Tell Joe Biden no, he'll try it twice

Don't tell Joe "no."

Joe Biden, the Democrats' vice presidential pick, has shown in his first days back on the campaign trail that he will not be managed. He will not stick to the script, he will not blindly adhere to the speech and he certainly won't muzzle his biting wit.

He's having a blast, even if his style isn't exactly in sync with the disciplined mechanics of Barack Obama's campaign.

When a fan told Biden he was gorgeous during his appearance at a public library here in northwest Ohio, the U.S. senator from Delaware immediately turned to self-deprecation.

"Hanging out with this lean, good-looking guy is making me …

Ethics commission rules on expenses for officials

DAILY MAIL STAFF

County commissions can use taxpayer dollars to join the localchamber of commerce, but commissioners and their staff will have tobuy tickets for chamber events out of their own pockets, the stateEthics Commission ruled today. An unidentified county commissionasked the commission both questions, arguing that joining thechamber and attending its events would give commissioners and staffmembers a chance to meet with community leaders.

Rick Alker, executive director of the commission, said today thata commission joining a chamber of commerce wouldn't provide anypersonal gain for the individual members.

Going to a dinner or other event would, and it …

Islamic Jihad Launches Rockets at Israel

GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip - Islamic Jihad militants launched homemade rockets into Israel from the Gaza Strip on Sunday in retaliation for Israel's continuing military operations against their group in the West Bank.

The rocket attacks came despite a two-month-old …

Mackey rests at Iditarod; others wait out blizzard

Lance Mackey rested his dogs while nearing another Iditarod title, taking advantage of an unforgiving Bering Sea blizzard that kept mushers hours behind him waiting out the brutally cold wind on Tuesday.

Mackey, the two-time defending champion, gave his dogs 6 1/2 hours of rest at the Elim checkpoint, 123 miles (198 kilometers) from the Nome finish line before leaving the checkpoint at about 11 a.m. local time.

Sebastian Schnuelle and John Baker were in second and third place, moving slowly on the trail to Elim. But they were about two hours from reaching the checkpoint when Mackey left.

Thirteen mushers, including four-time champion Jeff King, …

Good clean fund? Not if charities, politics mix

When investigators from the Better Government Association began tolook under the veneer of the 17th Ward Democratic Organization,probing questionable political contributions from Chicago HousingAuthority contractors, they uncovered something they hadn't expectedto find. What they learned, alarmingly, was that nonprofit groups,churches and other tax-exempt organizations in Illinois were breakingfederal law.

These religious and nonprofit groups were jeopardizing their tax-free status by making political contributions to aldermen, statepoliticians and political organizations. "We were perplexed by whatwe found," says the BGA executive director, Jay Stewart. But it wasall …

Preparing To Go Down

"Have any bags to check sir?" "No, just me, these guitars and my amp head." I suppose it we were Bon Jovi we would just hop into our own jet have our crew take care of the gear, grab a blonde, a cold one and get ready to smile a lot. But alas, we are a Canadian indie band. With the help of Factor (www.factor.ca) and Starmaker/CIRPA (www.starmaker.ca), who do their absolute best to help promote Canadian music worldwide, we recently made the 22-hour flight to tour Australia. The lopistics of all of the gig/travel/hotel bookings and finding money for the tour were entirely in our managements and label's hands, the rest was entirely up to us.

When The Salads toured Australia with The …

Site Arranged Pay for Job Interviews

If you have a gold-plated resume and are beating recruiters off with a stick, here's a new twist: Companies will pay you to talk to them. You set the price.

That's the proposition behind the self-funded startup NotchUp.com. Its founders, Jim Ambras and Rob Ellis, say the site will fill a void between recruiters who charge 30 percent of a new hire's salary and resume agglomerators such as Monster.com.

Their audience, they say, is "happily employed professionals" whom they call "passive job seekers."

How it works: You plug in your industry, job, pay and experience into a calculator on the site to help you set your pay for an …

PAIGE WISER’S TV HIGHLIGHTS

TODAY

"Lombardi" (7 p.m., HBO): No, it's not a betrayal of the Bears to watch this new profile of the great football coach.

"Private Screenings" (9 p.m., TCM): Liza Minnelli talks about her film and Broadway roles — and hopefully "Arrested Development," too. It's preceded by Mom and Dad's "Meet Me in St. Louis."

"Berserk" (9 p.m., WCIU-Channel 26): In this 1967 classic, Joan Crawford is the fishnets-clad ringmistress at a circus where people keep turning up dead. Host Svengoolie has news you can use: "Joan's doomed circus co-owner Michael Gough played Alfred the Butler in some 'Batman' films, and Diana Dors, an antagonistic employee, was married to Richard Dawson …

SUBTLEX-NL: A new measure for Dutch word frequency based on film subtitles

We present a new database of Dutch word frequencies based on film and television subtitles, and we validate it with a lexical decision study involving 14,000 monosyllabic and disyllabic Dutch words. The new SUBTLEX frequencies explain up to 10% more variance in accuracies and reaction times (RTs) of the lexical decision task than the existing CELEX word frequency norms, which are based largely on edited texts. As is the case for English, an accessibility measure based on contextual diversity explains more of the variance in accuracy and RT than does the raw frequency of occurrence counts. The database is freely available for research purposes and may be downloaded from the authors' …

Williams sisters both eliminated at French Open

Serena Williams sat in the stadium stands with twilight descending, her face longer than the shadows as she watched a bad day for the family draw to an end. Williams and her sister Venus were eliminated in third-round matches Friday at the French Open.

Serena lost to Katarina Srebotnik 6-4, 6-4, and was part of the dwindling crowd more than eight hours later when Venus was beaten by Flavia Pennetta 7-5, 6-3.

The double defeats meant that for the first time in the Open era, there will be no American woman in the fourth round at Roland Garros. The only U.S. player left is Robby Ginepri on the men's side.

For Serena, missed opportunities came in a …

'First lady of racing' drove on NASCAR circuit

GREENVILLE, S.C. -- Louise Smith, the first woman inducted intothe International Motorsports Hall of Fame in 1999, has died. She was89.

Mrs. Smith, remembered as "the first lady of racing," was on theNASCAR circuit from 1945 to 1956. Known for her fearless style, shewon 38 modified events.

"It was hard on me," she said in an interview in 1998. "Them menwere not liking it to start with, and they wouldn't give you aninch."

Mrs. Smith died Saturday of cancer, one of her nieces, Dora E.Owens, told the Greenville News.

Mrs. Smith, a native of Barnesville, Ga., lived in Greenville formost of her life.

She got her start in racing when young …

HRDI "Seeds of Africa" Gala 2000 to be headed by Chicago corporate executives

HRDI "Seeds of Africa" Gala 2000 to be headed by Chicago corporate executives

The achievement of Black women locally and nationally will be recognized during the Human Resources Development Institute's (HRDI) annual "Seeds of Africa Gala" set for Friday, June 23, at the Chicago Marriott Hotel, Grand Ballroom, 540 N. Michigan Ave.

Spearheading this year's Seeds of Africa 2000 Benefit Committee are two of Chicago's outstanding corporate executives.

They are Gary Jefferson, vice president of public affairs for United Airlines, and Steve Sims, a vice president of Northern Trust Bank.

Jefferson is a 33-year veteran of United. He began with the airlines after …

EU extends quotas for some fish next year

BRUSSELS (AP) — The European Union has decided to increase catch quotas for some fish in its waters next year, but has reduced the days fishermen can spend them at sea to haul them in.

Saturday's agreement after three days of negotiations was criticized by environmental groups for not sticking by scientific advice to set stricter quotas in many cases, while the fishing industry said that bigger quotas meant little if boats did not have enough days at sea to meet them.

The annual year-end negotiations ended up in an extensive bartering session where the EU fisheries ministers and the European Commission tried to find a middle ground between protecting threatened fish stocks like Atlantic cod and the need to giving a dwindling industry a viable future.

Merkel: Europe faces historic test in euro crisis

German Chancellor Angela Merkel called for tougher regulation aimed at stock and bond traders along with a crackdown on government debt to contain the continent's financial crisis, warning Wednesday that the future of the euro itself was at stake.

Urging lawmakers to pass Germany's share of a new euro750 billion ($1 trillion) eurozone rescue package, Merkel said that defending the currency is "about no more and no less than the preservation of the European idea."

"That is our historic task; if the euro fails, then Europe fails," she told the lower house of parliament. "The euro is in danger _ if we do not avert this danger, then the consequences for Europe are incalculable, and then the consequences beyond Europe are incalculable."

Merkel's warning followed Germany's decision Tuesday to ban so-called naked short-selling of eurozone government debt and shares of major financial companies in an attempt to ward off steep market drops.

Naked short-selling involves traders selling shares or investments they don't hold in hopes of buying them cheaper later.

The move from Germany _ Europe's biggest economy and a forceful player within the European Union _ move roiled financial markets, in part because it suggested to traders that policymakers were grasping at straws to stem the crisis of confidence over the ability of European governments to pay off their heavy debt amid slow growth.

Fears some governments may eventually fail to pay all they owe, or will have to cut back so severely that their economies sink into prolonged recessions, have weighed on stocks and raised concern over whether the 16-country eurozone might eventually break up.

The euro750 billion rescue package attempts to calm those fears by removing the possibility of imminent default, though it does little in itself to address the underlying debt issue.

Politicians have roundly condemned "speculators" for selling off government bonds, driving up their borrowing costs and making it even harder to keep their finances under control. But many analysts say the real problem is simply too much debt.

Still, Europe is showing a newfound resolve to strengthen its regulatory grip. On Tuesday, European Union governments agreed to tighten rules for hedge funds, so-far lightly regulated investment funds.

Citing the short-selling restriction, Merkel said Germany will act alone in areas where that causes "no damage," and said the ban would remain until wider European rules are drawn up.

The head of financial regulator BaFin, which imposed the ban, said it wasn't a sign of weakness in the German banking sector and suggested people hurt by the measure had circulated rumors that it was a crisis step _ prompting the euro to drop.

Jochen Sanio told parliament's budget committee that the measure is directed only against "excessive short selling" which could endanger banks.

Germany, Europe's biggest economy, is to contribute at least euro123 billion in loan guarantees to the new rescue package. Parliament is expected to vote on Friday _ just two weeks after approving a separate package for Greece, already unpopular at home.

In Paris, French Finance Minister Christine Lagarde said her country would provide loan guarantees of up to euro111 billion, with legislation going to parliament on May 31.

Merkel stressed that aid decisions will need unanimous approval from all involved and that, where credit is from other governments instead of a common European pot of money, "we decide ourselves on every use of the funds."

The head of Germany's central bank, the Bundesbank, called for approval this week of the package to calm markets. Axel Weber said access to rescue funds should only be possible if the financial stability of the whole eurozone is at stake.

While the root cause of the debt crisis was insufficiently competitive countries living above their means, Merkel said, markets poured oil on the fire.

"We are now seeing anew how, through a lack of limits and rules, purely profit-oriented behavior on the financial markets can be destructive," she added. "It is the task of politicians, parliaments and governments to intervene, to regulate, in case of doubt to ban in order to keep the risks controllable."

Merkel renewed a pledge to push for taxation of financial markets _ either a financial transaction tax or another form of levy _ in Europe and beyond. She also pushed for quick action to put ratings agencies under European supervision and increase transparency on derivatives markets.

The chancellor was unapologetic about pushing for debt-laden nations to be made to tackle their budget deficits.

"Europe needs a new culture of stability," she said, with faster and more effective punishment for countries that habitually run excessive deficits.

Those could include withholding European Union structural funds and temporarily withdrawing voting rights from repeat offenders, she said _ adding that it was important to draw up procedures for an "orderly state insolvency."

Above all, though, Merkel said all EU members must speed up cutting their deficits.

"Only then can the rescue attempts be effective, because continuing to cover up the real causes of the crisis wouldn't help Europe," she said.

___

Associated Press writer Verena Schmitt-Roschmann contributed to this report.

Wright, Misch lead Mets over Rockies

David Wright drove in three runs in his second start since coming off the disabled list and the New York Mets beat the Colorado Rockies 8-3 on Thursday.

Pat Misch pitched seven solid innings to earn his first major league win, slicing the Rockies' NL wild-card lead to a half-game over San Francisco. The Giants played at Philadelphia on Thursday night.

Misch (1-1), who had gone 0-8 as a starter with San Francisco in 2007 and '08 and was waived by the Giants this summer, had his second straight strong start for the Mets. He was working on a shutout before Chris Iannetta and Ian Stewart hit consecutive homers in the seventh.

Pedro Feliciano pitched the final two innings and surrendered Clint Barmes' 22nd homer, but it was another solo shot for the Rockies. The Mets responded with Daniel Murphy's two-run shot off Joe Beimel in the ninth, stopping Colorado's rally.

Misch, taking signs from Josh Thole in the catcher's first major league start, allowed four hits, walked two and struck out three. Misch picked up a no-decision Friday at Wrigley Field despite allowing just one run over seven innings.

Wright went 3 for 4 in his second start since coming off the 15-day disabled list with a concussion courtesy of a Matt Cain fastball on Aug. 15. He went back to his old batting helmet, too, ditching the Rawlings' bulky, new S100 batting helmet that made him look like a bobblehead running the bases earlier in the series.

Wright's two-run double into the right-field corner highlighted a four-run fifth inning off Jason Marquis (14-10). Angel Pagan had an RBI single before Wright's hit and Jeff Francoeur drove in the All-Star third baseman with an infield hit.

Marquis left after the inning and was charged with five runs and nine hits. He failed to tie his career high of 15 wins.

NOTES: Thole, called up Monday from Double-A Binghampton, got his first major league hit with a single in the second, and promptly swiped his first base in the big leagues. ... Rockies closer Huston Street, who was shut down Wednesday with biceps tendinitis in his throwing arm, said he won't pick up a ball for two or three days. "You try to get the inflammation out of there and if you can do that, you're on the road to recovery," Street said.

European, Asian stocks sink as higher US inflation dampens hopes for more Fed rate cuts

Stock markets in Europe and Asia slid Monday after signs of accelerating inflation in the U.S. dampened hopes that the Federal Reserve will cut interest rates further to shore up the struggling American economy.

Britain's benchmark FTSE-100 dropped 1.9 percent to 6,277.80, Germany's DAX Index slipped 1.6 percent to 7,825.44 and France's CAC-40 fell 1.6 percent to 5,514.88.

"Worries over strong inflation data in the U.S., which came out on Friday, shows investors are now seeing further rate cuts from the Fed as less and less likely, and this has pushed global equities lower," said CMC Markets trader Nathan Miller.

Benchmark indices in five Asian markets _ Australia, Hong Kong, Singapore, India and Taiwan _ sank more than 3 percent. Asian investors pay close attention to the U.S. economy because it is a major export market.

Wall Street extended last week's losses as investors remained concerned about flagging growth and rising prices. The Dow Jones industrial average fell 0.5 percent to 13,271.98. Broader stock indicators also declined.

Investors dumped stocks after Wall Street tumbled Friday following figures that showed U.S. consumer prices rose 0.8 percent in November, the largest increase in more than two years. That raised questions about the Fed's options for supporting the economy, which has been buffeted by a credit crisis and housing slump, by lowering interest rates.

Some investors were also disappointed that the Fed cut interest rates by just a quarter point last week instead of the more aggressive half-point that some had hoped for.

Hong Kong's benchmark Hang Seng index sank 3.5 percent to 26,596.58 points, its lowest since Nov. 23. All 43 blue chips in the index fell, and Hong Kong property stocks were hit hard. Hong Kong's currency is pegged to the U.S. dollar and interest rate moves by the Fed are usually matched by Hong Kong's monetary authority and local banks.

"Only if (U.S.) Christmas sales data are exceptionally strong may the Hang Seng Index end the year above its current level," said Philip Chan, head of research at CAF Securities Ltd.

Japan's Nikkei 225 index declined 1.7 percent to 15,249.79 points, bringing its four-day loss to 5 percent. Australia's benchmark S&P/ASX 200 index plunged 3.5 percent to a three-month low, while Taiwan's key stock index dropped 3.5 percent to a nine-month low.

In mainland China, stocks also fell after a top central bank official warned against excess real estate lending, renewing fears of further controls on bank loans. The benchmark Shanghai Composite Index lost 2.6 percent to 4,876.8.

Russian Official Denies Astronaut Drank

MOSCOW - Russia's space agency denied Saturday that an astronaut could have flown drunk aboard a Soyuz spacecraft from its Baikonur cosmodrome, reacting to allegations reported by the chairman of an independent U.S. panel on astronaut health.

The panel chairman, Air Force Col. Richard Bachmann Jr., said Friday it was told about multiple instances involving alcohol. One of the two most detailed cases involved an astronaut drinking heavily before flying on a Soyuz spacecraft headed to the International Space Station, he said. He cited unverified interviews, saying it was not the panel's mission to investigate the allegations.

"We categorically deny the possibility that this could have happened at Baikonur," Igor Panarin, spokesman for the Russian Space Agency, Roskosmos, told The Associated Press. "In the days at Baikonur before the launch, this is absolutely impossible. They are constantly watched by medics and psychiatrists."

The U.S. panel was created to assess NASA's health screening in response to the high-profile arrest of astronaut Lisa Nowak in February after she drove across the country to confront a romantic rival.

Russian cosmonaut Anatoly Solovyov told the AP that the tight medical requirements and the demands of the job ahead made it inconceivable that either astronauts or cosmonauts could fly drunk.

"They are the elite of their society," said Solovyov. "The responsibility dominates your thoughts. In your head, you know this is a state program and this dominates your mind and directs all your actions. For me this is nonsense."

Despite official denials of drinking before Russian flights to the space station, cosmonauts aboard the Mir space station, which has since been abandoned, were permitted to imbibe moderately. Cosmonaut Alexander Poleshchuk, who flew aboard the Mir space station in 1993, told newspapers of removing panels to hunt for bottles of cognac squirreled away by previous tenants.

Alcohol consumption is forbidden aboard the International Space Station, which has caused some mild grumbling. Cosmonaut Salizhan Sharipov returned from an ISS mission in April 2005, and caused a stir when he said the crew should be allowed a shot of wine or brandy daily.

"This should be done only to do one's work better and relieve the psychological stress," he said, according to the Russian wire service RIA Novosti.

---

Associated Press Moscow bureau chief Douglas Birch contributed to this story.

Tracking Midwest manufacturing activity

Nancy L. Abrams

Nancy L. Abrams, 47, an expert on fish who headed numerousconsumer information programs on seafood, died Tuesday at EdgewaterHospital.

During her career, she was often featured in newspapers,including the Chicago Sun-Times.

Since 1980, she had been employed by the Chicago Fish House, 1250W. Division, a wholesale company that supplies seafood torestaurants, supermarkets, hotels and institutions in 38 states andPuerto Rico. In April, 1989, she was named marketing/culinarydirector of the company.

"It's a great loss for the seafood industry," said JackMitasakopoulos, chairman and owner of Chicago Fish House, a wholesaleand retail company. "She really brought a new dimension to theseafood world. She was a great communicator."

In 1987, she was appointed to the 15-member National Fish andSeafood Promotional Council, serving as its chairman in 1990. The15-member group was established to promote the U.S. fishing industrythrough consumer education and research.

Miss Abrams, of Evanston, received a bachelor of science degreein education from Northwestern University.

From 1964 to 1974, she taught elementary school in the northsurburbs, focusing on developing programs of individualizedinstruction for students. She also taught cooking classes.

During that period, she pursued advanced courses in cooking. Sheattended the Cordon Bleu in London and studied with internationallynoted chef Guiliano Bugialli in Florence, Italy, and at the Wei-ChwanCooking School in Taipei, Taiwan, and in Hong Kong.

Before joining Chicago Fish House, she taught at a variety ofcooking schools in Illinois, Indiana and Wisconsin and was aconsultant to several appliance manufacturers.

Mrs. Abrams owned and managed the former Contemporary CookingTechniques, an educational consulting and catering company that onceprepared wholesale entrees for sale by Neiman Marcus.

Survivors include her parents, Heidi and Ed Kohlhauser of WinterHaven, Fla., and a brother, Richard Kohlhauser.

Memorial services will be at 3 p.m. tomorrow at Jeanne VailChapel, 1870 Sheridan Rd., Evanston, on the Northwestern campus.Burial will be private.

Brewers lose grip on first

Bronson Arroyo and the Cincinnati Reds knocked slumping and error-prone Milwaukee out of first place in the NL Central, beating thehost Brewers 8-3 Friday night.

The Brewers (62-60) lost their season-high fifth straight athome, falling a half-game behind the Cubs (62-59), who beat the St.Louis Cardinals 2-1 earlier Friday.

Milwaukee has lost 14 of its last 19 games and 11 of 15 inAugust. It's the first time the Brewers have been in second sinceAug. 2 -- they regained the top spot a day later.

Arroyo (6-13) gave up nine hits in 7 1/3 innings, including threesolo home runs -- two by J.J. Hardy and one by Gabe Gross. He struckout seven and also doubled and scored a run.

Adam Dunn hit a two-run homer in the ninth, his 33rd.

With the Brewers trailing 6-1, Hardy and Gross each homered inthe eighth to chase Arroyo. But the rally ended against relieversBill Bray and Jared Burton.

METS 6, NATIONALS 2

Tom Glavine picked up win No. 301 by allowing one run over seveninnings to beat the franchise he's beaten more than any other.

Glavine (11-6) beat the former Montreal Expos for the 33rd time.

Damion Easley and Moises Alou homered off Nationals starter MattChico (5-7), and Jose Reyes stole his 61st and 62nd bases.

Glavine moved into sole possession of 21st place on the all-timemajors win list, ahead of Lefty Grove and Early Wynn.

PHILLIES 11, PIRATES 8

Aaron Rowand and Pat Burrell homered, J.D. Durbin won his fourthconsecutive start and visiting Philadelphia won for the fourth timein five games.

Jimmy Rollins had three hits and Tadahito Iguchi reached basethree times, had two RBI and scored twice for the Phillies.

GIANTS 3, MARLINS 0

Barry Zito (9-11) allowed one hit in seven innings, and RajaiDavis hit his first career home run for visiting San Francisco.

DODGERS 6, ROCKIES 4

Eric Stults allowed two hits and struck out nine over seveninnings after getting recalled from Class AAA by host Los Angeles.

Jeff Kent tied Joe DiMaggio for 65th place with his 361st careerhome run list as the Dodgers won their third straight.

ASTROS 3, PADRES 1

Lance Berkman hit two home runs to back Woody Williams and liftvisiting Houston over San Diego.

High-rises go political

A movement to curb high-rise growth along the north lakefront haspoliticized Chicago yuppies. Young professionals showing littleinterest in city politics have been galavanized by real estatebattles. High-rise blight will be an issue in citywide and wardraces next year.

Two of the most promising prospects for the 43rd Wardaldermanic election have come out of campaigns to keep more concreteweeds from sprouting in the garden neighborhoods. If Ald. MartyOberman bows out, as his friends predict, several contenders willjump out and argue about overdevelopment.

Their debate will spill over into the mayoral contest. Chicagopolitics is rooted in real estate. So the mayoral challengers willbe caught between developer-contributors and swing voters on thelakefront.

"Development is the issue of the late '80s," said Dan Casey,fresh from a zoning victory. As head of Park West CommunityAssociation, Casey energized a drive that led to an ordinance guidingdevelopment there. The Zoning Committee recommended its approval bythe full City Council on Aug. 28.

"No more high-rises should be be built in the 43rd Ward," saidBob Perkins, a figure in the fight to stop a new tower at Eugenie andWells in Old Town. Perkins argued that new density can alter theneighborhood's character.

Casey, 48, an Irishman from Scotland by way of Du Page County,and Perkins, 32, who grew up in the North Shore, are consideringrunning if Oberman quits. "Either man would be acceptable," Obermansaid. "I will probably endorse if I don't run."

Both Casey and Perkins have a better understanding than Obermanof the development issue. "High-rise is only an issue if one is builtnext door to you," Oberman said. "It's not enough to build apolitical campaign on."

The boom of young professionals, many of whom own condominiums,caught Oberman off guard. Democratic power broker Tom Rosenbergwouldn't have been able to win the zoning change he needed to put uphis Old Town skyscraper if Oberman had been alert. When Obermancaught on, he was too late. Rosenberg's building easily could benamed the Washington-Oberman tower. Both have responsibility for itbeing approved.

Washington and Oberman tried to recoup their political slip byendorsing Casey's downzoning of Park West, an area of 11,000residents and businessmen. Washington also formed a high-rise taskforce, but he let real estate interests and old-fashioned politicianstake crucial leadership roles.

Three other prospective 43rd Ward candidates talk aboutdevelopment, but don't take as hard a line as Casey and Perkins.

Edwin Eisendrath, a 28-year-old teacher endorsed by DemocraticCommitteeman Ann Stepan, said the 43rd Ward may absorb morehigh-rises, but only after "getting ahead of the game with planning."

Barbara Wood, a 44-year-old college professor, is the mostbusiness-prone of the candidates, but still favors some control.Barbara Hartke, a 46-year-old public school librarian, frowns on thebuilding boom but said, "I would never say I would fight allhigh-rises."

All candidates except Wood favor the Park West downzoning bill.Wood, who has feelers from GOP Committeeman Ron Gidwitz'sorganization, would send Casey's plan back to committee for morecompromises with the ward's business establishment. Wood andEisendrath were the only hopefuls not flatly against Eugenie Square.

No candidate yet has come up with a specific plan for governinglakefront develpment. Legal controls have been imposed in citiesfrom New York to Los Angeles. At least one 43rd Ward prospectpromises a proposal with bite.

Chicago's old-style politicians eschew planning because theywant to deal a block at a time. Yuppies can force them towardreform.

Basil Talbott Jr. is political editor of the Chicago Sun-Times.

State house votes to keep benefits for domestic partners

House Dems still wary of Republican 'trickery'

LANSING - State Democrats tried out being the "Party of No" March 22 and it worked to their advantage.

State Republicans were working to overturn a decision to allow live-in partners of state employees to access benefits, but they were stopped by House Democrats.

The decision by the independent Michigan Civil Service Comission was made in January and will take effect in October this year. In order to overturn the decision, Republicans needed to muster a two-thirds majority vote in both houses of the state legislature.

Republicans succeeded in the Senate, which voted by party lines on March 10 to overturn the MCSC decision. But Republicans, who dominate the House 63 to 49, needed 1 1 Democrats to side with them in order to muster the necessary majority.

The vote in the House showed that Republicans didn't have the Democratic support they needed. According to Emily Divendorf, a lobbyist and director of policy at Equality Michigan, all but three Democrats voted not to overturn the decision (two voted with Republicans and one abstained from voting).

When a bill is defeated or passed, legislators have the option of letting the bill take effect immediately, letting it die or "passing it temporarily." Republicans opted to pass the measure temporarily, which means the House may vote on the it again.

Rep. Jeff Irwin, D-Ann Arbor, is wary of "trickery" by Republicans if they choose to bring it up to vote again. He said they may try to pass it through with a vocal vote instead of a recorded vote, and if that happens, the Democrats may have to make this measure a legal issue.

"Fm proud to be a Democrat today, when we all stood together to do the right thing," he said, but "it's certainly not a final victory ... we now have proof there's not two-thirds of the House to support this and later on when they try to use some trickery to push it through we'll still have this record of it being beaten back, and that could be important down the line."

"House Democrats are clearly out of touch with the economic realities of our state and the ongoing challenges of Michigan taxpayers," said House Speaker Jase B�iger, R-Marshall, in a press release issued shortly after the vote. "Although the vote is extremely disappointing, we're hopeful our Democrat colleagues will do the right thing, and side with Michigan voters and taxpayers to overturn this irresponsible action by the Civil Service Commission."

The benefits will allow one "other eligible" adult to access health benefits of state employees, provided that the OEA lives with the state employee and is not a tenant. The OEA's dependants are elegibile for the coverage as well.

"The House Democrats did an admirable job fighting for the health and vitality of all Michigan families through their defense of the MCSCs extension of OEA benefits," Divendorf said. "The defeat of SCR9 in the House was a clear demonstration of the appreciation that many Michigan lawmakers have for fundamental fairness, a well cared for and empowered workforce, the hard work of our unions, and strong families."

[Sidebar]

"It's certainly not a final victory. We now have proof there's not two-thirds of the House to support this and later on when (Republicans) try to use some trickery to push it through we'll still have this record of it being beaten back."

- Rep. Jeff Irwin, D-Ann Arbor

World stocks gain after US elections, Fed looms

LONDON (AP) — World stocks were slightly higher Wednesday as markets digested news that Republicans gained control of the House in midterm U.S. elections and attention refocused on the Federal Reserve's plans to stimulate the world's biggest economy by expanding the money supply.

Investors expect the Fed to announce later in the day additional purchases of government-backed bonds, creating new dollars to lower market interest rates, boost credit and economic growth. The size and duration of the program will be key to investors' reactions.

In Europe, Britain's FTSE 100 was up 0.1 percent to 5,761.50. France's CAC-40 was up 0.3 percent to 3,878.91, and Germany's DAX rose 0.3 percent to 6,671.85.

Asian markets closed mostly higher and Wall Street was expected to remain steady on the open — Dow futures were flat at 11,148 as were Standard & Poor's 500 futures, at 1,193.10.

Investors took in stride U.S. midterm congressional elections, which put Republicans — riding a wave of voter discontent over America's economic woes — in control of the House. President Barack Obama's Democratic Party retained control of the Senate, where Republicans from the anti-tax, anti-spending Tea Party movement won at least two seats.

The divided government was a sign that fights over taxes, deficits, health care and financial regulation were looming and could result in paralyzing uncertainty for the world's No. 1 economy. But investors seem to have already factored that outcome into stock prices.

The key issue is whether the two parties can work together, analysts at Bank of America Merrill Lynch said in a report.

"A popular Wall Street adage is that "gridlock is good" because it keeps the government from implementing new policies that further intervene in the private economy," the report said. "However, the short-term gridlock is very bad for the outlook, in our view."

With the election results clear, investors turned their attention to the outcome of the Fed's policy meeting Wednesday. The central bank is expected to announce the details of its plan to stimulate the economy by buying bonds. The plan, known as quantitative easing, makes stocks a more attractive investment by lowering bond yields.

Investors have been anticipating that the central bank's program will tally at least $500 billion. Any number significantly higher or lower than that figure could affect stock prices.

Broad stock market indexes have gained 12 percent since the Fed began hinting in late August that it would undertake the bond buying program by the end of the year. Over the last month, the Dow Jones industrial average is up 3.3 percent, and the broad Standard and Poor's 500 Index is up 4.1 percent.

Looking ahead, markets will also keep an eye out for U.S. indicators, including a report on growth in the services sector as well as the ADP report on employment

In China, shares fell amid renewed signs that authorities may take further action to curb inflation. The benchmark Shanghai Composite Index lost 0.5 percent to 3,030.99. The Shenzhen Composite Index for China's smaller, second exchange fell 1.8 percent to 1,309.41.

"After the interest rate hikes in Australia and India on Tuesday, investors are fretting that China's central bank will likely raise interest rates again within this year," said Wen Lijun, an analyst at Nanjing Securities, in Nanjing.

In a quarterly report issued late Tuesday, China's central bank signaled it is likely to pull back further from stimulus policies meant to counter the fallout from the global financial crisis.

Among Asian shares closing higher was Hong Kong's Hang Seng index, which climbed 2 percent to 24,144.67.

South Korea's Kospi rose 1 percent to 1,935.97 and Australia's S&P/ASX 200 climbed 0.5 percent to 4,722.6.

Indexes in Singapore, Malaysia and the Philippines were also higher while Taiwan and Indonesia fell. Markets in Japan were closed for a public holiday.

Benchmark crude for December delivery was up 52 cents at $84.42 a barrel in electronic trading on the New York Mercantile Exchange. The contract rose 95 cents to settle at $83.90 a barrel on Tuesday.

In currencies, the dollar rose to 80.81 yen from 80.64 yen in New York late Tuesday. The euro rose to $1.4056 from $1.4030.

___

AP writers Pamela Sampson in Bangkok, David K. Randall in New York and AP researcher Ji Chen in Shanghai contributed to this report.

Tyson wants Lennox Lewis

Tyson wants Lennox Lewis

LAS VEGAS -- Mike Tyson toweled his head off and then shook a finger to make his point. The only thing missing in the steamy gym was Lennox Lewis to receive it. Tyson was laying down a challenge to the heavy-weight champion of the world.

"Let's go man to man in the streets if he wants," Tyson said. "No bodyguards or anything. He can't beat me there and he can't beat me in the ring."

For the first time since returning to boxing, Tyson has a goal other than becoming heavy-weight champion again. Lewis gave it to him, both in his fight last weekend with Michael Grant and in his comments afterward.

"I'm coming at him and when I do, he will pay," Tyson said in an interview Thursday. "I'll say this to Lennox Lewis: Don't fight anymore and hold your title until I come. It should be two or three more fights and I'll be ready."

Tyson began training this week for his fight June 24 with Lou Savarese with a new determination, born out of the way Lewis manhandled Grant and then proclaimed that Tyson was not a major player in the heavy-weight ranks.

"I want this guy," Tyson told manager Shelly Finkel after watching the Lewis-Grant fight on television.

In a gym on Thursday, he pounded the mitts inside the ring under the watchful eye of trainer Tommy Brooks, then warned no one to count him out of the heavyweight ranks he once terrorized.

"I'm just Mike Tyson and I'm just gradually working myself back up," Tyson said. "I'm humble, but I'm still ferocious and ruthless."

Tyson showed a bit of that by screaming profanities at a female photographer and ordering her from the gym. But he also showed a tender side later when he patiently listened to a brain damaged former fighter try to get him to look at a rap song he wrote.

Tyson rubbed the fighter's neck while listening to him, and thanked him for coming.

"See what I have to put up with?" he said.

Tyson, who last fought Jan. 29 when he stopped an outmatched Julius Francis in England, was to have fought Savarese on May 20, but told his promoters to postpone the fight while he dealt with family troubles and his desire to fight again.

He began working out after watching Fernando Vargas fight last month against Ike Quartey, and began his actual fight training this week after watching the Lewis-Grant bout.

"I could have fought when I was supposed to and be like Larry Holmes and jump into the ring after two years like he did against me just to get paid," Tyson said. "But I want to do a good job against Lou Savarese."

Tyson is supposed to meet Savarese in Milan, Italy, but Finkel said it might be moved elsewhere in Europe if soccer matches in Italy interfere.

His purse has not been reported, but it is sure to be more than the $8 million - $10 million Lewis made for defending the heavyweight title against Grant.

"He can't draw flies," Tyson said. "My worst pay-per-view tripled what Lewis did against Grant. I don't need him. He needs me."

Assuming Tyson beats Savarese, he is tentatively scheduled to fight in September. Finkel said countries such as South Korea, Qatar, Malaysia and others have inquired about hosting the fight.

Tyson would conceivably be ready to fight Lewis by late in the year or in the spring, but there are many drawbacks to the fight. The main one is Lewis has a contract with HBO and Tyson is tied to Showtime, although Finkel said he thinks the two competing networks might be able to reach a deal.

"It would be the biggest grossing fight in history," Finkel said. "Each fighter would make at least $30 million."

Tyson already reportedly is $20 million richer without even stepping into the ring, thanks to a settlement of a lawsuit against a law firm for representing both Tyson and promoter Don King at the same time.

Tyson declined to discuss the settlement, though he still has lawsuits pending against King and former managers, John Horne and Rory Holloway.

"Don King and them didn't have to rob me. I was giving them money anyway," Tyson said. "I just wasn't giving it to them fast enough."

Tyson did, however, ramble on about a variety of historical subjects ranging from Alexander the Great to Al Capone before getting into his waiting Lamborghini and heading home.

"I just want to be the best I can be," he said. "I want to get the belief and confidence I had in myself at one point back again."

Article Copyright Sengstacke Enterprises, Inc.

US help must be for Vietnamese MIAs on both sides

WASHINGTON (AP) — A senator says a U.S. program to help recover Vietnamese war dead will not begin until Hanoi lets it apply to troops from both sides of the conflict.

Vietnam wants to identify and locate the remains of hundreds of thousands of communist North Vietnamese forces who died during the Vietnam War, and the U.S. Congress has approved $1 million for a U.S. Agency for International Development program to help.

Democratic Sen. Jim Webb said Thursday, however, that Hanoi has been told there will be no U.S. money until it assures the program that was due to start Oct. 1 also will help recover remains from the U.S.-allied South Vietnamese military. He says that would foster reconciliation.

Webb fought as a Marine in Vietnam and chairs the Senate Foreign Relations East Asia-Pacific subcommittee.

The Increasing Role of Consultants with State Party Organizations

Over the past two decades political consultants have become integral to candidate and initiative campaigns. They also appear to be playing a larger role in helping national and state parties to elect candidates to office.

As part of the Center for Congressional and Presidential Studies at American University's "Improving Campaign Conduct" project, funded by The Pew Charitable Trusts, Harris Interactive conducted a survey of state and national party officials to assess the party officials' use of consultants in the 2002 elections.

Over half of all the state party officials surveyed report that they plan to hire political consultants during the 2002 election cycle. Eighty-eight percent of those surveyed said they definitely or probably would hire a pollster, while 81 percent said they would probably hire a direct mail specialist, 69 percent expect to hire a media consultant, and 56 percent a fundraiser. Of those planning to hire a pollster, almost one-third (32 percent) said they would hire a pollster exclusively for the party, while 59 percent said they would hire a pollster for both the party and the candidates the party supports.

Similar breakdowns between working exclusively for the party and working for both the party and the party's candidates can be found when looking at those who plan to hire direct mail specialists and media consultants. Of those planning to hire direct mail specialists, 36 percent expect them to work exclusively for the party, while 60 percent expect them to work both for the party and the party's candidates. State party officials anticipate that media consultants also will have the same roughly one-third, two-thirds breakdown; 30 percent expect media consultants to work exclusively for the party, and 59 percent expect media consultants to work for both the party and the candidates the party supports.

While the expectations for the use of pollsters, direct mail consultants and media consultants are similar, state party officials have somewhat different expectations about how fundraisers will be used. They expect fundraisers to be equally divided between working exclusively for the party (48 percent) and working for both the party and its candidates (46 percent). One expectation common to all four types of consultants, however, is that very few party officials expected that they would hire the consultant to work exclusively for candidates the party supports. The expectations ranged from 1 percent for direct mail specialists to 8 percent for media consultants. Clearly, state party officials who hire political consultants hire those consultants to work with the party and with the party's candidates; they are not paying for consultant services only for candidates.

Comparing Republican and Democratic use of consultants found similarities with some consultants and differences with others. There was no difference between Democrats and Republicans in their expectations of whom pollsters and media consultants would work for; the expectations mirrored the results reported above. However, comparing Democratic and Republican state party officials expected use of direct mail specialists and fundraisers found Democrats were more likely to expect to use both types of consultants exclusively for the party, while Republicans were more likely to use these consultants for both the party and the party's candidates. Democratic use of direct mail specialists was almost equally divided between exclusively for the party (46 percent) and both the party and candidates (52 percent), while Republicans expected than only one quarter of the direct mail specialists would be used exclusively for the party, and 70 percent would be used for both.

There are also differences between Democratic and Republican state party officials when it comes to their expectations for the use of fundraisers. Over half (53 percent) of the Democrats expect to use fundraisers exclusively for the party, while over half (59 percent) of Republicans expect to use fundraisers for both the party and the party's candidates.

We also asked state party officials why they would hire each of the four types of consultants. Both Democrats and Republicans cited the fact that their organizations did not perform that particular service as the main reason for hiring pollsters, direct mail specialists, and media consultants. However, the reasons for hiring fundraisers were more mixed. Thirty-four percent of party officials said they would hire fundraisers because it would allow them to save money on staff salaries, 24 percent said they would hire fundraisers because they likely were to be directed to hire them by the national party, and only 23 percent said they would hire them because their organization does not perform that particular service. There were also substantial differences between Democratic and Republican state party officials on this question. Almost half (45 percent) of Republicans said they would hire fundraisers to save money on staff salaries, while only one quarter of Democrats cited saving money on salaries as a reason to hire a fundraiser. Democrats (30 percent) were more likely than Republicans (18 percent) to expect to be directed to hire fundraisers by their national party. Twenty-eight percent of Republican state party officials said their organization did not perform fundraising services, compared to just 19 percent of Democrats.

In addition to asking state party officials what consultants they expected to retain for the 2002 elections and how those consultants would be used, we also tried to assess how party officials view the roles of political parties and consultants over time. Party officials believe that the role of political parties in electing candidates to office has increased at the local, state and national levels over time. Fiftytwo percent of party officials believe the role of political parties has increased at the local level, 65 percent believe the role of parties has increased at the state level, and 63 percent believe the role of political parties has increased at the national level, and there are no differences in these perceptions among Democrats and Republicans.

Three years ago we surveyed a sample of political consultants, and asked the consultants their views on the roles of political parties and political consultants over time. When we compare the views of the consultants with those of the party officials we find some interesting results. Both consultants and party officials believe that the role of political consultants in electing candidates has increased over time, but political consultants think their role has increased much more so than party officials. Eighty-six percent of political consultants believe the roles of consultants has increased at the local level, compared to just 55 percent of party officials, while 88 percent of consultants believe the role of consultants has increased at the state level, compared to 69 percent of party officials. At the national level, 80 percent of consultants believe their role in electing candidates has increased, while 65 percent of party officials believe the role of consultants has increased. Democratic party officials are slightly more likely than Republican party officials to think the role of consultants has increased at all three levels of government; 60 percent of Democrats thought consultants' roles at the local level had increased, compared to 51 percent of Republicans, 74 percent of Democrats thought consultants' roles at the state level had increased, compared to 65 percent of Republicans, and 70 percent of Democrats thought consultants' roles had increased at the national level, compared to 59 percent of Republicans.

Finally, when we compared party officials and political consultants' views of the role of political parties in electing candidates over time, we find very different perceptions. As mentioned above, party officials believe the role of political parties has increased over time. However, political consultants are more likely to say that the role of political parties has decreased or stayed the same over time. Only 20 percent of consultants thought the role of political parties had increased at the local level, only 29 percent thought parties' roles had increased at the state level, and only 31 percent thought the role of parties at the national level had increased.

[Author Affiliation]

David A. Dulio is an Assistant Professor at Oakland University, Robin Kolodny is an Associate Professor at Temple University, Candice J. Nelson is an Associate Professor at American University and Academic Director of A. U. 's Campaign Management Institute, and James A. Thurber is a Professor at American University and the Director of the Center for Congressional and Presidential Studies at A. U.

Chemicals Linked to Gulf War Illness

Increasing evidence ties pesticides and other chemicals to some, not all, of the Gulf War illnesses that afflict thousands of veterans of the 1991 war, says an analysis published Monday.

Nearly 30 percent of troops who took part in the brief war have reported symptoms that include fatigue, memory loss, pain and difficulty sleeping. Citing the variety of symptoms, the Institute of Medicine in 2006 declared there is no single Gulf War syndrome, although troops who served in the Persian Gulf were sicker than those who didn't.

Multiple chemical exposures have long been chief suspects. So Dr. Beatrice Golomb of the University of California, San Diego, reviewed 115 studies of neurological symptoms and veterans' exposure to three related chemicals: the anti-nerve gas pyridostigmine bromide, or PB, given to troops at the time; pesticides used aggressively to control sand flies; and the nerve gas sarin.

Those chemicals belong to a family known as acetylcholinesterase inhibitors that work the same way in the body, she wrote Monday in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

Among the evidence Golomb cites: Veterans who are genetically less able to clear this type of chemical from their bodies had a higher chance of suffering symptoms, which mirror problems reported by pesticide-exposed agriculture workers.

Spider-infested ship turned back from Guam landing

Authorities in the U.S. territory of Guam have turned away a ship after thousands of spiders overflowed from its cargo.

The Guam Department of Agriculture says hundreds of large spiders and thousands of smaller ones were seen when stevedores began offloading insulation and beams for housing units from the ship, the M.V. Altavia.

The cargo was returned to the ship, and the Agriculture Department on Friday ordered that the ship not be allowed to dock. It was last ported in South Korea.

Agriculture officials say they don't know what type of spiders were on the ship, but said it's a type that isn't normally found on the island. They said there was concern the spiders could damage Guam's environment.

The ship was carrying housing units and accessories for a work force village expected to house up to 18,000 temporary workers.

___

Information from: Pacific Daily News, http://www.guampdn.com/

IRAQ: EXECUTION OF SADDAM COULD WIDEN RIFTS IN A DIVIDED LAND

Dahr Jamail and Ali al-Fadhily
Inter Press Service English News Wire
11-06-2006
BAGHDAD, Nov. 6, 2006 (IPS/GIN) -- The death sentence for former
Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein could tear Iraqis even further apart.
The signs on the street are dangerous already. Several reports
have come in of celebrations in Kurdish and Shia areas, with strong
protests in Sunni-dominated cities in central Iraq.
Iraq is being ripped apart by sectarian violence between Sunnis
and Shias, and many fear that if Saddam Hussein is executed Iraq
could slide into civil war.
On Sunday the High Tribunal in Iraq held Saddam Hussein guilty
of ordering the killing of 148 Shias in 1982. The verdict threatens
stability because Saddam Hussein, a Sunni Muslim, is seen by
non-Sunnis to have run policies to the advantage of Sunnis and the
disadvantage of others.
Many Iraqis in Baghdad say the judgment was hastened for the
benefit of the Republican Party in the United States, which faces
congressional elections Tuesday. The party is expected to do badly
primarily as a result of a widely perceived failure of the Bush
Administration's war in Iraq.
The sectarian split under the U.S.-led occupation has spiralled
high enough to lead to fears that Iraq is in a state of civil war
already. The oil-rich nation of 25 million comprises mainly Shias,
Sunnis and Kurds, with the Shias an estimated majority of 60
percent.
In the Shia-dominated Sadr City in Baghdad, and in other Shia
cities like Najaf, Kerbala and Basra, large numbers came out on the
streets to celebrate. Much of the Shia population suffered
repression during the rule of Saddam Hussein.
Celebrations have been reported also across Kurdish regions of
northern Iraq, Like the Shias, the Kurdish population was also
heavily repressed under the reign of the former dictator.
A day before the verdict was announced, Shia Prime Minister
Nouri al-Maliki asked Iraqis not to "celebrate too much" when the
announcement came.
Other Shia leaders have been trying to sober down such
celebrations, and even oppose the death sentence. They say that
execution of the former leader would make a martyr of him, and give
him a higher status than he deserves.
The picture of a split society was completed by protests and
anger in Sunni-dominated areas of Iraq, particularly in Baghdad and
in al-Anabar province to its west. Facing repression now from a
Shia-dominated government under U.S. influence, Sunnis have adopted
the former leader as one of their own.
In Baghdad's predominantly Sunni neighbourhood al-Adhamiya,
Iraqi police battled resistance members armed with machine guns.
In Saddam Hussein's hometown Tikrit, thousands defied a curfew to
carry pictures of Saddam through the streets.
The divisions were deepened further when Iraqi army units
attacked pro-Saddam demonstrators in many areas. Sunni television
channels Zawra and Salahedin that aired pro-Saddam demonstrations
were immediately shut down and raided by Iraqi security forces.
The closure of the two networks has infuriated Sunnis further.
The move appeared similar to the U.S.-ordered closure of the
newspaper al-Hawza of Shia cleric Muqtada al-Sadr, which sparked
his first uprising against occupation forces two years back.
In a country where sectarian death squads are killing on average
more than 100 people a day in the capital city alone, another
polarising event is the last thing Iraq needs at this time.
One potential flashpoint everyone is watching is the northern
oil-rich city Kirkuk. The city has a mixed population, including
Sunni ethnic Arabs who were settled there under Saddam's regime.
Kurdish leaders want Kirkuk, and its wealth, within an autonomous
Kurdistan.
In the Shia-dominated south, more than 100,000 Iraqis are
fleeing their homes each week as Shia leaders push for federalism,
under which each ethnic group would take substantial control of a
region it dominates.
Execution of Saddam Hussein, if it takes place, could worsen a
pattern under which every "success" of the government under
occupation has led to increasing attacks on U.S. and Iraqi security
forces.
This happened after Saddam Hussein was captured by U.S. forces
in December 2003 after they were tipped off by Kurdish militia
members. The attacks against security forces rose dramatically
after that. A similar pattern followed the killing of suspected
al-Qaeda leader Abu Musab al-Zarqawi by occupation forces.
It is not yet certain that execution will be carried out. The
verdict on Saddam now goes before a nine-judge panel that has
indefinite time to review the case. But if the sentence is upheld,
the execution must be carried out within 30 days.

Copyright 2006 IPS/GIN. The contents of this story can not be duplicated in any fashion without written permission of Global Information Network
IRAQ: EXECUTION OF SADDAM COULD WIDEN RIFTS IN A DIVIDED LANDDahr Jamail and Ali al-Fadhily
Inter Press Service English News Wire
11-06-2006
BAGHDAD, Nov. 6, 2006 (IPS/GIN) -- The death sentence for former
Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein could tear Iraqis even further apart.
The signs on the street are dangerous already. Several reports
have come in of celebrations in Kurdish and Shia areas, with strong
protests in Sunni-dominated cities in central Iraq.
Iraq is being ripped apart by sectarian violence between Sunnis
and Shias, and many fear that if Saddam Hussein is executed Iraq
could slide into civil war.
On Sunday the High Tribunal in Iraq held Saddam Hussein guilty
of ordering the killing of 148 Shias in 1982. The verdict threatens
stability because Saddam Hussein, a Sunni Muslim, is seen by
non-Sunnis to have run policies to the advantage of Sunnis and the
disadvantage of others.
Many Iraqis in Baghdad say the judgment was hastened for the
benefit of the Republican Party in the United States, which faces
congressional elections Tuesday. The party is expected to do badly
primarily as a result of a widely perceived failure of the Bush
Administration's war in Iraq.
The sectarian split under the U.S.-led occupation has spiralled
high enough to lead to fears that Iraq is in a state of civil war
already. The oil-rich nation of 25 million comprises mainly Shias,
Sunnis and Kurds, with the Shias an estimated majority of 60
percent.
In the Shia-dominated Sadr City in Baghdad, and in other Shia
cities like Najaf, Kerbala and Basra, large numbers came out on the
streets to celebrate. Much of the Shia population suffered
repression during the rule of Saddam Hussein.
Celebrations have been reported also across Kurdish regions of
northern Iraq, Like the Shias, the Kurdish population was also
heavily repressed under the reign of the former dictator.
A day before the verdict was announced, Shia Prime Minister
Nouri al-Maliki asked Iraqis not to "celebrate too much" when the
announcement came.
Other Shia leaders have been trying to sober down such
celebrations, and even oppose the death sentence. They say that
execution of the former leader would make a martyr of him, and give
him a higher status than he deserves.
The picture of a split society was completed by protests and
anger in Sunni-dominated areas of Iraq, particularly in Baghdad and
in al-Anabar province to its west. Facing repression now from a
Shia-dominated government under U.S. influence, Sunnis have adopted
the former leader as one of their own.
In Baghdad's predominantly Sunni neighbourhood al-Adhamiya,
Iraqi police battled resistance members armed with machine guns.
In Saddam Hussein's hometown Tikrit, thousands defied a curfew to
carry pictures of Saddam through the streets.
The divisions were deepened further when Iraqi army units
attacked pro-Saddam demonstrators in many areas. Sunni television
channels Zawra and Salahedin that aired pro-Saddam demonstrations
were immediately shut down and raided by Iraqi security forces.
The closure of the two networks has infuriated Sunnis further.
The move appeared similar to the U.S.-ordered closure of the
newspaper al-Hawza of Shia cleric Muqtada al-Sadr, which sparked
his first uprising against occupation forces two years back.
In a country where sectarian death squads are killing on average
more than 100 people a day in the capital city alone, another
polarising event is the last thing Iraq needs at this time.
One potential flashpoint everyone is watching is the northern
oil-rich city Kirkuk. The city has a mixed population, including
Sunni ethnic Arabs who were settled there under Saddam's regime.
Kurdish leaders want Kirkuk, and its wealth, within an autonomous
Kurdistan.
In the Shia-dominated south, more than 100,000 Iraqis are
fleeing their homes each week as Shia leaders push for federalism,
under which each ethnic group would take substantial control of a
region it dominates.
Execution of Saddam Hussein, if it takes place, could worsen a
pattern under which every "success" of the government under
occupation has led to increasing attacks on U.S. and Iraqi security
forces.
This happened after Saddam Hussein was captured by U.S. forces
in December 2003 after they were tipped off by Kurdish militia
members. The attacks against security forces rose dramatically
after that. A similar pattern followed the killing of suspected
al-Qaeda leader Abu Musab al-Zarqawi by occupation forces.
It is not yet certain that execution will be carried out. The
verdict on Saddam now goes before a nine-judge panel that has
indefinite time to review the case. But if the sentence is upheld,
the execution must be carried out within 30 days.

Copyright 2006 IPS/GIN. The contents of this story can not be duplicated in any fashion without written permission of Global Information Network

Ellsberg seized at CIA protest

((PHOTO …

BACK PEDAL: SEAT MAKERS TARGET ORTHOPEDIC PRODUCTS TO BENEFIT OLDER DRIVERS.

More and more Americans are "older" drivers. More and more are hobbled by back pain. And they are spending more time than ever behind the wheel.

For automotive seat makers, it all spells backside opportunity.

Every seat manufacturer is either developing so-called orthopedic seats - or, at the very least, creating more comfortable seats with orthopedic benefit.

Orthopedic seats are seats designed, often in cooperation with medical doctors, to provide strong support to the body, primarily to the lower back and spine. They also promote good posture while driving, even after long periods.

The North American subsidiary of European seat mak-er Recaro GmbH, …

NOVALIS TO CUT 38 LOCAL WORKERS.(BUSINESS)

Byline: CLAIRE HUGHES Business writer

Despite a recent forecast of light staffing cuts, more than a third of the workers at the local office of Novalis Corp. will lose their jobs due to the firm's sale to the California-based TriZetto Group.

Thirty-eight of Novalis' 105 Albany-based employees have been notified their jobs will be eliminated in the next two to eight months, said Lisa Reale, marketing director for Novalis, which develops software for the health care industry. Novalis employs about 400 people, including staff in Maryland and Arkansas.

Most of those losing their positions are computer programmers, she said. TriZetto already has an office …

Tribune Entertainment Co..(Programming)(Brief Article)

STEVE MULDERRIG, senior vice president, domestic and cable sales, promoted to …

Premier: China to Focus on Helping Poor

BEIJING - Premier Wen Jiabao promised Monday to spend more on boosting incomes in China's poor, restive countryside and protecting the environment as he announced budget plans for 2007.

The government also will maintain controls meant to contain a surge in housing prices, Wen said in a speech at the opening of the annual session of China's legislature.

China's leaders must "safeguard social fairness and justice and ensure that all of the people share in the fruits of reform and development," Wen said.

Communist leaders face strains from a growing and politically volatile gap between an elite who have profited from China's 25-year-old boom and the poor majority. …

Fight over sales tax cut goes down to wire

Up to now, the faces of the political war over Cook County's unpopular sales tax have been Board President Todd Stroger fighting to keep last year's penny-on-the-dollar hike in place and a majority of county commissioners pushing to roll it back.

Behind the scenes, the labor unions that have stood with Stroger and the business community, which has been howling from the start about the 2008 sales tax increase, have been campaigning hard -- particularly as this looms as a pivotal issue in the 2010 elections.

While commissioners today are expected to successfully override Stroger's veto of a half-penny-on-the-dollar rollback, the lobbying is expected to continue until they …

A LIFE STEEPED IN FAITH WHERE FOSTERING VOCATIONS IS HIS CALLING.(Religion)

The Rev. Lloyd Rebeyro: Associate pastor of historic St. Mary's Church in downtown Albany for the last 14 years. He served with the Rev. James Lefebvre, the pastor who also is retiring. St. Mary's has 22 Masses a week, and the two priests regularly say opening prayers at the state Legislature.

Background: Born of Portuguese descent on the island of Zanzibar, now part of Tanzania, the 67-year-old priest speaks with an Irish/British accent. He was educated in Zanzibar by the German missionaries Order of Precious Blood and in Ireland by Holy Ghost Fathers, now called Spiritans, the order into which he was ordained in Dublin in 1970. From Ireland, he moved to this country …

LONG-OVERDUE 'BLUE BOOK' SET TO DEBUT.(Living Today)

Byline: Paul Grondahl Staff writer

The calls have been coming into our offices with increased frequency in recent weeks from inquiring minds who want to know: "Where is the 'Blue Book' ?"

The social register of the Capital District is arriving. But, as any good socialite knows, it is fashionably late - six months to be exact.

The reason for the delay, it turns out, is enough to make a dozen long-stemmed roses wilt on the spot.

J. David Enright IV, the "Blue Book" publisher, blames the tardiness on ne'er-do-wells.

"There were attempts by saboteurs who didn't want the book to come out and they did their darndest to get in my way and …

CLASSES, PIZZA, STUDYING, PARTIES.(MAIN)(Correction notice)

Byline: Special to the Times Union

In the next week, tens of thousands of college students will be arriving in the Capital Region. Some of them will have only one thing on their minds, and Stefan Kalogridis is ready.

Kalogridis, the owner of Oliver's Beverage in Albany, has doubled his keg population in preparation for the first weekend of student parties. Never mind that Bass -- at $115 per keg -- is not a big seller among the fake-ID crowd. They go for the cheaper stuff -- Old Milwaukee (he's got 40 kegs in stock now), Molson and Labatt, which goes for $51.95.

``It all depends on their mood,'' Kalogridis said Thursday. ``And how much money they collect.''

Ask college administrators what attracts students to their schools, and they'll espouse the wonderful academic program, the impressive student-teacher ratio, the state-of-the-art facilities and talented faculty.

Of course, that stuff is important. But when students arrive on their respective …

Kong: protein bar with a difference.(Supplier News)(product introduction)(Brief Article)

CARLSBAD, Calif. -- Next Proteins International has launched Kong, a product that it predicts will revolutionize the protein bar category by combining 30 grams of protein in a bar with the taste and texture of oatmeal.

In addition, Next Proteins markets the Designer Whey line of products.

"There are many health and nutritional benefits in oatmeal," says president and chief executive officer David Jenkins.

"The combination of oatmeal with 30 grams of protein makes Kong the ideal meal replacement bar," he adds. "It's also the perfect answer for active individuals wanting to add more protein to their diets."

Oatmeal has been scientifically …

Imprisoned tycoon Khodorkovsky goes on hunger strike to urge medical help for his lawyer

Imprisoned Russian oil tycoon Mikhail Khodorkovsky launched a hunger strike Wednesday to protest authorities' refusal to give his jailed ex-lawyer AIDS medication.

Khodorkovsky accused officials of trying to extract incriminating, false confessions from the former lawyer, Vasily Aleksanian, and denying him AIDS treatment until he cooperates.

Aleksanian, who attended preliminary hearings Wednesday in his own trial on charges of embezzlement, money-laundering and tax evasion, has said authorities have refused him essential medicines.

He also accused authorities of deliberately putting him in conditions that exacerbated his illness after he refused …

James H. Stockover

James H. Stockover, 59, a retired Chicago police sergeant, diedThursday in Mercy Hospital.

He was a resident of the Beverly community and was on theChicago Police Department for 35 years as an auto theft specialist.His father, James, Sr., was a patrolmen in the Stockyard district.

He was a Korean War veteran and was active in the PoliceSergeants Association, the St. Jude Police League and the AmericanLegion, Armour Post …

Dutch staffing sector revenue falls 8% in Jan.

(ADPnews) - Feb 25, 2010 - Dutch temporary-employment agencies saw their revenue decline by 8% in annual terms in the first four weeks of 2010, industry association ABU said yesterday.

The number of hours worked by the flexible labour force in the Netherlands also dropped by 8%.

The decline in both revenue and hours worked was much lower than in the previous four-week period, according to ABU. …