WASHINGTON (AP) — After 40 years of working for presidents from both parties, Defense Secretary Robert Gates says he's learned that it takes bipartisan support to succeed in national security and foreign affairs.
What worries Gates as he prepares to step down this month as Pentagon chief is how partisanship is seeping into those areas.
Gates says …
Today is Thursday, June 17, the 168th day of 2009. There are 197 days left in the year.
Highlights in history on this date:
1397 - Erik of Pomerania is crowned king of Norway, Denmark and Sweden in Kalmar, Sweden, marking the beginning of the Kalmar Union that unites the three countries until 1523.
1567 - Mary Queen of Scots is imprisoned by Scottish rebels in Lochleven Castle in Scotland.
1579 - Sir Francis Drake proclaims England's sovereignty over New Albion (California).
1665 - Spanish are defeated by Portuguese and British at Montes Claros, and further victory at Villa Viciosa secures Portuguese independence.
…
Many progressive-minded Canadians breathed a sigh of relief at the outcome of January's election. Despite the remaking of Stephen Harper as a centrist politician with a relatively moderate centreright platform-not to mention the disastrous Liberal campaign-the Conservatives managed only a slim plurality of seats with a mere 36% of the less than two-thirds of Canadians who voted.
Most pundits believe that the Conservatives will be on a short leash for the next two years or less. They do not have natural ideological allies in this Parliament. Harper Conservatives will have to move cautiously, building consensus to get legislation through the House. They are not expected to stray far …
No country should have more to fear from Pakistan's slide toward instability than India.
In the six decades since an independent India and Pakistan rose from the flames of the bloody partition of the subcontinent, the South Asian rivals have stared at each other across heavily armed frontiers with implacable hostility, fought three wars and engaged in tit-for-tat atomic tests.
Yet as Pakistan has stumbled in recent months from a military dictatorship to a state of emergency, to the uncertainty in the wake of the assassination of Pakistani opposition leader Benazir Bhutto, India's reactions have been tempered _ even calm.
India put its troops on a …
The Rev. Aengus Finucane, a Roman Catholic missionary and Irish aid pioneer who braved civil wars and learned he must "fight like hell to do any good," died Tuesday, his charity announced. He was 77.
"There can be few Irish people of his generation, or of any other generation, who have contributed as much to improving the lives of so much of humanity," said Tom Arnold, chief executive of the Concern charity that Finucane spent decades promoting.
Irish Prime Minister Brian Cowen called the priest "a selfless and brave man who traveled to many of the world's most dangerous places to help the poor. ... His courageous efforts saved a huge …
Sen. Edward M. Kennedy (D-Mass.) thinks the Reaganadministration's proposal for peace in Nicaragua is a trick to suckerthe Congress into approving more lethal aid for the contra rebels.Rep. Jack Kemp (R-N.Y.) thinks the White House is selling out thecontras, "snatching defeat from the jaws of victory."
We must hope that Mr. Reagan's proposal is neither a ploy nor asurrender - just the simple recognition that helping Nicaraguans tomaim and murder each other does not serve the cause of freedom, orthe security interests of the United States.
Perhaps the Iran-contra hearings have taught this president thathis oft-expressed zeal for overthrowing Nicaragua's …
WASHINGTON - Sen. Norm Coleman attended Woodstock and even did a video for a planned museum commemorating the famous music festival. But the Minnesota Republican recently voted against spending $1 million to help with the effort, saying government has better things to do with its money.
"I was at Woodstock. I have been to the site of the Woodstock museum," Coleman said last week. "It's a wonderful museum. That doesn't mean the government has to pay for it."
This month, in a mostly party-line 52-42 vote, Coleman voted with the majority to strip the $1 million earmark sought by New York Sens. Hillary Rodham Clinton and Charles Schumer, both Democrats. In another tie to the …
Air France said Friday it would give about euro17,500 ($24,000) as an advance to the families of the victims of the crash of Air France Flight 447 from Rio de Janeiro to Paris.
Remains of some of the 228 dead, and hundreds of pieces of wreckage reclaimed from the sea off Brazil are helping experts build a picture of what happened to the Airbus A330.
But much hope still is pinned on the relentless international search for the plane's missing flight recorders, which should provide vital data. Air France chief executive Phillipe Gourgeon said that finding them was the essential objective now.
In an interview broadcast on RTL radio, Gourgeon also said, …
They swim, bike and run.
They're triathletes like many others. But there's just onedifference - they're also paraplegics.
David Lee and Dr. Jon Franks, both confined to wheelchairs, willbe competing Sunday in the Chicago Sun-Times Triathlon. They'reamong the few wheelchair triathletes in the world.
This will be the first triathalon for Lee, a Colorado collegestudent. Franks, a California chiropractic physician, is a veteranof approximately 40 triathlon competitions.
David Lee, who considers himself the adventuresome sort, says hesigned up because ``it's there.'' He also wants to give Franks somefriendly competition.
``Only one person …
CARMAUX, France (AP) — A brief look at Tuesday's 10th stage of the Tour de France:
Stage: A 158-kilometer (98-mile) flat ride from from Aurillac to Carmaux. An early breakaway of lower-placed riders never led the chasing peloton by more than 4 minutes. With British sprint ace Mark Cavendish's HTC team doing much of the work, the peloton caught the escapees about 16 kilometers (10 miles) from the finish.
Green jersey holder Philippe Gilbert of Belgium attempted a spectacular solo win but the onrushing peloton chased him down, setting up a dramatic finish at line between Cavendish and former teammate Andrei Greipel of Germany.
Winner: Greipel, who stormed past Cavendish in …
Police fired tear gas and imposed an overnight curfew to control looters who sacked virtually every market in this hard-hit city as Chile's earthquake toll surpassed 700. President Michelle Bachelet promised imminent deliveries of food, water and shelter for thousands living on the streets.
"We are confronting an emergency without parallel in Chile's history," Bachelet declared Sunday, a day after the magnitude-8.8 quake _ one of the biggest in centuries _ killed at least 708 people and destroyed or badly damaged 500,000 homes. Bachelet said "a growing number" of people were recorded as missing.
Some coastal towns were almost …
NEW YORK A doctor who botched an abortion and left his patientbleeding to death on an operating table was convicted Tuesday ofsecond-degree murder.
Dr. David Benjamin faces 25 years to life in prison for thedeath of Guadalupe Negron, a 33-year-old mother of four. Sentencingwas set for Sept. 12.
Jurors deliberated three hours before reaching a verdict on themost serious count, ignoring lesser charges of manslaughter …
To bring about universal coverage in California, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger says people must start thinking about health insurance the way they do auto insurance _ as a responsibility everyone must shoulder.
In January, Schwarzenegger proposed a plan requiring all Californians to have health coverage, promising to spread the cost among individuals, businesses, hospitals, insurers and the government.
The idea does well in polls, and Democrats Hillary Rodham Clinton and John Edwards are pushing it in their presidential campaigns.
But a look at how mandatory insurance has fared elsewhere, from Switzerland to Massachusetts, shows it will not be easy to put into practice in California.
The reason is mainly the cost.
Health care is a lot cheaper in countries that have succeeded at imposing mandates. The average Dutch resident paid half what a typical American spent in 2005, while the average in Switzerland was 70 percent.
"If premiums were half the cost in California, it would be a lot easier to get everyone covered," said Larry Levitt, vice president of the Kaiser Family Foundation, a nonpartisan health think-tank based in Menlo Park.
Massachusetts passed a mandatory insurance law last year, but high costs are forcing the state to let more than 10 percent of the uninsured off the hook because they cannot afford the premiums.
Experts say medical inflation means the gap between what most people can pay and what health care truly costs is getting wider every year.
That is why California unions have been so suspicious of compulsory insurance and have pushed Democrats to demand higher subsidies for the nearly 5 million residents who have no insurance on any given day.
Half those people live on less than twice the federal poverty level, about $20,000 (euro13,505) for a single person and $41,000 (euro27,686) for a family of four _ nowhere near enough to afford the cost of comprehensive health coverage.
Employers spend on average $4,500 (euro3,039) a year to insure a single person and $12,100 (euro8,171) for a family of four.
"If you really are going to make insurance affordable for all of the Californians who are uninsured, given these demographics, it's an expensive proposition," said Marian Mulkey, an analyst with the California Health Care Foundation.
Schwarzenegger's plan has been pegged at $14 billion (euro9.45 billion) a year, and some experts say the real cost will be even higher.
His universal coverage plan is seen as the most ambitious reform attempt since the Clinton plan of the early 1990s. But Democrats are nervous about making it mandatory and Republicans reject the whole idea of expanding government's role in health care.
Even if legislators agree to a deal with Schwarzenegger, voters would have to approve new funding for the plan.
Europeans are more inclined to tax themselves to fund public programs. A third of the Swiss receive government subsidies for health coverage, as do two-thirds of the Dutch.
Requiring everyone to get a policy spreads the risk across a larger group.
European countries take this very seriously. Swiss authorities make sure everyone has insurance, assigning policies to the uninsured, along with penalties _ debt collectors chase people until they pay.
"There's a cultural tradition of people feeling that they must have insurance, and you're letting your friends and your neighbors down if you don't," said Robert Blendon, a Harvard professor of health policy. "The idea that you would go to the doctor or hospital and tell them you don't have insurance, it's unacceptable."
Even before the Swiss made insurance mandatory a decade ago, 97 percent of the population had a policy. It's now 99 percent.
In the United States, just 85 percent had insurance in the latest census, and just 81 percent of Californians. In Massachusetts, it was 90 percent.
Most of California's uninsured are low-wage workers whose employers do not offer insurance. They also include people between jobs, young risk takers and people who have been rejected by insurers because of their troubled health histories.
Schwarzenegger is proposing to cover most of them through a mix of public subsidies and private mandates. He would force employers to chip in a minimum amount toward employee health coverage, but not the full cost.
The poorest workers would get care through public programs, while those earning a little more _ up to about $25,500 (euro17,219) for a single person and $51,500 (euro34,776) for a family of four _ could buy insurance at a discount through a state-run pool.
Some at higher income levels _ up to $41,000 (euro27,686) for a single person and $82,500 (euro55,709) for a family of four _ would qualify for limited tax credits to ensure they did not have to pay more than 5 percent of their incomes toward premiums.
Schwarzenegger also would require insurers to sell policies to everyone without regard to health status, with prices based on a person's age rather than medical history. Health economists say that could drive insurance rates even higher as sick people consume more care than they are paying for in premiums.
Fraser and Kirsty Cringan and their sons, Mark and Ross will beamong the first to move in at Roycroft West at Grande Park, adevelopment in Plainfield. The Cringan family is from Scotland.
Scotland -- where golf was invented more than 900 years ago.
Scotland -- with plaid kilts, bagpipes, whiskey, paisley, castles,palaces, abbeys, forts, highlands, lowlands and those lakes whichthey call lochs.
Scotland -- when is somebody going to catch that weird giantmonster in Loch Ness?
"When we lived in Scotland, we happened to buy the last home to bebuilt in a neighborhood there. And now we are buying the first homeat Roycroft West," Fraser said. "The timing is good because theDecember delivery date for our new home coincides with the date ourpresent lease expires."
Fraser was born in central Scotland. (A story about centralScotland is presented in the movie "Braveheart," starring MelGibson.)
Kirsty is a native of the countryside between Glasgow andEdinburgh. (In Edinburgh, there is an ancient castle, set high on arocky cliff. At one o'clock every afternoon, residents hear the boomof a mighty cannon.)
The odyssey that has brought the Cringan family to Plainfield is acombination of corporate transfer and personal friendship. Kirstyworks for a multi-national company that offers its work-force manyopportunities for travel and advancement.
"We have traveled to the United States only once before, on avacation to Florida," Fraser said. "When Kirsty was offered theopportunity here, we could have chosen either Connecticut orIllinois. We chose Illinois. We leased an apartment, and our next-door neighbors discovered Roycroft at Grande Park and told us aboutthe community."
The Cringans selected the Asbury floor plan. Amenities include atwo-story foyer, a formal dining room, a breakfast nook and a two-story family room. Upstairs, the Asbury has four bedrooms with walk-in closets plus a tech center.
"We were pleased with the stainless-steel appliances and the woodfloors in the foyer," Fraser said. "Other quality features wereincluded in the price, so we didn't add many extras." (People fromScotland tend to pronounce the letter "R" with an interesting,distinct trill. Imagine what American English sounds like to them.)
As newcomers to the United States and the Chicago area, theCringans had many questions about the Plainfield area and the homepurchasing procedures in the United States. "The Kensington Homesstaff is very good. They really knew their products," Fraser said.
"They told us all about the schools and the other area services,"he said. "If they didn't have an immediate answer, they followed upand e-mailed us. They were always very courteous and never pressuredus in any way."
Fraser plans to start his own computer services business once thefamily settles into the new home, and he is currently taking care oftheir two sons, (four years old and eight- months-old).
"We will be very happy to move into our home at Roycroft West, andwe expect to really enjoy the recreation and the beauty of theneighborhood," he said.
The 77 semi-custom homes at Roycroft East are almost sold out.There are 63 lots in the newly opened Roycroft West. Three models areopen. Base prices range from $291,990 to $393,990. Seven floor plansare sized from 2,310 to 4,048 square feet.
Roycroft at Grande Park, Plainfield. Kensington Homes, (815) 436-5899.
SOUTH ELGIN. Sales have begun at Prairie Pointe in South Elgin, adevelopment in South Elgin. Wyndham Deerpoint Homes plans 29 single-family homes in the first building phase.
"A new high school will open in the fall of 2005," said DianeRobinson, director of marketing for Wyndham Deerpoint Homes. "Afuture elementary school is planned that will literally be a fewquick steps away."
Preconstruction base prices range from the $320,000s to the$490,000s. Fifteen floor plans are sized from 1,931 to 3,996 squarefeet. Houses have 3 or 4 bedrooms, 21/2 to four baths and attached 2-or 3-car garages.
Construction is slated to begin in November. First deliveries arescheduled for spring 2005.
The builder also plans 84 town houses.
Prairie Pointe, on Raymond Street north of Kenyon Road, SouthElgin. Preconstruction sales are being conducted at Bartlett Pointe,on West Bartlett Road, one-quarter mile east of Illinois 25,Bartlett. Wyndham Deerpoint Homes, (630) 497-6000.
PLAINFIELD. Sales will commence on Saturday at the Streams ofPlainfield. About 145 single-family homes are planned. Opening dayfestivities will include a radio remote by WSSR-FM (96.7). Prizeswill include a DVD player and gift certificates to restaurants andHome Depot. Food and refreshments will be available too.
Prices start in the mid-$200,000s. Nine floor plans are sized from1,830 to 3,600 square feet. Houses have 3 or 4 bedrooms, 2 or 21/2baths and attached 2-car garages.
"These new home designs reflect the trend toward home buyersrequesting large open rooms," said Gary White, Illinois divisionpresident of KB Homes, the builder. "Many of the homes center arounda large, open kitchen, breakfast nook and family room. In addition,many homes also include a combined living and dining room, separatefrom the family room."
Master bedroom suites with walk-in closets are standard. Some homesites will back up to ponds. A 4-acre park is planned too.
Streams of Plainfield, Illinois 59 and Dayfield Drive, just southof Renwick Road, Plainfield. KB Homes, (815) 609-6622.
FYFIELD: Dizzy Ducks Day Nursery is holding an open day onSaturday.
Current and prospective parents will be able to tour the nurseryand its new facilities, which include a sensory garden. Staff willalso be available to answer questions.
For more information call the nursery on 01277 365488 or e-mailsarah.tayler@dizzyducks.co.uk
Greece goalkeeper Antonis Nikopolidis will retire from international football after Wednesday's game with Spain _ following the defending champion's elimination from the European Championship.
Defender Paraskevas Antzas also said Sunday that he would retire from the team after the last Group D game.
Greece was eliminated after two successive defeats, a 2-0 loss to Sweden and 1-0 loss to Russia.
"Time is merciless _ this moment comes for everybody," said Nikopolidis, Greece's oldest player at 37. "I had hoped for something better at this tournament, but I had taken the decision to retire before it started."
Nikopolidis was key to Greece's victory at Euro 2004, not conceding a goal in any of the three knockout games. But a goalkeeping error on Saturday cost Greece the game against the Russians.
"I leave feeling filled with good experiences," he said. "A word to the younger players: They should not carry the weight of the Euro 2004 victory and to feel obliged that they have to win everything."
The twin retirements signaled probable squad changes ahead of Greece's qualifying campaign for the 2010 World Cup in South Africa under coach Otto Rehhagel, who recently extended his contract till 2010. Greece plays Israel, Latvia, Luxembourg, Moldova and Switzerland in qualifying.
Rehhagel picked experienced players for his Euro 2008 squad, leaving several talented youngsters at home, including 18-year-old Panathinaikos player Sotiris Ninis.
The 31-year-old Antzas did not explain why he was quitting the team, but appeared upset by Greece's elimination.
"I thank Mr. Rehhagel for placing his trust in me and including me in the team. I also announce my retirement," he said. "I don't want to say why (we were eliminated). The coach knows the reasons and he can give the answers."
Greece has yet to score a goal at Euro 2008 and faces Spain, who have already qualified from the group stage, in its final group match.
Team spokesman Michael Tsapidis said defenders Giourkas Seitaridis and Vassilis Torossidis missed Sunday's training through injury. Striker Fanis Gekas was also out after spending the night in a hospital in Salzburg to be treated for a facial injury he picked up during the Russia game.
"Fanis Gekas has returned to the team hotel after being released from hospital this morning. He is fine," Tsapidis said.
B. Dec. 1946. Ed. at Univ. of Toronto (B.A.(Hons.) - History). Private Career: Story editor and producer, CBC Radio, 1971-73. Freelance writer and broadcaster, 1974-81. Associate Editor, Protect Yourself, 1980-81. Executive Producer, CBC Radio, Que., 1981-86. Dir. of Communications, Consumer and Corporate Affairs, 1987 to 1989. Dir., Goods and Services Tax, Goods and Services Tax Communications Working Group, 1989 to 1991. Dir. of Operations, Communications Secretariat, Privy Council Office, 1991 to 1993. Counsellor, Federal/Provincial Relations, Canadian Embassy, Washington, D.C., 1993 to 1997. Director General, Strategic Planning, Millennium Bureau of Canada, 1997 to 2000. Secretary to the Governor General, Secretary General of the Order of Canada and the Order of Military Merit and Herald Chancellor of Canada since Mar. 2000. Address: Office: Rideau Hall, 1 Sussex Dr., Ottawa, Ont., K1A 0A4, (613)993-0259, Fax: (613)993-1967; Email: rlabelle@gg.ca.
Secr�taire de la Gouverneure g�n�rale, Secr�taire g�n�ral de l'Ordre du Canada, Secr�taire g�n�ral de l'Ordre du m�rite militaire et Chancelier d'armes du Canada
UTECK, BARBARA, B.A.(Hons.) N�e en d�c. 1946. Fit ses �tudes � l'Univ. de Toronto (B.A.(Hons.) - histoire). Carri�re priv�e: �ditorialiste et r�alisatrice, Radio-Canada, 1971-73. Pigiste et communicatrice, 1974-81. R�dactrice adjointe, Prot�gez-Vous, 1980-81. Chef de production, Radio-Canada, Qu�bec, 1981-86. Dir. des communications, minist�re de la Consommation et des Affaires commerciales 1987 � 1989. Dir., taxe sur les produits et services et groupe de travail charg� des communications relatives � la taxe sur les produits et services de 1989 � 1991. Dir. des op�rations, Secr�tariat des communications, Bureau du Conseil priv� 1991 � 1993. Conseill�re, Relations f�d�rales-provinciales, Ambassade du Canada, Washington, D.C. de 1993 � 1997. Directrice g�n�rale, planification strat�gique, Bureau du Canada pour le mill�naire de 1997 � 2000. Secr�taire de la Gouverneure g�n�rale, Secr�taire g�n�ral de l'Ordre du Canada, Secr�taire g�n�ral de l'Ordre du m�rite militaire et Chancelier d'armes du Canada depuis mars 2000. Adresse: Bureau: Rideau Hall, 1, promenade Sussex, Ottawa, Ont., K1A 0A1, (613)993-0259, Fax: (613)993-1967; Courriel: rlabelle@gg.ca.
When the West Virginia Open golf tournament last stopped atEdgewood Country Club in 1998, Craig Berner was the club's assistantpro.
The Open is returning to Edgewood this year and Berner will have anew perspective on the prestigious event, scheduled for June 21-23.He's now head pro at the highly regarded Sissonville course.
"It will be a little different but nothing dramatic," said the 28-year-old Berner, who took over a month ago after Scott Davis left forScarlet Oakes Country Club in Poca. Berner worked under Davis forseven years.
Berner was out of town when he learned Davis was leaving andfigured another Edgewood assistant pro, Dave Wentz, would step intothe club's top teaching spot.
Wentz, however, elected to accompany Davis to Scarlet Oakes.
"Once he went with Scott, everything just fell into place," saidBerner, a 1994 graduate of Buckhannon-Upshur High School. "Everythingturned out good for both sides."
A Charleston native who moved to Buckhannon at age 8, Berner is inhis dream job.
"I love it," he said. "I wouldn't change it for anything.
"The members have been very supportive. They've been great to workwith."
Edgewood Country Club has close to 1,000 members. Around 250 to300 of them play golf.
Berner said they will not see many changes in the day-to-dayoperations at the club. There isn't a need to make a lot of changes,he said.
"Scott did a great job at this place," said Berner, who hopes tohire Sissonville native Phillip Holley as one of his assistant pros.
Berner, who played collegiately at Davis & Elkins, knows a thingor two about Edgewood's layout.
He shot an even-par 72 under rugged conditions at last year's U.S.Open qualifier at Edgewood to finish tied for second.
His best round ever on the course in non-tournament play: 64.
Berner wouldn't mind pulling a score like that out of his hat whenthe W.Va. Open rolls into Kanawha County in June.
Of course, everyone expects a little more out of the head pro onhis home course.
"It will be a little different as far as expectations," Bernersaid.
Sportswriter Tom Aluise can be reached at 348-4871 or by e-mail attoma@dailymail.com
Oil prices rose Monday on concerns that the threat of new sanctions against Iran over its nuclear program may escalate tensions in the oil-rich Middle East.
Light, sweet crude for August delivery was up 31 cents to $129.19 a barrel in electronic trading on the New York Mercantile Exchange.
Prices occasionally pushed past $130 a barrel, but failed to sustain an early rally as traders searched for reasons to bet big following last week's dramatic drop.
For drivers in the U.S., pump prices eased by a few precious pennies over the weekend. A gallon of regular gasoline now sells for an average just shy of $4.07, according to auto club AAA, the Oil Price Information Service and Wright Express. Diesel prices also pulled back, to an average of $4.818 a gallon.
Retail prices may decline even more in the coming days as gas station operators respond to last week's four-day sell-off, which left oil more than $18 below the trading record of $147.27 it hit on July 11.
"If the futures market stays relatively flat this week, we could see some further declines at the pump," said Jim Ritterbusch, president of energy consultancy Ritterbusch and Associates.
Talks on Saturday ended with Iran stonewalling Washington and five other world powers on their call to freeze uranium enrichment. In response, the six gave Iran two weeks to respond to their demand, setting the stage for a new round of U.N. sanctions.
The U.S. sent Undersecretary of State William Burns to the talks in hopes the first-time American presence would encourage Tehran into making concessions. But the talks' lack of progress may lead to "further isolation" for Iran, State Department spokesman Sean McCormack said Saturday.
Iran state radio on Sunday quoted President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad as saying the talks were "a step ahead."
"The talks didn't resolve the problem of Iran's nuclear program, and that has been a factor in prices ticking higher today," said David Moore, a commodity strategist with Commonwealth Bank of Australia in Sydney. "Part of the reason prices had fallen recently was on the expectation a deal could be made there."
Oil prices also rose Monday on concerns that Tropical Storm Dolly may disrupt oil operations in the Gulf of Mexico, Moore said.
The storm drenched Mexico's Yucatan Peninsula and was expected to reach the Gulf of Mexico Monday afternoon packing sustained winds near 50 mph.
"Over the next 12 to 18 months we expect prices to fall on demand side adjustments to the high prices," Moore said. "But there are certainly chances for short-term spikes with issues such as Iran or storms."
In other Nymex trade, heating oil futures rose 1.37 cents to $3.7052 a gallon while gasoline futures rose 1.64 cents to $3.1873 a gallon. Natural gas futures fell 8.3 cents to $10.487 per 1,000 cubic feet.
In London, September Brent crude rose 44 cents to $130.63 a barrel on Monday on the ICE Futures exchange.
___
Associated Press Writers Alex Kennedy in Singapore and Pablo Gorondi in Budapest, Hungary, contributed to this report.
Philadelphia's Jamie Moyer fooled the Florida Marlins with his deceptive stuff for the 10th straight time. Ten in a row is where the Mets' streak ended after they couldn't figure out the Reds' Bronson Arroyo.
The 45-year-old Arroyo beat Florida for the 10th time in 10 career starts, pitching six innings Friday night to help the visiting Philadelphia Phillies to a 4-2 victory.
Bronson Arroyo pitched eight solid innings in host Cincinnati's 5-2 win over New York, ending their season-best 10-game winning streak.
Philadelphia's win dropped the Mets a game back in the NL East. The Marlins fell 2 1/2 behind.
All of Moyer's games against the Marlins have come in the past three years. He defeated them for the third time since June 1, and his ERA in five lifetime starts in Miami is 1.34. On Friday he gave up four hits and two runs.
"I don't know how he does it at 45 years old," said Florida's Cody Ross, who went 0-for-3 to end a career-best 17-game hitting streak. "You see his 82 mph fastball, and it looks good to hit. But it's never down the center of the plate."
In Cincinnati, Arroyo (8-7) has won his last four starts. He allowed only four hits and two runs, including Carlos Beltran's RBI double. The eight innings matched Arroyo's longest performance of the season.
"A lot of times, you get into a groove where you feel like you're unbeatable, and I feel like that lately," Arroyo said.
In other NL games, it was: Atlanta 7, Washington 6; Houston 2, Chicago Cubs 1; St. Louis 11, San Diego 7; Colorado 5, Pittsburgh 2; L.A. Dodgers 8, Arizona 7, 11 innings; and Milwaukee 9, San Francisco 1.
Philadelphia's Ryan Howard hit his 29th home run, most in the majors. Geoff Jenkins added his eighth homer and singled home a run for the Phillies.
The Marlins lead the majors in home runs, but their four hits off Moyer (9-6) were all singles. He took a no-hitter into the sixth inning in Miami last month, and this time he retired the first nine batters as the Phillies built a 4-0 lead.
"He's such a good pitcher, sometimes he can use a team's aggressiveness against them," said Brad Lidge, who completed Philadelphia's five-hitter with a perfect ninth. "Florida has a very aggressive team _ they hit a lot of home runs. Jamie's style matches up good against them. He's such a master of what he's doing, he can see what they're swinging at and move it a couple of inches."
Ricky Nolasco (10-5) lost for the first time in his past six decisions. He pitched seven innings and allowed four runs, including both homers.
The Reds scored four times in the fifth off John Maine (8-7) despite getting only two balls out of the infield. Ken Griffey Jr. drew a bases-loaded walk, Brandon Phillips lofted a two-run single into shallow right field, and Edwin Encarnacion got hit by a pitch with the bases loaded.
"Just good placement," Phillips said of his hit. "It's a beautiful thing."
Jay Bruce hit a solo homer off Maine, who has failed to last five innings in three of his last four starts.
"I don't know what it is," Maine said. "I work hard between starts. I go out there and the little things here and the little things there are hurting you."
Francisco Cordero, who blew a two-run lead in the ninth inning Thursday night, gave up a walk in the ninth before finishing it off for his 20th save in 25 chances.
Exquisite starting pitching was the foundation of the Mets' surge. Their staff threw four shutouts in the last six games before the All-Star break, but hasn't been the same since. The Mets blew two leads in their 10-8 win Thursday night, and Maine gave the Reds plenty of assistance during their decisive rally on Friday.
Braves 7, Nationals 6
At Atlanta, Brian McCann's three-run double gave Atlanta the lead in the third inning, and the Braves survived a ninth-inning rally.
Tim Hudson (10-7) gave up nine hits and five runs in 6 2-3 innings, but he improved to 8-1 in 12 career starts against Washington.
The Nationals, trailing 7-5, scored a run in the ninth against Mike Gonzalez, but he held on for his fourth save.
Tim Redding (7-4) gave up six runs and six hits in four innings, matching his shortest start of the season.
Astros 2, Cubs 1
At Houston, Hunter Pence drove in the winning run with a double off Bob Howry (3-3) in bottom of the ninth inning for Houston.
Carlos Lee hit a solo homer and Brian Moehler pitched seven effective innings for the Astros, who have won four of their last five games.
Cardinals 11, Padres 7
At St. Louis, Yadier Molina's two-run single with the bases loaded broke an eighth-inning tie for St. Louis.
Greg Maddux allowed six runs in four innings for San Diego, the shortest outing for the 42-year-old right-hander since last September. He is 0-5 in 13 starts since May 16, tying the longest victory drought of his career, according to the Elias Sports Bureau.
The Cardinals got home runs from Ryan Ludwick and Rick Ankiel.
Rockies 5, Pirates 2
At Denver, Matt Holliday, Brad Hawpe homered and Seth Smith hit an inside-the-parker for Colorado.
Glendon Rusch (2-1) lasted 5 2-3 innings and gave up two runs in winning his second straight start since being recalled from Triple-A on July 5.
Brewers 9, Giants 1
At San Francisco, CC Sabathia (3-0) pitched a four-hitter to win his third straight start since joining Milwaukee.
It was Sabathia's 21st career complete game and second straight.
Prince Fielder hit a three-run homer in the seventh for the Brewers and Mike Cameron added a three-run shot in the ninth.
Matt Cain (5-8) matched his season high with five walks, one intentional.
Flight attendants at Germany's largest airline, Deutsche Lufthansa AG, walked off the job on Wednesday to press their demands for a 15 percent pay increase.
The flight attendants started their six-hour warning strike at 6 a.m. (0500 GMT) at airports in Frankfurt and Berlin.
Lufthansa said that domestic passengers in particular should expect delays and possible flight cancellations. It said it would try to keep international long-haul traffic running normally.
The UFO union, which represents about 70 percent of Lufthansa's 16,000 cabin staff, is seeking a 15-percent raise. The airline has so far offered a 6.1-percent increase and a 3-percent bonus payment.
The first warning strike last Friday caused the cancellation of 44 flights.
"Since the employers have so far put no better offer on the table, UFO saw it necessary to broaden the warning strikes," UFO official Joachim Mueller said ahead of the labor action.
___
On the Net:
Q. When should I consider liquid extraction? Please give the general rules-of-thumb.
The most cost-effective method of separating or purifying a liquid mixture is normally distillation or a related evaporative process, such as steam stripping. Always evaluate distillation first. But don't fail to consider liquid extraction when distillation appears to be cumbersome and/or expensive. Here are some examples of this situation:
Low relative volatility: Capital and operating costs of a distillation process are highly dependent on the relative volatility of the mixture. A low volatility leads to large stage and reflux-ratio requirements. A high number of stages equates to tall, expensive columns. High reflux ratios call for large heat exchangers and high energy costs. In general, consider liquid extraction when relative volatility is less than 1.2.
Removal/recovery of low-volatility components from water: Relative to distillation and stripping, liquid extraction can have real advantages for recovering heavy, essentially non-volatile components from water. Distillation becomes unattractive because so much water has to be evaporated (with its high energy and equipment costs). The heat required to vaporize a pound of water is often 3-4 times greater than that for a typical hydrocarbon. Steam stripping is likely to be unattractive. This application of liquid/liquid extraction may require wastewater cleanup. Roger Cusack ("Solve Wastewater Problems with Liquid/Liquid Extraction," CEP, Apr. 1996, pp. 56-63) provides an excellent discussion of wastewater applications for extraction.
Removal/recovery of low-volatility polar components from organics: Liquid extraction may be used to recover (or remove) salts and acids from an immiscible, organic liquid. This process is often called washing. Water with or without a complexing agent is used to recover the salts and acids. Caustic soda is often used as the solvent.
Recovery of thermally sensitive components:. Distillation can cause problems with heat-sensitive materials. An example is recovering antibiotics from fermentation products. Extraction is a much-gentler means of recovery.
Q. New, advanced models and computer programs for liquid extraction have been developed in recent years. Is it still necessary to pilot a new extraction process?
Yes, I highly recommend that all new extraction processes be pilot-tested before commercialization. These computer models are especially useful when coupled with experimental verification. Use pilot tests to address three critical issues:
1. to demonstrate the full separation process
2. to detect the effects of impurity buildup in the extraction loop
3. to evaluate scaleup of the contacting device (e.g., the packing material).
In general, an extraction process involves an extractor and a solvent-recovery operation. The recovered solvent is recycled back to the extractor, making an extraction loop necessary. The feasibility of the loop must be demonstrated. This is especially important for chemical systems with complex and poorly understood phase equilibria. For example, a system where the slope of the equilibrium line changes significantly with the solute concentration may be prone to pinching.
If the solvent is non-volatile, it can cause accumulation of heavy impurities in an extraction loop that are surfaceactive. Even in trace concentrations, these culprits can have a devastating effect on extractor performance. They can reduce the coalescing rates of drops - and thus reduce column capacity. Since most flooding models are based on pure-component tests, these models tend to be overly optimistic. Relative to a clean system, the presence of impurities can lower column capacity by 20% or more and efficiency by as much as 60%.
Pilot-testing of the extractor is useful for detecting other unforeseen problems. Create an experimental design using available mass-transfer and hydraulic models, and then use an experimental vessel that permits viewing, if at all possible. Run the design solvent-to-- feed ratio at a variety of loadings. In particular, note the mechanisms and location of the flooding condition.
After successful completion of the pilot tests, analyze the data carefully and compare them against those predicted by the models. Address and then resolve all deviations carefully before designing the commercial system. For column-type extractors, don't fail to correct for axial mixing effects. Axial mixing will reduce the concentration difference between the phases and, as a result, reduce the apparent efficiency of the contacting device. Axial mixing can be especially critical in the design of packed columns. The correction for axial mixing in packed extractors is described by Becker and Seibert (Chemie-- Ingenieur-Technik, 75:35, 2000). Vendors of extraction equipment can be especially helpful regarding the scaleup of their devices.
[Author Affiliation]
A. Frank Seibert, PhD, P.E., is the technical manager of the Separations Research Program at the Univ. of Texas at Austin. (Phone: (512) 471-7063; Fax: (512) 471-1720; E-mail: fseibert@mail.utexas.edu). His research is focused on scaleup of liquid extraction and distillation processes. His 22 years of experience covers fundamental research and industrial consulting in several areas of separation process technology.
Somewhere in Colombia on a plot of land, peasants are growingcoca, the raw material for cocaine - powder and crack. They aregrowing coca even though U.S. taxpayers have tripled the aid theysend to Colombia to halt coca production.
In fact, cultivation has soared 50 percent. U.S. and Colombianauthorities predict the production of coca will increase by that muchagain in the next two years, according to a Los Angeles Timesarticle.
That means we are not only losing the drug war at home, but wealso are losing it abroad - and we are paying umpteen millions ofdollars to be losers.
Still, the guys in charge of this war aren't ready to try adifferent tactic.
Last February, the U.S. State Department certified Colombia as afully cooperating partner in the war against drugs, even though cocacultivation has moved from family plots to plantations.
So while complaining about the stepped-up coca production that hasflooded the United States and Europe with cocaine, U.S. drug czarGen. Barry R. McCaffrey is asking for an additional $600 million tohelp Colombia fight drugs.
I'd rather pay incentives to young Americans to stop selling drugsat home.
There are many reasons why we are losing this war. Primary amongthem is the fact that too many older Americans are sniffing andsmoking cocaine, and too many young people are making a livingselling drugs.
Things are pretty bad when the wife of an Army colonel who wasfighting drugs in Colombia is accused of shipping cocaine fromColombia to New York.
Laurie Anne Heitt, 36, is charged with drug conspiracy. Accordingto reports, a civilian driver of U.S. military commanders also isimplicated.
But let's leave Colombia and our $289 million we've spent thus farthis year, and look at what's happening at home.
I've got to tell you about Junior.
Junior is my 20-year-old nephew by marriage. Though a likablekid, for a while he had everyone worried. There were times hisfamily thought he wasn't going to graduate from high school.
And they knew what that would mean - no job. If he couldn't get ajob, he would be tempted to sell drugs in his Detroit neighborhoodlike so many other kids. If he joined the drug trade, he would landin prison, a victim of the so-called War on Drugs.
But on a visit to Detroit last weekend, we saw a changed Junior.He was working a construction job and bragging about earning $12 anhour. That's enough to keep him in the cool threads he likes and adecent car. More important, a job gave Junior pride.
A lot of kids in the inner city are like Junior. Only for many ofthem, there is no construction job. Instead, they find work sellingdrugs. It is work in the same way the peasants in Colombia work theland cultivating coca plants.
This failed drug war has filled America's prisons with these youngpeople.
Although crime is declining in America, the population of U.S.prisons is growing. Worse yet, when those coca plants are peddled onthe streets as crack cocaine, the offense is treated as a crime 100times more serious than powdered cocaine. The cheaper form ofcocaine has put a disproportionate number of black and Hispanicyouths behind bars for longer periods of time.
Despite the outcry over unfairness, the disparity in sentencinghas not stopped the drug dealing because drug dealing is work.
We would stand a better chance of stopping the flow of drugs if weaddressed the economics of the illegal drug trade. If we can sendmillions of dollars to Colombia, some of which goes to keep peasantsfrom cultivating coca, we certainly can spend as much on urban youthsto keep them from turning to drug dealing.
Half of that $289 million should have gone to provide jobs forurban youths so fewer of them enter the drug trade.
For those who are appalled at the very suggestion, what is thedifference? Our economic drug policies should not be more favorableto Colombians than they are to our own people.
There's a population of young people in America who are like thoseColombia peasants.
I'd rather my tax dollars be spent trying to keep them from theillegal drug trade and out of America's prisons.
E-mail: marym@suntimes.com
Sure seems longer than two years ago, doesn't it?
Tim Belcher wore a Sox uniform for only the last 11 weeks in thatchampionship season and then he skipped town. And there he wasMonday, giving the Mariners a solid start in their 6-4 victory overSox before 18,852 at Kingdome.
Belcher shook off a three-run error by Mike Blowers in the firstinning and got the lead back on two-out home runs by Jay Buhner andBlowers.
"Nobody out there was trying to make errors," Belcher said. "Ifelt confident knowing how we've been scoring runs lately."
Belcher (8-6) gave up four runs but all were unearned, the lastone coming on a wild pitch by Norm Charlton (second save) afterBelcher loaded the bases in the seventh.
Tino Martinez hit his 26th home run off Atlee Hammaker leadingoff the eighth to give the Mariners a 6-4 lead.
The Mariners were looking to reach the .500 mark with a thirdconsecutive victory, something they hadn't done since winning fourstraight in May.
Wilson Alvarez (4-7) took the loss. He walked six and allowedfive runs, five hits while striking out six before Jose DeLeonreplaced him in the seventh.
Acquired by the Mariners May 15 from the Cincinnati Reds forpitcher Roger Salkeld, Belcher started against the Sox at ComiskeyPark June 19 and got a no-decision in an 8-6 Sox victory.
The Sox traded prospects Johnny Ruffin and Jeff Pierce forBelcher on July 31, 1993, to bolster the starting rotation in theirdrive to the AL West title. He was 3-5 with the Sox with thesehighlights: A 4-0 shutout over Oakland and a victory in reliefagainst Toronto in Game 4 of the ALCS.
Belcher entered the game with a 7-6 record and 4.74 ERA. Hestarted out 3-0, 2.48 in his first five games and then went 0-3, 8.31in his next four.
But Belcher has been streaky. With the Tigers last season, helost his first seven decisions in eight starts, won seven of his nextnine starts before finishing 7-15. He was going for his fourth winin his last five decisions after losing four of his previous five.
Belcher had an aggravating start against his former team Monday.Dave Martinez and Tim Raines singled and Robin Ventura walked to loadthe bases with two outs. Blowers, the Mariners third baseman, madea nice stop to his left on a sharply hit grounder by Mike Devereauxbut Blowers' throw was wide of second baseman Luis Sojo for whatwould have been an inning-ending forceout.
The ball rolled along the rug into the Sox bullpen, allowing allthree runners to score.
Buhner got Belcher right back in the game in the bottom of thefirst by slugging an 0-2 Alvarez pitch over the left-field fence withEdgar Martinez (ground-rule double) on base.
"Wilson made a real bad pitch on Buhner's home run," Sox managerTerry Bevington said. "He gets him 0-2 on two good curves then hethrows a change. We were looking for him to throw the ball in thedirt or throw a high fastball."
It was the right-handed hitting Buhner's 19th home run of theseason but his first against a left-hander.
Blowers walked with the bases loaded - Alvarez's thirdconsecutive walk of the inning - to tie the game 3-3.
Tino Martinez's sacrifice fly to Lance Johnson in center made it4-3 and Alvarez escaped further trouble by striking out AlexRodriguez and getting Dan Wilson on a fly out to left.
Belcher then began to find a groove, facing two hitters above theminimum in the second through fifth innings. The only runner toreach second in that stretch was Devereaux, who lined a leadoffdouble in the fourth but was stranded there.
"Belcher threw a lot more breaking balls and fork balls and sortof a batting practice fastball," Raines said. "He kept us offbalance."
NORTON, Mass. (AP) — Masters champion Charl Schwartzel turned anger into a string of birdies for a 5-under 66 on Saturday that put him in a three-way tie for the lead with Adam Scott and Bubba Watson in the Deutsche Bank Championship.
Watson, who finally put some attention back on his golf, played in the morning and produced what he called a "boring" round of 64 that included an eagle on the seventh hole for the second straight day. Scott, who won on the TPC Boston eight years, shot 63 in the afternoon.
Schwartzel would not have imagined another 66 on his card when he made the turn. He was in perfect position off the tee on the par-5 18th until he pulled his approach, and then compounded the error with a three-putt for a soft bogey. Still stewing when he got to the first tee, he left the 5-wood in his bag and hit driver.
"I was, to say the least, fairly upset," Schwartzel said. "It's sometimes very crucial to come back straightaway, otherwise your round can get away from you. The birdie on the first just got me going in the right mindset again."
The drive set up a flip wedge to 6 week. Another massive drive left him only a 7-iron on the par-5 second, and he was on his way. Schwartzel ran off five birdies in a six-hole stretch and was tied for the lead at the halfway point.
The morning was filled with big cheers, mostly around one hole.
Brandt Snedeker hit 9-iron from 146 yards on the par-3 16th, and the ball spun back to the right and into the cup. Some 20 minutes later, Greg Chalmers also made an ace.
It proved to be a bigger boost for Snedeker, the start of a bizarre 1-5-3 on his card — the ace, followed by a sloppy bogey that got his attention, and an eagle putt on the 18th as he went on to a 64 and was one shot behind. Nick Watney, a two-time winner on tour this year, had another 67 and was two shots behind.
The leaders were at 10-under 132 as they work their way to a Labor Day finish.
"I'm happy to put myself in the hunt because I need a good week to move up in this FedEx Cup," said Scott, who is at No. 23 in the standings. "I'm running out of time quick."
The top 70 on the FedEx Cup list after this week advance to the third playoff event outside Chicago in two weeks, with the top 30 from there going to Atlanta for a shot at the $10 million prize.
Typical for these FedEx Cup playoffs, there were other scores that were significant.
Ernie Els was among the last to qualify for the playoffs, though he still faced long odds. He barely advanced out of the first round and then shot a 65 on Saturday to move into a tie for sixth with a group that included Rickie Fowler.
"I've been working quite hard to get some kind of game going, and it seems like I've got it going a bit now," Els said. "The putter is starting to cooper a little bit better."
Els currently is using a belly putter. Phil Mickelson tried the belly putter for the second straight day, although it was more his long game that led to a 73. He was 11 shots behind and made the cut on the number — 1-over 143 — at the tournament he won four years ago.
William McGirt, the 125th and last man into these playoffs, kept his hopes alive with a second straight 69 that at least gave him a reasonable chance of moving on to Chicago.
Watson hasn't missed many cuts this year. He really hasn't done much of anything aside from his two wins in San Diego and New Orleans. He attributed it to getting accustomed to a little more celebrity.
"You win three times in less than a year, all the people are writing about you in the paper, you've got more fans, you've got a lot more friends, you've got a lot more family, you've got a lot more of everything," he said. "For me, for getting a simple guy like myself, it's not what I dream to do."
He said he feared he might be sick because his energy was drained, then later realized that being in the spotlight required more energy. Watson also learned about the attention from his growing star power in France, when he joked about not knowing the names of some of the most famous landmarks and was criticized in Europe and at home.
Self-deprecating as ever, Watson had no problem making fun of himself or the situation in France. When asked about the landmarks in New England, he said, "There's a fence or something, isn't there? A green one?"
He was only joking about Fenway's "Green Monster."
"I love the Yankees, sorry," he said. "They're all going to hate me, anyways."
The FedEx Cup playoffs ended for Ian Poulter, Anthony Kim and Stewart Cink, among others. They missed the cut and already were outside the top 70 on the list of players who are trying to advance to Chicago.
It nestled comfortably in the big, soft hands of Kansas' DannyManning, who was the Manning of the hour, the Manning of the moment,the Manning of the year.
On the Jayhawk bench, assistant coach Ed Manning, Danny'sfather, jumped higher than he ever had during his days as a player inthe old ABA or the NBA.
The elder Manning, who later would brush away the tears of joy,hugged coach Larry Brown. They were soon joined by everyone in thegeneral vicinity.
It was over.
Kansas, a team that two months ago was in disarray with hopesthat had seemingly gone thataway, had done the impossible.
The Jayhawks, joining the ranks of upset winners Villanova in'85 and North Carolina State in '83, had slain the loud-mouthedbully, beating back their Big Eight tormentors from Oklahoma 83-79 towin their second NCAA championship.
"I felt all day long that the kids would play a great game," EdManning said as he stood before the platform where the Kansas Citykings were about to be coronated. "I'm overjoyed for every kid onthis team, not just Danny.
"I don't know what Danny did with that last rebound, but I hopehe kept it. I wouldn't trade anything in the world for this game."
Neither would his son, who had just put together what was thebest all-around title game since UCLA's Bill Walton's 44-pointextravaganza in 1973 vs. Memphis State.
Manning had 31 points, 18 rebounds, five steals and two blockedshots, a performance that hardly made the Sooners the better for it.
But Manning, as is his wont, wouldn't put himself above thecrowd, even if he plays there.
Like his delirious teammates, he donned a T-shirt with a messageon the back that read, "The Hawks spread their wings, as the fat ladysings."
"This night is well-deserved for everyone on this entire team,"said Manning, who dedicated much of his season to injured teammateArchie Marshall. "This wasn't a gift and this wasn't luck.
"Luck is when preparation meets opportunity."
Indeed, there was no luck involved.
The Jayhawks are superbly coached by Brown, a man who only twodays ago came up with the most interesting revelation of thetournament.
"I have never allowed myself to enjoy anything," Brown said."Since the middle of January, since that Kansas State game that welost to break our (home) winning streak, it's the first time in mylife I've ever really enjoyed everything that has happened sincethat."
Imagine that.
Imagine going through 47 years of life on this planet in thepursuit of happiness and never once allowing yourself the luxury ofkicking back long enough to savor the good times.
But those words told us all something about Brown, who's come tobe recognized as America's coaching guest, a perpetual wanderer whowould never buy a house when he could pitch a tent.
And after Oklahoma had taken a 65-60 lead with 12 minutes toplay, Brown used the very same words he'd been using since theopening tip - that if they could stay close until the final fiveminutes, they could win because the Sooners had never been therebefore.
"I lied," Brown said. "That was just wishful thinking on mypart. I know Oklahoma has been there before."
But even on this night, Brown couldn't escape his reputation ascoaching's jumping jack flash.
"What are your coaching plans now?" he was asked.
"I'm part of a national champion," Brown said. "That's just notfair."
He was right.
He didn't deserve that, but Sooner coach Billy Tubbs, a wise guyto the end, deserved what he got.
It was Sunday when Tubbs was asked if he thought God was onKansas' side.
"What's his number?" Tubbs answered.
It's 25, Billy.
The name is Danny Manning.
EDITOR'S NOTE _ One in a pair of stories examining the strategies that John McCain and Barack Obama are using in the final leg of their campaigns to win the White House.
By TOM RAUM
Associated Press Writer
WASHINGTON (AP) _ For Sen. Barack Obama, the way to cross the finish line first may be simply to stay on course and avoid game-changing mistakes. It doesn't hurt that the political landscape favors Democrats or that the Illinois senator has a huge cash advantage over rival Sen. John McCain.
Headed into the final week flush with cash, Obama has the lead in most national polls, is running ahead in states won by Democrat John Kerry in 2004 and is either leading or competitive in about a half-dozen states last won by President George W. Bush, including delegate-rich Florida and Ohio and onetime Republican stronghold Virginia.
The financial shocks of the past several weeks, an unpopular war and a president with sub-basement approval ratings should help Obama.
"I think he has to stay on message _ and not flub _ to keep on what seems to be a positive glide path," said Princeton political scientist Fred Greenstein, who has written several books on the presidency. "And no gloating. He should not sound like a latter-day Tom Dewey."
Republican Dewey was leading President Truman by about 5 percentage points in the final Gallup poll taken before the 1948 election, a margin similar to the one now enjoyed by Obama in some national polls. Dewey's self-confidence was misplaced. Truman won by about 10 points.
However, Gallup stopped polling about two weeks before the election and would have missed any last-minute changes in national sentiment.
Current polls, in fact, show that the race has tightened since the third and final debate.
But a close look at the electoral map and attention to where each candidate spends his remaining campaign days can be a telling indicator of the likely outcome.
Before traveling to Hawaii to visit his ailing grandmother, Obama stumped mostly in states that had gone for Bush in 2000 and 2004, including Florida, Virginia, Indiana and Missouri, where he was greeted by throngs. He planned more red-state campaigning in the final week.
McCain, meanwhile, is spending precious time trying to shore up his base in some of these same once-reliable Republican states.
Obama's fundraising prowess _ a record $150 million in September alone _ is permitting him to continue to run ads nearly everywhere. His campaign has even bought a 30-minute political ad that will run on Wednesday night on major broadcast networks, making him the first presidential candidate to do so since billionaire Ross Perot in 1992. He is also placing the first-ever presidential campaign ads in online video games.
Meanwhile, McCain has had to husband his scarce resources, including withdrawing advertising from the battleground state of Michigan.
Brushing aside McCain campaign suggestions that Obama is a "socialist" who "pals around" with former terrorists and is unprepared to handle a national security crisis or identify with ordinary Americans, Obama's endgame strategy is to keep the focus on the economy and hew to his longtime central campaign themes.
His themes are the need for change, linking McCain to failed Bush policies, and presenting himself as the candidate whose policies most favor middle-class Americans.
"Races tend to close at the end, and I think we're seeing this. But I don't think the underlying dynamic of the campaign has changed," said Doug Schoen, a Democratic strategist and pollster who worked for President Bill Clinton and New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg.
Still, Schoen said, "McCain certainly has a lot of fight left in him. And Obama would be making a mistake if he took his eye off the ball in states like Florida and Ohio and Colorado and Nevada that are tight."
He's not.
In Colorado, which went Republican in both 2000 and 2004, Obama has a slight lead in some polls. The Democrats chose to have their nominating convention in Denver, and Obama has spent considerable time in the state.
"McCain is on the defense and he's trying to hold the states that Bush won and having trouble in about a half-dozen of these," said Thomas E. Cronin, a political science professor at Colorado College in Colorado Springs. "All Obama needs to do is to pick up four or so of these states. I think his chances are reasonably good in Colorado, although I think it's too close to call."
Cronin, who took some time out during the primary season to campaign for Obama, said the Illinois Democrat is much better-organized in Colorado than McCain, with more than three times as many campaign offices. "It's a matter of money and enthusiastic young people," he said.
In Virginia, which has been trending Democratic in recent statewide elections, Obama has also made a heavy push.
"No one who knows this state thinks he'll win it by 10 points, but certainly he has a lead of several points," said Larry Sabato, a political scientist at the University of Virginia in Charlottesville.
"What does he have to do? Just keep on keeping on. Things are going beautifully for him and you don't mess with success," said Sabato. "It's a Democratic year, the fundamentals are Democratic. So he has to keep pounding the economic troubles relentlessly, and tying McCain to Bush relentlessly."
Obama's overflowing war chest will be a key factor in the final campaign push.
Since launching his campaign in early 2007 through September, Obama had taken in $605 million. His fundraising will soon surpass the $650 million total spent by President Bush and Democrat John Kerry combined in 2004.
The haul in contributions has enabled the Obama campaign to do "everything we wanted to do," says chief strategist David Axelrod.
Even McCain campaign manager Rick Davis calls Obama "the greatest fundraiser in presidential political history."
But Obama's decision to opt out of public financing _ and its constraints _ has come with a political price. It opened him to attacks from McCain, given that Obama initially suggested he would participate in the public-financing system. Furthermore, about half of his donations are under $200 and do not have to be itemized and disclosed under Federal Election Commission rules. McCain's campaign lists all his donors, even those who give less than $200, on his Web site.
For his part, Obama is not taking anything for granted. "We can't let up, and we won't let up," he said last week at a rally in Leesburg, Virginia.
Cheering supporters cut him off as he began to say, "If I am president..." He told them: "No, no, no. I'm superstitious. I don't like counting those chickens."
___
On the Net:
Obama: http://www.barackobama.com
McCain: http://www.johnmccain.com
Results from the fourth round of the Bundesliga, the German first-division football league (home teams listed first):
Friday's Game
Eintracht Frankfurt vs. Karlsruhe, postponed.
Saturday's Games
Hertha Berlin 2, Wolfsburg 2
Borussia Dortmund 3, Schalke 3
Hoffenheim 0, Stuttgart 0
Werder Bremen 3, Energie Cottbus 0
Hamburger SV 3, Bayer Leverkusen 2
Cologne 0, Bayern Munich 3
Sunday's Games
Hannover vs. Borussia Moenchengladbach,
Bochum vs. Arminia Bielefeld
Friday, Sept. 19
Bayer Leverkusen vs. Hannover
Saturday, Sept. 20
Schalke vs. Eintracht Frankfurt
Borussia Moenchengladbach vs. Hertha Berlin
Bayern Munich vs. Werder Bremen
Energie Cottbus vs. Bochum
Arminia Bielefeld vs. Cologne
Sunday, Sept. 21
Wolfsburg vs. Hamburger SV
Hoffenheim vs. Borussia Dortmund
Stuttgart vs. Karlsruher
Byline: Bruce Caughey and Doug Whitehead
One of the world's largest flattop mountains, Grand Mesa lures travelers with its high alpine vegetation and thick forests dotted with more than 300 lakes and reservoirs.
At an average elevation of 10,000 feet, Grand Mesa soars above the surrounding valleys and provides sweeping vistas from its perimeter. It remains a most spectacular place to view in the early and late hours, especially if a storm looms nearby.
The mesa lies sandwiched between the orchards of Palisade to the west and Cedaredge to the east. Formed millions of years ago by volcanic activity, the 53-square-mile mesa is situated atop a deep lava bed. The passage of geologic time with massive glaciers, steady erosion and violent uplift has created wide variations of terrain for backcountry enthusiasts.
Before the 1880s this area was an original Ute hunting ground. The Utes called the region Thigunawat, or home of departed spirits, and a story recounted in the WPA Guide to 1930s Colorado tells how the Utes saw the formation of so many lakes.
The story goes that the north rim of the mesa was home to great eagles that feasted on deer and antelope and sometimes carried off Ute children. One day the chief's son was taken away to the eagle's nest, and the vengeful father climbed up, pulled out young eaglets and threw them down the hill to a giant serpent who lived at the base of the cliff. When the eagles returned, they were full of rage and suspected only the serpent. They carried it high up in the air by their talons and tore it to shreds. The dismembered body of the serpent fell to the Earth with such force that it formed deep pits that later turned into lakes.
OK, so it's a bit of a stretch, but it's more interesting than any other explanation we've heard.
Fishing continues to be a major draw on the mesa, and the lakes and streams get stocked each year. The lakes with easy access draw many visitors and can be a drag for those interested in isolation.
Check out the 13 public campgrounds and reserve by calling (800) 280-2267. Hikers can head out on a 10-mile circular trail providing sweeping views of the entire southwestern corner of Colorado and into Utah from high on an undulating spine on the mesa top. The 78-mile (one-way) Grand Mesa Scenic and Historic Byway and the memorable Land's End Road provide added enticements for motor travelers.
For information contact the Forest Service's Grand Junction Ranger District Office, (970) 242-8211.
BEST LAND O' LAKES: GRAND MESA UTE MYTH BRINGS GRAND MESA ALIVE.(Entertainment/Weekend/Spotlight)Byline: Bruce Caughey and Doug Whitehead
One of the world's largest flattop mountains, Grand Mesa lures travelers with its high alpine vegetation and thick forests dotted with more than 300 lakes and reservoirs.
At an average elevation of 10,000 feet, Grand Mesa soars above the surrounding valleys and provides sweeping vistas from its perimeter. It remains a most spectacular place to view in the early and late hours, especially if a storm looms nearby.
The mesa lies sandwiched between the orchards of Palisade to the west and Cedaredge to the east. Formed millions of years ago by volcanic activity, the 53-square-mile mesa is situated atop a deep lava bed. The passage of geologic time with massive glaciers, steady erosion and violent uplift has created wide variations of terrain for backcountry enthusiasts.
Before the 1880s this area was an original Ute hunting ground. The Utes called the region Thigunawat, or home of departed spirits, and a story recounted in the WPA Guide to 1930s Colorado tells how the Utes saw the formation of so many lakes.
The story goes that the north rim of the mesa was home to great eagles that feasted on deer and antelope and sometimes carried off Ute children. One day the chief's son was taken away to the eagle's nest, and the vengeful father climbed up, pulled out young eaglets and threw them down the hill to a giant serpent who lived at the base of the cliff. When the eagles returned, they were full of rage and suspected only the serpent. They carried it high up in the air by their talons and tore it to shreds. The dismembered body of the serpent fell to the Earth with such force that it formed deep pits that later turned into lakes.
OK, so it's a bit of a stretch, but it's more interesting than any other explanation we've heard.
Fishing continues to be a major draw on the mesa, and the lakes and streams get stocked each year. The lakes with easy access draw many visitors and can be a drag for those interested in isolation.
Check out the 13 public campgrounds and reserve by calling (800) 280-2267. Hikers can head out on a 10-mile circular trail providing sweeping views of the entire southwestern corner of Colorado and into Utah from high on an undulating spine on the mesa top. The 78-mile (one-way) Grand Mesa Scenic and Historic Byway and the memorable Land's End Road provide added enticements for motor travelers.
For information contact the Forest Service's Grand Junction Ranger District Office, (970) 242-8211.
Since mankind began, foraging for food has been a necessity. Thehunter/gatherer societies relied on simple plants gathered from theforest as a sole means of survival.
Today's agricultural crops are genetically modified descendantsofwild plants.
When searching for edible plants follow …
While legislation abounds in Congress to revamp the U.S. health care system, it is unlikely that any measure will specifically mention workers compensation, says Joseph Paduda, a principal of consultant Health Strategy Associates in Madison, Conn. …
Tuesday, July 20 8:01 a.m. DISORDERLY CONDUCT. A male, 17, of Legend Lane was charged with disorderly conduct following an incident at the Saratoga Springs Junior High School.
11:26 a.m. HARASSMENT. A man from Garside Lane reported two females in a Jeep harassed his daughter.
11:45 a.m. FRAUDULENT CHECK. An employee of a business reported receiving a fraudulent check.
6:01 p.m. TRESPASS. A caller from Catherine Street reported juveniles were trespassing.
8:28 p.m. CRIMINAL MISCHIEF. There was a report of criminal mischief at Nelson and Phila streets.
10:28 p.m. OPEN CONTAINER. A caller reported two young women possibly drinking in a car in Congress Park. Investigating officers found a man, 45, and charged him with having an open container.
10:42 p.m. LARCENY. A caller from Ash Street reported a bicycle had been stolen.
11:39 p.m. RESIDENTIAL BURGLARY. A …
PYONGYANG, North Korea (AP) — Senior North Korean officials are pledging loyalty to new leader Kim Jong Un ahead of what would have been his late father Kim Jong Il's 70th birthday.
Kim Jong Un and thousands of military and party officials gathered Wednesday in Pyongyang. Kim Jong Il's birthday is Thursday.
The audience clapped loudly as ceremonial head of …
Manufacturers of dyeing and finishing are placing more importance on quality, economy and flexibility in their Research & Development, and the machines shown at recent exhibitions such as ITMA 2003 showed advancements in such aspects. The following introduces some of the fruits of their R&D activities.
"Spyra Compact" From Biancalani
At ITMA 2003, Biancalani presented the latest innovations in the finishing panorama, the "Spyra Compact", a new combined discontinuous/continuous tumbler, and "Airo", a world famous tool for qualified finishers showing its face lift version.
According to the company, ITMA 2003 was a great success. Hundreds of daily contacts …
Malaria is one of the world's biggest killers. It infects up to half a billion people per year. and according to the World Health Organisation (WHO), a child dies every 30 seconds as a result of the disease.
But new methods to fight malaria are likely, with the publication of the entire genetic sequence of both the malaria parasite and the mosquito that spreads it.
An international team of scientists, led by Robert Holt at Celera Genomics, Maryland. has published the genetic sequence of the mosquito Anopheles gambiae in the journal Science. A simultaneous publication in the journal Nature, by a group of researchers from the Institute of Genomic Research in Maryland and the UK-based Sanger Institute, describe the entire genome of Plasmodium falciparum.
'We now have the genomes of all three organisms involved in the disease. This is the first time this has ever happened,' says Fotis Kafatos, director of the European Molecular Biology Laboratory in Heidelberg, Germany, where much of the mosquito research was carried out. Details of the human genome were published two years ago.
Spread
'Of the four types of malaria that infect humans, only one is likely to …
