political freedom by spending half his life behind bars.
Both brothers sprang from the defiant verses of IRA battle anthems, raised in a family of staunch Republicans who would lay down their lives for a united Ireland free of British rule. Today, they were at once intimates of a shared past and strangers of an uncertain future.
George ``Geordie'' Pierce, 54, is the oldest. In 1974, he fled the shooting and bombing and burned-out row houses of the New Lodge neighborhood of Belfast for New York. He stayed wary and on the move, an illegal immigrant hiding behind an assumed name for more than a decade.
John Pierce, 38, is the youngest. He was only 13 when Geordie left, and he was already running with a hard crowd involved in the shadowy underground of the IRA. When he was 21, he was sent to Long Kesh prison, home to the hardest core of IRA guerrillas.
By the late-1980s, Geordie Pierce was legal. Now a Civil Service Employees Association organizer who lives in Troy, Geordie kept in touch with family and Republican stalwarts in late-night phone calls. His passport holds the stamps of nearly two dozen visits to Ireland in the past decade, trips on which he always …
Company Today Yesterday Air Products (APD) 68.49 69.15 Airgas (ARG) 40.24 40.95 Arch (ARJ) 29.6 30.62 Albemarle (ALB) 47.9 48.41 Ashland (ASH) 65.6 65.22 Cabot (CBT) 35.86 36.11 Chemtura (CEM) 12.17 12.19 Cytec (CYT) 60.81 61.97 Celanese (CE) 21.91 21.83 CF Industries (CF) 17.25 17.8 Dow Chem. (DOW) 40.67 41.6 DuPont (DD) 43.64 43.9 Eastman Chem (EMN) 53.95 53.99 Engelhard (EC) 38.46 38.46 ExxonMobil (XOM) 63.28 62.68 Ferro (FOE) 19.31 19.94 FMC Corp. …
Espanyol goalkeeper Carlos Kameni angrily reacted to a fan who told him not to bother renewing his contract at the end of the season after recent errors gifted Racing Santander and Athletic Bilbao goals.
The Cameroon international left the training field Monday after he heard the comment and approached two fans on the sidelines, Spanish newspaper El Pais reported on its Web site. Kameni grabbed one of the fans by the collar of his jacket and shouted, "I'm a professional. You should …
Freud, l'anneau secret, par Phyllis Grosskurt. Paris: Collection Histoire de la psychanalyse, P.U.F., 1993. 231 pages.
Ce livre est une traduction en fran�ais de l'ouvrage anglais intitul� The secret Ring: Freud's Inner Circle and the Politics of Psychoanalysis. Il s'agit donc d'un comit�, form� � la suggestion d'Ernest Jones en 1912 et compos� de Freud entour� de ses plus fervents disciples, c'est-�-dire Sandor Ferenczi, Karl Abraham, Ernest Jones, Otto Rank et Hanns Sachs. Max Eitington vint s'y joindre plus tard et le comit� fonctionna vraiment jusqu'� la mort d'Abraham en 1925, m�me s'il ne fut dissout qu'en 1927, lorsque la sauvegarde de la psychanalyse passa aux mains d'Anna …
* In the Nov. 7 issue, a company featured in the Best Places to Work in Insurance feature was misidentified. The …
Byline: Imtiaz Muqbil
Apr. 23--South Asian tourism officials are to meet in the Pakistani capital of Islamabad this week to discuss ways to boost people-to-people "connectivity", a significant diplomatic upgrade from the former usage of the word "contacts".
The meetings of the UN World Tourism Organisation's Commissions for South Asia, East Asia and the Pacific will closely follow the 14th summit of South Asian leaders between April 3-4, at which several measures were tabled to fulfil what Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh called "the dream of full regional connectivity".
This language was reflected in the official summit communique which said that the South Asian leaders "recognised the importance of connectivity" in fulfilling …
Byline: R. Jeffrey Smith Washington Post
The White House pledged support Thursday for a stepped-up United Nations effort to destroy Iraq's capability to make ballistic missiles, a move that U.S. and diplomatic officials say could spark a new quarrel with Iraqi President Saddam Hussein.
The U.N. effort, to be launched next week and last through the spring, will seek to eliminate machinery and production lines at four Iraqi factories that inspectors claim were used to make components of the missiles hurled at Saudi Arabia and Israel during last year's Persian Gulf war.
Officials say the effort is authorized by a U.N. cease-fire resolution accepted by …
Academy Award-winning actor George Clooney said Friday he has been visiting Darfur refugee camps in Chad near the Sudanese border and heard many violence-stricken Darfurians echo the same message: "Bring us justice."
Clooney said his visit comes at an "extraordinarily important moment" _ as the International Criminal Court is about to decide whether to seek the arrest of Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir for war crimes in the western Sudanese region.
The Netherlands-based tribunal is expected to announce a decision soon. But the Sudanese government in Khartoum doesn't recognize the court and refuses to cooperate with it.
…
A student comic strip involving a violent sexual fantasy issparking protests at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign,where researchers earlier recommended banning the pompon squad tohelp stop sexual abuse.
"This is going too far," said Michele Shoresman, chairman of theChancellor's Committee on the Status of Women.
The committee is urging readers to cancel their subscriptions toThe Daily Illini, the student newspaper carrying the comic strip. "Wedon't want sex and violence confused in anyone's mind. We've got tostop this."
The cartoonist "is not a Charles Manson type," said Dan Bernard,managing editor of The Daily Illini, an independent …
