Gay softball, bi any other name

This sounds like one more story of discrimination based on sexual orientation in the sports world.

Three bisexual men filed a lawsuit after they were disqualified from playing in a Softball World Series tournament. And, they say, because they are bisexual their team forfeited its secondplace trophy.

But hold on. As in Alice's Wonderland, the world of athletics is not always what it seems. The defendant is the North American Gay Amateur Athletic Association. The event was the 2008 Gay Softball World Series in Seattle. The bisexuals claim they were discriminated against not by straight people, but by gays. They say they were kicked out not for being gay, but because they're …

UN hopeful on getting aid to Myanmar survivors

U.N. officials expressed hope Monday they will soon be able to get help to more than 1 million cyclone survivors still waiting for food and shelter, if Myanmar's ruling junta keeps its promise to let foreign aid workers into the country.

More than three weeks after the storm, people huddled along roadsides, desperate for any sort of handout. The U.N. estimated less than half the 2.4 million people victimized by the May 2-3 storm had received emergency assistance.

In Pyapon, a coastal township southwest of Yangon, hundreds of makeshift huts had been thrown up along a road. Women and children squatted outside, the children begging for food, their arms …

Dolores Hoder, active in breast-feeding advocacy group

Dolores "Dee" Hoder wanted to know about everything new and shewanted to help people.

That made her a natural to be one of the earliest members andboosters of La Leche League International when it first was formed inthe Chicago suburbs by the late Dr. Gregory White and his wife, Mary,to promote natural childbirth and breast-feeding.

"Dr. White was getting this group together and teaching peopleabout breast-feeding and the hospitals were all up in arms about it.It was more work for them," said Mrs. Hoder's husband of 52 years,James.

She also volunteered at a number of soup kitchens and homelessshelters over the years.

Mrs. Hoder died Sunday at her …

Cut the cost and raise the reliability of your instrumentation

Review your maintenance, engineering, purchasing, and construction practices. Often, big improvements are possible.

In today's highly competitive global economy, most companies in the chemical process industries (CPI) are striving to reduce manufacturing costs and increase production from existing assets. This article discusses how better approaches for plant instrumentation can help you to achieve and sustain these goals.

Results at several companies prove that the following savings can be realized:

* instrument maintenance costs reduced by greater than 50%;

* production losses due to instrumentation cut by over 45%/y;

* instrument engineering time …

Jackson State beats Mississippi Valley State 83-73

JACKSON, Miss. (AP) — Jenirro Bush scored 25 points to lead Jackson State to an 83-73 win over Mississippi Valley State on Saturday night.

Tyrone Hanson and Grant Maxey each added 17 points for the Tigers (11-9, 7-1 Southwestern Athletic Conference), who have won three in a row.

Jackson State led 38-31 at halftime and finished 24 of 56 from the field (42.9 percent) and 31 of 42 from the free-throw line (73.8 percent) for the …

Islanders-Thrashers Sums

N.Y. Islanders 1 0 2_3
Atlanta 4 2 0_6
First Period_1, Atlanta, Bergfors 17 (Little, Antropov), 5:04. 2, Atlanta, Antropov 16 (Little, Hainsey), 8:51. 3, Atlanta, MacArthur 14 (Afinogenov), 9:16. 4, Atlanta, Afinogenov 20 (Peverley), 14:25. 5, N.Y. Islanders, Streit 9 (Weight, Bailey), 19:43 (pp). Penalties_Schubert, Atl (roughing), 10:01	Armstrong, Atl (charging), 18:26.
Second Period_6, Atlanta, Antropov 17 (Bergfors, Bogosian), 10:05 (pp). 7, Atlanta, Artyukhin 5, 15:53. Penalties_Oduya, Atl (holding stick), :54	Jackman, …

Stock funds that rallied are risky

After the stock market's steep drop April 14, one lesson seemsclear: Investors in stock mutual funds can run, but they can't easilyhide.

Only a handful of stock portfolios gained ground that day amid arecord 618-point loss for the Dow Jones industrial average and worsedamage for indicators such as the Nasdaq composite index.

Of the few stock funds that rallied that day, most aren't the typeyou'd want to bring home to mom. Many are more risky than mainstreamstock portfolios. Some examples:

Gold funds. They were winners April 14, rising almost 2.3 percenton average, according to Lipper Analytical Services in Summit, N.J.The funds invest in gold-mining firms such …

Bills (0-8) fall again, this time to Bears

TORONTO (AP) — In their relentlessly frustrating search for a victory, the Buffalo Bills have now proven they're equally as bumbling on both sides of the border.

They're now 0-for-Canada after dropping their first seven in the United States, losing 22-19 to the Chicago Bears in Buffalo's home-away-from home at Toronto on Sunday.

It hurts," Bills coach Chan Gailey said. "It feels like someone kicked you in the stomach."

The Bills (0-8) are the NFL's only winless team and are off to their worst start in 26 years.

They led 19-14 in the fourth quarter and were driving for another score when Tim Jennings picked off Ryan Fitzpatrick. Six plays later, Earl Bennett scored …

Venter to stand down as Saracens director of rugby

LONDON (AP) — Brendan Venter will stand down as Saracens director of rugby at the start of next year and return to his native South Africa for family reasons, the Premiership club said Tuesday.

However, Saracens have named the former Springboks center as its technical director, a newly created position that will involve him flying back to Britain on a regular basis.

Mark McCall, an ex-Ireland international who is currently the club's first-team coach, will replace Venter as director of rugby, taking over on Jan. 9.

"Brendan will remain an integral part of the club ... making frequent visits to north London," Saracens chairman Nigel Wray said in a statement.

Venter, …

Industry Members Help Create an Optimal Course on Leadership

September 17-22, 2006, marked the first offering of the ICABCs "Leading for Optimal Performance" residency course. Full of intensive learning, thought-provoking discussion, and self-evaluation, this leadership "bootcamp" left its 20 participants-myself included-both exhausted and exhilarated.

How it all began

As described in the Cover Story on page 8, the Institute helped create this one-week residency course to address a need expressed by members in industry. Specifically, the process started back in July of 2003, when we discovered from our members in industry research that many CAs first transition from public practice to industry by becoming controllers. Research …

Beijing moves heaven and earth to supply water for Olympics, highlighting city's water woes

When 16,000 athletes and officials show up this summer, they will be able to turn the taps and get drinkable water _ something few Beijing residents ever have enjoyed.

But to keep those taps flowing for the Olympics, the city is draining surrounding regions, depriving poor farmers of water.

Though the Chinese capital's filthy air makes headlines, water may be its most desperate environmental challenge. Explosive growth combined with a persistent drought mean the city of 17 million people is fast running out of water.

Meanwhile, rainfall has been below average since 1999. The result: Water resources per person are 1/30th of the world average, …

US Senate votes on blocking greenhouse gas rules

The U.S. Senate headed toward a much-watched vote Thursday on whether the Obama administration should be allowed to go ahead with regulations curtailing greenhouse gas emissions from power plants and other major polluters.

The vote serves as a test of where lawmakers stand on climate change issues as the Senate struggles to come up with legislation to shape future energy policy.

The measure, sponsored by Republican Sen. Lisa Murkowski from oil-rich Alaska, would stop the Environmental Protection Agency from carrying out rules to regulate carbon and other greenhouse gases under the Clean Air Act.

President Barack Obama and Republican-led opponents …

Wal-Mart Tries to Improve Fashion Trends

NEW YORK - This holiday season, a big challenge at Wal-Mart is convincing shoppers like Portia Goodman and Karen Wade to buy fashion instead of just basics.

"I buy more at Target than I do here," said Goodman, a 31-year-old graduate student from Riverside, Ill., who was recently shopping for candy at a local Wal-Mart with her son. "I think they should be more like Target." At Target, known for its cheap chic offerings, Goodman is attracted to apparel by designer Isaac Mizrahi and favors athletic gear by Champion.

As for Wade, a 47-year-old from LaGrange, Ill., she shops at Wal-Mart for "shirts and jeans because the price is good."

Such reluctance from these consumers comes more than a year and a half after Wal-Mart Stores Inc. has worked hard to improve its image with new fashion brands, a trendspotting office in Manhattan, and fashion shows during New York's Fashion Week. The company's fashion faux pas, such as stocking up on too many trendy items like skinny jeans, was a big factor behind disappointing sales for September and October, and is expected to weigh down business in the critical fourth quarter, the company acknowledged late last month.

The upgrading of its fashion is part of the company's larger campaign to expand into better quality, trendier merchandise to revitalize anemic sales and sluggish profit growth, a strategy that has gotten mixed grades from its customers so far.

Wal-Mart, which has built its reputation on selling basics like socks and detergent, made a push into $2,000 flat-screen TVs and other trendy electronics, 600-thread count sheets and organic foods. The goal is to pry more money from the hands of its wealthier customers, diversifying beyond its core-low income shoppers who are more vulnerable to economic downturns.

But while the company's electronics business is "making progress," organic foods and home furnishings have gotten mixed reactions, according to company's CEO and president Lee Scott in a recent address to investors.

Fashion appears to be the most challenging. In fact, in a sign that Wal-Mart's upscale strategy has fallen flat, the company dumped its two long-time ad agencies and hired Draft FCB late last month. Draft, a division of Interpublic Group of Cos. Inc., will develop future advertising to better attract both low-price fans and higher-income shoppers.

The company, which played down its low prices over the past year, is reemphasizing its rollback, or discount strategy this holiday season, with deep price cuts on toys and electronics. On Friday it extended the price cuts to home appliances. Wal-Mart's "Be Bright" holiday campaign, produced by lame duck ad agency Bernstein-Rein Advertising Inc., focuses on value fashion.

Wal-Mart needs to win in apparel for several reasons. Shoppers are facing more fashion choices this holiday season from low to mid-price stores like Target Stores Inc. and from mid-price department stores like J.C. Penney Co. and Kohl's Corp., both of which have developed more exclusive brands.

Apparel also offers fatter profit margins compared to electronics and food, according to Howard Davidowitz, chairman of Davidowitz & Associates, a New York-based retail consulting and investment banking firm.

But more importantly, fashion sets the tone for the entire store, said Robert Buchanan, retail analyst at A.G. Edwards & Sons

"Fashion tends to drive the train," he said.

Wal-Mart has blamed its flawed fashion strategy on execution, such as overexpanding Metro 7, an apparel brand aimed at fashionistas. Metro 7 successfully launched in 500 stores in the fall of 2005, then stalled when it expanded to 1,500 stores this past spring. The company now says Metro 7's distribution shouldn't be in more than 900 stores.

Scott told investors that the company needs to better heed to a pyramid, where the bottom is basics such as underwear and socks, the middle is fashion basics and the top is trendy fashions like skinny jeans.

"We need to remember who we are and be able to fill that center part of this pyramid and then have a little bit up there at the top, just so our customers know that we have a sense of what's happening out there in the world," Scott said.

Meanwhile, one of the company's top apparel labels George, which is offered in men's, women's and children's assortments has had "significant growth," according to Linda Blakley, a Wal-Mart spokeswoman. Wal-Mart also unveiled a hip-hop inspired men's clothing brand earlier this fall called Exsto, which is now in 600 stores. Blakley declined to comment on Exsto's performance, saying with any launch, "you listen as you roll it out."

Other big apparel brands include Faded Glory and No Boundaries, aimed at teens.

Buchanan noted that men's fashions needs to be improved, and home furnishings is another area that could be further sharpened.

Investors will probably have to wait until after the holidays for any significant improvement in apparel sales. That's when Wal-Mart will expand its strategy to give stores a more customized mix of goods and layout for six key groups of customers: Hispanics, African-Americans, empty-nesters/boomers, affluent, suburban and rural shoppers. The plan, which is currently being tested in a couple dozen stores, is to retool over 3,000 U.S. stores over the next two years.

Wal-Mart said such segmentation, welcomed by Wall Street analysts, was the missing element in the company's merchandising strategy. Scott told investors that it helps explain what happened with Metro 7 and plays a critical role in better serving its customers.

Still, a big problem with Wal-Mart is that it needs to do a better job in marketing and displaying its brands. Candace Corlett, principal of WSL Strategic Retail, noted she has spotted wrinkled clothes on the racks.

"The merchandise is more exciting than the display," observed Corlett. "Specialty clothing stores have the window advantage. They use the window to display the tempting outfits. What is Wal-Mart's window for the fashion statements? What is the style guide for their floors?"

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AP Business Writer Ashley Heher in Chicago contributed to this report.

--

On the Net:

http://www.jcpenney.com

http://www.kohls.com

http://www.target.com

http://www.walmart.com

European stocks up as US continues rollercoaster

BRUSSELS (AP) — Stocks remained extremely volatile Thursday but solid gains on Wall Street following strong U.S. jobs data helped European markets close higher despite another rollercoaster ride for the continent's banks.

Wild swings on a daily basis and across time zones highlight how febrile markets are at the moment amid concerns over the global economy and the levels of debt in both the U.S. and Europe. Unconfirmed speculation that European markets were considering a ban on short-selling is clear indication of that volatility.

French banks have been particularly volatile as investors fret about their exposure to the debt of countries like Greece and Italy.

Having traded sharply lower for much of the day, most of the banks, including France's second largest Societe Generale, closed higher, helping European markets to post one of their best days in recent weeks, which have been marked by massive declines all round the world.

"Investors made tentative attempts to pick up some of the more badly beaten stocks, taking confidence from a positive opening to U.S. markets," said Joshua Raymond, chief market strategist at City Index. "This in turn sparked a revival of fortunes for European indices, whose early gains had been progressively sold into as the session continued."

The FTSE 100 index of leading British shares closed up 3.1 percent to 5,162.83 points, while Germany's DAX increased 3.3 percent to 5,797.66. France's CAC-40 ended up 2.9 percent at 3,089.66.

On Wall Street, the Dow Jones industrial average was up 2.3 percent at 10,962 while the broader Standard & Poor's 500 index rose an equivalent rate to 1,147.

Shares rose after new data showed that the number of people filing for unemployment benefits in the U.S. fell below 400,000 last week for the first time in four months. That was seen as a sign that the job market may slowly be improving.

Thursday's share gains came after Wednesday's hammering of stocks in Europe and the U.S. Any investor cheer to the news that the U.S. Federal Reserve was keeping its super-low interest rates until the middle of 2013 dissipated as they interpreted that stance to mean that the U.S. economy will not improve substantially by 2013.

Though stock markets have been swinging wildly, there's been a measure of calm in the bond markets of Spain and Italy in the wake of the European Central Bank's purchase of their bonds.

The yield, or interest rate, on Spanish and Italian 10-year bonds remained relatively stable at around 5 percent. That rate is considered manageable for now and is over a percentage point lower than where they were trading a week ago.

However, analysts think that they will have to get even lower to really dampen worries that Europe's debt crisis will ensnare the eurozone's third and fourth largest economies.

"The reality is they will need to buy an awful lot more to get them down to sustainable levels well below 5 percent," warned Michael Hewson, market analyst at CMC Markets.

In currency markets, the Swiss franc dropped sharply after a senior Swiss National Bank official said the bank is examining further measures to soften the currency's "massive overvaluation" against the U.S. dollar and the euro. The franc fell 5.3 percent to 92 euro cents and dropped 4.9 percent to $1.31. The increased uncertainty in financial markets had pushed the franc to record highs in recent days as investors were fleeing to safe assets.

Earlier, Asian markets were under pressure following Wednesday's big reverse on Wall Street.

Hong Kong's Hang Seng index fell 1 percent to 19,595.10, but China's main index in Shanghai rose 1.3 percent to 2,703.90.

Japan's Nikkei 225 index slipped 0.6 percent to close at 8,981.94 as a strengthening yen clobbered Japan's crucial export sector. Honda Motor Corp. and Nissan Motor Corp. each lost 3.5 percent.

By late afternoon London time, the dollar was stable at 76.8 yen, while the euro rose 0.8 percent to $1.4246, thanks to a somewhat higher risk appetite.

In the oil markets, prices recovered alongside equities. The crude rose 61 cents to $83.50 a barrel.

____

Pamela Sampson in Bangkok contributed to this story.

Hospitals find marketing tool

Following the lead of America Online, some hospitals and health care providers view CD-ROM mailers as an effective marketing tool.

Lancaster General Hospital mailed 60,000 CDs last summer to select ZIP codes to promote its redesigned Web site. To keep people from tossing it, the hospital included software for patients to track their health records, such as blood sugar tests and prescriptions.

The initial effort flopped - about 600 responses at first - but hospital officials are not giving up.

They say they are retooling the marketing campaign. They are distributing an additional 40,000 CDs to a more targeted audience: patients with chronic illnesses such as diabetes, new mothers who want to track their baby's health, and caregivers looking after elderly relatives. The CDs are being handed out at health fairs and at the hospital.

"I don't know that we promoted it as Strong as we could have," said Jim Mays, the hospital's Web administrator. "It didn't go as well as the other markets in the country."

Hospitals in other markets use a more targeted focus, said Mark Weinstein, president and chief executive officer of BioImaging Technologies Inc.

The public company, based in Newtown, Bucks County, is marketing the CD-ROM to hospitals, doctors' offices and pharmacies.

Mays estimates the hospital has gotten more than 1,000 responses from patients since it started pinpointing its market. Most of those responses came from people who were taking care of elderly parents who take a variety of prescription drugs. The CD allows users to fill out forms and print out reports they can bring to their doctors to track how well they have been doing between visits.

Bio-Imaging got the rights to the product by acquiring Delaware-based CapMed Corp. in December. CapMed developed the software for the CD and a keylike device that can plug into a standard port on all computers.

In addition to data, the key and the CD can store images, such as X-rays.

Doctors' offices are the most likely customers for the keys, while hospitals and pharmacies are better targets for the CDs, said Wendy Angst, general manager of the Personal Health Management Division of Bio-Imaging. That will help patients when they switch doctors or go for second opinions.

Hospitals and pharmacies can use the CDs to help customers keep track of prescriptions. Once the software is downloaded to a computer, users can set up pop-up reminders to appear when they need to take their pills.

Bio-Imaging sees health insurers as a potentially large market that will develop as more people use the technology to keep personal health records.

Patients with chronic diseases tend to reduce hospital visits and other medical expenses when they are more involved in their treatment, Angst said. For example, diabetics who keep regular tallies of their blood sugar and when they need follow-up visits are less likely to have serious health problems.

The more people use the technology, the better able BioImaging can prove to insurers that they need the software to reduce payouts, Weinstein said.

More than 90 million Americans suffer from chronic diseases, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta.

Bio-Imaging is charging $2 per CD as part of its initial sales plan to "seed" the market. So far, Bio-Imaging has distributed 400,000 CDs nationwide, Angst said.

Once people get more comfortable with the software, BioImaging hopes hospitals and doctors' offices will want to use the technology to allow patients to download medical records from Internet sites.

Angst said it would help patients who normally have to go to multiple departments to request their hospital records.

It also reduces work for hospital administrators, Mays said.

"I think all hospitals are working on streamlining that process," he said.

Swedish papers limit web comments to stem racism

STOCKHOLM (AP) — Three of Sweden's biggest newspapers are changing their websites to monitor instant, anonymous comments from readers — a move designed to crack down on Internet expressions of racism and hatred.

The tabloid Expressen said Monday it will start monitoring all comments before, instead of after, they are published and remove those that are libelous, or contain threats or racist remarks.

The dailies Aftonbladet and Dagens Nyheter, meanwhile, said Tuesday they will close down comment fields completely until they have installed new systems that require readers to log in through Facebook or an email account before making a comment.

The decisions follow a debate raised after the July 22 terror attacks in Norway that left 77 people dead about the harsh words and racism that flourishes among some anonymous commentators on the Internet.

When confessed killer Anders Behring Breivik's manifesto became known after the terror attacks, many recognized his xenophobic arguments from reader comments and chat forums, Aftonbladet's Chief Editor Jan Helin wrote in a comment.

"The debate that has followed the terror attacks in Norway has made an impression on us. It is not possible to remain unaffected by that," Helin said.

Bjorn Hedensjo, head of Dagens Nyheter's website www.dn.se, said the newspaper's monitors haven't managed to keep up with the flow of comments on its site and have discovered posts several days later that violate its policies.

"Of course we are disappointed with having to take this step, the ideal is obviously a free and open debate that doesn't even require monitoring," he wrote in a comment. "The reality, unfortunately, is different: Ours and other's comment fields have been abused by a small group of people who express racist views, among other things."

Hedensjo said he is not sure the new system will work perfectly, but that the newspaper believes it can raise the quality of the debate by encouraging people to make comments using their real name.

Expressen's Chief Editor Thomas Mattson pointed out the new monitoring plan doesn't mean readers are banned from discussing issues such as the integration of immigrants.

"We are making this change because far too many write 'off-topic,'" he wrote. "It is not fair that people who we write about, or interview should risk being subjected to Internet hatred in the comments, or that far too many discussions about completely different topics should become dominated by xenophobic debaters."

___

Malin Rising can be reached at http://twitter.com/malinrising

UK military chief: No plan to send troops to Yemen

LONDON (AP) — The head of Britain's armed forces says there should be no rush to send troops into Yemen, despite an escalating terrorism threat.

Gen. David Richards, who took up his post last week, told BBC radio on Monday that intelligence agencies were taking the lead in assisting the Yemeni government in dealing with al-Qaida affiliated groups.

Asked if a military invention would be necessary to handle the threat, Richards said "it might be, but right now is not considered to be the case."

Richards said the military would continue to focus on Afghanistan and Pakistan.

Prime Minister David Cameron's office declined to say whether Britain supports the use of drone strikes in Yemen against al-Qaida targets, including U.S.-born radical cleric Anwar al-Awlaki.

Fla. man charged in weapons contracting case

A 22-year-old Miami Beach man whose company had a contract to supply the U.S. military with ammunition for forces in Afghanistan has been charged along with three others with providing prohibited Chinese-made ammunition and saying it came from Albania.

Efraim Diveroli and two others charged in the case made their first appearance Friday afternoon in federal court in Miami. A fourth man was being charged in Utah.

Diveroli's company, AEY Inc., was paid more than $10 million for 35 shipments of ammunition that prosecutors say was manufactured in China.

Prosecutors contend AEY Inc. removed markings from containers to hide the fact they were manufactured in China. In each instance, Diveroli certified that the ammunition was manufactured in Albania and submitted an invoice for it, they said.

Diveroli's company was given a $298 million contract by the U.S. Army in 2007 to provide several types of ammunition. It was not clear how much of that contract had been paid, but the first shipment of ammunition listed in court documents was from June 2007.

The Army told Diveroli in March that his Miami Beach company was suspended from government contract work pending the outcome of a criminal investigation.

At a news conference, U.S. Attorney R. Alexander Acosta said that quality control is one reason the government wants to know the manufacturer and origin of ammunition.

He said Diveroli's company "intentionally cut corners" and that it was "risking the lives of our troops and allies." He also said that the ammunition was "old" but did not say when it was manufactured. He said the defendants could face more than ten years in prison if convicted.

Diveroli's attorney, Howard Srebnick, said in an e-mail that the government has "misconstrued" the law his client is accused of breaking. He said the government knew Diveroli bought the ammunition from the Albanian government and that it was made in China before a munitions embargo.

Charged along with Diveroli in Miami were David Packouz, director and vice president of AEY Inc. and Alexander Podrizki, an associate who was stationed in Tirana, Albania. Diveroli and the two others who appeared in court in Miami were all expected to post bond.

The fourth man, Ralph G. Merrill, of Bountiful, Utah, provided financial and managerial assistance to the company, prosecutors said. Merrill's attorney, Peter Stirba, said "these are serious charges and we are taking them very seriously."

Merrill, 65, was set to make a court appearance in Miami next week.

__

Associated Press reporter Jennifer Dobner contributed to this report from Salt Lake City.

___

On the Net:

U.S. Army: http://www.army.mil

Code across the border ; Say hello to the 'pashas' of Pakistan's IT sector.

bIndia and pakistan share several things other than a violentpast and a contentious border. A common history, and a passion forcricket are just two of them. Now add a growing IT industry to thatlist.

At $3 billion, the Pakistan IT industry is much smaller than theIndian industry but we expect it to grow to $11 billion by 2011, says Jehan Ara, President, Pakistan Software Houses Association(PASHA). PASHA is Pakistan's only IT body with over 360 companies asmembers. Currently, close to a hundred thousand people are employedby the IT industry, which is growing at 40 per cent year on year.

Interestingly, half of Pakistan's revenues come from the domesticmarket which is growing at a rapid pace. In the export market, themain markets are the US, the Far East, the UK, Rest of Europe andthe Middle East. The software industry is spread across three citiesKarachi, Islamabad and Lahore. Tech MNC giants like IBM, Microsoftand Oracle have set up development bases in the country.

The cost of labour is Pakistan is 30 per cent lower than inIndia. In that sense, it's a great base for offshoring operations.The quality of talent is also very high. As a result, we have somegreat success stories in the country, says Ara. Recently, AdobeSystems invested in an Islamabad-based start-up called Scrybe. Thereare several exciting start-ups, especially in the product space inthe country, adds Ara who sees Pakistan creating its own niche inthe IT outsourcing space rather than competing with India.

Ara admits that the political uncertainty in the countrytranslates into additional energy expended in convincing companiesto invest in the country; but she is not overtly worried about thefuture.

Some of the largest IT companies in Pakistan have close to a1,000-odd employees and clock revenues in the region of $20-25million. So, we possibly will never be as large as India when itcomes to size of the industry. But we can collaborate when it comesto outsourcing, says Ara.

The salaries of IT professionals in Pakistan are approximately30 per cent lower than those in India, while telecommunication costsare also low as compared to any other offshore locations, which makePakistan an attractive outsourcing destination, reads a recentGartner report on the Pakistan offshore industry.

The report further stated that the government of Pakistan hadformulated a comprehensive IT policy to encourage the privatesector. The government plans to develop IT parks in major cities,while 750,000 square feet of space in the Pakistan Software ExportBoard (a government body to encourage software exports) has alreadybeen leased to IT companies.

T.V. Mahalingam

Night race, no problems so far as Singapore authorities can see

Singapore Grand Prix officials are confident driver safety concerns such as glare on the track for Formula One's first night race have been adequately addressed.

The novelty value of a night race, as well as the first Grand Prix in Singapore, seems to have caught the imagination of F1 fans, with tickets selling quickly and the circuit expected to be full to its 100,000-plus capacity for the Sept. 28 event.

There has been more reticence among teams and drivers, though, due to understandable worries about the visibility of night driving and the potential danger posed by glare off a wet track under floodlighting. Singapore is subject to regular, at times drenching, rain.

Just how the combination of very powerful floodlighting and a wet track will be handled in the wheel-to-wheel action of cars traveling at 300 kph (186 mph) can not possibly be tested until the event itself _ there will be one practice session and qualifying at night before the race _ but organizers feel all precautions have been taken.

"Safety is of utmost concern to us, thus great care has been taken to develop a lighting system that is bright enough for night race conditions, and at the same time will not cause any glare for the drivers," race communications director Jonathan Hallett told The Associated Press.

"The lighting projectors have their internal reflectors positioned to specifically light the driver's path on the track.

"In the event of heavy rain, the reflected light from the wet road surface will not cause glare as it will not be reflected into the driver's eyes."

Using 2000-watt lamps, the lighting will generate a sum of 3,180,000 watts and 4200 kelvin degrees _ that is four times brighter than normal floodlighting for an outdoor sports event.

The circuit will be fitted with 27 kilometers (16.8 miles) of optic cable and 110 kilometers (68.4 miles) of power cables.

The lighting engineers _ Italian company Valerio Maioli _ tested the system at the Paul Ricard circuit in France in 2007 prior to installing it around Singapore's track, in the Marina Bay area adjacent to downtown.

While much attention had been given to the lighting system for the race, as much attention also had to be given to the track surface.

The events of this season's Canadian Grand Prix, where the track at the hairpin corner degraded alarmingly over the race weekend, highlighted the problems inherent in street circuit Grands Prix.

Singapore has resurfaced the streets that will comprise the course, giving occasionally grumbling Singaporean commuters a taste of the annual inconvenience of life in a city with an F1 street course.

The circuit, initially mapped out by Formula One's now pre-eminent track designer Hermann Tilke, has since been altered from the original 4.8-kilometer (2.983-mile) layout to 5.05 kilometers (3.138 miles).

Aside from being the first night race, another Singapore breakthrough will be the use of electronic flag displays. Initially the electronic displays will complement the established flag waving by trackside marshalls, but the more prominent electronic displays could eventually supersede flags throughout F1.

The electronic displays will have three settings to accommodate day, night and wet weather conditions with alternating degrees of intensity.

Singapore secured the rights to hold an F1 race for at least five years.

The decision to hold the race at night _ it will start at 8 p.m. local time _ won over the FIA not only because of its certain to attract many casual or lapsed F1 fans, but also to cater to European television audiences.

Despite its geographically diverse venues, the sponsor interest that sustains the massive amounts of spending in the sport is still dependent upon European television ratings.

That was evident earlier this year when F1 chief Bernie Ecclestone threatened to end Australia's race contract due to the unwillingness of local authorities to spend vast amounts of public money converting public parkland into a circuit capable of hosting a night race.

Only a late compromise to make it a twilight race saved the Australian Grand Prix, despite it being one of the best-attended races on the F1 calendar.

Singapore hopes the glamor of F1, coupled with the addition of casinos to the city-state, will help the Asian nation cast aside an image of a super-efficient but relatively staid city state.

Lawrence Leong, the director of F1 projects for Singapore's tourism board, estimated that incremental tourism revenues of 100 million Singapore dollars ($74 million; euro46.7 million) will be generated annually purely by the addition of the race and the associated flow-on to hotels, airlines, restaurants and shops.

Add the associated but intangible benefits to be gained through international television exposure and the use of the race by the finance sector to entertain clients, and Singapore's motives for joining the F1 circus are clear.

7 astronauts taking Japan's lab to space station

The seven astronauts aboard the space shuttle Discovery will deliver and install Japan's massive lab, Kibo, or Hope, at the international space station. A look at the six men and one woman who will tackle the job:

Commander Mark Kelly is probably best known for looking and sounding exactly like another astronaut _ his identical twin brother, Scott, also a space shuttle skipper _ and being married to a congresswoman.

He married U.S. Rep. Gabrielle Giffords, D-Ariz., in November.

As for who's the big shot in the family, Kelly quickly says, "She is."

The two have invited a number of Washington bigwigs to the shuttle launch, as well as family and friends.

This will be the third spaceflight for Kelly, 44, a Navy commander and former test pilot, but his first as commander. NASA picked him as an astronaut in 1996.

He flew 39 combat missions in the 1991 Gulf War.

Kelly has two daughters, ages 10 and 13, from his previous marriage. He is from West Orange, N.J.

___

Pilot Kenneth Ham, an astronaut for 10 years, is finally on the verge of reaching space.

The 43-year-old Navy commander said the long wait has been worth it _ "without a doubt."

"Sometimes it's been a little challenging staying focused on why I'm here and especially what I'm doing," he said. "However, on the other hand, it's been an incredible blessing."

His Navy peers have probably spent at least half of the past 10 years "on a ship somewhere on the other side of the planet, away from their family and their kids," said Ham, whose sons are 14 and 15. "They've missed out on all the things I've gotten to see in raising Ryan and Randy. So I'm incredibly fortunate to be able to say that I was their Little League coach and their soccer coach and was there on school night."

His sons are from a previous marriage to Linda Ham, a former high-level shuttle manager who was demoted following the 2003 Columbia disaster. Kenneth Ham has since remarried.

Ham _ born in Plainfield, N.J. _ was one of the Navy's first F/A-18 Super Hornet test pilots.

___

Karen Nyberg will become the 50th woman to fly in space.

Her first flight will precede by just a few weeks the 45th anniversary of the first woman in space, Soviet cosmonaut Valentina Tereshkova, and the 25th anniversary of the first American woman in space, Sally Ride.

"What I'm really looking forward to is the time when we're not counting anymore," Nyberg said.

Nyberg, 38, a mechanical engineer, decided in elementary school she wanted to be an astronaut. She grew up with two brothers and three sisters in Vining, Minn., the type of place characterized by Garrison Keillor in his "A Prairie Home Companion" radio show. "I'm from a Norwegian background, went to the Lutheran church, had the potluck dinners in the basement," she said, laughing.

Nyberg started out as a college intern at Johnson Space Center in Houston in 1991. She received a patent for a robot intended to help spacewalking astronauts and went on to earn a doctorate and secure a full-time NASA job. NASA picked her as an astronaut in 2000 on her first try. She will become the first person to operate three robot arms in orbit: the shuttle's, the station's and the one on the new Japanese lab.

Nyberg, who is single, is taking into space a few pieces of fabric to make into a quilt after the shuttle mission.

___

Michael Fossum is returning to space as the lead spacewalker.

He will perform three spacewalks to install the new Japanese lab, Kibo, on the space station, replace a nitrogen gas tank, and take a stab at cleaning a clogged solar-wing rotating joint.

"This time, I'm much more settled in. There's much less fear of the unknown," said Fossum, 50, an engineer and colonel in the Air Force Reserves.

Fossum said he can't wait to look out the space shuttle windows, like he did last time, at God's handiwork. After blasting into orbit in 2006 for the first time, "it sort of struck me, looking at the North Atlantic and the black sky and a little thin band of atmosphere, that this is the kind of view that God has looking down."

As soon as he returned from space, he told wife Melanie: "Be forewarned. I want to go back." This will be his second and, in all likelihood, last space mission.

The couple has four children ages 11 to 23. His main hobby is serving as a Boy Scout scoutmaster.

Fossum grew up in McAllen, Texas, in the Rio Grande Valley. He served in the Air Force and resigned from active duty in 1992 to work for NASA. He took part in an extensive redesign of the space station in 1993 and, five years later, became an astronaut.

___

Air Force Col. Ronald Garan Jr. was trained as a space shuttle pilot, but agreed to give up the cockpit controls to secure one of the dwindling number of flight assignments.

He will serve as a mission specialist aboard Discovery and perform three spacewalks.

"I certainly don't feel cheated," he said.

He remembers the day he decided to become an astronaut: July 20, 1969, when Apollo 11's Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin landed on the moon. He was 7 years old and growing up in Yonkers, N.Y.

Now 46, Garan, the father of three teenage sons, including identical twins, is about to make his first trip to space. When he's not so busy, he likes to coach football and baseball, and teach Sunday school.

"Faith plays a big part in what I do," he said. "I don't consider myself a daredevil at all. I don't take extra risks. I'm not one that drives fast cars and fast motorcycles. ... I'm doing this because I really, truly believe that we are making a big impact on our Earth and for all the people of the world."

Garan was a F-16 combat pilot before and during the Gulf War. He went on to test pilot school and was chosen as an astronaut by NASA in 2000.

___

Gregory Chamitoff will move into the international space station for a six-month stay.

"I'm really looking forward to just living in space, just being there long enough to really feel what it's like to live there," he said. "I think really the hardest thing about the whole thing is going to be missing my kids for that length of time."

Twins Natasha and Dimitri are 3. Chamitoff hopes there won't be any delays that would prevent him from being home for their 4th birthday in January. But he will miss election day in November; he'll vote from space via an absentee ballot

Chamitoff, 45, the grandson of Russian immigrants to Canada, has four degrees, including a doctorate in aeronautics and astronautics. He joined Johnson Space Center in Houston in 1995, working on computer software applications for spacecraft. NASA picked him as an astronaut in 1998. This will be his first spaceflight.

In July 1969, when he was 6, the family took a vacation from Montreal to Florida and got to see the launch of Apollo 11. "'Dad, I really want to do this. This is what I'm going to do,' " he told his father. The family moved to San Jose, Calif., five years later.

Chamitoff's wife, Dr. Chantal Caviness, a pediatrician, is finishing a book about infertility. He hopes to take up a manuscript to read in orbit.

___

Japanese astronaut Akihiko Hoshide spent four years living in Fort Lee, N.J., as a young boy during the 1960s. His father was a Japanese businessman.

A family vacation to the Kennedy Space Center ignited his interest in space.

"We saw a bunch of rockets, including the Saturn V" moon rocket, he said. " 'Star Trek' was on TV, and I was a huge fan of it, so that stated my dream of really wanting to go up there and work there as an astronaut."

He's honored to accompany his country's Kibo lab to the space station and attach it. It will be his first trip to space.

"This is a big milestone for the Japanese community," he said, noting that some people have worked on Kibo, which means "hope," for more than 20 years. "This is really a mission to make the dream come true. It's the same for me."

The Tokyo-born Hoshide, who is married, joined the Japanese Space Agency in 1992 as an engineer. The 39-year-old became an astronaut in 1999.

___

On the Net:

NASA: http://www.jsc.nasa.gov/Bios/index.html

CSI promotes Elliott to senior vice president

Computer Services Inc., Paducah, Ky., has promoted Andy Elliott to senior vice president. He will have expanded corporate-wide responsibility for customer services, corporate communications, conversions and education services. Elliott has been with CSI since 1980 and was formerly vice president.

A discovery of self; Ignorance of black history fuels artist's works

For more than half of his life, Ed Dwight Jr. would readily admit that he would be the last Black person on earth who should be commissioned for a work of art representing Black history.

"I didn't know who Harriet Tubman was until I was 40-years-old," said Dwight, 72.

Yet today, Dwight's powerful and evocative sculptures of historical African American people and themes are known worldwide. His works are on display at the Smithsonian Museum, and he has created more than 80 monuments across the country, including the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial in Denver's City Park, and the Alex Haley -- Kunta Kinte Memorial in Annapolis, Md.

He can now add the Harold Washington statue that now stands on the corner of 47th Street and King Drive in Chicago's historic Bronzeville community, which was unveiled on Tuesday.

What is even more surprising about Dwight's personal journey through Black history is that he is an important historical fact: he was the first African American in the country's infant astronaut training program in 1962.

Even with that historical footnote, you have to wonder how this well-educated and earthy man could have missed a whole encyclopedia of Black history until middle age.

The story begins just outside Kansas City, Kan., in 1933.

Ed Dwight Jr. was the second of the four children born to Ed and Georgia Baker Dwight. Dwight Jr. was the only son.

Though the family lived in a rural area, Dwight Sr. was a second baseman for the Kansas City Monarchs in the Negro Baseball League. While he was on the road throughout the year, Georgia was left with the child-rearing duties.

Dwight's father was very dark-skinned; his mother was of Austrian descent.

"She looked white," Dwight said. "But I'm sure there was someone in the woodpile there," he said with a laugh.

Dwight's says his mother sheltered her only son from much of the world. A devout Catholic, she took Dwight with her to church everyday, and started his formal schooling when he was 2-years-old.

While he had some contact with his father's relatives, he spent much of his youth around his mother.

"She was brilliant," Dwight fondly recalls. "She taught me to read before I could walk and got a library card for me when I was five."

He was a voracious reader, but his reading selections didn't include Black history. "I just didn't know," he said.

"My mother raised me to think of myself as a citizen of the entire universe, not a racial one."

Georgia also instilled in her son a love of the stars and planets through astronomy. His fondness for airplanes and flying came about because the family lived near Fairfax airport in Kansas City.

"My mother would tell me stories about where the planes went, and I was fascinated because after they took off, they always disappeared," he said.

After high school, Dwight parlayed his fascination with airplanes into a career in the Air Force in the early 50s. After nine years and a promotion to the rank of captain, Dwight was appointed to the astronaut training program by the John F. Kennedy administration in 1962.

Dwight, now married, completed the four-year program but never made a space flight. After Kennedy was assassinated in 1963, Dwight said the atmosphere at the training school "really got ugly and racist."

After leaving the program, he moved his children to New Mexico and later to Colorado.

He worked there in real estate, and for IBM and as an engineer. In 1977, he received a Master of Fine Arts degree from the University of Arizona at the age of 45.

While he had painted since childhood, it wasn't until 1974, when George Brown, the first Black lieutenant governor of Colorado, commissioned him to create a piece of art for the state capitol building. Dwight read books on sculpture and a new career was born. Brown liked the work so much he asked Dwight to create a series on the Buffalo Soldiers.

Knowing nothing about them, he started reading about the famous regiment, and then moved on to slavery and other aspects of Black history.

"I got pissed," Dwight said, mainly because he was an educated man who had never been taught Black history in schools.

Dwight's late discovery of the struggles and richness of Black history has borne fruit in his astonishing sculptures.

He has captured the musical genius of jazz greats Miles Davis, Louis Armstrong and Duke Ellington, in a sometimes whimsical style. His elongated pieces of Africans are set off with shell earrings. And you can almost hear the ivories being tickled in his floating piano keyboard piece.

Many of these pieces were on display this week at the Harold Washington Cultural Center, where a reception was hosted in his honor.

After Mayor Richard Daley asked Alderman Dorothy Tillman (D-3rd) Ward to select Dwight, she initially refused, saying she didn't want an "Oreo sandwich" doing a statue of the city's first Black mayor.

Dwight laughs at her description, but admitted he fell into the category, and was thus schooled by Tillman on Washington and African Americans in Chicago.

He said before he began to work on the piece, he immersed himself in Washington's storied political life.

"I had to become Harold Washington," he said. "I had to feel him."

Dwight says this is often the game plan he uses when working on a sculpture of a figure.

"I have to become my subjects, to get inside their skins in order to flesh them out in a sculpture," Dwight said.

The 20-foot statue of Washington, the only one in the city, portrays the late mayor in a standing position, holding a rolled up newspaper in his right hand. Dwight said he came up with the pose after looking at "some killer pictures," one of which was a silhouette of him leaning on a chair. Dwight knew that was the one that captured the essence of Washington. "So, I just took his arms off the chair," said Dwight. "And I played up some of his characteristics, so here he is."

The Colorado-based sculptor said he actually helped Tillman name the center, which at one time was going to be named after singer Lou Rawls, a Chicago native.

"She'd been talking about Harold Washington, Harold Washington...I said, why not name the thing after him and put a sculpture of him in there?" Dwight asked.

"Then it really hit her about doing it this way."

The sculpture of Washington was originally planned for the lobby of the HWCC. But less than two weeks ago, as Dwight was arranging to deliver the piece, the plan changed.

"(Tillman) said, 'Ed, I want that sculpture outdoors,'" Dwight recalled. "God, I was glad she said that."

The change in the plan forced a rush of activity to create an outdoor base for the statue, and the job was finished just in time for Wednesday's unveiling.

Dwight said that it normally requires about eight to 12 months to create a work like the Washington statue. But it was done in record time.

"It happened really fast, mainly because there wasn't much funding for it," said Dwight, who Tillman said virtually did the statue for free. "I did this in about two months."

Not a bad body of work for a man from Kansas who came to learn of his "Black family history" so late in life.

Article copyright REAL TIMES Inc.

Photograph (Ed Dwight, Jr.)

Charming Karizma pours on the appeal

(STAR)(STAR) 1/2

Karizma 4741 W. Main

Skokie

(847) 674-6163

3-COURSE DINNER: about $30 before tax and tip

HOURS: lunch, 11:30 a.m.-2:30 p.m. Monday-Friday; dinner, 5-9:30p.m. Monday-Thursday, 5-10 p.m. Friday-Saturday, 5-9 p.m. Sunday

WHEELS: free lot and street parking; wheelchair accessible

TRY: smoked salmon, risotto, arugula salad, roasted chicken,grilled pork chop, study of apples

TIPS: Very clean, bright, comfortable room that comes off in styleas California Modern: light woods, subdued lighting and some sensuouscurves. Paper over cloth on the tables. Low noise level, soconversation does not get lost in space. As noted, service needs tobe more aware of diners' needs (as in taking some time to answerquestions without seeming crazed). Good for children (pizza, pasta,bistro burger).

IN A BITE: Karizma has a certain charm that has brought life tothe Skokie dining scene. The contemporary American menu sports a widearray of choices. I would defy any diner to look at this menu and saythat they "don't see anything they like" And the prices arereasonable, too. Enjoy!

Skokie has Karizma. Don't interpret that as a play on words or amisspelling. Karizma just happens to be a very nice restaurant, onethat has a certain presence and charm. Karizma also happens to be ajewel of an asset to a town that has, for years, been culinarilyparched. (Please, Skokie residents, don't take that comment the wrongway. You know and I know that Skokie has not exactly lit up the skywith culinary fireworks.)

The toques and top bananas that have toggled this restaurant intoa force to be reckoned with are owner Elaine Cook and executive chefand co-owner Marty Rogak.

The only part of that duo that I am somewhat familiar with isRogak. I know that he spent kitchen time in some highly thought-ofrestaurants-Provence in Winnetka and Kiki's Bistro and the NikkoHotel (now the Westin River North) in Chicago. I suppose thatexperience accounts for a bit of the French influence on the menu.

I would quickly point out, however, that in today's culinaryworld, which is an ethnic minestrone of ideas and enhancements,Karizma is, pure and simple, a classic rendition of contemporaryAmerican cuisine. In a strange sort of way, too, it comes off quite abit like a restaurant one would find in, say, the California winecountry.

The menu choices bear out that statement-big time. A quesadillahere, fried calamari there. Risotto, pizza, Caesar salad, steakfrites, roasted chicken, whitefish, pasta and, yes, even asmashingingly good fettuccine and meatballs with a marinara saucethat just might make a few Italian restaurants around town green withenvy.

In other words, there's almost something for everybody, but those"somethings" sampled were handled in a manner (unfussy yetinteresting) that, if I can go back to the "charisma" idea, waspleasing and attractive.

The one crack in this otherwise solid wall of dining was theservice. When the restaurant is percolating, service gets a case ofthe drips. One night, the wait between appetizer and entree, entreeand dessert went into a definite holding pattern, one that washanging over our table like a dark cloud.

That aside, saddle up for a very smooth culinary ride, startingwith a classic presentation of smoked salmon. The succulent fish gota beauty treatment of salmon caviar, grated egg whites, capers andonions. An outstanding blend of creme fraiche and horseradish, alongwith nicely toasted brioche, brought it all into delicious focus.

The soup du jour one night, a roasted pumpkin idea, was rich andlush and good to the last spoonful. A creative addition was thelacing of spicy pumpkin seeds (a smashing idea that amped the flavorto the va-voom level).

The pizza wasn't polished, but then I am a bear when it comes toevaluating pizza. The menu states "stone-baked pizza," which Iinterpret as baked on a stone, not in a woodburning oven.Nevertheless, the pizza toppings-basil, pine nuts, tomatoes,mozzarella cheese-were interesting. It was the crust that was boring.Overall, the pizza was large enough for two to share as a firstcourse.

I forgot to mention that early on (as soon as we are seated), anassortment of breads accompanied by spreads-creamy chicken livermousse, olive and butter-were good munchies for menu studying.

Salads are practically meals at Karizma. A very nice house saladwas included in the price of the entree. But a salad that standsalone for excellence was the arugula affair that was pumped up withtasty tomatoes (marinated, I believe), calamata olives and briny-good feta cheese. The "juice" that jolted this salad quite nicely wasa red wine vinaigrette.

One nice way to start a dinner here is to go with the risotto,which changes daily. The one I got involved with, an arrangement ofsmoked chicken, mushrooms, cuttings of asparagus and niblets ofroasted corn, put me off at first (the many ingredients), but overallthere was good balance, and the "extras" did not overpower theessence of the dish itself-the al dente rice.

Pan-roasted mahi-mahi, a fish special, turned out to be quitespecial. A firm, flavorful fish, the hunky fillet, cooked toperfection, floated atop a dandy rubble of Israeli couscous (largergrains) that got a flavor injection of pesto (nice idea). A julienneof root vegetables and chips of red and yellow bell peppers roundedout the plate.

Nothing amiss with the grilled pork chop either. A handsome, thick-cut chop, one that had been over the heat just long enough to lock inthe flavor, was dressed up with caramelized onions and apples andtaken for a tasty walk with rum baked black beans.

One last dish, and then on to desserts. The meal deal here is"half a roasted chicken." This most flavorful chicken had an escortof good flavor, namely excellent whipped potatoes, haricots verts andpearl onions. At $11.95 this was a winner on all accounts.

Desserts proved to be a sweet-knit bunch that would have takencare of the most demanding sweet tooth. Were I to pick two, it wouldbe the "study of apples," a combo of apple crisp and apple beignet. Iwas almost steered away from this one because our waiter didn't seemto have a clue as to what is was all about. I am glad I stuck withit.

The other would be the bread pudding (bread pudding seems to bethe dessert of choice these days), which I believe was made withbrioche, and that made it a lot more interesting in my book. And thatKentucky bourbon sauce accompaniment was the touch that managed tosustain some delight.

Weakening Rina hits Cancun area as resorts empty

CANCUN, Mexico (AP) — Tropical Storm Rina battered Mexico's Caribbean coast with winds and rain Friday, knocking out power and downing trees in some areas but sparing the resort-studded region the major hurricane that many had feared.

Thousands of tourists had left Cancun and the Riviera Maya ahead of the storm's late Thursday arrival, worried by early forecasts that Rina could arrive as a Category 3 hurricane. But it weakened before nearing land and its maximum sustained winds were down to about 45 mph (70 kph) Friday. They had hit 110 mph (175 kph) at Rina's peak.

There were no immediate reports of injuries, but most businesses remained closed and officials warned people to be cautious. Police said at least one convenience store was looted of liquor overnight in Cancun, where authorities had banned the sale of alcohol during the emergency.

Playa de Carmen, a resort town across from the island of Cozumel, was left without electricity and streets were largely empty as Rina swept along the coast.

The Mexican Navy sent boats to Holbox island, off the northeastern tip of the Yucatan Peninsula, to forcibly remove about 80 people who had balked at leaving the island during an earlier evacuation of about 2,300 people.

Lines snaked from ticket counters in Cancun's crowded airport as airliners heading to Canada and Europe waited in pouring rain. State Tourism Director Juan Carlos Gonzalez Hernandez estimated 10,000 tourists had left by Wednesday night, though thousands of others remained.

NASA cut short an undersea laboratory mission near Key Largo, Florida, bringing the crew back to land, and schools were closed in communities along the coast, as were ports.

But some decided to ride out the weakened storm.

"We would prefer to lie on the beach and get in the ocean, but right now all we can do is walk around and go shopping," said Vera Kohler, a 27-year-old tourist from Frankfurt, Germany, who arrived Wednesday and planned to stay in the area until Sunday.

Domenico Cianni, a retired restaurateur from Vancouver, Canada, said he also prepared for a hurricane by buying extra food and beer and putting shutters on the windows of his rental home. But after hearing Rina had been downgraded to a tropical storm he decided to join tourists at Playa del Carmen's pier.

"We were curious about what's happening. We wanted to be part of the action," Cianni said.

The U.S. National Hurricane Center said the storm was likely to keep bringing rains across the region for days. It was centered about 20 miles (30 kilometers) north of Cancun and was moving to the north-northeast at 4 mph (6 kph) Friday morning, but was expected to double back to the south and move along the coast toward Central America while weakening further.

___

Associated Press writer Gabriel Alcocer in Cancun contributed to this report.

Zimbabwe activist held for dishing diamond dirt

A defense lawyer says Zimbabwean police have arrested a prominent rights activist and say he gave false information about the country's controversial diamond mining practices to the international diamond control body.

Lawyer Tinoziva Bere says his client Farai Maguwu, who heads an independent rights group, turned himself in to police in the eastern city of Mutare on Thursday.

Maguwu told lawyers that security agents were after him after he met with a top Kimberly Process investigator last month. He says police harassed his relatives and seized documents, his passport and a vehicle from his Mutare home.

Zimbabwe's diamond industry has been tarnished by allegations of killings and rights violations by troops and smuggling of "blood diamonds."

'Lost' reveals third-season changes

KAHUKU, Hawaii -- The hatch is history.

That was just one of the secrets revealed by cast and crew of theTV drama "Lost" when they gathered Tuesday to mark the release of theDVD set "Lost -- The Complete Second Season."

"The hatch has definitely had its moment," confirmed executiveproducer Bryan Burk, referring to the mysterious underground bunkerthat was the set for much of the series' second-season drama. "Let'sjust say it was one big explosion."

Though it was last year's Emmy-winning drama, "Lost" is not amongthe current crop of nominated series, nor were any of its leadingactors recognized.

"My first reaction to it was, 'Good.' I don't want us to becomethat show that becomes so righteous, so above everything else, thatwe're untouchable," said Evangeline Lilly, who will serve as apresenter at the Aug. 27 Emmy telecast.

"When we started, our big question was, 'Will anybody even watchthis show?' " Lilly said. "And then when people started watching, wewere thrilled. And then when we got recognized critically, we werebeside ourselves. So, when we didn't get nominated, all we had to dowas remember where we came from."

"Lost" fans can expect some big changes when third-season episodesbegin on ABC Oct. 4.

There won't be any more frustrating repeats. "Now, when 'Lost' ison, it's on," writer and executive producer Carlton Cuse explained."And when it's off, it's off. And when it's on, you know it's anoriginal 'Lost.' "

Producers said six all-new "Lost" episodes will air in consecutiveweeks this fall; the season's remaining 17 new episodes will bescheduled without interruption from midwinter to late spring.

As for the story: If the first season was all about the originalplane-crash survivors adjusting to their new lives on a desertedisland, and the second season was all about the so-called "tailies"(those who were in the tail of the plane, whom the originals hadthought were dead), "this year," Lilly said, "we've opened this up toanother whole other people, a whole other location, a whole otherfacet through which we can tell stories."

Michael Emerson, who plays the leader of a ruthless group known asthe Others, noted, "What I know is that [viewers] get to go live withthe Others, where they learn a little more about their life and,hopefully, their mission, their agenda, whatever that might be. Maybewe'll get to warm up to them."

Cuse said the new season will include more action and adventure,and that new characters could well serve as love interests. And, headded, Sawyer (Josh Holloway) and Jack (Matthew Fox) will definitelybe competing for the romantic affections of Kate (Lilly).

But don't expect the show to get all soft.

"There'll be a lot of love. There'll be a lot of comedy," Burksaid. "But we can never forget that these people are in a very darkplace."

NATO Takes Over South Afghan Security

KABUL, Afghanistan - NATO troops assumed command Monday of military operations in volatile southern Afghanistan from the U.S.-led coalition, marking the first time the alliance has conducted land combat operations.

A NATO-led force, made up mostly of British, Canadian and Dutch troops, took over in the south from a U.S.-led anti-terror coalition that was first deployed nearly five years ago to unseat the hardline Taliban regime for harboring Osama bin Laden.

"Today's transfer of authority demonstrates to the Afghan people that there is a strong commitment on the part of the international community to further extend security into the southern region's provinces," Lt. Gen. …

Talk show queen Feltz gets real...(FEATURES)

Byline: EMMA POMFRET

AS a woman who describes her personal life as "one hell of a rollercoaster ride", outspoken presenter Vanessa Feltz is well-qualified to relate to the extraordinary guests on her new ITV1 talk show, Vanessa's Real Lives.

"Not strictly through my own design, my personal life has been incredibly public, and so everybody thinks that they know me -- actually they probably do because I don't think that I've got any hidden depths that anyone doesn't know about," Vanessa says.

"I lost my mum when she was 57. Then my husband left which was just diabolical. I lost my show under very public and humiliating circumstances, not to mention having to start dating again when I didn't want to and certainly didn't think I'd have to at a ridiculously old age, which is pretty horrible," the 44-year-old adds.

"I'm not saying that I've lived through every-body's lives or experienced all of their traumas but I have got a few of the bases covered I think!"

The new show promises insights into the lives of ordinary people, covering a broad spectrum of human-interest stories from commitment issues and teenage alcoholism to spiritualism and euthanasia.

It's a comeback of sorts -- Vanessa formerly hosted a BBC daytime chat show but it was cancelled in 1996 when it was revealed that some guests were actors from an agency.

"Being a talk show host is a great job if you're interested in other people because you get to ask all these nosy questions that you could never ask in real life," explains the north London-based radio show host.

"The idea is that it's not about some great big family yelling, screaming and swearing at each other, and being bashed over the head by security guys!

"It's a programme that shows lots of amazing stories about people's real lives but which also offers a chance to actually think about them a bit, such as what makes a grandmother become a porn star at the age of 62, and what makes a mother assist her son in a form of euthanasia when he is dying of a terminal disease?"

Cambridge-educated Vanessa says she is not easily shocked, but admits the stories she has heard on her show have often left her heartbroken.

"Some people's stories are just so terribly sad -- the things that people endure are so completely appalling that you absolutely have to feel for them.

"But then you come out enormously admiring of the human spirit and people's incredible ability to bounce back, to soldier on, to find more love somewhere else -- people are just amazing," she says.

Vanessa believes the same intrinsic survival instinct has got her through the toughest times in her own life.

"I don't think that I've got a thick skin, I've survived because I've had to -- I've got two kids and there was no way that I could just pack up and die," she adds.

"When my husband left I didn't want to do that whole embittered, hating men thing, and I certainly didn't want to communicate that to my girls, no way -- I wanted to be happy again as soon as possible and that way to do that was to remain smiling and be nice.

"Nobody likes someone who is always whining and cursing the world -- it doesn't get you anywhere, nobody appreciates it," she continues.

Her advice to anyone in the same situation is to get back out into the real world as soon as possible.

"Some people say that you should mourn for years after a divorce but my policy was that if anyone asks me I'm out there!

"Actually I went out with somebody else seven weeks after my husband left, and it didn't work out but it was a great boost, knowing that a man could find me attractive again," she says.

Recently pictured leaving London's Park Lane Met Bar with her latest alleged toyboy squeeze, Ben Ofoedu -- formerly of the now-defunct house band Phats and Small -- Vanessa remains tight-lipped about the current status of her relationship with Dennis Duhaney, the personal trainer who was responsible for getting her down from a size 26 to a 12.

"Let's put it this way, there is a state of flux going on with Dennis and I at the moment, but I'm fine," she says, adding that Dennis is his "own man".

Despite her remarkably upbeat attitude about all other aspects of her life, Vanessa admits she still finds it difficult to cope with the constant attention to her weight.

"It's always in the papers -- I remember just having lunch with an old school friend and someone phoned my lawyer and said 'We've got the sushi pictures', and so he phoned me and I was like 'What was I doing? Inhaling it?"' she reveals.

"Honestly, it's ridiculous. I once bought a pair of knickers in a size 18 and even that made the papers."

Vanessa freely admits that her size isn't something that she has been afraid to talk publicly about -- she's made an appearance in Little Britain's Fat Fighters sketch and taken part in the second series of Celebrity Fit Club. But she says it's a step too far when strangers make hurtful comments to her face.

"People feel that it's part of a common currency to discuss my weight -- I am used to it after all these years but it's not great for me, I don't love it."

Vanessa's Real Lives starts on ITV1 on Monday December 4.

Talk show queen Feltz gets real...(FEATURES)

Byline: EMMA POMFRET

AS a woman who describes her personal life as "one hell of a rollercoaster ride", outspoken presenter Vanessa Feltz is well-qualified to relate to the extraordinary guests on her new ITV1 talk show, Vanessa's Real Lives.

"Not strictly through my own design, my personal life has been incredibly public, and so everybody thinks that they know me -- actually they probably do because I don't think that I've got any hidden depths that anyone doesn't know about," Vanessa says.

"I lost my mum when she was 57. Then my husband left which was just diabolical. I lost my show under very public and humiliating circumstances, not to mention having to start dating again when I didn't want to and certainly didn't think I'd have to at a ridiculously old age, which is pretty horrible," the 44-year-old adds.

"I'm not saying that I've lived through every-body's lives or experienced all of their traumas but I have got a few of the bases covered I think!"

The new show promises insights into the lives of ordinary people, covering a broad spectrum of human-interest stories from commitment issues and teenage alcoholism to spiritualism and euthanasia.

It's a comeback of sorts -- Vanessa formerly hosted a BBC daytime chat show but it was cancelled in 1996 when it was revealed that some guests were actors from an agency.

"Being a talk show host is a great job if you're interested in other people because you get to ask all these nosy questions that you could never ask in real life," explains the north London-based radio show host.

"The idea is that it's not about some great big family yelling, screaming and swearing at each other, and being bashed over the head by security guys!

"It's a programme that shows lots of amazing stories about people's real lives but which also offers a chance to actually think about them a bit, such as what makes a grandmother become a porn star at the age of 62, and what makes a mother assist her son in a form of euthanasia when he is dying of a terminal disease?"

Cambridge-educated Vanessa says she is not easily shocked, but admits the stories she has heard on her show have often left her heartbroken.

"Some people's stories are just so terribly sad -- the things that people endure are so completely appalling that you absolutely have to feel for them.

"But then you come out enormously admiring of the human spirit and people's incredible ability to bounce back, to soldier on, to find more love somewhere else -- people are just amazing," she says.

Vanessa believes the same intrinsic survival instinct has got her through the toughest times in her own life.

"I don't think that I've got a thick skin, I've survived because I've had to -- I've got two kids and there was no way that I could just pack up and die," she adds.

"When my husband left I didn't want to do that whole embittered, hating men thing, and I certainly didn't want to communicate that to my girls, no way -- I wanted to be happy again as soon as possible and that way to do that was to remain smiling and be nice.

"Nobody likes someone who is always whining and cursing the world -- it doesn't get you anywhere, nobody appreciates it," she continues.

Her advice to anyone in the same situation is to get back out into the real world as soon as possible.

"Some people say that you should mourn for years after a divorce but my policy was that if anyone asks me I'm out there!

"Actually I went out with somebody else seven weeks after my husband left, and it didn't work out but it was a great boost, knowing that a man could find me attractive again," she says.

Recently pictured leaving London's Park Lane Met Bar with her latest alleged toyboy squeeze, Ben Ofoedu -- formerly of the now-defunct house band Phats and Small -- Vanessa remains tight-lipped about the current status of her relationship with Dennis Duhaney, the personal trainer who was responsible for getting her down from a size 26 to a 12.

"Let's put it this way, there is a state of flux going on with Dennis and I at the moment, but I'm fine," she says, adding that Dennis is his "own man".

Despite her remarkably upbeat attitude about all other aspects of her life, Vanessa admits she still finds it difficult to cope with the constant attention to her weight.

"It's always in the papers -- I remember just having lunch with an old school friend and someone phoned my lawyer and said 'We've got the sushi pictures', and so he phoned me and I was like 'What was I doing? Inhaling it?"' she reveals.

"Honestly, it's ridiculous. I once bought a pair of knickers in a size 18 and even that made the papers."

Vanessa freely admits that her size isn't something that she has been afraid to talk publicly about -- she's made an appearance in Little Britain's Fat Fighters sketch and taken part in the second series of Celebrity Fit Club. But she says it's a step too far when strangers make hurtful comments to her face.

"People feel that it's part of a common currency to discuss my weight -- I am used to it after all these years but it's not great for me, I don't love it."

Vanessa's Real Lives starts on ITV1 on Monday December 4.

Talk show queen Feltz gets real...(FEATURES)

Byline: EMMA POMFRET

AS a woman who describes her personal life as "one hell of a rollercoaster ride", outspoken presenter Vanessa Feltz is well-qualified to relate to the extraordinary guests on her new ITV1 talk show, Vanessa's Real Lives.

"Not strictly through my own design, my personal life has been incredibly public, and so everybody thinks that they know me -- actually they probably do because I don't think that I've got any hidden depths that anyone doesn't know about," Vanessa says.

"I lost my mum when she was 57. Then my husband left which was just diabolical. I lost my show under very public and humiliating circumstances, not to mention having to start dating again when I didn't want to and certainly didn't think I'd have to at a ridiculously old age, which is pretty horrible," the 44-year-old adds.

"I'm not saying that I've lived through every-body's lives or experienced all of their traumas but I have got a few of the bases covered I think!"

The new show promises insights into the lives of ordinary people, covering a broad spectrum of human-interest stories from commitment issues and teenage alcoholism to spiritualism and euthanasia.

It's a comeback of sorts -- Vanessa formerly hosted a BBC daytime chat show but it was cancelled in 1996 when it was revealed that some guests were actors from an agency.

"Being a talk show host is a great job if you're interested in other people because you get to ask all these nosy questions that you could never ask in real life," explains the north London-based radio show host.

"The idea is that it's not about some great big family yelling, screaming and swearing at each other, and being bashed over the head by security guys!

"It's a programme that shows lots of amazing stories about people's real lives but which also offers a chance to actually think about them a bit, such as what makes a grandmother become a porn star at the age of 62, and what makes a mother assist her son in a form of euthanasia when he is dying of a terminal disease?"

Cambridge-educated Vanessa says she is not easily shocked, but admits the stories she has heard on her show have often left her heartbroken.

"Some people's stories are just so terribly sad -- the things that people endure are so completely appalling that you absolutely have to feel for them.

"But then you come out enormously admiring of the human spirit and people's incredible ability to bounce back, to soldier on, to find more love somewhere else -- people are just amazing," she says.

Vanessa believes the same intrinsic survival instinct has got her through the toughest times in her own life.

"I don't think that I've got a thick skin, I've survived because I've had to -- I've got two kids and there was no way that I could just pack up and die," she adds.

"When my husband left I didn't want to do that whole embittered, hating men thing, and I certainly didn't want to communicate that to my girls, no way -- I wanted to be happy again as soon as possible and that way to do that was to remain smiling and be nice.

"Nobody likes someone who is always whining and cursing the world -- it doesn't get you anywhere, nobody appreciates it," she continues.

Her advice to anyone in the same situation is to get back out into the real world as soon as possible.

"Some people say that you should mourn for years after a divorce but my policy was that if anyone asks me I'm out there!

"Actually I went out with somebody else seven weeks after my husband left, and it didn't work out but it was a great boost, knowing that a man could find me attractive again," she says.

Recently pictured leaving London's Park Lane Met Bar with her latest alleged toyboy squeeze, Ben Ofoedu -- formerly of the now-defunct house band Phats and Small -- Vanessa remains tight-lipped about the current status of her relationship with Dennis Duhaney, the personal trainer who was responsible for getting her down from a size 26 to a 12.

"Let's put it this way, there is a state of flux going on with Dennis and I at the moment, but I'm fine," she says, adding that Dennis is his "own man".

Despite her remarkably upbeat attitude about all other aspects of her life, Vanessa admits she still finds it difficult to cope with the constant attention to her weight.

"It's always in the papers -- I remember just having lunch with an old school friend and someone phoned my lawyer and said 'We've got the sushi pictures', and so he phoned me and I was like 'What was I doing? Inhaling it?"' she reveals.

"Honestly, it's ridiculous. I once bought a pair of knickers in a size 18 and even that made the papers."

Vanessa freely admits that her size isn't something that she has been afraid to talk publicly about -- she's made an appearance in Little Britain's Fat Fighters sketch and taken part in the second series of Celebrity Fit Club. But she says it's a step too far when strangers make hurtful comments to her face.

"People feel that it's part of a common currency to discuss my weight -- I am used to it after all these years but it's not great for me, I don't love it."

Vanessa's Real Lives starts on ITV1 on Monday December 4.