Those issues came to the forefront after a breakdown in the final race Wednesday left apprentice rider Michael Straight with serious back injuries at Lutheran General Hospital in Park Ridge.
Straight was scheduled for extensive …
THESE ARE NOT ORANGES, MY LOVE by Iman Mersal, translated by Khaled Mattawa, $18.50, 90 pgs, The Sheep Meadow Press PO Box 1345, Riverdale, NY, 10411 USA, sheepmeadowpress.com
These Are N ot Oranges, My Love is the selected poems of poet and intellectual, Iman Mersal as translated by Khaled Mattawa. Spanning about a decade's work beginning in the m�daos (poems are collected from all but her debut book), These Are Not Oranges follows Mersal from the small town in Egypt where she was born and raised, to a journalism career in Cairo and eventually to Edmonton, where she is currently a professor at the University of Alberta.
Marshal's poetry encompasses a rarely acknowledged …
Australian insurer QBE Insurance Group Ltd. on Wednesday withdrew its 8.7 billion Australian dollar (US$8.4 billion; euro5.3 billion) takeover proposal for rival Insurance Australia Group Ltd. after the target's board snubbed a sweetened offer.
IAG shares fell as much as 8.3 percent Wednesday as analysts said the insurer's board will have its work cut out convincing investors it was right to reject the offer.
"QBE will now continue to focus on the pipeline of acquisitions that have been accumulating in recent …
The composer Elmer Bernstein, who died Wednesday at 82, had amagnificent career spanning five decades. Just look at theresume. Bernstein's film scores include "Cat Women of the Moon"(1953), "Never Wave at a WAC" (1953), "The Bar Sinister" (1955), "TheBridge at Remagen" (1968), "Cannon for Cordoba" (1970), "DeadlyHoneymoon" (1974), "Five Days One Summer" (1982), "The BlackCauldron" (1985) and "Frankie Starlight" (1995).
Bernstein also scored TV shows such as "Tramp Ship" (1955),"Manley and the Mob" (1958), "Saints and Sinners" (1962-63), "Once anEagle" (1977) and "This Year's Blonde" (1980).
I know. I've never seen any of those either.
Of course, Bernstein …
A 53-year-old woman presented, complaining of fullness in the mid-thigh that had been present for 4 to 5 years but appeared to be slowly increasing in size. No pain was associated with this deep-seated thickening within the soft tissues, and no history of trauma was present. In an effort to evaluate the soft-tissue mass, magnetic resonance images were obtained (Fig. 1). Based on the findings noted, radiographs were obtained for correlation (Fig. 2). What diagnosis would you consider? …
AMMAN, Jordan (AP) — Jordan says it is trying to secure the release of 20 Jordanians detained by Syrian security forces.
The announcement comes as authorities in Syria have stepped up a campaign of violence and arrests as a seven-week-old uprising against President Bashar Assad's regime has spread nationwide.
Foreign Ministry spokesman Mohammed Kayed said Sunday that …
The Supreme Court on Monday:
_ Agreed to hear an appeal by New Orleans prosecutors of a $14 million judgment to a former death row inmate who claims they withheld evidence to help convict him of murder.
_ Said it would review a provision of immigration law that applies only to children born outside the U.S. to one parent who is an American and one who is not. The law makes it easier for children whose mother is a citizen to become citizens themselves.
_ Refused to reconsider its earlier decision not to block deportation proceedings against former Panamanian dictator Manuel Noriega.
_ Declined to intervene on behalf of Guantanamo …
Chicago's Catholic school system today will unveil the first ofnearly 200 billboards touting a new, professionally developed sloganas part of its biggest advertising blitz ever.
"Catholic Schools-Have Faith in Education" is the catch phrase ofa four-year campaign intended to reverse 17 years of decliningenrollment in the nation's largest private school system.
Even former Detroit Pistons star Isiah Thomas, a graduate of St.Joseph High School in Westchester, has joined the campaign in adsdeclaring: "A Catholic education played a major role in making mydreams come true."
Catholic high school graduates Donzell and Alisa Starks, owners ofthe nation's only …
NEW YORK (AP) — The total compensation of phone company Verizon Communications Inc.'s CEO Ivan Seidenberg rose 4 percent to $18.1 million in 2010, according to an Associated Press analysis of a regulatory filing Monday.
Seidenberg's annual salary was unchanged at $2.1 million. His performance-based cash bonus rose 33 percent to $3.9 million from nearly $3 million the year before, constituting most of the overall …
A powerful earthquake shook the South American nation of Ecuador on Thursday, but there were no reports of damage or injuries.
The magnitude-6.9 quake that hit at 6:54 a.m. (1154 GMT) quake was felt across much of the nation, including the capital, Quito.
The U.S. Geological Survey says the quake was …
Scenic Tour Geert Mak pays contemporary witness to the last European century IN EUROPE: TRAVELS THROUGH THE TWENTIETH CENTURY BY GEERT MAK NEW YORK: PANTHEON. 896 PAGES. $35.
A couple of weeks ago, I attended a European Union summit meeting for the first time in nineteen years. Wandering through the bowels of the new Council of Ministers building in Brussels, I felt suddenly like that great Dutch-American Rip Van Winkle. He woke after a twentyyear nap in the Catskill Mountains to find that the thirteen British colonies had become the United States. Returning to my old hunting grounds in Brussels after nearly two decades, I was confronted with a bewildering New Europe.
The …
Amy Winehouse's lawyer has asked a district court in Norway to postpone a hearing for the British singer-songwriter, who is accused of drug possession, local media reported Wednesday.
Winehouse and her husband, Blake Fielder-Civil, were arrested in the western city of Bergen in October last year and held overnight on charges of possessing 7 grams (1/4-ounce) of marijuana.
They were released the next morning after paying fines of euro500 (US$715) each, and they continued a …
Companies, agencies back school's 1st career drug fair
by Chinta Strausberg
The upcoming Robert Emmett Mathematics, Science & Technology Academy's first annual career/drug education fair has received major support from area businesses, social service agencies and elected officials, an educator said Monday.
The fair, which will be held from 10 a.m. to noon Wednesday at the school, headed by Dr. Jacqueline A. Robinson, at 5500 W. Madison, is aimed at helping students recognize the benefits of receiving a quality education and teaching them how to make the right choices in life especially on remaining drug-free.
Michele Fleming, an eighth grade teacher at the school, said: "This is a good program because we're focusing on the community at large being able to impact on our students on the importance of setting goals and completing and continuing education.
"We're emphasizing say no to drugs and yes to education," Fleming told the Chicago Defender. "They should say no to drugs because the choices are so bad. If a student is out on a corner selling drugs, they don't make legitimate money. They'll always be looking over their shoulders.
"We want them to know the consequences of those bad choices and that includes going to prison and drying," she said. "We're trying to have the people, mentors, to show they have made a positive impact in their lives by making intelligent, moral, ethical decisions."
Those participating in the fair include: U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency coordinator Agent Paul Ulrich, the Chicago Board of Education, Cmdr. Lorenzo Davis, Ald. Ike Carothers (29th), Judge Sandi Johnson-Speh, attorney Tommy Brewer, attorney Naomi Dunn from the Illinois General's office, Lynn Taylor with the Secretary of State's office, Oliver Banks from State Farm Insurance, CBS 2 anchor Lester Holt, Drug Enforcement Agency, Alan Crane from the Oppenheimer World Investment, Illinois Circuit Court of Cook County, Southwest Airlines, Secretary of State's Office, and the State Farm Insurance.
Article Copyright Sengstacke Enterprises, Inc.
A group of distinguished, high-profile black Americans willdemand, at a 3 p.m. press conference at the National Press Club, thatWilliam F. Gibson resign immediately as chairman of thealmost-bankrupt civil rights organization.
Gibson has been accused - first in this column - of charginghundreds of thousands of dollars in air travel, hotel bills, hometowncar rentals and personal meals and other items to an NAACP AmericanExpress card, even while taking hundreds of thousands of dollars inNAACP checks for undocumented "travel" and other expenses.
This group, the NAACP SOS (Save Our Ship) Committee, willannounce that if Gibson refuses to relinquish his dictatorial controlof the nation's oldest civil rights organization, it will go intofederal court to force the independent audit of his uses of NAACPfunds that the national board of directors ordered on Oct. 15.
This SOS group will be armed with new information that I amrevealing today about the procedures through which Gibson and hisclosest allies lost at least $1.2 million of NAACP funds in two yearsafter they took over the previously profitable Hollywood ImageAwards.
NAACP Director John J. Mance of Granada Hills, Calif., hasprotested to me that he had only a minimum role as "check signer" inthe Image Awards fiasco. He faxed to me the following:
"The Image Awards Committee has an executive committee whosemembers have been T. H. Poole (chairman), Thomas Turner and Kelly M.Alexander Jr. There are separate bank accounts to handle the variousphases of an Image Awards Program, including a production account onwhich I, John Mance, have been a signer."
In a telephone conversation, Mance explained that Poole, ofFlorida, "would cut a check, sign it and send it to me to cosign andthen deliver" to the payee. He said several checks that he signedwere in excess of $50,000, and others of smaller amounts were forsuch things as limousines.
Asked if he was certain that the checks he signed and deliveredwere payable to people who actually had done NAACP work, Mance said,"I just assumed that. Perhaps that was a mistake. But I was smartenough to keep copies of some of the checks I signed."
Mance declined to give me copies of checks or the names of anypayees, but said he wanted to emphasize that he personally "never gota dime."
Note that the directors who Mance said "ran the show" - Poole,Alexander of North Carolina and Turner of Detroit - are Gibson'sclosest cronies.
Board members calling for the resignations of Gibson and Poolesay that Poole has "gone bananas," and even stalked out of boardmeetings when asked for an accounting of Image Awards funds.
The SOS committee that will demand Gibson's resignation has beendrawn together by C. Delores Tucker, an NAACP trustee and chairman ofthe Democratic National Committee Black Caucus. Among othersdemanding that Gibson step down will be senior federal Judge RobertCarter of New York, who once was the NAACP's top lawyer; DorothyHeight, longtime president of the National Council of Negro Women;Damon Keith of Detroit, an NAACP Spingarn medalist and a judge on theU.S. Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals; Frances Murphy of Baltimore,publisher of the Afro-American newspapers; Roger Wilkins, universityprofessor and nephew of Roy Wilkins, the late, revered NAACPexecutive director; Clifford Alexander, former secretary of the Army;Percy Sutton, noted businessman and broadcast executive; and laborleader William Lucy, whose AFL-CIO pledged $20,000 to pay for theaudit.
As of today, no audit has begun and no auditor has been chosen.Part of the problem is that the NAACP executive committee, chaired byGibson, must approve any auditors and auditing procedures recommendedby the special audit committee, chaired by Judge Fred Banks of theMississippi Supreme Court. Gibson has not recused himself frommaking the final decision as to who may to what degree audit hisexpenditures.
Some audit firms have said they fear being tarnished by enteringthis scandal. The one firm that has offered a proposal to audit,Mitchell Titus & Company, reportedly wants at least $60,000, whichthe NAACP doesn't have. Some board members oppose using MitchellTitus because it has been the NAACP's regular auditor and failed todiscern or report abuses of funds by fired Executive DirectorBenjamin Chavis, who had hush money paid to a woman charging sexualharassment.
Lucy, who had approved some AFL-CIO financing of an audit, sayshe is now convinced that the NAACP crisis "can never be solved withGibson in control," so he is joining today's call for his immediateresignation.
Carl T. Rowan is a nationally syndicated columnist of theChicago Sun-Times.
Searching for clues about the direction of interest rates? Read on and ponder.
The chart below illustrates net cash flows for all government bond mutual funds over the last five years. Net cash flows are total purchases minus total redemptions. As you can see, the third quarter of 1997 was the first quarter in over three years where more shares of bond funds were purchased than sold. Is the trend your friend?
If you match up the direction of interest rates over the last five years with the net cash flows, the trend is your friend-in reverse. For example, over $22 billion was liquidated during 1994, just as the two-year Treasury Note was peaking at 7.75%. You may remember this period of rapidly falling bond prices that was triggered by a Federal Reserve Bank policy change and led to the Orange County California bankruptcy filing, among other disasters.
Conversely, the greatest net inflows occurred in 1992 just prior to the most recent low point in bond yields in April of 1993. It appears that these cash flows are a good contraindicator of the direction of interest rates. When cash flows peak, interest rates change direction.
Most bond fund investors are individuals and it looks like they panic by selling when interest rates rise and their market values fall. This is the best time to buy, not sell.
When interest rates fall, yields on bond funds do not fall as fast as individual issues due to the fact that bond funds contain many issues which do not all mature at once. This lag effect makes them popular for yield buyers, which individual investors tend to be.
Banks face the same trap due to the loan demand cycle as investable funds are usually channeled to the loan portfolio when bond yields are most attractive. When the economy slows, you always have too much to invest at the wrong time. If you want above average performance, you must be willing to invest against the grain.
In conclusion, the bond fund numbers suggest that interest rates may trend lower in the months ahead. This information is only one clue in a complex puzzle, but when you see the inflows peak, watch for a change in the market. Keep in mind that the overall goal in developing an educated guess about rates is to be vaguely right rather than precisely wrong.
[Author Affiliation]
Jeff Goble is executive vice president in the investment banking division at UMB Bank, n.a., Kansas City
Astronauts aboard China's Shenzhou 7 spacecraft are readying spacesuits for Saturday's spacewalk _ the country's first ever.
Prepping the two suits _ one Chinese, one Russian _ takes around 12 hours, and includes booting up the power, life support, and other systems and synchronizing them, said Wang Zhaoyao, deputy director of China's manned space program office.
"This is China's first attempt (at a spacewalk) so there are a lot of uncertainties," Wang said Friday at a news conference in Beijing.
The 20-minute spacewalk is scheduled for Saturday afternoon; the exact timing depends on the readiness of equipment and personnel, Wang said. The event will be broadcast live on television, he said.
Performing a successful spacewalk is a key step in mastering techniques for linking two orbiters, required to create China's first space station, expected within the next few years.
The two astronauts donning suits for the spacewalk will be supported by Russian experts throughout the mission. Only one astronaut will actually leave the orbiter module to retrieve scientific experiments placed outside, described by the official Xinhua news agency as solid lubricant samples. The ship will then release an 88-pound (40-kilogram) satellite that will circle the orbiter and send back images to mission command.
Shenzhou 7 commander Zhai Zhigang is expected to carry out the spacewalk. Like his fellow astronauts, he is a 42-year-old fighter pilot; the three have each logged more than 1,000 hours of flying time.
Earlier Friday, the three-module capsule shifted from an oval orbit to a more stable circular orbit 213 miles (343 kilometers) above Earth, meaning it is circling Earth at a constant distance.
The change in orbit ensures Earth's gravitational pull will not vary during the spacewalk attempt, and will allow for smooth operation of the ship's instruments, the agency said.
A round orbit will also help Shenzhou make a precise landing on the Inner Mongolian Steppe on Sunday after its re-entry vehicle bursts through Earth's atmosphere, Xinhua said.
Thursday's launch of China's third manned mission in five years dominated front pages of the entirely state-controlled media, largely supplanting coverage of China's continuing scandal involving contaminated milk, which has killed four babies and sickened more than 54,000.
Such coverage underscores the weighty role of politics and patriotism in the space program, portrayed by the party as an illustration of China's rising technological might and global influence.
PETERSBURG - A Grant County teenager has been killed in an ATVaccident.
David Grant Riggleman, 19, of Maysville was operating an all-terrain vehicle Saturday when it ran off a rural road and hit a tree,said Renee Schaeffer, a funeral director at Schaeffer Funeral Home inPetersburg.
Riggleman was taken to Ruby Memorial Hospital in Morgantown, wherehe died Saturday evening, the hospital said.
Details of the accident were not immediately available.
Compton, Timothy G. Mexican Picaresque Narratives: Periquillo and Kin. Lewisburg: Bucknell UP, 1997. 152 pp. ISBN: 0-8387-5348-5
Several key works have been written on the picaresque genre, including Claudio Guill�n's "Toward a Definition of the Picaresque," Stuart Miller's The Picaresque Novel, and Ulrich Wicks' "The Nature of Picaresque Narrative: A Modal Approach." Drawing on all three, Dr. Compton initiates his study by generating a list of 15 points or characteristics that "seem to be basic to and easily observed in picaresque narratives" (10). In chapters 2-9 he then very methodically but often insightfully analyzes eight Mexican prose pieces to determine the extent to which they exemplify each of the 15 traits ascribable to the ideal picaresque model. Chapter 1, in order to establish a context for the subsequent eight chapters, reviews a series of partially picaresque Mexican narratives, ranging from Cort�s's "Carta segunda" to a number of works appearing since 1938,
The first work studied in detail is Cabeza de Vaca's Naufragios. The analysis is rich in its overview of the work, and there is an extended examination of picaresque elements therein, all of which illuminate "the existence of a strong relationship between the picaresque and travel literature" (35). Dr. Compton correctly establishes Naufragios's rightful place as an important ancestor of El Periquillo Sarniento and other "heirs of the picaresque tradition in Mexico" (36).
Chapter 3 looks at Infortunios de Alonso Ramirez. Finding it to contain 11 of the 15 traits, Compton advances the insightful opinion that it can easily be considered as a precursor of the popular modern-day co-written autobiographies, such as Hasta no verte Jes�us m�o by Poniatowska. Alluding to its unique place in Mexican narrative, the author notes that Infortunios is "either a modern 'autobiography,' a strikingly 'novelistic' precursor of the Periquillo, or a novel that precedes it" (38). His analysis is also helpful in its focus on the numerous "sympathy-eliciting tactics" that dot the text, and on its rather Baroque employment of contrast or counterpoint.
Logically, El Periquillo Sarniento merits an honored place in any study of the Mexican picaresque. After reviewing Jefferson Rea Spell's vast contributions to the study of the work, Compton then assays it for picaresque content, finding absent only a dizzying rhythm and uncommon origins of the protagonist. As with each of the works studied, Compton then examines certain additional salient characteristics of the novel. In this case his interest falls on secondary characters, especially Dr. Purgante. The comments are solid but add little to the many studies already devoted to Purgante and El Periquillo.
Chapter 5 centers on Fern�ndez de Lizardi's Don Catr�n de la Fachenda, a novel almost always overshadowed by the Periquillo. Compton's analysis here is especially useful. As with each work examined, he provides a straightforward and detailed analysis of its picaresque elements, finding this "delightful" novel to contain essentially all of the predetermined traits. His conclusion is that of all the Mexican works under consideration, it "most closely resembles the ideal picaresque model" and that the protagonist is "one of the most memorable characters in Mexican literature" (127)-a good reminder for those of us who tend to overlook the novel.
The next chapter provides valuable insight on Jos� Rub�n Romero's ever-popular La vida in�til de Pita P�rez. After a detailed look at the work's picaresque characteristics, Compton, availing himself of Roland Barthes' theory and usage of networks and codes, centers on the protagonist and five codes "whose presence and interaction reveal the depth of Pito P�rez" (75). These include the narrator's perception of Pito, Pito's social conscience, Pito's sense of irony, his alienated condition, and his attitude of defiance. Selected passages or "lexias" illuminate the functioning of these codes and underscore the universal traits of Romero's characters and the predominance of Pito's alienation. As occurs throughout the study, each quotation from the novel is immediately followed by a translation in English, thus making the entire book accessible to the non-Spanish speaker.
In Chapter 7 Compton's study of Artemio de Valle-Arizpe's El Canillitas: novela de burlas y donaires (1941) examines both the work's general picaresque elements and the devices utilized in the text to produce the humor commonly associated with the picaresque tradition. The latter analysis, although straightforward, continues Compton's tendency to detailed development. In this case he looks at humor stemming from the plot itself; linguistic and situational irony; comparisons, names and nicknames; and diminutives and augmentatives. Compton's review of critical commentary on El Canillitas is terse and cogent. He correctly points out that it differs from the other texts studied in that it is "the first Mexican picaresque text not set in the period contemporary with its writer" (127), it being a representative of the colonialista literature popular some years previous to its publication.
The author begins Chapter 8 noting that Elena Poniatowska' s Hasta no verte Jes�s m�o (1969) shares several of "the major characteristics of Mexican fiction between 1967 and 1982" (99), including life in Mexico City, identity, and history. Following the same outline as in previous chapters, Compton carefully brings out the numerous picaresque elements in the novel and then explores a salient feature of the work-in this case, narrative pace. He suggests that the number of picaresque characteristics pervading the novel could indicate additional nostalgia, but he also points out that in this novel no reference is made to the subgenre in question, thus distancing it from many of the other works in his study. Availing himself of Gerard Genette's terminology, Compton carefully examines narrative pace in one of the 29 chapters of the novel. Although expecting summary and scene to dominate, he finds that analytical pause tends to govern the flow of the narrative, thus inducing the "seemingly leisurely narrative pace" (104) of the work as a whole. Compton's study is also helpful in pointing out that Hasta no verte Jes�s m�o "excels in its presentation of a rounded protagonist," Jesusa Palancares being the most human of the p�caros considered in this study (127).
The final novel considered in this short book is Gonzalo Martr�'s El Chanfalla (1979). After reviewing how the novel fits in with other novels of its time, Compton notes that the many picaresque traits exhibited therein seem to have been a coincidental result of the author's effort "to write a novel about Mexico City in the thirties" (113). It differs from the other picaresque novels under analysis in that the author seems more "vitally concerned with depicting an era" (128); it also varies in its structure, the first half of the book consisting of both the story line and intercalations of episodes from the picaro's early life. This chapter also affords valuable insight on the issues of identity and reality / appearance. Compton writes that at times the discrepancy between the high linguistic register of the narrator and the grim subject matter and colloquial nature of the dialogue may tend to alienate readers. His conclusion reflects clear understanding of the text: "On the surface El Chanfalla seems a simple book that shows the adventures of a resilient boy in a harsh city; however, further study reveals a novel that challenges its readers to deal with the complex social, political, and philosophical issues associated with the relationship between appearance and reality" (122).
In his study on Mexican picaresque narratives Dr. Compton has provided us with a methodical and detailed analysis of several important Mexican prose works. The repetitive structure of each chapter tends to be a little tedious and the identical wording of the second paragraph of Chapters 8 and 9 highlights the need for just a little more integration of all of the individual studies. However, the care and perceptivity with which he clarifies the picaresque characteristics of each novel and analyzes other salient elements of each work more than offset those problems. The book brings together an important body of specific information on the picaresque genre as well as on a number of Mexican narratives and thus constitutes a valuable contribution to both of those areas.
[Author Affiliation]
Roy L. Tanner, Truman State University
President Hugo Chavez said his government has uncovered a plot to overthrow him and detained a group of alleged conspirators.
Chavez said Thursday that "various" suspects were detained, and accused them of trying to assassinate him with tacit backing from his political opponents and the United States.
A group of current and former military officers were recorded during tapped phone conversations discussing blowing up the presidential jet or bombing the presidential palace, Chavez said. He played some of the recordings during a televised speech.
"They're the same coup-plotters," said Chavez, who survived a failed 2002 coup. Without offering evidence, he said the suspected conspirators had support from "the political opposition ... the U.S. empire."
U.S. officials have repeatedly denied Chavez's accusations that Washington has backed attempts to overthrow him.
While the leftist leader has regularly accused opponents of trying to oust him, he has not recently given such a detailed account of any purported plot.
Chavez ordered his defense minister to investigate the alleged plot involving an active vice admiral and other former military officers. He said his intelligence services had been "following this for some time."
Military prosecutors were questioning several officers about their alleged involvement, Defense Minister Gen. Gustavo Rangel Briceno told a news conference.
Rangel Briceno said Air Force Lt. Col. Ruperti Sanchez Caceres and Air Force Maj. Helimenas Jose Labarca Soto, along with a general from the National Guard, were among those being questioned. It was not immediately clear if the suspects were active or retired military officers.
"Several people have been called to give statements," Rangel Briceno said, adding that while some had been trying to divide Venezuela's military, "the armed forces are more united and stronger" than ever.
Chavez ally Mario Silva, who hosts a program on state television, first played recordings of the purported phone conversations late Wednesday. Silva said Vice Admiral Carlos Millan was among those accused, along with two other ex-officers from the National Guard and the air force.
In one recording aired, a voice identified as an ex-officer said "we're going to take" the presidential palace.
Chavez said the conspirators have been "looking for ground-to-air missiles ... to try to blow up the presidential plane ... or bomb the (presidential) palace with a plane."
Chavez accused private media organizations of trying to "silence" news of the purported coup attempt, and insisted he has evidence that an attempt to assassinate him "is being planned."
___
Associated Press writers Fabiola Sanchez, Christopher Toothaker and Jorge Rueda in Caracas contributed to this report.
DAILY MAIL STAFF
The 22-year-old case of former Charleston police lieutenant JohnGoff has taken yet another turn. Kanawha Circuit Judge Tod Kaufmanhas decided to reconsider last year's ruling by now-retired judgeAndrew MacQueen that gave Goff an award of more than $500,000.
Kaufman ruled that he did have jurisdiction over the suit broughtby Goff, who was fired for an Aug. 29, 1978, incident that involvedhim being parked in his cruiser on a dark street with a woman whileon duty and punching a teenage boy who tried to find out why theunmarked car was there.
MacQueen entered his final order in the Goff case in December,just before he left office, almost 22 years after it was firstfiled. He ruled that then-Mayor John Hutchinson should not havefired Goff but instead should have given him a 30-day suspension forhis infractions.
The city was ordered to give Goff eight years of back pay pluslegal costs.
In Kaufman's Monday afternoon hearing - which was attended byMacQueen, Mayor Jay Goldman and Charleston Police Chief Jerry Riffe -lawyers for the city argued that the judge had the authority todelve back into his former colleague's ruling.
Defense attorney Rudy Martin went over the Goff saga at greatlength before Kaufman asked him to wrap it up and address the issuesfacing the court, namely why another judge in the same court shouldre-examine another judge's ruling rather than sending the matter onto the state Supreme Court.
Martin told Kaufman that MacQueen had exceeded his jurisdictionby broadly reworking the findings of the 1979 Civil ServiceCommission ruling that upheld Hutchinson's decision to fire Goff. Hecalled MacQueen's ruling a "misapplication of the law" and said itwas based on "inadmissible facts" and "hearsay."
He said that these errors left the door open for reconsideration.Such a motion would have normally come before the judge that enteredthe initial ruling, but came before Kaufman because of MacQueen'sretirement. Judge Duke Bloom, MacQueen's successor, originallyagreed to reconsider the case, but removed himself because his wife,a municipal judge, is a city employee.
Goff's lawyer, Tim Barber, argued that Kaufman did not have theauthority to revisit the case.
"What (Martin is) asking you to do is to change Judge MacQueen'sdecision. That's what this really is about. And, quite frankly,judge, I don't think you can. I don't think the law allows it,"Barber said.
Also discussed were the decades of delay in the ruling. Barbersaid it was because of delay tactics and a resistance to shareinformation by Martin, his colleagues at the law firm of Jackson andKelly and the city. Barber also said the city rejected several"generous" settlement offers over the years.
Martin allowed that some of the delays were because of the cityand its lawyers, but he said that there were at least "12 years ofdelay that had nothing to do with the city."
Kaufman said he will go over the voluminous case file and readthrough the record in the case before hearing final arguments fromboth sides on what his ruling should be. He said he would move asquickly as possible but did not say when he expected to make aruling.
MacQueen declined to comment, and Goldman said only that the citywould continue pursuing the case.
Writer Chris Stirewalt can be reached at 348-4824 or by e-mail atcstire@dailymail.com.
The British government injected $63 billion into some of the country's leading banks Monday to avoid a full-scale collapse of the sector.
In return for the rescue, the Royal Bank of Scotland Group PLC, Lloyds TSB Group PLC and HBOS PLC will cede major stakes to the government and halt cash bonuses for bank board members this year. The banks also will be required to lend more money to small- and medium-sized businesses and homeowners in a bid to rescue the country's housing market.
"The action we are taking today is unprecedented but essential to all of us," said British Prime Minister Gordon Brown. "We must in an uncertain and unstable world be the rock of stability upon which people can depend."
A handful of senior executives resigned from the banks, where the government will now have the right to appoint board members and fix dividends.
The deal will leave taxpayers owning as much as 60 percent of RBS and 43.5 percent of the merged Lloyds HBOS bank _ the two are in the process of combining.
The government said its stake in each of the banks is strictly temporary, but the subsequent transformation of the sector is on the massive scale of the postwar bank nationalizations in the 1940s and the privatization of the industry in 1980s.
"The hope is that today will mark a watershed, with vast measures of government reassurance finally rekindling some confidence in the shattered banking sector," said Keith Bowman, equity analyst at Hargreaves Lansdown Stockbrokers.
The government said that it will buy 5 billion pounds ($8.6 billion) of preference shares directly and underwrite 15 billion pounds ($25.7 billion) of ordinary shares in RBS. The preference shares carry a fixed interest payment _ the equivalent of a dividend _ of 12 percent.
If no other investor comes forward to buy those shares, as many analysts anticipate, the government will invest the full 20 billion pounds ($34.5 billion) itself.
It is investing a further 17 billion pounds ($29.2 billion) in LLoyds TSB and HBOS.
The country's two other major banks, Barclays PLC and HSBC PLC, are not receiving a government handout.
Barclays said it will try to raise more than 6.5 billion pounds ($11.3 billion) without the government's help, while HSBC, Britain's other major banking group, has already announced separate capital raising measures to bolster its balance sheet without government assistance.
The takeovers of the three banks mark the implementation of a 50 billion pound ($86.8 billion) rescue package announced by Brown last week to shore up British banks, which have been buffeted by the global credit squeeze.
The London Stock Exchange overall greeted the news as positive, with the FTSE 100 index rising more than 5 percent. But the bank shares remained under severe pressure, with HBOS sinking 30 percent, Lloyds dropping 21 percent and RBS losing 16 percent.
Economists said the declines indicated that the bailout alone might not be enough.
"There are several reasons why we are skeptical that this will kick-start bank lending," said Vicky Redwood at Capital Economics about the plan to spur the housing market by committing banks' to return to last year's level of loan ability.
Redwood said that even if the government succeeded in increasing the level of credit, it was unlikely demand would be there to meet it.
Brown was quick to reassure taxpayers that they would get a fair deal from their new ownership of the banks, saying there would be "no rewards for failure."
No dividends will be paid until the government's preference shares have been fully redeemed and future executive salary will be based on performance "and long-term value creation," Brown said.
"This crisis has proved beyond doubt the virtues of the sound business practice of rewarding responsible risk-taking and not irresponsibility," he added.
Among the high-level casualties resulting from the announcements are RBS chief executive Steve Goodwin, who will be replaced by Stephen Hester, currently chief executive of British Land.
The bank said that Goodwin _ who last year earned more than 4 million pounds, including a 2.9 million pound bonus _ will not be receiving any severance payment.
Chairman Tom McKillop will be retiring at the group's annual meeting in April. Johnny Cameron, RBS's chairman of global markets, is leaving the board immediately.
HBOS chief executive Andy Hornby and Cairman Dennis Stevenson will leave their posts when the deal with Lloyds is completed.
Brown stressed that Monday's action needed to be accompanied by reforms to the international banking system.
"We must now put in place new structures and new rules for the future," he said. "This cannot simply be a short-term rescue to paper over the cracks. Only a surgical approach that gets to the root of the problem will now work to ensure the problems do not return."
Along with the bailout, Lloyds and HBOS said Monday that the terms of their merger would be altered so that Lloyds would be paying less than previously agreed for HBOS.
Lloyds had previously agreed to give HBOS shareholders 0.83 shares in Lloyds for every HBOS share held. It will now give just 0.605 shares for each HBOS share.
AGE: 74.
RESIDENCE: Las Vegas.
FAMILY: Wife Louise, son Brad, two grandchildren.
OCCUPATION: Retired executive with Jostens, maker of high schooland college class rings, yearbooks and jewelry.
POSITION: Linebacker.
NICKNAMES: Rocky, The Creeper (from George Plimpton's book PaperLion).
HOBBIES: Playing bridge.
FOOTBALL BACKGROUND: Brettschneider rose from humble beginnings inDundee to become a successful businessman after eight NFL seasons asan undrafted player with the Chicago Cardinals and Detroit Lions(1956-63). Known for his fearless play and necktie tackles,Brettschneider was named the fifth- toughest athlete in the city'ssports history by a veteran Detroit columnist. He's in theChicagoland Hall of Fame.
GROWING UP: "I have eight brothers and sisters. Dad only made $90a month as a night watchman after never having made it past sixthgrade. Our meals were rice and cold oatmeal. We made do with a lot oflove."
SCHOOL DAZE: "There were 77 kids in my high school class. I was76th academically. Stuart Keller was 77th. He's in Who's Who inAmerica as a physics professor, and I made enough money to becomfortable."
DUNDEE SPORTS: "Jim Schuldt was our best athlete. He was great infootball, basketball and baseball. He's the first guy I ever saw makea jump shot. The White Sox offered him a lot of money when he pitchedin a tryout against guys like Nellie Fox and Luke Appling, but Jimhad 100 football scholarship offers. I told him, `Tell them you havea fullback friend when you make your [recruiting] visits.' We went toplaces like Purdue and Illinois, but he finally settled on baseballand basketball at Illinois."
ABOUT IOWA STATE: "Jim showed me an Iowa State letter to playfootball and said, `Here, why don't you go instead?' I went withanother guy we called Parrothead. The school later invited me to comeout for football. I wasn't a good player then. That's why I was neverdrafted."
ARMY BALL: "I had to figure out a way not to get killed in theKorean War, so I went out for the Fort Riley post team and played fortwo years. It matured me as a player and person."
GETTING STARTED: "The 49ers wanted me, but they already hadlinebackers like Matt Hazeltine and Hardy Brown. I was in awe of HughMcElhenny, Y.A. Tittle, Leo Nomellini, Joe Perry and Bob St. Clair. Isaw St. Clair eat a raw chicken while blood ran down his cheeks. TheCardinals remembered me from a good exhibition game against them andsigned me."
GOOD TIMES: "My best years were with the Lions. We always finishedsecond to Vince Lombardi's Packers, but we beat them in a 1962Thanksgiving game for their only loss. I enjoyed playing with AlexKarras. We're in the movie "Paper Lion."
ABOUT JIM BROWN: "Best I ever played against. The Browns had athird-and-two in a Runnerup Bowl game. I prayed, `Please let Jim runtoward Wayne Walker and Dick LeBeau,' but a hole opened up five yardswide, and he came right at me. I stopped him, but he drove my facebar down to my chin and my shoulder went numb. It bothered me for 20years."
ABOUT MIKE DITKA: "Another really tough guy. I thought I'd showhim what the NFL was all about when he was a rookie with the Bears[in 1961]. Instead, I got flagged for 15 yards when a ref saw me hithim. [Assistant coach] Don Shula was really mad, but we won the game.I said hello to Ditka at his restaurant years later. I didn't thinkhe'd remember me, but he told his dinner companions, `See this guy?He was a great player."'
ABOUT GEORGE BLANDA: "A fine quarterback. I saw him a while backand he said, `You're not going to hit me, are you?"'
LIONS' DEN: "I was assistant coach for two years and personneldirector for three. I helped bring in 20 players who started in theNFL, including Mel Farr, Lem Barney, Charlie Sanders, Bill Munson andGreg Landry, but I got fired along with everyone else who worked forgeneral manager Russ Thomas."
MOVING ON: "I got started with Jostens creating and sellingChristmas cards to all the motor companies in Detroit. The first yearI made $400, the next year $30,000 and the next year $180,000. Itsure beat football money."
MEETING LOUISE: "I met her in Chicago, when I was with theCardinals and she was a TWA stewardess. We traveled the world withher job. She still looks like Charlize Theron."
LIFE TODAY: "We're having a great time in Vegas. We play a littleslot poker, go to all the shows and play bridge with a lot of newfriends. McElhenny and I are best of friends. We started an NFL Vegasalumni group."
jgoddard@suntimes.com
Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid has scheduled a key vote Thursday that will decide whether Ben Bernanke wins a second term as chairman of the Federal Reserve.
The vote requires a 60-vote majority in the 100-member Senate to overcome procedural obstacles from Bernanke's Senate critics. Bernanke appears to have solidified his support in the Senate after the White House stepped in to quell rising opposition late last week.
Bernanke's fate has been tied to the swell of public anger over the economy and Wall Street. Opponents of giving him a second term say he missed signs of an impending financial crisis. Supporters say he helped avoid a deeper crisis by using countermeasures to stabilize the financial system. His term ends Sunday.
INDIANAPOLIS - The yellow-green streaks of fireflies that bring amagical air to summer nights, inspire camp songs and often end up injars in children's bedrooms may be flickering out in the nation'sbackyards as suburban sprawl encroaches on their habitats.
Scientists concerned by reports from the public that they areseeing fewer of the luminous insects each summer have turned to anetwork of backyard volunteers spanning much of the nation to tracktheir range and numbers. Their observations may shed light onwhether fireflies are indeed declining - a trend that could dwindlethe targets for the childhood rite of passage of chasing fireflies.
As this weekend marks summer's unofficial end in America, theFirefly Watch volunteers' work is winding down now that the insects'annual light show is over in all but southern states.
Helen Mester of South Bend, Ind., is one of about 700 volunteerswho entered observations this summer of firefly numbers, the colorof their lights and flash patterns into the online databasemaintained by Firefly Watch, which is sponsored by the Boston Museumof Science.
The 54-year-old retiree has counted fireflies for three years forthe program from her living room window or her deck, watching thelights that lead males to females for mating.
She's now adept at identifying a common Midwestern firefly oftencalled the Big Dipper firefly by the upside down "J" light trail itsmales make as they flash by. She then watches for their female loveinterests to reply with two blinks from their perch on shrubs ortrees.
"That's the female saying, 'OK, here I am - come over here.' Youcan see the hook and then a couple of flashes. They're kind of alime green," Mester said.
About 200 firefly species found east of the Rocky Mountainsproduce through a complex chemical reaction lights ranging fromyellow-green, yellow-amber to a pale blue. Light-producing firefliesaren't found west of the Rockies.
Each of the light-producing beetle species has its own uniquesignaling pattern to attract mates, some blinking, others flickeringwith their light never turning off.
Since the online Firefly Watch debuted in May 2008, about 5,100people from 42 states have entered firefly data they collected intheir yards, local parks and meadows.
Dear Ellie: When we started dating four months ago, I was withsomeone, and so was he. I broke it off with my guy, and he claimshe'll break it off with her soon. But he continues to see her.
Recently, she got a hotel for them. He says he didn't sleep withher, but I doubt that. She gives him anything he wants and needs, buthe spends all his free time with me.
I'm in love with him. I know he loves me, but why won't he leaveher? What should I do?
CONFUSED
Dear Confused: You both started as "players," and he's still inthat mode. While you want an exclusive relationship, he can continueto have double the pleasure, because you let him. When you stopletting him, he'll have to make a choice.
Or he may find someone else who'll believe he's entitled to atleast two girlfriends.
Dear Ellie: I've been unable to commit to any sort ofrelationship. I go for hard-to-get men and when they start to likeme, I back off. I'm so scared to get hurt again.
It all started freshman year in college when I was dumped by theonly guy I've ever loved. He's seriously dating someone else. I nevercontacted him after he broke it off with me because I felt so hurtand rejected. His family moved around the corner from my parents andwhenever I drive over, I'm constantly dodging their house.
It has been more than five years, but I'm still broken-hearted andfear I'll never fall in love again. I've tried to change -- in mylater years of college I dated a guy for two years but broke it offwhen I realized how possessive and controlling he was.
I don't know what it's going to take to move on. It would be nicenot be so scared to get close to someone again.
STUCK IN THE PAST
Dear Stuck in the Past: You're choosing to stay "stuck" as yourdefense against the normal risks of relationships. Why do I say it'syour choice? Because you already know that you seek elusive men as achallenge, setting yourself up to dump them later. I think you'resmart enough to get an "aha" breakthrough on this pattern yourself.
Dear Ellie: My still newlywed hubby and I got off to a rough startand I'm in therapy for my insecure, controlling ways. I've alwaysbeen attention-starved, and flirty because of it. My problem iscompounded by the fact that my husband rarely wants to have sex withme -- barely three to four times a month, when I ask. He says it'sbecause I have to have everything my way. Have my controlling,insecure ways turned him off even though I'm working on it?
I'm also frustrated by his refusal to get counseling or even todiscuss this. He's otherwise loving, gives me lots of hugs andkisses, although no passion in them. Recently, while out with twohomosexual male friends, I ended up kissing both of them, as a jokethat went too far.
Were hubby to find out about this, I'm not sure what his reactionwould be. It just felt so good to get that kind of attention. I don'twant to do this again, but I also can't get the kisses out of myhead.
FRUSTRATED
Dear Frustrated: Looking for attention in the wrong places willonly increase your problems and may even drive your husband away.Your therapist can help you get to the root of what makes you soinsecure.
Meanwhile, it appears your guy may be doing his best to hang onwhile you go through this. He likely was turned off by your controltactics. Withholding sex may have become his form of counter-control. As you improve, he may become more demonstrative.
Ellie's column runs Monday through Friday. Send e-mail toaskellie@suntimes.com.
We're answering your questions about the war:
Q: The U.S. government has said recent video of Saddam Hussein mayshow a double. Has any country's leader really ever used a stand-in?
A: Yes. There are various reports over the years of leaders havingsomeone impersonating them for security and other reasons.
Adolf Hitler reportedly had several stand-ins. Among them was hisnephew, who "occasionally served as a Hitler double, waving to thecrowds that gathered near the Berghof," according to report in TheNew Yorker magazine in July 2000.
Winston Churchill also reportedly used a stand-in--not for hispublic appearances, but to deliver some of his most famous radioaddresses.
Churchill wrote and delivered the 1940 speech to the House ofCommons where he promised "We shall fight on beaches, landinggrounds, in fields, in streets and on the hills; we shall neversurrender," but the version delivered over the BBC was done by actorNorman Shelley, according to many historians, including ChristopherHitchens writing in Atlantic magazine last year.
Shelley was well-known to BBC listeners, but not for playingChurchill. (His stand-in role was a secret for decades.) Britishchildren knew him as the voice of Winnie the Pooh.
Q: I have noticed military personnel wearing the U.S. flag ontheir right shoulder with the star field in the upper right. Is thatcorrect?
A: Yes. Flag patches on the left shoulder have the star field, or"union," at the upper left. It's the same on airplanes. It's so thatthe flag looks as if it is blowing in the wind created by the plane'smovement. This is done on cars and trucks as well.
Send questions to metro@sun times.com; include a phone number.
SPRINGFIELD The state Senate is poised to reject a plan to raisethe salaries of top state officials, after Republicans on Fridayuniformly sided against the idea in private.
When asked if the election year plan was dead in the Senate,Senate President James "Pate" Philip (R-Wood Dale) said, "I thinkthat might be the understatement of the year.
"I just think we're trying to provide some tax cuts for people,hold the budget down. How can we turn around and give electedofficials and bureaucrats a pay increase?" Philip said.
The Compensation Review Board has recommended a series of payincreases for elected officials, including Gov. Ryan, legislators andjudges. The pay raises will take effect unless rejected by bothhouses of the Legislature.
No matter how legislators vote, they and officeholders willautomatically receive a 4.1 percent cost-of-living increase thissummer.
On top of that, they would receive 2 percent increases this Julyand again in July 2001 if the review board plan is not rejected. Forsome, the 2 percent raises would be delayed until the start of theirnew terms.
A legislator's minimum pay is $53,581. If all the raises wereapproved, here would be the progression: With the 4.1 percent cost-of-living increase, the minimum would become $55,724 this summer. Thedual raises would push the pay to $57,953 next year. Next year's cost-of-living increase would go on top of that.
Philip said his members would reject the pay raise recommendationnext week, but the House must act similarly to block the increasesfrom taking effect.
Aides to House Speaker Michael Madigan (D-Chicago) said Democratswant to review the advisory panel's recommendations, which will befiled Monday in Springfield, before reaching any conclusions.
"I haven't read the report, and people who serve on thiscommission do try to do their homework," House Majority LeaderBarbara Flynn Currie (D-Chicago) said.
Not everyone was quick to condemn the proposed pay hikes forlawmakers, reasoning that the current level of pay may keep qualifiedpotential officeholders in higher-paying jobs in private business.
"You're basically paying for what you get," said Sen. Donne E.Trotter (D-Chicago), head of the Legislative Black Caucus. "What isthe incentive for anyone qualified to want to come down here andimmerse themselves into (the) process?"
Next month Urban Partnership Bank, 7154 S. Jeffery Blvd., will close two South Side branches and one on the West Side.
The branches are located at 4659 S. Cottage Grove Ave. in the Kenwood community and 3401 S. King Drive in the Bronzeville community, and a loan office at 5100 W. Harrison St. in the Austin community.
But bank officials said it plans to open new branches close by the closing locations.
"In an effort to better serve our customers we need branches that are more accessible to new technology and these three branches do not provide that opportunity," Brian Berg, a spokesman for UPB, told the Defender. "It is our goal to open new locations before or shortly after the closings."
He added that if new branches do not open prior to the closings a temporary branch would be open for customers to use until a permanent branch is available.
UPB, formerly ShoreBank, is a Chicago-based community bank, which primarily services underserved and economically depressed communities.
[Author Affiliation]
by Wendell Hutson
DEFENDER STAFF WRITER
On its way to a victory Thursday and a berth in today's Class AAstate championship game, the Pendleton County High School baseballteam received support from centerfielder Matt Clarke's mixed Bostonterrier, Gizmo.
according to anba: Exports from the midwestern Brazilian state ofMato Grosso are growing non-stop. For the second month in a row, thestate attained a record-high value in foreign sales. In May, totalexport value reached US$ 949.4 million. In the accumulated resultfor the first five months, the figure is US$ 3.03 billion, a value59.3% greater than recorded during the same period of 2007 (US$ 1.91billion). To the acting president at the Federation of Industries ofthe State of Mato Grosso (FIEMT), Jandir Milan, such performance,which was regarded as atypical, was influenced by the end of thefiscal auditors strike at the Revenue Service, as well as protestsby Argentine farmers, who led many trading companies to transfertheir soybean shipments to Brazil, and more specifically to MatoGrosso. Indices are also favourable with regard to the balance oftrade. The state continues to post a rising surplus, which totalledUS$ 2.61 billion until May this year, a value 60% higher thanrecorded during the same period of 2007. Mato Grosso contributedwith 30% of the Brazilian trade surplus, meaning that the stateplayed a significant role in Brazilian foreign accounts. Milanassessed the export results as good for the image of Mato Grosso, asthe state is facing constant criticism regarding the environmentalissue. In the list of the country's leading exporters, the stateremains in the 10th position. "Mato Grosso should overtake the stateof Santa Catarina (presently the 9th in the national ranking) as ofnext year," says Milan. The leading destinations for exports fromMato Grosso were the European Union and Asia, which respectivelyaccounted for 45.4% and 36.8% of the total. China remains theleadingclient, with a 23% share, followed by Holland and Spain, withshares of 16% and 9%, respectively. Imports by the state totalledUS$ 422.8 million, growth of 54.6% in comparison with the valuerecorded during the same period in 2007 (US$ 273.4 million). "In theexport basket, purchases of agricultural inputs continue to prevail,and answer to 90% of the accumulated value," says the economicadvisor at FIEMT, Carlos Vitor Timo.
EXPORTS FROM MATO GROSSO BREAK RECORDaccording to anba: Exports from the midwestern Brazilian state ofMato Grosso are growing non-stop. For the second month in a row, thestate attained a record-high value in foreign sales. In May, totalexport value reached US$ 949.4 million. In the accumulated resultfor the first five months, the figure is US$ 3.03 billion, a value59.3% greater than recorded during the same period of 2007 (US$ 1.91billion). To the acting president at the Federation of Industries ofthe State of Mato Grosso (FIEMT), Jandir Milan, such performance,which was regarded as atypical, was influenced by the end of thefiscal auditors strike at the Revenue Service, as well as protestsby Argentine farmers, who led many trading companies to transfertheir soybean shipments to Brazil, and more specifically to MatoGrosso. Indices are also favourable with regard to the balance oftrade. The state continues to post a rising surplus, which totalledUS$ 2.61 billion until May this year, a value 60% higher thanrecorded during the same period of 2007. Mato Grosso contributedwith 30% of the Brazilian trade surplus, meaning that the stateplayed a significant role in Brazilian foreign accounts. Milanassessed the export results as good for the image of Mato Grosso, asthe state is facing constant criticism regarding the environmentalissue. In the list of the country's leading exporters, the stateremains in the 10th position. "Mato Grosso should overtake the stateof Santa Catarina (presently the 9th in the national ranking) as ofnext year," says Milan. The leading destinations for exports fromMato Grosso were the European Union and Asia, which respectivelyaccounted for 45.4% and 36.8% of the total. China remains theleadingclient, with a 23% share, followed by Holland and Spain, withshares of 16% and 9%, respectively. Imports by the state totalledUS$ 422.8 million, growth of 54.6% in comparison with the valuerecorded during the same period in 2007 (US$ 273.4 million). "In theexport basket, purchases of agricultural inputs continue to prevail,and answer to 90% of the accumulated value," says the economicadvisor at FIEMT, Carlos Vitor Timo.
Dons boss Jimmy Calderwood leads his troops into battle tonightdetermined to record the club's biggest result for 25 years.
Aberdeen face star-studded Bayern Munich at a packed Pittodrie inthe last 32 of the UEFA Cup.
The Germans are hot favourites to avenge a 3-2 defeat at thesame ground in 1983, a game that is regarded as the greatest-everseen at Pittodrie.
But Calderwood is convinced his side can rise to the challengeand make tonight one the present generation of Dons fans will neverforget.
"If we win it will send a shock wave around Europe," saidCalderwood.
"People would remember it for years, long after we've leftPittodrie.
"I'm sure folk would be phoning from all over the world trying tofind out how a team as mighty as Bayern could lose to the likes ofus."
Bayern's multi-million pound line-up includes World Cup winningItalian striker Luca Toni, German hitman Miroslav Klose andBrazilian midfielder Ze Roberto.
Calderwood said: "That's why we will be going into it with not acare in the world.
"We have nothing to lose because most folk will expect us to gethammered.
"I accept we've had a terrible week, but any worries about thatwill be wiped away when we walk out on to that pitch.
Lee Mair looks set for a recall to compensate for the loss ofdefenders Jackie McNamara and Richard Foster through injury. JamieSmith, Derek Young and Richie Byrne are also out.
The Dons are handing out 5,000 horns and 2,000 thundersticks tofans and Calderwood says the atmosphere generated will inspire histeam.
He said: "The atmosphere will be like it was against Copenhagen,with all the horns blaring.
"Bayern might not be too affected because they have played inbigger arenas than Pittodrie.
"But - as we saw against the Danes - it will certainly help us.
"It's no coincidence we also did well at hope against Dnipro andagainst the Russians.
"The fans made a real effort to help the team in those earlierrounds and it's great they will be right behind us again tonight."
Aberdeen (probable): Langfield, Maybury, Mair, Diamond,Considine, Nicholson, Severin, Walker, Aluko, Mackie, Miller.
Referee: E Gonzalez (Spain).
On behalf of the service's many millions of users, I'd like to welcome you to the world of Twitter.
Unfortunately, I and my Twitter Gift Basket were refused entry to Harpo Productions due to the obstructionist attitudes of a receptionist, two assistants, and four security men whom I'm certain you'll want to fire once I provide you with their names. But until you invite me to the office to witness their dismissals, why don't I get you started with some valuable tips for the new Twitterer:
1) Think of Twitter as your own personalized version of the info ticker at the bottom of a 24-hour news channel. You don't have to give up any information about your day.
2) I see that you're already following nine people. Oh, dear, I bet you aren't following me because you don't know my user name or can't spell it. It's "ihnatko," love. Finding new people to follow (outside of your Close Personal Friends) is a slow process. It's best to start with a visit to Twitterholic.com. It's unaffiliated with Twitter but it keeps track of the most popular and the most active users.
3) Hmm? Oh, yes: there's special terminology. If you mention another Twitter user and stick an "@" in front of their screen name, then that user can read your Tweet just by clicking on a handy link that searches for replies or mentions.
"RT" at the start of a Tweet means that this person is "ReTweeting" someone else's Tweet. It's good form. If you read something you'd like to pass along to your own Followers, it's good form to start it with "RT @ihnatko" or whomever. Your Followers can easily read other things he or she has Tweeted.
A word that starts with "#" is a "hashtag." If you marvel about your new fave chef and end it with "#food" then Twitterers interested in that subject will be able to find your Tweet easily, thanks to Twitter's search feature.
4) Online services can make the Twitter experience a lot less . . . screamy. You want to pass along the URL to something fabulous, but the thing is 50 characters long and that leaves you with no room to describe it? Visit Bit.ly (yes, that's the URL). It'll transmogrify that long URL into something short and sweet that will work just as well.
5) Obviously you're eager to become popular on the service. Try not to use the full 140 characters available to you. If you limit yourself to 100, it's easy for other Twitterers to add their own comments and pass along your Tweet to their own Followers, giving your Tweet a lot more attention.
Color Photo: Courtesy Harpo Productions / Oprah Winfrey "Twitters" with Twitter co-founder and CEO Evan Williams on her show Friday morning. ;
WASHINGTON President Clinton on Tuesday rejected the idea he isan ineffectual lame duck, declined to promise a tax cut in 1998 andsaid Saddam Hussein can act "maddeningly stupid."
At a news conference, the president countered criticism fromformer advisers that his administration is adrift and he is avoidingrisks.
Crime and unemployment are at their lowest levels in 24 yearsand inflation is low, he said. "We had a very good year," Clintonsaid, and he promised that 1998 "will be a year of vigorous action onvital issues."He said he will turn in the coming year to long-range problems:global climate change, lifelong education and preserving SocialSecurity and …
In this recently published study, investigators in the United States conducted a study "To determine the relationship between doses of gemcitabine and absolute neutrophil count and thrombocytopenia in patients with severe hepatic dysfunction (total bilirubin >= 4.5 mg/dL), and the relationship between doses of gemcitabine in patients with severe hepatic dysfunction and nonhematologic toxicity. SUMMARY: A retrospective chart review was conducted for patients receiving gemcitabine at the Medical University of South Carolina from October 2006 through October 2008."
"Seven patients were identified who had an elevated total bilirubin level (>= 4.5 mg/dL) at the time they …
WATERFORD
Thursday, May 15
6:50 p.m. HARASSMENT. A female reported continued problem with subject. Officer: Gurney.
8:20 p.m. ALTERCATION. Complainant reported two males in Deli parking lot on Saratoga Avenue having a verbal fight. Officers: Savery, Gurney and Williams.
11:28 p.m. PETIT LARCENY. A male reported property missing from his vehicle. Officer: Williams.
Friday, May 16
5:18 p.m. JUVENILE PROBLEM. Male reported six to eight boys skateboarding and doing damage to nets and bleachers. Officers: Gurney and Lester.
6:45 p.m. DOMESTIC. A male reported problem with children about a bicycle. Officers: Lester …
Byline: University of Wisconsin - Madison
MADISON, Wis., April 26 (AScribe Newswire) -- Capitalizing on its across-the-board-strengths in stem cell research, the University of Wisconsin-Madison will add two new stem cell programs to its portfolio.
At a meeting of stem cell researchers here today (April 26), UW-Madison professor of anatomy and neurology Clive Svendsen announced the establishment of a new regenerative medicine program and an interdisciplinary postdoctoral training program that will advance stem cell research across the university.
The regenerative medicine program, which draws on faculty from the Medical School as well as the Wisconsin National Primate Research Center, will focus on translating the basic science of stem …
PITTSBURGH (AP) — Ray Rice had a 4-yard touchdown run, Billy Cundiff made three of four first-half field-goal attempts and the Baltimore Ravens held a 16-6 lead over the Pittsburgh Steelers at the end of the third quarter of a crucial AFC North game Sunday night.
Rice's touchdown came with 4:27 left in the third quarter to cap a 12-play drive that lasted more than six minutes. The possession was aided by a pass interference call on Pittsburgh's Ike Taylor two snaps earlier that gave the Ravens a first-and-goal at the 4.
Rice had 15 carries for 37 yards, and Joe Flacco was 18 for 28 for 180 yards for the Ravens (5-2), who are looking to sweep their bitter rivals and move past …
JOFFREY BALLET -- 'COOL VIBRATIONS'
-April 26-May7
-Auditorium Theatre, 50 E. Congress
-Tickets, $15-125
-(312) 902-1500
- - -
A classical ballet company dancing to the songs of the Beach Boys,the Supremes and Prince? What's so scandalous or outrageous aboutthat, you might well ask?
As you consider "Cool Vibrations," the Joffrey Ballet's upcomingprogram at the Auditorium Theatre, and the latest installment in thetroupe's 50th anniversary season -- cast your imagination back just alittle more than three decades, the equivalent of one full generationof life and art. And consider just how different attitudes were thenwhen …
In the first operation of its kind in the UK and Ireland, Consultant Colin Willoughby was part of a team of Surgeons at the Cathedral Eye Clinic in Belfast who fitted Mary McCall's eye with a device already being dubbed the Cymillimetre miracle.CO
Mrs McCall, 66 from Belfast had been slowly losing her eyesight to the disease, which is responsible for causing blindness in more than 67 million people worldwide.
The iStent is a tiny piece of titanium weighing just 60 microgrammes - and is the smallest medical device ever to be implanted into the human body.
It drains fluid away, lowering eye pressure from a sensitive part at the back of the eye which …
Ablation growing into 'tailor-made' approach for AF
By MARK McCARTY
CDU Washington Editor
The concept of "one size fits all" is falling more out of favor every day in modern medicine, and a presentation at the 87th annual meeting of the American Association of Thoracic Surgeons (Beverly, Massachusetts) underlined that concept in the cardiac ablation sector.
Fred Morady, MD, a professor of cardiovascular disease at the University of Michigan Health Systems (UMHS; Ann Arbor) titled his discussion "Catheter Ablation for Atrial Fibrillation: Does One Size Fit All Our Patients?" Morady said that the answer "is obviously no," at least not for paroxysmal atrial fibrillation (PAF), which teremd "clearly a different arrhythmia" from chronic AF. Morady's discussion was on circumferential ablation, an approach that eliminates the need for the long and winding percutaneous approach and gets around the need to stop the heart, a requirement of the Maze procedure.
However, Morady also does not rely on a standardized set of lesions to do the job, but induces AF, ablating only after seeing where the heart's electrical system is malfunctioning. The idea is to ablate only the areas that need ablating and no more.
"There are multiple mechanisms that contribute to AF," Morady said, including nerve tissue located in the pulmonary veins and various other musculatures in the area of the atria. He said that AF can be very mechanism-specific, describing the case of a 60-year-old man who demonstrated no rapid pulmonary vein (PV) activity, but had right atrium fibrillation, nonetheless.
"So instead of doing a left-side procedure, all we did was circle" the source of the AF at the right atrium and ablate the external surface of the heart with a Lasso catheter, made by Biosense Webster (Diamond Bar, California).
However, Morady said that circumferential ablation had limits when applied …
Byline: MATT GRAVES Staff writer
SARATOGA SPRINGS -- Trainer Todd Pletcher left himself open for criticism when he bypassed a chance to become the ninth winner of the Triple Tiara with unbeaten Jersey Girl, but his filly vindicated him in Saturday's Test Stakes.
The one-length victory over longshot Brave Deed not only kept Jersey Girl's perfect record intact, but it also enhanced her position to win the 3-year-old filly Eclipse Award.
It also made Pletcher's decision to run in the seven-furlong Test instead of the 1 1/2-mile Coaching Club American Oaks look like the right thing to do.
``I told myself and everyone else that we were going to …
