TUNIS, Tunisia (AP) — Tunisian police fired tear gas at participants in an anti-government demonstration in the heart of the Tunisian capital, Tunis.
Security forces succeeded in breaking up Thursday's demonstration of several hundred mostly young people in about an hour. The protesters complained Tunisia's new caretaker government has not followed …
Through April 26
Singles
1. Serena Williams, United States, 7,946 points.
2. Caroline Wozniacki, Denmark, 6,255.
3. Dinara Safina, Russia, 6,150.
4. Venus Williams, United States, 5,817.
5. Svetlana Kuznetsova, Russia, 5,620.
6. Elena Dementieva, Russia, 4,965.
7. Jelena Jankovic, Serbia, 4,740.
8. Agnieszka Radwanska, Poland, 4,190.
9. Victoria Azarenka, Belarus, 4,080.
…
* Bankruptcy filings
The following people filed petitions in U.S. Bankruptcy Court forthe Southern District for Aug. 28, 2003: * Jason Lee and BarbaraFaye Lowe, 11 Greenbrier Drive, Holly Hill Estates, Bluefield.Chapter 7. Assets: $11,454.61. Liabilities: $46,573.50.
* Kristofer Wayne Miller, P.O. Box 851, White Sulphur Springs.Chapter 7. Assets: $700. Liabilities: $ 88,004.
* Kendra Jeannene Boyce, Route 2, Box 117A, Sinks Grove. Chapter7. Assets: $2,760. Liabilities: $27,635.20.
* Terry Lee Roberts, P.O. Box 1853, Princeton. Chapter 7. Assets:$7,875. Liabilities: $31,032.25.
* Shannon Hope Collins, 39 Township Road 1372, Apt. 301,Proctorville, …
VATICAN CITY (AP) — Cardinal Bernard Law, who resigned in disgrace as Boston's archbishop in 2002 after the priest sex abuse scandal erupted in the United States, has retired from his subsequent job as head of a major Roman basilica.
The Vatican said Monday that Pope Benedict XVI had accepted the 80-year-old Law's resignation as archpriest of St. Mary Major basilica and had named Spanish Monsignor Santos Abril y Castello to replace him.
Law's 2004 appointment as the archpriest of one of Rome's most important basilicas had been harshly criticized by victims of priestly sex abuse, who charged that bishops who covered up for pedophile priests should be punished, not …
An Indian laborer was beaten to death on a train, the latest attack on migrant workers in the country's financial and entertainment capital, police said Wednesday.
Police have opened a murder inquiry and detained two people for questioning, said K.P. Raghuvanshi, additional director-general of Railway Police.
Dharamdev Rai, 25, and three other laborers from impoverished Uttar Pradesh state were attacked Tuesday by a half dozen people aboard a local train, Raghuvanshi told The Associated Press.
Tension has been building for nearly two weeks in Mumbai since supporters of a fiery politician attacked students from northern India, many of them from …
VIENNA, Austria - North Korea is prepared to extend wide cooperation to the International Atomic Energy Agency in its mission to help shut down Pyongyang's weapons-capable nuclear facilities, an IAEA report made available Tuesday to The Associated Press suggests.
The confidential four-page report outlines events linked to the agency's foreseen role in shutting down North Korea's plutonium producing Yongbyon facility, up to last week's visit by a high-ranking agency delegation.
It also documents North Korea's stated willingness to provide agency experts with needed technical information, access and other help needed for IAEA experts to do the job.
The report will …
President Barack Obama is reaching out to the Iranian people in a new video with Farsi subtitles, saying the U.S. is prepared to end years of strained relations if Tehran tones down its bellicose rhetoric.
The video released Friday was timed to the festival of Nowruz, which means "new day" and marks the arrival of spring. It's a major holiday in Iran.
"So in this season of new beginnings I would like to speak clearly to Iran's leaders," Obama said in the video. "We have serious differences that have grown over time. My administration is now committed to diplomacy that addresses the full range of issues before us, and to pursuing …
Sometimes the brightest stories are backstage.
The guitar technician for the Michelle Shocked tour is JohnDeFoore, a Texas singer-songwriter with blue-bonnet eyes and a walrusmustache. You'll see him attending to Shocked's guitars when thesinger-songwriter appears with her band at 7 tonight at the Vic, 3145N. Sheffield (559-1212) and at 8 p.m. tomorrow at Mandel Hall, 5706S. University on the campus of the University of Chicago (702-7300).Austin, Texas-based funseekers Poi Dog Pondering and Englishsinger-songwriter John Wesley Harding will open both shows.
Shocked also will appear with Harding and the BoDeans in anacoustic setting at 10 a.m. Sunday in the south …
CHEYENNE, Wyo. (AP) — Petroleum giant Chevron Corp. said Friday it plans to get out of the coal industry by the end of the year.
The decision came after the company determined that new coal technologies were developing too slowly to make staying in the industry a good strategy, Chevron Mining Inc. spokeswoman Margaret Lejuste said.
One of the technologies is known as coal-to-liquids, in which coal is processed into diesel, gasoline or other fuels.
"Those technologies are so far into the future, 10 to 15 years in the future, they made the strategic decision to focus on other operations other than mining," she said of the company.
Chevron intends to sell off three …
Spain's National Court has ordered that an Argentine airline pilot be extradited home to face charges that he flew planes from which dissidents were thrown to their deaths during his country's "dirty war."
A court statement released Monday says Julio Alberto Poch is wanted in Argentina in connection with some 600 deaths.
The 57-year-old Poch was …
LONDON With its full-scale, athletic and loving rendition of"Oklahoma!" the Royal National Theatre has approached Rodgers andHammerstein with the same care and intellectual respect it would showto Ibsen.
Oscar Hammerstein II is often underrated because of hissimplicity. "Oh, what a beautiful morning/Oh, what a beautiful day"is the lyric that starts the show, soaring through the theater on thewing of a perfectly shaped melody (and on Hugh Jackman's lovelytenor). Hammerstein's writing has all of the elegant directness ofthat lyric - the elemental, inevitable quality of a Shaker chair.Adapting the Lynn Riggs play "Green Grow the Lilacs," he fashioned amusical about a territory on the verge of statehood.
Save one, his characters are likable, particularly the cowboyCurly (a thoroughly winning Jackman) and his sometimes ornery girl,Laurey (the graceful Josefina Gabrielle). Their courtship is hauntedby the farmhand Jud (Shuler Hensley), a creepy pariah who becomes theviolent emblem of the disenfranchised.
Director Trevor Nunn begins the show with a kind of reverenthush, ringing a false alarm that the evening will be stiff andformal. As the overture starts, Nunn lets the audience glimpse theorchestra at the back of the deep stage. Scrims lower and raise togive us new images: a forlorn, angular prairie house in the middleground, then in the foreground, a high field of corn.
Next, the show's title is projected on a blank curtain, as if itwere the frontispiece of an expensive, shrink-wrapped book, with theword "Oklahoma!" written as if with a cowboy's rope. But Nunn isonly clearing his throat; he gets the fusty, presentational style outof his system and does not look back.
He is helped immeasurably by Susan Stroman's choreography.Cowboys pair off with women in calf-length skirts that swirlperfectly as they leap, recalling the work of the originalchoreographer, Agnes de Mille. As much as any other element in theshow, these dances define the pre-neurotic and uninhibited way thesecharacters deal with their emotions.
In Nunn's production, Jud is the show's central performance.Living in a squalid smokehouse, with nudie pictures for decoration,Hensley's Jud is a swampy thing full of fetid anger that is strongereven than his desire for love.
Set designer Anthony Ward employs stark lines for his windmilland farmhouse. In the background, the orange arc of a prairie andlooming blue sky imitate the aching emptiness of regional prairiepaintings. Though one might argue with some of Ward's flat, uglycolors, his lines are exactly right.
They suggest we view this show as a valuable document, one thatcan tell us something about our origins. Set in the beginning of thecentury, written in the middle of it, now at century's end, a Britishproduction reminds us that "Oklahoma!" is an American treasure, bothprimitive and profound. Los Angeles Times
Being single isn't the equivalent of being desperate.
I bring this up because some people seem to believe that I wouldbe-no, make that should be-willing to go out with any man rather thannot have a boyfriend.
Worse yet, they take it as a personal insult if I don't follow upon their offers to set me up.
Case in point: A good pal, who herself is unattached, suggestedthat I have lunch with her friend. I wanted to know why she didn'tdate him herself. She mumbled something about him beinggeographically undesirable.
Uh huh.
It's never a good sign when they use that as a reason, 'causefrankly, if the guy is great enough, you'll board an airplane to seehim again.
She told me a little about him-a writer who shared none of myinterests. Then she showed me his picture, which didn't do anythingto help his cause.
So I politely declined her offer.
Imagine my surprise when she tsk-tsk'd me and said, "Oh, Jae.You're not exactly in a position to be picky."
Excuse me? When did I suddenly become a member of the unchosenones?
I realize that no one's going to mistake me for Tyra Banks andthat Keanu Reeves probably won't be knocking on my door any time soonwith an engagement ring (although a girl can always dream). But I'vegot a good career going, my mental health is stable and I'm debt-free.
In some countries, I would be considered a good catch.
But still, her words stung and I convinced myself that maybe shewas right.
So I went out with her friend. He spent most of the mealcomplaining about his ex-girlfriend, his job and why he hated thedairy industry. Halfway through the date, I forced myself toconcentrate on a blister on his face. That was the only way I couldblock out his mind-numbing diatribe.
The whole event reminded me of a high school gym class. There weretwo non-whites in class-me and another Asian boy. Almostautomatically, everyone in class said we should be boyfriend andgirlfriend since we had so much in common. Our common factor? We wereboth Asian.
Likewise, my friend assumed that since her friend and I were bothsingle, we should hook up. When I told her that there wouldn't be asecond date with Writer Guy, she got snippy with me.
I shared this story with another friend of mine who had justbroken up with a long-term boyfriend.
My pal said that a married colleague of hers tried to pair her upwith a man she had met. When my friend declined the offer, sayingthat she wasn't ready to date again, the colleague told her to getover it, and then blamed her for being a snob.
It's a weird world we live in when it's considered better to bewith someone-anyone-than to go home alone.
And it's a sentiment that I am guilty of having myself sometimes.
After a recent breakup, I repeated a line that Chandler said on"Friends" a few seasons ago: "I am going to die alone."
A particularly patient friend took me aside and made a commentthat made me re-think my statement.
"Even Chandler found love," she said. "He's marrying Monica."
So he is.
Jae-Ha Kim is a Sun-Times staff reporter.
SAN ANTONIO Testing for a gene mutation may enable doctors topredict whether some breast cancer patients will have a relapse orwhether their cancer will spread, scientists said at a symposiumhere.
By detecting the presence of the mutated gene, doctors may beable to determine which breast cancer patients need strongchemotherapy and extensive surgery and which will survive withsurgery to remove only the tumor.
A German researcher at the meeting reported a related finding:By measuring certain substances produced by tumor cells, doctors maybe able to identify breast-cancer patients who are in danger ofrelapsing and treat them with chemotherapy.
The test for the mutant gene also may help low-risk people avoidthe unpleasant and often serious side effects of high doses ofchemotherapy, including hair loss, nausea, vomiting and infections,Dr. Ann D. Thor, of Harvard Medical School in Boston, said at the14th Annual San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium.
With new laboratory techiques, this gene, called the p53 gene,can be easily studied and measured, and it is being implicated inmany types of human cancers, she said.
The normal p53 gene suppresses growth in all human cells. Butthrough mutation it loses its normal function and may promote cellgrowth.
In her study of 300 patients, Thor found that women who had themutant gene when their breast cancer was diagnosed had a much worseoutcome and survival rate.
Women with a family history of breast cancer were more likely tohave the mutated gene, Thor said.
Women who might benefit most from the new gene findings likelywill be those whose breast cancer has not invaded nearby lymph nodes, Thor said.
In the second breast cancer finding reported at the meeting, aGerman researcher described the role of two substances produced bytumor cells which he said can be used to predict how invasive breastcancer will be.
By measuring the substances, doctors can identify patients whoare in danger of relapsing and treat them with chemotherapy, whilesparing those who are not at high risk, said Dr. Fritz Jaenickeof theFrauenklinik/Women's Clinic of the Technical University of Munich inGermany.
About 45,000 American women are expected to die this year frombreast cancer, according to the American Cancer Society.
PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti (AP) — Haitian lawmakers have delayed plans to vote on choosing a new prime minister for the Caribbean nation.
Senate President Rodolphe Joazile says the vote didn't happen because not all the senators had received copies of the portfolio of Garry Conille, the man nominated by President Michel Martelly to be Haiti's next prime minister.
Joazile said the vote was rescheduled for Tuesday.
Conille is a doctor and was an aide to Bill Clinton in the former U.S. President's role as U.N. envoy to Haiti.
Haiti has been without a prime minister since Martelly took office in May, which has slowed earthquake reconstruction. Martelly's two earlier picks were rejected by parliament.
SHARM EL-SHEIK, Egypt - President Bush's top national security aides said Tuesday their double-barreled show of diplomatic and military support for friendly Arab allies this week is not a shot across Iran's bow.
"We are out here to talk about the long term," Defense Secretary Robert Gates said, as he and Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice began two days of meetings among Persian Gulf allies and Egypt. Gates noted that U.S. relationships in the Gulf and beyond predate the current unease over Iran's ambitions and influence.
If Iran perceives the joint visit and U.S. overtures differently, "that's in the eye of the beholder," Gates said.
The Cabinet secretaries also said during a joint press conference in this Red Sea resort that they heard worries from Arab allies about the future of the U.S. military presence in Iraq.
"There clearly is concern on the part of the Egyptians, and I think it probably represents concern elsewhere in the region, that the United States will somehow withdraw precipitously from Iraq, or in some way that is destabilizing to the entire region," Gates told reporters after he and Rice wrapped up meetings with Egypt's top leaders.
He pledged "understanding that this needs to be done carefully and not leave Iraq in chaos."
Gates and Rice later traveled to Saudi Arabia to meet with King Abdullah and other leaders.
The United States won no specific new promises of Arab help for struggling Iraq on Tuesday, but Rice said she heard the right expressions of support after a gathering of several nations listed as recipients of an expanded aid and weapons package for friendly states in the region.
Iraq's Arab neighbors repeated a general pledge to promote stability in Iraq, torn by more than four years of war and bitter sectarian divisions that have killed thousands and driven far more from their homes.
"I think we know what the obligations of the neighbors are," Rice said, adding that Egypt and other U.S. allies are working to meet past promises of relief of Iraq's heavy international debt, additional foreign aid and help tamping down violence inside Iraq.
Rice and Gates were making a rare joint show of diplomatic force during two days of meetings with Arab allies - part of an 11th-hour effort to rally diplomatic and practical help for the U.S.-backed Shiite-led government in Baghdad. The tour also opens talks on a proposed U.S. arms package for Arab states worth more than $20 billion.
But at a press conference with her Egyptian host, Rice pointed to no fresh commitments from the Arabs. A statement issued following a nine-nation meeting promised only "to continue to support Iraq and expand their financial and political support," and restated a general commitment to blocking would-be terrorists and financing that supports them from entering Iraq.
"The ... commitment was always to help a united Iraq to reach that point of full stability, and that we have been trying to do over the last four years," Egyptian Foreign Minister Ahmed Aboul Gheit said following the joint meeting.
Bush's top diplomatic and military managers have a tough assignment to convince skeptical, mostly Sunni-led Arab nations that they have more to lose if Iraq fails than they stand to gain by waiting until the U.S. leaves or Bush's term ends.
The Cabinet secretaries are also trying to solidify what the U.S. sees as a bulwark of generally moderate Arab states against an increasingly ambitious and unpredictable Iran.
"We have also been calling for the noninterference of any foreign powers into Iraq," Aboul Gheit said. "That is something we would renew."
Unity against Iran is not a hard sell. But Washington has had far less success in rallying Arab help for Iraq that goes much beyond words.
Arab money and diplomatic support has lagged behind Europe's, and some of Iraq's neighbors quietly tolerate, or may secretly support, attacks inside Iraq. Some of the violence targets U.S. forces and some of it Shiite militias and neighborhoods.
For their part, Arab countries may be worried that escalating opposition in the U.S. to the war in Iraq may signal a declining commitment to security in the region.
WASHINGTON - Low and middle income taxpayers are paying millions of dollars in fees to file their tax returns because of an IRS decision to end a free telephone filing service, an inspector general said Tuesday.
"Once again the IRS has made a taxpayer service decision based on questionable data," said J. Russell George, Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration.
George, whose office does independent oversight of the IRS, said about 2 million individual and joint taxpayers used the TeleFile program in 2005, when the IRS, citing declining usage and increasing costs, shut it down.
He said about half of these reverted to filing paper tax returns, slowing the refund process and increasing IRS processing costs, while those who paid tax preparers or purchased software paid nearly $24 million to file their taxes in 2006.
The TeleFile program, instituted in the early 1990s, allowed people with simple individual or joint tax returns to file at no cost by using a telephone keypad.
"The IRS made a foolish mistake in eliminating Telefile, and their error is costing hardworking Americans time and money," said Senate Finance Committee Chairman Max Baucus, D-Mont., who joined the top Republican on the committee, Sen. Charles Grassley of Iowa, in criticizing the IRS decision.
The IRS, in response to the inspector general's report, said it believes it acted appropriately in choosing to end the program and did not think the move would have any long-term negative consequences on its goal of getting more taxpayers to file electronically.
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On the Net:
Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration report:
B. Feb. 12, 1944 in Summerside, P.E.I. S. of John F. MacAleer (dec.) and Blanche Campbell. Ed. at St. Dunstan's Univ. (B.A., 1966). M. Apr. 12, 1969 to Connie Bateman MacAleer. Two children: Gillian and Darren. Political Career: Provincial: First elected to the P.E.I. Leg. g.e. 1996. Re-elected g.e. 2000 and 2003. Min. of Economic Development and Tourism, Nov. 27, 1996 to Jul. 31, 1998. Min. of Community Services, Jul. 31, 1998 to Apr. 2000. Attorney General, Jan. 9, 1999 to Apr. 2000. Chair, Standing Ctee on Fisheries, Intergovernmental Affairs and Transportation. Mem: Standing Ctees on Public Accounts and Privileges, Rules and Private Bills. Municipal: Yellowknife Municipal Council for two terms. Private Career: Early installation of cable television and satellite communications technology in the N.W.T. Operated businesses: construction, property development, insurance and management consulting. Publisher, Guardian/Evening Patriot, 1994-95. Former Bd. Mem: Univ. of P.E.I.; Queen Elizabeth Hospital and P.E.I. Dev't Agency. Former Nat'l Bd. Mem: United Way Canada; Scouts Canada; Junior Achievement and Cdn Cancer Society. Former Pres: P.E.I. Scout Council. Supports P.E.I. Junior Achievement. Mem: C.D. Howe Inst. and Charlottetown Rotary Club. Party: P.C. Address: Leg. Office: Coles Building, 3rd Flr., Charlottetown, P.E.I., C1A 8C5, (902)368-4360, Fax: (902)368-4377 Home: 18 Belfast St., Charlottetown, P.E.I., C1A 8W9; Email: jwmacaleer@gov.pe.ca.
MACALEER, J. WESTON, B.A. (Charlottetown-Spring Park) N� le 12 f�v. 1944� Summerside, I.-P.-�. Fils de John F. MacAleer (d�c.) et Blanche Campbell. Fit ses �tudes � l'Univ. St-Dunstan (B.A., 1966). M. le 12 avr. 1969 � Connie Bateman MacAleer. Deux enfants: Gillian et Darren. Carri�re politique: Provinciale: �lu pour la premi�re fois � la l�gis. de l'I-.P-.�. �.g. 1996. R��lu �.g. 2000 et 2003. Min. du D�veloppement �conomique et du Tourisme du 27 nov. 1996 au 31 juill. 1998. Min. des Services communautaires du 31 juill. 1998 � avr. 2000. Procureur g�n�ral du 9 janv. 1999 � avr. 2000. Pr�s., Ct� permanent des P�ches, des Affaires intergouvernementales et des Transports. Mem: Ct� permanent des Comptes publics et des R�glements, des Privil�ges et des Lois d'int�r�t priv�. Municipale: Conseil mun. de Yellowknife pendant deux mandats. Carri�re priv�e: Installation pr�coce de la c�blodistribution et de la technologie de communication par satellite dans les T.N.-O. Entreprises exploit�es: construction, d�veloppement domiciliaire, service-conseil en assurance et gestion. �diteur du Guardian/Evening Patriot, 1994-95. Ancien mem., conseil d'admin: l'Univ. de l'I.-P.-�.; Queen Elizabeth Hospital et Agence de d�veloppement de l'I.-P.-�. Ancien mem., conseil d'admin. nat: Centraide Canada; Scouts Canada; Jeunes entreprises du Can. et Soc. can. du cancer. Ancien pr�s: Conseil des Scouts de l'I.-P.-�. Soutient Jeunes entreprises de l'I.-P.-�. Mem: C.D. Howe Inst. et Club Rotary de Charlottetown. Parti pol.: P.C. Adresse: Bureau L�g.: �difice Coles, 3e �tage, Charlottetown, I.-P.-�., C1A 8C5, (902)368-4360, Fax: (902)368-4377 R�sidence: 18, rue Belfast, Charlottetown, I.-P.-�., C1A 8W9. Courriel: jwmacaleer@gov.pe.ca.
Scott Upshall scored with 3:04 remaining in the third period and the Philadelphia Flyers advanced to the Eastern Conference final with a 6-4 win over the Montreal Canadiens on Saturday night.
Upshall deflected Jeff Carter's shot past Carey Price to give Philadelphia its second and final lead of the game as the Flyers won the conference semifinal in five games.
The Flyers are the second team to reach the conference finals after the Presidents' Trophy-winning Detroit Red Wings got there in the West by sweeping the Colorado Avalanche.
Philadelphia will face the winner of the Pittsburgh Penguins-New York Rangers series. The Penguins lead 3-1 and Game 5 is Sunday in Pittsburgh.
R.J. Umberger had two goals and an assist and Martin Biron stopped 31 shots for the Flyers, whose last appearance in the East final was in 2004 when they lost to Tampa Bay.
The Flyers' win also assured the first all-U.S. Stanley Cup final since 2003 and extended Canada's title drought to 15 years. Montreal was the last Canadian team to win it all in 1993.
Mike Richards and Scott Hartnell scored as Philadelphia got three second-period goals to take a 4-3 lead. Mike Knuble scored into an empty net with 50 seconds left.
Andrei Kostitsyn scored at 2:13 of the third to draw Montreal even at 4.
Kostitsyn took Tomas Plekanec's drop pass and used Flyers defenseman Kimmo Timonen as a screen to put a wrist shot past Biron.
Price returned to the Montreal net after he was replaced in Game 4 by Jaroslav Halak. The 20-year-old rookie made 32 saves, including a huge left pad save to stop Daniel Briere's shot on a breakaway with 8:19 remaining.
Guillaume Latendresse drove a slap shot off the right post during a Canadiens power play before Upshall's winner.
Philadelphia scored three times in the second, beginning with Richards' goal at 14:02 of the second period which drew the Flyers within 3-2.
Richards got credit for his fourth goal of the playoffs when he put up his left hand as Umberger's shot sailed past him and Price. A video review upheld the goal.
Umberger scored his second goal of the game at 15:44 to tie it at 3 and Hartnell's third goal of the playoffs at 17:00 gave the Flyers their first lead of the game at 4-3.
Montreal got its first lead of the series _ other than Tom Kostopoulos' overtime winner in Game 1 _ when Plekanec scored on a power play at 4:29.
Plekanec got between Flyers defensemen Derian Hatcher and Braydon Coburn to tip Patrice Brisebois' shot from the right point past Biron.
Umberger tied it with a second-effort goal at 10:20 as he swiped his own rebound past Price after he shot on a 2-on-1.
Alex Kovalev got credit for his fifth goal of the playoffs as he restored the Canadiens' lead at 11:28 when Maxim Lapierre's wraparound shot went in off Kovalev's skate.
Notes:@ Briere and Biron both went over to shake hands with Canadiens coach Guy Carbonneau and his coaching staff after shaking hands with the Montreal players. ... The Canadiens' players raised their sticks as they drew a standing ovation from the crowd following the game.
Lawyers for a man accused of hacking into U.S. military computers say they have been granted a judicial review to assess whether he should be extradited.
Home Secretary Alan Johnson has approved the extradition of Gary McKinnon, who is accused by U.S. prosecutors of hacking into computers shortly after the Sept. 11 2001 attacks.
McKinnon's supporters have protested, saying the 43-year-old man suffers from a form of autism and is a suicide risk. They argue that extraditing him would be a breach of his human rights.
McKinnon's lawyer Karen Todner said Wednesday she was delighted that Johnson's decision will be reviewed. She said a High Court judge will rule in a hearing expected to take place by May.
Chef D's Kitchen
Packaged crab meat sounds like a crablover's dream: no shells, no picking, no mess, just the sweet delicious crab meat, ready to be folded into a mousse, baked into a gratin, or scrambled into an omelet. But there is a tricky part: which one to buy?
Picked crab meat is usually from Atlantic blue crabs; about 20 crabs are picked to make 1 pound of meat. Because raw crab meat is difficult-if not impossible-to pick, all picked crabmeat has been steamed and the packages labeled fresh or frozen. Once frozen, the meat cannot be labeled as fresh. Crab meat is pasteurized, which lengthens the refrigerated shelf life. Or it's thermally processed, which kills Listeria bacteria.
Crab meat from the swimming, or back legs is called "lump" or "jumbo lump." The meat from the back legs is large, solid and white and has only a few shell pieces mixed into the meat. This style of crab is excellent in recipes where you want to see large pieces of crab.
"Backfin" crab meat is from the body and legs of the crab. The pieces of meat are smaller than lump pieces, and there are usually more pieces of shell. Backfin crabmeat is good in recipes where the meat should be noticeable.
"Special" crabmeat, also known as regular, deluxe, flake or white, is small pieces of shredded crab from the body and legs. This meat can have lots of flexible shell and it must be picked over carefully before using. This type of meat is great for any recipe, where the meat will be pureed or price and taste is more important than appearance and presentation.
"Claw meat" is also available, as is "minced crabmeat." Both are small pieces of reddish-brown meat. "Cocktail crab claws" are sold with the shell still attached for easy handling at parties.
Crab meat stuffed shrimp
1 pound fresh lump crab meat, picked over for shells and cartilage
2 teaspoons Old Bay Seasoning
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, plus 3 table spoons melted unsalted butter
1/2 cup minced yellow onions
1/4 cup minced celery
1/4 minced green bell peppers
1/4 cup finely chopped fresh parsley leaves
1 tablespoon minced garlic
1/4 cup mayonnaise
1 egg, lightly beaten
3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
1 tablespoon hot sauce
1 1/2 cups crushed buttery, flaky crackers
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
20 jumbo shrimp (about 2 pounds), shelled, leaving tail and connecting shell segment, deveined, and butterfly length wise
Chopped parsley, garnish
1 lemon, cut into wedges, garnish
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Butter a large baking dish and set aside.
Place the crabmeat in a large bowl and season with the Old Bay. Cover and refrigerate until ready to use.
In a large skillet, melt 4 tablespoons butter over medium-high heat. Add the onions, celery, and bell peppers and cook, stirring, until softened, about 4 minutes. Add the parsley and the garlic, and cook, stirring, for one" minute. Remove from heat and let cool.
Add the cooled vegetables to the crabmeat and toss to combine. Add the mayonnaise, egg, lemon juice, Worcestershire and hot sauce and stir gently with a large wooden spoon. Add 1 cup of the cracker crumbs, the salt, and pepper, and stir gently, being careful not to break up the crabmeat.
Mound about 2 tablespoons of the crabmeat stuffing into each shrimp, press gently to close, and place, stuffed sides up, in the prepared baking dish. Sprinkle the remaining 1/2 cup of the flaky, buttery cracker crumbs over the stuffed shrimp and drizzle with the remaining melted butter. Bake until golden, about 20 minutes. Garnish with parsley and lemon wedges. Serve immediately.
[Author Affiliation]
Chef David Blackmon is the Career Cluster Manager of Hospitality & Culinary Arts for Education to Careers in Chicago Public Schools. Email him chefblackmon@sbcglobal.net
Authorities said a man who was picking up his car from a repair shop pulled out a handgun while paying and robbed the business of about $500 in cash. The Ann Arbor News reported the 24-year-old fled in his car Friday from the shop in Washtenaw County's Ypsilanti Township, about 30 miles west of Detroit. Sheriff's deputies caught him shortly afterward.
The man, who had dropped off the car Wednesday for repairs, was taken to jail.
___
Information from: The Ann Arbor News, http://www.mlive.com/ann-arbor
NEW YORK - Only a fool would have stayed in the market after the dot-com collapse. To look past the stock market's swoon and continue to stay invested would have been a mistake, right?
Perhaps - for those nearing retirement or getting ready to pay for college - but the strong returns that emerged after the dot-com slide again illustrate that it's often wiser for long-term investors to simply stay invested.
It seems some investors have not learned this lesson, one that could perhaps help them navigate the market's latest bout of jitters. Money flowing into mutual funds that invest in domestic stocks has fallen 50 percent since a peak in 2003, a study by fund tracker Lipper Inc. has found. What is perhaps most surprising is that flows into U.S. stock funds haven't risen given the stock market's strong performance in recent years.
"The whole phenomenon of investor flows chasing performance has been tempered somewhat in recent years due to concerns about market volatility," said Edward Giltenan, spokesman for the mutual fund trade group the Investment Company Institute, noting that some investors are realizing how difficult it can be to time the market. "At the same time, we saw investors increasingly getting the message that they need to be diversified, long-term investors."
Those investors who never left the market or those who waded back in right after the tech bubble implosion had reason to celebrate: 2003 was the strongest year since 1967 and helped make up for lost ground from previous years. And while not as strong as 2003, results in 2004, 2005 and 2006 were respectable, showing at least average gains. But it seems some investors were tending to bruises left by the dot-coms.
"I think that really put a dent on investors appetite," Tom Roseen, senior research analyst at Lipper, said of the 2000 to 2002 market pullback. "So many people were not properly diversified. I think they were burned so badly that they threw in the towel."
Often when investors retreat and decide not to ride out the market turbulence, they rush back in after a strong run in the markets. Not this time, though. Net inflows into domestic stock funds have fallen to a level not seen since 1994, the study found, suggesting that investor interest in markets abroad and, to a lesser extent, competition from new investments such as exchange-traded funds, or ETFs, have curtailed how much money investors are channeling to domestic stock mutual funds.
But the strong gains in economies and stock markets outside the U.S. have proven to be powerful calls for many investors in recent years.
"You begin to see relatively better returns in foreign markets and investors began allocating money that way," said Giltenan, referring to findings in the study, which in part relied on ICI fund flow data.
Investors now put about $12 billion per month into world stock funds, according to the findings. The study examined monthly stock fund flows though June.
"People had been preaching for years that we should be diversified in other areas not just the United States," Roseen said, noting that some investors had obviously received the message.
With investors keen on adding to their international holdings for the diversity it can bring, domestic stock funds have taken a hit. Their net flows are essentially at zero month over month, the study found. But its authors contend the picture would be worse for stock funds as a whole were it not for the popularity of life cycle funds. These increasingly popular products are designed to simply let investors begin investing and leave the fund on autopilot, to gradually move into more conservative areas such as bonds as investors approach retirement.
"People were so scared that they didn't want to want to do any more research," Roseen said, referring to the ease of life cycle funds and investor sentiment after the dot-com burst.
And while it's impossible to predict where investors will head next, Roseen noted some investors are showing increased interest in funds that give portfolio managers broad leeway to invest in many corners of the markets.
"I do believe that there is going to be a shift in the tide. We are still seeing fairly strong flows in multicap funds."
TAIPEI, Taiwan (AP) — A U.S. cable released by WikiLeaks cites Taiwan's vice president as telling the top American diplomat on the island that President Ma Ying-jeou would open political talks with China if re-elected to a second term.
Vincent Siew's June 2009 statement to de facto American ambassador Stephen Young is the clearest indication yet by a senior Ma official that the president would expand on existing economic talks if re-elected in January.
The cable quotes Siew as saying political talks would touch on "a peace treaty, a formal end to hostilities and development of bilateral military confidence mechanisms" with China.
Taiwan and China split amid civil war in 1949. China still claims Taiwan as its own and seeks its integration into the mainland.
A NEW project has been established to develop events to celebrateand promote local heritage and culture through the medium of Welshin rural Carmarthenshire.
The Dathlu Diwylliant project is being led by Menter Bro Dinefwrin partnership with Menter Gorllewin Sir Gar and Menter CwmGwendraeth. The project is looking to work with local eventorganisers and community groups to develop capacity to deliversuccessful and sustainable events to promote and add value to theunique richness of the Welsh culture, language and heritage.
"We are looking forward to working with local groups to developvibrant and socially active communities," said Owain Gruffydd, chiefexecutive of Menter Bro Dinefwr. Dathlu Diwylliant is able to offera grant of up to Pounds 5,000 on up to 100 per cent of eligibletotal project cost to schemes which promote Welsh culture, languageand heritage. The project, which runs until December 2013, is partof Carmarthenshire's Innovative Hubs Project.
If you would like further details, contact Non Gwilym (projectmanager) on 01558 825336 or email nongwilym @menterbrodinefwr.org
Indonesia says it does not want money for its bird flu virus samples _ it wants governments and pharmaceutical companies to come up with a mechanism that will ensure future pandemic vaccines are accessible to developing nations.
That could include creating a multilateral trust that would enable price tiering or bulk purchasing of lifesaving vaccines, an adviser to Health Minister Siti Fadilah Supari said Wednesday.
Widjaja Lukito was responding to comments made by U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Mike Leavitt, who accused Indonesia of withholding virus samples from the World Health Organization since early 2007 because it wanted royalties or other monetary benefits.
"This is not a line we want to cross," Leavitt told The Associated Press at the end of a quick stopover in Indonesia last week. "Because it means the next unique virus we come across, wherever it is, we'll end up with people who say there is a price to pay for the virus."
He repeated the allegation on his blog, saying Supari's bottom line appeared to be "share samples, get paid."
Indonesia _ seen as a potential hotspot for a pandemic because of its high density of chickens and humans _ denied that was the case. Lukito said he thought there may have been poor communication on both sides.
"There are many types of benefit programs that can be discussed," he said, noting that the U.S. and Indonesia agreed during Leavitt's visit to set up an expert panel on the issue. "One could be a kind of revolving fund developed by pharmaceutical companies."
Another, Lukito said, could be to create a multilateral trust _ funded by contributions from governments, influenza vaccine manufacturers and individuals _ to make sure vaccines could be produced and distributed in a fair and equitable manner.
Suggestions at a WHO meeting in Geneva late last year included tiered pricing of vaccines, bulk purchasing, and other procurement mechanisms that take into consideration how much governments could afford for vaccines, he said.
U.S. Ambassador to Indonesia, Cameron R. Hume, meanwhile, appeared to play down claims by Leavitt that Indonesia was trying to put a price tag on its H5N1 virus samples.
"Frankly, I think Indonesia's basic concern is that you have a very high mortality rate from avian influenza here," with nearly 80 percent of all humans infected dying, he said. "They are concerned about trying to be sure ... Indonesians don't face this totally unacceptable risk of death."
Indonesia has been hardest hit by bird flu since it began plaguing Asian poultry stocks in late 2003, with its 107 human deaths accounting for nearly half the 240 recorded fatalities worldwide. The virus remains hard for people to catch, but scientists worry it could mutate into a form that spreads easily among people, potentially sparking a pandemic that could kill millions.
Under the existing virus-sharing system, poor countries are obliged to send samples to WHO, which then makes them available to a handful of pharmaceutical companies to use in vaccine production. Wealthy nations have stockpiled tons of bird flu vaccines, while Indonesia and other developing countries have limited supplies.
Many international health experts said Supari had a point when she bucked WHO's decades-old virus sharing system. But by withholding bird flu samples, health experts note, she is impeding the global body's ability to monitor whether the virus is morphing into a more dangerous form.
Leavitt wrote in his blog April 15 that his patience was wearing thin.
"There are some situations that, despite our best efforts, we cannot resolve," he said, vowing to give Indonesia another two months to work toward a solution.
"In those cases, we just live with the added risk. The cost of Indonesia's refusal to share influenza samples is incrementally small. However, the damage done by accepting Indonesias view is profound, and simply unacceptable."
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On the Net:
Leavitt blog: http://secretarysblog.hhs.gov/
MANILA, Philippines (AP) — A Philippine military air and ground assault killed three Abu Sayyaf commanders and two other militants but failed to snare a key Southeast Asian terror suspect in the south, officials said Monday.
The five militants killed during the weekend assault on an Abu Sayyaf jungle encampment near mountainous Indanan town in southern Sulu province were Filipinos, military spokesman Col. Arnulfo Marcelo Burgos said.
But the primary targets — Malaysian Zulkifli bin Hir, also known as Marwan, and Abu Sayyaf commander Umbra Jumdail — escaped along with two other Asian militants and dozens of Abu Sayyaf fighters, Burgos and marine officials said.
"These offensives keep them on the run, disorganized and unable to plot attacks," Burgos said.
The troops were also after Singaporean militant Muhammad Ali Bin Al-Rahman, also known as Muawiya, and an Indonesian who has been identified only as Qayyim. Both are believed to be affiliated with the Southeast Asian militant network Jemaah Islamiyah, officials said.
Jumdail has given refuge to the foreign militants in his jungle encampment for years, said Sulu police operations chief Amil Baanan.
After the assault, marines found three rifles, a pistol and camouflage uniforms, which were abandoned by the militants.
Washington has offered a $5 million reward for the capture or killing of Marwan, a U.S.-trained Malaysian engineer long hunted by U.S. and Philippine authorities for his alleged role in past terror attacks.
U.S.-backed Philippine offensives have considerably weakened the Abu Sayyaf, one of at least four Muslim insurgent groups operating in the south.
CMCR20111130C-089_C Justin and Sally Lancaster handed over acheque for almost Pounds 25,000 last month to Great Ormond StreetHospital, almost a year after their son William, now six, won hisbattle with Burkitt's Lymphoma - a rare cancer. Iain Johnson met upwith the family to talk about their fundraising efforts and themoment their lives were turned upside down "IT was horrendous, wecouldn't do anything, we just wanted to know, we were waiting andwaiting and waiting and then we got the phone call", said SallyLancaster, about the day she heard whether her five-year-old son hadbeaten cancer.
In the run-up to last summer William Lancaster, now six, hadlived a …
HUNTLEIGH, Missouri (AP) — Authorities are investigating the death of a 27-year-old woman whose body was found at the suburban St. Louis home of former Anheuser-Busch CEO August Busch IV.
Police and the St. Louis County medical examiner's office on Thursday identified the victim as Adrienne Martin of St. Charles. An autopsy has been conducted but results could take four to six …
Linda Holmes
To view my house, you might just see a structure, a combination of lumber, mortar, brick and shingles. I see a place that holds some of my most precious memories. I see a warm, welcoming, safe and secure shelter for myself and my family. This place, just a rather simple …
A house picture worth a thousand wordsLinda Holmes
To view my house, you might just see a structure, a combination of lumber, mortar, brick and shingles. I see a place that holds some of my most precious memories. I see a warm, welcoming, safe and secure shelter for myself and my family. This place, just a rather simple …
Digital Data Loggers
The iButton Thermochron family of digital data loggers from Dallas Semiconductor / Maxim are small, rugged, and low cost temperature and humidity data loggers. Measuring just 16 mm in diameter and 5 mm thick these data loggers integrate a globally unique address, a thermometer or hygrometer, a real time clock, and enough memory to store up to 8K data points. The onboard lithium battery gives each logger a lifespan of up to 1 million temperature or humidity measurements. Dallas Semiconductor / Maxim, 972.371.4000, www.button.com.
Manifold Systems
Bio-Simplex Manifold Systems from J & I Scientific Products eliminate the manual assembly of …
New 4-month high on euro
Earlier this week didn't lead to significant changes in foreign exchange markets.In the morning the euro currency moved in a narrow range against the dollar, later afternoon made more volatility, after remarks by Jean- Claude Trichet . At the meeting, ECB President again used the term "particular vigilance" in monitoring consumer prices, which raise expectations for the lifting of the BIR. On this basis, the euro rose to a new 4-month high at $ 1.4240.The continuing growth of the euro implies that markets expect the summit of the EU is successful, and to achieve a decision on measures against debt crisis in Europe. The opposite would probably lead to a …
Byline: KAREN CROUSE New York Times
Her back conspicuously turned to an arresting black-and-white photograph of herself in a bikini, the swimmer Amanda Beard sat at a conference table in a Midtown fashion showroom talking about one of her favorite pastimes, riding dirt bikes.
"The first time I jumped on a dirt bike I flew into the air," said Beard, a Speedo model who was in New York last week for Swimwear Market week. "I landed on my feet but the bike was in pretty bad shape."
As she was talking, Beard absently fingered a strand of pearls around her neck. From her refined tastes in fashion to her rambunctious off-road pursuits, the 25-year-old Beard …
Byline: Chuck Chiang
Jul. 5--Central Oregon bankers are divided on what rising energy costs and flattening home prices in other regions could mean for local consumer loans since those factors could affect people's ability to make their payments.
Riding the national real estate boom the last few years, many people took out home-equity loans to take advantage of their property's increased value. But home values, now cooling in parts of the country, may no longer be able to support loans secured during the boom.
Add stiff energy prices cutting into people's pocketbooks, and many local bankers agree that the scenario could lead to problems.
"All of these are issues that we look at and have to prepare for the best we can," …
GLASGOW, Scotland (AP) — Rangers was held to 0-0 by St. Johnstone in the Scottish Premier League on Saturday, allowing Glasgow rival Celtic to trim the gap at the top to 10 points following its 2-0 win at Inverness.
Rangers was denied victory for only the third time in 15 league matches this season although Ally McCoist's team remained unbeaten in …
Cook County Board President George W. Dunne said yesterday that$16 million is available for mortgage loans through the county'ssingle-family mortgage-purchase program.
The mortgage loans have a term of 30 years at an annual interestrate of 9.99 percent, with a minumum 5 percent down payment. Thehomes purchased must be in one of the 104 participating Cook Countysuburbs.
The loans will be made available mainly to buyers who have notowned or partly owned a home in the last three years, and haveacceptable credit and income.
The loans …
(ADPnews) - Jan 28, 2011 - Indian rating agency CRISIL yesterday assigned a BB- rating with a "stable" outlook on a cash credit of Apra Enterprises, while rating a letter of credit of the company at P4+.
The agency issued the following press release:
Rs.50.00 Million Cash Credit BB-/Stable (Assigned)
Rs.150.0 Million Letter of Credit P4+ (Assigned)
CRISIL has assigned its CyBB-/Stable/P4+' ratings to the bank facilities of Apra Enterprises (AE). The ratings reflect AE's average financial risk profile, marked by high total outside liabilities to tangible net worth ratio and weak debt protection metrics. These rating weaknesses are partially offset …
