FLORHAM PARK, N.J. (AP) — Darrelle Revis is riding a stationary bike during the New York Jets' practice while recovering from a strained left hamstring, and his availability for the team's game at Buffalo remains questionable.
Linebacker Calvin Pace is on the practice field Wednesday for the first time since breaking his right foot in the preseason, but appears limited while …
LONDON (AP) — Olympic organizers have completed construction of the international broadcast center for next year's London Games.
The Olympic Delivery Authority says it's the fifth venue completed in the Olympic Park in east London. Wednesday's announcement comes just over a year before the start of the games on July 27, …
How a queer-led retro band can work . . . with two straight dudes
Kevin Thornton makes a mad dash across Mack Avenue, through some drizzle, to a pub across the street from the dinky hole-in-the-wall bar he and his band will jam at. Save for what he dug up in the band's cooler - some snacks and sandwiches he's a hungry fellow. Which makes it hard to believe that when he reaches a corner pub, he's scarfing down two salads. And he's not even a vegetarian.
Thornton, the gay lead singer of retro Nashvillebased band Waves on Waves (which also includes drummer Enoch Porch and bassist Luke Aaron Jones), hurriedly downs a glass of wine, chatting in between bites. His voice competes …
UPCOMING COVERAGE FOR MONDAY, MARCH 17:
RUSSIA-US
MOSCOW _ U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and Defense Secretary Robert Gates begin a two-day visit.
GERMANY-ISRAEL
TEL AVIV, Israel _ German chancellor Angela Merkel and Cabinet travel to Israel for first German-Israel government meeting.
TURKEY-SECULARISM
ANKARA, Turkey _ A court announces if it will hear a complaint asking that Prime Minister Recep Erdogan's party be shut down on the grounds that it is undermining secularism.
UN-DARFUR
GENEVA _ African Union and U.N. officials meet in Geneva for two days of informal talks on moving …
Gale Harold is back on Wisteria Lane.
Six months after a serious motorcycle accident, the "Desperate Housewives" actor has returned to work. His character, Jackson, is primed to propose to Susan, played by Teri Hatcher.
The 39-year-old Harold landed in intensive care as a result of the crash last Oct. 14. On the set of …
Little-known facts about alumni and faculty of the School of theArt Institute of Chicago: Because of the more than 300 million U.S. postage stamps bearinghis LOVE graphic, Robert Indiana may have created the world'sbest-known image by a living artist. In 1982, Joan Mitchell became the first American woman since MaryCassatt to have a one-person exhibit at a major French museum, theMusee d'Art Moderne de la Ville de Paris. When architect Ludwig Mies van der Rohe first came to Chicago, theschool provided studio space for his work; he was often seen …
HONOLULU (AP) — A popular Hawaii entertainer has pleaded no contest to molesting two girls in the 1990s and has been sentenced to a year in jail.
A Los Angeles judge also sentenced Cecilio Rodriguez on Friday to 52 weeks of sexual-offender counseling and five years' probation.
The 67-year-old Rodriguez is part of the longtime musical duo Cecilio & Kapono. He was arrested in September in Los Angeles County and charged with lewd and lascivious acts with a …
2010 Lexus RX 350
BASE PRICE: $36,800.
AS TESTED: $49,825.
TYPE: Front-engine, front-wheel drive, five-passenger, mid-size crossover sport utility vehicle.
ENGINE: 3.5-liter, four-cam V-6 with VVT-i.
MILEAGE: 18 mpg (city), 25 mpg (highway).
TOP SPEED: 112 mph.
LENGTH: 187.8 inches.
WHEELBASE: 107.9 inches.
CURB WEIGHT: 4,178 pounds.
BUILT AT: Japan.
OPTIONS: Luxury …
BUDAPEST, Hungary (AP) — Hungary's economic recovery is starting to look vulnerable as anxieties grow about the new European debt crisis.
The central European country saw its economy rebound last year thanks to a booming export sector, a welcome change after years of pain. Hungary needed a bailout from the International Monetary Fund in 2008 as the global downturn exacerbated a domestic debt crisis, and the next year its economy shrank more than 6 percent.
Now experts worry that the economy — expected to continue last year's rebound with growth this year of more than 2.5 percent — could be dealt a new blow if Germans and other Europeans get cold feet about consuming. Such a …
| All Times Eastern |
|---|
| American League |
| Toronto 6, N.Y. Yankees 1 F 11 Innings |
| Oakland 3, Cleveland 0 F |
| Detroit 7, Seattle 1 F |
| Boston 3, Baltimore 2 F |
| Chicago White Sox 5, Texas 3 -9 |
| Minnesota 2, Tampa Bay 1 F |
LONDON (AP) — Paul and Rachel Chandler — the British couple held hostage by Somali pirates for 388 days — arrived home in the U.K. on Tuesday following their release from captivity.
The retired couple, who were released Sunday, appeared pale and tired as they landed at London's Heathrow Airport on a Virgin Atlantic flight from Kenya.
Both smiled, but did not make any comment as they dashed from the aircraft to a waiting car.
The couple have asked for privacy as they come to terms with their freedom, and after learning that Paul Chandler's father died in late July whilst they were held in captivity.
Pirates captured the Chandlers in October 2009 near the island nation of Seychelles as they sailed the world on their prized 38-foot-yacht.
British media reported that a ransom of up to a million dollars was paid to their kidnappers, partly funded by donations from Somalis living in the U.K. The country's Foreign Office insisted the U.K. government was not involved, as it has a policy to never pay ransom demands.
Relatives of the Chandlers declined to comment on questions about payments to the pirates, saying to do so might encourage the kidnapping of other people.
Somali pirates still hold close to 500 hostages, and more than 20 vessels, typically only releasing hostages for multimillion-dollar ransoms.
"It's hard to imagine what that family have been through," British Prime Minister David Cameron said Monday in a statement to the House of Commons.
The Chandlers met with the Somali prime minister in Mogadishu before they were transferred to Kenya where they were cared for by British embassy officials before their flight home.
Ponder food as art at the Visual Feasting exhibition and fund-raiser from 5 to 8 p.m. Sunday at the Suburban Fine Arts Center, 1913Sheridan, Highland Park.
Several area chefs, including Michael Beltran of Carlos; Beth Dunnof Mantuano's Mediterranean Table, and Margaret Lastick of Le RoyaleIcing will create edible works of art for display.
Food tastings, a silent auction and napkin-folding demonstrationare among the other events at the exhibition. Tickets are $10 inadvance, $12 at the door, and will benefit the Fine Arts Center.Call (847) 432-1888.PINK POWER: Several Chicago eateries will offer "pink platespecials" throughout the month of May, giving part of the proceeds toY-Me National Breast Cancer Organization.Among the pink possibilities are Fog City Diner's pink angel foodcake; the tomato bisque soup at Zoop; the strawberry bavarian atVivere, and the pink cupcakes at Dinkel's Bakery. For morerestaurants and specials, call Y-Me at (312) 986-8338.The pink plate specials are part of Y-Me's 1999 Paint the TownPink campaign, with a month of activities and events, including theY-Me RACE Against Breast Cancer on Mother's Day, May 9.WHERE THERE'S SMOKE: Learn the secrets of great barbecue at thesmoke-cooking classes from 2 to 4:30 p.m. May 8, 15 and 22 atHoxie's, 1801 W. Lawrence.Hoxie's was recently voted one of the city's best new restaurants.Co-owner and chef Kathy Webb will discuss the history of barbecue,woods to use, pros and cons of dry rubs and marinades, the differencebetween smoking and grilling and which cuts of meat are best forsmoking.Classes are free of charge and open to the public, butreservations are required. Call Hoxie's at (773) 989-4800.BELIEVE IT: Chicago may be known for its tall buildings, sportsteams and trendy shopping districts, but did you know we have great-tasting water? Chicago 2001, the city's Millennium celebrationprogram, is bottling and selling Chicago artesian water and LakeMichigan water.A 1,600-foot-deep protected well located at Schoenhofen Brewery,500 W. 18th St., is the source of the artesian water.A 16.9-ounce bottle sells for 75 cents and is available at theCity of Chicago Store in the Water Works Visitor Information Center,163 E. Pearson, and at the gift shop at the Chicago Cultural Center,77 E. Randolph.If you have news about food events open to the public, send it atleast two weeks in advance to: Food News, Chicago Sun-Times FoodSection, 401 N. Wabash, Chicago 60611.
STANFORD, California (AP) — Serena Williams beat Australia's Anastasia Rodionova 6-0, 6-0 Tuesday in the first round of the Bank of the West Classic.
Williams, troubled by a right foot injury the past year, played on American soil for the first time since reaching the semifinal of the 2009 U.S. Open. It's her third event since winning at Wimbledon last year.
Williams, ranked 169th, moved smoothly on the court against the overmatched, 105th-ranked Rodionova, who has lost five straight.
In other first-round matches, Russian Maria Kirilenko beat sixth-seeded Julia Goerges of Germany 6-2, 6-3; seventh-seeded Ana Ivanovic of Serbia, playing her first match with a new coach and fitness trainer, was knocked off by Japan's Ayumi Morita, 6-3, 7-5; Slovakia's Daniela Hantuchova beat newcomer Rina Fujiwara of Japan, 6-0, 6-2; Germany's Sabine Lisicki defeated Romania's Simona Halep, 6-1, 6-2; qualifier Marina Erakovic of New Zealand beat Sweden's Sofia Arvidsson, 6-2, 6-1; and Poland's Urszula Radwanska topped Ukraine's Olga Savchuk 6-2, 6-4 in a matchup of qualifiers.
The 25th-ranked Kirilenko, who reached the quarterfinal of this event last year, snapped a 13-match losing streak against the top 20 with her victory. She'll play Williams next.
"She's coming back and she's winning again," Kirilenko said of Williams. "I need to be focused every minute."
Kirilenko is a five-time WTA Tour singles champion and is looking for her first title since 2008.
Goerges, ranked 20th, won her first Premier WTA singles title at Stuttgart earlier this year.
Free-agent forward Theo Fleury left Chicago on Tuesday morning butwithout a contract offer from the Blackhawks, according to generalmanager Mike Smith.
Theo was in town and I talked with him,'' Smith said. You neverknow about the money, but I talked to Don Baizley [Fleury's agent]before our meeting and I told him I would get in touch with him a dayor two after Theo left Chicago.''
Fleury made $6.2million last season with the New York Rangers,scoring 24 goals and adding 39 assists in 82 games. But the teamdecided not to pick up an option year for this season which wouldhave paid the 5-6, 180-pound right wing $7 million.
The Rangers were unhappy with the way Fleury's temper disruptedthe team. Fleury's frequent on-ice outbursts led to 216 penaltyminutes--a league-high for forwards--and his off-ice attitude late inthe season also led to disunity in the dressing room. In late June,the Rangers traded Fleury, 34, to the San Jose Sharks, and that teamwill receive a compensatory draft pick from the team which signsFleury.
Fleury's anger issues last season followed a stay in a substance-abuse rehabilitation clinic which wiped out a third of his 2000-01season with the Rangers.
The Hawks may believe that the presence of coach Brian Sutter, whowas Calgary's coach for two of Fleury's 11 seasons with the Flames(1997-99), may be enough to keep Fleury's discipline problems to aminimum.
There is no question that Fleury's offensive abilities would helpthe Hawks, a team which suffered a sustained scoring drought throughthe last quarter of the season and into the playoffs. The Hawks wereeliminated from postseason play in the first round when they lost abest-of-seven series against the St. Louis Blues in five games.
The Hawks lost even more offense last month when former captainTony Amonte signed a free-agent contract with the Phoenix Coyotes, ateam which was reportedly also interested in Fleury before coming toterms with Amonte.
Baizley said he had no comment Tuesday.
As it stands now, the market may be limited for Fleury, given hispast problems and asking price, which is expected to be at least $5million a year.
The Toronto Maple Leafs may be the only other team to make a bidfor Fleury.
Fifty-two works are presented in a new exhibition at the TerraMuseum of American Art, "In Search of the Promised Land: Paintings byFrederic Edwin Church."
Church (1826-1900) "remains one of America's most esteemedlandscape painters," said Dr. Gerald Carr, the curator. The artistwas noted for highly detailed, large canvases of such exoticlocations as the Near East, the Arctic and the South Americantropics.
Subjects include waterfalls, icebergs, trees, mountains, sunsets,ships, meteors and the aurora borealis. Sometimes, Church wouldexhibit his works with a telescope-encouraging visitors to appreciatethe details.
Even as a boy, Church was acquiring an appreciation for thenatural sciences. The illustrations in a boyhood chemistry text showthe artist's doodlings in red and yellow-embellishing such principlesas combustion, incandescent gases and electrical charges.
Church's talent was in evidence while he was still quite young."His teacher, Cole-a man not readily impressed-said that Church, byhis 20th birthday, had `the finest eye for drawing in the world,' "said Carr.
Church was an explorer, too. "He dangerously got lost in aColombian jungle in 1853," Carr said. Scouting icebergs in 1859, heslipped and nearly fell into the frigid north Atlantic Ocean. Whilein Europe, Church wrote to a friend that "this Italian scenery islovely and full of sentiment. Yet Syria, with its barren mountainsand parched valleys, possesses the magic key which unlocks ourinnermost heart."
A monumental work on display, "Syria by the Sea," measures 4 1/2by 7 feet. The work "Niagara Falls" stretches out at 3 1/2 by 7 1/2feet. In the 1860s and '70s, the artist lent his prestige to apreservationist cause for Niagara Falls.
In addition to the large oil-on-canvas works, the exhibitioncovers a range of small pieces, which Church created as studies formajor works or as personal sketches.
The exhibition marks the 100th anniversary of Church's death. Theartworks have been borrowed from museums and private collections fromacross the nation.
The show runs through Oct. 1. The museum is at 664 N. Michigan.Admission is $7 for adults, $3.50 for seniors and free for children11 and under. Admission is free on Tuesdays and on the first Sundayof every month. Call (312) 664-3939.
ANIMAL RESCUES: The 80-foot Animal Planet Rescue Truck will bedisplayed on Saturday during a program about saving critters duringdisasters. The truck can carry 40 tons of animal rescue equipment,including rafts, water tanks, animal feed, kennels, corrals and aveterinary clinic. The truck can provide living quarters for eightpeople, too. Hours for Animal Planet Rescue Day are 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.The zoo is at First Avenue and 31st Street. Call (708) 485-0263.
MOONBEAMS: Redmoon Theater is staging "Deciphering Moonshadows,"an outdoor show with light and shadow effects, puppetry, bells andpercussion, at the Chicago Historical Society. The engagement isrunning through Aug. 18. Performances are at 8:15 p.m. Sunday-Thursday, and at 8:15 and 10:30 p.m. Friday. No performances onSaturday. Show admission is $10, $5 for children 17 and under. Themuseum is Clark and North. Call (312) 642-4600.
CLIQUE OF PHOTOGS: A group of photographers, City 2000, is takinga look at people, places and things in Chicago in "UrbanAnthropology," a new exhibition at the Field Museum. The show runsthrough Dec. 31. The museum is at 1400 S. Lake Shore. Call (312) 922-9410.
WHEN West Virginia says goodbye after a bowl game to a seniorgroup that was the first full recruiting class for Coach RichRodriguez, there's one former classmate the 2006 Mountaineers reallycould have used.
That's Mike Lorello. The strong safety was the only member of the2002 recruiting class to play as a true freshman, and it was mostlyon special teams. The Ohioan made one defensive start, and seventackles.
What a waste!
Anyone who has watched the Mountaineers (9-2) struggle on defense,even as they were climbing as high as No. 3 in the polls, realizeshow much a redshirt for Lorello would have helped a leaky defense anda secondary that often plays the pass like receivers are radioactive.
Consider the Saturday night regular-season finale at MountaineerField against No. 13 Rutgers (10-1), like the Mountaineers a run-first (and run-second) team. That was Lorello's kind of game ... ahitters' convention.
This is not all about a wasted redshirt, however. It's about whyWest Virginia struggles so in pass coverage, even as the Mountaineershave begun to get pressure of the passer after playing four sacklessgames early.
The players at the back of the 3-3-5 odd stack aren't necessarilythe ones that figured to be there. WVU knew is was going to be astruggle in the secondary this season, after losing 2005 seniorsLorello, Jahmile Addae, Anthony Mims and Dee McCann.
Whatever they didn't have, the 2005 Sugar Bowl champions'secondary had experience.
It didn't matter so much that Lorello couldn't win a foot race(except when he was bolting to hit someone on third down), Addae wasa mediocre tackler at best and Mims played boundary corner so thesideline could help him pin receivers.
Look at what's in the back five now.
Safety Eric Wicks in the only senior, but he'll likely be back,regaining a year he lost to academic non-qualifier status, if hegraduates. So, the future will be better, if for no other reasonthan, "been there, done that."
Otherwise, corners Vaughn Rivers and Antonio Lewis are too shortto cover well, although Lewis has fine speed. Larry Williams playscover like he's afraid to get beat on the deep route.
In the two-deep, strong safeties Ridwan Malik is an average coverman and John Holmes (230 pounds) is a linebacker in disguise.Redshirt freshman free safety Quinton Andrews already is a bigplaymaker, but he still gets beat a couple of times a game.
Charles Pugh is a very talented sophomore who plays behind Wicks,and could be moved somewhere else - except the biggest plays he seemsto make are bad ones, like 15-yard personal foul penalties.
The point is: Most of these players weren't figured as starters ormaybe even two-deep performers when they were recruited. Therecruiting of defensive backs just hasn't worked out for Rodriguez'sstaff.
Sometimes that happens.
Remember the touted Vince Beamer, from Harrisburg, Pa. He had NCAAclearinghouse problems, then cleared out. Prospective corner RyanBrinson missed two shots at getting his academics in order out ofprep school. He's supposedly sitting out a season at Akron.
Brandon Heath of West Palm Beach, Fla., was supposedly all butsigned at WVU, and he would have been an immediate starter. He was afive-star guy (No. 58 nationally by recruiting services). He wouldhave been the jewel of the recruiting class.
He opted for Louisville instead.
There are more where those misses came from ... like MarquisMelvin, who decided on a music career over WVU football. There wasTyler Benoit ... great athlete, didn't make the books.
Last summer, Rodriguez said he expected cornerback Greg"Hollywood" Davis to be the star of the recruiting class. He showedup out of shape last August. Rodriguez got out of sorts, for goodreason.
Two true freshmen have gotten onto the field in the secondary(Boogie Allen and the re-recruited Guesly Dervil), but not Davis, whois redshirting.) It says volumes when a talented player isredshirting at a position so in need. Davis has gone from "Hollywood"to the B-list.
Coaches will tell you a lot of recruiting is luck - good and bad.WVU's secondary is indication of the latter. Next time a Mountaineeropponent completes a third-and-17, you'll know it's for more reasonsthan Mike Lorello playing in 2002.
BOZEMAN, MONT. - After Brian Schweitzer's successful race for Montana governor in 2004, the Democrat mused that he had shaken the hands of nearly a quarter of the electorate on the campaign trail.
While that sounds like a bold claim, the new governor may in fact have accomplished the feat, or something close to it. According to the Montana secretary of State's office, about 456,000 people cast votes in the November 2004 gubernatorial election, meaning Schweitzer would have had to shake hands with about 112,000 people.
In a state that places a high value on retail politics, the effort was time well spent. Montana, which has about 900,000 residents, and other small-population states are among the last bastions where big media such as television and radio advertising do not dominate the political landscape. People are often unwilling to show their loyalty at the ballot box if an office-seeker does not show up in person - and not just on the campaign trail.
"They expect to see their elected officials and know them. They expect to see them at the gym," said Matt McKenna, a veteran Democratic strategist who runs the Bozeman, Mont., office of the public affairs firm Strategies360.
Statewide candidates in Montana do not avoid television and other mass media efforts; it's just that personal contact almost always trumps pre-packaged efforts, said McKenna, a Montana native.
"It's a little different than getting a telemarketer call during dinner," he said. "People still appreciate that you are out here. People still expect that."
Campaign strategies in small population states such as Montana, Delaware and New Hampshire differ markedly from those employed in densely populated states where the most effective way to reach voters is through television and other mass media. In 2006, when U.S. Sen. Dianne Feinstein runs her re-election race in California and Sen. Bill Nelson of Florida ask constituents for another term in Washington, most voters will only see these Democrats - and their Republican opponents - in television commercials, direct mail pieces and on the Internet.
For states so vast and populations so large, the old-fashioned art of retail politics, meeting voters individually, has diminished in importance. In California, with about 33 million people, statewide candidates often make only fleeting campaign appearances in the largest cities, Los Angeles, San Francisco, San Diego and Sacramento. They will also occasionally show up at county fairs and other events in mediumsized television markets, such as Fresno or Bakersfield, but usually only to drum up media coverage that will be featured on that day's news.
Retail politics reigns in Delaware, a small state where elected officials are also friends and neighbors. Delaware is just 100 miles long and 35 miles wide, making it the second smallest state after Rhode Island. With its 830,000 or so residents, Delaware enjoys the usual stable of elected officials two U.S. senators, one U.S. House member, governor, lieutenant governor and other statewide officeholders. There are 41 members of the state House and 21 members of the state Senate, along with a city council in the three largest population municipalities, Wilmington (75,000 people), Newark and Dover (about 30,000 each).
With all these offices in such a small state, residents even vaguely involved in business and civic life are likely to know many, if not most, of their elected officials on a first-name basis. First State residents expect to see their elected representatives, including federal officeholders, back home for ribbon cuttings, Little League playoffs, barbecues and other such activities. In Delaware, candidates meet on a regular basis with firefighters, police, teachers, civic association leaders along with civic, arts and public health groups.
Delaware's lack of its own television stations contributes to the importance of retail politics. Residents of Wilmington rely on television from Philadelphia, about 30 miles to the north, while folks in southern Delaware watch stations from Baltimore, about 120 miles to the west. Running television ads in markets where the majority of viewers cannot vote in the election at hand often makes for a poor use of resources. And even if candidates do want to run television commercials, the advertising rates of the big-city stations are often prohibitively expensive.
Ground zero for retail politics with national implications is New Hampshire, home of the first presidential primary. Presidential hopefuls visit New Hampshire early and often, sometimes starting within months of the last election. Former U.S. Sen. John Edwards of North Carolina, a 2004 presidential hopeful who ended up the Democratic vice-presidential nominee, has already made several visits to the Granite State this year in anticipation of another run for the White House in 2008.
In the year before the primary, the odds are good that on any given day a presidential candidate will be in the state. Because New Hampshire is a small state both geographically (it is the seventh smallest state with an area of 9,304 square miles) and population-wise (less than two million people) and because the candidates spend so much time there, voters have the opportunity to get to see the candidates face-to-face.
Presidential candidates routinely make the rounds of events that might seem to befit local politicians, including speeches to Rotary Clubs and in the homes of local Democrats.
New Hampshire also offers the opportunity to build a unique level of grass-roots support. The state House of Representatives has more than 400 members, the largest in the country. Individual state lawmakers have their own political contacts that can be helpful to presidential candidates.
EPA MOBILE A/C REGULATIONS
Shops that violate Clean Air Act regulations could face stiff fines-even jail time
If you or someone you know does air conditioning (A/C) work, pay close attention. The Clean Air Act of 1990 includes rules for servicing the refrigerant circuit of a mobile A/C system. If you know those rules, you're probably aware that many people don't. While it's difficult to tell how many, the fact that you need filters to protect your recycle/recovery machines and a third machine just for "taking out the garbage" clearly BBBE demonstrates the problems they can cause. Believe it or not, following the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) rules can make life easier for every pro in the business.
Information gathered by the Mobile Air Conditioning Society (MACS) worldwide indicates that people from every segment of the industry, including techs and shop owners, believe that the EPA should enforce the rules with on-site inspections and heavy fines for shops that don't comply. The goal would be to weed-out those shops that knowingly do incomplete or incompetent work, thereby making life less difficult for shops that do it right. When was the last time you heard of techs and shop owners actually asking the government to send inspectors out into the field?
Like most federal agencies with enforcement powers, the EPA generally prefers to go after big game, believing that a big bust with a major fine and people going to jail makes a bigger impact. However, in recent years, they've begun sending inspectors to visit shops in selected areas, and citations and fines have been issued to independent shops and dealerships that did not comply with the regulations.
In cities where this has happened, MACS noted sharp increases in shops and techs seeking certification, proving the value of a few grassroots busts and word-of-mouth "advertising." The EPA has noticed this, too, and although they've issued no official statement, they are expected to continue using surprise shop inspections to enforce the rules.
WHAT ARE THE RULES?
Section 609 of the Clean Air Act is the part that deals with mobile air conditioning service. While it's a bit wordy, the language is clear:
"Effective Jan. 1, 1992, no person repairing or servicing motor vehicles for consideration may perform any service on a motor vehicle air conditioner involving the refrigerant for such air conditioner without properly using approved refrigerant recycling equipment and no such person may perform such service unless such person has been properly trained and certified."
In other words, if you are paid in currency or barter for servicing the refrigerant section of a mobile A/C system, you must be trained to operate the equipment properly and be certified by the EPA as being qualified to do the work. Your equipment also must be certified as being appropriate for the job.
The training for this certification is not the same as training for ?/C repair. Basic procedures for working with recovery and recycle equipment, refrigerants and storage containers are covered, but passing the section 609 certification test also requires knowledge of the environmental damage caused by venting refrigerant to the atmosphere and the resulting effects on human health.
In addition, the test covers various EPA regulations and recordkeeping requirements. This certification is not the same as ASE A7 certification. Although ASE offers the EPA test, ASE technician certification is not a substitute for section 609 technician certification.
The equipment in your shop also must be certified. This requires that the recovery or recycle machine is built to standards set by the Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE). A sticker on the back of the machine listing the SAE J-spec is the only proof accepted, and that spec defines whether the machine is intended for R12 or R134a, and whether it is a recovery-only machine or a recycler.
If the shop services both R12 and R134a systems, machines approved for both systems must be on the premises. Information about the equipment and contact information for the shop that owns it must be sent to the EPA in Washington D. C. Registered mail is a good way to prove you've done so.
Technicians authorized to use the equipment must be trained and certified on that equipment, and copies of all this must be kept on file at the shop. If refrigerant is recovered and sent off-site for recycling or disposal, the shop must record the date and destination and keep those records on file for three years.
This is just a brief look at some of the EPAs rules and the section 609 Certification Test requirementsnot a complete list.
Like any test, the point is to make sure the technician gets the training needed to pass it, and the wider awareness that comes with that training. The test itself is not difficult and even can be taken as an open-book test at home. The shop recordkeeping requirements are intended to ensure that the proper equipment is onsite and that trained people are using it, and that any container full of recovered refrigerant that's sent ofFsite can be traced. While this recordkeeping is not complicated, it does require some dedication to make sure everything is ready for that surprise inspection.
And should that inspector appear and find something amiss, penalties range from a simple warning up to the maximum fine of $32,500 per offense per day.
THE REASONS
As mentioned earlier, section 609 is part of the Clean Air Act of 1990. The act itself addresses a variety of man-made pollutants. Among those is chlorofluorocarbon (CFC), which was used by the automotive industry as a degreaser and as R12 refrigerant. Along with 190 other countries, the United States signed the 1987 Montreal Protocol, agreeing to end production of all ozone depleting chemicals by 2000. However, the rate of ozone depletion accelerated, so Rl 2 production was halted in 1995, five years ahead of schedule, because the auto industry was already prepared with a good substitute.
That new refrigerant, R134a, does far less damage to the ozone layer. In fact, the EPA has stated that when the auto industry switched to R134a and began recovering/recycling refrigerant instead of venting it, the condition of the ozone layer improved within two years and that the damage should eventually repair itself naturally.
But about the same time we became familiar with the ozone depletion problem, the words "global warming" started appearing in the newspapers. Though just a theory then, today it's an officially recognized fact that the average temperature of the earth's surface is increasing due to man's activities.The major culprit is CO2, which acts like the glass roof of a greenhouse to hold the sun's heat close to the earth instead of letting it radiate into space. While most man-made CO2 is generated by burning fuel, there are other man-made chemicals that have the same or even greater greenhouse effect when released into the atmosphere. R134a is one of them.
In 1997, most of the world's industrialized nations met in Kyoto,Japan to discuss the problem of global warming. The resulting Kyoto Protocol, which was signed by 141 nations and took effect February 2005, set a schedule for reducing greenhouse gas emissions around the world over the next several decades. While the United States did not sign the Kyoto treaty, the world market conditions created by that agreement still influence our economy, the automotive industry and even our government. The language in our Clean Air Act requires the EPA to evaluate a refrigerant's global warming potential as well as its impact on the ozone layer. This is why section 609 makes it illegal to vent refrigerant of any kind, even the alternative refrigerants that it has approved as legal substitutes for Rl2.
THE SUBSTITUTES
The Significant New Alternative Policy (SNAP) is a program operated by the EPA to identify materials that can be used as replacements for ozone-depleting chemicals.The performance of these alternatives is not measured, only their impact on the environment. In mobile ?/C applications, the so-called SNAP refrigerants are approved only because they are less damaging to the ozone layer than R12.Their other risks, such as flammability or global warming potential, are not important for approval.
There are about 16 refrigerants approved under this program as alternatives to R12, including R134a.The SNAP refrigerants are approved only as replacements for R12, not for R134a.This means that the alternative refrigerants are not approved for use in a system that was originally designed to use R134a. It also means they cannot legally be used to top-off a system filled with R12 or R134a.The SNAP refrigerants can only be legally used as a complete replacement, after R12 has been extracted from the system.
The EPA approves recycling equipment based on its SAE specification. All of those machines are designed for use with either R12 or R134a.That means they can't be used to recycle refrigerant blends, only to recover them for proper disposal.That refrigerant must be shipped to a reclamation facility in a DOT-approved container. To reduce the danger of bursting due to heat expansion, the container must only be filled to 80 percent of its original weight rating.
SUMMARY
As you can see, the primary goal of section 609, and in fact all the rules that the EPA has set for the service industry, is refrigerant containment. No matter what that refrigerant might be, the most important thing is to keep it under control so it doesn't escape into the atmosphere.
However, there are limits. It is legal to add refrigerant to a system that's known to be leaking, but only enough for diagnostic purposes. Also, it is not legal to remove refrigerant from a system just because you know it's leaking, except the small charge you install for diagnostic purposes.That refrigerant still belongs to the customer, and ultimately the decision is his. Also, none of these rules apply to the DIYer or to someone working for free.
While section 609 regulations were generated by lawmakers, it's obvious they had solid technical advice. Those advisors have also clearly demonstrated the damage that can be caused by the use of non-professional equipment and repair methods, both to the industry and to the environment. They hope to convince the EPA to outlaw DIY products from the market.The chances of that happening are difficult to foresee. Meanwhile, the rest of us have to follow the rules.
[Sidebar]
The Short List
* Any shop that does ?/C work must have the appropriate recovery and/or recycle equipment and a refrigerant identifier.
* Any technician operating that equipment must be trained on its use and be certified under section 609.
* Equipment records must be sent to the EPA in Washington, D.C. It is recommended that copies also be kept onsite.
* Records must be kept of any refrigerant sent offsite for recycling or disposal.
* DOT-approved containers must be used for shipping refrigerant.
* Venting refrigerant of any kind is never allowed.
* SNAP refrigerants are approved as substitutes for R12 only, not for R134a and not for "topping-off" a system with a different refrigerant.
[Sidebar]
Contacts
The EPA's Web site (www.epa.gov/Ozone/title6/609/technicians/609certs.html) includes a list of companies and organizations that offer the section 609 Certification Test. Many also offer training resources for the test, including MACS (www.macsw.org) and ASE (www.asecert.org). Most of those on the list also offer training and certification on the use of recycle/recovery equipment.
While these are hands-on classes, the certification training manual is available for purchase. Those manuals approved by the EPA clearly spell out all the rules and go into greater depth than the summary given here.
The section 609 Certification Test also can be taken at home, either online or on paper, depending on the organization offering the test. The cost is $15, and for those who don't pass the first time, a single retest is available at no charge.
[Author Affiliation]
By JACQUES GORDON, Contributing Editors
[Author Affiliation]
JACQUES GORDON writes about staying within the law when doing A/C repairs in this month's Safety & Environment.
RIYADH, Saudi Arabia Amid increasingly strident opposition fromreligious conservatives to American influences in the kingdom, thereis a growing sense in Saudi Arabia that, whether the crisis in thePersian Gulf is resolved by peace or war, the Saudis cannot afford towait much longer.
While Saudi Arabia until now has adamantly opposed a negotiatedsolution to the crisis, officials in the multinational alliance hereare concerned that pressure on the monarchy from religious activistscould force the Saudis, in the event of a continued stalemate, toseek a separate peace with Iraq.
"I think they clearly prefer a peaceful outcome," said a senior Western official. "They doubt it will happen. But the one thingthey have to have happen is to get it over."
He added, "By Jan. 15, they will need to know definitely whenand how (the United States) proposes to accomplish the objectivesthat we started out with in August."
The Islamic holy month of Ramadan in March and the annualpilgrimage to Mecca that follows have become "a kind of controldate," he said. "If this crisis has not taken some sort of decisiveturn by then, the tensions become almost insupportable."
Secretary of State James A. Baker III, meanwhile, expressedoptimism Sunday that the United States and Iraq will settle their quarrel over scheduling talks intime for him to visit Baghdad for a last-chance attempt to avert war.
"We are offering any one of the following dates as a possibledate for the meeting in Baghdad: Dec. 20, Dec. 21, Dec. 22 . . .,"Baker said, slowly emphasizing every date between Dec. 20 and Jan. 3.
With peace talks on hold, Iraqi officials began to say they arewondering whether they were fooled into releasing foreign hostages onthe false assumption that a reduction of the level of hostility wasin the works.
In private conversations, Iraqi officials said President Saddam Hussein's decision to free the foreigners was a show of goodwill inanswer to President Bush's proposal for talks. Iraq had announced itwould begin freeing the hostages Christmas Day and finish bymid-March.
Saudi Arabia so far has rebuffed the latest efforts to negotiatean Arab resolution to the crisis.
Algerian President Chadli Benjedid, fresh from contacts inJordan and Iraq, canceled a planned trip to Saudi Arabia when thekingdom made it clear it had no intention at present of agreeing to asummit between King Fahd and Hussein.
Such a meeting "is a waste of time. It will not happen," oneSaudi official said.
The prospect of the United Nations Security Council's Jan. 15deadline passing quietly with no resolution to the crisis in sightand no clear U.S. mandate for military action is looming as achilling scenario for both sides.
"The Saudis are totally reluctant to confront that possibility,"said one Western official, "as indeed we are."
Fueling much of the Saudis' concern for a quick settlement is arash of violent confrontations between religious conservatives andliberal, Western-influenced Saudis. Most Saudi officials believe theviolence is tied to the religious establishment's belief that theU.S. troop presence is contributing to secularization of theconservative Islamic kingdom.
CHAMBOURCY, France (AP) — Ryder Cup rookie Peter Hanson of Sweden has withdrawn from the French Vivendi Cup due to illness just over a week before he is due to tee off for the European team.
The 32-year-old advised officials Thursday he is struggling with a head cold, chest infection and fever.
Hanson will return home from France, but hopes to recover before heading to the Celtic Manor course in Wales on Monday for the Oct. 1-3 Ryder Cup.
His place in the €1.25 million ($1.67 million) Vivendi Cup has been taken by Frenchman Damien Perrier.
WASHINGTON Agriculture Secretary Dan Glickman on Thursdayannounced the largest food recall in U.S. history, as Hudson Foodscalled back 25 million pounds of possibly contaminated meat productsthat had come from a plant in Nebraska.
Glickman said the plant will be closed until Hudson assuresfederal inspectors that it complies with testing and record-keepingprocedures designed to keep meat from the markets. Ground beef fromthe plant, which is distributed nationwide, has been linked to anoutbreak of E-coli bacteria contamination that sickened more than adozen people in Colorado.
The federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said theHudson hamburger patties may have been distributed to all 48contiguous states. The plant's major customers include Safeway,Wal-Mart, Burger King, Sam's Club and Boston Market, officials said.Those companies have removed all Hudson products from their supplies.The 25 million pounds of meat would feed the entire Chicagopopulation - nearly 2.8 million people - a quarter-pound burger a dayfor more than five weeks. But it is only a small fraction of the 8billion pounds of ground beef of all types produced in the countryeach year. And the Columbus, Neb., plant accounts for less than 7percent of Hudson Food's sales, the company said.The plant will not open until the company has adopted "far morestringent safety standards that we have specifically laid out forthem based on what we have found in our investigation," Glickmansaid. The announcement means the recall is growing about 20-foldfrom last Friday. Hudson Foods said in a statement that it hadordered the recall "out of an abundance of caution and to restore thepublic confidence."Glickman said fewer than 20 people are known to have gotten sickfrom the tainted meat."We continue to monitor the situation very closely, but all theevidence at this point indicates that we have contained theoutbreak," he said.Recalls were announced last week, first with 20,000 pounds ofmeat, then another 20,000, and last Friday it became 1.2 millionpounds.The initial Hudson recall began after health officials inColorado traced the illnesses of more than a dozen people tohamburger patties they ate in early June.The Agriculture Department has evidence that the contaminationoccurred not in the plant, but at one or more of the slaughterhousesthat supply it, said Tom Billy, administrator of the USDA's FoodSafety and Inspection Service.That has made it difficult to know when the last of the taintedmeat left the plant, officials said.E. coli is a potentially deadly bacteria that often gets intofood through contact with fecal matter. It causes severe diarrhea,cramps and dehydration.People can call the USDA hotline for information at (800)535-4555, or Hudson's hotline at (800) 447-2670.
An online resource to help consumers make informed choices when refinancing a home loan has been launched by the Federal Reserve Board. "A Consumer's Guide to Mortgage Refinancing," which is available at www.federalreserve.gov/pubs/ refinancings/default.htm, contains tips and answers to frequently asked questions about the refinancing process. The information provided is designed to help consumers determine when refinancing makes sense, what a refinancing will cost and whether it is advisable to switch into a different type of mortgage.
The site also provides mortgage shopping worksheets, a glossary of mortgage terms, a link to an online refinancing calculator, a printable PDF format and links to the Fed's other consumer education resources on mortgages.
In addition, the Fed has updated the publication "What You Should Know about Home Equity Lines of Credit" to include information for consumers on line of credit freezes or reductions in lines of credit. The updated information is available at www.federalreserve.gov/pubs/ equity/equity_english.htm.
A Roman Catholic bishop said Sunday that the church has officially recognized that the Virgin Mary appeared to a 17th-century shepherd girl in the French Alps.
Speaking at Mass in remarks broadcast nationally on France-2 television, Monsignor Jean-Michel di Falco Leandri said he recognized the "supernatural origin" of the apparitions to 17-year-old Benoite Rencurel from 1664 to 1718.
The bishop, in an interview on France-Info radio, said the decision meant the church "has committed itself in an official way to say to pilgrims 'you can come here in total confidence.'" The recognition process involved a panel of experts including two theologians and an investigating judge, he said.
Officials at Notre-Dame-du-Laus church say that after four months of daily apparitions starting in May 1664, the Virgin Mary asked Rencurel to build a church and a house to receive priests.
The sanctuary, which was founded by Rencurel, today welcomes some 120,000 pilgrims a year _ at times providing healing oils based on a method that the Virgin Mary was said to pass on to the shepherd girl, the officials said.
The recognition Sunday makes Laus an official pilgrimage site for the church _ on a par with Lourdes, a site where Roman Catholic tradition holds that the Virgin Mary appeared before 14-year-old girl Bernadette Soubirous in 1858.
Thousands of people who have since prayed and bathed at a spring in Lourdes said they have been healed.
TOKYO (AP) — Japan waded into the currency market Wednesday for the first time in six years, buying dollars to weaken the surging yen, which is battering famed Japanese manufacturers like Toyota and Sony after spiking to 15-year highs.
Prime Minister Naoto Kan surviving a leadership challenge the day before had driven the yen to its latest high as currency traders bet that intervention was unlikely on his watch.
The surprise move, a coordinated effort by the finance ministry and central bank, shows a newly empowered Kan stamping his authority on government policy and means the yen is now less of a one-way bet — even if the effects of intervention prove to be short-lived. Japanese officials would not provide a figure for how much yen the central bank sold in the market.
The currency has risen about 10 percent against the dollar this year, and business leaders were pressing the government for help. The yen's rise had gained momentum as worries about banks' exposure to the debt of European countries with stagnating economies triggered a search for safety. The yen and Swiss franc have been the prime havens for investors hoping to safely park their money this summer.
A strong yen hurts Japan's exporters — the mainstay drivers of the country's still-fragile economic recovery. It erodes their foreign income when repatriated and makes their products less competitive in overseas markets. Toyota Motor Corp. estimates that every 1-yen climb versus the dollar saps 30 billion yen ($351 million) from earnings.
The government now has a "sense of crisis" about the yen, said Tomoko Fujii, a senior currency strategist at Bank of America Merrill Lynch. Officials fear "further yen appreciation would undermine the Japanese economy," she said. Earlier in the week, Hitachi Ltd. president Hiroaki Nakanishi urged the government to tackle the strong yen, calling it a "big pressure" while trying to transform one of Japan's biggest companies into a nimbler operation.
The yen's rise has also underscored tensions with China. Some officials including the finance minister say China's purchases of Japanese government bonds might be helping to drive the yen higher even as Beijing keeps its currency tightly controlled to protect the country's exporters. The yuan has risen less than 1 percent against the dollar since mid-June when Beijing said it would allow it to trade more freely after keeping it virtually unchanged for 18 months.
After the Bank of Japan sold yen on Wednesday morning, the dollar jumped above 85 yen from its earlier low of 82.87 yen. It was the first currency intervention since March 2004. Stock investors cheered the move, sending the Nikkei 225 stock average up by 217.25 points, or 2.3 percent, to close at 9,516.56.
"We have conducted an intervention in order to suppress excessive fluctuations in the currency market," said Finance Minister Yoshihiko Noda. "We will closely monitor currency developments, and take firm action including intervention," Noda said.
But there was widespread skepticism that Tokyo can keep the yen on a tight leash without coordinated action by major central banks around the world. That suggests the stock market's advance could prove fleeting and that U.S. manufacturers are likely to continue benefiting from a weak dollar.
"The effect from Japan's solo intervention won't last very long. We have to see how the U.S. and European monetary authorities would react," said Yuji Kameoka, chief forex strategist at Daiwa Institute.
Japanese electronics giant Sony Corp. weighed in with a cautious statement, saying that companies could only do so much on their own. "While we welcome the latest currency intervention by the government and Bank of Japan ... we hope they will continue to closely monitor foreign exchange trends and take appropriate measures," it said.
Fujii, the Bank of America Merrill Lynch strategist, forecasts that the dollar will by year-end break under the all-time low of 79.75 yen hit in 1995.
The dollar's woes stem in part from market speculation that the Federal Reserve may restart buying Treasurys and other assets this year to try to bolster the U.S. economy. That would likely drive U.S. interest rates even lower, which would make some investments bought in dollars less appealing for investors.
"This could be a very tough time for Japanese authorities if the Fed really implements a massive quantitative easing," Fujii said.
The yen, meanwhile, is seen as a safe haven currency. Japan's government debt is largely owned by domestic investors, making the country less at risk to the capital flight that can occur when economic or political shocks cause confidence to collapse.
And even with interest rates near zero, Japan's real interest rate is higher because of persistent deflation. For foreigners, that means yen-denominated assets will look more attractive as prices keep falling.
China's acceleration of Japanese bond purchases — a strategy of diversifying its holdings of foreign assets which are currently concentrated in U.S. Treasurys — has also been blamed for contributing to the yen's rise. But the purchases as a proportion of all Japanese bonds on issue are likely too small to have a sustained effect on the yen.
Playing to a domestic audience, Finance Minister Noda told a parliamentary finance committee last Thursday that finance officials are monitoring Beijing's moves closely. "We are watching the development while closely coordinating with other financial authorities to find out what their intentions are," he said.
Japan's previous attempts to slow the yen's rise through intervention had little lasting effect. Between January 2003 and January 2004, Japan sold a total of about 35 trillion yen in a massive effort to fight deflation and slow the appreciation of its currency.
One reason that intervention is likely to be even less potent nowadays is that the global volume of the foreign exchange trading has grown rapidly in recent years. Since 2007, average daily turnover has risen 20 percent to $4 trillion, according to the Bank for International Settlements. That means intervention by a single government ends up being akin to a drop in the ocean.
More recently, Switzerland's central bank abandoned its efforts to soften the Swiss franc, which had risen rapidly in the wake of financial crisis.
Some analysts say the finance ministry's currency intervention may be more potent if the central bank follows with a policy change of its own. The Bank of Japan's next board meeting begins Oct. 4.
Central bank Gov. Masaaki Shirakawa wasn't offering any hints Wednesday, except to say the BOJ would pursue "strong monetary easing" and provide liquidity to financial markets.
__
Associated Press Writers Malcolm Foster, Shino Yuasa and Mari Yamaguchi contributed to this report.
SEATTLE (AP) — A deadly explosion in April at a Tesoro Corp. oil refinery in Washington state could have been prevented if the company had tested its equipment properly and followed other safety regulations, regulators said Monday.
The Washington Department of Labor and Industries issued a record $2.39 million fine, the largest in the agency's history, against Tesoro, following a six-month investigation into state workplace safety and health regulations. It cited the company for 39 willful and five serious violations of state workplace safety and health regulations.
Tesoro failed to check for cracks that had developed in the nearly 40-year-old heat exchanger that ruptured April 2, killing seven workers at the Anacortes refinery about 70 miles north of Seattle, the agency said. The cracks likely developed over the years, it said.
"This explosion and the deaths of these men and women would never have occurred had Tesoro tested their equipment in a manner consistent with standard industry practices, their own policies and state regulations," Labor and Industries Director Judy Schurke said in a statement.
Lynn Westfall, a spokesman for the San Antonio-based company, declined Monday to comment on the investigation or fine. Tesoro has 15 days to appeal.
"We're going to review the citation very thoroughly and continue to have a dialogue with L&I on areas where we might disagree," he added.
The blast occurred as employees were doing maintenance on a unit that processes naphtha, a highly flammable chemical used to make finished petroleum products. The unit was being returned to service, a process that experts said is especially dangerous because the liquid is being heated to high temperatures at great pressure.
State officials said Monday that one of the heat exchangers split violently, releasing hydrocarbon vapor that ignited almost immediately. Federal investigators have said all seven victims were within 50 feet of the unit and had no chance of escaping.
The exchangers were sent to a laboratory in Ohio for metallurgical testing, which state inspectors said revealed "cracks had develop in many of the welds in the heat exchanger that exploded and in at least one other similar heat exchanger."
Tesoro tested for cracks in the ruptured heat exchanger once — in 1998 — over nearly 40 years, said Hector Castro, a labor and industries spokesman. The company had planned to test the equipment in 2008 but never did, he said.
"If Tesoro had tested their equipment appropriately and had followed their other safety requirements, we believe that they would have found the cracks that caused this explosion," said Dr. Michael Silverstein, assistant director of the state labor department's occupational safety and health division.
In their investigation, state inspectors found that Tesoro disregarded numerous workplace safety rules, postponed maintenance, continued to operate failing equipment for numerous years, and failed to adequately protect its workers.
The agency cited the company for 39 willful violations, in which an employer knowingly violates a rule and is indifferent to correcting it, and five serious violations, defined as those with potential to cause death or serious physical injury.
In April 2009, the state agency fined the company $85,700 for 17 serious safety and health violations. In November, the state reached a settlement with Tesoro, which reduced the total penalty to $12,250 and lowered the number of violations to three.
In a statement, Tesoro Safety Superintendent Jeff Waldron said the refinery units will be brought back into operation on a staggered basis, beginning this week, with the goal of the entire refinery operational by Oct. 15, the Skagit Valley Herald reported last week.
Westfall said Monday that the company "can't be that specific on those dates at this time."
"We fully intend to restart the refinery when all the conditions for a controlled and safe start up are in place," he said.
The U.S. Chemical Safety Board is also investigating the explosion and expects to have a final report next year, Daniel Horowitz, the agency's managing director said Monday. The board will review the state's data and other evidence.
"This is but one of a number of accidents that we're investigating across the country where there have been sudden catastrophic failures of pieces of equipment," he said.
Killed in the explosion were: Daniel J. Aldridge, 50, of Anacortes; Matthew C. Bowen, 31; of Arlington; Darrin J. Hoines, 43, of Ferndale; Kathryn Powell, 29, of Burlington; Donna Van Dreumel, 36, of Oak Harbor; Matt Gumbel, 34, of Oak Harbor, and Lew Janz, 41.
Some of the deadliest military and commercial airline crashes in Indonesia in recent years:
_ May 20: A C-130 Hercules military plane carrying troops and their families crashes in East Java province, killing 98 people.
_ April 6: A Fokker 27 military aircraft slams into an airport hangar in the city of Bandung on Java island, killing 24.
_ March 7, 2007: A Boeing 737 jet operated by national airline Garuda shoots off a runway and erupts in flames in Yogyakarta on Java, killing 21 people.
_ Jan. 1, 2007: A plane belonging to budget airline Adam Air plunges into the sea in central Indonesia in stormy weather, killing all 102 on board.
_ Sept. 5, 2005: A Mandala Airlines Boeing 737-200 crashes shortly after takeoff from Medan, Sumatra, killing at least 145.
Here's a 20/20 look at the ins and outs of the 1988 high schoolfootball season:
Q: Who are Chicago area's top six prospects?
A: DL Bill Lange, Palatine; TE Rob Woodward, Deerfield; LBChris Holder, Stevenson; RB Ernest Crank, Bolingbrook; WR RayGriggs, Crete-Monee; OL Chet Lacheta, Bloom.
Q: Who are Downstate's top six prospects?
A: QB Bart Geiser, Springfield Griffin; OG Steve Durdan, Ottawa;OG Matt Stephenson, Lincoln; DL Corey Williams, East St. LouisAssumption; K Craig Heintrich, Alton; OL Bill Ioerger, Metamora.
Q: Best bets to win state titles?
A: Here are the favorites: 6-A: East St. Louis. The Flyers, who won four state …
BRATISLAVA, Slovakia (AP) — Filip Holosko scored in injury time to give Slovakia a 1-0 win over Macedonia in their opening 2012 European Championship qualifying game on Friday.
Holosko beat Macedonia goalkeeper Edin Nuredinovski one minute …
Imagine this. As your alarm clock starts beeping your left handreaches out and turns it off. Just as you're about to shut your eyesand grab a few more minutes in bed, your right hand stretches outand flicks it back on. Still dozy, you reach out with your left handto switch it off but, yet again, the right hand puts it back on.Off, on, off, on, so it goes on. Eventually your left hand wrestlesyour right hand away from the clock and you hoist yourself out ofbed in frustration. Welcome to the world of anarchic hand syndrome.
A rare medical condition, anarchic hand syndrome causes one (or,in even more rare cases, both) of its sufferer's hands to behave asthough it is …
Hand to hand combatImagine this. As your alarm clock starts beeping your left handreaches out and turns it off. Just as you're about to shut your eyesand grab a few more minutes in bed, your right hand stretches outand flicks it back on. Still dozy, you reach out with your left handto switch it off but, yet again, the right hand puts it back on.Off, on, off, on, so it goes on. Eventually your left hand wrestlesyour right hand away from the clock and you hoist yourself out ofbed in frustration. Welcome to the world of anarchic hand syndrome.
A rare medical condition, anarchic hand syndrome causes one (or,in even more rare cases, both) of its sufferer's hands to behave asthough it is …
Show-biz legends come alive in multimedia show at Gem Theatre
DETROIT - "Fm going to stay in show business until Fm the last one left." These were the words of comedian George Burns, and even now, more than 12 years since his passing, the sentiment seems plausible. Burns was an icon of American comedy for more than three quarters of a century, and even today, his story and his love of wife Gracie Allen continue to enthrall audiences. The latest production to take the stage at Detroit's Gem Theatre, "Say Goodnight Gracie," promises a unique glimpse into days gone by, through the wide-framed glasses of Burns himself.
"A lot of people come in thinking, 'Oh, it's a one man show, …
ANAND SANKARAN
Executive technical leader, energy storage and high voltage electrical systems Ford Motor Co.
Chosen because: The efforts of Sankaran, 45, in power semiconductors and power electronics helped bring Ford's hybrids -- the Ford Escape crossover, Fusion sedan and Lincoln MKZ sedan -- to market. Sankaran began his career at Ford's Research and Innovation Center in 1991 before moving to product development in 1999. He currently leads the development of Ford's lithium ion battery and in-house energy storage system solutions, as well as working on …
STRATFORD, Conn. - Teamsters union members will begin returning to work Wednesday after voting to approve a new contract with helicopter maker Sikorsky Aircraft that involves terms similar to those they overwhelmingly rejected six weeks ago when they walked off the job.
Sikorsky expects to return to full production by Monday, said company spokesman Bud Grebey.
Workers voted …
Byline: Public Health Institute
SACRAMENTO, Calif., Sept. 29 (AScribe Newswire) -- Recently released national studies have raised concern about the "aging readiness" of our communities. Less than half of communities in the U.S. are prepared for the aging boom. The caregiver shortage will be even more acute when this population of aging boomers will need it most.
The Center for Civic Partnerships, based in Sacramento, Calif., has a publication to assist communities with this challenge. "A Healthy Community Perspective on Aging Well" features six case studies from throughout the country where communities are making a difference in the health and quality of life …
DALLAS (AP) — Herb Kelleher dressed up as Elvis, wore a paper bag over his head on TV, bragged about drinking Wild Turkey and told bawdy stories. Between the legendary bouts of showmanship he found time to revolutionize the airline industry.
Kelleher was there at the founding of Southwest Airlines Co., fighting the legal battles to get the airline started. As CEO for two decades, he built an airline that now carries more U.S. passengers than any other. Most U.S. airlines lose money more often than they earn it, but Southwest has always posted an annual profit.
Southwest grew by entering new cities with lower fares, forcing rivals to also cut prices — a phenomenon that …
(ADPnews) - Mar 30, 2011 - Chile's government has decided to extend summer time until May 7, 2011 due to concerns for the electricity system amid the current drought in the country.
The measure is expected to reduce power consumption by 0.4% on a day with a normal consumption level, energy and mines minister Laurence Golborne said yesterday.
By law, Chile was to …
Webster Bank this week signed an ATM-branding agreement with Walgreen Co. to expand the bank's consumer brand awareness into a new region. Under the agreement, Webster, a subsidiary of Waterbury, Conn.-based Webster Financial Corp., will place its brand on 158 Cardtronics ATMs in Walgreen stores in Massachusetts, Rhode Island and Connecticut. Webster will begin and complete the branding in the first quarter of next year. Webster Bank is concentrated in Connecticut but wants to move its brand Northeast toward Boston, says Arthur House, managing director of public affairs for Webster Financial Corp. …
Byline: MARK SINGELAIS Staff writer
His college career started as J.T. Herfurth, unknown Penn State walk-on.
It ends as J.T. Herfurth, All-American.
Herfurth, leaving the glamour of major college football for little-known University at Albany, got his national recognition Wednesday when he was selected as a Division I-AA All-American by the American Football Coaches Association.
Herfurth, a 6-foot-6, 300-pound senior offensive tackle, is among six non-scholarship players on the 25-man squad. Most of the All-Americans come from schools such as Montana, Hofstra and Delaware, top-25 programs in I-AA that offer scholarships.
``I'm …
TUCSON, Ariz. -- In the past 24 months, five-million weddings in the United States represented $120 billion spent on ceremonies, receptions, rings and honeymoons.
But are credit unions getting a piece of the Happily Ever After?
That was the question posed by two representatives of San Diego- based North Island Credit Union, Geri Dillingham, EVP/COO, and Kelli Cole, VP-marketing.
Dillingham and Cole told the CUES' NEXUS conference that life-cycle events-weddings, births, graduations and retirement - are the key to member satisfaction and lifetime relationships. Dillingham said the wedding event is a particularly good time to get people to join a credit union, as they not only are prime borrowers, they are willing to listen to financial …
Continental AG announced Saturday that its chairman was stepping down, only weeks the Schaeffler Group KG completed its purchase of the tire and auto parts maker.
Schaeffler, which makes ball bearings, asked that Hubertus von Gruenberg resign as chairman of the board. Von Gruenberg will …
"I think it's pretty obvious who I'm seeing. I think it's no shock to anyone that it's been going on for quite some time. She's a wonderful person and I love her very much."
- Lindsay Lohan FINALLY admits her relationship with an un-named Samantha Ronson in "Harpers Bazaar." However, she still eschews the term "lesbian"- she's OK with "bisexual. "Then again, anyone who calls Obama "colored" isn't all that good with labels.
On the plane back from London, a headline on MSN caught my eye: "Britain faces sperm shortage." Funny, but I didn't notice - there was certainly enough in my hotel room! Come to think of it, maybe that's what caused the shortage. Oops. Sorry. Aside from …
AS fingerprints of alleged poachers who darted two rhinos at the Fairy Glen Game Reserve near Worcester on Sunday are being analysed by a forensics team, owner Pieter de Jager believes it is likely a veterinarian is involved.
This is because M99, the super morphine drug believed to have been used by the poachers to dart rhinos, is a strictly controlled drug administered only by veterinarians.
The two rhinos were severely overdosed with the drug, which made their recovery even shakier.
"They were like drugged people when we found them. Stumbling and unable to fight for their recovery," said De Jager.
According to Novartis Animal Health, the …
