No charges will be filed in a spectacular fire that damaged the facade of the Monte Carlo hotel-casino in Las Vegas.
Clark County Fire Chief Steve Smith says the Jan. 25 fire was started by welders working on the roof without proper permits, but it was not intentional.
The fire forced the evacuation of 6,000 guests and …
Sir Alan Sugar is renowned for his ability to strike fear into thehearts of apprentices on his TV show.
But the pupils at two Bath schools have been doing their best tocapture his business success without mimicking his hard image.
Pupils at St Michael's Junior School in Twerton and BathamptonPrimary School have both been running food-related firms, and managedto turn over a tidy profit.
At St Michael's, 14 children split into two teams - the DiamondDragons and The Chocolate Chipmunks - to run cake businesses.
They have been working since the Easter holidays to organisestalls, choose menus and bake treats.
Deputy headteacher Dave Goucher said the …
Las Mejores Comidas Tipicas de Hispanoamerica: Ensalada de berenjenas con yogur
4 personas
6 berenjenas gordas
el zumo de 1 limon
2 cucharadas de aceite de oliva
1 cucharadita de sal
2 dientes de ajo
1/2 taza de yogur
1 tomate
1 pimiento
aceitunas negras
Cocinar las berenjenas enteras y sin pelar directamente sobre la llama de gas o en el asador, volteandolas con cuidado para que queden bien quemadas por fuera y cocidas por dentro. Pelarlas con un cuchillo, agarrandolas por el tallo para hacerlo. Quitar los tallos, majarlas con un tenedor y mezclarlas con el zumo de limon y aceite de oliva. Agregar la …
Brian Westbrook was a full participant in practice for the first time in two weeks on Friday and appears likely to play Sunday when the Eagles host the Washington Redskins.
"He was able to get through everything," Eagles coach Andy Reid said. "It looked like he did it well. We will just see how he feels later today and then tomorrow. Most importantly, we'll see how he feels on Sunday."
Westbrook is questionable on the injury report, but has been able to participate more in practice as the week progressed.
The All-Pro running back would give the Eagles a big lift against Washington in a division showdown in the tough NFC …
A judge in Little Rock, Ark., on Tuesday awarded the owner ofArkansas Derby winner Valhol the $300,000 first-prize money, clearingthe way for the gelding's entry in Saturday's Kentucky Derby.
The distribution of the winner's share from the April 10 race atOaklawn Park in Hot Springs had been put on hold while stewardsinvestigated whether jockey Billy Patin used an electrical device tomake Valhol run faster.
Without the money from the Arkansas Derby, Valhol likely wouldn'thave enough earnings to qualify for one of 20 spots in the race atLouisville, Ky. Without the $300,000, Valhol ranked 24th inearnings; with the money, the horse ranked 12th.The deadline for entries …
SKOPJE, Macedonia (AP) — Macedonia has requested a credit line worth €480 million over two years from the International Monetary Fund, the fund said Wednesday — seeking a safety net in the midst of Europe's debt crisis and bond-market turmoil.
IMF Managing Director Dominique Strauss-Kahn said Wednesday he will "rapidly" seek approval of the request from the fund's executive board.
Macedonia's conservative government says it will use the money to support the budget and capital investments. It expects the economy to grow 2 percent this year and 3.5 percent in 2011.
The former Yugoslav republic dipped in recession in 2009 with unemployment hovering around a staggering 30 …
Hoisting hundreds of coffins aloft, a line of weeping relatives stretched for at least a mile (1.6 kilometers) Sunday as they honored Srebrenica massacre victims on the 15th anniversary of the worst atrocity in Europe since World War II.
A whole hillside in the eastern Bosnian town was dug out with graves, waiting for 775 coffins covered in green cloths to be laid to rest at the biggest Srebrenica funeral so far.
Still, that was less than a tenth of the total number of Muslim men and boys executed after Serb forces overran the U.N.-protected town on July 11, 1995, during the 1992-1995 Bosnian war.
"I grew up without a father and I don't even …
The clock in the concourse at Union Station has read 2:51 for at least a quarter century. No one really knows when it stopped.
Inside this cavernous structure, time has literally stood still. Once a symbol of Springfield's envious status as the crossroads of New England, he historic landmark has been the subject of much debate, but little action. The hulking edifice that speaks of another age has spent the past four decades in idle neglect. But a new life may be just around the comer. While optimism and Union Station are words rarely used together, this time around it may quite appropriate. Economic, legal, and perhaps political forces are combining to give the former Grand Old …
A Southwest Airlines flight headed to Connecticut made an emergency landing in Omaha after a person who missed the flight allegedly made a bomb threat, an airline spokeswoman said Sunday.
No explosives were found, and the 137 passengers on Flight 1018 continued on to Hartford, Connecticut from Las Vegas, after the unexpected layover of just over three hours, spokeswoman Christi Day said.
Day said the …
Lyric Opera of Chicago staffers were shocked when reports leaked out a day early that Anthony Freud, 53, general director of Houston Grand Opera, would be named to succeed the retiring William Mason.
In any case, the London-born Freud plans to hit the ground running, and in fact will start his five-year contract here on Oct. 1, the day of Lyric's season-opening performance and gala, and six months ahead of Mason's originally announced retirement.
"Bill and I and the [Lyric] board all thought, 'We're ready to go,' so that's what we are going to do," Freud said.
Mason, 69, will serve as consultant for the 2011-12 season …
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DUBLIN (AP) — Ireland has relied entirely on last year's Rugby World Cup squad for its initial 24-man squad for the Six Nations.
Although Ireland reached only the quarterfinals in New Zealand before losing to Six Nations rival Wales, coach Declan Kidney has opted to use his experienced players as the basis of his final squad.
But six uncapped players will train with Ireland for a week and Kidney could call upon any of them for the Feb. 5 opener against Wales if they impress.
Kidney also selected a 22-man Wolfhounds squad for a match against England's second-string Saxons and could draft in any of those if required.
"The Wolfhounds game gives myself and the other coaches one final chance to give games to players to see possible options before we settle on our match day 22," Kidney said on Wednesday. "It also gives us the opportunity to have a closer look in training at some of the younger players, rather than bringing in more experienced players.
"It's a new tournament for us and for everybody involved, so irrespective of the highs and lows of the World Cup, it is a fresh and exciting challenge for us."
With captain Brian O'Driscoll ruled out because of injury, Paul O'Connell will lead the side.
___
Ireland: Backs: Tommy Bowe, Gordon D'Arcy, Keith Earls, Rob Kearney, Fergus McFadden, Conor Murray, Ronan O'Gara, Eoin Reddan, Jonathan Sexton, Andrew Trimble, Paddy Wallace. Forwards: Rory Best, Tom Court, Sean Cronin, Leo Cullen, Stephen Ferris, Cian Healy, Jamie Heaslip, Shane Jennings, Sean O'Brien, Donncha O'Callaghan, Paul O'Connell (captain), Mike Ross, Donnacha Ryan. Additional players: Andrew Conway, Paddy McAllister, Ian Nagle, Tiernan O'Halloran, Peter O'Mahony, Simon Zebo.
The industry has touted special training, vo-tech education, SkillsUSA-VICA and mentoring, among many other tactics, to keep the industry equipped with enough qualified techs, but now the concern about the shortage of qualified collision repair technicians has reached celebrity status.
The Tonight Show host Jay Leno, known for being a car enthusiast, is doing what he can to ensure that those interested in entering the automobile repair business have resources they need to pursue it as a career. He started the Fred Duesenberg Memorial Scholarship at McPherson College in McPherson, Kan., in 1997, but it's now getting more recognition as the industry continues to look for funding, training and opportunities to bring in qualified entry-level techs. The annual scholarship recipient receives $20,000, says Robert Vaughn, director of restoration technology operations for McPherson College. A year later, Leno established the Jay Leno/Popular Mechanics Scholarship, a full scholarship for second-year automotive restoration students at the school.
Leno established the scholarships "in order to give something back" to the hobby of car collection and restoration, which includes autobody and sheet metal repair, according to the McPherson College press release about the scholarships. Leno is an honorary member of the college's national advisory board for the automotive restoration program. Robert Vaughn, director of restoration technology operations, says Leno is a great supporter of the school's program and the automotive industry in general. "He does great things for us," Vaughn says. "When we have students with a financial need, it [the scholarship] allows them to go to school. It gives them the opportunity to become professionally trained," Vaughn says.
Randy Ema, owner of Randy Ema Inc. in Orange, Calif., has worked on several of Leno's cars. When Leno came to Ema's facility one day, he inquired Ema as to a good place to put funds for automotive education. Ema knew of McPherson College because every year he has an intern from the school, and because it's the only school that offers an auto restoration program as well as bachelor degree programs in several areas including historic automotive technology and restoration management. "I was aware of the school, and he's aware that a lot of the talents and trades are dying," Ema says. "He [Leno] felt this was a good opportunity to put money where it would enhance the long-forgotten craft of automobile restoration."
Although the program for which the scholarship is endowed is specific to automotive restoration, it's also significant for the collision repair industry, Ema says, "Because automobile restoration covers every aspect of the automobile. It's still meaningful for the collision repair industry because restoration encompasses collision repair and sheet metal repair. It's all part and parcel."
Diane Ditzler, co-owner of Gary's Auto Body Inc. in Pine Grove, Pa., says the industry support from high-profile people such as Leno is both encouraging and exciting. When Ditzler first learned about Leno's scholarships for the industry, she contacted her local vo-tech school to see if the program could somehow use the information to get a scholarship established at the school. "There aren't a lot of scholarships for the kids because people don't think vo-tech is worth it," Ditzler says. "But someone has to do it."
[Sidebar]
Autobody students repair 1932 Roadster
Fayetteville West Campus Technical Center autobody repair and mechanical repair students teamed up with students from other disciplines in the school to restore a 1932 Roadster as part of a joint effort between several areas of study.
Students from West Campus' building trades, welding, auto collision and auto mechanics programs took part in the restoration process, the Northwest Arkansas Times reported.
The car, which has been painted a shiny purple in honor of the school's colors, has become "the pride of the school" after coming in as "just a heap of metal," the paper reported.
[Author Affiliation]
By Tina Grady
Senior Associate Editor
WASHINGTON (AP) — The United States and its NATO allies are close to an agreement to erect a missile shield over Europe, a project that would give the military alliance a fresh purpose while testing President Barack Obama's campaign to improve relations with Russia.
The deal is likely to be sealed at a two-day NATO summit starting Friday in Lisbon, Portugal, officials say, as part of what the alliance calls its new "strategic concept," the first overhaul of its basic mission since 1999.
The summit will include Obama and leaders of the 27 other member countries of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization. Russian President Dmitry Medvedev will join a separate NATO-Russia session on Saturday.
Outlines of the deal were provided to The Associated Press by American officials who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss internal allied deliberations.
Under the arrangement, a limited system of U.S. anti-missile interceptors and radars already planned for Europe would be linked to expanded European-owned missile defenses. That would create a broad system that would protect every NATO country against medium-range missile attack.
NATO plans to invite Russia to join the missile shield effort, although Moscow would not be given joint control. The gesture would mark a historic milestone for the alliance, created after World War II to defend Western Europe against the threat of an invasion by Soviet forces.
The Bush administration first proposed stationing 10 interceptor missiles in Poland and an advanced radar in the Czech Republic, saying the system was aimed at blunting future missile threats from Iran.
Russia was furious, saying the missiles threatened the deterrent value of its nuclear arsenal. At one point Moscow warned that if the plan went forward, it would station missiles close to Poland.
The Obama administration canceled the original plan in September 2009, proposing instead a reconfigured missile shield that would begin with ship-based interceptors and radars, followed by more advanced land-based interceptors to be deployed in Romania by 2015 and Poland by 2018. This is to be the core U.S. contribution to NATO's European missile defense system.
The United States has asked Turkey, also a member of NATO, to host some of the radar defenses and to approve the proposal for a Europe-wide defense network. Turkey has hesitated, saying it does not want the system explicitly to target its neighbor, Iran.
U.S. officials close to pre-summit talks were optimistic that the proposed European missile shield's remaining obstacles could be overcome. They said Russia seems to be seriously considering NATO's plan, while Turkey's concerns could be finessed.
"The Russians seem to be playing ball and seem to be somewhat open-minded about this," said F. Stephen Larrabee, a specialist in European security issues at the RAND Corp. think tank. In Larrabee's view, though, NATO must still convince Moscow that the planned system will not undermine the credibility of Russia's nuclear arsenal.
"I don't think they've been completely convinced of that yet," he said.
Other experts agreed that Turkey's worries about singling out Iran probably can be answered without jeopardizing the plan. "I would be surprised if this proved to be a deal-breaker," said Steven Pifer, a Russian affairs specialist at the Brookings Institution.
NATO leaders also are expected to adopt a broad strategy for shifting responsibility for Afghanistan's security from the U.S.-led NATO forces there to the Afghans, beginning in the first half of next year and finishing in 2014. Afghan President Hamid Karzai is expected to attend one NATO session on the war.
Saturday's NATO-Russia session is expected to discuss a bigger Russian role in the Afghan conflict. NATO spokesman James Appathurai said Wednesday that Russia has been asked to contribute about 20 transport helicopters and provide training for Afghan helicopter pilots.
In adopting the new strategic concept, NATO is trying to adapt itself to deal with 21st century security threats. In Europe, "there is less fear of foreign intervention or aggression than there ever has been before in the history of the North Atlantic alliance," Wolfgang Ischinger, a former German ambassador to the United States, told a recent conference.
Europe's sense of security improves chances for better relations with Moscow. But it also has encouraged European governments to slash defense spending, and constructing a Europe-wide missile defense system will cost millions.
In Lisbon the allies are expected to declare that nuclear weapons will remain a central element in NATO's defenses. At the same time, the alliance will urge Russia to enter into negotiations to reduce U.S. and Russian short-range nuclear weapons stationed in Europe.
Prospects for those talks appear dim, however, unless the U.S. Senate ratifies the New START treaty, which would cut the number of U.S. and Russian long-range nuclear weapons. Republican gains in the recent congressional elections have made ratification more doubtful.
It is with great sadness that we report the death of Alvin H. Larsen, 65, who passed away in his sleep on june 23, 2004. A Fellow of the AIChE, Larsen was one of the founders of the AlChE's Design Institute for Physical Properties (DIPPR�), which came into being in 1980, and was very active in its subsequent operations.
He served as the first Steering Committee Chairman of the Data Compilation Project (801) and was the prime mover in its organization. The path that he established for it is still being followed today. Larsen also was a member of several other Project Steering Committees, as well as Chairman of the Liaison and Dissemination Committees. In addition, he was a productive member of the strategic planning process which resulted, among other things, in the revision of DIPPR's bylaws, and of the committee which rewrote the Dissemination Agreement. Larsen's facility with words, language, organization of documents, and attention to detail made him an ideal person for this sort of work.
He demonstrated his creativity in writing "DIPPR 2000 - A Vision Statement" and "A New Paradigm for DIPPR."
Larsen was well-versed in chemical engineering and chemistry, and was highly respected for his technical expertise. DIPPR will miss him both as an extremely competent professional colleague and as a real friend.
REGION
An economic recovery is coming, but its sustainability is open to question, two leading national economists told area businesspeople.
U.S. productivity is back on an upward trend after the worst economic disturbance since the Great Depression, PNCs Robert A. Dye told an authence of more than 100 at the York County Chamber of Commerce's Nov. 18 Economics Club breakfast.
A few days later, Anirban Basu, chairman and CEO of Sage Policy Group Inc. of Baltimore, offered a similar analysis to two dozen CEOs and invited guests gathered at a local chapter meeting of Vistage, an organization devoted to helping executives hone their leadership skills.
Dye, vice president and senior economist for The PNC Financial Services Group, said the recovery likely would be a gradual "U-shaped recovery," rather than a sharper "V-shaped" one. Basu, however, noted about onethird of economists are predicting a "double dip," a second downturn.
Government data indicates the recession ended in the third quarter of this year. Preliminary figures showed 3.5 percent annualized gross domestic product growth, since revised to 2.8 percent. PNC expects a return to normal economic growth in 2010, roughly 3 percent or a little more, Dye said.
Basu, whose firm recent�y established an affiliate in Harrisburg called Commonwealth Economics, forecast just 2.4 percent economic growth for 2010 and said there is considerable uncertainty after that.
"I just can't see through the fog," he said, and cautioned, "Don't presume 2011 will be better than 2010."
On employment, a lagging indicator, Dye predicted a peak of 10.5 percent. Basu predicted a peak between 10.7 percent and 11.4 percent.
Both men said the $787 billion economic stimulus had been effective in preventing a much deeper recession, but Basu said the money was badly misallocated. The government squandered billions on easy, "shovel-ready" road-repaving projects and tax breaks that it could have spent on long-term investments in infrastructure, he said.
"It's not a serious package," he said. "It fails to wrap itself around America's key shortcomings."
Fears of inflation are overblown in the near term, both indicated. Despite massive borrowing by the federal government, the recession has dampened demand too much for wages or prices to increase.
"It is very difficult to put together any kind of inflation story with this much slack in the economy," Dye said.
The risk of inflation in the long term hinges on whether the government can wind down its deficits as the private-sector economy heats back up, Basu said. It is too soon to tell how successful that transition will be, he said, but it will have to take place.
"The federal government cannot keep being the economy forever," he said.
[Author Affiliation]
BY TIM STUHLDREHER
tims@journalpub.com
NEW YORK (AP) — In what may be an early sign that American credit card users are again having trouble paying their bills, five of the nation's top six credit card issuers say late payments rose in September.
That's the first month since February 2009 that so many major companies reported a rise in payments late by 30 days or more.
The increases were all smaller than a percentage point. But late payments, or delinquencies, are considered an indicator of potential defaults, which socked banks with $75 billion in losses in 2009-2010 alone.
Analysts generally expect improvements in delinquencies and defaults to level off as the year draws to a close. But with unemployment remaining above 9 percent and some economists predicting another recession, it is worrisome that more people appear to be falling behind.
John Kuhlman, professor in the mechanical and aerospace engineering department at West Virginia University, has been named a fellow of the American Society of Mechanical Engineering. The fellow grade recognizes outstanding contributions and achievements to the mechanical engineering profession. A member of the West Virginia faculty for 18 years, Kuhlman earned his bachelor's, master's, and doctoral degrees at case Western Reserve University.
Robert Nerem, director of the Parker H. Petit Institute of Bioengineering and Bioscienee and professor of mechanical engineering at the Georgia Institute of Technology, received the Pierre Galletti Award from the American Institute of Medical and Biological Engineering. The annual award recognizes an individual's efforts to raise public awareness of medical and biological engineering and technical education in general.
Winscombe Youth Theatre is celebrating its 21st year with theBroadway musical comedy Honk, which is based on Hans ChristianAnderson's The Ugly Duckling.
It will be performed at Churchill Community School on bothSaturday and Sunday.
Tickets for the shows, which begin at 3.30pm, cost Pounds 8 foradults and Pounds 6 for children and are available on 01934 852771.
The Whitney Young Magnet High School academic decathlon teamsuffered the agony of defeat in the national championship, but twomembers enjoyed the thrill of individual victory.
Despite their individual honors, juniors Shishir Sheth and YoungLee were "rather disappointed the team did not do as well as wethought we could," Lee said.
The nine-member Whitney Young team finished 20th among the 41contestants in recent competition in Los Angeles. A team fromRichardson, Texas, won for the third year in a row.
Whitney Young beat six other Illinois schools to reach thefinals.
Sheth was "flabbergasted" that he won top honors in the essaycompetition, while finishing "only third" in science and math. "Iusually thought of my strong points as being in math and science,"said Sheth, who wants to study medicine after graduation.
Lee savored her second-place finish in the math competition, butfelt she should have done better. "I was expecting first," said Lee,who has aspirations to be either a psychologist or a lawyer.
But both students said that even though they capturedindividual medals, a greater honor would have been to come back toChicago as national champions. Their trip was financed bycontributions from local corporations.
The daylong competition included tests in all major academicdisciplines, essay writing, speaking and a "super quiz," whichawarded 200 points for each correct answer.
Young's nine juniors and seniors fared poorest in the "superquiz" on immigration. "I guess we just did not have enough knowledgein that field and got caught on the really hard questions," Lee said.
"We'll have our chance again next year," Sheth said, when thesuper quiz will be on the U.S. Constitution.
"And that topic is something we all know a lot about," Shethsaid.
HARTFORD, Conn. - A 114-year-old Connecticut resident who was born to former slaves in North Carolina has become the world's oldest known woman after the death this week of a Canadian woman.
Emma Faust Tillman, born Nov. 22, 1892, became the oldest validated female "supercentenarian" in the world when 115-year-old Julie Winnifred Bertrand of Montreal, Canada, died in her sleep early Thursday.
Tillman, of East Hartford, is now the second-oldest known person in the world behind 115-year-old Emiliano Mercado del Toro of Puerto Rico, born August 21, 1891.
They are among many validated supercentenarians on a list maintained by the Gerontology Research Group in Los Angeles and other organizations.
Officials at East Hartford's Riverside Health and Rehabilitation Center, where Tillman has lived since she was 110, were surprised to learn Friday of her new honor. They planned to wait until her family notified her, not wanting to overwhelm her.
"At 114 years old, having too much activity can wear on you after a while," said Karen Chadderton, the center's administrator.
Tillman, who has been widowed for almost 70 years, takes no credit for her uncommon longevity and says she has no secrets for other aspiring supercentenarians.
"I think as she gets older, it gets a little less exciting only because reaching this age is something she feels she didn't really do herself - she says the good Lord did it," Chadderton said.
Tillman's great-nephew, former Hartford fire chief John B. Stewart, said last month that she never smoked, never drank, did not need glasses and agreed to wear a hearing aid only reluctantly.
He said when she's asked about the secret to her longevity, Tillman invariably points skyward and says "Ask the man upstairs."
Tillman, one of 23 children, moved from North Carolina with her family to Glastonbury in 1895.
She graduated in 1909 as the only black student in her high school and later worked as a cook, maid, party caterer and caretaker for children of several wealthy families.
She married Arthur Tillman in 1914, and they moved to Hartford's south end and raised two daughters before his death in 1939. One of her daughters is deceased.
Before moving to Riverside, she lived alone in a Hartford apartment for years, family members have said. She also has been a member of the A.M.E. Zion Church in Hartford for more than 80 years.
Longevity runs in the family. One of Tillman's brothers lived to be 108, while one sister lived to 105 and two others lived to 102.
"You can tell she's tired now, but at 114, we're blessed and she's blessed," Stewart said Friday.
Kellogg's Corn Flakes have been successful in finding theirplace on the breakfast tables of Europeans, but General Mills'Cheerios and Wheaties haven't even been seen on the shelves.
Soon, popular General Mills' brands will be fighting it out withKellogg's abroad thanks to a joint venture between the Minneapoliscereal company and Nestle S.A., the multi-national food concern.
The two companies said Thursday they will form an independentjoint venture called Cereal Partners Worldwide to market ready-to-eatcereals, first in Europe and then in other countries outside of theUnited States and Canada.
The European cereal market still is in its relative infancy,with annual sales of about $1.6 billion, compared with $6.5 billionin the United States. General Mills said the European market isexpected to quadruple in the next 10 years.
Kellogg Co., Battle Creek, Mich., is the leader in Europe, withabout 40 percent of the market. Nestle, the company with whichGeneral Mills is aligning, also is a player, with about 10 percentshare of market in France and Spain and 30 percent in Portugal.
The top executives at General Mills and Nestle, Bruce Atwaterand Helmut Maucher, respectively, said, "Through a strategic alliancethat combines the cereal expertise and technology of General Millswith the local marketing expertise and sales distribution systems ofNestle, we believe we can accomplish collectively that which would bemuch more difficult to accomplish individually - to become a majorcompetitive force in the development of worldwide breakfast cerealmarkets within the next decade."
Charles W. Gaillard, a senior vice president of General Millswho currently is president of its international foods division, willbe the chief executive officer of the new company. Gaillard headedthe Big G cereal division in the United States from 1979 to 1988.
But other appointments, a European location for the company,brands to be sold, and other marketing plans are not yet formulated,according to a company spokesman.
The agreement also carries a long-term agreement, which providesthat neither party will seek control of the other.
General Mills, No. 2 in the U.S. cereal business, has beengaining on perennial leader Kellogg in this country, gaining marketshare at Kellogg's expense. Current figures put General Mills at a25 percent U.S. market share, while Kellogg's is at about 38.5percent, according to analysts.
The oat bran craze benefited General Mills, which had severaloat-based cereals, while Kellogg still had been concentrating on cornand wheat-based products. Both companies are introducing newproducts with psyllium, a grain that is said to havecholesterol-reducing properties.
"This is a good strategic move for General Mills," said BarbaraDirvin, an analyst with William Blair & Co., Chicago. "BecauseKellogg dominates the cereal business in Europe, it would have beentough for General Mills on their own. Nestle is at best mediocre inthe cereal market in Europe. They need the technology General Millshas."
"The agreement will provide long-term rather than a short-termbenefit," said Nomi Ghez, an analyst at Goldman Sachs & Co., NewYork. "General Mills' problem is that it is largely a domesticcompany. To crack the international markets without aninfrastructure would be impossible. So it was hard to see where thecompany could go. The growth opportunities abroad are much moresignificant."
DDB Needham Worldwide, Saatchi & Saatchi Advertising andCampbell-Mithun-Esty, are the three advertising agencies handlingGeneral Mills cereals domestically. General Mills said noadvertising assignments have yet been made for its European ventures.
General Mills stock climbed $1.50 Thursday to $74.62 1/2 ashare. CLEESE TOUTS LOTTO
Illinois State Lottery ads, always noted for their sense ofhumor, will be getting an added touch from comedian John Cleese of"Monty Python" and "A Fish Called Wanda" fame. Cleese is featured inradio spots for Lotto beginning this month. Bozell Inc., Chicago, isthe lottery agency.
Cleese is the founding partner in Video Arts, a Northbrook-basedcompany specializing in corporate training films.
SAN DIEGO Just when it seemed that the pro-life movement and BobDole's campaign had settled their differences on abortion Monday, theRepublican presidential candidate himself nearly prevented unity atnext week's Republican National Convention.
Dole had been in Chicago, revealing his long-awaited taxprogram, which his strategists hoped would eclipse news coverage ofthe abortion dispute. When he arrived back in Washington, Dole wastold that the Republican platform committee had eliminated the word"abortion" from language recognizing "diversity" of GOP opinion. Noton your life, shot back Dole. He insisted that the "A" word berestored.
For the next two hours, key advisers in a secured room at theSan Diego Civic Center were on a transcontinental call to Dole in hisWashington campaign headquarters. Convention manager Paul Manafortand policy co-chairman Vin Weber told Dole that while they surelycould prevail over pro-life forces, it would trigger GOP Armageddonon the convention floor next Monday and poison his campaign.Finally, Dole agreed.
But when Dole read Tuesday morning newspapers reporting that hisaides had abandoned the concept of "tolerance" in the platform, heangrily told them to undo the deal. Reflecting the candidate's ire,Manafort pressed that position. By afternoon he was convinced thatreneging on the agreement with the pro-lifers would be fatal.
All this reflects the continuing tension between Dole and hisparty's conservative base. Although Dole won the delegates, theyconstitute probably the most conservative convention ever. Abortionaside, they are approving the most conservative platform in theparty's history.
But Dole, following the posthumous advice of his politicalmentor, Richard M. Nixon, is still trying to move left. Even keyaides believe the convention's Dole-selected array of speakers doesnot represent the party base. This week, Dole continued to attemptthe unnatural act of making a pro-life abortion plank appeal topro-choice Republicans.
His campaign staff in early June devised the ingenious formulaof keeping the platform's pro-life plank but asserting "tolerance"for contrary views on all topics. Dole, desperate to give a littlesomething to pro-choice Republicans, a month later spoiled thissolution by insisting that the "tolerance" language clearly apply toabortion.
Two months of negotiations finally produced what Dole forcesthought was a deal when the platform committee assembled here for thefirst time last Sunday night. Language obnoxious to pro-lifers -referring to abortion as a matter of "individual conscience" - wasremoved. Abortion was still specifically listed, along with capitalpunishment, trade and term limits.
So, after a pleasant reception Sunday night for platformcommittee members, Chairman Henry Hyde was stunned by what transpiredat a private dinner hosted by conservative activist Phyllis Schlafly.Hyde, who as a veteran Illinois congressman has led the fight againstabortion, was told by pro-life leaders that they could not toleratethe present form of the platform.
Hyde was ready to give in. The word "tolerance" - which pleasednobody - was removed, substituting that "we view this diversity ofviews as a source of strength." Mention of abortion and other issueswas eliminated.
But Dole agents wanted to keep the "diversity" caveat in thesection of the platform covering abortion. That created a flirtationwith disaster, threatening that the issue would be fought out on theconvention floor.
Weber, a former congressman from Minnesota who has been astaunch foe of abortion, sat down for a heart-to-heart talk withSchlafly. If the pro-lifers forced a floor fight, they would get nomore than 25 percent of the votes. Not only would Dole and theRepublican Party be damaged badly, but the anti-abortion movementwould be condemned henceforth to the sectarian status of theVegetarian Party.
Schlafly was convinced and brought along her allies - includingBay Buchanan, presidential campaign chairman for her brother Pat.Kay James, a distinguished social conservative barred by Manafortfrom heading the subcommittee that handles abortion, helped forge thedeal.
It remained for Dole to give his assent during those tense hoursover the telephone. That left pro-choice Republicans fuming whenManafort described them as happy over the outcome.
"What do I have to be happy about?" asked Elsie Hillman,Pennsylvania Republican National Committee member and abortion rightsadvocate on the subcommittee. True, but Bob Dole had dodgeddisastrous confrontation with his party's base.
Robert Novak is a nationally syndicated columnist of the ChicagoSun-Times.
Clint Black is a colorful example of the dramatic transition incountry tradition. His musical background absorbs everything fromthe crustacean ballads of Jimmy Buffett to the classical rock of Yes.
Black's former manager is Bill Ham, who guided the career of ZZTop. Ironically, Ham has been replaced by Black's mother-in-law,Jonni Hartman, the mother of actress Lisa Hartman, whom Black marriedlate last year.
When it came time to speak with Black about his new album, "TheHard Way," and a subsequent 150-city tour, he stuck to an assignedmeeting in a publicist's office in Los Angeles and not in Nashville.He only talked to a few publications, mostly those in major markets.And the rest of the week was busy - Black had guest spots on "LateNight With David Letterman," "Good Morning America" and "Live WithRegis & Kathy Lee."
Hey - is it Black or is it Whitesnake?
"I was exposed to many styles of music growing up in Houston,through my dad and radio," Black said in a phone interview. "Wehad a great rock station. (Bill Young, the program director of hisfavorite station, went on to direct Black's first two videos and the`Loving Blind' video.) We also had these bandit stations that wouldplay cosmic country out of Austin and progressive country likeMarshall Tucker.
"One of the guys in one of our first bands was listening to UFOand the Psychedelic Furs. He taught me Chris Squire (of Yes) runs onbass guitar. So all of a sudden, we could be playing in a countrybar, we would lose the gig and then we'd go to this biker bar andplay Yes. I'd be doing Yes on bass and singing `Long DistanceRunaround.' I was exposed to it all."
Black's memories show how today's biggest country stars comefrom a sophisticated popular culture that gave them the autonomy toselect a musical course. Black went from playing Yes bass lines tobecoming the Country Music Association's 1990 male vocalist of theyear. Mary-Chapin Carpenter was once a pristine folkie singing inGeorgetown area clubs. Now she owns a 1992 Grammy for female countryvocal of the year.
If there is one characteristic that has connected generations ofcountry artists, it is integrity. Country musicians have alwayscarried a deep commitment to expressing familiar human emotionsdirectly and honestly.
As country music continues to grow in popularity, integrity needs to be guarded. Black is thissummer's first country barometer, as e'll walk the line betweenold-fashioned country integrity and the excesses of a rock show atthe World Theatre in Tinley Park on Saturday. (Garth Brooks is upnext on Aug. 28 in an already sold-out show at the World. Ticketsremain for Black.)
Black's $250,000 set of purple mountains and majestic arches wasdesigned by the Universal Studios team that created the set for themovie "Earthquake." The set is modeled on Arches National Park in the Mojave Desert, where Black's current "We Tell Ourselves"video was shot.
For those sitting far away from the stage, Black has provided apair of 15-by-20-foot video walls. The entire shebang requires a52-man road crew and five semitractor trailers to assemble and packup nightly. Adding still another grandiose dimension is engineerRichard Irwin, who was tour engineer for the Eagles and who mixedCrosby, Stills & Nash - at Woodstock.
"This is the biggest thing I've ever thought of doing," Blacksaid. The Brooks comparison
The immense nature of Black's show brings up the obvious Brookscomparsion. Brooks - and to an extent, Hank Williams Jr. - arepioneers in selling rock gimmickry to a country audience.
"I haven't seen Garth's show, so I can't comment on him," Blacksaid. "Everything I'm going to do will bring attention to the rightperformer onstage, the right instrumental solo (he is carrying a11-piece band, almost unweildly for traditional country) and to bringextra meaning to the lyric. It sounds like a big rock show, but it'sreally not. My intention has always been to be as extravagant as Ican with my production, but never to distract from the music. Mymusic is country and this new album is very traditional."
"The Hard Way" takes some time to ease into. Black's debut,"Killin' Time" (1989), delivered a still-unprecedented fiveconsecutive No. 1 songs on Billboard's country charts.
The followup, "Put Myself in Your Shoes" (1990), went doubleplatinum in October, 1991. Legal entanglements with Ham then stalledBlack's career.
In a terse press release issued in March through Jonni Hartman,Black charged that Ham took commissions from one of his endorsements"over and above the amount called for in our management agreement,failed to provide him full and timely financial statements andrefused to meet with him as requested."
Through Hartman, Black also said, "Mr. Ham has apparentlyexpressed his concern over the quality of advice I am (now)receiving. I am pleased to say that since terminating myrelationship with Mr. Ham, I no longer suffer from that problem."
Ham was cool in his response.
In his March 27 press release, he wrote in part, "When I readJonni Hartman's scurrilous press release, I cannot believe in myheart that Clint had anything to do with it, as I consider the attackunworthy of him."
Ham said that he had always provided competent legal andfinancial representation for Black. A multimillion-dollar legalbattle has begun, and Black saids only that the courtroom drama willspeak for itself.
So what is left is the music, and there's a sense of catching upon "The Hard Way." During Black's hiatus, his star has been eclipsedby those of Brooks, Alan Jackson and stud muffin Billy Ray Cyrus. Sowhile Black describes the album as "very traditional" (and the titletrack is), there are obvious departures.
"We Tell Ourselves" is straight-ahead country pop delivered witha rock backbeat. The ballad "Wake Up Yesterday" is brought to lifethrough Crosby, Stills & Nash harmonies, echoing "MarrakeshExpress."
"It pushes the line a little more than the first and secondalbum," Black admitted. "There is cleaner production, and it is alittle more aggressive. It reveals a few more country styles I wasinfluenced by - like Waylon Jennings and even Vince Gill. Some ofthe newer stuff is affecting me."
The last few years, Black has peppered his sets with"Steamroller Blues," which was a hit for James Taylor, and JimmyBuffett's "Son of a Sailor." Buffett influences
On this tour, he has been introducing his new song "When MyShip Comes In" as "about 500 kilometers west of Margaritaville."Black and Buffett co-wrote a song that, according to Black, shouldpop up on his fourth album.
Black's folk-rock influences don't stop there. When he used toplay acoustic guitar in Houston, he covered the songs of Jim Croce,Loggins & Messina and Dan Fogelberg.
But the method in which Black's music retains country characteris through an American gothic tenor suggesting the gritty shades ofMerle Haggard. "Merle depicts, to the greatest extent as one personcould, what country music is," said Black, who opened for the Haglast year. "Although I don't perform that style primarily, that'sprimarily what influenced me in country music. Largely, it's thesongs. Merle's had so many great ones. He writes such beautifulmelodies.
"Merle and I wrote a song together on our tour. He brought thistape to me with a verse and chorus. So I wrote two more verses,worked on the chorus a little bit and brought it back to him. Hetook it, studied it, and said, `Clint, if it weren't for this oneword, I'd give you an A-plus.' I said, `What word would you use?'And he said, `How 'bout `leavin'?' And I said, `That's it, Merle.Leavin'. Why didn't you think of that earlier?' "
That's how country songs are written.
Black's regular co-writer is Hayden Nicholas, the guitarist inhis band. They wrote half of "Killin' Time," nine of the 10 songs on"Put Myself in Your Shoes" and nine of the 10 songs on "The HardWay." The only ringer is "A Woman Has Her Way." David Bellamy ofthe Bellamy Brothers gave Black the hook, and Black and JerryWilliams wrote the ballad, which is anchored by the warning, "A manhas his will, but a woman has her way."
Of his writing style, Black said, "Hayden and I line up fivepages of paper on a coffee table and sit there with two acousticguitars. We have five ideas on the table at one time. When we getstumped on something, we don't wear it out, we just move over toanother song." A flexible discipline
It's a flexible discipline that Black has grown used to. Hebegan playing harmonica at 13, and started playing guitar and singingat age 15.
"I always had a guitar or harmonica with me, everywhere I wentin Houston," he said. "Friends used to toss quarters at me as ajoke, but I took them. We'd hang out in front of the pool hall, I'dplay my harmonica and people would come by and listen. There wasalways somebody with a guitar around, so it was easy to find someoneto sit around and play with."
Even if it meant having to play Yes.
JACKSON, Miss. - A federal judge has ruled that a majority black county in eastern Mississippi violated whites' voting rights in what prosecutors said was the first lawsuit to use the Voting Rights Act on behalf of whites.
U.S. District Judge Tom S. Lee ruled late Friday that Noxubee County Democratic Party leader Ike Brown and the county Democratic Executive Committee "manipulated the political process in ways specifically intended and designed to impair and impede participation of white voters and to dilute their votes."
The Justice Department accused Brown of trying to limit whites' participation in local elections in violation of the 1965 Voting Rights Act, written to protect racial minorities when Southern states strictly enforced segregation.
"Every American has the right to vote free from racial discrimination," said Wan J. Kim, assistant attorney general for the Department of Justice's Civil Rights Division.
"The court's ruling is another victory in the department's vigorous efforts to protect the voting rights of all Americans," Kim said.
Noxubee County is a rural area along the Alabama line with a population of about 12,500, of whom 70 percent are black.
Brown did not immediately return calls Saturday from The Associated Press seeking comment.
The Justice Department alleged in the 2006 lawsuit that Noxubee County blacks tried to shut whites out of the voting process.
Brown had claimed the Justice Department was misconstruing as racial intimidation his attempts to keep Republicans from voting in Democratic primaries.
Lee, who presided over the case without a jury, gave attorneys on both sides until July 29 to file briefs suggesting how to end the discrimination. The case was a civil matter carrying no criminal penalties, but defendants who violate Lee's final order could face contempt of court charges and fines, prosecutors said.
Ricky Walker, who is white and the county's prosecuting attorney, believes Brown recruited an opponent to run against Walker in 2003 simply because of Walker's race.
"We're glad to be getting it over with so we move on and get to the point where maybe we can just have fair, honest, impartial elections here and just go about our business and not have to go through all this circus to get an election done," said Walker, who was a Justice Department witness during the trial in January.
Walker, who is unopposed this year, said the lawsuit created some unrest in the county "that we were getting past ... blacks and whites starting to support people on their ability to fulfill the job rather than just strictly a political or racial basis."
The judge said there was a pattern to Brown's efforts to keep all whites out of the county's Democratic Party, including holding party caucuses in private homes rather than public voting precincts and inviting only blacks to the meetings.
Lee said he could not find that the defendants had a specific animosity against white people.
"Brown, in fact, claims a number of whites as friends," Lee wrote. "However, there is no doubt from the evidence presented at trial that Brown, in particular, is firmly of the view that blacks, being the majority race in Noxubee County, should hold all elected offices, to the exclusion of whites; and this view is apparently shared by his allies and associates on the NDEC, who, along with Brown, effectively control the election process in Noxubee County."
The union that represents mechanics at American Airlines plans to launch a publicity campaign on Wednesday aimed at steering travelers away from airplanes maintained overseas.
American Airlines does its own maintenance at facilities in the U.S. But the union said it's frustrated that other carriers aren't playing by the same rules.
Union members plan to hand out leaflets to members of the Senate beginning on Wednesday, in part because the Senate is debating reauthorization for the Federal Aviation Administration, said TWU spokesman Jamie Horwitz.
Early next year it expects to distribute the leaflets at airports, as well as run ads in newspapers in hub cities of airlines that have maintenance work done overseas, Horwitz said. It's starting in the Senate because senators are working on an FAA bill that would mandate more inspections of some overseas maintenance operations.
The Transport Workers Union is trying to apply pressure over something that the flying public has not taken much notice of.
Several of the biggest airlines, including Delta Air Lines Inc. and Southwest Airlines Co., send planes to overseas repair shops. A report by the Transportation Department's inspector general last year found that U.S. oversight of repair facilities is lagging, and that the FAA has failed to closely track how much maintenance is outsourced and where it is performed. But there has been little evidence that travelers are going to any lengths to avoid such carriers.
It would be to the union's advantage if travelers preferred airlines like American that do their own maintenance. But Don Videtich, a TWU international representative for maintenance workers, said that's not why they're trying to focus attention on the issue.
"We just want a level playing field where we know they have the same oversight, they're dealing with the same things we're dealing with, and they're required to meet the same requirements that we are," he said.
- 7:30 p.m. Saturday,
7:30 p.m. Wednesday and April 30; 3 p.m. May 2
- Harris Theater, 205 E. Randolph
- Tickets, $30-$120;
students $15-$40
- (312) 704-8414;
chicagooperatheater.org
Director Justin Way has just ruminated on the fads of early Venetian opera, but now he is repressing the urge to giggle.
"It's such a delightful, ridiculous, almost blasphemous retelling of this piece of Greek history," says the Australian-born Way, 39, as he breaks into a chuckle. "Ultimately, everyone comes out thinking they're about to see the Jason and the
Argonauts myth, but then someone comes out with a …
MARK ZUCKERBERG: INSIDE FACEBOOK (BBC2, 9pm). Anyone who's seenthe movie The Social Network may think that the story of Facebookgoes as follows; Mark Zuckerberg gets dumped, comes up with the ideafor a hugely successful website, goes into business with …
London, 13 July (AzerTAc). Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev today has met here with British Prime Minister Gordon Brown. The British Premier congratulated Azerbaijani leader on economic achievements his country has reached. Brown said Great Britain and Azerbaijani have successful cooperation in various fields, including energy. Talking about international terror, British Premier praised Azerbaijan`s active participation in antiterrorism coalition. He also hailed Azerbaijan`s democratic reforms, saying Azerbaijan-European Union relations are successfully developing. Brown stated his country will further support Azerbaijan in international arena. We have great potential to …
Byline: AMY BIANCOLLI Staff writer
True confessions from a hardened critic: I screamed ``AHHHHH!'' 14 times at ``What Lies Beneath.''
A few of them might have been ``OOOOOH''s. And ``OH, NOOOOOO''s. Not to mention ``ACK''s, ``ARRRRH''s, ``OY''s, ``EERRRGH''s and ``YIIIEEEEAHHHH''s. I think I might have even yelled ``EEEEEEK'' at some point, although I'd be most grateful if word of this didn't get out. I have a reputation to protect.
See, movie critics are supposed to be calloused and skeptical creatures. Which I am. I was calloused and skeptical enough to know going in that ``What Lies Beneath,'' opening today, would be hell-bent on eliciting screams from anyone who watched. I knew this from the preview, which I had seen eight or nine …
TV3 in New Zealand has adopted Associated Press' news production system ENPS in Auckland, Wellington, Christchurch, and Dunedin, for broadcasting its evening news and current affairs programming. The broadcaster said it chose the system to connect its journalists to base resources from anywhere in New Zealand. …
With a majority of U.S. and Iraqi citizens in favor of a withdrawal of U.S. troops from Iraq, President Bush has yet to declare a date for withdrawal.
Congressman Michael Capuano isn't waiting for Bush's decision. After spending two days in Iraq two weeks ago, the 8th Congressional District representative is calling on Bush to begin withdrawal of troops by February 15.
"By February, we'll have two different legislative bodies elected in Iraq," he said. "If we don't know if they're capable of embracing democracy by then, we'll never know."
Capuano's call comes as Melvin Laird, former aide to president Richard Nixon, called on Bush to withdraw troops, drawing …
(ADPnews) - Nov 20, 2009 - Mexico has allocated MXN 21.072 billion (USD 1.614bn/EUR 1.085bn) to state oil monopoly Petroleos Mexicanos (Pemex) for the Chicontepec oil project for 2010, down from MXN 57.111 billion in 2009, local daily El Universal reported.
Pemex has failed to meet its output target in Chicontepec, which produced only 29,000 barrels per day (bpd) between January 1 and November 6, 2009, down from the initially …
Byline: United Press International
A lawsuit filed by a Schenectady teenager who claimed his grandmother was responsible for injuries he suffered while cutting the woman's hedge's has been dismissed by a midlevel appeals court in Albany.
Peter Attanasio Jr., 16, of Foster Avenue, was injured Aug. 6, 1985, when he fell into hedges at his grandmother's home and was cut by hedge clippers. He required 50 to 60 stitches in the face.
The …
Byline: JAMES DENN Business writer
ALBANY -- A group of developers are renovating a trouble-plagued apartment building -- a move that could help one of downtown's prime neighborhoods.
State Street Tower Associates of Hoosick Falls borrowed $2.1 million from a New York City investment group to rebuild 397 State St. and 94 Spring St. The buildings, located near Washington Park, contain 109 apartments. But the properties, including the 13-story Spring Street building, have been vacant for two years.
State Street Tower's Stanley Rosenberg has high hopes for the redevelopment. Instead of offering 109 studio apartments, the buildings will be restructured …
After winning a power struggle, Eddie Fritts (above) can apparently stay at the helm of the National Association of Broadcasters for a long time. Besides continuing as NAB president through 2006, he'll have the option of sticking around for at least a year longer, an NAB board member reports. Fritts's new contract will be formalized next week. With radio board members backing him, Fritts …
Scandals that Argentine President Cristina Fernandez and her predecessor, her husband Nestor Kirchner, have faced:
_ A bag of cash: Kirchner's Economy Minister Felisa Miceli resigned in July after US$64,000 (euro43,500) in Argentine and U.S. currency was found stashed her office bathroom. Miceli appeared Wednesday before a judge who has yet to decide what charges, if any, to file. Miceli testified the cash was intended to buy real estate, but her busy schedule kept her from banking the money.
_ Illegal payoffs: A public works scandal involving suspected illegal payoffs related to a government-funded project to extend …
They met in preparation for the heat of battle, and now they sitside by side during battle.
In 1983, then De La Salle coach Jerry Tokars scouted Thorntoncoach Sam Cameli's team relentlessly. Nearly every Saturday nightwhen De La Salle wasn't playing, Tokars scouted Thornton because heknew his team probably would meet Cameli's team in the statetournament.
Finally, they met, but not on the floor. Cameli approachedTokars after a game and said: "Jerry, what are you doing in my gymall the time? You know my team better than I do."
When they met, it was at the Hinsdale Central supersectional andthe chance to go Downstate. When Tokars arrived that night, …
German chemical major BASF has started up a new 100m [euro]+, 30,000 t/year complex for the production of intermediates cyclopentanone and cyclododecanone at its …
Byline: Staff reports
Anthony Casale scored 24 points and Emmanuel Mayben added 20 as Troy held off Catholic Central 72-67 in a Sect. II Class A play-in game at home Friday.
The Flying Horses (9-12, 7-11) will play at Colonie Wednesday. The Garnet Raiders earned the Suburban No. 2 seed by virtue of their 39-32 win over Averill Park earlier on Friday.
Eamon O'Brien led Catholic Central with 22 points and Joe Mahoney added 16. The Crusaders ended their season at 5-16, 3-13 in the Big 10.
CLASS A Colonie 39, Averill Park 32 Kris Kowalczyk scored 14 points and teammate Bob VanValkenburg added 13 to lead Colonie to victory. The Garnet Raiders …
CombinatoRx Inc. is discontinuing work on its oral psoriasis drug, CRx-104, after Phase II data failed to show statistical significance. The 103-patient trial compared a 12-week treatment of CRx-104, a syncretic drug comprised of a low dose of cyclosporine and loratadine, to a low-dose cyclosporine, with the primary endpoint measured by the Physician Global Assessment (PGA) scale and a secondary endpoint measured by the Psoriasis Area Severity Index (PASI). Early data showed that patients receiving CRx-104 did not demonstrate a significant reduction in PGA and PASI vs. patients in the control group. As a result, the Boston-based firm decided to stop clinical …
Below is a list of feature stories that The Associated Press plans to move in the coming week. Questions about the stories may be addressed to the North America Desk supervisor in New York at 212-621-1650 (fax 212-621-5449) or e-mail amidesk(at)ap.org or to individual bureaus in your country or region.
We will update this digest daily, adding new features as available. Feature stories that moved in the previous three days are included at the bottom for editors who may not have seen them.
New:
FILM-BORN TO BE WILD
MUSIC-WIZ KHALIFA
CUBA-OPEN FOR BUSINESS
IMMIGRATION LIMBO
IMMIGRATION LIMBO-DAVALOS
THE NEW TUNISIA
GAY …
Chris Lemley, president of Sentry Auto Group, thinks his certified used-vehicle customers deserve new-car treatment.
That's why the second-generation Ford dealer is building a 10,000-square-foot certified used-car store next to his Ford dealership in Medford, Mass. Sentry Certified Preowned Center is scheduled to open by April 1.
The store features imported ceramic tile floors with marble accents and a mirrored back wall. The showroom will have eight certified Ford cars and trucks. Customers will take delivery in an area with computer-controlled lights and music that will range from classic rock to jazz.
Lemley said that having a store that sells …
Garth Johnston
Never one to rest on his laurels, Michael Eisner has kept busy since leaving Walt Disney Co., which he transformed into one of the world's premier media companies as CEO from 1984 until 2005.
Eisner, 65, now hosts a show on CNBC, Conversations With Michael Eisner, and has stretched out into new media with his VC company Torante, a major investor in online video site Veoh. On April 2, his new-media company, Vuguru, launches its first project, a high school mystery Web series called Prom Queen , which will be broadcast online daily in 90-second clips.
Eisner took a break to talk to B&C 's Garth Johnston about his latest business plans, …
WOONSOCKET, R.I. -- CVS Corp. is playing a major role in the new ABC reality series "Miracle Workers."
The television show is about real people overcoming huge health obstacles with the help of an elite team of medical professionals. Procedures on the program will include restoring vision to the blind and performing deep brain stimulation to reduce the motor symptoms …
Spring roll sales fund Lao Canadian Evangelical Mennonite Church ministries half-way around the world
Lao Canadian Evangelical Mennonite Church in northwest Toronto, with a Sunday morning attendance of no more than 40, is living true to its name. Even though it is a small "church plant" with all the challenges that new congregations face, it is already thinking of needs and people beyond the group.
Agnes and Joanne, two young girls in the congregation, are good examples of the mission-minded people being nurtured at Lao Canadian. In the fall of 2006, they were preparing to take their first trip with their parents to their homeland in Laos when they learned about a community …
Burnished image Cedric the Entertainer, below, hosts ``The 34th Annual NAACP Image Awards'' (8 p.m., WXXA Ch. 23). Cedric's gig is notable because the comedian drew the ire of Jesse Jackson and others for his role in the comedy ``Barbershop,'' in which his character slagged Rosa Parks, Martin Luther King Jr. and Jackson. While some people can't take a joke, it seems that others can. For complete listings, see page D5. Sing a song A couple of years ago, the North Carolina Songwriters Co-op gave Jonathan Byrd the song of the year award for ``Wildflowers.'' See why the bluegrass and country performer deserved all the fuss when Byrd performs at noon today at Hudson Valley …
