Inland Real Estate Corp. said Monday that it has formed a joint venture with the Dutch financial firm PGGM to acquire $270 million worth of grocery-anchored and community retail centers in the midwestern U.S.
PGGM, a pension fund administrator and asset manager, will contribute $20 million in equity and Inland Real Estate will provide three retail centers worth $45 million to the joint venture. The properties are located in Arden, Minn.; Elk …
COLUMBUS, Ohio - State and federal permits were issued to allowconstruction of a $50 million petroleum pipeline that activists saycould damage pristine woods and gorges in southeastern Ohio.
The Ohio Environmental Protection Agency and the U.S. Army Corpsof Engineers both issued permits Friday for the 149-mile pipelinefrom Kenova, W.Va., to Columbus.
The pipeline would be built and owned by a Marathon AshlandPetroleum unit called Ohio River Pipe Line LLC.
Marathon said the pipeline could be operating next summer. Thepipeline will carry up to 80,000 barrels of …
Brandon Cox completed his first seven passes, leading No. 19 Auburn to three early touchdowns before leaving the game in the second quarter, and the Tigers cruised to a 35-3 win against Tennessee Tech on Saturday.
Cox completed 9-of-11 passes for 167 yards and a touchdown and Auburn (7-3) to scored on their first three possessions on homecoming.
The Golden Eagles (4-6), who play in the Championship Subdivision (formerly I-AA) fell to 0-19 against major college teams.
Cox finished his work at 13:59 in the half when he completed a 16-yard …
GUILTY PLEA IN ACID ATTACK
A teenage girl pleaded guilty Tuesday to heinous battery charges in last summer's disfiguring acid attack on a Logan Square woman. The girl, 16 at the time of the July 28 incident, and two other teens were roped into the scheme by a Cicero grandmother who was angry at Esperanza Medina because she believed Medina was seeing her ex-husband, according to prosecutors.
MENTAL HEALTH …
COMPUTERS
PURDUE University is the champion of distributed computing. The concept behind distributed computing is taking advantage of the machines' downtime. By assembling a huge network of PCs and supercomputers whose computing power can be tapped when they would otherwise be idle, it enables researchers from around the world to harness all that processing power. To free up its computers when they're not busy, Purdue uses a version of an open-source …
SAUGATUCK, Mich. - More than 30 years after falling into Lake Michigan, a badge belonging to a former sheriff's deputy is back with its rightful owner thanks to a tourist who found it along the shoreline.
Max Elenbaas, now 61 and retired, was fishing from a boat in the mid-1970s when he bent over and accidentally dropped the badge into the water.
"You lose something in Lake Michigan a mile and a half, two miles out, it's not going to come back to you …
Eighteen-year-old fullback James O'Connor did it all in his first rugby test for Australia, scoring three tries and kicking with pinpoint accuracy, yet is still not guaranteed a starting position for the next game.
A day after Australia's 31-8 win Saturday over Italy at Canberra Stadium, Wallaby flyhalf Matt Giteau said O'Connor must not let the adulation go to his head after his remarkable debut.
"Keeping his feet on the ground, that's certainly one thing I'll be pretty strong on," Giteau told Australian Associated Press on Sunday.
"He's a huge talent, as everyone knows, so to keep him as grounded as possible is the best thing for …
BARCELONA, Spain Only two Americans - lightweight Oscar De LaHoya and middleweight Chris Byrd - reached the boxing finals. De LaHoya won. Byrd lost.
It was the worst showing for a U.S. Olympic boxing team in morethan 30 years.
And there were lots of excuses. But in the end, the Cubans,who advanced nine fighters to the finals, were too good.
Also, many of the Americans appeared baffled by the newcomputer-based scoring system that discouraged body-punching.
U.S. coach Joe Byrd complained about an anti-U.S. bias injudging and refereeing. And in the cases of light flyweight EricGriffin and light heavyweight Montell Griffin (no relation) he was …
BELFAST, Northern Ireland (AP) — Voters in Northern Ireland were challenged Thursday to back renewed power-sharing between their Protestant and Catholic leaders, an experiment in compromise designed to end decades of bloodshed over the territory's future.
The re-election of the Northern Ireland Assembly follows a surprisingly successful full four-year term for its outgoing coalition of British Protestants and Irish Catholics, who spent more than three decades locked in conflict that cost more than 3,700 lives.
Such cross-community cooperation was the central goal of Northern Ireland's Good Friday peace accord, but it faces a resurgent campaign of attacks by Irish Republican …
President Barack Obama is seeking to reassure voters he's determined to create jobs while his administration is trying to protect an architect of the increasingly unpopular banking bailout that may have helped prevent a financial collapse.
Obama's efforts on the economy come after a Massachusetts Senate election this past week that suggested voter unrest when Republican Scott Brown claimed a Senate seat in Democratic hands for more than a half-century. Brown gives the GOP a 41st vote in the Senate, taking away the Democrats' supermajority and threatening Obama's agenda.
And the administration has been working to shore up eroding support for Federal Reserve …
From Philadelphia, take Interstate 95 south to Route 476 north toexit 3 (Lima). Follow signs for Route 1 south to Franklin Center.
Hours are Monday through Saturday, 9:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.; Sunday,1 to 4:30 p.m. Admission is …
PERTH, Australia (AP) — The Perth Glory have signed New Zealand striker Shane Smeltz to a three-year deal and received a commitment from former England international Robbie Fowler to rejoin the A-League team next season.
Fowler's future with the club had been in doubt with the expected signing of Smeltz as its new international marquee player. Each team in the league is allowed one marquee player …
Trans World Airlines Chairman Carl Icahn said Thursday theairline is in preliminary merger talks with Houston-based ContinentalAirlines. "It's preliminary in nature," Icahn told Reuters bytelephone. "We're going to be putting a lot of effort into studyingit in the next month." Icahn said he met with Continental ChiefExecutive Officer Robert Ferguson in Mount Kisco, N.Y., Wednesday. FCC considers TV move: The Federal Communications Commission saidThursday it was studying whether to break down a 21-year-old wallthat has prevented network television companies from owning cable-TVsystems. The FCC imposed the ban in 1970 to encourage the growth ofcable systems and to stop the then-powerful networks, with theiraffiliated stations and prime-time programs, from dominatingtelevision. The commission has asked for comment on a proposal topermit network ownership of cable TV. Money supply rises: The two broadest measures of the nation's moneysupply rose in the week ended Dec. 2, the Federal Reserve Boardreported Thursday. The Fed said the measure known as M2 rose to aseasonally adjusted $3,414.9 billion from a revised $3,411.4 billionthe previous week. An even broader measure, M3, rose to a seasonallyadjusted $4,156.3 billion from a revised $4,155.4 billion. Northern delays offering: Northern Trust Corp. said concerns by theCalifornia superintendent of banks about the structure of a pendingacquisition have caused the company to delay offering $65 million inpreferred stock. The proceeds from the stock sale would be used topay for the acquisition of Trust Services of America, the largestindependent trust company in California. A bank spokeswoman saidNorthern executives have flown to California to find out more fromthe superintendent, and the bank continues to hope the deal can beclosed by year-end. The acquisition already has received federalapproval. Northern said it expects to proceed with the offering whenthe issues are "favorably resolved." Deerbank earnings: Deerbank Corp., parent of Deerfield FederalSavings and Loan Association, reported fourth-quarter earnings of$1.1 million, or 91 cents a share, a 26 percent increase from thesame period last year. For fiscal 1991, the company earned $4.6million, or $3.87 a share, a 30.4 percent increase. IBM, Quotron pact: IBM has reached a broad agreement to providehardware for Quotron Systems and run its computer system, a movedesigned to stem losses at the financial information company.Quotron's parent, Citicorp, has invested hundreds of millions ofdollars in the financial information and trading system sinceacquiring it in 1986. But Quotron hasn't turned a profit during thattime. In the third quarter, Citicorp took a $430 million chargeagainst earnings to restructure Quotron and its information business. Searle names president: G.D. Searle & Co. elevated Richard U. DeSchutter, 51, to the posts of president and member of the board ofdirectors, the company announced Thursday. The move was described asa "logical step in the succession process" by a company spokeswoman.Chairman and Chief Executive Sheldon G. Gilgore, who will be 60 nextFebruary, also held the title of president until the appointment ofDe Schutter, former corporate executive vice president and head ofinternational operations. De Schutter is a former executive ofMonsanto Co., the parent of Searle. T-bills fall: Interest rates on 52-week Treasury bills fell inThursday's auction to the lowest level since 1972. The averagediscount rate was 4.20 percent, down from 4.72 percent at the lastauction on Nov. 14. The bills will carry an equivalent couponinterest rate of 4.41 percent with each $10,000 in face value sellingfor $9,575.30. Sales totaled $12.35 billion out of bids of $36.76billion. Centel increases dividend: Centel Corp. said Thursday it willincrease its quarterly dividend by a half cent to 22.5 cents a commonshare. The higher dividend will be paid Jan. 31 to shareowners ofrecord Jan. 8. The increase raises Centel's annual dividend to 90cents. NYSE plan: The New York Stock Exchange is considering anearly-morning session in which 200 foreign securities could be tradedas part of an effort to expand overseas opportunities for U.S.investors, Wall Street executives said. Attacting more foreigncompanies is a primary goal of NYSE Chairman William Donaldson. Butthe NYSE's effort is facing opposition from the Securities andExchange Commission, which has opposed allowing the exchange to lowerits financial reporting standards to let in foreign companies. Failed S&Ls post loss: Failed savings associations held by thegovernment lost more than twice as much money in the July-Septemberquarter as solvent institutions earned in the period, regulators saidThursday. The Resolution Trust Corp. said the 97 S&Ls in its controllost $637 million. On Wednesday, the Office of Thrift Supervisionsaid 2,148 still-solvent institutions earned $272 million. Most ofthe red ink at the RTC's S&Ls came from the recognition oflong-embedded losses on sour loans. The same 97 institutions lost$683 million in the second quarter and $734 million in the thirdquarter of 1990. Money funds rise: Assets of the nation's 581 money market mutualfunds rose by $3.56 billion in the latest week to a record $484.83billion, the Investment Company Institute said Thursday. The rise inthe seven-day period ended Wednesday broke the previous record of$481.27 billion set a week earlier, the Washington-based mutual fundtrade group said.
The country's most providential mass rapid transit system (MRTS)has to be in Chennai. When it was envisioned in 1983, the ChennaiMRTS was just supposed to be something that connected the happeningport area (the station is aptly named Beach) with far-flung suburbsTaramani (then popular for a hospital and a polytechnic) andTiruvanmiyur. In 1997, when it was commissioned, the Chennai MRTS didnot evoke a great response (it still isn't all that hot), largelybecause the city boasted a great bus service. Today, however, it ispoised to become one of the city's infrastructure showpieces andtestimony to the foresight of city planners. Reason? Taramani hasemerged as a mini hub for software services firms; Siruseri, down theline from Taramani, is where every software company worth its name inIndia is headed; and although the MRTS doesn't reach Siruseri yet,and this writer isn't aware of any efforts by the government to makeit do so, fact is, this can be achieved at little incremental cost.Chennai will then have an efficient rail network connecting thecity's popular residential neighbourhoods (such as Adyar, Mylapore,and Tiruvanmiyur, say) to its emerging software city. This, though,isn't a city-planning miracle wrought by design. It is a quirk ofprovidence.
If things are coming together for Tamil Nadu-and, judging from thenumbers presented in this article, they are-it is only partly becauseof the state government's efforts. Providence plays a larger rolethan it has been given credit for. For instance, the decision by thestate government, in 1985, to allow the creation of privateengineering colleges was largely driven by the desire to returnfavours to entrepreneurs and individuals who had done it a good turnin the past. However, many of the colleges thus founded went on tobecome centres of academic excellence. Today, their output fuels thegreat Indian software story.
That said, things are coming together for the state: Nokia'sinvestment of Rs 625 crore in a manufacturing facility (ChiefMinister J. Jayalalithaa claims this will result in an additionalinvestment of Rs 600 crore by the handset maker's suppliers) beingthe most recent example. Sanjeev Sharma, the Managing Director ofNokia India, is all praise for the state's "infrastructure and theway the state's officials handled the negotiations", but Nokia choseChennai (from a short-list that included Goa, Hyderabad, Bangaloreand Chennai) on account of its connectivity (it has a port and aninternational airport) and its pool of skilled labour.
More announcements are expected, says Rameshram Mishra, theIndustries Secretary of the state, adding tantalisingly that "you canexpect more news by the end of the month". The buzz in Chennai isthat Intel could be considering putting down a manufacturing facilitysomewhere in the state, although this remains a matter of conjecture.And the government is doing its bit. It is investing ininfrastructure (see Infrastructure Heavy) and doing what is requiredto protect its turf. In the automotive industry for instance(companies located in the state contribute 25 per cent to the toplineof the industry), where the centre of gravity is threatening to moveNorth, the state government is actively wooing the Central Governmentfor the Rs 1,800-crore state-of-the-art automotive testing facilityit wants to set up. B. Santhanam, the Chairman of the Tamil Nadubranch of the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII), an industrylobby and the Managing Director of St. Gobain (a glass maker, it isnow in the midst of an expansion that will see it invest Rs 800 crorein the state) reckons the testing centre is key to the state'saspiration of increasing this proportion from 25 per cent to 35 percent.
It isn't just auto; Infosys is building its biggest developmentcentre in Tamil Nadu, and every other software major has investmentslined up for similar facilities; and some Rs 5,000 crore is beingpumped in by small and medium enterprises engaged in the business oftextile exports. The government has provided 300 acres for a textile-processing park in Cuddalore where 10-12 companies will invest Rs 40-60 crore each. With Indian textile exporters looking to improve theirshowing in the post-quota world, and with Tamil Nadu boasting thecountry's largest powerloom sector, textiles looks set to be anotherwinner for the state.
IT services (software), auto (the state can attract as much as $5billion, Rs 22,000 crore in foreign direct investment in this sector,claims Suresh Krishna, the Chairman and Managing Director of SundramFasteners), and textiles are three areas where Tamil Nadu is clearlyamong the leading states in the country, if not the leader. Then,there are other areas such as hardware (Pondicherry, a unionterritory adjoining Tamil Nadu has hitherto been India's hardwarecapital; see India's Unsung Hardware Capital, BT, November 25, 2001)where the state is making its presence felt.
The state's most interesting initiative, however, has to be itsefforts to develop seven southern districts. These keenly feel theNorth-South divide, with North Tamil Nadu being the place whereindustrial activity has traditionally been concentrated. Today,courtesy this initiative (see Seven Unusual Suspects), projects worthRs 33,735 crore are underway in the seven districts. If carried totheir logical end, these would play a part in ensuring far moreequitable development across the state. And that wouldn't beprovidential.
BOX
PARADISE OR PURGATORY?
The Positives
+ Well-connected by air, sea and land
+ Geographically close to regional hub, Singapore
+ Tsunami apart, safe from military and other natural risks
+ Well-educated, stable workforce; little unionism
+ Low cost of living; large number of technical educationinstitutions
The Negatives
- The chronic scarcity of water
- The centre of gravity of the auto ancillaries business may moveNorth
- Other states, such as West Bengal, are wooing IT companies
- Laid-back work culture; not enterprising
- Despite things having improved, corruption is rife in the system
BOX 2
Tamil Nadu Is Sixth...
... but this doesn't include several numbers; for instance, theinvestments by software companies in campuses that is making Chennaithe emerging IT services hub of India.
TOTAL OUTSTANDING INVESTMENTS
Maharashtra: Rs 1,78,766 crore
Andhra Pradesh: Rs 1,64,899 crore
Gujarat: Rs 1,63,604 crore
Karnataka: Rs 1,56,755 crore
Orissa: Rs 1,51,154 crore*
Tamil Nadu: Rs 1,40,096 crore
Total (for all states): Rs 19,05,820 crore
* (after deducting Posco)
PROJECTS UNDER IMPLEMENTATION
Maharashtra: Rs 90,710 crore
Gujarat: Rs 71,782 crore
Andhra Pradesh: Rs 58,735 crore
Karnataka: Rs 54,534 crore
Orissa: Rs 45,342 crore
Tamil Nadu: Rs 41,286 crore
Total (for all states): Rs 7,81,050 crore
Source: CMIE; Till March 2005
BOX 3
Infrastructure Heavy
The public sector and the government are big investors in TamilNadu.
Nuclear Power Corporation, Nuclear Power Project Rs 15,971 crore
Chennai Petroleum Corporation, Refinery & Power Project Rs 15,197crore
Neyveli Lignite Corporation, Mining and Power Project Rs 15,193crore
TIDCO, Naphtha Cracker Project Rs 7,500 crore
IOC, Naphtha Cracker Rs 6,000 crore
Jayamkondam Power Project, Power & Lignite Rs 4,000 crore
NTPC, Power Project Rs 4,000 crore
Nuclear Power Corp., Kalpakkam Power Project, Nuclear Power Rs3,492 crore
Telugu Ganga Project, Water Rs 2,190 crore
Sethusamudram Corporation, Seaway Rs 2,000 crore
Chennai Metropolitan Water Supply, Desalination Plant Rs 1,550crore
CMDA, Road Project Rs 1,200 crore
Tamil Nadu Industries Captive Power Co., Power Project Rs 1,200crore
BHEL, Modernisation of Trichy Plant Rs 1,200 crore
Source: CMIE
TABLE
Seven Unusual Suspects
Tamil Nadu's development plan encompasses seven districts nottraditionally seen as business destinations.
At one time, the region south of the Vindhyas was, to most peoplewho lived North of it, Madras. In these enlightened times, things aredifferent. Yet, chances are, most people do not really realise thatthere is more to Tamil Nadu than Chennai (as Madras is called now).Most parts of the state, especially the southern districts, haveremained largely under-developed. The state is doing its bit byfocussing on infrastructure development in these districts directly,partnering with the private sector, or by simply encouraging thelatter to invest in these areas (the Rs 33,735 crore includes allthree categories of investment and spans sectors such as ports, ITparks and software export zones, power, textiles, metals andtourism). The Tamil Nadu branch of the Confederation of IndianIndustry (CII) recently commisioned Scope e-Knowledge Center, aChennai-based consultancy, to study the seven districts of Madurai,Tuticorin, Virudhunagar, Tirunelveli, Kanniyakumari, Sivagangai, andRamanathapuram (the seven are contiguous and linked by a NationalHighway) and come up with suggestions on what businesses couldsucceed there. For instance, points out Chandu Nair, Director andPresident, Scope, a knowledge corridor in the Madurai-Virudhunagar-Tirunelvelli belt is a good idea, especially since the MaduraiKamaraj University was offering a course in biotechnology as far backas the 1970s. The state government is pretty bullish on the reportand has approached Scope for implementing what has now beenchristened SPEED (Southern Prosperity through Enhanced EconomicDevelopment). CII's Santhanam thinks SPEED is a winner. "The southcan change drastically," he says. "Existing industries will grow andnew ones come in."
GENEVA (AP) — The U.N. refugee agency says thousands of people are believed to be fleeing to Ethiopia to escape fighting in Sudan's Blue Nile state.
U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees Antonio Guterres appealed Saturday for an immediate end to the clashes.
His agency says it has received reports of some 16,000 people fleeing across the border since fighting erupted Thursday.
A UNHCR team was sent to western Ethiopia to assess the situation.
Sudan's president declared a state of emergency in the region on Friday and fired Blue Nile's governor after clashes broke out between armed forces and a rebel group.
In this section we publish btief case notes that we believe contain information of interest to Canadian surgeons.
A 71-year-old diabetic man was admitted with a 2-day history of acute left lower abdominal pain. He denied any history of trauma or sport activity before admission. On examination he was normotensive and apyrexial. An exquisitely tender abdominal wall mass was felt at the left iliac fossa. The abdominal pain increased and the mass became more prominent when the patient tensed up the abdominal wall. His hemoglobin was 105 g/L, and the leukocyte count was elevated at 15.2 x 10^sup 9^/L. Ultrasonography showed a hypoechoic oval lesion measuring 8 x 10 cm in the left rectus abdominis muscle, consistent with a hcmatoma. Computed tomography confirmed the marked asymmetry of the rectus sheath (Fig. 1). He was treated conservatively and discharged from hospital 6 days after admission with resolution of signs and symptoms.
Rectus sheath hematoma is an uncommon cause of acute abdominal pain. It is an accumulation of blood in the sheath of the rectus abdominis, secondary to rupture of an epigastric vessel or muscle tear. It could occur spontaneously or after trauma. Other predisposing factors include anticoagulation, blood dyscrasias, previous abdominal operation, laparoscopic trocar injury, subcutaneous injection of drugs and increased intraabdominal pressure from coughing, straining or pregnancy.1,2 Rectus sheath hematoma usually occurs in the lower abdominal wall. Firm attachment of the branches of inferior epigastric artery while piercing the rectus abdominis and movement of the body creates shearing forces at arterial branch attachments. There is weaker support of the rectus abdominis by transversalis fascia and peritoneum below the linear semicircularis.2
The most common presenting feature is a painful lower abdominal mass that never crosses the midline. Carnett's test is performed by raising the patient's head off the bed while palpating the painful abdominal mass. Tensing up the rectus muscle protects the viscera and lessens the pain from intra-abdominal origin; however, if the source is in the abdominal wall, the pain will remain the same or increase in severity. Imaging can provide the correct diagnosis and exclude an intra-abdominal disorder. Ultrasonography is noninvasive and could accurately demonstrate a fusiform longitudinal mass confined to the abdominal wall. Alternatively, computed tomography and magnetic resonance imaging can also offer accurate anatomical delineation.3
Conservative treatment is favoured for a nonexpanding hematoma causing no hemodynamic compromise. When conservative treatment fails, the hematoma could be evacuated surgically with concomitant ligation of the bleeding vessels. Alternatively, angiographic embolization of the bleeding inferior epigastric artery has also been described.4
In summary, awareness of this rare clinical condition is important in the differential diagnosis of acute abdominal pain. Failure to recognize this condition could result in futile laparotomy since the majority of patients with rectus sheath hematoma can be managed conservatively.2,3
Competing interests: None declared.
[Reference]
References
1. Zainea GG, Jordan F. Rectus sheath hematomas: their pathogenesis, diagnosis, and management. Am Surg 1988;54:630-3.
2. Casey RG, Mahmoud M, Carroll K, Hurley M. Rectus sheath haematoma: an unusual diagnosis [review]. Ir MeA J 2000;93:90-2.
3. Moreno Gallego A, Aguayo JL, Flores B, Soria T, Hernandez Q, Ortiz S, et al. Ultrasonography and computed tomography reduce unnecessary surgery in abdominal rectus sheath haematoma. Br J Surg 1997;84:1295-7.
4. Zack JR, Ferral H, Postoak D, Wholey M. Coil embolization of rectus sheath hemorrhage. J Trauma 2001;51:793-5.
[Author Affiliation]
Wing Tai Siu, MB ChB; Chung Ngai Tang, MB BS; Bonita Ka Bo Law, MB ChB; Chun Han Chau, MB BS; Michael Ka Wah Li, MB BS
[Author Affiliation]
From the Department of Surgery, Pamela Youde Nethersole Eastern Hospital, Chai Wan, Hong Kong, SAR, China
Correspondence to: Dr Wing Tai Siu, Department of Surgery, Pamela Youde Nethersole Eastern Hospital, Chai Wan, Hong Kong, SAR, China; fax 852 25153195; wtsiu@netvigator.com
THE OTHER BOLEYN GIRL
Apparently, the King Henry/Queen Elizabeth period in English history is all the rage in Hollywood these days. Gate Blanche� recently portrayed the British queen in two films and Showtime is currently airing Its second season of Tfce Tudors, a drama set during the reign of Henry VIII. It seems there's more than enough to' go around; each project is quite appealing in its own way,
When the marriage of King Henry (Eric Sana, Munich) begins to crumble, the opportunistic uncle and father of Anne (Natalie Portman, Cfoser) and Mary Boleyn (Scarlett Johansson, The Prestige) use the girls to try and curry favor with the king. But when Henry takes a liking to both girts, it drives a wedge between the otherwise very close-knit sisters, and drastically alters the course of English history.
The tale of Henry VIII is, historically, very sordid and dramatic. Contrasting the Elizabeth films-Elizabeth being Henry's daughter-this film does not serve to glorify anyone, especially not the notoriously philandering king. And unlike The Tudors, which serializes the saga for TV, this film tells the story in hyper-speed, skipping months and years in the blink of an eye.
Apparently, this isn't the most historically accurate retelling of this periooVof events, but it's certainty an interesting one. VWt all the love and lust being thrown about, it's sort of like a period soap opera. The acting and script are both topnoteh and like the rest of the contemporary pieces on these same characters, this one's worth a look.
These videos courtesy of Hollywood Video, 590 Broadway Ave., 208-342-6117.
Head coach Steve Meehan, as predicted in the Chronicle, has madeseveral changes to the starting XV which beat Leicester Tigers at TheRec in last week's opening EDF Energy Cup Group B match for tomorrownight's tie against Sale Sharks at Edgeley Park (7.45pm).
Bath head for Sale looking to chalk up their sixth win a row inall competitions this season with skipper Steve Borthwick leading aside which will see him play alongside summer signing Martin Purdy inthe second row for the first time.
Rob Hawkins has retained his place at hooker with England WorldCup squad member Lee Mears on the bench as cover and South AfricanLorne Ward makes his first senior competitive start at tight-head.
In the back row, Jonny Faamatuainu starts at blind-side ahead ofthe rested Andy Beattie and Zak Feaunati returns at No 8, with JamesScaysbrook retaining the No 7 shirt.
Behind the pack, scrum-half Michael Claassens is rested, makingway for Nick Walshe to team up with fly-half Shaun Berne, and Meehanhas made two changes in his back three.
They see Michael Stephenson drop to full-back, with Ian Davey andMatt Banahan starting on the wings.
Sale boss Philippe Saint-Andre, meanwhile, will make a latedecision over whether Charlie Hodgson or Lee Thomas starts at fly-half in a side which will be without knee injury victims MagnusLund, Chris Jones and Jason White.
Also ruled out of the Sharks' selection equation were club captainDean Schofield and wings Rory Lamont and Mark Cueto.
Dean picked up an ankle injury in Sale's opening group defeat atCardiff last Friday, Lamont has an injured ankle and Cueto picked upa calf strain in training this week.
BATH RUGBY: 15 Michael Stephenson, 14 Matt Banahan, 13 AlexCrockett, 12 Tom Cheeseman, 11 Ian Davey, 10 Shaun Berne, 9 NickWalshe, 1 David Flatman, 2 Rob Hawkins, 3 Lorne Ward, 4 SteveBorthwick (capt), 5 Martin Purdy, 6 Jonny Faamatuainu, 7 JamesScaysbrook, 8 Zak Feaunati
Replacements: 16 Lee Mears, 17 Laurence Ovens, 18 Andy Beattie, 19Chris Goodman, 20 Mike Baxter, 21 Jack Cuthbert, 22 Nick Abendanon.
SALE SHARKS: 15 Ben Foden, 14 Julien Laharrague, 13 Chris Mayor,12 Chris Bell, 11 Steve Hanley, 10 Charlie Hodgson/Lee Thomas, 9Richard Wigglesworth, 1 Andrew Sheridan, 2 Scott Lawson, 3 StuartTurner, 4 Ignacio Fernandez Lobbe (capt), 5 Chris Day, 6 Juan MartinFernandez Lobbe, 7 Michael Hills, 8 Sebastien Chabal.
Replacements: 16 Sebastien Bruno, 17 Benoit Bourrust, 18 Sean Cox,19 David Tait, 20 Sililo Martens, 21 Lee Thomas/Charlie Hodgson, 22Oriol Ripol.
A cold and expensive winter could continue for Chicagoans asnatural gas prices show no sign of easing.
Government and industry officials told the Senate Energy andNatural Resources Committee that the prices stem from too littlenatural gas to meet demand.
"The economy has been robust," pushing up industrial and utilitydemands for fuel, said Roger Cooper, executive director of theAmerican Gas Association. "And heating demand has been high in thisearly winter season due to unusually cold weather."
"Volatile (natural) gas prices will prevail until significantlymore gas supplies enter the market," added Mark Mazur, head of theEnergy Information Administration.
The Energy Department estimated heating bills for natural gasconsumers-even with normal winter weather-will be 50 percent higherthis winter than last, averaging $834 this season for a typicalMidwest household.
While higher prices have produced new drilling, significant newproduction would be needed before the "fairly strong mismatch betweensupply and demand" gets straightened out to force prices to retreat,Mazur said.
Meanwhile, one state energy official said the country is alreadyin an energy crisis without enough money to help poor families payfor heating bills.
"Skyrocketing prices for natural gas, combined with rising heatingoil, kerosene and propane costs, and attendant electricity priceincreases for many households, leave the most vulnerable householdsat serious risk," said Deborah Schachter, speaking for the NationalAssociation of State Energy Officials.
Schachter, head of New Hampshire's state energy office, urgedCongress to approve this fiscal year's overdue budget for low-incomeenergy assistance. The $1.4 billion is caught up in budget wrangling,although the fiscal year began 10 weeks ago.
For some time, economists have predicted that this winter wouldbring sharply higher heating costs. Unusually cold weather has addedto the upward pressure on prices.
Wholesale natural gas prices have soared since last winter,spiking to between $9 and $20 per thousand cubic feet recently atmajor markets around the country. That's compared with a little morethan $2 per 1,000 cubic feet at the same time last year.
Natural gas sold this week at the New York Mercantile Exchange forJanuary delivery approached $10 per 1,000 cubic feet. In California,the wholesale price for the fuel recently leaped beyond $40 for 1,000cubic feet because of a supply, distribution and demand crunch.
Sen. Frank Murkowski (R-Alaska) wondered why the supply and demandcrunch was not anticipated: "The demand for natural gas in the futurehas been grossly underestimated."
MARJAH, Afghanistan (AP) — The top U.S. and NATO commander in Afghanistan crisscrossed the country on Saturday, making a Christmas visit to coalition troops at some of the main battle fronts in a show of appreciation and support in the tenth year of the war against the Taliban.
Gen. David Petraeus started his visit by traveling in a C-130 cargo plane from the capital, Kabul, to the northern province of Kunduz, telling troops with the U.S. Army's 1-87, 10th Mountain Division that on this day, there was "no place that (he) would rather be than here" where the "focus of our effort" was.
The northern part of the country has seen increased fighting, with the Taliban stepping up their attacks as NATO focuses its sights on the militant movement's southern strongholds. Petraeus was briefed on the situation in the region by German Maj. Gen. Hans-Werner Fritz, the commander of NATO's northern regional command.
In eastern Afghanistan, where NATO forces are focused on trying to prevent insurgents from slipping in from neighboring Pakistan, one U.S. platoon spent their Christmas as they do almost every other day — in a firefight with insurgents. Taliban on nearby hills opened fire twice during the day on their Combat Out Post Badel, sparking short gunbattles as the U.S. soldiers returned fire. There were no American casualties. Badel and other such front-line posts come under similar attacks nearly daily.
Petraeus' visits Saturday also took him to the region of one of the main NATO offensives in the south this year— the Taliban stronghold of Marjah in Helmand province, scene of some of the heaviest fighting recently with the Taliban.
He spoke to the Marines on the base, praising them for the improvements in the area, which still sees Taliban attacks.
"You are part of America's new greatest generation. It is not just the courage that you have shown, it is not just the skills that you have shown in arms, although you have had to do that on a near daily basis in tough areas like this," he told the men and women of the 2nd Battalion, 6th Marine Unit. "It is the versatility that you demonstrate going outside the wire every day, being ready for a hand grenade or a handshake and knowing what to do if either of those comes your way."
Marjah has become a symbol of the problems facing NATO troops in Afghanistan. More than 7,000 U.S.-led NATO ground troops launched a nighttime invasion of the region of farming hamlets last February to rout insurgents and cut off their income from the drug trade. NATO officials said the effort would pave the way for the Afghan government to move in aid and start delivering public services.
Marine Maj. Gen. Richard Mills on Dec. 7 declared that the battle in Marjah was "essentially over." But the campaign took longer than NATO officials had hoped, and illustrated the complexity of trying to wrest control of an area where Taliban influence remained strong.
Efforts to create a civilian government in Marjah have been painfully slow, and U.S. troops struggled against roadside bombs and sniper attacks from an enemy that could blend in with the local population.
Petraeus said "we probably created expectations that were unduly high, and we worked through that."
Still, he said, the progress that was made in Marjah and in other areas helped pave the way for the unanimity achieved at a November NATO summit in Lisbon, where member states committed to Afghanistan until 2014.
If the situation Marjah had been the same as earlier in the year, Petraeus said, that unanimity would not have been there.
He said that when the campaign in Marjah began, it was "a headquarters for the Taliban," a bomb-making center and location for the illegal narcotics industry.
"Now of course it is flourishing," he said. Where once there was no school, there are now 1,200 attending classes.
It is not known when U.S. troops could be withdrawn in significant numbers from Helmand as heavy fighting continues elsewhere in the area, including the Sangin district where Marines took over from British forces.
Before Marjah, Petraeus stopped in the western province of Farah, where the Italian army's 7th Alpini is stationed.
The U.S. general's visit coincided with one by Gen. Vincenzo Camporini, the Italian chief of defense general staff. Petraeus congratulated the Italian soldiers on the "progress that has been achieved in the first few months that this unit has been here."
The main building at the University of Bath-owned Sulis Club atClaverton Down will close for a makeover next month.
But the sports pitches, changing rooms, the sports injury clinic,boxing hall and car park will remain open and operate as normal.
The gym, the lawn bowls green, bars and catering facilities willbe shut. A university spokesman said the majority of users would notbe affected by the temporary closure.
It has not been revealed how long the sports club will be closedfor.
The reaction _ or lack of it _ by Indiana and North Carolina voters to the Rev. Jeremiah Wright's incendiary comments emphasizes how deeply entrenched the racial lines of support are for the two U.S. Democratic presidential rivals.
It does not seem likely that the renewed focus on Wright has helped candidate Barack Obama, and it is all but certain Obama will hear more about it from Republicans should he win his party's nomination. But for now, there is little evidence it hurt him much in this week's Democratic contests.
After all the attention to Wright, and Obama's disavowal of his former pastor, exit polls in the two states found that:
_Six in 10 white voters in both states supported Hillary Rodham Clinton, who is waging an increasingly long-shot struggle to become the party nominee. That was close to the average 57 percent of whites who had backed the New York senator in Democratic primaries since Super Tuesday, which was Feb. 5. It was also slightly below the 63 percent of whites who voted for her in Pennsylvania and 69 percent in Mississippi, the most recent contests before Tuesday's voting.
_ Whites lacking college degrees favored Clinton over Obama by 31 percentage points in Indiana and 45 points in North Carolina. Since Super Tuesday, she has triumphed over Obama among this group by an average 30 points, including 41 points in Pennsylvania and 55 points in Mississippi.
_White men leaned toward Clinton on Tuesday, as she got 59 percent in Indiana and 55 percent in North Carolina. Clinton got 57 percent of their votes in Pennsylvania and 67 percent in Mississippi.
_About nine in 10 blacks in Indiana and North Carolina voted for Obama, slightly stronger than his usual showing with them. It mattered little whether they said the Wright situation influenced them or not.
Pollsters said there was not enough data to draw conclusions about whether the attention on Wright drove people away from Obama, the Illinois senator, or drew some toward him because of how he denounced the pastor.
"With the singular exception of Wisconsin, we've seen these two demographic coalitions facing each other and enduring across every contest," Democratic pollster Mark Mellman said, referring to the groups of voters who backed each candidate.
Other than liberal Vermont, Wisconsin is the only state where Obama has won more than half of whites who have not graduated college.
It is true that in both Indiana and North Carolina on Tuesday, nearly half of white voters said Wright influenced their pick of a candidate. And of that group in each state, just over eight in 10 voted for Clinton _ clearly more than the six in 10 whites who backed her overall.
Even so, those numbers did not seem to change how whites overall voted.
Wright's more incendiary remarks from past sermons became an Internet sensation in March and there was a renewed flurry of attention to Wright late last month. That was when he made a speaking tour and reiterated comments that the federal government may have developed the AIDS virus to infect blacks, and that the U.S. invited the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks. Obama denounced the remarks last week.
Yet exit polls gave little indication that late-deciding white voters moved decisively toward Clinton.
In Indiana, about a quarter of whites who picked their candidate within the past month said Wright was a very important factor. Of that group, 87 percent voted for Clinton.
Yet the same proportion of whites in the state who chose their candidate more than a month ago said Wright was very influential, and 86 percent of them voted for Clinton _ essentially no difference.
The same was true in North Carolina, where 25 percent of whites who said Wright was very important in their decision picked their candidate within the past month. Ninety-two percent of them voted for Clinton.
That was little different from the 30 percent of whites there who chose their candidate more than a month ago and also said Wright affected them a great deal. Of that group, 91 percent voted for Clinton.
The figures are from exit polling by Edison Media Research and Mitofsky International for The Associated Press and television networks conducted in 35 precincts in each state.
The data was based on 1,881 people who voted in Indiana's Democratic contest and 2,316 in North Carolina, with a margin of sampling error of plus or minus 3 percentage points for both states.
___
AP Director of Surveys Trevor Tompson contributed to this report.
For the second time in less than a week, a potentially dangerous hydrogen gas leak early Wednesday forced NASA to delay shuttle Endeavour's launch to the international space station, this time until July at the earliest.
Launch officials waited almost an hour after the leak appeared during fueling, trying to fix it through remote commands, before calling off the predawn launch.
The leak occurred in the same place as one that cropped up Saturday, in the hydrogen gas vent line that hooks up to the external fuel tank. A similar problem stalled a shuttle flight three months ago.
"We're going to step back and figure out what the problem is and go fix it," said deputy space shuttle program manager LeRoy Cain. "And then we'll fly as soon as we're ready to safely go do that."
Mission managers had ordered repairs following Saturday's delay. The hookup itself and two seals were replaced. The same repair worked back in March, but engineers never found the cause of the problem.
Launch officials said they were proud of the way the team hustled over the past four days trying to get Endeavour to the space station, with a new outdoor addition for the Japanese lab.
"I sure wish we could have rewarded them and the astronauts and everybody else with a launch this morning," said Mike Leinbach, who was serving as assistant launch director for this mission. "But the leak was way out of spec again, and so we were just not comfortable pressing on."
Even before hydrogen gas began leaking _ a serious situation because of its flammability _ NASA was up against a tight deadline for making the 5:40 a.m. launch. Fueling was delayed three hours by thunderstorms Tuesday night, and the launch team was racing against the clock to catch up.
The seven astronauts were still in crew quarters when the leak was detected. It was a keen disappointment considering that they had just gotten a chance, with the start of fueling, at making the launch. Wednesday morning, the astronauts flew back to Johnson Space Center in Houston.
"I'm sure you all know that we postponed again," commander Mark Polansky wrote in a Twitter update. "It's a reminder that spaceflight is NOT routine."
Noted Cain: "This business that we're in is not for the faint of heart."
NASA bumped an unmanned moon shot _ its first in a decade _ to give Endeavour this second chance of flying before a thermal blackout period kicks in.
That moon mission, featuring two science probes, is now scheduled for a Thursday launch.
After Saturday, unfavorable sun angles prevent Endeavour from taking off before July 11. Cain said it was too soon to know whether NASA would be able to make a July 11 launch.
The baffling leak _ which has struck two of the past three shuttle flights _ is about the size of the point of a ballpoint pen. Something has changed in the techniques or materials for the parts, and an engineering investigation hopefully will find out once and for all, Cain said.
The latest leak occurred a little earlier in the fueling and had different characteristics.
Endeavour was set to deliver the third and last segment of Japan's massive space station lab along with hundreds of pounds of food for the six space station occupants. A new space station resident also was supposed to go up and swap places with a Japanese astronaut who's been up there since March.
The space station crew doubled in size late last month.
When Endeavour finally flies, it will be one of the longer international space station visits _ nearly two weeks docked at the orbiting outpost _ and include five spacewalks.
Once the shuttle pulls up at the space station, there will be 13 people together in space for the first time ever.
Delaying until July is expected to push back the next few shuttle flights.
NASA is up against a 2010 deadline for carrying out its final eight shuttle flights, all of them trips to the space station. The White House wants the three remaining shuttles retired and the space station completed by the end of next year.
The two launch scrubs cost NASA at least $1 million, primarily in fuel costs.
They could not have come at a worse time. An independent committee that will review the space agency's plans to build a successor to the shuttle and return astronauts to the moon by 2020 holds its first public meeting Wednesday in Washington.
___
On the Net:
PHOENIX - People aren't going out alone at night anymore. Co-workers are walking to their cars in pairs in the evenings. Parents aren't letting their children out of their sight.
Fear and paranoia have gripped this sprawling city amid reports that not one, but two serial killers have been striking separately in recent months, killing as many as 11 people at random on the darkened streets.
"I'm terrified," said 25-year-old Valerie Alvidrez, who lives alone with her 6-month-old daughter in the central Phoenix area where many of the killings have occurred. "It's scary. If something happens, I have to defend me and my daughter."
The killings and woundings of at least 16 other people evoked the terror of the 2002 Washington-area sniper shootings because of the randomness of the crimes and the fact the victims were struck down while going about their daily routines. People have been shot from behind while biking; one victim was vacuuming her car at a carwash, another was waiting for a bus.
Six of the killings are being attributed to the "Baseline Killer," whose name refers to the street where he is believed to have committed his first crimes. Police say the man likely wears a disguise - a wig of dreadlocks topped by a fisherman's hat - and strikes just after sunset. Five of his victims have been women. Police have not said how all his victims were killed but several were shot.
The second suspected predator, dubbed the "Serial Shooter," has been definitively linked to the Dec. 29 wounding of one man and authorities believe he could be responsible for a total of five shooting deaths. Police say the shooter likely watches victims - mostly pedestrians and bicyclists - and strikes from behind when no one is looking. The shootings usually occur late at night or in the early morning. Sixteen Serial Shooter victims have survived.
The number of crimes stand out, even in what is one of the nation's most violent cities for its size. Police statistics show a homicide occurred in Phoenix, which has about 1.5 million residents, every 38 hours on average in 2005.
Police have created two task forces made up of a total of 120 officers to investigate the crimes and officials have collected $100,000 as a reward for information leading to the arrest of either suspect.
"We know we're always in a race against the clock," said police spokesman Sgt. Andy Hill. "We don't want there to be another victim."
The latest killing was at about 9:30 p.m. on June 29, when 37-year-old Carmen Miranda is believed to have been attacked by the Baseline Killer as she vacuumed her car at a carwash. Detective Dave Barnes said a surveillance video shows what he called a "blitz attack."
"It appears very calculated," Barnes said. "It all takes place in a matter of seconds."
Another Baseline Killer victim, Liliana Sanchez-Cabrera, 20, was shot to death with 23-year-old George Chou, a co-worker, after they left their jobs at a restaurant the night of March 15. Their bodies were found a mile apart.
Sanchez-Cabrera's mother said it's like her daughter was killed yesterday.
"I think about her when I wake up, when I cook and remember her favorite foods ... when I go to sleep," Juana Sanchez said in Spanish.
Police won't disclose what specific evidence in either set of killings leads them to believe the crimes are connected, but say time of day and locations play a part.
They believe the Baseline Killer got his start in August, committing robberies and sexual assaults in parts of south Phoenix and that he began killing one month later. Police won't say whether any of the murder victims were sexually assaulted.
The Serial Shooter is believed to have been killing victims since May 2005. Although police say they have only definitively linked four of the crimes - the Dec. 29 wounding of a man and the shootings of several dogs and a horse - they believe the shooter could be responsible for the random shootings of at least 21 people. In all, five human victims have died, all but one of them men. The shootings usually occur late at night or in the early morning in a rough area in western Phoenix.
Authorities have no witnesses in the Serial Shooter case. Descriptions of the Baseline Killer have varied, with some saying he is bald and black, and others saying he is Hispanic.
Police are trying to reassure residents that they will be able to stop the killings.
"We're in a valley of 3 million people, and we're looking for two people that we don't know what they look like," Phoenix police Chief Jack Harris said. "But let me assure you that we will not rest until we do track these people down."
---
On the Net:
Phoenix police: http://phoenix.gov/POLICE
Silent Witness: http://www.silentwitness.org
Share prices on the London Stock Exchange were higher at midday Thursday.
At noon, the FTSE 100-share index was up 18.48 points at 4,455.23.
SAN DIEGO (AP) — The trouble with being so good for so long is that it makes the bad times look even worse.
Tiger Woods never looked worse at Torrey Pines.
One of the more astute assessments about the state of Woods' golf game came last year at the Australian Masters. He was paired in the third round with Kieran Pratt, a 22-year-old from Melbourne. A longtime observer noted that one player had won 14 majors among 82 titles around the world, the other was making his pro debut, and you couldn't tell the difference. Pratt shot a 70. Woods had a 71.
A new year looked a lot like the old one for Woods.
To see him open with a pair of 69s at the Farmers Insurance Open made it appear as though his game was on an upward trend, until recognizing that Anthony Kim was better in each of the two rounds.
Woods was outplayed in the next two rounds by two rookies: Jhonattan Vegas, an emerging star on the PGA Tour who showed no effects of a hangover from winning the previous week at the Bob Hope Classic; and Brendan Steele, who grew up in a tiny California town (Hemet) that didn't even have a golf course.
Even more surprising is that it took place at Torrey Pines.
No one has had more success on San Diego's public gem than Woods. He won the Buick Invitational six times, and won the U.S. Open in 2008 on a shattered right leg — and in his first tournament in two months. But his record runs far deeper. He had never finished out of the top 10, and he had never finished more than four shots behind the winner.
This isn't the first time Woods has revamped his swing, either.
The first big overhaul was in 1998, and Woods still finished only one shot out of a playoff that year at Torrey Pines. The other reconstruction project was in 2004, and he wound up two shots out of a playoff.
This time, he was a whopping 15 shots out of the lead in a tie for 44th.
Woods failed to break par only one time on the South Course at Torrey Pines in his first 32 rounds in tour events. He shot 74 on Saturday to fall out of the hunt, and 75 on Sunday to fall into irrelevancy.
At least he didn't finish near the bottom of the pack as he did last summer at Firestone, another course where he has dominated.
Woods was flustered when he finished.
"Absolutely, absolutely," he said when asked if he was surprised by his scores. "I started out hitting it pretty good out here this week. I really did. And it progressively got worse. We have some things that we need to work on. Sean (Foley) and I have been talking about it every night. I can do it on the range, but it's a little different when I've got to bring it out here."
Woods said he's in "the process" of his swing change, whatever that means. When he was changing his swing under Hank Haney, his choice of words was, "I'm close."
But even he's not sure how close he is.
So much more was expected. Woods was coming off a solid tournament two months ago at his Chevron World Challenge, where he played great for 54 holes, looked shaky the last 18 and lost in a playoff to U.S. Open champion Graeme McDowell.
And then there's the Torrey factor.
Woods will always be compared with his past, and that's not about to go away.
At his low point last year — a missed cut at Quail Hollow, a withdraw from The Players Championship with a neck injury that no one knew anything about — Paul Goydos cautioned not to judge Woods until he played courses where he traditionally won, and won big. Still to come was the U.S. Open at Pebble Beach and the British Open at St. Andrews.
Woods wasn't a serious contender at either, and by then his game was in full meltdown mode.
So while it's too early to measure Woods after one tournament, it's natural to raise questions after such a pedestrian performance at Torrey Pines. Next week is the Dubai Desert Classic, where Woods has never finished lower than fifth. The last time he played, he won by one shot over a young German named Martin Kaymer, who now is No. 2 in the world and could go to No. 1 at the Qatar Masters this week.
Then after the Match Play Championship — too fickle to measure anyone's game — is the World Golf Championship at Doral, where Woods has won three times and has never finished out of the top 10.
Each result that's not up to previous standards will make him appear to be even further away from where he once was.
Woods says he is working harder than ever on the range, and Foley said he spent about four hours a week with him at Isleworth during the holidays, although it sure didn't translate to the golf course.
It's the same process — take the swing from the range to inside the ropes. Perhaps he would do well to add a tournament to give himself more repetitions when it matters, although there is no indication that Woods will play Riviera or even the Honda Classic.
The goal is to have his game ready for the Masters. That's still two months away.
Given the way he started his year, it must feel as though it's right around the corner.
Ousted Thai Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra boarded a plane in Hong Kong for a flight back home Thursday after 17 months of exile, saying he was slightly worried about his security but that he had faith in Thailand's justice system.
After settling into business class on the Thai Airways flight, Thaksin stood by his seat and read through the front pages of Thai newspapers.
WASHINGTON - A judge ruled Monday that no pair of pants is worth $54 million, rejecting a lawsuit that took a dry cleaner's promise of "Satisfaction Guaranteed" to its most litigious extreme.
Roy L. Pearson became a worldwide symbol of legal abuse by seeking jackpot justice from a simple complaint - that a neighborhood dry cleaners lost the pants from a suit and tried to give him a pair that were not his.
His claim, reduced from $67 million, was based on a strict interpretation of the city's consumer protection law - which imposes fines of $1,500 per violation - as well as damages for inconvenience, mental anguish and attorney's fees for representing himself.
But District of Columbia Superior Court Judge Judith Bartnoff ruled that the owners of Custom Cleaners did not violate the consumer protection law by failing to live up to Pearson's expectations of the "Satisfaction Guaranteed" sign once displayed in the store.
"A reasonable consumer would not interpret 'Satisfaction Guaranteed' to mean that a merchant is required to satisfy a customer's unreasonable demands," the judge wrote.
Bartnoff wrote that Pearson, an administrative law judge, also failed to prove that the pants the dry cleaner tried to return were not the pants he took in.
Bartnoff ordered Pearson to pay clerical court costs of about $1,000 to defendants Soo Chung, Jin Nam Chung and Ki Y. Chung. A motion to recover the Chungs' tens of thousands of dollars in attorney fees will be considered later.
"Judge Bartnoff has spoken loudly in suggesting that, while consumers should be protected, abusive lawsuits like this will not be tolerated," the Chungs' attorney, Chris Manning, said in a statement. "Judge Bartnoff has chosen common sense and reasonableness over irrationality and unbridled venom."
Speaking to reporters outside their dry cleaners, the Chungs said they held no hard feelings toward Pearson. "If he wants to continue using our services, then, yes, he is welcome," Soo Chung, a Korean immigrant, said through a translator.
Pearson, who came to court during the two-day trial earlier this month carrying the offending pair of pants in a suit bag, did not respond to a call and an e-mail seeking comment.
The case began in 2005 when Pearson became a judge and brought several suits for alterations to Custom Cleaners in Washington. A pair of pants from one suit was missing when he requested it two days later.
Pearson asked the cleaners for the full price of the suit: more than $1,000.
But a week later, the Chungs said the pants had been found and refused to pay. Pearson said those were not his pants and decided to sue.
Over the course of the litigation, the Chungs said they made three settlement offers - $3,000, then $4,600, then $12,000 - all rejected.
The case garnered international attention and renewed calls for litigation reform.
"This case was giving American justice a black eye around the world, and it was all the more upsetting because it was a judge and lawyer who was bringing the suit," said Paul Rothstein, a Georgetown University law professor.
Rothstein said Monday's ruling "restores one's confidence in the legal system."
Calls have come from around the world for Pearson to lose his position on the bench and be disbarred. The city's chief administrative law judge is still considering Pearson's 10-year reappointment.
(This version corrects that suit was not new, that law does not impose daily fines and that sign was displayed in the store but not store window.)
Deron Johnson, who spent 16 seasons in the major leagues and mostrecently was batting instructor for the California Angels, diedThursday after fighting lung cancer for nearly a year.
Johnson, 53, died at his home in Poway, Calif., the Angelssaid.
After being diagnosed with cancer last June, Johnson was named abench coach for this season by Angels manager Buck Rodgers. ButJohnson was too ill to attend spring training.
During the 1980s, Johnson also served as a coach with the NewYorks Mets, the Philadelphia Phillies, the Seattle Mariners and theWhite Sox.
As a player, Johnson played 16 seasons with nine clubs, makinghis big-league debut with the New York Yankees in 1960. He playedfor the White Sox in 1975. Magic Johnson is no hero to Nolan Ryan. "I have a problem withmaking a hero out of him because of AIDS," Ryan writes in hisupcoming biography, Miracle Man.
The Texas Rangers pitcher said while he sympathizes withJohnson's plight, the star knew the risks of his activity.
"Magic wasn't really an innocent victim because of hislifestyle," Ryan said. He agreed with Martina Narvratilova that ifJohnson were a woman who had contracted the AIDS virus throughpromiscuous sex, a lot fewer people would view him as a hero. Baseball's ownership committee will meet Thursday in Chicago todiscuss the proposed sale of the Seattle Mariners to aJapanese-backed group. The group would pay slightly more than $100million to buy the team from Jeff Smulyan, who purchased it forapproximately $77 million in 1989. Baltimore first baseman Randy Milligan, knocked unconscious after heran into second baseman Billy Ripken chasing a ground ball Wednesday,was released from a Kansas City hospital. The formal settlement of Leonard Kleinman's lawsuit againstcommissioner Fay Vincent was pushed back a day because documentsarrived too late Thursday. Minnesota placed third baseman Mike Pagliarulo on the 15-daydisabled list because of a strained right wrist and activated firstbaseman Kent Hrbek. Boston's Roger Clemens is 6-3 lifetime at County Stadium and 11-6over all against the Brewers. Oakland's Jamie Quirk is in an 0-for-15 slump. Toronto reliever Ken Dayley, coming off elbow surgery, is about twoweeks away from being able to start light tossing.
WASHINGTON--Homeland Security Secretary Tom Ridge blew MayorDaley's cover story on Meigs Field on Tuesday.
Around the same time, in Chicago, the mayor confessed he bulldozedthe airport to make it a park and not because of security fears.
Ridge said his agency was never consulted over whether thelakefront airport presented a security threat to the city and waspersonally "disappointed" to see Meigs closed.
Daley invoked homeland security to explain why, under cover ofdarkness and without any prior public notice, he ordered a series ofgiant X's and slash marks carved in Meigs' sole runway on March 30.
The mayor's initial explanation was met with skepticism …
Chelsea captain John Terry was surprised that FIFA banned his club from signing any players until January 2011.
The Blues were punished Thursday for encouraging French striker Gael Kakuta to break his contract with Lens and sign for Chelsea.
"What is my reaction to the FIFA ban? It was a big shock to me and it is very difficult," Terry said Friday at the England traning base. "But it is difficult for me to talk about it. I have spoken to the club last night and again this morning and they have reiterated that I can't speak about it as they are appealing very strongly."
Chelsea said it will "mount the strongest appeal possible" after being told it can't register any new players, from England or abroad, during the next two transfer windows _ in January 2010 and the next offseason.
The Court of Arbitration for Sport indicated Friday that the appeal verdict could be delivered before the end of the year.
Chelsea will be hoping the ban is overturned completely or at least reduced. Italian club Roma was banned from signing players for two transfer windows in 2004 because of irregularities in its acquisition of Philippe Mexes from Auxerre but, after appealing to the CAS, the ban was reduced to one window.
"If the appeal is fielded within the deadline of the next 21 days we should have the appeal in the next two or three weeks," secretary general Matthieu Reeb said. "Then the CAS can proceed in an expedited manner depending on whether the party has agreed to expedite the procedure.
"But at the least we will probably issue a decision at the end of November or mid-December."
Two-time Pro Bowl safety Rodney Harrison announced his retirement on Wednesday, saying he is through hitting quarterbacks after a 15-year career for the New England Patriots and San Diego Chargers.
"I'm done," he said in a conference call with reporters. "And I'm very much at peace with that. Football has been good to me; I worked hard and I played hard."
The 36-year-old Harrison holds the NFL record for defensive backs with 30 1/2 sacks; he also has 34 interceptions, making him the only player to have at least 30 of each. But the numbers only tell part of the story about a player who had a reputation as one of the hardest hitters in the league _ and one of the dirtiest, too.
"People have called me a dirty player. I'm a very passionate player," Harrison said. "I also understand that this is not volleyball. This is a very violent, physical game, and if you hit someone in the mouth, they're not going to be your friend. That's what the game of football is."
Harrison's frank speaking can be expected to serve him well in his broadcast career. NBC announced Wednesday that he will join its NFL studio show. Harrison worked for the network during its Super Bowl coverage last year.
Harrison said his passion was often misinterpreted as cheap shots, but it was part of his philosophy to "play every play like it's my last play."
"That was the right formula _ the Harrison formula," Patriots linebacker Tedy Bruschi said on Tuesday.
New England linebacker Pierre Woods said Harrison always felt he was fighting against the league's tendency to protect quarterbacks.
"He feels like the league is getting soft," Woods said. "If you can't hit the quarterback, what are you doing out there?"
Harrison won two Super Bowls with the Patriots but missed the last 10 games last season after tearing a muscle in his right thigh. Injuries, along with a four-game suspension in 2007 for using a banned substance, limited him to 31 games over the last four seasons.
"I always wanted to prove to everyone that I could come back, but I really didn't have that fire anymore," he said.
Although he was unapologetic about his multiple fines _ more than $200,000 over his career _ and a one-game suspension in 2002 for a helmet-to-helmet hit on Jerry Rice, Harrison did call the drug suspension "a huge mistake." He admitted obtaining human growth hormone, and has said it was to speed his recovery from an injury.
"I had so much pride about trying to do things right," he said. "I made such a huge mistake in that situation and disappointed so many people, including myself. When I made that mistake, I wanted other guys and kids to learn from that."
Harrison started out his call by joking that he had signed a two-year deal with the Patriots with the promise that he didn't have to report until September.
After a pause, he 'fessed up, and he later added that there was no chance of a Brett Favre-like reversal.
"I respect people in the National Football League too much not to put them on this joyride," he said. "I don't want guys on my team or guys I played with to have to answer questions about Rodney Harrison's return. When I made my decision to retire, I made my decision to retire. ... I'm done."
Police Monday night were searching for a man who allegedlyattacked his wife with a power drill and threw her out a first-floorwindow before fleeing with their 2-month-old daughter who also wasinjured in the attack.
Katherine Smith, 30, of the 700 block of East 51st Street, wasin fair condition at Provident Hospital suffering from cuts andbruises, said a nursing supervisor.
…
Staff
California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo, has opened one of the largest student housing developments in the country. The 1.4-million-sf Poly Canyon Village sleeps up to 2,670 students in four- and five-bedroom unit …
Byline: MICHELLE KAUFMAN Miami Herald
SALT LAKE CITY -- There is a reason Russians have won every figure skating Olympic pairs medal for the past 40 years, and that reason was perfectly clear within seconds after Elena Berezhnaya and Anton Sikharulidze stepped on the ice Saturday night for the short program.
The pair before them, from Slovakia, had just completed a gimmicky program to Michael Jackson tunes, complete with moonwalking. Berezhnaya and Sikharulidze, wearing simple ivory costumes, proceeded to put on an elegant, balletic, and perfectly synchronized program that would have made their Russian predecessors proud.
The near-flawless routine …
University of Michigan (Ann Arbor, MI) has patented methods for the ex vivo formation of mammalian bone and subsequent uses of the bone. A critical and distinguishing feature of the present invention are defined tissue culture conditions and factors resulting in the formation of bone cell spheroids. The …
KABUL, Afghanistan - Two German journalists working for the country's national broadcaster and traveling on their own through northern Afghanistan were killed on Saturday by gunmen, the Afghan government said.
The two - a man and a woman - were killed by unidentified gunmen while traveling through Baghlan province, said Zemari Bashary, the Interior Ministry spokesman. He said the two had been spending the night in a tent.
The two worked for the German news …
ATLANTA -- After their first series of the season, the Cubs werelast among National League offenses with just four walks, and next-to-last in on-base percentage.
That could be a sign of what's not to come this season.
The Cubs finished 14th out of 16 NL teams last season in walks and13th in on-base percentage. This offense could possibly hit enoughthat not compiling a large number of walks might not be a failingthat undercuts the attack. But this is a high-strikeout club as well,which is a poor mix with a minimum of walks.
"Those two usually go hand-in-hand, but you can't walk across theplate," manager Dusty Baker said Friday. "You got to hit 'em …
RN/EN CONTINUING DISTANCE EDUCATION COURSES Conducted by The College of Nursing Ph: (02) 9745 7500 or Email: sas@nursing.edu.au
CHILDBIRTH EDUCATION & TRAINING AT THE WOMEN'S Or programs run at your hospital tailored to your needs can also be arranged. Royal Women's Hospital Melbourne Ph: (03) 8345 2142 Email: childbirth.ed@thewomens.org.au
MAY
PRECEPTOR DEVELOPMENT WORKSHOP 14 May 2010, Adelaide, SA 17 May 2010, Brisbane, Qld For further information Email info@thenursingcentre.com.au. To register online Visit: www.thenursingcentre.com.au and enter discount code of PRECEPTOR for 10% discount on registration fee.
CPI INC--NONVIOLENT CRISIS INTERVENTION[SM]" TRAINING COURSES 18-21 May 2010, Brisbane, QLD 25-28 May 2010, Melbourne, VIC 1-4 June 2010, Sydney, NSW 8-11 June 2010, Cairns, QLD 15-18 June 2010, Perth, WA 29 June-2 July 2010, North Adelaide, SA Email: info@crisisprevention.com Visit: www.crisisprevention.com
6TH AUSTRALIAN WOMEN'S HEALTH NETWORK CONFERENCE 18-21 May 2010, Hobart. Held only every 5 years. Women's Health: The New National Agenda, Incorporating a stimulating and diverse arts …
