The Romanian government will declassify all remaining secret documents relating to the country's 1989 anti-communist revolution.
Prime Minister Emil Boc said the move would allow the truth to come out without endangering "state secrets" 21 years after the bloody uprising.
The defense ministry said it would declassify over 8,000 pages of information pertaining to the …
Entre Nous Restaurant, Fairmont Hotel, 200 N. Columbus: Therestaurant has teamed up with Cosentino Winery to present a specialCosentino Wine dinner menu throughout December.
The price is $55 for dinner with wine; $40 dinner only. Prices donot include tax and tip. Call (312) 565-7997.
Cafe Ba-Ba-Reeba!, 2024 N. Halsted: A Spanish wine-tasting will beheld from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. Tuesday. The gala features wine, tapas,paella and a guitarist playing Spanish music.
The cost is $25, including tax and gratuity. Call (773) …
SALE, Morocco (AP) — A Moroccan court has delayed a terrorism trial over the bombing of a tourist cafe that killed 17 people.
The MAP news agency said the court also increased the number of defendants on trial from seven to nine. After a brief hearing Thursday, the court delayed the proceedings until Sept. 22.
The April 28 explosion was one of the worst terrorist acts to …
BUCHAREST, Romania (AP) — Hundreds of Romanians have protested against a proposed gold mine in Transylvania, saying it will damage the environment and will be of little benefit to Romanians.
About 300 people gathered in temperatures of minus 6 Celsius (21 Fahrenheit) outside the Romanian parliament to demonstrate against the Rosia Montana mine, planned by a Canadian company.
"Rosia Montana is not for sale," the protesters yelled.
"We want …
One of Bath's busiest pubs is hoping to expand so it can offermore covered space to drinkers. The Pig and Fiddle, at the junctionof Saracen Street and Broad Street, wants to extend the pub into anempty shop at 33 Broad Street and offer more inside space tocustomers.
The pub already has a large courtyard garden which is popularwith drinkers in the summer. But the scheme for the empty shop mayhit a stumbling block under Bath and North East Somerset Council'slocal plan, which seeks to retain shop premises in order to boostthe local economy, but Pig and Fiddle owners Butcombe Brewery ishoping its application will be successful as it says the twopremises can easily …
WASHINGTON - Anti-war Democrats in the Senate failed in an attempt to cut off funds for the Iraq war on Wednesday, a lopsided bipartisan vote that masked growing impatience within both political parties over President Bush's handling of the four-year conflict.
The 67-29 vote against the measure left it far short of the 60 needed to advance. More than half the Senate's Democrats supported the move, exposing divisions within the party but also marking a growth in anti-war sentiment from last summer, when only a dozen members of the rank and file backed a troop withdrawal deadline.
"It was considered absolute heresy four months ago" to stop the war, said Sen. Russell …
Two co-founders of a Broadway theater company that produced hit shows such as "Ragtime" and "Show Boat" were convicted Wednesday of accounting fraud for overstating their business' finances by millions of dollars for several years.
Garth Drabinsky and Myron Gottlieb, co-founders of Livent, a major Broadway theater company in the 1990s, were convicted of two counts of fraud and one count of forgery. They each face a maximum of 14 years in prison.
In the 85-page ruling, the judge said the Tony award-winning producers knowingly submitted financial statements to investors misrepresenting their company's circumstances.
The …
It took three years and a summer idled by back surgery, butBulls forward Scottie Pippen finally is emerging as a star.
All the statistics are up this season for the 6-7 CentralArkansas alumnus. Pippen also rides shotgun for Michael Jordan andis the No. 1 deterrent against double teams.
"It used to not cost so much to double up on Jordan," saidPistons coach Chuck Daly. "Now Pippen has stepped forward and becomea threat."
Bulls coach Phil Jackson says Pippen has developed "confidencein his outside shot. When Scottie hits his outside shot, he becomesa different player because he's such a good driver. It has reallymade us a better team."
Said …
ST. LOUIS (AP) — Prosecutors have filed a felony weapons charge against former NBA player Darius Miles for allegedly trying to take a loaded handgun through security at a St. Louis airport two months ago.
St. Louis County prosecutors charged Miles on Friday with the unlawful use of a weapon, which carries a maximum four-year prison term, for allegedly trying to pass through Lambert Airport security with the gun in his carry-on bag on Aug. 3.
Miles, 29, arrived at St. Louis County jail on Monday and posted 10 percent of his $15,000 bond before leaving, a jail official said.
There is no phone number listed for Miles' home in the St. Louis suburb of Swansea, Ill., and he …
Results Friday from the ATP World Tour Finals, a $5 million season-ending event at the O2 Arena (seedings in parentheses):
Singles
Group B
Novak Djokovic (3), Serbia, def. …
There was a point Friday night when Glenbard West became lessCinderella than Rocky.
Finishing 1-8 a year ago under first-year coach Al Greenberg,the Hilltoppers opened their season Friday night at two-timedefending state champ Wheaton-Warrenville South.
Glenbard West took an early lead and then held its breath untilScott Gorrill's 20-yard field goal with 13.1 seconds remaining sailedwide left as the Hilltoppers hung on for a 15-13 victory."We started working out last year while they were still playingin the postseason," Greenberg said. "We worked too hard to let thisone go."The visitors led 3-0 at the half and built the margin to 15-0early in the fourth by …
SAN DIEGO (AP) — The San Diego Padres pride themselves on pitching and defense. Both came up short in a 7-4 loss to the Pittsburgh Pirates.
Ryan Doumit's grand slam highlighted a six-run third inning and Kevin Correia beat his old team Wednesday, when the Pirates won to take two of three from the Padres.
Two errors in the third inning led to six unearned runs for the Pirates.
"It hasn't (clicked)," manager Bud Black said of the Padres' defense. "Those games where we've had miscues, we haven't been able to overcome them by outscoring the other team."
The Pirates are playing well away from Pittsburgh. They've won five road series already, one more than they did all …
Spacewalking astronauts stepped outside Monday night and gave the space station's new robot some eyes and a set of tools.
It was the third spacewalk of shuttle Endeavour's visit to the station, each one aimed at putting together Dextre, the giant robot.
The last time astronauts floated out, Dextre got arms. This time, the robot got a tool belt and two cameras that will serve as eyes _ interestingly, at waist level.
"Happy St. Patrick's Day, guys," astronaut Michael Foreman called out to his spacewalking colleagues.
"I forgot it was St. Paddy's Day," replied Richard Linnehan. "Should have worn the green EMUs." That's NASA talk for extravehicular mobility units, otherwise known as spacesuits.
The robotic work by Linnehan and Robert Behnken completed Dextre's assembly outside the international space station. So far, the 12-foot robot and both of its 11-foot arms have checked out fine. Each arm has seven joints, and the crew wanted to make sure the brakes worked.
Dextre, a Canadian Space Agency contribution that cost more than $200 million, is designed to assist spacewalking astronauts and, eventually, to take over some of their chores. Its designers envision the robot one day replacing batteries and other space station parts _ it can lift as much as 1,300 pounds _ and also performing some fine precision tasks like handling bolts.
It has a sense of touch and is capable of sensing force and movement.
That's how Dextre got its name, in fact. It's short for dexterous.
By the midway point of Monday's 7-hour spacewalk, which wrapped up early Tuesday, Dextre had been equipped with three types of tools, four in all, as well as a platform for holding big items like batteries.
Linnehan, who also took part in the mission's first two spacewalks, said it was surreal to work around the gigantic white robot. It reminds him of a prop from a "Star Wars" movie.
"But it isn't sci-fi, it's reality, and it's happening up here right now," he said.
The spacewalkers had some robot-unrelated chores, such as attaching a science experiment to the European lab, Columbus, and unloading spare station parts from the shuttle and attaching them to the orbiting complex for future use.
Behnken had trouble securing the suitcase-sized experiment to the station, and he ended up taking it back to Endeavour's payload bay. He said it appeared metal shavings were preventing him from locking the experiment into place.
Five spacewalks are planned for Endeavour's 16-day flight, which is nearing the halfway mark. While shuttle astronauts have performed five spacewalks before on a single flight _ on trips to the Hubble Space Telescope _ it will be a record for a shuttle-station mission.
Besides delivering Dextre to the space station, Endeavour's crew dropped off a storage compartment for the Japanese lab that will fly up in May. The astronauts not involved with the spacewalks _ including Japanese astronaut Takao Doi _ continued setting up the storage compartment in preparation for the arrival of the lab, named Kibo, Japanese for hope.
___
On the Net:
WMX Chairman and founder Dean L. Buntrock won't participate inthe management of the trash-hauling giant once a new chief executiveofficer is found, WMX said Friday - news that pleased some investorsbut puzzled some analysts.
"He has no plans to participate in the management of the companyonce a new CEO is selected," said WMX spokesman William Plunkett."Right now his No. 1 priority is finding the best candidate."
Buntrock has been acting CEO since February, when Phillip Rooneyresigned after criticism of the company's management and turnaroundplan.Buntrock "has made the right decision," said Nell Minow,principal of Lens Inc., a leader among investor groups that have saidit's time for Buntrock to go.She said Buntrock's decision will likely head off plans amongsome investors for a symbolic protest vote during the company's May 9annual meeting to withhold support for Buntrock's re-election as adirector.She and other investors contend that Buntrock's continuedinvolvement in management would be an impediment to attracting thebest CEO.Argus Research Corp. analyst James Kelleher was surprised byWMX' disclosure and suggested it might indicate problems inattracting a new CEO."It's very unusual for something like this to play out sopublicly," said Kelleher. "You would think (Buntrock) would makesure the door is shut and say (to a wanted candidate), `I'll stepaside if you come aboard.' This makes it look like they're going hatin hand looking for a CEO. But it goes hand in hand with all theother Peyton Place drama that's occurred."WMX declined to provide specifics on how the search for a newCEO is progressing or whether a short list of candidates has been puttogether.But Minow said the search appeared to be progressing well.
NEW YORK - Stocks that were moving substantially or trading heavily Tuesday on the New York Stock Exchange and Nasdaq Stock Market:
NYSE
Home Depot Inc., down $2.09 at $36.22
The home improvement goods retailer said it expects to pay $37 a share in a $10.7 billion stock buyback. That's a little less than half its goal of buying back $22.5 billion in stock, and the price per share is at the low end of the previously announced per-share range of $37 to $42.
Advanced Micro Devices Inc., up 25 cents at $13.25
The chip maker got an upgrade to "Neutral" from "Underperform" from a Credit Suisse analyst, who cited a strong PC market.
NovaStar Financial Inc., down $1.58 at $6.91
The mortgage lender announced it was tightening lending, laying off more than 30 percent of its work force, and pulling a $101 million stock offering.
NASDAQ
Leap Wireless International Inc., up $11.78 at $84.28
In a bid valued at about $5.12 billion, MetroPCS Communications Inc. offered $75.05 worth of its own stock for each share of the cell phone service provider.
Yahoo Inc., up $1.22 at $23.95
A Bear Stearns analyst named the Web portal a "Top Pick," citing branding initiatives, takeover and strategic partnership talks, and the company's new advertising monetization platform, Panama.
ASE Test Ltd., up $2.63 at $14.40
The Taiwanese semiconductor testing services company said ASE Inc., which owns a majority of the company, will take the company private by buying the shares it doesn't directly or indirectly own in a transaction valued at about $784 million.
I HAVE two children who attend a church primary school. I wouldlove the opportunity to send them to a church senior school wherethe ethos of their primary school would be extended and the 'old-fashioned' respect and manners would filter through.
Lisa Day By e-mail I HAVE just returned from a well-attendedconsultation regarding the Becket Keys School idea. I was delightedto witness such a strong support for this proposal and hope theGazette will join forces with the many other external bodies infully embracing a positive outcome to this project.
A Mullan By e-mail THE DISCUSSION at the meeting was insightfuland the proposal in our opinion very much achievable.
The key point for us is that Christian families should have achoice of a faith-based secondary school, considering the largenumbers of faith primary schools. It would also be our nearestschool within walking distance, which would cut congestion.
Yes, there is some information that we need in order to make aninformed choice. However, in terms of the Governments Big Societyidea, this would be an ideal example of the principle in action.
There are many reasons why Sawyers Hall College failed.
Our own awareness was that it had a concentration of challengingpupils from within and outside Brentwood thus the higher qualityteachers left, and local parents declined to pick it as their firstchoice.
Indeed, when we cut through the site to get to St Thomas' we runa gauntlet of cigarette smoke and profane language.
This is an ideal time for a fresh start for the site with a newschool that has a clear vision and sound Christian values. As alocal Christian family are we not entitled to a choice for ourchild? Lorna and Gavin Mess By e-mail THE POTENTIAL creation of anew secondary school in the town is fantastic news for both parentsand future pupils.
The two teachers behind the proposal have proven track recordsfor leading highachieving schools, adding real credibility to theproposal.
While plans are being finalised it's important that support isforthcoming to help generate the required momentum. It's all to easyto be critical in the early stages (which some have been), pointingout what the school will not provide on day one. However, thepositives more than stack up and offer a real alternative. If theinitial strategy is one of back to basics, with focus being onbetter discipline and core curriculum, then it is a good start,providing a foundation on which to build.
Mark Connelly By e-mail
Blass, Robert, American bass of German parents; b. N.Y., Oct. 7, 1867; d. Berlin, Dec. 3, 1930. He went to Leipzig in 1887 to study violin, but then pursued vocal instruction from Stockhausen in Frankfurt am Main. In 1892 he made his operatic debut as King Heinrich in Weimar, and then sang in various German opera centers. In 1899 he appeared at London's Covent Garden. On Nov. 13, 1900, he made his Metropolitan Opera debut as Hermann in Tannhäuser during the company's visit to San Francisco. He first sang on the stage of the Metropolitan Opera in N.Y. as Rocco on Dec. 28, 1900, and remained on its roster until 1910 and again from 1920 to 1922. In 1901 he appeared as Gurnemanz and Hagen at Bayreuth and sang at the Berlin Deutsches Opernhaus from 1913 to 1919.
—Nicolas Slonimsky/Laura Kuhn/Dennis McIntire
They pick up debris. They bring in food and carry water. Theyman the telephones that have been ringing nonstop.
Warwick, the Joliet subdivision where half the 150 brand newhomes were destroyed or badly damaged, provides a capsule view of theenthusiastic volunteer efforts called forth by Tuesday's tornadoes.
"We've been flooded with calls from everybody who wants to comein and help us rebuild," said Judy Gardner, vice president of salesfor Leach Homes of Joliet.
"The people whose homes were destroyed are offering to help, aswell as people in our other subdivisions who weren't touched,"Gardner said. "We've gotten calls from Chicago. We've got peoplefrom California who want to fly in and help. People whose homesweren't hit are running out and helping everybody."
Volunteers, many of them tradesmen, refuse to take a break.
"People have come in here who haven't taken a shower in twodays. I've offered to let them use my house. They won't stop. Theydon't want to lose the daylight. They want to help people," Gardnersaid.
Builder John Leach sold about 250 houses this year at Warwick,which opened in March. About 150 of them had been built when thetornadoes struck.
Half the homes were untouched. Of the other half, 30 wereheavily damaged and 46 were destroyed. There were people living in25 of the destroyed homes, and the other 21 had not yet been handedover to the buyers.
"All the people are real tough. They all want to rebuild assoon as possible," Leach said.
He said all members of the Will County Home Builders Associationhad volunteered to help, and would loan him carpenter crews that willbuild one or two shells each.
Because of the outpouring of help, "All this is doing isthrowing us about a month off schedule. We have not lost a customerbecause of this," Gardner said.
Stiff upper lips and senses of humor are the order of the day.
"One lady came home from work and the house was completely gone.She said, `I guess that takes care of my new drape problems,' " Leachsaid.
He said homeowners insurance covered the occupied houses, andhis own insurance covered those not yet occupied. Each house costsabout $100,000.
"Nobody will suffer any financial damage," he said.
The subdivision is on Hickey Avenue, east of Essington Road.
Leach is noted for letting buyers paint their own home and usethe "sweat equity" as a down payment. He said about half theunoccupied houses destroyed already had been painted by the buyers.
"They won't have to do it twice. I will repaint them" when thehouses are built, he said.
The daily edition of the Chicago Sun-Times increased its marketshare in the city, according to the Audit Bureau of Circulation'ssix-month publishers' reports released today.
In addition, the Sunday Sun-Times cut the Tribune's lead in thecity by half.
The ABC report for the six months ended March 31 shows theSun-Times average daily circulation was 530,856, a 1.3 percentdecline from the year-ago figure. Sunday circulation dipped 2.1percent to 547,207.
The ABC report has its bright spots - improved market share forboth the daily and Sunday paper in the city, according to Tom Foster,senior vice president of consumer marketing and distribution. Thedaily Sun-Times posted a net gain of 5,203 copies over the ChicagoTribune, increasing the Sun-Times' lead to 80,237 copies daily. Forthe six months ended March 31, the daily Sun-Times sold an average of278,126 copies in Chicago against the Tribune's 197,889.
On Sunday, the Sun-Times cut the Tribune's city lead to 11,892copies. The Sunday Sun-Times average city circulation was 257,916copies, a 3.1 percent decline from the year-ago figure. TheTribune's average Sunday city circulation was 269,808, a 6.7 percentdrop from March, 1991.
After he had made what Mike Keenan called "the turnaround playof the game," Brett Hull wasn't celebrating the fact that St. Louishas gained home-ice advantage.
"Home ice is B.S.," said Hull, whose shorthanded goal pulled theBlues into a 3-3 tie on the way to their 5-3 victory over theBlackhawks Monday.
"I don't know if this puts any more pressure on them," Hullsaid. "You still have to win four games. And I think both teamsknow exactly what to expect from each other."
They expect a series that will keep going until somebody isn'tstanding.
With the series tied 1-1, the teams move to St. Louis for gamestomorrow and Friday.
Chicago hockey fans gave owner Bill Wirtz something else toponder. With the HawkVision pay-per-view experiment under way, theHawks drew a crowd of 16,847, 470 short of the Stadium's 17,317capacity. That's the first time the Hawks haven't sold out at in 125home games, dating back 2 1/2 years.
It wouldn't be surprising if Wirtz, who has resisted televisinghome games, draws figures showing he has been right all these years.
The Hawks got some good early work from their power play, whichoften struggles, but were done in by poor showings in usuallyreliable places. Ed Belfour struggled, the penalty-killers struggledand goal-scorers Jeremy Roenick and Steve Larmer continued tostruggle.
"We had a game plan, and we stuck to it," said St. Louis coachBrian Sutter, whose game plan is not unlike Mike Keenan's: Work,work, work.
"We know we have our work cut out for us," Sutter said. "Iexpect them to get better and we have to get better."
Belfour, who was beaten high on three of the Blues' goals,definitely has to get better, or face being replaced by Dominik Hasekafter being dazed in a collison with teammate Keith Brown, who waspushed by Brendan Shanahan with 2:08 left in the second period.
When Jeff Brown put the Blues ahead 4-3 at 16:42 of the second,it was St. Louis' fourth goal on 11 shots against Belfour.
"Eddie's fine. He was fine when he came out of the net," Keenansaid.
When asked if he has a goaltending decision to make, Keenan saidwith his playoff stone-face, "We have a goaltending decision to makebefore every game."
"Eddie wasn't very sharp," Hawks' associate coach DarrylSutter. "He has to get out of the net and challenge the shooter."
Asked there's a chance Hasek will play tomorrow, Sutter said,"That's up to Mike. But Dominik came in a played great. He stonedBrett Hull on two breakaways."
After being high-sticked by Nelson Emerson just 2:24 into thegame, Chris Chelios, scored a pair of power-play goals. His jerseywas splattered with blood from his cut lower lip, but Chelios didn'tmind.
Tony Horacek added the Hawks' third goal. But Roenick, who hasscored only twice in 14 games, and Larmer haven't scored in the firsttwo games.
"They weren't checked very close," Darryl Sutter said. "Larmermay be pressing, but not Roenick. He's trying to do the rightthings. He just has to stay with it, and be careful not to try to doit all by himself.
"What's missing with Larmer is his intensity," Sutter said. "Ifhe's an elite player, this is the time of year to step it up."
St. Louis matched the Hawks with a pair of first-periodpower-play goals. Stephane Quintal scored after Bryan Marchment tookan ill-advised run at Craig Janney, leaving Quintal open. Marchmentthen was whistled for tripping Hull to set up Ron Sutter's power-playscore.
"My first playoff game," Marchment said. "It took me awhile toget it under my belt."
An autopsy was performed Tuesday on the body of a hiker who was found after a drifter accused of kidnapping her told authorities where to look, officials said.
Gary Michael Hilton, 61, had been charged Saturday with kidnapping with intent of bodily injury. He appeared on Monday before a judge who denied his request for bail.
Hours later, he led investigators to a spot in a wooded area in north Georgia where they found the body of Meredith Emerson, said John Cagle, special agent in charge of the Georgia Bureau of Investigation's Field Division in Cleveland, Ga.
The 24-year-old woman had been missing since New Year's Day, when she went hiking with her dog. Hilton was the last person seen with Emerson on the hiking trail and had tried to use her credit card, according to his arrest warrant.
Emerson's body was brought to the Georgia Bureau of Investigation's crime lab where an autopsy was done Tuesday morning. Authorities would not describe how Emerson had died.
Authorities also said they are exploring a possible link between the disappearance of Emerson and the presumed killing of a couple from North Carolina in October, and the December death of a woman in Florida.
Bureau director Vernon Keenan said there could be a connection to the case of John and Irene Bryant, a couple in their 80s who disappeared in October while hiking in the western North Carolina mountains.
Georgia officials met with North Carolina authorities Monday to discuss the case, bureau spokesman John Bankhead said.
The body of Irene Bryant, 84, was found covered with leaves in November. John Bryant, 80, is still missing, and authorities said he may have been kidnapped so he would provide the couple's bank account security number.
Someone used the Bryants' ATM card in the days following their disappearance, investigators said. The ATM transaction took place in Ducktown, Tenn., about 50 miles from the area of the Georgia investigation.
Georgia officials also plan to meet with Florida investigators about the death of a woman there, Bankhead said Tuesday.
The body of Cheryl Hodges Dunlap was found Dec. 19 in the Apalachicola National Forest, southwest of Tallahassee. Authorities say a masked person suspected in Dunlap's death used her ATM card three times after her disappearance Dec. 1.
Sgt. Rob Reisinger, spokesman for Leon County, Fla., Sheriff's Office, said his agency has requested information about the Georgia case. But he said it is too early to determine whether there is a connection.
Residents had reported seeing Hilton's van in the Dawson Forest Management Area, where the body was found. A search of the area had been planned, miles from where Emerson was last seen, before Hilton told authorities where to look, Cagle said.
Three bloody fleece tops and a bloodstained piece of a car's seat belt were found in a trash bin beside a convenience store where Hilton had used a pay phone, his arrest warrant stated. Hilton had tried to vacuum and wash portions of his 2001 Chevrolet Astro van, which was found without the rear seat belt, according to the document.
Asian stocks tumbled Friday after Wall Street dropped overnight on worries the global recovery is weaker than many expected.
Major markets from Tokyo to Hong Kong to Sydney dropped about 3 percent or more after U.S. stocks fell on bad news about American unemployment levels and European debt.
Oil prices slipped to near $73 a barrel, adding to a big slide overnight, while the dollar continued to gain against the euro, which was at its lowest since May.
Japan's benchmark Nikkei 225 lost 2.8 percent, or 293.33 points, to 10,062.65 and China's Shanghai Composite Index fell 1.6 percent, or 50.85, to 2,945.13. Hong Kong's Hang Seng was down 3.2 percent at 19,701.33.
In the U.S. on Thursday, the Dow Jones industrial average closed down 268.37, or 2.6 percent, at 10,002.18 after briefly trading below 10,000 for the first time in three months. That came after the Labor Department said claims for unemployment benefits rose by 8,000 to 480,000 last week, disappointing investors who hoped for a decrease.
The slide began in Europe, where markets were dragged down by concern about high debt levels in Greece, Spain and Portugal. It is becoming harder for countries to contain rising debts and to borrow money to spend their way out of recession.
Elsewhere in Asia, South Korea's Kospi was off 3 percent at 1,568.33 and Taiwan's Taiex dived 3.3 percent. Sydney's S&P-ASX 200 slid 2.8.
Oil prices retreated in Asia with benchmark crude for March delivery down 13 cents at $73.01 a barrel after buckling $3.84 overnight.
In currencies, the dollar weakened to 89.65 yen from 88.90 yen. The euro was lower at $1.3705 from $1.3726.
Parmi les 82 hommes incarc�r�s, 17 ne pr�sentent pas de trouble de la personnalit�. Sur les 65 hommes qui en pr�sentent un, 16 ont une personnalit� limite, 19 ont une personnalit� antisociale et 25 pr�sentent ces 2 personnalit�s. La plupart des hommes ont un trouble de la personnalit� limite ou antisociale en concomitance avec un autre trouble : 25 ont une personnalit� parano�aque, 15 une personnalit� narcissique, 4 une personnalit� histrionique, 4 une personnalit� d�pendante et 3, une personnalit� obsessionnelle compulsive.
Ainsi, cette �tude exploratoire d�montre que bien des hommes incarc�r�s pr�sentent un trouble de la personnalit� antisociale, comme en t�moigne la documentation. En effet, le trouble de la personnalit� antisociale est souvent �tudi� chez cette population (1). Parmi les individus ayant une personnalit� antisociale, 85 % ont des ant�c�dents de violence contre autrui (2,3). La majorit� d'entre eux sont des hommes et ils repr�sentent 2 % � 3 % de la population g�n�rale (4).
La pr�sente �tude indique que le trouble de la personnalit� limite est �galement pr�sent chez les hommes incarc�r�s. Ce trouble se caract�rise par de l'instabilit� dans les relations interpersonnelles, au niveau de l'image de soi et de l'humeur. Environ 2 % de la population g�n�rale pr�sente ce trouble de la personnalit�, et 27 % � 67 % de ces individus ont ant�c�dents de comportements autodestructeurs (5). L'impulsivit� et la col�re font partie des crit�res diagnostiques d�crivant le trouble de la personnalit� limite 4). Raine (6) mentionne qu'en milieu carc�ral, les hommes ayant commis un meurtre pr�sentent plus souvent un trouble de la personnalit� limite. Toutefois, la majorit� des recherches portant sur ces individus sont r�alis�es en milieu psychiatrique et aupr�s des femmes.
En conclusion, les r�sultats indiquent que les hommes incarc�r�s pr�sentent diff�rents troubles de la personnalit�. Il y a un nombre presque �quivalent d'individus qui pr�sentent un trouble de la personnalit� limite et antisociale. Beaucoup d'hommes ont �galement ces 2 troubles. Cette concomitance s'av�re fort importante � consid�rer, puisque les individus pr�sentant ces 2 troubles de la personnalit� sont plus � risque d'agir (contre eux-m�mes ou contre autrui). Les r�sultats d�montrent �galement qu'il y a un nombre �lev� d'individus qui ont un trouble de la personnalit� parano�aque. D'autres recherches pourraient se pencher sur les diff�rences et similitudes entre les individus ayant une personnalit� limite, antisociale et sur la concomitance des deux troubles (7). De plus, l'�tude de l'effet de la pr�sence du trouble de la personnalit� parano�aque serait � approfondir.
[Reference]
Bibliographie
1. Hart SD. Forensic issues. Dans: Livesley WJ. Handbook of personality disorders: theory, research and treatment. New York: Guilford; 2001.
2. Widiger TA, Trull TJ. Personality disorders and violence. Dans: Monahan J, Steadman HJ. Violence and mental disorder: developments in risk assessment. Chicago (IL): University of Chicago Press; 1994.
3. Cloninger RC, Bayon C, Przybcck TR. Epidemiology and Axis 1 comorbidity of antisocial personality. Dans: Stoff DM, Breiling J, Maser JD. Handbook of antisocial behavior. New York: Wiley; 1997.
4. American Psychiatric Association. Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders. 4th ed. Washington (DC): American Psychiatric Association; 1996.
5. Stone MH. The fate of borderline patients: successful outcome and psychiatric practice. New York: Guilford; 1990.
6. Raine A. Features of borderline personality and violence. J CHn Psychol 1993;49: 277B81.
7. Zanarini MC, Gunderson JG. Differential diagnosis of antisocial and borderline personality disorders. Dans: Stoff DM, Breiling J, Maser JD. Handbook of antisocial behavior. New York: Wiley; 1997.
[Author Affiliation]
Suzanne L�vcill�e, PhD
Julie Lefebvre, MA
Trois-Rivi�res, Qu�bec
TOKYO - Japanese companies are a bit more optimistic about their business prospects, a key central bank survey showed Monday, data that could sway the Bank of Japan to raise interest rates later this month.
The so-called "tankan" survey's most-watched index, measuring sentiment at large manufacturers, inched up to 21 from 20 in the second quarter from the previous quarter and regaining the level it achieved in the fourth quarter. The index measures the percentage of companies reporting that conditions are better minus those reporting that they are worse.
"This is a green light for the BOJ - the BOJ is set to go" for a quarter point rate hike at its next policy-planning meeting on July 13-14, said Jesper Koll, chief economist at Merrill Lynch in Tokyo.
The Bank of Japan has been mulling the timing of an increase in interest rates - at zero for five years to spur a recovery - hike amid signs that Japan is finally emerging from a decade-long slump.
In particular, the central bank has said it won't act until prices, which had been declining, start to rise consistently. On Friday, the government said core consumer prices rose 0.6 percent in May, the seventh straight monthly gain.
The conditions for a rate increase "have mostly fallen in place with this good tankan result," added Michiro Shirakawa, chief economist at the Tokyo office of Credit Suisse Securities and a former BOJ official.
However, a scandal over Bank of Japan Gov. Toshihiko Fukui's investment in a fund run by a manager arrested on suspicion of insider trading could undermine the central bank's credibility and cause it to hold off on any changes, some experts say.
Government officials also have warned against an early increase in rates, which would raise borrowing costs, fearing it could choke off the recovery.
The modestly upbeat survey results pushed Japanese stocks higher in morning trading. The benchmark Nikkei 225 index added 74.63 points, or 0.48 percent, to 15,579.81 points at the close of morning trading.
The tankan survey is prized because it polls more than 10,000 companies across a wide spectrum of sizes and industries about their general outlook, expectations for profits and capital spending plans.
Sentiment among large non-manufacturers also picked up, rising to 20 from 18 in the previous quarter, it showed.
Conditions are expected to improve in the coming months, the survey showed, with large manufacturers forecasting a sentiment index reading of 22 for September, up 1 point from June. Big non-manufacturers expect a reading of 21 in September, also up 1 point.
The survey also indicated that companies are bullish about investing in equipment and factories.
Major Japanese firms plan to increase capital expenditure by 11.6 percent on average in the current fiscal year, which started in April, much better than a forecast of a 2.7 percent increase made in the March tankan survey.
"Basically the survey reflects the recoveries in earnings for businesses. I don't think that capital investment is overheating," said Shinzo Abe, Japan's top government spokesman.
JERUSALEM - Israel and the Palestinians agreed to a cease-fire Saturday to end a five-month Israeli military offensive in the Gaza Strip and the firing of rockets by Palestinian militants into the Jewish state - a major step toward possibly reviving long-stalled peace talks.
Israel later said all its forces were withdrawn from Gaza ahead of the truce, which was to go into effect at 6 a.m. Sunday (11 p.m. Saturday EST).
The truce announcement was a significant achievement for Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas as he tries to put together a more moderate government to replace the one currently led by Islamic Hamas radicals. Abbas, a moderate from the Fatah Party, hopes a deal with Hamas will persuade the West and Israel to lift crushing economic sanctions against the Palestinians.
The sides announced the cease-fire after Abbas telephoned Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert late Saturday to tell him he had arrived at an agreement with all Palestinian factions - including those allied with Hamas - to stop all rocket attacks and suicide bombings from Gaza.
Abbas asked that Israel, in turn, stop its military operations in Gaza and withdraw its forces, and Olmert agreed, spokespeople for both leaders said.
Abbas spokesman Nabil Abu Rdeneh said from Gaza City that Palestinian Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh of Hamas and the Palestinian factions had agreed to reinstate a truce between Israel and the Palestinians reached in Egypt in February 2005.
Earlier in the day, various militant factions had denied reaching a cease-fire agreement. But after it was officially announced, they acknowledged the accord and said the denials were linked to power struggles among them.
The agreement Abbas wrested from the Palestinian armed groups promises to end the military campaign Israeli launched in Gaza less than a year after evacuating the territory. Israeli forces originally entered Gaza in late June in an effort to win the release of a soldier captured in a June 25 cross-border raid by Hamas-linked militants and still in captivity.
But Israel soon widened its operations to target militants who had intensified their near-daily rocket attacks on communities in southern Israel. Despite international criticism over Palestinian civilian deaths, Olmert had pledged earlier this month to continue the offensive until Palestinian rocket attacks from Gaza significantly decreased.
Instead, the rocket fire in November has more than doubled from October.
The capture of Cpl. Gilad Shalit in June and the subsequent Israeli offensive cut short efforts by Olmert and Abbas to restart peace talks that broke down six years ago. A truce could help to create the momentum to get talks moving.
"We welcome the announcement and see this as a positive step forward," White House spokesman Alex Conant said Saturday evening in Washington. "We hope it leads to less violence for the Israeli and Palestinian people."
The violence over the last five months has killed more than 300 Palestinians, mostly militants. Earlier this month, 19 members of an extended family were killed in an artillery attack in the northern Gaza town of Beit Hanoun, prompting worldwide calls for Israel to end its offensive. Israel expressed regret for the loss of civilian life and blamed the deaths on a technical problem.
Five Israelis have been killed during the offensive - three soldiers in Gaza and two civilians hit by rocket fire in Israel. In addition, two other soldiers were killed during the cross-border raid on June 25.
On Saturday, blasts ripped apart two cars carrying militants in Gaza City, killing at least one and wounding several passers-by, Palestinian medical officials said. One vehicle was struck by missiles fired from an Israeli aircraft, and the source of the other blast wasn't known.
Three other militants were killed in clashes with Israeli troops elsewhere, including two hit by Israeli fire near the main Gaza-Israel cargo crossing, Palestinian officials and Hamas said. The army said it had no information about fighting at the Karni passage.
The West and Israel placed economic sanctions on the Palestinians after Hamas won legislative elections in January because the militant group refused to meet international demands to renounce violence, recognize Israel and honor past peace agreements.
Hamas and Fatah have been in talks in recent weeks on the formation of a more moderate government of professionals to replace the one led by Hamas. Another major element of the talks is the release of the captured Israeli soldier in exchange for Palestinians that Israel holds.
Hamas' supreme leader, Khaled Mashaal, was in Cairo to discuss both issues with Egyptian mediators, but there was no word of a breakthrough.
Mashaal said his group was willing to give peace negotiations with Israel six months to reach an agreement for a Palestinian state in Gaza and the West Bank. If the talks failed, however, he threatened a new armed uprising.
The double-edged comments were his strongest confirmation that the Islamic militant group would allow Abbas to try to negotiate with Israel. But it was also the first time he has set a deadline with an explicit threat of a new uprising.
"We give six months to open real political horizons ... We agreed on the national accord to establish a Palestinian state, with the June 4, 1967 borders," he told a news conference in Cairo, referring to Israel's borders before it captured the West Bank, east Jerusalem and the Gaza Strip.
"They have to seize this opportunity," Mashaal said.
If an agreement is not reached within that time frame, Mashaal threatened a new confrontation with Israel. "Hamas will become stronger and the resistance will resume ... and will go on with a third uprising," he said.
Israel had no immediate comment on Mashaal's proposal.
Mashaal said "great strides" had been made in negotiations over a new government. But he said "more time" was needed and stuck to Hamas' rejection of a Cabinet made up of technocrats rather than politicians from the two parties.
He also blamed Israel for failure to reach a deal for the release of Israeli Cpl. Gilad Shalit in return for Palestinian prisoners held by Israel.
"We are not the reason behind postponing the decision; the postponing of a settlement is due to the other side," Mashaal said of a prisoner swap.
---
Associated Press Writer Ibrahim Barzak contributed to this report from Gaza City, Gaza Strip. AP writer Nadia Abou El-Magd also contributed from Cairo, Egypt.
CINCINNATI--Hee Seop Choi's contributions have been overshadowedby those of his teammates in the last couple of days, but the Cubs'rookie first baseman is off to an impressive start.
His contribution was more obvious when he went to left-centerfield, which is his power alley, for a three-run home run Friday.Sammy Sosa made Choi a footnote in that 10-9 loss to the Reds byhitting his 500th homer.
While Choi was only 1-for-2 with an RBI on Saturday, the box scoredoesn't tell the whole story. He was responsible in large measure fora three-run third inning simply by being aggressive. He didn'thesitate on Corey Patterson's single to center, roaring around secondand sliding into third ahead of Ken Griffey Jr.'s throw. Pattersontook second on the play. After a walk to Mark Bellhorn filled thebases, Paul Bako's single scored Choi and Patterson.
You've got to play aggressive baseball,'' manager Dusty Bakersaid. You are going to have guys thrown out sometimes, but that was ahuge play by Choi. You have to create some things rather than gostation-to-station."
NO SWEAT: Pitcher Matt Clement looked fine in his side sessionSaturday. There was no recurrence of the lower-back tightness he feltWednesday, so he has been cleared to start as scheduled in the homeopener Monday against the Montreal Expos.
NEW DAY: Joe Borowski said he can't believe the difference infellow relievers Kyle Farnsworth and Juan Cruz this season. And hewasn't talking about their pitching as much as he was theirwillingness to participate in baseball discussions in the bullpen.
It's amazing from last year to this year,'' Borowski said. Theyare talking so much more in the bullpen. Last year, there wasn't toomuch conversation going on. This year, there are a lot morequestions. What did he throw to this guy?' and so on, just wanting toknow how to get guys out.''
Borowski has asked himself if veterans Mike Remlinger, MarkGuthrie and Dave Veres are the reason why Farnsworth and Cruz aremore talkative.
Is it just because you have guys who have been successful andaround for a while that they are opening up?'' he said. Whatever itis, it's good. The transformation is amazing.''
HE'LL TAKE IT: Carlos Zambrano wasn't great, but he wasn't bad,either. He allowed three runs and three hits, struck out eight andwalked two in 52/3 innings to earn the victory. The Cubs' staff has48 strikeouts in five games.
BRIDGETOWN, Barbados (AP) — Trinidad & Tobago claimed the Caribbean Twenty20 cricket title Sunday as effervescent West Indies allrounders Dwayne Bravo and Kieron Pollard inspired an emphatic 70-run victory over Jamaica in the final.
Bravo hit a tops core of 49 at Kensington Oval, while Pollard blasted an unbeaten 39 off 13 balls as Trinidad & Tobago amassed 168-6 off 20 overs.
Legspinner Odean Brown led the Jamaicans with 3-22.
Jamaica lost two early wickets and its pursuit never gained momentum as it limped to 105-5 off 20 overs.
Carlton Baugh's unbeaten 39 came with the result virtually sealed.
Trinidad & Tobago, the defending champions, won the toss and got a stirring start from openers Adrian Barath and Lendl Simmons.
They raced to 35 off the first five overs before Brown stalled the charge.
Simmons, after hitting two fours and a six in 19 balls, edged to wicketkeeper Carlton Baugh.
West Indies left-hander Darren Bravo also edged to Baugh off his international teammate Andre Russell as the innings wobbled.
Jamaica gained further momentum when Brown claimed Barath and captain Denesh Ramdin in quick succession.
Barath compiled 21 with two fours and a six before he was stumped by Baugh missing a big heave.
Ramdin was bowled as he tried to make room to cut and Trinidad & Tobago dipped to 65-4 in the 12th over.
But Dwayne Bravo rebuilt strongly in a stand of 42 with Sunil Narine.
Narine, promoted above Pollard in the order, contributed 22 off 15 balls with a four and two sixes.
Bravo, dropped on 20 in the deep by Shawn Findlay, began to open his shoulders and he and Pollard provided the acceleration toward the end with 68 runs off the last five overs.
Bravo hit three fours and four sixes off 43 deliveries.
Pollard, floored by the luckless Samuels in the deep when just two off Krishmar Santokie, ended the innings in style by carting the same bowler, the tournament's leading wicket-taker, for 26 off the final over, including three sixes off successive balls.
Jamaica's reply never really threatened once opener Nkrumah Bonner and Marlon Samuels fell cheaply.
Bonner was run out after a mix up with Danza Hyatt and Samuels notched his third duck of the tournament when he was bowled through the gap driving at a Samuel Badree googly.
Hyatt struggled to 12 off 23 balls before Dwayne Bravo, the eventual Man of the Match, claimed him to a catch at long-off.
Captain David Bernard tried gamely by scoring 25 off 29 balls, but when he and Andre Russell were caught in the deep, the match was as good as over. Pollard claimed both catches and gave the cutthroat signal following Russell's dismissal as the hundreds of Trinidadians in the crowd celebrated.
Pollard earned the Man of the Tournament award for his 153 runs, which included 16 sixes.
Earlier, left-arm pacer Delorn Johnson claimed 5-5, the best ever figures in regional Twenty20 history, to set up an easy Windward Islands victory over Barbados in the third place play-off.
Barbados was bowled out for 101 and Andre Fletcher and Devon Smith ensured the target was chased down comfortably with 13 balls to spare.
___
Summarized scores:
Third place play-off: Windward Islands beat Barbados by seven wickets.
Barbados 101 all out off 20 overs (Jonathan Carter 42, Alcindo Holder 24; Delorn Johnson 5-5).
Windward Islands 105-3 off 17.5 overs (Andre Fletcher 42, Devon Smith 34).
The final: Trinidad & Tobago beat Jamaica by 63 runs.
Trinidad & Tobago 168-6 off 20 overs (Dwayne Bravo 49, Kieron Pollard 39 not out, Sunil Narine 22, Adrian Barath 21, Lendl Simmons 19; Odean Brown 3-22).
Jamaica 105-5 off 20 overs (Carlton Baugh 39 not out, David Bernard 25, Shawn Findlay 17 not out).
WINE SIPPER
Sangiovese is Italy's most widely planted red grape variety. Indigenous to Tuscany, where it produces some of the country's top wines including Chianti, Brunello di Montalcino and Vino Nobile di Montepulciano, the name literally translates as the "blood of Jove." An ancient variety, in the modern world, Sangiovese is often blended with a little Cabernet. The parameters for this tasting allowed a top price of $25 retail, but two of the winners came in at the lower end of the spectrum. And that's good news at this tax-strapped time of year.
2003 Falcor Sangiovese, $22.50
This ringer from California (all the other wines were Italian) was one of the most …
Zealous guardians of his words and his likeness, the family of the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. is demanding a share of the proceeds from the sudden wave of T-shirts, posters and other merchandise depicting the civil rights leader alongside Barack Obama.
Isaac Newton Farris Jr., King's nephew and head of the nonprofit King Center in Atlanta, said the estate is entitled to hundreds of thousands of dollars in licensing fees _ maybe even millions.
"Some of this is probably putting food on people's plates. We're not trying to stop anybody from legitimately supporting themselves," he said, "but we cannot allow our brand to be abused."
…
Harrisburg is not a mecca for high finance.
There are no locally based investment bankers, arbitrageurs, commodity traders or other professionals associated with mega-transactions.
But when JPM Co., a $40 million maker of cable assemblies and wire harnesses in Lewisburg, made its initial public offering on April 30, it was with the counsel of attorneys from Harrisburg.
In fact, at least two attorneys from Duane, Morris & Heckscher, a Philadelphia-headquartered firm with 20 lawyers in Harrisburg, are determined to make a living in the field by bridging an important gap.
"There's a gulf between a small Pennsylvania company and a big New York law firm," said …
The American Chemical Society (Washington, D.C.) has discontinued its joint publishing arrangement for the Journal of Pharmaceutical Sciences. The American Pharmaceutical Association …
Abstract: An active area of research in the development of Streptococcus gordonii for use as a bacterial commensal vector involves the identification and utilization of strong promoters for high-level expression of heterologous products. Escherichia coli plasmid vectors containing different streptococcal promoters often fail to become established in E. coli for unknown reasons. Therefore, it is desirable at times to transform S. gordonii, which is naturally competent, with small quantities of nascently ligated DNA without using E. coli first to amplify or screen the product. By comparing the efficiency of two methods used to induce competence in S. gordonii, it was shown that the use of a synthetic competence stimulating peptide substantially enhanced plasmid uptake by S. gordonii. We amplified the amylase-binding protein (abpA) promoter from the S. gordonii genome and, using a synthetic peptide to induce competence, directly introduced plasmid DNA containing this promoter into S. gordonii as an unamplified product of ligation. This plasmid facilitated abundant secretion of a heterologous product by S. gordonii. By assessing the levels of heterologous product secreted by two plasmid constructs, it was possible to evaluate the relative strength of two native promoters.
Key words: Streptococcus gordonii, promoter, amylase binding protein, AbpA, expression, secretion, Gram positive, antigen, transformation, peptide, competence.
Resume : L'identification et l'utilisation de promoteurs forts permettant d'exprimer une grande quantite des proteines heterologues est un domaine de recherche actif dans la perspective d'utiliser Streptococcus gordonii comme vecteur bacterien commensal. Des vecteurs plasmidiques contenant differents promoteurs du streptocoque n'arrivent souvent pas a s'etablir chez Escherichia coli pour des raisons inconnues. Il est ainsi souhaitable de transformer S. gordonii qui est naturellement competent, avec de petites quantites d'ADN ligature sans utiliser d'abord E. coli pour amplifier ou cribler le produit. En comparant l'efficacite de deux methodes pour induire la competence chez S. gordonii, l'on a montre que l'utilisation de peptides synthetiques de stimulation de la competence augmentait substantiellement la captation du plasmide par S. gordonii. Nous avons amplifie le promoteur de abpA (amylase-binding protein) du genome de S. gordonii et, en utilisant un peptide synthetique pour induire la competence, nous avons directement introduit l'ADN plasmidique contenant ce promoteur dans S. gordonii en tant que produit non amplifie de la ligation. Ce plasmide a facilite une secretion abondante d'un produit heterologue par S. gordonii. En estimant les quantites de produit heterologue secrete par deux constructions plasmidiques, il a ete possible d'evaluer la force relative de deux promoteurs natifs.
Mots-cles : Streptococcus gordonii, promoteur, proteine liant l'amylase, AbpA, expression, secretion, Gram positif, antigene, transformation, peptide, competence.
[Traduit par la Redaction]
Introduction
Streptococcus gordonii, a human commensal bacterium, is being developed as a vaccine vector due to its ability to elicit mucosal and systemic immune responses (Wilson and Hruby 2005). Additionally, it may be useful as a vector for delivery of therapeutic molecules (Ricci et al. 2003), and has been used for protein production due to its ability to secrete soluble proteins into the culture supernatant (Lee et al. 2002; Warren et al. 2005). These applications all require high-level expression of heterologous products, which can be facilitated through the use of native promoters and secretion signal sequences situated on multi-copy plasmids. An active area of research involves the identification and evaluation of the strength of native S. gordonii promoters (Provvedi et al. 2005).
Under glucose-deficient culture conditions, S. gordonii abundantly secretes a 20.5 kDa amylase-binding protein (AbpA) (Rogers et al. 1998). Amylase, the most abundant enzyme in human saliva, catalyzes the hydrolysis of [alpha]-1,4-glucosidic linkages in starch. Based on observations that amylase-binding streptococci appear to be restricted to animal hosts that secrete salivary amylase, it has been theorized that the binding of amylase by oral streptococci may be critical for their ability to colonize and persist in the host (Scannapieco et al. 1994; Brown et al. 1999). Additionally, the binding of amylase may facilitate bacterial growth by providing fermentable carbohydrates from dietary starch. Analysis of the abpA sequence reveals a putative catabolic response element (CRE) 153 bp downstream of the start codon (Rogers and Scannapieco 2001). This CRE may participate in transcriptional repression of abpA in the presence of saccharides, when starch metabolism is not necessitated (Rogers and Scannapieco 2001). Rogers and Scannapieco (2001) identified the transcriptional start site of abpA, but the genomic sequence 5' to this region remains uncharacterized.
A potential drawback to evaluating promoter strengths for purposes of expression by S. gordonii is that Escherichia coli--into which plasmid constructs are routinely subcloned, screened, and amplified--does not stably maintain high-copy vectors containing particular streptococcal promoters (Stassi et al. 1982; Provvedi et al. 2005). For this reason, it is desirable at times to be able to transform ligated DNA containing potentially strong promoters directly into S. gordonii without subcloning into E. coli. Even though S. gordonii is naturally competent, the efficiency with which DNA is introduced using traditional methodologies (that is by inducing competence with calf or horse serum) does not permit the routine introduction of small quantities of DNA such as the product in typical ligation reactions.
In S. …
Byline: Tom Precious Capitol bureau
During the days of Ronald Reagan speechmaking, political pundits cherished finding Reganisms - those oratory gaffes in which the president confused historial events or talked of trees polluting the environment.
New York labor leaders, after listening to Gov. Mario M. Cuomo's State of the State address on Wednesday, are complaining loudly over a Cuomoism.
At one point in his speech, the governor was hailing the efforts of some companies that have been given advice by the state on how to expand their markets. The firms, Cuomo said, are shining examples for other companies seeking to expand their overseas business. …
Oil prices fell below $130 a barrel Tuesday with major producers such as Royal Dutch Shell saying Tropical Storm Dolly would not likely disrupt operations in the Gulf of Mexico.
Shell said Monday it was evacuating workers from oil rigs in the western part of the Gulf as a precaution.
"The market doesn't see Dolly as a real threat at this point," said Victor Shum, an energy analyst with consulting firm Purvin & Gertz Inc. in Singapore. "It doesn't look like it will have much of an impact."
By the afternoon in Europe, light, sweet crude for August delivery was down $1.11 to $129.93 a barrel in electronic trading on the New …
Pope John Paul II will not celebrate mass on Christmas Day, theVatican announced Wednesday. The announcement is a rare admissionthat the pope's health is failing.
On doctors' advice, the pope will restrict himself to midnightmass on Dec. 24 in St. Peter's Basilica.
He will miss the 10 a.m. service on Dec. 25 but at …
I have been asked to speak today as newsmaker of the week but in fact I am only the messenger. The real news of the week is the deep frustration and anger in British Columbia over the federal government's neglect of our priorities and the willingness of many British Columbian to renegotiate our role in the Canadian Confederation in the context of the current national unity debate.
This frustration was revealed when I expressed my own distress over the treatment of BC fishermen and shoreworkers by Liberal West Coast fishing policies and the failure of the feds to protect our salmon stocks from predatory attacks by the Alaskan "salmon stealers," failures that are crippling our coastal communities and the people who live in them.
I am not going to discuss the almost mystical role the salmon plays in our coastal culture. It is deeply rooted in aboriginal tradition and in the socio-economy of many BC communities, aboriginal and non-aboriginal. The right to harvest, use and trade our fish is part of the coastal ethic, part of our sense of identity.
Instead, I wish to make two points. First, many BC priorities are being ignored by Canada. British Columbians, in my experience, love Canada, but too often when we need Canada it is not there for us.
Second, many BC issues are viewed by the Central Canadian media through the prism of Quebec's concerns. It is as if we had no regional identity, no national vision beyond Quebec. We are not viewed as Canadians in our own right. It is this myopic attitude that is creating deep divisions in our country.
The BC fishery is a case in point. The federal government insists on federal jurisdiction over a resource that swims by 25,000 km of British Columbia coastline, sustaining the local communities. Federal policies have devastated the fishery; half the fleet has been displaced, mostly in the small communities, without mitigating measures. Conservation is not the issue; the same volume of fish are being caught with …
Saturday, 10.55am - BOSTON Town began their festival of fun with a sportsman's dinner.
The event saw …
Byline: KEVIN M. BRONNER, Ph.D. Member Colonie Town Board
I was pleased to read Anne Miller's Dec. 5 story in the Times Union about the public hearing that was held concerning the proposal to annex property from Colonie to Watervliet. A key point in Ms. Miller's story is that one of the representatives of the developer of the project stated that the annexation is being proposed since ``... the developer had a better chance of gaining …
Byline: Martin Moynihan Staff writer
No one will be whispering during a quiet scene, and no one will spill a beverage when this audience takes its seats at the Spectrum Theater. Of course, there won't be any movie, either. But this audience won't care.
"An Audience in a Movie Theater" is an art installation of 18 life-sized sculptured figures made and installed by 10 Junior College of Albany fine arts students.
The installation at the Spectrum will be open to the public Thursday, April 20, from noon to 3 p.m. It will be gone before the evening's first screening, although the possibility of watching "Vincent," a tale of the life of artist Vincent …
The sun had just crested the distant ridge of the Rocky Mountains, but already it was producing enough power for the electric meter on the side of the Smiley Building to spin backward.
For the Shaw brothers, who converted the downtown arts building and community center into a miniature solar power plant two years ago, each reverse rotation subtracts from their monthly electric bill. It also means the building at that moment is producing more electricity from the sun than it needs.
"Backward is good," said John Shaw, who now runs Shaw Solar and Energy Conservation, a local solar installation company.
Good for whom?
As La Plata …
A new report from a committee of the National Research Council concludes that, when properly treated, municipal wastewater and biosolids can be both safe and effective for irrigating and fertilizing food crops. "Society produces large volumes of treated municipal wastewater and sewage sludge that must be either disposed of or reused," explain the leading scientists who comprise the panel. "While no disposal or reuse option can guarantee complete safety, the use of these materials in the production of crops for human consumption, when practiced in accordance with existing federal guidelines and regulations, presents negligible risk to the consumer, to crop production, and to the …
BENZENE PRODUCERS HAVE SETTLED January contracts at $1.37/gal fob, a 3-cts/gal decline from December. The settlement reflects lower crude oil values and continued weakness in styrene markets, market participants say.
Spot prices rose 5 cts/gal from late December, to $l.38-$1.40/gal fob last week, due to production problems at some units over the holidays and shipment delays caused by poor weather. Bids for the first half of January deliveries at $1.37/gal fob failed to elicit response from sellers, who were aiming for $1.39-$1.40/gal fob, traders say. The unplanned outages took 20,000-30,000 bbl of benzene out of the market in December, sources say. BP Chemicals is …
The US Virgin Islands, specifically the VI Internal Revenue Bureau and Finance Dept, failed to collect US$253 million over a ten year period, reports The Virgin Islands Daily News (Jan. 25, 2008). The document, signed by Regional Audit Manager Michael Colombo, describes the tax collection process utilized by the Territory as …
Byline: ROB OWEN TV/Radio writer
Let's not kid ourselves about the new syndicated sci-fi drama ``Gene Roddenberry's Earth: Final Conflict.''
This show may bear the name of the famed ``Star Trek'' creator, but Roddenberry (who is credited with writing this weekend's premiere back in 1976) really has nothing to do with ``Earth: Final Conflict.'' He died in 1991.
But where there's a legacy, there's money to be made.
``Earth: Final Conflict'' premieres late tonight (12:30 a.m. on WTEN, Ch. 10) and sets up a premise that's a little bit ``V'' (aliens with a hidden agenda come to Earth claiming to be our friends, curing disease), a little bit ``War of the Worlds'' (the …
Sarah Palin and thousands of tea party activists plan to descend on Sen. Harry Reid's hometown in the Nevada desert Saturday to call for the ouster of Democrats who supported the health care overhaul.
Organizers predict as many as 10,000 people could come to tiny Searchlight, the hardscrabble former mining town where the Senate Democratic leader grew up and owns a home. But a light turnout or disruptions could lead to questions about the emerging movements' credibility and direction.
Since the health care vote, "Everyone is waiting to see if the tea party movement is reinvigorated or if we've resigned ourselves to defeat," Joe Wierzbicki, a spokesman …
LAURIE GOLDBERG, CA, PRESIDENT AND CEO, PEOPLE FIRST HR SERVICES
COMPANY PROFILE: Winnipeg-based People First HR Services has become the largest human resources firm in Manitoba in just six years by offering HR solutions that are fully integrated with business strategies, and by successfully matching employees with employers. To meet changing needs of companies, People First specializes in five areas: executive search, management recruiting, office and administrative staffing, career transition and HR consulting.
HOT FACTOR: In each of the past three years, People First has ranked in the top four fastest-growing businesses in Manitoba. During this time, it has more than …
According to a study from Asahikawa, Japan, "Although it is important to investigate the effects of normal aging on the ocular circulation, few studies have examined the effects of aging on the retinal microcirculation in healthy subjects. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effects of aging on the retinal microcirculation in healthy men."
"Forty-five healthy men were divided into three groups based on age (young, middle-aged, elderly). We measured vessel diameter and blood velocity and calculated the retinal blood flow (RBF) and wall shear rate (WSR) in the retinal arteries. We performed pulse wave analysis obtained from the retinal blood velocity measurements. We …
Columbia County will open the doors of some of its 18th-century homes and buildings Friday through Sunday, Oct. 3, for the first Columbia County Heritage House Tour.
Open on the days of the tour will be the Columbia County Historical Society; Clermont State Historic Site, home of the Livingston family for three centuries; the Hudson Opera House, built in 1855 as the City Hall; the Luykas Van Alen House, a 1737 Dutch farmhouse; and the Shaker Museum & Library.
Tour tickets may be used until Sept. 1, 2000.
Tickets for the tour are $30 per person from the Columbia County Museum, 5 Albany St., Kinderhook, or call 758-9265. Proceeds benefit the Columbia …
In his latest push for an open dialogue with the Muslim world, President Barack Obama on Wednesday sought the counsel of King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia and put the finishing touches on a highly anticipated speech about United States' relationship with followers of Islam.
The president travels to Egypt on Thursday to deliver the address that aides say will encourage a stronger partnership between Americans and Muslims while touching on a broad range of hot-button issues, including violent extremism, the threat of a nuclear Iran, and efforts to root out suspected terrorists in Afghanistan and Pakistan. Aides say Obama also will acknowledge that the Isreali-Palestinan …
Summary: JEDDAH: Private hospitals are charging people for forms of treatment that are available to them for free and covered by their insurance policies, said a number of people in Jeddah.
By RIMA AL-MUKHTAR | ARAB NEWS
In fact, some insurance companies claim hospitals are failing to submit requests to insurance companies on behalf of their patients who are then asked to pay in cash.
"I went to a private hospital for an appointment with a dermatologist when the receptionist told me that my insurance card had been rejected by my insurance company and that I now had to pay. I was naturally surprised because I have the best VIP health insurance coverage," …
