Swiss unveil giant catamaran for Cup defense

The worst-kept secret in the America's Cup is official: Alinghi of Switzerland will sail a giant catamaran when it defends the oldest trophy in international sports early next year against bitter U.S. rival BMW Oracle Racing.

The Swiss confirmed Saturday they will sail a twin-hulled boat that is 90 feet long on the waterline. The cat reportedly has a bowsprit that makes it about 120 feet overall.

The high-tech craft was built in Villeneuve, Switzerland, and will be launched by helicopter on Lake Geneva this coming week before undergoing testing.

Alinghi and BMW Oracle Racing of San Francisco are scheduled to meet in a best-of-three series in …

Call can aid refinishing

Stumped by how to refinish a quirky piece of furniture youimpetuously bought at a garage sale?

Let a Homer Formby specialist help.

This is Formby's 25th year in the …

Rio police, backed by military, surround gang turf

RIO DE JANEIRO (AP) — Police searched homes and secured the perimeter of a Rio de Janeiro shantytown Friday that has long been a stronghold for drug gangs and a symbol of their ability to rule vast areas of the seaside city with impunity.

About 80 federal police officers joined state police in door-to-door searches in the Vila Cruzeiro slum as 800 military troops, trained in surrounding and isolating conflict areas, stood ready in their headquarters, 12 miles (20 kilometers) away, to back them up.

The area had been taken by law enforcement just hours before during a five-hour operation using armored vehicles and assault rifles.

After bulletproof vehicles had their tires …

Gulf oil spill could reach shore Thursday night

The leading edge of a massive oil spill that's become far worse than initially thought in the Gulf of Mexico was expected to reach the Louisiana shore by Thursday night. Government officials, the oil company and others rushed to try to protect the fragile marshlands from an ecological disaster.

As of late Thursday morning, part of the slick was about 3 miles (4.8 kilometers) from the Mississippi River delta, said National Oceanic Atmospheric Administration spokesman Charles Henry said.

A blown-out well a mile (1.6 kilometers) underwater is leaking in three places, spewing 5,000 barrels a day into the gulf _ five times more than originally thought.

…

Stocks Slip 3

NEW YORK Stocks were modestly lower today as investors, lackingclear direction from the bond market, tinkered with their portfoliosahead of the weekend.

Investors bought economically sensitive stocks that had beenbeaten up over the last week and took profits in those sectors thathad overperformed, such as consumer stocks.

The Dow Jones industrial average was off 3.86 points to close at3,648.68. Volume on the New York Stock Exchange reached 296.3million shares. Advancing issues outpaced declining ones by 1,264to 909 on the Big Board, with 586 unchanged.

Stocks rose early in the session, pushed higher by rising bondprices, before falling back. The price …

Connie Briscoe's 'P.G. County' an entertaining read

Connie Briscoe, author of A Long Way Home, Big Girls Don't Cry and Sisters & Lovers, returns to the literary scene in fabulous form with P.G. County. This novel takes place in Prince George's County, an affluent African American Community in Maryland, and is sure to make you nostalgic for Melrose Place. Briscoe's words leap off the page and pull you into the deuced scandals of infidelity, rape, alcoholism, violence and interracial dating. Her characters are money-driven and high-strung yet humane and familiar.

If Briscoe could have taken one or two (hundred) of those -ly words out, P.G. County would have been an all-around well-crafted story. Everyone spoke crisply, …

Pakistan to ask IMF if country gets no other help

Pakistan will ask the International Monetary Fund for a bailout package in less than two weeks if it can not secure other funding, the official in charge of the effort to stabilize the crisis-wracked country said Tuesday.

But an IMF program would be politically unpopular in Pakistan because it likely would come with painful conditions to cut government spending that could affect programs for the poor.

In talks with a British envoy on Tuesday, Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari "underlined the government could ill afford financial assistance from the IMF with tough conditions," the Pakistani Foreign Ministry said in a statement.

Zardari …

Art prize set for gallery opening

THE Jerwood Drawing Prize is the largest and most prestigiousannual open drawing exhibition in the UK -- and this year'sexhibition tours for the first time to Oriel Myrddin Gallery.

First prize was awarded to London-based artist Virginia Verranfor her drawing Bolus-Space. She describes her work as "intuitions,layers, planes, demarcations, nations, symbols, threats,bombardments, …

Vegas the Place to Be for NCAA Tourney

LAS VEGAS - The cocktail waitress weaves her way through the standing-room only crowd, contorting her body through a sea of men scouring wager sheets, trying not to spill a tray filled with a mix of coffee and beer.

All eyes point toward the bank of three dozen or so TVs that cover the front wall or the massive electronic board that covers the entire side wall with green, yellow and red letters and numbers that stream like something out of "The Matrix."

It's 9 a.m. The adrenaline and alcohol already are flowing, apparent from the round of cheers that ring out when a pregame show comes on the big screen.

Yep, this is Vegas, baby, and there might not be a better …

Indonesian economy seen further signs of decline

Indonesia, the largest economy in Southeast Asia, is coming under increasing strain from the financial crisis with new projections showing plummeting exports and slowing growth.

Bank Indonesia Deputy Chief Hartadi Sarwono said Thursday economic growth may slow to below 4 percent in 2009, down from 6.1 percent last year, due largely to declining exports.

Exports could contract by up to 28 percent annually in 2009, he said, after falling more than 30 percent in January.

Indonesia is a major exporter of coal, gold, palm oil, rubber and other precious metals. It also manufacturers textiles, shoes, electronics, automobiles and motorcycles.

…

Sutcliffe keeps Cubs rolling

CUBS 3 PIRATES 2

PITTSBURGH The Cubs won again - and the pleasure was all RickSutcliffe's.

Making his first start since being left in Arizona to continuehis shoulder rehabilitation from last May's shoulder-cartilageoperation, Sutcliffe combined with Heathcliff Slocumb and PaulAssenmacher to beat the Pirates 3-2 Thursday night.

It was the Cubs' sixth victory in a row after starting theseason 1-3.

It was Sutcliffe's first triumph since Oct. 1, 1989.

"It feels good just to be one of the guys again," he said aftersix innings of two runs, four hits, two walks and two strikeouts.

"I didn't know what to expect, but I seemed to get stronger …

6 pollsters freed, 3 still missing in west Mexico

MORELIA, Mexico (AP) — A Mexican polling firm said Wednesday that six of its employees have been freed after disappearing over the weekend in the western state of Michoacan, an area plagued by drug-cartel violence.

The Consulta Mitofsky firm said in a posting on the company's Twitter account that "polling workers were freed," but does not specify who was holding them.

State prosecutor Jesus Montejano said that the area near Apatzingan where they disappeared is a stronghold of the La Familia and Knights Templar cartels.

"We believe this could be a consequence of one of the criminal groups that operate in the area," he said in an interview with MVS radio.

Roy Campos, …

Rangers faces Celtic and chases 10 point lead

Rangers can open a 10-point lead over Celtic by beating its traditional rival in the Scottish Premier League on Sunday and goes into the game buoyed by a 7-1 victory over Dundee United in which Kris Boyd scored five goals.

Although Celtic has a game in hand and home advantage, defending champion Rangers goes into the "Old Firm" confrontation with the better form, having lost only once in 18 league matches this season.

Boyd's five goals on Wednesday took him to 160 to lead the Scottish Premier League all-time scorers past former Celtic striker Henrik Larsson's 158. Boyd is yet to sign a new deal with Rangers.

With strike partner Kenny Miller ruled out of the game after being sent off against Dundee United, Boyd is likely to play a big part on Sunday even though he has not always been a regular starter against Rangers' biggest rival.

"He has missed quite a few Celtic games in the time that I've been back, but he also played in a few of them as well," Rangers manager Walter Smith said. "Right at the present moment, the team is doing extremely well and I don't envisage a situation where you would go along there and play without him."

Boyd has struggled to make an impact against Celtic, but Smith doesn't believe that will affect his form.

"I don't think it puts any extra pressure on him," the Rangers manager said. "He accepts the pressure he has of being our leading goalscorer for a number of years."

Celtic needs to win to trim the deficit to four points, especially because Rangers now has a much better goal difference (34 to Celtic's 18).

Celtic manager Tony Mowbray says his team will be wary of Boyd but wants his own strikers to produce the same form.

"Boyd is a threat, obviously," Mowbray said. "I go back to when I was a player (for Celtic). In any given second, Ally McCoist could score a goal and I think Kris Boyd is in a similar mold. You might not notice him for long spells and then he is there. He knows where to run, he knows where to go.

"In this game, I hope we have the match-winners in our side. We have to look at it as confidently as we can and believe that we can create chances. We have players ourselves who can score goals and go past individuals and cause damage."

Third-place Hibernian, which is 11 points behind Rangers, hosts Edinburgh neighbor Hearts on Sunday.

Women address theology and healing [at Women Doing Theology conference]

What do we mean by doing theology?" asked author Katie Funk Wiebe, who moderated the plenary sessions at the fourth "Women doing theology" conference, held here June 25-27.

Lois Barrett of Wichita, Kansas, called it "a process of connecting the biblical record with our current context." Elizabeth Soto of Lancaster, Pennsylvania, added that "we need to read our own lives in conjunction with the biblical narrative."

These two strands, the Bible and women's experience today, permeated the conference, which included 84 registrants and focused on the theme "Journey toward healing."

Barrett opened the conference with her presentation, "Women, salvation and healing." She noted that the same Greek word may be translated as "salvation" or "health" (e.g., Luke 8:48,50). Jesus, she said, brought not only freedom from sin but freedom from sickness.

Healing is often a process that includes: 1) letting go of fears, 2) living faithfully, 3) expecting new acts of healing and 4) making it possible for others to experience healing.

Wilma Ann Bailey, Grantham, Pennsylvania, spoke on "Women and dignity in the Hebrew Bible." The Bible, she said, assumes that humans must be conscious of their dignity in order to act morally. "To have dignity is to be honourable, even without being honoured by others," she added.

She looked at various women in the Bible. Many women have rejected the Bible because it is patriarchal, yet many oppressed women -- in Africa, for example -- have found hope and dignity there, she said.

In the Hebrew mind there is no distinction between soul and body, said Soto in her presentation, "Shalom, sanidad y salud (Shalom, healing and health)." Thus, "shalom" (wholeness) includes spiritual, mental and bodily health.

Soto, who combines her training in public health and theology, has worked with AIDS patients in Latin America, where she saw women suffer not only from the physical disease but from social condemnation.

"A theology of health," she said, "must emphasize the totality of the person rather than focusing on the sickness or disease."

This emphasis on wholeness was evident throughout the conference, as women used worship and art to incorporate concerns for healing. The small groups allowed more intimate sharing of experiences, which included the wounds of being treated as "nonpersons," objectified in the media as bodies to look at, labelled "angry feminists" when expressing their pain, and suffering abuse from spouses and from people in the church.

Many also talked about their experiences of healing and the support they receive from other women. The closing worship included anointing with oil and lighting candles as symbols of healing.

Free-for-all election set for Nevada US House seat

LAS VEGAS (AP) — A U.S. House seat from Nevada left vacant by the resignation of Republican U.S. Sen. John Ensign will be filled with a free-for-all special election in September.

Secretary of State Ross Miller said there will be no limit on the number of candidates who can enter Nevada's first such special election.

The contest will fill a vacancy created by Republican U.S. Rep. Dean Heller of northern Nevada, who replaced Ensign.

Voters will pick from a free-for-all ballot that is expected to easily swell under the relaxed election rules.

There will be no fee to enter the race and most mainstream candidates will simply have to file a form to get on the ballot. Minor party candidates have through May to collect signatures from 100 registered voters to make the cut.

A dose of reality for Michael Phelps in 50 free

Michael Phelps got a dose of reality Saturday morning in the 50-meter freestyle, an event he entered mainly to work on a new straight-arm stroke he'll use in the 100 free.

The swimmer who won eight gold medals in Beijing was assigned to lane one in the third of 11 heats _ surely the first time in years he's gone that early _ and lived down to expectations by touching in 23.24 seconds, far off Frederick Bousquet's world record of 20.94.

"I don't even know how to swim the 50. I don't really know what to do," Phelps said. "After watching the video, I saw some things I can change. My head position the first 25 was not too good. I was too deep. I had a giant wave over my head."

Phelps' time was eighth-fastest of the preliminaries, which would have been good enough to get him the last spot in the evening final. But he quickly scratched, sticking to his plan to focus on the 100 backstroke.

That should be quite a race. Less than an hour after finishing the 50 free, Phelps returned to race alongside world-record holder Aaron Peirsol in the prelims of the 100 back, neither of them wanting to show their hands too much.

Peirsol touched in 55.56 to earn the top spot for the final. Phelps was right behind at 55.61, meaning they'll be side-by-side again in the evening. Two-time Olympian Ryan Lochte also advanced with the fifth-best time (55.98).

"It'll be fun racing against him and Lochte," Phelps said. "It's definitely going to be a good race. I'm sure we'll see some fast times."

Ditto for the 50 free, swimming's most furious, chaotic event. George Bovell was the surprising top qualifier at 21.88, ahead of U.S. Olympian Cullen Jones (22.22) and Bousquet (22.37), a last-minute addition to the field.

"I'm just here for the racing and to do as good as I can," the Frenchman said.

Phelps' coach, Bob Bowman, keeps insisting there are no plans to make the 50 free a regular part of his program, even though the winningest Olympian ever plans to try some new events over the next three years leading up to the London Games.

"Michael just doesn't really have that explosive power you need to do a great 50," Bowman said. "We're just using it for the 100."

Phelps showed his inexperience in the 50 by staying underwater far longer than anyone else in the one-lap race. That technique is advantageous in the longer events, allowing the swimmer to conserve energy, but getting on top of the water as fast as possible is a key in the 50.

"I guess the underwater is not really something you can do in the 50," Phelps said. "You kind of have to get up and start swimming. But I don't really know what to do, so I just did my normal thing. There's a few things I have to work on."

Bousquet, who became the first swimmer to break the 21-second barrier at the French national championships last month, said he's not in top form.

"I haven't set any goals for this weekend," said Bousquet, who starred at Auburn during his college career. "This is my first meet back into the water since nationals. I took bit of a break, then I got sick and I just got back in this week, not thinking I would be here racing this weekend. I'm in a different phase than all the U.S. guys."

While Phelps keeps insisting that he's not a sprinter, Bousquet isn't so sure.

"The guy can call himself a sprinter, that's for sure," the Frenchman said. "I'm very happy, very excited that he decided to pay more attention to the 50 and the 100. It can be very positive for us to make progress as well. He's going to help us all go faster."

Phelps finished second in his heat, providing quite a thrill to the guy who touched ahead of him, little-known Jared White.

"It was fun to race him," White said. "Yeah, I'll remember it."

Historic planes draw crowds at Paris Air Show

Nearly hidden among the ranks of giant airliners, military airlifters and sleek warplanes on display at this year's centenary Paris Air Show, an eclectic collection of historic aircraft has been drawing large crowds of curious onlookers.

Its centerpiece is the Bleriot XI, a rickety monoplane that was featured in the inaugural Paris air show in 1909, after its French constructor Louis Bleriot had used it for the first flight across the English Channel.

Drawing even more attention at the show _ open to the public through Sunday _ was the PBY5A Catalina, a beautifully designed U.S. World War II-era flying boat, stuck ignominiously between a massive Air France Cargo Boeing 777 and a brand new Eurofighter Typhoon multi-role fighter-bomber.

The high-winged twin-piston engine Catalina performed a variety of vital but unglamorous duties such as long-range reconnaissance, anti-submarine patrols and air-sea rescue of downed airmen or sailors from sunken ships. It even maintained the only long-range aerial link with Australia while that nation was cut off by the Japanese Pacific fleet.

In the type's most famous combat action, a British Catalina located the Nazi super-battleship Bismarck in the north Atlantic in May 1941. That sent an allied fleet in pursuit, and the pride of Hitler's navy was attacked and sunk.

"This is one of the unsung heroes of WWII and the reason to keep it flying is to preserve the memory of this historic workhorse," said Rod Brooking, a retired British Airways pilot who now flies for the Catalina Society, a British group of enthusiasts who maintain the 66-year old amphibian.

Another aircraft attracting interest was the twin-engine MD 315 Flamant, an otherwise unremarkable model that happened to be the first plane to carry the Dassault designation _ which has since become synonymous with top-of-the range French warplanes and business jets. The Flamant was the first dedicated business plane in the world.

Its designer Marcel Bloch was an established aeronautical engineer in pre-WWII France who had conceived the MB406 fighter that became the mainstay of the French air force at the beginning of World War II.

After the fall of France, Bloch _ who was Jewish _ was imprisoned in Germany's infamous Buchenwald concentration camp. But he survived and returned to Paris after the war, where he assumed the pseudonym his brother had used in the resistance _ Dassault (meaning "for assault"). One of the jets he later designed was the Mirage III, which gained lasting fame for its spectacular performance in the 1967 Arab-Israeli War.

The manufacturer's latest warplane, the twin-jet Rafale, has been performing spectacular aerobatic displays in the sky above its older brethren.

The Flamant is part of a collection of classic planes maintained by Dassault Passion, a group of volunteers dedicated to preserving old French aircraft.

"These planes represent an important part of modern aviation history," said Gerard David, a former pilot and president of the society. "The Flamant, for instance, is the forefather of today's business jets."

Among the other historic planes on display were a beautifully restored 1950s-era Lockheed Super-Constellation four-engine airliner, a Ryan Recruit, the first U.S. Army Air Corps all metal, monoplane trainer, and the Antonov AN-2 biplane transport aircraft.

___

On the Web:

The Catalina Society: http://www.catalina.org.uk

Dassault Passion: http://www.dassault-passion.org/

Italian Football Results

Results in the Serie A, the Italian first-division football league (home teams listed first):

Wednesday's Games

Bologna 1, Juventus 2

Catania 0, Udinese 2

Chievo Verona 1, Lazio 2

Fiorentina 0, Inter Milan 0

Genoa 2, Cagliari 1

Lecce 1, Palermo 1

AC Milan 2, Siena 1

Napoli 3, Reggina 0

AS Roma vs. Sampdoria, ppd., rain

Torino 2, Atalanta 1

Saturday's Games

Reggina vs. Inter Milan

Juventus vs. AS Roma

Sunday's Games

Atalanta vs. Lecce

Cagliari vs. Bologna

Lazio vs. Catania

Palermo vs. Chievo Verona

Sampdoria vs. Torino

Siena vs. Fiorentina

Udinese vs. Genoa

AC Milan vs. Napoli

Monday, November 3

Today is Monday, November 3, the 308th day of 2008. There are 58 days left in the year.

Highlights in history on this date:

1394 - Charles VI orders Jews expelled from France.

1534 - England's parliament confirms King Henry VIII in all judicial and political powers formerly exercised by the Pope in England.

1839 - A flare-up of opium war occurs when a British frigate sinks Chinese fleet.

1900 - The first automobile show in the United States opens at Madison Square Garden in New York under the Automobile Club of America.

1903 - Panama proclaims its independence from Colombia.

1928 - Turkey switches from Arabic to Roman alphabet.

1935 - Greek plebiscite recalls exiled King George II to throne.

1936 - U.S. President Franklin Roosevelt is re-elected in a landslide over Republican Alfred M. Landon.

1918 - Poland declares its independence from Russia.

1946 - Power in Japan is transferred from the emperor to elected assembly.

1956 - Britain and France agree to accept a Middle East cease-fire in the Suez War if U.N. forces can keep the peace.

1957 - The Soviet Union launches Sputnik 2, the second manmade satellite, into orbit. A dog on board named Laika is sacrificed in the experiment.

1968 - Storms, landslides and floods take more than 100 lives and cause heavy damage in northern Italy.

1970 - Marxist Salvador Allende becomes president of Chile.

1973 - U.N. Emergency Force reports success in easing tension between Egyptian and Israeli troops at positions west of Suez Canal.

1978 - The Soviet Union and Vietnam sign a 25-year treaty of friendship and cooperation.

1982 - Suriname's largest labor union, Moederbond, ends a five-day general strike after the nation's military commander promises free elections, a new constitution and the restoration of civil liberties.

1986 - "Ash-Shiraa," a pro-Syrian Lebanese magazine, breaks the story of U.S. arms sales to Iran, a revelation that escalates into the Iran-Contra affair.

1990 - Mozambique's parliament approves new constitution ending 15 years of one-party rule.

1991 - Israeli and Jordanian-Palestinian delegates agree to pursue talks on interim self-government in Israeli-occupied West Bank and Gaza Strip.

1992 - Bill Clinton defeats incumbent George H. W. Bush in U.S. presidential elections.

1993 - Bosnian government troops storm through a Croat district north of Sarajevo, prompting 15,000 terrified civilians to flee into the countryside.

1994 - A Bosnian refugee, determined to call attention to the slaughter in his homeland, hijacks an airliner only to surrender when he believes the world had heard his plea.

1995 - A teen convicted of killing a British tourist at a highway rest stop is sentenced to life in prison in Monticello, Florida.

1996 - Relief officials scramble to find a way to bring aid to a million Rwandan Hutu refugees engulfed in a rebellion in eastern Zaire.

1997 - Iraqi President Saddam Hussein threatens to shoot down U.S. planes that are monitoring the disarmament of his country. The threat never materializes.

1998 - For the first time in a 30-year conflict, the Spanish government says it will hold talks with groups linked to the militant Basque ETA separatists.

1999 - The government of Yugoslavia's smaller republic, Montenegro, designates the German mark as its official currency, replacing the Yugoslav dinar.

2000 - Singapore airlines apologizes for its first fatal crash after investigators discover the pilot of a Los Angeles-bound jumbo jet missed clear warning signs and crashed while trying to take off on a runway full of construction equipment.

2001 - U.S. Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld visits Russia, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, Pakistan and India to shore up support for ongoing U.S. military operations in Afghanistan against the al-Qaida terrorist network.

2002 - The party of moderate President Ibrahim Rugova wins municipal elections in Kosovo, but loses some ground to parties headed by former ethnic Albanian rebels.

2003 - A 35-member commission unveils a draft constitution, which would be presented to a traditional Afghan 500-member national assembly, the loya jirga, for debate and ratification in mid-December.

2004 - Ending one of the U.S. Army's longest desertion cases, Charles Robert Jenkins is sentenced to 30 days in a military jail for abandoning his unit in North Korea nearly 40 years ago.

2005 - Allegations that the CIA set up secret jails in eastern Europe and elswhere to interrogate al-Qaida prisoners trigger a flurry of denials from governments in the former Soviet sphere and prompt EU officials and human rights organizations to demand answers.

2006 - Latin American and Caribbean nations endorse Panama for a seat on the U.N. Security Council, after Guatemala and Venezuela withdrew to break a deadlock that dragged through 47 votes.

2007 - Gen. Pervez Musharraf declares a state of emergency in Pakistan, suspending the constitution, replacing the chief justice before a crucial Supreme Court ruling on his future as president, and cutting communications in the capital.

Today's Birthdays:

Karl Baedecker, German guide book compiler-publisher (1801-1859); Andre Malraux, French novelist and cultural minister (1901-1976); Charles Bronson, U.S. actor (1922-2003); Adam Ant, British pop singer (1954--); Kate Capshaw, U.S. actress (1953--).

Thought for Today:

On the plus side, death is one of the few things that can be done just as easily lying down. _ Woody Allen, American actor/producer (1935-)

Mergers and acquisitions: Merger of Dow and Union Carbide gets the OK

The Dow Chemical Co. (Midland, MI) has received clearance from the U.S. Federal Trade Commission, as well as from the European Commission, the Canadian Competition Bureau, and other jurisdictions, for its merger with Union Carbide Corp. (Danbury, CT), under which Union Carbide will become a wholly owned subsidiary of Dow. As part of the regulatory approval process, several assets will change hands:

* Dow will transfer to BP Chemicals Ltd. its interest in technology developed jointly with BP and Chevron Phillips Chemical Co. LP under two research programs aimed at developing metallocene catalysts for gas-phase polyethylene.

* Univation Technologies, a joint venture between Union Carbide and ExxonMobil, will become a 50/50 joint venture between Dow and ExxonMobil. Union Carbide will contribute the Unipol polyethylene process technology licensing and conventional catalyst businesses to Univation. The venture's polyethylene catalysts include Ziegler-Natta, chrome-based, metallocene, and others.

* Dow will sell its global ethanolamines (EOA) business and North American Gas/Spec business to INEOS plc (Southampton, U.K.). The transaction includes manufacturing facilities in Plaquemine, LA, as well as the U.S. and Canadian Gas/Spec customer base, associated technology, trade names, and access to all of the MDEA capacity of Dow's Freeport, TX, plant (which Dow will continue to own and operate). INEOS will operate Dow's polyglycols and glycol ethers facilities in Plaquemine as a contract manufacturer.

* Huntsman International, LLC, will acquire Dow's global ethyleneamines (EA) business and Dow's Castmate ceramic processing additive business. The agreement includes Dow's manufacturing plant in Freeport, TX, with a nameplate capacity of 160 million lb/yr, and a long-term option to purchase 30 million lb/yr of ethyleneamines from Dow's Terneuzen, Netherlands, plant.

* Dow will acquire the polyurethanes business of Italy's EniChem S.p.A. and will divest Union Carbide Corp.'s 50% interest in Polimeri Europa. This will give Dow its first European source for toluene-diisocyanate (TDI) and enhances its methylene-diphenylene isocyanate (MDI), polyol, and polyurethane systems capability. The company expects to add approximately 118,000 m.t./yr TDI capacity, 80,000 m.t./yr MDI capacity, and 160,000 m.t./yr polyols capacity to its global manufacturing capabilities.

Fernandez-Castano, Brown share 1st-round lead

Gonzalo Fernandez-Castano had an eagle and three birdies on the back nine Thursday to surge into a share of the lead with New Zealander Mark Brown after the first round of the $2.9 million Ballantine's Championship.

Fernandez-Castano went out in 34, including a three birdies and a bogey, and returned in 31 _ starting with an eagle 3 on the 545-yar par-5 10th _ for a 7-under par total 65.

The 28-year-old Spaniard is coming off back-to-back second-place finishes this month, at the Estoril Open in Portugal and at the Volvo China Open last weekend in Beijing.

"I'm a little bit surprised I have to say. Last couple of weeks have been great," Fernandez-Castano said. "To come out and shoot 65, first round, you can't ask for much better. It's a fantastic way to start the tournament."

Brown started with an eagle at the 10th _ one of 11 eagles on that hole _ and had six birdies and a bogey in a morning start at the par 72, 7,361-yard Pinx Golf Club to hold an outright lead into the afternoon.

He has won both his last two Asian Tour tournaments, at the Sail Open and the Johnnie Walker Classic in India in 2008, but hasn't had a tournament victory since. He was third at the China Open last week.

"I didn't play well for a good few months, and just lost it a little bit," the 34-year-old New Zealander said. "But it doesn't take much to get it back.

"You just hit a few good shots and I'm the type of person that the only way I can gain confidence is by actually seeing the proof, not by trying to kid myself. When you start to see the ball fly a little bit straighter, then you slowly gain confidence."

Thailand's Thongchai Jaidee, Robert-Jan Derksen of Denmark and South Korea's Kang Kyung-nam shared third place at 6 under, one stroke ahead of another group of three.

Three-time major winner Ernie Els was in a share of ninth place at 4 under, along with world No. 9 Henrik Stenson of Sweden.

Former U.S. Masters champion Fred Couples was among the 17 players at 3 under.

Els was disappointed he didn't make a charge after an eagle at the 10th, narrowly missing a birdie putt at the 11th.

"It was okay. I've been struggling with form a little bit in the last couple of weeks," the South African said. But, "I didn't have a bogey on my card _ that's a good sign. I'd like to push on from here.

"I'm not too bad. I'm three behind. Three tough weather days to come. Who knows, maybe level par will win it."

Defending champion Graeme McDowell was 11 shots off the pace after a disappointing 76.

"Just didn't play well _ drove all over the place," the Northern Irishman said. "The greens were a little elusive. Didn't putt too well. ... 4 under should have been there for the taking. I just wasn't on top of my game.

"I need three good rounds here. I'll come out all guns blazing tomorrow."

Playful pigs produce better pork, prof says

URBANA, Ill. (UPI) Pigs that play with toys and are petted afew minutes each week are more likely to produce better meat becausethey will approach the slaughter more willingly, according to aUniversity of Illinois researcher.

Those pigs are likely to be more relaxed and easier to coax intochutes leading to slaughter. Other pigs must be prodded or bulliedinto the chutes and will suffer physical damage, resulting in bruisedor tough meat, Stanley Curtis, a professor of animal science, saidlast week.

If pigs have a chance to explore their environment, "There issome thought that . . . it will have some effect on them that can betranslated into being easier to handle at the time of marketing,"Curtis said.

The researchers hung rubber hoses in the pens of some pigs andallowed others to roam the area outside their pens for a few minuteseach week. Still others were treated to petting and stroking bypeople for about 10 minutes each week, Curtis said.

Some pigs were given two or all three of those treatments. Themost relaxed pigs were the ones allowed to play with toys and treatedto the 10-minute petting sessions, Curtis said. Those were the onesthat did not need much prodding to move through a chute similar tochutes in slaughterhouses.

"Many pigs in pens are excitable and nervous, so handlers at theslaughter houses have to give the animals `hot shots' (with electricprods) to keep them in line," said Temple Grandin, one of thegraduate assistants.

Curtis and his researchers, however, say tests on the actualquality of the meat from slaughtered pigs given the treatments arenot complete.

MasterCard posts loss after AmEx settlement charge

MasterCard Inc. said Thursday it posted a second-quarter loss because of a charge related to a settlement with rival American Express Co.

Excluding the charge, the payment processor's profit rose 9 percent, while sales jumped 25 percent on increased spending by cardholders, especially with debit cards.

Purchase, New York-based MasterCard said it lost $747 million, or $5.74 per share, from April to June, after the effect of a $1 billion after-tax charge related to antitrust litigation. Excluding that charge, it earned $276 million, or $2.11 a share _ better than analysts' forecast of a profit of $2.02 a share, according to Thomson Financial.

In the same period last year, MasterCard earned $252.3 million, or $1.85 a share, including the effects of $3.4 million set aside for litigation settlement and $90 million in income from an agreement to discontinue its sponsorship of the World Cup.

Were it not for MasterCard's legal costs, the second quarter would have been a strong one for the company. MasterCard's stock pullback belied largely upbeat assessments by card industry analysts. Anurag Rana of KeyBanc Capital Markets called MasterCard's results "impressive," while Moshe Katri of Cowen & Co. wrote that while the short-term outlook is a bit uncertain, in the long-term the company "will continue to benefit from secular growth trends in the electronic payments arena."

MasterCard and its competitor Visa Inc., unlike most card companies, are not exposed to deteriorating trends in consumer credit because they do not lend. Rather, they process the transactions made on their branded cards, and the credit is issued by member banks such as Bank of America Corp., JPMorgan Chase & Co., and Citigroup Inc.

MasterCard's revenue surged to $1.2 billion in the second quarter from $997 million a year earlier. More than 5 percentage points of that increase was due to the dollar's weakening against currencies including the euro and the Brazilian real. When payments are made overseas, the revenues that MasterCard pulls in from them are converted into dollars.

A sharp rise in gross dollar volume, even after the effect of currency fluctuations, also contributed to the jump, as did an increase in the total number of transactions processed and in cross-border transactions. Payments made by travelers abroad bring in bigger fees for MasterCard.

Pricing changes also helped revenue growth by about 5 percentage points.

MasterCard's results, like Visa's results did late Wednesday, indicated that the average U.S. cardholder is turning to debit more than credit as the economy weakens. Within the United States, gross dollar volume on MasterCard credit and charge cards rose 0.7 percent during the second quarter, but gross dollar volume on MasterCard debit cards shot up 15.8 percent.

Some of the disparity is because people are switching from cash and checks to debit, but some of it also reflects a shift away from credit.

"The economic environment is pretty tough," said Chief Financial Officer Martina Hund-Mejean, adding that consumers are continuing to shift their spending away from discretionary items and more toward non-discretionary items like gasoline, food and health care.

"We also do believe that the housing prices and the restrictions in credit for consumers have an impact on consumers utilizing their cards," Hund-Mejean said. Banks, facing still-tumbling home prices and rising consumer defaults in a broad array of debt products, have been lowering credit lines for many cardholders.

MasterCard's stock fell $21.77, or more than 8 percent, to $248.96 in late morning trading. During the second quarter, shares rose about 19 percent.

Shares of competitor Visa, which posted a 41 percent increase in quarterly profit late Wednesday, also slipped Thursday by $1.42 to $77.03.

Insurance matters worry congressman: In a letter to Clark, Wise worries many will be unprotected

State law offers numerous protections regarding managed care, butmore than 670,000 West Virginians may be left out in the cold, U.S.Rep. Bob Wise cautioned.

The congressman sent a letter to state Insurance CommissionerHanley Clark, warning that when Clark told legislators of the statelaws, he may have given the impression that federal protectivelegislation is not needed.

"What the reports of your testimony failed to convey, however, isthat even in states with such patient protections in place, a largenumber of patients do not benefit," Wise stated."The federal Employee Retirement Income Act governs patient carefor 51 million Americans whose employer "self insures," exemptingthem from state managed care protection."Clark, who was not available for comment Friday or today, has saidWest Virginia already has laws regarding confidentiality of medicalrecords, credentials for health care providers, accessibility tophysician care and rules that allow physicians the freedom torecommend certain treatments.He noted that several legislators, not realizing the strides thestate has made, have introduced bills that would do what is alreadycovered by state law."We are not perfect by any means, but we are so much further aheadthan most other states," Clark said.Those are all areas Congress is considering including in a"patient bill of rights," which Wise supports.He cites information from the Employee Benefits Research Institutethat out of West Virginia's approximately 900,000 patients insuredthrough their employers, more than 670,000 are covered by thefederallaw that makes them exempt from state protection.That's "virtually three out of every four" insured employees, Wiseadds.The patients bill of rights would extend to those people, he said.According to Wise, the proposed federal legislation would alsorequire that managed care plans:- Refer out-of-network provi ders when the care offered isinsufficient.- Allow specialists to be primary care providers in certain cases.- Allow standing referrals to specialists for patients who havechronic or life-threatening illnesses.- Allow certain patients to continue to see a physician who hasleft the plan.- Have a process for obtaining drugs not included in a plan.- Create a "meaningful" process of reviewing appeals.- Not prohibit patient participation in clinical trials.- Be accountable for significant damage for wrongful denials ofcare."By taking a broader view of the patient protections that are, andare not, in place in West Virginia, the need for a federal approachwhich makes managed care plans accountable is readily apparent,"Wisestated in his letter to Clark. "I am encouraged that West Virginiahas several crucial consumer protections in place."I would encourage you to support a complete package thatcomprehensively protects all patients."Writer Stacey Ruckle can be reached at 348-5185.

Lakers cruise to 117-79 win over Clippers

Kobe Bryant had 16 points and eight rebounds, Andrew Bynum added 12 points and nine rebounds, and the Lakers spoiled the Clippers season opener with a 117-79 rout Wednesday night.

The Lakers began their season with a similar blowout a night earlier, breezing to a 96-76 win at home against Portland on Tuesday.

As they did against the Trail Blazers, the Lakers got deep and balanced scoring and played scrappy defense. They held the Clippers to 38 percent shooting while shooting 51 percent themselves.

Derek Fisher scored 15 in the victory, including going 3-of-6 as the Lakers finished 10-of-19 from 3-point range. Pau Gasol added 13 points, Jordan Farmar 15, and Trevor Ariza had 11 points and six rebounds. Chris Mims scored most of his 10 points during mop-up time.

Bynum, back after a knee injury last January sidelined him for the rest of the season, went 4-of-7 from the floor and helped jam up the middle on defense, blocking three shots.

The new-look Clippers looked essentially like their usual sub .500 selves, no match for the talent and versatility of the defending Western Conference champion Lakers.

Baron Davis had 11 points on 4-of-13 shooting in his Clippers' debut, with seven assists. Al Thornton scored 16, and Cuttino Mobley and Tim Thomas each had 11.

The Clippers, who lost longtime mainstay Elton Brand and Corey Maggette among others during the offseason, have nine newcomers who played for other teams last season.

Davis played just one preseason game because of a finger injury, and another new addition, Marcus Camby, is out with a bruised right heel.

Down 33-32, the Lakers got some spark from the reserves and reeled off a 24-6 string beginning with Farmar's running jumper with 8:18 remaining in the second quarter. Ariza scored eight points during the run and Farmar had five points, three assists and a rebound.

That helped the Lakers open a 56-39 lead with 1:06 remaining and they were up 59-44 at halftime.

They outscored the Clippers 26-13 in the third quarter and were up 85-57 heading into the final 12 minutes.

Ariza hit a 3-pointer at the first quarter buzzer to give the Lakers a 30-27 lead. The Lakers had jumped out to a 16-7 lead in the first five minutes, but the Clippers chipped away and went ahead 27-26 on Al Thornton's driving layup with 1:37 left in the period.

Notes:@ Clippers coach Mike Dunleavy said before the game that he thinks the Lakers may be the best in the league. "Defensively they should be one of the top three teams and then they've got Kobe Bryant at the end of the game to cancel all bets," Dunleavy said. "If I'm picking, that's who I'm picking to win it all if they're healthy." ... The Clippers finished 23-59 last season while the Lakers kept going until they lost to Boston in the NBA finals. ... The Lakers went 4-0 against the Clippers last season, winning by an average of 26 points.

Fujitsu Notebook

The Fujitsu 5-4510 notebook is a member of the powerful and ultra-mobile LifeBook S Series of notebooks. It is a pleasure to take along on trips, since it is light - it weighs less than four pounds - and is thin enough to slip into your briefcase along with documents and other materials. It doesn't need its own carrying case.

It uses a Pentium III 400 processor and a 12.1-inch TFT screen that displays 800 by 600 and 256K colours. The version I tested came with Windows 985E, but Windows 2000 Professional is an option.

The standard configuration includes 64 MB of RAM, a 6-GB hard disk, sound, S6K modem, 101100 Ethernet, 24x CD-ROM and an external floppy drive. Numerous options are available.

The Fujitsu S-4510 notebook worked in exemplary fashion during my testing, but my ideal notebook would have a slightly larger keyboard. The suggested retail price in Canada is $3,749. If you would like more details, go to the Fujitsu web site, at www.fujitsu.ca. * *

The Invisible House

BabyOil, The Invisible House CD, www.babyoilmusic.com

I have a special place in my heart for oddball bands that do not fit into any standard notions of what is cool or in fashion. I still remember seeing Busted Flush for the first time at the Drake (the old Drake, not the new fashionable Drake) and thinking, "Who are these guys? How did they get here?" A similar reaction was elicited by the appearance of BabyOil's CD in my mailbox, though I knew how it got to me: 20 years ago, I met their guitarist, Barrie "Bear" Parrel I, in the office of a college radio station just before we were both thrust onto the air for what were, in retrospect, bizarre political reasons. I hadn't heard from him in years, until this. The band also includes a deedley guitarist who looks to be half everyone else's age and a singer who used to be an extreme fighter. He sings with a classic punk-operatic voice and the band chugs away at an assortment of workman-like rockers. Where does it fit in? Don't ask me. (Terence Dick)

Russian president defends recent elections

The Russian president on Saturday defended recent local elections that drew fraud allegations, inspired an opposition walkout of parliament and strengthened the Kremlin's grip on power

Dmitry Medvedev told leaders of the Communists and other opposition parties that the vote was well organized and seemed to dismiss allegations of vote rigging.

He said he wasn't surprised that opinions differed on the fairness of the vote because winners generally accept them. He said there were legal procedures for challenging election results.

During a meeting at Medvedev's residence with the leaders of the Communists and other opposition parties with seats in parliament, the president joked that he had worn black because he feared his guests expected "a burial of democracy."

"I agreed to meet with you and discuss the outcomes of the elections to local legislatures and local self-government bodies so that this all should not turn into a burial of democracy and the electoral system here," Medvedev said in comments televised after the meeting.

The vote was "organized well enough," he said. "There are different assessments (of the outcome) among parliamentary parties, but that's easily understood, because, as a rule, those who win treat the results as positive."

He reminded opposition leaders that there were legal procedures for challenging election results.

On Oct. 11 the Kremlin-backed United Russia party swept more than 7,000 local elections in 75 of Russia's 83 regions. Some prominent members of the opposition charged the vote was rigged.

In an interview published Monday, former Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev denounced the elections as mockery of democracy. He told a liberal opposition newspaper that the vote had discredited Russia's political system.

On Thursday about 1,500 supporters of the Communists and other parties staged a protest in Moscow against alleged vote rigging.

Opposition deputies conducted a brief walk out of Russia's Duma, or parliament, on Oct. 14, the first such demonstration in nearly a decade.

The Communists and other opposition parties with legislative seats generally vote with the government, support its major initiatives and offer only muted criticism of the Kremlin.

Leaders of Russia's Western-style liberal democrats have complained of being squeezed out of elective office entirely in recent years.

They charge that the Kremlin has excluded them from most ballots through restrictive rules, election commission decisions and court rulings.

When they have been allowed to campaign, they say, they face official pressure and negative or non-existent coverage by the state-controlled media.

Despite the walkout and criticism, the fraud allegations have not so far inspired general public anger.

New citizens

The following is a list of the 67 new citizens sworn in today atU.S. District Court in Charleston. Their original countries also areincluded:

Juliana Adewunmi Adesida, Nigeria; Faheem Ahmad, Pakistan;Euiallo Belza Albis, Philippines; Anne Marie Albuquerque, India;Zulfigar All, Pakistan; Erika-Maria Ursula Bartley, Germany; MiltonJohan Richard Blijd, Suriname; Nabil Mohammad Boustany, Syria;Nosratollah Chahryar Namini, Iran; Fung Michael Chan, China; YanChen, China; Chia Yun Ciampanella, Taiwan;

Giuseppina Spatola D'Alessio, Italy; Koteswara Rao Dasari, India;Anas Diab, Syria; Souzan Jajah, Syria; Tuan Quang Dinh, Vietnam;Sheela Sebastin Francis, India; Sebastian Kizhakkekara Francis,India; Wayne Howard Friday, Trinidad; Ofelia Gonzalez-Vega, Mexico;Harshavardhan Jayant Gupte, India; Shubhangi Harshavardhan Gupte,India; Abdulkarem Omar Haji, Libya; Min Lan Jiang, China; CunzhiJiang, China; Anil John Kuruvilla, India; Bridget Joseph, India;Syed Abdul Khader, India; Hameed Ullah Khan, Pakistan; Anna ChonaTorrefiel King, Philippines; Lan Ngoc Le, Vietnam; Lucy Miu LingLee, China; Mao Chang Lin, China; Sudapan Lucktong, Thailand.

Tripthi Mary Mathew, India; Ramona Paulino Neal, Philippines;Anna Igorevna Oates, Russia; Yamini Suresh Parabdesai, India;Falguni Rakesh Patel, India; Edwin Ramon Porres, Guatemala; PaulJoseph Porres, Guatemala; Govindappa Puttaiah, India; JulietBalingit Ramey, Philippines; Marie Nathalie Ratnani, Canada;Mohammad Salim Ratnani, Canada; Jesus Mauricio Reyes Ruiz, Mexico;Muhammad Saeed, Pakistan; Raghda Tolaymat Sahloul, Syria; RosemarieAnne Abel Santos, Philippines;

Hrabrina Bozhidarova Spencer, Bulgaria; Mirna Carina Suarez,Argentina; Sumathi Sundar, India; Priadi Surya, Indonesia; IrinaVasilevna Talalaeva-Simpkins, Russia; Bela Jashvantlal Thakkar,India; Sreevalsan Thekkeparayil, India; Patricia Christine Tighe,United Kingdom; Jose Ulises Toledo, Mexico; Ileana Valazquez, Cuba;Sundar Kilnagar Venkataraman, India; Maribel Benita Orrego, Chile;Valerie Maxine Walker, Jamaica; Joumana Wehbi, Lebanon; GeraldWilliam White, United Kingdom; Doinita Gabriela Zamfirescu, Romania;Lily Sarroza Zaragoza, Philippines; Ali Kishwar Zulfiqar, Pakistan;Kishwar Jeffery Zulfiqarali, Pakistan.

An old-school music collector, at long last, sings paean to iPod

When the iPod first got popular in early 2002, I scoffed. Oh sure,it's cool-looking, I said. Being able to have 15,000 songs accessibleat the push of a button? Nice, yeah, but nothing will replace owningan album. I like having a shelving unit that covers most of an entirewall to hold all my CDs and records. Call me old school, but I stilllike to make mix tapes when I have the time. Not mix CDs: mix tapes.You know, those plastic things that melt if you leave them in thesun? Yeah, those.

Well, now it's two days shy of 2006, and I am eating my words. Igot an iPod for Christmas this year (thanks, Mom and Dad). And eventhough it sometimes pains me to say it: I love my iPod. Oh, how Ilove it. I love the clicking sound it makes while I scroll through mysongs. I love how light it is in my hand. I love the fact that I canplug it into my car stereo, and create elaborate playlists for anytrip. What songs most accurately convey my feelings about going tothe store to buy cat litter and light bulbs? "Lost in theSupermarket" by the Clash? "Kitty" by the Presidents of the UnitedStates of America?

However, I'm certainly not getting rid of any of my CDs. Nor am Igiving up on other, more material forms of receiving musicalenjoyment. For example: Saturday night there will be numerousrenditions of "Auld Lang Syne" performed in multiple genres, asvenues and bands gear up to ring in the new year.

If you want to travel to Portland for your fun, may I suggest afew events spanning a wide variety of styles and scenes. Forstarters, the Space Gallery will host some of Portland's best liveacts, including the jangly indie rock of Phantom Buffalo and hip-hopDJ Gabe FM, with a party that starts at 9 p.m. with a $5 covercharge. The Big Easy Blues Club will bring in '80s covers band theAwesome - a Portland six-piece that buys its Aquanet in bulk andactually utilizes long-forgotten '80s instrument the keytar.

The Asylum will co-sponsor a New Year's Bash with WCYY, featuringJeremiah Freed, Twisted Roots, the Killing Moon (formerly Hampdennatives Animal Suit Driveby) and many more. Finally, the StateTheatre offers "A New Year's Eve Rezolution," an all-ages electronicmusic event featuring DJ Venom, DJ Tommie Gun, Popgirl 23 and otherlocal and regional techno favorites. Tickets are $25 and areavailable at Bull Moose Music locations.

Thinking of hitting the slopes? There are a couple New Year'sshows lined up for Sunday River in Bethel. The traveling dance partythat is Lovewhip will stop in to say goodbye to 2005 at the SundayRiver Brewery, while sax man Sam Kininger and his band will play atTango Mary's. Kininger is best known as the horn player for jamfavorites Soulive, but for a few years he's been on his own, bringinghis funky soul to clubs all over New England.

Further east, Orono will be a happening spot, while you're downingchampagne like water and searching for someone to lay a kiss on atthe big moment. Soma 36 will host local bands Overdub, Soul Lemon andRoost, with doors opening at 9 p.m. A $6 cover charge includes achampagne toast. For fans of a harder edge, Ushuaia featuresDeadseason and Nobis - and those under 21 are in luck, it's an 18+show, unlike most of the other events.

Elsewhere, the Thirsty Whale in Bar Harbor will feature the musicof rockers Mondo Charlie starting at 9 p.m. - and there's freechampagne! What could be better? The Blues Caf in Orono will featureEric Green and the Frozen Swamp Choppers, a champagne toast and doorprizes for a $10 cover. Tickets can be bought at the caf, or atTropics North Tattoo in Orono.

Me, I don't know where I'll be, though probably in as many placesas possible before the clock strikes midnight. I do know that if 2005is any indication, 2006 will be another great year for live music inMaine - and I'll be buzzing around town, plugged into my cute littleiPod, hopefully with lots of mp3s from local bands to keep rockin'out to.

It is advisable to call all venues ahead to confirm details. EmilyBurnham can be reached at eburnham@bangordailynews.net.

An old-school music collector, at long last, sings paean to iPod

When the iPod first got popular in early 2002, I scoffed. Oh sure,it's cool-looking, I said. Being able to have 15,000 songs accessibleat the push of a button? Nice, yeah, but nothing will replace owningan album. I like having a shelving unit that covers most of an entirewall to hold all my CDs and records. Call me old school, but I stilllike to make mix tapes when I have the time. Not mix CDs: mix tapes.You know, those plastic things that melt if you leave them in thesun? Yeah, those.

Well, now it's two days shy of 2006, and I am eating my words. Igot an iPod for Christmas this year (thanks, Mom and Dad). And eventhough it sometimes pains me to say it: I love my iPod. Oh, how Ilove it. I love the clicking sound it makes while I scroll through mysongs. I love how light it is in my hand. I love the fact that I canplug it into my car stereo, and create elaborate playlists for anytrip. What songs most accurately convey my feelings about going tothe store to buy cat litter and light bulbs? "Lost in theSupermarket" by the Clash? "Kitty" by the Presidents of the UnitedStates of America?

However, I'm certainly not getting rid of any of my CDs. Nor am Igiving up on other, more material forms of receiving musicalenjoyment. For example: Saturday night there will be numerousrenditions of "Auld Lang Syne" performed in multiple genres, asvenues and bands gear up to ring in the new year.

If you want to travel to Portland for your fun, may I suggest afew events spanning a wide variety of styles and scenes. Forstarters, the Space Gallery will host some of Portland's best liveacts, including the jangly indie rock of Phantom Buffalo and hip-hopDJ Gabe FM, with a party that starts at 9 p.m. with a $5 covercharge. The Big Easy Blues Club will bring in '80s covers band theAwesome - a Portland six-piece that buys its Aquanet in bulk andactually utilizes long-forgotten '80s instrument the keytar.

The Asylum will co-sponsor a New Year's Bash with WCYY, featuringJeremiah Freed, Twisted Roots, the Killing Moon (formerly Hampdennatives Animal Suit Driveby) and many more. Finally, the StateTheatre offers "A New Year's Eve Rezolution," an all-ages electronicmusic event featuring DJ Venom, DJ Tommie Gun, Popgirl 23 and otherlocal and regional techno favorites. Tickets are $25 and areavailable at Bull Moose Music locations.

Thinking of hitting the slopes? There are a couple New Year'sshows lined up for Sunday River in Bethel. The traveling dance partythat is Lovewhip will stop in to say goodbye to 2005 at the SundayRiver Brewery, while sax man Sam Kininger and his band will play atTango Mary's. Kininger is best known as the horn player for jamfavorites Soulive, but for a few years he's been on his own, bringinghis funky soul to clubs all over New England.

Further east, Orono will be a happening spot, while you're downingchampagne like water and searching for someone to lay a kiss on atthe big moment. Soma 36 will host local bands Overdub, Soul Lemon andRoost, with doors opening at 9 p.m. A $6 cover charge includes achampagne toast. For fans of a harder edge, Ushuaia featuresDeadseason and Nobis - and those under 21 are in luck, it's an 18+show, unlike most of the other events.

Elsewhere, the Thirsty Whale in Bar Harbor will feature the musicof rockers Mondo Charlie starting at 9 p.m. - and there's freechampagne! What could be better? The Blues Caf in Orono will featureEric Green and the Frozen Swamp Choppers, a champagne toast and doorprizes for a $10 cover. Tickets can be bought at the caf, or atTropics North Tattoo in Orono.

Me, I don't know where I'll be, though probably in as many placesas possible before the clock strikes midnight. I do know that if 2005is any indication, 2006 will be another great year for live music inMaine - and I'll be buzzing around town, plugged into my cute littleiPod, hopefully with lots of mp3s from local bands to keep rockin'out to.

It is advisable to call all venues ahead to confirm details. EmilyBurnham can be reached at eburnham@bangordailynews.net.

Rookies Talbot and Tomlin win as Indians sweep

CLEVELAND (AP) — Mitch Talbot and Josh Tomlin both finished their rookie seasons with wins as the Cleveland Indians swept a doubleheader from the Detroit Tigers, 4-0 and 4-3, Wednesday night.

Tomlin (6-4) went five innings to beat Tigers ace Justin Verlander (18-9) after Talbot (10-13) pitched seven innings for only his third win in his last 13 starts to beat Max Scherzer (12-11) in the opener.

Cleveland tied its season-high six-game winning streak and beat the Tigers for the eighth straight time at home.

A suicide squeeze bunt by Trevor Crowe gave Cleveland a 4-3 lead in the fifth inning against Verlander.

Lou Marson walked and Michael Brantley followed with a game-tying RBI triple. Brantley took off for home and Crowe somehow made contact on a high-and-away 99 mph fastball to put the ball in play for the RBI.

Verlander threw 121 pitches in an effort to match his career high in wins set a year ago. He got out of a bases-loaded jam in the seventh by fanning both Crowe and Shin-Soo Choo on fastballs registering 101 mph.

The Tigers could not rally against Cleveland's bullpen. Chris Perez got the final four outs for his 23rd save in 27 chances and 10th in a row.

Ryan Raburn had a two-run homer and Johnny Damon a bloop RBI single as Detroit led 3-0 in the second.

Cleveland scored on a wild pitch by Verlander in the second and Jayson Nix added an RBI single in the Indians' fourth.

Brantley went 2 for 3 and is hitting .538 (7 for 13) in his career against the Tigers' right-hander.

Tomlin gave up three runs and nine hits over five innings to win for the third time in his final four starts.

It is the second straight year the Indians finished the home schedule with a makeup doubleheader. They split two games with the Chicago White Sox in 2009 in the final home games managed by Eric Wedge, who was fired with his staff after a 65-97 finish.

Cleveland's 2010 home attendance of 1,391,644 was its lowest since 1,224,274 went to old Cleveland Stadium in 1992.

Afterward, every Indians player and coach tossed a dozen baseballs into the crowd. Each ball had been personally autographed.

Travis Hafner and Choo hit two-run homers to help Talbot win the opener.

"It is one that you can think about during the winter when you are sitting on the couch," Talbot said. "To finish off on a good note was great."

The right-hander gave up five hits and struck out five without a walk.

Talbot spent two weeks on the disabled list with a strained back in August, and also missed one turn in the rotation earlier this month with an inflamed right shoulder.

"I felt OK both times I came back, but I just didn't know where the ball was going," Talbot said. "Today, I was locating my fastball and my secondary pitches were sharp."

Jensen Lewis and rookie Vinnie Pestano each pitched a scoreless inning to complete Cleveland's fourth shutout — the 10th time the Tigers have been shut out and first since the Indians' Justin Masterson did it to them on Aug. 20.

"We didn't do anything offensively," Tigers manager Jim Leyland said. "Pretty anemic. We played like it was a spring training 'B' game. We played like it was still raining."

Scherzer came in 5-2 with a 1.93 ERA in 11 previous starts, but walked three and gave up four runs and eight hits over five innings.

"His control wasn't sharp," said Leyland, noting that the extra day of rest because of Tuesday's rainout may have been a factor. "That's so unlike him. He couldn't throw the ball over the plate."

In the opener, Damon became the fifth player in history to play in 140 games in 15 consecutive seasons. Willie Mays also did it 15 times; Hank Aaron, Brooks Robinson and Pete Rose 16 times. Cal Ripken Jr., played in a record 2,632 straight games over 17 years for Baltimore, but was in only 112 games in 1994, when a players strike stopped the season in August.

The Tigers were without MVP candidate Miguel Cabrera. The slugging first baseman is out for the season with a sprained right ankle, sustained Monday night. He leads the majors with 126 RBIs, is tied for second in the AL with 38 homers and is third in league batting at .328.

Notes: Detroit went 1-8 at Progressive Field and 8-1 against the Indians at home. ... Indians RHP Hector Ambriz will have elbow surgery Friday. ... Choo went 3 for 3 off Scherzer to put his career average at .555 (5 for 9) against the right-hander. Hafner went 2 for 3 to go to .600 (6 for 10) against Scherzer. ... Tigers OF Austin Jackson became the fourth rookie since 1901 with 100 runs, 180 hits, 30 doubles, 10 triples and 25 stolen bases. Joe Jackson (1911), Juan Samuel (1984) and Hanley Ramirez (2006) also did it. ... In the opener, Choo got his 14th outfield assist, which leads the majors. ... Cleveland OF Shelley Duncan got his first career steal in the eighth inning of the nightcap.

FIDEL CASTRO OFFERED INTERVIEW TO VENEZUELAN TELEVISION STATION

According to ACN: The leader of the Cuban Revolution, FidelCastro, offered last Sunday an interview to Venezolana deTelevision, media outlets in Cuba and abroad reported on Thursday.The Cuban website www.cubadebate.cu posted photos of the interviewconducted by Venezuelan journalist Mario Silva, who said he came toHavana to dismantle a media campaign launched by the Venezuelanopposition and by anti-Cuba right-wing groups in Miami who werespreading rumors that Fidel Castro might be sick or near death. InVenezuela, Silva showed the collection of photos from the interviewon his program "La Hojilla" on Wednesday night, and said he expectedthe full interview to be broadcast soon. "I am sorry to inform thosewho are enjoying themselves by believing that Comandante Fidel hashad a stroke that he is alive and kicking," Silva said. In thephotos, Fidel Castro appears relaxed and healthy, sitting in an easychair and wearing a white jacket and green pants.

FIDEL CASTRO OFFERED INTERVIEW TO VENEZUELAN TELEVISION STATION

According to ACN: The leader of the Cuban Revolution, FidelCastro, offered last Sunday an interview to Venezolana deTelevision, media outlets in Cuba and abroad reported on Thursday.The Cuban website www.cubadebate.cu posted photos of the interviewconducted by Venezuelan journalist Mario Silva, who said he came toHavana to dismantle a media campaign launched by the Venezuelanopposition and by anti-Cuba right-wing groups in Miami who werespreading rumors that Fidel Castro might be sick or near death. InVenezuela, Silva showed the collection of photos from the interviewon his program "La Hojilla" on Wednesday night, and said he expectedthe full interview to be broadcast soon. "I am sorry to inform thosewho are enjoying themselves by believing that Comandante Fidel hashad a stroke that he is alive and kicking," Silva said. In thephotos, Fidel Castro appears relaxed and healthy, sitting in an easychair and wearing a white jacket and green pants.

Nikkei plunges more than 300 points in early trading before erasing some losses

Japan's benchmark stock index plunged over 300 points in early trading Friday, following large losses in New York overnight because of concerns over a possible end to interest rate cuts and a slowing U.S. economy.

Shortly after the market opened, the Nikkei 225 index fell 346.70 points, or 2.06 percent. The index later regained some of its early losses, ending the morning trading at 16,581.27 points, down 289.13 points, or 1.71 percent.

Leading the spiral downward were banking shares. Japanese megabank Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group fell 4.7 percent to 1,067 yen following a recent revision of its profit outlook on weak domestic lending.

The plunge in Tokyo came after shares in New York nose-dived Thursday, with the Dow Jones industrial average falling more than 360 points as Wall Street reacted nervously to surging oil prices and a U.S. Federal Reserve warning on inflation.

The warning from the Fed, which cut interest rates earlier this week, triggered concern that the U.S. central bank might hold off further rate cuts or even consider raising them if inflation accelerates.

Investors were also spooked by concerns of a slowing U.S. economy, a key export market for Japanese companies.

A report from the Commerce Department showed U.S. consumers had scaled back their spending in September as worries mounted about a worsening housing market and further credit market turmoil. A trade group also reported that manufacturing in the U.S. grew in October at the weakest pace since March.

The broader Topix index of all the Tokyo Stock Exchange First Section issues fell 25.67 points, or 1.57 percent, to 1,610.11.

In currency dealings, the dollar slipped to 114.76 yen late morning Friday from 114.92 yen late Thursday in New York. The euro fell to US$1.4426 from US$1.4462.

Thatcher gets stung by her own policy

Former British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher has fallen victimto the slump in the British housing market, her estate agents saidin London Tuesday.

Thatcher, prime minister from 1979 to 1990, has …

Driver delivered to old sorting office.

After a card was left at his Amber Hill home to say the postman had tried to deliver a parcel, Caldwell Smythe set off into Boston to collect it.

Mr Smythe, who has only lived in the area since August, put the postcode into his car satellite navigation system on Saturday and set off into the slush and snow.

But when he arrived at the destination, he found himself half-a-mile away from the office in South End, and instead was on Main Ridge.
"I stopped and asked someone who said I was at the old sorting office," said Mr Smythe.
"The people I asked were all in gales of laughter. The people in Boston were wonderful and were so …

NEWELL RUBBERMAID NAMES CEO.(BUSINESS)

Byline: -- Associated Press

FREEPORT, Ill. -- Housewares maker Newell Rubbermaid Inc. has appointed former Internet executive Joseph Galli Jr. as its president and chief executive, company officials said Monday. Galli, 42, most recently headed VerticalNet Inc., a business-to-business e-commerce company. He also was president and chief operating officer of …

Thailand Cabinet Confident of 4.5 Percent Economic Growth.

Sep. 4--Cabinet ministers yesterday expressed confidence the economy could reach 4.5 percent growth this year, rising to 5.5 percent for 2004.

Finance Minister Somkid Jatusripitak yesterday told ministers that the strong recovery this year and for 2003 would push growth to 5.5 percent annually by 2004.

The Bank of Thailand yesterday reported to the cabinet the latest economic figures for July, noting that overall growth for the first seven months of the year was 4 percent.

But central bank officials denied that there had been any change in official growth projections, currently set at 3 percent to 4 percent for this year.

Bandid …

America's Liukin Gets Her Gold

STUTTGART, Germany - Nastia Liukin saved the best for last.

Liukin finally got a gold medal to call her own Sunday, winning the balance beam title in her final event at the world gymnastics championships. It's her ninth worlds medal - fourth gold - and it ties her with Shannon Miller for most by a U.S. gymnast.

"Being the team world champion is great, don't get me wrong. But individually, it's something just totally different from a team medal," Liukin said. "Being able to be named a world champion individually, it's such a great honor."

Maybe her mom will come watch more often now.

Liukin's mother, Anna, a former rhythmic gymnastics world champion, gets …

April showers bring May flowers and spring cleaning

Cleaning is what many people think of when springtime rollsaround. Procrastinating until spring to get the inside and outside ofyour house in tip-top shape is a tough way to get organized. Insteadof waiting for each spring, make a "mid-year" resolution to adopt anew philosophy on cleaning: Stay on top of different tasks throughoutthe year and kiss the dreaded spring-cleaning ritual goodbye.

Inside cleaning tips

**Never look any further than one room at a time. A good place tostart is usually the spare bedroom (or any room you use the least),because there is not as much cleaning--which leads to instantgratification.

**Take your chosen room and clear it of any …

Photo phixers.

Summary: Digital photography overloading you and your computer? Google's latest iteration of Picasa should be able to help you.

February 2010 marked the 20th anniversary of Adobe's Photoshop, a truly remarkable piece of software without which magazines like BT would look a lot worse. It was also prescient, as photography changed dramatically with the advent of the digital age. Millions of amateur photographers were born, especially after mobile phones started sporting digital cameras. And, as storage prices crashed, people were not limited to the 36 photographs in a costly roll anymore, the average family vacation might generate a thousand photographs shot on multiple devices …

The third annual CARTI Ragin' Cajun Bash, a New Orleans-themed party presented by the CARTI Foundation Leadership Council, will be held at 6 p.m. April 26 at the River Market Pavilion in Little Rock.(Business Briefs)

The third annual CARTI Ragin' Cajun Bash, a New Orleans-themed party presented by the CARTI Foundation Leadership Council, will be held at 6 p.m. April 26 at the River Market Pavilion in Little Rock. …