HEATH PARK BLACKS U16 ... 4 PERRYSTREETU16...... 2 (ChelmsfordYouth League Division Four) THE visitors had the better of theopening exchanges but failed to make their opportunities count untilman-of-the-match Robbie Purkiss volleyed in Ben Pitman's free-kickto take the lead.
However, it was …
HOUSTON - After a nearly 10-day stay at the international space station that included construction work and a computer meltdown, space shuttle Atlantis was cleared to begin its return trip to Earth.
The shuttle was scheduled to undock from the space station at 10:40 a.m. EDT on Tuesday, with a planned return to Cape Canaveral, Fla., on Thursday.
"There were a lot of things to overcome, but despite those surprises, we managed to do what we always do and meet our mission objectives," flight director Holly Ridings said Tuesday. "The international space station is in very, very good shape."
Atlantis might have stayed an extra day if engineers hadn't been happy with a …
Germany's unemployment rate was unchanged in April at a seasonally unadjusted 8.6 percent as the number of people out of work declined only minimally, an unusual development for the spring month, according to government figures released Thursday.
The Federal Labor Agency said 3.585 million people were registered as unemployed _ only 1,000 fewer than in March.
"The recession in German industry is increasingly having …
Based on sealed reports from doctors, a federal judge ruledFriday that aging reputed mob figure Gus Alex is competent to standtrial on charges he shook down businessmen for hundreds of thousandsof dollars.
The ruling by U.S. District Judge James H. Alesia paves the wayfor Alex, 76, once considered a key mob political fixer, to standtrial on extortion charges May 4 with Nicholas Gio, 25.
Co-defendants Lenny Patrick, 78, and Mario Rainone, 37, havealready entered guilty pleas but only Patrick is cooperating with thegovernment. An admitted mob street crew leader, Patrick is expectedto testify against his alleged boss, Alex.
Defense attorneys had hoped to …
Larry Grant's sudden departure in April from the race for the First Congressional District seat caught many-including his own Democratic party-off guard.
It was his second run for the office, and Grant hoped the momentum from his 2006 bid would carry him to victory.
This time around, though, Grant, 62, faced weighty competition for the Democratic nomination from Boise businessman Walt Minnick. The Idaho native sat down with B W to talk politics.
Why did you run in 2006?
I probably shouldn't say this, but nobody else stepped forward. I talked to probably every potential Democratic candidate, trying to recruit someone who would take on the race.
The …
Tim Simpson took the first-round lead in the Toshiba Classic with the best round of his Champions Tour career, a bogey-free, 8-under 63 on Friday that left him a shot clear of 2005 winner Mark Johnson.
The 51-year-old Simpson, a four-time winner on the PGA Tour whose career has been sidetracked by Lyme Disease and a series of injuries and other ailments, is winless in 44 starts in parts of three seasons on the 50-and-over tour.
"I shouldn't still be playing. I'm a walking miracle," said Simpson, who had brain stimulation surgery and an electrode planted in his head three years ago.
He had five birdies in a six-hole stretch in a back-nine …
Firing general manager Randy Smith and manager Phil Garner oneweek into Detroit's season was one of the toughest decisions in teampresident Dave Dombrowski's life, but he knows what's it's like to beon the other end. He was fired by the White Sox in 1985 as vicepresident of baseball operations.
It's been almost 17 years, but it seems like yesterday,"Dombrowski said of getting the ax from Sox GM Ken "Hawk" Harrelson."He took me back to the Bard's Room in old Comiskey Park and said,'Well, Dave, it's you or me.'
"I think it was a power play to him, but I half-expected it. Ithappens when you make changes. He actually was as nice as he could beabout it. It hurt at the …
Camden R. (Cam) Fine has been selected to serve as president and CEO of the Independent Community Bankers of America (ICBA) upon the March 2004 retirement of Kenneth A. Guenther. Guenther has been with the ICBA since 1979 and has been its chief executive since 1982. Fine is president and CEO of Midwest Bankers' Bancorp., Inc., …
Even after his induction was complete and the crowd had wandered off, Rich "Goose" Gossage was still trying to come to grips with his new status as a Hall of Famer.
"I still have to pinch myself to realize that I've had the type of career I've had," said Gossage, after becoming just the fifth reliever enshrined at Cooperstown.
"My whole career is kind of a storybook. If I had to write a script, I wouldn't change a thing," said Gossage, who spent 22 years as one of baseball's most menacing and dominating relief pitchers.
Gossage was inducted Sunday, along with Dick Williams _ one of Gossage's former managers _ who managed …
* WEST VIRGINIA
Daily 3: 251
Daily 4: 7965
Cash 25: 1-6-13-15-16-18
- OHIO
Day
Pick 3: 706
Pick 4: 3705
Night
Pick 3: 944
Pick 4: …
CAs in public practice are especially vulnerable to risk if they don't stay up to date on the latest developments in auditing and accounting. This fictionalized account describes the missteps that landed one of our members in front of the Professional Conduct Enquiry Committee (PCEC). Names and circumstances have been changed to preserve anonymity.
The Situation
Bill, a sole practitioner, won the NPO audit engagement. Funded by a government agency, NPO had a number of branches throughout the province. The agency's funding agreement limited administrative expenditures, forbade expenditures in defined conflict of interest situations, required proper documentation, and …
Early every morning between July and December, some 260 neighbors of Ostional beach dedicate themselves to taking care of one of the only nesting grounds for the lora turtle.
The beach on Costa Rica's Pacific coastline is one of three places in the world where large numbers of the turtles can be found. The others are in Mexico and India.
A few years ago, the turtles only occupied about a kilometer (about a half mile) of the beach. Today, you can find them along a 7-kilometer (4-mile) stretch.
Gerardo Chaves, a biologist at the University of Costa Rica who has studied the turtles for 11 years, said the population has increased significantly and some 1 …
Once upon a time, or maybe twice, there lived a group of musicians who believed themselves ready for world domination of the musical sort. Keenly unaware of their massive egos, they set forth from their dingy rehearsal space ready to connect with destiny. They had walked for quite some time when Frank the guitarist said, "Hey guys, we need a plan. I'm getting hungry and my rent is almost due." They all agreed. But what to do and where to go? "Let's talk to my friend Gwen," said Jimmy the drummer. "She works in a record store. She'll know what to do."
When they arrived at Gwen's record store, they found her staring into a glowing crystal ball. She had a mystical air about her. The guys were very impressed. Gwen told them that, "to achieve world domination of the musical sort, you must first get the attention and commitment of the A&R person at a record company." "But how do we do that?" asked Billy the bassist. "It's easy," said Gwen, "just write the kind of undeniable hit songs that instantly capture the public's imagination, record a killer demo or indie album, sell a few truckloads of your indie CD, tour like crazy selling out every club that you play, engage a brilliant manager and sit back and wait; the A&R rep will be knocking at your door." "But we don't have time for that, we want to be famous right now," Johnny the singer exclaimed. "Well, why didn't you say so," said Gwen. "In that case, just close your eyes, click your heels together three times and repeat after me, there's no place like the top-of-the-charts, there's no place like the top-of-the-charts, there's no place..."
A&R people. Who are they? Where do they come from and what do they really want? To the newly signed recording artist, still aglow from doing the deal, the A&R person is a mythical deity that will scribe their name in stars across the night sky and guide them through a career that transcends space and time. To the unsigned recording artist who just received his tenth record company rejection form letter (he now has enough to paper one wall of his bedroom) the A&R person is an inconsiderate, pompous schmuck who never returns calls or e-mails and knows nothing about "real" music. But ask an A&R person who they are and they will most likely tell you, they're just normal people who love music and are trying to do a job as best they can.
A&R stands for Artists and Repertoire. Generally speaking, the record company A&R person will find and develop new talent (i.e., recording artists) for their company. They will assess the commercial potential of the recording artist on behalf of their company. They will offer advice and direction to the artist with regard to song selection, record and video production, promotion and touring.
To shed some light on the role of this mysterious gatekeeper, I spoke to Allan Reid, Sr. VP, A&R, Universal Music Canada, and Parkside Mike, Executive VP, A&R, Aquarius Records in Montreal, two of Canada's hardest working A&R reps.
Would you agree that a record company lives and dies by its A&R decisions?
Allan Reid: Well, yes and no. I think the difference in Canada is that the multinationals are very much repertoire sources but, even more so, they're marketing and distribution companies for international repertoire. Obviously, artists like Shania Twain, Eminem, U2 and hundreds of others are hugely important to us as far as our business goes, but, I think what really defines a record company is a company that can attract and find talent, develop talent and ultimately break it either on a regional or national level, then hopefully on an international level. It's satisfying to have a multi-platinum Eminem record but it's way more satisfying to have a gold Sarah Harmer record.
Parkside Mike: Completely. The good thing at Aquarius is, I'll spearhead a project but we really do a consensus thing because we're such a small group. Anyone can bring something to the table and we'll go over the pros and cons of each project and then figure out if it's right for Aquarius.
How does a potential new signing find its way into your hands?
AR: There's a lot of different ways. We at Universal do accept unsolicited material, meaning that we'll take any demos that come in off the street. It's a long, laborious process going through the thousands of demos we get. We've got four guys in our department who are filtering material all the time. But more often than not, the artists that end up getting signed come through a contact. Usually they have already done something themselves in the sense that they have developed their songwriting; they're not in a rush to get to the record company. I find that the really great artists just do what they do and eventually we find out about them. Probably more than anything else we find out through other artists. People who are out touring will say, "Hey, I had this band open up for me in Vancouver. They were great!" I think other artists are one of our best A&R sources. Managers, agents, club promoters, lawyers... they come from all different areas.
Do you prefer finding the artist as opposed to the artist sending you demos and calling you?
PM: Yes, totally, 100 per cent. Although I'm relatively new to the A&R community. I've never heard of someone just putting an unsolicited demo in the mail and getting signed. I would suggest that if a band wants a record company, if they don't know someone, whether it be a booking agent, a club promoter, a studio manager, if they don't know someone that knows the A&R community, then they're probably not ready yet for a record company. That's a generalization, and there are obviously exceptions to every rule, but most of the people that we work with come from some kind of contact. A&R has contacts everywhere: the publishing world, the studios, law firms, managers, booking agents, or even friends who go to shows and say, "Oh, I saw this great band you've got to check them out." Rather than getting a package, I much prefer getting an e-mail with a link to a Web site with MP3s or streaming and some live footage. You can tell a lot about a band from their Web site. I prefer to communicate via e-mail - it's not as stressful as getting a lot of calls in one day.
The prospective signing is on your radar screen - you like their demo. What's the balance between their ability to cut it on record and their ability to deliver a strong live show - or is it a bit of everything?
AR: I think it's a bit of everything. I know for me personally, I'm a big fan of an artist who can come up and sing their songs. Whether that's acoustic guitar or piano - just sitting there translating their music or if it's a full-blown show. For me and I think for most A&R guys the first thing is the song. It's finding a great song. Then it's the vehicle that delivers that song - the voice. Is it a unique voice? Is there a character to it and is there a character to the music as a whole? And then it starts coming down to charisma and what we call the "it" quality - is that person a star? You know, that's easier said than done. You see that person when they walk into a room - you can tell they have something.
Given how A&R has over the years moved toward artists that write their own material, is it still a function of your department to source new songs to be recorded by your artists?
AR: Yes, absolutely. I find that the majority of the artists that we work with nowadays prefer to cut their own material and that can be a bad thing as well as a good thing. I think most of us prefer to have artists that can pen their material because it's tough finding great songs. It's very hard to go to a publisher and say, "Hey, we're looking for one of your best hit writers to give us a track," when there's a number of other artists internationally also competing for those kind of songs. So you look to find artists who have a team either with them, within a band; or it's one sole person in the group that can write. But it's definitely important. It's not mandatory, but it certainly helps when you're trying to find material.
PM: Not really with the type of bands that we work with because we're doing mainly rock stuff. We have some joint venture labels that are venturing into different kinds of music. (A&R would be done by the other side of the joint venture.) The bands that I tend to work with, normally they should have great songs to begin with - I see myself more as a facilitator of situations where I get a band and I try and find the right situation for them. Because we're a small company. I tend to product manage my bands afterwards as well. I try to think five steps down the road as opposed to just making a great record. I try and think of making a great record but then, you know, what are we going to do for a video, who are they going to tour with, what opportunities are coming up over the next year, what bands are on the rise that fit similarly with them and can we make contact with them early to trade off on tour dates.
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Parkside, what was your initial A&R involvement with Serial Joe?
PM: Their record was halfway done when I started working on the project. They recorded the first album over March break and I went out to Vancouver with Kim Clarke-Champniss, who was one of their managers, to mix. But, my first real thing was we got them on Edgefest. I went to Toronto where they were rehearsing and I had these visions that Edgefest was going to be a tough crowd for them. So we came up with this plan to try and win over the crowd at Edgefest and at least not get pelted by bottles. I ended up donning a Mexican wrestler's mask for the tour and jumping around on stage to divert the bottles away from the band so they could play. Every show I would come out with a video camera and I would egg the crowd on. I have tattoos and I was wearing this muscle-shirt and shorts so I looked like this tough guy and it sort of gave them this air of credibility for that tour. We wound up selling the most records on the tour because our single was peaking at the right time. We had the longest line-ups at the autograph tent and I don't think it was because I was wearing a Mexican wrestler's mask, but at least the guys weren't bloodied from people throwing stuff at them when they went to sign their autographs.
How important is the "team"? If an artist you're considering doesn't have management, a lawyer or an agent, would that dissuade you or lessen your interest in that artist?
AR: It won't dissuade us or lessen our interest, but what we all realize is that before a record comes out, that team is essential. The manager is going to be the most important relationship an artist ever has in their career. That person will touch every aspect of that artist's business relationships and often even personal relationships. They'll be very, very close to the artist - more than anybody else. So that's probably the most important decision an artist could ever make. And equally then come lawyers, record companies, publishers and agents; there's all different people who are going to have different relationships with that artist and before any record comes out and launches into the public. Those relationships should somewhat be formed or at least introduced because (as an artist) you're going to need different members of each one of those teams to help you be successful. The A&R person is only one piece of the puzzle that the artist will need to be successful. You can have a successful career without an agent, without a manager, without a lawyer, or without a record company - it can be done. Ani Difranco has done very well on her own, but that's the exception to the rule. The more prepared you are as an artist the better - reading things about the music business and understanding the business is essential to being successful. Be prepared. That way you don't get ripped off or burned along the way.
What is the quality of demos that you receive? Is it high quality or is it a lo-fi home recording or is it all across the board?
AR: With the advent of computers and home recording abilities, demo quality has soared. It really has gotten far, far better. We're basically getting finished masters more often than we are getting demos. It just eliminates some of the guesswork for the A&R guys. What you have to understand as an artist is if you're sending your music in to an A&R person, lawyers, agents, managers, whatever, they've got boxes and boxes of demos and tapes sitting there and if you've got the ability to make a really good sounding demo, when they put that demo on next to the one they just listened to, they'll weigh that decision. It's a hard thing not to; you listen to a singer/songwriter with just an acoustic guitar on a cassette, then you drop on someone's CD that's got full production behind it, the songs will sound better; sonically they'll sound better. The song may not be any better but the sonics are. It just takes a bit more of the guesswork out. As an A&R person you can always imagine things sounding any certain way like "Oh we can do this kind of arrangement or we can bring this producer in."
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How do you deal with the "Unreachable, Ivory Tower" stigma attached to A&R reps?
AR: You know, there's a misconception out there, at least I think there is, that A&R people are hard to approach. I don't believe that at all. Maybe it applies in some other companies. I know at Universal, we're normal everyday people who love music and we're very busy because yes, there's a lot of people trying to get to us and we get a lot of packages, but it's as easy as running into us at a club downtown. You know, it's a small business and once you're in the circle of working musicians and working artists and getting to know who's out there, it's as easy as just asking. Go and hang at the Horseshoe (in Toronto) on Tuesday night and you'll meet all the A&R people - they're all there. The job of an A&R person is to filter through the best of it and get to what they're looking for as quick as they can. They're not there to provide a critique service to artists; they're there to find music for their company.
So unless you see a diamond in the rough, you really can't spend time...
AR: Well it's hard as you get about 2,000 submissions in a year, but the opportunity to sit and give feedback is there, with artists you might want to keep getting material from. But you can't spend an hour on the phone with a lot of artists who put a demo in that you just don't see as right for your company. That's one of the hardest things to explain to an artist when you're passing on their music - it's not to say we're the be-all-end-alls, and if we say your music's not right for us doesn't mean it's not good, it's nto that at all. At that point in time it could simply be it's not right for our company. We're heading in this certain direction or we're looking for these kinds of signings; you need more time. There are lots of things that could be causing us to say no. It doesn't mean that the actual quality of the music or the songwriting is bad, but sometimes it is.
Do you only sign music that you personally like or do you remove your personal preferences in sourcing talent for your company?
AR: Absolutely (I only sign music that I like). If you're signing with a record company and the A&R person is signing you because what you do is trendy and doesn't really love it and doesn't have a true vision for it, if there's a bump in the road somewhere along the way in your career, you'll know it, and it'll be hard for you because there won't be that core belief of someone going, "I don't care what anyone else says, I love this artist." You need that inside your own record company because when you bring an artist in, the job only begins. You now have to go convince the rest of the company. You have to go make a great record with the artist and then you have to go work it through the marketing and promo departments and publicity and sales departments.
How important is radio in exposing your artists?
AR: Radio is still, I think, by far the most important factor in exposing artists to the mass populace. And it's a great revenue source for the artist in their performance (royalty) income. Having the exposure on radio and having a hit single at radio makes a huge difference.
PM: If it's a rock or pop band, then yes, obviously radio is important. But, if it's someone like our new signing, Antoine (not from Sky), it's not as important. We just have to figure out how to get it to people and hopefully radio will jump on. Canadian radio is increasingly harder to break an act on - to satisfy Canadian Content, they can play Nickelback and Sum 41 forever and that's all you hear, but there are other artists trying to come up and make some waves at radio as well.
Any suggestions or guidance for the unsigned artist trying to connect with an A&R rep?
PM: Consider playing shows with bands that are well known and established. I have a lot of friends who work in clubs and I'll usually hear about this band or that band through them. Get into festivals such as North by Northeast or Canadian Music Week.
AR: Take your time, develop your music, take it as far as you possibly can, and if you can develop a live following, and go do that before even approaching a record company. The bands that go out there and create a buzz on their own, we don't wait for their demos to arrive. We'll go looking for them. We'll hear about them. If you're putting 500 people in a club in London, we'll hear about that. It's a lot more exciting to record company A&R guys to be searching music out than being sent music. It's a better position for the band to be in, having someone call and say, "Hey, I'm trying to get a hold of your music," than it is you sending it in and waiting eight months to get a response. Make sure you've got great songs. Not just because your best friend or your parents tell you it's good, but maybe you've already taken it to the local radio station and got it on the air and had it compete directly against all the other great repertoire that's out there.
Do your groundwork, get educated. Understand the business. It's a business. Yes, it's great to go and play music and do your thing, but if you're going to go out and enter the world of record companies and managers and agents and lawyers and promoters - understand the business. You'll be far more successful if you do.
So there you have it. Many thanks to Allan and Parkside for taking the time to speak with me. Given the space limitations of this article, I could only provide you with a fraction of their wisdom and insights. In closing, I offer a word of caution from an ancient prophecy that reads, "He who sows the wind shall reap the whirlwind." In other words, if you're knocking on A&R's door and the door opens, you'd better be ready! Alternatively, you could wait for A&R to come knocking on your door. And if that doesn't work, just close your eyes, click your heels together three times and repeat after me, there's no place like the top-of-the-charts, there's no place like the top-of-the-charts, there's no place...
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Paul Irvine is an entertainment paralegal with the law firm of Sanderson Taylor in Toronto. He can be reached at paulirvine@sandersontaylor.com.
"I FiND THAT THE REALLY GREAT ARTiSTS JUST DO WHAT THEY DO AND EVENTUALLY WE FiND OUT ABOUT THEM." - ALLAN REiD, A&R, UNiVERSAL
"IT'S A LOT MORE EXCiTiNG TO RECORD COMPANY A&R GUYS TO BE SEARCHiNG MUSiC OUT THAN BEiNG SENT MUSiC." - PARKSiDE MiKE, A&R, AQUARiUS
Victims of the deadly Flight 587 crash are being remembered at a New York City ceremony on the seventh anniversary of the tragedy.
The American Airlines flight crashed in a quiet Queens neighborhood on Nov. 12, 2001, after taking off from Kennedy International Airport bound for the Dominican Republic.
The crash killed all 260 people on board and five people on the ground.
The National Transportation Safety Board determined that the tail of the Airbus A300 had fallen off, and blamed pilot error, inadequate pilot training and overly sensitive rudder controls.
The disaster jarred a city still fearful after the terrorist attacks two months earlier. The loss was also felt heavily in the Dominican Republic.
Britain woke up to a new political era Wednesday with the first full coalition government since World War II _ an unlikely marriage between the Conservative party of right-wing icon Margaret Thatcher and the left-leaning Liberal Democrats.
Details of the coalition alliance were expected to slowly trickle out _ the Liberal Democrats have already won several Cabinet seats, but it will be one of the least experienced governments since Tony Blair's Labour Party won its landslide victory in 1997 amid cheers of joy.
Boos greeted Conservative Prime Minister David Cameron as he walked into Downing Street late Tuesday after Labour's leader Gordon Brown stepped aside. No party won a majority of parliamentary seats _ voters were enraged after a damaging expense scandal last year that tarred lawmakers from all three parties with claims on everything from pornography to chandeliers.
The government will immediately begin tackling Britain's record 153 billion-pound ($236 billion) deficit. It is still unclear whether the Liberal Democrats will back the Conservatives' plan to begin immediate spending cuts _ a punishing course of action that isn't likely to win praise from the electorate.
But the change in government could also mean a change for Britain's place on the world stage.
Both Cameron and Liberal Democrat Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg have signaled they favor looser ties to Washington. Both men back the Afghanistan mission, but Cameron hopes to withdraw British troops within five years. Clegg has said he's uneasy at a rising death toll. Leaner coffers may also mean less money to enter foreign-led military operations.
Relations with European neighbors could also become problematic. Cameron's party is deeply skeptical over cooperation in Europe and has withdrawn from an alliance with the parties of Germany's Angela Merkel and France's Nicolas Sarkozy. Clegg, once a member of the European parliament, has long been pro-European.
Once described as sandal-wearing hippie academics, Clegg's Lib Dems emerge from the political fringe to the top rung of government. Among the most visible will be Vince Cable, who will take an as yet unspecified post in charge of Britain's banks, the BBC reported.
Labour, meanwhile, took steps to regroup, with the maneuvering under way for the job of party leader. David Miliband, the foreign secretary, has emerged as a candidate and has earned the backing of another early favorite, former Home Secretary Alan Johnson.
Brown's deputy Harriet Harman would become interim Labour leader until a formal leadership takes place to select his permanent successor.
The 43-year-old Cameron becomes Britain's youngest prime minister in almost 200 years _ the last was Lord Liverpool at 42 _ and cemented a coalition deal with the third-place Liberal Democrats. Clegg and four other Liberal Democrats received Cabinet posts. A number of other Liberal Democrats would receive junior posts.
The agreement, reached over five sometimes tense days of negotiation, delivered Britain's first full coalition government since World War II.
"This is a genuine compromise between the parties," said William Hague, the new foreign secretary. "There are many things the Liberal Democrats have had to swallow that are very difficult for them, just as there are some things _ like holding a referendum on a new voting system _ that are very difficult for the Conservative Party to accept. "That means, of course, there will be people in both parties who quietly wish it hadn't happened, I'm sure."
Cameron and Clegg agreed to a pact after the Conservative Party won the most seats in Britain's May 6 national election, but fell short of winning a majority of seats in Parliament.
Cameron's Conservative Party said senior lawmaker George Osborne will serve as Treasury chief, and lawmaker Liam Fox as defense secretary.
Other leading positions were being finalized, as were key policy decision ahead of the presentation of the coalition's first legislative program on May 25.
The coalition has already agreed on a five-year, fixed-term Parliament _ the first time Britain has had the date of its next election decided in advance. Both sides have made compromise, and Cameron has promised Clegg a referendum on his key issue: reform of Britain's electoral system aimed at creating a more proportional system.
"Nick Clegg and I are both political leaders who want to put aside party differences and work hard for the common good and for the national interest," Cameron said Tuesday.
President Barack Obama, meanwhile, telephoned to congratulate Cameron, and invited him to visit Washington this summer, according to the White House. Obama told Cameron that he looked forward to meeting at an international economic summit to be held in Canada next month.
Brown's resignation ends five days of uncertainty after last week's general election left the country with no clear winner. It left Britain with its first so-called hung Parliament since 1974. Britain's Conservatives won the most seats but fell short of a majority, forcing them to bid against the Labour Party for the loyalty of the Lib Dems.
___
Associated Press Writers Jennifer Quinn, Raphael G. Satter and Jill Lawless contributed to this report.
Seven Guatemalan youths were killed in a shootout between rival gangs on a road near the capital, police said Sunday.
Authorities believe the gun battle, which took place Saturday night in Guatemala City's northern suburbs, was between the Pandilla 18 and Mara Salvatrucha gangs, said police spokesman Faustino Sanchez.
Among the dead was a 15-year-old boy, Sanchez said. No arrests had been made Sunday.
Youth gangs are rampant in Guatemala, and as few as 2 percent of the country's more than 5,000 homicides a year are solved.
Jeff Weaver didn't answer his little brother's calls. Not on this day.
Jeff outpitched little brother Jered in a duel that was mostly a dud and the Los Angeles Dodgers beat the Los Angeles Angels 6-4 on Saturday night.
The much-anticipated Weaver vs. Weaver matchup didn't last too long as neither 26-year-old Jered nor 32-year-old Jeff made it through the sixth inning.
It was the first time in seven years that siblings started against each other in the majors _ in 2002, Andy and Alan Benes were the pitchers. This was the 21st time overall that it had occurred in the big leagues.
"I called him a couple of times, and he big-leagued me, so I don't know what quite happened there," Jered said. "I don't know if he was getting mentally prepared, or what. I tried calling him a couple of times and there was no answer, so what are you going to do?"
Well, pitch.
Jeff Weaver (4-1) had the upper hand there, too, going five-plus innings and giving up two runs and six hits, including a home run by Kendry Morales.
Jered Weaver (7-3) had a rougher time. He went 5 1-3 innings and was tagged for six runs and 10 hits, including a home run by Russell Martin _ his first of the season.
"You get locked in when you're out there and don't really think about anything else than facing the opponents' lineup," Jeff said.
So did he feel good about beating his little brother?
"I'm mentally and physically exhausted. It's one of the most ill-felt victories ever, but you take wins whenever you can get them. I'm glad it's all said and done," he said.
"I would have rather pitched six, seven or eight innings than sit around and watch the rest of the game. You always wish the best for him, but we just caught him on the right day and we came up with some huge hits with two outs. He's going to have plenty more starts."
So would either be up for a rematch?
"No. Absolutely not. It was draining enough having to do it one time. It took five years to do it and it was a fun experience, but I'm glad it's over with," Jered said.
"He's had the upper hand on me the past 26 years, so we're going to laugh about it. It was fun to be a part of, and hopefully we never have to go through that again."
The brothers' parents, Gail and Dave Weaver, sat about 20 rows behind home plate decked out in half Angels/half Dodgers jerseys that appeared to be stitched together in the back _ an idea Jeff's wife came up with. Picking a number didn't come up as an issue _ both brothers wear 36.
They also left the game with other souvenirs: the brothers' first pitches.
Gail and Dave were spotted on television throughout the game _ especially when Jered and Jeff had trouble on the mound.
"It was very emotional," Gail said. "It is not a comfortable feeling, you want them both to do well because they are doing the best that they can and we are just rooting for both of them," she said.
Dave was caught with his head in his hands a few times when either sibling gave up a run.
"At least one good thing came out of it _ they got some pretty sweet jerseys," Jered said. "It was good to see them up there. I saw dad up there with his head down a couple of times, but that's the way he always is."
That happened plenty of times in the fifth. Jered, who struck out four and walked three, gave up three runs in that inning, with Andre Ethier's two-run triple giving the Dodgers a 5-2 lead.
Jeff, who was bumped out of the majors by Jered in 2006, gave up two runs early and left after Chone Figgins hit a leadoff triple in the sixth. The rest of his outing was pretty much hiccup-free, and he had easy innings in the third, fourth and fifth.
"I'm glad we had the one that won," Dodgers manager Joe Torre said. "The older one should have won."
Gary Matthews Jr. hit a two-run homer off Dodgers closer Jonathan Broxton in the ninth.
Bobby Abreu singled in Figgins in the first inning and Morales' homer over the left-field wall gave the Angels an early 2-0 lead.
But the Dodgers tied it up in the third when Martin hit a solo homer and Orlando Hudson had a sacrifice fly.
NOTES: Suspended Dodgers slugger Manny Ramirez is set to start his minor league stint on Tuesday with Triple-A Albuquerque. He is eligible to be reinstated on July 3, when the Dodgers are in San Diego. ... The Angels agreed to terms with their first pick in this year's draft. OF Randal Grichuk visited with Angels' manager Mike Scioscia and got to take a whirl around the clubhouse before the game. He will fly out Sunday and play in the Arizona rookie league. ... Eric Milton will make a rehab start in San Bernardino on Sunday.
BAGHDAD, Iraq - At least 20 American service members were killed in military operations Saturday in the deadliest day for U.S. forces in two years, including 13 who died in a helicopter crash and five slain in an attack by militia fighters in the holy city of Karbala, military officials said.
Saturday's toll was the third-highest of any single day since the war began in March 2003, eclipsed only by 37 U.S. deaths on Jan. 26, 2005, and 28 on the third day of the U.S. invasion. U.S. authorities also announced two American combat deaths from Friday.
The heavy toll comes at a critical time of rising congressional opposition to President Bush's decision to dispatch 21,500 additional soldiers to the conflict to try to curb sectarian slaughter.
The military gave little information on the crash of the Army Black Hawk helicopter during good weather in Diyala province, northeast of Baghdad. U.S. and Iraqi forces have been battling Sunni insurgents and Shiite militias for months in the province, around the city of Baqouba.
Lt. Col. Josslyn Aberle, a U.S. spokeswoman, said the cause of the crash had not been determined. Navy Capt. Frank Pascual, a member of a U.S. media relations team in the United Arab Emirates, told Al-Arabiya television that the helicopter was believed to have suffered technical troubles before going down.
Five U.S. soldiers were killed Saturday night when militia fighters attacked a provincial headquarters in the Shiite Muslim holy city of Karbala, the military said in a statement.
The statement said "an illegally armed militia group" attacked the building with grenades, small arms and "indirect fire," which usually means mortars or rockets. The statement said three other soldiers were wounded repelling the attack.
"A meeting was taking place at the time of the attack to ensure the security of Shiite pilgrims participating in the Ashoura commemorations," said a statement from Brig. Gen. Vincent K. Brooks, deputy commander of the Multi-National Division-Baghdad.
Karbala is 50 miles south of Baghdad and thousands of Shiite pilgrims are flocking to the city to mark the 10-day Ashoura festival commemorating the death of one of Shiite Islam's most sacred saints, Imam Hussein, grandson of the Prophet Muhammad.
Brooks said Iraqi officials and security forces as well as U.S. troops were present at the meeting, but his statement did not mention other casualties from the attack. It said the headquarters had "been secured by coalition and Iraqi security forces."
Earlier, Karbala Gov. Akeel al-Khazaali had reported that U.S. troops raided the provincial headquarters looking for wanted men but left with no prisoners. But Brooks said that report was incorrect.
The general did not identify any group suspected of staging the attack, but residents reached by telephone had reported seeing military helicopters flying over the local headquarters of radical Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr.
Al-Sadr's Mahdi Army militia, which has been accused of playing a big role in sectarian killings, has been hit repeatedly in recent weeks by operations in which key commanders have been captured or killed by U.S. and Iraqi troops.
Also Saturday, roadside bombs killed a soldier in the capital and one in Nineveh province north of Baghdad.
The U.S. military also announced that combat Friday had killed an Army soldier in Nineveh province and a Marine in Anbar province, a Sunni insurgent stronghold west of the capital. The Marines often delay death reports, raising the possibility that Friday's toll was higher.
The helicopter crash was the fourth deadliest since the start of the war. The worst crash occurred on the war's deadliest day, Jan. 26, 2005, when a Marine transport helicopter crashed during a sandstorm in Iraq's western desert, killing 30 Marines and a sailor. On the same day, six other U.S. forces died in combat for a total of 37 deaths.
The second highest daily toll was on March 23, 2003 when 28 service members were killed as American forces were pushing toward Baghdad on the third day of the U.S.-led invasion.
Meanwhile, the first reinforcements of U.S. troops under the new Bush strategy have already started to flow into the Baghdad region. A brigade of the U.S. 82nd Airborne Division, part of the buildup, has arrived in Baghdad and will be ready to join the fresh drive to quell sectarian violence in the capital by the first of the month, the American military said Sunday.
The 2nd Brigade of the 82nd Airborne consists of about 3,200 soldiers who will "assist Iraqi Security Forces to clear, control and retain key areas of the capital city in order to reduce violence and to set the conditions for a transition to full Iraqi control of security in the city," the military said in a statement.
In south Baghdad, U.S. helicopters dropped Iraqi police commandos into the dangerous Dora neighborhood to stage a raid on the Omar Brigade, an al-Qaida-linked Sunni militant group, Interior Ministry spokesman Abdul-Karim Khalaf said.
Khalaf said 15 insurgents were killed and five captured during an intense battle at two abandoned houses taken over by Sunni gunmen, who he blamed for a series of kidnappings and killings in a bid to cleanse the once-mixed neighborhood of Shiite residents.
"We were provided with helicopter support by our friends in the multinational forces and we did not suffer any casualties," Khalaf said. U.S. aircraft gave covering fire, but the U.S. military did not respond to a request for comment on the raid.
Elsewhere in Baghdad, Iraqi police and hospital officials said a joint U.S.-Iraqi force searched a hospital in the volatile Sunni-dominated western neighborhood of Yarmouk.
Dr. Haqi Ismail, the hospital manager, said the raid occurred at 4:30 a.m.
"They were looking for someone, they searched all the rooms and the emergency unit," he said.
Al-Sadr's followers voiced increasing anger over Friday's capture of a senior aide to the radical cleric in a raid in eastern Baghdad.
Nassar al-Rubaie, the head of al-Sadr's bloc in parliament, accused U.S. forces of trying to provoke the Sadrists into violence during the expanding campaign to quell Iraq's fighting.
"We condemn strongly the arrest of Sheik Abdul-Hadi al-Darraji. He is moderate and well-known as a media personality and always available in negotiations," al-Rubaie said. "He is a peaceful man and what was mentioned in the American release is lies and justification for the aggression against al-Sadr's movement."
U.S. and Iraqi forces reportedly detained al-Darraji during a raid on a mosque complex before dawn Friday.
The U.S. military, in a statement that did not name al-Darraji, said special Iraqi army forces operating with U.S. advisers had "captured a high-level, illegal armed group leader" in Baghdad's Baladiyat neighborhood, next to the Mahdi Army stronghold of Sadr City. It said two other suspects were detained for further questioning.
Sadiq al-Rikabi, an al-Maliki adviser, told Al-Arabiya television the operation was not coordinated with Iraq's political leaders and was not part of the new security campaign.
Police reported at least 16 Iraqis slain in attacks Saturday. In addition, officials said 29 bodies were found in Baghdad and three in the northern city of Mosul, most of them showing signs of torture - a hallmark of killings by sectarian death squads.
Dwight Smith, who played five games for the Cubs' Class A Daytonateam, returned from Florida and was reactivated after Thursday's 5-2loss.
"I really enjoyed the little rehab with the youngsters - and wegot some talent coming - so I've got to come up here and workharder," laughed Smith, who was 5-for-16 with four doubles with theDaytona team.
But Smith, who has been out with a cracked thumb since July 8,admitted he wasn't laughing when he was told of the plans to send himto the minors.
"You know when I first left, I was a little disappointed anddiscouraged, not thinking I would need it," the veteran outfieldersaid.
"But I got down there and the minor league pitchers startedlooking like they were throwing 106 (m.p.h.) in the first game.
"So it was well-needed. I got a few kinks out after not playingfor a month so the five days really helped a lot."
To make room for Smith, the Cubs optioned utility man DougJennings to Class AAA Iowa in what manager Jim Lefebvre said was "oneof the toughest calls I've had to make."
"Doug did a hell of a job for us," said Lefebvre of Jennings(.255, 8 runs, 8 RBI), whose five pinch hits all went for extrabases. "He'll definitely be back in September."
HUMAN TRICKS: So just how dumb are baseball fights? Cubsreliever Dan Plesac remembers wrenching his knee scaling the commonoutfield bullpen wall at Milwaukee County Stadium to join onemidfield shove fest with the White Sox.
"And then I'm running next to Bobby Thigpen to get to theinfield before we fight, and walking back with the Sox pitchersafterward," Plesac said. "So what's that?"
IN THE BEGINNING: In the Cubs' 13 second-half wins, theirstarters have combined for a 2.84 ERA and lasted 82 1/3 innings.
In the Cubs' eight second-half losses, their starters havestruggled to a 6.27 ERA and lasted just 41 2/3 innings.
HELPING HANDS: The Cubs' flood aid fund has raised $300,000, atotal which will be matched by a charitable foundation.
They will continue to accept donations at a table on the mainconcourse behind home plate when the team returns home for a weekendseries with San Francisco next Friday.
The Cubs' annual fund-raising cruise on Lake Michigan alsoraised $75,000 for Cubs Care charities.
An explosion in the Texas Panhandle that killed two men was the second deadly blast in the state in two days involving workers who have accidentally hit natural gas lines.
The blast Tuesday involved a crew that was removing caliche _ commonly used in cement _ from a pit for a dirt-contracting company, Lipscomb County Sheriff James Robertson said in a news release. The explosion happened when a bulldozer struck a pipeline in a remote area of the Texas Panhandle near Darrouzett, about 270 miles northeast of Lubbock and just a few miles from the Oklahoma border.
A day earlier, one worker was killed when a utility crew accidentally hit and ruptured a natural gas line in rural Johnson County, about 50 miles southwest of Dallas.
Fred Haag, chief operating officer of Oklahoma-based C&H Power Line Construction Services, said that crew followed the proper procedures in locating the line before digging. The crew was drilling a hole for an 80- to 120-foot utility pole when the gas line was struck and ruptured, sending a massive fireball into the air that burned out about two hours later after the gas flow was shut off.
Haag said the crew already had a survey map showing gas lines in the area but also made calls to verify the line location.
Robertson declined to identify the employer of the men killed Tuesday. He did not release the men's names because relatives had not been notified.
Denver-based DCP Midstream shut off valves leading to the 14-inch pipeline, allowing the fire to burn out about four hours later, spokeswoman Roz Elliott said. She said the pipeline fed one of the company's processing plants.
Three other workers were injured in the Panhandle explosion. One was hospitalized in Oklahoma City in critical condition but was expected to survive. Two others escaped with injuries that were not considered life-threatening.
Rhonda Cochran said she could see the flames as she was driving from Booker to her home in Darrouzett.
"They were huge," she told the Amarillo Globe-News. "I was eight miles away from Darrouzett. You could see the flames."
Authorities identified the man killed in Monday's blast as James Robert Neese, 45, of Ramona, Okla. His body was found about 600 feet from the explosion site.
"James was a beloved, hardworking father who always put his family first," his wife, Lavonne Neese, said in a written statement.
At least seven of the other 13 workers who had been close to the site were treated at hospitals, mostly for burns to their necks and arms as they ran away from the massive fireball, Haag said.
Several of Neese's relatives also work for C&H, including his brother who was at the site Monday but was not injured. Neese, who has several children and stepchildren, recently welcomed a new baby with his wife, Haag said.
"It's hard because we're a fairly small company and close-knit," Haag said. "His crew was like a family to him, and he watched them like a mother hen."
After investigators finish looking over the site, workers will repair the ruptured pipeline, which is expected to take several days, said Houston-based Enterprise Products Partners LP, which partially owns the 36-inch-diameter line. It is a 395-mile segment of a pipeline extending from western to eastern Texas, the company said.
___
Associated Press Writer Angela K. Brown in Cleburne contributed to this report.
| GP W D L F A Pts |
| New Zealand 5 3 0 2 124 82 14 |
| Australia 4 3 0 1 87 82 13 |
| South Africa 5 1 0 4 62 109 5 |
| NOTE: 4 points for win, 1 point for losing within 7 points, 1 point for scoring 4 tries in match |
| ___ |
| Saturday, July 5 |
| At Wellington, New Zealand |
| New Zealand 19, South Africa 8 |
| Saturday, July 12 |
| At Dunedin, New Zealand |
| South Africa 30, New Zealand 28 |
| Saturday, July 19 |
| At Perth, Australia |
| Australia 16, South Africa 9 |
| Saturday, July 26 |
| At Sydney, Australia |
| Australia 34, New Zealand 19 |
| Saturday, Aug. 2 |
| At Auckland, New Zealand |
| New Zealand 39, Australia 10 |
| Saturday, Aug. 16 |
| At Cape Town, South Africa |
| New Zealand 19, South Africa 0 |
| Saturday, Aug. 23 |
| At Durban, South Africa |
| Australia 27, South Africa 15 |
| Saturday, Aug. 30 |
| At Johannesburg, South Africa |
| South Africa vs. Australia |
| Saturday, Sept. 13 |
| At Brisbane, Australia |
| Australia vs. New Zealand |
I've always considered myself in the broad category of being non-religious. I was raised in what one would call a fairweather Christian family - only visiting church for weddings, deaths, Easter or when visiting the much more Christian grandparents on a Sunday. Throughout my formative years, I sought elightenment through newly discovered religions, meditation, and even the mind-enhancing effects of substances like beer. My journey educated me to the philisophical ways of many religions, but none appealed to me. I have come to believe in my own ways, my own ideas about the world, my own supreme being, if one exists.
When I found a web site that determines what religion best fits my own personal philosophy of the world, I was intrigued. How could it hurt? My own personal belief system wouldn't send me to hell for questioning the all-powerful Oz. Would it? It was worth a try. So I went to www.speakout.com/ActivismTools/selectors/religion/ and took their quiz.
Expecting to be told I was a devout agnostic, I was surprised to discover my beliefs had something else in store for me. Religions and beliefs I had little experience with.
The site recommended I become (in order of importance) a Theravada Buddhist, Unitarian Universalist, Neo-Pagan, Humanist, Mahayana Buddhist, Liberal Quaker, New Age practitioner, Taoist, Atheist/Agnostic or an Orthodox Quaker. One it didn't recommend that I think I'll continue being a follower of is a beer in one hand and a fishing pole in the other.
THE WORLD'S TOP 10 RELIGIONS
Christianity 33%
Islam 20%
Non-religious 15%
Hinduism 13%
Buddhism 6%
Athiests 4%
Chinese Folk Religions 4%
New Asian Religions 2%
Tribal, Animism 2%
Source: U.S. Center for World Mission
THE TOP 10 RELIGIONS IN THE U.S.
Christianity 76.5%
Nonreligious/Secular 13.2%
Judaism 1.3%
Islam .05%
Buddhism .05%
Agnostic .05%
Atheist .04%
Hinduism .04%
Unitarian Universalist .03%
Wiccan/Pagan/Druid .01%
Spiritualist <.01%
American Religious Identification Survey, 2001 study.
TOP 10 CHRISTIAN DENOMINATIONS IN U.S.
Catholic 24.5%
Baptist 16.3%
Methodist/Wesleyan 6.8%
Lutheran 4.6%
Presbyterian 2.7%
Pentecostal/Charismatic 2.1%
Episcopalian/Anglican 1.7%
Latter-day Saints/Mormon 1.3%
Churches of Christ 1.2%
Congregational/United Church of Christ 0.7%
American Religious Identification Survey, 2001 study.
IDAHO'S RELIGIOUS MAKEUP
Protestant 39%
(Methodist 6%)
(Lutheran 4%)
(Baptists 4%)
LDS 30%
Non-Religious* 13%
Roman Catholic 12%
Other Christian 2%
Other Religions 1%
Wikipedia.com
* Western states are typically more tolerant of non-religious practitioners than the Midwest and South according to a recent PEW Forum on Religion and Public Life research study.
Article copyright Bar Bar Inc.
Chart (THE WORLD'S TOP 10 RELIGIONS)
There's a lot you can do to lift the blues, but when it comes toserious depression, you're going to need an expert's help. Men withdepression are twice as likely to commit suicide as their femalecounterparts. See your physician if you're experiencing several ofthe following: Feeling down or low most of each day Losing interestin almost all activities Experiencing significant weight gain or lossInability to sleep Feeling agitated Feeling fatigued Experiencinginappropriate guilt or feelings of worthlessness Inability toconcentrate or make decisions Having suicidal thoughts
Andy Murray, carrying the growing hopes of a British public anxious to have its first male Grand Slam champion in more than 70 years, has won his first-round match at the Australian Open.
The fourth-seeded Scot, who lost last year's U.S. Open final to Roger Federer, was leading Andrei Pavel of Romania 6-2, 3-1, 15-0 when the Romanian pulled out with a back injury in searing 37C (99F) temperatures at Rod Laver Arena.
The last British male champion at a Grand Slam was Fred Perry, who won Wimbledon and the U.S. Open in 1936.
NAPA, Calif. (AP) — California agricultural officials say they have beaten back an invasive species that was threatening the state's wine industry.
Traps are now turning up only a handful of European grapevine moths.
State Department of Food and Agriculture spokesman Steve Lyle tells the San Francisco Chronicle that early in the year, there were hundreds of moths per trap.
The invaders were first detected in Napa County in September 2009 after one grower lost his entire 9-acre vineyard.
They were later found in nine other counties, including Sonoma and Monterey.
Growers responded with sticky traps, quarantines and insecticides.
Lyle says $8 million has been spent so far on treatment and fruit removal in California.
___
Information from: San Francisco Chronicle, http://www.sfgate.com/chronicle
Madchen Amick has been tapped for a major recurring role nextseason on NBC's veteran medical drama "ER."
In 10 episodes, Amick will play a social worker and a loveinterest for series star Noah Wyle.
"ER" will return for its 11th season this fall. The 1996 Emmywinner for best drama series is overseen by executive producer JohnWells.
Amick played two-timing waitress Shelly Johnson on the 1990-91 ABCcult favorite "Twin Peaks." Her other series credits include ABC'supdate of "Fantasy Island" and the WB's "Gilmore Girls."
Hollywood Reporter
Can I come in for a visit?" asks seven-year-old Jenna at the front door, looking up at me with big brown eyes. Jenna is one of four aboriginal children who live next door with their mother.
We live in a low-income area of town: 120 town houses in a jungle of concrete and stucco. Most of the houses are empty and boarded up to prevent vandalism, giving the neighbourhood a lonely, depressed feeling. The most recent owner claimed bankruptcy and the property has gone into receivership.
My husband and I are working with other residents to build some ownership alternatives, such as cooperative housing, to prevent the property from falling into the hands of another slum …
Associated Press photographer Emilio Morenatti, who lost his left foot while on assignment in Afghanistan last year, won the top award on Thursday for the National Press Photographers Association.
The group named Morenatti its 2010 Photojournalist of the Year for large markets.
"I feel completely full of energy," Morenatti said. "This is absolutely amazing news. I never imaged a few hours before going back to my job, I would have this great news."
After about seven months of rehabilitation, Morenatti was set to return to work for the AP this weekend. The Spanish native will be based in Barcelona.
Morenatti was wounded in August while on assignment with the U.S. military in southern Afghanistan. Two U.S. soldiers and AP Television News videographer Andi Jatmiko were also injured when their vehicle ran over a bomb planted in the desert.
Morenatti was first taken to a hospital in Kandahar, Afghanistan, then later transferred to a Baltimore hospital, where he was fitted with a prosthesis and underwent rehabilitation.
The AP's director of photography, Santiago Lyon, said he expects the award to give Morenatti a boost as he heads back to work.
"I am thrilled for Emilio," Lyon said. "He is an extremely talented photographer and well deserving of this prestigious award."
Morenatti has years of experience in war zones. Based in Islamabad, he has worked for the AP in Afghanistan, Israel and the Palestinian territories. Pictures of the Year International named him Newspaper Photographer of the Year in 2009.
In 2006, he was kidnapped in Gaza City and freed unharmed after 15 hours. The following year, he suffered a broken leg from a fragment of a stun grenade while covering a protest in a West Bank village.
AP photographer wins photojournalism awardAssociated Press photographer Emilio Morenatti, who lost his left foot while on assignment in Afghanistan last year, won the top award on Thursday for the National Press Photographers Association.
The group named Morenatti its 2010 Photojournalist of the Year for large markets.
"I feel completely full of energy," Morenatti said. "This is absolutely amazing news. I never imaged a few hours before going back to my job, I would have this great news."
After about seven months of rehabilitation, Morenatti was set to return to work for the AP this weekend. The Spanish native will be based in Barcelona.
Morenatti was wounded in August while on assignment with the U.S. military in southern Afghanistan. Two U.S. soldiers and AP Television News videographer Andi Jatmiko were also injured when their vehicle ran over a bomb planted in the desert.
Morenatti was first taken to a hospital in Kandahar, Afghanistan, then later transferred to a Baltimore hospital, where he was fitted with a prosthesis and underwent rehabilitation.
The AP's director of photography, Santiago Lyon, said he expects the award to give Morenatti a boost as he heads back to work.
"I am thrilled for Emilio," Lyon said. "He is an extremely talented photographer and well deserving of this prestigious award."
Morenatti has years of experience in war zones. Based in Islamabad, he has worked for the AP in Afghanistan, Israel and the Palestinian territories. Pictures of the Year International named him Newspaper Photographer of the Year in 2009.
In 2006, he was kidnapped in Gaza City and freed unharmed after 15 hours. The following year, he suffered a broken leg from a fragment of a stun grenade while covering a protest in a West Bank village.
Falling Angels
TRACY CHEVALIER Dutton 304 pages
Spanning the years 1901 to 1910, this book by the author of Girl With a Pearl Earring begins at a New Year's party, where several guests engage in wife swapping. Richard Coleman, thinking jealousy might motivate his lovely wife, Kitty, to let him back into her bed, decides to participate. But Kitty, who has become emotionally and intellectually restless, remains unimpressed with her husband. One day, during a visit to a nearby cemetery, the Colemans meet the Waterhouses, owners of the family plot next to …
Merck & Co. Inc. demonstrated its liking for Addex Pharmaceuticals AG's approach to modulating glutamate receptors by entering a second deal with the Swiss firm in consecutive months.
The latest pact is potentially worth up to $702 million in up-front and milestone payments, plus royalties on product sales. It concerns ADX63365, a preclinical positive allosteric modulator of metabotropic glutamate receptor 5 (mGluR5), and related compounds, in development for treating schizophrenia and other undisclosed central nervous system indications.
Geneva-based Addex would capture the total value of the deal if two products were to gain approval in a total of four …
Byline: STEVE BISHEFF Orange County Register
This was the ultimate drama, played amid a backdrop of a long, loving friendship. One man helping another.
One man trying to save his best buddy's life.
Al Cowlings could go to jail for what he did Friday. But he shouldn't.
He didn't really commit a felony.
What he did was make the ultimate sacrifice for O.J. Simpson, who has been like a brother to him since their days growing up together in the rugged Potrero Hill section of San Francisco.
That was some surreal story that unfolded in front of national television cameras Friday, an intense, bizarre, riveting story.
It was, in many ways, the telegenic event of our time. The most amazing set of circumstances America observed on live TV since, …
| PHOENIX (99) |
| Ja.Richardson 11-20 1-2 27, Hill 3-11 0-0 6, O'Neal 9-13 1-3 19, Nash 8-14 3-3 20, Barbosa 6-16 1-1 14, Amundson 2-3 0-2 4, Barnes 1-6 2-2 5, Dragic 0-2 0-0 0, Dudley 0-3 2-2 2, Lopez 0-2 2-2 2. Totals 40-90 12-17 99. |
| ORLANDO (111) |
| Turkoglu 8-17 4-4 22, Lewis 9-16 9-9 29, Howard 7-14 7-13 21, Alston 4-12 6-8 15, Lee 2-3 2-2 7, Pietrus 1-6 0-0 2, Gortat 4-5 0-0 8, Johnson 0-2 0-0 0, Redick 2-3 2-2 7. Totals 37-78 30-38 111. |
| Phoenix 29 27 25 … |
AMERICAN LEAGUE
East Division
W L Pct GB L10 Str Home Away Intr
Baltimore 34 22 .607 - 4-6 W-2 17-14 17-8 1-2
Boston 31 25 .554 3 6-4 W-1 17-9 14-16 2-1
Toronto 29 28 .509 51/2 3-7 L-2 14-12 15-16 2-1
New York 28 28 .500 6 z-3-7 L-1 16-13 12-15 2-1
Tampa Bay 20 37 .351 141/2 z-3-7 L-2 16-14 4-23 0-3
Central Division
W L Pct GB L10 Str Home Away Intr
Chicago 37 19 .661 - z-5-5 L-1 19-8 18-11 2-1
Minnesota 33 22 .600 31/2 z-7-3 W-1 18-11 15-11 2-1
Detroit 26 28 .481 10 6-4 L-2 13-16 13-12 1-2
Cleveland 26 29 .473 101/2 5-5 W-1 11-13 15-16 2-1
Kansas City 17 39 .304 20 4-6 L-2 11-19 6-20 …
NBC has given Dick Wolf's two NBC dramas, Law & Order and spinoff Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, multiyear renewals. Law & Order received a three-year extension on top of its previously announced two-year renewal. Law & Order is currently in its 10th season on NBC and is the …
CNW Group asked nearly 500 people who worked in an office: "In your opinion, would it make your job easier or more difficult if you reported to a manager who didn't work in the same Location as you?"
Much more …
Byline: Pete Dougherty Staff writer
Dan Radison stood in the home manager's office at Heritage Park, first wanting to dismiss an Albany-Colonie Yankees loss Sunday with four-letter expletives, then resorting to time-revered baseball philosophy.
"That's the great thing about baseball, man," he said. "Every pitch, every facet of the game affects it."
There were a lot of pitches - not necessarily good ones - thrown Sunday before the Eastern League Yankees surrendered to the Hagerstown Suns, 10-7. The season's second- largest crowd - 5,191 - was put through an emotional blender as the Yankees rallied from a 6-1 deficit, then blew a one-run lead in the …
Losses at Live Nation Entertainment grew in the first quarter as concert attendance slipped 3 percent and the company booked costs related to its recent merger with Ticketmaster.
The company also said Monday it was considering "strategic options" for its controversial ticket resale site, TicketsNow. The site got into hot water after it sold marked-up tickets to Bruce Springsteen fans last year, despite regular face value tickets still being available.
Aside from a refund it agreed to with federal regulators, the company was pushed by New Jersey authorities to cut links between TicketsNow and the main Ticketmaster site, causing business to …
NEW HAVEN, Conn. (AP) — U-Haul truck strikes Yale-Harvard …
At Charter Communications, St. Louis: Timothy Sims, tax senior manager, Arthur Andersen …
Sandy residents lose battle
A new restaurant has won permission to serve alcohol and stage entertainment events despite strong objections from near neighbours.
Gaffneys in St Neots Road was granted a premises licence by Mid Beds District Council this afternoon (Monday).
It allows opening between 7am to midnight Monday to Thursday, 8am to midnight on Sunday and from 7am to 1.30 Friday and Saturday.
Over 50 residents from the surrounding area protested …
DOBBS FERRY -- A former professor and student adviser at Mercy College has been charged with selling fake diplomas and college transcripts, the Westchester County district attorney's office said Friday.
James Horelick, 52, was arrested Thursday night at his Hastings-on-Hudson home following a sting, and was charged with commercial bribe-receiving, said Assistant District Attorney David Hebert.
He was free on $2,500 bail while awaiting an appearance next Thursday in Dobbs Ferry …
Two new Certified Reference Materials extend instrument qualification range to 200 nm, and are presented as solutions sealed into far-UV quartz cells. One CRM is for wavelength calibration, and contains a solution of rare-earth oxides. The other CRM is a series of nicotinic acid solutions for …
Partners Barbara Baekgaard and Art Mandelbaum have announced the creation of Baekgaard Ltd. of Indiana Inc., a company focused on the sales and distribution of high quality gift items.
The new corporation follows the partners' recent asset purchase of Baekgaard Ltd., currently based in
Northbrook, Ill. Baekgaard Ltd. will begin operations in a 5,000square-foot facility at 3010 Butler Ridge Parkway in Fort Wayne.
Baekgaard Ltd.'s product line will include items such as furnishings, bar ware, accessories and specialty gifts, some of which will feature golf, hunting and fishing themes. The new company will maintain existing Baekgaard Ltd. vendor and customer …
