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Mickelson leads at Riviera going into the weekend updated 3:15 a.m. LOS ANGELES - Pat Perez hasn't gone up against Phil Mickelson since the opening round of the Match Play Championship four years ago. "I lost," Perez said. He was quick to point out, however, that they won't be going head-to-head this weekend at the Northern Trust Open. Even so, Mickelson appears to be as formidable as Riviera, or any other golf course. Mickelson holed out a lob wedge from the eighth fairway for eagle on his way to 1-under 70. That turned out to be enough for a one-shot lead over Perez, who played Friday afternoon and kept bogeys off his card for a tournament-best 65. "I'm not playing him," Perez said. Obviously, he's playing well, and I'm going to have to play awfully well to beat him this weekend. I'm not worried about him. It'll be fun to play with him, but I know that I have to play well out there to beat everybody else, as well. At the moment, all eyes are on Mickelson. He picked up his 40th career title with a memorable Sunday at Pebble Beach, where he rallied from six shots behind on the last day for a bogey-free 64 and a two-shot victory (beating Tiger Woods by 11 shots while paired with him in the final round). Mickelson was at 6-under 136. What made his second round impressive was that he didn't hit the ball particularly well, missed par putts inside 4 feet on the ninth and 18th hole, had only two birdie chances from inside 15 feet, and still managed to keep his name atop the leaderboard. The real bonus was his clutch putting. He made an 18-foot par putt on the 10th hole to start out his second round. After a bunker shot on the par-3 14th hole, he knocked in a 10-foot par putt to keep his momentum. He holed another 10-foot par putt after being in a bunker on No. Those were just as important as the two signature shots of his second round. Most players believe he is the best on tour with a wedge in hand, and it was a shot like this that explained why. What eventually kept him in the lead for the third straight round was the wedge on the eighth hole from 110 yards away. Mickelson purposely played the shot some 20 feet left of the flag with side spin. He had been having trouble judging whether his ball would check or release on the greens, and he couldn't afford to go at the flag and be long. It worked out, anyway. The ball zipped to the right and dropped in for eagle, as Mickelson raised both arms in celebration. "It worked out perfect," he said. There some shots you need a little bit of luck, where you're just trying to get it close. The chip-in on 18 last night, where it was so quick down that hill, I was just trying to get it close and salvage par. Certainly, I'm just trying to make birdie on 8, and the ball happens to go in. I've had a couple of good breaks. Perez saved his best shot for the final hole. He hit his tee shot on the 18th and was too far right, the green blocked by the eucalyptus trees. Perez cut a 6-iron, hopeful of finding the green, and it wound up 12 feet away for a birdie he wasn't expecting. "I didn't hit it like you'd think I would," Perez said. I didn't drive it all that great. I just scrambled well. I put myself in the right places to make par or birdie. The group at 4-under 138 included Jimmy Walker (66), Carl Pettersson (70), Jonathan Byrd (70), Marc Leishman (69) and Matt Kuchar (69), who had a solid day without too much excitement until he drilled his tee shot to a back left pin on No. Before he could putt, he was stung in the arm by a bee. Bubba Watson had a 69 and was in the group another shot back, while world No. 1 Luke Donald had a 72 and was only six shots out of the lead. There were 26 players within five shots of the lead, which is not much at Riviera over 18 holes, much less the entire weekend. Even so, it looks different with Mickelson's name at the top, especially the way he won at Pebble Beach and is a two-time winner at Riviera. Mickelson won't look too much into that, however. After signing autographs, he headed for the Santa Monica airport to fly home to San Diego - he is commuting this week, as usual - and figures the hard work is just now starting.

Ex-Pentagon chief Gates joins Condoleezza Rice in new firm Former Defense Secretary Robert Gates is going into business with two other top officials from the George W. Bush administration. Gates will join an international consulting firm headed by former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and former White House national security adviser Stephen Hadley. Gates left his Pentagon job last year. He was the only senior member of the Bush administration who stayed on to work for Democratic President Barack Obama. Gates has described himself as a Republican. When he left, Gates said he wanted to write books and relax at his home in Washington state. The new firm, to be called RiceHadleyGates, is based in California and Washington, D.C. An announcement was expected later Wednesday.

Assam refugees too scared to return Takimari in western Assam is a smaller place than it was two months ago. The village has lost an entire community to ethnic violence and may never recover its multiracial character, with some of the farmers who have fled saying they are too nervous to return. It was early one morning in late July that the indigenous Bodo inhabitants of Takimari were attacked by hundreds of Muslims who smashed, looted and set fire to their homes. "Our houses were burnt down and we had to run away," says Sindu Raj Brahmo, a 60-year-old retired schoolteacher who now shelters as a refugee in a requisitioned school building in Kokrajhar, in the Bodo heartland. This is a temporary camp and I know I can't live here for ever. I'm hoping for a solution which would mean I could relocate here to this area. Let there be a swap, an exchange [between Bodos and Muslims]. Many generations of our ancestors lived there [in Takimari], but the situation today is so bad that we cannot think of living in that place as a minority. The July 24 attack was only one of a series of raids conducted by both Bodos and Muslims against each other. The violence, which continues in isolated incidents, has left more than 80 dead and forced 400,000 to flee their homes. In mid-August, threats circulated by telephone text messages prompted thousands of panicked north-easterners to flee their homes and jobs thousands of kilometres away in southern India for fear of Muslim revenge attacks. In Takimari itself, 20km to the south of Kokrajhar in an area where the population is predominantly Muslim, the blackened remnants of Bodo houses bear witness to the attack described by Mr Brahmo. His neighbours, members of the Nathbanshi tribe who work as labourers for Muslim farmers, corroborate his account and say they fear they may be the next victims of the raiders. In one burnt-out Bodo house, two charred books lie on the floor amid the ashes: one is called Indian India, by Mahatma Gandhi, the national hero who campaigned for independence and for mutual tolerance among Indians; the other is entitled Cultural Identity of Tribes of North-East India. Why did the attack happen, and why now? Mr Brahmo is surprisingly philosophical, seeing it as one of a series of tit-for-tat incidents between Bodos and Muslims in a long struggle over land and power. "Bodos burned down the houses of Muslims, so Muslims burned down our houses," he says. Muslims, indeed, tell tales of woe almost identical to those of the Bodos. Three-quarters of the refugees and most of the dead since the start of July are Muslims. "Suddenly all these people descended on us and started firing, and burning down our houses," says Azad Ali, a 26-year-old teacher who fled his village on July 23 after a Bodo attack, joining thousands of other Muslims from the Kokrajhar area now housed in classrooms in the town of Bilasipara. They can't tolerate Muslims. They wanted us to vacate the area. Since the days of British colonial rule, north-east India has been a patchwork of dozens of tribal zones known as "belts and blocs" and the peace has been disturbed by insurgent armies and protection rackets. But the differences this time are twofold. First, the soaring population since independence in 1947 has put intense pressure on the land. India already has more than 1.2bn inhabitants and western Assam is the front line between northern tribes such as the Bodos and Bengali Muslims migrating from the south. Birendra Brahmo, a 70-year-old Bodo refugee, tells how his village of Takimari in western Assam was attacked by Muslims on July 24 Bodos from Dhuburi have taken refuge in schools in Kokrajhar to the north Anwar Hussein, a Muslim, stands in front of four Muslim shops in the village of Jaipur Near Kokrajhar burnt down by Bodos on July 30 Ploughing with oxen in the rice paddies of Assam is muddy work in the monsoon There is very littled mechanised farming for the peasants of Assam Refugee Surjo Bewa, 65, said she had lived in her village for 40 years before being expelled by Bodo attackers on July 23 Muslim refugees at a school in Bilasipara Muslim refugee children learning Arabic on the terrace of a government school turned refugee camp in Bilasipara A bereaved Muslim family describes how the mother of the two girls has been missing since a Bodo attack on their village Women have dug pits to cook on open fires in the yard of a Bilasipara school, now a makeshift camp Paramilitary police have been deployed in towns such as Bilasipara in an attempt to restore security and confidence Burnt books on the floor of a Bodo house wrecked and looted by Muslims in Takimari village After the Muslim attack on Bodos in Takimari, indigenous Nathbonshis tribespeople fear they may be next Burnt-out Bodo houses in Takimari village At Goalpara, the bridge over the mighty Brahmaputra river during the monsoon flood Second, Indian politicians have enthusiastically used the Assam conflict to press their national agendas. LK Advani, leader of the Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata party, argues that the root of the problem is illegal immigration of Bengali Muslims from Bangladesh, which has made the people of Assam "refugees in their own state." Bodo leaders, most of them Hindu, take the same line, although some say the high birth rate of resident Muslims is also to blame. "If there's a problem in Assam, it's a population problem," says Urkhao Gwra Brahma, a former member of parliament who believes Bodos are being marginalised. Muslim leaders insist that the problem is not illegal immigration of Muslims. "There's no foreigners, I am telling you, they are all genuine Indian citizens of the BTC [Bodoland Territorial Council] area," says Abdul Rahim Ahmed, president of the All Assam Minorities Students" Union. For the Muslims, and for some academic researchers, the crisis in western Assam originates from attempts by Bodo militants to drive Muslims out of "Bodoland," an autonomous zone created a decade ago by agreement with the central government. Unfortunately for the Bodos, they make up only a third of the inhabitants of the zone they claim as theirs. Twenty years ago, says Nani G. Mahanta, associate politics professor at Gauhati University, Bodos were rebuffed in a previous attempt to carve out territory for themselves on the grounds that they did not hold a "homogeneous, exclusive homeland." Prof Mahanta says: "So they started a process of ethnocide, of ethnic cleansing . . . The Bodo militants have tried to drive out the non-Bodos, regardless of whether they are Muslims or non-Muslims. According to this argument, successive Indian governments are to blame for taking the path of least resistance and acceding too easily to militant demands for ethnic enclaves in the north-east of the country. Yet Bodos too are critical of the government, demanding more autonomy and complaining, like the Muslims, about the lack of security in western Assam. "The main problem is the government of India," says Dersin Daimari, an official of the All Bodo Students" Union. In India, no problems are solved. They are not eager to solve it. They always leave it pending. Additional reporting Jyotsna Singh

Top-seeded Kaymer loses at World Match Play CASARES, Spain (AP) - Top-seeded Martin Kaymer was eliminated from the World Match Play Championship by the lowest-ranked player in the field on Friday, losing by 1 hole to Richard Finch. 9-ranked German needed to make a 3-foot putt to halve the match and force a playoff against the No. 218-ranked Finch, but it horseshoed out. Kaymer, who won the 2010 U.S. PGA Championship, started the year at No. 4 but hasn't won an event this year. He joins Darren Clarke and Charl Schwartzel as major winners who failed to make the weekend. Defending champion Ian Poulter looked strong after overwhelming Tom Lewis 4 and 3 and extending his unbeaten match-play record on European soil to 14 contests. Finch made par on the par-5 last and Kaymer should have matched it, but turned away in disbelief after his effort wrapped around the edge of the cup. Finch's reward is a match against McDowell, who beat Jbe Kruger 4 and 3 and is attempting to recreate his match-play heroics from the 2010 Ryder Cup at Celtic Manor, where he holed the winning putt. "It was a bit of a dead rubber - the real fun starts tomorrow against Richard," McDowell said. American Brandt Snedeker was reunited with his own clubs Friday for his head-to-head with Branden Grace. He won his first match with borrowed clubs, a putter from the pro shop and a player's backup driver after his clubs were lost because of an emergency landing Monday during his flight to Spain after a passenger had a heart attack. It didn't help Snedeker, who lost 4 and 3, but he emerged from a three-way playoff with Grace and Thomas Bjorn to set up a last-16 match with Camilo Villegas. Bjorn beat Grace on the next playoff hole and will take on Paul Lawrie next.

Alex Kirk, Chad Adams, Demetrius Walker pace New Mexico's win ALBUQUERQUE, Dec. 8 (UPI) -- Alex Kirk, Chad Adams and Demetrius Walker each scored 12 points Saturday and No. 20 New Mexico remained unbeaten with a 65-52 win over Valparaiso. Kirk went 4-of-7 from the field, Adams connected on 4-of-8 shots and Walker drained a pair of 3-pointers for the Lobos, who moved to 10-0 to start the season. Cameron Bairstow added seven points and five rebounds in the victory. The Crusaders (6-3) were led by Ryan Broekhoff with 24 points and seven rebounds.

'Men in Black III' bumps mighty 'Avengers' from atop box office Will Smith and Tommy Lee Jones in "Men in Black 3." The third "Men in Black" alien action comedy bumped the mighty "Avengers" from the top of movie box office charts through Sunday and was likely to dominate theaters over the rest of the U.S. Memorial Day weekend. "MIB 3," starring Will Smith, racked up $55 million in the United States and Canada from Friday through Sunday, according to studio estimates. The movie also topped box offices in 104 countries around the world, and is expected to haul in a global $202 million over the four-day holiday weekend, distributor Sony Pictures said. It is the first "Men in Black" film to reach theaters in 10 years, and the best performing film since the franchise began in 1997. In "MIB 3," Smith returns to his role as Agent J, half of a secret-agent duo that keeps order among aliens disguised as humans and living on Earth. Tommy Lee Jones plays his partner, Agent K. The new installment finds J traveling back to the 1960s to save a younger version of K, portrayed by Josh Brolin. "MIB 3" knocked superhero team "The Avengers" to second place after three weeks at No. The global, billion-dollar blockbuster collected $37 million in North American theaters from Friday through Sunday. It also became the fastest film to cross the $500 million domestic threshold, getting there in 23 days and shattering the 32 day record set by the 2009 film "Avatar," which went on to become the world's highest-grossing movie of all time. In third place, board game-inspired action movie "Battleship" brought in $10.7 million during its second weekend in theaters. Sacha Baron Cohen's spoof "The Dictator" took the fourth spot with $9.6 million through Sunday, pushing new low-budget horror film "Chernobyl Diaries" into fifth place with $8 million. Total figures for the U.S. Memorial Day long weekend will be released on Monday. Sony Corp's movie studio released "Men in Black 3." "The Avengers" was distributed by Walt Disney Co's Marvel Studios. Time Warner Inc's Warner Bros. studios distributed "Chernobyl Diaries." "Battleship" was released by Universal Studios, a unit of Comcast Corp. Viacom Inc's Paramount Studios distributed "The Dictator." Did you see a movie this weekend?

Activists: Syria Troops Pushed From Capital Suburb An activist group says Syrian security forces have retreated from the streets of one of biggest suburbs of the capital after intense clashes with anti-government army defectors. The British-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights' head Rami Abdul-Rahman says that as of early Sunday, government troops had pulled back to a provincial headquarters and a security agency building in the Damascus suburb of Douma. He had no information on casualties. Syria-based activist Mustafa Osso confirmed that security forces had abandoned Douma, but said he had no information about clashes. Central Damascus has for most of Syria's 10-month uprising been under the tight control of forces loyal to President Bashar Assad, but its suburbs have witnessed intense anti-regime protests.

Handbags and glad tidings - Telegraph "So far, I've made and given away £825,000," says Charlotte, as we stand in the three-quarters-built shell of her latest project. If this scheme goes according to plan and I sell these houses for the price we're asking, that will get me above the £1million mark. There's no reason why it shouldn't happen. The three latest Grobien homes are all three-bedroomed, two-bathroomed affairs, and they look great. The two more expensive ones have garages (£360,000 and £355,000 respectively), the less expensive one (£350,000) has just a parking space. Work began on site in April this year, and is on track to finish around this Christmas, with the properties being launched onto the market early in the New Year. "We're pretty sure we've got the asking price right," says Charlotte. We've been into it in some detail with our estate agents, Waterfall, who are based here in Woking, and who have been very kind in giving us a discount. You hear that "d" word a lot when you're talking to Charlotte. It turns out there's a long list of companies who, in the light of the project's charitable nature, have been generous with their prices. Bathroom firms, tile suppliers, even lawyers. That said, you can't expect everyone to say yes straight away. You have to make your case, and tell them the whole story. And, just as she has put in long hours trying to minimise the amount of money she spends, so Charlotte has become actively involved in all of the charities she supports. "That way, I know what they need and when they need it," she explains. There was a 17-year-old boy, for example, whose mother was having to get up every couple of hours in the middle of the night, to make sure he hadn't fallen out of his bed. What was needed was a new bed that would prevent him falling out, and we were able to come up with the £5,000 that was needed, and give it to the charity React, which looks after terminally ill children who are being nursed at home. It's great being able to see, at first hand, the benefits the money brings. The other day, I arrived at the TreeHouse, which is a school for autistic children in North London, and saw one of the children running through the car park with the personal trainer that Give It Away had funded. The individual amounts of money may only be small, but they don't seem small if that's the amount you need to pay for your new wheelchair you desperately need. It's not just money that her she's been able to give, either. Unemployed teenagers from the Fairbridge Trust have charity been given the opportunity to come for work experience at the Woking building site. "It's a chance for them to build up some self-esteem ,and find out for themselves what having a job is all about," says Charlotte. Turning up on time, being polite, sticking to the rules, all that sort of thing. Such is the momentum now behind Give It Away, that Charlotte is considering pressing on past her initial goal of £1m. Would I do another development? If someone were to come up with a proposal to come in on a scheme that was ready to go, and where all the planning permission had been granted, then yes, I could be tempted. One thing she doesn't like the sound of, though, is the phrase "fairy godmother." "This isn't just a matter of waving a wand, I assure you," she replies. As far as I know, fairy godmothers don't have to work this hard, even at Christmas. Give It Away, 020 8876 8807, www.give-it-away.co.uk Property particulars A list of the charities that benefit from Give It Away's forays into the housing market: Whizz-Kids (www.whizz-kidz.org.uk) Providing motorised aids for children and young people. Small Steps (www.smallstepssfp.org.uk) Learning and support for severely disabled children from 0 to 5 React (www.reactcharity.org) Helping families of children with life-limiting illnesses Actionnaires/RNIB (www.actionforblindpeople.org.uk) Enabling partially-sighted children to build confidence through sport Fairbridge (www.fairbridge.org.uk) Support for young people facing social or educational exclusion Polka Theatre, Wimbledon (www.polkatheatre.com) Putting on plays and shows for children since 1979 TreeHouse School/Ambitious About Autism (www.ambitiousaboutautism.org.uk) Enabling children with autism to learn, thrive and achieve Eikon, Woking (www.eikon.org.uk) Helping young people and families in unhappy circumstances London Early Years Foundation (www.leyf.org.uk) Network of nurseries offering socially inclusive fees

10 tips for hardcore travelers When lining up for security, look to see which security agent is working the fastest, not how long a line is. By Ed Hewitt, IndependentTraveler.com Travel tips are at the heart of what IndependentTraveler.com does, and you will find a wealth of valuable advice all over the site that can benefit novice travelers and experts alike. But some tips are only discovered through putting in heaps of miles; thus, I dug into the very bottom of my deepest bag of tricks, and also asked some veteran travelers for their best advice, to come up with these tips for hardcore travelers. Whether you're already an expert traveler or you just want to travel like one, these 10 tips will help you along the way. Back up important documents in electronic form. New Jersey lawyer and frequent traveler Karl Piirimae offered the following advice for backing up any documents that would be catastrophic to lose, such as your passport, travel insurance policy, itinerary confirmations, scans of your credit cards and more: "Important documents should always be on a flash drive on your person; for overseas travel include a PDF copy of the face page of your passport." If you want to use a more remote approach, you could put backups on a service like Dropbox; or for even more security, use InfoSafe.com, which employs encrypted and password-protected security methods to protect your information while allowing access from any Internet-connected computer. Tip 1b: when I write down any sensitive information, I break it up and insert unexpected characters to make it hard to decipher what it might be. So for a (fictional) credit card number 4110 1421 3134 5345, the note might look like this: password 1: 411014 Area code: 213 Login: 1345 Address: 345 Collect and store all street addresses ahead of time. Before you travel, send yourself a single e-mail that contains all the local addresses you will visit on your trip (hotels, offices, attractions, museums, etc.), then make sure to save it on your phone (that is, make sure you check your mail on your phone before your regular e-mail application pulls it off the server). Then, as you tick off your various destinations, you can check back on the same e-mail, and click on the addresses to launch a mapping application. Say you do this at the airport on public Wi-Fi, but are shortly going to be without Internet access, such as in a rental car. If you switch to "List View," you will be able to read turn-by-turn instructions, even if your phone is not tracking your location in real time. I've done it -- it works great. This tip assumes you have a smartphone, but could also be applied to your laptop or tablet, or to any publicly accessible Internet connection, such as Internet cafes, library computers, etc. Log your parking spot electronically. It's not a great feeling to get jostled on an airport parking shuttle bus as it slumps around an immense parking lot, and have no recollection at all of where you parked. By the time you walk away from your car at the airport, your mind has already moved on to other logistical concerns, and your vow to remember the location can be very quickly deserted. Instead of relying on your memory to come through after a long trip, take a photo of the parking lot section sign with your phone or digital camera. Then forget about it until you get back, when you can check your phone or camera for the picture of the parking lot sign closest to your car. You can also record the info in a voicemail to yourself; anything but leaving it to memory and chance. Check multiple airline seating chart Web sites. Ceci Flinn, an American based in London who travels frequently for business and pleasure, says simply, "SeatGuru.com rocks!" However, it is important to note that recently, airlines have been changing their seat configuration and numbering systems quite a bit, particularly in the aftermath of multiple mergers, in a move toward more consistent row and seat numbering systems. This has presented a challenge to all of the airline seat chart Web sites. On three flights I took this winter so far, SeatGuru was unable to offer reliable seat reviews. As this shakes out, I recommend that you check more than one seat review site in hopes of finding the most current information, or at least to get a second opinion. Others include SeatMaestro.com or SeatExpert.com. Andrew Wong at SeatGuru parent site TripAdvisor wrote the following this week in response to an inquiry about this issue: "You are correct, there have been lots of changes on both the [Continental] and [United Airlines] front. We are trying our best to keep up with the changes and generally we are. Where there is some confusion is when a user is thinking they are flying on one aircraft and then it's operated by another aircraft (CO for UA or vice versa). On our map search tool, we use OAG (airline) data to show which aircraft type is scheduled to operate a particular flight. We then land a user to the appropriate map based on this data. This might change from time to time which adds to the complexity. Count front to back, do the alphabet right to left, on ALL planes. Despite changing seat maps, some things you can, well, count on. Traveler Tre Horoszewski offers the following simple tip: "Realize that there is a system to seat numbering on ALL planes regardless of airline. This saves time in finding and taking your seat. Higher numbers in back, letters run from right to left as you face the back of the plane. I can't recall the number of people who don't seem to know/understand this and hold up boarding. Yes, the seats are right to left -- when facing the back of the plane, A is the window seat on your right. Get water on the other side of security. Everyone seems to know that air travel dehydrates folks considerably, but you would never know it from how little water is provided by current in-cabin service routines; often you'll get only 8 to 10 ounces of water all told even on a long flight, unless you are chewing your ice. Of course, you can't bring water with you from home, because security checks allow even less liquid: three ounces (or 3.4 ounces, to be more precise). You will have to stave off dehydration yourself, which is why I recommend buying a big bottle of water immediately after you pass through security. Shelli Gonshorowski, a producer at Peter Greenberg Worldwide, has an interesting solution: "I am always dehydrated, and hate the water on airplanes. Since traditional bottles can be cumbersome, I fly with the collapsible bottle 'flasks' -- they fill up to 16 ounces, and when finished are thin as paper. Similarly, buy your own food -- or order ahead. Another recent development onboard is the frequent need to feed yourself, even when airlines offer meals for purchase. To decrease waste (and I believe also to decrease craft weight), airlines are understocking on food, and seem always to run out of the best menu items halfway down the aisle at mealtime. The simplest approach would be to eat before your flight, or bring your own food. A more hardcore approach is to order a special meal when you book your flight -- it could be vegetarian, or kosher, or anything that gets your meal off the main food cart coming down the aisle. Two things happen when you do this; first, your meal is served first, before the full cabin service starts, and second, the food tends to be more fresh. I traveled with a friend more than 25 years ago who always requested kosher dishes, as he knew he would get fresh, hot meals, and it still works often enough. Bring your E-ZPass tag with you. Whatever electronic toll collection system you use at home might also be valid on the toll roads in the place you're visiting, so check ahead. When I got my own E-ZPass tag, the instructions said I should glue it to my windshield. I chose not to do this, and now throw it in my carry-on whenever I am traveling to an area that accepts it; then I just put it on the dash of my rental car for the duration of the trip. Do a double pass when you pack. IndependentTraveler.com Editor Sarah Schlichter has a foolproof packing process, useful both coming and going: "For me, packing is a two-step process: gathering everything I need, and then putting it all into my suitcase. So I use my packing list accordingly. Each item gets a check mark once I've laid it out on my bed or dresser, and then I strike through it once it goes into my bag -- which helps me make sure that everything I intend to take actually comes with me! The very last thing I pack is my packing list. I use it to double-check that I'm not leaving anything behind in my hotel room before I come home. On the rare occasions when I check a bag, the packing list also serves as an inventory of everything I've brought, just in case the airlines lose my suitcase. Don't check security line lengths; check how fast the security agent is working. Any hardcore traveler (heck, any grocery shopper) has bolted for the shortest line only to have it take the longest time. Gillian Williams, President of the Rensselaerville Institute -- School Turnaround, offers the following tip for getting through security faster: "When needing to bolt through security, look at the screener at the machine to determine shortest line time -- not the people in the line (well, except babies and wheelchairs)." How to get the best airplane seat Traveling with a smartphone: Cut costs overseas 35 travel tips revealed: Top secrets of travel writers

Egyptian President Said to Prepare Martial Law Decree CAIRO - Struggling to subdue continuing street protests, the government of President Mohamed Morsi has approved legislation imposing martial law by calling on the armed forces to keep order and authorizing soldiers to arrest civilians, Egypt's state media reported Saturday. Mr. Morsi has not yet issued the order, the flagship state newspaper Al Ahram reported. But even if merely a threat, the preparation of the measure suggested a sharp escalation in the political battle between Egypt's new Islamist leaders and their secular opponents over an Islamist-backed draft constitution. The standoff has already threatened to derail the culmination of Egypt's promised transition to a constitutional democracy nearly two years after the revolt against the former leader Hosni Mubarak. In a statement read on state television, a military spokesman warned Saturday of "disastrous consequences" if the crisis gripping Egypt was not resolved and he urged new dialogue as "the best and only way" to overcome the standoff. The military also pledged to protect state institutions, according to media reports.. A need to rely on the military to secure a referendum scheduled for next Saturday to approve the new charter could undermine Mr. Morsi's efforts to present the documents as an expression of national consensus that might resolve the crisis. Even the possibility presents an extraordinary role reversal: an elected president who spent decades opposing Mr. Mubarak's use of martial law to detain Islamists for challenging his power - a former leader of the Muslim Brotherhood who himself spent months in jail under Mr. Mubarak's "emergency law" - is poised to resort to similar tactics to control unrest and violence from secular groups. After six decades during which military-backed secular autocrats used the threat of an Islamist takeover to justify their authoritarian rule, the order would bring the military into the streets to protect an elected Islamist, dashing the whispered hopes of some more secular Egyptians that the military might step in to remove Mr. Morsi from power. The move would also reflect an equally extraordinary breakdown in Egyptian civic life that in the last two weeks has destroyed most of the remaining trust between the rival Islamist and secular factions, beginning with Mr. Morsi's decree on Nov. 22 granting himself powers above any judicial review until the ratification of a new constitution. At the time, Mr. Morsi said he needed such unchecked power to protect against the threat that Mubarak-appointed judges might dissolve the constitutional assembly. He also tried to give the assembly a two-month extension on its year-end deadline to forge consensus between the Islamist majority and the secular faction - something liberals have sought. But his claim to such power for even a limited period struck those suspicious of the Islamists as a return to autocracy, and his authoritarian decree triggered an immediate backlash. Hundreds of thousands of protesters accusing Mr. Morsi and his Islamist allies of monopolizing power have poured into the streets. Mobs have attacked more than two dozen Brotherhood offices around the country, including its headquarters. And judges declared a national strike. In response, his Islamist allies in the assembly stayed up all night to rush out a draft constitution over the boycotts and objections of the secular minority and the Coptic Christian church. Then, worried that the Interior Ministry might fail to protect the presidential palace from sometimes-violent protesters demonstrating outside, Mr. Morsi turned to the Muslim Brotherhood and other Islamist groups to defend it, resulting in a night of street fighting that killed at least six and wounded hundreds in the worst clashes between political factions since Gamal Abdel Nasser's coup six decades ago. International experts who monitored the constituent assembly's work say that before the crisis, the Islamists and their secular foes had appeared close to resolving their differences and uniting around a document that both sides could accept. Even the draft charter, ultimately rushed out almost exclusively with Islamist support, stops short of the liberals" worst fears about the imposition of religious rule. But it leaves loopholes and ambiguities that liberals fear an Islamist majority could later use to empower religious groups or restrict individual freedoms, which the secular opposition has repeatedly compared to the theocracy established by the Iranian revolution of 1979.

The Big Six - Americas - Travel - The Independent Old Faithful Inn, Yellowstone National Park You can sit on one of the porches of the historic Old Faithful Inn in Yellowstone National Park and observe the natural phenomenon that is Old Faithful (the geyser) sending a plume of steaming water skywards every 90 minutes. It's hardly surprising that the oldest of the park's inns is also the most popular (prospective guests need to book months in advance). It's resolutely old school, centred on the original, historic log and wood shingled lodge dating from 1904, with its soaring reception lobby and huge fireplace. The rooms - some with head-on views of the geyser - are scattered throughout the old house and two newer, east and west wings. Old Faithful Inn, Nr Grant Village, Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming (001 307 344 7311; bit.ly/YellowstoneOldFaithful). Doubles start at $103 (£64), room only. Zion Lodge, Zion National Park The Zion Lodge is perfectly placed for exploring the unique landscape and geology of Utah's Zion National Park. None of the original 1920s lodge survived after it was destroyed by fire in the 1960s, but the replacement is in keeping with its predecessor. The views of the park's towering sandstone walls are still impressive and accommodation extends to 75 rooms and 46 cabins dotted around the wilderness. Serenity is guaranteed, as cars are banned from this corner of the park. Zion Lodge, Zion National Park, Springdale, Utah (001 435 772 7700; zionlodge.com). Doubles start at $175 (£109), room only. The Ahwahnee Hotel, Yosemite National Park The Ahwahnee is the most renowned hotel in Yosemite. Built in 1927, it is on the National Register of Historic Landmarks. Behind a distinctive granite façade, its quirky interior mixes Art Deco, Native American and Arts and Crafts influences, with huge wooden ceiling beams, yawning fireplaces with distinctive artworks. It has 99 rooms and there are 24 cottages scattered amid dogwoods and pines in the hotel's grounds. The Ahwahnee Hotel, 9005 Ahwahnee Drive, Yosemite National Park, California (001 801 559 4884; yosemitepark.com/the-ahwahnee.aspx). Doubles start at $472 (£295), room only. Glacier Park Lodge, Glacier National Park The 161-room Glacier Park Lodge in Montana's Glacier National Park is a classic example of rustic "parkitecture." It was built by the Great Northern Railway in 1913. The local Blackfoot tribe christened it Big Tree Lodge, as it's constructed from towering tree trunks. The lobby alone features 60 huge Douglas Fir logs. It's the perfect base from which to explore the park's breathtaking peaks, high meadows and sparkling lakes, criss‑crossed by hundreds of miles of wilderness trails. Glacier Park Lodge, Midvale Creek Road, East Glacier Park, Montana (001 406 226 5600; glacierparkinc.com). Doubles start at $145 (£91), room only. Crater Lake Lodge, Crater Lake National Park There are few more spectacular settings than Crater Lake Lodge, perched on the rim of the star attraction of the national park. The result of a volcanic explosion 7,700 years ago, it is now the deepest lake in the United States. The old pine lodge was built in 1915 and offers a rustic welcome with the lobby's huge, crackling log fire. The airy dining room with its stunning views serves dishes using local ingredients, while many of the 71 guest rooms have impressive views of the lake. Crater Lake Lodge, 565 Rim Village Drive, Crater Lake, Oregon (001 541 594 2255; craterlakelodges.com). Doubles start at $164 (£103), room only. Rock Harbor Lodge, Isle Royale National Park One of the United States' least-visited parks is an island close to the Canadian border, in the north-western corner of Lake Superior, accessible only by boat or seaplane. Visitors are rewarded with unrivalled wilderness and an array of wildlife such as wolves, beavers and moose. They also get the chance to check-in to the Rock Island Lodge, which sits right on the edge of Rock Island Marina, with far-reaching views of the lake. Rock Harbor Lodge, Isle Royale National Park, Lake Superior, Michigan (001 866 644 2003; rockharborlodge.com). Doubles start at $223 (£139), room only, including canoe hire.

Washington governor signs gay marriage law OLYMPIA, Wash (Reuters) - Washington state became the seventh in the nation to put a law on its books recognizing same-sex marriage on Monday, as opponents of the measure signed by Governor Christine Gregoire vowed to try to prevent it from ever taking effect. The measure, which won final approval from state lawmakers last Wednesday, remains essentially on hold until at least early June, following a standard enactment period that runs until 90 days after Washington's legislative session ends. Opponents launched their own campaign on Monday to seek the statute's repeal at the polls in November through a ballot measure that could delay enactment further or halt it entirely. Still, the bill-signing marked another key victory for gay rights advocates after a federal appeals court declared a voter-approved gay marriage ban in California unconstitutional last week, and the New Jersey state Senate approved a same-sex marriage bill earlier on Monday. Gregoire, a Democrat and a Catholic, signed Washington's measure to raucous applause during a ceremony in the ornate reception room of the Olympia statehouse, declaring, "This is a very proud moment. ... I'm proud of who and what we are as a state. Anticipating a repeal campaign that lies ahead, she added, "I ask all Washingtonians to look into your hearts and ask yourselves -- isn't it time? ... We in this state stand proud for equality. Several dozen protesters, including members of the group Knights of Columbus, stood silently in the Capitol Rotunda overlooking the reception hall holding signs with slogans espousing marriages of "one man, one woman." The issue is also likely to figure in the state's Republican presidential politics. Republican presidential contender Rick Santorum, a staunch conservative and outspoken foe of same-sex marriage, was making two stops in Washington state on Monday in advance of the Republican caucuses there on March 3. He was to meet with Republican lawmakers in Olympia in the afternoon, then give a speech in Tacoma on Monday night. Democrats, who control both legislative bodies in Olympia, accounted for the lion's share of support for the gay-marriage bill, which gained momentum after Gregoire, who is in her last term of office, said last month she would endorse such a law. Opponents were led by Roman Catholic bishops and other religious conservatives. "Marriage is society's way of bringing men and women together so that children can be raised by, and cared for by, their mother and father," said Joseph Backholm, head of the Family Policy Institute of Washington. It is the most-important, child-focused institution of society, and we will fight to preserve it. Voters will have the opportunity to define marriage in our state. Supporters of same-sex marriage are pushing similar statutes in Maryland and New Jersey, whose Democratic-controlled state Senate in Trenton approved a gay marriage bill earlier on Monday. Republican Governor Chris Christie has vowed to veto it if it reaches his desk. Two of Washington state's leading proponents of gay marriage, state Representative Jamie Pedersen and state Senator Ed Murray, hailed the work of Olympia's legislature. "Years from now, our kids will look back and wonder what all the fuss was about," said Pedersen, who has four young children with his partner of 10 years. Murray, who has said he will marry his companion of nearly 20 years, added, "My friends, welcome to the other side of the rainbow." If a repeal referendum qualifies for the November ballot, the gay marriage law would be suspended until the outcome of the election is certified in December. At that point, the statute would either be repealed or go into effect. A new coalition of gay marriage opponents, called Preserve Marriage Washington, has filed referendum papers with the Washington secretary of state's office to begin the process of presenting the issue to voters in November. They will have until June 6 to amass at least 120,577 voter signatures to qualify a proposed repeal for the ballot. But it generally takes about three weeks for referendum petition language to be reviewed and approved by the state before signature collection can begin. About twice as many signatures are needed by July 6 to earn a place on the ballot for an initiative defining matrimony as between one man and one woman. But unlike a referendum, qualifying an initiative would not prevent gay marriages from proceeding under the newly passed statute starting on June 7.

All eyes on Ohio as Super Tuesday results roll in Updated: 12:19 a.m. With votes rolling in across the country, all eyes are on Ohio late Tuesday night -- where Mitt Romney has taken a slim lead over rival Rick Santorum in the battle to eke out a win in the battleground state's key primary contest. With 96 percent reporting in Ohio, Romney has 38 percent support to Santorum's 37 percent. Newt Gingrich is in third place with 15 percent and Ron Paul follows with 9 percent. CBS News projects Mitt Romney will win primaries in Virginia, Massachusetts and Vermont, and Idaho's caucuses. CBS News projects Rick Santorum will win primaries in Tennessee and Oklahoma, as well as the North Dakota caucuses. In Georgia, CBS News projects Newt Gingrich will clinch his first primary victory since South Carolina's January 21 primary contest. There are also caucuses in Alaska. Results are expected later this evening. With voters in ten states selecting their choice to be the Republican presidential nominee and 419 delegates up for grabs, Super Tuesday could be a make-or-break night for the remaining Republican presidential candidates. Complete Republican primary results CBS News estimated Republican delegate scorecard In remarks out of Boston before Ohio's results were determined, Romney stayed positive that his campaign was "going to get more" wins under its belt by the end of the night, and that by his count, the delegate situation "looks good." Tonight, we're -- we're doing some counting. We're counting up the delegates for the convention, and it looks good. And we're counting down the days until November, and that looks even better," Romney told an enthusiastic crowd. With almost all precincts reporting in Massachusetts, Romney, who served as the state's governor between 2003 and 2007, was ahead overwhelmingly, with 257,174 votes (72 percent). In his remarks, Romney went on to accuse President Obama of being "unresponsive" to the wishes of the American people, and blasted him for allegedly operating "by command instead of by consensus." "President Obama seems to believe he's unchecked by the Constitution," Romney said. He's unresponsive to the will of our people. He operates by command instead of by consensus. In a second term, he'd be unrestrained by the demands of re-election. And if there's one thing we cannot afford is four years of Barack Obama with no one to answer to. A win in Ohio would be considered a huge boon for either Romney or Santorum on Super Tuesday. For Romney, the victory would signal a return to the so-called inevitability of his candidacy; for Santorum, it would prove his ability to win in a crucial swing state with a large, diverse population. Polls have shown the two candidates neck-and-neck in the past several weeks, although the most recent surveys trended toward Romney. According to the Wall Street Journal, Romney and his super PAC outspent Santorum four-to-one in Ohio, with Romney and his super PAC spending just over $4 million on TV and radio ads in the state, and Santorum and his super PAC spending $968,000. Speaking to supporters in Ohio, Santorum called Tuesday a "big night" for his campaign -- but emphasized that he was "up against enormous odds." This was a big night tonight, lots of states. We're going to win a few, we're going to lose a few, but as it looks right now, we're going to get at least a couple of gold medals and a whole passel full of silver medals," he said. We went up against enormous odds, not just here in the state of Ohio, where -- who knows how much we were outspent -- but in every state. There wasn't a single state in the list that I just gave you where I spent more money than the people I was able to defeat to win that state. In every case, we overcame the odds. In both Tennessee and Oklahoma, Santorum did well among the nearly 75 percent of primary voters who identified as evangelical Christians, according to exit polls. He did particularly well among those voters who said it mattered "a great deal" to them that the candidate share their religious beliefs. In Tennessee, with 89 percent reporting, Santorum led Romney with 191,420 (37 percent) votes to 142,848 (28 percent) votes. In Oklahoma, with nearly all precincts reporting, Santorum bested Romney with 93,744 votes (34 percent) to 77,724 votes (28 percent). In Georgia, which he represented in Congress for 20 years, Gingrich was ahead with 414,896 votes (46 percent) with nearly all precincts reporting. Romney came in second with 224,361 votes, or 26 percent. Santorum followed, with 171,346 votes, or 20 percent. Exit polls out of Georgia showed Gingrich winning among men, women, and white evangelical voters. In remarks in Atlanta after the Georgia polls closed Tuesday night, Gingrich made clear that he plans to stay in the race, even as he struggles to maintain his momentum as a candidate. Remember when it was Tim Pawlenty who was going to crowd me out? And remember then when it was Michele Bachmann? And then it was our good friend, Herman Cain the first time? And then, for a brief moment, it was Donald Trump almost," Gingrich told supporters. And then it was our good friend, Rick Perry, then it was Herman Cain the second time, and now it's Santorum. He continued: "You just can't quite get across to them: It's all right. There are lots of bunny rabbits that run through. I am the tortoise. I just take one step at a time. In Virginia, Romney earned 158,050 votes (60 percent) to Ron Paul's 107,470 (4o percent). Romney performed well among most demographic groups, including men, women and conservatives. But both Gingrich and Rick Santorum -- who could have posed a threat for Romney in Virginia -- failed to get on the ballot, leaving voters to choose between just Romney and Paul. Romney also won by a significant margin in Vermont, where he was up 18,121 votes (40 percent) to Paul's 11,284 votes (25 percent) with 82 percent of precincts reporting. Romney likely enjoyed an advantage in the state due to its proximity to Massachusetts. While CBS News is still estimating Romney's delegate haul, as well as those of his rivals, Romney's big wins in Massachusetts, Virginia and Idaho will net him a big chunk of delegates in the race for the 1,144 needed to win the nomination.

Hot Wheels have gone high-tech. When should we digitize playtime, and when should we just let it be? Do you need a fresh, new, digitized version of Hasbro's The Game of Life - one with a space for your iPad, which then serves as spinner, money-counter, and player of clips from "America's Funniest Home Videos" which serve to deliver good fortune or bad? "Need," of course, is probably not the right verb in this context. But Hasbro is hoping that you'll want it - that you'll transfer your own memories of of playing the classic board game, with its clicky spinner and plastic cars filled with tiny peg families, to a belief that this "zAPPed" Edition will bring the same joy to your modern family. And Hasbro is not alone. As Stephanie Clifford describes for the Business section, toy manufacturers are adding "upgrades" to classics like Barbie, Hot Wheels and Monopoly "meant to entertain technology-obsessed children." But these tempting digitized toys have less staying power than the classic versions. Like so many other things we find ourselves buying, many are one-day-wonders: a thrill to open and take out of the box, never to be touched again. A Barbie with an embedded digital camera is a Barbie that requires parental help plugging her into the computer and downloading software versions, and a Barbie with a broken embedded digital camera is trash. A regular Barbie is always ready for play, and a broken, headless Barbie? She's a gender-bending Ken waiting to happen. The result is a country full of cluttered playrooms and "storage solutions," and children who still sometimes like to play Angry Birds, sometimes prefer Candyland, and don't need more of either - in spite of the fact that we can buy a physical game of Angry Birds and a virtual Candyland (and I admit I have). Will you buy Life's "zAPPed" edition or a digital Barbie for the children in your life this year? Are these re-imagined classics tempting, or repellant? I find myself somewhere in between, conscious of both a packed game cabinet and three upcoming birthdays. But while it may be, as Sandra L. Calvert, the director of the Children's Digital Media Center at Georgetown says, helpful for children to see a link between the virtual and actual worlds, not everything in life needs to reflect that link. When should we make playtime high tech, and when should we just let it be?

Julia Roberts Opens Up on New Movie, Marriage and Girl Crush on Adele Image Credit: Heidi Gutman/ABC News Mirror, mirror on the wall, who's the fairest of them all? To millions of moviegoers, it's Julia Roberts. The "Pretty Woman" actress who also captivated viewers in her Oscar-winning role as Erin Brockovich is considered America's Sweetheart, but in her new role, she's far from sweet. Roberts is playing the evil queen in "Mirror, Mirror," an all-new version of the classic Snow White fairy tale. In an interview that aired today on "Good Morning America," Roberts told "GMA" anchor George Stephanopoulos all about her new role. "My version of the evil queen is just a lunatic, which is fun," she said. Lilly Collins plays Snow White, and Armie Hammer portrays Prince Charming, in the film directed by Tarsem Singh. Roberts said Hammer is truly charming. "He's six-foot five, good manners, sweet boy, always on time, knows his lines," she said. And I think he brought a lot of great humor to that part. Off screen, Roberts is a devoted mother of three, and wife to cinematographer Danny Moder. The couple will celebrate their 10th wedding anniversary this year. "It's so good," she said of the milestone. Roberts has her real-life love affair with Moder, but she now has a bit of a girl crush on singing sensation Adele, adding, "my oldest son has a crush on her too." "She brings people in," Roberts said of the singer. It's like her sharing is so open and genuine and seems to come from this really beautiful place that attracts us all to her.

Texas Mom Accused of Aiding $6,000 in Home Vandalism A Texas mom has been arrested and charged with felony criminal mischief for her alleged participation in a neighborhood prank that caused an estimated $6,000 in damages. Tara Mauney, 41, was charged for the July vandalism of a home in her upscale neighborhood in Colleyville, Texas, in the Dallas-Forth Worth area. Mauney allegedly bought supplies to help a group of middle school students who were having a sleepover at her house vandalize another neighborhood home where a separate sleepover was going on, according to ABC News" Dallas-Fort Worth affiliate WFAA. The allegedly victimized homeowners found chicken in their mailbox and words like "whore house" and "sluts" smeared in Sharpie and mustard on and around the house, according to an arrest affidavit obtained by WFAA. There were also reportedly feminine products doused in ketchup strewn about the property. Mauney's attorney Tom Hall vehemently denied that his client had anything to do with the vandalism. "I believe that she has been wrongfully accused and charged," Hall told ABCNews.com. I think the timeline has gotten confused. Authorities say they have video of Mauney purchasing over 100 rolls of toilet paper at a Walmart before the incident, but Hall said that does not prove that she was involved in the derogatory vandalism. "I think she did buy the toilet paper and I don't think that's a crime in the state of Texas," he said. "Tara had absolutely nothing to do with any criminal conduct." Hall said that it is fairly typical for neighborhood kids in Mauney's neighborhood to toilet paper other houses and that the community takes it in stride as a childhood prank. He said other houses were toilet papered on the same night. "There was some high-spirited behavior that night," Hall said. The neighbors came out, waved at each other...no harm, no foul. He claims it was later in the night, once Mauney and other parents were already in bed, that the children sneaked out and vandalized the house. He said the children who wrote the derogatory words should be punished, but that they are simply using Mauney as a scapegoat. "These are decent, hardworking, responsible citizens in a very nice neighborhood that have had their lives blown apart in the last few days," he said. Mauney is out of jail on bond and is expected to appear in court later this week. Image credit: Obtained by ABC NEWS

Tom Ryder wants to experience the 'full flavour of international rugby' after just two minutes for Scotland It is a fulfilment of a dream, but I do not want to have just the one cap and go away. I want to be playing regularly, having an impact on games and having a fulfilled international career. His brief taste has been enough to whet his appetite for more and since the locals in Samoa reckon the temperatures in Apia, the islands's capital, are about five degrees warmer than in Fiji, he is almost certain to get his wish on Saturday when Scotland play in temperatures that are certain to soar past a humid 30 degrees. Nor is he underestimating the challenge ahead of his side. The Samoans have a formidable team available to them and have just been crowned Pacific Nations Cup champions after an unbeaten tournament in Japan that culminated with them edging past the hosts to clinch the cup. The Samoan forwards are better known than the Fijian ones, a lot of them are playing in France or in the Aviva Premiership or are in and around the PRO12. They are all playing good rugby, so it is going to be a full on international. It is nothing less than that," said Ryder. I am friends with the Census Johnston from my time at Saracens and obviously with David Lemi from Glasgow. You just have to look at the name on their team sheet to see the quality and the standard of rugby that these players are producing. I would imagine they are going to be a tough, physical pack. Scotland will play Tonga at Aberdeen Football Club's Pittodrie Stadium on Nov 24, it has been announced. The Tonga Test, which sees Scotland return to Pittodrie two years after hosting Samoa there, completes the EMC Autumn Test series, which also features matches against New Zealand (Nov 11) and South Africa (Nov 17), which both take place at Murrayfield. Head coach Robinson said: "It's tremendous to be returning to Aberdeen. There's a passion for the national team in the north-east of Scotland which was very evident when we played Samoa two years ago. I know the lengths supporters go to travel to Murrayfield for matches and I firmly support the initiative of the national team taking the game to other parts of the country when we can. Scotland have played at Pittodrie three times in recent years - in a non-cap game with the Barbarians in 2005, against Canada in 2008 and Samoa in 2010 - and are unbeaten in those fixtures.

Rowley targets Leigh promotion - Rugby League - More Sports - The Independent Former England hooker Paul Rowley has officially taken up the coaching reins at Leigh and immediately set his sights on leading the club back into Super League. I've been doing it for three months and everybody's happy. I'm just glad to put pen to paper," said the 36-year-old. I've stepped in in the past but this is the first time I've put together my own squad. They are my boys and we feel comfortable together. It's going to be an exciting year.

Milly Dowler: Murdered schoolgirl at heart of hacking scandal UK police said in 2011 that murdered school girl Milly Dowler's voicemail was hacked by the News of the World paper. Police said in 2011 that Milly Dowler's voicemail hacked by News of the World Dowler was 13-year-old murdered by Levi Bellfield in southwest London Milly described in court as funny and bright girl with normal family life But she was troubled to have discovered her father's pornography recently Should the press be more regulated? London (CNN) -- In the years leading up to 2011, several celebrities, royals and politicians had claimed to have had their phones hacked by News of The World. The paper's royal editor and a private investigator had even been convicted of intercepting phone messages and spent time in prison. The story was covered on the inside pages of selected newspapers but failed to really capture the British public's attention. That all changed in July of that year when the Guardian reported that police suspected the cellphone of murdered teenager Milly Dowler had been hacked by News of the World and that messages had been deleted to free up space for new voicemail. The allegations sparked outrage: amid condemnation from politicians on all sides of the spectrum, the paper's boss Rupert Murdoch closed down the 168-year-old tabloid newspaper and paid Dowler's parents and charities more than $4 million in compensation. At a parliamentary inquiry into the allegations, Murdoch declared: "This is the most humble day of my life." Timeline of phone-hacking scandal When Milly's parents appeared at the Leveson Inquiry set up by the government to investigate press ethics, they gave a raw assessment of the false hope that the deletion of messages had raised in the days after their daughter's disappearance in March 2002. "I rang her phone," recalled Sally Dowler. It clicked through on to her voicemail, so I heard her voice and it was just like, 'she's picked up her voicemail, she's alive.' Tragically, those hopes were dashed and six months later Milly's body was found in woodland in Hampshire in southern England. Although it was suspected that the deletion of the messages hampered the police investigation, the truth may have been more prosaic: later that year a lawyer acting for the country's biggest force, the Metropolitan Police, said there was no evidence News of the World had been responsible for deleting the messages. The Guardian issued a clarification, but the damaged had been done to News of the World and Murdoch's reputation. Whatever took place, the fact remains that it took police nine years to bring nightclub bouncer Levi Bellfield to justice. In June 2011 he was found guilty of murdering Milly Dowler and sentenced to life imprisonment. During the trial the jury was told Bellfield had previously murdered two other women and attempted to kill a fourth. So who was the girl whose murder in a quiet suburb of southwest London led to the closure of the UK's top-selling paper, suspicions of collusion between police officers and journalists, and at one time even threatened to topple Murdoch from the media group he had led for half a century? The scandal also led to charges being brought against several Murdoch employees, including two of Prime Minister David Cameron's friends. She would always be trying to make people laugh, joking and smiling Danielle Sykes Despite her extraordinary legacy, by most accounts Amanda Dowler, who was known as Milly, was a normal, bright 13-year-old schoolgirl who had a good relationship with her parents and elder sister Gemma. Her friends testified during Bellfield's trial in London that she had a sunny personality and was her normal self on the day of her disappearance. "She was one of the funniest people I had ever met," Danielle Sykes said in a statement. She would always be trying to make people laugh, joking and smiling. She was one of those sort of people that when she was happy she was exceptionally happy, an infectious personality. If she was sad about something she would be particularly sad and get upset. She valued her friendships and family a lot. Sykes, who was one of the last people to see Milly alive, said she ate chips with her friend in a café in Walton-on-Thames after school. We parted and I gave her a hug and asked if she would be alright walking home on her own and she said, 'Yeah, I'll be absolutely fine.' I then turned around and shouted back at her 'I would not tell anyone what we had been talking about.' I don't think it's as simple as the fact that Milly Dowler's phone was hacked and that led to the end of the News of the World. I think there are more layers to the story than that, and we may never know what actually happened Geoffrey Wansell Sykes added that they had been discussing a boy whom Milly fancied. After the friends parted, Milly started to walk to her home nearby, but was snatched by Bellfield as she walked along a road. Milly's sister also told the court she knew instinctively something was wrong when she returned home to find the house empty. She said: "I knew Milly wouldn't go out without telling Mum or Dad. I rang Milly's mobile. It was switched off so I left a message on her answer phone telling her to come home because Dad was really annoyed. I was worried because Milly would always ring to tell us she was going to be late. It was so unusual for her not to be home on time. I knew instinctively something bad had happened to Milly and that she had been abducted. Milly's disappearance sparked a nationwide search involving more than 100 police officers and a reconstruction of her last movements on the TV program "Crimewatch." Detectives from Surrey police however suggested she had not been taken by force and had run away. Some friends indeed portrayed a different side to Milly, suggesting she had been "distressed" at the time of disappearance, after finding bondage pornography belonging to her father Robert. Police initially considered him a suspect, but later apologized. In a statement read to the court, Jacqueline Pignolly said: "Milly told me some pornographic magazines had been found in her Dad's drawer. At the time Milly was a bit upset about it, not much for herself but her mum. I know that Milly did see them and there was more than one of them. During the trial Bellfield's lawyers used this testimony, along with a "goodbye" note that Milly had written to her parents and a poem in which she said "I hate myself," to paint a picture of the teenager as unhappy and distressed. His tactics caused great distress to the family, but the jury failed to believe his plea of innocence. Geoffrey Wansell, the author of a book on Bellfield, "The Bus Stop Killer," told CNN that in the wake of the 2011 trial, during which the Dowlers were pilloried by the tabloids over the pornography revelations, the family grew to loathe the press. It was in this atmosphere that the revelation was made about the hacking of Milly's phone, which became, according to Wansell, "the defining moment from which News of the World could not recover." I think there are more layers to the story than that, and we may never know what actually happened.

Legionnaires" outbreak: Suspect firms ignored for 2 years THE two factories which were served improvement notices during the legionnaires" outbreak had not been visited by Health and Safety Executive inspectors for more than two years, the Evening News can reveal. Chemical firm Macfarlan Smith Ltd and North British Distillery, both in Wheatfield Road, Gorgie, were last inspected in February and March 2010, respectively. It has been as long as four years since the other factories tested in the outbreak were last inspected. Burton's Foods in Sighthill was last inspected by the HSE in June 2008, and Selex Galileo in February 2009. The HSE has not yet confirmed whether it has had other contact with the firms - such as examining their paper records - since then. The HSE is the watchdog for health and safety at industrial plants. Time between inspections varies according to assessed risk at each site and its past record. The city council oversees sites such as Aegon insurance and the National Museum of Scotland, which have also been under the spotlight since the outbreak. On Friday, the council issued the museum with an improvement notice in connection with the outbreak which was related to "staff training issues." A council spokesman said it inspects sites every three years, and last visited Aegon in 2010. The museum was due for its next routine visit later this year. One in five council environmental health inspectors has been axed in recent years, while the HSE has lost more than 250 jobs - 18 per cent of the staff in its field operations division, which is responsible for inspections. Professor Andrew Watterson, head of the occupational and environment research group at Stirling University, criticised the gap between inspections. "I think that's too long," he said. It would be interesting to know what they were doing prior to 2008, because the cuts started to come in round about then. He said the ideal length of time between inspections would depend on the level of risk for each site. It would depend on the premises and one of my arguments is that, because HSE is concerned not just with worker risk but the wider environment, that should be factored in as well. There's a physical cost, and a very significant economic cost in terms of tying up beds, the cost of treating people, and the effect on the people who are ill and their families. Scottish Conservative health spokesman Jackson Carlaw also called for the regime to be stepped up: "It does seem foolish - admittedly with hindsight - that cooling towers such as these should not have been subject to regular testing," he said. The public will want to be reassured following this outbreak that particular attention will be paid in future, and this may require a more proactive testing programme in the interests of public health. We have learned all too painfully the human cost of the alternative. An HSE spokeswoman said: "Inspections are only one tool that HSE has available to help companies meet their legal obligations to control and manage the risks in relation to legionella. HSE also provides free guidance in addition to ongoing work with water treatment firms and trade bodies. It has also been revealed that Macfarlan Smith has received a string of improvement notices for a variety of failures over the past five years. But Macfarlan Smith HR Director Debra Boni said: "The improvement notices issued in 2008 and 2010 to Macfarlan Smith are unrelated to the control of legionella. We have fully complied with the requirements of the notices. Macfarlan Smith's improvement notices since 2008: October 2010: Issued for failure to ensure that the risk to employees who may be at risk from dangerous substances, as defined, is either eliminated or reduced. In particular, the company failed to identify processes where dangerous substances are or are liable to be present at or near their boiling points which may result in employees being exposed to a risk to fire and/or explosion if containment was lost from process vessels. October 2010: Issued for failing to provide and maintain plant and systems of work which are safe and without risks to health for remediation of unplanned releases of flammable liquids. July 2010: Improvement notice issued for (i) Failure to keep a suitable record of thorough examinations and tests for the local exhaust ventilation plant used in conjunction with vessel V301, Block 120, Module 3; (ii) Failure to keep a suitable record of thorough examinations and tests for the local exhaust ventilation plant used in conjunction with vessel V302, Block 120, Module 3. July 2010: A second improvement notice, which is worded exactly the same as "3" above. April 2008: Failure to limit the consequences to people from a major accident.

Jobless claims fall to two-month low last week WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The number of Americans filing new claims for jobless benefits fell last week to the lowest level in two months, a hopeful sign for a labor market that has struggled to gain traction in recent months. Initial claims for state unemployment benefits dropped 26,000 to a seasonally adjusted 359,000, the lowest level since July, the Labor Department said on Thursday. The prior week's figure was revised up to show 3,000 more applications than previously reported. Economists polled by Reuters had forecast claims falling to 378,000 last week. The four-week moving average for new claims, a better measure of labor market trends, fell 4,500 to 374,000, breaking five straight weeks of increases. A Labor Department official said there were no special factors influencing the report and no states had been estimated. The labor market has been mired in weakness as worries about higher taxes and deep government spending cuts in January, the ongoing debt problems in Europe and slowing global growth lead employers to be cautious about ramping up hiring. Sluggish job gains and stubbornly high unemployment spurred the Federal Reserve this month into launching a third round of bond purchases to drive down already low interest rates. The U.S. central bank vowed to buy $40 billion worth of mortgage-backed securities each month until it sees a sustained upturn in the labor market. The unemployment rate has been stuck above 8 percent for more than three years, the first time this has happened since the Great Depression, a hurdle for President Barack Obama's quest for a second term in office. The claims report showed the number of people still receiving benefits under regular state programs after an initial week of aid fell 4,000 to 3.27 million in the week ended September 15. The so-called continuing data covered the week for the household survey from which the unemployment rate is derived.

Derry police officers injured after car rams land rover

Haiti 'Baby Doc' case spurs claim of gov't sway PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti (AP) - Before President Michel Martelly took office in May 2011, Haiti's top prosecutor had recommended that former strongman Jean-Claude Duvalier face trial for the abuses associated with his 15-year rule. But when the judge released an order last week, it recommended that Duvalier be indicted for only financial crimes. The former "president for life" could receive no more than five years if convicted instead of life in prison on more serious crimes. On top of that, the sloppily written order in Haiti's biggest court case ever was filled with factual errors, including naming a co-defendant who's been dead for more than 40 years and another co-defendant, the Duvalier family's decorator, who died in 2003. The judge stopped accepting evidence after five months of investigation, and the case was handed off at different times to five government prosecutors responsible for shepherding the investigation. The judge's findings and newly disclosed details about how the investigation was conducted have bolstered suspicions among lawyers, plaintiffs and international partners that the Martelly administration, staffed with some officials from the old regime, swayed the outcome of the case. "I don't know if there was a direct order but it's obvious that the government didn't want to make the case move forward," said Michele Montas, a plaintiff and former journalist who was jailed and expelled from Haiti along with her radio commentator husband under the Duvalier regime. There's a clear signal that when the executive changed, the climate in the Duvalier case changed. Reed Brody, counsel of the U.S.-based group Human Rights Watch, said Martelly had made clear how he felt about Duvalier's fate. "The judge was well aware which way the political winds were blowing," Brody said. When President Martelly repeatedly suggested a pardon or amnesty of Duvalier and the state prosecutor sought the dismissal of all charges, it was not hard to figure out what the government wanted. The investigative magistrate at the center of the criticism, Carves Jean, told The Associated Press in his courtroom office Thursday that he stands by his decision. "People are making noise for their own political reasons," the 47-year-old University of Haiti graduate said, declining to elaborate. There was no political decision. It was my decision. I'm an independent judge. He said no new evidence was collected after June 2011 because none was submitted. However, Haitian attorney Mario Joseph, of the International Bureau of Lawyers, said the judge disregarded the testimony of eight victims who wanted to file claims alleging torture and false imprisonment. Martelly's deputy chief of staff, Salim Succar, wrote in an email that the Martelly administration has "NEVER" contacted or tried to contact the judge, or influenced or attempted to influence the judge's decision. Succar also wrote that the Justice Ministry has appealed the judge's decision. And he said the government has asked the World Bank and U.S. government for technical assistance to develop an "outreach program" for judges who handle human rights cases. Over the past year, however, Martelly has given mixed signals. He's said he'd welcome Duvalier as an adviser. He also said he was open to pardoning the former dictator, only to backtrack. Defense attorney Reynold Georges called the allegations of interference a "lie," and said critics made such claims to influence the government. Georges also argues that a 10-year statute of limitations on the alleged crimes has expired, the exact reasoning the judge used in his decision. Groups such as Human Rights Watch, however, argue that the statute of limitations cannot be invoked to stop the investigation. They say the Inter-American Court of Human Rights in Costa Rica, whose judgments Haiti is legally bound to obey, has held that cases involving gross human rights abuses have no statute of limitations. Both sides say they plan to appeal the judge's decision. The investigation began three days after Duvalier mysteriously returned to Haiti on Jan. 16, 2011, following 25 years of exile in France. There was widespread speculation then that he had financed his exile with the $300 million of public money he was accused of looting from Haiti. Then-prosecutor Harycidas Auguste, under President Rene Preval, sought to prosecute Duvalier for crimes against humanity and financial corruption. That initial case drew heavily on a 1987 corruption case filed by the Haitian government months after the fall of Duvalier. Auguste cited an attack on Nov. 28, 1980, at Radio Haiti Inter in which Montas and a dozen others were arrested and some were "severely tortured." Human Rights Watch documented that more than 100 journalists and activists were arrested at the radio station. It's estimated Duvalier and his notorious father, Francois "Papa Doc," ordered the deaths of some 20,000 to 30,000 civilians during their 29-year rule, according to Human Rights Watch. "The Haitian state had a moral and political responsibility to shed light on these crimes and do something on behalf of the victims," Auguste recalled this week at his law firm as the power turned off and on. Yet the judiciary in Haiti has long been regarded as corrupt and inefficient, and few cases ever see a trial. Before Duvalier arrived, Haiti's courts had never handled cases involving crimes against humanity. International legal experts were eager to help. Preval accepted an offer from the U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights for technical assistance, and others groups followed. In private meetings, they stressed to Auguste and his colleagues that there were legal grounds to prosecute Duvalier on crimes that included murder, torture and false imprisonment, Auguste said. A Duvalier trial would mark a departure from the impunity that has long undermined Haiti's judicial system, Human Rights Watch said. But in the end, the yearlong investigation turned out to be as absurd as it was tragic, the case a near casualty of the very institution that it sought to strengthen. In a country where petty criminals languish in jail for years, Duvalier has flaunted his freedom since his return. He was put under house arrest but was seen touring the high-end hotels and restaurants above the capital, lounging on beaches and even sitting in the front row of a memorial with former U.S. President Bill Clinton on the two-year anniversary of the earthquake. The event was held at a mass grave where bodies from the Duvalier regime were once dumped. Prosecutors responsible for laying out the case against Duvalier couldn't stay on the job long enough, stalling the investigation. In Haiti, state prosecutors introduces charge but it is an investigative judge who collects evidence and decides if the charges warrant a trial. Auguste, the first prosecutor, was fired after he failed to seek medical attention for a suspect he was interviewing who had been tortured by police officers, according to a U.N. report on alleged police killings. Auguste, now in private practice, said he tried to call a doctor but couldn't reach one before the victim died at the hospital. He said he was put on an indefinite leave and a court cleared him of wrongdoing. The second prosecutor, Sonel Jean-Francois, was removed for abusing his authority. The third, Felix Leger, was fired after only two months for his role in ordering the overnight detention of a legislator openly critical of Martelly. Reached by cellphone while in Baltimore, Leger declined to answer questions, saying that "the ordinance the judge gave out was not up to me. It was up to the judge. His successor, Lionel Constant Bourgoin, didn't last much longer - only 26 days because he refused to arrest members of an electoral council who had nearly cost Martelly his presidential victory. The end product of the flawed process was the controversial indictment. Sent by Jean to the fifth chief prosecutor, the order is filled with typographical and factual errors. It erroneously lists the defendant's age as 59 even though the record notes he was born on July 3, 1951, putting his age at 60. Duvalier's mother, Simone Ovide, is listed as a co-defendant although she died in 1971. Another co-defendant, the family decorator, Jean Sambour, is also dead. "I think the judge was too lazy to check if the people listed in the indictment were alive," Montas said by telephone from New York. It was very sloppy work. The other defendants include Duvalier's ex-wife, Michele Bennett, personal assistant Auguste Douyon and Jean-Robert Estime, who now runs a five-year, $126 million agricultural project called WINNER that's financed by the U.S. Agency for International Development. Estime, the son of former Haitian President Dumarsais Estime and Duvalier's foreign affairs minister, declined to comment on his role in the case when reached by phone Friday morning. The judge told The Associated Press that Duvalier was the lone defendant in the current case and that a court had cleared Estime of the charges. And then, he declined to answer more questions. "I'm totally finished," Jean said as he escorted a reporter out of the office. I'm not saying anything else. Associated Press writer Evens Sanon contributed to this report.

Trayvon Martin: hundreds march demanding action over teen's death Trayvon Martin's parent's, Tracy Martin and Sybrina Fulton, during the Million Hoodie March in Union Square in New York. Photograph: John Minchillo/AP The parents of Trayvon Martin, the black teenager shot to death by a Hispanic neighbourhood watch captain in Florida, told hundreds of people at a march in his memory that they won't stop until they get justice for him. "My son did not deserve to die," the teenager's father, Tracy Martin, said after thanking the crowd. Trayvon Martin, 17, was killed on 26 February, in Sanford, Florida. He was returning to a gated community in the city after buying candy at a convenience store, unarmed and wearing a hooded sweatshirt. The neighbourhood watch captain, George Zimmerman, has not been charged in the shooting. Zimmerman has said the teen attacked him and he shot him in self-defence. On Wednesday night, demonstrators chanted "We want arrests!" during the Million Hoodie March in Union Square in Manhattan. Trayvon's mother, Sybrina Fulton, told the crowd: "My heart is in pain, but to see the support of all of you really makes a difference." The case has sparked anger against the police department of the Orlando suburb of 53,500 people, prompting rallies and a protest in Governor Rick Scott's office on Tuesday. The Justice Department's Civil Rights Division said it was sending its community relations service to Sanford this week to "address tension in the community." Earlier this week, the federal agency opened a civil rights probe into the shooting, and in Florida, Seminole County state attorney Norm Wolfinger said a grand jury will meet on 10 April to consider evidence in the case. Tracy Martin said he and his son's mother found out about the march after arriving in New York City, where they have given interviews about the case. They got in touch with the organisers to say they would attend and speak to the crowd. The timing of the teenager's parents being in the city when the march was happening was "incredible," said one of the organisers, Daniel Maree, who heard about the case earlier this week. "I was outraged and wanted to do something about it," Maree said. Information surrounding Trayvon's death has been coming out in the days since the shooting, including 911 calls and an account from his family's lawyer of a conversation he had with his girlfriend in the moments before his death. Tracy Martin said he was trying to stay strong. "I don't feel this is the time to break down, even though it's a very troubling time in my life," he said. I've told myself, when I get justice for Trayvon, then I'll have my time to break down.

Ohio official calls feds early voting expansion an intrusion Ohio Secretary of State Jon Husted is appealing to the US Supreme Court -- ironically -- to get the federal courts out of the Buckeye State voting process. This is in response to a federal appeals court overturning Republican-backed restrictions on early voting. "This is an unprecedented intrusion by federal courts into how states run elections," Husted said. We are asking the Supreme Court to step in and allow Ohioans to run Ohio elections. Husted and Ohio Republicans wanted the polls closed to early voting starting the Friday before Election Day. His argument was that poll workers needed a window to handle the early ballots before Nov. 6. "So that local boards could account where those ballots were, make sure that voter rolls were synchronized, so that when the poll books went out to the polls on Tuesday for Election Day that no one could vote twice," he told Fox News. The Obama campaign, The Democratic National Committee and the state Democratic Party filed suit in July to keep the polls open right up to Election Day. They contended that the restrictions were an attempt to shut out minority voters. This references a common practice by minority churches to bus their congregations to the polling locations on Sunday before the election. Despite polls already being open for early voting, Democrats argue if you cut out those last three days, you create hardship for working voters. You are disenfranchising an entire group of individuals: Those individuals who work during the day. Those individuals who have kids they have to pick up and take to school. Those individuals who don't have access to transportation," said Ohio Democratic Party Chair Chris Redfern. There is an exception to the restriction. It allows servicemen and women to have their votes counted in the final days before the election. Democrats argued that it is unconstitutional to have one standard for the military and another standard for civilians. On Oct. 5, a panel of judges from the U.S. 6th Circuit Court of Appeals came down on the side of the Democrats. The panel overturned the Republican-backed restrictions to early voting. Judges wrote that state officials, "proposed no interest which would justify reducing the opportunity to vote by a considerable segment of the voting population." As for the military vote, the judges wrote, "there is no reason to provide these voters with fewer opportunities to vote than military voters, particularly when there is not evidence that local Boards of Elections will be unable to cope with more early voters." If the Supreme Court does not take the case or does not take it before Election Day, the ruling from the court of appeals stands.

By JOYCE MCMILLAN Published on Thursday 3 May 2012 00:00 IT wasn't the greatest show I had ever seen; it offered more emotion than deep insight, more helpless anger than real empowerment. The Hub, Pacific Quay, Glasgow Rating: **** Dundee Rep Theatre Tron Theatre, Glasgow Yet it marked a vital moment in Glasgow's coming-to-terms with the end of the industrial age; and 22 years on, I find myself experiencing very similar feelings, as I stand just a few hundred yards upriver from Govan, on the top floor of a vacant riverside office-block, watching the National Theatre of Scotland's 21st-century elegy for the print newspaper industry, now reeling under the challenge of instant electronic news. This story is closer to home for journalists, of course, so much so that I have to declare a small interest in Enquirer; I was one of the 43 journalists interviewed in the compilation of the show. And in style, this show is aeons away from the scripted high emotion of The Ship; Enquirer is another example of the 21st-century trend towards verbatim theatre, in which documentary material is presented to the audience in relatively raw form. It's also a promenade production, staged to a small audience who perch on desks or on piles of unsold newspapers, as a brilliantly-cast team of six Scottish actors lead them through the newspaper day, and through some set-piece interviews with named contributors, including former Scottish Sun boss Jack Irvine. What emerges from this show, Ship-like, is a profound sense of loss - and of anger at the undervaluing of the loss - combined with a slightly frustrating lack of analytical firepower in teasing out the underlying strands of argument, and hinting at possible ways forward. Yet the NTS's show is so shockingly timely, in its seizing of this Leveson Inquiry moment in the history of journalism, that it can hardly fail to make a major impact. Its compiled text, pulled together by Andrew O'Hagan with directors Vicky Featherstone and John Tiffany, draws a magnificent ensemble performance from a cast who seem completely seized by the paradox of journalism, by its nobility, its grubbiness, and the extent to which it finds itself under ethical attack at its moment of greatest economic weakness. And unexpectedly, this is also a beautiful show, with subtly powerful design and a fine soundscape; and evening light pouring in over the river like a final blessing, on an industry that has helped shape our political and municipal life through most of the modern age, and may soon be with us no more. Loss is also the theme of Zinnie Harris's great debut play Further Than The Furthest Thing, first seen at the Traverse in 2000, and now given a stunning new production at Dundee Rep by outgoing artistic director James Brining. Inspired by the volcanic eruption on the island of Tristan da Cunha in 1961, Harris's play takes the loss of that homeland, and the displacement of its people to Britain, as a metaphor for the whole experience of modernity, with its fierce disruption of our relationship with the land, and its replacement of organic human relationships with the machine-like culture of contract that is one of the bedrocks of capitalism. Twelve years on from its premiere, Further Than The Furthest Thing still strikes me as a play that has never quite had the dramaturgical attention it deserves; its dramatic impact would be even greater if it used fewer words, and trusted more in its own action. James Brining's final Dundee production, though - staged on a chill and magnificent watery set by Neil Warmington and consultant artist Elizabeth Ogilvie - is of breathtaking quality. John Harris's shuddering high soprano soundscape is unforgettable; and among a fine five-strong ensemble, Ann Louise Ross gives the performance of a lifetime as Zinnie Harris's great island heroine Mill, a woman never humbled into forgetting where she came from, or giving up her right to return. Both Enquirer and Further Then The Furthest Thing represent plays of protest against the machine-driven world we have made for ourselves; and in that sense, they are all of a piece with the latest National Theatre Of Scotland 5 Minute Theatre event, staged on the evening of May Day, built around the theme of Protest, and featuring online streaming of miniature shows performed live or recorded in front of an audience in locations all over Scotland. As a theme, the idea of protest seemed to unleash Scotland's creative juices in grand style. At the domestic level, my personal favourites were the little kids from Ferryhill in Aberdeen protesting against their parents" planned divorce, and the laconic drama from a flat in Glasgow about the woman whose boyfriend insisted on eating ice lollies in bed. At the political level, I adored the glorious clifftop protest from Portskerra against all the regulations and charges that now threaten our basic human right to get together and entertain one another; and Kieran Hurley's eloquent naked protest against the po-faced Perth imprisonment of the Naked Rambler. And in the Victorian Bar at the Tron, I watched some of the shows live, as well as experiencing the rest of the event via my laptop; in a living demonstration of how technological change is shifting the nature of every form of human communication, including theatre itself. Enquirer runs until 13 May; Further Than The Furthest Thing until 5 May. All the 5 Minute plays will be available soon on fiveminutetheatre.com/

American dystopia more reality than fiction (TomDispatch) When I was growing up, I ate books for breakfast, lunch, and dinner, and since I was constantly running out of reading material, I read everyone else's -- which for a girl with older brothers meant science fiction. The books were supposed to be about the future, but they always turned out to be very much about this very moment. Some of them -- Robert Heinlein's "Stranger in a Strange Land" -- were comically of their time: that novel's vision of the good life seemed to owe an awful lot to the Playboy Mansion in its prime, only with telepathy and being nice added in. Frank Herbert's "Dune" had similarly sixties social mores, but its vision of an intergalactic world of disciplined desert jihadis and a great game for the substance that made all long-distance transit possible is even more relevant now. Think: drug cartels meet the oil industry in the deep desert. We now live in a world that is wilder than a lot of science fiction from my youth. My phone is 58 times faster than IBM's fastest mainframe computer in 1964 (calculates my older brother Steve) and more powerful than the computers on the Apollo spaceship we landed on the moon in 1969 (adds my nephew Jason). Though we never got the promised jetpacks and the Martians were a bust, we do live in a time when genetic engineers use jellyfish genes to make mammals glow in the dark and nerds in southern Nevada kill people in Pakistan and Afghanistan with unmanned drones. Anyone who time-traveled from the sixties would be astonished by our age, for its wonders and its horrors and its profound social changes. But science fiction is about the present more than the future, and we do have a new science fiction trilogy that's perfect for this very moment. Sacrificing the Young in the Arenas of Capital "The Hunger Games," Suzanne Collins's bestselling young-adult novel and top-grossing blockbuster movie, is all about this very moment in so many ways. For those of you hiding out deep in the woods, it's set in a dystopian future North America, a continent divided into downtrodden, fearful districts ruled by a decadent, luxurious oligarchy in the Capitol. Supposedly to punish the districts for an uprising 74 years ago, but really to provide Roman-style blood and circuses to intimidate and distract, the Capitol requires each district to provide two adolescent Tributes, drawn by lottery each year, to compete in the gladiatorial Hunger Games broadcast across the nation. That these 24 youths battle each other to the death with one lone victor allowed to survive makes it like -- and yet not exactly like -- high school, that concentration camp for angst and competition into which we force our young. After all, even such real-life situations can be fatal: witness the gay Iowa teen who took his life only a few weeks ago after being outed and taunted by his peers, not to speak of the epidemic of other suicides by queer teens that Dan Savage's "It Gets Better" website, film, and books aspire to reduce. But really, in this moment, the cruelty of teens to teens is far from the most atrocious thing in the land. "The Hunger Games" reminds us of that. Its Capitol is, of course, the land of the 1 percent, a sort of amalgamation of Fashion Week, Versailles, and the KGB/CIA. Collins's timely trilogy makes it clear that the 1 percent, having created a system of deeply embedded cruelty, should go, something highlighted by the surly defiance of heroine Katniss Everdeen -- Annie Oakley, Tank Girl, and Robin Hood all rolled into one -- who refuses to be disposed of. Now, in our world, gladiatorial entertainment and the disposability of the young are mostly separate things (except in football, boxing, hockey, and other contact sports that regularly result in brain damage, and sometimes even in death). But while the Capitol is portrayed as brutal for annually sacrificing 23 teenagers from the Districts, what about our own Capitol in the District of Columbia? It has a war or two on, if you hadn't noticed. In Iraq, 4,486 mostly young Americans died. If you want to count Iraqis (which you should indeed want to do), the deaths of babies, children, grandmothers, young men, and others total more than 106,000 by the most conservative count, hundreds of thousands by others. Even the lowest numbers represent enough kill to fill nearly 5,000 years of Hunger Games. Then, of course, there are thousands more Americans who were so grievously wounded they might have died in previous conflicts, but are now surviving with severe brain damage, multiple missing limbs, or other profound mutilations. And don't forget the trauma and mental illness that mostly goes unacknowledged and untreated or the far more devastating Iraqi version of the same. And never mind Afghanistan, with its own grim numbers and horrific consequences. Click here to continue reading Rebecca Solnit grew up in California public libraries and is thrilled to be revisiting them all over the state as part of the Cal Humanities California Reads project, which is now featuring five books, including her "A Paradise Built in Hell: The Extraordinary Communities That Arise in Disaster." Ursula K. LeGuin's "Earthsea" books remain her favorite young-adult fantasy series, even though she found "The Hunger Games" trilogy irresistible. This piece originally appeared on TomDispatch. The opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of the author.

Lions captain James Taylor putting Nottinghamshire form before dreams of playing for England If I am to get in I have to score runs heavily in the early season. I'm not focusing on England too much. It's about scoring runs for Nottinghamshire and helping Nottinghamshire win games. It's plain and simple. I have to score runs and that's the only way I am going to get in the side and not get too distracted by what's happening above me. I have just got to concentrate on my own game. It's easy to think too far ahead. Last season I controlled that really well and didn't think about England at all. When international squads were announced I found out through Twitter purely because I didn't know when they were announced. It's not a worry for me. I'm still young, I've got plenty of time but if that opportunity comes along it will be amazing. Taylor will begin his season with a three-day first-class match against Loughborough UCCE at Trent Bridge on Sunday. Last year he took a double century off the students' attack but his main reason for moving to Nottinghamshire is to test himself against First Division bowling. "I have faced a lot of the First Division bowlers before in one day cricket or playing with them in the Lions,"Taylor said. It is going to be a test but I'd like to think when I have stepped up before and played for the Lions or international cricket I have shown people what I can do so hopefully it won't be too much of a step up. It is definitely going to be a test but it's only going to help me. I came here for a challenge and that's what it's going to be. To face the best bowlers in the country is only going to be good for me.

Long Island/In the Region - Brokers Say Good Riddance to 2011 Brokers at a "survivor party" in Melville. WEAK sales, stalled construction, strangled credit: there were more than a few reasons for brokers on the Island to be glad to see the end of 2011. For about 200 of them, the year's demise was even worth a formal celebration. But the "survivor party" that took place recently in Melville - complete with a shredding machine standing ready to destroy the paper trails on failed deals - could also be viewed as a symbol of wishful thinking, at least if recent numbers are any indication. To start with, there's the attrition rate at the Long Island Board of Realtors, which from 2006 to 2011 lost about 33 percent of its members in Suffolk County, or 2,937 out of 9,026. In Nassau over the same period, the proportion was 15 percent, or 1,399 out of 9,236. "Over the past five years the country saw a major shift in the housing market with a reduction of opportunities for so many agents," said Joseph E. Mottola, the board's chief executive and director of its Multiple Listing Service. Long Island paralleled the national figures, which saw a similar decline. Also over that period, according to the Multiple Listing Service of Long Island, Nassau's prices dropped around 12 percent, to an average of $533,692 in 2011, with 8,434 closed sales, from $606,859, with 10,560 closed sales, in 2006. The numbers in Suffolk were worse. Prices fell nearly 20 percent, to an average of $365,993, with 8,956 closed sales, from $456,419, with 12,661 homes sold. Looking at last year by itself, averages in Nassau represented an improvement from $523,045. In Suffolk, averages represented a decline from $379,433. One partygoer who availed himself of the shredder was Nicholas Gigante, the broker/owner of Re/MAX Shores in Massapequa and Oceanside. Luckily, he said, only three of his 2011 deals went bad, and he lost only one of 35 brokers in two offices. Still, he acknowledged, business last year was down about 20 percent. And of the business he did have, 20 percent was in short sales or foreclosures, which in turn have a deflating effect on other prices because appraisers have to include them as comparable sales. In Mr. Gigante's market on the South Shore in Nassau, prices average in the $400,000s, though they range from as low as $300,000 into the millions for waterfront property on the Great South Bay. "Three years ago there was no such thing as a short sale," Mr. Gigante said. Now there are more and more of them. He said he expected that this year, too, would bring 20 to 25 percent of business in foreclosures and short sales. But at least "prices are steady," he said, "and banks are finally learning how to deal with the short sale market more effectively and efficiently than in the past." Also, Mr. Gigante expressed optimism about what he saw as "pent-up demand" among buyers who held back for a long time and "are realizing the market has probably reached bottom." Henry F. Weber, the president and regional director of Re/MAX of New York, which is based in Garden City, said the relative scarcity of brokers would present a challenge for sellers, who should not underestimate the importance of finding the right one. To make sure a potential agent is "active, successful and really knows what they are doing," he advised sellers to check the number of transactions that he or she has brought to a successful conclusion. "Some agencies have 800 agents and 600 transactions," he said. If homeowners are serious about selling,"they really have to price their homes accordingly," Mr. Weber said. In fact, the mantra that seemed to prevail among those assembled was "if it's priced right, it will sell," or words to that effect. Joe Meyer, a real estate speaker and sales trainer based in Woodbury who entertained fellow partygoers with a standup comedy routine, took a more insouciant tack. He recalled having worked in real estate in 1980 when interest rates topped 18 percent, and acknowledged, "This is another tough market we are going through." Still, he advised sellers and buyers alike to keep in mind that "the economy is only as bad as your bank account."

The countries that use the euro pulled Greece back from an imminent and potentially catastrophic default on Tuesday, when they finally stitched together a euro130 billion ($170 billion) rescue they hope will also provide a lifeline to their common currency. But the patchwork of measures - including the implementation of austerity measures in Greece and approval by skeptical German and Dutch Parliaments - required to give the rescue even a chance of success means it's unlikely to be the end of the continent's debt crisis. European markets edged lower, having enjoyed solid gains in the run-up to the meeting on expectations a deal would be secured, while the euro rose 0.2 percent. The finance ministers from Greece and the other 16 countries that use the euro wrangled until the early morning hours over the details of the rescue, squeezing last-minute concessions out of private holders of Greek debt. Thierry Charlier/AP Photo The deal "closes the door to an uncontrolled default that would be chaos for Greece and Greek people," said European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso. "It's not an easy (program), it's an ambitious one," said Christine Lagarde, the head of the IMF, adding that there were significant risks that Greece's economy could not grow as much as hoped. Including Greece's first bailout worth euro110 billion ($146 billion), the new deal means every Greek man, woman and child will owe the eurozone and the IMF about euro22,000 ($29,000). In Athens, the reaction to the news was a mixture of relief the country has avoided financial catastrophe and fear of a dark future. "I don't see (the agreement) with any joy because again we're being burdened with loans, loans, loans, with no end in sight," architect Valia Rokou said in the Greek capital. The eurozone and Greece had been under pressure to reach an accord quickly to prevent Athens from defaulting on a euro14.5 billion ($19.2 billion) bond payment on March 20. The fear is that an uncontrolled bankruptcy could unleash market panic across the rest of the continent, further unsettling other struggling countries like Ireland, Portugal or the much bigger Italy or Spain. Despite the promise of new rescue loans, the other 16 euro countries made clear that their trust in Greece is running low. Before Athens will see any new funds, it has to implement a range of promised cuts and reforms.

Stephen McGinty: Murder by big numbers AFTER more than 60 years, 150 million sets sold and a modern makeover, the story of Cluedo and its inventor still speaks to a very British way of making a killing, writes Stephen McGinty. There was a great line in the final episode of The Thick Of It where an adviser, pondering the irritating uselessness of his colleague, said it was a great surprise that the chap "remained unmurdered." There was something grimly comic about pointing out the individual's ability, on a daily basis, to avoid the inevitability of violent death. For 63 years, Dr Black, or, as he is known in Spanish-speaking America, Señor Caddaver, has enjoyed no such luck. Each and every day since 1949, he has spent being resolutely murdered. While the location of the dark deed may switch from library to drawing room and the instrument of his bloody demise change from a single shot from a revolver to a violent bludgeoning with a length of lead pipe, poor Dr Black is destined to forever lie prone, a curious case to be solved by each successive generation of amateur detectives and players of Cluedo. So, which of the six guests at Tudor Hall, that mysterious country house, could be the culprit? The old duffer Colonel Mustard, who, over the years we have learned, is deep in debt, having spent the advance for a memoir of the heroic deeds about which he has so long lied, or Mrs Peacock, the former actress who worked her way through three husbands and now seeks a fourth? Perhaps it is Professor Plum, an expert on Middle Eastern archeology, sacked from the British Museum for plagiarising the work of a colleague found dead in suspicious circumstances, or Mrs White, the once loyal cook now bitter after long years in neglected service? Surely you can't be casting a finger at the good Reverend Green? He may lack a theology degree but he's been preaching at revivalist meetings since he was 12 and as for the recent police investigation for fraud, the money was just resting in his account. A good long rest. If there is a prime suspect it must surely be Miss Scarlet, the daughter of Mrs Peacock (rumour has it by Sir Hugh, the late father of the now late Dr Black). A seasoned seductress, she is, by all accounts, well named. When Anthony E Pratt, a solicitor's clerk in Birmingham, first had the idea, in 1943, of turning a popular parlour game into a children's board game, he was on fire patrol for the Home Guard. Between the wars, all the bright young things would congregate in each other's homes for parties at weekends. We'd play a stupid game called "Murder," where guests crept up on each other in corridors and the victim would shriek and fall on the floor." Mr Pratt was a fan of the detective novels of Edgar Wallace and Raymond Chandler and set about designing the game with his wife, Elva, who sketched out the floor plan of Tudor Hall, while he developed the characters and weapons. He registered the patent in 1945 then approached Waddingtons, the board game manufacturer based in Leeds, which though keen, lacked the physical resources to put the game into production so soon after the end of the war, so it was 1949 before "Murder" emerged on to the shelves of toy stores as Cluedo. Today it has sold more than 150 million sets across 40 countries with annual sales steady at three million, and remains one of the most popular board games in the world. The question is: for how much longer? For disturbing news emerged this week that the latest edition of Cluedo had dispensed with the country house and switched the scene of the crime to London. Instead of the grimly claustrophobic surroundings of the parlour and kitchen, the white tape around the body might be in the Houses of Parliament, Covent Garden, Canary Wharf or Soho, and the man within the white outline is no longer a reclusive millionaire, Dr Black, but a high-profile media mogul. The horror does not end there for, pray tell, what has become of poor Colonel Mustard? Why, the old dog has been shorn of his moustache and taught a set of new tricks to become Malcolm Mustard the Mayor. Still, at least Miss Scarlett is still around to flash a bit of thigh and the murder weapons remain - a candlestick, dagger, pipe, revolver, rope and spanner - but the urban setting will, I believe, make for a grimmer, more disturbing game. The British public have always been fascinated by murder. George Orwell wrote of how reading about a grisly killing was what the ordinary Englishman enjoyed on a Sunday afternoon while digesting lunch. Yet in the 30s and 40s, at the time of Cluedo's genesis, crime novels such as those by Agatha Christie were largely set in the drawing rooms of English manor homes. Authors kept the crime at a safe distance, despite the reality of people's lives. It was Raymond Chandler, who, in his essay, The Simple Art of Murder pointed out that it was Dashiell Hammett who pricked the bubble and let real life flood in: "Hammett took murder out of the Venetian vase and dropped it into the alley: it doesn't have to stay there forever, but it was a good idea to get as far as possible from Emily Post's idea of how a well-bred debutante gnaws a chicken wing." As a child, I loved playing Cluedo, especially fingering the little weapons - and yes, the lead pipe, was once made of actual lead, before the manufacturers wisely switched materials - but part of the appeal was the old elegance of the setting, a chance to step back in time. Would my enjoyment have been as great had it been set, instead of in a grand house, in a grim housing estate in Easterhouse? Probably not, and that is where the game's manufacturer has to be careful. They do admit that a game about murder has to stay on the right side of public sensibility. For instance, in the past the choice of weapons once included a bomb and a syringe of poison, but today this would be unacceptable (let's set aside the fact that rubble and a body in bits would surely be a clue as to the weapon used). Since the early 1970s and the first wave of IRA attacks a bomb speaks too clearly to the terrorism of the modern world, while a syringe makes us think of drug deaths. Strangely, we seem to have no problem with a knife, one of the most popular instruments of violent death, so long as we refer to it as a dagger. In a neat tartan twist, there is the chance that Edinburgh may soon be the scene of Cluedo's next crime. Next year, the public will get to vote on whether Cardiff, Birmingham or Scotland's capital is most deserving of the setting of the latest edition (Birmingham has no chance: there is a reason why every major city in Britain now has a TV cop, except Birmingham: the accent. "There's been a moordoor"). The city of the Burke and Hare, Deacon Brodie, Mr Hyde and John Rebus would certainly make a strong case, but if so I'd prefer to see the game once again behind imposing stone walls with the Castle taking place of the old country pile. In the research for this column I learned that, sadly, Cluedo's creator did not make a killing. Unlike Charles Darrow, who created Monopoly, or Alfred Butts, who scrambled the alphabet to create Scrabble, Mr Pratt failed to become a multi- millionaire. In May, 1953, with then only average sales in Britain, he agreed to sell all royalty rights from overseas sales for £5,000, enough to buy a house and provide a modest nest egg that allowed him to quit work as a clerk and return to his first love, the piano. However inflation in the 1960s cracked the egg and soon Mr Pratt was back working in an office. He died at the age of 90, having spent his final years in a care home with Alzheimer's. Two years later, when sales of the game approached 150 million, the manufacturers, who had long since lost touch, issued a nationwide call for information on Mr Pratt whom they hoped might still be alive. They were directed to a graveyard in Bromsgrove, Worcestershire, where stands a stone that reads: "A Very Dear Father. Anthony E Pratt Born 10 August, 1903. Died 9 April, 1994. Inventor of Cluedo. Sadly missed.

Top Two Films of the Year That Involved Someone Riding Through a City in a Stretch Limo Caitlin Cronenberg/Entertainment One Robert Pattinson in "Cosmopolis." As part of the magazine's Hollywood Issue, writers riff on the movies of 2012, including in the form of a top-two list: Holy Motors Cosmopolis

Jessica Ennis: Queen of the five-ring circus The Great British Olympic Hope is standing in front of a mock fete stall, clad in a pinny and beginning her fifth attempt at an advertising slogan. You can even win me to, er... argh, I've lost it! Her mind blanks as a crowd of schoolchildren look on. "Don't watch me!" she jokes. But nobody is taking their eyes off her. It is only 11am and she has already done what most people would consider to be a full working day. Up at sunrise to appear on ITV's Daybreak, she has since been hurtling through promotional events at St Paul's Academy in Greenwich. These include helping out at the school's sports day, taking assembly, recording the dreaded cupcake ad, signing autographs for several hundred kids and having her picture taking with what seems like every pupil in south-east London. In the "spare time" between all this, she is giving interviews: in the car, on the phone, on the school running track - and finally, with me, in a pokey classroom at the top of the school. This is supposed to be the 26-year-old's final "rest day" after a spectacular heptathlon performance in Götzis, Austria, where she took home gold with a British-record-breaking 6,906 points. But as her every last second is accounted for, it's anything but restful. Apart from the gathered media hoping to catch a word, there are crowds of schoolchildren clamouring for her attention, the bolder ones screeching "I love you, Jess" and most trying for an autograph, a handshake or a hug. As I traipse around behind her, I start to feel guilty about my part in the jamboree. When we finally get our moment alone together, there is one thing I am dying to ask: doesn't all this get a bit much? "Yes!" she exclaims, before composing a more on-message answer: "I'm definitely more used to it than I used to be. They're just busy days. Her first answer seems closer to the truth. In the three hours of my watching her being shuttled around, she keeps up the enthusiasm. But between the genuine smiles and friendly conversation, flickers of bewildered exhaustion pass over her face. For even the most practised celebrities, this would be an overwhelming morning. But Ennis, who when we last spoke two years ago admitted she hated having her picture taken, never set out to be a celebrity. "One minute you're a developing athlete trying to get to the top, then the next minute you do well and win a medal somewhere, and then it's all foisted on you," she says. You never know when it's going to happen. You don't think about the media side of things when you're a young athlete trying to do well. In the past few months, Ennis has become one of the most sought-after names in Britain. The petite gold medal hopeful is a gift to any brand, and the ones who have managed to sign her up are all making the most of her time before she goes into pre-Games lockdown. This is Aviva's chance to shoot footage and get press coverage for its "Back the Team" campaign and the company is fitting in as much as possible. The young athlete from Sheffield is pragmatic about her publicity responsibilities, but she believes things are harder than ever for her generation of Olympians. "Things have changed so much, with Facebook and Twitter," she says. Everyone is so much more accessible these days: no British athlete has ever experienced what we are experiencing now. It's such a unique situation with the home Olympics. It's not just the sports journalists who want to talk to you and write stories about you, it's all the different journalists from different fields who may not be that interested in what you do, but want to chat about something else - your private life or stuff like that. It's completely different and it's a new situation for all of us... There was no Twitter in 1948! Despite the tiring morning, she has no truck with the idea that all this might be more taxing than sport. "The most stressful thing is how hard you have to train and how hard you have to work," she says. It's the stress of the competition, too - it's not just going out and doing one race or two races, it's seven events over two days and it's such a rollercoaster. I look back at last weekend now and think it was great weekend. I loved it. But, actually, during it, I was like: 'This is so stressful and I'm tired.' It's just really emotional. "Emotional" is an understatement, considering her season so far. Earlier this year, she thought she had taken first place at the World Indoor Championships in Istanbul, only to discover seconds later, via a live scoreboard, that Nataliya Dobrynska, Ukraine's Olympic champion, had in fact beaten her to it. Forced to go from celebration to defeat in seconds while her face was beamed across the world on television, her response was a lesson in losing with grace. The performance prompted this newspaper to give out "I love Jessica" badges, one of which I have brought along to show her. "I saw these coming back from Istanbul," she beams. I thought it was the sweetest thing. I'm going to make my fiancé wear it at all times! Her fiancé, Andy Hill, a construction site manager, has waited patiently for her to finish competing before getting around to marriage. And when I ask what she's most looking forward to after the Games, she says without hesitation: "My wedding. That's what I'm really looking forward to. It's such a big year and it's going to be, no matter what happens, stressful - it's already been stressful - the stress of competing and everything that comes with it. I want to make the most of this moment, but I'm also looking forward to going on holiday and then getting married and doing different things. Her performance last weekend suggests she is, so far, right in her confidence that all this hype won't stop her focusing on the real task in hand: bringing home gold. "I believe that I've got everything to do it," she says, adding with typical caution: "but it's just about whether it all goes right and I get it right on the two days. I'm just looking forward to it. I'm happy with the position I'm in now. I'm ready to go for it. So will the notoriously modest Ennis finally say that she's the best in the world? Not a bit of it. I was the best in Götzis, but that's done with now, and the next competition is still to come. London is still to come and things change all the time. Speaking at the school assembly earlier, though, she gave a glimpse of the steely ambition that is driving her on. One of the pupils stuck up her hand to ask: "How did it feel to win an Olympic gold medal?" The adults - silently, sharply - draw in breath, aware of the gaffe. Ennis takes it quickly in her stride, revealing only the tiniest chink in her confidence: "Well, I've yet to win an Olympic gold medal. But, hopefully, I'll be able to tell you in a couple of weeks. Search for 'Aviva Athletics' on Facebook for a chance to to win a day with Jessica Ennis for your community Curriculum vitae 1986 Born in Sheffield to Alison Powell, a social worker from Derbyshire, and Vinnie Ennis, a painter and decorator originally from Jamaica. 1996 Attends an athletics summer holiday camp at Don Valley Stadium; meets current coach Toni Minchiello. 2005 Wins heptathlon at European Athletics Junior Championships. 2006 Wins bronze at the Commonwealth Games in Melbourne, Australia. 2007 Graduates from University of Sheffield with a 2:1 in psychology. 2008 Foot injury at Götzis forces her to withdraw from Beijing Olympics. 2009 Wins gold at World Championships in Berlin. 2010 Appointed MBE for services to athletics; gets engaged to Andy Hill. 2012 Wins at Götzis, breaking Denise Lewis's British heptathlon record. Emily Dugan

9/11 'mastermind,' co-conspirators back before Guantanamo judge GUANTANAMO BAY NAVAL BASE, Cuba - The self-proclaimed mastermind of the Sept. 11 attacks and four accused co-conspirators will appear in public for the first time in more than three years Saturday, when U.S. officials start a second attempt at what is likely to be a drawn out legal battle that could lead to the men's executions. Khalid Sheikh Mohammed and his co-defendants are to be arraigned at a military tribunal at Guantanamo Bay on charges that include that include 2,976 counts of murder, one for each person killed in the worst terrorist attack on U.S. soil. In the past, during the failed first effort to prosecute them at the U.S. base in Cuba, Mohammed has mocked the tribunal and said he and his co-defendants would plead guilty and welcome execution. But there were signs that at least some of the defense teams were preparing for lengthy fight, planning challenges of the military tribunals and the secrecy that shrouds the case. The arraignment is "only the beginning of a trial that will take years to complete, followed by years of appellate review," attorney James Connell, who represents defendant Ali Abd al-Aziz Ali, told reporters gathered at the base to observe the hearing. "I can't imagine any scenario where this thing gets wrapped up in six months," Connell said. Defendants in what is known as a military commission typically do not enter a plea during their arraignment. Instead, the judge reads the charges, makes sure the accused understand their rights and then moves on to procedural issues. Lawyers for the men said they were prohibited by secrecy rules from disclosing the intentions of their clients. Jim Harrington, a civilian attorney for Ramzi Binalshibh, a Yemeni prisoner who has said at one hearing that he was proud of the Sept. 11 attacks, said he did not think that any of the defendants would plead guilty, notwithstanding their earlier statements. Army Capt. Jason Wright, one of Mohammed's Pentagon-appointed lawyers, declined to comment on the case. As in previous hearings, a handful of people who lost family members in the attacks were selected by lottery to travel to the base to watch the proceedings. Several said they were grateful for the chance to see a case they believe has been delayed too long. Cliff Russell, whose firefighter brother Stephen died responding to the World Trade Center, said he hoped the case would end with the death penalty for the five Guantanamo Prisoners. "I'm not looking forward to ending someone else's life and taking satisfaction in it, but it's the most disgusting, hateful, awful thing I ever could think of if you think about what was perpetrated," Russell said. Suzanne Sisolak of Brooklyn, whose husband Joseph was killed in his office in the Trade Center's North Tower, said she is not concerned about the ultimate outcome as long as the case moves forward and the five prisoners do not go free. They can put them in prison for life. They can execute them," Sisolak said. What I do care about is that this does not happen again. They need to be stopped. That's what I care about because nobody deserves to have this happen to them. The arraignment for the five comes more than three years after President Barack Obama's failed effort to try the suspects in a federal civilian court and close the prison at the U.S. base in Cuba. Attorney General Eric Holder announced in 2009 that Mohammed and his co-defendants would be tried blocks from the site of the destroyed trade center in downtown Manhattan, but the plan was shelved after New York officials cited huge costs to secure the neighborhood and family opposition to trying the suspects in the U.S. Congress then blocked the transfer of any prisoners from Guantanamo to the U.S., forcing the Obama administration to refile the charges under a reformed military commission system. New rules adopted by Congress and Obama forbid the use of testimony obtained through cruel treatment or torture. Gen. Mark Martins, the chief prosecutor, said the commission provides many of the same protections that defendants would get in civilian court. "I'm confident that this court can achieve justice and fairness," he said. But human rights groups and the defense lawyers say the reforms have not gone far enough and that restriction on legal mail and the overall secret nature of Guantanamo and the commissions makes it impossible to provide an adequate defense. They argue that the U.S. has sought to keep the case in the military commission to prevent disclosure of the harsh treatment of prisoners such as Mohammed, who was waterboarded 183 times and subjected to other measures that some have called torture. Mohammed, a Pakistani citizen who grew up in Kuwait and attended college in Greensboro, North Carolina, has admitted to military authorities that he was responsible for the Sept. 11 attacks "from A to Z," as well as about 30 other plots, and that he personally killed Wall Street Journal reporter Daniel Pearl. Mohammed was captured in 2003 in Pakistan. His four co-defendants include Binalshibh, a Yemeni, who was allegedly chosen to be a hijacker but couldn't get a U.S. visa and ended up providing assistance such as finding flight schools; Waleed bin Attash, also from Yemen, allegedly ran an Al Qaeda training camp in Afghanistan and researched flight simulators and timetables; Mustafa Ahmad al-Hawsawi, a Saudi accused of helping the hijackers with money, Western clothing, traveler's checks and credit cards; and al-Aziz Ali, a Pakistani national and nephew of Mohammed, who allegedly provided money to the hijackers.

Sudan: 660 Dead Since 2011 in Fighting With Rebels Sudan says that fighting in two states along its disputed border with South Sudan has left over 600 people dead over the past 16 months, releasing rare casualty figures in an ongoing conflict that has inflamed tensions between the two countries. Interior Minister Ibrahim Mahmoud told the Sudanese parliament Tuesday that 662 people had been killed in South Kordofan and Blue Nile states, where rebel forces are battling government troops, since fighting broke out in June 2011. The minister's comments were quoted by the daily paper Al Sahafa on Wednesday. Mahmoud said that the military and police sustained heavy losses in battling the insurgency, but did not break down the figures between civilian, government, and rebel casualties. The fighting pits the Khartoum government against rebel groups allied with the guerrilla forces that eventually came to power in South Sudan, but were left on the north's side of the border after the south became independent in July 2011 according to a deal that ended decades of civil war. It broke out first in oil-producing South Kordofan shortly before South Sudan's declaration of independence, then spread to neighboring Blue Nile state. Rights groups have reported government bombings of villages in the Nuba Mountains region of South Kordofan during the fighting. The Sudanese government has denied bombing civilians in its Nuba Mountains campaign. A spokesman for the rebels told The Associated Press by phone that his group rejects the figures. "The government of Sudan is continuing to lie and give false information," said Arnu Lodi of the Sudan People's Liberation Movement-North, questioning the government's ability to gather statistics on the fighting. He declined to provide any casualty figures of his own. Khartoum says the SPLM-North fighters are backed by South Sudan, an accusation the Juba government denies. The United Nations estimates that nearly 700,000 people have been displaced or severely affected by the fighting in the two over the past fifteen months. More than 200,000 alone have fled to neighboring Ethiopia and South Sudan. Since the fighting began more than a year ago, access to the remote region by the United Nations and international aid agencies has been restricted by the Sudanese government, making it difficult to verify conditions in the area. Meanwhile, this week the parliaments of Sudan and South Sudan both ratified an agreement signed by the two countries' presidents last month in the Ethiopian capital. The deal calls for a cessation of all hostilities that brought the countries to the brink of all-out war earlier this year. The deal enables the resumption of oil exports from South Sudan, which the Juba government suspended in January in a dispute with Khartoum over transit fees for southern oil. Also, an ambush by unknown assailants killed a U.N.-African Union peacekeeper in the western region of Darfur, the mission said, bringing to 43 those killed in the region since the mission started its work in 2007. UNAMID said in a press release that three others were wounded in the ambush Wednesday in North Darfur state as a convoy was on its way to assess reports of violence in the region of Habasha North. The release said UNAMID personnel came under a combination of automatic and mortar fire by unidentified assailants. It called on the government of Sudan to investigate the incident and bring the perpetrators to justice. At the United Nations, the Security Council issued a statement condemning the attack "in the strongest terms" and called on the Sudanese government to "swiftly investigate and bring the perpetrators to justice." Four Nigerian peacekeepers were killed and eight wounded in an ambush in Sudan's restive West Darfur region on Oct. 2. Associated Press writer Maggie Fick contributed reporting from Cairo and Associated Press writer Ron DePasquale contributed from the United Nations in New York.

Children in Need doesn't lose sight of the real poverty in Britain As I write this, I've only the highest hopes that Friday night's Children in Need appeal will have encouraged you to contribute to our continuing efforts to help Britain's underprivileged, sick and vulnerable children. Despite the economic downturn, the past couple of years have been record-breakers in terms of the amounts contributed to the cause by the British public, in their truly remarkable generosity. The little bear with the bandage over his eye, Pudsey, seems to strike a responsive chord in the nation's heart, and it's the people who give up their time to stand in the November chill with collecting boxes on railway station platforms, outside schools, at shopping centres and in 100 high streets that make the difference, along with 1,000 cake stalls, school dressing-up days, and yes, even bathing in a bathful of beans, that elevate Pudsey to the little chap's status as the country's best-loved charitable icon. Pudsey's Big Night started in the foyer of a Hammersmith hotel in 1980. I was there, with Esther Rantzen and Sue Lawley (they've always had a couple of able-bodied women to hold me up) and on that mould-breaking night, the public contributed £1million in five hours. Remarkable, considering the idea of a "charity telethon" was new to British viewers, and that certain elements in Auntie Beeb's dustier corridors weren't exactly enthusiastic. I remember the producer of BBC One's most popular comedy at the time, It Ain't Half Hot Mum, refusing to allow us a strapline at the bottom of the screen with our phone number and address, fearing it might detract from the episode. It took a few years, but everybody's on board now, and since 1980 the appeal has raised in excess of £650 million. I'd like to think that you can top that up to around £700 million this year, but whatever you can give, every penny will go to help the children. It's the films of sick or handicapped children, their bravery and that of their families, that tug at the heartstrings, but we shouldn't lose sight of the real poverty that exists in Britain. Children in Need provides thousands of cookers and beds to unfortunate families who have nothing to sleep or cook on. People talk of the "undeserving poor," who won't work, and who spend their state benefits on drink and drugs. Whatever you may think of feckless adults, no child "deserves" to be poor. As poor and hungry as one particular little boy I've been told of by a child-welfare official. The boy had a free lunch in school on Friday, and didn't eat again properly until his next school lunch on Monday. In this day and age in Britain, you may think such Dickensian poverty impossible in a welfare state, but it's true. I've no idea how many more hungry children there are like that little boy, but I know that there are 1,000 heartbreaking stories like his. But I've already asked enough of your generosity.

Softball: Lake Braddock off to 7-0 start When Lake Braddock softball Coach George Rumore greeted his counterpart from South Carolina after a game earlier this week, Rumore had the chance to brag a little bit. The Bruins are spending their spring break this week playing in the Grand Strand Softball Classic in Myrtle Beach, and while their opponent Monday had been playing regular season games since March 1, it was Lake Braddock who looked like it was already in midseason form. "Their coach said we have a really good team, and he couldn't believe we had only played five games before that," said Rumore, whose team was 5-0 at the time. Their season [in South Carolina] is almost over. The eighth-ranked Bruins won that game against Northwestern (S.C.), 10-5, then beat Tolsia (W.Va.), 16-2, on Tuesday to improve to 7-0 heading into a scheduled doubleheader on Wednesday that would conclude their trip. Lake Braddock has five freshmen and five sophomores on its 15-player roster, but the Bruins are poised to challenge veteran South County and West Potomac squads in the Virginia AAA Liberty District, and are a Northern Region dark horse. "We're playing well," Rumore said. The girls have done a nice job. Unlike many area teams that ride one dominant pitcher and a couple hitters every game, the Bruins boast a balanced roster and approach to the game. Sophomore Ashley Flesch and freshman Amanda Hendrix split most of the innings in the circle, and Hendrix, senior catcher Kelly Plescow, junior shortstop Mallory Gerndt, senior first baseman Anna Delaney and sophomore third baseman Amanda Patterson pace an offense that averaged more than 11 runs in its first seven games. "The thing about us is we're not one dimensional," Rumore said. We're hitting the ball real well but we're also getting good pitching and defense. Even though we have five freshmen, it's a combination of all those things.

Robin Williams Poses With Radioman - His Once Homeless Lookalike Hall/Pena/PacificCoastNews.com You have to do a double take when you see comedian Robin Williams standing next to Radioman. The two posed outside the IFC Theater in New York City Thursday at the premiere of the new documentary about the former homeless man turned celebrity friend. Radioman rocked a beard that was eerily similar to the one Williams had last year. Radioman, whose real name is Craig Castaldo, is famous in New York City for hanging around film sets and befriending numerous celebrities, including Williams. He has had a number of cameos in big time films, including 1998′s "Godzilla," "Little Nicky" and "Elf." Most recently, Radioman scored a recurring role on "30 Rock." The name "Radioman" comes from the radio he wears around his neck while he bikes around New York. Williams, 61, also performed comedy Thursday night at the Stand Up for Heroes event, which benefited military veterans and their families.

Future Padres owner could use Tony Gwynn to spark interest in club SAN DIEGO - This town could use a little Magic too. Magic Johnson won't hit home runs for the Dodgers. He won't run the team. He won't pay the bills. Yet, he smiles, and happy days are here again. In Magic we trust. The San Diego Padres could use someone like that. Tony Gwynn, please save your team. The Padres are up for sale, after Jeff Moorad's bid to buy the team from John Moores collapsed last month. Moores has retained Steve Greenberg of Allen and Co. to broker the sale, according to two people speaking on condition of anonymity because Moores has made no announcement. The Padres are a disaster. They are on their third general manager in four years, their seventh chief executive in 12 years. They finished at least 20 games out of first place in three of the last four seasons and coughed up a 61/2-game lead in the other one. They got what probably will be the last taxpayer-funded ballpark in California, then told their fans they could not afford to retain hometown star Adrian Gonzalez. Attendance is no better now at magnificent Petco Park than it was at creaky Qualcomm Stadium. This just in: The Padres' rivals sold for a world-record $2.15 billion. Gwynn noticed, and not just because his son plays for the Dodgers. "In the near future, people are going to feel comfortable knowing that this group is doing everything they can to put a winning product on the field," Gwynn said. I think a lot of people feel that way because of what they paid. Obviously, they wanted it, and from a fan's perspective, I think that's important. Everybody in the world says, 'Well, they overpaid for them,' but if you want 'em bad enough ... So what would Gwynn tell a prospective buyer wondering why he should pay $600 million or so for the Padres and then try to compete with the Dodgers? "That's the fun part about it," Gwynn said. Nobody thinks you can, especially with the kinds of dollars that are being spent these days. They just signed [Matt] Kemp. They're going to sign [Clayton] Kershaw. They probably are going to sign [Andre] Ethier. If they were smart, they would have signed Prince [Fielder]. That would have made the deal a whole lot easier, I think, sitting on the outside looking in. In San Diego, you're not going to be able to shell out that kind of coin for that kind of product. You've got to do it a little differently. I've always been a proponent that you have to draft and develop, when you don't have the kind of pockets the big markets do. If you can do that and you can do that the right way, you can be every bit as competitive as the big-market teams. The Padres just signed a television deal for $1 billion. But the Angels just signed one for $3 billion, and the Dodgers might get one for $5 billion. The Padres play in the fourth-smallest television market in the major leagues, with growth constrained by the ocean to the west, the desert to the east, Mexico to the south and Albert Pujols to the north. Gwynn is pitching common sense. The new owners are going to need someone like him selling it, the same way Magic is selling the Dodgers. The money to buy the Dodgers isn't coming from L.A. The money to buy the Padres almost certainly won't come from San Diego, where there are no companies in the Fortune 500 and no billionaires under 65, according to Forbes. It is doubtful that any of the losing Dodgers bidders would jump into the Padres sweepstakes. Tony Ressler, a minority investor in baseball's best-run small-market team, the Milwaukee Brewers, coveted his hometown Dodgers but would rather pursue an NBA franchise otherwise. Major League Baseball officials have encouraged L.A.-based baseball executive Dennis Gilbert to pursue the Padres, but he figures to let the Dodgers ownership transition play out first. Gwynn said he has not heard from any prospective Padres owners, but he would listen to what they had to say. "I'd have to do my homework on it," he said. I've heard that Magic was interviewing the groups, to see which one he wanted to align himself with.

Wheelies: The Rounding-Errors Edition - NYTimes.com Chrysler announced on Monday that the 2013 SRT Viper would be offered at two pricing tiers. For $99,390, the base Viper has but two settings for traction and stability control: on and off. The $122,390 Viper GTS adds Sport and Track calibrations, as well as adjustable Bilstein dampers, premium interior materials and more extensive use of carbon fiber. Both models are powered by a 640-horsepower 8.4-liter V-10 engine and are expected to compete against specialized Corvette models like the Z06 and ZR1. Chrysler Pricing for the 2013 Accord was released on Monday by American Honda. Starting at $22,470, inclusive of $790 destination charge, the base LX is offered with standard rear-view cameras, dual-zone climate control and Pandora radio capability. For $34,470, the Touring model is powered by the automaker's 3.5-liter V-6 engine and equipped with LED headlights. Pricing for other trim levels can be viewed after the jump. Honda A 1903 Model A widely regarded as the oldest Ford in existence is scheduled to be auctioned next month for the third time in five years. It sold for $630,000 in 2007, but bidding failed to meet reserve in 2010. RM Auctions, which consigned the car for its coming sale in Hershey, Pa., in October, set a pre-auction estimate of $350,000 to $500,000 for the 8-horsepower car. RM Auctions, via The Detroit News McLaren, which unveiled its 12C Spider and one-off X-1 this summer, said it would unveil the next "chapter" in the sports car manufacturer's resurgence at the Paris motor show on Sept. That chapter is widely expected to take the form of the P12, the internal designation for the successor of the F1 hypercar, one of the fastest production cars ever built, which the company stopped making in 1998. McLaren Automotive

Israel: an innovation gem, in Europe's backyard Israel is a first-tier innovation hub, second in the world only to Silicon Valley in its concentration of start-up companies. However, it seems as though European companies have yet to get that message. US companies and investment funds currently make the vast majority of all investments in the Israeli market. In an effort to help all firms, especially European and Asian companies, tap into Israel's innovation leadership, we collaborated with Technion, the Israel Institute of Technology, to research pockets of opportunity for multinational companies looking to boost their innovation metabolism. We identified four sectors that we believe are rich with promise. This article will briefly discuss Israel's performance in innovation to date, highlight the results of our research, and suggest some ways companies might try to tap into the opportunity. Israel as an innovation centre Israel is a remarkable performer when it comes to innovation. The Israeli private sector spends more on innovation as a percentage of GDP than that of any other nation. For example, in 2009, it spent 4.3 per cent of its GDP on civilian R&D - almost twice the Organisation of Economic Co-operation and Development's average of 2.3 per cent and much higher than the percentage of GDP spent on R&D in the US, Germany, France, or the UK. Foreign investment is also substantial. Over the past seven years, venture-capital firms around the world have invested about $11bn in Israeli high-tech companies, compared to $45bn in Europe, $26bn in China, and $7bn in India. Many common devices and their underlying technologies were invented in Israel. For example, the first flash drive, the DiscOnChip, and the first universal-serial-bus flash drive, DiscOnKey,were developed by Israel's M-Systems in the late 1990s. Another Israeli company, Mirabilis, developed the first Internet messaging service, ICQ. The list goes on: Checkpoint developed the first commercial Internet firewall and its technology is now installed at more than 250,000 sites around the world, including more than 90 per cent of the Fortune 500; VocalTech was the first company to develop Voice-over-Internet Protocol (VoIP) technology. One of the first global companies to recognise the great value of Israeli innovation was Intel. It opened its first R&D center in Haifa in 1974. By 1979, this development center gave birth to the 8088 microprocessor, the core processor for the first IBM personal computer. Ever since, Intel has continually increased its R&D presence in Israel, and in the past 10 years, two major innovations have come out of Intel's Israeli labs: the Centrino chip and dual-core processors. Following in Intel's footsteps, many other high-tech firms now have R&D centers in Israel. IBM, Cisco, Google, Microsoft, Qualcomm, Autodesk, and Oracle all have substantial R&D presences in the country. Even Apple, which until very recently conducted all its R&D work at its California headquarters, has made a significant investment in Israel. The company purchased Anobit for $500 million and will turn it into the company's first R&D center outside of California. Anobit developed the proprietary memory-signal processing technology that enhances the flash memory performance in iPhones and iPads. There is much more to Israel than technical know-how. It is a small, highly networked country with a high concentration of educated workers. Interdisciplinary skills are common, and most workers are multilingual. While the country has attracted a few European and Asian firms including SAP and Samsung, the vast majority of investments and M&A bids are made by US companies - this despite the fact that TelAviv is much closer to London than it is to New York. What does all of this mean? There is still great potential for European and other non-US companies to enjoy the fruits of Israeli innovation. Mapping pockets of opportunity In our joint effort with Technion to uncover the sectors most ripe for collaboration with global companies, we analysed thousands of Israeli companies. In addition to the semiconductor and software sectors, which have been well-known innovators, we identified four new sectors in which we believe Israel's innovation leadership has reached critical mass: telecommunications, medical devices, water treatment, and agriculture. In telecommunications,Israel's leadership in innovation is concentrated in three subsectors: mobile applications and services, infrastructure and network technologies, and security-related technologies such as encryption, fraud protection, and mobile surveillance. We found more than 700 Israeli companies working in these subsectors, and their accomplishments are legion - the GSM Association treats Israel as a separate continent when giving out prizes to distinctive companies at its annual Mobile World Congress in Barcelona. In our analysis of the medical-device sector, we found that Israel is distinctive in three major areas. The first is imaging and diagnostics, with specific emphasis on gastrointestinal, ophthalmological, and cancer diagnostics, as well as new Xray, magnetic-resonance-imaging, and computerised-tomographyequipment. A second area of strength is in the area of neurology and degenerative diseases. Israeli innovation leads the way on brain/machine interfaces and neurostimulation devices to treat these conditions. The third distinctive subsector is implantable and disposable therapeutic devices. Israeli companies have distinguished themselves in the areas of cardiovascular, orthopedic, and dental devices. These fields typically require strong interdisciplinary collaboration, which is a key area of strength in a small and highly networked country like Israel. The lack of fresh water in Israel spurred innovation in the areas of water treatment and agriculture. We have identifiedmore than 250 Israeli companies in these sectors. Israel leads the world in the development of desalination technology. By 2014, all of the country's water for human needs will be supplied by rain collection or desalination plants. Israelis also a leader in wastewater treatment. It currently reclaims roughly 75 per cent of its reused effluents for agriculture. The second- and third-place countries with respect to reclamation are Spain and Australia, with 12 per cent and 9 per cent reclamation rates respectively. Israeli has also developed IT-based technologies for water safety and security and other technologies that manage water efficiencyandwater infrastructure. In agriculture, Israel is the undisputed world leader in drip irrigation, with fourl ocal companies and their home-grown products accounting for about 50 per cent market share in the $2bn international drip-irrigation market. Israel also has a strong edge in crop technologies such as plant genomics, breeding, and crop protection. Israeli seed companies typically maintain strong relationships with local growers leading to quick adoption of new breeding technologies. These relationships also give the seed companies rapid exposure to changing market trends, and access to markets in Asia and other regions of the world. Leveraging the Israeli innovation engine How can foreign companies benefit from Israeli innovation?We have observed six models that global companies have used to work with innovative Israeli companies - indeed these are approaches that work well in any cluster of innovation. And, while it is beyond our scope here, we have also identified a way for companies to choose the model that best suits them and their innovation agenda. These models are listed in the order of commitment required to pursue from low to high. Partnering with a local company allows a foreign company to leverage Israeli innovation while sharing R&D risk. This is best for companies looking to match Israeli R&D know-how with their international marketing and sales engines. Investing in a local company providesearly benefits derived from the development of leading-edge technologies.This is primarily done by companies looking to encourage further development in a given field. Setting up a corporate venture-capital arm in Israel can be a mechanism for scanning relevant innovations and gaining early access to new technologies. Such an investment approach allows a foreign player to benefit from the financial upside of helping young companies grow, while maintaining minimal involvement in the investment target itself. Establishing incubators in Israel can allow foreign companies to gain exposure to innovative companies at an early stage of development, and it also allows the local companies to benefit from coaching provided by the incubator. This approach works best for companies looking to make long-term, strategic, low-cost investments in Israeli companies. Establishing local R&D centers allows foreign players to leverage local innovation talent, as well as the entrepreneurial spirit and problem-solving skills of Israeli workers and focus them on long-term strategic topics. This model is for companies looking to establish remote activities in a location featuring attractive government support and tax benefits. Acquiring a local start-up is a fast track to absorbing Israeli innovation. Such a move allows foreign players to obtain innovative technology, intellectual property, and local talent, in a turnkey fashion. This model would give a foreign player quick access to an established market for a particular product or service. R&D is accelerating around the world, in both size and scope. Israel is relatively close to the main business centers of Europe - less then five hours by air to Paris, London, Milan, or Frankfurt. It also has strong trade relations with the European Union, as well as a free tradeagreement with the continent. We believe it has enough potential to become the innovation hub, or Silicon Valley, of Europe.To tap into the Israeli innovation pool, foreign companies need to articulate an R&D strategy and develop a systematic approach to scan for new technologies and potential partners. They also need to be thoughtful about their needs and select the right engagement model for partnering with Israeli innovation talent. Michael Bloch and Jonathan Kolodny are directors in McKinsey's Tel Aviv office, where Dana Maor is a principal.

Selig Expects Expanded Playoffs to Start This Year Commissioner Bud Selig says he expects baseball to expand its playoffs this season. Selig spoke Friday night at a fan festival for the Chicago White Sox. Baseball intends to add an additional wild-card team in each league. Selig says there still scheduling issues to be worked out but once they are, the new 10-team format would begin with a one-game playoff.

Iowa caucuses: Volunteers for Gingrich, Santorum, Bachmann scramble for votes URBANDALE, Iowa -- A worn-out looking Newt Gingrich made a surprise visit to his campaign headquarters here to rally the troops and make a few impromptu phone calls late Saturday afternoon. Republican presidential candidate, former House Speaker Newt Gingrich, greets patrons as he stops for lunch at The Farmer's Kitchen restaurant in Atlantic, Iowa, Saturday, Dec. 31, 2011. Charles Dharapak - AP Gingrich, looking visibly tired, said he thinks he's fighting the flu. He made a few quick calls to supporters, posed for pictures with volunteers and then ducked back onto his campaign bus, which was headed to Des Moines for the night. About 60 volunteers manned the phones at Gingrich's headquarters, where desks were partitioned into cubicles by giant Gingrich signs. Outside, license plates from Texas, Georgia, Indian, New York and Arkansas illustrated the distances some volunteers had traveled to work on Gingrich's behalf. Like his rivals, Gingrich's campaign is working furiously to sign up precinct captains and caucus workers and turn the last undecided voters his way. Gingrich's Iowa director, Craig Schoenfeld, said the campaign has increased the number of caucus speakers and precinct captains positioned to work on Gingrich's behalf on caucus night from 100 to nearly 1,000. "I was not prepared for this," said Bill Curtis, 54, an oil-industry geologist from Austin who flew to Iowa to help Gingrich's campaign. Curtis said the response he's hearing on the telephone is overwhelmingly positive, despite Gingrich's slide in the polls since his rivals have been barraging the airwaves with negative advertising. I If this is any kind of scientific sample at all, we're doing OK. Following release of the Des Moines Register poll on Saturday night that showed Gingrich's support slipping to 12 percent, campaign spokesman R.C. Hammond said in an e-mail, "If this is the Superbowl, then we just saw the pre-game show. But, everyone knows the real action happens after kickoff. Around the corner at the headquarters of former Pennsylvania senator Rick Santorum, the scene was quieter, with just a handful of volunteers manning the phones despite Santorum's recent surge in the polls. But at Rep. Michele Bachmann's (Minn.) headquarters, a little farther down the road, more than two dozen students from Oral Roberts University were hard at work calling potential supporters after caravaning up to Iowa on Thursday. The campaign's volunteer coordinator, Steve Hensler, had set up a bell for volunteers to ring when they scored a new Bachmann supporter; the bell rang every minute or so Saturday night. Hensler was also running egg races in the parking lot to keep morale up for a group of students who'd been working the phones for days. Winston Frost, a professor at Oral Roberts University, helped coordinate the road trip for the student volunteers. Frost attended law school at Oral Roberts with Bachmann; he saw the candidate and her husband, Marcus, Saturday for the first time in 30 years. He's a huge admirer and he remembers the whole class watching her take the front row on the first day of classes and quickly demonstrate her confidence and studious ways, he said. "She's the same person today she was on the first day of law school," Frost said. She has backbone and strength and consistency. She's a wonderful role model, especially for women.

Woman found dead after Guildford flat explosion

Teachers strike across Spain, protesting cuts MADRID (Reuters) - Spanish teachers went on strike on Tuesday to protest against cuts in education spending that unions say will put 100,000 substitute teachers out of work but that the government says are needed to tackle the euro zone debt crisis. The central government has ordered Spain's 17 autonomous regions to cut 3 billion euros ($4 billion) from education spending this year, as part of a tough program to trim the public deficit to an EU-agreed level of 5.3 percent of gross domestic product. Spain's economy is contracting for the second time since late 2009 and four years of stagnation and recession have pushed unemployment above 24 percent, the highest rate in the European Union. The recession has been aggravated by deep austerity measures taken by the government as it tries to reassure investors of its fiscal health. Spain's borrowing costs recently rose to euro-era highs on concerns it cannot avoid an Ireland-style bailout because of its troubled banks. Tuesday's strike affected all levels of public education, from kindergarten to university. Teachers at some private schools that receive state subsidies were also on strike. Unions called the strike a success and said 80 percent of teachers took part, while the education ministry said it was barely 20 percent. Tens of thousands of people attended marches in Madrid, Barcelona and other cities. Many wore green T-shirts which have become the uniform of those who oppose the centre-right government's cuts. "This year we have 30 teachers less and it is mainly because they have withdrawn courses and taken away supply teachers, we have lost the classrooms that allowed immigrants to learn the language," said Pilar Molto from La Paloma high school in Madrid, who has been teaching for 34 years. Spain's high school graduation rate is 74 percent, compared with an 85 percent average in the European Union, according to the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development. Critics complain that the government is spending billions of euros to rescue banks that got into trouble after the property market crashed, while it cuts spending on schools and hospitals. The autonomous regions, many of which overspent on huge infrastructure projects during the boom years from the late 90s to 2008, are also expected to raise fees for state universities to meet their budget-trimming goals. Teachers have held several walkouts and mass protests in recent months against measures such as increasing their weekly teaching hours and cutting class preparation time, which they said would damage the quality of secondary education. The central government's education reform also raises the average number of students in each class by 20 percent. "Quality public education is in danger of dying," said Voro Benavent, spokesman for the Teaching Workers Union, or STE. They are sacrificing our youths' learning because of the crisis. Additional reporting by Reuters TV and Feliciano Tisera; Writing by Fiona Ortiz; Editing by Julien Toyer and Andrew Roche

Helston residents evacuated as River Cober rises 22 December 2012 Last updated at 06:42 Residents are being evacuated from their homes in Helston in Cornwall after river levels rose dangerously overnight, the fire service said. Police went door to door in the town waking residents and led them to a nearby emergency rest centre. Cornwall Fire Service said 190 people were advised to leave amid fears over the level of the River Cober. A severe flood warning - the only one in the UK - remains in place for Helston. Emergency services have been dealing with flooding incidents across Cornwall throughout the night, including several vehicles stuck in water.

Former Scottish first minister launches phone-hacking legal action Jack McConnell, now Lord McConnell, was Scottish first minister from 2001 to 2007. Lord McConnell, the former first minister of Scotland, has begun legal action after evidence emerged suggesting that his and his children's phones may have been hacked by the News of the World. The former leader of Scottish Labour has been told by police that his and his children's details were found in the paperwork of the former NoW private detective Glenn Mulcaire, dating back to when McConnell took office as first minister in 2001. McConnell, who led the Scottish executive until 2007, has started legal proceedings against News International and has been joined in the action by his daughter Hannah, 33, and son Mark, 28. In what is the most significant hacking allegation so far in Scotland, it is understood that the Metropolitan police are investigating other potential data breaches against McConnell, in addition to the alleged hacking of the family's mobiles. "The initial intrusion appears to start early in Jack's time as first minister but the family and the police don't seem to be ruling out anything at this stage," a source close to the family told the Guardian. A family friend told the Sunday Mail: "Jack is angry that this might have happened to him but is absolutely furious that someone could have been interfering in the private lives of Hannah and Mark." The Scottish Labour party has ratcheted up the pressure on Alex Salmond, McConnell's successor as first minister, over his close relationship with Rupert Murdoch and his son James. It emerged at the Leveson inquiry last week that Salmond offered to lobby the UK government on behalf of the Murdochs to support their proposed takeover of BSkyB, just as he was seeking the support of the Scottish edition of the Sun in last year's Holyrood elections. Margaret Curran, the shadow Scottish secretary, said Salmond and the Scottish National party should put the integrity of the Scottish parliament before their dealings with the Murdochs. The Scottish government's response to this growing scandal is weak and insufficient. Their story changes by the day and is utterly self-contradictory. They are treating people like fools in order to cover up their own murky deals with the Murdochs," Curran said. Our Scottish parliament was meant to do things differently, meant to set higher standards. On this issue, that has not happened and Scotland is the poorer for it. This is a test of the Scottish parliament and a test of the SNP's commitment to it. Salmond has said he offered to support the BSkyB bid in the interests of protecting Scottish jobs, and argued that other news organisations have been implicated in hacking and illegally accessing confidential data. He has brushed off complaints that he was the only party leader to deepen his personal dealings with Murdoch after it emerged in July last year that the NoW had hacked Milly Dowler's phone. In February, Salmond hosted a lunch at his official residence, Bute House, for Rupert Murdoch, Tom Mockridge, the News International chief executive, and Frédéric Michel, the News Corp lobbyist who facilitated contact between Salmond and James Murdoch. The previous weekend, the launch edition of the Sun on Sunday had revealed Salmond's preferred date for the Scottish independence referendum, and Murdoch had sent out admiring tweets about Salmond. Salmond told BBC Radio 4's Today programme on Saturday: "I think Rupert Murdoch is one of the most substantial figures in journalism for the last 50 years, so it would strike me as important to have a good and businesslike relationship with him. The idea that malpractice and potential illegality is confined to one newspaper organisation is for the birds. Until now, the most significant Scottish hacking cases centred on the disgraced Scottish socialist leader Tommy Sheridan and other figures involved in a NoW investigation into his extramarital affairs and visits to a swingers club. It is suspected that phones belonging to McConnell's children may have been targeted because his own answering service was pre-set to send callers to a paging service. There is no evidence, however, that his wife, Bridget, a prominent council executive in Glasgow, was also targeted. McConnell was suspicious during his time as first minister about the source of newspaper stories about his private life. He was first told of the hacking suspicions several weeks ago by Strathclyde police, which has been winding down its investigation acting on behalf of the Met. Curran said: "I don't think Alex Salmond actually understands what he is playing with here. Even after the sick revelations this summer about hacking the phone of a missing teenager, he became the only leader in western Europe to invite Rupert Murdoch round for tea. The development makes Mr Salmond's decision to act as an undercover lobbyist for the Murdochs look increasingly unwise.

BlackBerry, Aiming to Avoid the Hall of Fallen Giants FORGET the Union - what's the state of the BlackBerry? Research in Motion, maker of BlackBerry smartphones and tablets, sent its co-chief executives packing last week and replaced them with Thorsten Heins, who had been RIM's chief operating officer. How would he characterize his employer? "We make the best communications devices in the world," said Mr. Heins, who met with editors and reporters from The New York Times on Friday. Not everyone feels the same way. Over the last year, RIM's share price has plunged 75 percent. The company once commanded more than half of the American smartphone market. Today it has 10 percent. RIM has two, maybe three ways forward. The first - the one that Mr. Heins is clearly aiming for - is a triumphant comeback after a near-death experience. Think Apple and its iMac. RIM is on the verge of upgrading its PlayBook operating system - now with, among other things, e-mail, a feature that the original PlayBook bafflingly lacked - and will release the BlackBerry 10 OS this year. Behind Door No. 2 is a gradual decline and diminution as rivals like Apple, Google and Microsoft devour most of the market; to some degree, they already have. BlackBerry would keep the scraps - a small but dedicated following of corporate and government customers who want its proprietary messaging and security features. Then there is the third option: oblivion. The road of progress is littered with the corpses of fallen titans. Objects that once seemed as indispensable as the companies that made them have been mercilessly superseded - as seen below. And RIM ought to know: with mobile devices like the BlackBerry 957, it helped to extinguish the pager era. SONY WALKMAN (1979-2010) Before the Walkman, "personal audio" meant holding a transistor radio to your ear. Sony's invention created an entire category of devices and helped make the company the technology leader of the 1980s. New models (Thinner! Auto-reverse!) were eagerly anticipated, the LP was relegated to the attic and tender moments spent listening to mix tapes from that certain someone proliferated across teenage bedrooms. Sony seemed incapable of putting a foot wrong. It successfully moved the brand into compact discs with the Discman, then bought record labels and movie studios to bring about that illusory marriage of technology and content. When the digital revolution hit, Sony was too beholden to its proprietary formats, as well as to the inertia inside its media companies. Enter Apple and the iPod. PAGERS (BORN 1951) At first, pagers were attached to people who worked in fields where lives were on the line. That usually meant doctors, though the group expanded in the late 1980s to include drug dealers. Early beepers displayed only numbers, giving rise to a numerical lexicon that included codes like 911 (call me back immediately) and 07734, which resembles "hello" when read upside down. Pagers briefly gained fame in early 1990s hip-hop, showing up in songs like "Skypager," by a Tribe Called Quest. The pager's fall was attributable to the disruptive and destructive powers of another technology: the mobile phone. Why beep when you can talk? And a pager message is so tiny that it makes a tweet look like "The Iliad." The beeper does live on, in limited circles: its network remains more reliable than cell networks, making it useful to E.M.S. and other rescue workers. PALM PILOT (1997-2007) Filofax brought personal organizers to their analog apogee in the early "90s, but Palm brought them into the digital age. Palm Pilots were dazzling when they first appeared: all of your contacts, calendars and notes in one slim, pocket-size device. A touch screen, which required a stylus, made navigation easy. And you could add software, bought through an online store. Want a Zagat guide to go along with your personal data? No problem. In later years, Palm even added telephone features, creating a compelling, all-in-one gadget. Despite boardroom dramas that affected the company's name and its ownership, Palm's reputation as a source of innovative hardware and software endured until Jan. 9, 2007. Why that date? That's when Apple introduced the iPhone. POLAROID INSTANT CAMERAS (1948-2008) Edwin Land's invention of instant-developing film in 1948 put a darkroom inside a handheld camera. That achievement gave his Polaroid Corporation a distinct advantage over traditional film cameras. By 1980, Polaroid was selling 7.8 million cameras a year in the United States - more than half of all the 15 million cameras, instant and traditional, sold that year. In 1985, it won a major patent-infringement suit, forcing Kodak to abandon its own instant-camera efforts. The victory was short-lived. The late "80s brought the rise of the digital camera. By 2000, digital cameras began appearing on cellphones, placing cameras in millions of pockets. Polaroid declared bankruptcy for the first time in 2001 and stopped making instant film in 2008. Kodak declared bankruptcy on Jan. 19. ATARI 2600 (1977-c.1984) It wasn't the first game console, but the Atari 2600 brought video games into the home and popular culture. Over its life span, more than 30 million were sold. Pong, Combat, Pitfall and Frogger soaked up children's afternoons. Then came the PC, which could play games and do much more. Atari rushed out games, assuming that its customers would play whatever it released. They didn't. Millions of unsold games and consoles were buried in a New Mexico landfill in 1983. Warner Communications, which bought Atari in 1976 for $28 million, sold it in 1984 for no cash.

Train derails in Ontario, injuries reported Train derails in Ontario, injuries reported - Americas BREAKING NEWS: Daytona 500 auto race postponed until Monday due to rain BURLINGTON, Ontario - A spokeswoman for Canada's Via Rail says a passenger train travelling from Niagara Falls to Toronto has derailed near Burlington, Ontario. Railroad spokeswoman Michelle Lamarche said two cars came off the tracks Sunday near the Aldershot train station. She says 75 people were on board the train, and some of them have been injured. There are reports that several people are trapped inside the wreckage. Police haven't released any details about the accident. Chavez arrives in Cuba for urgent tumor removal

BBC axed My Family because it was too middle class says Zoe Wanamaker Miss Wanamaker said she was angry at the way the corporation had handled the cancellation of the programme - which was at one time the UK's most popular sitcom - after 121 episodes. Executives were believed to have worried that BBC output had become too focused on one social group, with shows such as My Family and Outnumbered, and were searching for working-class comedy, the Daily Mail reported. Miss Wanamaker said the BBC had "shot itself in the foot" - since it was continuing to promote middle-class sitcom Miranda, starring Miranda Hart. Interviewed on BBC4's Mark Lawson Talks To..., she said: "I was angry at how they handled it, really more than anything. All I got told was that the BBC didn't want to have any more middle-class sitcoms, which was kind of shooting yourself in the foot really, as a statement, because along comes Miranda Hart, who is the most wonderful... and she is not exactly working class. In My Family, Miss Wanamaker, 62, played Susan Harper, long-suffering wife of dentist Ben Harper. The programme was axed last year after 11 series. At the peak of its popularity, the sitcom was watched by more than ten million viewers but by the end of its run was struggling to reach audience figures of five million. Announcing its cancellation, BBC1 controller Danny Cohen said: "We feel it's time to make room for new comedies." At the same time Miranda was being promoted from BBC2 to BBC1 because of its popularity.

David Cameron and Barack Obama

My new girl nerves at Mumsnet Academy There are reassuring cups of tea being handed out and clipboards for the keenies who want to take notes as Fernyhough, a likeable chap, who doesn't turn a hair when a sudden crescendo of crybabying drowns him out, leads us through the development of consciousness. "Do babies have synaesthesia?" ponders Fernyhough, as he moots the notion that tiny babies might experience colours as sounds. I'm tempted to cry "Who cares, as long as the little blighters sleep through!" but I hold my tongue. After all, what's the point of attending Skool if you know all the answers? Years ago there was a seminal advertising campaign for Carlsberg, which presented a utopian vision of Jack Charlton, Bobby Charlton and Peter Beardsley having a kickabout, with the payoff line "Carlsberg don't do pub teams, but if they did, they'd probably be the best pub team in the world." I was reminded of the campaign when I first heard about the launch of the Mumsnet Academy. Is my Boden frock in the wash? Did I leave my LK Bennetts on that sleepover? I need a new Smythson pencil case! Like, right now! Given that logging on to the average MNer forum is like pitting your wits against Dorothy Parker in full, acerbic flight, my instinctive fear was that Mumsnet Academy would be more Mean Girls than High School Musical. And how would I get in? Would I have to hijack the children's tutor and pass exams in Parma ham production or write a dissertation using only impenetrable Mumsnet acronyms? Apparently not. It's a (gasp!) fee-paying academy, which won't go down well with the Leftie contingent. Except it will, because a great many of the courses have been suggested by Mumsnetters. Ker-ching! As a result, it looks set to be a money-spinner; today's course cost £35. The How To Get Your Novel Published weekend is £299 and the family pasta-making masterclass is £100 - for three hours. It's so inspired, I wish I'd thought of it. But then, deep down, I wish I'd thought of Mumsnet, which is possibly why I feel so ambivalent about it. "The Mumsnet Academy is the natural extension of Mumsnet as a place for people to come and exchange ideas and swap experiences," says Patrick Keogh, a consultant for the company. The difference is that there's someone in the room leading that conversation. The community is quite vocal so when we suggest courses, they will respond; Mumsnet is all about having a voice and hopefully we're listening to that. Keogh dismisses the charge of elitism, citing practical courses such as Feed a Family for a Fortnight and DIY, before amiably observing: "Just because something doesn't appeal to everyone, doesn't make it elitist." He's right, of course. But bearing in mind the Woody Allen approach to joining clubs, I do find myself wrestling with the love-it, hate-it conundrum. While I am locked in cognitive dissonance, Tabitha, who gets excellent practice at sitting unnaturally still at Church, gets hopelessly bored after the statutory hour has passed. Truth be told, I tuned out not long after Fernyhough conjured up a 3D model of the brain and got stuck into the somatosensory cortex. But other, cleverer women around me are engrossed, and taking multitasking to a whole new level by bandying about terms like "modality" and "occipital lobe," while breastfeeding and eating lemon drizzle cake. "I've got a real interest in my baby's brain," says Anji Pendleton, a management consultant and mother of Esme, aged 16 months. And I'm a fan of Mumsnet; it offered such wonderful support when I was having difficulty breast-feeding. I think I would have stopped, had I not been given such great advice and encouragement. Marge Brown, a GP and mother of Patrick, 11 weeks, had come along with a friend from her National Childbirth Trust group - to be honest, Mumsnet won't thank me for saying so, but the whole thing is like a really posh NCT meeting, with a much better calibre of mummy mates than you're likely to meet in any area where most of us can afford a house. "We usually go on a lot of walks, or to places like the V&A Museum," says Dr Brown. It's important to do things that stimulate our minds. There is no Mumsnet Academy building and certainly nothing on the scale of Francis Fowke's Victorian masterpiece in South Kensington. Yet. But, when you think about it, the brashest new city academies are privately sponsored by individuals or organisations, so time will tell if a suitable benefactor turns up. Doesn't The Waitrose Wing have a certain ring to it? Perhaps housing The Johnnie B Centre for Balsamic Vinegar Studies? Until that historic day, the main venue for the Mumsnet Academy is the intriguingly named School of Life, a shop and meeting room where thinkers like the school's founder, Alain de Botton, psychologist Oliver James and Germaine Greer meet and address issues and deliver thought-provoking sermons concerned with living "wisely and well." It's a far cry from the school run and getting the dog wormed and booking dental appointments for everyone and swinging by the dry-cleaner and taking sausages out of the freezer and putting in a full day's work in between. But maybe that's why there appears to be such a demand for a moment's head space? Offspring are welcome, which is a bonus for busy parents, although it does slightly defeat the me-time purpose if you've got to schlep the baby along, or indeed hold an extravagantly bilious three-year-old. And, hand on heart, I'm tempted. Forthcoming events include Mindfulness for Mums, Keeping the Spark Alive and Having It All. Doesn't that all sound gloriously epiphanic? Yes, I am aware that this navel-gazing is achingly middle class. But then, I am achingly middle class, so I should probably stop evading my destiny. Besides, with so many Mumsnetters in the room, someone is bound to know how to get the icky smell of children's vomit off my clothes.

London Wasps 17 v Saracens 22: match report Wasps, who have been decimated by injuries for most of the season, were at something approaching full strength for the first time this season but there lack of confidence was evident in a tentative display. Wasps required two favourable bounces of the ball to break down a well-organised Saracens defence. A Nick Robinson grubber kick ricocheted off a Saracens player and was snaffled by Billy Vunipola for the first and the other stood up nicely for hooker Tom Lindsay after Robinson had punted upfield. But Vunipola also gifted Saracens their try with a looping pass that was easily intercepted by left wing James Short close to half way. It would have been easy for Dai Young, Wasps' director of rugby, to blame this defeat on referee Greg Garner's control of the scrums, "We have talked all season about having a strong enough platform so that decisions will not be a factor, obviously we are not there yet," Young said. Perception is always going to play a part. I thought we were unlucky on a couple of occasions at scrum time. But there is no point mud-slinging at the referee, that's not my style. We have just got to be better and make sure that we are dominant enough to make it obvious that those penalties have to come your way. Goode's five penalties ensured that Wasps had to settle for a losing point which allowed them to restore a nine points advantage on bottom club Newcastle but not to ease their relegation fears. "It's still quite tight, we have all got to play each other so things can turn around but there are two or three of us who need to keep looking over our shoulder," Young said.

'Christmas Story' Lawsuit: Bully in Fight Over Use of His Image half hour with the bully from the holiday film, "a christmas story," in the middle of a grown-up fight. Mark greenblatt is here. What's going on here? Reporter: We're talking about one of the most famous bullies of all-time. The actor has grown up. And says the tables have turned, with corporate america being mean now to him. Are you going to cry now? Reporter: You probably know zach ward as one of the most famous and feared bullies of all-time. Scott farcus, the them nis of ralphie in "a christmas story." He's the one getting bulled now, by the maker of a board game after that classic. He's suing the national collectible entertainment association for fraud, claiming the company used his image without his permission and without paying him. It's not the way you're supposed to treat people. And in my gut, it felt unfair. And it was the perfect example of being bullied. Reporter: Ward said he did give permission for this action figure to be made. He claims that the national entertainment collectibles association never mentioned the board game. I had never been told about this. I was shocked. Absolutely shocked. Reporter: His lawsuit quotes e-mails from the movie studio, like this one, warning the board gamemaker, you cannot ship this product without approval from the actor. Ward claimed the company tricked the studio into thinking it did have permission to make the games and sold thousands of them. They expected to me to roll over, suck my thumb and go home. And complain and whine about it. But really do nothing. And I just couldn't do that. Reporter: But the manufacturer's lawyer tells "gma," we had his consent. This has been a manufactured story from the beginning. But does concede they owe ward royalties. Leaving, perhaps, the most famous bully ever, from ralphie in the movie, sometimes it does pay to fight b and the attorney for that board gamemaker believes that zack ward is a washed-up actor whose career peaked at 13 years old. And claims his client got permission to use that image. They settled the lawsuit. And he is owed royalties. It's interesting to see him grown up. He doesn't look like a bully anymore. But still has the red hair. Time to check in with ron and the other top stories.

Najar sent off as D.C. and New York locked in playoffs Sat Nov 3, 2012 11:25pm EDT (Reuters) - D.C. United missed a golden opportunity to gain an early advantage in the Major League Soccer Eastern Conference semi-finals, drawing 1-1 with the New York Red Bulls, in a match that was highlighted by two own goals and United's Andy Najar being sent off for throwing the ball at referee Jair Marrufo. Najar had initially been booked for a foul on Joel Lindpere, then threw the ball in the direction of Maruffo, who issued a second yellow card that will rule the Honduran international out of the second leg on Wednesday. D.C. United, playing at home, took the lead when Red Bull substitute Roy Miller turned a 61st minute cross from Chris Korb into his own net. The home side's advantage, however, lasted just four minutes as Heath Pearce innocuously headed a New York corner towards D.C. keeper Bill Hamid, but Hamid stumbled and bumbled the ball over the line for another own goal. Hamid remonstrated with referee Marrufo claiming he was bumped by New York defender Markus Holgersson but his pleas were ignored. Najar then lost his cool in the 71st minute and was given his marching orders, though the visitors were unable to capitalise on their numerical advantage for the final 19 minutes.

Israelis place hopes in Iron Dome against Gaza fire

Spring Time: Lovely Flies, and Flies in Love Spring Time Tracking the season in a patch of Staten Island forest. It is not often that I covet a fly's ensemble. Yet during my last visit to Corson's Brook Woods, I was wowed by a golden-backed snipe fly's all-black outfit, with its lavish gold midsection and smoky wing venation. The fashion house of Alexander McQueen couldn't have done much better. An elegant fly sounds improbable, I know. But house flies and their filthy habits give us a narrow perspective. We are discovering a rich diversity of native flies on Staten Island, with nary a domestic pest in sight. We spot several species in a shady tangle of grape vines at the edge of the woods. Long-legged flies look battle-ready in full metallic armor. They appear to change color when viewed from different angles, shifting from green to gold in the sunshine. A lone waved light fly rests on a leaf. Its wings look deeply scalloped, but this unusual shape is an illusion created by alternating dark and diaphanous bands. We see farther back in the thicket, discretely hidden by foliage, a pair of crane flies back to back, with touching posteriors. Mating is one of the final acts of the adult stage of this fly. Then there are insects whose presence is announced by their hiding places. A glop of white froth on a ruddy stem provides cover for immature dogwood spittlebugs. Their plant host is a silky dogwood, related to the flowering dogwood tree but shorter in stature. This shrub is blooming now, with clusters of small white flowers stretching out into the sunshine from the shady forest interior. We find an odd protuberance, like an old lumpy sponge, at the twiggy tip of a nearby white oak. A tiny gall wasp created this wool sower gall when it laid its eggs. When young and fresh, the gall would have resembled a perky white and pink pompom. Fungi also depend on the forest's oaks. Creamy marasmius mushroom caps balance like delicate dollhouse china, teetering atop wiry black stems. About a dozen diminutive specimens rise from one castoff oak leaf. We also see two orbweaver spiders along the forest edge. Despite their bold black, white and yellow colors, they are not known to be harmful. One has lost some of its web, threads of which sway freely in the strong wind. Not mindful of us, the spider continues with its business of repairing and rebuilding. Quietly curled in the crotch of a maple tree is a small raccoon about the size of a cat. It watches us curiously, its big warm eyes following our movements with interest. It's still young, and I wonder about its mother's whereabouts. A nearby fluttering catches my eye: a male zabulon skipper butterfly. As it flits its wings, I see their buttery yellow undersides, smudged with brown dots. Its wings remain still and upright for a long time. Finally, they spread open quickly to reveal flame orange trimmed in chocolate brown. In a flash the skipper disappears into the woods. Marielle Anzelone - botanist, urban ecologist, founder of NYC Wildflower Week and author of last year's Autumn Unfolds series on City Room - is tracking spring's progress in a forest on Staten Island each week. Go to her Flickr page to see more photos.

Cop Probed For Punching Woman in Face A Philadelphia cop is being investigated today after a video was posted on YouTube showing him punching a woman in the face and knocking her to the ground before she is led off bloodied and handcuffed. The video was taken at Sunday's Puerto Rican Day Parade, an event that Lt. Ray Evers said, "usually goes off without a hitch." We were made aware of the video very, very early this morning. Internal Affairs opened up an investigation in reference to the incident and the actions of that officer," Evers told ABCNews.com. The incident is being fully investigated. The video shows a crowd of blue-shirted police officers standing in the middle of a street, around a car. Someone on the left appears to throw something resembling silly string or a liquid on the cops. An officer in a white shirt rushes out of the crowd and goes after a woman with long, dark hair and a black T-shirt. Her back is to the camera so it is unclear if she was saying anything to him. The officer appears to punch her in the face and then hit her in the back of the head. She falls to the ground where two officers apprehend her and lead her off. As she passes the camera, blood can be seen streaming down her face. "The video speaks for itself," Evers said. There were people in the crowd throwing items at the officer, water and other things. The woman was taken into custody on a disorderly conduct charge and was later released. Evers said he believed she had a cut lip, but was not seriously injured. Police are not releasing the name of the officer or of the woman. In regards to whether the officer has faced any disciplinary action, Evers said, "The duty status of the officer has not been determined as of yet." Evers said the decision is expected to be made sometime today and he predicted it would be, "either full duty or administrative capacity." The YouTube video, titled "Philadelphia Police Brutality" was posted on Sept. 30 and already has over 1,000 comments. Some of the comments were in support of the officer, but the majority denounced his behavior. Regardless of what was done or provoked, the use of excessive force is apparent in this case. She was pursued and smacked, not restrained," one commenter wrote. "She is obviously not [sic] threat and can easily be subdued by a man of his size versus her small frame plus there was plenty of back up," another wrote. His position and authority contradict his actions, I would hope his rank was earned off of better judgement [sic] in the past because this was just shameful.

Thierry Henry to bid Arsenal adieu once more While Wenger is resigned to losing one striker, he is adamant he will make it as difficult as possible for Real Madrid, a reported suitor of Van Persie, to prise the striker from the club. Spanish newspapers reported a source close to Van Persie, who has a season-and-a-half left on his contract, as saying the striker was interested in moving to the Bernabeu but he "didn't believe that Arsenal accept any negotiations." When asked for a reaction to the reports, Wenger said: "No. You should ask Robin van Persie," before adding: "In Spain they are very creative. They've created another story. They don't care. Wenger's ultimately fruitless attempt to keep hold of Cesc Fabregas following repeated expressions of interest from Barcelona and the former Arsenal captain began in similar fashion, with unattributed sources close to the player leaking stories to the Spanish press. And while there is little indication that Real Madrid and Arsenal are even at initial stages of contact, Wenger reacted strongly to questions about what his answer would be if either Real or Barcelona came calling for his captain. What do you think [the answer would be]? Wenger said. Barcelona already know that they have a difficult job with us always. Wenger added his displeasure at the Premier League's 25-man squad ruling, claiming it stopped him from adding to his side in the January transfer window. "It is absolutely crazy," he said. It will paralyse the market. You see nothing happened in the January transfer window. Because everybody has 25 so if nobody buys nobody else can buy. If I'm paralysed here and I have to buy a player, I have to kick somebody out. The answer is to leave it open.

Cops: Gunbattle ends 14-hour standoff in Nebraska pharmacy ALLIANCE, Neb. -- A 14-hour standoff with a gunman at a pharmacy ended with the suspect's death, the Nebraska State Patrol said early Wednesday. The dead suspect was identifed by police as 27-year-old Andres Gonzales, of Alliance. A police statement did not say how Gonzales died. However, the death was confirmed following a gunbattle inside the pharmacy with Nebraska State Patrol SWAT team members. None of the SWAT officers was injured. Nebraska State Patrol Lt. Lance Rogers said earlier that the gunman was wanted in connection with the shooting and wounding of two city police officers and a state patrol officer. None of their injuries is life-threatening. The gunman also held a hostage for hours Tuesday in a western Nebraska drugstore. The hostage, identified Wednesday by Collins as pharmacy owner Charles Lierk, 62, of Alliance. Lierk managed to escape but was shot while getting away, Collins said. Lierk was taken to a local hospital where he was in stable condition, she said. Rogers also said police found a body Tuesday in a nearby home but declined to say whether it is related to the standoff. Police don't know how that person died, Rogers said. 'Best hometown in America' The standoff began Tuesday morning when the gunman entered the Thiele Pharmacy & Gifts in the center of downtown Alliance, a city of about 8,600 people. "When we woke this morning in the best hometown in America, little did anyone in our wildest dreams foresee what would transpire today," Mayor Fred Feldges said. Authorities said that officers responded after an apparent botched robbery. More than 10 hours after the standoff started, Rogers described the scene as "very volatile," according to NBC station WOWT. Alliance Police Chief John Kiss said the gunman shot officers Matt Shannon, 35, and Kirk Felker, 43. Shannon was treated at Box Butte General Hospital and released. Felker also was taken to the hospital and was recovering, Kiss said. Later, state trooper Tim Flick, 37, was wounded. He remained hospitalized Tuesday night. WOWT reported that Flick was a 15-year veteran of the state patrol. More news from NBC station WOWT The standoff prompted police to close off several blocks of downtown Alliance throughout the day. Much of downtown remained blocked early Wednesday morning. Ray Hielscher told the Lincoln Journal Star that he was watching the pharmacy from a Radio Shack across the street and saw the hostage run out about 5:30 p.m. local time (8:30 p.m. Hielscher said he heard shots as the hostage ran out the front door and made it to safety to nearby police. Earlier in the day, Dixie Nelson, director of the Alliance Chamber of Commerce, said she looked out the window of her organization's offices across the street from the pharmacy after an employee heard a gunshot. "We had just come out of a staff meeting," Nelson said. Our administrative assistant was walking up to the front, and she heard the shot. Nelson said she saw a wounded police officer, who was shot in an arm while standing outside the pharmacy. It appeared the shot was fired through the glass on the store's door or window. He was shot in the arm. I could see. Either his upper forearm or bicep area," Nelson said. Alliance is in the Nebraska Panhandle, about 370 miles west Omaha and 190 miles from Denver. The Associated Press and NBC station WOWT contributed to this report.

Men plead guilty after having sex on ship ROSEAU, Dominica, March 23 (UPI) -- Two California men pleaded guilty in Dominica to public indecency and lewd conduct for having sex on a cruise ship in view of the public. John Robert Hart, 41, and Dennis Jay Mayer, 43, both of Palm Springs, Calif., were ordered to pay $900 fines Thursday for the misdemeanor charges, KTLA-TV, Los Angeles, reported. The two men were arrested Wednesday after a witness reported seeing them having sex on the balcony of a cruise ship off the coast of the Caribbean island. The balcony was facing a town at the time and was about 150 feet from a street, said Atlantis Events President Rich Campbell, whose company arranged the cruise. Atlantis Events is a southern California company that specializes in travel for gays. Because sex between two men is illegal in Dominica, Hart and Mayer were initially charged with sodomy, but authorities said the charge would take too long to prosecute, so the charge was reduced to indecent exposure. Stevie St. John, a spokesperson for the Los Angeles Gay & Lesbian Center said vacationers need to be aware of laws in other countries. "I would suggest looking not only into the laws of where you're traveling to, but also whether there have been violent attacks," St. John said.

The Global News Quiz - Test Your Knowledge... All taken from this week's "Global Note": 1) The Gates Foundation announced a major companion to provide more of what for women around the world? 2) Who is Thomas Lubanga? 3) Which world leader had a mysterious attractive woman at his side? 4) In what island nation did a Crown Prince marry his second cousin? 5) Whose neighbors called her "unbearable"? 6) Who was an official speaking about when he told reporters, "We are on the way to an autopsy"? 7) Which country celebrated its first birthday? 8) Why did the charity Oxfam profit from Roger Federer's Wimbledon victory? 9) Who called a tragedy "a banal accident"? 10) In what capital did a tiger kill a man? 11) Where did a homeless couple return a bag containing $10,000 in cash? 12) This week 9 climbers died on the French peak "Mont Maudit." What does the name mean? 13) What new tool is the U.S. Navy deploying to the Persian Gulf? 14) Who is Ibrahim al-Qosi? 15) Which city was given this forecast: "Cloudy, With A Chance of Chaos"? 16) Who was the subject of this headline: " (He) terrorizes Europe; his return is a danger." 17) Who is buying the Italian fashion house Valentino? 18) Which airline's crew uniforms will be sold at Banana Republic? 19) What name was given to the kitten that survived a freight-container Pacific crossing? 1) Access to contraception. 2) A Congolese warlord found guilty of using child soldiers - and sentenced to 14 years in the first-ever verdict for the International Criminal Court. 3) North Korean leader Kim Jong Un. The woman attended a concert with him in Pyongyang and accompanied him to a memorial service marking the anniversary of his grandfather's death. 4) Tonga. 5) Susan Boyle. 6) Yasser Arafat. 7) South Sudan. 8) Oxfam International took home $157,597 thanks to a bet placed by a now-deceased donor - he had bet Federer would win seven Wimbledon titles by 2019, and when he died he left the betting slip to Oxfam. 9) Costa Concordia Captain Francesco Schettino, in his first television interview. 10) Copenhagen. 11) Sao Paolo. 12) "Cursed Mountain." 13) Underwater Drones. 14) The Guantanamo detainee freed this week - who was once Osama Bin Laden's driver. 15) London. As the Washington Post wrote, "Less than three weeks before the start of the 2012 Olympics, British officials and athletes around the globe are bracing for a dark threat to the London Games: English weather." 16) Silvio Berlusconi. 17) The royal family of Qatar. 18) Virgin America. For security reasons, Banana Republic won't sell the exact outfits. 19) "Ni hao," which means "hello" in Mandarin. The kitten set sail from Shanghai.

A winter's tale in Vienna After arriving by train, we drop off our bags and linger for a while in the bright, modern rooms of the Hollmann Beletage Hotel (00 43 1 96 11 960; hollmann-beletage.at) at Köllnerhofgasse 6, located in the city's Golden Quarter. This hotel, kitted out in brown leather, red and orange with retro fittings, is pure fun: there's an in-house cinema with freshly popped popcorn and a fitting showing of The Third Man, which we pass up in favour of an early start out hitting the town. For an aperitif, we head to the nearby Café Hawelka (00 43 1 5128230; hawelka.at) at Dorotheergasse 6, a timeless, quintessential café that has a whiff of past cigars and intellectual debates of decades past. We analyse the crowd and wonder who will be the next Gustav Klimt among them, before downing our coffee and whisking down the fairy-light strung streets, past St Stephen's Cathedral. Ducking into the maze of cobbled alleyways beyond, we go into Zu Den 3 Hacken (00 43 1 512 77 87; vinum-wien.at) at Singerstrasse 28 for a fortifying plate of traditional tafelspitz (who would have thought boiled beef could taste so good?) and a bottle, which soon turned into several, of excellent local Grüner Veltliner wine. We hop across the road to Zu Den 3 Hacken's hardcore wine bar for a bit more, before stumbling back to the hotel and collapsing in the giant bed, conveniently located right in the middle of our room. The next morning, with an opera of wine-induced hangover ringing in our heads, we slink down to the hotel's six-course breakfast, before heading to the Therme Wien thermal spa (00 43 1 680 09 96 00; thermewien.at) at Kurbadstrasse 14, found at the end of the No 67 tram line. Floating in heated mineral water outside as our breath steams around us and relaxing against targeted massage jets, we feel rejuvenated and ready to take on the city. Armed with newfound appetites, the vast Naschmarkt outdoor food market is our first stop, where we amble past stall after stall of spices, produce and every cuisine imaginable before settling on a glass of wine and a plate of calamari. Vienna takes Christmas very seriously, and the markets that dot the city are a commitment to Yuletide whimsy. We wander around the one in front of the Karlskirche, sipping on a Glühwein to fortify against the chill and we deliberate over whether every one of our friends and family would like handmade ornaments and bags of sweets for Christmas. We decide that we would, at least, and armed with a bag full, stride over to the nearby MuseumsQuartier, an art-lover's paradise. The regal courtyard outside the Leopold Museum has its own glühwein stands, sheltered from the elements and neon-lit like nightclubs, complete with resonating house music. Slipping inside the Leopold, we visit its café (00 43 1 523 67 32; cafe-leopold.at) at Museumsplatz 1 - a cool, retro functionalist affair, where we opt for several pints of the Viennese Ottakringer lager. With beer on the brain, we buzz through the charming, narrow streets of the Spittelberg Christmas market toward the 7 Stern microbrewery (00 43 1 523 8697; 7stern.at) at Siebensterngasse 19, where we sample the rich and malty seasonal special Weihnachtsbock. We take our time wandering back through the city centre and over to the Museum of Applied Arts, intent on sampling the fantastic creations that come from its restaurant's kitchen, Osterreicher im MAK (00 43 1 7140121; oesterreicherimmak.at) at Stubenring 5. The chandelier-topped room - which, like its menu, balances impeccably between tradition and innovation - has lightning-quick service and we are soon tucking into giant schnitzels with potato salad and zwiebelrostbraten (beef with gravy and onions). Thirsting for something sweet, we cross the Danube to the Sofitel Hotel, where we zip up to the Le Loft Bar & Lounge (00 43 1 906160; sofitel.com) at Praterstrasse 1 to marvel at both the list of cocktails and the mesmerising, bird's-eye view over the city, while rubbing shoulders with the well-heeled. Sipping on a Dark & Stormy seems the perfect end to the day - or at least, it is until we come across a tiny rock'n"roll bar several doors down from our hotel, where the day quickly slips well into the next, fuelled by crisp Zipfer beer. A Hedonist's Guide to ... (Hg2) is a luxury city guide series for the more decadent traveller. For more information , see hg2.com

Kuwait Opposition Seeks Gains in Parliament Vote Opposition groups in Kuwait urged for high voter turnout Thursday in parliamentary elections that could increase the voice of government critics - including hard-line Islamists factions - in one of the West's main Gulf allies. The outcome is widely expected to bring gains for groups that include both liberals inspired by the Arab Spring and Islamic-guided blocs that favor strict rules such as banning women from taking part in international sporting events. A stronger political hold by the Islamists also could complicate Kuwait's close relationship with the U.S. military, which now has its main contingent of ground forces based in this country after the withdrawal from Iraq in December. Kuwait's ruling family controls all key affairs in the oil-rich state. But its 50-seat parliament is one of the few elected bodies in the Gulf that openly challenge the country's leadership and that has the ability to bring no-confidence motions against government officials as high as the prime minister. Opposition leaders were out in force trying to mobilize supporters on a blustery day with sandstorms in some areas. Security forces were deployed in many districts, but there were no reports of unrest after a turbulent run-up that included arsonists torching a rival's campaign tent and mobs storming a TV station during a debate. In this Sunday, January 29, 2012 photo Kuwaiti candidate Mishari Al Azemi gives a speech at his campaign headquarters in Feiha, Kuwait. Almost 300 liberal, Islamist and independent hopefuls are running in Thursday's snap elections called after parliament was dissolved for the fourth time in less than six years. (AP Photo/Gustavo Ferrari) Close Results from the hand-counted ballots are expected early Friday. Kuwait's emir, Sheik Sabah Al Ahmad Al Sabah, dissolved parliament and called elections in December after months of political showdowns that included opposition lawmakers demanding to question the prime minister over an alleged payoff scandal and protests that culminated in anti-government crowds storming parliament. Officials said 400,296 Kuwaitis are registered to vote in what will be the first parliamentary election since May 2009. He has denied the charges. While the expanding array of opposition candidates are expected to do well collectively, the election is a particular test of strength for the Islamist factions after similar groups dominated post-revolution elections in Tunisia and Egypt.

Alternative strategies sought to weaken the yen Like a lot of rituals in Japan, currency intervention has its own distinct language. The government's first stage, indicating an inclination to act, is to warn that the prevailing level of the yen does "not reflect fundamentals," or that movements are "speculative" or "disorderly." Then, to signal that the moment is drawing closer, it starts talking about "bold" or "decisive actions." On that basis, Japanese finance minister Jun Azumi upped the ante last week by saying he was ready to take "decisive steps," notes Yunosuke Ikeda, head of FX strategy at Nomura in Tokyo. Despite an easing in the yen in the past two days following positive US jobs data on Friday, the Japanese currency last week hit its strongest level against the dollar since the Bank of Japan last intervened on 31 October. That rise has been fuelled by the US Federal Reserve's signal last month that it did not expect to raise interest rates until late 2014, making yen-denominated assets relatively more attractive. Since then, then yen has risen over 2 per cent against the dollar. As a result, markets are on high alert for a fresh round of currency intervention by Japan. "I think they are ready to pull the trigger," says Masafumi Takada, yen trader at BNP Paribas in New York. This time, though, analysts say the next stage is not as obvious as the rhetoric might suggest. The Ministry of Finance is certainly willing and able to intervene. If its fourth supplementary budget is passed by Japan's parliament this week, the MoF will have ammunition for another Y70tn in intervention - almost eight times the record Y9.1tn it sold in late October/early November. And many manufacturers claim to be suffering. President Mikio Katayama of Sharp, for example, which last week forecast its worst annual loss since its founding a century ago, said exporting is "nearly impossible" with the yen at current levels. Recent employment data has shown particularly steep falls in the manufacturing sector, which accounts for about one in six non-farming jobs. But as Mr Ikeda notes, the MoF lacks two key elements that supported all three of last year's interventions: speculative movements in the yen/dollar rate, and a near-simultaneous monetary easing from the Bank of Japan. At the BoJ's last policy meeting two weeks ago, governor Masaaki Shirakawa refrained from expanding the bank's asset-purchasing programme, while keeping its target interest rate at virtually zero. And since the last intervention in October the yen has traded in a relatively tight band against the dollar, with low implied volatility. "To trigger [intervention], we really need to see sudden, disorderly moves," says Masafumi Yamamoto, chief FX strategist at Barclays Capital in Tokyo. Further, MoF knows that should it act unilaterally, as it did in August and October, it risks upsetting the US Treasury Department. In December the US criticised Japan for going out on its own to sell its currency, saying it should focus instead on measures to increase the "dynamism" of the domestic economy. Japan's government may fear the consequences of a trade dispute, says Tohru Sasaki, chief FX strategist at JP Morgan. "Frictions between the US and Japan were one of the main reasons why the yen appreciated so sharply in the mid-1990s," he says. In the short-term, say analysts, the 75 dollar/yen level could be a critical test. Many of Japan's small investors trading currencies on margin have stop-loss mechanisms at that level. A break through 75, therefore, would force them to unwind their positions, exacerbating yen appreciation. "That could provide some justification for intervention," says Nomura's Mr Ikeda. Even then, though, the government may struggle to deflect criticism altogether. That is why the market is sensing growing interest from MoF in alternative strategies, such as putting more pressure on the BoJ to embrace more yen-weakening policies. On Monday, Masaaki Shirakawa, governor of the BoJ, said that the bank would "implement approprate steps" to address the problems the country's economy faces. If the BoJ were to make a stronger commitment to monetary looseness, "international tensions could be averted," says Mr Yamamoto of Barcap. Last week in Tokyo an International Monetary Fund official - a former vice finance minister for international affairs - recommended the BoJ expand its easing programme. Former BoJ deputy governor Kazumasu Iwata (now a policy advisor to the government), has suggested that the BoJ set up a "crisis prevention" fund to buy foreign currency-denominated assets to stem yen strength. The logic behind such proposals is that extraordinary circumstances demand extraordinary measures. MoF data shows that foreign investors are continuing to pile into Japan's bonds as a haven from the eurozone crisis. Domestic investors are also clinging to yen assets. Cumulative net investment in foreign bonds so far this fiscal year totals just Y5.8tn, points out UBS, well below the comparable figures in every year since 2005, bar 2008. By all means keep listening to the MoF, say analysts. But in future, the most significant influence on the dollar/yen rate could be the actions of Mr Shirakawa, rather than the words of Mr Azumi.

Pot smoking tied to testicular cancer NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - A small government-backed study strengthens the link between recreational marijuana use and testicular cancer in young men, U.S. researchers said Monday. They found people who said they had used the drug were twice as likely to have been diagnosed with the disease as were never-users. The link appeared to be specific to a type of tumor known as nonseminoma. "This is the third study consistently demonstrating a greater than doubling of risk of this particularly undesirable subtype of testicular cancer among young men with marijuana use," said Victoria Cortessis of the University of Southern California, Los Angeles, who led the work. While the research isn't ironclad proof that marijuana harms men's nether regions, Cortessis said she believes young men should know about the link. "I myself feel like we need to take this seriously now," Cortessis said, adding that the rates of testicular cancer have been rising inexplicably over the past century. But even if the drug is in fact to blame for some of that increase, the danger isn't overwhelming. According to the American Cancer Society, a man's lifetime risk of getting testicular cancer is about one in 270. And because effective treatment is available, the risk of dying from the disease is just one in 5,000. So far, little is known about what causes testicular cancer. Cortessis said undescended testicles - in which the testes remain in the abdomen beyond the age of a year - are a risk factor and that both pesticide and hormone exposure has been associated with the tumors. Cortessis and her colleagues used data from 163 young men who had been diagnosed with testicular cancer and nearly 300 men in a comparison group without the disease. Both groups had been interviewed about their health and drug use between 1987 and 1994. Among the cancer-ridden men, 81 percent had used marijuana at some point, whereas that was the case for 76 percent of the comparison group. By contrast, cocaine use was linked to a smaller risk of the tumors. This is important, Cortessis said, because it signals that men who have been diagnosed with cancer aren't just more honest about their drug use, thereby creating a spurious link between marijuana and cancer. She said it's possible that cocaine damages the cells in the testicles, including cancer cells. And, she stressed, "the take-home message is not that cocaine is helpful against testis cancer." It's not entirely clear how marijuana would influence men's cancer risk, but Cortessis said developing testicles may somehow respond to the drug's main active ingredient. Dr. Carl van Walraven from the University of Ottawa in Canada, who has studied testicular cancer, called the new study "interesting" but noted a number of limitations. For instance, he told Reuters Health by email, it didn't find an increased risk among men with higher marijuana use and it was relatively small. Cortessis, whose findings appear in the journal Cancer, highlighted the consistent results from all the studies so far. "It is hard to imagine a scenario whereby it is due to chance and I can't think of a systematic bias that would cause this," she said. I will feel very confident that this is cause and effect once we have worked out the biology. SOURCE: bit.ly/UEE61v Cancer, online September 10, 2012.

Kenny Shiels struck by mutual joy with Kilmarnock fans

Dallas Seavey heading toward Iditarod victory Frontrunner leaves final checkpoint for 77-mile sprint to finish line in Nome updated 12:48 p.m. NOME, Alaska - Dallas Seavey has started the last leg of the Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race. Seavey was the first musher to complete a mandatory eight-hour layover in the community of White Mountain. He left the checkpoint at 8:22 a.m. Alaska time Tuesday for the sprint to Nome, 77 miles away. Race officials are expecting the winner into Nome about 5 p.m. to 6 p.m. Alaska time (9-10 p.m. Seavey arrived at White Mountain very early Tuesday, and Aliy Zirkle got to the checkpoint about one hour and 15 minutes later. Zirkle's team is moving faster than Seavey's but she is running out of time to catch him. Ramey Smyth, Aaron Burmeister and Peter Kaiser were all into White Mountain. Sixty-six teams began the nearly 1,000-mile race on March 4. Fifty-seven teams remain.

Virgin debuts trailer for in-flight romance movie June 4, 2012, 9:00 a.m.

Myanmar Approves Suu Kyi's Party for Election Opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi said Myanmar's government on Thursday approved her National League for Democracy to run in upcoming by-elections. Suu Kyi declined to say yet if she herself will stand in the election when pressed on the issue, but party spokesman Nyan Win said Suu Kyi intends to run. The highly anticipated by-election set for April 1 will return Suu Kyi's party to mainstream politics after two decades. In 1991 elections, the then-ruling junta refused to accept a NLD victory, and the party boycotted general elections in 2010 because of restrictions that among other things would have prevented Suu Kyi from running. That vote lead to a nominally civilian government being installed in March 2011 that has eased restrictions on politics and other matters, and leaders have begun engaging Suu Kyi. She and Nyan Win spoke to The Associated Press in an interview at the Nobel laureate's residence Thursday. Most of the 48 Parliament seats being contested in the April vote were vacated by MPs who became Cabinet ministers after the first parliamentary session last January. With the government's recognition of the NLD, anyone can join and support the political party. Nyan Win said the NLD will start accepting new members on Monday. Political parties must submit their candidate list for the by-election by Jan. 31. The military is guaranteed 110 seats in the 440-seat lower house, and 56 seats in the 224-seat upper house, and the pro-military party now occupies 80 percent of the remaining 498 elected seats, so the 48 seats up for grabs, even if the NLD wins them all, will not change the balance of power.

Highlights of the summer: beautiful vegetable gardens Sissinghurst has a garden that was established by the novelist Vita Sackville-West in the 1930s. Described as "a garden, in a ruin, in a farm," there is a three-acre, organic vegetable garden that is open to the public from May to September. The restaurant serves their own produce. Nationaltrust.org.uk/sissinghurst-castle; 01580 710 700 Clumber Park, near Sheffield This was once the country estate of the Duke of Newcastle. The house itself was demolished in 1938, but the grounds remain, including the Walled Kitchen Garden where you can experience sights, scents and a taste of the past. Nationaltrust.org.uk/clumber-park; 01909 544 917 The Castle of Mey, on the east coast of Scotland This spectacular castle is the former summer residence of the late Queen Mother. The gardens consist of a traditional Scottish walled garden with herbaceous and vegetable gardens, as well as an extensive greenhouse. The Prince of Wales uses the produce when he stays at the castle. Note: the castle will be closed from 26 July to 13 August Castleofmey.org.uk; 01847 851 473 Chirk Castle, near Wrexham in northeast Wales Chirk Castle has a hilltop garden with spectacular views over Shropshire and Cheshire. In addition to an outstanding yew topiary, thatched hawk house and a ha-ha, there is a newly opened vegetable garden with fruit and cut flowers. Nationaltrust.org.uk/chirk-castle; 01691 777701

Italy PM warns of 'anti-European' movement Italian Prime Minister Mario Monti warned on Wednesday of possible "anti-European" protests in his country if Rome's reform efforts were not recognised, ahead of a key meeting with Germany's chancellor. Speaking in German daily Die Welt, Monti complained: "The problem is that despite our sacrifices, we have not got anything in return from the European Union, such as a drop in interest rates." "Unfortunately, we have to say that our reform policies have not received the recognition and appreciation in Europe that they deserve," the prime minister added. "If the Italian people do not soon see tangible success for their savings and reform efforts, there will be a protest against Europe, against Germany -- seen as the driver of EU intolerance -- and against the ECB," he added. Monti came to power in November at the head of an unelected government of technocrats after a wave of financial market panic and a parliamentary revolt forced the resignation of scandal-hit Silvio Berlusconi. The eurozone's third largest economy, Italy sparked fears that its toxic mix of low growth, high debt and spiralling borrowing costs could force it to seek a bailout like fellow eurozone members Greece, Ireland and Portugal. Monti has pushed through a crushing austerity plan to fix the nation's problems but there is still concern over the impact on an economy that is moving into recession. Despite the worries, Monti insisted to Die Welt: "I know that these problems are solvable." Later Wednesday, Monti was due to meet Chancellor Angela Merkel for talks likely to focus on the eurozone debt crisis. The talks cap a three-day flurry of diplomatic efforts in Berlin to stem the crisis. Merkel met French President Nicolas Sarkozy on Monday and IMF managing director Christine Lagarde on Tuesday.

Palestinians make demands before talks AMMAN, Jordan, Jan. 2 (UPI) -- Some Palestinian factions are criticizing the Palestinian Authority for agreeing to meet with Israelis in Jordan this week. Hamas, one of several Palestinian groups upset the PA's chief negotiator will hold direct talks with his Israeli counterpart, called for the PA to boycott the Amman meeting Tuesday. The Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine condemned the talks as a "grave mistake that would encourage occupation to pursue its practices" against Palestinians. There was no comment from Israeli negotiators, The Jerusalem Post said. Chief Palestinian negotiator Saeb Erekat said Sunday Israel's cessation of settlement construction and acceptance of the pre-1967 lines pre-conditions for a two-state solution. Erekat, Israeli envoy Yitzhak Molcho and representative of the Middle East Quartet are to meet first in Amman, followed by a second meeting between just Palestinian and Israeli officials. The Quartet consist of the United Nations, the United States, the European Union and Russia. Acceptance by Israel of the Palestinian Authority demands would pave the way for the resumption of real and serious negotiations between the two sides, Erekat said. The meeting in Jordan should "commit" Israel to "international legitimacy, including the road map for peace, which calls for a freeze of construction in the settlements," Erekat said. "We hope the Israeli government will realize the significance of the Jordanian invitation to hold talks in Amman," he said.

Federal Appeals Court to Hear NASCAR Drug Case A federal appeals panel in Virginia is set to hear arguments in former racecar driver Jeremy Mayfield's lawsuit against NASCAR over his suspension for failing a random drug test. Mayfield is asking the 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals to reinstate his lawsuit. A federal judge dismissed the suit, ruling that Mayfield signed documents that waived his right to sue. NASCAR suspended Mayfield in 2009 after he failed a drug test at Richmond International Raceway. He sued NASCAR, its owner and the drug testing company for defamation, unfair and deceptive trade practices, breach of contract and negligence. Mayfield has argued that a combination of over-the-counter allergy medication and the prescription drug Adderall led to a positive test. In November, Mayfield was arrested in North Carolina and charged with possessing methamphetamine.

Veggie might: Mark Hix explores a brave new world of delicious vegetables At this time of year, if we're honest, we're getting a bit bored of root vegetables and cabbage. But stay open-minded; there are lots of other interesting vegetables on the market that are as delicious as they are healthy. Beware of appearances, though. Some of the prettiest exotic and imported fruit and veg are best left on the shelf - you'll find they're disappointingly lacking in flavour. Others, though, have a fantastic taste yet for some reason aren't grown in the UK - they deserve a place in our kitchens. Roasted radicchio with bacon and pangritata Radicchio is one of those winter salad leaves that goes in and out of vogue but personally I'm a fan, especially when it's grilled or roasted. The flavour changes once cooked and it makes a perfect starter or side dish. 2 large or 4 small heads of radicchio, quartered, washed and dried 4-5tbsp olive oil 120g pancetta or smoked streaky bacon cubes For the crust 2tbsp freshly grated Parmesan 50g fresh white breadcrumbs A couple of good knobs of butter Preheat the oven to 180C/gas mark 5. Heat an ovenproof pan on the stove with a tablespoon of the olive oil, gently fry the pancetta for a couple of minutes, turning them as they are cooking, add the radicchio, season, spoon over the rest of the oil, cover with foil and cook in the oven for 10 minutes; remove the foil and cook for another 10 minutes, turning the radicchio and basting with the oil as it's cooking. Meanwhile, melt the butter in a frying pan and brown the breadcrumbs on a medium heat, turning them with a spoon as they are cooking until lightly coloured. Remove from the heat and stir in the Parmesan and season. Transfer the radicchio and pancetta to a warmed serving dish, spoon over the oil and scatter the crumbs over. Romanesco with taleggio and capers Now this is a weird-looking cauliflower, or is it a broccoli? No wonder romanesco's sometimes referred to as broccoflower. With its pointy florets and Incredible Hulk-hue, it looks like it's just landed from Mars, but don't be put off - romanesco actually makes for an interesting, tasty dish, and is particularly great to try if you like cauliflower but want to explore something a bit different. 1 head of romanesco, broken down into florets and washed 120-150g taleggio 50-60g capers Salt and freshly ground black pepper 3-4tbsp olive oil Cook the romanesco in boiling salted water for 6-8 minutes or until tender, then drain. Place the romanesco in an ovenproof serving dish, season to taste, and spoon over the olive oil and capers. Break the taleggio into chunks and scatter over the romanesco. Bake in the oven for 10 minutes or until the cheese is melting. Serve immediately.

Kenny Dalglish convinced Liverpool are simply missing good fortune Manager Kenny Dalglish admits he has repeated himself too many times when discussing Liverpool's inability to convert their chances but is convinced they are only missing a stroke of good fortune. The Reds had 28 shots, 12 of which were on target, and won 15 corners at home to West Brom but the vital statistic belonged to Peter Odemwingie. He scored the only goal of the game to give Roy Hodgson a satisfying first return to the club who sacked him in January last year. "It's not just been one of those days; it's been like that seven or eight times here," said Dalglish, whose side have dropped an astounding 27 points at home this season. There's not much else that we can add to what we've said before so many times after a game at Anfield. I think you could go back over the old interviews and it'll be the same thing. They just need a bit of luck I think. It sounds repetitive but it's not an excuse. We're not running away from something. It's not as if there's something drastically wrong that we can't identify. It is just a piece of good fortune that we need. Liverpool should have been out of sight before Odemwingie's 75th-minute strike after a defensive error by Glen Johnson had gifted the ball to Youssouf Mulumbu to set up his team-mate. Jordan Henderson and Dirk Kuyt were both denied by the woodwork early in the second half, Maxi Rodriguez had appeals for a first-half penalty denied, and Baggies goalkeeper Ben Foster made a number of saves with Jonas Olsson also blocking a certain goal from Andy Carroll. Carroll, Luis Suarez, Daniel Agger and Kuyt all had chances to break the deadlock but their failure left the door open for West Brom to register their first win at Anfield 45 years to the day since their last. "The woodwork, again, wasn't our best friend," added Dalglish, who left Steven Gerrard out of the squad in order to protect his captain who had a minor hamstring niggle. The players showed great resolve in the way they went about their work and because of that they made a lot of chances on goal but they just couldn't get a break. At the time of his post-match press conference Dalglish had not seen the penalty incident but accepted they could not rely on refereeing decisions to mask their inadequacies up front. "We can't dictate what decisions we get for and against us," he said. We've just got to try to keep doing what we're doing right and they are trying to do most things right. But with any football team, it doesn't matter how good, bad or indifferent you are, you need a bit of good fortune with decisions. Hodgson insisted ending West Brom's long win-less streak at Anfield gave him greater pleasure than getting one over on his former employers. The major satisfaction is winning at Anfield. With the team we have I don't think most people expect us to come and win here," he said. We go away very happy. I understand Kenny and his team will feel very aggrieved they did not get something out of the game and their performance merited something - I can't argue with that. But you will have to forgive me for feeling pleased we did get away from this game with a result.

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Activision to bring Call of Duty Online to China Activision Blizzard has announced a "strategic relationship" with Tencent Holdings Limited, a leading Internet services provider in China, to bring Call of Duty Online to Chinese gamers. Tencent has the exclusive license to operate Call of Duty Online in mainland China with the game, confirmed as being in development for two years, free-to-play and monetised through the sales of in-game items. "We are very excited about our relationship with Tencent and the opportunities for gaming in China," said Bobby Kotick, CEO of Activision Blizzard. We think China is one of the most exciting places in the world for us to grow our business and to develop innovative new games. Tencent is an ideal partner for Activision to bring Call of Duty Online to China. Tencent has a terrific track record of customer-focused innovation and deep market knowledge that will be invaluable to Activision as we build great games for China. We have worked closely with Tencent to create a game with broad appeal for the Chinese market. We look forward to laying the foundation for a long-standing relationship with Tencent and to launching a new and unique experience for fans. Call of Duty Online will expand on the franchise's existing multiplayer experience, introducing a new gaming model designed specifically for the Chinese market. This new model will allow players the ability to personalise their weapons, characters and equipment like never before in a Call of Duty game via the in-game store. The new game will also bring a variety of game modes and maps, and is set to feature an original story told through a series of "Special Operations" missions. "We are thrilled to work with the world's premiere game developer and publisher to bring this much-awaited title to Chinese game players," said Martin Lau, President of Tencent. We believe Call of Duty Online will attract tens of millions of loyal fans in China, and our game platform and operational expertise to run massive multi-player online games can provide strong support to deliver the immersive and highly interactive game experience to game players in China.

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Crime Scene - The Washington Post A man was found slain Tuesday evening in the Adelphi section of Prince George's County, police said. They said the man was found in the 1800 block of Metzerott Road about 6:40 p.m. He had a wound of an undetermined nature, a police spokesman said. As of late Tuesday, the man had not been identified. Police were searching for suspects and trying to determine a motive, the spokesman said.

Stewart's stylish week: Kristen glams up 'Twilight' tour Reports from the red carpet of the "Twilight: Breaking Dawn Part 2" premieres around the world mostly centered around Kristen Stewart and her (ex?) boyfriend Robert Pattinson. Did they touch? Did they seem happy together? From left to right: Kristen In Los Angeles, in London, at the Madrid premiere and earlier that day, at a photocall in a Madrid hotel. But perhaps knowing she was in the spotlight, Stewart walked the red carpet in sheer, short and sexy dresses that definitely distracted from her relationship scandal. In Los Angeles and London, Stewart wore daring sheer dresses by Zuhair Murad. The next day at a hotel in Madrid, she picked a black and white Julien Macdonald dress with a fierce beaded neckline. That night, she turned up the sunny factor in a yellow mini by Christian Dior.

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Safety regulators fine Toyota for delaying SUV recall Federal safety regulators Tuesday slapped another big fine on Toyota Motor Corp. for failing to promptly recall cars. Toyota will pay $17.35 million for delaying a recall of Lexus RX 350 and RX 450h sport-utility vehicles because a floor mat could jam the gas pedal, causing unintended acceleration. It follows a record $48.8 million in fines two years ago, a result of three separate investigations into Toyota's handling ofautorecalls for pedal entrapment, sticky gas pedals and steering relay rod problems. With the Lexus SUVs, Toyota and its dealers started seeing the problem in 2009, but the automaker failed to issue a recall for the popular vehicles until June, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. "Every moment of delay has the potential to lead to deaths or injuries on our nation's highways," said David Strickland, head of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. Federal law requires all auto manufacturers to notify NHTSA within five business days of discovering a safety defect and to promptly issue a recall. A fine of $17 million, while large, is hardly a "speed bump" to one of the world's largest automakers, said Jeremy Anwyl, vice chairman at auto information company Edmunds.com. Regulators are making a statement that automakers need to recall cars even if they are still investigating an issue and determining the proper repair, Anwyl said. Generally, car companies prefer to announce a recall and a fix at the same time. The latest fine comes as Toyota is regaining lost U.S. market share in the wake of previous fines and larger recalls, as well as inventory problems created by last year's earthquake in Japan. Through the first 11 months of this year, Toyota has sold almost 1.9 million vehicles in the U.S., up 29% from the same period last year. Its sales are growing at more than twice the rate of the industry. The automaker now has 14.4% of the U.S. market, up from 12.7% through November of last year. While the fine hurts Toyota's image, it probably will not affect sales, said Thilo Koslowski, the auto analyst at Gartner Inc. "Consumer memory is just not that long," Koslowski said. If this is a company that provided subpar vehicles compared to its competitors, this would be a problem. But people like the brand. Tuesday's fine resulted from an investigation launched earlier this year when NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation began noticing a trend in floor mat pedal entrapment in 2010 Lexus RX 350s. When safety regulators asked Toyota about the problem in May, the automaker reported 63 alleged incidents of possible floor mat pedal entrapment in RX 350s dating to 2009. But Toyota waited until June to recall 154,036 Lexus RX 350 and RX 450h vehicles from the 2010 model year. In one high-profile accident, an improperly positioned floor mat in a Lexus sedan may have trapped the accelerator - causing the car to race down California Highway 125 near San Diego at more than 100 mph. The car crashed and burned, killing off-duty California Highway Patrol Officer Mark Saylor and three family members. At one point, it had to halt much of its production of new cars in the U.S. to fix recalled vehicles.

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Mark McGhee named as new Bristol Rovers manager Mark McGhee has been named the new manager of npower League Two strugglers Bristol Rovers, the club have confirmed. The 54-year-old, who had spells in charge of English clubs Reading, Leicester, Wolves, Millwall and Brighton, has been out of management since leaving Aberdeen in December 2010. McGhee, who has signed a two-and-a-half-year contract, takes charge of a Pirates side that is currently 18th in the table and succeeds Paul Buckle, who was sacked following a 2-0 defeat at Barnet at the start of the month.

Analysis: U.S. farmers may fail in fertilizer face-off By Tom Polansek CHICAGO (Reuters) - Steve Georgi is playing chicken with the world's biggest fertilizer makers. The Indiana corn grower has postponed buying the fertilizer he needs for spring planting for only the second time in 35 years, angry that prices for key nutrients surged more than one-third in the fourth quarter. "I haven't bought anything yet," said Georgi, who normally makes his purchases around the beginning of the year. Prices are so high "it's ridiculous," he said. Fertilizer prices jumped last fall on global demand and expectations for a large increase in corn plantings in the United States. While those expectations have not changed, the price spike has triggered a buying boycott by farmers across the Midwest, pushing sales volumes of key products to their lowest levels since the financial crisis crushed demand in 2008. But farmers may lose in the face-off unless they place their orders soon. Fertilizer distributors, many of whom were burned when demand evaporated in the 2008 price crash, no longer maintain large local stockpiles. That leaves some unable to accommodate a last-minute buying spree, meaning farmers who wait to buy may have to delay plantings or grow something besides corn. Good weather helped farmers produce a record corn yield in 2009 even after they cut back on fertilizer used to increase output. Now, with U.S. corn inventories at their lowest level since the mid-1990s, any threat that plantings or yield may fall short of high expectations could fuel new fears about supplies and stoke a price rally. "It's getting very close" to planting time, said Harry Vroomen, vice president of economic services for The Fertilizer Institute. They can't delay forever. The buying boycott is the latest sign of a broader trend in which farmers, now flush with cash, are seizing more control over their operations and exerting more market power. Net farm income jumped 27.5 percent last year to a record $100.9 billion, giving many farmers the flexibility to break free of traditional practices. Many have installed their own storage bins, giving them more leeway in timing the sale of their crops and exacting a higher premium from grain companies. Farmers cashed in after Chicago Board of Trade corn prices reached a record high near $8 a bushel last July as strong demand drained supplies. Prices have since fallen to about $6.50 a bushel due to pressure from the euro zone crisis and a larger-than-expected harvest. The timing was bad, as fertilizer prices started rising last fall. Growers believe the price of fertilizer should follow corn lower, as nearly half the fertilizer used in the United States is applied to corn. Strong margins for producers of nitrogen-based fertilizers do not make high prices easier for farmers to swallow. Costs for natural gas, used to make nitrogen fertilizer, are hovering near a 10-year low. At Potash Corp, the world's top fertilizer producer, reduced demand knocked down nitrogen sales volumes by 15 percent in the last quarter to 1.1 million tonnes, the lowest for that quarter since 2008. The Saskatoon, Saskatchewan-based company has slowed production of another key nutrient, potash, at mines in Canada due to anemic demand. The company said demand suffered as buyers "paused to assess market conditions." It predicted sales will rebound this spring as long as corn prices support an expansion of plantings. Mosaic said in January it would cut potash production 20 percent over the following four months due to an oversupply. Agrium, a smaller player in the fertilizer market, confirmed buying was muted in the fourth quarter, even though it reported an 8 percent rise in nitrogen sales volumes. "We expect pent-up demand to continue to emerge," Agrium said this week. Farmers' buying strategies have roiled corporate profits. Potash Corp is projecting one of its most profitable years ever but issued first-quarter earnings guidance of 55 to 75 cents that fell short of analysts' expectations of 84 cents. Logistical problems could prevent farmers from snagging the fertilizer they want if they wait until the last minute to buy, dealers said. Hintzsche Fertilizer in Maple Park, Illinois, is among the companies that likely will not have enough on hand unless orders come in soon, general manager Jeff Eggleston said. Eggleston said he tells farmers, "I'm not buying it if you guys aren't committing. I'm not going to get stuck with it. Some farmers may need to delay their planting because dealers will not be able to fill a flood of late orders, said Darrel Hora, general manager of Mettler Fertilizer in Menno, South Dakota. He said it was "not a realistic thing" to expect fertilizer dealers to keep enough fertilizer on hand to fulfill all the built-up demand from farmers. "If the people wait too long to buy, they may have to wait a little longer until they get to apply this stuff," Hora said. The risk of a temporary, last-minute shortage is particularly high if weather is warm and dry in the spring, encouraging an early rush to plant extra corn acres. "If the season breaks early, then we could see this jump in purchases at the retail level," said David Asbridge, president of NPK Fertilizer Advisory Service. We could see a price spike. That could derail expectations for large corn plantings. Farmers could plant soybeans, instead of corn, if they can not get their hands on fertilizer or decide prices are still too high. Soybeans require less fertilizer than corn and are planted later in the spring. Still, many industry members, including Asbridge and The Fertilizer Institute's Vroomen, are sticking with forecasts for large corn plantings because corn prices remain historically high. Analysts predict corn plantings will reach a 68-year high of 94.2 million acres, up 2.5 percent from 2011, according to a Reuters survey. They project soybean plantings will rise 0.4 percent to 75.3 million acres. Georgi, the Indiana farmer, is in no rush to lock in his fertilizer. He said he was confident he will be able to buy the supplies he needs and has already seen nitrogen prices in his area fall about 7 percent since the end of November. The only other time Georgi waited so long to buy his fertilizer was during the price spike of 2008-09. He said his patience saved him money that year and he will not finalize purchases this year for at least a few weeks in case prices continue to weaken. "There's room for them to come down," he said confidently. Reporting By Tom Polansek; editing by Jim Marshall

Can Mitt Romney be stopped? Now that Mitt Romney has won the Iowa caucuses, has he already gained enough momentum to take the Republican presidential nomination? John Miller talks to Dean Reynolds, John Dickerson, and Caroline Horn about whether the other candidates can slow Romney down.

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France's left split on fiscal pact vote The focus in the French National Assembly was Europe with the first reading of the European Union fiscal pact which was agreed by EU leaders in March. But the agreement which requires eurozone countries to slash their public deficits or face sanctions has highlighted divisions in the political left and potential problems for President Francois Hollande. "Formally, you will be asked to vote on the ratification of the Treaty, but through the vote I'm asking you to show your support for the new European path," said Jean-Marc Ayrault, French Prime Minister. The prime minister has argued Hollande's credibility will be damaged if he has to rely on votes from the right-wing opposition to pass the pact. He wants the left united in one voice but its reported 13 socialists are set to vote against and two abstain with others it is said are wavering. "This treaty includes some strong conditions in terms of structural reforms, for the countries in need of help that will result in just one thing: they will confirm a division between a Europe of the rich and a Europe of the poor, and we will not get rid of this crisis," explained Mathieu Hanotin a socialist MP On Sunday thousands took to the streets in Paris to protest at the fiscal compact which was first agreed by then President, Nicolas Sarkozy. Many fear it could lead to tough economic times in a country where unemployment is running at a 13 year high. More about: European Union, Eurozone in crisis, France, François Hollande, French politics

The etiquette of being your college kid's Facebook friend The etiquette of being your college kid's Facebook friend - Back to School Especially good advice for helicopter parents, or even those who aren't By Michael Gray Tecca College is a huge milestone for both students and parents. Kids are exploring the world, using new tools, and experiencing brand new things. As a parent, you have to deal with their leaving the nest, growing to adulthood, and entering a new lifestyle. It's tough to watch kids walk out the door, especially when a big part of what's going through your mind is "How will we stay in touch?" Social networks like Facebook help you keep in constant touch with your college-bound kids. College students post a lot of information to Facebook, including pictures, blog entries, song lyrics, and relationship announcements, making Facebook a very thorough way to stay updated with what your child is up to. This flood of information is a boon to parents who want to know how their children are doing, but it comes with its own perils and pitfalls. This guide will help you think about the etiquette, niceties, and do's and don'ts of interacting with your college kid on social networks: Do remember that your child's friends will see information you post to his or her wall. Facebook isn't email or one-on-one chat. If you post to your child's wall, anyone visiting his Facebook page will see your message. Don't be afraid to use the message system to send quick updates, email-like questions, and other notes to your college student. After all, that's exactly why it's there. Just remember that your child might not be able to respond quickly. Do talk to your child about their Facebook and online interactions becoming a lasting record of their life. Whileprivacy controls for Facebook do exist, we know that 1 in 3 people regularly snoop through social network data. Don't forget to practice Internet security methods yourself, whether posting on your own page or on your child's wall. Do learn how to use video chat to talk to your college student. It's fast, easy, and a surprisingly personable way to keep in touch. Don't assume that just because Facebook shows your child online, he's actually at the computer. After all, students frequently leave their computers online and powered up even while away from their desks. If your college student doesn't reply right away, she may not be at the computer. Do work out the "ground rules" of using Facebook to interact with your college student - and his friends - as soon as possible. For example, do you Friend all of your child's friends? That could quickly become a daunting task due to volume, and you should figure out if it's even appropriate. A little communication ahead of time could save a lot of frustration. Don't hover, harangue, or harass your kids in front of their friends. Facebook interactions are a lot like hanging out for a lot of people. Give your child space to do his own thing; while you may be a pretty cool Mom or Dad, chances are good that he wants to do stuff without you watching his every move. Do encourage your child to have fun and make friends. The hardest part: What you didn't see before One of the hardest parts of following your child's life on social networks is the new and open view you'll get of his life. You'll see pictures from parties, casual interactions with friends, and moments of growing, pain-inspired angst. It'll seem tumultuous, rowdy, and sometimes inappropriate. The bottom line is that you'll see behavior and a side of your college student that you almost certainly wouldn't have at home. Being privy to this new side of your child can be surprisingly tough and even a little troubling. While dealing with their behavior will rely on your own parenting technique and relationship with the college student, remember that anything you say or post on your child's Facebook wall can be seen by the public (private and instant messages, however, are not). It might be best to talk to your child offline, either on the phone or in person. Expressing your concern about troubling behavior is probably best handled away from the public face of a social network. Remember that the Internet moves fast Some of the big changes in your child's college life comes from the inherent speed and high-contact nature of the internet and social networks. In a lot of ways, a Facebook post from a week ago will feel like ancient history to your child. It's not unusual for college students to post 15 (or 50!) status updates each day, and then comment dozens of times on friend's posts, games, and Facebook-connected apps. This amount of volume can feel bizarre to a parent who isn't accustomed to life on the internet, and your child's volume of interaction on Facebook might make it seem that he's neglecting other duties. That's not necessarily the case. It's common for veteran Facebook users to post a status update while standing in line, walking, waiting for class to start, or at any other idle moment. Since college students snatch these idle moments when they're available, your student isn't necessarily making judgments about with whom to network. He's just talking to whoever is at the top of the social stream at the time. You can use Facebook to stay in touch with your child while he's off at school, but it's important to keep in mind everything you post on Facebook walls is public. That includes things your student might share with his own friends. In the end, talk to your son or daughter offline about your Facebook interaction. A little conversation goes a long way. More stories from Tecca:

2012 review: Health stories that made headlines in Northern Ireland 30 December 2012 Last updated at 09:08 By Marie Louise Connolly BBC Northern Ireland health correspondent Against the unsurprising backdrop of hospital trolley waits, a shortage of nurses and numerous reviews, this year Northern Ireland's health service took a few unexpected turns. There were sackings of senior health figures, the opening of a new hospital and headlines criticising the fire service. Scroll back to January, when 2012 began on a tragic note after it emerged that four babies died in neo-natal units from the bacterial infection, pseudomonas. The first death took place in December 2011 in Altnagelvin Hospital in Londonderry, the others a month later at the Royal Victoria Hospital in Belfast. When it first made the headlines the public knew little about the infection, and it soon emerged that neither did some of the health trusts' most senior professionals. An independent review by Professor Pat Troop concluded that some of the deaths in the pseudomonas outbreak may have been prevented if the Belfast Health Trust had acted more promptly. The review stated that the trust should have declared the outbreak sooner and criticised the lack of communication between health officials, including those in Stormont's Department of Health. While the review highlighted problems and solutions, solicitors for the families are questioning why no-one has been held accountable. Under pressure A catalogue of serious incidents, including the pseudomonas outbreak, triggered Health Minister, Edwin Poots, into imposing a series of special measures on the Belfast Health Trust. This meant managers had to account for themselves and their actions to senior officials at the department. The move spoke volumes, suggesting that Mr Poots was far from happy with how the trust was being managed. Indeed, in a shock statement, the minister went as far as saying that heads would roll if trusts did not improve. And indeed, metaphorically, one head did roll when in December the chair of the Northern Health Trust was sacked. Jim Stewart had been in the post for almost seven years and is the first person in such a position to be removed from post. In an exclusive interview with the BBC, Mr Stewart acknowledged that the health minister did not directly ask him to sack the trust's chief executive, Sean Donaghy. But he said he felt under pressure as the minister had told all chairmen that heads would roll unless targets were met and people were held to account. Mr Stewart said the targets were unrealistic and under those circumstances he could not sack Mr Donaghy. Bullying allegations Lily Kerr, a public face of the health service and trade unions, was sacked from the Health and Social Care Board for emailing documents to journalists and a trade union. Mr Poots, also sacked her as chair of the Northern Ireland Social Care Council. Mrs Kerr said one document was not confidential and that the other had already appeared in the media and was in the hands of trade union officials. Unison has condemned the sacking as "an anti-union move." The Northern Ireland Fire and Rescue Service (NIFRS) hit the headlines for all the wrong reasons. Despite unapproved bonus payments, unheard grievances, potential fraud and allegations of bullying, no one has been sacked or held accountable. Back in August a document leaked to the BBC described a culture of fear and mistrust prevailing among staff. While that line did not appear in the final report it did question the roles and responsibilities of many individuals. A BBC investigation revealed that a senior member of NIFRS was allowed to run a private business selling uniforms and other protective equipment at the same time as he was in charge of buying uniforms for the fire service. The officer involved in this outside business was John McGrath. He died in November 2009 and the NIFRS says it is satisfied that there was no conflict of interest involved. The story continues to rumble though - most recently a member of the health committee said the organisation stinks of corruption. Public outcry Since Christmas 2011, other alarming stories that hit the headlines were the deaths of two patients in the Royal Victoria Hospital's A&E unit and the admissions ward, before being admitted to wards. The deaths of the man and woman caused a public outcry with immediate calls for extra resources and staff. Whether or not these calls are heeded will be tested in the coming months when hospitals have to cope with the anticipated winter pressures. It was also a year of leaked documents. In January an email showed managers scrambling for hospital beds across Northern Ireland. The BBC was told that was normal for a weekend in the health service. But if normal, then why the panic and why the long wait for patients? Fast forward 11 months and the BBC learned that the majority of emergency medicine consultants in the Belfast Health Trust wrote to senior management raising concerns about the safety of A&E departments. The Royal's clinical director, Russell McLaughlin, felt so strongly about how services are being run that he stepped aside taking a 20% pay cut. On the eve of a new year, some stories will undoubtedly remain in the news. The Hyponatraemia Inquiry should end by June 2013 with its chairman, John O'Hara, completing the report into the deaths of five children in hospitals in Northern Ireland. Unpopular decisions The outcome of the Northern Ireland abortion debate and the publication of much-awaited guidelines are at the top of the health minister's in-tray, along with a decision on where the children's cardiac services are to be based. There are several options: move the service to England - or create an all-Ireland service. While the Health Minister, Edwin Poots, remains at the helm the big question is will he still be there in six months? The plan, according to the DUP, is to replace him with Jim Wells. That will be a significant handover with Mr Wells expected to implement some highly unpopular decisions, including those that come about as a result of Transforming Your Care (TYC). For the uninitiated, TYC is the road map for the local health service; a plan that is yet to deliver much. The next year will see the closure of more wards - an entire hospital would be a step too far for any politician. There remain more questions than answers. Will the health service be operating seven days a week? After all, people don't get sick from just Monday to Friday. Will the Causeway Hospital's A&E become a minor injuries unit and will the new Downe Hospital in Downpatrick ever be busy? On a brighter note the opening of the new South West Acute Hospital in Enniskillen is an auspicious beacon in the west - many are hoping its beams will have a knock-on effect elsewhere.

What's Next in Health Care? By Kelly Kennedy, Janice Lloyd and Liz Szabo, USA TODAY The waiting game is over for consumers, employers, health care providers and insurers. Thursday's Supreme Court ruling that upheld the 2010 health care law means ongoing trends will continue, and those who waited on the sidelines for the court will now have to implement their parts of the law. For consumers, that means that those intimidated by what opponents called the overly complex part of the law will have to learn what will affect them, particularly if they have to buy their own insurance or pay a penalty for skipping it. Employers who fought the law as a job killer will now have to come to grips with it and minimize the parts they don't like. Hospitals have moved forward with electronic records, but not necessarily with the health care teams needed to prevent mistakes that can lead to penalties for care that falls below quality standards. Insurers need to dig deep to pay rebates to consumers for premium money not spent on health care. The states that balked at creating health care exchanges from which their residents can compare and buy health insurance must create them — or wait for the federal government to do it for them. Because many of the law's provision kick in during 2013 and 2014, that leaves precious few months for the various groups to get to work. "It's full speed ahead on implementing the law," says Alissa Fox, senior vice president for the Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association. She says insurers worry that a health insurance tax will increase premiums for families or cause rates to go up for young people, but concerns about the law will no longer hold back implementation. We've had two-plus years of implementing legislation, and we'll continue. Consumers Although "nothing will change tomorrow," some consumers will see big changes by Jan. 1, 2014, when more aspects of the law take effect, said Karen Pollitz, a senior fellow at the Kaiser Family Foundation. Those changes include: •Insurers will no longer be allowed to turn anyone down because of a pre-existing medical condition, such as cancer, Pollitz says. •More patients will be eligible for Medicaid, a federal insurance program administered by the states that serves the poor and disabled. Today, people can qualify for Medicaid only if they are poor, pregnant , disabled or a child. Each state sets different financial standards to qualify for Medicaid, and some states have required that people be not just poor but "subpoor," with incomes substantially below the federal poverty level. By 2014, however, people will become eligible for Medicaid based only on their incomes, Pollitz says, meaning single adult men with incomes up to 130% of the federal poverty level will also qualify. •Also by 2014, the "working poor" — many of whom are eligible for employer-sponsored health care but can't afford the monthly premiums — will be eligible for subsidies to help them pay for their health insurance, said Mary Grealy, president of the Healthcare Leadership Council. •Federal standards for health insurance plans will eliminate "junk" plans with huge deductibles that provide little to no real benefits for consumers, Pollitz says. That means consumers will have more confidence that any plan they buy on the private market will provide at least a minimum standard of quality that includes drug coverage, hospital care, maternity care and other essentials. Much of the law's success depends on having young, healthy people who often skip health insurance sign up. Because they have much lower health care expenses, Grealy says, their insurance premiums help offset the higher medical expenses of older, sick people in a health plan. "Getting young, healthy people covered — that's what we really need to focus on now," Grealy says. Some have already benefited from the law. Brian Rose is a coach with the minor league Wichita (Kan.) Wingnuts baseball team, not for the money, but for the love of the game. Three years ago, when he was 31 and uninsured, Rose, of Austin, was diagnosed with stage 4 melanoma, a life-threatening form of skin cancer, that had spread to his brain, bones and liver. Although Rose qualified for emergency coverage from Medicaid, his coverage lasted only six months, Rose says. Thanks to LiveStrong, the cancer non-profit founded by cyclist Lance Armstrong, Rose learned how to apply for health insurance through the Affordable Care Act. He now pays about $200 a month in premiums — a good deal, he says, given that he had more than $250,000 in medical bills last year. Employers Employers might have opposed the law and hoped the court would strike it down, business advocates say, but now that it has passed legal muster, they have plenty of questions about how to move ahead. For example, says Andy Webber, president of the National Business Coalition on Health, how much insurance must they provide to avoid paying a penalty? How much of a tax credit will a small business receive for paying part of an employee's insurance? "The Supreme Court has ruled, but we need greater clarity about implementation," Webber says. Because employees are "comfortable" receiving their insurance through work, most employers will remain in that business, Webber says. Businesses have learned that wellness programs lead to higher productivity, better retention and recruiting, so they'll want to keep control of those elements of health care, Webber says. The law also calls for more support for wellness and preventive care. Employers will probably embrace parts of the law that address quality and innovation, he adds, but want the government to back things that are already working in the private sector. Small business interests have been some of the law's most vocal critics, and they still believe it will drive up their costs and limit their freedom, says Dan Danner, president of the National Federation of Independent Businesses, an advocacy group for small businesses. Fighting the law now, however, is counterproductive, Danner says. "We'll do anything we can about the parts we think are most onerous, but by the end of the day, there's not much we think is going to happen before the elections," he says. The main worries for small businesses, Danner says, are the penalty tax for not providing insurance and the type of minimum benefits package they must provide. Employers expect health costs to rise between 2% and 4% each year, says Joe McGinty, vice president for employee benefits of The Graham Company, one of the largest employee benefits brokerages in the mid-Atlantic region. However, he said, it's difficult to measure the cost benefits of preventive and wellness programs, which already have employers thinking in different ways about health costs. Providers Health care providers, such as hospitals and physicians, have made some of the most progress under the law so far, Emanuel says. They've started switching to electronic medical records, and cutting readmission rates and medication errors. Those moves, he says, have nothing to do with the controversial requirement that Americans buy health insurance or pay a fine. Those trends, which were in play before the law passed, will continue, says Jeff Goldsmith, a health industry analyst and founder of Health Futures. Hospitals will keep merging and acquiring small doctors' offices, he says. That has been going on for eight years — long before the Affordable Care Act. The changing nature of the ranks of new physicians — 50% of medical schools' graduating classes are women — means more doctors want a better way to control their hours and juggle their families, says Dr. Delos Cosgrove, CEO of the Cleveland Clinic. "There's no way to keep up on your own," he says. The Affordable Care Act is not driving this change; it's the cost of doing business. About 60% of hospitals are now a part of a system, and there were 200 hospital mergers and acquisitions in the first part of this year. Even without the Supreme Court decision, Cosgrove says, hospitals would continue in the direction they've been moving. "We know that Medicare can reduce what they pay us," he says. We know we've got to get slimmer. The insurance industry is doing the same thing — cutting the amount they'll pay for services. Health care providers have already responded "hugely" since the law passed in 2010, said Michael Regier, senior vice president for legal and corporate affairs at VHA, a trade organization representing hospitals and other providers. Reduced Medicare and Medicaid payments have forced providers to cut their own costs, which should mean lower costs for everyone, he says. "In my 17 years in health care, I haven't seen change happen so fast," he says. There's a quite evident willingness to rethink the approach to care. It will ultimately work to the benefit of the patient. States States that have waited for the court's decision before creating health exchanges "have to roll up their sleeves and get to work," says Neera Tanden, president of the Center for American Progress. Many states have already started setting up exchanges, but for those who haven't, it's time to get going and join in the work that's ahead of them. Most states have already accepted and spent federal grants to help pay for the exchanges and improvements to prepare for the expansion of Medicaid, says Joel Ario, former head of the Department of Health and Human Services' Office of Health Insurance Exchanges. That will have to continue, he says. The exchanges have to be up and running next year, so states need to act now, says Ezekiel Emanuel, a former White House health adviser. "We certainly can't do that at the last minute," he says. The administration needs to set up different elements of the law this year, because if President Obama loses to Republican Mitt Romney in November, there needs to be some stability in the health care industry that would survive a potential change in administrations, he said.

One man's heroic quest: Cataloging 350,000 medal-of-valor winners ALEXANDRIA, Va. - Doug Sterner drives from his cluttered apartment here to the Navy Yard in Washington, D.C., carrying a portable photocopier and a belief in American heroes. Inside the Navy archives, he flips through thousands of typed index cards detailing bravery in battle. Sterner pulls out a card and starts reading. He's mesmerized by this story: Charles Valentine August, a Navy pilot who shot down two enemy planes in World War II, was later shot down himself and captured in North Africa. After escaping, August returned to combat and was shot down again and taken prisoner by the Japanese. August was awarded a Silver Star for "conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity in action." Sterner carefully photocopies the card. Stories like August's fuel Sterner's single-minded quest to compile the records of every last soldier, sailor, airman and Marine awarded one of the nation's top three medals for valor in combat from every American war. He's been at it every day, 12 hours a day for 14 years, determined to build the comprehensive medals database the Pentagon has never provided. "Such cases for me are like finding gold," Sterner says of August's heroism. In 1998, Sterner wanted to build a museum for Medal of Honor winners. He started checking government records and discovered that the military had never pulled together in one place the accounts of the 350,000 recipients of medals above the Bronze Star. He heard from frustrated families of medal recipients unable to get documentation from the Pentagon. He decided to do it himself; he would make it his life mission to honor medal winners by documenting their heroics. Six years ago, he quit his job as a college computer instructor in Pueblo, Colo., to devote full attention to his passion, a database called Hall of Valor. Sterner, 62, has documented 115,000 medal recipients. He predicts he'll be at 150,000 by the end of the year, and he vows to finish all 350,000 before he dies. At times, he has been helped by his four children and his wife, Pam, who works for a nonprofit. He has also relied on material from other researchers. Back home, in a converted bedroom crammed with files and folders, Sterner types into his computer the heroics of August and others he had photocopied that day. Later, he gulps coffee as he punches in accounts of Army, Air Force and Marine Corps medal recipients he's dug out of other archives. At the Navy archives, Sterner is copying records in alphabetical order. He's now on the Bs. He figures he needs an additional year and a half to work his way through the alphabet and finish copying cards for the 50,000 medal recipients. Two-thirds of Sterner's entries include citations, or official narratives, of acts of bravery. Sterner adds expanded accounts, as well as photographs, from newspaper stories and unit histories. Without his data, there would be no direct way for medal recipients and their survivors to find records of heroics. "They'd be lost to history," Sterner says. While researching medals last week, Sterner stumbled across a Web page that listed Social Security numbers for 31 Medal of Honor and Distinguished Service Cross winners - accidentally made public by an Army contractor. The Army removed the information after learning of Sterner's discovery. The Pentagon says 16 million personnel files were destroyed in a 1973 fire at a St. Louis military records center. Sterner says he's found thousands of files buried in the Pentagon's archives - a tribute to the military's legendary insistence on redundant paperwork. Three years ago, Sterner moved to Alexandria to be closer to medal records at the Navy Yard, the National Archives and Marine Corps Base Quantico. He says the Pentagon could easily - and far quicker than he can - dig out paper records scattered around Washington and collect them in a central database. "They just don't have the will," Sterner says, not even looking up from his typing. He rolls his chair across the room to yank down a heavy folder of documents and says, "I'm myopically focused on this. I don't have time for anything else. Sterner is a lean, fast-talking Vietnam veteran who was awarded two Bronze Stars, but they are not in his database. He focuses instead on the top three: the Medal of Honor, service crosses and the Silver Star (plus a few noncombat Legion of Merit medals for valor). "I have to draw the line somewhere," he says.

Upset win has Kanepi in Estoril final Kaia Kanepi, shown in a match at the 2010 U.S. Open, has claimed a spot in the finals of the Estoril Open with a win Friday. ESTORIL, Portugal, May 4 (UPI) -- Kaia Kanepi ousted top-seeded Roberta Vinci and will play Carla Suarez Navarro in the title match of the Estoril Open tennis tournament in Portugal. Kanepi, seeded sixth, got by Vinci 6-2, 7-5, by recording four breaks in the final set Friday to beat Vinci for the first time in her career. Kanepi was in control in the first set but lost her serve three times in the second and needed a late break to claim the win. There were a total of seven breaks in the 12-game set. Suarez Navarro advanced to Saturday's final with a 6-4, 6-0 decision over Karin Knapp. She swept through the second set, losing just six points in three service games and finishing off three of her five break opportunities in the set. Kanepi will be seeking her third WTA championship. She claimed the season-opening tournament in Brisbane, Australia, this year. Suarez Navarro is 0-2 in tournament finals, losing at Marbella, Spain, in both 2009 and 2010. Kanepi and Suarez Navarro have split their two career meetings.

i Editor's Letter: West Coast shambles has implications for every area of business Our story today about the Department for Transport, and whether cuts to Civil Service staffing led to the shambles surrounding the West Coast line franchise, has implications for every area of business and industry in the UK. There seems to be a belief in certain political circles that the Civi Service and local government employees are a luxury. Both are full − the theory goes − of indolent pen-pushers, battening on the hard-earned taxes of the populace. This ignores the fact that civil servants and local government employees are taxpayers too. There is a grudging admission that some public-sector employees are necessary − a few doctors and nurses; perhaps some teachers (if they're teaching the right subjects and their pupils are achieving the right grades). Someone to empty the bins might come in useful from time to time, or rubbish will start piling up in the streets. But clerical staff? Don't they just sit around all day drinking tea and going on year-long maternity leave, before sloping off into the sunset with their final-salary pensions? You only have to sell your property, put in a planning application, apply for approval for your restaurant or café, or want to repair or install new services such as drains or gas pipes to find out how necessary these employees are, and how difficult life becomes when their numbers are cut. It was all very well for David Cameron to trumpet his new slogan, Britain Can Deliver, at the Tory conference. But it takes more than bankers and spin doctors to run a country. You also need a solid infrastructure, staffed by experienced personnel, in order to ensure that things run smoothly. There is no point in becoming so obsessed with reducing the deficit that we end up getting rid of all the people who can help oil the wheels of administration. Otherwise, Britain might deliver − but there'll be nobody home.

Album review: Soma Coma 6 Every year, I wait eagerly for this long-running compilation series to be released. The appeal for me is obvious... Take the finest selection of cutting-edge producers and swap their techno trainers for laidback loungers. However, don't expect something fluffy or dated; the result is twelve tracks that play like a filmscore to a breath-taking sci-fi movie full of tension, drama and dark foreboding. SC:6 is packed full of well thought-out remixes and exclusive tracks from the Soma vaults. A great deal of work has gone into creating a concept album that flows from track to track with Joe Starwarz, Alex Under and Nadja Lind supplying the introduction in three tracks. Each building on the last, they set the scene of a sprawling metropolis. Starwarz - "Suite b" is a deep dub-driven track with a melodic bass hook, broken up by the hypnotic reflection of echoing chords, painting the picture of a desolate underworld. Unders slo-mo Detroit techno gently pads through a barren industrial landscape drizzled in the warm wetness of environmental shift. While Lind's Alpha Chicken dub takes the first steps towards human contact, her trip-hop rinsed beats are soaked in the smokey atmosphere of a busy market place. Mihalis Safras" remix of Deepcut starts where Lind left off, in a dirty, grease-coated spaceport. He captains a clunky shuttle, and blasts off for a tour of the sprawling mega city. Breaking through clouds wrapped around titanic super structures reaching far into space... where Onmutu Meckanicks introduces us to his eerie take of Slams tech thumper - "Dark Forces." Imagine a team of explorers within the dead space of an abandoned space station - darkness envelopes the original melodies building tension in waves of imposing sound. The re-engineered version is far deeper and darker than the original but remains faithful to Stuart and Orde's vision. There's no doubt SC: 6 is an exceptional album. There is strong communication between artists and exquisitely produced with expert direction from Soma HQ. Soma displays the kind of maturity and thoughtfulness which can only be gained from 14 years at the forefront of underground electronica - a heavy dose of genuine invention. Soma celebrated 14 fantastic years on Friday @ Pressure in The Arches, with headline acts - Green Velvet and Maya Jane Coles. Out now: http://www.somarecords.com/

Another British Critic Torches 'Downton Abbey' Last month, the British historian Simon Schama took aim at "Downton Abbey," denouncing it in Newsweek as an exercise in "cultural necrophilia," a "servile soap opera" and a "steaming, silvered tureen of snobbery." To which millions of American television viewers apparently replied, "Yes, and...?" Now, the British poet James Fenton has piled on, if more gently, in the generally Anglophilic pages of The New York Review of Books. In an essay titled "The Abbey That Jumped the Shark," Mr. Fenton accuses the show not just of absurd plot twists, geographical inconsistencies and excessively buried gay subplots, but of brazenly promoting the class interests of its creator, Julian Fellowes, "aka Julian Kitchener-Fellowes, a k a the Conservative peer the Baron Fellowes of West Stafford, Lord of the Manor of Tattershall." Mr. Fellowes, Mr. Fenton notes, "is married to someone who - were it not for the anomaly of our laws of primogeniture - would be in line to inherit the title of the present (presumably the last) Earl Kitchener of Khartoum," a situation that mirrors that of the Crawley clan on the show. "We may suspect that when the Kitchener-Felloweses sit down to dinner, this theme of injustice won't go away," Mr. Fenton continues. And if you feel from time to time that the television series is attempting to enlist your sympathy for a cause that, in your own life, might rank as a low priority (the perpetuation of a gigantic 19th-century house and estate) - that is indeed the case. But to some of his own critics, Mr. Fenton - himself the onetime bearer of the title Oxford Professor of Poetry but now mostly a resident of New York - gets the show's "death tax"-hating American audience, at least, entirely wrong. "Nothing raises an American hackle like inheritance, estate taxes, wills and family squabbles over family legacy," Choire Sicha wrote at The Awl. Americans want nothing more than to keep money in the family, even if they don't have any. And Americans, at least, naturally and even thoughtlessly identify with the inheritance plot, not least because of the estate being propped up by the American investment of capital via marriage. This is even while Americans retain a reflexive dislike of the rich, of course. We're a complicated and nuanced people! Or stupid. Hard to say. Willa Paskof, in her own review of Mr. Fenton's review on New York magazine's Vulture blog, mostly concurred, quoting a headline from the Guardian: ""Downton Abbey": You're Awful... But I Like You."

Wine: "South Africa's wine industry had to reinvent itself W hen apartheid ended, around 20 years ago, the South African wine industry - like most others there - had to reinvent itself. But progress has been rapid and it is now producing many of the fruit-forward, reliable-quality and good-value wines UK consumers demand. Nowhere is the contrast between old and new greater than with chenin blanc, where industrialised processes have given way to techniques that really can scale the quality heights. Even some entry-point versions have benefitted from this conversion, as demonstrated by 2012 Cambalala Chenin Blanc (£3.79, Aldi), with its zippy grapefruit acidity that slowly develops into banana and fresh apple flavours without compromising its lightness. A step up in quality takes us to 2011 Extra Special Chenin Blanc (£6.97, Asda), which retains that banana and apple fruit but adds touches of honey and chocolate to the finish, delivering a smoother, richer texture and giving greater balance to the acidity. Southerly parts of the country - around Elgin, for example - are now exploiting slower ripening conditions to produce terrific sauvignon blanc, but good versions can still be found further north. The 2012 Finest Olifants River Sauvignon Blanc (£7.99, Tesco) originates 120 miles north of Cape Town but winemaker Bruce Jack uses the vineyard's cooler sea breezes to create a fresh and crisp sauvignon with typical southern-hemisphere gooseberry flavours. The customary citrus finish is, however, boosted by herbs and slightly sweeter hints of orange. Elsewhere in the Western Cape, sauvignon is blended with colombard in 2012 The Whale Caller Sauvignon Blanc Colombard (£4.99, Waitrose) to create rounded pear influences that take the edge off the lime-centred acidity and add floral touches and a gentle impression of sweetness without reducing light and grassy freshness. First up in the reds is 2012 South African Cape Red (£4.99, M&S), which blends cinsault with ruby cabernet to produce an uncomplicated juicy wine with red cherry flavours and touches of all-spice. Then there is the soft and gentle 2011 Cimarosa South Africa Cabernet Sauvignon (£3.99, Lidl), with its leafy, minty overtones and appealing ripe cherry fruit. Without the blackcurrant colour and flavours or much tannin, this is not typical cabernet sauvignon but for light, drink-anytime red it hits the spot. Lightness takes on a more serious aspect in the 2011 Tiger Horse Old Vine Cinsault (£6.99, Morrisons). Any delicacy in its colour is amply counterbalanced by the real depth of raspberry and expressive cherry fruit and the hints of pepper, flowers and menthol that illustrate how much more complexity can come from wines with 40 or 50 years on the clock. Equally serious is the nicely made blend of 2010 Jordan Cabernet Sauvignon Merlot (£7.99, Majestic), with an attractive spice and mocha finish to round out the cherry and jammy blackcurrant fruit. South Africa is doing well with cabernet but other varieties also prosper. Consider 2012 South African Shiraz (£5.49, Co-op), which combines full but juicy blackcurrant fruit, subsidiary flavours of herbs and a food-friendly tannic twist at the end along with sweet touches of cinnamon. Finally to pinotage, often criticised for its aromas of burnt rubber. No such problems with 2012 Taste the Difference Fairtrade Pinotage (£7.99, Sainsbury's), thanks to rich and floral damson flavours, soft touches of vanilla and fresh acidity. n

To Megan Fox and other celeb mums Fox and her husband, Brian Austin Green, have hired a night nurse so that they, the child's parents, can get a night's sleep. Well, I think that's pretty disgraceful on several counts and I am about to be Very Judgmental - so if you don't like condemnatory views of other people's behaviour then look away now. Babies are born to women - whether some feminists like it or not and wish it otherwise - and nature provides the baby's food in the form of breast milk. That milk, and suckling it from the mother's breast, is the child's entitlement. Direct access to its mother's breast milk is, in my book, every child's human right. That doesn't mean extracting it with a pump and handing it over to someone else to pour into the child either. It means proper tactile feeding from the breast and all the bonding which goes with that. Everyone knows that there is nothing better than breast milk for a baby's health and, there are benefits for the mother too - not least, it is much easier to lose the baby weight if you breast feed than if you don't. It is also considerable less hassle - at a time when you're tired and maybe stressed - than fiddling about with bottles which have to be sterilised. And you have it with you, on tap as it were, wherever you and the child happen to be. If you hire a night nurse the child may be losing out on part of this and I regard that as a form of neglect. Second, all young babies need frequent feeds, usually every two to four hours throughout the day and night. You know that - surely - from the outset. Nights are difficult and new mothers are likely to feel tired because for a while they won't be able to sleep for more than two or three hours at a stretch either. It goes with the territory of motherhood. It always has and it always will. It's a phase which doesn't last long though and, with sensible management, most babies will sleep through before they are six months old - both mine did so from three months. That is why it really isn't sensible for mothers of babies under six months to be trying to do lots of other things - such as work, having a social life or appearing on TV - at the same time. It's why maternity leave was invented. If you can't accept that this is how things are - and hirers of night nurses presumably can't - then should you really be embarking on motherhood in the first place? Not everyone is cut out for it, after all. Third, pregnant women get fat. Not only do they have the obvious baby bump but most female bodies lay down extra fat reserves in pregnancy too. It is nature's insurance because you need extra reserves to draw on once the child is born. It takes a few months to shed it. Breast feeding helps because you are giving away calories all the time. So do long walks with a sleeping baby in a buggy or pram. What isn't natural is to regain your model figure (with tight breasts - it is not known whether Miss Fox is actually breast feeding at all) in a couple of months looking as if there had never been a baby and presenting this as if it were some kind of triumph of feminism. When a mother is very much in the public eye and makes an appearance like this it gives the impression that this is how it should be in an ideal world. Hire a night nurse, get plenty of sleep, leave your infant with someone and then look like you've spent hours in the gym. Then court admiration for your fantastic achievement. Far too many gullible women will try to ape this - and fail. Most can't afford night nurses or other help, even if they want them, and very few will, for whatever reason, manage the workouts Miss Fox must presumably have fitted in to look as she does. Actually I think that to look slim, sexy, well groomed, relaxed and not tired, when there's a baby at home under three months old is a sign of flawed motherhood rather than anything to be proud of.