The Japanese fighter caught the American pilot from behind, riddling his plane with machine-gun rounds. The left engine burst into flames. It was time to bail out.
He yanked on the release lever but the cockpit canopy only half-opened. He unbuckled his seat belt, rose to shake the canopy loose and was instantly sucked out.
Swinging beneath his opened parachute, he plunged toward a Pacific island jungle of thick, towering …
Two British teenagers arrested in Ghana for allegedly carryingcocaine worth pounds300,000 have claimed they were unwittingly setup.
The 16-year-old girls have been "provisionally charged" after theywere arrested on July 2 at Accra airport as they attempted to board aBritish Airways flight to London.
Police identified the two as Yasemin Vatansever, the London-borndaughter of immigrants from Cyprus, and Yatunde Diya, a Britishcitizen of Nigerian descent, said Mark Ewuntomah, a spokesman for theGhana Narcotics Control Board.
Yasemin said she and her friend were tricked into carrying drugsto London.
Speaking by telephone from prison in …
On the night of the first anniversary of 9/11, in the city square where you can take the very pulse beat of Roxbury, Grove Hall, people gathered together for solace at William E. Reed Auditorium.
Patriots all, there were ministers and musicians, U.S. Armed Forces veterans and a City Councilman, actors and dancers, and citizens from teens to the elderly. The audience was brought to tears more than once.
The heartfelt memorial service and tribute, "Healing in Life," was sponsored by Tri-Ad Veterans League, Inc. headed by Haywood Fennell, Sr. With him in carrying out the eclectic programming, which embraced classical to R&B music accenting the patriotic mode, was the …
Police say lightning struck 32 football players training in western Germany, seriously injuring nine of them.
A police statement late Friday says the footballers were practicing in Wald Michelbach, a village south of Frankfurt, when lightning struck.
The …
A jet headed for Spain's Canary Islands came off the runway at Dortmund airport in western Germany on Sunday, but no one was injured, authorities said.
The pilot of the Air Berlin Boeing 737-800, with 165 passengers and six crew members on board, had decided to abort the takeoff because of a "technical irregularity" that is still being examined, airline spokeswoman Diane Daedelow said.
The aircraft braked but came off the runway in wintry conditions. It came to rest with its nose pointing down a slight snow-covered slope.
The plane was undamaged and passengers were able to leave the aircraft normally using steps, Daedelow said.
…
It might be worth the price of admission to Comiskey Park whenslugger Jose Canseco and the Tampa Bay Devil Rays come calling for athree-game series starting Tuesday.
Canseco not only jumped out to the major-league home run lead (hehad eight through Friday), but he was smacking them out of sight.
A couple of weeks ago, he reached the third deck at SkyDome inToronto. Last week, he hit two balls completely out of Fenway Parkon …
ISLAMABAD (AP) — Joint statement: US, Pakistan agree to …
Consumers don't appear confident enough in the economy to open their wallets more freely.
Their spending stalled in April. Without stronger job creation and higher pay, people are less likely to up their spending in the months ahead and invigorate the recovery.
The flat level for consumer spending was the weakest showing in seven months, according to the Commerce Department report. Personal incomes rose 0.4 percent, in line with expectations but not fast enough to help generate real growth.
Falling gas prices and cheaper utility bills could make people feel better about spending more over the summer. So could historically low mortgage rates. That …
OFFICIALS of the YWCA announced recently that the organizationcannot afford to repair its old downtown building and is looking fora new site.
They also said they intend to end the YW's fitness programs andconcentrate instead on what they call the organization's core mission- eliminating racism and empowering women.
These announcements blindsided the people who like using both theYWCA's heated pool, and its fitness facility, which is operated undercontract by Nautilus.
Weeks of angry protest have followed.
Now the YWCA's large governing board has announced that it willhold an open forum from 2:30 to 3:30 p.m. Friday at St. John'sEpiscopal Church to …
The bank that houses and distributes most of the stem cells available for federally funded research in the United States hopes to add cells created with a new technique that does not involve the destruction of embryos.
The National Institutes of Health created the bank in Madison in 2005 as the central repository for federally approved embryonic stem cells. It is operated by the WiCell Research Institute, a nonprofit connected to the University of Wisconsin-Madison.
Scientists at UW-Madison and in Japan reported last month they were able to turn human skin cells into stem cells, which hold promise for medical breakthroughs because they can become virtually …
Sizemore cf 5 0 0 1 0 1 .233
A.Cabrera ss 4 1 3 1 1 1 .312
Choo rf 2 1 0 0 3 2 .294
Jh.Peralta 3b 4 0 1 2 1 2 .273
Hafner dh 5 0 0 0 0 4 .274
Gimenez 1b 4 1 1 0 1 2 .190
Valbuena 2b 4 1 2 1 1 0 .234
Shoppach c 3 1 0 0 1 2 .217
Crowe lf 3 0 2 0 0 1 .232
Totals 34 5 9 5 8 15
SOX AB R H BI BB SO Avg.
Podsednik cf 4 1 0 0 0 1 .298
Beckham 3b 3 2 1 1 0 1 .308
Thome dh 5 1 2 2 0 1 .256
Konerko 1b 4 1 2 0 0 0 .288
Pierzynski c 5 2 2 1 0 0 .314
Quentin lf 3 0 1 2 1 0 .226
Getz 2b 4 0 2 1 0 1 .270
Al.Ramirez ss 2 0 0 …
A series of roadside bombs wounded at least 14 people Sunday in eastern Baghdad, police said, in a sign of the ongoing security threats despite a sharp reduction of violence in the Iraqi capital.
The first blast occurred at 9:10 a.m. Sunday along Palestine Street near Beirut Square, injuring five people, including three policemen, officials said.
Another bomb exploded nearly an hour later on the Mohammed al-Qassim Highway, also in eastern Baghdad, wounding three policemen, police said.
In the afternoon, a bomb hidden in a garbage heap exploded near Palestine Street, injuring six people including a woman, police and a health official of Kindi hospital said.
They all spoke on condition of anonymity because they were was not authorized to speak to the press.
Small explosions, many of them targeting U.S. and Iraqi security forces, still occur throughout Baghdad, despite an 80-percent drop in violence nationwide since 2007.
Heightened security has sharply reduced the number of large car bombs, which caused mass casualties during the worst of the sectarian fighting.
As I am writing this editorial, CSM is only a few weeks away and I find that I am looking forward to the meeting. One of the reasons for the anticipation is because of the research presentations. While putting this issue together, I have had the opportunity for a preview of the upcoming platform and poster presentations. What impresses me is the scope of research topics that will be presented. I think that says a lot about our Section-we are growing in our contribution to evidence-based practice and also highlights the diversity within the Section in regards to practice areas and research interests. I sit here at my computer thinking that CSM will be a wonderful forum for exchanging ideas! I certainly hope to see some of those presentations in manuscript form as submissions to the Journal.
The other reason I am looking forward to CSM is to see all of the people I have been in contact with over the year either via email, phone, or fax. I have been very fortunate to be in contact with therapists from all over the country the past year and I look forward to meeting them in person. I am proud to say that we have some wonderful people in the Section! The opportunity to meet so many people is one of the perks of being Editor. So, I would encourage anyone who thinks that they are remotely interested in becoming more involved in the Section to do so; there is a place for anyone and the rewards are immense.
[Author Affiliation]
Jane Eason, PT, PhD
Editor
New Zealand won't take part in this week's United Nations conference on racism, which it fears could descend into the same rancor as one in South Africa in 2001, Foreign Minister Murray McCully said Monday.
New Zealand joined the U.S., Germany, Netherlands, Australia, Canada, Israel and Italy in boycotting the conference out of concern that it could be used by Muslim countries to criticize Israel and to limit free speech when it comes to criticizing their religion.
McCully said he was not satisfied the wording of the review would prevent the conference from "descending into the same kind of rancorous and unproductive debate that took place in 2001."
The review also would need to avoid circumscribing freedom of expression in the contentious area of defamation of religion.
The last U.N. meeting in Durban called to condemn racism ended in chaos when Muslim delegates tried to insert language into a declaration defining Zionism as racist.
"I was determined that New Zealand's participation in the review conference would be on the basis of a draft outcome document that did not endorse the 2001 declaration and which responsibly and productively addressed racism," he said in a statement.
While combating racism and related intolerance is a cause to which New Zealand attaches the highest importance, "the review conference in Geneva is not likely to advance the cause of race relations at the international level," he said in announcing New Zealand won't be represented.
ROME (AP) — Italy forward Pablo Osvaldo has injured his right thigh in training with Roma and could be out long-term.
Roma says the Argentine-born striker left training early with a suspected muscle tear, adding that the injury will be examined over the next couple of days.
Having transferred from Espanyol in August, Osvaldo is Roma's leading scorer this season with seven goals in Serie A. He also made his Italy debut against Northern Ireland in October.
Osvaldo's injury comes days after Roma agreed to loan forward Marco Borriello to Juventus.
Roma's other forwards include captain Francesco Totti, Erik Lamela and Bojan Krkic.
Roma is tied for sixth place in Serie A with Napoli, 10 points behind leaders Juventus and AC Milan.
The Maldinis have become Italian soccer's royal family.
In Italy's 3-0 victory Saturday against Moldova, son Paoloscored a goal to help dad Cesare remain undefeated (3-0) as coach ofthe national team.
Italy moved into the lead in its World Cup qualifying group asGianfranco Zola and Christian Vieri also scored.Milan's Maldini went between three defenders in the 24th minuteand beat goalkeeper Denis Romanenco. Zola, who plays for Chelsea inthe English Premier League, connected in the 44th by picking up therebound of a shot by Parma midfielder Dino Baggio. Juventus' Vieri,who was making his international debut, then scored in the 49th.Italy (4-0) leads Europe's Group 2 with 12 points, three aheadof England (3-1) and nine in front of Poland (1-1). The top teamqualifies for the 1998 tournament in France, and the second-placeteam probably will wind up in a playoff.Italy plays at Poland on Wednesday.MORE QUALIFYING: Gheorghe Popescu, who plays for Barcelona inthe Spanish League, scored four goals as host Romania destroyedLiechtenstein 8-0 in Bucharest.Popescu scored in the 30th, 32nd, 67th and 82nd minutes.Vioerel Moldovan scored in the 11th, Gheorghe Hagi in the 47th, DanPetrescu in the 49th and Gheorghe Craioveanu, who plays for RealSociedad in the Spanish League, in the 70th.Romania (4-0) leads Europe's Group 8 with 12 points, five aheadof Ireland (2-0-1) and Macedonia (2-2-1). Liechtenstein (0-5) hasbeen outscored 29-2.GOODBYE, WEMBLEY: In the final "friendly" game at WembleyStadium, England beat Mexico 2-0 on Teddy Sheringham's penalty kickin the 18th minute and Robbie Fowler's goal in the 55th.Contributing: Sun-Times wires
FREISING, Germany (AP) — The steady purr of the production line at industrial pump-maker HAWE Hydraulik SE plant would evoke envy in much of the industrialized world. It's the sound of the German jobs machine.
Just a year ago, HAWE, based in this Munich suburb, had cut its work force by one-third, and the remaining 350 employees were working at most three days a week.
But against all company forecasts, orders started rolling in over the winter as world trade reignited, and managers ramped up production of high pressure pumps and valve controls for machining tools, wind energy and solar power plants.
The company is struggling again — but now to find qualified workers to hand inspect parts and operate machinery on the factory floor.
German companies, roaring back from the recession ahead of many of their foreign competitors, are hanging out "Help Wanted" signs.
Right now, Germany's managers need 34,000 engineers, 28,000 cooks, 23,000 factory workers and 20,000 caregivers. Chancellor Angela Merkel has even declared full employment — the lowest level of sustainable unemployment without fueling inflation — a realistic goal.
German officials figure they will reach full employment at around 4 percent joblessness, meaning just about everyone who wants a job has one, and vacancies are mostly due to voluntary turnover.
Already, Germany's unemployment rate for 2010 of 6.9 percent is the lowest since reunification 20 years ago. That comparers with Spain, where unemployment is stuck at 20 percent and only likely to drop to 19.2 percent next year, and the Irish, facing a jobless rate of 13.6, are once again looking abroad for work.
The unemployment rate hit an enviable 2.4 percent in October in Freising — a city of 45,900 just six kilometers (four miles) from the Munich International Airport and where Joseph Ratzinger, now Pope Benedict XVI, was ordained a priest and later served as archbishop. Officials think they can squeeze the jobless rate down to an astonishing 2.2 percent.
"It can go lower. Maybe next month," said Michael Schmidt, executive manager of Freising's government employment office.
The prosperous south — home to carmakers Daimler, BMW and Mercedes as well as the Siemens conglomerate and scores of smaller businesses — have achieved on a regional level something close to Merkel's vision of full employment. Bavaria and Baden-Wuerttemberg have jobless rates of 3.8 percent and 4.4 percent.
The story of how the German labor market rebounded so forcefully from the world economic crisis is due to a combination of public and private efforts, experts say. They include the underlying healthy state of German industries, the impact of painful welfare cuts made years before and measures taken by the current government to manage the crisis.
"I think the best thing they did was even before the crisis, 10 years ago or so when they concentrated on improving production, keeping wage growth moderate and gaining competitiveness and market share. That was their consistent and underlying strength," said Marco Annunziata, the London-based chief economist for Unicredit.
The crisis has been a test of labor market restructuring earlier in the decade. A 2003 package of economic reforms and welfare-state trims included reduced job benefits and looser job protections. It was launched by former Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder and dubbed the Agenda 2010, the theoretical date when the benefits would be evident. Though fiercely criticized for hacking away at Germany's cherished system of social welfare, at least as measured by the labor market, some goals in the package seem to have come in on schedule.
When the slowdown arrived and industrial production slowed, part of the German government's reaction was to enact measures giving companies greater flexibility to keep workers on the payroll, but at reduced hours, partially subsidized by the taxpayer. Under the scheme, companies paid normal wages for the hours worked, while a fund administered by local government employment agencies paid a fraction, around 60 percent, of the balance of the work week.
"This strategy was really effective in putting German companies in a position to react quickly when global trade picked up again," Annunziata said.
Many companies, from HAWE to Siemens, openly credit the "Kurzarbeit," or short work, program with having helped them ride out the crisis before phasing it out this summer. It was also used by Daimler, BMW and many others.
The program let managers and workers agree from one day to the next if they would add or subtract shifts, a more flexible solution that idling entire divisions, as was done previously, said Thomas Heindl, manager of HAWE's Freising plant.
Instead of seeing its work force decimated, HAWE retained 350 workers who were ready to spring into action when orders suddenly picked up.
"We were very surprised that the crisis was overcome so quickly. We had to react very quickly," Heindl said.
But when it came time to add workers, Heindl saw a problem. In Freising, there are roughly four jobs available for every job seeker — the reverse of one year ago.
"With 2.4 percent unemployment, we must reckon with the fact that people who are qualified already have work," said Heindl said.
But that offers faint hope to qualified hydraulics workers from Spain or Ireland.
HAWE is looking to employ locally and will train workers for the job, if necessary. Apprenticeships run 3 1/2 years, including studies at a technical school, while mature workers might be able to learn the job in six months.
Heindl says the need for fluent German in the highly technical environment rife with paperwork makes hiring abroad difficult, and the local employment office says the high cost of living around Munich can deter relocation there, even from within Germany.
The employment crunch also is hitting the likes of Siemens, the electronics and engineering giant partially based in Munich. It's looking for some 2,400 engineers worldwide.
Siemens also recently signed an open-ended agreement guaranteeing stable employment to most of its German work force, and will pay bonuses of up to €1,000 ($1,365) to its employees worldwide in gratitude for their sticking with the company during the crisis. It also expects 2.7 percent raises scheduled for April to February for non-management employees.
The last crisis virtually came out of no where, so HAWE is hiring cautiously. Heindl plans to add some 20 workers in the coming months — but since it is hard to find trained applicants, he said he will likely hire through a private employment agency for the first six months.
If the short-term hires work out, they can count on longer-term employment, Heindl said, "even to retirement."
Louis Ayeni and Jeff Backes could be considered the new kids offthe block. The two former running backs will debut in theNorthwestern secondary Saturday when the Wildcats open the season atKansas. But the routes they took to defense could not have been moredifferent.
Ayeni, a fifth-year senior whose college career has been beset byinjuries, had one foot out the door last winter. It seems a brokenheart followed two broken bones in an ankle, suffered during akickoff return in the 2000 Alamo Bowl.
Ayeni had missed six games earlier that season with a pelvicinjury, and the recovery time from his Alamo Bowl injury--includingtwo surgeries to insert plates and screws to stabilize the joint--washed out his junior season. When he returned last year, he wasmoved from running back to wide receiver but mostly played on specialteams.
Coach Randy Walker understood why Ayeni was having second thoughtsabout coming back. But Walker did his best to persuade the formerMinnesota high school running-back standout to return to Evanston forone last season as a safety.
We had to re-recruit Louis," Walker said. I could understand whyhe didn't want to [return]. The game hadn't been fair to him. Louishas had as much adversity in a four-year span as I have ever seen. Hehad a lot of bad deals--one injury after another--and it alwaysseemed like he was at the wrong place at the wrong time. So I couldcertainly understand it when he asked: Where's my place? Do youreally want me here?"'
The 5-11, 215-pound Ayeni was working out last winter with theMinnesota team while home in St. Paul for an internship when herealized his 4.4 speed in the 40-yard dash was good enough to defendreceivers.
Ayeni's play in practice has earned him the nickname Night-time"from defensive captain Pat Durr, who says it's time to say good nightonce Ayeni lays a hit on someone.
Backes, a 5-9, 190-pound sophomore, was recruited as a tailbackbut shifted to wide receiver last season. He now will join NU'scornerback corps.
Jeff Backes has shown that he's an unselfish kid," Walker said. Imean, heck, he wants to be a tailback. He wanted the ball in hishands. He's given up a lot to help our football team be better. Irespect that in a kid."
Durr does not think the inexperience of Backes and Ayeni will be aproblem.
They're definitely new, but they are also two of the best athleteson our team," said Durr, who returns to his middle linebacker spotafter suffering a season-ending knee injury on the sixth play of theopener last season. And when you're an athlete, you are able toadjust. They've done a great job ever since they made thetransition."
Walker also said the two newcomers to the secondary have madesignificant strides since switching from offense.
It would be hard to find anybody in our program that has a betterwork ethic than those two," Walker said. Whether it's attitude orwork, they come with the right things in place. Size, weight, speed,strength--they're at the top of our list. So that aspect of theirpreparation is not in question.
It was obvious to me in the first practice that those two hadworked a lot during the summer on their skills. They came back inAugust better than when they left in April."
Ayeni knows how important improvement in Saturday's opener wouldbe for the defense's overall confidence.
It's huge because of the fact that we weren't a very good defenselast year," he said. If we can go out and show what kind of defensewe can be this year, that will be a huge step in the right directionfor us to be a great defense. And that's what we want to be: a greatdefense. That's what our focus has been all camp.
"If we play well at Kansas, you'll see better things as the yeargoes on."
MANILA, Philippines (AP) — Former Philippine President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo has been implicated in at least two corruption and vote-rigging scandals being investigated as part of her successor's bid to clean government, officials said Friday.
Law professor Carlos Medina, a member of the five-member commission set up by President Benigno Aquino III to probe the issue, said the body has an initial list of 23 cases of massive graft and corruption linked to government officials in Arroyo's administration.
Two of the cases are directly linked to Arroyo, who faced down four coup plots and several attempts to remove her from office through impeachment during her Jan. 2001-June 2010 term as president.
Medina said Arroyo would be investigated over allegations she was linked in a bribery scandal involving a $330 million deal with a Chinese telecommunications company that she later aborted after it was decried as overpriced, as well as allegations that she conspired with an election official to commit voter fraud in the 2004 presidential elections.
While Arroyo has been implicated in the cases, the commission has yet to officially start its investigation. Arroyo has denied any wrongdoing.
Another member of the commission, former Supreme Court Justice Flerida Ruth Romero, said corruption in the Philippines "has reached very alarming levels, and undermined the people's trust and confidence in the government and its institutions."
She said the commission's work will "restore the trust and confidence of the people in the government."
The commission, however, faces legal obstacles before it can formally open hearings.
Arroyo's allies have filed a petition with the Supreme Court arguing that only Congress can form such a body and that its functions overlap with those of the ombudsman, which investigates and prosecutes complaints against state officials and employees.
Romero said the commission for now can only receive complaints but cannot perform other functions. The commission is still awaiting approval of its budget, she said.
Aquino won a landslide election victory in May on a platform of fighting corruption and poverty.
After years of trudging to dull, cold, often roofless subway stations along the Red Line at Savin Hill, Fields Corner and Shawmut Avenue, commuters should in two years see brand new stations that bring their neighborhoods the same comfort that residents in most other neighborhoods with subway lines take for granted.
While commuters may benefit from the new stations, labor rights advocates say too few laborers of color and women laborers are benefitting in terms of construction jobs on the project.
Around 10 a.m. Monday morning, 12 white men could be seen working on the renovations to Fields Corner and Savin Hill stations, alongside just one black man, two white women and one black woman.
While a mostly white labor force is a common sight at construction sites in Boston, activists expect more diversity because the Red Line renovation is a state-funded project. While the state does not have specific requirements that contractors hire workers of color and women workers, a coalition of labor rights advocates is demanding that the state do more to push the contractor to hire more workers of color and women.
"[Prime contractor] Barletta Construction Division committed themselves to hire 30 percent minorities and 6.9 percent women," said Dorchester-Roxbury Labor Committee member Jean Alonso. "What they committed themselves to they did not do."
Activists say that 17.8 percent of the 66,915 work hours on the project were logged by people of color, while 2.4 percent were logged by women.
Pressure from the Dorchester-Roxbury Labor Committee and Women in the Building Trades led Barletta to set its percentage goals for the project. But monitoring their compliance proved a challenge.
"Women in the Building Trades gained the right to look at the sites and get figures from the T's diversity office," said Alonso. "But they had to actually pry those out of the diversity office."
Barletta Project Manager Tom Day referred all questions about his company's hiring to the MBTA.
A spokeswoman said the transit agency began over the last month to work on a plan with labor activists, unions and Barletta to increase the recruitment and mentoring of workers of color and women for the jobs on the Red Line. The work on the stations has been going on since May of last year, and is scheduled to be completed in 2007.
"Up to the present, we are very pleased with Barletta's efforts," said MBTA spokeswoman Lydia Rivera. "They have demonstrated good faith. They are reaching out to union halls, seeking minorities and women to employ when necessary."
But Barletta's efforts have not impressed labor rights activists.
"It is morally irresponsible," said Boston Branch NAACP President Leonard Alkins. "It is the same business as usual without unions reaching out to people of color to fill these positions. That has been pretty much the pattern throughout the Big Dig. There are many union card carriers and non-card carriers who could fill these positions. People of color can go to the union hall on a daily basis and say they are not working, yet they are passed over because people take care of their friends."
Article copyright The Bay State Banner.
Photograph (Leonard Alkins)
NEW DELHI - A bus carrying a wedding party plunged into a gorge in mountainous northern India, killing at least 18 people and injuring another 28, a news report said Tuesday.
The bus fell 600 feet after part of a highway where it was parked caved in, the Press Trust of India news agency quoted superintendent of police V.P. Singh as saying.
The accident occurred in Rudraprayag district, 155 miles northeast of New Delhi.
Police said Friday they found the body of a woman with her hands bound in the apartment of another woman who showed up at a hospital with a newborn she falsely claimed as her own.
The body was found Friday night in the bedroom of 38-year-old Andrea Curry-Demus, Allegheny County Medical Examiner Dr. Karl Williams said. He said the woman had been dead about 24 hours, but that he couldn't tell if she had recently given birth.
Some blood was found near the body, Williams said, but he would not say if there were signs of trauma.
Investigators found the body hours after Curry-Demus was charged with one count of child endangerment and one count of dealing in infant children, a misdemeanor, according to court records. She has been jailed until she posts $10,000 bond and undergoes a psychiatric exam.
According to police, Curry-Demus showed up at West Penn Hospital in Pittsburgh on Thursday with a newborn baby that still had its umbilical cord attached. Tests later proved she was not the mother _ despite her claims to the contrary, police said.
When questioned, Curry-Demus said she had miscarried in June and didn't want to upset her mother by telling her she had lost the baby. Curry-Demus said she befriended a pregnant woman and discussed buying her child when it was born, according to the criminal complaint charging her.
Curry-Demus told police she paid a woman named Tina $1,000 for the baby, but authorities have said they don't know how she got the baby.
"I didn't do nothing," Curry-Demus told reporters as she was put into a police car Thursday.
Court records did not indicate she had obtained an attorney. A preliminary hearing was scheduled for Thursday.
Police visited Curry Demus' apartment building on Thursday but did not go into her apartment, Coleman said. Instead, one of the woman's relatives led them to another apartment, she said.
Investigators checked on Curry-Demus' apartment again on Friday after reporters reported a foul odor coming from inside, police said.
Earlier Friday, police said they were concerned that the infant's real mother _ described as a thin, black female in her 20s or 30s named Tina _ might be in danger, or need medical attention.
The description was provided by Curry-Demus but authorities weren't sure how reliable it was because she "has a history of emotional problems," Coleman said earlier Friday. The dead woman was black, but Williams said he couldn't tell how old she was.
Curry-Demus pleaded guilty in 1991 to aggravated assault after stabbing a Wilkinsburg woman in an alleged plot to steal the woman's infant. Curry-Demus, then known as Andrea Curry, was sentenced to 10 years' probation.
Allegheny County homicide detectives have taken over the investigation. Assistant Superintendent James Morton said police were waiting for a search warrant before going into the apartment Friday night.
"There might be evidence there we need to use in court, so it's better to use a search warrant," Morton said.
A relative and a neighbor of Curry-Demus both said they had attended a baby shower for her last month.
Stephanie Epps, 41, the suspect's sister-in-law, said she had doubted the pregnancy.
"I just had a feeling that she wasn't pregnant," Epps said. "She would never let you touch her stomach and pregnant women let you do that. ... I liked her and I still do like her."
Ivee Blunt, a neighbor who also was at the shower, said Curry-Demus wanted her in the delivery room when she gave birth.
Blunt said Curry-Demus told her on Sunday night that she expected to have the baby the next day; but on Monday, she said, Curry-Demus told her she wasn't ready to give birth.
NEW YORK (AP) — UPS says its fourth-quarter net income jumped 48 percent as shipments grew across the globe during the critical holiday season.
The world's largest shipping company said business was particularly strong in China and Germany, two countries that rely heavily on exports.
UPS expects 2011 earnings to rise between 16 and 22 percent, topping the pre-recession levels of 2007.
The Atlanta company said Tuesday it earned $1.12 billion, or $1.11 per share, in the last three months of 2010. That compares with net income of $757 million, or 75 cents per share a year earlier.
Revenue rose 8 percent to $13.42 billion.
FactSet Research says analysts forecast a profit of $1.05 per share on revenue of $13.32 billion.
For 2011, UPS expects earnings between $4.12 and $4.35.
BEREA, Ohio (AP) — Colt McCoy has a sprained ankle. At least the Browns are consistent in one category.
Cleveland's rookie quarterback injured his left ankle on Sunday at Jacksonville, leaving his status for this week's game uncertain and making it possible Jake Delhomme could return to the lineup and start against his former team, the Carolina Panthers.
McCoy underwent an MRI and further tests Monday on his ankle, which he hurt being sacked in the second half of a 24-20 loss to the Jaguars. McCoy finished his fifth straight game despite being hobbled by the ankle injury, the third sustained by a Cleveland quarterback this season.
Plastic walking boots have become fashionable this fall around here.
Browns coach Eric Mangini confirmed McCoy's sprain, but was unclear about the extent of the injury. Mangini said he will wait to see if McCoy can practice on Wednesday before naming a start for Sunday's home game. Even then, Mangini is likely to keep the Panthers (1-9) guessing about his plans.
If McCoy can't play, Delhomme, who has been out since re-injuring his right ankle against Atlanta on Oct. 10, is now an option.
Mangini said the 35-year-old Delhomme "is back to 100 percent or back to 100 percent as much as anybody could be 100 percent."
Both Delhomme and quarterback Seneca Wallace have been sidelined by high ankle sprains, dreaded injuries that typically take up to a month to heal completely.
Wallace, who made four starts after Delhomme was initially injured in the season opener, was McCoy's backup on Sunday against the Jaguars. Delhomme was Cleveland's third quarterback, but he may now leapfrog Wallace if McCoy can't go this week.
Wallace briefly came into the locker room Monday, but took off the moment reporters began converging on his stall.
"I pump faked y'all," Wallace cracked as he left.
McCoy has gone 2-3 as a starter. He's completed 81 of 127 passes for 975 yards with three touchdowns and three interceptions. On Sunday, he was sacked six times and left Jacksonville with a walking boot on his left foot, a cowboy boot on his right.
Delhomme signed with the Browns (3-7) as a free agent in March after spending seven seasons in Carolina. He led the Panthers to their only Super Bowl appearance in the 2003 season.
The first Produce Market in Wedmore for more than a century hasbeen hailed as a resounding success.
More than 700 people flocked through the gates of the BoroughHouse to sample the wares of local food growers and producers.
They could buy Cheddar Valley reared meat, baked cakes and bread,honey, jams, chutneys, fudge, fruits and vegetables - all grown ormade locally.
Residents also took the opportunity to sell the surplus producefrom their gardens and allotments.
The Produce Market was organised by Wedmore Green Group and theyhope it will encourage people to source their food within a smallerarea and reduce their carbon footprint through lower food miles.
The group hope it will become a regular event, held at the GeorgeHotel in the village.
Tessa Podpadec
Community correspondent
Thomas G. Salvi, 46, is charged with one count of disorderly conduct, Crystal Lake Police Deputy Chief Eugene Lowery said. The 27-year-old woman said a man in a Cadillac drove up on June 25, said he was going to take his clothes off and followed her after she ignored him, he said. Salvi denies all allegations, said his brother, lawyer Patrick Salvi.
Color Photo: Thomas G. Salvi
Joon Hyoung Park is a first-year student at AMBS, originally from Korea but more recently from Vancouver, B.C. With financial help from Mennonite Church Canada, AMBS and other sources, he and his family moved to campus last fall, and both Joon and Shim Beack, his wife, are taking seminary classes, while their daughters are studying at nearby Bethany Christian High School.
Gifts from friends across the church are important to keep tuition costs low, especially for students with families, international students and students preparing for service and ministry assignments. Tuition provides 17 percent of the funds AMBS needs each year and AMBS relies on contributions for 41 percent of annual income. Thank you for your gifts which help keep study affordable.
To read Joon's story and the stories of other students at AMBS, please see www.ambs.edu/admissions/why-choose-ambs/student-stories
- Mark Grace's head started shaking even before the statementwas finished.
Not only was he already aware he and Sammy Sosa are the onlyCubs who will be in the team's Opening Day lineup for a secondconsecutive season, he still couldn't believe it.
"Hector Villanueva, Gary Scott, Luis Salazar," Grace said,mentioning some of the departed Cubs who were part of the reason theteam ended up buried in fourth place in 1992.
Because injuries will keep shortstop Shawon Dunston and secondbaseman Ryne Sandberg out of the Opening Day lineup for the firsttime in eight seasons, Grace will become the Cubs' leader with fiveconsecutive Opening Day starts.
He …
MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — The Minnesota Timberwolves hope that the key to the Western Conference coaches' All-Star vote is through their noses.
Introducing "Numb?rs," the new fragrance by Kevin Love.
On the same day the NBA announced the starters for the All-Star game next month, the Wolves' public relations department unveiled its campaign to convince the coaches to vote their star into the game as a reserve.
A box was mailed to all Western Conference coaches that includes a bottle of "Numb?rs" cologne, a DVD with a 30-second commercial for the product that spoofs an ultra-serious fragrance ad, an advertisement that includes Love and a local model dressed to the nines and a …
LOS ANGELES (AP) - Paging Owen Wilson. Steely Dan wants anapology. The veteran group behind such jazz-rock hits as "Rikki Don'tLose that Number" says Wilson ripped off its Grammy-winning tune"Cousin Dupree" for his title role as a slacker in the new comedy"You, Me and Dupree."
In a 10-paragraph letter posted July 17 on Steely Dan's Web site,and addressed to Wilson's brother Luke, band leaders Walter Beckerand Donald Fagen asked Owen Wilson to appear at a show in Irvine,Calif., to apologize to the band's fans. Wilson, in return, would getSteely Dan merchandise and a chance to party with the group.
"He would have to cop …
Steely Dan demands apology over 'Dupree'LOS ANGELES (AP) - Paging Owen Wilson. Steely Dan wants anapology. The veteran group behind such jazz-rock hits as "Rikki Don'tLose that Number" says Wilson ripped off its Grammy-winning tune"Cousin Dupree" for his title role as a slacker in the new comedy"You, Me and Dupree."
In a 10-paragraph letter posted July 17 on Steely Dan's Web site,and addressed to Wilson's brother Luke, band leaders Walter Beckerand Donald Fagen asked Owen Wilson to appear at a show in Irvine,Calif., to apologize to the band's fans. Wilson, in return, would getSteely Dan merchandise and a chance to party with the group.
"He would have to cop …
www.centralpennbusiness.com
Chamber advocates for Yorktowne Hotel as sheriff's sale nears
Monday, Jan. 24, 2011
By Brent Burkey
The York County Chamber of Commerce has sent a letter to PNC Bank and the owners of the Yorktowne Hotel letting them know ahead of a Feb. 7 sheriff's sale how important the business is to downtown York.
Mattress maker could close Lancaster County plant without buyer
Friday, Jan. …
DEPUTY Minister of International Relations and Co-operation Marius Fransman says the government has not been leant on by China to deny the Dalai Lama a visa, but has been put under pressure from other quarters to speed up the process of granting it.
"There's no pressure put on South Africa on this matter. The application was received, it's going through the processes," said Fransman.
Addressing journalists at Parliament …
Michelle Simone won the 800 and 1,500-meter dashes and teammate Nancy Kolber won the 200 and placed in three other events Thursday to help Colonie win the Suburban Council girls track and field championship meet at Niskayuna High School.
Coach Jerry Brenhiser's Garner Raiders, who also won the league's dual meet championship, piled up 114 points to easily outdistance runnerup host Niskayuna by 39 points.
Simone, the Cornell-bound senior standout, won the 800 in 2:17.4 and the 1,500 race in 2:17.4. She also ran on Colonie's winning mile relay team.
Kolber, also a senior, won the 200 in 26.4 after finishing a disappointing (for her) fourth place in …
Byline: Dale Quinn
Dec. 8--Seven men from Tucson and Oro Valley have been indicted on charges of receiving or possessing child pornography, according to information released by the U.S. Attorney's Office Thursday. The arrests began in early October after a nationwide investigation that targeted subscribers of a Web site that offered images and movies of hard-core child pornography, said Wyn Hornbuckle, a spokesman for the U.S. Attorney's Office. Three Oro Valley men and three Tucson men face federal charges and an additional Oro Valley man will be prosecuted by the Pima County Attorney's Office, according to a press release from the U.S. Attorney's office. The …
U.S. troops fired on vehicles at checkpoints in Baghdad and northern Iraq, killing a child and at least four other people, the military command said. It also said it was checking a report an American patrol shot at civilian cars near a Baghdad bridge, killing two Iraqis.
Roadblock shootings have consistently fed anti-U.S. sentiment among many Iraqis since the arrival of American forces in 2003. U.S. troops have been hit by suicide car bombs numerous times since 2003 and act quickly to protect themselves when a driver ignores orders to stop.
On Tuesday, two American soldiers were killed in an explosion in Salahuddin province, north of Baghdad, the U.S. …
Declaring that the war against drugs is "at the border, not inour cities," Mayor Daley said Tuesday he is "very disappointed" withthe Bush administration's anti-drug campaign.
Daley said that even if the city hired 10,000 additional policeofficers, it would not make a dent in the war against drugs until thefederal government beefs up border patrols to slow the influx ofdrugs into the United States.
The mayor praised William J. Bennett, the national drug controlpolicy director, at a recent joint appearance for his "Eliot Nessapproach." But Daley said Bennett must use his influence to makedrugs the U.S. Justice Department's top priority.
Daley observed …
Manama, May 31. (BNA) -- The Kingdom derives its strength from its citizens' cohesion and national harmony, His Royal Highness Prime Minister Prince Khalifa bin Salman Al Khalifa said today, asserting that the internal front will become even stronger in the coming days because all parties have become aware, after the regretful incidents that gripped the kingdom recently, that "the best away to ward off dangers is enhance national solidarity, cohesion and accord".
Speaking as he received clerics and economic functions, HRH Premier urged all loyal citizens to show rejection of any attempt aiming to destabilize the country, which, he explained, is the best way to prevent evil …
BELPER footballer Leigh Holbrook was given a tough introduction to his England futsal career in the recent KL world 5s tournament in Kuala Lumpur.
Leigh, 28, was part of the England squad who are still novices in the futsal arena and it was always going to be tough.
England, ranked 120th in the world played fourth-ranked Argentina and were given a futsal lesson as the South Americans cruised to a 12-1 victory.
Day two saw a 7-2 defeat against 59th-ranked Indonesia after which followed a 6-1 loss against Australia, 32nd in the world.
The final group game was against hosts Malaysia (71st) and the misery was completed by a 6-2 defeat.
…
Byline: -- Associated Press
BUFFALO -- Gov. George Pataki told Adelphia Communications executives the state might increase its financial incentives for the cable company's expansion plans if Adelphia commits to creating more than the 1,000 jobs it already has promised to Buffalo.
Charles Gargano, executive director of Empire State …
Solving manufacturing challenges with truly innovative and simple solutions is a goal at Coldwater Machine Company every day. Our ability to design, manufacture and deliver the final product on-time demonstrates our depth of experienced mechanical engineering resources and our manufacturing system capabilities.
[ILLUSTRATION OMITTED]
Coldwater Machine Company is an established manufacturing firm providing engineered solutions from our large, state of the art facility in west central Ohio. Our overall knowledge in metal cutting, tooling application, machinery concepts and automated equipment gives us the flexibility and the depth to execute the …
| TORONTO (106) |
| Marion 7-12 4-4 18, Bosh 6-16 5-6 17, Bargnani 8-13 1-2 21, Calderon 5-6 0-0 12, Parker 5-10 0-0 12, Mensah-Bonsu 2-5 1-1 5, Kapono 0-3 0-0 0, Graham 4-6 0-0 8, Voskuhl 0-0 0-0 0, Ukic 5-9 0-3 11, Banks 1-2 0-0 2, O'Bryant 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 43-82 11-16 106. |
| PHILADELPHIA (115) |
| Iguodala 4-9 5-6 15, Young 13-20 1-4 29, Dalembert 9-13 1-1 19, Miller 2-5 4-4 9, Green 3-6 2-2 8, Speights 5-7 3-4 13, Williams 5-9 3-3 13, Ivey 1-4 2-2 4, Evans 2-3 1-4 5, Rush 0-1 0-0 0, Marshall 0-1 0-0 0. Totals 44-78 22-30 115. | …
'Love & Other Drugs': More like 'Sex & Other Things You Do With Your Privates'
It's about a pharmaceutical rep who, while shadowing a doctor, meets a closedoff, kinda crazy broad. She's got health issues; he's falling for her. So what. Let's get to what really matters - seeing Jake Gyllenhaal and Anne Hathaway's bits hanging out. And for the record, they both have porn star bodies. But "Love & Other Drugs" has more going for it than some shagging, though there's lots of that too. Chemistry sparks between its hot leads, who cry, fight, laugh, have more sex (after they boinked in the backseat of a car in "Brokeback Mountain," this was like riding. . . a bike again) and …
"Starbucks is the greatest things to happen in the coffee business," said Jay Endres, ceo of the San Francisco-based Roastery Development Group, who sees no reason why OCS operators can't also be coffee specialists. He offered his hopes for where the coffee industry is headed during a presentation at the W/CA/NCSA joint management conference at the Sheraton Long Beach.
Starbucks' success reflects the consumer's receptiveness to quality coffee, Endres noted. Hence, it makes sense for OCS operators to seek out products that utilize the--best technology available in handling, roasting, grinding, packaging and brewing.
Endres, who designs coffee packaging equipment, …
Byline: ERIC ROSENBERG and JENNIFER A. DLOUHY - Times Union Washington bureau
WASHINGTON - The fierce debate over the war in Iraq has sent shivers through Republican senators facing reelection next year, leading those incumbents most vulnerable to ease away from President Bush's Iraq policies in an effort to shore up voter support at home.
Twenty-one Republican Senators face reelection in 2008. Of those lawmakers, Sens. Susan Collins of Maine and Norm Coleman of Minnesota are locked in the most competitive races, according to the Cook Political Report, a respected election analysis.
The next most vulnerable are Sens. Ted Stevens of Alaska, John …
Byline: Tim O'Brien
With victories the past two years in the sheriff's and district attorney's races, and an embattled Democratic Party leader under investigation, Jude Clemente and the city Republicans have their eyes on a prize that has eluded them for a dozen years: the Troy City Council.
This year, the Troy GOP is hoping to gain more than the one seat it has been able to scrounge on the nine- member council.
Several Republicans have spent the past year maintaining a very high profile - rallying protesters, filing lawsuits and launching monthly assaults at the City Council. At the same time, they have insisted they are acting independently.
…
Key developments on swine flu outbreaks, according to U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, World Health Organization and government officials:
_Deaths: Global total of 76 _ 68 in Mexico, six in U.S., one in Canada and one in Costa Rica. Officials said victims from Canada, U.S. and Costa Rica also had other medical conditions.
_Confirmed cases: WHO says 40 countries have reported more than 8,829 cases, mostly in U.S. and Mexico.
_CDC says 46 U.S. states plus District of Columbia have combined 5,123 confirmed and probable cases. Most probable cases are eventually confirmed.
_The World Health Organization opens its annual …
Memorial services for Ruth Shriman, 83, a community activist,senior citizens' advocate and educator, will be at 3 p.m. May 6 in the Atrium Room at Ann Sather's restaurant, 929 W. Belmont.Burial was private.
She died April 18 in her Lake View home after a long battle withcancer.
Mrs. Shriman worked to improve the lives of the elderly as amember of the Jane Addams Senior Caucus on North Broadway since 1976.As a board member, she championed such causes as affordable healthcare, medication and housing. From 1987 to 1993, she was itsdirector.
Through her caucus work, she was founding president of WhiteCrane Wellness Center, 929 W. Belmont. Sponsored by …
INTRODUCTION
To protect the environment and improve the energetic efficiency of ruminant animals, it would be beneficial to decrease methane production in the rumen. Nitrate has been shown to suppress methane production by rumen microbes (Jones, 1972; Takahashi and Young, 1991). This is because the electrochemical reduction of 1 mol nitrate to ammonia consumes 8 mol of electrons, e.g., hydrogen (Richardson and Watmough, 1999). The dependence of methanogenesis and nitrate reduction on electron sources is described by the following two stoichiometries:
4[H.sub.2] + HC[O.sub.3.sup.-] + [H.sup.+] [right arrow] C[H.sub.4] + 3[H.sub.2]O; [DELTA][G.sub.o]' = -175 kJ/reaction (Conrad and Wetter, 1990)
N[O.sub.3.sup.-] + 2[H.sup.+] + 4[H.sub.2] [right arrow] N[H.sub.4.sup.+] + 3[H.sub.2]O; [DELTA][G.sub.o]' = -598 kJ/reaction (Allison and Reddy, 1984)
Since methane production is less when nitrate is added, it is presumed that nitrate- and nitrite-reducing microbes successfully compete with methanogenic microbes for hydrogen in the rumen (Allison and Reddy, 1984; Iwamoto et al., 1999; 2001).
Microbial growth in the rumen is a function of the amount of energy derived from ruminal fermentation processes. Energy is seldom abundant for growth of rumen microorganisms (Russell and Wallace, 1997). Reductive processes that allow for greater conservation of energy for growth should be advantageous to organisms which conduct these processes. Thermodynamics predicts that nitrate reduction should be energetically more beneficial than methanogenesis and therefore support more microbial growth. Allison and Reddy (1984) tested the effect of nitrate on cell yield by rumen microbes in continuous culture but considered their results to be inconclusive. We are not aware of other tests of this hypothesis with rumen microbes.
The objective of the present study was to investigate the effect of nitrate-nitrogen as a sole nitrogen source on ruminal fermentation characteristics and microbial nitrogen (MN) synthesis using an in vitro gas production method.
MATERIALS AND METHODS
In vitro substrates
Three substrate diets were formulated with urea (U4128, Sigma-Aldrich Chemical Co., St. Louis, MO), tryptone (Oxoid Ltd., Basingstoke, Hampshire, UK), or sodium nitrate (S5506, Sigma-Aldrich) as sole N sources, and with various amounts of soluble starch (S4251, Sigma-Aldrich) and Avicel (GH-9471, Fluka, Chemie GmbH) to balance the dietary N content (13% CP). Tryptone is a pancreatic digest of casein and a source of amino acids and peptides. The ingredient and chemical compositions are presented in Table 1.
In vitro incubations
All procedures involving animals were conducted under approval of the China Agricultural University Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee. Ruminal fluid was obtained from three cannulated Simmental x Luxi steers fed diets (8 kg DM/d), consisting of 60% roughage (corn stover cubes and alfalfa hay pellets) and 40% mixed concentrate (ground corn, soybean meal and soyhulls) twice daily. No nitrate was added to the diet of the donor steers. The chemical composition (on DM basis) of the diet was 13.2% CP, 39.6% NDF, 23.5% ADF, 1.14% Ca and 0.68% P. There was no detectable nitrate in the concentrate mix. Based on the nitrate content of alfalfa (1.11 mg/g DM) and corn stover (0.56 mg/g DM) and their diet proportions (25% and 35%, respectively), the nitrate intake of the donor steers was less than 4 g/head/d.
Rumen fluid (1 L) was collected from each steer, filtered through four layers of cheesecloth, and then pooled. The rumen fluid filtrates were poured into an anaerobic buffer solution in 8-L flasks under a constant flow of [O.sub.2]-free C[O.sub.2] and homogenized in a blender under C[O.sub.2] for 2 min. Buffer solution was prepared in the ratio of 400 ml distilled water, 0.1 ml trace element solution A, 200 ml buffer solution B, 200 ml macro-element solution C, 1 ml resazurin solution (0.1% w/v) and 40 ml reductant solution. Trace element solution A contained Ca[Cl.sub.2] x 2[H.sub.2]O, 13 x 2 g; Mn[Cl.sub.2] x 4[H.sub.2]O, 10 x 0 g; Co[Cl.sub.2] x 6[H.sub.2]O, 1.0 g and Fe[Cl.sub.3] x 6[H.sub.2]O, 8.0 g, which were dissolved in 100 ml distilled water. Buffer solution B was NaHC[O.sub.3], 35 g, dissolved in 1,000 ml distilled water. Macro-element solution C was [Na.sub.2]HP[O.sub.4] 5.7 g; K[H.sub.2]P[O.sub.4], 6.2 g and MgS[O.sub.4] x 7[H.sub.2]O, 0.6 g, dissolved in 1,000 ml distilled water. Reductant solution consisted of 1 M NaOH, 4 ml; [Na.sub.2]S x 9[H.sub.2]O, 0.625 g, and 95 ml distilled water. Forty milliliters of the mixed culture medium (ratio of ruminal fluid:buffer = 1:2) were pipetted with an automatic pump into replicate glass syringes (HFT000025, Haberle Maschinenfabrik GmbH, Germany) loaded with 0.2 g DM of substrate diets and pre-warmed to 39[degrees]C. The syringes were then incubated in a shaking water bath at 39[degrees]C. Blank syringes containing only mixed culture medium with no substrate addition were simultaneously incubated. There were nine replicate syringes for each substrate diet, three for measurement of gas production over 72 h after the procedure of Menke et al. (1979), three for measurement of 24-h gas composition and three for 24-h sampling of soluble analytes and microbial nitrogen (MN). The piston position on the syringe was noted at several incubation times for determination of the gas production …
Byline: CHRIS STURGIS Staff writer
ALBANY -- A 34-year-old city man was accused of criminally negligent homicide Saturday because he allegedly waited for two hours before seeking medical help for an unconscious man while trying to rid his residence of drug-related evidence, police said.
At about 2 a.m., Nathaniel Clark called an ambulance to his first-floor apartment at 1237 Broadway, where Albany Fire Department emergency medical service personnel found the man, who appeared to be dead.
The 32-year-old Watervliet man, whose name was withheld by police pending notification of his family, was taken to Albany Memorial Hospital and pronounced dead at …
President Bush, in the second half of a Southwestern fundraising trip Friday, backed the candidacy of Republican Pete Olson, who is challenging incumbent Rep. Nick Lampson in Texas' 22nd congressional district.
"It sure is good to be back in Houston, Texas," Bush said, standing alongside Olson on the tarmac at Houston's Ellington Field. "I'm proud to support him."
Bush rattled off Olson's resume, then called him a "smart guy" who knows how to address challenging issues facing the nation, such as terrorism and dependence on foreign oil.
"One thing is for certain, we need to explore for more oil and gas here at …
