Brazil oil spill may affect sensitive area

RIO DE JANEIRO (AP) — The oil that allegedly leaked from a Japanese-operated rig last week could affect an environmentally sensitive region in Rio de Janeiro, the state environment secretary said Monday.

The 2,600 gallons (10,000 liters) of oil that leaked is much smaller than the nearly 3,000 barrels of oil that leaked from a Chevron well off the coast of Rio de Janeiro state in November.

But the official, Carlos Minc, told the Globo TV network that the oil has reached the Bonfim beach in Angra dos Reis, "a much more environmentally sensitive area that is a natural habitat for turtles, dolphins and other wildlife."

Minc's agency says the oil leaked from a ship-shaped …

Judge drops Dominguez doping charges

MADRID (AP) — World steeplechase champion Marta Dominguez has been provisionally cleared of doping charges.

The judge presiding over the case has dropped the charge accusing the two-time European 5,000-meter champion of providing a fellow athlete with a banned performance-enhancing substance.

The public prosecutor's office has five days to …

The emerging story

Notwithstanding the Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs' perennial warnings about terrorist plots against holidaymakers in Sinai, my wife and I are back in Egypt for the fourth time this year. We're staying at Camp Ras ash-Shatein, a seaside oasis of "no-star" luxury 27 miles south of the Eilat-Taba border crossing on the Gulf of Aqaba.

The Arabic name, misunderstood by some as the "Devil's Head," signifies the promontory between twin beaches. The campground sprawls organically around a rock outcrop that divides two crescent-shaped bays protected by a coral reef.

Israelis who visited here under the IDF occupation of Sinai from 1967 to 1982 may still call the place Magama …

Randy Bachman, David Wilcox, Jack Bruce salute blind guitarist Jeff Healey

International music stars from the world of rock, blues and jazz celebrated the life of blind Canadian jazz and blues-rock guitarist Jeff Healey over the weekend by playing the songs he loved best.

Rocker Randy Bachman, guitarist David Wilcox, bluesman Colin James and singer Alannah Myles were among the artists who took the stage Saturday night in a tribute to Healey, who died in March at age 41 after a lifelong battle against a rare cancer of the eyes.

Healey rose to stardom as the leader of the Jeff Healey Band, a rock-oriented trio that gained international acclaim and platinum record sales with the 1988 album "See the Light." The album …

Iceland evacuates hundreds near volcano

Icelandic emergency officials evacuated hundreds of people near a restless volcano Wednesday amid strong signs of a second eruption.

Some 800 people near the Eyjafjallajokull (AYA-feeyapla-yurkul) glacier were evacuated after seismic activity suggested a second eruption, said Rognvaldur Olafsson, a chief inspector for the Icelandic Civil Protection Agency. The volcano, 75 miles (120 kilometers) east of Reykjavik, erupted March 20 after almost 200 years of silence.

"The volcano in question is under a glacier," Olafsson said. "If an eruption happens, there could be flash floods."

Heavy cloud cover was preventing scientists from …

Cubs hopeful flashy opening no shot in dark

PHILADELPHIA For right now at least, all is right in the Cubs'world.

The only trouble with the real world is that it keeps onspinning. As sure as there is the brightness of day, there is thedarkness of night.

Those not blinded by the Cubs' 4-3 Opening Day victory Tuesdayover the Phillies are keeping flashlight batteries ready.

In fact, for these Cubs, there might be more night than day.

The victory Tuesday, despite Sammy Sosa's defense, George Bell'spleasurable absence in the outfield, Mark Grace's sudden power, GregMaddux' typical toughness and Chuck McElroy's super save, was notwithout its flaws.

It almost seemed the Cubs won despite …

Iran orders hand amputation of confessed thief

TEHRAN, Iran (AP) — An Iranian judge has ordered the amputation of the hand of a man who confessed to robbing a candy shop, local media reported Saturday.

Iran's semiofficial Fars news agency said the chief judge of a Tehran court also sentenced the 21-year-old man, who was not identified, to a year in jail and ordered him to return the stolen items.

The ruling comes days after Iranian authorities amputated the hand of another man convicted of theft in the northeastern city of Mashhad.

While …

First wine, then beer. Now even spirits get micro

Small-scale distilleries making high-quality whiskey, gin, vodka and other spirits are taking off across the United States.

Boutique booze _ formally called artisanal spirits _ is a big trend in the bar business. Just as the market for craft beers and fine wines boomed during the past two decades, the audience has similarly grown for small-scale liquor that is high quality and often higher priced.

"Why is this better? Because it's not produced for 10 million people; it's produced for 5,000 people," says Bill Owens of the American Distilling Institute.

He estimates the number of small distilleries at just over 200, and growing by about …

Fired jail guard should have videotaped `Seinfeld'

Fans of "Seinfeld" know exactly where they were on May 14, thenight of the show's finale. So does Clinton County, N.Y., JailDeputy Jeffrey Lozier. Unfortunately, his bosses found out where hewas, too.

He was fired last week for rigging a surveillance monitor so hecould watch the show instead of watching the …

Text of Obama's remarks on his birth certificate

The text of President Barack Obama's remarks Wednesday about the release of his birth certificate, as provided by the White House:

___

Hello, everybody. Now, let me just comment, first of all, on the fact that I can't get the networks to break in on all kinds of other discussions -- (laughter.) I was just back there listening to Chuck -- he was saying, it's amazing that he's not going to be talking about national security. I would not have the networks breaking in if I was talking about that, Chuck, and you know it.

As many of you have been briefed, we provided additional information today about the site of my birth. Now, this issue has been going on for two, two and a …

NY Rep. Rangel stumbles after reaching top

Just about everyone likes Charlie Rangel.

Republicans pump his hand, Democrats put their arms around his shoulders and women of all political persuasions give him pecks on the cheek.

Spend some time with the 80-year-old congressman from New York City who's been striding the Capitol's halls for four decades on behalf of residents of Harlem, and there's little evidence he's become someone to avoid because of an ethics cloud that's more likely than not going to darken in days to come.

Colleagues in both parties still gravitate to the gravelly voiced, outgoing, backslapping Rangel four months after fellow Democrats persuaded _ and Republicans hounded _ …

[ SNEED ]

The Ryan report . . .

Random thoughts and personal observations: Did you know that Gov.Ryan's favorite outing is to the hardware store; that he makes agreat vegetable soup; and that when he was speaker of the House inIllinois, he smoked five packs of cigarettes a day? The guv is now acommitted nonsmoker.

A Reagan report . . .

Michael Deaver is coming to town and he's bringing Nancy Reaganwith him.

Well, sort of.

To wit: Deaver, who was Ronald Reagan's close friend and deputychief of staff, is celebrating the publication of his new book, ADifferent Drummer: My Thirty Years with Ronald Reagan . . . which isbeing released Friday-which includes a …

Engineering a key ingredient of automobile tires

The birth of the synthetic rubber industry during World War II was the subject of last month's "We're History" column. Here we have the personal story of George W. Hobby - one chemical engineer (of many) who played an important role in that effort.

With two bachelor's degrees from Cornell Univ. (chemistry in 1938 and chemical engineering in 1939) and eager to start earning a living, I accepted a job at Sharpies Chemicals, Inc. in Riverview, MI (now called Atofina Chemicals, Inc.). Mr. Howard Bjork, chief chemical engineer, welcomed me into his department. He liked how I tackled my early assignments, and soon made me his assistant, where I supervised the work of five other engineers and selected one or two challenging projects for myself.

One of my projects was to figure out how to make ethylamines. I would need nitrogen from a readily available source, as well as an ethyl group. As luck would have it, a company just across the street produced ammonia gas, compressed it to 200 psi, and packaged the liquid for sale in heavy steel cylinders; thus, I had a convenient source of one necessary raw material. The ethyl was easily purchased as di-ethyl ether. With these two starting materials, I began experimenting.

About this time, World War II was progressing in earnest. It was 1940, and I had become a second lieutenant through the Reserve Officer Training Corps (ROTC) program at Cornell. I expected to be called into the military any day.

Mr. Bjork was suddenly summoned to a meeting in Washington, DC. From there, he telephoned and told me to take the train that night and meet him in Washington early the next morning. During the night ride - with no sleep, if necessary - I was to sketch a flowsheet showing how ethylamines might be manufactured.

The next morning, I met with Mr. Bjork and many others. I listened as vitally needed chemicals for the war effort and the companies with the knowledge and facilities to produce them were discussed. Finally, ethylamines came up. Ethylamines were urgently needed in very large quantities for the manufacture of synthetic rubber tires for Army Jeeps, military planes, and cars.

Knowing I could be called into the military at any time, I confidently stated that I knew how to manufacture ethylamines, but would not have nearly enough time to accurately put this on paper because my military obligation would come first. My statement was ignored, and I was told that Blaw-Know Corp., near Pittsburgh, PA, had been selected to work with me in completing the ethylamine flow diagram in exact detail. I was told to look in my mailbox in a few days, as I would not be going into the military. Sure enough, I soon received a letter from the War Dept. excusing me from military combat.

Mr. Bjork and I were told to return to Michigan and immediately estimate the tonnage of steel that would be required to manufacture all of the equipment needed in the ethylamine production facility. We would then be given a priority number that would allocate this tonnage for this purpose. Imagine doing this before the complete flowsheet was even drawn on paper.

I was then instructed to take the train to Pittsburgh. At Blaw-Knox Corp., I reported to Mr. Barneby, who assigned Mr. Harold Williams to work with me in developing the ethylamine flowsheet. By freehand, I sketched the equipment in sequence, and with a T-square and triangle Mr. Williams drew a respectable flowsheet. I worked two shifts when necessary to keep ahead of him. Every time I gave Mr. Williams the next instruction, Mr. Barneby would enter that into his dictaphone equipment - he wanted to make sure that if the ethylamine plant did not function successfully, it was not the fault of Blaw-Knox.

I started the process with a reactor containing a catalyst as specified by Dr. Olin, our research director. The raw materials going into the reactor were di-ethyl ether and liquid ammonia under 200 psi pressure. (The city allowed us to tunnel under the road and run a pipe from the plant across the street that produced the ammonia to our booster pump, which fed the liquid ammonia into the reactor.) Then the reaction products went to a high-pressure ammonia column, where unreacted liquid ammonia was distilled off and fed back into the reactor with more di-ethyl ether. So as not to waste raw materials, everything that did not react the first time was recycled back through until it did - nothing was wasted. Next was a series of distillation columns that separated the product mixture into mono-, di- and tri-ethylamine. These products were pumped to storage tanks, which later were emptied into railroad tank cars that were transported to synthetic rubber plants as needed.

The flowsheet did not show any equipment sizes. The sizing of pumps, pipes, distillation columns, heaters, condensers, etc., was accomplished by a chemical engineer in my department, Mr. Dwight Miller, based on the desired production rate that was specified at our meeting in Washington. A lot of credit goes to him for this exacting work.

I felt it proper that Mr. Bjork should inspect my flowsheet and approve it or suggest any changes. To my surprise, he said he was too involved in numerous other important projects to study such an involved flowsheet. With that he said, "You sign it, and it had better be accurate, as ethylamines are now urgently needed." Thus, I signed it on Nov. 2, 1942. I still have this flowsheet - it is 20 ft long by 3-1/2 ft wide.

Once the equipment was installed in Riverview, MI, the next step was to connect the ammonia and di-ethyl ether. In preparation for the startup, I assigned a chemical engineer to each shift and I worked any and all shifts as needed to work out the bugs. I often slept a little on a couch in the ladies' bathroom lounge. Each morning I would meet the vice president (Mr. Clark) as I came from the laboratory, after picking up the results of the latest sample that was analyzed to determine if we had attained the necessary purity. The morning I was able to show him the prized analysis of purity was remembered for a long time.

The ethylamine plant continues to operate day and night, although instead of di-ethyl ether it now uses ethyl alcohol, which is less expensive. The company received the Army and Navy "E" for excellence, and I received a nice raise.

[Author Affiliation]

George Hobby Cincinnati, OH

Philippines sets evacuations from Libya

MANILA, Philippines (AP) — The Philippine vice president and foreign affairs officials are heading to the Middle East and North Africa to help evacuate thousands of Filipino workers trapped by violence in Libya.

The Department of Foreign Affairs said Saturday that Acting Foreign Secretary Albert del Rosario left Manila for Tunisia to oversee the evacuation of Filipinos from Libya.

Vice President Jejomar Binay meanwhile traveled to Kuwait to help arrange safe passage for fleeing Filipino workers through other countries in the region.

There are about 26,000 Filipinos working in Libya, and several groups have returned to Manila on evacuation flights arranged by their employers.

Solar system could grow to 12 planets: Astronomers propose adding 3 tiny bodies to the list -- and keeping Pluto

PRAGUE, Czech Republic -- Our solar system would have 12 planetsinstead of nine under a proposed "Big Bang" expansion by leadingastronomers, changing what billions of schoolchildren are taught.

Much-maligned Pluto would remain a planet -- and its largest moonplus two other heavenly bodies would join Earth's neighborhood --under a resolution to be presented today to the InternationalAstronomical Union, the arbiter of what is and isn't a planet.

"Yes, Virginia, Pluto is a planet," quipped Richard Binzel, aprofessor of planetary science at the Massachusetts Institute ofTechnology.

The proposal could change, however: Binzel and the other nearly2,500 astronomers from 75 nations meeting in Prague to hammer out auniversal definition of a planet will hold two brainstorming sessionsbefore they vote on the resolution next week.

But the draft comes from the IAU's executive committee, which onlysubmits recommendations likely to get two-thirds approval from thegroup.

Besides reaffirming the status of puny Pluto -- whose detractorsinsist it shouldn't be a planet at all -- the new lineup wouldinclude 2003 UB313, the farthest-known object in the solar system andnicknamed Xena; Pluto's largest moon, Charon; and the asteroid Ceres,which was a planet in the 1800s before it got demoted.

A dozen more planets soon?

If the resolution is approved, the 12 planets in our solar systemlisted in order of their proximity to the sun would be Mercury,Venus, Earth, Mars, Ceres, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune, Pluto,Charon, and the provisionally named 2003 UB313.

UB313's discoverer, Michael Brown of the California Institute ofTechnology, nicknamed it Xena after the warrior princess of TV fame,but it likely would be rechristened something else later.

The galactic shift would force publishers to update textbooks, andschool teachers to rejigger their planet mobiles.

Outside the realm of science, astrologers accustomed to makingpredictions based on the classic nine might have to tweak theirformulas.

Even if the list of planets is lengthened when astronomers vote onAug. 24, it's not likely to stay that way for long: The IAU has a"watchlist" of at least a dozen other candidates that could becomeplanets once more is known about them.

"The solar system is a middle-aged star, and like all middle-agedthings, its waistline is expanding," said Jack Horkheimer, host ofthe "Stargazer" TV show.

New, but maybe not improved: Young funds have higher risks

Newfangled.

New-fashioned.

New and improved.Americans like new things, and that goes for mutual funds, too.More than 500 stock and bond portfolios have debuted in the last yearor so, each one tantalizing investors with the promise of a freshstart.Certainly, there may be some good reasons why you might want toinvest in a new fund, and other justifications for why you shouldn't.But is there evidence to support the idea that new funds performbetter than established portfolios?That was the question that researchers at Charles Schwab & Co. inSan Francisco tackled in - you guessed it - a new study. Schwabresearchers counted how many new domestic-stock funds debuted ineach of the last five years, and compared those figures with thenumber of new funds able to crack the annual list of 100 topperformers.If new funds do perform better, they should account for a higherpercentage of the top-100 portfolios, said Mark Riepe, a Schwab vicepresident who heads up the firm's Center for Investment Research.Indeed, that's what the study found. New funds on averageaccounted for 14 percent of all funds during the five-year period,yet they made up 22 percent of the 100 best performers.New funds that buy small stocks scored even more strikingresults. These portfolios represented just 4 percent of all funds,yet they accounted for 11 percent of the best performers.But do such results imply that you should jump into promising newfunds, especially those buying small companies? Not necessarily,said Riepe. His research pointed up two flaws to a new-fundinvesting strategy.The first problem centers around volatility. New fundsperformed better for the simple reason that they subjectedshareholders to greater risks. How and why they did this wasn'tclear, because researchers didn't have access to each new fund'sinitial portfolio holdings, which need not be disclosed at thecommencement of operations."It's probably due to the fact they buy more volatile stocks orconcentrate among fewer stocks," said Riepe.The second problem was easier to quantify: It involved the timingof when the higher returns were generated. Most of the superiorgains came only within the first six months after a fund waslaunched, and all of the above-average results disappeared after 18months."Since most of the outperformance occurs within the first sixmonths, the strategy wouldn't be practical unless you know when thesefunds will be launched and can get in quickly," said Riepe.With so many good, seasoned funds available, professionaladvisers have mixed views about new portfolios. John Eckel,president of Pinnacle Investment Management in Simsbury, Conn., likesnew funds in theory because they start out with a small asset base."This allows the manager to concentrate the portfolio and be moreflexible," he said.It's an especially important consideration for funds that focuson small stocks, he says.Nancy Coutu, president of Money Managers Advisory in westsuburban Oak Brook, says she is wary of the scores of new funds thathave relatively inexperienced stock pickers at the helm."New funds are wonderful as long as the managers are not new,"said Coutu, who favors managers who have delivered consistently goodreturns for at least five years.She cited some of the Artisan funds, run by former Strong managerCarlene Murphy Ziegler, as favorites.But even a formula of sticking with new funds launched by provenmanagers doesn't guarantee success. A case in point was three fundsintroduced at year-end 1995 by Garrett Van Wagoner, who had been atop-ranked small-stock manager with the Govett group.Unfortunately, Van Wagoner unveiled his funds shortly before aslide in small stocks, especially the types of technology issues thathe favors. Also, his thinly staffed company may have attracted moremoney from new shareholders than it could handle in such a shortspan."It was an absolutely ideal scenario" that, in retrospect, didn'tquite turn out that way, said Coutu.Russ Wiles is a financial writer and columnist for the ArizonaRepublic and author of How Mutual Funds Work (Prentice Hall, $15.95).Direct questions and comments to Russ Wiles, Business News, theArizona Republic, P.O. Box 1950, Phoenix 85001.

NY atty gen says 73 AIG execs got $1M bonuses

Troubled insurance giant American International Group paid bonuses of $1 million or more to 73 employees, including 11 who no longer work for the company, New York Attorney General Andrew Cuomo said Tuesday.

Cuomo subpoenaed information from AIG on Monday to determine whether the payments made over the past weekend constitute fraud under state law. Contracts written last March guaranteed employees 100 percent of their 2007 bonus amounts for 2008, "despite obvious signs that 2008 performance would be disastrous in comparison to the year before," Cuomo said.

President Barack Obama and Washington lawmakers have blasted AIG for paying more than $160 million in bonuses to employees of its Financial Products division, the unit primarily responsible for the meltdown that led to a federal bailout of the company, while the company has received billions in taxpayer bailout funds.

Cuomo said AIG mailed the retention bonus checks Friday.

In a letter Tuesday to Rep. Barney Frank, chairman of the House Committee on Financial Services, Cuomo outlined the bonus and contract information and asked the panel to take up the issue at a hearing scheduled for Wednesday.

"AIG also claims that retention of individuals at Financial Products was vital to unwinding the subsidiary's business," Cuomo wrote. But AIG has been unwilling to provide their names, despite his subpoena for the list, making it impossible to test that claim, Cuomo said. He said his office will do "everything necessary" to get the information.

The company and some federal regulators have said it was obligated by contract to make the payments. Cuomo said the bonuses might have been fraudulent if AIG officials knew the company couldn't afford them.

Cuomo said that despite their contracts, Financial Products employees agreed to take 2009 salaries of $1 in exchange for receiving their retention bonus packages. He said the fact AIG could negotiate the terms of the payments "flies in the face of AIG's assertion" that it had no choice but to make the contractual bonus payments.

"You could argue if the taxpayers didn't bail out AIG, those contracts wouldn't be worth the paper it's printed on," he said Monday.

There was no immediate AIG comment following Cuomo's disclosure Tuesday of the bonus amounts.

According to the attorney general's office, the top individual bonus was more than $6.4 million, and the top seven received more than $4 million each.

(This version CORRECTS that contracts guaranteed 100 percent of 2007 bonuses sted 2007 pay.)

Right Fielder Too Costly For Cubs?

The Cubs already have a payroll approaching $40 million.

Ryne Sandberg will be paid $8.6 million next year (counting his$3.5 million signing bonus payable in December).

Greg Maddux is unsigned, and he wants about $5.2 million nextseason.

So the question is, if Andre Dawson leaves a gaping hole in theoutfield, can the Cubs afford a third $5.5 million or $6 million mansuch as Barry Bonds or Ruben Sierra?

The answer probably is no because Shawon Dunston, Mike Morganand Mark Grace each will make about $3 million and Steve Buechelenearly $2.5 million.

It could come down to re-signing Dawson or letting Dawson andMaddux leave to sign Bonds or Sierra.

They call him the Big Cat. But Andres Galarraga has been theBig Bust with the Cardinals. They got him for Ken Hill, who is 12-4with the Expos.

Galarraga had just 13 hits from April 6 through June 12, thenmatched it July 21-27.

There is talk in St. Louis that his $3 million salary will notbe picked up next season.

When Pete Smith takes the place of injured Mike Bielecki asBraves starter today, it will be history.

The last Braves pitcher to miss a turn with injury was JohnSmoltz in his final start of 1990. That's 262 consectutive starts.

Mets pitcher David Cone will be a free agent after the season,and manager Jeff Torborg appears to be stretching him to the limit.

Cone is averaging 122 pitches a game, including 166 in onestart. Last season's major-league average was 94.5 pitches.

Talk about nothing. Cardinals catcher Rich Gedman hasn't scoreda run this season. He hasn't thrown out any of 21 basestealers,either.

The Astros were 11-14 for the month of July, but they had justtwo victories from starters - Butch Henry on July 12 and PeteHarnisch on July 28.

How bad are Astros starters? Mark Portugal leads them with fivevictories - and he has been on the disabled list for a week.

Pacific island premier seized

PORT VILA, Vanuatu Security forces loyal to Vanuatu's oustedleader arrested the new prime minister Sunday, hours after hisinauguration, radio reports said.

The arrest of Barak Sope fueled the dispute over who is in powerin the Pacific island nation of 130,000 people about 1,200 milesnortheast of Brisbane, Australia.

Sope was sworn in Sunday by President George Sokomanu, whoannounced Friday he was dissolving parliament and dismissing PrimeMinister Walter Lini. Sope and Lini, who took office in 1980, havebeen locked in a power struggle for the last year.

Lini said he would not yield power, and many in parliamentquestioned whether Sokomanu's actions were constitutional.

Radio reports said pro-Lini troops also arrested a Cabinetminister, whom Lini had fired earlier this year, and his chauffeurand secretary. The reports quoted Sokomanu as saying the troops"were in full combat gear. Some were carrying machineguns, othershad rifles."

Earlier Sunday, Sokomanu appointed a five-member interimgovernment he said would govern Vanuatu until elections in February.

Lini became prime minister in 1980 when Vanuatu, formerly theAnglo-French New Hebrides, gained independence.

Sokomanu's decision to dismiss the prime minister and dissolveparliament followed interim elections last week that gave Lini'sgoverning Vanu'aku Party two-thirds control of the 46-seatparliament. The opposition boycotted the vote, and Sokomanu said theparliament was unconstitutional because no opposition candidates wereput up for election.

Sope said he might seek military help from Australia or otherPacific nations if Vanuatu's security forces refuse to support him.

Finals schedule in Australia's NRL

SYDNEY (AP) — Schedule for the first week of the finals series in Australia's National Rugby League (playoff seedings in parentheses):

All Times GMT
Friday, Sept. 9
Sydney

Wests Tigers (4) vs. St. George Illawarra (5), 0945.

Saturday, Sept. 10
Brisbane

Brisbane (3) vs. New Zealand Warriors (6), 0830.

Sydney

Manly (2) vs. North Queensland (7), 1030.

Sunday, Sept. 11
Melbourne

Melbourne (1) vs. Newcastle (8), 0600

Having the school in Redland will discourage car use

DOUGLAS Burnett's letter (Open Lines, June 22), appears to havecompletely missed the point regarding the positioning of the newschool in Redland.

Mr Burnett's main concern appears to be traffic congestion, whichalthough a problem in any town, is nevertheless a common factoraround an amenity such as a school. That would apply to any schoolsite - be it sited in built-up areas or in the middle of countryside.

The whole idea behind positioning the school in Redland is so itcan be right in the centre of the community that desperately needsit.

Positioning the school in the heart of the community it servesshould undoubtedly discourage the dependency on car usage, insteadmaking ecologically friendly alternatives such as walking a rightfuloption.

We must all remember the government's and the UK's internationalcommitment to reducing carbon emissions.

A simple fact will always remain - we can easily build a schoolnear a community that needs it, but we can't easily expect a wholecommunity to move to a location otherwise more suited, without addingto existing problems.

Finally, Mr Burnett questions why a smaller school was turned downon the site in the past, implying a problem with the site. Quitesimply at that time, a basic-need report identified no real need forsuch a facility.

The fact that a new secondary school has now been decided for thesite quite simply shows that the agenda now on the table indicatesthat, after decades of deficiency in this respect, Bristol NorthCentral is finally to be given the school that it always deserved andBristol council have finally listened!

Iraq: 3,500 US troops set to leave Iraq over the coming weeks, military says

About 3,500 American soldiers who were part of last summer's troop "surge" are scheduled to leave Iraq in the coming weeks, the U.S. military said.

The reduction is part of an overall plan to reduce the number of American troops in Iraq from its current level of about 160,000 to about 140,000 by the end of July.

The soldiers set to leave, part of the 3rd Heavy Brigade Combat Team, will redeploy to Fort Benning, Georgia, said a military statement released late Monday. The U.S. sent some 30,000 additional troops into Iraq last summer to help stem growing violence.

Those troops, along with the rise of Sunni fighters who allied with the U.S. and began battling al-Qaida and a truce called by a key Shiite militia, were credited with a sharp decrease in violence during the last 10 months.

The soldiers are part of the third of five "surge" brigades scheduled to redeploy. The other two are expected to return to the U.S. by the end of July.

"The continued drawdown of surge brigades demonstrates continued progress in Iraq," Brig. Gen. Dan Allyn said in the statement. "After July, commanders will assess our security posture for about 45 days and determine future force requirements based on these conditions-based assessments."

The so-called "pause" in the further redeployment of U.S. troops was pushed by Gen. David Petraeus, the top U.S. commander in Iraq, when he spoke before Congress last month.

Critics have called for a quicker withdrawal of American soldiers, but commanders on the ground insist the slowdown is needed so a sharp increase in violence is not seen when U.S. forces leave.

Separately, Iraqi police said Tuesday that Sunni extremists killed three prostitutes and wounded two others the day before in a brothel attack in the northern city of Mosul.

Authorities had warned the women to leave the area after complaints from neighbors, said a police official, speaking on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to talk to the media.

There have been a string of attacks against women deemed immoral in recent months, including the bombing of hair salons and the frequent murder of women not wearing traditional clothing in the southern city of Basra.

Meanwhile, at least four civilians were killed overnight in the Baghdad Shiite neighborhood of Sadr City, hospital officials said Tuesday. Some 21 people were injured at the same time in Sadr City, which has seen fierce fighting between the Mahdi Army militia and U.S. and Iraqi troops.

Clashes in the sprawling slum of 2.5 million people that serves as a power base for radical Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr and his Mahdi fighters have raged for five weeks, since the Iraqi government began a crackdown on the militants in southern Iraq.

Hassan al-Rubaie, a Sadrist lawmaker, suspended his seat in parliament on Tuesday to protest the fighting in Sadr City. He said he held the government of Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki responsible for the fighting in the slum.

The lawmaker also blamed Iran for interfering with Iraq's security and said the neighboring nation was causing much of the violence by supplying money, weapons and training to Iraqi fighters, a charge U.S. commanders have repeatedly made. Iran denies the allegations.

Meanwhile, U.S. and Iraqi forces raided two police stations and arrested 48 policemen suspected of having links to Shiite militias late Monday in the Baghdad neighborhood of Shula, a Shiite stronghold, a policeman said on condition of anonymity as he was not authorized to speak to the media.

Clashes erupted between members of the Mahdi army and an Iraqi army patrol in southern Baghdad, police said. Three civilians were killed, including a 13-year old girl.

Elsewhere, two policemen were killed Monday night in clashes with unidentified gunmen in Mosul, a provincial policeman said on condition of anonymity as he was not authorized to speak to the media.

Around the same time in eastern Mosul, two gunmen were killed by police.

Ex-Logan delegate enters guilty plea

A federal prosecutor says a former state lawmaker has agreed toplead guilty to two charges in a gambling and racketeering case.

U.S. Attorney Booth Goodwin said Thursday that ex-Logan CountyDelegate Joe C. Ferrell has tentatively agreed to plead guilty toone count each of racketeering and failing to pay employee payrolltaxes.

Goodwin says 38 other counts will be dismissed as part of a pleaagreement.

An indictment accused Ferrell of running an illegal gamblingracket in West Virginia and Kentucky and bribing a West VirginiaLottery investigator.

Goodwin said Ferrell has agreed to forfeit more than $500,000,while charges against Ferrell's company will be dismissed. Thecompany, Southern Amusement, leases video lottery machines.

Hot water boilers make a comeback; In recent years, technical upgrades made for gas, oil boilers

Q: I am adding two rooms to my house for my parent's apartment. Ihave heard boilers make comfortable heat, especially for theelderly. Are they efficient? Can I also use one for the rest of myhouse?

A: Hot water heat was very popular years ago. It went out offavor somewhat when central air-conditioning became commonplace.Since central air-conditioning required a duct system, forced-airfurnaces were usually installed.

Today, with the high cost of heating homes, hot water boilers arebecoming more common again in all climates. This is partly becauseof the comfort and efficiency of a hot water system. Recenttechnology improvements in gas and oil boilers have made theequipment as efficient as forced-air systems.

For cooling during the summer, there are several central air-conditioning alternatives to a standard ducted forced-air system.

The most common are minisplit ductless systems and miniduct, high-velocity systems. The miniduct system can also be used for heatingyour home.

Boilers are available in many sizes (heat output capacities), soyou should be able to find one small enough to efficiently heat justtwo rooms. Most of the residential models are also available up to200,000 Btu heat output, which is enough to heat a very large housein the coldest climates.

As with gas and oil forced-air furnaces, you can get a $150federal tax credit if the efficiency (AFUE) of the boiler is 95percent or above. In order to meet this requirement, many of the gasboiler manufacturers have slightly modified their designs to meet orexceed this requirement.

There are only a few oil boilers that also are in the 90-plusefficiency range. For the highest efficiency that qualifies for thetax credit, a boiler uses a condensing heat exchanger. Thiscondenses the water out of the flue gases to squeeze out more heatbefore they are exhausted outdoors.

A condensing boiler design is ideal for your room additionbecause it does not require a chimney. The flue gases are exhaustedthrough a small plastic pipe.

These high-efficiency boilers use a low-mass heat exchanger,usually made of stainless steel. A few use specially coatedaluminum. Low-mass heat exchangers heat and cool quickly so thesystem can adapt quickly to changing heating needs of your house.Non-condensing models often use high-mass cast-iron heat exchangers.They are less efficient, but very durable.

The typical heat delivery options are baseboard radiators, in-floor radiant tubing and/or a heat exchanger with a blower. Sinceyour parents are older, in-floor heating would be an efficient,comfortable choice.

The room temperature reacts slower to thermostat changes, butyour parents might not tolerate a nighttime setback well anyway.

Update Bulletin No. 490 is a buyer's guide of 15 efficient gasand oil boiler manufacturers, listing 29 models, efficiencies,sizes, venting methods, warranties, features and a savings/paybackchart. Please send $3 and a business-size, self-addressed, stampedenvelope to: James Dulley, Chicago Sun-Times, 6906 Royalgreen Drive,Cincinnati, Ohio 45244, or download from www.dulley.com.

Q: My house has brick veneer over insulated stud walls. I amgoing to build a raised deck off the second-floor bedroom. It willbe supported by four posts. Should I attach the deck floor to thehouse wall?

A: It is probably better if you do not attach it securely to thehouse wall. With tall wooden posts, the deck surface might move upand down more than the house wall throughout the seasons. This canstress the materials.

To provide a more stable feel to the tall deck, screw steelangles to the house wall. Screw another set of angles to the deckseveral inches below the other ones. Connect them with long boltsthat allow some vertical movement.

James Dulley is an engineer.

THE TICKER

CAT MOVING JOBS: Caterpillar Inc. is moving 100 more United AutoWorkers jobs from its plant in East Peoria to a non-unionmanufacturer in North Carolina, a newspaper reported Tuesday.Company figures show the move could save Peoria-based Caterpillarmore than $6 million a year in wages and benefits, the Journal Starof Peoria reported. Early next month, CR Industries' plant inFranklin, N.C., will begin making seals used in much of Caterpillar'sequipment, the report said, citing an unidentified company source.Elgin-based CR Industries formerly was called Chicago Rawhide.Caterpillar spokesman Terry Thorstenson refused to comment, but a CRspokeswoman confirmed the company will be handling the work. WOMEN BOSSES HAILED: If women ran the corporations of America,employee relations would improve and businesses would be moreenvironmentally sensitive, female executives said in a surveyreleased Tuesday. Male executives, on the other hand, said thingswould pretty much stay the same. In a survey of the 1,000 largestU.S. companies, 416 men and 90 women in executive positions wereasked what would happen if the ratio of male to female chiefexecutives - 997 to three - were reversed. Seventy-one percent ofthe female respondents said employee relations would improve and 52percent said companies would be more environmentally concerned.Among men, 36 percent felt the same on both counts, according to thesurvey by Brouillard Communications, an advertising and publicrelations agency. WESTINGHOUSE IN CHINA: Westinghouse Electric Corp. said Tuesday itis in final talks for several power-generating projects in China."The deals will be power-generated related and we hope to reach someagreemeents shortly," said Paul Tobin, a spokesman for Westinghouse. NEW HONDA CENTER: American Honda broke ground Tuesday on a $30million parts redistribution center that will support the company'snine regional facilities in the United States supplying Honda andAcura dealers. The center will cover more than 800,000 square feeton a 104-acre site when completed in early 1996. It initially willemploy 40 people. The facility will stock parts and accessories forcars and Honda motorcycles and lawn mowers purchased from around theworld. CHRYSLER DENIES REPORT: Chrysler Corp. said Tuesday its 42percent-owned affiliate Beijing Jeep Corp. "has absolutely nothing todo" with Beijing Automotive Industrial Corp., which has been accusedin a newspaper report of using parts made in a prison labor camp nearthe capital. The Hong Kong-based Eastern Express newspaper said ithad documents showing that BAIC, which it said was a companyassociated with Beijing Automotive Works, Chrysler's partner inBeijing Jeep, collaborates with the Xinrong prison labor camp to makecoaches and auto parts for the city's automobile industry. "Ourfirst move will be to inquire what level of validity there is to thisclaim, and see what response Beijing Automotive Works gives," saidTony Cervone, manager of international public relations for Chrysler.Chrysler, in a statement issued Tuesday, said it has "absolutely noownership or involvement in Beijing Auto Industrial Corp. (BAIC),where the allegations have been made."

Bathroom remodeling can hike value

Bathroom remodeling can substantially increase the resale value ofyour home. If your budget is limited, just make gradual improvementsover several years.

Other than kitchens, bathrooms, especially master baths, are thegreatest energy and water consumer in a typical home.

The first item to consider is how to heat your bathroom. A quiet,yet rapid, heating method is best. A combination of various types ofradiant heat is the most efficient and comfortable option. Theseinclude wall and ceiling heating panels, cove and an electric floorheating unit.

A radiant panel provides heat quickly without chilly breezes. Itheats like walking into the sunshine. This allows you to keep thebathroom cooler when it is not being used. It would be difficult toaccomplish the same rapid, quiet heating with forced-air units.

Electric floor heating provides the ultimate comfort when you stepout of a shower. It is ideal under decorative ceramic tile that willhold the heat. Since this does not provide instant heat, considerputting it on a timer.

If you have ever used a towel warmer after bathing in a hotel, youknow how great it feels. There are attractive brass, real oak woodand chrome plug-in, home-size models that mount on a wall or on doorhinges.

Most people add a whirlpool or hydro-massaging, multihead showerwhen remodeling. Some five-head showers have a small pump thatrecirculates the warm water to reduce usage. A low-flow standardshower head is a must. Most new filtering heads remove chlorine witha KDF element and save water, too.

Select one of the new super-quiet automatic combination vent fan/lights. These have motion and humidity sensors to make sure they donot run too long or too little.

Install a low-water-usage toilet. One-piece models are mostattractive. Pressure-assist designs provide a positive, quick flush,but are slightly noisier.

Update Bulletin No. 910 is a buyer's guide of 14 manufacturers ofefficient/comfort bathroom products: radiant heating, towel warmers,unique showers, whirlpools, toilets, quiet vent fans and ceramictile. Please send $3 and a business-size, self-addressed, stampedenvelope to: James Dulley, Chicago Sun-Times, 6906 Royalgreen Dr.,Cincinnati, Ohio 45244. Or download from: www.dulley.com.

Engineer James Dulley writes from Cincinnati.

President of Wharton Estate Resigns

The president and chief executive of the financially troubled estate of author Edith Wharton has stepped down rather than assume a different position in a restructured management hierarchy, trustees announced Sunday.

The five-member board of trustees at The Mount in Lenox said in a statement that they have accepted the resignation of Stephanie Copeland "with regret."

The organization that owns the estate, Edith Wharton Restoration, has borrowed $4.3 million for operating costs, but in January missed a $30,000 payment, prompting a bank to start foreclosure proceedings.

The estate made the payment with a $30,000 grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities, but it still trying to raise $3 million. So far about $570,000 has been raised, trustee Gordon Travers said Sunday.

An anonymous donor has promised another $3 million over five years if the fundraising goal is reached.

"Right now, we're month to month," he said.

The board determined that the future of The Mount lay in restructuring management.

"We concluded that if we made it through this fundraising campaign, if we had a future, we needed to separate finance and administration from the creative side," Travers said.

Copeland had essentially been fulfilling both tasks, but under the restructuring was offered the position of creative leader, which she rejected, the trustees said in a statement.

Attempts to locate a phone number for Copeland were not immediately successful.

Copeland, who came on board in 1993, is credited with the beautification of the estate, which was dilapidated when she took over. During her tenure, $13 million was invested in the buildings and grounds, the number of visitors tripled and revenues increased six-fold.

She also initiated artistic endeavors, including the Monday Lecture Series and the Selected Shorts at The Mount radio show on NPR.

Wharton designed and built the 35-room house in 1902. It was while living at The Mount that she finished her breakthrough novel, "The House of Mirth," and got the inspiration for "Ethan Frome."

Wharton lived there until 1910, when her marriage collapsed and she moved to France. The house was privately owned until 1942, when it was sold to a boarding school, which sold it to a developer in 1977. In 1980, the property was purchased by Edith Wharton Restoration.

The estate gets 30,000 visitors annually.

___

On the Web: The Mount, http://www.edithwharton.org

UN: agreement near on illegal fishing treaty

A U.N. agency says that more than 60 countries are close to agreeing on a treaty to close ports to ships involved in illegal fishing.

Representatives at talks at the Food and Agriculture Organization's headquarters in Rome are considering a treaty that would require vessels to provide details about their activity and what fish are on board before securing permission to enter ports.

Catching protected species, using outlawed types of gear or disregarding catch quotas are common illegal fishing offenses.

The agency said Tuesday that illegal fishing is a big problem in the waters off West Africa, in the Indian Ocean and in some parts of the Pacific Islands.

Final details of the agreement will be discussed in future talks.

Sport on the box; Worthy battle.(Sport)

Byline: BRIAN McNALLY

THE first major piece of domestic silverware will be handed out this afternoon after deadly rivals Liverpool and Manchester United have done battle in the showpiece Worthington Cup Final at Cardiff's Millennium Stadium.

United will go into the showdown with the 2001 Cup winners as red-hot favorites after their midweek destruction of Juventus in Turin.

Once upon a time top clubs showed little interest in the competition, but Liverpool boss Gerard Houllier is desperate to resurrect his side's indifferent form with a much-needed victory and this Final promises to be a great contest.

Michael Owen is back on the goal trail and Liverpool will go out to register League Cup win number seven against a United side that always brings out the best in them.TODAYCAN England put their Ashes misery behind them by putting one over the mighty Aussies? Live World Cup action from St Georges Park in Port Elizabeth on Sky Sports 3.

FOOTBALL: Worthington Cup Final.- Liverpool v Manchester United (Sky Sports 1, 1pm); Barclaycard Premiership.- Arsenal v Charlton (P{remiership Plus, 11.30am); La Liga.- Coverage of a top Spanish match (Sky Sports 1, 7pm); Serie A.- Juventus v Inter (Eurosport, 7pm).

CRICKET: ICC World Cup.- Australia v England (Sky Sports 3, 8am).

GOLF: Accenture World Matchplay Championships (Sky Sports 2, 8pm).

BASKETBALL: NBL.- Houston Rockets v San Antonio Spurs (Sky Sports Extra, 9pm).

SUNDAY GRANDSTAND: Rugby League.- Powergen Challenge Cup fifth round.- Wakefield Trinity Wildcats v Widnes Vikings (BBC2, 12pm); Rugby Union.- Powergen Cup semi-final.- London Irish v Northampton (BBC2, 2pm); Athletics.- AAA National Indoor Championships (BBC2, 3.45pm).

MOTORCYCLING: World Superbike Championship (Eurosport, 11am).TOMORROWASTON Villa keeper Peter Enckelman will want to put his last Brum derby behind him as Villa aim to avenge their 3-0 drubbing by Birmingham City at St Andrews back in September.

FOOTBALL: Barclaycard Premiership.- Aston Villa v Birmingham (Sky Sports 1, 8pm); The Premiership on Monday (ITV1, 11.30pm).

CRICKET: ICC World Cup.- New Zealand v Canada (Sky Sports 3, 8am); South Africa v Sri Lanka (Sky Sports 3, 12pm).

RACING: Live from Wolverhampton (C4, 12.30pm).TUESDAYZIMBABWE will be looking for some Flower power as they bid to beat Pakistan in Bulawayo in the final group match of the World Cup phase. The result could have a big bearing on England's final position in Pool A.

FOOTBALL: Nationwide Division One.- Gillingham v Nottingham Forest (Sky Sports 2, 7.30pm); Nationwide highlights (ITV1, 11.15pm).

CRICKET: ICC World Cup.- Zimbabwe v Pakistan (Sky Sports 3, 7.30am).

GREYHOUNDS: Live racing from Walthamstow (Sky Sports 1, 7.30pm).

RACING: Live from Lingfield Park (C4, 12.30pm).

BOXING: Superwelterweight.- Virgil Kalakoda v Elvis Guerrego (Europsort, 8pm).WEDNESDAYNATIONWIDE action features the visit of Reading to Carrow Road to meet Norwich City. Reading will be looking to Martin Butler to rediscover his scoring touch if they are to make the play-offs in May.

FOOTBALL: Nationwide Division One.- Norwich City v Reading (Sky Sports 2, 7.30pm); The Premiership (ITV1, 11pm).

CRICKET: World Cup Centre (Sky Sports 3, 11am).

RACING: Live coverage from Lingfield Park (C4, 12.30pm).

BOXING: Class of 2002 (BBC1, 11.35pm).THURSDAYSOUTH African ace Ernie Els defends his Dubai Desert Classic title but faces strong competition from Tiger Woods. There is more golf on Sky with Phil Mickelson favourite to win the Ford Championship, part of the US PGA tour.

FOOTBALL: Sunday Mirror columnist Jonathan Pearce's Football Night (C5, 11.55pm).

GOLF: Dubai Desert Classic (Sky Sports 1, 9.30am); Ford Championship (Sky Sports 2, 9pm).

RACING: Live coverage from Wincanton (C4, 12.30pm).

GRAND PRIX: Australian qualifying (ITV1, 2.15am).

CRICKET: World Cup Centre (Sky Sports 3, 11am).

SKIING: Various disciplines live throughout the day (Eurosport from 3pm).FRIDAYLIVE Rugby League action on Sky Sports 1 pits Hull against the London Broncos. Last season in this fixture Hull's Garreth Carvell grabbed a late try to beat the Broncos 30-26.

CRICKET: ICC World Cup.- Super Sixes (Sky Sports 3, 8am).

GOLF: Dubai Desert Classic (Sky Sports 1, 9.30am); Ford Championship (Sky Sports 2, 9.30pm).

RUGBY UNION: Super 12.- The Cats v ACT Brumbies (Sky Sports 2, 5pm); International.- England A v Italy A (Sky Sports 2, 7pm).

RUGBY LEAGUE: Super League.- Hull v London Broncos (Sky Sports 1, 7.30pm).

GRAND PRIX: Australian qualifying (ITV1, 12.30am).

RACING: Live coverage from Hereford (C4, 12.30pm).

CAPTION(S):

FIRING AGAIN: Michael Owen; BECKHAM (Sky Sports 1, 1pm); ENCKELMAN (Sky Sports 1, 8pm); ELS (Sky Sports 1, 9.30am); WOODS (Sky Sports 2, 9.30am); AKRAM (Sky Sports 3, 7.30am); McVEIGH (Sky Sports 2, 7.30pm)

Sport on the box; Worthy battle.(Sport)

Byline: BRIAN McNALLY

THE first major piece of domestic silverware will be handed out this afternoon after deadly rivals Liverpool and Manchester United have done battle in the showpiece Worthington Cup Final at Cardiff's Millennium Stadium.

United will go into the showdown with the 2001 Cup winners as red-hot favorites after their midweek destruction of Juventus in Turin.

Once upon a time top clubs showed little interest in the competition, but Liverpool boss Gerard Houllier is desperate to resurrect his side's indifferent form with a much-needed victory and this Final promises to be a great contest.

Michael Owen is back on the goal trail and Liverpool will go out to register League Cup win number seven against a United side that always brings out the best in them.TODAYCAN England put their Ashes misery behind them by putting one over the mighty Aussies? Live World Cup action from St Georges Park in Port Elizabeth on Sky Sports 3.

FOOTBALL: Worthington Cup Final.- Liverpool v Manchester United (Sky Sports 1, 1pm); Barclaycard Premiership.- Arsenal v Charlton (P{remiership Plus, 11.30am); La Liga.- Coverage of a top Spanish match (Sky Sports 1, 7pm); Serie A.- Juventus v Inter (Eurosport, 7pm).

CRICKET: ICC World Cup.- Australia v England (Sky Sports 3, 8am).

GOLF: Accenture World Matchplay Championships (Sky Sports 2, 8pm).

BASKETBALL: NBL.- Houston Rockets v San Antonio Spurs (Sky Sports Extra, 9pm).

SUNDAY GRANDSTAND: Rugby League.- Powergen Challenge Cup fifth round.- Wakefield Trinity Wildcats v Widnes Vikings (BBC2, 12pm); Rugby Union.- Powergen Cup semi-final.- London Irish v Northampton (BBC2, 2pm); Athletics.- AAA National Indoor Championships (BBC2, 3.45pm).

MOTORCYCLING: World Superbike Championship (Eurosport, 11am).TOMORROWASTON Villa keeper Peter Enckelman will want to put his last Brum derby behind him as Villa aim to avenge their 3-0 drubbing by Birmingham City at St Andrews back in September.

FOOTBALL: Barclaycard Premiership.- Aston Villa v Birmingham (Sky Sports 1, 8pm); The Premiership on Monday (ITV1, 11.30pm).

CRICKET: ICC World Cup.- New Zealand v Canada (Sky Sports 3, 8am); South Africa v Sri Lanka (Sky Sports 3, 12pm).

RACING: Live from Wolverhampton (C4, 12.30pm).TUESDAYZIMBABWE will be looking for some Flower power as they bid to beat Pakistan in Bulawayo in the final group match of the World Cup phase. The result could have a big bearing on England's final position in Pool A.

FOOTBALL: Nationwide Division One.- Gillingham v Nottingham Forest (Sky Sports 2, 7.30pm); Nationwide highlights (ITV1, 11.15pm).

CRICKET: ICC World Cup.- Zimbabwe v Pakistan (Sky Sports 3, 7.30am).

GREYHOUNDS: Live racing from Walthamstow (Sky Sports 1, 7.30pm).

RACING: Live from Lingfield Park (C4, 12.30pm).

BOXING: Superwelterweight.- Virgil Kalakoda v Elvis Guerrego (Europsort, 8pm).WEDNESDAYNATIONWIDE action features the visit of Reading to Carrow Road to meet Norwich City. Reading will be looking to Martin Butler to rediscover his scoring touch if they are to make the play-offs in May.

FOOTBALL: Nationwide Division One.- Norwich City v Reading (Sky Sports 2, 7.30pm); The Premiership (ITV1, 11pm).

CRICKET: World Cup Centre (Sky Sports 3, 11am).

RACING: Live coverage from Lingfield Park (C4, 12.30pm).

BOXING: Class of 2002 (BBC1, 11.35pm).THURSDAYSOUTH African ace Ernie Els defends his Dubai Desert Classic title but faces strong competition from Tiger Woods. There is more golf on Sky with Phil Mickelson favourite to win the Ford Championship, part of the US PGA tour.

FOOTBALL: Sunday Mirror columnist Jonathan Pearce's Football Night (C5, 11.55pm).

GOLF: Dubai Desert Classic (Sky Sports 1, 9.30am); Ford Championship (Sky Sports 2, 9pm).

RACING: Live coverage from Wincanton (C4, 12.30pm).

GRAND PRIX: Australian qualifying (ITV1, 2.15am).

CRICKET: World Cup Centre (Sky Sports 3, 11am).

SKIING: Various disciplines live throughout the day (Eurosport from 3pm).FRIDAYLIVE Rugby League action on Sky Sports 1 pits Hull against the London Broncos. Last season in this fixture Hull's Garreth Carvell grabbed a late try to beat the Broncos 30-26.

CRICKET: ICC World Cup.- Super Sixes (Sky Sports 3, 8am).

GOLF: Dubai Desert Classic (Sky Sports 1, 9.30am); Ford Championship (Sky Sports 2, 9.30pm).

RUGBY UNION: Super 12.- The Cats v ACT Brumbies (Sky Sports 2, 5pm); International.- England A v Italy A (Sky Sports 2, 7pm).

RUGBY LEAGUE: Super League.- Hull v London Broncos (Sky Sports 1, 7.30pm).

GRAND PRIX: Australian qualifying (ITV1, 12.30am).

RACING: Live coverage from Hereford (C4, 12.30pm).

CAPTION(S):

FIRING AGAIN: Michael Owen; BECKHAM (Sky Sports 1, 1pm); ENCKELMAN (Sky Sports 1, 8pm); ELS (Sky Sports 1, 9.30am); WOODS (Sky Sports 2, 9.30am); AKRAM (Sky Sports 3, 7.30am); McVEIGH (Sky Sports 2, 7.30pm)

Sport on the box; Worthy battle.(Sport)

Byline: BRIAN McNALLY

THE first major piece of domestic silverware will be handed out this afternoon after deadly rivals Liverpool and Manchester United have done battle in the showpiece Worthington Cup Final at Cardiff's Millennium Stadium.

United will go into the showdown with the 2001 Cup winners as red-hot favorites after their midweek destruction of Juventus in Turin.

Once upon a time top clubs showed little interest in the competition, but Liverpool boss Gerard Houllier is desperate to resurrect his side's indifferent form with a much-needed victory and this Final promises to be a great contest.

Michael Owen is back on the goal trail and Liverpool will go out to register League Cup win number seven against a United side that always brings out the best in them.TODAYCAN England put their Ashes misery behind them by putting one over the mighty Aussies? Live World Cup action from St Georges Park in Port Elizabeth on Sky Sports 3.

FOOTBALL: Worthington Cup Final.- Liverpool v Manchester United (Sky Sports 1, 1pm); Barclaycard Premiership.- Arsenal v Charlton (P{remiership Plus, 11.30am); La Liga.- Coverage of a top Spanish match (Sky Sports 1, 7pm); Serie A.- Juventus v Inter (Eurosport, 7pm).

CRICKET: ICC World Cup.- Australia v England (Sky Sports 3, 8am).

GOLF: Accenture World Matchplay Championships (Sky Sports 2, 8pm).

BASKETBALL: NBL.- Houston Rockets v San Antonio Spurs (Sky Sports Extra, 9pm).

SUNDAY GRANDSTAND: Rugby League.- Powergen Challenge Cup fifth round.- Wakefield Trinity Wildcats v Widnes Vikings (BBC2, 12pm); Rugby Union.- Powergen Cup semi-final.- London Irish v Northampton (BBC2, 2pm); Athletics.- AAA National Indoor Championships (BBC2, 3.45pm).

MOTORCYCLING: World Superbike Championship (Eurosport, 11am).TOMORROWASTON Villa keeper Peter Enckelman will want to put his last Brum derby behind him as Villa aim to avenge their 3-0 drubbing by Birmingham City at St Andrews back in September.

FOOTBALL: Barclaycard Premiership.- Aston Villa v Birmingham (Sky Sports 1, 8pm); The Premiership on Monday (ITV1, 11.30pm).

CRICKET: ICC World Cup.- New Zealand v Canada (Sky Sports 3, 8am); South Africa v Sri Lanka (Sky Sports 3, 12pm).

RACING: Live from Wolverhampton (C4, 12.30pm).TUESDAYZIMBABWE will be looking for some Flower power as they bid to beat Pakistan in Bulawayo in the final group match of the World Cup phase. The result could have a big bearing on England's final position in Pool A.

FOOTBALL: Nationwide Division One.- Gillingham v Nottingham Forest (Sky Sports 2, 7.30pm); Nationwide highlights (ITV1, 11.15pm).

CRICKET: ICC World Cup.- Zimbabwe v Pakistan (Sky Sports 3, 7.30am).

GREYHOUNDS: Live racing from Walthamstow (Sky Sports 1, 7.30pm).

RACING: Live from Lingfield Park (C4, 12.30pm).

BOXING: Superwelterweight.- Virgil Kalakoda v Elvis Guerrego (Europsort, 8pm).WEDNESDAYNATIONWIDE action features the visit of Reading to Carrow Road to meet Norwich City. Reading will be looking to Martin Butler to rediscover his scoring touch if they are to make the play-offs in May.

FOOTBALL: Nationwide Division One.- Norwich City v Reading (Sky Sports 2, 7.30pm); The Premiership (ITV1, 11pm).

CRICKET: World Cup Centre (Sky Sports 3, 11am).

RACING: Live coverage from Lingfield Park (C4, 12.30pm).

BOXING: Class of 2002 (BBC1, 11.35pm).THURSDAYSOUTH African ace Ernie Els defends his Dubai Desert Classic title but faces strong competition from Tiger Woods. There is more golf on Sky with Phil Mickelson favourite to win the Ford Championship, part of the US PGA tour.

FOOTBALL: Sunday Mirror columnist Jonathan Pearce's Football Night (C5, 11.55pm).

GOLF: Dubai Desert Classic (Sky Sports 1, 9.30am); Ford Championship (Sky Sports 2, 9pm).

RACING: Live coverage from Wincanton (C4, 12.30pm).

GRAND PRIX: Australian qualifying (ITV1, 2.15am).

CRICKET: World Cup Centre (Sky Sports 3, 11am).

SKIING: Various disciplines live throughout the day (Eurosport from 3pm).FRIDAYLIVE Rugby League action on Sky Sports 1 pits Hull against the London Broncos. Last season in this fixture Hull's Garreth Carvell grabbed a late try to beat the Broncos 30-26.

CRICKET: ICC World Cup.- Super Sixes (Sky Sports 3, 8am).

GOLF: Dubai Desert Classic (Sky Sports 1, 9.30am); Ford Championship (Sky Sports 2, 9.30pm).

RUGBY UNION: Super 12.- The Cats v ACT Brumbies (Sky Sports 2, 5pm); International.- England A v Italy A (Sky Sports 2, 7pm).

RUGBY LEAGUE: Super League.- Hull v London Broncos (Sky Sports 1, 7.30pm).

GRAND PRIX: Australian qualifying (ITV1, 12.30am).

RACING: Live coverage from Hereford (C4, 12.30pm).

CAPTION(S):

FIRING AGAIN: Michael Owen; BECKHAM (Sky Sports 1, 1pm); ENCKELMAN (Sky Sports 1, 8pm); ELS (Sky Sports 1, 9.30am); WOODS (Sky Sports 2, 9.30am); AKRAM (Sky Sports 3, 7.30am); McVEIGH (Sky Sports 2, 7.30pm)

Sport on the box; Worthy battle.(Sport)

Byline: BRIAN McNALLY

THE first major piece of domestic silverware will be handed out this afternoon after deadly rivals Liverpool and Manchester United have done battle in the showpiece Worthington Cup Final at Cardiff's Millennium Stadium.

United will go into the showdown with the 2001 Cup winners as red-hot favorites after their midweek destruction of Juventus in Turin.

Once upon a time top clubs showed little interest in the competition, but Liverpool boss Gerard Houllier is desperate to resurrect his side's indifferent form with a much-needed victory and this Final promises to be a great contest.

Michael Owen is back on the goal trail and Liverpool will go out to register League Cup win number seven against a United side that always brings out the best in them.TODAYCAN England put their Ashes misery behind them by putting one over the mighty Aussies? Live World Cup action from St Georges Park in Port Elizabeth on Sky Sports 3.

FOOTBALL: Worthington Cup Final.- Liverpool v Manchester United (Sky Sports 1, 1pm); Barclaycard Premiership.- Arsenal v Charlton (P{remiership Plus, 11.30am); La Liga.- Coverage of a top Spanish match (Sky Sports 1, 7pm); Serie A.- Juventus v Inter (Eurosport, 7pm).

CRICKET: ICC World Cup.- Australia v England (Sky Sports 3, 8am).

GOLF: Accenture World Matchplay Championships (Sky Sports 2, 8pm).

BASKETBALL: NBL.- Houston Rockets v San Antonio Spurs (Sky Sports Extra, 9pm).

SUNDAY GRANDSTAND: Rugby League.- Powergen Challenge Cup fifth round.- Wakefield Trinity Wildcats v Widnes Vikings (BBC2, 12pm); Rugby Union.- Powergen Cup semi-final.- London Irish v Northampton (BBC2, 2pm); Athletics.- AAA National Indoor Championships (BBC2, 3.45pm).

MOTORCYCLING: World Superbike Championship (Eurosport, 11am).TOMORROWASTON Villa keeper Peter Enckelman will want to put his last Brum derby behind him as Villa aim to avenge their 3-0 drubbing by Birmingham City at St Andrews back in September.

FOOTBALL: Barclaycard Premiership.- Aston Villa v Birmingham (Sky Sports 1, 8pm); The Premiership on Monday (ITV1, 11.30pm).

CRICKET: ICC World Cup.- New Zealand v Canada (Sky Sports 3, 8am); South Africa v Sri Lanka (Sky Sports 3, 12pm).

RACING: Live from Wolverhampton (C4, 12.30pm).TUESDAYZIMBABWE will be looking for some Flower power as they bid to beat Pakistan in Bulawayo in the final group match of the World Cup phase. The result could have a big bearing on England's final position in Pool A.

FOOTBALL: Nationwide Division One.- Gillingham v Nottingham Forest (Sky Sports 2, 7.30pm); Nationwide highlights (ITV1, 11.15pm).

CRICKET: ICC World Cup.- Zimbabwe v Pakistan (Sky Sports 3, 7.30am).

GREYHOUNDS: Live racing from Walthamstow (Sky Sports 1, 7.30pm).

RACING: Live from Lingfield Park (C4, 12.30pm).

BOXING: Superwelterweight.- Virgil Kalakoda v Elvis Guerrego (Europsort, 8pm).WEDNESDAYNATIONWIDE action features the visit of Reading to Carrow Road to meet Norwich City. Reading will be looking to Martin Butler to rediscover his scoring touch if they are to make the play-offs in May.

FOOTBALL: Nationwide Division One.- Norwich City v Reading (Sky Sports 2, 7.30pm); The Premiership (ITV1, 11pm).

CRICKET: World Cup Centre (Sky Sports 3, 11am).

RACING: Live coverage from Lingfield Park (C4, 12.30pm).

BOXING: Class of 2002 (BBC1, 11.35pm).THURSDAYSOUTH African ace Ernie Els defends his Dubai Desert Classic title but faces strong competition from Tiger Woods. There is more golf on Sky with Phil Mickelson favourite to win the Ford Championship, part of the US PGA tour.

FOOTBALL: Sunday Mirror columnist Jonathan Pearce's Football Night (C5, 11.55pm).

GOLF: Dubai Desert Classic (Sky Sports 1, 9.30am); Ford Championship (Sky Sports 2, 9pm).

RACING: Live coverage from Wincanton (C4, 12.30pm).

GRAND PRIX: Australian qualifying (ITV1, 2.15am).

CRICKET: World Cup Centre (Sky Sports 3, 11am).

SKIING: Various disciplines live throughout the day (Eurosport from 3pm).FRIDAYLIVE Rugby League action on Sky Sports 1 pits Hull against the London Broncos. Last season in this fixture Hull's Garreth Carvell grabbed a late try to beat the Broncos 30-26.

CRICKET: ICC World Cup.- Super Sixes (Sky Sports 3, 8am).

GOLF: Dubai Desert Classic (Sky Sports 1, 9.30am); Ford Championship (Sky Sports 2, 9.30pm).

RUGBY UNION: Super 12.- The Cats v ACT Brumbies (Sky Sports 2, 5pm); International.- England A v Italy A (Sky Sports 2, 7pm).

RUGBY LEAGUE: Super League.- Hull v London Broncos (Sky Sports 1, 7.30pm).

GRAND PRIX: Australian qualifying (ITV1, 12.30am).

RACING: Live coverage from Hereford (C4, 12.30pm).

CAPTION(S):

FIRING AGAIN: Michael Owen; BECKHAM (Sky Sports 1, 1pm); ENCKELMAN (Sky Sports 1, 8pm); ELS (Sky Sports 1, 9.30am); WOODS (Sky Sports 2, 9.30am); AKRAM (Sky Sports 3, 7.30am); McVEIGH (Sky Sports 2, 7.30pm)

It pays to be smart for Cyclescheme

Specialist Bath firm Cyclescheme has been recognised as one ofthe UK's smartest small businesses.

The provider of tax-free bikes for the Government's Cycle to Workinitiative has been chosen by a judging panel, including onetimeDragon's Den panellist Deborah Meaden and other entrepreneurs suchas Bebo founder Michael Birch, as a winner of a Smarta 100.

The designation has been launched by business website smarta.comto recognise companies which have made themselves different or foundclever ways to compete.

Ms Meaden said: "Discovering great new businesses is a passion ofmine, as is encouraging businesses to think and work better. TheSmarta 100 does both of these …

Israel's PM, FM invited to Egypt in sign of thaw.

Summary: Egyptian Intelligence Chief Omar Suleiman on Wednesday extended invitations to Israel's right-wing Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman to visit Egypt,

Egyptian Intelligence Chief Omar Suleiman on Wednesday extended invitations to Israel's right-wing Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman to visit Egypt, signaling an improvement in bilateral ties that have been on the slide since Lieberman was named as foreign minister in Israel's new government.

During the first meeting between a high-level Egyptian official and the new Israeli leader since Netanyahu took office on March 31, …

NATO STRIKES GO TO THE HEART OF BELGRADE.(MAIN)

Byline: GEORGE JAHN Associated Press

BELGRADE, Yugoslavia -- NATO bombs struck three locations in Belgrade and several targets in central Serbia early today as refugees poured out of Kosovo in catastrophic numbers and the human misery along the province's border worsened.

President Slobodan Milosevic's forces have purged Kosovo of 300,000 ethnic Albanians so far, with perhaps an equal number soon to follow. The exodus threatened to destabilize neighboring states, already struggling to provide the refugees with basic necessities such as food, water and shelter.

Following through on its pledge to target Yugoslavia's infrastructure, NATO struck the Yugoslav capital's New Belgrade district, a modern industrial-residential complex across the Sava River from the center of the city.

Yugoslav civil defense officials said a thermal …

Broadband's reach in percentage of households.(Brief Article)

 Broadband's Reach In Percentage of Households   South Korea     95 Argentina       94 Australia       94 Belgium         93 Switzerland     90 United States   89 Canada          87 Spain           86 Japan           79 Sweden          77 … 

ERRATUM

In the September/October 2004 issue of the Canadian Journal of Public Health (Vol.95, No.5, pg. 382), the incorrect abstract and abstract translation were published for the article by Wilson et al., entitled: "Long-term-care residents: Concerns identified by population and care trends. "

We publish the correct abstract and translation here in their entirety.

ABSTRACT

Objective: Despite rising concern over population aging, few descriptions exist of longterm-care (LTC) residents, the people who are normally the oldest and the most dependent persons. This study sought to describe a LTC resident population and trends in this population.

Methods: A …

EMERGENCY OIL SHIPMENT.(From Ecuador to Jamaica)(Brief Article)

Jamaica received 370,000 barrels of oil from Ecuador in an emergency shipment intended to help the country avoid a shortage caused by Venezuela's general strike, reports AP (Dec. 27, 2002):

In another consequence of the Venezuelan crisis, an oil refinery in Curacao that is one of the world's largest, shut down production. Curacao's Refineria Isla, which receives most of its oil from Venezuela, is no longer processing gasoline, jet fuel, propane or oil lubricants, after shutting down its 37 refining plants, union president Elvis …