Jacobs Engineering gets $241M contract

Jacobs Engineering Group Inc. said Tuesday that it received a Navy contract worth potentially $241 million for work on warfare training equipment.

The contract is through the Naval Air Warfare Center Weapons …

Marshall football recruits: A glimpse at the list of recruits expected to sign football grants- in-aid today with Marshall:

Daniel Baldridge OT, 6-9, 265 Opelousas, La., Opelousas HS Thetowering tackle was a late verbal commitment, choosing Marshall overUCLA. ... Visited UCLA two weekends ago. ... Official visit toHuntington last weekend made him lean toward Marshall. ... Gave MUverbal commitment Monday, after returning home. ... Considered asteal that eventually could play for any team in country. ... Notelling how big or how good he could become. Zach Barnard QB, 6-3,202, Owensboro, Ky., Owensboro Catholic HS MUs first commitment inClass of 2005. ... Had such an outstanding senior year went from zerostars on recruiting services to two stars by end of season. ...Connected on 283 of 430 passes for a …

Sarkozy pledges not to surrender on reform plans in the face of strikes

President Nicolas Sarkozy insisted, in the face of broad strikes by civil servants and transit workers Tuesday, that France needs reform, saying "we will not surrender and we will not retreat."

Adopting a defiant tone, Sarkozy said French voters gave him a mandate to carry out economic reforms when they elected him in May. He urged strikers to return to work.

"France needs reforms to meet the challenges imposed on it by the world," he said in a speech to a congress of mayors. "I will not betray the trust of those who elected me."

Sarkozy previously had remained uncharacteristically silent about the …

'Nicholas Brothers' weathers a few missteps at BET

THEATER REVIEW

'MY BROTHER'S KEEPER (THE STORY OF THE NICHOLAS BROTHERS)'

SOMEWHAT RECOMMENDED

- Through May 16

- Black Ensemble Theater, 4520 N. Beacon

- Tickets, $45

- (773) 769-4451; www.blackensembletheater.org

The staircase is there, with daredevil ramps on either side. And there are a couple of brief eye-popping moments when split jumps and other high-flying antics worthy of the Nicholas Brothers -- those innovative, acrobatic dancers who electrified stage and film audiences from the 1930s on into the 1990s -- are re-enacted.

But for the most part, the Black Ensemble Theater's new show, "My Brother's Keeper (The Story …

President sets tone for condos

The president of a condominium association board, as electedleader of the community, has an opportunity to set the tone of theboard's administration during his or her tenure.

Based on my experience, here are some tips for associationpresidents beginning their terms of office:

Always post meeting notices regularly and on time. If possible,meetings should be scheduled at the same time each month (such as onthe fourth Monday).

A meeting toward the end of the month is preferable because theproperty manager's report on delinquent accounts will be available. Hold open board meetings and invite co-owners and renters. Theseare ways of gaining the trust and support …

Canadian Painter Ken Danby Dead at 67

GUELPH, Ontario - Canadian realist painter Ken Danby, best known for his 1972 painting "At the Crease," depicting a masked hockey goaltender, has died. He was 67.

Greg McKee, manager of the Danby Studio in Guelph, Ontario, said Danby was believed to have suffered a heart attack while canoeing Sunday in Canada's Algonquin Park in northern Ontario. However, the official cause of death will not be known until an autopsy is completed.

Danby, born March 6, 1940, in Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario, has been recognized as one of the world's foremost realist painters.

"Ken Danby gave back to his country in many ways," Michael Burtch, director and curator of the Art Gallery of …

'Billy Elliot' takes 7 early Tonys; Lansbury wins

The British musical "Billy Elliot" dominated Sunday night's Tonys, collecting seven awards, including director of a musical, book of a musical and choreography, but the show and its composer Elton John were upset for best score.

That award was taken by "Next to Normal" _ which seemed to stun "Normal" composer Tom Kitt and lyricist Brian Yorkey.

Still, the director award to Stephen Daldry of "Billy Elliot" was a big one.

"I have been blessed in my life to spend the majority of last 10 years of my life working on the story of 'Billy Elliot,'" said Daldry, who called it "a long, extraordinary …

Ida Konstant

Ida Konstant, a teacher's aide at Homewood-Flossmoor CommunityHigh School, died of cancer Monday in her Oak Lawn home. She was 63.

Mrs. Konstant had worked with visually and mentally impairedyouths at the south suburban school for the last 15 years. She wasemployed by the Metropolitan Association for Low IncidenceHandicapped, a public school co-operative that leases classroom spaceand organizes special curricula.

A native of Austria, she came to this country as an infant, andher family settled in the Brighton Park area on the Southwest Side.Mrs. Konstant graduated from Gage Park High School before …

Oscar could be coronation for composer Desplat

NEW YORK (AP) — In a film where sound is central, Alexandre Desplat's score to "The King's Speech" enters subtly.

A simple melody slinks in, a soft, demure line of hopeful piano notes, fittingly repetitive, like the stuttering speech of the film's main character, George VI (Colin Firth).

"You have to respect the silence," says Desplat, speaking from London where he's working on the score to "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2." ''It's quite a challenge to be able to come in in such a delicate way that you're not noticed. I think great scores have to be noticed, but they're wrong when you hear the music come in."

The score, partly recorded with a vintage …

Obama warns Americans to heed tsunami warnings

President Barack Obama says the U.S. is preparing for a tsunami that could reach American shores and he wants people in Hawaii, American Samoa and Guam to follow the instructions of local authorities.

A tsunami warning _ the highest alert level _ is in effect for those Pacific Ocean locations after a powerful earthquake struck Chile.

Obama also is encouraging people along the West Coast …

Morel Madness takes over at Thyme

It's morel season and to welcome the flavorful, spongelike cappedmushroom, the folks at Thyme restaurant are hosting a Morel Madnessspecial menu.

``I went on my first morel hunt about three years ago in Chicagoarea woods and loved the morel and the hunt,'' said John Bubala, chef/owner of Thyme, 464 N. Halsted.

``The morels are interesting mushrooms because they're created byan action and reaction that happen in nature and cannot be replicatedby man,'' says Bubala, who buys morels for the restaurant from a``trusted professional morel forager.''

Bubala says morels add a flavor of nuttiness or earthiness tofoods and can cost as much as $20 a pound in the early …

Sean Connery immortalized with Estonian bust

TALLINN, Estonia (AP) — He's been honored with an Oscar and British knighthood. As of Thursday, Sean Connery can count a bronze sculpture in the Estonian capital among his tributes.

The bust of Scotland's most famous actor was unveiled by British Ambassador Peter Carter outside Tallinn's Scottish Club, whose members include Estonians enamored with Scotland and a handful of expatriate Scots.

"Sir Sean Connery is, without a doubt, an icon," Carter told dozens of invited guests. "He is variously known as James Bond or the sexiest man of the century. He's a great British actor, a great Scot actor and a great symbol for Scotland."

The Scottish Club, which started as a whiskey …

Belarus to toughen control over Internet

Belarus' authoritarian leader is promising to toughen control over the Internet and Web users.

Alexander Lukashenko said Wednesday that people posting "lies and dirt" online should be subject to prosecution.

He told journalists that a new Internet bill proposed Tuesday requires the registration and identification of all online publications and of each Web user, including visitors to Internet cafes.

The Internet has been the last fully free medium in Belarus, a former Soviet Republic that Lukashenko has ruled with an iron fist since 1994. Many of the independent newspapers ordered closed have taken refuge in cyberspace. All television channels and most of the print media are state-controlled.

Why did he say that? Rahm says it was a slip

Chicago political tea readers were pondering on Tuesday what was behind the timing of White House chief of staff Rahm Emanuel's admission to PBS' Charlie Rose that he wants to run for mayor of Chicago when Mayor Daley quits.

After all, Emanuel tried mightily in January to douse chatter about his mayoral ambitions when such talk first surfaced. The staunch Daley loyalist said then he hoped Daley would run for another term in February 2011.

Back then, there were no on-the-record quotes from Emanuel about his interest.

Why, then, did he open up when Rose asked him Monday afternoon: "Is there any other job in government you'd like to have?"

Emanuel responded, "One day I would like to run for mayor of the city of Chicago."

Emanuel told me Tuesday night he never intended to go as far as he did with Rose. The question came up at the end of a wide ranging interview. The usually disciplined Emanuel says he slipped up.

Earlier in the day, Rep. Luis Gutierrez, who is at odds with Emanuel over the slow pace of comprehensive immigration reform in the Obama White House, told me, "I am sure every word that he spoke was not some sort of off-the-cuff remark but calculated to achieve some political goal.

"When I see Rahm Emanuel, [from now on] I don't know if I am talking to the president's chief of staff and if that is his chief priority, or if I am talking to a future candidate for the mayor of the city of Chicago," Gutierrez said.

FOOTNOTE: Emanuel never liquidated his political war chest when he joined the White House; as of April 15, he had $1,175,109.76 cash on hand that could be transferred to a mayoral campaign.

Comment at suntimes.com.

Sunday's Sports Scoreboard

All Times Eastern

Major League Baseball Playoffs Championship Series

Boston vs Tampa Bay, 8:07 p.m.

National Football League

Baltimore vs Miami, 1 p.m.

Dallas vs St. Louis, 1 p.m.

Minnesota vs Chicago, 1 p.m.

New Orleans vs Carolina, 1 p.m.

Pittsburgh vs Cincinnati, 1 p.m.

San Diego vs Buffalo, 1 p.m.

San Francisco vs N.Y. Giants, 1 p.m.

Tennessee vs Kansas City, 1 p.m.

Detroit vs Houston, 4:05 p.m.

Cleveland vs Washington, 4:15 p.m.

Indianapolis vs Green Bay, 4:15 p.m.

N.Y. Jets vs Oakland, 4:15 p.m.

Seattle vs Tampa Bay, 8:15 p.m.

National Basketball Association Preseason

New Jersey vs Boston, 3:30 p.m.

Denver vs Minnesota at Bismarck, N.D., 6:30 p.m.

Toronto vs L.A. Clippers, 10:30 p.m.

National Hockey League

Vancouver vs Chicago, 7 p.m.

Carolina vs Anaheim, 8 p.m.

Top 25 College Football

No games today.

Major League Soccer

Colorado vs CD Chivas USA, 3 p.m.

World Golf Glance

Site: Grand Blanc, Michigan.

Schedule: Thursday-Sunday.

Course: Warwick Hills Golf and Country Club (7,127 yards, 6,517 meters, par 72).

Purse: $5 million (euro3.2 million). Winner's share: $900,000 (euro578,000).

Last year: Brian Bateman won his first U.S. PGA Tour title, birdieing the final hole for a one-stroke victory over Jason Gore, Justin Leonard and Woody Austin.

Last week: Stewart Cink won the Travelers Championship for his fifth tour victory and first since 2004, holding off Tommy Armour III and Hunter Mahan by a stroke.

Notes: The sidelined Tiger Woods won the 2002 and 2006 tournaments. ... Vijay Singh, the 1997, 2004 and 2005 winner, also is absent for the event's 50th year. ... U.S. Open runner-up Rocco Mediate and recent tour winners Leonard and Kenny Perry, all Warwick Hills winners, are in the field along with fellow past champions Austin, Jim Furyk and Scott Verplank. ... The AT&T National is next week at Congressional in Bethesda, Maryland, followed by the John Deere Classic in Silvis, Illinois.

On the Net: http://www.pgatour.com

___

PGA EUROPEAN TOUR

French Open

Site: Versailles, France.

Schedule: Thursday-Sunday.

Course: Le Golf National, Albatross Course (7,225 yards, 6,606 meters, par 71).

Purse: $6.2 million (euro4 million). Winner's share: $1,035,655 (euro665,000).

Last year: England's Graeme Storm won his first European tour title, beating Denmark's Soren Hansen by a stroke.

Last week: Martin Kaymer became the first German winner in BMW International Open history, birdieing the first hole of a playoff with Denmark's Anders Hansen after blowing a six-stroke lead in the final round.

Notes: The tournament, first played in 1906, is the oldest championship in continental Europe. ... Jean-Francois Remesy, the 2004 and 2005 winner, tops the French contingent along with Thomas Levet, Gregory Bourdy, Gregory Havret and Michael Lorenzo-Vera. ... Lee Westwood is coming off a third-place finish in the U.S. Open. ... The strong field also includes Storm, Kaymer, Luke Donald, Robert Karlsson, Colin Montgomerie, Miguel Angel Jimenez, Ian Poulter and Angel Cabrera. ... Scott Strange and Felipe Aguilar are in position to earn spots in the British Open as the top nonexempt players in a money race that started with the Italian Open. ... The European Open is next week at The London Golf Club, followed by the Barclays Scottish Open at Loch Lomond and the British Open at Royal Birkdale.

On the Net: http://www.europeantour.com

___

U.S. GOLF ASSOCIATION

U.S. Women's Open

Site: Edina, Minnesota.

Schedule: Thursday-Sunday.

Course: Interlachen Country Club (6,789 yards, 6,208 meters, par 73).

Purse: TBA ($3.1 million in 2007). Winner's share: TBA ($560,000 in 2007).

Last year: Cristie Kerr won at Pine Needles for her first major title. She finished at 5-under 279, two strokes ahead of Lorena Ochoa and Angela Park.

Last week: South Korea's Ji Eun-hee won the Wegmans LPGA for her first US LPGA Tour title, rallying to beat Norway's Suzann Pettersen by two strokes.

Notes: Ochoa has six victories in 12 starts this year. She won the first major of the year, the Kraft Nabisco in April. ... Annika Sorenstam, in her final season on the tour, won the 1995, 1996 and 2006 tournaments. ... Bobby Jones won the 1930 U.S. Open on the Donald Ross-designed course for the third leg of the Grand Slam. ... If tied after regulation, the tournament will be decided in a three-hole playoff. ... The course is the longest in event history. ... Kerr was fifth last week in Rochester. ... The United States won the 2002 Solheim Cup at Interlachen. ... The NW Arkansas Championship is next week in Rogers.

On the Net: http://www.uswomensopen.com

US LPGA Tour site: http://www.lpga.com

___

CHAMPIONS TOUR

Commerce Bank Championship

Site: East Meadow, New York.

Schedule: Friday-Sunday.

Course: Eisenhower Park, Red Course (7,021 yards, 6,420 meters, par 71).

Purse: $1.6 million (euro1 million). Winner's share: $240,000 (euro154,000).

Last year: Lonnie Nielsen won his first Champions Tour title, holding off Loren Roberts by two strokes.

Last week: Jeff Sluman won the Bank of America Championship for his first Champions Tour title, closing with an 8-under 64 for a two-stroke victory over Roberts.

Notes: Peter Jacobsen is making his first tour start since his right knee was replaced in March. ... John Harris won the 2006 tournament, birdieing the first hole of a playoff with Tom Jenkins. ... Jim Thorpe won in 2003 and 2004. In 2003, he matched the tour record with a 10-under 60 in the second round. ... The tournament moved to Eisenhower Park five years ago after 15 years at Meadow Brook. ... Walter Hagen won the 1926 U.S. PGA Championship on the Red Course, then part of the Salisbury Country Club. ... The tour will remain in New York next week for the Dick's Sporting Goods Open at En-Joie in Endicott.

On the Net: http://www.pgatour.com

___

OTHER TOURNAMENTS

Men

ASIAN TOUR: Singha Thailand PGA Championship, Thursday-Sunday, Santiburi Country Club, Chiang Rai, Thailand. On the Net: http://www.asiantour.com

NATIONWIDE TOUR: Ford Wayne Gretzky Classic, Thursday-Sunday, The Georgian Bay Club and Raven Golf Club at Lora Bay, Clarksburg, Ontario. On the Net: http://www.pgatour.com

NGA HOOTERS TOUR: NGA Hooters Tour Classic at Kings Creek, Thursday-Sunday, Kings Creek Golf Club, Spring Hill, Tennessee. On the Net: http://www.ngahooterstour.com

CANADIAN TOUR: ATB Financial Classic, Thursday-Sunday, Cottonwood Golf and Country Club, Calgary, Alberta. On the Net: http://www.cantour.com

PGA EUROPEAN CHALLENGE TOUR: Scottish Challenge, Thursday-Sunday, Macdonald Cardrona Hotel Golf and Country Club, Peebles, Scotland. On the Net: http://www.europeantour.com

Women

DURAMED FUTURES TOUR: Horseshoe Casino Classic, Friday-Sunday, Lost Marsh Golf Course, Hammond, Indiana. On the Net: http://www.duramedfuturestour.com

JAPAN LPGA TOUR: Promise Cup, Friday-Sunday, Madame J Golf Club, Hyogo, Japan. On the Net: http://www.lpga.or.jp

West Pullman LSC votes principal out

West Pullman LSC votes principal out

Lifted by a tide of parental and faculty fury during its meeting Wednesday, West Pullman Elementary School's Local School Council voted unanimously to fire principal Jonadab Omeke.

"We are asking it to be done immediately," LSC Chair Felicia Hayes said following adoption of a Council motion "to terminate the current principal for cause."

Omeke, beleaguered by parents and teachers for almost the entire 16 months of his term at West Pullman, 11941 W. Parnell Ave., showed unwavering composure during the two-hour course of the acrimonious afternoon meeting.

Not once did the dignified educator lose his poise as parents and teachers hurled charges ranging from budget mismanagement to incompetence to misogyny at him.

Said 38-year veteran public schools teacher Mary Stroud, "I invite (schools CEO) Mr. Duncan to compare schools in other neighborhoods with this school. You talk about angry. Teachers are spending their own money.

"We're spending $40 to $60 every time we go to Kinko's. I'm not proud of America because America has not found the way to educate the poor."

Promising to continue spending for supplies that for the moment are unavailable at West Pullman, Stroud said, "Kids are not receiving a quality education in this school and in many segregated schools. I invite the superintendent (Duncan) to come out after he surveys schools on the North Side."

Resource Dept. head Verdella Roberts said, "We don't have textbooks. Money was spent in July, but books didn't arrive. Teachers did not have input," in the textbook selection and purchase process, she added.

"We're treated like crap. Maybe that's because of the principal's culture," she said.

Omeke, whose salary is $86,838, sat by helplessly as Catherine Coker, a West Pullman graduate and mother of three current students, complained about his handling of a recent false fire alarm, failure of the school security to allow her daughter into the gym on a cold morning, and then, referring to the issue of his "culture," of Omeke's alleged misogyny.

"I'm not a racist, but when it comes to women, you have a cloud over your head," she shouted at Nigeria-born Omeke. Calmly ignoring the charge he said "I'll investigate" Coker's other complaints.

Hayes did not dispute the misogyny accusation.

"I believe the charges about Mr. Omeke's attitude toward women," she said. As for expressions of disrespect toward her, she said she has sensed it "on occasion."

LSC member Dee Taylor concurred and said Omeke's alleged misogyny is one of the reasons for the dismissal action.

"Disrespect for women. We've lost five good teachers. All women," she said.

Complaints about textbook shortages persist and before the LCS motion to fire Omeke, Hayes said she awaits response to a letter from him to a textbook publisher demanding delivery of basic texts in science, math and social studies.

"The science book company wants to give us books, K to 8th grade, and accept payment next year. I don't have full details, but we will buy the books and pay next year," Omeke said.

"Let us know," Hayes said.

CPS Chief of Staff Peggy Davis said three reasons explain the textbook shortage.

"The principal didn't have enough books at the start of school and there were more students than were anticipated," she said.

"The LSC didn't vote to transfer discretionary funds. They had a lot of time to use supplementary funds for textbooks. The LSC didn't transfer funds until Oct. 17. Why? It's a mystery. It could have been done."

Finally, Davis said, "Books were not delivered from the vendor."

"The textbooks have been ordered and they are being distributed at this moment," Omeke said Thursday.

"The parents have been calling me all kinds of names, and this is a man who has traveled seven continents. All the principal is looking for is the education of children.

"We need an after-school program and they brushed aside the need for $27,000," to pay for it," he said of the LSC. "They are supposed to vote that I spend the money. Maybe they don't know their priorities," he said.

Article Copyright Sengstacke Enterprises, Inc.

Giuliana Rancic says she has breast cancer

NEW YORK (AP) — "E! News" co-host Giuliana Rancic (RAN'sik) says she has early stages of breast cancer.

The 37-year-old made the announcement Monday on NBC's "Today" show.

Rancic says the cancer was discovered during a mammogram while she was undergoing a third round of in-vitro fertilization in an effort to get pregnant.

Rancic says she will have surgery this week, followed by six and one-half weeks of radiation therapy.

She is married to Bill Rancic, winner of the first season of "The Apprentice."

Rancic says she still wants to get pregnant because "this baby will have saved my life."

___

Online:

http://today.msnbc.msn.com/

U.S. sanctions firms in China, Iran, and Moldova

On May 9, the United States imposed sanctions on a Chinese company, an Iranian firm, and Moldovan entities for what the State Department described as missile-proliferation activities.

The Chinese and Iranian companies will be prohibited from signing contracts with the U.S. government or receiving U.S. aid for two years. They will also be forbidden from importing or exporting any civilian goods or services from the United States. The two Moldovan companies and one individual will be barred for two years from any U.S. contracts or deals for missile-related items.

The sanctions are expected to have the most impact on the Chinese company, North China Industries Corporation (NORINCO), because it conducts a lot of U.S. business. According to its Web site, NORINCO makes 4,000 different kinds of products, including oil field equipment, vehicles, explosives, and firearms. No penalties were imposed on the Chinese, Iranian, or Moldovan governments.

NORINCO has been sanctioned by the United States previously. A State Department official dryly noted May 23 that the recent event marks "chapter 20 in an ongoing story."

It is uncertain whether the Chinese activities triggering the sanctions took place before or after the Chinese government issued its new policy regulating missile and missile-related exports in August 2002. Beijing unveiled the new guidelines, which parallel those followed by the United States and the 32 other members of the Missile Technology Control Regime (MTCR), after extensive prodding by Washington. MTCR members, which do not include China, pledge to restrict transfers of missiles and related technologies that could deliver a 500-kilogram payload at least 300 kilometers.

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Zhang Qiyue said May 27 that China has "strictly and effectively implemented" its new guidelines and that NORINCO has done nothing wrong.

A Central Intelligence Agency report released in April on proliferation activities during the first half of 2002 stated that Chinese firms provided Iran, as well as others, with "dual-use missile-related items, raw materials, and/or assistance" to their missile programs.

Last year, the United States levied sanctions on several Chinese companies it accused of chemical, biological, and missile proliferation. (See ACT, September 2002.)

UK, Iraqi leaders speak discuss British hostages case

British Prime Minister Gordon Brown spoke by telephone with Iraqi leader Nouri al-Maliki following the release of a video showing a British hostage seized in Iraq last May.

The hostage, identified as Peter Moore, was kidnapped from the Iraqi Finance Ministry with four of his British security guards.

The leaders agreed to push efforts to free the men and jointly denounced the parading of a hostage on a videotape, Brown's office said.

The hostage takers have called for the release of nine Iraqis being held in coalition custody in exchange for the Britons.

Romanian arrested for hacking into NASA's servers

BUCHAREST, Romania (AP) — A court in Romania has ordered the arrest of a Romanian man accused of hacking into NASA's servers.

Court spokesman Lucian Marian in the northwest city of Cluj says Robert Butyka would be arrested for 29 days as he awaits trial.

The 26-year-old Romanian national, currently in detention, is charged with breaching security measures to access several of NASA's servers in December 2010.

Prosecutors said Wednesday that he interfered with server data, causing NASA losses of about $500,000 (euro371,000). There was no comment from the U.S. Embassy.

Knicks-Magic, Box

NEW YORK (103)

Q.Richardson 11-20 9-10 33, Chandler 4-9 1-2 10, Harrington 3-11 1-2 8, Hughes 0-4 0-0 0, Duhon 1-5 1-1 4, Jeffries 3-9 5-7 11, Robinson 9-19 6-7 27, Wilcox 5-8 0-1 10. Totals 36-85 23-30 103.

ORLANDO (110)

Turkoglu 6-13 4-4 20, Lewis 11-18 1-1 27, Howard 4-7 7-12 15, C.Lee 6-12 1-2 13, Alston 5-10 4-4 17, Pietrus 1-5 2-4 4, Johnson 1-5 1-2 3, Redick 2-5 0-0 6, Gortat 2-3 1-2 5. Totals 38-78 21-31 110.

New York 28 24 28 23_103

Orlando 29 30 27 24_110

3-Point Goals_New York 8-28 (Robinson 3-7, Q.Richardson 2-6, Chandler 1-2, Duhon 1-5, Harrington 1-5, Hughes 0-3), Orlando 13-34 (Turkoglu 4-7, Lewis 4-10, Alston 3-5, Redick 2-4, Johnson 0-1, Pietrus 0-2, C.Lee 0-5). Fouled Out_Howard. Rebounds_New York 57 (Chandler 12), Orlando 49 (Gortat 8). Assists_New York 16 (Robinson, Harrington, Chandler, Jeffries 3), Orlando 25 (Turkoglu 9). Total Fouls_New York 26, Orlando 23. Technicals_Robinson, Alston, Orlando delay of game, Orlando defensive three second. A_17,461 (17,461).

Suspect in celebrity burglary case faces charges

A woman accused of burglarizing Paris Hilton's house was charged Thursday with more counts after appearing in court wearing a stolen necklace belonging to Lindsay Lohan.

Prosecutors charged Courtney Leigh Ames, 19, with two counts of receiving stolen property.

The amended complaint accused Ames of wearing a necklace taken from Lohan's home to a December court hearing where she pleaded not guilty to burglarizing Hilton's home.

"She was wearing a necklace," Ames' attorney Robert Schwartz said after a hearing. "The issue is whether she knew it was stolen."

Prosecutors also alleged Ames received a leather jacket that belonged to Hilton. Ames is not charged with the August break-in at Lohan's house.

Ames is one of six people accused of being part of a ring that targeted the homes of celebrities and stole high-end fashion and jewelry.

Victims included Hilton, Lohan and other stars such as Orlando Bloom, Rachel Bilson, Megan Fox, Ashley Tisdale and "The Hills" celebrity Audrina Patridge.

Prosecutors also added a receiving stolen property charge against Diana Tamayo, who is suspected of obtaining Chanel makeup taken from Bilson's house.

Tamayo and Ames pleaded not guilty to the new charges at a brief hearing. They are due back in court Feb. 10.

Authorities last week charged Rachel J. Lee with felony burglary for break-ins at the homes of Patridge, Lohan and Hilton. Police have accused her of being the group's mastermind and selecting celebrity targets.

The group's other accused ringleader, Nicholas Prugo, told police Lee often suggested celebrities whose homes could be targeted, and that he would then search the Internet for more information, according to a search warrant obtained in Nevada.

Lee is due to be arraigned next month. Prugo faces seven counts of felony burglary. He has pleaded not guilty.

Brushes with Fame

Mark Borsari didn't have a number handy to quantity just how large the 'twisted wire brush' market is--so he qualified matters instead.

"It's big ... much bigger than most people would think, certainly--twisted wire brushes are used everywhere," said Borsari, president of Palmer-based Sanderson-MacLeod, which has made a name for itself in this somewhat obscure, yet intriguing corner of the manufacturing sector. Well, sort of.

Actually, only residents of Palmer (and probably not many of them) and people in this business would likely know of this company's many claims to fame--including official status as the people who gave the world the twisted wire mascara brush--because its name never goes on the products it produces. Rather, it manufactures brushes of various sizes and shapes for the leading players in the cosmetics industry, gun-making realm, and health care sector, among others.

But while Sanderson McLeod, which now does millions in sales annually, isn't exactly a household name in homes, businesses, or hospitals--because its name isn't on the box--it is certainly known within this specific market, and recently, more people have come to know it or further appreciate it.

That's because the 55-year-old company, started by Ken Sanderson and Bruce MacLeod, recently took home the American Brush Manufacturers Association's William A. Codes Innovation in Excellence Award for 2011 for its creation of the Z-Tip. Patents are pending for this product, which represents a revolutionary new way of putting a protective tip on a twisted wire brash.

Recognizing that traditional medical brush tips have flaws that lead to scratching, scarring, and overall poor performance, the company created a new manufacturing process using "high-energy fusion-welding technologies to melt a pre-constructed core

wire section of a twisted wire brush into a consistent, smooth, and inseparable brush tip," said Borsari.

But the Sanderson-MacLeod story is about more than just innovations with brush tips. Indeed, it's also about what Borsari called the "journey." This would be the company's five-year initiative in the broad realm known as 'lean.'

This has been a process with many programs and components to initiate and then measure improvement, including items called 'mood chips.' These are poker chips complete with happy, sad, and neutral faces, and are designed to show--through the volume of each collected from the various departments--where potential problems could be forming, said Rebecca Gibson, human resources manager for the company.

While Sanderson MacLeod's product lines may be atypical, its efforts with regard to doing things better, faster, and more efficiently have become part of doing business for many area manufacturers. And for this issue and its focus on that important sector, BusinessWest takes an indepth look at a Palmer institution that's been a leader in its industry and a model for many smaller area manufacturers.

Scratching the Surface

Tracing the history of Sanderson MacLeod, Borsari said that, from the start, this company has been a problem-solver as much as a manufacturer.

Indeed, since the beginning, players in the cosmetics industry, health care sector, and household-cleaning-products realm, among others, have challenged the company's product engineers to essentially come up with answers to their problems--and the needs of consumers--and take on the assignments that most traditional brush makers didn't want.

That included oven-cleaning brushes, sewing-machine brushes, double-end-razor brushes, and many others, said Linda Mitchell, vice president of Administration for the company and a long-time employee. "We started as a company that was going to focus on markets that the other brush makers didn't want to pursue."

And this was reflected in the original name for the venture--Specialty Brush.

The twisted wire mascara brush is perhaps the most famous case in point, said Borsari. "Right after they started Sanderson MacLeod, they were approached by a cosmetic artist in California with the idea of putting on mascara with a twisted wire brush," noting that before this, the material was applied with a comb or something resembling a screw. "Sanderson MacLeod went to work; they already had the twisting equipment, and submitted a few prototypes.

"The company was actually given the first patent on the mascara brush back in 1956," he continued. "We invented it right here in Palmer, Massachusetts, and had the patent on it for many years."

That development provided the momentum for explosive growth, he continued, adding that within a few years, the company had more than 300 employees (the number is about 100 now). Over the ensuing decades, Sanderson MacLeod expanded its portfolio of products as different sectors have developed new uses for the twisted wire brush.

The health care industry is a prime example; in the mid-80s, the company started manufacturing many products for that sector, including endoscopy-cleaning brushes, cell-collection brushes, stylets, and other types of medical brushes, all employing the same basic technology applied to the mascara brush.

Products now shipped out of the warehouse vary in size from models four feet long and two inches wide (used to dean industrial tubes) to items--usually bound for health care providers and precision-part makers--that are a mere quarter-inch in diameter. Collectively, the growing product line represents a unique niche.

"There's not another company in the country that specializes in just twisted-wire brushes," he explained. "There are other companies that do it, but they also make brooms and paintbrushes and everything else; all we do is large-volume contract manufacturing."

Recently, the Z-Tip represents the latest and most noteworthy example of this problem-solving ability and innovation, and its development has been reminiscent of the mascara brush in many ways.

"One of the biggest challenges companies have had has been protecting the end of the brush from either scraping into scopes or scarring patients, so putting a protective tip at the end of the brush was a big need," he explained. "Most of the ways they would do that were very expensive--either trimming by hand or dipping in acrylic by hand, which made a lot of that work go overseas.

"We needed to find a way to put a tip on a brush that was price-competitive, but would also be a better product," he continued, adding that, through collaboration with an East Granby, Conn. laser specialist, the Z-Tip was developed.

Getting Leaner

Beyond its problem-solving capabilities, the company's strengths have always been diversity and a strong track record for quality, said Ted Snyder, director of Operations. He noted that these qualities have enabled the company to record steady revenue

growth and successfully ride out the economic downturns, including the last one, that traditionally take a heavy toll on manufacturers.

Elaborating, he said that no company or business sector is truly recession-proof, yet the twisted wire brush sector has proven especially resilient over the years, because if a particular client base was cutting back, others would pick up. And during the recession, and for varying reasons, years, the gun industry, the health care sector, and even the cosmetics realm saw upticks.

"I would say we're recession-resilient," Snyder told Business West. "Out diversity is really an asset with regard to the economy and its ups and downs."

But while volume of business has not been a problem for Sanderson MacLeod historically, the cost of doing business remains an issue for it--and any other manufacturer in the Northeast, said Borsari. "That's the burden we fight all the time," he said, noting that what competition the company has is mostly overseas, where the costs of labor are exponentially lower.

And it was with an eye toward reducing costs, minimizing waste, and maximizing waste, and maximizing efficiency that the company started down that journey, he continued. "We realized that, although we were doing very well, for us to stay relevant going forward, we had to take an honest look at how we were doing as a company.

"We did a lot of research, and we had a lot of people come in and tell us what we were doing well and what we weren't doing so well," he continued. "We took tours all over New England, looking at different companies and how they took the lean journey, and then we got right into it."

The company received a workforce-training grant in early 2010, said Mitchell, and put it to use on a variety of lean initiatives, especially training initiatives designed to widen skill sets and empower the workforce.

In general, the lean initiatives have been focused on two goals, said Gibson: getting employees to take full ownership of their specific part of the operation, and improving the lines of communication--through a number of vehicles, including mood chips--so that, when problems or concerns arise, leadership knows about them and can then work with employees to solve them.

And a big key to the success of the lean initiative, she continued, has been effective measuring of results and keeping employees aware of where improvements have been recorded.

"We post about 10 to 15 sets of metrics every single month as to how we perform compared to the prior month," she explained. "We keep them up for at least a year; they're posted there for all the employees to see, and as soon as they're posted, you'll see a group of people around the board wanting to look at that, especially if they've been involved in a particular project."

Borsari agreed.

"We spent an enormous amount of time talking to people on the floor and finding what wasn't working well with them," he explained. "We really looked into the comers, and we were really honest with ourselves about what we doing well and what we weren't doing well, and then we enlisted the support of everyone in the company."

Small Wonder

Despite the company's more-than-half-century track record for success, Borsari said, its name is simply not known other than to those who are a part of the industry.

That's because its name isn't on any of the twisted-wire products it sends out the door of the plant on South Main Street.

"But it's fair to say that, when you walk down the aisles at CVS, the lion's share of the twisted-wire brushes that you see come from Sanderson MacLeod," he said, adding that the same is true of the medical industry.

Such anonymity, if that's the right word, hasn't stifled growth or innovation in any way for this company, which knows that, even if its name isn't on the package, its reputation lies inside.

And that's what has led to many brushes with fame.

McDonald's Posts Its 2nd-Ever Loss

CHICAGO - McDonald's Corp. posted its second-ever loss Tuesday - its first in nearly five years - losing $711.7 million in the second quarter because of a hefty one-time charge.

For the quarter ending June 30, the world's largest restaurant chain said its net income swung to a loss of 60 cents per share. That's compared to a second-quarter profit of $834.1 million or 67 cents per share, a year earlier.

The chain restaurant announced earlier this month it would report a loss related to a licensing agreement in Latin America and the Caribbean.

McDonald's only other quarterly loss, caused by a drawn-out sales slump, was during the fourth quarter of 2002.

Excluding the non-cash impairment charge of $1.6 billion relating to the sale of some Latin American operations, the Oak Brook-based company said its net income grew about 4 percent to $869.9 million, or 71 cents per share.

"We continue to increase our relevance to busy consumers by delivering choice, variety and convenience that our customers have come to expect from McDonald's," Chief Executive Jim Skinner said in a statement. "Our business around the world is strong, and the energy, alignment and commitment behind enhancing the McDonald's brand have never been better."

Meanwhile, the company said Matthew Paull, its 55-year-old chief financial officer, would retire.

McDonald's said Paull, who joined the company in 1993, would stay with McDonald's at least through the end of the year before pursuing a teaching career. A search for his successor is expected to take several months.

Revenue climbed 12 percent to $6 billion, from $5.36 billion, spurred by strong breakfast sales and robust business in stores open at least a year.

On average, analysts surveyed by Thomson Financial forecast earnings of 71 cents per share and revenue of $5.9 billion.

Those forecasts typically exclude one-time items.

In April, McDonald's announced a plan to cede control of 1,600 restaurants in 18 Latin American and Caribbean countries in an effort to strengthen profit. While the deal includes a $1.31 per share charge, it reduces the company's financial exposure in a challenging region and will net McDonald's about $700 million in cash, which it said will be used to increase share buybacks and dividends.

McDonald's said Tuesday that it repurchased $664 million of its stock during the quarter.

McDonald's shares fell 52 cents to $51.98 in midday trading Tuesday.

---

On the Net:

McDonald's

http://www.mcdonalds.com

BCE sues over failed deal

BCE Inc. has sued the Ontario Teachers' Pension Plan and its partners for a $1.2-billion Canadian ($1 billion) penalty over the group's failure to complete its purchase of the Bell Canada parent company.

The suit filed in Quebec Superior Court on Wednesday named Teachers', Providence Equity Partners International and Madison Dearborn Capital Partners as defendants.

Canada's largest telecommunications company is demanding the group pay the $1.2-billion Canadian ($1 billion) penalty agreed to under the $35 billion deal _ which would have been the largest leveraged buyout in history.

BCE management had agreed to the deal in June 2007, just before credit markets began to unravel in North America.

"The failure of the deal to close on Dec. 11, 2008, was directly related to both the burden of the loan financing arranged by the defendants and a deterioration in the global market conditions, each of which was a risk borne by the defendants under the contractual agreement for the transaction," BCE said in its filing with the court.

The Teachers'-led group walked away from its deal to buy BCE last week after the company failed to meet a key auditors test, a solvency opinion.

However BCE accused the investor group of breaking off the deal on Dec. 10, a day before the key deadline for the deal to close and when the solvency opinion was due.

Canada's largest telecommunications company said it satisfied all closing conditions for the $42.75 Canadian per-share cash deal, other than the solvency opinion.

Teachers' was not immediately available for comment, but the investor group said last week that "under these circumstances neither party owes a termination fee to the other."

Thick smoke billows from windows of building near White House

Thick black smoke billowed from windows of the Executive Office Building on the White House compound on Wednesday.

A fire appeared to be centered on the second floor of the building, which houses staff of the White House, National Security Council and other presidentail agencies.

Meanwhile, Back at the Crypt

New black vampire and horror tales are so sexy.

VAMPIRES, THE SEDUCTIVE FOLK-loric creatures that subsist on human blood, have populated myths in Africa, Europe and other cultures around the world since ancient times. With the publication of Dracula in 1897, Irish writer Bram Stoker set the template for what has become probably the most enduring image of a vampire: a pale, evil creature that sleeps during the day, rises from the grave at night and charmingly stalks his innocent victims.

Today, vampires reign as some of the most popular and the "the hottest" characters in both film and literature. While traditional Dracula movies portray the king of vampires as an Eastern …

Hopman Cup tennis results

Results of matches played Wednesday at the Hopman Cup mixed teams tennis tournament on hardcourts at the Burswood Dome (women's singles, men's singles, mixed doubles):

Group A

Germany 2, United States 1

Sabine Lisicki, Germany, def. Meghann Shaughnessy 4-6, 6-0, 6-4.

James Blake, United States, def. Nicolas Kiefer, Germany, 7-6 (3), 6-7 (7), 6-4.

…

Timberwolves Snap 6-Game Losing Streak

LOS ANGELES - The Minnesota Timberwolves were confident that if they took their old buddy Sam Cassell out of his game, the Los Angeles Clippers would be much easier to beat.

Kevin Garnett had 32 points and nine rebounds, and the Timberwolves snapped a six-game losing streak with a 101-87 victory over the Clippers on Saturday night.

Mike James added 17 points and seven boards, helping the Timberwolves end the Clippers' four-game winning streak and pull even with them for the eighth and final Western Conference playoff spot at 21-22. The victory came in their third game since Randy Wittman replaced Dwane Casey as coach on Tuesday.

"It feels good to get a win," …

Roberts shifts from GM to dotcom.(Roy S. Roberts)(Brief Article)

Higher salaries, stock options have old economy execs surfing the tech wave

At 61, Roy S. Roberts was in the high-ranking position he had been preparing for most of his life. The vice president of General Motors' North American Vehicle Sales, Service and Marketing Group had dedicated nearly 20 years of his life to the American automaker, rising from his work in a manufacturing plant in upstate New York to a seat in the executive boardroom at GM's headquarters in Motor City, U.S.A.

Now, Roberts will be in the driver's seat of a Web-based company that may very well revolutionize the way African American companies gain multi-million dollar corporate contracts …

Presidential histories study the men; New books relate little-known facts.(Books)

Byline: DAVID HENDRICKS

Presidential historians have it easy. They can write, and rewrite endlessly, the tales of mere mortals positioned in extraordinary circumstances, and sell books.

Some historians even analyze the office of the presidency itself, the ways in which its powers ebb and flow and what it all means.

Neither "Presidential Courage" (Simon & Schuster; 430 pages; $28) by Michael Beschloss nor Jim Cullen's "Imperfect Presidents" (Palgrave Macmillan; 256 pages; $24.95) attempt the latter, however. Both books look at the men instead of the office.

Beschloss examines the decisions of nine presidents that went against public opinion …

UNDERESTIMATING THE POTENTIAL OF ROSS PEROT.(Main)

Byline: David Broder

Super-salesman Ross Perot got his foot in the door in Sunday night's presidential debate. Now we will see if he can complete the sale to voters weary of President Bush and still skeptical of Bill Clinton.

There's a sure sign that will tell you if Perot is succeeding. If you hear Clinton or one of his spokesmen warn that a vote for Perot is really a vote to keep Bush in office, you will know that this unique 1992 election campaign has taken yet another unexpected turn.

It's not at that point yet. Indeed, with Bush trailing the Arkansas governor by double digits in most polls, it would appear that the president is more vulnerable to a late Perot surge than Clinton. But when the vagaries of Electoral College winner-take-all projections …

Report says Australia won't play Champions Trophy

A players' union representing Australia's cricketers says the team will not participate in next month's Champions Trophy cricket tournament in Pakistan due to security concerns.

"Our position is that we can't recommend the players tour Pakistan," Australian Cricketers' Association chief Paul Marsh was quoted as saying in Wednesday's edition of The Australian newspaper.

Cricket Australia spokesman Peter Young reiterated concerns about touring but said the governing body was awaiting an official International Cricket Council report from meetings with other concerned nations _ England, South Africa and New Zealand _ before making a public …

Paper driver delivers help to cops in Homewood holdup

A substitute Chicago Sun-Times delivery driver played a key roleThursday in helping police arrest three men in the armed robbery of aHomewood convenience store in which a shot was fired at police,authorities said.

Mark Piepenbrink, 20, a south suburban resident who hassubstituted for two years for his father, Mike, a Sun-Times contractdriver, said he saw a man "slam (a customer) to the floor," then sawa sheriff's police car drive by, so he went for help.

A lone gunman had robbed the White Hen Pantry at 18747 DixieHwy. on July 21, and early Thursday the same man returned, with twoaccomplices, Homewood Police Sgt. Chuck Scheiwe said.

Around 1 a.m., the …

Growing market for crime-prevention equipment and services

An alarming increase in commercial, residential, auto and personal crime has created a growing market for for a large array of security and safety equipment in Costa Rica, says the American Embassy-San Jose, in a recent report, details of which follow. The U.S. Embassy hosted a safety security seminar in San Jose on June 22. Notice of this arrived to late to advise our readers, but the problems described point to long-term opportunities for suppliers of such equipment:

1. Security issues and business community. Most Costa Rican security professionals are unable to address the dynamics of the changed market place, as most have only a few years of police officer work experience to their credit. Residential security systems are purchased by either individuals or a security …

For 'Cats, 7-11 are lucky numbers; Tri-City scores seven on 11 hits as Steele homers.(Sports)

Byline: Staff reports

The Tri-City ValleyCats scored seven runs and pounded out 11 hits Friday night on their way to a second straight victory over the State College Spikes 7-1 in State College, Pa.

First baseman Phil Disher picked up his 24th RBI of the year on a single in the first inning to get the offense started and put Tri-City up 1-0.

The score held until the bottom of the fourth, when the Spikes' Jeremy Farrell came home on an RBI single by right fielder Andrew Biela to even the game at 1.

Tri-City erupted for four runs and five hits in the top of the fifth, keyed by a three-run home run off the bat of center fielder Thomas Steele, …

MASKED MAN ROBS STORE.(CAPITAL REGION)

BETHLEHEM -- A masked man wearing camouflage pulled a handgun and robbed a Cumberland Farms store on Route 9W in Glenmont early Thursday.

The suspect approached a female worker as she …

DIVISION AMONG ARABS HAMPERS GULF SOLUTION.(Main)

Byline: Youssef M. Ibrahim New York Times

The Saudi defense minister's conciliatory-sounding remarks addressed to Iraq this week were the latest sign that Saudi strategists and military officials are trying their best to offer President Saddam Hussein more of a carrot and less of a stick to persuade him to pull his troops out of Kuwait.

This approach stems in part from the deep cracks in the Arab world from the Iraqi invasion of Kuwait on Aug. 2 and some second thoughts here about the confrontational attitude that Saudi Arabia has adopted toward Jordan, Yemen, the Palestine Liberation Organization and other Arab supporters of Iraq.

Over the last few weeks, Saudi …

Carbon capture projects around the world

A quick survey of carbon capture projects and efforts around the world:

_ Sleipner, Norway: Since 1996, Statoil has been piping more than 1 million tons of carbon dioxide a year from a gas field under the North Sea into a nearby water-bearing rock formation to avoid a government carbon tax. The company says no carbon dioxide has leaked from the site, the world's oldest capture project.

_ Snohvit, Norway: Last year, Statoil began another project capturing 700,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide into a sandstone formation in the Barents Sea.

_ Salah, Algeria: Sonatrach, BP and Statoil have injected around 1 million tonnes of carbon dioxide a year from a …

Insurgents Gun Down 21 in Iraqi Village

BAGHDAD, Iraq - Gunmen raided two Shiite homes in Diyala province, a hotbed of Iraq's Sunni-Arab insurgency, and shot and killed 21 men in front of their relatives, police said Saturday.

The attack by suspected insurgents on Friday night targeted members of the al-Sawed Shiite tribe in the village of Balad Ruz, 45 miles northeast of Baghdad, a police officer said, speaking on condition of anonymity to protect his own security, as officials often do in the increasingly volatile province.

He said police could not reach the remote village to collect the bodies and take them to a morgue until Saturday morning. The province, almost equally divided between Sunnis and Shiites, …

Seasonal Demand Peak to Boost PET.(polyethylene terephthalate prices)(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)

POLYETHYLENE TEREPHTHALATE (PET) producers will likely succeed in raising prices only 3 cts-5 cts/lb in the second quarter due to the seasonal demand peak, analysts say. U.S. PET producers had announced a 7-cts/lb second-quarter hike in PET prices (CW, March 14, p. 35). "This will probably be the only increase this year unless raw material costs rise," says Leslie Ravitz, analyst at Morgan Stanley Dean Witter (New York).

Robust demand drove up PET prices 22% last year, to 64 cts-71 cts/lb del, raising average annual margins from negative territory to 5 cts-6 cts/lb, analysts say. "PET margins should move up several cents in the second quarter, and this should be …

Gunmen release hostages in southern Nigeria.(News)

Gunmen released five Nigerian hostages yesterday, six days after they had been seized in the restive southern oil region, said a military official.

Eritrean woman killed by Egyptian police

Egyptian police shot dead an Eritrean woman trying to slip across the border into Israel yesterday, Egyptian police sources said.

Three children were killed and another wounded yesterday in southern Somalia when the grenade they were playing with exploded, witnesses and medical …

PORTRAITS TELL A TALE OF SUCCESS.(LIFE & LEISURE)

Byline: EILEEN DASPIN Wall Street Journal

For artist Robert Cenedella, it was a portrait worth its weight in foie gras. In exchange for an oil painting of Le Cirque's dining room featuring 150 famous patrons packed into the equally famous New York restaurant Cenedella would receive a power banquette of his very own to sketch from, all the Le Cirque meals he could eat, and a modest fee.

It took two long years, and much tinkering (the newly grown beard of Marvin Shenken, publisher of Wine Spectator magazine, was a last-minute addition), but the artist's efforts paid off handsomely. Since its unveiling this spring, ``Le Cirque: The First Generation'' has generated publicity and sales. Twenty patrons including composer Cy Coleman have paid $1,200 for a limited-edition serigraph, he says. Another 50 have ordered the deluxe $2,200 edition, in which the owner can have his or her own mug inked in with the rest of the crowd. Six people have ordered portraits from …

Indonesian police uncover plot to kill president

Indonesian police announced Friday they had uncovered and foiled a plot to assassinate the president and other top officials, massacre foreigners in Mumbai-style attacks and declare an Islamic state.

The attackers planned to launch their assault during this year's Independence Day ceremony to be attended Aug. 17 by President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono and the country's top dignitaries, national police chief Gen. Bambang Hendarso Danuri told reporters.

The plot also included taking over hotels and killing foreigners, especially Americans, in violence that would have been reminiscent of the 2008 Mumbai attacks, he said. The plot was revealed during interrogations …

Gospel about 'good news to the poor'

Elkhart, Ind.

AMBS

Elkhart

The evangelization of the world, including the West, "is inseparable from the rediscovery of the gospel as 'good news to the poor.'"This core message in the Theological Lectureship at Associated Mennonite Biblical Seminary came from C. Ren� Padilla, who sees the U.S. and its economic and political policies from a perspective in the Two-thirds World.

Padilla lives in Buenos Aires, Argentina, and works with organizations that help Christians meet the physical, social and spiritual needs of poor communities. He is the son of a tailor-evangelist and, after coming to faith in Christ at the age of 15, became an evangelist in jail …

B3 teams up with Roche.(RX: RETAIL PHARMACY: Biotechnology)(b3 bio Inc)(Brief article)

Roche Holding AG and b3 bio Inc. have entered into a discovery collaboration that they say could …

SPORTS TRIVIA.(SPORTS)

Today's question:

On Tuesday night the Orlando Magic and the Philadelphia 76ers set an NBA record for fewest points scored in a playoff game with 147 (79-68). What two teams hold the record for the most points scored and how many?

Answer to yesterday's question:

Mario Lemiuex of the …

Best Sellers-Audio

Weekly charts for the nation's best-selling recorded music as they appear in next week's issue of Billboard magazine. Reprinted with permission. (Platinum signifies more than 1 million copies sold; Gold signifies more than 500,000 copies sold.):

Billboard Hot 100: Top 20

(Airplay monitored by Nielsen/BDS. Sales data compiled by Nielsen/SoundScan.)

1. "I Gotta Feeling," The Black Eyed Peas. Interscope.

2. "Boom Boom Pow," The Black Eyed Peas. will.i.am/Interscope.

3. "Best I Ever Had," Drake. Bryant/Frozen Moments/Hip Hop Since 1978.

4. "Knock You Down," Keri Hilson feat. …

Parking industry gears up for electric car growth.(NEWSWORTHY)

Accommodation for electric cars ranks among the top emerging parking trends for 2011, according to a survey of parking professionals conducted by the International Parking Institute (IPI), the largest parking industry trade association.

Responding to President Barack Obama's call for 1 million electric cars on the road by 2015, the IPI says expanding recharging spots is critical to achieving this goal. Communities will need to adapt existing parking garages and add electric charging stations in both public …